PMID- 20284644
TI  - The tuberculosis service.

PMID- 20284646
TI  - PASSING of UNRRA.

PMID- 20284645
TI  - Ten years of premarital blood test law.

PMID- 20284647
TI  - STREPTOMYCIN.

PMID- 20284648
TI  - The varieties of fungi causing ringworm of the scalp.

PMID- 20284649
TI  - OLD people.

PMID- 20284650
TI  - TUBERCULOSIS in Newfoundland.

PMID- 20284651
TI  - Food rations for invalids.

PMID- 20284653
TI  - Part-time nursing scheme for county infirmaries.

PMID- 20284652
TI  - Problem families.

PMID- 20284654
TI  - Scabies in the sub-tropics.

PMID- 20284655
TI  - Observations on the etiology and frequency of spondylolisthesis and its
      precursors.

PMID- 20284656
TI  - Roentgen features of mucocele of the appendix.

PMID- 20284657
TI  - Roentgen treatment of infections of the tonsils and post-pharyngeal lymphoid
      tissues in children.

PMID- 20284658
TI  - Fractures following electroshock therapy.

PMID- 20284659
TI  - Cardiac enlargement.

PMID- 20284660
TI  - Benign ulceration within a duodenal diverticulum; report of a case.

PMID- 20284661
TI  - Reactions of connective tissues after protracted fractional irradiation of
      laryngeal carcinoma.

PMID- 20284662
TI  - The biological significance of fibrinous radiomucositis of the larynx.

PMID- 20284663
TI  - Latex cap for radon ointment treatment.

PMID- 20284664
TI  - Retroperitoneal perforation of the duodenum; report of a case.

PMID- 20284665
TI  - Carcinoma of the transverse colon in a 15-year-old boy; case report with short
      summary of the literature.

PMID- 20284666
TI  - Some practical aspects of hip nailing.

PMID- 20284667
TI  - Application of the inverse-square law to oil-immersed tubes.

PMID- 20284669
TI  - Thoracic surgery in a hospital center.

PMID- 20284673
TI  - Streptomycin in surgical infections; laboratory studies.

PMID- 20284678
TI  - Large melena caused by sponge ulcerating into lumen of ileum more than twenty
      years after celiotomy.

PMID- 20284679
TI  - Perforated carcinoma of the large intestine complicating pregnancy; successful
      operative management.

PMID- 20284680
TI  - Education and certification of orthopaedic surgeons in the United States.

PMID- 20284681
TI  - Survival in bone sarcoma.

PMID- 20284682
TI  - Complications of fractures of the neck of the femur.

PMID- 20284683
TI  - The pathology of ununited fractures of the neck of the femur.

PMID- 20284684
TI  - Complications of old fractures of the neck of the femur; results of treatment of
      vitallium-mold arthroplasty.

PMID- 20284685
TI  - Painful, non-suppurative, localized sclerosis of long bones; with a report of two
      cases.

PMID- 20284686
TI  - The newer pathological and physiological concepts of anterior poliomyelitis and
      their clinical interpretation.

PMID- 20284687
TI  - The diagnosis of meniscus injuries; some new clinical methods.

PMID- 20284688
TI  - Muscle fibrodystrophy; a syndrome causing chronic physical disability.

PMID- 20284689
TI  - Pseudarthrosis of the long bones.

PMID- 20284690
TI  - Fracture-dislocation of the thoracolumbar spine; with special reference to
      reduction by open and closed operations.

PMID- 20284691
TI  - Osteotomy-osteoclasis; a method for correcting long-bone deformities.

PMID- 20284692
TI  - Fracture-dislocation of the ankle with fixed displacement of the fibula behind
      the tibia.

PMID- 20284693
TI  - The formation and significance of vertebral ankylosis in tuberculous spines.

PMID- 20284694
TI  - Primary congenital subluxation of the hip.

PMID- 20284695
TI  - The use of parallel grafts and of two-stage and three-stage interlocking grafts
      in the treatment of idiopathic scoliosis.

PMID- 20284696
TI  - Vitamin-A deficiency and excess in relation to skeletal growth.

PMID- 20284697
TI  - Mobilization of metacarpophalangeal joints; arthroplasty and capsulotomy.

PMID- 20284698
TI  - The definition of human locomotion on the basis of measurement; with description
      of oscillographic method.

PMID- 20284699
TI  - Pre-employment examinations of the back.

PMID- 20284700
TI  - An improved skin-traction technique for the fingers.

PMID- 20284701
TI  - Infantile cortical hyperostosis.

PMID- 20284702
TI  - Osteomyelitis caused by Salmonella typhimurium.

PMID- 20284703
TI  - Salmonella infection involving the knee joint; report of a case.

PMID- 20284704
TI  - Ununited epiphysis of the ischium; report of a case.

PMID- 20284705
TI  - Ossifications associated with chronic strain of the tibial collateral ligament
      from roller-skating.

PMID- 20284706
TI  - An efficient dual-purpose retractor.

PMID- 20284707
TI  - A miniature galvanic stimulator.

PMID- 20284708
TI  - An improved retractor for intervertebral-disc surgery.

PMID- 20284709
TI  - Modification of the Denis Browne splint.

PMID- 20284710
TI  - Modification of cast spreader.

PMID- 20284711
TI  - A review of the evolution of the orthopaedic branch of surgery in New York City.

PMID- 20284712
TI  - Rehabilitation of the arm amputee.

PMID- 20284713
TI  - Tubed pedicle complications in repair of massive tissue defects.

PMID- 20284714
TI  - Surgical technique helpful in obtaining fine scars.

PMID- 20284715
TI  - Implantation of fascial strips through the masseter muscle for surgical
      correction of facial paralysis; a report of 11 cases.

PMID- 20284716
TI  - The correction of some forms of acquired ptosis.

PMID- 20284717
TI  - Tattooing of corneal scars with insoluble pigments.

PMID- 20284718
TI  - Coloboma of the eyelids.

PMID- 20284719
TI  - Reconstruction of the nasal septum.

PMID- 20284720
TI  - The role of the platysma muscle in torticollis deformity.

PMID- 20284721
TI  - Anastomosis between the ureter and urinary bladder by means of a subcutaneous
      skin tube.

PMID- 20284722
TI  - Reconstruction of the columella.

PMID- 20284723
TI  - Inking pens for skin marking in plastic surgery.

PMID- 20284724
TI  - Malignant melanoma in the Negro; with report of six cases.

PMID- 20284725
TI  - Uterine bleeding; puberty, maturity, post climacteric.

PMID- 20284726
TI  - Primary neoplasms of the trachea.

PMID- 20284727
TI  - Carcinoma of the prostate gland.

PMID- 20284728
TI  - Recent advances in ophthalmic surgery.

PMID- 20284729
TI  - The problem for the anesthesiologist in dealing with the malnourished patient.

PMID- 20284730
TI  - Fundamentals in surgical preparation of thyrotoxic patients; use of thiouracil.

PMID- 20284731
TI  - Parenteral fluids.

PMID- 20284732
TI  - Lipoma of the colon; treated by primary resection, with end-to-end anastomosis.

PMID- 20284733
TI  - Repair of inguinal hernia with whole skin grafts.

PMID- 20284734
TI  - Intracranial aneurysms: considerations in surgical management.

PMID- 20284735
TI  - Mediastinal cysts; report of a case.

PMID- 20284736
TI  - Internal biliary fistulas; report of a case.

PMID- 20284737
TI  - Carotid body tumor.

PMID- 20284738
TI  - The Blalock operation for congenital pulmonic stenosis; report of two successful
      cases.

PMID- 20284739
TI  - Retroperitoneal chylous cyst.

PMID- 20284740
TI  - Modern management of peripheral vascular diseases.

PMID- 20284741
TI  - Volvulus neonatorum.

PMID- 20284742
TI  - Management of diseases of the pancreas.

PMID- 20284743
TI  - Carcinoma of the breast.

PMID- 20284744
TI  - The parathyroid problem.

PMID- 20284745
TI  - Acute intussusception in infants and children; an analysis of 95 cases in the
      Cook County Children's Hospital.

PMID- 20284746
TI  - Suppurative cholangitis.

PMID- 20284747
TI  - Laboratory diagnosis and its pitfalls in the management of surgical jaundice.

PMID- 20284748
TI  - Intestinal obstruction; analysis of 352 cases.

PMID- 20284749
TI  - Bowel obstruction in the newborn.

PMID- 20284750
TI  - Acute abdominal surgery with special reference to bowel obstruction and a note on
      chronic appendicitis obliterans.

PMID- 20284751
TI  - Surgical sequelae following recovery from a perforated peptic ulcer.

PMID- 20284752
TI  - Transabdominal repair of esophageal hiatus hernia.

PMID- 20284753
TI  - Methods of nerve repair.

PMID- 20284754
TI  - Trigeminal neuralgia; its relief in the aged and feeble.

PMID- 20284755
TI  - Sympathectomy in peripheral vascular disease and hypertension.

PMID- 20284756
TI  - Large nonpulsating hematoma (false aneurysm).

PMID- 20284758
TI  - Osteomyelitis.

PMID- 20284757
TI  - Posterior approach to the knee.

PMID- 20284759
TI  - Nonunion in fractures.

PMID- 20284760
TI  - Fractures involving the elbow with special reference to the head of the radius
      and olecranon.

PMID- 20284761
TI  - The estimation of water and salt requirements in the surgical patient.

PMID- 20284762
TI  - A new technique for pulmonary segmental resection; its application in the
      treatment of bronchiectasis.

PMID- 20284763
TI  - Clinical experiences with the use of penicillin treatment of infections involving
      bones and joints.

PMID- 20284764
TI  - Carcinoma of the prostate; review of 130 cases treated between 1940 and 1946.

PMID- 20284765
TI  - Studies on anuria; effect of infusion fluids and diuretics on the anuria
      resulting from severe burns.

PMID- 20284766
TI  - Diverticula of the stomach and duodenum; treatment by invagination and suture.

PMID- 20284767
TI  - Growth of human trophoblast in eye of rabbit; its relationship to the origin of
      cancer; a preliminary report.

PMID- 20284768
TI  - The blood supply of the kidney, suprarenal gland, and associated structures.

PMID- 20284769
TI  - Simplified repair of the common duct; use of umbrella catheter to produce
      internal biliary fistula.

PMID- 20284770
TI  - Unilateral exophthalmos, and early sign in thyrotoxicosis.

PMID- 20284771
TI  - Thoracicoabdominal approach to the upper abdomen.

PMID- 20284772
TI  - Histopathology of the anal ducts.

PMID- 20284773
TI  - Extra-articular repair for ruptured collateral and cruciate ligaments.

PMID- 20284774
TI  - Anatomic disarticulation of the hip.

PMID- 20284775
TI  - The advantages and limitations of thiouracil therapy in thyrotoxicosis.

PMID- 20284776
TI  - Observations on the use of G-11 in the surgical scrub.

PMID- 20284777
TI  - Plasma fractions; fibrin foam, thrombin, and fraction No. 1, in general surgery.

PMID- 20284778
TI  - Clinical observations on furacin soluble dressing in the treatment of surface
      infections.

PMID- 20284779
TI  - Progress in the surgical treatment of carcinoma of the esophagus.

PMID- 20284780
TI  - Fractures of the os calcis.

PMID- 20284781
TI  - The interdependence of artist and anatomist.

PMID- 20284782
TI  - Experimental appendical peritonitis; the significance of imbalance of circulating
      fibrinolytic and antifibrinolytic factors in the course of the disease.

PMID- 20284783
TI  - Coexistent duodenal ulcer and gastric malignancy.

PMID- 20284784
TI  - The use of streptomycin in surgical patients.

PMID- 20284785
TI  - 17-Ketosteroids in the diagnosis of adrenal tumors.

PMID- 20284786
TI  - Retroperitoneal teratoma; successfully removed from a 15 month-old Negro girl.

PMID- 20284787
TI  - Delayed suture of war wounds.

PMID- 20284788
TI  - Plasma cell mastitis.

PMID- 20284789
TI  - Secondary damage in wounding due to pressure changes accompanying the passage of
      high velocity missiles.

PMID- 20284790
TI  - The treatment of acute appendicitis superimposing severe exophthalmic goiter.

PMID- 20284791
TI  - Malignant soft tissue tumors of the lower extremities; a radical-conservative
      technique of wide excision and skin grafting without amputation; report of five
      cases.

PMID- 20284792
TI  - A controlled suction apparatus for general surgical use.

PMID- 20284793
TI  - Surgery of war wounds of the abdomen; a review of 100 consecutive patients,
      operated upon by a single surgical team, working in forward areas in the European
      Theater of Operations.

PMID- 20284794
TI  - The importance of nonsurgical measures in the treatment of intestinal
      obstruction.

PMID- 20284795
TI  - Chronic salpingitis.

PMID- 20284796
TI  - Primary extrarenal hypernephroma; discussion of sites and origins, and report of
      a case.

PMID- 20284797
TI  - Sympus apus; a case report.

PMID- 20284798
TI  - Exsanguinating hemorrhage in peptic ulcer.

PMID- 20284799
TI  - Hydrogen ion concentration (pH) of normal vaginas.

PMID- 20284800
TI  - X-ray irradiation to promote ovulation.

PMID- 20284801
TI  - The importance of the liver in reproductive physiology.

PMID- 20284802
TI  - Treatment of azoospermia by vaso-epididymal anastomosis.

PMID- 20284803
TI  - Recent advances in abdominal surgery.

PMID- 20284804
TI  - Tropical medicine and the challenge of global war.

PMID- 20284805
TI  - Tropical medicine and the challenge of global peace.

PMID- 20284806
TI  - The distribution of exoerythrocytic parasites and the tissue reaction caused by
      blood-induced Plasmodium gallinaceum infection in chicks.

PMID- 20284807
TI  - Studies on atabrine (quinacrine) suppression of malaria; the epidemiological
      significance of atabrine suppression.

PMID- 20284808
TI  - The transmission of Plasmodium malariae by Anopheles maculipennis freeborni.

PMID- 20284809
TI  - The diagnosis of Schistosoma mansoni infections; note on the use of a rectal
      scraper.

PMID- 20284810
TI  - Results of certain studies on the stomach in Schistosomiasis japonica.

PMID- 20284811
TI  - Intradermal and complement fixation reactions elicited by various antigens in
      persons infected with Onchocerca volvulus.

PMID- 20284812
TI  - Intestinal parasitic infections in naval personnel.

PMID- 20284813
TI  - DDT dust for the control of head lice.

PMID- 20284814
TI  - The treatment of Carrion's disease with large transfusions.

PMID- 20284815
TI  - The evaluation of the surgical treatment of recurrent echinococcic cysts of the
      liver followed by deep X-ray therapy.

PMID- 20284816
TI  - Hawaii fights tuberculosis.

PMID- 20284817
TI  - TB tests in schools; pro and con.

PMID- 20284818
TI  - What the thoracoplasty patient should know.

PMID- 20284819
TI  - Sanitation of the air.

PMID- 20284820
TI  - The tuberculosis specialist; the tuberculologist.

PMID- 20284821
TI  - Some features of autolytic tuberculin that adapt it for special specific test
      purposes.

PMID- 20284822
TI  - Antibiotics in experimental tuberculosis (with special reference to subtilin).

PMID- 20284823
TI  - A review of the experiments with BCG immunization in Brazil and the beneficial
      results obtained.

PMID- 20284824
TI  - Climate and tuberculosis.

PMID- 20284825
TI  - The health card and the Abreu X-ray method as used in Asuncion, Paraguay.

PMID- 20284826
TI  - Lupus vulgaris; report of a case of five years' standing, satisfactorily treated
      with diasone.

PMID- 20284827
TI  - Gunshot wounds of the ureter; three cases, with preservation of the kidney in
      two.

PMID- 20284828
TI  - Physiological variations in pyelograms commonly interpreted as pathological; a
      revised standard of normality, with special reference to the cystoid theory.

PMID- 20284829
TI  - Urethro-trigonitis in relation to abacterial pyuria.

PMID- 20284830
TI  - The endoscopic treatment of urethrotrigonitis in women.

PMID- 20284831
TI  - The hormonal therapy of vesical carcinoma.

PMID- 20284832
TI  - The use of streptomycin in the treatment of urinary tract infections.

PMID- 20284833
TI  - Some observations on litholapaxy.

PMID- 20284834
TI  - Cystoscopy of vesical papilloma; is the diagnosis of benignity possible?

PMID- 20284835
TI  - When is resection completed?

PMID- 20284836
TI  - Vesical neck obstruction caused by leukemia; case report.

PMID- 20284837
TI  - Transurethral treatment of vesical neoplasms.

PMID- 20284838
TI  - Instrumental repair at the bladder neck.

PMID- 20284839
TI  - Stricture formation following transurethral resection; its prevention and
      treatment.

PMID- 20284840
TI  - Urinary incontinence following suprapubic prostatectomy; with report of three
      cases.

PMID- 20284841
TI  - Primary tumor of the ureter.

PMID- 20284842
TI  - Polycystic disease of kidneys causing dystocia; review of the literature and
      report of a case.

PMID- 20284843
TI  - Endoscopic exploration of the membraneous urethra.

PMID- 20284844
TI  - The clinic for the treatment of syphilitics.

PMID- 20284845
TI  - An unusual foreign body in the urethra and bladder; case report.

PMID- 20284847
TI  - Lymphogranuloma venereum.

PMID- 20284846
TI  - Three cases of acute nephritis treated with vitamin E.

PMID- 20284848
TI  - A bean as a nucleus in a vesical calculus.

PMID- 20284849
TI  - Birth of penicillin.

PMID- 20284850
TI  - Administration of penicillin.

PMID- 20284851
TI  - Penicillin therapy of early syphilis in 14,000 patients.

PMID- 20284852
TI  - The evolution of the Huhner test.

PMID- 20284853
TI  - Rapid treatment of early syphilis with penicillin in beeswax and oil.

PMID- 20284854
TI  - Prenatal syphilis; report of two families.

PMID- 20284855
TI  - The Herxheimer reactions of relatively small doses of penicillin.

PMID- 20284856
TI  - The chemotherapy of calf pneumonia; some pharmacologic aspects of sulfonamide
      administration to normal calves.

PMID- 20284857
TI  - The chemotherapy of calf pneumonia; the use of sulfathiazole, sulfapyridine, and
      sulfadiazine in the treatment of calf pneumonia.

PMID- 20284858
TI  - The genesis of bovine udder infection and mastitis; the occurrence of
      streptococcal infection in a cow population during a seven-year period and its
      relationship to age.

PMID- 20284860
TI  - Submucosal glands in the bovine ileum.

PMID- 20284859
TI  - Infection of the bovine udder with yeastlike fungi.

PMID- 20284861
TI  - Vaccination studies on bovine trichomoniasis.

PMID- 20284862
TI  - Some experimental investigations on the etiology of leucemia in cattle.

PMID- 20284863
TI  - Length of gestation in range sheep.

PMID- 20284864
TI  - Studies on baby pig mortality; chemistry of the blood during fasting and
      refeeding of weanling pigs.

PMID- 20284865
TI  - The behavior of the peripheral blood elements in panleucopenia (agranulocytosis)
      of the domestic cat.

PMID- 20284866
TI  - Chicken embryo vaccine against Newcastle disease (pneumoencephalitis).

PMID- 20284867
TI  - Studies in avian leucosis; the transmissibility of visceral lymphomatosis.

PMID- 20284868
TI  - Studies in avian leucosis; the use of biopsy technique in the study of visceral
      lymphomatosis.

PMID- 20284869
TI  - Adsorbate Newcastle disease (avian pest) vaccine.

PMID- 20284870
TI  - Immunity and cross immunity reactions obtained with several avian lymphoid tumor
      strains.

PMID- 20284871
TI  - Isolation of Shigella gallinarum from turkey eggs.

PMID- 20284872
TI  - Transmission of the virus of Newcastle disease to the Syrian hamster.

PMID- 20284873
TI  - Infection and transmission of Brucella by ectoparasites.

PMID- 20284874
TI  - International veterinary congresses.

PMID- 20284875
TI  - Early septicaemia in anthrax.

PMID- 20284876
TI  - So-called skin tuberculosis.

PMID- 20284877
TI  - Comparative differential leucocytic counts in tuberculin positive animals and
      clinical cases of tuberculosis.

PMID- 20284878
TI  - Rinderpest in Rajputana.

PMID- 20284879
TI  - Augmenting milk production.

PMID- 20284881
TI  - An undiagnosed disease among ponies in the Nilgiris District.

PMID- 20284880
TI  - Rinderpest control; impressions of a field worker.

PMID- 20284882
TI  - Sulphanilamide in bovine practice.

PMID- 20284883
TI  - Cases of hypocalcaemia?

PMID- 20284884
TI  - Incidence of Babesia motasia in a lamb.

PMID- 20284885
TI  - Castration of pigs.

PMID- 20284886
TI  - Malicious poisoning of cattle by Calotropis gigenta.

PMID- 20284887
TI  - Observations on the distribution of disease, including neoplastic disease of the
      generative, urinary and locomotory systems of the domesticated animals.

PMID- 20284888
TI  - An outline on genetic factors.

PMID- 20284889
TI  - The occurrence of contagious caprine pleuro-pneumonia in Assam.

PMID- 20284890
TI  - Rinderpest and its control in the Province of Bombay.

PMID- 20284891
TI  - Rinderpest in Tanjore District (Madras Presidency).

PMID- 20284892
TI  - A note on glycosuria in rabies.

PMID- 20284893
TI  - A myxofibroma in the heart of a goat.

PMID- 20284894
TI  - Retention of placenta; a safe technique for its treatment.

PMID- 20284895
TI  - Equine and bovine surra; its incidence in Baroda State during the year 1944 and
      1945.

PMID- 20284896
TI  - Prevalent diseases of race horses in Egypt; conclusion of 1927-1947 observations.

PMID- 20284897
TI  - Treatment of mastitis in dairy cows with penicillin.

PMID- 20284898
TI  - VETERINARY service for the K-9 corps.

PMID- 20284900
TI  - SWINE parasites and parasitisms.

PMID- 20284899
TI  - PHARMACEUTICAL by-products of meat animals.

PMID- 20284901
TI  - Effect on feline growth of heat-processed foods and metabolized vitamin D milk.

PMID- 20284902
TI  - Unusual boar castration.

PMID- 20284903
TI  - Rabies with atypical course and symptoms.

PMID- 20284904
TI  - Necrobacillosis in a steer.

PMID- 20284905
TI  - Veterinary practice; surgery.

PMID- 20284906
TI  - Mitotic activity in the anterior hypophysis of ovariectomized rats after
      injection of estrogens.

PMID- 20284907
TI  - Mechanics of invagination.

PMID- 20284908
TI  - Limb ablation experiments on the embryonic chick and its effect as observed on
      the mature nervous system.

PMID- 20284909
TI  - Studies on the ligaments of the oviduct in the domestic fowl.

PMID- 20284910
TI  - The costomediastinal border of the left pleura in the precordial area.

PMID- 20284911
TI  - Chromaffin patterns in bird adrenals.

PMID- 20284912
TI  - The mammary gland development in male mice at nine weeks of age.

PMID- 20284913
TI  - The accessory reproductive glands of Parascalops with notes on homologies.

PMID- 20284914
TI  - A study of the amnion with the electron microscope.

PMID- 20284915
TI  - The general pharmacologic action of a new vasopressor drug, EA-83 (2-methylamino
      6-hydroxy-6-methyl heptane, 2 methylamino iso-octanol).

PMID- 20284916
TI  - Comparison of the pharmacologic properties of some new analgesic substances.

PMID- 20284917
TI  - Early clinical experience with dolophine (No.10820).

PMID- 20284918
TI  - Effects of vitamin C deficiency and starvation upon the toxicity of procaine.

PMID- 20284919
TI  - Complications of spinal anesthesia.

PMID- 20284920
TI  - Multiple-dosage curare technique anesthesia.

PMID- 20284921
TI  - Apparent decerebrate rigidity and recovery; a case report.

PMID- 20284923
TI  - The beginning of civilization in America.

PMID- 20284922
TI  - The laboratory dog [the vivisection controversy].

PMID- 20284924
TI  - Primitive surgery.

PMID- 20284925
TI  - Tarascan political geography.

PMID- 20284926
TI  - Bifurcate merging, a test of five theories.

PMID- 20284927
TI  - On the implications for anthropology of the Gesell-Ilg approach to maturation.

PMID- 20284928
TI  - Evolution, social or cultural?

PMID- 20284929
TI  - Anthropology for the common man.

PMID- 20284930
TI  - Status and function as factors in the structure of organizations among the
      Japanese.

PMID- 20284931
TI  - Anthropology during the war; India.

PMID- 20284932
TI  - The significance and applications of bacteriophage in bacteriological and virus
      research.

PMID- 20284933
TI  - The mosquitoes of Bwamba County, Uganda; the vertical distribution and biting
      cycle of mosquitoes in rain-forest, with further observations on microclimate.

PMID- 20284934
TI  - The habits and control of the red locust in outbreak areas and elsewhere.

PMID- 20284935
TI  - Breeding the house-fly (Musca domestica, L.) in the laboratory; introduction and
      technique.

PMID- 20284936
TI  - Cotton stainers (Dysdercus spp.) in the West Indies.

PMID- 20284937
TI  - Factors influencing the interaction of insecticidal mists and flying insects;
      some experiments with adjuvants.

PMID- 20284938
TI  - Initial experiments in the use of DDT against mosquitoes in British Guiana.

PMID- 20284939
TI  - An account of a black aphid, Doralis fabae (Scop.) subsp. armata (Hausmann),
      found on Digitalis purpurea, L.

PMID- 20284940
TI  - A laboratory comparison of the toxicity as a contact poison of DDT with nicotine,
      derris products and the pyrethrins.

PMID- 20284941
TI  - The effect of medium on the toxicity of DDT to aphids.

PMID- 20284942
TI  - Studies on the nutritional requirements of Brucella suis.

PMID- 20284951
TI  - Conditions contributing to streptococcal virulence; intra-phasic attenuation by
      sulfanilamide.

PMID- 20284953
TI  - The cultivation of Bacterium tularense in embryonated eggs.

PMID- 20284954
TI  - Actinomycetin.

PMID- 20284958
TI  - Testing of fungicidal materials against pathogenic fungi.

PMID- 20284959
TI  - Streptomycin in the treatment of pyocyaneus infections of the urinary tract.

PMID- 20284972
TI  - The production of apparent cycles in bacterial variation.

PMID- 20284970
TI  - Studies on penicillinase; the effect of antipenicillinase on penicillin-resistant
      organisms.

PMID- 20284973
TI  - The influence of pretreating bacteria with anionic agents on the antibacterial
      action of cationic germicides.

PMID- 20284974
TI  - Interference between the Cambridge swine strain of influenza and the PR 8 human
      influenza virus.

PMID- 20284975
TI  - Improving streptomycin yields by strain selection and inoculum development.

PMID- 20284976
TI  - Use of kittens for demonstration of enterotoxin production by strains of
      Clostridium perringens implicated in human food poisoning.

PMID- 20284977
TI  - This wormy world.

PMID- 20284978
TI  - An in vitro method of testing the amoebicidal action of chemical agents.

PMID- 20284979
TI  - Culture experiments on intestinal flagellates; additional observations on
      flagellates from man, rodents and insect larvae.

PMID- 20284980
TI  - A coccidian parasite of Ephestia kuhniella Zeller and of Plodia interpunctella
      (Hbn) (Lepidoptera, Phycitidae).

PMID- 20284981
TI  - Experimental therapy of paragonimiasis in dogs.

PMID- 20284982
TI  - Longevity of metacercariae of Fasciola hepatica on pastures in the upper coastal
      region of Texas and its relationship to liver fluke control.

PMID- 20284983
TI  - The larval development and ecology of Aedes (Stegomyia) scutellaris (Walker,
      1859) in New Guinea.

PMID- 20284985
TI  - Notes on the tick, Ixodes howelli Cooley and Kohls, with descriptions.

PMID- 20284984
TI  - A new species of mite, Ichoronyssus dentipes (Acarina: Liponyssinae), from the
      cotton rat.

PMID- 20284986
TI  - Culture experiments on intestinal flagellates; species from amphibians and
      reptiles.

PMID- 20284987
TI  - Physiological observations upon a larval Eustrongylides; the lethal mechanism of
      bacteria.

PMID- 20284988
TI  - The relationship in mice of intestinal emptying time and natural resistance to
      Hymenolepis.

PMID- 20284989
TI  - A quantitative study of phenocopy production with monochromatic ultraviolet
      irradiation.

PMID- 20284990
TI  - Cytological and experimental studies on the oocytes of fresh water pulmonates.

PMID- 20284992
TI  - The food-vacuole in Paramecium.

PMID- 20284991
TI  - The relation of blood oxygen transport to resistance to anoxia in chicks and
      ducklings.

PMID- 20284993
TI  - Poisoning and recovery in barnacles and mussels.

PMID- 20284994
TI  - Spectrographic analysis of plants and soils.

PMID- 20284996
TI  - Unidentified members of the vitamin B complex.

PMID- 20284995
TI  - The control of urine secretion in mammals by the pars nervosa of the pituitary.

PMID- 20284997
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20284998
TI  - Measurement of virus activity in plants.

PMID- 20284999
TI  - Clinical tests on comparative effectiveness of analgesic drugs.

PMID- 20285000
TI  - Human sacrifice and warfare as factors in the demography of pre-colonial Mexico.

PMID- 20285001
TI  - The inheritance of cleidocranial dysostosis.

PMID- 20285002
TI  - Use of life-table death-rates for comparative mortality.

PMID- 20285003
TI  - Factorial analysis of anthropological measurements in psychotic patients.

PMID- 20285004
TI  - Probabilities of death in closed population groups, illustrated by probabilities
      of death of white fathers after birth of children.

PMID- 20285005
TI  - Nutrition, growth and sexuality of the Pismo clam (Tivela stultorum).

PMID- 20285006
TI  - A new complex of hereditary abnormalities in the house mouse.

PMID- 20285007
TI  - Restitution of the brachial region of the cord following unilateral excision in
      the embryo.

PMID- 20285008
TI  - Regression and shortening of the primitive streak in the explanted chick
      blastoderm.

PMID- 20285009
TI  - Investigations on the reproductive system of Drosophila.

PMID- 20285010
TI  - A mass spectrometer investigation of the isotopes of xenon and krypton resulting
      from the fission of U225 by thermal neutrons.

PMID- 20285011
TI  - Measurement of the diffusion length of thermal neutrons in graphite.

PMID- 20285012
TI  - The diffusion length of thermal neutrons in heavy water containing lithium
      carbonate.

PMID- 20285013
TI  - Sulphanilamidopyrimidines.

PMID- 20285014
TI  - The synthesis of di- and trithiols.

PMID- 20285015
TI  - Synthesis of amino acids from substituted cyanoacetic ester; 4-alkyl-3
      aminopyrazolones.

PMID- 20285016
TI  - The reaction of beta, beta-dichlorodiethyl sulphide with proteins.

PMID- 20285017
TI  - 5-Hydroxyquinoline-8-carboxylic acid; a colorimetric reagent for ruthenium.

PMID- 20285018
TI  - Production and properties of 2,3-butanediol; fermentation of glucose by strains
      of Bacillus subtilis.

PMID- 20285019
TI  - Production and properties of 2,3-butanediol; dissimilation of glucose by Serratia
      marcescens.

PMID- 20285020
TI  - Production and properties of 2,3-butanediol; cyclic acetals and ketals derived
      from levo-2,3-butanediol.

PMID- 20285021
TI  - The catalytic action of aluminium silicates; the dehydration of butanediol-2.3
      and butanone-2 over activated Morden bentonite.

PMID- 20285022
TI  - Binary and ternary eutectics involving ammonium nitrate.

PMID- 20285023
TI  - Measurements of cure of some thermosetting resins.

PMID- 20285024
TI  - Note on the preparation of 1-methoxy-1,3-butadiene.

PMID- 20285025
TI  - Metabolism of isolated lung tissue; normal and in phosgene poisoning.

PMID- 20285026
TI  - The effect of beta-choloroethyl vesicants, thermal injury, and turpentine on
      plasma fibrin, cholesterol, and sugar of dogs and rats.

PMID- 20285027
TI  - A diffusion cell adapted to use in the Tiselius apparatus.

PMID- 20285028
TI  - On the determination of tryptophane.

PMID- 20285029
TI  - Further observations on the succinic dehydrogenase system and the effects of
      tocopherol esters.

PMID- 20285030
TI  - Studies on antibacterial properties of irradiated pyridoxamine.

PMID- 20285031
TI  - Colorimetric determination of uric acid with alkaline ferricyanide.

PMID- 20285032
TI  - Differentiation between ribose-3-phosphate and ribose-5-phosphate by means of the
      orcinol-pentose reaction.

PMID- 20285033
TI  - The determination of aromatic amidines in plasma and urine.

PMID- 20285034
TI  - The urinary sulfur partition in normal and cystinuric dogs fed labeled
      methionine.

PMID- 20285035
TI  - Methionine labeled with radioactive sulfur as an indicator of protein formation
      in the hepatectomized dog.

PMID- 20285036
TI  - A study of the mechanism of the methylene blue test for bile pigment in urine;
      preparation of a compound of methylene blue and bilirubin.

PMID- 20285037
TI  - The combination of fatty acids and related compounds with serum albumin; the
      nature and extent of the combination.

PMID- 20285038
TI  - An improved method for the preparation of pituitary adrenotropic hormone.

PMID- 20285039
TI  - Differential spectrophotometry of purine compounds by means of specific enzymes;
      determination of hydroxypurine compounds.

PMID- 20285040
TI  - Differential spectrophotometry of purine compounds by means of specific enzymes;
      determination of adenine compounds.

PMID- 20285041
TI  - Differential spectrophotometry of purine compounds by means of specific enzymes;
      studies of the enzymes of purine metabolism.

PMID- 20285042
TI  - The enzymatic synthesis of purine ribosides.

PMID- 20285043
TI  - Electrophoresis of rat plasma; the effect of adrenocorticotropic hormone.

PMID- 20285044
TI  - Studies on pituitary lactogenic hormone; effect of esterification with methyl
      alcohol.

PMID- 20285045
TI  - The flame photometer for the measurement of sodium and potassium in biological
      materials.

PMID- 20285046
TI  - The excretion of nicotinic acid derivatives after ingestion of tryptophane by
      man.

PMID- 20285047
TI  - Studies of protoporphyrin; a simple and improved method for the preparation of
      pure protoporphyrin from hemoglobin.

PMID- 20285048
TI  - The effect of fat on the absorption and utilization of galactose by the rat.

PMID- 20285049
TI  - Prevention of phenylalanine synthesis by tyrosine.

PMID- 20285050
TI  - The colorimetric microdetermination of urea nitrogen by the xanthydrol method.

PMID- 20285051
TI  - Fractionation of serum with respect to its action in enhancing tissue
      respiration.

PMID- 20285052
TI  - Studies on penicillinase; the production, partial purification, and practical
      application of penicillinase.

PMID- 20285053
TI  - Studies on penicillinase; manometric method of assaying penicillinase and
      penicillin, kinetics of the penicillin-penicillinase reaction, and the effects of
      inhibitors on penicillinase.

PMID- 20285054
TI  - The effect of pyridoxine analogues on tryptophane metabolism in the rat.

PMID- 20285055
TI  - Electrically activated ergosterol (Whittier process).

PMID- 20285056
TI  - The identification of three mononucleotides from tobacco mosaic virus nucleic
      acid.

PMID- 20285057
TI  - The availability of vitamin B6 in yeast and liver for growth of Saccharomyces
      carlsbergensis.

PMID- 20285058
TI  - Biotin and the synthesis of aspartic acid by microorganisms.

PMID- 20285059
TI  - Substitution of thiamine by certain amino acids in the nutrition of Bacillus
      paraalvei.

PMID- 20285060
TI  - Nucleolytic and proteolytic activities of the new crystalline protein from beef
      pancreas.

PMID- 20285061
TI  - Carbon dioxide utilization in the formation of glycine and acetic acid.

PMID- 20285062
TI  - Isolation of alpha-phosphotrihydroxyglutaric acid from dog liver.

PMID- 20285063
TI  - Rapid extraction of human erythrocyte cholinesterase by alkali
      pseudoagglutination.

PMID- 20285064
TI  - The stimulation of bacteriophage synthesis by indole-3-acetic acid.

PMID- 20285065
TI  - Addition of dinitrogen tetroxide to olefins; general introduction.

PMID- 20285066
TI  - Addition of dinitrogen tetroxide to olefins; ethylene.

PMID- 20285067
TI  - Addition of dinitrogen tetroxide to olefins; propylene.

PMID- 20285068
TI  - Contributions to the chemistry of pyridine; condensation of beta-hydroxypyridine
      with formaldehyde in alkaline medium.

PMID- 20285069
TI  - The nature of the 2-chloroethyl chlorovinyl sulphide isomers.

PMID- 20285070
TI  - Condensation of substituted benzaldehydes with creatinine; influence of
      substituents.

PMID- 20285071
TI  - Molecular compound formation in the polyphenyl series; some compounds formed by
      4:4'-dinitrodiphenyl.

PMID- 20285072
TI  - Steric inhibition of resonance; the basic strengths of some dimethyl-substituted
      aromatic primary and tertiary amines.

PMID- 20285073
TI  - The application of the method of molecular rotation differences to steroids;
      steroidal hormones and bile acids.

PMID- 20285074
TI  - The difluoroarsines.

PMID- 20285075
TI  - The alkyl- and aryl-substituted fluorides of sulphur, selenium, tellurium, and
      iodine.

PMID- 20285076
TI  - The chemistry of the higher silanes; tetrasilane.

PMID- 20285077
TI  - The structure of adreno-cortical metabolites; delta 9:11-androstene-3:17-dione.

PMID- 20285078
TI  - Steroids and the Walden inversion; derivatives of androstane and cholestane.

PMID- 20285079
TI  - Steroids and the Walden inversion; derivatives of delta 5-cholestene and delta 5
      androstene.

PMID- 20285080
TI  - A study of the mechanism of oxidation with chromic acid.

PMID- 20285081
TI  - Decomposition reactions of the aromatic diazo-compounds; the mechanism of
      formation of azo-compounds, polyaryls, and aryl sulphides.

PMID- 20285082
TI  - The photochemical instability of cis- and trans-4:4'-diamidinostilbene.

PMID- 20285083
TI  - An argument for early treatment.

PMID- 20285084
TI  - Children's dentistry and the orthodontist.

PMID- 20285085
TI  - Dental caries in China.

PMID- 20285086
TI  - Fluorine and dental caries.

PMID- 20285087
TI  - The amino acids and their deaminating systems present in human saliva.

PMID- 20285088
TI  - Ammonia production in the oral cavity and the use of ammonium salts for the
      control of dental caries.

PMID- 20285089
TI  - The role of nuclear physics in medicine and dentistry; applications in medicine.

PMID- 20285091
TI  - Hyperparathyroidism.

PMID- 20285090
TI  - The role of nuclear physics in medicine and dentistry; use of radioactive tracers
      in the study of bones and teeth.

PMID- 20285092
TI  - The normal and pathologic physiology of the parathyroid glands.

PMID- 20285093
TI  - Dental disease in animals.

PMID- 20285094
TI  - The future of dentistry.

PMID- 20285095
TI  - A camera arm for clinical photography.

PMID- 20285096
TI  - Rational clinical procedure in complete immediate denture prosthesis.

PMID- 20285097
TI  - Periodontal conditions associated with buckling of the lower anterior teeth;
      etiology, diagnosis and treatment.

PMID- 20285098
TI  - Enamel hypoplasia in human teeth; an examination of its causes.

PMID- 20285099
TI  - Preservation of Borrelia vincenti and cultured strains of Treponema pallidum by
      the lyophil process.

PMID- 20285100
TI  - Plummer-Vinson syndrome; report of a case.

PMID- 20285101
TI  - Advanced age in relation to dental caries in white rats.

PMID- 20285102
TI  - Physiologic pigmentation of the oral and cutaneous tissues in the Negro.

PMID- 20285103
TI  - Anesthesia induced by local refrigeration of the jaws.

PMID- 20285104
TI  - The relation of penicillin to induced rat dental caries and oral L. acidophilus.

PMID- 20285105
TI  - A study of the Syrian hamster, its molars, and their lesions.

PMID- 20285106
TI  - The oral bacterial flora as related to dental caries in the Syrian hamster.

PMID- 20285107
TI  - Dental caries in the Syrian hamster; the effect of topical NaF and urea
      applications on caries activity.

PMID- 20285108
TI  - Variations in counts of lactobacilli made from single specimens of saliva.

PMID- 20285109
TI  - Saliva incubated with glucose as a replacement for tryptophane in a synthetic
      medium supporting the production of acid by Lactobacillus acidophilus.

PMID- 20285110
TI  - Changes of carboxyl-CO2 and of ammonia plus-urea nitrogen in saliva incubated
      with glucose.

PMID- 20285111
TI  - Arginine-arginase relationship in regeneration, repair and development of
      neoplasms.

PMID- 20285112
TI  - The supporting tissues of the tooth in acute secondary agranulocytosis
      (arsphenamin neutropenia).

PMID- 20285113
TI  - Rachitic changes of the mandibular condyle of the rat.

PMID- 20285114
TI  - Comparative alveolar pathology in sheep and goats.

PMID- 20285115
TI  - Cysts of the jaws; saving involved vital teeth by tube drainage.

PMID- 20285116
TI  - Multiple fractures of the facial bones; report of a case.

PMID- 20285117
TI  - Sulfadiazine reactions; report of three cases.

PMID- 20285118
TI  - Cellulitis of the face complicated by brain abscess; report of case.

PMID- 20285119
TI  - Ludwig's angina with overwhelming widespread sepsis; report of case.

PMID- 20285121
TI  - Surgical correction of mandibular prognathism; report of case.

PMID- 20285120
TI  - Hereditary hypertrophy of the maxilla and mandible; report of case.

PMID- 20285122
TI  - Compound completely displaced fracture of the mandible; report of case.

PMID- 20285123
TI  - The problem of hemophilia in oral surgery.

PMID- 20285124
TI  - Tantalum in temporomandibular arthroplasty; report of case.

PMID- 20285125
TI  - Fractures involving the mandibular condyle; a post-treatment survey of 120 cases.

PMID- 20285126
TI  - Osteomyelitis of the maxilla; report of case.

PMID- 20285127
TI  - Salivary calculus in Wharton's duct; report of case.

PMID- 20285128
TI  - Adamantinoma (ameloblastoma) of the mandible.

PMID- 20285129
TI  - Dentigerous cyst of the mandible; report of case.

PMID- 20285130
TI  - The effects of pH on the antifungal activity of fatty acids and other agents;
      preliminary report.

PMID- 20285131
TI  - The influence of experimental conditions on the results of in vitro tests for
      antifungal action (with special reference to the effect of maintaining solubility
      of the agents).

PMID- 20285132
TI  - Penicillin and sweat.

PMID- 20285133
TI  - Studies of the effects of glycerite of hydrogen peroxide upon infections of the
      skin and mucous membranes.

PMID- 20285134
TI  - Staphylococci and hemolytic streptococci from normal skin, and from cutaneous
      infections.

PMID- 20285135
TI  - New surface active antibiotics.

PMID- 20285136
TI  - Studies on the adherence of the epidermis to the corium.

PMID- 20285137
TI  - Sarcoma of the liver; disadvantages of thorotrast as a diagnostic agent.

PMID- 20285138
TI  - Transpleural bilateral vagotomy.

PMID- 20285139
TI  - Chronic cholangitis.

PMID- 20285140
TI  - Experiences with beta-(4-hydroxy-3,5-diiodophenyl)-alpha-phenyl-propionic acid
      (priodax); a dye for cholecystography.

PMID- 20285141
TI  - Belladonna and barbiturates in gastrointestinal spasticity.

PMID- 20285142
TI  - Gastritis in the toothless.

PMID- 20285143
TI  - Induction of ovulation in the diestrous mouse by gonadotropins.

PMID- 20285144
TI  - The action of human prostate slices on alpha-estradiol and estrone.

PMID- 20285145
TI  - Concerning the mechanism of diestrum during lactation in the albino rat.

PMID- 20285146
TI  - Mobilization of alkaline phosphatase in the uterus of the mouse by estrogen.

PMID- 20285147
TI  - Early mating and pregnancy in the monkey.

PMID- 20285148
TI  - The sparing effect of progesterone on the hepatic inactivation of alpha
      estradiol.

PMID- 20285149
TI  - The metabolic significance of protein-bound iodine of plasma; a study of its
      concentration under various conditions and of its rate of formation as measured
      with radioactive iodine.

PMID- 20285150
TI  - The incidence of delayed ovulations following abdominal operations in the
      domestic hen.

PMID- 20285151
TI  - A study of the reliability of complement fixation as a method of measuring the
      activities of sera of high, medium, and low antibody titer.

PMID- 20285152
TI  - Immunochemical studies with tagged proteins; the distribution of tobacco-mosaic
      virus in the mouse.

PMID- 20285153
TI  - Immunochemical studies with tagged proteins; the kinetics of antibody-formation.

PMID- 20285154
TI  - Quantitative estimation of 0 agglutinins in typhoid sera.

PMID- 20285155
TI  - The preparation and properties of a purified equine encephalomyelitis vaccine.

PMID- 20285156
TI  - Observations upon the specificity of the complement fixation test for
      lymphogranuloma venereum.

PMID- 20285157
TI  - The virus of Ilheus encephalitis; isolation, serological specificity and
      transmission.

PMID- 20285158
TI  - Purification and characters of the Newcastle disease virus (California strain).

PMID- 20285159
TI  - A simple lyophilizing apparatus for laboratory use.

PMID- 20285160
TI  - Preparation of suspensions of rickettsiae from infected yolk sacs without the use
      of ether.

PMID- 20285161
TI  - The complement fixation test in yellow fever epidemiology; the use of globulin
      antigen in immunity surveys.

PMID- 20285162
TI  - Further experimental studies on the role of the plasma cells as antibody
      producers.

PMID- 20285163
TI  - A specific antigen recovered from tissue infected with M. paratuberculosis
      (Johne's bacillus); further studies on the nature of the antigen and on methods
      for demasking it.

PMID- 20285164
TI  - The transition forms of blood groups.

PMID- 20285165
TI  - The antigenic specificity of syphilitic antibody globulin.

PMID- 20285166
TI  - The relationship of sulfhydryl and disulfide groups to the antigenic power of
      bovine serum albumin.

PMID- 20285167
TI  - Complement and opsonic activities of fresh human sera.

PMID- 20285168
TI  - Detoxification of crystalline botulinum type A toxin.

PMID- 20285169
TI  - Further study of the quantitative complement-fixation test as applied to the
      serum diagnosis of typhus fever.

PMID- 20285170
TI  - Specific complement-fixing diagnostic antigens for neurotropic viral diseases.

PMID- 20285171
TI  - The physiologic properties of thioglycolic acid and titioglycolates.

PMID- 20285173
TI  - Edrisal in the management of dysmenorrhea.

PMID- 20285172
TI  - The reconstruction of the amputation stump for weight bearing.

PMID- 20285174
TI  - Paraprol as a prophylactic and therapeutic agent in nickel dermatitis and chrome
      sores.

PMID- 20285175
TI  - Fractures of the lower end of the radius and ulna commonly classified as Colles'
      fractures.

PMID- 20285176
TI  - The fallacy of the term varicose ulcer.

PMID- 20285177
TI  - The protective effect of vaccination against epidemic influenza B in an
      industrial plant.

PMID- 20285178
TI  - Refrigeration in trauma of the extremities.

PMID- 20285179
TI  - Dental relations in industrial health services.

PMID- 20285180
TI  - Evaluation of borderline cardiovascular abnormalities.

PMID- 20285181
TI  - Minor illness, short medical absenteeism, lateness and separation in a mail order
      firm.

PMID- 20285182
TI  - Hydrofluoric acid burn; case report.

PMID- 20285183
TI  - Tropical diseases in industry.

PMID- 20285184
TI  - Preventive medicine in engineering education.

PMID- 20285185
TI  - Laceration of the liver.

PMID- 20285186
TI  - Low back pain; a different cause and treatment; the pronation syndrome.

PMID- 20285187
TI  - The action of thioglycolic acid and thioglycolates on animals after subcutaneous
      introduction.

PMID- 20285188
TI  - Scrotal swellings in industrial medical practice.

PMID- 20285189
TI  - Respiratory ills and their control in industry.

PMID- 20285190
TI  - Recent research on chemical injuries to the eye.

PMID- 20285191
TI  - Military morality.

PMID- 20285192
TI  - The well-informed citizen; an essay on the social distribution of knowledge.

PMID- 20285193
TI  - Influence of tyrothricin in the sterilization and cicatrization of leprous
      ulcers; report of treatment in 15 patients.

PMID- 20285194
TI  - The action of diasone in the treatment of leprosy; preliminary report.

PMID- 20285195
TI  - Present status of promin treatment in leprosy.

PMID- 20285196
TI  - Penicillin in treatment of leprosy; trial in eight cases.

PMID- 20285197
TI  - Alopecia leprosa in the United States.

PMID- 20285198
TI  - Erythema nodosum in leprosy; a study of the pathogenesis with reference to
      carbohydrate metabolism.

PMID- 20285199
TI  - National Leprosy Service in Bolivia.

PMID- 20285200
TI  - Control of leprosy in Colombia.

PMID- 20285202
TI  - PROPHYLAXIS of leprosy in Brazil.

PMID- 20285201
TI  - A new method for staining leprosy bacilli.

PMID- 20285203
TI  - LEPROSY in the Philippines.

PMID- 20285204
TI  - A new method of osteoplastic amputation and reamputation of the femur.

PMID- 20285205
TI  - Treatment of contractures with novocaine block.

PMID- 20285206
TI  - Action of prostigmine on paralysis following cerebral trauma.

PMID- 20285207
TI  - The influence of extracortical factors on the function of the central nervous
      system.

PMID- 20285208
TI  - Study of the structure of micro-organisms with the aid of the electron
      microscope.

PMID- 20285209
TI  - Spontaneous rupture of the spleen.

PMID- 20285210
TI  - The significance of lymph and other elements of the lymphatic system in antivirus
      immunity.

PMID- 20285212
TI  - The fight against intestinal infections.

PMID- 20285211
TI  - New type of vaccine from typhus lice.

PMID- 20285213
TI  - New blood albumin substitute.

PMID- 20285214
TI  - Treatment of diabetes mellitus without insulin.

PMID- 20285215
TI  - Restoration of heart rhythm during fibrillation by a condenser discharge.

PMID- 20285216
TI  - Stimulating properties of granulation tissue.

PMID- 20285217
TI  - The new Soviet curriculum in medicine.

PMID- 20285218
TI  - Bearing of general nutritional state on atherosclerosis.

PMID- 20285219
TI  - Necrosis of renal papillae and acute pyelonephritis in diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 20285220
TI  - Eosinophilic granuloma of bone; report of a case with multiple lesions of bone
      and pulmonary infiltration.

PMID- 20285221
TI  - Induced malaria of foreign origin.

PMID- 20285222
TI  - Actinomycotic endocarditis; report of two cases with a review of the literature.

PMID- 20285223
TI  - Cardiac manifestations of toxic action of emetine hydrochloride in amebic
      dysentery.

PMID- 20285224
TI  - Penicillin in the treatment of keratosis blennorrhagica with polyarthritis.

PMID- 20285225
TI  - Objective studies of some physiologic responses in mild chronic trench foot.

PMID- 20285226
TI  - The use of the psychosomatic concept in medicine.

PMID- 20285227
TI  - The use of the psychosomatic concept in social case work.

PMID- 20285228
TI  - The elimination of poliomyelitis virus from the human mouth or nose.

PMID- 20285229
TI  - The clinical use of cytochrome C in patients with intermittent claudication.

PMID- 20285230
TI  - The ausculatory findings in patent ductus arteriosus.

PMID- 20285231
TI  - The diagnosis of ruptured membranes by the vaginal smear.

PMID- 20285232
TI  - Roentgenological changes of the small intestine in sprue.

PMID- 20285233
TI  - Surgical management of gastric and duodenal ulcer.

PMID- 20285234
TI  - Observations on abdominal surgery in warfare.

PMID- 20285235
TI  - The etiology of pruritis ani.

PMID- 20285236
TI  - War and nerves.

PMID- 20285237
TI  - The etiology of peptic ulcer in the light of vagus surgery.

PMID- 20285238
TI  - Experiences with the use of universal donor blood and pooled plasma.

PMID- 20285239
TI  - Various forms of hypogonadism.

PMID- 20285240
TI  - Roentgenologic appearance of the gastro-intestinal tract in scleroderma.

PMID- 20285241
TI  - The technique of back examination and interpretation of the findings.

PMID- 20285242
TI  - A plan for analysis of the biologic factors involved in experimental
      carcinogenesis of the thyroid by means of radioactive isotopes.

PMID- 20285243
TI  - Masculinization and pregnancy; a case report.

PMID- 20285244
TI  - Recent studies of hemorrhagic shock.

PMID- 20285245
TI  - Adreno-pituitary relationships.

PMID- 20285246
TI  - Psychotherapeutic opportunities for the general practitioner.

PMID- 20285247
TI  - Sprue.

PMID- 20285248
TI  - Some aspects of military medicine applicable to civilian practice.

PMID- 20285249
TI  - Rheumatic heart disease in pregnancy.

PMID- 20285250
TI  - Tuberculous disease of the bones and joints.

PMID- 20285251
TI  - Surgery of the colon.

PMID- 20285253
TI  - The treatment of pneumococcic penumonia with penicillin and sulfadiazine.

PMID- 20285259
TI  - Recent advances in neurology.

PMID- 20285255
TI  - Nitrous oxide and oxygen anesthesia with curare relaxation.

PMID- 20285261
TI  - Heart catheterization in the investigation of congenital heart disease.

PMID- 20285262
TI  - Some observations on nasal cilia.

PMID- 20285263
TI  - A new method of ureterointestinal anastomosis prior to total cystectomy for
      carcinoma of the bladder.

PMID- 20285264
TI  - The importance of blood changes in coronary occlusion.

PMID- 20285265
TI  - Ectopic pregnancy as a diagnostic problem (a study of 100 cases).

PMID- 20285266
TI  - Sudden death.

PMID- 20285267
TI  - Anaesthesia for plastic surgery.

PMID- 20285268
TI  - The problem of muscle relaxation in surgery.

PMID- 20285269
TI  - Phlebothrombosis and its treatment.

PMID- 20285270
TI  - Anaesthesia in thoracic surgery.

PMID- 20285271
TI  - Bone lesions encountered during infancy.

PMID- 20285272
TI  - Penicillin in the treatment of sinusitis.

PMID- 20285273
TI  - The treatment of mastoiditis in children.

PMID- 20285274
TI  - The psychological component.

PMID- 20285275
TI  - Vertigo.

PMID- 20285276
TI  - Occupational therapy in rheumatoid arthritis.

PMID- 20285277
TI  - Bone plating for fractures of the mandible.

PMID- 20285278
TI  - Pregnancy associated with adenomyoma of the uterus.

PMID- 20285279
TI  - Staphylococcic pyaemia due to breast abscess in an infant.

PMID- 20285280
TI  - Polyostotic fibrous dysplasia.

PMID- 20285281
TI  - Cutaneous myiasis occurring in Western Canada.

PMID- 20285282
TI  - The use of a metallic glenoid rim in recurrent dislocation of the shoulder.

PMID- 20285283
TI  - No disease. [misconception of psychiatric principles and functional disability].

PMID- 20285284
TI  - Newer aspects of virus hepatitis.

PMID- 20285285
TI  - Ocular tuberculosis; three case reports.

PMID- 20285286
TI  - The premedical program.

PMID- 20285288
TI  - The kidney and kidney function tests.

PMID- 20285287
TI  - [Chorioepithelioma of the uterus with metastases to lungs and possibly to the
      brain].

PMID- 20285289
TI  - Diagnosis of peripheral arterial diseases.

PMID- 20285290
TI  - Tumor clinics of Connecticut.

PMID- 20285291
TI  - Progress in the treatment of alcoholism.

PMID- 20285292
TI  - Medical program at Newington Veterans Hospital.

PMID- 20285293
TI  - The rooming-in plan for mothers and newborn infants.

PMID- 20285294
TI  - [Cystic fibrosis of pancreas].

PMID- 20285295
TI  - Psychosomatic elements; when the foreman is a pain in the neck.

PMID- 20285296
TI  - Development of high educational standards by the medical profession.

PMID- 20285297
TI  - Medical progress and medical education during the war.

PMID- 20285298
TI  - Medical education in Europe.

PMID- 20285300
TI  - Sensitivity to liver injections.

PMID- 20285299
TI  - Two cases of spontaneous pneumothorax in children and their treatment.

PMID- 20285301
TI  - Local public health service.

PMID- 20285302
TI  - Tetanus immunization.

PMID- 20285303
TI  - The positive serological reaction is not a diagnosis of syphilis.

PMID- 20285304
TI  - Refrigeration in surgery of the extremities.

PMID- 20285305
TI  - Staphylococcus pneumonia in children; roentgen aspects.

PMID- 20285306
TI  - Marked hyperproteinemia in subacute bacterial endocarditis (and simultaneous
      hyperthyroidism and subacute bacterial endocarditis).

PMID- 20285307
TI  - Streptococcus viridans meningitis with pneumonia.

PMID- 20285308
TI  - Reflections based on psychiatric work in an Army General Hospital in the ETO.

PMID- 20285309
TI  - Diagnosis and treatment of blepharoptosis.

PMID- 20285310
TI  - Periodic physical examinations in apparently well women.

PMID- 20285311
TI  - Systemic blastomycosis.

PMID- 20285312
TI  - Saccular aneurysm of the carotid artery.

PMID- 20285313
TI  - Abdominal lymphosarcoma.

PMID- 20285314
TI  - Q fever in the United States; epidemiologic studies of an outbreak among stock
      handlers and slaughterhouse workers.

PMID- 20285315
TI  - Q fever in the United States; clinical data on an outbreak among stock handlers
      and slaughterhouse workers.

PMID- 20285316
TI  - Q fever in the United States; serologic observations in an outbreak among stock
      handlers and slaughterhouse workers.

PMID- 20285317
TI  - Q fever in the United States; isolation and identification of rickettsias in an
      outbreak among stock handlers and slaughterhouse workers.

PMID- 20285318
TI  - The knowledge of human virus infections of animal origin.

PMID- 20285319
TI  - Choice of anesthesia in orthopedic surgery.

PMID- 20285320
TI  - Infectious granulomatous lesions of the cervix.

PMID- 20285321
TI  - Reactions to penicillin; procaine hydrochloride intravenously in the treatment of
      reactions similar to serum sickness.

PMID- 20285322
TI  - DEATH following the use of analbis suppositories.

PMID- 20285323
TI  - [Resident training program in Veterans Administration hospitals].

PMID- 20285324
TI  - Hospital facilities and health centers for rural areas.

PMID- 20285325
TI  - TAFT-SMITH-BALL-DONNELL National Health Bill.

PMID- 20285326
TI  - Cancer of the thyroid gland.

PMID- 20285327
TI  - Injuries involving the accessory nasal sinuses.

PMID- 20285328
TI  - Surgical experiences with vascular disease.

PMID- 20285329
TI  - Dislocated intervertebral disk of the lumbar region.

PMID- 20285330
TI  - The history of civilian medical care in Key West to 1945.

PMID- 20285331
TI  - The role of the Rh factors in clinical medicine.

PMID- 20285332
TI  - Ligation of the inferior vena cava for the prevention of pulmonary embolism;
      report of a case.

PMID- 20285333
TI  - Combined pregnancy; report of a case.

PMID- 20285336
TI  - Survey of the treatment of syphilis.

PMID- 20285335
TI  - Care of intertrochanteric fractures of femur.

PMID- 20285334
TI  - Ten thousand spinal anesthesias; five thousand with ephedrine intrathecally;
      random comment.

PMID- 20285337
TI  - Pruritis ani.

PMID- 20285338
TI  - Treatment of gonorrhea in the male with penicillin.

PMID- 20285339
TI  - Mental hygiene for the general practitioner.

PMID- 20285340
TI  - A story about milk.

PMID- 20285341
TI  - Observations of a general practitioner.

PMID- 20285343
TI  - An evaluation of allergy in general practice.

PMID- 20285342
TI  - Acute hepatitis.

PMID- 20285344
TI  - Ligation of the ductus arteriosus with a superimposed subacute bacterial
      endocarditis; report of a case treated successfully by ligation.

PMID- 20285345
TI  - Tuberculosis of the breast.

PMID- 20285346
TI  - The Rh factor and physiologic jaundice of the newborn.

PMID- 20285347
TI  - [Blastomycosis cutis].

PMID- 20285348
TI  - Physical rehabilitation of the severely handicapped.

PMID- 20285349
TI  - Carcinoma of the rectum; a review of 215 cases.

PMID- 20285350
TI  - Biopsy.

PMID- 20285351
TI  - PHYSICIAN's place in medical problems.

PMID- 20285352
TI  - Anaphylactic shock in egg-sensitive individuals following vaccination with typhus
      vaccine; a study of the antigenic relationship of egg and chicken meat antigens
      and typhus vaccine.

PMID- 20285353
TI  - The relationship of gastric acidity to thiamine excretion in the aged.

PMID- 20285354
TI  - The evaluation of the vitamin C status of human subjects: studies with
      intradermal dye discoloration, capillary fragility, fasting plasma vitamin C
      level, and vitamin C saturation.

PMID- 20285355
TI  - Serum proteins in hypoproteinemia due to nutritional deficiency.

PMID- 20285356
TI  - Folic acid in the treatment of aplastic anemia.

PMID- 20285357
TI  - Aplastic anemia following administration of thorotrast.

PMID- 20285358
TI  - Studies on leucocyte granules after staining with sudan black B and May-Grunwald
      Giemsa.

PMID- 20285359
TI  - A study of the sternal marrow and peripheral blood of 55 patients with plasma
      cell myeloma.

PMID- 20285360
TI  - The influence of heat and formalin upon the Rh agglutinogen.

PMID- 20285361
TI  - Benzidine-negative stools during iron therapy.

PMID- 20285362
TI  - Hyperparathyroidism and partial heart block.

PMID- 20285363
TI  - Sensitivity of Eberthelia typhosa to penicillin fractions G and X.

PMID- 20285364
TI  - Phosphatases and inorganic phosphorus in normal human serum.

PMID- 20285365
TI  - Rapid continuous extraction and determination of quinine.

PMID- 20285366
TI  - The counting of blood cells by dark-field illumination.

PMID- 20285367
TI  - Clorox and tergitol-Javelle water mixture for acid-fast bacilli concentration; a
      comparative study.

PMID- 20285368
TI  - Microprecipitating unit for blood and tissue proteins.

PMID- 20285369
TI  - A simple apparatus for quantitative microcolorimetric analysis in final volumes
      of 0.15 c.c.

PMID- 20285370
TI  - Diet and the liver.

PMID- 20285371
TI  - Anesthesia in general practice.

PMID- 20285372
TI  - Thiouracil in the management of hyperthyroidism.

PMID- 20285373
TI  - The immunology of poliomyelitis.

PMID- 20285374
TI  - Preoperative management of hyperthyroidism; use of thiouracil and thiobarbital.

PMID- 20285375
TI  - Brachial neuralgia.

PMID- 20285376
TI  - Rocky Mountain spotted fever; case report and discussion of therapy.

PMID- 20285377
TI  - Analgesia of the brachial plexus.

PMID- 20285378
TI  - Volvulus of the small intestine.

PMID- 20285379
TI  - Our battle for freedom.

PMID- 20285380
TI  - Further observations on the two-hour pregnancy test.

PMID- 20285381
TI  - Puerperal inversion of the uterus.

PMID- 20285382
TI  - Tropical dermatoses among naval personnel in the South-Pacific area.

PMID- 20285383
TI  - Sporotrichosis.

PMID- 20285384
TI  - Diphtheria antitoxin and other foreign proteins in the treatment of herpes zoster
      ophthalmicus.

PMID- 20285385
TI  - Perinephritic abscess.

PMID- 20285386
TI  - Multiple sclerosis.

PMID- 20285387
TI  - Dissolution of staghorn calculus in kidney pelvis by intermittent irrigation with
      solution G.

PMID- 20285388
TI  - Ear canal infections.

PMID- 20285389
TI  - The surgery of deafness due to otosclerosis.

PMID- 20285391
TI  - Myopia.

PMID- 20285390
TI  - Institutional treatment of syphilis.

PMID- 20285392
TI  - An epidemiological study of pinworms in patients at Oklahoma Hospital for
      Crippled Children.

PMID- 20285393
TI  - Early ambulation in obstetrics and gynecology.

PMID- 20285394
TI  - Hemoglobin levels of Parker High School students.

PMID- 20285395
TI  - An analysis of 107 cesarean sections.

PMID- 20285396
TI  - Health legislation enacted by the Seventy-fifth General Assembly.

PMID- 20285397
TI  - The management of traumatic hemothorax.

PMID- 20285398
TI  - Past progress and future program of tuberculosis control.

PMID- 20285399
TI  - Cancer of the breast.

PMID- 20285401
TI  - Surgical treatment of carcinoma of the stomach.

PMID- 20285400
TI  - Face presentation; report of a case.

PMID- 20285402
TI  - Thiouracil will not replace thyroidectomy.

PMID- 20285403
TI  - Stuttering; report of a case.

PMID- 20285404
TI  - The University of Louisville School of Medicine.

PMID- 20285405
TI  - Summer diarrhea of infants and children in office practice.

PMID- 20285406
TI  - Minor surgery, some considerations that may interest the family physician.

PMID- 20285407
TI  - Traumatic diaphragmatic hernia.

PMID- 20285408
TI  - Questions of current interest in the Swedish medical world.

PMID- 20285409
TI  - Removal of superfluous hair by monopolar coagulation.

PMID- 20285410
TI  - The District of Columbia Medical Society ragweed pollen count.

PMID- 20285411
TI  - A clinical evaluation of liver disease with special reference to portal
      cirrhosis.

PMID- 20285413
TI  - Peptic ulcer.

PMID- 20285412
TI  - The contraceptive diaphragm: improved technic.

PMID- 20285414
TI  - The clinical importance of stomach muscle.

PMID- 20285415
TI  - Results of Mantoux survey carried out at Perth Children's Hospital.

PMID- 20285416
TI  - Traumatic radio-humeral synovitis.

PMID- 20285417
TI  - Rupture of an abdominal aneurysm into the alimentary canal.

PMID- 20285418
TI  - Purulent meningitis in early infancy.

PMID- 20285419
TI  - The treatment of thyreotoxicosis by concurrent administration of thiouracil and
      iodine.

PMID- 20285420
TI  - Surgical treatment of deafness; the fenestration operation for otosclerosis.

PMID- 20285421
TI  - Inguinal sprain.

PMID- 20285422
TI  - A case of anaemia of the pernicious type.

PMID- 20285423
TI  - Developmental defects.

PMID- 20285424
TI  - Glaucoma following herpes.

PMID- 20285425
TI  - Cervical and thoracic intervertebral disk disease.

PMID- 20285426
TI  - Chromoblastomycosis.

PMID- 20285427
TI  - The university and clinical teaching.

PMID- 20285428
TI  - Infectious mononucleosis; some aspects of its etiology.

PMID- 20285429
TI  - Malignant melanoma with generalized skin blackening; the white girl who turned
      black.

PMID- 20285430
TI  - Modern surgical methods.

PMID- 20285431
TI  - Postoperative parenteral fluids; with particular reference to use of saline and
      amino acids.

PMID- 20285432
TI  - Drug toxicity in renal and hepatic disease.

PMID- 20285433
TI  - High external gastrostomy opening in upper esophageal obstructions.

PMID- 20285434
TI  - Ringworm of scalp in Pacific Northwest.

PMID- 20285435
TI  - Chromaffin tissue tumors and associated paroxysmal hypertension.

PMID- 20285436
TI  - Are mass presumptive serologic surveys justified by the present statuses of
      serodiagnostic tests and of syphilis?

PMID- 20285437
TI  - Acute appendicitis occurring during penicillin therapy.

PMID- 20285438
TI  - Relation of the diseases of the paranasal sinuses to affections of the optic
      nerve.

PMID- 20285439
TI  - The problem of tuberculosis control.

PMID- 20285440
TI  - What the doctor should know about housing.

PMID- 20285441
TI  - The critical analysis of 250 deliveries under continuous caudal analgesia.

PMID- 20285442
TI  - Perforating duodenal ulcer associated with burns.

PMID- 20285443
TI  - Relation of survival time of respiratory gasping mechanism of the isolated mouse
      head to age.

PMID- 20285444
TI  - Effects of urethan (ethyl carbamate) on mitosis.

PMID- 20285445
TI  - Persistence of resistance of tubercle bacilli to streptomycin during passage
      through guinea pigs.

PMID- 20285446
TI  - Uniformity of size of bacteriophage particles.

PMID- 20285447
TI  - Effect of 2,3-dimercaptopropanol (BAL) on acute poisoning by tervalent and
      quinquevalent antimonial drugs.

PMID- 20285448
TI  - Electron micrographs of bacterial cultures infected with bacteriophage.

PMID- 20285449
TI  - Sugar alcohols: sorbitol and sorbitan as precursors of liver-glycogen in the rat.

PMID- 20285450
TI  - Alteration of the distribution and excretion of streptomycin.

PMID- 20285451
TI  - The use of the mouse in studies on streptomycin.

PMID- 20285452
TI  - Proteins with growth-promoting action on tissue cells in vitro.

PMID- 20285453
TI  - Changes in concentration of enzymes in pancreatic juice after giving insulin.

PMID- 20285454
TI  - Some effects of desoxycorticosterone acetate on mice irradiated with X-rays.

PMID- 20285455
TI  - Quantitative measurement of growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis; effect of
      streptomycin.

PMID- 20285456
TI  - Preparation of an anti-ulcer factor from human urine.

PMID- 20285457
TI  - Antagonism of the hemorrhagic syndrome induced by derivatives of 3-hydroxy-1,4
      naphthoquinone.

PMID- 20285458
TI  - Action of 3,3' methylenebis (4-hydroxycoumarin) (dicumarol) on thromboplastic
      activity of rabbit brain.

PMID- 20285459
TI  - Grisein, a new antibiotic produced by a strain of Streptomyces griseus.

PMID- 20285460
TI  - Determination of oxygen consumption in the albino rat.

PMID- 20285462
TI  - The corneal and lenticular changes resulting from amino acid deficiencies in the
      rat.

PMID- 20285461
TI  - The susceptibility to furacin of bacterial strains resistant to sulfonamides or
      antibiotics.

PMID- 20285463
TI  - Chemical changes in the developing turtle embryo.

PMID- 20285464
TI  - Effect of anemic anoxia on absorption of isotonic magnesium sulfate from the
      small intestine.

PMID- 20285465
TI  - Estimation of steroid estrogens by fluorimetry.

PMID- 20285466
TI  - Induction of renal glomerular lesions by urethane in inbred mice susceptible to
      spontaneous glomerulonephritis.

PMID- 20285467
TI  - Coproporphyrinuria (Type III) in acute poliomyelitis.

PMID- 20285468
TI  - Experimental evidence of the secretion of urine by the fetal kidney.

PMID- 20285469
TI  - Role of hemoconcentration in production of gastric and duodenal ulcer following
      experimental burns.

PMID- 20285470
TI  - Comparative utilization of raw and autoclaved soy bean protein by the human.

PMID- 20285471
TI  - Susceptibility of the bear to fox encephalitis.

PMID- 20285472
TI  - Two related Salmonella types, S. luciana and S. marseille.

PMID- 20285473
TI  - Plasma protein concentrations and organ weights of rats as related to a high
      protein diet.

PMID- 20285474
TI  - Pyribenzamine aerosol inhalation and its influence on histamine poisoning and
      anaphylaxis.

PMID- 20285475
TI  - In vitro observations of the mode of action of streptomycin.

PMID- 20285476
TI  - Similarities in electron micrographs of purified Lansing and SK poliomyelitis
      virus.

PMID- 20285477
TI  - Further studies of factor R.

PMID- 20285478
TI  - Nerve conduction after inactivation of choline esterase.

PMID- 20285479
TI  - Platelet fragility in man.

PMID- 20285480
TI  - Effect of 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone on glycolysis of Schistosoma mansoni.

PMID- 20285481
TI  - A practical method for routine blood cultures in brucellosis.

PMID- 20285482
TI  - Hematologic effects of pteroylglutamic acid (folic acid) in man.

PMID- 20285483
TI  - Antibiotic activity of certain molds against Brucella.

PMID- 20285484
TI  - Effect of paraaminohippurate on mannitol determinations by the periodate-iodide
      thiosulfate method.

PMID- 20285485
TI  - Factors not synthesized by yeast in the presence of cyanide.

PMID- 20285486
TI  - Effects of various anesthetic agents on the blood pressure of the white rat.

PMID- 20285488
TI  - Clinical aspects of polyarteritis nodosa.

PMID- 20285487
TI  - The classification of cases of glycosuria.

PMID- 20285489
TI  - Glycogen disease.

PMID- 20285490
TI  - The aetiology of chloroma and the nature of the green pigment; a report of three
      cases.

PMID- 20285491
TI  - The location of autonomic centers in the cerebral cortex.

PMID- 20285492
TI  - Charter for world health.

PMID- 20285493
TI  - Physiology in medical education.

PMID- 20285494
TI  - Rhode Island's water pollution problem.

PMID- 20285495
TI  - Pediatric problems of the general practitioner.

PMID- 20285496
TI  - Podophyllin in the treatment of cutaneous vegetations.

PMID- 20285497
TI  - Otosclerosis, progressive deafness and correlated problems; what has research
      discovered and what does the future promise?

PMID- 20285498
TI  - Heart disease and employment.

PMID- 20285499
TI  - Residency and fellowship program at R. I. Hospital.

PMID- 20285500
TI  - Studies in hepatic function.

PMID- 20285501
TI  - Mediterranean or Cooley's anemia; a case report.

PMID- 20285502
TI  - A comparison of the volumes of blood, plasma, and circulating cells in secondary
      polycythemia and in severe anemia.

PMID- 20285503
TI  - A case of corneal ulcer treated with penicillin solution.

PMID- 20285504
TI  - Tuberculosis case finding and control in hospital personnel.

PMID- 20285505
TI  - Hospitals in the post-war world.

PMID- 20285506
TI  - Studies in chemotherapy of tuberculosis culminating in the use of streptomycin.

PMID- 20285507
TI  - The pupil in differential diagnosis.

PMID- 20285508
TI  - Progress in endocrinology.

PMID- 20285509
TI  - Criminal or syphilitic?

PMID- 20285510
TI  - The place of physical medicine in general practice.

PMID- 20285511
TI  - A treatment for sebaceous cysts.

PMID- 20285512
TI  - Not every patient with urinary symptoms or signs should have complete urologic
      study.

PMID- 20285513
TI  - Antiseptics, old and new penicillin.

PMID- 20285514
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285515
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285517
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285516
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285518
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285519
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285520
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285521
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285523
TI  - Some observations on the classification and diagnostic criteria of heart
      diseases.

PMID- 20285522
TI  - The treatment of tularemia with streptomycin; report of three cases.

PMID- 20285524
TI  - Rutin in the treatment of increased capillary fragility; a preliminary report.

PMID- 20285525
TI  - Neurosurgical complications of injuries about the head and face.

PMID- 20285526
TI  - Diabetic acidosis; a review of 105 cases.

PMID- 20285527
TI  - Experiences of an ophthalmologist aboard a hospital ship.

PMID- 20285528
TI  - Mediastinal sympathoblastoma (neuroblastoma); report of two cases with necropsies
      and review of the literature.

PMID- 20285529
TI  - Persistently sero-positive reaction for syphilis in chronic brucellosis.

PMID- 20285530
TI  - Simplified Rubin test technique.

PMID- 20285531
TI  - Is partial gastrectomy desirable in the treatment of duodenal ulcer?

PMID- 20285532
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285533
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285534
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285535
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285536
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285537
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285538
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285539
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285540
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285541
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285542
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285543
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285544
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285545
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285546
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285548
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285547
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285549
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285550
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285551
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285552
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285553
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285554
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285555
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285556
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285557
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285558
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285559
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285560
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285561
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285562
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285563
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285564
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285565
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285566
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285568
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285567
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285569
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285570
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285571
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285572
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285573
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285574
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285575
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285576
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285578
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285577
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285579
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285580
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285581
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285582
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285583
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285584
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285585
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285586
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285587
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285588
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285589
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285590
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285591
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285592
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285593
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285594
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285595
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285596
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285597
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285598
TI  - Erasmus Wilson on ringworm.

PMID- 20285599
TI  - Heterologous transplantation of uro-epithelial tumors; transplantation of bladder
      tumors.

PMID- 20285600
TI  - The alleviation of pylorospasm and colic in infants by reducing the volume of the
      food intake per feeding.

PMID- 20285601
TI  - The pelvic survey.

PMID- 20285602
TI  - An introduction to the study on the nervous system of Ateles.

PMID- 20285604
TI  - The vision and daring of youth, the story of the introduction of surgical
      anesthesia.

PMID- 20285603
TI  - The contribution of anesthesia to psychiatry.

PMID- 20285605
TI  - FURTHER progress in food research.

PMID- 20285606
TI  - THERAPEUTIC measures in cirrhosis of liver.

PMID- 20285607
TI  - AUXILIARY swinging tray for dressing carriage.

PMID- 20285608
TI  - The use of nitrogen mustard in the treatment of lymphomata.

PMID- 20285609
TI  - DUTIES of the preventive medicine officer.

PMID- 20285610
TI  - Two cases of cachexia.

PMID- 20285611
TI  - A case of coma.

PMID- 20285612
TI  - Streptomycin therapy in brucellosis.

PMID- 20285613
TI  - Food poisoning.

PMID- 20285614
TI  - Report of duties performed by clinical psychologist.

PMID- 20285615
TI  - Follicular cyst with an impacted cuspid.

PMID- 20285616
TI  - Foreign body localization.

PMID- 20285617
TI  - Rupture of the liver.

PMID- 20285618
TI  - An endotherm for chronic prostatitis.

PMID- 20285620
TI  - Compressed air atomizer.

PMID- 20285619
TI  - Knee support for the Albee-Comper orthopedic table.

PMID- 20285621
TI  - Ocular disturbances associated with malnutrition.

PMID- 20285622
TI  - Medical arrangements for the contact and relief of allied prisoners of war and
      internees in South-East Asia.

PMID- 20285623
TI  - The incidence of staphylococci in the nose and on the skin of Africans and
      Europeans in West Africa.

PMID- 20285624
TI  - The disinfection of mess tins in the field.

PMID- 20285626
TI  - Pneumonia prophylaxis in natives of East Africa.

PMID- 20285625
TI  - Quantitative estimation in psychiatric diagnosis.

PMID- 20285627
TI  - Wartime advances in medicine which might be translated into civil practice.

PMID- 20285628
TI  - Psychopathic personality.

PMID- 20285629
TI  - Fits, faints and blackouts; a review of the causes of syncope and allied states
      in naval personnel.

PMID- 20285630
TI  - Organization of a casualty reception unit.

PMID- 20285631
TI  - Freetown memories.

PMID- 20285632
TI  - A curious reflex movement of the upper eyelid in oculomotor palsy; outward
      deviation of the sound eye producing elevation of the paralysed upper lid in
      ophthalmoplegia due to intracranial aneurysm.

PMID- 20285633
TI  - Return to Singapore.

PMID- 20285634
TI  - A walking caliper for Pott's fracture.

PMID- 20285635
TI  - Embolism of the popliteal artery.

PMID- 20285636
TI  - Suppuration in a urachal cyst.

PMID- 20285637
TI  - Outbreak of interior poliomyelitis in H. M. S. Jamaica.

PMID- 20285638
TI  - Dried milk powder; the effect of season of production on keeping quality.

PMID- 20285639
TI  - Preservation of eggs; methods for determining yolk index.

PMID- 20285640
TI  - Precision of assessment of palatability of foodstuffs by laboratory panels;
      saltiness of bacon.

PMID- 20285641
TI  - Flavour reversion in hydrogenated linseed oil; the relation of iso-linoleic acid
      to flavour deterioration.

PMID- 20285642
TI  - Flavour reversion in hydrogenated linseed oil; further processing studies.

PMID- 20285643
TI  - Ration biscuits; effect of temperature and shortening type on keeping quality.

PMID- 20285644
TI  - Characteristics of Canadian lard.

PMID- 20285646
TI  - Thermal conductivity measurements on some New Zealand houses.

PMID- 20285645
TI  - Studies comparing the sanitizing efficiencies of hypochlorites and quaternary
      ammonium compounds.

PMID- 20285647
TI  - Biochemical research at Oxford upon mustard gas.

PMID- 20285648
TI  - Medical aspects of mustard gas poisoning.

PMID- 20285650
TI  - Discovery of molecular asymmetry.

PMID- 20285649
TI  - Edward Lhwyd; geologist, botanist and philologist (1660-1709).

PMID- 20285651
TI  - Ultra-violet absorption spectrum of anhydrous nitric acid.

PMID- 20285652
TI  - Structures of ethylene oxide and cyclopropane.

PMID- 20285653
TI  - Reactions of organic halides in solution.

PMID- 20285654
TI  - An optical-acoustic method of gas analysis.

PMID- 20285655
TI  - Effect of mono- and divalent salts on red blood cells.

PMID- 20285656
TI  - Effect of proteins on ketonaemia.

PMID- 20285658
TI  - BRITISH contribution to radiolocation.

PMID- 20285659
TI  - Crystallization of supersaturated solutions by means of electric current.

PMID- 20285657
TI  - Treatment of keratitis rosacea with small doses of testosterone.

PMID- 20285660
TI  - Luminescent decomposition of nitrous oxide.

PMID- 20285661
TI  - Stabilization of penicillin in aqueous solutions by low concentrations of
      phosphates.

PMID- 20285662
TI  - New substances exerting a combined bacteriostatic and respiration-inhibiting
      effect on tubercle bacilli.

PMID- 20285663
TI  - Influence of dl-methionine and other substances on the nephrotoxic action of dl
      serine.

PMID- 20285664
TI  - A mistaken symbiont of Oliarus cuspidatus.

PMID- 20285665
TI  - Helminth parasites of limpets.

PMID- 20285666
TI  - The nutritional significance of milk with special reference to milk sugar.

PMID- 20285667
TI  - Impressions of Japanese medicine at the end of World War II.

PMID- 20285668
TI  - Old age; minus and plus.

PMID- 20285669
TI  - Eskimo infanticide.

PMID- 20285670
TI  - Amino acids.

PMID- 20285671
TI  - Thomas Alva Edison.

PMID- 20285672
TI  - Contributions of entomology to theoretical biology.

PMID- 20285673
TI  - A case report on a history of scientific ideas.

PMID- 20285674
TI  - On life as a separate entity.

PMID- 20285675
TI  - Streptomycin.

PMID- 20285676
TI  - The staphylococci.

PMID- 20285677
TI  - Subdural haemorrhage, cysts and false membranes; illustrating the influence of
      intrinsic factors in disease when development of the body is normal.

PMID- 20285678
TI  - Fibre connections of the subthalamic region and the centro-median nucleus of the
      thalamus.

PMID- 20285679
TI  - Nutritional neuropathies in the civilian internment camp, Hong Kong, January,
      1942-August, 1945.

PMID- 20285680
TI  - Meningitis carcinomatosa; a report of two cases.

PMID- 20285681
TI  - The ancestry of neuropathology; Hippocrates and De vulneribus capitis.

PMID- 20285682
TI  - Acute porphyria; report of a fatal case with severe neurologic manifestations
      encountered in the Southwest Pacific.

PMID- 20285684
TI  - Spondylitis rhizomyelique with extensive neurological manifestations; report of a
      case.

PMID- 20285683
TI  - Notes on the pathology of cranial tumors; the embryonal neoplasms; lipomas,
      dermoids, epidermoids (cholesteatomas), and chordomas.

PMID- 20285685
TI  - Circumscribed spinal arachnoiditis with cavitation of the spinal cord; report of
      a case.

PMID- 20285686
TI  - Cerebral abscess as a complication of meningomyelocele; report of two cases.

PMID- 20285687
TI  - Psychosomatic treatment of chronic headache.

PMID- 20285688
TI  - Bullet wound of the cervical part of the spinal cord; report of case of
      successful removal of bullet with partial functional return.

PMID- 20285690
TI  - Neuronitis and myasthenia gravis.

PMID- 20285689
TI  - Coccidioidal brain abscess.

PMID- 20285691
TI  - Delusion of body scheme due to subdural hematoma.

PMID- 20285692
TI  - Site of minimal lesion to produce coma.

PMID- 20285693
TI  - Thalamic lesions and coma.

PMID- 20285694
TI  - Riddoch's syndrome associated with disorientation in space and anomia.

PMID- 20285695
TI  - Etiology of idiopathic epilepsy.

PMID- 20285696
TI  - Intracranial complications of diseases of the eye and orbit.

PMID- 20285697
TI  - Cerebral malaria; review of the literature and report of case with residual
      symptoms indicative of cerebellar involvement.

PMID- 20285698
TI  - Calcification in ganglion cell tumors of the brain; review of the literature and
      report of a surgically verified case.

PMID- 20285699
TI  - Visual hallucinations as localizing manifestations of lesions of the temporal and
      occipital lobes; report of two illustrative cases with symptoms due to vascular
      malformations.

PMID- 20285700
TI  - A contribution to the study of sinus pericranii (Stromeyer); report of case with
      some comments on pathology of the lesion.

PMID- 20285701
TI  - Multiple gliomas; survey of the problem and report of three additional cases.

PMID- 20285702
TI  - Cerebellar subdural hydroma; report of an acute case following head injury.

PMID- 20285703
TI  - Treatment of epilepsy with hydantal, a new anti-convulsive drug; a preliminary
      report of its use in sixteen cases.

PMID- 20285704
TI  - Autotopagnosia and simultanagnosia with organic paranoid reaction.

PMID- 20285705
TI  - Denial of own blindness (Anton's syndrome); report of two cases, one with
      autopsy.

PMID- 20285706
TI  - A method of measuring tension in written documents.

PMID- 20285707
TI  - Value and need as organizing factors in perception.

PMID- 20285708
TI  - An analysis of predictions of delinquency based on case studies.

PMID- 20285709
TI  - Sex beliefs and practices among male college students.

PMID- 20285710
TI  - Diagnosing personality by the analysis of dreams.

PMID- 20285711
TI  - Beliefs in statements labeled fact and rumor.

PMID- 20285712
TI  - Ethical and political aspects of applied psychology.

PMID- 20285713
TI  - Specialists interpret the case of Harold Holzer.

PMID- 20285714
TI  - S. F., a case of homosexual panic.

PMID- 20285715
TI  - Playing the dozens.

PMID- 20285717
TI  - What makes attitudes and opinions liberal or conservative?

PMID- 20285716
TI  - The genetics of schizophrenia.

PMID- 20285718
TI  - Projection and the mote-beam-mechanism.

PMID- 20285719
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285720
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285721
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285722
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285723
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285724
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285725
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285726
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285727
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285728
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285729
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285730
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285731
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285732
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20285733
TI  - Sensory ganglion cells within the central canal of the embryonic human spinal
      cord.

PMID- 20285734
TI  - The neocortex of Hapale.

PMID- 20285735
TI  - Retrograde degeneration of the thalamus following prefrontal lobotomy.

PMID- 20285736
TI  - Extracortical connections of the primate frontal cerebral cortex; thalamocortical
      connections.

PMID- 20285737
TI  - Ocular surgery; random observations.

PMID- 20285738
TI  - Malignant melanoma of limbus and spontaneous cyst of pigmented layer of iris in
      same sector; contribution to histogenesis of tumors.

PMID- 20285739
TI  - Atrophy of the optic nerve following hemorrhage.

PMID- 20285740
TI  - Treatment of lewisite burns of the eye with dimercaprol (BAL).

PMID- 20285741
TI  - Ocular changes in the blood dyscrasias.

PMID- 20285742
TI  - Ocular sporotrichosis; report of a case.

PMID- 20285743
TI  - A positive contact ball and ring implant for use after enucleation.

PMID- 20285744
TI  - An aid in facilitating postoperative dressing of the eye in patients with
      akinesis of lids.

PMID- 20285745
TI  - Cardinal points in aphakia.

PMID- 20285746
TI  - Permeability of the excised cornea.

PMID- 20285747
TI  - The production of a filtering cicatrix in glaucoma.

PMID- 20285751
TI  - Contributions to total blepharoplasty.

PMID- 20285752
TI  - The normal in the synoptophore.

PMID- 20285753
TI  - Lighting performance recommendations for portable and installed residence
      luminaires.

PMID- 20285754
TI  - The Munsell color system.

PMID- 20285755
TI  - The relation between illumination and vision.

PMID- 20285756
TI  - Integrated lighting for classrooms.

PMID- 20285757
TI  - Foot-candles for critical seeing.

PMID- 20285758
TI  - Practical color harmony with fluorescent light sources.

PMID- 20285759
TI  - Effect of external factors on light output of fluorescent sources.

PMID- 20285760
TI  - Studies of illumination and brightness in residential interiors.

PMID- 20285761
TI  - Ocular anomalies, service incurred.

PMID- 20285762
TI  - Clinical orthoptic procedure; minimum orthoptic examination methods for
      determining presence and degree of heterophorias.

PMID- 20285763
TI  - Color painting contrast in industry.

PMID- 20285764
TI  - OPTOMETRY in the Hoosier State.

PMID- 20285765
TI  - The mechanics of accommodation.

PMID- 20285766
TI  - Professional approach to the bifocal problem.

PMID- 20285767
TI  - Clinical orthoptic procedure; retinal correspondence and projection.

PMID- 20285768
TI  - Aids in squint measurement.

PMID- 20285769
TI  - The mechanics of accommodation.

PMID- 20285770
TI  - Prescribing tinted lenses.

PMID- 20285771
TI  - Objective observations and subjective findings with tangent cone lenses.

PMID- 20285772
TI  - Clinical orthoptic procedure; amblyopia.

PMID- 20285773
TI  - The mechanics of accommodation.

PMID- 20285774
TI  - A simple rapid method for assay of bactericidal and bacteriostatic agents.

PMID- 20285775
TI  - Studies of urobilinogen; further experience with the simple quantitative Ehrlich
      reaction; corrected calibration of the Evelyn colorimeter with a pontacyl dye
      mixture in terms of urobilinogen.

PMID- 20285776
TI  - The effect of lipids on Kahn antigen.

PMID- 20285777
TI  - The effect of lipids on Kahn antigen; increase of sensitivity by the addition of
      cephalin.

PMID- 20285778
TI  - Intraosseous infusions in infants.

PMID- 20285779
TI  - Effect of penicillin and antianthrax serum in experimental anthrax.

PMID- 20285780
TI  - Primary pulmonary vascular sclerosis; report of a case.

PMID- 20285781
TI  - Congenital pyloric stenosis; report of two cases in a family of three children.

PMID- 20285782
TI  - Electroencephalograms of infants and children with convulsive disorders.

PMID- 20285783
TI  - Examination of the infant and child.

PMID- 20285784
TI  - Myiasis; report of case.

PMID- 20285785
TI  - Laryngotracheobronchitis.

PMID- 20285786
TI  - Sexual maturation and the growth of fat, muscle and bone in girls.

PMID- 20285787
TI  - The speech behaviour of infants without families.

PMID- 20285788
TI  - The battle for a better Food and Drug Act.

PMID- 20285789
TI  - Use and misuse of hormones.

PMID- 20285790
TI  - The detoxication of pentavalent arsenicals.

PMID- 20285791
TI  - ACS; anti-reticular cytotoxic serum.

PMID- 20285792
TI  - Pharmaceutical research; the past and future.

PMID- 20285793
TI  - PYRIBENZAMINE and benadryl.

PMID- 20285794
TI  - USE and dispensing of streptomycin.

PMID- 20285795
TI  - NITROFURAN antiseptics.

PMID- 20285796
TI  - LOCAL use of penicillin.

PMID- 20285797
TI  - Thoughts on dispensing for dermatology.

PMID- 20285798
TI  - ENTEROGASTRONE: peptic ulcer hormone.

PMID- 20285799
TI  - Digitalis drugs.

PMID- 20285801
TI  - Pharmaceutical education.

PMID- 20285800
TI  - Will digitalis go?

PMID- 20285802
TI  - MEDICINE from the earth.

PMID- 20285803
TI  - LAVENDER.

PMID- 20285804
TI  - PHYSICIAN-GODS.

PMID- 20285805
TI  - The problem of the role of sulfhydryl enzymes in the mechanism of the action of
      certain chemotherapeutic agents.

PMID- 20285806
TI  - The assay of hydrastis and hydrastis preparations.

PMID- 20285807
TI  - PHENOTHIAZINE.

PMID- 20285808
TI  - THERAPEUTIC evaluation of National Formulary drugs.

PMID- 20285809
TI  - Determination of magnesium by precipitation with 8-hydroxyquinoline.

PMID- 20285810
TI  - The determination of aluminum in official drugs.

PMID- 20285811
TI  - Assay of cinchophen tablets.

PMID- 20285812
TI  - INFRA-RED radiation in pharmacy; a description of apparatus suitable for
      pharmaceutical and chemical processes using infra-red radiation as a source of
      heat.

PMID- 20285814
TI  - A new notation for organic chemistry.

PMID- 20285813
TI  - Modern aspects of surgical sutures.

PMID- 20285815
TI  - Recent developments in chromatography.

PMID- 20285816
TI  - Pharmacy in Sweden.

PMID- 20285817
TI  - SYNTHESIS of benzylpenicillin.

PMID- 20285818
TI  - A photoelectric colorimetric assay for digitoxin by comparison with a standard
      powder.

PMID- 20285819
TI  - Barbiturates; a blessing and a menace.

PMID- 20285820
TI  - Biologic assay of mercury ointments.

PMID- 20285821
TI  - Pharmaceutical applications of isoprophyl alcohol; solubilities of local
      anesthetics.

PMID- 20285822
TI  - The effect of serum and organ emulsions on penicillin fractions.

PMID- 20285823
TI  - The urinary excretion of penicillins G and K in rabbits.

PMID- 20285824
TI  - The effect of renal ligation on serum penicillin levels produced by penicillins G
      and K in rabbits.

PMID- 20285825
TI  - The determination of arsenic in official arsenicals.

PMID- 20285826
TI  - Comparison of several methods for the determination of arsenic in pentavalent
      arsenicals alone and in combination with bismuth.

PMID- 20285827
TI  - A study of the toxicity of two isomeric sodium hydroxymercuribenzoates.

PMID- 20285828
TI  - The effect of dimethylaminoethyl benzhydryl ether hydrochloride (benadryl) upon
      permeability of meningeal capillaries.

PMID- 20285829
TI  - The effect of amphetamine sulfate on performance of normal and fatigued subjects.

PMID- 20285830
TI  - The antidotal action of para-aminopropiophenone with or without sodium
      thiosulfate in cyanide poisoning.

PMID- 20285831
TI  - A quantitative method for the measurement of cigarette smoke irritation.

PMID- 20285832
TI  - The chronic toxicity and pathology of thiouracil in cats.

PMID- 20285833
TI  - Studies on the pharmacology of beta-diethylaminoethyldiphenylthioacetate, a
      synthetic antispasmodic.

PMID- 20285834
TI  - Digitalis; the Baljet reaction and pharmacodynamics of diginin.

PMID- 20285835
TI  - A method of screening sympathomimetic amines for stimulant action of the
      cerebrum.

PMID- 20285836
TI  - Studies in chemotherapy of tuberculosis; activity in vitro of a related series of
      ethers and arylamines.

PMID- 20285837
TI  - Pharmacological properties of a new adrenergic blocking agent: N,N-dibenzyl-beta
      chloroethylamine (dibenamine).

PMID- 20285838
TI  - Studies on the mechanism of action of thiourea and related compounds; the effect
      of acute poisoning on carbohydrate metabolism.

PMID- 20285839
TI  - The protective action of BAL in experimental antimony poisoning.

PMID- 20285840
TI  - Recent American drug and cosmetic novelties.

PMID- 20285841
TI  - Studies of modern synthetic emulgents; the chemistry of emulgents.

PMID- 20285842
TI  - The chemistry and pharmacy of capsicum.

PMID- 20285843
TI  - CHAULMOOGRA oil produced at Makogai Leper Colony.

PMID- 20285844
TI  - The esters and ethers of starch.

PMID- 20285845
TI  - Preservation by sodium benzoate and a method for its estimation.

PMID- 20285846
TI  - Studies of modern synthetic emulgents; conclusions and notes on formulation.

PMID- 20285847
TI  - ANTIBIOTICS; penicillin.

PMID- 20285849
TI  - The impact of pure science upon the chemical industry.

PMID- 20285848
TI  - The mineral supplement as a weapon against animal deficiency diseases.

PMID- 20285850
TI  - METHODS of air disinfection.

PMID- 20285851
TI  - The formulation of dental preparations.

PMID- 20285852
TI  - BRITAIN is slow in adopting a standard iodised salt.

PMID- 20285853
TI  - The war organisation of the German chemical industry.

PMID- 20285854
TI  - ANTIBIOTICS: streptomycin.

PMID- 20285855
TI  - ANTISEPTICS and disinfectants.

PMID- 20285857
TI  - THE diamidine compounds in therapeutic medicine.

PMID- 20285856
TI  - The sense of smell.

PMID- 20285858
TI  - Ultra-microscopic study of cosmetics.

PMID- 20285859
TI  - Paste and powder mixing.

PMID- 20285860
TI  - MOLECULAR weights of proteins.

PMID- 20285861
TI  - CASE for control of cosmetics.

PMID- 20285862
TI  - Production of synthetic menthols.

PMID- 20285863
TI  - Principles of tablet design.

PMID- 20285865
TI  - Spoilage caused by dormant bacterial spores.

PMID- 20285864
TI  - Methods of mineral supplementation and the formulation of mixes and bricks.

PMID- 20285866
TI  - Phenylmercuric nitrate and related compounds.

PMID- 20285867
TI  - SAFEGUARDS against fluorine hazards.

PMID- 20285868
TI  - U.S. cosmetic chemists make a progress report.

PMID- 20285869
TI  - ANTIBIOTICS including penicillin.

PMID- 20285870
TI  - The nature and treatment of allergy.

PMID- 20285871
TI  - Nails, their malformations and diseases.

PMID- 20285872
TI  - Recent developments in chromatography.

PMID- 20285874
TI  - COMMON cold; a long-term experiment.

PMID- 20285873
TI  - Modern aspects of surgical sutures.

PMID- 20285875
TI  - Standards of pharmacopoeial charcoal.

PMID- 20285876
TI  - Chapters in iodine's history.

PMID- 20285877
TI  - SYNTHESIS of penicillin.

PMID- 20285878
TI  - The action of iodine on the toxic and agglutinating factors of ricin.

PMID- 20285879
TI  - The determination of arsenic in organic arsenic compounds.

PMID- 20285880
TI  - The fruit of Lobelia inflata Linn.

PMID- 20285881
TI  - A study of the equilibria in solutions of neutral derivatives of sulphonamides.

PMID- 20285882
TI  - The stability of adrenaline solutions; storage of the proposed solution of
      adrenaline hydrochloride and injection of adrenaline tartrate.

PMID- 20285883
TI  - The estimation of progesterone in ethyl oleate solution.

PMID- 20285884
TI  - The determination of adulterants in drugs consisting of leaves.

PMID- 20285885
TI  - The disintegration of tablets.

PMID- 20285886
TI  - A disintegration test for tablets.

PMID- 20285887
TI  - Ipecacuanha; differential histological characters for the commercial varieties.

PMID- 20285888
TI  - The preparation of non-pyrogenic water and infusion fluids, using activated
      charcoal.

PMID- 20285889
TI  - Some aspects of penicillin stability.

PMID- 20285890
TI  - The stability of penicillin solutions.

PMID- 20285891
TI  - Indian squill and its differentiation from European squill.

PMID- 20285892
TI  - The colorimetric determination of morphine.

PMID- 20285894
TI  - The testing of drugs and pharmaceutical preparations for sterility; a new
      technique.

PMID- 20285893
TI  - The mixed alkaloids of Hyoscyamus muticus; a war-time application.

PMID- 20285895
TI  - A note on the effect of type of capillary glass on the melting-point of
      acetylsalicyclic acid.

PMID- 20285897
TI  - PITUITARY gonadotrophin.

PMID- 20285896
TI  - Riboflavine in malt extract.

PMID- 20285898
TI  - INTRACAINE.

PMID- 20285899
TI  - WHY pH?

PMID- 20285900
TI  - PROLONGING penicillin performance.

PMID- 20285901
TI  - FIELD for streptomycin.

PMID- 20285902
TI  - PROTEIN depletion.

PMID- 20285903
TI  - LUTEOTROPHIN.

PMID- 20285905
TI  - PROBLEM in absorption; slowing down penicillin.

PMID- 20285904
TI  - INFLUENZA immunisation in pediatric practice.

PMID- 20285906
TI  - CIRRHOSIS of the liver.

PMID- 20285907
TI  - DENTAL caries.

PMID- 20285909
TI  - MIGRAINE; new theories; new treatments.

PMID- 20285908
TI  - VITAMIN deficiency and neurosis.

PMID- 20285910
TI  - Endoscopy in cancer diagnosis.

PMID- 20285911
TI  - PELLAGRA and corn.

PMID- 20285912
TI  - ALLOXAN diabetes and its implications.

PMID- 20285913
TI  - VITAMIN K and delayed tonsillar hemorrhage.

PMID- 20285914
TI  - FOLIC ACID.

PMID- 20285915
TI  - VITAMIN D intoxication.

PMID- 20285916
TI  - BREATH without movement; a method for securing absolute rest for the lungs.

PMID- 20285917
TI  - STREPTOMYCIN in tularemia.

PMID- 20285918
TI  - Steady state fermentation by yeast in a growth medium.

PMID- 20285919
TI  - The action of various cations on muscle protoplasm.

PMID- 20285920
TI  - A comparative study of the effect of cyanide on the respiration of some
      Trypanosomidae.

PMID- 20285921
TI  - Action of mustard gas and other poisons on yeast cells; effect of mustard gas on
      the rate of cell division.

PMID- 20285922
TI  - Action of mustard gas and other poisons on yeast cells; effect of mustard gas on
      the mortality, morphology, carbohydrate metabolism, and permeability.

PMID- 20285923
TI  - Action of mustard gas and other poisons on yeast cells; distribution of fixed
      mustard gas in yeast.

PMID- 20285924
TI  - Determination of protein in serum and cerebrospinal fluid by formation of
      unimolecular films.

PMID- 20285925
TI  - The structure of trichocysts revealed by the electron microscope.

PMID- 20285926
TI  - Temperature effect upon rate of feeding in a folliculinid.

PMID- 20285927
TI  - The effect of certain deficient media on resting cyst formation in Colpoda
      duodenaria.

PMID- 20285928
TI  - Some interrelations of drug and ion actions in the artificial activation of
      marine eggs.

PMID- 20285929
TI  - The effects of certain denatured organs on neutralization in Amblystoma explants.

PMID- 20285930
TI  - The postnatal development of the reproductive system of the golden hamster
      (Cricetus auratus) and its reactivity to hormones.

PMID- 20285931
TI  - Interrelations of thyroid and gonad in the development of plumage and other sex
      characters in brown leghorn roosters.

PMID- 20285933
TI  - Phenomena that occur in the centrifuged eggs of the silkworm Bombyx mori L.

PMID- 20285932
TI  - Fission and disintegration in Stylaria fossularis at different temperatures.

PMID- 20285934
TI  - The effect of peanut oil on the desiccation of diapause and postdiapause pupae of
      the moth, Callosamia promethea Drury.

PMID- 20285935
TI  - Sensitization of the frog ovary following hypophysectomy.

PMID- 20285936
TI  - Oxygen consumption of lampreys, with special reference to metamorphosis and
      phylogenetic position.

PMID- 20285937
TI  - Pigmentation studies in salamanders, with especial reference to the changes at
      metamorphosis.

PMID- 20285938
TI  - Heat death, heat injury, and toxic factor.

PMID- 20285939
TI  - Studies on the nutrition of colorless euglenoid flagellates; growth of Astasia in
      an inorganic medium.

PMID- 20285940
TI  - The rate and site of acetate metabolism in the body.

PMID- 20285941
TI  - The colour sensitivity of the retina within the central fovea of man.

PMID- 20285942
TI  - The effect of limb position in seated subjects on their ability to utilize the
      maximum contractile force of the limb muscles.

PMID- 20285943
TI  - The ferricyanide method of blood-gas analysis.

PMID- 20285944
TI  - Experiments on liver sympathin.

PMID- 20285945
TI  - The action of chemical vesicants on cholinesterase.

PMID- 20285947
TI  - Arterial spasm in the human umbilical cord.

PMID- 20285946
TI  - Vitamin A and bone growth; the reversibility of vitamin A-deficiency changes.

PMID- 20285948
TI  - The tolerance of sheep to low concentrations of blood sugar.

PMID- 20285949
TI  - Effect of flavine-adeninedinucleotide and other substances on the synthesis of
      acetylcholine.

PMID- 20285950
TI  - Personality appraisal and the paranormal.

PMID- 20285952
TI  - Note on an impromptu experiment in psychokinesis.

PMID- 20285951
TI  - The psychology of the psychical researcher.

PMID- 20285953
TI  - Worker attitudes toward scheduling of industrial music.

PMID- 20285954
TI  - Analysis of two point-rating job evaluation plans.

PMID- 20285955
TI  - Correlation between scores on ortho-rater tests and clinical tests.

PMID- 20285956
TI  - Occupational differences in the Minnesota multiphasic personality inventory.

PMID- 20285957
TI  - The effect of an increasingly well defined criterion on the prediction of success
      at Naval Training School (Tactical Radar).

PMID- 20285958
TI  - Prediction of achievement in typewriting and stenography in a liberal arts
      college.

PMID- 20285960
TI  - Recombination of ideas in creative thinking.

PMID- 20285959
TI  - Readability of mixed type forms.

PMID- 20285961
TI  - Questionnaire and interview in neuropsychiatric screening.

PMID- 20285962
TI  - Restandardization of the revised beta examination to yield the Wechsler type of
      IQ.

PMID- 20285963
TI  - Oblique, second order, and cooperative factors in personality analysis.

PMID- 20285964
TI  - The vibratory sense.

PMID- 20285965
TI  - Laws of heredity in relation to general mental ability.

PMID- 20285966
TI  - Galen on the temperaments.

PMID- 20285967
TI  - Narcosis and visual contour clarity.

PMID- 20285968
TI  - The Ishihara test as a means of detecting and analyzing color vision.

PMID- 20285969
TI  - Some comparative data on differential pitch sensitivity under quantal and non
      quantal conditions.

PMID- 20285970
TI  - Dusky thinking.

PMID- 20285971
TI  - Professor Marc-Wogau's Theorie der Sinnesdata.

PMID- 20285972
TI  - The continental reception of Hume's treatise, 1739-1741.

PMID- 20285974
TI  - Second thoughts on causation, dualism, and interaction.

PMID- 20285973
TI  - The nervous system as physical machine; with special reference to the origin of
      adaptive behaviour.

PMID- 20285975
TI  - On the nature of fear.

PMID- 20285976
TI  - Expectation.

PMID- 20285977
TI  - The Gestalt view of the process of institutional transformation.

PMID- 20285978
TI  - Attitudes and learning; a methodical note.

PMID- 20285979
TI  - Communicative behavior.

PMID- 20285980
TI  - The hereditary differential in learning; a reply to F. A. Pattie.

PMID- 20285981
TI  - Symposium; the ego and the law of effect.

PMID- 20285982
TI  - The law of effect and ego psychology.

PMID- 20285983
TI  - Effect; a secondary principle of learning.

PMID- 20285985
TI  - Lamarckian-Darwinian reorientation.

PMID- 20285984
TI  - Technique for analysis of a highly generalized response pattern.

PMID- 20285986
TI  - Towards an experimental measure of personality.

PMID- 20285987
TI  - Brucellosis in the United States.

PMID- 20285989
TI  - Problems of an aging population; care of the aged and chronically ill.

PMID- 20285988
TI  - Problems of an aging population.

PMID- 20285990
TI  - Problems of an aging population; sheltered care of the aged.

PMID- 20285992
TI  - Problems of an aging population; public health aspects of diabetes.

PMID- 20285991
TI  - Problems of an aging population; preventive aspects of cancer control.

PMID- 20285993
TI  - Recent studies on disinfection of air in military establishments.

PMID- 20285994
TI  - A darkfield colony illuminator.

PMID- 20285995
TI  - Charts for counting bacterial colonies.

PMID- 20285996
TI  - Economic background to public health during the war.

PMID- 20285997
TI  - An outbreak of paratyphoid B fever in the nursery of a small hospital.

PMID- 20285998
TI  - Trichinosis in wild rats in Toronto.

PMID- 20285999
TI  - Public health nursing in the county health units of Quebec.

PMID- 20286000
TI  - Some aspects of sanitary food handling.

PMID- 20286001
TI  - Forty years of progress in the control of tuberculosis.

PMID- 20286002
TI  - Child dies of milk sick poisoning.

PMID- 20286003
TI  - Renewed interest in tuberculosis.

PMID- 20286005
TI  - Kitchen hygiene.

PMID- 20286004
TI  - Health and happiness in marriage.

PMID- 20286006
TI  - The parish pump [venereal disease control].

PMID- 20286007
TI  - Social conditions and health education.

PMID- 20286008
TI  - Allergy in man.

PMID- 20286009
TI  - Permanent holiday camps for children.

PMID- 20286010
TI  - Social factors and mental health; puberty.

PMID- 20286011
TI  - Rural health units in Cyprus.

PMID- 20286012
TI  - An army experiment in sex education.

PMID- 20286013
TI  - Food education in a rural school.

PMID- 20286014
TI  - Ear, nose, and throat problems; present and future.

PMID- 20286015
TI  - One hundred years=m a retrospect and a forecast.

PMID- 20286016
TI  - The officer of health.

PMID- 20286017
TI  - The Peckham pioneer health centre.

PMID- 20286019
TI  - Smallpox.

PMID- 20286018
TI  - Handicapped pupils and disabled persons.

PMID- 20286020
TI  - The smallpox outbreak on Merseyside, 1946.

PMID- 20286021
TI  - The value of laboratory tests in the diagnosis of smallpox.

PMID- 20286022
TI  - The story of school dentistry.

PMID- 20286023
TI  - Typhoid fever.

PMID- 20286024
TI  - CANCER control.

PMID- 20286025
TI  - Relation of microscopic structure of laryngeal cancer to radiocurability.

PMID- 20286026
TI  - On roentgen examinations in head trauma.

PMID- 20286027
TI  - A new simplified radium applicator for intensifying the radiotherapy of the
      parametria in cancer of the cervix.

PMID- 20286028
TI  - Hernia diaphragmatica dextra; report of 2 cases.

PMID- 20286029
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286030
TI  - A case of bend-formation in the colon, with closing of the intestine to passage
      of the contrast enema.

PMID- 20286031
TI  - Mediastinal phlebography.

PMID- 20286032
TI  - On roentgen diagnostics of adrenal tumours.

PMID- 20286034
TI  - Crossed renal ectopia.

PMID- 20286033
TI  - Fracture of the femoral neck following roentgen irradiation for cancer of the
      uterus.

PMID- 20286035
TI  - Hypertrophy of the pylorus in adults.

PMID- 20286037
TI  - The radiological diagnosis of lipomata.

PMID- 20286036
TI  - Standardised radiological pelvimetry; quantitative aspects.

PMID- 20286038
TI  - A thickness technique in radiographic examinations of the abdomen and pelvis.

PMID- 20286039
TI  - Tuberculous cystitis; notes on three cases.

PMID- 20286041
TI  - The determination of X-ray energy distributions by the absorption method.

PMID- 20286040
TI  - The effect of gamma radiation on mitosis in vitro.

PMID- 20286042
TI  - Provisional calculation of the tolerance flux of thermal neutrons.

PMID- 20286043
TI  - PHYSICIST The danger from scattered radiation; a further comment.

PMID- 20286044
TI  - Danger from scattered radiation; a criticism.

PMID- 20286045
TI  - Reverse-position radiography.

PMID- 20286047
TI  - Radiographic exposures.

PMID- 20286046
TI  - Myelography.

PMID- 20286048
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286049
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286050
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286051
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286052
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286053
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286055
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286054
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286056
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286057
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286058
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286059
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286060
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286061
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286062
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286063
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286065
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286064
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286066
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286067
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286068
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286069
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286070
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286071
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286072
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286073
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286074
TI  - Effect of estrogenic hormone on advanced carcinoma of the female breast.

PMID- 20286075
TI  - Patent omphalomesenteric duct and its relation to the diverticulum of Meckel.

PMID- 20286076
TI  - Granulomas caused by surgical silk and cotton sutures.

PMID- 20286077
TI  - Strangulated inguinal hernia; observations in fifty cases.

PMID- 20286078
TI  - Gastric ulcers produced experimentally by vascular ligation.

PMID- 20286079
TI  - Tuberculous dactylitis in the adult.

PMID- 20286080
TI  - Method of correction of ectopia cordis.

PMID- 20286081
TI  - Diseases of growing and adult bone.

PMID- 20286082
TI  - Congenital deformities.

PMID- 20286084
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286083
TI  - Tumors of bone and of synovial membrane.

PMID- 20286085
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286086
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286087
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286088
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286089
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286090
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286091
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286092
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286093
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286094
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286095
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286096
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286097
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286098
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286099
TI  - Surgical thoracic tumors in Navy personnel.

PMID- 20286100
TI  - The Chest Tumor Registry.

PMID- 20286101
TI  - A report of 196 lobectomies performed at Kennedy General Hospital Chest Surgical
      Center from 1943 to 1946 with one death.

PMID- 20286102
TI  - A follow-up study of the cardiopulmonary function in four young individuals after
      pneumonectomy.

PMID- 20286103
TI  - The use of curare in anesthesia for thoracic surgery.

PMID- 20286104
TI  - Surgical treatment of myasthenia gravis.

PMID- 20286105
TI  - Aerosol penicillin as a therapeutic adjunct in the preparation of patients with
      suppuration of the lung for pulmonary resection.

PMID- 20286106
TI  - Anesthesia for thoracic surgery in the United States Army.

PMID- 20286107
TI  - Protein deficiency in surgical patients.

PMID- 20286108
TI  - Newer concepts of the pathologic physiology of shock; peripheral circulatory
      collapse.

PMID- 20286109
TI  - Fluid, electrolyte and nutritional problems in surgery.

PMID- 20286110
TI  - Some aspects of nutrition in man.

PMID- 20286112
TI  - Circulatory changes during spinal anesthesia: their physiological basis.

PMID- 20286111
TI  - Circulatory physiology; the adjustment to blood loss and postural changes.

PMID- 20286113
TI  - Venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

PMID- 20286114
TI  - The healing of wounds.

PMID- 20286115
TI  - The pathologic physiology of infection.

PMID- 20286116
TI  - Physiological principles in intestinal obstruction.

PMID- 20286117
TI  - Certain physiological problems pertaining to thoracic surgery.

PMID- 20286118
TI  - The pathologic physiology of hyperthyroidism.

PMID- 20286119
TI  - Pathologic physiology of hyperparathyroidism.

PMID- 20286120
TI  - The healing of fractures.

PMID- 20286121
TI  - Pathologic physiology of prostatic obstruction.

PMID- 20286122
TI  - The pathologic physiology of the extensive superficial burn.

PMID- 20286123
TI  - Metabolic disturbances simulating acute abdominal emergencies.

PMID- 20286124
TI  - The surgical treatment of chronic infected pilonidal sinus.

PMID- 20286125
TI  - The clinical course of yaws in Lango, Uganda.

PMID- 20286126
TI  - Atebrin susceptibility of the Aitaipe-Wewak strains of P. falciparum and P.
      vivax; a field and experimental investigation by L. H. Q. Medical Research Unit,
      Cairns.

PMID- 20286127
TI  - Control of plague by means of live avirulent plague vaccine in Southern Africa
      (1941-44).

PMID- 20286128
TI  - Transmission of dengue fever by Aedes (Stegomyia) scutellaris Walk. in New
      Guinea.

PMID- 20286129
TI  - The aetiology of desert sore.

PMID- 20286130
TI  - Heterophile antibodies in trypanosomiasis.

PMID- 20286131
TI  - Tsetse fly repellents.

PMID- 20286132
TI  - Growth of protozoa in tissue culture; Trypanosoma cruzi.

PMID- 20286133
TI  - Kaposi's multiple idiopathic haemorrhagic sarcoma.

PMID- 20286134
TI  - A simple device for the application of DDT larvicide.

PMID- 20286135
TI  - A case of blackwater fever during mepacrine therapy.

PMID- 20286136
TI  - Heart disease in the case-finding program.

PMID- 20286137
TI  - Cancer and pulmonary tuberculosis; diagnostic problems in patients with cancer of
      the lung in the presence of pulmonary tuberculosis.

PMID- 20286138
TI  - Cytology of bronchial secretions; a diagnostic aid in the diagnosis of pulmonary
      tuberculosis.

PMID- 20286139
TI  - Pneumothorax fluid; its management by systematic aspiration.

PMID- 20286140
TI  - Cholesterol pleural effusion.

PMID- 20286141
TI  - Extrapleural pneumothorax in silico-tuberculosis.

PMID- 20286142
TI  - Tuberculosis; a labor problem.

PMID- 20286143
TI  - Mass miniature radiography; a survey in the United States Army Air Forces.

PMID- 20286144
TI  - Serial tuberculin tests and stability of the tuberculin reaction.

PMID- 20286145
TI  - Certain effects of streptomycin on mycobacteria in vitro.

PMID- 20286146
TI  - Synthesis of B-complex vitamins by tubercle bacilli when grown on synthetic
      media.

PMID- 20286147
TI  - The relationship of acquired resistance, allergy, antibodies and tissue
      reactivities to the components of the tubercle bacillus.

PMID- 20286148
TI  - Respiratory patterns in pulmonary tuberculosis.

PMID- 20286149
TI  - On the etiology of sarcoidosis.

PMID- 20286150
TI  - The technique and standardisation of radiographs of tuberculosis of the chest.

PMID- 20286151
TI  - Broncho-stenosis in pulmonary tuberculosis; a problem in treatment.

PMID- 20286152
TI  - The treatment of tension cavities.

PMID- 20286153
TI  - Pulmonary tuberculosis; effect of sea voyage on 37 unselected cases.

PMID- 20286154
TI  - On selecting treatment for the patient with pulmonary tuberculosis.

PMID- 20286155
TI  - Familial eunuchoidism; the Laurence-Moon-Biedl syndrome.

PMID- 20286157
TI  - Unilateral renal tuberculosis; management of the nephrectomized patient; review
      of ninety-eight cases.

PMID- 20286156
TI  - Adenoma of the kidney.

PMID- 20286158
TI  - Large hydronephrosis of a true supernumerary kidney.

PMID- 20286159
TI  - Hypertension associated with solitary renal cyst; report of two cases.

PMID- 20286160
TI  - Stones in the ureter; their extraction by looped catheter.

PMID- 20286161
TI  - Misinterpretations of enlarged prostates gained through cystoscopy.

PMID- 20286162
TI  - Infarct of the prostate.

PMID- 20286163
TI  - Carcinoma of the prostate; simultaneous occurrence in identical twins.

PMID- 20286164
TI  - Care of the paraplegic's urinary tract.

PMID- 20286165
TI  - Sperm invasion of the epididymis.

PMID- 20286166
TI  - Aneurysms involving the urinary tract.

PMID- 20286167
TI  - Modification of the Bumpus forceps.

PMID- 20286168
TI  - Azoospermia; an analysis of 146 cases.

PMID- 20286169
TI  - Solitary polycystic kidney and successful pregnancy.

PMID- 20286170
TI  - The management of ureteropelvic juncture obstruction; translumbar aortography an
      adjunct.

PMID- 20286171
TI  - Cancer cells in prostatic secretions.

PMID- 20286172
TI  - An operation for the cure of certain cases of plastic induration (Peyronie's
      disease) of the penis.

PMID- 20286173
TI  - Bilateral calcified testicular gumma.

PMID- 20286174
TI  - Anomalies associated with undescended testis; complete separation of a partly
      descended epididymis and vas deferens and an abdominal testis.

PMID- 20286175
TI  - A new visual system for observation and operation in the urinary bladder.

PMID- 20286176
TI  - Clinical cystometrogram.

PMID- 20286177
TI  - Streptomycin therapy in urinary tract infections.

PMID- 20286178
TI  - The teaching of urology to residents in a large general hospital.

PMID- 20286179
TI  - MEXICAN outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

PMID- 20286180
TI  - Muscular dystrophy (white muscle disease) in young calves.

PMID- 20286181
TI  - Panel discussion on artificial insemination of cows.

PMID- 20286182
TI  - Brucellosis in swine; field control experiments.

PMID- 20286183
TI  - Present status of streptomycin.

PMID- 20286184
TI  - Raising heifer calves on mastitis milk.

PMID- 20286185
TI  - Possible use of an arsenical compound in the treatment of heartworm in dogs.

PMID- 20286186
TI  - Sterility in cattle.

PMID- 20286187
TI  - Neoplasms of animals; their clinical importance and treatment.

PMID- 20286188
TI  - Canine spirochetosis.

PMID- 20286189
TI  - Cattle fever ticks in Florida.

PMID- 20286190
TI  - Studies in immunity.

PMID- 20286191
TI  - Some common nervous ailments in dogs.

PMID- 20286192
TI  - Veterinary education in the Southeast.

PMID- 20286193
TI  - Anaerobic spores in sulfanilamide powder.

PMID- 20286194
TI  - Bilateral fractures in dog.

PMID- 20286195
TI  - Orchitis in a bull.

PMID- 20286196
TI  - Cryptorchid on a cat.

PMID- 20286197
TI  - Tetanus in a dog.

PMID- 20286199
TI  - Chemical, physical and immunological properties of electrophoretically purified
      pollen extracts.

PMID- 20286198
TI  - Bacterial allergy.

PMID- 20286200
TI  - Report on the standardization of dust extracts.

PMID- 20286201
TI  - Clinical and comparative allergy.

PMID- 20286202
TI  - Hay-fever plants of Albuquerque, New Mexico; a preliminary report.

PMID- 20286203
TI  - Pediatric allergy; a critical review of recent literature.

PMID- 20286204
TI  - Reactions to antipneumococcal rabbit serum.

PMID- 20286205
TI  - Delayed absorption of proteins in the guinea pig.

PMID- 20286206
TI  - Quantitative changes in various fractions of the precipitable nitrogen in ragweed
      extracts during incubation (37 degrees C.).

PMID- 20286207
TI  - Sensitization by topical application of sulfonamides.

PMID- 20286208
TI  - Effective treatment of extremely sensitive hay fever patients by the chilling
      method.

PMID- 20286209
TI  - Penicillin in intractable asthma.

PMID- 20286210
TI  - Etiologic evaluation of asthma in 100 cases returned from overseas.

PMID- 20286211
TI  - Immunochemistry; a review intended especially for students of allergy.

PMID- 20286212
TI  - Morphology of the feet in polydactyl cats.

PMID- 20286213
TI  - Histology of the moderator band in man and other mammals with special reference
      to the conduction system.

PMID- 20286214
TI  - On the development, morphology and interpretation of a system of crypt-analogues
      in the pharyngeal tonsil.

PMID- 20286215
TI  - Adult human sympathetic ganglion cells cultivated in vitro.

PMID- 20286216
TI  - Implantation of the rat egg; alteration in osmiophilic epithelial lipids of the
      rat uterus under normal and experimental conditions.

PMID- 20286217
TI  - The block-surface method of staining as applied to the study of embryology.

PMID- 20286218
TI  - A simple method for making permanent, differentially stained preparations of
      small nerve plexuses.

PMID- 20286219
TI  - A transparent chamber for the observation of the pancreas of the living mouse.

PMID- 20286220
TI  - Permanent dry preparations of cartilage and bone; a method especially applicable
      to fetal material.

PMID- 20286221
TI  - The cervix uteri of the rat.

PMID- 20286222
TI  - Mitotic division and degeneration of lymphocytes within cells of intestinal
      epithelium in young and in adult white mice.

PMID- 20286223
TI  - Reaction of the digoxin-injured myocardium of rats and mice to vital dyes.

PMID- 20286224
TI  - Description of bilateral coraco-brachialis brevis muscle, with a note on its
      significance.

PMID- 20286225
TI  - Studies on the parathyroid of the mouse; some observations upon the post-natal
      cytological development of the normal gland, with particular reference to its
      mitotic activity and Golgi elements.

PMID- 20286226
TI  - Radial hemimelia and the functional anatomy of the carpus.

PMID- 20286227
TI  - The plane of fracture of the caudal vertebrae of certain lacertilians.

PMID- 20286228
TI  - Spiral nerve endings in the extrinsic eye muscles of man.

PMID- 20286229
TI  - Development of the egg of the cow up to the stage of blastocyst formation.

PMID- 20286230
TI  - A new silver method for staining paraffin sections of the nervous system.

PMID- 20286231
TI  - A technique for the preservation of animals for the study of joint movement and
      for routine dissection.

PMID- 20286232
TI  - Patent foramen ovale and ductus arteriosus in a lion club.

PMID- 20286233
TI  - The laxator tympani muscle.

PMID- 20286234
TI  - A previllous human embryo.

PMID- 20286235
TI  - A pseudo-hermaphrodite.

PMID- 20286236
TI  - Remnants of left truncus transversus in injected human foetuses.

PMID- 20286237
TI  - Principles of growth and repair in membrane bones.

PMID- 20286238
TI  - Intrauterine death and its consequences in the rat.

PMID- 20286239
TI  - Abnormal cervical vertebrae report of two cases.

PMID- 20286240
TI  - Dissection of the human atrioventricular bundle.

PMID- 20286241
TI  - The storage of vital stains (trypan blue, vital new red) in the rabbit
      endocardium.

PMID- 20286242
TI  - The interlabor approach to the roots of the lungs.

PMID- 20286243
TI  - The morphology and function of mammalian digital sesamoid bones.

PMID- 20286244
TI  - Pronation and supination in tetrapods.

PMID- 20286245
TI  - The reputed hormone of semen.

PMID- 20286246
TI  - Crossed and uncrossed optic fibres of the dog.

PMID- 20286247
TI  - Factors influencing hair-growth rhythm.

PMID- 20286248
TI  - Vital staining of the reticulum and lymphoid tissue of the rabbit appendix.

PMID- 20286249
TI  - Further observations on the regeneration of muscle tissue.

PMID- 20286250
TI  - Stimulation of new bone production.

PMID- 20286251
TI  - Cauda humana in a Tamil.

PMID- 20286252
TI  - The pattern of olfactory innervation.

PMID- 20286253
TI  - Fibre connexions of the subthalamic region.

PMID- 20286255
TI  - Congenital absence of ventrolateral abdominal musculature.

PMID- 20286254
TI  - The formation of birefringent crystals in the suprarenal cortex.

PMID- 20286256
TI  - Hydatiform degeneration in an early human embryo.

PMID- 20286257
TI  - The height of the eustachian valve correlated with the direction of the (right)
      anterior caval blood flow.

PMID- 20286258
TI  - Edwin Stephen Goodrich, 1868-1946.

PMID- 20286259
TI  - Studies on the structure, development, and physiology of the nephridia of
      Qligochaeta; biochemical estimations of nutritive and excretory substances in the
      blood and coelomic fluid of the earthworm and their bearing on the role of the
      two fluids in metabolism.

PMID- 20286260
TI  - The effect of the removal of the lateral appendix in the embryonic olfactory
      organ of Kaloula borealis (Barbour).

PMID- 20286261
TI  - The effect of removal of the anterior lower sac on the lateral appendix in the
      embryonic olfactory organ of Kaloula borealis (Barbour).

PMID- 20286262
TI  - The formation and structure of the chorion of the egg in an hemipteran, Rhodnius
      prolixus.

PMID- 20286263
TI  - The histochemical recognition of lipine.

PMID- 20286264
TI  - Refrigeration in the treatment of trauma, with review of crymotherapy.

PMID- 20286265
TI  - Spinal anesthesia; the protector of the baby in cesarean sections.

PMID- 20286266
TI  - Anesthesia for oropharyngeal surgery.

PMID- 20286267
TI  - Intramuscular pentobarbital sodium and benzyl alcohol as a preanesthetic agent.

PMID- 20286268
TI  - The use of curare to lessen anesthetic hazards.

PMID- 20286269
TI  - Oral surgery anesthesia; safer and more profound.

PMID- 20286270
TI  - Cyclopropane ether anesthesia.

PMID- 20286271
TI  - A contribution to the pharmacodynamics and therapeutics of acetyl-5
      bromosalicylic acid.

PMID- 20286272
TI  - Refrigeration in the treatment of trauma, with review of crymotherapy; use of
      refrigeration to minimize the ill effects of tourniquets.

PMID- 20286273
TI  - General anesthesia and analgesia for dental and oral surgery.

PMID- 20286274
TI  - The anesthetic of transthoracic vagotomy.

PMID- 20286275
TI  - Heart disease, anesthesia and surgery.

PMID- 20286276
TI  - A new Army Medical Library.

PMID- 20286277
TI  - An insecticidal check method for measuring the efficacy of entomophagous insects.

PMID- 20286278
TI  - Salt marsh and anopheline mosquito control by ground dispersal of DDT aerosols.

PMID- 20286279
TI  - Particle size of insecticides and its relation to application, distribution, and
      deposit.

PMID- 20286280
TI  - DDT used to control a rice-field mosquito, Psorophora confinnis.

PMID- 20286281
TI  - Cub airplanes in the South Pacific for application of DDT.

PMID- 20286282
TI  - Development of spraying apparatus for HNS-1 helicopter.

PMID- 20286283
TI  - DDT-xylene emulsions for use against insects affecting man.

PMID- 20286284
TI  - DDT to control maggots in latrines.

PMID- 20286285
TI  - Control of fly larvae in simulated pit latrines and in carcasses.

PMID- 20286286
TI  - DDT used to control flies in Manila.

PMID- 20286287
TI  - Effects of DDT on the body louse.

PMID- 20286288
TI  - Further tests of the more promising materials against the body louse.

PMID- 20286289
TI  - Flea repellents for use on clothing.

PMID- 20286290
TI  - An oil-DDT vapor spray to control grape leaf-hopper.

PMID- 20286291
TI  - The effect of sublethal dosages of tartar emetic on the Mexican fruitfly.

PMID- 20286292
TI  - Soil insecticides for control of the Southern corn rootworm.

PMID- 20286294
TI  - Sunflower seed weevils and their control.

PMID- 20286293
TI  - Effect of xanthone, DDT, and other insecticides on the Pacific mite.

PMID- 20286295
TI  - Effect of lead arsenate sprays on the pecan weevil and other pecan insects.

PMID- 20286296
TI  - Sub-soil bark injury from kerosene spray.

PMID- 20286297
TI  - Feeding experiments with DDT-treated pea vine silage with special reference to
      dairy cows, sheep, and laboratory animals.

PMID- 20286298
TI  - DDT residues on pea vines and canned peas from fields treated with DDT dusts.

PMID- 20286299
TI  - Repellent properties of extract of Amorpha fruticosa.

PMID- 20286300
TI  - Hexaethyl tetraphosphate for control of mites.

PMID- 20286301
TI  - Di(4, chlorophenoxy) methane for control of citrus red mite.

PMID- 20286302
TI  - A new host for Cybocephalus sp., a predator of diaspine Coccidae.

PMID- 20286303
TI  - Effect of hexachlorocyclohexane on onion seedlings.

PMID- 20286304
TI  - Benzene hexachloride as an ovicide for the short-nosed ox louse.

PMID- 20286305
TI  - Controlling the fall armyworm in sweet corn and popcorn with DDT.

PMID- 20286306
TI  - Laboratory tests in controlling pillbugs.

PMID- 20286307
TI  - Detrimental effect of rotenone on Rodolia cardinalis.

PMID- 20286308
TI  - Effect of oil sprays on resistance of California red scale to HCN fumigation.

PMID- 20286309
TI  - The use of leaf tissue in graft-transmission of psorosis virus.

PMID- 20286310
TI  - A chemical study of the mycelium and sclerotia of Phymatotrichum omnivorum.

PMID- 20286311
TI  - Influence of certain environmental conditions on chlorotic streak of sugar cane.

PMID- 20286312
TI  - The effect of seedling diseases of castor beans on the subsequent plant
      development and yield.

PMID- 20286313
TI  - A fungicide for protecting lily bulbs from infection by Golletotrichum lilii.

PMID- 20286314
TI  - The effects of carborundum in inoculating bean plants with bacteria.

PMID- 20286316
TI  - Studies on fermentation in rice and barley.

PMID- 20286315
TI  - The response of normal plant tissues and of crown-gall tumor tissues to synthetic
      growth hormones.

PMID- 20286317
TI  - Embryogeny and the development of the apical meristoms of Pseudotsuga; late
      embryogeny.

PMID- 20286318
TI  - On the reproduction of some Pacific Coast species of Ulva.

PMID- 20286319
TI  - The influence of nutrition on Fusarium basal rot of narcissus and on Fusarium
      yellows of gladiolus.

PMID- 20286320
TI  - Observations on chytridiaceous parasites of phanerogams; a preliminary study of
      the occurrence of ephemeral sporangia in the Physoderma disease of maize.

PMID- 20286321
TI  - Studies on Oscinella frit Linn.; notes on the resistance of cereals to
      infestation.

PMID- 20286322
TI  - A survey of potato aphides in north-west Derbyshire, 1945.

PMID- 20286323
TI  - The assimilation of ammonium and nitrate nitrogen by detached potato sprouts.

PMID- 20286324
TI  - The formation of insecticidal films on building materials; preliminary
      experiments with films of pyrethrum and DDT in a heavy oil.

PMID- 20286325
TI  - A note on the efficiency of a pyrethrum spray in controlling Ephestia elutella
      Hb. moths in a granary.

PMID- 20286326
TI  - The use of toxic polynitro derivatives in pest control; the stability of dinitro
      o-cresol in compounded products.

PMID- 20286327
TI  - Studies upon the copper fungicides; investigations with the exudate from fungus
      spores.

PMID- 20286328
TI  - Field trials of copper fungicides for the control of potato blight; low-copper
      fungicides.

PMID- 20286329
TI  - The influence of potato variety on the cyst of the potato-root eelworm,
      Heterodera rostochiensis Wollenweber.

PMID- 20286330
TI  - A note on the relation of nematodes (Tylenchus tritici) to the development of the
      bacterial disease of wheat caused by Bacterium tritici.

PMID- 20286331
TI  - A mosaic disease of cowpea Vigna sinensis Endl.

PMID- 20286332
TI  - Cultivation of animal tissues in vitro in nutrients of precisely known
      constitution.

PMID- 20286333
TI  - On trephocytes and trephocytosis; a study on the role of leucocytes in nutrition
      and growth.

PMID- 20286334
TI  - The influence of diet on mitotic division in the intestinal epithelium of the
      mouse.

PMID- 20286335
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286336
TI  - Tolerance of larvae of Drosophila for amino acids; methionine, cystine and
      cysteine.

PMID- 20286337
TI  - The combined effect of colchicine and X-rays on the growth of Allium cepa seeds.

PMID- 20286339
TI  - The mechanism of fertilization of eggs.

PMID- 20286338
TI  - Nitrate and phosphate vs. L-proline as factors in the behaviour of Ulva.

PMID- 20286340
TI  - The epithelioneural bodies.

PMID- 20286341
TI  - The roles of motile larvae and fixed adults in the origin of the vertebrates.

PMID- 20286342
TI  - Physical medicine in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with associated
      xanthomas.

PMID- 20286343
TI  - Sciatica.

PMID- 20286344
TI  - The present position of the treatment of spondylitis.

PMID- 20286345
TI  - The mechanism of oral infection in arthritis.

PMID- 20286346
TI  - Rheumatism.

PMID- 20286347
TI  - Pulmonary (venous) air embolism.

PMID- 20286348
TI  - The heart in uremia; an electrocardiographic and pathologic study.

PMID- 20286349
TI  - Sequence of ventricular stimulation and contraction in a case of anomalous
      atrioventricular excitation.

PMID- 20286350
TI  - The volume elasticity of the aorta in the intact dog.

PMID- 20286351
TI  - The diagnosis and treatment of thromboangiitis obliterans in the vascular centers
      of Army general hospitals.

PMID- 20286352
TI  - The influence of vitamin B1 deficiency on the pyruvate exchange of the heart.

PMID- 20286353
TI  - Pathology of the mitral valve in the older age groups.

PMID- 20286354
TI  - Congenital paroxysmal tachycardia; report of a case recognized ante partum.

PMID- 20286355
TI  - Diffuse scleroderma with involvement of the heart; report of a case.

PMID- 20286356
TI  - Multiple liver abscesses with rupture into the pericardium.

PMID- 20286357
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286358
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286360
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286359
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286361
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286362
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286363
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286364
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286365
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286366
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286367
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286368
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286369
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286370
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286371
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286373
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286372
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286374
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286375
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286376
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286377
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286378
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286379
TI  - The estimation of 2:2-bis-(p-chlorophenyl)-l:1:l-trichloroethane (p,p'-DDT) by
      methods depending on its dehydrohalogenation.

PMID- 20286380
TI  - The estimation of traces of mercury in urine.

PMID- 20286381
TI  - The estimation of mercury compounds in the atmosphere.

PMID- 20286382
TI  - The precipitation of aluminium and its separation from cobalt, chromium, nickel
      or zinc by means of ammonium benzoate.

PMID- 20286383
TI  - The determination of copper and arsenic in iron pyrites by the method of internal
      electrolysis.

PMID- 20286384
TI  - A note on alcohol in blood and urine.

PMID- 20286386
TI  - Molecular-weight determination by light scattering.

PMID- 20286385
TI  - The cellulose molecule; physical-chemical studies.

PMID- 20286387
TI  - The association of polymer molecules in dilute solution.

PMID- 20286388
TI  - Viscosity-molecular relationship for cellulose acetate.

PMID- 20286389
TI  - Elasticity measurements on polychloroprenes.

PMID- 20286390
TI  - A statistical theory of discoloration for halogen-containing polymers and
      copolymers.

PMID- 20286391
TI  - Ultracentrifugal and viscometric studies of amylose acetates; further evidence
      for the helical structure of amylose.

PMID- 20286392
TI  - Effect of molecular association and charge distribution on the gelatin of pectin.

PMID- 20286393
TI  - Molecular properties of hemicellulose fractions.

PMID- 20286394
TI  - Sedimentation constants of purified preparations of strains of influenza virus.

PMID- 20286395
TI  - On a low-density lipoprotein appearing in normal human plasma.

PMID- 20286396
TI  - Ultracentrifugal and electrophoretic studies on fetuin.

PMID- 20286397
TI  - The quantitative interpretation of the electrophoretic patterns of proteins.

PMID- 20286398
TI  - Physical-chemical characteristics of certain of the proteins of normal human
      plasma.

PMID- 20286399
TI  - Multiple protein interactions as exhibited by the blood-clotting mechanism.

PMID- 20286400
TI  - Hemocyanins of the gastropods.

PMID- 20286401
TI  - Physicochemical characterization of pituitary growth hormone.

PMID- 20286402
TI  - Mandelate as a stabilizer of serum albumin.

PMID- 20286403
TI  - Diffusion in wood.

PMID- 20286404
TI  - Micelle structure in aqueous solutions of colloidal electrolytes.

PMID- 20286405
TI  - The morphology of lyogels.

PMID- 20286406
TI  - Solubilization of water-insoluble dye by pure soaps and detergents of different
      types.

PMID- 20286407
TI  - The electrochemistry of permselective collodion membranes; experimental studies
      on the concentration potential across various types of permselective collodion
      membranes with solutions of several electrolytes.

PMID- 20286409
TI  - The electrokinetic potentials of precipitates.

PMID- 20286408
TI  - The colloid chemistry of the clay mineral attapulgite.

PMID- 20286410
TI  - The effect of heat-treatment on the sorption-desorption hysteresis
      characteristics of silica gel.

PMID- 20286411
TI  - The equilibrium spreading coefficient of amphipathic organic liquids on water.

PMID- 20286412
TI  - A kinetic study of the urea-formaldehyde reaction.

PMID- 20286413
TI  - Aniline formate and its changes on keeping.

PMID- 20286414
TI  - Solubility and melting point as functions of particle size; the induction period
      of crystallization.

PMID- 20286415
TI  - Rates of solution of soaps in water.

PMID- 20286416
TI  - Bond energy in diatomic molecules from the force constants, nuclear distances,
      and classical model theory.

PMID- 20286417
TI  - Effect of freezing on the stability of colloidal dispersions; silica sols; a
      preliminary report.

PMID- 20286418
TI  - Coordination compounds of boron trichloride; systems with the propyl chlorides.

PMID- 20286419
TI  - The rise of air bubbles in lubricating oils.

PMID- 20286420
TI  - Energy additivity in oxygen-containing crystals and glasses.

PMID- 20286421
TI  - Stability of synthetic rubber dispersions; low-temperature thickening of neoprene
      latex.

PMID- 20286422
TI  - Stability of synthetic rubber dispersions; coagulation of neoprene latices by
      freezing.

PMID- 20286423
TI  - A spectroturbidimetric study of the proteins of milk.

PMID- 20286424
TI  - Notes on dynamic osmometry.

PMID- 20286425
TI  - Vapor pressure and heat of vaporization of acetylmethylcarbinol.

PMID- 20286427
TI  - Dimensional stabilization of wood.

PMID- 20286426
TI  - Studies on the aging of precipitates and coprecipitation; the compressibility of
      silver bromide powders.

PMID- 20286428
TI  - Kinetics of homogeneous gaseous reactions in flow systems.

PMID- 20286429
TI  - On unimolecular reactions and radioactive transformations.

PMID- 20286430
TI  - Isotonic solutions; osmotic and activity coefficients of lithium and sodium
      perchlorates at 25 degrees C.

PMID- 20286431
TI  - X-ray diffraction studies in the system Fe2O3-Cr2O3.

PMID- 20286432
TI  - The Antoine vapor-pressure equation for mononuclear aromatic hydrocarbons.

PMID- 20286434
TI  - Cavitation from solid surfaces in the absence of gas nuclei.

PMID- 20286433
TI  - A mathematical approach to reaction mechanisms.

PMID- 20286435
TI  - An unusual liquid interface.

PMID- 20286436
TI  - Molecular properties of nitrocellulose; studies of viscosity.

PMID- 20286437
TI  - Molecular properties of nitrocellulose; studies of molecular heterogeneity.

PMID- 20286438
TI  - The thermochemistry of propellent explosives.

PMID- 20286439
TI  - Determination of the heat of combustion of nitroglycerin and the thermochemical
      constants of nitrocellulose.

PMID- 20286440
TI  - Radiation chemistry.

PMID- 20286441
TI  - The effect of temperature on the intensity of X-ray reflexion.

PMID- 20286442
TI  - Intensities of gamma rays, studied by means of their Compton secondaries.

PMID- 20286443
TI  - Conservatism in orthodontic procedures and appliances.

PMID- 20286444
TI  - The advisability of extraction as a therapeutic aid in orthodontics.

PMID- 20286445
TI  - The advisability of extraction as a therapeutic aid in orthodontics; affirmative.

PMID- 20286446
TI  - The advisability of extraction as a therapeutic aid in orthodontics; negative.

PMID- 20286447
TI  - The advisability of extraction as a therapeutic aid in orthodontics; negative.

PMID- 20286448
TI  - Extraction of teeth in orthodontics.

PMID- 20286449
TI  - Some limitations in orthodontic treatment.

PMID- 20286450
TI  - Heredity and the orthodontist; a study in confusion.

PMID- 20286451
TI  - The reduction of oral Lactobacillus acidophilus counts by the periodic
      restriction of carbohydrate.

PMID- 20286452
TI  - Recent advances in bacterial chemotherapy.

PMID- 20286453
TI  - Recent advances in bacterial chemotherapy; the antibiotics.

PMID- 20286454
TI  - Allergic dermatoses of importance to the dentist.

PMID- 20286455
TI  - The clinical diagnosis of dermatological lesions of the face and oral cavity.

PMID- 20286456
TI  - Dental education and practice in England and France.

PMID- 20286457
TI  - Fundamental principles associated with the retention of partial dentures.

PMID- 20286458
TI  - Fundamental principles associated with the retention of partial dentures.

PMID- 20286459
TI  - Preservation of the primary teeth.

PMID- 20286460
TI  - The intra-oral skin graft as an aid to denture construction.

PMID- 20286461
TI  - The use of penicillin and the sulfonamide drugs in dentistry.

PMID- 20286462
TI  - The use of penicillin lozenges in the treatment of Vincent's infection and other
      acute gingival inflammations.

PMID- 20286463
TI  - THE role of fluorine in dental caries; topical application of fluorides.

PMID- 20286464
TI  - Local anesthetic drugs.

PMID- 20286465
TI  - Cleft palate, a surgical and an orthodontic problem.

PMID- 20286467
TI  - Interception of malocclusion.

PMID- 20286466
TI  - The dentist and his heart.

PMID- 20286468
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286469
TI  - Correction of traumatic occlusion is important subject in dentistry.

PMID- 20286470
TI  - Penicillin lozenges in the treatment of Vincent's stomatitis.

PMID- 20286471
TI  - Close bite; prevention and treatment.

PMID- 20286472
TI  - The treatment of fractured and displaced primary (deciduous) anterior teeth.

PMID- 20286473
TI  - The eosinophilic granulomas of the skin.

PMID- 20286474
TI  - Eosinophilic granuloma; theoretic and practical considerations based on the study
      of a case.

PMID- 20286475
TI  - Eosinophilic granuloma of the skin; its relation to erythema elevatum diutinum
      and eosinophilic granuloma of the bone; report of a case.

PMID- 20286476
TI  - Granulomatous Hodgkins' disease of the skin with extreme eosinophilia
      (eosinophilic granuloma of the skin?).

PMID- 20286477
TI  - Treatment of various types of cutaneous tuberculosis with promizole and
      streptomycin; a preliminary report.

PMID- 20286478
TI  - Elephantiasis neuromatosa; a manifestation of von Recklinghausen's disease.

PMID- 20286479
TI  - Dyskeratosis congenita with pigmentation, dystrophia unguium and leukoplakia
      oris; patient with evidence suggestive of Addison's disease.

PMID- 20286480
TI  - Primary lichen amyloidosis; report of necropsy.

PMID- 20286481
TI  - Hyperkeratosis of the palms and soles due to the ingestion of quinacrine
      hydrochloride.

PMID- 20286482
TI  - Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection of the ear treated with streptomycin.

PMID- 20286484
TI  - A case for diagnosis (ichthyosis hystrix? psoriasis?).

PMID- 20286483
TI  - Dermatitis from glass fabrics.

PMID- 20286485
TI  - Nevus pigmentosus.

PMID- 20286486
TI  - A case for diagnosis (lupus erythematosus? pemphigus?).

PMID- 20286487
TI  - Mycosis fungoides.

PMID- 20286488
TI  - Postarsphenamine vitiligo.

PMID- 20286489
TI  - Exudative discoid and lichenoid chronic dermatosis.

PMID- 20286490
TI  - Lupoid sycosis.

PMID- 20286491
TI  - A case for diagnosis (mycosis fungoides? arsenical dermatitis?).

PMID- 20286492
TI  - Contact dermatitis of the hands.

PMID- 20286493
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286494
TI  - Parapsoriasis.

PMID- 20286495
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286496
TI  - Urticaria pig mentosa (nodular type).

PMID- 20286497
TI  - Cutaneous horn.

PMID- 20286498
TI  - Acne conglobata.

PMID- 20286499
TI  - Pseudoxanthoma elasticum.

PMID- 20286500
TI  - Reticuloendotheliosis (mycosis fungoides?).

PMID- 20286501
TI  - Superficial epithelioma of bowenoid type.

PMID- 20286502
TI  - Pinta.

PMID- 20286504
TI  - Acanthosis nigricans.

PMID- 20286503
TI  - Papulopustular verrucous sporotrichosis simulating blastomycosis.

PMID- 20286505
TI  - A case for diagnosis (lymphoblastoma?).

PMID- 20286506
TI  - Psoriasis; arsenical pigmentation and keratoses; squamous cell epithelioma of the
      finger with metastasis to the axillary lymph nodes.

PMID- 20286507
TI  - Linchen planus with involvement of the palms.

PMID- 20286508
TI  - Larva migrans.

PMID- 20286509
TI  - Dermatosis, progressive pigmentary.

PMID- 20286510
TI  - A case for diagnosis (epidermolysis bullosa?).

PMID- 20286511
TI  - Actinomycosis.

PMID- 20286512
TI  - Annular, macular syphilid.

PMID- 20286513
TI  - Ulcers; acute pyogenic? factitial? anaerobic?

PMID- 20286514
TI  - Malignant melanoma.

PMID- 20286515
TI  - A case for diagnosis (lupus vulgaris?).

PMID- 20286516
TI  - Iodide dermatitis.

PMID- 20286517
TI  - Evipan used in the investigation of some chronic dermatoses.

PMID- 20286518
TI  - A case of multiple cutaneous horns in a young girl.

PMID- 20286519
TI  - Cutaneous Neukaemic deposits supervening on herpes zoster in a case of chronic
      lymphatic leukaemia.

PMID- 20286520
TI  - Secondary syphilis, sickling, malaria, sulphonamide and Herxheimer reactions in
      an African soldier.

PMID- 20286521
TI  - Case for diagnosis; lichen planus hypertrophicus?

PMID- 20286522
TI  - Haemorrhagic telangiectasia of Rendu-Osler-Weber.

PMID- 20286523
TI  - Case for diagnosis; lichen sclerosus?

PMID- 20286524
TI  - Lichen nitidus.

PMID- 20286525
TI  - Effect of calciferol on lupus vulgaris (two cases), lupus pernio and Boeck's
      sarcoid.

PMID- 20286526
TI  - Sarcoidosis treated with calciferol.

PMID- 20286527
TI  - Case for diagnosis; reticulosis? circumscribed myxoedema?

PMID- 20286528
TI  - Miliary lymphocytoma.

PMID- 20286529
TI  - Poison oak dermatitis; studies on hematologic, urinary and temperature changes.

PMID- 20286530
TI  - The nature of halogen sensitivity in dermatitis herpetiformis and pemphigus; a
      preliminary report.

PMID- 20286531
TI  - Modifications of the Goldman technique for contact testing of the buccal mucosa.

PMID- 20286532
TI  - Antipruritic qualities of papaverine hydrochloride.

PMID- 20286533
TI  - Steatocystoma multiplex; an analysis of their contents.

PMID- 20286534
TI  - Pyribenzamine in experimental nonallergic and allergic dermatitis.

PMID- 20286535
TI  - The spontaneous cure of tinea capitis in puberty.

PMID- 20286536
TI  - The cicatricial alopecias; an historical and clinical review and an histologic
      investigation.

PMID- 20286537
TI  - A simple and economical method of Rh typing.

PMID- 20286538
TI  - The use of magnesium sulphate in saline for the Kolmer Wassermann tests.

PMID- 20286539
TI  - Brucellosis.

PMID- 20286540
TI  - A case report of poliomyelitis (bulbar type).

PMID- 20286541
TI  - Tuberculous meningitis; a presentation of 3 cases.

PMID- 20286542
TI  - Eardrum and macro-cinematography in kodachrome.

PMID- 20286543
TI  - A new improved instrument for color photography; its use in the associated
      medical sciences.

PMID- 20286544
TI  - Medical photography in the Army.

PMID- 20286545
TI  - Amplifying lenses for biological photomicrography.

PMID- 20286546
TI  - Blackened shields for clear lamps in medical photography.

PMID- 20286547
TI  - Medical photographic records.

PMID- 20286548
TI  - An endoscopic color camera for otolaryngology and broncho-esophagology.

PMID- 20286549
TI  - Plastic embedded specimens as teaching aids.

PMID- 20286550
TI  - The use of unsaturated polyester resins for embedding biological material.

PMID- 20286551
TI  - Evisceration of frozen, defrosted, dressed poultry.

PMID- 20286552
TI  - Influence of mineral levels upon carotene and ascorbic acid contents of Swiss
      chard grown in the greenhouse.

PMID- 20286553
TI  - Relation of histological characteristics to texture in seed coats of peas.

PMID- 20286554
TI  - A note on use of Schultz and Olson lethal-rate paper for calculation of thermal
      processes for food products in tin containers.

PMID- 20286555
TI  - Effect of French dressings, vinegars, and acetic acid on rate of loss of vitamin
      C in raw cabbage.

PMID- 20286556
TI  - Nutritive value of fish from Michigan waters; thiamin of lake herring, carp,
      common sucker, burbot, and smelt.

PMID- 20286557
TI  - Direct colorimetric method and its application to determination of enzymatic
      discoloration in white potatoes.

PMID- 20286558
TI  - Bacteriological investigation on spoilage of winter herring during storage.

PMID- 20286559
TI  - Niacin, riboflavin, and thiamin studies on dehydrated pork loaves.

PMID- 20286560
TI  - The World Health Organization and global nutrition.

PMID- 20286561
TI  - Principles of nutritional rehabilitation.

PMID- 20286562
TI  - Nutritional policies in Great Britain, 1939-46.

PMID- 20286563
TI  - Nutritional appraisal and demonstration program of the U.S. Public Health
      Service.

PMID- 20286565
TI  - Further studies on nutritional improvement of cereal flours and cereal grains
      with yeast.

PMID- 20286564
TI  - The dietary management of spontaneous hypoglycemia.

PMID- 20286566
TI  - Palatability and ascorbic acid retention of rutabaga, peas, and cabbage after
      holding on the steam table.

PMID- 20286567
TI  - Pteroylglutamic acid in nutrition.

PMID- 20286568
TI  - A preliminary report of the folic acid content of certain foods.

PMID- 20286569
TI  - The influence of some recent studies on the interpretation of the findings of
      nutrition surveys.

PMID- 20286570
TI  - Metabolism of women during the reproductive cycle; the utilization of vitamin A
      during lactation.

PMID- 20286571
TI  - Food value of hormone-treated tomatoes.

PMID- 20286572
TI  - Effect of quantity preparation on the ascorbic acid content of cabbage salad.

PMID- 20286573
TI  - The nutritive value of canned foods; further studies on carotene, ascorbic acid,
      and thiamine.

PMID- 20286574
TI  - The relationship of nicotinic acid, tryptophane and protein in the nutrition of
      the pig.

PMID- 20286575
TI  - Riboflavin deficiency in the dairy calf.

PMID- 20286576
TI  - The formation of capillaries and other tissue changes in the cornea of the
      methionine-deficient rat.

PMID- 20286577
TI  - Work performance, respiratory exchange, and certain blood constituents after
      isocaloric meals of low and high carbohydrate content.

PMID- 20286578
TI  - Improving the nutritive value of flour; the effect of supplementing enriched
      flour with other B-complex vitamins.

PMID- 20286579
TI  - Amino acids required to supplement linseed protein for chick growth.

PMID- 20286580
TI  - An inborn characteristic determining the response of chickens to a diet free of
      animal protein.

PMID- 20286581
TI  - Surface area and metabolism of growing guinea pigs.

PMID- 20286582
TI  - On the growth-promoting factor for rats present in summer butter.

PMID- 20286584
TI  - The geography of Salmonella.

PMID- 20286583
TI  - The growth promoting action of vaccenic acid.

PMID- 20286585
TI  - A clinical consideration of the malfunctioning noncalculus gall bladder.

PMID- 20286586
TI  - An attempt to prevent histamine-induced ulcers in guinea pigs with benadryl (beta
      dimethylamino-ethylbenzhydryl ether hydrochloride).

PMID- 20286587
TI  - Some effects of high lipid diets on intestinal elimination; saturated fatty
      acids.

PMID- 20286588
TI  - The formation of concretions of aluminum salts of fatty acids after the use of
      aluminum hydroxide.

PMID- 20286589
TI  - Management of constipation with a refined psyllium combined with dextrose.

PMID- 20286590
TI  - The cause and pathogenetic mechanism of hypertrophic cirrhosis of the liver of
      the Hanot type.

PMID- 20286591
TI  - Organotherapy in ulcerative colitis, a new and interesting therapy.

PMID- 20286592
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286593
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286594
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286595
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286596
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286597
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286598
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286599
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286600
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286601
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286602
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286603
TI  - Variations in regulation of energy exchange associated with estrus, diestrus and
      pseudopregnancy in rats.

PMID- 20286604
TI  - The early reduction in uterine response to alpha estradiol in the partially
      hepatectomized rat, and the subsequent enhancement during active liver
      regeneration.

PMID- 20286605
TI  - The rate of turnover of protein-bound iodine in the plasma of the dog as measured
      with radioactive iodine.

PMID- 20286606
TI  - The effect of hyperglycemia on insulin secretion as determined with the isolated
      rat pancreas in a perfusion apparatus.

PMID- 20286607
TI  - Suppression of insulin secretion by the growth hormone of the anterior pituitary
      as determined with the isolated rat pancreas in a perfusion apparatus.

PMID- 20286608
TI  - The essential lesion in experimental diabetes insipidus.

PMID- 20286609
TI  - Effect of thiouracil on oxidation of paraphenylendiamine by various tissues.

PMID- 20286610
TI  - Increased pituitary and adrenal weight produced by estrone in intact and
      castrated normal and runt rats.

PMID- 20286611
TI  - A study of evolutionary chromosome changes in Sciara (Diptera); chromosome C in
      the salivary gland cells of Sciara ocellaris and Sclara reynoldsi.

PMID- 20286612
TI  - On the synthesis of gene-products in equimolecular quantities.

PMID- 20286613
TI  - Breeding, rearing and care of the South African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis).

PMID- 20286614
TI  - The induction of germinal mutations by chemical means.

PMID- 20286615
TI  - Effectiveness of intraspecific and interspecific matings in Drosophila
      pseudoobscura and Drosophila persimilis.

PMID- 20286616
TI  - Tumor formation in relation to the origin of viruses.

PMID- 20286617
TI  - Spontaneous mutation rate in Drosophila.

PMID- 20286618
TI  - Galton on eugenics as science and practice.

PMID- 20286619
TI  - Danish experiences in negative eugenics, 1929-45.

PMID- 20286620
TI  - Studies on impaired fertility in the male.

PMID- 20286622
TI  - A cancer control project in a planned parenthood center.

PMID- 20286621
TI  - Experiences with artificial insemination.

PMID- 20286623
TI  - Population control and world health.

PMID- 20286624
TI  - NATIONAL health program and planned parenthood; a Catholic view.

PMID- 20286625
TI  - Six types of neurotic reaction to a husband's request for a divorce.

PMID- 20286626
TI  - Factors underlying family instability.

PMID- 20286627
TI  - Meeting the family's medical costs.

PMID- 20286628
TI  - The application of our knowledge of the Rh factor.

PMID- 20286629
TI  - Masculinizing tumor of the ovary of the adrenal type.

PMID- 20286630
TI  - Radium and roentgen therapy in the treatment of menopausal uterine bleeding.

PMID- 20286631
TI  - Sodium pentothal anesthesia in major obstetric and gynecologic surgery;
      preliminary report of 300 cases.

PMID- 20286632
TI  - Leucoplakia vulvae; its etiology and results of treatment with vitamin A;
      preliminary report.

PMID- 20286633
TI  - A spiral artery in the ovary of the rabbit.

PMID- 20286634
TI  - An evaluation of presacral neurectomy in the treatment of dysmenorrhea.

PMID- 20286635
TI  - A study of the bacterial flora of the normal and pathologic vagina and uterus.

PMID- 20286636
TI  - The treatment of mycotic vulvovaginitis with propionate vaginal jelly.

PMID- 20286637
TI  - Ovarian adenoacanthoma associated with endometriosis of the ovary.

PMID- 20286638
TI  - Recognition of midpelvic contraction.

PMID- 20286639
TI  - Control of menstrual disturbances and hypo-ovarian sterility; nine years of
      experience with equine gonadotropin.

PMID- 20286641
TI  - Surgery in the uterine fibroid, a plea for myomectomy.

PMID- 20286640
TI  - Mixed synthetic estrogens; their use in the menopause (dimethoxy stilbestrol and
      diethylstilbestrol).

PMID- 20286642
TI  - Third stage of labor; measurement of blood loss; intravenous ergotrate.

PMID- 20286643
TI  - Relation of the fetus and placenta to the decline of hypertension in pregnant
      rats.

PMID- 20286644
TI  - Effect of pregneninolone on the menstrual cycle of adolescent girls with
      oligomenorrhea or amenorrhea.

PMID- 20286645
TI  - Epidemic diarrhea in the newborn; the relation between breast and bottle feeding
      and the early development of the proper intestinal flora.

PMID- 20286646
TI  - Pelvic examination for nurses.

PMID- 20286647
TI  - An analysis of 212 consecutive cases of ectopic pregnancy.

PMID- 20286648
TI  - Parenteral vitamin K therapy during the antepartum period and its effects on the
      infants prothrombin levels.

PMID- 20286649
TI  - Maternal pulmonary embolism by contents of the amniotic fluid.

PMID- 20286650
TI  - Oil embolism following hysterosalpingography.

PMID- 20286651
TI  - Estrogenic tolerance in pregnant women.

PMID- 20286652
TI  - An evaluation of the pregnancy test based on ovarian hyperemia in the immature
      rat.

PMID- 20286653
TI  - Pregnancy complicated by double uterus, cervix, and vagina.

PMID- 20286654
TI  - Bacteriology of vagina in total hysterectomy.

PMID- 20286655
TI  - Placenta accreta found at cesarean section for placenta previa, with preservation
      of the uterus.

PMID- 20286656
TI  - Early form of secondary abdominal pregnancy.

PMID- 20286657
TI  - Meigs' syndrome in theca-cell tumor of the ovary.

PMID- 20286658
TI  - Pregnancy and sickle-cell anemia.

PMID- 20286659
TI  - Fibroadenoma of supernumerary mammary gland tissue in vulva.

PMID- 20286660
TI  - Dichorial unilateral tubal twins.

PMID- 20286661
TI  - Bilateral harelip and unilateral harelip with cleft palate in fraternal twins.

PMID- 20286662
TI  - Combined extrauterine and intrauterine pregnancy.

PMID- 20286663
TI  - Postmortem cesarean section.

PMID- 20286664
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286665
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286666
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286667
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286668
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286669
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286670
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286671
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286672
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286673
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286674
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286675
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286676
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286677
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286678
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286679
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286680
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286681
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286682
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286683
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286684
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286685
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286686
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286687
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286688
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286689
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286690
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286692
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286691
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286693
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286694
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286695
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286696
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286699
TI  - FORTUNATE accidents in medical history.

PMID- 20286700
TI  - John of St Amand on the magnet.

PMID- 20286701
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286703
TI  - An American historian looks at science and technology.

PMID- 20286702
TI  - On Faraday's terminology in electrolysis.

PMID- 20286704
TI  - The age at which scientists do their best work.

PMID- 20286705
TI  - Sixty-ninth critical bibliography of the history and philosophy of science and of
      the history of civilization (to December 1945).

PMID- 20286706
TI  - BCG vaccination in Saskatchewan hospitals and sanatoria.

PMID- 20286707
TI  - Narcotic control in hospitals.

PMID- 20286708
TI  - Hospital requirements as dictated by modern trends.

PMID- 20286709
TI  - SUPPRESSION of radiation from short-wave diathermy machines.

PMID- 20286710
TI  - Microfilming in Canadian hospitals.

PMID- 20286711
TI  - Getting along with the public.

PMID- 20286712
TI  - News of Blue Cross plan for hospital care.

PMID- 20286713
TI  - Some aspects of hospital planning.

PMID- 20286714
TI  - News of Blue Cross plan for hospital care.

PMID- 20286715
TI  - Integration of hospital service.

PMID- 20286716
TI  - The functions of a general hospital.

PMID- 20286717
TI  - The report of the Commission on Hospital Care.

PMID- 20286718
TI  - The role of the Central Service for the chronically ill.

PMID- 20286719
TI  - Resume of the problems of chronic illness.

PMID- 20286720
TI  - Health education and community agencies in prevention and control of particular
      diseases.

PMID- 20286721
TI  - How does ambulance service work? how much does it cost.

PMID- 20286722
TI  - Individual health and social security; some logical comparisons; the sorry
      subject of government aid and what has happened to security.

PMID- 20286723
TI  - Education of the hospital trustee.

PMID- 20286724
TI  - Code of ethics for Catholic hospitals.

PMID- 20286726
TI  - Commission on hospital care.

PMID- 20286725
TI  - National Mental Health Law; Public Law 487.

PMID- 20286727
TI  - The Hospital Survey and Construction Act (Public Law 725).

PMID- 20286728
TI  - Personnel policy and practice.

PMID- 20286729
TI  - Social security; Old Age and Survivors Insurance and the tax exempt status of a
      Catholic hospital.

PMID- 20286730
TI  - The purchase of hospital care by agencies of the Federal Government in the
      Catholic hospitals.

PMID- 20286731
TI  - Ethics for modern nurses.

PMID- 20286732
TI  - The Catholic hospitals among the hospitals of the United States.

PMID- 20286733
TI  - Appointment to internships.

PMID- 20286734
TI  - Professional intraining program for the nursing sister.

PMID- 20286736
TI  - WHAT about the nursing shortage?

PMID- 20286735
TI  - Oxygen supply as convenient as water at St. Francis Hospital, Peoria.

PMID- 20286737
TI  - Progress in antibiotic therapy.

PMID- 20286738
TI  - Choline; an effective treatment in cirrhosis.

PMID- 20286739
TI  - Centralisation in the new hospital service; its probable extent in
      administration.

PMID- 20286740
TI  - Hospital planning; plan examples from abroad.

PMID- 20286741
TI  - Personnel management in hospitals is needed now.

PMID- 20286742
TI  - Hospital planning; ward units.

PMID- 20286743
TI  - Guide to the National Health Service Act, 1946.

PMID- 20286744
TI  - The Soder Hospital, Stockholm; its planning and shaping; studies of principles.

PMID- 20286745
TI  - Aluminium and aluminium alloys; their application for hospital use.

PMID- 20286746
TI  - Sanatorium design; planning of a 320 bed unit for pulmonary tuberculosis.

PMID- 20286747
TI  - Pathology Institute proves this point; cooperation among hospitals in essential
      to modern medicine.

PMID- 20286748
TI  - The mental health of childhood requires active, continuous cooperation between
      pediatrician and psychiatrist.

PMID- 20286749
TI  - Blue Cross in the public health; report of the U.S.P.H.S. survey.

PMID- 20286750
TI  - Management and financing of municipal hospitals.

PMID- 20286751
TI  - The doctor looks at nursing service.

PMID- 20286752
TI  - The emergency room; another hazard for the accident victim.

PMID- 20286753
TI  - FUNCTIONAL basis of hospital planning.

PMID- 20286754
TI  - Helping Greece take the road to health.

PMID- 20286756
TI  - Admitting communicable cases.

PMID- 20286755
TI  - Psychiatry; modern quarters for the mentally ill.

PMID- 20286757
TI  - The economics of anesthesiology service.

PMID- 20286758
TI  - On scientific writing.

PMID- 20286759
TI  - Attitudes of progressive trade-union leaders.

PMID- 20286760
TI  - The nature of the ethnic group.

PMID- 20286761
TI  - Race prejudice and Negro-white relations in the Army.

PMID- 20286762
TI  - Officer-enlisted men's relationships.

PMID- 20286764
TI  - Selection of compatible flying partners.

PMID- 20286763
TI  - The chaplain and mental hygiene.

PMID- 20286765
TI  - Final note on a case of extreme isolation.

PMID- 20286766
TI  - Operational definitions in sociology.

PMID- 20286767
TI  - Quinone vapors and their harmful effects; corneal and conjunctival injury.

PMID- 20286768
TI  - Quinone vapors and their harmful effects; plant exposures associated with eye
      injuries.

PMID- 20286769
TI  - Toxicity of 2,4 dichlorophenoxyacetic acid for experimental animals.

PMID- 20286770
TI  - A study of the hazards of exposure to metallic fumes and dust in brass foundries.

PMID- 20286771
TI  - A study of pneumonia in shipyard workers, with special reference to welders.

PMID- 20286772
TI  - The acute and chronic toxicity of methyl chloride; symptomatology of animals
      poisoned by methyl chloride.

PMID- 20286773
TI  - Microscopic detection of cadmium oxide particles in lung tissue.

PMID- 20286774
TI  - Doudenal ulcer following exposure to carbon tetrachloride; report of two cases.

PMID- 20286775
TI  - A rapid method for the determination of chromic acid mist in air.

PMID- 20286776
TI  - Loose versus close-fitting clothing for work in tropical heat.

PMID- 20286777
TI  - Sociological factors in the alcohol problem.

PMID- 20286778
TI  - Effects chiefly mental.

PMID- 20286779
TI  - Lesser degrees of intoxication.

PMID- 20286781
TI  - PRE-COURT medical examination proposed.

PMID- 20286780
TI  - Alcoholics crowd the court.

PMID- 20286782
TI  - Signs of vertical keratinization in a pathological mucified pavement-like
      epithelium.

PMID- 20286783
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286784
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286785
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286786
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286787
TI  - Influence of interruption of renal innervation on the action of pharmaca in
      diuresis.

PMID- 20286788
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286789
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286790
TI  - On the influence of bread baked with paraffine-oil, mineral paraffine or
      synthetic wax, on the growth of rats and chickens.

PMID- 20286791
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286792
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286793
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286794
TI  - The action of cicutoxin.

PMID- 20286795
TI  - The aneurin-pyrophosphate content of human organs.

PMID- 20286796
TI  - The determination and excretion of lactoflavin.

PMID- 20286797
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286798
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286799
TI  - X-ray therapy in non-malignant diseases.

PMID- 20286800
TI  - A graphic examination method of the spinal column.

PMID- 20286801
TI  - Acute myocarditis as a sequel to infectious mononucleosis.

PMID- 20286802
TI  - Rh incompatibility and foetal prognosis.

PMID- 20286803
TI  - Asphyxia neonatorum.

PMID- 20286804
TI  - Psychological methods of obtaining medical information.

PMID- 20286805
TI  - Penicillin therapy of early syphilis.

PMID- 20286806
TI  - The treatment of recurrent shoulder dislocation with autohaemo-injections.

PMID- 20286807
TI  - Mumps with an oedema of the anterior wall of the whole body.

PMID- 20286808
TI  - Klippel-Feil malformation associated with syringomyelia.

PMID- 20286810
TI  - Sustained local anaesthesia.

PMID- 20286809
TI  - Sympathetic surgery; a review of two hundred and twenty five operations.

PMID- 20286811
TI  - A direct titrimetric method for the determination of albumin in serum and plasma.

PMID- 20286812
TI  - Phlegmasia alba dolens in early puerperium without fever or permanent
      tachycardia.

PMID- 20286813
TI  - Medical and vital statistics.

PMID- 20286814
TI  - Mixed thyroidism.

PMID- 20286815
TI  - Granuloma venereum in Palestine.

PMID- 20286816
TI  - Right bundle branch block (Wilson) following measles.

PMID- 20286817
TI  - Tropical and phagedenic ulcer and desert sore; a review.

PMID- 20286818
TI  - Streptomycin treatment of urinary tract infections, with special reference to the
      use of alkali.

PMID- 20286819
TI  - Dienestrol; another synthetic estrogen of clinical value.

PMID- 20286820
TI  - Bacillus pyocyaneus infections; a review, report of cases and discussion of newer
      therapy including streptomycin.

PMID- 20286821
TI  - Rheumatic heart disease in the adult.

PMID- 20286822
TI  - Treatment of acute rheumatic fever and acute rheumatic heart disease.

PMID- 20286823
TI  - The dose of a drug.

PMID- 20286824
TI  - Blood dyscrasia with cardiac complications.

PMID- 20286825
TI  - Permanent heart block following German measles.

PMID- 20286826
TI  - The dangerous carrier of hemolytic streptococci.

PMID- 20286827
TI  - Diagnosis of surgical lesions of the thorax.

PMID- 20286828
TI  - Streptomycin in clinical practice; a review and case reports.

PMID- 20286829
TI  - Urologic complications of pregnancy and labor.

PMID- 20286830
TI  - The problem of hypertension.

PMID- 20286831
TI  - Salient features of the diagnosis of chronic rheumatic valvular heart disease:
      illustrative cases.

PMID- 20286832
TI  - Anesthesia in geriatric practice.

PMID- 20286833
TI  - An unusual case of endemic typhus fever.

PMID- 20286834
TI  - Vitamin deficiency diseases in infants.

PMID- 20286835
TI  - The treatment of peptic ulcer with special reference to vagotomy.

PMID- 20286836
TI  - Significance and management of the obstructive factor in cardiac asthma and
      cardiac dyspnea.

PMID- 20286837
TI  - The heart in thyroid disease.

PMID- 20286838
TI  - Anuria.

PMID- 20286839
TI  - Spontaneous pleural effusions.

PMID- 20286840
TI  - Endemic typhus fever.

PMID- 20286841
TI  - The diagnosis of cerebral aneurysms.

PMID- 20286842
TI  - Neurodermatitis.

PMID- 20286843
TI  - Psychosomatic diagnosis.

PMID- 20286844
TI  - Penicillin in cincophen-induced agranulocytosis.

PMID- 20286845
TI  - The treatment of acute rheumatic fever.

PMID- 20286846
TI  - Interviewing technics.

PMID- 20286848
TI  - The initial care of casualties.

PMID- 20286847
TI  - Folic acid in the treatment of macrocytic anemias.

PMID- 20286849
TI  - The symptomatic treatment of bronchial asthma in infancy and childhood.

PMID- 20286850
TI  - Neurologic manifestations in the pre-icteric phase of infectious hepatitis.

PMID- 20286851
TI  - Research and the general practitioner.

PMID- 20286852
TI  - The treatment of functional uterine hemorrhage.

PMID- 20286853
TI  - Rheumatic fever; preventive aspects.

PMID- 20286854
TI  - Proctologic considerations of interest to internists.

PMID- 20286855
TI  - What the physician should know about foreign bodies that have been swallowed.

PMID- 20286856
TI  - Tic douloureux; report of a case successfully treated with intravenous typhoid
      vaccine.

PMID- 20286857
TI  - The cardiac complications of meningoccoccus infection; pericarditis occurring in
      the course of sulfadiazine treated meningitis.

PMID- 20286858
TI  - Artificial insemination: its medicolegal implications; a symposium.

PMID- 20286859
TI  - Artificial insemination: its medicolegal implications; legal aspects.

PMID- 20286860
TI  - Diagnosis and treatment of cancer of the uterus.

PMID- 20286861
TI  - The differential diagnosis of aortic stenosis, pulmonary stenosis, patent ductus
      arteriosus and coarctation of the aorta.

PMID- 20286862
TI  - Peripheral vascular sclerosis.

PMID- 20286863
TI  - Management of vivax malaria in the veteran.

PMID- 20286864
TI  - Diagnosis and management of peripheral nerve injuries.

PMID- 20286865
TI  - Clinical physiology of infectious diseases of the liver.

PMID- 20286866
TI  - Atypical pneumonia with x-ray findings simulating tuberculosis.

PMID- 20286867
TI  - Maintaining nitrogen balance with amino acids; four adults maintained by acid
      hydrolyzed casein fortified with one per cent dl-tryptophane given orally.

PMID- 20286868
TI  - Prematurity from the viewpoint of the obstetrician.

PMID- 20286869
TI  - The role of vitamin deficiencies in neuropsychiatric diseases.

PMID- 20286870
TI  - Symposium on scientific tests in evidence.

PMID- 20286871
TI  - Chemical tests for alcoholic intoxication.

PMID- 20286872
TI  - Legal problems regarding blood grouping tests in paternity cases and scientific
      tests for alcoholic intoxication.

PMID- 20286873
TI  - Lymphogranuloma venereum.

PMID- 20286874
TI  - Abdominal auscultation.

PMID- 20286875
TI  - Hypertensive encephalopathy.

PMID- 20286876
TI  - Multiple myeloma.

PMID- 20286877
TI  - Erythema multiforme.

PMID- 20286878
TI  - Carcinoma of the prostate.

PMID- 20286879
TI  - The treatment of the migraines.

PMID- 20286880
TI  - Syphilis of the breast; chancre and gumma.

PMID- 20286881
TI  - Constitution of coumarins isolated from Ferula alliacea.

PMID- 20286882
TI  - Proteolytic system in the blood of tuberculosis and typhoid patients.

PMID- 20286883
TI  - Effect of alloxan on insulin.

PMID- 20286884
TI  - Comparative action of trypsin on amorphous insulin, crystalline-zn-insulin,
      protamine-zn-insulin and globin insulin.

PMID- 20286885
TI  - Observations on ascorbic acid; the effect of certain factors on ascorbic acid
      production during germination of seeds.

PMID- 20286886
TI  - A modified procedure for the estimation of nicotinic acid in biological
      materials.

PMID- 20286887
TI  - On the antibacterial activity of sulpha drugs against bacillary dysentery
      organisms.

PMID- 20286888
TI  - Chemotherapeutic study of pneumococcal infections.

PMID- 20286889
TI  - Studies on the nutritive value of soya milk; nutritive value of the protein.

PMID- 20286890
TI  - Studies on the nutritive value of soya milk; comparison of the vitamin B complex
      content of soya milk and cow's milk.

PMID- 20286891
TI  - Studies on the nutritive value of soya-bean milk; supplementing value of soya
      milk to a poor Indian diet.

PMID- 20286892
TI  - Studies on the nutritive value of soya milk; digestibility of soya milk; in vitro
      experiments.

PMID- 20286893
TI  - Improvements in the cyanogen bromide method for the determination of nicotinic
      acid in urine.

PMID- 20286894
TI  - Nutritional investigations on Bengal fish.

PMID- 20286895
TI  - Vitamin A reserve in human liver.

PMID- 20286896
TI  - Effect of temperature on the stability of cobravenom and cardiotoxin.

PMID- 20286897
TI  - Effect of methylene blue on the toxicity of cobra venom.

PMID- 20286898
TI  - Effect of ultra-violet rays on the stability of cobra-venom and cardiotoxin.

PMID- 20286900
TI  - Studies on choline-esterase.

PMID- 20286899
TI  - Effect of different adsorbents on the toxicity of cobra-venom.

PMID- 20286901
TI  - Medicine in the European Theater of Operations.

PMID- 20286902
TI  - Scrub typhus in Dutch New Guinea.

PMID- 20286903
TI  - The treatment of acute bacterial endocarditis with penicillin.

PMID- 20286904
TI  - Cardiac arrhythmias complicating total pneumonectomy.

PMID- 20286905
TI  - Rheumatoid spondylitis: a study of 1,035 cases.

PMID- 20286906
TI  - Trichinosis: report of an epidemic.

PMID- 20286908
TI  - Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a variation of erythema multiforme exsudativum (Hebra)
      a report of two cases.

PMID- 20286907
TI  - Pleuropulmonary tularemia: observations on 12 cases treated with streptomycin.

PMID- 20286909
TI  - Coarctation of the aorta.

PMID- 20286910
TI  - Onchocerciasis; case report.

PMID- 20286911
TI  - Anaphylaxis to the injection of nicotinic acid (niacin); successful treatment
      with epinephrine.

PMID- 20286912
TI  - A case of fulminating meningococcemia exhibiting the Waterhouse-Friderichsen
      syndrome and demonstrating the value of cortical extract administration.

PMID- 20286913
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286914
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286915
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286917
TI  - The acute abdomen.

PMID- 20286916
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20286918
TI  - Craniocerebral trauma.

PMID- 20286919
TI  - Bilateral hypoplasia of kidneys with report of a case.

PMID- 20286920
TI  - The effect of altering the ionic content of sera in vivo on syphilis serology.

PMID- 20286921
TI  - RADIOACTIVE phosphorus as a therapeutic agent.

PMID- 20286922
TI  - The surgical relief of severe angina pectoris.

PMID- 20286923
TI  - Practical principles of active immunization.

PMID- 20286924
TI  - New clinical syndrome; delayed chemical pneumonitis occurring in workers exposed
      to beryllium compounds.

PMID- 20286925
TI  - Hepatic function with respect to bromsulphalein removal.

PMID- 20286926
TI  - Epidemic hepatitis.

PMID- 20286927
TI  - Benign paroxysmal peritonitis; a case report.

PMID- 20286928
TI  - Muscular atrophies and dystrophies.

PMID- 20286929
TI  - Congenital alveolar dysplasia of the lungs.

PMID- 20286931
TI  - Highlights of ophthalmology.

PMID- 20286930
TI  - Tuberculosis control program in San Francisco.

PMID- 20286932
TI  - Highlights of ophthalmology.

PMID- 20286933
TI  - Vagotomy.

PMID- 20286934
TI  - History of Vancouver Medical Association.

PMID- 20286935
TI  - Modern trends in obstetrics.

PMID- 20286936
TI  - Clinical differentiation in the syndrome called atypical pneumonia.

PMID- 20286937
TI  - The use and limitations of hearing aids.

PMID- 20286938
TI  - Chronic empyema.

PMID- 20286939
TI  - Splenosis.

PMID- 20286940
TI  - New factors in the etiology of obliterative arterial disease.

PMID- 20286941
TI  - The surgery of heart disease.

PMID- 20286942
TI  - Surgical management of gangrenous bowel in infancy.

PMID- 20286943
TI  - Cerebral air embolism following artificial pneumothorax; treatment with prolonged
      inhalation of oxygen.

PMID- 20286944
TI  - The management of asthma.

PMID- 20286945
TI  - Folic acid in the treatment of pernicious anaemia.

PMID- 20286946
TI  - Personality changes associated with surgical and radiation castration.

PMID- 20286947
TI  - Auricular flutter (the results of therapy in a general hospital over a ten-year
      period.).

PMID- 20286948
TI  - Myopia.

PMID- 20286949
TI  - The etiology and treatment of hyperemesis gravidarum.

PMID- 20286950
TI  - Psychomotor epilepsy.

PMID- 20286951
TI  - Brucellosis.

PMID- 20286952
TI  - The treatment of motion sickness.

PMID- 20286953
TI  - Sarcoma of the prostate.

PMID- 20286954
TI  - Air embolism during labour.

PMID- 20286955
TI  - A case of pentosuria.

PMID- 20286956
TI  - A case of actinomycosis treated with streptomycin.

PMID- 20286957
TI  - The folic acid story.

PMID- 20286958
TI  - Tetraethyl ammonium chloride; a new drug useful in the field of peripheral
      vascular diseases.

PMID- 20286959
TI  - A blood sugar test.

PMID- 20286960
TI  - Linnaeus, botanist and physician.

PMID- 20286961
TI  - Anergy in infants' skin to diphtheria toxin.

PMID- 20286962
TI  - Anatomical changes in the liver after trauma.

PMID- 20286963
TI  - Effects of venesection in low output heart failure.

PMID- 20286964
TI  - Observations on the headache accompanying fever.

PMID- 20286965
TI  - Observations on the mechanism of pain in ulcer of the stomach and duodenum.

PMID- 20286966
TI  - Observations on the mechanism of pain in ulcer of the stomach and duodenum; the
      location of the pain nerve endings.

PMID- 20286967
TI  - The use of a portal anastomotic vein for absorption studies in man.

PMID- 20286968
TI  - Ringworm of the scalp.

PMID- 20286969
TI  - The diagnosis of intraocular tumors; a demonstration of kodachrome slides.

PMID- 20286970
TI  - Hyaluronidase.

PMID- 20286971
TI  - A skin test to measure susceptibility to whooping cough; preliminary report.

PMID- 20286972
TI  - Physiologic and antibiotic (penicillin) therapy in chronic hypertrophic pulmonary
      emphysema.

PMID- 20286973
TI  - Treatment of thoracic empyema with sodium tetradecyl sulfate 1: 500 in
      azochloramid 1:3300.

PMID- 20286974
TI  - Treatment of tension cavities with pneumothorax.

PMID- 20286975
TI  - Pneumoperitoneum with diaphragmatic paralysis in the treatment of pulmonary
      tuberculosis.

PMID- 20286977
TI  - Molluscum contagiosum.

PMID- 20286976
TI  - Report on streptomycin in tuberculosis.

PMID- 20286978
TI  - Problems in arterial surgery.

PMID- 20286979
TI  - High blood pressure.

PMID- 20286980
TI  - High blood pressure.

PMID- 20286981
TI  - Disseminated tuberculosis.

PMID- 20286982
TI  - Before and after Laennec.

PMID- 20286983
TI  - The laboratory diagnosis of influenza; a summary of current methods.

PMID- 20286984
TI  - A case of calcinosis universalis.

PMID- 20286985
TI  - The influence of the distant electrode on the electrogram and electrocardiogram
      observations during pneumonolysis.

PMID- 20286986
TI  - An evaluation of Einthoven's law of the values in the three leads.

PMID- 20286987
TI  - Mammary glands of the rat during growth and senescence.

PMID- 20286988
TI  - Observations on vessel and organ transplants.

PMID- 20286989
TI  - Colloid-chemical changes of serum albumin during adsorption and dehydration.

PMID- 20286990
TI  - Investigations on the potential fluctuations existing at the central terminal
      electrode.

PMID- 20286991
TI  - Indications and contra-indications of strophanthin (ouabain) treatment.

PMID- 20286992
TI  - Penicillin therapy in general practice; surgical aspects.

PMID- 20286993
TI  - Penicillin therapy; laboratory aspects.

PMID- 20286994
TI  - Observations on the operative treatment of two cases of irreducible
      intussusception.

PMID- 20286995
TI  - Survey of present methods of treatment of meningitis.

PMID- 20286996
TI  - Carcinoma of the hepatic ducts; a case report.

PMID- 20286997
TI  - Gastro-intestinal trichinosis as a surgical problem.

PMID- 20286998
TI  - A review of the meningitides at the Robert Packer Hospital.

PMID- 20286999
TI  - Acute, complete acromioclavicular dislocation.

PMID- 20287000
TI  - Meningioma of the spinal cord; a case report.

PMID- 20287001
TI  - Sarcoma of the kidney; a case report.

PMID- 20287002
TI  - Neuroblastoma of the thorax; a case report.

PMID- 20287003
TI  - Multiple primary malignant tumors.

PMID- 20287004
TI  - Chronic subdural hematoma in infancy; a clinical report.

PMID- 20287005
TI  - Primary malignancy of small intestine.

PMID- 20287006
TI  - Crossed renal ectopia; unfused type.

PMID- 20287008
TI  - Chlorophyll therapy; a review of 114 cases.

PMID- 20287007
TI  - Streptococcus fecalis septicemia; concluding report of a case.

PMID- 20287009
TI  - Carcinoma of the body of the pancreas; a case report.

PMID- 20287010
TI  - Vertigo.

PMID- 20287011
TI  - The importance of psychological factors in organic disease.

PMID- 20287012
TI  - A case of intra-arterial injection of pentothal sodium.

PMID- 20287013
TI  - The heraldry at Guy's Hospital.

PMID- 20287014
TI  - A case of belladonna poisoning.

PMID- 20287015
TI  - Morphological variation in the histiocytes of mice and men.

PMID- 20287016
TI  - The odontomes and other affections of the jaws; their pathology, diagnosis and
      treatment.

PMID- 20287017
TI  - Studies in lung abscess; Friedlander abscess of the lung.

PMID- 20287018
TI  - Diaphragmatic hernia following transthoracic gastrectomy.

PMID- 20287019
TI  - Vertigo and its associated diagnostic signs.

PMID- 20287020
TI  - Changing indications for cesarean section.

PMID- 20287021
TI  - A renal function test for office use.

PMID- 20287022
TI  - Advances in general surgery.

PMID- 20287023
TI  - Pneumothorax therapy in an overseas hospital.

PMID- 20287024
TI  - The comparative value of some methods of treatment in cases of tropical ulcer.

PMID- 20287025
TI  - Crude and refined liver extract in nutritional macrocytic anaemia.

PMID- 20287027
TI  - Basal metabolic studies in the Punjab.

PMID- 20287026
TI  - Study of liver diseases; correlation of clinical and liver function studies with
      liver biopsy.

PMID- 20287028
TI  - Myoepithelial tumours of the salivary glands; report of three cases.

PMID- 20287029
TI  - Achalasia cardia (cardiospasm).

PMID- 20287030
TI  - Amoebic granuloma (amoeboma) of the large intestine.

PMID- 20287031
TI  - Observations on yaws in Bastar State.

PMID- 20287032
TI  - Sodium antimony v. gluconate in the treatment of Indian kala-azar.

PMID- 20287033
TI  - Epidemiology of filariasis in certain parts of H.E.H. the Nizam's State.

PMID- 20287034
TI  - Plague-meningitis.

PMID- 20287035
TI  - Serological technique; determination of blood groups from stains.

PMID- 20287036
TI  - A case of leiomyoma cutis.

PMID- 20287037
TI  - Quinine.

PMID- 20287038
TI  - Incidence of infectious disease during the Puri car festival, 1946.

PMID- 20287039
TI  - Action of certain antimalarial drugs on plasma prothrombin level in normal and
      malarial subjects.

PMID- 20287040
TI  - Some problems in surgical treatment of gastro-duodenal ulcer and the value of
      partial gastrectomy.

PMID- 20287041
TI  - Weil's disease; leptospirosis icterohaemorrhagica treated with penicillin.

PMID- 20287042
TI  - Present trends in tuberculosis.

PMID- 20287043
TI  - Aspects of the tuberculosis problem in Eire.

PMID- 20287044
TI  - Is B.C.C. vaccination a practical proposition for Eire?

PMID- 20287045
TI  - The use of B.C.G. in Eire.

PMID- 20287046
TI  - Clinical research in Ireland.

PMID- 20287047
TI  - The production of avid diphtheria antitoxin.

PMID- 20287048
TI  - Observations on hysterectomy.

PMID- 20287049
TI  - The copper sulphate method in routine haematological examinations.

PMID- 20287050
TI  - Toxaemia in intestinal obstruction.

PMID- 20287051
TI  - Blood transfusion.

PMID- 20287052
TI  - Traumatic rupture of the spleen.

PMID- 20287053
TI  - Avulsion fracture of the oscalcis.

PMID- 20287054
TI  - The surgical treatment of deafness.

PMID- 20287055
TI  - Myoclonic epilepsy.

PMID- 20287056
TI  - Paroxysmal tachycardia.

PMID- 20287057
TI  - Roentgenotherapy of cancer of the larynx.

PMID- 20287058
TI  - Tropical medicine; hemoflagellates.

PMID- 20287059
TI  - Intra-uterine irradiation; a modification of the radiumhemmet packing method.

PMID- 20287060
TI  - Reading disabilities in children.

PMID- 20287061
TI  - The significance of the Rh factor in obstetrics.

PMID- 20287062
TI  - Pyribenzamine; report on two clinical experiments.

PMID- 20287063
TI  - The transplantability of autologous mammary tissue in the albino mouse.

PMID- 20287064
TI  - The blood clotting mechanism; a review.

PMID- 20287065
TI  - Importance of co-operation between physician and dentist.

PMID- 20287066
TI  - Child guidance and mother guidance.

PMID- 20287067
TI  - The treatment of clubfeet.

PMID- 20287068
TI  - Streptomycin therapy in tuberculosis.

PMID- 20287069
TI  - The treatment of macrocytic anemia.

PMID- 20287070
TI  - The surgical treatment of essential hypertension.

PMID- 20287071
TI  - The treatment of syphilis.

PMID- 20287072
TI  - The treatment of rheumatic fever.

PMID- 20287073
TI  - The use of anticoagulants.

PMID- 20287074
TI  - The treatment of toxemias of pregnancy.

PMID- 20287075
TI  - Present status of thiouracil therapy.

PMID- 20287076
TI  - Carcinoma of the fundus arrested for 11 years.

PMID- 20287077
TI  - A case of hemiplegia treated with prostigmine.

PMID- 20287078
TI  - A case of nutritional anemia.

PMID- 20287079
TI  - A case of disseminated Friedlander infection occurring in a post-operative
      (cesarean section) patient.

PMID- 20287080
TI  - A case of squamous cell carcinoma in a dermoid cyst of the ovary.

PMID- 20287081
TI  - Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman doctor.

PMID- 20287082
TI  - Report of the Committee on the training and supply of doctors in the event of
      another war.

PMID- 20287083
TI  - Private clinics in medical schools.

PMID- 20287084
TI  - Recent advances in medicine and their effect on premedical needs.

PMID- 20287085
TI  - Use of the project method in the teaching of histology; a preliminary report.

PMID- 20287086
TI  - Problems of integration in the medical curriculum.

PMID- 20287087
TI  - An improved technique for didactic instruction in medicine.

PMID- 20287088
TI  - Primary atypical pneumonia, etiology unknown; a review of current etiological
      concepts.

PMID- 20287089
TI  - Use of radioactive iodine in the treatment of hyperthyroidism.

PMID- 20287090
TI  - Syphilis in pregnancy.

PMID- 20287091
TI  - Dysmenorrhea.

PMID- 20287092
TI  - Functional disorders of menstruation.

PMID- 20287093
TI  - A history of medicine in Duval County.

PMID- 20287094
TI  - Bronchogenic adenocarcinoma with metastases; abdominal aneurysm.

PMID- 20287095
TI  - Obstructive laryngitis in children caused by Hemophilus influenzae bacillus type
      B.

PMID- 20287096
TI  - Demerol as a preanesthetic agent.

PMID- 20287098
TI  - Common dermatologic diseases.

PMID- 20287097
TI  - An appendix epiploica resembling a vermiform appendix.

PMID- 20287099
TI  - Orientation in gynecologic uterine bleeding.

PMID- 20287100
TI  - Roentgenographic aids in carpal scaphoid fractures.

PMID- 20287101
TI  - A few essentials in prescribing physical medicine in general practice.

PMID- 20287102
TI  - Psychosomatic diagnosis.

PMID- 20287103
TI  - Tumors of the parotid.

PMID- 20287104
TI  - Bacterial endocarditis involving the right side of the heart (a case presentation
      and clinical review).

PMID- 20287106
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287105
TI  - The treatment of benign and malignant neoplasms of the skin.

PMID- 20287107
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287108
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287109
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287110
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287111
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287112
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287113
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287114
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287115
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287116
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287117
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287118
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287119
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287120
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287121
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287122
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287123
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287124
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287125
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287126
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287127
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287128
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287129
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287131
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287130
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287132
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287133
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287134
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287135
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287136
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287137
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287138
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287139
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287140
TI  - A position on the employment of vagotomy in the surgical treatment of peptic
      ulcer.

PMID- 20287141
TI  - Severe primary hyperthyroidism with normal basal metabolic rate.

PMID- 20287142
TI  - Carcinoma of the cecum; successful resection in a 92-year-old man.

PMID- 20287143
TI  - Thiocyanate goiter; report of a case.

PMID- 20287144
TI  - The frequency of precancerous lesions in the rectum and colon.

PMID- 20287145
TI  - Surgical treatment of congenital heart disease; report of a case.

PMID- 20287146
TI  - Spontaneous compression of both median nerves in the carpal tunnel; six cases
      treated surgically.

PMID- 20287147
TI  - Purified precipitated diphtheria toxoid of constant composition.

PMID- 20287148
TI  - Clinical trials of diphtheria toxoid aluminium-phosphate-precipitated; to
      determine optional aluminium-phosphate content.

PMID- 20287149
TI  - Atelectasis after partial gastrectomy.

PMID- 20287150
TI  - Pain and the healing of peptic ulcers.

PMID- 20287151
TI  - RECRUITMENT of doctors to the Forces.

PMID- 20287153
TI  - The nation's food.

PMID- 20287152
TI  - Part-time nursing.

PMID- 20287154
TI  - Thyroid and cold sensitivity.

PMID- 20287155
TI  - Supraspinatus syndrome.

PMID- 20287156
TI  - Acute porphyria.

PMID- 20287157
TI  - Conditions in Germany.

PMID- 20287158
TI  - Some diseases of war and their effects on civil practice.

PMID- 20287159
TI  - Some consideration in the management of pregnancy toxaemia.

PMID- 20287160
TI  - CASE of chronic cervicitis and carcinoma of the cervix.

PMID- 20287161
TI  - Electrolytes and fluids in the treatment of diarrhea in infants.

PMID- 20287162
TI  - Renal tuberculosis.

PMID- 20287163
TI  - Pilonidal cysts and sinuses.

PMID- 20287164
TI  - Urinary infections.

PMID- 20287165
TI  - Some observations on the surgery of congenital heart disease.

PMID- 20287166
TI  - Chorionepithelioma; a case report.

PMID- 20287167
TI  - Congenital cystic lungs in the newborn; a case report with autopsy findings.

PMID- 20287168
TI  - An anaesthetic estimation of some pre-operative risks.

PMID- 20287169
TI  - Etiology of jaundice.

PMID- 20287170
TI  - Accepted laboratory procedure in jaundice.

PMID- 20287171
TI  - Medical treatment of jaundice.

PMID- 20287173
TI  - Varicocele.

PMID- 20287172
TI  - Surgical aspects of jaundice.

PMID- 20287174
TI  - Anaesthesia in obstetrics.

PMID- 20287175
TI  - The physiology of refrigeration anesthesia.

PMID- 20287176
TI  - Radium and X-rays in the treatment of diseases of women.

PMID- 20287177
TI  - Pneumococcal meningitis in infancy and childhood.

PMID- 20287178
TI  - Tracheobronchial tuberculosis.

PMID- 20287179
TI  - A clinical report on benadryl.

PMID- 20287180
TI  - Ulcerative colitis.

PMID- 20287181
TI  - A case of spontaneous haemothorax.

PMID- 20287182
TI  - Traumatic shock.

PMID- 20287183
TI  - Prostatic calculi.

PMID- 20287184
TI  - The diagnosis of carcinoma of the pancreas.

PMID- 20287185
TI  - The smear technique for the diagnosis of uterine carcinoma.

PMID- 20287186
TI  - [Subacute bacterial endocarditis with brain abscess].

PMID- 20287187
TI  - [Carcinoma of the stomach with metastasis].

PMID- 20287188
TI  - Acute surgical ascites; a case report.

PMID- 20287189
TI  - [Myocardial infarction].

PMID- 20287190
TI  - Endometriosis; its recognition and clinical diagnosis.

PMID- 20287191
TI  - A medical practice is a business.

PMID- 20287192
TI  - The physical properties of artificial radio active isotopes with special
      reference to their medical applications.

PMID- 20287193
TI  - Therapeutic applications of the radio-active isotopes.

PMID- 20287194
TI  - The use of radioactive isotopes as tracers in metabolism.

PMID- 20287196
TI  - Air evacuation of casualties.

PMID- 20287195
TI  - Histological localization of radioactive elements; a review.

PMID- 20287197
TI  - Preliminary report on the use of radio-active phosphorus in Australia.

PMID- 20287198
TI  - A useful pump.

PMID- 20287199
TI  - A case of congenital afibrinogenaemia.

PMID- 20287200
TI  - Post-operative treatment of ruptured appendix.

PMID- 20287201
TI  - Coronary clotting.

PMID- 20287202
TI  - The pituitary gland and carbohydrate metabolism.

PMID- 20287203
TI  - Nasal obstruction in children and its relation to dental development and general
      health.

PMID- 20287204
TI  - Dento-facial deformities associated with nasal obstruction.

PMID- 20287205
TI  - A case of massive haemorrhage from peptic ulceration in a Meckel's diverticulum.

PMID- 20287206
TI  - Two obscure cases of ascending paralysis.

PMID- 20287207
TI  - Congenital deformity of the leg.

PMID- 20287208
TI  - The treatment of thyreotoxicosis by concurrent administration of thiouracil and
      iodine.

PMID- 20287209
TI  - The place of manipulative treatment in therapy.

PMID- 20287210
TI  - Physical medicine and its application to common complaints.

PMID- 20287211
TI  - Heterospecific pregnancy; the clinical importance of the Rh factor.

PMID- 20287212
TI  - A case of thrombocytopenic purpura and generalized neuropathy following
      sulphadiazine therapy.

PMID- 20287213
TI  - Amoebic pericarditis.

PMID- 20287214
TI  - Splenic anaemia.

PMID- 20287215
TI  - Clinical medicine and science.

PMID- 20287217
TI  - Description of modified apparatus for continuous gastric or duodenal aspiration,
      with a brief historical review.

PMID- 20287216
TI  - Cervical and thoracic intervertebral disk disease.

PMID- 20287218
TI  - A note on the selection of medical students.

PMID- 20287219
TI  - Poisoning from drinking glycol ethylene.

PMID- 20287221
TI  - INTERNATIONAL medical conference, London, September 25 to 27, 1946.

PMID- 20287220
TI  - Report of a case of resistant Haemophilus influenzae meningitis responding to
      penicillin.

PMID- 20287222
TI  - The zoological position of man.

PMID- 20287223
TI  - Peptic ulcer.

PMID- 20287224
TI  - The treatment of juvenile delinquency.

PMID- 20287225
TI  - Pre- and post-operative treatment in gastrectomy.

PMID- 20287226
TI  - The management of the artificial pneumothorax patient.

PMID- 20287227
TI  - The treatment of fibrositis by physiotherapy.

PMID- 20287228
TI  - The features and treatment of thyrotoxic heart disease.

PMID- 20287229
TI  - Bronchiectasis.

PMID- 20287230
TI  - Radiological diagnosis of bone disease.

PMID- 20287231
TI  - The intra-mural appendix.

PMID- 20287232
TI  - Modern diagnosis and treatment of ante-partum haemorrhage.

PMID- 20287233
TI  - Medicine and ornithology.

PMID- 20287234
TI  - A post-war survey of venereal disease.

PMID- 20287235
TI  - Fractures of the nose and zygoma; their recognition and management.

PMID- 20287236
TI  - The prognosis and treatment of melancholia.

PMID- 20287238
TI  - Treatment of retinal detachment.

PMID- 20287237
TI  - The modern treatment of pernicious anaemia.

PMID- 20287239
TI  - Hypertension: the end.

PMID- 20287240
TI  - The early diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis.

PMID- 20287241
TI  - The management of carcinoma of the prostate.

PMID- 20287242
TI  - Intestinal obstruction.

PMID- 20287243
TI  - The malignancy of intracranial neoplasms.

PMID- 20287244
TI  - Sulfadiazine block of the kidneys.

PMID- 20287245
TI  - Peri-sinus abscess complicating acute mastoiditis.

PMID- 20287246
TI  - Cirrhosis of the liver with primary hepatoma.

PMID- 20287247
TI  - Paroxysmal ventricular tachycardia complicating acute myocardial infarction.

PMID- 20287248
TI  - Appendicitis complicating pregnancy.

PMID- 20287249
TI  - Present status of female sex endocrinology.

PMID- 20287250
TI  - Peptic ulcer, its etiology and treatment.

PMID- 20287251
TI  - Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

PMID- 20287252
TI  - Intramesenteric Meckel's diverticulum.

PMID- 20287253
TI  - Spinal anesthesia.

PMID- 20287254
TI  - The modern conception of practical obstetrics.

PMID- 20287255
TI  - Low back pain.

PMID- 20287256
TI  - What is the hydrogen ion concentration (pH) of the vagina in Trichomonas
      vaginalis infestation.

PMID- 20287257
TI  - Heart disease in Charity Hospital of Louisiana in New Orleans; a survey of 8,313
      routine autopsies.

PMID- 20287258
TI  - Repair of choledochus defect by hepaticoduodenostomy over vitallium tube.

PMID- 20287259
TI  - Fever of undetermined origin.

PMID- 20287260
TI  - Cataract surgery as done in India today.

PMID- 20287261
TI  - The pathologic physiology of diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 20287262
TI  - Some problems in the field of medical economics.

PMID- 20287263
TI  - Social and personal responsibilities in medicine.

PMID- 20287265
TI  - Trends in medical education.

PMID- 20287264
TI  - Ocular expressions of diabetes.

PMID- 20287266
TI  - Rehabilitation; the third phase of medical care.

PMID- 20287267
TI  - The purpuric states.

PMID- 20287268
TI  - Histoplasmosis case report.

PMID- 20287269
TI  - Local anesthesia in caesarean section.

PMID- 20287270
TI  - Psychiatric aspects of pain in the neck.

PMID- 20287271
TI  - Headaches from otolaryngologic viewpoint; origin and mechanism.

PMID- 20287272
TI  - Pitfalls in the serologic diagnosis of syphilis.

PMID- 20287273
TI  - Atresia or stenosis of the nares.

PMID- 20287274
TI  - Tubal abortion.

PMID- 20287275
TI  - A plan to eradicate the common cold.

PMID- 20287276
TI  - Progress in surgery in war and peace.

PMID- 20287277
TI  - Committee for the Study of Pelvic Cancer.

PMID- 20287278
TI  - The treatment of brain injuries.

PMID- 20287279
TI  - Treatment of acne.

PMID- 20287280
TI  - Common errors in the treatment of fractures, with particular reference to
      fractures of the extremities.

PMID- 20287281
TI  - Developmental diagnosis of infant and child; its role in clinical medicine.

PMID- 20287283
TI  - Treatment of the disorders of speech.

PMID- 20287282
TI  - Organic variability in heart disease.

PMID- 20287284
TI  - Disease of the thyroid.

PMID- 20287285
TI  - Treatment of syphilis with penicillin.

PMID- 20287286
TI  - VAGUE abdominal pain and leukocytosis.

PMID- 20287287
TI  - MASSIVE vomiting of blood.

PMID- 20287289
TI  - The diagnosis and treatment of purpura.

PMID- 20287288
TI  - Judgment in medicine.

PMID- 20287290
TI  - A technique of local anesthesia for abdominal operations.

PMID- 20287291
TI  - Pseudocyesis.

PMID- 20287292
TI  - Modern treatment of Vincent's infection.

PMID- 20287293
TI  - Toxaemia of pregnancy, being observations on the prognosis, maternal and foetal,
      in pre-eclampsia and eclampsia over a period of twenty years in the same general
      practice.

PMID- 20287294
TI  - The investigation of prolonged pyrexia.

PMID- 20287295
TI  - Diagnosis and treatment of chronic deafness.

PMID- 20287296
TI  - Cancer of the rectum.

PMID- 20287297
TI  - Thyroid dysfunction in children, its diagnosis, and treatment.

PMID- 20287298
TI  - The general treatment of skin diseases.

PMID- 20287299
TI  - The management of the bleeding tonsil.

PMID- 20287300
TI  - Dentistry in medicine; the differential diagnosis of pain.

PMID- 20287301
TI  - The present position of carcinoma of the oesophagus.

PMID- 20287302
TI  - The prolapsed intervertebral disc.

PMID- 20287303
TI  - Sciatic pain.

PMID- 20287304
TI  - The place of caesarean section in modern obstetrics.

PMID- 20287305
TI  - Seborrhoeic dermatitis.

PMID- 20287306
TI  - Counter-irritation.

PMID- 20287308
TI  - Electrotherapy in general practice.

PMID- 20287307
TI  - The role of physical therapy in rheumatic disease.

PMID- 20287309
TI  - Manipulation in general practice.

PMID- 20287310
TI  - The role of balneotherapy in rehabilitation.

PMID- 20287311
TI  - Physiotherapy and the athlete.

PMID- 20287312
TI  - Twins and triplets, quadruplets and quintuplets.

PMID- 20287313
TI  - Pain and its problems; cardiac pain.

PMID- 20287314
TI  - The treatment of congenital pyloric stenosis.

PMID- 20287315
TI  - The treatment of ringworm.

PMID- 20287316
TI  - The medical use of DDT.

PMID- 20287317
TI  - Some obscure and paradoxical problems of syphilis.

PMID- 20287318
TI  - The complex causes of alcohol addiction.

PMID- 20287319
TI  - "Hydropic" swelling of renal tubules following intravenous administration of
      gelatin.

PMID- 20287320
TI  - Early pathologic changes in skeletal muscle in trichinosis.

PMID- 20287321
TI  - Congenital teratoid primary carcinoma of the liver.

PMID- 20287322
TI  - The theory of focal infection; its influence on the practice of medicine.

PMID- 20287323
TI  - The Institute of Medicine of Chicago; Thirty-first annual report of the
      Secretary, Dec. 3, 1946.

PMID- 20287325
TI  - The Central Service for the Chronically Ill; Third annual report of the committee
      to the Board of Governors of the Institute of Medicine of Chicago, December 10,
      1946.

PMID- 20287324
TI  - Necropsies in the hospitals of Chicago; Twenty-seventh annual report of committee
      to the Board of Governors of the Institute of Medicine of Chicago, December 10,
      1946.

PMID- 20287326
TI  - The structure and mechanical functioning of the living liver lobules of frogs and
      rhesus monkeys.

PMID- 20287327
TI  - The pathologic basis of the clinical manifestations of nephritis.

PMID- 20287328
TI  - The pathologist's contribution to the clinical interpretation of disorders in the
      newborn.

PMID- 20287329
TI  - Release of gas in tissues of animals decompressed from high pressure atmospheres.

PMID- 20287330
TI  - The fibrous nature of the human cervix and its relation to the isthmic segment in
      gravid and nongravid uteri.

PMID- 20287331
TI  - Management of injuries of the spinal cord.

PMID- 20287332
TI  - A revaluation of splenectomy in thrombocytopenic purpura, based on a 27-year
      combined clinic follow-up experience.

PMID- 20287333
TI  - Metabolism of the foodstuffs in experimental diabetes.

PMID- 20287334
TI  - Diabetes in adults; evidence bearing on the question of whether hyperglycemia is
      harmful.

PMID- 20287335
TI  - Juvenile diabetes.

PMID- 20287336
TI  - Agnogenic myeloid metaplasia of the spleen; report of a case with necropsy
      studies.

PMID- 20287337
TI  - Morphologic variability of the myeloma cells in sternal marrow.

PMID- 20287338
TI  - Infectious hepatitis contrasted with toxic hepatitis.

PMID- 20287339
TI  - Rh antibodies; clinical-serologic correlation.

PMID- 20287342
TI  - Some statistics on Rochester babies born in 1944.

PMID- 20287340
TI  - Acute appendicitis; analysis of 878 cases.

PMID- 20287341
TI  - Traumatic biliary bronchial fistula with report of two cases due to war wounds.

PMID- 20287343
TI  - Malaria: a note on its latency and report of a case.

PMID- 20287344
TI  - A modified ring pinch clamp.

PMID- 20287346
TI  - Embryologic considerations in surgery of the neck; mediastinal adenoma of a
      parathyroid gland; report of case.

PMID- 20287345
TI  - Aberrant gastric mucosa and pancreatic tissue in a bleeding Meckel's
      diverticulum; report of a case.

PMID- 20287347
TI  - Embryologic considerations in surgery of the neck; complete lateral cervical
      (branchial) fistula; report of case.

PMID- 20287348
TI  - Primary systematized amyloidosis with macroglossia; a syndrome related to Bence
      Jones proteinuria and myeloma.

PMID- 20287349
TI  - Cardiac clinics; unusually long survival in the case of a patient with the
      anginal syndrome of coronary sclerosis and the ultimate development of
      obliterative arteriosclerosis of the arteries of the legs.

PMID- 20287350
TI  - Hyperparathyroidism due to diffuse primary hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the
      parathyroid glands; report of case.

PMID- 20287352
TI  - Epileptic equivalents.

PMID- 20287351
TI  - Dissolution of substance of teeth by lemon juice.

PMID- 20287353
TI  - Wilms' tumor; report of a case with unusual postoperative metastatis.

PMID- 20287354
TI  - Leiomyoma of the ileum; report of a case.

PMID- 20287356
TI  - Newcastle virus; conversion of spherical forms to filamentous forms.

PMID- 20287355
TI  - A fat-soluble material from plasma having the biological activities of biotin.

PMID- 20287358
TI  - Antigenic structure of Pasteurella pestis and the isolation of a crystalline
      antigen.

PMID- 20287357
TI  - Effect of hexaethyl tetraphosphate on choline esterase in vitro and in vivo.

PMID- 20287359
TI  - Liberation of histamine and heparin by peptone from the isolated dog's liver.

PMID- 20287360
TI  - Effect of reticulo-endothelial blockade on immunity to the Shwartzman phenomenon.

PMID- 20287361
TI  - Affinity of avidin for certain analogs of biotin.

PMID- 20287362
TI  - Hepatorenal factors in circulatory homeostasis; disappearance of hepatic vaso
      depressor material following intravenous administration.

PMID- 20287363
TI  - Functional components of the greater superficial petrosal nerve.

PMID- 20287364
TI  - Employment of the embryonic duck heart for the detection of minute amounts of a
      digitalis glycoside (lanatoside C).

PMID- 20287365
TI  - Isolation of pleuropneumonia-like organisms from pathological specimens with the
      aid of penicillin.

PMID- 20287366
TI  - Isolation of pleuropneumonia-like organisms from H. influenzae with the aid of
      penicillin.

PMID- 20287367
TI  - Infectivity of Trypanosoma cruzi after cultivation for thirteen years in vitro
      without animal passage.

PMID- 20287368
TI  - Microscopic historadiographic technic for locating and quantitating radioactive
      elements in tissues.

PMID- 20287369
TI  - Infection of mice with tubercle bacilli grown in tween-albumin liquid medium.

PMID- 20287370
TI  - Alpha naphthylthiourea (ANTU) in dogs; electrophoretic and cholesterol studies on
      blood plasma and pleural effusion.

PMID- 20287371
TI  - Folic acid (pteroylglutamic acid) studies; hematologic remissions in pernicious
      anemia.

PMID- 20287372
TI  - Effect of frequency of hypothalamic stimulation upon bladder response.

PMID- 20287373
TI  - Mitotic activity in hypophysis of pregnant rat after injections of estrogen.

PMID- 20287374
TI  - The use of a resistance wire, strain gauge manometer to measure intraarterial
      pressure.

PMID- 20287375
TI  - Sodium cyanide; time of appearance of signs as a function of the rate of
      injection.

PMID- 20287376
TI  - Effects of use and disuse on nerve endings, neurosomes, and fiber types in
      skeletal muscle.

PMID- 20287377
TI  - Ornithosis in sea-shore birds.

PMID- 20287379
TI  - Studies on bacterial resistance to streptomycin.

PMID- 20287378
TI  - Specific complement-fixing diagnostic antigens for Colorado tick fever.

PMID- 20287380
TI  - Effect of atabrine on auricular fibrillation in the dog.

PMID- 20287381
TI  - Effect of penicillin on growth and toxin production of enterotoxigenic
      staphylococci.

PMID- 20287382
TI  - Studies on thermal sedation in suppression of the symptoms of tetanus toxin.

PMID- 20287383
TI  - Use of thiosulfate clearance as a measure of glomerular filtration rate in
      acidotic dogs.

PMID- 20287384
TI  - Return extrasystoles.

PMID- 20287385
TI  - Stimulation of sporogenic and nonsporogenic bacteria by traces of penicillin or
      streptomycin.

PMID- 20287386
TI  - Studies on auricular tachycardia caused by aconitine administration.

PMID- 20287387
TI  - A method for intrathoracic operation on the rat.

PMID- 20287388
TI  - Intravascular and intracardiac pressure recording in man; electrical apparatus
      compared with the Hamilton manometer.

PMID- 20287389
TI  - Evidence that virus of herpes simplex does not cause Vincent's angina of the
      tonsil.

PMID- 20287390
TI  - Effects of some old and proposed anticonvulsants on the threshold for electrical
      convulsions.

PMID- 20287391
TI  - Isopropyl alcohol, other ketogens, and miscellaneous agents on thresholds for
      electrical convulsions and diphenylhydantoin.

PMID- 20287392
TI  - Hydropic changes in pancreatic ductules and islets in alloxan diabetes in the
      rabbit.

PMID- 20287393
TI  - Antibacterial action of N-alkyl p-aminobenzoic acid derivatives.

PMID- 20287394
TI  - Action of certain carbohydrates on the reaction of Eberthella typhosa with
      antibody O.

PMID- 20287395
TI  - Influence of nitrogen mustards on the antibody response.

PMID- 20287396
TI  - Chemotherapeutic action of streptomycin and of streptomycin with a sulfone or
      sulfadiazine on tuberculosis.

PMID- 20287397
TI  - Further studies on the testing of sterility of concentrated streptomycin
      solutions.

PMID- 20287398
TI  - Changes in the precordial electrocardiogram due to the position of the exploring
      electrode.

PMID- 20287399
TI  - The mission of a medical school.

PMID- 20287401
TI  - Functional uterine bleeding.

PMID- 20287402
TI  - The etiology of Colorado tick fever and an immunological comparison to dengue.

PMID- 20287400
TI  - Induction of artificial pneumothorax; a method of utilizing pulmonary puncture.

PMID- 20287404
TI  - Dynamic and therapeutic features of 17 cases of so-called psychogenic asthma.

PMID- 20287403
TI  - The diagnosis of rheumatic fever in children.

PMID- 20287405
TI  - The management of hyperthyroidism.

PMID- 20287406
TI  - Coccidioidomycosis and the chest roentgenogram.

PMID- 20287407
TI  - Clinical experience with methergine, a new oxytocic.

PMID- 20287408
TI  - Clinical observations with methergine, a partial synthetic oxytocic.

PMID- 20287409
TI  - Metatarsalgia; painful foot, Morton's syndrome, March fracture; a physiologic
      entity.

PMID- 20287410
TI  - The attainment of poise.

PMID- 20287411
TI  - Chemotherapy.

PMID- 20287412
TI  - Haemolytic disease of the newborn; a report on a series of seventeen consecutive
      cases.

PMID- 20287413
TI  - A case of recovery from methyl salicylate poisoning.

PMID- 20287415
TI  - Caudal analgesia; a method of control of pain and hemorrhagia in childbirth.

PMID- 20287414
TI  - The carcinogenic action of hormones.

PMID- 20287416
TI  - Carcinoma of the colon.

PMID- 20287418
TI  - The Army Medical Library.

PMID- 20287417
TI  - Religion and psychiatry.

PMID- 20287419
TI  - Diagnosis and treatment of the anemias.

PMID- 20287420
TI  - Penicillin therapy in congenital syphilis.

PMID- 20287421
TI  - Hypo-Leydigism and hypopituitarism.

PMID- 20287422
TI  - Perianal and perirectal infections.

PMID- 20287423
TI  - Uterosalpinography; report of a fatality.

PMID- 20287425
TI  - Problems of congenital cataracts.

PMID- 20287424
TI  - X-ray exposure meters and automatic exposure timers.

PMID- 20287426
TI  - Congenital anomalies following maternal rubella.

PMID- 20287427
TI  - Present status of knowledge concerning etiology of primary atypical pneumonia.

PMID- 20287428
TI  - Congenital atresia of the esophagus with tracheo-esophageal fistula.

PMID- 20287429
TI  - Physiological changes during spinal anesthesia.

PMID- 20287430
TI  - A review of 9,000 obstetrical cases at the Harris Memorial Methodist Hospital,
      Fort Worth, Texas.

PMID- 20287431
TI  - How innocent is the ordinary nonpigmented mole?

PMID- 20287432
TI  - The surgical treatment of bronchiectasis; role of penicillin in postoperative
      care.

PMID- 20287434
TI  - Pseudo-mastoiditis.

PMID- 20287435
TI  - The treatment of the pre-fibrotic liver with ascites; report of a case.

PMID- 20287433
TI  - The application of the principles of early ambulation to surgical patients.

PMID- 20287438
TI  - Hemorrhage in putrid lung abscess.

PMID- 20287436
TI  - Acute appendicitis, with a case report.

PMID- 20287437
TI  - The choice of forceps.

PMID- 20287439
TI  - Renal aspects of hypertensive disease.

PMID- 20287440
TI  - Filarial infections.

PMID- 20287441
TI  - The organization of mental hygiene interest in a State and its effective use.

PMID- 20287442
TI  - Reconstructive surgery in an Army general hospital.

PMID- 20287444
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287445
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287446
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287443
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287448
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287447
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287449
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287450
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287451
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287452
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287453
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287454
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287455
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287456
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287457
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287458
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287459
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287460
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287461
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287462
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287463
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287464
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287465
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287466
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287467
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287469
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287468
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287470
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287471
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287472
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287473
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287474
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287475
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287476
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287477
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287478
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287479
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287480
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287481
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287483
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287482
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287484
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287486
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287485
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287488
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287487
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287489
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287491
TI  - New methods for the control of air-borne infection with especial reference to the
      use of triethylene glycol vapor.

PMID- 20287492
TI  - Injuries due to cold, with particular reference to frostbite and trench foot.

PMID- 20287490
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287493
TI  - Propylthiouracil.

PMID- 20287494
TI  - Health in the older age groups.

PMID- 20287495
TI  - The laboratory diagnosis of tuberculosis.

PMID- 20287496
TI  - RAFT survival of a P-5l pilot.

PMID- 20287497
TI  - ELLIS flotation stretcher.

PMID- 20287498
TI  - Hygiene problems of the campaign in North-West Europe, 1944-45; a review.

PMID- 20287499
TI  - Hospital construction.

PMID- 20287500
TI  - Operation, M. O.

PMID- 20287501
TI  - Amoeboma or carcinoma of the rectum?

PMID- 20287503
TI  - Program for the deaf.

PMID- 20287502
TI  - Future research in aviation medicine.

PMID- 20287504
TI  - Recent experiences in the treatment of kala-azar.

PMID- 20287505
TI  - The dental program of the Veterans Administration.

PMID- 20287506
TI  - The Medical Consultants Division of the Surgeon General's Office.

PMID- 20287507
TI  - Sanitary corps functions and organization.

PMID- 20287508
TI  - Amputations; the care of amputee patients.

PMID- 20287509
TI  - Enteric protozoa and helminth findings as influenced in the war years.

PMID- 20287510
TI  - Neuropsychiatry at a separation center.

PMID- 20287511
TI  - Health of the Army.

PMID- 20287512
TI  - Environment and fatal heat stroke; an analysis of 157 cases occurring in the Army
      in the U.S. during World War II.

PMID- 20287513
TI  - Relation historical and surgical, of the expedition of the Army of the Orient, in
      Egypt and in Syria [transl. Rose Alexander].

PMID- 20287514
TI  - Coconut shells as an industrial raw material; coconut shell charcoal; activated
      carbon.

PMID- 20287515
TI  - Eradication of insect pests of stored grains rather than their control.

PMID- 20287516
TI  - A simple inexpensive hand-microtome.

PMID- 20287517
TI  - A micro-glass electrode for pH determination.

PMID- 20287518
TI  - A note on mosaic virus of sann-hemp (Crotalaria juncea Linn.) and its its
      crystallisation.

PMID- 20287519
TI  - Some factors affecting the refractive index and constant of milk.

PMID- 20287520
TI  - Initiation of lactation in heifers and cows.

PMID- 20287521
TI  - Chromosome numbers in Sesbania spp.

PMID- 20287522
TI  - An early Cherokee ethnobotanical note.

PMID- 20287523
TI  - A new species of Culex from New Guinea (Diptera, Culicidae).

PMID- 20287524
TI  - A kinetic theory of liquids.

PMID- 20287525
TI  - Origin of erythrocytes.

PMID- 20287526
TI  - Constitution of strychnine and its relation to cinchonine.

PMID- 20287527
TI  - Absolute values of the rates of unimolecular reactions.

PMID- 20287528
TI  - Diffraction of light by high-frequency ultrasonic waves.

PMID- 20287529
TI  - Relationships between the assemblages of plants fed upon by different insects,
      and between the assemblages of insects that feed upon different plants.

PMID- 20287530
TI  - Detoxicating effect of verdoperoxidase on toxins.

PMID- 20287531
TI  - Curative effects of a complex choline compound on the impaired metabolism of
      choline-deficient rats.

PMID- 20287532
TI  - Digestibility of cow's and buffalo's milk.

PMID- 20287533
TI  - Rancidity in Indian butter fat (ghee).

PMID- 20287534
TI  - Respiration of developing anthers.

PMID- 20287537
TI  - The construction and performance of a large grating monochromator with a high
      energy output for photochemical and biological investigations.

PMID- 20287538
TI  - Measurement of small currents; characteristics of types 38, 954, and 959 as
      reduced grid current tubes.

PMID- 20287539
TI  - A one-shot multivibrator anticoincidence and recording circuit.

PMID- 20287540
TI  - Improvement of the characteristics of photo-voltaic and photo-conductive cells by
      feedback circuits.

PMID- 20287541
TI  - An instrument to measure servomechanism performance.

PMID- 20287542
TI  - Hydrogen recoil proportional counter for neutron detection.

PMID- 20287543
TI  - A recording vacuum grating spectrometer for the infra-red.

PMID- 20287544
TI  - Speed control for the air-driven centrifuge.

PMID- 20287545
TI  - A mechanical switch for use in some bioelectric measurements.

PMID- 20287546
TI  - Vacuum valve.

PMID- 20287547
TI  - A level and differential attenuator.

PMID- 20287548
TI  - Protective device for oil diffusion pumps.

PMID- 20287549
TI  - Biochemical analyses with the Spekker absorptiometer; estimation of urea,
      citrulline, allantoin and related carbamido compounds.

PMID- 20287550
TI  - The mechanism of the formation of allophanates from carbamates.

PMID- 20287551
TI  - Studies on ureides; the chemistry of thiuret and related compounds.

PMID- 20287552
TI  - Evidence for a mitotic hormone; observations on the mitoses of the embryo-sac of
      Fritilla ria imperiatis.

PMID- 20287553
TI  - Alumni appraisal of psychiatric education.

PMID- 20287554
TI  - Psychiatry in medical education; the teacher-characteristics and qualifications.

PMID- 20287555
TI  - What should be taught.

PMID- 20287556
TI  - The genetics of epilepsy.

PMID- 20287557
TI  - The neuropsychiatric program of the Veterans Administration.

PMID- 20287558
TI  - Care and treatment of the psychiatric patient in the Veterans Administration.

PMID- 20287559
TI  - The neuropsychiatric training program of the Veterans Administration.

PMID- 20287560
TI  - The new role of psychological testing in psychiatry.

PMID- 20287561
TI  - The psychoanalytical approach to the masculine and feminine principles in music.

PMID- 20287562
TI  - Dilantin treatment for behavior problem children with abnormal
      electroencephalograms.

PMID- 20287563
TI  - Racial aspects of emotional problems of Negro soldiers.

PMID- 20287564
TI  - Mental illness among Negro troops overseas.

PMID- 20287565
TI  - Review of psychiatric progress, 1946.

PMID- 20287566
TI  - Neuropathology, biochemistry and endocrinology.

PMID- 20287567
TI  - Electroencephalography.

PMID- 20287568
TI  - Epilepsy.

PMID- 20287569
TI  - Neurosyphilis.

PMID- 20287570
TI  - Alcohol; geriatrics.

PMID- 20287571
TI  - Child psychiatry; mental deficiency.

PMID- 20287572
TI  - Psychometrics.

PMID- 20287573
TI  - General clinical psychiatry, psychosomatic medicine and psychosurgery.

PMID- 20287574
TI  - Physiological treatment of psychoses.

PMID- 20287575
TI  - Family care and out-patient mental clinics in 1946.

PMID- 20287576
TI  - Psychiatric nursing.

PMID- 20287577
TI  - Psychiatric social work.

PMID- 20287578
TI  - Occupational therapy.

PMID- 20287579
TI  - Psychiatry in industry.

PMID- 20287580
TI  - Administrative, forensic and military psychiatry.

PMID- 20287581
TI  - Psychiatric education.

PMID- 20287582
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287583
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287584
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287585
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287586
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287587
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287588
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287589
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287590
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287591
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287592
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287593
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287594
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287595
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287596
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287597
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287598
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287599
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287600
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287601
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287602
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287603
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287604
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287605
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287606
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287607
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287608
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287609
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287610
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287612
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287613
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287611
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287614
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287617
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287615
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287618
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287616
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287619
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287620
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287621
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287622
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287624
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287623
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287625
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287626
TI  - Volume flow of blood through the human brain.

PMID- 20287628
TI  - Abreaction in the military setting.

PMID- 20287627
TI  - Relation of acute mucosal hemorrhages and ulcers of gastrointestinal tract to
      intracranial lesions.

PMID- 20287629
TI  - Neurogenic arthropathy (Charcot joint) associated with diabetic neuropathy;
      report of two cases.

PMID- 20287631
TI  - Schistosomiasis of the brain due to Schistosoma japomcum; report of a case.

PMID- 20287630
TI  - Metastases of uterine carcinoma to the central nervous system; a
      clinicopathologic study.

PMID- 20287632
TI  - Electroencephalogram in the pitressin hydration test for epilepsy.

PMID- 20287633
TI  - Abdominal rigidity; a symptom of concussion of the spinal cord.

PMID- 20287634
TI  - Parenchymatous cerebellar degeneration; report of two cases.

PMID- 20287635
TI  - Progressive nuclear ophthalmoplegia, possibly on the basis of a vitamin
      deficiency; report of a case.

PMID- 20287636
TI  - Treatment of spasmodic torticollis; report of two cases.

PMID- 20287637
TI  - Factors causing mass spasms after transection in the cord in man; a
      reexamination.

PMID- 20287638
TI  - Brain tumor; report of two cases.

PMID- 20287639
TI  - Encephalomalacia of the cerebellum and temporosphenoid lobe; report of a case.

PMID- 20287640
TI  - Traumatic hematomyelia with unusual features.

PMID- 20287641
TI  - Value of penicillin in treatment of neurosyphilis.

PMID- 20287642
TI  - Myelination of the central nervous system of Natrix sipedon.

PMID- 20287643
TI  - The problem of disseminated sclerosis.

PMID- 20287644
TI  - Heredo-degenerative hemiballismus; a contribution to the question of primary
      atrophy of the corpus luysii.

PMID- 20287646
TI  - Traumatic amnesia.

PMID- 20287647
TI  - The pupillo-constrictor pathway and the nerves to the ocular muscles in man.

PMID- 20287645
TI  - Striatal and pyramidal lesions in the cat.

PMID- 20287648
TI  - Injury activity and trigger zones in human nerves.

PMID- 20287649
TI  - On simultaneous bilateral stimulation of the body in a lesion of the parietal
      lobe.

PMID- 20287650
TI  - Diagnostic evaluation of early schizophrenia.

PMID- 20287651
TI  - Serratus magnus palsy; with report of five cases.

PMID- 20287652
TI  - Psychosynthesis of amnesia; report of two cases treated by hypnosis.

PMID- 20287654
TI  - A study in attempted suicide.

PMID- 20287653
TI  - The growth concept of nervous integration; on imagined hearing; second
      contribution to a new theory of hearing; a proposed solution for the dilemma of
      taste-physiology; the integrative function of the tractus solitarius and its
      relation to the ego, superego and Id systems; summary of the growth concept of
      nervous integration.

PMID- 20287655
TI  - A study of suicidal soldiers in the European Theatre after V-E day.

PMID- 20287657
TI  - Psychosurgery, 1936-1946.

PMID- 20287656
TI  - Neuropsychiatric services in the E. T. O.

PMID- 20287658
TI  - Electroencephalography as a prognostic aid in severe head injury.

PMID- 20287659
TI  - On being a literary executor.

PMID- 20287660
TI  - A nutritional study of neurosurgical patients; with special reference to nitrogen
      balance and convalescence in the postoperative period.

PMID- 20287661
TI  - Nerve end separation following suture; resection of the neck of the fibula in
      suture of the peroneal nerve.

PMID- 20287662
TI  - Surgical treatment of angina pectoris.

PMID- 20287663
TI  - The care and rehabilitation of patients with injuries of the spinal cord and
      cauda equina; a preliminary report on 113 cases.

PMID- 20287664
TI  - Observations on the use of tantalum foil in peripheral nerve surgery.

PMID- 20287665
TI  - Cerebral schistosomiasis; report of a case with surgical removal of an
      intracerebral mass of schistosomal ova.

PMID- 20287666
TI  - Extraspinal lumbar meningocele.

PMID- 20287670
TI  - Emotional disturbances in epileptic children.

PMID- 20287668
TI  - A successful autogenous graft for radial nerve paralysis; case report.

PMID- 20287674
TI  - Idiopathic epilepsy in childhood.

PMID- 20287667
TI  - Electroencephalographic studies after ligation of the internal carotid artery.

PMID- 20287672
TI  - Children's expressed attitudes toward their epilepsy.

PMID- 20287669
TI  - Neuropathology of epilepsy in children.

PMID- 20287677
TI  - Treatment of the convulsive child in a children's psychiatric hospital.

PMID- 20287673
TI  - Drug therapy for epileptic children.

PMID- 20287671
TI  - Rorschach psychodiagnosis in a group of epileptic children.

PMID- 20287676
TI  - The treatment of institutionalized epileptic children.

PMID- 20287675
TI  - Observations on the treatment of recurring convulsions.

PMID- 20287683
TI  - New methods of treatment for venereal disease; syphilis.

PMID- 20287678
TI  - Residential schools for epileptic children in England.

PMID- 20287680
TI  - The epileptic child and the public school (report on the Baltimore project).

PMID- 20287682
TI  - Nutrition in a public health program.

PMID- 20287679
TI  - The care of the epileptic child in residential schools in America.

PMID- 20287684
TI  - Bedside nursing; an essential service.

PMID- 20287688
TI  - How to raise efficiency and reduce accidents in industry.

PMID- 20287681
TI  - The vocational problem of the epileptic child.

PMID- 20287686
TI  - Nursing in China.

PMID- 20287687
TI  - The nurse in a health education program.

PMID- 20287689
TI  - The development in the care of the injured workman in Massachusetts.

PMID- 20287690
TI  - South Carolina tuberculosis control program in industry.

PMID- 20287685
TI  - The late cancer case.

PMID- 20287691
TI  - Visiting nursing in industry.

PMID- 20287697
TI  - Learning by seeing; a scries of photographs of museum specimens; the respiratory
      system.

PMID- 20287695
TI  - The importance of breast feeding.

PMID- 20287693
TI  - The value of pre-employment physical examination in our safety program.

PMID- 20287698
TI  - The diagnosis of diseases of the lungs.

PMID- 20287694
TI  - These are your problems.

PMID- 20287692
TI  - First aid in industrial dental injuries.

PMID- 20287696
TI  - Total laryngectomy.

PMID- 20287699
TI  - Infant feeding; breast feeding.

PMID- 20287704
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287703
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287705
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287701
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287700
TI  - Learning by seeing; a series of photographs of museum specimens; the respiratory
      system.

PMID- 20287702
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287708
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287706
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287709
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287707
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287710
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287711
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287713
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287712
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287714
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287718
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287715
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287716
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287717
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287719
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287720
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287721
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287726
TI  - Relapsing and chronic ocular lesions following mustard gas (dichloroethyl
      sulfide) burns.

PMID- 20287725
TI  - Surgical treatment of primary glaucoma.

PMID- 20287723
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287727
TI  - A squint syndrome.

PMID- 20287724
TI  - Surgical methods of treating paralysis of the superior oblique muscle.

PMID- 20287722
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20287728
TI  - Dermatomyositis with retinopathy; report of a case.

PMID- 20287729
TI  - Pharmacologic action of some ophthalmic drugs.

PMID- 20287730
TI  - Stability of penicillin in ophthalmic solutions.

PMID- 20287732
TI  - The capillary sphincter in the human retina.

PMID- 20287735
TI  - Arachnoiditis.

PMID- 20287734
TI  - New modification of the McReynolds transplantation for pterygium.

PMID- 20287731
TI  - Marginal myotomy; analysis of twenty-two cases.

PMID- 20287733
TI  - Removal of deeply embedded foreign bodies from the cornea.

PMID- 20287737
TI  - Cyclopia.

PMID- 20287741
TI  - Associated systemic factors in retinitis pigmentosa.

PMID- 20287742
TI  - Use of frozen-dried cornea as transplant material.

PMID- 20287743
TI  - Modified corneal incision with iridodialysis and iridectomy for opening the
      anterior chamber angle.

PMID- 20287747
TI  - Pseudo-Graefe phenomenon.

PMID- 20287736
TI  - Exophthalmos and associated ocular disturbances in hyperthyroidism.

PMID- 20287740
TI  - Clinical disturbances of the oculomotor system.

PMID- 20287745
TI  - Complete unilateral ophthalmoplegia due to primary carcinoma of the sphenoidal
      sinus; sphenoidal fissure-optic canal syndrome with complete ophthalmoplegia;
      report of a case.

PMID- 20287738
TI  - Controversial points in ocular penicillin therapy.

PMID- 20287746
TI  - Treatment of late postoperative intraocular infections with intraocular injection
      of penicillin.

PMID- 20287739
TI  - Lipid dystrophy of the cornea.

PMID- 20287744
TI  - Hemifacial spasm; report of two cases.

PMID- 20287748
TI  - Buphthalmos in a six month premature infant.

PMID- 20287750
TI  - Sensorial retinal relationship in concomitant strabismus.

PMID- 20287749
TI  - Pathogenesis of glaucoma and glaucomatous atrophy of the optic nerve.

PMID- 20287752
TI  - Primary tuberculosis of the conjunctiva.

PMID- 20287751
TI  - Congenital vertical motor pareses.

PMID- 20287753
TI  - Contributions to the technic of corneal grafting.

PMID- 20287754
TI  - Bench for the teaching of ophthalmic optics.

PMID- 20287755
TI  - Clinical significance of the postnasal space.

PMID- 20287756
TI  - Surgery for paralysis of the external rectus muscle.

PMID- 20287757
TI  - The role of mechanical and anatomical factors in the problem of tonsillar foci.

PMID- 20287758
TI  - On the relationship between radiological appearances and proofpuncture findings
      in suspected cases of infection of the maxillary antrum.

PMID- 20287759
TI  - Case of bilateral frontal sinusitis, with osteomyelitis of the frontal bone and
      left antral sinusitis, treated with penicillin.

PMID- 20287760
TI  - A case of respiratory inco-ordination.

PMID- 20287761
TI  - Discussion on the chemotherapy of meningitis secondary to infection of the ear
      and nasal sinuses.

PMID- 20287762
TI  - Principles of nomenclature and of classification of speech and voice disorders.

PMID- 20287763
TI  - Sex differences in relation to stuttering.

PMID- 20287764
TI  - Intensive group therapy in speech rehabilitation.

PMID- 20287765
TI  - A group pure tone hearing test.

PMID- 20287766
TI  - Contact ulcer of the larynx; history.

PMID- 20287767
TI  - A preliminary investigation in the testing of lip reading achievement.

PMID- 20287768
TI  - Reading and arithmetic abilities associated with speech defects.

PMID- 20287769
TI  - Problems in cerebral palsy.

PMID- 20287770
TI  - The stutterer acts it out.

PMID- 20287771
TI  - A review of the available literature on the pharynx and pharyngeal surgery for
      1945.

PMID- 20287772
TI  - Physical characteristics of hearing aids.

PMID- 20287773
TI  - Hearing aid clinics in England.

PMID- 20287774
TI  - Periesophagitis.

PMID- 20287775
TI  - The development of recorded auditory tests for measuring hearing loss for speech.

PMID- 20287776
TI  - What we can do for our tracheotomized patients.

PMID- 20287777
TI  - A method of obtaining secretions from nasopharynx for diagnosis of nasal allergy
      (particularly useful in dry noses).

PMID- 20287778
TI  - The aetiology of tropical ulcers in Somalis.

PMID- 20287779
TI  - The plasma antimony concentration and the urinary antimony excretion in man
      during therapy with organic antimony compounds.

PMID- 20287780
TI  - Field tests on some pyrethrum anti-mosquito repellent creams against woodland
      species of Aedes in Britain.

PMID- 20287781
TI  - The evaluation of culture mediums for the routine isolation of the gonococcus.

PMID- 20287782
TI  - Observation on the direct oxidase test as applied to gonococcic colonies grown in
      certain mediums.

PMID- 20287783
TI  - Syphilitic nephrosis; a report of two cases.

PMID- 20287785
TI  - Personal names among the Bari.

PMID- 20287784
TI  - The Royal Institute for the Indies and its ethnological work.

PMID- 20287786
TI  - Electrocardiographic changes in fulminating anoxia.

PMID- 20287787
TI  - The motivations of the flyer and his reactions to the stresses of flight.

PMID- 20287789
TI  - Auditory deterioration in airline pilots.

PMID- 20287788
TI  - Study of the relation between Minnesota multiphasic personality inventory scores
      and pilot error in aircraft accidents.

PMID- 20287790
TI  - Aerotitis media; a brief presentation of its symptomatology, prevention and
      treatment.

PMID- 20287791
TI  - Aviation medicine and physical standards for airmen.

PMID- 20287792
TI  - Notes on Japanese aviation medicine and research.

PMID- 20287793
TI  - Aero medical experiences in China.

PMID- 20287794
TI  - The physiology of pressure breathing; a brief review of its present status.

PMID- 20287795
TI  - Studies on altitude decompression sickness; attempts to avoid decompression
      sickness by selection of resistant personnel.

PMID- 20287796
TI  - The effect of positive radial acceleration on the intrarectal pressure.

PMID- 20287797
TI  - The effect of binding of the abdomen and thorax on pulmonary lesions produced by
      explosive decompression.

PMID- 20287798
TI  - On the identity of the cotton capsid of Uganda.

PMID- 20287799
TI  - The insect parasites of the carrot fly, Psilarosae, Fab.

PMID- 20287800
TI  - Physiological and ecological studies on the species of Capnodis in Palestine
      (Col., Buprestidae); toxicological studies.

PMID- 20287801
TI  - General observations on mosquitos in relation to yellow fever in the Anglo
      Egyptian Sudan.

PMID- 20287802
TI  - The use of residual films of DDT and gammexane in malaria control.

PMID- 20287803
TI  - The excitant and repellent effects on mosquitos of sub-lethal contacts with DDT.

PMID- 20287804
TI  - Aphanus (Hem., Lygaeidae) in stored gound-nuts.

PMID- 20287805
TI  - The eradication of Simulium neavei, Roubaud, from an onchocerciasis area in Kenya
      Colony.

PMID- 20287806
TI  - A chalcidoid egg-parasite of an Australian buprestid.

PMID- 20287807
TI  - Is salt a preservative?

PMID- 20287808
TI  - Does Paramecium encyst?

PMID- 20287810
TI  - Fact and fancy in biochemistry.

PMID- 20287809
TI  - Detection of obstacles by blindfolded persons.

PMID- 20287811
TI  - An obstacle detecting device for the blind.

PMID- 20287812
TI  - An adaptation of the standard photofluorometric analysis to the estimation of
      thiamine in plants.

PMID- 20287813
TI  - Present knowledge of the vitamin B complex.

PMID- 20287814
TI  - Which regression?

PMID- 20287815
TI  - An approximate distribution of estimates of variance components.

PMID- 20287816
TI  - Preliminary report on the rectangular lattices.

PMID- 20287817
TI  - The variance of the overlap of geometrical figures with reference to a bombing
      problem.

PMID- 20287819
TI  - The generalisation of student's problems when several different population
      variances are involved.

PMID- 20287818
TI  - A study of a first dynasty series of Egyptian skulls from Sakkara and of an
      eleventh dynasty series from Thebes.

PMID- 20287820
TI  - The distribution of Kendall's tau coefficient of rank correlation in rankings
      containing ties.

PMID- 20287821
TI  - The use of range in place of standard deviation in the tau-test.

PMID- 20287822
TI  - The frequency distribution of square root b1 for samples of all sizes drawn at
      random from a normal population.

PMID- 20287823
TI  - On the computation of universal moments of tests of statistical normality derived
      from samples drawn at random from a normal universe; application to the
      calculation of the seventh moment of b2.

PMID- 20287824
TI  - The asymptotical distribution of range in samples from a normal population.

PMID- 20287825
TI  - Limits of the ratio of mean range to standard deviation.

PMID- 20287826
TI  - Significance tests for 2 X 2 tables.

PMID- 20287827
TI  - The choice of statistical tests illustrated on the interpretation of data classed
      in a 2 X 2 table.

PMID- 20287828
TI  - Decline in regenerative capacity of the Platypoecilus maculatus gonopodium during
      its morphogenesis.

PMID- 20287829
TI  - On the cytoplasmic elements in the midgut epithelium of the larvae of Drosophila
      melanogaster Meigen.

PMID- 20287830
TI  - The development of the shoulder region of the turtle, Chrysemys picta marginata,
      with special reference to the primary musculature.

PMID- 20287831
TI  - The anatomy and histology of the alimentary tract of the plankton-feeder,
      Atherina forskali Rupp.

PMID- 20287832
TI  - Theories of amoeboid movement.

PMID- 20287833
TI  - The mechanism of inhibition of cellular activity by narcotics.

PMID- 20287834
TI  - Hypervolemia secondary to grafted granulosa-cell tumor.

PMID- 20287836
TI  - Observations on the immediate response of Paramecium to mixtures of aerosol
      acetone-methylcholanthrene.

PMID- 20287835
TI  - Blood uric acid and proteose, body temperature, and glomerular clearance of
      rabbits implanted with the Brown-Pearce carcinoma and treated with the
      polysaccharide from Serratia marcescens.

PMID- 20287837
TI  - Avenues of approach to the gastric-cancer problem.

PMID- 20287838
TI  - Effect of prolonged ingestion of thiourea on mammary glands and the appearance of
      mammary tumors in adult C3H mice.

PMID- 20287839
TI  - Response of certain mouse tumors to bis (beta-chloroethyl) sulfide (mustard gas).

PMID- 20287840
TI  - Cultivation of tumors in the anterior chambers of the eyes of guinea pigs.

PMID- 20287841
TI  - The metabolism of sulphonamides; the detection of 3-hydroxysulphanilamide in the
      urine of hospital patients treated with sulphanilamide.

PMID- 20287844
TI  - Metabolic processes in the gastric mucosa.

PMID- 20287846
TI  - The action of sulphites on the cystine disulphide linkages of wool: the effect of
      some chemical modifications of the wool on the magnitude of the bisulphite
      reactive fraction (A + B) and the relative magnitudes of subfractions A and B.

PMID- 20287848
TI  - The excretion of 1 (--)-tyrosine in urine.

PMID- 20287850
TI  - British anti-lewisite; antidotal effects against therapeutic arsenicals.

PMID- 20287854
TI  - Reactivation by dithiols of enzymes inhibited by lewisite.

PMID- 20287858
TI  - Studies in vitamin A; a chromatographic method for separating free and esterified
      vitamin A.

PMID- 20287859
TI  - Studies in vitamin A; the relationship between blood vitamin A levels and liver
      stores in rats.

PMID- 20287861
TI  - Experiments on the localization and nature of tea oxidase.

PMID- 20287863
TI  - Intercelular hormones; release and synthesis of factors of the vitamin B complex
      by damaged living cells.

PMID- 20287864
TI  - Intercellular hormones; release of amino-acids by damaged living yeast cells.

PMID- 20287865
TI  - Intercellular hormones; release of nucleotides and nucleosides by damaged living
      cells.

PMID- 20287868
TI  - Assay of essential metabolites.

PMID- 20287869
TI  - Some principles in the use of microbiological methods; the types of response
      measured and their relationship to substances being determined.

PMID- 20287870
TI  - Statistical aspects of microbiological assays.

PMID- 20287871
TI  - The use of enzyme preparations from bacteria for the estimation of amino-acids.

PMID- 20287872
TI  - Estimation of amino-acids by the microbiological technique.

PMID- 20287873
TI  - The microbiological estimation of B vitamins.

PMID- 20287874
TI  - Genetic techniques in the development of microbiological assays.

PMID- 20287875
TI  - Methods for the assay of antibiotics.

PMID- 20287876
TI  - The assay of antitoxins.

PMID- 20287877
TI  - Suggestions for a mathematical biophysics of some psychoses.

PMID- 20287878
TI  - A problem in the mathematical biophysics of interaction of two or more
      individuals which may be of interest in mathematical sociology.

PMID- 20287879
TI  - Mathematical theory of motivation; interactions of two individuals.

PMID- 20287880
TI  - The mechanism of the middler ear; the two piston problem.

PMID- 20287881
TI  - Low-temperature calorimetry at the Bartlesville Station of the Bureau of Mines.

PMID- 20287882
TI  - The use of organocadmium reagents for the preparation of ketones.

PMID- 20287883
TI  - The chemical composition of barks.

PMID- 20287885
TI  - Anomalous nitration reactions.

PMID- 20287886
TI  - The chemistry of sodium phosphates.

PMID- 20287887
TI  - Application of thioglycolic acid to the spectrophotometric determination of iron
      in ores.

PMID- 20287884
TI  - The action of elementary fluorine upon organic compounds.

PMID- 20287888
TI  - Automatic filtration system.

PMID- 20287889
TI  - Supply of hot water at constant temperature.

PMID- 20287890
TI  - Siphoning; a safe and simple way.

PMID- 20287891
TI  - Recrystallization of small amounts of material.

PMID- 20287892
TI  - Infra-red absorption spectra of steroids; progesterone and pregnane derivatives.

PMID- 20287893
TI  - Studies on the mercapturic acid synthesis in animals; on the mechanism of
      inhibition of growth of rats by benzyl chloride.

PMID- 20287894
TI  - The growth-promoting activity of cholesterol and related compounds in black
      carpet beetle larvae.

PMID- 20287895
TI  - Decrease of phosphocreatine in regenerating neurons.

PMID- 20287896
TI  - Succinic dehydrogenase in regenerating neurons.

PMID- 20287897
TI  - The state of vitamin A in colostrum and in milk.

PMID- 20287898
TI  - The isolation and properties of the proteins associated with tetanus antitoxic
      activity in equine plasma.

PMID- 20287899
TI  - Dihydroxyphenylalanine metabolism in the presence of kidney and liver slices of
      normal and scorbutic guinea pigs.

PMID- 20287900
TI  - The synthesis of benzyl-(3)-thiazolium chloride analogues of thiamine.

PMID- 20287901
TI  - Studies of actin and myosin.

PMID- 20287902
TI  - On the Graff modification of the Vickery-White procedure for the estimation of
      cystine.

PMID- 20287903
TI  - The determination of guanidoacetic acid and arginine in human urine and serum.

PMID- 20287904
TI  - The metabolism of nicotinic acid and its role in the nutrition of the calf.

PMID- 20287905
TI  - Folic acid activity of N-(4-(4-quinazoline)-benzoyl)glutamic acid.

PMID- 20287906
TI  - Effect of cyanide on the concentration of lactate and phosphates in brain.

PMID- 20287907
TI  - Effect of convulsive activity upon the concentration of brain glucose, glycogen,
      lactate, and phosphates.

PMID- 20287908
TI  - The determination of plasma or serum albumin by means of a precipitin reaction.

PMID- 20287909
TI  - Comparative properties of purified preparations of two distinctive strains of
      tobacco mosaic virus obtained from diseased Turkish tobacco and phlox plants.

PMID- 20287910
TI  - The composition of the cholesterol esters and glycerides in the liver of the rat.

PMID- 20287911
TI  - Spectrophotometric studies of the Roe method for the determination of
      dehydroascorbic acid.

PMID- 20287912
TI  - On the activation of molecular hydrogen by Proteus vulgaris.

PMID- 20287913
TI  - The hydrogenation of fumarate by heavy hydrogen in the presence of Bacillus coli.

PMID- 20287914
TI  - Diacetyl mutase.

PMID- 20287915
TI  - Pyruvic and alpha-ketoglutaric oxidase of animal tissue.

PMID- 20287917
TI  - Further studies on the amino acid composition of seed globulins.

PMID- 20287916
TI  - The action of phenylmercuric nitrate; inability of sulfhydryl compounds to
      reverse the depression of cytochrome oxidase and yeast respiration caused by
      basic phenylmercuric nitrate.

PMID- 20287918
TI  - Spectrophotometric measurement of hexokinase and phosphohexokinase activity.

PMID- 20287919
TI  - Free and combined glutamic acid in human blood plasma and serum.

PMID- 20287920
TI  - Comparative distribution of a stimulatory factor for Streptococcus faecalis R and
      the monkey antianemia factor.

PMID- 20287921
TI  - Coenzyme for acetylation, a pantothenic acid derivative.

PMID- 20287922
TI  - Reversible oxidative decarboxylation of malic acid.

PMID- 20287923
TI  - Substances in human saliva from non-secretors.

PMID- 20287924
TI  - On the utilization of glycine for uric acid synthesis in man.

PMID- 20287926
TI  - Growth of Clostridium welchii (BP6K).

PMID- 20287925
TI  - The inactivation of pteroylglutamic acid (liver Lactobacillus casei factor) by
      light.

PMID- 20287927
TI  - Desamidation of amides in the presence of pyruvate furnished by concomitant
      reactions.

PMID- 20287928
TI  - Maxillo-facial and other prostheses.

PMID- 20287929
TI  - Pyorrhoea based on an understanding of its aetiology.

PMID- 20287930
TI  - The New Zealand School Dental Service.

PMID- 20287931
TI  - Fracture of the styloid process.

PMID- 20287932
TI  - Nitrous oxide anaesthesia.

PMID- 20287933
TI  - The extraction of teeth, deciduous and permanent, in the causation and treatment
      of malocclusion.

PMID- 20287934
TI  - The principles and technique of plastic-gold bridgework.

PMID- 20287935
TI  - Osteoclastoma over an unerupted tooth.

PMID- 20287936
TI  - Bilateral cleft lips.

PMID- 20287937
TI  - An unusual fixed bridge problem.

PMID- 20287938
TI  - Technique of local anesthesia for children.

PMID- 20287939
TI  - Interchangeable acrylic teeth.

PMID- 20287941
TI  - Use of penicillin in dentistry.

PMID- 20287940
TI  - Chronic enlargement of the maxilla and mandible.

PMID- 20287942
TI  - Restorations with amalgam in the Army; an evaluation and analysis.

PMID- 20287943
TI  - Importance of the mercury-alloy ratio to the amalgam filling.

PMID- 20287944
TI  - The use of penicillin in treatment of the root canal.

PMID- 20287945
TI  - Penicillin in the treatment of Vincent's infection.

PMID- 20287946
TI  - Internal resorption of teeth; interpretation of histologic findings.

PMID- 20287947
TI  - A cause of delayed hemorrhage after tooth extraction.

PMID- 20287948
TI  - STATEMENT on control of dental caries.

PMID- 20287949
TI  - Experimental investigation of the referred pain of aerodontalgia.

PMID- 20287950
TI  - Some observations on the clearance of glucose from the oral cavity.

PMID- 20287951
TI  - Studies of changes in pH produced by pure cultures of oral micro-organisms;
      effects of varying the microbic cell concentration; comparison of different micro
      organisms and different substrates; some effects of mixing certain micro
      organisms.

PMID- 20287952
TI  - A method for the chemical measurement of activity of caries of the enamel.

PMID- 20287953
TI  - Carious lesions in cotton rat molars; the role of mechanical factors studied by
      the extraction of antagonistic molars.

PMID- 20287954
TI  - The illusory sheath of Neumann in dentin.

PMID- 20287955
TI  - Chemical studies in periodontal disease; putrefaction rate as index of
      periodontal disease.

PMID- 20287957
TI  - Chemical changes in the dentin following ageing and peripheral irritation.

PMID- 20287956
TI  - Development of rat molar crowns and jaws.

PMID- 20287959
TI  - The use of acrylic resins in restorative dentistry.

PMID- 20287958
TI  - A comparative study of the effects of glycerite of hydrogen peroxide and of
      hexylresorcinol on the bacteria of the normal mouth.

PMID- 20287960
TI  - Application of mucostatic principles to full denture construction.

PMID- 20287961
TI  - Clinical use of a new antihistaminic compound (pyribenzamine) in certain
      cutaneous disorders.

PMID- 20287963
TI  - Kaposi's varicelliform eruption.

PMID- 20287962
TI  - Dermatologic problems in a staging area station hospital.

PMID- 20287964
TI  - Dermatophytosis of the face caused by Trichophyton camerounense.

PMID- 20287965
TI  - Granuloma inguinale involving buttock and lymph node; cultivation of the Donovan
      body in embryonic yolk.

PMID- 20287966
TI  - Acne vulgaris treated with vitamin A.

PMID- 20287967
TI  - Leishmaniasis verrucosa of the face.

PMID- 20287968
TI  - Cutaneous diphtheria and tropical ulcers.

PMID- 20287969
TI  - Epidermolysis bullosa of the newborn.

PMID- 20287970
TI  - Basal cell epithelioma in a psoriatic patch.

PMID- 20287971
TI  - Treatment of mycotic infections by inhibiting respiration of dermatophytes.

PMID- 20287972
TI  - Reactions in the treatment of syphilis with penicillin.

PMID- 20287974
TI  - Use of the purple X bulb in diagnosis of fungous diseases of the scalp.

PMID- 20287973
TI  - Undecylenic and propionic acids in the prevention and treatment of
      dermatophytosis.

PMID- 20287976
TI  - Xanthoma disseminatum (also tuberosum et planum).

PMID- 20287975
TI  - Possible benefit from protein hydrolysates for exfoliative dermatitis.

PMID- 20287977
TI  - Xanthoma disseminatum.

PMID- 20287978
TI  - A case for diagnosis (syphilitic glossitis?).

PMID- 20287979
TI  - A case for diagnosis (tuberculosis orificialis?).

PMID- 20287980
TI  - A case for diagnosis (multiple idiopathic hemorrhagic sarcoma or
      hemangioendothelioblastoma?).

PMID- 20287981
TI  - Juvenileacanthosis nigricans and ichthyosis.

PMID- 20287982
TI  - A case for diagnosis (psoriasis; dermatitis medicamentosa?).

PMID- 20287983
TI  - Tertiary syphilis of the skin.

PMID- 20287984
TI  - A case for diagnosis (dermatitis medicamentosa?).

PMID- 20287985
TI  - A case for diagnosis (dermatitis herpetiformis or pemphigus?).

PMID- 20287986
TI  - Dermatitis venenata.

PMID- 20287987
TI  - A case for diagnosis (Bowen's disease? tuberculosis cutis?).

PMID- 20287988
TI  - Hydroa vacciniforme (hydroa aestivale).

PMID- 20287989
TI  - Syringocystadenoma.

PMID- 20287990
TI  - Sarcoidosis.

PMID- 20287991
TI  - Tinea barbae.

PMID- 20287992
TI  - Prurigo nodularis.

PMID- 20287993
TI  - Pseudopelade.

PMID- 20287994
TI  - Generalized vitiligo; alopecia of undetermined cause.

PMID- 20287995
TI  - Multiple keloids in twin sisters.

PMID- 20287996
TI  - Necrobiosis lipoidica diabeticorum.

PMID- 20287997
TI  - Necrobiosis lipoidica diabeticorum.

PMID- 20287998
TI  - Leukoderma acquisitum centrifugum.

PMID- 20287999
TI  - Perforating ulcer of the foot in two sisters.

PMID- 20288000
TI  - Large, otherwise normal gastric rugae simulating tumor of the stomach; a report
      of three cases.

PMID- 20288001
TI  - Criteria for gastroscopic examination in the Army.

PMID- 20288002
TI  - Amebiasis; observations in an Army general hospital in India.

PMID- 20288003
TI  - Observations on the methylene blue test for bile pigment in urine.

PMID- 20288004
TI  - Organization of the gastrointestinal service in the Army during the second World
      War; personal observations and impressions.

PMID- 20288005
TI  - Gastric surgery; a review of the literature for 1945.

PMID- 20288006
TI  - Clinical and pathological findings in prolonged hepatitis.

PMID- 20288007
TI  - Laennec's cirrhosis; the effect of therapy in increasing life expectancy.

PMID- 20288008
TI  - Anion exchange resin and peptic ulcer pain.

PMID- 20288009
TI  - A polyamine formaldehyde resin; chronic toxicity experiment in rats.

PMID- 20288010
TI  - The treatment of peptic ulcer with anion exchange resins.

PMID- 20288011
TI  - Report of a preliminary clinical trial of dibutoline, a new antispasmotic drug.

PMID- 20288012
TI  - The effect of cigarette smoking on malnutrition and digestion.

PMID- 20288013
TI  - Interesting X-ray findings in a case of acute fulminating ulcerative colitis.

PMID- 20288014
TI  - Sprue as a sequel to the war's migration of military personnel.

PMID- 20288015
TI  - ACHES and pains and sorenesses due to psychogenic rheumatism.

PMID- 20288016
TI  - Psychosomatic gastrointestinal problems in the United States Army.

PMID- 20288017
TI  - The effect of testosterone propionate on carcinoma of the female breast with soft
      tissue metastases.

PMID- 20288018
TI  - Craniopharyngioma with panhypopituitarism; case report with clinical and
      pathological study.

PMID- 20288019
TI  - Bilateral cryptorchism in identical twins.

PMID- 20288020
TI  - Chronic cystic mastitis and sterility.

PMID- 20288021
TI  - The use of methyl testosterone in the treatment of premature infants.

PMID- 20288022
TI  - Gastric dysfunction of hypoestrogenic origin; treatment with benzestrol.

PMID- 20288023
TI  - Androgenic arrest of familial enuresis in 75 children.

PMID- 20288024
TI  - The advance of American medicine.

PMID- 20288025
TI  - Pregnancy in the patient with hypertensive disease.

PMID- 20288026
TI  - Morbidity associated with induction of labor.

PMID- 20288027
TI  - The treatment of pelvic tuberculosis in the female by radiation therapy based
      upon experimental evidence in the animal and clinical results in the human.

PMID- 20288028
TI  - The background of cancer of the corpus.

PMID- 20288029
TI  - Pituitary extract in uterine inertia; is it justifiable?

PMID- 20288030
TI  - An analysis of deaths from postpartum hemorrhage.

PMID- 20288031
TI  - The treatment of amenorrhea in young women.

PMID- 20288032
TI  - Serology and obstetrics.

PMID- 20288033
TI  - The Rh factor in abortion.

PMID- 20288034
TI  - Red degeneration of uterine myomas.

PMID- 20288035
TI  - Conservative treatment and therapeutic test for endometriosis by androgens.

PMID- 20288036
TI  - The second stage of labor; internal rotation.

PMID- 20288037
TI  - The obstetric management of pregnancy complicated by heart disease.

PMID- 20288038
TI  - The problem of talcum glove powder and contraindications for its employment.

PMID- 20288039
TI  - A discussion of classification of toxemias of pregnancy.

PMID- 20288040
TI  - A preliminary evaluation of dienestrol in the menopause.

PMID- 20288041
TI  - Dysgerminoma of the ovary.

PMID- 20288042
TI  - Adrenal-like masculinizing tumor of the ovary associated with bleeding fibromyoma
      uteri.

PMID- 20288043
TI  - Absorption of penicillin from the vagina.

PMID- 20288044
TI  - Vaginal lacerations resulting from coitus.

PMID- 20288045
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288046
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288047
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288048
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288049
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288050
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288051
TI  - Dietary factors concerned in erythropoiesis.

PMID- 20288052
TI  - The effect of diet on the hemoglobin, erythrocyte, and leukocyte content of the
      blood of the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta).

PMID- 20288053
TI  - Hemopoiesis in riboflavin-deficient rats.

PMID- 20288054
TI  - The hematologic response in dogs to the administration of anti spleen serum.

PMID- 20288055
TI  - Contribution to the pathogenesis of hemophilia.

PMID- 20288056
TI  - Renal function during chronic anemia in man.

PMID- 20288057
TI  - Symposium; procedures in structural diagnosis.

PMID- 20288059
TI  - Procedures in structural diagnosis; special methods in structural diagnosis.

PMID- 20288058
TI  - Procedures in structural diagnosis; soft tissues in areas of osteopathic lesion.

PMID- 20288060
TI  - Experiences with early rising after surgical operation.

PMID- 20288061
TI  - Direct writing electrocardiography.

PMID- 20288062
TI  - Therapeutics of the nephritides.

PMID- 20288063
TI  - Streptomycin.

PMID- 20288064
TI  - Clinical classification of pulmonary tuberculosis.

PMID- 20288065
TI  - Prostigmine.

PMID- 20288066
TI  - Allergy; diagnostic considerations.

PMID- 20288067
TI  - An evaluation of surgery in carcinoma of the lung.

PMID- 20288068
TI  - A foot cast platform and plantar impression viewer.

PMID- 20288069
TI  - Chiropody University Affiliation Endowment Society organized.

PMID- 20288070
TI  - Unilateral congenital metatarsal synostosis; a case report.

PMID- 20288071
TI  - The patch test in contact dermatitis.

PMID- 20288072
TI  - Kuvor; its uses and application in podiatry practice.

PMID- 20288073
TI  - Problems of the tuberculous veteran.

PMID- 20288074
TI  - Podopediatrics.

PMID- 20288075
TI  - The care of soldiers' feet.

PMID- 20288076
TI  - Electroshock therapy in osteopathic psychiatric practice.

PMID- 20288077
TI  - Infant feeding.

PMID- 20288078
TI  - Plastics in hospital equipment.

PMID- 20288079
TI  - Plans and prospects for hospital standardization in 1947.

PMID- 20288081
TI  - Plans for graduate training in surgery in 1947.

PMID- 20288080
TI  - The nursing problem.

PMID- 20288082
TI  - Post-war student nurse recruitment problems.

PMID- 20288083
TI  - The training of a secondary group for nursing service.

PMID- 20288084
TI  - Summary of the report and of the conclusions and recommendations of the
      Commission on Hospital Care.

PMID- 20288085
TI  - Program of the American Association of Medical Record Librarians to improve
      medical record science.

PMID- 20288086
TI  - The importance of complete and scientific medical records from the standpoint of
      better care of the patient.

PMID- 20288087
TI  - The importance of complete and scientific medical records from the standpoint of
      self education of the practicing physician.

PMID- 20288088
TI  - Education and training of interns and residents; the written word tells the
      story.

PMID- 20288090
TI  - The governing board of the hospital.

PMID- 20288089
TI  - The importance of complete and scientific medical records from the standpoint of
      advancement of medical science.

PMID- 20288091
TI  - The education of the hospital trustee.

PMID- 20288092
TI  - Minimum qualifications to practice major surgery.

PMID- 20288093
TI  - Co-operation between Blue Cross and medical service plans and hospitals.

PMID- 20288094
TI  - Development of training for surgery.

PMID- 20288095
TI  - Transportation of the injured and other types of emergency patients; ambulance
      service.

PMID- 20288096
TI  - Emergency ambulance service.

PMID- 20288097
TI  - Ante- and post-partum hemorrhage.

PMID- 20288099
TI  - PSYCHIATRIC nursing; a career that is worth while.

PMID- 20288098
TI  - Emergencies arising during anesthesia.

PMID- 20288100
TI  - Place of social worker in National Health Service.

PMID- 20288101
TI  - Hospital ventilation; some important points for consideration.

PMID- 20288102
TI  - Labor Health Institute pioneers in low cost medical care for workers.

PMID- 20288103
TI  - Philadelphia Psychiatric Hospital points the way in design and treatment.

PMID- 20288104
TI  - A surgeon analyzes nurse shortage and makes some suggestions.

PMID- 20288105
TI  - The effect of heat upon antihemocyanin.

PMID- 20288106
TI  - Studies on the nature of antibodies produced in vitro from bacteria with hydrogen
      peroxide and heat.

PMID- 20288107
TI  - Immunization of humans and animals with gas gangrene toxoids.

PMID- 20288108
TI  - Studies on botulinum toxoid, types A and P; production of alum precipitated
      toxoids.

PMID- 20288109
TI  - Studies on botulinum toxoid, types A and B; methods for determining antigenicity
      in animals.

PMID- 20288110
TI  - A comparative study of pathogenicity and antigenicity of four strains of herpes
      simplex.

PMID- 20288111
TI  - The clinical behavior, incubation period, and pathology of tetanus induced in
      white Swiss mice by injection of crystalline tetanal toxin.

PMID- 20288112
TI  - Size and morphology of the elementary bodies of the psittacosis-lymphogranuloma
      group of viruses.

PMID- 20288113
TI  - Effect of tris(beta-chloroethyl)amine on antibody production in goats.

PMID- 20288114
TI  - Immunological relationship of mammary carcinomas developing spontaneously in
      female mice of a high-tumor line.

PMID- 20288115
TI  - Incompatability of mother and foetus with respect to the iso-agglutinogen A and
      its antibody.

PMID- 20288116
TI  - A documentary study of jaundice associated with syphilis treatment and blood
      transfusion.

PMID- 20288117
TI  - Epidemiology of infective hepatitis among Allied troops in Italy.

PMID- 20288118
TI  - A study of the haematology of 663 substandard recruits under training at an army
      physical development centre.

PMID- 20288119
TI  - The role of the industrial physician in the personnel department.

PMID- 20288120
TI  - An evaluation of some factors in the development of occupational deafness.

PMID- 20288121
TI  - False aneurysm.

PMID- 20288122
TI  - New methods in the treatment of tuberculosis.

PMID- 20288123
TI  - Neuropsychiatric conditions in railroad employees.

PMID- 20288124
TI  - Persistent hematoma; case report.

PMID- 20288125
TI  - Treatment of infected war wounds with a nitrofuran.

PMID- 20288127
TI  - Industry's toothache.

PMID- 20288126
TI  - The diagnosis and treatment of spinal cord injuries.

PMID- 20288128
TI  - The carious tooth as a portal of entry for poliomyelitis.

PMID- 20288129
TI  - Medicolegal aspects of industrial medicine.

PMID- 20288130
TI  - Artists and their work.

PMID- 20288131
TI  - An experimental study of the relationship between certainty of choice and the
      relative valence of alternatives.

PMID- 20288132
TI  - Identification with the enemy; a case study of an American Quisling.

PMID- 20288133
TI  - A contribution of a medieval Arab scholar to the problem of learning.

PMID- 20288134
TI  - Thematic apperception tests; suggestions for administration and interpretation.

PMID- 20288135
TI  - Symposium on working capacity.

PMID- 20288137
TI  - Industrial pulmonary diseases and capacity for work.

PMID- 20288136
TI  - Nutrition and capacity for work.

PMID- 20288138
TI  - Heart disease and working capacity in industry.

PMID- 20288139
TI  - Medical treatments in Gulf Coast shipyards.

PMID- 20288140
TI  - Symposium on fitness for work.

PMID- 20288141
TI  - Need for a campaign for physical fitness.

PMID- 20288142
TI  - Does American education produce physically fit workers?

PMID- 20288143
TI  - Evaluation of fitness.

PMID- 20288144
TI  - Psychosomatic elements; when the foreman is a pain in the neck.

PMID- 20288145
TI  - Conserving the health of management.

PMID- 20288146
TI  - The effect of B-complex vitamins on the voluntary consumption of alcohol by rats.

PMID- 20288147
TI  - Insulin subshock as a detoxicant in acute alcoholic intoxication.

PMID- 20288148
TI  - Imprisoned abnormal drinkers; application of the Bowman-Jellinek classification
      schedule to an institutional sample; review and analysis of data.

PMID- 20288149
TI  - The etiology of alcoholism; a working hypothesis involving the interplay of
      hereditary and environmental factors.

PMID- 20288150
TI  - Contribution of alcohol to accident fatalities in Hennepin County during a one
      year period.

PMID- 20288151
TI  - An opinion poll on reactions to The Lost Weekend.

PMID- 20288152
TI  - Studies on malignant hepatitis.

PMID- 20288153
TI  - Diagnosis of acute respiratory tract infections.

PMID- 20288154
TI  - The changing concept of myeloma of bone.

PMID- 20288155
TI  - Disseminated calcification of the pancreas; subacute and chronic pancreatitis.

PMID- 20288156
TI  - Experiences with penicillin and dicumarol in the treatment of subacute bacterial
      endocarditis.

PMID- 20288157
TI  - The treatment of acute diphtheria and the chronic carrier state with penicillin.

PMID- 20288158
TI  - The effects of blockade of the autonomic ganglia in man with tetraethylammonium;
      preliminary observations on its clinical application.

PMID- 20288159
TI  - Insensitivity to epinephrine in a patient with a functioning tumor of the adrenal
      medulla.

PMID- 20288160
TI  - Increased reactivity caused by adrenalin.

PMID- 20288161
TI  - Thiamine circulation time.

PMID- 20288162
TI  - The electrocardiographic changes caused by hyperventilation.

PMID- 20288163
TI  - Injectional treatment of internal hemorrhoids.

PMID- 20288164
TI  - Complications of mumps.

PMID- 20288165
TI  - Further report on the use of bismuth sodium tartrate intravenously in the
      treatment of 203 additional patients with tularemia.

PMID- 20288166
TI  - Flea versus rat control in human plague.

PMID- 20288167
TI  - Light and dark adaptation of single visual sense cells.

PMID- 20288168
TI  - Kidney phosphatase in alimentary hyperglycemia and phlorhizin glycosuria; a
      dynamic mechanism for renal threshold for glucose.

PMID- 20288169
TI  - The separation of blood into fractions of therapeutic value.

PMID- 20288170
TI  - The use of gamma globulin from large pools of adult blood plasma in certain
      infectious diseases.

PMID- 20288171
TI  - Hemophilia; the clinical use of antihemophilic globulin.

PMID- 20288172
TI  - Other uses of plasma fractions with particular reference to serum albumin.

PMID- 20288173
TI  - Bronchiogenic carcinoma; an analysis of 343 cases.

PMID- 20288174
TI  - Rehabilitation; wartime lessons applied to peacetime needs.

PMID- 20288175
TI  - Penicillin in the treatment of neurosyphilis; cerebrospinal fluid changes in
      symptomatic neurosyphilis.

PMID- 20288176
TI  - The management of infectious hepatitis.

PMID- 20288177
TI  - Reflex sympathetic dystrophy; report on 57 cases.

PMID- 20288178
TI  - Spondylosis and spondylarthritis.

PMID- 20288179
TI  - Malignant thymoma in a case of myasthenia gravis.

PMID- 20288180
TI  - Primary amyloidosis; report of a case.

PMID- 20288181
TI  - Palindromic rheumatism.

PMID- 20288182
TI  - PSEUDOHEMOPHILIA.

PMID- 20288183
TI  - Artificial limbs.

PMID- 20288184
TI  - Medical relief in famine areas.

PMID- 20288185
TI  - Flatfoot.

PMID- 20288186
TI  - Perforation of hard palate by maggots.

PMID- 20288187
TI  - A case of miliary tuberculosis.

PMID- 20288188
TI  - Psycho-therapy in neurotic cases.

PMID- 20288189
TI  - A new cure for opium poisoning.

PMID- 20288190
TI  - An interesting case of malingering.

PMID- 20288191
TI  - Hyperchromic anaemias.

PMID- 20288192
TI  - A modified E. M. S. hospital for emergency work in Austria.

PMID- 20288193
TI  - 50 years of X-rays.

PMID- 20288194
TI  - The treatment of goitres; a new therapeutic approach.

PMID- 20288195
TI  - Plant hormones; substances which control plant growth.

PMID- 20288196
TI  - Night-nurse's paralysis; a temporary tonic motor paralysis.

PMID- 20288197
TI  - Campaigning notes, 1940-45.

PMID- 20288198
TI  - Influence of nephrectomy upon hypertension in forty-nine patients with
      demonstrable unilateral renal disease.

PMID- 20288199
TI  - Recovery from influenzal meningitis following treatment with streptomycin.

PMID- 20288200
TI  - Disruption of abdominal wounds; a study of 27 cases.

PMID- 20288201
TI  - Early ambulation in obstetrics.

PMID- 20288202
TI  - Demerol for analgesia in obstetrics.

PMID- 20288203
TI  - Rh incompatibility as a factor in the delayed healing of surgical wounds.

PMID- 20288204
TI  - [Lupus erythematosus disseminatus].

PMID- 20288205
TI  - The clinical significance of hemoptysis; an analysis of 1316 personal cases.

PMID- 20288206
TI  - Physiological studies in congenital heart disease.

PMID- 20288207
TI  - Physiological studies in congenital heart disease; results of preoperative
      studies in patients with tetralogy of Fallot.

PMID- 20288208
TI  - The lipotropic effect of N1-methyl nicotinamide.

PMID- 20288213
TI  - A new approach to the treatment of typhoid fever.

PMID- 20288214
TI  - Some observations on medical evidence in courts.

PMID- 20288215
TI  - Diagnostic roentgenology in obstetrics.

PMID- 20288216
TI  - A new treatment of osteo-arthritis.

PMID- 20288217
TI  - Deficiency anemias.

PMID- 20288218
TI  - Diethyl oxide; new therapy in impending gangrene.

PMID- 20288219
TI  - Control of bleeding during cholecystectomy.

PMID- 20288220
TI  - The young doctor; the technic of entering practice.

PMID- 20288221
TI  - Idiopathic thrombophlebitis.

PMID- 20288222
TI  - Phlyctenular conjunctivitis; a clinical and radiological study of 28 cases.

PMID- 20288223
TI  - Breast feeding as a clinical and social problem.

PMID- 20288224
TI  - Yaws.

PMID- 20288225
TI  - The blood sedimentation rate in South African native mental patients; an
      investigation of a series of 200 cases using the Westergren method.

PMID- 20288226
TI  - A case of dystrophia myotonia.

PMID- 20288227
TI  - Relationships between disease of the coronary arteries and the alimentary tract.

PMID- 20288228
TI  - A systematic approach to aetiology in medicine.

PMID- 20288229
TI  - Recent trends in the treatment of megaloblastic anaemias.

PMID- 20288230
TI  - Estimation of haemoglobin by the copper sulphate gravimetric method.

PMID- 20288231
TI  - Obesity.

PMID- 20288232
TI  - Improper management of psychosomatic syndromes; diagnosed and treated as true
      organic disease.

PMID- 20288233
TI  - Fundamental principles of skin grafting.

PMID- 20288234
TI  - Treatment of diarrhea in infants.

PMID- 20288235
TI  - Ion-transfer therapy.

PMID- 20288236
TI  - Vitamin C.

PMID- 20288237
TI  - The treatment of rheumatoid arthritis via vasodilatation.

PMID- 20288238
TI  - Value of a history in the differential diagnosis of jaundice.

PMID- 20288239
TI  - Treatment of subacute bacterial endocarditis with penicillin.

PMID- 20288240
TI  - Graduate training in psychiatry.

PMID- 20288241
TI  - Clinical signs and symptoms of vitamin deficiencies.

PMID- 20288242
TI  - The work of the Maternal Welfare Committee.

PMID- 20288243
TI  - Spa therapy.

PMID- 20288244
TI  - Interneships in China.

PMID- 20288245
TI  - Some observations on dietary levels in the population.

PMID- 20288246
TI  - Ovarian tumors.

PMID- 20288247
TI  - Trends in the care of the psychiatric case.

PMID- 20288248
TI  - The gonadotrophic hormones.

PMID- 20288249
TI  - Ketosis; diabetic coma and its treatment.

PMID- 20288250
TI  - On adult mental age.

PMID- 20288251
TI  - Ketosis; diabetic coma and its treatment.

PMID- 20288252
TI  - Ovarian tumors.

PMID- 20288253
TI  - Adequate medical care.

PMID- 20288254
TI  - Rickettsialpox; a newly recognized rickettsial disease; clinical observations.

PMID- 20288255
TI  - Prophylactic chemotherapy in appendicitis; preliminary report of one hundred and
      eight cases.

PMID- 20288256
TI  - Chronic subclinical impairment of the liver; early diagnosis and treatment;
      further improvement and evaluation of certain liver function tests.

PMID- 20288257
TI  - The healing open pilonidal wound; unique characteristics and clinical
      implications.

PMID- 20288258
TI  - Cancer of the cervix; a local recurrence eighteen years after radium therapy.

PMID- 20288259
TI  - JOINT committee for the Coordination of Medical Activities; Chicago, Jan. 11,
      1947.

PMID- 20288260
TI  - Psychiatric sense and nonsense.

PMID- 20288261
TI  - Rheumatic fever; its recognition and treatment.

PMID- 20288262
TI  - Atypical features of rheumatic fever in young adults.

PMID- 20288263
TI  - Para-aminobenzoic acid therapy of Rocky Mountain spotted fever; outline of a
      comprehensive plan of treatment with report of five cases.

PMID- 20288264
TI  - Intestinal tumors of dysenteric origin.

PMID- 20288265
TI  - Chronic ulcerative colitis; proctologic interpretation and treatment.

PMID- 20288266
TI  - False positive tests for syphilis; a study of their incidence in sporozoite
      induced vivax malaria.

PMID- 20288267
TI  - Pilonidal disease; present status of management.

PMID- 20288268
TI  - Tetany following mercurial diuresis.

PMID- 20288270
TI  - Studies on healthy bone marrow from sternal puncture.

PMID- 20288269
TI  - Medical service areas in the United States.

PMID- 20288271
TI  - Intestinal helminthiasis.

PMID- 20288273
TI  - Typhoid fever in children.

PMID- 20288272
TI  - Glucose treatment of diabetes and effect of sedatives with a case report.

PMID- 20288274
TI  - Poverty and nutrition.

PMID- 20288275
TI  - Need of scientific medicine in India.

PMID- 20288276
TI  - The use of drugs in acute myocardial infarction.

PMID- 20288277
TI  - Surgical treatment of deafness.

PMID- 20288278
TI  - A summary of cancerology; diagnoses.

PMID- 20288279
TI  - The story of a district hospital.

PMID- 20288281
TI  - A summary of cancerology; treatment.

PMID- 20288280
TI  - The interpretation of blood count findings.

PMID- 20288282
TI  - Treatment of H. influenzae meningitis.

PMID- 20288283
TI  - Results from the treatment of peptic ulcer.

PMID- 20288284
TI  - Acute glomerulonephritis.

PMID- 20288285
TI  - Dermatitis medicamentosa.

PMID- 20288286
TI  - Psychosomatic study of a case of gynecomastia.

PMID- 20288287
TI  - Coloboma of optic nerve.

PMID- 20288288
TI  - Vitamins in the urine of newborn infants.

PMID- 20288289
TI  - Antibiotic agents and some general principles of antibiotic therapy.

PMID- 20288290
TI  - Parasitic infections in West Africa.

PMID- 20288291
TI  - Cancer of the gastrointestinal tract.

PMID- 20288292
TI  - Fevers of undetermined origin.

PMID- 20288293
TI  - The hospital as a humanitarian institution; with special reference to the Negro
      hospital.

PMID- 20288294
TI  - The diagnosis and treatment of cardiac emergencies.

PMID- 20288295
TI  - Sulfonamide anuria.

PMID- 20288296
TI  - Brucellosis in children.

PMID- 20288297
TI  - Gastric resection for carcinoma of stomach; Kronlein technique.

PMID- 20288298
TI  - Mono-amniotic twins; danger to the life of at least one twin.

PMID- 20288299
TI  - Radiological finding in syphilis of the rectum.

PMID- 20288300
TI  - Sixty-two consecutive cases of symphyseotomy.

PMID- 20288301
TI  - Recent experiences with transurethral urological surgery.

PMID- 20288302
TI  - Proposed principles of medical ethics of the medical profession in the
      Philippines.

PMID- 20288303
TI  - Still-births and neonatal deaths in the Philippine General Hospital after
      liberation (April 5, 1945 to April 4, 1946).

PMID- 20288304
TI  - The adequacy of postwar diet of Filipino wage earners in the City of Manila.

PMID- 20288306
TI  - Some newer knowledge in parasitology; a review.

PMID- 20288305
TI  - Tetrachlorethylene treatment of ankylostomiasis.

PMID- 20288307
TI  - Modern chemistry applied to modern medicine.

PMID- 20288308
TI  - A striking response with thiouracil in hyperthyroidism.

PMID- 20288309
TI  - Paracelsus (1493-1541) the iconoclast; a Renaissance doctor.

PMID- 20288310
TI  - Atomic energy.

PMID- 20288311
TI  - Added infections in burns; a study of 233 cases.

PMID- 20288312
TI  - Hypertensive headache treated with potassium thiocyanate.

PMID- 20288313
TI  - Stevens-Johnson syndrome; report of a case.

PMID- 20288314
TI  - Stevens-Johnson syndrome; report of two cases.

PMID- 20288315
TI  - Urinary excretion of phosphatases in man.

PMID- 20288316
TI  - The interpretation of blood-sugar levels in children.

PMID- 20288317
TI  - The intravenous drip.

PMID- 20288318
TI  - Foetal death and eclampsia.

PMID- 20288319
TI  - PSYCHOSOMATIC approach to orthopaedic surgery.

PMID- 20288320
TI  - Amyloid macroglossia.

PMID- 20288321
TI  - Stammering.

PMID- 20288322
TI  - Non-dysenteric amebiasis; general considerations and possible relationship to
      rheumatoid arthritis.

PMID- 20288323
TI  - Late manifestations of tropical diseases.

PMID- 20288324
TI  - The National Hotel epidemic of 1857.

PMID- 20288325
TI  - Glomus tumor.

PMID- 20288326
TI  - Neurological surgery in Washington.

PMID- 20288327
TI  - PROPOSED uniform state barbiturate act; an act to regulate the handling, sale and
      distribution of barbiturates.

PMID- 20288328
TI  - The Washington Institute of Mental Higiene; its origin and function.

PMID- 20288329
TI  - The indurated leg; a consideration of its causes and treatment.

PMID- 20288330
TI  - Intrarenal lipoma; with report of an unusual case.

PMID- 20288331
TI  - Intracerebral pneumatocele; report of a case.

PMID- 20288332
TI  - The evaluation of shock in surgical and anaesthetic procedures.

PMID- 20288333
TI  - Acute frontal sinusitis with intra-cranial complication.

PMID- 20288335
TI  - Medical care.

PMID- 20288334
TI  - Tuberculosis and cancer of the lung; errors in diagnosis.

PMID- 20288336
TI  - Toxic agents in the genesis of pellagra and pellagroid.

PMID- 20288337
TI  - Vitamin E in heart disease; the anginal syndrome.

PMID- 20288338
TI  - Vitamin K in spinal anesthesia with procaine.

PMID- 20288339
TI  - Surgery of thyrotoxic goiter.

PMID- 20288340
TI  - Evaluation of a new hypotensive formula.

PMID- 20288341
TI  - FIGHT against the antivivisectionists.

PMID- 20288342
TI  - Minerals in nutrition.

PMID- 20288343
TI  - Progress during psychoanalytical treatment.

PMID- 20288344
TI  - The dietary management of diabetes.

PMID- 20288345
TI  - Progress in the treatment of heart diseases; a review of the literature.

PMID- 20288346
TI  - Observation and interpretation versus a multitude of tests.

PMID- 20288347
TI  - Vitamin E in heart disease; the rheumatic heart.

PMID- 20288348
TI  - Multiple sclerosis and ecstasy.

PMID- 20288349
TI  - Preventive medical centers.

PMID- 20288350
TI  - Food plans for good nutrition.

PMID- 20288351
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288352
TI  - Adjusting a private agency to an official program.

PMID- 20288353
TI  - Red cross activities in poliomyelitis.

PMID- 20288354
TI  - Pathology of puberty.

PMID- 20288355
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288356
TI  - The diagnosis and treatment of some common acute surgical diseases of the anal
      canal.

PMID- 20288357
TI  - The Monros of Edinburgh; Alexander Monro Primus; the origin of the medical
      school.

PMID- 20288358
TI  - Diagnosis and management of gall bladder disease.

PMID- 20288359
TI  - Treatment of sacroiliac sprain by manipulation.

PMID- 20288360
TI  - The treatment of prostatism.

PMID- 20288361
TI  - What is the treatment of congestive heart failure?

PMID- 20288362
TI  - Look with suspicion at rectal irregularities; medicine's step-child, cancer of
      the rectum.

PMID- 20288363
TI  - Use of iodolake in the treatment of upper respiratory tract.

PMID- 20288364
TI  - Surgery of the thyroid gland.

PMID- 20288365
TI  - Visceral leishmaniasis; report of a case.

PMID- 20288366
TI  - Co-existent primary carcinoma of the fallopian tube and of the breast.

PMID- 20288367
TI  - Complete absence of lochia following delivery; report of a case.

PMID- 20288368
TI  - The physiologic and clinical significance of plasma proteins and protein
      metabolites.

PMID- 20288369
TI  - Ulcerative colitis.

PMID- 20288370
TI  - [Chronic glomerulonephritis, inactive].

PMID- 20288372
TI  - MEANING of psychosomatic medicine.

PMID- 20288371
TI  - NEW rickettsial infection in New York City.

PMID- 20288373
TI  - Treatment of injuries to the knee joint.

PMID- 20288374
TI  - Results of bilateral supradiaphragmatic splanchnicectomy for arterial
      hypertension.

PMID- 20288375
TI  - Penicillin in the treatment of gonorrhea in women; results of treatment as
      reported by twelve cooperating venereal disease clinics in Massachusetts during
      1945.

PMID- 20288376
TI  - Syphilis.

PMID- 20288377
TI  - [Brain tumor, probably oligodendroglioma].

PMID- 20288378
TI  - [Acute sinusitis, left ethmoid and sphenoid].

PMID- 20288379
TI  - Psychosomatic medicine.

PMID- 20288380
TI  - Military surgery in World War II; a backward glance and a forward look.

PMID- 20288381
TI  - Protein nutrition; the therapeutic use of a digest of liver protein, especially
      in patients with cirrhosis of the liver.

PMID- 20288382
TI  - Congenital dislocation of the knee; report of a case.

PMID- 20288383
TI  - Synthetic plastic materials in surgery.

PMID- 20288384
TI  - [Subdiaphragmatic and subhepatic abscess, secondary to cholecystectomy].

PMID- 20288385
TI  - [Chronic pancreatitis, with extension to wall of stomach].

PMID- 20288386
TI  - Arthritis in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations; incidence of joint disease;
      clinical description of rheumatoid arthritis.

PMID- 20288388
TI  - Neuropathic foot lesions in diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 20288387
TI  - The prevention of postoperative pulmonary embolism; an analysis of fifty-two
      fatal cases in six years.

PMID- 20288389
TI  - Synthetic plastic materials in surgery.

PMID- 20288390
TI  - [Mesothelioma of pleura and pericardium, with metastases to right lung and
      retroperitoneal lymph nodes].

PMID- 20288391
TI  - [Colloid carcinoma of sigmoid, with perforation and localized peritonitis].

PMID- 20288392
TI  - Second-day encephalography, with particular reference to the size of the
      ventricles.

PMID- 20288393
TI  - Arthritis in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations; clinical description of
      hypertrophic arthritis, arthralgia and psychogenic rheumatism.

PMID- 20288394
TI  - Mongolism following intercurrent infectious disease in pregnancy.

PMID- 20288395
TI  - Pathology.

PMID- 20288396
TI  - [Dissecting anneurysm of aorta, with rupture into pericardium].

PMID- 20288397
TI  - [Subacute bacterial endocarditis; aortic valve].

PMID- 20288398
TI  - The meaning of the patient to the hospital.

PMID- 20288399
TI  - The voluntary hospital; how can it survive in the modern world?

PMID- 20288400
TI  - The possible role of the community hospital in graduate training in surgery.

PMID- 20288401
TI  - Arthritis in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations; clinical description of
      infectious and other types of arthritis.

PMID- 20288402
TI  - Diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 20288403
TI  - [Rheumatic heart disease, with severe mitral stenosis].

PMID- 20288404
TI  - [Glioblastoma multiforme, right temporal lobe].

PMID- 20288405
TI  - Surgical amoebiasis of the liver.

PMID- 20288406
TI  - Sensory disturbances in chronic visceral disease.

PMID- 20288407
TI  - Chemotherapy; penicillin.

PMID- 20288408
TI  - NEW hope for lepers; sulfa-therapy successful; no segregation necessary.

PMID- 20288409
TI  - Some sequels of abnormality at the thoracic outlet.

PMID- 20288410
TI  - The treatment of pulmonary hydatid disease.

PMID- 20288411
TI  - Cavernous haemangioma of the lung.

PMID- 20288412
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288413
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288414
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288416
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288415
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288417
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288418
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288419
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288420
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288421
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288422
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288423
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288424
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288425
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288426
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288427
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288428
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288429
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288430
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288431
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288432
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288433
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288434
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288435
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288436
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288437
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288438
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288439
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288440
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288442
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288441
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288443
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288444
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288445
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288446
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288447
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288448
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288449
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288450
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288451
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288452
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288453
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288454
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288455
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288456
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288457
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288458
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288459
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288460
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288461
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288462
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288463
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288464
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288465
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288466
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288467
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288468
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288469
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288470
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288471
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288472
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288473
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288474
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288476
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288475
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288477
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288478
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288479
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288480
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288481
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288482
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288483
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288484
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288485
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288486
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288487
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288488
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288489
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288490
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288491
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288492
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288493
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288494
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288496
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288495
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288497
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288498
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288499
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288500
TI  - IMPROVED artificial hand.

PMID- 20288501
TI  - Bronchogenic carcinoma.

PMID- 20288503
TI  - Treatment of a shock by intra-arterial infusion.

PMID- 20288502
TI  - Lessons from military psychiatry for civilian psychiatry.

PMID- 20288504
TI  - Tetanus in the United States Army in World War II.

PMID- 20288505
TI  - The psychiatrist in an armored division.

PMID- 20288507
TI  - Improvised methods of management of compound fractures of leg.

PMID- 20288506
TI  - A case of retroperitoneal tumor.

PMID- 20288508
TI  - Tuberculosis at a prisoner of war hospital.

PMID- 20288509
TI  - Failure of atabrine to cause eosinophilia.

PMID- 20288510
TI  - Severe throat angina.

PMID- 20288511
TI  - Hypertrophy of the male breast associated with recovery from starvation.

PMID- 20288512
TI  - Determination of qualitative night blindness.

PMID- 20288513
TI  - A light-weight end-bearing thigh bucket.

PMID- 20288514
TI  - Experiment with the suction socket for above-knee amputees.

PMID- 20288515
TI  - Medicine at the crossroads.

PMID- 20288516
TI  - Acute coronary insufficiency; a new concept of acute coronary diseases.

PMID- 20288517
TI  - Penicillin therapy in relapsing fever; report of four cases.

PMID- 20288518
TI  - Multiple pulmonary calcifications.

PMID- 20288519
TI  - A technique for root canal therapy and root resection as an aid to the problems
      of a dental officer afloat.

PMID- 20288520
TI  - Emotional disturbances encountered in carrier pilots.

PMID- 20288521
TI  - Repair of soft tissue defects of the foot.

PMID- 20288522
TI  - Vitamin-deficiency diseases in allied prisoners of the Japanese.

PMID- 20288523
TI  - Subnormal intelligence in the maladjusted naval trainee; problems in recognizing
      low intelligence.

PMID- 20288524
TI  - Symptoms and management of arterial hypertension among naval personnel.

PMID- 20288525
TI  - The treatment of renal colic with special emphasis on crystalluria.

PMID- 20288526
TI  - Chronic asthma; results of treatment in 100 cases.

PMID- 20288527
TI  - The wartime log of a United States navy hospital ship to June 1943.

PMID- 20288528
TI  - Primary adenocarcinoma of the appendix with development of mucus fistula.

PMID- 20288529
TI  - Hemorrhagic ulcerative gastrojejunitis thirty years after gastroenterostomy for
      congenital pyloric stenosis.

PMID- 20288530
TI  - Rat-bite fever.

PMID- 20288531
TI  - Hyperergy to nicotine.

PMID- 20288532
TI  - Duodenal ulcer and hookworm infestation; diagnostic and military medico-legal
      problem.

PMID- 20288533
TI  - Use of Wangensteen suction aboard ship.

PMID- 20288534
TI  - Long-term observation of Plasmodium vivax malaria in the returned serviceman.

PMID- 20288535
TI  - Observations on the dispersal of DDT from aircraft for the control of mosquitoes.

PMID- 20288536
TI  - The spread of influenza and encephalitis.

PMID- 20288537
TI  - Acceleration of charged atomic particles.

PMID- 20288538
TI  - Experimental diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 20288539
TI  - Recording of potential gradients in the atmosphere.

PMID- 20288540
TI  - Science in the U.S.S.R.

PMID- 20288541
TI  - Biological synthesis of purines and pyrimidines.

PMID- 20288542
TI  - Recent advances in phycology, with special reference to the Southern Hemisphere.

PMID- 20288543
TI  - On a simple demonstration of the reversible photochemical properties of tungstic
      acid.

PMID- 20288544
TI  - Activation of prothrombin.

PMID- 20288545
TI  - The nitrogen-fixing activity of leagume root nodules.

PMID- 20288546
TI  - An alternating current probe for measurement of magnetic fields.

PMID- 20288547
TI  - Vacuum exposure holder for microradiography.

PMID- 20288548
TI  - Growth of drops formed in a Wilson cloud chamber.

PMID- 20288549
TI  - Boron trifluoride neutron detector for low neutron intensities.

PMID- 20288550
TI  - A pulse analyser for nuclear research.

PMID- 20288551
TI  - A gas blending system.

PMID- 20288552
TI  - An electrical network for the solution of secular equations.

PMID- 20288553
TI  - The use of the expansion of gases in a centrifugal field as cooling process.

PMID- 20288554
TI  - A laboratory four-channel electronic switch.

PMID- 20288555
TI  - A device for plotting rays in a stratified medium.

PMID- 20288557
TI  - A stable selective audio amplifier.

PMID- 20288556
TI  - The synchronization of auxiliary apparatus with a betatron.

PMID- 20288558
TI  - An electrophoresis apparatus using parabolic mirrors.

PMID- 20288559
TI  - Duralumin window beta-ray counter.

PMID- 20288560
TI  - Remote control betatron target positioner.

PMID- 20288561
TI  - Note on the soldering of beryllium.

PMID- 20288562
TI  - Energy sensitivity of fast neutron counters.

PMID- 20288563
TI  - Spiral chronograph for measurement of single millisecond time intervals with
      microsecond accuracy.

PMID- 20288564
TI  - A helium cryostat.

PMID- 20288565
TI  - A variable speed rotational viscosimeter.

PMID- 20288566
TI  - An automatic recording spectrophotometer.

PMID- 20288567
TI  - A simple micromanometer.

PMID- 20288568
TI  - The preparation of pressed Ra + Be neutron sources.

PMID- 20288569
TI  - Comparison of supersonic intensities by means of a magneto-striction gauge.

PMID- 20288570
TI  - The Bodenstein quartz spiral manometer.

PMID- 20288571
TI  - On memory and childhood amnesia.

PMID- 20288572
TI  - Notes on The Ice Man Cometh.

PMID- 20288573
TI  - Study of a psychopathic personality in Guatemala.

PMID- 20288574
TI  - Cultural dynamics of sex; a study in culture and personality.

PMID- 20288575
TI  - Witches and psychiatrists.

PMID- 20288576
TI  - The concept of culture and the psychosomatic approach.

PMID- 20288577
TI  - Medical philosophy; from the viewpoint of a psychiatrist.

PMID- 20288578
TI  - We must nurse people better.

PMID- 20288580
TI  - Nursing in Poland.

PMID- 20288579
TI  - Surgical treatment of hypertension by lumbodorsal splanchnicectomy.

PMID- 20288581
TI  - Nursing care in air ambulances.

PMID- 20288582
TI  - Ventricular drainage; procedures and nursing care.

PMID- 20288583
TI  - What is expert nursing care? a nursing director's viewpoint.

PMID- 20288585
TI  - Cerebral arteriosclerosis; with little strokes that cause a slow death.

PMID- 20288584
TI  - Neuropsychiatry in an Army hospital.

PMID- 20288586
TI  - Perineal care.

PMID- 20288587
TI  - The skills of psychiatric nursing.

PMID- 20288588
TI  - The influence of hypersensitivity on endogenous uveal disease.

PMID- 20288589
TI  - A contribution to the knowledge of ocular siderosis and posterior degenerative
      pannus.

PMID- 20288590
TI  - Accommodative astigmatism.

PMID- 20288591
TI  - Involvement of the orbit in chronic inflammation of the frontal sinus.

PMID- 20288593
TI  - Pressure effects in contact lenses.

PMID- 20288592
TI  - Observations on 300 consecutive cases of ocular war injuries.

PMID- 20288594
TI  - Plastic visual test plates.

PMID- 20288595
TI  - Ciliary dilation and vitreous recession in cataract extraction.

PMID- 20288597
TI  - Systemic findings in retinitis pigmentosa.

PMID- 20288596
TI  - The observation and correlation of scientific data.

PMID- 20288598
TI  - Ocular changes in rats on amino-acid (valine) deficient diet.

PMID- 20288599
TI  - Hydrogen-ion concentration of the aqueous.

PMID- 20288600
TI  - Influence of sympathomimetic drugs on the regenerative processes of the ocular
      epithelia.

PMID- 20288601
TI  - Traumatic occlusion of the central retinal artery.

PMID- 20288602
TI  - Diathermy treatment in retinal angiomatosis.

PMID- 20288603
TI  - Vascular disease associated with angioid streaks of the retina and pseudoxanthoma
      elasticum.

PMID- 20288604
TI  - A comparison of the ocular signs in children and adults suffering from subdural
      hematoma.

PMID- 20288605
TI  - A method of entoptic scotometry.

PMID- 20288606
TI  - Experience in operations on the superior and inferior oblique.

PMID- 20288607
TI  - Some experimental and clinical observations concerning stereopsis.

PMID- 20288608
TI  - Advances in the care of muscle anomalies.

PMID- 20288609
TI  - What kind of education?

PMID- 20288610
TI  - Post-fluorescein test in contact lens fitting.

PMID- 20288611
TI  - An experience with industrial vision problems.

PMID- 20288612
TI  - Effect of quality of illumination and distance of observation upon performance in
      the Ishihara test.

PMID- 20288613
TI  - Absence of accommodation; a case report.

PMID- 20288614
TI  - An outline of motor vehicle tests for license applicants in California.

PMID- 20288616
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288615
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288620
TI  - Some observations on the symptomatology and diagnosis of cases of proptosis.

PMID- 20288617
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288621
TI  - The influence of intra-ocular pressure on the rate of drainage of aqueous humour;
      stabilization of intra-ocular pressure or of aqueous flow?

PMID- 20288622
TI  - A case of bilateral genuine iris-atrophy.

PMID- 20288623
TI  - Mepacrin and the eye.

PMID- 20288624
TI  - On glaucoma.

PMID- 20288625
TI  - Speed and comprehension in reading.

PMID- 20288626
TI  - The psychology of seeing.

PMID- 20288628
TI  - Light for living.

PMID- 20288627
TI  - The responsibilities and opportunities of the optometrist in eye injury cases.

PMID- 20288629
TI  - A simple criterion for quality in lighting.

PMID- 20288630
TI  - The importance of phoria measurements in industrial vision.

PMID- 20288631
TI  - Favorable prognosis for myopia reduction.

PMID- 20288632
TI  - Simplified fitting of contact lenses.

PMID- 20288633
TI  - Visual psychology.

PMID- 20288634
TI  - Color vision and recent developments in color vision testing.

PMID- 20288635
TI  - Contact lens impression techniques.

PMID- 20288636
TI  - Anesthesia in contact lens work; an evaluation.

PMID- 20288637
TI  - The education of the deaf; the Book Mart, being a list of books on the deaf,
      speech and speech-reading, the language of signs etc., now in print.

PMID- 20288638
TI  - Symposium on noise.

PMID- 20288639
TI  - A review of tuberculosis in the field of otolaryngology for the past year.

PMID- 20288640
TI  - Noise in industry.

PMID- 20288641
TI  - Unrecognized battle noise trauma.

PMID- 20288642
TI  - Ear defenders.

PMID- 20288643
TI  - A study of cases of acoustic trauma from a medicolegal standpoint, and a
      comparison of patterns of deafness.

PMID- 20288644
TI  - Otolaryngology in World War II.

PMID- 20288645
TI  - Studies in serum electrolytes; changes in blood and body fluids in prolonged
      fasting.

PMID- 20288646
TI  - Lymphoblastomatous involvement of nonlymphoid organs.

PMID- 20288647
TI  - A study of various methods of stool examination in the diagnosis of
      schistosomiasis japonica.

PMID- 20288648
TI  - Pulmonary embolism in nonsurgical patients with prostatic thrombosis.

PMID- 20288649
TI  - Infection with Corynebacterium pyogenes in man.

PMID- 20288650
TI  - Diffuse osteoid replacement of the bone marrow; report of case.

PMID- 20288651
TI  - Erythroid multiple myeloma.

PMID- 20288653
TI  - Simplified determination of blood volume.

PMID- 20288652
TI  - Determination of Rh-antibodies and blood grouping by the capillary method.

PMID- 20288654
TI  - Zinc in human tissues; detection and determination by dithizone.

PMID- 20288655
TI  - Preparation of potent blood grouping serums.

PMID- 20288656
TI  - A comparison of red blood cell counting technics.

PMID- 20288657
TI  - A simplified method for embedding cellular contents of body fluids in paraffin.

PMID- 20288658
TI  - An improved holder for non-protein nitrogen digestion tubes.

PMID- 20288659
TI  - Development of bone marrow in adult animals.

PMID- 20288660
TI  - Pathologic action of DDT and certain of its analogs and derivatives.

PMID- 20288661
TI  - Repair in the skin of guinea pigs subsequent to applications of 20
      methylcholanthrene.

PMID- 20288662
TI  - Histoplasmosis in infancy; the pathologic picture as seen in one case.

PMID- 20288663
TI  - Congenital tularemia.

PMID- 20288664
TI  - Ainhum; report of a case in which the patient was a white woman with diabetes
      mellitus.

PMID- 20288665
TI  - Metastatic calcification.

PMID- 20288666
TI  - Pulmonary calcifications and sensitivity to histoplasmin in Charleston, S. C.

PMID- 20288667
TI  - Supplements of vitamin A and of carotene during pregnancy; their effect on the
      levels of vitamin A and carotene in the blood of mother and of newborn infant.

PMID- 20288668
TI  - Effect of measles on the nephrotic syndrome.

PMID- 20288670
TI  - Mirror movements.

PMID- 20288669
TI  - Duplication of the rectum (enterogenous cyst or diverticulum).

PMID- 20288671
TI  - Agenesis of corpus callosum as a possible sequel to maternal rubella during
      pregnancy.

PMID- 20288672
TI  - Agranulocytosis in childhood; report of a case with serial bone marrow studies.

PMID- 20288673
TI  - Laurence-Moon-Biedl syndrome.

PMID- 20288674
TI  - Development of heart block in the neonatal period.

PMID- 20288675
TI  - Psychiatric aspects of the medical management of diabetes mellitus in children.

PMID- 20288676
TI  - The fate of injected particulate antigen in relation to the formation of
      antibodies.

PMID- 20288677
TI  - A chick embryo technic for chemotherapeutic studies in tuberculosis; results with
      streptomycin and other compounds.

PMID- 20288678
TI  - Influence of various hormones on the resistance of Swiss mice to murine
      poliomyelitis virus.

PMID- 20288679
TI  - Neurogenic intestinal obstruction in infancy; a clinical and pathologic study.

PMID- 20288681
TI  - Effects of maternal malnutrition on fetal development.

PMID- 20288680
TI  - Management of anuria resulting from sulfonamide therapy.

PMID- 20288682
TI  - Functional hepatic changes associated with fatty metamorphosis of the liver.

PMID- 20288683
TI  - Diagnosis of tetralogy of Fallot and indications for operation.

PMID- 20288684
TI  - Congenital tuberculosis.

PMID- 20288685
TI  - Complications of localized pulmonary emphysema in childhood.

PMID- 20288686
TI  - The etiology and the effects of minor grades of anaemia in young children;
      studies at a group of war-time day nurseries.

PMID- 20288687
TI  - Dermatomyositis in childhood; a report of four cases.

PMID- 20288688
TI  - The relationship of the blood pyruvic acid level to deficiency states in infancy
      and childhood.

PMID- 20288689
TI  - Acute bilateral suprarenal haemorrhage.

PMID- 20288690
TI  - The treatment of enuresis in children by means of chorionic gonadotropin.

PMID- 20288691
TI  - Differentiation between muscular dystrophy and atrophy.

PMID- 20288692
TI  - The importance of prolonged rest in bed after acute cardiac inflammation in
      children.

PMID- 20288693
TI  - Poliomyelitis: lobar pneumonia.

PMID- 20288694
TI  - Poliomyelitis, bulbar, encephalitic.

PMID- 20288696
TI  - Congenital hemolytic anemia.

PMID- 20288697
TI  - Bilateral renal calculi.

PMID- 20288695
TI  - Pneumoccoccus meningitis in infants and children; a report on the use of combined
      sulfonamides and penicillin therapy.

PMID- 20288698
TI  - Asthma; report of a fatal case.

PMID- 20288699
TI  - Loeffler's syndrome associated with ascaris lumbricoides.

PMID- 20288700
TI  - Leukemia with an associated septicemia.

PMID- 20288701
TI  - Fatality due to ascariasis.

PMID- 20288702
TI  - [Purulent meningitis].

PMID- 20288703
TI  - United to fight cerebral palsy.

PMID- 20288704
TI  - Training restless teen-agers.

PMID- 20288705
TI  - Speech training standards.

PMID- 20288706
TI  - I face the future.

PMID- 20288707
TI  - The school child with heart disease.

PMID- 20288708
TI  - Oregon's adventure in special education.

PMID- 20288709
TI  - Education for the exceptional child in Dade County, Florida.

PMID- 20288710
TI  - Changing concepts of quarantine as a control measure.

PMID- 20288712
TI  - New York State Association of School Physicians.

PMID- 20288711
TI  - Rapid hemoglobin determinations on school children.

PMID- 20288713
TI  - The future of the school health program; the control of communicable diseases in
      school children.

PMID- 20288714
TI  - The future of the school health program; the school physician's responsibility.

PMID- 20288715
TI  - The future of the school health program; the school nurse-teacher's
      responsibility.

PMID- 20288716
TI  - The future of the school health program; mental hygiene.

PMID- 20288717
TI  - Correlating health education and health service in the school health program; the
      function of the school nurse teacher.

PMID- 20288718
TI  - A school health unit.

PMID- 20288719
TI  - SPECIFICATIONS; school health units.

PMID- 20288720
TI  - Duties and functions of the health coordinator at the secondary level.

PMID- 20288721
TI  - The physician's job in the school health program.

PMID- 20288722
TI  - The plus sphere test.

PMID- 20288724
TI  - The responsibility of the medical profession for child development.

PMID- 20288725
TI  - Twelve years of tuberculosis case finding among high school pupils.

PMID- 20288723
TI  - The Denver Area Rheumatic Fever Diagnostic Service; observations on 2,000 cases
      seen during the first two years; preliminary report.

PMID- 20288726
TI  - Treatment of pediculus capitis in school children with DDT powder.

PMID- 20288727
TI  - The sex hormones.

PMID- 20288728
TI  - Bacillus Calmette Guerin.

PMID- 20288729
TI  - Socialized medicine in Mexico.

PMID- 20288730
TI  - The medical aspects of atomic energy.

PMID- 20288731
TI  - Progress in allergy therapy.

PMID- 20288732
TI  - Diphtheria.

PMID- 20288733
TI  - 2,4-D toxicity; toxicity towards certain species of fish.

PMID- 20288734
TI  - New galenical preparations from flax seeds.

PMID- 20288735
TI  - Progress in fungous disease therapy.

PMID- 20288737
TI  - The general medical aspects of atomic energy.

PMID- 20288736
TI  - Progress in allergy therapy.

PMID- 20288738
TI  - Suggestions for new objectives in pharmaceutical education.

PMID- 20288739
TI  - Pharmaceutical engineering.

PMID- 20288740
TI  - Engineering problems of the pharmaceutical manufacturer.

PMID- 20288741
TI  - Pharmaceutical education for the future.

PMID- 20288742
TI  - Achievement and predictive testing in the pharmaceutical survey.

PMID- 20288743
TI  - The predictive testing program of the pharmaceutical survey.

PMID- 20288744
TI  - The present status of graduate education in pharmacy.

PMID- 20288745
TI  - Graduate education in pharmacy.

PMID- 20288746
TI  - Graduate instruction in pharmaceutical chemistry.

PMID- 20288747
TI  - Graduate work in pharmacognosy.

PMID- 20288749
TI  - Undergraduate and graduate research in pharmacology in colleges of pharmacy.

PMID- 20288748
TI  - Graduate work in pharmacology.

PMID- 20288750
TI  - Industry's requirements of pharmacology.

PMID- 20288751
TI  - What are industry requirements of pharmacognosy research and teaching?

PMID- 20288752
TI  - Chemurgic research with drug plants.

PMID- 20288754
TI  - Biochemistry in the pharmacy curriculum.

PMID- 20288753
TI  - Biochemistry in the pharmacy curriculum; optional or required subject.

PMID- 20288755
TI  - A discussion on the subject matter for biochemistry.

PMID- 20288756
TI  - Dispensing pharmacy as the culmination of the pharmaceutical curriculum.

PMID- 20288757
TI  - The prescription forum as a method of teaching incompatibilities.

PMID- 20288758
TI  - Pharmaceutical economics in the postwar curriculum.

PMID- 20288759
TI  - The American Institute of the History of Pharmacy and the A. Ph. A. Section on
      Historical Pharmacy.

PMID- 20288760
TI  - The history of military pharmacy in the United States; a progress report.

PMID- 20288761
TI  - NITROGEN mustard drugs in neoplastic diseases.

PMID- 20288763
TI  - NEW N. F. VIII drugs.

PMID- 20288762
TI  - IODINE tincture 2 percent U.S.P. XIII.

PMID- 20288764
TI  - SYNTHETIC benzylpenicillin.

PMID- 20288765
TI  - DISOPROPYL fluorophosphate in glaucoma.

PMID- 20288766
TI  - PROPYL thiouracil in hyperthyroidism.

PMID- 20288767
TI  - Progress of research in pharmacology.

PMID- 20288768
TI  - Penicillin dusting powders.

PMID- 20288769
TI  - Fungous disease therapy.

PMID- 20288770
TI  - Hospital practice in Great Britain.

PMID- 20288771
TI  - Instrument disinfecting solutions.

PMID- 20288772
TI  - A new concept of the role of hydrogen ion concentration and buffer system in the
      preparation of ophthalmic solutions.

PMID- 20288773
TI  - The stability of commercial crystalline sodium penicillin in solutions.

PMID- 20288774
TI  - Quaternary amonium compounds as preservatives.

PMID- 20288775
TI  - A contribution to the pharmacology of succinic acid and its sodium and magnesium
      salts.

PMID- 20288776
TI  - Laxative action of succinates in man.

PMID- 20288777
TI  - Notes on the pharmacology of sodium fluoroacetate; compound 1080.

PMID- 20288778
TI  - The colorimetric determination of bismuth in pharmaceutical preparations and in
      biological material.

PMID- 20288779
TI  - Emulsion of methyl salicylate.

PMID- 20288781
TI  - Streptomycin and drug fastness.

PMID- 20288780
TI  - METHIONINE for liver injury.

PMID- 20288782
TI  - Investigations on the autoxidation of diethyl ether; polarographic
      investigations.

PMID- 20288783
TI  - The activity of sulphanilylbenzamide against Streptococcus haemolyticus infection
      in mice.

PMID- 20288785
TI  - Dried alumina.

PMID- 20288784
TI  - The tuberculostatic activity of substituted benzoic acids.

PMID- 20288786
TI  - The polarographic determination of oestrone.

PMID- 20288787
TI  - A polarographic study of alkaloids.

PMID- 20288788
TI  - An investigation into the action of fungicides; preparation of suspensions of
      mould spores, and the effect of clumps on the accuracy of sampling.

PMID- 20288789
TI  - The delayed absorption and excretion of penicillin by rabbits, following
      intramuscular injection of a suspension in beeswax and oil.

PMID- 20288790
TI  - THERAPEUTIC use of vitamin K.

PMID- 20288791
TI  - MORE dogs or better babies? A survey of the current status of animal
      experimentation.

PMID- 20288792
TI  - RELATIONSHIP of vitamin C to the adrenal cortex.

PMID- 20288793
TI  - BLOOD and its disorders; physiology and diagnosis.

PMID- 20288794
TI  - MALE climacteric.

PMID- 20288795
TI  - POSTOPERATIVE activity and thrombo-embolism.

PMID- 20288796
TI  - ANTICOAGULANTS and postpartum bleeding.

PMID- 20288797
TI  - SULFONAMIDE mixtures.

PMID- 20288798
TI  - PENTOTHAL sodium.

PMID- 20288799
TI  - Application of the radioactive red cell method for determination of blood volume
      in humans.

PMID- 20288800
TI  - Sodium therapy of experimental tourniquet shock.

PMID- 20288801
TI  - The importance of the afferent nervous factor in experimental traumatic shock;
      the effect of chronic deafferentation.

PMID- 20288802
TI  - Blood pressure of the rat during acute and chronic choline deficiency.

PMID- 20288803
TI  - Is prothrombin a unitary principle or a complex?

PMID- 20288804
TI  - The distribution and movements of carbon dioxide and chloride between cells and
      serum of oxygenated human blood.

PMID- 20288805
TI  - The coronary circulation in the dog.

PMID- 20288807
TI  - Effects of hypothermia upon the specific gravity and proteins of the blood of
      chickens.

PMID- 20288806
TI  - The metabolism of glucose in starvation and water deprivation.

PMID- 20288808
TI  - The effect of restricted caloric intake on the longevity of rats.

PMID- 20288809
TI  - Effects in young men consuming restricted quantities of B-complex vitamins and
      protein, and changes associated with supplementation.

PMID- 20288810
TI  - Blood flow in the bronchial artery of the anesthetized dog.

PMID- 20288811
TI  - The circular components of the muscularis muscosae of the small intestine of the
      dog.

PMID- 20288812
TI  - Cholinesterases in rat tissues and the site of serum nonspecific cholinesterase
      production.

PMID- 20288813
TI  - Renal hyperemia in dogs induced by oral administration of cinchona alkaloids.

PMID- 20288814
TI  - Influence of the thyroid hormone on the effector systems of the mammalian heart.

PMID- 20288815
TI  - Further studies on antigonadotrophin formation following gonadotrophic hormone
      administration.

PMID- 20288816
TI  - The difference in action of parasympathetic drugs in application to serosa or
      mucosa of the isolated intestine.

PMID- 20288817
TI  - Studies on permeability of the leucocyte.

PMID- 20288818
TI  - A study of coronary flow under conditions of hemorrhagic hypotension and shock.

PMID- 20288819
TI  - Phasic changes in inferior cava flow of intravascular origin.

PMID- 20288820
TI  - Comparison of changes in inferior cava flow after hemorrhage and circulatory
      failure following transfusion.

PMID- 20288821
TI  - Growth.

PMID- 20288822
TI  - Developmental physiology.

PMID- 20288823
TI  - Reproduction.

PMID- 20288824
TI  - Metabolic functions of the endocrine glands.

PMID- 20288825
TI  - The physiology of supporting tissue.

PMID- 20288826
TI  - Muscle.

PMID- 20288827
TI  - Exercise.

PMID- 20288828
TI  - The visceral functions of the nervous system.

PMID- 20288829
TI  - Digestive system.

PMID- 20288830
TI  - Kidney.

PMID- 20288831
TI  - Peripheral circulation.

PMID- 20288832
TI  - Heart.

PMID- 20288833
TI  - Derivatives of blood plasma.

PMID- 20288834
TI  - Blood gas transport.

PMID- 20288835
TI  - Water metabolism.

PMID- 20288836
TI  - Physiological effects of heat and cold.

PMID- 20288837
TI  - The respiratory system.

PMID- 20288838
TI  - Nerve and synaptic conduction.

PMID- 20288839
TI  - Bioelectric potentials in the nervous system and in muscle.

PMID- 20288840
TI  - Electrical activity of the brain.

PMID- 20288841
TI  - The somatic functions of the central nervous system.

PMID- 20288842
TI  - Special senses, cutaneous sensation.

PMID- 20288843
TI  - The experimental neurosis.

PMID- 20288844
TI  - Permeability.

PMID- 20288845
TI  - Physiological aspects of genetics.

PMID- 20288846
TI  - Defense mechanisms.

PMID- 20288847
TI  - Pharmacology.

PMID- 20288848
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288849
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288850
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288851
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288852
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288853
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288854
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20288855
TI  - Disturbances of function induced by lewisite (2-chlorvinyldichlorarsine).

PMID- 20288857
TI  - Experimental observations on the structure of the bone marrow.

PMID- 20288856
TI  - Atrophy of the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei after interruption of the
      pituitary stalk in dogs.

PMID- 20288858
TI  - A study of arsine poisoning.

PMID- 20288859
TI  - Avidity of anti-A agglutinating sera.

PMID- 20288860
TI  - The effect of BAL on the excretion of arsenoxides.

PMID- 20288861
TI  - Adaptation-level as frame of reference for prediction of psychophysical data.

PMID- 20288862
TI  - The role of the optic cortex of the dog in the retention of learned responses to
      light; conditioning with light and food.

PMID- 20288863
TI  - Visual field factors in the perception of direction.

PMID- 20288864
TI  - Effects of benzedrine sulfate (amphetamine) on psychomotor performance.

PMID- 20288865
TI  - Time-error as a function of the method of experimentation.

PMID- 20288866
TI  - Critical flicker frequency and the reversals of apparent movement in Lissajous
      figures.

PMID- 20288867
TI  - Group experiments and demonstrations in learning.

PMID- 20288869
TI  - Reenforcement of perception.

PMID- 20288868
TI  - The third dimension in the projection of motion pictures.

PMID- 20288870
TI  - Some implicates of occasionalism concerning time and memory.

PMID- 20288871
TI  - Research on personnel selection in the Royal Navy and the British Army.

PMID- 20288872
TI  - An analysis of duties performed by clinical psychologists in the Army.

PMID- 20288873
TI  - The place of experimental psychology in the undergraduate curriculum.

PMID- 20288875
TI  - Naval aviation psychology; the central research groups.

PMID- 20288874
TI  - A comparison of ASTP psychology graduates with other groups in the AAF
      Classification School.

PMID- 20288876
TI  - Professional frustration in government psychologists.

PMID- 20288877
TI  - History of psychological studies of the design and operation of equipment.

PMID- 20288878
TI  - Psychology at the Naval Research Laboratory.

PMID- 20288879
TI  - Psychological research on equipment design in the AAF.

PMID- 20288880
TI  - Tests used in Veterans Administration Advisement Units.

PMID- 20288881
TI  - The calibration of test items.

PMID- 20288883
TI  - Notehand for psychologists.

PMID- 20288882
TI  - In defense of military psychology.

PMID- 20288884
TI  - A comparative study of the level of aspiration of normal and of neurotic persons.

PMID- 20288885
TI  - Psychological aspects of rehabilitation in cases of brain injury.

PMID- 20288886
TI  - An attempt to test high-grade intelligence.

PMID- 20288887
TI  - On physiology and consciousness.

PMID- 20288888
TI  - The recalling of thoughts.

PMID- 20288889
TI  - The present House of Commons: its educational and social background.

PMID- 20288890
TI  - Industrial use of the Ishihara tests for color blindness.

PMID- 20288891
TI  - A new method for reading the employment questionnaire.

PMID- 20288892
TI  - Differences in interests among public administrators.

PMID- 20288893
TI  - Reliability and validity of the Kopas wage earner battery of tests.

PMID- 20288894
TI  - Luckiesh and Moss on reading illumination.

PMID- 20288895
TI  - Some evidence on the validity of the Cardall test of practical judgment.

PMID- 20288896
TI  - Interests and general educational development.

PMID- 20288898
TI  - The special leadership training program at the Signal Corps Officer Candidate
      School.

PMID- 20288897
TI  - The Shipley-Hartford Retreat scale as a measure of intellectual impairment for
      military prisoners.

PMID- 20288899
TI  - A note on popular pseudopsychological beliefs in 1923 and in 1946.

PMID- 20288900
TI  - Applied research that might have been.

PMID- 20288901
TI  - The Veterans Administration and clinical psychology.

PMID- 20288902
TI  - The psychiatrist and the psychologist.

PMID- 20288903
TI  - Reflections from a branch office.

PMID- 20288904
TI  - The role of the clinical psychologist in a Veterans Administration Mental Hygiene
      Clinic.

PMID- 20288905
TI  - The clinical psychology program at Winter V. A. Hospital, the Menninger
      Foundation, and the University of Kansas.

PMID- 20288906
TI  - Training clinical psychologists in the Veterans Administration.

PMID- 20288907
TI  - Research planning in neuropsychiatry and clinical psychology in the Veterans
      Administration.

PMID- 20288908
TI  - Research on the selection of clinical psychologists.

PMID- 20288909
TI  - Audio-visual aids for mental hygiene and psychiatry.

PMID- 20288910
TI  - The use of a sentence completion test for the diagnosis of personality.

PMID- 20288911
TI  - On the interpretation of personality profiles.

PMID- 20288912
TI  - A comparative study of motivations as revealed in thematic apperception stories
      and autobiography.

PMID- 20288913
TI  - Directive psychotherapy; constitutional analysis.

PMID- 20288914
TI  - Contributions of clinical psychology to military neuropsychiatry in an Army
      psychiatric hospital.

PMID- 20288915
TI  - Nondirective vocational counseling of prison inmates.

PMID- 20288916
TI  - A report of data on the job qualification inventory.

PMID- 20288918
TI  - Individualized and meaningful instruction in arithmetic.

PMID- 20288917
TI  - Mental growth and development at the college level.

PMID- 20288919
TI  - Active versus blank responses to multiple-choice items.

PMID- 20288920
TI  - Dramatic dialogues for simultaneous treatment of reading and personality
      problems.

PMID- 20288921
TI  - Some effects of radio-listening on the efficiency of reading-type study
      activities.

PMID- 20288922
TI  - The speed of object recognition and of word recognition in groups of passing and
      failing pupils.

PMID- 20288923
TI  - Conditioning as a function of the time between conditioned and unconditioned
      stimuli.

PMID- 20288924
TI  - The relation between distribution of practice and learning efficiency in
      psychomotor performance.

PMID- 20288925
TI  - Studies in spatial learning; two paths to the same location and two paths to two
      different locations.

PMID- 20288926
TI  - Studies in spatial learning; the transfer of place learning to other starting
      paths.

PMID- 20288927
TI  - On certain conditions controlling the realism and irrealism of aspirations.

PMID- 20288928
TI  - Experimental studies of the judgmental theory of feeling; the influence of
      nonmanipulative responses.

PMID- 20288929
TI  - The modification of judgments in a group situation.

PMID- 20288930
TI  - Proactive inhibition in the recognition of nonsense syllables.

PMID- 20288931
TI  - An apparatus for the measurement of continuous changes in palmar skin resistance.

PMID- 20288932
TI  - The masking of speech.

PMID- 20288933
TI  - The effective use of manipulative tests in industry.

PMID- 20288934
TI  - The treatment of qualitative data by scale analysis.

PMID- 20288935
TI  - Response to Crespi's rejoinder and Conrad's reply to appraisal of opinion
      attitude methodology.

PMID- 20288936
TI  - An approach to the problem of differential prediction.

PMID- 20288938
TI  - Diagrams for computing tetrachoric correlation coefficients from percentage
      differences.

PMID- 20288937
TI  - The relation of multiserial eta to other measures of correlation.

PMID- 20288939
TI  - Test selection with integral cross score weights.

PMID- 20288940
TI  - Note on a reanalysis of Davis' reading tests.

PMID- 20288941
TI  - Quantitative psychology as a rational science.

PMID- 20288942
TI  - Variation in test validity with variation in the distribution of item
      difficulties, number of items, and degree of their intercorrelation.

PMID- 20288943
TI  - A first-order method for estimating correlation coefficients.

PMID- 20288944
TI  - A prepunched master deck for the computation of square roots on IBM electrical
      accounting equipment.

PMID- 20288945
TI  - Test selection and suppressor variables.

PMID- 20288946
TI  - A brief comment on Thurstone's note on a reanalysis of Davis' reading tests.

PMID- 20288948
TI  - The health department and medical care; Maryland Medical Care Program.

PMID- 20288947
TI  - The health department and medical care; responsibility of the health officer in a
      medical care program.

PMID- 20288949
TI  - The health department and medical care; group practice in preventive medicine.

PMID- 20288950
TI  - The health department and medical care; certain trends.

PMID- 20288951
TI  - Discussion of papers on the health department and medical care.

PMID- 20288952
TI  - Today's key to better public health service.

PMID- 20288953
TI  - Universal serologic reactivity with lipid antigens; basis for false positives.

PMID- 20288954
TI  - Colorado tick fever.

PMID- 20288955
TI  - The nurse's role in health education in industry.

PMID- 20288956
TI  - Studies of the effect of the provision of good housing on health.

PMID- 20288957
TI  - BCG.

PMID- 20288958
TI  - UNMARRIED mother.

PMID- 20288959
TI  - The welfare of elderly persons.

PMID- 20288960
TI  - Nutrition as an applied science.

PMID- 20288961
TI  - Epidemics before the Norman Conquest.

PMID- 20288962
TI  - Progress of diphtheria immunisation.

PMID- 20288963
TI  - NEO-NATAL infection.

PMID- 20288964
TI  - The evaluation of infant health services; a note on yearly comparisons.

PMID- 20288965
TI  - Ten-year experiment in diphtheria prevention in Sullivan County.

PMID- 20288966
TI  - Research with fluorine and tooth decay control.

PMID- 20288967
TI  - Community-wide cooperation for better health and sanitation.

PMID- 20288968
TI  - Cancer among Negroes.

PMID- 20288969
TI  - Post-war prospects in tuberculosis.

PMID- 20288970
TI  - Teeth and the school doctor.

PMID- 20288971
TI  - EDUCATION ACT, 1944.

PMID- 20288972
TI  - Soviet Medical Academy's new programme.

PMID- 20288973
TI  - The Rhine Barrier Zone.

PMID- 20288974
TI  - Hygiene problems in displaced persons camps in Germany.

PMID- 20288975
TI  - Tuberculosis--a survey of a county programme.

PMID- 20288976
TI  - Pulmonary injury in boiler cleaners.

PMID- 20288977
TI  - The experimental chemotherapy of filariasis bancrofti.

PMID- 20288978
TI  - Quantitative determination of Schistosoma mansoni ova in feces from patients
      under treatment with antimonial drugs.

PMID- 20288979
TI  - The treatment of Schistosomiasis mansonii; evaluation of the parasitotropic
      effects of fuadin and tartar emetic.

PMID- 20288980
TI  - Edison and roentgenology.

PMID- 20288981
TI  - Trend toward cancer specialization.

PMID- 20288982
TI  - Cancer of the eyelid treated by radiation; with consideration of irradiation
      cataract.

PMID- 20288983
TI  - Cancer of the tongue.

PMID- 20288984
TI  - Carcinoma of the anus.

PMID- 20288985
TI  - Pulmonary complications of dorsal sympathectomy.

PMID- 20288986
TI  - Webs and constricting bands in the upper esophagus (sideropenic dysphagia).

PMID- 20288987
TI  - Carcinoma of the pancreas with generalized bone metastases; report of two cases.

PMID- 20288988
TI  - Sickle cell anemia; case report with unusual roentgen findings.

PMID- 20288989
TI  - Anterior vertebral wedging frequency and significance.

PMID- 20288990
TI  - Solitary myeloma of bone.

PMID- 20288991
TI  - The recognition and significance of bacteriogenic gas in the soft tissues.

PMID- 20288992
TI  - A simplified method of producing the axial view of Mayer in chronic mastoiditis
      and attic cholesteatoma.

PMID- 20288993
TI  - The radium treatment of cancer of the cervix; a historical review.

PMID- 20288994
TI  - Aerosinusitis; with special reference to roentgen diagnosis.

PMID- 20288995
TI  - Roentgenologic findings in myasthenia gravis associated with thymic tumor.

PMID- 20288996
TI  - Myelosclerosis with leukoerythroblastic anemia.

PMID- 20288997
TI  - Lacunar skull (Luckenschadel) of the newborn; report of seven cases.

PMID- 20288998
TI  - Amebiasis; roentgen study of relatively early gastrointestinal findings.

PMID- 20288999
TI  - Benign ulcer of the fourth portion of the duodenum.

PMID- 20289000
TI  - Nephrography.

PMID- 20289001
TI  - Massive congenital hydronephrosis; a case report.

PMID- 20289002
TI  - The significance of the retracted and curved horizontal fissure of the lungs.

PMID- 20289003
TI  - Fractures of the ribs; with comparison of the standard and one-film two-exposure
      technique.

PMID- 20289004
TI  - Avascularization of the astragalus.

PMID- 20289005
TI  - Double uterus; report of a case.

PMID- 20289007
TI  - Oil circulation in diagnostic roentgen tubes.

PMID- 20289006
TI  - Biological evaluation of 20 million volt roentgen rays; decoloration of hair in
      mice.

PMID- 20289008
TI  - The evaluation of post-irradiation prognosis in cancer of the cervix.

PMID- 20289009
TI  - A device for sinus roentgenography with horizontal rays.

PMID- 20289010
TI  - The radiotherapeutic treatment of cancer corporis uteri.

PMID- 20289011
TI  - The size of the vaginal vault in relation to the treatment of cancer of the
      cervix.

PMID- 20289012
TI  - The effect of X-rays on ascorbic acid concentration in plasma and in tissues.

PMID- 20289013
TI  - The clinical, radiological and pathological aspects of pulmonary haemosiderosis.

PMID- 20289014
TI  - Standardised radiological pelvimetry; qualitative.

PMID- 20289015
TI  - Pneumonia of the lobe of the azygos vein; the report of a case.

PMID- 20289017
TI  - A comment on the Derby fatality.

PMID- 20289016
TI  - The radiological anatomy of the labyrinth.

PMID- 20289018
TI  - X-ray department design; a further comment.

PMID- 20289019
TI  - Radiographic technique and its relationship to pathology and injury.

PMID- 20289020
TI  - Quality of radiation in roentgen therapy.

PMID- 20289021
TI  - A duodenal mechanism regulating the motor and secretory activity of the stomach;
      its roentgenographic disturbance in duodenal ulcer.

PMID- 20289022
TI  - Pericardial celomic cysts.

PMID- 20289023
TI  - Gastrocolic fistula complicating carcinoma of the colon.

PMID- 20289024
TI  - Rheumatic mitral valve disease without cardiac enlargement.

PMID- 20289025
TI  - Unilateral paraspinal abscess.

PMID- 20289026
TI  - Observations on gunshot fractures of the mandible.

PMID- 20289027
TI  - An addition to the technic of simple breast roentgenography.

PMID- 20289028
TI  - Cholecystography; a comparative study of oral and intravenous contrast
      substances.

PMID- 20289029
TI  - Late changes in mucous membrane of the irradiated larynx; their radiobiological
      relationship to the subepithelial connective tissue and to retrogression of
      laryngeal carcinoma; histologic studies.

PMID- 20289030
TI  - Legal liability for error in diagnosis; roentgenologist and his employer held
      liable for a mistaken diagnosis.

PMID- 20289031
TI  - Radiology and the future.

PMID- 20289032
TI  - What's in a title?

PMID- 20289033
TI  - Some aspects of operative treatment of cancer recti.

PMID- 20289034
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289035
TI  - Harelip and cleft palate; 1,000 patients submitted to operation.

PMID- 20289036
TI  - The differential diagnosis and treatment of tuberculomas in the lung.

PMID- 20289037
TI  - A case of double bladder.

PMID- 20289038
TI  - The clinical picture and treatment of pheochromocytomas of the suprarenal; two
      own cases, one with paroxysmal hypertension improved by treatment with
      methylthiouracil and cured by surgical intervention.

PMID- 20289039
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289040
TI  - Postoperative blood changes with regard to shock.

PMID- 20289041
TI  - On acute regional enteritis.

PMID- 20289042
TI  - The problem of surgical arrest of massive hemorrhage in peptic ulcer.

PMID- 20289043
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289044
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289045
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289046
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289047
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289048
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289049
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289051
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289050
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289052
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289053
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289054
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289055
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289056
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289057
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289058
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289059
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289060
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289062
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289061
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289063
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289064
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289065
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289067
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289066
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289068
TI  - Posterior colpotomy for diagnosis of pelvic diseases.

PMID- 20289069
TI  - Primary cyst of the round ligament.

PMID- 20289070
TI  - Tissue culture as a clinical aid in the diagnosis of malignant tumors.

PMID- 20289071
TI  - Recurrent dislocation of the patella.

PMID- 20289072
TI  - Common errors in burn treatment.

PMID- 20289073
TI  - Streptomycin therapy for bacteremia.

PMID- 20289074
TI  - Pyriformis syndrome in relation to sciatic pain.

PMID- 20289075
TI  - Hydrogen ion concentration (pH) of the vagina associated with an ectropion of the
      cervix (cervicitis).

PMID- 20289076
TI  - Significance of hyperuricemia in surgery; an introduction to current
      observations.

PMID- 20289077
TI  - End results of ruptured intervertebral discs in industry.

PMID- 20289078
TI  - Pregnancy in a rudimentary horn of the uterus.

PMID- 20289079
TI  - Tumors of the small intestine.

PMID- 20289080
TI  - Primary liver tumors.

PMID- 20289081
TI  - Spigelian hernia.

PMID- 20289082
TI  - Intestinal lipoma simulating carcinoma of the sigmoid colon.

PMID- 20289083
TI  - An unusual complication of an inguinal hernia.

PMID- 20289084
TI  - CRUTCH mastery.

PMID- 20289085
TI  - The surgical therapeutic significance of the functional behavior of thyroid
      nodules.

PMID- 20289088
TI  - Thoracic surgery in a hospital center.

PMID- 20289090
TI  - Compound injuries of the knee joint; treatment of noninfected knee joints.

PMID- 20289094
TI  - Vitamin C in gastric resection for peptic ulcer.

PMID- 20289095
TI  - Incised wounds of the head inflicted by bayonets.

PMID- 20289096
TI  - Use of small threaded wires in the treatment of fractures; fractures of the lower
      extremities.

PMID- 20289097
TI  - Use of small threaded wires in the treatment of fractures; fractures of the upper
      extremities.

PMID- 20289098
TI  - Use of small threaded wires in the treatment of fractures; their use in the
      fixation of bone grafts.

PMID- 20289099
TI  - Treatment of deep venous thrombosis with reference to subcutaneous injection of
      heparin and use of dicumarol.

PMID- 20289100
TI  - Pathognomonic sign for cyst of the knee cartilage.

PMID- 20289101
TI  - Progress in orthopedic surgery for 1945; conditions involving the hip joint.

PMID- 20289102
TI  - Progress in orthopedic surgery for 1945; conditions involving the foot and ankle.

PMID- 20289103
TI  - Progress in orthopedic surgery for 1945; congenital dislocation of the hip.

PMID- 20289104
TI  - Review of urologic surgery.

PMID- 20289105
TI  - Local and parenteral penicillin therapy in the treatment of recent war wounds.

PMID- 20289106
TI  - The closure of colostomy openings.

PMID- 20289108
TI  - Congenital bipartite carpal navicular.

PMID- 20289107
TI  - The Estlander-Abbe operation.

PMID- 20289109
TI  - Dysplasia epiphysialis multiplex.

PMID- 20289110
TI  - Sarcoma in abnormal bones.

PMID- 20289111
TI  - Needle biopsy in the clinical diagnosis of tumours.

PMID- 20289112
TI  - Renal anoxia and the traumatic uraemia syndrome.

PMID- 20289113
TI  - Osteitis pubis after suprapubic operations on the bladder; with a report of ten
      cases.

PMID- 20289114
TI  - Razor blade in oesophagus; transthoracic removal.

PMID- 20289115
TI  - Chorioncarcinoma of the testis with gynaecomastia; report of a case with early
      breast cancer.

PMID- 20289116
TI  - The Arnold-Chiari malformation.

PMID- 20289117
TI  - The transformation of an embryonic lipoma to a common lipoma.

PMID- 20289118
TI  - Massive haemorrhage from a peptic ulcer in a Meckel's diverticulum in a female
      child of eleven months.

PMID- 20289119
TI  - Amoebic granuloma of the skin.

PMID- 20289120
TI  - Tooth plate impacted in gullet for fifteen years; removal by transthoracic
      oesophagotomy.

PMID- 20289121
TI  - Carotid body tumours.

PMID- 20289122
TI  - The surgical treatment of hydrocephalus; a simple method of performing third
      ventriculostomy.

PMID- 20289123
TI  - Cerebral thromboangiitis obliterans.

PMID- 20289124
TI  - Supernumerary bursa of pectineus muscle simulating hernia in inguinal region.

PMID- 20289125
TI  - Congenital atresia of small intestine.

PMID- 20289126
TI  - Actinomycosis of the liver; report of an unusual case.

PMID- 20289127
TI  - Calcifications in living tissues.

PMID- 20289128
TI  - An unusual case of intussusception.

PMID- 20289129
TI  - Fibroma pendulum.

PMID- 20289130
TI  - Case of sarcoma of stomach simulating splenic tumour.

PMID- 20289131
TI  - A case of carcinoma of the ileocaecal valve, with formation of a spontaneous
      ileocaecal fistula.

PMID- 20289132
TI  - Multiple capillary haemangioma of the skull bones.

PMID- 20289133
TI  - Arteriovenous aneurysm as a complication of intertrochanteric fracture of the
      femur.

PMID- 20289134
TI  - Impending death under anesthesia.

PMID- 20289135
TI  - The surgical concept in hyperthyroidism.

PMID- 20289136
TI  - The reconditioning of spinal cord injuries.

PMID- 20289137
TI  - Dermoplasty of war wounds of the lower extremity.

PMID- 20289138
TI  - Anatomical and surgical considerations of the phrenic and accessory phrenic
      nerves.

PMID- 20289139
TI  - Prostheses for the nose.

PMID- 20289140
TI  - Operative technic for external and internal strabismus.

PMID- 20289141
TI  - Uretero-ureterostomy; anastomosis of old stump of right ureter with injured left
      ureter.

PMID- 20289142
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289143
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289144
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289145
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289146
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289147
TI  - Cicatricial stenosis of the nasopharynx; correction by means of a skin graft.

PMID- 20289148
TI  - The use of neighboring tissues in the correction of an extensive facial
      deformity.

PMID- 20289149
TI  - The immediate repair of war wounds of the face.

PMID- 20289150
TI  - Restoration of the cheek by using the skin of the jaw-neck region.

PMID- 20289151
TI  - Classification of maxillofacial injuries.

PMID- 20289152
TI  - Cleft lip repair after Axhausen.

PMID- 20289153
TI  - Substitution of the chisel for the saw in reconstructive surgery of the nose.

PMID- 20289154
TI  - Another external nasal splint.

PMID- 20289155
TI  - Modern experiences with tubed pedicle flaps of the thigh.

PMID- 20289156
TI  - Ligation of the inferior vena cava in thromboembolism; report of 36 cases.

PMID- 20289157
TI  - Total gastrectomy; report of 89 cases.

PMID- 20289158
TI  - Complete fecal diversion achieved by a simple loop colostomy.

PMID- 20289159
TI  - The hyperfunctioning single adenoma of the thyroid.

PMID- 20289160
TI  - Resection of the common hepatic duct for papillary adenocarcinoma.

PMID- 20289161
TI  - Massive iliac bone frafts in the treatment of ununited fractures and large
      defects of long bones; the combined bone graft-metallic plate technique; an
      analysis of 91 operations in 85 patients.

PMID- 20289162
TI  - Coagulation thrombi in segments of artery and vein in dogs and the genesis of
      thromboembolism.

PMID- 20289163
TI  - Transplantation of the spinal cord; the problem of kyphoscoliosis with cord
      signs.

PMID- 20289164
TI  - Reconstructive surgery of the chest wall.

PMID- 20289165
TI  - Protective action of sulfanilamide on experimental chloroform hepatitis.

PMID- 20289166
TI  - Gastric carcinoma; a comparative review of the origin, diagnosis, and end-results
      in 583 patients.

PMID- 20289167
TI  - The physiologic effects of curare and its use as an adjunct to anesthesia.

PMID- 20289168
TI  - Preinfusion; a study in the prevention of hemorrhagic shock.

PMID- 20289169
TI  - Congenital atresia of the esophagus with tracheoesophageal fistula.

PMID- 20289170
TI  - The course of hypertension after nephrectomy for advanced unilateral renal
      disease.

PMID- 20289171
TI  - The place of radiation in the treatment of breast cancer.

PMID- 20289172
TI  - Transthoracic resection of carcinoma of the upper midthoracic esophagus.

PMID- 20289174
TI  - Internal fixation of fractures.

PMID- 20289173
TI  - Treatment of carcinoma of the uterine cervix.

PMID- 20289175
TI  - Enteric cyst of the coccygeal region; report of a case.

PMID- 20289176
TI  - The Rh factor; its present status and clinical importance.

PMID- 20289177
TI  - Clinical trial of a new synthetic heptanone analgesic (dolophine); preliminary
      report.

PMID- 20289178
TI  - Extreme shock and near death resulting from a douche.

PMID- 20289179
TI  - Recent advances in obstetrics; a selective survey of the literature for 1945 and
      1946.

PMID- 20289180
TI  - Organization of the hospital medical staff from the standpoint of maintaining a
      high standard of professional proficiency.

PMID- 20289181
TI  - Temperature equalization for the relief of pain; an experimental study of the
      relation of thermal gradients to pain.

PMID- 20289182
TI  - The significance of physical fitness.

PMID- 20289183
TI  - Physical and nervous factors in experimental hypertension.

PMID- 20289184
TI  - A constant current impulse stimulator.

PMID- 20289185
TI  - Physical medicine in cerebral palsy.

PMID- 20289186
TI  - Effect of elevated body temperature on the cardiovascular system and the
      electrocardiogram with special emphasis on the chest leads.

PMID- 20289187
TI  - The scope and needs of physical medicine as seen by a newcomer.

PMID- 20289188
TI  - Physiotherapy; its scope in gynaecology.

PMID- 20289189
TI  - Anatomy; approach and application.

PMID- 20289190
TI  - The importance of the emotional life in relation to muscular and joint
      disturbances.

PMID- 20289191
TI  - The basis of osteopathy.

PMID- 20289192
TI  - The treatment of elbow injuries.

PMID- 20289193
TI  - Cure of insanity.

PMID- 20289194
TI  - Physical rehabilitation of patients with brain injuries.

PMID- 20289195
TI  - The objectives of occupational therapy.

PMID- 20289196
TI  - A critical study of analytically oriented group psychotherapy utilizing the
      technique of dramatization of the psychodynamics.

PMID- 20289197
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289198
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289199
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289200
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289201
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289202
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289203
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289204
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289205
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289206
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289207
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289208
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289209
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289211
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289210
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289212
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289213
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289214
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289215
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289216
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289217
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289218
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289219
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289220
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289221
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289222
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289223
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289224
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289225
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289226
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289227
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289228
TI  - The intracutaneous test in cutaneous leishmaniasis.

PMID- 20289229
TI  - The infectivity to man of a strain of Trypanosoma rhodesiense transmitted
      cyclically by Glossina morsitans through sheep and antelope; evidence that man
      requires a minimum infective dose of metacyclic trypanosomes.

PMID- 20289230
TI  - Experiments with leech repellents.

PMID- 20289231
TI  - Failure to cure natural canine visceral leishmaniasis.

PMID- 20289232
TI  - Snake species recorded in the Gold Coast.

PMID- 20289233
TI  - Relapsing benign tertian malaria treated with 4430.

PMID- 20289234
TI  - The estimation of paludrine in urine.

PMID- 20289235
TI  - Mepacrine metabolism in recurring benign tertian malaria.

PMID- 20289236
TI  - A serological analysis of typhus cases in India by Weil-Felix, rickettsial
      agglutination and complement-fixation tests.

PMID- 20289237
TI  - Investigations in the chemotherapy of malaria in West Africa; sulphonamide
      compounds.

PMID- 20289238
TI  - The effect of muscular exercise in a hot moist environment on the mepacrine
      concentrations of blood, plasma and urine.

PMID- 20289239
TI  - The excretion of mepacrine in the faeces.

PMID- 20289240
TI  - The role of Anopheles gambiae var. melas in the transmission of malaria in the
      vicinity of Freetown Estuary, Sierra Leone, 1943.

PMID- 20289241
TI  - A new approach to trypanosomiasis.

PMID- 20289242
TI  - The use of avian malaria for the discovery of drugs effective in the treatment
      and prevention of human malaria; drugs for causal prophylaxis and radical cure or
      the chemotherapy of exo-erythrocytic forms.

PMID- 20289243
TI  - Blood and plasma concentrations of mepacrine in subjects taking suppressive and
      therapeutic dosages.

PMID- 20289244
TI  - The effect of various substances, including food, on the absorption of orally
      administered mepacrine hydrochloride.

PMID- 20289245
TI  - The absorption and excretion of paludrine in the human subject.

PMID- 20289246
TI  - The tuberculosis program of the Veterans Administration.

PMID- 20289247
TI  - The National Tuberculosis Association and its interest in the tuberculous
      veteran.

PMID- 20289248
TI  - Recent developments in tuberculosis control.

PMID- 20289249
TI  - Tuberculosis as an international problem.

PMID- 20289250
TI  - The tuberculosis experience of the United States Army in World War II.

PMID- 20289251
TI  - The significance of rehabilitation.

PMID- 20289252
TI  - Rehabilitation of the tuberculous; the program of a municipal sanatorium.

PMID- 20289253
TI  - Occupational therapy and rehabilitation.

PMID- 20289254
TI  - Streptomycin in miliary tuberculosis; its effect on the pathological lesions of
      generalized miliary tuberculosis in human beings.

PMID- 20289255
TI  - Tuberculosis in a laboratory monkey colony; its spread and its control.

PMID- 20289256
TI  - Tuberculosis in the Alabama state hospitals.

PMID- 20289257
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289258
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289259
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289260
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289262
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289261
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289263
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289264
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289265
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289266
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289267
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289268
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289269
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289270
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289271
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289272
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289273
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289274
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289275
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289276
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289277
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289278
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289279
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289280
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289281
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289282
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289283
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289284
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289285
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289286
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289287
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289288
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289289
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289290
TI  - Transmission of experimental syphilis from mouse to mouse; absence of Spirocheta
      pallida and of pathologic changes in presence of successful inoculation.

PMID- 20289291
TI  - Six- to twelve-month follow-up results in early syphilis treated by a twenty-day
      intensive arsenobismuth system.

PMID- 20289292
TI  - The treatment of early syphilis by the twenty-six-week mapharsen-bismuth
      schedule.

PMID- 20289293
TI  - Reactions to twenty-day intensive therapy with mapharsen and bismuth for syphilis
      with a note on the use of BAL in their management.

PMID- 20289294
TI  - Dichlorophenarsine hydrochloride in the treatment of syphilis.

PMID- 20289295
TI  - Treatment of paroxysmal hemoglobinuria with penicillin; report of a case.

PMID- 20289296
TI  - The clinical, radiologic, and pathologic aspects of late pulmonary syphilis;
      effects of penicillin therapy.

PMID- 20289297
TI  - A proposed clerical system for a city venereal disease control program.

PMID- 20289298
TI  - The present status of immunity and allergy in syphilis.

PMID- 20289299
TI  - The Weltmann serum coagulation reaction in syphilis.

PMID- 20289300
TI  - Nonspecific serologic tests for syphilis.

PMID- 20289301
TI  - Practical aspects of verification tests for syphilis in office practice.

PMID- 20289302
TI  - The problem of positive serologic tests for syphilis in lupus erythematosus; with
      report of three cases.

PMID- 20289303
TI  - Hemophilia in a family of dogs.

PMID- 20289304
TI  - The effects of season on the spermatogenic activity and fertility of dairy bulls
      used in artificial insemination.

PMID- 20289305
TI  - The effect of penicillin on cows infected with Brucella abortus.

PMID- 20289306
TI  - Brooderstove-residue burns on turkey poults.

PMID- 20289307
TI  - Form variation in Salmonella pullorum and its relation to X strains.

PMID- 20289308
TI  - The extragenital lesions of canine pyometra.

PMID- 20289309
TI  - Decomposition occurring in raw chicken fat.

PMID- 20289310
TI  - Sampling raw chicken fat for organoleptic examination.

PMID- 20289312
TI  - Veterinary preventive medicine in civil affairs and military government (G-5) in
      Northwest Europe from D-Day to V-Day.

PMID- 20289311
TI  - An avian retinoblastoma.

PMID- 20289313
TI  - Peacetime benefits from biological warfare research studies.

PMID- 20289314
TI  - Experimental wartime studies on rinderpest.

PMID- 20289315
TI  - Public health administration.

PMID- 20289316
TI  - MEXICAN outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

PMID- 20289318
TI  - Teat surgery.

PMID- 20289317
TI  - Some observations on veterinary research in Korea.

PMID- 20289319
TI  - Geriatrics in canine practice.

PMID- 20289320
TI  - Panel discussion on penicillin in small animal practice.

PMID- 20289321
TI  - Effect of volume of distilled water as vehicle for penicillin in treating chronic
      streptococcic mastitis.

PMID- 20289322
TI  - Arsenic content in urine from cattle dipped in arsenical solutions.

PMID- 20289323
TI  - Telangiectasis, sawdust, and abscesses in the livers of beef cattle.

PMID- 20289324
TI  - Colostrum and its value in calf raising.

PMID- 20289325
TI  - CONCENTRATION of veterinarians in ten countries.

PMID- 20289326
TI  - Minimal vascular injection of the spleen.

PMID- 20289327
TI  - An unusual peritoneal anomaly; a sac containing the jejunum, ileum and transverse
      colon.

PMID- 20289328
TI  - Histological studies of muscle from crooked neck dwarf fowl.

PMID- 20289329
TI  - Bilateral renal agenesia.

PMID- 20289330
TI  - Nature of functional recovery following regeneration of the oculomotor nerve in
      amphibians.

PMID- 20289331
TI  - Origin and activity of primary trophoblast giant cells during implantation (days
      4-6) in the albino rat.

PMID- 20289332
TI  - Age changes in the deep cervical lymph nodes of 100 Wistar Institute rats.

PMID- 20289333
TI  - Thymic reaction following injection of colloidal pigments.

PMID- 20289334
TI  - The effects of small doses of diethylstilbestrol on the anterior hypophysis of
      thyroidectomized rats.

PMID- 20289335
TI  - The effect of epinephrin on the pulsation frequency of embryonic heart muscle.

PMID- 20289336
TI  - Phosphatase glycogen relationships in integumentary derivatives.

PMID- 20289337
TI  - Growth of the lumbosacral nervous system of chick embryos after the substitution
      of tumors for the limb periphery.

PMID- 20289338
TI  - Effects of use and disuse on neurosomes in skeletal muscle of the chameleon.

PMID- 20289339
TI  - The architecture of the Achilles tendon.

PMID- 20289340
TI  - Arterial anastomoses; some factors concerned in their formation.

PMID- 20289341
TI  - Effects of hypophysectomy upon gastric acidity of adult female rats.

PMID- 20289342
TI  - Anomalous right subclavian artery originating from the descending aorta.

PMID- 20289343
TI  - Changes in the adrenal cortex and thymus induced by different B-vitamin
      deficiencies.

PMID- 20289345
TI  - The femoral venous system.

PMID- 20289344
TI  - The development of plasma cells in the organs of animals receiving various
      antigens.

PMID- 20289346
TI  - Visualization of histological structure.

PMID- 20289347
TI  - The behavior of the femur as an elastic body.

PMID- 20289348
TI  - Factors influencing accumulation of histochemically detectable cholesterol in the
      corpus luteum of the rat.

PMID- 20289349
TI  - Anatomicalstudies on jet penetration of human skin for subcutaneous medication
      without the use of needles.

PMID- 20289350
TI  - Spike potentials in sensory fibers from the knee joint of the cat.

PMID- 20289351
TI  - Histological observations on the vitamin E-deficient rabbit heart.

PMID- 20289352
TI  - Vessels and nerves in the hypo physial stalk and median eminence in man.

PMID- 20289353
TI  - The localization of thyroxine containing radioactive iodine in the tissues of the
      rat.

PMID- 20289354
TI  - Growth changes induced by androgens in the connective tissues, sebaceous glands,
      hairs, muscle and melanoblasts of the skin.

PMID- 20289355
TI  - Hematopoiesis in the bone marrow of rats recovering from nutritional anemia.

PMID- 20289356
TI  - Quantitative analysis of the brain-isocortex relationship in Mammalia.

PMID- 20289357
TI  - The participation of various portions of the urinary bladder in normal and
      induced activity.

PMID- 20289358
TI  - The mouse ovary and its adrenocortical functions.

PMID- 20289359
TI  - Hypothalamic obesity in the cat.

PMID- 20289360
TI  - Intransplenic injections of alloxan in the rat.

PMID- 20289361
TI  - A study of mitochondria in dry smears of embryonic blood.

PMID- 20289362
TI  - Another approach to the problem of efferent fibers in dorsal roots.

PMID- 20289363
TI  - Intraepithelial granular cells in urinary tracts of rats infested with
      Trichosomoides crassicauda.

PMID- 20289364
TI  - Gigantism produced in normal female rats by chronic treatment with pure pituitary
      growth hormone; pituitary-cytological changes.

PMID- 20289365
TI  - Neuroectodermal neoplasms of borderline dysplastic character; a survey of
      different types and their relationship to normal histogenesis.

PMID- 20289366
TI  - Reactions of interstitial and capsule cells in autonomic ganglia to various
      stimuli.

PMID- 20289367
TI  - Protection against alloxan diabetes.

PMID- 20289368
TI  - Detached respiratory squames from the lung of the albino mouse.

PMID- 20289369
TI  - The relation of separately innervated areas of muscle to amount of shortening and
      strength of contraction.

PMID- 20289370
TI  - Histochemistry of the sebaceous glands of the rat.

PMID- 20289371
TI  - The distribution of alkaline phosphatase in the developing teeth of the 4-day
      rat.

PMID- 20289372
TI  - Histopathological effects of plutonium, fission products, fast and slow neutrons,
      and X-rays on the thymus.

PMID- 20289373
TI  - Histochemical comparison of the resting and exhausted cells of the pancreas and
      the salivary glands of the mouse and rat.

PMID- 20289374
TI  - The morphology and behavior of mast cells obtained from mastocytomas and
      cultivated in vitro.

PMID- 20289375
TI  - Crossed fibers in the facial nerve in human embryos and fetuses.

PMID- 20289376
TI  - Myelinated fibers in grey rami communicantes.

PMID- 20289377
TI  - The vascular pattern of the endometrium of the pregnant rhesus monkey.

PMID- 20289378
TI  - The effect of sulfaguanidine on reproduction in the rat.

PMID- 20289379
TI  - Retardation of development in the kidneys of mentally deficient patients.

PMID- 20289380
TI  - The vascular channels of human bone.

PMID- 20289381
TI  - Combined injection and dissection studies to demonstrate variations of the
      bronchopulmonary segments of the left upper lobe.

PMID- 20289382
TI  - Histological studies concerning the endocrine kidney.

PMID- 20289383
TI  - Hyaluronidase and the growth of malignant epithelial tumors.

PMID- 20289384
TI  - The adrenal glands of normal and castrated mice.

PMID- 20289385
TI  - Multisinusal versus nonsinusal spleens.

PMID- 20289386
TI  - Histological studies on nerve elements and their endings as the epithelial cells
      of the gastric mucosa.

PMID- 20289387
TI  - Localization of motor cells in the thoracic spinal cord of the rhesus monkey.

PMID- 20289388
TI  - Primitive bloodvessels of the spinal medulla of the rabbit injected while alive.

PMID- 20289389
TI  - Vascular changes in the gonopodium of poeciliid fishes during the metamorphosis
      of the anal fin.

PMID- 20289390
TI  - The relation of the temporal muscle to the form of the skull.

PMID- 20289391
TI  - Cytological studies on spontaneously occurring adenomata of the anterior
      hypophysis of the rat.

PMID- 20289392
TI  - Anatomical factors in senile alopecia; experimental production of baldness.

PMID- 20289393
TI  - Treatment of Hirschprung's disease by splanchnic block.

PMID- 20289394
TI  - Amethocaine or nupercaine.

PMID- 20289395
TI  - Spinal analgesia, with sacral escape.

PMID- 20289396
TI  - Curarine chloride as an adjunct to general anaesthesia.

PMID- 20289397
TI  - [Biochemical factors in natural selection in plants].

PMID- 20289398
TI  - [Physiological sources of correlation in the structure of the human organism].

PMID- 20289399
TI  - [Problems, principles and methods of ecological microbiology].

PMID- 20289400
TI  - [Chlorophyll and its influence on the animal organism].

PMID- 20289401
TI  - Benign encapsulated tumor of the peripheral nerves: neurinoma, perineural
      fibroblastoma, neurilemoma.

PMID- 20289402
TI  - Osteoid-osteoma; two cases and review of the pertinent literature.

PMID- 20289403
TI  - Neurosurgical aspects of low back pain.

PMID- 20289404
TI  - Osteomyelitis of the femur in an infant.

PMID- 20289405
TI  - A surgical procedure for the painful arthritic hand.

PMID- 20289406
TI  - Intramedullary pin fixation; application following osteotomy in two cases.

PMID- 20289407
TI  - Notes on the upper extremity of the gorilla; clinical application.

PMID- 20289408
TI  - Postural treatment of the paralyzed deltoid muscle.

PMID- 20289409
TI  - Recurrent dislocation of the patella.

PMID- 20289410
TI  - Posterior central herniation of the intervertebral disc diagnosed after
      lumbosacral and sacroiliac fusion.

PMID- 20289411
TI  - Fibrosarcoma of the shoulder; a case report.

PMID- 20289413
TI  - Ainhum.

PMID- 20289412
TI  - The blood vessels of the gluteal region.

PMID- 20289414
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289415
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289416
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289417
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289418
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289419
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289420
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289422
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289421
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289423
TI  - On the sensitivity of different tissues in Street strain mice to 9,10-dimethyl
      1,2-benzanthracene.

PMID- 20289424
TI  - The induction of neoplasms in five strains of rats with acetylaminofluorene.

PMID- 20289425
TI  - Observations on radiation-induced lymphoid tumors of mice.

PMID- 20289426
TI  - Changes in the succinoxidase activity of livers from rats during the development
      of hepatic tumors on feeding para-dimethyl-aminoazobenzene.

PMID- 20289427
TI  - The production of tumors in the livers of rats fed in-methyl-para
      dimethylaminoazobenzene.

PMID- 20289428
TI  - p-Dimethylaminoazobenzene carcinogenesis with purified diets varying in content
      of cysteine, cystine, liver extract, protein, riboflavin, and other factors.

PMID- 20289429
TI  - The effect of biotin upon para-dimethylaminoazobenzene carcinogenesis.

PMID- 20289430
TI  - The effect of diet containing dried egg albumin upon para-dimethylaminoazobenzene
      carcinogenesis.

PMID- 20289431
TI  - Etiologic factors in carcinoma of the penis.

PMID- 20289432
TI  - Dialkylaminoalkyl esters of 4,4'-stilbenedicarboxylic and 4,4'
      dibenzyldicarboxylic acid.

PMID- 20289433
TI  - Isolation of the o, o'-DDT isomer from technical DDT.

PMID- 20289434
TI  - Organic fungicides; the preparation of some alpha-bromoacetamides.

PMID- 20289435
TI  - gamma-Palmitolactone and gamma-hydroxypalmitic acid.

PMID- 20289436
TI  - The kinetics of the reaction of methanol with 3,3'-dicarbazylphenylmethyl ion in
      alkaline solution.

PMID- 20289437
TI  - Properties of electrolytic solutions; the conductance of choline and related
      picrates in ethylene chloride at 25 degrees.

PMID- 20289438
TI  - The effect of the hydrogen ion concentration upon the salt error of the
      quinhydrone electrode.

PMID- 20289439
TI  - The reactions of the hydroxyl radical.

PMID- 20289441
TI  - Some steroid mercaptols.

PMID- 20289440
TI  - Organic antimony compounds derived from S-triazine with therapeutic and
      prophylactic activity in experimental trypanosomiasis.

PMID- 20289443
TI  - High-boiling hydrolytic derivatives of lignin.

PMID- 20289442
TI  - Isolation of rutin from two varieties of Forsythia.

PMID- 20289444
TI  - Aminosulfanilanisides.

PMID- 20289445
TI  - Alkylamine derivatives of fluorene.

PMID- 20289446
TI  - The infrared absorption spectra of liquid and gaseous morpholine.

PMID- 20289447
TI  - The heat of the inactivation of pepsin.

PMID- 20289448
TI  - Molecular weight and intrinsic viscosity of nitric triesters of corn starches and
      dextrins.

PMID- 20289449
TI  - The constitution of mesquite gum; partial hydrolysis of mesquite gum.

PMID- 20289450
TI  - Antispasmodics; diarylacetic acid esters of some pyridyl and piperidyl alkanols.

PMID- 20289451
TI  - The free energy, heat and entropy of sorption of water vapor by proteins and high
      polymers.

PMID- 20289452
TI  - The preparation and chemical composition of difluorodiphenyl-trichloroethane.

PMID- 20289453
TI  - Recovery of sucrose from cane blackstrap and beet molasses.

PMID- 20289454
TI  - A diffusion study of lignin sulfonic acids in sulfite waste liquor.

PMID- 20289455
TI  - The pigments of cottonseed; gossycaerulin, a blue quinonoid gossypol derivative
      occurring in cooked cottonseed.

PMID- 20289456
TI  - Intermediates in the synthesis of orotic acid from oxalacetic ester and urea.

PMID- 20289457
TI  - Determination of the critical concentration for micelle formation in solutions of
      colloidal electrolytes by the spectral change of a dye.

PMID- 20289458
TI  - The effect of salts on the critical concentration for the formation of micelles
      in colloidal electrolytes.

PMID- 20289459
TI  - The synthesis of pyrrolizidines.

PMID- 20289460
TI  - A method of calculating the boiling points of silicon compounds.

PMID- 20289461
TI  - The dealkylation of 4-(4-diethylamino-1-methyl-butylamino)-7-chloroquinoline, SN
      7618.

PMID- 20289462
TI  - A new synthesis of polygalitol tetraacetate (tetraacetyl-1,5-anhydro-D-sorbitol).

PMID- 20289463
TI  - Conversion of alkaline-metals salts of amino acids into free amino acids.

PMID- 20289464
TI  - The insecticidal component of Eugenia haitiensis identified as 1,8-cineol.

PMID- 20289465
TI  - Studies in the quinoline series; 2-dihydroxystyryl-quinolines.

PMID- 20289466
TI  - The interaction of thiols and quinones.

PMID- 20289467
TI  - Phenyl-pyridylhydantoins.

PMID- 20289468
TI  - Isolation of l-arabinose.

PMID- 20289469
TI  - 2,3-Dimethoxy-6-chloro-9-phenanthrenecarboxylic acid.

PMID- 20289470
TI  - New compounds as plant growth regulators.

PMID- 20289471
TI  - Derivatives of fluorene.

PMID- 20289472
TI  - The rearrangement of the isomeric 1,2-dimethylamino-chloropropanes; the synthesis
      of amidone.

PMID- 20289473
TI  - 5(4)-Amino-4(5)-imidazolscarboxamide, a precursor of purines.

PMID- 20289474
TI  - Radioactive cholestenone.

PMID- 20289475
TI  - Nitrous oxide-oxygen anesthesia, for the general practitioner.

PMID- 20289476
TI  - Sterilization of hypodermic syringe.

PMID- 20289477
TI  - Nitrous oxide-oxygen pentothal anesthesia in dentistry.

PMID- 20289478
TI  - Patient's fears lessened by blindfold technic.

PMID- 20289480
TI  - Ethyl chloride in dental practice.

PMID- 20289481
TI  - Some considerations for anesthesia of the lower dental arch.

PMID- 20289479
TI  - A comparison of local and general anesthesia.

PMID- 20289482
TI  - Intraosseus injection technics for extraction of teeth and cavity preparation.

PMID- 20289483
TI  - Psychology essential to success in use of N20X0.

PMID- 20289484
TI  - The use of ethyl aminobenzoate.

PMID- 20289485
TI  - General anesthesia for problem children used in the treatment of extensive
      caries.

PMID- 20289486
TI  - Deaths under nitrous oxide-oxygen anesthesia not always caused by the anesthetic.

PMID- 20289487
TI  - Safety in general anesthesia for the cardiac patient by use of an oxygen-rich
      anesthetic mixture.

PMID- 20289488
TI  - GENERAL anesthesia used by 40 percent of dentists.

PMID- 20289489
TI  - Fundamental principles of full denture technic.

PMID- 20289490
TI  - Impression building recognizes the importance of mouth anatomy as the determining
      factor in denture form.

PMID- 20289491
TI  - Pre-extraction records necessary for the creation of esthetic full dentures.

PMID- 20289492
TI  - Proper vertical dimension for function, comfort and esthetics.

PMID- 20289493
TI  - Variations in the occlusal plane; their significance in denture prosthesis and
      use of the eye-ear plane.

PMID- 20289494
TI  - The relation of the dentist to the full denture patient.

PMID- 20289495
TI  - Occlusal corrections retain principles of natural function in artificial full
      dentures.

PMID- 20289496
TI  - The patient must be taught how to wear his new dentures.

PMID- 20289497
TI  - A preliminary report on a new technic for determining vertical dimension in full
      denture construction.

PMID- 20289499
TI  - Safe and adequate pressure for toothbrushing routines.

PMID- 20289498
TI  - Preventive dentistry and the general practitioner.

PMID- 20289500
TI  - Steps in making perfect inlay dies.

PMID- 20289501
TI  - Lectures on penicillin and the uses of penicillin in dental surgery.

PMID- 20289502
TI  - The advisability of extractions as a therapeutic aid in orthodontics;
      affirmative.

PMID- 20289503
TI  - The advisability of extractions as a therapeutic aid in orthodontics;
      affirmative.

PMID- 20289504
TI  - The advisability of extractions as a therapeutic aid in orthodontics; negative.

PMID- 20289505
TI  - The advisability of extractions as a therapeutic aid in orthodontics; negative.

PMID- 20289506
TI  - [Changes in the teeth of rats in experimental A and D avitaminosis].

PMID- 20289507
TI  - [Prevention of dental caries by means of local fluorinization].

PMID- 20289508
TI  - [Use of strontium chloride as a means of permanent anesthesia in enamel and
      dentin hyperesthesia].

PMID- 20289509
TI  - [Therapy of pulpitis].

PMID- 20289510
TI  - [Therapy of pulpitis].

PMID- 20289511
TI  - [Changes in the antitoxin level in blood serum in surgical trauma].

PMID- 20289512
TI  - [Use of sulfonamide in surgical dentistry].

PMID- 20289513
TI  - [Treatment of trigeminal neuralgia by novocaine block].

PMID- 20289514
TI  - [Significance of dental prosthesis for the course and results of facialmaxillary
      traumata].

PMID- 20289515
TI  - [Treatment of some anomalies of occlusion].

PMID- 20289516
TI  - [Teaching of surgical stomatology in dentistry schools].

PMID- 20289517
TI  - [Reform of stomatological and odontological and odontological education].

PMID- 20289518
TI  - [Reform of dental education].

PMID- 20289519
TI  - [Results of the conference of facial-maxillary surgeons and orthopedists of base
      hospitals of RSFSR].

PMID- 20289520
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289521
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289522
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289523
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289524
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289525
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289526
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289527
TI  - Some experiences in a skin department of a prisoner-of-war camp hospital in
      Singapore, 1942-1945.

PMID- 20289528
TI  - Vitiligo in Brazil.

PMID- 20289529
TI  - Recurrent bullous eruption of the feet.

PMID- 20289530
TI  - Virus studies on cutaneous material; inoculation of the chick chorio-allantoic
      membrane with material from cutaneous lesions.

PMID- 20289531
TI  - Erythema multiforme exudativum (erythema bullosum malignans; pluriorificial
      type); personal observations of cases in Willard Parker Hospital for contagious
      diseases (1932-1946).

PMID- 20289532
TI  - Primary systematized amyloidosis with macroglossia; a syndrome related to Bence
      Jones proteinuria and myeloma.

PMID- 20289533
TI  - Impetigo contagiosa treated parenterally with penicillin-beeswax.

PMID- 20289534
TI  - Am improved method for diagnosing pemphigus.

PMID- 20289535
TI  - Dermatitis following paratoluylenediamine hair dye.

PMID- 20289536
TI  - Nutrition in maternal and child health programs.

PMID- 20289537
TI  - The nutritionist's interest in soils and agriculture.

PMID- 20289538
TI  - A physical symptom of value in the diagnosis of gallbladder pathology.

PMID- 20289539
TI  - Hypertrophic pyloric stenosis in the adult.

PMID- 20289540
TI  - A study of the mortality rate in a series of cholecystectomies.

PMID- 20289541
TI  - Management of the diabetic in acute infections and surgical emergencies.

PMID- 20289542
TI  - Cancer of the cecum; a review of the clinical features.

PMID- 20289543
TI  - An evaluation of some antacid and antipeptic agents in the prevention of gastric
      ulceration in the rat.

PMID- 20289544
TI  - The value of gastroscopy as a diagnostic aid in gastric lesions.

PMID- 20289545
TI  - Pruritus ani; a review of oral therapy.

PMID- 20289546
TI  - Psychotherapeutic methods in gastroenterology.

PMID- 20289547
TI  - Symposium on gallbladder disease.

PMID- 20289548
TI  - Surgical aspects of cholecystitis.

PMID- 20289549
TI  - Chronic biliary tract disease.

PMID- 20289550
TI  - Local sulphan ilaminotherapy in chronic thromboulcerative colitis by means of
      single or double colonic tube.

PMID- 20289551
TI  - Unusual (benign) hematemesis; gastric telangiectatic dysplasia; Rendu-Osler
      Weber's disease (Goldstein's hematemesis).

PMID- 20289552
TI  - Exaggeration phenomena as evidences of the allergic mechanism.

PMID- 20289553
TI  - Medico-legal aspects of civilian air-raid casualties.

PMID- 20289554
TI  - Damages for shock.

PMID- 20289555
TI  - Damages for shock; the medical aspect.

PMID- 20289556
TI  - The supernatural in the law courts with special reference to the Witchcraft Act,
      1735.

PMID- 20289557
TI  - Tuberculosis and the law.

PMID- 20289558
TI  - Consummation of marriage and the law.

PMID- 20289559
TI  - Genetic differences in fatal audiogenic seizures between two inbred strains of
      house mice.

PMID- 20289560
TI  - The missing forearm muscle; a case of non-familial bilateral absence of the
      palmaris longus muscle in man.

PMID- 20289561
TI  - Some experiments with Melittobia and other wasps.

PMID- 20289562
TI  - Cytology of evolution and evolution of cytology.

PMID- 20289563
TI  - Cattle breeding in India; the development of milk production in two Indian breeds
      of cattle.

PMID- 20289564
TI  - [Basic problems of theoretical and practical obstetrics and gynecology in the
      postwar period].

PMID- 20289565
TI  - [Development of innervation of the human ovary].

PMID- 20289566
TI  - Opyt primeneniia sinestrola, stil'bestrola i dipropionata stil'bestrola v
      klinike. [Experiment with the use of synestrol, stilbestrol and dipropionate
      stilbestrol in the clinic].

PMID- 20289567
TI  - [[On the role of pituicrinelike substances in etiology of prematurity].

PMID- 20289568
TI  - [Content of prolane in the female urine in early pregnancy and after its
      interruption].

PMID- 20289569
TI  - [Hormone composition of the liquor amnii].

PMID- 20289570
TI  - [Folliculin therapy in disturbances of inversion of the uterus after
      parturition].

PMID- 20289571
TI  - [Effect of lengthy periods of administration of estrogen on the thymus gland of
      the female rabbit].

PMID- 20289572
TI  - [Blood transfusion in the control of acute anemia in obstetrics].

PMID- 20289573
TI  - Endocrine allergy; clinical reactions to allergy to endogenous hormones and their
      treatment.

PMID- 20289574
TI  - The use of radiology in predicting difficult labour.

PMID- 20289575
TI  - Head flexion in forceps technique.

PMID- 20289576
TI  - A preliminary report on the pelvic brim index.

PMID- 20289577
TI  - The technique of the lower segment caesarean section.

PMID- 20289578
TI  - Fibroids in pregnancy (an analysis of 122 cases treated in University College
      Hospital, London, from 1934 to 1945).

PMID- 20289579
TI  - A statistical study on the effects of exercises on childbearing.

PMID- 20289580
TI  - Timing of endometrial biopsy.

PMID- 20289581
TI  - Coarctation of the aorta in association with pregnancy (a review of the
      literature with description of a case).

PMID- 20289582
TI  - A case of intersexuality; a clinical and hormonal study.

PMID- 20289583
TI  - A survey of gynaecological surgery.

PMID- 20289584
TI  - What is a physician's duty to society?

PMID- 20289585
TI  - Psychological aspects of jealousy.

PMID- 20289586
TI  - Effective treatment of bronchial asthma.

PMID- 20289587
TI  - New approaches to understanding the alcoholic.

PMID- 20289588
TI  - New approaches to understanding the alcoholic; the thematic apperception test.

PMID- 20289589
TI  - New approaches to understanding of alcoholic; the Rorschach analysis.

PMID- 20289590
TI  - Confessions of a drunkard.

PMID- 20289591
TI  - The work efficiency of the disabled; an analysis of the available reports on the
      job efficiency of physically disabled workers in industry.

PMID- 20289592
TI  - Case records are for use.

PMID- 20289593
TI  - Arthritis.

PMID- 20289594
TI  - Do we really understand a child who has cerebral palsy?

PMID- 20289595
TI  - Employment of persons with certain physical and neuropsychiatric impairments;
      aspects of rehabilitation and employment related to administration of workmen's
      compensation laws.

PMID- 20289596
TI  - Analytic methods in diagnosis.

PMID- 20289597
TI  - Rehabilitation of the limbless; a joint surgical and psychologic study.

PMID- 20289599
TI  - Industrial injuries of the back.

PMID- 20289598
TI  - Fitting the service to the plant.

PMID- 20289600
TI  - Administrative uses of statistical data in development of industrial hygiene
      programs.

PMID- 20289601
TI  - Industrial exposure to lead.

PMID- 20289602
TI  - Chemotherapy of leprosy.

PMID- 20289603
TI  - Injury of nerve elements of the tongue root in lepromatous leprosy.

PMID- 20289604
TI  - A study of the bacilli in tissue cultures of lepromata in serum media.

PMID- 20289605
TI  - The fate of leprosy bacilli in fibroblasts cultivated from macular and
      tuberculoid lesions.

PMID- 20289606
TI  - The fate of leprosy bacilli in fibroblasts cultivated from lepromatous lesions.

PMID- 20289607
TI  - The influence of carbon particles on the development of rat leprosy.

PMID- 20289608
TI  - The question of free bacillary growth in the plasma surrounding lepromatous
      explants during tissue cultivation.

PMID- 20289609
TI  - Attempts to infect chick embryos and chick tissue cultures with bacilli from
      human lepromatous lesions.

PMID- 20289610
TI  - Report of Subcommittee on Classification.

PMID- 20289611
TI  - Quantitative aspects of benzoyl glucuronate formation in normal individuals and
      in patients with liver disorders.

PMID- 20289612
TI  - Excretion of benzoy; glucuronate as a test of liver function.

PMID- 20289613
TI  - A note on studies of hemolysis in paroxysmal (cold) hemoglobinuria.

PMID- 20289614
TI  - Bacillus pyocyaneus infections; a review, report of cases and discussion of newer
      therapy including streptomycin.

PMID- 20289615
TI  - Clinical and laboratory diagnostic criteria of rheumatic fever in children.

PMID- 20289616
TI  - The nephrotic syndrome.

PMID- 20289617
TI  - Coronary artery disease.

PMID- 20289618
TI  - Subcutaneous emphysema in vomiting of pregnancy.

PMID- 20289619
TI  - Immunization against influenza.

PMID- 20289620
TI  - Management of patients with ureteral calculi.

PMID- 20289621
TI  - Poisoning with a preparation of iron, copper, and manganese.

PMID- 20289622
TI  - An outbreak of diphtheria in a highly immunized community.

PMID- 20289623
TI  - Faucial diphtheria among army personnel in Belgium, 1945; an analysis of 122
      cases.

PMID- 20289624
TI  - Penicillin in the treatment of diphtheria.

PMID- 20289625
TI  - A case of mesenteric thrombosis complicating multiple wounds; recovery following
      massive resection.

PMID- 20289626
TI  - A case of dislocation of the metatarso-tarsal joints.

PMID- 20289627
TI  - Arsenical encephalopathy.

PMID- 20289628
TI  - Use of penicillin pastilles.

PMID- 20289629
TI  - Delayed reaction to penicillin.

PMID- 20289630
TI  - Cerebral malaria in Great Britain.

PMID- 20289631
TI  - Retrodisplaced gravid uterus.

PMID- 20289632
TI  - CORNOCK case, an unusually striking and complete instance of conflict of medical
      evidence.

PMID- 20289633
TI  - Renal oedema.

PMID- 20289634
TI  - Causes, theories, classification of cancer.

PMID- 20289635
TI  - Blood transfusion.

PMID- 20289636
TI  - Causes, theories, classification of cancer.

PMID- 20289637
TI  - Blood transfusion; shock.

PMID- 20289638
TI  - Undulant fever.

PMID- 20289639
TI  - Elective perineorrhaphy in the delivery room.

PMID- 20289640
TI  - Carcinoma of the stomach.

PMID- 20289641
TI  - What can the internist do to get more early cases of carcinoma of the stomach to
      the surgeon?

PMID- 20289642
TI  - What does gastroscopy offer in the early diagnosis of cancer of the stomach?

PMID- 20289643
TI  - Problems in the X-ray diagnosis of early cancer.

PMID- 20289644
TI  - Recent advances in surgical treatment of cancer of the upper end of the stomach.

PMID- 20289645
TI  - Radical surgical treatment of gastric cancer.

PMID- 20289647
TI  - Physiological basis for the treatment of intractable asthma.

PMID- 20289646
TI  - Use of the thymol turbidity test as an aid in diagnosis of dysfunctions of the
      liver.

PMID- 20289648
TI  - Management of patients with various types of goiter.

PMID- 20289649
TI  - AEROSOL therapy.

PMID- 20289650
TI  - [Generalized peritonitis due to perforation of a Meckel's diverticulum
      incarcerated in a right femoral hernia].

PMID- 20289651
TI  - A rapid method for the assay of penicillin.

PMID- 20289652
TI  - A casein digest medium for toxin production by Clostridium.

PMID- 20289653
TI  - Yield of botulinum toxin in concentrated media.

PMID- 20289654
TI  - Anophelism and climate in relation to malaria in Manitoba.

PMID- 20289655
TI  - The ambulatory diabetic and the family doctor.

PMID- 20289656
TI  - Lymphadenopathy in association with thiouracil therapy.

PMID- 20289657
TI  - [Generalized hematogenous tuberculous infection involving lungs, peritoneum,
      liver, spleen and possibly the kidneys and pericardium].

PMID- 20289658
TI  - The kidney and kidney function tests; the urea clearance test.

PMID- 20289659
TI  - The operation of Public Law 725, the Hospital Survey and Construction Act.

PMID- 20289660
TI  - Modern influences in medical practice.

PMID- 20289661
TI  - Present status of streptomycin in the treatment of tuberculosis.

PMID- 20289662
TI  - Common anal and rectal problems.

PMID- 20289663
TI  - The clinical use of fluorescein.

PMID- 20289664
TI  - Soft tissue sarcoma; ten years survival following roentgen ray therapy.

PMID- 20289665
TI  - The diagnostic clinic.

PMID- 20289666
TI  - Voluntary medical prepayment plans as they apply to rural communities.

PMID- 20289667
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289668
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289669
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289670
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289671
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289672
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289673
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289674
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289675
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289676
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289677
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289678
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289679
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289681
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289680
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289682
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289683
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289684
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289685
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289686
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289687
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289688
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289689
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289690
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289691
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289692
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289693
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289694
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289695
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289696
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289697
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289698
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289699
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289700
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289701
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289702
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289703
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289705
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289704
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289706
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289707
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289708
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289709
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289711
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289710
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289712
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289713
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289714
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289715
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289716
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289717
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289718
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289719
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289720
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289721
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289722
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289723
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289724
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289725
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289726
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289727
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289728
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289729
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289730
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289731
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289732
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289733
TI  - Medicine in Soviet Russia.

PMID- 20289734
TI  - The study of antimalarials and antimalarial activity in the human malarias.

PMID- 20289735
TI  - Physiopathology and surgical treatment of congenital cardiovascular defects.

PMID- 20289736
TI  - The chemical evolution of vision.

PMID- 20289738
TI  - Radioactivity and Nagasaki.

PMID- 20289737
TI  - Experiments with bacterial viruses (bacteriophages).

PMID- 20289739
TI  - Biological antagonisms between metabolically important compounds and their
      structural analogs.

PMID- 20289740
TI  - Inter-relationships between gonadotrophic and sex hormones.

PMID- 20289741
TI  - Enzymatic reactions in carbohydrate metabolism.

PMID- 20289742
TI  - Studies on the cultivation of the aetiological agent of rabies in vitro and its
      nature.

PMID- 20289743
TI  - Studies on antirabic immunization with culture vaccine.

PMID- 20289744
TI  - Action of penicillin on Mycobacterium leprae muris.

PMID- 20289745
TI  - Serological studies in a case of acute haemorrhagic jaundice.

PMID- 20289747
TI  - Pharmacological action of an active constituent isolated from Vanda roxburghii R.
      Br.

PMID- 20289746
TI  - Complement-fixation reaction between serum-protein and its antibody for medico
      legal purposes; and associated immunological considerations.

PMID- 20289748
TI  - The level of fat intake and the composition of serum lipoids.

PMID- 20289749
TI  - Studies in experimental rickets; the changes in the ionic products of calcium
      phosphates and the serum alkaline phosphatase with the onset, progress and
      healing of rickets.

PMID- 20289750
TI  - The effect of different diets and of iron medication on the nutritional anaemia
      of Indian army recruits.

PMID- 20289751
TI  - Vitamin B1 (thiamin) content of Indian foodstuffs.

PMID- 20289752
TI  - Toxic effects in guinea-pigs of diets containing large proportions on Lathyrus
      sativus.

PMID- 20289754
TI  - Experiments on the transmission of human schistosomiasis in India.

PMID- 20289753
TI  - Studies on some dextrorotatory hydrocupreidine derivatives; comparative
      spermicidal effects on cavy (guinea-pig) sperms.

PMID- 20289755
TI  - A note on the action of heparin on Russell's viper venom.

PMID- 20289756
TI  - A general survey of leprosy.

PMID- 20289758
TI  - Treatment of the diabetic patient.

PMID- 20289757
TI  - Management of asthmatic cases.

PMID- 20289759
TI  - An interesting case of monster weighing 18 pounds.

PMID- 20289760
TI  - Current problems in medical education.

PMID- 20289761
TI  - Hospitals and the health of the people.

PMID- 20289762
TI  - Long term illness in modern society.

PMID- 20289763
TI  - Responsibilities of a medical school to a community.

PMID- 20289764
TI  - Peptic ulcer in the aged.

PMID- 20289765
TI  - Asthma in children; treatment with the radium nasopharygeal applicator.

PMID- 20289766
TI  - Fatal allergic reaction due to influenza vaccine.

PMID- 20289767
TI  - Hospital service in the United States; twenty-sixth annual presentation of
      hospital data by the Council on Medical Education and Hospitals of the American
      Medical American Medical Association.

PMID- 20289768
TI  - MALPRACTICE: physician's liability after payment of compensation award to
      employee [Idaho, 1946].

PMID- 20289769
TI  - Prostatectomy.

PMID- 20289770
TI  - The granulating surface.

PMID- 20289771
TI  - Sarcopticides.

PMID- 20289772
TI  - An unusual case of metrorrhagia at puberty in an unmarried girl.

PMID- 20289773
TI  - Selection of medical students for the Christian Medical College.

PMID- 20289774
TI  - The treatment of burns.

PMID- 20289775
TI  - Cardiospasm.

PMID- 20289776
TI  - Penicillin therapy in a case of facial carbuncle.

PMID- 20289777
TI  - The Christian Medical College, Vellore.

PMID- 20289778
TI  - The present outlook on pathology.

PMID- 20289779
TI  - Discussion of some relationships between endocrinology and legal medicine.

PMID- 20289780
TI  - Cancer control agencies.

PMID- 20289781
TI  - The complications of craniocerebral injuries.

PMID- 20289782
TI  - The significance of changes in the female breast.

PMID- 20289783
TI  - Leukoplakia and carcinoma of the vulva.

PMID- 20289785
TI  - American medicine looks to the future.

PMID- 20289784
TI  - The psychiatric trend in medicine.

PMID- 20289786
TI  - The nurse shortage.

PMID- 20289787
TI  - The action of choline on the blood lipid fractions in cirrhosis of the liver,
      diabetes mellitus and related conditions of disturbed fat metabolism.

PMID- 20289788
TI  - Punch biopsy of the liver.

PMID- 20289789
TI  - Vaginal smear in the diagnosis of gynecologic cancer.

PMID- 20289790
TI  - Physiologic basis for therapeutic trends in neuromuscular dysfunction.

PMID- 20289791
TI  - The diagnosis and treatment of congenital syphilis.

PMID- 20289792
TI  - Psychiatric needs of general hospitals.

PMID- 20289793
TI  - Intracerebellar hemorrhage; a complication in the course of cerebral
      arteriosclerosis.

PMID- 20289794
TI  - Blood transfusion studies; the relationship of hemoglobinemia and of the pH of
      the urine to renal damage produced by injection of hemoglobin solutions into
      dogs.

PMID- 20289795
TI  - The treatment of pernicious and related anemias with synthetic folic acid;
      observations on the maintenance of a normal hematologic status and on the
      occurrence of combined system disease at the end of one year.

PMID- 20289796
TI  - Studies of the distribution of intravenously administered colloidal sols of
      manganese dioxide and gold in human beings and dogs using radioactive isotopes.

PMID- 20289797
TI  - Effect of pregnancy on the complement of guinea pigs.

PMID- 20289798
TI  - Toxicity studies of alpha (4-hydroxy-3,5-diiodo-benzyl-n-butyric acid) and alpha
      (4-hydroxy-3,5-diiodo-benzyl-n-caproic acid): compounds proposed as gall bladder
      contrast agents.

PMID- 20289799
TI  - The microcolorimetric estimation of plasma proteins.

PMID- 20289800
TI  - A pulsating perfusion apparatus.

PMID- 20289801
TI  - Evaluation of vasomotor tone in animals and man by means of the
      tetraethylammonium ion.

PMID- 20289802
TI  - The influence of various diuretics on the urinary sodium of normal pregnant
      women.

PMID- 20289803
TI  - The mercurial diuretics; a comparison of acute cardiac toxicity in animals and
      the effect of ascorbic acid on detoxification in their intravenous
      administration.

PMID- 20289804
TI  - The serum protein fraction responsible for the thymol turbidity test.

PMID- 20289805
TI  - Biopsy of liver in patients with active brucellosis: description of hepatic
      lesions.

PMID- 20289806
TI  - Studies in convalescence following herniorrhaphy; the effect of diet,
      supplements, and ambulation on metabolic changes and on the performance of
      patients as measured by tests of cardiovascular efficiency and muscular fitness.

PMID- 20289807
TI  - Relation between structural and functional alterations of the liver.

PMID- 20289808
TI  - Hepatitis without jaundice in infections mononucleosis.

PMID- 20289809
TI  - The experimental production of jaundice of the direct-reacting type by the
      injection of a preparation of direct-reacting bilirubin.

PMID- 20289810
TI  - The effect of methionine upon the urinary nitrogen in human beings at normal and
      low levels of protein intake.

PMID- 20289811
TI  - Ulcer of the leg due to arteriolosclerosis and ischemia occurring in the presence
      of hypertensive disease (hypertensive-ischemic ulcers); a preliminary report.

PMID- 20289812
TI  - Aortic stenosis; an analysis of 106 proved cases.

PMID- 20289813
TI  - An analysis of immediate mortality in 572 cases of recent myocardial infarction.

PMID- 20289814
TI  - Present status of the therapy of experimental renal hypertension.

PMID- 20289815
TI  - The results of surgery in patent ductus arteriosus.

PMID- 20289816
TI  - Pulmonary arteriovenous fistula with secondary polycythemia occurring in two
      brothers; cure by pneumonectomy.

PMID- 20289817
TI  - The diagnostic value of electrocardiographic patterns based on an assay of 261
      additional autopsied cases.

PMID- 20289818
TI  - Antitularense serum; correlation between protective capacity for white rats and
      precipitable antibody content.

PMID- 20289819
TI  - Evaluation of the treatment of primary pneumococcic pneumonia.

PMID- 20289820
TI  - A study of the action of beta-dimethylaminoethyl benzhydryl ether hydrochloride
      (benadryl) in the skin of human beings.

PMID- 20289821
TI  - The occurrence of combined system disease in persons with pernicious anemia
      during treatment with the Lactobacillus casei factor (folic acid).

PMID- 20289822
TI  - Nonutilization of conjugated folic acid in pernicious anemia.

PMID- 20289823
TI  - Further studies on the utilization of pteroyl hexaglutamyl glutamic acid (vitamin
      Bc conjugate) in pernicious anemia.

PMID- 20289824
TI  - Rutin in purpura.

PMID- 20289825
TI  - The effect of total body X-irradiation on a pre-existing induced anemia.

PMID- 20289826
TI  - On the relation of calcium to the activation of prothrombin and its significance
      in dicumarol poisoning.

PMID- 20289827
TI  - Morphology of bone marrow; imprint and histologic preparation of aspirated
      sternal marrow units.

PMID- 20289828
TI  - The effect of radiation therapy on the nocturnal gastric secretion in patients
      with duodenal ulcer.

PMID- 20289829
TI  - The measurement of human gastric function.

PMID- 20289830
TI  - The effect of enterogastrone on fasting gastric secretion and motility in
      patients with duodenal ulcers.

PMID- 20289832
TI  - The physician and social responsibilities.

PMID- 20289831
TI  - Effects of alloxan upon the human pancreas.

PMID- 20289833
TI  - Treatment of menincococcic meningitis.

PMID- 20289834
TI  - Scabies among the well-washed.

PMID- 20289835
TI  - Maternal mortality; some aspects of its preventability.

PMID- 20289836
TI  - A successful financial plan for group practice.

PMID- 20289837
TI  - The management of strabismus.

PMID- 20289838
TI  - Hypertensive heart disease.

PMID- 20289840
TI  - Varicose veins; observations on management and mismanagement.

PMID- 20289839
TI  - Some clinical disturbances of the endocrine glands.

PMID- 20289841
TI  - Local tonsillectomy.

PMID- 20289842
TI  - New concepts of the causes of asthma.

PMID- 20289843
TI  - Factors influencing nausea and vomiting following intravenous amino acid
      administration.

PMID- 20289844
TI  - Development of asymmetry in the morphogenesis of the amphibian digestive tract.

PMID- 20289845
TI  - Experimental studies of malaria in cold-blooded animals.

PMID- 20289846
TI  - Symposium on fractures.

PMID- 20289847
TI  - Colles fracture.

PMID- 20289848
TI  - Fractures about the elbow joint.

PMID- 20289849
TI  - Fractures of the hip.

PMID- 20289850
TI  - Treatment of simple fractures of the ankle.

PMID- 20289851
TI  - Perforated diverticulum of the sigmoid.

PMID- 20289852
TI  - The ruptured intervertebral disc syndrome; is it an orthopedic or neurosurgical
      problem?

PMID- 20289853
TI  - Unilateral ruptures of the lower cervical intervertebral discs.

PMID- 20289854
TI  - Diagnostic considerations in neurology and psychiatry.

PMID- 20289855
TI  - Inflammatory diseases of the small intestine.

PMID- 20289856
TI  - Ophthalmoscopy as a diagnostic and prognostic aid.

PMID- 20289857
TI  - Some observations on deafness and its treatment.

PMID- 20289859
TI  - Studies on the testes of hypogonadal men.

PMID- 20289858
TI  - Treatment of chronic osteomyelitis.

PMID- 20289860
TI  - Clinical applications of the male sex hormone.

PMID- 20289861
TI  - The diagnosis and treatment of cortical disease.

PMID- 20289862
TI  - Present limitations of pituitary therapy.

PMID- 20289863
TI  - Use of estrogens and progesterone.

PMID- 20289864
TI  - Ante partum bleeding.

PMID- 20289865
TI  - Post operative care of the surgical patient.

PMID- 20289866
TI  - Recent advances in surgery.

PMID- 20289867
TI  - Salt intoxication; accidental ingestion of a large amount of sodium chloride;
      report of a case with autopsy of a two year old infant.

PMID- 20289868
TI  - The kidney and hypertension.

PMID- 20289869
TI  - [Early papillary carcinoma of bladder].

PMID- 20289870
TI  - The chronic sick in hospital; a psychiatric approach.

PMID- 20289871
TI  - Treatment of anuria following intravascular haemolysis.

PMID- 20289872
TI  - Palpable epitrochlear glands; incidence and relation to syphilis.

PMID- 20289873
TI  - Revaccination in adults.

PMID- 20289874
TI  - Sexual inversion; an ethical study.

PMID- 20289875
TI  - Anterior bone graft for recurrent shoulder dislocation.

PMID- 20289876
TI  - General practice tomorrow.

PMID- 20289878
TI  - MICROFILM projectors.

PMID- 20289877
TI  - Lactation.

PMID- 20289879
TI  - The student nurse.

PMID- 20289880
TI  - Lesser circulation of the kidney.

PMID- 20289881
TI  - Death in the fireplace [risks of unscreened fires].

PMID- 20289882
TI  - Compression of median nerve in carpal tunnel.

PMID- 20289883
TI  - Revision of the anatomical curriculum at Birmingham University.

PMID- 20289884
TI  - Ascorbic-acid metabolism of Bantu soldiers.

PMID- 20289885
TI  - Estimation of penicillin in serum; use of glucose, phenol red, and serum water.

PMID- 20289886
TI  - Observations on fibrinolysis; experimental activity produced by exercise or
      adrenaline.

PMID- 20289887
TI  - Ankylosing spondylitis; review of 25 cases.

PMID- 20289888
TI  - Stabilisation of penicillin solutions with sodium citrate.

PMID- 20289889
TI  - Generalised skin sensitivity following local application of acriflavine; report
      of a case.

PMID- 20289890
TI  - A group practice.

PMID- 20289891
TI  - Age and sex distribution of diphtheria in Oldenburg, Germany.

PMID- 20289892
TI  - The student nurse.

PMID- 20289893
TI  - Treatment of tuberculosis.

PMID- 20289894
TI  - Of not smoking.

PMID- 20289895
TI  - The medical school.

PMID- 20289896
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289897
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289898
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289899
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289900
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289901
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20289902
TI  - The management of urinary infections.

PMID- 20289903
TI  - High blood pressure.

PMID- 20289904
TI  - Some observations on vagotomy for peptic ulcer with a discussion of three
      selected cases.

PMID- 20289905
TI  - The indications and value of X-ray examination in obstetrics.

PMID- 20289906
TI  - Ovarian tumor in childhood; report of a case.

PMID- 20289907
TI  - LARYNGEAL tuberculosis.

PMID- 20289908
TI  - Post-tonsillectomy lung abscess.

PMID- 20289909
TI  - An unusual gastric lesion.

PMID- 20289910
TI  - Can we win the peace through science?

PMID- 20289911
TI  - Experience with a series of 450 cases of pilonidal disease at a naval hospital.

PMID- 20289912
TI  - Migraine headache; treatment of 51 patients with dihydroergotamine.

PMID- 20289913
TI  - The treatment of gonorrhea with streptomycin; a preliminary report with cure of
      four cases.

PMID- 20289914
TI  - The role of the pediatrician in poliomyelitis.

PMID- 20289916
TI  - WHAT prepay plans give and get.

PMID- 20289915
TI  - The goal of rehabilitation.

PMID- 20289917
TI  - Calculus disease of the urinary tract.

PMID- 20289918
TI  - Psychiatric aspects of the menopause.

PMID- 20289919
TI  - Vomiting in infancy.

PMID- 20289920
TI  - The diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic sinusitis.

PMID- 20289921
TI  - [Pernicious anemia].

PMID- 20289922
TI  - The functions of a general hospital.

PMID- 20289923
TI  - The surgical management of incomplete abortions.

PMID- 20289924
TI  - Melanoma.

PMID- 20289925
TI  - A new concept in cardiology.

PMID- 20289926
TI  - Obesity and its management; a survey of 671 patients.

PMID- 20289927
TI  - Acute maxillary sinusitis.

PMID- 20289928
TI  - Vitamin E in heart disease; the hypertensive heart.

PMID- 20289929
TI  - Venereal disease rate reduction.

PMID- 20289930
TI  - Minds and movies.

PMID- 20289931
TI  - Problems in gastric surgery.

PMID- 20289932
TI  - Phlegmonous cecitis with a case report.

PMID- 20289933
TI  - Mesentric vascular occlusion.

PMID- 20289934
TI  - A case of oedema of the legs.

PMID- 20289935
TI  - Sir Robert Sibbald.

PMID- 20289936
TI  - Domiciliary obstetrics; the physiology of the puerperium.

PMID- 20289937
TI  - Archibald Pitcairne.

PMID- 20289938
TI  - Objections to socialized medicine.

PMID- 20289939
TI  - Acute intussusception in infancy and childhood; report of 58 cases.

PMID- 20289940
TI  - Financing the establishment of a small hospital.

PMID- 20289942
TI  - Duodenal diverticulum.

PMID- 20289941
TI  - A short commentary on the history of the circulation; modern addenda.

PMID- 20289943
TI  - Office proctology.

PMID- 20289944
TI  - Getting the most from a pathologist.

PMID- 20289945
TI  - Kimmelstiel-Wilson syndrome.

PMID- 20289947
TI  - Adenocarcinoma of the sweat glands with metastases.

PMID- 20289946
TI  - [Pedunculated rhabdomyosarcoma of the right interauricular septum].

PMID- 20289948
TI  - Periarteritis nodosa; treatment with penicillin.

PMID- 20289949
TI  - The treatment of hysteria by narco-hypnosis.

PMID- 20289950
TI  - Surgical management of chronic fistulas of the rectum following penetrating
      wounds.

PMID- 20289951
TI  - Pulmonary decortication for infected organized hemothorax; report of a case.

PMID- 20289952
TI  - Criteria for choledochostomy tube removal.

PMID- 20289953
TI  - Massive gastric hemorrhage due to hemorrhagic gastritis necessitating gastric
      resection; case report.

PMID- 20289954
TI  - The clinical problems of the Rh factor in obstetrics.

PMID- 20289955
TI  - Important considerations in the management of fractures of the hand and the
      fingers.

PMID- 20289956
TI  - A report on the use of cotton as suture material.

PMID- 20289957
TI  - Causes of increased intraocular tension.

PMID- 20289958
TI  - Present day economic trends in medicine.

PMID- 20289959
TI  - Bronchoscopy and esophagoscopy in the diagnosis and treatment of chest pathology.

PMID- 20289960
TI  - Three cases of meningitis treated with penicillin.

PMID- 20289961
TI  - A critical review of health and health plans in the United States.

PMID- 20289962
TI  - Radiation treatment of warts.

PMID- 20289963
TI  - Geriatrics and the general practitioner.

PMID- 20289964
TI  - Thrombosis and its possible prevention.

PMID- 20289965
TI  - Pulmonary tuberculosis, early and differential diagnosis.

PMID- 20289966
TI  - The incidence of pathologically significant tuberculosis in routine necropsies in
      private and public general hospitals.

PMID- 20289967
TI  - The use of the bronchoscope in the diseases of the chest.

PMID- 20289968
TI  - Surgery in diseases of the chest.

PMID- 20289969
TI  - Maternal mortality in Brooklyn for 1945.

PMID- 20289970
TI  - Clinical use of penicillin in otolaryngology.

PMID- 20289971
TI  - Management of renal lithiasis.

PMID- 20289972
TI  - Parenteral nitrogen therapy in surgical nutrition including the use of a mixture
      of pure amino acids.

PMID- 20289973
TI  - Acute exacerbation of a chronic cor pulmonale.

PMID- 20289974
TI  - History of the New Zealand medical services in the war 1939-1945.

PMID- 20289975
TI  - Curare in anaesthesia.

PMID- 20289976
TI  - The control of tuberculosis in New Zealand.

PMID- 20289977
TI  - Some social factors in relation to tuberculosis.

PMID- 20289978
TI  - MANTOUX testing of nurses; report on standardised technique and interpretation.

PMID- 20289979
TI  - Ligation of the patent ductus arteriosus complicated by subacute bacterial
      endarteritis; case report.

PMID- 20289980
TI  - Benign lymphocytic meningitis; a report of two cases with reduction of chlorides
      in the cerebrospinal fluid.

PMID- 20289981
TI  - The intervertebral disc and low backache.

PMID- 20289982
TI  - Widespread surgical emphysema.

PMID- 20289983
TI  - Congenital malformation of the vagina.

PMID- 20289984
TI  - Blood substitutes and parenteral fluids; derivation and their relative values.

PMID- 20289985
TI  - The use and abuse of blood substitutes and parenteral fluids in general surgery.

PMID- 20289986
TI  - Blood substitutes and parenteral fluids in gynecology and obstetrics.

PMID- 20289987
TI  - Blood substitutes and parenteral fluids.

PMID- 20289988
TI  - Blood substitutes and parenteral fluids; use and abuse in internal medicine.

PMID- 20289989
TI  - The diagnosis and management of tinea capitis.

PMID- 20289990
TI  - The management of myocardial infarction.

PMID- 20289991
TI  - The treatment of congestive heart failure.

PMID- 20289992
TI  - Treatment of cardiac failure with the rice diet; history of a patient with
      myocardial aneurysm.

PMID- 20289993
TI  - A basis for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

PMID- 20289994
TI  - The treatment of psychogenic headaches.

PMID- 20289995
TI  - The recognition and management of subarachnoid hemorrhage.

PMID- 20289996
TI  - The treatment of the chronic convulsive disorders.

PMID- 20289997
TI  - Modern concepts of the treatment of peptic ulcer.

PMID- 20289998
TI  - The treatment of anemia.

PMID- 20289999
TI  - The treatment of diabetic acidosis.

PMID- 20290000
TI  - The prescribing of diets in the treatment of diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 20290001
TI  - Some common forms of overtreatment.

PMID- 20290002
TI  - The significance of hypersensitivity in diagnostic tests and in the therapy of
      infectious diseases.

PMID- 20290003
TI  - Desensitization in the treatment of asthma.

PMID- 20290004
TI  - Penicillin aerosol therapy.

PMID- 20290005
TI  - New horizons in drug therapy.

PMID- 20290006
TI  - Induction of premature labor.

PMID- 20290007
TI  - The sequelae of closed head injuries; evaluation, treatment and prognostic
      considerations.

PMID- 20290008
TI  - Some thoughts on abortion.

PMID- 20290009
TI  - Aerosol penicillin in upper respiratory infections in general practice.

PMID- 20290010
TI  - Von Jaksch's syndrome in congenital syphilis.

PMID- 20290011
TI  - The penicillin treatment of gonorrhea in the female; a study of the time-dose
      ratio.

PMID- 20290012
TI  - Recent research in allergy.

PMID- 20290013
TI  - The present status of cancer research.

PMID- 20290014
TI  - Subarachnoid hemorrhage.

PMID- 20290015
TI  - The relationship of gynecology to obstetrics.

PMID- 20290016
TI  - Evaluation of the treatment of primary penumococcic pneumonia.

PMID- 20290017
TI  - The prevention of rheumatic fever in children by the use of sulfonamides.

PMID- 20290018
TI  - THE BISHOP OF LONDON. Morals and sex; a Christian view.

PMID- 20290019
TI  - The role of marriage guidance.

PMID- 20290020
TI  - The problem of sterility; its investigation and treatment.

PMID- 20290021
TI  - The causation and treatment of impotence.

PMID- 20290022
TI  - Disorders of sex as a manifestation of endocrine abnormalities.

PMID- 20290023
TI  - The adrenals in sex.

PMID- 20290024
TI  - The problems of adolescence.

PMID- 20290025
TI  - The child and sex.

PMID- 20290026
TI  - Prostitution.

PMID- 20290027
TI  - Sexual perversions and their treatment.

PMID- 20290028
TI  - Legal aspects of artificial insemination.

PMID- 20290029
TI  - Pain in disease of the nervous system.

PMID- 20290030
TI  - Anticoagulants.

PMID- 20290031
TI  - Psoriasis; etiology and treatment.

PMID- 20290032
TI  - Diuretics.

PMID- 20290033
TI  - Addison's disease, a diagnostic problem; report of a case.

PMID- 20290034
TI  - Heterotopic pancreatic tissue, clinically significant, in the gastric wall of a
      boy six years of age.

PMID- 20290035
TI  - Curare in the treatment of poliomyelitis.

PMID- 20290036
TI  - Recurring hematocolpometra associated with carcinoma treated by partial
      hysterectomy; report of case.

PMID- 20290038
TI  - Vasomotor rhinitis medicamentosa viewed histologically.

PMID- 20290037
TI  - Mycotic aneurysm of the posterior tibial artery complicating subacute bacterial
      endocarditis; antemortem diagnosis confirmed by instrumental means.

PMID- 20290039
TI  - Perforating ovarian cystic teratomas; report of an unusual case.

PMID- 20290040
TI  - Rehabilitation of the deafened.

PMID- 20290041
TI  - Methods of bringing and holding doctors in rural areas.

PMID- 20290042
TI  - Carcinoma of the jejunum.

PMID- 20290043
TI  - Congo red in myasthenia gravis.

PMID- 20290044
TI  - The pharmacology of a series of new sympatholytic agents.

PMID- 20290045
TI  - The roentgen examination of the sphenoidal fissures.

PMID- 20290046
TI  - Repairing bone defects in cranium and tibia.

PMID- 20290047
TI  - Technical considerations in adequate transurethral prostatic resection.

PMID- 20290048
TI  - Diverticulosis coli with coexisting carcinoma of the rectosigmoid; a report of
      two cases.

PMID- 20290049
TI  - Fractures of the pelvis; study of end results.

PMID- 20290050
TI  - Abortion treated conservatively; a 12-year study covering 3,739 cases.

PMID- 20290051
TI  - Some effects of posture on patients during and after operation.

PMID- 20290052
TI  - Present evaluation of the response of prostatic cancer to hormone therapy.

PMID- 20290053
TI  - Lack of response to insulin; report of a patient treated with five thousand units
      per twenty-four hours.

PMID- 20290054
TI  - Acute hepatitis in children; clinical features and laboratory tests.

PMID- 20290055
TI  - Narcosynthesis in civilian practice.

PMID- 20290056
TI  - The physician and the psoriatic.

PMID- 20290057
TI  - Malaria; practical aspects in management.

PMID- 20290058
TI  - A study to determine likely precursors of gastric cancer.

PMID- 20290059
TI  - Folic acid.

PMID- 20290060
TI  - The treatment for temporary renal insufficiency.

PMID- 20290061
TI  - Premature closure of the cranial sutures.

PMID- 20290062
TI  - Vitamin D2 in the treatment of cutaneous tuberculosis.

PMID- 20290063
TI  - Acute poliomyelitis in children.

PMID- 20290064
TI  - Moniliasis.

PMID- 20290065
TI  - Epidemiology of poliomyelitis, 1946, in Minnesota.

PMID- 20290066
TI  - The role of the out-patient department in medical education.

PMID- 20290067
TI  - Radiation therapy of pituitary tumors.

PMID- 20290069
TI  - Unilateral exophthalmos.

PMID- 20290068
TI  - Results of surgery and radiation for carcinoma of the breast with axillary
      metastasis.

PMID- 20290070
TI  - Intravenous infusion in surgical practice.

PMID- 20290071
TI  - A review of the lupus problem.

PMID- 20290072
TI  - THE cell theory in the history of biology.

PMID- 20290073
TI  - Medicine in Shakespearean drama.

PMID- 20290074
TI  - Government documents in medical bibliography.

PMID- 20290075
TI  - Medical service second to none.

PMID- 20290077
TI  - Occiput posterior and its treatment.

PMID- 20290078
TI  - Para-aminobenzoic acid in the treatment of Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

PMID- 20290076
TI  - The selection of an obstetric forceps to suit the case.

PMID- 20290079
TI  - Juvenile rheumatic fever.

PMID- 20290080
TI  - Dissimulation in schizophrenic psychoses.

PMID- 20290081
TI  - Do bony spurs cause pain?

PMID- 20290082
TI  - Renal neoplasms; a review of 48 cases.

PMID- 20290083
TI  - Herniation and exstrophy of the ileum in the newborn incidental to adherent
      Meckel's diverticulum in the umbilical area; case report.

PMID- 20290084
TI  - Preventive ophthalmology.

PMID- 20290085
TI  - Cooperation of medical profession in vocational rehabilitation program.

PMID- 20290086
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290087
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290088
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290089
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290090
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290091
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290092
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290093
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290094
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290096
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290095
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290098
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290097
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290099
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290100
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290101
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290102
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290103
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290104
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290105
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290106
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290107
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290108
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290109
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290110
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290111
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290112
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290113
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290114
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290115
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290116
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290117
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290118
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290119
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290120
TI  - [Work among warblinded at B-base hospital].

PMID- 20290121
TI  - [Amputation stumps of fingers and prostheses].

PMID- 20290122
TI  - [On the problem of handling a foot prosthesis].

PMID- 20290123
TI  - [Osteomyelitis in war stumps].

PMID- 20290124
TI  - [Osteomyelitis in gunshot injuries of the foot].

PMID- 20290125
TI  - [Balneotherapy of war injuries].

PMID- 20290126
TI  - [Tibial osteoplasty in tissues known to be infected].

PMID- 20290127
TI  - [Wounds of the penis].

PMID- 20290128
TI  - [Use of the foreskin for flaps in reconstructive surgery].

PMID- 20290129
TI  - [War phlegmon].

PMID- 20290130
TI  - [Fate of traumatic hemorrhages].

PMID- 20290131
TI  - [Mortality in somatic diseases according to materials of the Chkakov Base
      Hospital throughout the war].

PMID- 20290132
TI  - [Brief analysis of the work of the hospital department of blood transfusion].

PMID- 20290133
TI  - [News in X-ray therapy of skin diseases].

PMID- 20290134
TI  - [Quantitative determination of albumin in urine].

PMID- 20290135
TI  - [A stand for blood transfusion and intravenous administration of various
      solutions].

PMID- 20290137
TI  - HOSPITAL mess.

PMID- 20290136
TI  - BACTERIOLOGY of dishwashing; laboratory examination of eating and drinking
      utensils.

PMID- 20290138
TI  - Adaptation of filtrable viruses to different host species and different tissues.

PMID- 20290139
TI  - Some of the medical accomplishments in New York, New Jersey, and Delaware during
      World War II with particular reference to Metropolitan New York.

PMID- 20290140
TI  - The evacuation of sick and non-effective wounded in amphibious warfare.

PMID- 20290141
TI  - Naval research in oral pathology.

PMID- 20290142
TI  - The effect of high altitude on oral tissues.

PMID- 20290143
TI  - The medical rehabilitation program of the Veterans Administration.

PMID- 20290144
TI  - Formation vertigo; oculovestibulo disorientation in formation flying.

PMID- 20290145
TI  - Nursing under fire.

PMID- 20290146
TI  - Relation, historical and surgical, of the expedition of the Army of Orient, in
      Egypt and in Syria [transl. Rose Alexander].

PMID- 20290147
TI  - PRISONERS of war evacuated from Kyushu.

PMID- 20290148
TI  - TUBERCULOSIS since 1912.

PMID- 20290149
TI  - DISEASES of the nervous system.

PMID- 20290150
TI  - FACTORS influencing the incidence of tuberculosis.

PMID- 20290151
TI  - REACTIONS to typhoid prophylaxis.

PMID- 20290152
TI  - DENTAL care in the Navy.

PMID- 20290153
TI  - AMPUTEES in World War II.

PMID- 20290154
TI  - USE of graphic charts in medical statistics.

PMID- 20290155
TI  - DISEASES of the eye and adnexa.

PMID- 20290156
TI  - Thiamin in Manitoba vegetables.

PMID- 20290157
TI  - A variation of the termite Coptotermes lacteus Frogg, from New Zealand.

PMID- 20290158
TI  - Some minor constituents of pig back fat.

PMID- 20290160
TI  - Note on tyroglyphid mite species on cheese in New Zealand.

PMID- 20290159
TI  - Alkaloids of the leguminosae; alkaloids of Genista aethnensis DC.

PMID- 20290161
TI  - Developmental anatomy of seedling of Jatropha cordata.

PMID- 20290162
TI  - Consciousness in dream and in hypnotic state.

PMID- 20290164
TI  - The treatment of psychopaths and borderline patients.

PMID- 20290163
TI  - Otto Weininger and bisexuality; a psychoanalytic study.

PMID- 20290165
TI  - Psychotherapeutic value of books in the treatment and prevention of juvenile
      delinquency.

PMID- 20290167
TI  - The need for research in mental disease.

PMID- 20290166
TI  - A rare case of sadomasochism.

PMID- 20290168
TI  - Scientific capital and the dividends of applied science.

PMID- 20290169
TI  - Practical value of convulsive shock therapy research.

PMID- 20290170
TI  - The need for research in mental deficiency.

PMID- 20290171
TI  - The practical value of research in the psychoses of later life.

PMID- 20290172
TI  - Practical aspects of research in epilepsy.

PMID- 20290173
TI  - [FIFTY years of the scientific work of Victor Petrovich Osipov].

PMID- 20290174
TI  - [Employment of clauses 1-9 of the statute concerning fitness for military
      service].

PMID- 20290175
TI  - [Experimental investigations of mental operations after the method of restoration
      of deformed texts of patients with manic-depressive psychosis].

PMID- 20290176
TI  - [Syndrome of hypopathy].

PMID- 20290177
TI  - [Analysis of the mechanism of development of post-contusional conditions].

PMID- 20290178
TI  - [Biological peculiarities in the blood of patients with manic-depressive
      psychosis during the maniacal and the depressive phases].

PMID- 20290179
TI  - [Difficulties in diagnosis of purulent complications in penetrating injuries of
      the brain].

PMID- 20290180
TI  - [Electroencephalography in Great Britain during the war].

PMID- 20290181
TI  - [Functional asynapsia].

PMID- 20290182
TI  - [Theory of eserine therapy in organic diseases of the central nervous system].

PMID- 20290183
TI  - [Effect of eserine in syringomyelia].

PMID- 20290184
TI  - [Eserine therapy in residual paralyses following tick encephalitis].

PMID- 20290185
TI  - [Cutaneous vascular reactions in injuries of the peripheral nerves].

PMID- 20290186
TI  - [Fifty years anniversary of Babin ski's symptom].

PMID- 20290187
TI  - [Functional peculiarities of the cerebellum in the light of encephalography].

PMID- 20290188
TI  - What do we psychiatric social workers think is the matter with us?

PMID- 20290189
TI  - Some considerations on the selection of patients for group treatment in a
      convalescent clinic.

PMID- 20290191
TI  - A psychiatric social casework orientation to therapy.

PMID- 20290190
TI  - The psychiatric social worker in a veterans service center.

PMID- 20290192
TI  - Current developments in case work in the family field as they relate to
      psychiatry.

PMID- 20290193
TI  - Ego strengths and therapy.

PMID- 20290194
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290195
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290196
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290197
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290198
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290199
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290200
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290201
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290202
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290203
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290204
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290205
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290206
TI  - Teething; a natural process.

PMID- 20290207
TI  - Tuberculous epiphysitis.

PMID- 20290208
TI  - Nursing problems of morphia addicts.

PMID- 20290209
TI  - Breech presentations.

PMID- 20290210
TI  - Treatment of compound fractured femur, as carried out at R.A.F. base hospital.

PMID- 20290211
TI  - Transverse lie and twins.

PMID- 20290212
TI  - Acidosis and cyclical vomiting.

PMID- 20290213
TI  - Acute inversion of the uterus; surgical treatment by fluid pressure.

PMID- 20290214
TI  - Moulds, fungi, and medicine.

PMID- 20290215
TI  - Hernia, types and their treatment.

PMID- 20290216
TI  - Amputation of leg of elderly woman under refrigeration anaesthesia.

PMID- 20290217
TI  - What to teach in home-making training.

PMID- 20290219
TI  - Standardisation of insulin by the use of rabbits.

PMID- 20290218
TI  - Sedatives, analgesics and stimulants used in labour.

PMID- 20290220
TI  - Sterility and subfertility.

PMID- 20290221
TI  - Hernia; its types and treatment.

PMID- 20290222
TI  - Mission hospital, an account of the work of an Indian missionary hospital.

PMID- 20290223
TI  - Asphyxia and birth injury.

PMID- 20290224
TI  - Hirschsprung's disease.

PMID- 20290225
TI  - Abdominal tuberculosis.

PMID- 20290226
TI  - Streptomycin; an assessment of its therapeutic value today.

PMID- 20290227
TI  - Abdominal tuberculosis.

PMID- 20290229
TI  - Artificial feeding and weaning.

PMID- 20290228
TI  - The risks to the child during labour; other contributing causes.

PMID- 20290230
TI  - Anxious parents and problem children.

PMID- 20290231
TI  - Transthoracic partial oesophago-gastrectomy; the pre-operative and post-operative
      treatment.

PMID- 20290232
TI  - Infant feeding; difficulties.

PMID- 20290233
TI  - Report on survey of optical aids for subnormal vision.

PMID- 20290234
TI  - Causes of early loss of light output of fluorescent lamps.

PMID- 20290235
TI  - Polanret microscopy.

PMID- 20290236
TI  - The hardening of ophthalmic lenses.

PMID- 20290237
TI  - The relation of the length of a border to its visibility.

PMID- 20290238
TI  - Size, shape, and contrast in the daytime detection of targets.

PMID- 20290239
TI  - A new galvanometer for radiometric measurements at low frequencies.

PMID- 20290240
TI  - Color adaptations to stimuli of different spectral composition but equal I. C. I.
      specification.

PMID- 20290241
TI  - Lens design and tolerance analysis methods and results.

PMID- 20290242
TI  - Use of incompletely consumed samples to illustrate effect of fractional
      distillation in carbon arc spectrochemical analyses.

PMID- 20290243
TI  - Visual thresholds of steady point sources of light in fields of brightness from
      dark to daylight.

PMID- 20290244
TI  - [Methods of tissue therapy; treatment with biogenous stimulators].

PMID- 20290246
TI  - [Tissular treatment of traumatic iridocyclitis after Filatov's method].

PMID- 20290245
TI  - [Treatment of pigmentary retinitis with autoclaved extract of aloes].

PMID- 20290247
TI  - [Tissular therapy of traumatic changes of the vitreous in war medicine].

PMID- 20290248
TI  - [Tissular therapy of atrophy of the optic nerve].

PMID- 20290249
TI  - [Tissular therapy of contusional changes of the eye fundus with perforation
      defects of the macula lutea].

PMID- 20290250
TI  - [Denig's operation and transplantation of conserved tissues after Filatov; method
      in treatment of pannus trachomatosus].

PMID- 20290251
TI  - [Tissular therapy after the data of the Eye Clinic of the First Moscow Lenin's
      Order Medical Institute].

PMID- 20290252
TI  - [Perspective of optical transplantation of the cornea].

PMID- 20290253
TI  - [Preservation of the sensitivity of a wall-eye as a condition for the hyaline
      implantation in corneal plastic surgery].

PMID- 20290254
TI  - [Transplantation of the cornea in wall-eyes in soldiers].

PMID- 20290255
TI  - [Biological index to 124 operations of optical transplantation of the cornea].

PMID- 20290256
TI  - [Preparation of cadres of physician-oculists].

PMID- 20290257
TI  - [Tasks in the ophthalmological preparation of physicians in our universities].

PMID- 20290258
TI  - [Penicillin therapy in ophthalmology].

PMID- 20290259
TI  - [Use of penicillin in ophthalmology].

PMID- 20290260
TI  - [Treatment of blennogonorrhea in newborn].

PMID- 20290261
TI  - [Treatment of corneal ulcers with sulfidine].

PMID- 20290262
TI  - [Treatment of septic diseases of the eyes and of the cranium contents by
      infusions of sulfonamides through the cavernous bodies of the lower conchae
      nasales].

PMID- 20290263
TI  - [Use of both sulfidine and sulfazol in ophthalmology].

PMID- 20290264
TI  - [Experimental administration of vitamin K in intraocular hemorrhage].

PMID- 20290265
TI  - [Synthetic arecoline of Russian origin].

PMID- 20290266
TI  - [Bismuth-oil preparations in ophthalmology].

PMID- 20290267
TI  - [Use of jebalite in ophthalmology].

PMID- 20290268
TI  - [Use of ether in corneal ulcer].

PMID- 20290269
TI  - Sluchai khondromy orbity. [Chondroma of the orbit; case].

PMID- 20290270
TI  - [Hyperplasia of the iris; case].

PMID- 20290271
TI  - Congenital cysts of the tongue, the floor of the mouth, the pharynx and the
      larynx.

PMID- 20290272
TI  - The junction of the nasal cavity and the pharyngeal tube in the rat.

PMID- 20290273
TI  - Streptomycin used in the treatment of supurative otitis media; a preliminary
      report.

PMID- 20290274
TI  - Measurement of the overflow capacity of the maxillary sinus and its significance.

PMID- 20290275
TI  - Role of columellar and septocolumellar sutures in rhinoplasty.

PMID- 20290276
TI  - Dental treatment of trismus, tinnitus, otalgia and obscure neuralgias.

PMID- 20290277
TI  - Correction of prominent ears.

PMID- 20290278
TI  - An acrylic obturator employed in the repair of an obstructed frontonasal duct.

PMID- 20290279
TI  - Otosclerosis; an index of the literature, with abstracts, for 1944-1945.

PMID- 20290280
TI  - Peroral endoscopy.

PMID- 20290282
TI  - The beginnings of a methodology for social control studies in public address.

PMID- 20290281
TI  - A century and a third of speech training at Hamilton College.

PMID- 20290283
TI  - Speech in a communication course.

PMID- 20290284
TI  - Oregon's speech improvement and rehabilitation program.

PMID- 20290285
TI  - The state of speech correction.

PMID- 20290286
TI  - The relation between training and teaching activities of college teachers of
      speech.

PMID- 20290287
TI  - Speech in an orientation course for the ninth grade.

PMID- 20290288
TI  - Some suggested units on voice and articulation for secondary schools.

PMID- 20290289
TI  - [Questions concerning the treatment of war disabled with sequels of ORL lesions
      and ORL contusions in Russian hospitals].

PMID- 20290290
TI  - K organizacii oto-laringologicheskogo hospitalia Mosgorzdravotdela invalidov
      otechestsvennoi voiny. [Organization of the ORL hospital in Moscow].

PMID- 20290291
TI  - [Statistics of ORL injuries in the war].

PMID- 20290292
TI  - Sredinno e sechenie miagkogo neba pri operaciiakh v nosoglotke. [Median section
      of the soft palate in operations on the nasopharynx].

PMID- 20290293
TI  - [Radical ear operations].

PMID- 20290294
TI  - [Conservative radical operation of the ear after Voyachek and postoperative
      treatment by insufflation with white streptocide].

PMID- 20290295
TI  - [Petrositis of gunshot origin].

PMID- 20290296
TI  - [Histopathological deformations in internal ear of animals in chronic purulent
      inflammation of cavum tympani].

PMID- 20290297
TI  - [Experimental endonasal blood transfusion].

PMID- 20290298
TI  - [Tumor-like form of scleroma with malignant course].

PMID- 20290299
TI  - [Metastasis of a hypernephroid cancer into antrum].

PMID- 20290300
TI  - [Kharkhov ORL schools].

PMID- 20290301
TI  - The influence of chemical constitution on toxicity; a general survey of the
      acridine series.

PMID- 20290302
TI  - The precision of plasma volume determinations by the Evans blue method.

PMID- 20290303
TI  - Anticollagenase in immunity to Cl. welchii type A infection.

PMID- 20290304
TI  - An antibiotic from Penicillium tardum.

PMID- 20290305
TI  - Antibiotics from Stereum hirsutum.

PMID- 20290306
TI  - Studies on experimental goitre; thyroid tumours in rats treated with thiourea.

PMID- 20290307
TI  - Investigation into the production of bacteriostatic substances by fungi;
      preliminary examination of the sixth 100 species, more basidiomycetes of the wood
      destroying type.

PMID- 20290308
TI  - The role of coagulase in staphylococcal infections.

PMID- 20290309
TI  - Pathogenesis of passive Rh isosensitization in the newborn (erythroblastosis
      fetalis).

PMID- 20290310
TI  - Pathogenesis of mongolism.

PMID- 20290311
TI  - Blood pressure of normal girls from three to sixteen years of age.

PMID- 20290312
TI  - Alexander's rabbit serum in the treatment of influenzal meningitis; an evaluation
      of its use in conjunction with sulfonamide compounds.

PMID- 20290313
TI  - Xanthoma tuberosum, aortic stenosis, coronary sclerosis and angina pectoris;
      report of a case in a boy 13 years of age.

PMID- 20290314
TI  - Pyloric stenosis in twins; review of the literature and report of a case.

PMID- 20290315
TI  - Absence of bowel movements from birth [intestine, atresia].

PMID- 20290316
TI  - Pains in the joints, stomach-ache [hyperparathyroidism].

PMID- 20290317
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290318
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290320
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290319
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290321
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290322
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290323
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290324
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290325
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290326
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290327
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290328
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290329
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290330
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290331
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290332
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290333
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290334
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290335
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290337
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290336
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290338
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290340
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290339
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290341
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290342
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290343
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290344
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290345
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290346
TI  - Effects of maternal under nutrition upon the newborn infant in Holland (1944
      1945).

PMID- 20290347
TI  - Infantile mortality in Budapest in the year 1945; as reflected by the material of
      the children's clinic of the university.

PMID- 20290348
TI  - Children born during the siege of Leningrad in 1942.

PMID- 20290349
TI  - Airblock in the newborn infant.

PMID- 20290350
TI  - Sulfadiazine prophylaxis in children and adolescents with inactive rheumatic
      fever.

PMID- 20290351
TI  - The cardiopathy of sickle cell anemia and its differentiation from rheumatic
      carditis.

PMID- 20290352
TI  - Factors in the etiology of congenital heart anomalies.

PMID- 20290353
TI  - Dacryostenosis.

PMID- 20290354
TI  - Intestinal obstruction of the newborn; a report of five patients successfully
      relieved by surgery.

PMID- 20290355
TI  - General anesthesia in the difficult pedodontic patient.

PMID- 20290356
TI  - Reaction in tibia following intramedullary administration of fluids.

PMID- 20290357
TI  - Meningitis complicating cephalhematoma.

PMID- 20290358
TI  - Some aspects of the medical profession in Sweden.

PMID- 20290359
TI  - Thiouracil in childhood hyperthyroidism.

PMID- 20290360
TI  - Infectious hepatitis in childhood; a report of two institutional outbreaks and a
      comparison of the disease in adults and children.

PMID- 20290361
TI  - Hypercalcemia and idiopathic hyperplasia of the parathyroid glands in an infant.

PMID- 20290362
TI  - Bone marrow infusion in childhood; experiences from a thousand infusions.

PMID- 20290363
TI  - The estimation of extracellular and total body water in the newborn human infant
      with radioactive sodium and deuterium oxide.

PMID- 20290364
TI  - Renal glycosuria associated with pentosuria.

PMID- 20290365
TI  - Poisoning due to ingestion of wax crayons; report of a case.

PMID- 20290366
TI  - Double aortic arch.

PMID- 20290367
TI  - Acute meningococcemia.

PMID- 20290368
TI  - The comparative effect of parenteral administration of single massive doses of
      vitamin D in an oil-ether vehicle.

PMID- 20290369
TI  - Capillary fragility and menses in rheumatic girls.

PMID- 20290370
TI  - Meningitis due to Salmonelia manhattan.

PMID- 20290371
TI  - Hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy.

PMID- 20290372
TI  - Fatal sickle cell anemia in a one-month old infant.

PMID- 20290373
TI  - Encephalitis associated with herpes zoster.

PMID- 20290374
TI  - Compulsory prepaid medical care.

PMID- 20290375
TI  - [Our tasks in the five-year plan 1946-1950].

PMID- 20290376
TI  - [Kidneys and urinary tract in pyuria in children].

PMID- 20290377
TI  - [Contribution to formation and destruction of erythrocytes in children's
      dystrophia].

PMID- 20290378
TI  - [Determination of vitamine C activity in human milk].

PMID- 20290379
TI  - [Alimentary-toxic aleukia (septic angina) in children].

PMID- 20290380
TI  - [Exposure of the nerve centers for the treatment of pathological conditions in
      children].

PMID- 20290381
TI  - [Treatment of diphtheria with peracetine].

PMID- 20290382
TI  - [Physical development and state of children's health during the years of the
      war].

PMID- 20290383
TI  - [Etiology and dietetics of nephritis in children].

PMID- 20290384
TI  - [Tasks next in turn in child health].

PMID- 20290385
TI  - [Outline of treatment in children's sanatoriums in Eupatoria seaside resort].

PMID- 20290386
TI  - [Experimental work of a tuberculosis unit in a kindergarten in wartime].

PMID- 20290387
TI  - [Use of disulfane in bacillary dysentery in children].

PMID- 20290388
TI  - [Perforation of the intestine in newborns and its pathogenesis].

PMID- 20290389
TI  - A study of child health services.

PMID- 20290390
TI  - [Parenteral infusion of proteinogenic substances which stimulate activity].

PMID- 20290391
TI  - [Role of the sympathetic nervous system in the changes of subordinational
      conditions in the central nervous system under the action of morphine].

PMID- 20290393
TI  - [Pharmacology of sulfanylcyanamide].

PMID- 20290392
TI  - [Pharmacology of sulfadiazine].

PMID- 20290394
TI  - [Relation of chemical structure to pharmacological action in derivatives of
      pyrimidazole].

PMID- 20290395
TI  - [Toxicity of sovcaine and its diminution under preliminary administration of
      glucose].

PMID- 20290396
TI  - [Action of folinerine on diuresis].

PMID- 20290397
TI  - [Detection of sulfurated hydrogen in the blood of poisoned animals].

PMID- 20290398
TI  - [Adsorption of sulfurous gas in respiratory tract].

PMID- 20290400
TI  - [Further development of medical industry].

PMID- 20290399
TI  - [Mixed and combined effects of certain barbiturates (medinal and hexenal), with
      chloroform, ether, and alcohol on the isolated heart of the frog].

PMID- 20290401
TI  - [Pharmacy in the first postwar five-year plan].

PMID- 20290402
TI  - [Organization of drug supply to rural and regional dispensaries].

PMID- 20290403
TI  - [Drug supply to Leningrad during the war].

PMID- 20290404
TI  - [Methylcaffeine].

PMID- 20290405
TI  - [Obtaining medicinal preparations from the fruits of Carum ajovan].

PMID- 20290406
TI  - [Obtaining both Glauber's and Epsom salts from astrakhanite].

PMID- 20290407
TI  - [Aminometric titrating of alkaloids].

PMID- 20290408
TI  - [Alkalimetric method of determination of sulfidine].

PMID- 20290409
TI  - [Season for gathering spring Adonis].

PMID- 20290410
TI  - [Galenicals in the new editions of Pharmacopeia XII and National Formulary VII of
      USA].

PMID- 20290411
TI  - [Let us secure uninterrupted drug supply to the population].

PMID- 20290412
TI  - [Pharmacy and drug industry for the 25 years of Soviet Government in Azerbaijan].

PMID- 20290413
TI  - [Qualitative semi-microchemical analysis].

PMID- 20290414
TI  - [Vacuum method of dispersion and its practical applications].

PMID- 20290415
TI  - [Filtration and percolation of solution of potassium hypermanganicum and silver
      nitrate].

PMID- 20290416
TI  - [Quantitative determination of sulfidine as silver salt].

PMID- 20290417
TI  - [Dry aqueous extraction of medicinal plants].

PMID- 20290418
TI  - [New hemostatic agent from male flowers of maize and mechanism of its effect].

PMID- 20290419
TI  - [Strepturin].

PMID- 20290420
TI  - [Substitution of mint tincture in stomachic drops with tincture of Coriandrum].

PMID- 20290421
TI  - [Nomenclature of drugs].

PMID- 20290422
TI  - The toxicity and analgetic potency of salicylamide and certain of its derivatives
      as compared with established analgetic-antipyretic drugs.

PMID- 20290423
TI  - Glucuronic acid excretion after diethylene glycol monoethyl ether (carbitol) and
      some other glycols.

PMID- 20290424
TI  - A comparison of the bronchodilator activity of benadryl with some of its
      derivatives and certain other substances.

PMID- 20290425
TI  - Anesthesia; the effect of cholesterol on pentothal and ether anesthesia.

PMID- 20290426
TI  - A toxicologic study of two histamine antagonists of the benzhydryl alkamine ether
      group.

PMID- 20290427
TI  - Comparative activity of various antihistaminic substances towards the
      vasodepressor response to histamine.

PMID- 20290429
TI  - Circulatory properties of iso-thioureas, guanidines, iso-ureas and amidines.

PMID- 20290428
TI  - Pharmacological properties of antihistamine drugs, benadryl, pyribenzamine and
      neoantergan.

PMID- 20290430
TI  - The pharmacology of benzyl-imidazoline (Priscol).

PMID- 20290431
TI  - Factors influencing the toxicity of sympathomimetic amines to solitary mice.

PMID- 20290432
TI  - [Career of Aleksandr Vasil'evich Leontovich].

PMID- 20290433
TI  - [Experimental neurosis due to emotional shock].

PMID- 20290434
TI  - [Effect of low air pressures on visual after images].

PMID- 20290435
TI  - [Duplex nature of motor excitations in the central nervous system].

PMID- 20290436
TI  - [Problem of irradiation of excitations from the respiratory center over the
      central nervous system; respiratory contractions of the extremity muscles].

PMID- 20290437
TI  - [Effect produced on the permeability of the uveal tract vessels by stimulation of
      the cerebellum].

PMID- 20290438
TI  - [Current problems of neurophysiology].

PMID- 20290439
TI  - [Changes in motor chronaxia in infants during sleep; at age of 2 weeks to 2
      months].

PMID- 20290441
TI  - [Possibility of inducing a single tetanized contraction of a neuromuscular
      preparation under normal physiological conditions].

PMID- 20290440
TI  - [Changes in motor chronaxia in infants during sleep; at age of one to ten days].

PMID- 20290442
TI  - [Biological activity of the thyroid gland and of the anterior lobe of the
      hypophysis].

PMID- 20290443
TI  - [Specific dynamic action of proteins at high altitudes].

PMID- 20290444
TI  - [Experimental food regimen for high altitude climate].

PMID- 20290445
TI  - [History of ideas concerning function of the pituitary].

PMID- 20290446
TI  - Symposium on personality; reply to criticisms and conclusion.

PMID- 20290447
TI  - Student selection by means of psychological tests; a critical survey.

PMID- 20290448
TI  - The factorial analysis of human ability [Bk Rev.].

PMID- 20290449
TI  - The nature and cause of maladjustments in boys of normal and supernormal
      intelligence referred for clinical treatment.

PMID- 20290450
TI  - Truancy; a study of mental, scholastic, and social conditions in the problem of
      non-attendance at school.

PMID- 20290451
TI  - Attitudes of an age group to poetry.

PMID- 20290452
TI  - An attempt to condition the chronic spinal dog.

PMID- 20290453
TI  - Reactively heterogeneous compound trial-and-error learning with distributed
      trials and terminal reinforcement.

PMID- 20290454
TI  - Reaction time as a measure of retroactive inhibition.

PMID- 20290456
TI  - Reminiscence following experimentally induced failure.

PMID- 20290455
TI  - A study of muscle action potentials during the attempted solution by children of
      problems of increasing difficulty.

PMID- 20290458
TI  - The relationship of exposure time and accuracy in a perceptual task.

PMID- 20290459
TI  - Development of speech during infancy; curve of phonemic frequencies.

PMID- 20290457
TI  - The illusory perception of movement caused by angular acceleration and by
      centrifugal force during flight; methodology and preliminary results.

PMID- 20290460
TI  - The meaning of Koch and Daniel's results for Hull's theory.

PMID- 20290462
TI  - Help-hinder comparison in PK tests.

PMID- 20290461
TI  - PARAPSYCHOLOGY and ethics.

PMID- 20290463
TI  - A second classroom ESP experiment with the response method.

PMID- 20290464
TI  - Target preference in PK tests with dice.

PMID- 20290465
TI  - A PK experiment under light and dark conditions.

PMID- 20290466
TI  - Dice bias and manner of throwing.

PMID- 20290467
TI  - The physical significance of I'SI experiments.

PMID- 20290468
TI  - [Plan of state sanitary inspection in the postwar period].

PMID- 20290469
TI  - [Tasks next in turn in study of physical development of children and young].

PMID- 20290470
TI  - [Photoelectric devices; objective luxometer].

PMID- 20290471
TI  - [Problems of sanitation in use of halowax].

PMID- 20290472
TI  - [Sources of hydrogen sulfide leak at excavation work in Krasnovodsk harbor and
      preventive measures].

PMID- 20290473
TI  - [Nutrition in postwar period].

PMID- 20290474
TI  - [Nicotinic acid in rye bread baked with potatoes].

PMID- 20290475
TI  - [Milk coagulation test for coli and the sphere of its employment].

PMID- 20290476
TI  - [Methods of isolation of pathogenic microbes of the intestinal-typhoid group from
      contaminated waters].

PMID- 20290477
TI  - [Self-disinfecting bacteria-fast cloths and their uses].

PMID- 20290478
TI  - [Survey of papers by M. G. Kichenko on sanitary bacteriology].

PMID- 20290479
TI  - [Effect of cold on bacteria].

PMID- 20290480
TI  - [Regeneration of used and intergrown agar].

PMID- 20290481
TI  - [Identification of intestinal typhoid bacteria].

PMID- 20290482
TI  - [Elective toxic action of krysid, alpha-naphthyl-urea, for certain animals].

PMID- 20290483
TI  - [Work of Baku house in sanitary education in prevention of industrial accidents].

PMID- 20290484
TI  - [Self-acting disinfector for toilets provided with sewer connection].

PMID- 20290485
TI  - [Plan of state sanitary inspection in the postwar period].

PMID- 20290486
TI  - [Questions next in turn of verdification of towns].

PMID- 20290488
TI  - [Ply antiseptic-tank covers].

PMID- 20290487
TI  - [Removal of residual matter from mixerless sand filters and prevention of
      growths].

PMID- 20290489
TI  - [Improvement of well-water supply].

PMID- 20290490
TI  - [Corrugated glass in shops].

PMID- 20290491
TI  - [Influence of some chemical intoxications on so-called common (not industrial)
      morbidity].

PMID- 20290492
TI  - [Protection from mice].

PMID- 20290493
TI  - [Rural morbidity].

PMID- 20290494
TI  - [Experimental propagation of vitamins].

PMID- 20290495
TI  - [Changes in the composition of underground water used for water supply].

PMID- 20290496
TI  - [Nature of a bactericidal factor contained in water].

PMID- 20290497
TI  - [Metal clothing for some workers employed in hot workshops].

PMID- 20290498
TI  - [Vitamin B-1 and PP content in raw and cooked mushrooms].

PMID- 20290499
TI  - [Length of storage of bread].

PMID- 20290500
TI  - [New method for determining the caloric value of food].

PMID- 20290501
TI  - [Sanitary characteristics of the microflora in well and spring waters and in
      waters from artificial reservoirs in Samarkand].

PMID- 20290502
TI  - [Training of sanitary medical officers].

PMID- 20290503
TI  - [Systematic aid for leading personnel in public health].

PMID- 20290504
TI  - [Bathhouse service for the population of Kasakhstan during the war].

PMID- 20290505
TI  - [Four years experience in the work of sanitary epidemiology in the army].

PMID- 20290506
TI  - [Conference of institutes and chairs of hygiene in the USSR].

PMID- 20290507
TI  - [Conference on programs of institutes of hygiene of the RSFSR].

PMID- 20290508
TI  - [Conference of institutes of industrial hygiene and occupational diseases].

PMID- 20290509
TI  - [ACTIVITIES of the All Union Society of Hygiene].

PMID- 20290510
TI  - [Hygienic basis for the selection of sources for centralized water supply and
      their sanitary evaluation].

PMID- 20290511
TI  - [Ozonization of water].

PMID- 20290512
TI  - [Condition of central water supply in the cities of White Russian SSR and
      sanitary measures of postwar reconstruction].

PMID- 20290513
TI  - [Water-supply in the Ust-Ordin district of the Irkutsk region and means of its
      reconstruction].

PMID- 20290515
TI  - [Purification of compressed air for caissons].

PMID- 20290514
TI  - [Prevention of mercury poisoning in workers].

PMID- 20290517
TI  - [Review of articles on industrial hygiene problems received by the editorial
      board].

PMID- 20290516
TI  - [Colorimetric detection of copper by means of sodium diethyldithiocarbamate].

PMID- 20290518
TI  - [A new colorimetric method for determination of protein in food].

PMID- 20290519
TI  - [Vitamin C in con fresh' sauerkraut].

PMID- 20290520
TI  - [Data on the biology of flies in connection with the elaboration of a method for
      fly control].

PMID- 20290521
TI  - [Soviet laws concerning living conditions of sanitary medical officers].

PMID- 20290522
TI  - [Rapid methods for the detection of harmful impurities in sodium chloride used
      for food].

PMID- 20290523
TI  - [Diacid methods for detection of fats in milk and milk products].

PMID- 20290524
TI  - [Examination of cloakroom tags in Leningrad Maritime district].

PMID- 20290525
TI  - Army water supply in World War II.

PMID- 20290526
TI  - Enemy water supply equipment.

PMID- 20290527
TI  - Co-operative sanitation in the Americas.

PMID- 20290528
TI  - Bacterial oxidation of ammonia in circulating water.

PMID- 20290529
TI  - A photometric method for the comparative evaluation of disinfectants.

PMID- 20290530
TI  - A standardized method of disinfecting infected blood-clots.

PMID- 20290531
TI  - The growth of bacterial colonies and their viable population.

PMID- 20290532
TI  - Mode of origin of sulphonamide-resistant strains in B. dysenteriae Flexner.

PMID- 20290533
TI  - The bacteriology of dehydrated vegetables.

PMID- 20290534
TI  - A comparative study of phenolized and alcoholized T. A. B. vaccines.

PMID- 20290535
TI  - Agglutination and complement fixation in human and rabbit typhoid and dysentery
      sera and the specificity of complement.

PMID- 20290536
TI  - Efficacy of protein hydrolysate in the restoration of serum protein in
      hyperimmunized horses after blood depletion.

PMID- 20290537
TI  - The digestibility of English and Canadian wheats with special reference to the
      digestibility of wheat protein by man.

PMID- 20290538
TI  - Clinical nutritional surveys; relationship between observed signs.

PMID- 20290539
TI  - Feeding and breeding of laboratory animals; observations on the feeding of guinea
      pigs.

PMID- 20290540
TI  - The vitamin A reserve of the population in Denmark and Norway during the war.

PMID- 20290541
TI  - Some skin manifestations in hypoparathyroidism.

PMID- 20290542
TI  - Nutritional deficiency and resistance to infection; the effect of caloric and
      protein deficiency on the susceptibility of rats and mice to infection with
      Salmonella typhi murium.

PMID- 20290543
TI  - The popular history of anaesthesia.

PMID- 20290544
TI  - The future control of abattoirs and knackeryards.

PMID- 20290545
TI  - The welfare of old people.

PMID- 20290546
TI  - The mental health of the elderly.

PMID- 20290547
TI  - Health centres.

PMID- 20290548
TI  - Height, weight and age charts for children of school age; a simplified method of
      computation.

PMID- 20290549
TI  - Housing in relation to health.

PMID- 20290550
TI  - [Lymph circulation in traumatic lesions of the extremities in dogs].

PMID- 20290551
TI  - [Angiography in diseases of the peripheral vascular system].

PMID- 20290552
TI  - [Intravenous urography in closed lesions of the kidneys; experimental].

PMID- 20290553
TI  - [Cerebral pneumography in epilepsy and hydrocephalus].

PMID- 20290554
TI  - [On the problem of peptic ulcer of the esophagus].

PMID- 20290555
TI  - [Two cases of heart wounds inflicted with a needle].

PMID- 20290556
TI  - [Metro salpingography in female sterility].

PMID- 20290557
TI  - [Problem of cysticercosis].

PMID- 20290558
TI  - [Roentgenography of muscular cysticercosis].

PMID- 20290559
TI  - [Etiological role of blastomogenic substances].

PMID- 20290560
TI  - [Analysis of the convulsion process caused by the effect of radium rays on the
      central nervous system of the frog].

PMID- 20290561
TI  - [Constitutional subordination chronaxia of the peripheral nerves caused by the
      effect of radium rays on the central nervous system of the frog].

PMID- 20290562
TI  - [Effect of radium emanation on the course run by conditioned reflexes in the
      dog].

PMID- 20290563
TI  - [Roentgenotherapy of essential dysmenorrhea].

PMID- 20290565
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290564
TI  - [Lesions of the skeleton in leukemia].

PMID- 20290566
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290567
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290568
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290569
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290570
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290571
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290572
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290573
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290574
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290575
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290576
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290577
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290578
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290579
TI  - Management of extensive complete defects in long bones.

PMID- 20290580
TI  - Use and abuse of intestinal decompression tube; a study based upon 200 cases.

PMID- 20290581
TI  - Wounds of the colon and rectum.

PMID- 20290582
TI  - Meckel's diverticulum; review of literature and analytical study of 23 cases with
      particular emphasis on bowel obstruction.

PMID- 20290583
TI  - Ultraviolet blood irradiation therapy; further studies in acute infections.

PMID- 20290584
TI  - Myophagism congenita.

PMID- 20290585
TI  - Use of tantalum for facial and cranial defects.

PMID- 20290586
TI  - Strictures following transurethral resection; comments on the indication for the
      operation.

PMID- 20290587
TI  - Solitary pyogenic abscess of the liver.

PMID- 20290588
TI  - Carcinoma of the breast following burn.

PMID- 20290589
TI  - Tuberculous salpingitis.

PMID- 20290590
TI  - Box operating table; a simple device for infants.

PMID- 20290591
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290592
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290593
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290594
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290595
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290596
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290598
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290597
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290599
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290600
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290602
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290601
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290603
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290604
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290605
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290606
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290607
TI  - The pathology of chronic traumatic hemothorax.

PMID- 20290608
TI  - The treatment of organizing hemothorax by pulmonary decortication.

PMID- 20290609
TI  - Total pulmonary decortication; its evolution and present concepts of indications
      and operative technique.

PMID- 20290610
TI  - Hemothorax and empyema in a thoracic center.

PMID- 20290611
TI  - Pulmonary cysts.

PMID- 20290612
TI  - Transthoracic repair of large diaphragmatic hernias; an experimental study.

PMID- 20290613
TI  - Sympathectomy for peripheral vascular disease.

PMID- 20290614
TI  - Primary anastomosis in the treatment of carcinoma of the colon.

PMID- 20290615
TI  - The treatment of acute appendicitis in a closed city.

PMID- 20290616
TI  - Incomplete removal of the cystic duct as a factor in producing
      postcholecystectomy complications.

PMID- 20290617
TI  - Causalgia; a review of its characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment.

PMID- 20290618
TI  - Benign cavernous hemangioma of the spleen; literature review and case report.

PMID- 20290619
TI  - Cystadenoma of the pancreas; with presentation of one case and review of twenty
      eight cases collected from the medical literature.

PMID- 20290620
TI  - Aneurysm of renal artery; report of additional case.

PMID- 20290621
TI  - Clostridial wound infections and gas gangrene; arterial damage as a modifying
      factor.

PMID- 20290622
TI  - Penicillin in treatment of craniocerebral injuries of war; with particular
      reference to its intraventricular use.

PMID- 20290623
TI  - War wounds of the chest.

PMID- 20290624
TI  - Ceepryn as an antiseptic for the preoperative preparation of the skin.

PMID- 20290625
TI  - Hyperparathyroidism; a review of historical developments and the present state of
      knowledge on the subject.

PMID- 20290626
TI  - The surgical treatment of aneurysms of the abdominal aorta.

PMID- 20290627
TI  - Resection of primary liver tumors.

PMID- 20290628
TI  - A one-stage pharyngoesophageal diverticulectomy.

PMID- 20290629
TI  - Surgical management of carcinoma of the right portion of the colon with secondary
      involvement of the duodenum, including duodenocolic fistula; data on eight cases.

PMID- 20290630
TI  - The McArthur operation for inguinal hernia.

PMID- 20290631
TI  - Incisional hernia, operative technique.

PMID- 20290632
TI  - Adenomatous goiter without hyperthyroidism; surgical versus conservative
      treatment in over 200 patients.

PMID- 20290633
TI  - Gastric resection for peptic ulcer; a study of 221 consecutive cases.

PMID- 20290634
TI  - Congenital hypertrophic pyloric stenosis.

PMID- 20290635
TI  - Lesions of the ampulla of Vater.

PMID- 20290636
TI  - Enterogenous cysts of the duodenum; case report and review of literature.

PMID- 20290637
TI  - Intraperitoneal hemorrhage complicating simple large bowel obstruction.

PMID- 20290638
TI  - Tantalum cranioplasty, a method for one-piece fixation.

PMID- 20290639
TI  - The late definitive treatment of gunshot wounds of the head.

PMID- 20290640
TI  - Afferent conduction via the sympathetic ganglia innervating the extremities.

PMID- 20290641
TI  - Surgical management of vascular leg ulcers.

PMID- 20290642
TI  - A simple device to test and to improve the circulation in a pedicle flap.

PMID- 20290644
TI  - Effects of protein and methionine on nitrogen balance of burned rats.

PMID- 20290643
TI  - The treatment of superficial pyogenic infections by the direct injection of
      penicillin.

PMID- 20290645
TI  - Penetrating heart wound; the report of an interesting case.

PMID- 20290646
TI  - Subtertian malaria in white troops in West Africa; a review of 300 cases.

PMID- 20290647
TI  - Maintenance of Anopheles quadrimaculatus (in the laboratory).

PMID- 20290648
TI  - Adaptations of insects to changes of temperature.

PMID- 20290649
TI  - Sarcoptic mange in the alpaca, Lama huanaco var. paca.

PMID- 20290650
TI  - Illustrations of scrub typhus in Burma and Assam.

PMID- 20290651
TI  - Chromosomes of mosquitoes.

PMID- 20290652
TI  - The control of re-radiated solar heat by whitewash.

PMID- 20290653
TI  - A unique form of Histoplasma.

PMID- 20290654
TI  - Malaria control measures in the vicinity of the town and port of Lagos.

PMID- 20290655
TI  - Distribution of paludrine in whole blood and plasma.

PMID- 20290656
TI  - The mechanism of renal anoxia; evidence of a renal vascular reflex and the
      establishment of collateral renal circulation in the rabbit.

PMID- 20290657
TI  - Smears and sections showing the primary phase of P. gallinaceum at the site of
      inoculation with sporozoites.

PMID- 20290658
TI  - Methods employed in investigations on the transmission of Litomosoides carinii by
      Liponyssus bacoti.

PMID- 20290659
TI  - Tropical phlebitis in Northern Rhodesia; sections of biopsy material.

PMID- 20290660
TI  - A case of quartan malaria (P. malariae) brought about as the result of whole
      blood transfusion.

PMID- 20290661
TI  - A means of identifying the varieties of A. maculipennis adults by the shape and
      size of the scales of the wings.

PMID- 20290662
TI  - Apparatus for feeding blood-sucking insects in the laboratory.

PMID- 20290663
TI  - The diagnosis of threadworms.

PMID- 20290664
TI  - A new type of research microscope.

PMID- 20290665
TI  - Colonial nutrition and its problems.

PMID- 20290666
TI  - An epidemic of riboflavin deficiency in Indian troops.

PMID- 20290667
TI  - Ocular symptoms in prisoners of war in Sumatra.

PMID- 20290668
TI  - The complement fixation reaction in Asiatic schistosomiasis employing cercarial
      antigen (Schistosoma spindale).

PMID- 20290669
TI  - Sickle-cell anaemia in West Africa.

PMID- 20290670
TI  - The value of plasmoquine as a gametocide in sub-tertian malaria.

PMID- 20290671
TI  - The laboratory diagnosis of leprosy.

PMID- 20290672
TI  - The metabolism of rat lepromas and of rat leprosy bacilli.

PMID- 20290673
TI  - Studies in leishmaniasis in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan; some observations on the
      chemotherapy of kala-azar.

PMID- 20290674
TI  - Bilharziasis in the Gezira irrigated area of the Sudan.

PMID- 20290675
TI  - Observations on Leptomonas etenocephali (Fantham, 1912).

PMID- 20290676
TI  - A new method of demonstrating malarial parasites in the peripheral blood.

PMID- 20290677
TI  - Case of severe reaction to antrypol.

PMID- 20290678
TI  - Porocephalosis.

PMID- 20290679
TI  - Cerebral lesions in dogs following injections of 4:4'diamidino-stilbene.

PMID- 20290680
TI  - The dispersal of respiratory pathogens in relation to the occurrence and control
      of air-borne infections.

PMID- 20290681
TI  - Experimental air-borne tuberculosis and its control.

PMID- 20290682
TI  - Discrepancies between clinical-radiological and bronchospirometric findings.

PMID- 20290683
TI  - Promizole treatment of miliary tuberculosis; toxic effects on thyroid gland and
      maturation.

PMID- 20290684
TI  - Pulmonary tuberculosis and season of birth.

PMID- 20290685
TI  - Carcinoma simulating pulmonary tuberculosis; differential diagnosis in the
      presymptomatic stage in two cases.

PMID- 20290686
TI  - Tuberculin testing in student nurses.

PMID- 20290687
TI  - A method of X-ray reproduction of the negative X-ray film.

PMID- 20290688
TI  - [Early forms of primary tuberculosis in adults].

PMID- 20290689
TI  - [Ring-shaped tuberculous focus].

PMID- 20290690
TI  - [Bacilli-status of tuberculosis in very young children].

PMID- 20290691
TI  - [Efficiency of BCG immunization in the newborn].

PMID- 20290692
TI  - [Isolated tuberculous osseous nidi during the period of primary complex of the
      lungs].

PMID- 20290693
TI  - [Pathogenesis and clinics of polyserositis in the adult].

PMID- 20290694
TI  - [Remote results of efficiency of artificial pneumothorax in tuberculosis of both
      lungs and larynx].

PMID- 20290695
TI  - [Methods for sharpening hollow needles used in artificial pneumothorax].

PMID- 20290696
TI  - [Agranulocytic syndrome in a tuberculous patient under treatment with
      chrysethane, a gold preparation].

PMID- 20290697
TI  - [Rare case of tuberculous spondylitis in a patient with acute poliomyelitis].

PMID- 20290698
TI  - Studies in streptomycin in tuberculosis; the action of streptomycin in
      experimental tuberculosis.

PMID- 20290699
TI  - Streptomycin in clinical tuberculosis.

PMID- 20290700
TI  - What's new and news in adult health education.

PMID- 20290701
TI  - What's new and news in school health education.

PMID- 20290702
TI  - What's new and news in group chest X-raying.

PMID- 20290703
TI  - What's new and news in public health nursing.

PMID- 20290704
TI  - What's new and news in rehabilitation.

PMID- 20290705
TI  - What's new and news in social developments affecting tuberculous patients.

PMID- 20290706
TI  - What's new and news in research in the campaign against tuberculosis.

PMID- 20290707
TI  - Making the most of group chest X-ray services; review of relative values of
      tuberculosis case-finding procedures.

PMID- 20290708
TI  - Making the most of group chest X-ray services; group X-raying and follow-up and
      follow-through, in a State.

PMID- 20290709
TI  - Making the most of group chest X-ray services; group X-raying and follow-up and
      follow-through in a large city, Philadelphia.

PMID- 20290710
TI  - Making the most of group chest X-ray services; group X-raying and follow-up and
      follow-through in a Canadian Province, Ontario.

PMID- 20290711
TI  - Tuberculosis associations; today and tomorrow; panel discussion.

PMID- 20290712
TI  - The tuberculosis program of the Veterans Administration.

PMID- 20290713
TI  - The National Tuberculosis Association and its interest in the tuberculosis
      veteran.

PMID- 20290714
TI  - New developments in tuberculosis control.

PMID- 20290715
TI  - Tuberculosis as an international problem.

PMID- 20290716
TI  - A resume of the tuberculosis experience of the U.S. Army in World War II.

PMID- 20290718
TI  - The late results of partial nephrectomy for calyectasis with stone.

PMID- 20290717
TI  - Let's improve the care and education of the tuberculosis patient in the hospital.

PMID- 20290719
TI  - Conservative treatment of renal and ureteral colic.

PMID- 20290720
TI  - Chronic typhoid pyonephrosis; report of a case.

PMID- 20290721
TI  - The surgical approach to renal and other retroperitoneal tumors.

PMID- 20290722
TI  - Distant metastases of 58 renal neoplasms; a case report of secondary metastatic
      pulsations from a renal tumor.

PMID- 20290723
TI  - Kidney tumors; a clinical and pathological study, with special reference to the
      hypernephroid tumor.

PMID- 20290724
TI  - Transplantation of the ureters into the rectosigmoid for exstrophy of the
      bladder; review of 41 cases.

PMID- 20290725
TI  - New technique of uretero-intestinal anastomosis; further report.

PMID- 20290726
TI  - Total cystectomy for infiltrating carcinoma of the bladder.

PMID- 20290727
TI  - The utilization of heat in the treatment of tumors of the urinary bladder; a
      presentation of technique.

PMID- 20290728
TI  - Anterolateral chordotomy for refractory interstitial cystitis with intractable
      pain.

PMID- 20290729
TI  - True prostatic calculus.

PMID- 20290730
TI  - Histopathological study of prostatic tissue following endoscopic prostatic
      resection.

PMID- 20290731
TI  - Chemistry of carcinoma of the prostate.

PMID- 20290732
TI  - Transurethral resection to relieve urinary retention following operations on the
      rectum and sigmoid.

PMID- 20290733
TI  - Genital histoplasmosis.

PMID- 20290734
TI  - Treatment of urinary tract obstruction due to sulfonamide crystals with special
      reference to lumbar sympathetic block.

PMID- 20290735
TI  - Perineal phlegmons and fistulae.

PMID- 20290736
TI  - Vesical dysfunction following recto-sigmoid resection.

PMID- 20290737
TI  - Non-fused pelvic kidney; a study of nine cases.

PMID- 20290739
TI  - Female urological symptoms as related to gynecology.

PMID- 20290738
TI  - Sympathetic tumors arising from the suprarenal medulla; report of case.

PMID- 20290740
TI  - Urinary tuberculosis.

PMID- 20290741
TI  - So-called triple bladder; report of a case of congenital diverticula.

PMID- 20290742
TI  - Idiopathic priapism; case report.

PMID- 20290743
TI  - Retardation of the aging process.

PMID- 20290744
TI  - Vitamin E and oestrogens in experimental and human blood dyscrasias.

PMID- 20290745
TI  - The cystoscope as an aid in office urology.

PMID- 20290746
TI  - Diagnostic errors in urology of immediate interest to the general practitioner.

PMID- 20290747
TI  - Some principles to be observed in the operation of transurethral prostatic
      resection.

PMID- 20290748
TI  - Pancreatin and some of its newer uses.

PMID- 20290749
TI  - Preliminary report on the use of diramin in treating tropical disease during 1944
      and 1945.

PMID- 20290750
TI  - Adenocarcinoma of the vault of the urinary bladder.

PMID- 20290751
TI  - Metastatic epididymitis; with report of occurrence in an infant during acute
      respiratory infection.

PMID- 20290752
TI  - Lymphosarcoma of the bladder; with brief review of the literature.

PMID- 20290754
TI  - The non-organic albuminurias.

PMID- 20290753
TI  - Unilateral kidney disease and hypertension; report of four cases.

PMID- 20290755
TI  - Infections of the urinary tract and the complications arising therefrom.

PMID- 20290756
TI  - The pathology of urethritis and allied conditions in the female.

PMID- 20290757
TI  - Morphology of kidney tumors from the standpoint of the transition forms.

PMID- 20290758
TI  - Hemangioendothelioma of uterus.

PMID- 20290759
TI  - Carcinoma of urinary bladder with unusual metastases in a young male;
      clinicopathologic case report.

PMID- 20290760
TI  - Endoscopic resection of papillary tumors of the bladder.

PMID- 20290761
TI  - Bilateral testicular seminoma.

PMID- 20290762
TI  - The mechanism of the cutaneous manifestations of acute leukemia.

PMID- 20290763
TI  - VESICAL neck fibrosis.

PMID- 20290764
TI  - Present status of penicillin therapy in early syphilis.

PMID- 20290765
TI  - Spastic ureter.

PMID- 20290766
TI  - An evaluation of certain factors pertinent to surgery of the anterior vaginal
      wall.

PMID- 20290767
TI  - Uretero vesicovaginal fistula of obstetric origin; case report.

PMID- 20290768
TI  - Urological gynecology.

PMID- 20290769
TI  - The value of the Foley catheter in post-partum care.

PMID- 20290770
TI  - Urology in gynecology.

PMID- 20290771
TI  - Pelvic abscess and its relation to urological conditions.

PMID- 20290772
TI  - Gynecological operations in the treatment of stress incontinence of urine.

PMID- 20290773
TI  - Massive intra-abdominal hemorrhage of renal origin, complicating pregnancy, with
      recovery.

PMID- 20290774
TI  - Clinical report of the frequent association of trigonitis with chronic cervicitis
      and vaginitis; diagnosis and treatment.

PMID- 20290775
TI  - Differential diagnosis between gynecological and urogenital diseases.

PMID- 20290776
TI  - Experiences with the Johnson stone basket.

PMID- 20290777
TI  - Sarcoma of the bladder; a report of four cases.

PMID- 20290778
TI  - Prostatic surgery at Saint Louis City Hospital; report of 100 cases for a period
      of 10 months.

PMID- 20290779
TI  - Balanitis xerotica obliterans; a report of two cases.

PMID- 20290781
TI  - Health of the Army.

PMID- 20290780
TI  - Prevention is the watch-word; some social implications of the venereal diseases
      and their control.

PMID- 20290782
TI  - Working together to stamp out VD.

PMID- 20290783
TI  - The moral equivalent for law enforcement.

PMID- 20290784
TI  - What do young people want in a marriage partner? results of a questionnaire study
      of 559 young men and women.

PMID- 20290785
TI  - Venereal disease interviewing.

PMID- 20290786
TI  - The rural public health nurse in venereal disease control.

PMID- 20290787
TI  - RAPID treatment centers and hospitals providing in-patient treatment for venereal
      diseases.

PMID- 20290788
TI  - [Venereal and cutaneous diseases in the USA and in Canada, after personal
      observations].

PMID- 20290789
TI  - [Experimental data on filtration through argentophile membranes].

PMID- 20290790
TI  - [Pathogenesis of leprous sarcoid].

PMID- 20290791
TI  - [Skin deformations under alimentary dystrophy and vitamin deficiencies].

PMID- 20290792
TI  - [Lipoid metabolism in psoriasis; protein content and its fractions in serum of
      psoriatics].

PMID- 20290793
TI  - [On certain peculiarities of the cellular reaction of the organism in patients
      with paratraumatic eczema].

PMID- 20290794
TI  - Roentgenotherapy of skin diseases and its perspectives].

PMID- 20290795
TI  - [Efficiency of syphilis treatment with mapharsen].

PMID- 20290796
TI  - [The influence of malaria on the strength of Wassermann positive in syphilis].

PMID- 20290797
TI  - [Administration of penicillin].

PMID- 20290798
TI  - [Treatment with hyposulfite of gonorrhea resistant to sulfanilamides].

PMID- 20290799
TI  - [Preliminary vaccination in therapy with streptocide of acute gonorrheal
      urethritis].

PMID- 20290800
TI  - [Singular case of pathomimia].

PMID- 20290801
TI  - [Gonorrheal ulcers of the skin].

PMID- 20290802
TI  - Second report on the treatment of clinical streptococcal and staphylococcal
      infections of the bovine udder with penicillin.

PMID- 20290803
TI  - A survey of Victorian canine and vulpine parasites; Platyhelminthes other than
      Taenia multiceps, Taenia ovis and Echinococcus graulossus.

PMID- 20290805
TI  - A review of the veterinary aspects of bacterial food poisoning in man.

PMID- 20290804
TI  - Endocrinology and animal production.

PMID- 20290806
TI  - Some nutritional observations on the drought feeding of sheep.

PMID- 20290807
TI  - A survey of Victorian canine and vulpine parasites; Arthropoda.

PMID- 20290808
TI  - A note on two blood parasites of cattle (Spirochaeta theileri and Bartonella
      bovis) recorded for the first time in Australia.

PMID- 20290809
TI  - Cerebellar hypoplasia and degeneration in the kitten.

PMID- 20290810
TI  - Some surgical conditions of the intestines of dairy cattle.

PMID- 20290811
TI  - Diseases of the respiratory tract in fowls.

PMID- 20290812
TI  - Salmonellosis in swine.

PMID- 20290813
TI  - Swine dysentery.

PMID- 20290814
TI  - Enzootic fatal syncope (toxic heart degeneration) in fowls.

PMID- 20290815
TI  - The toxic properties of the volatile oil of Myoporum acuminatum R. Br.

PMID- 20290816
TI  - Haemorrhage into the floating colon as cause of death in equine colic.

PMID- 20290817
TI  - Clinical bovine mastitis, its treatment and control.

PMID- 20290818
TI  - Clinical bovine mastitis and its treatment.

PMID- 20290819
TI  - Animal research in New Zealand.

PMID- 20290820
TI  - A further note on metaplasia in the sex organs of castrated male sheep on
      subterranean clover pastures.

PMID- 20290821
TI  - Third report on the treatment of infections of the bovine udder with penicillin;
      treatment of persistent subclinical and of quiescent chronic Str. agalactiae
      infections and of clinical staphylococcal infections.

PMID- 20290822
TI  - The correlation of field and laboratory work in routine diagnosis.

PMID- 20290823
TI  - Nutritional deficiencies of poultry in New South Wales.

PMID- 20290824
TI  - Preliminary observations on the use of the penicillin bougie in the bovine udder.

PMID- 20290825
TI  - Selection of suitable antigenic strains of S. pullorum by single colony
      isolation.

PMID- 20290827
TI  - The differential blood picture in chickens before and after administration of
      embryonated eggs of Heterakis gallinae with notes on pathogenicity.

PMID- 20290828
TI  - The correlation of field and laboratory work in routine diagnosis.

PMID- 20290829
TI  - Clinical manifestations and treatment of bovine ringworm.

PMID- 20290830
TI  - The occurrence of vibrionic abortion in an Illinois dairy herd.

PMID- 20290831
TI  - Clinical studies on early equine abortion.

PMID- 20290832
TI  - The agglutination test as a means of detecting fowl typhoid infection.

PMID- 20290833
TI  - A study of infectious bronchitis in chickens; further observations on the carrier
      status of chickens recovered from infectious bronchitis.

PMID- 20290834
TI  - The value of physical examination of dairy herds to milk control programs.

PMID- 20290835
TI  - Listeriosis in Connecticut with particular reference to a septicemic case in a
      wild raccoon.

PMID- 20290836
TI  - Valvular endocarditis in the fowl.

PMID- 20290838
TI  - Treatment of four cases of bovine pyelonephritis with penicillin.

PMID- 20290837
TI  - Brucellosis eradication and its effect of production in a large swine herd.

PMID- 20290839
TI  - A case of quadruple pregnancy in the bovine.

PMID- 20290840
TI  - Successful treatment with penicillin of tetanus in a heifer.

PMID- 20290841
TI  - Studies on surra; cattle surra and some problems connected with the disease.

PMID- 20290842
TI  - Acute bovine trypanosomiasis in Madras Presidency.

PMID- 20290843
TI  - A note on chronic infected wounds in animals.

PMID- 20290844
TI  - A clinical investigation on contagious gastro-enteritis in sheep at the Livestock
      Research Station, Hosur.

PMID- 20290845
TI  - Incidence of anthrax in sheep, goats and cattle in Baroda State.

PMID- 20290846
TI  - Skin disease (leucoderma?) in a buffalo-bull.

PMID- 20290847
TI  - Uro-lithiasis in a bullock.

PMID- 20290848
TI  - Fracture of radius and ulna in a Pomeranian dog.

PMID- 20290849
TI  - Penicillin dosage and blood levels for sheep and calves.

PMID- 20290850
TI  - Further trials with hexachloroethane as a treatment for liver fluke in Oregon
      cattle.

PMID- 20290851
TI  - Tyrothricin ointment in the treatment of udder and teat injuries.

PMID- 20290852
TI  - Posterior paralysis associated with intervertebral disc protrusion in the dog.

PMID- 20290853
TI  - LEUCOCYTOZOON infection in turkeys.

PMID- 20290854
TI  - What the U.S. Army did for the veterinary profession.

PMID- 20290855
TI  - Sulfaquinoxaline in the prevention of Eimeria tenella infections in chickens.

PMID- 20290856
TI  - Canine surgical problems.

PMID- 20290857
TI  - Dermoid cyst of the ovary.

PMID- 20290858
TI  - Fracture of the os penis.

PMID- 20290859
TI  - STREPTOMYCIN in the treatment of experimental relapsing fever and leptospirosis
      icterohaemorrhagica (Weil's disease).

PMID- 20290860
TI  - Semen as an index to the physiology and to the pathology of the male genital
      system.

PMID- 20290861
TI  - Urea poisoning in cattle.

PMID- 20290862
TI  - Black scours in cattle.

PMID- 20290863
TI  - Teniasis as a cause of running fits; a clinical report.

PMID- 20290864
TI  - A transplant method of repair of Achilles tendon.

PMID- 20290865
TI  - Dairy cattle practice.

PMID- 20290866
TI  - Leptospirosis.

PMID- 20290867
TI  - Some observations on the protein requirements of dogs.

PMID- 20290868
TI  - A hospital unit.

PMID- 20290869
TI  - Congenital defect of the skin.

PMID- 20290870
TI  - More about ovarian dysfunction.

PMID- 20290871
TI  - Sodium cacodylate and arsenic trioxide in anaplasmosis of cattle.

PMID- 20290872
TI  - Radiographs corroborate the diagnosis.

PMID- 20290873
TI  - Cages for hospitalized dogs.

PMID- 20290874
TI  - Leukemia in two dogs belonging to the same owner.

PMID- 20290875
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290876
TI  - Over een nieuw type van het virus van Carre.

PMID- 20290877
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290878
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290879
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290880
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290881
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290882
TI  - Heterose.

PMID- 20290883
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290885
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290884
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290886
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290887
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290888
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290889
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290891
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290890
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290892
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290893
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290894
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290895
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20290896
TI  - The effect of splenectomy and inanition on the bone marrow of plethodontid
      urodeles.

PMID- 20290897
TI  - The mechanism of menstruation.

PMID- 20290898
TI  - Vascularization of the cornea of the rat resulting from deficiency of B vitamins.

PMID- 20290899
TI  - Re-growth of nerve fibers in the spinal cord.

PMID- 20290900
TI  - The growth of the brain in the fetal dog.

PMID- 20290901
TI  - The ovary of the pika.

PMID- 20290902
TI  - Distribution of phosphatase and glycogen in the amphibian embryo.

PMID- 20290903
TI  - Development and chromosome number of the offspring of a tetraploid axolotl female
      mated with a diploid male.

PMID- 20290904
TI  - Pigmentation of adipose tissue as influenced by unsaturated fatty acids in
      vitamin E deficient rats.

PMID- 20290906
TI  - The excretion of fluorescein by the liver under normal and abnormal conditions,
      observed in vivo with the fluorescence microscope.

PMID- 20290905
TI  - Ceroid pigment in the testis of mice treated with estrogens.

PMID- 20290907
TI  - The acid phosphatase reaction in degenerating axons of certain sensory tracts.

PMID- 20290908
TI  - The plasmal reaction.

PMID- 20290909
TI  - Temperature influence during embryonic development in rats.

PMID- 20290910
TI  - The Golgi element in primitive erythroblasts of the 11-day rat embryo.

PMID- 20290911
TI  - Morphological evidence suggesting that human extrinsic eye muscles are
      phylogenetically relatively primitive.

PMID- 20290912
TI  - The lateral infracostal artery.

PMID- 20290913
TI  - Electrophoretic study of liver cytoplasmic proteins.

PMID- 20290914
TI  - The epicytes of mammalian lungs.

PMID- 20290915
TI  - An adrenergic link in the ovulatory mechanism of the rabbit.

PMID- 20290916
TI  - Effects of thiouracil, estradiol and testosterone propionate on the time
      appearance of the ossification centers of the rat.

PMID- 20290917
TI  - Malformations produced by sodium thiocyanate in the early development of the
      chick embryo.

PMID- 20290918
TI  - Cell counts in the anterior pituitary of the cat.

PMID- 20290919
TI  - Protargol used with the silver gelatin stain for nerve fibers.

PMID- 20290920
TI  - Some observations on the surface of some epithelial cells.

PMID- 20290921
TI  - Persistent pupillary membrane and hyaloid artery in the postnatal rat and mouse.

PMID- 20290922
TI  - An analysis of variations in the arteries and veins of the bronchopulmonary
      segments of 50 right upper lobes.

PMID- 20290924
TI  - Primitive carotid intersegmental arteries and the formation of the basilar in
      rabbit embryos injected while alive.

PMID- 20290923
TI  - Response of germinal epithelium of the mouse to thyroxin in the ovarian capsule.

PMID- 20290925
TI  - The rate of renewal in man of the water and sodium of the amniotic fluid as
      determined by tracer techniques.

PMID- 20290926
TI  - Progress of studies designed to determine whether the fetal hypophysis produces
      hormones that influence development.

PMID- 20290927
TI  - Follicular atresia in the ovaries of newts injected with diethylstilbestrol.

PMID- 20290928
TI  - Dermal characteristics in the presence of basal cell epitheliomas of human beings
      and after regression following treatment with tissue extracts.

PMID- 20290929
TI  - A simple method for obtaining photographic and cinematographic records of embryos
      and other small objects.

PMID- 20290930
TI  - A cell type possibly responsible for facultative salt excretion in the gills of
      Fundulus heteroclitus (a euryhaline fish).

PMID- 20290931
TI  - A histological study of eye abnormalities in the C57 black strain of mice.

PMID- 20290932
TI  - Two unusual anomalies in the same cadaver (Negro male, age 85 years).

PMID- 20290933
TI  - Boutons terminaux.

PMID- 20290934
TI  - Comparative pulmonic alveolar size in man, cat, rabbit, monkey, guinea pig, goat,
      dog, baboon, rat and mouse.

PMID- 20290935
TI  - Specialized argyrophilic (argentaffine?) cells in the anal canal of the rhesus
      monkey.

PMID- 20290936
TI  - An appendix epiploica resembling a vermiform appendix.

PMID- 20290937
TI  - Certain aspects of peripheral ganglion cells in Fundulus.

PMID- 20290938
TI  - Nerves of human dura mater.

PMID- 20290939
TI  - Electromyographic recordings from the m. biceps brachii during movements of the
      radioulnar, elbow, and shoulder joints.

PMID- 20290940
TI  - Changes in fiber tracts associated with inclusion bodies in nerve cells.

PMID- 20290942
TI  - On a human ovum of 17 days development.

PMID- 20290941
TI  - Autographic studies of the bony tissues with radioactive phosphorus and of the
      thyroid with radioactive iodine.

PMID- 20290943
TI  - The acid phosphatase content of normal autonomic neurons and its increase
      following section of the cell processes.

PMID- 20290944
TI  - A histological transformation of intestinal mucosa following administration of
      alloxan.

PMID- 20290945
TI  - A study of closure of the pleuropericardial and pleuroperitoneal canals in the
      human embryo.

PMID- 20290946
TI  - Effect of alloxan on the pancreatic islets of the guinea pig demonstrated with
      janus green.

PMID- 20290947
TI  - A colored moving picture used in teaching gross anatomy.

PMID- 20290949
TI  - Analgesia and anesthesia in obstetrics.

PMID- 20290948
TI  - Circulatory flow pattern in the bat's wing.

PMID- 20290950
TI  - Cell respiration and fermentation; a background for the study of narcotic action.

PMID- 20290951
TI  - Clinical use of metopryl as an anesthetic agent.

PMID- 20290952
TI  - A respiratory reflex originating from the thoracic wall of the dog.

PMID- 20290953
TI  - Deterioration of solutions of pentothal sodium.

PMID- 20290954
TI  - The used of curare in infants and children.

PMID- 20290955
TI  - Hypobaric pontocaine spinal anaesthesia; 1,640 consecutive cases.

PMID- 20290957
TI  - Variability in man and other primates.

PMID- 20290956
TI  - Tray for sterilizing laryngoscopes.

PMID- 20290958
TI  - Factorial analysis of body measurements.

PMID- 20290959
TI  - The relationship of strength to physique.

PMID- 20290960
TI  - A comparison of the percentages of stillbirths among single and plural births in
      the total, the white and the colored U.S. populations.

PMID- 20290961
TI  - A note on the duration of life of the ancient inhabitants of Anatolia.

PMID- 20290962
TI  - The number of vertebrae in the fetal Bantu sacrum.

PMID- 20290963
TI  - On the incidence of the foramen of Civinini and the porus crotaphitico
      buccinatorius in American whites and Negroes; observations on 2745 additional
      skulls.

PMID- 20290967
TI  - Studies on nonfruiting myxobacteria; Cytophaga johnsonae, n. sp., a
      chitindecomposing myxobacterium.

PMID- 20290968
TI  - Comparative distribution and possible pathogenicity of paracoli bact rium species
      in an area highly endemic for enteric infections.

PMID- 20290970
TI  - Penicillin; the effect of phenylacetic acid on penicillin production.

PMID- 20290975
TI  - The use of fragmented mycelial inoculum in the culture of fungi.

PMID- 20290976
TI  - The use of a polyvalent antiserum for preliminary identification of Salmonella
      cultures.

PMID- 20290977
TI  - Study of the utilization of some organic acids by Escherichia and Aerobacter.

PMID- 20290978
TI  - The preparation of silicic acid jellies for the cultivation of microorganisms.

PMID- 20290979
TI  - Advantages of incubation at 30 C for the study of staphylococci.

PMID- 20290981
TI  - Newcastle disease.

PMID- 20290980
TI  - Further studies on the effect of sterilizing glucose in culture media on growth
      of microorganisms; utilization of cystine by lactic acid bacteria.

PMID- 20290982
TI  - The real and the apparent bactericidal efficiencies of the quaternary ammonium
      compounds.

PMID- 20290983
TI  - Microbial fouling of zeolite water softeners.

PMID- 20290984
TI  - Phase variation in paracolon organisms.

PMID- 20290985
TI  - A capsule-dissolving factor.

PMID- 20290986
TI  - Familial nonspecific serologic reaction for syphilis.

PMID- 20290987
TI  - Inactivation of the germicidal action of quaternary ammonium compounds.

PMID- 20290988
TI  - Variation in tissue specificity of the Rous chicken sarcoma virus following
      growth of the tumor in the mammalian eye.

PMID- 20290989
TI  - Assimilation of acetate by yeast.

PMID- 20290990
TI  - Effect of specific antibody on transplanted mouse mammary cancer.

PMID- 20290991
TI  - Variation in molds; natural and induced.

PMID- 20290992
TI  - Some factors affecting the stability of type A (PR8) influenza virus.

PMID- 20290993
TI  - Microsporum audouini; the effect of yeast extract, thiamine, pyridoxine, and
      Bacillus weidmaniensis on the colony characteristics and macroconidial formation.

PMID- 20290994
TI  - A new Phytophthora causing root and collar rot of cinchona in Peru.

PMID- 20290995
TI  - Lagenidium humanum, a saprophyte isolated on dead human skin.

PMID- 20290996
TI  - Field notes on Tabanus nigrovittatus Macquart.

PMID- 20290997
TI  - Oxidation and reduction of indicators by Hydra.

PMID- 20290998
TI  - New facts on dependent, successive and conjugated spontaneous mutation.

PMID- 20290999
TI  - The nervous system and regeneration of the forelimb of adult Triturus; a further
      study of the importance of nerve number, including quantitative measurements of
      limb innervation.

PMID- 20291000
TI  - The nervous system and regeneration of the forelimb of adult Triturus; the
      relation between number of nerve fibers and surface area of amputation.

PMID- 20291001
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291002
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291003
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291005
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291004
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291006
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291007
TI  - The tilt-table test in neurocirculatory asthenia.

PMID- 20291009
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291008
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291010
TI  - L'ultra-microscopie statistique des virus.

PMID- 20291011
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291012
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291013
TI  - Glucose tolerance test in Ophidia and the effect of feeding on their glycemia.

PMID- 20291014
TI  - A comparison of assay results by biological and chemical methods on Digitalis
      purpurea and digitalin (crystalline).

PMID- 20291015
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291016
TI  - A discussion of the basis of heart pain.

PMID- 20291017
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291018
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291019
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291020
TI  - Carbohydrate metabolism in tissue homogenates.

PMID- 20291021
TI  - On the formation of fatty acids during the retting of flax.

PMID- 20291022
TI  - Purified rations and the requirement of folic acid for foxes.

PMID- 20291023
TI  - A comparison of plasma protein concentration, hemoglobin and hematocrit values
      determined by chemical methods and calculated from specific gravity.

PMID- 20291024
TI  - Trypsin inhibitor; determination and heat destruction of the trypsin inhibitor of
      soybeans.

PMID- 20291025
TI  - The biological availability of l-ascorbyl palmitate.

PMID- 20291026
TI  - Effect of dihydroxystearic acid on vitamin K synthesis by rats.

PMID- 20291027
TI  - Availability of vitamins in foods and food products; riboflavin balances with
      liquid milk, dried skimmed milk, and evaporated milk and the influence of
      succinyl sulfathiazole on such balances.

PMID- 20291028
TI  - Partial purification and properties of tomatin, an antibiotic agent from the
      tomato plant.

PMID- 20291029
TI  - The rate of anaerobic glycolysis of various hexoses in mammalian tissues.

PMID- 20291030
TI  - Direct estimation of leucine; application to milk and certain other foodstuffs.

PMID- 20291032
TI  - Reactions of non-enolizable ketones in sunlight.

PMID- 20291031
TI  - Oxidation-reduction potential of cytochrome c.

PMID- 20291033
TI  - The gas-phase photochemical decomposition of the simple aliphatic ketones.

PMID- 20291034
TI  - The Sandmeyer reaction.

PMID- 20291035
TI  - The pyrazines.

PMID- 20291036
TI  - A quantitative method for the estimation of the arsenoso group.

PMID- 20291037
TI  - 3-Amino-4-hydroxybenzenearsonous acid; salts and structural considerations.

PMID- 20291038
TI  - Structural determination of paraffin boiling points.

PMID- 20291039
TI  - Raman spectra of aqueous solutions of potassium thiocyanate.

PMID- 20291041
TI  - The synthesis of 2-hydroxy-17-equilenone.

PMID- 20291040
TI  - Oxidation potentials of some compounds related to vanillin.

PMID- 20291042
TI  - Studies in the quinoline series; synthesis of certain 4-substituted quinoline
      derivatives.

PMID- 20291043
TI  - 1-Gulo-D-talo-hepitol (beta-sedoheptitol) and its enantiomorph.

PMID- 20291045
TI  - An improved synthesis of di-lysine.

PMID- 20291044
TI  - Streptomycin; reduction and oxidation products of streptomycin and of
      streptobiosamine.

PMID- 20291046
TI  - The rate of movement of a chromatographic zone as a function of column position,
      initial concentration and initial volume.

PMID- 20291047
TI  - Studies on oxidation-reduction mechanism; potential humps and the equivalence
      change principle.

PMID- 20291048
TI  - Heats of adsorption on carbon black.

PMID- 20291049
TI  - Some 7-chloroquinolines patterned as open models of atebrin.

PMID- 20291050
TI  - t-Aminoalkyl derivatives of 2-aminothiazole.

PMID- 20291051
TI  - The constitution of acetylephedrine and acetyl-psi-ephedrine.

PMID- 20291052
TI  - Neovitamin A.

PMID- 20291053
TI  - The phase nature of beta sodium palmitate.

PMID- 20291054
TI  - Flavanones and related compounds; the reduction of some naturally-occurring
      flavones at the dropping mercury electrode.

PMID- 20291056
TI  - Some derivatives of 7-methylquinoline.

PMID- 20291055
TI  - Some derivatives of 6-methylquinoline.

PMID- 20291057
TI  - Periodate oxidation of phenols.

PMID- 20291058
TI  - The reaction of aminoalkyl halides with diphenylacetonitrile; the structure of
      amidone.

PMID- 20291059
TI  - The amino acid requirements of 23 lactic acid bacteria.

PMID- 20291060
TI  - Vitamin requirements of 23 lactic acid bacteria.

PMID- 20291061
TI  - The effect of carbohydrates on acid production by twenty-four lactic acid
      bacteria.

PMID- 20291062
TI  - The determination of d (-)- and l(+)-glutamic acid in protein hydrolysates.

PMID- 20291063
TI  - The determination of glycine in protein hydrolysates with Leuconostoc
      mesenteroides P-60.

PMID- 20291064
TI  - Kidney phosphatase in alimentary hyperglycemia and phlorhizin glycosuria; a
      dynamic mechanism for renal threshold for glucose.

PMID- 20291065
TI  - Immunological reactions between films of antigen and antibody molecules.

PMID- 20291066
TI  - The reaction of formaldehyde with proteins; participation of indole groups;
      gramicidin.

PMID- 20291067
TI  - Notes on the use of redistilled water and of amylose in the estimation of serum
      iodine.

PMID- 20291068
TI  - Dinicotinylornithine; a metabolite of nicotinamide in the chicken.

PMID- 20291069
TI  - The urinary excretion of a fat-mobilizing agent.

PMID- 20291070
TI  - A micromethod for the quantitative determination of the urinary coproporphyrin
      isomers (I and III).

PMID- 20291071
TI  - Variations of the individual blood plasma amino acid nitrogen level.

PMID- 20291072
TI  - The estimation of parathyroid hormone activity by its effect on serum inorganic
      phosphorus in the rat.

PMID- 20291073
TI  - A new preparation of the parathyroid hormone.

PMID- 20291074
TI  - The mechanism of action of the antifatty liver factor of the pancreas; a
      comparison of hydrolyzed and unhydrolyzed casein in the prevention of fatty
      livers of the completely depancreatized dog maintained with insulin.

PMID- 20291075
TI  - The rapid estimation of tyrothricin in fermentation liquors.

PMID- 20291076
TI  - Glycine and alanine concentrations of body fluids; experimental modification.

PMID- 20291077
TI  - The quantitative determination of ascorbic acid in small amounts of white blood
      cells and platelets.

PMID- 20291078
TI  - Relation of scurvy to glucose tolerance test, liver glycogen, and insulin content
      of pancreas of guinea pigs.

PMID- 20291079
TI  - The metabolism of phenoxyacetic acid, its homologues, and some
      monochlorophenoxyacetic acids; new examples of beta oxidation.

PMID- 20291080
TI  - Studies on cholinesterase; purification of the enzyme from electric tissue by
      fractional ammonium sulfate precipitation.

PMID- 20291081
TI  - The phosphorus-containing lipides of the carrot.

PMID- 20291082
TI  - Alloxan studies; the action of alloxan homologues and related compounds.

PMID- 20291083
TI  - The inhibitory action of naphthoquinones on respiratory processes.

PMID- 20291084
TI  - Amino acids excreted by mice fed incomplete proteins.

PMID- 20291086
TI  - The composition of flaxseed mucilage.

PMID- 20291085
TI  - The role of vitamin B6 in the synthesis of tryptophane from indole and
      anthranilic acid by Lactobacillus arabinosus.

PMID- 20291087
TI  - The estimation of basic organic compounds in biological material; general
      principles.

PMID- 20291088
TI  - The estimation of basic organic compounds in biological material; estimation of
      fluorescent compounds.

PMID- 20291089
TI  - The estimation of basic organic compounds in biological material; estimation by
      conversion to fluorescent compounds.

PMID- 20291090
TI  - The estimation of basic organic compounds in biological material; estimation by
      coupling with diazonium salts.

PMID- 20291091
TI  - The estimation of basic organic compounds in biological material; estimation by
      salt formation with methyl orange.

PMID- 20291092
TI  - The estimation of basic organic compounds in biological material; estimation by
      ultraviolet spectrophotometry.

PMID- 20291093
TI  - The plasma amino acid and amino nitrogen concentration during normal pregnancy,
      labor, and early puerperium.

PMID- 20291094
TI  - The composition of cardiolipin.

PMID- 20291095
TI  - The isolation of the 6-pyridone of N1-methylnicotinamide from urine.

PMID- 20291096
TI  - The action of tyrosinase on chymotrypsin, trypsin, and pepsin.

PMID- 20291097
TI  - A new synthesis of djenkolic acid.

PMID- 20291098
TI  - The deposition and antioxygenic behavior of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-tocopherols
      in rat fats.

PMID- 20291099
TI  - Streptomycin B, an antibiotically active constituent of streptomycin
      concentrates.

PMID- 20291100
TI  - The use of counter-current distribution for the analysis of streptomycin
      preparations.

PMID- 20291101
TI  - Tyrosine oxidation by livers from rats with a sulfasuxidine-induced
      pteroylglutamic acid deficiency.

PMID- 20291102
TI  - Synthesis of hippuric acid in liver homogenate.

PMID- 20291103
TI  - Inhibition of oxidation of succinic acid by structurally related sulfonic acids.

PMID- 20291104
TI  - Streptomycin; the linkage between streptidine and streptobiosamine.

PMID- 20291105
TI  - The enzymic synthesis of glutamine.

PMID- 20291106
TI  - The oxidation of beta-carotene in solution by oxygen.

PMID- 20291107
TI  - The configuration of heterocyclic compounds; preparation of phenoxstibines and
      resolution of 10-p-carboxyphenyl-2-methylphenoxstibine.

PMID- 20291108
TI  - The constitution of yeast ribonucleic acid; further studies on the nature of the
      carbohydrate radicals.

PMID- 20291109
TI  - Acid-base catalysis in non-aqueous solvents; the isomerisation of methyl mesityl
      oxide oxalate in chlorobenzene solution at 99 degrees.

PMID- 20291110
TI  - The catechins of green tea.

PMID- 20291111
TI  - The addition of thio-compounds to olefins; reactions of thioglycollic acid,
      thiophenol, and isopentanethiol.

PMID- 20291112
TI  - Synthetic antimalarials; the effect of variation of substituents in derivatives
      of mono- and di-alkylpyrimidines.

PMID- 20291113
TI  - Synthetic mydriatics.

PMID- 20291114
TI  - Researches in the phenanthridine series; further investigation of trypanocidal
      types.

PMID- 20291115
TI  - Viscosities of aqueous solutions on amino-acids, with some conductivity values.

PMID- 20291116
TI  - Strychnine and brucine; the preparation of neostrychnine and neobrucine.

PMID- 20291117
TI  - The search for chemotherapeutic amidines; two polyamidines.

PMID- 20291118
TI  - The search for chemotherapeutic amidines; phenanthridines.

PMID- 20291119
TI  - The search for chemotherapeutic amidines; pyridines.

PMID- 20291120
TI  - Solvent quenching of fluorescence.

PMID- 20291121
TI  - The place of yttrium and the application of ferricyanide precipitation in the
      rare-earth group; the purification of erbium.

PMID- 20291123
TI  - The sulphonation of some derivatives of eugenol.

PMID- 20291122
TI  - Synthesis of the monomethyl ethers of kaempferol, and the constitution of
      rhamnocitrin.

PMID- 20291124
TI  - 1:2:3:4-Tetrahydroisoquinaldinic acid.

PMID- 20291125
TI  - The pro-vitamin-A activity of mutatochrome.

PMID- 20291126
TI  - The action of benzene and aluminum chloride on tetrahalogenated phenols.

PMID- 20291127
TI  - Studies on Argentine plants; on the constitution of alpha-fagarine.

PMID- 20291128
TI  - Oximes of dialkylaminobutanediones.

PMID- 20291129
TI  - Preparation and polymerization of acrylic esters of olefinic alcohols.

PMID- 20291130
TI  - Reactions and analysis of beta-chloroethyl sulfide in water.

PMID- 20291131
TI  - Hydrolysis and oxidation of mustard gas and related compounds in aqueous
      solution.

PMID- 20291132
TI  - The hydrolysis and oxidation of beta-(beta-chloroethylthio)-ethyl ether and
      related compounds.

PMID- 20291133
TI  - Some reactions of 1,2-bis(beta-chloroethylthio)ethane.

PMID- 20291134
TI  - Some tertiary diamines derived from 1,2-bis(beta chloroethylthio)ethane.

PMID- 20291135
TI  - Some sulfonamide derivatives of 2-aminobenzimidazole.

PMID- 20291136
TI  - Sulfonamide preparations in glacial acetic acid.

PMID- 20291137
TI  - Nuclear substituted morphine derivatives.

PMID- 20291138
TI  - Phosphorus oxybromide as a brominating agent; bromopyrimidines.

PMID- 20291139
TI  - The synthesis of potential antimalarials; the preparation of methylated amides of
      taurine and their pantoyl derivatives.

PMID- 20291140
TI  - Some highly halogenated phenolic ethers as fungistatic compounds.

PMID- 20291141
TI  - The action of ethyl orthoformate on aniline and certain of its derivatives.

PMID- 20291142
TI  - Hydrolysis and chlorination of three beta-chloroe-thylamines.

PMID- 20291143
TI  - Biotin; synthesis of dl-epibiotin.

PMID- 20291144
TI  - Biotin; penthiane-3,4-dicarboxylic acid.

PMID- 20291145
TI  - Condensation of aromatic aldehydes with alpha-picoline methiodide.

PMID- 20291146
TI  - Analgesic studies; beta-ethyl and beta-isopropylamine derivatives of pyridine and
      thiazole.

PMID- 20291147
TI  - Isolation and purification of neopine.

PMID- 20291148
TI  - Some reactions of neopine.

PMID- 20291149
TI  - The limitations of orthodontic treatment; mixed dentition diagnosis and
      treatment.

PMID- 20291150
TI  - The correction of mandibular subluxation.

PMID- 20291151
TI  - The healing of extraction wounds in the presence of retained root remnants and
      bone fragments.

PMID- 20291152
TI  - Some clinical observations concerning noma.

PMID- 20291153
TI  - Premedication by co-medication in local anesthesia.

PMID- 20291154
TI  - Apicoectomy.

PMID- 20291155
TI  - Root amputation; a definitive surgery.

PMID- 20291156
TI  - Master metal facial cast for swaging lead masks in the treatment of carcinoma of
      the skin of the face.

PMID- 20291157
TI  - Erythema multiforme exudativum (Steven s-Johnson syndrome).

PMID- 20291158
TI  - A resume of the development of penicillin and sulfonamides, and their application
      to dental surgery.

PMID- 20291159
TI  - Ankylosis, synovitis and arthritis.

PMID- 20291160
TI  - The newer knowledge of hygiene in diet.

PMID- 20291161
TI  - Description of a new type of interchangeable porcelain and acrylic facing for
      crown and bridgework.

PMID- 20291162
TI  - The plastics; with special emphasis on the use of acrylics in the construction of
      jacket crowns, bridgework and partial dentures.

PMID- 20291164
TI  - The pharyngeal gasway; its use in exodontia.

PMID- 20291163
TI  - Some psychosomatic aspects of medicine.

PMID- 20291165
TI  - Surgery of the mouth and jaws.

PMID- 20291166
TI  - Impacted and aberrant teeth.

PMID- 20291167
TI  - Diagnostic oral roentgenology.

PMID- 20291168
TI  - Practical dental assisting.

PMID- 20291169
TI  - Conventional eating habits and dental caries.

PMID- 20291170
TI  - The integration of the basic sciences in clinical operative dentistry.

PMID- 20291171
TI  - The application of pharmacology in clinical operative dentistry.

PMID- 20291172
TI  - Does the present status of clinical investigation indicate the advisability of
      pulp capping?

PMID- 20291174
TI  - Fact and hypothesis in the teaching of periodontology.

PMID- 20291173
TI  - What constitutes an adequate requirement in clinical operative dentistry?

PMID- 20291175
TI  - The dental curriculum in American universities.

PMID- 20291176
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291177
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291178
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291179
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291181
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291180
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291182
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291183
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291184
TI  - The cell, 1946.

PMID- 20291185
TI  - Blood sedimentation rate; technical consideration and clinical evaluation.

PMID- 20291186
TI  - Ringworm.

PMID- 20291187
TI  - Accuracy as a quality essential to the medical technologist.

PMID- 20291188
TI  - The significance of the antivitamins in nutrition.

PMID- 20291189
TI  - Unrestricted diet in the treatment of juvenile diabetes.

PMID- 20291190
TI  - A practical approach to nutrition education for children.

PMID- 20291191
TI  - Research in nutrition education.

PMID- 20291192
TI  - Recent trends in frozen foods.

PMID- 20291193
TI  - Palatability and vitamin retention in large-scale food preparation of dehydrated
      sulphited potato strips.

PMID- 20291194
TI  - Some effects of methionine on the utilization of nitrogen in the adult dog.

PMID- 20291195
TI  - The effect of methionine upon the urinary nitrogen in men at normal and low
      levels of protein intake.

PMID- 20291196
TI  - Amino acids in nitrogen metabolism with particular reference to the role of
      methionine.

PMID- 20291197
TI  - Covitamin studies; effect of tocopherol supplementation on the output of vitamin
      A, carotene, and fat by dairy cows.

PMID- 20291198
TI  - Some observations on the nutritional value of dialyzed whey solids.

PMID- 20291199
TI  - Nitrogen retention studies on rats, dogs and man; the effect of adding methionine
      to an enzymic case in hydrolystate.

PMID- 20291200
TI  - The conjoint effects of varied intakes of thiamine and vitamin A on rats.

PMID- 20291201
TI  - The value of meat and peas, alone or in combination, as a source of protein for
      growth.

PMID- 20291202
TI  - Tissue reserves of ascorbic acid in normal adults on three levels of intake.

PMID- 20291203
TI  - Some observations on the state of nutrition in the Union of South Africa.

PMID- 20291204
TI  - The medical approach to the problem of malnutrition.

PMID- 20291205
TI  - Clinical aspects of malnutrition.

PMID- 20291207
TI  - Surgery and nutrition.

PMID- 20291206
TI  - The role of the proteins in under-nutrition.

PMID- 20291208
TI  - The internal storage of foodstuffs with special reference to bony tissue as the
      body's mineral bank.

PMID- 20291209
TI  - Certain aspects of nutrition and the eye.

PMID- 20291210
TI  - Remedies for malnutrition.

PMID- 20291211
TI  - Some nutritional problems in the rural Bantu.

PMID- 20291212
TI  - The significance of animal nutrition and health to that of the human population
      in the Union.

PMID- 20291213
TI  - The problem of supplementing the African diet examined in the light of current
      concepts of nutrition.

PMID- 20291214
TI  - Nutrition in pregnancy.

PMID- 20291215
TI  - The application of the findings of the National Health Commission in planning for
      the future of the problem.

PMID- 20291216
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291218
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291217
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291220
TI  - Anaesthesia in the aged.

PMID- 20291219
TI  - On precursors of gastric carcinoma.

PMID- 20291221
TI  - The effect of age on the leukocyte count; a comparison of white blood cell counts
      in aged and young individuals, with special reference to the response to
      infection.

PMID- 20291222
TI  - Nutritional aspects of aging.

PMID- 20291223
TI  - Cutaneous hypersensitivity reactions to penicillin in the aged.

PMID- 20291224
TI  - Physical fitness and work capacity of older men.

PMID- 20291225
TI  - Hypercholesterolemia and atheromatous disease in premature aging.

PMID- 20291226
TI  - The fibrous nature of the human cervix, and its relation to the isthmic segment
      in gravid and nongravid uteri.

PMID- 20291227
TI  - The amniotic duct as the key structure in the determination of the direction of
      growth of the human placenta and its orientation in the uterus.

PMID- 20291228
TI  - The clinical significance of Rh antibodies (Rh agglutinins and blocking
      antibodies) in the sera of Rh-negative mothers; a study of 179 cases.

PMID- 20291229
TI  - False positive Rh typing obtained with commercial anti-Rho serum.

PMID- 20291230
TI  - The effect of wartime starvation in Holland upon pregnancy and its product.

PMID- 20291231
TI  - Selective cytology smear for diagnosis of cancer.

PMID- 20291232
TI  - Operation for the cure of incontinence of urine in the female.

PMID- 20291234
TI  - The time of ovulation.

PMID- 20291233
TI  - Irregular shedding of the endometrium.

PMID- 20291235
TI  - Placental metabolism of vitamin C; normal placental content.

PMID- 20291236
TI  - The possible etiologic significance of thrombosis of a placental vein on the
      mechanism of placental infarction and associated toxemia of pregnancy.

PMID- 20291237
TI  - Podophyllin treatment of soft papillomas of the female urethra.

PMID- 20291238
TI  - Uterine adenomyosis; incidence, symptoms, and pathology in 1,856 hysterectomies.

PMID- 20291239
TI  - A general survey of maternal care in a Navy hospital.

PMID- 20291240
TI  - Metastatic chorionepithelioma of the lung treated by lobectomy.

PMID- 20291241
TI  - Preliminary clinical report on a new synthetic estrogen, meprane.

PMID- 20291243
TI  - The dangers of the intracervical pessary as a contraceptive device.

PMID- 20291242
TI  - Meningitis following continuous caudal anesthesia.

PMID- 20291244
TI  - Dysgerminoma and pregnancy.

PMID- 20291245
TI  - Bilateral dermoid cysts, uterine fibroids, and pregnancy.

PMID- 20291246
TI  - Successful repair of a vesicovaginal fistula complicating carcinoma of the
      cervix.

PMID- 20291247
TI  - Genital tuberculosis with atresia of the vagina and amenorrhea.

PMID- 20291248
TI  - Coexisting different tumors of the ovaries.

PMID- 20291249
TI  - Cranial deformation in the reign of Akhnaton.

PMID- 20291250
TI  - William Osler and Howard A. Kelly, physicians, medical historians, friends, as
      revealed by nineteen letters from Osler to Kelly.

PMID- 20291251
TI  - Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis, (1818-1865); an annotated bibliography.

PMID- 20291252
TI  - Human multiple births.

PMID- 20291254
TI  - The surgical management of peptic ulcers in railway employees.

PMID- 20291253
TI  - The effect of administering a vitamin supplement, in capsules, to groups of
      workers in the steel industry.

PMID- 20291256
TI  - Systematizing accident investigation.

PMID- 20291255
TI  - The diagnosis and management of acute head injuries.

PMID- 20291257
TI  - Early treatment of ocular injuries.

PMID- 20291258
TI  - Medical departments in small plants.

PMID- 20291259
TI  - The post-cholecystectomy syndrome.

PMID- 20291260
TI  - Industrial sanitation.

PMID- 20291261
TI  - First aid for chemical eye injuries.

PMID- 20291262
TI  - Amputation of the leg.

PMID- 20291263
TI  - Mass immunization against influenza types A and B in an industrial plant.

PMID- 20291265
TI  - The teacher as counselor in marriage education.

PMID- 20291264
TI  - BENZOL.

PMID- 20291266
TI  - Married veterans are good students.

PMID- 20291267
TI  - The role of the library in family life education.

PMID- 20291268
TI  - Clinical features of patent ductus arteriosus with special reference to cardiac
      murmurs.

PMID- 20291269
TI  - Infectious hepatitis; clinical and laboratory features of 295 cases.

PMID- 20291270
TI  - Liver dysfunction in rheumatic heart disease; preliminary report.

PMID- 20291271
TI  - The treatment of pneumococcic pneumonia with oral and intramuscular penicillin.

PMID- 20291272
TI  - Some pharmacological and clinical experiences with dimethylaminoethyl benzhydryl
      ether hydrochloride (benadryl).

PMID- 20291273
TI  - The intravenous use of human ascitic fluid in shock, nephrosis and allied
      conditions.

PMID- 20291274
TI  - Renal excretory function and diet in diabetes insipidus.

PMID- 20291275
TI  - Observations on the treatment of carcinoma of the prostate by orchidectomy.

PMID- 20291276
TI  - The femoral bone marrow cells of the albino rat.

PMID- 20291277
TI  - Postpartum blood; its clotting mechanism and relationship to the peripheral blood
      picture.

PMID- 20291278
TI  - The effect of circulatory factors on the bromsulphalein test in liver disease.

PMID- 20291279
TI  - Menopausal hypertension; a critical study.

PMID- 20291280
TI  - Amylase levels during mumps; the findings in blood and saliva.

PMID- 20291281
TI  - The failure of massive salicylate therapy to suppress the inflammatory reaction
      in rheumatic fever.

PMID- 20291282
TI  - Changes in personality appraisal associated with a restricted intake of B
      vitamins and protein.

PMID- 20291283
TI  - Virus pyogen and virus pyogen photosensitivity relationships in cutaneous
      disease.

PMID- 20291284
TI  - Throat medication; a survey of current trends.

PMID- 20291285
TI  - Factors in the control of capillary and venous pressure demonstrated by a schema.

PMID- 20291286
TI  - A study of the factors controlling the differentiation of Mauthner's cell in
      Amblystoma.

PMID- 20291287
TI  - The Brooklyn Hospital during the war years.

PMID- 20291288
TI  - The prevention of cardiovascular syphilis.

PMID- 20291289
TI  - Congenital stenosis of the pulmonary valve in the absence of septal defects.

PMID- 20291290
TI  - The 79th General Hospital; a narrative.

PMID- 20291291
TI  - Ectopic decidua in the cecum report of a case presenting an acute inflammatory
      lesion at the site of an ectopic decidual focus.

PMID- 20291293
TI  - The syndrome of compression of the sixth cervical spinal nerve.

PMID- 20291292
TI  - [Carcinoma of the stomach, intrinsic, with metastases to the liver].

PMID- 20291294
TI  - Carcinoma of the prostate; a symposium.

PMID- 20291295
TI  - Carcinoma of the prostate; determination of the acid phosphatase of the blood
      serum as an aid in diagnosis.

PMID- 20291296
TI  - Carcinoma of the prostate; radiologic considerations.

PMID- 20291297
TI  - Carcinoma of the prostate; neurologic disturbances resulting from metastases.

PMID- 20291298
TI  - Carcinoma of the prostate; pathologic observations.

PMID- 20291299
TI  - [Myelogenous leukemia].

PMID- 20291301
TI  - Urinary calculi.

PMID- 20291300
TI  - Treatment of erythroblastosis by exsanguination transfusion.

PMID- 20291302
TI  - Studies on the protein metabolism of the infant; the comparative biological value
      of some milk protein preparations.

PMID- 20291303
TI  - Studies on the protein metabolism of infants; tryptophane requirement of the
      infant.

PMID- 20291304
TI  - The antipellagra action of N1-methylnicotinamide.

PMID- 20291305
TI  - Disappearance time of Treponema pallidum from lesions of early syphilis following
      administration of crystalline penicillin G.

PMID- 20291307
TI  - Investigation and treatment of infertility.

PMID- 20291306
TI  - The prevention of pyloric ligation-induced ulcers of the gastric rumen of rats by
      transabdominal vagotomy; a preliminary report.

PMID- 20291308
TI  - Certain peculiarities of brain metabolism.

PMID- 20291309
TI  - The use of isuprel for the management of bronchial asthma.

PMID- 20291310
TI  - Immunity to virus disease.

PMID- 20291311
TI  - The evolution of the New England Medical Center.

PMID- 20291312
TI  - Streptomycin in pulmonary tuberculosis.

PMID- 20291313
TI  - An approach to the diagnosis and treatment of gout.

PMID- 20291315
TI  - Carcinoma in situ.

PMID- 20291314
TI  - Homologous serum hepatitis in civilian practice.

PMID- 20291316
TI  - The excretion of water.

PMID- 20291320
TI  - Immunization against diphtheria and whooping cough.

PMID- 20291321
TI  - Notes on diagnostic intradermal tests.

PMID- 20291322
TI  - The doctor and his relations with the police and the coroner.

PMID- 20291323
TI  - The treatment of veneral disease in general practice.

PMID- 20291324
TI  - Differential diagnosis of common external diseases of the eye met with in general
      practice.

PMID- 20291325
TI  - Varicose veins and varicose ulcers.

PMID- 20291326
TI  - The indications for radiotherapy and its value in general practice.

PMID- 20291327
TI  - Rheumatoid arthritis.

PMID- 20291328
TI  - Blood dyscrasias.

PMID- 20291329
TI  - Differential diagnosis of lower motor neurone diseases.

PMID- 20291330
TI  - Artificial pneumothorax and some of its pitfalls.

PMID- 20291331
TI  - Occipito-posterior positions.

PMID- 20291332
TI  - Some practical aspects of the management of pregnancy.

PMID- 20291333
TI  - Management of measles and whooping-cough and their sequelae.

PMID- 20291334
TI  - Difficulties associated with breast feeding.

PMID- 20291336
TI  - 17-Ketosteroids; a review of the literature.

PMID- 20291335
TI  - Penicillin in tetanus with an analysis of the spinal fluid in tetanus.

PMID- 20291337
TI  - [HYDATID mole].

PMID- 20291338
TI  - Treatment of acute sulfadiazine anuria by continuous peritoneal lavage; a case
      report.

PMID- 20291339
TI  - Observations on the behavior of myoepithelial cells in the human breast.

PMID- 20291340
TI  - Chronic vasomotor rhinitis in pregnancy.

PMID- 20291341
TI  - Toxic reactions to local anesthetics.

PMID- 20291342
TI  - [CESAREAN section; case report].

PMID- 20291343
TI  - ONE hundredth anniversary of the first administration of anesthetic ether.

PMID- 20291344
TI  - Surgery before anesthesia.

PMID- 20291345
TI  - Dr. William T. G. Morton and ether.

PMID- 20291346
TI  - Anesthesiology today and tomorrow.

PMID- 20291347
TI  - Subdiaphragmatic vagotomy; indications and technic.

PMID- 20291348
TI  - Hemorrhagic diabetic retinitis; a method of treatment based on the elevation of
      plasma albumin by diet.

PMID- 20291349
TI  - Neoplasms of the small intestine.

PMID- 20291350
TI  - The use of curare and pentothal sodium in endoscopy.

PMID- 20291351
TI  - Gastrocolic fistula; a new concept of pathologic physiology; mechanism of
      production of the syndrome.

PMID- 20291353
TI  - Differential diagnosis between cerebral and cerebellar denegeration and brain
      tumor.

PMID- 20291352
TI  - Skeletal changes in chronic fluorine intoxication; report of a case.

PMID- 20291354
TI  - Intra-arterial transfusion in the treatment of experimental hemorrhagic shock.

PMID- 20291355
TI  - Hypospadias.

PMID- 20291356
TI  - Brain tumor with long survival of patient; report of a case.

PMID- 20291357
TI  - Brief reviews in clinical medicine.

PMID- 20291358
TI  - Diabetes mellitus and gall bladder disease.

PMID- 20291359
TI  - Mesenteric fibrosarcoma; report of a case.

PMID- 20291360
TI  - Metastatic carcinoma of the lung simulating heart failure.

PMID- 20291361
TI  - Successful immunization procedures.

PMID- 20291362
TI  - Two years medical work in the Northern Frontier District, Kenya Colony.

PMID- 20291363
TI  - The experimental control of mosquito breeding in rice fields in Nyanza Province,
      Kenya, by intermittent irrigation and other methods.

PMID- 20291364
TI  - The technique of D. D. T. impregnation of native huts.

PMID- 20291365
TI  - A mosquito survey of Mahe, Seychelles.

PMID- 20291366
TI  - The description of a new mosquito from the Seychelles.

PMID- 20291367
TI  - Aedes control at Lamu.

PMID- 20291368
TI  - A preliminary note on the sylvan mosquitos of Gede.

PMID- 20291369
TI  - The description of a new Anopheles of the Myzorhynchus series from Madagascar
      with notes on its systematic position in relation to the Ethiopian species of
      this group.

PMID- 20291371
TI  - Simuliidae of Kenya.

PMID- 20291370
TI  - A new blood spirochaete in the grivet monkey; Ceropithecus aethiops.

PMID- 20291372
TI  - A giant fruit bat from north Kavirondo.

PMID- 20291373
TI  - The care and maintenance of laboratory animals and arthropod vectors of disease.

PMID- 20291374
TI  - The necessity of animal experimentation for progress in medicine.

PMID- 20291375
TI  - Tumors of the anterior abdominal wall.

PMID- 20291376
TI  - Peptic ulcer complicated by hemorrhage; a report of 36 cases.

PMID- 20291377
TI  - Ocular allergy to tuberculosis.

PMID- 20291378
TI  - Spondylitis due to undulant fever.

PMID- 20291379
TI  - Deceptive pyelogram.

PMID- 20291380
TI  - Atypical angina pectoris; mechanism, importance and differential diagnosis.

PMID- 20291381
TI  - [Carcinoma of the descending colon with subphrenic abscess perforating into a
      bronchus].

PMID- 20291382
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291384
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291383
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291385
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291386
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291387
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291388
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291389
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291390
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291391
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291392
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291393
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291394
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291395
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291396
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291397
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291398
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291401
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291400
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291399
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291402
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291403
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291404
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291405
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291406
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291407
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291409
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291408
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291412
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291411
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291410
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291413
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291414
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291415
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291416
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291417
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291418
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291419
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291420
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291421
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291422
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291423
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291424
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291425
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291426
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291427
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291428
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291429
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291430
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291432
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291431
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291433
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291434
TI  - Tropical ulcer in the Hissar district of the Punjab.

PMID- 20291435
TI  - Ten cases of typhus in civilians in Calcutta.

PMID- 20291436
TI  - Observations on the treatment of 25 cases of kala-azar with stibatin (sodium
      antimony gluconate).

PMID- 20291437
TI  - Activation of the human system in filariasis.

PMID- 20291438
TI  - Observations on eosinophilic lung.

PMID- 20291439
TI  - Leukaemoid reaction after blood transfusion.

PMID- 20291440
TI  - Diagnosis of infective hepatitis in its prodromal and invasion stages.

PMID- 20291441
TI  - Ocular manifestations of avitaminosis in adults.

PMID- 20291442
TI  - Penetrating injury in a pregnant woman.

PMID- 20291443
TI  - A case of brucellosis (abortus fever).

PMID- 20291444
TI  - Mistaken diagnoses; chocolate cysts of the ovary; dermoid cyst of the lung.

PMID- 20291445
TI  - Studies in the health problems of a rural community in western Bengal; population
      problems.

PMID- 20291446
TI  - The state of nutrition and physical development of school children in Hyderabad
      State.

PMID- 20291447
TI  - The action of nicotinic acid on the heart of Rana tigrina.

PMID- 20291448
TI  - Serological reactions in tropical eosinophilia.

PMID- 20291449
TI  - Some experiments on toque monkeys with tyroglyphid mites.

PMID- 20291450
TI  - Regional enteritis (Crohn's disease); a case with multiple jejunal strictures.

PMID- 20291451
TI  - Effect of blood donation on the haemopoietic system.

PMID- 20291452
TI  - Poisonous foodgrain; wheat mixed with Lolium temulentum.

PMID- 20291453
TI  - Normal blood sedimentation rate and other haematological values in the Punjab.

PMID- 20291454
TI  - Amoebic abscess of liver bursting into pericardial cavity.

PMID- 20291455
TI  - Neonatal deaths and still births in Bombay.

PMID- 20291456
TI  - A new oil medium for enhancement of growth of the Malassezia and subsequent study
      of serological reactions and pathogenicity.

PMID- 20291457
TI  - Use of penicillin in rat and human leprosy.

PMID- 20291458
TI  - Occurrence of Bact. alcaligenes sp. in duck eggs.

PMID- 20291459
TI  - A case of Petit's eventration of the diaphragm.

PMID- 20291460
TI  - Transmission of kala-azar in India; the case against the sandfly; a reply.

PMID- 20291461
TI  - A note on cholera outbreaks (1944-45) in the Singur Health Centre area, Bengal,
      with special reference to control measures.

PMID- 20291462
TI  - Sulphapyridine anuria including histopathological examination of kidney in one
      case.

PMID- 20291463
TI  - Enicostema littorale Blume in malaria.

PMID- 20291464
TI  - Undulant fever in Bombay.

PMID- 20291465
TI  - Cervical rib syndrome, with a case record.

PMID- 20291466
TI  - Is second attack of diphtheria possible?

PMID- 20291467
TI  - Tropical eosinophilia.

PMID- 20291468
TI  - Observations on the interpretation of the hippuric acid synthesis test of liver
      function.

PMID- 20291469
TI  - Dissecting aneurysm of the aorta; a case report and a review of 133 cases.

PMID- 20291470
TI  - Amoebic hepatitis and associated pericarditis.

PMID- 20291471
TI  - An unusual case of snake bite; intravenous sodium sulphate treatment of
      threatened uraemia.

PMID- 20291472
TI  - Ocular complications in malaria; a case of dendritic ulcer.

PMID- 20291473
TI  - Penicillin in typhoid fever.

PMID- 20291474
TI  - A case of pulmonary amoebiasis.

PMID- 20291475
TI  - Thiouracil.

PMID- 20291476
TI  - Malnutrition in Bengal.

PMID- 20291477
TI  - Note on diet surveys carried out in the central Provinces and Berar.

PMID- 20291478
TI  - Some aspects of clinical malnutrition.

PMID- 20291480
TI  - Food.

PMID- 20291479
TI  - Nutritional requirements.

PMID- 20291481
TI  - Value of soya-bean.

PMID- 20291482
TI  - Defects in the present public health propaganda.

PMID- 20291483
TI  - A case of acute emetine poisoning.

PMID- 20291484
TI  - The Sind leprosy control bill for diseased immigrants.

PMID- 20291485
TI  - Eosinophilic lungs.

PMID- 20291486
TI  - Psychological aspects of riots, killing and carnage.

PMID- 20291487
TI  - Local therapy of shark-liver oil in nyctalopia.

PMID- 20291489
TI  - The kiss; its advantage and disadvantage.

PMID- 20291488
TI  - Eye troubles in old age.

PMID- 20291490
TI  - Importance of vaccination and nursing.

PMID- 20291491
TI  - A case of aconite poisoning.

PMID- 20291492
TI  - The management of jaundiced patients; consideration of the indications for
      surgical treatment.

PMID- 20291493
TI  - Intravenous therapy of cirrhosis of the liver.

PMID- 20291494
TI  - Propylthiouracil in thyrotoxicosis; observations on 54 patients.

PMID- 20291495
TI  - Typhus fever in the United States Army following immunization; incidence,
      severity of the disease, modification of the clinical course and serologic
      diagnosis.

PMID- 20291496
TI  - The value of endotracheal intubation.

PMID- 20291497
TI  - Esophageal leiomyoma; report of a successful resection.

PMID- 20291499
TI  - Aggravation of a gastric ulcer following dorsolumbar sympathectomy.

PMID- 20291498
TI  - Penicillin therapy of gonococcic endocarditis of the pulmonary valve.

PMID- 20291500
TI  - The successful treatment of acute renal failure by peritoneal irrigation.

PMID- 20291501
TI  - Orthoptics.

PMID- 20291502
TI  - Urologic complications.

PMID- 20291503
TI  - Adaptability of the supravital technique to experimental and clinical problems.

PMID- 20291504
TI  - The blood clotting mechanism; the clinical anticoagulants.

PMID- 20291505
TI  - Hemoflagellates.

PMID- 20291506
TI  - Psychological effects of the war on British children.

PMID- 20291507
TI  - Tuberculosis control activities of the Arkansas State Board of Health.

PMID- 20291508
TI  - A consideration of the surgical complications of amebiasis of the colon and
      rectum.

PMID- 20291509
TI  - Modern concepts of cardio-vascular disease.

PMID- 20291510
TI  - Trends in tuberculosis control procedures.

PMID- 20291511
TI  - Health service areas.

PMID- 20291512
TI  - Preventive medicine; a new approach.

PMID- 20291513
TI  - Calcification of the pleura.

PMID- 20291514
TI  - The comparative value of pentothal sodium, curare, and magnesium sulfate for the
      modification of metrazol convulsions.

PMID- 20291515
TI  - The effect of various suture materials in wound healing.

PMID- 20291516
TI  - The importance of accurate diagnosis in tuberculosis.

PMID- 20291517
TI  - Responsibility of the physician in the education of the tuberculous.

PMID- 20291518
TI  - The antibacterial approach to the treatment of tuberculosis.

PMID- 20291519
TI  - TUBERCULOSIS among college students.

PMID- 20291520
TI  - Incidence of tuberculosis in student nurses.

PMID- 20291521
TI  - Tuberculosis in Mexican agricultural laborers.

PMID- 20291522
TI  - The therapy of hemorrhage.

PMID- 20291523
TI  - Vitamin D2 in the treatment of cutaneous tuberculosis.

PMID- 20291524
TI  - Bronchiogenic carcinoma of the lung.

PMID- 20291525
TI  - The fenestration operation for deafness.

PMID- 20291526
TI  - Acute and subacute yellow atrophy of liver; report of three cases with necropsy.

PMID- 20291527
TI  - Cystic and caseous tuberculosis of multiple bones; case report.

PMID- 20291528
TI  - [Necrotizing pharyngitis].

PMID- 20291529
TI  - Founder of modern tuberculosis treatment, Edward Livingston Trudeau.

PMID- 20291530
TI  - The sword and the plough share [the mustards].

PMID- 20291531
TI  - Physiological problems in the treatment of heart disease.

PMID- 20291532
TI  - The operability of malignant pulmonary neoplasms with special reference to cancer
      of the lung.

PMID- 20291533
TI  - The effect of atabrin on auricular fibrillation and supraventricular tachycardia
      in man.

PMID- 20291534
TI  - Tuberculous fecal fistula following pelvic surgery.

PMID- 20291535
TI  - Echinococcus alveolaris infection of the human liver.

PMID- 20291536
TI  - Cardiospasm.

PMID- 20291537
TI  - A suggestion for the treatment of chronic sinus disease.

PMID- 20291538
TI  - Centenaries of 1946.

PMID- 20291539
TI  - Some rules for the employment of local analgesia in the treatment of somatic
      pain.

PMID- 20291540
TI  - Heterospecific pregnancy; the Rh factor and repeated miscarriages.

PMID- 20291541
TI  - Spontaneous rupture of the spleen in malaria.

PMID- 20291542
TI  - Dementia paralytica occurring in chronic schizophrenia.

PMID- 20291543
TI  - The treatment of thyreotoxicosis by concurrent administration of thiouracil and
      iodine.

PMID- 20291544
TI  - Asiatic schistosomiasis; an outbreak in the Royal Australian Air Force.

PMID- 20291545
TI  - Leon Daudet; some extracts from his memoirs dealing with French medicine in the
      eighties and nineties.

PMID- 20291546
TI  - Intracranial damage in the newly born.

PMID- 20291547
TI  - The present position of allergy.

PMID- 20291548
TI  - Two cases of narcolepsy.

PMID- 20291549
TI  - Puzzling foot symptoms from abnormal nerve distribution.

PMID- 20291550
TI  - Herpes zoster with associated muscle paralysis.

PMID- 20291551
TI  - [Liver puncture].

PMID- 20291552
TI  - Asthma and some psychophysical interrelations.

PMID- 20291554
TI  - On the treatment of placenta praevia.

PMID- 20291553
TI  - Penicillin in the treatment of discharge from the middle ear.

PMID- 20291555
TI  - Anaphylactic purpura following intramuscular penicillin therapy.

PMID- 20291557
TI  - Peptic ulcer.

PMID- 20291556
TI  - Meningitis; isolation of an organism resembling Neisseria catarrhalis from
      cerebro-spinal fluid; report of a case.

PMID- 20291558
TI  - Prevention and modern treatment of eclampsia.

PMID- 20291559
TI  - The diagnosis and treatment of lung abscess.

PMID- 20291560
TI  - Problems of infection in the nurseries.

PMID- 20291561
TI  - A case of congenital absence of the vagina.

PMID- 20291562
TI  - Progress in cancer control in the United States.

PMID- 20291563
TI  - Activities of the National Cancer Institute and the National Advisory Cancer
      Council.

PMID- 20291564
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291565
TI  - [Carcinoma of the large bowel].

PMID- 20291567
TI  - Menopausal bleeding.

PMID- 20291566
TI  - Modern trends in burn therapy.

PMID- 20291568
TI  - Lumbar sympathectomy in the treatment of peripheral vascular diseases with case
      report of results in Buerger's disease.

PMID- 20291569
TI  - Pheumococcus peritonitis; report of three cases, two treated with penicillin.

PMID- 20291570
TI  - The diagnosis of pernicious anemia.

PMID- 20291571
TI  - Surgical management of vascular injuries in combat.

PMID- 20291572
TI  - Fatty infiltration and hepatic degeneration.

PMID- 20291573
TI  - The dangers associated with nodular goiter.

PMID- 20291574
TI  - Roentgenologic findings in atypical pneumonia.

PMID- 20291575
TI  - Treatment of hepatic cirrhosis.

PMID- 20291576
TI  - The problem of social medicine; equilibrating the distribution and technology of
      medical care.

PMID- 20291577
TI  - The teaching hospital's service to the public.

PMID- 20291578
TI  - Acute yellow atrophy following cinchophen administration; report of a case.

PMID- 20291579
TI  - Leukemia cutis; report of a case, with a discussion of treatment by the use of
      hormones.

PMID- 20291580
TI  - Effects of protein deficiency on the pregnant woman and fetus and on the infant
      and child.

PMID- 20291581
TI  - [Benign giant-cell tumor of coccyx and sacrum].

PMID- 20291582
TI  - [Fibromyxosarcoma].

PMID- 20291583
TI  - Socialized medicine.

PMID- 20291584
TI  - Ligation of the vena cava; a critical evaluation based on a study of 22 cases.

PMID- 20291585
TI  - The unstable colon, its role as a precursor to diverticulosis.

PMID- 20291586
TI  - Actinomycosis; a report of twelve cases with special reference to a mediastinal
      case.

PMID- 20291587
TI  - Multiple operative procedures in a case of von Recklinghausen's disease.

PMID- 20291588
TI  - Traumatic rupture of the pancreas; case report.

PMID- 20291589
TI  - An evaluation of the psychogenic factor in peptic ulcer.

PMID- 20291590
TI  - New methods of hemostasis.

PMID- 20291591
TI  - Preventive medicine in the cancer field.

PMID- 20291592
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291593
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291594
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291595
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291596
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291597
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291598
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291599
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291600
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291601
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291602
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291603
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291604
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291605
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291606
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291607
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291608
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291609
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291610
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291611
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291613
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291612
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291614
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291615
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291616
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291617
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291618
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291619
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291620
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291621
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291622
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291623
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291624
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291625
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291626
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291627
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291628
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291629
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291630
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291631
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291632
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291634
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291635
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291633
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291636
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291637
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291638
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291639
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291640
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291641
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291642
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291644
TI  - Carcinoma of the colon.

PMID- 20291643
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291645
TI  - Carcinoma of the head of the pancreas.

PMID- 20291646
TI  - Anesthesia for prolonged operation.

PMID- 20291647
TI  - Extensive calcification of pancreas.

PMID- 20291648
TI  - Cause of congenital defects following rubella in mother; role of adrenals.

PMID- 20291649
TI  - A study of diets of patients in a prenatal clinic with an attempt to correlate
      dietary adequacy with physical findings.

PMID- 20291650
TI  - Pompholyx and its treatment.

PMID- 20291651
TI  - Studies of neuromuscular dysfunction; treatment of chronic multiple sclerosis
      with neostigmine and intensive muscle re-education.

PMID- 20291652
TI  - Thiouracil in the treatment of hyperthyroidism complicating pregnancy.

PMID- 20291653
TI  - The influence of adrenalectomy upon analgesic effectiveness of morphine in rats.

PMID- 20291654
TI  - Diaphragmatic hernia.

PMID- 20291656
TI  - Oral penicillin in pneumonia.

PMID- 20291655
TI  - Aminopyrine in the treatment of rheumatic fever.

PMID- 20291657
TI  - Parinaud's oculoglandular syndrome; report of a case of obscure etiology.

PMID- 20291658
TI  - Diagnosis and prognosis in cases of coarctation of the aorta.

PMID- 20291659
TI  - Coarctation of the aorta; experimental surgical aspects.

PMID- 20291660
TI  - Surgical treatment of coarctation of the aorta; report of case.

PMID- 20291661
TI  - The roentgenologic diagnosis of coarctation of the aorta.

PMID- 20291662
TI  - Coarctation of the aorta; surgical aspects.

PMID- 20291663
TI  - Pregnancy at term complicated by ruptured appendix.

PMID- 20291664
TI  - Complete duplication of the large intestine; report of case.

PMID- 20291665
TI  - The value of pulmonary function tests in thoracic surgery for pulmonary
      tuberculosis.

PMID- 20291666
TI  - Simplified equipment for estimating the diffusion of oxygen and carbon dioxide in
      the lungs.

PMID- 20291667
TI  - Gingival biopsy for the diagnosis of generalized amyloidosis; preliminary report.

PMID- 20291668
TI  - Thoracic surgery through the 15. century.

PMID- 20291669
TI  - Cavernostomy.

PMID- 20291670
TI  - Treatment of tuberculosis of the spine in children.

PMID- 20291671
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291672
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291673
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291674
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291675
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291676
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291677
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291678
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291679
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291680
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291681
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291682
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291683
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291684
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291685
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291686
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291687
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291688
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291689
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291690
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291692
TI  - Post-operative pulmonary complications.

PMID- 20291691
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291693
TI  - Schistosomiasis in Southern Africa.

PMID- 20291694
TI  - Tallium-vergiftiging.

PMID- 20291695
TI  - Sensory disturbances in chronic visceral disease.

PMID- 20291696
TI  - Closed head injuries; a note on the indications for exploratory surgery.

PMID- 20291697
TI  - BERNARD Shaw and the late Dr. Kingston Barton.

PMID- 20291698
TI  - A case of a peptic ulcer.

PMID- 20291699
TI  - Indications for pulmonary resection.

PMID- 20291700
TI  - Management of the menopause and climacteric.

PMID- 20291701
TI  - The Rh factors in hemolytic disease of the newborn.

PMID- 20291702
TI  - The glaucoma patient.

PMID- 20291703
TI  - Clinical disorders associated with functional and organic disturbances in
      hypothalamic and other midbrain centers.

PMID- 20291704
TI  - Endocrine problems in childhood.

PMID- 20291706
TI  - An introduction to geriatrics.

PMID- 20291705
TI  - Hanging cast.

PMID- 20291707
TI  - The problems of the natural and artificial menopause.

PMID- 20291708
TI  - Cholecystitis.

PMID- 20291709
TI  - Significance of the liver in protein metabolism.

PMID- 20291710
TI  - Medical practice in China.

PMID- 20291711
TI  - Protein metabolism in relation to wounds, disease, infection and operative
      procedure.

PMID- 20291712
TI  - ANTIBIOTICS, clinical and laboratory studies.

PMID- 20291713
TI  - INJURIES of the central and peripheral nervous system.

PMID- 20291714
TI  - FROZEN-DRIED nerve grafts.

PMID- 20291715
TI  - ELECTRODIAGNOSIS of peripheral nerve lesions in man.

PMID- 20291716
TI  - Prevention of growth of hair in skin grafts.

PMID- 20291718
TI  - FURTHER studies on the antifilarial action and toxicity of cyanine dyes.

PMID- 20291717
TI  - Chemotherapy of tropical diseases, including amebiasis, leishmaniasis,
      schistosomiasis, and filariasis.

PMID- 20291719
TI  - SCREENING of compounds for activity against Schistosoma mansoni infestation in
      mice.

PMID- 20291720
TI  - Treatment of dermatophytosis and other fungous infections.

PMID- 20291721
TI  - SYPHILIS, false positive blood tests for.

PMID- 20291722
TI  - NITROGEN mustards, clinical trial of.

PMID- 20291724
TI  - MOSQUITO control investigations.

PMID- 20291723
TI  - INSECT repellents, insecticides and rodenticides, toxicity of.

PMID- 20291725
TI  - VIRULENCE and antigenicity of various strains of Vibrio cholerae.

PMID- 20291726
TI  - RICKETTSIAL diseases.

PMID- 20291727
TI  - VIRUS diseases.

PMID- 20291729
TI  - DYSENTERY, bacillary.

PMID- 20291728
TI  - SUBPROJECT on Japanese B encephalitis vaccine.

PMID- 20291730
TI  - Immunization against gas gangrene.

PMID- 20291731
TI  - Use of propylene glycol and other glycol vapors as means of air sterilization for
      control of air-borne infections.

PMID- 20291732
TI  - ABILITY of soldiers to work in humid heat.

PMID- 20291733
TI  - DEFICIENCY diseases.

PMID- 20291734
TI  - Caloric undernutrition in man.

PMID- 20291735
TI  - ARTIFICIAL limbs and hands.

PMID- 20291736
TI  - Wound ballistics.

PMID- 20291737
TI  - DENTAL caries.

PMID- 20291738
TI  - EQUINE influenza.

PMID- 20291740
TI  - Elementary particle physics.

PMID- 20291739
TI  - EQUINE encephalomyelitis.

PMID- 20291741
TI  - The mobilization of science for the war effort.

PMID- 20291742
TI  - Some aspects of mathematical research.

PMID- 20291743
TI  - India is like this.

PMID- 20291744
TI  - Research and industry.

PMID- 20291745
TI  - Report on the latest discoveries of early man in the Far East.

PMID- 20291746
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291747
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291748
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291749
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291750
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291751
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291752
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291753
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291754
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291755
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291756
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291757
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291758
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291759
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291760
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291761
TI  - Substances thioloprives.

PMID- 20291762
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291763
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291764
TI  - The effect of sodium fluoride on the autoxidation of cysteine.

PMID- 20291765
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291766
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291767
TI  - Variations in Ca and Mg contents in Arbacia eggs as a result of fertilization.

PMID- 20291768
TI  - Sex-linkage in Culex molestus.

PMID- 20291769
TI  - X-ray analysis during the war years, 1946 conference.

PMID- 20291771
TI  - Substances thioloprives.

PMID- 20291770
TI  - Excitatory and inhibitory pathways involved in lower reflex integration.

PMID- 20291772
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291773
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291774
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291775
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291776
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291777
TI  - Steroid thiazolidines, their possible biochemical significance.

PMID- 20291778
TI  - On the inactivation of thrombin.

PMID- 20291779
TI  - Enzyme preparations from cellulose-decomposing bacteria.

PMID- 20291780
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291781
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291782
TI  - The exploration of Antarctica.

PMID- 20291783
TI  - The mission of the universities.

PMID- 20291784
TI  - Astrology and astronomy in the seventeenth century.

PMID- 20291786
TI  - Permeability of insect cuticle.

PMID- 20291785
TI  - Phenolic substances concerned in hardening the insect cuticle.

PMID- 20291787
TI  - Spread around the initiating point of the detonation wave in high explosives.

PMID- 20291788
TI  - Lubricating properties of molecular layers of stearic acid and calcium stearate
      on metal surfaces.

PMID- 20291789
TI  - Activation of paludrine in vitro.

PMID- 20291790
TI  - Mauthner's cells in the larvae of anuran Amphibia.

PMID- 20291791
TI  - RELEASE of information on atomic energy.

PMID- 20291792
TI  - Atomic physics and international cooperation.

PMID- 20291793
TI  - An electronic reading aid for the blind.

PMID- 20291794
TI  - Techniques of race relations.

PMID- 20291796
TI  - Recent observations on programs for medicine and national health in the USSR.

PMID- 20291795
TI  - India's Pakistan issue.

PMID- 20291798
TI  - Measuring the effects of social case work.

PMID- 20291797
TI  - Some research in aids to the blind.

PMID- 20291799
TI  - The clinic team.

PMID- 20291800
TI  - Problems in clinical research.

PMID- 20291801
TI  - Age patterning in personality development.

PMID- 20291802
TI  - Developmental factors in relation to recidivism and non-recidivism among military
      delinquents.

PMID- 20291803
TI  - Group psychotherapy in an Army general hospital relating to civilian
      readjustment.

PMID- 20291804
TI  - The death of the leader in group psychotherapy.

PMID- 20291805
TI  - Studies in group symptom formation.

PMID- 20291806
TI  - Must individual and group psychotherapy be opposed?

PMID- 20291807
TI  - Differential dynamics of activity and interview group therapy.

PMID- 20291808
TI  - Group therapy in a child guidance center.

PMID- 20291809
TI  - Group therapy on a children's psychiatric ward, experiment combining group
      therapy with individual therapy and resident treatment.

PMID- 20291810
TI  - Fear of desertion by mother.

PMID- 20291811
TI  - A study of the thematic apparception tests of psychotic children.

PMID- 20291813
TI  - The problem of human difference and prejudice.

PMID- 20291812
TI  - The structure of dominance.

PMID- 20291815
TI  - Central course of afferent fibers for pain in facial glossopharyngeal and vagus
      nerves; clinical observations.

PMID- 20291814
TI  - Headache; the teeth as a source of headache and other pain.

PMID- 20291816
TI  - Meningeal reaction with abscess of the brain.

PMID- 20291817
TI  - Measurements of pain sensitivity in patients with psychoneurosis.

PMID- 20291818
TI  - Incidence of combat fatigue.

PMID- 20291819
TI  - Paramyoclonus multiplex (Friedreich); a clinicotherapeutic study.

PMID- 20291820
TI  - Retinal periphlebitis associated with paraplegia.

PMID- 20291821
TI  - Congenital facial paralysis.

PMID- 20291822
TI  - Cogwheel phenomenon of the eyes; its clinical significance.

PMID- 20291823
TI  - Localized nontraumatic neuropathy in military personnel.

PMID- 20291825
TI  - The Gerstmann syndrome; case report and review of the literature.

PMID- 20291824
TI  - The effect of oral administration of lactic acid upon the clinical course of
      depressive states.

PMID- 20291826
TI  - Conditioned PGR (psychogalvanic response) in states of pathological anxiety.

PMID- 20291827
TI  - Experience with insulin and electroshock treatment in an Army general hospital.

PMID- 20291828
TI  - Psychiatric ward management of the acute schizophrenic patient.

PMID- 20291829
TI  - An epidemic of encephalitis in the concentration camp Terezin (Theresienstadt)
      during the winter 1943-1944.

PMID- 20291830
TI  - Self-induced mediastinal emphysema in a psychotic; an attempt to commit suicide
      by means of the Valsalva experiment.

PMID- 20291831
TI  - Report on two cases of psychosis with Oedipus panic treated successfully with
      electric shock.

PMID- 20291832
TI  - Some results in mental and performance testing with neurologic patients.

PMID- 20291833
TI  - Effect of penicillin and other antibiotic substances on the central nervous
      system.

PMID- 20291834
TI  - Military neurology in India with especial reference to deficiency syndromes in ex
      prisoners of war.

PMID- 20291835
TI  - Decerebrate rigidity.

PMID- 20291836
TI  - Convulsive activity induced by fluoroacetate.

PMID- 20291837
TI  - Injury potentials along peripheral nerves in relation to histological structure.

PMID- 20291838
TI  - Injury potentials at different levels of cross-section of spinal cord.

PMID- 20291839
TI  - Effect of afferent impulses on cortical suppressor areas.

PMID- 20291840
TI  - Influence of suppressor areas on afferent impulses.

PMID- 20291841
TI  - Prolonged facilitation of synaptic excitation in sympathetic ganglia.

PMID- 20291842
TI  - Effect of di-isopropyl fluorphosphate (DFP) on action potential and
      cholinesterase of nerve.

PMID- 20291843
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291844
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291845
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291846
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291847
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291848
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291849
TI  - Camps as mental health institutions.

PMID- 20291850
TI  - Where the new camping tasks begin.

PMID- 20291851
TI  - The child's readiness for camp.

PMID- 20291852
TI  - Psychopathologic risks of camp life.

PMID- 20291853
TI  - Common emotional disturbances of children at camp.

PMID- 20291854
TI  - Camps for maladjusted children.

PMID- 20291855
TI  - The influence of the summer camp on personality development.

PMID- 20291856
TI  - The role of leadership in camping.

PMID- 20291857
TI  - Changes of attitudes subsequent to camp experience.

PMID- 20291858
TI  - An analysis of intra-camp relationships.

PMID- 20291859
TI  - The value of flexibility in a camp program.

PMID- 20291860
TI  - How much decentralized camping can do for the child.

PMID- 20291861
TI  - Some problems of therapeutic camping.

PMID- 20291862
TI  - Camp as a therapeutic community.

PMID- 20291863
TI  - The treatment potentialities of the summer camp for children with personality
      disturbances.

PMID- 20291864
TI  - On some neurotic difficulties in nursing mothers.

PMID- 20291865
TI  - Insight.

PMID- 20291866
TI  - Charon and the obolos.

PMID- 20291867
TI  - Audio-visual psychotherapeutics.

PMID- 20291868
TI  - A brief survey of the use of motion pictures for the treatment of
      neuropsychiatric patients.

PMID- 20291869
TI  - The art of state hospital nursing.

PMID- 20291870
TI  - Electric shock therapy.

PMID- 20291871
TI  - Comparison of the initial psychotic manifestations of veterans and civilians.

PMID- 20291873
TI  - Problems of suicide.

PMID- 20291872
TI  - Recreation work as a therapeutic adjunct on a neuropsychiatric service in an Army
      general hospital.

PMID- 20291874
TI  - Group techniques in the general hospital.

PMID- 20291875
TI  - POPULAR psychosurgery.

PMID- 20291876
TI  - The public health nurse and the emotions of pregnancy.

PMID- 20291877
TI  - The use of tests in professional nursing.

PMID- 20291878
TI  - Progress in merit system unit examinations.

PMID- 20291879
TI  - Chronic illness and the nurse.

PMID- 20291880
TI  - Medical-social aspects of cerebral palsy.

PMID- 20291881
TI  - Organizing the community for public health nursing.

PMID- 20291882
TI  - Keratoplasty as performed at Greens' Eye Hospital.

PMID- 20291883
TI  - Hemangloma of the choroid.

PMID- 20291884
TI  - Lempert fenestration; preliminary report of fifteen cases.

PMID- 20291885
TI  - Plastic surgery for outstanding ears; a simple surgical procedure.

PMID- 20291886
TI  - Subnormal accommodation.

PMID- 20291887
TI  - Stereoscopes for home use.

PMID- 20291888
TI  - Applied psychology in the treatment of the more serious ocular conditions.

PMID- 20291889
TI  - Ocular pain.

PMID- 20291890
TI  - Some important factors in strabismus surgery.

PMID- 20291891
TI  - An investigation of the properties of evaporated metal bolometers.

PMID- 20291893
TI  - Polarimetric methods for the determination of the refractive index and the
      thickness of thin films on glass.

PMID- 20291892
TI  - The measurement of the intensity ratios of spectral lines with electron
      multiplier photo-tubes.

PMID- 20291894
TI  - Spectrochemical analysis of high copper in cast iron and steel.

PMID- 20291896
TI  - Spectrochemical analysis of ceramics and other non-metallic materials.

PMID- 20291895
TI  - The spectrochemical analysis of nickel alloys.

PMID- 20291897
TI  - The relation of the configuration of a brightness contrast border to its
      visibility.

PMID- 20291898
TI  - A theoretical development of exact solution of reflectance of multiple layer
      optical coatings.

PMID- 20291899
TI  - Effect of a constant current on vision.

PMID- 20291900
TI  - Apparatus for determining spherical aberration of convex surface of paraboloid of
      revolution.

PMID- 20291901
TI  - A study concerning characteristics of the high-voltage a. c. arc.

PMID- 20291902
TI  - Optimum spectral sensitivities for a reversible color film process.

PMID- 20291903
TI  - A double-beam, percent transmission recording infra-red spectrophotometer.

PMID- 20291904
TI  - Gingival disease in relation to systemic disorders.

PMID- 20291907
TI  - Corrective surgery of the external nasal pyramid and the nasal septum for
      restoration of normal physiology.

PMID- 20291906
TI  - Bullet in right orbit; transantral extraction; case report.

PMID- 20291905
TI  - Further observations on the use of benadryl in hay fever, asthma, vasomotor
      rhinitis, and in mixed allergic groups.

PMID- 20291908
TI  - Rehabilitation of the hard of hearing.

PMID- 20291909
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291910
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291911
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291913
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291912
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291914
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291915
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291917
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291916
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291918
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291919
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291920
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291921
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291922
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291923
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291924
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291925
TI  - Jaundice and abdominal enlargement. [incomplete transposition of the viscera].

PMID- 20291926
TI  - Diarrhea; heavy breathing; cough. [urethra stricture].

PMID- 20291927
TI  - Rash on the skin. [pyoderma; acute pericarditis].

PMID- 20291928
TI  - Listlessness; coma [pyelonephritis].

PMID- 20291929
TI  - Care of the aged and chronically ill.

PMID- 20291930
TI  - Chemical microscopy of essential oils; cassia and cinnamon oils.

PMID- 20291931
TI  - How to undermine your health.

PMID- 20291932
TI  - Ancient Greek versus modern medicine.

PMID- 20291933
TI  - Newer hemostatics.

PMID- 20291934
TI  - Particles in ampules.

PMID- 20291935
TI  - A three-hour physical development cup-plate assay for penicillin.

PMID- 20291936
TI  - Influence of phosphate on stability of partially purified penicillins.

PMID- 20291937
TI  - On the oxytocic activity of pitocin and pitressin on isolated segments of
      mammalian uteri by a graded response method.

PMID- 20291938
TI  - Synthesis of iodosulfophenylazo and iodocarboxyphenylazo derivatives of 1-amino-8
      naphthol-2,4-disulfonic acid.

PMID- 20291939
TI  - The in vitro antibacterial action of dialkyl-aminoalkyl ethers of stilbestrol and
      hexylresorcinol.

PMID- 20291940
TI  - On the stability of vitamin C in aqueous solutions and in pharmaceutical
      preparations.

PMID- 20291941
TI  - Pharmacognostical studies of four American arnieas.

PMID- 20291942
TI  - Pyrogen testing with Polish rabbits.

PMID- 20291943
TI  - Lipid metabolism and development of anemia in splenectomized guinea pigs fed
      cholesterol.

PMID- 20291944
TI  - The response of the triceps surae of normal, adrenalectomized,
      desoxycorticosterone acetate-treated and KCl-treated rats to direct and indirect,
      single and repetitive stimulation.

PMID- 20291945
TI  - Modification of respiratory movements by vagal stimulation.

PMID- 20291946
TI  - The respiratory and circulatory response of normal man to inhalation of 7.6 and
      10.4 per cent CO2 with a comparison of the maximal ventilation produced by severe
      muscular exercise, inhalation of CO2 and maximal voluntary hyperventilation.

PMID- 20291947
TI  - Disturbances in the chemistry and in the acid-base balance of the blood of dogs
      in hemorrhagic and traumatic shock.

PMID- 20291948
TI  - The effect of intravenous adrenalin on blood flow, sugar retention, lactate
      output and respiratory metabolism of peripheral (leg) tissues in the anesthetized
      cat.

PMID- 20291949
TI  - Factors affecting the electrical potential of the gastric mucosa.

PMID- 20291950
TI  - The interaction of prothrombin A and B.

PMID- 20291951
TI  - The effect of insulin on food intake after vagotomy and sympathectomy.

PMID- 20291952
TI  - The effect of various degrees of anoxic anoxia on water distribution in the body.

PMID- 20291953
TI  - The influence of test meal composition on gastric emptying in man.

PMID- 20291954
TI  - Evidence, from crosstransfusion experiments, that no toxic factor is present in
      ischemic compression shock capable of inducing a shock state in normal dogs.

PMID- 20291955
TI  - The active principle of placental toxin; thromboplastin; its inactivator in
      blood; antithromboplastin.

PMID- 20291956
TI  - The renal clearance of essential amino acids; arginine histidine, lysine and
      methionine.

PMID- 20291957
TI  - Audiogenic fits produced by magnesium deficiency in tame domestic Norway rats and
      in wild Norway and Alexandrine rats.

PMID- 20291958
TI  - Further observations on factors influencing the biochemical appraisal of
      nutritional status.

PMID- 20291959
TI  - Studies on frost-bite with special reference to treatment and the effect on
      minute blood vessels.

PMID- 20291960
TI  - The effect of pilocarpine, mecholyl, atropine and alcohol on the gastric
      potential and the secretion of hydrochloric acid.

PMID- 20291961
TI  - The effect of muscular fatigue on the solubility of myosin.

PMID- 20291962
TI  - The effect of heavy muscular work on the volume of circulating red corpuscles in
      man.

PMID- 20291963
TI  - The effect of experimental insomnia on the rate of potential changes in the
      brain.

PMID- 20291964
TI  - Physical capacity of rats in relation to energy and fat content of the diet.

PMID- 20291965
TI  - Thermal responses and efficiency of sweating when men are dressed in Arctic
      clothing and exposed to extreme cold.

PMID- 20291966
TI  - Analysis of factors concerned in maintaining energy balance for dressed men in
      extreme cold; effects of activity on the protective value and comfort of an
      Arctic uniform.

PMID- 20291967
TI  - The relationship between traumatic shock and the release of adenylic acid
      compounds.

PMID- 20291968
TI  - Effect of frontal lobectomy on blood sugars of normal cats and monkeys and
      adrenal denervated cats.

PMID- 20291969
TI  - The relation of load test response and fasting excretion levels to tissue content
      of thiamine and riboflavin.

PMID- 20291970
TI  - Electrocardiographic changes induced by cooling or warming the inner surface of
      the dog's ventricle.

PMID- 20291971
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291972
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291973
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291974
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291975
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291976
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291978
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291977
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291979
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291980
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291981
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291982
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291983
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291984
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291985
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291986
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291988
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291987
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291989
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291990
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291991
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291993
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291992
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291994
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291995
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291996
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291997
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291998
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20291999
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292001
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292000
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292002
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292003
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292004
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292005
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292006
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292007
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292008
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292009
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292010
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292011
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292012
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292013
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292014
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292015
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292016
TI  - Job attitudes of life insurance agents.

PMID- 20292017
TI  - The psychological barometer of public attitudes.

PMID- 20292018
TI  - Some comments on the Army general classification test.

PMID- 20292019
TI  - The MacQuarrie test for mechanical ability; factor analysis.

PMID- 20292020
TI  - Reliability of the Grove modification of the Kent-Shakow formboard series.

PMID- 20292021
TI  - Influence of leading upon readability of newspaper type.

PMID- 20292022
TI  - Prediction of success in learning Japanese.

PMID- 20292023
TI  - Effect of a guidance program on emotional development.

PMID- 20292024
TI  - Further application of simplified scoring of the Bernreuter personality
      inventory.

PMID- 20292025
TI  - Braille edition of the Minnesota multiphasic personality inventory for use with
      the blind.

PMID- 20292026
TI  - Studies in projective techniques; the reliability of a multiple choice group
      Rorschach test.

PMID- 20292027
TI  - A note on the Hankes test scoring machine.

PMID- 20292028
TI  - The importance of clinical psychology in a complete medical program.

PMID- 20292029
TI  - Rorschach findings on college students showing different constellations of
      subscores on the A. C. E.

PMID- 20292030
TI  - A Rorschach study of a group of scientists and technicians.

PMID- 20292032
TI  - Ten years of journalism in psychology, 1937-1946.

PMID- 20292031
TI  - Origin of impractical or unrealistic vocational goals.

PMID- 20292033
TI  - Some lessons of wartime psychiatry.

PMID- 20292034
TI  - Control of Anopheles pseudopunctipennis in Mexico with DDT residual sprays
      applied in buildings.

PMID- 20292035
TI  - The effectiveness of DDT residual house sprays in controlling Anopheles
      quadrimaculatus.

PMID- 20292036
TI  - The antigenic composition and the effect of various extracts of Trypanosoma
      equiperdum and Trypanosoma lewisi on the leucocyte picture in experimental
      trypanosomiasis.

PMID- 20292037
TI  - The diagnosis of schistosomiasis japonica by means of intradermal and serological
      tests.

PMID- 20292038
TI  - The epidemiology of Schistosomiasis japonica in the Philippine Islands and Japan;
      surveys for schistosomiasis japonica on Mindanao, Philippine Islands.

PMID- 20292039
TI  - Effect of insulin on Plasmodium lophurae infection in ducks.

PMID- 20292040
TI  - Fomiteborne ancylostomiasis.

PMID- 20292041
TI  - The occurrence of Trombicula deliensis Walch in southwestern China.

PMID- 20292042
TI  - Poliomyelitis in Japan.

PMID- 20292043
TI  - Isolation of poliomyelitis virus from the throats of symptomless children.

PMID- 20292044
TI  - Attempts to infect African green monkeys by oral administration of poliomyelitis
      virus.

PMID- 20292045
TI  - The rise and decline of poliomyelitis virus levels in infected nervous tissue.

PMID- 20292046
TI  - Poliomyelitis virus in urban sewage in epidemic and in nonepidemic times.

PMID- 20292047
TI  - Effectiveness of various rodenticides on populations of brown rats in Baltimore.
      Maryland.

PMID- 20292048
TI  - Dust and its control as a means of disinfection of air.

PMID- 20292049
TI  - Problems and errors in assigning causes of bacterial food poisoning.

PMID- 20292050
TI  - Inactivation of the virus of infectious hepatitis in drinking water.

PMID- 20292051
TI  - Investigations of the swab rinse technic for examining eating and drinking
      utensils.

PMID- 20292052
TI  - Critical study of machine dishwashing.

PMID- 20292053
TI  - Field studies relating to immunity in infectious hepatitis and homologous serum
      jaundice.

PMID- 20292054
TI  - A review of induction and discharge examinations for tuberculosis in the Army.

PMID- 20292055
TI  - Demonstration of hormesis (increase in fatality rate) by penicillin.

PMID- 20292056
TI  - Public opinion measurement as an instrument in public health practice.

PMID- 20292057
TI  - Report of an outbreak of Q fever at the National Institute of Health.

PMID- 20292058
TI  - Studies on histoplasmosis in a rural community.

PMID- 20292059
TI  - School health today and tomorrow.

PMID- 20292060
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292061
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292062
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292063
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292064
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292065
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292066
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292067
TI  - Some observations on the prevalence of rheumatic heart disease in Canada.

PMID- 20292068
TI  - The clinical study of neurotic disorders in the plant.

PMID- 20292069
TI  - Plague, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and tularaemia surveys in Canada.

PMID- 20292070
TI  - A study of the diphtheria antitoxin response to recall doses of specific antigen.

PMID- 20292071
TI  - The standardization of influenza vaccine by red cell agglutination and antigenic
      tests in mice.

PMID- 20292072
TI  - The British citizen and his nurse.

PMID- 20292073
TI  - Northamptonshire; mass miniature radiography 1945-1946; occupational incidence of
      acute phthisis as shown by first survey of industrial centres in county.

PMID- 20292075
TI  - An hypothesis to account for certain intractable cases of atopic eczema.

PMID- 20292074
TI  - The early medical problems of displaced persons camps in Austria.

PMID- 20292076
TI  - Fatal anaphylactic shock due to a bee sting in the finger.

PMID- 20292077
TI  - Granuloma inguinale; a report of two cases.

PMID- 20292078
TI  - Periureteral sclerosing granuloma.

PMID- 20292079
TI  - Fatal human salmonellosis due to Salmonella senftenberg.

PMID- 20292080
TI  - Clinical and laboratory findings in eighty-six sporadic cases of salmonellosis.

PMID- 20292081
TI  - The current threat to animal experimentation.

PMID- 20292082
TI  - Functions of a blood bank.

PMID- 20292083
TI  - The Rh factor; its clinical significance; the organization of a blood grouping
      laboratory.

PMID- 20292084
TI  - Lymphogranuloma venereum; clinical and laboratory aspects, epidemiology, and
      treatment.

PMID- 20292085
TI  - Chancroid; granuloma inguinale; clinical and laboratory aspects epidemiology, and
      treatment.

PMID- 20292086
TI  - The measurement of sports ability in high school girls.

PMID- 20292087
TI  - The JCR test.

PMID- 20292088
TI  - Development of motor coordination in boys and girls.

PMID- 20292089
TI  - Use of the Billig exercise for dysmenorrhea for college women.

PMID- 20292090
TI  - An analysis of the prewar certification requirements for teachers of health and
      physical education in the forty-eight states.

PMID- 20292091
TI  - The organization of a veterans' physical education program.

PMID- 20292092
TI  - A study of the physical inspection programs for girls in colleges and
      universities of the Midwest District.

PMID- 20292093
TI  - LOUISIANA summary of vital statistics, 1944.

PMID- 20292094
TI  - MAINE summary of vital statistics, 1944.

PMID- 20292095
TI  - MARYLAND summary of vital statistics, 1944.

PMID- 20292096
TI  - MASSACHUSETTS summary of vital statistics, 1944.

PMID- 20292097
TI  - Compound injuries of the knee joint; the infected knee joint.

PMID- 20292103
TI  - Bacteriologic study of burn wounds.

PMID- 20292104
TI  - Bacteriologic study of burn wounds; the development of resistance to penicillin
      by the flora of full-thickness burn wounds in patients treated with penicillin
      systemically.

PMID- 20292105
TI  - Bacteriologic study of burn wounds; the incidence, virulence and resistance to
      penicillin of the staphylococcus in burn wounds of patients treated with
      penicillin or sulfonamides; the significance of staphylococcal immunity to the
      healing of the wounds infected with the staphylococcus.

PMID- 20292106
TI  - Bacteriologic study of burn wounds; the incidence, virulence and resistance to
      penicillin of the streptococcus in burn wounds of patients treated with
      penicillin or sulfonamides.

PMID- 20292107
TI  - Experiences with sympathectomy for sequelae of trench feet.

PMID- 20292108
TI  - Ligature carrier for vaginal hysterectomy.

PMID- 20292109
TI  - Solitary eosinophilic granuloma of rib.

PMID- 20292110
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292111
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292112
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292113
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292114
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292115
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292116
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292117
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292118
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292119
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292120
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292121
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292122
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292123
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292124
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292125
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292127
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292126
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292128
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292129
TI  - Pilonidal cyst; report of 17 consecutive cases treated by marsupialization.

PMID- 20292131
TI  - Interinnomino-abdominal amputation of the lower extremity with indications for
      the extension of its use.

PMID- 20292130
TI  - Behavior in serum of various metals used in bone surgery.

PMID- 20292132
TI  - Skeletal traction for fractures of the hand.

PMID- 20292133
TI  - The spread of carcinoma of the stomach.

PMID- 20292134
TI  - Spontaneous rupture of the uterus.

PMID- 20292135
TI  - Coccygodynia; review of the literature and presentation of cases.

PMID- 20292136
TI  - War experiences in the treatment of spinal cord injuries.

PMID- 20292137
TI  - PROCEEDINGS of the 32. Annual Clinical Congress of the American College of
      Surgeons.

PMID- 20292139
TI  - The American surgeon, A.U.S.

PMID- 20292138
TI  - Interruption of the deep veins of the lower extremities in the prevention and
      treatment of thrombosis and embolism.

PMID- 20292140
TI  - Penicillin; its use in surgery and influence on earlier types of chemotherapy.

PMID- 20292142
TI  - Modern methods in the treatment of fractures.

PMID- 20292141
TI  - Cancellous bone grafts to the jaw.

PMID- 20292143
TI  - The surgeon and his trust; with special reference to safe conduct of the patient
      through operation.

PMID- 20292144
TI  - Clinical uses of streptomycin in medicine and surgery.

PMID- 20292145
TI  - Thiouracil and iodine; the preoperative management of the thyrotoxic patient.

PMID- 20292146
TI  - Fluid and electrolyte balance.

PMID- 20292147
TI  - Use of blood and blood substitutes.

PMID- 20292148
TI  - Ligation of the inferior vena cava in thrombosis of the deep veins of the lower
      extremities.

PMID- 20292149
TI  - Nutritional preparation for substandard risk patients.

PMID- 20292150
TI  - Complete occlusion of the abdominal aorta; report of two patients diagnosed by
      aortography.

PMID- 20292151
TI  - Experimental aortic valvulotomy; a preliminary report.

PMID- 20292152
TI  - Arteriovenous fistula; experimental study of influence of sympathetic nervous
      system on development of collateral circulation.

PMID- 20292153
TI  - A new operative treatment for elephantiasis.

PMID- 20292154
TI  - Indications for portacaval anastomosis; analysis of cases.

PMID- 20292155
TI  - Anomalies of the pulmonary veins; their surgical significance.

PMID- 20292156
TI  - The use of vasodilatation in the treatment of venous thrombosis.

PMID- 20292157
TI  - Anticoagulants in venous thrombosis and the prevention of pulmonary embolism.

PMID- 20292158
TI  - Carcinoma of the colon; a statistical analysis.

PMID- 20292159
TI  - Anticoagulant therapy in thrombosis.

PMID- 20292160
TI  - The treatment of chronic nontuberculous pulmonary abscesses by high vacuum
      suction drainage.

PMID- 20292161
TI  - Rate of gain in strength in sutured abdominal wall wounds.

PMID- 20292162
TI  - Experiments with nonirritating glove powder.

PMID- 20292163
TI  - Experimental implantation of the common bile duct into the intestine.

PMID- 20292164
TI  - Principles involved in surgical therapy of encapsulated fibrosarcoma of soft
      tissues.

PMID- 20292165
TI  - Pancreatic reflux deliberately produced.

PMID- 20292166
TI  - The effect of early postoperative rising on the recurrence rate of hernia.

PMID- 20292167
TI  - The use of the male sex hormone in women with breast cancer.

PMID- 20292168
TI  - Resection of intra-abdominal cancer that has invaded the anterior abdominal wall.

PMID- 20292169
TI  - Observations on the genetic nature of gastric cancer in mice.

PMID- 20292170
TI  - Correlation of the use of antibiotic and chemotherapeutic agents with general
      principles of surgery.

PMID- 20292171
TI  - Physiologic aspects of surgical infections.

PMID- 20292172
TI  - Sympathetic interruption in cases of trauma and in posttraumatic states.

PMID- 20292173
TI  - The transportation of soldiers with fractures.

PMID- 20292175
TI  - Major amputations.

PMID- 20292174
TI  - Penicillin in experimental intestinal obstruction; a summary of observations with
      reference to their clinical application.

PMID- 20292176
TI  - Advances in bone graft surgery attributed to World War II.

PMID- 20292177
TI  - Fracture of the carpal scaphoid.

PMID- 20292178
TI  - Management of compound fractures in their early phases.

PMID- 20292179
TI  - Osteomyelitis following compound fractures.

PMID- 20292180
TI  - Applied anatomy in eye surgery.

PMID- 20292181
TI  - The management of strabismus in children.

PMID- 20292182
TI  - A new type of basket implant for use after enucleation.

PMID- 20292183
TI  - Reconstruction of orbital floor defects.

PMID- 20292184
TI  - The reconstruction of the upper lid.

PMID- 20292185
TI  - The management of nonmagnetic intraocular foreign bodies.

PMID- 20292187
TI  - The fenestration operation; an evaluation of its present status.

PMID- 20292186
TI  - Visual field defects due to head injuries.

PMID- 20292188
TI  - The use of radium in the treatment of conductive deafness.

PMID- 20292189
TI  - Consideration of hearing impairment in the treatment of chronic suppurative
      otitis media.

PMID- 20292190
TI  - Indications for surgery in the light of the use of antibiotics.

PMID- 20292191
TI  - External sinus surgery.

PMID- 20292193
TI  - The closure of surface defects with free skin grafts and with pedicle flaps.

PMID- 20292192
TI  - Intranasal surgery.

PMID- 20292194
TI  - Neutralization of color in capillary hemangiomas of the face by intradermal
      injection (tattooing) of permanent pigments.

PMID- 20292196
TI  - Studies in the anatomy and repair of cleft palate.

PMID- 20292195
TI  - Preservation of jaw function following surgery and trauma.

PMID- 20292197
TI  - Graduate training in surgery.

PMID- 20292198
TI  - Preservation of the upper pelvic floor and bladder support in total hysterectomy.

PMID- 20292199
TI  - A report on experience with vaginal hysterectomy.

PMID- 20292200
TI  - The present status of prostatic resection.

PMID- 20292201
TI  - The Rh factor; its present status and clinical importance.

PMID- 20292202
TI  - Recent advances in neurosurgery.

PMID- 20292203
TI  - Chronic lymphatic leukemia.

PMID- 20292204
TI  - Surgery since the birth of the North Pacific Surgical Association.

PMID- 20292205
TI  - Psychiatric and physiologic studies on fatigue.

PMID- 20292206
TI  - The role of the physiologist in physical medicine.

PMID- 20292208
TI  - Foot strain; etiology and treatment.

PMID- 20292207
TI  - Reliability of a single effort muscle test.

PMID- 20292209
TI  - Physical medicine in the Army.

PMID- 20292210
TI  - Traumatic cerebral palsy.

PMID- 20292211
TI  - Physical therapy and chest surgery.

PMID- 20292212
TI  - Mental hygiene program for the cerebral palsied child.

PMID- 20292213
TI  - Physical therapy in a large general hospital.

PMID- 20292214
TI  - Physical therapy in a small general hospital.

PMID- 20292215
TI  - OPPORTUNITIES for advanced education for qualified physical therapists.

PMID- 20292216
TI  - Immunization of ducks against malaria by means of killed parasites with or
      without adjuvants.

PMID- 20292217
TI  - Premature rupture in schizogony; an explanation for multiple infection of red
      blood corpuscles with malaria parasites.

PMID- 20292218
TI  - Pacific vivax malaria in the American Negro.

PMID- 20292219
TI  - Fuadin therapy in 150 cases of schistosomiasis mansoni with a follow-up study of
      70 cases.

PMID- 20292220
TI  - Parasitologic study of 400 soldiers interned by the Japanese.

PMID- 20292221
TI  - Agglutination of Endamoeba histolytica cysts.

PMID- 20292222
TI  - Preliminary report on field experiments to demonstrate effectiveness of various
      methods of malaria control.

PMID- 20292223
TI  - Radical cure of avian malaria (Plasmodium cathemerium) with SN 8557, a
      naphthoquinone derivative.

PMID- 20292224
TI  - Experimental chemotherapy of amebiasis.

PMID- 20292225
TI  - The reaction of woolly opossums (Caluromys laniger) to yellow fever virus.

PMID- 20292226
TI  - Reduction of anopheles density effected by the pre-season spraying of building
      interiors with DDT in kerosene, at Castel Volturno, Italy, in 1944-1945, and in
      the Tiber Delta in 1945.

PMID- 20292227
TI  - The periodicity of microfilariae in two patients with filariasis acquired in the
      South Pacific.

PMID- 20292228
TI  - Infectivity of Pacific island Wuchereria bancrofti to mosquitoes of the United
      States.

PMID- 20292229
TI  - Use of dimethylphthalate impregnated clothing as protection against scrub typhus.

PMID- 20292230
TI  - Shigella carriers with special reference to their therapy, including the use of
      streptomycin.

PMID- 20292231
TI  - The cuticular morphology of some common microfilariae.

PMID- 20292232
TI  - Leishmaniasis in Greece.

PMID- 20292233
TI  - Exudate from millipedes with particular reference to its injurious effects.

PMID- 20292234
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292235
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292236
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292237
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292238
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292239
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292240
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292241
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292242
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292243
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292244
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292245
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292246
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292247
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292248
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292249
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292250
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292251
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292252
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292253
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292254
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292255
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292256
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292257
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292259
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292258
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292260
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292261
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292262
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292263
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292264
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292265
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292266
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292267
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292268
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292269
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292270
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292271
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292272
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292273
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292274
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292275
TI  - The relation between renal tuberculosis and primary infection.

PMID- 20292276
TI  - Adhesion formation after pneumoperitoneum.

PMID- 20292277
TI  - The prognosis of primary tuberculosis of the lung.

PMID- 20292278
TI  - A case of sarcoidosis of the lung with regional ileitis.

PMID- 20292279
TI  - Observations on some metabolic disorders of cows as evidenced by chemical
      analysis of samples of blood from clinical cases; some aspects of blood
      chemistry.

PMID- 20292280
TI  - Joint-ill in foals (pyosepticaemia); with special reference to the prophylactic
      treatment of the foal at birth.

PMID- 20292281
TI  - An interesting sarcoma in the thorax of a pig.

PMID- 20292282
TI  - The isolation of S. typhimurium from fowls which gave a positive agglutination
      test with S. pullorum antigen.

PMID- 20292283
TI  - Joint-ill in foals (pyosepticaemia); with special reference to the prophylactic
      treatment of the foal at birth.

PMID- 20292284
TI  - COMPARISON between the double intradermal comparative test and the single
      intradermal comparative test.

PMID- 20292285
TI  - Gestation periods; a coincidence.

PMID- 20292286
TI  - Congenital goitre in lambs.

PMID- 20292287
TI  - Diagnosis of traumatic reticulitis and pericarditis of bovines.

PMID- 20292288
TI  - Sympathectomy as an antiallergic measure.

PMID- 20292289
TI  - Allergic reactions from handling penicillin.

PMID- 20292290
TI  - The use of benadryl in the treatment of certain allergic diseases of children.

PMID- 20292291
TI  - Antihistaminic substances and experimental sensitizations.

PMID- 20292292
TI  - Does the routine treatment of asthma need revision?

PMID- 20292293
TI  - Eczematoid monilid of the eyelids (candidid).

PMID- 20292294
TI  - Timothy versus Bermuda grass.

PMID- 20292295
TI  - The chemical and immunologic basis of oral pollen propeptan therapy in hay fever.

PMID- 20292296
TI  - Use of crotalin in the prevention of anaphylactic shock in guinea pigs.

PMID- 20292297
TI  - Miscellaneous allergy; a critical review of recent literature.

PMID- 20292298
TI  - Sex difference in the size of the lymph nodes and spleen in guinea-pigs.

PMID- 20292299
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292300
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292301
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292302
TI  - The microscopical structure of an experimentally produced phocomelias in the
      amphibian embryo.

PMID- 20292303
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292304
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292305
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292307
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292306
TI  - The role played by the axon and the Schwann cells in the degree of myelination of
      the peripheral nerve fibre.

PMID- 20292308
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292309
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292310
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292311
TI  - The influence of unilateral nephrectomy on the weight of the endocrine organs in
      mice.

PMID- 20292312
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292313
TI  - On the enlarging effect of desoxicorticosterone acetate on the kidneys of female
      mice.

PMID- 20292314
TI  - Maturation of regenerating nerve fibres with various peripheral connexions.

PMID- 20292316
TI  - The development of joints.

PMID- 20292315
TI  - Sensory fibres in the hypoglossal nerve.

PMID- 20292317
TI  - The growth and maturation of regenerating striated muscle fibres.

PMID- 20292318
TI  - The prenatal medullation of the sheep's nervous system.

PMID- 20292319
TI  - Cyclical changes in the islets of Langerhans, in the rat pancreas.

PMID- 20292320
TI  - The development of the specialized conducting tissue of the human heart.

PMID- 20292321
TI  - The radiographic demonstration of the mode of action of the heart of the frog.

PMID- 20292322
TI  - Respiratory displacement of larynx, hyoid bone and tongue.

PMID- 20292323
TI  - Civilian and military aspects of intravenous anesthesia.

PMID- 20292324
TI  - The general pharmacologic action of a new vasopressor drug, EA-83 (2-methylamino
      6-hydroxy-6-methyl heptane, 2-methylamino iso-octanol).

PMID- 20292325
TI  - The analeptic effect of sodium succinate on barbiturate depression in man.

PMID- 20292326
TI  - Monocaine hydrochloride for nerve block procedures.

PMID- 20292328
TI  - PSYCHOLOGICAL impact of aircraft accidents.

PMID- 20292327
TI  - Acute acetone poisoning (resulting from synthetic plaster substitute in spica
      cast).

PMID- 20292329
TI  - Comparative bacteriostatic assays with rosaniline and its phenolic analog
      (rosolic acid).

PMID- 20292334
TI  - The nutrition of Protozoa; a simplified medium for the investigation of unknown
      factors in blood serum essential for the sustained growth of Trichomonas
      vaginalis.

PMID- 20292335
TI  - The nutrition of Protozoa; the separation of human blood serum into two
      fractions, both essential for the sustained growth of Trichomonas vaginalis.

PMID- 20292336
TI  - Studies on the morphology of the elementary bodies of fowl pox.

PMID- 20292340
TI  - A rapid method for the staining of Rickettsia orientalis.

PMID- 20292341
TI  - Observations on the in vivo and in vitro development of bacterial resistance to
      streptomycin.

PMID- 20292342
TI  - Studies on hemolytic streptococci; differentiation of species in streptococci of
      group A.

PMID- 20292343
TI  - A typhoid like infection with Salmonella gatuni.

PMID- 20292346
TI  - Quantitative measurement of growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis; effect of
      streptomycin.

PMID- 20292347
TI  - Studies on the dehydrogenases of Clostridium perfringens.

PMID- 20292348
TI  - Bacteriologic studies in epilepsy and schizophrenia.

PMID- 20292349
TI  - The significance of, and methods for, maintaining moisture in bacteriological
      culture media.

PMID- 20292350
TI  - The utilization of thin paper discs in the assay of amylases.

PMID- 20292351
TI  - The saturation of bacterial lipids as a function of temperature.

PMID- 20292352
TI  - Penicillin and sulfadiazine sensitivity of 385 strains of Corynebacterium
      diphtheriae.

PMID- 20292353
TI  - Studies in the comparative anatomy and systematic importance of the hexapod
      tentorium; Dermaptera, Embioptera and Isoptera.

PMID- 20292354
TI  - The rate of CO2 production by cockroaches dusted with DDT and other insecticidal
      dusts.

PMID- 20292355
TI  - Chemoprophylaxis in the prevention of disease with especial reference to
      meningococcal infections; a comparative study of the absorption persistence and
      excretion of four sulfonamide compounds.

PMID- 20292356
TI  - Growth curves of nations.

PMID- 20292357
TI  - A study of fetal movements in relation to mother's activity.

PMID- 20292358
TI  - Probability of death and expectation of life.

PMID- 20292359
TI  - The nature of the action potentials of crustacean muscles.

PMID- 20292360
TI  - The formation and structure of the micropylar complex in the egg-shell of
      Rhodnius prolixus Stahl; (Heteroptera Reduviidae).

PMID- 20292361
TI  - The behaviour of wireworms in response to chemical stimulation.

PMID- 20292362
TI  - Spontaneous rhythmical impedance changes in the egg of the trout.

PMID- 20292363
TI  - An isolated nerve-muscle preparation from Ascaris lumbricoides.

PMID- 20292364
TI  - The responses of onion and lily mitosis to coumarin and parasorbic acid.

PMID- 20292365
TI  - The oxygen consumption of Gasterosteus aculeatus L. in toxic solutions.

PMID- 20292366
TI  - Studies on sterility and prenatal mortality in wild rabbits; the reliability of
      estimates of prenatal mortality based on counts of corpora lutea, implantation
      sites and embryos.

PMID- 20292367
TI  - Studies on sterility and prenatal mortality in wild rabbits; the occurrence of
      fibrin in the yolk-sac contents of embryos during and immediately after
      implantation.

PMID- 20292368
TI  - The production of fatty acids in the alimentary tract of the dog.

PMID- 20292369
TI  - Disk-sphere transformations produced by lysins, and their reversal, in systems of
      different pH.

PMID- 20292370
TI  - Studies in the development of the rainbow trout (Salmo irideus).

PMID- 20292372
TI  - The epicuticle in an insect, Rhodnius prolixus (Hemiptera).

PMID- 20292371
TI  - Transpiration and the structure of the epicuticle in ticks.

PMID- 20292373
TI  - A theory relating the action of salts on bacterial respiration to their influence
      on the solubility of proteins.

PMID- 20292374
TI  - The fine structure of the wall of the conifer tracheid; optical properties of
      dissected walls in Pinus insignis.

PMID- 20292375
TI  - Influence of steroid hormones on the sensitivity of adrenalectomized mice to
      procaine.

PMID- 20292377
TI  - Variation and structure of the eyes in the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria
      (Forskal).

PMID- 20292376
TI  - The effects of selective breeding on the laboratory propagation of insect
      parasites.

PMID- 20292378
TI  - The effect of heat-denaturation on the base-finding capacity of beef-muscle press
      juice.

PMID- 20292379
TI  - Visual adaptation in relation to brief conditioning stimuli.

PMID- 20292382
TI  - The nature of fibrositis; multiple lesions and the neural hypothesis.

PMID- 20292385
TI  - Observations on the volume of the pulmonary circulation and its importance in the
      production of cyanosis and polycythemia.

PMID- 20292386
TI  - Studies on the coronary circulation; the collateral circulation of the normal
      human heart by coronary perfusion with radioactive erythrocytes and glass
      spheres.

PMID- 20292387
TI  - Incidence of thrombo-embolic lesions accompanying myocardial infarction.

PMID- 20292388
TI  - An experimental method for the closure of interauricular septal defects in dogs.

PMID- 20292389
TI  - Tolerance of the human heart to acidosis; reversible changes in RS-T interval
      during severe acidosis caused by administration of carbon dioxide.

PMID- 20292390
TI  - The influence of heart size on the circulation time.

PMID- 20292391
TI  - A preliminary study of the coronary circulation post mortem.

PMID- 20292392
TI  - Further observations on the treatment of the anginal syndrome with thiouracil.

PMID- 20292393
TI  - Raynaud's disease in men.

PMID- 20292394
TI  - Traumatic rupture of the aorta.

PMID- 20292395
TI  - Aneurysmal dilatation of the aorta associated with cystic medial necrosis.

PMID- 20292396
TI  - Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome presenting certain unusual features.

PMID- 20292397
TI  - Pulmonary edema in the pregnant patient with mitral stenosis.

PMID- 20292398
TI  - Chronic fibroplastic myocarditis.

PMID- 20292399
TI  - Single coronary artery; case report of an absent right coronary artery.

PMID- 20292400
TI  - Ammi visnaga in the treatment of the anginal syndrome.

PMID- 20292408
TI  - Discussion on the treatment of bacterial endocarditis with penicillin.

PMID- 20292409
TI  - Bernheim's syndrome.

PMID- 20292410
TI  - Heart failure of unknown aetiology in Africans.

PMID- 20292411
TI  - Thoracolumbar sympathectomy and hypertension.

PMID- 20292412
TI  - Acute pericarditis in Still's disease.

PMID- 20292413
TI  - Recent advances in surgical treatment of patent ductus arteriosus.

PMID- 20292414
TI  - Some remarks on the statistical background in bio-assay.

PMID- 20292415
TI  - A new titrimetric method for the estimation of fluorine.

PMID- 20292416
TI  - The estimation of the volatile matter content of propellant explosives; the
      estimation of ethyl alcohol and ether.

PMID- 20292417
TI  - The determination of small amounts of aluminium by the aurintricarboxylate
      method.

PMID- 20292418
TI  - A colour reaction of certain classes of azo dyes with copper.

PMID- 20292419
TI  - The determination of copper in food.

PMID- 20292420
TI  - Furan and tetrahydrofuran derivatives; the synthesis and biological activity of a
      number of oxybiotin homologs.

PMID- 20292421
TI  - Purification of streptomycin salts by means of alumina.

PMID- 20292422
TI  - Rearrangement between primary ethanolamides of carboxylic acids and corresponding
      aminoethylesters.

PMID- 20292423
TI  - Preparation and properties of the iodohistidines.

PMID- 20292424
TI  - The ultraviolet absorption spectrum and the acid ionization constant of 8
      hydroxyquinoline.

PMID- 20292426
TI  - Bacterial fractionation of oxygen isotopes.

PMID- 20292425
TI  - The heats of combustion of cyclopentane, cyclohexane, cycloheptane and
      cyclooctane.

PMID- 20292427
TI  - New syntheses of the selenium analogs of di-cystine and cysteine derivatives.

PMID- 20292428
TI  - A synthesis of selenium analogs of di-methionine and di-homocystine.

PMID- 20292429
TI  - Preparation and chromatographic separation of p-phenylazophenyl
      polyacetylglycosides.

PMID- 20292430
TI  - 5-Desoxy-L-sorbose.

PMID- 20292431
TI  - Hydrogenation of vitamin Bc (pteroylglutamic acid) and related pterines.

PMID- 20292433
TI  - The reaction between arsenicals and di-(p-biphenyl)-thiocarbazone.

PMID- 20292432
TI  - The reaction of certain secondary amines with phthalic anhydride; a new synthesis
      of beta-alanine.

PMID- 20292434
TI  - omega-Aurothio fatty acids and their salts.

PMID- 20292435
TI  - A blue-fluorescing compound, terthienyl, isolated from marigolds.

PMID- 20292436
TI  - The mechanism of urease inhibition by urea.

PMID- 20292437
TI  - A new synthesis of 1,2-benzanthracene.

PMID- 20292438
TI  - Studies on resin acids; carbinols.

PMID- 20292439
TI  - Oxidation-reduction potentials of thiol-dithio systems: thiourea-formamidine
      disulfide.

PMID- 20292440
TI  - Quinoline derivatives from 3-nitro-4-hydroxyquinoline.

PMID- 20292441
TI  - 8-Nitrocinchoninic acids and related substances.

PMID- 20292442
TI  - The mechanism of the anti-oxygenic synergism of quinones and quinols with
      phosphoric acid and other acids in fat systems.

PMID- 20292443
TI  - Preparation and properties of serum and plasma proteins; the conversion of human
      fibrinogen to fibrin under various conditions.

PMID- 20292444
TI  - Preparation and properties of serum and plasma proteins: human fibrin in the form
      of an elastic film.

PMID- 20292445
TI  - Preparation and properties of serum and plasma proteins; modification of the
      physical and chemical properties of fibrin film by heat treatment.

PMID- 20292446
TI  - Preparation and properties of serum and plasma proteins; quantitative
      interpretation of electrophoretic Schlieren diagrams of normal human plasma
      proteins.

PMID- 20292447
TI  - A photoelectric instrument for comparing the concentrations of very dilute
      aerosols, and measuring low light intensities.

PMID- 20292448
TI  - Absorption isotherm for determination of barium in quantities as low as 10-10
      gram atom.

PMID- 20292449
TI  - The polarography of uranium; polarography in very weakly acid, neutral or basic
      solution.

PMID- 20292450
TI  - Esters of 2-furanacrylic acid.

PMID- 20292451
TI  - Tryptophan as a competitive growth inhibiting analog of phenylalanine.

PMID- 20292452
TI  - The reduction of 2-amino-4-methyl-5-beta-hydroxyethylthiazole in the synthesis of
      thiamin.

PMID- 20292453
TI  - Measurement of the cresolase activity of tyrosinase.

PMID- 20292454
TI  - The crystalline octaacetate of 6-alpha-d-glucopyranosido-beta-d-glucose.

PMID- 20292455
TI  - Actidione, an antibiotic from Streptomyces griseus.

PMID- 20292456
TI  - Thirteenth report of the Committee on Atomic Weights of the International Union
      of Chemistry.

PMID- 20292457
TI  - The diffusion coefficient of potassium chloride in dilute aqueous solution.

PMID- 20292459
TI  - Mechanism of decomposition of hydrogen peroxide solutions with manganese dioxide.

PMID- 20292458
TI  - Mechanism of decomposition of hydrogen peroxide solutions with manganese dioxide.

PMID- 20292460
TI  - Proton-deuteron exchange between ammonia and ammoniated diborane.

PMID- 20292461
TI  - The nature of the non-porphyrin bonding in derivatives of ferriheme.

PMID- 20292462
TI  - 1-Alkyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoxalines.

PMID- 20292463
TI  - Absorption spectra and tautomerism of cyanuric acid, melamine and some related
      compounds.

PMID- 20292464
TI  - Organosilicon polymers; infrared spectra of the methylpolysiloxanes.

PMID- 20292465
TI  - Polarographic studies on extracted chlorophylls.

PMID- 20292466
TI  - The reactivity of hydrous alumina toward acids.

PMID- 20292467
TI  - Water absorption of proteins; the effect of free amino groups in casein.

PMID- 20292468
TI  - The oxidation of methyl linoleate at various temperatures.

PMID- 20292469
TI  - The ammonolysis of ethyl iodide by liquid ammonia.

PMID- 20292470
TI  - Activity of the red pigment from leguminous root nodules.

PMID- 20292472
TI  - Derivatives of piperazine; synthesis of piperazine and C-substituted piperazines.

PMID- 20292471
TI  - An improved synthesis of beta-alanine; the addition of ammonia to acrylonitrile
      at 50-150 degrees.

PMID- 20292473
TI  - The synthesis of 4-hydroxyquinolines; quinoline derivatives with sulfur
      containing substituents.

PMID- 20292474
TI  - delta-Tocopherol; isolation from soybean oil and properties.

PMID- 20292475
TI  - The heats of dilution of aqueous solutions of four amino butyric acids at 25
      degrees.

PMID- 20292476
TI  - Sensitized catalysis; the fundamental facts.

PMID- 20292477
TI  - The controlled sodium amalgam reduction of aldonolactones and their esters to
      aldoses and an improved synthesis of d-arabinose.

PMID- 20292478
TI  - 1,5-Anhydro-xylitol.

PMID- 20292479
TI  - Derivatives of methylphenylarsine.

PMID- 20292480
TI  - Aliphatic chloroarsines.

PMID- 20292481
TI  - Nitroaryldichloroarsines and related compounds.

PMID- 20292482
TI  - Furan arsenicals.

PMID- 20292483
TI  - The reaction products of phenyldichloroarsine and acetylene.

PMID- 20292484
TI  - The anti-tubercular action of 1,1 1-trichloro-2,2-bis-(p-aminophenyl)-ethane.

PMID- 20292485
TI  - Ethyl formylaminomalonate; an intermediate in the synthesis of amino acids.

PMID- 20292486
TI  - The structure of adenosine triphosphate.

PMID- 20292487
TI  - Coumarins from 2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde.

PMID- 20292488
TI  - Relative stabilities of d-glucose-amine derivatives.

PMID- 20292489
TI  - Highly polymerized nucleic acid from yeast.

PMID- 20292490
TI  - The synthesis of cyclooctatetraene from pseudopelletierine.

PMID- 20292491
TI  - N,N-dimethyl-N'-(alpha-pyridyl)-N'-(alpha-theinyl)-methylenediamine, an
      antihistamic agent.

PMID- 20292492
TI  - The electric conductivity and the activation energy of ionic migration of molten
      salts and their mixtures.

PMID- 20292493
TI  - Non-specific catarrhal stomatitis.

PMID- 20292494
TI  - Orthodontia of yore.

PMID- 20292495
TI  - A simplified method of pain control.

PMID- 20292496
TI  - Restoration of upper anterior teeth with gold inlay and silicate.

PMID- 20292497
TI  - A rest splint for the relief of traumatic condylar intrusions.

PMID- 20292498
TI  - Odontoma: reports of two cases.

PMID- 20292499
TI  - Chronic enlargement of the maxilla and mandible.

PMID- 20292500
TI  - Observations on the possible significance of the exposed dental pulp as a portal
      of entry for the poliomyelitis virus.

PMID- 20292501
TI  - General practitioner must recognize need for space maintainers.

PMID- 20292502
TI  - Technic of apicoectomy requires only two sittings.

PMID- 20292503
TI  - Surgical preparation of the mouth for the reception of dentures.

PMID- 20292504
TI  - Uses of acrylic resins in dentistry.

PMID- 20292506
TI  - REQUIREMENTS for certification by the American Board of Oral Surgery.

PMID- 20292505
TI  - Root canal therapy.

PMID- 20292507
TI  - Dental education and the future of dentistry.

PMID- 20292508
TI  - Dissolution of tooth substance by lemon juice, acid beverages and acids from some
      other sources.

PMID- 20292509
TI  - Gold foil filling; description of special technic.

PMID- 20292510
TI  - Dental care for children in relation to geriatrics.

PMID- 20292511
TI  - A full gold crown, cast and readapted.

PMID- 20292512
TI  - Agglutination studies of the smaller oral treponemes, Borrelia vincenti and
      cultured strains of Treponema pallidum.

PMID- 20292513
TI  - Penicillin in the treatment of Vincent's infection.

PMID- 20292514
TI  - Dental caries.

PMID- 20292515
TI  - Auxiliary agencies in dental practice.

PMID- 20292516
TI  - Gold foil.

PMID- 20292517
TI  - The president's address to the Executive Council of the Federation Dentaire
      Internationale.

PMID- 20292519
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292518
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292520
TI  - Dentists face the law.

PMID- 20292521
TI  - The dangers of radical legislation.

PMID- 20292522
TI  - Radiodontic diagnosis of intra-oral neoplasms; benign neoplasms.

PMID- 20292523
TI  - Radiodontic diagnosis of intra-oral neoplasms; malignant neoplasms.

PMID- 20292524
TI  - Radiodontic diagnosis of intra-oral neoplasms; conditions that stimulate
      neoplasms.

PMID- 20292525
TI  - A study on reattachment of the supporting structures of the teeth.

PMID- 20292526
TI  - The preparation for certification in periodontology.

PMID- 20292527
TI  - Desensitizing dentin for cavity preparation.

PMID- 20292529
TI  - Case report; noma.

PMID- 20292528
TI  - Methods of payment as a factor in the dental care program.

PMID- 20292530
TI  - Hysteria conversion producing dental symptoms; case report.

PMID- 20292531
TI  - Dental caries control; a catechism.

PMID- 20292532
TI  - RESEARCH assistance; the United States Public Health Service.

PMID- 20292533
TI  - A basic approach to the problems of gingival disease.

PMID- 20292534
TI  - Simple method for securing centric jaw relationship.

PMID- 20292535
TI  - Lip retraction in the treatment of gingivitis.

PMID- 20292536
TI  - Penicillin in dental and oral surgery.

PMID- 20292537
TI  - Comparatively permanent silicate fillings.

PMID- 20292538
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292539
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292540
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292541
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292542
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292543
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292544
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292545
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292546
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292547
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292548
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292549
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292550
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292551
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292552
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292553
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292554
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292555
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292556
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292557
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292558
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292559
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292560
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292561
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292562
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292563
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292564
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292565
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292566
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292567
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292568
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292569
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292570
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292571
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292572
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292573
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292575
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292574
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292576
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292577
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292578
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292579
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292580
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292581
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292582
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292583
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292584
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292585
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292586
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292587
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292588
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292589
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292590
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292591
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292592
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292593
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292594
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292595
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292596
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292597
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292598
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292599
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292600
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292601
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292602
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292603
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292604
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292605
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292606
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292607
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292608
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292609
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292610
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292611
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292612
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292613
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292614
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292616
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292615
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292617
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292618
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292619
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292620
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292621
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292623
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292622
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292624
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292626
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292625
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292627
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292628
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292629
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292630
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292631
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292632
TI  - Lichen sclerosus et atrophicus with bullous lesions and extensive involvement;
      report of a case.

PMID- 20292633
TI  - Experiences in military dermatology; their interpretation in plans for improved
      general medical care.

PMID- 20292634
TI  - Moeller's glossitis; a case with remission during pregnancy.

PMID- 20292635
TI  - Tuberculoid leprosy of lupoid appearance.

PMID- 20292636
TI  - Reticulum, or lattice, fibers; further studies.

PMID- 20292637
TI  - Role of food allergy in eczematoid dermatitis.

PMID- 20292638
TI  - Basal squamous cell epithelioma associated with leukemia.

PMID- 20292639
TI  - Use of trichophytin in thromboangiitis obliterans.

PMID- 20292640
TI  - Cardiolipin-lecithin antigen; recent development toward a single standard test of
      the blood for syphilis.

PMID- 20292641
TI  - Sulfonamide psoriasiform dermatitis.

PMID- 20292642
TI  - Atypical lichen planus tropicalis.

PMID- 20292643
TI  - Xanthomatous biliary cirrhosis with flat xanthomas of the eyelids.

PMID- 20292644
TI  - Urticaria pigmentosa with bullae.

PMID- 20292645
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292646
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292647
TI  - Blastomycosis.

PMID- 20292648
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292649
TI  - Idiopathic multiple hemorrhagic sarcoma (Kaposi).

PMID- 20292650
TI  - Disseminated subacute lupus erythematosus (?).

PMID- 20292651
TI  - Heat and emotional urticaria.

PMID- 20292652
TI  - Lichen nitidus.

PMID- 20292653
TI  - A case for diagnosis (neural leprosy?).

PMID- 20292654
TI  - Pellagra.

PMID- 20292655
TI  - Tuberculosis cutis orificialis with underlying pulmonary tuberculosis.

PMID- 20292656
TI  - Kerions.

PMID- 20292657
TI  - Chronic coccogenous sycosis treated locally with penicillin.

PMID- 20292658
TI  - Hodgkin's disease complicated by a squamous cell epithelioma of the neck.

PMID- 20292659
TI  - Idiopathic multiple pigmented sarcoma of Kaposi.

PMID- 20292660
TI  - Lichenoid dermatitis (New Guinea type).

PMID- 20292661
TI  - Syphilitic keratosis.

PMID- 20292662
TI  - A case for diagnosis (monocytic leukemia?).

PMID- 20292663
TI  - Unilateral ulceration of the mouth (tuberculosis orificialis?), probably with
      miliary and ileocecal involvement.

PMID- 20292664
TI  - Roentgen ray dermatitis treated with radon ointment.

PMID- 20292665
TI  - Dermatitis venenata due to a penicillin-containing ointment.

PMID- 20292666
TI  - Junction nevus.

PMID- 20292667
TI  - Morphea-like epithelioma and basal cell epithelioma of the face cured by roentgen
      ray therapy.

PMID- 20292668
TI  - Nummular eczema.

PMID- 20292669
TI  - Radiodermatitis of the dorsal surface of the hands.

PMID- 20292670
TI  - A case for diagnosis (poikiloderma atrophicans vasculare?).

PMID- 20292671
TI  - Parapsoriasis en gouttes.

PMID- 20292672
TI  - Poikiloderma vasculare atrophicans (Jacobi).

PMID- 20292673
TI  - Angioneurotic edema.

PMID- 20292674
TI  - Pemphigus vulgaris.

PMID- 20292675
TI  - Dermatofibroma (fibrosarcoma?).

PMID- 20292676
TI  - Hodgkin's disease of the skin without demonstrable systemic involvement.

PMID- 20292677
TI  - A case for diagnosis (leukemid? scabies?).

PMID- 20292678
TI  - Dermatitis herpetiformis caused by stasis dermatitis.

PMID- 20292679
TI  - Parasitic infection? scabies?

PMID- 20292680
TI  - Lupus vulgaris.

PMID- 20292681
TI  - NUCLEAR physics instruments for radiation measurements.

PMID- 20292682
TI  - NEW method for hydrofluoric acid determination is rapid and convenient.

PMID- 20292683
TI  - The stainability of nerve fibers by protargol with various fixatives and staining
      technics.

PMID- 20292684
TI  - The action of ribonuclease on fixed tissues.

PMID- 20292685
TI  - A confirmation of Rafalko's Feulgen method.

PMID- 20292686
TI  - Malt diast se and ptyalin in place of saliva in the identification of glycogen.

PMID- 20292687
TI  - Paraffin sections of tissue fragments.

PMID- 20292688
TI  - Bismarck brown as a stain for mucoproteins.

PMID- 20292689
TI  - Vitamin deficiency in nervous and mental disease; clinical studies.

PMID- 20292690
TI  - Microbiological methods for the estimation of amino acids.

PMID- 20292691
TI  - Nutrition in colonial territories.

PMID- 20292692
TI  - The colonial nutrition problem.

PMID- 20292693
TI  - Malnutrition in colonial territories.

PMID- 20292694
TI  - Relation of animal husbandry to human nutritional needs.

PMID- 20292695
TI  - Nutrition in colonial territories; sociological factors.

PMID- 20292696
TI  - The role of nutrition in social medicine.

PMID- 20292697
TI  - Some observations on the nutrition of mothers and young children during the war
      years.

PMID- 20292698
TI  - On the difficulty of isolating the nutritional factor in disease from other
      factors in the social background.

PMID- 20292699
TI  - Nutrition in India during and after the war.

PMID- 20292700
TI  - Poverty lines and standards of living.

PMID- 20292701
TI  - Nutritional experiences in prisoner of war and internment camps in the Far East.

PMID- 20292702
TI  - Nutritional conditions in army prison camps in the Far East.

PMID- 20292703
TI  - Nutritional conditions and diseases in the civilian internment camp, Hong Kong.

PMID- 20292704
TI  - Experiences in the civilian camp at Singapore.

PMID- 20292705
TI  - Experiences in the military camp at Singapore.

PMID- 20292706
TI  - Experiences in the military camp at Singapore.

PMID- 20292707
TI  - Nutritional conditions among women and children in internment in the civilian
      camp at Singapore.

PMID- 20292708
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292709
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292710
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292711
TI  - The limitations of roentgenology and gastroscopy in the diagnosis of diseases of
      the stomach; an analysis of fifty-three proven cases.

PMID- 20292712
TI  - The value of gastroscopy to the clinician.

PMID- 20292713
TI  - The gastroscopic differentiation of gastritis from carcinoma of the stomach.

PMID- 20292714
TI  - Metabolic disturbances in workers exposed to dinitrotoluene during World War II.

PMID- 20292715
TI  - Hepatitis following transfusion.

PMID- 20292716
TI  - Epidemic hepatitis.

PMID- 20292717
TI  - Amebic liver abscess in service personnel.

PMID- 20292718
TI  - Observations on 543 cases of peptic ulcer.

PMID- 20292719
TI  - A study of the gastric secretory response in the aged.

PMID- 20292720
TI  - Apparent lack of relationship between levels of B-vitamins in the feces and
      dietary supplementation with crystalline B-vitamins and protein.

PMID- 20292721
TI  - A paracolon organism antigenically related to the Sachs Q-1030 bacillus and
      associated with chronic enterocolitis.

PMID- 20292722
TI  - Massive gastric hemorrhage associated with aberrant pancreas in the stomach.

PMID- 20292723
TI  - BRUCELLOSIS versus neurosis; an attempt at an appraisal.

PMID- 20292724
TI  - Serum gonadotrophin in Welsh and Shetland ponies.

PMID- 20292725
TI  - The measurement of lactational performances in the rat in studies of the
      endocrine control of lactation.

PMID- 20292726
TI  - Adrenalectomy and replacement therapy in lactating rats; effects of
      deoxycorticosterone acetate on lactation in adrenalectomized rats.

PMID- 20292727
TI  - Adrenalectomy and replacement therapy in lactating rats; effects of
      deoxycorticosterone acetate and 11-oxygenated cortical steroids on lactation in
      adrenalectomized rats maintained on stock or high-protein diets.

PMID- 20292728
TI  - Late effects of castration and aministration of sex hormones on the male
      Trichosurus vulpecula.

PMID- 20292729
TI  - The possibility of determining androgen production by measuring the acid
      phosphatase in semen; investigations in cryptorchid patients.

PMID- 20292730
TI  - The antigenic properties of iodinated proteins.

PMID- 20292731
TI  - Notes on the German legal and penal system.

PMID- 20292733
TI  - Scientific parole, a proposal.

PMID- 20292732
TI  - A plea for selective psychiatric treatment for offenders.

PMID- 20292734
TI  - The success and failure of 926 naval offenders.

PMID- 20292735
TI  - Convicting the innocent [due to his supposed similarity in appearance to the
      person guilty].

PMID- 20292736
TI  - Admissibility in evidence of scientific tests for alcoholic intoxication.

PMID- 20292738
TI  - Genetics of natural populations; a response of certain gene arrangements in the
      third chromosome of Drosophila pseudoobscura to natural selection.

PMID- 20292744
TI  - A wildfire resistant tobacco.

PMID- 20292745
TI  - Diet-induced feather modification in the fowl; sickle and feather growth in
      thiouracil-treated and in Japanese long-tailed chickens.

PMID- 20292746
TI  - PUERTO RICO marches on.

PMID- 20292747
TI  - Zygodactyly and associated variations in a Utah family.

PMID- 20292748
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292749
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292751
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292750
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292752
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292753
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292754
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292755
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292756
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292757
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292758
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292759
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292760
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292761
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292762
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292763
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292764
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292765
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292766
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292767
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292768
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292769
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292770
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292771
TI  - Local infiltration anesthesia in obstetrics and gynecology.

PMID- 20292772
TI  - Achondroplasia.

PMID- 20292773
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292774
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292775
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292776
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292777
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292778
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292780
TI  - Nationalism and internationalism in medicine.

PMID- 20292779
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292781
TI  - John Hunter, Sir Thomas Browne and the experimental method.

PMID- 20292782
TI  - The exclusion of aliens from the United States for physical defects.

PMID- 20292783
TI  - Studies on mortality since the Renaissance.

PMID- 20292784
TI  - A merry medicine for the teeth (ca. 1520).

PMID- 20292785
TI  - An agricultural research library.

PMID- 20292786
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292787
TI  - Clinical study of fractures of the carpal scaphoid bone.

PMID- 20292788
TI  - Newer aspects of the surgical approach to abdominal disease.

PMID- 20292789
TI  - Some interesting experiences with homoeopathy by a specialist.

PMID- 20292790
TI  - The value of eclectic therapy in chronic diseases.

PMID- 20292791
TI  - Triumphs and errors of modern medicine; a practical way out of the dilemma.

PMID- 20292792
TI  - New drugs.

PMID- 20292793
TI  - ST. THOMAS'S Hospital, London.

PMID- 20292794
TI  - Bedpan washers and sterilisers.

PMID- 20292795
TI  - TEXAS Medical Center to benefit from $160,000,000 Cullen gift.

PMID- 20292796
TI  - The ideal Catholic nurse.

PMID- 20292797
TI  - An interpretation of the analysis of the practical nurse occupation.

PMID- 20292798
TI  - Dissatisfied hospital workers.

PMID- 20292799
TI  - Public relations of the Catholic hospital.

PMID- 20292800
TI  - Maintenance and safety in hospitals.

PMID- 20292801
TI  - Intensifying the Catholic atmosphere of the hospital.

PMID- 20292802
TI  - Hospital sisters tackle the problem.

PMID- 20292803
TI  - The regulations for the administration of the Federal Hospital Survey and
      Construction Act.

PMID- 20292804
TI  - Encephalography and ventriculography.

PMID- 20292805
TI  - The orthopedic fracture, and neurosurgical patients.

PMID- 20292806
TI  - Digesters for tubercle bacilli specimens.

PMID- 20292807
TI  - New law suits affecting hospitals.

PMID- 20292808
TI  - The safety of air deodorants.

PMID- 20292809
TI  - Sanatorium design; planning of a 320 bed unit for pulmonary tuberculosis.

PMID- 20292810
TI  - International hospital research and information.

PMID- 20292811
TI  - Administrative staff salaries.

PMID- 20292812
TI  - Keeping Britain's blood banks supplied.

PMID- 20292813
TI  - Legal implications of the general duty nurse.

PMID- 20292814
TI  - Psychiatry for 20 million veterans.

PMID- 20292815
TI  - Services for the blind: vocational rehabilitation.

PMID- 20292816
TI  - Clinical psychology as a psychodiagnostic art.

PMID- 20292817
TI  - Psychologist and psychiatrist.

PMID- 20292819
TI  - The diagnosis of a patient with organic defect.

PMID- 20292818
TI  - The diagnosis of a patient with limited capacity.

PMID- 20292820
TI  - The dynamics of an amnesic personality.

PMID- 20292821
TI  - Differences in parent behavior toward three- and nine-year-old children.

PMID- 20292822
TI  - A validation study of the Rotter-Jensen level of aspiration test.

PMID- 20292823
TI  - An experimental investigation of neuroticism.

PMID- 20292824
TI  - Nutrition in childhood.

PMID- 20292825
TI  - The economics of appetite.

PMID- 20292826
TI  - A simple rating device.

PMID- 20292827
TI  - How to develop successful office supervisors.

PMID- 20292828
TI  - Old and new economic doctrines.

PMID- 20292829
TI  - Can social science be scientific and social?

PMID- 20292830
TI  - Who is the juvenile delinquent?

PMID- 20292831
TI  - First session of UN's permanent Social Commission.

PMID- 20292832
TI  - The new British system of social security.

PMID- 20292833
TI  - Industrial ventilation.

PMID- 20292834
TI  - Studies on infection with Bacillus anthracis; the isolation of an inflammatory
      factor from crude extracts of lesions of B. anthracis infection and its
      biological and chemical relationship to glutamyl polypeptide.

PMID- 20292835
TI  - Studies on infection with Bacillus anthracis; physiological changes in
      experimental animals during the course of infection with B. anthracis.

PMID- 20292836
TI  - Studies on infection with Bacillus anthracis; a comparison of the antibacterial
      effects of calf thymus histone and a quarternary ammonium cationic detergent on B
      anthracis.

PMID- 20292837
TI  - Reticulo-endothelial immune serum (REIS); an experimental anemia in Bartonella
      infected rats produced by anti-blood immune serum.

PMID- 20292838
TI  - Studies on haemoflagellates: a semi-solid medium and a fluid medium with a solid
      base for growing various species of Leishmania and Trypanosoma cruzi.

PMID- 20292839
TI  - Studies on haemoflagellates; a study of the growth rates of Leishmania donovani,
      L. brasiliensis, L. tropica, and Trypanosoma cruzi in culture.

PMID- 20292840
TI  - On the occurrence in human serum of an inhibitory substance to hyaluronidase
      produced by a strain of hemolytic streptococcus.

PMID- 20292841
TI  - The evaluation of germicidal agents by an infection prevention-toxicity method.

PMID- 20292842
TI  - Inactivation of murine poliomyelitis viruses by heat.

PMID- 20292843
TI  - The morphology of cryptozoites and metacryptozoites of Plasmodium relictum and
      the relationship of these stages to parasitemia in canaries and pigeons.

PMID- 20292844
TI  - Skin tests in schistosomiasis mansoni with antigen from heterologous worms
      (Pneumoneces; Planaria).

PMID- 20292845
TI  - Performance of aerial spray equipment used to disperse DDT at Orlando, Florida;
      summary.

PMID- 20292846
TI  - Observations on mosquito and malaria control in the Caribbean area; Suriname.

PMID- 20292847
TI  - Experiments with weed-killers against salt marsh plants which hinder mosquito
      control operations.

PMID- 20292848
TI  - The possible endemicity of Anopheles albimanus in Florida.

PMID- 20292849
TI  - Psorophora pygmaea (Theobald), an exotic mosquito now established in Florida.

PMID- 20292850
TI  - Banishing bug bites.

PMID- 20292851
TI  - Studies on filariasis in Papua, New Guinea.

PMID- 20292852
TI  - Occurrence of Anopheles atropos in Jamaica, B. W. I.

PMID- 20292853
TI  - Should mosquito commissions undertake other insect control problems requiring
      community effort?

PMID- 20292854
TI  - The determination of cardiac efficiency and its clinical significance.

PMID- 20292855
TI  - Intravenous administration of histamine in oto-rhinology.

PMID- 20292856
TI  - Pneumoperiton eum by pylorostenosis; report of two cases.

PMID- 20292857
TI  - Polycystic kidney and cholera in an East African Negro.

PMID- 20292858
TI  - The influence of complications on the treatment of peptic ulcer.

PMID- 20292859
TI  - Amino acids in nephrosis.

PMID- 20292860
TI  - The recognition of acute bacterial endocarditis.

PMID- 20292861
TI  - Short-term psychotherapy.

PMID- 20292862
TI  - Edema in chronic nephritis; its mechanism and management.

PMID- 20292863
TI  - Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

PMID- 20292864
TI  - Differential diagnosis and symptomatic treatment in the asthmatic patient.

PMID- 20292865
TI  - Esophageal varices.

PMID- 20292867
TI  - Recurrent Graves' disease?

PMID- 20292866
TI  - Constrictive pericarditis?

PMID- 20292868
TI  - Diffuse carcinomatosis of lungs and subacute cor pulmonale.

PMID- 20292869
TI  - [Encephalomalacia; right occipital lobe, recent; left occipital lobe, old].

PMID- 20292870
TI  - Medical research in the USSR.

PMID- 20292871
TI  - Research program of the U.S. Public Health Service.

PMID- 20292872
TI  - Health in Byelorussia, a devastated area of the Soviet Union.

PMID- 20292873
TI  - Microbiology in the Soviet Union.

PMID- 20292874
TI  - Experimental cancer research in the USSR.

PMID- 20292875
TI  - Radiotherapy of malignant tumors in the USSR.

PMID- 20292877
TI  - Cancer prevention and control in the USSR.

PMID- 20292876
TI  - Cancer as a systemic disease.

PMID- 20292878
TI  - The organization of a cancer research institute.

PMID- 20292879
TI  - Recent advances in Soviet neurology.

PMID- 20292880
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292881
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292882
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292883
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292884
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292885
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292886
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292887
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292888
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292889
TI  - Physicians of the machine age.

PMID- 20292890
TI  - Rheumatic pneumonia.

PMID- 20292891
TI  - Bronchial spasm in cardiac asthma.

PMID- 20292892
TI  - The use of methyl-iso-octenylamine in migraine.

PMID- 20292893
TI  - Brucella sensitization; a clinical evaluation.

PMID- 20292894
TI  - Hepatic cirrhosis as a complication of chronic ulcerative colitis.

PMID- 20292895
TI  - Cardiologic criteria for the diagnosis of rheumatic heart disease in the
      apparently healthy subject.

PMID- 20292897
TI  - Prescription of physical medicine by the internist.

PMID- 20292896
TI  - The action of carbon dioxide in water mobilization.

PMID- 20292898
TI  - Bronchopulmonary actinomycosis.

PMID- 20292899
TI  - Banti's syndrome with multiple aneurysms and thromboses of the splenic blood
      vessels.

PMID- 20292900
TI  - Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome; recovery from shock in fatal case.

PMID- 20292901
TI  - Fatality in a blood donor; a case report, with a review of the literature.

PMID- 20292902
TI  - Fatal spontaneous hemopneumothorax; review of the literature and report of a
      case.

PMID- 20292903
TI  - Gold salts for rheumatoid arthritis.

PMID- 20292904
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292905
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292906
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292907
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292908
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292910
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292909
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292911
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292912
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292913
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292914
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292916
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292915
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292917
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292918
TI  - Sidelights on hypnotism.

PMID- 20292920
TI  - Splenomegaly.

PMID- 20292919
TI  - THE Department of Medical Photography.

PMID- 20292921
TI  - Faecal urobilinogen in disease.

PMID- 20292922
TI  - Diarrhoea.

PMID- 20292923
TI  - Progressive muscular atrophy; and other conditions of muscular wasting.

PMID- 20292924
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292925
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292926
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292927
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292928
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292929
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292930
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292931
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20292932
TI  - Diverticulum of the pars media of the stomach.

PMID- 20292933
TI  - Cysts of the pancreas; report of a case successfully marsupialized during
      pregnancy.

PMID- 20292934
TI  - Survey of the efficiency of cultures and guinea pig inoculations in the diagnosis
      of tuberculosis.

PMID- 20292935
TI  - Siderofibrosis of the spleen secondary to sickle-cell anemia (three case reports.

PMID- 20292936
TI  - A case of chylothorax and chylous ascites with a review of lesions of the
      thoracic duct.

PMID- 20292937
TI  - Malignant osseous tumors of the jaw; three case reports.

PMID- 20292938
TI  - Arsphenamine encephalopathy.

PMID- 20292939
TI  - Morton's metatarsalgia.

PMID- 20292940
TI  - Septicemia and bacteremia.

PMID- 20292941
TI  - Rheumatic fever.

PMID- 20292942
TI  - Osteoid osteoma.

PMID- 20292943
TI  - Salmonella meningitis; report of a case treated with streptomycin.

PMID- 20292944
TI  - Myocardial infarction without coronary occlusion.

PMID- 20292945
TI  - The fenestration operation for progressive deafness.

PMID- 20292946
TI  - Aspiration curettage in a cancer clinic; an analysis of 200 cases.

PMID- 20292947
TI  - Porphyria.

PMID- 20292948
TI  - Compulsory insurance and public health; inferior medical service and rackets.

PMID- 20292949
TI  - Local treatment of dog bites; a new method.

PMID- 20292950
TI  - The present status of vaccination against tuberculosis with B. C. G.

PMID- 20292951
TI  - The medical care of veterans.

PMID- 20292952
TI  - Clinical characteristics of essential hypertension in relation to prognosis with
      a comparison of the effectiveness of medical and of surgical treatment.

PMID- 20292953
TI  - Anesthesiology as an integral part of medical education.

PMID- 20292954
TI  - Eczematoid dermatoses in childhood.

PMID- 20292955
TI  - Early diagnosis of carcinoma of the lung.

PMID- 20292956
TI  - British medical man makes broad consideration from standpoints of physician and
      patient.

PMID- 20292957
TI  - Types and mechanism of cardiac dyspnea.

PMID- 20292958
TI  - The history of the microscope and early microscopy.

PMID- 20292959
TI  - The patient-physician relationship.

PMID- 20292960
TI  - American spas in historical perspective.

PMID- 20292961
TI  - Carnival week-end at Dartmouth.

PMID- 20292962
TI  - Is man's useful life ended at 65?

PMID- 20292963
TI  - The history of medicine as a hobby; a collection of medical classics.

PMID- 20292964
TI  - The early diagnosis of malignant disease of the ear, nose and throat.

PMID- 20292965
TI  - Malignant tumour of the suprarenal gland with paroxysmal high tension.

PMID- 20292966
TI  - Embolic occlusion in rheumatic endocarditis.

PMID- 20292967
TI  - The treatment of chronic cholecystitis.

PMID- 20292969
TI  - The family physician is necessary.

PMID- 20292968
TI  - Immunity.

PMID- 20292970
TI  - Acute glomerulonephritis; a review of 90 cases.

PMID- 20292971
TI  - Erythroblastosis due to A-O incompatibility.

PMID- 20292972
TI  - Sub-aortic stenosis.

PMID- 20292973
TI  - Acute appendicitis simulating rheumatic fever.

PMID- 20292974
TI  - Sodium restriction in the diet for hypertension.

PMID- 20292975
TI  - Thrombosis of the lower extremity; consideration of anti-embolic management.

PMID- 20292976
TI  - Isolated xanthomata.

PMID- 20292977
TI  - Obscure cause of fever in a diabetic; case report.

PMID- 20292978
TI  - Accessory ureter with abnormal implantation; case report.

PMID- 20292979
TI  - Calcareous valvular heart disease; case report.

PMID- 20292980
TI  - Uveitis.

PMID- 20292981
TI  - Malpractice prophylaxis.

PMID- 20292982
TI  - Prolapsed intervertebral disc.

PMID- 20292983
TI  - Pneumoperitoneum in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis.

PMID- 20292984
TI  - Sequelae of tropical disease, skin conditions.

PMID- 20292985
TI  - Sequelae of tropical disease.

PMID- 20292986
TI  - Chemical factors in pernicious anaemia.

PMID- 20292987
TI  - Financial support of medical education.

PMID- 20292988
TI  - Researches on the chemotherapy of malaria; the biological approach.

PMID- 20292989
TI  - Researches on the chemotherapy of malaria; the chemical approach.

PMID- 20292990
TI  - Kala-azar; a description of four cases occurring in a Glasgow hospital.

PMID- 20292991
TI  - Case report of toxic perforation of the jejunum.

PMID- 20292992
TI  - Nerve injuries affecting the hand.

PMID- 20292993
TI  - A case of neurofibroma of the stomach.

PMID- 20292994
TI  - Roentgenology at Harvard.

PMID- 20292995
TI  - Remarks about the application of the betatron in cancer therapy.

PMID- 20292996
TI  - Conservative renal surgery.

PMID- 20292997
TI  - The relation of the near point convergence to squint surgery.

PMID- 20292998
TI  - A plan of cooperation between county health departments and tuberculosis
      sanatorium boards.

PMID- 20292999
TI  - The brain in infantile cerebral palsy.

PMID- 20293000
TI  - The expression of dosage in X-ray and radium therapy.

PMID- 20293001
TI  - Observations on malnutrition in Santo Tomas Internment Camp.

PMID- 20293002
TI  - Modern concept of heredity.

PMID- 20293003
TI  - Large glioma of the superior vermis of the cerebellum.

PMID- 20293004
TI  - Tuberculosis ulceration of the terminal ileum, ileo-caecal valve and ascending
      colon.

PMID- 20293005
TI  - Spontaneous rupture of a large aneurysm of the left middle cerebral artery.

PMID- 20293006
TI  - Observations on emaciation states.

PMID- 20293007
TI  - Anthropology in medicine.

PMID- 20293009
TI  - Intestinal obstruction.

PMID- 20293008
TI  - Antithyroid compounds and their clinical uses.

PMID- 20293010
TI  - The management of urticaria due to penicillin.

PMID- 20293011
TI  - The problem of venous thrombosis.

PMID- 20293012
TI  - Heparin in the treatment of thromboembolic disease.

PMID- 20293013
TI  - Venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

PMID- 20293014
TI  - The treatment of serum sickness with benadryl.

PMID- 20293015
TI  - Methemoglobinemia in an infant as a result of the administration of bismuth
      subnitrate.

PMID- 20293016
TI  - The trend toward labor health and welfare programs.

PMID- 20293017
TI  - The surgical treatment of essential hypertension.

PMID- 20293018
TI  - Medical evaluation of the surgical treatment of hypertension.

PMID- 20293019
TI  - General practice in a large hospital.

PMID- 20293020
TI  - Intrathecal penicillin.

PMID- 20293021
TI  - Synthetic folic acid; the effectiveness of a conjugated form in the treatment of
      tropical sprue, addisonian pernicious anemia and nutritional macrocytic anemia.

PMID- 20293023
TI  - MALPRACTICE: physician's liability for burns received during operation [Mass.,
      1946].

PMID- 20293022
TI  - Pancreolithiasis and chronic pancreatitis; preliminary report of a case of
      apparently successful treatment by transthoracic sympathectomy and vagectomy.

PMID- 20293024
TI  - Rapid identification of Shigella in a public health laboratory.

PMID- 20293025
TI  - The serologic response in murine typhus as measured by the Weil-Felix,
      rickettsial complement fixation, and rickettsial agglutination reactions.

PMID- 20293026
TI  - Influenza B in Needham, Massachusetts, December, 1945; serologic studies in cases
      and in family contacts.

PMID- 20293027
TI  - The effect of antihistamine drugs upon serum-induced myocarditis in rabbits.

PMID- 20293028
TI  - Evidence for the activity of a second member of the vitamin M group (fermentation
      factor) in sprue; a case report.

PMID- 20293029
TI  - Thiouracil and propylthiouracil; a comparative clinical study.

PMID- 20293030
TI  - Observations on the diurnal excretion of urobilinogen in the urine of normal
      subjects and of patients with Laennec's cirrhosis.

PMID- 20293031
TI  - A comparison of the nutritive value of the proteins in mixed diets for dogs,
      rats, and human beings.

PMID- 20293032
TI  - Prothrombin time studies on human beings and experimental animals.

PMID- 20293033
TI  - The corpuscular constants of college women of the North Central states.

PMID- 20293034
TI  - Two popular fallacies regarding Rh; preliminary report of some thought-provoking
      observations.

PMID- 20293035
TI  - Metabolic complexities of pellagra.

PMID- 20293036
TI  - Nitrogen balance.

PMID- 20293037
TI  - Assay of penicillin, streptomycin, trivalent organic arsenicals, and other
      bactericidal and bacteriostatic agents; a technique based on an original
      application of mathematical principles with adaptations for all assay purposes.

PMID- 20293039
TI  - Peptic ulcer; a review of present-day treatment.

PMID- 20293038
TI  - An experimental method for obtaining an ultrafiltrate of the blood.

PMID- 20293041
TI  - Surgery on elderly patients.

PMID- 20293040
TI  - Thiouracil in the treatment of toxic goiter, and its dangers.

PMID- 20293042
TI  - Subphrenic abscess.

PMID- 20293043
TI  - Topical application of thrombin and plasma in split skin grafts.

PMID- 20293044
TI  - The present status of pilonidal cysts.

PMID- 20293045
TI  - The importance of early diagnosis of bladder tumors.

PMID- 20293046
TI  - Spinal anesthesia.

PMID- 20293047
TI  - Further consideration of malignant lymphoma.

PMID- 20293048
TI  - Surgery of the colon in wartime; experiences in the management of reconstruction
      of the colon in Z. I. hospitals.

PMID- 20293049
TI  - The overweight obstetric patient with special reference to the use of dexedrine
      sulfate.

PMID- 20293050
TI  - Choice of carbohydrates used in artificial feeding of infants.

PMID- 20293051
TI  - Infectious mononucleosis: benign lymphadenosis of glandular fever.

PMID- 20293052
TI  - So your Ob is Rh negative?

PMID- 20293053
TI  - Epidemic diarrhea of the newborn.

PMID- 20293055
TI  - The problem of varicose veins.

PMID- 20293054
TI  - Bone lesions in Gaucher's disease.

PMID- 20293056
TI  - Some unusual complications of diphtheria.

PMID- 20293057
TI  - Clinical approach to preventive medicine.

PMID- 20293058
TI  - Calciferol in tuberculosis; review of 150 cases of lupus vulgaris.

PMID- 20293059
TI  - Sand-fly fever; review of 664 cases.

PMID- 20293060
TI  - Parahaemophilia; haemorrhagic diathesis due to absence of a previously unknown
      clotting factor.

PMID- 20293061
TI  - Effect of water on gastric motility; a test for duodenal ulcer.

PMID- 20293062
TI  - Tubal patency tests.

PMID- 20293063
TI  - Amyloid macroglossia.

PMID- 20293064
TI  - Joint changes in cancer of the lung.

PMID- 20293065
TI  - Infantile insomnia and maternal Graves' disease.

PMID- 20293066
TI  - Stevens-Johnson syndrome.

PMID- 20293067
TI  - Recurrent shoulder dislocation.

PMID- 20293068
TI  - Temporary hypertension after curare.

PMID- 20293069
TI  - Symposium on diabetes.

PMID- 20293070
TI  - Does hyperglycemia harm the diabetic patient?

PMID- 20293071
TI  - Treatment of the child with diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 20293072
TI  - Symptomless glycosurias; differentiation by sugar tolerance tests.

PMID- 20293073
TI  - Interpretation of glucose tolerance tests.

PMID- 20293074
TI  - The diagnosis of the less common meliturias; including pentosuria and
      fructosuria.

PMID- 20293075
TI  - Effective insulin timing in diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 20293076
TI  - Insulin mixtures and modifications.

PMID- 20293077
TI  - Unusual requirements for insulin; resistance, refractoriness, insensitivity to
      insulin.

PMID- 20293078
TI  - Recent statistics on diabetes and diabetics.

PMID- 20293079
TI  - Incentives to the treatment of diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 20293080
TI  - Pregnancy complicating diabetes of more than 20 years' duration.

PMID- 20293081
TI  - Some considerations of acute complications of diabetes.

PMID- 20293082
TI  - Clinical implications of alloxan diabetes.

PMID- 20293083
TI  - Summer camps for diabetic children.

PMID- 20293084
TI  - Diabetic acidosis and coma.

PMID- 20293085
TI  - Treatment of diabetic coma and pre-coma; coma complicated by bacteremia and
      gangrene; pre-coma associated with lipemia retinalis.

PMID- 20293086
TI  - Hyperinsulinism among malingerers.

PMID- 20293087
TI  - Diabetes and public health.

PMID- 20293088
TI  - The American Diabetes Association.

PMID- 20293089
TI  - Recent advances in surgery in relation to general practice.

PMID- 20293090
TI  - Pitfalls in the diagnosis and treatment of some common dermatoses.

PMID- 20293091
TI  - Veins and varicosities.

PMID- 20293092
TI  - Nostalgic reminiscence of a family physician.

PMID- 20293093
TI  - A five year study of extrauterine pregnancy.

PMID- 20293094
TI  - Deep circulation and the treatment of varicose veins.

PMID- 20293095
TI  - England's pioneer of preventive inoculation.

PMID- 20293096
TI  - Management of arthritis in the menopause.

PMID- 20293097
TI  - Rectal medication with emphasis on its worth and noting its practicality.

PMID- 20293098
TI  - Venereal disease control.

PMID- 20293099
TI  - The modern treatment of gonorrhea.

PMID- 20293101
TI  - The treatment of syphilis.

PMID- 20293100
TI  - Diagnosis and treatment of chancroid, lymphopathia venereum, and granuloma
      inguinale.

PMID- 20293102
TI  - Oral smears; an index to hormone stimulation.

PMID- 20293103
TI  - Paediatrics at the Middlesex Hospital.

PMID- 20293104
TI  - Peritoneoscopy.

PMID- 20293105
TI  - Local anaesthesia.

PMID- 20293106
TI  - Gamma globulin as a prophylactic and therapeutic agent in communicable disease.

PMID- 20293107
TI  - Peritoneal adhesions.

PMID- 20293108
TI  - Neurosyphilis control program in Mississippi.

PMID- 20293109
TI  - Some facts about allergy that should be known.

PMID- 20293110
TI  - Plans for an intensified tuberculosis case-finding program in Mississippi.

PMID- 20293111
TI  - The use of curare in anesthesia.

PMID- 20293112
TI  - Experiences with curare in anesthesia.

PMID- 20293113
TI  - Carcinoma of the breast; a review of the first three years' experience in the
      cancer section of the Westfield State Sanatorium.

PMID- 20293114
TI  - Multiple congenital defects following maternal varicella; report of a case.

PMID- 20293115
TI  - Effects of protein deficiency on the pregnant woman and fetus and on the infant
      and child.

PMID- 20293116
TI  - [Basalcell papilloma of bronchus, with cornification].

PMID- 20293117
TI  - [Carcinoma of common bile duct].

PMID- 20293118
TI  - Treatment of hyperthyroidism.

PMID- 20293119
TI  - Social and environmental factors in the practice of medicine.

PMID- 20293120
TI  - Men in medicine in Italy today, as I saw them.

PMID- 20293121
TI  - Laboratory and clinical criteria of rheumatic carditis in children.

PMID- 20293122
TI  - Effect of ultraviolet air sterilization upon incidence of respiratory infections
      in a children's institution; a 6-year study.

PMID- 20293123
TI  - A new rickettsial illness occurring in New York City; supplementary report.

PMID- 20293124
TI  - The growth of the Bellevue schools of nursing.

PMID- 20293125
TI  - The last century of medicine in New York.

PMID- 20293126
TI  - Duodenal ulcer; a constructive criticism of conservative therapy.

PMID- 20293127
TI  - Hirschsprung's disease or megacolon.

PMID- 20293129
TI  - Fatal complications of otitis media.

PMID- 20293128
TI  - A case of developmental inhibitions and herniation of the ovaries.

PMID- 20293130
TI  - Laminectomy.

PMID- 20293131
TI  - Primary sarcoma of bone; analysis of 71 cases.

PMID- 20293132
TI  - Renal infections; their etiology, diagnosis, and management.

PMID- 20293133
TI  - The recognition and treatment of venous thrombosis (phlebothrombosis and
      thrombophlebitis) with particular reference to the prevention of pulmonary
      embolism.

PMID- 20293134
TI  - Present-day concepts of the psychoneuroses.

PMID- 20293136
TI  - The seeds of immaturity.

PMID- 20293135
TI  - The electic approach in the treatment of the neuroses.

PMID- 20293137
TI  - Nontuberculous pulmonary calcification and histoplasmin sensitivity.

PMID- 20293139
TI  - Adenoidectomy vs. adenoidotomy.

PMID- 20293138
TI  - Physical therapy, rehabilitation, and occupational therapy in surgery.

PMID- 20293140
TI  - Psychosomatic medicine.

PMID- 20293141
TI  - Nutritional integration.

PMID- 20293142
TI  - Modern state health administration.

PMID- 20293143
TI  - The physician looks to improved public health administration in Pennsylvania.

PMID- 20293144
TI  - Administrative problems of the state health department.

PMID- 20293145
TI  - Modern trends in the management of uterine carcinoma.

PMID- 20293146
TI  - Suggested methods for the control of the present epidemic of tinea of the scalp.

PMID- 20293148
TI  - Physical medicine in pediatrics.

PMID- 20293147
TI  - Penicillin treatment of acute middle ear and mastoid infections.

PMID- 20293149
TI  - Dermatologic problems in the returning veteran.

PMID- 20293150
TI  - Carcinoma of the renal pelvic and ureter; the etiology and treatment.

PMID- 20293151
TI  - Hyperthyroidism without goiter, with reference to the use of propylthiouracil.

PMID- 20293152
TI  - Postmenopausal bleeding.

PMID- 20293153
TI  - Liver function tests.

PMID- 20293154
TI  - Radium therapy to nasopharynx for peri-tubal lymphoid tissue.

PMID- 20293155
TI  - Clinical experiences with benadryl in allergic states.

PMID- 20293156
TI  - Malaria; some practical considerations.

PMID- 20293157
TI  - Glaucoma, the treacherous; a brief outline of the treatment.

PMID- 20293158
TI  - Pregnancy complicating diabetes.

PMID- 20293159
TI  - A glaucoma clinic; its need, organization, and early growth.

PMID- 20293160
TI  - Adequate diphtheria immunization in a community.

PMID- 20293161
TI  - Primary carcinoma of the ureter.

PMID- 20293162
TI  - Recent advances in syphilologic diagnosis and treatment; the nonspecific positive
      serologic test and the use of penicillin.

PMID- 20293163
TI  - Delayed ligation of the umbilical cord.

PMID- 20293164
TI  - Common misconceptions of ocular disturbances in children.

PMID- 20293165
TI  - Nodular goiter and cancer of the thyroid.

PMID- 20293166
TI  - The child adapts to reality.

PMID- 20293167
TI  - Benign prostatic obstruction.

PMID- 20293168
TI  - The diagnosis and treatment of glycosuria.

PMID- 20293170
TI  - The diagnosis of nervous diseases.

PMID- 20293169
TI  - Nerve suture.

PMID- 20293172
TI  - Two cases of chylous effusion.

PMID- 20293173
TI  - Bronchoscopy in children; presentation of seven cases.

PMID- 20293171
TI  - The relationship of the medical student to the university.

PMID- 20293174
TI  - Some principles of anorectal surgery.

PMID- 20293175
TI  - Hyperparathyroidism resulting from a parathyroid adenoma; case report with
      discussion.

PMID- 20293176
TI  - Carcinoma of the adrenal cortex; a case report.

PMID- 20293177
TI  - Clot retraction; time and adequacy.

PMID- 20293178
TI  - Dermoid cyst of ovary containing a structure similar to a human body
      (homunculus).

PMID- 20293179
TI  - Drug therapy in peptic ulcer and hypersecretion.

PMID- 20293180
TI  - Poliomyelitis.

PMID- 20293181
TI  - Principles of orthopedic treatment in poliomyelitis.

PMID- 20293182
TI  - The ill-effects of nicotinic acid.

PMID- 20293183
TI  - Diverticulitis of the sigmoid.

PMID- 20293184
TI  - Experimental studies on diagnosis and treatment of herpes simplex.

PMID- 20293185
TI  - Progress in the treatment of bronchial asthma.

PMID- 20293186
TI  - Postmenopausal pruritus vulvae.

PMID- 20293187
TI  - A few instances of unsuspected antenatal disease.

PMID- 20293188
TI  - Viruses and virus diseases.

PMID- 20293189
TI  - The physical and physiologic basis of alpha ray therapy.

PMID- 20293190
TI  - Corpuscular radiation (radon ointment and radium pads) in treatment of skin
      diseases.

PMID- 20293191
TI  - Radiation therapy with corpuscular rays.

PMID- 20293192
TI  - Minor psychotherapy.

PMID- 20293193
TI  - Psychotherapeutic emergency situations.

PMID- 20293194
TI  - Minor psychotherapy in cardiovascular disturbances.

PMID- 20293195
TI  - Minor psychotherapy in gastrointestinal disorders.

PMID- 20293196
TI  - Psychotherapy in gastrointestinal disorders.

PMID- 20293197
TI  - Findings of parasites in surgical pathology material; some pertinent diagnostic
      problems.

PMID- 20293198
TI  - Newer concepts of eosinophilia.

PMID- 20293199
TI  - Trichinosis.

PMID- 20293200
TI  - Observations concerning toxo plasma.

PMID- 20293201
TI  - Heart disease erroneously diagnosed (parasternal diaphragmatic hernia, imitating
      heart disease).

PMID- 20293202
TI  - An unusual cause for severe carotid sinus syndrome.

PMID- 20293203
TI  - Roentgenological evidence of appendiceal abscesses.

PMID- 20293204
TI  - A case of phantom eye.

PMID- 20293205
TI  - Frontal lobectomy as therapeutic attempt in mental disease.

PMID- 20293206
TI  - Half a century of roentgen rays.

PMID- 20293207
TI  - Comparative geographical pathology of Venezuela.

PMID- 20293208
TI  - Dietary production of gastric ulcers in rats and prevention by tocopherol
      administration.

PMID- 20293209
TI  - Nature of renal changes in acute choline deficiency.

PMID- 20293210
TI  - Reticulo-endothelial immune serum (REIS); production of potent serum by
      anamnestic reaction.

PMID- 20293211
TI  - Effects of benadryl on anaphylactic and histamine shock in rabbits and guinea
      pigs.

PMID- 20293212
TI  - Methionine decholesterolization in old hens.

PMID- 20293213
TI  - Fibrinogenolytic demonstration of activation and inhibition of tryptase in plasma
      protein fraction-I (antihemophilic globulin).

PMID- 20293214
TI  - The serological differentiation of mumps complement-fixation antigens.

PMID- 20293215
TI  - The localization of radiophosphate in cells.

PMID- 20293216
TI  - Studies on the pathogenesis of brucellosis.

PMID- 20293217
TI  - Thromboplastic action of plasma protease (tryptase).

PMID- 20293218
TI  - Chronic oral toxicity of alpha-naphthyl thiourea.

PMID- 20293219
TI  - Separation of two mutually antagonistic chromatophorotropins from the
      tritocerebral commissure of Crago.

PMID- 20293220
TI  - Radioautographs in which the tissue is mounted directly on the photographic
      plate.

PMID- 20293221
TI  - Storage, retention and distribution of folic acid in the chick.

PMID- 20293222
TI  - Intrasplenic transplantation of testes in castrated mice.

PMID- 20293223
TI  - Toxicity studies on rutin.

PMID- 20293224
TI  - Two antibiotics (lavendulin and actinorubin) produced by two strains of
      Actinomyces; toxicity and therapeutic studies.

PMID- 20293225
TI  - Production of increased capillary fragility in rats following irradiation.

PMID- 20293226
TI  - Effect of rutin on recovery time from radiation injury in rats.

PMID- 20293227
TI  - Effect of colchicine on resting cells in tissue cultures.

PMID- 20293228
TI  - Production of polycythemia in rabbits by anoxia and cobalt.

PMID- 20293229
TI  - Effect of streptomycin on growth of rickettsiae in eggs.

PMID- 20293230
TI  - Action of curare on temperature changes in the brain in combination with
      pentobarbital narcosis.

PMID- 20293231
TI  - Growth of chicks on purified and synthetic diets containing amino acids.

PMID- 20293232
TI  - Absence of lipotropic activity of methionine when pure amino acids were
      substituted for dietary protein.

PMID- 20293233
TI  - Implantation of riboflavin pellets in animals and man.

PMID- 20293234
TI  - Action of sodium salicylate on hyaluronidase.

PMID- 20293235
TI  - Recovery of herpes simplex virus from rabbit brain nine months after inoculation.

PMID- 20293236
TI  - Artifacts in gold shadowed electron micrographs due to electrons of high
      intensity.

PMID- 20293237
TI  - Hypersensitivity to egg white in the rat.

PMID- 20293238
TI  - Cholinesterase content of erythrocytes in normal and pathological states; content
      in normal humans.

PMID- 20293239
TI  - A simple effective regimen for preservation of the dog with a pancreatic fistula.

PMID- 20293240
TI  - Demonstration of antibodies in acquired hemolytic anemia with anti-human globulin
      serum.

PMID- 20293241
TI  - Role of adrenalin in recovery of inhibited conditioned reactions.

PMID- 20293242
TI  - Biological value of proteins determined with Tetrahymena geleii H.

PMID- 20293243
TI  - Treatment of paroxysmal auricular or nodal tachycardia with the vasopressor drug,
      neosynephrine.

PMID- 20293244
TI  - Dark-field observations on lymphocytes exposed to X-rays and other injurious
      agents.

PMID- 20293246
TI  - Newer developments in urology during the war years.

PMID- 20293245
TI  - Anaphylaxis in the dog.

PMID- 20293247
TI  - Gross structure of the subcutaneous layer and its mechanical uses for the skin.

PMID- 20293248
TI  - The scope of industrial dentistry.

PMID- 20293249
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293250
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293251
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293252
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293253
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293254
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293255
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293256
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293257
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293258
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293259
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293260
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293261
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293262
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293263
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293264
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293265
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293266
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293267
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293268
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293269
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293270
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293271
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293272
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293273
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293274
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293275
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293276
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293277
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293278
TI  - Relief of pain.

PMID- 20293279
TI  - Modern anaesthetic practice.

PMID- 20293280
TI  - Analgesia and anaesthesia in obstetrics.

PMID- 20293281
TI  - Clinical experiences with nitrogen mustard in Hodgkin's disease.

PMID- 20293282
TI  - Sensory disturbances in chronic visceral disease.

PMID- 20293283
TI  - Some aspects of the future of medical practice.

PMID- 20293284
TI  - Sulfasuxidine and sulfathalidine in surgery of the colon.

PMID- 20293285
TI  - Translumbar aortography; an aid in the management of the hydronephrotic kidney.

PMID- 20293286
TI  - Vagal resection in the treatment of gastroduodenal ulcer.

PMID- 20293287
TI  - Diagnosis and treatment of cardiospasm.

PMID- 20293288
TI  - The treatment of fibrosarcoma.

PMID- 20293289
TI  - The first proctologist; the life and writings of Joseph McDowell Mathews.

PMID- 20293290
TI  - The comparative clinical values of some drugs in the pyodermas.

PMID- 20293291
TI  - Diagnoses commonly missed in general practice.

PMID- 20293292
TI  - The Mental Health Act and plans for its operation.

PMID- 20293293
TI  - The practical handling of bacteriology by the clinical pathologist.

PMID- 20293294
TI  - Retarding denervation atrophy.

PMID- 20293295
TI  - Irradiation therapy of benign uterine hemorrhage.

PMID- 20293296
TI  - Vascular mechanisms in allergic headaches.

PMID- 20293297
TI  - The value of the electrocardiogram in the diagnosis of early rheumatic heart
      disease.

PMID- 20293299
TI  - The good doctor.

PMID- 20293298
TI  - Metastatic malignancy of the brain and spinal cord; a clinico-pathologic study.

PMID- 20293300
TI  - Principles of treatment in fracture of the neck of the femur.

PMID- 20293301
TI  - Newer obstetric analgesics; compounds No. 10720 and No. 10820, dolophine.

PMID- 20293302
TI  - The present status of penicillin.

PMID- 20293303
TI  - Recent developments in the treatment of dental caries.

PMID- 20293304
TI  - Variability in tolerance to depressant drugs.

PMID- 20293305
TI  - Calcific pericarditis (with multiple pulmonary infarcts).

PMID- 20293306
TI  - Practical orientation in neurosyphilis.

PMID- 20293307
TI  - The value of penicillin in the treatment of postpneumonic empyema.

PMID- 20293308
TI  - Transfusion anuria and related processes.

PMID- 20293309
TI  - BAL therapy of dermatitis caused by injections of gold salts.

PMID- 20293310
TI  - Aneurysm of the splenic artery.

PMID- 20293311
TI  - The urinary 17-ketosteroids.

PMID- 20293313
TI  - The teaching of anatomy.

PMID- 20293312
TI  - CHEMICAL structure of antibiotics.

PMID- 20293314
TI  - The learning of anatomy.

PMID- 20293315
TI  - The mental effects of drugs.

PMID- 20293316
TI  - The comparative anatomy and physiology of the caecum, in reference to the
      occurrence of appendicitis in man.

PMID- 20293317
TI  - Industrial health.

PMID- 20293318
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293319
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293320
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293321
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293322
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293323
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293324
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293325
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293326
TI  - An anatomic study of the vagus nerves, and a technic of transabdominal gastric
      vagus resection.

PMID- 20293327
TI  - 1946 Aerobiologic survey for Ann Arbor, Michigan.

PMID- 20293328
TI  - The evaluation of thiouracil in hyperthyroidism.

PMID- 20293329
TI  - Treatment of acute bulbar poliomyelitis.

PMID- 20293330
TI  - Pediatric allergy.

PMID- 20293331
TI  - The management of uterine bleeding.

PMID- 20293332
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293333
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293334
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293335
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293336
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293337
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293338
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293339
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293340
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293341
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293342
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293343
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293344
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293345
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293346
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293347
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293348
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293349
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293350
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293352
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293351
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293353
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293354
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293355
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293356
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293357
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293358
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293359
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293360
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293361
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293362
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293363
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293364
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293365
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293366
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293367
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293368
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293369
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293370
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293371
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293372
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293374
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293373
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293375
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293376
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293377
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293378
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293379
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293380
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293381
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293382
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293383
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293385
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293384
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293386
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293387
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293388
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293389
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293390
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293391
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293392
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293393
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293394
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293395
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293396
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293397
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293398
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293399
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293400
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293401
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293402
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293403
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293404
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293405
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293406
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293407
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293408
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293409
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293410
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293411
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293412
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293413
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293414
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293415
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293416
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293417
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293418
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293419
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293420
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293421
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293422
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293423
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293424
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293425
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293426
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293427
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293428
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293429
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293430
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293431
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293432
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293433
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293434
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293435
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293436
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293437
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293439
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293438
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293440
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293441
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293442
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293443
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293444
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293445
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293446
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293447
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293448
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293449
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293450
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293451
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293452
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293453
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293455
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293454
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293456
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293457
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293458
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293459
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293460
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293461
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293462
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293463
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293464
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293465
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293466
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293467
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293468
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293469
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293470
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293471
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293472
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293473
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293474
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293475
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293476
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293477
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293478
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293479
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293480
TI  - Some points in the radiological diagnosis of diseases of the bones and joints.

PMID- 20293481
TI  - Fractures of the wrist and ankle.

PMID- 20293482
TI  - Amebic abscess of the liver.

PMID- 20293483
TI  - The physician and tuberculosis.

PMID- 20293484
TI  - The treatment of malaria.

PMID- 20293485
TI  - Oral and aerosol penicillin in infants.

PMID- 20293486
TI  - Smear technic for cancer cells.

PMID- 20293487
TI  - Preventive mental health and the physician.

PMID- 20293488
TI  - Carcinoma of the skin and lip.

PMID- 20293489
TI  - Functional urinary frequency in the soldier.

PMID- 20293490
TI  - Neuropsychiatric casualties in an infantry division.

PMID- 20293491
TI  - Treatment of plantar corns.

PMID- 20293492
TI  - Ventilation rates of sealed aircraft cabins.

PMID- 20293493
TI  - Coccidioidal meningitis.

PMID- 20293494
TI  - Poliomyelitis.

PMID- 20293495
TI  - A technique for hemorrhoidectomy.

PMID- 20293496
TI  - SUBLINGUAL dermoid cyst.

PMID- 20293497
TI  - Maintenance of femoral skeletal traction.

PMID- 20293498
TI  - MANDIBULAR graft retention by Kirschner wire.

PMID- 20293499
TI  - Management of psychotic patients in a general hospital overseas.

PMID- 20293500
TI  - An improvised microscope stage warmer.

PMID- 20293501
TI  - Use of splint in transferring tube skin grafts from forearm to lower leg.

PMID- 20293502
TI  - Hazor-blade knife for Padgett dermatome.

PMID- 20293503
TI  - A compression fracture of the spine.

PMID- 20293504
TI  - Femoral transfusion in shock.

PMID- 20293505
TI  - BOTULISM.

PMID- 20293506
TI  - The administration of fixed hospital laboratories.

PMID- 20293507
TI  - Acute relapsing gastro-enteritis.

PMID- 20293509
TI  - Gonnorrheal arthritis with keratodermia blennorrhagicum.

PMID- 20293508
TI  - A rapid cultural method for the presumptive identification of Clostridium
      welchii.

PMID- 20293510
TI  - Gun shot wound of heart with removal of bullet.

PMID- 20293511
TI  - Red Cross social service in a military hospital.

PMID- 20293512
TI  - Improvised ward equipment.

PMID- 20293513
TI  - Aerial spraying of DDT.

PMID- 20293514
TI  - Comments on orthodontia.

PMID- 20293515
TI  - Quality control of Danish milk supply.

PMID- 20293516
TI  - Special disease hazards in basic training centers.

PMID- 20293517
TI  - The determination of sulfate as barium sulfate; in the presence of metals of the
      acid hydrogen sulfide group.

PMID- 20293518
TI  - Early steam engines in America.

PMID- 20293519
TI  - The blood picture of normal laboratory animals; a review of the literature 1936
      1946.

PMID- 20293520
TI  - The Amazonian varieties of Lonchocarpus nicou, a rotenone-yielding plant.

PMID- 20293521
TI  - New Guinea species of mosquitoes of the genus Aedes, subgenus Aedes.

PMID- 20293522
TI  - A new species of flea of the genus Opisodasys from Mexico.

PMID- 20293523
TI  - What chemistry owes to X-rays.

PMID- 20293524
TI  - Secretion of red blood corpuscles.

PMID- 20293525
TI  - Scrub typhus as a study in ecology.

PMID- 20293526
TI  - Electrogenic properties of acetylcholine.

PMID- 20293527
TI  - Metabolism of fatty livers.

PMID- 20293528
TI  - Artificial breaking of the diapause in Drosophila nitens.

PMID- 20293529
TI  - A continuum theory of rheological phenomena.

PMID- 20293530
TI  - The body's chemical mechanism of defence.

PMID- 20293531
TI  - Coumarin as a selective phytocidal agent.

PMID- 20293532
TI  - Determination of the energy and momentum of fast neutrons in cosmic rays.

PMID- 20293533
TI  - Detectability of the negative proton.

PMID- 20293534
TI  - Effect of sodium hexametaphosphate on the yield value and viscosity of a hydrogen
      bentonite suspension.

PMID- 20293535
TI  - Structure of the keratin molecule.

PMID- 20293536
TI  - Transference of vitamin D from the female rat to her young.

PMID- 20293537
TI  - Heat treatment and the biological value of soya-bean protein.

PMID- 20293538
TI  - Solvent-treated cellulose acetate as the stationary phase in partition
      chromatography.

PMID- 20293539
TI  - Atomic energy and its applications.

PMID- 20293540
TI  - Dr. James Hutton and the manufacture of sal ammoniac.

PMID- 20293541
TI  - NATURE of virulence.

PMID- 20293542
TI  - Use of punched card tabulating machines for crystallographic Fourier syntheses.

PMID- 20293543
TI  - Orientation of fibrils in natural membranes.

PMID- 20293544
TI  - A new method of studying the structure of alloys by magnetic analysis.

PMID- 20293545
TI  - Xanthine oxidase and virus growth.

PMID- 20293546
TI  - The premaxilla and the ancestry of man.

PMID- 20293547
TI  - A sensitive Cartesian diver balance.

PMID- 20293548
TI  - A haemosporidian of bats.

PMID- 20293549
TI  - Quantitative chromatographic separations of synthetic peptides.

PMID- 20293550
TI  - Growth of the physical sciences and their applications in the United States.

PMID- 20293551
TI  - Botanical sciences and their applications, including agriculture.

PMID- 20293552
TI  - Eighteenth century theories on America as a human habitat.

PMID- 20293553
TI  - Trends in American medical research during the nineteenth century.

PMID- 20293554
TI  - The freedom of science.

PMID- 20293555
TI  - Epidemic diseases.

PMID- 20293556
TI  - International problems in plant disease control.

PMID- 20293557
TI  - The role of the amino acids in human nutrition.

PMID- 20293558
TI  - Publication and the distribution of publications.

PMID- 20293559
TI  - The international scientific unions.

PMID- 20293561
TI  - The interchange of men of science.

PMID- 20293560
TI  - International scientific congresses.

PMID- 20293562
TI  - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

PMID- 20293564
TI  - The effect of various condensing agents and inert solvents in the production of
      DDT.

PMID- 20293565
TI  - Group interpretation of test results.

PMID- 20293566
TI  - Practical problems of military psychology in war and peace.

PMID- 20293567
TI  - The application of anthropological techniques to cross-national communication.

PMID- 20293568
TI  - Humanities in the broadest sense.

PMID- 20293569
TI  - COMMITTEE on Coordination of Cosmic-Ray Investigations; progress report for the
      period July 1945 to June 1946.

PMID- 20293570
TI  - Statistical investigation of cosmic-ray variations at Department of Terrestrial
      Magnetism.

PMID- 20293571
TI  - Cosmic-ray investigations at New York University.

PMID- 20293572
TI  - Antibacterial properties of fatty acids.

PMID- 20293574
TI  - Paleobotany.

PMID- 20293575
TI  - The effect of androgens upon the embryonic urinogenital system.

PMID- 20293573
TI  - Plant pigments.

PMID- 20293576
TI  - The gene.

PMID- 20293577
TI  - Genetic structure of natural populations.

PMID- 20293578
TI  - Mouse leukemia.

PMID- 20293579
TI  - Maize genetics.

PMID- 20293580
TI  - Cotton genetics.

PMID- 20293581
TI  - Division of Historical Research.

PMID- 20293582
TI  - Social anthropological research.

PMID- 20293583
TI  - Extracortical connections of the primate frontal cerebral cortex; corticifugal
      connections.

PMID- 20293584
TI  - Heterotopic neurons of sensory type in the intramedullary portion of the motor
      roots.

PMID- 20293585
TI  - Chemical sense and taste in the fishes, Prionotus and Trichogaster.

PMID- 20293586
TI  - A study of the factors controlling the differentiation of Mauthner's cell in
      Amblystoma.

PMID- 20293587
TI  - Depletions in the thoraco-lumbar sympathetic system following removal of neural
      crest in the chick.

PMID- 20293588
TI  - Chronic progressive ophthalmoplegia of myopathic origin.

PMID- 20293589
TI  - Paget's disease of atlas and axis.

PMID- 20293590
TI  - Effects of vitamin and hormone treatment on senile patients.

PMID- 20293591
TI  - Nerve biopsy.

PMID- 20293592
TI  - The pattern of olfactory innervation.

PMID- 20293593
TI  - Deposition of iron in paraventricular areas of the human brain in
      hemochromatosis.

PMID- 20293594
TI  - Neurogliogenic tumor of the diencephalon with unusual characteristics; report on
      a case with discussion of classification.

PMID- 20293595
TI  - Neoplastic transformation of the subependymal cell plate in the floor of the
      fourth ventricle (subependymal spongioblastoma) with a clinicopathologic case
      report.

PMID- 20293596
TI  - Parenchymatous cortical cerebellar atrophy associated with Pick's disease.

PMID- 20293597
TI  - The relation of the spinal subarachnoid and perineurial spaces.

PMID- 20293598
TI  - The cerebrospinal fluid pathways (a critical note).

PMID- 20293599
TI  - On the mechanism and localization of the symptoms of electroshock and
      electronarcosis.

PMID- 20293600
TI  - Temporal lobotomy.

PMID- 20293601
TI  - Extirpation of the cortical arm area as defined by stimulation under conditions
      of primary facilitation (Macaca mulatta).

PMID- 20293602
TI  - Convulsant effects of penicillin on the cerebral cortex.

PMID- 20293603
TI  - Experimental non-suppurative pneumonia encephalitis produced by injection of
      homologous lung extract.

PMID- 20293604
TI  - Bilateral destruction of the prefrontal areas and subsequent thalamic changes;
      report of a case.

PMID- 20293605
TI  - The meningeal reaction in brain abscess.

PMID- 20293606
TI  - Schizencephalies; congenital symmetrical clefts in the cerebral mantle associated
      with extensive defect in the roof plate (encephalocele and meningomyelocele).

PMID- 20293607
TI  - Further uses of gelatin foam in neurosorgery.

PMID- 20293608
TI  - Resection of the greater superficial petrosal nerve in the treatment of
      unilateral headache.

PMID- 20293609
TI  - Dermatome hypalgesia with posterolateral herniation of lower cervical
      intervertebral disc.

PMID- 20293610
TI  - Evidence of active invasion of denervated areas by sensory fibers from
      neighboring nerves in man.

PMID- 20293611
TI  - Peripheral nerve injuries; basic data from the peripheral nerve registry
      concerning 7,050 nerve sutures and 67 nerve grafts.

PMID- 20293612
TI  - Experimental hydrocephalus.

PMID- 20293613
TI  - Cerebrospinal rhinorrhea by way of the eustachian tube; report of cases with the
      dural defects in the middle or posterior fossa.

PMID- 20293614
TI  - Trigeminal neuralgia due to contralateral tumors of the posterior cranial fossa;
      report of 2 cases.

PMID- 20293615
TI  - Resection of the superior longitudinal sinus; report of case.

PMID- 20293616
TI  - Autodermography; a new and simple method of demonstrating the propagation of pain
      and disorders of surface sensibility.

PMID- 20293617
TI  - Psychoanalytic insight into insomnia.

PMID- 20293618
TI  - The symbolism of the symbol.

PMID- 20293619
TI  - Psychosomatic aspects of obesity.

PMID- 20293620
TI  - Translator's prologue to Dreaming like waking [transl. by A. A. Brill].

PMID- 20293621
TI  - Passive parasitic psychopathy: toward the personality structure and psychogenesis
      of idiopathic psychopathy (anethopathy).

PMID- 20293622
TI  - Comments on the formation of psychic structure.

PMID- 20293623
TI  - The child's laughter; theoretical and clinical notes on the function of the
      comic.

PMID- 20293624
TI  - Twins; observations on environmental influences on their development.

PMID- 20293625
TI  - The pre-oedipal phase in the development of the male child.

PMID- 20293626
TI  - The child's ego development and the training of adults in his environment.

PMID- 20293627
TI  - Hospitalism; a follow-up report.

PMID- 20293628
TI  - The psychoanalytic study of infantile feeding disturbances.

PMID- 20293629
TI  - The psychogenic tic in ego development.

PMID- 20293630
TI  - Psychoanalytic contributions to the problems of reading disabilities.

PMID- 20293631
TI  - The analysis of a case of night terror.

PMID- 20293632
TI  - Hysterical twilight states in an eight-year-old child.

PMID- 20293633
TI  - Experiences with enuretics.

PMID- 20293634
TI  - A case of superego disintegration.

PMID- 20293635
TI  - Headline intelligence.

PMID- 20293636
TI  - A contribution to the problem of psychoses in childhood.

PMID- 20293637
TI  - Diaries of adolescent schizophrenics (hebephrenics).

PMID- 20293638
TI  - Anaclitic depression; an inquiry into the genesis of psychiatric conditions in
      early childhood.

PMID- 20293640
TI  - Ego development and historical change; clinical notes.

PMID- 20293639
TI  - Psychoanalytic oreintation in child guidance work in Great Britain.

PMID- 20293641
TI  - Incentives to development and means of early education.

PMID- 20293642
TI  - Psychological invalidism in thyroidectomized patients.

PMID- 20293643
TI  - Psychosomatic medicine; somatization reactions.

PMID- 20293644
TI  - Brief psychotherapy in psychosomatic problems.

PMID- 20293645
TI  - Ill health as an expression of anxiety in a combat unit.

PMID- 20293646
TI  - Central angiospastic retinopathy; a psychosomatic study of its occurrence in
      military personnel.

PMID- 20293647
TI  - The phantom limb.

PMID- 20293648
TI  - Psychosomatic medicine in an Army hospital in India.

PMID- 20293649
TI  - Emotional factors in urticaria; a report of three cases.

PMID- 20293650
TI  - A case of co-existence of idiopathic epileptic and psychogenic convulsions.

PMID- 20293651
TI  - Psychosurgery; the nursing problem.

PMID- 20293652
TI  - The pediatric nurse and human relations.

PMID- 20293653
TI  - Nursing in New Zealand.

PMID- 20293654
TI  - Care of the skin in older people.

PMID- 20293655
TI  - Office nursing.

PMID- 20293656
TI  - Precautions in working with radium.

PMID- 20293657
TI  - Head nurses look at nursing.

PMID- 20293658
TI  - Eye hygiene.

PMID- 20293659
TI  - Role of the nurse in rehabilitation.

PMID- 20293660
TI  - PROVIDING eye care in industry.

PMID- 20293661
TI  - Recent emphases in educational practices.

PMID- 20293662
TI  - EDUCATIONAL qualifications of first-year students in 1946.

PMID- 20293663
TI  - Eye care.

PMID- 20293664
TI  - Nutrition education and the public health nurse.

PMID- 20293665
TI  - Public health nursing in Prince Edward Island.

PMID- 20293666
TI  - Nursing care study of Boeck's sarcoid.

PMID- 20293667
TI  - Bernardini Ramazzini, his life, deeds and book.

PMID- 20293668
TI  - What does management expect in the plant medical program.

PMID- 20293669
TI  - Medical departments or first aid kits.

PMID- 20293670
TI  - The forward march of industrial nursing in West Virginia.

PMID- 20293671
TI  - Posture fundamentals in nursing.

PMID- 20293672
TI  - UNNRRA nursing; an international experience.

PMID- 20293673
TI  - Preparation of the mental hygiene nurse consultant: progress report of the work
      of the Committee on Mental Hygiene.

PMID- 20293675
TI  - Child development and the school nurse.

PMID- 20293674
TI  - Progress in education as it concerns industrial nursing.

PMID- 20293676
TI  - NURSE in the school health program; report of the Committee on Qualifications of
      the Nurse in the School.

PMID- 20293677
TI  - Role of the school nurse in safety education.

PMID- 20293678
TI  - Posture and the school health program.

PMID- 20293679
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293680
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293682
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293681
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293683
TI  - Disease processes versus disease pictures in interpretation of retinal vascular
      lesions.

PMID- 20293684
TI  - Aims and aids in the teaching of basic sciences in ophtalmology.

PMID- 20293685
TI  - Primary lipid dystrophy of the cornea.

PMID- 20293686
TI  - Esotropia following occlusion.

PMID- 20293687
TI  - Pentothal sodium in ophthalmic surgery.

PMID- 20293688
TI  - Optokinetic and other factors modifying vestibular nystagmus.

PMID- 20293689
TI  - Changes in retinal arterioles associated with the hypertensions of pregnancy.

PMID- 20293690
TI  - Ophthalmoscopic changes associated with hypertensive vascular disease as a guide
      to sympathectomy.

PMID- 20293691
TI  - Keratoconjunctivitis due to a diphtheroid-like organism; report of a case.

PMID- 20293692
TI  - Sensorial retinal relationship in concomitant strabismus.

PMID- 20293693
TI  - Experimental observations on the intravitreous use of penicillin and other drugs.

PMID- 20293694
TI  - A case of the Laurence-Moon-Beidl syndrome showing atypical retinitis pigmentosa
      associated with macular dystrophy.

PMID- 20293697
TI  - Summary of the work on the pathological changes in the aqueous-humour and the
      blood-aqueous barrier, at Zurich.

PMID- 20293700
TI  - Circulatory studies of the fundus of the eye.

PMID- 20293698
TI  - A Gronblad-Strandberg syndrome.

PMID- 20293701
TI  - Removal of the wrong eye.

PMID- 20293702
TI  - Indications and contraindications for extracapsular and intracapsular extraction
      of cataract.

PMID- 20293703
TI  - Headaches of ocular origin.

PMID- 20293704
TI  - Orbital cellulitis secondary to maxillary sinusitis; report of a case.

PMID- 20293705
TI  - Tinnitus aurium; including report of results following Lempert fenestration and
      tympanosympathectomy.

PMID- 20293706
TI  - Strand formations in the anterior chamber.

PMID- 20293708
TI  - The screen test (cover test).

PMID- 20293707
TI  - Plastic repair of cartilaginous nasal defects; a new donor site.

PMID- 20293709
TI  - Amblyopia cum polyneuropathia caused by starvation.

PMID- 20293710
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293711
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293712
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293713
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293714
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293715
TI  - Potassiumiodide and vitreous opacities.

PMID- 20293716
TI  - Review of contributions of World War II to ophthalmology.

PMID- 20293717
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293718
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293719
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293720
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293721
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293722
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293723
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293724
TI  - Camp Amblyopia.

PMID- 20293725
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293726
TI  - A review of the available literature on the larynx and laryngeal surgery for
      1946.

PMID- 20293727
TI  - Studies on oral penicillin.

PMID- 20293728
TI  - Changes in the color of the pharynx following smoking.

PMID- 20293729
TI  - The trend of treatment of bronchiectasis during the past two decades.

PMID- 20293730
TI  - An introducer for tracheostomy tubes.

PMID- 20293731
TI  - A modification of the Negus esophagoscope.

PMID- 20293732
TI  - The immunological relationships of strains of contagious pustular dermatitis
      virus.

PMID- 20293733
TI  - The relationship between the virus of contagious pustular dermatitis and a virus
      isolated from sheep papillomatosis by Selbie.

PMID- 20293734
TI  - The prophylactic use of phenanthridinium 1553 against infection with T.
      congolense and T. vivax.

PMID- 20293735
TI  - Studies on Corynebacterium renale; penicillin treatment of experimentally
      infected mice.

PMID- 20293736
TI  - The ascorbic acid content of the blood serum of farm animals.

PMID- 20293737
TI  - Sex hormones in the urine of pregnant cattle.

PMID- 20293738
TI  - A Salmonella strain isolated from camels in Palestine.

PMID- 20293739
TI  - Trace element deficiency in livestock in the Hebrides.

PMID- 20293740
TI  - Leptospirosis in cattle in Palestine.

PMID- 20293741
TI  - Ornithosis (psittacosis) in a pigeon flock.

PMID- 20293742
TI  - Salmonella typhi murium in penguins.

PMID- 20293743
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293744
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293745
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293746
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293747
TI  - Postacidotic state of infantile diarrhea: symptoms and chemical data;
      postacidotic hypocalcemia and associated decreases in levels of potassium,
      phosphorus and phosphatase in the plasma.

PMID- 20293748
TI  - Feeding of premature infants; a comparison of human and cow's milk.

PMID- 20293749
TI  - Erythema infectiosum.

PMID- 20293750
TI  - Juvenile osteopetrosis; metabolic studies in two cases and further observations
      on the composition of the bones in this disease.

PMID- 20293751
TI  - Hypervitaminosis A.

PMID- 20293752
TI  - Agenesis of the lung; with a review of the literature.

PMID- 20293753
TI  - Effect on the organisms of children of privations caused by the siege of
      Budapest.

PMID- 20293754
TI  - Prophylaxis of upper respiratory infections in children by oral penicillin and
      influenza virus vaccine inoculation.

PMID- 20293755
TI  - Analogous reactions of the poliomyelitis virus and cyanogen compounds.

PMID- 20293756
TI  - Fevers in children; their significance, general diagnostic value and antipyretic
      treatment.

PMID- 20293757
TI  - Pneumococcic meningitis.

PMID- 20293758
TI  - Scarlet fever (convalescent); acute rheumatic fever.

PMID- 20293759
TI  - Bronchopneumonia, pulmonary edema, rheumatic mitral and aortic heart disease.

PMID- 20293761
TI  - The relative activity of prostigmine homologues and other substances as
      antagonists to tubocurarine.

PMID- 20293767
TI  - The nutritive aspects of the amino acids.

PMID- 20293768
TI  - History of protein chemistry.

PMID- 20293770
TI  - A review of the biological assay of gelsemium.

PMID- 20293769
TI  - Protein hydrolyzates.

PMID- 20293771
TI  - A review of the biological assay of Veratrum viride.

PMID- 20293772
TI  - MYANESIN; a new muscle-relaxing agent.

PMID- 20293773
TI  - Food poisoning.

PMID- 20293774
TI  - The tragedy of the chronic sick.

PMID- 20293775
TI  - Dysmenorrhoea.

PMID- 20293776
TI  - Penicillin dispensing, from a new angle.

PMID- 20293777
TI  - PRACTICAL chemistry competitions.

PMID- 20293778
TI  - Japanese pharmacy.

PMID- 20293779
TI  - T.S.A. License number 110 [penicillin production in a small pharmacy].

PMID- 20293780
TI  - A survey of the pharmaceutical industry in the British Zone of Germany.

PMID- 20293781
TI  - Parenteral penicillin apparatus.

PMID- 20293782
TI  - The pharmaceutical department of the Zurich Canton Hospital.

PMID- 20293783
TI  - Stored blood and plasma.

PMID- 20293785
TI  - The treatment of varicose veins.

PMID- 20293784
TI  - The early diagnosis of cancer.

PMID- 20293786
TI  - Penicillin ointment.

PMID- 20293787
TI  - PHARMACISTS of Arnhem; how they met battle and evacuation.

PMID- 20293788
TI  - Action of mustard gas and other poisons on yeast cells; study of the effects of
      divinyl sulfone and their reversal.

PMID- 20293789
TI  - Counter-emfs in the onion root.

PMID- 20293790
TI  - Potential oscillations in the onion root resulting from current flow.

PMID- 20293791
TI  - The dissociation of carbohydrate assimilation from catabolism.

PMID- 20293792
TI  - Cellular mechanisms controlling rates of glucose consumption by yeast.

PMID- 20293793
TI  - The effect of prolonged starvation on the lipids in Phascolosoma gouldii.

PMID- 20293794
TI  - The convulsive effect of penicillin on an amphibian nervous system.

PMID- 20293795
TI  - On the nature of pain.

PMID- 20293796
TI  - Heat: man's exchanges and physiological responses.

PMID- 20293798
TI  - A review of physiological and psychological studies of sexual behavior in
      mammals.

PMID- 20293799
TI  - Recent advances in the study of biological competition between structurally
      related compounds.

PMID- 20293797
TI  - The definition and meaning of pH.

PMID- 20293800
TI  - Plumage sequence in a case of hemilateral asymmetry in male hybrid fowl.

PMID- 20293801
TI  - The relation of the plumage-tract gradients to the serial localization of feather
      pigments in a hybrid cock.

PMID- 20293802
TI  - Phosphorylation in the frog's egg.

PMID- 20293803
TI  - Riboflavin and other fluorescent compounds in a developing egg (Orthoptera).

PMID- 20293804
TI  - The effects of thiourea on the oxygen consumption of Fundulus.

PMID- 20293805
TI  - The effect of salts and osmotic concentration on the size of food vacuoles in
      Vorticella similis.

PMID- 20293806
TI  - An analysis of photoelectric instruments for measurement of turbidity with
      reference to serology.

PMID- 20293807
TI  - The influence of the sinus glands upon molting and associated changes in the
      crayfish.

PMID- 20293808
TI  - An analysis of action on science legislation in the last Congress.

PMID- 20293809
TI  - The foreign language requirement for the Ph.D.

PMID- 20293810
TI  - Psychology and psychiatry.

PMID- 20293811
TI  - VALIDATION of the general clerical abilities test for selection and placement of
      War Department civilian personnel.

PMID- 20293812
TI  - Some areas of caution for the psychology student.

PMID- 20293813
TI  - Function of the Disciplinary Barracks' psychologist in the development of a
      therapeutic atmosphere.

PMID- 20293814
TI  - The clinical psychologist as correctional classification officer.

PMID- 20293815
TI  - The clinical psychologist assigned to a disciplinary barracks hospital.

PMID- 20293816
TI  - The psychologist in the employment office of a disciplinary barracks.

PMID- 20293817
TI  - Some notes on research on personality testing.

PMID- 20293818
TI  - The duties performed by clinical psychologists in Army medical installations.

PMID- 20293819
TI  - Clinical psychology 1896-1946.

PMID- 20293821
TI  - Psychometric pitfalls in clinical practice.

PMID- 20293820
TI  - Clinical psychology and psychiatry.

PMID- 20293822
TI  - An experimental study of intellectual control under stress and associated
      Rorschach factors.

PMID- 20293823
TI  - A preliminary report of the psychosocial effects of poliomyelitis.

PMID- 20293824
TI  - A comparison of one unsuccessful with four successful nondirectively counseled
      cases.

PMID- 20293825
TI  - The incomplete sentences test as a method of studying personality.

PMID- 20293826
TI  - The use of psychometric instruments in psychological clinics.

PMID- 20293827
TI  - Correlates of criminal behavior.

PMID- 20293828
TI  - Abilities and interests of Japanese-American high school seniors.

PMID- 20293829
TI  - Frame of reference in pro and anti evaluations of test items.

PMID- 20293830
TI  - A descriptive portrait of the drinker; the normal drinker.

PMID- 20293831
TI  - A descriptive portrait of the drinker; the symptomatic drinker.

PMID- 20293832
TI  - A descriptive portrait of the drinker; the psychotic drinker.

PMID- 20293833
TI  - A descriptive portrait of the drinker; the stupid drinker.

PMID- 20293834
TI  - The psychological effects of unionism on the member.

PMID- 20293835
TI  - Psychological tests in the Royal Navy, Army and A. T. S.

PMID- 20293836
TI  - Some problems of discipline among adolescents in factories.

PMID- 20293837
TI  - The development of personnel selection procedure in a naval entry establishment.

PMID- 20293838
TI  - A study of some stresses and strains within the working group.

PMID- 20293839
TI  - Perceptual abstraction and art.

PMID- 20293840
TI  - A theoretical derivation of latent learning.

PMID- 20293841
TI  - Consciousness as organismic physiological functioning.

PMID- 20293842
TI  - Test reliability; its meaning and determination.

PMID- 20293843
TI  - Table for determining phi coefficients.

PMID- 20293844
TI  - The use of psychological techniques in measuring and critically analyzing
      navigators' flight performance.

PMID- 20293845
TI  - Analysis in terms of frequencies of differences.

PMID- 20293846
TI  - An index of item validity providing a correction for chance success.

PMID- 20293847
TI  - A Rorschach study of operational fatigue in Army Air Forces combat personnel.

PMID- 20293848
TI  - Content analysis in Rorschach work.

PMID- 20293849
TI  - The Rorschach method in psychosomatic problems; a case of hypertensive
      cardiovascular disease.

PMID- 20293850
TI  - Human whole and detail responses in the Rorschach test.

PMID- 20293851
TI  - Personality patterns of old age.

PMID- 20293852
TI  - Tenth report on data of anti-rabies treatments supplied by Pasteur institutes.

PMID- 20293853
TI  - The biological assay and control of tetanus toxoid.

PMID- 20293854
TI  - On the standardisation of Haffkine Institute polyvalent anti-snake-venom serum
      against the venoms of the four common Indian snakes (cobra, common krait,
      Russell's viper and sawscaled viper).

PMID- 20293857
TI  - Nutrition in rural districts in Greece.

PMID- 20293855
TI  - A provisional standard for staphylococcus B antitoxin.

PMID- 20293856
TI  - The ecology of sandflies at the larval stage and the epidemiology of the diseases
      transmitted by them.

PMID- 20293858
TI  - Evaluation of the fundamentals of motor performance.

PMID- 20293859
TI  - Improving the quality of school medical services.

PMID- 20293860
TI  - The osteopathic treatment for lobar pneumonia.

PMID- 20293861
TI  - Primary atypical pneumonia of unknown etiology.

PMID- 20293862
TI  - The role of a successfully operated tumor clinic in a cancer control program; a
      discussion of responsibilities in the operation of such a clinic.

PMID- 20293863
TI  - Nephrosclerosis, benign and malignant.

PMID- 20293864
TI  - Cyanosis in the newborn.

PMID- 20293865
TI  - Reflexes.

PMID- 20293866
TI  - Refrigeration anesthesia.

PMID- 20293867
TI  - Methods adopted in the detection of the carrier.

PMID- 20293868
TI  - The history of state medicine in England; from the accession of Queen Victoria to
      the General Board of Health.

PMID- 20293869
TI  - RECORD low mortality in 1946.

PMID- 20293870
TI  - AGE at death in World War II.

PMID- 20293872
TI  - DIVORCE increasing rapidly in Canada.

PMID- 20293871
TI  - APPENDICITIS mortality near vanishing point.

PMID- 20293873
TI  - RECENT gains in cancer control.

PMID- 20293874
TI  - LOW mortality among wounded in World War II.

PMID- 20293875
TI  - AMERICANS marry young.

PMID- 20293876
TI  - CATASTROPHIC accidents, a ten-year survey.

PMID- 20293877
TI  - DEATH and the Negro.

PMID- 20293879
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293878
TI  - AGES of United States Senators.

PMID- 20293880
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293881
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293882
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293883
TI  - Some experiences with bone tumours.

PMID- 20293884
TI  - Symposium; industrial skin cancer with special reference to pitch and tar cancer.

PMID- 20293885
TI  - Standardised radiological pelvimetry; a new method of measuring the outlet.

PMID- 20293886
TI  - The physical properties of super-voltage x-rays.

PMID- 20293887
TI  - Guide to positioning.

PMID- 20293888
TI  - True lateral positioning of lumbar spine and pelvis.

PMID- 20293890
TI  - Laminagraphy; some technical and practical aspects.

PMID- 20293889
TI  - Radiography of mental patients.

PMID- 20293891
TI  - Problems of mass chest X-ray in industry.

PMID- 20293892
TI  - An evaluation of an automatic developing machine.

PMID- 20293893
TI  - From G. I. to R. T., training and opportunities.

PMID- 20293894
TI  - Radiography of the abdomen in suspected ruptured peptic ulcer.

PMID- 20293895
TI  - Technique for X-ray examination of nasal bones.

PMID- 20293896
TI  - PLASTER cast failures and safeguards.

PMID- 20293897
TI  - The vacuum-suction above knee leg.

PMID- 20293898
TI  - A rational approach to the surgery of high gastric ulcer.

PMID- 20293899
TI  - Bleeding as a late sequel of subtotal gastrectomy of the Billroth II type for
      duodenal ulcer.

PMID- 20293900
TI  - Supradiaphragmatic vagotomy in gastrojejunal ulceration following subtotal
      gastrectomy for duodenal ulcer.

PMID- 20293901
TI  - The significance of the gastric acidity in the surgical therapy of peptic ulcer.

PMID- 20293902
TI  - Anesthesia for gastric surgery.

PMID- 20293903
TI  - Are gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer different diseases?

PMID- 20293904
TI  - The roentgen differentiation of benign and malignant ulcers.

PMID- 20293905
TI  - Malignant degeneration of chronic benign gastric ulcer.

PMID- 20293906
TI  - Coexisting ulcer and cancer of the stomach.

PMID- 20293907
TI  - Peptic ulcer as a psychosomatic disease.

PMID- 20293908
TI  - Gastrojejunocolic fistula.

PMID- 20293909
TI  - Proximal extension and progression following operations for regional ileitis.

PMID- 20293910
TI  - Mucocele and myxoglobulosis of the appendix.

PMID- 20293911
TI  - Early postoperative motor response of the small intestine to jejunal feedings.

PMID- 20293912
TI  - Nontumid ileocolic intussusception in an adult; report of a case with cecal
      ulcer.

PMID- 20293913
TI  - Intussuscepting submucous lipoma of right colon.

PMID- 20293914
TI  - Salmonella typhi murium cholangitis treated with streptomycin.

PMID- 20293915
TI  - Spontaneous rupture of the common bile duct following choledocholithotomy.

PMID- 20293916
TI  - A rare anomaly of the cystic duct.

PMID- 20293917
TI  - Modified cholecystectomy in fulminating cholecystitis.

PMID- 20293918
TI  - Radical operations on the head of the pancreas.

PMID- 20293919
TI  - Factors influencing the management of pancreatic cysts.

PMID- 20293920
TI  - The surgical correction of congenital cleft lip.

PMID- 20293921
TI  - The surgical treatment of large hemangiomas of the face in children.

PMID- 20293922
TI  - Gross intestinal hemorrhage in infants and children.

PMID- 20293923
TI  - Hernia in childhood.

PMID- 20293924
TI  - Prevention of fetal wastage.

PMID- 20293925
TI  - The management of pregnancy and tuberculosis.

PMID- 20293926
TI  - Combined intrauterine and extrauterine pregnancy.

PMID- 20293927
TI  - Carcinoma of the female breast.

PMID- 20293928
TI  - Acute cholecystitis.

PMID- 20293929
TI  - Idiopathic ulcerative colitis.

PMID- 20293930
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293931
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293932
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293933
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293934
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293935
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293936
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293937
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293939
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293938
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293940
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293941
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293942
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293943
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293944
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293945
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293946
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293947
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293948
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293949
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293950
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20293951
TI  - Kwashiorkor (malignant malnutrition) arising in Assam.

PMID- 20293952
TI  - Tuberculous pericarditis in the African.

PMID- 20293953
TI  - Tropical pyomyositis.

PMID- 20293954
TI  - Chang shan in the treatment of malaria.

PMID- 20293955
TI  - The diagnosis of kala azar.

PMID- 20293956
TI  - Amoebiasis with special reference to treatment.

PMID- 20293957
TI  - Tropical ulcer.

PMID- 20293958
TI  - Survival of transfused red cells in blackwater fever circulation and of
      blackwater red cells in normal circulation (preliminary report).

PMID- 20293959
TI  - Clinical filariasis due to Acanthocheilonema (Filaria) perstans.

PMID- 20293960
TI  - Dividing forms of Plasmodium falciparum in the peripheral blood of Africans.

PMID- 20293961
TI  - Massive dose tryparsamide by intravenous drip method in the treatment of
      trypanosomiasis.

PMID- 20293962
TI  - Spray killing of mosquitoes.

PMID- 20293963
TI  - Treatment of bilharziasis with stilbamidine.

PMID- 20293964
TI  - A case of blackwater fever in an African girl.

PMID- 20293965
TI  - Chemotherapeutic suppression and prophylaxis in malaria.

PMID- 20293966
TI  - The use of the new insecticide DDT in relation to the problems of tropical
      medicine.

PMID- 20293967
TI  - The Manson saga, October 3, 1844-April 9, 1922.

PMID- 20293968
TI  - Further progress in the control of sleeping sickness in Nigeria.

PMID- 20293969
TI  - Variola minor in Kenya.

PMID- 20293970
TI  - Foot yaws.

PMID- 20293971
TI  - Anavenoms and their use in the preparation of antivenomous sera; polyvalent anti
      Bitis arietans-Naia flava serum and specific antivenenes against African viperine
      and colubrine venoms.

PMID- 20293972
TI  - Studies in leishmaniasis in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan; espundia in a monkey
      infected experimentally with Sudan kala-azar.

PMID- 20293973
TI  - An investigation into the number of sporozoites found in the salivary glands of
      Anopheles mosquitoes.

PMID- 20293974
TI  - The anopheline mosquitoes of Melanesia.

PMID- 20293975
TI  - A case of rhinosporidiosis in an Indian male, aged 28.

PMID- 20293976
TI  - Field methods for estimating mepacrine in urine, blood and plasma.

PMID- 20293977
TI  - Recent research on kala-azar in India.

PMID- 20293979
TI  - The Meridi outbreak of sleeping sickness.

PMID- 20293978
TI  - Tsetse fly control and sleeping sickness in the Sudan.

PMID- 20293980
TI  - Vincent's infection in northern Peru.

PMID- 20293981
TI  - Spinal anaesthesia in the treatment of tropical ulcers.

PMID- 20293982
TI  - A staining method for malaria parasites in thick blood-films.

PMID- 20293984
TI  - Leprosy of the large intestine and gall-bladder; case report with review of the
      literature.

PMID- 20293983
TI  - Late results of treatment of sleeping sickness in Sierra Leone by antrypol
      tryparsamide pentamidine and propamidine singly and in various combinations.

PMID- 20293985
TI  - The chemotherapy of experimental leishmaniasis; a dose response curve for the
      activity of sodium stibogluconate.

PMID- 20293986
TI  - An investigation on new repellents for the protection of man against mosquito
      attacks.

PMID- 20293987
TI  - The identity of the ciliate Balantidium minutum, an alleged parasite of man.

PMID- 20293988
TI  - Observations on the coprophilic habits of a ciliate Balantiophorus minutus
      Schewiakoff.

PMID- 20293990
TI  - Amoebiasis.

PMID- 20293989
TI  - Types of Eberthella typhosa in Palestine.

PMID- 20293991
TI  - Tropical medicine in war and peace.

PMID- 20293992
TI  - Investigation into the efficacy of sulphadiazine in the treatment of malaria.

PMID- 20293993
TI  - Anaemia associated with the sickle cell trait in British West African natives.

PMID- 20293994
TI  - Studies on the Weltmann reaction in malaria cases.

PMID- 20293995
TI  - A contribution to the study of malnutrition in Central Africa; a syndrome of
      malignant malnutrition.

PMID- 20293996
TI  - Growth of Protozoa in tissue culture; Plasmodium gallinaceum, exoerythrocytic
      forms.

PMID- 20293997
TI  - A rapid method for detecting the sickle cell trait.

PMID- 20293998
TI  - Pulmonary resection in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis; analysis of 88
      patients followed for a period of two to twelve years after operation.

PMID- 20293999
TI  - Oleothorax.

PMID- 20294000
TI  - BCG vaccination in Scandinavia; 20 years of uninterrupted vaccination against
      tuberculosis.

PMID- 20294001
TI  - The control of tuberculosis in Brazil; new orientation, a new mentality.

PMID- 20294002
TI  - Intravenous infection of the chick embryo with tubercle bacilli; inhibitory
      effects of streptomycin.

PMID- 20294004
TI  - Some facts concerning the physiology of respiration of interest to the
      tuberculosis patient.

PMID- 20294003
TI  - Effect of streptomycin on the tubercle bacillus; the use of Dubos' and other
      media in tests for streptomycin sensitivity.

PMID- 20294005
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294006
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294007
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294008
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294009
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294010
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294011
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294012
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294013
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294014
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294015
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294016
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294017
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294019
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294018
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294020
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294021
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294022
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294023
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294024
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294025
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294026
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294027
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294028
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294029
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294030
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294031
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294032
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294033
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294034
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294035
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294036
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294037
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294038
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294039
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294040
TI  - Tuberculin surveys and the tuberculin test.

PMID- 20294041
TI  - The treatment of minimal tuberculous chest lesions; a comparative study.

PMID- 20294042
TI  - Some clinical and pathological aspects of tuberculosis of the central nervous
      system.

PMID- 20294043
TI  - House Sanatorium, Northhamptonshire.

PMID- 20294044
TI  - Preliminary, graduation and combined collapse therapy in pulmonarytuberculosis.

PMID- 20294046
TI  - A transition in viewpoint of certain intimate mechanisms of tuberculosis.

PMID- 20294045
TI  - Hemangioma of the bronchus with report of case.

PMID- 20294047
TI  - Rehabilitation for the tuberculous patient.

PMID- 20294048
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294049
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294050
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294051
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294052
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294053
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294054
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294055
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294057
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294056
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294058
TI  - WHAT'S in a name?

PMID- 20294059
TI  - History of the cat.

PMID- 20294060
TI  - Sulfathalidine in swine enteritis; further observations regarding the management
      of enteritis among feeder pigs with sulfathalidine.

PMID- 20294061
TI  - Hormone treatment of apparent senility in dogs.

PMID- 20294062
TI  - Penicillin in the treatment of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae-infected turkeys.

PMID- 20294063
TI  - Salmonellosis of turkeys.

PMID- 20294064
TI  - Veterinary contributions to BCG vaccination.

PMID- 20294065
TI  - Insect and livestock parasite control.

PMID- 20294066
TI  - Atypical lesions of blackleg.

PMID- 20294067
TI  - Photosensitization in cattle.

PMID- 20294068
TI  - Unusual case of amputation of a digit in a bull.

PMID- 20294069
TI  - Delivery of a 194 pound bovine fetus.

PMID- 20294071
TI  - Interphase (resting) nuclei, chromosomal vesicles and amitosis.

PMID- 20294070
TI  - Endometritis and neoplasms in a dog.

PMID- 20294072
TI  - Studies on lung tissue in vitro with special reference to the nature of the
      lining cells of the alveolus.

PMID- 20294073
TI  - Mitotic rate in mouse liver following intraperitoneal injection of liver, kidney
      and egg yolk.

PMID- 20294074
TI  - Comparison of the distribution of an hexosediphosphatase with glycerophosphatase
      in different tissues.

PMID- 20294075
TI  - Effect of gonad removal on the anterior pituitary of the fowl from 10 days to 6
      years.

PMID- 20294076
TI  - The influence of maternal hormones on the reproductive organs of suckling rats.

PMID- 20294077
TI  - The action of male and female sex hormones on the adrenals in the fowl.

PMID- 20294080
TI  - The early development of the rostellum of Cysticercus fasciolaris Rud., and the
      chemical nature of its hooks.

PMID- 20294081
TI  - Studies on the genus Hymenolepsis, with descriptions of three new species.

PMID- 20294082
TI  - The life cycle of Diphyllobothrium oblongatum Thomas, a tapeworm of gulls.

PMID- 20294083
TI  - A critical review of terminology for immature stages in acanthocephalan life
      histories.

PMID- 20294084
TI  - On the occurrence of the acanthocephalan genus Telosentis in North America.

PMID- 20294085
TI  - The effects of cold temperature on the eggs of Schistosoma japonicum.

PMID- 20294087
TI  - Relative efficiency of six species of mosquitoes from Guam, M. I., as
      developmental hosts for Dirofilaria immitis.

PMID- 20294086
TI  - A method for providing a constant supply of tropical rat mites, Liponyssus
      bacoti, infected with the cotton rat filaria, Litosomoides carinii.

PMID- 20294088
TI  - The nemertean Carcinonemertes as an indicator of the spawning history of the
      host, Callinectes sapidus.

PMID- 20294089
TI  - Sarcocystis in Macaca mulatta.

PMID- 20294090
TI  - The rate of multiplication of Endamoeba histolytica and its relation to in vitro
      drug testing and possibly to nutritional studies.

PMID- 20294091
TI  - Failure of Aedes aegypti and Culex pipiens to transmit Plasmodium vaughani.

PMID- 20294092
TI  - An electron microscope study of mutation in tobaccomosaic virus.

PMID- 20294093
TI  - Stability of labile viruses in desiccated tissue.

PMID- 20294094
TI  - Effects of hydrogen peroxide produced in the medium by radiation on spermatozoa
      of Arbacia punctulata.

PMID- 20294095
TI  - Decomposition and regeneration of nitrogenous organic matter in sea water; the
      effect of enzyme poisons.

PMID- 20294096
TI  - The behavior and metamorphosis of the larva of Bugula neritina (Linnaeus);
      experimental modification of the length of the free-swimming period and the
      responses of the larvae to light and gravity.

PMID- 20294097
TI  - Variations of the submicroscopic structure of the cortical layer of fertilized
      and parthenogenetic sea urchin eggs.

PMID- 20294098
TI  - Physiological observations upon a larval Eustrongylides; influence of oxygen
      tension on the aerobic and post-anaerobic oxygen consumption.

PMID- 20294099
TI  - Development of secondary sexual characters in thyroidectomized brown Leghorn
      hens.

PMID- 20294100
TI  - The effects of nitrogen mustard on embryonic amphibian development; ectodermal
      effects.

PMID- 20294101
TI  - Quantitative studies on the locomotor capacity of larval Amblystoma (A.
      jeffersonianum) lacking Mauthner's neuron or the ear.

PMID- 20294102
TI  - A spectrophotometric study of a developing egg (Orthoptera) with especial
      reference to riboflavin and its derivatives.

PMID- 20294103
TI  - Induced neurosecretion in Lumbricus terrestris.

PMID- 20294104
TI  - Histological and histochemical observations upon an aberrant annelid, Poeobius
      meseres Heath.

PMID- 20294105
TI  - Morphological studies on glycogen deposition in schistosomes and other flukes.

PMID- 20294106
TI  - Morphogenesis, crenation and cytolytic reactions of the erythrocytes of
      amphibians.

PMID- 20294107
TI  - Studies on transplanted embryonic limbs of the chick; the replacement of muscle
      by adipose tissue.

PMID- 20294108
TI  - The computation of microbiological assays of amino-acids and other growth
      factors.

PMID- 20294109
TI  - Recent developments in apparatus for pH measurements and electrotitrations.

PMID- 20294110
TI  - Some applications of electrometric methods in analysis.

PMID- 20294111
TI  - Polarisation end-points.

PMID- 20294112
TI  - Spot-tests for the detection of alloying elements in zinc-base alloys.

PMID- 20294113
TI  - Spot-tests for the detection of alloying elements in lead-base alloys.

PMID- 20294114
TI  - The ratio of the capture cross-sections of lithium and boron for thermal
      neutrons.

PMID- 20294115
TI  - Evidence for an (eta, alpha) reaction induced in O17 by thermal neutrons.

PMID- 20294116
TI  - The foundations and philosophical implications of wave mechanics.

PMID- 20294117
TI  - The influence of the physical properties of sodium soaps on their dispersions in
      mineral oil.

PMID- 20294118
TI  - The flow properties of some anhydrous sodium soaps.

PMID- 20294119
TI  - A note on the use of multi-tip electrodes in polarographic work.

PMID- 20294120
TI  - The thermal decomposition of hydrogen peroxide vapour.

PMID- 20294121
TI  - Studies on reactions relating to carbohydrates and polysaccharides; effect of hot
      alkali on the nitrates of starch, amylose, and amylopectin.

PMID- 20294122
TI  - Studies on reactions relating to carbohydrates and polysaccharides; the stability
      of maltose and cellobiose octanitrates.

PMID- 20294123
TI  - Tertiary mercaptans as modifiers in GR-S polymerizations.

PMID- 20294124
TI  - The equilibrium diagrams and crystallization velocities of the systems: picric
      acid-2,4-dinitrophenol; di-nitrophenol-trinitrotoluene; picric acid-dinitrophenol
      trinitrotoluene.

PMID- 20294125
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294126
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294127
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294128
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294129
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294130
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294131
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294132
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294133
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294134
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294135
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294136
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294137
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294138
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294140
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294139
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294141
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294142
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294143
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294144
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294145
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294146
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294147
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294148
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294149
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294150
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294151
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294152
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294153
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294154
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294155
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294156
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294157
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294158
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294159
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294160
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294161
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294162
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294163
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294164
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294165
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294166
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294167
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294168
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294169
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294170
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294171
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294172
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294173
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294174
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294175
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294176
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294177
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294178
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294179
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294180
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294181
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294182
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294183
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294184
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294185
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294186
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294187
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294188
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294189
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294190
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294191
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294192
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294193
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294194
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294195
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294196
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294197
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294198
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294199
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294200
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294201
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294202
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294203
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294204
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294205
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294206
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294207
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294208
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294209
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294210
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294211
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294212
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294213
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294214
TI  - Limitations of the Newtonian time scale in relation to non-equilibrium
      rheological states and a theory of quasi-properties.

PMID- 20294215
TI  - Kinetic boundary friction.

PMID- 20294216
TI  - A general kinetic theory of liquids; equilibrium properties.

PMID- 20294217
TI  - Radiative equilibrium in the ionosphere.

PMID- 20294219
TI  - What is anatomy?

PMID- 20294218
TI  - Visual adaptation in relation to brief conditioning stimuli.

PMID- 20294220
TI  - Functions of the teeth.

PMID- 20294221
TI  - Penicillin and root canal therapy.

PMID- 20294222
TI  - Penicillin in root therapy.

PMID- 20294223
TI  - The necessity of histological examination of all tissue removed at operation; a
      case of squamous carcinoma of the maxilla.

PMID- 20294224
TI  - The limitations of orthodontic treatment; diagnosis and treatment in the
      permanent dentition.

PMID- 20294225
TI  - Indications for the removal of impacted third molars at an early age.

PMID- 20294226
TI  - Overbite cases.

PMID- 20294227
TI  - The use of antibiotics in mixed infections; report of two cases.

PMID- 20294228
TI  - Tumors of the mandibular condyle; report of two cases.

PMID- 20294229
TI  - Ossifying fibroma of mandible treated by excision.

PMID- 20294230
TI  - Unilateral parotid swelling with fistula.

PMID- 20294231
TI  - Enucleation of odontogenic cyst, with pathologic fracture and submandibular
      infection treated by drainage, penicillin therapy and skeletal fixation.

PMID- 20294232
TI  - Lipoma causing facial deformity.

PMID- 20294233
TI  - Extensive epidermoid carcinoma of the mandibular gingiva with invasion of the
      bone and floor of the mouth treated by partial jaw resection; insertion of
      tantalum plate, and prosthesis.

PMID- 20294234
TI  - Some common problems shared by the dentist and the cardiologist.

PMID- 20294235
TI  - Anesthesia considerations in oral surgery and dentistry.

PMID- 20294236
TI  - Trigeminal neuralgia; its present status in dental and neurological surgery.

PMID- 20294237
TI  - The role of penicillin and streptomycin in oral infections.

PMID- 20294238
TI  - Possible methods of controlling dental pain.

PMID- 20294239
TI  - Experimental investigations of parodontal disease; gnawing of sugar cane in the
      treatment of non-ulcerative gingival disease in man.

PMID- 20294240
TI  - Clinical and microscopical observations in the treatment of Vincent's infection
      with penicillin.

PMID- 20294241
TI  - An haemangioma of the upper lip.

PMID- 20294242
TI  - Dental pain while flying or during decompression tests.

PMID- 20294243
TI  - The extraction of teeth, deciduous and permanent, in the causation and treatment
      of malocclusion.

PMID- 20294244
TI  - Early women dentists.

PMID- 20294245
TI  - Localisation of buried roots and foreign bodies within the mandible or maxilla.

PMID- 20294246
TI  - Gnawing of sugar cane.

PMID- 20294247
TI  - Characteristic morphological changes in Bacillus fusiformis in the course of
      penicillin treatment.

PMID- 20294248
TI  - The Bristol Dental School, 1874-1940.

PMID- 20294249
TI  - Consolidation of a cancellous bone graft.

PMID- 20294250
TI  - ADVERTISING in the eighteenth century.

PMID- 20294251
TI  - Positional variations of the teeth in animals.

PMID- 20294252
TI  - A new orthodontic appliance.

PMID- 20294253
TI  - Sodium fluoride paste as a desensitising agent for hypersensitive dentine.

PMID- 20294254
TI  - A study and treatment of subluxation of the temporomandibular articulation.

PMID- 20294255
TI  - Pericoronitis of third molars.

PMID- 20294256
TI  - Penicillin in oral infections.

PMID- 20294257
TI  - The prosthetic dental laboratory problem.

PMID- 20294258
TI  - Cyclopropane anesthesia.

PMID- 20294259
TI  - The use of psychology in the management of the difficult patient.

PMID- 20294260
TI  - The manipulation of some common materials used in operative dentistry.

PMID- 20294261
TI  - Progress in caries research.

PMID- 20294263
TI  - Some psychosomatic aspects of medicine.

PMID- 20294262
TI  - Some thoughts concerning the carrying out of minor dental operations under
      general anaesthesia.

PMID- 20294264
TI  - Apicoectomy of anterior teeth.

PMID- 20294265
TI  - Harmonizing professional service and business management of a dental practice.

PMID- 20294266
TI  - Diagnostic oral roentgenology.

PMID- 20294267
TI  - Surgery of the mouth and jaws.

PMID- 20294268
TI  - Impacted and aberrant teeth; their history, causes and treatment.

PMID- 20294269
TI  - The plastics; with special emphasis on the use of acrylics in the construction of
      jacket crowns, bridgework and partial dentures.

PMID- 20294270
TI  - Practical dental assisting.

PMID- 20294271
TI  - Why not consider most mouth pathology as part of a syndrom?

PMID- 20294272
TI  - An acrylic, splint to relieve painful tongue symptoms.

PMID- 20294273
TI  - The newer knowledge of hygiene in diet.

PMID- 20294274
TI  - Antibiotics and infections of the oral mucosa.

PMID- 20294275
TI  - Gelfoam in dentistry; a preliminary report.

PMID- 20294276
TI  - The newer knowledge of hygiene in diet.

PMID- 20294277
TI  - The doctor says it's just my nerves.

PMID- 20294278
TI  - Some psychosomatic aspects of medicine.

PMID- 20294279
TI  - Cleft palate prosthesis.

PMID- 20294280
TI  - Harmonizing professional service and business management of a dental practice.

PMID- 20294281
TI  - Surgery of the mouth and jaws.

PMID- 20294282
TI  - Impacted and aberrant teeth; their history, causes and treatment.

PMID- 20294283
TI  - The plastics; with special emphasis on the use of acrylics in the construction of
      jacket crowns, bridgework and partial dentures.

PMID- 20294284
TI  - Diagnostic oral roentgenology.

PMID- 20294285
TI  - The use of optical loupes in dentistry.

PMID- 20294286
TI  - Dental interest in palaeontology and anthropology.

PMID- 20294287
TI  - An interesting case of cleft palate and hare lip.

PMID- 20294288
TI  - The teeth of the Kabyles.

PMID- 20294289
TI  - Identification by teeth and jaws; a survey.

PMID- 20294291
TI  - A correct method of toothbrushing.

PMID- 20294290
TI  - The use of metals for the treatment of mandibular fractures.

PMID- 20294293
TI  - Clinical application of techniques in local anesthesia.

PMID- 20294292
TI  - Pertinent points about penicillin.

PMID- 20294294
TI  - Important considerations in porcelain veneer restorations.

PMID- 20294295
TI  - Mouth breathing as a primary etiologic factor in the production of malocclusion.

PMID- 20294296
TI  - A point of view toward orthodontic treatment.

PMID- 20294297
TI  - Vitamin K; its relationship to dental conditions.

PMID- 20294298
TI  - Teething and its significance.

PMID- 20294299
TI  - Toothbrushing; its effect on gingival tissues.

PMID- 20294300
TI  - The physical and chemical properties of silver amalgam.

PMID- 20294301
TI  - The influence of sodium bisulphite on acid production in saliva.

PMID- 20294302
TI  - Dental caries and tryptophane deficiency.

PMID- 20294303
TI  - A note on the duration of caries inhibition produced by fluoride applications.

PMID- 20294304
TI  - Solubility of enamel as affected by fluorides of varying pH.

PMID- 20294305
TI  - Solubility of enamel protected by sodium fluoride and other compounds.

PMID- 20294306
TI  - The role of roentgenograms in public health dental surveys.

PMID- 20294307
TI  - Capacity of periodontal vessels on pressure and tension sides of teeth moved by
      orthodontic appliances.

PMID- 20294308
TI  - Experimental amelotomy; report of ground section study.

PMID- 20294309
TI  - Induced fuso-spirochetal infection in dogs.

PMID- 20294310
TI  - Bilateral dens in dente.

PMID- 20294311
TI  - Psychosomatic factors in the etiology of periodontal disease.

PMID- 20294312
TI  - The effect of the temporal muscle on the form of the mandibles.

PMID- 20294313
TI  - Space maintainers.

PMID- 20294314
TI  - Dentistry in South Africa.

PMID- 20294315
TI  - A basic approach to the problem of gingival disease.

PMID- 20294316
TI  - Greek individualism triumphs for 2,000 years.

PMID- 20294317
TI  - Endodontia in dental education.

PMID- 20294318
TI  - Processing acrylic dentures.

PMID- 20294319
TI  - The value of a hospital survey.

PMID- 20294320
TI  - When to start orthodontic treatment considering age and relative growth.

PMID- 20294321
TI  - Treatment of mycosis fungoides with nitrogen mustard.

PMID- 20294322
TI  - A method for protection of patients with solar urticaria.

PMID- 20294323
TI  - Somato-psychic medicine.

PMID- 20294324
TI  - Treatment of penile condylomato acuminata with podophyllin; observations on the
      prevention of balanitis.

PMID- 20294325
TI  - Photosensitization in the treatment of psoriasis.

PMID- 20294326
TI  - Penicillin ointments; a study of the effect of ointment ingredients on the
      stability of penicillin.

PMID- 20294327
TI  - Exudative discoid and lichenoid chronic dermatosis (Sulzberger-Garbe)
      histopathologic study.

PMID- 20294328
TI  - Polyethylene glycol vehicles in dermatology.

PMID- 20294329
TI  - The medicolegal use of the acid phosphatase test for the identification of
      seminal stains.

PMID- 20294330
TI  - Laboratory examination for protozoa.

PMID- 20294331
TI  - Permanent staining with iron-haematoxylin.

PMID- 20294333
TI  - Evaluation of surface pH as a freshness index for fish fillets.

PMID- 20294332
TI  - A practical technique for calcium and phosphorus estimations.

PMID- 20294335
TI  - Rehydration of dehydrated meat.

PMID- 20294334
TI  - A study of yeast growth-promoting substances in white sugar.

PMID- 20294336
TI  - Carbohydrates in cultivated mushrooms (Agaricus campestris).

PMID- 20294337
TI  - A study of butyric acid-producing anaerobes isolated from spoiled canned
      tomatoes.

PMID- 20294338
TI  - Pectinic acids as related to texture and quality of dehydrated fruit products.

PMID- 20294339
TI  - Evaluation of carotene content of fresh and cooked spinach.

PMID- 20294340
TI  - Growth of Staphylococcus aureus in various pastry fillings.

PMID- 20294341
TI  - Effect of fertilizer treatment on total and reduced ascorbic acid content of
      potato tubers.

PMID- 20294342
TI  - Variations in composition of frankfurters with special reference to cooking
      changes.

PMID- 20294343
TI  - Relation of tenderness of beef to aging time at 33-35 degrees F.

PMID- 20294344
TI  - The growth of the odontoblasts of the incisor tooth as a criterion of the vitamin
      C intake of the guinea pig.

PMID- 20294345
TI  - The renal threshold for ascorbic acid; a modified method for its estimation with
      results for 12 adult subjects.

PMID- 20294346
TI  - Plasma levels and urinary excretion of ascorbic acid in women during the
      menstrual cycle.

PMID- 20294347
TI  - Biotin balance in the albino rat.

PMID- 20294348
TI  - A study of ascorbic acid metabolism of adolescent children.

PMID- 20294349
TI  - A study of sex differences in the composition of rats, with emphasis on the lipid
      component; sex difference in susceptibility to essential fatty acid deficiency
      with high and low fat diets.

PMID- 20294350
TI  - Amino acid content of feeds; leucine, valine, isoleucine and phenylalanine.

PMID- 20294351
TI  - The role of B6-deficiency in the tryptophane-niacin relationships in rats.

PMID- 20294352
TI  - The effect of fat level of the diet on general nutrition; growth, reproduction
      and physical capacity of rats receiving diets containing various levels of
      cottonseed oil or margarine fat ad libitum.

PMID- 20294353
TI  - The effect of fat level of the diet on general nutrition; growth, mortality and
      recovery in weanling rats maintained on restricted calories.

PMID- 20294354
TI  - The net protein value of food yeast.

PMID- 20294355
TI  - Nutritional survey at a children's institution; incidence of avitaminotic lesions
      and effects of therapy.

PMID- 20294356
TI  - An instructive case of treated hepatic disease, with a 27-year follow-up.

PMID- 20294357
TI  - Diabetes mellitus, fibrocongestive splenomegaly (Banti's syndrome) and infectious
      mononucleosis.

PMID- 20294358
TI  - A soluble phenolphthalein laxative.

PMID- 20294359
TI  - Giant hypertrophic gastritis.

PMID- 20294360
TI  - The effect of vagotomy on gastric function.

PMID- 20294361
TI  - The rate of healing of gastric ulcers.

PMID- 20294362
TI  - Syndrome on non tropical sprue with hitherto undescribed lesions of the
      intestine.

PMID- 20294363
TI  - Oral cholecystography with priodax; correlation with pathologic findings.

PMID- 20294364
TI  - A preliminary report on protein hydrolysate therapy for peptic ulcer.

PMID- 20294365
TI  - Protein hydrolysate therapy for peptic ulcer; report on 26 cases.

PMID- 20294366
TI  - Nonreactive aluminum hydroxide in the treatment of peptic ulcer.

PMID- 20294367
TI  - Complications following war wounds of the abdomen.

PMID- 20294368
TI  - The treatment of war wounds involving the gastrointestinal tract.

PMID- 20294369
TI  - Primary megacolon.

PMID- 20294370
TI  - A simplified procedure for the determination of pepsin and trypsin concentrations
      in digestive juices.

PMID- 20294371
TI  - [Multiple myeloma].

PMID- 20294372
TI  - Case report of supposed recurrent pancreatitis.

PMID- 20294373
TI  - Surgical treatment of lesions of the lower bowel.

PMID- 20294374
TI  - Discussion of malignancy of the lower gastrointestinal tract.

PMID- 20294375
TI  - Modern gastroscopy; observations.

PMID- 20294376
TI  - The pathogenetic nature of the hepatic cirrhoses.

PMID- 20294377
TI  - Effect of ascorbic acid upon cinchophen experimental peptic ulcer.

PMID- 20294378
TI  - American journals of gastroenterological interest and some historical notes.

PMID- 20294379
TI  - SUGGESTED standards of acceptance for medical care plans approved by the Council
      on Medical Service of the A.M.A.

PMID- 20294380
TI  - Review of the literature of 1944 to 1946 on malignancy of the colon and rectum.

PMID- 20294381
TI  - Review of proctologic literature for 1944 and 1945; nonmalignant diseases.

PMID- 20294382
TI  - The posterior levator space; its relation to postanal infection.

PMID- 20294383
TI  - Relationship between anorectal and colonic conditions.

PMID- 20294384
TI  - The clover leaf operation for pruritus ani.

PMID- 20294386
TI  - A review of the problem of chronic ulcerative colitis.

PMID- 20294385
TI  - Two-team abdomino-perineal operation for carcinoma of rectum and rectosigmoid.

PMID- 20294387
TI  - Indications for primary closure after excision of pilonidal cysts.

PMID- 20294388
TI  - The management of recurrent pilonidal disease.

PMID- 20294389
TI  - Pilonidal disease; an open method of operation.

PMID- 20294390
TI  - The reduction in morbidity and the prevention of complications in proctology.

PMID- 20294391
TI  - Radon ointment therapy of late irradiation lesions of the rectosigmoid colon
      (preliminary report).

PMID- 20294392
TI  - Diverticulitis.

PMID- 20294393
TI  - Management of vesical dysfunction in anorectal disease.

PMID- 20294394
TI  - The value of periodic rectosigmoidoscopic examination in the prevention of lower
      bowel malignancy.

PMID- 20294396
TI  - Pilonidal sinus simulating anal fistula.

PMID- 20294395
TI  - Villous papilloma associated with multiple rectal adenomata without evidence of
      extension to colon.

PMID- 20294397
TI  - Gunshot wound of the extraperitoneal.

PMID- 20294398
TI  - Multiple cysts of the sacrococcygeal anal region.

PMID- 20294399
TI  - Leiomyoma of the rectum.

PMID- 20294400
TI  - Pigmentation and hair growth in black rats, as modified by the chronic
      administration of thiourea, phenyl thiourea and alphanaphthyl thiourea.

PMID- 20294402
TI  - The effect of vagotomy and of thoracic sympathectomy on the blood glucose changes
      in dogs given alloxan.

PMID- 20294401
TI  - Differentiation of the antithyroid action of thiouracil, thiourea and paba from
      sulfonamides by iodide administration.

PMID- 20294403
TI  - Inhibition of thyroid function in beagle puppies by propylthiouracil without
      disturbance of growth or health.

PMID- 20294404
TI  - The relation of the hypophysis, ovary, placenta and fetus to the development of
      anemia during the last half of pregnancy in the rat.

PMID- 20294405
TI  - Estrogenic activity of rabbit whold blood determined by the intravaginal pellet
      method.

PMID- 20294406
TI  - The effect of the prostate and seminal vesicle on the production of hyaluronidase
      by rat testes homogenate.

PMID- 20294407
TI  - The effects of gonadectomy and the administration of testosterone propionate on
      the growth of antlers in male and female deer.

PMID- 20294408
TI  - The reaction of the male South African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) to
      gonadotropins.

PMID- 20294409
TI  - Gonadotropic hormone; comparison of ultrafiltration and alcohol-precipitation
      methods of recovery from urine.

PMID- 20294410
TI  - Three unusual endocrinopathies with associated ovarian pathology; ovarian
      agenesis; precocious puberty; virilism.

PMID- 20294411
TI  - Paroxysmal hypertension with concomitant swelling of the thyroid due to
      pheochromocytoma of the right adrenal gland; cure by surgical removal of the
      pheochromocytoma.

PMID- 20294412
TI  - The effect of thiouracil derivatives of fetuses and infants.

PMID- 20294413
TI  - Thyroid and adrenal interrelations with special reference to hypotrichosis
      axillaris in thyrotoxicosis.

PMID- 20294415
TI  - Research in cardiovascular diseases.

PMID- 20294414
TI  - A bill of rights for old age.

PMID- 20294416
TI  - The length of life in ancient Greece.

PMID- 20294417
TI  - The oral glucose tolerance test in old men.

PMID- 20294418
TI  - Program of research on aging of the skin.

PMID- 20294419
TI  - Pathologic changes of old age.

PMID- 20294420
TI  - Conditions desirable for the rapid progress of gerontological research.

PMID- 20294421
TI  - Chronic progressive subcortical encephalopathy; report of a case.

PMID- 20294422
TI  - Ovarian changes with aging.

PMID- 20294423
TI  - Care of the chronic ill.

PMID- 20294424
TI  - Toxic goiter in the aged.

PMID- 20294425
TI  - Age and fowl tumors.

PMID- 20294426
TI  - Winter ailments of the old.

PMID- 20294427
TI  - Menorrhagia associated with irregular shedding of the endometrium; a clinical and
      experimental study.

PMID- 20294428
TI  - A study of the physiologic action of human chorionic hormone; the production of
      pseudopregnancy in women by chorionic hormone.

PMID- 20294429
TI  - Combined evipal and scopolamine analgesia and cyclopropane anesthesia in
      obstetrics.

PMID- 20294430
TI  - Surgical geriatric gynecology.

PMID- 20294431
TI  - Stress incontinence in the female.

PMID- 20294432
TI  - Puerperal gynecology; a report of thirty years' experience with gyneplastic
      repair operations immediately after childbirth.

PMID- 20294433
TI  - Constriction ring dystocia.

PMID- 20294434
TI  - Minimal spinal anesthesia in vaginal delivery; an analysis of 1,000 consecutive
      cases.

PMID- 20294435
TI  - The management of delivery following stillbirth from previous dystocia.

PMID- 20294436
TI  - Blood calcium; a normal curve for pregnancy.

PMID- 20294437
TI  - Experience with midpelvic dystocia; preliminary report.

PMID- 20294438
TI  - An evaluation of the criteria of diagnosis and cure of gonorrhea in the female.

PMID- 20294439
TI  - Penicillin and acute puerperal mastitis.

PMID- 20294440
TI  - A 55-pound solid uterine myoma.

PMID- 20294441
TI  - Leiomyofibroma of the uterus and endometrial carcinoma.

PMID- 20294442
TI  - A study of the inter-action of pregnancy and hypertensive disease.

PMID- 20294443
TI  - Placental metabolism of vitamin C; histochemical analysis.

PMID- 20294444
TI  - Pregnancy and the double uterus.

PMID- 20294445
TI  - Spontaneous annular detachment of the cervix during labor.

PMID- 20294446
TI  - Subacute bacterial endocarditis during pregnancy.

PMID- 20294447
TI  - Syphilis in pregnancy treated by penicillin.

PMID- 20294448
TI  - Tubal and uterine twin pregnancy.

PMID- 20294449
TI  - Marginal placenta previa treated by artificial rupture of the membranes 39 days
      before vaginal delivery.

PMID- 20294450
TI  - True knot in the umbilical cord causing death of monoamniotic twins in a
      primipara before labor.

PMID- 20294451
TI  - The place of myomectomy in the treatment of myoma uteri.

PMID- 20294452
TI  - Bibliopegia fantastica.

PMID- 20294453
TI  - Oral hygiene in the ancient and medieval Orient.

PMID- 20294454
TI  - The care of the mouth in Greece and Rome.

PMID- 20294455
TI  - Oral hygiene in the medieval Occident.

PMID- 20294456
TI  - Medical apprenticeship in the American Colonies.

PMID- 20294458
TI  - Medical schools in the Colonies.

PMID- 20294457
TI  - European influences in Colonial medicine.

PMID- 20294459
TI  - Early history of Psi Omega Fraternity.

PMID- 20294460
TI  - A brief history of Psi Omega's publications.

PMID- 20294461
TI  - Gallbladder disease.

PMID- 20294462
TI  - Infant feeding.

PMID- 20294463
TI  - Some thoughts on the relation of physiology of bone to the interpretation of
      roentgenograms.

PMID- 20294464
TI  - Roentgenological aspects of the ruptured intervertebral disk.

PMID- 20294465
TI  - X-ray therapy of spondylitis and the arthritides.

PMID- 20294466
TI  - Classification of tumors with reference to radiosensitivity.

PMID- 20294467
TI  - Research on cancer in the Orient.

PMID- 20294468
TI  - Hospital architecture, yesterday and today.

PMID- 20294469
TI  - Laundry problems in the hospital.

PMID- 20294470
TI  - Cancer, the spectre of waste.

PMID- 20294471
TI  - Certification of all laboratory technologists desirable in public interest.

PMID- 20294472
TI  - Aims of the Canadian Society of Radiological Technicians.

PMID- 20294473
TI  - Anatomical figurines; a neglected chapter in the history of anatomical
      illustration and instruction.

PMID- 20294474
TI  - The case of group practice.

PMID- 20294475
TI  - Administrative responsibility for the control of surgery.

PMID- 20294476
TI  - There are ogres in in the hospital basement.

PMID- 20294477
TI  - Experiment in integration; medical college and teaching hospital function as one.

PMID- 20294479
TI  - FUNCTIONAL basis of hospital planning.

PMID- 20294478
TI  - Use is the ultimate test of good medical records.

PMID- 20294481
TI  - When the healthmobile came calling advance publicity ensured its welcome.

PMID- 20294480
TI  - Population trends in mental hospitals.

PMID- 20294482
TI  - The public's responses to matters of health.

PMID- 20294483
TI  - The dietitian as a buyer.

PMID- 20294484
TI  - Studies on botulinum toxoids, types A and B; immunization of man.

PMID- 20294485
TI  - The quantitative estimation of egg and chicken proteins in equine
      encephalomyelitis vaccines.

PMID- 20294486
TI  - Some relations between equine encephalomyelitis virus (Eastern type) and normal
      host cellular constituents.

PMID- 20294487
TI  - A quantitative study of the Arthus phenomenon induced passively in the rabbit.

PMID- 20294488
TI  - The effect of metabolites, metabolite antagonists and enzyme-inhibitors on the
      growth of the vaccinia virus in Maitland type of tissue cultures.

PMID- 20294489
TI  - Complement-fixing antibodies of lymphogranuloma venereum in mice; their
      development and response to sulfonamide therapy.

PMID- 20294490
TI  - Dysentery; a progress report for the years 1942 to 1946.

PMID- 20294491
TI  - Outline analysis of research problems in industrial physiology.

PMID- 20294492
TI  - Facts and fallacies concerning exposure to lead.

PMID- 20294493
TI  - Public exposure to lead.

PMID- 20294494
TI  - Clinical significance of hematologic changes in lead absorption and lead
      poisoning.

PMID- 20294495
TI  - Exposure to lead.

PMID- 20294496
TI  - Industrial hernias.

PMID- 20294497
TI  - How plant medical service can help industry.

PMID- 20294498
TI  - How to procure a plant medical service.

PMID- 20294499
TI  - UNESCO.

PMID- 20294500
TI  - Peacetime uses of atomic energy.

PMID- 20294501
TI  - Social insurance versus poor relief.

PMID- 20294502
TI  - Immigrant adjustment in Yankee City.

PMID- 20294503
TI  - Some impressions of Sungei Buloh Leper Hospital under Japanese occupation.

PMID- 20294504
TI  - Notes on leprosy settlements; Tanganyika Territory.

PMID- 20294505
TI  - Leprosy survey of school children in British Guiana.

PMID- 20294506
TI  - Mechanism of endocrine allergy; interpretation of principal phenomena observed in
      hypersensitivity to the endogenous hormones.

PMID- 20294507
TI  - Rheumatic fever following athletic trauma.

PMID- 20294508
TI  - An observation concerning the hands of patients with rheumatic fever.

PMID- 20294509
TI  - A method for repeated measurements of venous pressure.

PMID- 20294510
TI  - Ophthalmia in Cyprus; two historical notices.

PMID- 20294511
TI  - Medical and vital statistics.

PMID- 20294512
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294513
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294514
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294515
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294516
TI  - On the effect of pericardial effusion on the electrocardiogram.

PMID- 20294517
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294518
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294519
TI  - Streptomycin.

PMID- 20294520
TI  - Streptomycin; general considerations, tests for bacterial sensitivity and methods
      of measurement of streptomycin in body fluids.

PMID- 20294521
TI  - Streptomycin in tuberculosis.

PMID- 20294522
TI  - Use of streptomycin in the treatment of bacterial endocarditis.

PMID- 20294523
TI  - Streptomycin in peritonitis.

PMID- 20294524
TI  - Topical use of streptomycin in wounds.

PMID- 20294525
TI  - The present status of treatment for influenzal meningitis.

PMID- 20294526
TI  - Treatment of tularemia with streptomycin.

PMID- 20294527
TI  - Treatment of urinary tract infections with streptomycin.

PMID- 20294528
TI  - Streptomycin therapy in undulant fever.

PMID- 20294529
TI  - Toxicity of streptomycin.

PMID- 20294530
TI  - Acute coronary artery diseases; history, incidence, differential diagnosis and
      occupational significance.

PMID- 20294531
TI  - Diagnostic value of roentgenography and fluoroscopy in the diagnosis of rheumatic
      heart disease.

PMID- 20294532
TI  - Electrocardiographic findings in rheumatic heart disease.

PMID- 20294533
TI  - Histoplasmosis; report of diagnosis from biopsy of cutaneous nodules.

PMID- 20294534
TI  - Congestive heart failure arising from uncontrolled auricular fibrillation in the
      otherwise normal heart; follow-up notes on a previously reported case.

PMID- 20294536
TI  - Chrysotherapy in pulmonary tuberculosis.

PMID- 20294535
TI  - A follow-up study of first 50 pre-frontal leucotomy cases.

PMID- 20294537
TI  - Anaemia.

PMID- 20294538
TI  - Thiamin syndrome in children.

PMID- 20294539
TI  - Discussion on floating specks.

PMID- 20294540
TI  - Dehydration.

PMID- 20294541
TI  - Indian food distress; its solution.

PMID- 20294542
TI  - My experience in treating ruptured uterus.

PMID- 20294543
TI  - Acute delirious convulsive meningism in ascariasis; a case note.

PMID- 20294544
TI  - An untreated case of acute conjunctivitis.

PMID- 20294546
TI  - Present status of the problem of amebiasis.

PMID- 20294545
TI  - Neurasthenia as a sequelae of intestinal amoebiasis.

PMID- 20294548
TI  - Bronchiogenic adenoma; benign tumor of the bronchus.

PMID- 20294547
TI  - Hemolytic streptococcic sore throat; the course of the acute disease.

PMID- 20294549
TI  - Primary hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the parathyroid glands associated with
      duodenal ulcer; report of an additional case, with special reference to
      metabolic, gastrointestinal and vascular manifestations.

PMID- 20294550
TI  - Coincidence of diabetes mellitus and hypopituitarism.

PMID- 20294551
TI  - Penicillin therapy of subacute bacterial endocarditis: a study of the end results
      in 34 cases, with particular reference to dosage, methods of administration,
      criteria for judging adequacy of treatment and probable reasons for failures.

PMID- 20294552
TI  - Treatment of Plasmodium vivax malaria of foreign origin; a comparison of various
      drugs.

PMID- 20294553
TI  - Coexisting tuberculosis and coccidioidomycosis.

PMID- 20294554
TI  - Septic staphylococcemia successfully treated by penicillin and bacteriophage.

PMID- 20294555
TI  - Hemolytic streptococcic sore throat; the post-streptococcic state.

PMID- 20294556
TI  - Cardiac failure in penicillin-treated subacute bacterial endocarditis.

PMID- 20294557
TI  - Mercurial diuretics; a comparison of acute cardiac toxicity in animals and the
      effect of ascorbic acid on detoxification in their intravenous administration.

PMID- 20294558
TI  - Experimentally induced infectious hepatitis; roentgenographic and gastroscopic
      observations.

PMID- 20294559
TI  - Epileptogenic effects of penicillin; an experimental study.

PMID- 20294560
TI  - Acute and chronic back pain.

PMID- 20294561
TI  - Resection of the vagus nerve for peptic ulcer.

PMID- 20294562
TI  - Psychosomatic problems in general medicine.

PMID- 20294563
TI  - Some problems in the field of medical economics.

PMID- 20294564
TI  - Diagnosis of non-traumatic intracranial lesions.

PMID- 20294565
TI  - Ocular torticollis.

PMID- 20294571
TI  - DIFFUSE vascular diseases.

PMID- 20294572
TI  - Liver function tests.

PMID- 20294573
TI  - Report of the Hutchinson Memorial Cancer Detection Clinic.

PMID- 20294574
TI  - Review of 422 cases of sterility in private practice.

PMID- 20294575
TI  - A changed concept of pelvic inflammation.

PMID- 20294576
TI  - Sterility in the male.

PMID- 20294578
TI  - Surgical treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis.

PMID- 20294577
TI  - Surgery of the thorax.

PMID- 20294579
TI  - Surgical conditions of heart and great vessels.

PMID- 20294580
TI  - Surgery or propyl thiouracil.

PMID- 20294581
TI  - Spread of influenza and encephalitis.

PMID- 20294583
TI  - Public relations of a state medical society.

PMID- 20294582
TI  - Sprue and sprue-like diarrhoeas with fat and carbohydrate intolerance.

PMID- 20294588
TI  - Rheumatic fever control program in California.

PMID- 20294590
TI  - Fractional spinal anesthesia for short upper abdominal surgery.

PMID- 20294591
TI  - Poison oak; new antigens and their effect on sensitized patients.

PMID- 20294593
TI  - Progress in the treatment of carcinoma of the prostate.

PMID- 20294594
TI  - Acute transient pancreatitis associated with chronic cholecystitis and
      cholelithiasis.

PMID- 20294595
TI  - Men like women doctors; there is encouragement for women to study medicine in
      that the public has learned they make good physicians.

PMID- 20294596
TI  - Optic atrophy in Hong Kong prisoners of war.

PMID- 20294597
TI  - Residual disabilities in Hong Kong repatriates.

PMID- 20294598
TI  - Preoperative and postoperative care of intestinal obstruction.

PMID- 20294599
TI  - Anaesthetic emergencies.

PMID- 20294600
TI  - Influenzal meningitis.

PMID- 20294601
TI  - Infectious mononucleosis; complications.

PMID- 20294602
TI  - Haemoglobin levels in Canadian population groups; children and young women.

PMID- 20294603
TI  - Cyanosis in infants in rural areas (well-water methaemoglobinaemia).

PMID- 20294604
TI  - Headache; treatment with histamine.

PMID- 20294605
TI  - Roentgenological localization of ureteral obstruction by non radio-opaque or
      indistinguishable calculi.

PMID- 20294606
TI  - Alloxan diabetes.

PMID- 20294607
TI  - Notes on cholecystectomy.

PMID- 20294608
TI  - Mucosal respiratory (Stevens-Johnson) syndrome.

PMID- 20294609
TI  - Skin tests in dermatology.

PMID- 20294610
TI  - Paediatric endocrinology.

PMID- 20294611
TI  - Ganglioneuroma of stomach.

PMID- 20294612
TI  - True unicornuate uterus and total absence of left broad ligament, round ligament,
      salpinx, ovary, kidney and ureter.

PMID- 20294613
TI  - Pulmonary type of tularaemia; two cases.

PMID- 20294614
TI  - Lymphatic leukaemia becoming aleukaemic.

PMID- 20294615
TI  - Thiamine chloride in pernicious anaemia.

PMID- 20294616
TI  - Medical applications of artificial radioactive isotopes.

PMID- 20294617
TI  - Relief of postanaesthetic vomiting through pyridoxine.

PMID- 20294618
TI  - The role of the hospital in medical economics.

PMID- 20294621
TI  - The history of psychiatric education in the United States from 1844 to 1944.

PMID- 20294620
TI  - Medical education, old purposes and new methods.

PMID- 20294622
TI  - The future of psychiatry in medical education.

PMID- 20294619
TI  - Fractures of the mandible.

PMID- 20294623
TI  - The history of medicine as a hobby; a brief bibliography of medical history.

PMID- 20294624
TI  - Studies on acquired tolerance to tartar emetic, antimony sodium thioglycollate
      and neostam.

PMID- 20294625
TI  - Humidity sensations in relation to moisture gradients between clothings.

PMID- 20294626
TI  - Undernutrition among Shanghai school children, preliminary report.

PMID- 20294627
TI  - Notes on the experimental infection of Culex pipiens var. pallens Coq. with
      Microfilaria malayl Brug.

PMID- 20294628
TI  - Fasciolopsis in guinea pigs with a summary of the definitive hosts.

PMID- 20294630
TI  - The isotopes in biology and medicine.

PMID- 20294629
TI  - A case of vitamin K deficiency.

PMID- 20294631
TI  - Photography as an aid to medical education.

PMID- 20294632
TI  - Protein metabolism in disease and injury.

PMID- 20294633
TI  - Granulocytopenia successfully treated by intramedullary bone marrow transfusion;
      report of two cases.

PMID- 20294634
TI  - Epidemiological studies in cholera.

PMID- 20294635
TI  - Epidemiological studies in cholera; duration of the convalescent carrier period
      in cholera.

PMID- 20294636
TI  - Epidemiological studies in cholera; secondary attack rate among cholera household
      contacts, China, 1946.

PMID- 20294637
TI  - Epidemiological studies in cholera; occupation, age, sex, secondary cases,
      vaccination, case fatality.

PMID- 20294638
TI  - China's proposals at the International Health Conference.

PMID- 20294639
TI  - Early cardiac signs of childhood rheumatism; practical aspects and significance.

PMID- 20294640
TI  - The problem of obesity.

PMID- 20294641
TI  - Place, in the geriatric regime.

PMID- 20294642
TI  - Conservative treatment of frontal sinusitis.

PMID- 20294643
TI  - Newer concepts in the treatment of diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 20294644
TI  - Streptococcic dissociation.

PMID- 20294645
TI  - Hyalinization of the seminiferous tubules with normal or falling Leydig cell
      function; a report of two cases.

PMID- 20294646
TI  - Intrabronchial administration of penicillin and sulphonamide.

PMID- 20294647
TI  - A case of glomerulonephritis with unilateral haematuria.

PMID- 20294648
TI  - Chronic subphrenic abscess.

PMID- 20294649
TI  - Medicine and national security.

PMID- 20294650
TI  - Pulmonary sarcoidosis.

PMID- 20294651
TI  - Ragweed pollen survey in Connecticut.

PMID- 20294653
TI  - The contribution of Yale University School of Medicine to the Connecticut cancer
      program.

PMID- 20294652
TI  - The Connecticut cancer record registry, how it functions.

PMID- 20294654
TI  - The use of a glass button in the treatment of ascites.

PMID- 20294655
TI  - An intern teaching program in a small hospital.

PMID- 20294656
TI  - Scarlet fever immunizations.

PMID- 20294657
TI  - ARMY MEDICAL LIBRARY acquires celebrated Chinese publication.

PMID- 20294658
TI  - INTERPRETATION of quantitative serological tests for syphilis.

PMID- 20294659
TI  - Leprosy and cockroaches.

PMID- 20294660
TI  - Dermatitis as a monosymptomatic manifestation of nicotinic acid deficiency.

PMID- 20294661
TI  - Tomography of bronchiectasis by means of pre-selected planes of section.

PMID- 20294662
TI  - Biliary tract surgery; a statistical study based upon 1070 consecutive cases.

PMID- 20294663
TI  - Edema and diuresis.

PMID- 20294664
TI  - Hodkin's disease and pregnancy; review of the literature and report of a case.

PMID- 20294665
TI  - Penicillin in the treatment of venereal disease.

PMID- 20294666
TI  - Infantile eczema.

PMID- 20294667
TI  - A case of bilateral pulmonary tuberculosis treated by artificial pneumoperitoneum
      with phrenic crush and contralateral artificial pneumothorax.

PMID- 20294668
TI  - WHALE meat.

PMID- 20294669
TI  - Chronic pain in the right iliac fossa.

PMID- 20294671
TI  - TROPICAL diseases and the medical student.

PMID- 20294670
TI  - Hepatitis.

PMID- 20294672
TI  - Goitre.

PMID- 20294673
TI  - CASE of acute myeloblastic leukaemia.

PMID- 20294674
TI  - The Constantine Hering Fund and Walter E. Hering Foundation of the Hahnemann
      Medical College and Hospital of Philadelphia.

PMID- 20294675
TI  - Fundamental aspects of fluid balance.

PMID- 20294676
TI  - Salt and water metabolism in pediatrics.

PMID- 20294677
TI  - Fluid balance in urology.

PMID- 20294678
TI  - Early ambulation in the practice of diseases in the ear, nose and throat.

PMID- 20294679
TI  - Encephalitis.

PMID- 20294680
TI  - Bronchiectasis.

PMID- 20294682
TI  - The laboratory aspects of infectious hepatitis.

PMID- 20294681
TI  - Interpretation of liver function tests.

PMID- 20294683
TI  - Surgical management of bleeding peptic ulcer.

PMID- 20294684
TI  - The diagnosis and treatment of early conductive deafness.

PMID- 20294685
TI  - The scope of psychiatry.

PMID- 20294686
TI  - FIRST ANNUAL REPORT of the Rehabilitation Department Leahi Hospital, June 30,
      1946.

PMID- 20294687
TI  - Thromboembolism.

PMID- 20294688
TI  - Tuberculosis, the shame of Illinois.

PMID- 20294689
TI  - Rapid treatment program for syphilis.

PMID- 20294690
TI  - Illinois hospital survey and plan progress report.

PMID- 20294691
TI  - Hysterectomy in a small general hospital.

PMID- 20294692
TI  - Epidemic diarrhea of the newborn (neonatal enteritis).

PMID- 20294693
TI  - Nitrous oxide, pen tothal anesthesia.

PMID- 20294694
TI  - X-ray therapy in non-malignant diseases.

PMID- 20294695
TI  - Tropical ulcer (Naga sore) in tea estate of Upper Assam.

PMID- 20294696
TI  - Antevenene in the treatment of black-water fever.

PMID- 20294697
TI  - An obstinate case of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy.

PMID- 20294698
TI  - Our food and economic aspect of nutrition.

PMID- 20294699
TI  - The place of biochemistry in medical education.

PMID- 20294701
TI  - Out postwar psychiatric programme.

PMID- 20294700
TI  - The problem of medical education and examination.

PMID- 20294702
TI  - Kerotodermia blennorrhagica.

PMID- 20294703
TI  - Post-war medical reconstruction.

PMID- 20294704
TI  - Oto-rhino-laryngology in post-war medical planning.

PMID- 20294705
TI  - Unusual changes in fibro-adenoma of the breast.

PMID- 20294706
TI  - The marrowgram in healthy Indians as studied by sternal puncture and smear
      preparations.

PMID- 20294707
TI  - Banti's syndrome.

PMID- 20294708
TI  - Acoustic neuroma.

PMID- 20294709
TI  - Current topics in anaesthetics.

PMID- 20294710
TI  - The trend of modern obstetrics.

PMID- 20294711
TI  - The surgical treatment of sciatica.

PMID- 20294712
TI  - A case of polyostotic fibrous dysplasia of bone.

PMID- 20294713
TI  - Use of bipp in appendicitis; report on 1,000 cases.

PMID- 20294714
TI  - Conditions affecting child health in Eire.

PMID- 20294715
TI  - End results in operative treatment for varicose veins.

PMID- 20294716
TI  - Retrospect and prospect in varicose vein surgery.

PMID- 20294717
TI  - The organization of ear, nose and throat work in Dublin.

PMID- 20294718
TI  - Some cases of ovarian malignancy.

PMID- 20294719
TI  - Surgical aspects of bronchogenic carcinoma.

PMID- 20294720
TI  - Roentgen therapy in cancer of the larynx.

PMID- 20294721
TI  - Surgical treatment of carcinoma of the larynx.

PMID- 20294722
TI  - Irradiation of hyperplastic lymphoid tissue in the nasopharynx.

PMID- 20294723
TI  - Supervoltage roentgen therapy of carcinoma of the esophagus.

PMID- 20294724
TI  - The diagnosis and management of spontaneous hypoglycemia.

PMID- 20294725
TI  - Tridione in the treatment of epilepsy.

PMID- 20294726
TI  - Spontaneous rupture of the spleen due to infectious mononucleosus.

PMID- 20294727
TI  - Report of the Committee on Audiovisual Aids.

PMID- 20294728
TI  - The basis for teaching social and environmental factors in medicine in the
      undergraduate medical curriculum.

PMID- 20294730
TI  - State funds in support of medical education.

PMID- 20294729
TI  - Some aspects of the clinical teaching of the social and environmental factors in
      medicine.

PMID- 20294731
TI  - The place of preventive medicine in the curriculum.

PMID- 20294732
TI  - The integration of teaching content and methods.

PMID- 20294733
TI  - Rationale of the medical treatment of essential hypertension.

PMID- 20294734
TI  - The role of the liver and B complex vitamins in estrogen metabolism.

PMID- 20294735
TI  - Heartburn of pregnancy.

PMID- 20294736
TI  - The relation of porphyrins to the etiology of cervical carcinoma.

PMID- 20294737
TI  - Aural discharges.

PMID- 20294738
TI  - Hypothyroidism and pregnancy.

PMID- 20294739
TI  - Some facts about cancer.

PMID- 20294740
TI  - Incidence of intestinal protozoa and parasites in routine stool examinations.

PMID- 20294741
TI  - The present state of health in the Punjab.

PMID- 20294743
TI  - Quackery.

PMID- 20294742
TI  - A plea for an Indian pharmacopoeia.

PMID- 20294744
TI  - Determination of sex.

PMID- 20294745
TI  - Neutrophilia in malaria.

PMID- 20294746
TI  - Transfusion of blood in ancient India.

PMID- 20294747
TI  - LAWS pertaining to malpractice.

PMID- 20294748
TI  - PHYSICIANS in court.

PMID- 20294749
TI  - NARCOTIC laws.

PMID- 20294750
TI  - The family physician in relation to vocational rehabilitation.

PMID- 20294751
TI  - STATUTES of Indiana regulating the practice of medicine.

PMID- 20294752
TI  - CARE of the insane.

PMID- 20294753
TI  - PHYSICIAN and the welfare acts.

PMID- 20294754
TI  - LEGAL aspects of autopsies.

PMID- 20294755
TI  - Federal income tax and the medical profession.

PMID- 20294756
TI  - National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis.

PMID- 20294758
TI  - INDIANA State Board of Health Organization, functions and services.

PMID- 20294757
TI  - LIST of presidents of the Indiana State Medical Association since its
      organization.

PMID- 20294759
TI  - PRINCIPLES of medical ethics of the American Medical Association.

PMID- 20294760
TI  - CONSTITUTION and by-laws of the Indiana State Medical Association.

PMID- 20294761
TI  - An outline for the study of strabismus cases.

PMID- 20294762
TI  - A report on industrial ophthalmology in Evansville, Indiana.

PMID- 20294763
TI  - The role of the contact lens in the conservation of vision.

PMID- 20294764
TI  - Acute iritis, including acute iridocyclitis and acute uveitis.

PMID- 20294766
TI  - The treatment of chronic suppurative otitis media.

PMID- 20294765
TI  - The use of penicillin locally in the eye.

PMID- 20294767
TI  - The doctor's role in public relations.

PMID- 20294768
TI  - Hemipelvectomy in the treatment of osteogenic sarcoma of the ilium.

PMID- 20294769
TI  - Preliminary report on transvaginal X-ray treatment of carcinoma of the cervix.

PMID- 20294770
TI  - Adhesive arachnoiditis following the intrathecal administration of penicillin.

PMID- 20294771
TI  - The use of caudal anesthesia in obstetrics.

PMID- 20294772
TI  - The doctor's role in the postwar world.

PMID- 20294773
TI  - [Renal insufficiency due to nephrocalcinosis of the infectious type].

PMID- 20294774
TI  - Clinical biochemistry.

PMID- 20294775
TI  - Sarcomas of the soft parts.

PMID- 20294776
TI  - Chronic cystic disease (fibro-adenomatosis with extreme hyperplasia).

PMID- 20294777
TI  - Intraductal carcinoma of breast.

PMID- 20294778
TI  - Mixed tumor of sole of foot.

PMID- 20294779
TI  - Granular cell myoblastoma of the breast.

PMID- 20294780
TI  - A case of microaerophilic hemolytic streptococcus infection of a pilonidal
      dimple.

PMID- 20294781
TI  - Preliminary studies on the use of ionization in the treatment of hyperidrosis and
      bromidrosis.

PMID- 20294782
TI  - Contact dermatitis from shoes.

PMID- 20294783
TI  - The history of fungus diseases.

PMID- 20294784
TI  - Culture controlled treatment of gonorrhea with penicillin.

PMID- 20294785
TI  - The technique of diagnosis of breast carcinoma, the choice of treatment, and the
      criteria of inoperability.

PMID- 20294786
TI  - Infectious hepatitis; its etiology and management.

PMID- 20294787
TI  - The need for total rehabilitation of the tuberculous.

PMID- 20294788
TI  - Clinical and X-ray diagnosis of foot disorders.

PMID- 20294789
TI  - Streptomycin, its uses and abuses.

PMID- 20294790
TI  - Thiouracil.

PMID- 20294791
TI  - Practical aspects of allergy.

PMID- 20294792
TI  - Benadryl.

PMID- 20294793
TI  - Cirrhosis of the liver and liver therapy.

PMID- 20294794
TI  - Hospital pre-delivery care.

PMID- 20294795
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294796
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294797
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294799
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294798
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294800
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294801
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294802
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294803
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294804
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294805
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294806
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294807
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294808
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294809
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294810
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294811
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294812
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294813
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294814
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294815
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294816
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294817
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294818
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294819
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294820
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294821
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294822
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294823
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294824
TI  - Outbreak of virus encephalomeningitis in north-west Middlesex.

PMID- 20294825
TI  - Continuous injection of penicillin; the Secunderabad apparatus.

PMID- 20294826
TI  - Mammary cysts and their treatment.

PMID- 20294827
TI  - Scrub-typhus vaccine; field trial in South-east Asia.

PMID- 20294828
TI  - Epilepsy and hysteria.

PMID- 20294829
TI  - Modification of human red cells by virus action; agglutination by incomplete Rh
      antibody.

PMID- 20294830
TI  - Dutch blood-transfusion service during the German occupation.

PMID- 20294831
TI  - Service psychiatry.

PMID- 20294832
TI  - PILLARS of health.

PMID- 20294833
TI  - Social pathology.

PMID- 20294834
TI  - Stevens-Johnson syndrome.

PMID- 20294835
TI  - Source of the red cells.

PMID- 20294836
TI  - Ascorbic-acid metabolism of Bantu soldiers.

PMID- 20294837
TI  - Recovery from starvation.

PMID- 20294838
TI  - Folic acid in the treatment of the sprue syndrome.

PMID- 20294839
TI  - Care of the urinary tract in paraplegic patients; review of 82 cases.

PMID- 20294840
TI  - Bilateral congenital dislocation of radial head.

PMID- 20294841
TI  - Use of a tourniquet to prolong the effect of penicillin.

PMID- 20294842
TI  - Screening-out the neurotic.

PMID- 20294843
TI  - The home consultant.

PMID- 20294844
TI  - Haemolytic disease of the newborn.

PMID- 20294845
TI  - Experimental tumorigenesis.

PMID- 20294846
TI  - Revaccination in adults.

PMID- 20294847
TI  - Sand-fly fever.

PMID- 20294848
TI  - Estimation of penicillin in serum.

PMID- 20294849
TI  - Ankylosing spondylitis and fluorosis.

PMID- 20294850
TI  - The Rh factor in hemolytic disease of the newborn.

PMID- 20294851
TI  - The moral aspects of the Rh factor.

PMID- 20294852
TI  - Moral aspects of artificial insemination.

PMID- 20294854
TI  - Nicotine reviewed.

PMID- 20294853
TI  - The diagnosis of two congenital heart lesions amenable to surgery.

PMID- 20294855
TI  - Incidence and etiology of postpartum hemorrhage.

PMID- 20294856
TI  - Benadryl.

PMID- 20294857
TI  - The nutrition of the fetus.

PMID- 20294858
TI  - Modern trends in vascular surgery.

PMID- 20294859
TI  - Singultus (hiccough).

PMID- 20294860
TI  - Studies of pneumonias in childhood.

PMID- 20294861
TI  - Obligation of the physician to psychiatry.

PMID- 20294862
TI  - Diathermy machines.

PMID- 20294863
TI  - Intracranial cholesteatoma, epidermoid or pearly tumor; report of a case.

PMID- 20294864
TI  - [Rupture of an aneurysm of the thoracic aorta with left hemothorax].

PMID- 20294865
TI  - The treatment of rheumatoid and infective arthritis by the sulphonamides, with
      special reference to proseptasine, sulphadiazine and sulphaguanidine.

PMID- 20294866
TI  - The physiological basis of modern anaesthesia.

PMID- 20294867
TI  - Uterine chorionepithelioma with severe intraperitoneal haemorrhage.

PMID- 20294868
TI  - Intravenous administration of oxygen.

PMID- 20294869
TI  - Charcot's disease of the hip.

PMID- 20294870
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294871
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294872
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294873
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294874
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294875
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294876
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294877
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294878
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294879
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294880
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294881
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294882
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294883
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294884
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294886
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294885
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294887
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294888
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294889
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294890
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294891
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294892
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294893
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294894
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294895
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294896
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294897
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294898
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294899
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294900
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294901
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294902
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294903
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294904
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294905
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294906
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294907
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294908
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294909
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294910
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294911
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294912
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294913
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294914
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294915
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294916
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294917
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294918
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294919
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294920
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294921
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294922
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294923
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294924
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294925
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294926
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294927
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294928
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294929
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294930
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294931
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294932
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294934
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294933
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294935
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294936
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294937
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294938
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294939
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294940
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294941
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294942
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294943
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294944
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294945
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294947
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294946
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294948
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294949
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294950
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294951
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294952
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294953
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294954
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294955
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294956
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294957
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294958
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294959
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294960
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294961
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294962
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20294963
TI  - Managing the glaucomatous patient.

PMID- 20294964
TI  - Urethritis in the male; an analysis of 205 cases and a review of the American
      literature on this subject.

PMID- 20294965
TI  - The possibilities and limitations of the fenestration operation for otosclerosis.

PMID- 20294966
TI  - Carcinoma of the cervix.

PMID- 20294967
TI  - Tophaceous gout; a case report.

PMID- 20294968
TI  - THE first medical journal and some of its progeny.

PMID- 20294969
TI  - The evolution of inguinal hernia surgery.

PMID- 20294970
TI  - Search and research.

PMID- 20294971
TI  - VITAMINS in the practice of surgery.

PMID- 20294972
TI  - Fungous disease therapy.

PMID- 20294973
TI  - Degenerative disease associated with age.

PMID- 20294975
TI  - The evolution of inguinal hernial surgery.

PMID- 20294974
TI  - The use of a rubber insert in dacryocystorhinostomy.

PMID- 20294976
TI  - Notable contributors to our knowledge of syphilis.

PMID- 20294977
TI  - Positive convalescence.

PMID- 20294978
TI  - The diagnosis and management of some common disorders in infancy.

PMID- 20294980
TI  - Some conditions which give rise to running ears met with in general practice.

PMID- 20294979
TI  - The prostate, the urethro-trigonal and the vagino-cervical regions in relation to
      local and general symptoms.

PMID- 20294981
TI  - The topical diagnosis of pyuria or hematuria.

PMID- 20294982
TI  - Can doctors strike?

PMID- 20294983
TI  - A consideration of vaccination against influenza.

PMID- 20294984
TI  - Migration and the population potential of monsoon Asia.

PMID- 20294985
TI  - Future migration into Latin America.

PMID- 20294986
TI  - Social and psychological factors affecting fertility; the planning of fertility.

PMID- 20294988
TI  - Voluntary prepayment medical care and its rural aspects.

PMID- 20294987
TI  - Medical service program in the Veterans Administration hospitals.

PMID- 20294989
TI  - The treatment of persons who have bronchial asthma.

PMID- 20294990
TI  - Nitrogen balance and its clinical application.

PMID- 20294991
TI  - Observations on the management of vasomotor rhinitis.

PMID- 20294992
TI  - Orchiectomy and hormones in prostatic carcinoma.

PMID- 20294993
TI  - Mycetoma or Madura foot; report of cases including one case of maduromycosis of
      the hand.

PMID- 20294994
TI  - Intestinal ascaris diagnosed roentgenographically in Minnesota.

PMID- 20294995
TI  - Meniere's disease; endolymphatic hydrops.

PMID- 20294996
TI  - Peripheral arterial embolism.

PMID- 20294997
TI  - The value of imponderables.

PMID- 20294998
TI  - The hospital, a look ahead; some aspects of clinical investigation.

PMID- 20294999
TI  - Atelectasis as a factor in the medical treatment of pleural empyema; the
      necessity of combating atelectasis by remedial breathing exercises.

PMID- 20295000
TI  - Electrocardiography.

PMID- 20295001
TI  - [Ewing tumor of fibula].

PMID- 20295002
TI  - [Acute and chronic salpingo-oophoritis].

PMID- 20295003
TI  - Streptomycin treatment of pulmonary infections; clinical and bacteriologic
      studies of six cases.

PMID- 20295004
TI  - Sensitivity to pork-liver extract in pernicious anemia; clinical observations on
      14 patients.

PMID- 20295005
TI  - The Commonwealth's health program.

PMID- 20295006
TI  - Urology.

PMID- 20295007
TI  - [Multiple polypoid carcinomas of stomach, with metastasis].

PMID- 20295008
TI  - [Adenocarcinoma of pancreas, with liver metastasis].

PMID- 20295009
TI  - Human laboratory infection with Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus; report
      of four cases.

PMID- 20295010
TI  - A survey of the first three months of operation of a Veterans Administration
      mental hygiene clinic.

PMID- 20295011
TI  - Creeping eruption in New England; a report of two cases.

PMID- 20295012
TI  - Surgery of the autonomic nervous system.

PMID- 20295013
TI  - [Periarteritis nodosa].

PMID- 20295014
TI  - [Congenital tracheobronchial cyst of esophageal wall].

PMID- 20295015
TI  - Physical medicine in traumatic injuries.

PMID- 20295016
TI  - Physical therapy in the treatment of arthritis.

PMID- 20295017
TI  - The place of physical medicine in the treatment of patients with mental
      conditions.

PMID- 20295018
TI  - Comments on Army radiology in World War II.

PMID- 20295019
TI  - Pediatric approach to the management of asthma in childhood.

PMID- 20295020
TI  - The possibility of preventing breast cancer in women; is artificial feeding of
      infants justified?

PMID- 20295021
TI  - An anthropologist looks at American Indian medicine.

PMID- 20295022
TI  - Medicine in New York folklore.

PMID- 20295023
TI  - Is general practice becoming a specialty?

PMID- 20295024
TI  - Pilonidal (sacrococcygeal) cyst and sinus; an evaluation of some of the recently
      proposed therapeutic measures.

PMID- 20295025
TI  - On the use of a medicament to reduce the appetite in the treatment of obesity and
      other conditions.

PMID- 20295026
TI  - Office procedure in applying penicillin therapy to acute suppurative
      bartholinitis.

PMID- 20295027
TI  - Pathogenesis of spina bifida and related congenital malformations.

PMID- 20295028
TI  - The symptomatic treatment of hay fever with diaminobenzopyridyl HCl (N'-pyridyl
      N'-benzyl-N-dimethylethylenediamine hydrochloride)(pyribenzamine).

PMID- 20295029
TI  - The nitrogen mustards and their application in neoplastic diseases.

PMID- 20295030
TI  - Pentothal nitrous-oxide oxygen anesthesia.

PMID- 20295031
TI  - Coexistence of malformations of the genital and urinary tracts in women.

PMID- 20295032
TI  - Amphetamine sulfate (benzedrine) in the treatment of obesity; a critical
      estimate.

PMID- 20295033
TI  - Benzedrine sulfate in elderly people.

PMID- 20295034
TI  - Treatment of hepatic insufficiency.

PMID- 20295035
TI  - Neurologic complications following the administration of pertussis vaccine.

PMID- 20295036
TI  - Giant cell tumor of the patella treated by resection.

PMID- 20295037
TI  - Early localization with the use of pantopaque of an acute epidural spinal
      abscess.

PMID- 20295038
TI  - PUBLIC medical care.

PMID- 20295039
TI  - Compound fractures.

PMID- 20295040
TI  - Clinical manifestations of syphilis.

PMID- 20295041
TI  - Ankylostomiasis.

PMID- 20295042
TI  - Nasal physiology in dietary deficiency.

PMID- 20295043
TI  - Management of cervicovaginal disorders.

PMID- 20295044
TI  - The absorbable sponge as a hemostatic agent.

PMID- 20295045
TI  - Principal causes of maternal deaths in Nebraska, 1940-1945.

PMID- 20295046
TI  - Spherocytosis and increased erythrocyte fragility in four generations of the
      family of a patient with congenital hemolytic anemia.

PMID- 20295047
TI  - Amebiasis; case reports from the North Carolina Baptist Hospital.

PMID- 20295048
TI  - Peptic ulcer of the duodenum; a review of 98 cases treated surgically.

PMID- 20295049
TI  - The treatment of meningitis in childhood; with particular reference to the use of
      penicillin and streptomycin.

PMID- 20295050
TI  - Regional enteritis with observations concerning its pathogenesis.

PMID- 20295051
TI  - The use of BAL in the treatment of heavy-metal poisoning.

PMID- 20295052
TI  - Special disabilities in children with organic brain pathology.

PMID- 20295053
TI  - Basis for therapy in shock.

PMID- 20295054
TI  - Renal tumors.

PMID- 20295055
TI  - Hemorrhage in the last trimester of pregnancy.

PMID- 20295057
TI  - West River medical doctors.

PMID- 20295056
TI  - METOPON hydrochloride (methyldihydromorphinone hydrochloride).

PMID- 20295058
TI  - Canadian research in aviation medicine.

PMID- 20295059
TI  - Portal cirrhosis.

PMID- 20295060
TI  - Can military medical education offer anyfeatures applicable to civilian
      professional instruction?

PMID- 20295061
TI  - Treatment of the uterine prolapse syndrome by the Spalding-Richardson composite
      procedure.

PMID- 20295062
TI  - Non-syphilitic lesions of the penis.

PMID- 20295063
TI  - Penicillin, indications and methods of administration.

PMID- 20295064
TI  - Readjustment of the handicapped veteran.

PMID- 20295065
TI  - Rural health services; a challenge to the county medical society.

PMID- 20295066
TI  - Ambrose Bierce and his warped personality.

PMID- 20295068
TI  - Eyestrain.

PMID- 20295067
TI  - The doctor's problem with alcoholics.

PMID- 20295069
TI  - Cataract.

PMID- 20295070
TI  - Infections of the eye.

PMID- 20295071
TI  - The treatment of intraocular foreign bodies.

PMID- 20295072
TI  - Contact lenses.

PMID- 20295073
TI  - Mydriatics; some developments.

PMID- 20295075
TI  - The hysteric in general practice.

PMID- 20295074
TI  - Serum phosphatases and their significance.

PMID- 20295076
TI  - Pain and its problems; pain in respiratory disease.

PMID- 20295077
TI  - Purpura.

PMID- 20295078
TI  - The xanthine diuretics.

PMID- 20295079
TI  - Interpretive morphology.

PMID- 20295080
TI  - Experimental hypertension.

PMID- 20295081
TI  - Hypertension.

PMID- 20295083
TI  - Visceral leishmaniasis.

PMID- 20295082
TI  - The centennial of ether anesthesia.

PMID- 20295084
TI  - Sudden nerve deafness; treatment by the intravenous administration of histamine.

PMID- 20295085
TI  - Total excision of scapula for osteochondroma; report of case.

PMID- 20295086
TI  - Medical aspects of malignant lesions of the anus, rectum and colon.

PMID- 20295087
TI  - Inflammatory diseases of the bowel.

PMID- 20295088
TI  - Report of genito-urinary surgery for 1945.

PMID- 20295089
TI  - Myasthenia gravis.

PMID- 20295090
TI  - Two cases of lupus erythematosus disseminata.

PMID- 20295091
TI  - Carcinoma of lung treated by total left pneumonectomy.

PMID- 20295092
TI  - Case of frost bite; loss of all toes.

PMID- 20295093
TI  - Septic arthritis of the hip.

PMID- 20295094
TI  - Case of peculiar blood dyscrasia.

PMID- 20295095
TI  - Saints, animals, the stars and demons in mediaeval medicine.

PMID- 20295096
TI  - Special techniques for unusual fractures of the forearm.

PMID- 20295097
TI  - Bilateral calcification of the vasa deferentia.

PMID- 20295098
TI  - Work at high altitude; plan of study and methods.

PMID- 20295099
TI  - The surgical management of irradiation injuries.

PMID- 20295100
TI  - A consideration of the antierythrocytic factors in resistance to malaria.

PMID- 20295101
TI  - Report of a case of land-mine wound.

PMID- 20295102
TI  - The effect of foliandrin on the cardio-inhibitory center of the medulla.

PMID- 20295103
TI  - Benjamin Rush, venesectionist.

PMID- 20295104
TI  - Historical notes on the Twelfth General Hospital (U.S.) February 15, 1942 to
      September 15, 1945; the Twelfth General Hospital in Ain-el-Turck and Naples.

PMID- 20295105
TI  - Early medical books in the Archibald Church Library; cardiology.

PMID- 20295106
TI  - Xeroderma pigmentosum.

PMID- 20295107
TI  - Medicine in the time of the Crusades.

PMID- 20295108
TI  - Water pollution control.

PMID- 20295110
TI  - Pollinosis in South Africa; a study of seasonal hay-fever.

PMID- 20295109
TI  - HEALTH maintenance clinic for cancer prevention at the Pawtucket Memorial
      Hospital.

PMID- 20295111
TI  - Responsibilities of the practitioner in civil aviation in South Africa.

PMID- 20295112
TI  - Central nervous system manifestations of glandular fever.

PMID- 20295113
TI  - Typhus fever in the eastern Transvaal, with special reference to an epidemic
      occurring in 1945.

PMID- 20295114
TI  - Reports of four interesting cases treated at 110. Military Hospital over the last
      18 months.

PMID- 20295115
TI  - Carotid body tumour with invasion of the cerebello-pontine angle.

PMID- 20295116
TI  - Prostatitis and vesiculitis; syndromes associated with chronic non-venereal
      pathology.

PMID- 20295117
TI  - Diploma in anaesthesia.

PMID- 20295118
TI  - SOAP for battling disease.

PMID- 20295119
TI  - Planigraphy in the diagnosis of bronchogenic carcinoma.

PMID- 20295120
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295121
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295122
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295123
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295124
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295125
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295126
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295127
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295128
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295129
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295130
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295131
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295132
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295133
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295134
TI  - The purpuric diseases.

PMID- 20295135
TI  - A medical student in the land of Hearne and Kelsey.

PMID- 20295136
TI  - Causation in pathology.

PMID- 20295137
TI  - The pharmacology of digitalis.

PMID- 20295138
TI  - Pulmonary tuberculosis and the general practitioner.

PMID- 20295139
TI  - Carcinoma of the caecum and of the left colon.

PMID- 20295140
TI  - Surgical therapy of duodenal ulcer.

PMID- 20295141
TI  - The evolution of surgical procedures in biliary disease.

PMID- 20295142
TI  - Symposium on heart disease.

PMID- 20295143
TI  - Nutrition in relation to complications in pregnancy.

PMID- 20295144
TI  - Neuro-surgical procedures for everyday practice.

PMID- 20295145
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295146
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295147
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295148
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295149
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295150
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295151
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295152
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295153
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295154
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295155
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295156
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295157
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295158
TI  - Venereal disease education.

PMID- 20295159
TI  - Molded plaster slabs.

PMID- 20295160
TI  - NURSING Service during the years 1939-1945.

PMID- 20295161
TI  - EXPERIENCES with a field dressing station Northwest Europe.

PMID- 20295163
TI  - Nutrition.

PMID- 20295162
TI  - NURSING service in a C. C. S. in England and North-west Europe.

PMID- 20295164
TI  - Histamine cephalgia with report of two cases.

PMID- 20295165
TI  - The place and value of physiotherapy departments in the R.C.A.M.C.

PMID- 20295166
TI  - The Royal Canadian Naval Nursing Service.

PMID- 20295167
TI  - Venereal disease control in the United States occupied zone of Germany.

PMID- 20295168
TI  - Some phases of fracture treatment.

PMID- 20295169
TI  - The flight surgeon; his role in student pilot training.

PMID- 20295170
TI  - Army veterinary inspection of foods of animal origin.

PMID- 20295171
TI  - The Navy's plastic ocular restoration.

PMID- 20295172
TI  - A sanitary engineer views the post-war world.

PMID- 20295173
TI  - Medical Administrative Corps officers in the chain of evacuation.

PMID- 20295174
TI  - Nursing on hospital ships.

PMID- 20295175
TI  - Nursing service for veterans.

PMID- 20295176
TI  - Relation, historical and surgical, of the expedition of the Army of the Orient in
      Egypt and in Syria [transl. Rose Alexander].

PMID- 20295177
TI  - Secondary colonies of bacteria induced by salts of alkali metals, with special
      reference to Chromobacterium violaceum and other bacteria on lithium chloride
      agar.

PMID- 20295178
TI  - Studies of freshwater red algae.

PMID- 20295179
TI  - The influence of pH and certain growth factors on mycelial growth and perithecial
      formation by Sordaria fimicola.

PMID- 20295180
TI  - Chromosome numbers in the Myrtaceae.

PMID- 20295181
TI  - Antimony trichloride ethanol precipitation for the fluorometric determination of
      riboflavin in pork.

PMID- 20295182
TI  - Preservation of eggs; effect of various oils and oiling temperatures on the
      keeping quality of shell eggs stored at 70 degrees F. and 30 degrees F.

PMID- 20295183
TI  - Dried whole egg powder; some factors affecting colour.

PMID- 20295184
TI  - Dried whole egg powder; further studies on the effect of added substances.

PMID- 20295185
TI  - Dried whole egg powder; some observations on the quality of powder prepared from
      frozen, liquid egg.

PMID- 20295186
TI  - Production and properties of 2,3-butanediol; influence of the inoculum on the
      Aerobacillus polymyxa fermentation.

PMID- 20295188
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295187
TI  - The solvent extraction of crude mustard gas.

PMID- 20295189
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295190
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295191
TI  - The bromination of saturated 3-ketosteroids with N-bromoimides.

PMID- 20295192
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295193
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295194
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295195
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295196
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295197
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295198
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295199
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295200
TI  - The influence of dyes on the respiration of baker's yeast.

PMID- 20295201
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295202
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295203
TI  - The blood picture of normal laboratory animals; a review of the literature 1936
      1946.

PMID- 20295204
TI  - Carrier-distillation method for spectrographic analysis and its application to
      the analysis of uranium-base materials.

PMID- 20295205
TI  - Study of Ofner's method for the determination of invert sugar.

PMID- 20295206
TI  - Observation of copulation in Amphiuma tridactylum.

PMID- 20295207
TI  - The path of science [Bk Rev.].

PMID- 20295209
TI  - HISTORY and work of the Palaeontographical Society.

PMID- 20295208
TI  - Atmospheric oscillations.

PMID- 20295210
TI  - Spread of discharge in Geiger counters.

PMID- 20295211
TI  - Preparation of thin specimen films.

PMID- 20295212
TI  - Inhibition of catechol bacteriostasis by molybdates.

PMID- 20295213
TI  - Succinic dehydrogenase in Protozoa.

PMID- 20295214
TI  - Co-existence of two different esterases in liver juice.

PMID- 20295215
TI  - Changes in the electrophoretic pattern of the cow's milk during early lactation.

PMID- 20295216
TI  - Australopithecinae or Dartians.

PMID- 20295217
TI  - DEFECTIVE colour vision in industry.

PMID- 20295218
TI  - Plant carbonic anhydrase.

PMID- 20295219
TI  - Elaboration of hydrochloric acid by gastric mucosa.

PMID- 20295220
TI  - Serum chlorides in pregnant mice.

PMID- 20295221
TI  - Microdetermination of copper in biological substances.

PMID- 20295222
TI  - Gamma-radiation from polonium and from lithium bombarded with alpha-particles.

PMID- 20295223
TI  - Interaction of fast neutrons with beryllium and aluminium.

PMID- 20295224
TI  - Action of mustard gas (beta beta'-dichlorethylsulphide) on thiol groups of
      proteins.

PMID- 20295225
TI  - Psychologists in the Association of Scientific Workers.

PMID- 20295226
TI  - Toxic organo-lead compounds.

PMID- 20295227
TI  - Social medicine and social pathology.

PMID- 20295228
TI  - Plasma cellular reaction and its relation to the formation of antibodies in
      vitro.

PMID- 20295229
TI  - Use of seeds in the insect transmission of some plant viruses.

PMID- 20295230
TI  - Entamoeba sp. from the Syrian hamster (Cricetus auratus).

PMID- 20295231
TI  - Tumour inhibition with extracts of urine.

PMID- 20295232
TI  - A possible explanation of the relations between hereditary anaemias and
      depigmentation in the mouse.

PMID- 20295233
TI  - Relation of the thyroid to infections.

PMID- 20295234
TI  - Chemical composition of Egyptian cow's milk in relation to milk laws.

PMID- 20295235
TI  - Structures of ethylene oxide and cyclopropane.

PMID- 20295237
TI  - A proposed test for sterilized milk.

PMID- 20295236
TI  - Action of phosphorus pentachloride on p-sulphonamido benzoic acid.

PMID- 20295238
TI  - SCIENCE and the real freedoms.

PMID- 20295239
TI  - Hereditary (seed-borne) symbiosis in Casuarina equisetifolia Forst.

PMID- 20295240
TI  - Scientific equipment in Europe; present needs.

PMID- 20295241
TI  - Peat, hay-fever and pharmacognosy.

PMID- 20295242
TI  - Progress of cancer research.

PMID- 20295243
TI  - Structure of fibrous keratin.

PMID- 20295244
TI  - Incipient shrinkage of collagen and gelatin.

PMID- 20295245
TI  - Control of low-temperature injury in the Victoria plum.

PMID- 20295246
TI  - A morphological change induced in leaves of Theobroma cacao by mineral
      deficiency.

PMID- 20295247
TI  - Mechanism of hydrogen peroxide formation by spermatozoa and the role of amino
      acids in sperm motility.

PMID- 20295248
TI  - Acanthocephala of trout and anthelminthics; behavior in vitro.

PMID- 20295249
TI  - Criteria of hybridity.

PMID- 20295250
TI  - PROCEEDINGS of the Pan-African congress of prehistory.

PMID- 20295251
TI  - A new polarograph.

PMID- 20295252
TI  - Effect of phase displacement between the inducing and guiding fields in a
      betatron.

PMID- 20295253
TI  - Longevity and casualties among naturalists in tropical America.

PMID- 20295254
TI  - A biophysics symposium.

PMID- 20295255
TI  - Field theory in biology.

PMID- 20295256
TI  - Particle and field concepts in biology.

PMID- 20295257
TI  - Okinawa and its people.

PMID- 20295259
TI  - The selection and training of future scientists.

PMID- 20295258
TI  - The interrelationships of enzymes, vitamins and hormones.

PMID- 20295260
TI  - Microbiology in the USSR in 1946.

PMID- 20295261
TI  - Aptitude testing.

PMID- 20295262
TI  - The production and ripening of red blood cells.

PMID- 20295263
TI  - The story of two atoms.

PMID- 20295264
TI  - The weapons of panacea.

PMID- 20295265
TI  - The origin of life.

PMID- 20295266
TI  - Review and progress in neurologic problems.

PMID- 20295267
TI  - Prefrontal lobotomy or leucotomy.

PMID- 20295268
TI  - Schizophrenia in childhood; its modification by prefrontal lobotomy.

PMID- 20295270
TI  - Psychiatric lessons from World War II.

PMID- 20295269
TI  - Psychiatric experiences in the war, 1941-1946.

PMID- 20295272
TI  - Psychiatry in prospect.

PMID- 20295271
TI  - Accomplishments of psychiatry in the Army Air Forces.

PMID- 20295273
TI  - Psychiatric casualties in submarine warfare.

PMID- 20295274
TI  - The paranoiac officer and the officer paranee.

PMID- 20295275
TI  - Pragmatic psychotherapy in military training centers.

PMID- 20295276
TI  - The use of hypnosis in the treatment of acute combat reactions.

PMID- 20295277
TI  - Experience with group psychotherapy as a method of treatment for veterans.

PMID- 20295278
TI  - The utilization of a therapy group in teaching psychotherapy.

PMID- 20295279
TI  - The use of private patients for psychiatric teaching in a medical school.

PMID- 20295280
TI  - Psychotherapy for the general practitioner; a program for training; post-graduate
      education.

PMID- 20295281
TI  - The homosexual woman.

PMID- 20295282
TI  - The use of electric shock therapy in psychoneurosis.

PMID- 20295283
TI  - An evaluation of shock therapy.

PMID- 20295284
TI  - Effects of electrically induced convulsions upon respiration in man.

PMID- 20295285
TI  - A program for training attendants in mental hospitals.

PMID- 20295287
TI  - Emotions in the allergic individual.

PMID- 20295286
TI  - Brain metabolism in man; unanesthetized and in pentothal narcosis.

PMID- 20295288
TI  - Psychological factors in men with peptic ulcers.

PMID- 20295289
TI  - The psychiatric resources of New York.

PMID- 20295290
TI  - Principles of psychotherapy in latent schizophrenia.

PMID- 20295291
TI  - Concealment of facts in psycho analysis.

PMID- 20295292
TI  - Motives in the trauma of weaning.

PMID- 20295293
TI  - Training in remedial reading and psychotherapy.

PMID- 20295294
TI  - Medico-legal report on a deserter.

PMID- 20295295
TI  - A semi-obsession a deux.

PMID- 20295296
TI  - The psychogenesis of fugue states.

PMID- 20295297
TI  - Psychiatry and psychology.

PMID- 20295298
TI  - Newer genetic investigations on impotence and frigidity.

PMID- 20295299
TI  - Alterations in the state of the ego in hypnosis.

PMID- 20295300
TI  - Analysis of an unusual case of fetishism.

PMID- 20295301
TI  - Review of some fundamental considerations in psychotherapy.

PMID- 20295302
TI  - Atropine premedication in electro shock therapy.

PMID- 20295303
TI  - Prefrontal lobotomy in the treatment of schizophrenia.

PMID- 20295304
TI  - Reflections on the state of psychiatry in the realm of medicine.

PMID- 20295305
TI  - Proposal for creation of small, urbanly located state hospitals.

PMID- 20295306
TI  - Asymmetry in occipital electroencephalograms.

PMID- 20295307
TI  - Relationship of psychiatry to problems of medical care.

PMID- 20295308
TI  - Histamine treatment of cerebral arteriosclerosis.

PMID- 20295309
TI  - Magical thinking and ritual to preserve omnipotence as demonstrated in cases of
      compulsion neurosis.

PMID- 20295310
TI  - [Multiple sclerosis].

PMID- 20295311
TI  - Group psychotherapy.

PMID- 20295312
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295313
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295314
TI  - Dystrophia myotonica as a generalized disease.

PMID- 20295315
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295316
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295317
TI  - The innervation and actions of the neuro-hypophysis; an investigation using the
      method of remote-control stimulation.

PMID- 20295318
TI  - Trends in industrial nursing.

PMID- 20295319
TI  - Medical records.

PMID- 20295320
TI  - The visiting nurse in industry.

PMID- 20295321
TI  - How the nurse in industry contributes to the plant safety and health program;
      treatment in injury and illness.

PMID- 20295322
TI  - Midwifery training in Italy.

PMID- 20295323
TI  - Cancer of the oesophagus and its modern treatment.

PMID- 20295324
TI  - Urine testing.

PMID- 20295325
TI  - Restoration of normal movement after operation and confinement.

PMID- 20295326
TI  - Penicillin and sulphonamides used in the treatment of pneumococcal meningitis.

PMID- 20295327
TI  - Restoration of normal movement after operation and confinement.

PMID- 20295328
TI  - Tropical diseases; amoebiasis and amoebic dysentery.

PMID- 20295329
TI  - Surgery of the eye; plastic surgery, squint, lacrimal obstruction.

PMID- 20295330
TI  - Acute carcinoma of pregnancy.

PMID- 20295331
TI  - Early ambulation and other modern methods in surgical care.

PMID- 20295332
TI  - UNIVERSITY degree in nursing.

PMID- 20295333
TI  - New hope for lepers lepers and leprosy through the centuries.

PMID- 20295334
TI  - Insurance for nurses.

PMID- 20295335
TI  - New methods of treating frostbite.

PMID- 20295337
TI  - Diabetes, 1947.

PMID- 20295338
TI  - The preservation of bacterial cultures for classroom use.

PMID- 20295336
TI  - A half century of progress in brain surgery.

PMID- 20295339
TI  - Psychosomatic medicine and tuberculosis.

PMID- 20295340
TI  - Nursing care of the schizophrenic.

PMID- 20295341
TI  - Surgery of the spinal cord; special emphasis on the nursing care pre-operatively
      and post-operatively.

PMID- 20295342
TI  - British reactions to the national health insurance scheme.

PMID- 20295343
TI  - Ocular complications of Sydenham's chorea; a case report.

PMID- 20295344
TI  - The vectoluminator and vectometer as a new medium for visual training.

PMID- 20295345
TI  - Facts to remember about cataract lenses.

PMID- 20295346
TI  - A hollow cathode source applicable to spectrographic analysis for the halogens
      and gases.

PMID- 20295347
TI  - High transmission windows for radiation of 3 to 14 microns wave-length.

PMID- 20295348
TI  - Photographic granularity and graininess; some characteristics of the visual
      system of importance in the evaluation of graininess and granularity.

PMID- 20295349
TI  - A method for making precise resolution measurements.

PMID- 20295350
TI  - The production and calibration of Foucault test objects of various contrasts.

PMID- 20295351
TI  - The Stiles and Crawford effect in polarized light.

PMID- 20295352
TI  - Spectrochemical analysis by the copper spark method.

PMID- 20295353
TI  - A method for measuring the spectral energy distribution of low brightness light
      sources.

PMID- 20295354
TI  - Notes on W. S. Stiles' paper entitled, A modified Helmholtz line-element in
      brightness-colour space.

PMID- 20295355
TI  - An infra-red prism spectrometer of high resolving power.

PMID- 20295356
TI  - Note on the number of distinct chromaticities.

PMID- 20295357
TI  - Anomalies of the ocular muscles.

PMID- 20295358
TI  - Strabismus.

PMID- 20295359
TI  - Eliminating visible crescents in contact lenses.

PMID- 20295360
TI  - Color vision and color blindness; a mechanism in terms of modern evidence.

PMID- 20295361
TI  - Alternating squint.

PMID- 20295362
TI  - Applying psychology to patient-personality.

PMID- 20295363
TI  - Athol's industrial screening test.

PMID- 20295365
TI  - Clinical orthoptic procedure: paralytic squint.

PMID- 20295364
TI  - Visual training, the optometrist's birthright.

PMID- 20295366
TI  - Myopia, a theory and approach for research.

PMID- 20295367
TI  - Paralytic squint.

PMID- 20295368
TI  - Two unusual artificial eye cases.

PMID- 20295369
TI  - Binocular poise; its significance in the symptomatology, diagnosis and treatment
      of binocular anomalies.

PMID- 20295370
TI  - Amateur opticians in Switzerland.

PMID- 20295371
TI  - Optometry.

PMID- 20295372
TI  - Educating the partially sighted child.

PMID- 20295373
TI  - Distant and near retinoscopy and their relationship.

PMID- 20295374
TI  - Ocular headache.

PMID- 20295375
TI  - Retinoscopy; the influence of instrument design.

PMID- 20295376
TI  - The dynamic retinoscopy controversy.

PMID- 20295378
TI  - Care and treatment of contact lenses.

PMID- 20295377
TI  - Visual psychology.

PMID- 20295379
TI  - Orthoptics in Great Britain.

PMID- 20295380
TI  - Some thoughts on visual training.

PMID- 20295381
TI  - The cauldron boils.

PMID- 20295382
TI  - Statistics of the blind.

PMID- 20295383
TI  - International health activities and the part of the voluntary agency.

PMID- 20295384
TI  - Congenital cataract associated with German measles.

PMID- 20295385
TI  - Meeting the need for nurses in sight conservation.

PMID- 20295386
TI  - The effectiveness of the services rendered by the Glaucoma Clinic of the Illinois
      Eye and Ear Infirmary.

PMID- 20295387
TI  - Meeting the need for professional medical social workers in sight conservation.

PMID- 20295388
TI  - Is industry measuring up to modern standards of eye health and protection?

PMID- 20295389
TI  - Daylight in the schoolroom.

PMID- 20295390
TI  - The development of clinical pathology as a specialty of medicine; its position in
      the years ahead and thoughts on the future training of pathologists.

PMID- 20295391
TI  - Leukemia (summary of 100 cases) and lymphosarcoma complicated by pregnancy;
      cellular changes produced in guinea pigs by extracts of leukemic placenta.

PMID- 20295392
TI  - A noninfusion blood agar base for neisseriae, pneumococci and streptococci.

PMID- 20295393
TI  - Isolation of Shigella from the gallbladder of carrier.

PMID- 20295394
TI  - Nematode infestation in Pangasinan, Luzon, Philippine Islands.

PMID- 20295395
TI  - Use of Rh-negative mother's blood in transfusions in newborn babies.

PMID- 20295396
TI  - Granular cell myoblastoma (myoblastic myoma, rhabdomyome granulo-cellulaire).

PMID- 20295397
TI  - Acute liver necrosis in fulminating infectious hepatitis.

PMID- 20295398
TI  - Air embolism occurring during mastectomy; report of a fatal case.

PMID- 20295399
TI  - Fatal cerebral coccidioidomycosis; report of case.

PMID- 20295400
TI  - Infection with Isospora hominis; report of case.

PMID- 20295401
TI  - The clinical pathologist and the diagnosis of tuberculosis.

PMID- 20295402
TI  - Five types of so-called bronchial adenoma; a histopathologic study.

PMID- 20295403
TI  - Primary fibrosarcoma of the heart with a vertebral metastasis.

PMID- 20295404
TI  - Histologic changes occurring in the hemopoietic organs of albino rats after
      single injections of 2-chloroethyl vesicants; a quantitative study.

PMID- 20295405
TI  - Acute and chronic toxicity of methyl chloride; histopathologic observations.

PMID- 20295406
TI  - Histologic comparison of the brains of vitamin A-deficient and vitamin E
      deficient chicks.

PMID- 20295407
TI  - Adamantinoma in the tibia.

PMID- 20295408
TI  - Paracolon bacillus endocarditis of the pulmonic valve secondary to infected
      polycystic kidneys.

PMID- 20295409
TI  - Hodgkin's sarcoma of uterus.

PMID- 20295410
TI  - A peroxidase reaction in paraffin sections.

PMID- 20295411
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295413
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295412
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295414
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295415
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295416
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295418
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295417
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295419
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295420
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295421
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295422
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295423
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295424
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295425
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295426
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295427
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295428
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295429
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295430
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295431
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295432
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295433
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295434
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295435
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295436
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295437
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295438
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295439
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295440
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295441
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295442
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295443
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295444
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295445
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295446
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295447
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295448
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295449
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295450
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295451
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295452
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295453
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295454
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295455
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295456
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295457
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295458
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295459
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295460
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295461
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295462
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295463
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295464
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295465
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295466
TI  - Art and the crippled child.

PMID- 20295467
TI  - A future for the cerebral palsied.

PMID- 20295468
TI  - Summer speech training.

PMID- 20295469
TI  - Help the cerebral palsied grow up.

PMID- 20295470
TI  - Animal research protects your health.

PMID- 20295471
TI  - Health service in the Pittsburgh schools.

PMID- 20295472
TI  - Ringworm of the scalp in Buffalo and vicinity.

PMID- 20295473
TI  - Sex education in the secondary schools.

PMID- 20295474
TI  - The child guidance clinic and other community resources.

PMID- 20295475
TI  - Effect of 6-methyl-2-thiouracil on rat foetuses and infantile rats.

PMID- 20295476
TI  - Toxicology of synthetic polysaccharide polysulphuric acid esters.

PMID- 20295477
TI  - A contribution to the pharmacodynamics of malonic, succinic, citric, aconitic,
      alpha-ketoglutaric and glutamic acid.

PMID- 20295478
TI  - Studies on the pharmacodynamics of cotoin.

PMID- 20295479
TI  - Effect of liver extract on lead anemia in rabbits.

PMID- 20295480
TI  - Some investigations on antithrombic substances.

PMID- 20295481
TI  - On the anticoagulant action of synthetic polysaccharide polysulphuric acids.

PMID- 20295482
TI  - On the chemotherapeutic properties of some thiazolylphenylsulphones.

PMID- 20295483
TI  - On the stimulant and depressant effects of pentamethylenetetrazol in sodium
      diethyl barbiturate depression.

PMID- 20295484
TI  - Action of quinine methochloride (methoquin) on neuromuscular transmission and its
      respiratory and cardiovascular actions.

PMID- 20295485
TI  - By-products of atomic energy for use by the pharmaceutical profession.

PMID- 20295486
TI  - Waksman and streptomycin.

PMID- 20295487
TI  - E. Merck of Darmstadt, Germany.

PMID- 20295488
TI  - A statistical approach to the determination of the weight tolerances of dry
      filled ampuls.

PMID- 20295490
TI  - ASSAY method for ergot and ergot preparations.

PMID- 20295489
TI  - Proposed N. F. specifications for methylcellulose.

PMID- 20295491
TI  - The problem of foreign botanicals.

PMID- 20295492
TI  - The occurrence of mature fruits of Piper cubeba in recently imported cubeb.

PMID- 20295493
TI  - Notes on the lead content of solution of lead subacetate, N. F.

PMID- 20295494
TI  - Progress in fungous disease therapy.

PMID- 20295495
TI  - Rutin, a new drug to fight hemorrhage.

PMID- 20295496
TI  - Should schools of pharmacy limit enrollment?

PMID- 20295497
TI  - Rapid control tests during manufacturing operations.

PMID- 20295498
TI  - The organic chemist.

PMID- 20295499
TI  - The biochemist.

PMID- 20295500
TI  - The bacteriologist.

PMID- 20295501
TI  - The pharmacologist.

PMID- 20295502
TI  - Clinical evaluation.

PMID- 20295503
TI  - The chemical engineer.

PMID- 20295504
TI  - Product development.

PMID- 20295505
TI  - Quality control.

PMID- 20295506
TI  - Food and Drug Administration.

PMID- 20295507
TI  - U.S. Public Health Service.

PMID- 20295508
TI  - The practicing pharmacist.

PMID- 20295509
TI  - The pharmacology of vasodepressor compounds structurally related to the
      sympathomimetic amines.

PMID- 20295510
TI  - The effect of perfusion through the isolated liver on the prothrombin activity of
      blood from normal and dicumarol treated rats.

PMID- 20295511
TI  - Cardiovascular effects of sodium caprylate in the cat.

PMID- 20295512
TI  - On the mechanism of paralysis resulting from toxin of Clostridium botulinum; the
      action of the toxin on acetylcholine synthesis and on striated muscle.

PMID- 20295513
TI  - Studies on veratrum alkaloids; receptor areas in the coronary arteries and
      elsewhere as revealed by the use of veratridine.

PMID- 20295514
TI  - The effect of BAL and BAL-glucoside therapy on the excretion and tissue
      distribution of injected cadmium.

PMID- 20295515
TI  - Central and autonomic effects following the combined administration of sodium
      arsenite and 2,3-dimercaptopropanol (BAL).

PMID- 20295516
TI  - Comparative central depressant actions of some 5-phenyl-5-alkyl barbituric acids.

PMID- 20295517
TI  - 3',5'-Dibromosulfanilanilide; toxicity, absorption, and metabolism.

PMID- 20295518
TI  - The effect of thorotrast on anaphylactic shock in the dog.

PMID- 20295519
TI  - The pharmacologic activity of N-methyl-beta-cyclohexyl-isopropylamine
      hydrochloride.

PMID- 20295520
TI  - Unmasking leprosy.

PMID- 20295522
TI  - This modern store has a history.

PMID- 20295521
TI  - Oriental pharmacy, U.S.A.

PMID- 20295523
TI  - The face, a mirror of character?

PMID- 20295524
TI  - Evaluating dishwashing detergents.

PMID- 20295525
TI  - CRYSTALLINE penicillin G.

PMID- 20295526
TI  - ELECTRON microscopy.

PMID- 20295528
TI  - DESOXYEPHEDRINE.

PMID- 20295527
TI  - CLINICAL use of luteotrophin.

PMID- 20295529
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295530
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295531
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295532
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295533
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295534
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295535
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295536
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295537
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295538
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295539
TI  - At the gates of heaven.

PMID- 20295540
TI  - The price of individuality; speculations about German national characteristics.

PMID- 20295541
TI  - On gambling.

PMID- 20295542
TI  - Dostoyevsky's Peasant Marey.

PMID- 20295543
TI  - Trends in affectlessness.

PMID- 20295544
TI  - The dynamism of anti-Semitism in Gentile and Jew.

PMID- 20295545
TI  - Studies in adjustment to visible injuries; evaluation of help by the injured.

PMID- 20295546
TI  - The psychological appraisal of children with neurological defects.

PMID- 20295547
TI  - Losses and gains in cognitive functions as related to electro-convulsive shocks.

PMID- 20295548
TI  - Simulated patterns on the Minnesota multiphasic personality inventory.

PMID- 20295550
TI  - Nondirective treatment of a conditioned motor block.

PMID- 20295549
TI  - The use of relaxation in short-term psychotherapy.

PMID- 20295551
TI  - Note on the scoring of the memory-for-designs test.

PMID- 20295552
TI  - Negro-white differences in intelligence in World War II; a note of caution.

PMID- 20295553
TI  - Antisocial compulsions induced under hypnotic trance.

PMID- 20295554
TI  - Rorschach variables in relation to ESP scores.

PMID- 20295555
TI  - The psychokinetic effect; further A.S.P.R. experiments.

PMID- 20295556
TI  - An exemplification of various neuroses and comparable Humm-Wadsworth temperament
      scale profiles with typical case briefs.

PMID- 20295557
TI  - Probing Canadian prejudices; a preliminary objective survey.

PMID- 20295558
TI  - Aurelius Augustine on imagination.

PMID- 20295559
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295560
TI  - Verbal facility, sensitive affect, psychometrics; two palimpsest personalities.

PMID- 20295561
TI  - Suggestion and visual impression.

PMID- 20295562
TI  - The mentality of hydrocephalics and a description of an interesting case.

PMID- 20295563
TI  - The efficiency of the group Rorschach test in the psychiatric screening of Marine
      Corps recruits.

PMID- 20295564
TI  - Psychological factors in susceptibility to motion sickness.

PMID- 20295565
TI  - Body sway and non-visual factors.

PMID- 20295566
TI  - The relation between the percentage of most listeners to a radio station and the
      percentage of the total listening time obtained by it.

PMID- 20295567
TI  - The new public psychiatry.

PMID- 20295568
TI  - Mental hospitals, 1946.

PMID- 20295569
TI  - Mental hygiene in the disabling diseases.

PMID- 20295570
TI  - Some essentials in national mental-health planning.

PMID- 20295571
TI  - Factors in the development of state mental-health programs.

PMID- 20295572
TI  - Separation anxiety.

PMID- 20295573
TI  - Therapy; a feeling and doing process.

PMID- 20295574
TI  - The question-box method of group psychotherapy.

PMID- 20295575
TI  - Pattern for rehabilitation; the role of the educator.

PMID- 20295576
TI  - What hospitalization means to the mental patient, the community, and the hospital
      social worker.

PMID- 20295577
TI  - The mental patient in the community from the viewpoint of the family agency.

PMID- 20295578
TI  - The psychiatric social worker in a mental hospital.

PMID- 20295579
TI  - Some comments on Virginia's mental health program.

PMID- 20295580
TI  - The history of disease among the natives of Alaska.

PMID- 20295582
TI  - Legal aspects of planning for local health units.

PMID- 20295581
TI  - Local health district development in New York State.

PMID- 20295583
TI  - Legal aspects from the viewpoint of a state health department.

PMID- 20295584
TI  - Scope and facilities for local health units.

PMID- 20295585
TI  - Indispensable functions from viewpoint of the state health commissioner.

PMID- 20295586
TI  - Personnel and training for local health units.

PMID- 20295587
TI  - The state health commissioner looks at personnel and training.

PMID- 20295589
TI  - How to finance local health units.

PMID- 20295588
TI  - Principles of local government organization and finance.

PMID- 20295590
TI  - Relative financial needs of state and local health departments.

PMID- 20295591
TI  - Public relations as affecting financial needs for local health units.

PMID- 20295593
TI  - Physician participation in supporting local health units.

PMID- 20295592
TI  - Promoting public support for local health units.

PMID- 20295594
TI  - How to influence people.

PMID- 20295595
TI  - Promotional activities for local health units.

PMID- 20295597
TI  - Is leprosy a menace?

PMID- 20295596
TI  - Goitre; non-toxic and toxic.

PMID- 20295598
TI  - Schools for foodhandlers in Kentucky, 1945-46.

PMID- 20295599
TI  - Geriatrics.

PMID- 20295600
TI  - Social and economic background of present agitation for a medical care program.

PMID- 20295601
TI  - Some problems in the training of personnel.

PMID- 20295602
TI  - Crippled children in Connecticut; an analysis of the state register; geographic
      distribution.

PMID- 20295603
TI  - Eating place inspection.

PMID- 20295604
TI  - Cancer control.

PMID- 20295605
TI  - Modern anaesthetics.

PMID- 20295606
TI  - Public health in the second city.

PMID- 20295607
TI  - Pacific medical school.

PMID- 20295608
TI  - Nature cure in modern medicine.

PMID- 20295609
TI  - Chest surgery is new.

PMID- 20295610
TI  - Saharan surgeon.

PMID- 20295611
TI  - The doctor in industry.

PMID- 20295612
TI  - Britain faces her tuberculosis problem.

PMID- 20295613
TI  - Mental hospital.

PMID- 20295614
TI  - Study of selectees rejected from Armed Forces for pulmonary tuberculosis.

PMID- 20295615
TI  - Hudson County and infant health.

PMID- 20295616
TI  - The statistical program of the Census Bureau.

PMID- 20295617
TI  - Problems of multiple-punching with Hollerith machines.

PMID- 20295618
TI  - A critique of a method of making actuarial estimates for a compulsory health
      insurance system.

PMID- 20295619
TI  - Some observations on life reassurance.

PMID- 20295622
TI  - Further remarks on the relationship between the values of life annuities at
      different rates of interest, including a description of a method of first
      difference interpolation and a reference to annuities-certain.

PMID- 20295620
TI  - Two-variable developments of the n-ages method.

PMID- 20295621
TI  - The financial investigation of charitable funds.

PMID- 20295623
TI  - Percentage table for the estimation of sickness rates for special periods of
      sickness.

PMID- 20295624
TI  - Some notes on interpolation.

PMID- 20295625
TI  - CONTINUOUS mortality investigation; assured lives, 1939-43.

PMID- 20295626
TI  - The recent trend of mortality in England and Wales.

PMID- 20295627
TI  - Medical aspects of life in a prisoner of war camp.

PMID- 20295628
TI  - The history of state medicine in England; the Medical Department of the Privy
      Council.

PMID- 20295629
TI  - Penicillin for scarlet fever.

PMID- 20295630
TI  - The incidence of serum allergy in 1,000 cases of scarlet fever treated with anti
      scarlatinal serum.

PMID- 20295631
TI  - The evolution of official tuberculosis control in the United States.

PMID- 20295632
TI  - Digested sludge; an aid to the activated sludge process.

PMID- 20295633
TI  - Modernization of the B. O. D. test for determining the efficacy of sewage
      treatment processes.

PMID- 20295634
TI  - Preaerated raw sludge recirculation increases primary sedimentation efficiency at
      Denver.

PMID- 20295635
TI  - Control of sewer usage at Detroit, Michigan.

PMID- 20295636
TI  - The transmission of disease by sewage.

PMID- 20295637
TI  - Effects of ground garbage on sewage treatment processes.

PMID- 20295638
TI  - Sewage treatment at an African native community.

PMID- 20295639
TI  - A study of wastes from the synthetic rubber industry.

PMID- 20295640
TI  - British developments in sewage purification practice.

PMID- 20295641
TI  - Important considerations in sludge digestion; practical aspects.

PMID- 20295642
TI  - Important considerations in sludge digestion; microbiology and theory of
      anaerobic digestion.

PMID- 20295643
TI  - The digestion of sewage sludge containing various concentrations of solids.

PMID- 20295644
TI  - Phosphates in sewage and sludge treatment; quantities of phosphates.

PMID- 20295645
TI  - Operating and experimental observations on digestion of garbage with sewage
      solids.

PMID- 20295646
TI  - Modern practices in municipal water softening.

PMID- 20295647
TI  - A plea for sound economy in stream pollution abatement.

PMID- 20295648
TI  - On the mechanism of shock or general reaction of cells and organisms to injury.

PMID- 20295649
TI  - The technique of chest fluoroscopy.

PMID- 20295651
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295650
TI  - Transposition of viscera, bronchiectasis and nasal polyps; a genetical analysis
      and a contribution to the problem of constitution.

PMID- 20295652
TI  - Roentgen diagnosis of phlegmonous gastritis.

PMID- 20295653
TI  - A system of formulae and curves bearing on the distribution of energy in the
      continuous roentgen spectrum.

PMID- 20295654
TI  - Primary carcinoma of the fallopian tube.

PMID- 20295656
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295655
TI  - Complications of myelography by abrodil.

PMID- 20295657
TI  - Mediastinal tumors in leukosis.

PMID- 20295658
TI  - On the radiological examination of the eustachian tube in cases of chronic
      otitis.

PMID- 20295659
TI  - Electrokymograph for recording heart motion, improved type.

PMID- 20295660
TI  - Roentgen manifestations in the skull of metastatic carotid body tumor
      (paraganglioma) of meningeoma and of mucocele; a report of three unusual cases.

PMID- 20295661
TI  - Primary bronchogenic cancer mistakenly diagnosed as pulmonary tuberculosis; case
      reports with body section roentgenography.

PMID- 20295662
TI  - The vallecular sign; its diagnosis and clinical significance.

PMID- 20295663
TI  - Congenital aplasia of the lung; a case report.

PMID- 20295664
TI  - The diagnosis of Ascaris infestation by serial roentgen examination of the small
      intestine.

PMID- 20295665
TI  - Examination of the urinary and lower intestinal tracts before treatment of
      carcinoma of the cervix uteri.

PMID- 20295666
TI  - Congenital malformations induced in rats by roentgen rays; skeletal changes in
      the offspring following a single irradiation of the mother.

PMID- 20295668
TI  - Prominent inner malleolus; a cause of painful and enlarged ankle region.

PMID- 20295667
TI  - The correlation of tissue dose and clinical response in irradiation of bone
      tumors and of normal bone.

PMID- 20295669
TI  - Appearance and growth of ossification centers and increases in the body
      dimensions of white and Negro infants.

PMID- 20295670
TI  - A simple method for roentgenography of the chest presenting marked variations in
      density.

PMID- 20295671
TI  - Reasons for the common anatomic location of pulmonary tuberculosis.

PMID- 20295672
TI  - The roentgen findings in early coccidioidomycosis.

PMID- 20295673
TI  - Pulmonary sarcoidosis; the early roentgen findings.

PMID- 20295674
TI  - Roentgen therapy in Hodgkin's disease.

PMID- 20295675
TI  - The early effects of X-rays on the ovaries of the rat.

PMID- 20295676
TI  - A roentgenkymographic study of the heart in myasthenia gravis.

PMID- 20295677
TI  - Roentgen findings in torulosis; report of four cases.

PMID- 20295678
TI  - A study of 24,615 separation chest roentgenograms.

PMID- 20295679
TI  - Aortic aneurysm secondary to coarctation; report of a case showing calcification.

PMID- 20295680
TI  - Problems of acquired radioresistance of cancer; adaptation of tumor cells.

PMID- 20295681
TI  - X-ray technique.

PMID- 20295682
TI  - The anode heel effect in radiography.

PMID- 20295683
TI  - Roentgengrams of surgical and postmortem specimens.

PMID- 20295684
TI  - Modern X-ray physics in miniature.

PMID- 20295685
TI  - X-ray examination of the thymus of the newborn infant.

PMID- 20295686
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295687
TI  - Case of spontaneous rupture of the subclavian artery.

PMID- 20295688
TI  - Cat bite; pasteurellosis; halisteresis.

PMID- 20295689
TI  - A study of new bone formation provoked by subperiosteal injections of blood
      plasma, extract of bone marrow, etc., an investigation by experiments on animals.

PMID- 20295690
TI  - Operative treatment of gallstone ileus without enterotomy.

PMID- 20295691
TI  - On diaphragmatic hernia.

PMID- 20295692
TI  - On shock during the healing stage of peritonitis.

PMID- 20295693
TI  - The problem of hypoproteinemia in delayed gastric emptying after stomach
      resection.

PMID- 20295694
TI  - Three cases of osteomyelitis in children treated with penicillin.

PMID- 20295695
TI  - Low spinal cord injuries following spinal anesthesia.

PMID- 20295696
TI  - A lenient method for reposition of fractures and dislocations of the vertebral
      column.

PMID- 20295697
TI  - An easily adjustable distraction apparatus.

PMID- 20295698
TI  - A contribution to the operative treatment (resection) of cancer of the rectum.

PMID- 20295699
TI  - An investigation, by experiments on animals, of the role played by the epiphysial
      cartilage in longitudinal growth.

PMID- 20295700
TI  - On the frequency of complications, especially those of long duration, after
      spinal anaesthesia.

PMID- 20295701
TI  - A case of double bladder; remarks on my earlier work of the same title.

PMID- 20295702
TI  - Total resection of the carcinomatous stomach.

PMID- 20295703
TI  - Malignant nasopharyngeal tumours manifesting themselves as parotid tumours.

PMID- 20295704
TI  - Treatment of cancer of the colon.

PMID- 20295705
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295707
TI  - Drainage in operations on the bile passages.

PMID- 20295706
TI  - On spontaneous complete discharge of stones from the gallbladder and common duct.

PMID- 20295708
TI  - A new method of treating capillary haemangiomas.

PMID- 20295709
TI  - Postoperative emptying difficulties in direct connection with gastric resection.

PMID- 20295710
TI  - Postoperative pulmonary atelectasis.

PMID- 20295711
TI  - Caudal trans-sacral anesthesia in rectal surgery; its routine use in more than
      2,000 cases.

PMID- 20295712
TI  - Injuries to the semilunar cartilages of the knee joint.

PMID- 20295713
TI  - Maxillofacial injuries; reconstructive surgery of the dehiscent parotid duct and
      dehiscent peripheral facial nerve.

PMID- 20295714
TI  - Late repair of massive tissue defects by the split skin-lined flap graft.

PMID- 20295715
TI  - Surgical approach to the tibial nerve below the popliteal fossa.

PMID- 20295716
TI  - Continuous, vertical mattress suture; its application and usefulness.

PMID- 20295717
TI  - Experiences with pulsating hematoma.

PMID- 20295718
TI  - Method for repair of posterior tibial nerve.

PMID- 20295719
TI  - Simple technic of suturing in gastrointestinal anastomoses.

PMID- 20295720
TI  - Reduction of rectal prolapse.

PMID- 20295721
TI  - Glenard's disease (generalized visceroptosis) the importance of some of its
      complications.

PMID- 20295723
TI  - Ligation of inferior vena cava for septic thrombophlebitis.

PMID- 20295722
TI  - Management of multiple compound facial wounds caused by whirling airplane
      propellor.

PMID- 20295724
TI  - Monteggia fracture.

PMID- 20295725
TI  - Spontaneous salpingo-colic fistula complicating pyosalpinx.

PMID- 20295726
TI  - Ligation of the inferior vena cava.

PMID- 20295727
TI  - New type of fastener for joint separations and oblique fractures.

PMID- 20295728
TI  - Apparatus for refrigeration anesthesia.

PMID- 20295729
TI  - New ligation knife facilitating subcutaneous ligation of varicose veins.

PMID- 20295730
TI  - Apparatus for rapid construction of molded splints.

PMID- 20295731
TI  - Burned and traumatized hands.

PMID- 20295732
TI  - Management of colostomies in the Fifteenth Hospital Center, England.

PMID- 20295733
TI  - A modified technic for total gastrectomy.

PMID- 20295734
TI  - Ruptured intervertebral disk in the cervical region; a report of 20 cases.

PMID- 20295736
TI  - Tuberculosis of bones and joints.

PMID- 20295735
TI  - Streptomycin and parachlorophenol in surgical infections.

PMID- 20295737
TI  - Infections of the bones and joints.

PMID- 20295738
TI  - Chronic arthritis.

PMID- 20295739
TI  - Penicillin in the treatment of infections in the nasal passages and sinuses.

PMID- 20295740
TI  - The nature of the pilonidal sinus.

PMID- 20295741
TI  - Drainage in infected cavernous sinus thrombosis.

PMID- 20295743
TI  - Intrathoracic neurogenic neoplasms, with a report of four cases.

PMID- 20295742
TI  - A preliminary note on a study of post-operative thrombosis, with special
      reference to a pre-thrombotic state.

PMID- 20295744
TI  - Bronchoscopy in post-operative pulmonary complications.

PMID- 20295745
TI  - Cystectomy.

PMID- 20295746
TI  - A case of prolapsed intervertebral disk, with ante-mortem and post-mortem
      findings.

PMID- 20295747
TI  - Peripheral traumatic aneurysm.

PMID- 20295748
TI  - Treatment of Trichomonas vaginalis vaginitis.

PMID- 20295749
TI  - Extensive hemangioma; report of cases.

PMID- 20295750
TI  - The choice of operation for the treatment of arteriovenous fistulas.

PMID- 20295751
TI  - The action of urea and some of its derivatives on bacteria; the effect of a
      mixture of urethane and sulfanilamide on the bacterial flora of infected wounds
      in man.

PMID- 20295752
TI  - Gelatin solution in the treatment of shock from graded hemorrhage.

PMID- 20295754
TI  - A comparison of suture and nonsuture methods for the anastomosis of veins.

PMID- 20295753
TI  - Circumscribed chronic suppurative mastitis simulating cancer.

PMID- 20295756
TI  - Malignant lymphoma; the value of radical surgery in selected cases.

PMID- 20295755
TI  - Origin and development of the erect posture.

PMID- 20295757
TI  - Digestion of living tissue by the hyperacid stomach; an experimental study.

PMID- 20295758
TI  - Adolescent primigravida.

PMID- 20295759
TI  - Results of treatment of epidermoid carcinoma of the anus and rectum.

PMID- 20295760
TI  - Management of jaw fractures.

PMID- 20295761
TI  - Surgery of the posterior interosseous branch of the radial nerve; analysis of 58
      cases.

PMID- 20295762
TI  - Histopathology of the gastric semisquamous epithelial layer.

PMID- 20295763
TI  - Notes on the history of resuscitation in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations.

PMID- 20295764
TI  - The value of red cell transfusions.

PMID- 20295765
TI  - Anemia in burns.

PMID- 20295766
TI  - Did cholera defeat Custer?

PMID- 20295767
TI  - The treatment of injuries of the spinal cord.

PMID- 20295768
TI  - Chemosurgical treatment of cancer of the ear; a microscopically controlled method
      of excision.

PMID- 20295769
TI  - Successful suture of the abdominal aorta for arteriovenous fistula.

PMID- 20295770
TI  - Evaluation of the basal vascular tone test as an indication for sympathectomy in
      the treatment of surgical lesions of the major arteries.

PMID- 20295771
TI  - The fluorescein wheat test for collateral circulation in the preoperative
      evaluation of patients with aneurysms and arteriovenous fistulas.

PMID- 20295772
TI  - Direct measurement of blood pressure within arterial aneurysms and arteriovenous
      fistulas.

PMID- 20295773
TI  - A method of rapid transfusion into the femoral vessels in patients without
      adequate peripheral superficial veins.

PMID- 20295774
TI  - Wound healing studies on several substances recommended for the treatment of
      burns.

PMID- 20295775
TI  - The treatment of bedsores in paraplegic patients.

PMID- 20295776
TI  - Acute cholecystitis, with special reference to the occurrence of jaundice.

PMID- 20295777
TI  - Intrathecal penicillin in bacterial meningitis.

PMID- 20295778
TI  - Intra-arterial penicillin in the surgical treatment of infections of the
      extremities.

PMID- 20295779
TI  - The importance of precise bacteriologic data in the treatment of infections of
      the urogenital tract.

PMID- 20295780
TI  - The postgastrectomy syndrome.

PMID- 20295781
TI  - Three hundred seventy-four acute war wounds of the thorax.

PMID- 20295782
TI  - The six subphrenic spaces; applied anatomy and surgical considerations.

PMID- 20295783
TI  - Cotton versus catgut as suture material in herniorrhaphy.

PMID- 20295784
TI  - Dislocation at the acromioclavicular articulation; a note on technique of
      radiographic examination of the shoulder in suspected dislocation at the
      acromioclavicular or humeroscapular articulation.

PMID- 20295785
TI  - Tracheotomy in maxillofacial surgery.

PMID- 20295786
TI  - Pleuralization of the left-bronchus in pneumonectomy.

PMID- 20295787
TI  - The evaluation of disability and treatment in hemiplegia.

PMID- 20295788
TI  - A survey method for radiation coverage patterns of infra-red generators.

PMID- 20295789
TI  - Vertebral changes following experimentally produced muscle imbalance; preliminary
      report.

PMID- 20295790
TI  - A poliomyelitis program in a general hospital.

PMID- 20295791
TI  - Muscle strength and the weather.

PMID- 20295792
TI  - Trends in training in physical medicine.

PMID- 20295793
TI  - Disability resulting from injuries to peripheral nerves.

PMID- 20295794
TI  - Kinesotherapy and extension treatment in rheumatoid arthritis.

PMID- 20295795
TI  - Bismuth therapy and physiotherapy in rheumatoid arthritis.

PMID- 20295796
TI  - Physical medicine in Switzerland; its development and present position.

PMID- 20295797
TI  - The early treatment of injuries.

PMID- 20295798
TI  - Injuries seen in a factory ambulance room.

PMID- 20295799
TI  - Venereal diseases in relationship to industrial medicine.

PMID- 20295800
TI  - Care of the chronic sick.

PMID- 20295801
TI  - The fundamental position of rest; its use in certain conditions of the spine,
      especially sciatica.

PMID- 20295802
TI  - Some medical problems of the asbestos cement industry.

PMID- 20295804
TI  - The way to natural childbirth.

PMID- 20295803
TI  - Electromyography.

PMID- 20295805
TI  - Relaxation.

PMID- 20295806
TI  - Medical philosophical treatise on mental alienation.

PMID- 20295807
TI  - The use of social and non-equipment games in occupational therapy.

PMID- 20295808
TI  - Kinetic analysis of crafts and occupations.

PMID- 20295809
TI  - Occupational therapy in psychiatric treatment.

PMID- 20295810
TI  - A new formula for teaching ambulation to paraplegics.

PMID- 20295811
TI  - Studies in psychiatric occupational therapy.

PMID- 20295812
TI  - Social service in the rehabilitation process.

PMID- 20295813
TI  - Physical therapy management of lower extremity amputees.

PMID- 20295814
TI  - Emphasis on exercise as a therapeutic agent; in a naval physical therapy
      department.

PMID- 20295815
TI  - The physical therapist overseas.

PMID- 20295816
TI  - Physical therapy in the industrial clinic.

PMID- 20295817
TI  - Physical therapy in a curative workshop.

PMID- 20295818
TI  - Post sanatorium care.

PMID- 20295819
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295820
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295821
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295822
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295823
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295824
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295825
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295827
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295826
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295828
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295829
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295830
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295831
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295832
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295833
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295834
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295835
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295836
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295837
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295838
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295839
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295840
TI  - Problems of renal lithiasis.

PMID- 20295841
TI  - Abacterial pyuria from a new angle.

PMID- 20295842
TI  - Retrocaval ureter with description of an operation case complicated by ureteric
      calculus.

PMID- 20295843
TI  - A pyelographic test for renal fixity during respiration.

PMID- 20295844
TI  - Reiter's disease followed by true infective abacterial pyuria.

PMID- 20295845
TI  - Urinary fistula following vasostomy.

PMID- 20295846
TI  - An unusual case of multiple and widespread calculi.

PMID- 20295847
TI  - The testis biopsy in infertility.

PMID- 20295848
TI  - An unusually large pelvic hydronephrosis treated by excision of the kidney cap.

PMID- 20295849
TI  - Fibrin foam and gelfoam in experimental kidney wounds.

PMID- 20295850
TI  - Gelfoam hemostasis in prostatic surgery.

PMID- 20295851
TI  - The use of absorbable gauze (oxidized cellulose) in urological surgery.

PMID- 20295852
TI  - The use of gelfoam in transurethral resection.

PMID- 20295853
TI  - Agenesis of the right kidney with a retroperitoneal cyst arising in a persistent
      metanephros.

PMID- 20295854
TI  - Effects of overdistention of the renal pelvis and ureter; a study on pyelovenous
      backflow.

PMID- 20295855
TI  - Aneurysm of the hypogastric artery producing urinary tract obstruction; report of
      a case.

PMID- 20295856
TI  - Reimplantation of the ureter into the bladder by a flap method.

PMID- 20295857
TI  - Vaginal cystectomy.

PMID- 20295858
TI  - Pseudosphincter formation in neurogenic bladder.

PMID- 20295859
TI  - Foreign body (Kirschner wire) removed from bladder.

PMID- 20295860
TI  - Enormous mucoid cyst of the urachus.

PMID- 20295861
TI  - A new resectoscope knife.

PMID- 20295862
TI  - Hemorrhagic infarction of the testicle in the newborn.

PMID- 20295863
TI  - Benign solid tumor of the epididymis.

PMID- 20295864
TI  - Angioma of the glans penis.

PMID- 20295865
TI  - Suture meatotomy.

PMID- 20295866
TI  - Excision of the internal spermatic vein for varicocele.

PMID- 20295867
TI  - Treatment of chronic nonspecific prostatitis with oral penicillin.

PMID- 20295868
TI  - Synergistic action between the sulfonamides, certain dyes, and streptomycin
      against gram-negative bacteria; preliminary report.

PMID- 20295869
TI  - Streptomycin in genito-urinary infections.

PMID- 20295870
TI  - Experiences and lessons of emergency urological surgery in war.

PMID- 20295871
TI  - A method of sterilizing catheters and storing them for immediate use.

PMID- 20295872
TI  - Postwar progress against prostitution; unfinished business.

PMID- 20295873
TI  - IS commercialized prostitution returning? a seven year survey; an analysis of
      2,626 studies made by the American Social Hygiene Association, January 1, 1940 to
      December 31, 1946, in 1,177 communities.

PMID- 20295875
TI  - MILESTONES in the march against prostitution.

PMID- 20295874
TI  - Are we holding our own against prostitution? a postwar review of progress in the
      United States.

PMID- 20295876
TI  - The cost of venereal disease contact investigation in Tennessee.

PMID- 20295877
TI  - North Carolina's experience with the investigation of suspected venereal disease
      contacts.

PMID- 20295878
TI  - Significance and interpretation of quantitative blood tests for syphilis.

PMID- 20295879
TI  - The blood in equine periodic ophthalmia.

PMID- 20295880
TI  - Immunologic and clinical studies on plasma fractions from domestic livestock; the
      antibody content of porcine and bovine gamma globulin.

PMID- 20295881
TI  - Concentrations of penicillin in the bovine mammary gland following infusion and
      the penicillin tolerance of certain streptococci.

PMID- 20295882
TI  - Permanent enteric fistulas for studies of ruminant digestion, assimilation, and
      elimination.

PMID- 20295883
TI  - Milk fever (parturient paresis) as a manifestation of alkalosis.

PMID- 20295884
TI  - The resistance of chronic staphylococcic bovine mastitis to massive penicillin
      therapy.

PMID- 20295885
TI  - Vibrionic abortion in cattle.

PMID- 20295886
TI  - Antigenic relationship between the genus Mycobacterium and the genus
      Corynebacterium in goats and cattle.

PMID- 20295887
TI  - Experimental treatment of trichostrongylosis in sheep with phenothiazine.

PMID- 20295888
TI  - Streptomycin in the treatment of experimental brucellosis of guinea pigs.

PMID- 20295889
TI  - The chemotherapy of cecal coccidiosis.

PMID- 20295890
TI  - Studies in pullorum disease; antigenic differences in strains of Salmonella
      pullorum.

PMID- 20295891
TI  - Cultivation of the virus of infectious bronchitis of chickens in embryonated
      chicken eggs.

PMID- 20295892
TI  - Escherichia coli in the blood stream of adult fowl affected with the ocular form
      of fowl paralysis.

PMID- 20295893
TI  - The toxicity of sulfamerazine to chickens.

PMID- 20295894
TI  - Studies on fly strike in Merino sheep; the effect of tail-length on
      susceptibility to fly strike in ewes.

PMID- 20295895
TI  - PROGRESS report on the investigations into the etiology and control of enzootic
      (toxaemic) jaundice of sheep.

PMID- 20295896
TI  - The practice of veterinary medicine in a veterinary service district in
      Saskatchewan.

PMID- 20295897
TI  - An outbreak of mastitis caused by Streptococcus pyogenes and the effect of
      treatment with penicillin.

PMID- 20295898
TI  - Studies in pullorum disease; disinfection of incubators with propylene and
      triethylene glycol.

PMID- 20295899
TI  - Comparison of human and bovine type tuberculin on guinea pigs sensitized with
      several acid-fast microorganisms.

PMID- 20295900
TI  - Non-specific pullorum agglutination reactions; post mortem studies on fowl
      exhibiting non-specific reactions over an extended period.

PMID- 20295902
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20295903
TI  - Osteoporosis in horses.

PMID- 20295904
TI  - The role of nutrition in livestock improvement.

PMID- 20295905
TI  - Carcinoma of the horn in bovines.

PMID- 20295906
TI  - Indigenous drugs of India, their veterinary and economic aspects.

PMID- 20295907
TI  - Occurrence of Bact. alcaligenes sp. in duck eggs.

PMID- 20295909
TI  - Avian spirochetosis.

PMID- 20295908
TI  - Pervious urachus in a heifer-calf.

PMID- 20295910
TI  - Caesarean section in a Pomeranian.

PMID- 20295911
TI  - A case of mixed protozoal infection in a dog.

PMID- 20295912
TI  - So, you are a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

PMID- 20295913
TI  - MEXICAN outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

PMID- 20295914
TI  - Cesarean section and torsion of the uterus in cows.

PMID- 20295915
TI  - Endocrine therapy in veterinary medicine.

PMID- 20295916
TI  - Clinical use of sulfamerazine in the treatment of hemorrhagic septicemia and
      pneumonia in cattle.

PMID- 20295917
TI  - Penicillin in canine distempter meningitis.

PMID- 20295918
TI  - Panel discussion on poultry problems.

PMID- 20295919
TI  - Generalized tuberculosis in a goat.

PMID- 20295920
TI  - Suspected arthritic brucellosis in a gilt.

PMID- 20295921
TI  - Formulating dog foods of high quality.

PMID- 20295922
TI  - RHODE ISLAND Supreme Court upholds recognition of approved schools.

PMID- 20295923
TI  - The amounts of feeds and nutrients in the rumen of cattle throughout a 24-hour
      period as affected by plane of feeding and character of ration.

PMID- 20295924
TI  - Thiamine content of raw and cooked pork tissues from pigs of known dietary
      history.

PMID- 20295925
TI  - The effect of intake of garbage fat upon fat content of sow's milk.

PMID- 20295926
TI  - The influence of thiouracil and thiourea on the growth and fattening of lambs.

PMID- 20295927
TI  - The effect of thiouracil in the ration of growing swine.

PMID- 20295928
TI  - The effect of thiouracil on the growth and fattening of yearling steers.

PMID- 20295929
TI  - Heat tolerance comparisons between Jersey and Holstein cows.

PMID- 20295930
TI  - Effects of artificial showers, natural rain and wallowing on the body temperature
      of animals.

PMID- 20295931
TI  - Carotene blood levels and reproductive performance in range Hereford cattle.

PMID- 20295932
TI  - The relative accuracy of one-day and three-day weaning weights of calves.

PMID- 20295933
TI  - Effect of techniques of preparing semen smears for staining on the morphology of
      bull spermatozoa.

PMID- 20295935
TI  - Breed crosses used in the development of Targhee sheep.

PMID- 20295934
TI  - Refining methods for using opal blue stain in evaluating ram semen.

PMID- 20295936
TI  - No. 6 Indian Field Veterinary Hospital.

PMID- 20295937
TI  - Extracts from the diary of a veterinary officer in the M.E.F. and C.M.F.

PMID- 20295938
TI  - The transport of animals by sea between South Africa and India during World War
      II.

PMID- 20295939
TI  - The treatment of contaminated wounds.

PMID- 20295940
TI  - Castration of swine.

PMID- 20295941
TI  - Diagnosis and treatment of early traumatic gastritis of bovines.

PMID- 20295942
TI  - Field studies of sulfamerazine in the control of pullorum and some other diseases
      of domestic birds.

PMID- 20295943
TI  - The management of pseudo-cyesis and pyometra.

PMID- 20295944
TI  - Acanthosis nigricans possibly an A avitaminosis.

PMID- 20295946
TI  - Psittacosis.

PMID- 20295945
TI  - The tonsillar tissue of the dog.

PMID- 20295947
TI  - Reduction of fracture in a Shetland pony.

PMID- 20295948
TI  - An unusual case of insecticide poisoning in pigs.

PMID- 20295949
TI  - D. D. T. as an anti-blowfly dip.

PMID- 20295950
TI  - Ancient horse-shoes.

PMID- 20295951
TI  - Joint-ill in foals (pyosepticaemia) with special reference to the prophylactic
      treatment of the foal at birth.

PMID- 20295952
TI  - Chemotherapy of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae infections in mice with
      streptomycin.

PMID- 20295953
TI  - Prostatic disease in the dog; clinical manifestations and treatment.

PMID- 20295954
TI  - Common ailments of canaries.

PMID- 20295955
TI  - Lameness of undetermined cause in cattle associated with gangrene.

PMID- 20295956
TI  - SEQUEL TO INOCULATION against Corynebacterium pyogenes (summer) mastitis; full
      text of Mr. Justice Hallett's judgment in the Chester case.

PMID- 20295957
TI  - The functions of the university.

PMID- 20295958
TI  - The diagnosis of traumatic reticulitis and pericarditis of bovines.

PMID- 20295960
TI  - Moor sickness.

PMID- 20295959
TI  - Some practical aspects of Corynebacterium pyogenes infections in cattle.

PMID- 20295961
TI  - A case of mistaken diagnosis: lipoma diagnosed as dead foetus.

PMID- 20295962
TI  - Calfhood vaccination against Bang's disease, using an aerobic strain of Brucella
      abortus of moderate virulence.

PMID- 20295963
TI  - The recreations of veterinary surgeons.

PMID- 20295964
TI  - Salmonella enteritidis var. dublin infection in a cow resulting in an outbreak of
      human gastro-enteritis.

PMID- 20295965
TI  - INOCULATION risks; legal liability of veterinary surgeons providing and using
      defective materials.

PMID- 20295966
TI  - Bacterial chemotherapy in veterinary medicine.

PMID- 20295967
TI  - Unusual foreign body; dog.

PMID- 20295968
TI  - Some new and rare records of piroplasmosis with a list of the species of Babesia
      and Theileria so far recorded from Egypt.

PMID- 20295969
TI  - Greyhound racing.

PMID- 20295970
TI  - Demodectic mange in the bovine.

PMID- 20295972
TI  - The relation of husbandry to animal health.

PMID- 20295971
TI  - Diet and canine hysteria.

PMID- 20295973
TI  - Soluthiazole as curative agent for a husky cough of unascertained origin in pigs.

PMID- 20295974
TI  - Infectious feline agranulocytosis or malignant panleucopenia.

PMID- 20295975
TI  - A year in general practice.

PMID- 20295976
TI  - Treatment of fascioliasis of cattle and sheep with a suspension of
      hexachlorethane and bentonite.

PMID- 20295977
TI  - Diet and canine hysteria.

PMID- 20295978
TI  - CAREERS in zoology.

PMID- 20295979
TI  - Feline enteritis and feline distemper; a survey of the literature.

PMID- 20295980
TI  - International veterinary cooperation, a necessity.

PMID- 20295981
TI  - Rupture in a foal and its reduction.

PMID- 20295982
TI  - The relative insecticidal activities of DDT and related organic molecules.

PMID- 20295984
TI  - Notes on some Maine shrews.

PMID- 20295983
TI  - A study of the deer and elk herds of Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

PMID- 20295985
TI  - Notes on the natural history of the bat Corynorhinus rafinesquii in California.

PMID- 20295986
TI  - Paternal care of young mice of the genus Peromyscus.

PMID- 20295987
TI  - A deer-coyote episode.

PMID- 20295988
TI  - Notes on Mexican mammals.

PMID- 20295989
TI  - Two new cotton rats.

PMID- 20295990
TI  - Spontaneous neoplasms in fishes; fibro-carcinoma-like growth in the stomach of
      Borophryne apogon Regan, a deep-sea ceratioid fish.

PMID- 20295991
TI  - Studies on the genus Hirudinella, giant trematodes of scombriform fishes.

PMID- 20295993
TI  - Lysis in vitro of sensitized leucocytes by ragweed antigen.

PMID- 20295992
TI  - Histamine antagonists; comparative antianaphylactic activity of some new
      antihistaminic drugs.

PMID- 20295994
TI  - Pollen tolerance; its bearing on the treatment of hay fever.

PMID- 20295995
TI  - Contact-type eczematous dermatitis; modern classifications and remarks on
      therapy.

PMID- 20295996
TI  - Occupational dermatitis; with special reference to eczema-dermatitis of the
      hands.

PMID- 20295997
TI  - Some problems of atopic dermatitis in infancy and childhood.

PMID- 20295998
TI  - Atopic dermatitis in infants, children, and adults; with special reference to the
      role of inhalants and dander.

PMID- 20295999
TI  - Antibodies to ragweed extract; demonstration by collodion particle technique in
      immune rabbit serum but not in serum of treated patients.

PMID- 20296000
TI  - Anaphylactogenic properties of heparin in the guinea pig.

PMID- 20296001
TI  - Blood studies in allergy; variations in eosinophiles following test feeding of
      foods.

PMID- 20296002
TI  - The sensitizing factor in merthiolate.

PMID- 20296003
TI  - Allergy (asthma) to ingested gum tragacanth; a case report.

PMID- 20296004
TI  - Structural proteins and oriented lipoids in the cytoplasm of secreting and
      resorbing epithelial cells.

PMID- 20296005
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296006
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296007
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296008
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296009
TI  - Effect of desoxicorticosterone acetate on kidneys of male white mice.

PMID- 20296010
TI  - The torsion of the humerus; its localization, cause and duration in man.

PMID- 20296011
TI  - A cytochemical survey of phosphatases in mammalian liver, pancreas and salivary
      glands.

PMID- 20296012
TI  - The placentation of the American shrews, Blarina brevicauda and Sorex fumeus.

PMID- 20296013
TI  - An experimental study of lymph node regeneration in rabbits.

PMID- 20296014
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296015
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296016
TI  - Facts and speculations concerning the origin of Homo sapiens.

PMID- 20296017
TI  - Witch-fear in post-contact Kaska society.

PMID- 20296018
TI  - Anthropology during the war; the Arab world.

PMID- 20296019
TI  - The rate of nitrogen elimination from the body through the lungs.

PMID- 20296020
TI  - An electronic warning device for oxygen breathing systems.

PMID- 20296021
TI  - Studies on positive pressure respiration; effect of continuous pressure breathing
      on arterial blood gases at high altitude.

PMID- 20296022
TI  - Arterial oxygen saturation at altitude.

PMID- 20296023
TI  - The influence of cold upon the efficiency of man.

PMID- 20296024
TI  - Occurrence of bends, scotomata and hemianopsia at altitudes below 20,000 feet.

PMID- 20296025
TI  - Evaluation of certain tests of physical fitness.

PMID- 20296026
TI  - The martinet.

PMID- 20296027
TI  - Air evacuation activities.

PMID- 20296028
TI  - The physical principles involved in pilot comfort and efficiency.

PMID- 20296029
TI  - Medical care of casualties in long distance air evacuation.

PMID- 20296030
TI  - The changes in pressure in the peritoneal cavity produced by sudden deceleration
      of experimental animals.

PMID- 20296031
TI  - Effect of sulfamethazine on the coccidian parasite, Eimeria tenella, of chickens.

PMID- 20296032
TI  - Developmental stages in the life cycle of Eimeria tenella affected by
      sulfamethazine treatment.

PMID- 20296033
TI  - The relative susceptibility of 41 sweetpotato varieties, introductions, and
      seedlings to the root-knot nematode, Heterodera marioni (Cornu) Goodey.

PMID- 20296034
TI  - Preliminary tests to determine the nematocidal and fungicidal properties of
      certain chemical compounds when used as soil fumigants.

PMID- 20296035
TI  - A note on the fungoid nature of certain internal structures of Miescher's sacs
      (Sarocystis) from a naturally infected sheep and a naturally infected duck.

PMID- 20296036
TI  - Growth rate of pigs fed skim milk to control intestinal parasites.

PMID- 20296037
TI  - A note on the caudal papillae of the male of Wehr dikmansia cervipedis (Wehr and
      Dikmans, 1935) Caballero, 1945.

PMID- 20296038
TI  - The anthelmintic action of toluenes in dogs.

PMID- 20296039
TI  - Diagnosis of gastrointestinal nematode parasitism of sheep by differential egg
      counts.

PMID- 20296040
TI  - Preliminary note on the successful breeding of an intermediate host of the
      Asiatic blood fluke.

PMID- 20296041
TI  - The problem-centered biology laboratory study.

PMID- 20296042
TI  - The profession of medical technology.

PMID- 20296043
TI  - APPROVED schools for clinical laboratory technicians.

PMID- 20296044
TI  - The control and treatment of parasites in cattle.

PMID- 20296045
TI  - The pallial organs in the aspidobranch Gastropoda and their evolution throughout
      the Mollusca.

PMID- 20296046
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296047
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296048
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296049
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296050
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296051
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296052
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296053
TI  - Heart disease; some views and comments.

PMID- 20296054
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296055
TI  - High oxygen concentration under normal and increased respiratory pressure in
      cardiac pain and in pulmonary edema.

PMID- 20296056
TI  - An unusual electrocardiographic pattern of the myocardial infarction type(QT1C5
      6).

PMID- 20296057
TI  - 2-Thiouracil in heart failure and in angina pectoris.

PMID- 20296058
TI  - Heart disease and pregnancy.

PMID- 20296059
TI  - Studies on the biosynthesis of penicillin.

PMID- 20296060
TI  - The enzymatic inactivation of indoleacetic acid; some characteristics of the
      enzyme contained in pea seedlings.

PMID- 20296061
TI  - Assimilation of acetate by yeast.

PMID- 20296062
TI  - Studies on the sulfur metabolism of Escherichia coli; the growth characteristics
      and metabolism of a mutant strain requiring methionine.

PMID- 20296063
TI  - Studies on the sulfur metabolism of Escherichia coli; interrelations of
      norleucine and methionine in the nutrition of Escherichia coli and of a
      methionine-requiring mutant of Escherichia coli.

PMID- 20296064
TI  - Studies on the sulfur metabolism of Escherichia coli; mutant strains of
      Escherichia coli unable to utilize sulfate for their complete sulfur
      requirements.

PMID- 20296065
TI  - The production of exocellular pectic enzymes by Penicillium chrysogenum; on the
      formation and adaptive nature of polygalacturonase and pectinesterase.

PMID- 20296066
TI  - The oxidation of carbohydrates by a surface strain of Penicillium notatum.

PMID- 20296067
TI  - The apparent concentration of free tryptophan, histidine and cystine in normal
      human urine measured microbiologically.

PMID- 20296068
TI  - The apparent concentration of free tryptophan, histidine and cystine in
      pathological human urine measured microbiologically.

PMID- 20296069
TI  - The apoenzymatic nature of adaptation to galactose fermentation.

PMID- 20296070
TI  - The synthesis of S-carboxymethylhomocysteine and S-beta-carboxyethylhomocysteine
      and a study of their availability for growth of rats maintained on a low-casein
      diet.

PMID- 20296071
TI  - The enzymatic conversion of tryptophan to auxin by spinach leaves.

PMID- 20296072
TI  - Interaction between tobacco mosaic virus and bovine serum albumin.

PMID- 20296073
TI  - The management of antro-buccal fistula.

PMID- 20296074
TI  - The necessity of close co-operation between the medical and dental professions.

PMID- 20296075
TI  - Sialolithiasis; a case report.

PMID- 20296076
TI  - Epitheliomatous development in dental cyst.

PMID- 20296077
TI  - Normal and abnormal occlusion of the teeth of Australian aboriginal children.

PMID- 20296078
TI  - The use of acrylic resins in restorative dentistry.

PMID- 20296079
TI  - The relationship of general medicine to diseases of the mouth.

PMID- 20296080
TI  - General anaesthetics for dental surgery.

PMID- 20296081
TI  - Dental health education in N.S.W.

PMID- 20296082
TI  - Periodontal conditions; etiologic factors in management.

PMID- 20296083
TI  - Anterior fixed bridge prosthesis including acrylic resins.

PMID- 20296084
TI  - Submucous surgery for better denture service.

PMID- 20296085
TI  - ROLE of fluorine in dental caries; fluorination of drinking water.

PMID- 20296087
TI  - The future of dentistry.

PMID- 20296086
TI  - COUNCIL discusses present status of sulfathiazole gum.

PMID- 20296088
TI  - The role of ethyl chloride as an obtundent in cavity preparation.

PMID- 20296089
TI  - Reactions pulpaires aux ciments silicates.

PMID- 20296090
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296091
TI  - Operation of the dental program of the Veterans Administration in Pennsylvania.

PMID- 20296092
TI  - The present status and treatment of periodontal diseases.

PMID- 20296093
TI  - Protective posture for dentists.

PMID- 20296094
TI  - Four pioneers in the science of nutrition, Lind, Rumford, Chadwick, and Graham.

PMID- 20296095
TI  - Experiments in changing food habits.

PMID- 20296096
TI  - Protein therapy in emaciation.

PMID- 20296097
TI  - The loss of ascorbic acid in the preparation of old and freshly harvested
      potatoes.

PMID- 20296098
TI  - The loss of ascorbic acid in potatoes during storage.

PMID- 20296099
TI  - Vitamin retention and palatability of evaporated apricots.

PMID- 20296100
TI  - Studies on riboflavin-deficiency with a simple method.

PMID- 20296101
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296102
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296103
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296104
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296106
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296105
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296107
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296108
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296109
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296110
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296111
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296112
TI  - Hungerdiseases during the period of famine in 1945.

PMID- 20296113
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296114
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296115
TI  - The interpretation of estrogenic assays.

PMID- 20296116
TI  - The imposition of diurnal ovulatory and temperature rhythms by periodic feeding
      of hens maintained under continuous light.

PMID- 20296117
TI  - The effect of pregnancy complicated by alloxan diabetes on the fetuses of dogs,
      rabbits and rats.

PMID- 20296118
TI  - Effect of thyroidectomy on the conversion of carotene to vitamine A.

PMID- 20296119
TI  - Regulation of pituitary adrenocorticotrophic activity during the response of the
      rat to acute stress.

PMID- 20296120
TI  - The role of the adrenal cortex in mammary development and its relation to the
      mammogenic action of the anterior pituitary.

PMID- 20296121
TI  - Action in vitro of thyrotropic hormone and iodide on thyroid cells.

PMID- 20296122
TI  - Fluctuations in the estrogen level throughout the menstrual cycle of one woman.

PMID- 20296123
TI  - Lactogenic hormone and fat metabolism.

PMID- 20296124
TI  - Malpractice and breach of contract in medical practice.

PMID- 20296125
TI  - Diplopodia; a lethal form of polydactyly in chickens.

PMID- 20296126
TI  - Inducing polyploidy in peach varieties.

PMID- 20296127
TI  - More wishful thinking about Mongolian imbecility.

PMID- 20296128
TI  - Color on the legs of sheep; its inheritance in the Columbia and Targhee breeds.

PMID- 20296130
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296129
TI  - The inheritance of streblomicrodactyly.

PMID- 20296131
TI  - A new method of preventing tubal occlusion following operations for sterility.

PMID- 20296132
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296133
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296134
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296135
TI  - Intermenstrual pain.

PMID- 20296136
TI  - Inactivation of oestrogens by the human liver.

PMID- 20296137
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296138
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296139
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296140
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296141
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296142
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296143
TI  - Rupture of the membranes before the onset of labour.

PMID- 20296144
TI  - A case of ruptured uterus.

PMID- 20296145
TI  - The association of the Guillain-Barre syndrome with infectious mononucleosis;
      with a report of two fatal cases.

PMID- 20296146
TI  - Chronic neutropenia; report of a case not cured by splenectomy.

PMID- 20296147
TI  - Studies on the physiology of the white blood cell; the glycogen content of
      leukocytes in leukemia and polycythemia.

PMID- 20296148
TI  - Observations on the anemia in ducks infected with P. lophurae.

PMID- 20296149
TI  - Dietary factors concerned in erythropoiesis.

PMID- 20296150
TI  - The mammalian red corpuscle.

PMID- 20296151
TI  - Service organizations for the relief of the sick and wounded.

PMID- 20296152
TI  - Care of the sick and wounded in early wars; the prehistory of ambulance service.

PMID- 20296153
TI  - Baron Larrey, father of ambulance service.

PMID- 20296154
TI  - The development of ambulance service in the armies of Great Britain, the United
      States and other countries.

PMID- 20296155
TI  - Civilian ambulance service.

PMID- 20296156
TI  - From theatrum anatomicum to medical museum.

PMID- 20296157
TI  - The origin of hygiene and health museums.

PMID- 20296159
TI  - The potentized drug which is specific to the patient.

PMID- 20296158
TI  - Health and hygiene at international expositions.

PMID- 20296160
TI  - Homeopathic treatment of war neuroses.

PMID- 20296161
TI  - Homeopathy, the medical stabilizer.

PMID- 20296162
TI  - Homeopathic education.

PMID- 20296163
TI  - Homeopathic education.

PMID- 20296165
TI  - Angina pectoris [transl. by C. A. Williams].

PMID- 20296164
TI  - The protection of the homeopathic practitioner in his rights as a physician.

PMID- 20296166
TI  - Synopsis of the investigation of twenty homeopathic remedies.

PMID- 20296167
TI  - Acute and chronic hepatitis.

PMID- 20296168
TI  - Malaria.

PMID- 20296169
TI  - X-ray potencies.

PMID- 20296170
TI  - Practical steps in homeopathic postgraduate education.

PMID- 20296172
TI  - The necessity for homeopathic postgraduate education.

PMID- 20296171
TI  - Postgraduate homeopathic education on the Pacific Coast.

PMID- 20296173
TI  - The founding and development of osteopathy as I recall it.

PMID- 20296174
TI  - The principles of osteopathy as I practice them.

PMID- 20296175
TI  - Muscle tone and its significance.

PMID- 20296176
TI  - Obstetric technic.

PMID- 20296177
TI  - Osteopathy unlimited.

PMID- 20296178
TI  - Osteopathy's place in the therapeutic world.

PMID- 20296179
TI  - What an osteopathic lesion means to me.

PMID- 20296180
TI  - Osteopathic lesions and their effects.

PMID- 20296181
TI  - Some clinical observations relative to lesions of the lumbo-sacro-iliac area.

PMID- 20296182
TI  - Head's law and its relation to treatment of the viscera.

PMID- 20296183
TI  - Seminar discussion of infantile paralysis.

PMID- 20296184
TI  - Important phases in the treatment of infantile paralysis.

PMID- 20296185
TI  - A theory on the source of infantile paralysis virus.

PMID- 20296186
TI  - Cranial osteopathy.

PMID- 20296187
TI  - Acute anterior poliomyelitis.

PMID- 20296188
TI  - Post polio paralysis.

PMID- 20296189
TI  - Cranial treatment in acute conditions.

PMID- 20296190
TI  - Reflexes.

PMID- 20296191
TI  - Definition of osteopathy.

PMID- 20296192
TI  - Second dorsal lesion a causative factor in epilepsy.

PMID- 20296193
TI  - The osteopathic treatment for lobar pneumonia.

PMID- 20296194
TI  - Rheumatic fever.

PMID- 20296195
TI  - Liver and gall bladder technic.

PMID- 20296196
TI  - McCole's technic for treatment of osteopathic lesions of the sacroiliac
      articulation.

PMID- 20296197
TI  - Four hand technic for slight operators.

PMID- 20296198
TI  - A self-applied method for securing passive movement in each vertebral joint.

PMID- 20296199
TI  - Who would pay the bill?

PMID- 20296200
TI  - Plan for an integrated hospital.

PMID- 20296201
TI  - For current medical records.

PMID- 20296202
TI  - Hospitals' new role as Michigan decentralizes.

PMID- 20296203
TI  - Some problems encountered in caring exclusively for chronic disease patients.

PMID- 20296204
TI  - Ten-year report on service and costs in seven small hospitals.

PMID- 20296205
TI  - Simplified techniques for preparing infant formulas.

PMID- 20296206
TI  - The technique of leadership.

PMID- 20296207
TI  - Intravenous therapy is work for nurse specialists.

PMID- 20296208
TI  - A psychiatric ward for diagnosis service and short term care.

PMID- 20296210
TI  - Sweden moves toward free care for all.

PMID- 20296209
TI  - What will microfilming records cost the hospital?

PMID- 20296211
TI  - Put the pharmacy in a central location.

PMID- 20296212
TI  - Flexibility; basic nursing unit for hospitals over 50 beds.

PMID- 20296213
TI  - An expanded service through biological photography.

PMID- 20296214
TI  - HOW MANY closed beds?

PMID- 20296216
TI  - CRUSADE underway to aid nation's spastic children.

PMID- 20296215
TI  - Hospitals and health departments.

PMID- 20296217
TI  - The appearance of sheep cell lysins and human A cell agglutinins in a rabbit
      immunized with a partially purified blood group A-specific substance from hog
      gastric mucin.

PMID- 20296218
TI  - Bacterial warfare, a critical analysis of the available agents, their possible
      military applications, and the means for protection against them.

PMID- 20296219
TI  - National differences in creativity.

PMID- 20296220
TI  - Intelligentsia of China.

PMID- 20296221
TI  - How many Negroes pass?

PMID- 20296222
TI  - The sex lives of unmarried men.

PMID- 20296223
TI  - Experiments in testing for leadership.

PMID- 20296224
TI  - The toxicology of the newer metals.

PMID- 20296225
TI  - Poisoning of firemen by irritant fumes; cadmium and sulphonated castor oil.

PMID- 20296226
TI  - The transfer of heat through sun helmets.

PMID- 20296227
TI  - An experiment on the use of psychological tests as an aid to the rehabilitation
      of hospital patients.

PMID- 20296228
TI  - Acute paranitraniline poisoning.

PMID- 20296229
TI  - The occupational hazard of DDT spraying.

PMID- 20296230
TI  - Oleogranuloma; the late effects of accidental injection of mineral oil under
      pressure.

PMID- 20296231
TI  - Calcium necrosis of the skin.

PMID- 20296232
TI  - Absenteeism and separation in relation to length of employment.

PMID- 20296233
TI  - Traumatic heart conditions.

PMID- 20296234
TI  - Medical records.

PMID- 20296235
TI  - Cold wave dermatitis; report of two cases.

PMID- 20296237
TI  - Refrigeration in surgery.

PMID- 20296236
TI  - Scrotal swellings in industrial practice.

PMID- 20296238
TI  - Lung changes associated with the manufacture of alumina abrasives.

PMID- 20296239
TI  - Some experiences with polarographic methods in controlling a lead hazard in brass
      foundries.

PMID- 20296240
TI  - The simultaneous determination of lead and zinc in atmospheric samples; a
      polarographic method utilizing a double internal standard.

PMID- 20296241
TI  - Cryolite as a detoxifying agent for lead arsenate on plants and animals.

PMID- 20296242
TI  - A comparative study of the lead content of street dirts in New York City in 1924
      and 1934.

PMID- 20296244
TI  - The acute and chronic toxicity of methyl chloride; hematology and biochemical
      studies.

PMID- 20296243
TI  - Effect of protein and carbohydrate intake on liver injury produced in dogs by
      carbon tetrachloride.

PMID- 20296245
TI  - Acute toxicity and general systemic actions of diethylene glycol monoethyl ether
      (carbitol).

PMID- 20296246
TI  - Radioactive emanations; their nature, mechanism of action, biological effects and
      tolerance limits.

PMID- 20296247
TI  - Some management views on our medical program.

PMID- 20296248
TI  - The producer needs a doctor.

PMID- 20296249
TI  - Impact of social security on company plans and medical services.

PMID- 20296250
TI  - Medical aid for foreign marketing affiliates.

PMID- 20296251
TI  - Medical service in the domestic marketing field.

PMID- 20296252
TI  - The seven phases of our medical service.

PMID- 20296253
TI  - Purpose and objectives of the Medical Research Department.

PMID- 20296255
TI  - Marine medical service.

PMID- 20296254
TI  - Domestic medical service.

PMID- 20296256
TI  - Hospital organization.

PMID- 20296257
TI  - Establishment and maintenance of training school for nurses in South America.

PMID- 20296258
TI  - Hospital standards required by the American College of Surgeons.

PMID- 20296259
TI  - England during the war.

PMID- 20296260
TI  - Experiences as a Japanese prisoner.

PMID- 20296261
TI  - Constructive medicine; the answer to industry's medical problem.

PMID- 20296262
TI  - Public health problems in tropical industry.

PMID- 20296263
TI  - Early diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis.

PMID- 20296264
TI  - Rickettsia-produced exanthematic typhus diseases in Colombia.

PMID- 20296265
TI  - Control of amebiasis.

PMID- 20296266
TI  - Abdominal emergencies.

PMID- 20296267
TI  - Medical care and preventive medicine as applied to isolated communities.

PMID- 20296268
TI  - Methods of sanitation and preventive medicine used in wildcat camps in Ecuador.

PMID- 20296269
TI  - History of malaria in Venezuela.

PMID- 20296270
TI  - Diagnosis of heart disease.

PMID- 20296271
TI  - Modern therapeutic trends in heart disease.

PMID- 20296272
TI  - Rehabilitation of the physically unfit.

PMID- 20296273
TI  - Diagnosis and therapy of diarrhea.

PMID- 20296274
TI  - Medical aspects of the treatment of peptic ulcer.

PMID- 20296275
TI  - Surgical aspects of the treatment of peptic ulcer.

PMID- 20296276
TI  - Sulfonamides and antibiotics in the treatment of surgical infections.

PMID- 20296277
TI  - Present status of antibacterial agents in the treatment of systemic infection.

PMID- 20296278
TI  - Fractures of the spine.

PMID- 20296279
TI  - Treatment of burns.

PMID- 20296280
TI  - Common preventable diseases in Cuba.

PMID- 20296281
TI  - Advances in the treatment of venereal diseases.

PMID- 20296282
TI  - Common eye conditions encountered in tropical employees.

PMID- 20296283
TI  - Sensitivity to thiamine hydrochloride, review of the literature and report of a
      case.

PMID- 20296284
TI  - Considerations in the prevention of tuberculosis.

PMID- 20296286
TI  - The Pestalozzi village at Trogen, Switzerland [transl. L. Forrester].

PMID- 20296285
TI  - Experiences of ten years' work at a municipal contraceptive clinic.

PMID- 20296287
TI  - Training sightless veterans for precision work.

PMID- 20296288
TI  - Recent state legislation concerning prepayment medical care.

PMID- 20296289
TI  - [Joint action of cardiology centers and corporate organization Portuguese to aid
      your chances of heart patients].

PMID- 20296290
TI  - [The miracle and science].

PMID- 20296291
TI  - [Doctrines, aspirations and trends].

PMID- 20296292
TI  - [The Center for social welfare assistance].

PMID- 20296293
TI  - [A children's hospital].

PMID- 20296294
TI  - [To marry or not marry].

PMID- 20296295
TI  - [Address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences].

PMID- 20296296
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296297
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296298
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296299
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296300
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296301
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296302
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296303
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296305
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296304
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296306
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296307
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296308
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296309
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296310
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296311
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296312
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296313
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296314
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296315
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296316
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296318
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296317
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296319
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296320
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296321
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296322
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296323
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296324
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296325
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296326
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296327
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296328
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296329
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296330
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296331
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296332
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296333
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296334
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296335
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296336
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296337
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296338
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296339
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296340
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296341
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296342
TI  - Study of cases of coronary thrombosis with myocardial infarction in Rochester
      hospitals 1940-1944.

PMID- 20296343
TI  - Speech correction in the Rochester, New York schools.

PMID- 20296345
TI  - Physical medicine.

PMID- 20296344
TI  - The life and works of Sir James Young Simpson.

PMID- 20296346
TI  - Colitis.

PMID- 20296347
TI  - Streptomycin; the indications, contraindications, mode of administration, dosage
      and toxic effects.

PMID- 20296348
TI  - The treatment of malaria.

PMID- 20296349
TI  - The diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis.

PMID- 20296350
TI  - The treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis.

PMID- 20296351
TI  - Some injuries to the knee joint.

PMID- 20296352
TI  - Some injuries to the wrist and ankle.

PMID- 20296353
TI  - Pernicious anaemia.

PMID- 20296354
TI  - The education of the medical and allied professions in rheumatic fever and
      rheumatic heart disease.

PMID- 20296355
TI  - A report of five upper respiratory infection epidemics at St. Francis, 1944-1946.

PMID- 20296356
TI  - TENTH anniversary of St. Francis Sanatorium for Cardiac Children, Roslyn, L. I.

PMID- 20296357
TI  - Sigmodal in obstetrics; clinical observations with a report of three reactions.

PMID- 20296358
TI  - Acute puerperal inversion of the uterus; with two cases seen at cesarean section.

PMID- 20296359
TI  - Plastic repair of deformity of penis due to granuloma inguinale.

PMID- 20296360
TI  - Newer phases of gastroduodenal ulcer.

PMID- 20296361
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296362
TI  - Rheumatic fever from the patient's point of view.

PMID- 20296363
TI  - Prisons are outmoded.

PMID- 20296364
TI  - The centennium of anaesthesia.

PMID- 20296366
TI  - Triweekly arsenotherapy a safe and effective ambulatory treatment regimen for
      early syphilis.

PMID- 20296365
TI  - Post war training in surgery.

PMID- 20296367
TI  - Toxic reactions of penicillin.

PMID- 20296368
TI  - [Primary carcinoma of body and tail of pancreas with tumor necrosis].

PMID- 20296369
TI  - The kidney and kidney function tests; the phenolsulfonephthalein test.

PMID- 20296370
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296371
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296372
TI  - Pigmentations faciales.

PMID- 20296373
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296374
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296375
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296376
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296377
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296378
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296379
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296380
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296381
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296382
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296383
TI  - Periarteritis nodosa; a case requiring surgery, with a review of the literature.

PMID- 20296384
TI  - Intussusception; case report.

PMID- 20296385
TI  - Krukenberg tumors.

PMID- 20296387
TI  - The Iowa doctor one hundred years ago.

PMID- 20296386
TI  - METOPON hydrochloride (methyldihydromorphinone hydrochloride).

PMID- 20296388
TI  - Allergic rhinitis; latest development in its treatment.

PMID- 20296389
TI  - Pernicious anemia.

PMID- 20296390
TI  - Venereal disease; its diagnosis and treatment.

PMID- 20296391
TI  - Atomic energy in medicine.

PMID- 20296393
TI  - Submucous lipoma of colon.

PMID- 20296392
TI  - X-ray in the diagnosis of abdominal aortic aneurysm.

PMID- 20296394
TI  - Radiation therapy for cutaneous hemangiomas.

PMID- 20296395
TI  - Pseudomucinous cystadenocarcinoma of the ovary; case report.

PMID- 20296396
TI  - Radiation therapy of ovarian tumors.

PMID- 20296397
TI  - The reciprocal relation between lung function and the pituitary gland.

PMID- 20296398
TI  - Pulmonary resection for tuberculosis.

PMID- 20296399
TI  - Bronchoscopic diagnosis in nontuberculosis chest conditions.

PMID- 20296400
TI  - The immunological factor involved in a case of hemolytic disease of the newborn.

PMID- 20296401
TI  - Congenital heart disease.

PMID- 20296403
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296402
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296404
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296405
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296406
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296407
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296408
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296409
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296410
TI  - The use of isotopes in medical research.

PMID- 20296411
TI  - Roentgenologic contribution to the diagnosis of functional intestinal disorders.

PMID- 20296412
TI  - Treatment of intestinal conditions as based on disordered function.

PMID- 20296413
TI  - Benign strictures of the biliary ducts.

PMID- 20296415
TI  - Herpes zoster appearing after trauma.

PMID- 20296414
TI  - Appraisal of surgery in the treatment of bronchiectasis.

PMID- 20296416
TI  - The place of health resort therapy in dermatologic disorders.

PMID- 20296417
TI  - Paroxysmal hypertension from pheochromocytomas.

PMID- 20296418
TI  - MEDICAL LICENSURE statistics for 1946.

PMID- 20296419
TI  - Methods of securing and maintaining adequate resources for the care of the
      chronically-ill.

PMID- 20296420
TI  - The blood clotting mechanism; clinical use of the anticoagulants.

PMID- 20296421
TI  - Tropical medicine; malaria.

PMID- 20296422
TI  - Hunger and its pathological effects in Holland.

PMID- 20296423
TI  - The pituitary-ovarian relationship.

PMID- 20296425
TI  - Diagnosis of acute abdomen.

PMID- 20296424
TI  - Rheumatic fever in childhood.

PMID- 20296426
TI  - Diffuse vascular diseases; disseminated lupus erythematosus.

PMID- 20296427
TI  - Surgical lesions of the neck; some aspects of their diagnosis and management.

PMID- 20296428
TI  - A preliminary review of poliomyelitis in Florida.

PMID- 20296429
TI  - Indications for tracheotomy.

PMID- 20296430
TI  - Penicillin in the treatment of diphtheria; a preliminary note.

PMID- 20296431
TI  - Subacute bacterial endocarditis with treatment of two cases with penicillin.

PMID- 20296432
TI  - The nutrition problem in the Punjab.

PMID- 20296433
TI  - Treatment of relapsing cases of malaria.

PMID- 20296434
TI  - Plasma transfusion.

PMID- 20296435
TI  - Ointments.

PMID- 20296436
TI  - Paralysis of abdominal and spinal muscles in poliomyelitis.

PMID- 20296437
TI  - The surgical treatment of pilonidal cysts and sinuses.

PMID- 20296438
TI  - High lights on malaria.

PMID- 20296439
TI  - [Primary carcinoma of the submaxillary gland, involving the mandible by direct
      extension, and with multiple metastases].

PMID- 20296440
TI  - Mechanism of the thymol turbidity test.

PMID- 20296441
TI  - A study of the serum biliverdin concentration in various types of jaundice.

PMID- 20296442
TI  - Differential agglutination of human erythrocytes; evaluation of technique.

PMID- 20296443
TI  - Fibrinogen deficiency; clinical features and probable etiologic factors.

PMID- 20296444
TI  - Biochemical studies during malarial and artificial fevers.

PMID- 20296445
TI  - Normal sedimentation rates in active pulmonary tuberculosis; a study of 1,066
      cases in a naval tuberculosis center.

PMID- 20296446
TI  - Effect of 3,3' methylenebis (4-hydroxycoumarin) on vitamin A deficient ducks.

PMID- 20296447
TI  - Some factors affecting the susceptibility of rats to various barbiturates; the
      effect of age and sex.

PMID- 20296448
TI  - A simplification of the serologic diagnosis of Salmonella cultures.

PMID- 20296449
TI  - The prothrombin time and variables in the method.

PMID- 20296450
TI  - A method for counting bacteria in the nasal cavity; application of the method in
      demonstrating the action of intranasal penicillin administration.

PMID- 20296451
TI  - A modified technique for the differentiation of pneumococci from alpha hemolytic
      streptococci using sodium desoxycholate.

PMID- 20296452
TI  - A simple apparatus for culturing Neisseria gonorrhea under partial carbon dioxide
      tension.

PMID- 20296453
TI  - A test fluid for control of the gold reaction.

PMID- 20296454
TI  - The epidemiology of streptococcal infections.

PMID- 20296455
TI  - Exchange transfusion; a new method of treatment for erythroblastosis fetalis.

PMID- 20296456
TI  - The quantitative aspects of fluid therapy in infants and children.

PMID- 20296457
TI  - Hypoglycemia associated with hyperplasia of the islets of Langerhans; report of a
      case successfully treated by surgery.

PMID- 20296459
TI  - Tracheotomy in bulbar poliomyelitis.

PMID- 20296458
TI  - Acute intussusception in infancy and early childhood with a review of 55
      consecutive cases.

PMID- 20296460
TI  - Nutritional and psychological aspects of the care of patients with bulbar
      poliomyelitis.

PMID- 20296461
TI  - Observations on a poliomyelitis outbreak in North Dakota in 1946; with special
      consideration of spinal fluid findings.

PMID- 20296462
TI  - Apparatus for the relief of acute obstructive laryngitis; treatment of a
      fulminating case due to H. influenzae.

PMID- 20296463
TI  - Unusual causes of hematuria in infants and children.

PMID- 20296464
TI  - Paroxysmal tachycardia in infancy.

PMID- 20296465
TI  - Menopause syndrome.

PMID- 20296466
TI  - Medicine and national security.

PMID- 20296467
TI  - Neurosurgical relief of intractable pain.

PMID- 20296468
TI  - [Acute poliomyelitis, bulbar type].

PMID- 20296469
TI  - The discovery of the cause of malaria.

PMID- 20296470
TI  - Some present day problems affecting milk quality.

PMID- 20296471
TI  - CANCER program in New Jersey; a statewide tissue diagnostic service.

PMID- 20296472
TI  - Ambulatory electric shock treatment.

PMID- 20296473
TI  - Scleroderma treated with promin, with report of a case.

PMID- 20296474
TI  - Acute osteomyelitis of the cervical spine with probable epidural infection;
      report of cure with penicillin therapy.

PMID- 20296475
TI  - The operation of public law 725; Hospital Survey and Construction Act.

PMID- 20296476
TI  - Cardiac complaints and chronic nonspecific prostatitis.

PMID- 20296477
TI  - Treatment of hyperthyroidism; present status.

PMID- 20296478
TI  - Paralysis of the larynx.

PMID- 20296479
TI  - Determination of unmet need for medical attention among Michigan farm families.

PMID- 20296480
TI  - Functional bleeding at different age periods; significance and management.

PMID- 20296482
TI  - Paratyphoid fever.

PMID- 20296481
TI  - Functional hyperinsulinism; a common and well-defined clinical entity amenable to
      medical management.

PMID- 20296483
TI  - Modern trends in urology.

PMID- 20296484
TI  - Local instillation of penicillin in chronic suppurative maxillary sinusitis.

PMID- 20296485
TI  - Ocular war injuries.

PMID- 20296486
TI  - Simplified artificial infant feeding.

PMID- 20296487
TI  - Transurethral resection in the treatment for prostatic median bar.

PMID- 20296488
TI  - The management of prolapse of the uterus.

PMID- 20296489
TI  - Epidermoid carcinoma of the vulva; radical vulvectomy.

PMID- 20296490
TI  - Is hypoproteinemia the cause of the toxemias of pregnancy?

PMID- 20296491
TI  - Hiccough.

PMID- 20296492
TI  - Gunshot wounds of the extraperitoneal rectum.

PMID- 20296494
TI  - Hypoglycemia; report of a case.

PMID- 20296493
TI  - Treatment of some common skin disorders in children.

PMID- 20296495
TI  - [Multipara with a polyhydramnios associated with a fetus whose cranium was
      grossly deformed].

PMID- 20296496
TI  - The management of acute head injuries.

PMID- 20296497
TI  - Surgery of infancy and childhood.

PMID- 20296498
TI  - The treatment of goiter.

PMID- 20296499
TI  - Trends of irradiation therapy in ophthalmology, laryngology, and with radioactive
      isotopes, with a review of the literature.

PMID- 20296500
TI  - Recent trends in x-ray therapy with particular reference to supervoltage x-rays.

PMID- 20296501
TI  - Clinical indications for X-ray and radium therapy.

PMID- 20296502
TI  - Diphtheria in Kentucky.

PMID- 20296503
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296504
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296505
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296506
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296507
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296508
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296509
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296510
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296511
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296512
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296513
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296514
TI  - Surgical handicraft.

PMID- 20296515
TI  - Survival of variola virus in dried exudate and crusts from smallpox patients.

PMID- 20296516
TI  - Sonne dysentery and non-specific gastro-enteritis in a hospital.

PMID- 20296517
TI  - Diagnosis of epilepsy in service cases.

PMID- 20296518
TI  - Therapeutic uses of khellin; method of standardisation.

PMID- 20296519
TI  - New concepts of hospital feeding; hospital nutrition programme of the Canadian
      Army Overseas.

PMID- 20296520
TI  - Tuberculosis and the National Health Service Act.

PMID- 20296521
TI  - PROCAINE and cocaine; a name misheard.

PMID- 20296522
TI  - Peritoneal dialysis.

PMID- 20296523
TI  - Compression of median nerve in carpal tunnel.

PMID- 20296524
TI  - Mr. Jacob Mountgarret, R. N., the pioneer surgeon of Van Diemen's Land, 1803
      1828.

PMID- 20296525
TI  - The beneficial effects of yeast in diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 20296526
TI  - Anaesthesia for upper abdominal surgery.

PMID- 20296527
TI  - A precautionary measure advisable in certain endurance tests.

PMID- 20296528
TI  - Trial labour.

PMID- 20296529
TI  - The treatment of acute perforation in peptic ulcers.

PMID- 20296530
TI  - Must syphilis still serve?

PMID- 20296531
TI  - Recent observations on uric acid.

PMID- 20296532
TI  - Cancer statistics from the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney.

PMID- 20296533
TI  - Nutrition survey of Tasmania; food consumption and dietary levels in the spring
      of 1945.

PMID- 20296534
TI  - A note on the Durham fermentation tube.

PMID- 20296535
TI  - Carcinoma of the sigmoid colon removed four years after diagnosis.

PMID- 20296536
TI  - Addison's disease.

PMID- 20296537
TI  - The zoological position of man.

PMID- 20296538
TI  - The value of the cold pressor test in the prediction of hypertension and toxaemia
      in pregnancy.

PMID- 20296539
TI  - Undergraduate and post-graduate education in physical medicine.

PMID- 20296540
TI  - Cross-infection of wounds in a surgical ward during a trial of the use of oiled
      blankets.

PMID- 20296541
TI  - Nutritional deficiency diseases.

PMID- 20296542
TI  - Note on a case of bilateral Dupuytren's contracture occurring in association with
      spondylitis ankylopoietica.

PMID- 20296544
TI  - Peptic ulcer.

PMID- 20296543
TI  - Patent ductus arteriosus.

PMID- 20296545
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296546
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296547
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296548
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296549
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296550
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296551
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296552
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296553
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296554
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296555
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296556
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296557
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296559
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296558
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296560
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296561
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296562
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296563
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296565
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296564
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296566
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296567
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296569
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296568
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296570
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296571
TI  - The diagnosis and treatment of chronic nasal sinusitis in children.

PMID- 20296572
TI  - Population and recent trends in vital rates.

PMID- 20296573
TI  - Endometriosis; diagnosis and treatment.

PMID- 20296574
TI  - The value of X-rays in dentistry.

PMID- 20296575
TI  - Inhibitory factors in the postwar world.

PMID- 20296576
TI  - Carcinoma of the bronchus.

PMID- 20296577
TI  - The social problem of high-grade deficiency.

PMID- 20296578
TI  - Tuberculous epididymo-orchitis.

PMID- 20296579
TI  - Treatment of rodent ulcer by injections of methylene blue and hydrogen peroxide.

PMID- 20296580
TI  - Modern treatment of bronchiectasis in childhood.

PMID- 20296581
TI  - Surgery of the hand and fingers; injuries and infections.

PMID- 20296582
TI  - The diagnosis and treatment of spastic colon.

PMID- 20296583
TI  - The Disabled Persons (employment) Act, 1944.

PMID- 20296584
TI  - Spas.

PMID- 20296585
TI  - Injuries round the knee joint.

PMID- 20296586
TI  - The prognosis and treatment of psychiatric sequelae of head injuries.

PMID- 20296587
TI  - The value of drugs in the treatment of peptic ulcer.

PMID- 20296588
TI  - Prevention and treatment of abortion.

PMID- 20296589
TI  - The significance and modern treatment of haemoptysis.

PMID- 20296590
TI  - The carrier problem in disease.

PMID- 20296591
TI  - Surgery under difficulties.

PMID- 20296592
TI  - Autoserotherapy for the treatment of drug addiction.

PMID- 20296593
TI  - Some reflections on the clinical examination of the chest.

PMID- 20296594
TI  - Recent advances in the surgery of the pancreas.

PMID- 20296595
TI  - Sprains of the ankle.

PMID- 20296596
TI  - The prevention and treatment of travel sickness.

PMID- 20296597
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296598
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296599
TI  - Benign and malignant tumors of the small intestine.

PMID- 20296600
TI  - Vasomotor disturbances in poliomyelitis, with special reference to treatment with
      paravertebral sympathetic block.

PMID- 20296601
TI  - An eruptive fever involving the skin and mucous membranes (Stevens-Johnson
      disease).

PMID- 20296602
TI  - Streptomycin; bacteriologic and pharmacologic aspects.

PMID- 20296603
TI  - [Hemoglobinuric nephrosis].

PMID- 20296604
TI  - [Adenoacanthoma of cardia of stomach].

PMID- 20296605
TI  - Bacterial endocarditis treated with penicillin; observations in nine cases.

PMID- 20296606
TI  - Persistence of remissions of thyrotoxicosis after cessation of thiouracil
      therapy.

PMID- 20296607
TI  - Acute brucellosis among laboratory workers.

PMID- 20296608
TI  - Streptomycin; clinical uses.

PMID- 20296609
TI  - [Adenocarcinoma of jejunum].

PMID- 20296611
TI  - The management of acute arterial occlusions.

PMID- 20296610
TI  - [Gallstone ileus].

PMID- 20296612
TI  - The future's demands upon the hospital.

PMID- 20296613
TI  - Modern concepts of neurosurgical treatment of herniated nucleus pulposus.

PMID- 20296615
TI  - Safety factors in surgery of the colon.

PMID- 20296614
TI  - Effects of thrombin injection into hematoma enveloping fractures of humerus in
      rabbits.

PMID- 20296616
TI  - Sutures, wound healing and early ambulation.

PMID- 20296617
TI  - Surgical correction of ptosis.

PMID- 20296618
TI  - Malignant melanoma of the choroid.

PMID- 20296619
TI  - What can be done for conduction deafness.

PMID- 20296620
TI  - Tridione; its use in treatment of epilepsy and other neurologic disorders.

PMID- 20296621
TI  - The diagnosis of nervous diseases.

PMID- 20296622
TI  - The diagnosis of enlargement of the lymphatic glands.

PMID- 20296623
TI  - The diagnosis, prognosis and symptomatic treatment of carcinoma of the stomach.

PMID- 20296624
TI  - Sarcoidosis.

PMID- 20296625
TI  - Surgical aspects of spinal conditions.

PMID- 20296626
TI  - The comparative biology of anxiety.

PMID- 20296627
TI  - Common fungus infections of the skin.

PMID- 20296628
TI  - Spontaneous closure of post-irradiation vesico-vaginal fistula; case report.

PMID- 20296629
TI  - Symposium on tetralogy of Fallot.

PMID- 20296630
TI  - Basis of cyanosis in tetralogy of Fallot.

PMID- 20296631
TI  - Pathologic and embryologic considerations in tetralogy of Fallot.

PMID- 20296632
TI  - Classic clinical features of tetralogy of Fallot.

PMID- 20296634
TI  - Differential diagnosis of tetralogy of Fallot.

PMID- 20296633
TI  - Roentgenologic diagnosis of tetralogy of Fallot.

PMID- 20296635
TI  - Surgical considerations in tetralogy of Fallot.

PMID- 20296636
TI  - Congenital hemivertebrata in the cervical region with brachial neuritis; report
      of case.

PMID- 20296637
TI  - Some ophthalmological conditions in colour transparencies.

PMID- 20296638
TI  - Onyalai.

PMID- 20296639
TI  - A case of onyalai.

PMID- 20296640
TI  - A case of diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 20296641
TI  - A case of lung abscess.

PMID- 20296642
TI  - A case of amoebic pericolic abscess.

PMID- 20296643
TI  - Observations on the local treatment of burns.

PMID- 20296644
TI  - Brucellosis conference.

PMID- 20296645
TI  - Autopsy report; sudden death in a 54 year old farmer suffering from draining
      sinuses on the neck of 15 months duration.

PMID- 20296646
TI  - Appendicitis with pre-existing chronic nephritis.

PMID- 20296647
TI  - Case of empyema of the chest with medical treatment.

PMID- 20296648
TI  - Lingual thyroid.

PMID- 20296649
TI  - Possible Paget's disease of the vulva.

PMID- 20296650
TI  - Subacute bacterial endocarditis.

PMID- 20296651
TI  - Subdural hydroma.

PMID- 20296652
TI  - Hunger oedema.

PMID- 20296653
TI  - The oedematous syndrome of nephritis with special reference to prognosis.

PMID- 20296654
TI  - Osteomalacia with Looser's nodes (Milkman's syndrome) due to a raised resistance
      to vitamin D acquired about the age of 15 years.

PMID- 20296655
TI  - The Army Medical Department in World War II.

PMID- 20296656
TI  - The treatment of arterial hypertension.

PMID- 20296657
TI  - A psychiatrist's reflections on mental hygiene.

PMID- 20296658
TI  - Warriors against disease.

PMID- 20296659
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296660
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296661
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296662
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296663
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296664
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296665
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296666
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296667
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296668
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296669
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296670
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296672
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296671
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296673
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296674
TI  - Penicillin; its development for use in the clinic.

PMID- 20296675
TI  - The medical care of the veteran.

PMID- 20296676
TI  - The differential diagnosis and treatment of neuralgia of the face.

PMID- 20296677
TI  - Newer developments in the pathogenesis and treatment of hypertension.

PMID- 20296678
TI  - The value of the stained vaginal smear in gynecological diagnosis.

PMID- 20296679
TI  - Relationship and practical application of the Rh and Hr factors.

PMID- 20296680
TI  - Torsion of ovarian pedicle in a two-year-old child.

PMID- 20296681
TI  - The localization of myocardial infarcts with particular reference to lateral
      infarction and to the T1Q111 pattern.

PMID- 20296682
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296683
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296684
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296685
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296686
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296687
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296688
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296689
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296690
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296691
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296692
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296693
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296694
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296695
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296697
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296696
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296698
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296699
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296700
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296701
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296702
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296703
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296704
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296705
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296706
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296707
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296708
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296709
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296710
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296711
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296713
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296712
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296714
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296715
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296716
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296717
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296718
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296719
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296720
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296721
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296722
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296723
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296724
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296725
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296726
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296727
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296728
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296730
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296729
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296731
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296732
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296733
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296735
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296734
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296736
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296737
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296738
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296739
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296740
TI  - Studies on d-lysergic acid + hydroxybutylamine-(2) (methergine).

PMID- 20296741
TI  - Comments on the biological standardization of digitalis.

PMID- 20296742
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296744
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296743
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296745
TI  - Some aspects of the biochemistry and pharmacology of the heart.

PMID- 20296746
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296747
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296748
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296749
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296750
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296751
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296752
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296753
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296754
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296755
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296756
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296757
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296758
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296759
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296760
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296761
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296763
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296762
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296764
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296765
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296766
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296767
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296768
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296769
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296771
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296770
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296772
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296773
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296774
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296775
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296776
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296777
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296778
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296779
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296780
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296782
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296781
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296783
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296784
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296785
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296786
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296787
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296788
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296789
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296790
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296791
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296792
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296793
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296794
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296795
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296796
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296797
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296798
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296799
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296800
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296801
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296802
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296803
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296804
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296805
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296806
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296807
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296808
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296809
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296810
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296811
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296813
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296812
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296814
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296815
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296816
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296818
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296817
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296819
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296820
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296821
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296822
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296824
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296823
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296825
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296826
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296827
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296828
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296829
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296830
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296831
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296832
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296833
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296834
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296835
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296836
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296837
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296838
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296839
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296840
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296841
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296842
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296843
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296844
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296845
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296846
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296848
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296847
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296849
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296850
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296851
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296852
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296853
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296854
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296855
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296856
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296857
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296858
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296859
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296860
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296861
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296862
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296863
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296864
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296865
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296867
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296866
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296868
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296869
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296870
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296871
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296872
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296873
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296874
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296875
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296876
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296877
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296878
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296879
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296880
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296881
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296882
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296883
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296884
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296885
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296886
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296887
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296888
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296889
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296890
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296891
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296892
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296894
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296893
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296895
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296896
TI  - Chirurgie in USA.

PMID- 20296897
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296898
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296899
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296900
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296901
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296903
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296902
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296904
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296905
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296906
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296907
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296908
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296909
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296910
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296911
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296912
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296913
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296914
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296915
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296916
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296917
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296918
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296919
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296920
TI  - Medical care and medical social service.

PMID- 20296921
TI  - Curare in anesthesia; with special reference to combined pentothal curare,
      nitrous oxide anesthesia.

PMID- 20296922
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296923
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296924
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296925
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296926
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296927
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296928
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296929
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296930
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296931
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296932
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296933
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296934
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296935
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296936
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296937
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296938
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296939
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296940
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296941
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296942
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296943
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296944
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296945
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296946
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296947
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296948
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296949
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296950
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296951
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296952
TI  - Folic acid (Lactobacillus casei faktor, bladsyre) ved behandling av anemier.

PMID- 20296953
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296954
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296955
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296956
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296957
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296958
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296959
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296960
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296961
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296963
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296962
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296964
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296965
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296966
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296967
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296968
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296969
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296970
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296972
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296973
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296971
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296974
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296975
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296976
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296977
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296978
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296979
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296980
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296981
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296982
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296983
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296984
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296985
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296986
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296988
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296987
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296989
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296990
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296991
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296992
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296993
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296994
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296996
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296995
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20296997
TI  - The etiology of arteriosclerosis.

PMID- 20296998
TI  - Curare.

PMID- 20296999
TI  - A history of the plague.

PMID- 20297000
TI  - Diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 20297001
TI  - The aetiology and diagnosis of diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 20297002
TI  - The diabetic maternity patient and her baby.

PMID- 20297003
TI  - A review of some of the past and present types of psychiatric therapy.

PMID- 20297004
TI  - Obscure hematemesis; gastroscopy, an aid in its diagnosis.

PMID- 20297005
TI  - Acanthosis nigricans; a case of the benign type in an eight-year old girl.

PMID- 20297006
TI  - Today's challenge.

PMID- 20297007
TI  - Electrocardiographic changes occurring during antimony therapy.

PMID- 20297008
TI  - Primary cancer of the lung.

PMID- 20297009
TI  - Office gynecology.

PMID- 20297010
TI  - Mortality from coronary disease by sex, age, and race.

PMID- 20297011
TI  - Repair of posterior wall vaginal hernia from below, without opening the sac;
      report of case.

PMID- 20297012
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297013
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297014
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297015
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297016
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297017
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297018
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297019
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297020
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297021
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297022
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297023
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297024
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297025
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297026
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297027
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297029
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297028
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297031
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297030
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297032
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297033
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297034
TI  - Duplication of chromosome parts as a factor in evolution.

PMID- 20297035
TI  - The genetic aspects of natural populations; actual and potential gene flow in
      natural populations.

PMID- 20297036
TI  - Heredity of geographically and ecologically isolated races.

PMID- 20297037
TI  - The mating-anatomy technique as applied to polygyrid landsnails.

PMID- 20297038
TI  - Inversion gradients and selection in ecological races of Drosophila funebris.

PMID- 20297039
TI  - Stability of family names; some principles and problems.

PMID- 20297040
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297041
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297042
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297043
TI  - The comparative physiology of respiratory organs.

PMID- 20297044
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297045
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297046
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297047
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297048
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297049
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297050
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297051
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297052
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297053
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297054
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297055
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297056
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297057
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297058
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297059
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297060
TI  - Unit dimensions and space group of TI2Cl3.

PMID- 20297061
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297062
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297064
TI  - Urine therapy.

PMID- 20297063
TI  - Microincineration of sea urchin eggs during cleavage.

PMID- 20297065
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297066
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297067
TI  - Concentration of isotopes of potassium by the counter-current electromigration
      method.

PMID- 20297068
TI  - Concentration of potassium by countercurrent electromigration; some theoretical
      aspects of the operation.

PMID- 20297069
TI  - Concentration of isotopes of chlorine by the countercurrent electromigration
      method.

PMID- 20297070
TI  - Surface tensions of some optical glasses.

PMID- 20297071
TI  - The late-glacial period.

PMID- 20297072
TI  - Science in adult education.

PMID- 20297073
TI  - Electron microscopy of tobacco necrosis virus crystals.

PMID- 20297074
TI  - The renal factor in alloxan diabetes.

PMID- 20297075
TI  - Practical three-hour and two-hour cylinder-plate assays for penicillin.

PMID- 20297076
TI  - Nucleotide metabolism of bacteria and the bacterial nucleus.

PMID- 20297077
TI  - Cytochemical effects of oestradiol.

PMID- 20297078
TI  - Origin of erythrocytes.

PMID- 20297079
TI  - What is emotion?

PMID- 20297080
TI  - Bactericidal effect of the war-time penny.

PMID- 20297081
TI  - A systematic study of the main arteries in the region of the heart; Aves V,
      Sphenisciformes.

PMID- 20297082
TI  - Some algae, including new species, from New Mexico.

PMID- 20297083
TI  - Memorial Laboratory, National Institute of Health.

PMID- 20297084
TI  - The numbers and distribution of mankind.

PMID- 20297085
TI  - The Senate ponders social science.

PMID- 20297086
TI  - The university presses; their function.

PMID- 20297087
TI  - The university presses and the popularization of science.

PMID- 20297088
TI  - Obsolete library books.

PMID- 20297090
TI  - Application of the electronic theory to some simple organic reactions.

PMID- 20297089
TI  - The number of exceptional children in Kansas.

PMID- 20297091
TI  - Comparison of the scores of design engineering personnel with factory workers on
      the MacQuarrie mechanical performance ability tests.

PMID- 20297092
TI  - A brief history of the American Philosophical Society.

PMID- 20297093
TI  - Studies on the specificity and sensitivity of certain colorimetric reactions of
      the amino acids.

PMID- 20297094
TI  - Differentiation of motor and sensory neurons in chick embryos after the
      substitution of growing tumor masses for the hind limb periphery.

PMID- 20297095
TI  - Clinical experience with hemoglobin-saline solutions.

PMID- 20297096
TI  - The quantitative effects of narcotics and allied inhibitors on isolated enzyme
      systems.

PMID- 20297097
TI  - Investigation on respiration in the colorless flagellate, Chilomonas paramecium,
      with special emphasis on the vitamins involved in the respiratory mechanism.

PMID- 20297098
TI  - Dreamy states, epileptic aura, depersonalisation and psychasthenic fits; a few
      comments and reflections.

PMID- 20297099
TI  - A case of matricide the perpetrator of which subsequently proved to be a
      schizophreniac.

PMID- 20297100
TI  - On the treatment of tabes dorsalis with artificial fever (hyperthermia
      treatment).

PMID- 20297101
TI  - A case of delirium acutum after erysipelas treated with sulfonamide associated
      with hypothalamic and pituitary alterations; with some comments on the pathology
      of acute exogenous psychoses.

PMID- 20297102
TI  - On the psychopathology of disseminated sclerosis.

PMID- 20297104
TI  - The care of the feeble-minded.

PMID- 20297103
TI  - Technical tricks in the examination of neurotics.

PMID- 20297105
TI  - A psychological treatise on Hans Andersen's fairy tale, Thumbelina.

PMID- 20297106
TI  - Action potentials in pathological postural reflex activity (spasticity and
      rigidity).

PMID- 20297107
TI  - Case of double athetosis with status marmoratus.

PMID- 20297108
TI  - Theft with atypical motive.

PMID- 20297109
TI  - The contribution of psychiatry to social life.

PMID- 20297110
TI  - On female criminality during the climacteric.

PMID- 20297111
TI  - A family with Alzheimer's disease.

PMID- 20297112
TI  - Pituitary dwarfism.

PMID- 20297113
TI  - Criminal frequency in a Danish rural area.

PMID- 20297114
TI  - Early differential diagnosis between psychogenic psychosis and schizophrenia.

PMID- 20297115
TI  - Danish doctorate theses on psychiatry and neurology (1835-1945).

PMID- 20297116
TI  - A few comments on the position of psychotherapy in Denmark in connection with a
      case of anxiety neurosis cured by means of hypnosis.

PMID- 20297117
TI  - Dynamite encephalosis.

PMID- 20297118
TI  - On delirium acutum, with special reference to biochemical changes.

PMID- 20297119
TI  - The morphology of handwriting in congenital word-blindness.

PMID- 20297120
TI  - Complications and dangers in the use of hypnotism, a brief survey.

PMID- 20297121
TI  - Criminality and pathology.

PMID- 20297122
TI  - On the hydrochloric acid-collargol reaction in the spinal fluid.

PMID- 20297123
TI  - A pair of book-plates.

PMID- 20297124
TI  - Some preliminary remarks concerning the concept of personality types.

PMID- 20297125
TI  - Induced abortion on eugenic indications.

PMID- 20297126
TI  - Punishment or impunity?

PMID- 20297127
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297128
TI  - Psychiatric observations and experiences during the German occupation of Norway.

PMID- 20297129
TI  - Encephalopathia allergica e neosalvarsano; a survey with a case.

PMID- 20297131
TI  - On the question of psychologically conditioned features in the Korsakow syndroma
      (clinical and experimental studies of a Korsakow case, extended over several
      years).

PMID- 20297132
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297130
TI  - Vasomotor Jacksonian epilepsy.

PMID- 20297133
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297134
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297135
TI  - On inhibited and over-excited deep reflexes in neurotic patients.

PMID- 20297136
TI  - Contribution to the history of dementia paralytica with special reference to to
      the contributions of Scandinavian, particularly Danish scientists.

PMID- 20297137
TI  - A case of Gerstmann's syndrome.

PMID- 20297138
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297139
TI  - Admissions to the mental hospital at Nykobing Sjalland caused by the events in
      Denmark in connection with the surrender of the German occupation forces.

PMID- 20297140
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297142
TI  - Congenital speech disorders.

PMID- 20297141
TI  - Psychopathic personality traits; terminological considerations.

PMID- 20297143
TI  - On the discharge of psychiatric patients after hospitalization for years.

PMID- 20297144
TI  - On certain mathematical problems connected with the determination of
      anthropometrical and diagnostical indices.

PMID- 20297145
TI  - Mental sequelae to suicidal attempts by hanging.

PMID- 20297146
TI  - A psychiatric establishment for investigation, training and treatment of
      psychologically abnormal criminals.

PMID- 20297147
TI  - Amyotrophic cerebrospinal syphilis.

PMID- 20297148
TI  - On the applicability of serologic reactions in the psychiatric clinic.

PMID- 20297149
TI  - Human heredity and mental deficiency.

PMID- 20297150
TI  - Sterilization of the mentally deficient under state laws.

PMID- 20297151
TI  - Ten years research in mental deficiency; a study based on 200 autopsies.

PMID- 20297152
TI  - Skin eruption due to phenobarbital among mentally defective epileptic patients.

PMID- 20297153
TI  - Treatment of epilepsy with tridione.

PMID- 20297154
TI  - Psychological variation within a homogeneous psychometric group.

PMID- 20297155
TI  - The use of multi-sensory aids in guiding the slow-learning pupil in the
      understanding of arithmetic.

PMID- 20297156
TI  - Early prognosis in mental defects.

PMID- 20297157
TI  - Personality in mongolism with special reference to the incidence of catatonic
      psychosis.

PMID- 20297158
TI  - The incident of maladjustment among mental defectives in military environment.

PMID- 20297159
TI  - Psychoneuroses in the mentally retarded.

PMID- 20297161
TI  - The education of the institutionalized mental defective by means of a social
      program.

PMID- 20297160
TI  - Training program for middle grade children at the Southbury Training School.

PMID- 20297162
TI  - The Wayne County Training School program; the general educational plan.

PMID- 20297163
TI  - The education program in the Rome State School.

PMID- 20297165
TI  - Occupational therapy; its contribution to the training of mentally deficient
      patients at the Newark State School.

PMID- 20297164
TI  - Methods and techniques used in occupational therapy treatment for the imbecile.

PMID- 20297166
TI  - Recreation for the patients in the institutions for mental defectives.

PMID- 20297167
TI  - Botleys Park Mental Deficiency Colony, Chertsey, Surrey, England, during the war,
      1939-1945.

PMID- 20297169
TI  - The Haven, colony houses.

PMID- 20297168
TI  - The Lapeer program.

PMID- 20297170
TI  - Analysis of the results of the Rome State School training program.

PMID- 20297171
TI  - Basic anxiety.

PMID- 20297172
TI  - The traumatic syndrome.

PMID- 20297173
TI  - Psychiatry and applied anthropology in psychological warfare against Japan.

PMID- 20297174
TI  - Psychoanalysis and education.

PMID- 20297175
TI  - Neurotic conflict and physical symptoms.

PMID- 20297176
TI  - Psychoanalysis and the news world.

PMID- 20297177
TI  - The Association, past, present, and future.

PMID- 20297178
TI  - Psychoanalysis and politics.

PMID- 20297179
TI  - The role of psychoanalysis in the community.

PMID- 20297180
TI  - The future of psychoanalysis.

PMID- 20297181
TI  - Cerebral anoxia from high altitude asphyxiation; a clinicopathologic study of two
      fatal cases with unusually long survival and a clinical report of a nonfatal
      case.

PMID- 20297182
TI  - Cerebellar medulloblastoma in adults.

PMID- 20297183
TI  - Static tremor with hemiplegia; report of a case; development, progression for
      seven years and postmortem histologic observations.

PMID- 20297184
TI  - Japanese B encephalitis; clinical observations in an outbreak on Okinawa Shima.

PMID- 20297185
TI  - Incidence of anisocoria and difference in size of palpebral fissures in five
      hundred normal subjects.

PMID- 20297186
TI  - Relation of mental imagery to hallucinations.

PMID- 20297187
TI  - Medulloblastoma of the cerebellum, with survival for 17 years.

PMID- 20297188
TI  - Bilateral and multiple ruptured disk as a cause of persistent symptoms following
      operation for herniated disk.

PMID- 20297189
TI  - Electroshock and personality structure.

PMID- 20297190
TI  - Elements in psychotherapy.

PMID- 20297191
TI  - Results of hospital treatment, including electric shock, of psychoneurotic
      patients.

PMID- 20297192
TI  - The problem of alcoholism.

PMID- 20297193
TI  - The conditioned reflex treatment of alcoholism.

PMID- 20297194
TI  - Alcoholics Anonymous.

PMID- 20297196
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297195
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297197
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297198
TI  - Genetical causes of schizophrenic symptoms.

PMID- 20297199
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297200
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297201
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297202
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297203
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297204
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297205
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297206
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297207
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297208
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297209
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297210
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297211
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297212
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297213
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297214
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297215
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297216
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297217
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297218
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297219
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297220
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297221
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297222
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297223
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297224
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297225
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297226
TI  - A suggested definition of intelligence.

PMID- 20297227
TI  - Mental health approach to juvenile delinquency.

PMID- 20297228
TI  - Measles.

PMID- 20297229
TI  - Tetralogy of Fallot.

PMID- 20297230
TI  - Nursing care of a child with tetralogy of Fallot.

PMID- 20297231
TI  - A clean procedure for formula preparation.

PMID- 20297232
TI  - What's wrong with this picture? [private duty nursing in hospitals].

PMID- 20297233
TI  - Measuring and recording oral fluid intake.

PMID- 20297234
TI  - FOOT CARE for you and your patient.

PMID- 20297235
TI  - Foot supports in polio.

PMID- 20297236
TI  - Shorter and sharper testing tools for the pre-nursing and guidance test service.

PMID- 20297237
TI  - REQUIREMENTS for admission to schools of nursing.

PMID- 20297238
TI  - What is a consultant? with special reference to the venereal disease field.

PMID- 20297239
TI  - The public health nurse in communicable disease control.

PMID- 20297240
TI  - Treatment progress in venereal disease control.

PMID- 20297241
TI  - The nurse in a changing venereal disease program.

PMID- 20297243
TI  - M. S. Hygiene, Alaska's floating health unit.

PMID- 20297242
TI  - Community planning for parent education.

PMID- 20297244
TI  - Physical therapy aspects of cerebral palsy.

PMID- 20297245
TI  - Further data on glare ratings.

PMID- 20297246
TI  - Brightness distribution in rooms.

PMID- 20297247
TI  - The measurement of fluorescent lamps and luminaires.

PMID- 20297248
TI  - The characteristics and application of flashtubes.

PMID- 20297249
TI  - New developments in mercury lamps and their applications.

PMID- 20297250
TI  - Quality lighting in schools.

PMID- 20297251
TI  - Classroom fields of vision.

PMID- 20297253
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297252
TI  - Tropical nutritional amblyopia ("camp eyes").

PMID- 20297254
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297255
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297256
TI  - On the distribution of glutathione and vitamin C in the lens and cornea.

PMID- 20297257
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297258
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297260
TI  - Descemet-rupture and birth-trauma.

PMID- 20297259
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297261
TI  - Arachnodactylia and diencephalon.

PMID- 20297262
TI  - Cataract and carbo-hydrate metabolism of the lens.

PMID- 20297263
TI  - Acuity of vision in connection with the distribution of the percipient elements
      over the retina.

PMID- 20297264
TI  - A perimeter-scheme depicting equivalently.

PMID- 20297265
TI  - Computation on seeing dimly.

PMID- 20297266
TI  - Treatment of macular degeneration.

PMID- 20297267
TI  - Chronic inflammation of the glands of Meibom.

PMID- 20297268
TI  - Some remarks about injuries to the eye.

PMID- 20297269
TI  - Mercuriosis of the lens.

PMID- 20297270
TI  - Glaucoma; vascular necrosis; expulsive haemorrhage.

PMID- 20297271
TI  - Xanthelasmata and vegetative neurosis.

PMID- 20297272
TI  - Communication about three cases of post-operative purulent infection of the
      vitreous body, cured by injecting penicilline into the anterior ocular chamber
      and vitreous body.

PMID- 20297273
TI  - A case of petrifying conjunctivitis (Leber) caused by a mould.

PMID- 20297274
TI  - Acrylic ocular prosthesis; a new method.

PMID- 20297275
TI  - Notes on the aetiology of horizontal imbalance.

PMID- 20297276
TI  - Centenary of Babbage's ophthalmoscope.

PMID- 20297277
TI  - Personality problems in the guide dog relation.

PMID- 20297278
TI  - A new technique for the insertion of a columellar strut.

PMID- 20297279
TI  - A precise method of approximating the mesial crura.

PMID- 20297280
TI  - Ocular torsion in health and disease.

PMID- 20297281
TI  - Regional injection of penicillin in phlegmons of the nose and throat.

PMID- 20297283
TI  - The effect of visual training on existing myopia.

PMID- 20297282
TI  - Vitreous transplantation.

PMID- 20297284
TI  - Nonperforating ocular injuries in soldiers.

PMID- 20297285
TI  - New forceps for the removal of nonmagnetic foreign bodies from the vitreous.

PMID- 20297286
TI  - A method for visualizing the anterior segment of the globe by stereoscopic
      roentgenography.

PMID- 20297287
TI  - A new prism holder.

PMID- 20297288
TI  - A new ophthalmoscope demonstration.

PMID- 20297289
TI  - An illuminated retractor speculum.

PMID- 20297290
TI  - Two accommodating rules of opaque plastic.

PMID- 20297291
TI  - The Luckiesh-Berens tangent screen illuminator.

PMID- 20297292
TI  - Compensating convergence and accommodation device.

PMID- 20297293
TI  - Septic thrombophlebitis of the neck.

PMID- 20297294
TI  - Otolaryngological aspects of wry neck.

PMID- 20297295
TI  - Deafness of psychic origin and its response to narcosynthesis.

PMID- 20297296
TI  - The fitting of hearing aids.

PMID- 20297297
TI  - Methods for recording audiometric findings recommended by the Committee on the
      Conservation of Hearing.

PMID- 20297298
TI  - Lipreading demonstration.

PMID- 20297299
TI  - The measurement of hearing.

PMID- 20297300
TI  - The measurement of hearing.

PMID- 20297301
TI  - Hyperplastic callus simulating sarcoma in two cases of fragilitas ossium.

PMID- 20297302
TI  - Calcification of the lung alveoli.

PMID- 20297303
TI  - A paraganglion related to the ductus arteriosus.

PMID- 20297304
TI  - Pigmentary changes in familial non-haemolytic jaundice.

PMID- 20297305
TI  - Gliomata of the nose and oral cavity; a report of two cases.

PMID- 20297306
TI  - Cerebral arteritis and phlebitis in pneumococcal meningitis.

PMID- 20297307
TI  - Basophilism and carcinoma of the pancreas.

PMID- 20297308
TI  - Amyoplasia congenita.

PMID- 20297309
TI  - Primary pulmonary hypertension.

PMID- 20297310
TI  - Salivary adenoma and adenolymphoma.

PMID- 20297311
TI  - Haemolytic icterus (acholuric jaundice) congenital and acquired.

PMID- 20297312
TI  - Observations on the pulmonary macrophage system.

PMID- 20297313
TI  - Myocarditis in Friedreich's ataxia.

PMID- 20297314
TI  - The blood picture and plasma level following injury.

PMID- 20297315
TI  - The changes in the kidneys in carbon tetrachloride poisoning, and their
      resemblance to those in the crush syndrome.

PMID- 20297316
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297317
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297318
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297319
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297320
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297321
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297322
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297323
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297324
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297325
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297326
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297327
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297328
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297329
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297330
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297331
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297332
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297333
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297334
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297335
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297336
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297337
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297338
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297339
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297340
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297342
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297341
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297343
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297344
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297345
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297346
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297347
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297348
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297349
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297350
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297351
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297352
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297353
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297354
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297355
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297357
TI  - A case of toxoplamosis; with recovery.

PMID- 20297356
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297358
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297359
TI  - A case of D-vitamin intoxication.

PMID- 20297360
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297361
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297362
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297363
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297364
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297365
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297366
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297367
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297368
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297369
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297370
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297371
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297372
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297373
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297374
TI  - Height and weight in relation to onset of puberty in boys.

PMID- 20297375
TI  - Some observations on the growth of children.

PMID- 20297376
TI  - The blood in infancy.

PMID- 20297377
TI  - Biliary obstruction associated with icterus gravis neonatorum.

PMID- 20297378
TI  - The etiology of intermittent oesophageal regurgitation and haematemesis in
      infants.

PMID- 20297379
TI  - Observations on haemolytic disease of the newborn.

PMID- 20297380
TI  - The treatment of erythroblastosis foetalis.

PMID- 20297381
TI  - The plasma volume in nephritis.

PMID- 20297382
TI  - The convalescent care of rheumatic fever patients.

PMID- 20297383
TI  - Allergy in childhood; the long range view.

PMID- 20297384
TI  - Incontinence of urine in children.

PMID- 20297385
TI  - Pertussis encephalopathy.

PMID- 20297386
TI  - Tuberculous meningitis.

PMID- 20297387
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297388
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297389
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297390
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297391
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297392
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297393
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297394
TI  - [Generalized bone disease in childhood].

PMID- 20297395
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297396
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297397
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297398
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297399
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297400
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297401
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297402
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297403
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297404
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297405
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297406
TI  - The approach to child guidance in Victoria.

PMID- 20297407
TI  - Deficits in diarrhea.

PMID- 20297408
TI  - Rickettsial diseases of childhood; a clinical pathologic study of tick typhus,
      Rocky Mountain spotted fever and murine typhus, endemic typhus.

PMID- 20297409
TI  - Early evidence of psychoses in children; with special reference to schizophrenia.

PMID- 20297410
TI  - Streptomycin; a review.

PMID- 20297412
TI  - Celiac syndrome; the relationship of celiac disease, starch intolerance, and
      steatorrhea.

PMID- 20297411
TI  - Osseous congenital syphilis; effects of penicillin on rate of healing.

PMID- 20297413
TI  - An evaluation of benadryl, pyribenzamine, and other so-called antihistaminic
      drugs in the treatment of allergy.

PMID- 20297414
TI  - Genitourinary conditions in infants and children.

PMID- 20297415
TI  - Research report of child health needs and interests on which to revise health
      instruction in Denver schools.

PMID- 20297416
TI  - The American School Health Association in retrospect and in prospect.

PMID- 20297417
TI  - The teachers' role in early recognition of the maladjusted child.

PMID- 20297418
TI  - New York State training program for dental hygienists.

PMID- 20297419
TI  - Results of fifteen years of tuberculosis control in rural Minnesota.

PMID- 20297420
TI  - Orthoptic treatment, a beneficial procedure when properly used.

PMID- 20297421
TI  - The nuisance diseases.

PMID- 20297422
TI  - Dental health for children and youth.

PMID- 20297423
TI  - Diisopropyl fluorophosphate.

PMID- 20297425
TI  - Preparation and clinical uses of protein hydrolysates.

PMID- 20297424
TI  - Recent advances in therapeutic agents.

PMID- 20297426
TI  - Mascara; a simply prepared cosmetic.

PMID- 20297427
TI  - Application to medicinal chemicals of a new notation for organic compounds.

PMID- 20297428
TI  - Cochineal.

PMID- 20297429
TI  - Pharmacy in Colonial North America.

PMID- 20297430
TI  - Sinusitis; its problems and complications.

PMID- 20297431
TI  - ENDOCRINE glands in health and disease.

PMID- 20297432
TI  - The treatment of some common skin diseases.

PMID- 20297433
TI  - Trace metals and chemotherapy.

PMID- 20297435
TI  - A survey of diagnostic agents.

PMID- 20297434
TI  - The stabilisation and drying of digitialis leaves.

PMID- 20297436
TI  - Urea-resin-treated paper.

PMID- 20297437
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297438
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297439
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297440
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297441
TI  - Maternity and child welfare in a large British city.

PMID- 20297442
TI  - Regulation of housing; hints for health officers.

PMID- 20297443
TI  - Ideal intake of calories and specific nutrients.

PMID- 20297444
TI  - Effect of restricted feeding upon aging and chronic diseases in rats and dogs.

PMID- 20297445
TI  - Effect of ultra-violet irradiation of classrooms on spread of measels in large
      rural central schools.

PMID- 20297446
TI  - Use of census tracts in the analysis of city health problems.

PMID- 20297447
TI  - The correlation of laboratory and clinical evidence of virulence of C.
      diphtheriae.

PMID- 20297449
TI  - WATER supply.

PMID- 20297448
TI  - Present recommendations concerning treatment and prophylaxis of diphtheria.

PMID- 20297451
TI  - Prevention of disease in the USSR.

PMID- 20297450
TI  - An epidemic of an acute meningo-encephalitis in Giles County, Tennessee; an
      unusual disease.

PMID- 20297452
TI  - The challenge of psychiatry in 1947.

PMID- 20297454
TI  - Nutrition and school children.

PMID- 20297453
TI  - Rates of stillbirths in Canada.

PMID- 20297455
TI  - Ornithosis among wild pigeons in Ontario.

PMID- 20297456
TI  - Inspection of funeral homes.

PMID- 20297457
TI  - [The population and population dynamics of Austria in 1945/46].

PMID- 20297458
TI  - [First occurrence of the word 'statistics' in Hungary, and the beginning of the
      science of statistics in Hungary].

PMID- 20297459
TI  - The Lancashire mass radiography unit.

PMID- 20297460
TI  - The use of D. D. T. for Pediculus capitis infestation in school children.

PMID- 20297461
TI  - The Curtis report.

PMID- 20297462
TI  - Low incidence of Enterobius vermicularis in natives of Guam, M. I.

PMID- 20297463
TI  - Intradermal reactions to fresh and stored antigens prepared from cercariae of
      Schistosoma mansoni.

PMID- 20297464
TI  - The relation of brucellosis to human welfare.

PMID- 20297465
TI  - The Ponce malaria control project.

PMID- 20297467
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297466
TI  - Schistosomiasis mansoni in the Republic of Santo Domingo; with a report of six
      cases studied.

PMID- 20297468
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297469
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297470
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297471
TI  - Evaluation of methods of heating sludge.

PMID- 20297472
TI  - Phosphates in sewage and sludge treatment; effect on coagulation, clarification
      and sludge volume.

PMID- 20297473
TI  - Concentration of activated sludge.

PMID- 20297474
TI  - Sanitary sewers; how big should they be? some evidence indicating that money is
      being wasted in over-design of lateral sewers.

PMID- 20297475
TI  - Developments of 1946 in sewage and industrial waste treatment; a critical review.

PMID- 20297476
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297477
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297478
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297479
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297480
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297481
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297482
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297483
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297484
TI  - Treatment of oesophageal varices by injections of sclerosing agents through
      oesophagoscope in splenectomized patient suffering from splenic phlebostenosis
      (splenic anemia); a case with autopsy.

PMID- 20297485
TI  - Prevention of evacuation difficulties of the stomach after partial gastrectomy.

PMID- 20297486
TI  - Intraarticular fractures in the upper end of the tibia and lower end of the
      femur.

PMID- 20297487
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297488
TI  - Headache after spinal anesthesia and a technique for lessening its frequency.

PMID- 20297489
TI  - On dislocation and fracture-dislocation of the spinal column.

PMID- 20297490
TI  - Four cases of tuberculosis of the kidney.

PMID- 20297491
TI  - Accidents in childhood.

PMID- 20297492
TI  - Peripheral injuries to the spinal accessory nerve.

PMID- 20297493
TI  - Malignant goiter.

PMID- 20297495
TI  - On conservative surgery in hydronephrosis.

PMID- 20297494
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297496
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297497
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297498
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297499
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297500
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297501
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297502
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297503
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297504
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297506
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297505
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297507
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297508
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297509
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297510
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297511
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297512
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297513
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297514
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297515
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297516
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297517
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297518
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297519
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297520
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297521
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297522
TI  - The surgical treatment of decubitus ulcers.

PMID- 20297523
TI  - Principles of plastic surgery.

PMID- 20297524
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297525
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297526
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297527
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297528
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297529
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297530
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297531
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297532
TI  - Streptomycin.

PMID- 20297533
TI  - The examination of contacts.

PMID- 20297534
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297535
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297536
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297537
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297538
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297539
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20297540
TI  - Newcastle disease in England and Wales.

PMID- 20297541
TI  - Tick-borne fever in young lambs.

PMID- 20297542
TI  - Some aspects of immunity to tick-borne fever in hogs.

PMID- 20297543
TI  - Infectious catarrhal fever of dogs.

PMID- 20297544
TI  - Running fits in dogs.

PMID- 20297545
TI  - [The sons of dissidence: the sin of sodomy and its infamous records].

PMID- 20297546
TI  - [From the kingdom to Rio: New Christians, migration, social mobility, and
      sociability in Rio de Janeiro].

PMID- 20297547
TI  - Education and training in anaesthesia and intensive care--contemporary
      considerations.

PMID- 20297548
TI  - [Identity crisis as a migration-causing factor in the post-Soviet period].

PMID- 20297549
TI  - Scientists at sea: British seagoing naturalists in Australian waters in the
      nineteenth century.

PMID- 20297550
TI  - Dr. Alan Duncan--Chief Editor of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care: 2003 to 2009.

PMID- 20297551
TI  - [Breves nocoes sobre a Medicina Cafreal do Districto de Sofala: Portuguese
      knowledge of medicinal herbs and plants on the southeast coast of Africa in the
      second half of the 19th century].

PMID- 20297552
TI  - Vale the index.

PMID- 20297553
TI  - Progress at the journal.

PMID- 20297554
TI  - Case reports or correspondence?

PMID- 20297555
TI  - [Abstracts from the 27th International Congress of the Association of French
      speaking Dermatologists, 11-14 February 2009, Alger, Algeria].

PMID- 20297556
TI  - [Iron chelation significantly improves the median disease free survival in iron
      overload].

PMID- 20297557
TI  - On disruptive innovations in prosthodontics- can we hide our operatory?

PMID- 20297558
TI  - State wellness initiatives.

PMID- 20297559
TI  - ["I'm well aware of the problems and crisis in psychiatry . . . " Interview with
      Dr. Janos Harmatta by Gyongyi B.Kiraly].

PMID- 20297560
TI  - [Role of biological statistics in clinical studies].

PMID- 20297561
TI  - How health reform legislation will affect Medicare beneficiaries.
AB  - Despite criticism that health reform legislation will result in cuts to Medicare,
      the bills passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as
      President Obama's proposal, contain provisions that would strengthen the program
      by reducing costs for prescription drugs, expanding coverage for preventive care,
      providing more help for low-income beneficiaries, and supporting accessible,
      coordinated, and comprehensive care that effectively responds to patients' needs.
      The legislation also would help to extend the program's fiscal solvency--for nine
      years, under the Senate bill. This issue brief examines the provisions in the
      pending legislation and how each one would work to improve benefits, extend the
      fiscal solvency of the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, reduce pressure on
      the federal budget, and contribute to moving the health care system toward better
      access to care, improved quality, and greater efficiency.

PMID- 20297562
TI  - [A non smoking operation].

PMID- 20297563
TI  - [To dictate and to write at the same time--that is the answer].

PMID- 20297564
TI  - [Miscarriage or not miscarriage--correct diagnosis not always easy. Early
      ultrasound can give several uncertain diagnoses].

PMID- 20297565
TI  - [Osteoporotic sacral fracture--a painful condition, easy to miss. Sacroplasty a
      new treatment with quick pain relief].

PMID- 20297566
TI  - [Mutational analysis of KRAS prior to targeted therapy in colorectal cancer.
      Quality control of molecular pathological methods in Sweden].

PMID- 20297567
TI  - [Low-dosage ASA should not be given as primary prevention. The risk is greater
      than the benefit--also in high risk of cardiovascular disease].

PMID- 20297568
TI  - [Acute gastrointestinal hemorrhage].

PMID- 20297569
TI  - [Back at the starting point. Obesity patients the losers when sibutramine
      (Reductil) is recalled].

PMID- 20297570
TI  - [The Sylf project for better generation shift in health care leadership. Who will
      be the boss after you?].

PMID- 20297571
TI  - [Mammography screening should continue until full clarity of the effect is
      gained].

PMID- 20297572
TI  - [New check list from Spur--a unique possibility to test the new internship].

PMID- 20297573
TI  - [The director of internship studies important for the quality of education].

PMID- 20297574
TI  - ["The Visby man's" skeleton testifies about severe pain].

PMID- 20297575
TI  - [Mentally disabled who commit crime].

PMID- 20297576
TI  - [Person-centered care--the clinician's comeback. The anamnesis and patient's
      symptoms in focus again].

PMID- 20297577
TI  - [Appendiceal abscess: Uncertainty concerning the therapeutic principles. A survey
      indicates the need of randomized controlled trials].

PMID- 20297578
TI  - [Acquired haemophilia--an overlooked disorder with high morbidity].

PMID- 20297579
TI  - [Sexually transmitted infections. Good strategies can stop the increase].

PMID- 20297580
TI  - [Chlamydia a common cause of miction problems].

PMID- 20297581
TI  - [Strong increase of gonorrhea].

PMID- 20297582
TI  - [Fewer young people born in Sweden have contracted HIV].

PMID- 20297583
TI  - [Chlamydia and genital mycoplasma: epidemiology and risks].

PMID- 20297584
TI  - [Threefold increase of Chlamydia in Dalecarlia--how could it happen?].

PMID- 20297585
TI  - [Chlamydia test via Internet a good alternative to testing in clinics].

PMID- 20297586
TI  - [The teenage brain, risk and sex].

PMID- 20297587
TI  - [National Action Plan for Chlamydia Prevention].

PMID- 20297588
TI  - [Can the medical profession accept insanity as a requirement for forensic
      psychiatric care?].

PMID- 20297589
TI  - [Guidelines don't cover the therapeutic needs for everyone with inflammatory
      bowel disease].

PMID- 20297590
TI  - [What determines successful heart transplantation care? Low volume alone does not
      explain the decrease in 1-year survival].

PMID- 20297591
TI  - [Wide discussion about the Care Choice Stockholm necessary].

PMID- 20297592
TI  - [Always hospital admission in TIA and stroke?].

PMID- 20297593
TI  - The net effect of CER.

PMID- 20297594
TI  - Bungled payments.

PMID- 20297595
TI  - Technology. Data mining is vital as meaningful use looms.

PMID- 20297596
TI  - Bad debt. The rising tide of uncompensated care.

PMID- 20297597
TI  - Physician shortage. Doctor vacancies pose severe problem for children's
      hospitals.

PMID- 20297598
TI  - Other voices. What will it take to be a meaningful user? Interview by Bill
      Santamour.

PMID- 20297599
TI  - Emergency department. Hospitals aim to help patients pick an ED by posting wait
      times on the Web.

PMID- 20297600
TI  - The extra mile. A tremendous responsibility, a tremendous honor. Interview by
      Laura Putre.

PMID- 20297601
TI  - Pharmaceuticals. Disease foundations prime the drug pump.

PMID- 20297602
TI  - The new privacy norm.

PMID- 20297603
TI  - Who'll run your IT?
AB  - Hospitals already face a shortage of qualified health IT workers, a shortage that
      will only intensify with new HIPAA rules, the transition to ICD-10 coding and,
      most importantly, government pressure to ramp up EHRs. Many initiatives are under
      way to ease the potential crisis, but hospitals will have to be creative in
      cultivating talent and deploying limited staff and financial resources to
      generate the greatest return.

PMID- 20297604
TI  - Defining meaningful use.

PMID- 20297605
TI  - Do you hold staff accountable for safety?

PMID- 20297606
TI  - Power to the patient.

PMID- 20297607
TI  - Keeping a digital eye on patients.

PMID- 20297608
TI  - The fear factor.

PMID- 20297609
TI  - Awake fiberoptic intubation with target-controlled infusion of remifentanil in
      emergency surgery.

PMID- 20297610
TI  - Erem versus IV PCA meta-analysis.

PMID- 20297611
TI  - Pharmacokinetics of intranasal fentanyl spray in patients with cancer and
      breakthrough pain.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study reports the pharmacokinetics, tolerability, and safety of
      an intranasalfentanyl spray (INFS) in patients with cancer and breakthrough pain
      (BTP). DESIGN: A randomized, open-label, two-period, crossover trial. PATIENTS:
      Nineteen adult patients (mean 57.8 years) with BTP, receiving opioid treatment
      for chronic background pain, from clinical departments in Austria, France, and
      Norway entered and completed the study. INTERVENTION: Patients were randomly
      assigned to receive one of six INFS dose sequences: 50/100, 100/50, 50/200,
      200/50, 100/200, and 200/100 microg. INFS was administered as a single dose in
      one nostril. Each dose was separated by a minimum of 48 hours. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURE: Plasma fentanyl concentrations were measured by high-performance liquid
      chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry from blood samples obtained at 0
      (predose) and frequently up to 300 minutes after INFS administration. Blood
      pressure, peripheral oxygen saturation, and respiratory rate were assessed eight
      times during each of the two treatment periods. RESULTS: Mean fentanyl plasma
      concentrations increased in a dose-dependent manner, peaking for all fentanyl
      doses 9-15 minutes after INFS administration. Median T(max) values were 15, 12,
      and 15 minutes for the 50, 100, and 200 microg doses of INFS, respectively. Mean
      (SD) values for C(max) were 351 (+/- 226), 595 (+/- 400), and 1195 (+/- 700)
      pg/mL, respectively, indicating dose-proportionality. Six patients (31.6 percent)
      experienced adverse events during the treatment period, the majority being mild
      in severity. CONCLUSION: INFS at doses of 50, 100, and 200 microg showed a short
      T(max) and was well tolerated in patients with cancer. These results support INFS
      use in patients with cancer suffering from BTP.

PMID- 20297612
TI  - Variability of transdermal fentanyl metabolism and excretion in pain patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The rising popularity of the fentanyl transdermal patch and the
      striking number of deaths attributed to its prescribed use have brought attention
      to the large variability of fentanyl metabolism and the need for predictive
      models to prevent toxicity. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine
      the amount of both intrasubject and intersubject variability in fentanyl
      metabolism and excretion, using urinary excretion data from patients with chronic
      pain prescribed the fentanyl transdermal patch. METHODS: Liquid chromatography
      tandem mass spectrometry analytical technique was used to quantitate fentanyl and
      norfentanyl concentrations in spot urine specimens, after incubation with
      glucuronidase. Descriptive statistics and graphical analysis were conducted using
      Microsoft Excel 2007. Analysis was conducted on 206 subjects with > or = 2 visits
      listing transdermal fentanyl as current medication. Outliers and subjects with no
      detectable levels of drug were excluded, resulting in subject populations of 200
      (all subjects analyzed) and 166 (subjects with drug concentrations above the
      instrument detection limit for all visits). RESULTS: The geometric mean metabolic
      ratio (MR) of norfentanyl to fentanyl was 6.2 x division by 2.4. A wide
      distribution was observed in total fentanyl load (1,000-fold) and MR (200-fold).
      The intersubject geometric standard deviation in MR was 2.4 (95% confidence
      interval [CI] for MR: 1-37) and the intrasubject geometric standard deviation was
      1.8 (95% CI for MR: 2-20). CONCLUSION: The level of intrasubject variability over
      time in the pharmacokinetics of the fentanyl patch is much greater than
      previously observed and may be due to variability in absorption, interference of
      metabolism by concomitant medications, and variable metabolism due to genetic
      polymorphisms. The variation in the MR between subjects and within subjects may
      explain the unpredictable adverse effects observed with use of transdermal
      fentanyl.

PMID- 20297613
TI  - Oxycodone/acetaminophen at low dosage: an alternative pain treatment for patients
      with rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess efficacy and safety of the association
      oxycodone/acetaminophen (oxycodone/acetaminophen) for pain treatment and
      disability improvement in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS:
      Patients with RA (n = 29), suffering from moderate to severe pain for more than 3
      months, were included in the study, except those under RA therapy with biological
      drugs. The treatment started with oxycodone/acetaminophen at the dosage of 5
      mg/325 mg, and then the dosage was titrated until the attainment of good pain
      relief. Antiemetic and laxative therapy was used for the prophylaxis of known
      opioid-related adverse events. RESULTS: Patients continued their RA therapy
      without changing the dosages, reported reduced pain intensity and disease
      activity, and improvement of disability. Forty-two percent of patients had a good
      clinical response to oxycodone/acetaminophen treatment, according to European
      League against Rheumatism (EULAR) assessment criteria, and 50 percent of patients
      reached the American College of Rheumatology 20 percent improvement criteria
      (ACR20). At the end of the study, the mean (+/- SD) daily effective
      oxycodone/acetaminophen dose was 13.8 (+/- 6.8) mg/720.4 (+/- 291.0) mg. No
      serious adverse event was observed. Nausea, vomiting, and stipsis of mild
      moderate intensity were the most common adverse events. CONCLUSION:
      Oxycodone/acetaminophen at low dosages for the treatment of chronic pain in RA
      patients can be a good alternative to non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs
      (NSAIDs), allowing the reduction of their consumption, while keeping RA therapy
      stable.

PMID- 20297614
TI  - The effect of intravenous opioid patient-controlled analgesia with and without
      background infusion on respiratory depression: a meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the addition of a background infusion for intravenous
      patient-controlled analgesia (IV-PCA) has been identified as a risk factor for
      the development of respiratory depression, this has not clearly been examined in
      a systematic fashion. The authors undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis
      of available randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to examine whether the addition
      of a background or continuous infusion to an IV-PCA regimen would be associated
      with an increased risk of respiratory depression. METHODS: Studies were
      identified by searching the National Library of Medicine's PubMed database (1966
      to November 30, 2008). Inclusion criteria were a clearly defined analgesic
      technique of demand-only IV-PCA versus IV-PCA utilizing both a demand dose and
      background infusion, opioid medication used, and randomized trials. Data were
      abstracted and analyzed with the RevMan 4.2.7 (The Cochrane Collaboration, 2004).
      RESULTS: The search yielded 687 abstracts from which the original articles were
      obtained and data abstracted with a total of 14 articles analyzed. There were 402
      subjects in the continuous IV-PCA with demand group versus the 394 subjects in
      the demand-only IV-PCA group. Addition of a background infusion to the demand
      dose for IV-PCA with opioids was associated with a significant increased risk for
      respiratory depression (odds ratio [OR] = 4.68, 95% confidence interval [CI]:
      1.20-18.21). Subgroup analysis revealed that this increased risk was seen in
      adult but not in pediatric patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis indicates
      that the addition of a continuous or background infusion to the demand dose for
      IV-PCA is associated with a higher incidence of respiratory events than demand IV
      PCA alone in adult but not in pediatric patients; however, our overall results
      should be interpreted with caution due to the relatively small sample size and
      the wide range of definitions for respiratory depression in studies examined.

PMID- 20297615
TI  - Weaning of opioids and benzodiazepines at home after critical illness in infants:
      a cost-effective approach.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility of infants' weaning of opioids and
      sedatives at home. DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. SETTING: Level 3
      pediatric intensive care unit. PATIENTS: Neonates treated for congenital
      diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) with extra corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).
      INTERVENTION: Eligible infants were discharged early and further weaned of
      analgesics and/or sedatives at home. RESULTS: Of the 30 neonates treated for CDH
      with ECMO from 2003 to 2005, 15 survived. Five of these were weaned at home, on
      the guidance of telephone contact once a week. The mean infusion rates of
      morphine and midazolam for these children were significantly higher than those
      for other infants. Weaning at home took 11, 42, 107, 173, and 180 days,
      respectively, in the resultant mean savings on hospitalization costs per patient
      amounted to Euro150, 000. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that home weaning
      reduced the length of hospital stay by a median of 107 days for the five infants
      in this study, and thereby considerably reduced healthcare costs. Parents need to
      be informed clearly about possible withdrawal symptoms and should consent in this
      strategy. The strategy of final weaning with the aid of weekly telephone
      consultations with a consultant pediatric intensivist was feasible for these
      parents.

PMID- 20297616
TI  - Effect of preoperative rectal indomethacin on postoperative pain reduction after
      open appendectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: One of the major challenges faced by the treatment planning teams is
      how to manage postoperative pain. Previous studies agreed upon the effects of
      preoperative administration of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on
      postoperative pain, but all have focused on patients with surgical
      noninflammatory diseases (ie, inguinal hernia or breast biopsy). The aim of this
      study was to evaluate the effects of rectal indomethacin on reducing
      postoperative pain in patients with acute appendicitis. METHODS: It is a simple
      randomized, clinical trial including 200 patients with acute appendicitis who
      were divided into two groups (A1 and A2). The case group (A1) received 100 mg
      rectal indomethacin during 2 hours before the operation. Pain intensity was
      assessed in all patients using a visual analog scale (VAS). Similarly, total
      dosage of meperidine analgesic medication and postoperative time to use of rescue
      analgesia were evaluated. RESULTS: Patients who received preoperative rectal
      indomethacin (A1) showed a significant reduction in the VAS score. Also, a
      reduction in total dose of meperidine and longer time to use of rescue analgesic
      medication were observed in A1 group. CONCLUSION: Preoperative administration of
      rectal indomethacin in acute appendicitis reduces postoperative pain.

PMID- 20297617
TI  - Use of sublingual methadone for treating pain of chemotherapy-induced oral
      mucositis.
AB  - Chemotherapy-induced and radiation-induced mucositis is a debilitating and often
      painful condition resulting in an inability to swallow, and thus inability to
      maintain adequate quality of life and overall functioning. To date, attempts on
      palliation of mucositis-related pain have primarily used topical anesthetic
      solutions and intravenous opioids; these approaches have achieved only limited
      success, particularly in oncology patients. The authors present a novel case of
      mucositis-related pain that is effectively treated with sublingual methadone.
      Sublingual methadone is an alternative to standard treatment options for
      mucositis-related pain and has unique pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic
      properties that make methadone a suitable agent for this pathology. These
      properties are addressed and discussed, as is the need for additional study to
      better understand the potential benefits, burdens, and risks that may be
      associated with this formulation of methadone when treating chemotherapy-induced
      and/or radiation therapy-induced mucositis in patients with cancer.

PMID- 20297618
TI  - Support for data standards GS1 Healthcare US maps out 2010 goals and beyond for
      supply chain. Interview by Bob Kehoe.

PMID- 20297619
TI  - Time well spent? Assessing nursing-supply chain activities.
AB  - The amount of time nurses spend providing direct patient care seems to be
      continually eroding. So it's little wonder a survey conducted last year of
      critical care, OR nurses and nurse executives found that half of the 1600
      respondents feel they spend too much time on supply chain duties. Most also said
      their supply chain duties impact patient safe ty and their ability to provide
      bedside care. Experts interviewed for this report believe it's time for supply
      chain leaders and nurses to develop a closer working partnership. Included are
      their recommendations to improve performance.

PMID- 20297620
TI  - Wound care advancements bring bevy of products.
AB  - Over the past several years, the nearly $2 billion post-surgical woundcare market
      has been inundated with devices designed to accelerate healing and prevent
      infection. For materials managers, wound care nurses and others involved in
      product selection, keeping up with the changes can be a challenge. Here wound
      care experts, manufacturers and other sources highlight some of the many recent
      product advances and their applications. In addition, sources comment on the
      field of regenerative medicine and where it may be headed.

PMID- 20297621
TI  - Alert system fills critical need.
AB  - Developing a disaster preparedness program is just the start of being able to
      properly respond to supply chain emergency situations. The best plans evolve
      based on lessons learned during an actual event. The four-level program
      implemented at Aurora Health Care in Milwaukee shows how improved results can be
      achieved by focusing on communications. Their work before the second wave of the
      H1N1 influenza outbreak helped the organization avoid some of the product
      shortages and capacity strains so many other hospitals and health systems
      experienced.

PMID- 20297622
TI  - Endoscopes require constant care. Hospitals must remain vigilant: ECRI institute.
AB  - Some experts believe lapses in protocols for the cleaning and disinfection or
      sterilization of endoscopes occur more frequently than may be reported in the
      media. If so, this may increase the potential risk for endoscope cross
      contamination. The ECRI Institute, Plymouth Meeting, Pa., called attention to
      this issue recently by ranking the potential for cross-contamination of
      endoscopes the No. 1 technology hazard in its third annual report on the subject.
      But by establishing and executing proper protocols for endoscope reprocessing,
      hospitals can better manage this risk.

PMID- 20297623
TI  - Curbing infections via electronic surveillance.
AB  - Infection control programs can generate a wealth of data, but many professionals
      become overwhelmed when trying to translate the data into actionable knowledge.
      Automated surveillance systems have the potential to greatly streamline these
      efforts, but many questions arise about how to evaluate these systems, their
      costs, benefits and more. Here are answers to some of the most important
      questions on this issue.

PMID- 20297624
TI  - Valuable lessons learned from the patient's perspective.

PMID- 20297625
TI  - [Joy of creating].

PMID- 20297626
TI  - [Analysis of oropharyngeal phase of swallowing in patients with amyotrophic
      lateral sclerosis].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dysphagia is a common symptom of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
      and leads to increased risk of aspiration, malnutrition and dehydration.
      Swallowing mechanism in ALS patients has not been systematically studied.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: Based on the manometry analysis of upper investigate tract
      we have measured base of tongue contraction, resting pressure of the upper
      esophageal sphincter and average pharyngeal bolus velocity 10 ALS patients with
      slight dysphagia and have compared them to control group. RESULTS: All parameters
      measured were significantly changed in ALS patients indicting disturbances of oro
      pharyngeal phase of swallowing even in ALS patients with slight dysphagia.
      CONCLUSION: Early diagnosis of the swallowing disturbances is important for
      symptomatic therapy.

PMID- 20297627
TI  - [Visual evoked potential parameters in multiple sclerosis in developmental age].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Abnormal results of visual evoked potentilas (VEP) are typical for
      demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system, including multiple
      sclerosis. Elongation of P100 latency was the most frquent finding and sometimes
      changes in the shape of VEP responses or decrease of the amplitudes were
      observed. AIM OF THE STUDY: Results of VEP in children with multiple sclerosis.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: 11 patients in the developmental age with multiple
      sclerosis were included, the age range was 13 to 17 years, 6 girls and 5 boys,
      hospitalized at Department of Pediatric Neurology Chair of Pediatric and
      Adolescent Neurology, Jagiellonian University in the years 2004-2009. The control
      group consisted of 11 children with analogous age range and sex distribution. VEP
      were recorded during monoocular visual stimulation with black and white
      checkerboard pattern reversal (pattern reversal VEP). The responses were recorded
      from three active electrodes O1, O2 and Oz (according to the international 10/20
      electrode placement system). Latencies of maximum positive deflection P100,
      preceding N75 component and following N135 and amplitude of N75/P100 were
      analyzed. RESULTS: Elongation of P100 latency in the examined group was
      statistically significant when compared with controls. Differences of N75/P100
      amplitudes did not differ statistically between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: VEP are
      one of the most important paraclinic tests used in diagnosis of MS in children.

PMID- 20297628
TI  - [Usefulness of electromyography in diagnostics of the neuro-muscular diseases].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Electrophysiological examinations still play an important role in
      initial diagnostics of neuromuscular disorders and monitoring of the disease
      progress or recovery process. AIM OF THE STUDY: Evaluation of neurophysiological
      examinations usefulness in differential diagnosis, indicating diagnostic and/or
      therapeutic management in patients with suspicion of neuromuscular disorders.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: 109 patients were included, hospitalized at Department of
      Pediatric Neurology Jagiellonian University and treated at Neuromuscular,
      Neurologic, Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Outpatient Clinics of the Children's
      Hospital in Krakow. 6 groups of patients were indicated: I-11 patients with
      benign acute childhood myositis, BACM), II-18 children with gait disturbances,
      III-36 patients with suspicion of neuropathy, IV-11 patients hospitalized with
      suspicion of muscular disorders, V-18 children with SMA suspicion and V-15
      patients with suspicion of myasthenia (MG). Neurophysiological examinations were
      conducted within 5 years (from May, 2004 to May, 2009) with Keypoint device from
      MedtronicDantec. RESULTS: In the first group, EMG examination, performed in the
      acute phase of the disease, did not reveal any abnormalities. Indicators of
      inflammatory process were normal, however in 5 patients transient elevation of CK
      was found. Diagnosis of BACM in this group was established. Couple-month
      observation of children after BACM did not reveal deficits of muscular tone and
      strength, recurrence of the disease, or elevation of CK, despite consecutive
      respiratory tract infections. In 4/18 patients with gait disturbances EMG
      examination revealed abnormalities. In 1 patient myogenic injury of the muscles
      was found, in 3 conduction in motor fibers of examined peripheral nerves was
      disturbed. In 14/18 children EMG examination did not reveal any pathological
      changes. In 17/36 children from group III diagnosis of inflammatory neuropathy
      was established (Guillain-Barre Syndrome, GBS), in 2 chronic inflammatory
      demyelinating polyneuropathy, and in 2 others multifocal motor neuropathy with
      conduction block. In 7/36 patients familial sensory-motor polyneuropathy was
      diagnosed. Neuroboreliosis was cause of neuropathy in 2 children. In 1 child,
      segmental inflammation of anterior horns of the spinal cord evoked by Coxackie
      virus was revealed. Friedreich disease, Nieman-Pick disease, thoracic outlet
      syndrome was found in others. In 1 boy symptoms of polyneuropathy and
      encephaloptahy occurred in the course of tal intoxication. In group IV EMG
      examination showed myopathic injury of the muscles in 9 children. In 2 others the
      examination results were normal. Kearns-Syre syndrome was found in one of them
      and Duchenne disease in the second one, 16, 5 years old boy without pain
      complaints, Becker disease in 2 and in next 2 patients encephalopathy and in rare
      cases BaCM, congenital dystrophy and myotubular myopathy. SMA was diagnosed based
      on clinical manifestation and EMG examination in 18 patients. EMG examination
      showed lower motor neuron injury in every child with SMA type I and II. MG was
      diagnosed in 15 patients based on clinical manifestation and positive result of
      fatigability test. Ocular myasthenia was found in 2 patients, bulbar type of MG
      was found in 1 and systemic myasthenia in 12 children. In electrophysiological
      fatigability test amplitude of the first response was normal in every patient and
      decrease of amplitude in response 4:1 in patients with MG was from 26 to 88%.
      CONCLUSIONS: Electromyographic examination remains important diagnostic tool of
      neuromuscular disorders. In order to limit extension of differential diagnostics
      EMG should be performed in its early stage.

PMID- 20297629
TI  - [The usefulness of posturography and caloric tests in selected neurological
      diseases].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many functions are disturbed after stroke. THE AIM: Of the research
      was to evaluate the usefulness of static posturography and caloric tests in the
      rehabilitation of postural stability disorders. MATERIAL AND METHODS: It was
      examined in 40 patients with cerebral stroke as compared with 40 healthy
      subjects. Based on selected stabilographic parameters it was investigated whether
      there is a difference in body deflection between patients and healthy
      individuals. The effect of visual control on stability was analyzed. The research
      was carried out with the use of static posturography and the standard set of
      tests. RESULTS: It has been shown that the postural stability of patients with
      stroke is characterized by a larger surface area of the stabilogram and a greater
      total length of deflection than of healthy individuals. It was observed that
      patients with stroke suffer the most significant deterioration of posture
      stability both with conscious visual control and without it. After examination of
      the patients before and after rehabilitation and having analyzed the coordination
      index, it has been proved that rehabilitation has a positive influence on the
      stability of posture in healthy controls. It has been proved that caloric tests
      performed in patients with damage to the central nervous system did not have an
      influence on the evaluation of the progress of rehabilitation. CONCLUSIONS: Post
      stroke postural stability disturbances are worsening without visual control and
      increased after rehabilitation.

PMID- 20297630
TI  - [Applicability of artificial neural networks in postoperative hearing improvement
      prognosis in patients with chronic otitis media].
AB  - The primary objective of surgical treatment of chronic otitis media is to remove
      the pathological changes and restore the biology of the middle ear. Subsequently,
      ossicular chain reconstruction is performed in order to restore hearing. The aim
      of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of mathematical models (artificial
      neural networks) in postoperative hearing improvement prognosis. The models based
      on preoperative anamnesis and data concerning the operative procedure. The
      analyzed group comprised of 135 patients operated for chronic otitis media in the
      Department of Otolaryngology CM UJ in Krakow. The measure of postoperative
      hearing improvement was cochlear reserve (air-bone gap) closure depending on the
      type of ossicular chain reconstruction. The artificial neural networks provided
      100% correct predictions basing on preoperative clinical examination,
      pathological changes found in the middle ear and description of the surgical
      procedure. The study proves that artificial neural networks are effective in
      functional result prognosis in tympanoplastic surgery.

PMID- 20297631
TI  - [Defects of facial nerve canal according to a character and localisation of
      lesions in middle ear].
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study is the assessment the occurence of facial nerve canal
      (Fallopian canal) dehiscence in patients operated due to chronic medial otitis
      (depending on the location and type of inflammatory lesions) and in patients
      operated due to otosclerosis. Facial nerve paresis in patients with dehiscence
      found during surgery was also assessed. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study group
      consisted of 456 patients operated at the Department of Otolaryngology at the
      University Hospital in Krakow, 359 due to chronic otitis media and 97 due to
      otosclerosis. Facial nerve canal dehiscence was found during surgery in 26
      patients (6% of operated patients) more frequently in men. RESULTS: In most cases
      (54%) dehiscence was observed in patients with chronic medial otitis with
      cholesteatoma (27% with choleseatoma and 27% with cholestatoma and granulation),
      and equally (23% each) dehiscences were observed in patients with granulation and
      even in patients with otosclerosis and chronic simple otitis media. In over than
      half (54%) of patients with dehiscence inflammatory lesions involved all the
      middle ear spaces, in 15% the tympanic cavity, attic and antrum while in 4% of
      patients inflammatory lesions were limited to the tympanic cavity, attic or
      antrum. CONCLUSIONS: The facial canal nerve dehiscence is observed in majority in
      patients with cholestatoma and granulation, especially in tympanic region. In
      some cases its coexistence with circuit canals dehiscence.

PMID- 20297632
TI  - [Necessity of chorda tympani cutting from data collected at Department of
      Otolaryngology at the Collegium Medicum of the Jagiellonian University].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chorda tympani nerve is a branch of the facial nerve which enables
      perception of taste of 2/3 anterior part of tongue and it is responsible for
      unilateral parasymphatetic nerve supplying of the submandibular and sublinqual
      salivary glands. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Prospective analysis of patients operated
      on middle ear in ENT Department Jagiellonian University of Krakow between 2004
      2008 was performed. Nearly 650 operations were done in that period of time.
      Chorda tympani nerve was cut in 96 individuals. Most of them were treated for
      chronic otitis media. RESULTS: When chorda tympani nerve was cut--the majority of
      cases did not complain of dysgeusia. Disturbance of taste was observed in ca. 2%
      of patients but it was transitory. The subject experienced sour/metallic taste.
      CONCLUSIONS: Taste disturbance following unilateral injury to the chorda tympani
      nerve was usually the most intense in the first few weeks and improves with time.

PMID- 20297633
TI  - [Signs of retinoblastoma].
AB  - PURPOSE: Retrospective analysis of retinoblastoma symptoms in patients treated in
      Ophthalmological Clinic in Krakow. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective chart
      review was conducted of 293 retinoblastoma patients from our center (1969-2008).
      RESULTS: A total of 170 (58%) of 293 patients presented with leukocoria, 81
      (27.6%) patients had strabismus, 22 (7.5%) had atypical sings, 12 (4.1%) was
      detected by chance. Eight (2.8%) patients who had a family history of
      retinoblastoma and were clinically screened for retinal tumors from birth were
      diagnosed younger. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend routine dilated fundoscopic
      examination by an ophthalmologist for early detection of retinoblastoma before
      leukocoria and strabismus.

PMID- 20297634
TI  - [Ocular outcomes in 3-year-old premature infants with retinopathy treated with
      cryotherapy and laser photocoagulation].
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to compare functional and structural outcomes
      in 3-year-old premature children treated in acute phase of retinopathy of
      prematurity with diode laser photocoagulation and cryotherapy. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: We examined 106 premature children aged 3 years, treated for retinopathy
      of prematurity, by transpupillary diode laser photocoagulation (group II) or
      cryotherapy (group I). Functional (visual acuity using Snellen charts or
      preferential looking test - Teller acuity Card) and structural (anterior segment
      slit lamp and indirect Fison fundus examination) outcome and cycloplegic
      refraction using 1% Tropicamide were examined in all children. RESULTS: Favorable
      functional results occurred in 81.9% of eyes in patients after cryotherapy and in
      83.9% of eyes in patients after diode laser photocoagulation. Structural outcome
      was favorable in 90.1% of eyes treated with cryotherapy and in 95.3% of eyes
      treated with diode laser photocoagulation. CONCLUSION: Diode laser
      photocoagulation appliance in retinopathy of prematurity treatment allows to
      obtain better functional and structural outcomes than cryotherapy.

PMID- 20297635
TI  - [Serum antiretinal antibodies (ARA) in patients with exudative age-related
      macular degeneration (AMD)--preliminary findings].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of
      blindness in the Western world. Despite the magnitude of this clinical problem,
      the pathogenesis of the disease remains still unclear. AIM: To determine the
      tissue specificity and titer of antiretinal antibodies (ARA) in sera of patients
      with exudative AMD. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty-six patients (92 eyes) 16 males
      and 30 women with exudative AMD were stratified arbitrary into four groups of AMD
      activity/severity: group I (n = 19)--patients with active choroidal
      neovascularization (CNV) in one eye and with drusen in the other eye; group II (n
      = 14)--patients with bilateral CNV; group III (n = 10)--patients with CNV in one
      eye and with disciform scar in the contralateral eye; group IV (n = 3)--patients
      with bilateral disciform scars. In all patients serum ARA were determined using
      indirect immunofluorescence detection on normal monkey retina as antigens
      substrate and FITC--labelled goat's anti-human IgA, G, M serum as the secondary
      antibody. RESULTS: In all patients' serum ARA were present in the range of titres
      from 1:40 to 1:5120. Control sera (n = 28, 28 males) demonstrated the presence of
      ARA in titres 1:10 to 1:40 in 46.4% cases. High serum titres of ARA characterized
      AMD patients with bilateral CNV and CNV in one eye and drusen in the
      contralateral eye. Low titres of ARA were detected in serum of patients with
      bilateral disciform scars. Indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) showed eight types
      histological patterns of patients' sera reactivity against retinal tissue. No
      correlation was found between serum ARA type and macular lesion activity.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary observations indicate a common presence of various
      ARA in serum of patients with AMD. Thus, it cannot exclude that ARA are involved
      in the pathogenesis or progression of AMD.

PMID- 20297636
TI  - [Vertigo and labyrinthine fistules at the patients operated on chronic otitis
      media].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Otitis media is a frequent condition. Chronic infections of the
      middle ear can lead to defects of bony walls and development of complications.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed prospective analysis of patients operated on
      chronic otitis media in ENT Department Jagiellonian University of Krakow between
      2004-2008. Nearly 650 operations on ears were performed in that period of time.
      RESULTS: Labyrinthine fistule was observed in 40 patients: 36 with COM, 3 with
      otosclerosis and 1 after head trauma. Vertigo was mentioned in ca. 30% of
      individuals in preoperative history. Labyrinthine fistule was usually noticed in
      the course of chronic cholesteatoma otitis media and chronic granulomatous otitis
      media and almost always it was located on lateral semicircular canal. In these
      patients defects of facial nerve bony canal were more frequent but the frequency
      of skull base defects was like in patients without labyrinthine fistule. The
      fistules were sealed routinely with a fragment of fascia. This procedure proved
      effective.

PMID- 20297637
TI  - [Migrainous aura subtypes in hospitalized children].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Migraine with aura is characterized by reversible focal
      neurological symptoms preceding or accompanying headache. Visual aura is the most
      common type of aura and its patognomic symptoms are scintillating fortification
      migrating across the visual field or scintillating scotoma. However, the symptoms
      are not always so typical and clinical doubts are greater when negative symptoms
      (loss of vision, numbness or paresis) are present. Differential diagnosis of
      migraine with aura includes in the first place transient ischemic attack (TIA) as
      well as epilepsy. Diagnosis of migraine in the developmental age is more
      difficult and associated with unprecise description of the symptoms. Thorough
      history taking is crucial in migraine diagnosis and following management.
      Knowledge of migraine with aura symptoms, clinical differences associated with
      developmental age and features enabling differentiation with other disorders
      imitating migraine is very important. AIM OF THE STUDY: Description of aura types
      and characteristics of migraine headache and their accompanying symptoms in
      children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 30 children were included, aged 8-17 years (mean
      13,6 years), hospitalized at Department of Pediatric Neurology Chair of Pediatric
      and Adolescent Neurology, Jagiellonian University in 14 months of years 2008 and
      2009. Clinical analysis was based on inquiry addressed to the patients and their
      parents. RESULTS: Migraine with visual aura was established in 9 patients, with
      somatosensory aura in 4, visual and somatosensory in 5, visual and dysphasic in
      1, visual, somatosensory and dysphasic in 5, somatosensory and dysphasic in 2 and
      basilar type migraine in 4 patients. Consequently, symptoms of visual aura were
      present in 20/30 patients, in 9 of them it was the only type of aura and in 11
      coexisted with other aura types. In more than half cases it manifested as simple
      visual phenomenons (spots, dots, frills, lines). Blurred vision was found in 5
      patients (bilateral in 3, unilateral in 3) and hemianopia in 2 (bilateral in aura
      was observed in 16/30 patients and only in 4 of them it occurred without other
      aura symptoms. Dysphasic aura accompanied other aura types in 8 cases. Basilar
      type migraine was established in 4 patients. Unilateral migrainous headache
      occurred in 20/30 patients. Pain intensity was defined as very severe, severe and
      moderate in the following 10, 12 and 8 patients. Pulsating quality of the pain
      was found in 15 cases. Aggravation of headache by movement was observed in 22/30
      patients. Nausea was the most common accompanying symptom present in 20/30
      patients. Vomiting, photophobia and phonophobia occurred in 15 patients each.
      Coexistence of nausea and/or vomiting, photo- and phonophobia was reported in 12
      cases. Vertigo and balance disturbances were frequently found additional symptoms
      and occurred in 11 and 2 patients and in 6 coexisted together. Positive family
      history of migraine was reported in 18/30 patients. CONCLUSIONS: 1. Visual and
      somatosensory aura were the most frequent types of aura in children; basilar-type
      aura occurred with the lowest frequency. 2. Unilateral headache with severe or
      very severe pain intensity, aggravated by movement was found in more than half
      cases. Pulsating quality of headache was present in half of the patients. 3.
      Accompanying symptoms (nausea, vomiting, photo- and phonophobia) occurred in the
      combination, fulfilling ICHD II diagnostic criterion D for migraine in less then
      half cases. Vertigo and/or balance disturbances, were commonly found symptoms
      with no association to aura type. 4. Familial occurrence of migraine was reported
      in more than half patients. 5. Another modification of migraine diagnostic
      criteria for children is needed. 6. History takes crucial role in the diagnosis
      of childhood migraine.

PMID- 20297638
TI  - [Value of the experiment for developmental neurology].
AB  - Some neurological diseases cannot be at present efficiently treated, because of
      their unknown pathogenesis and the lack of appropriate drugs. The etiology of
      autism is not known and there is no drug for ameliorating basal symptoms of this
      disease. Some research was conducted to obtain an adequate rodent model of autism
      in which potential drugs can be studied. Therapeutic action of psychostimulant
      drugs in the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are known for years,
      but because of their addictive properties, decision about their clinical use in a
      child is not easy. The precise recognition of their mechanism of action and
      determination of the maximal but safe doses should facilitate making the correct
      decision. Only about 70% children suffering from epilepsy are efficiently treated
      with one drug, while in the remaining the use of two or more drugs is necessary,
      which increases the the risk of side effects. Clinically more effective classical
      antiepileptic drugs can disturb cognitive functions in the child, therefore, on
      the basis of the present knowledge the experiments are under way with the aim of
      receiving drugs with strong anticonvulsant properties but without serious side
      effects. The introduction of efficient neuroprotective drugs, which may
      ameliorate secondary neuronal cell damage in various brain regions to the therapy
      is the main aim of numerous experimental works. At present it seems that
      neurotrophic factors can be useful but they must be administered centrally.
      Transplantations of transfected cells capable of producing neurotrophic factors
      or stem cells to the brain may be in the future an efficient method for improving
      brain function.

PMID- 20297639
TI  - [Drug resistance in epilepsy].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although there are numerous definitions of drug resistance in
      epilepsy it is generally accepted that drug resistance occurs when seizures
      persist in the presence of an optimal antiepileptic treatment. In spite of many
      newer antiepileptic drugs introduced into treatment, the relative number of drug
      resistant patients remains approximately the same and reaches 30%. Consequently,
      there are a great deal of experimental and clinical studies aimed at finding
      mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon. Characterization of these mechanisms
      could result in new, more efficient treatment strategies. THE AIM OF STUDY: To
      review experimental and clinical data on possible mechanisms of drug resistance
      in epilepsy. RESULTS: An increased expression of protein drug transporters (for
      example, P-gp or MRP) within the blood-brain barrier or in the epileptic focus
      itself seems an important mechanism of drug resistance. This leads to the
      enhanced removal of antiepileptic drugs from the brain and subsequently, their
      reduced concentrations in the target tissue. Also, mutations of genes encoding
      GABAA receptors or ion channels may be reasons for the diminished protection of
      antiepileptic drugs. Some role may be ascribed to the genetic polymorphism of
      liver microsomal enzymes. Last but not least, use of other drugs unrelated to
      epilepsy (i.e. theophylline) or ingestion of stimulatory substances (f.e.
      caffeine) are likely to reduce the protective potential of antiepileptic drugs.
      CONCLUSION: In animal models of epilepsy, inhibitors of drug transporters
      (verapamil, probenecid) efficiently inhibit drug resistance--may be, this
      potential method of treatment will be positively verified in clinical trials.
      Initial clinical data on this issue are encouraging. Probably, the drug
      resistance due to methylxanthines could be stopped quite easy by replacement of
      this drug group with other drugs sharing other mechanisms of action and exerting
      similar clinical effects. The most challenging for an efficient treatment seems
      drug resistance due to genetic reasons.

PMID- 20297640
TI  - [Dry eye syndrome and allergic conjunctivitis--epidemics of XXI century-
      diagnostic problems and management].
AB  - Recently, allergic conjunctivitis and dry eye syndrome have been thought to be
      the epidemics of XXI century. Allergic conjunctivitis is the commonest form of
      allergy worldwide. Clinical symptoms of dry eye are the most common cause of
      patients complains in out-patient ophthalmological clinics. Both, allergic
      conjunctivitis and dry eye syndrome, may be associated with some systemic
      diseases. Thus, it is crucial to perform complete allergic tests in patients
      suspected of allergic conjunctivitis. The assessment of IgE in tears is a very
      sensitive test in these cases because physiologically this immunoglobulin is not
      detectable in tear film. In cases of dry eye syndrome the measurement of tear
      osmolarity has been is thought to be the most specific and sensitive test,
      recently.

PMID- 20297641
TI  - [Guidance for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration
      (AMD)].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is becoming an
      increasing socio-medical problem as the proportion of the aged population is
      continuously increasing. However, new researches in the pathogenesis of the
      disease offer the opportunity to develop more effective therapies of AMD. AIM:
      This article will focus on the options in the management of neovascular age
      related macular degeneration and recent therapeutic options. RESULTS: The recent
      development of anti-VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) substances for use
      in clinical routine has markedly improved the prognosis of patients with
      neovascular AMD. Intravitreal treatment with substances targeting all isotypes of
      Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), for the first time results in a
      significant increase in visual acuity in patients with neovascular AMD. The
      combination with occlusive therapies like photodynamic therapy (PDT) potentially
      offers a reduction of re-treatment frequency and long-term maintenance of the
      treatment benefit. Further developments interacting with various steps in the
      angiogenic cascade are under clinical or preclinical evaluation and may soon
      become available. CONCLUSION: Nevertheless, the growing number of novel
      therapeutic options will have to provide proof of concept in randomized
      controlled clinical trials.

PMID- 20297642
TI  - [Visual perception deficits of cortical origin].
AB  - This work comprises of a literature review on visual perception distortions that
      have their origin in structural or functional irregularities of the brain,
      resulting in the cortex malfunction. The main area that we pay attention to is
      the brain cortex, but we should not forget, that diseases destructive to the
      lower brain structures also inevitably lead to secondary dysfunction of the
      cortex, and thus they have also been included in this paper. Cerebral vision
      disorders are a small percentage of caseload in either neurology or ophthalmology
      practice, yet they certainly are interesting for the cognitive scientists, as
      they open a window into the complex mechanisms of the cerebral clockwork. We are
      presenting examples of disorders, many of which engage the creative cooperation
      between specialists from different fields of neuroscience. Three kinds of
      disorders are presented: vision loss, agnosias and hallucinations. Among others
      there is some information on cortical blindness, blindsight, Anton's syndrome,
      hysterical blindness, apperceptive and associative agnosia, prosopagnosia, pure
      alexia, achromatopsia, Bonnet syndrome, Alice in Wonderland syndrome, peduncular
      halucinosis etc.

PMID- 20297643
TI  - [Causes and diagnostics of dizziness of central origin in children].
AB  - Dizziness and vertigo are symptoms caused by several etiological factors, they
      are result of general diseases, within anemia. They are associated with several
      diseases of the organ of hearing and balance, which are under laryngological
      care, and one of most important tests to distinguish vertigo of central and
      peripheral origin is videonystagmography. Several diseases of the central nervous
      system cause instability of posture and gait. Psychogenic feeling of being
      insecure and unsafe makes the diagnostics more complicated. Vertigo of central
      origin in children can be a first symptom of severe conditions, such as tumor of
      CNS, therefore the neuroradiological evaluation is necessary for early diagnosis,
      before the occurrence of increase of intracranial pressure symptoms. Vascular
      diseases, such as vertebro-basilar insufficiency or stroke are diagnosed more
      common in adults, still they are not excluded in children, and therefore vascular
      evaluation is necessary. The cerebrovascular ultrasound is a method significant
      in the diagnostics as well as in the monitoring of therapy of cerebral vascular
      diseases. The elecrophysiological evaluation, EEG or videoEEG is useful in the
      evaluation of paroxysmal conditions. Evoked potentials are helpful in diagnostics
      of demyelination of CNC. The serological tests (within to detect boreliosis) are
      infrequently performed; they may lead to correct diagnosis and causal treatment.
      The paper presents examples of diagnostic methods valid in children with
      dizziness of central origin.

PMID- 20297644
TI  - [Children's sleep disturbances in videoelectroencephalography and polysomnography
      -preliminary data].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Correlation between sleep and epilepsy is one of the most basic
      issues of pediatric neurology. VideoEEG nad polysomnography play an important
      role in diagnostic process of seizures occuring during sleep, epileptic seizures
      as well as parasomnic episodes. AIM: In this paper videoEEG and polysomnography
      assessment in diagnosis paroxysmal sleep events in children was done. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: 25 sleep registrations were performed, videoEEG was performed in 23
      children with the age limit of 5 years, and two 8-years-old children underwent
      total polysomnographic examinations. RESULTS: Examination during sleep time
      enabled to establish diagnosis of epilepsy in 18/25 children, in 2 children
      suspicion of epilepsy was made and in 5 epilepsy was excluded. Positive video
      results were found in 18/25 children and in 7 no clinical symptoms were recorded.
      Paroxysmal EEG activity was registered in 16 children, in 5 it was abnormal and
      in 4 it was within normal limits. Frontal epileptic seizures were observed in two
      children with simultaneous pathological changes in EEG, and in 1 of them in
      polysomnographic recording. CONCLUSIONS: VideoEEG and polysomnographic
      examinations in children during sleep are helpful in defining seizure types and
      parasomnias.

PMID- 20297645
TI  - [Rehabilitation outcome in children with cranial trauma and hypoxaemia of the
      brain].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury is one of the most common causes of children's
      disability and death. AIM OF THE STUDY: The goal of this study was to present the
      effects of improvement treatment in patients who suffered various types of brain
      trauma, to discuss their motor functions as well as the emotional state and
      behavioural disturbances. One of the aims was also to present complications which
      took place reagardless of complex rehabilitation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this
      study we describe the state of 5 patients. The patients were assessed with the
      Ashworth and RLAS scales before and after the complex rehabilitation. The
      programme of rehabilitation was designed individually for each patient depending
      on his RLAS score. The complications developed after 6 months of treatment are
      described. RESULTS: In one case only- in a girl with hemiparesis- the state of
      nearly independent motor functioning was achieved. The other patients are
      bedridden or dependent on a second person when moving in a wheelchair. The girl
      with hempiparesis and another girl with spastic quadriparesis remain in the best
      verbal contact. Both of them however present with profound cognitive, emotional
      and behavioural deficits. The other patients are unable to reach any verbal
      communication. Because of swallowing problems some of the patients had feeding
      tube or tracheostomy performed. Each patient had an individually designed
      rehabilitation programme. CONCLUSIONS: The outcome of rehabilitation treatment in
      patients with profound traumatic brain injury is very individual. The best
      outcome was achieved in a girl with hemiparesis who suffered brain injury in a
      car accident, and worse in children after brain hypoxaemia.

PMID- 20297646
TI  - [Meningeal empyema--still actual topic].
AB  - Pus collection between dura matterand arachnoidis not an abscess but an empyema.
      Complains of severe headache, a lack of cooperation is observed, sometimes high
      fever, seizures, which may lead to an epileptic like condition. Patient gives an
      impression of a severely ill person. We report four different cases of
      intracranial complications, in the form of dural empyema diagnosed and treated in
      our Department. In the pre antibiotic therapy era, cerebrospinal meningeal
      empyema inevitably led to paralysis, paresis and death.

PMID- 20297647
TI  - [Cysts of the orbital bone and orbital sinus: clinical and morphological
      characteristics of the three cases].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Solitary bone cyst is rarely situated in facial bones. AIM: We
      discuss clinical view, results of radiological examinations and differential
      histopathological diagnostics of cases. RESULTS: We present 3 cases of patients:
      51 year old man with cyst in frontal sinus; 29 year old man and 46 year old woman
      -both with changes in bones of the orbit. In all the cases results of
      histopathological examinations were similar. Cystic-shape pieces of
      vascularizated connective tissue were observed. Multiple cracks filled with
      cholesterol, macrophages with hemosiderin and occasionally multinuclear cells
      were noticed. CONCLUSIONS: Solitary bone cyst may be located in the periorbital
      bone, especially frontal. Excellent laryngological, optic and cosmetic results
      are results of the surgery. Suspicious of the solitary bone cyst is possible due
      to MR or CT imaging, but final diagnosis must be confirm by histological
      examination.

PMID- 20297648
TI  - [Quorum sensing regulation in pseudomonas].
AB  - Expression of many bacterial genes is regulated in a cell density-dependent
      manner via small signal molecules known as autoinducers; this type of regulation
      is termed quorum sensing (QS). The QS systems that employ N-acyl-homoserine
      lactones (HSLs) are best understood in Gram-negative bacteria. QS regulates
      expression of various genes, including the genes responsible for the production
      of virulence factors, synthesis of exoenzymes and antibiotics, antagonistic
      properties of bacteria, etc. The QS systems of the genus Pseudomonas are linked
      to other global regulatory networks of the cell, and their functions are
      controlled by numerous additional regulatory factors. Such regulators and the QS
      systems together form an intricate multifactorial cascade regulatory network. The
      review considers the QS systems of several Pseudomonas species, their interaction
      with other regulatory systems, and their roles in the regulation of cell
      processes.

PMID- 20297649
TI  - [Interspecific migration and evolution of bacteriophages of the genus phiKZ: the
      purpose and criteria of the search for new phiKZ-like bacteriophages].
AB  - Some properties of bacteriophages with large (200 kb and more) sequenced genomes
      have been compared. In contrast to other large bacteriophages from different
      families, bacteriophages active on pseudomonads of various species (phiKZ-like
      bacteriophages) have some common features, which suggests their phylogenetic
      relationship and independence of their evolution as a result of migration among
      bacteria of this family. Among such common features are the absence in the
      genomes of these phages of sites sensitive to endonuclease PstI, the absence of
      genes encoding DNA polymerases that are similar to the known enzymes of this
      type, possible dependence of replication of the phage genome on bacterial DNA
      polymerase, and a considerably larger average gene size as compared to that for
      other phages. Criteria are suggested for searching for novel phiKZ-like
      bacteriophages: the size of a phage particle, production by bacteria infected
      with such phages of a large amount of highly viscous mucus. Taking into account
      the use of these bacteriophages in therapeutic preparations (due to a broad
      spectrum of lytic activity) and a poor knowledge of a majority of their gene
      products, it seems necessary to perform a more comprehensive genetic analysis of
      phages of this genus or their mutants for selecting those adequate for phage
      therapy.

PMID- 20297650
TI  - [Genetic markers of melanoma].
AB  - Melanoma is among the most aggressive malignancies. Tumors with a thickness of 4
      mm can produce metastases, and the mean survival of the patients is 9 months. The
      review presents modern classification of the melanoma types based on cytological
      and morphological indices (Clark model). Alterations of genes in melanomas are
      discussed in detail. These genes include tumor suppressors, proliferative
      response genes (oncogenes), and transcription factors. Alterations in the Wnt
      signaling, MAPK cascade, and Fas signaling pathways are considered. Changes in
      the mismatch repair (MMR) genes are also analyzed. From practical perspective,
      understanding the genetic alterations provides identification of potential
      targets for therapeutic exposure and enables prognosis of the tumor response to
      chemotherapy.

PMID- 20297651
TI  - [Dynamics of the spatial organization of the chromosome set in cells of
      Drosophila melanogaster imaginal disks normally and under the action of the tumor
      inducing mutation Merlin].
AB  - Fluorescence of H3-p histone and DAPI was studied at different stages of
      interphase and mitosis in cells of imaginal disks of third-instar Drosophila
      melanogaster larvae. Three stages differing in the spatial organization of the
      chromosome set in mitosis were revealed. At the first stage (prophase,
      prometaphase), the histone 3 phosphorylation level rises, and the volume occupied
      by the chromosome set in the nucleus increases. The distinctive features of the
      second stage (metaphase) are a gradual decrease in the histone 3 phosphorylation
      (the density ofphosphorylation remaining constant) and a reduction of the volume
      occupied by the chromosome set. At the third stage (anaphase, telophase), the
      intensity and density of the signal from H3-p histone decrease, and the volume
      occupied by the chromosome set reduces. At this stage, in Mer4 larvae, in
      contrast to the control strain, the cells prematurely pass from anaphase into
      telophase. In addition, a subpopulation of cells with an abnormally large volume
      of nuclear DNA during the G1 period was revealed in Mer4 larvae. The cells of
      this subpopulation do not enter into the DNA synthesis and quit the cycle.

PMID- 20297652
TI  - [Effect of mutations in Drosophila melanogaster tumor suppressor Merlin on
      proliferation and differentiation of wing cells].
AB  - Experiments on transplantation of wing imaginal discs homozygous for a mutation
      in the tumor suppressor gene Merlin have demonstrated that this mutation does not
      induce malignant tumors. Marking of the wing disc compartment borders by specific
      antibodies showed the absence of essential compartment border defects in case of
      the Merlin mutation. Drosophila melanogaster cells mutant for Merlin have shorter
      cell cycle than normal cells. Proliferation of imaginal discs lasts longer in
      case of the mutation. It is known that beginning from some moment of development,
      wing veins serve as clonal restriction lines that cannot be crossed by growing
      mosaic clones. We showed that the Merlin mutation leads to depression of vein
      clonal restriction property. This means that this gene is involved not only in
      the control of cell proliferation, but also in the control of cell mobility and
      adhesion.

PMID- 20297653
TI  - [The Rdh54 protein role in regulation of DNA repair in yeast Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae].
AB  - In this work, we present the evidences of the involvement of Rdh54 in
      coordination of DNA repair by several pathways. Previously, we isolated rdh54-29
      point mutation demonstrating unique properties different from the full deletion
      of RDH54 gene. Epistatic interaction between rdh54-29 and apn1delta mutations
      discloses the function of Rdh54p in the process of base excision repair. However,
      rdh54-29 mutant exhibits sensitivity to many DNA damaging agents including UV
      light, methylmethanesulphonate and nitrous acid. Such pleiotrophic effect of
      rdh54-29 mutation may indicate the role of Rdh54p in the regulation of different
      DNA repair systems. To check this hypothesis, we estimated the effect of rdh54-29
      mutation on recombination and mutagenesis. The data confirm the involvement of
      Rdh54p in coordination of different DNA repair systems including mutagenic and
      recombinagenic pathways as well as nucleotide excision repair. Rdh54p presumably
      operates via chromatin remodulation at the site of damage rendering DNA
      accessible to the DNA repair enzymes.

PMID- 20297654
TI  - [Comparative analysis of thermotolerance of sunflower chlorophyll mutants].
AB  - The influence of high temperatures on sunflower chlorophyll mutants was studied.
      The tolerance criteria were the level of chromosome aberrations and the mitotic
      index in the root apical meristem of seedlings, the level of nucleus-free cells
      in the epidermis of cotyledonous leaves, and the intensity of chlorophyll
      accumulation after the action of heat shock (HS). In addition, the frequency of
      plants with an altered content of pigments in M1 and M2 was analyzed. The results
      indicated that the plastomic mutant en-chlorina-5 is more tolerant to temperature
      stress as compared to other sunflower lines.

PMID- 20297655
TI  - [Molecular cytogenetic characterization of spring triticale line 131/7 carrying a
      rye-wheat translocation].
AB  - The chromosomal composition of the spring triticale line 131/7 carrying a rye
      wheat translocation was studied using GISH, C-banding, and SSR analysis. The
      complex analysis revealed the presence of a pair of 2D chromosomes and T2RS.2RL
      2BL translocation in the genome of the hexaploid triticale line 131/7. The break
      point in the translocated chromosome is between the markers Xwmc592 and Xwmc441,
      loci 63.9 cM and 76.8 cM on the linkage map (Wheat, Consensus SSR, 2004 NA-SSR
      2004-2B) and in the region C2BL2-0.36 on the physical map (Wheat, Physical, SSR).
      The analysis of the line enables its use in breeding programs and in genetic
      studies.

PMID- 20297656
TI  - [Correlation between morphological and genetic differentiation in Cuban hutia
      (Rodentia, Capromyinae): species fragmentation on the area and the problem of
      excessive taxonomic status problem].
AB  - The work attempts to explain the previously discovered phenomenon of excessive
      taxonomic status of the species and subspecies of Cuban hutias relative to their
      protein genetic divergence. The reasons underlying the fragmentary distribution
      of the species belonging to the family Capromyidae over the Antilles and Bahamas
      is also considered. Samples of four geographically distant hutia (genera Capromys
      and Mysateles) populations inhabiting different biotypes were assessed according
      to 32 allozyme loci. It has been demonstrated that the interpopulation and
      subspecies differentiation in the gene frequencies in these genera is very low.
      As for the pattern of polymorphism (Shannon?s measure), the populations and
      subspecies within these genera are well differentiated and adequate to their
      morphological differentiation. This suggests that the genetic divergence pattern
      of hutias in post-Pleistocene was predominantly determined by selection on the
      background of a relatively rapid formation of multiple morphotypes. It is assumed
      that the evolution within the family Capromyidae in the earlier and the later
      periods was associated with the geomorphological and climatic events in the
      history of the Earth. This standpoint provides for explaining the phenomena of
      both the excessive taxonomic status of the Cuban Capromyinae and the fragmentary
      distribution of these species over the Antilles and Bahamas, amazing at a first
      glance.

PMID- 20297657
TI  - [Phylogeography of southern Asian Dolly Varden char Salvelinus malma
      krascheninnikovi: genealogical analysis of mitochondrial DNA].
AB  - Phylogeography of southern Asian Dolly Varden char was studied using the data on
      mtDNA variation (regions ND1/ND2, ND5/ND6, and Cytb/D loop) obtained using PCR
      RFLP analysis. Analysis of contemporary population genetic structure showed that
      S. m. krascheninnikovi throughout the whole species range was characterized by
      high population differentiation in combination with rather small differences
      between the populations from remote regions. The genealogy of mtDNA haplotypes
      was reconstructed and nested clade analysis of geographical distances was
      performed. Geographical distribution of mtDNA haplotypes of S. m.
      krascheninnikovi was explained by population genetic processes (restricted gene
      flow), as well as by historical demographic events (range expansion and
      fragmentation). It was demonstrated that the main demographic events were
      associated with cyclic processes of the geological formation of the Sea of Japan
      and adjacent territories. Furthermore, genealogical tree of S. m.
      krascheninnikovi contained the traces of secondary contact between isolated
      phylogeographical lineages.

PMID- 20297658
TI  - [The genotypy structure of a natural Daphnia population based on the phenotypic
      response on change in the amount of food].
AB  - Natural populations of Daphnia are genetically heterogeneous with regard to
      phenotypic response to modification in the food quantity (a set of metric
      quantitative traits). In the majority of the traits, three genetically determined
      response types to the environmental factor studied have been detected: arithmetic
      means decrease (R1), increase (R2) or remain constant (St) as a result of a
      decrease in the food quantity. This phenotypic response was shown to occur in the
      whole set of the metric traits studied, irrespective of physiological
      specialization. The problems of assessment of genetic population structure based
      on phenotypic response of the individuals reflected in quantitative traits are
      discussed.

PMID- 20297659
TI  - [Population demographic structure of the city of Ulan Ude: ethnic composition and
      age at marriage].
AB  - The marriage structure of the population ofUlan Ude, the capital of Buryat
      Republic, which is characterized by a mixed ethnic composition, has been studied.
      Differences between Ulan Ude districts in a number of genetic demographic
      parameters have been found. In ethnic terms, the city district populations differ
      from one another in the number of ethnic groups and the proportions of the
      largest groups (Russians and Buryats). In the total Ulan Ude population, the
      proportions of Russian men and women among persons contracting marriages are
      71.44 and 73.79%, respectively; those of Buryat men and women are 23.36 and
      22.79%, respectively. The total proportion of all other ethnic groups among both
      men and women contracting marriages is no more than 5.2%. The mean ages at first
      marriage in both indigenous and immigrant populations of Ulan Ude are relatively
      old; these values are 25.9 and 24.72 years for Buryat men and women and 24.86 and
      22.69 for nonindigenous men and women, respectively.

PMID- 20297660
TI  - [Syntropic genes of allergic diseases].
AB  - Common (syntropic) genes of allergic diseases (ADs) HLA-DQB1, HLA-DRB1, IL4,
      IL4RA, MS4A2, HLA-DQA1, LTC4S, IL13, IL10, and TGFBL have been identified on the
      basis of information from the HuGENet internet database. The functional sphere of
      competence of these genes is associated mainly with the initiation and regulation
      of an immune response and inflammation. Importance of these processes in the
      development of ADs is underlined. The results of cluster analysis of allergic
      diseases obtained using the data on common genes predisposing to their
      development are presented. Genetic clusterization ofADs confirms their accepted
      clinical classification.

PMID- 20297661
TI  - [Analysis of genetic predisposition to pulmonary tuberculosis in native
      Russians].
AB  - Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most important concerns of public health. There
      is evidence suggesting that genetic status is responsible for predisposition to
      infectious diseases including TB. To determine genetic risk factors of TB
      development, the frequencies of polymorphisms of genes CYP1A1, CYP2D6, CYP2C9,
      CYP2C 19, GSTT1, GSTM1, NAT2, MDR1, and NRAMP1 in 73 TB patients and 352 healthy
      individuals were determined by allele-specific hybridization using microarray
      technology. The TB patients have shown a significant increase in the frequency of
      the null GSTT1 genotype (OR = 3.26, 95% CI = 1.91 - 5.55, p = = 0.000028) as well
      as the double null GSTT1/GSTM1 genotype (OR = 4.05, 95% CI = 2.14 -7.65, p = =
      0.000034) compared to the group of healthy donors. It was shown that the
      NAT2*5/*5 genotype in combination with the "null" GSTT1 and the double "null"
      GSTT1/GSTM1 genotypes was observed significantly more often in the TB patients
      than in the control sample. Thus the examined GSTT1, GSTM1 and NAT2 gene
      polymorphisms may potentially alter the risk of TB development in ethnic Russians
      and are of interest for further research using larger cohorts of patients.

PMID- 20297662
TI  - [Effect of harvesting on the genetic diversity and dynamic behavior of a limited
      Mendelian population].
AB  - A mathematical model of the changes in the size and genetic diversity of a
      harvested, single-locus Mendelian population under the conditions of density
      dependent selection is analyzed, with a special emphasis on the possibility of
      conserving or loosing polymorphism as a result of equilibrium harvesting. It is
      demonstrated that harvesting leads to changes in intrapopulation parameters under
      the conditions of density-dependent selection; as a result, the genotypes that
      were the least fit in an unharvested population will prove more fit, the genetic
      composition of the population at equilibrium being changed accordingly. Thus,
      harvesting may, under different conditions, either conserve or reduce the genetic
      diversity of the population.

PMID- 20297663
TI  - [Expression of early developmental genes in vole Microtus rossiaemeridionalis].
AB  - The expression of genes Sox2, Klf4, Myc, Sall4, Gata6, Foxa2, Hnf4a, Cdx2, Esrrb,
      Hand1 in cultivated cells, embryos and organs of adult voles Microtus
      rossiaemeridionalis was studied. High resemblance of the expression patterns of
      these genes in the organs of adult voles, mice and humans was demonstrated. It
      was established that genes Gata6, Foxa2 and Hnf4a were specifically expressed in
      vole extraembryonic endoderm cells, while Cdx2 and Handl genes, in trophoblast
      stem cells. This shows that these genes can be used markers for corresponding
      vole cell lines. Indirect confirmation pointing to the fact that Oct4 gene is a
      marker gene for epiblast cells both in the vole and mouse was obtained.

PMID- 20297664
TI  - [Comparative-enzymological study of cholinesterase of the Pacific squid Todarodes
      pacificus].
AB  - Summarized are results of the 40-year studies of the Russian biochemists on the
      comparative-enzymological characteristics of cholinesterase of optic ganglia of
      the Pacific squid Todarodes pacificus. The review includes the comparative
      evaluation of the cholinesterase activity of various hydrobiont tissues, the
      proof of enzymatic homogeneity of the tissue of the Pacific squid optic ganglia,
      data on substrate specificity with study of 18 ester substrates as well as
      detailed study of inhibitory specificity (61 irreversible inhibitors and 49
      reversible onium inhibitors). Peculiarity of properties of this enzyme as
      compared with vertebrate and invertebrate cholinesterases is shown.

PMID- 20297665
TI  - [Taurine. Effect on exotrophia and metabolism in mammals and fish].
AB  - Data have been presented on the taurine content in various mammalian and fish
      tissues as well as on pathways of its formation, turnover, and numerous
      functions. Based on comparison of the character of the taurine effects on various
      animal functions as well as of the fact of the presence of taurine in the more
      ancient by origin potential objects of the mammalian and fish nutrition, it is
      suggested that the taurine polyfunctionality has appeared at different stages of
      the biota.

PMID- 20297666
TI  - [Activity of detoxifying and antioxidant enzymes in the pond snail Lymnaea
      stagnalis (gastropoda: pulmonata) during invasion by trematode cercariae].
AB  - A comparative analysis of changes of activities of detoxifying and antioxidant
      enzymes was carried out in the body homogenate of the pond snail Lymnaea
      stagnalis. Juvenile snails with the shell size of 4-6 mm were infested with
      cercariae of one (Echinoparyphium aconiatum or E. recurvatum or Moliniella
      anceps) or two (E. aconiatum +M. anceps or E. aconiatum + E. recurvatum or E.
      recurvatum + M. anceps) trematode species. It has been revealed that activities
      of detoxifying and antioxidant enzymes in the body of the snail L. stagnalis
      change at invasion with trematodes and that the character of the changes depends
      on the stage of development of the trematodes in the host body, the variant of
      infestation (monoinvasion or mixed infestation), and the species of the parasite.
      The first 2 h after penetration of the trematode cercariae into the molluse
      tissues is accompanied by an increase of activities of the detoxifying and
      antioxidant enzymes. A long coexistence of metacercariae in the host body (no
      less than for 13 days) is accompanied by a decrease of activities of non-specific
      esterases and glutathione-S-transferase and by an increase of superoxide
      dismutase.

PMID- 20297667
TI  - [Generation of reactive oxygen species and activity of antioxidants in larva
      hemolymph of galleria mellonella (L.) (lepidoptera: piralidae) at development of
      process of encapsulation].
AB  - Activities of enzymatic antioxidants (superoxide dismutase, glutathione-S
      transferase, and catalase) have been determined in hemocytes and generation of
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been studied in lymph of larvae of the wax moth
      Galleria mellonella at development of the process of encapsulation of nylon
      implants. It has been established that as soon as 15 min after piercing of
      cuticle with implant the capsule is formed on its surface. The active
      melanization of the capsule has been shown to last for 4 h. There have been shown
      a statistically significant increase of the ROS generation in lymph and a
      decrease of activities of enzymatic antioxidants in hemocytes of the insects
      after the implant incorporation. The authors suggest that the key role in
      maintenance of the oxidation-reduction balance in hemolymph at development of the
      incapsulation process is played by the lymph non-enzymatic antioxidants.

PMID- 20297668
TI  - [Phospholipid composition of blood erythrocytes of tundra voles (Microtus
      oeconomus pall.) inhabiting under different radioecological conditions].
AB  - Phospholipid composition has been studied in blood erythrocytes of tundra voles
      Microtus oeconomus inhabiting territories with normal and increased levels of
      natural radioactivity at different phases of the populational cycle. It has been
      shown that rearrangement in the lipid component of blood erythrocyte membranes in
      tundra voles from radioactively polluted areas are associated with
      intensification of the lipid peroxidation (LPO) processes and are similar to
      those observed at the organism natural aging. It has been noted that the
      capability for peroxide oxidation in erythrocyte lipids is one of the most
      sensitive stages of the LPO processes to action of the low-intensity radiation in
      the natural habitat of animals. The change of the populational cycle phases,
      which is accompanied by hormonal rearrangement in the animal organism, produces
      an essential effect on the degree of expression of the radiation-induced changes
      of the studied parameters.

PMID- 20297669
TI  - [Participation of receptors of the NMDA type in regulation by glutamate of
      alimentary motor program of the freshwater mollusc lymnaea stagnalis].
AB  - A possible participation of receptors of the NMDA type in regulation by glutamate
      of the Lymnaea stagnalis feeding program was studied in electrophysiological
      experiments. The specific antagonist of receptors of the N-methyl-D-aspartate
      (NMDA) type MK-801 has been shown to turn off the endogenous generation of the
      standard three-phase rhythm or the two-phase rhythm. Stimulation of receptors of
      this type by their specific agonist, NMDA, on the contrary, increased frequency
      of the alimentary rhythm and transformed it into the two-phase one. All NMDA
      effects are eliminated by MK-801. Apart from action on generation of central
      feeding rhythms, ligands of receptors of the NMDA type changes the tonical level
      of depolarization and activity of the alimentary circuit motoneurons. MK-801
      decreased the initial level of the motoneuron B4 activity and inhibited the
      excitatory effect both of NMDA and of glutamate itself. There are also obtained
      data in favor of that earlier reported effect of transformation of the inhibitory
      response of neurons B4 to glutamate into the excitatory one at action of nitric
      oxide (NO) donors can be mediated by the specific NO effect on the activity of
      receptors of the NMDA type. The blocker of NMDA receptors MK-801 has been shown
      to inhibit the effect of transformation of the response to glutamate. The NO
      donor nitroprusside enhanced essentially the NMDA excitatory action, while the NO
      acceptor oral PTIO decreased it. The results obtained with use of ODQ, the
      blocker of NO-sensitive guanylyl cyclase (GC), allow thinking that effect of NO
      on activity of the NMDA receptors of the pond snail feeding program can be
      realized through the metabolic pathway GC--cGMP. On the whole, the obtained
      results show the pond snail receptors of the NMDA type to participate in
      generation and rearragement of rhythmical alimentary programs in the tonical
      excitatory effect on the feeding program motoneurons in the NO-dependent
      transformation of the glutamate response.

PMID- 20297670
TI  - [Modulating effect of dopamine on amplitude of GABA-produced chemocontrolled
      currents in multipolar spinal cord neurons of ammocaete].
AB  - By using the patch-clamp method in the whole cell configuration, modulating
      effect of dopamine on GABA-activated currents has been studied on isolated
      multipolar spinal cord neurons of the ammocaete (larva of the lamprey Lampetra
      planeri). At application of dopamine (5 microM), there was observed in some cases
      a decrease of the GABA-activated current, on average, by 33.3 +/- 8.7 (n = 8, p <
      0.01), in other cases--an increase of the amplitude, on average, by 37.3 +/-
      11.8% (n = 5, p < 0.01). Concentration of GABA amounted to 2 mM. Study of action
      of agonists of D1- and D2-receptors on amplitude of che-mocontrolled currents has
      shown that agonist of D1-receptors (+)-SKF-38393 (5 microM) decreases the GABA
      activated current amplitude, on average, by 63.1 +/- 11.7% (n = 8, p < 0.01); the
      agonist of D2-receptors (-)-quinpirole (5 microM) produces in various cells the
      dopamine-like effects: an increase of the GABA-activated current amplitude, on
      average, by 61.0 +/- 13.8% (n = 8, p < 0.01) and a decrease of amplitude, on
      average, by 55.7 +/- 2.0 % (n = 6, p < 0.01). It has been shown that antagonist
      of D2-receptors sulpiride (5 microM) does not block effects produced by dopamine.
      The dopamine effects were partially blocked by antagonist of D1-receptors (+)-SCH
      23390 (5 microM): a decrease of the GABA-activated amplitude current amounted, on
      average, to 11.7 +/- 1.8 % (n = 7, p < 0.01), while an increase of amplitude--8.3
      +/- 2.0 % (n = 5,p < 0.01). At the same time, effects of agonist of D1-receptors
      quinpirole (5 microM) were partially blocked by antagonist of D1-receptors (+)
      SCH-23390: a decrease of the GABA-activated current amplitude amounted, on
      average, to 9.2 +/- 3.4 % (n = 6, p < 0.01) and an increase of amplitude--6.3 +/-
      1.8 % (n = 10, p < 0.01). The obtained data indicate differences of mechanisms of
      the receptor-mediated effect of agonists of dopamine receptors on GABA-activated
      and potential-activated currents of multipolar neurons of the ammocaete spinal
      cord.

PMID- 20297671
TI  - [Comparison of two kinds of functional asymmetry in the roach Rutilus rutilus
      (teleostei: cyprinidae)].
AB  - In the higher vertebrates, asymmetries of different functions of individual are
      poorly connected with each other. At present it is unknown whether this poor link
      is a secondary phenomenon or it is characteristic of different kinds of
      functional asymmetry already at early stages of vertebrate evolution. In
      connection with this problem, in the roach Rutilus rutilus we studied asymmetry
      of two behavioral reactions--movements in an annular corridor and of the C-shaped
      body bending at a sudden action of electrical stimulus. Different individuals
      prefer a certain direction of movement in the corridor (to the right or to the
      left). Comparison of these two kinds of asymmetry in the same individuals has
      shown the absence of significant association between asymmetries of different
      reactions. The obtained data indicate that already in the lower vertebrates,
      different kinds of functional asymmetry are controlled by different mechanisms
      and are poorly associated with each other.

PMID- 20297672
TI  - [Effect of neurogenic inactivity on posttetanic responses of rat fast muscle].
AB  - At a short-term tetanic stimulation of fast muscle in response to subsequent
      single stimulation there is recorded a temporary increase of the strength of
      single contractions that returns to the initial background after 6--10 min. This
      phenomenon is called posttetanic potentiation (PTP) and is recorded only in fast
      muscles. The goal of the present work was a study of effect of motor innervation
      on the course of PTP in rat m. extensor digitorum longus (m. Edl). It has been
      established that the first signs of effect of motor denervation on the PTP course
      after section of sciatic nerve in the area of popliteal fossa are recorded as
      early as at the 4th day after denervation and are expressed in a decrease of
      strength of single contractions after cessation of tetanic stimulation. These
      changes reach its maximum at the 14--15th day after denervation when effect of
      PTP in denervation muscle does not appear at all. Pharmacological analysis of the
      studied phenomenon has shown that dantrolene (10 microM) suppresses amplitude of
      the single contraction, but does not prevent the appearance of PTP in intact
      muscle. In the denervation of m. Edl, instead of the appearance of PTP, after a
      brief slight increase, a gradual decrease of the strength of contraction is
      recorded. Thus, it can be concluded that no significant PTP changes are present
      under action of dantrolene. It has been established that after the 10-min muscle
      incubation in Ringer's solution with caffeine (4 mM), strength of the single
      contraction in intact and denervated muscles increases by approximately equal
      value. Tetanization of intact muscle increases strength of the single contraction
      approximately by 7 % more than this occurs after incubation with caffeine, i. e.,
      this substance reduces the capability of muscle for the appearance of PTP. On
      denervation muscle, caffeine increases strength of singly contraction, but does
      not potentiate development of PTP. The obtained data allow concluding about the
      existence of different mechanisms underlying the pretetatnic contraction and
      posttetanic potentiation of the single contraction. The main difference between
      two types of contractions can be recruiting of additional DICR-channels in the
      process of contraction under conditions of PTP.

PMID- 20297673
TI  - [The structural organization of binding determinants in insulin-like growth
      factor-I (IGF-I) molecule].
AB  - Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) is a peptide related to insulin and IGF-II.
      These three related peptides produce similar biological effects, but each of them
      has its irreplaceable physiological significance in the organism. Multisided
      functional role of IGF-I in the organisms is due to its unique binding
      properties. Specifically, but with different degree of affinity, it is able to
      interact with three receptors (IGF-l-receptor, insulin receptor, and IGF-2
      receptor) and six binding proteins (IGFBP 1-6). To interact with each of the
      above objects, the 1GF-I molecule contains individual structural determinants-
      binding domains (BD) providing strict specificity of interaction with them.
      Responsible for the IGF-I biological effects and binding with IGF-l-receptor is
      alpha-domain, for binding with insulin receptor--beta-, IGF-2--gamma-, while with
      all BP--delta-BD, respectively. Results of experimental study of binding domains
      are not a always can be estimated unanimously. The proposed by the author system
      of criteria for evaluation of changes in affinity of the IGF-I analogies proposed
      by the author allows unraveling the structural organization of each of the
      domains and tracing dependence on it of the peptide affinity to the particular
      object. This work considers composition, organization, and principle of formation
      of affinity of there binding IGF-I domains (alpha-, gamma-, and delta-BD). The
      alpha-domain includes three tyrosines from three different molecule sites (B-24,
      C-3 1, and A-60) disposed spatially in the direct vicinity on its one surface.
      The delta-domain also is considered as the domain participating in the high
      affinity interaction; by composition and location in molecule it principally
      differs from alpha-BD, with the structural organization that so far has not been
      decoded. Analyzed in detail is the key significance of the N-terminal site of the
      B-chain--the linear site of the domain--for binding of IGF-I with BP, functional
      heterogeneity of its constituent residues, and the characteristic principle of
      formation of affinity to BP. Analysis indicates a probability of the second site
      of delta-BD, quite possibly not the only one, and a high sensitivity of the
      domain to configuration of the IGF-I molecule surface. Structural organization
      and peculiarities of affinity formation in the gamma-domain argammae studied the
      best in three related peptides; it consists of two linearly exposed sites of A
      chain. Composition of the site S-1 A (Phe8, Arg9, Serl 0) provides a possibility
      of binding the ligand with IGF-I-receptor, while the level ofaf-finity to it
      depends on the composition of S-2. The S-2 composition A (Arg14, Arg15)
      determines the low affinity of IGF-I to the IGF-2-receptor. The clear functioning
      of IGF-I and elimination of mixture of functions at the level of the binding
      activity depend on the spatial autonomy of different nature BD, difference in
      structural organization of each of the domains, and a peculiarity of principles
      affinity in each formation case. The spatial coordination of several BD sites is
      the condition for transmission of the "structural sig-nal" by regulatory peptide.
      The performed analysis provides the direct notion of dependence of the binding
      ability of the IGF-I molecule that has BD of different nature on their structural
      peculiarities and allows using the revealed regularities at searching for BD in
      the newly discovered insulin-like peptides.

PMID- 20297674
TI  - [Autoimmune processes after long-term low-level exposure to electromagnetic
      fields (the results of an experiment). Part 1. Mobile communications and changes
      in electromagnetic conditions for the population. Needs for additional
      substantiation of the existing hygienic standards].
AB  - Mobile communications provides a new source of electromagnetic exposure for
      almost the whole population of the Russian Federation. For the first time in the
      history of civilization the brain of mobile phone users was exposed to localized
      radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMF). Population exposure from the
      base stations is also considered to be specific. However, existing standards for
      limiting the exposure do not account for this special EMF source and may not
      ensure the absence of health effects. There was a need for reliable information
      that would extend databases used for development of new standards. As recommended
      by the World Health Organization an additional experiment was performed under the
      supervision of foreign experts, which showed changes in autoimmune status in rats
      after long-term low-level RF EMF exposure with an incident power density of 500
      microW/cm2.

PMID- 20297675
TI  - [Autoimmune processes after long-term low-level exposure to electromagnetic
      fields (the results of an experiment). Part 2. General scheme and conditions of
      the experiment. Development of RF exposure conditions complying with experimental
      tasks. Animal's status during the long-term exposure].
AB  - This paper describes the conditions for handling and exposure of experimental
      animals (Wistar rats) and methods used in the study of immunological effects of
      long-term low-level (500 microW/cm2) exposure to radiofrequency (2450 MHz)
      electromagnetic fields, performed under auspices of the World Health
      Organization.

PMID- 20297677
TI  - [Autoimmune processes after long-term low-level exposure to electromagnetic
      fields (the results of an experiment). Part 4. Manifestation of oxidative
      intracellular stress-reaction after long-term non-thermal EMF exposure of rats].
AB  - This paper presents the results of the study of the effects of long-term low
      level exposure of rats to microwaves. Rats were exposed in far field to 2450 MHz
      continuous wave fields providing an incident power density at the cages of 500
      microW/cm2 for 7 hours daily for a total of 30 days resulting in a whole-body SAR
      of 0.16 +/- 0.04 W/kg. Three groups ("EMF-exposure", "sham-exposure" and cage
      control) were formed, each consisting of 16 rats. Circulating antibodies (IgA,
      IgG and IgM) directed against 16 chemical substances were evaluated in coded
      serum from each group of rats by enzyme multiplied analysis (ELISA test). An
      increased amount of compounds resulting from interaction of amino acids with
      nitric oxide (NO) or its derivatives (NO2-Tyrosine, NO-Arginine, NO-Cysteine + NO
      Bovine Serum Albumin, NJ-Methionine + NO-Asparagine + No-Histidine, NO-BTrypnohan
      + NJ-Tyrosin), fatty acids with small chains, hydroxylated fatty acids,
      palmitic/myristic/oleic acid, AZE (product of oxidation of fatty acids) was found
      in blood serum from EMF-exposed rats. As a rule, antibodies to conjugated
      antigens were seen for IgM, rarely seen for IgG and were completely absent for
      IgA. The levels of antibodies were higher on day 7 after the exposure compared to
      those on day 14 after the exposure.

PMID- 20297676
TI  - [Autoimmune processes after long-term low-level exposure to electromagnetic
      fields (the results of an experiment). Part 3. The effect of the long-term non
      thermal RF EMF exposure on complement-fixation antibodies against homologenous
      tissue].
AB  - This paper presents the results of the study of immunological effects of long
      term low-level exposure of rats to microwaves. Rats were exposed in the far field
      to 2450 MHz continuous wave fields providing an incident power density at the
      cages of 500 microW/cm2 for 7 hours daily for a total of 30 days, resulting in a
      whole-body SAR of 0.16 +/- 0.04 W/kg. Effects of the exposure on immunological
      parameters in the brain and liver of rats were studied using Complement Fixation
      Test at low temperature (4 degrees C). Three groups ("EMF-exposure", "sham
      exposure" and cage-control) were formed, each consisting of 16 rats. On the 14th
      day after the 30-day exposure, titers of antibodies against brain tissue were
      0.69 +/- 0.08 in the cage-control group, 0.89 +/- 0.05 in the sham-exposed group
      and 1.19 +/- 0.07 in the EMF-exposed group. The appearance of antibodies against
      liver antigens was less. The increase in titres of antibodies against brain
      homogenates in the sham-exposed and EMF-exposed groups could be explained by the
      stress-reaction of the animals and autoimmunization of organism.

PMID- 20297678
TI  - [Autoimmune processes after long-term low-level exposure to electromagnetic
      fields (the results of an experiment). Part 5. Impact of the blood serum from
      rats exposed to low-level electromagnetic fields on pregnancy, foetus and
      offspring development of intact female rats].
AB  - This study evaluated possible adverse effects of injection of blood serum from
      rats exposed to microwaves at a power density of 500 microW/cm2 on pregnancy and
      foetal and offspring development in intact female rats. The study was performed
      with 59 pregnant Wistar rats. In utero mortality, embryo and foetal body weights
      and placenta weight were used for the evaluation of embryo and foetal
      development. Generally accepted integral and specific parameters were used for
      the evaluation of postnatal development of offspring during the first 30 days of
      life. It was shown that intra peritoneal injection of blood serum from IMF
      exposed rats (chronic 30-day RF exposure at 500 microW/cm2) to intact rats on the
      10th day of pregnancy resulted in adverse effects on foetal and offspring
      development. Total mortality (in utero + postnatal) as well as delay in offspring
      development was higher in this group.

PMID- 20297679
TI  - [Multidrug resistance increase of tumor cells at the effect of radiation and
      phorbol ether depends on protein kinase C and reactive oxygen species].
AB  - The effects of phorbol ether (PMA) and ionizing radiation on multidrug resistance
      (MDR) of human larynx cancer cells HEp-2 and the dependences of these effects on
      protein kinase C (PKC) activity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production were
      studied. MDR was determined by transport rate of rhodamine 123 off cells and
      production of ROS in cells was measured by means of 2'7'
      dichlorodigidrofuorescein oxidation to fluorescent 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein. ROS
      production was increased in cells at PMA treatment. This increase was caused by
      PKC dependent activation of NADPH-oxidase because the ROS increase suppressed
      completely with PKC and oxidase inhibitors. It was shown that tumor cell MDR was
      increased 16 h after PMA (100 nM) and radiation (1 Gy) treatment. The MDR
      increase depends on PKC activity and ROS increase in cells at both influences
      since PKC inhibitor and antioxidant, lipoic acid suppressed MDR increase. The
      obtained data are in accordance with hypothesis about the necessity of activation
      both signalization and stress reaction for initiation of transcription of
      transport protein genes which responsible for MDR of tumor cells.

PMID- 20297680
TI  - [Bystander effect development in human mesenchymal stem cells after exposure to
      adaptive dose of X-radiation].
AB  - Transposition and mutual approaching of pericentromeric loci 1q12 of homological
      chromosomes from the nuclear membrane towards the nuclear centre as well as
      activation of the chromosomal nucleolus-forming regions (NFR) are observed in
      human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) as an initial stages of the adaptive
      response (AR) after exposure to low doses of X-radiation (10 cGy). All these
      reactions are also induced after addition of cultivation medium from irradiated
      cells to intact bystander-cells and this phenomenon called bystander effect (BE).
      Recently the same AR and BE induction results were obtained for human G0
      lymphocytes. All these data indicate the existence of universal reaction of
      homological chromosome loci transposition which was revealed during AR
      development in differentiated (lymphocytes) and non-differentiated (hMSCs) and
      also it shows possibility of radiational BE development in suspension and
      monolayer cell cultures upon addition of stress-signalization factors in
      incubation medium. We suppose that these factors are extracellular genome DNA
      fragments apoptotic cells.

PMID- 20297681
TI  - [Antiradiation effects of vaccine Grippol].
AB  - The propose of these examination was the study of antiradiation effects of
      vaccine Grippol (VG). It was determined, that subcutaneous injection VG mice (0.2
      ml), hamsters (0.2 ml), dogs (0.5 ml) before 1-14 days of total gamma-irradiation
      (2.5-8.5 Gy) had positive effect of acute radiation disease. This effect was
      expressed in increase of survival the mice and hamsters on 30-60%, increase
      number cells in bone marrow and neutrophiles, erythrocytes, lymphocytes and
      hemoglobin in blood by comparison with control mice. VG stimulated increase of
      contents of leucocytes in blood of irradiated (2.5 Gy) dogs.

PMID- 20297682
TI  - [Impact of the antioxidant Phenozan and low dose radiation on the level of p53
      and BCL-2 proteins of mice different lines].
AB  - The influence of the antioxidant Phenozan and 1.2 cGy gamma-radiation on the
      level of apoptotic proteins was determined for normal mice of F1 (CBA x C57BL)
      and leucosis AKR mice that are more sensitive to the irradiation. The
      constitutional level of p53 proteins in serum leucosis AKR mice was higher, than
      those in F1 (CBA x C57BL) mice, possible from accumulation of mutant p53 protein
      and viral infection of AKR mice. It was determined that injection of Phenozan in
      10(-14) mol/kg and in 10(-4) mol/kg led to rising a p53 protein and bcl-2 protein
      level in serum and spleen in these line of mice, and lowering the number of
      double-strand breaks DNA spleen shown earlier. Common action Phenozan and 1.2 cGy
      gamma-radiation led to higher rising of p53 protein level than Phenozan only in
      F1 (CBA x C57BL) mice, stimulate possibly different pathway of p53 regulation. We
      assume that Phenozan can activate the reparation processes but not the processes
      of apoptosis in the cell and has a radioprotective properties.

PMID- 20297683
TI  - [Iodide metabolism in the rat thyroid at early and remote periods following the
      long-term exposure of external fractionated gamma-radiation].
AB  - The research was made into the effects of 20-fold exposure to external gamma
      radiation (0.1-0.5 Gy) on the activities of the key steps of iodide metabolism
      (absorption, oxidation and organification) in the rat thyroid as well as on its
      morphologic structure at the early (1 day) and remote (30 and 180 days) periods
      after the radiation. A wave-like pattern of changes in the thyroid function was
      found at the postradiation period. It was shown that after 1 day following the
      radiation the thyroids demonstrated elevated concentrations of total (by 30.1
      54.4%), protein-bound (by 24.4-37.4%) and free (by 32.1-60.8%) iodide which were
      decreased to the control values after 30 days following the radiation. At more
      remote periods (180 days) thyroids of two (0.25 and 0.5 Gy) groups had 24.5 and
      34.8%-diminished thyroperoxidase activity and 12.7 to 25.5%-reduced iodide
      concentrations, which indicates disturbed iodide absorption and oxidation along
      with thyroid hypertrophy. The decreased thyroid functional activity is
      characterized by development of focal perivascular sclerosis, desquamation of
      follicular epithelium with vacuolisation as well as follicular structure
      destruction. The mechanisms of postradiation changes in thyroid metabolism and
      their role in adaptation and disturbances in thyrocyte function are discussed.

PMID- 20297684
TI  - [Attractive and immunosuppressive properties of volatile secretions induced in
      mice separately and combine influence of ionizing radiation and
      cyclophosphamide].
AB  - We have studied the properties of volatile secretions induced in laboratory mice,
      separately or combined influence of ionizing radiation and cyclophosphamide. The
      reaction of preference-avoidance response in the T-maze revealed that the urine
      samples of mice in the early period after exposure to ionizing radiation in doses
      of 2 and 4 Gy contain attractive for intact animals volatile components. While
      the introduction of cyclophosphamide in doses of 20 or 35 mg/g provokes the
      secretion of volatile components of aversive, repealing properties towards of
      intact individuals. Combined exposure to these factors leads to a reciprocal
      compensation of the impact of volatile secretions in the preference-avoidance
      response of intact mice. The examined effects depend to some extent on the dose
      of radiation and cyclophosphamide. Induced both by separate and associated
      exposure to radiation and cyclophosphamide volatile allocation have depressing
      effect of the humoral immune response, regardless of whether they are attractive
      or aversive properties. We are discussing their role in the mechanisms of
      chemosignaling.

PMID- 20297685
TI  - The consideration of biological effectiveness of low energy protons using
      biophysical modeling of the effects induced by exposure of V79 cells.
AB  - We have applied Monte Carlo track structure simulations to estimate relative
      biological effectiveness (RBE) of low-energy protons using biophysical modelling
      of radiation effects induced by exposure of V79 cells growing in mono-layer. The
      microscopic energy deposition in cell nucleus and sub-nucleus volumes was
      investigated in order to understand the reasons of enhanced biological
      effectiveness near Bragg peak. Theoretical estimations of RBE based on
      frequency/dose average lineal energy and calculated yields of initial DNA breaks
      were collated with experimental RBE(M) data. It was found: 1) dose average lineal
      energy for whole cell nucleus as a function of proton energy shows a distinct
      peak at 550 keV; 2) the peak values for sub-nucleus volumes are large compared
      with the whole cell nucleus; 3) the yield of complex DNA breaks correlates with
      experimental RBE(M) data.

PMID- 20297686
TI  - [90Sr in residents of the Iset riverside settlements].
AB  - The river Iset belongs to the Techa-Iset-Tobol-Irtysh-Ob system contaminated by
      liquid radioactive wastes from Mayak plutonium facility in 1949-1956. This study
      represents the first retrospective analysis of postmortem measurements of 90Sr in
      bones from residents of the Iset riverside settlements in 1960-1982. It was shown
      that 90Sr concentration in bones of residents lived in settlements located
      downstream from the Techa river mouth (Shadrinsk, Isetskoye, Yalutorovsk) was 5
      times higher than average 90Sr concentration in bones of the Russian residents.
      There was not statistically significant difference in accumulated 90Sr in bones
      between residents of the considered Iset' settlements indicating similar levels
      of 90Sr ingestion. Dietary 90Sr intake was reconstructed from the measurements of
      the radionuclide in bones. Total 90Sr dietary intake in 1950-1975 was 68 kBq; and
      90% of the intake occurred in 1950-1961. In 1960s, 90Sr-contamination of the diet
      in settlements located downstream from the Techa river mouth was mostly (by 70%)
      due to global fallouts. Absorbed dose in the red bone marrow cumulated over 25
      years of exposure was equal to 14 (4.7-42) mGy.

PMID- 20297687
TI  - [Carbon stable isotope composition (delta 13C) of lichen thalli in the forests in
      the vicinity of the Chernobyl atomic power station].
AB  - The stable isotope abundance of carbon in the lichens Cladina mitis, Cladonia
      crispata Hypogymnia physodes, Parmelia sulcata has been investigated in a study
      relating these values with known levels of 106Ru, 134Cs, 137Cs and 144Ce defined
      activity in their thalli in the pine forests of region within a 30-km radius of
      the Chernobyl atomic power station and beyond it (37 km). All 63 samples of the
      lichens were obtained from 7 different sites. Small effects on delta 13C values
      in the lichens Cladina mitis, Hypogymnia physodes were found to be associated
      with distance from CNPP, activity level of radionuclides in them thalli whereas
      at Cladonia crispata is observed weighting of carbon with increase in values of
      134Cs and 137Cs activity in thalli. Values of delta 13C the investigated lichen
      species more depends on habitat conditions rather than from levels of thalli
      radioactivity. In our study we didn't reveal the isotope specificity of any one
      species as it was not possible to establish a correlation between values of delta
      13C and a particular species.

PMID- 20297688
TI  - [Speech recognition in the norm and pathology].
AB  - The purpose of this paper was to study theoretically and experimentally clinical
      and electrophysiological correlates of the human abilities to recognize emotions
      in speech. It was shown that the disorder of the recognition of emotions in
      speech occurred following the lesion of the right temporal region, however the
      most serious defect of recognition manifested itself at the frontal temporal
      localization of the lesion. The comparison of the EEG characteristics between two
      groups of subjects with high and low indices of recognition of emotions in speech
      revealed a higher level of activation in the posterior temporal regions of the
      right hemisphere and in the frontal regions of the left hemisphere in the group
      with the low index of recognition. Clinical data and findings obtained in
      electrophysiological studies permitted us to make a conclusion that the
      recognition of emotions in speech involved not only temporal regions of the right
      hemisphere, but also speech centers in the left hemisphere.

PMID- 20297689
TI  - [Weak irregular periodical winces of rats in slow wave sleep (SWS) coupled to the
      cerebral cortex activation and local falls in the cortex redox potential (E)].
AB  - The current study has been fulfilled to advance our pioneer studies of the brain
      energy metabolism (EM) in animals [Shvets-Teneta-Gurii T. B., 1979: Shvets-Teneta
      Gurii T. B., 1986; Shvets-Teneta-Gurii T. B., 1986 et al., 2002]. The gist of
      this line consists of the simultaneous multipoint measuring local changes in the
      cerebral cortex redox potential (the E) in animals. Polygraphic recordings of the
      the E, electrocorticogram (ECoG) and general motor activity were made in sleep
      wakefulness cycles of rats. It has been found that transition of rats to slow
      wave sleep (SWS) was accompanied by the E lowering in the metabolic active sites
      and by arising compound oscillations in the E. At the same time, irregular
      periodic weak winces (3-40-sec apart) appeared and were accompanied by the ECoG
      activation and by the E decrease. There are data that episodes of the ECoG
      activation in SWS are accompanied by pO2 drops in the brain structures [Sarkisova
      K. Yu., Kolomeitseva I. A., 1900]. Visual and acoustic stimulation being
      presented in human slow-wave sleep brings down the brain oxygenation level [Born
      A. P. et al., 2002; Czisch M. et al., 2002]. In sum, the given facts indicate an
      increase in the activity of functional units in SWS that are fueled by glycolytic
      compartment. Recently published data suggest that the astroglia is the major
      compartment of aerobic glycolysis [Dienel G. A., Cruz N. F., 2006; Magistretti P.
      J., 2006]. It can be speculated that astroglia plays the especially important
      part in events taking place during SWS.

PMID- 20297690
TI  - [Role of erythropoietin in the ischemic preconditioning. Postconditioning and
      regeneration of brain after ischemia].
AB  - Analysis of published data indicates that erythropoietin plays an important role
      in regulation of brain tolerance to impact of ischemia-reperfusion. This cytokine
      is involved in ischemic preconditioning of the brain and can mimic the phenomenon
      of preconditioning and postconditioning. However, it is unclear whether
      endogenous erythropoietin takes part in postconditioning of the brain. It is
      established that erythropoietin inhibits apoptosis of neurons after ischemia
      reperfusion. It was found that erythropoietin could stimulate regeneration of the
      brain after ischemia. Signaling mechanism of neuroprotective action of
      erythropoietin is well studied but there are very little data on the mechanism of
      erythropoietin-induced neurogenesis and neoangiogenesis. It is unknown whether
      erythropoietin can exhibit infarct-limiting effect in humans and stimulate
      neurogenesis and neoangiogenesis in patients after insult.

PMID- 20297691
TI  - [Erythropoietin influence on oxygen transport function of blood and
      prooxidant/antioxidant balance in rabbits under lipopolysaccharide injection].
AB  - We aimed to study the erythropoietin influence on oxygen transport function of
      blood and prooxidant/antioxidant balance in rabbits under lipopolysaccharide
      injection. Recombinant human erythropoietin-alpha was administered
      intraperitoneally in the dose 1000 U/kg 30 minutes before intravenous injection
      of 500 mkg/kg lipopolysaccharide from E. coli. After 12 hours, blood samples were
      collected for the assessment of oxygen transport function of blood;
      nitrate/nitrite levels and tissue samples were collected for measurement of
      conjugated dienes, malondialdehyde, alpha-tocopherol and catalase. Erythropoietin
      improves parameters of oxygen transport function of blood, increases hemoglobin
      oxygen affinity through the NO-dependent mechanism, reduces activity of free
      radical processes, and increases antioxidant protection under lipopolysaccharide
      injection.

PMID- 20297692
TI  - [Heterogeneity of the mechanisms of damaging nervous cells in demyelinating
      autoimmune diseases of the CNS].
AB  - A review of modern state of the neurodegeneration problem in demyelinating
      autoimmune diseases. Experimental and clinical proofs of heterogeneity of the
      mechanisms of destruction of the nervous tissue are given. Interconnection among
      the processes of neuroinflammation, excitotoxicity and oxidative stress are
      considered under damage of oligodendrocytes (myelin) and neurons (axons).

PMID- 20297693
TI  - [The impact of early developmental impairment of the receptor-dependent
      glucocorticoid action on the pituitary adrenal axis activity and behavior of male
      rats].
AB  - The effects of administration of cortisol or glucocorticoid receptor antagonist
      RU 38486 to male rats from days 1 to 5 of postnatal life on the stress reactivity
      of the pituitary-adrenocortical axis, open field behavior, and anxiety in an
      elevated-plus maze were studied. Neonatal cortisol administration induced
      increase in locomotor and rearing activity as well as anxiety level in 30-day-old
      male rats, but the pituitary-adrenocortical axis activity and behavior of adult
      animals was unaltered. Whereas the impairment of the receptor-dependent
      glucocorticoid action in neonatal brain resulted in longer-lasting hormonal
      stress responses, reduction number of locomotion, and increase the anxiety level
      in adulthood. These data suggest that changes of glucocorticoid receptors in the
      brain during the neonatal period of devlopment can lead to different hormonal and
      behavioral impairments in adult male rats.

PMID- 20297694
TI  - [Oxidative modification of rat blood proteins after destruction capsaicin
      sensitive nerve and change of nitric oxide level].
AB  - Content of blood protein carbonyl derivates in rats are determined to assess
      oxidative modification of protein after destruction of capsaicin-sensitive nerve
      and change of nitric oxide (NO) level. Deafferentation of these nerves produces
      increase of the protein carbonyl derivates content. The increase of NO by L
      arginine does not affect protein oxidative destruction produced by ablation of
      capsaicin-sensitive nerve. Selective inhibitor of neuronal synthase NO (n-NOS) 7
      nitroindazole (7-NI) results in similar effect. L-NAME increased oxidative
      destruction of proteins. These results demonstrate that deafferentation of
      capsaicin-sensitive nerve induces oxidative destruction of proteins. NO has party
      to mediating oxidative modification of proteins.

PMID- 20297695
TI  - [Osmoregulating effect of vasopressin with prolonged action on Brattleboro rats
      with hypothalamic diabetes insipidus].
AB  - The particularities of urine osmotic concentration depending on hormonal
      background of vasopressin were studied in rats. It was found that WAG and
      Brattleboro lines of rats characterized respectively by normal level and absence
      of endogenous vasopressin, possess interline correlation of urine osmolality (p =
      0.86) in various conditions between the extreme hydrating and dehydratation.
      Concentrating level of WAG rats varies from 747 +/- 94 to 2936 +/- 128 mOsm/kg,
      but that of Brattleboro rats changes more within the 160 +/- 9 being twice lower
      as isotonicity to 1305 +/- 142 mOcm/kg. Urine concentrating goes up to 1391 +/-
      76 mOcm/kg in Brattleboro rats already on the day of the action of exogenous
      vasopressin secreted from ALZET minipump, however, in spite of constant work of
      this minipump during 4 hrs a week, further increasing of urine osmolality was not
      observed in Brattleboro rats.

PMID- 20297696
TI  - [Influence of permafrost microorganisms on the quality and duration of life of
      laboratory animals].
AB  - Microorganisms of genus Bacillus strain 3M (permafrost microorganisms--PM),
      allocated from the samples of permafrost soils from Mamontova Mountain (Yakutia)
      are influenced by the quality and duration of life of elderly mice. PMs were
      injected intraperitoneally to CBA mice at the age of 17 months. Motion activity,
      muscular force (lifting of cargo test), food instinct activity (dosed starvation
      test) and cellular immunity activity (reaction of delayed-type hypersensitivity
      in vivo) of animals have increased, and psychoemotional condition of animals has
      improved under influence of PM. Average duration of life has increased by 9.19%,
      minimal duration of life--by 41.93%, maximal duration of life--by 7.68%. Duration
      of survival (the remaining life after injection of microorganisms) has increased
      more significantly: minimal--by 141.9%, on the average--by 28.0%, maximal--by
      20.4%. Mechanisms of PM influence on increase of laboratory mice duration of life
      up to the top specific limit through the positive influence on quality of their
      life are discussed.

PMID- 20297697
TI  - AIDS in children--epidemiology, clinical course, oral manifestations and
      management.
AB  - HIV/AIDS has gained enormous proportion globally. In 2007, there were an
      estimated 33 million people living with HIV and an estimated 270,000 HIV infected
      children younger than 15 years died because of AIDS, HIV/AIDS can manifest in
      different forms and in present day scenario, it is imperative that dentists know
      its clinical presentation and management. Oral manifestations are one of the
      earliest indicators of HIV infection and progression in children, as in adults,
      although the specific manifestations differ between adults and children. The aim
      of this paper is to briefly review, on the basis of literature, the AIDS
      epidemiology, transmission, clinical course, oral manifestations and their
      management in children.

PMID- 20297698
TI  - Obesity in children: a challenge that pediatric dentistry should not ignore-
      review of the literature.
AB  - The link between childhood oral diseases and obesity is demonstrated by their
      increasing prevalence, potential cause and effect relationship, the significant
      deleterious effect on the child's present and future oral and systemic health,
      and the influence of obesity on conscious sedation. The purpose of this
      manuscript is to review the literature on the relationships between childhood
      oral diseases and obesity, and between obesity, breathing and conscious sedation.
      While some reports suggest a connection between caries and obesity others do not,
      and it is unclear if they correlate or they just coexist since they have common
      etiologic and/or facilitating factors. Deleterious effects of dental caries and
      obesity on the systemic condition are clear, may potentiate each other, and
      facilitate the development and progress of chronic or acute systemic conditions.
      Obesity may interfere with the possibility to sedate patients because of
      potential breathing problems, or modify the effect of the sedative agents. Health
      providers should be aware of the increasing challenge posed by the correlations
      between dental caries, obesity, oral and systemic diseases. Furthermore,
      pediatric dentistry should team with other health professions in order to
      cooperate in the prevention and treatment of these diseases.

PMID- 20297699
TI  - Autotransplantation of an intruded lateral incisor replacing an avulsed central
      incisor--a case report.
AB  - Oral injuries cause aesthetic, psychological, social, and therapeutic problems
      and also affect a large number of people, causing irreparable dental loss not
      only at the accident time but also during post-treatment. Missing permanent teeth
      by trauma in children is a particular challenge, especially in the anterior
      region of the maxilla. In the past few decades, tooth transplantation has been
      successfully researched for the treatment of anterior tooth loss in young
      individuals. OBJECTIVE: The present case describes transplantation of an
      excessive intrusive maxillary left lateral incisor into the socket of avulsed
      maxillary left central incisor STUDY DESIGN: The lateral incisor tooth was
      extracted and placed into the socket of avulsed tooth. Splinting was maintained
      for 2 weeks. After the root canal treatment, the crown of the lateral incisor
      tooth was reshaped with composite resin in central tooth form and performed an
      interim prosthesis both preventing movement of the canine tooth into the space of
      the transplanted lateral incisor tooth and providing aesthetic. CONCLUSION: The
      treatment provided is considered to be an interim solution for space maintenance,
      with time the child patient may reach an age that allows alternative, more
      definitive treatment as implant.

PMID- 20297700
TI  - Bilateral bimaxillary bi-rooted primary canines: report of a case.
AB  - Bilateral bi-rooted primary canines are a rare dental anomaly and the occurrence
      with a syndrome is even rarer. This dental anomaly has mostly occurred in African
      populations. This article reports a case of bi-rooted primary canines bilaterally
      located in both jaws of a 15-year-old Chinese boy who also suffered from
      cleidocranial dysostosis (CCD).

PMID- 20297701
TI  - Clinical evaluation of Papacarie in primary teeth.
AB  - The change in the concepts of cavity preparation and the development of reliable
      adhesive materials lead to the development of alternative methods of caries
      removal. Chemo-mechanical caries removal (CMCR) involves the chemical softening
      of carious dentin, followed by its removal with gentle excavation. OBJECTIVE: The
      present study was conducted to evaluate clinically the efficiency of caries
      removal using a new chemo-mechanical agent (Papacarie) compared to the
      conventional drilling method including the need for local anesthesia, the need
      for drill, duration of the treatment and the pain reaction. STUDY DESIGN: This
      study was split mouth design. The study was performed on thirty seven bilateral
      open carious lesions. They were divided into two equal groups according to method
      of caries removal. In Group I, caries was removed using the Papacarie system and
      in Group II, caries was removed with the conventional drill. RESULTS: The results
      showed that the Papacarie was as efficient as the drill in caries removal from
      open carious lesions with no significant difference in the operating time. The
      new CMCR agent also reduced significantly the need for local anesthesia and the
      use of drill. In addition, Papacarie was also more comfortable than the
      traditional rotatory instruments. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that Papacarie
      could be an effective caries removal method to treat children, particularly those
      who present with early childhood caries or management problems.

PMID- 20297702
TI  - Leaching of ions from materials used in alternative restorative technique under
      neutral and acidic conditions: a comparative evaluation.
AB  - This study was undertaken to gain an insight into the interaction of conventional
      glass ionomers (GC Fuji II, GC Fuji IX GP and Chem Flex restorative materials)
      commonly used in Alternative Restorative Technique (ART) with aqueous solutions
      in terms of water sorption, solution buffering and ion release. Both immature and
      mature specimens of all materials evaluated, showed a substantial increase in
      mass, pH and release of Na, Ca, Sr, Al, Si, P and F following immersion in
      deionized water lactic acid (pH 2.7) and lactic acid (pH 5.2). However the ion
      release profiles were found to be greater in acidic media (Lactic Acid pH 2.7 >
      Lactic Acid pH 5.2) than in deionized water.

PMID- 20297703
TI  - Effect of glass ionomer cement and fluoride varnish on the remineralization of
      artificial proximal caries in situ.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of glass ionomer cement (GIC) and fluoride
      varnish (F-varnish) on artificial proximal caries in situ. STUDY DESIGN: Two 1 x
      3 mm2 enamel slabs, divided into three 1 x 1 mm2 windows, were prepared from each
      proximal surface of 18 premolars. Each slab was distributed into a control area,
      an intact enamel area and a test area. Artificial lesions were created on the
      control and test areas by immersing in demineralizing solution for 24 hours. The
      test windows were either applied with GIC or F-varnish and the full slabs
      inserted into orthodontic brackets as carriers, which were then bonded to the
      buccal surfaces of the 6 upper posterior teeth of 6 volunteers using non-fluoride
      dentifrice for 30 days. There was a 1-week washout period in this crossover
      study. The middle specimens of the three windows were cross-sectioned to analyze
      the carious lesion area by a polarized light microscope and calculated with Image
      Pro plus software. RESULTS: The average carious lesion area under GIC was
      significantly less than that under F-varnish (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: GIC promotes
      more remineralization of artificial carious lesions on proximal surfaces than F
      varnish.

PMID- 20297704
TI  - Maternal-child oral health behaviors and caries experience in the child.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study examined maternal and child oral health behaviors and
      potential risk factors for dental caries in high-risk children. STUDY DESIGN:
      Data on oral health practices were collected from surveys of mother/caregivers
      and the child's dental chart was reviewed. Linear regression and ordered probit
      regression models were used to examine data. RESULTS: A total of sixty
      questionnaires were completed. There was a marginally significant relationship (P
      = .08) between number of times per day a child consumed a sweetened beverage and
      the dmfs of the child. Mothers who snacked more frequently had a greater
      probability (24%) that their child snacked 3 times or more. Mothers who drank a
      sweetened beverage more frequently had a greater probability (40%) that their
      child drank a sweetened beverage 3 or more times a day. Mothers who brushed their
      teeth with fluoridated toothpaste had a greater probability (79%) that their
      child brushed 2 or more times a day with fluoridated toothpaste. CONCLUSIONS: Two
      maternal variables, reported soft drink consumption and dietary habits, appear
      promising for caries prediction. Implementation of dietary counseling and oral
      health programs for mothers and research merit further exploration.

PMID- 20297705
TI  - Parents' attitude toward their children's appearance in the case of esthetic
      defects of the anterior primary teeth.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate parents' attitude toward esthetic defects of maxillary
      primary incisors and the association between various demographic parameters and
      the treatment parents chose for their children. METHODS: The study consisted of
      two parts: 1) a clinical examination of the child's primary incisors, and 2) a
      questionnaire for the accompanying parent. 362 parents who accompanied 294
      children aged 1-6 years, participated in the study. They were divided in 2
      groups: parents' accompanying children with esthetic defects (study group) and
      parents' of children without esthetic defects (control group). RESULTS:
      Significantly more parents in the study group (73%) recognized an esthetic
      problem in their child's incisors, compared to (17%) in the control group. Eighty
      seven percent (219 in the Study Group [85.20%] and 97 in the Control Group
      [92.4%]) advocated dental treatment to save a primary tooth even if the chances
      for success were only 50%. 35.9% rejected the idea of a prosthetic replacement
      for a lost primary incisor. The same percentage of parents (35.9%) answered that
      they "want it 'very much'" while the rest (28.2%) chose intermediate scores '2-3'
      on a scale of '0' (= not at all) to '5' (= yes! very much). CONCLUSION: Parents
      are interested in a conservative treatment for preserving esthetically damaged
      incisors, but will be less enthusiastic to replace extracted or missing teeth
      with an esthetic device.

PMID- 20297706
TI  - The effects of children's drinks on the color stability of various restorative
      materials.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of exposure to various children's drinks on
      the color stability of different esthetic restorative material commonly used in
      pediatric dentistry. STUDY DESIGN: Cylindrical specimens (15 x 2mm) were prepared
      from four different restorative materials (Fuji IX, Fuji II LC, Dyract Extra, and
      Filtek Z250). For each material, 20 specimens were prepared and divided into four
      groups. Each group was stored in a different solution (distilled water chocolate
      milk, cola, grape juice) for 24 hours. A colorimeter was used to measure the
      color of each specimen both before and after staining. Color change (deltaE*) was
      calculated, and data was analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Tukey HSD tests.
      RESULTS: For all restorative materials, the lowest deltaE* values were recorded
      for specimens stored in distilled water (0.42), followed by chocolate milk
      (0.88), grape juice (3.45) and cola (3.97). Among the four restorative materials
      tested, Fuji II LC showed the most color change (3.71) and Fuji IX the least
      (1.33). There were statistically significant differences among above groups (p <
      0.05). CONCLUSIONS: DeltaE* values were acceptable for all materials tested, with
      the exception of Fuji II LC. Therefore, the use of RMGIC should be avoided in
      anterior restorations in children due to esthetic reasons.

PMID- 20297707
TI  - Self-report of pain in children treated according to the atraumatic restorative
      treatment and the conventional restorative treatment--a pilot study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the level of pain among children treated according to the
      Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) and the Conventional Restorative Treatment
      (CRT). STUDY DESIGN: Forty children of both genders, 4- to 7-years old,
      presenting Class I cavitated dentin lesions in primary molars were randomly
      allocated to 2 groups. One group (CRT) received conventional restorative
      treatment using rotary instruments, while in the other one (ART) hand instruments
      were used to perform the restorations. All children were treated by the same
      operator A high-viscosity glass-ionomer cement (Fuji IX) was used to restore the
      teeth in both groups. Children's pain was measured at the end of the first
      restorative treatment session using the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale
      (dependent variable). Age, gender, treatment time and treatment group were
      independent variables. ANOVA and ANCOVA tests were used to analyze the data.
      RESULTS: The CRT procedure took longer than the ART procedure (p < 0.001).
      Children from the ART group reported less pain than those from the CRT group (p =
      0.0037). Four year olds reported more pain than 5- to 7-year olds (p < 0.0001) in
      both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Restorations placed using ART were less time consuming,
      children felt less pain when the ART approach was used, and younger children (4
      years) reported more pain than the older ones for both restorative treatments.

PMID- 20297708
TI  - Microleakage of different temporary filling materials in primary teeth.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the sealing properties of IRM,
      Coltosol, Cavit G, Adhesor and Clip, which used as temporary filling material in
      coronal access openings in extracted human primary teeth. STUDY DESIGN:
      Standardized access cavities of 2 x 2 mm were prepared in the eighty-four, caries
      free human primary anterior teeth. The teeth were divided randomly into five
      groups of 16 teeth each. Temporary restorative materials Group A: IRM (Dentsply),
      Group B: Coltosol (Coltone), Group C: Cavit G (3M), Group D: Adhesor (Spofa
      Dental) and Group E: Clip (Voco) were applied according to the manufacturer's
      directions. The specimens were immersed silver nitrate and placed in film
      developer under fluorescent for 24 hours. The sectioned specimens were evaluated
      under a digital microscope at x 20 magnifications and blindly scored for
      microleakage. RESULTS: Clip presented the least microleakage value whereas;
      Adhesor and IRM presented the higher microleakage values. There were
      statistically significant differences between Clip and the others groups, while
      there were no statistically significant differences in microleakage between IRM,
      Adhesor, Coltosol and Cavit G. However the leakage scores of Clip and Cavit G
      were congruent (p = 0.454). CONCLUSION: Amongst the five materials, Clip
      exhibited a better sealing ability.

PMID- 20297709
TI  - Pulp polyp associated with a natal tooth: case report.
AB  - Natal teeth are an infrequent occurrence at birth. Often these teeth are
      extracted because they are very mobile and pose a risk of aspiration. This is a
      rare case in which a natal tooth was extracted by the pediatrician with his
      fingers. A root fragment remained and out of this developed a large pulp polyp.
      This relationship has not been previously reported.

PMID- 20297710
TI  - Outcome of dentigerous cysts treated with marsupialization.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of dentigerous cysts
      in children treated with marsupialization. STUDY DESIGN: 35 dentigerous cysts
      from 35 children treated with marsupialization were included in the study. The
      age of the children ranged from 8 to 13 years old. RESULTS: The findings of our
      study showed that the outcome of dentigerous cysts treated with marsupialization
      is successful resulting with the eruption of teeth and regeneration of bone.
      Accordingly a successful outcome was achieved either with or without the help of
      an orthodontic treatment. Postoperative follow-ups were un-eventful in all
      patients during a 5 year period. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study
      demonstrate that marsupialization may be a better choice of treatment for
      dentigerous cysts in children rather than the standard treatment.

PMID- 20297711
TI  - Defining subphenotypes for tooth agenesis: does side matter?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The etiology of tooth agenesis is still poorly understood. The
      identification of sub-populations with specific types of hypodontia
      (subphenotypes) would allow testing the specific hypothesis that certain genetic
      factors contribute to the specific subphenotype. The aim of this work was
      assessing a large cohort to verify if preferential tooth agenesis subphenotypes
      could be identified. METHOD: Panoramic radiographs of 1052 cases were examined
      and 1034 were used in this study. The presence of tooth agenesis was assessed in
      the study population. RESULTS: The frequency of tooth agenesis in the studied
      population was 3.77%. While bilateral cases did not differ in the frequency of
      agenesis by arch (p = 0.8), unilateral cases presented more commonly agenesis on
      the mandibular arch (p = 0.03). This result was clearly driven by the frequency
      of second premolar agenesis, which was the most common absent tooth in the
      studied population. Unilateral lower second premolar agenesis was found more
      often than bilateral agenesis (p = 0.047). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings that
      unilateral lower second premolar agenesis is more common than bilateral agenesis,
      with a trend for unilateral agenesis being more common on the right side may
      suggest specific genetic factors may be differentially expressed depending on the
      side.

PMID- 20297712
TI  - Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome; oro-dental manifestations and management.
AB  - The major manifestations of the Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome are developmental delay,
      short stature, mental impairment and epilepsy. Clefts of the lip and palate are
      sometimes present. Dental problems which are overshadowed by the major syndromic
      manifestations warrant appropriate management. We have documented an affected
      South African boy, discussed his dental management and reviewed the oro-dental
      implications of the disorder.

PMID- 20297713
TI  - Dental treatment under general anesthesia in healthy and medically compromised
      developmentally disabled children: a comparative study.
AB  - AIM: To compare the type, number of procedures and working time of dental
      treatment provided under dental general anesthesia (DGA) in healthy and medically
      compromised/developmentally disabled children (MCDD children). DESIGN: This cross
      sectional prospective study involved 80 children divided into two groups of 40
      children each. Group 1 consisted of healthy and Group 2 consisted of MCDD
      children. RESULTS: Healthy children needed more working time than MCDD children,
      the means being 161 +/- 7.9 and 84 +/- 5.7 minutes, respectively (P = 0.0001).
      Operative dentistry and endodontic treatments showed a significant statistical
      difference (P = 0.0001). The means of procedures were 17 +/- 5.0 for healthy
      children and 11 +/- 4.8 for MCDD children (P = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Healthy
      children needed more extensive dental treatment than MCDD children under DGA. The
      information from this sample of Mexican children could be used as reference for
      determining trends both within a facility as well as in comparing facilities in
      cross-population studies.

PMID- 20297714
TI  - A comparative evaluation of agents producing analgo-sedation in pediatric dental
      patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) has reduced the need for
      general anesthesia (GA) for many surgical procedures in pediatric patients. The
      objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of four analgo-sedative
      combinations- midazolam plus ketamine (MK), midazolam plus tramadol (MT),
      promethazine plus tramadol (PT) and promethazine plus ketamine (PK) in
      facilitating dental treatment of uncooperative children. STUDY DESIGN: Thirty six
      uncooperative ASA type I children who required extensive dental treatment were
      randomly assigned to receive one of the four analgo-sedative combinations during
      each visit. A 4-stage cross-over design was adopted so that each child received
      all the four combinations. Safety was monitored through vital signs and side
      effects. RESULTS: The overall success was 81% with MK, 69% for PK, 67% for MT and
      42% for PT and the difference between the success rates of these agents was
      statistically significant (p < 0.001). The required dental treatment could be
      successfully completed at least during 3 sessions in 23 children (62.2%).
      CONCLUSIONS: Segmental dental treatment under analgo-sedation can be considered
      as a viable alternative before considering patients for dental management under
      GA. MK and MT were found to be safe and effective for sedating pediatric dental
      patients.

PMID- 20297715
TI  - Effect of sodium fluoride mouth rinse on elastic properties of elastomeric
      chains.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated Sodium Fluoride mouth rinse effects on elastic
      properties of different elastomeric chains. STUDY DESIGN: In this in vitro
      experiment, two orthodontic chains were tested. In the first group, they were
      stored in artificial saliva for the entire duration, and in the second group they
      were immersed daily in 0.05% NaF mouth rinse for 1 minute, artificial saliva-NaF
      mixture for 30 minutes, and then in artificial saliva for the rest of the day.
      Specimens were tested at baseline, 1 hour 24 hours, 1, 2 and 3 weeks and then the
      displacement of specimens to obtain 150 g and 300 g, also the applied force after
      stretching them to 100% of their original length were evaluated. RESULTS: In
      contrast to force degradation, chains of both companies required more
      displacement to achieve both forces in the saliva-NaF mixture than saliva itself
      however the difference was only significant for the 300g force (P = 0.020).
      American Orthodontics chains required more displacement than Dentaurum chains to
      obtain both forces, also they had more load relaxation (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS:
      Daily use of NaF mouth rinse does not affect force degradation and the
      displacement of both chains to achieve conventional orthodontic forces, but for
      higher force levels the displacement increase is statistically significant.

PMID- 20297716
TI  - [Covalent complex of hyaluronan and serum-derived protein, SHAP is a functional
      molecule involved in inflammation: finding, structure, formation mechanism, and
      function of the complex].

PMID- 20297717
TI  - [Formation mechanisms of endocrine secretory granules based on a high cholesterol
      membrane domain].

PMID- 20297718
TI  - [Low-resolution structure analyses on protein complex by use of small-angle
      scattering technique].

PMID- 20297719
TI  - [Resection, as an important step of homologous recombination].

PMID- 20297720
TI  - [Mechanisms of salivary secretion from parotid acinar cells].

PMID- 20297721
TI  - [Regulation of antiviral immunity on the mitochondrial outer membrane].

PMID- 20297722
TI  - [Biogenesis of iron-sulfur clusters mediated by complex machineries].

PMID- 20297723
TI  - [Subnuclear organization of genomes and gene regulation in the interphase
      nucleus].

PMID- 20297724
TI  - [Sensitive and precise 2D-HPLC determination of D-amino acids in real biological
      samples].

PMID- 20297725
TI  - [Current progress in methods for analysis of neuronal circuits].

PMID- 20297726
TI  - [Novel method for the single-cell structural analysis of neuronal processes-
      labeling with viral vectors].
AB  - Novel methods for Golgi-stain-like labeling of neurons have been developed by
      applying molecular biological techniques. Using replication-deficient adenovirus
      and Sindbis viral vectors expressing membrane-targeted green fluorescent protein
      (GFP), we visualized the neuronal processes of the infected neurons completely.
      Furthermore, when sufficiently diluted Sindbis virus solution was injected into
      the brain, the entire axonal arborization of infected neurons was recovered at a
      single cell level, giving new insights into neuronal networks. We have also
      developed the dendritic membrane-targeted GFP by using lentiviral vectors with a
      neuron-specific promoter. When the dendritic membrane-targeted GFP was applied to
      the transgenic animal production, the information input site, i.e., the
      dendrites, of a specific neuron group was visualized perfectly. Since neuronal
      processes, axons and dendrites, are key structures of neuronal information
      processing, the molecular biological techniques introduced here are useful for
      the morphological analysis of neuronal networks and thus helpful for
      understanding the functional design of the nervous system.

PMID- 20297727
TI  - [Analysis of multisynaptic neuronal pathways by using rabies virus].
AB  - Transneuronal transport of neurotropic viruses is a useful tool for morphological
      analysis of the organization of multisynaptic neuronal pathways. Rabies virus is
      known to label neurons transsynaptically in a retrograde direction. Here, we
      examined the input systems of the primary motor cortex with respect to the
      somatotopic arrangement. Rabies virus was injected into the hindlimb, proximal
      forelimb, distal forelimb, and orofacial regions of the primary motor cortex in
      macaques, and the distribution patterns of neuronal labeling were analyzed in the
      prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia, and cerebellum. Four days after the injections,
      third-order neuron labeling was observed in various regions of the prefrontal
      cortex. After the viral injection into the proximal forelimb (shoulder, elbow)
      region, neuronal labeling was noted primarily in the dorsal region of the
      dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; on the other hand, after the viral injection into
      the distal forelimb (wrist, digits) region, neuronal labeling was preferentially
      distributed in the ventral region, with the highest density in the ventrolateral
      convexity. In the case of the orofacial injection, prefrontal neuron labeling was
      predominant not only in the ventrolateral convexity but also in the orbitofrontal
      cortex. However, the hindlimb injection resulted in relatively sparse neuron
      labeling as predominantly involving the neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex.
      With the 4-day postinjection period, neuronal labeling was noted in the striatum
      retrogradely via the motor cortico-basal ganglia loop. Two distinct sets of
      striatal neurons were labeled: one in the dorsal putamen and the other in the
      ventral striatum (ventromedial putamen and nucleus accumbens). The dorsal
      striatal labeling was somatotopically arranged, indicating that the hindlimb,
      orofacial, or forelimb region was located in the dorsal, ventral, or intermediate
      zone of the putamen, respectively. The distribution pattern of the ventral
      striatal labeling was essentially the same regardless of body part
      representation. Likewise, Purkinje cells of the cerebellar cortex were also
      labeled in a somatotopic fashion. Neuronal labeling from the forelimb
      representation was observed mainly in lobules III-VI and crus I. The proximal
      forelimb labeling was both rostral and lateral to the distal forelimb labeling.
      Yet, the hindlimb labeling was located both rostral and lateral to the proximal
      forelimb labeling.

PMID- 20297728
TI  - [Visualization of selective transsynaptic neural pathways using a genetic
      method].
AB  - Functional logic employed by the nervous system for coding and processing
      information is determined by the wiring patterns among specific types of neurons.
      Therefore, detailed knowledge about neuronal circuits is essential for
      understanding the wide range of brain functions. In our opinion, an effective and
      long-awaited method for analyzing the neuronal connectivity patterns would be to
      selectively deliver tracers to specific types of neurons and simutaneously
      performing transsynaptic labeling of the target neurons. A unique property of
      plant lectins, such as wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) have the unique property of
      traveling across synapses and this property has been applied in classical
      neuroanatomical studies in order to label various neural pathways. In 1999, we
      developed a novel strategy that employs WGA cDNA as a transgene in order to
      visualize selective and functional neural pathways. Over the last decade, this
      method has gained popularity; further with substantial technical improvement and
      refinement, this method has been successfully employed for the analysis of
      various neural systems such as the olfactory, visual, gustatory, somatosensory,
      motor, and serotonergic systems. However, a few studies that employed this method
      failed because of the misinterpretation of the results. In this review, I
      summarize the principle, application, recent progress, and caveats of the WGA
      transgene technology.

PMID- 20297729
TI  - [Neural circuit analysis using isolated whole brain preparation].
AB  - Many electrophysiological studies have been conducted on the 'limbic system',
      which is known to play a crucial role in mnemonic, emotional, and olfactory
      functions. Because of the difficulty in accessing such deep brain structures
      under in vivo conditions, in vitro brain slice preparations are often used.
      Recertly, an isolated whole brain preparation in which multi-synaptic circuits
      and the intracellular activity they generate are well preserved has also become
      available. In this paper, we described about the studies of the olfactory
      circuits by using this unique preparation. This experimental approach combines
      the advantages of the in vivo experimental condition with those of in vitro slice
      preparations, i.e. an intact synaptic network, excellent mechanical stability,
      and control over the ionic and biochemical extracellular environment. In
      particular, it provides easy access to the limbic system and preserves the
      neuronal network of the entorhinal-hippocampal loop. We used this preparation in
      combination with optical imaging performed using voltage-sensitive dyes in order
      to investigate how olfactory information is transferred from the olfactory bulb
      to the piriform, entorhinal and amygdaloid cortices. We visualized the
      propagation pattern of the neural activity after olfactory nerve stimulation and
      found that piriform and entorhinal activities converge in the amygdaloid cortex.
      This convergence may allow the amygdaloid cortex to integrate olfactory sensation
      with the information retained or processed in the entorhinal cortex.

PMID- 20297730
TI  - [Conditional cell targeting and reversible synapse silencing to study neural
      circuits].
AB  - Brain function and plasticity are governed by interactions among neurons that are
      organized into highly diverse and complex networks. For understanding the
      mechanisms of information processing and plastic modification in the neural
      networks, experimental approaches to examine the effect of removing or silencing
      a restricted population of neuronal cells are useful. Since the mammalian brain
      is composed of numerous types of neurons, it is essential to establish techniques
      for precisely ablating or silencing specific neuronal cell types. Immunotoxins,
      which were originally designed as anticancer agents, are monoclonal-antibody
      conjugates containing toxins that kill cells bearing the target antigens.
      Conditional cell-ablation approaches based on the specificity of immunotoxins
      have been applied to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the operations and
      regulations of neural circuits. Tetanus neurotoxin inhibits synaptic transmission
      by cleaving VAMP2, which is essential for activity-dependent neurotransmitter
      release from presynaptic terminals. Transgenic animals that express tetanus
      neurotoxin under the control of a tetracycline-dependent inducible promoter
      system have been developed to reversibly control synaptic transmission in
      specific neuronal pathways. This review article describes the progress in the
      development of technologies that allow precise dissection of neural circuits,
      focusing on immunotoxin-mediated conditional cell targeting and tetanus
      neurotoxin mediated reversible synapse silencing.

PMID- 20297731
TI  - [Development and evaluation of new drugs and medical devices in Japan--standpoint
      of regulatory agency].
AB  - Since 2004, the process of evaluation and approval review of new drugs and new
      medical devices in Japan has been undertaken by the Pharmaceutical and Medical
      Devices Agency (PMDA), which was established in the same year. PMDA conducts
      timely evaluation in order to ensure that public and healthcare professionals
      gain the maximun benefit of advanced, safe drugs and medical devices. The
      Japanese government has decided to reduce the "drug lag" by 2.5 years until
      fiscal year (FY) 2011. To achieve this goal, PMDA has undertaken some measures
      such as including increasing the number of reviewers reducing the period of
      development by significantly improving consultation services, developing guidance
      toward the introduction of prior assessment consultation system. Moreover, to
      improve of post-marketing safety measures, PMDA established a support system
      incorporating the data mining method. It is the PMDA's responsibility to put in
      its best efforts towards evaluateing various conflicting issues and appropriately
      balance them by assessing risks and benefits on the basis of the present
      scientific knowledge, in a manner that is most beneficial for public interest.
      Regulatory science thus provides a scientific basis for regulatory decisions. We
      strive to promote the regulatory science by establishing communication with
      external scientists and providing enhanced training to improve the staff's
      capability to apply regulatory science.

PMID- 20297732
TI  - [A case of intravascular malignant lymphomatosis presenting with epicornus
      syndrome and diagnosed by bone marrow biopsy].
AB  - A-46-year-old woman admitted to our hospital because of numbness of bilateral
      lower limbs and urinary incontinence. The initial neurological examination showed
      sensory impairment below S1 level with urinary incontinence, indicating epicornus
      syndrome. Spinal MR imaging demonstrated unremarkable on conventional and
      enhanced images with Gd-DTPA. Cerebrospinal fluid examination revealed slightly
      elevated protein level without pleocytosis. Thereafter, subacute ascending
      myelopathy including flaccid paraparesis and urinary retention, developed.
      Because the patient had low grade fever, fatigue, weight loss and elevated serum
      soluble IL-2 receptor and LDH titers, we investigated her for lymphoma. Although
      lymphadenopathy or mass lesions were not found on whole-body CT scan, bone marrow
      biopsy showed the presence of inravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVL). Thus the
      patient's progressive myelopathy was probably caused by IVL invasion. Ten days
      after the initiation of chemotherapy, her neurological symptoms transiently
      improved; however, her paraparesis and urinary incontinence gradually worsened
      thereafter, despite of treatment. IVL often presents with neurological
      manifestations, including myelopathy. There have been a few reports of IVL
      presenting with lower lumbar spinal cord and conus medullaris. It should be noted
      that IVL can cause unidentified progressive ascending myelopathy without positive
      MRI findings.

PMID- 20297733
TI  - [Binocular diplopia and ptosis due to snakebite (Agkistrodon blomhoffi "mamushi")
      -a case report].
AB  - We treated a patient who developed binocular diplopia and ptosis after being
      bitten by an Agkistrodon blomhoffi (mamushi). The patient was a 49-year-old man
      who presented with binocular diplopia after the snakebite on the second finger of
      his right hand. He experienced local pain and swelling and a few hours later, he
      developed diplopia. In the primary position he had no tropia. On the basis the
      ocular angle of deviation measured by a Hess chart test, he was diagnosed with
      paresis of the medial rectus muscle paresis. Binocular diplopia persisted for 2
      weeks. The venom of A. blomhoffi venom mainly consists of hemolytic toxins, but
      it also contains 2 types of neurotoxins--an alpha-toxin and a beta-toxin.
      Neurotoxins affects the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). The alpha-toxin acts
      postsynaptic inhibition as a competitive inhibitor of acetylcholine and causes
      postsynaptic inhibition; these effects are similar to those of the anti
      acetylcholine receptor antibody identified in patients with myasthenia gravis.
      The beta-toxin inhibits acetylcholine release by disrupting the presynaptic
      membrane, and thus, its effects cannot be blocked by the anticholinesterase
      edrophonium chloride. Although both antiserum and cepharanthine are widely used
      for the treatment of snakebites, there is no evidence of a specific effective
      therapy for the eye manifestation after snakebite. However, it these
      manifestation improves in about 2 weeks without any specific treatment. Our case
      suggested that the occurrence of subjective binocular diplopia without objective
      tropia could be caused by snakebite.

PMID- 20297734
TI  - [Cervical MRI findings of delayed radiation myelopathy with hemiparesis].

PMID- 20297735
TI  - [One hundred books which built up neurology (39)--Aitkin "Elements of physiology"
      (1838)].

PMID- 20297736
TI  - [Recent progress in the development of disease-modifying therapies for
      Alzheimer's disease].
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by senile
      plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. Currently available therapies
      for AD may slow cognitive decline but do not alter underlying disease processes.
      Amyloid beta protein (Abeta), the major component of senile plaques, is a 40 to
      43 amino acid peptide cleaved from amyloid precursor protein (APP) by beta
      secretase and gamma-secretase and has been implicated as the primary cause of AD.
      According to the amyloid hypothesis, extensive efforts have been made to find
      drugs that can reduce brain Abeta accumulation, including prevention of Abeta
      aggregation, inhibition of APP processing and acceleration of Abeta degradation.
      Anti-Abeta immunotherapy has attracted considerable attention as the most
      exciting treatment approach for AD over the last decade, but some patients showed
      no clinical improvement despite clear reductions of Abeta. More recently,
      alternative approaches have begun to target the microtubule binding protein tau,
      a component of neurofibrillay tangles. The combination of therapies against Abeta
      and tau may be a promising therapeutic strategy for AD.

PMID- 20297737
TI  - [Generation of epilepsy animal model bearing a genetic abnormality identified in
      autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy (ADNFLE) of humans].
AB  - Nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy is seen exclusively during sleep and is
      characterized by three distinct seizure phenotypes: paroxysmal arousals,
      paroxysmal dystonia, and episodic wandering. Mutations of CHRNA4, CHRNB2, or
      CHRNA2 genes encoding alpha4, beta2 or alpha2 subunits of neuronal nicotinic ACh
      receptor (nAChR) have been identified in the individuals with sporadic type NFLE
      and pedigrees with autosomal dominant type of NFLE (ADNFLE). In the past decade,
      various electrophysiological studies have analyzed the functional abnormalities
      of ADNFLE/NFLE mutant nAChR; however, the detailed pathogenesis of ADNFLE/NFLE
      has remained to be clarified. Therefore, to explore the pathogenesis of
      ADNFLE/NFLE, genetic animal models harboring ADNFLE mutant Chrna4 genes have
      recently been established. The face, construct and predictive validities have
      been demonstrated in a transgenic rat strain bearing the S284L mutant Chrna4
      gene. The in vivo analyses of the functional abnormalities using genetic
      ADNFLE/NFLE animal models suggest the putative mechanisms of the ADNFLE/NFLE
      seizure onset during slow wave sleep.

PMID- 20297738
TI  - [Toward understanding the molecular mechanism of brain function by molecular and
      neural circuit elucidation of the C. elegans nervous system].
AB  - Recent studies have provided extensive molecular insights into neuronal polarity
      establishment in vitro. However, it is still poorly understood how the
      corresponding phenomenon occurs and leads to correct localization of synaptic
      components in vivo. RIA interneurons in the nematode C. elegans have a neurite
      clearly divided into pre- and post-synaptic regions and act as a pivotal
      component of the neural circuit for thermotaxis behavior, thereby providing a
      suitable model to elucidate these issues. We found that loss of Inositol
      Monophosphatase (IMPase) encoded by the ttx-7 gene, an Inositol-producing enzyme
      regarded as a bipolar disorder-relevant molecule for its Lithium sensitivity,
      causes defects in thermotaxis behavior and localization of synaptic proteins in
      RIA neurons in vivo. Both behavioral and localization defects in ttx-7 mutants
      were rescued by expression of IMPase at the adult stage and Inositol application,
      and were mimicked by Lithium application in wild type animals. These results
      suggest that IMPase is required in the mature nervous system for regulating
      correct localization of synaptic components in the central interneurons in order
      for animals to behave properly.

PMID- 20297739
TI  - [Identification of a gene regulating "behavioral despair" in mice].
AB  - We found that CS mice exhibit an extremely low immobility time (almost no
      immobility) in both the tail suspension test (TST) and forced swimming test
      (FST). In these tests, animals are subjected to the short-term, inescapable
      stress of being suspended by their tail or being forced to swim in a water-filled
      cylinder. In such situations, the animals rapidly adopt a characteristic immobile
      posture that has been named "behavioral despair" on the assumption that the
      animals have given up hope of escaping. These tests have been widely used for
      assessing antidepressant activity and depression-like behavior. Quantitative
      trait locus (QTL) mapping using CS and C57BL/6J mice revealed significant QTLs on
      chromosomes (Chrs) 4 (FST) and 5 (TST and FST). To identify the quantitative
      trait gene on Chr 5, we narrowed the QTL interval to 0.5 Mb using several
      congenic and subcongenic strains. Ubiquitin-specific peptidase 46 (Usp46) with a
      lysine codon deletion was located in this region. This deletion affected nest
      building, muscimol-induced righting reflex and anti-immobility effects of
      imipramine. The muscimol-induced current in the hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons
      and hippocampal expression of the 67-kDa isoform of glutamic acid decarboxylase
      significantly decreased in the Usp46 mutant mice compared to control mice. All
      these phenotypes were rescued in transgenic mice with bacterial artificial
      chromosomes containing wild-type Usp46. Thus, Usp46 affects "behavioral despair"
      and it is implicated in the regulation of GABA action.

PMID- 20297740
TI  - Oral health: the silent epidemic.

PMID- 20297741
TI  - How healthy could a state be?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We predicted the amount of health outcome improvement any state might
      achieve if it could reach the highest level of key health determinants any
      individual state has already achieved. METHODS: Using secondary county-level data
      on modifiable and nonmodifiable health determinants from 1994 to 2003, we used
      regression analysis to predict state age-adjusted mortality rates in 2000 for
      those younger than age 75, under the scenario of each state's "ideal" predicted
      mortality if that state had the best observed level among all states of
      modifiable determinants. RESULTS: We found considerable variation in predicted
      improvement across the states. The state with the lowest baseline mortality, New
      Hampshire, was predicted to improve by 23% to a mortality rate of 250 per 100,000
      population if New Hampshire had the most favorable profile of modifiable health
      determinants. However, West Virginia, with a much higher baseline, would be
      predicted to improve the most-by 46% to 254 per 100,000 population. Individual
      states varied in the pattern of specific modifiable variables associated with
      their predicted improvement. CONCLUSIONS: The results support the contention that
      health improvement requires investment in three major categories: health care,
      behavioral change, and socioeconomic factors. Different states will require
      different investment portfolios depending on their pattern of modifiable and
      nonmodifiable determinants.

PMID- 20297742
TI  - The politics of achievable mortality.

PMID- 20297743
TI  - Transitions clinic: creating a community-based model of health care for recently
      released California prisoners.
AB  - Most California prisoners experience discontinuity of health care upon return to
      the community. In January 2006, physicians working with community organizations
      and representatives of the San Francisco Department of Public Health's safety-net
      health system opened the Transitions Clinic (TC) to provide transitional and
      primary care as well as case management for prisoners returning to San Francisco.
      This article provides a complete description of TC, including an illustrative
      case, and reports information about the recently released individuals who
      participated in the program. From January 2006 to October 2007, TC saw 185
      patients with chronic medical conditions. TC patients are socially and
      economically disenfranchised; 86% belong to ethnic minority groups and 38% are
      homeless. Eighty-nine percent of patients did not have a primary care provider
      prior to their incarceration. Preliminary findings demonstrate that a community
      based model of care tailored to this disenfranchised population successfully
      engages them in seeking health care.

PMID- 20297745
TI  - Influenza vaccination rates of children in households with high-risk adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Household contacts of people at high risk for influenza complications
      should receive yearly influenza vaccination to reduce potential viral
      transmission. We evaluated influenza vaccine coverage among children to determine
      whether or not living with a high-risk adult predicts the likelihood of being
      vaccinated. METHODS: Using the 2006 National Health Interview Survey, we examined
      influenza vaccination rates among children (aged 1-17 years) who did and did not
      reside in a household with an adult at high risk for influenza-related
      complications. RESULTS: Among 24,195 sampled families, there were 8,976 high-risk
      adults, 18.9% of whom reported living with a person 17 years of age of younger.
      Influenza vaccination rates by age group among children living with high-risk
      adults were 41.7% (1 year), 30.3% (2-4 years), and 20.0% (5-17 years). Unadjusted
      influenza vaccination rates were significantly higher for school-aged children
      who lived with a high-risk adult compared with those who did not (20.0% vs.
      15.0%, p < 0.001). Among children younger than 5 years of age, for whom
      vaccination was universally recommended at the time of the survey, the rates did
      not differ. After adjusting for the child's age, gender, race, insurance
      coverage, medical visits, and chronic conditions, children who lived with a high
      risk adult were not statistically more likely than those who did not live with a
      high-risk adult to receive influenza vaccination (odds ratio = 1.16, 95%
      confidence interval 0.99, 1.36). CONCLUSIONS: Children had low rates of influenza
      vaccination, and those who lived with high-risk adults were not significantly
      more likely to be vaccinated. Clinicians caring for high-risk adults should
      remind eligible household contacts to receive influenza vaccine.

PMID- 20297744
TI  - Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions on URIs and influenza in crowded,
      urban households.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We compared the impact of three household interventions-education,
      education with alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and education with hand sanitizer
      and face masks-on incidence and secondary transmission of upper respiratory
      infections (URIs) and influenza, knowledge of transmission of URIs, and
      vaccination rates. METHODS: A total of 509 primarily Hispanic households
      participated. Participants reported symptoms twice weekly, and nasal swabs were
      collected from those with an influenza-like illness (ILI). Households were
      followed for up to 19 months and home visits were made at least every two months.
      RESULTS: We recorded 5034 URIs, of which 669 cases reported ILIs and 78 were
      laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza. Demographic factors significantly
      associated with infection rates included age, gender, birth location, education,
      and employment. The Hand Sanitizer group was significantly more likely to report
      that no household member had symptoms (p < 0.01), but there were no significant
      differences in rates of infection by intervention group in multivariate analyses.
      Knowledge improved significantly more in the Hand Sanitizer group (p < 0.0001).
      The proportion of households that reported > or = 50% of members receiving
      influenza vaccine increased during the study (p < 0.001). Despite the fact that
      compliance with mask wearing was poor, mask wearing as well as increased
      crowding, lower education levels of caretakers, and index cases 0-5 years of age
      (compared with adults) were associated with significantly lower secondary
      transmission rates (all p < 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: In this population, there was no
      detectable additional benefit of hand sanitizer or face masks over targeted
      education on overall rates of URIs, but mask wearing was associated with reduced
      secondary transmission and should be encouraged during outbreak situations.
      During the study period, community concern about methicillin-resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus was occurring, perhaps contributing to the use of hand
      sanitizer in the Education control group, and diluting the intervention's
      measurable impact.

PMID- 20297746
TI  - Newborn hearing screening and follow-up: are children receiving recommended
      services?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Newborn hearing screening programs have been implemented by all 50
      states and most U.S. territories to detect hearing loss in infants and prevent
      delays in speech, language, and social and emotional development. To monitor
      progress toward national goals, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
      (CDC) collects data from state and territorial programs. This article summarizes
      findings from the CDC Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Hearing
      Screening and Follow-up Survey (HSFS) and provides a summary of recent efforts to
      identify infants with hearing loss in the U.S. METHODS: The HSFS was sent to
      representatives of U.S. EHDI programs to gather aggregate screening, diagnostic,
      intervention, and demographic data for 2005 and 2006. We analyzed these data to
      evaluate progress toward national goals. RESULTS: In 2005 and 2006, more than 90%
      of infants were screened for hearing loss. Of these infants, 2% in both years did
      not pass their final screening. Out of those not passing the final screening,
      approximately two-thirds were not documented as having a diagnostic finding. In
      both years, the reason reported for the majority of infants was loss to follow
      up/loss to documentation (LFU/LTD). Although the majority of infants with
      permanent hearing loss were receiving intervention, more than 30% were classified
      as LFU/LTD and could not be documented as receiving intervention services.
      CONCLUSIONS: The HSFS enables the collection of more complete data that highlight
      the progress in screening infants for hearing loss. However, data indicate
      improvements are needed to reduce LFU/LTD and meet the national benchmarks.

PMID- 20297747
TI  - Condoms for dual protection: patterns of use with highly effective contraceptive
      methods.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: U.S. women experience high rates of unplanned pregnancy and sexually
      transmitted infections (STIs), yet they seldom combine condoms with highly
      effective contraceptives for optimal protection. Because oral contracep tives
      (OCs) have been the predominant form of highly effective contraceptio in the
      U.S., it is unknown whether condom use is similarly low with increasingly
      promoted user-independent methods. METHODS: We used weighted data from the
      National Survey of Family Growth to assess condom use odds among women relying on
      OCs vs. user-independent methods (i.e., injectibles, intrauterine devices, and
      implants). We also estimated the expected reduction in unplanned pregnancies and
      abortions if half or all of the women currently using a single highly effective
      method also used condoms. RESULTS: Across every demographic subgroup based on
      age, partner status, race/ethnicity, household income, and education, condom use
      prevalence was lower for women relying on user-independent methods vs. OCs.
      Multivariable models for adult women also revealed a significant reduction within
      most demographic subgroups in the odds of condom use among women relying on user
      independent methods vs. OCs. Population estimates suggested that if half of all
      women using highly effective methods alone also used condoms, approximately 40%
      of unplanned pregnancies and abortions among these women could be prevented, for
      an annual reduction of 393,000 unplanned pregnancies and nearly 76,000 abortions.
      If all highly effective method users also used condoms, approximately 80% of
      unplanned pregnancies and abortions among these women could be prevented, for an
      annual reduction of 786,000 unplanned pregnancies and nearly 152,000 abortions.
      CONCLUSIONS: Adding condoms to other methods should be considered seriously as
      the first line of defense against unplanned pregnancy and STls. This analysis can
      serve to target interventions where dual-method promotion is needed most.

PMID- 20297748
TI  - Trends in prevalence of obesity and overweight among children enrolled in the New
      York State WIC program, 2002-2007.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We examined recent overweight and obesity trends in a multiethnic
      population of low-income preschool children. METHODS: We defined overweight as
      sex-specific body mass index (BMI)-forage > or = 85th and < 95th percentile and
      obesity as sex-specific BMI-for-age > or = 95th percentile, and calculated them
      using demographic data and randomly selected height and weight measurements that
      were recorded while 2- to < 5-year-old children were enrolled in the New York
      State (NYS) Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and
      Children (WIC) during 2002-2007. RESULTS: Obesity prevalence peaked at 16.7% in
      2003, declined from 2003 through 2005, and stabilized at 14.7% through 2007.
      Among both boys and girls, the downward trend in annual prevalence of obesity was
      evident only among Hispanic children (22.8% boys and 20.9% girls in 2002 vs.
      19.3% boys and 17.5% girls in 2007) and non-Hispanic black children (15.6% boys
      and 14.2% girls in 2002 vs. 13.6% boys and 12.4% girls in 2007). In contrast, the
      annual prevalence estimate for overweight showed an increasing trend from 2002
      through 2007. CONCLUSIONS: These results showed a slight decline in prevalence of
      childhood obesity and a continuing rise in prevalence of childhood overweight
      among children enrolled in the NYS WIC program during 2002-2007. Future research
      should investigate the extent to which the slight decline in childhood obesity
      prevalence may be attributable to population-based and high-risk obesity
      prevention efforts in NYS.

PMID- 20297749
TI  - The association of workplace hazards and smoking in a U.S. multiethnic working
      class population.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We investigated the extent to which smoking status was associated with
      exposure to occupational (e.g., dust, chemicals, noise, and ergonomic strain) and
      social (e.g., abuse, sexual harassment, and racial discrimination) workplace
      hazards in a sample of U.S. multiethnic working-class adults. METHODS: United for
      Health is a cross-sectional study designed to investigate the combined burden of
      occupational and social workplace hazards in relation to race/ethnicity, gender,
      and wage and to evaluate related health effects in a working-class population.
      Using validated measures, we collected data from 1,282 multiethnic working-class
      participants using audio computer-assisted interviews. We used multiple
      imputation methods to impute data for those missing data. Crude and adjusted
      logistic odds ratios (ORs) were modeled to estimate ORs and 95% confidence
      intervals (CIs). RESULTS: The prevalence of smoking was highest among non
      Hispanic white workers (38.3%) and lowest for foreign-born workers (13.1%). We
      found an association between racial discrimination and smoking (OR = 1.12, 95% CI
      1.01, 1.25). The relationship between smoking and sexual harassment, although not
      significant, was different for black women compared with men (OR = 1.79, 95% CI
      0.99, 3.22). We did not find any associations by workplace abuse or by any of the
      occupational hazards. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that racial
      discrimination might be related to smoking in working-class populations and
      should be considered in tobacco-control efforts that target this high-risk
      population.

PMID- 20297750
TI  - Comparing lead poisoning risk assessment methods: census block group
      characteristics vs. zip codes as predictors.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We determined which children should be tested for elevated blood lead
      levels (BLLs) in the face of financial and practical barriers to universal
      screening efforts and within 2009 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
      recommendations allowing health departments to develop BLL screening strategies.
      METHODS: We used the Michigan database of BLL tests from 1998 through 2005, which
      contains address, Medicaid eligibility, and race data. Linking addresses to U.S.
      Census 2000 data by block group provided neighborhood sociodemographic and
      housing characteristics. To derive an equation predicting BLL, we treated BLL as
      a continuous variable and used Hierarchical Linear Modeling to estimate the
      prediction equation. RESULTS: Census block groups explained more variance in BLL
      than tracts and much more than dichotomized zip code risk (which is current
      pediatric practice). Housing built before 1940, socioeconomic status and
      racial/ethnic characteristics of the block group, child characteristics, and
      empirical Bayesian residuals explained more than 41% of the variance in BLL
      during 1998-2001. By contrast, zip code risk and Medicaid status only explained
      15% of the BLL variance. An equation using 1998-2001 BLL data predicted well for
      BLL tests performed in 2002-2005. While those who received BLL tests had above
      average risk, this method produced minimal bias in using the prediction equation
      for all children. CONCLUSIONS: Our equation offers better specificity and
      sensitivity than using dichotomized zip codes and Medicaid status, thereby
      identifying more high-risk children while also offering substantial cost savings.
      Our prediction equation can be used with a simple Internet-based program that
      allows health-care providers to enter minimal information and determine whether a
      BLL test is recommended.

PMID- 20297751
TI  - Epidemiology of West Nile virus in the highly epidemic state of North Dakota,
      2002-2007.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: West Nile virus (WNV) continues to cause seasonal epidemics of
      neuroinvasive disease and febrile illness, which have been most dramatic in the
      central plains states. We studied the epidemiology of WNV disease in North Dakota
      (ND), a highly epidemic state, six years following its first appearance in the
      state. METHODS: We analyzed information from cases of WNV disease reported to the
      ND Department of Health during August 2002 through December 2007. RESULTS: A
      total of 1246 cases of WNV disease were reported in ND; 183 cases experienced
      neuroinvasive disease, including meningitis, encephalitis, or acute flaccid
      paralysis. Risk factors associated with developing neuroinvasive disease rather
      than West Nile fever included older age, male gender, and residence in a rural
      area. Annual cumulative incidence of neuroinvasive disease in ND ranged from 0.3
      per 100,000 population to 14.6 per 100,000 population. CONCLUSIONS: Annual
      cumulative incidence rates of West Nile neuroinvasive disease suggest that this
      region offers favorable conditions for its continued enzootic transmission, which
      highlights the need for improved targeted prevention measures, particularly for
      rural areas of the state.

PMID- 20297752
TI  - Characteristics of Asian and Pacific Islanders admitted to U.S. drug treatment
      programs in 2005.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We determined how Asian and Pacific Islanders (APIs) differ from
      clients from other ethnic groups in regard to drug use and admissions to drug
      treatment programs. METHODS: We used national survey and treatment admissions
      data to characterize drug problems and first-time adult admissions to publicly
      funded drug treatment programs in the U.S. in 2005. RESULTS: APIs accounted for
      1.9% of illicit drug use in U.S. adults and for 1.3% of adult clients entering
      drug treatment for the first time. Compared with other ethnic groups, APIs were
      significantly more likely to be entering treatment for the first time. Stimulants
      were the primary drug problem for 57.3% of API first-time treatment clients, a
      significantly greater proportion than other ethnic groups. This figure had
      increased from 45.3% in 2001, significantly greater than the increase among
      Caucasian or African American clients. API first-time admissions had used drugs
      less frequently (13.6 days in the prior 30 days), began drug use at a slightly
      older age (mean = 20.7 years), and had a shorter period between start of use and
      first admission (mean = 9.4 years) than other racial/ethnic groups. CONCLUSION:
      Stimulant use was the predominant problem of API clients entering treatment for
      the first time. APIs were underrepresented in the treatment system relative to
      their share of the population with drug problems. Diverse groups were aggregated
      to form the API category. Information on APIs needs to be disaggregated to
      develop more culturally appropriate and effective treatment.

PMID- 20297753
TI  - Assessing the impact of the Health Center Growth Initiative on health center
      patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In 2001, the Health Center Growth Initiative was launched to increase
      access to primary health-care services through the expansion of the health center
      program. We examined the impact this initiative had on the number and types of
      patients seen by health centers, as well as the health center characteristics
      significantly associated with service expansions. METHODS: We conducted secondary
      and time-trend analyses of the Uniform Data System, an annual dataset submitted
      to the Bureau of Primary Health Care by all federally qualified health centers.
      We performed trend and multivariable analyses to examine the impact of the
      initiative on health center performance. RESULTS: Health centers that received
      both new access points and expanded medical capacity funding saw the most rapid
      growth in patients. These centers experienced a 58% increase in total number of
      patients and a 60% increase in total number of encounters, compared with 10% and
      8%, respectively, for centers receiving no funding at all. CONCLUSIONS: were
      unchanged even after controlling for other health center characteristics.
      CONCLUSIONS: Public funding is critical to sustaining and expanding health center
      services to the nation's vulnerable populations.

PMID- 20297754
TI  - The changing face of U.S. funding for HIV programs in resource-limited settings.

PMID- 20297755
TI  - Horizons: looking back, moving forward.

PMID- 20297756
TI  - Reducing HIV-related stigma: lessons learned from Horizons research and programs.
AB  - Since the early years of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic, stigma
      has been understood to be a major barrier to successful HIV prevention, care, and
      treatment. This article highlights findings from more than 10 studies in Asia,
      Africa, and Latin America-conducted from 1997 through 2007 as part of the
      Horizons program-that have contributed to clarifying the relationship between
      stigma and HIV, determining how best to measure stigma among varied populations,
      and designing and evaluating the impact of stigma reduction-focused program
      strategies. Studies showed significant associations between HIV-related stigma
      and less use of voluntary counseling and testing, less willingness to disclose
      test results, and incorrect knowledge about transmission. Programmatic lessons
      learned included how to assist institutions with recognizing stigma, the
      importance of confronting both fears of contagion and negative social judgments,
      and how best to engage people living with HIV in programs. The portfolio of work
      reveals the potential and importance of directly addressing stigma reduction in
      HIV programs.

PMID- 20297757
TI  - Addressing gender dynamics and engaging men in HIV programs: lessons learned from
      Horizons research.
AB  - In the field of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention, there has been
      increasing interest in the role that gender plays in HIV and violence risk, and
      in successfully engaging men in the response. This article highlights findings
      from more than 10 studies in Asia, Africa, and Latin America--conducted from 1997
      through 2007 as part of the Horizons program--that have contributed to
      understanding the relationship between gender and men's behaviors, developing
      useful measurement tools for gender norms, and designing and evaluating the
      impact of gender-focused program strategies. Studies showed significant
      associations between support for inequitable norms and risk, such as more partner
      violence and less condom use. Programmatic lessons learned ranged from insights
      into appropriate media messages, to strategies to engage men in critically
      reflecting upon gender inequality, to the qualities of successful program
      facilitators. The portfolio of work reveals the potential and importance of
      directly addressing gender dynamics in HIV- and violence-prevention programs for
      both men and women.

PMID- 20297758
TI  - Implementing programs for the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission in
      resource-constrained settings: Horizons studies, 1999-2007.
AB  - An estimated 430,00 new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections occurred
      among children younger than 15 years of age in 2008, most in sub-Saharan Africa
      and most due to mother-to-child transmission (MTCT). In marked contrast, MTCT of
      HIV has been virtually eliminated in well-resourced settings through the use of
      combinations of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs for the mother during pregnancy and
      labor and for the infant postpartum; cesarean delivery to reduce the infant's
      exposure to trauma and infection in the birth canal; and formula feeding to
      protect the infant from transmission from breastfeeding. While effective, these
      interventions are costly and require strong health-care systems. From 1999 to
      2003, Horizons conducted operations research to determine how interventions
      successful in the clinical trial setting would translate to the real-world
      environments of maternal and child healthcare delivery in low-resource settings.
      A second set of Horizons studies (2004-2007) sought to address gaps in adherence
      to ARV prophylaxis; examine roles of family planning in prevention of MTCT
      (PMTCT) programs; show the value of psychosocial support for HIV-positive
      mothers; and identify ways to improve the quality of care and follow-up for women
      in the postpartum period. This article provides an assessment of the findings of
      Horizons studies on PMTCT interventions from 1999 to 2007 and identifies needs
      for follow-on efforts.

PMID- 20297759
TI  - Access to antiretroviral therapy for adults and children with HIV infection in
      developing countries: Horizons studies, 2002-2008.
AB  - The Access-to-Treatment research initiative of the Population Council's Horizons
      program undertook 11 projects across Asia and sub-Saharan Africa from 2002 to
      2008. The projects included a variety of cross-sectional exploratory studies,
      situation analyses, and longitudinal randomized, controlled intervention studies
      that examined service delivery, community awareness, health-seeking behaviors,
      adherence, cost, and other factors affecting treatment for adults and children
      infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This article summarizes the key
      findings and lessons learned from these projects, and examines cross-cutting
      issues such as stigma, quality of life, and sexual-risk behaviors among people
      living with HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome on antiretroviral therapy.
      The article concludes with recommendations for evidence-based programming and
      future research around treatment for both children and adults.

PMID- 20297760
TI  - HIV vulnerability of men who have sex with men in developing countries: Horizons
      studies, 2001-2008.
AB  - While male-to-male sexual behavior has been recognized as a primary risk factor
      for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), research targeting men who have sex with
      men (MSM) in less-developed countries has been limited due to high levels of
      stigma and discrimination. In response, the Population Council's Horizons Program
      began implementing research activities in Africa and South America beginning in
      2001, with the objectives of gathering information on MSM sexual risk behaviors,
      evaluating HIV-prevention programs, and informing HIV policy makers. The results
      of this nearly decade-long program are presented in this article as a summary of
      the Horizons MSM studies in Africa (Senegal and Kenya) and Latin America (Brazil
      and Paraguay), and include research methodologies, study findings, and
      interventions evaluated. We also discuss future directions and approaches for HIV
      research among MSM in developing countries.

PMID- 20297761
TI  - Improving the lives of vulnerable children: implications of Horizons research
      among orphans and other children affected by AIDS.
AB  - From 1997 through 2007, the Horizons program conducted research to inform the
      care and support of children who had been orphaned and rendered vulnerable by
      acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in sub-Saharan Africa. Horizons conducted
      studies in Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
      Research included both diagnostic studies exploring the circumstances of families
      and communities affected by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and evaluations of
      pioneering intervention strategies. Interventions found to be supportive of
      families included succession planning for families with an HIV-positive parent,
      training and supporting youth as caregivers, and youth mentorship for child
      headed households. Horizons researchers developed tools to assess the
      psychosocial well-being of children affected by HIV and outlined key ethical
      guidelines for conducting research among children. The design, implementation,
      and evaluation of community-based interventions for orphans and vulnerable
      children continue to be a key gap in the evidence base.

PMID- 20297762
TI  - Debating the health effects of DDT: Thomas Jukes, Charles Wurster, and the fate
      of an environmental pollutant.

PMID- 20297763
TI  - The health privacy provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of
      2009: implications for public health policy and practice.

PMID- 20297764
TI  - Promoting implementation of a school district sexual health education policy
      through an academic-community partnership.

PMID- 20297765
TI  - Cost analysis of influenza vaccine administration in Fayette County, Kentucky,
      2005-2007.

PMID- 20297766
TI  - Site isolation of emitters within cross-linked polymer nanoparticles for white
      electroluminescence.
AB  - The use of cross-linked polymer nanoparticles was explored to achieve site
      isolation of different emitters within a single emissive layer in an
      electroluminescent device. Encapsulation of the iridium emitters within the
      polymer nanoparticles led to the desired effect with minimal energy transfer from
      high bandgap chromophores to lower bandgap ones. The nanoparticles were easily
      dispersed in organic solvent for film casting while preserving particle shape.
      They behave as light emitting "inks", enabling the tuning of electroluminescence
      through simple changes in the ratios of nanoparticles in the emissive film.

PMID- 20297767
TI  - Electrochemical synthesis and catalytic property of sub-10 nm platinum cubic
      nanoboxes.
AB  - We report an electrochemical synthesis of ultrafine Pt cubic nanoboxes from Pt-on
      Ag heteronanostructures. These cubic nanoboxes have an average edge length of
      about 6 nm and a wall thickness of 1.5 nm. Several reaction parameters including
      the profile of applied potentials were examined to develop an optimal procedure
      for controlling the size, shape, and surface morphology of the nanoboxes. A
      strong shape-dependent catalytic property is observed for Pt cubic nanoboxes,
      which is 1.5 times more active than hollow spheres in terms of turn over
      frequency for catalytic oxidation of methanol.

PMID- 20297768
TI  - Using the pyridine and quinuclidine scaffolds for superbases: a DFT study.
AB  - 2,6-Disubstituted pyridines and 2,6,7-trisubstituted quinuclidines are screened
      as potential strong bases. The relative proton affinities of the bases are
      computed at PBE1PBE/6-311G(d,p) in the gas phase and in the solution phase (THF)
      at the same level with the IEFPCM treatment. Basicities are enhanced by the lone
      pair possessing atoms on the substituents' arms stabilizing the conjugate acid
      through hydrogen bonding. The strongest bases are 2,6-bis(3-methoxy-2-furyl)-4
      dimethylaminopyridine and 2,6-di(2-dimethylaminoethyl)pyridine.

PMID- 20297769
TI  - Molecular mechanism of acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of peptide bonds using a model
      compound.
AB  - The stability of peptide bonds is a critical aspect of biological chemistry and
      therapeutic protein applications. Recent studies found elevated nonenzymatic
      hydrolysis in the hinge region of antibody molecules, but no mechanism was
      identified. As a first step in providing a mechanistic interpretation, this
      computational study examines the rate-determining step of the hydrolytic reaction
      of a peptide bond under acidic pH by a path sampling technique using a model
      compound N-MAA. Most previous computational studies did not include explicit
      water molecules, whose effects are significant in solution chemistry, nor did
      they provide a dynamic picture for the reaction process in aqueous conditions.
      Because no single trajectory can be used to describe the reaction dynamics due to
      fluctuations at finite temperatures, a variant version of the transition path
      sampling technique, the aimless shooting algorithm, was used to sample dynamic
      trajectories and to generate an ensemble of transition trajectories according to
      their statistical weights in the trajectory space. Each trajectory was computed
      as the time evolution of the molecular system using the Car-Parrinello molecular
      dynamics technique. The likelihood maximization procedure and its modification
      were used in extracting dynamically relevant degrees of freedom in the system,
      and approximations of the reaction coordinate were compared. Its low log
      likelihood score and poor p(B) histogram indicate that the C-O distance
      previously assumed as the reaction coordinate for the rate-determining step is
      inadequate in describing the dynamics of the reaction. More than one order
      parameter in a candidate set including millions of geometric quantities was
      required to produce a convergent reaction coordinate model; its involvement of
      many degrees of freedom suggests that this hydrolytic reaction step is very
      complex. In addition to affecting atoms directly involved in bond-making and 
      breaking processes, the water network also has determining effects on the
      hydrolytic reaction, a fact that is manifest in the expression of the one
      dimensional best-ranked reaction coordinate, which includes three geometric
      quantities. The p(B) histograms were computed to verify the results of the
      likelihood maximization and to verify the accuracy of approximation to the "true"
      reaction coordinate.

PMID- 20297770
TI  - Hydrogelation through self-assembly of fmoc-peptide functionalized cationic
      amphiphiles: potent antibacterial agent.
AB  - The present work reports a new class of antibacterial hydrogelators based on anti
      inflammatory N-fluorenyl-9-methoxycarbonyl (Fmoc) amino acid/peptides
      functionalized cationic amphiphiles. These positively charged hydrogelators were
      rationally designed and developed by the incorporation of a pyridinium moiety at
      the C-terminal of Fmoc amino acid/peptides, because the pyridinium-based
      amphiphiles are a known antibacterial agent due to their cell membrane
      penetration properties. The Fmoc amino acid/peptide-based cationic amphiphiles
      efficiently gelate (minimum gelation concentration approximately 0.6-2.2%, w/v)
      water at room temperature. Judicious variation of amino acid and their sequences
      revealed the architectural dependence of the molecules on their gelation ability.
      Several microscopic techniques like field-emission scanning electron microscopy
      (FESEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to obtain the visual insight
      of the morphology of the gel network. A number of spectroscopic techniques like
      circular dichroism, FTIR, photoluminescence, and XRD were utilized to know the
      involvement of several noncovalent interactions and participation of the
      different segments of the molecules during gelation. Spectroscopic results showed
      that the pi-pi interaction and intermolecular hydrogen bonding are the major
      responsible factors for the self-assembled gelation process that are oriented
      through an antiparallel beta-sheet arrangement of the peptide backbone. These
      Fmoc-based cationic molecules exhibited efficient antibacterial activity against
      both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

PMID- 20297771
TI  - Multi-approach electron paramagnetic resonance investigations of UV-photoinduced
      Ti(3+) in titanium oxide-based gels.
AB  - EPR investigations of the photoreduction of Ti(4+) into Ti(3+) under UV
      irradiation were carried out on three titanium-based materials for which the
      initial concentration of Ti(4+) was defined in the ternary phase diagram
      (TiOCl(2), H(2)O, DMF). The kinetics of this photoreduction was monitored at 200
      K and related to the initial concentration of Ti(4+) in the solution. This study
      was complemented by a multi-approach EPR method (pulsed electron paramagnetic
      resonance (EPR), pulsed electron nuclear double resonance, and hyperfine sublevel
      correlation spectroscopy (HYSCORE)) with the aim of probing the proton
      environment of the Ti(3+) ions. Indeed, many species such as H(2)O, OH(-), HCOO(
      ) are located in the immediate vicinity of Ti(3+). Although we found that a
      distribution of g tensors was involved, for simplicity, two types of g tensor
      were used to describe the main features of the EPR signal related to the
      paramagnetic ions. Additionally, we have evidenced that two kinds of protons are
      identified next to Ti(3+) species, with specific distances determined from the
      hyperfine coupling parameters obtained by the HYSCORE method.

PMID- 20297772
TI  - Solvent effects on the kinetics of the interaction of 1-pyrenecarboxaldehyde with
      calf thymus DNA.
AB  - The kinetics of the interaction of a fluorescent probe, 1-pyrenecarboxaldehyde,
      with calf thymus DNA has been studied in different water/alcohol mixtures
      (ethanol, 2-propanol, and ter-butanol) at 25 degrees C, by using the stopped flow
      technique. The kinetic curves are biexponential and reveal the presence of two
      processes whose rates differ by about 1 order of magnitude on the time scale. The
      dependence of the reciprocal fast relaxation time on the DNA concentration is
      linear, whereas the concentration dependence of the reciprocal slow relaxation
      time tends to a plateau at high DNA concentrations. The simplest mechanism
      consistent with the kinetic results involves a simple two-step series mechanism
      reaction scheme. The first step corresponds to the formation of a precursor
      complex, (DNA/Py)(I), while the second one corresponds to full intercalation of
      the pyrene dye between the DNA base pairs. The values of the rate constants of
      both steps decrease as water activity decreases. The results have been discussed
      in terms of solvation of the species and changes in the viscosity of the
      solution.

PMID- 20297773
TI  - New salts of the waterstable P(2)Se(6)(4-) anion.
AB  - The structures of two new salts of the P(2)Se(6)(4-) anion,
      [(py(2)Li)](4)[P(2)Se(6)].2py and [pyH](4)[P(2)Se(6)].H(2)O, prepared using a new
      synthetic route in solution starting from easily available educts, are presented.
      The salts are characterized also in solution by means of multinuclear ((31)P,
      (77)Se, (7)Li) NMR spectroscopy. The (31)P and (77)Se NMR spectrum of the
      waterstable P(2)Se(6)(4-) anion are discussed in detail for the first time. The
      chemical shift of the P(2)Se(6)(4-) anion in the Li(+) salts depends strongly on
      the solvent used. Remarkably, the newly synthesized salts are stable in water.

PMID- 20297774
TI  - Facile synthesis of silver nanoparticles in CO2-expanded liquids from silver
      isostearate precursor.
AB  - This approach provides a new technique to synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs)
      using CO(2)-expanded liquids (CXLs) as the processing medium. A soluble form of
      silver carboxylate, silver isostearate (AgISt), was synthesized and
      characterized. The XRD and DSC analyses indicated that the methylated branched
      alky chains in AgISt exhibited a steric hindrance to impede the growth of layered
      structure of AgISt molecules, which led to the high solubility of AgISt in
      nonpolar solvents. By using AgISt as silver precursor, AgNPs of 2.64 +/- 0.51 nm
      in diameter were synthesized in CO(2)-expanded heptane with H(2) as the reducing
      agent. The ATR-FTIR analysis showed that the produced AgNPs were capped with
      isostearic acid, which was derived from the reduction of AgISt. Hence, the
      isostearic acid capped AgNPs were well-dispersed in heptane to form a stable
      silver organosol.

PMID- 20297775
TI  - New method to determine surface area and its energy distribution for nonporous
      solids: a computer simulation and experimental study.
AB  - We present in this article a new method to determine the "geometrical" surface
      area of nonporous solids. This method is based on the total number of molecules
      dosed into the adsorption cell and a knowledge of the distribution of molecules
      between the gas phase and the surface phase. By matching this experimental amount
      with the corresponding theoretical equation, we can derive not only the surface
      area but also its energy distribution and the void volume of the adsorption cell.
      The method avoids the limitations of other methods presented in the literature.
      The BET method, for example, involves unrealistic assumptions and necessitates
      the choice of a molecular projection area. Our method does not suffer from these
      assumptions or limitations and is self-consistent, from the measurement of
      adsorption data to the final analysis of the surface area. The novelties of the
      method are the following: (i) it is valid over the complete range of reduced
      pressure, (ii) it does not require a molecular projection area, (iii) beside the
      total surface area, we also derive its energy distribution, and (iv) the helium
      expansion method (or any equivalent method) is not required to determine the void
      volume.

PMID- 20297776
TI  - Impact of sodium caseinate concentration and location on magnesium release from
      multiple W/O/W emulsions.
AB  - Water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) double emulsions were prepared and the rate of
      release of magnesium ions from the internal to the external aqueous phase was
      followed. Sodium caseinate was used not only as a hydrophilic surface-active
      species but also as a chelating agent able to bind magnesium ions. The release
      occurred without film rupturing (no coalescence). The kinetics of the release
      process depended on the location (in only one or in both aqueous compartments)
      and on the concentration of sodium caseinate. The rate of release increased with
      the concentration of sodium caseinate in the external phase and decreased when
      sodium caseinate was present in the inner droplets. The experiments were
      interpreted within the frame of a mean-field model based on diffusion,
      integrating the effect of ion binding. The data could be adequately fitted by
      considering a time-dependent permeation coefficient of the magnesium ions across
      the oil phase. Our results suggested that ion permeability was influenced by the
      state of the protein interfacial layers which itself depended on the extent of
      magnesium binding.

PMID- 20297777
TI  - Stability of the parallel layer during alkane spreading and the domain structures
      of the standing-up layer.
AB  - The spreading of liquid alkanes over surfaces plays an important role in
      applications such as lubrication, painting, and printing. To make significant
      advances in these fields, it is essential to increase our understanding of the
      interactions between alkanes and surfaces. Long-chain alkanes form two typical
      adsorption structures on a surface--the parallel phase and the standing-up phase.
      The most thermodynamically stable structure is the parallel phase, in which the
      alkane molecules lie flat on the surface. If the temperature is slightly below
      the bulk melting point, then alkanes form a thermodynamically stable standing-up
      phase on top of an existing parallel layer. At lower temperatures, the standing
      up phase becomes metastable. Using atomic force microscopy, we have found that
      the standing-up alkane layer consists of multiple domains, indicating that the
      standing-up layer forms through a multinucleation process during the liquid-solid
      transition on the surface. If, however, the temperature is above the melting
      point, then we have found that the standing-up layer shrinks to a droplet and
      leaves a residue on its original position. During the spreading of an alkane
      droplet, the parallel layer forms on the substrate surface surrounding the
      droplet by adsorption from the vapor, which precedes the arrival of the liquid.
      There has been uncertainty, however, as to whether the parallel layer moves with
      the liquid alkane or remains stationary during spreading. In this study, we used
      the residue left on the parallel layer as a landmark to monitor the movement of
      the parallel layer during the spreading of an alkane droplet. Using this
      landmark, we found that the parallel layer remained stationary on the substrate,
      indicating that the liquid alkane spreads on a stationary parallel layer surface.
      Therefore, this study reveals that the surface properties of the parallel layer-
      not the surface properties of the substrate--control the spreading and wetting of
      a liquid alkane.

PMID- 20297778
TI  - Phospholipid complexation of general anesthetics in fluid bilayers.
AB  - A nearest-neighbor recognition analysis has been performed in cholesterol-rich
      and cholesterol-poor liposomes derived from 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3
      phosphocholine (DPPC) in the presence of varying concentrations of chloroform.
      This analysis has yielded a fundamentally new, molecular-level view of the
      interaction of general anesthetics with lipid bilayers, which may be relevant to
      their biological action; that is, DPPC forms 1:1 complexes with CHCl(3) in both
      membranes in the fluid bilayer state.

PMID- 20297779
TI  - Atom probe microscopy of self-assembled monolayers: preliminary results.
AB  - We have achieved three-dimensional imaging of decanethiol self-assembled
      monolayers (SAMs) on metal surfaces by atom probe tomography (APT). The present
      Letter provides preliminary results on Ni [001] and Au [111], shows the
      analytical potential of APT analysis of SAMs, and details developments in
      specimen preparation and in data-treatment methodologies. Importantly, the
      investigation of the mass spectra from analysis of the SAMs revealed no
      combination of sulfur and hydrogen at the interface between the metal substrates
      and the organic materials, potentially providing insight about the bonding of the
      thiols on the substrate.

PMID- 20297780
TI  - P450cam visits an open conformation in the absence of substrate.
AB  - P450cam from Pseudomonas putida is the best characterized member of the vast
      family of cytochrome P450s, and it has long been believed to have a more rigid
      and closed active site relative to other P450s. Here we report X-ray structures
      of P450cam crystallized in the absence of substrate and at high and low [K(+)].
      The camphor-free structures are observed in a distinct open conformation
      characterized by a water-filled channel created by the retraction of the F and G
      helices, disorder of the B' helix, and loss of the K(+) binding site.
      Crystallization in the presence of K(+) alone does not alter the open
      conformation, while crystallization with camphor alone is sufficient for closure
      of the channel. Soaking crystals of the open conformation in excess camphor does
      not promote camphor binding or closure, suggesting resistance to conformational
      change by the crystal lattice. This open conformation is remarkably similar to
      that seen upon binding large tethered substrates, showing that it is not the
      result of a perturbation by the ligand. Redissolved crystals of the open
      conformation are observed as a mixture of P420 and P450 forms, which is converted
      to the P450 form upon addition of camphor and K(+). These data reveal that
      P450cam can dynamically visit an open conformation that allows access to the
      deeply buried active site without being induced by substrate or ligand.

PMID- 20297781
TI  - Biological surface effects of metallic nanomaterials for applications in assembly
      and catalysis.
AB  - Recent experimental evidence has suggested that bioinspired techniques represent
      promising avenues toward the production of functional nanomaterials that possess
      a high degree of activity. These materials are prepared under synthetically
      simple and efficient conditions, thus making them attractive alternatives to many
      traditional methods that employ hazardous and harsh conditions. Many biomimetic
      methods employ peptide and amino acid binding events on the surfaces of
      nanostructures to generate materials that are stable in solution. The basis of
      both the stability and activity of these materials is likely to be controlled by
      the biotic/abiotic interface, which is mediated by the bioligand binding process.
      Unfortunately, most readily available techniques are unable to be used to study
      this intrinsic process; however, very recent studies have begun to shed light on
      this important event. In this feature article, an overview of the understanding
      of peptide and amino acid binding events to nanomaterials and how these motifs
      can be exploited for activities in nanoparticle assembly and catalytic reactivity
      is discussed. From both 2D surface studies and computational modeling analyses,
      different biomolecule binding characteristics have been elucidated. These results
      indicate that the amino acid sequence and peptide secondary structure play
      important roles in the binding capability. Furthermore, these studies suggest
      that the peptides are able to form specific patterns and motifs once bound to the
      nanoparticle surface. This attribute could affect the nanoparticle electronics
      and can play a significant role in their activities to generate functional
      materials. From these binding motifs, the ability of reagents to interact with
      the metallic surface is possible, thus affecting many of the properties of these
      materials.

PMID- 20297782
TI  - Polymerizable biomimetic vesicles with controlled local presentation of adhesive
      functional DOPA groups.
AB  - Inspired by strong adhesive properties of mussel footprint proteins, which are
      largely governed by the presence of dihydroxy-phenylalanine (DOPA) amino acid
      moieties, we present a novel approach for presenting DOPA groups in a very
      defined way in order to modulate the adhesion between artificial interfaces. To
      this end, linear peptide amphiphiles are synthesized with attached DOPA
      functional groups and a polymerizable diacetylenic tail. The obtained amphiphiles
      can be coassembled with matrix amphiphiles into vesicles, which can be
      subsequently stabilized through UV-light-induced solid-state polymerization.
      Depending on the molar ratio of matrix and adhesive amphiphiles, the vesicles
      self-assemble into spherical, fibrilar, or planar nanostructures. The adhesive
      properties of the surface-adsorbed vesicles are evaluated by drop casting them
      onto a planar solid substrate and performing macroscopic shear tests in contact
      with a similar substrate. The shear forces are investigated as a function of
      substrate chemistry, vesicle polymerization conditions, vesicle concentration,
      and number of adhesive DOPA groups in the interface. Substrate adhesion is
      enhanced by surface-confined vesicles and greatly depends on the presentation of
      DOPA groups in the adhesive interface, either as a mono- or multilayer
      conformation. Because the adhesive structures can be transferred onto substrates
      from low-viscosity aqueous solution, they may serve as interesting nanoscale
      gluing pads in future applications, where the high viscosity of polymer-based
      glues renders the controlled formation of nanoscale adhesion pads difficult.

PMID- 20297783
TI  - Neutral, ion gas-phase energetics and structural properties of
      hydroxybenzophenones.
AB  - We have carried out a study of the energetics, structural, and physical
      properties of o-, m-, and p-hydroxybenzophenone neutral molecules,
      C(13)H(10)O(2), and their corresponding anions. In particular, the standard
      enthalpies of formation in the gas phase at 298.15 K for all of these species
      were determined. A reliable experimental estimation of the enthalpy associated
      with intramolecular hydrogen bonding in chelated species was experimentally
      obtained. The gas-phase acidities (GA) of benzophenones, substituted phenols, and
      several aliphatic alcohols are compared with the corresponding aqueous acidities
      (pK(a)), covering a range of 278 kJ.mol(-1) in GA and 11.4 in pK(a). A
      computational study of the various species shed light on structural effects and
      further confirmed the self-consistency of the experimental results.

PMID- 20297784
TI  - DNA-mediated electron transfer in naphthalene-modified oligonucleotides.
AB  - Naphthalene-modified oligonucleotides have been synthesized and characterized
      with respect to electron transfer chemistry. Using the Sonogashira coupling
      reaction, naphthalene can be covalently anchored onto a modified uridine through
      an ethynyl linkage. This tethering allows for effective electronic coupling with
      the DNA bases, resulting in a significant red shift of the absorption bands of
      the naphthalenic chromophore. Modification with this chromophore does not appear
      to affect the overall stability and structure of the DNA. Upon selective
      irradiation of the naphthalene moiety at 340 nm, photoreduction of a distal
      electron trap, 5-bromouridine, embedded in the DNA base stack occurs. This DNA
      mediated reduction from a distance was found to be significantly more efficient
      with substitution of 5-bromouridine toward the 5'-end than toward the 3'-end.
      These results support a general preference for electron transfer through DNA
      toward the 5'-end, irrespective of the donor. In addition, differences in
      efficiency of photoreduction through intrastrand and interstrand pathways are
      observed. For DNA-mediated reduction, as with DNA-mediated oxidation, significant
      differences in the charge transfer reaction are apparent that depend upon subtle
      differences in coupling into the DNA base stack.

PMID- 20297785
TI  - Azide-tetrazole equilibrium of C-6 azidopurine nucleosides and their ligation
      reactions with alkynes.
AB  - Facile syntheses of C-6 azidopurine ribonucleosides and 2'-deoxyribonucleosides
      have been developed. For silyl- and acetyl-protected as well as unprotected
      nucleosides, access to the azido derivatives could be readily attained via
      displacement of BtO(-) from the O(6)-(benzotriazol-1-yl)inosine nucleosides by
      azide anion. Use of diphenylphosphoryl azide/DBU as a simple route to the acetyl
      protected azido nucleosides was also evaluated, but this proved to be inferior.
      Since these azido nucleosides can exist in an azide.tetrazole equilibrium, the
      effect of solvent polarity on this equilibrium was investigated. Subsequently, a
      detailed analysis of Cu-mediated azide-alkyne ("click") ligation was undertaken.
      Biphasic CH(2)Cl(2)/H(2)O medium proved to be best for the ligation reactions,
      suppressing the undesired azide reduction that was competing. Interestingly,
      although the tetrazolyl isomer predominates (ca. 80%) in CD(2)Cl(2) and in
      CD(2)Cl(2)/D(2)O, the Cu-catalyzed click reactions proceed smoothly with the
      silyl-protected ribo- and 2'-deoxyribonucleosides, leading to the C-6 triazolyl
      products in good to excellent yields. Thus, depletion of the azido form from the
      reaction mixture shifts the azide.tetrazole equilibrium, eventually resulting in
      complete consumption of azide and tetrazole. In several cases, major and minor
      azide-alkyne ligation products were observed, and characterization data are
      provided for both. In order to confirm the regiochemistry leading to the major
      isomer, one product was crystallized and evaluated by X-ray crystallography. The
      Cu-catalyzed azide-alkyne ligation is clearly efficient and significantly
      superior to thermal reactions, which were slow. Biological evaluation showed low
      cytotoxicities for the agents, suggesting their usefulness as biological probes.

PMID- 20297787
TI  - The effects of alpha-helical structure and cyanylated cysteine on each other.
AB  - Beta-thiocyanatoalanine, or cyanylated cysteine, is an artificial amino acid that
      can be introduced at solvent-exposed cysteine residues in proteins via chemical
      modification. Its facile post-translational synthesis means that it may find
      broad use in large protein systems as a probe of site-specific structure and
      dynamics. The C[triple bond]N stretching vibration of this artificial side chain
      provides an isolated infrared chromophore. To test both the perturbative effect
      of this side chain on local secondary structure and its sensitivity to structural
      changes, three variants of a model water-soluble alanine-repeat helix were
      synthesized containing cyanylated cysteine at different sites. The cyanylated
      cysteine side chain is shown to destabilize, but not completely disrupt, the
      helical structure of the folded peptide when substituted for alanine. In
      addition, the [triple bond]N stretching bandwidth of the artificial side chain is
      sensitive to the helix-coil structural transition. These model system results
      indicate that cyanylated cysteine can be placed into protein sequences with a
      native helical propensity without destroying the helix, and further that the CN
      probe may be able to report local helix formation events even when it is water
      exposed in both the ordered and disordered conformational states. These results
      indicate that cyanylated cysteine could be a widely useful probe of structure
      forming events in proteins with large in vitro structural distributions.

PMID- 20297789
TI  - Graphene oxide as a matrix for enzyme immobilization.
AB  - Graphene oxide (GO), having a large specific surface area and abundant functional
      groups, provides an ideal substrate for study enzyme immobilization. We
      demonstrated that the enzyme immobilization on the GO sheets could take place
      readily without using any cross-linking reagents and additional surface
      modification. The atomically flat surface enabled us to observe the immobilized
      enzyme in the native state directly using atomic force microscopy (AFM).
      Combining the AFM imaging results of the immobilized enzyme molecules and their
      catalytic activity, we illustrated that the conformation of the immobilized
      enzyme is mainly determined by interactions of enzyme molecules with the
      functional groups of GO.

PMID- 20297790
TI  - Facile C-H alkylation in water: enabling defect-free materials for optoelectronic
      devices.
AB  - A facile method for the alkylation of fluorene achieved via direct C-H alkylation
      under aqueous conditions is reported, wherein the formation of fluorenone is
      inhibited, resulting in the exclusive formation of the desired dialkyl
      substituted fluorene monomer. As a proof of concept, this method has also been
      successfully extended to perform N-alkylation of carbazole, diphenylamine, and
      N,N-dialkylation of aniline in high yields.

PMID- 20297791
TI  - A prochelator activated by beta-secretase inhibits Abeta aggregation and
      suppresses copper-induced reactive oxygen species formation.
AB  - The intersection of the amyloid cascade hypothesis and the implication of metal
      ions in Alzheimer's disease progression has sparked an interest in using metal
      binding compounds as potential therapeutic agents. In the present work, we
      describe a prochelator SWH that is enzymatically activated by beta-secretase to
      produce a high affinity copper chelator CP. Because beta-secretase is responsible
      for the amyloidogenic processing of the amyloid precursor protein, this
      prochelator strategy imparts disease specificity toward copper chelation not
      possible with general metal chelators. Furthermore, once activated, CP
      efficiently sequesters copper from amyloid-beta, prevents and disassembles copper
      induced amyloid-beta aggregation, and diminishes copper-promoted reactive oxygen
      species formation.

PMID- 20297794
TI  - Water and trehalose: how much do they interact with each other?
AB  - The observation made by early naturalists that some organisms could tolerate
      extreme environmental condisions and "enjoy the advantage of real resurrection
      after death" [ Spallanzani , M. Opuscules de Physique Animale et Vegetale 1776
      (translated from Italian by Senebier , J. Opuscules de Physique Animale et
      Vegetale 1787 , 2 , 203 - 285 )] stimulated research that still continues to this
      day. Cryptobiosis, the ability of an organism to tolerate adverse environments,
      such as dehydration and low temperatures, still represents an unsolved and
      fascinating problem. It has been shown that many sugars play an important role as
      bioprotectant agents, and among the best performers is the disaccharide
      trehalose. The current hypothesis links the efficiency of its protective role to
      strong modifications of the tetrahedral arrangement of water molecules in the
      sugar hydration shell, with trehalose forming many hydrogen bonds with the
      solvent. Here, we show, by means of state-of-the-art neutron diffraction
      experiments combined with EPSR simulations, that trehalose solvation induces very
      minor modifications of the water structure. Moreover, the number of water
      molecules hydrogen-bonded to the sugar is surprisingly small.

PMID- 20297792
TI  - Investigation of the inclusions of puerarin and daidzin with beta-cyclodextrin by
      molecular dynamics simulation.
AB  - Puerarin and daidzin, two major isoflavonoids of Radix puerariae , are widely
      adopted in traditional Chinese medicine. Foundational aspects related to
      separating the two compounds are essential to develop a more economical
      purification process. Inclusion models of the two compounds with beta
      cyclodextrin (beta-CD) have been investigated by molecular dynamics simulation.
      Computational results reveal that both puerarin and daidzin can induce a
      conformational change of beta-CD, which is compressed in one direction and
      stretched in the other. The effect of solvent and media on the conformational
      change of beta-CD and the movement of guest molecules inside the cavity has been
      investigated. Furthermore, hydrogen bonding interactions have been analyzed, and
      the results have been utilized for the explanation of separating puerarin from
      daidzin.

PMID- 20297795
TI  - Electrochemiluminescence biobarcode method based on cysteamine--gold nanoparticle
      conjugates.
AB  - The recently developed DNA-gold nanoparticle (DNA-GNP) biobarcode assay provides
      polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-like sensitivity for nucleic acid and protein
      targets without a need for enzymatic amplification. However, application of the
      conventional assay is challenged by its complex, expensive, time-consuming, and
      labor-intense procedure. Herein, we present a new electrochemiluminescence (ECL)
      biobarcode method based on cysteamine-GNP conjugates. In this strategy, an ECL
      nanoprobe is fabricated that relies on GNP that is modified with tris-(2,2'
      bipyridyl) ruthenium (TBR) labeled cysteamine to boost ECL signals and single
      strand DNA for target recognition. Specifically, a sandwich complex that consists
      of a biotin labeled capture probe, target DNA, and cysteamine-GNP conjugate is
      captured by magnetic microparticles (MMPs) and subsequently identified by the ECL
      signals from loaded TBR. With the use of the developed probe, a limit of
      detection as low as 100 fM can be achieved and the assay exhibits excellent
      selectivity for single-mismatched DNA detection even in human serum. The proposed
      ECL based method should have wide applications in diagnosis of genetic diseases
      due to its high sensitivity, simplicity, and low cost.

PMID- 20297796
TI  - Unusual metal-coordinated zwitterionic P-C-N-C-N-C phosphido adducts.
AB  - Rare examples of homodinuclear zwitterionic Pd(II) and Pt(II) complexes with
      bridging, two-coordinate P{cyclo-CH(2)N(R)CHN(R)CH(2)} ligands (R = 4
      FC(6)H(4)CH(2), C(6)H(5)CH(2)) have been characterized by single-crystal X-ray
      diffraction using synchrotron radiation. Short N-C distances and enlarged N-C-N
      bond angles support electron delocalization in the central N-C-N backbone.

PMID- 20297797
TI  - Concave plasmonic particles: broad-band geometrical tunability in the near
      infrared.
AB  - Optical resonances spanning the near-infrared spectrum (1-2 microm) were
      exhibited experimentally by arrays of plasmonic nanoparticles with concave cross
      section. The concavity of the particle was shown to be the key component for
      enabling the broad band tunability of the resonance frequency, even for particles
      with dimensional aspect ratios of order unity. The atypical flexibility of
      setting the resonance wavelength is shown to stem from a unique interplay of
      local geometry with surface charge distributions.

PMID- 20297798
TI  - A novel synthesis of oxabicyclo[3.3.1]nonanone via (3,5)-oxonium-ene reaction.
AB  - Oxabicyclo[3.3.1]nonanone can conveniently be prepared by the reaction of trans-p
      menth-6-ene-2,8-diol and aldehyde or epoxide mediated by boron trifluoride
      etherate in good yields. The reaction proceeds via (3,5)-oxonium-ene-type
      reaction.

PMID- 20297799
TI  - Cyclam-based "clickates": homogeneous and heterogeneous fluorescent sensors for
      Zn(II).
AB  - In an effort to improve upon the recently reported cyclam based zinc sensor 1,
      the "click"-generated 1,8-disubstituted analogue 2 has been prepared. The ligand
      shows a 2-fold increase in its fluorescence emission compared to 1 exclusively in
      the presence of Zn(II) that is typical of switch-on PET fluorescent sensors.
      Single crystal X-ray diffraction of complexes of model ligand 10 reveals that the
      configuration adopted by the macrocyclic framework is extremely sensitive to the
      metal ion to which it coordinates. For Zn(II), Mg(II), and Li(I) the metal ions
      adopt an octahedral geometry with a trans III configuration of the cyclam ring.
      In contrast for Ni(II) the ligand adopts the rare cis V configuration, while for
      Cu(II) a clear preference for five-coordinate geometry is displayed with a trans
      I configuration of the macrocyclic ring being observed in two essentially
      isostructural compounds prepared via different routes. The ligand displays an
      increased selectivity for Zn(II) compared to 1 in the majority of cases with
      excellent selectivity upheld over Na(I), Mg(II), Ca(II), Mn(II), Ni(II), Co(II),
      and Fe(III). In contrast for Cu(II) and Hg(II) little improvement was observed
      for 2 compared to 1 and for Cd(II) the selectivity of the new ligand was
      inferior. In the light of these findings and the slower response times for ligand
      2, our original "click"-generated cyclam sensor system 1 was employed in a proof
      of concept study to prepare a heterogeneous sol-gel based material which retains
      its PET response to Zn(II). The versatile nature of the sol-gel process
      importantly allows the simple preparation of a variety of nanostructured
      materials displaying high surface area-volume ratio using fabrication methods
      such as soft lithography, electrospinning, and nanopipetting.

PMID- 20297800
TI  - A unified total synthesis of aspergillides A and B.
AB  - An enantioselective total synthesis of aspergillides A and B has been
      accomplished based on a unified strategy, wherein a hydroxy-directed, highly
      chemoselective olefin cross-metathesis and a diastereoselective intramolecular
      oxa-conjugate cyclization were employed to forge the 2,6-substituted
      tetrahydropyran substructure.

PMID- 20297801
TI  - Polychlorinated biphenyls PCB 52, PCB 180, and PCB 138 impair the glutamate
      nitric oxide-cGMP pathway in cerebellar neurons in culture by different
      mechanisms.
AB  - Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants that
      accumulate in the food chain and are present in human blood and milk. Children
      born to mothers exposed to PCBs show cognitive deficits, which are reproduced in
      rats perinatally exposed to PCBs. It has been proposed that PCB-induced cognitive
      impairment is due to impairment of the glutamate-nitric oxide (NO)-cGMP pathway.
      The aim of the present work was to assess whether chronic exposure to the
      nondioxin-like PCB52, PCB138, or PCB180 alters the function of this pathway in
      primary cultures of rat cerebellar neurons and to assess whether different PCBs
      have similar or different mechanisms of action. PCB180 and PCB138 impair the
      function of the glutamate-NO-cGMP pathway at nanomolar concentrations, and PCB52
      impairs the function of the glutamate-NO-cGMP pathway at micromolar
      concentrations. The mechanisms by which different PCBs impair the function of the
      glutamate-NO-cGMP pathway are different. Each PCB affects the pathway at more
      than one step but with different potency and, for some steps, in opposite ways.
      Exposure to the PCBs alters the basal concentrations of intracellular calcium,
      NO, and cGMP. The three PCBs increase NO; however, PCB52 and PCB138 increase
      basal cGMP, while PCB180 decreases it. PCB52 and PCB138 decrease the activation
      of soluble guanylate cyclase by NO, and PCB180 increases it. Long-term exposure
      to PCB52, PCB180, or PCB138 reduces the activation of NO synthase and the whole
      glutamate-NO-cGMP pathway in response to activation of N-methyl-d-aspartate
      receptors. The EC(50) was 300 nM for PCB52 and 2 nM for PCB138 or PCB180. These
      results show that chronic exposure to nondioxin like PCBs impairs the function of
      the glutamate-NO-cGMP pathway in cerebellar neurons by different mechanisms and
      with different potencies. Impaired function of this pathway would contribute to
      the cognitive alterations induced by perinatal exposure to PCBs in humans.

PMID- 20297803
TI  - Investigation of bioactivation of ticlopidine using linear ion trap/orbitrap mass
      spectrometry and an improved mass defect filtering technique.
AB  - The bioactivation of ticlopidine, a widely used antiplatelet drug, into reactive
      metabolites and their subsequent covalent binding to cellular macromolecules are
      thought to be involved in the occurrence of idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity in
      patients. In the present study, GSH/stable isotope-labeled GSH was used as the
      trapping agent to investigate the bioactivation pathways of ticlopidine in rat
      liver microsomes. The samples were analyzed by high-resolution linear ion
      trap/Orbitrap followed by multiple mass defect filtering (MDF). In total, 17 GSH
      adducts were detected, and a comprehensive profile for ticlopidine bioactivation
      has been proposed. The results show that ticlopidine can be directly bioactivated
      by rat P450s, forming GSH adducts through two major bioactivation pathways,
      thiophene-S-oxidation and thiophene epoxidation. These adducts were also formed
      substantially in human liver microsomes. Moreover, ticlopidine can be metabolized
      via multiple pathways before giving rise to reactive intermediates. The GSH
      adducts derived from epoxidation of the chlorophenyl moiety of ticlopide and
      bioactivation of N-dealkylated metabolites are reported here for the first time.
      The formation of a number of ticlopidine GSH adducts from diversified metabolic
      pathways mediated by P450s implies a high potential for protein binding and
      provides a conceivable link between the high reactivity of ticlopidine after
      bioactivation and the ticlopidine-induced toxicity. Additionally, the current
      approach has the following advantages as compared to previous high-resolution
      LC/MS methodologies. First, novel MDF utilized doubly charged ions as filter
      templates to detect the GSH adducts, mainly doubly charged in the ion source,
      resulting in broader detection coverage. Second, multiple mass defect filter
      templates were for the first time applied to reveal different classes of GSH
      adducts. Finally, a quick check of isotopic doublets and full examination of
      isotope fingerprints in the accurate mass were introduced to screen out false
      positives and enhance the identification of low abundant GSH adducts.

PMID- 20297804
TI  - Interaction between poly(acrylic acid) and phospholipid vesicles: effect of pH,
      concentration, and molecular weight.
AB  - Interactions between phospholipid vesicles and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) are of
      fundamental importance for pH-sensitive delivery systems in pharmaceutical
      applications. In this study, we investigated the behavior of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn
      glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) at varied concentrations of PAA with low and high
      molecular weights. Differential scanning calorimetry and fluorescence microscopy
      experiments suggested that hydrogen bonding between the carboxyl group of PAA and
      the phosphodiester group of the lipid is the main driving force for association
      under acidic conditions. Complexation between DPPC and PAA depends on the PAA
      molecular weight and concentration. At high enough concentrations of the large
      molecular weight PAA, the polymer can completely disrupt the bilayers of DPPC.
      For the small molecular weight PAA, in contrast, the complexation leads to
      vesicle aggregation without destroying the bilayers. The difference in complex
      structure was detected by SEM and a UV-visible spectrophotometer. At alkaline pH,
      complexation did not occur because of strong dissociation of PAA.

PMID- 20297807
TI  - Porphyrin on a half-shell! Synthesis and characterization of
      corannulenoporphyrins.
AB  - An efficient synthetic method for preparing corannulenoporphyrins is described.
      Nitrocorannulene was reacted with ethyl isocyanoacetate in the presence of a
      phosphazene base to generate the pivotal corannulenopyrrole intermediate.
      Following cleavage of the ethyl ester moiety with KOH in ethylene glycol at 180
      190 degrees C, the heptacyclic system was reacted with acetoxymethylpyrroles
      under mildly acidic conditions to afford tripyrranes. The proton NMR spectra for
      these tripyrrolic intermediates suggest that they can take on helical geometries,
      but the conformations are dependent on the nature of the terminal ester groupings
      and may be altered by solvent interactions. Treatment of a di-tert-butyl ester
      tripyrrane with TFA cleaved the protective groups, and subsequent condensation
      with diformylpyrroles in TFA-CH(2)Cl(2), followed by oxidation with DDQ or ferric
      chloride, gave excellent yields of corannulenoporphyrins. Nickel(II), copper(II),
      and zinc complexes of this system were also prepared, and the nickel derivative
      was also further characterized by X-ray crystallography. The same synthetic
      strategy was also used to prepare a porphyrin with fused acenaphthylene and
      corannulene subunits. The fused bowl-shaped corannulene provides these porphyrins
      with a unique structural component that increases solubility by reducing pi-pi
      stacking interactions.

PMID- 20297806
TI  - One-step conversion of azine N-oxides to alpha-1,2,4-triazolo-, 1,2,3-triazolo,
      imidazolo-, and pyrazoloheteroarenes.
AB  - Pyridine, quinoline, isoquinoline, azaindole, and pyrimidine N-oxides were
      converted to their alpha-triazole and alpha-diazole derivatives by treatment with
      the corresponding p-toluenesulfonylazoles and Hunig's base at elevated
      temperatures.

PMID- 20297805
TI  - Use of glucuronidation fingerprinting to describe and predict mono- and
      dihydroxyflavone metabolism by recombinant UGT isoforms and human intestinal and
      liver microsomes.
AB  - The present study aims to predict the regiospecific glucuronidation of three
      dihydroxyflavones and seven monohydroxyflavones in human liver and intestinal
      microsomes using recombinant UGT isoforms. Seven monohydroxyflavones (or HFs), 2'
      , 3'-, 4'-, 3-, 5-, 6-, and 7-hydroxyflavone, and three dihydroxyflavones (or
      diHFs), 3,7-dihydroxyflavone (3,7-diHF), 3,5-dihydroxyflavone (3,5-diHF), and
      3,4'-dihydroxyflavone (3,4'-diHF), were chosen, and rates were measured at 2.5,
      10, and 35 microM. The results indicated that the position of glucuronidation of
      three diHFs could be determined by using the UV spectra of relevant HFs. The
      results also indicated that UGT1A1, UGT1A7, UGT1A8, UGT1A9, UGT1A10 and UGT2B7
      are the most important six UGT isoforms for metabolizing the chosen flavones.
      Regardless of isoforms used, 3-HF was always metabolized the fastest whereas 5-HF
      was usually metabolized the slowest, probably due to the formation of an
      intramolecular hydrogen bond between 4-carbonyl and 5-OH group. Relevant UGT
      isoform-specific metabolism rates generally correlated well with the rates of
      glucuronidation in human intestinal and liver microsomes at each of the three
      tested concentrations. In conclusion, the glucuronidation "fingerprint" of seven
      selected monohydroxyflavones was affected by UGT isoforms used, positions of the 
      OH group, and the substrate concentrations, and the rates of glucuronidation by
      important recombinant UGTs correlated well with those obtained using human liver
      and intestinal microsomes.

PMID- 20297808
TI  - Multiple nanowire species synthesized on a single chip by selectively addressable
      horizontal nanochannels.
AB  - The synthesis of horizontal porous anodic alumina (PAA) structures with
      individually addressable channel systems is demonstrated. This was achieved by
      developing a multicontact design of aluminum finger structures (two to five
      contacts) on silicon wafers. These aluminum contacts were electrically isolated
      from each other, allowing the individual anodization of each contact at different
      conditions. This way it is possible to synthesize different pore diameters, pore
      densities, and channel lengths on a single chip. Scanning electron microscopy
      (SEM) characterization revealed that the neighboring contacts are not
      significantly altered during the anodization procedure. After successful barrier
      layer thinning, the individual finger structures of each contact were filled by
      electrodeposition and thermal chemical vapor deposition. The resulting metal (Au,
      Cu, Ni, Co) and semiconductor (Te, Si) nanowires embedded within the porous
      anodic alumina mold were characterized by SEM and energy dispersive X-ray
      measurements. The multicontact fabrication results open a new route toward
      complex nanoelectronic and sensing applications.

PMID- 20297809
TI  - The solution structure of (+)-spongistatin 1 in DMSO.
AB  - The solution structure of (+)-spongistatin 1 (1) has been determined via 1- and 2
      D NMR techniques in conjunction with extensive in silico conformational analysis
      to comprise a mixture of 4 major rapidly interconverting conformational families.

PMID- 20297811
TI  - Climate variability and temporal trends of persistent organic pollutants in the
      arctic: a study of glaucous gulls.
AB  - The impact of climate variability on temporal trends (1997-2006) of persistent
      organic pollutants (POPs; polychlorinated biphenyls [PCB], hexachlorobenzene
      [HCB], and oxychlordane) was assessed in glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus)
      breeding in the Norwegian Arctic (n = 240). The Arctic Oscillation (AO: an index
      of sea-level pressure variability in the Northern Hemisphere above 20 degrees N)
      with different time lags was used as a climate proxy. The estimated
      concentrations of POPs in glaucous gull blood/plasma declined substantially (16
      60%) over the time period. Multiple regression analyses showed that the rates of
      decline for POPs were correlated to climate variation when controlling for
      potential confounding variables (sex and body condition). More specifically AO in
      the current winter showed negative associations with POP concentrations, whereas
      the relationships with AO measurements from the year preceding POP measurements
      (AO preceding summer and AO preceding winter) were positive. Hence, gulls had
      relatively higher POP concentrations in breeding seasons following years with
      high air transport toward the Arctic. Furthermore, the impact of AO appeared to
      be stronger for HCB, a relatively volatile compound with high transport
      potential, compared to heavy chlorinated PCB congeners. This study thus suggests
      that predicted climate change should be considered in assessments of future
      temporal trends of POPs in Arctic wildlife.

PMID- 20297810
TI  - Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of EF- and ABEF- analogues of (+)
      spongistatin 1.
AB  - The design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of two potential (+)
      spongistatin 1 analogues have been achieved. The analogues, incorporating tethers
      (red) in place of the ABCD and the CD components of the (+)-spongistatin 1
      macrolide, were designed such that the conformations of the retained skeleton
      (blue) would mimic the assigned major solution conformation of the natural
      product The nanomolar cytotoxicity observed for the ABEF analogue provides strong
      support for the assigned solution conformation.

PMID- 20297812
TI  - Mercury contamination in fish in midcontinent great rivers of the United States:
      importance of species traits and environmental factors.
AB  - We measured mercury (Hg) concentrations in whole fish from the Upper Mississippi,
      Missouri, and Ohio Rivers to characterize the extent and magnitude of Hg
      contamination and to identify environmental factors influencing Hg accumulation.
      Concentrations were generally lower (80% of values between 20-200 ng g(-1) wet
      weight) than those reported for other regions (e.g., upper Midwest and Northeast
      U.S.). Mercury exceeded the risk threshold for belted kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon,
      the most sensitive species considered) in 33-75% of river length and 1-7% of
      river length for humans. Concentrations were lower in the Missouri than in the
      Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, consistent with continental-scale patterns in
      atmospheric Hg deposition. Body size and trophic guild were the best predictors
      of Hg concentrations, which were highest in large-bodied top predators. Site
      geochemical and landscape properties were weakly related with fish Hg. Moreover,
      relationships often ran contrary to conventional wisdom, and the slopes of the
      relationships (positive or negative) were inconsistent among fish guilds and
      rivers. For example, sulfate is positively associated with fish Hg concentrations
      but was negatively correlated with Hg in five of six regression models of tissue
      concentrations. Variables such as pH, acid neutralizing capacity, and total
      phosphorus did not occur at levels associated with high fish Hg concentrations,
      partially explaining the relatively low Hg values we observed.

PMID- 20297813
TI  - Directing the oligomer size distribution of peroxidase-mediated cross-linked
      bovine alpha-lactalbumin.
AB  - Enzymatic protein cross-linking is a powerful tool to change protein
      functionality. For optimal functionality in gel formation, the size of the cross
      linked proteins needs to be controlled, prior to heating. In the current study,
      we addressed the optimization of the horseradish peroxidase-mediated cross
      linking of calcium-depleted bovine alpha-lactalbumin. To characterize the formed
      products, the molecular weight distribution of the cross-linked protein was
      determined by size exclusion chromatography. At low ionic strength, more dimers
      of alpha-lactalbumin are formed than at high ionic strength, while the same
      conversion of monomers is observed. Similarly, at pH 5.9 more higher oligomers
      are formed than at pH 6.8. This is proposed to be caused by local changes in apo
      alpha-lactalbumin conformation as indicated by circular dichroism spectroscopy. A
      gradual supply of hydrogen peroxide improves the yield of cross-linked products
      and increases the proportion of higher oligomers. In conclusion, this study shows
      that the size distribution of peroxidase-mediated cross-linked alpha-lactalbumin
      can be directed toward the protein oligomers desired.

PMID- 20297814
TI  - Development of a Mab-based heterologous immunoassay for the broad-selective
      determination of organophosphorus pesticides.
AB  - A broad-selective monoclonal antibody (Mab) for organophosphorus (OP) pesticides
      was raised using heterologous indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
      to screen hybridomas. On the basis of this Mab, five coating antigens were used
      to develop homologous and heterologous indirect competitive ELISAs. With the most
      suitable competitor, a sensitive and broad-selective ELISA was developed. The
      IC(50) values were estimated to be 20.32 ng/mL for parathion, 21.44 ng/mL for
      methyl-parathion, 42.15 ng/mL for fenitrothion, and 58.85 ng/mL for isocarbophos.
      Spike recoveries were between 70.52 and 103.27% for the detection of single
      pesticide residues of the four OP pesticides in purple-clayed paddy soil.
      Moreover, the chosen ELISA was then applied to the detection of mixtures of
      parathion and methyl-parathion in soil samples. The average recovery and
      coefficient of variation were 80.91 and 4.82%, respectively. Results proved that
      this broad-selective ELISA would be useful for the multiresidue determination of
      OP pesticides.

PMID- 20297815
TI  - Simultaneous screening of herbicide degradation byproducts in water treatment
      plants using high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
AB  - Currently, herbicides are widely used in various combinations at many stages of
      cultivation and during postharvest storage. There are increasing concerns about
      the public health impact of herbicide degradation byproducts that may be present
      in water bodies used either as drinking water or for recreational purposes. This
      work investigated the sulfonic acid and oxanilic acid degradation products of
      metolachlor, alachlor, acetochlor, and propachlor in a variety of water bodies.
      The objective was to develop a fast, accurate, and easy method for quantitative
      analysis of herbicide degradation products using liquid chromatography with
      tandem mass spectrometry without solid phase extraction, but performing levels of
      detection lower than those obtained in previous studies with solid phase
      extraction. This research also screened 68 water samples, both untreated source
      water and treated water, from 34 water treatment plants in Missouri. Finally, it
      examined seasonal trends in levels of those degradation products by collecting
      and testing samples monthly. This highly sensitive method can analyze these
      degradation products to low ng/L levels. The method limit of quantification
      ranges from 0.04 to 0.05 ppb for each analyte; and quantitative analyses show a
      precision with RSDs of around 0.6% to 3% in treated water and 2% to 19% in
      untreated source water. Concentrations of alachlor ESA, acetochlor OA,
      metolachlor OA, and metolachlor ESA were detected from the Missouri River and the
      Mississippi River water bodies in summer time. Occurrences of these compounds in
      treated water samples are all lower than those in the untreated source water
      samples.

PMID- 20297816
TI  - Ricinoleic acid as a marker for ergot impurities in rye and rye products.
AB  - Ergot alkaloid and ricinoleic acid contents of 63 ergot sclerotia samples from
      rye throughout Germany of the harvest years 2006-2009 were determined. Alkaloid
      contents were analyzed by means of high-performance liquid chromatography with
      fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) and ricinoleic acid contents by means of gas
      chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID). Ergot alkaloid amounts
      ranged from 0.01 to 0.2 g/100 g of sclerotia with an average amount of 0.08 g/100
      g. Ergotamine and ergocristine were identified as lead alkaloids representing 57%
      (w/w) of the total alkaloid content. The average ricinoleic acid amount in the
      ergot sclerotia was 10.3 g/100 g. Because of the low variation of ricinoleic acid
      content in the ergot sclerotia, a new method for the determination of ricinoleic
      acid in rye products as a marker for ergot contaminations was developed. This
      method allows the determination of ergot impurities as low as 0.01% (w/w).
      Furthermore, 29 rye products (flours, bread mix, bread) were investigated for
      their ricinoleic acid and ergot alkaloid contents.

PMID- 20297817
TI  - Combined chemical-biological treatment for prevention/rehabilitation of clogged
      wells by an iron-oxidizing bacterium.
AB  - Groundwater wells containing large concentrations of ferrous iron face serious
      clogging problems as a result of biotic iron oxidation. Following a short time
      after their start off, wells get clogged, and their production efficiency drop
      significantly up to a total obstruction, making cleanup and rehabilitation an
      economic burden. The present study was undertaken to test an experimental
      combined treatment (chemical and biological) for future prevention or
      rehabilitation of clogged wells. Sphaerotilus natans (an iron-oxidizing
      bacterium) freshly isolated from a deep well was grown to form biofilms on two
      systems: coupons and sand buried miniature wedge wire screen baskets. A combined
      chemical-biological treatment, applied at laboratory scale by use of glycolic
      acid (2%) and isolated bacteriophages against Sphaerotilus natans (SN1 and ER1-a
      newly isolated phage) at low multiplicity of infection (MOI), showed inhibition
      of biofilm formation and inactivation of the contaminant bacteria. In addition to
      complete inactivation of S. natans planktonic bacteria by the respective phages,
      earlier biofilm treatment with reduced glycolic acid concentration revealed
      efficient exopolysaccharide (EPS) digestion allowing phages to be increasingly
      efficient against biofilm matrix bacteria. Utilization of this combined treatment
      revealed clean surfaces of a model stainless steel wedge wire screen baskets
      (commonly used in wells) for up to 60 days.

PMID- 20297818
TI  - Structurally ordered FePt nanoparticles and their enhanced catalysis for oxygen
      reduction reaction.
AB  - We report the structure-controlled synthesis of FePt/MgO NPs and their catalysis
      for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in 0.5 M H(2)SO(4) solution. The synthesis
      yields fcc-FePt/MgO and fct-FePt/MgO NPs with the MgO coating being readily
      removed for catalytic studies. The fct-FePt NPs show higher activity and
      durability than the fcc-FePt in the ORR condition. The results indicate that the
      fully ordered fct-FePt could serve as a practical Pt-based catalyst for fuel cell
      applications.

PMID- 20297820
TI  - Selective manipulation of ICT and PET Processes in styryl-Bodipy derivatives:
      applications in molecular logic and fluorescence sensing of metal ions.
AB  - Remarkably versatile chemistry of Bodipy dyes allows the design and
      straightforward synthesis of multivalent-multitopic derivatives, which, with
      judicious selection of metal ion-ligand pairs based on known affinities, affords
      control and manipulation of photoinduced electron transfer and internal charge
      transfer processes as desired. We have demonstrated that metal ions acting as
      modulators (or inputs, in digital design parlance) can generate absorbance
      changes in accordance with the operation of a half-adder. In addition, an AND
      logic gate in the emission mode was delivered using a different binucleating
      arrangement of ligands. A molecular equivalent of a three-input AND logic gate
      was also obtained exploiting differential binding affinities of metal ions for
      different ligands. The results suggest that different metal ions can be used as
      nonannihilating inputs, selectively targeting various ligands incorporated within
      a single fluorophore, and with careful design, diverse photophysical processes
      can be selectively modulated, resulting in a range of signals, useful in
      molecular logic design, and offering an enticing potential for multianalyte
      chemosensors.

PMID- 20297819
TI  - High-mobility semiconducting naphthodithiophene copolymers.
AB  - We have designed and synthesized novel semiconducting polymers by introducing
      naphtho[1,2-b:5,6-b']dithiophene (NDT) into the polythiophene backbone. These
      polymers, which have a highly pi-extended heteroarene unit, achieved mobilities
      (>0.5 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1)) that are among the highest recorded to date for
      semiconducting polymers and most probably result from the highly ordered thin
      film structures with crystalline close pi stacking. It is noteworthy that the
      choice of isomeric heteroarenes in the unit can dramatically change the physical
      and electronic structures and hence the OFET performance of the semiconducting
      polymers, even though the two isomers possess similar electronic structures;
      interestingly, this contrasts with the trend in small-molecule systems. We
      believe that these findings will give new insight into the design of new organic
      semiconducting materials and that the present polymers are promising materials
      for printable electronics.

PMID- 20297821
TI  - Isolation of individual boron nitride nanotubes via peptide wrapping.
AB  - The isolation of individual boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) in aqueous phases has
      been achieved for the first time from raw materials based on the combination of
      peptide wrapping with a sonication procedure. Atomic force microscopic
      observations revealed the representative height and length of individual BNNTs.
      Fluorescence and infrared absorption spectra suggested the strong pi-pi
      interactions between BNNTs and the peptide. The absorption maxima of BNNTs were
      significantly blue-shifted from 200 nm for the original BNNTs to 193 nm. The
      modulation of the BNNT band gap with peptide wrapping promises potential
      applications of the peptide/BNNT complexes to various nanotechnologies.

PMID- 20297822
TI  - The productive merger of iodonium salts and organocatalysis: a non-photolytic
      approach to the enantioselective alpha-trifluoromethylation of aldehydes.
AB  - An enantioselective organocatalytic alpha-trifluoromethylation of aldehydes has
      been accomplished using a commercially available, electrophilic trifluoromethyl
      source. The merging of Lewis acid and organocatalysis provides a new strategy for
      the enantioselective construction of trifluoromethyl stereogenicity, an important
      chiral synthon for pharmaceutical, materials, and agrochemical applications. This
      mild and operationally simple protocol allows rapid access to enantioenriched
      alpha-trifluoromethylated aldehydes through a nonphotolytic pathway.

PMID- 20297823
TI  - Nucleophilic acyl substitution via aromatic cation activation of carboxylic
      acids: rapid generation of acid chlorides under mild conditions.
AB  - The first example of aromatic cation-activated nucleophilic acyl substitution has
      been achieved. The conversion of carboxylic acids to their corresponding acid
      chlorides occurs rapidly in the presence of 3,3-dichlorocyclopropenes via the
      intermediacy of cyclopropenium carboxylate complexes. The effect of cyclopropene
      substituents on the rate of conversion is examined. The addition of tertiary
      amine base is found to dramatically accelerate reaction, and conditions were
      developed for the preparation of acid sensitive acid chlorides. Preparative scale
      peptide couplings of two N-Boc amino acids were achieved with this method.

PMID- 20297824
TI  - NXO building blocks for backbone modification of peptides and preparation of
      pseudopeptides.
AB  - The design and synthesis of novel building blocks for peptide modification,
      termed "NXO", is reported. We describe the utility of these building blocks to
      prepare new pseudo- and oligopeptides and demonstrate the efficient assembly of
      modified tripeptides using both conventional liquid phase peptide synthesis and
      solid supported synthesis. Pertaining to the study of NXO in peptide mimicry, the
      structure of NXO-incorporating tripeptide beta-strand mimics was investigated in
      the N(L)AlaO incorporating beta-sheet model compound 13. Evidenced by
      spectroscopy and computation, 13 selectively adopts a beta-structure in
      chloroform and characteristically samples the NXO-modified backbone site in the
      core beta-sheet region. ROESY (HNMR) and molecular dynamics data suggest that
      when disrupting the cross-strand hydrogen-bonding pattern by switching the
      solvent from CDCl(3) to d(3)-MeOH, the main conformation with peptide and NXO
      peptide backbones similar to that in root mean square deviation of corresponding
      backbone atoms (rmsd) is preserved.

PMID- 20297825
TI  - Diarylheptanoid from Pleuranthodium racemigerum with in vitro prostaglandin E(2)
      inhibitory and cytotoxic activity.
AB  - Bioactivity-guided fractionation of an ethanolic extract of the rhizome of
      Pleuranthodium racemigerum, a tropical Zingiberaceae species from Northeastern
      Australia, resulted in the isolation and structural elucidation of 1-(4''
      methoxyphenyl)-7-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-(E)-hept-2-ene (1), a new diarylheptanoid
      related to curcumin. Compound 1 was a fairly potent inhibitor of prostaglandin
      E(2) production in 3T3 murine fibroblasts (IC(50) approximately 34 microM) and
      also displayed moderate cytotoxicity against this cell line (IC(50) = 52.8
      microM). The compound also demonstrated cytotoxic activity against the P388D1
      murine lymphoblast cell line (IC(50) = 117.0 microM) and four human cell lines:
      Caco-2 colonic adenocarcinoma (IC(50) = 44.8 microM), PC3 prostate adenocarcinoma
      (IC(50) = 23.6 microM), HepG2 hepatocyte carcinoma (IC(50) = 40.6 microM), and
      MCF7 mammary adenocarcinoma (IC(50) = 56.9 microM). The cytotoxicity of compound
      1 closely resembled that of curcumin, in terms of both IC(50) values and dose
      response curves.

PMID- 20297826
TI  - Enzymatic kinetic resolution of silybin diastereoisomers.
AB  - In nature, the flavonolignan silybin (1) occurs as a mixture of two
      diastereomers, silybin A and silybin B, which in a number of biological assays
      exhibit different activities. A library of hydrolases (lipases, esterases, and
      proteases) was tested for separating the silybin A and B diastereomers by
      selective transesterification or by stereoselective alcoholysis of 23-O
      acetylsilybin (2). Novozym 435 proved to be the most suitable enzyme for the
      preparative production of both optically pure silybins A and B by enzymatic
      discrimination. Gram amounts of the optically pure substances can be produced
      within one week, and the new method is robust and readily scalable to tens of
      grams.

PMID- 20297829
TI  - Perfectly hydrophobic surfaces with patterned nanoneedles of controllable
      features.
AB  - In this Letter, we present a simple and reproducible method for generating
      polystyrene (PS) nanoneedle arrays by utilizing the trapping of inorganic silica
      particles at the polystyrene/air interface via capillary wetting of a
      thermoplastic polystyrene polymer and SF(6) reactive-ion etching. A monolayer of
      silica microspheres was directly formed and trapped on the smooth PS film, and
      subsequent wet etching with HF and reactive-ion etching with SF(6) left behind
      hexagonal arrays of protruding tips with tip diameters around 20 nm. The
      patterned PS surface possessed a well-defined nanoneedle array with the pattern
      density as high as 2.5 x 10(8)/cm(2) and exhibited advancing and receding water
      contact angles of 180 degrees. The surface showed no affinity for water as
      confirmed by a series of contact, compression, and release tests. Finally, the
      perfect hydrophobicity of the fabricated surface is explained in terms of its
      surface morphology and chemical composition.

PMID- 20297827
TI  - Regioselective and stereoselective cyclizations of chloropolyols in water: rapid
      synthesis of hydroxytetrahydrofurans.
AB  - A concise, stereoselective synthesis of functionalized tetrahydrofuranols has
      been developed that involves heating readily available chloropolyols in water.
      These reactions are operationally straightforward and chemoselective for the
      formation of tetrahydrofurans, obviating the need for complicated protecting
      group strategies. The efficiency of this process is demonstrated in a short
      asymmetric synthesis of the natural product (+)-goniothalesdiol.

PMID- 20297828
TI  - Morphological changes in vesicles and release of an encapsulated compound
      triggered by a photoresponsive Malachite Green leuconitrile derivative.
AB  - Photoinduced morphological changes in phosphatidylcholine vesicles are triggered
      by a Malachite Green leuconitrile derivative dissolved in the lipidic membrane,
      and are observed at Malachite Green derivative/lipid ratios <5 mol %. This
      Malachite Green derivative is a photoresponsive compound that undergoes
      ionization to afford a positive charge on the molecule by UV irradiation. The
      Malachite Green derivative exhibits amphiphilicity when ionized photochemically,
      whereas it behaves as a lipophilic compound under dark conditions. Cryo
      transmission electron microscopy was used to determine vesicle morphology. The
      effects of the Malachite Green derivative on vesicles were studied by dynamic
      light scattering and fluorescence resonance energy transfer. Irradiation of
      vesicles containing the Malachite Green derivative induces nonspherical vesicle
      morphology, fusion of vesicles, and membrane solubilization, depending on
      conditions. Furthermore, irradiation of the Malachite Green derivative induces
      the release of a vesicle-encapsulated compound.

PMID- 20297830
TI  - Immobilization of zinc porphyrin complexes on pyridine-functionalized glass
      surfaces.
AB  - In order to immobilize sublimable and fluorescent dye molecules on transparent
      surfaces for the detection of far field molecular interference experiments, we
      investigate the potential of pyridine-functionalized glass substrates as
      coordination sites for the zinc complex of tetraphenylporphyrin (ZnTPP).
      Borosilicate glass is functionalized with 4-(6
      (ethoxydimethylsilyl)hexyloxy)pyridine in order to cover the glass surface with
      pyridine subunits. ZnTPP molecules are deposited by sublimation through
      mechanical masks of various sizes in a high-vacuum chamber. The resulting
      micropatterns are analyzed using epifluorescence microscopy which also allows us
      to define a measure for the quality of molecular immobilization. We observe a
      reduced mobility and an increased efficiency for the trapping of ZnTPP on
      pyridine-functionalized surfaces.

PMID- 20297831
TI  - Stress fluctuations in drying polymer dispersions.
AB  - Drying polymer dispersions usually experience tensile stress, induced by the
      reduction in volume and by the rigid substrate. Due to edge-in drying, the stress
      is usually heterogeneous over the film. Stress peaks play a decisive role in the
      formation of cracks. This work relies on membrane bending, a technique that
      provides spatially resolved stress maps. In the experiments reported here, stress
      fluctuations on the order of 10% on the time scale of a few seconds were found.
      The stress fluctuations occur coherently over the entire drying front.
      Fluctuations go back to slight fluctuations in humidity of the environment (as
      opposed to local stress relaxations due to reorganizations of the particle
      network). The stress fluctuations disappear when covering the sample with a lid.
      They can be enhanced by blowing humid or dry air across the sample surface.
      Modeling builds on the assumption that all stresses go back to capillary pressure
      created at the menisci in between different spheres at the film-air interface.
      The local radius of curvature changes in response to slight variations in ambient
      humidity according to the Kelvin equation. The fluctuations are observed under a
      wide variety of drying conditions and should be included in film formation
      models.

PMID- 20297832
TI  - Physicochemical characterization and surface acid properties of mesoporous [Al]
      SBA-15 obtained by direct synthesis.
AB  - In this work, [Al]-SBA-15 samples were prepared by three different direct
      synthesis methods and one postsynthesis procedure, aiming to study the influence
      of the preparation procedures on their structural, textural, and physicochemical
      features. To this aim, samples were investigated by combining different
      experimental techniques (XRD, N(2) physisorption, (27)Al-MAS NMR, and IR
      spectroscopy). All preparation methods led to the formation of aluminum
      containing SBA-15 samples. Nevertheless, depending on the preparation procedure,
      samples exhibited different structural, textural, and surface characteristics,
      especially in terms of Bronsted and Lewis acid sites content. [Al]-SBA-15(1) was
      synthesized by the pH-adjusting method and presented the lowest surface area and
      pore volumes. Its surface displayed three families of medium and one family of
      high strength Bronsted acid sites. The Bronsted/Lewis ratio was 3.49. [Al]-SBA
      15(2) and [Al]-SBA-15(3) were synthesized by prehydrolysis of the silica and the
      aluminum precursors. In [Al]-SBA-15(2), ammonium fluoride was used as silica
      condensation catalyst. These two materials presented similar surface area, pore
      diameters and volumes, and Bronsted acidity. The Bronsted/Lewis acid sites ratio
      were 3.07 and 2.15 for [Al]-SBA-15(2) and [Al]-SBA-15(3), respectively. The [Al]
      SBA-15(P) obtained by postsynthesis alumination displayed surface area similar to
      that of [Al]-SBA-15(3), Bronsted/Lewis acid sites ratio of 2.75, and Bronsted
      acidity similar to that of [Al]-SBA-15(1). The presence of extra-framework
      aluminum oxide was identified only on [Al]-SBA-15(3) and [Al]-SBA-15(P).

PMID- 20297833
TI  - Molecular scale characterization of the titania-dye-solvent interface in dye
      sensitized solar cells.
AB  - Charge separation at the dye/titania interface in dye sensitized solar cells is
      strongly influenced by the thickness and homogeneity of the sensitizing dye
      layer, as this controls the potential drop across the interface, and the
      probability of an excited electron being transferred from the dye to the titania.
      In this study we use atomic force microscopy and the depth profiling method
      neutral impact collision ion scattering spectroscopy (NICISS) to investigate the
      thickness and homogeneity of N719 dye adsorbed to titania before and after
      rinsing with pure acetonitrile. Both experimental methods show that the dye
      layers are closed but inhomogeneous. Inhomogeneity is more pronounced for
      unrinsed samples.

PMID- 20297835
TI  - Salt-induced gelation of globular protein aggregates: structure and kinetics.
AB  - Aggregates of the globular protein beta-lactoglobulin were formed by heating
      solutions of native proteins at pH 7, after which gels were formed by the
      addition of salt. The second step does not necessitate elevated temperatures and
      is therefore often called cold gelation. The structure of the gels was studied
      during their formation using light scattering and turbidity. Complementary
      confocal laser scanning microscopy measurements were done. We compared the
      structure with that of gels formed by heating native beta-lactoglobulin under the
      same conditions. Whereas in the latter case, microphase separation occurs above
      0.2 M NaCl, no microphase separation was observed during cold gelation up to at
      least 1 M NaCl. The dependence of the kinetics and the final gel structure on the
      protein concentration, the temperature, the salt concentration, and the aggregate
      size was quantified. A few measurements on gels formed by adding CaCl(2)
      confirmed the higher efficiency of this bivalent cation but revealed no
      qualitative differences with gels formed by adding NaCl.

PMID- 20297834
TI  - Use of aryl chlorides as electrophiles in Pd-catalyzed alkene difunctionalization
      reactions.
AB  - The development of conditions that allow use of inexpensive aryl chlorides as
      electrophiles in Pd-catalyzed alkene carboamination and carboetherification
      reactions is described. A catalyst composed of Pd(OAc)(2) and S-Phos minimizes N
      arylation of the substrate and prevents formation of mixtures of regioisomeric
      products. A number of heterocycles, including pyrrolidines, isoxazolidines,
      tetrahydrofurans, and pyrazolidines, are efficiently generated with this method.

PMID- 20297836
TI  - N,N'-diamidoketenimines via coupling of isocyanides to an N-heterocyclic carbene.
AB  - Treatment of an N-heterocyclic carbene that features two amide groups N-bound to
      the carbene nucleus with various organic isocyanides afforded a new class of
      ketenimines in yields of up to 96% (isolated). DFT analyses revealed that the
      carbene exhibits a unique, low-lying LUMO, which may explain the atypical
      reactivity observed.

PMID- 20297837
TI  - Ga(OTf)3-promoted sequential reactions via sulfur-assisted propargyl-allenyl
      isomerizations and intramolecular [4 + 2] cycloaddition for the synthesis of 1,3
      dihydrobenzo[c]thiophenes.
AB  - A Ga(OTf)(3)-promoted sequential reactions via sulfur-assisted propargyl-allenyl
      isomerizations and intramolecular [4 + 2] cycloaddition for the synthesis of 1,3
      dihydrobenzo[c]thiophenes. As a result of the ready availability of materials and
      the simple and convenient operation, the type of reaction presented here has
      potential utility in organic synthesis.

PMID- 20297838
TI  - Good, bad news on European PCB exposure.

PMID- 20297839
TI  - Researchers find little-known PCB "pretty much everywhere".

PMID- 20297840
TI  - Structures of human carbonic anhydrase II/inhibitor complexes reveal a second
      binding site for steroidal and nonsteroidal inhibitors.
AB  - Carbonic anhydrase (CA) catalyzes the reversible hydration of carbon dioxide to
      hydrogen carbonate, and its role in maintaining pH balance has made it an
      attractive drug target. Steroidal sulfamate esters, inhibitors of the cancer drug
      target steroid sulfatase (STS), are sequestered in vivo by CA II in red blood
      cells, which may be the origin of their excellent drug properties. Understanding
      the structural basis of this is important for drug design. Structures of CA II
      complexed with 2-methoxyestradiol 3-O-sulfamate (3), 2-ethylestradiol 3,17-O,O
      bis(sulfamate) (4), and 2-methoxyestradiol 17-O-sulfamate (5) are reported to
      2.10, 1.85, and 1.64 A, respectively. Inhibitor 3 interacts with the active site
      Zn(II) ion through the 3-O-sulfamate, while inhibitors 4 and 5 bind through their
      17-O-sulfamate. Comparison of the IC(50) values for CA II inhibition gave
      respective values of 56, 662, 2113, 169, 770, and 86 nM for estrone 3-O-sulfamate
      (1), 2-methoxyestradiol 3,17-O,O-bis(sulfamate) (2), 3, 4, 5, and 5'-((4H-1,2,4
      triazol-4-yl)methyl)-3-chloro-2'-cyanobiphenyl-4-yl sulfamate (6), a nonsteroidal
      dual aromatase-sulfatase inhibitor. Inhibitors 2, 5, and 6 showed binding to a
      second adjacent site that is capable of binding both steroidal and nonsteroidal
      ligands. Examination of both IC(50) values and crystal structures suggests that 2
      substituents on the steroid nucleus hinder binding via a 3-O-sulfamate, leading
      to coordination through a 17-O-sulfamate if present. These results underline the
      influence of small structural changes on affinity and mode of binding, the degree
      of flexibility in the design of sulfamate-based inhibitors, and suggest a
      strategy for inhibitors which interact with both the active site and the second
      adjacent binding site simultaneously that could be both potent and selective.

PMID- 20297841
TI  - Tyrosinase inhibitory constituents from the roots of Morus nigra: a structure
      activity relationship study.
AB  - The phytochemical profiles of Morus nigra roots and twigs were compared by HPLC
      with those of the old and young twigs of Morus alba which are known to contain
      oxyresveratrol and mulberroside A as major components. It was found that M. nigra
      root extract contains some unknown natural products with potential tyrosinase
      inhibitory activity. The extract (95% ethanol) of the roots of M. nigra was
      further investigated in this study. One new compound, 5'-geranyl-5,7,2',4'
      tetrahydroxyflavone, and twenty-eight known phenolic compounds were isolated.
      Their structures were identified by mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. Nine
      compounds, 5'-geranyl-5,7,2',4'-tetrahydroxyflavone, steppogenin-7-O-beta-D
      glucoside, 2,4,2',4'-tetrahydroxychalcone, moracin N, kuwanon H, mulberrofuran G,
      morachalcone A, oxyresveratrol-3'-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside and oxyresveratrol-2-O
      beta-D-glucopyranoside, showed better tyrosinase inhibitory activities than kojic
      acid. It was noteworthy that the IC(50) values of 2,4,2',4'-tetrahydroxychalcone
      and morachalcone A were 757-fold and 328-fold lower than that of kojic acid,
      respectively, suggesting a great potential for their development as effective
      natural tyrosinase inhibitors.

PMID- 20297842
TI  - Density functional modeling of the local structure of kaolinite subjected to
      thermal dehydroxylation.
AB  - Understanding the atomic-level changes that occur as kaolinite is converted
      (thermally dehydroxylated) to metakaolin is critical to the optimization of this
      large-scale industrial process. Metakaolin is X-ray amorphous; therefore,
      conventional crystallographic techniques do not reveal the changes in local
      structure during its formation. Local structure-based experimental techniques are
      useful in understanding the atomic structure but do not provide the thermodynamic
      information which is necessary to ensure plausibility of refined structures.
      Here, kaolinite dehydroxylation is modeled using density functional theory, and a
      stepwise methodology, where several water molecules are removed from the
      structure, geometry optimization is carried out, and then the process is
      repeated. Hence, the structure remains in an energetically and thermodynamically
      feasible state while transitioning from kaolinite to metakaolin. The structures
      generated during the dehydroxylation process are validated by comparison with X
      ray and neutron pair distribution function data. Thus, this study illustrates one
      possible route by which dehydroxylation of kaolinite can take place, revealing a
      chemically, energetically, and experimentally plausible structure of metakaolin.
      This methodology of density functional modeling of the stepwise changes in a
      material is not limited in application to kaolinite or other aluminosilicates and
      provides an accurate representation of the local structural changes occurring in
      materials used in industrially important processes.

PMID- 20297843
TI  - Density functional theory calculations of the molecular force field of L-ascorbic
      acid, vitamin C.
AB  - We have studied L-ascorbic acid and characterized it by infrared spectroscopy in
      solid and aqueous solution phases. The density functional theory (DFT) method
      together with Pople's basis set show that three stable molecules for the compound
      have been theoretically determined in the gas phase, and that an average of only
      two more stable conformations are present in the solid phase, as it was
      experimentally observed. The harmonic vibrational wavenumbers for the optimized
      geometries of both structures were calculated at B3LYP/6-31G*and B3LYP/6-311++G**
      levels at the proximity of the isolated molecule. For a complete assignment of
      the vibrational spectra in the compound solid and aqueous solution phases, DFT
      calculations were combined with Pulay's scaled quantum mechanics force field
      methodology in order to fit the theoretical wavenumber values to the experimental
      ones. In this way, a complete assignment of all the observed bands in the
      infrared spectrum for l-ascorbic acid was performed. The natural bond orbital
      study reveals the characteristics of the electronic delocalization of the three
      structures while the corresponding topological properties of electronic charge
      density are analyzed by employing Bader's atoms-in-molecules theory.

PMID- 20297844
TI  - Drug- and lead-likeness, target class, and molecular diversity analysis of 7.9
      million commercially available organic compounds provided by 29 suppliers.
AB  - A database of 7.9 million compounds commercially available from 29 suppliers in
      2008-2009 was assembled and analyzed. 5.2 million structures of this database
      were identified to be unique and were subjected to an assessment of physical and
      biological properties and estimation of molecular diversity. The rules of
      Lipinski and Veber were applied to the molecular weight, the calculated water/n
      octanol partition coefficients (Clog P), the calculated aqueous solubility (log
      S), the numbers of hydrogen-bond donors and acceptors, and the calculated Caco-2
      membrane permeability to identify the drug-like compounds, whereas the
      toxicity/reactivity filters were used to remove the structures with biologically
      undesired functional groups. This filtering resulted in 2.0 million (39%)
      structures perfectly suitable for high-throughput screening of biological
      activity. Modified filters applied to identify lead-like structures revealed that
      16% of the unique compounds could be potential leads. Assessment of the
      biological activities, the analysis of diversity, and the sizes of exclusive sets
      of compounds are presented.

PMID- 20297845
TI  - Production of biovanillin by one-step biotransformation using fungus Pycnoporous
      cinnabarinus.
AB  - The current study proposes a one-step biotransformation process for vanillin
      production from ferulic acid using the wild fungal strain Pycnoporous
      cinnabarinus belonging to the family Basidiomycete. Improvement of
      biotransformation conditions was performed in two steps; initially a one factor
      at a time method was used to investigate effects of medium composition variables
      (i.e., carbon, nitrogen) and environmental factors such as pH on vanillin
      production. Subsequently, concentrations of medium components were optimized
      using an orthogonal matrix method. After primary screening, glucose as carbon
      source and corn steep liquor and ammonium chloride as organic and inorganic
      nitrogen source, respectively, supported maximum biotransformation of ferulic
      acid to vanillin. Under statistically optimum conditions vanillin production from
      ferulic acid by P. cinnabarinus was 126 mg/L with a molar yield of 54%. The
      overall molar yield of vanillin production increased by 4 times.

PMID- 20297846
TI  - Discovery of novel small molecule orally bioavailable C-X-C chemokine receptor 4
      antagonists that are potent inhibitors of T-tropic (X4) HIV-1 replication.
AB  - The redesign of azamacrocyclic CXCR4 chemokine receptor antagonists resulted in
      the discovery of novel, small molecule, orally bioavailable compounds that
      retained T-tropic (CXCR4 using, X4) anti-HIV-1 activity. A structure-activity
      relationship (SAR) was determined on the basis of the inhibition of replication
      of X4 HIV-1 NL4.3 in MT-4 cells. As a result of lead optimization, we identified
      (S)-N'-((1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)methyl)-N'-(5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinolin-8
      yl)butane-1,4-diamine (AMD070) 2 as a potent and selective antagonist of CXCR4
      with an IC(50) value of 13 nM in a CXCR4 125I-SDF inhibition binding assay.
      Compound 2 inhibited the replication of T-tropic HIV-1 (NL4.3 strain) in MT-4
      cells and PBMCs with an IC(50) of 2 and 26 nM, respectively, while remaining
      noncytotoxic to cells at concentrations exceeding 23 microM. The pharmacokinetics
      of 2 was evaluated in rat and dog, and good oral bioavailability was observed in
      both species. This compound represents the first small molecule orally
      bioavailable CXCR4 antagonist that was developed for the treatment of HIV-1
      infection.

PMID- 20297847
TI  - Comparison of solid-state dipolar couplings and solution relaxation data provides
      insight into protein backbone dynamics.
AB  - Analyses of solution (15)N relaxation data and solid-state (1)H(N)-(15)N dipolar
      couplings from a small globular protein, alpha-spectrin SH3 domain, produce a
      surprisingly similar pattern of order parameters. This result suggests that there
      is little or no ns-mus dynamics throughout most of the sequence and, in
      particular, in the structured portion of the backbone. At the same time, evidence
      of ns-mus motions is found in the flexible loops and termini. These findings,
      corroborated by the MD simulations of alpha-spectrin SH3 in a hydrated
      crystalline environment and in solution, are consistent with the picture of
      protein dynamics that has recently emerged from the solution studies employing
      residual dipolar couplings.

PMID- 20297848
TI  - Copper-catalyzed amination of primary benzylic C-H bonds with primary and
      secondary sulfonamides.
AB  - A room-temperature, copper-catalyzed amination of primary benzylic C-H bonds with
      primary and secondary sulfonamides is described. The reaction is applicable to
      the coupling of a range of primary and secondary benzylic hydrocarbons with a
      diverse set of sulfonamides and is tolerant of substitution on both coupling
      partners. Factors which influence the selectivity of C-H functionalization
      between primary and secondary sites are examined.

PMID- 20297849
TI  - Organic linking.

PMID- 20297853
TI  - Defining and measuring functional recovery from depression.
AB  - Depression is associated with significant functional impairment and reduced
      quality of life. Disruptions occur both globally as well as in specific
      functional areas such as work, interpersonal relationships and cognitive
      function. From both a clinical and research perspective, much focus has been
      given to the resolution of symptoms associated with depression, while relatively
      little attention has been given to functional improvements. Definitions of
      remission in depression are most frequently based on achieving a cut-off score on
      clinical rating scales of depressive symptoms. Research in this area has sparsely
      included psychosocial function or health-related quality of life as a primary
      outcome measure in clinical trials. However, the need to fully understand the
      impact of depression and its treatments on functioning is great, given the
      existing evidence of the profound effect that depression has on function. Even
      mild depressive symptoms and subsyndromal depression result in functional
      impairment and reduced quality of life, and untreated residual depressive
      symptomatology can result in an increased likelihood for relapse of the fully
      symptomatic disorder (i.e. major depressive disorder). Therefore, clinicians and
      researchers alike need to broaden the focus of treatment to encompass not only
      the specific symptoms of depression, but the functional consequences as well.
      Many tools have been developed to assess function and quality of life, both
      globally as well as within specific domains. In addition, the effect of residual
      symptoms associated with functional impairment (i.e. insomnia, fatigue, pain
      [somatic] symptoms and cognition) in depression, even independently of depressive
      symptoms, warrants evaluation and monitoring. Recommendations for evaluating
      functional outcomes include: (i) adequately assessing functional impairment; (ii)
      identifying and/or developing treatment plans that will target symptoms
      associated with functional impairments; and (iii) monitoring functional
      impairments and associated symptoms throughout the course of treatment. The
      development of treatments that specifically target improvements in functional
      impairments is needed, and may require the use of novel treatment strategies.

PMID- 20297854
TI  - Childhood medulloblastoma: current status of biology and treatment.
AB  - Medulloblastoma, a primitive neuro-ectodermal tumour that arises in the posterior
      fossa, is the most common malignant brain tumour occurring in childhood. Over the
      past half century, the long-term survival for children with medulloblastoma has
      improved remarkably from a certain fatal diagnosis to a cancer that is often
      curable. Although overall survival for children with non-disseminated and non
      anaplastic medulloblastoma can approach 80%, the current multidisciplinary
      therapeutic approach is not without long-term sequelae. Chemotherapy has improved
      the long-term survival and allowed for reductions in the amount of radiation
      given, thereby reducing some of the long-term toxicities. In this review, we
      describe the current understanding of the basic biology of medulloblastoma and
      report on the current active chemotherapeutic agents utilized in medulloblastoma
      therapy. Ultimately, our understanding of the basic biology of medulloblastoma
      may lead to further advances in therapy by providing targets that are more
      specific and potentially less toxic.

PMID- 20297856
TI  - For what diagnoses are psychotropic medications being prescribed?: a nationally
      representative survey of physicians.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Psychoactive medications, such as antidepressants, are one of the
      most widely prescribed categories of drugs in the US; yet few studies have
      comprehensively examined the conditions for which psychoactive medications are
      prescribed. To our knowledge, no prior study has examined the extent to which
      psychoactive medications are prescribed for non-psychiatric somatic illnesses or
      the main types of psychiatric disorders for which psychoactive medications are
      being used. OBJECTIVE: To examine the diagnoses for which psychiatric medications
      are being prescribed in the US by analysing data from a nationally representative
      survey of physicians. METHODS: The data were obtained from the 2005 National
      Disease and Therapeutic Index (NDTI), a continuing survey of a US office-based
      panel of physicians. The 2005 physician panel consisted of approximately 4000
      physicians reporting quarterly, which was projected to a universe of 500,722
      physicians. The study focused on the diagnoses that were given as the primary
      reason for prescribing the following types of psychotropic medications:
      antidepressants, antipsychotics and anti-anxiety medications. RESULTS: Of the
      total number of antidepressant drug mentions, 92.7% were prescribed for
      psychiatric conditions. The most common (65.3%) were mood disorders (e.g.
      depression), followed by anxiety disorders (16.4%), which together comprised
      81.7% of all antidepressant drug mentions. Of the total number of anti-anxiety
      drug mentions, 67.7% were prescribed for psychiatric conditions. The most common
      diagnosis was anxiety disorders (comprising 39.6% of all drug mentions), followed
      by mood disorders (comprising 18.9% of all drug mentions). Almost one-third of
      anxiety medication drug mentions were for non-psychiatric conditions or
      conditions of unspecified type. Of the total number of antipsychotic drug
      mentions, 98.9% were prescribed for psychiatric conditions. The most common
      diagnoses, comprising 39.0% of all drug mentions, were mood disorders such as
      depression and bipolar disorder. The second most common psychiatric diagnosis was
      schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders, comprising 34.5% of drug mentions.
      Approximately 7.4% of drug mentions were for delirium, dementia, amnestic or
      other cognitive disorders. Attention-deficit/conduct/disruptive behaviour
      disorders were the diagnoses indicated on 5.7% of all antipsychotic drug
      mentions. Anxiety disorders were indicated on 5.5% of antipsychotic drug
      mentions. Disorders usually diagnosed in infancy/childhood/adolescence (e.g.
      autism) comprised 2.3% of antipsychotic drug mentions. CONCLUSIONS: This research
      provides a broad view of the nature of psychoactive medication prescribing, which
      may serve as a guide to future research, policy and education about these
      medications, their perceived benefits and risks, and their uses.

PMID- 20297855
TI  - Cholinesterase inhibitors as adjunctive therapy in patients with schizophrenia
      and schizoaffective disorder: a review and meta-analysis of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cognitive deficits have been described in patients with schizophrenia
      from the first descriptions of dementia praecox to current concepts of cognitive
      dysmetria. Nevertheless, little is known about how to deal with them. In
      Alzheimer disease, cholinergic deficit is found and cholinesterase inhibitors
      have been used to delay the progression of memory and cognitive dysfunction.
      Several lines of evidence suggest that the cholinergic system may be disrupted in
      schizophrenia. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate cognitive and clinical effects of
      adjunctive cholinesterase inhibitors in patients with schizophrenia and
      schizoaffective disorder. METHOD: We conducted a literature search on PubMed and
      EMBASE (up to December 2008) for articles that investigated adjunctive
      cholinesterase inhibitors in patients with schizophrenia. The terms
      'schizophrenia', 'acetylcholinesterase inhibitors', 'rivastigmine', 'donepezil',
      'galantamine' and 'cognitive deficit' were searched with restriction for English
      language and without a year limit. All articles that presented original data from
      randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials with donepezil, rivastigmine
      or galantamine in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were
      included in the meta-analysis. Studies were excluded for the following reasons:
      (i) case study/letter/correspondence/review; (ii) animal study; (iii)
      molecular/genetic investigation; and (iv) inclusion of patients with
      schizophrenia and co-morbid dementia. Few appropriate data for meta-analysis were
      found because of the large heterogeneity of the assessment instruments used.
      Nevertheless, effects of cholinesterase inhibitors in some cognitive domains
      (executive function, memory and language), psychopathology (using the Positive
      and Negative Syndrome Scale) and extrapyramidal symptoms could be analysed.
      RESULTS: Six open-label and 24 double-blind studies were found. In five open
      label studies there was an improvement in memory, attention and executive
      functions. Thirteen double-blind studies (four with rivastigmine, six with
      donepezil and three with galantamine) contributed to the meta-analysis.
      Significant improvement was found in this analysis for memory and the Trail
      Making test part A. CONCLUSIONS: The reviewed studies suggest that specific
      cognitive deficits (memory, and the motor speed and attention part of executive
      function) of patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder are
      responsive to rivastigmine, donepezil and galantamine as adjunctive therapy.
      Confirmatory studies are needed to determine the clinical utility of this
      treatment strategy.

PMID- 20297857
TI  - Pramipexole extended release: in Parkinson's disease.
AB  - Pramipexole extended release (ER) is a non-ergolinic dopamine receptor agonist
      available for use as a once-daily oral treatment for the signs and symptoms of
      early and advanced idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Once-daily pramipexole ER and
      three times-daily pramipexole immediate release (IR) have similar exposure over
      24 hours. The ER formulation is associated with fewer fluctuations in plasma
      pramipexole concentrations over this period. Pramipexole ER improved the symptoms
      of Parkinson's disease in three well designed trials in adults with early or
      advanced disease, as measured by changes from baseline in the sum of the Unified
      Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) parts II and III subtotal scores. In a 9
      week study, the majority of patients with early Parkinson's disease who were
      receiving stable pramipexole IR treatment were successfully switched to
      pramipexole ER. Relative to placebo at week 18, pramipexole ER 0.375-4.5 mg (of
      the salt) once daily significantly decreased the sum of the UPDRS parts II and
      III subtotal scores from baseline in two trials in patients with early or
      advanced Parkinson's disease, and also reduced the percentage of off-time during
      waking hours in patients with advanced disease. The efficacy of pramipexole ER
      was maintained after 33 weeks of treatment in the trials in patients with early
      or advanced Parkinson's disease. Pramipexole ER was generally well tolerated in
      patients with Parkinson's disease, with the rate of adverse events being
      generally similar to that with pramipexole IR.

PMID- 20297858
TI  - OROS hydromorphone prolonged release: a review of its use in the management of
      chronic, moderate to severe pain.
AB  - OROS hydromorphone prolonged release (OROS hydromorphone) [Jurnista] is a once
      daily formulation of the opioid agonist hydromorphone that utilizes OROS (osmotic
      controlled release oral delivery system) technology to deliver the drug at a near
      constant rate, thereby providing consistent analgesia over a 24-hour period. It
      is indicated for use in patients with severe pain and contraindicated in those
      with acute or post-operative pain. In several, randomized, multicentre, phase III
      trials, oral OROS hydromorphone administered once daily for up to 52 weeks was
      generally effective in the treatment of patients with chronic, moderate to severe
      cancer or nonmalignant/noncancer pain with regard to improvements from baseline
      to endpoint in patient-assessed measures of pain intensity, pain relief and/or
      functional impairment. Pharmacoeconomic analyses suggest that OROS hydromorphone
      provides greater cost utility than other opioids in this patient population. In
      addition, OROS hydromorphone was generally well tolerated in clinical trials,
      with most adverse events being mild to moderate in severity and similar to those
      seen with other opioids. Thus, OROS hydromorphone is an effective and useful
      alternative to other opioids for the treatment of patients with severe pain.

PMID- 20297859
TI  - Is there still a role for desmopressin in children with primary monosymptomatic
      nocturnal enuresis?: a focus on safety issues.
AB  - It has recently became apparent that severe primary monosymptomatic nocturnal
      enuresis (MNE) has a worse prognosis than generally believed, and may have major
      consequences on the well-being of the child, thus making treatment mandatory.
      Desmopressin is one of the most widely prescribed medications for MNE, and in
      this current opinion article we discuss the safety of desmopressin in children
      with this condition. Following a US FDA request in December 2007 that the
      prescribing information for desmopressin nasal spray be updated, desmopressin
      spray is no longer indicated for the treatment of MNE or for use in patients at
      risk for hyponatraemia. Multiple reports of hyponatraemia in patients with
      nocturia (mainly the elderly) led to an increased awareness of the risks
      associated with desmopressin. While the pathogenesis of hyponatraemia in those
      over 65 years of age relates more to changing renal water and solute handling, we
      believe that in the young, overdosing and insufficient fluid restriction are
      usually the major causes. Hyponatraemia is most frequently reported when
      desmopressin is administered by nasal spray compared with the tablet formulation.
      This may simply reflect the fact that for more than 10 years the spray was the
      only available mode of administration in many countries. However, it may also
      reflect the higher biodisponibility and/or intraindividual variability of
      pharmacokinetics of the spray compared with the tablet. There are few serious
      adverse events reported for the melt formulation (oral lyophilisate), but as it
      has only recently become available on the market, it would be premature to
      conclude that it has a better safety profile. We believe that desmopressin in all
      formulations has a good safety profile in children with MNE, provided that
      treatment is properly prescribed and monitored; improving the training of doctors
      and patients in the dose-response kinetics of the drug, teaching appropriate
      restriction of fluid intake and by encouraging the use of desmopressin within a
      narrow dose range (10-20 microg spray, 120-240 microg melt and 200-400 microg
      tablet) when used in primary-care settings. Titrating higher doses in therapy
      resistant patients should probably be carried out in a specialized enuresis
      centre, and only after documenting adequate morning urinary diluting capacity. In
      summary, the risk of hyponatraemia is exacerbated by misuse of the drug rather
      than an inherent danger associated with the drug, which in our opinion should be
      addressed with better education rather than withdrawal of a medication that has
      the potential to benefit children with nocturnal enuresis.

PMID- 20297860
TI  - Cerebrovascular accidents in elderly people treated with antipsychotic drugs: a
      systematic review.
AB  - After 2002, an association between stroke and antipsychotic use was reported in
      clinical trials and large database studies. This review considers previous
      quantitative reviews, newly published clinical trials, and recent observational
      cohort and case-control studies, and focuses on the clinical significance of the
      risk for stroke, the difference between typical and atypical antipsychotics, the
      possible at-risk patient profile and the timing of stroke after exposure. A
      search of MEDLINE covering the period from 1966 to June 2009 was carried out
      using selected keywords. Inclusion criteria were (i) quantitative reviews on
      stroke and antipsychotics; (ii) double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials
      involving patients with dementia treated with antipsychotics; and (iii)
      observational database cohort studies and observational case-control studies
      investigating the association between stroke and antipsychotics. Clinical trials
      were excluded if they were single-blind or if patients were affected by dementia
      and/or other neurological illnesses. Four reviews with aggregate data, 2 meta
      analyses, 13 randomized, double-blind, controlled trials, 7 observational cohort
      studies and 4 observational case-control studies were selected and analysed. The
      incidence of cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) was found to be very low in
      aggregate reviews and meta-analyses (2-4%). When the number collected was
      sufficiently high, or different drug treatments were grouped together, the higher
      rate in subjects exposed to antipsychotics was statistically significant.
      Inspection of other randomized controlled clinical trials, not included in
      aggregate reviews and meta-analyses, reported similar rates of CVAs. The majority
      of observational cohort studies compared typical and atypical antipsychotics and
      no significant class differences were found. A comparison with non-users was
      carried out in some cohort studies. In case-control studies, the probability of
      CVAs in users compared with non-users was in the range of 1.3- to 2-fold greater.
      Preliminary data also indicate that the highest risk of stroke is related to the
      first weeks of treatment, and a risk profile for stroke is emerging, such as
      older age, cognitive impairment and vascular illness. Different
      pathophysiological pathways may be involved, ranging from the facilitation of
      thrombosis, pre-existing cardiovascular factors, sedation and a common diathesis
      for stroke of dementia, schizophrenia and affective illness. Before prescribing
      an antipsychotic, clinicians should weigh all the risk factors for a given
      patient and consider not only the indications as provided by the regulatory
      agencies, but also the overall effectiveness of typical and atypical
      antipsychotics.

PMID- 20297861
TI  - Psychiatric adverse events in randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled
      clinical trials of varenicline: a pooled analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Varenicline (Chantix), Champix) has shown efficacy and tolerability
      as an aid to smoking cessation. In postmarketing surveillance, neuropsychiatric
      symptoms have appeared; however, their incidence and causal relationship to
      varenicline is not known. OBJECTIVE: We assessed the incidence and relative risk
      (RR) of psychiatric disorders in ten randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled
      trials of varenicline for smoking cessation. METHODS: All smoking cessation phase
      II, III and IV randomized controlled clinical trials of varenicline versus
      placebo completed as of 31 December 2008, on file with the manufacturer (Pfizer,
      Inc.), were included. All studies have been published. All 3091 participants who
      received at least one dose of varenicline and all 2005 participants who received
      placebo were included in this analysis. These were men and women smoking > or =10
      cigarettes/day, aged 18-75 years and without current psychiatric disease who
      received varenicline or placebo for 6 (one study), 12 (eight studies) or 52 (one
      study) weeks. Adverse events were recorded at each study visit and classified
      according to standard Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) terms
      (version 11.0). RESULTS: The incidence of psychiatric disorders other than solely
      sleep disorders and disturbances was 10.7% in subjects treated with varenicline
      and 9.7% in subjects treated with placebo, with an RR of 1.02 (95% CI 0.86,
      1.22). The RRs (95% CI) versus placebo of psychiatric adverse events with an
      incidence > or =1% in the varenicline group were 0.86 (0.67, 1.12) for anxiety
      disorders and symptoms, 0.76 (0.42, 1.39) for changes in physical activity, 1.42
      (0.96, 2.08) for depressed mood disorders and disturbances, 1.21 (0.79, 1.83) for
      mood disorders and disturbances not elsewhere classified and 1.70 (1.50, 1.92)
      for sleep disorders and disturbances. There were no cases of suicidal ideation or
      behaviour in varenicline-treated subjects in the ten placebo-controlled studies
      analysed. However, among three trials that were excluded from the analysis
      because of their open-label design, two cases of suicidal ideation and one
      completed suicide were reported in patients who had been treated with
      varenicline. With the exception of sleep disorders and disturbances, there was no
      evidence of dose-responsivity. CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant increase in
      overall psychiatric disorders, other than sleep disorders and disturbances, in
      varenicline-treated subjects in this sample of smokers without current
      psychiatric disorders. Ongoing studies are testing the use of varenicline in
      psychiatric patients.

PMID- 20297862
TI  - Antimicrobials and the risk of torsades de pointes: the contribution from data
      mining of the US FDA Adverse Event Reporting System.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Drug-induced torsades de pointes (TdP) is a complex regulatory and
      clinical problem due to the rarity of this sometimes fatal adverse event. In this
      context, the US FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) is an important source
      of information, which can be applied to the analysis of TdP liability of marketed
      drugs. OBJECTIVE: To critically evaluate the risk of antimicrobial-induced TdP by
      detecting alert signals in the AERS, on the basis of both quantitative and
      qualitative analyses. METHODS: Reports of TdP from January 2004 through December
      2008 were retrieved from the public version of the AERS. The absolute number of
      cases and reporting odds ratio as a measure of disproportionality were evaluated
      for each antimicrobial drug (quantitative approach). A list of drugs with
      suspected TdP liability (provided by the Arizona Centre of Education and Research
      on Therapeutics [CERT]) was used as a reference to define signals. In a further
      analysis, to refine signal detection, we identified TdP cases without co
      medications listed by Arizona CERT (qualitative approach). RESULTS: Over the 5
      year period, 374 reports of TdP were retrieved: 28 antibacterials, 8 antifungals,
      1 antileprosy and 26 antivirals were involved. Antimicrobials more frequently
      reported were levofloxacin (55) and moxifloxacin (37) among the antibacterials,
      fluconazole (47) and voriconazole (17) among the antifungals, and lamivudine (8)
      and nelfinavir (6) among the antivirals. A significant disproportionality was
      observed for 17 compounds, including several macrolides, fluoroquinolones,
      linezolid, triazole antifungals, caspofungin, indinavir and nelfinavir. With the
      qualitative approach, we identified the following additional drugs or fixed dose
      combinations, characterized by at least two TdP cases without co-medications
      listed by Arizona CERT: ceftriaxone, piperacillin/tazobactam, cotrimoxazole,
      metronidazole, ribavirin, lamivudine and lopinavir/ritonavir. DISCUSSION:
      Disproportionality for macrolides, fluoroquinolones and most of the azole
      antifungals should be viewed as 'expected' according to Arizona CERT list. By
      contrast, signals were generated by linezolid, caspofungin, posaconazole,
      indinavir and nelfinavir. Drugs detected only by the qualitative approach should
      be further investigated by increasing the sensitivity of the method, e.g. by
      searching also for the TdP surrogate marker, prolongation of the QT interval.
      CONCLUSIONS: The freely available version of the FDA AERS database represents an
      important source to detect signals of TdP. In particular, our analysis generated
      five signals among antimicrobials for which further investigations and active
      surveillance are warranted. These signals should be considered in evaluating the
      benefit-risk profile of these drugs.

PMID- 20297863
TI  - Isotretinoin use and compliance with the Dutch Pregnancy Prevention Programme: a
      retrospective cohort study in females of reproductive age using pharmacy
      dispensing data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Isotretinoin is very effective in the treatment of severe acne.
      However, because of the teratogenic properties of this agent an isotretinoin
      Pregnancy Prevention Programme (PPP) was implemented in the Netherlands to
      guarantee that treatment is contraindicated in women of reproductive age unless
      at least one effective method of contraception is used. Furthermore, the PPP
      stipulates that isotretinoin treatment should be managed by physicians or
      specialists experienced in treatment with this drug and that only monthly
      prescriptions are issued. OBJECTIVE: To assess compliance with the Dutch
      isotretinoin PPP in women of reproductive age during the study period of 1
      January 2005 to 31 December 2008. METHODS: Detailed information on dispensed
      medication and co-medication was available from the Dutch Foundation of
      Pharmaceutical Statistics. Four types of outcome were studied: concomitant
      dispensing of hormonal contraceptive with isotretinoin; the proportion of
      specialist prescribing of isotretinoin; prescribing of conventional acne therapy
      prior to isotretinoin initiation; and isotretinoin dispensing exceeding the
      maximum amount. The use of contraceptives in women aged between 15 and 45 years
      was defined as concomitant if the period of systemic contraceptive use overlapped
      the period of isotretinoin dispensing for at least 10 days, or if any dispensing
      of an intrauterine or intravaginal contraceptive was recorded since the year
      2000. Dispensings were separated into those prescribed by either specialists or
      general practitioners (GPs). The use of antibacterials, antiandrogens or topical
      agents against acne was checked 4 months prior to an isotretinoin dispensing, and
      a possible excess of the maximum amount of isotretinoin was defined as
      prescriptions of more than 100 defined daily doses. RESULTS: During the study
      period, data were available for 442 Dutch pharmacies encompassing 4881 women of
      reproductive age using isotretinoin at least once during study period. Among
      women of reproductive age, the use of isotretinoin increased during the study
      period. The proportion of isotretinoin initiation with concomitant oral hormonal
      or intrauterine contraceptives was low (59.3% [95% CI 57.6, 61.0]). Initiation of
      isotretinoin by a specialist increased the chance for concomitant contraception
      by 26% (95% CI 6.0, 49.0); in 78.2% (95% CI 76.8, 79.6) of women, isotretinoin
      was initiated by a specialist. Conventional acne therapy up to 16 months prior to
      isotretinoin initiation was found in 70% of the women (70.3% [95% CI 66.0,
      74.6]). In 1.4% (95% CI 1.0, 1.8) of cases of treatment initiation, the amount of
      isotretinoin dispensed on one prescription seemed too high. CONCLUSION: Attention
      should be paid to improving the implementation of the isotretinoin PPP. Despite
      clear guidelines and warnings in the product information, our study strongly
      suggests that concomitant use of isotretinoin and contraceptives is too low. Even
      though we will have missed non-pharmacological forms of contraception, these
      results raise doubts about the safe use of isotretinoin in women of reproductive
      age in the Netherlands. Furthermore, isotretinoin does not seem to be used in
      cases of severe acne only. Reserving isotretinoin prescribing to specialists may
      improve adherence to the PPP.

PMID- 20297864
TI  - Adverse drug reactions in the paediatric population in Denmark: a retrospective
      analysis of reports made to the Danish Medicines Agency from 1998 to 2007.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The potential risk of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in the paediatric
      population has become a public health concern and regulatory agencies in Europe
      and the US have acknowledged that there is a need for more research in this area.
      Spontaneous reporting systems can provide important new information about ADRs.
      OBJECTIVE: To characterize ADRs in children reported in Denmark over a period of
      one decade. METHODS: We analysed ADRs reported to the Danish Medicines Agency
      from 1998 to 2007 for individuals aged from birth to 17 years. Data were analysed
      with respect to time, age and sex, category of ADR (System Organ Class [SOC]),
      seriousness, suspected medicines (level 2 of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical
      [ATC] Classification System) and type of reporter. RESULTS: 2437 ADR reports
      corresponding to 4500 ADRs were analysed. On average, 234 ADR reports were
      submitted annually, corresponding to approximately two ADRs per report. From 2003
      to 2005, an increasing number of ADRs submitted per report were observed, but
      after 2005 the reporting rate decreased. One-half of ADRs were reported for
      infants from birth to 2 years of age. Similar total numbers of ADRs were reported
      for boys and girls. The majority of ADRs reported were from the following SOCs:
      general disorders and administration site conditions (31%), skin and subcutaneous
      tissue disorders (18%) and nervous system disorders (15%). Reports encompassed
      medicines from ATC group J: vaccines and anti-infectives for systemic use (65%);
      and ATC group N: nervous system (17%). On average, 42% of ADRs were classified as
      serious. ATC group N had the highest proportion of ADRs that were classified as
      serious. Although physicians reported approximately 90% of the ADRs, a relatively
      large proportion of serious ADRs were reported by other sources. CONCLUSION: In
      Denmark, the ADR reporting rate in the paediatric population has declined since
      2005. The majority of ADRs reported in young children were reported for vaccines
      and anti-infectives, but also a high number of serious ADRs were reported for
      medicines from ATC group N. The Danish Medicines Agency should monitor
      prescribing patterns more tightly to identify potential risks in the paediatric
      population in relation to the evolving pattern of medicine use among children.

PMID- 20297865
TI  - Oral olanzapine disposition in adolescents with schizophrenia or bipolar I
      disorder: a population pharmacokinetic model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Olanzapine is an atypical antipsychotic approved for the treatment of
      adults and adolescents (aged 13 -17 years) with schizophrenia or bipolar I
      disorder (manic or mixed episodes). OBJECTIVES: To characterize the
      pharmacokinetics of olanzapine in adolescents, to estimate the sources of
      variability, and to identify significant co-variates. In addition, olanzapine
      pharmacokinetic parameters in adolescents were compared with those in adults to
      guide appropriate dosing recommendations for adolescent patients. METHODS: A
      population pharmacokinetic modeling study was performed. The majority of
      pharmacokinetic data for the model came from a multicenter, open-label study in
      which 4.5 weeks of oral olanzapine 2.5-20 mg once daily was administered to a
      total of 105 patients aged 13-17 years (41.1-148 kg) who had a diagnosis of
      schizophrenia or bipolar I disorder. Four blood samples at steady state were
      obtained from each patient. Olanzapine concentrations in plasma were determined
      using a validated high-performance liquid chromatography method with
      electrochemical detection. Similar data from 11 adolescents from three previous
      studies were also included. A pharmacokinetic model was developed and the
      potential effects of patient characteristics (sex, bodyweight, age, ethnic
      origin) were investigated using a nonlinear mixed effects modeling program. The
      distributions of pharmacokinetic parameters for olanzapine in adolescents were
      compared with those previously reported in adults (n = 912, diagnosis of
      schizophrenia, olanzapine 5-20 mg/day) using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov 2-sample
      test. A visual predictive check was performed using Monte Carlo simulations on an
      external validation dataset. RESULTS: The pharmacokinetics of oral olanzapine in
      adolescent patients were described by a one-compartment pharmacokinetic model.
      The typical model estimates were 13.6 L/h (70 kg female patient) for oral
      clearance (CL/F) and 899 L for oral volume of distribution (V/F). Interpatient
      variability (40.5% for CL/F, 65.4% for V/F) and residual error (27%) were
      moderate. Bodyweight and sex had a significant influence on CL/F, which was lower
      in patients with lower weights and approximately 30% higher in males than
      females. Olanzapine exposure was typically 27% higher in adolescents versus
      adults. Approximately 77% of adolescents and adults had comparable CL/F values
      and 69% had comparable V/F values. CONCLUSIONS: The pharmacokinetics of oral
      olanzapine in adolescent patients are similar to those in adults, and are linear
      in the dosage range of 2.5-20 mg/day. Given the small magnitude of co-variate
      effects and the interpatient variability, dose adjustments based on bodyweight or
      sex are not necessary in adolescents.

PMID- 20297866
TI  - Health economic burden of patients with restless legs syndrome in a German
      ambulatory setting.
AB  - The primary characteristics of restless legs syndrome (RLS), including severe
      sleep disorders, restlessness in the evening and discomfort while at rest, have
      substantial impact on normal daily activities. Because of the high prevalence of
      RLS in the general population, it is necessary to evaluate the economic impact of
      RLS. To determine the health economic burden of patients with RLS in Germany. A
      total of 519 RLS patients (mean age: 65.2 +/- 11.1 years) in different stages of
      disease were recruited in five health centres (university hospitals, district
      hospitals and office-based neurologists) by applying the diagnostic criteria of
      the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group. A questionnaire was
      administered that assessed healthcare resource consumption as well as
      socioeconomic, demographic, clinical and health status. In addition, the
      International RLS severity scale (IRLS), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), EQ-5D
      and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were addressed in the assessment. Direct and
      indirect costs (euro, year 2006 values) were derived from various German economic
      resources and calculated from the perspective of the healthcare and transfer
      payment providers. We calculated average total costs over the 3-month observation
      period. It was determined that average total costs were euro2090 for this period.
      The average direct medical and non-medical costs from the perspective of the
      health insurance provider were determined to be euro780, with euro300 attributed
      to drug costs and euro354 to hospitalization costs. Average total indirect costs
      amounted to euro1308 and were calculated based on productivity loss, using the
      human capital approach. As cost-driving factors we identified disease severity
      according to the IRLS (p < 0.01) and ESS (p < 0.04). Health-related quality of
      life was determined to be substantially affected by RLS; the mean EQ-5D visual
      analogue scale (VAS) was 55.6, considerably lower than that of the age-matched
      general population. RLS places a notable financial burden on society as well as
      on patients and their families. More detailed studies are needed to evaluate the
      health economic impact of this disorder.

PMID- 20297867
TI  - B cell-targeted therapies for systemic lupus erythematosus: an update on clinical
      trial data.
AB  - In the past year there has been remarkable activity and some important success in
      the development of B cell-targeted therapies for the treatment of systemic lupus
      erythematosus (SLE). The most promising studies were BLISS-52 and BLISS-76, large
      phase III studies that demonstrated measurable efficacy for belimumab, a
      monoclonal antibody against B cell-activating factor (BAFF). The moderate-sized
      phase II/III trials EXPLORER and LUNAR that tested rituximab, an anti-CD20
      monoclonal antibody, for treatment of non-renal and renal lupus, disappointed
      many investigators with anecdotal success in refractory patients. These rituximab
      trials were intended to detect a large clinical effect in patients with very
      active disease and this was not found. Nevertheless, arguments can be made for
      additional studies in targeted populations or with a change in design to detect
      smaller or longer-term effects. Epratuzumab, a monoclonal antibody against the B
      cell surface antigen CD22, and atacicept, a chimeric molecule formed by a
      receptor for BAFF and a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) with immunoglobulin
      (Ig)-G, have both been promising in initial small trials and now larger clinical
      trials are underway. Thus, recent clinical trial data show that B cell-targeting
      therapies are beginning to fulfil their promise as treatments for SLE and there
      are good reasons to hope for further progress in the near future.

PMID- 20297869
TI  - Evaluation of a rural chronic disease self-management program.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Internationally, the prevalence of long-term health conditions is
      at epidemic proportions. Australia is no exception. The Australian Government's
      'Better Health Initiative' has 5 key strategies to build better health care, one
      of which is the adoption of self-management and self-management support. Self
      management allows people to manage their condition and the consequences it brings
      to their lives in partnership with their health providers. The purpose of this
      article was to report both the process and patient outcomes following the
      introduction of the Stanford Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) into
      an existing service in an Australian rural setting. METHODS: Implementation
      processes were evaluated using semi-structured interviews conducted with
      managers, lay and health professional course leaders and participants about
      positive and negative aspects of providing the CDSMP. Participant outcomes were
      evaluated using a modified pre-test, post-test design to evaluate changes in
      activity participation and self-management knowledge and skills. RESULTS: Both
      negative and positive aspects of providing the program were represented by two
      key themes: (1) program content and quality; and (2) logistics of delivery.
      Throughout the interviews, managers and leaders, and course participants offered
      recommendations that were thematically grouped into 3 categories: (1) enhancing
      quality; (2) improving the logistics; and (3) providing resources. Comparison of
      activity levels with a community sample indicated that participants had
      significantly decreased participation levels. Scores on the Health Education
      Impact Questionnaire v2 (heiQ - RETRO) demonstrated statistically better scores
      at post-test on the domains of 'self monitoring', 'insight' and 'health service
      navigation' with a trend towards significance on 3 other domains. CONCLUSIONS:
      Future implementation of CDSMPs in rural areas will be encouraged by these
      patient outcomes, and informed by the qualitative findings from managers, leaders
      and course participants.

PMID- 20297871
TI  - Parkinson's disease: health-related quality of life, economic cost, and
      implications of early treatment.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder,
      marked by progressive increases in movement-related disability, impaired balance,
      and nonmotor symptoms. Its prevalence in the United States is expected to double
      within the next 20 years as the percentage of the elderly in the population
      grows. Patients with PD have twice the direct medical costs of those without PD,
      the majority of which occur later in the disease as disability and therapy
      related complications increase. Greater awareness of a prodromal/premotor stage
      of the disease, efforts toward early and accurate diagnosis, and the continuous
      refinement of treatment paradigms provide an opportunity for discussion on the
      use of potential disease-modifying agents to slow or halt the progression of
      motor and nonmotor disability. Such compounds could not only significantly
      improve patient and caregiver quality of life, but substantially reduce direct
      and indirect costs. To date, numerous compounds have been evaluated in clinical
      trials, including coenzyme Q10, creatine, levodopa, pramipexole, rasagiline,
      ropinirole, and selegiline. None has demonstrated irrefutable and enduring
      disease-modifying qualities, although the best available clinical evidence
      appears most promising for rasagiline.

PMID- 20297868
TI  - Therapeutic interventions to enhance apolipoprotein A-I-mediated
      cardioprotection.
AB  - The principal function of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) is to facilitate the
      reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) and inhibition of atheroma formation.
      Epidemiological studies and interventional trials have suggested that HDL has
      cardioprotective properties. However, increasing HDL concentration may not
      necessarily increase RCT, especially if the increase in HDL levels is the result
      of inhibiting HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) flux. The results of recent phase III
      clinical trials utilizing a cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitor
      to increase HDL-C levels in hypoalphalipoproteinaemia have shown that this
      approach of elevating HDL-C levels is insufficient to combat atherosclerosis and
      reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Although there are several
      interventions that increase HDL-C by preventing its turnover in the circulation,
      a more desirable approach is to enhance de novo production of HDL in the liver
      and/or small intestine. To this end, our acquired knowledge of the apolipoprotein
      I (apo A-I) gene promoter as well as the signalling pathways that modulate its
      expression, has fuelled the development of novel therapeutic strategies to
      increase HDL-C flux. Promising pharmacological agents that selectively regulate
      transcription of the apo A-I gene, therapeutic strategies to de-repress apo A-I
      gene expression, and infusion of recombinant apo A-I or apo A-I mimetics are
      under development and may be clinically beneficial in the near future.

PMID- 20297870
TI  - Early pharmacologic treatment in Parkinson's disease.
AB  - Early treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD) affords an opportunity to forestall
      clinical progression. Levodopa is the most effective treatment for PD motor signs
      and symptoms, but its use is associated with the development of motor
      fluctuations and dyskinesias. Because of this, levodopa use is commonly withheld
      until the patient experiences functional disability. Other medications are
      available for the treatment of early PD and can be initiated at or near the time
      of diagnosis. Monoamine oxidase type B (MAO-B) inhibitors provide mild
      symptomatic benefit, delay the need for levodopa, are very well tolerated, and
      may provide long-term disease-modifying effects. Dopamine agonists provide
      moderate symptomatic benefit, delay the need for levodopa, and cause fewer motor
      complications than levodopa. Compared with levodopa, however, dopamine agonists
      cause more somnolence and sudden-onset sleep as well as impulse control
      disorders. The treatment of early PD depends in part on the individual patient's
      anticipated risk of side effects and the degree of motor improvement required.
      Physicians should also consider the early use of MAO-B inhibitors in light of
      their very good tolerability and the recent evidence suggesting long-term disease
      modifying effects.

PMID- 20297872
TI  - Early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease: recommendations from diagnostic clinical
      guidelines.
AB  - Therapeutic options for Parkinson's disease (PD) are currently limited to
      symptomatic agents. Levodopa is the most efficacious treatment; however, higher
      doses and long-term use are associated with adverse effects such as motor
      fluctuations and dyskinesia. Early treatment of PD with other agents such as
      dopamine agonists and monoamine oxidase type B inhibitors can provide symptomatic
      benefit and delay initiation of levodopa therapy. Early treatment of PD is
      contingent upon early and accurate diagnosis of the disease, which can be
      challenging because there are no biomarkers or neuroimaging or other clinical
      tests available to confirm the diagnosis. PD diagnosis is currently based on the
      presence or absence of various clinical features and the experience of the
      treating physician. A definitive diagnosis can be made only after autopsy.
      Moreover, the signs and symptoms present in early PD can resemble those of a
      number of other movement disorders, particularly other forms of parkinsonism,
      such as multiple system atrophy, drug-induced parkinsonism, and vascular
      parkinsonism, as well as diffuse Lewy body disease and essential tremor.
      Nevertheless, diagnosis of PD based on clinical features and response to
      antiparkinsonian medication can be achieved with a fairly high level of accuracy,
      particularly when made by a physician specializing in movement disorders. This
      article reviews and summarizes published recommendations for the clinical
      diagnosis of PD.

PMID- 20297873
TI  - The clinical and economic burden of anemia.
AB  - Anemia is a prevalent condition that goes underrecognized and undertreated, yet
      still carries substantial costs for payers and is a burden on the health and
      quality of life of those diagnosed. Clinicians should recognize anemia of chronic
      diseases, such as cancer, chronic kidney disease, and human immunodeficiency
      virus infection, as a surrogate for more severe illness. Because of its
      prevalence and the health consequences associated with anemia, better detection
      and response is needed in vulnerable patient populations. Clinicians need to be
      more cognizant of the symptoms of anemia and more vigilant in its treatment to
      ensure better outcomes both clinically and financially.

PMID- 20297874
TI  - The role of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents in the treatment of anemia.
AB  - For those affected by anemia, receiving the proper treatment can improve quality
      of life. The most common treatment is erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs),
      which can provide significant improvements in health-related quality of life for
      those who have anemia and comorbidities of either cancer, human immunodeficiency
      virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or chronic kidney disease. But the
      guidelines associated with ESAs can cause confusion for those tasked with
      prescribing them, so it is imperative that clinicians be more cognizant of the
      treatment recommendations for different patient populations to make the proper
      treatment decisions. With the multiple safety issues involved in administering
      ESAs, our institution prefers to err on the side of caution until these concerns
      are resolved.

PMID- 20297875
TI  - Evolving regulatory landscape with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents and impact
      on managed care.
AB  - Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) are a very effective treatment for
      reducing the need for transfusions in patients affected by anemia and either
      chronic kidney disease (CKD) or cancer. However, many clinicians remain wary of
      its use due to safety concerns. It has been shown that higher doses are
      associated with cardiovascular disease, stroke, or death. These concerns have
      spurred the US Food and Drug Administration to order Risk Evaluation and
      Mitigation Strategies (REMS) for clinicians prescribing ESAs to their patients.
      REMS are a method to ensure safety and provide clinicians and patients with an
      appropriate gauge of the risks and benefits associated with the administration of
      ESAs. Whether this restricts its use or lowers costs remains to be determined.

PMID- 20297876
TI  - Early management of osteoarthritis.
AB  - Osteoarthritis (OA) is highly prevalent and increasing in frequency; the number
      of patients with OA has increased by nearly 30% over the past 10 years. The
      primary symptom of OA is pain. Pain and other symptoms of OA may have a profound
      effect on quality of life (QOL), affecting both physical function and
      psychological parameters. The economic costs of OA are high, and include those
      related to treatment, those for individuals and their families who must adapt
      their lives and homes to the disease, and those due to lost work productivity.
      These considerable humanistic and economic burdens of OA provide motivation for
      early identification and treatment. Early diagnosis is assisted by knowledge of
      risk factors. Classification criteria for OA of the hand, hip, and knee developed
      by the American College of Rheumatology assist in diagnosis. The European League
      Against Rheumatism has developed an elaborate system for diagnosis of OA of the
      hand. Several societies have developed therapeutic guidelines, with general
      overall agreement between publications. Therapy of OA is multimodal and requires
      a combination of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatments.

PMID- 20297877
TI  - The role of acetaminophen in the treatment of osteoarthritis.
AB  - The major clinical guidelines recommend the use of acetaminophen (acetyl-para
      aminophenol [APAP]) for the treatment of mild-to-moderate symptoms of
      osteoarthritis (OA) and only recommend the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory
      drugs (NSAIDs) after APAP failure. This recommendation is based on the efficacy
      of APAP in treating OA and its relatively benign side-effect profile compared
      with NSAIDs. NSAIDs are associated with a high risk of adverse events,
      particularly those of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. A large number of studies
      in OA have compared APAP with a variety of selective and nonselective NSAIDs and
      typically found greater efficacy with NSAIDs. This advantage, however, is mainly
      the result of increased efficacy in patients with more severe disease, and is
      viewed as a relatively small analgesic advantage in some studies and meta
      analyses. Many of these same studies have reported little or no difference in
      safety between APAP and NSAIDs, but these results are typically based on short
      term studies. Results from meta-analyses on the safety of NSAIDs almost
      unanimously confirm elevated risk of GI complications. The analgesic mechanism of
      APAP is still not well understood. However, the notion that APAP has no anti
      inflammatory effect has been challenged in recent years with increasing data that
      suggest it may have an effect on inflammation distinct from that seen with
      NSAIDs. A variety of mechanistic hypotheses have been proposed.

PMID- 20297878
TI  - Treating to target: implementing an effective diabetes care paradigm for managed
      care.

PMID- 20297879
TI  - A survey of Canadian group psychotherapy association members' perceptions of
      psychotherapy research.
AB  - The present study reports on the findings of a Canadian survey of group
      therapists. The survey was conducted to solicit their perspectives of
      psychotherapy research. The goal of the survey was to identify topics and issues
      that were important to group therapists. Findings from the survey suggest that
      group therapists are interested in research, perhaps more than one might expect.
      However, respondents identified a number of factors that limit the appeal of
      research or impede the integration of research findings into practice. Several
      suggestions were offered for future research and for methods of communicating the
      findings of research to clinicians. The survey findings call for improved
      communication and collaboration between researchers and clinicians in order to
      achieve a more meaningful integration of science and practice in the group
      therapy field.

PMID- 20297880
TI  - Bridging the practitioner-scientist gap in group psychotherapy research.
AB  - Bridging the practitioner-scientist gap requires a different clinical research
      paradigm: participatory research that encourages community agency-academic
      partnerships. In this context, clinicians help define priorities, determine the
      type of evidence that will have an impact on their practice (affecting the
      methods that are used to produce the evidence), and develop strategies for
      translating, implementing, and disseminating their findings into evidence-based
      practice. Within this paradigm, different roles are assumed by the partners, and
      sometimes these roles are blended. This paper will consider the perspectives of
      people who assume these different roles (clinician, researcher, and clinician
      researcher) with group psychotherapy as the specific focus. Finally, the
      establishment of a practice-research network will be discussed as a potentially
      promising way to better engage group therapists in research.

PMID- 20297881
TI  - Patient selection for psychodynamic group psychotherapy: practical and dynamic
      considerations.
AB  - Most group therapists rely on clinical interviews to screen prospective group
      members' suitability for long-term, open-ended, psychodynamically oriented group
      therapy. Faulty selection is detrimental to everyone involved and can even lead
      to the demise of the group. In order to avoid, or at least significantly limit,
      premature terminations or problematic mismatches between a patient and the rest
      of the group, pre-group screening needs to examine reality factors, resistance,
      ambivalence, and their interplay. Therapists need to be aware of
      countertransferential pressures that affect the screening process. The careful
      exploration of six specific areas during the clinical interview process increases
      the likelihood of optimal patient selection and participation. A selective
      literature review and clinical examples are provided.

PMID- 20297882
TI  - Groups for children and adolescents with trauma-related symptoms: outcomes and
      processes.
AB  - The study was conducted in Israel following the 2006 Lebanon war. The purpose was
      to examine the impact of counseling groups employing an expressive-supportive
      modality on children and adolescents with war-related or divorce/loss-related
      trauma symptoms. The 164 children were placed into 18 small groups for 10 weekly
      sessions. The children were screened for traumatic stress symptoms and then
      randomly divided into experimental and control (wait-list) conditions. All
      participants completed the measures of the dependent variables (trauma symptoms,
      anxiety), a social support measure, and group-process measures (group
      relationships, group cohesion, and catharsis). Results indicated a significantly
      sharper reduction in trauma symptoms and anxiety in the experimental group than
      in the control group, regardless of type of trauma. A reduction in anxiety was
      predicted by gains in social support and group cohesiveness.

PMID- 20297883
TI  - Structure and initial validation of a short form of the therapeutic factors
      inventory.
AB  - This study examined the factor structure and validity of the Therapeutic Factors
      Inventory-Short Form (TFI-S), a measure originally developed to assess Yalom's
      eleven conceptually derived therapeutic factors. Patients in a group-oriented day
      treatment program (n = 174) completed the TFI-S and other measures to assess
      concurrent and predictive validity. Four broad therapeutic factors were
      identified: Instillation of Hope, Secure Emotional Expression, Awareness of
      Interpersonal Impact, and Social Learning. Alpha coefficients ranged from .71 to
      .91. Significant correlations between the TFI-S factors and Group Climate
      Questionnaire subscales provided preliminary evidence for the concurrent validity
      of the TFI S. Significant relationships were also identified between the TFI-S
      factors and improvement in symptoms, quality of life, and interpersonal distress
      at the end of treatment, suggesting that the TFI-S may have predictive validity.

PMID- 20297884
TI  - The mystery and the magic of the group: what happens here that happens nowhere
      else.

PMID- 20297886
TI  - Richard Billow's "modes of therapeutic engagement: part I: diplomacy and
      integrity and part II: sincerity and authenticity".

PMID- 20297885
TI  - Reflections on practitioner-researcher collaborative inquiry.
AB  - We offer comments regarding two articles in this issue, one titled "Bridging the
      Practitioner-Scientist Gap in Group Psychotherapy Research" and a complementary
      article providing the results of a survey, entitled "A Survey of Canadian Group
      Psychotherapist Association Members' Perceptions of Psychotherapy Research." We
      also make several recommendations for collaborative research between
      practitioners and scientists, such as the inclusion of clinicians on the research
      team, practice research networks, and improved approaches to communicating
      clinically relevant research findings. Also discussed are reflections and
      recommendations from the authors' experience as scientist-practitioners.

PMID- 20297887
TI  - Sex and psychodynamic psychiatry: selected topics. Editors' introduction.

PMID- 20297888
TI  - The co-evolution of sexual desire, narcissistic vulnerability, and adaptations
      for reproductive advantage.
AB  - According to evolutionary psychologists humans possess a variety of "sexual
      ornaments," physical as well as psychological traits that have evolved as
      adaptations for reproductive advantage. These sexual ornaments serve as sexually
      selected indicators of fitness that are automatically assessed, inspire
      attentional adhesion, and evoke sexual desire in those searching for a mate. Mate
      choice is therefore determined by the relative presence or absence of these
      sexually selected indicators of fitness in comparison to the competition. Mate
      value of self and others is assessed through social comparison according to these
      sexually selected indicators of fitness. Narcissistic equilibrium is to a
      significant extent regulated by one's self-perceived survival and reproductive
      fitness. Implications for psychoanalytic theory of concepts and research findings
      from the field of evolutionary psychology are discussed.

PMID- 20297889
TI  - Psychodynamics of hypersexuality in children and adolescents with bipolar
      disorder.
AB  - It has recently become evident that bipolar disorder exists in children and
      adolescents. The criteria for making the diagnosis of juvenile bipolar disorder
      (JBD) are in the process of being proposed for the fifth edition of the
      Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-V). In adults, a criterion for bipolar
      disorder is excessive involvement in pleasurable activities including
      hypersexuality. Recently, some clinicians and researchers have suggested that
      hypersexuality be included as a criterion for JBD as well. Although abnormal
      sexuality has been reported to be present in some youth thought to have JBD, the
      reason for this association is not yet clear. Hypersexuality may be primary and
      intrinsic to bipolar disorder in youth, secondary and associated with it as the
      result of psychosocial influences or psychodynamic factors, or due to general
      aggression and disruptive behavior. Not only have developmental psychosocial
      factors that may influence sexuality in children and adolescence not been fully
      investigated, but psychodynamic influences have been omitted from modern
      etiological constructs as well. This report discusses the importance of
      psychosocial and psychodynamic influences on the sexual experience and activity
      of bipolar children. It is proposed that a developmental, psychodynamically
      informed model is helpful in understanding sexuality in children and adolescents
      with bipolar disorder. It is also suggested that assessment of psychosocial and
      psychodynamic influences on the sexuality of bipolar children is necessary in
      order to adequately assess whether hypersexuality should be a criterion of
      bipolar disorder in youth.

PMID- 20297890
TI  - Understanding and treating infertility: psychoanalytic considerations.
AB  - This article describes how the intrapsychic, psychosocial, and social
      ramifications of infertility may be addressed when infertility patients present
      with distress at the psychotherapist's office. Self psychology provides a
      valuable framework for the therapist, given the profound and multiple
      narcissistic assaults on self-esteem, consolidation of identity, developmental
      aspirations, and other self attributes which infertility causes. The therapist's
      empathy becomes the primary tool of both understanding and alleviating suffering
      resulting from infertility. The current medical and interpersonal experiences of
      the infertile person must be part of the therapeutic process. A psychodynamic
      model of treatment is outlined which includes goals of reestablishing
      narcissistic equilibrium, diminishing internalized stigma, and ameliorating other
      adverse psychological consequences of infertility diagnosis and treatment.

PMID- 20297891
TI  - The menstrual cycle as a subject of psychoanalytic inquiry.
AB  - Since the pioneering studies of Benedek and Rubenstein (1939) psychoanalytic
      literature has ignored the impact of the menstrual cycle on a woman's psyche.
      This avoidance is based in sexism and concern over the ways in which the hormonal
      body has been used to support a negative view of women. It is clear that the
      impact of the hormonal body on the psyche is an important and relevant topic for
      psychoanalytic inquiry. Many women experience several different self-states
      during the course of their menstrual cycle. Clinicians should ask questions about
      menstrual experience to help patients contact, articulate, and give credence to
      all aspects of the self.

PMID- 20297892
TI  - Menopause, depression, and loss of sexual desire: a psychodynamic contribution.
AB  - Menopause is a phase of life during which physiological and psychological
      symptoms may occur. Most women traverse the menopausal transition without
      significant morbidity. The descriptive literature on menopause indicates that the
      nature of psychological and physical morbidity is a function of a variety of bio
      psychosocial influences. There are distinct subgroups of women who are more
      likely to become symptomatic during this phase. Rosemary Basson has
      reconceptualized the female sexual response cycle. Her model allows the clinician
      to better understand and treat the reciprocal, interacting influences of
      depression, menopausal changes, and decreases in sexual desire on sexual
      functioning. Psychodynamic theories about menopause have moved away from the
      early models which predicted a universally negative experience. It is now
      believed that past psychological and medical problems, trauma, and the quality of
      interpersonal relationships are important predictors for the development of
      symptoms. Psychodynamic psychotherapy, in conjunction with psychoeducation,
      pharmacotherapy and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may all be helpful in the
      treatment of symptoms.

PMID- 20297893
TI  - Denial of pregnancy: a psychodynamic paradigm.
AB  - This article discusses denial of pregnancy. It includes clinical material from 17
      women who not only denied pregnancy but committed neonaticide and were evaluated
      for forensic reasons. The forensic issues have been discussed elsewhere and are
      not considered here. The literature on denial of pregnancy taken in conjunction
      with the clinical profiles presented here indicates that women who deny pregnancy
      tend to experience dissociative psychopathology. Not all pregnant women who
      dissociate deny pregnancy, however. This article discusses why some women who
      dissociate but not all develop the dramatic symptom-denial of pregnancy.

PMID- 20297894
TI  - Sexual sadism: a portrait of evil.
AB  - Sexual sadism has been defined ambiguously in the DSM to include both
      preoccupation with sadistic sexual fantasies and the acting out of such fantasies
      (with resultant harm or death to the victims). Ideally, the term should be used
      only for persons in whom such fantasies are acted out in actual behavior. Almost
      all such persons will be men. There is an overlap between the psychiatric
      diagnosis of sexual sadism (as behavior) and the concept of evil as the word is
      used in everyday parlance. The word evil is evoked generally when one comes to
      learn of (or witness) violent actions of such a nature as to horrify, shock, and
      disgust us. Evil corresponds, that is, to an emotional reaction when confronted
      with acts of a particularly horrifying and repugnant type. Violent sexual crimes
      involving torture of the victim are particularly likely to elicit this response.
      A common examplar of sexual sadism is the serial killer who experiences orgasm
      when murdering his victim. Sadistic sexual fantasies are noted in certain
      adolescents. In some of these the fantasies serves rehearsal for future sadistic
      sexual acts, especially in adolescents with callous-unemotional personality (who
      often emerge in adult life as psychopaths). Whereas therapy would usually fail
      even if such adolescents were brought to treatment early, there are others who
      experience sadistic sexual fantasies, but for whom these fantasies are ego-alien
      and disturbing. Patients of the latter type may be amenable to dynamic
      psychotherapy.

PMID- 20297895
TI  - Is love curative?
AB  - This article explores the phenomenon of love in the therapeutic relationship and
      its role as a curative factor. Since Freud's (1915) description of transference
      love, a major goal of treatment is to understand its developmental antecedents.
      Most analysts agree that transference love is no different than ordinary love,
      except that it is overdetermined and requires the patient to view it as
      simultaneously real and illusory without reciprocity from the analyst.
      Nontransferential, realistic elements of the therapeutic relationship also play
      an important role in treatment. An important outgrowth of the therapeutic process
      is the development of a new object relationship between analyst and patient. This
      special or transformative friendship is a new object relationship characterized
      by genuine feelings of mutual respect, trust, caring, and even love. It
      facilitates the patient's capacity to form and maintain other loving
      relationships. Two case presentations are illustrative.

PMID- 20297896
TI  - Psychotherapy of bisexual men.
AB  - We discuss clinical aspects of male bisexuality from a psychodynamic perspective.
      Bisexuality appears to be an attribute of some but not all men. The factors
      leading some men to be bisexual, and others exclusively homosexual or
      heterosexual are not presently known. Although bisexuality itself is not
      pathological, the adaptational issues of men with major psychiatric disorders who
      are also bisexual may be complex.

PMID- 20297897
TI  - Genital group B Streptococcus carrier rate and serotype distribution in Korean
      pregnant women: implications for group B streptococcal disease in Korean
      neonates.
AB  - AIMS: We investigated the genital group B streptococcus (GBS) carrier rate in
      Korean pregnant women and the serotype distribution in face of the recent
      increase of late-onset GBS disease in Korea. METHODS: GBS screening was performed
      on 4045 healthy pregnant women at 35-37 weeks' gestation. In case of positive GBS
      culture, serotyping was performed by using GBS typing antisera. RESULTS: When
      both vaginal and anorectal culture were performed, the GBS carrier rate was 10.0%
      (n=121/1205), which is the highest rate ever reported in Korea. Type III was more
      common (36%), and type Ia (13%) and Ib (7%) were less prevalent. CONCLUSIONS:
      Increased maternal genital GBS carrier rate and difference in serotype
      distribution pattern of GBS may be related to the recent increase of late-onset
      GBS disease in Korea.

PMID- 20297898
TI  - Outcomes of extremely low birth weight infants with varying doses and intervals
      of antenatal steroid exposure.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare outcomes of extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants
      exposed to no antenatal steroids (ANS); incomplete ANS and complete course of ANS
      at varying intervals prior to delivery. METHODS: A retrospective review was
      performed on 169 ELBW infants with ANS exposure at varied dose-intervals. The
      odds of mortality, intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and bronchopulmonary
      dysplasia (BPD) were compared between Group 1, infants born without ANS exposure,
      Group 2, infants born after one dose of ANS, Group 3, infants born after two
      doses of ANS given within a week, and Group 4, infants born after two doses of
      ANS >7 days prior to delivery. RESULTS: Mortality and IVH were significantly
      lower in Groups 3 (30% and 10%) and 4 (15% and 30%), compared to Groups 1 (56%
      and 69%) and 2 (56% and 38%). Increasing gestational age and exposure to complete
      course of ANS were significantly associated with decrease in mortality,
      BPD/mortality and IVH. Infants who received one dose of ANS had significantly
      lower incidence of severe IVH compared to infants without ANS exposure.
      CONCLUSIONS: Beneficial impact of ANS on mortality and composite BPD/mortality is
      evident only after a complete course and persists even with its administration
      beyond a week from delivery.

PMID- 20297899
TI  - Occult inflammation and/or ischemia may be responsible for the false positivity
      of biochemical Down syndrome screening test.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the possible underlying cause of a false-positive first
      or second trimester biochemical Down syndrome screening test result by means of
      second trimester amniotic fluid cytokine level analysis. METHODS: A total of 74
      consecutive patients undergoing amniocentesis for karyotype analysis at 16-20
      weeks' gestation were included in this prospective age-matched case-control
      study. The study group (n=38) had abnormal first or second trimester screening
      test results and normal karyotype results, while controls (n=36) included those
      admitted for genetic amniocentesis for other reasons who had normal first or
      second trimester screening test and normal karyotype results. Four markers
      [interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, and ischemia
      modified albumin (IMA)] were studied in amniotic fluid. RESULTS: The mean age of
      the women in the study and control groups was 34.0+/-5.6 and 33.6+/-7.2 years,
      respectively. The women in the study and control groups had similar clinical and
      laboratory characteristics. The mean amniotic fluid IL-6 (414.84+/-83.96 vs.
      343.02+/-110.59, p=0.002) and IL-8 (377.61+/-243.31 vs. 261.90+/-201.29,
      p=0.029), TNF-alpha (24.91+/-5.78 vs. 21.60+/-5.55, p=0.014), and IMA (1.19+/-
      0.10 vs. 1.05+/-0.12, p<0.001) values were significantly increased in the study
      group when compared to controls. CONCLUSION: The higher amniotic fluid cytokine
      and ischemia-modified albumin levels in patients with false-positive first or
      second trimester biochemical Down syndrome screening test may result from
      subclinical fetal membrane inflammation and/or ischemia.

PMID- 20297900
TI  - Clinical characteristics of nosocomial infections in neonatal intensive care unit
      in eastern China.
AB  - A retrospective cohort study on nosocomial infections (NI) in the neonatal
      intensive care unit (NICU) was performed in the Children's Hospital of Zhejiang
      University, Hangzhou district, China. The most common infection site was
      pneumonia and bloodstream infection. Low admission age, long NICU stay, and
      mechanical ventilation were significant risk factors for NI. Klebsiella
      pneumoniae was the most common pathogen, followed by Acinetobacter baumannii,
      Staphylococcus epidermidi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter cloacae, and
      Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. Antibiotic resistance of the isolated bacterium was
      high. In conclusion, this study described the clinical characteristics of NI in a
      Chinese NICU, which might contribute to implementation of more effective
      therapeutic and preventive strategies.

PMID- 20297901
TI  - Validation of a model to predict hospitalization due to RSV of infants born at 33
      35 weeks' gestation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A model to predict hospitalization due to respiratory syncytial virus
      (RSV) of infants born at 33- 35 weeks' gestation was developed using seven risk
      factors from the Spanish FLIP study "birth +/-10 weeks from the beginning of the
      RSV season", "birth weight", "breast fed <or=2 months", "number of siblings >or=2
      years", "number of family members with atopy", "number of family members with
      wheezing", and "gender". The aim of this study was to validate the model using
      French data. METHODS: The FLIP model [predictive accuracy 71%, receiver operating
      characteristic (ROC) 0.791] was tested against the French data (77 hospitalized
      infants with RSV born at 33-35 weeks and 154 age-matched controls) using
      discriminatory function analysis by applying the FLIP coefficients to the French
      data and by generating the seven variable model from the French data. RESULTS:
      Applying the FLIP coefficients to the French dataset, the model correctly
      classified 69% of cases (ROC 0.627). The predictive power increased to 73% (ROC
      0.654) when "number of siblings >or=2 years" was substituted for "number of
      children at school". The number needed to treat (NNT) in order to prevent 70% of
      hospitalizations was 18. The model derived using French data could correctly
      classify 62% of cases in the French data (ROC 0.658). CONCLUSIONS: The model was
      successfully validated and may potentially optimize immunoprophylaxis in French
      infants born at 33-35 week's gestation.

PMID- 20297902
TI  - Mammalian arylsulfatase A functions as a novel component of the extracellular
      matrix.
AB  - Inherited deficiency for arylsulfatase (Ars) leads to lysosomal storage of
      sulfated compounds and to serious diseases such as growth retardation, heart
      failure, and demyelination in the central nervous system. Ars has been regarded
      as a lysosomal enzyme because of its hydrolytic activity on synthetic aromatic
      substrates and the lysosomal localization of its enzymatic activity. We
      previously demonstrated that a large portion of the mammalian arylsulfatase A
      (ArsA) protein exists on the cell surface of vascular endothelial cells,
      suggesting that ArsA plays a role in the components of the extracellular matrix.
      Here we show that ArsA functions as a substrate on which cells adhere and form
      protrusions. Coating culture plates with recombinant mouse ArsA (rmArsA)
      stimulates adhesion of human microvascular endothelial cells to the plate
      followed by the formation of cell protrusions as well as lamellipodia. rmArsA
      affects the architecture of the cytoskeleton, with a high density of actin
      filaments localized to peripheral regions of the cells and the extension of
      bundles of microtubules into the tips of cellular protrusions. rmArsA also
      affects the distribution pattern of the cell adhesion-associated proteins,
      integrin alpha2beta1, and paxillin. rmArsA seems to modulate signaling of basic
      fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) stimulating cytoskeletal rearrangement. We also
      show that rmArsA tightly binds to sulfated polysaccharides. We suggest that
      mammalian ArsA plays a role as a novel component of the extracellular matrix.
      This viewpoint of Ars could be very useful for clarifying the mechanisms
      underpinning syndromes caused by the deficiency of the function of Ars genes.

PMID- 20297907
TI  - Journal of Visual Communication in Medicine. Editorial.

PMID- 20297903
TI  - Development of a decellularized lung bioreactor system for bioengineering the
      lung: the matrix reloaded.
AB  - We developed a decellularized murine lung matrix bioreactor system that could be
      used to evaluate the potential of stem cells to regenerate lung tissue. Lungs
      from 2-3-month-old C57BL/6 female mice were excised en bloc with the trachea and
      heart, and decellularized with sequential solutions of distilled water,
      detergents, NaCl, and porcine pancreatic DNase. The remaining matrix was
      cannulated and suspended in small airway growth medium, attached to a ventilator
      to simulate normal, murine breathing-induced stretch. After 7 days in an
      incubator, lung matrices were analyzed histologically. Scanning electron
      microscopy and histochemical staining demonstrated that the pulmonary matrix was
      intact and that the geographic placement of the proximal and distal airways,
      alveoli and vessels, and the basement membrane of these structures all remained
      intact. Decellularization was confirmed by the absence of nuclear 4',6-diamidino
      2-phenylindole staining and negative polymerase chain reaction for genomic DNA.
      Collagen content was maintained at normal levels. Elastin, laminin, and
      glycosaminglycans were also present, although at lower levels compared to
      nondecellularized lungs. The decellularized lung matrix bioreactor was capable of
      supporting growth of fetal alveolar type II cells. Analysis of day 7 cryosections
      of fetal-cell-injected lung matrices showed pro-Sp-C, cytokeratin 18, and 4',6
      diamidino-2-phenylindole-positive cells lining alveolar areas that appeared to be
      attached to the matrix. These data illustrate the potential of using
      decellularized lungs as a natural three-dimensional bioengineering matrix as well
      as provide a model for the study of lung regeneration from pulmonary stem cells.

PMID- 20297908
TI  - Augmented reality for anatomical education.
AB  - The use of Virtual Environments has been widely reported as a method of teaching
      anatomy. Generally such environments only convey the shape of the anatomy to the
      student. We present the Bangor Augmented Reality Education Tool for Anatomy
      (BARETA), a system that combines Augmented Reality (AR) technology with models
      produced using Rapid Prototyping (RP) technology, to provide the student with
      stimulation for touch as well as sight. The principal aims of this work were to
      provide an interface more intuitive than a mouse and keyboard, and to evaluate
      such a system as a viable supplement to traditional cadaver based education.

PMID- 20297909
TI  - The strategic value of user experience.

PMID- 20297912
TI  - Extracorporeal photopheresis.

PMID- 20297904
TI  - Microneedle-based drug delivery systems: microfabrication, drug delivery, and
      safety.
AB  - Many promising therapeutic agents are limited by their inability to reach the
      systemic circulation, due to the excellent barrier properties of biological
      membranes, such as the stratum corneum (SC) of the skin or the sclera/cornea of
      the eye and others. The outermost layer of the skin, the SC, is the principal
      barrier to topically-applied medications. The intact SC thus provides the main
      barrier to exogenous substances, including drugs. Only drugs with very specific
      physicochemical properties (molecular weight < 500 Da, adequate lipophilicity,
      and low melting point) can be successfully administered transdermally.
      Transdermal delivery of hydrophilic drugs and macromolecular agents of interest,
      including peptides, DNA, and small interfering RNA is problematic. Therefore,
      facilitation of drug penetration through the SC may involve by-pass or reversible
      disruption of SC molecular architecture. Microneedles (MNs), when used to
      puncture skin, will by-pass the SC and create transient aqueous transport
      pathways of micron dimensions and enhance the transdermal permeability. These
      micropores are orders of magnitude larger than molecular dimensions, and,
      therefore, should readily permit the transport of hydrophilic macromolecules.
      Various strategies have been employed by many research groups and pharmaceutical
      companies worldwide, for the fabrication of MNs. This review details various
      types of MNs, fabrication methods and, importantly, investigations of clinical
      safety of MN.

PMID- 20297913
TI  - What application for what job?

PMID- 20297914
TI  - The Panther Pixy video jib.

PMID- 20297915
TI  - Team based review and reflection.

PMID- 20297918
TI  - Clinical photography: science or art?

PMID- 20297920
TI  - Establishment and characterization of a fibroblast line from landrace.
AB  - Up to 32 Landrace ear marginal tissue samples were used for establishing a
      fibroblast cell bank by the means of primary explantation and cryopreservation.
      Biological analysis suggested that the Population Doubling Time (PDT) of the cell
      line was approximately 24h. The diploid accounted for 97.2% of the whole
      population; isozyme analysis of Lactic Dehydrogenase (LDH) and Malic
      Dehydrogenase(MDH) disproved cross-contamination from other cell lines. The
      results of bacterium, fungus, virus and mycoplasma tests were all negative. The
      transfection rates of three fluorescent proteins were high, indicating that the
      exogenous genes could be effectively expressed in the cells. It had not only
      preserved the precious germplasm resource of the Landrace on the cell level but
      also provided valuable material for the researches of genomics, postgenomics,
      somatic cloning and so on.

PMID- 20297919
TI  - Immunosuppressive effects of triclosan, nonylphenol, and DDT on human natural
      killer cells in vitro.
AB  - Human natural killer (NK) cells are a first-line immune defense against tumor
      cells and virally-infected cells. If their function is impaired, it leaves an
      individual more susceptible to cancer development or viral infection. The ability
      of compounds that contaminate the environment to suppress the function of NK
      cells could contribute to the increased risk of cancer development. There are a
      wide spectrum of compounds that significantly contaminate water and food that are
      consumed by humans, leading to accumulation of some of these compounds in human
      tissues. In the current study, we examined the ability of three such compounds to
      diminish the function of human NK cells. Triclosan (TC) is an antimicrobial agent
      used in a large number of antibacterial soaps. Nonylphenol (NP) is a degradation
      product of compounds used as surfactants and as stabilizers in plastics. 4,4'
      Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) is a pesticide that is mainly used to
      control mosquitoes. The compounds were examined for their ability to suppress NK
      function following exposures of 1 h, 24 h, 48 h, and 6 days. Each agent was able
      to substantially decrease NK lytic function within 24 h. At a concentration of 5
      microM, both TC and NP inhibited NK lytic function by 87 and 30%, respectively;
      DDT decreased function by 55% at 2.5 microM. The negative effects of each of
      these compounds persisted and/or intensified following a brief (1 h) exposure to
      the compounds, indicating that the impairment of function cannot be eliminated by
      removal of the compound under in vitro conditions.

PMID- 20297921
TI  - Pretreatment with hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers protect isolated rat heart
      from myocardial infarction.
AB  - This study was designed to investigate whether polymerized human placenta
      hemoglobin (PolyPHb) pretreatment provided protection to the heart after
      ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. After 10-min basal perfusion, isolated Sprague
      Dawley rat hearts were pretreated with 0.1 gHb/dL PolyPHb and subjected to I/R
      injury. PolyPHb pretreatment greatly reduced the decreases in left ventricular
      developed pressure (LVDP), maximum LVDP increase and decrease rate (+/-dp/dt),
      and the increase in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) as compared
      to the control group. Moreover, the myocardial infarction and troponin-I release
      were significantly reduced in the pre-HBOCs group. Therefore, PolyPHb
      pretreatment was protective to the isolated I/R heart.

PMID- 20297922
TI  - Fiber optical spatial filter anemometry--intravital measurement of red blood flow
      velocity (RBCV) in the microcirculation.
AB  - The fiberoptical spatial filter anemometry (SFA) is a common technique based on
      an optical grid to measure the velocity of corpuscular components in a multiphase
      flow, e.g. in the microvessels. The technical innovation is the analysis of flow
      velocities using an optical grid sensor and frequency analysis by Fast Fourier
      Transformation (FFT). This study describes a non-invasive, on-line technique to
      measure RBCV in the microcirculation. The sensor's validity was proven by in
      vitro measurements using a rotation disk of an exactly defined velocity with a
      correlation coefficient of 0.99967. For validation of RBCV measurements in the
      microcirculation in vivo, the setup was adapted to an intravital microscope. RBCV
      was measured in arterioles, capillaries, and postcapillary venules ranging from 8
      140 microm diameter. As reference method for velocity measurements a computer
      assisted imaging system was used to measure the RBC-velocity in the identical
      vessels by frame to frame analysis. Both methods revealed a high significant
      correlation using transillumination technique for capillaries (r=0.986, p<0.001)
      and venules (r=0.952, p<0.001) as well as epiillumination technique (capillaries
      r=0.939, venules r=0.975, p<0.001).

PMID- 20297923
TI  - Utility of the carboxylesterase inhibitor bis-para-nitrophenylphosphate (BNPP) in
      the plasma unbound fraction determination for a hydrolytically unstable amide
      derivative and agonist of the TGR5 receptor.
AB  - The potent, functional agonist of the bile acid Takeda G-protein-coupled receptor
      5 (TGR5), (S)-1-(6-fluoro-2-methyl-3,4-dihydroquinolin-1(2H)-yl)-2-(isoquinolin-5
      yloxy)ethanone (3), represents a useful tool to probe in vivo TGR5 pharmacology.
      Rapid degradation of 3 in both rat and mouse plasma, however, hindered the
      conduct of in vivo pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic investigations (including
      plasma-free fraction (f(u plasma)) determination) in rodent models of
      pharmacology. Studies were therefore initiated to understand the biochemical
      basis for plasma instability so that appropriate methodology could be implemented
      in in vivo pharmacology studies to prevent the breakdown of 3. Compound 3
      underwent amide bond cleavage in both rat and mouse plasma with half-lives
      (T(1/2)) of 39 + or - 7 and 9.9 + or - 0.1 min. bis(p-nitrophenyl) phosphate
      (BNPP), a specific inhibitor of carboxylesterases, was found to inhibit
      hydrolytic cleavage in a time- and concentration-dependent manner, which
      suggested the involvement of carboxylesterases in the metabolism of 3. In
      contrast with the findings in rodents, 3 was resistant to hydrolytic cleavage in
      both dog and human plasma. The instability of 3 was also observed in rat and
      mouse liver microsomes. beta-Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, reduced
      form (NADPH)-dependent metabolism of 3 occurred more rapidly (T(1/2)
      approximately 2.22-6.4 min) compared with the metabolic component observed in the
      absence of the co-factor (T(1/2) approximately 89-130 min). Oxidative metabolism
      dominated the NADPH-dependent decline of 3, whereas NADPH-independent metabolism
      of 3 proceeded via simple amide bond hydrolysis. Compound 3 was highly bound
      (approximately 95%) to both dog and human plasmas. Rat and mouse plasma, pre
      treated with BNPP to inhibit carboxylesterases activity, were used to determine
      the f(u plasma) of 3. A BNPP concentration of 500 microM was determined to be
      optimal for these studies. Higher BNPP concentrations (1000 microM) appeared to
      displace 3 from its plasma protein-binding sites in preclinical species and
      human. Under the conditions of carboxylesterases-inhibited rat and mouse plasma,
      the level of protein binding displayed by 3 was similar to those observed in dog
      and human. In conclusion, a novel system has been devised to measure f(u plasma)
      for a plasma-labile compound. The BNPP methodology can be potentially applied to
      stabilize hydrolytic cleavage of structurally diverse carboxylesterase substrates
      in the plasma (and other tissue), thereby allowing the characterization of
      pharmacology studies on plasma-labile compounds if and when they emerge as hits
      in exploratory drug-discovery programmes.

PMID- 20297924
TI  - Guideline recommendations for long-term treatment of depression with
      antidepressants in primary care--a critical review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Long-term treatment with antidepressants is considered effective in
      preventing recurrence of major depressive disorder (MDD). It is unclear whether
      this is true for primary care. OBJECTIVES: We investigated whether current
      guideline recommendations for long-term treatment with antidepressants in primary
      care are supported by evidence from primary care. METHODS: Data sources for
      studies on antidepressants: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, PsycInfo, Cinahl,
      articles from reference lists, cited reference search. SELECTION CRITERIA: adults
      in primary care, continuation or maintenance treatment with antidepressants, with
      outcome relapse or recurrence, (randomized controlled) trial/naturalistic
      study/review. LIMITS: published before October 2009 in English. RESULTS: Thirteen
      depression guidelines were collected. These guidelines recommend continuation
      treatment with antidepressants after remission for all patients including
      patients from primary care, and maintenance treatment for those at high risk of
      recurrence. Recommendations vary for duration of treatment and definitions of
      high risk. We screened 804 literature records (title, abstract), and considered
      27 full-text articles. Only two studies performed in primary care addressed the
      efficacy of antidepressants in the long-term treatment of recurrent MDD. A double
      blind RCT comparing mirtazapine (n = 99) and paroxetine (n = 98) prescribed for
      24 weeks reported that in both groups 2 patients relapsed. An open study of 1031
      patients receiving sertraline for 24 weeks, who were naturalistically followed-up
      for up to two years, revealed that adherent patients had a longer mean time to
      relapse. CONCLUSIONS: No RCTs addressing the efficacy of maintenance treatment
      with antidepressants as compared to placebo were performed in primary care.
      Recommendations on maintenance treatment with antidepressants in primary care
      cannot be considered evidence-based.

PMID- 20297925
TI  - Central nervous system tuberculomas in 23 patients.
AB  - Central nervous system tuberculomas are rare and severe complications of
      tuberculosis. We performed a retrospective study of the clinical, biological,
      radiological, pathological, and therapeutic features of 23 patients. Almost all
      patients were from countries with a high prevalence of tuberculosis (22/23).
      Their mean age was 37.3 y; 43.5% had laboratory-proven meningitis and 17.4% had
      biopsy-proven tuberculomas. For most of the patients, the duration of treatment
      lasted 13-18 months. The disease was controlled without relapse in 16 patients
      and 3 patients died. Diagnosis relies on magnetic resonance imaging and
      bacteriological specimens from all the involved sites. This study indicates that
      central nervous system tuberculomas occur in young patients from high risk
      countries. The anti-tuberculous drug regimen in this series was 2 months of
      isoniazid, rifampin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol, followed by at least 10 months
      of isoniazid and rifampin. Results did not contradict the use of a 12-month
      regimen as currently recommended.

PMID- 20297926
TI  - Lack of hygiene routines among patients and family members at patient hotels--a
      possible route for transmitting puerperal fever.
AB  - The use of patient hotels for ambulatory care of women with uncomplicated
      deliveries has become a routine in Sweden. This report describes a minor outbreak
      of a group A Streptococcus strain in 2 newly delivered mothers and their newborn
      babies at a patient hotel.

PMID- 20297927
TI  - Imported melioidosis in Danish travellers: a diagnostic challenge.
AB  - Infections with Burkholderia pseudomallei (melioidosis) are rare events in
      Scandinavian countries, but the bacterium may be contracted during travel to
      endemic areas, i.e. Southeast Asia (especially Thailand) and northern Australia.
      Here, 5 travel-related cases occurring within the last 3 y in Denmark are
      reported, with particular emphasis on diagnostic and therapeutic challenges posed
      to health staff with little experience in the management of melioidosis. A newly
      developed B. pseudomallei-specific polymerase chain reaction test was applied and
      was able to correctly identify all isolates.

PMID- 20297928
TI  - Long-term follow-up of patients with posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional
      vertigo.
AB  - CONCLUSIONS: Recurrence of posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
      (PC-BPPV) developed in one-third of patients when followed for an average of 5
      years from diagnosis. History of head trauma and Meniere's disease contributed
      significantly to recurrence (p < 0.05). History of head trauma as an etiologic
      cause was more frequent in patients with recurrence of PC-BPPV. OBJECTIVES: To
      estimate recurrence in the long-term follow-up of patients with PC-BPPV after
      successful canalith repositioning maneuvers, and to determine which factors
      contribute to recurrence. METHODS: The charts of 118 patients with PC-BPPV were
      reviewed. Data of patients were recorded from the initial evaluation and
      treatment. Follow-up was performed at mean of 64 +/- 7.7 months after the initial
      phase. The Dix-Hallpike maneuver was performed for diagnosis, and all patients
      were treated by the canalith repositioning maneuver, which was repeated every 3
      days until the patients were symptom-free or results of the Dix-Hallpike maneuver
      were negative. RESULTS: At diagnosis, the most common etiology was idiopathic in
      55 patients (46.6%). Recurrence occurred in 39 of 118 patients (33.1%).
      Recurrence occurred within the first 2 years in 21 of the 39 patients (53.8%).
      History of head trauma was a more frequent finding in patients who developed
      recurrence (12 of 39, 30.8%).

PMID- 20297929
TI  - Acute idiopathic sensorineural hearing impairment at frequency exceeding 8 kHz.
AB  - CONCLUSIONS: Acute idiopathic sensorineural hearing impairment at a frequency
      exceeding 8 kHz (high-frequency range) was recognized in patients suffering from
      acute tinnitus without hearing loss. The cases in this study may contribute to
      clarifying the pathogenesis of tinnitus without hearing loss and evaluating its
      response to steroid therapy. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to demonstrate
      the existence of acute idiopathic sensorineural hearing impairment only in the
      high-frequency range and to investigate its relation to tinnitus without hearing
      loss. METHODS: Five patients aged 29 years or younger who consulted a hospital
      within a few days after the onset of unilateral tinnitus without hearing loss
      were studied. We conducted audiometry involving the high-frequency range on first
      medical examination and on improvement in tinnitus, and investigated the
      association between the hearing findings in the high-frequency range and a
      tinnitus prognosis. RESULTS: All five patients showed abnormalities in the
      threshold in the high-frequency range on the affected side. In the three cases
      given prednisolone, tinnitus and the threshold abnormalities were reduced within
      20 days. In contrast, tinnitus and the threshold abnormalities showed little
      change in two patients who were not treated.

PMID- 20297931
TI  - Flow cytometric assessment of glycoprotein movements in platelets.

PMID- 20297930
TI  - Cytokines, platelet production and hemostasis.
AB  - A number of hematopoietic growth factors and other cytokines are capable of
      altering platelet production and function. Enhancement of these processes may be
      exploited to ameliorate bleeding propensity in thrombocytopenic patients. Under
      certain circumstances, cytokines may have adverse effects on the hemostatic
      system, potentially involved in thrombogenesis and atherogenesis. Inhibition of
      those cytokines may prove to be a useful experimental approach to investigate
      their potential pathophysiologic role.

PMID- 20297932
TI  - Scott syndrome: an inherited defect of the procoagulant activity of platelets.
AB  - Anionic phospholipids, chiefly phosphatidylserine, are essential for the assembly
      of the characteristic enzyme complexes of the blood coagulation cascade at the
      surface of stimulated platelets and derived microparticles. In the resting cell,
      these phospholipids are sequestered in the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane.
      Scott syndrome is an extremely rare bleeding disorder that confirms the essential
      role of these anionic procoagulant phospholipids. In Scott patients,
      phosphatidylserine externalization and microparticle shedding are dramatically
      impaired. This functional deficiency is clearly evidenced by the measurement of
      residual prothrombin in serum. The recent detection of a familial Scott syndrome
      testifies to the genetic origin of the defect. Symptomatic Scott patients present
      provoked hemorrhages and are probably homozygous for the disorder whereas
      asymptomatic children are probably heterozygous. The Scott phenotype can be
      detected in platelets, red cells and lymphocytes by functional prothrombinase
      assay and flow cytometry. Intermediate degrees of phosphatidylserine exposure and
      vesiculation are observed in cells from the asymptomatic heterozygous offspring
      when compared to those from their homozygous defective parent and healthy
      subjects. The functional and molecular characterization of mutated element(s) in
      Scott syndrome should be of valuable help for the understanding of phospholipid
      transmembrane migration, also termed flip-flop, its possible links with membrane
      vesiculation, and the eventual implications in thrombotic or apoptotic processes.

PMID- 20297933
TI  - Abnormalities in platelet membrane structure and function in Alzheimer's disease
      and ischaemic stroke.

PMID- 20297934
TI  - Signal transduction in the platelet activation induced by IgG anti-streptokinase
      and anisoylated plasminogen-streptokinase activator complex.
AB  - Streptokinase (SK) is one of the plasminogen activators currently used in
      therapeutics. SK antibodies may appear in the blood after thrombolytic therapy
      with SK or after ss-hemolytic streptococci infection. Such antibodies may both
      activate platelets and neutralize the ability of SK to convert plasminogen into
      plasmin. We previously demonstrated that platelet activation induced by the
      combination of IgG anti-SK and anisoylated plasminogen-SK activator complex
      (APSAC) is mediated by Fgamma7RIIal receptor. However, the mechanism by which IgG
      anti-SK and APSAC (or SK) transduce an activating signal across the platelet
      plasma membrane remains unknown. We have demonstrated in the present study that
      the platelet aggregation induced by the combination of IgG anti-SK and APSAC is
      accompanied by an increase in inositol phosphate, Ca(2+) mobilization and
      thromboxane (Tx) A2 generation. Neomycin, erbstatin and GF 109203X, which inhibit
      phospholipase C (PLC), protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) and protein kinase C (PKC)
      activities, respectively, abolished platelet aggregation induced by IgG anti-SK
      plus APSAC, indicating the pivotal roles of the PLC, PTK and PKC pathways in this
      immunological activation. In addition, TxA2 generation is also important since
      aspirin, a cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor and SQ 29548, a TxA2 receptor antagonist,
      showed significant inhibition of the platelet response. The contribution of
      released ADP was confirmed using apyrase, which significantly inhibited IgG anti
      SK plus APSAC-induced platelet aggregation. Finally, WEB 2086, a platelet
      activating factor (PAF) receptor antagonist, was not effective, indicating that
      PAF is not involved in this process. APSAC- or SK-induced platelet activation may
      limit the therapeutic effectiveness of the drug and may contribute to the
      pathogenesis of early reocclusion. The study of the mechanism leading to APSAC
      induced platelet activation could be relevant for a better understanding of the
      physiopathology of immune complex disorder diseases and thrombolytic treatment
      failure.

PMID- 20297935
TI  - Differential formation of a bioactive antiaggregating substance (BAS) by layers
      of the vein wall.
AB  - Human umbilical veins were analyzed with and without endothelium in order to
      study the ability of endothelial cells and subendothelium to release a bioactive
      anti-aggregating substance (BAS: MW > 30kDa) independent of prostacyclin
      (PGI(2)). To evaluate the role of the subendothelium, the endothelial cells were
      removed by rubbing on filter paper for 1 min. We performed a histopathological
      study of the vessels using hematoxylin and eosine, and stained for elastic tissue
      fibers in order to confirm the presence of endothelium. The supernatant from
      incubated vascular rings was partially purified by Sephadex G-50 to rule out
      PGI(2). The void volume fractions were collected and the anti-aggregating
      activity was tested on platelet aggregation induced by arachidonic acid, ADP,
      collagen and epinephrine. We observed that the activity was taking place with the
      use of the intact endothelium while there was no activity in the denuded vein.
      These observations could help to explain the well known antithrombotic properties
      of vascular endothelium.

PMID- 20297936
TI  - Regulation of PAF-induced platelet responses by cyclic nucleotides.
AB  - The existence of cross-talk mechanisms between the cyclic nucleotide system and
      other transduction systems involved in PAF-activated platelets is described in
      this study. A protein of 125 kDa, identified as pp 125(FAK), is tyrosine
      phosphorylated by PAF in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. The presence
      of a cAMP- or a cGMP-elevating agent, used alone or in combination, together with
      PAF diminished tyrosine phosphorylation. The sensitivity to cAMP shown by PAF
      induced ppl25 phosphorylation on tyrosine residues was similar to PAF-induced
      phosphorylation of a 47-kDa protein (pp47) on serine and threonine. In contrast,
      the latter was not affected in the presence of a cGMP-elevating agent, although
      it was able to enhance synergistically the inhibitory effect of forskolin. Data
      reported herein also show that pp47 phosphorylation and serotonin secretion are
      not closely correlated. Accordingly, sodium nitroprusside (SNP) did not have any
      effect on phosphorylation of pp47, but it was able to inhibit serotonin secretion
      when added alone, and it showed a synergistic inhibitory action with forskolin.

PMID- 20297937
TI  - Persistence of low platelet adhesiveness in von Willebrand disease during
      pregnancy.
AB  - Platelet adhesiveness (PA) is a valuable measure of ex vivo platelet function. A
      low PA is a usual feature of von Willebrand disease (vWd). However, PA has rarely
      been measured during vWd pregnancies. The aim of this work was to observe the
      behaviour of PA in vWd pregnancies. PA was measured during pregnancy in 33 vWd
      patients. Intrapregnancy PA remained low without any significant variation
      compared with non-pregnancy values. Advanced gestation was not accompanied by any
      increase in PA in spite of the concomitant normalization showed by the other
      markers of vWd. A low intrapregnancy value was not predictive of an increased
      risk of bleeding at labour. A low PA could be the only clue for vWd during
      gestation warranting both a vigilant postpartum attitude and a thorough
      haemostatic evaluation after pregnancy.

PMID- 20297938
TI  - Soluble P-selectin assay: importance of correct anticoagulant choice.
AB  - P-selectin is stored preformed in the alpha-granules of platelets. Previous
      studies show ss-thromboglobulin, also stored in alpha-granules can be readily
      released from platelets during the processing of whole blood. This artefactual
      release was rectified by using combination of various anti-platelet and
      anticoagulant compounds placed in the collecting tube. We investigated the levels
      of sP-selectin from 40 volunteers, comparing two anticoagulants, tri-sodium
      citrate, CTAD (a mixture of sodium citrate and citric acid, theophylline,
      adenosine and dipyridamole) plus iloprost and serum. Iloprost, a stable
      prostacyclin analogue, is a potent anti-platelet agent. We found significantly
      lower levels of sP-selectin (P< 0.0001, paired t-test) measured from blood
      collected into CTAD and iloprost compared to levels measured from either citrated
      plasma or serum. We suggest that plasma levels obtained from the blood collected
      into a CTAD tube containing iloprost are likely to more accurately reflect the
      true levels of circulating sP-selectin than those obtained when test-tube
      activation of platelets is allowed to continue in vitro.

PMID- 20297939
TI  - Differential effects of native and oxidatively modified low-density lipoproteins
      on platelet function.
AB  - Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) have been various reported to induce platelet
      aggregation independently and/or sensitise platelets to other agonists. In these
      earlier studies the extent of oxidation of LDL was not always reported or
      addressed. We have now investigated the effects of native, minimally modified and
      fully oxidised LDL (0-1gapolipoproteinB(100)/l on platelet function using
      platelet aggregometry and fluorescence activated flow cytometry. Native LDL did
      not activate isolated platelets but inhibited ADP- and thrombin-induced
      aggregation of isolated platelets by 51 % in the presence or absence of added
      fibrinogen. Longer pre-incubations were required to produce a comparable
      inhibition by native LDL on platelets in plasma. Flow cytometric analysis showed
      that native LDL inhibited ADP-induced fibrinogen binding by up to 38%. In
      contrast, minimally modified LDL induced primary platelet aggregation and
      fibrinogen binding in the absence of other agonists, enhanced both submaximal (1
      2mumol/l) ADP-induced aggregation, fibrinogen binding and degranulation (CD63 and
      P-selectin expression). Fully oxidised LDL, however, inhibited ADP-induced
      platelet aggregation and fibrinogen binding. The effects of minimally modified
      LDL on platelet aggregation could be reproduced partially by adding 15
      hydroperoxy-eicosatetraenoic acid to native LDL. These data indicate that the
      extent of oxidation of LDL is critical in determining their effects on platelet
      function. Native LDL did not activate platelets, whilst minimally modified LDL
      exerted a pro-aggregatory effect, possibly due to the presence of lipid
      hydroperoxides near to the concentration range found in pathological states.

PMID- 20297940
TI  - The H(1)-histamine antagonist dithiaden inhibits human platelet function in
      vitro.
AB  - The H(1)-histamine receptor antagonist Dithaden(R) inhibited in a dose-dependent
      manner, human platelet aggregation in vitro that was induced with stimuli in the
      following rank order of potency: thrombin > A23187 > adrenaline > ADP. The
      aggregation of platelets in plasma induced with adrenaline was inhibited by
      Dithiaden (DIT) (both the first and the second phase) and the onset of the second
      phase was prolonged significantly. In a concentration-dependent manner DIT
      inhibited thrombin- and calcium ionophore A23187-induced [(3)H]arachi-donic acid
      liberation from, and peroxidation (measured as malondialdehyde formation) of
      membrane phospholipids. The same effect of DIT was found for the inhibition of
      thromboxane B(2) generation. It is suggested that DIT does not inhibit stimulated
      platelets at specific histamine receptors sites but rather at the phospholipase
      A(2) and thromboxane synthase level. Results from in vitro experiments should be
      verified in vivo.

PMID- 20297941
TI  - Lysophosphatidic acid induces protein tyrosine phosphorylation in the absence of
      phospholipase C activation in human platelets.
AB  - Lysophosphatidic acid is a biologically active phospholipid able to induce cell
      proliferation and platelet aggregation. In this study we investigated the
      biochemical mechanisms of platelet activation by lysophosphatidic acid. We found
      that lysophosphatidic acid stimulated the binding of the photoreactive GTP-analog
      4-azidoanilido-[alpha(32)P]GTP to a 40-kDa protein on platelet membranes.
      Moreover, lysophosphatidic acid induced the rapid decrease of the intracellular
      concentration of cAMP in intact platelets, indicating that this lipid activates
      platelets by binding to a membrane receptor coupled to the inhibitory GTP-binding
      protein Gi. In agreement with a receptor-mediated action, we found that platelet
      activation by lysophosphatidic acid underwent homologous desensitization. In the
      absence of extracellular CaCl(2), lysophosphatidic acid did not induce platelet
      aggregation, and did not stimulate phospholipase C. However, under the same
      conditions, lysophosphatidic acid produced the rapid tyrosine phosphorylation of
      several platelet proteins. This effect was not mediated by the formation of
      thromboxane A(2). Our results demonstrate that, in lysophosphatidic acid
      stimulated platelets, activation of protein-tyrosine kinases occurs in the
      absence of phospholipase C activation and platelet aggregation, and may be
      directly related to the activation of the G-protein-coupled lysophosphatidic acid
      receptor.

PMID- 20297942
TI  - 'ADP-induced binding of fibrinogen to activated platelets is rapid and parallels
      platelet microaggregation'.

PMID- 20297943
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 20297944
TI  - A study of outcome in patients treated at a psychiatric emergency unit.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although being an important part of the psychiatric treatment chain,
      there are few outcome studies of treatment at psychiatric emergency units (PEU).
      AIMS: The aim was to measure changes in psychopathology and humiliation during
      admission at a PEU. METHODS: The sample consisted of 147 patients examined at
      admission and discharge. The instruments used were the Brief Psychiatric Rating
      Scale (BPRS), the Narcissistic Personality Inventory-29 (NPI-29), the Hospital
      Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), a combination of questions measuring
      negative experiences and Cantril's ladder measuring experienced humiliation.
      Outcome measures were clinically significant improvement [>10% reduction of the
      BPRS converted (0-100) score] and changes on the other instruments. RESULTS:
      Median hospitalization time was 13 days (mean 20.4 days). Fifty-six per cent of
      the patients showed clinical significant improvement (95% CI 48-64%), 42% showed
      some degree of improvement and 2% were unchanged. The more improved patients had
      higher scores at admission than those with less improvement on all scales,
      indicating a floor effect. Small changes were observed for narcissism and
      experienced humiliation and negative admission events. In multivariate analyses
      high admission scores on BPRS subscales, thinking disorder and activation and
      HADS total score were significantly associated with clinically significant
      improvement. Type and length of admission did not significantly affect the
      outcome. The BPRS, HADS and NPI-29 scores at discharge were mainly explained by
      corresponding admission scores. CONCLUSIONS: More than half the patients admitted
      to PEU have clinically significant reduction of psychopathology during their
      stay. Higher levels of psychopathology at admission were significantly associated
      with improvement. Negative admission experiences and involuntary admission did
      not influence outcome.

PMID- 20297945
TI  - Disulfiram in severe alcoholism--an open controlled study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Disulfiram is used to a great extent in Denmark to treat alcoholism
      but the evidence is limited. AIM: To study the effect of supervised disulfiram
      treatment in alcohol dependence. Subjects were recruited from a psychiatric
      emergency ward following alcohol withdrawal treatment. METHODS: A total of n=39
      patients were openly randomized to either disulfiram 800 mg twice a week for 26
      weeks (n=19) or no disulfiram (n=20). All patients were also treated with
      cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in groups. RESULTS: The rate of abstinence
      was 20% and 26% in the control and disulfiram group, respectively. This
      difference was not statistically significant (NS). A trend towards increased mean
      time to first drink was found in the disulfiram group (96 vs. 76 days in the
      control group, NS), while fewer patients in this group completed CBT group
      therapy (41% vs. 67% in the control group, NS). Alcohol-free days were 100 days
      in both groups (NS). CONCLUSION: Supervised disulfiram administration did not
      have any major impact on the treatment outcome.

PMID- 20297946
TI  - Efficient and gentle siRNA delivery by magnetofection.
AB  - Magnetic force combined with magnetic nanoparticles recently has shown potential
      for enhancing nucleic acid delivery. Achieving effective siRNA delivery into
      primary cultured cells is challenging. We compared the utility of magnetofection
      with lipofection procedures for siRNA delivery to primary and immortalized
      mammalian fibroblasts. Transfection efficiency and cell viability were analyzed
      by flow cytometry and effects of gene knockdown were quantified by real-time PCR.
      Lipofectamine 2000 and magnetofection achieved high transfection efficiencies
      comparable to similar gene silencing effects of about 80%; the cytotoxic effect
      of magnetofection, however, was significantly less. Magnetofection is a reliable
      and gentle alternative method with low cytotoxicity for siRNA delivery into
      difficult to transfect cells such as mammalian fibroblasts. These features are
      especially advantageous for functional end point analyses of gene silencing,
      e.g., on the metabolite level.

PMID- 20297948
TI  - Antifungal susceptibility, serotyping, and genotyping of clinical Cryptococcus
      neoformans isolates collected during 18 years in a single institution in Madrid,
      Spain.
AB  - We studied the serotypes, mating-types, AFLP genotypes, and antifungal
      susceptibility of 58 Cryptococcus neoformans strains causing 56 episodes of
      cryptococcosis in 55 patients over an 18-year period in a single institution. The
      underlying conditions of the patients were classified as HIV infection (n = 48)
      or non-HIV-related immunodeficiency (n = 7). Serotype A (n = 34; 58.9%)
      predominated, but serotype AD was involved in 23.2% of episodes. Most of the
      episodes were caused by mating-type alpha (n = 41; 73.2%) or alpha/a strains (n =
      12; 21.5%). The most common genotype was AFLP1 (n = 26; 44.8%), followed by AFLP3
      (n = 21; 36.2%), and AFLP2 (n = 11; 19.0%). In two different patients, we showed
      the coexistence of different serotypes and/or genotypes in the same episode
      (AFLP1 and 3). The new triazoles voriconazole, posaconazole and isavuconazole
      showed high and similar antifungal activity (MICs <= 0.125 MUg/ml). Fluconazole
      also had good antifungal activity, but two strains from patients with HIV
      infections had an MIC of 16 MUg/ml (3.4%). However, these two isolates remained
      very susceptible to the new triazoles (MICs <= 0.062 MUg/ml). The remaining
      strains always showed MICs <= 8 MUg/ml.

PMID- 20297949
TI  - Epidemiology and risk factors for dermatophytoses in rabbit farms.
AB  - While dermatophytoses of several animal species have been extensively
      investigated, information on their occurrence and epidemiology in rabbits is
      limited. We carried out a study from October 2006 to February 2007 of 23 rabbit
      farms in Apulia and Basilicata regions (southern Italy) in order to investigate
      the occurrence and risk factors associated with dermatophytoses in breeding
      rabbits. Dermatophytes were isolated from 86.9% (20/23) of the farms and from
      51.8% (420/810) of the animals sampled. Trichophyton mentagrophytes (47.9%) and
      Microsporum canis (3.2%) were isolated from diseased (71.7%) and healthy (48.4%)
      animals as well from the surrounding environment (7.5%). The occurrence of
      lesions, the age of rabbits, and farm management (e.g., temperature, humidity and
      methods and frequency of disinfection practices) were identified as the most
      significant risk factors (P < 0.05) for the occurrence of dermatophytes. Animals
      in fattening and finishing stages were the most frequently infected (i.e., 58.2
      and 61.6% respectively). Dermatophyte prevalence was significantly (P < 0.05)
      higher in areas with higher temperature (>20 degrees C) and relative humidity
      ranging from 62-65%. The results of the present investigation suggest that
      zoonotic dermathophytes are present in rabbit farms and highlight the importance
      of correct management procedures for the control of the infections.

PMID- 20297950
TI  - Proof of concept study: does fenofibrate have a role in sleep apnoea syndrome?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of fenofibrate on sleep apnoea indices.
      METHODS: Proof-of-concept study comprising a placebo run-in period (1 week, 5
      weeks if fibrate washout was required) and a 4-week randomized, double-blind
      treatment period. Thirty-four subjects (mean age 55 years, body mass index 34
      kg/m 2 , fasting triglycerides 3.5 mmol/L) with diagnosed sleep apnoea syndrome
      not treated with continuous positive airways pressure were enrolled and
      randomized to once daily treatment with fenofibrate (145 mg NanoCrystal(R)
      tablet) or placebo. Overnight polysomnography, computerized attention/vigilance
      tests and blood sampling for measurement of lipids, insulin, fasting plasma
      glucose and fibrinogen were performed at the end of each study period. CLINICAL
      TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT00816829. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: As this was an
      exploratory study, a range of sleep variables were evaluated. The
      apnoea/hypopnoea index (AHI) and percentage of time spent with arterial oxygen
      saturation (SpO(2)) <90% were relevant as they have been evaluated in other
      clinical trials. Other variables included total apnoeas, hypopnoeas and oxygen
      desaturations, and non-cortical micro-awakenings related to respiratory events
      per hour. RESULTS: Fenofibrate treatment significantly reduced the percentage of
      time with SpO(2) <90% (from 9.0% to 3.5% vs. 10.0% to 11.5% with placebo, p =
      0.007), although there was no significant change in the AHI (reduction vs.
      control 14% (95%CI -47 to 40%, p = 0.533). Treatment reduced obstructive apnoeas
      (by 44%, from 18.5 at baseline to 15.0 at end of treatment vs. 29.0 to 30.5 on
      placebo, p = 0.048), and non-cortical micro-awakenings per hour (from 23.5 to
      18.0 vs. 24.0 to 25.0 with placebo, p = 0.004). Other sleep variables were not
      significantly influenced by fenofibrate. KEY LIMITATIONS: Exploratory study in
      patients with mild to moderate sleep apnoea, limited treatment duration;
      concomitant hypnotic treatment (35%); lack of correction for multiplicity of
      testing. CONCLUSIONS: The consistent direction of change in sleep indices in this
      proof-of-concept study may support further investigation of fenofibrate in
      moderate to severe sleep apnoea syndrome.

PMID- 20297951
TI  - Healthcare expenditure in severely depressed patients treated with escitalopram,
      generic SSRIs or venlafaxine in the UK.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively compare the 12-month healthcare utilisation and
      direct medical costs associated with the use of escitalopram, generic SSRIs, and
      venlafaxine in patients with severe depression in the United Kingdom (UK).
      METHODS: Data for this retrospective cohort study were extracted from the GPRD, a
      large primary care database in the UK. Data from adults with an incident
      prescription of escitalopram, venlafaxine, or generic SSRI were extracted. The
      initial prescription had to fall within 3 months of a physician visit when severe
      depression according to the GPRD definition was mentioned. Frequency of
      antidepressant treatment, GP consultations, referrals, hospitalisations, and
      concomitant psychiatric medication was assessed on the 12-months after initial
      prescription and 2006 unit costs for healthcare services obtained from published
      literature were applied, and then compared between treatment cohorts using a
      propensity score-adjusted generalised linear model. RESULTS: The total annual
      healthcare expenditure per patient was similar with escitalopram and generic
      SSRIs (916 pounds vs. 974 pounds, adjusted p = 0.48) and significantly lower than
      venlafaxine (916 pounds vs. 1367 pounds, adjusted p < 0.0001), a pattern repeated
      when antidepressant costs were excluded from the analysis (escitalopram vs.
      SSRIs, 831 pounds vs. 957 pounds, adjusted p = 0.10; escitalopram vs.
      venlafaxine, 831 pounds vs. 1156 pounds, adjusted p = 0.006). Over the 12-month
      analysis period, there were significantly fewer hospitalisations per patient in
      the escitalopram vs. venlafaxine (0.12 vs. 0.27; adjusted p = 0.01) or generic
      SSRI (0.12 vs. 0.19; adjusted p = 0.046) groups. CONCLUSION: Despite some
      limitations associated with the system of data collection in the GPRD (need to
      apply proxies for severity assessment and external unit costs to resource
      consumption), the results of this real-life study brings additional evidence of
      escitalopram appearing to be a cost-effective treatment for patients suffering
      from severe depression as diagnosed in routine practice and could be considered
      for first-line treatment in these patients.

PMID- 20297952
TI  - Clinical evaluation of combined therapy for type 2 diabetes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Therapeutic guidelines recommend the combination of drugs as necessary
      to control type 2 diabetes (T2D). This research assessed the effectiveness of
      pioglitazone (Pio), metformin (Met) and sulfonylurea (SU) combinations in the
      routine clinical practice. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A nationwide, 12-month
      prospective, observational cohort study was performed in 2294 patients with T2D
      (50.3% females, mean age: 61.1 years, mean body mass index: 30.2 kg/m(2), mean
      time since diagnosis: 8.5 years) who started, at the discretion of treating
      physician, oral antihyperglycaemic treatment with either Pio + SU, Pio + Met or
      SU + Met because of inadequate control with previous therapy. Fasting plasma
      glucose (FPG), glycohaemoglobin (HbA1c), lipids, blood pressure, and
      anthropometric parameters were measured, and 10-year cardiovascular risk was
      estimated. RESULTS: FPG, HbA1c and total cholesterol at baseline had mean values
      (184.6 mg/dl, 8.5% and 246.0 mg/dl, respectively) associated with an excess of
      micro- and macrovascular risk. The mean changes from baseline in the Pio + SU,
      Pio + Met and SU + Met cohorts were, respectively, -37.9, -32.7 and -25.8 mg/dl
      for FPG; -1.1, -1.0 and -0.7% for HbA1c; -30.7, -38.7 and -17.1 mg/dl for
      triglycerides; and +2.3, +2.5 and +0.6 mg/dl for HDL cholesterol. In consequence,
      the estimated 10-year cardiovascular risk decreased more in the Pio cohorts,
      particularly with Pio + Met (1.7% versus 1.4% Pio + SU and 1.0% SU + Met 
      Framingham equation- and 0.6% versus 0.4% SU + Met - Systematic Coronary Risk
      Evaluation model-). Related adverse events were significantly (p = 0.016) more
      frequent in Pio cohorts (4.7% with Pio + SU, 5.1% with Pio + Met) than in the SU
      + Met cohort (2.4%). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with T2D failing therapy, mostly SU
      or Met monotherapy, pioglitazone add-on treatment was associated with a
      significant improvement of micro- and macrovascular risk estimations. These
      results from real-life clinical conditions support the findings of prior
      randomised trials, although they should be interpreted with caution because of
      the observational, nonrandomised design.

PMID- 20297955
TI  - Mixed infections and the evolution of virulence: effects of resource competition,
      parasite plasticity, and impaired host immunity.
AB  - Mixed-genotype parasite infections are common in nature. Theoretical studies
      analyze the effects of such infections over evolutionary time and predict an
      increase in virulence due to the competitive advantage of virulent parasites. In
      contrast, experimental studies compare the overall virulence of mixed and single
      infections within one generation. Although these within-generation comparisons
      have limited relevance to existing theory, they demonstrate that within-host
      parasite interactions are not restricted to competition for resources, as
      envisaged by theory. Instead, mixed infections may result in phenotypic changes
      in growth rate or impaired immune clearance. Developing and using a two-parasite
      epidemiological model with recovery, we confirm that within-host competition for
      resources selects for higher virulence. However, parasite phenotypic plasticity
      and impaired host immunity can select for lower virulence. Because these latter
      two mechanisms would be detected by experimentalists as an increase in pathology,
      our results warn against the temptation to draw inferences on virulence evolution
      on the basis of single-generation experiments.

PMID- 20298108
TI  - Vitamin A supplementation in late pregnancy can decrease the incidence of
      bronchopulmonary dysplasia in newborns.
AB  - Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung disease of infancy which is
      associated with prematurity and early lung injury resulting from mechanical
      ventilation. Oxygen toxicity, barotrauma, and volutrauma play key roles in its
      pathogenesis. Parenteral administration of Vitamin A to the newborn is the
      current recommended preventive therapy for BPD. Vitamin A has been found to
      upregulate genes necessary for fetal lung growth and increase surfactant
      production in animal models. Supplementation of Vitamin A in late pregnancy
      increases the cord blood vitamin A levels proportionately. Hence, we hypothesize
      that Vitamin A supplementation during late pregnancy can decrease the incidence
      of BPD in newborns. This can be an effective adjunct to postnatal preventive
      therapy. Vitamin A supplementation in late pregnancy carries no risk of
      teratogenicity unlike in early pregnancy. Moreover, vitamin A deficiency in
      pregnancy is associated with depressed immune function leading on to increased
      infectious morbidity and can cause intrauterine growth retardation, low birth
      weight and anemia in newborns. Combining antenatal Vitamin A supplementation to
      the mother with postnatal supplementation to the newborn can effectively prevent
      BPD better than the traditional postnatal preventive therapy alone. It will also
      treat the highly prevalent vitamin A deficiency in pregnant mothers and newborns
      of the developing world.

PMID- 20297953
TI  - Incidence of malignancies in HIV-infected patients and prognostic role of current
      CD4 cell count: evidence from a large Italian cohort study.
AB  - The incidence of and predictors of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-defining
      malignancies (ADMs) and non-ADM (NADMs) were evaluated in a large Italian cohort.
      The incidence of ADM and NADM was 5.0 cases per 1000 person-years of follow-up
      (95% confidence interval, 4.3-5.8 cases per 1000 person-years of follow-up) and
      2.4 cases per 1000 person-years of follow-up (95% confidence interval, 1.9-3.1
      cases per 1000 person-years of follow-up), respectively. Lower current CD4 cell
      count was an independent predictor of developing malignancies, with the
      association being stronger for ADM than for NADM.

PMID- 20298111
TI  - Reduced-risk management of Rhagoletis cerasi flies (host race Prunus) in
      combination with a preliminary phenological model.
AB  - Seasonal flight activity of Rhagoletis cerasi (L.) (Diptera: Tephritidae) adults
      was monitored using yellow sticky traps at sweet cherry orchards under different
      management regimes in Bursa, northwestern Turkey, during 1997-1998. In the
      reduced-risk backyard orchards, soil ploughing in the fall or spring to destroy
      the pupae was combined with a single application of an insecticide, while
      conventionally managed orchards received six to seven insecticide applications
      for controlling adults. Traps in commercial orchards caught significantly fewer
      adults than those in reduced-risk backyard orchards. Levels of cherry fruit fly
      fruit damage were very low (0.1%) in commercial orchards, whereas infestation
      rates averaged 2.2% in reduced-risk orchards. A preliminary phenology model was
      developed for optimal timing of insecticide applications based on air temperature
      summations since 1 February. In the reduced-risk backyard orchards, the first
      flies were captured between 25 May and 2 June, corresponding to an average degree
      day (DD) accumulation of 582.50 +/- 10.50 DD at an altitude of 150 m. However,
      first adult emergence at 1170 m was recorded between 6 and 14 June, averaging
      667.50 +/- 14.50 DD. Adult emergence exhibited bimodal peaks in a single flight
      at low altitude but there was a single peak at high altitude sites. Total adult
      flight period averaged 459 +/- 29.50 and 649 +/- 25.50 DD at low and high
      altitude sites, respectively. Our prediction model suggests that the optimum
      spray-window for a single insecticide application occurs between 577.70 and
      639.40 DD at 150 m and between 780.90 and 848.60 DD at 1170 m.

PMID- 20298109
TI  - Resistance status of the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, to
      endosulfan in East Azarbaijan and Ardabil provinces of Iran.
AB  - Three Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, populations, from
      Ardabil, Bostanabaad and Ajabshir, were collected from potato fields in East
      Azarbaijan and Ardabil provinces in Iran and assayed for resistance to
      endosulfan. Possible resistance mechanisms were investigated using synergism
      studies and biochemical assays. Laboratory tests showed that the Bostanabaad
      strain was 220 and 109 times resistant compared with the susceptible strain in
      2003 and 2004, respectively. The resistance ratios for the Ajabshir and Ardabil
      strains were 19 and 18, respectively. Since considerably more resistance was
      observed in the Bostanabaad strain compared with the other two, further
      investigation of the origin of resistance was done on this strain. Two
      insecticide synergists, piperonyl butoxide and S,S,S-tributylphosphorotrithioate,
      reduced resistance 2.3 and 3.5 times, respectively. These small degrees of
      synergism suggest that metabolism is not the source of the considerable
      difference in susceptibility between the two strains. This was supported by the
      results obtained from the biochemical assays that showed that glutathione S
      transferase activity in the Bostanabaad strain did not significantly differ from
      the susceptible strain. These results suggest that target site insensitivity may
      be involved.

PMID- 20298112
TI  - Larval survival of fuller's rose weevil, Naupactus cervinus, on common
      groundcover species in orchards of New Zealand kiwifruit.
AB  - Fuller's rose weevil, Naupactus cervinus (Boheman) (Curculionidae: Entiminae), is
      an important quarantine pest of New Zealand kiwifruit exported to Asian markets.
      Both adults and larvae are considered to be polyphagous. In this study, the
      survival of larval N. cervinus was estimated on common groundcover species of
      kiwifruit (Actinidia spp.) in the Bay of Plenty, the main region in New Zealand
      where kiwifruit is grown. The botanical composition of groundcover in commercial
      kiwifruit orchards, characterised by survey, was dominated by ryegrass (Lolium
      perenne), with white clover (Trifolium repens), creeping buttercup (Ranunculus
      repens), wild strawberry (Duchesnea indica) and broadleaf dock (Rumex
      obtusifolius) in lower abundance. Survival to mature larvae or adult was
      relatively low (.11%) for N. cervinus introduced as neonates to field plots or
      potted ryegrass, white clover and broadleaf dock. White clover was a more
      favourable host for survival to adults than ryegrass. This study suggests that
      increased survival of N. cervinus larvae may occur where white clover and large
      dock plants are abundant, but that survival is likely to be highly variable
      because of the heterogeneous availability of preferred host plants and host plant
      quality. These data suggest that larval polyphagy is a strategy that enables N.
      cervinus to persist at low densities in kiwifruit orchards despite variation in
      the quality and diversity of groundcover.

PMID- 20298113
TI  - Onion thrips, Thrips tabaci, have gut bacteria that are closely related to the
      symbionts of the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis.
AB  - It has been shown that many insects have Enterobacteriaceae bacteria in their gut
      system. The western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande
      [Thysanoptera: Thripidae], has a symbiotic relation with Erwinia species gut
      bacteria. To determine if other Thripidae species have similar bacterial
      symbionts, the onion thrips, Thrips tabaci, was studied because, like F.
      occidentalis, it is phytophagous. Contrary to F. occidentalis, T. tabaci is
      endemic in Europe and biotypes have been described. Bacteria were isolated from
      the majority of populations and biotypes of T. tabaci examined. Bacteria were
      present in high numbers in most individuals of the populations studied. Like F.
      occidentalis, T. tabaci contained one type of bacterium that clearly outnumbered
      all other types present in the gut. This bacterium was identified as an Erwinia
      species, as was also the case for F. occidentalis. However, its biochemical
      characteristics and 16S rDNA sequence differed from the bacteria present in F.
      occidentalis.

PMID- 20298114
TI  - Extensive natural intraspecific variation in stoichiometric (C:N:p) composition
      in two terrestrial insect species.
AB  - Heterotrophic organisms must obtain essential elements in sufficient quantities
      from their food. Because plants naturally exhibit extensive variation in their
      elemental content, it is important to quantify the within-species stoichiometric
      variation of consumers. If extensive stoichiometric variation exists, it may help
      explain consumer variation in life-history strategy and fitness. To date,
      however, research on stoichiometric variation has focused on interspecific
      differences and assumed minimal intraspecific differences. Here this assumption
      is tested. Natural variation is quantified in body stoichiometry of two
      terrestrial insects: the generalist field cricket, Gryllus texensis Cade and Otte
      (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) and a specialist curculionid weevil, Sabinia setosa (Le
      Conte) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Both species exhibited extensive
      intraspecific stoichiometric variation. Cricket body nitrogen content ranged from
      8-12% and there was a four-fold difference in body phosphorus content, ranging
      from 0.32-1.27%. Body size explained half this stoichiometric variation, with
      larger individuals containing less nitrogen and phosphorus. Weevils exhibited an
      almost three-fold difference in body phosphorus content, ranging from 0.38-0.97%.
      Overall, the variation observed within each of these species is comparable to the
      variation previously observed across almost all terrestrial insect species.

PMID- 20298115
TI  - Genomic structure of the luciferase gene from the bioluminescent beetle,
      Nyctophila cf. caucasica.
AB  - The gene coding for beetle luciferase, the enzyme responsible for bioluminescence
      in over two thousand coleopteran species has, to date, only been characterized
      from one Palearctic species of Lampyridae. Here we report the characterization of
      the luciferase gene from a female beetle of an Iranian lampyrid species,
      Nyctophila cf. caucasica (Coleoptera:Lampyridae). The luciferase gene was
      composed of seven exons, coding for 547 amino acids, separated by six introns
      spanning 1976 bp of genomic DNA. The deduced amino acid sequences of the
      luciferase gene of N. caucasica showed 98.9% homology to that of the Palearctic
      species Lampyris noctiluca. Analysis of the 810 bp upstream region of the
      luciferase gene revealed three TATA boxes and several other consensus
      transcriptional factor recognition sequences presenting evidence for a putative
      core promoter region conserved in Lampyrinae from -190 through to -155 upstream
      of the luciferase start codon. Along with the core promoter region the luciferase
      gene was compared with orthologous sequences from other lampyrid species and
      found to have greatest identity to Lampyris turkistanicus and Lampyris noctiluca.
      The significant sequence identity to the former is discussed in relation to
      taxonomic issues of Iranian lampyrids.

PMID- 20298116
TI  - Repellent properties of delta-octalactone against the tsetse fly, Glossina
      morsitans morsitans.
AB  - Delta-octalactone, produced by several Bovidae, has been suggested as a potential
      repellant of tsetse fly attack. Racemic delta-octalactone was synthesized via an
      abbreviated route. The product was assayed against 3-day old starved teneral
      female tsetse flies, Glossina morsitans morsitans Wiedemann (Diptera:
      Glossinidae), in a choice wind tunnel and found to be a potent tsetse repellent
      at doses >or=0.05 mg in 200 microl of paraffin oil (0.05 >p >0.01).

PMID- 20298117
TI  - Interactions between population density of the Colorado potato beetle,
      Leptinotarsa decemlineata, and herbicide rate for suppression of solanaceous
      weeds.
AB  - The presence of volunteer potato Solanum tuberosum L., cutleaf nightshade, S.
      triflorum N., and hairy nightshade, S. physalifolium Rusby (Solanales:
      Solanaceae), throughout potato crop rotations can diminish the effectiveness of
      crop rotations designed to control disease and pest problems associated with
      growing potatoes. In greenhouse bioassays, larvae of the Colorado potato beetle,
      Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) were placed in
      population densities of 0, 5, 10, and 40 per potato (cv. Russet Burbank) plant
      and 0, 5, 10, and 15 per cutleaf nightshade and hairy nightshade plant. Plants
      were treated with different rates of herbicides including fluroxypyr, prometryn,
      and mesotrione rates, and the physiological response on the potato plants was
      assessed by weighing shoot biomass 14 days after treatment. Consistently, across
      all bioassays, rate response functions were shifted as L. decemlineata density
      increased, such that less herbicide was required to achieve control. For
      instance, the herbicide rate needed to achieve 90% reduction in potato biomass
      was reduced from 62 to 0 g fluroxypyr per hectare and 711 to 0 g prometryn per
      hectare as L. decemlineata density was increased to 40 larvae per plant.
      Herbivory at higher L. decemlineata population densities and herbicides above
      certain rates resulted in large reductions in cutleaf and hairy nightshade
      biomass. Differences in rate response functions among L. decemlineata population
      densities indicated that L. decemlineata contributed to weed suppression in
      combination with herbicides. These data suggest that integrated weed management
      systems targeting volunteer potato, cutleaf nightshade, and hairy nightshade can
      be more effective when herbicide applications are combined with herbivory by
      naturally occurring Colorado potato beetles.

PMID- 20298118
TI  - Morphology and histology of the ductus receptaculi and accessory glands in the
      reproductive tract of the female cricket, Teleogryllus commodus.
AB  - The morphology and histology of the ductus receptaculi and accessory glands in
      females of the black field cricket, Teleogryllus commodus Walker (Orthoptera:
      Gryllidae) are described. Both are reproductive organs situated in the 7(th) and
      8(th) abdominal segment that join the posterior part of the genital chamber. The
      ductus receptaculi is a long (up to 25 mm) homogeneous tube, and the accessory
      glands (total length: 4 to 12 mm) are a complex system of tubes and end lobes
      with various numbers of ramifications. Based on their external shapes the
      accessory glands may be subdivided into three distinct regions, a distal region
      mainly producing the gland's secretion, a middle conducting region, and a basal
      region serving for the storage and release of the secretory substances into the
      genital chamber of the female. In histological respects, both organs have an
      outer muscle coat followed by a basal lamina, one or two cell layers, the
      cuticular intima, and the inner lumen. The ductus receptaculi is subdivided into
      three histologically different regions. The region located adjacent to the
      receptaculum and the region neighbouring the terminal papilla consist of a
      single, epithelial cell layer that is not secretory. The epithelium of the middle
      region contains two cell layers, glandular cells and cuticula-forming cells,
      which are responsible for the production of the cuticular intima. The secretion
      of the gland cells is released into an extracellular cavity, through which it
      reaches the lumen via a complex network of canals running through the intima. The
      histology of the accessory glands is rather homogeneous among the different
      regions, as one layer of epithelial cells produces both the secretion and the
      cuticular intima. Histological variations in the distal, middle, and basal gland
      sections mainly concern the height of the epithelium, the thickness of the basal
      lamina and the cuticular intima as well as the variable presence of the outer
      muscle coat. In contrast to the ductus receptaculi, secretory substances produced
      by the accessory gland cells accumulate in the lumen by a diffusive permeation of
      the intima.

PMID- 20298119
TI  - Influence of host gender on infection rate, density and distribution of the
      parasitic fungus, Hesperomyces virescens, on the multicolored Asian lady beetle,
      Harmonia axyridis.
AB  - Hesperomyces virescens Thaxter (Laboulbeniales: Laboulbeniaceae) is a parasitic
      fungus that infects lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) via horizontal
      transmission between adults at overwintering and feeding sites. The differential
      behavior of male and female hosts could have profound effects on intensity of
      infection and positioning of fungus on the host's integument. The influence of
      host gender on infection rate, density and distribution of this parasite on the
      multicolored Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera:
      Coccinellidae), was determined at a feeding site. Adult H. axyridis were sampled
      from pecan, Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch, trees in northern
      Mississippi, USA, during summer and early fall 2003-2004. Results indicated that
      the behavior of male or female beetles on pecan trees had only a limited effect
      on the intensity of infection. When averaged over the entire season, the
      percentage of H. axyridis infected with H. virescens was not influenced by host
      gender. In 2003, a seasonal average of 54 and 39% of males and females,
      respectively, were infected; whereas in 2004, 36 and 41% of male and female
      beetles, respectively, were infected. The percentage of males infected with H.
      virescens was correlated with the number of males captured at the site in 2003;
      infection rate decreased as male abundance increased. Infection rate did not
      correlate with female abundance in 2003 or male or female abundance in 2004. Host
      gender had a considerable effect on the density and distribution of the fungus.
      Hesperomyces virescens mature thalli were denser on male rather than female
      beetles. Also, thallus density was often greatest on the elytra, meso- and
      metathorax, and abdomen of males and elytra of females, than on other body parts,
      in 2003. In 2003 and 2004, approximately 59 and 97% and 67 and 96% of males and
      females, respectively, had mature thalli distributed on the elytra. Prevalence of
      H. virescens thalli on the dorsum of H. axyridis females suggests that mating
      behavior is important in fungal transmission. However, prevalence of thalli on
      the dorsum of H. axyridis males suggests that behaviors other than mating
      contribute to the transmission of H. virescens onto male beetles. Spread of H.
      virescens ascospores from infected to uninfected H. axyridis adults of different
      generations, at feeding sites, might be vital to maintaining stable populations
      of the fungus.

PMID- 20298120
TI  - Biomarkers of oxidative stress in overweight men are not influenced by a
      combination of antioxidants.
AB  - The effect of antioxidant supplementation on biomarkers of oxidative stress was
      investigated in a 6-week intervention study in 60 overweight men. The supplement
      contained a combination of antioxidants aiming to correspond to the antioxidant
      content found in a diet rich in fruit and vegetables. Placebo, single or double
      dose of antioxidants was provided to the subjects. Metabolic variables, plasma
      antioxidants and biomarkers of oxidative stress (lipid peroxidation and DNA
      damage) were measured. No effect of supplementation on biomarkers of oxidative
      stress was observed. Both intervention groups showed substantial increases of
      plasma antioxidants. This study demonstrated that supplementation with a
      combination of antioxidants did not affect lipid peroxidation and DNA damage in
      overweight men, despite increased concentrations of plasma antioxidants. The
      absence of antioxidant supplement effect might possibly be explained by the
      chosen study group having a normal level of oxidative stress, duration of the
      intervention and/or doses of antioxidants.

PMID- 20298121
TI  - The manganese superoxide dismutase mimetic, M40403, protects adult mice from
      lethal total body irradiation.
AB  - Over-expression of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) protects tissues from
      radiation. M40403 is a stable non-peptidyl mimetic of MnSOD that crosses cell
      membranes and is effective in reducing experimental inflammation. Male BALB/c
      mice were injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) and subcutaneously (s.c.) with
      M40403, 30 min before 6.5, 7.5 and 8.5 Gy total body irradiation (TBI). Whereas
      all control injected mice died after receiving 8.5 Gy TBI by day 17, 30 day
      survival of mice pre-treated i.p. with 40, 30, 20 or 10 mg/kg was 100%, 90%, 81%
      and 25%, respectively. The Dose Reduction Factor 50/30 for animals treated with
      30 mg M40403 s.c. 30 min prior to TBI was 1.41. Decreased apoptosis of the large
      and particularly the small bowel and marked recovery of both lymphoid and
      hematopoietic tissues occurred in the M40403 pre-treated animals. M40403 is
      effective in reducing TBI-induced tissue destruction and has potential as a new
      radioprotective agent.

PMID- 20298122
TI  - Oxidative stress in the denervated muscle.
AB  - Following experimental hind limb denervation in rats, this study demonstrates
      that oxidative stress occurs and advances an hypothesis about its origin. In
      fact: (i) ROS are formed; (ii) membrane lipids are oxidized; (iii) oxidized ion
      channels and pumps may lead to increased [Ca(2+)](i); all the above mentioned
      events increase with denervation time. In the denervated muscle, (iv) mRNA
      abundance of cytoprotective and anti-oxidant proteins (Hsp70, Hsp27, Sod1,
      Catalase, Gpx1, Gpx4, Gstm1), as well as (v) SOD1 enzymatic activity and HSP70i
      protein increase; (vi) an unbalance in mitochondrial OXPHOS enzymes occurs,
      presumably leading to excess mitochondrial ROS production; (vii) increased
      cPLA2alpha expression (mRNA) and activation (increased [Ca(2+)](i)) may lead to
      increased hydroperoxides release. Since anti-oxidant defences appear inadequate
      to counterbalance increased ROS production with increased denervation time, an
      anti-oxidant therapeutic strategy seems to be advisable in the many medical
      conditions where the nerve-muscle connection is impaired.

PMID- 20298124
TI  - Type I interferons in systemic autoimmunity.
AB  - Type I IFN (IFN-I) was firstly described in 1957 as a soluble factor responsible
      for viral resistance in vitro. Today, it is well known that the IFN-I family
      comprises a wide number of cytokines with different modulatory effects on
      angiogenesis, cell growth, fibrosis, and apoptosis. However, one of the most
      important functions of IFN-I is the capability to trigger a complex array of
      cellular responses that result in a host-protective antiviral response. For this
      reason, IFN-I can be considered a "director" of protective immune responses. The
      recent finding of the so-called interferon signature in patients suffering from
      different autoimmune diseases has underlined its possible role in the
      pathogenesis of these diseases. On the other hand, IFN-alpha/beta is reported to
      be efficacious in the treatment of some autoimmune and infectious diseases not
      responsive to conventional therapy. On these occasions, the treated patients
      often start or increase autoantibody production supporting the role of IFN as
      inducer of an autoimmune response. In this review, we will underline recent
      acquisitions about IFN-I biology, with a focus on the relevance of the induction
      of some autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic
      sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, dermato/polymiositis, and Sjogren's syndrome.

PMID- 20298123
TI  - Discrete changes in circulating regulatory T cells during infliximab treatment of
      Crohn's disease.
AB  - Deficiency of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) may be involved in Crohn's
      disease (CD) pathogenesis. In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the anti-TNF-alpha
      antibody infliximab increases circulating Treg numbers. We aimed to evaluate
      circulating Tregs in CD before and after infliximab therapy. In 20 patients with
      active CD, blood samples were obtained before infusion of infliximab 5 mg/kg and
      1, 7, and 42 days after therapy. Clinical, biochemical, and fecal markers of
      inflammation were obtained. Nine healthy volunteers served as controls. We
      applied a novel Treg marker, the absence of CD127 expression, to identify Tregs
      by whole-blood flow cytometry. Treg percentages were similar among CD patients
      [median 7.7%, interquartile range (IQR) 5.3-10.1%] and healthy volunteers (median
      7.6% IQR 6.3-8.9%) with discrete changes (median 7.3%, IQR 4.5-10.1%) throughout
      the study period, irrespective of the significant clinical effect of infliximab.
      Unlike in RA, we found no arising population of CD62L - Tregs; however, we
      observed a rapid recruitment of lymphocytes and upregulation of the intestinal
      homing marker alpha4beta7 integrin on CD4+T cells. In conclusion, our results do
      not support the hypothesis that the clinical effect of infliximab is mediated by
      a reinforcement of defective, circulating Tregs in CD.

PMID- 20298125
TI  - Type I interferon therapy and its role in autoimmunity.
AB  - Interferons (IFNs) display a pleiotropic effect on different cell types of both
      the innate and the adaptive immunities being able to affect the immune responses.
      The ability of IFNs, and in particular of type I IFN, to activate dendritic cells
      and to modulate the expression of major histocompatibility classes I and II
      molecules supports their potential role also in the development and maintenance
      of tolerance. When tolerance breakdown has occurred, immunocomplexes generated by
      the reaction of nuclear antigens and specific autoantibodies can further induce
      type I IFN production. Accordingly, high acid-labile type I IFN plasma levels,
      overexpression of IFNalpha-induced transcripts and the association with genes
      closely related to type I IFN response represent the rationale for the so-called
      IFN signature in systemic lupus erythematosus, a prototypical autoimmune disease.
      The role of IFNs in autoimmunity is further supported by their direct and
      deleterious impact on target tissues. The therapeutic use of IFNs is based on
      their antiviral and antiproliferative effect. Type I IFN administration, in
      particular, is associated with the appearance of autoimmunity, although less
      frequently than expected. Such an event takes place mostly in patients with
      previous autoimmune manifestations and can be characterized by the appearance of
      autoantibodies only or of a clinically overt disease. IFN therapy cessation is
      usually, but not always, required for controlling the autoimmune disorders.

PMID- 20298126
TI  - Development of novel therapies for MG: Studies in animal models.
AB  - Experimental myasthenia gravis (MG) in animals, and in particular experimental
      autoimmune MG in rodents, serves as excellent models to study possible novel
      therapeutic modalities for MG. The current treatments for MG are based on
      cholinesterase inhibitors, general immunosuppressants, and corticosteroids, broad
      immunomodulatory therapies such as plasma exchange or intravenous immunoglobulins
      (IVIGs), and thymectomy for selected patients. This stresses the need for
      immunotherapies that would specifically or preferentially suppress the
      undesirable autoimmune response without widely affecting the entire immune system
      as most available treatments do. The available animal models for MG enable to
      perform preclinical studies in which novel therapeutic approaches can be tested.
      In this review, we describe the different therapeutic approaches that were so far
      tested in experimental models of MG and discuss their underlying mechanisms of
      action. These include antigen - acetylcholine receptor (AChR)-dependent
      treatments aimed at specifically abrogating the humoral and cellular anti-AChR
      responses as well as immunomodulatory approaches that could be used either alone
      or in conjunction with antigen-specific treatments or alternatively serve as
      steroid sparing agents. The antigen-specific treatments are based on fragments or
      peptides derived from the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) that would theoretically
      deviate the anti-AChR autoimmune response away from the muscle target or on ways
      to target AChR-specific T- and B- cell responses or antibodies. The
      immunomodulatory modalities include cell-based and non-cell-based ways to affect
      or manipulate key players in the autoimmune process such as regulatory T cells,
      dendritic cells, cytokine networks, and chemokine and costimulatory signaling as
      well as complement pathways. We also describe approaches that attempt to affect
      the cholinergic balance, which is impaired at the neuromuscular junction. In
      addition to enabling to test the feasibility of novel approaches, experimental MG
      enables to perform analyses of existing treatment modalities, which cannot be
      performed in human MG patients. These include studies on the mode of action of
      various immunosuppressants and on IVIGs. Hopefully, the vast repertoire of
      therapeutic approaches that are studied in experimental models of MG will pave
      the way to clinical studies that will eventually improve the management of MG.

PMID- 20298128
TI  - A practical and feasible control system for bifunctional myoelectric hand
      prostheses.
AB  - This paper presents an implementation of a practical and low-cost hardware-based
      control system for multifunctional myoelectric hand prostheses. The model
      utilizes a mode-switching technique in order to voluntarily control the operation
      of a dual-mode prosthetic device in two degrees of freedom: grasp/release and
      pronation/supination. This system was designed specifically to cater to the
      increasing needs of patients in developing countries, where myoelectric
      prostheses are scarce and extremely expensive. The design relied entirely on
      locally-available commercial components and aimed at allowing small prosthetics
      producers the freedom to utilize and modify the design according to their
      clients' preferences and requirements. Evaluation tests revealed excellent
      control and ability to execute basic hand and wrist functions even with short
      training periods, although results varied with the underlying level of muscular
      activity.

PMID- 20298127
TI  - ZnT8 autoantibody titers in type 1 diabetes patients decline rapidly after
      clinical onset.
AB  - Autoantibodies to the islet-specific zinc transporter isoform 8 (ZnT8) are
      detected in the majority of type 1 diabetes patients prior to and at clinical
      diagnosis. The presence of ZnT8Ab after diagnosis has not been investigated. This
      study analyzed the autoantibody response to ZnT8 in regard to age at onset and
      disease duration. Two new onset type 1 diabetes patient cohorts with different
      age distributions at onset (2-17 and 15-34 years of age at onset), a longitudinal
      subset of the younger type 1 diabetes patient cohort (n = 32), and a cohort of
      GAD65Ab-positive LADA patients (n = 47) was analyzed for the presence of
      autoantibodies directed to the two major isoforms, ZnT8-Arginine (ZnT8R) and ZnT8
      Tryptophan (ZnT8W). The majority of type 1 diabetes patients tested positive for
      ZnT8Ab to both isoforms. ZnT8Ab titers were significantly higher in the younger
      type 1 diabetes patients as compared with the older cohort (ZnT8RAb at a median
      of 148 and 29 U/ml, respectively, p < 0.001) (ZnT8WAb at a median of 145 and 58
      U/ml, respectively, p < 0.01). ZnT8RAb and ZnT8WAb titers were significantly
      lower in the LADA patients (ZnT8RAb at a median of 14 U/ml, ZnT8WAb at a median
      of 25 U/ml) as compared with either type 1 diabetes cohorts. In our longitudinal
      analysis of type 1 diabetes patients after clinical diagnosis, ZnT8Ab levels to
      both isoforms declined significantly during the initial year of disease (ZnT8RAb
      from a median of 320-162 U/ml, p = 0.0001; ZnT8WAb from a median of 128-46 U/ml,
      p = 0.0011). The antibody titers further declined during the following 4 years (p
      < 0.0001). We conclude that ZnT8Ab presents a useful marker for type 1 diabetes,
      especially in younger patients at disease diagnosis.

PMID- 20298129
TI  - Age at first prosthetic fitting and later functional outcome in children and
      young adults with unilateral congenital below-elbow deficiency: a cross-sectional
      study.
AB  - The objective of this study was to evaluate whether prosthetic fitting before the
      age of one year is associated with better outcomes in children with unilateral
      congenital below-elbow deficiency compared to children fitted after the age of
      one. Twenty subjects aged 6-21 years were recruited (five prosthetic users and 15
      non-users). The Child Amputee Prosthetics Project-Prosthesis Satisfactory
      Inventory (CAPP-PSI) and the Prosthetic Upper Extremity Functional Index (PUFI)
      were used to assess patient satisfaction and functional use of the prosthesis.
      Videotapes were used to assess motor performance. Initial prosthetic fitting
      before one year of age was related to use of a prosthesis for at least four
      years. Age at first fitting was not associated with satisfaction with the
      prosthesis, functional use of the prosthesis or motor skills. Discrepancies
      between ease of performance with prosthesis and usefulness of the prosthesis as
      well as between capacity and performance of activities were found. The video
      assessments showed impaired movement adaptation to some tasks in six subjects. In
      conclusion, early prosthetic fitting seems to have a limited impact on prosthesis
      use during later stages of life.

PMID- 20298130
TI  - Maternal laboratory stress influences fetal neurobehavior: cortisol does not
      provide all answers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Maternal stress can have an impact on pregnancy. However, effects on
      fetal neurobehavior are not well understood. In this study, the effect of
      laboratory stress on maternal psychoneuroendocrinological response and on fetal
      neurobehavior was studied. Serum cortisol as a potential underlying mechanism was
      measured. METHODS: Twenty-seven women made a single 1.5-h visit in their third
      trimester. The laboratory stressor involved an arithmetic task. Associations
      between maternal laboratory stress response and fetal neurobehavior were analyzed
      by studying 19 maternal-fetal dyads with high signal quality cardiotocograms.
      RESULTS: Stress exposure changed participants stress perception (p < 0.0001).
      However, only half of the participants (responders) had an HPA-axis response.
      Fetuses responded to the stress exposure depending on their mothers' stress
      response: (i) there was a fetal heart rate (FHR) group effect at the level of
      trend (p = 0.06). Fetuses of responders had higher HR levels 20 min after the
      exposure (p = 0.043), (ii) there were interaction (p = 0.026) and group effects
      at the level of trend (p = 0.078) found for FHR short-term variation (STV).
      Fetuses of responders had lower FHR STV 20 min after stress exposure (p = 0.007).
      Cortisol as a potential underlying mechanism only seemed to be associated with
      short- and long-term variation of FHR. CONCLUSIONS: An activation of the maternal
      stress-system could result in a child being born having a history of responding
      to maternal stress.

PMID- 20298131
TI  - Valproate semisodium ER for migraine and cluster headache prophylaxis.
AB  - IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD: Migraine and cluster headache (CH) are disabling
      syndromes that often require prophylactic treatment. Valproate semisodium ER (VPS
      ER) is FDA-approved for the treatment of epilepsy, acute mania in bipolar
      disorder and migraine prophylaxis. AREAS COVERED IN THIS REVIEW: We reviewed
      literature regarding VPS ER pharmacokinetics and its use in migraine and CH
      prophylaxis. WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN: VPS ER is well studied and effective in
      the preventive treatment of migraine and CH. This article reviews the evidence
      for its use, describes how to administer and dose this medication, and reviews
      important safety precautions. TAKE HOME MESSAGE: VPS ER is effective in the
      prophylactic treatment of migraine and CH. This once-a-day dosing formulation may
      increase compliance.

PMID- 20298132
TI  - Molecular biology and genetics in clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine.

PMID- 20298133
TI  - A methodological reappraisal of total and high molecular weight adiponectin
      determination in human peripheral circulation: comparison of four immunometric
      assays.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adiponectin, present in different multimeric forms in circulation, is
      increasingly used in clinical settings as a cardiometabolic marker. The
      development of several commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays
      (ELISA) has allowed for the widespread measurement of adiponectin in research as
      well as in clinical practice. The comparative performance of these assays is thus
      an issue of major relevance. METHODS: The analytical performance of four
      different ELISAs (LINCO, B-Bridge, SPIbio and ALPCO) was evaluated. Samples from
      102 cardiac patients and 40 healthy subjects were tested using LINCO and ALPCO.
      The latter is able to measure the concentrations of multimers. For the multimer
      assay, an error propagation study was performed. A subset of subjects was tested
      by all four ELISAs for comparison purposes. RESULTS: Bland-Altman plots revealed
      differences between the results of the four ELISAs, mainly for ALPCO. However, a
      strong correlation between the different ELISAs (ALPCO, r=0.83; B-Bridge, r=0.98;
      SPIbio, r=0.91 vs. LINCO) was observed. Total adiponectin measured by LINCO
      showed a better association with cardiac disease [receiver-operating
      characteristic (ROC) curves] than total and high molecular weight adiponectin
      measured by ALPCO. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study contribute to a better
      understanding of the methodological features of the several ELISAs, and help in
      the evaluation and comparison of the relative results.

PMID- 20298134
TI  - Interpretation of serum parathyroid hormone concentrations in dialysis patients:
      what do the KDIGO guidelines change for the clinical laboratory?
AB  - The Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) have recently replaced the
      K/DOQI guidelines to help nephrologists in diagnosing, treating and monitoring
      chronic kidney disease mineral and bone disorders (CKD-MBD). Here, we comment on
      the KDIGO recommendations concerning the interpretation of parathyroid hormone
      (PTH) concentrations in dialysis patients: "In patients with CKD stage 5D, we
      suggest maintaining iPTH in the range of approximately two to nine times the
      upper normal limit of the assay. We suggest that marked changes in PTH
      concentrations in either direction within this range prompt an initiation or
      change in therapy to avoid progression to concentrations outside of this range".
      Our comments concern the interpretation of PTH in dialysis patients, but also the
      more global problem of establishing normal values for PTH.

PMID- 20298135
TI  - IFCC reference procedures for measurement of the catalytic concentrations of
      enzymes: corrigendum, notes and useful advice. International Federation of
      Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC)--IFCC Scientific Division.
AB  - The primary reference measurement procedures (PRMPs) for the international
      standardization of catalytic concentration measurements of alpha-amylase, alanine
      aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), creatine kinase (CK), gamma
      glutamyltransferase and lactate dehydrogenase have been performed in reference
      laboratories for several years. The IFCC Committee on Reference Systems for
      Enzymes and two reference laboratories, with official accreditation for the
      PRMPs, have collected useful information on some of the steps of the reference
      procedures that require special attention. This document comprises errata corrige
      for minor mistakes in published PRMPs for AST and CK. Several notes on the PRMPs
      are emphasized. This includes details that are very important for improved
      standardization, and general suggestions for reducing measurement uncertainty.

PMID- 20298136
TI  - Microsatellite polymorphisms in intron 2 of the toll-like receptor 2 gene and
      their association with susceptibility to pulmonary tuberculosis in Han Chinese.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) is essential for the immune response to
      tuberculosis (TB). The goal of the present study was to investigate whether the
      guanine-thymine (GT) repeat microsatellite polymorphism in intron 2 of the TLR2
      gene might be correlated with susceptibility to TB in Han Chinese. METHODS: The
      number of (GT)n repeats was determined by gene scanning from 244 patients with TB
      and 233 control subjects. The expression of TLR2 on CD14+ peripheral blood
      mononuclear cells was determined using flow cytometry. RESULTS: No association in
      allelic polymorphism between control subjects and patients with TB was found.
      However, the S/M genotype of the microsatellite polymorphism was more frequent in
      TB patients than in healthy controls (p=0.01). The S/L genotype was more popular
      in controls than in patients with TB (p=0.007). TLR2 expression was higher in
      subjects with the S/L genotype than in those with the S/M genotype (p<0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that the S/M genotype of the microsatellite (GT)n
      polymorphisms in intron 2 of the TLR2 gene may increase susceptibility to TB in
      Chinese, and the S/L genotype may act as a negative risk factor.

PMID- 20298137
TI  - New quantitative electrochemiluminescence method (ECLIA) for interleukin-6 (IL-6)
      measurement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A new interleukin-6 (IL-6) electrochemiluminescent immunoassay
      (ECLIA, Roche Diagnostics) was evaluated and compared to a previous
      semiquantitative immunoassay (Milenia Biotec). Reference ranges for cord blood
      plasma were also calculated. METHODS: The new IL-6 ECLIA test was performed using
      a Cobas E601 analyzer (Roche Diagnostics). The comparison method (Milenia Biotec)
      was a semiquantitative lateral flow immunoassay, coupled to a digital image
      capture system (PicoScan). Healthy at term newborns were recruited to establish
      reference ranges for IL-6 in cord blood plasma. RESULTS: Total imprecision ranged
      from 3.7% to 8.0% depending on the IL-6 concentrations. The calculated limit of
      detection for IL-6 measured by ECLIA was 2.63 pg/mL, almost twice as high as that
      claimed by the manufacturer (1.5 pg/mL). The linearity of the method was verified
      to 5000 pg/mL. The IL-6 reference limit, obtained from 148 cord blood samples,
      was 30 pg/mL (90% confidence interval: 19-48 pg/mL). CONCLUSIONS: The new
      quantitative ECLIA method showed good reproducibility, linearity and functional
      sensitivity. Additional clinically based studies are needed to elucidate the
      usefulness of the IL-6 reference limit, calculated here for the first time by
      ECLIA in cord blood plasma, to aid in the diagnosis of vertical transmission of
      sepsis.

PMID- 20298138
TI  - Diagnostic performance of anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies for the diagnosis
      of rheumatoid arthritis: the relevance of likelihood ratios.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The goal of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of
      the anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide 2 (anti-CCP2) assay in patients with
      autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. METHODS: We tested the specificity and
      sensitivity of anti-CCP2 antibodies measured by ELISA in 787 patients with
      rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 1024 patients with other autoimmune/inflammatory
      rheumatic disease and 401 subjects without autoimmune rheumatic disease. The
      optimal cut-off value was defined as the value with the highest diagnostic
      accuracy (receiver operating characteristic curve analysis). Interval-specific
      likelihood ratios (LRs) were calculated for each range bounded by defined anti
      CCP2 values. RESULTS: To distinguish between patients with RA and controls, the
      cut-off value with the highest diagnostic accuracy for anti-CCP2 was 2.8 U/mL.
      Comparing the optimal cut-off value for anti-CCP2 to that recommended by the
      manufacturer (5.0 U/mL), an increase in prevalence between the proportions of
      test-positive patients was found for RA, undifferentiated connective tissue
      disease and undifferentiated arthritis. Evaluating interval-specific LRs for the
      selected ranges bound by two anti-CCP2 values, in RA and diseased controls, the
      LRs were 0.40 for values <5.0 U/mL, 6.66 for 5.0-15.0 U/mL, 27.01 for 15.1-30.0
      U/mL and 28.89 for >30.0 U/mL. CONCLUSIONS: The cut-off value of 2.8 U/mL for
      anti-CCP2 has the highest diagnostic accuracy. A value of anti-CCP2 >15 U/mL is
      associated with an increase in the likelihood of RA disease.

PMID- 20298139
TI  - Rhabdomyolysis: historical background, clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic
      features.
AB  - Rhabdomyolysis, a term used to describe the rapid breakdown of striated muscle,
      is characterized by rupture and necrosis of muscle fibers. This process results
      in the release of cell breakdown products into the bloodstream and extracellular
      space. Although direct muscle injury remains the most common cause of muscle
      injury, additional causes include hereditary enzyme disorders, drugs, toxins,
      endocrinopathies, malignant hyperthermia, neuroleptic malignant syndrome,
      heatstroke, hypothermia, electrolyte alterations, diabetic ketoacidosis and non
      ketotic hyperosmolar coma, severe hypo- or hyperthyroidism and bacterial or viral
      infections. The classic triad of symptoms includes muscle pain, weakness and dark
      urine, although more than 50% of the patients do not complain of muscle pain or
      weakness. Additional systemic symptoms include fever, general malaise,
      tachycardia, nausea and vomiting. The laboratory diagnosis is based essentially
      on the measurement of creatine kinase in serum or plasma. Plasma and urine
      myoglobin measurement might be useful in the early stages of the syndrome and for
      identifying a subset of patients with minor skeletal muscle injury. Patient
      monitoring is pivotal (the mortality rate is as high as 8%), and should be
      focused on preventing the detrimental consequences, that often include renal
      disease and coagulopathy. In the pre-hospital setting, forced hydration with 1.5
      2 L of sterile saline solution should be started immediately, followed by 1.5-2
      L/h. Following hospital admission, continuous hydration should be ensured,
      alternating the saline solution with a 5% glucose solution. In the presence of
      myoglobinuria, urine should be alkalinized by use of sodium bicarbonate solution.
      Clin Chem Lab Med 2010;48:749-56.

PMID- 20298140
TI  - Performance characteristics of a microfluidic Lab-on-Chip electrophoresis system
      for high-density lipoprotein (HDL) subfraction separation and measurement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is believed to be protective against
      coronary heart disease (CHD). HDL is comprised of different subfractions. Of
      these, HDL 2b is believed to be the most important in preventing CHD. Current
      methods for HDL subfraction measurements are not standardized and often exhibit
      poor analytical performance, which can limit their usefulness in clinical
      practice. METHODS: We have developed a microfluidic Lab-on-Chip electrophoresis
      system for serum HDL subfraction measurements. Linear polymers are used as a
      sieving buffer for HDL particle separation. Nine samples and two controls can be
      analyzed in 30 min. The percent HDL 2b that comprises total high-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) is reported. RESULTS: Samples with HDL-C of 0.259
      2.072 mmol/L could be evaluated for percent HDL 2b with coefficient of variations
      (%CVs) below 8%. Total precision was typically below 1.5% and linearity was
      observed between 8% and 32% HDL 2b. Measurements were not affected by many
      therapeutic and biological compounds. Consistent results were obtained by three
      laboratories and showed r(2) values between 0.93 and 0.95. CONCLUSIONS: The assay
      allows for easy and reproducible measurement of percent HDL 2b. The experimental
      procedure and small size of the instrumentation needed for measurement make it
      viable in clinical settings.

PMID- 20298142
TI  - Unilateral hand-foot syndrome: an extraordinary side effect of capecitabine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hand-foot syndrome (HFS), the most common toxicity of capecitabine,
      is characterized by tingling, numbness, pain, erythema, dryness, rash, swelling,
      increased pigmentation, and/or pruritus of the palmar and/or plantar surfaces of
      the hands and/or feet. HFS is usually seen in both the hands and the feet, with
      varying severity. We have previously published a case report of dihydropyrimidine
      dehydrogenase (DPD) deficiency that manifested a variant of HFS. CASE REPORT: We
      report the case of a 65-year-old Turkish Cypriot male patient with advanced
      gastric cancer who developed pain, numbness, and reddening in his left palm and
      left sole 10 days after the fourth cycle of capecitabine at a dose of 1,000
      mg/m(2)/day twice daily (BID) on days 1 to 14 every 21 days. On physical
      examination, he had unilaterally erythematous changes and skin scaling on his
      left sole and palm consistent with grade II HFS. After stopping administration of
      capecitabine and supportive management, the HFS resolved in a week's time.
      CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of capecitabine
      induced unilateral HFS. Further investigation related to this toxicity associated
      with capecitabine is warranted.

PMID- 20298143
TI  - Spontaneous formation of multinucleated giant cells with bone resorbing activity
      by long culture of human peripheral blood CD14-positive monocytes in vitro.
AB  - Several reports indicate that multinucleated giant cells that derived from human
      peripheral blood CD14-positive monocytes have osteoclastic properties, and
      although the mechanism is not completely understood, the authors have previously
      demonstrated that spontaneous osteoclastogenesis from monocytes can occur. Here,
      the authors investigated the effect of detachment and long-term cultures in this
      process. When monocytes were incubated for 2 weeks, spontaneous formation of
      polykaryocytes was rarely observed. In addition, when monocytes precultured for 2
      weeks were detached by a cell scraper and further subcultured, almost all cells
      died. Surprisingly, when monocytes were incubated for 8 weeks without any pro
      osteoclastogenic factors and without detachment, the authors observed the
      spontaneous formation of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive
      polykaryocytes that were able of lacunae resorption. These findings indicate that
      cell adhesion is a prerequisite for differentiation and survival of CD14-positive
      monocytes, and that a long incubation period spontaneously induces
      multinucleation and bone-resorbing activity of monocytes, even in the absence of
      osteoclastogenesis-stimulating factors.

PMID- 20298145
TI  - Immunopharmacological role of the leukotriene receptor antagonists and inhibitors
      of leukotrienes generating enzymes in multiple sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease
      that involves central nervous system, and is generally associated with
      demyelination and axonal lesion. The effective factors for initiation of the
      inflammatory responses have not been known precisely so far. Leukotrienes (LTs)
      are inflammatory mediators with increased levels in the cerebrospinal fluid of MS
      patients and in experimental models of multiple sclerosis. Inhibition of LT
      receptors with specific antagonists can decrease inflammatory responses. In this
      review article we try to clarify the role of LT receptor antagonists and also
      inhibitors of enzymes which are involved in LTs generating pathway for treating
      multiple sclerosis as new targets for MS therapy. Moreover, we suggest that
      blockage of LT receptors by potent specific antagonists and/or agonists can be as
      a novel useful method in treatment of MS.

PMID- 20298144
TI  - Low connexin channel-dependent intercellular communication in human adult
      hematopoietic progenitor/stem cells: probing mechanisms of autologous stem cell
      therapy.
AB  - Human bone marrow is a clinical source of autologous progenitor stem cells
      showing promise for cardiac repair following ischemic insult. Functional
      improvements following delivery of adult bone marrow CD34(+) cells into heart
      tissue may require metabolic/electrical communication between participating
      cells. Since connexin43 (Cx43) channels are implicated in cardiogenesis and
      provide intercellular connectivity in the heart, the authors analyzed the
      expression of 20 connexins (Cx) in CD34(+) cells and in monocytes and
      granulocytes in bone marrow and spinal cord. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase
      chain reaction (RT-PCR) detected only low expression of Cx43 and Cx37. Very low
      level dye coupling was detected by flow cytometry between CD34(+) cells and other
      Cx43 expressing cells, including HL-1 cardiac cells, and was not inhibited by
      specific gap junction inhibitors. The results indicate that CD34(+) cells are
      unlikely to communicate via gap junctions and the authors conclude that use of
      CD34(+) cells to repair damaged hearts is unlikely to involve gap junctions. The
      results concur with the hypothesis that bone marrow cells elicit improved cardiac
      function through release of undefined paracrine mediators.

PMID- 20298146
TI  - Novel microbial diversity retrieved by autonomous robotic exploration of the
      world's deepest vertical phreatic sinkhole.
AB  - The deep phreatic thermal explorer (DEPTHX) is an autonomous underwater vehicle
      designed to navigate an unexplored environment, generate high-resolution three
      dimensional (3-D) maps, collect biological samples based on an autonomous
      sampling decision, and return to its origin. In the spring of 2007, DEPTHX was
      deployed in Zacaton, a deep (approximately 318 m), limestone, phreatic sinkhole
      (cenote) in northeastern Mexico. As DEPTHX descended, it generated a 3-D map
      based on the processing of range data from 54 onboard sonars. The vehicle
      collected water column samples and wall biomat samples throughout the depth
      profile of the cenote. Post-expedition sample analysis via comparative analysis
      of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed a wealth of microbial diversity. Traditional
      Sanger gene sequencing combined with a barcoded-amplicon pyrosequencing approach
      revealed novel, phylum-level lineages from the domains Bacteria and Archaea; in
      addition, several novel subphylum lineages were also identified. Overall, DEPTHX
      successfully navigated and mapped Zacaton, and collected biological samples based
      on an autonomous decision, which revealed novel microbial diversity in a
      previously unexplored environment.

PMID- 20298147
TI  - Performance of orbital neutron instruments for spatially resolved hydrogen
      measurements of airless planetary bodies.
AB  - Orbital neutron spectroscopy has become a standard technique for measuring
      planetary surface compositions from orbit. While this technique has led to
      important discoveries, such as the deposits of hydrogen at the Moon and Mars, a
      limitation is its poor spatial resolution. For omni-directional neutron sensors,
      spatial resolutions are 1-1.5 times the spacecraft's altitude above the planetary
      surface (or 40-600 km for typical orbital altitudes). Neutron sensors with
      enhanced spatial resolution have been proposed, and one with a collimated field
      of view is scheduled to fly on a mission to measure lunar polar hydrogen. No
      quantitative studies or analyses have been published that evaluate in detail the
      detection and sensitivity limits of spatially resolved neutron measurements.
      Here, we describe two complementary techniques for evaluating the hydrogen
      sensitivity of spatially resolved neutron sensors: an analytic, closed-form
      expression that has been validated with Lunar Prospector neutron data, and a
      three-dimensional modeling technique. The analytic technique, called the
      Spatially resolved Neutron Analytic Sensitivity Approximation (SNASA), provides a
      straightforward method to evaluate spatially resolved neutron data from existing
      instruments as well as to plan for future mission scenarios. We conclude that the
      existing detector--the Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector (LEND)--scheduled to
      launch on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will have hydrogen sensitivities that
      are over an order of magnitude poorer than previously estimated. We further
      conclude that a sensor with a geometric factor of approximately 100 cm(2) Sr
      (compared to the LEND geometric factor of approximately 10.9 cm(2) Sr) could make
      substantially improved measurements of the lunar polar hydrogen spatial
      distribution.

PMID- 20298148
TI  - The Mars Astrobiology Explorer-Cacher (MAX-C): a potential rover mission for
      2018. Final report of the Mars Mid-Range Rover Science Analysis Group (MRR-SAG)
      October 14, 2009.
AB  - This report documents the work of the Mid-Range Rover Science Analysis Group (MRR
      SAG), which was assigned to formulate a concept for a potential rover mission
      that could be launched to Mars in 2018. Based on programmatic and engineering
      considerations as of April 2009, our deliberations assumed that the potential
      mission would use the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) sky-crane landing system and
      include a single solar-powered rover. The mission would also have a targeting
      accuracy of approximately 7 km (semimajor axis landing ellipse), a mobility range
      of at least 10 km, and a lifetime on the martian surface of at least 1 Earth
      year. An additional key consideration, given recently declining budgets and cost
      growth issues with MSL, is that the proposed rover must have lower cost and cost
      risk than those of MSL--this is an essential consideration for the Mars
      Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG). The MRR-SAG was asked to formulate a
      mission concept that would address two general objectives: (1) conduct high
      priority in situ science and (2) make concrete steps toward the potential return
      of samples to Earth. The proposed means of achieving these two goals while
      balancing the trade-offs between them are described here in detail. We propose
      the name Mars Astrobiology Explorer-Cacher(MAX-C) to reflect the dual purpose of
      this potential 2018 rover mission.

PMID- 20298149
TI  - Prognosis of isolated mild to moderate fetal cerebral ventriculomegaly: a
      systematic review.
AB  - AIMS: To ascertain risk of aneuploidy, infection and neurological abnormality for
      the fetus diagnosed with isolated mild (10.1-12.0 mm) to moderate (12.1-15.0 mm)
      cerebral ventriculomegaly and to compare the neurological outcome between
      symmetrical vs. asymmetrical and stable vs. progressive ventriculomegaly.
      METHODS: A systematic review was conducted. Literature was identified by
      searching two bibliographical databases between 1980 and 2009 without language
      restrictions. The data extracted were inspected for heterogeneity. Overall rates
      and confidence intervals (CIs) for each prognostic factor were calculated. When
      comparative data existed, the odds ratio (OR) was calculated. RESULTS: The search
      strategy yielded 2150 relevant citations of which 28 studies were included in the
      review. The overall rate of infection and chromosomal abnormality was 1.5 and 5%
      (95% CI 3, 7), respectively. The risk of neurological abnormality regardless of
      karyotype or infection screen was 14% (95% CI 10, 18) and this reduced to 12%
      (95% CI 9, 15) when both chromosomes and infection screen were normal. The risk
      of neurological abnormality was significantly lower in stable compared to
      progressive ventriculomegaly [OR 0.29 (95% CI 0.15, 0.58)]. No significant
      differences were detected when symmetrical vs. asymmetrical ventriculomegaly were
      compared [OR 0.91 (95% CI 0.34, 2.41)]. CONCLUSION: This systematic review
      provides the physician with some estimates of prognosis in cases of isolated mild
      to moderate ventriculomegaly.

PMID- 20298151
TI  - Carcinogenesis and therapeutic strategies in thyroid cancer.
AB  - Current therapeutic options for patients with progressive thyroid cancer are
      relatively ineffective. There is a clear need to develop new alternatives for the
      management of this malignancy. As the knowledge of thyroid cancer biology
      advances, a large number of genetic events, molecular abnormalities, alterations
      of signaling pathways have been identified in the development and progression of
      thyroid neoplasms, and the potential exists to develop compounds targeted to
      treat thyroid cancers that do not respond to traditional therapy. In this review
      we described the recent development in thyroid carcinogenesis where the potential
      and novel intervention may exist. The discussion of thyroid carcinogenesis was
      integrated with exploitation of anti-thyroid agents that are currently either in
      clinical trials or in preclinical development for thyroid cancer.

PMID- 20298150
TI  - Targeting apoptosis pathway with natural terpenoids: implications for treatment
      of breast and prostate cancer.
AB  - Terpenoids represent a large and diverse class of naturally occurring compounds
      found in a variety of fruits, vegetables and medicinal plants. Structurally some
      of the terpenoids are similar to human hormones. A diet rich in terpenoids is
      inversely related with the risk of chronic diseases including cancers. Breast and
      prostate cancers are hormone-related diseases and the second leading cause of
      female and male cancer mortality. Diterpenoid paclitaxel, and its semi-synthetic
      analogue docetaxel, have entered clinical use against established breast and
      prostate cancers. Here we reviewed potential molecular targets and biological
      properties of natural terpenoids, including monoterpenoids, diterpenoids,
      triterpenoids and tetraterpenoids, and their applications in treatment of human
      breast and prostate cancers. These terpenoids are able to inhibit tumor cell
      proliferation and induce tumor cell death by inhibiting multiple cancer-specific
      targets including the proteasome, NF-kappaB, and antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2. The
      efficacy of these terpenoids against breast or prostate cancer cells, as
      demonstrated in pre-clinical studies support clinical application of these
      naturally occurring terpenoids in treatment of hormone-related human cancers.

PMID- 20298152
TI  - Targeting cellular proapoptotic molecules for developing anticancer agents from
      marine sources.
AB  - Apoptosis as a form of programmed cell death is a critical defense mechanism
      against the formation and progression of cancer and exhibits distinct
      morphological and biochemical traits. In an in vivo situation, apoptosis
      functions to eliminate potentially deleterious cells without causing such adverse
      effects as inflammatory response and ensuing scar formation. Therefore, targeting
      apoptotic pathways becomes an intriguing strategy for the development of
      chemotherapeutic agents. Marine natural products have become an important source
      in the discovery of antitumor drugs, especially when modern technology makes it
      more and more feasible to collect organisms from seas. Although lack of an analog
      of a long ethno-medical history for finding clues, as compared with terrestrial
      habitats, still hinders the progress, an increasing number of compounds have been
      isolated from marine organisms that have been found to possess apoptosis-inducing
      and anticancer activities. This primer summarizes several such compounds, based
      on their effects on apoptotic signaling pathways, although most of these products
      have not yet been studied in depth for their mechanisms of action.

PMID- 20298153
TI  - Chemosensitization of prostate cancer by modulating Bcl-2 family proteins.
AB  - A major challenge in oncology is the development of chemoresistance. This often
      occurs as cancer progresses and malignant cells acquire mechanisms to resist
      insults that would normally induce apoptosis. The onset of androgen independence
      in advanced prostate cancer is a prime example of this phenomenon. Overexpression
      of the pro-survival/anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and Mcl-1 are
      hallmarks of this transition. Here we outline the evolution of therapeutics
      designed to either limit the source or disrupt the interactions of these pro
      survival proteins. By either lessening the stoichiometric abundance of Bcl
      2/xL/Mcl-1 in reference to their pro-apoptotic foils or freeing these pro
      apoptotic proteins from their grip, these treatments aim to sensitize cells to
      chemotherapy by priming cells for death. DNA anti-sense and RNA interference have
      been effectively employed to decrease Bcl-2 family mRNA and protein levels in
      cell culture models of advanced prostate cancer. However, clinical studies are
      lagging due to in vivo delivery challenges. The burgeoning field of nanoparticle
      delivery holds great promise in helping to overcome the challenge of
      administering highly labile nucleic acid based therapeutics. On another front,
      small molecule inhibitors that block the hetero-dimerization of pro-survival with
      pro-apoptotic proteins have significant clinical advantages and have advanced
      farther in clinical trials with promising early results. Most recently, a peptide
      has been discovered that can convert Bcl-2 from a pro-survival to a pro-apoptotic
      protein. The future may lie in targeting multiple steps of the apoptotic pathway,
      including Bcl-2/xL/Mcl-1, to debilitate the survival capacity of cancer cells and
      make chemotherapy induced death their only option.

PMID- 20298155
TI  - Targeting the p53-family in cancer and chemosensitivity: triple threat.
AB  - The p53-family of transcription factors consists of three genes - p53, p63, and
      p73 - that share significant structural and functional similarities. Although
      these genes encode multiple variants that have opposing functions in cancer
      biology, the full-length, transactivating (TA) p53-family members are potent
      inducers of apoptosis and tumor suppression. Many anti-cancer agents, from
      traditional chemo- and radiation therapies to more recently developed small
      molecules, exert their effects by enhancing the anti-proliferative effects of p53
      and TAp63/p73. In this review, we provide an overview of the regulatory pathways
      controlling the p53-family proteins as a framework for understanding p53-family
      targeted drug mechanisms. We will also summarize recent work on promising
      attempts to re-activate p53 in tumors. In addition, we will discuss how p63 and
      p73 - the two more recently discovered p53-family members - have affected drug
      discovery and how these two genes may also hold promise as drug targets for
      recent and future novel therapies. This review will emphasize how targeting
      multiple members of the family of p53 proteins is likely to provide an increased
      threat to the growth of cancer cells.

PMID- 20298156
TI  - Anticancer properties of indole compounds: mechanism of apoptosis induction and
      role in chemotherapy.
AB  - Indole compounds, obtained from cruciferous vegetables, have been investigated
      for their putative anti-cancer properties. Studies with indole-3-carbinol (I3C)
      and its dimeric product, 3, 3' diindolylmethane (DIM), have indicated efficacy of
      these compounds against a number of human cancers. Available as well as emerging
      data suggests that these compounds act on a number of cellular signaling pathways
      leading to their observed biological effects. Such pleiotropic effects of these
      compounds are also considered crucial for their chemosensitization activity
      wherein they help reduce the toxicity and resistance against conventional
      chemotherapeutic drugs. These observations have major clinical implications
      especially in chemotherapy. Through this review, we have attempted to update
      current understanding on the state of anti-cancer research involving indole
      compounds. We have also summarized the available literature on modulatory effects
      of indoles on molecular targets such as survivin, uPA/uPAR and signaling pathways
      such as the NF-kappaB pathway, which are important for the apoptosis-inducing and
      chemosensitizing properties of these compounds.

PMID- 20298158
TI  - Low grade inflammation as a common pathogenetic denominator in age-related
      diseases: novel drug targets for anti-ageing strategies and successful ageing
      achievement. Part I.

PMID- 20298157
TI  - Role of apoptosis in chemotherapy.

PMID- 20298159
TI  - Low grade inflammation as a common pathogenetic denominator in age-related
      diseases: novel drug targets for anti-ageing strategies and successful ageing
      achievement. Part II.

PMID- 20298154
TI  - EGFR(S) inhibitors in the treatment of gastro-intestinal cancers: what's new?
AB  - In the past 10 to 15 years, a considerable progress has been made in the
      treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) related malignancies, as number of agents
      expanded from only one in 1995 to seven in 2006. Current review describes the
      recent role of targeted therapies, specifically EGFR inhibitors in the treatment
      of GI cancers. Importance of dietary agents in the treatment and prevention of GI
      cancers is also reviewed.

PMID- 20298161
TI  - Liver cancer stem cells as an important target in liver cancer therapies.
AB  - Hepatic cancer is one of most common cause of cancer-related death. Hepato
      epithelial cancers are believed to originate from the malignant transformation of
      liver-resident stem/progenitor cells. Liver cancer stem cells have been
      characterized recently and the phenotype of liver cancer stem cells has been
      defined as CD133+ CD44+ cancer cells. Recently, it has been also demonstrated
      about the relevance of targeting liver cancer stem cells, due to cancer stem
      cells are related to cancer metastasis. These advances no doubt to bring the new
      strategy in liver cancer treatment and control in this disease. This review
      describes the current status and progress about cancer stem cell research in
      liver and discuss of the implications of these studies in new liver cancer
      treatment strategies.

PMID- 20298162
TI  - Editorial: Physical and chemical agents inducing cell death and differentiation.

PMID- 20298163
TI  - Molecularly targeted therapies in breast cancer bone metastases.

PMID- 20298164
TI  - Editorial--"Current aging science": an important platform for reporting advances
      in aging-related research.

PMID- 20298165
TI  - DNA repair in premature aging disorders and neurodegeneration.
AB  - The accumulation of DNA damage has been widely implicated in premature aging and
      neurodegeneration. Progeroid syndromes with defects in the cellular response to
      DNA damage suggest that progressive genome instability represents an important
      aspect of the aging process. Moreover, most of the major neurodegenerative
      diseases are characterized by the accumulation of neuronal DNA damage, suggesting
      that impaired DNA repair mechanisms might be relevant to both premature aging and
      neurodegeneration. Two progeroid syndromes, Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome
      and Werner's syndrome, are characterized by clinical features mimicking
      physiological aging at an early age and molecular studies have implicated
      decreased cell proliferation and altered DNA-damage responses as common causal
      mechanisms in the pathogenesis of both diseases. Defects in nucleotide excision
      repair cause three distinct human diseases: xeroderma pigmentosum, Cockayne's
      syndrome and trichothiodystrophy; each of them is characterized by premature
      onset of pathologies that overlap with those associated with old age in humans.
      Increasing evidence also suggests that an impaired DNA repair, particularly the
      base excision repair pathway, might play a fundamental role in the development of
      age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's
      disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Huntington' s disease. Here, we review
      the current knowledge on the role of DNA repair in premature aging and
      neurodegenerative diseases.

PMID- 20298166
TI  - Effects of caloric restriction on age-related hearing loss in rodents and rhesus
      monkeys.
AB  - Age-related hearing loss (AHL), also known as presbycusis, is a universal feature
      of mammalian aging and is the most frequently occurring sensory disorder in the
      elderly population. AHL is characterized by a decline of auditory function and
      loss of hair cells and spiral ganglion neurons in the cochlea of the inner ear.
      It has been postulated that AHL occurs gradually as a result of the cumulative
      effect with aging of exposure to noise, diet, oxidative damage, and mitochondrial
      DNA mutations. However, the molecular mechanisms of AHL remain unclear and no
      preventative or therapeutic interventions have been developed. A growing body of
      evidence suggests increased oxidative damage with aging to macromolecules such as
      DNA, proteins, and lipids may play a causal role in aging and age-related
      diseases. Caloric restriction (CR) extends the lifespan of most mammalian
      species, delays the onset of multiple age-related diseases, and attenuates both
      the degree of oxidative damage and the associated decline in physiological
      function. Here, we review studies on CR's ability to prevent cochlear pathology
      and AHL in laboratory animals and discuss potential molecular mechanisms of CR's
      actions.

PMID- 20298167
TI  - The effects of rapid- or intermediate-acting insulin on the proliferation and
      differentiation of cultured chondrocytes.
AB  - In cartilage regenerative medicine, which is highly expected in the face of our
      aging society, insulin is the potent factor for culture media. To secure the
      safety of culture media, we attempted to use medical insulin formulations, and
      compared their effects on human articular or auricular chondrocytes between
      regular human insulin (R) and neutral protamine hagedorn insulin (N). In
      monolayer culture with the media containing either R or N, the cell growth
      reached approximately 15-fold-increase in 6 days, which showed no significant
      difference between them. These cells showed the equivalent ability to produce
      cartilage matrices, both in vitro and in vivo. Also, in the 3D culture of the
      dedifferentiated chondrocytes, either R or N increased gene expression of type II
      collagen at 3-4 folds in the combination with other growth factors, compared with
      basal medium, while insulin could similarly enhance both the redifferentiation
      and cartilage maturation. The in vitro half-life of each insulin in the presence
      of chondrocytes neither decreased within 3 days, suggesting little degradation in
      the culture media, unlike in the body. Although both R and N showed similar
      biological effects on cultured chondrocytes, we may choose the R for clinical
      practice because of its pure composition.

PMID- 20298169
TI  - Fishing for age-related visual system mutants: behavioral screening of retinal
      degeneration genes in zebrafish.
AB  - The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has recently become a mainstream model system for
      genetic studies of human diseases, such as neurological degenerative diseases,
      heart diseases, immuno-system disorders, etc. In this article, we will review
      some recent findings of the usefulness of zebrafish as a model vertebrate for
      behavioral screening of mutations in vertebrate visual system, for example, genes
      involved in age-related retinal degeneration.

PMID- 20298168
TI  - Polyphenols and aging.
AB  - Age-associated changes within an individual are inherently complex and occur at
      multiple levels of organismal function. The overall decline in function of
      various tissues is known to play a key role in both aging and the complex
      etiology of certain age-associated diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and
      cancer. Continuing research highlights the dynamic capacity of polyphenols to
      protect against age-associated disorders through a variety of important
      mechanisms. Numerous lines of evidence suggest that dietary polyphenols such as
      resveratrol, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), and curcumin have the
      capacity to mitigate age-associated cellular damage induced via metabolic
      production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, recently acquired evidence
      also demonstrates a likely role for these polyphenols as anticancer agents
      capable of preventing formation of new vasculature in neoplastic tissues.
      Polyphenols have also been shown to possess other anticancer properties such as
      specific cell-signaling actions that may stimulate the activity of the regulatory
      protein SIRT1. Additionally, polyphenolic compounds have demonstrated their
      inhibitory effects against chronic vascular inflammation associated with
      atherosclerosis. These increasingly well-documented results have begun to provide
      a basis for considering the use of polyphenols in the development of novel
      therapies for certain human diseases. And while the mechanisms by which these
      effects occur are yet to be fully understood, it is evident that further
      investigation may yield a potential use for polyphenols as pharmacological
      interventions against specific age-associated diseases.

PMID- 20298170
TI  - Treatment of Alzheimer's disease: symptomatic and disease-modifying approaches.
AB  - The two major neuropathologic hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are
      extracellular Amyloid beta (Abeta) plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary
      tangles (NFTs). A number of additional pathogenic mechanisms, possibly
      overlapping with Abeta plaques and NFTs formation, have been described, including
      inflammation, oxidative damage, iron disregulation, cholesterol metabolism. The
      first drugs developed for AD, anticholinesterase inhibitors (AchEI), increase
      acetylcholine levels, previously demonstrated to be reduced in AD. To date, four
      AchEI are approved for the treatment of mild to moderate AD. A further
      therapeutic option available for moderate to severe AD is memantine. These
      treatments are symptomatic, whereas drugs under development are supposed to
      modify pathological steps leading to AD, thus acting on the evolution of the
      disease. For this reason they are currently termed "disease modifying" drugs. To
      block the progression of the disease, they have to interfere with pathogenic
      steps at the basis of clinical symptoms. In this review, current treatment will
      be summarized and new perspectives discussed. In particular, several approaches
      will be described, including Abeta deposition interference by Anti-Abeta
      aggregation agents, vaccination, gamma-secretase inhibition or Selective Abeta42
      lowering agents (SALAs); tau deposition interference by methyl thioninium
      chloride (MTC); reduction of inflammation and oxidative damage.

PMID- 20298172
TI  - Breath holding index and arterial stiffness as markers of vascular aging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to evaluate correlation of breath holding
      index (BHI) as functional parameter for intracranial subclinical atherosclerotic
      changes - we have shown in our previous works and arterial stiffness (AS
      functional parameter for extracranial subclinical atherosclerotic changes) in
      normal population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We included 120 healthy volunteers
      (conventional risk factors for cerebrovascular disease were excluded) who were
      examined at our Neurology Department. They were divided into 6 age groups-(25-35,
      36-45, 46-55, 56-65, 66-75, 76+ years). We performed standard laboratory workup,
      body weight and height measurements, Color Doppler and Power Doppler of the main
      head and neck vessels and Transcranial Doppler, (measured by means of e-Tracking
      software). RESULTS: There was decline of BHI, and increase in AS - in correlation
      with age increase (p<0.01). There was statistically significant negative
      correlation between BHI and AS (r= -0,931, p<0.01 right and r = -0,938, p<0.01
      left). CONCLUSION: These results show that decline in BHI as parameter for
      intracranial microvessel dysfunction is in good correlation with increase of AS
      as functional parameter of extracranial vascular aging.

PMID- 20298173
TI  - "Care-getting": a conceptual model of marshalling support near the end of life.
AB  - This paper offers a conceptual framework that focuses on "care-getting", a
      proactive means of insuring responsive and high quality care that is necessary
      for maintenance of good quality of life during the final years of life. Unlike
      traditional formulations and empirical studies that consider end of life issues
      among the terminally ill, we call for a broader consideration of the final years
      of life among older adults experiencing different health trajectories. We expect
      frail older adults' dispositions, proactive adaptations, and responsiveness of
      their informal and formal social resources, to play key roles in achieving good
      quality of life close to the end of life. Such positive outcomes near the end of
      life help preserve the integrity of the person and contribute to a sense of being
      cared for [1]. The conceptual framework we propose is a necessary next step for
      social gerontology, in order to incorporate preparation for dying into the life
      course. This important final life stage has been previously neglected in
      gerontological life course theory. Cross-cultural considerations in getting
      responsive care close to the end of life are discussed.

PMID- 20298171
TI  - Diet and neurocognition: review of evidence and methodological considerations.
AB  - The relationship between diet and cognitive function has been a topic of
      increasing interest, as numerous studies have shown that variations in dietary
      practices and nutrient intake may protect against age-related cognitive decline,
      as well as the development of dementia and Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Various
      dietary practices and specific nutrient components of these diets have been
      examined in relation to cognitive performance including 1) dietary fatty acids
      (including fish oil) and the Mediterranean diet, 2) antioxidants (including
      vitamins E and C) and fruits and vegetables, 3) vitamins B6, B12 (cobolamine),
      and folate, and, more recently, 4) caloric restriction. Although observational
      studies have generally reported significant associations between dietary
      practices and reduced incidence of cognitive dysfunction, randomized trials of
      dietary interventions have yielded mixed findings, with many trials yielding
      small gains or equivocal findings. In addition, findings appear to vary based on
      sample characteristics, methods of dietary assessment, and length of study follow
      up. The influence of dietary practices on cognitive function in middle aged and
      older adults remains uncertain, and further research is needed to clarify the
      nature of this relationship and identify mechanisms by which diet may affect
      neurocognition.

PMID- 20298174
TI  - Turning points in the life course: current findings and future directions in drug
      use research.
AB  - Turning point, a key concept in the developmental life course approach, is
      currently understudied in the field of substance abuse, but merits further
      research. A turning point often involves a particular event, experience, or
      awareness that results in changes in the direction of a pathway or persistent
      trajectory over the long-term. This article (1) provides an overview of the
      relevant literature on the concept of turning points from the life course and
      developmental criminology perspectives, (2) reviews literature on turning points
      in substance use, (3) discusses methodological considerations, and (4) suggests
      areas for future research on turning points in drug use. The influence of life
      course concepts related to drug use trajectories and turning points (including,
      for example, timing and sequencing of life events, individual characteristics,
      human agency, and social and historical context) offers a potentially fruitful
      area of investigation that may increase our understanding of why and how drug
      users stop and resume using over the long-term. Further research on turning
      points may be particularly valuable in unpacking the multifaceted and complex
      underlying mechanisms and factors involved in lasting changes in drug use.

PMID- 20298175
TI  - Barrett's metaplasia: molecular mechanisms and nutritional influences.
AB  - Barrett's metaplasia is discussed in the context of a general theory for the
      formation of metaplasias based on developmental biology. The phenotype of a
      particular tissue type becomes established during embryonic development by the
      expression of a specific set of transcription factors. If this combination
      becomes altered, then the tissue type can be altered. Such events may occur by
      mutation or by environmental effects on gene expression, normally within the stem
      cell population of the tissue. A macroscopic patch of metaplastic tissue will
      arise only if the new gene activity state is self-sustaining in the absence of
      its original causes, and if the new tissue type can outgrow the parent tissue
      type. An important candidate gene for the causation of Barrett's metaplasia is
      Cdx2 (Caudal-type homeobox 2). In normal development, this is expressed in the
      future intestine, but not the future foregut. Mouse knockout studies have shown
      that it is needed for intestinal development, and that its loss from adult
      intestine can lead to squamous transformations. It is also expressed in Barrett's
      metaplasia and can be activated in oesophageal cell cultures by treatment with
      bile acids. We have investigated the ability of Cdx2 to bring about intestinal
      transformations in oesophageal epithelium. Our results show that Cdx2 can
      activate a programme of intestinal gene expression when overexpressed in HET-1A
      cells, or in fetal epithelium, but not in the adult epithelium. This suggests
      that Cdx2, although necessary for formation of intestinal tissue, is not
      sufficient to provoke Barrett's metaplasia in adult life and that overexpression
      of additional transcription factors is necessary. In terms of diet and nutrition,
      there is a known association of Barrett's metaplasia with obesity. This may work
      through an increased risk of gastro-oesophageal reflux. Acid and bile are known
      to activate Cdx2 expression in oesophageal cells. It may also increase
      circulating levels of TNFalpha (tumour necrosis factor alpha), which activates
      Cdx2. In addition, there may be effects of diet on the composition of the bile.

PMID- 20298176
TI  - Modelling Barrett's oesophagus.
AB  - Barrett's oesophagus is the replacement of normal squamous oesophageal epithelium
      with an intestinalized columnar epithelium. Although some insight has been gained
      as to what Barrett's oesophagus is, how this columnar epithelium emerges from
      within a stratified squamous epithelium remains an unanswered question. We have
      sought to determine whether oesophageal keratinocytes can be trans-differentiated
      into Barrett's oesophagus cells. Using an Affymetrix microarray, we found
      unexpectedly that gene-expression patterns in the Barrett's oesophagus were only
      slightly more similar to the normal small intestine than they were to the normal
      oesophagus. Thus gene-expression patterns suggest significant molecular
      similarities remain between Barrett's oesophagus cells and normal squamous
      oesophageal epithelium, despite their histological resemblance with intestine. We
      next determined whether directed expression of intestine-specific transcription
      factors could induce intestinalization of keratinocytes. Retroviral-mediated Cdx2
      (Caudal-type homeobox 2) expression in immortalized human oesophageal
      keratinocytes engineered with human telomerase reverse transcriptase (EPC2-hTERT
      cells) could be established transiently, but not maintained, and was associated
      with a reduction in cell proliferation. Co-expression of cyclin D1 rescued
      proliferation in the Cdx2-expressing cells, but co-expression of dominant
      negative p53 did not. Cdx2 expression in the EPC2-hTERT.D1 cells did not induce
      intestinalization. However, when combined with treatments that induce chromatin
      remodelling, there was a significant induction of Barrett's oesophagus-associated
      genes. Studies are ongoing to determine whether other intestinal transcription
      factors, either alone or in combination, can provoke greater intestinalization of
      oesophageal keratinocytes. We conclude that, on the basis of gene-expression
      patterns, Barrett's oesophagus epithelial cells may represent an intermediate
      between oesophageal keratinocytes and intestinal epithelial cells. Moreover, our
      findings suggest that it may be possible to induce Barrett's oesophagus
      epithelial cells from oesophageal keratinocytes by altering the expression of
      certain critical genes.

PMID- 20298177
TI  - Role of the micro-environment in Barrett's carcinogenesis.
AB  - Most epithelial cancers occur on the background of chronic exposure to damaging
      agents which is reflected in the long lag phase from development of a pre
      invasive lesion to the development of a carcinoma. Luminal refluxate has long
      been recognized to be associated with Barrett's oesophagus, although causal
      mechanisms have not been clearly defined. Recently, obesity and dietary nitric
      oxide have also been implicated in the disease pathogenesis. We have demonstrated
      that acid can alter cell kinetics and, together with nitric oxide, can induce
      double-stranded DNA breaks. Aside from exposure to luminal factors, the stromal
      micro-environment may also be important. There is increasing evidence to suggest
      that inflammatory pathways such as TGF (transforming growth factor) beta may play
      a role in Barrett's oesophagus carcinogenesis. Hence stromal-epithelial-luminal
      interactions may influence cell behaviour. As sequelae to this, it is possible
      that the niches created by the micro-environment may influence genetic epithelial
      diversity observed within the Barrett's oesophagus segment.

PMID- 20298180
TI  - Biomarkers in Barrett's oesophagus.
AB  - Biomarkers are needed to screen multiple stages in the clinical pathway of
      Barrett's oesophagus patients; from disease diagnosis to risk stratification and
      predicting response to therapy. Routes to the identification of biomarkers have
      been recognized by known molecular features of the disease and more recently
      through transcriptomic, methylation and proteomic screening approaches. The
      majority of Barrett's oesophagus patients remain undiagnosed in the general
      population. In order to develop a tool to screen for Barrett's oesophagus in the
      primary care setting, minimally invasive sampling methods coupled with
      immunocytology-based biomarkers are currently being assessed. Biomarkers may also
      have utility in surveillance programmes by allowing endoscopic interval to be
      adjusted according to individual neoplastic risk. Many individual biomarkers have
      been proposed in this regard, but have frequently been assessed in studies of
      limited power, or have lacked sufficient sensitivity or specificity when assessed
      in wider population-based studies. Biomarker panels may provide a route forward.
      In this regard, a panel of methylation markers has shown promise in a
      multicentre, double-blind, validation study. Biomarkers are also being developed
      to improve detection of high-grade dysplasia and oesophageal adenocarcinoma,
      utilizing brush cytology combined with FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization),
      and to assess therapeutic success and risk of complication during photodynamic
      therapy. Finally, we outline progress in identifying alternative sources of
      biomarkers for this condition.

PMID- 20298179
TI  - The role of secondary bile acids in neoplastic development in the oesophagus.
AB  - Bile acids have been demonstrated, through the use of animal models and clinical
      association studies, to play a role in neoplastic development in Barrett's
      metaplasia. How specific bile acids promote neoplasia is as yet unknown, as are
      the exact identities of the important bile acid subtypes. The combination of bile
      subtype with appropriate pH is critical, as pH alters bile acid activity
      enormously. Hence glycine-conjugated bile acids are involved in neoplastic
      development at acidic pH (pH ~4), and unconjugated bile acids are involved in
      neoplastic development at more neutral pH (~6). Bile acids (at the appropriate
      pH) are potent DNA-damaging agents, due to the induction of ROS (reactive oxygen
      species), which are mainly induced by bile-induced damage to mitochondrial
      membranes, allowing leakage of ROS into the cytosol. These ROS also induce pro
      survival signalling pathways [e.g. via PKC (protein kinase C)-dependent NF-kappaB
      (nuclear factor kappaB) activity]. Interestingly, NOS (nitric oxide synthase),
      through induction of NO may exacerbate this NF-kappaB activity and form a
      positive-feedback loop to amplify the activation of NF-kappaB by deoxycholic acid
      in particular. This combination of induced DNA damage and cell survival by bile
      acids is of major importance in neoplasia. Antioxidants and the tertiary bile
      acid UDCA (ursodeoxycholic acid) can block bile-induced DNA damage and bile
      induced NF-kappaB activity, and should be considered in chemopreventative
      strategies.

PMID- 20298178
TI  - New models of neoplastic progression in Barrett's oesophagus.
AB  - Research in Barrett's oesophagus, and neoplastic progression to OAC (oesophageal
      adenocarcinoma), is hobbled by the lack of good pre-clinical models that capture
      the evolutionary dynamics of Barrett's cell populations. Current models trade off
      tractability for realism. Computational models are perhaps the most tractable and
      can be used both to interpret data and to develop intuitions and hypotheses for
      neoplastic progression. Tissue culture models include squamous cell lines,
      Barrett's oesophagus cell lines and OAC cell lines, although it was recognized
      recently that BIC-1, SEG-1 and TE-7 are not true OAC cell lines. Some of the
      unrealistic aspects of the micro-environment in two-dimensional tissue culture
      may be overcome with the development of three-dimensional organotypic cultures of
      Barrett's oesophagus. The most realistic, but least tractable, model is a canine
      surgical model that generates reflux and leads to an intestinal metaplasia.
      Alternatively, rat surgical models have gained popularity and should be tested
      for the common genetic features of Barrett's oesophagus neoplastic progression in
      humans including loss of CDKN2A (cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A) and TP53
      (tumour protein 53), generation of aneuploidy and realistic levels of genetic
      diversity. This last feature will be important for studying the effects of cancer
      prevention interventions. In order to study the dynamics of progression and the
      effects of an experimental intervention, there is a need to follow animals
      longitudinally, with periodic endoscopic biopsies. This is now possible and
      represents an exciting opportunity for the future.

PMID- 20298181
TI  - The role of acid and bile reflux in oesophagitis and Barrett's metaplasia.
AB  - The precise mechanisms whereby gastro-oesophageal reflux disease causes reflux
      oesophagitis and Barrett's oesophagus are not clear, even though these diseases
      have been known to be linked for many years. Recent studies indicate a role for
      the reflux-induced inflammatory response of oesophageal squamous epithelial cells
      and the immune cells in the pathogenesis of reflux oesophagitis. Although reflux
      oesophagitis commonly heals with oesophageal squamous cell regeneration, in some
      individuals the oesophagus heals through the process of metaplasia, a condition
      termed Barrett's oesophagus. Recent studies indicate that individual differences
      in the reflux-mediated response of oesophageal squamous epithelial cells in the
      type of immune response and/or in signalling pathways that regulate cell
      proliferation or cell phenotype may determine whether the oesophagus heals with
      the regeneration of squamous cells or through Barrett's metaplasia.

PMID- 20298182
TI  - The role of Cdx genes in the gut and in axial development.
AB  - The Cdx (Caudal-type homeobox) group of ParaHox genes (Cdx1, Cdx2 and Cdx4 in the
      mouse) perform multiple functions in mammalian development. Cdx1 is concerned
      with axial positional information, and its deletion appears to have no important
      effect other than a disturbance of axial patterning. In contrast, Cdx2 is
      required for trophoblast differentiation, axial patterning and extension, as well
      as for morphological specification (i.e. patterning) of gut endoderm. Cdx4
      knockout animals do not present an abnormal phenotype, but, when combined with
      Cdx2 haploinsufficiency, present a dramatic picture involving abnormal cloacal
      specification. The latter is probably due in large part to defective paraxial
      mesodermal development in the caudal region, but may also involve defective
      endodermal growth. A significant degree of redundancy is apparent between the Cdx
      genes with respect to caudal extension and possibly also during gut development.

PMID- 20298183
TI  - Pathophysiology of intestinal metaplasia of the stomach: emphasis on CDX2
      regulation.
AB  - IM (intestinal metaplasia) of the stomach is a pre-neoplastic lesion that usually
      follows Helicobacter pylori infection and that confers increased risk for gastric
      cancer development. After setting the role played by CDX2 (Caudal-type homeobox
      2) in the establishment of gastric IM, it became of foremost importance to
      unravel the regulatory mechanisms behind its de novo expression in the stomach.
      In the present paper, we review the basic pathology of gastric IM as well as the
      current knowledge on molecular pathways involved in CDX2 regulation in the
      gastric context.

PMID- 20298184
TI  - The role of Cdx2 in Barrett's metaplasia.
AB  - Metaplasia (or transdifferentiation) is defined as the transformation of one
      tissue type to another. Clues to the molecular mechanisms that control the
      development of metaplasia are implied from knowledge of the transcription factors
      that specify tissue identity during normal embryonic development. Barrett's
      metaplasia describes the development of a columnar/intestinal phenotype in the
      squamous oesophageal epithelium and is the major risk factor for oesophageal
      adenocarcinoma. This particular type of cancer has a rapidly rising incidence and
      a dismal prognosis. The homoeotic transcription factor Cdx2 (Caudal-type homeobox
      2) has been implicated as a master switch gene for intestine and therefore for
      Barrett's metaplasia. Normally, Cdx2 expression is restricted to the epithelium
      of the small and large intestine. Loss of Cdx2 function, or conditional deletion
      in the intestine, results in replacement of intestinal cells with a stratified
      squamous phenotype. In addition, Cdx2 is sufficient to provoke intestinal
      metaplasia in the stomach. In the present paper, we review the evidence for the
      role of Cdx2 in the development of Barrett's metaplasia.

PMID- 20298185
TI  - Cellular origin of Barrett's metaplasia and oesophageal stem cells.
AB  - Barrett's oesophagus is a metaplastic pre-malignant disorder and the only
      established precursor lesion for oesophageal adenocarcinoma. Barrett's oesophagus
      develops when the normal stratified squamous epithelium of the lower oesophagus
      is replaced by a columnar lined mucosa with intestinal differentiation, usually
      in the context of chronic gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. The cellular and
      molecular mechanisms by which this metaplastic transformation occurs are poorly
      understood. Abnormal differentiation of multipotent stem cells in the squamous
      oesophagus, triggered by exposure to refluxate, is one potential mechanism. These
      stem cells could be located in the basal layer of the squamous oesophageal
      epithelium and/or in the neck region of the oesophageal submucosal gland ducts;
      however, their exact location and identification are still matter of discussion.
      Three-dimensional models combined with state-of-the-art imaging techniques are
      now applied to characterize the squamous epithelium in human oesophageal samples,
      and this could unveil essential information to identify these progenitor cells.
      Locating stem cells in human squamous oesophagus could have important
      implications for our understanding of Barrett's oesophagus and remarkably improve
      our future strategies for its prevention.

PMID- 20298186
TI  - Genetic diversity during the development of Barrett's oesophagus-associated
      adenocarcinoma: how, when and why?
AB  - Recent investigations into Barrett's oesophagus at the level of individual crypts
      have found significant genetic heterogeneity within a single lesion. Furthermore,
      this genetic diversity has been shown to predict cancer development. In the
      present article, we review the genetic alterations implicated in disease
      progression in Barrett's oesophagus and discuss how genetic diversity could arise
      during tumorigenesis. Three arguments are discussed: a high mutation rate coupled
      with strong selection, clonal interaction driving progression, and a hitherto
      unidentified alteration that disrupts epithelial cell homoeostasis. Suggestions
      are made for future research to distinguish which of these theories is the
      predominant mechanism in Barrett's oesophagus-associated tumorigenesis.

PMID- 20298187
TI  - Machines on genes: enzymes that make, break and move DNA and RNA.
AB  - As the vital information repositories of the cell, the nucleic acids DNA and RNA
      pose many challenges as enzyme substrates. To produce, maintain and repair DNA
      and RNA, and to extract the genetic information that they encode, a battery of
      remarkable enzymes has evolved, which includes translocases,
      polymerases/replicases, helicases, nucleases, topoisomerases, transposases,
      recombinases, repair enzymes and ribosomes. An understanding of how these enzymes
      function is essential if we are to have a clear view of the molecular biology of
      the cell and aspire to manipulate genomes and gene expression to our advantage.
      To bring together scientists working in this fast-developing field, the
      Biochemical Society held a Focused Meeting, 'Machines on Genes: Enzymes that
      Make, Break and Move DNA and RNA', at Robinson College, University of Cambridge,
      U.K., in August 2009. The present article summarizes the research presented at
      this meeting and the reviews associated with the talks which are published in
      this issue of Biochemical Society Transactions.

PMID- 20298188
TI  - Orchestrating serine resolvases.
AB  - A remarkable feature of the serine resolvases is their regulation: the wild-type
      enzymes will catalyse intra- but not inter-molecular recombination, can sense the
      relative orientation of their sites and can exchange strands directionally,
      despite the fact that there is no net release of chemical bond energy. The key to
      this regulation is that they are only active within a large intertwined complex
      called the 'synaptosome'. Because substrate topology greatly facilitates (or, in
      other cases, inhibits) formation of the synaptosome, it acts as a 'topological
      filter'. Within the defined topology of the synaptosome, strand exchange releases
      supercoiling tension, providing an energy source to bias the reaction direction.
      The regulatory portion of this complex contains additional copies of the
      recombinase and sometimes other DNA-bending proteins. We are using a combination
      of X-ray crystallography, biochemistry and genetics to model the full synaptic
      complex and to understand how the regulatory portion activates the crossover-site
      bound recombinases.

PMID- 20298189
TI  - Site-specific recombination by phiC31 integrase and other large serine
      recombinases.
AB  - Most temperate phages encode an integrase for integration and excision of the
      prophage. Integrases belong either to the lambda Int family of tyrosine
      recombinases or to a subgroup of the serine recombinases, the large serine
      recombinases. Integration by purified serine integrases occurs efficiently in
      vitro in the presence of their cognate (~50 bp) phage and host attachment sites,
      attP and attB respectively. Serine integrases require an accessory protein, Xis,
      to promote excision, a reaction in which the products of the integration
      reaction, attL and attR, recombine to regenerate attP and attB. Unlike other
      directional recombinases, serine integrases are not controlled by proteins
      occupying accessory DNA-binding sites. Instead, it is thought that different
      integrase conformations, induced by binding to the DNA substrates, control
      protein-protein interactions, which in turn determine whether recombination
      proceeds. The present review brings together the evidence for this model derived
      from the studies on phiC31 integrase, Bxb1 integrase and other related proteins.

PMID- 20298190
TI  - The Escherichia coli DNA translocase FtsK.
AB  - Escherichia coli FtsK is a septum-located DNA translocase that co-ordinates the
      late stages of cytokinesis and chromosome segregation. Relatives of FtsK are
      present in most bacteria; in Bacillus subtilis, the FtsK orthologue, SpoIIIE,
      transfers the majority of a chromosome into the forespore during sporulation. DNA
      translocase activity is contained within a ~ 512-amino-acid C-terminal domain,
      which is divided into three subdomains: alpha, beta and gamma. alpha and beta
      comprise the translocation motor, and gamma is a regulatory domain that interacts
      with DNA and with the XerD recombinase. In vitro rates of translocation of ~ 5
      kb.s(-1) have been measured for both FtsK and SpoIIIE, whereas, in vivo, SpoIIIE
      has a comparable rate of translocation. Translocation by both of these proteins
      is not only rapid, but also directed by DNA sequence. This directionality
      requires interaction of the gamma subdomain with specific 8 bp DNA asymmetric
      sequences that are oriented co-directionally with replication direction of the
      bacterial chromosome. The gamma subdomain also interacts with the XerCD site
      specific recombinase to activate chromosome unlinking by recombination at the
      chromosomal dif site. In the present paper, the properties in vivo and in vitro
      of FtsK and its relatives are discussed in relation to the biological functions
      of these remarkable enzymes.

PMID- 20298191
TI  - The interaction of four-way DNA junctions with resolving enzymes.
AB  - Four-way DNA (Holliday) junctions are resolved into duplex species by the action
      of the junction-resolving enzymes, nucleases selective for the structure of
      helical branchpoints. These have been isolated from bacteria and their phages,
      archaea, yeasts and mammals, including humans. They are all dimeric proteins that
      bind with high selectivity to DNA junctions and generate bilateral cleavage
      within the lifetime of the DNA-protein complex. Recent success in obtaining X-ray
      crystal structures of resolving enzymes bound to DNA junctions has revealed how
      the structural selectivity of these enzymes is achieved.

PMID- 20298193
TI  - The type IIB restriction endonucleases.
AB  - The endonucleases from the Type IIB restriction-modification systems differ from
      all other restriction enzymes. The Type IIB enzymes cleave both DNA strands at
      specified locations distant from their recognition sequences, like Type IIS
      nucleases, but they are unique in that they do so on both sides of the site, to
      liberate the site from the remainder of the DNA on a short duplex. The fact that
      these enzymes cut DNA at specific locations mark them as Type II systems, as
      opposed to the Type I enzymes that cut DNA randomly, but in terms of gene
      organization and protein assembly, most Type IIB restriction-modification systems
      have more in common with Type I than with other Type II systems. Our current
      knowledge of the Type IIB systems is reviewed in the present paper.

PMID- 20298192
TI  - Maintaining a sense of direction during long-range communication on DNA.
AB  - Many biological processes rely on the interaction of proteins with multiple DNA
      sites separated by thousands of base pairs. These long-range communication events
      can be driven by both the thermal motions of proteins and DNA, and directional
      protein motions that are rectified by ATP hydrolysis. The present review
      describes conflicting experiments that have sought to explain how the ATP
      dependent Type III restriction-modification enzymes can cut DNA with two sites in
      an inverted repeat, but not DNA with two sites in direct repeat. We suggest that
      an ATPase activity may not automatically indicate a DNA translocase, but can
      alternatively indicate a molecular switch that triggers communication by
      thermally driven DNA sliding. The generality of this mechanism to other ATP
      dependent communication processes such as mismatch repair is also discussed.

PMID- 20298194
TI  - Catalysis of site-specific recombination by Tn3 resolvase.
AB  - The active-site interactions involved in the catalysis of DNA site-specific
      recombination by the serine recombinases are still incompletely understood.
      Recent crystal structures of synaptic gammadelta resolvase-DNA intermediates and
      biochemical analysis of Tn3 resolvase mutants have provided new insights into the
      structure of the resolvase active site, and how interactions of the catalytic
      residues with the DNA substrate might promote the phosphoryl transfer reactions.

PMID- 20298195
TI  - Ancient machinery embedded in the contemporary ribosome.
AB  - Structural analysis, supported by biochemical, mutagenesis and computational
      evidence, indicates that the peptidyltransferase centre of the contemporary
      ribosome is a universal symmetrical pocket composed solely of rRNA. This pocket
      seems to be a relic of the proto-ribosome, an ancient ribozyme, which was a
      dimeric RNA assembly formed from self-folded RNA chains of identical, similar or
      different sequences. This could have occurred spontaneously by gene duplication
      or gene fusion. This pocket-like entity was capable of autonomously catalysing
      various reactions, including peptide bond formation and non-coded or semi-coded
      amino acid polymerization. Efforts toward the structural definition of the early
      entity capable of genetic decoding involve the crystallization of the small
      ribosomal subunit of a bacterial organism harbouring a single functional rRNA
      operon.

PMID- 20298196
TI  - Nanomechanical constraints acting on the catalytic site of cellular RNA
      polymerases.
AB  - RNAPs (RNA polymerases) are complex molecular machines containing structural
      domains that co-ordinate the movement of nucleic acid and nucleotide substrates
      through the catalytic site. X-ray images of bacterial, archaeal and eukaryotic
      RNAPs have provided a wealth of structural detail over the last decade, but many
      mechanistic features can only be derived indirectly from such structures. We have
      therefore implemented a robotic high-throughput structure-function experimental
      system based on the automatic generation and assaying of hundreds of site
      directed mutants in the archaeal RNAP from Methanocaldococcus jannaschii. In the
      present paper, I focus on recent insights obtained from applying this
      experimental strategy to the bridge-helix domain. Our work demonstrates that the
      bridge-helix undergoes substantial conformational changes within a narrowly
      confined region (mjA' Ala(822)-Gln(823)-Ser(824)) during the nucleotide-addition
      cycle. Naturally occurring radical sequence variations in plant RNAP IV and V
      enzymes map to this region. In addition, many mutations within this domain cause
      a substantial increase in the RNAP catalytic activity ('superactivity'),
      suggesting that the RNAP active site is conformationally constrained.

PMID- 20298197
TI  - Substrate recognition and catalysis by flap endonucleases and related enzymes.
AB  - FENs (flap endonucleases) and related FEN-like enzymes [EXO-1 (exonuclease-1),
      GEN-1 (gap endonuclease 1) and XPG (xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group
      G)] are a family of bivalent-metal-ion-dependent nucleases that catalyse
      structure-specific hydrolysis of DNA duplex-containing nucleic acid structures
      during DNA replication, repair and recombination. In the case of FENs, the
      ability to catalyse reactions on a variety of substrates has been rationalized as
      a result of combined functional and structural studies. Analyses of FENs also
      exemplify controversies regarding the two-metal-ion mechanism. However, kinetic
      studies of T5FEN (bacteriophage T5 FEN) reveal that a two-metal-ion-like
      mechanism for chemical catalysis is plausible. Consideration of the
      metallobiochemistry and the positioning of substrate in metal-free structures has
      led to the proposal that the duplex termini of substrates are unpaired in the
      catalytically active form and that FENs and related enzymes may recognize
      breathing duplex termini within more complex structures. An outstanding issue in
      FEN catalysis is the role played by the intermediate (I) domain arch or clamp. It
      has been proposed that FENs thread the 5'-portion of their substrates through
      this arch, which is wide enough to accommodate single-stranded, but not double
      stranded, DNA. However, FENs exhibit gap endonuclease activity acting upon
      substrates that have a region of 5'-duplex. Moreover, the action of other FEN
      family members such as GEN-1, proposed to target Holliday junctions without
      termini, appears incompatible with a threading mechanism. An alterative is that
      the I domain is used as a clamp. A future challenge is to clarify the role of
      this domain in FENs and related enzymes.

PMID- 20298198
TI  - The role of ATP in the reactions of type II DNA topoisomerases.
AB  - Type II DNA topoisomerases catalyse changes in DNA topology in reactions coupled
      to the hydrolysis of ATP. In the case of DNA gyrase, which can introduce
      supercoils into DNA, the requirement for free energy is clear. However, the non
      supercoiling type II enzymes carry out reactions that are apparently
      energetically favourable, so their requirement for ATP hydrolysis is not so
      obvious. It has been shown that many of these enzymes (the type IIA family) can
      simplify the topology of their DNA substrates to a level beyond that expected at
      equilibrium. Although this seems to explain their usage of ATP, we show that the
      free energies involved in topology simplification are very small (<0.2% of that
      available from ATP) and we argue that topology simplification may simply be an
      evolutionary relic.

PMID- 20298199
TI  - Synaptopathy: dysfunction of synaptic function?
AB  - Synaptopathy is an increasingly popular term used to define key features of
      neurodegenerative and psychiatric disease. It implies that disruptions in
      synaptic structure and function are potentially the major determinant of such
      brain diseases. The Synaptopathies: Dysfunction of Synaptic Function Biochemical
      Society Focused Meeting brought together several invited speakers, supplemented
      with short communications from young scientists, who addressed this possibility.
      The talks spanned the full gamut of approaches that brought molecular, cellular,
      systems and whole-animal experimentation together to address how fundamental
      synaptic biology was increasingly informing on dysfunction in disease. The
      disease and models thereof discussed included Alzheimer's disease, prions,
      Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia and autism. The audience
      were asked to reflect on whether synaptopathy, although attractive and
      conceptually useful, provided a significant explanation as the cause of these
      major diseases. The breadth of the meeting reinforced the complexity of these
      brain diseases, supported the significance of synaptic dysfunction in disease,
      but left open the issue as to whether the prime cause of these disorders could be
      resolved as simple synaptic dysfunction. Thus, despite revealing a value of
      synaptopathy, further investigation will be required to reveal its balance in the
      cause and effect in each of the major brain diseases.

PMID- 20298200
TI  - Confirmed rare copy number variants implicate novel genes in schizophrenia.
AB  - Understanding how cognitive processes including learning, memory, decision making
      and ideation are encoded by the genome is a key question in biology.
      Identification of sets of genes underlying human mental disorders is a path
      towards this objective. Schizophrenia is a common disease with cognitive
      symptoms, high heritability and complex genetics. We have identified genes
      involved with schizophrenia by measuring differences in DNA copy number across
      the entire genome in 91 schizophrenia cases and 92 controls in the Scottish
      population. Our data reproduce rare and common variants observed in public domain
      data from >3000 schizophrenia cases, confirming known disease loci as well as
      identifying novel loci. We found copy number variants in PDE10A
      (phosphodiesterase 10A), CYFIP1 [cytoplasmic FMR1 (Fragile X mental retardation
      1)-interacting protein 1], K(+) channel genes KCNE1 and KCNE2, the Down's
      syndrome critical region 1 gene RCAN1 (regulator of calcineurin 1), cell
      recognition protein CHL1 (cell adhesion molecule with homology with L1CAM), the
      transcription factor SP4 (specificity protein 4) and histone deacetylase HDAC9,
      among others (see http://www.genes2cognition.org/SCZ-CNV). Integrating the
      function of these many genes into a coherent model of schizophrenia and cognition
      is a major unanswered challenge.

PMID- 20298201
TI  - TorsinA and DYT1 dystonia: a synaptopathy?
AB  - DYT1 dystonia is an autosomal dominant movement disorder, characterized by early
      onset of involuntary sustained muscle contractions. It is caused by a 3-bp
      deletion in the DYT1 gene, which results in the deletion of a single glutamate
      residue in the C-terminus of the protein TA (torsinA). TA is a member of the AAA+
      (ATPase associated with various cellular activities) family of chaperones with
      multiple functions in the cell. There is no evidence of neurodegeneration in DYT1
      dystonia, which suggests that mutant TA leads to functional neuronal
      abnormalities, leading to dystonic movements. In recent years, different
      functional roles have been attributed to TA, including being a component of the
      cytoskeleton and the NE (nuclear envelope), and involvement in the secretory
      pathway and SV (synaptic vesicle) machinery. The aim of the present review is to
      summarize these findings and the different models proposed, which have
      contributed to our current understanding of the function of TA, and also to
      discuss the evidence implicating TA in SV function.

PMID- 20298202
TI  - Stochastic aspects of transmitter release and bioenergetic dysfunction in
      isolated nerve terminals.
AB  - Synaptosomes (isolated nerve terminals) have been studied for more than 40 years.
      The preparation allows aspects of transmitter metabolism and release to be
      studied ex vivo from specific brain regions of animals of any age. Conditions can
      be devised to enable the terminals to fire spontaneous action potentials,
      allowing the presynaptic control of glutamate exocytosis to be studied. Recent
      developments have greatly increased the sensitivity with which the bioenergetics
      of the intra-synaptosomal mitochondria can be investigated.

PMID- 20298203
TI  - Endosomal sorting of AMPA receptors in hippocampal neurons.
AB  - An important mechanism for the regulation of excitatory synaptic transmission in
      the hippocampus involves tight control of AMPAR [AMPA (alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5
      methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid) receptor] trafficking to alter the number or
      subtype of synaptic receptors. This is achieved via the multiple stages of the
      endosomal system. AMPARs constitutively cycle through early endosomes and
      recycling endosomes to maintain synaptic receptor numbers. However, on induction
      of synaptic plasticity, subtle alterations are made to this cycle by the action
      of specific AMPAR-interacting proteins and also via a number of additional
      proteins that regulate endosomal sorting more generally. During long-term
      depression, receptors are diverted to late endosomes and lysosomes rather than
      recycling back to the plasma membrane, hence reducing the number of receptors at
      the synapse. The increased number of synaptic AMPARs after induction of LTP (long
      term potentiation) originates from the recycling compartment. In addition,
      transient changes in subunit composition may arise as a result of retention of
      AMPAR subtypes within the endosome during LTP. Aberrant trafficking after
      pathological insults such as oxygen/glucose deprivation or mechanical trauma also
      involves alterations in synaptic AMPAR subunit composition, leading to calcium
      influx that ultimately results in cell death.

PMID- 20298204
TI  - Drug targets for amyloidosis.
AB  - The amyloid hypothesis indicates that protein misfolding is at the root of many
      neurodegenerative disorders. Small molecules targeting the formation, clearance,
      aggregation to toxic oligomers or SOD (superoxide dismutase)-like activities of
      Abeta (amyloid beta-peptide) 1-42 have provided encouraging candidates for AD
      (Alzheimer's disease) medicines in animal models, although none have yet proved
      to be effective in human trials. We have been investigating approaches to treat
      systemic amyloidoses, conditions that show common features with some CNS (central
      nervous system) disorders. For TTR (transthyretin) amyloidosis, we are seeking
      small molecule compounds that stabilize the amyloidogenic protein and either
      prevent its structural transition to the crossed beta fibres deposited in
      diseased tissues, or promote its clearance from circulation. Effective stabilizer
      compounds that simultaneously bind to both thyroxine-binding sites have been
      developed. A more generic approach involves targeting the plasma glycoprotein SAP
      (serum amyloid P component). This protein recognizes the misfolded polypeptide
      structures of amyloid deposits wherever they occur, and acts as a powerful anti
      opsonin. We have developed a bivalent drug called CPHPC {(R)-1-[6-[(R)-2-carboxy
      pyrrolidin-1-yl]-6-oxo-hexanoyl]-pyrrolidine-2-carboxylic acid} that cross-links
      pairs of pentameric SAP molecules and causes their rapid elimination from the
      circulation. This strategy raises the prospect of encouraging natural mechanisms
      to clear amyloid and recent work suggests that this approach extends to the CNS.

PMID- 20298205
TI  - Reactive hypertrophy of synaptic varicosities within the hippocampus of prion
      infected mice.
AB  - Prion diseases are characteristically accompanied by extensive synaptic pathology
      that can occur during the preclinical phase of the disease and, in animal models,
      correlates with the first decline of hippocampus-dependent cognitive functions.
      This pathology is defined by abnormally shaped synapses in which the postsynaptic
      membrane modifies its curvature and potentially engulfs the juxtaposed
      presynaptic membrane. Using the intrahippocampally injected ME7 prion model, we
      further detailed the structural alterations of the population of ostensibly
      intact synaptic compartments within the hippocampus during this period of
      extensive synaptic loss. A disease stage-dependent increase in the average PSD
      (postsynaptic density) area, the average length of the active zone and the
      average number of synaptic vesicles indicated that the synapses that were
      visualized as the animal progressed to end-stage disease were undergoing
      hypertrophy. Similar findings in samples from AD (Alzheimer's disease) patients,
      aged and senile individuals, and animal models of neurodegenerative diseases
      suggest synaptic swelling as synaptic loss is initiated and/or compensatory
      reaction to counteract the synaptic loss.

PMID- 20298206
TI  - Synapse elimination during development and disease: immune molecules take centre
      stage.
AB  - Synapse elimination is a normal developmental process occurring throughout the
      central and peripheral nervous systems. Meanwhile, gradual and early loss of
      synapses is a characteristic that is common to several neurodegenerative disease
      states. Recent evidence has emerged implicating molecules canonically involved in
      the immune system and inflammation accompanying neurodegeneration (e.g. classical
      complement cascade) as important players in the normal elimination of synapses in
      the developing nervous system. As a result, a question has emerged as to whether
      mechanisms underlying elimination of synapses during normal development are
      recapitulated and contribute to early synapse loss and nervous system dysfunction
      during neurodegenerative disease. The present review explores this possibility
      and provides a description of many neuroimmune proteins that may participate in
      the elimination of synapses and synaptic dysfunction in the developing and
      diseased brain.

PMID- 20298207
TI  - Dysfunction and recovery of synapses in prion disease: implications for
      neurodegeneration.
AB  - Synaptic dysfunction is a key early process in many neurodegenerative diseases,
      but how this ultimately leads to neuronal loss is not clear. In health, there is
      ongoing remodelling of synapses and spines in the adult brain: their elimination
      and formation are continual physiological processes fundamental to learning and
      memory. But in neurodegenerative disease, including prion disease, lost synapses
      are not replaced, and their loss is followed by neuronal death. These two
      processes are separately regulated, with mechanistic, spatial and temporal
      segregation of the respective death routines of synapses and cell bodies. Mice
      with prion disease can be cured at the stage of early synaptic dysfunction, when
      they have reversible impairments at neurophysiological, behavioural and
      morphological levels. Critically, reversing synaptic dysfunction at this stage of
      disease rescues neurons, preventing its otherwise inevitable progression to
      synapse loss and cell death. These findings call for a deeper analysis of the
      mechanisms underlying neurotoxicity at the synapse, and have important
      implications for the therapy of prion and other neurodegenerative disorders.

PMID- 20298208
TI  - Presynaptic dysfunction in Huntington's disease.
AB  - HD (Huntington's disease) is produced by the expression of mutant forms of the
      protein htt (huntingtin) containing a pathologically expanded poly-glutamine
      repeat. For unknown reasons, in HD patients and HD mouse models, neurons from the
      striatum and cerebral cortex degenerate and lead to motor dysfunction and
      dementia. Synaptic transmission in those neurons becomes progressively altered
      during the course of the disease. However, the relationship between synaptic
      dysfunction and neurodegeneration in HD is not yet clear. Are there early
      specific functional synaptic changes preceding symptoms and neurodegeneration?
      What is the role of those changes in neuronal damage? Recent experiments in a
      Drosophila model of HD have showed that abnormally increased neurotransmitter
      release might be a leading cause of neurodegeneration. In the present review, we
      summarize recently described synaptic alterations in HD animal models and discuss
      potential underlying molecular mechanisms.

PMID- 20298209
TI  - Synaptic dysfunction in Parkinson's disease.
AB  - In neuronal circuits, memory storage depends on activity-dependent modifications
      in synaptic efficacy, such as LTD (long-term depression) and LTP (long-term
      potentiation), the two main forms of synaptic plasticity in the brain. In the
      nucleus striatum, LTD and LTP represent key cellular substrates for adaptive
      motor control and procedural memory. It has been suggested that their impairment
      could account for the onset and progression of motor symptoms of PD (Parkinson's
      disease), a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the massive degeneration
      of dopaminergic neurons projecting to the striatum. In fact, a peculiar aspect of
      striatal plasticity is the modulation exerted by DA (dopamine) on LTP and LTD.
      Our understanding of these maladaptive forms of plasticity has mostly come from
      the electrophysiological, molecular and behavioural analyses of experimental
      animal models of PD. In PD, a host of cellular and synaptic changes occur in the
      striatum in response to the massive loss of DA innervation. Chronic L-dopa
      therapy restores physiological synaptic plasticity and behaviour in treated PD
      animals, but most of them, similarly to patients, exhibit a reduction in the
      efficacy of the drug and disabling AIMs (abnormal involuntary movements) defined,
      as a whole, as L-dopa-induced dyskinesia. In those animals experiencing AIMs,
      synaptic plasticity is altered and is paralleled by modifications in the
      postsynaptic compartment. In particular, dysfunctions in trafficking and subunit
      composition of NMDARs [NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors] on striatal
      efferent neurons result from chronic non-physiological dopaminergic stimulation
      and contribute to the pathogenesis of dyskinesias. According to these
      pathophysiological concepts, therapeutic strategies targeting signalling proteins
      coupled to NMDARs within striatal spiny neurons could represent new
      pharmaceutical interventions for PD and L-dopa-induced dyskinesia.

PMID- 20298210
TI  - Reversibility of functional deficits in experimental models of Rett syndrome.
AB  - Mutations in the X-linked MECP2 gene are the primary cause of the severe autism
      spectrum disorder RTT (Rett syndrome). Deletion of Mecp2 in mice recapitulates
      many of the overt neurological features seen in humans, and the delayed onset of
      symptoms is accompanied by deficits in neuronal morphology and synaptic
      physiology. Recent evidence suggests that reactivation of endogenous Mecp2 in
      young and adult mice can reverse aspects of RTT-like pathology. In the current
      perspective, we discuss these findings as well as other genetic, pharmacological
      and environmental interventions that attempt phenotypic rescue in RTT. We believe
      these studies provide valuable insights into the tractability of RTT and related
      conditions and are useful pointers for the development of future therapeutic
      strategies.

PMID- 20298211
TI  - The developmental roles of FMRP.
AB  - FXS (Fragile X syndrome) is the most common genetically inherited form of
      cognitive impairment. The predominant cause of the syndrome is the loss of a
      single protein, FMRP (Fragile X mental retardation protein). Many of the
      cognitive and behavioural features found in Fragile X individuals emerge during
      childhood and are associated with abnormal organization of cortical connections.
      However, although FMRP is expressed as early as embryogenesis, relatively little
      is known about its roles during development or how this may influence FXS
      phenotypes in adulthood. The present review focuses specifically on the evidence
      for the functions of FMRP during embryonic and early postnatal development. The
      current knowledge of the role of FMRP in FXS will be briefly summarized before
      addressing how alterations in the formation and refinement of neuronal
      connections and synaptic function that result from the loss of FMRP may in turn
      influence behaviours that are expressed during the first few postnatal weeks. I
      will then briefly highlight some outstanding questions about the developmental
      roles of FMRP and their possible relationship to symptoms found in adults with
      FXS.

PMID- 20298212
TI  - 'Holistic' synaptogenesis.
AB  - Synapses between nerve cells in the mammalian brain are not only extremely
      numerous but also very diverse with respect to their structural and functional
      characteristics. This heterogeneity arises despite the fact that a set of common
      basic protein 'building blocks' is shared by many synapses. Among these,
      postsynaptic scaffolding proteins play a key role. They have the ability to
      assemble into membrane-tethered lattices and to adopt unique conformational
      states in different postsynaptic microenvironments, which may represent a key
      prerequisite of synapse heterogeneity. Analyses of such synaptic superstructures,
      rather than individual proteins and their interactions, are required to develop a
      mechanistic understanding of postsynaptic differentiation, synapse diversity, and
      dynamics.

PMID- 20298213
TI  - Errant ensembles: dysfunctional neuronal network dynamics in schizophrenia.
AB  - Most complex psychiatric disorders cannot be explained by pathology of a single
      brain region, but arise as a consequence of dysfunctional interactions between
      brain regions. Schizophrenia, in particular, has been described as a
      'disconnection syndrome', but similar principles are likely to apply to
      depression and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). All these
      diseases are associated with impaired co-ordination of neural population
      activity, which manifests as abnormal EEG (electroencephalogram) and LFP (local
      field potential) oscillations both within and across subcortical and cortical
      brain regions. Importantly, it is increasingly possible to link oscillations and
      interactions at distinct frequencies to the physiology and/or pathology of
      distinct classes of neurons and interneurons. Such analyses increasingly
      implicate abnormal levels, timing or modulation of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)
      ergic inhibition in brain disease. The present review discusses the evidence
      suggesting that dysfunction of a particular class of interneurons, marked by
      their expression of the calcium-binding protein parvalbumin, could contribute to
      the broad range of neurophysiological and behavioural symptoms characteristic of
      schizophrenia.

PMID- 20298214
TI  - S-acylation by the DHHC protein family.
AB  - A family of 23 DHHC (Asp-His-His-Cys) proteins that function as mammalian S
      acyltransferases has been identified, reinvigorating the study of protein S
      acylation. Recent studies have continued to reveal how S-acylation affects target
      proteins, and have provided glimpses of how DHHC-substrate specificity might be
      achieved.

PMID- 20298215
TI  - The anti-allodynic alpha(2)delta ligand pregabalin inhibits the trafficking of
      the calcium channel alpha(2)delta-1 subunit to presynaptic terminals in vivo.
AB  - Neuropathic pain is caused by lesion or dysfunction of the peripheral sensory
      nervous system. Up-regulation of the voltage-gated Ca(2+) channel subunit
      alpha(2)delta-1 in DRG (dorsal root ganglion) neurons and the spinal cord
      correlates with the onset of neuropathic pain symptoms such as allodynia in
      several animal models of neuropathic pain. The clinically important anti
      allodynic drugs gabapentin and pregabalin are alpha(2)delta-1 ligands, but how
      these drugs alleviate neuropathic pain is poorly understood. In the present
      paper, we review recent advances in our understanding of their molecular
      mechanisms.

PMID- 20298216
TI  - Presynaptic roles of intracellular Ca(2+) stores in signalling and exocytosis.
AB  - The signalling roles of Ca(2+)(ic) (intracellular Ca(2+)) stores are well
      established in non-neuronal and neuronal cells. In neurons, although Ca(2+)(ic)
      stores have been assigned a pivotal role in postsynaptic responses to G(q)
      coupled receptors, or secondarily to extracellular Ca(2+) influx, the functions
      of dynamic Ca(2+)(ic) stores in presynaptic terminals remain to be fully
      elucidated. In the present paper, we review some of the recent evidence
      supporting an involvement of Ca(2+)(ic) in presynaptic function, and discuss loci
      at which this source of Ca(2+) may impinge. Nerve terminal preparations provide
      good models for functionally examining putative Ca(2+)(ic) stores under
      physiological and pathophysiological stimulation paradigms, using Ca(2+)
      dependent activation of resident protein kinases as sensors for fine changes in
      intracellular Ca(2+) levels. We conclude that intraterminal Ca(2+)(ic) stores
      may, directly or indirectly, enhance neurotransmitter release following nerve
      terminal depolarization and/or G-protein-coupled receptor activation. During
      conditions that prevail following neuronal ischaemia, increased glutamate release
      instigated by Ca(2+)(ic) store activation may thereby contribute to
      excitotoxicity and eventual synaptopathy.

PMID- 20298217
TI  - Are synapses targets of nanoparticles?
AB  - The last few years have been marked by real breakthroughs in the field of
      nanotechnology. Application of nanoparticles was proposed for diagnosis and
      treatment of different central nervous system diseases. Exposure to nanoparticles
      in vivo increases the risk of onset of neurodegenerative diseases and
      nanoparticles are apparently able to kill neurons in vitro. We suggested that
      presynaptic terminals of neurons are another target for nanoparticles, beyond the
      already established microglial cells. Ferritin was chosen as a prototypic
      nanoparticle model. We found that even a high concentration of ferritin, 800
      microg/ml, was not able to induce spontaneous release of [(14)C]glutamate. In
      contrast, [(14)C]glutamate uptake was inhibited by ferritin in a dose-dependent
      fashion. As a next step, the influence of ferritin on the formation of reactive
      oxygen species was monitored using the fluorescent dye DCFH-DA (2',7'
      dichlorofluorescein diacetate). It was shown that ferritin leads to a dose
      dependent formation of free radicals. We found that the ferritin-mediated changes
      in glutamatergic neurotransmission at presynaptic endings can result in neuronal
      damage and finally neurodegeneration.

PMID- 20298218
TI  - Alzheimer's disease and amyloid beta-peptide deposition in the brain: a matter of
      'aging'?
AB  - Biomolecules can experience aging processes that limit their long-term
      functionality in organisms. Typical markers of protein aging are spontaneous
      chemical modifications, such as AAR (amino acid racemization) and AAI (amino acid
      isomerization), mainly involving aspartate and asparagine residues. Since these
      modifications may affect folding and turnover, they reduce protein functionality
      over time and may be linked to pathological conditions. The present mini-review
      describes evidence of AAR and AAI involvement in the misfolding and brain
      accumulation of Abeta (amyloid beta-peptide), a central event in AD (Alzheimer's
      disease) synaptic dysfunctions. Structural alterations introduced by site
      specific modifications linked to protein aging may affect Abeta production,
      polymerization and clearance, and therefore play a pivotal role in the
      pathogenesis of sporadic and genetic forms of AD. Early changes associated with
      molecular aging also have significant long-term consequences for Abeta folding
      and turnover. New fast, reproducible and accurate methods for the screening of
      protein aging markers in biological samples may contribute to improve diagnostic
      and therapeutic approaches in AD.

PMID- 20298219
TI  - Change in tau phosphorylation associated with neurodegeneration in the ME7 model
      of prion disease.
AB  - Hyperphosphorylation of the microtubule-associated protein tau is a significant
      determinant in AD (Alzheimer's disease), where it is associated with disrupted
      axonal transport and probably causes synaptic dysfunction. Although less well
      studied, hyperphosphorylation has been observed in prion disease. We have
      investigated the expression of hyperphosphorylated tau in the hippocampus of mice
      infected with the ME7 prion agent. In ME7-infected animals, there is a selective
      loss of CA1 synapse, first discernable at 13 weeks of disease. There is a
      potential that dysfunctional axonal transport contributes to this synaptopathy.
      Thus investigating hyperphosphorylated tau that is dysfunctional in AD could
      illuminate whether and how they are significant in prion disease. We observed no
      differences in the levels of phosphorylated tau (using MC1, PHF-1 and CP13
      antibodies) in detergent-soluble and detergent-insoluble fractions extracted from
      ME7- and NBH- (normal brain homogenate) treated animals across disease. In
      contrast, we observed an increase in phospho-tau staining for several epitopes
      using immunohistochemistry in ME7-infected hippocampal sections. Although the
      changes were not of the magnitude seen in AD tissue, clear differences for
      several phospho-tau species were seen in the CA1 and CA3 of ME7-treated animals
      (pSer(199-202)>pSer(214)>PHF-1 antibody). Temporally, these changes were
      restricted to animals at 20 weeks and none of the disease-related staining was
      associated with the axons or dendrites that hold CA1 synapses. These findings
      suggest that phosphorylation of tau at the epitopes examined does not underpin
      the early synaptic dysfunction. These data suggest that the changes in tau
      phosphorylation recorded here and observed by others relate to end-stage prion
      pathology when early dysfunctions have progressed to overt neuronal loss.

PMID- 20298220
TI  - Metallothioneins and copper metabolism are candidate therapeutic targets in
      Huntington's disease.
AB  - HD (Huntington's disease) is caused by a polyQ (polyglutamine) expansion in the
      huntingtin protein, which leads to protein misfolding and aggregation of this
      protein. Abnormal copper accumulation in the HD brain was first reported more
      than 15 years ago. Recent findings show that copper-regulatory genes are induced
      during HD and copper binds to an N-terminal fragment of huntingtin, supporting
      the involvement of abnormal copper metabolism in HD. We have demonstrated that in
      vitro copper accelerates the fibrillization of an N-terminal fragment of
      huntingtin with an expanded polyQ stretch (httExon1). As we found that copper
      also increases polyQ aggregation and toxicity in mammalian cells expressing
      httExon1, we investigated further whether overexpression of genes involved in
      copper metabolism, notably MTs (metallothioneins) known to bind copper, protect
      against httExon1 toxicity. Using a yeast model of HD, we have shown that
      overexpression of several genes involved in copper metabolism reduces polyQ
      mediated toxicity. Overexpression of MT-3 in mammalian cells significantly
      reduced polyQ aggregation and toxicity. We propose that copper-binding and/or 
      chaperoning proteins, especially MTs, are potential therapeutic targets for HD.

PMID- 20298221
TI  - Caenorhabditis elegans: a useful tool to decipher neurodegenerative pathways.
AB  - Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's
      diseases affect millions of people. These disorders are age-dependent,
      progressive and, at present, incurable. A practical and relevant model is needed
      to investigate the molecular determinants of these debilitating diseases.
      Mammalian models are often prohibitively expensive, time-consuming and very
      complex. Given the highly conserved neurological pathways between mammals and
      invertebrates, Caenorhabditis elegans has emerged as a powerful tool for the
      investigation of the pathophysiology of these disorders. We describe recent
      findings in this area and show how C. elegans is being used to broaden our
      knowledge of human neurodegenerative diseases.

PMID- 20298222
TI  - Disruption of neuronal function by soluble hyperphosphorylated tau in a
      Drosophila model of tauopathy.
AB  - Axonal microtubules are essential for transport of materials to the synapse.
      Compromised microtubules and synaptic loss have been demonstrated in AD
      (Alzheimer's disease), which is believed to contribute to cognitive dysfunction
      before neuronal death in the early stages of the disease. The mechanism by which
      hyperphosphorylated tau, the building block of neurofibrillary tangles, one of
      the pathological hallmarks of AD, disrupts neuronal and synaptic function is
      unclear. There is a theory that hyperphosphorylated tau does not bind effectively
      to microtubules and is no longer able to function in stabilizing them, thus
      axonal transport can no longer proceed efficiently. This leads to synaptic
      dysfunction. We have tested this theory in a Drosophila model of tauopathies in
      which we expressed human tau (h-tau). Using this model, we have tested all
      aspects of this hypothesis and have demonstrated that axonal transport does
      become compromised in the presence of hyperphosphorylated h-tau and this leads to
      synaptic and behavioural defects. We are currently investigating the mechanism by
      which hyperphosphorylated h-tau mediates this effect and are preliminary data
      indicate that this entails phospho-tau-mediated effects that are predicted by the
      tau-microtubule hypothesis, as well as novel effects. These deleterious effects
      of h-tau occur in the absence of tau filaments and before neuronal death. This
      sequence of pathogenic events may constitute the mechanism by which abnormal tau
      disrupts neuronal and synaptic function and contributes to cognitive impairment
      before neuronal death in the early stages of tauopathies such as AD.

PMID- 20298223
TI  - Cell-cell interactions during patterning of the Arabidopsis anther.
AB  - Key steps in the evolution of the angiosperm anther include the patterning of the
      concentrically organized microsporangium and the incorporation of four such
      microsporangia into a leaf-like structure. Mutant studies in the model plant
      Arabidopsis thaliana are leading to an increasingly accurate picture of (i) the
      cell lineages culminating in the different cell types present in the
      microsporangium (the microsporocytes, the tapetum, and the middle and endothecial
      layers), and (ii) some of the genes responsible for specifying their fates.
      However, the processes that confer polarity on the developing anther and position
      the microsporangia within it remain unclear. Certainly, data from a range of
      experimental strategies suggest that hormones play a central role in establishing
      polarity and the patterning of the anther initial, and may be responsible for
      locating the microsporangia. But the fact that microsporangia were originally
      positioned externally suggests that their development is likely to be autonomous,
      perhaps with the reproductive cells generating signals controlling the growth and
      division of the investing anther epidermis. These possibilities are discussed in
      the context of the expression of genes which initiate and maintain male and
      female reproductive development, and in the perspective of our current views of
      anther evolution.

PMID- 20298224
TI  - Life after meiosis: patterning the angiosperm male gametophyte.
AB  - Pollen grains represent the highly reduced haploid male gametophyte generation in
      angiosperms. They play an essential role in plant fertility by generating and
      delivering twin sperm cells to the embryo sac to undergo double fertilization.
      The functional specialization of the male gametophyte and double fertilization
      are considered to be key innovations in the evolutionary success of angiosperms.
      The haploid nature of the male gametophyte and its highly tractable ontogeny
      makes it an attractive system to study many fundamental biological processes,
      such as cell fate determination, cell-cycle progression and gene regulation. The
      present mini-review encompasses key advances in our understanding of the
      molecular mechanisms controlling male gametophyte patterning in angiosperms. A
      brief overview of male gametophyte development is presented, followed by a
      discussion of the genes required at landmark events of male gametogenesis. The
      value of the male gametophyte as an experimental system to study the interplay
      between cell fate determination and cell-cycle progression is also discussed and
      exemplified with an emerging model outlining the regulatory networks that
      distinguish the fate of the male germline from its sister vegetative cell. We
      conclude with a perspective of the impact emerging data will have on future
      research strategies and how they will develop further our understanding of male
      gametogenesis and plant development.

PMID- 20298225
TI  - Inter-cell-layer signalling during Arabidopsis ovule development mediated by the
      receptor-like kinase STRUBBELIG.
AB  - Plant organs, such as ovules and flowers, arise through cellular events that are
      precisely co-ordinated between cells within and across clonally distinct cell
      layers. Receptor-like kinases are cell-surface receptors that perceive and relay
      intercellular information. In Arabidopsis the leucine-rich repeat receptor-like
      kinase STRUBBELIG (SUB) is required for integument initiation and outgrowth
      during ovule development, floral organ shape and the control of the cell division
      plane in the first subepidermal cell layer of floral meristems, among other
      functions. A major goal is to understand SUB-mediated signal transduction at the
      molecular level. Present evidence suggests that SUB affects neighbouring cells in
      a non-cell-autonomous fashion. In addition, our results indicate that SUB is an
      atypical, or kinase-dead, kinase. Forward genetics identified three genes, QUIRKY
      (QKY), ZERZAUST and DETORQUEO, that are thought to contribute to SUB-dependent
      signal transduction. QKY encodes a predicted membrane-bound protein with four
      cytoplasmic C(2) domains. By analogy to animal proteins with related domain
      topology, we speculate that QKY may be involved in Ca(2+)-dependent signalling
      and membrane trafficking. Studying SUB-dependent signalling will contribute to
      our understanding of how atypical kinases mediate signal transduction and how
      cells co-ordinate their behaviour to allow organs, such as ovules, to develop
      their three-dimensional architecture.

PMID- 20298226
TI  - Self-incompatibility in Papaver: identification of the pollen S-determinant PrpS.
AB  - Many flowering plants are hermaphrodite, posing the problem of self-fertilization
      and the subsequent loss of the genetic fitness of the offspring. To prevent this,
      many plants have developed a genetically controlled mechanism called self
      incompatibility (SI). When the male and female S-determinants match, self
      (incompatible) pollen is recognized and rejected before fertilization can occur.
      In poppy (Papaver rhoeas), the pistil S-determinant (PrsS) is a small secreted
      protein that interacts with incompatible pollen, initiating a Ca(2+)-dependent
      signalling network. SI triggers several downstream events, including
      depolymerization of the cytoskeleton, phosphorylation of two soluble inorganic
      pyrophosphatases and an MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase). This culminates
      in PCD (programmed cell death) involving several caspase-like activities. The
      recent discovery of the Papaver pollen S-determinant PrpS marks a significant
      step forward in the understanding of the Papaver SI system. PrpS encodes a ~20
      kDa predicted transmembrane protein which has no homology with known proteins. It
      is specifically expressed in pollen, linked to the pistil S-determinant, and
      displays the high polymorphism expected of an S-locus determinant. The present
      review focuses on the discovery and characterization of PrpS which strongly
      support the hypothesis that Papaver SI is triggered by the interaction of PrsS
      and PrpS.

PMID- 20298227
TI  - Functional genomics of pollen tube-pistil interactions in Arabidopsis.
AB  - The pollen tube represents an attractive model system for functional genomic
      analysis of the cell-cell interactions that mediate guided cellular growth. The
      pollen tube extends through pistil tissues and responds to guidance cues that
      direct the tube towards an ovule, where it releases sperm for fertilization.
      Pollen is readily isolated from anthers, where it is produced, and can be induced
      to produce a tube in vitro. Interestingly, pollen tube growth is significantly
      enhanced in pistils, and pollen tubes are rendered competent to respond to
      guidance cues after growth in a pistil. This potentiation of the pollen tube by
      the pistil suggested that pollen tubes alter their gene-expression programme in
      response to their environment. Recently, the transcriptomes of pollen tubes grown
      in vitro or through pistil tissues were determined. Significant changes in the
      transcriptome were found to accompany growth in vitro and through the pistil
      tissues. Reverse genetic analysis of pollen-tube-induced genes identified a new
      set of factors critical for pollen tube extension and navigation of the pistil
      environment. Recent advances reviewed in the present paper suggest that
      functional genomic analysis of pollen tubes has the potential to uncover the
      regulatory networks that shape the genetic architecture of the pollen tube as it
      responds to migratory cues produced by the pistil.

PMID- 20298228
TI  - Male gamete biology in flowering plants.
AB  - Flowering plant reproduction is characterized by double fertilization, in which
      two diminutive brother sperm cells initiate embryo and endosperm. The role of the
      male gamete, although studied structurally for over a century at various levels,
      is still being explored on a molecular and cellular level. The potential of the
      male to influence development has been historically underestimated and the
      reasons for this are obvious: limitations provided by maternal imprinting, the
      much greater cellular volume of female gametes and the general paucity of
      paternal effects. However, as more is known about molecular expression of
      chromatin-modifying proteins, ubiquitin pathway proteins and transcription
      factors in sperm cells, as well as their ability to achieve effect by intaglio
      expression, passing transcripts directly into translation, the role of the male
      is likely to expand. Much of the expression in the male germline that appears to
      be distinct from patterns of pollen vegetative cell expression may be the result
      of chromosomal level regulation of transcription.

PMID- 20298229
TI  - Reproductive cross-talk: seed development in flowering plants.
AB  - Flowering plants have evolved to be a predominant life form on earth. A common
      principle of flowering plants and probably one of the main reasons for their
      evolutionary success is the rapid development of an embryo next to a supporting
      tissue called the endosperm. The embryo and the endosperm are protected by
      surrounding maternal tissues, the integuments, and the trinity of integuments,
      embryo and endosperm comprise the plant seed. For proper seed development, these
      three structures have to develop in a highly controlled and co-ordinated manner,
      representing a paradigm for cell-cell communication during development.
      Communication pathways between the endosperm and the seed coat are now beginning
      to be unravelled. Moreover, recently isolated mutants affecting plant
      reproduction have allowed a genetic dissection of seed development, and revealed
      that the embryo plays a previously unrecognized yet important role in co
      ordinating seed development.

PMID- 20298230
TI  - Floral stem cells: from dynamic balance towards termination.
AB  - During early flower development in Arabidopsis, floral stem cells proliferate and
      produce a sufficient amount of cells that are recruited for organogenesis.
      However, after the central organ primordia initiate, stem cell activity in the
      floral meristem is terminated to ensure the differentiation of a fixed number of
      floral organs. Underlying this process, the genetic programme regulating the fate
      of floral meristems undergoes a shift from a spatially balanced signalling scheme
      for stem cell maintenance to a temporally controlled transcriptional scheme for
      stem cell termination. Precise timing of stem cell termination is a key issue for
      flower development, which is secured by the orchestration of multiple regulators
      in transcriptional and epigenetic regulation.

PMID- 20298231
TI  - Through a generation darkly: small RNAs in the gametophyte.
AB  - The various classes of small non-coding RNAs are a fundamentally important
      component of the transcriptome. These molecules have roles in many essential
      processes such as regulation of gene expression at the transcriptional and post
      transcriptional levels, guidance of DNA methylation and defence against selfish
      replicators such as transposons. Their diversity and functions in the sporophytic
      generation of angiosperms is well explored compared with the gametophytic
      generation, where little is known about them. Recent progress in understanding
      their abundance, diversity and function in the gametophyte is reviewed.

PMID- 20298232
TI  - Protein interactions and subcellular localization in S-RNase-based self
      incompatibility.
AB  - The recent identification of several proteins playing key roles in S-RNase-based
      gametophytic self-incompatibility has led both to a greater understanding of the
      molecular biology of this response, as well as to questions regarding the precise
      mechanism by which compatible pollen tubes are recognized and accepted. A
      proposed variant SCF(SLF) (where SCF is SSK1/cullin/F-box and SLF is S-locus F
      box) ubiquitin ligase complex is thought to play a central role in recognizing
      and inhibiting non-self S-RNases, but the exact role of ubiquitination remains
      unclear. How the possible sequestration of non-self S-RNases in a pollen vacuolar
      compartment can be reconciled with the need for protein interaction between S
      RNase and the SCF(SLF) complex needs to be determined. Current work to answer
      these questions focuses on more precisely defining quantitative protein
      interactions and subcellular localization of proteins involved in S-RNase-based
      gametophytic self-incompatibility.

PMID- 20298233
TI  - Female gametophyte-controlled pollen tube guidance.
AB  - During the evolution of flowering plants, their sperm cells have lost mobility
      and are transported from the stigma to the female gametophyte via the pollen tube
      to achieve double fertilization. Pollen tube growth and guidance is largely
      governed by the maternal sporophytic tissues of the stigma, style and ovule.
      However, the last phase of the pollen tube path is under female gametophyte
      control and is expected to require extensive cell-cell communication events
      between both gametophytes. Until recently, little was known about the molecules
      produced by the female gametophyte that are involved in this process. In the
      present paper, we review the most recent development in this field and focus on
      the role of secreted candidate signalling ligands.

PMID- 20298234
TI  - Sporophytic control of pollen tube growth and guidance in grasses.
AB  - Pollen tube growth and guidance in the female tissues of flowering plants is a
      long-studied and anatomically well-described process. A large number of gene
      products and chemical compounds involved have been identified in the last 20
      years, and some underlying molecular mechanisms including self-incompatibility in
      the Brassicaceae, Solanaceae and Papaveraceae are now well understood. However,
      the largest part of the pollen tube pathway inside the transmitting tract towards
      the ovule harbouring the female gametophyte still requires intensive
      investigations. Especially in the economically most import plant family, the
      Poaceae or grasses, progamic pollen tube development is barely understood. Using
      maize as a model, we propose to divide pollen tube germination, growth and
      guidance towards the female gametophyte into five distinct phases. The model is
      adapted from Arabidopsis thaliana, taking anatomical differences and novel
      genetic and cellular studies into consideration. With the exception of Phase V,
      all phases seem to be under sporophytic control in grasses.

PMID- 20298235
TI  - Let's get physical: gamete interaction in flowering plants.
AB  - Fertilization comprises a series of precisely orchestrated steps that culminate
      in the fusion of male and female gametes. The most intimate steps during
      fertilization encompass gamete recognition, adhesion and fusion. In animals, some
      binding-effector proteins and enzymes have been identified that act on the cell
      surfaces of the gametes to regulate gamete compatibility and fertilization
      success. In contrast, exploring plant gamete interaction during double
      fertilization, a characteristic trait of flowering plants, has been hampered for
      a long time because of the protected location of the female gametes and technical
      limitations. Over the last couple of years, however, the use of advanced
      methodologies, new imaging tools and new mutants has provided deeper insights
      into double fertilization, at both the cellular and the molecular level,
      especially for the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Most likely, one consequence
      of inventing double fertilization may be the co-evolution of special molecular
      mechanisms to govern each successful sperm delivery and efficient gamete
      recognition and fusion. In vivo imaging of double fertilization and the recent
      discovery of numerous female-gametophyte-specific expressed genes encoding small
      secreted proteins, some of whom were found to be essential for the fertilization
      process, support this hypothesis. Nevertheless, recent findings indicate that at
      least the membrane-merger step in plant gamete interaction may rely on an ancient
      and widely used gamete fusion system.

PMID- 20298236
TI  - Recent achievements and trends in experimental plant biology.
AB  - Between 21 and 25 September 2009, Krakow hosted the 4th Conference of the Polish
      Society of Experimental Plant Biology, co-organized with the Faculty of
      Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, and
      supported by the Biochemical Society. The aim of the conference was to present
      and discuss the most important topics in different disciplines of plant
      experimental science as well as to facilitate the interaction and co-operation
      between scientists. To achieve this goal, about 30 top specialists in various
      areas of plant biology were invited to give plenary lectures in the following
      sessions: Plant structure and development; Plant-microbial interactions;
      Mitochondria and chloroplasts in cell metabolism; Stress tolerance in plants;
      Structural and functional organization of plant genomes; Mutants in developmental
      and metabolic studies; Secondary metabolites as pharmaceutics and nutraceutics;
      Plant membranes; and Integrating plant functions via signalling molecules:
      molecular mechanisms. Some of the main problems highlighted in the plenary
      lectures are briefly summarized in the present paper. Two poster sessions enabled
      a discussion of over 200 posters presented. The conference had an international
      character, its official language was English, and among the more than 350
      participants, about 60 were from abroad. Several plenary lectures were prepared
      as short review papers and they are published in this issue of Biochemical
      Society Transactions.

PMID- 20298237
TI  - The role of chemical dynamics in plant morphogenesis(1).
AB  - In biological development, the generation of shape is preceded by the spatial
      localization of growth factors. Localization, and how it is maintained or changed
      during the process of growth, determines the shapes produced. Mathematical models
      have been developed to investigate the chemical, mechanical and transport
      properties involved in plant morphogenesis. These synthesize biochemical and
      biophysical data, revealing underlying principles, especially the importance of
      dynamics in generating form. Chemical kinetics has been used to understand the
      constraints on reaction and transport rates to produce localized concentration
      patterns. This approach is well developed for understanding de novo pattern
      formation, pattern spacing and transitions from one pattern to another. For
      plants, growth is continual, and a key use of the theory is in understanding the
      feedback between patterning and growth, especially for morphogenetic events which
      break symmetry, such as tip branching. Within the context of morphogenetic
      modelling in general, the present review gives a brief history of chemical
      patterning research and its particular application to shape generation in plant
      development.

PMID- 20298238
TI  - Regulation of plant light harvesting by thermal dissipation of excess energy.
AB  - Elucidating the molecular details of qE (energy quenching) induction in higher
      plants has proven to be a major challenge. Identification of qE mutants has
      provided initial information on functional elements involved in the qE mechanism;
      furthermore, investigations on isolated pigment-protein complexes and analysis in
      vivo and in vitro by sophisticated spectroscopic methods have been used for the
      elucidation of mechanisms involved. The aim of the present review is to summarize
      the current knowledge of the phenotype of npq (non-photochemical quenching)
      knockout mutants, the role of gene products involved in the qE process and
      compare the molecular models proposed for this process.

PMID- 20298239
TI  - Involvement of mitochondria in the control of plant cell NAD(P)H reduction
      levels.
AB  - NADPH and NADH mediate reductant flow between cellular processes, linking central
      carbon and energy metabolism with intermediary metabolism, stress defence and
      development. Recent investigations have revealed paths of functional
      interactions, and have suggested that mitochondrial NADPH oxidation, especially
      together with the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway, is an important regulator
      of the cytosolic NADPH reduction level. Furthermore, stress-dependent metabolic
      pathways substantially affect the NADPH reduction level in particular
      physiological situations. The mitochondrial impact on the NADPH reduction level
      provides a model example of the physiological significance of the mitochondrial
      NAD(P)H dehydrogenase set-up, which is more complex in plants than in other
      organisms.

PMID- 20298240
TI  - Regulation of plant gene expression by alternative splicing.
AB  - AS (alternative splicing) is a post-transcriptional process which regulates gene
      expression through increasing protein complexity and modulating mRNA transcript
      levels. Regulation of AS depends on interactions between trans-acting protein
      factors and cis-acting signals in the pre-mRNA (precursor mRNA) transcripts,
      termed 'combinatorial' control. Dynamic changes in AS patterns reflect changes in
      abundance, composition and activity of splicing factors in different cell types
      and in response to cellular or environmental cues. Whereas the SR protein family
      of splicing factors is well-studied in plants, relatively little is known about
      other factors influencing the regulation of AS or the consequences of AS on mRNA
      levels and protein function. To address fundamental questions on AS in plants, we
      are exploiting a high-resolution RT (reverse transcription)-PCR system to analyse
      multiple AS events simultaneously. In the present paper, we describe the current
      applications and development of the AS RT-PCR panel in investigating the roles of
      splicing factors, cap-binding proteins and nonsense-mediated decay proteins on
      AS, and examining the extent of AS in genes involved in the same developmental
      pathway or process.

PMID- 20298242
TI  - Recent developments in photorespiration research.
AB  - Photorespiration is the light-dependent release of CO(2) initiated by Rubisco
      (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) during oxygenic photosynthesis.
      It occurs during the biochemical reactions of the photorespiratory C(2) cycle,
      which is an ancillary metabolic process that allows photosynthesis to occur in
      oxygen-containing environments. Recent research has identified the genes for many
      plant photorespiratory enzymes, allowing precise functional analyses by reverse
      genetics. Similar studies with cyanobacteria disclosed the evolutionary origin of
      photorespiratory metabolism in these ancestors of plastids.

PMID- 20298241
TI  - Nucleolar RNPs: from genes to functional snoRNAs in plants.
AB  - The snoRNAs (small nucleolar RNAs) and related scaRNAs (small RNAs in the Cajal
      bodies) represent a major class of nuclear RNAs that guide 2'-O-ribose
      methylation and pseudouridylation of rRNAs, snRNAs (small nuclear RNAs) and other
      RNA targets. In vivo, all snoRNAs associate with a set of four highly conserved
      nucleolar proteins, forming the functional snoRNPs (small nucleolar
      ribonucleoproteins). The core structure of these mature snoRNPs has now been well
      described in eukaryotes, but less is known of their biogenesis. Recent data in
      animals and yeast reveal that assembly of the snoRNPs is a complex process that
      implicates several auxiliary proteins and transient protein-protein interactions.
      This new level of snoRNP regulation is now beginning to be unravelled in animals
      and yeast, but remains unexplored in plants. In the present paper, we review
      recent data from genomic and functional analysis allowing the identification and
      study of factors controlling the biogenesis of plant snoRNPs and their impact on
      plant development.

PMID- 20298243
TI  - Exploiting induced variation to dissect quantitative traits in barley.
AB  - The identification of genes underlying complex quantitative traits such as grain
      yield by means of conventional genetic analysis (positional cloning) requires the
      development of several large mapping populations. However, it is possible that
      phenotypically related, but more extreme, allelic variants generated by
      mutational studies could provide a means for more efficient cloning of QTLs
      (quantitative trait loci). In barley (Hordeum vulgare), with the development of
      high-throughput genome analysis tools, efficient genome-wide identification of
      genetic loci harbouring mutant alleles has recently become possible. Genotypic
      data from NILs (near-isogenic lines) that carry induced or natural variants of
      genes that control aspects of plant development can be compared with the location
      of QTLs to potentially identify candidate genes for development--related traits
      such as grain yield. As yield itself can be divided into a number of allometric
      component traits such as tillers per plant, kernels per spike and kernel size,
      mutant alleles that both affect these traits and are located within the
      confidence intervals for major yield QTLs may represent extreme variants of the
      underlying genes. In addition, the development of detailed comparative genomic
      models based on the alignment of a high-density barley gene map with the rice and
      sorghum physical maps, has enabled an informed prioritization of 'known function'
      genes as candidates for both QTLs and induced mutant genes.

PMID- 20298244
TI  - Mutations in genes controlling the biosynthesis and accumulation of inositol
      phosphates in seeds.
AB  - Most of the phosphorus in the resting seed is stored inside protein storage
      vacuoles as PA (phytic acid; InsP(6)). The biosynthesis and accumulation of PA
      can be detected beginning from a few days after anthesis and seem to continue
      during seed development until maturation. The first step in PA biosynthesis is
      the formation of Ins3P by conversion of glucose 6-phosphate. This is then
      followed by a sequential and ordered phosphorylation of the remaining five
      positions of the inositol ring by a number of kinases, resulting in PA.
      Identification of low-PA mutants in cereals, legumes and Arabidopsis is
      instrumental for resolving the biosynthetic pathway and identification of genes
      controlling the accumulation of PA. Mutations in seven genes involved in the
      metabolism of PA have been identified and characterized among five plant species
      using induced mutagenesis and insertion elements. Understanding the biosynthetic
      pathway and genes controlling the accumulation of PA in plant seeds and how PA
      may balance the free phosphate is of importance for molecular breeding of crop
      plants, particularly cereals and legumes.

PMID- 20298245
TI  - Genistein: a natural isoflavone with a potential for treatment of genetic
      diseases.
AB  - Genistein [4',5,7-trihydroxyisoflavone or 5,7-dihydroxy-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4H-1
      benzopyran-4-one] is a natural isoflavone occurring in many plants known to
      possess various biological activities, ranging from phyto-oestrogenic to
      antioxidative actions. Recent studies indicated that this isoflavone can also be
      considered as a drug for as yet untreatable genetic diseases. In the present
      review, we discuss a plausible use of genistein in treatment of two genetic
      disorders: CF (cystic fibrosis) and MPS (mucopolysaccharidosis). Although various
      biological actions of genistein are employed in these two cases, in vitro
      studies, tests on animal models and pilot clinical trials suggest that this plant
      derived compound might be a real hope for patients suffering from severe
      inherited disorders with relatively complicated pathomechanisms, including those
      affecting the central nervous system.

PMID- 20298246
TI  - Light-driven regulatory mechanisms in the photosynthetic antenna complex LHCII.
AB  - Protection against strong-light-induced photodamage of the photosynthetic
      apparatus and entire organisms is a vital activity in plants and is also realized
      at the molecular level of the antenna complexes. Reported recently, the
      regulatory mechanisms which operate in the largest plant antenna complex, LHCII
      (light-harvesting complex II), based on light-driven processes, are briefly
      reviewed and discussed. Among those processes are the light-induced twisting of
      the configuration of the LHCII-bound neoxanthin, the light-induced
      configurational transition of the LHCII-bound violaxanthin, the light-induced
      trimer-monomer transition in LHCII and the blue-light-induced excitation
      quenching in LHCII. The physiological importance of the processes reviewed is
      also discussed with emphasis on the photoprotective excitation quenching and on
      possible involvement in the regulation of the xanthophyll cycle.

PMID- 20298247
TI  - Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate regulates plant K(+) channels.
AB  - Phosphoinositides play an important role in both abiotic and biotic signalling in
      plants. The signalling cascade may include the production of second messengers by
      hydrolysis of PtdIns(4,5)P(2). However, increasingly, PtdIns(4,5)P(2) itself is
      shown to mediate signalling by regulating target proteins. The present mini
      review summarizes the experimentally demonstrated effects of PtdIns(4,5)P(2) on
      plant K(+) channels and examines their structure for candidate sites of direct
      PtdIns(4,5)P(2)-protein interaction.

PMID- 20298248
TI  - Phytochrome three-dimensional structures and functions.
AB  - The complete three-dimensional sensory module structures of the Pr ground state
      of Synechocystis 6803 Cph1 and the unusual Pfr ground state of the
      bacteriophytochrome PaBphP (PDB codes 2VEA and 3C2W respectively) have now been
      solved, revealing an asymmetrical dumbbell form made up of a PAS
      (Period/ARNT/Singleminded)-GAF (cGMP phosphodiesterase/adenylate cyclase/FhlA)
      bidomain carrying the chromophore and the smaller PHY (phytochrome-specific)
      domain. The PHY domain is structurally related to the GAF family, but carries an
      unusual tongue-like structure which contacts the larger lobe to seal the
      chromophore pocket. In 2VEA, the tongue makes intimate contact with the helical N
      terminus; both the N-terminus and the tongue structures are quite different in
      3C2W. As expected, the structures reveal ZZZssa and ZZEssa chromophore
      conformations in 2VEA and 3C2W respectively, associated with tautomeric
      differences in several nearby tyrosine residues. Two salt bridges on opposite
      sides of the chromophore, as well as the associations of the C-ring propionates
      also differ. It is still unclear, however, which of these structural differences
      are associated with bacteriophytochromes compared with Cph1 and plant-type
      phytochromes, the unusual 3C2W Pfr ground state functionality compared with the
      Pr ground state or the Pr compared with Pfr photoisomerism. To access the latter
      unambiguously, both Pr and Pfr structures of the same molecule are required. New
      solid-phase NMR data for Cph1 in the Pr, Pfr and freeze-trapped intermediate
      states reveal unexpected changes in the chromophore during Pfr-->Pr
      photoconversion. These, together with our efforts to solve the three-dimensional
      structure of a complete phytochrome molecule are also described.

PMID- 20298249
TI  - Auxin and strigolactones in shoot branching: intimately connected?
AB  - Axillary meristems form in the axils of leaves. After an initial phase of
      meristematic activity during which a small axillary bud is produced, they often
      enter a state of suspended growth from which they may be released to form a shoot
      branch. This post-embryonic growth plasticity is typical of plants and allows
      them to adapt to changing environmental conditions. The shoot architecture of
      genotypically identical plants may display completely contrasting phenotypes when
      grown in distinct environmental niches, with one having only a primary
      inflorescence and many arrested axillary meristems and the other displaying
      higher orders of branches. In order to cease and resume growth as required, the
      plant must co-ordinate its intrinsic developmental programme with the responses
      to environmental cues. It is thought that information from the environment is
      integrated throughout the plant using plant hormones as long-distance signals. In
      the present review, we focus primarily on how two of these hormones, auxin and
      strigolactones, may be acting to regulate shoot branching.

PMID- 20298250
TI  - Recycling domains in plant cell morphogenesis: small GTPase effectors, plasma
      membrane signalling and the exocyst.
AB  - The Rho/Rop small GTPase regulatory module is central for initiating
      exocytotically ACDs (active cortical domains) in plant cell cortex, and a growing
      array of Rop regulators and effectors are being discovered in plants. Structural
      membrane phospholipids are important constituents of cells as well as signals,
      and phospholipid-modifying enzymes are well known effectors of small GTPases. We
      have shown that PLDs (phospholipases D) and their product, PA (phosphatidic
      acid), belong to the regulators of the secretory pathway in plants. We have also
      shown that specific NOXs (NADPH oxidases) producing ROS (reactive oxygen species)
      are involved in cell growth as exemplified by pollen tubes and root hairs. Most
      plant cells exhibit several distinct plasma membrane domains (ACDs), established
      and maintained by endocytosis/exocytosis-driven membrane protein recycling. We
      proposed recently the concept of a 'recycling domain' (RD), uniting the ACD and
      the connected endosomal recycling compartment (endosome), as a dynamic
      spatiotemporal entity. We have described a putative GTPase-effector complex
      exocyst involved in exocytic vesicle tethering in plants. Owing to the
      multiplicity of its Exo70 subunits, this complex, along with many RabA GTPases
      (putative recycling endosome organizers), may belong to core regulators of RD
      organization in plants.

PMID- 20298251
TI  - Development of romiplostim for the treatment of patients with chronic immune
      thrombocytopenia: from bench to bedside.
AB  - Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disorder characterised by
      abnormally low platelet counts (<100 x 10(9)/l), purpura, and bleeding episodes,
      and can be categorised in three phases: newly-diagnosed, persistent, and chronic.
      As many patients become refractory to standard treatments (corticosteroids,
      danazol, azathioprine, splenectomy), there is an urgent need for alternative
      treatments. The successful isolation and cloning of thrombopoietin (TPO) in the
      mid-1990s and identification of its key role in platelet production was a major
      breakthrough, rapidly followed by the development of the recombinant
      thrombopoietins, recombinant human TPO and a pegylated truncated product, PEG
      rHuMGDF. Both agents increased platelet counts but development was halted because
      of the development of antibodies that cross-reacted with native TPO, resulting in
      prolonged treatment-refractory thrombocytopenia. Experimentation with novel
      platforms for extending the circulating half-life of therapeutic peptides by
      combining them with antibody fragment crystallisable (Fc) constructs led to the
      development of a new family of molecules termed 'peptibodies'. The 60Da
      recombinant peptibody romiplostim was finally produced by linking several copies
      of an active TPO-binding peptide sequence to a carrier Fc fragment. In clinical
      trials, romiplostim was effective in ameliorating thrombocytopenia in patients
      with chronic ITP, was well tolerated and did not elicit cross-reacting
      antibodies. Romiplostim has recently been approved for the treatment of adults
      with chronic ITP.

PMID- 20298252
TI  - Diagnostic performance of computer tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and
      positron emission tomography or positron emission tomography/computer tomography
      for detection of metastatic lymph nodes in patients with cervical cancer: meta
      analysis.
AB  - We performed a meta-analysis to compare diagnostic performances of computed
      tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and positron emission
      tomography (PET or PET/CT), for detection of metastatic lymph nodes in patients
      with cervical cancer. We searched MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE and the Cochrane
      Review database in December 2007. All articles were independently reviewed and
      selected by three evaluators. We estimated a summary receiver operating
      characteristic (sROC) curve. The area under the curve (AUC), Q*, and pooled
      weighted estimates of sensitivity and specificity for each modality by patient
      based and region- or node-based data analyses and conducted pair-wise comparisons
      between modalities using the two-sample Z-test. Forty-one of 768 initially
      identified studies were included in the meta-analysis. In a patient-based data
      analysis, PET or PET/CT showed the highest pooled sensitivity (82%) and
      specificity (95%), while CT showed 50% and 92%; and MRI, 56% and 91%,
      respectively. The AUC (0.9641) and Q* (0.9106) of PET or PET/CT were
      significantly higher than those of MRI (AUC = 0.8270; Q* = 0.7599), both P <
      0.001. In region- or node-based data analysis, sensitivities of CT (52%) and PET
      or PET/CT (54%) were higher than that of MRI (38%), P < 0.02 and P < 0.001,
      respectively, while specificities of MRI (97%) and PET or PET/CT (97%) were
      higher than that of CT (92%), both P < 0.001. The AUC and Q* showed no
      significant difference among CT, MRI, and PET or PET/CT. PET or PET/CT had an
      overall higher diagnostic performance than did CT or MRI in detecting metastatic
      lymph nodes in patients with cervical cancer.

PMID- 20298253
TI  - Skin tightening effect using fractional laser treatment II: A pilot animal study
      on skin remodeling.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fractional laser resurfacing is a new procedure for skin
      rejuvenation. We have found that it has a skin tightening effect in humans.
      OBJECTIVE: To assess the mechanism of the skin tightening effect of fractional
      laser treatment in animals using histologic approaches. METHODS: The dorsal skin
      of hairless guinea pigs was irradiated with a fractional 1,540-nm erbium glass
      laser. Biopsy specimens were taken serially from 0 hour until 1 year after
      irradiation and evaluated histologically. RESULTS: Histologic evaluation
      indicated dermal remodeling within 2 months, in which regenerated collagen
      bundles and fibroblasts aligned in a horizontal direction, suggesting a traction
      stress on the dermal components. The treated part became less obvious over a
      period of more than 3 months by recovery of fine collagen bundles without
      fibrosis. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that improvement of the tension in a
      horizontal direction is essential for skin remodeling and improvement of facial
      laxity using fractional laser resurfacing.

PMID- 20298254
TI  - Low-fluence Q-switched neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (1,064 nm) laser
      for the treatment of facial melasma in Asians.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pigment lasers have been used in melasma with unsatisfactory results.
      OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness and safety of 1,064-nm Q-switched
      neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (QS-Nd:YAG) laser treatment of melasma in
      Asians. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Split-face randomized study comparing combination
      QS-Nd:YAG laser and 2% hydroquinone with topical treatment in dermal or mixed
      type melasma. Twenty-two patients were treated with 1,064-nm QS-Nd:YAG laser, 6
      mm spot size, 3.0- to 3.8-J/cm(2) fluence for five sessions at 1-week intervals.
      Pigmentation was objectively recorded using a colorimeter (lightness index
      score), and subjective assessments were evaluated using the modified Melasma Area
      and Severity Index (mMASI) score. RESULTS: After five laser treatments,
      statistically significant improvement of melasma from baseline was observed in
      colorimeter (p<.001) and mMASI score (p<.001) on the laser side. The laser side
      achieved an average 92.5% improvement in relative lightness index and 75.9%
      improvement in mMASI, compared with 19.7% and 24%, respectively, on the control
      side (p<.001). Mottled hypopigmentation developed in three patients. During
      follow-up, four of 22 patients developed rebound hyperpigmentation, and all
      patients had recurrence of melasma. CONCLUSION: QS-Nd:YAG laser treatment for
      melasma in Asians produced only temporary improvement and had side effects.
      Common complications were hypopigmentation, melasma recurrence, and rebound
      hyperpigmentation.

PMID- 20298255
TI  - Letter: an alternative technique to repair large loss of substance of the scalp.

PMID- 20298257
TI  - Preimplantation development of mouse: a view from cellular behavior.
AB  - A mature animal body contains a variety of different cell types, and these cells
      are distributed in a well-organized fashion along the body axes. One of the major
      questions in developmental biology is how cells acquire different
      characteristics. In addition, it is important to understand how the embryo forms
      the body axes and how cells are allocated along these axes during development.
      Among mammalian species, the molecular mechanisms that regulate embryonic
      development have been well analyzed and characterized in mice. Here, mouse
      preimplantation embryonic development is briefly summarized and our current
      understanding of this complex process based on recent observations is reviewed.

PMID- 20298258
TI  - Epiblast stem cells contribute new insight into pluripotency and gastrulation.
AB  - Gastrulation is the defining feature of metazoan development where it serves to
      apportion seemingly equivalent, pluripotent cells to specific fates. The three
      embryonic germ layers generated during gastrulation from the pluripotent epiblast
      including ectoderm, mesoderm, and definitive endoderm, contain the progenitors
      required to build all of the tissues of the developing organism. As a result,
      there is great interest in understanding the events that coordinate gastrulation.
      Because developing embryos in placental mammals are relatively inaccessible, stem
      cells are widely used for experimental and biochemical interrogation of these
      processes. Epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs) are grown from the post-implantation
      epiblast, which is the most proximal pluripotent tissue to the early somatic and
      germ cell precursors. Because EpiSCs can be propagated indefinitely in vitro as a
      stable state that recapitulates the properties of the post-implantation epiblast,
      they are uniquely positioned to provide novel insight into the developmental
      window where somatic and germ cell lineages are first established. Here we
      discuss the nature of EpiSCs and their significance in understanding gastrulation
      and cell specification in relationship to other pluripotent cell culture models.

PMID- 20298259
TI  - Coordinated regulation of dorsal bone morphogenetic protein 4 and ventral Sonic
      hedgehog signaling specifies the dorso-ventral polarity in the optic vesicle and
      governs ocular morphogenesis through fibroblast growth factor 8 upregulation.
AB  - Dorsal and ventral specification in the early optic vesicle plays a crucial role
      in vertebrate ocular morphogenesis, and proper dorsal-ventral polarity in the
      optic vesicle ensures that distinct structures develop in separate domains within
      the eye primordium. The polarity is determined progressively during development
      by coordinated regulation of extraocular dorsal and ventral factors. In the
      present study, we cultured discrete portions of embryonic chick brains by
      preparing anterior cephalon, anterior dorsal cephalon and anterior ventral
      cephalon, and clearly demonstrate that bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) and
      Sonic hedgehog (Shh) constitute a dorsal-ventral signaling system together with
      fibroblast growth factor 8 (FGF8). BMP4 and Shh upregulate Tbx5 and Pax2, as
      reported previously, and at the same time Shh downregulates Tbx5, while BMP4
      affects Pax2 expression to downregulate similarly. Shh induces Fgf8 expression in
      the ventral optic vesicle. This, in turn, determines the distinct boundary of the
      retinal pigmented epithelium and the neural retina by suppressing Mitf
      expression. The lens develops only when signals from both the dorsal and ventral
      regions come across together. Inverted deposition of Shh and BMP4 signals in
      organ-cultured optic vesicle completely re-organized ocular structures to be
      inverted. Based on these observations we propose a novel model in which the two
      signals govern the whole of ocular development when they encounter each other in
      the ocular morphogenic domain.

PMID- 20298260
TI  - Direct reprogramming 101.
AB  - Direct reprogramming of somatic cells into a pluripotent state has been achieved
      with a set of just four transcription factors. Many scientists and medical
      doctors are trying to elucidate the causes of intractable diseases and discover
      new drugs using the newest types of technology. Various methods have been
      developed to produce clinical-grade fully reprogrammed cells for cell
      transplantation therapy. Augmenting agents, such as small-molecules, have been
      extensively screened to improve the reprogramming efficiency. The molecular
      mechanisms of reprogramming have been revealed by embryonic stem cell research.
      The accumulation of knowledge by the pioneers has driven the reprogramming field.
      In the present article, the contents of gift boxes from the studies of
      pluripotency to the nuclear reprogramming field are introduced.

PMID- 20298261
TI  - Vulnerability of schools to floods in Nyando River catchment, Kenya.
AB  - This paper assesses the vulnerability of schools to floods in the Nyando River
      catchment (3,600 km(2)) in western Kenya and identifies measures needed to reduce
      this vulnerability. It surveys 130 schools in the lower reaches, where flooding
      is a recurrent phenomenon. Of the primary schools assessed, 40% were vulnerable,
      48% were marginally vulnerable and 12% were not vulnerable. Of the secondary
      schools, 8% were vulnerable, 73% were marginally vulnerable and 19% were not
      vulnerable. Vulnerability to floods is due to a lack of funds, poor building
      standards, local topography, soil types and inadequate drainage. The
      Constituencies Development Fund (CDF), established in 2003, provides financial
      support to cover school construction and reconstruction costs; CDF Committees are
      expected to adopt school building standards. In an effort to promote safe and
      resilient construction and retrofitting to withstand floods, this paper presents
      vulnerability reduction strategies and recommendations for incorporating minimum
      standards in the on-going Primary School Infrastructure Programme Design.

PMID- 20298262
TI  - Assessing the impact of the Indian Ocean tsunami on households: a modified
      domestic assets index approach.
AB  - This paper offers a potential measurement solution for assessing disaster impacts
      and subsequent recovery at the household level by using a modified domestic
      assets index (MDAI) approach. Assessment of the utility of the domestic assets
      index first proposed by Bates, Killian and Peacock (1984) has been confined to
      earthquake areas in the Americas and southern Europe. This paper modifies and
      extends the approach to the Indian sub-continent and to coastal surge hazards
      utilizing data collected from 1,000 households impacted by the Indian Ocean
      tsunami (2004) in the Nagapattinam district of south-eastern India. The analyses
      suggest that the MDAI scale is a reliable and valid measure of household living
      conditions and is useful in assessing disaster impacts and tracking recovery
      efforts over time. It can facilitate longitudinal studies, encourage cross
      cultural, cross-national comparisons of disaster impacts and inform national and
      international donors of the itemized monetary losses from disasters at the
      household level.

PMID- 20298263
TI  - Proposal for a quantitative index of flood disasters.
AB  - Drawing on calculations of wind scale and earthquake magnitude, this paper
      develops a new quantitative method for measuring flood magnitude and disaster
      intensity. Flood magnitude is the quantitative index that describes the scale of
      a flood; the flood's disaster intensity is the quantitative index describing the
      losses caused. Both indices have numerous theoretical and practical advantages
      with definable concepts and simple applications, which lend them key practical
      significance.

PMID- 20298264
TI  - Post-earthquake rehabilitation of the rural water systems in Kashmir's Jehlum
      Valley.
AB  - After the devastating earthquake of 8 October 2005 in Kashmir, international
      organizations provided the Pakistani government with relief and reconstruction
      assistance. Under the oft-cited motto 'rebuild better', many of these efforts
      targeted the rural areas. The emergency period was followed by a development
      phase, during which all actors sought to ensure that their reconstruction
      projects would have long-term, sustainable impacts. Based on the authors'
      experience during that phase, this paper offers specific guidelines for
      rehabilitation work on Kashmir's rural water supply system, stressing the need
      for analysis of the social context to guarantee sustainability of the completed
      projects.

PMID- 20298265
TI  - Fiji's worst natural disaster: the 1931 hurricane and flood.
AB  - At least 225 people in the Fiji Islands died as a result of the 1931 hurricane
      and flood, representing the largest loss of life from a natural disaster in
      Fiji's recent history. This paper explores the causes of disaster and the
      potential for recurrence. The disaster occurred because a rare event surprised
      hundreds of people-especially recently settled Indian farmers-occupying highly
      exposed floodplains in north-west Viti Levu island. The likelihood of a flood
      disaster of such proportions occurring today has been diminished by changed
      settlement patterns and building materials; however, a trend towards re-occupancy
      of floodplains, sometimes in fragile dwellings, is exposing new generations to
      flood risks. The contribution of this paper to the global hazards literature is
      set out in three sections: the ethnicity, gender and age of flood fatalities; the
      naturalness of disasters; and the merit of choice and constraint as explanations
      for patterns of vulnerability.

PMID- 20298266
TI  - Transformative experiences for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita disaster volunteers.
AB  - The massive destruction caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 provided an
      opportunity for many volunteers to be involved with disaster relief work.
      Exposure to devastation and personal trauma can have long-lasting and sometimes
      detrimental effects on people providing help. This qualitative study explored the
      experience of volunteer relief workers who provided disaster relief services
      after the hurricanes. Three major themes emerged: emotional reactions that
      included feelings of shock, fatigue, anger and grief as well as sleep
      disturbances; frustration with leadership; and life-changing personal
      transformation. Stress reactions were noted but appeared to be mitigated by
      feelings of compassion for the victims and personal satisfaction in being able to
      provide assistance. Suggestions are provided for further research.

PMID- 20298267
TI  - Epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus lineages in five
      major African towns: emergence and spread of atypical clones.
AB  - The epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in Africa
      is poorly documented. From January 2007 to March 2008, we collected 86 MRSA
      isolates from five African towns, one each in Cameroon, Madagascar, Morocco,
      Niger and Senegal. Although one or two major clones, defined by the sequence type
      and staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec type, predominated at each site,
      genetic diversity (ten clones) was relatively limited in view of the large
      geographical area studied. Most of the isolates (n = 76, 88%) belonged to three
      major clones, namely ST239/241-III, a well-known pandemic clone (n = 34, 40%),
      ST88-IV (n = 24, 28%) and ST5-IV (n = 18, 21%). The latter two clones have only
      been sporadically described in other parts of the world. The spread of community
      associated MRSA carrying the Panton-Valentine leukocidin genes is a cause for
      concern, especially in Dakar and possibly throughout Africa.

PMID- 20298268
TI  - Multiplex real-time PCR for the diagnosis of malaria: correlation with
      microscopy.
AB  - Malaria is generally diagnosed by microscopy and rapid antigen testing. Molecular
      methods become more widely used. In the present study, the contribution of a
      quantitative multiplex malaria PCR was investigated. We assessed: (i) the
      agreement between PCR-based identification and microscopy and (ii) the
      correlation between the parasite load as determined by quantitative PCR and by
      microscopy. For 83 patients positive by microscopy for Plasmodium spp., the first
      EDTA-blood sample was tested by multiplex PCR to confirm smear-based species
      identification. Parasite load was assessed daily using both microscopy and PCR.
      Among the 83 patients tested, one was positive by microscopy only and 82 were
      positive by microscopy and PCR. Agreement between microscopy and PCR for the
      identification at the species level was 89% (73/82). Six of the nine discordant
      results corresponded to co-infections by two or three species and were attributed
      to inaccurate morphological identification of mixed cases. The parasite load
      generally decreased rapidly after treatment had been started, with similar decay
      curves being obtained using both microscopy and PCR. Our PCR proved especially
      useful for identifying mixed infections. The quantification obtained by PCR
      closely correlated with microscopy-based quantification and could be useful for
      monitoring treatment efficacy, at least in clinical trials.

PMID- 20298269
TI  - Development of a real-time PCR targeting the yidC gene for the detection of
      Mycoplasma hominis and comparison with quantitative culture.
AB  - Mycoplasma hominis is an opportunistic human mycoplasma species that can be
      either commensal or pathogenic. Its detection by culture is considered to
      comprise the reference technique. Previously reported PCR techniques target the
      16S rRNA or the gap gene, although sequence variations among clinical isolates
      may lead to variations in clinical sensitivity. The present study aimed to
      develop a specific TaqMan quantitative real-time PCR assay, targeting a gene
      conserved in all M. hominis isolates, and to compare it with quantitative
      culture. With the knowledge of the M. hominis PG21 genome sequence, the yidC
      gene, encoding a membrane protein translocase, was chosen as target. Its
      intraspecies heterogeneity was checked at the nucleotide level using 31 reference
      or clinical strains. The limit of detection, the analytical specificity and the
      reproducibility of the assay were assessed. Moreover, PCR and culture results
      were compared using 153 urogenital specimens. The limit of detection was seven
      copies/MUL. The analytical specificity was 100%, with good inter- and intra-assay
      reproducibility. Among the 153 urogenital specimens, the yidC PCR and culture
      allowed detection of 55 and 45 M. hominis-positive samples, respectively.
      Comparison of the bacterial load among the 45 specimens found to be M. hominis
      positive by both techniques revealed a statistically significant association
      between the quantitative results obtained. In conclusion, we developed a
      specific, sensitive and reproducible real-time PCR to detect all M. hominis
      clinical isolates. This PCR was shown to have higher sensitivity than culture,
      although both methods were correlated for quantification of M. hominis loads in
      urogenital specimens.

PMID- 20298270
TI  - Loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for the diagnosis of retinitis
      caused by herpes simplex virus-1.
AB  - A loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was developed for the
      detection of herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1). The specificity of the assay was
      tested using DNA extracted from HSV-1-infected rabbit corneal epithelium
      cultures, HSV-2 grown on Vero cell line, cytomegalovirus (CMV) (AD-169),
      varicella zoster virus (VZV) (Oka-vaccine), adenovirus, Aspergillus flavus and
      Staphylococcus aureus. The specificity of LAMP was confirmed by bidirectional
      sequencing of the amplicons. The sensitivity of the LAMP assay was tested using
      different concentrations of HSV-1 DNA. To evaluate the application of the LAMP
      assay in clinical diagnosis, we tested vitreous samples from 20 patients with
      suspected viral retinitis using LAMP and real-time PCR for HSV-1. The LAMP
      primers amplified only HSV-1 DNA; no LAMP products were detected with the DNAs of
      HSV-2, CMV, VZV, adenovirus A. flavus and S. aureus. The sequences of the
      positive HSV-1 LAMP products perfectly (99-100%) matched the HSV-1 sequences
      deposited in the GenBank database. LAMP is as sensitive as real-time PCR, with
      the lowest detection limit being 10 copies/MUL of HSV-1 DNA. Of the 20 patients
      with suspected viral retinitis, four tested positive for HSV-1 using real- time
      PCR and LAMP. A 100% concordance was observed across the two methods. The LAMP
      assay is a rapid, highly specific and sensitive method for the diagnosis of
      retinitis caused by HSV-1.

PMID- 20298272
TI  - Monitoring asthma therapy using indirect bronchial provocation tests.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Bronchial provocation tests that assess airway hyperresponsiveness
      (AHR) are known to be useful in assisting the diagnosis of asthma and in
      monitoring inhaled corticosteroid therapy. We reviewed the use of bronchial
      provocation tests that use stimuli that act indirectly for monitoring the
      benefits of inhaled corticosteroids. DATA SOURCE: Published clinical trials
      investigating the effect of inhaled corticosteroids on bronchial
      hyperresponsiveness in persons with asthma were used for this review. STUDY
      SELECTION: Studies using indirect stimuli to provoke airway narrowing such as
      exercise, eucapnic voluntary hyperventilation, cold air hyperventilation,
      hypertonic saline, mannitol, or adenosine monophosphate (AMP) to assess the
      effect of inhaled corticosteroids were selected. RESULTS: Stimuli acting
      indirectly result in the release of a variety of bronchoconstricting mediators
      such as leukotrienes, prostaglandins, and histamine, from cells such as mast
      cells and eosinophils. A positive response to indirect stimuli is suggestive of
      active inflammation and AHR that is consistent with a diagnosis of asthma.
      Persons with a positive response to indirect stimuli benefit from daily treatment
      with inhaled corticosteroids. Symptoms and lung function are not useful to
      predict the long-term success of inhaled corticosteroid dose as they usually
      resolve rapidly, and well before inflammation and AHR has resolved. Following
      treatment, AHR to indirect stimuli is attenuated. Further, during long-term
      treatment, asthmatics can become as non-responsive as non-asthmatic healthy
      persons, suggesting that asthma is not active. CONCLUSIONS: Non-responsiveness to
      indirect bronchial provocation tests following inhaled corticosteroids occurs
      weeks to months following the resolution of symptoms and lung function. Non
      responsiveness to indirect stimuli may provide a goal for adequate therapy with
      inhaled corticosteroids.

PMID- 20298273
TI  - Risk factors associated with allergic and non-allergic asthma in adolescents.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Risk factors for asthma have been investigated in a large number of
      studies in adults and children, with little progress in the primary and secondary
      prevention of asthma. The aim of this investigation was to investigate risk
      factors associated with allergic and non-allergic asthma in adolescents. METHODS:
      In this study, 959 schoolchildren (13-14 years old) answered a questionnaire and
      performed exhaled nitric oxide (NO) measurements. All children (n = 238) with
      reported asthma, asthma-related symptoms and/or increased NO levels were invited
      to a clinical follow-up which included a physician evaluation and skin-prick
      testing. RESULTS: Asthma was diagnosed in 96 adolescents, whereof half had
      allergic and half non-allergic asthma. Children with both allergic and non
      allergic asthma had a significantly higher body mass index (BMI) (20.8 and 20.7
      vs. 19.8 kg/m(2)) (p < 0.05) and a higher prevalence of parental asthma (30% and
      32% vs. 16%) (p < 0.05). Early-life infection (otitis and croup) [adjusted odds
      ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval (CI)): 1.99 (1.02-3.88) and 2.80 (1.44-5.42),
      respectively], pets during the first year of life [2.17 (1.16-4.04)], window pane
      condensation [2.45 (1.11-5.40)] and unsatisfactory school cleaning [(2.50 (1.28
      4.89)] was associated with non-allergic but not with allergic asthma. CONCLUSION:
      This study indicates the importance of distinguishing between subtypes of asthma
      when assessing the effect of different risk factors. While the risk of both
      allergic and non-allergic asthma increased with increasing BMI, associations
      between early-life and current environmental exposure were primarily found in
      relation to non-allergic asthma.

PMID- 20298274
TI  - Vitamin and mineral status in elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Eating problems are common in patients with chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease (COPD), and intake of micronutrients might be lower than
      recommended. OBJECTIVE: To study dietary intake, serum and urinary concentration
      of trace elements and vitamins in elderly underweight patients with established
      severe COPD. METHODS: Outpatients at a university clinic for lung medicine, with
      COPD, 70-85 years old, with no other serious disease, and with a body mass index
      (BMI) of <or=20 kg/m(2) and an FEV(1)of <50 % predicted were recruited. Body
      composition and bone density were evaluated with dual energy X-ray
      absorptiometry. Dietary intake was studied by a trained dietitian using diet
      history interview. Blood and urine samples were analysed for various vitamins and
      trace elements. RESULTS: Seventeen of 30 recruited patients took part.
      Osteoporosis or osteopaenia was found in 16 patients. Dietary intake of energy
      and macronutrients was in line with recommendations for healthy individuals.
      Intake of protein did not meet recommendations for COPD patients. Intake of
      polyunsaturated fatty acids was lower than recommended and intake of saturated
      fatty acids was higher than recommended. Mean intake of vitamin D and folic acid
      was far below recommendations. Serum concentrations for folic acid and
      methylmalonate and plasma concentrations for homocysteine were below normal in
      several patients. CONCLUSION: Intake of vitamin D and calcium is often low in
      older COPD patients, which might contribute to osteoporosis. Low intake of folic
      acid might also be a problem. The results support prophylaxis with calcium,
      vitamin D and folic acid.

PMID- 20298275
TI  - Hospital doctors' attitudes toward giving their patients smoking cessation help.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: While guidelines recommend all doctors to ask their patients
      about their smoking habits and, in case they smoke, offer cessation advice,
      limited data are available about hospital doctors' attitudes toward these
      recommendations. We aimed to examine hospital doctors' attitudes toward asking
      their patients about their smoking habits, informing about the health benefits of
      stopping, and offering help to quit smoking. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A random
      sample (n = 1025) of Norwegian hospital doctors was mailed a questionnaire on
      this topic. After two reminders, 76% responded. RESULTS: Among the respondents
      23% of the doctors found it too time consuming to ask if the patient smoked, and
      approximately 35% found it too time consuming to inform or offer help on smoking
      cessation. About 25% of the doctors felt that they did not possess enough
      knowledge to help the patient to stop smoking, and 65% of the doctors preferred
      to refer to a specialist for this. Twenty-eight per cent of the doctors did not
      see it as their task to help the patient to stop smoking, while 32% did not think
      it is worth the effort to offer the patient help to stop smoking. Twice as many
      non-internists as internists regarded it as not their task to ask about smoking
      and advised on smoking cessation. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, about one-quarter to
      one-third of Norwegian hospital doctors seem to disagree with current guidelines
      that all doctors should address their patients' smoking habits.

PMID- 20298276
TI  - Introduction of new guidelines for emergency patients: motivational counselling
      among smokers.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Smoking is the most important risk factor for morbidity and
      mortality in hospital patients. Patient contact with the healthcare system should
      include smoking cessation counselling. Emergency admissions are seldom given this
      opportunity. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to illustrate the implementation
      of motivational counselling in a department of acute surgery. METHODS: Between
      May 2003 and January 2004, 200 emergency patients were offered motivational
      counselling and a 6-week smoking cessation programme. RESULTS: We measured the
      number of patients who accepted motivational counselling. Of the initial 200
      patients, 121 (61%) accepted motivational counselling. The only factor related to
      the level of motivation was age. The most motivated group had an average age of
      45 years, whereas the average age of the least motivated group was 64. There was
      no correlation between the Fagerstrom score, pack-years, gender, illness,
      employment, or alcohol consumption and the outcome. Fifty-seven patients agreed
      to us following them up, of which 10% quit smoking for 6 months; 44% either quit
      or reduced their smoking for a shorter period of time, and 17% of the continuing
      smokers requested admission to the smoking cessation programme. CONCLUSION: The
      majority of smokers acutely admitted to an acute orthopaedic department accepted
      motivational counselling against smoking, the youngest being the most motivated.
      It appears possible to implement motivational counselling for smoking cessation
      in an acute orthopaedic department. It is relevant to consider how, and for which
      groups, a smoking intervention programme can be offered to acutely admitted
      patients.

PMID- 20298277
TI  - Airway hyperresponsiveness, peak flow variability and inflammatory markers in non
      asthmatic subjects with respiratory infections.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to characterise non-asthmatic subjects with
      asthma-like symptoms during a common cold, particularly in relation to airway
      hyperresponsiveness (AHR). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Subjects with acute respiratory
      infections and a group of controls (n = 20 + 20), age 20-65 years, underwent
      bronchial provocations with methacholine, adenosine and cold air. All were non
      smokers and had no history of asthma or heart disease. Those with infection had
      asthma-like symptoms (>2). Measurements of exhaled nitric oxide (eNO), serum
      levels of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), eosinophil peroxidase,
      myeloperoxidase and human neutrophil lipocalin were made at each provocation. A
      17-day symptom and peak flow diary was calculated. RESULTS: No differences
      between the two groups were found, regarding responsiveness to methacholine,
      adenosine or cold air challenge, as well as the inflammatory markers measured. In
      the infected group, the mean (standard deviation) ECP was higher in those with
      AHR to methacholine or cold air [15.7 (6.5) and 11.4 (4.2) microg/L,
      respectively; P < 0.05]; furthermore, eNO was higher in the infected group [116
      (54) and 88 (52) nL/min, respectively; P = 0.055]. The infected group had, at all
      times, more symptoms and higher peak flow, with a decrease in the symptoms (P =
      0.02) and a tendency to change in peak flow variation (P = 0.06). CONCLUSION: AHR
      does not seem to be the main cause of asthma-like symptoms in adults with
      infectious wheezing. Peak flow variation and symptom prevalence during the post
      infection period may imply airway pathology different from AHR.

PMID- 20298278
TI  - Educational case.

PMID- 20298279
TI  - Added value of combined simultaneous lung ventilation-perfusion single-photon
      emission computed tomography/multi-slice-computed tomography angiography in two
      patients suspected of having acute pulmonary embolism.

PMID- 20298283
TI  - Sarcoidosis: a view from afar.

PMID- 20298284
TI  - Clinical aspects and immune reactions in sarcoidosis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous disorder of unknown aetiology,
      affecting young adults and frequently involving the lungs. OBJECTIVE: The aim of
      the present review was to give an overview of the clinical aspects in
      sarcoidosis. RESULTS: The majority of patients recover, but some develop a
      chronic disease that may result in fibrosis and respiratory failure. Besides the
      lungs, peripheral lymph nodes, the skin, the liver and the eyes are commonly
      affected as well. The genetic background, as well as environmental factors, is of
      importance for developing sarcoidosis. The incidence varies in different
      populations, in the Nordic countries approximately with 20/100 000 new patients
      yearly. Sarcoidosis is diagnosed when clinical and radiological findings are
      supported by histological evidence in the form of non-caseating epithelioid cell
      granulomas, and when other causes of these features are excluded. Patients in
      need of treatment are usually treated with corticosteroids, topically or as oral
      steroids. A clinical effect of immunomodulatory drugs blocking tumour necrosis
      factor (TNF)alpha has been suggested from several case reports, while two
      controlled studies showed only minor effects; however, with a tendency to a more
      pronounced effect on patients with a more severe disease. The immune response in
      sarcoidosis, with a typical accumulation of CD4+ T-cells to the lungs, indicate
      the existence of specific antigens in this disease. Recently, antigens derived
      from infectious agents such as Mycobacteria and Proprionibacterium acnes have
      come into focus. Lymphocyte populations with immunoregulatory functions have
      recently been investigated and seem to be dysfunctional in sarcoidosis, opening
      the possibility of developing new treatment strategies in this disease.
      CONCLUSION: Recent technical developments have provided better tools, enabling
      detailed and more thorough analyses of the inflammatory process in sarcoidosis.

PMID- 20298285
TI  - Blau syndrome-associated mutations in exon 4 of the caspase activating
      recruitment domain 15 (CARD 15) gene are not found in ethnic Danes with
      sarcoidosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Distinct mutations of the caspase activating recruitment domain 15
      (CARD15) gene (also known as nucleotide-binding oligomerisation domain protein 2)
      on chromosome 16q are associated with the chronic granulomatous disease called
      Blau syndrome. Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease, which has
      features in common with Blau syndrome. AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate
      whether ethnic Danes with sarcoidosis have CARD15 mutations associated with Blau
      syndrome. METHODS: Analysis of exon 4 of the CARD15 gene containing mutations
      associated with Blau syndrome was performed by polymerase chain reaction and
      sequencing of genomic DNA from 52 patients with histologically verified
      sarcoidosis. RESULTS: None of the patients had mutations in CARD15 associated
      with Blau syndrome. Eight other variations were found in exon 4: single
      nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)6 in 40% of the 104 alleles examined, SNP7 in 26%,
      c. 1833 C > T and SNP8 in 4%, c. 2107 C > T in 2%, and c. 931 C > T, c. 1292 C >
      T and c. 2377 G > A in 1%. One variation was found in intron 4 (IVS4 + 10 A > C)
      in 3% of the alleles. The frequencies of the variations in sarcoidosis patients
      were not statistically significant compared with frequencies in a control group
      of 103 healthy subjects. The course of disease was not significantly different in
      patients with or without variations in CARD15 or in the 46 patients with SNP6
      and/or SNP7. CONCLUSIONS: Danish sarcoidosis patients have frequent variations in
      CARD15 exon 4, but do not present any mutation associated with Blau syndrome. The
      variations found had no influence on the course of disease.

PMID- 20298286
TI  - The effects of hypoxia and hypercapnia on renal and heart function, haemodynamics
      and plasma hormone levels in stable COPD patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fluid retention with oedema is an important clinical problem in
      advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this
      study was to investigate cardiovascular, hormonal, renal and pulmonary function
      data and their possible relation to fluid retention in COPD. METHODS: The study
      group consisted of 25 stable outpatients with COPD. The presence of oedema was
      assessed by clinical examination and the intake of diuretics was recorded.
      Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and the renal blood flow (RBF) were measured.
      Lung function was assessed with standard spirometry. Cardiac function and
      haemodynamic variables were studied using echocardiography and equilibrium
      radionucleotide angiography. The plasma levels of noradrenaline, plasma renin
      activity, angiotensin II, aldosterone, atrial natriuretic peptide, brain
      natriuretic peptide and antidiuretic hormone were measured. RESULTS: Systolic and
      diastolic cardiac functions were found to be well preserved in the patients.
      Hypercapnia and impaired lung function, but not hypoxia, were clearly associated
      with oedema/intake of diuretics, low diuresis, low GFR, low RBF and high renal
      vascular resistance. These effects had no significant relationship to central
      haemodynamics or the measured plasma hormone levels. CONCLUSIONS: In stable COPD,
      renal fluid retention and oedema are enhanced by hypercapnia-induced renal
      vasoconstriction and antidiuresis. In contrast to some earlier reports, this
      effect does not seem to be mediated via the central haemodynamic reflex systems
      or the measured plasma hormones. In addition, hypoxia had no significant effect
      on fluid retention in this group of patients.

PMID- 20298287
TI  - Utility of hypertonic histamine challenge in distinguishing difficult-to-diagnose
      asthma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Although classical asthma is associated with airway
      hyperresponsiveness (AHR), this condition is also present in many cardiopulmonary
      disorders undermining the rational basis of its measurement in the differential
      diagnosis of asthma. We have recently introduced a new method to investigate AHR,
      the hypertonic histamine challenge (HHC). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to
      evaluate the differential diagnostic power of HHC in a clinically representative
      sample of 138 patients. METHODS: Fifty-seven patients from the outpatient clinic
      of the authors' hospital with symptoms indicative of asthma were consecutively
      recruited. Asthma was confirmed in 31 subjects. The remaining 26 subjects formed
      the control group, in conjunction with seven patients with COPD, 15 patients with
      interstitial lung disease, 21 patients with rhinitis, 13 patients with heart
      failure and 25 healthy controls. Hypertonic histamine solution was administered
      with an ultrasonic nebuliser. RESULTS: Only the PC(20) values of asthmatic
      subjects differed statistically significantly from those of the healthy group (P
      < 0.0001). The receiver operator characteristic curve indicated that a PC(20)
      value of 0.83 mg/mL would be the optimal cut-off point of HHC to separate the
      asthmatics from the symptomatic controls with a sensitivity of 81% and
      specificity of 70%. With the PC(20) values of 0.1 and 4.0 mg/mL, the
      sensitivities were 42% and 100%, and the specificities were 96% and 40%,
      respectively. In these limits, HHC either confirmed or excluded asthma in 64 out
      of 138 patients (46%). CONCLUSION: The authors' attempt to improve the accuracy
      of the airway challenge test by combining direct and indirect challenges did not
      overcome the diagnostic limitations of previously utilised airway challenges.

PMID- 20298288
TI  - 'You have to learn to live with it': a qualitative and quantitative study of
      older people with asthma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Asthma mortality has declined overall because of a range of public
      health initiatives. In western countries, the majority of asthma deaths now occur
      in people over the age of 50. The reasons for the poorer response of older age
      groups to public health asthma initiatives are not known. OBJECTIVES: We
      undertook a study to investigate the disease perspectives of older people with
      asthma and barriers which may exist and prevent optimal asthma care. METHODS:
      Fifty-five participants (16 male and 39 female) aged over 50 from an inner city,
      suburban area and a rural region were recruited. Lung function was measured, and
      questionnaire data on asthma symptoms, knowledge and control, medication use and
      respiratory health were collected. Participants were also interviewed in-depth,
      and the quantitative and qualitative data were triangulated. RESULTS:
      Participants with a duration of asthma for >30 years reported significantly fewer
      symptoms and better quality of life irrespective of asthma severity, indicating
      less appreciation of symptoms in those with a long asthma duration. Interviews
      revealed this was related to previous asthma management strategies when treatment
      options were limited. Participants with a recent diagnosis sought understanding
      of asthma and the reason for their illness. Initiatives to improve asthma care in
      older people need to reflect these findings. CONCLUSIONS: Self-management
      strategies for older people need to be tailored according to the time of disease
      onset and the duration of disease.

PMID- 20298289
TI  - Does tumour necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor infliximab induce histological
      resolution of pulmonary sarcoid granulomas?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sarcoid granuloma formation involves the orchestration of cytokines
      and chemokines, which modulate the host's immune response to the antigen
      stimulus. The release of cytokines enhances expression of the pro-inflammatory
      cytokine tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF), which plays a crucial role in the
      formation of sarcoid granuloma, being released from T-lymphocytes and alveolar
      macrophages. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of
      infliximab in a case of pulmonary sarcoidosis using a histological approach.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 44-year-old man with biopsy verified chronic pulmonary
      sarcoidosis being resistant to treatment with corticosteroids and cell cycle
      inhibitors. Persisting disease activity was confirmed by declining lung function
      tests and a positive fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography
      scan. The patient was treated with a single course of infliximab 3-mg/kg body
      weight; 11 days later, a single lung transplantation was performed.
      Immunohistological staining with the macrophage marker CD68 was performed on lung
      tissue and mediastinal lymph node tissue from both the initial diagnostic
      evaluation (prior to infliximab) as well as from the explanted lung (after
      infliximab). RESULTS: Biopsy specimens from lung and mediastinal lymph nodes
      prior to infliximab demonstrated sarcoid granulomas, and staining with CD68
      showed dense infiltration by macrophages (epithelioid cells) in the central part
      of the granulomas. In contrast, biopsies from the explanted lung after infliximab
      demonstrated acellular sarcoid granulomas with central amorphous masses, and
      staining with CD68 showed complete absence of macrophages. CONCLUSIONS: In this
      patient, the TNF inhibitor infliximab appeared to induce resolution of sarcoid
      granulomas starting with disappearance of macrophages probably caused by cell
      lysis or apoptosis.

PMID- 20298291
TI  - Increased awareness of COPD in the Norwegian population.

PMID- 20298290
TI  - Pulmonary manifestations of peripheral T-cell lymphoma: case report and review of
      the literature.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL) represent approximately 10% of
      non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Pulmonary involvement is an uncommon manifestation of
      this heterogeneous group of malignancies. METHODS: Report of a case. RESULTS:
      This case report describes a 75-year-old man with fever, weight loss, anemia,
      enlargement of spleen and liver, atypical lymphocytes and pulmonary nodules. Lung
      biopsy showed lymphocytic infiltration of the lung parenchyma. T-cell receptor
      gamma gene rearrangement by polymerase chain reaction confirmed the diagnosis of
      peripheral T-cell lymphoma. Unfortunately, the patient died because of refractory
      and aggressive disease. CONCLUSION: Pulmonary and pleural involvement are seen in
      patients with PTCL and usually carry a poor prognosis. The subject of pulmonary
      involvement in peripheral T-cell lymphoma is discussed.

PMID- 20298292
TI  - Yellow nail syndrome: treatment with octreotide.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The yellow nail syndrome (YNS) is the triad of 'yellow' nails,
      peripheral oedema and pleural effusions. For diagnosis, which is clinical, at
      least two of these findings are necessary. Also typical is a long-standing
      chronic cough often caused by low-grade bronchiectases. The pleural effusions
      often require pleurodesis. The pathogenesis is probably a dysfunction of the
      lymphatic system (1, 2). Octreotide regulates the release of growth hormone and
      thyrotropin, and also has effects on the gastro-intestinal tract, where it
      inhibits glandular secretion, neurotransmission, smooth-muscle contraction and
      absorption of nutrients. Adverse effects are nausea, abdominal cramps, diarrhoea,
      malabsorption of fat and flatulence (3). Because of the inhibition of absorption
      of fats and other nutrients, octreotide has been useful in chylothorax from many
      different causes (4). The pleural effusion in YNS is usually an exudate, but in
      rare cases a frank chylothorax. One such case with successful octreotide
      treatment has been described in the literature (5). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this
      report was to investigate the effect of octreotide treatment on a patient with
      YNS with pleural exudates not resulting from chylothorax. METHODS AND RESULTS: A
      62-year-old man with typical YNS presented with bilateral large pleural effusions
      (Fig. 1). He had suffered from repeated pneumonia for many years, and 10 years
      earlier mild bronchiectases were diagnosed and yellow nails were noted. From the
      right pleura, 1750-mL clear yellowish fluid was removed and a few days later,
      1300 mL was removed from the left side. During the next few weeks, repeated
      thoracocenteses on both sides were necessary for the palliation of his dyspnoea,
      and the total amount of removed fluid was more than 10 L. The pleural fluid
      showed a low cholesterol value, 1.2 mmol/L (serum, 3.5), a fairly high albumin
      level, 19.0 g/L [serum, 25 g/L (normal, 36-45)], and no triglycerides. Octreotide
      was administered, initially 0.5 mg subcutaneously twice daily to make sure that
      there were no side effects, then the long-acting drug, 30 mg given every fourth
      week. There was a subjective improvement after the first week, and even though he
      still has pleural effusions bilaterally, he no longer needs palliative
      thoracocenteses and can live a normal life. His nails are better, as is the
      oedema. He is satisfied with his treatment and does not wish to have any
      pleurodesis. The observation time is now 6 months, and no adverse side effects
      have been seen so far. CONCLUSION: Octreotide can be tried in cases of YNS before
      more aggressive therapies are started. However, the best results are probably
      achieved in the rare cases where the effusion is a chylothorax. The other
      symptoms, such as yellow nails and oedema, also seemed to improve but evaluation
      is difficult because even normally, there are variations over time with these
      symptoms. Pleurodesis will probably be necessary in the future for our patient
      despite his octreotide treatment. Further studies are warranted in this rare
      disease.

PMID- 20298293
TI  - Educational case: dysphagia caused by lymphadenopathy--what is the differential
      diagnosis?

PMID- 20298294
TI  - 18F-fluoro-deoxyglucose PET for monitoring treatment in sarcoidosis.

PMID- 20298297
TI  - Reversing the tide of COPD: smoking cessation.

PMID- 20298298
TI  - Cessation in the use of tobacco - pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic routines in
      patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Approximately one-third of the adult population in industrial
      countries and 70% in several Asian countries are daily smokers. Tobacco is now
      regarded as the world's leading cause of death. Approximately two-thirds of
      lifelong smokers eventually die because of smoking. Smoking cessation is the most
      effective action to reduce mortality in patients with chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease (COPD) and coronary heart disease. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this
      study was to determine the effectiveness of smoking cessation programmes in
      patients with smoking-related disorders. METHODS: Medline was searched for
      studies of interventions for smoking cessation in patients. RESULTS: In patients
      with cardiovascular diseases and COPD, smoking cessation programmes with
      behavioural support over several months significantly increase quit rates. The
      intensity of the programmes seems to be proportional to the effect. A long follow
      up period is probably the most important element in the programmes. Even the most
      intensive programmes are very cost-effective in terms of cost per life-year
      gained. Effective programmes can be delivered by personnel without special
      education in smoking cessation using simple intervention principles. CONCLUSIONS:
      In patients with smoking-related disorders, smoking cessation interventions with
      several months of follow-up are effective and easily applicable in clinical
      practice. Wider implementation of such programmes would be a cost-effective way
      of saving lives.

PMID- 20298299
TI  - Low awareness of COPD among physicians.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Early identification of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease (COPD) in the health care system followed by successful smoking cessation
      may prevent rapid lung function deterioration, development of severe COPD and
      respiratory failure. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the
      frequency of under-diagnosed chronic obstructive lung diseases among current
      smokers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The under-diagnosis of COPD among smokers was
      determined in subjects who participated in a screening procedure aimed at
      recruiting COPD patients for a smoking cessation programme. In order to identify
      current smokers, a questionnaire was sent out to persons who had been on sick
      leave for various reasons certified by a physician for more than 2 weeks.
      Subjects who stated that they currently smoked more than eight cigarettes per day
      were invited to perform a lung function test. RESULTS: A total of 3887 subjects
      performed spirometry, i.e. forced expiratory volume in 1 s and forced
      expirations, and among these, 674 (17.3%) had COPD according to the European
      Respiratory Society (ERS) consensus guidelines. Of those, 103 (17.3%) had
      physician-diagnosed COPD. Productive cough was reported by 16.6% of the COPD
      subjects. Despite the fact that smokers were on sick leave certified by a
      physician, more than 80% of those with COPD had no previous diagnosis. As the
      COPD diagnosis cannot be based on reported symptoms, a spirometry on persons at
      risk must be performed. CONCLUSION: The awareness of COPD among primary care
      physicians has to increase and smokers above the age of 40, with and without
      respiratory symptoms, have to undergo spirometry if it is regarded important to
      establish the COPD diagnosis at an early stage.

PMID- 20298300
TI  - Identification of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by
      measurement of plasma biomarkers.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Inflammation is an important constituent of the pathology of
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), leading to alveolar destruction and
      airway remodelling. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the difference
      in plasma biomarkers of inflammation between asymptomatic smokers and patients
      with COPD. METHODS: We used commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent
      assay kits to measure the plasma levels of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF
      alpha), interleukin-8 (IL-8), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), monocyte
      chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1)
      and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2) on two occasions with a 2
      week interval in patients with COPD (n = 20), asymptomatic smokers (n = 10) and
      healthy lifelong non-smokers (n = 10). The participants were characterised
      clinically, physiologically and by quantitative computed tomography by measuring
      the relative area of emphysema below -910 Hounsfield units (RA-910). RESULTS: The
      results of the biomarker measurements on the two occasions were highly
      reproducible. Patients with COPD had significantly higher plasma levels of IL-8
      (P = 0.004) and significantly lower levels of TIMP-1 (P = 0.02) than smokers and
      non-smokers. There was no statistically significant difference between the three
      groups in the level of TNF-alpha, MMP-9, MCP-1 and TIMP-2. The IL-8/TIMP-1 ratio
      correlated significantly with the degree of airway obstruction measured as forced
      expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1)) % predicted (r = -0.47, P < 0.01); with
      the diffusion capacity (r = -0.41, P < 0.01); and with the grade of emphysema
      measured as RA-910 (r = 0.39, P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that
      the measurement of plasma biomarkers, such as IL-8/TIMP-1, may aid to
      discriminate patients with COPD from smokers at lower risk of developing COPD.

PMID- 20298301
TI  - Impact of home mechanical ventilation on health-related quality of life in
      patients with chronic alveolar hypoventilation: a prospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nocturnal ventilatory support by nasal positive pressure ventilation
      (NPPV) is an established treatment method in patients with chronic alveolar
      hypoventilation (CAH). The knowledge about its long-term effects on health
      related quality of life (HRQL) is limited. METHODS: In a prospective,
      longitudinal, single-strand study, patients with CAH caused by non-COPD
      conditions, consecutively recruited among referral patients in three Swedish
      university hospital pulmonary departments, were examined at baseline and after 9
      months (n = 35) and 8 years (n = 11) on NPPV treatment. Both volume pre-set and
      pressure pre-set ventilators were used. Patients completed a battery of condition
      specific and generic HRQL questionnaires at baseline and follow-up. Spirometry
      and blood gases were measured. Compliance with treatment, side effects and
      patient satisfaction were evaluated. RESULTS: After 9 months of NPPV,
      improvements were seen primarily not only in sleep-related domains, but also in
      emotional behaviour, ambulation and sleep/rest functioning as measured with the
      Sickness Impact Profile (SIP). Improvements in sleep-related symptoms were
      related to effectiveness in ventilation, evaluated by morning PaCO(2), and
      remained by 8 years. Mental well-being was stable over time, while emotional
      distress improved by 8 years. Satisfaction with treatment was high in spite of
      frequent side effects. CONCLUSION: NPPV improves HRQL, particularly in condition
      specific areas. Improvements are related to effectiveness in ventilation. Side
      effects are common, but compliance is good and patient satisfaction is high.

PMID- 20298302
TI  - Inspiratory capacity and forced expiratory volume in the first second in
      exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
AB  - OBJECT: Periodic exacerbations of symptoms are the major cause of morbidity,
      mortality and health care costs in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease (COPD). Dyspnea is the major factor affecting the comfort of patients in
      the exacerbation of COPD. In this study, we aimed to compare the value of forced
      expiratory volume in the first second (FEV(1)) and inspiratory capacity (IC)
      measured before and after treatment in exacerbations and in the improvement in
      dyspnea. METHODS: Eighty-seven patients (male/female, 80/7; mean age, 63 +/- 7)
      with COPD exacerbation were included in this study. All subjects underwent
      spirometric tests on the first day and at the end of treatment. The subjects were
      asked to quantify the sensation of dyspnea that was described to them as a
      nonspecific discomfort associated with the act of breathing. The patients
      quantified dyspnea by pointing to a score on a large Borg scale from 0 to 10
      arbitrary units. In the beginning and at the end of treatment, forced vital
      capacity (FVC), FEV(1), forced expiratory flow rate between 25% and 75% of FVC
      (FEF25-75), peak expiratory flow rate (PEF), IC and Borg score (BS) values were
      compared. RESULTS: After treatment of COPD exacerbations, FEV(1), FEF25-75, PEF
      and IC significantly increased, and the BS significantly decreased compared to
      the initial values. The increase in IC was more significantly correlated with the
      improvement in BS compared with FEV(1). Admission and discharge day BS was
      negatively correlated with FEV(1), FEF25-75 and IC. CONCLUSION: We have shown a
      more dramatic improvement in IC compared with FEV(1) in patients treated as a
      result of acute exacerbation of COPD. These data suggest that IC may be more
      useful than FEV(1) during acute exacerbation of COPD. Moreover, IC better
      reflects the severity of dyspnea in these patients.

PMID- 20298303
TI  - Smoking reduction and cessation reduce chronic cough in a general population: the
      Inter99 study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic cough can be the first sign of chronic obstructive disease. A
      few, and mostly selected, studies exploring the effect of reduced daily tobacco
      consumption have shown a small effect on pulmonary symptoms. AIM: The aim of this
      study was to examine if smoking reduction (SR) (> or =50% of daily tobacco
      consumption) or smoking cessation (SC) had an effect on chronic cough and phlegm.
      METHODS: A total of 2408 daily smokers were included in a Danish population-based
      intervention study, Inter99. In the analyses, we included smokers with self
      reported chronic cough or phlegm at baseline who also attended the 1-year follow
      up. We investigated if SR or SC had improved the self-reported pulmonary
      symptoms, using logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Almost 34% of the smokers
      had chronic cough at baseline and 24.5% had chronic phlegm. Thirty-seven persons
      with cough at baseline and 24 with phlegm at baseline achieved substantial SR at
      1-year follow-up. The corresponding numbers for SC were 63 and 39, respectively.
      In adjusted analyses, quitting or reducing smoking was associated with less
      reporting of cough [odds ratio (OR): 14.2; 95% confidence interval (CI): 5.9
      34.4] and (OR: 3.7; 95% CI: 1.7-8.0), respectively, compared with unchanged
      smoking habits. It was also significantly more likely not to report phlegm at 1
      year follow-up for those who had quit (OR: 7.1; 95% CI: 2.8-18.0), whereas SR was
      not significantly associated with termination of phlegm (OR: 2.5; 95% CI: 0.9
      6.4) when compared with continuous smoking. CONCLUSION: SC significantly improved
      self-reported chronic cough and phlegm as expected. Substantial SR was achieved
      by few smokers but had a significantly positive effect on chronic cough.

PMID- 20298304
TI  - Can one single test protocol for provoking exercise-induced bronchoconstriction
      also be used for assessing aerobic capacity?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Several different exercise protocols are used to assess exercise
      induced bronchoconstriction (EIB), and to measure peak oxygen uptake (VO(2 peak))
      and peak minute ventilation (VE(peak)). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to
      evaluate if one single test protocol for assessing EIB can also be used to
      determine aerobic capacity measured by VO(2 peak) and VE(peak). METHODS: In a
      randomised cross-over design, 40 healthy subjects (female symbol/male symbol =
      17/23) aged 14-40 years performed two exercise tests on a treadmill. Twenty
      subjects (female symbol/male symbol = 7/13) performed the two exercise tests at a
      treadmill inclination of 10.5%; the remaining 20 subjects (female symbol/male
      symbol = 10/10) performed at an inclination of 5.3%. A common stepwise protocol
      with 20 min of warming up was compared to an EIB test protocol of an 8-min
      treadmill run without warming up, with a workload corresponding to 95% of maximum
      heart rate during the last 4 min. RESULTS: VO(2 peak) did not differ
      significantly between the two test protocols at 10.5% inclination: 63.3 mL/kg
      min(-1)(59.3, 67.4) [mean (95% confidence intervals)] and 63.9 mL/kg min(-1)
      (60.0, 68.0), respectively, or at 5.3% inclination: 56.0 mL/kg min(-1) (52.1,
      60.0) and 56.1 mL/kg min(-1) (51.9, 60.2), respectively. Also, VE(peak) did not
      differ between the protocols 158 (144, 173) vs 161 L/min (145, 176) at 10.5%
      inclination and 123 (114, 132) vs 127 L/min (116, 138) at 5.3% inclination, with
      the EIB protocol and the stepwise protocol, respectively. CONCLUSION: VO(2 peak)
      and VE(peak) did not differ between the two test protocols, and one single
      standardised EIB test may thus be used both for both provoking EIB and assessing
      VO(2 peak).

PMID- 20298305
TI  - Treatment and evaluation of patients with acute exacerbation of asthma before and
      during a visit to the ER in Denmark.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute exacerbation of asthma may be life-threatening and quite often
      results in a visit to the emergency room (ER) or admission to a hospital. The aim
      was to evaluate the treatment and the quality of clinical management of asthma
      exacerbations, and finally, to identify the factors leading to admission.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: In a retrospective design, we audited the hospital records
      of all patients aged 18-40 years admitted to five Danish university hospitals
      with an acute exacerbation of asthma in 2004. RESULTS: We found records covering
      323 asthmatic patients (186 women). Before admission, the mean (standard
      deviation) duration of the exacerbation was 5.2 (7.5) days. Of those admitted,
      14% did not use any medication, 39% used inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) either
      with a beta(2)-agonist or alone, systemic steroids, and 34% used a beta(2)
      agonist alone. Lung function (peak flow or forced expiratory volume in first
      second) was measured in 60% on admission, in 58% on discharge and in 47% on both
      occasions (P < 0.01). Temperature, heart rate and oxygen saturation were measured
      in 231 of the patients (72%), but the respiratory frequency rate was measured in
      only 16% of the patients, with some differences between the five hospitals. On
      discharge, 50% were treated with systemic steroids, and a further 20% had ICS
      prescribed (P < 0.01, admission vs discharge). In 21% of the cases, inadequate
      treatment was identified as the most likely reason for their ER visit/admission
      to a hospital. CONCLUSIONS: The assessment and treatment of patients admitted
      with acute asthma exacerbation was often suboptimal. Under-treatment with the
      anti-asthmatic medication was the main reason for admission.

PMID- 20298306
TI  - Subcarinal bronchogenic cyst.

PMID- 20298307
TI  - Setting up an ambulatory sleep research unit.

PMID- 20298308
TI  - Novel lung cancer staging algorithms.

PMID- 20298309
TI  - Diagnostics and staging procedures in non-small cell lung cancer - is less more?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a common cancer with
      approximately 85% of patients dying of the disease. The only chance for cure is
      in the early stages, when surgery or definite chemoradiotherapy can be performed.
      Diagnosis and staging of lung cancer can sometimes be difficult, particularly
      because the intrathoracic structures are not easy to reach. OBJECTIVE: This
      review discusses the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer. RESULTS: When
      performing lung cancer diagnostics, both invasive and noninvasive procedures,
      such as computed tomogram of the chest, bronchoscopy and abdominal ultrasound,
      are mandatory. Suspected mediastinal involvement should be differentiated: bulky
      disease, contralateral or high mediastinal nodes need further clarification by
      endoscopic ultrasound, endobronchial ultrasound or mediastinoscopy. In opposition
      to current guidelines, in all other cases, surgery should be performed. Positron
      emission tomography will gain even more importance when becoming widely
      accessible and might replace other imaging techniques in the future. In case of
      advanced disease, staging should be limited to those examinations with impact on
      symptom control. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis and staging of lung cancer should
      involve both invasive and noninvasive diagnostic procedures. In the case of
      advanced disease, staging should be limited to those examinations with impact on
      symptom control, whereas early stages call for rapid and thorough diagnosis.

PMID- 20298310
TI  - Current concepts in chemotherapy for malignant pleural mesothelioma.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to provide an overview of the most active
      single agents and combination regimens in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM).
      DATA SOURCE: Literature on English-language trials in humans was searched on
      Medline until October 2007. Indexing terms were malignant pleural mesothelioma
      and chemotherapy. STUDY SELECTIONS: Trials with > or =15 patients and with data
      on activity were included. RESULTS: Detorubicin and pirarubicin have response
      rates (RRs) of 22%-26%, epirubicin of 5%-15%, docetaxel of 5%-23% and vinorelbine
      of 24%. Other active agents were ifosfamide (3%-24%) and mitomycin C (21%).
      Carboplatin and cisplatin have an overall RR of 11% in three studies and 17% in
      four studies, respectively. Antimetabolites were active, including methotrexate
      (37%), raltitrexed (21%), edatrexate (16%-25%) and pemetrexed (15%). With respect
      to combination chemotherapy regimens, only cisplatin with either pemetrexed or
      raltitrexed has been compared with other substances, in both cases to cisplatin
      monotherapy. Both showed a survival advantage, which was statistically
      significant in the trial including pemetrexed, suggesting that chemotherapy
      improved survival in MPM. No studies have compared chemotherapy with the best
      supportive care alone, and none has compared different combination chemotherapy
      regimens with each other. CONCLUSIONS: A number of single-agent cytotoxics posess
      moderate activity against MPM. A number of platinum-based combination
      chemotherapy regimens show similar activities, but none has been compared with
      another combination. Cisplatin with either raltitrexed or pemetrexed has improved
      survival compared with cisplatin alone, and may be used as a reference treatment
      in randomized trials. Targeted agents should be explored in order to further
      improve the outcome.

PMID- 20298311
TI  - Treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma with liposomized doxorubicine:
      prolonged time to progression and good survival. A Nordic study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) has a poor prognosis and there
      is limited effect of treatment. Lately, pemetrexed and cisplatin have been
      established as the standard treatment. OBJECTIVES: The present study was planned
      in 1998, when there was no standard treatment. Single-dose doxorubicine had, in
      small studies, accomplished remissions, and the Scandinavian Mesothelioma Groups
      therefore decided to test a liposomized form of this drug, which had shown
      limited toxicity but good efficacy in a few small studies. METHODS: Fifty-four
      evaluable patients with histologically verified and inoperable MPM were treated
      with liposomized doxorubicine 40 mg/m(2), every 4 weeks for six cycles. RESULTS:
      In all, 29 patients (54%) received at least six treatments. The quality of life
      remained good during the study. Hematologic toxicity was very low. Palmo-plantar
      erythema occurred in 11 patients (20%), thereof 7 grade II but none was severe
      and none was dose-limiting. There were four partial responses (7%). The median
      time to progression (TTP) was 5 months, the median survival was 12 months, and at
      24 months, 22% were still alive. CONCLUSION: Liposomized doxorubicine has a low
      toxicity and is well tolerated; there were a remarkably long TTP and a good
      survival. Thus, despite the low response rate, liposomized doxorubicine remains
      an interesting drug for the treatment of malignant mesothelioma.

PMID- 20298312
TI  - A comparison between patients with dysfunctional breathing and patients with
      asthma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The term dysfunctional breathing (DB) has been introduced to
      describe patients who display a divergent breathing pattern and have breathing
      problems that cannot be attributed to a specific medical diagnosis such as
      asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or sensory hyper-reactivity.
      OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate similarities and
      differences in patients with DB, and patients with well-controlled asthma
      regarding health-related quality of life, anxiety, depression, sense of coherence
      (SOC), hyperventilation and effects on daily life. METHODS: Twenty-five
      consecutive patients with DB, and 25 age- and sex-matched patients with asthma
      (ages 20-73 years) participated in the study. The diagnosis of DB was based on
      the presence of a dysfunctional breathing pattern and at least five symptoms
      associated with DB. RESULTS: The group with DB had lower health-related quality
      of life (short form 36): vitality (mean) 47 vs 62, social functioning 70 vs 94
      and role emotional 64 vs 94 (P < 0.05) than the asthmatic group. The DB group
      also had a higher prevalence of anxiety (56% vs 24%) and a lower SOC (134 vs 156)
      (P < 0.05). Hyperventilation, defined according to the Nijmegen symptoms
      questionnaire, was observed in 56% of patients with DB vs 20% in the asthma group
      (P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study indicate that patients with DB
      are more disabled than patients with well-controlled asthma. There is a great
      need for more knowledge about breathing symptoms of a dysfunctional nature, to be
      able to identify and manage these patients adequately.

PMID- 20298313
TI  - Asthma management in primary care: does increasing patient medication improve
      symptoms?
AB  - AIMS: We set out to observe the General Practitioner (GP) management of a cohort
      of asthma patients over a 2-year period by comparing asthma health status,
      spirometry, British Thoracic Society treatment step, inhaled medication uptake
      and psychological status. Changes in these parameters were assessed over the 2
      year period. METHODS: One hundred fourteen subjects were recruited from four GP
      practices, two in the inner city and two in suburbia. Subjects were assessed at
      baseline and at 2 years using the Juniper asthma quality of life questionnaire,
      the locally devised Q score (a simple patient-focused morbidity index) and the
      hospital anxiety and depression (HAD) scale. Spirometry (forced expiratory volume
      in 1 s, forced vital capacity and peak expiratory flow) was recorded using a
      Micro Medical portable spirometer (Micro Medical Ltd, Chatham, UK); the best
      values from three acceptable attempts were recorded. RESULTS: Data for 90
      subjects reviewed at baseline and at 24 months were compared to the original
      cohort of 114 subjects. Patients who had the treatment increased showed no
      apparent benefit over 2 years. They had similar physiology and symptom scores at
      baseline but had higher HAD scores (particularly depression element P < 0.05)
      initially. The picture remained constant over the 2 years. CONCLUSION: Asthma
      guidelines define the aim of treatment to minimise or abolish symptoms. We
      suggest that if the symptoms are not measured, they remain unrecognised. This is
      something that could and should be incorporated routinely into clinical practice
      because this is morbidity that is largely treatable.

PMID- 20298314
TI  - A video-simulation study of the management of asthma exacerbations by physicians
      in India.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Despite efforts to improve the management of asthma worldwide, few
      options exist for evaluating the specific needs or the success of these
      activities in a manner free from bias. OBJECTIVES: To examine the management of
      asthma exacerbations by physicians using standardized audiovisual presentations
      of asthma. METHODS: Practitioners (n = 70) in Chennai, India were shown the
      International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood video questionnaire and
      asked to describe the clinical investigations, emergency treatments and
      prescription therapy they would recommend for each of the five scenes. RESULTS:
      Practitioners varied significantly in their investigation and treatment of the
      exacerbations. Those who identified asthma as a possible cause of the scenes were
      more likely to recommend investigations and treatment congruent with
      international guidelines, as were those with additional postgraduate training and
      with specialty training in respiratory disease. Approaches differed significantly
      for scenes depicting wheeze compared with those depicting cough. CONCLUSION: The
      management of asthma exacerbations varies significantly depending on whether
      practitioners identify asthma as a possible cause of the presentation.
      Standardized audiovisual depictions of asthma offer a useful tool to assess
      patterns of clinical practice, and to design and evaluate activities to raise the
      quality of care for asthma.

PMID- 20298315
TI  - Asthma and health-related quality of life - effect of adjusting for potential
      confounders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an increasingly important
      outcome measure in medical research. We wanted to evaluate how adjustment for
      potential confounders affected the relationship between HRQoL and asthma.
      Furthermore, we wanted to evaluate the relationship of environmental tobacco
      smoke (ETS) with HRQoL. METHODS: We carried out a cross-sectional Norwegian
      community study in 1996/1997 including 2306 randomly selected subjects aged 26
      years-81 years. Data on HRQoL were measured by SF-12. The data were analyzed by
      robust linear regression analyses with the physical component score (PCS) and the
      mental component score (MCS) as dependent variables. The effect of adjusting for
      the potential confounders was analyzed by bootstrap confidence intervals for
      differences between the adjusted and unadjusted models. RESULTS: The difference
      in the asthma coefficients between the unadjusted and adjusted models for both
      PCS and MCS varied from 0.1 to 1.1. The confidence intervals for these
      differences for PCS were (-0.3, 1.6) and (0.4, 1.8), using the definition 'asthma
      last 12 months' and 'physician's diagnosis of asthma', respectively. The
      confidence intervals for the corresponding differences for MCS were (-0.01, 1.3)
      and (-0.6, 0.4), respectively. Univariately, PCS was lower among subjects
      reporting ETS at home compared to people not reporting ETS at home, but this
      difference did not persist in the multivariate analyses. ETS at home was
      associated with slightly improved MCS. CONCLUSION: Adjusting for potential
      confounders does not change the relationship between asthma and HRQoL overtly.

PMID- 20298316
TI  - Bacterial colonisation of lower airways in health and chronic lung disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To evaluate the colonisation rate and type in different groups of
      patients with chronic lung diseases, bronchial lavage (BL) fluid was investigated
      for bacteria. METHODS: All patients underwent fibre-optic bronchoscopy as part of
      routine investigation for remote haemoptysis or nodule investigation. The
      standard procedure included BL and microbiological culture providing the total
      number of colony forming units (cfu)/mL and the number of potential pathogenic
      bacteria (ppb)/mL. Three groups of patients were included: 48 persons had a final
      diagnosis of no pathology, 53 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
      in a stable phase and 32 patients with a final diagnosis of bronchiectasis.
      RESULTS: The median number of cfu cultured from patients with bronchiectasis was
      10(5) cfu/mL compared to 5 10(3) cfu/mL in patients with COPD and 10(4) cfu/mL in
      persons with no pathology. The ppb colonisation rate varied from 10% in persons
      with no pathology to 43% in patients diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease (COPD) and 63% in patients with bronchiectasis. The most frequent
      bacteria isolated was Haemophilus influenzae. Colonisation rates were associated
      with frequencies of respiratory infections; patients with bronchiectasis reported
      a median of three infections per year, patients with COPD reported one infection
      per year, and persons without pathology reported 0 infections per year (P <
      0.05). Within each group a large patient-to-patient variation was found.
      CONCLUSIONS: Different groups of patients with chronic pulmonary diseases have
      very different colonisation rates. Patients with bronchiectasis have the highest
      colonisation rate. This correlates to the reported frequency of lower respiratory
      tract infections.

PMID- 20298317
TI  - Treatment of lobar atelectasis with bronchoscopically administered recombinant
      human deoxyribonuclease in cystic fibrosis?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Recombinant human deoxyribonuclease (rhDNase) reduces sputum
      viscosity and improves pulmonary function in cystic fibrosis (CF). OBJECTIVE: The
      objective of this study was to describe our experience in which rhDNase
      (Pulmozyme; Roche, Basel, Switzerland) was administered by bronchoscopic
      instillation into atelectatic lobes in five adults with CF. CONCLUSION: We found
      this method successful in treating lobar atelectasis, which was resistant to
      conventional therapy with antibiotics and physiotherapy. In all but one of the
      cases we described, administration of DNase in this manner resulted in a
      radiographic and clinical improvement of the atelectasis. We recommend that
      respiratory physicians consider this as a second line treatment in the management
      of atelectasis.

PMID- 20298319
TI  - Adenocarcinoma.

PMID- 20298318
TI  - BCG vaccination and risk of atopic diseases in a twin cohort.

PMID- 20298320
TI  - One year anniversary.

PMID- 20298321
TI  - Emerging treatments for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare, progressive
      disease for which no cure exists. However, improved understanding of underlying
      pathophysiological mechanisms has led to the development of several effective
      treatments that improve haemodynamics and functional status. OBJECTIVE: An
      overview of emerging pharmacological approaches to the management of PAH is
      presented. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A Medline search was performed for studies
      describing novel treatments and potential therapeutic targets relevant to PAH.
      RESULTS: Several different treatments that modulate abnormalities in the
      prostacyclin, endothelin and nitric oxide pathways have shown efficacy in
      randomised, controlled studies and are now licensed for use for PAH patients with
      advanced disease. Furthermore, there is now encouraging long-term survival data
      associated with use of these agents. A number of other targets with therapeutic
      potential have also been identified, such as serotonin, platelet-derived growth
      factor and vasoactive intestinal peptide. Recently, strategies involving
      combinations of different PAH-specific agents have emerged as a promising
      approach for those failing monotherapy. CONCLUSION: The therapeutic options
      available for PAH has improved considerably in recent years and is likely to
      expand in the future.

PMID- 20298322
TI  - Atopic sensitization to common allergens without symptoms or signs of airway
      disorders does not increase exhaled nitric oxide.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Elevated fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) associates positively
      with symptomatic atopy among asthmatics and in the general population. It is,
      however, unclear whether sensitization to common allergens per se- as verified
      with positive skin prick tests--affects FENO in healthy individuals. OBJECTIVE:
      The aim of this study was to examine the association between FENO and
      sensitization to common allergens in healthy nonsmoking adults with no signs or
      symptoms of airway disorders. METHODS: FENO measurements (flow rate: 50 mL/s),
      skin prick tests to common inhalant allergens, structured interviews, spirometry,
      bronchodilatation tests and bronchial histamine challenges were performed on a
      randomly selected population of 248 subjects. Seventy-three of them (29%) were
      nonsmoking asymptomatic adults with no history of asthma, persistent or recurrent
      upper or lower airway symptoms and no signs of airway disorders in the tests
      listed above. RESULTS: FENO concentrations were similar in skin prick test
      positive (n = 32) and negative (n = 41) healthy subjects, with median values of
      13.2 and 15.5 ppb, respectively (P = 0.304). No correlation appeared between FENO
      and the number of positive reactions (r = -0.138; P = 0.244), or the total sum of
      wheal diameters (r = -0.135; P = 0.254). The nonparametric one-tailed 95% upper
      limits of FENO among skin prick positive and negative healthy nonsmoking subjects
      were 29 and 31 ppb, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Atopic constitution defined as
      positive skin prick test results does not increase FENO in healthy nonsmoking
      adults with no signs or symptoms of airway disorders. This suggests that same
      reference ranges for FENO can be applied to both skin prick test positive and
      negative subjects.

PMID- 20298323
TI  - Asthmatics able to step down from inhaled corticosteroid treatment without loss
      of asthma control have low serum eotaxin/CCL11.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The addition of a long-acting beta2 agonist (LABA) to inhaled
      corticosteroid (ICS) may control asthma better than ICS alone. Eosinophil markers
      may predict symptom severity in asthma. OBJECTIVES: The effect of combination
      treatment on moderate to severe asthmatics not selected to respond rapidly to
      steroid deprivation was compared with monotherapy. The ability of serum markers
      to predict symptom severity was assessed. METHODS: Asthmatics treated adequately
      with ICS (750-1000 mcg ICS daily) were randomised to receive ICS (fluticasone
      propionate) + LABA (salmeterol) (500 mcg/50 mcg bd) or ICS alone (500 mcg bd). If
      asthma was controlled at clinic visits every 6 weeks, ICS dose was tapered until
      asthma exacerbated (hospitalisation, ICS above study medication, peak flow
      variation, decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 s and/or use of rescue
      medication), or placebo was maintained for 6 weeks. Efficacy of the treatments
      was compared. Serum cytokines and chemokines were compared among the groups
      reporting severe, mild or no symptoms. RESULTS: There was no difference between
      the treatment arms in the clinical analysis. Nine patients could be maintained on
      placebo for 6 weeks, 36 developed mild symptoms and 16 developed severe symptoms.
      Patients on placebo for 6 weeks had significantly lower serum eotaxin at baseline
      than patients with symptoms. Patients with mild symptoms had intermediate serum
      eotaxin concentrations. CONCLUSION: Patients with asthma controlled on ICS
      respond heterogeneously to ICS tapering. Serum eotaxin/CCL11 may be useful in
      predicting the severity of symptoms patients develop during steroid tapering and
      should be evaluated in guiding asthma treatment.

PMID- 20298324
TI  - The effectiveness of smoking cessation groups offered to hospitalised patients
      with symptoms of exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major contributor
      to morbidity and mortality. Smoking is the leading cause of COPD. Results from
      randomised trials regarding smoking cessation in hospitalised patients with COPD
      are few. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of smoking cessation groups (SCG) in
      patients with COPD admitted to hospital. METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-three
      patients admitted to hospital were assigned to either a control group (n = 102)
      or an intervention group (n = 121) by matter of vacancy. The smokers in the
      intervention group were offered participation in an SCG. Smoking status and
      change in self-reported symptoms were assessed after 1 year. Smoking status was
      self-reported and verified with carbohemoglobin measurement. Survival and
      hospital admissions were assessed after 5 years through national registers.
      RESULTS: Forty-eight patients participated in an SCG. After 1 year, 36 (30%)
      patients in the intervention group were abstinent compared with 13 (13%) patients
      in the control group [odds ratio (95% confidence interval): 2.83 (1.40-5.74)].
      There was a significant difference between the intervention group and the control
      group regarding change in self-reported phlegm. There was a non-significant
      tendency towards better survival in the intervention group (50.4%) compared with
      the control group (43.1%). After 3 years, the intervention group had a
      significantly fewer total number of days admitted to hospital and number of days
      hospitalised with COPD. CONCLUSION: This study shows that an intervention
      consisting of offering participation in an SCG to chronic patients makes it
      possible to obtain higher abstinence rates. Furthermore, this intervention showed
      impact on phlegm, survival and hospital readmissions.

PMID- 20298325
TI  - Increased exhaled nitrite in children with allergic asthma is not related to
      nitric oxide formation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Nitrite sampled from the upper airways could originate from
      inflammation-induced nitric oxide (NO), as reports of elevated nitrite in exhaled
      breath condensate (EBC) from asthmatics suggest, but also through bacterial
      action in the pharyngo-oral tract. OBJECTIVES: To correlate EBC nitrite and
      nitrate to exhaled NO (FENO, fraction of expired NO) and other markers of disease
      activity in children with allergic asthma and thereby further investigate their
      role and origin. MATERIALS AND METHODS: EBC was collected from 27 asthmatic
      subjects (ages 6-17 years, all immunoglobulin E-positive for aeroallergens) and
      21 age-matched non-atopic healthy controls for fluorometric analysis of nitrite
      and nitrate. These markers were compared with measurements of FENO, blood
      eosinophil count (EOS), methacholine reactivity (PD(20)) and baseline spirometry.
      RESULTS: EBC nitrite, in contrast to nitrate, was significantly increased (P <
      0.01) in the asthmatic children. They also had increased levels of FENO (P <
      0.001) and EOS (P < 0.001) along with decreased PD(20) (P < 0.001) and FEV1/FVC
      (P < 0.01). However, there was no correlation between EBC nitrite and FENO (r =
      0.05) or any other marker of disease activity in the asthmatic children, whereas
      between the other markers correlations could be established. CONCLUSION: EBC
      nitrite is elevated in childhood asthma but the lack of correlation to FENO and
      other markers, together with simultaneously normal levels of nitrate, make its
      origin as a metabolite of inflammation-induced NO questionable.

PMID- 20298326
TI  - Long-term effects of a preoperative smoking cessation programme.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preoperative smoking intervention programmes reduce post-operative
      complications in smokers. Little is known about the long-term effect upon smoking
      cessation. AIM: To discover long-term quit rates and the reasons behind
      successful cessation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 101 one of 120 smokers, randomised
      to smoking intervention or no intervention before hip and knee surgery, completed
      questionnaires concerning smoking after 1 year. We selected representative men
      and women for focus group interviews. RESULTS: Significantly more patients from
      the intervention group abstained from smoking for 1 year post-operatively [13 in
      60 patients (22%) vs 2 in 60 (3%), P < 0.01]. Sex (male), low nicotine
      dependency, non-smoking spouse and preoperative smoking intervention were related
      to smoking cessation. All patients gave the same reasons for smoking cessation:
      improved health and saving money. Follow-up for 5 years showed 17% of the
      controls and 8% in the intervention group (P = 0.42) had died. CONCLUSION: The
      intervention group had a significantly higher quit rate 1 year after a
      preoperative smoking cessation programme.

PMID- 20298328
TI  - An (un)usual cause of haemoptysis.

PMID- 20298327
TI  - An unusual cause of diffuse pulmonary haemorrhage.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Diffuse pulmonary haemorrhage is a potentially life-threatening
      complication of a variety of conditions. Tumours, including angiosarcoma lung
      metastases, are an unusual cause of pulmonary haemorrhage. METHODS: Report of a
      case. RESULTS: This case describes a 38-year-old previously healthy male who
      presented with chest wall bruising followed by haemoptysis and a cerebellar
      haemorrhage. The patient developed diffuse pulmonary haemorrhage. A biopsy of the
      chest wall lesion indicated a haematoma and an open-lung biopsy suggested the
      diagnosis of vasculitis. The patient died within 3 months after initial
      presentation and an autopsy revealed a chest wall angiosarcoma with pulmonary and
      cerebellar metastases. CONCLUSION: Pulmonary angiosarcoma metastases should be
      included in the differential diagnosis of diffuse pulmonary haemorrhage,
      especially in a young, previously healthy patient with normal renal function,
      particularly as the pathological diagnosis may be difficult and even misleading.

PMID- 20298329
TI  - Congress report from the 43rd Nordic Lung Congress, Uppsala, Sweden.

PMID- 20298330
TI  - Different features of pulmonary hypertension in Rendu-Osler Syndrome.

PMID- 20298332
TI  - Don't sleep on it.

PMID- 20298333
TI  - Sleep apnoea--where are the physicians in respiratory medicine?

PMID- 20298334
TI  - Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome: current status.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) is a prevalent condition
      that covaries with cardiovascular complications and most likely with arterial
      hypertension and diabetes mellitus. OBJECTIVE: The present paper is a review of
      the current status of OSAS. RESULTS: Definitions and diagnostic criteria as well
      as known risk factors, prevalence, symptoms, covariance with other diseases and
      consequences as traffic accidents are described. OSAS is characterised by daytime
      sleepiness symptoms that range from mild to severe. Risk factors such as
      anatomical upper airway abnormalities, overweight, smoking, excessive alcohol
      intake and use of muscle relaxants are related to the development of sleep
      apnoea. Various diagnostic procedures and treatment modalities are considered.
      Overnight polysomnography is the reference standard for sleep apnoea recording.
      Treatment modalities include mechanical [continuous positive airway pressure
      (CPAP), oral appliances], surgical, pharmacological and 'conservative' lifestyle
      modifications. Finally, Nordic accreditation guidelines for sleep medicine
      clinics and sleep medicine specialists are described. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis
      of OSAS should be performed with a polygraph, and the first-line treatment of
      moderate to severe OSAS is CPAP. Lastly, compliance for this treatment should be
      optimised with regular clinical controls.

PMID- 20298335
TI  - Determination of rickettsial and antinuclear antibodies in Danish patients with
      sarcoidosis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Rickettsia helvetica has been proposed as an aetiological agent in
      sarcoidosis. OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of plasma anti-Rickettsia
      antibodies in a Danish population of patients with sarcoidosis and control
      subjects. In addition, we evaluated the presence of plasma antinuclear antibodies
      (ANAs). METHODS: Plasma samples from 49 consecutive patients (27 male, 22 female,
      median age 38 years, interquartile range 32-51 years) were compared with plasma
      from 51 age- and sex-matched controls (28 male, 23 female, median age 40 years,
      interquartile range 33-49 years), using a commercially available
      immunofluorescence assay testing for antibodies towards spotted fever group and
      typhus group Rickettsia as well as an assay for ANA. We obtained information
      regarding tick exposure and sarcoid disease manifestations from the medical
      records. RESULTS: The prevalence of antibodies to Rickettsia in patients with
      sarcoidosis 1/49 (2%) was not significantly different from the prevalence in the
      controls 4/51 (8%). The prevalence of ANA was 2/49 (4%) in the patients and 3/51
      (6%) in the controls. CONCLUSIONS: The results do not support the hypothesis that
      Rickettsia or ANAs should be involved in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis. Seventy
      one per cent of the patients were under treatment with prednisolone in the 3
      months leading up to the blood sample. We assume that antibody-related
      serological methods for various reasons could be inadequate to diagnose a chronic
      rickettsial infection.

PMID- 20298336
TI  - Predicting inadequate spirometry technique and the use of FEV1/FEV3 as an
      alternative to FEV1/FVC for patients with mild cognitive impairment.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Some patients cannot perform forced vital capacity
      (FVC). We conducted a study to answer three questions: Can the ability to perform
      components of spirometry be predicted by the Mini Mental State Examination
      (MMSE)? What proportion of subjects can perform forced expiratory volume in 3 s
      (FEV3) but not FVC? Does the forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)/FEV3 ratio
      concord with FEV1/FVC ratio in patients with airflow obstruction? METHODS: We
      conducted a prospective observational study of 267 patients with a mean age of 79
      years, including subjects with indicators of frailty. They performed spirometry
      and the MMSE. Spirometric recordings were compared to the American Thoracic
      Society 1994 criteria. RESULTS: FVC was achieved by 51% of patients. Inability to
      perform FVC was predicted by an MMSE < 24 (specificity 94%, sensitivity of 51%).
      An FEV1/FEV3 ratio < 80% matched a FEV1/FVC ratio < 70% (sensitivity 96%,
      specificity 97%). Twenty-five percent of subjects were able to reach FEV3 but not
      FVC; 14% of that group had an MMSE < 24. Subjects with an MMSE < 20 were unable
      reliably to perform any spirometry. CONCLUSION: Patients with an MMSE < 24 are
      usually unable to reach FVC reliably when tested on a single occasion, but some
      can reach FEV3. Patients with MMSE < 20 cannot do spirometry. An FEV1/FEV3 ratio
      < 80% can be used to help identify patients with airflow obstruction if they are
      unable to perform full spirometry to FVC.

PMID- 20298337
TI  - COPD 'diagnosis' based on spirometric reference equations.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is suspected if the
      ratio between forced expired volume in 1 s (FEV(1)) and forced vital capacity is
      below 0.7 after bronchodilatation, according to the Global Initiative for Chronic
      Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD). As this ratio varies with age and gender, the
      lower limit of normality (LLN) of appropriate reference equations appears more
      adequate. OBJECTIVES: To study the prevalences of suspected COPD according to the
      GOLD criterion and various reference equations in a well-defined population
      sample. METHODS: Spirometries obtained in a random population sample of 598 men,
      50 or 60 years of age, were analysed. The prevalences of suspected COPD were
      calculated according to the GOLD criterion and the LLNs of four Nordic and two
      European reference equations. RESULTS: The GOLD criterion resulted in prevalences
      of COPD of 9.3% and 23.7% in the 50- and 60-year-old never-smokers, respectively.
      Depending on the reference equation, the calculated prevalences of COPD varied
      between 9.3% and 23.4% and 12.0% and 39.1% among all of the 50- and 60-year-old
      men, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The GOLD criterion is inadequate because of
      substantial overestimation in 60-year-old never-smokers. LLNs of the various
      reference equations are unreliable because of obvious lack of consistency.
      Spirometric criteria for airway obstruction, and suspicion of COPD, therefore
      need to be revised.

PMID- 20298338
TI  - Clinical and functional outcomes in Middle Eastern patients with idiopathic
      pulmonary fibrosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Baseline clinical and physiological variables have been described as
      relevant predictors of survival among patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
      (IPF). However, substantial heterogeneity in both survival time and mortality has
      been observed with many of these predictive factors. The incidence and mortality
      rates of IPF vary from country to country, with race potentially contributing to
      such variations. OBJECTIVE: We sought to describe baseline clinical features to
      determine their predictive value among Middle Eastern patients diagnosed with
      IPF. METHODS: We retrospectively examined 61 patients diagnosed with IPF at a
      university hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. RESULTS: At presentation, most
      patients exhibited either dyspnea or cough. The median survival time for all
      patients was 92 months. Diminished survival was significantly associated with
      finger clubbing (P = 0.01). Factors not influencing survival were age, gender,
      percent predicted forced vital capacity, percent predicted forced expiratory
      volume in 1 s, percent predicted total lung capacity, percent predicted diffusion
      capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide and resting oxygen saturation.
      CONCLUSIONS: Finger clubbing is a significant predictive variable and was
      associated with a 5-fold increase in mortality. Other baseline demographic
      characteristics as well as pulmonary function tests were not predictive of
      prognosis in Middle Eastern patients with IPF. It appears that IPF patients of
      Middle Eastern descent have a longer median survival curve compared to other
      races.

PMID- 20298339
TI  - Immunophenotyping and remodeling process in small airways of idiopathic
      interstitial pneumonias: functional and prognostic significance.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To test whether different degrees of immunologic and
      fibrotic airway remodeling processes occur in idiopathic interstitial pneumonias
      (IIPs), with impact on functional tests and survival, we studied the
      collagen/elastic system and immune cell density in the bronchiolar interstitium
      of lungs with the major types of IIPs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Histochemistry,
      immunohistochemistry and morphometric analysis were used to evaluate
      collagen/elastic fibers and immune cells in the bronchiolar interstitium of open
      lung biopsies of patients with cryptogenic organizing pneumonia [COP/organizing
      pneumonia (OP) = 10], acute interstitial pneumonia [AIP/diffuse alveolar damage
      (DAD) = 20], nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP/NSIP = 20) and idiopathic
      pulmonary fibrosis/usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) = 20. RESULTS: OP lungs
      presented a significant increase in collagenous/elastic fibers and in the total
      density of immune cells in the bronchiolar interstitium compared to controls,
      DAD, NSIP and UIP. We observed a significant increase in CD4, CD8 and CD20
      lymphocytes, as well as in neutrophils, macrophages and plasma cells in OP. The
      increased amount of elastic fibers in the bronchiolar interstitium from OP lungs
      has a direct association with forced vital capacity (FVC) (r(s) = 0.99, P =
      0.03). The most important survival predictor was CD20+ lymphocytes in the
      bronchiolar interstitium. In decreasing order, patients with UIP [Odds Ratio (OR)
      = 35.01], high forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1))/FVC FVC (OR = 7.01),
      increased CD20+ lymphocytes (OR = 4.44) and collagenous/elastic fiber densities
      (OR = 2.03 and OR = 1.49, respectively) in the bronchiolar interstitium were
      those who had the greatest risk of death, followed by those with AIP, NSIP and
      COP. CONCLUSION: Different degrees of immunologic and fibroelastotic airway
      remodeling processes occur in the major types of IIPs with impact on
      physiological tests and survival.

PMID- 20298340
TI  - A case of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: unusual comorbidity.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Launois-Bensaude syndrome (LBS) is a rare disease, characterized by
      the accumulation of fatty tissue predominantly in the neck, shoulders and thorax,
      whose diagnostic is clinical. OBJECTIVES: We describe a new case in a 73 year-old
      man. As the patient was obese, complained of snoring and was treated for
      hypertension, we looked for a morbid association with an obstructive sleep apnea
      syndrome (OSAS). METHODS: A polysomnography (PSG) and a cervical magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) were performed. RESULTS: PSG demonstrated OSAS with an
      apnea-hypopnea index of 43/h. Cervical MRI showed fatty infiltration resulting in
      airway narrowing at the pharyngeal but not at the tracheal level. Only, 3 cases
      of such a morbid association have already been published; in 2 of these patients
      was a tracheal compression. More over a metabolic syndrome was present.
      CONCLUSIONS: This observation draws attention to the need for seeking OSAS among
      patients affected by LBS, even in a moderate form, and emphasises the roles of
      the upper airway narrowing by the fat infiltration as well as the role of the
      metabolic syndrome in the genesis of OSAS.

PMID- 20298341
TI  - Decreased oxygen saturation as a result of haemoglobin Titusville.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Our patient was admitted to the hospital due to shortness of
      breath. Although partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood was normal, oxygen
      saturation measured with pulse oximetry (SpO(2)) was markedly decreased. SpO(2)
      and oxygen saturation of arterial blood (SaO(2)) stayed low during monitoring
      even with an increased fraction of oxygen in inspired air. METHODS: Report of a
      case. RESULTS: After extensive investigations, a rare haemoglobin variant,
      haemoglobin Titusville, with decreased oxygen binding capacity was discovered.
      This is the first haemoglobin Titusville case reported in Scandinavian countries.

PMID- 20298342
TI  - Chronic necrotizing and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis in an asthmatic
      patient--a therapeutic challenge.

PMID- 20298343
TI  - Inhaled corticosteroids in children: use and effects of early treatment on asthma
      and lung function. Prevalence of asthma and the impact of severity in early life
      on later asthma in childhood.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The role of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) on disease progression in
      asthmatic children is not yet clear. AIMS: This study was conducted (i) to
      determine how often ICS were used for treatment of obstructive airways disease
      (OAD) in early childhood; (ii) to assess if ICS treatment had an effect on lung
      function in young children with recurrent bronchial obstruction (rBO); (iii) to
      explore if early ICS treatment in children with OAD during the first 2 years of
      life can modify occurrence of current asthma in school children; (iv) to define a
      severity score for severity of OAD during the first 2 years of life and assess if
      the severity score can be used to predict asthma in school children; and (v) to
      investigate the prevalence of asthma in children in an urban population. SUBJECTS
      AND METHODS: The present study is part of a 10-year follow-up of children in the
      prospective birth cohort (n = 3754), the Environment and Childhood Asthma study
      in Oslo. For aim 1, all children from the entire cohort who had completed follow
      up questionnaires as well as all children defined with rBO were assessed. For aim
      2, 54 children with rBO (with and without ICS treatment) and 15 controls with
      tidal flow volume measurements upon presentation of the disease and 2 years of
      age were studied. For aims 3 and 4, 459 subjects (with and without rBO at 2 years
      of age) from the case control study who attended 10-year follow-up were studied.
      For aim 5, the 616 of 803 subjects who had lung function measurements performed
      after birth were reinvestigated at the age of 10 years. RESULTS: A total of 2.1%
      of all the children in the cohort and 21% of children with rBO had received ICS
      treatment by 2 years of age. The mean difference of change in baseline tidal
      breathing (the ratio of time to peak expiratory flow to total expiratory time)
      was significantly higher in the ICS-treated group only by 2 years of age and
      correlated significantly with duration of ICS treatment. However, in rBO
      children, the use of ICS treatment before 2 years of age was not associated with
      reduced risk of current asthma at 10 years of age. The risk (odds ratio, 95%
      confidence interval) of current asthma among rBO subjects with a severity score
      above five was 20.2, 9.9-41.3 compared to controls. In 10-year-old children, the
      lifetime prevalence of asthma was 20.2%. CONCLUSIONS: One-fifth of young children
      with recurrent bronchial obstruction had received inhaled corticosteroids by age
      2 years. Lung function appeared to improve in children using ICS from the start
      of symptoms of OAD until 2 years of age, mostly in children with the longest
      duration of treatment. However, use of ICS during the first 2 years of life in
      children with OAD did not reduce asthma present 8 years later. A scoring system
      based on severity and frequency of OAD during the first 2 years of life predicted
      current asthma at 10 years of age. One in five 10-year-old children in the city
      of Oslo at some time had asthma.

PMID- 20298344
TI  - Introduction (why epidemiologic research?).

PMID- 20298345
TI  - General population-based cohorts for studies of lung health in adults in Sweden.
AB  - Epidemiological population-based studies about lung health in Sweden have mostly
      been focused on obstructive airway diseases. From the 1960s to the 1980s, the
      epidemiological studies were cross-sectional, aiming at the study of the
      prevalence of asthma, chronic bronchitis and respiratory symptoms and their
      associations with mainly demographic data. With the exception of highly
      stratified samples, for instance the men born on 1913 in Gothenburg and cohorts
      of occupational groups or work places, general population-based cohorts for
      studies of lung health in adults are still not very common. Two large-scale
      studies of lung health have been in progress in Sweden for more than 20 years;
      the Obstructive Lung Disease in Northern Sweden (OLIN) Studies, which started in
      1985, and the Swedish part of European Community Respiratory Health Survey
      (ECRHS) since 1989 with the follow-up survey labelled Respiratory Health in
      Northern Europe (RHINE). During the 1990s the comparative studies between
      Finland, Estonia and Sweden (The FinEsS Studies) started. These and other studies
      will be reviewed in the following exemplifying change of aims and study designs
      over time as well as change of focus of risk factors under study.

PMID- 20298346
TI  - Norwegian population surveys on respiratory health in adults: objectives, design,
      methods, quality controls and response rates.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Quantifying the prevalence of asthma, chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease (COPD) and restrictive pulmonary diseases in Norway is needed
      to document the burden of chronic respiratory inflammatory diseases on
      disability, health care costs and impaired quality of life. To introduce
      effective interventions for prevention, cure and care, there is a prerequisite to
      know the environmental causes. Furthermore, using relevant and precise phenotypes
      from community-based studies are important for detecting molecular-genetic causes
      for diseases. METHODS: The Norwegian Population Survey Initiative on Respiratory
      Health in Adults has, for four decades, applied international standardised
      methods for the recording of respiratory symptoms, health status, exposure to
      risk factors, socio-economic factors and the use of health services. Measurements
      of spirometry, metacholine bronchial responsiveness, transfer factor for carbon
      monoxide, atopy as well as chest X-ray examinations have been used advocating the
      internationally accepted methods. All surveys had similar quality controls,
      supervision and training of the field-worker team. RESULTS: From 1965 to 1999,
      random population samples, altogether including 178 690 individuals, have been
      invited by random sampling to seven surveys on respiratory health in the counties
      of Oslo (39 998 people) and Hordaland (138 692 people). The surveys were
      initiated in 1964, 1972, 1985, 1988, 1991 and two in 1998. The age span of those
      invited persons varied from 15 to 74 years at baseline. It included 43 330 women
      and 135 537 men. Altogether 130 075 (73%) persons participated by returning an
      answered questionnaire. Spirometry results are available from 41 335 persons at
      baseline. A biobank for DNA and blood markers has been established. Data from
      longitudinally clinical-epidemiological studies were available by 2007, for three
      surveys after 20 years, 10 years and 6-7 years, and also for parts of three other
      surveys, while one survey has been examined for cause-specific mortality after 30
      years. The response rates of the baseline studies varied from 90% to 68% of those
      invited and, in general, it has declined over 35 years. The response rate of the
      longitudinal studies with follow-ups also declined with time after the baseline
      study. CONCLUSIONS: Great challenges for future population-based studies are (i)
      to keep the participation rates high in community studies; (ii) to standardise
      the basic clinical-epidemiological methods over decades of follow-up and to
      systematically transfer these methods into new populations with different
      languages and cultures and (iii) to focus on important research questions on
      respiratory health for the community.

PMID- 20298347
TI  - The Obstructive Lung Disease in Northern Sweden (OLIN) longitudinal paediatric
      study I--the first 10 years.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prospective studies of asthma and allergic conditions based on the
      general population are scarce. AIM: To summarize the methods and main results
      from a prospective study among school children. METHODS: In 1996, a cohort of
      3525 children aged 7/8 years in Northern Sweden were invited to a questionnaire
      survey using an expanded ISAAC protocol, and 97% participated. The cohort has
      been followed up yearly with high participation rate. Skin prick tests were
      conducted 1996, 2000 and 2006/2007. Allergens in dust from homes and schools have
      been analyzed. Sub samples have participated in interviews, lung function tests,
      bronchial hyper reactivity test, and analyses of IgE and IgG antibodies in serum.
      RESULTS: The prevalence of asthma was 6% at age 7-8 years and increased by age.
      The incidence of physician-diagnosed asthma after the age of 7-8 years was around
      1/100/year. The prevalence of positive skin prick test increased from 21% at age
      7-8 to 30% at age 11-12 years. Remission of allergic sensitization was rare,
      while asthma remission was 5% yearly. The main risk factor for asthma and
      allergic sensitization increased in importance with increasing age. Allergic and
      non-allergic asthma had different risk factor pattern. Environmental risk factors
      decreased in impact after the age of 7. Avoidance of pets at home did not protect
      from asthma or allergic sensitization. CONCLUSION: The study includes important
      sources of data for further longitudinal analyses that will contribute to the
      understanding of the development and the nature of asthma and allergic
      sensitization.

PMID- 20298348
TI  - What has the ECRHS told us about the childhood risks of asthma, allergy and lung
      function?
AB  - Few studies investigate how environmental factors in childhood may influence
      adult respiratory health. The European Community Respiratory Health Survey
      (ECRHS) is a longitudinal multi-centre study of Western world adults, including
      retrospective assessment of early life factors. Analyses of the ECRHS showed both
      beneficial and harmful long-term effects of childhood factors on adult asthma,
      allergy and lung function. Childhood pets were associated with less adult atopy
      and hay fever; beneficial effects were also indicated for growing up on a farm
      and for early exposure to other children. The findings have contributed to
      further development of the hygiene hypothesis and further understanding of the
      mechanisms relating microbial stimulation to allergy; however, the public health
      consequences may be limited. Harmful effects of early life factors on adult
      asthma and lung function were indicated for severe respiratory infections early
      in life, parental smoking and long-term dog keeping. Intervention with regard to
      parental smoking and vaccination against common lower airways infections may
      improve respiratory health in the population. Thus, early life environment had
      permanent beneficial and adverse effects on adult respiratory health. The multi
      centre structure of the ECRHS, the large sample size, the extensive information
      about each participant and follow-up until the age of 56 years, have given the
      basis for convincing conclusions, and made possible publication of unsuspected
      findings in spite of the problems related to adult recall of childhood events.
      The ECRHS have contributed substantially to increased knowledge about the early
      life origins of allergy and obstructive pulmonary disease, providing a basis for
      prevention.

PMID- 20298349
TI  - What can we learn about asthma and allergy from the follow-up of the RHINE and
      the ECRHS studies?
AB  - OBJECT: The international population-based studies RHINE and ECRHS have provided
      new insight in the epidemiology and management of asthma, allergy and rhinitis in
      young adults. The aim of the present review is to focus on longitudinal results
      with regard incidence and net change of asthma and asthma-like symptoms, risk
      factors and management of asthma, with special reference to the Nordic-Baltic
      countries. RESULTS: Asthma and rhinitis are common conditions that are important
      in a public health perspective. There are gender differences in incidence and
      remission. A socio-economic gradient that non-atopic asthma is more strongly
      related to poverty seems to have developed in the last decade. These findings
      will challenge our welfare states in the future. In addition, occupational, as
      well as indoor and outdoor environmental exposures, influenced the onset of
      asthma. The population-attributable risk for adult asthma because of occupational
      exposures is equivalent to an incidence of new-onset asthma of 250-300 cases per
      million per year. Genetic factors, allergic sensitisation, gastro-oesophageal
      reflux, habitual snoring, diet and other factors may also contribute to the onset
      of asthma and rhinitis. Even though management of asthma has improved, there are
      still great variations throughout Europe. These findings highlight the key role
      doctors and nurses play in educating and reviewing management of patients.

PMID- 20298350
TI  - Association between respiratory symptom score and 30-year cause-specific
      mortality and lung cancer incidence.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Respiratory symptoms are among the main reasons why patients make
      contact with healthcare professionals and they are associated with several
      diseases. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship
      between respiratory symptoms reported at one time and 30 years cause-specific
      mortality and incidence of lung cancer in an urban Norwegian population.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 19 998 men and women, aged 15-70 years, were in
      1972 selected from the general population of Oslo. They received a postal
      respiratory questionnaire (response rate 89%). All were followed for 30 years for
      end-point mortality and for lung cancer. The association between respiratory
      symptoms, given as a symptom load, and end point of interest were investigated
      separately for men and women by multivariable analyses, with adjustment for age,
      occupational exposure to air pollution and smoking habits. RESULTS: A total of
      6710 individuals died during follow-up. Obstructive lung diseases (OLDs) and
      pneumonia accounted for 250 and 293 of the total deaths, respectively. Ischaemic
      heart disease (IHD) accounted for 1572; stroke accounted for 653 of all deaths.
      Lung cancer developed in 352 persons during follow-up. The adjusted hazard ratio
      for mortality from OLD and pneumonia, IHD and stroke increased in a dose-response
      manner with symptom score, more strongly for OLD and IHD than for pneumonia and
      stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Respiratory symptoms were positively associated with
      mortality from OLD, pneumonia, IHD and stroke, and incidence of lung cancer. This
      association was significant for mortality from OLD and IHD.

PMID- 20298351
TI  - COPD and co-morbidities, with special emphasis on cardiovascular conditions.
AB  - The concept of COPD as a systemic disease has been widely accepted in the past
      several years. In parallel, it has been emphasised that COPD morbidity and
      mortality is strongly related to co-morbid conditions. This review summarises
      some recent studies showing that in patients with COPD, the prevalence of cardiac
      failure is manifested in 10%-46% of the patients, and that up to 40% of patients
      with cardiac failure show evidence of COPD, about half of them not earlier
      diagnosed. Recent data also show an increased risk for arteriosclerotic
      manifestations in COPD patients, and cardiac complications are common causes of
      death in COPD patients. Other manifestations of the metabolic syndrome, as
      diabetes, are also over-represented in patients. It is also a well-established
      fact that a low FEV(1) is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and events.
      Mechanistically, a systemic inflammation in COPD could be a link to
      cardiovascular events. COPD raises inflammatory parameters and local anti
      inflammatory treatment seems to have a potential to decrease the systemic
      inflammation and also to decrease cardiovascular events.

PMID- 20298352
TI  - The Obstructive Lung Disease in Northern Sweden Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary
      Disease Study: design, the first year participation and mortality.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Most epidemiological data on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
      (COPD) are cross-sectional, and the longitudinal course of disease on population
      bases is incompletely described. AIM: To describe an epidemiological study
      designed to follow the longitudinal course of disease in chronic obstructive lung
      disease, COPD, including co-morbidity and mortality and further, to evaluate the
      impact of COPD on quality of life and health economics. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      From the Obstructive Lung Disease in Northern Sweden studies database cohorts I
      IV, all subjects with COPD according to the Global Initiative for Chronic
      Obstructive Lung Disease spirometric criteria, FEV(1)/FVC < 0.70 (n = 993), were
      identified together with a similar size age- and gender-matched control group.
      The study population was invited to a yearly examination starting in year 2005.
      The examinations included structured interview, spirometry with reversibility
      testing, oxygen saturation and health-related quality of life questionnaires.
      RESULTS: On the first year, 83% of the population was examined, and the subjects
      unable to attend the examination were interviewed by telephone. Altogether, 91%
      of the original study population participated (95% of all subjects were alive at
      the end of the first year). Mortality was significantly higher among subjects
      with COPD, 5.1%, compared with controls, 3.0% (P = 0.018). CONCLUSION: The study
      design including cases of COPD representative of COPD by disease severity in the
      general population and a similar sized control group, together with a high
      participation rate in the first study year, creates excellent conditions for
      evaluating the impact of COPD on population bases, and to follow the longitudinal
      course of disease in COPD.

PMID- 20298353
TI  - Designing studies for diagnostic tests.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Requirements for diagnostic tests include high validity and
      good repeatability. METHODS AND RESULTS: The validity of a test refers to what
      extent the test measures what it is supposed to measure and is often expressed in
      terms of sensitivity and specificity. A graph may be constructed to incorporate
      both the sensitivity and specificity of a given test, the receiver operator
      characteristic (ROC) curve. The ROC curve actually compares the true positive
      fraction (sensitivity) vs the false positive fraction for a series of cut-off
      points for a given test. Use of the curve requires that the diagnostic test and
      the gold standard must be independent of each other. Repeatability is the ability
      of a test to give the same results in repeated measurements. CONCLUSION: When
      designing a study to examine a diagnostic test, the following principles should
      be followed. First, the order of performance of the diagnostic test and the gold
      standard in repeated measurements should be randomised. Second, in repeated
      measurements, the test situations should be equal. Third, the technicians
      performing the tests should be blinded to the data obtained in the other test or
      to the result of the gold standard. A pilot study is recommended before
      conducting the study to examine the diagnostic test.

PMID- 20298354
TI  - Is CT a new research tool for COPD?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is composed of two
      diseases: chronic bronchitis and emphysema. METHODS AND RESULTS FOR EMPHYSEMA:
      The essence of emphysema is loss of alveolar walls. Computed tomography (CT),
      which is based on the attenuation of x-rays, provides precise anatomical
      information on the density of tissues. Therefore, CT, especially HRCT, is the in
      vivo method of choice for detection and quantification of emphysema. Reduction of
      radiation dose has little influence on lung density measurements. This opens up
      opportunities for CT as a screen for emphysema. Furthermore, repeat scans can be
      used to follow the progress of emphysema. The depth of inspiration is an
      important source of variation of lung density measurements, but inspiratory level
      has no influence on the total weight of the lung derived from CT scans, making it
      easy to adjust lung densities to a standardised volume such as predicted Total
      Lung Capacity (TLC) by the following formula: adjusted lung density = observed
      lung density x observed TLC/predicted TLC. METHODS AND RESULTS FOR CHRONIC
      BRONCHITIS: Chronic bronchitis represents the airway component of COPD. During
      recent years, improved resolution of HRCT with faster scans, smaller detectors
      and multi-detector-row technology has made it possible to visualise airways down
      to a range of 2 mm diameter (6th generation), which represents the upper-size
      limit of the pathophysiologically important 'small airways'. CONCLUSION: In the
      future, CT may replace pulmonary function measurements (FEV(1)) as the gold
      standard for assessing the response to treatment in clinical trials of COPD,
      provided that the lung community does the same painstaking work of standardising
      and validating CT that it did for spirometry.

PMID- 20298355
TI  - Inflammatory markers in COPD.
AB  - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is identified as an inflammatory
      disorder characterised by airway and lung inflammation and destruction with
      systemic involvement of multiple organ systems. The inflammatory reaction could
      be monitored not only in the airways by the use of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL),
      sputum, exhaled air, and exhaled breath condensate but also in blood and urine as
      well as in tissue obtained at surgery or autopsy. There is a large number of
      cytokines, chemoattractants and other mediators that are of importance for the
      interplay of inflammatory mechanisms in COPD. Neutrophilic granulocytes are key
      players in the inflammatory reaction and the most important chemoattractants for
      these cells seem to be IL-8 (CXCL8) and leukotriene B(4) (LTB(4)). Also, the
      macrophages and chemoattractants for mononuclear cells (CCL2, CCL3) are of
      importance as are T-lymphocytes, predominantly of the cytotoxic subtype (CD8+).
      Analyses in exhaled breath condensates and exhaled air have not been tremendously
      encouraging but there is a clear space for further development in this field
      within the near future. Blood markers, such as IL-6, CRP, and fibrinogen, have
      attracted interest during recent years, and further studies in this area will
      probably increase the understanding of systemic manifestations in COPD, in
      particular, regarding co-morbidity with cardiovascular disease.

PMID- 20298356
TI  - Phenotypes of obstructive lung disease.
AB  - Recently, there has been much emphasis on the fact that there are many different
      phenotypes in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of
      this review is to investigate some aspects of phenotyping in these two diseases.
      Epidemiological studies show a quite different risk factor pattern in allergic
      and non-allergic asthma. Several studies also indicated that there are
      pathophysiological differences between these two types of asthma: such as
      eosinophil inflammation in allergic and neutrophil predominance in non-allergic
      asthma. Neutrophil inflammation may also be a marker of severe asthma. At least
      one study indicates that non-allergic asthmatics are less responsive to inhaled
      corticosteroids than allergic asthmatics. Recently, it has been emphasized that
      COPD also has manifestations other than lung function decline and that this also
      needs to be taken into account in severity characterisation. Dyspnea, weight
      loss, psychological status and co-morbidity are factors that seem to be of large
      prognostic importance independently of the level of airflow obstruction in COPD.
      Progress has been made in understanding how asthma develops, but effective
      measures for primary prevention is still lacking. Better phenotyping in asthma
      will hopefully enable us to make progress in this area. Phenotyping is also
      important for assessment of prognosis in both asthma and COPD.

PMID- 20298357
TI  - Attributable fractions for partitioning risk and evaluating disease prevention: a
      practical guide.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The attributable fraction (AF) is used for quantifying the fraction
      of diseased ascribable to one or more exposures. The methodology and software for
      its estimation has undergone a considerable development during the last decades.
      OBJECTIVES: To introduce methods for: (i) apportioning excess risk to multiple
      exposures, groups of exposures and subpopulations; (ii) graphical description;
      and (iii) survival data. RESULTS: Adjusted, sequential and average AFs are
      reasonable measures obtainable with standard software. The latter two both sum up
      to the combined AF for a set of exposures. The average AFs are independent of the
      exposures' ordering. For an ordered, preventive strategy, scaled sample space
      cubes illustrate the effects on the risk of disease from stepwise exposure
      removal. Pie charts illustrate the portions of the total risk ascribed to
      different exposures or risk-profiles. Attributable hazard fraction, AF before
      time t, and AF within study incorporate time to disease and interventions.
      CONCLUSIONS: The practice of crude calculations of AFs in epidemiology should be
      abandoned. Further development of methods for AFs with survival data and possibly
      linking it to causal modelling is of interest.

PMID- 20298358
TI  - Economics of COPD: literature review and experiences from field work.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The burden of diseases should be described in terms of costs. The
      available literature gives imprecise estimates of costs of chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease (COPD) in the Nordic populations. Previous studies have
      methodological weaknesses related to choice of disease criteria, the use of
      highly selected populations and insufficient specification of the cost process.
      There are no robust estimates concerning the economics of COPD in Norway.
      METHODS: We have conducted a 1 year follow-up cost of illness study in a general
      population, recruiting ever-smoking Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive
      Lung Disease (GOLD) stage 2+ COPD patients and ever-smokers without COPD. We have
      used diaries to recollect data, and comprehensive questionnaires to cover all
      costs of COPD. RESULTS: The main challenges were the participants' unwillingness
      to complete diaries, the large amount of information and the logistics related to
      following up 476 individuals on four occasions during one year. CONCLUSIONS: We
      doubt the effect of diaries. However, we recommend a detailed planning of
      logistics and to emphasize main cost drivers.

PMID- 20298359
TI  - Hormonal factors and respiratory health in women--a review.
AB  - Sex hormones appear to play an important role in the lung health of women. This
      is, however, poorly understood and, in most aspects, poorly investigated; and the
      literature has been contradictory and confusing. This review presents recent
      research concerning the involvement of sex hormones in respiratory health of
      adult women, using the population surveys European Community Respiratory Health
      Survey and Respiratory Health in Northern Europe. Respiratory health varied
      substantially according to hormonal and metabolic conditions. First, menopause
      was associated with lower lung function and more respiratory symptoms, especially
      among lean women. Second, hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) was associated with
      increased risk for asthma and wheeze; also, this association was particularly
      strong among lean women. Third, women with irregular menstruations in fertile age
      had more asthma, particularly allergic asthma, and reduced lung function,
      independently of body mass index (BMI) and physical activity. The findings were
      consistent across cultural and geographical borders. Our studies revealed that
      considering interplay between hormonal and metabolic factors is a clue to
      understand the effects of female sex hormones on the airways. A BMI of around 24
      25 kg/m(2) appeared to be optimal; women with this BMI had no increase in
      respiratory health problems when reaching menopause or using HRT, and women in
      fertile age with this BMI had optimal lung function independently of menstrual
      status. In conclusion, female sex hormones appear to play a most important role
      for lung health in women. Further research on effects of sex hormones on the
      airways should take into account potential interplay with metabolic factors.

PMID- 20298360
TI  - Concomitant obstructive sleep apnea and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease:
      study design--the OLIN OSAS-COPD study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease (COPD) are both common disorders. Concomitant disease, overlap syndrome,
      is reported to cause a more severe condition. AIM: To describe a study designed
      to evaluate the prevalence of overlap syndrome in the general population, and
      further, to assess the impact of overlap syndrome on cardiovascular morbidity and
      health-related quality of life. A secondary aim is to evaluate screening oxygen
      saturation (Sa02) by pulse oxymetry. MATERIAL AND METHOD: From the last
      examination of the OLIN-studies (Obstructive Lung Disease in Northern Sweden),
      cohorts I-IV all subjects with FEV1 < or = 50 percent predicted or Sa02 < or = 93
      percent predicted were identified (Phase 1). They are invited to a program
      including lab tests, spirometry, arterial blood gases, chest x-ray,
      echocardiography, sleep studies and health-related quality of life (HRQL)
      questionnaires. In Phase 2, a random sample of subjects reporting snoring as a
      problem (n = 100) will be invited to a limited program above all including sleep
      studies and HRQL questionnaires; and in Phase 3, a random sample (n = 100) will
      be invited to a similar program. SUMMARY: The collection of data in Phase 1 is in
      progress and will be completed by the end of year 2007. Phase 2 will start year
      2008.

PMID- 20298361
TI  - Asthma in school age: prevalence and risk factors by time and by age.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Childhood is the most important age for asthma development. Recent
      reports indicate that the prevalence of asthma in children has plateaued after
      having increased for decades. AIMS: To study prevalence and risk factor patterns
      of asthma by age and by time. METHODS: In 1996, all children in grade 1-2 (age 7
      8) in three cities in Northern Sweden were invited to an expanded International
      Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire. A total of 3430
      children (97%) participated yearly until 2000 (age 11-12). A subset (n = 2454)
      was invited to skin-prick testing in 1996 and 2000 with 88% and 90%
      participation. In 2006, another cohort (n = 2704) was identified and studied by
      identical methods with 96% participation. A total of 1700 children (90% of
      invited) were skin-prick tested. RESULTS AND COMMENTS: From age 7-8 to 11-12, the
      prevalence of physician-diagnosed asthma increased, 5.7%-7.7% (P < 0.01) while
      current wheeze decreased, 11.7%-9.4% (P < 0.01), indicating a less diverse
      spectrum of symptoms with age. The yearly remission from asthma was 10% (lasting
      remission 5%), largely determined by allergic sensitisation. Allergic
      sensitisation (OR 5) and a family history of asthma (OR 3) were important risk
      factors for asthma at age 7-8 and 11-12. However, several other significant risk
      factors at age 7-8 (low birth weight, respiratory infections and house dampness)
      lost importance until age 11-12. Maternal and paternal asthma were equally
      important risk factors (OR 3-4) at age 7-8. Sibling asthma was only a marker of
      parental disease. FUTURE PERSPECTIVES: Through comparison with the 2006 cohort,
      trends in prevalence and in risk factors from 1996 to 2006 will be studied.

PMID- 20298362
TI  - FinEsS-Stockholm and the Stockholm adult asthma study.
AB  - Two major studies on asthma and respiratory symptoms are presently in progress in
      Stockholm. The FinEsS-studies has been ongoing since 1996, with a follow-up study
      preformed in 2006 and a new cohort selected in 2007. The FinEsS studies focus on
      prevalence and incidence of asthma and respiratory symptoms in a general
      population. Clinical follow-up surveys will also target COPD. Further aims
      include remission and relapse of disease and symptoms and their determinants. The
      Stockholm adult Asthma Study (SaAS) began in the spring of 2007 and data is being
      collected presently. The SaAS study focus on the medical care and medication
      given to asthmatics in Stockholm, and the study population consists of asthmatics
      found in the two Swedish cohort studies.

PMID- 20298363
TI  - Genetics of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a case-control study in
      Bergen, Norway.
AB  - AIMS: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex disease
      influenced by multiple genetic and environmental factors. This short
      communication gives a description of the preliminary genetic results from a case
      control study in Bergen, Norway. METHODS: A large case-control study in Bergen in
      2003-2005 with 6365 invited subjects generated 1954 cases or controls. The
      overall attendance of invited subjects was 60%, but causes of non-attendance
      varied considerably among different sources of recruitment. RESULTS: In this case
      control study, the candidate gene SERPINE2 on chromosome 2q has demonstrated
      significant association to COPD. However, only weak or lacking associations have
      so far been observed for the other candidate genes examined. CONCLUSION: These
      findings provide support for SERPINE2 as a COPD susceptibility gene in the
      Norwegian population.

PMID- 20298364
TI  - Asthma genes revisited.

PMID- 20298365
TI  - Overview on the current status of asthma genetics.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Asthma is a complex heterogeneous and mutifactorial disease
      occurring at the interface of multiple genes that interact with various
      environmental stimuli insulting the immune system at different levels and
      different times of disease susceptibility. OBJECTIVE: The present paper is a
      review of the current status of the genetics of asthma. RESULTS: Sequence
      variants in hundreds of genes have been associated with asthma using both family
      based and case control screening methods. CONCLUSION: As the number of genes
      known to be associated with asthma risk is rapidly growing, it is essential to
      begin integrating epidemiologic, genetic and genomic strategies to unravel the
      relationships between genotype and phenotype, and elucidate the pathogenesis of
      asthma with the goal to make clinical use of these discoveries.

PMID- 20298366
TI  - Tracheostomy tube manometry: evaluation of speaking valves, capping and need for
      downsizing.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Readiness to speak is a major problem for many tracheostomized
      patients. Evaluation for tracheostomy tube capping or speaking valve is often
      subjective. OBJECTIVES: We first wanted to assess whether there were differences
      among speaking valves. We developed a care pathway for tracheostomy tube
      evaluation and management including manometry, which we wanted to evaluate.
      METHODS: Three different speaking valves were assessed using manometry and
      measuring dyspnea in 21 patients. Subsequently, 100 consecutive patients referred
      for tracheostomy tube evaluation in a long-term acute-care rehabilitation
      hospital were studied using our care pathway with manometry before and after
      tracheostomy tube changes. RESULTS: Inspiratory pressures differed among the
      speaking valves. Borg scale was higher among patients with high expiratory
      pressures. Of the 100 patients, following our care pathway, speech (speaking
      valve or capping) was recommended for 78 patients with their initial tube, and
      for 93 patients within 2 days of their initial evaluation. Tracheostomy tube
      downsizing was recommended in 94 patients. Downsizing led to significant
      reductions in airway pressures. Capping was initially recommended for 12 patients
      and for 71 following downsizing. Women had higher pressures than men for the same
      size tubes. CONCLUSION: Tracheostomy tube manometry is very helpful in
      objectively guiding recommendations for speaking valve use, capping, and changing
      tracheostomy tubes. Speech is an early recommendation for most patients.

PMID- 20298367
TI  - The extent of emphysema in patients with COPD.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The global initiative for COPD (GOLD) adopted the degree of
      airway obstruction as a measure of the severity of the disease. The objective of
      this study was to apply CT to assess the extent of emphysema in patients with
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and relate this extent to the GOLD
      stage of airway obstruction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included 209 patients with
      COPD. COPD was defined as FEV(1)/FVC < 0.70 and no reversibility to beta(2)
      agonists. All patients were current smokers with a smoking history of >or=20 pack
      years. Patients were assessed by lung function measurement and visual and
      quantitative assessment of CT, from which the relative area of emphysema below 
      910 Hounsfield units (RA-910) was extracted. RESULTS: Mean RA-910 was 7.4% (n =
      5) in patients with GOLD stage I, 17.0% (n = 119) in stage II, 24.2% (n = 79) in
      stage III and 33.9% (n = 6) in stage IV. Regression analysis showed a change in
      RA-910 of 7.8% with increasing severity according to GOLD stage (P < 0.001).
      Combined visual and quantitative assessment of CT showed that 184 patients had
      radiological evidence of emphysema, whereas 25 patients had no emphysema.
      CONCLUSION: The extent of emphysema increases with increasing severity of COPD
      and most patients with COPD have emphysema. Tissue destruction by emphysema is
      therefore an important determinant of disease severity in COPD.

PMID- 20298368
TI  - Asthma management and asthma control in Sao Paulo, Brazil and Uppsala, Sweden: a
      questionnaire-based comparison.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The Global Initiative Against Asthma (GINA) was developed to
      meet the global challenge of asthma. GINA has been adopted in most countries and
      comparison of asthma management in different parts of the world may be of help
      when assessing the global dissemination of the guideline. The overall goals in
      GINA include that asthma patients should be free of symptoms, acute asthma
      attacks and activity limitations. The aim of the present study was to compare
      asthma management and asthma control in Sao Paulo, Brazil and Uppsala, Sweden.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Information was collected from asthmatics in Sao Paulo and
      Uppsala with a questionnaire. The questionnaire dealt with the following issues:
      symptoms, smoking, self-management, hospital visits, effect on school/work and
      medication. RESULTS: The Sao Paulo patients were more likely to have uncontrolled
      asthma (36% vs 13%, P < 0.001), having made emergency room visits (57% vs 29%, P
      < 0.001) and having lost days at school or work because of their asthma (46% vs
      28%, P = 0.03) than the asthmatics from Uppsala. There were no difference in the
      use of inhaled corticosteroids, but the Brazilian patients were more likely to be
      using theophylline (18% vs 1%, P = 0.001) and less likely to be using long-acting
      beta-2 agonists (18% vs 37%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: We conclude that the level
      of asthma control was lower among the patients from Sao Paulo than Uppsala. Few
      of the patients in either city reached the goals set up by GINA. Improved asthma
      management may therefore lead to health-economic benefits in both locations.

PMID- 20298369
TI  - Stable bronchiectasis is associated with low serum L-ficolin concentrations.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Bronchiectasis is a common chronic respiratory condition
      with recurrent cough and sputum production and recurrent chest infections. It is
      characterised by pathological dilatation of the bronchi thought to result from
      infection and inflammation. It was hypothesised that impaired innate immunity
      might influence susceptibility to this disease process. The aim of the present
      study was to look for an association between bronchiectasis and insufficiency of
      either mannan-binding lectin (MBL) or L-ficolin. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MBL and L
      ficolin were measured by Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) in sera from
      119 clinically stable bronchiectasis patients, and compared with 43 age-matched
      disease controls admitted to hospital with community-acquired pneumonia, as well
      as healthy blood donors (168 for L-ficolin and 564 for MBL). RESULTS: Average
      (mean and median) serum L-ficolin concentrations were lower in the bronchiectasis
      patients (P < 0.04), but average MBL values did not differ significantly between
      the three groups. Relative L-ficolin deficiency was more frequent in
      bronchiectasis patients compared with blood donors (P <or= 0.002), whereas MBL
      insufficiency was associated with pneumonia. CONCLUSION: A relative lack of serum
      L-ficolin might predispose to the development of bronchiectasis, although other
      explanations for the observed association are possible.

PMID- 20298370
TI  - Aspects of healthcare utilisation in self-reported obstructive lung disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Utilisation of healthcare resources because of pulmonary diseases
      have previously been presented according to lung function or symptom severity. We
      aimed to compare the associations of symptoms and lung function to healthcare and
      social service utilisation in subjects with self-reported obstructive lung
      diseases (OLDs) (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic
      bronchitis, emphysema). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Of 2819 participants aged 27-82
      years in the Hordaland County Respiratory Health Survey, 200 subjects (7.1%) self
      reported OLD. They answered 13 questions on respiratory symptoms and 5 questions
      on use of healthcare and social services. Altogether, 161 participants (81%)
      completed post-bronchodilation spirometry. RESULTS: Use of anti-asthmatic drugs,
      regular physician's appointment, sick leave payment for the last 12 months,
      hospital admission for the last 12 months and disability pension were reported by
      68%, 63%, 18%, 8% and 7% of those with self-reported OLD, respectively. Twenty
      per cent of subjects with self-reported OLD had not received any healthcare or
      social services. In adjusted multivariate logistic regression analyses, increase
      in the respiratory symptom score was significantly associated with more
      healthcare and social services. Lower forced expiratory volume in 1 s in %
      predicted, however, was not significantly associated with more use of healthcare
      and social services. CONCLUSION: The majority (80%) of subjects in a general
      population with self-reported OLD received healthcare services. The utilisation
      of healthcare and social services was strongly associated to the burden of
      respiratory symptoms, and, to a lesser degree, to the level and pattern of lung
      function.

PMID- 20298371
TI  - Cardiorespiratory fitness of asthmatic children and validation of predicted
      aerobic capacity.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Predicted aerobic capacity (PAC) was estimated by submaximal
      exercise test and compared with monitored aerobic capacity (MAC) measured by
      laboratory conditions [maximal oxygen uptake (VO(2peak))] in 18 children and
      adolescents, 10 asthmatics and 8 matched controls. OBJECTIVES: To compare aerobic
      capacity between asthmatic children and controls, to estimate the agreement
      between PAC and MAC and observe for trend of PAC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      design was prospective, 4 years (PAC) and cross-sectional (MAC and VO(2peak)).
      Non-parametric Wilcoxon rank sums were applied for statistical evaluation; the
      method of Bland and Altman estimated the agreement between PAC and MAC; P < 0.05.
      RESULTS: PAC at baseline and follow-up, and MAC at follow-up, showed significant
      differences between groups (P < 0.05), and the mean difference between PAC and
      MAC at follow-up was -1.0 mLO(2)/min/kg [non-significant (ns)], indicating that
      PAC had a bias towards underestimation as compared with MAC. Limits of agreement,
      mean difference [+/-2 standard deviations (SD)], ranged from -8.5 to 6.5
      mLO(2)/min/kg, indicating good agreement between the two measurements. No trend
      of PAC was observed (ns). Physical activity level and subjective health showed no
      differences between groups, or level and categories, respectively. CONCLUSION:
      The asthmatic participants presented with lower aerobic capacity than controls in
      both PAC and MAC; therefore, results confirmed the validity of the PAC method.
      Data warrant exploration by large-scale paediatric asthma epidemiology.

PMID- 20298372
TI  - A case of tracheobronchitis in ulcerative colitis: a review of literature.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Tracheobronchitis is a rare extraintestinal manifestation of
      ulcerative colitis (UC) and is often mis-diagnosed and treated as asthma.
      OBJECTIVE: We report a case of tracheobromchitis in a patient with long-standing
      UC, who had been treated for asthma for many years with a poor response to
      standard asthma management. Only very few cases are reported and in the majority
      of them tracheobronchitis developed after colectomy. METHODS: Subsequent
      investigations of unremitting respiratory symptoms in our patient revealed
      tracheobronchitis. His UC remained quiescent for more than 20 years on medical
      treatment having never required a bowel resection. RESULTS: On thoroughly
      investigating the aetiology for his pulmonary pathology, it was thought to be an
      extraintestinal manifestation of UC, which makes this case noteworthy.
      CONCLUSION: Pulmonary complications can develop many years after the diagnosis of
      inflammatory bowel disease, without any sign of disease activity. In such cases
      awareness and a high index of suspicion are important to ensure early diagnosis
      and treatment, and further investigations to detect large airway disease is
      warranted. The pulmonary manifestations tend to respond well to steroid therapy,
      which may prevent or ameliorate permanent lung damage.

PMID- 20298373
TI  - Occupational tuberculosis following extremely short exposure.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MT) in most cases
      requires extended exposure. OBJECTIVES: To document that MT transmission may
      occur even after very short exposure. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All first-time
      culture-confirmed tuberculosis (TB) cases in Denmark have since 1992 been
      subjected to genotyping, using the IS6110-Restriction Fragment Length
      Polymorphism (RFLP) technique. A young nurse with no risk factors developed
      pulmonary TB: the DNA pattern of her MT strain was compared to The Danish TB
      Subtyping Database, comprising >6000 DNA patterns from TB patients nationwide.
      RESULTS: Only one single MT DNA pattern matched the DNA profile of the isolate
      from the nurse. The pattern originated from a patient shortly admitted to the
      department where she worked at the time. MT transmission had occurred in spite of
      very short exposure. CONCLUSION: By adding modern molecular epidemiological
      methods to traditional epidemiological surveys, a more detailed picture of MT
      transmission pathways can be obtained, showing that MT transmission can occur
      even after extremely short exposure. This stresses the necessity for adequate
      respiratory protection among hospital staff taking care of patients with
      pulmonary symptoms suspected for TB.

PMID- 20298374
TI  - Medical Assessment Unit staff knowledge and performance of inhaler technique:
      establishing educational goals.

PMID- 20298375
TI  - Occult tracheal tumour detected by lung function tests.

PMID- 20298376
TI  - Airway hyperresponsiveness and airway inflammation in elite swimmers.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of respiratory symptoms and airway
      hyperresponsiveness (AHR) is high in elite athletes; swimmers have one of the
      highest prevalences. No consensus exists on what airway challenge to use when
      identifying AHR in elite athletes. Further, knowledge is sparse about when during
      their active sport career AHR develops and if there is an acute effect on the
      airway inflammation of a swimming training session. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to (i)
      evaluate the airway response to a methacholine challenge, a eucapnic voluntary
      hyperpnoea (EVH) test, a field-based exercise test (FBT) and a laboratory-based
      exercise test (LBT) in adult elite swimmers; (ii) investigate airway
      responsiveness and airway inflammation in adolescent elite swimmers; and (iii)
      evaluate the acute effect of a training session in an indoor swimming pool on
      airway inflammation in adolescent elite swimmers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two
      groups were studied. (i) In adult elite swimmers (n = 16), we examined airway
      response in four airway provocation tests: methacholine challenge, EVH test, FBT
      and LBT. (ii) In adolescent elite swimmers (n = 33), we examined airway
      responsiveness to EVH and methacholine, and airway inflammation and compared the
      findings with those in asthmatic adolescents (n = 32) and unselected adolescents
      (n = 35). Further, we examined the acute effect of swimming on airway
      inflammation in a subpopulation of the adolescent swimmers (n = 21). Airway
      inflammation was evaluated using sputum induction, measurements of exhaled nitric
      oxide (FeNO) and exhaled breath condensate (EBC). RESULTS: Of 16 adult swimmers,
      eight (50%) had AHR; five of the eight (63%) were identified with the EVH test,
      four (50%) with the FBT, four (50%) with the LBT and none with the methacholine
      challenge [provocative dose of methacholine causing a 20% fall in FEV1 (PD(20))
      <or= 2 micromol]. There were no differences in the prevalence of AHR to either
      EVH or methacholine (PD(20) <or= 8 micromol) among the adolescent swimmers, the
      asthmatic adolescents and the unselected adolescents. When looking at airway
      responsiveness as a continuous variable, the swimmers were more responsive to EVH
      than were the unselected subjects, and less responsive to methacholine than were
      the asthmatic adolescents. There were no differences in FeNO, EBC pH or in the
      cellular composition of the sputum among the three groups. Lung function, FeNO,
      EBC pH, EBC lactate and differential cell counts in sputum were not acutely
      affected by the swimming session. CONCLUSION: We found that the EVH test is the
      most sensitive test for identifying AHR in elite athletes when using the
      diagnostic criteria set forward by the International Olympic Committe. Whereas a
      high prevalence of AHR in adult swimmers was found, the prevalence of AHR in the
      adolescent swimmers did not differ from that in unselected adolescents nor did
      the adolescent swimmers have signs of airway inflammation. There was no acute
      effect of a swimming training session in an indoor chlorinated pool on lung
      function or airway composition in adolescent swimmers. We believe that elite
      swimming results in airway changes with AHR and airway inflammation.

PMID- 20298378
TI  - Management of asthmatic adolescents.

PMID- 20298379
TI  - Adolescence asthma and transition.

PMID- 20298380
TI  - Diagnosis and management of asthma in adolescents.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In this review we explore some of the issues surrounding the
      diagnosis and misdiagnosis of asthma in adolescents and suggest a management
      approach which might facilitate the provision of optimal treatment in order to
      minimise morbidity from asthma in this vulnerable and often difficult-to-manage
      age group. RESULTS: We highlight important diagnostic traps which occur in the
      adolescent age group, including the misdiagnosis of asthma in young people
      presenting with exercise-related symptoms or cough, and stress the importance of
      considering alternative diagnoses, including vocal cord dysfunction. We explore
      how adolescence impacts on asthma management and emphasise the importance of an
      understanding of normal adolescent development and an awareness of high-risk
      indicators in developing a strategy to optimally manage a young person with
      asthma. We also illustrate how psychosocial functioning may impact on both
      perceived asthma severity and quality of life as well as interfere with optimal
      asthma control both directly and by increasing non-adherence. A suggested
      management strategy for adolescents is provided which emphasises a supportive
      approach to help facilitate optimal control of asthma by involving the young
      person in management decisions about their asthma. Specific mention is made about
      smoking cessation assistance and the interrelationship between physical activity,
      obesity and asthma. Finally we discuss the importance of an appropriate
      transition process to prepare the young person for transfer from child-centred
      care to adult-centred care. CONCLUSION: Many different factors is of outmost
      importance when diagnosing adolescents with shortness of breath; furthermore,
      management of asthma need a supportive approach in both paediatric and adult
      setting.

PMID- 20298381
TI  - Middle lobe syndrome: a nationwide study on clinicopathological features and
      surgical treatment.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Middle lobe syndrome (MLS) is a relatively uncommon lung disease
      that is characterized by damage to the middle lobe and often needs surgical
      intervention. OBJECTIVE: To study clinical, radiological and histological
      features of all patients who underwent surgical resection for MLS in Iceland over
      a 13-year period, including evaluation of surgical outcome. METHODS: Information
      on patients who underwent surgery of the right middle lobe in Iceland from 1984
      to 2006 was obtained from a centralized diagnosis and pathology registry.
      Clinical data were collected retrospectively from clinical records from hospitals
      and from private offices. All pathology specimens were reviewed. RESULTS: We
      studied 18 patients, 3 males and 15 females between the ages 2 and 86 years (mean
      55). The most common clinical features were recurrent infection (n = 15), chronic
      cough with productive sputum (n = 9), chest pain (n = 8) or dyspnea (n = 7). The
      most common findings on chest radiographs and on computerized tomography of the
      chest were atelectasis, consolidation and bronchiectasis. One patient had a
      foreign body. The most common major histological finding was bronchiectasis in
      nine patients, and two had foreign body reaction. Minor findings included
      bronchiolitis, organizing pneumonia and peribronchial inflammation. All patients
      survived surgery with minor peri- and postoperative complications. CONCLUSION:
      MLS is more common in females, and recurrent infections, chronic productive cough
      and dyspnea were the most common symptoms. Bronchiectasis is the most common
      histological finding. MLS can be treated effectively with lobectomy with low
      mortality and rate of complications.

PMID- 20298382
TI  - Regular use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs increases the risk of adult
      onset asthma: a population-based follow-up study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about the relation between regular use of non
      steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and the risk of asthma at the
      population level. The aim of this study was to examine a possible association
      between intake of NSAIDs and risk of adult-onset asthma. METHODS: Using data from
      two multidisciplinary postal questionnaire surveys concerning health and
      lifestyle, we prospectively studied 19 349 adult twins enrolled in the nationwide
      Danish Twin Registry. RESULTS: We found a higher prevalence of new-onset asthma
      in subjects who used NSAIDs (other than aspirin) regularly compared with non
      users (7.7% vs 4.3%), OR = 1.87 (1.25-2.81), P = 0.002. The result remained
      significant after adjusting for sex, age, smoking, BMI, hay fever, eczema and
      intake of medications other than NSAIDs, OR = 1.90 (1.26-2.85), P = 0.002.
      CONCLUSIONS: Regular use of NSAIDs other than aspirin may be a risk factor for
      adult-onset asthma. This observation must be accommodated in explanations of the
      relationship between use of analgesics and risk of asthma.

PMID- 20298383
TI  - Indoor environment in three North European cities in relationship to atopy and
      respiratory symptoms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) I, the
      lowest prevalence of asthma and atopy was found in Reykjavik (Iceland) and Tartu
      (Estonia). The aim of this study was to compare home environments in Reykjavik
      and Tartu to a town with a higher prevalence of asthma and atopy (Uppsala,
      Sweden) in an attempt to identify factors in the indoor environment that could
      explain these differences. METHOD: A random sample of 129 ECRHS II participants
      was included in this analysis at each of the three study centres. The subjects
      answered a questionnaire, blood was analysed for specific immunoglobulin E, a
      methacholine test was performed and home indoor measurements were taken. RESULTS:
      The prevalence of atopy was 11.9% in Reykjavik, 35.5% in Uppsala and 28.2% in
      Tartu (P < 0.04). The level of indoor cat allergen was significantly lower in
      Reykjavik compared with Uppsala (P = 0.05). No mite allergens were identified in
      the 41 homes investigated in Reykjavik, while this was the case in 16% and 72% of
      the households in Uppsala and Tartu, respectively (P = 0.001). A positive
      association was found between asthma symptoms and cat allergen levels [odds ratio
      1.53 (95% confidence interval 1.04-2.24)], while the levels of viable moulds were
      significantly associated with increased bronchial responsiveness. CONCLUSIONS:
      Indoor exposure to allergens, moulds and bacteria was lower in Reykjavik than in
      the Swedish and Estonian centres. This finding indicates that the lower
      prevalence of allergic sensitization in Reykjavik may partly be related to lower
      indoor allergen exposure.

PMID- 20298384
TI  - Sputum dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine level as a novel airway inflammatory marker
      in asthmatic children.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pulmonary surfactant is a unique mixture of lipids and surfactant
      specific proteins. Phosphatidylcholine comprises almost 80% of the total
      surfactant lipids, about half of which is dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC).
      Alteration of surfactant composition and function is documented with various
      airway or lung parenchyma disorders. OBJECTIVE: To assess sputum concentration of
      DPPC as a major component of airways surfactant in asthmatic children compared to
      conventional airway inflammatory markers. METHODS: This case control study
      included 68 well-known asthmatic children of different grades of severity and 20
      age- and sex-matched normal children as controls. All children were subjected to
      thorough clinical examination, pulmonary function tests, sputum induction and
      processing for cytology, DPPC level and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) level
      assessment. RESULTS: Elevated DPPC levels were evident in all sputum samples of
      asthmatic children (mean value 626.6 +/- 189.7 mcg/mL) compared to controls (mean
      value 49.3 +/- 20.1 mcg/mL). Significant negative correlations (r = -0.83, -0.752
      and -0.384) were found between asthmatics sputum DPPC levels and pulmonary
      function test parameters [% of forced expiratory volume in first second, % of
      forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory flow rate over 25%-75% part of
      FVC], respectively. Meanwhile, significant positive correlations were evident
      between asthmatics sputum DPPC levels and the sputum inflammatory cells and their
      sputum ECP levels. CONCLUSION: Elevated DPPC levels are evident in induced sputum
      of all asthmatic children and they are significantly related to sputum ECP levels
      and pulmonary function test parameters. Nevertheless, the value of DPPC
      estimation in the clinical management of children with asthma remains to be
      determined.

PMID- 20298385
TI  - Lack of association between the MTHFR (C677T) polymorphism and atopic disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Impaired folate metabolism has been suggested as a potential risk
      factor for the development of asthma and atopic disease. However, there have been
      conflicting reports on the potential association between atopic disease and a
      common polymorphism of the methylene-tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR)-gene, a
      well-known marker of impaired folate metabolism. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this
      study was to investigate the association between the MTHFR (C677T) polymorphism
      and different outcome variables of asthma and atopic disease. METHODS: This study
      was a population-based study of 1189 participants aged 15-77 years living in
      Copenhagen, the Capital of Denmark. Examinations included measurements of
      specific IgE and skin prick tests against inhalant allergens, metacholine
      bronchial hyper-reactivity, and serum eosinophilic cationic protein, and a self
      administered questionnaire about diagnoses and symptoms of allergy and asthma. In
      addition, participants were genotyped for the MTHFR (C677T) polymorphism.
      RESULTS: None of the examined outcomes were significantly associated with the
      MTHFR (C677T) polymorphism. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study using detailed
      objective markers of atopic disease do not support the hypothesis that impaired
      folate metabolism as reflected by the MTHFR genotype is involved in the
      development of atopic disease.

PMID- 20298387
TI  - Endobronchial blood clots causing unilateral atelectasis with near asphyxiation.

PMID- 20298386
TI  - Giant solitary fibrous tumour of the pleura: a rare but usually benign
      intrathoracic neoplasm.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Low forced expiratory volume (FEV(1)) and low performance status
      usually preclude surgical treatment of lung neoplasms. Earlier case reports have
      suggested that curative, safe surgery is possible in extrapulmonal intrathoracic
      neoplasms. METHODS: A case report of an 83-year-old women with progressing
      dyspnoea secondary to a huge left-side neoplasm. RESULTS: Work-up reveal an
      FEV(1) of 0.4 L, and a giant solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura. The tumor was
      surgically removed in toto without complications: weighting approximately 3 kg,
      and benign histology. The patient was without dyspnoea at discharge and at 1-year
      follow-up. CONCLUSION: Safe and curative surgery is possible in patients with
      extrapulmonal neoplasm despite poor FEV(1).

PMID- 20298388
TI  - A 23-year old male with cough, fever and blood-streaked sputum.

PMID- 20298389
TI  - Carcinoma lung masquerading as lung abscess.

PMID- 20298390
TI  - A rare cause of fever and PET-positive nodules in the lungs.

PMID- 20298391
TI  - Genetic and biochemical markers of obstructive lung disease in the general
      population.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: New markers of early disease activity and prognosis are needed in
      asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). OBJECTIVE: To identify
      new markers of asthma and COPD to implement in clinical practice, we genotyped
      for common genetic variants in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance
      regulator (CFTR), alpha(1)-antitrypsin, and mannose-binding lectin (MBL) genes,
      and measured baseline fibrinogen and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations in
      up to 9245 adults randomly selected from the Danish general population. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Information on diagnoses of asthma and COPD was collected from two
      Danish National Registers covering all hospital discharges and deaths in the
      country. This data was correlated with genotyping results to determine risk of
      obstructive lung disease according to the genetic and biochemical markers
      studied. RESULTS: The genetic marker, F508del, in the cystic fibrosis gene was
      associated with increased asthma risk, but aggregating this data in a meta
      analysis with results from previous reports, the risk of asthma was only
      marginally elevated [summary odds ratio (95%CI): 1.3 (1.1-1.6)]. The F508del
      marker was not associated with COPD [odds ratio: 0.9 (0.4-1.6)]. Our data also
      suggested a significant role of smoking on fertility in cystic fibrosis/F508del
      heterozygotes. The risk of COPD was marginally elevated for the genetic markers,
      MS and MZ, in the alpha(1)-antitrypsin gene [summary odds ratio: MS, 1.2 (1.0
      1.4) and MZ, 2.3 (1.6-3.4)], whereas the SZ marker was an important risk factor
      of COPD [summary odds ratio: 3.3 (1.2-8.6)]. The ZZ genotype is already in
      clinical use as a genetic marker for early-onset COPD. Our data also suggested ZZ
      and MZ are associated with reduced blood pressure and MZ with reduced risk of
      ischemic cardiovascular disease. Genetic deficiency of MBL was not a major risk
      factor for asthma [relative risk: 1.1 (0.8-1.7)] or COPD [1.4 (0.97-2.0)]. We
      found increased risk of cardiovascular disease with MBL deficiency, but this
      result could not be confirmed in a matched case-control study using cases with
      ischemic cardiovascular disease from Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark.
      Elevated serum fibrinogen and CRP levels were biochemical markers of future COPD.
      In the future after further validation, it is possible that these markers,
      particularly CRP, can be used to categorize individuals with low, medium, or high
      risk of COPD, and thus point out patients in need of intensified prevention and
      treatment for COPD. The association between COPD and elevated fibrinogen and CRP
      levels suggests that either factor or upstream factors regulating fibrinogen and
      CRP expression are important players in the pathogenesis of COPD. CONCLUSION: We
      have set-up an analysis for diagnosing the SZ and ZZ genotypes at the Department
      of Clinical Biochemistry at Herlev University Hospital, together with measurement
      of plasma alpha(1)-antitrypsin levels. This will help clinicians to detect
      alpha(1)-antitrypsin-deficient individuals with a high risk for COPD, and opens
      up for early smoking prevention counseling and potential therapy for individuals
      identified with alpha(1)-antitrypsin deficiency. The F508del marker and genetic
      variants in the MBL-2 gene cannot at present be used as markers for obstructive
      lung disease in the Danish general population. To determine whether fibrinogen or
      CRP is causally related to COPD, we are currently investigating whether
      genetically reduced levels of fibrinogen and CRP are associated with reduced risk
      of future COPD.

PMID- 20298392
TI  - Asthma in elite athletes: how do we manage asthma-like symptoms and asthma in
      elite athletes?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Asthma is frequent in elite athletes and the high prevalence of
      asthma might be associated with specific types of sport. It has been suggested
      that chronic endurance training might increase the number of neutrophils in the
      airways, and this may reflect airway injury. The use of anti-asthmatic medication
      in elite athletes is also currently under scrutiny in order to reduce the risk of
      under-treatment or over treatment. OBJECTIVES: Determine the use of anti
      asthmatic medication and the prevalence of asthma-like symptoms and asthma in
      Danish elite athletes. Further, to determine whether elite athletes with asthma
      like symptoms have asthma and investigate the airway inflammation and airway
      reactivity to mannitol. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three cross-sectional studies: (i)
      Applications for Abbreviated Therapeutic Use Exemption (ATUE) certificates in
      2005 were studied (N = 694); (ii) a questionnaire survey of elite athletes (N =
      418); and (iii) a clinical study of elite athletes. A total of 54 elite athletes
      (19 with physician-diagnosed asthma) participated together with two control
      groups: (i) 22 non-athletes with physician-diagnosed asthma (steroid naive for 4
      weeks before the examination) and (ii) 35 non-athletes without asthma.
      EXAMINATIONS: questionnaires, exhaled nitric oxide (eNO), spirometry, skin prick
      test, mannitol test and blood samples. Induced sputum was done in subjects with
      asthma. RESULTS: (i) Anti-asthmatic medication was included in 445 (64%) of all
      ATUE certificates. A total of 308 (69%) elite athletes applied for inhaled
      corticosteroids (ICS), and most ATUE certificates were handled by general
      practitioners (GP) (78%). (ii) A total of 329 (79%) elite athletes completed the
      questionnaire; 181 (55%) reported asthma-like symptoms and 46 (14%) had asthma.
      Anti-asthmatic medication was currently taken by 24 (7%) elite athletes. Elite
      athletes participating in endurance sports had higher prevalences of asthma-like
      symptoms (74%), use of anti-asthmatic medication (15%) and current asthma (24%)
      than all other athletes (P < 0.01). (iii) No difference in lung function, eNO,
      airway reactivity (AR) to mannitol and atopy between elite athletes with and
      without asthma-like symptoms was found. Elite athletes with physician-diagnosed
      asthma had less AR [Response Dose Ratio (RDR) 0.02 (0.004) vs 0.08 (0.018) P <
      0.01], and fewer sputum eosinophils [0.8% (0-4.8) vs 6.0% (0-18.5), P < 0.01]
      than non-athletes with physician-diagnosed asthma. CONCLUSION: Most applications
      for ATUE certificates were handled by GPs, and the majority concerned anti
      asthmatic medication. We found signs of under-treatment of elite athletes with
      asthma, and endurance athletes had the highest prevalence of asthma-like symptoms
      and asthma. The prevalence of asthma-like symptoms was higher than the prevalence
      of asthma, and we showed that symptoms alone should not be used to diagnose
      asthma. We demonstrated that asthma-like symptoms are independent of lung
      function, eNO, RDR and atopy in elite athletes. Elite athletes with physician
      diagnosed asthma seem to have less airway reactivity and fewer sputum eosinophils
      than non-athletes with physician-diagnosed asthma, but more studies are needed to
      further investigate if and how the asthma phenotype of elite athletes differs
      from that of classical asthma.

PMID- 20298394
TI  - Bronchiectasis--a complex multifactorial disease.

PMID- 20298395
TI  - Bronchiectasis: an update.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Bronchiectasis is defined as an abnormal and irreversible
      dilatation of the bronchi, often associated with chronic productive cough, airway
      obstruction, and recurrent infections. METHODS: MEDLINE data from 1978 to
      November 2008 was analysed. Search was limited to randomized control trials,
      clinical trials, meta-analysis, reviews published in English, using the keyword
      bronchiectasis. RESULTS: The prevalence of bronchiectasis is unknown. However,
      prevalence seems to increase with age from 4.2 per 100 000 persons aged 18-34
      years to 271.8 per 100 000 among those aged 75 years or older. Therapy is aimed
      to limit the cycle of infection and inflammation and to reduce the number of
      exacerbations, in order to improve quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Bronchiectasis
      still remain a significant health problem. Further research is required to
      improve the management of this herterogeneous condition.

PMID- 20298396
TI  - Collagen V and vascular injury promote lung architectural changes in systemic
      sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multisystem disorder characterized by
      inflammation, fibrosis and vascular damage. The aim of this study was to evaluate
      the interactions between basement membrane disruption, endothelial injury and
      collagen V deposition on the vascular wall, as well as their association with
      pulmonary function tests in patients with SSc. METHOD: The endothelial apoptosis
      was assessed by TUNEL and electron microscopy, and quantified through the point
      counting technique. To evaluate basement membrane integrity, laminin
      immunostaining and electron microscopy were used. Immunofluorescence and
      morphometric analysis were used to determine the amount of collagen V in the
      vascular walls in 23 open lung biopsies of patients with SSc without pulmonary
      hypertension. Normal lung tissue was obtained from five individuals who had died
      of traumatic injuries. RESULTS: The apoptosis index in SSc was higher in the
      endothelial cells (13.83 +/- 6.83) when compared with the control (2.51 +/- 2.06)
      group (P < 0.001) and confirmed by electron microscopy. We observed an important
      disruption of the basement membrane on the vascular wall shown by discontinuous
      laminin immunostaining and electron microscopy. An increase in collagen V on the
      vascular wall of the SSc group was observed (45.28 +/- 13.21), when compared with
      control group (22.90 +/- 4.13, P < 0.001), and this difference was statistically
      significant. An inverse correlation was found between vital capacity, forced
      vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 s, vascular collagen V and
      endothelial apoptosis (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the endothelial
      apoptosis and vascular collagen V interaction reinforce the vascular pathway in
      the SSc pathogenesis. Further studies are needed to determine whether this
      relationship is causal or consequential.

PMID- 20298397
TI  - Relationship between exhaled nitric oxide and IgE sensitisation in patients with
      asthma: influence of steroid treatment.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The influence of the degree of immunoglobulin E (IgE) sensitisation
      on the fraction of expired nitric oxide (FE(NO)) in asthma patients being treated
      with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) is not well known. OBJECTIVES: To investigate
      the relationship between IgE sensitisation and FE(NO), and the effect of a step
      up in ICS treatment on this relationship, in patients with allergic asthma.
      METHODS: A primary health care centre recruited 20 non-smoking patients with
      perennial allergic asthma (18 years-50 years, six male) outside the pollen
      season. At every visit (0, 2, 4, 8 weeks), FE(NO) was measured and an exposure
      questionnaire was completed. ICS dose was adjusted according to FE(NO) (>or=22
      ppb prescribed increase in ICS). Quantitative analyses of serum IgE (eight common
      aeroallergens) confirmed allergy. RESULTS: At baseline, FE(NO) and the sum of IgE
      antibody titres for perennial allergens correlated significantly (r = 0.47, P =
      0.04). After a step-up in ICS treatment, this correlation had disappeared. Nine
      patients had persistently elevated FE(NO) at last visit (mean 35 ppb vs 16 ppb).
      This group was more frequently exposed to relevant allergens or colds (89% vs 27%
      of patients, P < 0.05) and had higher IgE antibody titres (perennial allergens)
      compared with the normalised group (mean 28.9 kU/L vs 10.7 kU/L, P < 0.05).
      CONCLUSION: Serum IgE against perennial allergens and FE(NO) correlate in
      patients with allergic asthma. However, this relationship disappears after a high
      dose ICS regimen, suggesting that FE(NO) relates to bronchial inflammation and
      not IgE levels per se. High degree of IgE sensitisation together with allergen
      exposure may lead to ICS-resistant airways inflammation.

PMID- 20298398
TI  - Relationships between hand-rolled cigarettes and primary lung cancer: a Norwegian
      experience.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Detailed smoking history of patients developing lung cancer is
      rarely known, especially not for users of hand-rolled cigarettes. In Norway,
      smoking hand-rolled tobacco is still popular, accounting for one-third of the
      total tobacco consume. METHODS: A questionnaire-based study revealing detailed
      information about tobacco consume with consecutive inclusion of all persons
      developing lung cancer in Southern Norway 2002-2005. RESULTS: In this unselected
      population with 479 patients with newly diagnosed lung cancer, 95% had a smoking
      history and 88% of ever-smokers had smoked primarily hand-rolled cigarettes. The
      hand-rolled cigarette smokers had smoked fewer cigarettes daily (15) and less
      pack-years of tobacco (34) than fabricated cigarette smokers (20, P < 0.0001 and
      42, P = 0.021, respectively). Smoking hand-rolled cigarettes was considerably
      more frequent than expected from official sales statistics. Hand-rolled cigarette
      smoking revealed an odds ratio of 13 for developing lung cancer compared with
      smoking fabricated cigarettes. CONCLUSION: In this unselected population with
      newly diagnosed lung cancer, nine out of 10 ever-smokers had smoked primarily
      hand-rolled cigarettes. Patients smoking hand-rolled cigarettes had a smoking
      history of fewer daily cigarettes and less pack-years tobacco consumed than
      fabricated cigarette smokers. In this study, hand-rolled cigarettes are more
      frequently used than shown in national statistics. Smokers of hand-rolled
      cigarettes may have a greatly increased risk for lung cancer compared with
      smokers of fabricated cigarettes.

PMID- 20298399
TI  - Effect of asthma compliance enhancement training on asthma control in patients on
      combination therapy with salmeterol/fluticasone propionate: a randomised
      controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We investigated if a higher proportion of adults with previously
      uncontrolled asthma can achieve total control when given salmeterol/fluticasone
      propionate (50/250 microg) bid and compliance enhancement training (CET) compared
      to those given medication alone. METHODS: Open comparison of stable, but
      uncontrolled, adult asthmatics. After a 12-week treatment period on
      salmeterol/fluticasone propionate (period 1), patients who failed to achieve
      control were randomised to continuing treatment with or without CET for 12 weeks
      (period 2). The primary end point was the proportion achieving total control of
      their asthma in 7 of the last 8 consecutive weeks of period 2. RESULTS: A total
      of 361 subjects (50.4% males, mean age 40.0 +/- 14.4 years) in 29 centres were
      included, of whom 75.9% were randomised into treatment period 2 (n = 140 in the
      intervention group). The proportion of subjects achieving total asthma control
      was 8.8% and 7.6%, respectively, in the intervention and control group [not
      significant (NS)]. Mean morning peak flow, forced expiratory volume in one second
      (FEV(1)), asthma symptom score and quality of life improved significantly over
      the study period in both treatment groups. Furthermore, proportion of days with
      use of rescue medication declined from 59.7% +/- 34.6% (55.7% +/- 35.3%) during
      screening to 20.3% +/- 29.2% (19.4% +/- 30.9%) during treatment period 2 (NS).
      CONCLUSION: CET failed to increase the likelihood of achieving total control in
      asthmatics on salmeterol/fluticasone propionate compared to subjects receiving
      medication only. However, both groups had a significant improvement in asthma
      control. (Clinical Trials.gov number, NCT00351143)

PMID- 20298400
TI  - Cost-effectiveness of budesonide/formoterol for maintenance and reliever asthma
      therapy in Denmark--cost-effectiveness analysis based on five randomised
      controlled trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Budesonide/formoterol maintenance and reliever therapy
      (Symbicort SMART) is an effective asthma-management regime where patients use
      budesonide/formoterol both as maintenance treatment and as additional doses as
      needed to improve overall asthma control by reducing symptoms and exacerbations.
      The aim of this study was to determine the cost-effectiveness of the Symbicort
      SMART regime in Denmark vs higher dose inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) plus reliever
      medication, similar dose inhaled corticosteroid/long-acting beta(2)-agonist
      (ICS/LABA) combination therapy plus reliever medication or higher dose of inhaled
      ICS/LABA combination therapy plus reliever medication. METHODS: The cost
      effectiveness analyses were based on effectiveness and resource utilisation data,
      which were prospectively collected during the treatment period in five randomised
      clinical trials (duration: 24 weeks, 26 weeks or 1 year). Economic analyses were
      conducted from both a health care sector (direct costs) and a societal
      perspective [total costs, i.e direct costs + indirect costs (sick leave)]. The
      time horizon for the economic analyses was 1 year. The effectiveness measure used
      was the number of avoided severe exacerbations per patient per year. RESULTS:
      Patients treated with budesonide/formoterol maintenance and reliever therapy
      showed statistically significant fewer severe exacerbations per patient compared
      with the alternative treatment regimes in all comparisons. Budesonide/formoterol
      maintenance and reliever therapy was a dominant treatment option when compared
      with higher dose ICS or higher dose ICS/LABA, i.e. it was more effective at a
      lower total cost. In two of the three comparisons with a similar ICS/LABA dose,
      Symbicort SMART was dominant. CONCLUSION: Cost-effectiveness analyses of
      budesonide/formoterol maintenance and reliever therapy show that the significant
      reduction in the number of severe exacerbations observed in all the included
      clinical studies is predominately obtained at lower costs compared with
      alternative treatment regimes. This indicates that budesonide/formoterol
      maintenance and reliever therapy is a cost-effective treatment option in a Danish
      setting.

PMID- 20298401
TI  - Fatal interstitial lung disease after erlotinib administration in a patient with
      radiation fibrosis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Although gefitinib used for the treatment of non-small-cell lung
      cancer is a well-known cause of interstitial lung disease (ILD), few case reports
      on erlotinib-induced ILD have been issued. The common risk factor of both of
      these two drug-induced ILDs is idiopathic interstitial pneumonia, but ILD in a
      patient with radiation fibrosis has not been previously reported. METHODS: Report
      of a case. RESULTS: We recently experienced a case of fatal erlotinib-induced
      ILD, diagnosed based on clinical and radiologic findings, which occurred in a
      patient with radiation fibrosis. A 50-year-old male patient was started on
      erlotinib as a third-line chemotherapy. Six days after taking erlotinib, a chest
      radiograph showed rapid progression of reticular infiltration in both lung
      fields. High-resolution computed tomography scan findings were consistent with
      ILD, which was sufficient to diagnose as erlotinib-induced ILD. The patient died
      of respiratory failure after 8 days of steroid infusion and erlotinib
      discontinuation. CONCLUSION: Our case shows a fatal side effect of erlotinib.
      This case had radiation fibrosis, so we suggest that radiation fibrosis may be
      another contributor of the occurrence of ILD in patients taking erlotinib.

PMID- 20298403
TI  - Disease activity in asthma, more than symptom control and more than eosinophilic
      inflammation.

PMID- 20298404
TI  - Current and future use of the mannitol bronchial challenge in everyday clinical
      practice.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Asthma is a disease associated with inflammation, airway
      hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and airflow limitation. Clinical diagnosis and
      management of asthma often relies on assessment of lung function and symptom
      control, but these factors do not always correlate well with underlying
      inflammation. Bronchial challenge tests (BCTs) assess AHR, and can be used to
      assist in the diagnosis and management of asthma. DATA SOURCE: Data presented at
      the symposium 'Use of inhaled mannitol for assessing airways disease' organised
      by the Allied Respiratory Professionals Assembly (9) of the European Respiratory
      Society (ERS) at the ERS Congress, Berlin 2008. RESULTS: Indirect challenge tests
      such as exercise testing, hypertonic saline or adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP)
      are more specific though less sensitive than direct challenge tests (such as
      methacholine) for identifying patients with active asthma. Indirect BCTs may be
      used to diagnose exercise-induced bronchoconstriction or AHR consistent with
      active asthma, to evaluate AHR that will respond to treatment with anti
      inflammatory drugs and to determine the effectiveness and optimal dosing of such
      therapy. An ideal indirect challenge test should be standardised and
      reproducible, and the test result should correlate with the degree of airway
      inflammation. The mannitol BCT provides a standardised and rapid point-of-need
      test to identify currently active asthma, and is clinically useful in the
      identification of patients with asthma who are likely to benefit from inhaled
      corticosteroid therapy. CONCLUSION: In the future, mannitol BCT may be added to
      lung function and symptom assessment to aid in the everyday management of asthma.

PMID- 20298405
TI  - Inflammatory phenotypes in adult asthma: clinical applications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The pattern of granulocyte infiltration can be used to identify
      different inflammatory phenotypes in asthma. Recognized granulocyte phenotypes
      using induced sputum are eosinophilic (EA), neutrophilic, mixed granulocytic and
      paucigranulocytic asthma. METHODS: The recognition and importance of inflammatory
      phenotype analysis using induced sputum in adult asthma are reviewed using
      published literature. RESULTS: Knowledge of inflammatory phenotype is useful
      because it relates to treatment response, mechanistic pathways involved in
      disease pathogenesis and future disease risk. The population attributable risk of
      asthma because of eosinophilic inflammation is about 50%, and conversely, this
      means that up to 50% of asthma cannot be attributed to eosinophilic inflammation,
      and represents asthma associated with non-eosinophilic processes. In these
      patients, bronchial biopsy shows significantly fewer eosinophils in the bronchial
      mucosa than subjects with EA. This confirms that non-eosinophilic asthma is a
      consistent pattern/phenotype in the airway lumen and the airway mucosa. A key
      aspect of asthma inflammatory phenotype analysis is that it can be applied to
      individual patients. The underlying principle relates to the association between
      a clinical response to corticosteroids and the presence of a selective sputum
      eosinophilia. CONCLUSIONS: Clinically useful applications of induced sputum
      analysis are the detection of non-adherence to corticosteroid therapy, assessment
      of adequacy of inhaled corticosteroid therapy, long-term therapy management in
      asthma, oral corticosteroid dose adjustment in refractory asthma and assessment
      of occupational asthma.

PMID- 20298406
TI  - Sarcoidosis-associated pulmonary hypertension: acute vasoresponsiveness to
      inhaled nitric oxide and the relation to long-term effect of sildenafil.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Severe pulmonary sarcoidosis is often complicated by pulmonary
      hypertension (PH) caused by different pathophysiological mechanisms. OBJECTIVES:
      To assess the acute vasoresponsiveness in patients with sarcoidosis and PH and
      the relation to the therapeutic effect of sildenafil. METHODS: A retrospective
      chart review of 25 patients with recalcitrant pulmonary sarcoidosis being
      evaluated for lung transplantation at our centre. Haemodynamics were evaluated by
      right heart catheterisation in 24 patients of whom 19 had PH. Eight of the 19
      patients received vasodilator challenge with inhaled nitric oxide (iNO). RESULTS:
      The study group of eight patients (seven men) had a median age of 51 years (range
      38 years-58 years). During iNO we observed a reduction in all patients' mean
      pulmonary arterial pressure (MPAP) of median 9 mmHg (range 1 mmHg-20 mmHg) (P =
      0.01) and in all patients' pulmonary vascular resistance of median 2.0 Wood Units
      (0.7 Wood Units-5.8 Wood Units) (P = 0.01). Acute vasoresponsiveness defined as
      reduction in MPAP of >or=10 mmHg to a MPAP of <or=40 mmHg without reduction in
      cardiac output was achieved in two of eight patients. Seven patients were
      subsequently started on sildenafil and had haemodynamics measured during
      treatment. There was no relationship between the acute vasoresponsiveness and the
      response to treatment. One patient had similar responses, but in six patients,
      the responses were reversed. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately a quarter of the tested
      patients with end-stage pulmonary sarcoidosis and PH displayed acute
      vasoresponsiveness to iNO. However, the degree of vasoresponsiveness appears to
      be a poor predictor of the response to treatment of PH with sildenafil.

PMID- 20298407
TI  - Diagnostic role of BAL fluid CD4/CD8 ratio in different radiographic and clinical
      forms of pulmonary sarcoidosis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) as a method of sampling cells is
      useful in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of sarcoidosis. However,
      CD4/CD8 ratio in BAL fluid (BALF) is highly variable and it generates continuous
      discussions about its diagnostic role. OBJECTIVE: To prospectively evaluate
      diagnostic role of BALF CD4/CD8 ratio in pulmonary sarcoidosis manifested in
      different radiographic and clinical forms in the real clinical practice. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: The study population consisted of 318 sarcoid patients with a newly
      diagnosed disease. Comparator groups consisted of 55 healthy subjects and 130
      patients with other disorders who underwent BAL and examination of CD4/CD8 ratio
      in BALF as a step of diagnostic pathway. Diagnostic accuracy of CD4/CD8 ratio in
      BALF using receiver-operating characteristic analysis has been calculated.
      RESULTS: The percentage of BALF lymphocytes in sarcoid patients was significantly
      different from comparator groups. Normal BALF cell counts were found in 7% of
      sarcoid patients. However, typical sarcoid BALF cellular pattern was found in
      6.2% of all control subjects. We have found that optimal cutoff points for
      CD4/CD8 ratio are 3.5 and 4.0 for asymptomatic and symptomatic patients,
      respectively. Sensitivity of the optimal cutoff points of CD4/CD8 ratio was lower
      in asymptomatic patients compared with symptomatic patients. Sensitivity of the
      optimal cutoff points decreased with the increased stage of sarcoidosis.
      CONCLUSIONS: BAL is a valuable method in diagnostic pathway of pulmonary
      sarcoidosis. However, results of BALF examination must be interpreted considering
      a specific clinical case. BALF CD4/CD8 ratio depends on clinical and radiographic
      manifestation.

PMID- 20298408
TI  - Dyspnea reproducibility in a rural Bangladesh population.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Dyspnea may signal serious disease with increased
      morbidity/mortality. Dyspnea screening would only be valid if reproducible. The
      study aim was to determine the reliability (reproducibility) of assessing dyspnea
      through a simple questionnaire among a rural population. METHODS: Participants
      were recruited from a Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study in Araihazar,
      Bangladesh. Dyspnea assessment used a questionnaire among 129 participants at two
      time points: at baseline and after 2 weeks to 9 months by trained physicians. All
      subjects were asked about the presence/absence of dyspnea in the last 6 months.
      At the second interview, a physician (blinded to questionnaire) conducted a
      clinical heart/lung examination and obtained a pulse oximeter reading. RESULTS:
      Dyspnea prevalence by baseline questionnaire was 2.4%. Overall dyspnea
      reliability was 94% (121 out of 129). If the initial response was 'yes' for the
      presence of dyspnea, reliability was 91% (49 out of 54). For an initial response
      of 'no' for the presence of dyspnea, reliability was 96% (72 out of 75). The
      pulmonary examination and pulse oximeter readings were significantly more likely
      to be abnormal in those with dyspnea (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The reliability of
      a simple question on dyspnea is very high when obtained by physicians. Although
      validity was not the primary outcome, the increased likelihood of an abnormal
      chest examination or low pulse oximeter saturation for those reporting 'yes' to
      the dyspnea question suggests more significant underlying cardiopulmonary disease
      in those reporting recent dyspnea.

PMID- 20298409
TI  - Antimycobacterial immune responses in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disease of unknown
      origin. Pathogenetic involvement of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has frequently
      been discussed in the aetiology of sarcoidosis; however, studies still remain
      contradictory. OBJECTIVE: We addressed the question of mycobacterial involvement
      in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis by analysing cellular immune responses to
      mycobacterial antigens. METHODS: We examined the interferon (IFN)-gamma
      production by enzyme-linked immunospot in response to purified protein derivate
      (PPD) mycobacterial-specific antigen early secretory antigenic target (ESAT)-6
      and culture filtrate protein (CFP)-10 by peripheral blood mononuclear cells
      (PBMCs) and bronchoalveolar-lavage mononuclear cells (BALMCs) of patients with
      pulmonary sarcoidosis, smear-negative tuberculosis and controls. RESULTS: Release
      of IFN-gamma in response to ex vivo contact with PPD, ESAT-6 or CFP-10 by BALMC
      and PBMC were comparable among patients with sarcoidosis and controls (PBMC P =
      0.2326; BALMC P = 0.1767) and were less frequently observed in both groups
      compared to patients with tuberculosis (BALMC P < 0.05; PBMC P < 0.0001). Within
      PBMC, the immunophenotype of sarcoidosis patients differed from that of patients
      with tuberculosis, as well as from that of controls, while within BALMC it
      resembled that of patients with tuberculosis. CONCLUSION: In contrast to patients
      with tuberculosis, the frequency of mycobacteria-specific local and systemic
      immune responses is not elevated in patients with sarcoidosis when compared to
      controls. The immunophenotype represents the local resemblance of the
      granulomatous reaction underlying tuberculosis and sarcoidosis while showing
      systemical difference. These observations do not support a role of an infection
      with M. tuberculosis in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis.

PMID- 20298410
TI  - Spontaneous cervicothoracolumbar pneumorrhachis, pneumomediastinum and
      pneumoperitoneum.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pneumorrhachis, or epidural pneumatosis, is a rare entity that is
      usually traumatic or iatrogenic. Usually, the epidural emphysema is limited to a
      few vertebral spaces. Less commonly, it is secondary to mediastinal air that
      tracks into the epidural space. Mediastinal air is usually associated with
      subcutaneous emphysema, but rarely is it associated with pneumopericardium or
      pneumoperitoneum. The cause of pneumomediastinum is usually identifiable on
      history or radiology. METHODS: Report of a case. RESULTS: We report the extremely
      rare simultaneous occurrence of self-limiting cervicothoracolumbar
      pneumorrhachis, pneumomediastinum, cervical subcutaneous emphysema and
      pneumoperitoneum in a healthy 20-year-old gentleman in the absence of an
      identifiable cause. CONCLUSION: Extensive pneumorrhachis and pneumoperitoneum may
      simultaneously accompany pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema in the
      absence of an identifiable cause and still follow a benign clinical course.

PMID- 20298411
TI  - Smoking - still a main killer to be battered.

PMID- 20298412
TI  - Is a percentage a percentage? Systematic review of the effectiveness of
      Scandinavian behavioural modification smoking cessation programmes.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Tobacco smoke is the leading preventable cause of death in the
      world. A total of 50% of all smokers will die from a smoking-related disease with
      a major impact upon quality of life and health-care costs. Tobacco-controlling
      policies, including smoking cessation, have increasingly been implemented across
      European countries. Reported effectiveness data on smoking cessation
      interventions are important for decision making. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to
      conduct a literature review on how the effectiveness (quit rates) of behavioural
      modification smoking cessation programmes (BMSCPs) - counselling, quitlines and
      quit-and-win contests - were analysed in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. METHODS: A
      systematic review was carried out by using the search engines Medline (U.S.
      National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA), Cinahl (CINAHL Information
      Systems, EBSCO Industries, Ipswich, MA, USA), Embase (Elsevier, New York, NY,
      USA) and the grey literature. Following the Russell Standards, studies were
      selected according to design, analysis of data [intention-to-treat (ITT)/per
      protocol (PP)], documentation of abstinence and length of follow-up. Cochrane
      reviews of pharmacological studies were used as the benchmark. RESULTS: Although
      ITT analysis is the standard scientific approach advocated, most studies of
      BMSCPs reviewed were analysed by using the PP approach and were based on self
      reported point prevalence estimates. This resulted in the reported 1-year quit
      rates between 16%-45% (PP) and 9%-23% (ITT). In contrast, pharmacological studies
      are conservative, as they are randomised, use ITT analysis and have continuous
      quit rates with biochemical verification of abstinence. CONCLUSION: This
      literature review reveals that quit rates of smoking cessation interventions are
      not always comparable. Scandinavian BMSCPs reported optimistic quit rates,
      confirmed by Cochrane literature review criteria. Care should be exercised when
      comparing smoking cessation interventions.

PMID- 20298413
TI  - Prevalence and predictors of undiagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in
      a Norwegian adult general population.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence and predictors of undiagnosed chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Norway. METHODS: An age and gender
      stratified random sample of all adults aged 47-48 and 71-73 years in Bergen,
      Norway, were invited. The 3506 participants filled in questionnaires including
      symptoms of COPD, smoking, socio-economic status, self-rated health and cardiac
      co-morbidity. Spirometry was performed before and after inhalation of 400 microg
      of salbutamol. COPD was defined as post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume
      in 1 s (FEV1) / forced vital capacity (FVC) < 0.7 whereas diagnosed COPD was
      defined as having received treatment for obstructive lung disease the last year.
      RESULTS: Three hundred-three persons (9%) were classified as having COPD, and the
      undiagnosed fraction was 66%. In multiple logistic regression analysis, including
      multiple imputation, predictors of undiagnosed COPD were absence of COPD symptoms
      [odds ratio (OR) 6.92, P = 0.001], and self-report of being in good/excellent
      health (OR 2.39, P = 0.005). When post-bronchodilator FEV1 was added to the
      analysis, undiagnosed disease was predicted by pack years [OR 1.21 (1.01-1.47)
      per 10 pack-year increase, P = 0.043], and close to normal lung function [OR 1.48
      (1.22-1.80) per 10% increase in post-bronchodilator FEV1 % predicted, P < 0.001].
      Anthropometrical variables, socio-economic status and cardiac co-morbidity were
      not associated with having undiagnosed COPD. CONCLUSION: Two out of three COPD
      patients in Norway are undiagnosed. Risk factors for being undiagnosed are
      moderate reduction in lung function, absence of COPD symptoms and self-report of
      being in good health.

PMID- 20298414
TI  - Screening, prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in patients with chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease - a population-based database study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A common extrapulmonary effect to chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease (COPD) is osteoporosis. OBJECTIVES: To characterise the diagnostic
      activity regarding osteoporosis [i.e. the use of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry
      (DXA)] and the pattern of applied pharmacological intervention to prevent
      fractures in COPD patients in relation to the use of prednisolone. METHODS: This
      study was a register study covering the residents of the Danish County of Funen
      linking data from Odense Pharmacoepidemiologic Database (OPED), a DXA-database
      and Funen Patient Administrative System, a database with data on hospitals
      admissions. OPED has complete capture of fulfilled prescriptions. We identified
      1909 COPD patients admitted with a main diagnosis of COPD. Using OPED we
      extracted prescriptions for prednisolone and antiresorptive medicine from these
      COPD patients for the year 2004. RESULTS: COPD patients who had filled a
      prescription for prednisolone (P-COPD) were DXA-scanned more frequently (17%)
      than those who had not (non-P-COPD) (9%) and were prescribed antiresorptive
      medicine more often (27%) than non-P-COPD (16%). In both groups 94% were either
      osteopenic or osteoporotic. Logistic regression models predicted that DXA-scans
      were offered to women, to the young, to the recipients of high systemic steroid
      doses and to those with frequent admission for COPD. Given an osteoporosis
      diagnosis, treatment was offered to those with high steroid doses and those with
      frequent admissions for COPD. CONCLUSION: DXA are underutilised compared with the
      high frequency of osteoporosis or osteopenia in DXA-scanned hospitalised COPD
      patients, especially in elderly. Guidelines concerning screening, prevention and
      treatment of osteoporosis in COPD patients with or without glucocorticoid
      treatment are needed.

PMID- 20298415
TI  - Cheyne-Stokes respiration is not related to quality of life or sleepiness in
      heart failure.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The effects of central sleep apnea in Cheyne-Stokes
      respiration on sleep-related symptoms and quality of life are not very well
      established. We aimed to investigate whether Cheyne-Stokes respiration is related
      to health-related quality of life. We also studied the impact on daytime
      sleepiness and nocturnal dyspnea. METHODS: Included were 203 consecutive
      patients, stabilized following in-hospital treatment for decompensated congestive
      heart failure. They underwent overnight cardiorespiratory sleep apnea recordings
      in hospital and answered a set of questions on symptoms and health-related
      quality of life questionnaires in the form of the Nottingham Health Profile and
      the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire. After excluding seven
      patients with predominantly obstructive apneas and 14 with insufficient
      recordings, 182 patients were included in the final analysis. RESULTS: One third
      of the patients had an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of >30. Falling asleep in front
      of the television was the only symptom related to (AHI). Nocturnal dyspnea,
      daytime sleepiness, generic quality of life or disease-specific quality of life
      were not related to AHI. CONCLUSIONS: Cheyne-Stokes respiration was not
      associated with health-related quality of life, daytime sleepiness or nocturnal
      dyspnea among patients stabilized following treatment for congestive heart
      failure.

PMID- 20298416
TI  - Experimental and seasonal exposure to birch pollen in allergic rhinitis and
      allergic asthma with regard to the inflammatory response.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Seasonal allergy is an interesting model to study the
      pathophysiological mechanisms involved in allergic inflammation. However,
      experimental allergen exposure is easier to perform and standardise. The primary
      aim of this study was to compare the inflammatory responses to high-dose
      bronchial challenge and natural exposure during birch pollen season. The second
      aim was to compare the responses of patients with allergic rhinitis and allergic
      asthma, respectively to both types of allergen exposure. METHODS: Fifteen birch
      pollen-allergic patients (seven with asthma and eight with rhinitis) and five
      healthy individuals were studied during pollen season and after challenge with
      birch allergen. Symptoms, medication and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) were
      recorded, and blood samples, spirometry and induced sputum were analysed during
      season and after challenge. RESULTS: Patients with allergic asthma demonstrated a
      greater bronchial responsiveness to bronchial provocation with birch allergen
      than patients with rhinitis (P = 0.04) whereas no difference was found regarding
      nasal challenge. No significant association was found between the level of
      responsiveness and the inflammatory response after seasonal exposure. Seasonal
      exposure was related to a more marked systemic inflammatory blood-eosinophil
      increase than bronchial challenge [(median) (0.25 vs 0.11 x 109/L, P = 0.03)] and
      after nasal challenge, respectively [(median) (0.25 vs 0.04 x 109/L, P = 0.003)].
      A significant correlation in eosinophil cationic protein in induced sputum was
      found between the experimental and seasonal exposure (rho = 0.62, P = 0.02).
      CONCLUSIONS: Bronchial allergen challenge with inhalation of birch pollen gives a
      similar inflammatory response in the airway but less systemic inflammation than
      seasonal exposure in birch pollen allergic patients with asthma and rhinitis.

PMID- 20298417
TI  - Neurotrophins in chronic cough: association with asthma but not with cough
      severity.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Chronic cough is associated with an enhanced excitability of
      airway cough receptors, possibly due to action of neurotrophins. The present
      study aimed to compare the neurotrophin levels between healthy subjects and
      patients with chronic cough and to analyze the factors associated with these
      levels. METHODS: Serum and sputum levels of nerve growth factor (NGF), serum
      levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3)
      were analyzed by enzyme immunoassay in 19 healthy subjects and 47 patients with
      chronic cough. In addition, cough sensitivity to hypertonic saline was assessed,
      cough diary was kept, Leicester Cough Questionnaire was filled in, peak flow was
      monitored and spirometry, skin prick tests, exhaled nitric oxide measurement and
      histamine challenge were performed. RESULTS: The NGF levels did not differ
      between the healthy subjects and the patients with chronic cough and were not
      associated with any index describing cough severity. However, these levels in
      both serum (P = 0.01) and sputum (P = 0.025) samples were associated with asthma.
      There was a statistically significant association between serum and sputum NGF
      levels (R = 0.45, P = 0.026). The serum BDNF levels did not differ between the
      groups and were not associated with any of the background characteristics. The
      serum NT-3 levels were below the detection limit in most subjects and therefore
      these data were not analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: Neither chronic cough nor its severity
      is associated with abnormal neurotrophin levels. High NGF levels among some
      patients with chronic cough may indicate a presence of asthma.

PMID- 20298418
TI  - Effect of fluticasone on markers of inflammation and quality of life in steroid
      naive patients with mild asthma.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Patients with mild asthma may adapt to symptoms that may be
      neglected at a medical consultation. Despite active airway inflammation,
      indicating need for treatment symptoms may be poorly perceived and influence on
      quality of life. The aim was to find out if markers of asthma activity and
      quality of life are influenced by inhaled steroids in patients who regard
      themselves as free of symptoms. METHODS: Seventy steroid-free patients with mild
      asthma were treated with inhaled fluticasone (250 microg twice daily) or placebo
      for 3 months in a randomised, double-blind, study. Spirometry with reversibility
      test, exhaled nitric oxide (NO), bronchial responsiveness to methacholine and
      eucapnic dry air hyperventilation and quality of life [(Asthma Quality of Life
      Questionnaire (AQLQ)] were assessed before and after treatment. RESULTS:
      Fluticasone, but not placebo, decreased methacholine responsiveness. Bronchial
      responsiveness to dry air and exhaled NO levels was significantly lowered by
      fluticasone compared with placebo. Quality-of-life scores were high already
      before treatment and were not significantly altered by treatment. CONCLUSION:
      Treatment with an inhaled steroid in mild asthmatics altered bronchial
      responsiveness and exhaled NO levels but did not improve quality of life. In mild
      asthma, there is thus a space for improvement with regard to inflammatory
      parameters in patients who have only minor symptoms that are not influenced by
      treatment. In a long-term perspective, the indication for treatment of surrogate
      markers remains, however, unclear.

PMID- 20298419
TI  - Bronchial carcinoid: common manifestation of a rare disorder.

PMID- 20298420
TI  - Panton-Valentine leukocidin pneumonia: an emerging threat.

PMID- 20298421
TI  - EFNS guidelines on the molecular diagnosis of channelopathies, epilepsies,
      migraine, stroke, and dementias.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: These EFNS guidelines on the molecular diagnosis of channelopathies,
      including epilepsy and migraine, as well as stroke, and dementia are designed to
      summarize the possibilities and limitations of molecular genetic techniques and
      to provide diagnostic criteria for deciding when a molecular diagnostic work-up
      is indicated. SEARCH STRATEGY: To collect data about planning, conditions, and
      performance of molecular diagnosis of these disorders, a literature search in
      various electronic databases was carried out and original papers, meta-analyses,
      review papers, and guideline recommendations were reviewed. RESULTS: The best
      level of evidence for genetic testing recommendation (B) can be found for a small
      number of syndromes, cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical
      infarcts and leukoencephalopathy, severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy, familial
      recurrent hemorrhages, familial Alzheimer's disease, and frontotemporal lobar
      degeneration. Good practice points can be formulated for a number of other
      disorders. CONCLUSION: These guidelines are provisional, and the future
      availability of molecular genetic epidemiological data about the neurogenetic
      disorders under discussion in our article will allow improved recommendation with
      an increased level of evidence.

PMID- 20298422
TI  - Corticolimbic gray matter loss in Parkinson's disease without dementia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The relationship between corticolimbic involvement and cognitive
      dysfunction in non-demented Parkinson's disease (PD) patients has not yet been
      elucidated. OBJECTIVES: To delineate involvement of the cerebral cortex and
      limbic structures in non-demented PD and to clarify distributional differences of
      gray matter loss between non-demented PD with impaired cognition (PD-CI) and
      without cognitive impairment (PD-NC). METHODS: Operational criteria based on the
      Clinical Dementia Rating were used to identify PD-CI. Of 40 consecutive non
      demented patients with PD, 13 were classified as PD-CI and 27 as PD-NC.
      Comparisons of regional gray matter volume (rGMV) were made amongst the PD-CI, PD
      NC, and control groups using voxel-based morphometry. RESULTS: Gray matter loss
      was found extensively in the frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital cortices
      in the present non-demented patients with PD. rGMV in the medial frontal and
      medial occipital cortices was reduced comparably in the PD-NC and PD-CI groups.
      The severity of gray matter loss in the perisylvian cortices increased in order
      from the control, to the PD-NC, to the PD-CI groups. rGMV reduction in the
      lateral and orbital frontal, medial and lateral temporal, medial and lateral
      parietal, and lateral occipital cortices and cerebellum was found specifically in
      PD-CI. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that corticolimbic degeneration occurs in
      non-demented patients with PD, and extensive involvement of the limbic and
      posterior cortical regions as well as the frontal cortices is associated with
      cognitive impairment in PD.

PMID- 20298423
TI  - Brugada syndrome revealed by vertigo caused by cerebellar infarction.

PMID- 20298424
TI  - The incidence of major stroke subtypes in southern Italy: a population-based
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stroke is characterized by well-defined clinical major
      subtypes, but there are few studies on incidence rates, aetiologies and outcomes
      in population-based setting. We assessed the age/sex incidence of the major
      stroke subtypes in a region of Southern Italy. METHODS: We established a
      multisource, prospective population-based register in Puglia, Southern Italy to
      identify all residents with a first-ever stroke between 1 January 2001 and 31
      December 2002. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-seven first-ever strokes were
      diagnosed, and stroke subtype was defined in 119 cases. The incidence rates per
      100 000 adjusted to the European population (AEP) were 112 for cerebral
      infarction (CI), 30 for intracerebral haemorrhage (IH), four for subarachnoid
      haemorrhage (SH) and nine for undetermined stroke (US). The incidence rates for
      CI, IH and US approximately doubled with each decade of life and were higher in
      men. AEP incidence rates for CI in the age groups 45-84 were lower compared to
      other studies, whilst the corresponding rates for IH were higher. CONCLUSIONS:
      This population had a lower incidence of CI compared to other population-based
      studies from Northern Europe and the United States. Furthermore, with the
      projected increase in the segment of the very old in the general population, our
      data indicate that both CI and IH will dramatically increase in the near future.

PMID- 20298425
TI  - Fish consumption and dementia: keep the vitamin D in memory.

PMID- 20298426
TI  - Serum inflammatory proteins and frontal lobe dysfunction in patients with
      cardiovascular risk factors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown that the levels of circulating inflammatory
      markers are associated with cognitive decline and cerebral small-vessel disease.
      Frontal lobe dysfunction is believed to be a relatively characteristic
      neuropsychological symptom in vascular cognitive impairment caused by cerebral
      small-vessel disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the
      levels of serum inflammatory markers are associated with frontal lobe
      dysfunction, particularly executive dysfunction. METHODS: Between January 2003
      and September 2007, 388 patients who had one or more atherosclerotic risk factors
      and subsequently underwent brain MRI and neuropsychological testing including
      mini-mental state examination (MMSE), frontal assessment battery (FAB), and
      modified Stroop test were enrolled in this study. We evaluated the effect of
      serum levels of inflammatory markers and white matter lesions on frontal lobe
      function. RESULTS: The FAB score was negatively correlated with serum
      inflammatory marker levels (hsCRP; r = -0.170, IL-6; r = -0.143, IL-18; r = 
      0.175) and white matter lesions. In the modified Stroop test, interference
      measure was positively correlated with the levels of hsCRP (r = -0.198), and IL
      18 (r = -0.152), and white matter lesions. However, the MMSE score was not
      correlated with either inflammatory marker levels. The association between hsCRP
      and FAB score or interference measure remained significant when controlling for
      other confounding factors and MRI findings. CONCLUSIONS: The circulating level of
      hsCRP is associated with frontal lobe dysfunction in patients with cardiovascular
      risk factors independent of white matter lesions in brain MRI.

PMID- 20298427
TI  - Dysautonomia after severe traumatic brain injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dysautonomia after traumatic brain injury (TBI) is characterized by
      episodes of increased heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, blood pressure,
      muscle tone, decorticate or decerebrate posturing, and profuse sweating. This
      study addresses the incidence of dysautonomia after severe TBI, the clinical
      variables that are associated with dysautonomia, and the functional outcome of
      patients with dysautonomia. METHODS: A historic cohort study in patients with
      severe TBI [Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) < or = 8 on admission]. RESULTS: Seventy-six
      of 119 patients survived and were eligible for follow-up. The incidence of
      dysautonomia was 11.8%. Episodes of dysautonomia were prevalent during a mean
      period of 20.1 days (range 3-68) and were often initiated by discomfort. Patients
      with dysautonomia showed significant longer periods of coma (24.78 vs. 7.99 days)
      and mechanical ventilation (22.67 vs. 7.21 days). Dysautonomia was associated
      with diffuse axonal injury (DAI) [relative risk (RR) 20.83, CI 4.92-83.33] and
      the development of spasticity (RR 16.94, CI 3.96-71.42). Patients with
      dysautonomia experienced more secondary complications. They tended to have poorer
      outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Dysautonomia occurs in approximately 10% of patients
      surviving severe TBI and is associated with DAI and the development of spasticity
      at follow-up. The initiation of dysautonomia by discomfort supports the
      Excitatory: Inhibitory Ratio model as pathophysiological mechanism.

PMID- 20298428
TI  - EFNS guidelines on neuropathic pain assessment: revised 2009.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We have revised the previous EFNS guidelines on
      neuropathic pain (NP) assessment, which aimed to provide recommendations for the
      diagnostic process, screening tools and questionnaires, quantitative sensory
      testing (QST), microneurography, pain-related reflexes and evoked potentials,
      functional neuroimaging and skin biopsy. METHODS: We have checked and rated the
      literature published in the period 2004-2009, according to the EFNS method of
      classification for diagnostic procedures. RESULTS: Most of the previous
      recommendations were reinforced by the new studies. The main revisions relate to:
      (i) the new definition of NP and a diagnostic grading system; (ii) several new
      validated clinical screening tools that identify NP components, and
      questionnaires which assess the different types of NP; (iii) recent high-quality
      studies on laser-evoked potentials (LEPs) and skin biopsy. CONCLUSIONS: History
      and bedside examination are still fundamental to a correct diagnosis, whilst
      screening tools and questionnaires are useful in indicating probable NP; QST is
      also useful for indicating the latter, and to assess provoked pains and treatment
      response. Amongst laboratory tests, LEPs are the best tool for assessing Adelta
      pathway dysfunction, and skin biopsy for assessing neuropathies with distal loss
      of unmyelinated nerve fibres.

PMID- 20298429
TI  - The contribution of gene movement to the "two rules of speciation".
AB  - The two "rules of speciation"--the Large X-effect and Haldane's rule--hold
      throughout the animal kingdom, but the underlying genetic mechanisms that cause
      them are still unclear. Two predominant explanations--the "dominance theory" and
      faster male evolution--both have some empirical support, suggesting that the
      genetic basis of these rules is likely multifarious. We revisit one historical
      explanation for these rules, based on dysfunctional genetic interactions
      involving genes recently moved between chromosomes. We suggest that gene movement
      specifically off or onto the X chromosome is another mechanism that could
      contribute to the two rules, especially as X chromosome movements can be subject
      to unique sex-specific and sex chromosome specific consequences in hybrids. Our
      hypothesis is supported by patterns emerging from comparative genomic data,
      including a strong bias in interchromosomal gene movements involving the X and an
      overrepresentation of male reproductive functions among chromosomally relocated
      genes. In addition, our model indicates that the contribution of gene movement to
      the two rules in any specific group will depend upon key developmental and
      reproductive parameters that are taxon specific. We provide several testable
      predictions that can be used to assess the importance of gene movement as a
      contributor to these rules in the future.

PMID- 20298430
TI  - Promiscuity and the rate of molecular evolution at primate immunity genes.
AB  - Recently, a positive correlation between basal leukocyte counts and mating system
      across primates suggested that sexual promiscuity could be an important
      determinant of the evolution of the immune system. Motivated by this idea, we
      examined the patterns of molecular evolution of 15 immune defense genes in
      primates in relation to promiscuity and other variables expected to affect
      disease risk. We obtained maximum likelihood estimates of the rate of protein
      evolution for terminal branches of the primate phylogeny at these genes. Using
      phylogenetically independent contrasts, we found that immunity genes evolve
      faster in more promiscuous species, but only for a subset of genes that interact
      closely with pathogens. We also observed a significantly greater proportion of
      branches under positive selection in the more promiscuous species. Analyses of
      independent contrasts also showed a positive effect of group size. However, this
      effect was not restricted to genes that interact closely with pathogens, and no
      differences were observed in the proportion of branches under positive selection
      in species with small and large groups. Together, these results suggest that
      mating system has influenced the evolution of some immunity genes in primates,
      possibly due to increased risk of acquiring sexually transmitted diseases in
      species with higher levels of promiscuity.

PMID- 20298431
TI  - Gene flow and species delimitation: a case study of two pine species with
      overlapping distributions in southeast China.
AB  - Species delimitation detected by molecular markers is complicated by
      introgression and incomplete lineage sorting between species. Recent modeling
      suggests that fixed genetic differences between species are highly related to
      rates of intraspecific gene flow. However, it remains unclear whether such
      differences are due to high levels of intraspecific gene flow overriding the
      spread of introgressed alleles or favoring rapid lineage sorting between species.
      In pines, chloroplast (cp) and mitochondrial (mt) DNAs are normally paternally
      and maternally inherited, respectively, and thus their relative rates of
      intraspecific gene flow are expected to be high and low, respectively. In this
      study, we used two pine species with overlapping geographical distributions in
      southeast China, P. massoniana and P. hwangshanensis, as a model system to
      examine the association between organelle gene flow and variation within and
      between species. We found that cpDNA variation across these two pine species is
      more species specific than mtDNA variation and almost delimits taxonomic
      boundaries. The shared mt/cp DNA genetic variation between species shows no bias
      in regard to parapatric versus allopatric species' distributions. Our results
      therefore support the hypothesis that high intraspecific gene flow has
      accelerated cpDNA lineage sorting between these two pine species.

PMID- 20298432
TI  - When gaps really are gaps: statistical phylogeography of hydrothermal vent
      invertebrates.
AB  - The invertebrate animals endemic to deep-sea hydrothermal vents are distributed
      intermittently along relatively linear oceanic ridge axes. A one-dimensional
      stepping-stone model, therefore, provides a reasonable starting hypothesis of
      population structure for these species. Nevertheless, population genetic studies
      of many species from eastern Pacific vents did not detect the expected signatures
      of isolation-by-distance (IBD). Instead, distinct patterns of geographical
      subdivision have been attributed to the unique dispersal modes of individual
      species, topographical discontinuities of the ridge axes, nonequilibrium
      metapopulation scenarios and cryptic species. Here, we reexamined these
      inferences in light of expectations generated by computer simulations of a one
      dimensional stepping-stone model. We evaluated whether the previously inferred
      subdivisions are statistically robust to an alternative explanation that
      continuous stepping-stone migration has occurred along the ridge axes but
      discontinuities in the sampling design (gaps) have generated the apparent
      disjunctions. We found that previous inferences about barriers to gene flow
      (vicariance) were supported in many cases, but that failures to detect evidence
      for IBD could be explained by low statistical power associated with the sampling
      effort. The simulation approaches presented here might be useful for testing the
      significance of inferred phylogeographic gaps in other species.

PMID- 20298433
TI  - Interaction of endothelial cell-selective adhesion molecule and MAGI-1 promotes
      mature cell-cell adhesion via activation of RhoA.
AB  - Endothelial cell-selective adhesion molecule (ESAM) is a member of the
      immunoglobulin superfamily and mediates homophilic adhesion between endothelial
      cells. ESAM has been shown to bind to membrane-associated guanylate kinase
      (MAGUK) with inverted domain structure 1 (MAGI-1), but the interaction between
      these molecules remains unknown. We investigated the role of ESAM in the
      subcellular localization of MAGI-1 and cell adhesion by means of transfection
      experiments using Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Overexpression of ESAM
      recruited MAGI-1 to the cell-cell contact area. The intracellular domain of ESAM
      was necessary for the recruitment of MAGI-1 to the cell contact area, but did not
      participate in the initial cell-cell adhesion. Cell dissociation assays revealed
      that colocalization of ESAM and MAGI-1 promoted actin polymerization through the
      postsynaptic density 95/discs large/zonula occludens-1 (PDZ) domain and resulted
      in firm cell-cell adhesion, which was inhibited by an actin polymerization
      inhibitor. When the cells attach to each other, colocalization of ESAM and MAGI-1
      can lead to the actin polymerization at intracellular contacts. Interaction of
      ESAM with MAGI-1 activated RhoA, and ESAM-mediated MAGI-1 recruitment to the cell
      membrane and mature cell adhesion were inhibited by a RhoA inhibitor. These
      findings suggest that ESAM may regulate MAGI-1 recruitment to the cell contacts,
      and subsequently promote actin polymerization and mature cell-cell adhesion
      through a RhoA-dependent mechanism.

PMID- 20298434
TI  - Regulation of asymmetric positioning of nuclei by Wnt and Src signaling and its
      roles in POP-1/TCF nuclear asymmetry in Caenorhabditis elegans.
AB  - In various polarized cells, positions of nuclei are often off-center. However,
      extrinsic signals regulating nuclear off-centering and its biologic roles remain
      to be elucidated. In Caenorhabditis elegans, polarity of the EMS cell undergoing
      asymmetric division is regulated by the MOM-2/Wnt and MES-1 signals from its
      posterior neighbor P2 cell. We show that after divisions of different cells
      including EMS, the nuclei of the posterior but not anterior daughter cells are
      anchored to the posterior cell cortex via centrosomes. We also show that this
      nuclear anchoring is regulated by components of the Wnt pathway and SRC-1 that
      functions in MES-1 signaling. To understand the biologic roles of nuclear
      anchoring, we analyzed its effects on asymmetric nuclear localization of POP
      1/TCF that is also regulated by Wnt and Src signaling. We found that in mom-2
      mutants where the nuclear anchoring and POP-1 asymmetry is partially inhibited,
      the proximity of the nucleus to the cell cortex correlated with POP-1 asymmetry.
      Furthermore, in mutants of mom-2, the defect in the anchoring is clearly
      correlated with that of asymmetric fate determination. These results suggest that
      the asymmetric nuclear anchoring functions in asymmetric division by enhancing
      POP-1 asymmetry.

PMID- 20298435
TI  - Contribution of dynein light intermediate and intermediate chains to subcellular
      localization of the dynein-dynactin motor complex in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.
AB  - In fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, cytoplasmic dynein drives oscillatory
      nuclear movement during meiotic prophase, which may facilitate pairing of
      homologous chromosomes. Here, we report the identification of a dynein light
      intermediate chain (LIC) in fission yeast, termed Dli1p, and show that Dli1p and
      dynein intermediate chain (IC) Dic1p are essential for the appropriate
      subcellular localization and proper function of dynein during meiotic prophase.
      Expression of both the dli1 and dic1 genes was observed only in cells undergoing
      meiosis. Dli1p interacted and colocalized with dynein heavy chain Dhc1p. The
      subcellular localization of Dli1p was dependent on Dhc1p, and vice versa. The
      Dhc1p-Dli1p subcomplex could localize to the spindle pole body (SPB) with no aid
      of Dic1p and dynactin subunit Ssm4p, but its localization to microtubules was
      dependent on these two proteins. Dic1p localized to microtubules depending on
      Ssm4p, but not on Dhc1p and Dli1p. Its localization to the SPB, however, was
      dependent on Dhc1p and Dli1p. Localization of Ssm4p to the SPB was largely
      dependent on Dhc1p, Dli1p and Dic1p. Thus, Dli1p and Dic1p contribute differently
      in localizing the dynein-dynactin motor complex to organelles, providing novel
      insight into the in vivo function of dynein subunits in fission yeast.

PMID- 20298436
TI  - Role of N-end rule ubiquitin ligases UBR1 and UBR2 in regulating the leucine-mTOR
      signaling pathway.
AB  - Of 20 natural amino acids, leucine is particularly important for promoting
      cellular protein synthesis. The effect of leucine involves mammalian target of
      rapamycin (mTOR), a key protein kinase controlling cell growth. Leucine enhances
      mTOR-mediated phosphorylation of S6K1 and 4E-BP, thereby promoting protein
      synthesis. However, how the presence of leucine is sensed and transmitted to mTOR
      is poorly understood. Here, we show evidence that UBR1 and UBR2 might be cellular
      targets of leucine. UBR1 and UBR2 are E3 ubiquitin ligases that recognize the
      identity of N-terminal residues and contribute to selective destabilization of
      target proteins according to the N-end rule. Using leucine-immobilized affinity
      beads, we identified UBR1 and UBR2 as leucine-binding proteins from leucine
      responsive rat hepatoma H4IIE cells. Over-expression of UBR1 or UBR2 resulted in
      a reduction in mTOR-dependent S6K1 phosphorylation, whereas knockdown of UBR1 or
      UBR2 increased S6K1 phosphorylation in amino acid-starved human 293T cells. We
      also found that leucine binds to the substrate-recognition domain of UBR2 and
      inhibits degradation of N-end rule substrates in vitro. These findings suggest
      that UBR1 and UBR2 are negative regulators of the leucine-mTOR signaling pathway.
      Leucine might activate this pathway in part through inhibition of their ubiquitin
      ligase activity.

PMID- 20298437
TI  - DPPA4 modulates chromatin structure via association with DNA and core histone H3
      in mouse embryonic stem cells.
AB  - Developmental pluripotency associated 4 (DPPA4) is one of the uncharacterized
      genes that is highly expressed in embryonic stem (ES) cells. DPPA4 is associated
      with active chromatin and involved in the pluripotency of mouse ES cells.
      However, the biological function of DPPA4 remains poorly understood. In this
      study, we performed fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) analysis to
      examine the dynamics of DPPA4 in ES cells. FRAP analysis showed that the mobility
      of DPPA4 is similar to that of histone H1. In addition, biochemical analysis with
      purified proteins and immunoprecipitation analysis showed that DPPA4 directly
      binds to both DNA and core histone H3. The analysis using truncated proteins
      indicated that DPPA4 is associated with DNA via the N-terminal region and histone
      H3 via the C-terminal region. In vitro assembled chromatin showed resistance to
      micrococcal nuclease (MNase) digestion in the presence of DPPA4. Moreover, MNase
      assay and FRAP analysis with the truncated proteins implies that DPPA4 binding to
      both DNA and histone H3 is necessary for the chromatin structure resistant to
      MNase and for the proper localization of DPPA4 in ES cell nuclei. These results
      suggest that DPPA4 modulates the chromatin structure in association with DNA and
      histone H3 in ES cells.

PMID- 20298438
TI  - Distinct functionalities of bone morphogenetic protein antagonists during
      fracture healing in mice.
AB  - The bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) family of growth factors plays critical
      roles in bone formation. BMPs are regulated at multiple levels by various BMP
      antagonists. This study investigated how BMP antagonists are integrated into the
      cascade of events of bone formation during fracture healing. Forty mice underwent
      a controlled femur fracture; tissue samples at the fracture site were harvested
      at days 1, 3, 7, 14 and 21 after fracture, for quantification of the expression
      of BMPs and BMP antagonists. During fracture healing, BMP-2, -4 and -7 were up
      regulated, but BMPR-1A and BMPR-2 showed reduced expression after day 14. Among
      BMP antagonists, the expressions of PRDC, SOST, Smad7, GREM1 and CERBERUS were
      generally down-regulated during fracture healing. In contrast, Noggin was
      significantly up-regulated in the first week after fracture; 7 days after
      fracture, other BMP antagonists, including DAN, CHRD, Smad6 and BAMBI, also
      showed significantly increased expression. In conclusion, this study indicates
      that BMP antagonists can be divided into two functional groups in relation to
      fracture healing: (1) those whose suppression may be essential for the initiation
      of osteogenesis; (2) those that are upregulated and may function in the
      remodeling of newly formed bone.

PMID- 20298439
TI  - Function of the shoulder muscles during arm elevation: an assessment using
      positron emission tomography.
AB  - Although 2-deoxy-2-[(18)F]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography
      (PET) has been used for the assessment of skeletal muscle activities, its
      application to the shoulder muscles is only sparse. The purpose of this study was
      to investigate the activities of the shoulder muscles during arm elevation using
      PET. Six healthy volunteers performed an arm elevation exercise before and after
      FDG injection. The exercise consisted of 200 repetitions of arm elevation in the
      scapular plane with a 0.25-kg weight fixed to the wrist on both arms. PET
      examination was performed 50 min after FDG injection. For control data, PET scan
      was repeated for each subject on a separate day without any exercise. The volume
      of interest was established for each shoulder muscle. The subscapularis was
      divided into three portions (superior, middle, and inferior). The standardized
      uptake value (SUV) was calculated in each muscle to quantify its activity. The
      SUVs increased significantly after exercise in the deltoid, supraspinatus, and
      the superior portion of subscapularis. Among three divided portions of the
      subscapularis, the SUV of the superior one-third was significantly greater than
      the rest of the muscle after exercise. Our current study clearly indicated that
      there were two functionally different portions in the subscapularis muscle and
      the superior one-third played an important role during arm elevation in the
      scapular plane.

PMID- 20298440
TI  - Heritability of anti-predatory traits: vigilance and locomotor performance in
      marmots.
AB  - Animals must allocate some proportion of their time to detecting predators. In
      birds and mammals, such anti-predator vigilance has been well studied, and we
      know that it may be influenced by a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic factors.
      Despite hundreds of studies focusing on vigilance and suggestions that there are
      individual differences in vigilance, there have been no prior studies examining
      its heritability in the field. Here, we present one of the first reports of
      (additive) genetic variation in vigilance. Using a restricted maximum likelihood
      procedure, we found that, in yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris), the
      heritability of locomotor ability (h(2)=0.21), and especially vigilance (h(2) =
      0.08), is low. These modest heritability estimates suggest great environmental
      variation or a history of directional selection eliminating genetic variation in
      these traits. We also found a significant phenotypic (r(P) = -0.09 +/- 0.04, P =
      0.024) and a substantial, but not significant, genetic correlation (r(A) = -0.57
      +/- 0.28, P = 0.082) between the two traits (slower animals are less vigilant
      while foraging). We found no evidence of differential survival or longevity
      associated with particular phenotypes of either trait. The genetic correlation
      may persist because of environmental heterogeneity and genotype-by-environment
      interactions maintaining the correlation, or because there are two ways to solve
      the problem of foraging in exposed areas: be very vigilant and rely on early
      detection coupled with speed to escape, or reduce vigilance to minimize time
      spent in an exposed location. Both strategies seem to be equally successful, and
      this 'locomotor ability-wariness' syndrome may therefore allow slow animals to
      compensate behaviourally for their impaired locomotor ability.

PMID- 20298441
TI  - Developmental acclimation affects clinal variation in stress resistance traits in
      Drosophila buzzatii.
AB  - Patterns of clinal genetic variation in Drosophila are often characterized after
      rearing at constant temperatures. However, clinal patterns might change after
      acclimation if populations differ in their plastic response to fluctuating
      environments. We studied longevity, starvation and heat knock-down resistance
      after development at either constant or fluctuating temperatures in nine
      Drosophila buzzatii populations collected along an altitudinal gradient in
      Tenerife, Spain. Flies that developed at fluctuating temperatures had higher
      stress resistance despite experiencing a slightly lower average temperature than
      those at constant temperatures. Genetic variation along the gradient was found in
      both stress-resistance traits. Because Q(ST) values greatly exceeded F(ST)
      values, genetic drift could not explain this diversification. In general,
      differences among populations were larger after rearing at fluctuating
      temperatures, especially in heat knock-down, for which clinal patterns
      disappeared when flies were reared at constant temperatures. This result
      emphasizes the importance of determining whether populations originating from
      different environments differ in their plastic responses to stress.

PMID- 20298442
TI  - The outcome of sperm competition is affected by behavioural and anatomical
      reproductive traits in a simultaneously hermaphroditic land snail.
AB  - Sperm competition is important in species with reproductive strategies that
      involve multiple mating and prolonged sperm storage such as the simultaneously
      hermaphroditic land snail Cornu aspersum. Double mating trials in this species
      have revealed that mating order and courtship behaviour affect paternity success.
      We investigated the effect of behavioural and anatomical reproductive traits on
      paternity success from triple mating trials. Triple mating resulted in triple
      fertilization in 58% of the cases whereas zero paternity was observed in 16% of
      sperm donors. Third sperm donors achieved higher paternity followed by first and
      second sperm donors. Snails with a longer epiphallus, the spermatophore forming
      organ, sired more offspring regardless of their mating order. Genetic
      compatibility between sperm donor and recipient did not influence paternity
      success. The results of the present study identified mating order and epiphallus
      length, as traits affecting the outcome of sperm competition in this species.

PMID- 20298443
TI  - Sex chromosome evolution in the clam shrimp, Eulimnadia texana.
AB  - Chromosomes that determine sex are predicted to evolve differently than
      autosomes: a lack of recombination on one of the two sex chromosomes is predicted
      to allow an accumulation of deleterious alleles that eventually leads to reduced
      functionality and potential physical degradation of the nonrecombining
      chromosome. Because these changes should occur at an elevated evolutionary rate,
      it is difficult to find appropriate species in which to test these evolutionary
      predictions. The unique genetic sex-determining mechanism of the crustacean
      Eulimnadia texana prevents major chromosome degeneration because of expression of
      both 'proto-sex' (i.e. early stage of development) chromosomes in homozygous form
      (ZZ and WW). Herein, we exploit this unique genetic system to examine the
      predicted accumulation of deleterious alleles by comparing both homogametic
      sexual types to their heterogametic counterpart. We report differences in
      crossing over in a sex-linked region in the ZW hermaphrodites (approximately 3%)
      relative to the ZZ males (approximately 21%), indicative of cross-over
      suppression in the ZW hermaphrodites. Additionally, we report that both ZZ and WW
      genotypes have reduced fitness relative to ZW hermaphrodites, which is consistent
      with the prediction of harboured recessive mutations embedded on both the Z and
      the W chromosomes. These results suggest that the proto-sex chromosomes in E.
      texana accumulate recessive deleterious alleles. We hypothesize that recessive
      deleterious alleles of large effect cannot accumulate because of expression in
      both ZZ and WW individuals, keeping both chromosomes from losing significant
      function.

PMID- 20298444
TI  - Insularity and the evolution of melanism, sexual dichromatism and body size in
      the worldwide-distributed barn owl.
AB  - Island biogeography has provided fundamental hypotheses in population genetics,
      ecology and evolutionary biology. Insular populations usually face different
      feeding conditions, predation pressure, intraspecific and interspecific
      competition than continental populations. This so-called island syndrome can
      promote the evolution of specific phenotypes like a small (or large) body size
      and a light (or dark) colouration as well as influence the evolution of sexual
      dimorphism. To examine whether insularity leads to phenotypic differentiation in
      a consistent way in a worldwide-distributed nonmigratory species, we compared
      body size, body shape and colouration between insular and continental barn owl
      (Tyto alba) populations by controlling indirectly for phylogeny. This species is
      suitable because it varies in pheomelanin-based colouration from reddish-brown to
      white, and it displays eumelanic black spots for which the number and size vary
      between individuals, populations and species. Females are on average darker
      pheomelanic and display more and larger eumelanic spots than males. Our results
      show that on islands barn owls exhibited smaller and fewer eumelanic spots and
      lighter pheomelanic colouration, and shorter wings than on continents. Sexual
      dimorphism in pheomelanin-based colouration was less pronounced on islands than
      continents (i.e. on islands males tended to be as pheomelanic as females), and on
      small islands owls were redder pheomelanic and smaller in size than owls living
      on larger islands. Sexual dimorphism in the size of eumelanic spots was more
      pronounced (i.e. females displayed much larger spots than males) in barn owls
      living on islands located further away from a continent. Our study indicates that
      insular conditions drive the evolution towards a lower degree of eumelanism,
      smaller body size and affects the evolution of sexual dichromatism in melanin
      based colour traits. The effect of insularity was more pronounced on body size
      and shape than on melanic traits.

PMID- 20298445
TI  - Changes in skin mucus of common carp, Cyprinus carpio L., after exposure to water
      with a high bacterial load.
AB  - Water in aquaculture systems may contain a high load of microorganisms. Reduction
      in overall bacterial tank water load improves fish health and growth parameters.
      In this study, the effect of an increase of overall bacterial load in tank water
      on carp skin mucus was assessed. Intracellular and released high molecular weight
      glycoproteins (HMGs) of carp skin mucus were analysed for changes using
      histological, histochemical and biochemical techniques. Increase of bacterial
      load did not induce obvious clinical responses in carp, but the skin of exposed
      carp responded quickly. The amount of skin mucus HMGs isolated increased as well
      as their total glycosylation. An increased goblet cell number was observed for
      all carbohydrate stainings, but most clearly for acidic glycoconjugates. A change
      in the terminal presence of some sugars was also seen. After the initial response
      of carp, an adaptation to the higher bacterial load in the water appeared to
      occur as mucins had a higher glycosylation. The changes observed suggest that
      these skin mucus adaptations are part of a primary defence mechanism of mucosal
      epithelia, even at a low pathogenic pressure.

PMID- 20298446
TI  - Evaluation of histopathology, real-time PCR and virus isolation for diagnosis of
      infectious salmon anaemia in Norwegian salmon using latent class analysis.

PMID- 20298447
TI  - Protection against heterologous Streptococcus iniae isolates using a modified
      bacterin vaccine in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L.).
AB  - Streptococcus iniae is a significant pathogen impacting aquaculture production
      worldwide. The objectives of this study were to determine whether a developed
      modified S. iniae (ARS-98-60) bacterin vaccine is efficacious in Nile tilapia,
      Oreochromis niloticus (L.), against challenge with heterologous isolates from
      diverse geographical locations and to evaluate protein and antigenic variability
      among the isolates tested. Two groups of tilapia (approximately 5 g) were
      intraperitoneally (IP) vaccinated with 100 microL of the vaccine or sham
      vaccinated with 100 microL of sterile tryptic soy broth and held for 28 days.
      Fish were challenged with each isolate by IP injection of 2-3 x 10(7) CFU per
      fish using calcein to mark fish prior to cohabitation for challenge. The results
      demonstrated significant protection against all challenge isolates, and relative
      percent survivals ranged from 79% to 100%. SDS-PAGE analysis of whole-cell lysate
      proteins from the S. iniae isolates demonstrated similar protein profiles between
      10 and 31 kDa and variation in profiles between 35 and 100 kDa. Western blot
      analysis using antiserum from vaccinated fish (ARS-98-60) demonstrated shared
      immunogenic proteins among all isolates in the molecular mass range of 22-35 kDa
      and high molecular mass material >150 kDa. The results suggest that the developed
      S. iniae vaccine has broad ranging protection among isolates exhibiting different
      protein profiles.

PMID- 20298448
TI  - White spot syndrome virus in wild penaeid shrimp caught in coastal and offshore
      waters in the southern Atlantic Ocean.

PMID- 20298449
TI  - The response of intestinal mucous cells to the presence of enteric helminths:
      their distribution, histochemistry and fine structure.
AB  - Histochemical and ultrastructural investigations were conducted on the mucous
      cells of the intestine of brown trout, Salmo trutta L., naturally infected with
      the cestode Cyathocephalus truncatus (Pallas, 1781) and the acanthocephalan
      Echinorhynchus truttae Shrank, 1788. A subpopulation of 45 S. trutta were
      examined of which 15 specimens harboured E. truttae, 15 of which were infected
      with C. truncatus and 15 fish, the control group, were uninfected. In
      histological sections, hyperplasia and hypertrophy of the mucous cells were
      evident at the site of parasite infection. Enhanced mucus secretion was also
      recorded in infected fish. The number of mucous cells close to the site of
      parasite attachment within the intestine was significantly higher than the number
      detected in uninfected individuals and in infected individuals at sites 1 cm or
      greater from the point of parasite attachment. There were no significant
      differences between the number of mucous cells found at the latter two sites.
      Alcian blue and periodic acid-Schiff's staining of representative histological
      sections revealed a significant increase in the number of mucous cells staining
      positively for acid glycoconjugates compared to the number of cells found in the
      intestines of uninfected S. trutta. In transmission electron microscopy sections,
      each mucous cell typically possessed an elongated, basally positioned nucleus.
      The cytoplasm was observed to possess numerous electron dense and lucent
      vesicles, in addition to well-developed rough endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi
      apparatus and a few round mitochondria.

PMID- 20298450
TI  - Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae in spawning pink salmon, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha
      (Walbaum), in the Quinsam River, British Columbia, Canada.

PMID- 20298451
TI  - Clinical white spot disease status in Penaeus monodon during the middle of the
      culture period - its epidemiological significance.

PMID- 20298452
TI  - Treatment development for systemic Tetrahymena sp. infection in guppies, Poecilia
      reticulata Peters.
AB  - Antibacterial and antiparasitic agents and a cysteine protease inhibitor (E-64)
      were tested against Tetrahymena infection, a serious problem in guppy production
      worldwide. Chemicals were tested in vitro by a colorimetric assay for Tetrahymena
      survival. The most effective were niclosamide, albendazole and chloroquine, with
      23%, 35% and 60% survival, respectively, following 2-h exposure to 100 ppm.
      Longer incubation periods resulted in greater reductions in survival. Niclosamide
      was further studied in vivo at different dosages, administered orally to
      Tetrahymena-infected guppies. Mortality rates were significantly lower in all
      treatment groups; in trial I, 30% and 33% mortality in 5 and 40 mg kg(-1)
      niclosamide-fed fish vs. 59% mortality in controls; in trial II, 35%, 13% and 10%
      in 50, 100 and 200 mg kg(-1) niclosamide-fed fish vs. 64% in controls. The effect
      of the cysteine protease inhibitor E64 was tested in tissue culture, by measuring
      histolytic activity of the parasite (Tet-NI) on a guppy-fin cell line, based on
      cell depletion. Tet-NI feeding activity was significantly reduced following
      pretreatment with E-64 relative to non-treated Tet-NI. E-64-pretreated Tet-NI was
      injected i.p. into guppies: recorded mortality rates were significantly lower
      (35%) than that in non-treated Tet-NI (60%), suggesting inhibition of the
      parasite's cysteine protease as a possible therapeutic approach.

PMID- 20298453
TI  - First description of atypical furunculosis in freshwater farmed Atlantic salmon,
      Salmo salar L., in Chile.
AB  - We report the first isolation, identification and characterization of a group of
      Chilean strains of atypical Aeromonas salmonicida isolated from freshwater farmed
      Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar. Affected fish showed superficial ulcers and pale
      liver with or without petechial haemorrhages. Outbreaks of the disease occurred
      in two farms in the south of Chile about 2200 km apart. Five strains were
      isolated in pure culture and identified by serological assays and
      immunofluorescence tests as belonging to Aeromonas salmonicida. Although the
      bacterial isolates were phenotypically homogeneous, minor differences with the
      reference strain A. salmonicida subsp. salmonicida ATCC 33658 were noted. Three
      specific primer sets and partial 16S rRNA gene sequencing allowed the
      identification of the Chilean isolates as atypical A. salmonicida, with A.
      salmonicida subsp. achromogenes and A. salmonicida subsp. masoucida as their
      closest relatives (100% sequence similarity). Molecular typing indicated that the
      atypical isolates belong to two genetic groups that were associated with the
      geographical origin.

PMID- 20298454
TI  - Molecular evolution of the thyrotrophin-releasing hormone precursor in
      vertebrates: insights from comparative genomics.
AB  - Human preprothyrotrophin-releasing hormone (ppTRH) includes six copies of the TRH
      sequence, the rat and mouse precursors have five, and those of non-mammalian
      vertebrates have up to eight. In the present study, the evolutionary basis of
      this variation was investigated using ppTRH gene sequences extracted from
      available vertebrate genomic databases. A structure based on eight TRH repeats
      appears to be the norm for non-mammalian vertebrates, but in all mammals except
      monotremes this number is reduced to a maximum of six. In some species, one (or
      more) of the TRH repeats has been mutated, probably rendering it functionless
      and, in a few species, one or two copies of the TRH sequence have been deleted
      completely. Sequences of regions between the TRH sequences are poorly conserved,
      despite reports that several active peptides are produced from these regions. The
      5' untranslated region of ppTRH is also very variable but, in eutherians, the
      promoter region immediately upstream of the gene is quite strongly conserved. In
      particular, those sequences identified as being involved in transcriptional
      regulation are well conserved in most eutherians, although they are largely
      absent from other vertebrates. In most species, gene order around the ppTRH locus
      is conserved, although exceptions include man and chimpanzee, as well as rat and
      mouse. The comparative genomics approach thus provides a wider view than
      previously available of the range of ppTRH genes in vertebrates, and of the
      species specificity displayed by this molecule.

PMID- 20298455
TI  - Hepatic-portal vein infusions of glucagon-like peptide-1 reduce meal size and
      increase c-Fos expression in the nucleus tractus solitarii, area postrema and
      central nucleus of the amygdala in rats.
AB  - We recently reported that brief, remotely controlled intrameal hepatic-portal
      vein infusions of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) reduced spontaneous meal size
      in rats. To investigate the neurobehavioural correlates of this effect, we
      equipped male Sprague-Dawley rats with hepatic-portal vein catheters and assessed
      (i) the effect on eating of remotely triggered infusions of GLP-1 (1 nmol/kg, 5
      min) or vehicle during the first nocturnal meal after 3 h of food deprivation and
      (ii) the effect of identical infusions performed at dark onset on c-Fos
      expression in several brain areas involved in the control of eating. GLP-1
      reduced (P < 0.05) the size of the first nocturnal meal and increased its satiety
      ratio. Also, GLP-1 increased (P < 0.05) the number of c-Fos-expressing cells in
      the nucleus tractus solitarii, the area postrema and the central nucleus of the
      amygdala, but not in the arcuate or paraventricular hypothalamic nuclei. These
      data suggest that the nucleus tractus solitarii, the area postrema and the
      central nucleus of the amygdala play a role in the eating-inhibitory actions of
      GLP-1 infused into the hepatic-portal vein; it remains to be established whether
      activation of these brain nuclei reflect satiation, aversion, or both.

PMID- 20298456
TI  - Influence of ghrelin and growth hormone deficiency on AMP-activated protein
      kinase and hypothalamic lipid metabolism.
AB  - Current evidence demonstrates that the stomach-derived hormone ghrelin, a potent
      growth hormone (GH) secretagogue, promotes feeding through a mechanism involving
      the short-term activation of hypothalamic AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK),
      which in turn results in decreased hypothalamic levels of malonyl-CoA and
      increased carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1) activity. Despite this
      evidence, no data have been reported about the effect of chronic, central ghrelin
      administration on hypothalamic fatty acid metabolism. In the present study, we
      examined the differences in hypothalamic fatty acid metabolism in the presence
      and absence of GH, by using a model for the study of GH-deficiency, namely the
      spontaneous dwarf rat and the effect of long-term central ghrelin treatment and
      starvation on hypothalamic fatty acid metabolism in this animal model. Our data
      showed that GH-deficiency induces reductions in both de novo lipogenesis and beta
      oxidation pathways in the hypothalamus. Thus, dwarf rats display reductions in
      fatty acid synthase (FAS) mRNA expression both in the ventromedial nucleus of the
      hypothalamus (VMH) and whole hypothalamus, as well as in FAS protein and
      activity. CPT1 activity was also reduced. In addition, in the present study, we
      show that chronic ghrelin treatment does not promote AMPK-induced changes in the
      overall fluxes of hypothalamic fatty acid metabolism in normal rats and that this
      effect is independent of GH status. By contrast, we demonstrated that both
      chronic ghrelin and fasting decreased FAS mRNA expression in the VMH of normal
      rats but not dwarf rats, suggesting GH status dependency. Overall, these results
      suggest that ghrelin plays a dual time-dependent role in modulating hypothalamic
      lipid metabolism. Understanding the molecular mechanism underlying the interplay
      between GH and ghrelin on hypothalamic lipid metabolism will allow new strategies
      for the design and development of suitable drugs for the treatment of GH
      deficiency, obesity and its comorbidities.

PMID- 20298457
TI  - Stress response of prolactin-releasing peptide knockout mice as to glucocorticoid
      secretion.
AB  - Prolactin-releasing peptide (PrRP) is known to have functions in prolactin
      secretion, stress responses, cardiovascular regulation and food intake
      suppression. In addition, PrRP-knockout (KO) male mice show obesity from the age
      of 22 weeks and increase their food intake. The plasma concentrations of insulin,
      leptin, cholesterol and triglyceride are also increased in obese PrRP-KO mice.
      Fatty liver, hypertrophied white adipose tissue, decreased uncoupling protein 1
      mRNA expression in brown adipose tissue and glucose intolerance were observed in
      obese PrRP-KO mice. As we reported previously, PrRP stimulates corticotrophin
      releasing factor and regulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.
      Therefore, it is speculated that PrRP regulates both food intake and metabolism
      as a stress responses. In the present study, we compared blood glucose and plasma
      glucocorticoid concentrations in PrRP-KO mice, and found that PrRP-KO mice showed
      higher concentrations of blood glucose and corticosterone compared to wild-type
      mice after restraint stress. By contrast, there were no difference in c-Fos
      expression in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus and plasma
      adrenocorticotrophic hormone concentrations between the two groups. These results
      suggest that the different stress responses as to glucocorticoid secretion may be
      induced by different responses of the adrenal glands between wild-type and PrRP
      KO mice. Thus, we conclude that PrRP-KO mice become obese as a result of
      increased food intake, a change in metabolism, and abnormal stress responses as
      to glucose concentration and glucocorticoid secretion.

PMID- 20298458
TI  - Effects of hypoglycaemia on neurotransmitter and hormone receptor gene expression
      in laser-dissected arcuate neuropeptide Y/agouti-related peptide neurones.
AB  - Arcuate neuropeptide Y (NPY)/agouti-related pepide (AgRP) neurones regulate
      energy homeostasis, and express the putative glucosensor, glucokinase (GCK). The
      present study performed multi-transcriptional profiling of these neurones to
      characterise NPY, AgRP and GCK gene expression during intermediate insulin
      induced hypoglycaemia, and to determine whether these transcriptional responses
      acclimate to repeated insulin dosing. We also examined whether these neurones
      express insulin, glucocorticoid and oestrogen receptor gene transcripts, and
      whether the levels of these receptor mRNAs are modified by insulin-induced
      hypoglycaemia. Individual NPY-immunoreactive neurones were laser-microdissected
      from the caudal arcuate nucleus after single or serial dosing with neutral
      protamine Hagedorn insulin (NPH), and evaluated by quantitative real-time reverse
      transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction for the assessment of neurotransmitter
      and receptor gene expression. Mean NPY and AgRP mRNA in harvested NPY neurones
      was unchanged or augmented, respectively, by one NPH dose, although repeated NPH
      administration up-regulated NPY, whereas AgRP gene transcripts were down
      regulated. NPH elicited divergent modifications in the ERalpha and ERbeta mRNA
      content of sampled neurones. ERalpha transcripts were amplified by both acute and
      chronic NPH-induced hypoglycaemia, whereas ERbeta gene expression was unaltered
      during a single bout, but suppressed during recurring hypoglycaemia.
      Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) mRNA levels were increased by a single insulin dose,
      but unaffected by serial NPH dosing. Insulin receptor-beta chain (InsRb) gene
      transcripts were insensitive to acute NPH-induced hypoglycaemia, but repeated NPH
      inhibited this gene transcript. Neither acute nor recurring hypoglycaemia
      modified GCK mRNA levels in caudal hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARH) NPY/AgRP
      neurones, but baseline GCK transcription was suppressed by the latter. This
      evidence for the habituation of hypoglycaemic patterns of InsRb, GR and ERbeta
      gene transcription to serial NPH dosing implies that such treatment may alter
      reactivity of caudal ARH NPY/AgRP neurones to receptor ligands, and supports the
      need to determine whether adaptive changes in neuronal sensitivity to insulin,
      corticosterone and/or oestrogen cause up- versus down-regulation of NPY and AgRP
      neurotransmission, respectively, by this caudal ARH subpopulation during chronic
      hypoglycaemia.

PMID- 20298460
TI  - Herbivory enhances positive effects of plant genotypic diversity.
AB  - Both plant diversity and vertebrate herbivores can impact plant fitness and
      ecosystem functioning, however their interactions have not been explicitly
      tested. We manipulated plant genotypic diversity of the native plant Oenothera
      biennis and monitored its survivorship and lifetime fitness with and without one
      of its major vertebrate consumers, white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus.
      Intense but unmanipulated herbivory by meadow voles Microtus pennsylvanicus
      killed over 70% of nearly 4000 experimental plants. However, plants grown in
      genotypically diverse patches suffered fewer vole attacks and had higher survival
      and reproductive output than plants in monoculture. Moreover, positive effects of
      genotypic diversity were enhanced by the presence of deer, indicating a non
      additive interaction between diversity and trophic-level complexity. Genetic
      selection analyses showed that the selective value of ecologically important
      traits depended on plant diversity and exposure to deer, demonstrating that
      community complexity can promote fitness through multiple ecologically and
      evolutionarily important feedbacks.

PMID- 20298459
TI  - The adaptive brain: Glenn Hatton and the supraoptic nucleus.
AB  - In December 2009, Glenn Hatton died, and neuroendocrinology lost a pioneer who
      had done much to forge our present understanding of the hypothalamus and whose
      productivity had not faded with the passing years. Glenn, an expert in both
      functional morphology and electrophysiology, was driven by a will to understand
      the significance of his observations in the context of the living, behaving
      organism. He also had the wit to generate bold and challenging hypotheses, the
      wherewithal to expose them to critical and elegant experimental testing, and a
      way with words that gave his papers and lectures clarity and eloquence. The
      hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system offered a host of opportunities for
      understanding how physiological functions are fulfilled by the electrical
      activity of neurones, how neuronal behaviour changes with changing physiological
      states, and how morphological changes contribute to the physiological response.
      In the vision that Glenn developed over 35 years, the neuroendocrine brain is as
      dynamic in structure as it is adaptable in function. Its adaptability is
      reflected not only by mere synaptic plasticity, but also by changes in neuronal
      morphology and in the morphology of the glial cells. Astrocytes, in Glenn's view,
      were intimate partners of the neurones, partners with an essential role in
      adaptation to changing physiological demands.

PMID- 20298461
TI  - Maintenance of genetic variation in immune defense of a freshwater snail: role of
      environmental heterogeneity.
AB  - Natural populations often show genetic variation in pathogen resistance, which is
      paradoxal because natural selection is expected to erode genetic variation in
      fitness-related traits. Several different factors have been suggested to maintain
      such variation, but their relative importance is still poorly understood. Here we
      examined if environmental heterogeneity and genetic trade-offs could contribute
      to the maintenance of genetic variation in immune function of a freshwater snail
      Lymnaea stagnalis. We assessed the immunocompetence of snails originating from
      different families and maintained in different feeding treatments (ad libitum
      feeding, no food) by measuring the density of circulating hemocytes,
      phenoloxidase activity, and antibacterial activity of snail hemolymph. Food
      limitation reduced snail immune function, and we found significant among-family
      variation in hemocyte concentration and PO activity, but not in antibacterial
      activity. Interestingly, food availability modified the family-level variation
      observed in PO activity so that the relative immunocompetence of different snail
      families changed over environmental conditions (G x E interaction). We found no
      evidence for genetic trade-offs between snail growth and immune defense nor among
      immune traits. Thus, our findings support the idea that environmental
      heterogeneity may promote maintenance of genetic variation in immune defense, but
      also suggest that different immune traits might not respond similarly to
      environmental variation.

PMID- 20298462
TI  - Extreme selection on size in the early lives of fish.
AB  - Although fitness typically increases with body size and selection gradients on
      size are generally positive, much of this information comes from terrestrial
      taxa. In the early life history of fish, there is evidence of selection both for
      and against larger size, leaving open the question of whether the general pattern
      for terrestrial taxa is valid for fish. We reviewed studies of size-dependent
      survival in the early life history of fish and obtained estimates of standardized
      selection differentials from 40 studies. We found that 77% of estimated selection
      differentials favored larger size and that the strength of selection was more
      than five times that seen in terrestrial taxa. Selection decreased with study
      period duration and initial length, and disruptive selection occurred
      significantly more frequently than stabilizing selection. Contrary to
      expectations from Bergmann's rule, selection on size did not increase with
      latitude.

PMID- 20298463
TI  - Diversification and persistence at the arid-monsoonal interface: australia-wide
      biogeography of the Bynoe's gecko (Heteronotia binoei; Gekkonidae).
AB  - Late Neogene aridification in the Southern Hemisphere caused contractions of
      mesic biota to refugia, similar to the patterns established by glaciation in the
      Northern Hemisphere, but these episodes also opened up new adaptive zones that
      spurred range expansion and diversification in arid-adapted lineages. To
      understand these dynamics, we present a multilocus (nine nuclear introns, one
      mitochondrial gene) phylogeographic analysis of the Bynoe's gecko (Heteronotia
      binoei), a widely distributed complex spanning the tropical monsoon, coastal
      woodland, and arid zone biomes in Australia. Bayesian phylogenetic analyses,
      estimates of divergence times, and demographic inferences revealed episodes of
      diversification in the Pliocene, especially in the tropical monsoon biome, and
      range expansions in the Pleistocene. Ancestral habitat reconstructions strongly
      support recent and independent invasions into the arid zone. Our study
      demonstrates the varied responses to aridification in Australia, including
      localized persistence of lineages in the tropical monsoonal biome, and repeated
      invasion of and expansion through newly available arid-zone habitats. These
      patterns are consistent with those found in other arid environments in the
      Southern Hemisphere, including the South African succulent karoo and the Chilean
      lowlands, and highlight the diverse modes of diversification and persistence of
      Earth's biota during the glacial cycles of the Pliocene and Pleistocene.

PMID- 20298464
TI  - The evolutionary implications of conflict between parasites with different
      transmission modes.
AB  - Understanding the processes that shape the evolution of parasites is a key
      challenge for evolutionary biology. It is well understood that different
      parasites may often infect the same host and that this may have important
      implications to the evolutionary behavior. Here we examine the evolutionary
      implications of the conflict that arises when two parasite species, one
      vertically transmitted and the other horizontally transmitted, infect the same
      host. We show that the presence of a vertically transmitted parasite (VTP) often
      leads to the evolution of higher virulence in horizontally transmitted parasites
      (HTPs), particularly if the VTPs are feminizing. The high virulence in some HTPs
      may therefore result from coinfection with cryptic VTPs. The impact of an HTP on
      a VTP evolution depends crucially on the nature of the life-history trade-offs.
      Fast virulent HTPs select for intermediate feminization and virulence in VTPs.
      Coevolutionary models show similar insights, but emphasize the importance of host
      life span to the outcome, with higher virulence in both types of parasite in
      short-lived hosts. Overall, our models emphasize the interplay of host and
      parasite characteristics in the evolutionary outcome and point the way for
      further empirical study.

PMID- 20298465
TI  - Contrasting patterns of phenotypic plasticity in reproductive traits in two great
      tit (Parus major) populations.
AB  - Phenotypic plasticity is an important mechanism via which populations can respond
      to changing environmental conditions, but we know very little about how natural
      populations vary with respect to plasticity. Here we use random-regression animal
      models to understand the multivariate phenotypic and genetic patterns of
      plasticity variation in two key life-history traits, laying date and clutch size,
      using data from long-term studies of great tits in The Netherlands (Hoge Veluwe
      [HV]) and UK (Wytham Woods [WW]). We show that, while population-level responses
      of laying date and clutch size to temperature were similar in the two
      populations, between-individual variation in plasticity differed markedly. Both
      populations showed significant variation in phenotypic plasticity (IxE) for
      laying date, but IxE was significantly higher in HV than in WW. There were no
      significant genotype-by-environment interactions (GxE) for laying date, yet
      differences in GxE were marginally nonsignificant between HV and WW. For clutch
      size, we only found significant IxE and GxE in WW but no significant difference
      between populations. From a multivariate perspective, plasticity in laying date
      was not correlated with plasticity in clutch size in either population. Our
      results suggest that generalizations about the form and cause of any response to
      changing environmental conditions across populations may be difficult.

PMID- 20298466
TI  - Population genetic data suggest a role for mosquito-mediated dispersal of West
      Nile virus across the western United States.
AB  - After introduction, West Nile virus (WNV) spread rapidly across the western
      United States between the years 2001 and 2004. This westward movement is thought
      to have been mediated by random dispersive movements of resident birds. Little
      attention has been placed on the role of mosquito vectors in virus dispersal
      across North America. The mosquito vector largely responsible for WNV
      amplification and transmission of WNV in the western USA is Culex tarsalis. Here
      we present population genetic data that suggest a potential role for C. tarsalis
      in the dispersal of WNV across the western USA. Population genetic structure
      across the species range of C. tarsalis in the USA was characterized in 16 states
      using 12 microsatellite loci. structure and geneland analyses indicated the
      presence of three broad population clusters. Barriers to gene flow were resolved
      near the Sonoran desert in southern Arizona and between the eastern Rocky
      Mountains and High Plains plateau. Small genetic distances among populations
      within clusters indicated that gene flow was not obstructed over large portions
      of the West Coast and within the Great Plains region. Overall, gene flow in C.
      tarsalis appears to be extensive, potentially mediated by movement of mosquitoes
      among neighbouring populations and hindered in geographically limited parts of
      its range. The pattern of genetic clustering in C. tarsalis is congruent with the
      pattern of invasion of WNV across the western United States, raising the
      possibility that movement of this important vector may be involved in viral
      dispersal.

PMID- 20298468
TI  - Molecular phylogeography of Carapichea ipecacuanha, an amphitropical shrub that
      occurs in the understory of both semideciduous and evergreen forests.
AB  - The medicinal shrub Carapichea ipecacuanha (ipecac) is an amphitropic species
      with three disjunct areas of distribution. In the Brazilian Atlantic and
      Amazonian ranges, the species was associated mostly with the understory of
      seasonal semideciduous forests, whereas in the Central American-Colombian range,
      the species occurred in the understory of moist evergreen forests. We examined
      the phylogeographic structure of ipecac using chloroplast trnT-trnL and nuclear
      internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences from 120 and 46 specimens,
      respectively. To complement existing data on root alkaloid profiles, we used high
      performance liquid chromatography to assess the levels of emetine and cephaeline
      in 33 specimens from the two Brazilian ranges. The three ranges shared neither
      nuclear nor chloroplast haplotypes. The phylogeographic structures showed an
      uneven distribution of genetic diversity, sharp breaks and high levels of genetic
      differentiation among ranges. Our results suggest that the extant populations are
      descendents of at least four distinct ancestral lineages. The Atlantic ipecacs
      showed higher levels of genetic diversity than ipecacs from the other two ranges;
      it is likely that they derive from two ancestral lineages, with long-term
      persistence in that region. The Amazonian ipecacs were monomorphic with respect
      to the ITS and cpDNA sequences, which supports the view that there was a recent
      expansion from a single parental source after a strong genetic bottleneck. The
      existence of a fourth distinct lineage is apparent from the high levels of
      genetic and chemical differentiation that we identified in the Central American
      Columbian ipecacs.

PMID- 20298469
TI  - Can small wildlife conservancies maintain genetically stable populations of large
      mammals? Evidence for increased genetic drift in geographically restricted
      populations of Cape buffalo in East Africa.
AB  - The Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer caffer) is one of the dominant and most
      widespread herbivores in sub-Saharan Africa. High levels of genetic diversity and
      exceptionally low levels of population differentiation have been found in the
      Cape buffalo compared to other African savannah ungulates. Patterns of genetic
      variation reveal large effective population sizes and indicate that Cape buffalos
      have historically been interbreeding across considerable distances. Throughout
      much of its range, the Cape buffalo is now largely confined to protected areas
      due to habitat fragmentation and increasing human population densities, possibly
      resulting in genetic erosion. Ten buffalo populations in Kenya and Uganda were
      examined using seventeen microsatellite markers to assess the regional genetic
      structure and the effect of protected area size on measures of genetic diversity.
      Two nested levels of genetic structure were identified: a higher level
      partitioning populations into two clusters separated by the Victoria Nile and a
      lower level distinguishing seven genetic clusters, each defined by one or two
      study populations. Although relatively small geographic distances separate most
      of the study populations, the level of genetic differentiation found here is
      comparable to that among pan-African populations. Overall, correlations between
      conservancy area and indices of genetic diversity suggest buffalo populations
      inhabiting small parks are showing signs of genetic erosion, stressing the need
      for more active management of such populations. Our findings raise concerns about
      the future of other African savannah ungulates with lower population sizes and
      inferior dispersal capabilities compared with the buffalo.

PMID- 20298470
TI  - Environmentally induced phenotypes and DNA methylation: how to deal with
      unpredictable conditions until the next generation and after.
AB  - Organisms often respond to environmental changes by producing alternative
      phenotypes. Epigenetic processes such as DNA methylation may contribute to
      environmentally induced phenotypic variation by modifying gene expression.
      Changes in DNA methylation, unlike DNA mutations, can be influenced by the
      environment; they are stable at the time scale of an individual and present
      different levels of heritability. These characteristics make DNA methylation a
      potentially important molecular process to respond to environmental change. The
      aim of this review is to present the implications of DNA methylation on
      phenotypic variations driven by environmental changes. More specifically, we
      explore epigenetic concepts concerning phenotypic change in response to the
      environment and heritability of DNA methylation, namely the Baldwin effect and
      genetic accommodation. Before addressing this point, we report major differences
      in DNA methylation across taxa and the role of this modification in producing and
      maintaining environmentally induced phenotypic variation. We also present the
      different methods allowing the detection of methylation polymorphism. We believe
      this review will be helpful to molecular ecologists, in that it highlights the
      importance of epigenetic processes in ecological and evolutionary studies.

PMID- 20298471
TI  - Recurrent nuclear DNA introgression accompanies chloroplast DNA exchange between
      two eucalypt species.
AB  - Numerous studies within plant genera have found geographically structured sharing
      of chloroplast (cp) DNA among sympatric species, consistent with introgressive
      hybridization. Current research is aimed at understanding the extent, direction
      and significance of nuclear (nr) DNA exchange that accompanies putative cpDNA
      exchange. Eucalyptus is a complex tree genus for which cpDNA sharing has been
      established between multiple species. Prior phylogeographic analysis has
      indicated cpDNA introgression into the widespread forest species Eucalyptus
      globulus from its rare congener E. cordata. In this study, we use AFLP markers to
      characterize corresponding nrDNA introgression, on both a broad and fine spatial
      scale. Using 388 samples we examine (i) the fine-scale spatial structure of cp
      and nrDNA introgression from E. cordata into E. globulus at a site in natural
      forest and (ii) broad-scale patterns of AFLP marker introgression at six
      additional mixed populations. We show that while E. globulus and E. cordata
      retain strongly differentiated nuclear gene pools overall, leakage of nrDNA
      occurs at mixed populations, with some AFLP markers being transferred to E.
      globulus recurrently at different sites. On the fine scale, different AFLP
      fragments show varying distances of introgression into E. globulus, while
      introgression of cpDNA is extensive. The frequency of E. cordata markers in E.
      globulus is correlated with spatial proximity to E. cordata, but departs from
      expectations based on AFLP marker frequency in E. cordata, indicating that
      selection may be governing the persistence of introgressed fragments in E.
      globulus.

PMID- 20298472
TI  - Six quantitative trait loci influence task thresholds for hygienic behaviour in
      honeybees (Apis mellifera).
AB  - Honeybee hygienic behaviour provides colonies with protection from many pathogens
      and is an important model system of the genetics of a complex behaviour. It is a
      textbook example of complex behaviour under simple genetic control: hygienic
      behaviour consists of two components--uncapping a diseased brood cell, followed
      by removal of the contents--each of which are thought to be modulated
      independently by a few loci of medium to large effect. A worker's genetic
      propensity to engage in hygienic tasks affects the intensity of the stimulus
      required before she initiates the behaviour. Genetic diversity within colonies
      leads to task specialization among workers, with a minority of workers performing
      the majority of nest-cleaning tasks. We identify three quantitative trait loci
      that influence the likelihood that workers will engage in hygienic behaviour and
      account for up to 30% of the phenotypic variability in hygienic behaviour in our
      population. Furthermore, we identify two loci that influence the likelihood that
      a worker will perform uncapping behaviour only, and one locus that influences
      removal behaviour. We report the first candidate genes associated with engaging
      in hygienic behaviour, including four genes involved in olfaction, learning and
      social behaviour, and one gene involved in circadian locomotion. These candidates
      will allow molecular characterization of this distinctive behavioural mode of
      disease resistance, as well as providing the opportunity for marker-assisted
      selection for this commercially significant trait.

PMID- 20298473
TI  - Historical male-mediated introgression in horseshoe bats revealed by multilocus
      DNA sequence data.
AB  - Instances of hybridization between mammalian taxa in the wild are rarely
      documented. To test for introgression between sibling species of horseshoe bat
      (Rhinolophus yunanensis and R. pearsoni) and two subspecies of the latter (R. p.
      pearsoni and R. p. chinensis), we sequenced two mtDNA and two ncDNA markers in
      individuals sampled from multiple localities within their overlapping ranges. The
      interspecific mtDNA gene tree corresponded to the expected taxonomic divisions,
      and coalescent-based analyses suggested divergence occurred around 4 MYA.
      However, these relationships strongly conflicted with those recovered from two
      independent nuclear gene trees, in which R. yunanensis clustered with R. p.
      pearsoni to the exclusion of R. p. chinensis. This geographically widespread
      discordance is best explained by large-scale historical introgression of ncDNA
      from R. yunanensis to R. pearsoni by male-mediated exchange in mixed species
      colonies during Pleistocene glacial periods, when ranges may have contracted and
      overlapped more than at present. Further species tree-gene tree conflicts were
      detected between R. p. pearsoni and R. p. chinensis, also indicating past and/or
      current introgression in their overlapping regions. However, here the patterns
      point to asymmetric mtDNA introgression without ncDNA introgression. Analyses of
      coalescence times indicate this exchange has occurred subsequent to the
      divergence of these subspecies from their common ancestor. Our work highlights
      the importance of using multiple data sets for reconstructing phylogeographic
      histories and resolving taxonomic relationships.

PMID- 20298476
TI  - Expression of diagnostic neuronal markers and outcome in glioblastoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High-grade gliomas featuring giant cells, often demonstrate
      immunoreactivity for neuronal markers, a finding prognostically significant
      according to some studies. We investigated this event in glioblastomas (GBM).
      METHODS: Immunoexpression for synaptophysin, neurofilament protein, neuronal
      nuclear antigen, chromogranin and glial fibrillary acidic protein was analysed in
      82 GBM including 11 fibrillary, 8 gemistocytic, 40 giant cell and 23 small cell
      examples. Survival was compared between tumours exhibiting (GBMpos) or lacking
      (GBMneg) neuronal markers and also between tumours expressing only one vs. two or
      more neuronal markers. RESULTS: Forty-five of the 82 tumours (54.8%) including 5
      fibrillary, 5 gemistocytic, 30 giant cell and 5 small cell GBMs expressed at
      least one neuronal marker, synaptophysin being the most frequent (96%). There was
      no statistically significant difference in survival between GBMpos and GBMneg
      tumours, all cytologic subtypes combined (P = 0.22). The same was true when
      cytologic categories were compared. When only GBMpos tumours were analysed, there
      was a marginally significant difference in outcome between tumours positive for
      one vs. multiple markers (P = 0.05). This difference was influenced primarily by
      giant cell GBMs among which the survival time was significantly shorter in the
      multiple vs. single marker category (median 123 vs. 295 days, P = 0.014). This
      difference was not observed in the other GBM cell types. Ultrastructurally, rare
      neurosecretory granules in glial filament-rich cells were identified in one of
      four tumours studied. CONCLUSIONS: Neuronal marker expression is a frequent
      feature of GBM. Its prognostic significance is limited to the giant cell GBMs
      expressing two or more neuronal markers, these being associated with shorter
      survival.

PMID- 20298477
TI  - Na+/H+ antiporters are differentially regulated in response to NaCl stress in
      leaves and roots of Mesembryanthemum crystallinum.
AB  - Salinity tolerance in plants involves controlled Na(+) transport at the site of
      Na(+) accumulation and intracellular Na(+) compartmentation. The focus of this
      study was the identification and analysis of the expression of Na(+)/H(+)
      antiporters in response to NaCl stress in one particular plant, the facultative
      halophyte Mesembryanthemum crystallinum Na(+)/H(+) antiporters of M. crystallinum
      were cloned by RACE-PCR from total mRNA of leaf mesophyll cells. Functional
      complementation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli mutants was
      performed. The kinetics of changes in the expression of antiporters were
      quantified by real-time PCR in leaves and roots. Five Na(+)/H(+) antiporters
      (McSOS1, McNhaD, McNHX1, McNHX2 and McNHX3) were cloned, representing the entire
      set of these transporters in M. crystallinum. The functionality of McSOS1, McHX1
      and McNhaD was demonstrated in complementation experiments. Quantitative analysis
      revealed a temporal correlation between salt accumulation and expression levels
      of genes in leaves, but not in roots, which was most pronounced for McNhaD.
      Results suggest a physiological role of McSOS1, McNhaD and McNHX1 in Na(+)
      compartmentation during plant adaptation to high salinity. The study also
      provides evidence for salt-induced expression and function of the Na(+)/H(+)
      antiporter McNhaD in chloroplasts and demonstrates that the chloroplast is one of
      the compartments involved in the response of cells to salt stress.

PMID- 20298478
TI  - Callose implication in stomatal opening and closure in the fern Asplenium nidus.
AB  - The involvement of callose in the mechanism of stomatal pore opening and closing
      in the fern Asplenium nidus was investigated by examination of the pattern of
      callose deposition in open and closed stomata, and by examination of the effects
      of callose degradation and inhibition or induction of callose synthesis in
      stomatal movement. Callose was identified with aniline blue staining and a
      callose antibody and degraded via beta-1,3-D-glucanase. Callose synthesis was
      inhibited with 2-deoxy-D-glucose and induced by coumarin or dichlobenil. Stomatal
      pore opening and closing were assessed by estimation of the stomatal pore width.
      The open stomata entirely lacked callose, while the closed ones displayed
      distinct radial fibrillar callose arrays in the external periclinal walls. The
      latter displayed local bending at the region of callose deposition, a deformation
      that was absent in the open stomata. Both callose degradation and inhibition of
      callose synthesis reduced the stomatal ability to open in white light and close
      in darkness. By contrast, callose synthesis induction considerably improved
      stomatal pore opening and reduced stomatal closure in same conditions. The
      present data revealed that: during stomatal closure the external periclinal guard
      cell walls experience a strong mechanical stress, probably triggering callose
      synthesis; and that callose participates in stomatal movement.

PMID- 20298479
TI  - A novel phototropic response to red light is revealed in microgravity.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate phototropism in plants grown in
      microgravity conditions without the complications of a 1-g environment.
      Experiments performed on the International Space Station (ISS) were used to
      explore the mechanisms of both blue-light- and red-light-induced phototropism in
      plants. This project utilized the European Modular Cultivation System (EMCS),
      which has environmental controls for plant growth as well as centrifuges for
      gravity treatments used as a 1-g control. Images captured from video tapes were
      used to analyze the growth, development, and curvature of Arabidopsis thaliana
      plants that developed from seed in space. A novel positive phototropic response
      to red light was observed in hypocotyls of seedlings that developed in
      microgravity. This response was not apparent in seedlings grown on Earth or in
      the 1-g control during the space flight. In addition, blue-light-based
      phototropism had a greater response in microgravity compared with the 1-g
      control. Although flowering plants are generally thought to lack red light
      phototropism, our data suggest that at least some flowering plants may have
      retained a red light sensory system for phototropism. Thus, this discovery may
      have important implications for understanding the evolution of light sensory
      systems in plants.

PMID- 20298480
TI  - Relationships between carbonyl sulfide (COS) and CO2 during leaf gas exchange.
AB  - *Carbonyl sulfide (COS) exchange in C(3) leaves is linked to that of CO(2),
      providing a basis for the use of COS as a powerful tracer of gross CO(2) fluxes
      between plants and the atmosphere, a critical element in understanding the
      response of the land biosphere to global change. *Here, we carried out controlled
      leaf-scale gas-exchange measurements of COS and CO(2) in representative C(3)
      plants under a range of light intensities, relative humidities and temperatures,
      CO(2) and COS concentrations, and following abscisic acid treatments. *No
      'respiration-like' emission of COS or detectable compensation point, and no cross
      inhibition effects between COS and CO(2) were observed. The mean ratio of COS to
      CO(2) assimilation flux rates, A(s)/A(c), was c. 1.4 pmol micromol(-1) and the
      leaf relative uptake (assimilation normalized to ambient concentrations,
      (A(s)/A(c))(C(a)(c)/C(a)(s))) was 1.6-1.7 across species and conditions, with
      significant deviations under certain conditions. Stomatal conductance was
      enhanced by increasing COS, which was possibly mediated by hydrogen sulfide
      (H(2)S) produced from COS hydrolysis, and a correlation was observed between A(s)
      and leaf discrimination against C(18)OO. *The results provide systematic and
      quantitative information necessary for the use of COS in photosynthesis and
      carbon-cycle research on the physiological to global scales.

PMID- 20298481
TI  - Tissue-level leaf toughness, but not lamina thickness, predicts sapling leaf
      lifespan and shade tolerance of tropical tree species.
AB  - Leaf toughness is thought to enhance physical defense and leaf lifespan. Here, we
      evaluated the relative importance of tissue-level leaf traits vs lamina
      thickness, as well as their ontogenetic changes, for structure-level leaf
      toughness and regeneration ecology of 19 tropical tree species. We measured the
      fracture toughness of the laminas and veins of sapling leaves with shearing
      tests, and used principal component analysis and structural equation modeling to
      evaluate the multivariate relationships among traits that contribute to leaf
      toughness and their links to ecological performance traits. Tissue traits
      (density and fracture toughness of lamina and vein) were correlated positively
      with each other, but independent of lamina thickness. The tissue traits and
      lamina thickness contributed additively to the structure-level toughness (leaf
      mass per area and work-to-shear). Species with dense and tough leaves as saplings
      also had dense and tough leaves as seedlings and adults. The patterns of
      ontogenetic change in trait values differed between the seedling-to-sapling and
      sapling-to-adult transitions. The fracture toughness and tissue density of
      laminas and veins, but not the lamina thickness, were correlated positively with
      leaf lifespan and sapling survival, and negatively with herbivory rate and
      sapling regeneration light requirements, indicating the importance of tissue
      level leaf traits.

PMID- 20298482
TI  - Effects of fusicoccin on ion fluxes in guard cells.
AB  - The pharmacology has been further investigated of the two transport systems
      mediating potassium (rubidium) (K(+)(Rb(+))) release from the guard cell vacuole,
      responsible, respectively, for the resting efflux and abscisic acid (ABA)-induced
      transient stimulation of efflux, and for the transient stimulation induced by
      hypotonic treatment. Here, the effects of fusicoccin and of butyrate-induced
      cytoplasmic acidification on (86)Rb efflux were measured in isolated guard cells
      of Commelina communis. Fusicoccin (10 microM) inhibited the resting efflux at the
      tonoplast and the ABA-induced transient, but had no effect on the hypotonic
      transient. All three processes were inhibited by cytoplasmic acidification.
      Fusicoccin did not inhibit efflux at the plasmalemma. As the hypotonic response
      is inhibited by cytoplasmic acidification but not by fusicoccin, the effect of
      fusicoccin on the resting efflux and ABA response must be direct, and not the
      result of fusicoccin-induced cytoplasmic acidification. The collected tonoplast
      efflux properties resemble those of TPC1 (two-pore channel) rather than TPK1 (two
      pore K channel). The flux and TPC1 are both activated by Ca(2+), but inhibited by
      phenylarsine oxide and by cytoplasmic acidification. The flux is inhibited by
      fusicoccin. TPC1 is inhibited by 14-3-3 proteins and has the C-terminal sequence
      STSDT, a type III binding site for 14-3-3 proteins, of the kind involved in
      fusicoccin binding.

PMID- 20298483
TI  - An endoplasmic reticulum response pathway mediates programmed cell death of root
      tip induced by water stress in Arabidopsis.
AB  - Drought induces root death in plants; however, the nature and characteristics of
      root cell death and its underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we
      provide a systematic analysis of cell death in the primary root tips in
      Arabidopsis during water stress. Root tip cell death occurs when high water
      deficit is reached. The dying cells were first detected in the apical meristem of
      the primary roots and underwent active programmed cell death (PCD). Transmission
      electron microscopic analysis shows that the cells undergoing induced death had
      unambiguous morphological features of autophagic cell death, including an
      increase in vacuole size, degradation of organelles, and collapse of the
      tonoplast and the plasma membrane. The results suggest that autophagic PCD occurs
      as a response to severe water deficit. Significant accumulation of reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) was detected in the stressed root tips. Expression of BAX
      inhibitor-1 (AtBI1) was increased in response to water stress, and atbi1-1
      displayed accelerated cell death, indicating that AtBI1 and the endoplasmic
      reticulum (ER) stress response pathway both modulate water stress-induced PCD.
      These findings form the basis for further investigations into the mechanisms
      underlying the PCD and its role in developmental plasticity of root system
      architecture and subsequent adaptation to water stress.

PMID- 20298484
TI  - Birch (Betula spp.) leaves adsorb and re-release volatiles specific to
      neighbouring plants--a mechanism for associational herbivore resistance?
AB  - Plant-emitted semi-volatile compounds have low vaporization rates at 20-25
      degrees C and may therefore persist on surfaces such as plant foliage. The
      passive adsorption of arthropod-repellent semi-volatiles to neighbouring foliage
      could convey associational resistance, whereby a plant's neighbours reduce damage
      caused by herbivores. We found that birch (Betula spp.) leaves adsorb and re
      release the specific arthropod-repelling C(15) semi-volatiles ledene, ledol and
      palustrol produced by Rhododendron tomentosum when grown in mixed association in
      a field setup. In a natural habitat, a higher concentration of ledene was
      released from birches neighbouring R. tomentosum than from birches situated > 5 m
      from R. tomentosum. Emission of alpha-humulene, a sesquiterpene synthesized by
      both Betula pendula and R. tomentosum, was also increased in R. tomentosum
      neighbouring B. pendula. In assessments for associational resistance, we found
      that the polyphagous green leaf weevils (Polydrusus flavipes) and autumnal moth
      (Epirrita autumnata) larvae both preferred B. pendula to R. tomentosum. P.
      flavipes also preferred birch leaves not exposed to R. tomentosum to leaves from
      mixed associations. In the field, a reduction in Euceraphis betulae aphid density
      occurred in mixed associations. Our results suggest that plant/tree species may
      be protected by semi-volatile compounds emitted by a more herbivore-resistant
      heterospecific neighbour.

PMID- 20298485
TI  - Comparing arbuscular mycorrhizal communities of individual plants in a grassland
      biodiversity experiment.
AB  - Plants differ greatly in the soil organisms colonizing their roots. However, how
      soil organism assemblages of individual plant roots can be influenced by plant
      community properties remains poorly understood. We determined the composition of
      arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in Jacobaea vulgaris plants, using terminal
      restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP). The plants were collected from
      an experimental field site with sown and unsown plant communities. Natural
      colonization was allowed for 10 yr in sown and unsown plots. Unsown plant
      communities were more diverse and spatially heterogeneous than sown ones.
      Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi diversity did not differ between sown and unsown
      plant communities, but there was higher AMF assemblage dissimilarity between
      individual plants in the unsown plant communities. When we grew J. vulgaris in
      field soil that was homogenized after collection in order to rule out spatial
      variation, no differences in AMF dissimilarity between sown and unsown plots were
      found. Our study shows that experimental manipulation of plant communities in the
      field, and hence plant community assembly history, can influence the AMF
      communities of individual plants growing in those plant communities. This
      awareness is important when interpreting results from field surveys and
      experimental ecological studies in relation to plant-symbiont interactions.

PMID- 20298486
TI  - Biological stoichiometry of plant production: metabolism, scaling and ecological
      response to global change.
AB  - Biological stoichiometry theory considers the balance of multiple chemical
      elements in living systems, whereas metabolic scaling theory considers how size
      affects metabolic properties from cells to ecosystems. We review recent
      developments integrating biological stoichiometry and metabolic scaling theories
      in the context of plant ecology and global change. Although vascular plants
      exhibit wide variation in foliar carbon:nitrogen:phosphorus ratios, they exhibit
      a higher degree of 'stoichiometric homeostasis' than previously appreciated.
      Thus, terrestrial carbon:nitrogen:phosphorus stoichiometry will reflect the
      effects of adjustment to local growth conditions as well as species'
      replacements. Plant stoichiometry exhibits size scaling, as foliar nutrient
      concentration decreases with increasing plant size, especially for phosphorus.
      Thus, small plants have lower nitrogen:phosphorus ratios. Furthermore, foliar
      nutrient concentration is reflected in other tissues (root, reproductive,
      support), permitting the development of empirical models of production that scale
      from tissue to whole-plant levels. Plant stoichiometry exhibits large-scale
      macroecological patterns, including stronger latitudinal trends and environmental
      correlations for phosphorus concentration (relative to nitrogen) and a positive
      correlation between nutrient concentrations and geographic range size. Given this
      emerging knowledge of how plant nutrients respond to environmental variables and
      are connected to size, the effects of global change factors (such as carbon
      dioxide, temperature, nitrogen deposition) can be better understood.

PMID- 20298487
TI  - Disruption of plant carotenoid biosynthesis through virus-induced gene silencing
      affects oviposition behaviour of the butterfly Pieris rapae.
AB  - Optical plant characteristics are important cues to plant-feeding insects. In
      this article, we demonstrate for the first time that silencing the phytoene
      desaturase (PDS) gene, encoding a key enzyme in plant carotenoid biosynthesis,
      affects insect oviposition site selection behaviour. Virus-induced gene silencing
      employing tobacco rattle virus was used to knock down endogenous PDS expression
      in three plant species (Arabidopsis thaliana, Brassica nigra and Nicotiana
      benthamiana) by its heterologous gene sequence from Brassica oleracea. We
      investigated the consequences of the silencing of PDS on oviposition behaviour by
      Pieris rapae butterflies on Arabidopsis and Brassica plants; first landing of the
      butterflies on Arabidopsis plants (to eliminate an effect of contact cues); first
      landing on Arabidopsis plants enclosed in containers (to eliminate an effect of
      volatiles); and caterpillar growth on Arabidopsis plants. Our results show
      unambiguously that P. rapae has an innate ability to visually discriminate
      between green and variegated green-whitish plants. Caterpillar growth was
      significantly lower on PDS-silenced than on empty vector control plants. This
      study presents the first analysis of PDS function in the interaction with an
      herbivorous insect. We conclude that virus-induced gene silencing is a powerful
      tool for investigating insect-plant interactions in model and nonmodel plants.

PMID- 20298488
TI  - Molecular detection of avian influenza virus but not West Nile virus in wild
      birds in northern Turkey.
AB  - In this study, a total of 402 samples (173 cloacal swab samples, 169 tracheal
      swab samples and 60 organ pools including the lung, spleen, liver, trachea and
      brain) obtained from 27 different wild avian species from Kizilirmak delta and
      the adjacent wetlands in northern Turkey were surveyed for the presence of RNA
      from Avian influenza virus (AIV) and West Nile virus (WNV) by Taqman-based real
      time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay. No WNV genomic RNA
      was detected in any sample. In contrast, AIV RNA was found in two of 402 samples
      (0.49%).

PMID- 20298489
TI  - Avian influenza A virus monitoring in wild birds in Bavaria: occurrence and
      heterogeneity of H5 and N1 encoding genes.
AB  - To define avian influenza virus prevalence in wild birds in Bavaria, 12,930
      tracheal, cloacal swabs or tissue samples from various waterfowl species were
      screened between January 2006 and December 2007. In 291 (2.3%) birds, genomes of
      influenza A viruses were detected by reverse transcription real-time PCR (rRT
      PCR) targeting the matrix protein genes. Furthermore, solitary H5 hemagglutinin
      or N1 neuraminidase encoding genes were identified in 35 (0.3%) apparently
      healthy birds; whereas highly pathogenic (HPAI) H5N1 virus genomes were only
      diagnosed in dead wild birds (n = 93; 0.7%) found across this federal state
      region. In this study, multiple import events for H5N1 viruses were confirmed
      during 2006 and 2007. In addition, our findings argue against an existing HPAI
      H5N1 reservoir in aquatic birds in Bavaria. By contrast, phylogenetic analyses of
      the H5 or N1 sequences of low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) viruses revealed
      a marked diversity and multiple genetic lineages. This diversity of LPAI H5 and
      N1 subtype components indicates the existence of LPAI HA and NA gene pools which
      differ from the Bavarian HPAI H5N1. Moreover, the hemagglutinin amino acid
      differences between LPAI H5 viruses of a western European genotypic lineage
      observed in wild birds suggest a continuous evolution of LPAI viruses in Bavaria.

PMID- 20298490
TI  - Serological surveillance of influenza A virus infection in swine populations in
      Fujian province, China: no evidence of naturally occurring H5N1 infection in
      pigs.
AB  - Several highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza viruses were isolated from swine
      populations in Fujian Province, China, since 2001. Because it is thought that
      H5N1 infection in pigs might result in virus adaptation to humans, we surveyed
      swine populations in Fujian Province in 2004 and 2007 for serological evidence of
      the infection. Twenty-five pig farms covering all nine administrative districts
      of Fujian Province were sampled and a total of 1407 serum specimens were
      collected. The haemagglutination inhibition (HI) tests revealed no evidence of H5
      infection and only a few cases of H9 infection. The negative results for H5
      infection were further verified by micro-neutralization tests. By contrast, H1
      influenza virus infections were prevalent in swine in both surveys according to
      the results of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The H3 infection rate
      was reduced dramatically in 2007 compared with 2004, when examined by HI and
      ELISA. In summary, the results imply that the swine populations in Fujian
      Province had not been affected greatly by the H5N1 avian influenza virus, given
      that there is no serological evidence that H5N1 influenza virus has infected the
      pig populations. The reported isolates represent only sporadic cases.

PMID- 20298491
TI  - Overall survival, prognostic factors, and repeated surgery in a consecutive
      series of 516 patients with glioblastoma multiforme.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To study overall survival (OS), prognostic factors, and repeated
      surgery in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective
      study of 516 consecutive adult patients who underwent primary surgery for a GBM
      in year 2003-2008. RESULTS: Median age at primary surgery was 63.7 years (range
      18.0-88.0). Median OS was 9.9 months. Age > 60 years, poor preoperative ECOG
      score, bilateral tumor, biopsy rather than resection, and no temozolomide
      chemoradiotherapy were negative risk factors. Repeat surgery was performed in 65
      patients (13%). Median time between first and second surgery was 7 months.
      Indications for second surgery were increasing neurological deficits (35.4%),
      raised ICP (33.8%), asymptomatic but reoperated because of tumor progression
      verified on MRI (20.0%), and epileptic seizures (11%). Patients who underwent
      repeated surgery had longer OS; 18.4 months vs 8.6 months (P < 0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: OS for adult GBM patients was 9.9 months. Negative prognostic
      factors were increasing age, poor neurological function, bilateral tumor
      involvement, biopsy instead of resection, and RT alone compared to temozolomide
      chemoradiotherapy. Our rate of repeated surgery for GBM was 13% and the main
      indications for second surgery were raised ICP and increasing neurological
      deficits. In a carefully selected group of patients, repeat surgery significantly
      prolongs OS.

PMID- 20298492
TI  - Sleep habits and sleep complaints in Austria: current self-reported data on sleep
      behaviour, sleep disturbances and their treatment.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To acquire current information on sleep habits, disturbances and
      treatment options in the adult population of Austria and compare results with
      previously collected data. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A representative sample of the
      Austrian population (women: n = 522, men: n = 478). RESULTS: Seventy-five percent
      reported daily sleep-duration between 6 and 8 h. In 76%, sleep latency was <30
      min, 15% described difficulties in sleep maintenance. Longer sleep on weekends
      was prevalent in 54%, 23% took a nap. Concerning sleep environment, 31% reported
      sleeping alone; the rest had a constant or occasional bed partner. Sleep
      disturbances such as sleep disruption or prolonged sleep latency were reported by
      18%. Predominant symptoms included snoring/apneas (22%), nightmares (22%) and
      restless legs (21%). Daytime tiredness was reported by 17% and sleepiness by 20%.
      Twenty-four percent did not take treatment. Only 7% asked for medical help: 96%
      consulted their physician; 47% tried to change their way of living. Sleep
      promoting drugs were taken by 7%. Sleep improving measures were: sleep promoters
      (45%), general measures (20%), consultation of general practitioner (20%),
      psychotherapy (6%), and technical tools (3%). Comparison with a dataset of 1993
      revealed only a slight increase in short sleepers and a slight decrease in long
      sleepers. CONCLUSIONS: Subjectively reported sleep disorders proved to be
      relatively stable between 1993 and 2007.

PMID- 20298493
TI  - Metabolic differences between male and female adolescents with non-alcoholic
      fatty liver disease, as detected by ultrasound.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Age, developmental stage and gender are risk factors for paediatric
      non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). AIMS: The aim of this study was to
      identify differences in clinical or laboratory variables between sexes in
      adolescents with NAFLD. METHODOLOGY: Ninety obese adolescents including 36 males
      and 54 females were evaluated. Inclusion criteria for this study were a Body Mass
      Index above the 95th percentile, as set forth by the National Center for Health
      Statistics, and an age of 10-19 years. A clinical and laboratory evaluation was
      conducted for all adolescents. RESULTS: The variables that were found to be
      predictive of NAFLD in adolescence were visceral fat, Aminotransferase, Gamma
      Glutamyl Transferase, triglyderides, cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol. We also
      observed that cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol variables were influenced by
      gender, i.e. there was a significant statistical difference in the values of
      these variables between male and female adolescents. With regard to cholesterol
      serum concentrations, the risk was 6.99 times greater for females, compared with
      1.2 times for males; and for LDL-cholesterol serum concentrations the risk was
      8.15 times greater for females, compared with and 1.26 times for males.
      CONCLUSION: Female adolescents with NAFLD showed a significantly different
      metabolic behaviour than males.

PMID- 20298494
TI  - Motor function and methylphenidate effect in children with attention deficit
      hyperactivity disorder.
AB  - AIM: Hyperactivity, impulsivity and poor attention are the core problems of ADHD
      and central stimulant medication is the preferred treatment. Many children with
      ADHD also display motor problems. The present study investigated the presence of
      motor problems in subjects who showed positive response to central stimulants on
      ADHD symptoms, compared with non-responders. METHOD: This is a retrospective
      study of 73 children diagnosed ADHD, aged 5-17 years, who had been assessed with
      parts of the 'Motor Function Neurological Assessment' (MFNU) and evaluated with
      regard to effect of central stimulant medication. The sample was divided into two
      subgroups based on the responses to methylphenidate: Medicine responders and Non
      medicine responders. RESULTS: Stimulant responders showed significantly more
      motor problems than the non-responders on all sub-tests and on the total problem
      score of the MFNU. Motor problems were present both in younger (age 5-10 years)
      and older (11-17 years) stimulant responders. There were no gender differences in
      motor performance. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that the probability of
      positive effect of central stimulants on core problems of ADHD is higher when
      motor problems are present in addition to ADHD symptoms, than when motor problems
      are absent.

PMID- 20298495
TI  - Vaccination coverage of Greek paediatric healthcare workers against seasonal and
      A/H1N1 influenza.

PMID- 20298496
TI  - Adalimumab sustains clinical remission and overall clinical benefit after 2 years
      of therapy for Crohn's disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled CHARM trial,
      adalimumab was more effective than placebo in maintaining clinical remission for
      patients with moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease (CD) through 56 weeks. AIM: To
      substantiate the long-term safety and clinical benefits of adalimumab through 2
      years of therapy in CHARM and its open-label extension (ADHERE). METHODS:
      Patients entering ADHERE on blinded therapy received adalimumab 40 mg every other
      week (eow). Patients who had already moved to open-label adalimumab eow or weekly
      in CHARM continued their regimens. Data were analysed by originally randomized
      treatment group at CHARM baseline (adalimumab 40 mg eow, adalimumab 40 mg weekly,
      or placebo), regardless of whether patients entered ADHERE or received open-label
      adalimumab (eow or weekly). RESULTS: After up to 2 years of therapy, 37.6%, 41.9%
      and 49.8% of patients originally randomized to placebo, adalimumab eow and
      adalimumab weekly, respectively, were in clinical remission. All groups
      experienced sustained improvements on the Inflammatory Bowel Disease
      Questionnaire. Decreasing hazard rates for both all-cause and CD-related
      hospitalizations were observed over time. Over a 2-year period, the rates of
      serious adverse events and malignancies (33.3 and 1.1 events/100-patient-years
      respectively) were similar to those observed during the overall adalimumab CD
      clinical development programme. CONCLUSIONS: Adalimumab demonstrated sustained
      maintenance of clinical remission, improvements in quality of life and reductions
      in hospitalization during long-term treatment for CD, with no new safety concerns
      identified.

PMID- 20298497
TI  - Clinical trial: the effects of certolizumab pegol therapy on work productivity in
      patients with moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease in the PRECiSE 2 study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The effect of certolizumab pegol on employment status and work
      productivity has not been previously assessed. AIM: To assess the impact of
      treatment with certolizumab pegol, the only PEGylated, Fab' TNF antagonist, on
      work productivity in patients with active Crohn's disease (CD) from the PRECiSE 2
      study. METHODS: Patients (n = 668) with active disease [CD activity index (CDAI)
      score of 220-450] were treated with open-label subcutaneous certolizumab pegol
      400 mg (week 0, 2, 4). Responders (n = 425) (> or = 100-point decrease in CDAI
      from baseline) were randomized to receive certolizumab pegol 400 mg or placebo
      every 4 weeks until week 24, with final evaluation at week 26. Patients completed
      the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment for CD questionnaire (WPAI:CD) and
      the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ) at weeks 0, 6, 16 and 26 and
      at the withdrawal visit. RESULTS: Work productivity improved following induction
      with certolizumab pegol. Between week 6 and 26, certolizumab pegol-treated
      patients experienced significant improvement in work productivity compared with
      placebo recipients (11% and 10% overall improvement in work and activity
      impairment, respectively). During the maintenance phase, impairments in
      productivity and activities due to CD were significantly less in the certolizumab
      pegol group than in the placebo group. CONCLUSION: Induction and maintenance
      therapy with certolizumab pegol significantly improved the work productivity of
      patients with active CD compared with those in the placebo group.

PMID- 20298498
TI  - The challenge of uncorrected refractive error: driving the agenda of the Durban
      Declaration on refractive error and service development.
AB  - The purpose of this article is to highlight the challenge of uncorrected
      refractive error globally, as well as to discuss recent advocacy successes and
      innovative programs designed to address the need for broader refractive error
      service development, particularly in developing countries. The World Health
      Organization's VISION 2020: The Right to Sight program first posed the challenge
      to national governments to give priority to strategies and resources targeted
      towards avoidable causes of blindness and visual impairment, so that these
      unnecessary forms of blindness or visual impairment can be eliminated globally by
      the year 2020. The blindness prevention community is challenged to increase in
      scale its initiatives, which support the attainment of VISION 2020: The Right to
      Sight goals primarily and the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals
      indirectly. The Durban Declaration on Refractive Error and Service Development
      was the outcome of a meeting of eye-care professionals, researchers, governments,
      civil society and industry in March 2007 and still stands as a guiding document
      to the blindness prevention community for the elimination of avoidable blindness
      due to uncorrected refractive error.

PMID- 20298499
TI  - The development and preliminary evaluation of a new Mycobacterium tuberculosis
      vaccine comprising Ag85b, HspX and CFP-10:ESAT-6 fusion protein with CpG DNA and
      aluminum hydroxide adjuvants.
AB  - Ag85b and HspX of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) (H37Rv) were expressed and
      purified in this study. These two proteins were combined with another fusion
      protein CFP-10:ESAT-6 (C/E) (Ag), then mixed with the adjuvants CpG DNA and
      aluminum hydroxide and used to vaccinate mice and guinea pigs challenged with Mtb
      (H37Rv). The number of spleen lymphocytes secreting Ag85b, HspX and C/E-specific
      interferon-gamma were significantly higher in the Ag+Al+CpG group than in the Ag
      and CpG groups. The combination of Ag, Al and CpG induced the highest
      concentrations of anti-Ag85b, anti-HspX and anti-C/E immunoglobulin G in mouse
      serum. Mouse peritoneal macrophages from the Ag+Al+CpG group secreted
      significantly higher levels of interleukin-12 compared with macrophages from the
      other groups. The total mean liver, lung and spleen lesion scores and bacterial
      loads in the spleen in guinea pigs vaccinated with Ag+Al+CpG were lower than
      those of the other groups, but no significant difference was found. These results
      show that the mixture of Ag85b, HspX and C/E with a combination of CpG and
      aluminum adjuvants can induce both humoral and cellular immune responses in mice,
      whereas it plays only a small role in the control of disease progression in
      guinea pigs challenged with Mtb.

PMID- 20298500
TI  - Biofilms in chronic bacterial prostatitis (NIH-II) and in prostatic
      calcifications.
AB  - The prevalence of inflammatory conditions of the prostate gland is increasing. In
      Italy, there is a high incidence of prostatitis (13.3%), also accompanied by
      prostatic calcifications. Cat NIH-II chronic bacterial prostatitis (CBPs) are the
      most frequent. Their aetiology theoretically involves the whole range of
      bacterial species that are able to form biofilms and infect prostate cells. The
      aim of our study was to isolate potential biofilm-producing bacteria from CBP
      patients, to evaluate their ability to produce in vitro biofilms, and to
      characterize intraprostatic bacteria and prostatic calcifications using scanning
      electron microscopy. The 150 clinical bacterial strains isolated from chronic
      prostatitis NIH-II patients were: 50 Enterococcus faecalis; 50 Staphylococcus
      spp.; 30 Escherichia coli; 20 gram-negative miscellanea. Quantitative assay of
      biofilm production and adhesion was performed according to the classic
      Christensen microwell assay. Isolates were classified as nonproducers, weak,
      moderate or strong producers. The majority of E. coli, gram-negative bacteria,
      Staphylococci and Enterococci strains were strong or medium producers: 63-30%, 75
      15%, 46-36%, and 58-14%, respectively. Prostatic calcifications consisted of
      bacteria-like forms similar to the species isolated from biological materials and
      calcifications of patients. Our study proves, for the first time, that bacterial
      strains able to produce biofilms consistently are present in CBP. Additionally,
      prostatic calcifications are biofilm-related.

PMID- 20298501
TI  - Bacterial diversity, pigments and nitrogen fixation of biological desert crusts
      from the Sultanate of Oman.
AB  - Biological desert crusts are relatively common in the arid deserts of the
      Sultanate of Oman; however, little is known about their microbial community
      composition and role in soil fertilization. We compared three crusts from
      geographically different locations for their soil texture, bacterial community
      structure, pigment composition and nitrogenase activity. The crusts were growing
      on alkaline (pH 7.6-8.7) loamy sand and silty loam soils. Microscopically,
      Microcoleus vaginatus was the most abundant cyanobacterium, but Nostoc and
      Scytonema types dominated in cultures. The 16S rRNA gene sequences showed close
      similarities in the crusts' bacterial composition, with 77-81% of the total
      clones belonging to cyanobacteria and the rest distributed among Alpha- and
      Deltaproteobacteria, Bacteriodetes, Gemmatimonas and Planctomycetes. Thirty-seven
      percent of the cyanobacterial clones were affiliated with heterocystous types
      such as Nostoc, Scytonema, Brasilonema and Petalonema. Chlorophyll a
      concentrations suggest a similar abundance of phototrophs in all crusts. High
      levels of the UVA sunscreen scytonemin were detected in the exposed crusts. The
      three crusts exhibited comparable acetylene reduction rates in the light and in
      the dark, with a maximum rate of 58.5+/-2.6 micromol C(2)H(2) reduced m(-2) h(
      1). We conclude that the crusts, regardless of their geographical location, were
      rich in heterocystous cyanobacteria that can fix nitrogen and could possibly
      improve soil stability and productivity.

PMID- 20298502
TI  - Nitrifiers and denitrifiers respond rapidly to changed moisture and increasing
      temperature in a pristine forest soil.
AB  - Complete cycling of mineral nitrogen (N) in soil requires the interplay of
      microorganisms performing nitrification and denitrification, whose activity is
      increasingly affected by extreme rainfall or heat brought about by climate
      change. In a pristine forest soil, a gradual increase in soil temperature from 5
      to 25 degrees C in a range of water contents stimulated N turnover rates, and N
      gas emissions were determined by the soil water-filled pore space (WFPS). NO and
      N(2)O emissions dominated at 30% WFPS and 55% WFPS, respectively, and the step
      wise temperature increase resulted in a threefold increase in the NO(3)(-)
      concentrations and a decrease in the NH(4)(+) concentration. At 70% WFPS,
      NH(4)(+) accumulated while NO(3)(-) pools declined, indicating gaseous N loss.
      AmoA- and nirK-gene-based analysis revealed increasing abundance of bacterial
      ammonia oxidizers (AOB) with increasing soil temperature and a decrease in the
      abundance of archaeal ammonia oxidizers (AOA) in wet soil at 25 degrees C,
      suggesting the sensitivity of the latter to anaerobic conditions. Denitrifier
      (nirK) community structure was most affected by the water content and nirK gene
      abundance rapidly increased in response to wet conditions until the substrate
      (NO(3)(-)) became limiting. Shifts in the community structure were most
      pronounced for nirK and most rapid for AOA, indicating dynamic populations,
      whereas distinct adaptation of the AOB communities required 5 weeks, suggesting
      higher stability.

PMID- 20298503
TI  - We share the care: family caregivers' experiences of their older relative
      receiving home support services.
AB  - Although both family care and home support are considered essential components of
      home-based health-care, the experiences of family caregivers who have a relative
      in receipt of home support services are not well understood. Little is known
      about what aspects of home support services assist family caregivers or hinder
      them in their caregiving. This study examines family member's experiences of the
      home support services received by their elderly relatives. Based on a previous
      Canadian study of contributions in family caregiving, we developed a conceptual
      model for understanding multiple contributions in caregiving. The present study
      used this conceptual model to guide the analysis of data from in-depth interviews
      with family caregivers (N = 52), completed August 2007-April 2008, who have or
      had an older relative in receipt of home support services in British Columbia,
      Canada, in the previous 12 months. Verbatim transcripts were read, re-read and
      independently coded by three members of the research team to identify common
      themes. Themes relating to direct care (care provided directly to the elderly
      person) and assistive care (care provided to one caregiver by another) were
      identified. In discussing the direct care provided by workers, family members
      emphasised dissatisfaction with instrumental assistance provided by home support
      workers while also stressing the importance of affective assistance. In
      commenting about assistive care there were three key themes: caring together,
      care management, and quality assurance and monitoring. In conclusion, the
      important role of home support in providing relief for caregivers is highlighted
      and implications for caregiver policy are discussed.

PMID- 20298504
TI  - FNR-mediated regulation of bioluminescence and anaerobic respiration in the light
      organ symbiont Vibrio fischeri.
AB  - Vibrio fischeri induces both anaerobic respiration and bioluminescence during
      symbiotic infection. In many bacteria, the oxygen-sensitive regulator FNR
      activates anaerobic respiration, and a preliminary study using the light
      generating lux genes from V. fischeri MJ1 cloned in Escherichia coli suggested
      that FNR stimulates bioluminescence. To test for FNR-mediated regulation of
      bioluminescence and anaerobic respiration in V. fischeri, we generated fnr
      mutants of V. fischeri strains MJ1 and ES114. In both strains, FNR was required
      for normal fumarate- and nitrate-dependent respiration. However, contrary to the
      report in transgenic E. coli, FNR mediated the repression of lux. ArcA represses
      bioluminescence, and P(arcA)-lacZ reporters showed reduced expression in fnr
      mutants, suggesting a possible indirect effect of FNR on bioluminescence via
      arcA. Finally, the fnr mutant of ES114 was not impaired in colonization of its
      host squid, Euprymna scolopes. This study extends the characterization of FNR to
      the Vibrionaceae and underscores the importance of studying lux regulation in its
      native background.

PMID- 20298505
TI  - Advanced chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular events and the effect of
      diabetes: data from the Atherosclerosis and Folic Acid Supplementation Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: End-stage kidney disease registry data have reported increased
      mortality in patients with diabetes as compared with those without. Here we
      examine whether diabetes is independently associated with an increased risk of
      major cardiovascular events and death in patients with advanced chronic kidney
      disease (CKD). METHODS: Data from 315 participants with CKD in the
      Atherosclerosis and Folic Acid Supplementation Trial (ASFAST) were assessed.
      Primary end-points were fatal or non-fatal cardiovascular events, including
      myocardial infarction, stroke, unstable angina, coronary revascularisation and
      peripheral vascular events assessed both jointly and separately using Cox
      proportional hazard models. RESULTS: Twenty-three per cent reported diabetes.
      Median follow up was 3.6 years. In those with diabetes, an increased risk for
      major cardiovascular events was observed, crude hazard ratio (HR) 2.87 (95%
      confidence interval (CI) 2.11-3.90). After adjustment for age, gender, smoking,
      systolic blood pressure, body mass index, past ischaemic heart disease and use of
      preventive therapies, diabetes was associated with an HR of 1.83 (1.28-2.61) for
      major cardiovascular events. The risk for peripheral vascular events was also
      increased, adjusted HR 6.31 (2.61-15.25). For all-cause death, major coronary and
      stroke events, the risk in those with diabetes was not significantly increased
      (all-cause death, adjusted HR 1.31 (95% CI 0.80-2.14); major coronary events,
      adjusted HR 1.26 (95% CI 0.64-2.49); and major stroke events, adjusted HR 1.28
      (95% CI 0.55-2.99)). CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes significantly increases the risk of
      major cardiovascular events, especially peripheral vascular events in patients
      with advanced CKD. Trials of multifactorial management of cardiovascular risk
      factors are required to determine if outcomes for this population may be
      improved.

PMID- 20298506
TI  - Assessing individual clinical performance: a primer for physicians.
AB  - The assessment of individual physician performance has attracted interest from
      several quarters, including statutory licensing agencies and credentialing bodies
      of healthcare institutions. Performance measures and assessment methods have been
      developed, although their validity, reliability and feasibility in regards to
      physician specialty practice are open to challenge. Despite this, professional
      colleges and societies will be increasingly obliged to ensure their members are
      demonstrating high-quality performance on the basis of assessment methods viewed
      as being transparent, impartial and reproducible. This article provides an
      overview of the current state of the art which hopefully will serve to inform
      future debate both within and outside professional circles.

PMID- 20298507
TI  - Transfer from residential aged care to emergency departments: an analysis of
      patient outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In order to design optimal systems to meet the acute healthcare needs
      of the frail elderly living in residential care, good clinical information is
      essential. The aims of this study were to analyse the casemix and outcomes of
      patients transferred from residential aged care facilities to public hospital
      emergency departments in New South Wales. METHODS: Individual patient data from
      six hospital emergency departments and inpatient wards were obtained from merged
      databases and analysed using descriptive and comparative statistics. RESULTS:
      Outcomes in 4680 patient transfers over a 12-month period in 2006-2007 were
      analysed. Transfers occur mostly in high-acuity patients, with approximately
      three of every four transfers admitted; one in every 12 dying; and admitted
      patients undergoing an average of 2.4 interventions or procedures during each
      hospital stay. Several variables are associated with prolonged length of
      emergency department stay including triage urgency, type of hospital and
      transfers occurring in winter or out of hours. CONCLUSIONS: Patients transferred
      from aged care facilities to emergency departments are predominantly high-acuity
      patients with a substantial likelihood of hospitalisation, intervention and
      death. Nevertheless, scope exists for some episodes of acute care, in both
      discharged and admitted patients, to be provided outside a hospital setting.

PMID- 20298508
TI  - Malignant mesothelioma.
AB  - Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is an aggressive tumour that commonly affects the
      mesothelial surfaces of the pleural and peritoneal cavities, and occasionally,
      the tunica vaginalis and the pericardium. Formerly a rare tumour, MM is
      increasing in incidence in Australia due to the heavy nationwide use of asbestos
      from 1940 until the 1980s. The incidence is expected to peak in Australia in the
      next decade, mirroring the long latency period between asbestos exposure and
      development of MM. Diagnosis of MM can be difficult. Definitive pathological
      diagnosis is required and it often requires an experienced pathologist to
      differentiate MM from other benign or malignant processes. Treatment of MM
      requires a multidisciplinary approach, regardless of palliative or curative
      intent. Treatment options, such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and active
      symptom control or a combination of these, may be used. Further research is
      needed to advance the therapeutic options for MM, and strategies to realize
      personalisation of therapy through discovery of predictive markers. In the
      Australian society where asbestos contamination of the built environment is very
      high, education and stringent public health measures are required to prevent a
      second wave of increased MM incidence.

PMID- 20298509
TI  - Craving control using nicotine replacement therapy in a teaching hospital.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A period of hospitalisation is perhaps the longest period of enforced
      'temporary abstinence' smokers have to endure and hence many crave during their
      admission. Cravings may result in patients' smoking on hospital premises.
      Nicotine replacement may reduce cravings, decrease smoking on hospital grounds
      and increase interest in quitting post-discharge. AIM: The aim of this study was
      to compare the efficacy of two nicotine formulations in controlling inpatient
      cravings and enthusiasm for quitting post-discharge. METHODS: Inpatients who were
      smokers were randomised to nicotine patch or inhaler on alternating days.
      Patients selected their preferred formulation, which was then used for the
      duration of the hospital stay. Craving control and formulation preference were
      assessed by visual analogue scales (VAS), and interest in quitting on a 3-point
      scale. Abstinence was confirmed by exhaled breath CO monitoring. RESULTS: Patches
      were preferred by 64% of the 367 subjects. Fewer patients went outside to smoke
      after either formulation (37% before, 5% after enrolment). Cravings were reduced
      by both nicotine formulations (mean VAS score fell from 7.5 to 1.7). Interest in
      quitting post-discharge increased. Estimated mean exposure to nicotine was 5
      mg/day (inhaler), 15 mg/day (transdermal patch) compared with 30 mg/day
      (cigarettes) before hospitalisation. CONCLUSIONS: Many smokers crave and some
      smoke outside during a hospital admission. While the patch was the preferred
      formulation of nicotine replacement therapy, both were effective in reducing
      cravings, increasing motivation for quitting post-discharge and improving
      Hospital 'image' by reducing smoking on campus. Nicotine replacement therapy
      should be made available to inpatients in all hospitals and other places of
      enforced prolonged abstinence.

PMID- 20298510
TI  - Smoking prevalence and perspectives on smoking on campus by employees in
      Australian teaching hospitals.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cigarette smoking prevalence has been declining over decades in
      Western countries especially in higher socioeconomic groups. Employees of
      Australian hospitals span the socioeconomic spectrum, but there are few data on
      smoking prevalence from these workplaces. Because smoking is a health hazard,
      some argue that it should be banned on hospital premises, but employees' opinions
      appear not to have been widely canvassed. Cigarette smoking is a particular
      problem in hospitals because of the need for prolonged abstinence by immobile
      patients and the stressors that accompany life-and-death events for patients
      and/or relatives. The Queen Elizabeth Hospital has had a Stop Smoking Service for
      >10 years, but how smoking prevalence has changed and how it compares with
      similar hospitals is unknown. AIMS: The aims of this study were (i) to determine
      smoking prevalence by employees of The Queen Elizabeth Hospital and to compare
      this with employees of other hospitals and (ii) to ascertain employees'
      perspectives regarding smoking on hospital grounds. METHODS: Single page
      questionnaires were forwarded to employees of four South Australian/Northern
      Territory hospitals enquiring about smoking status, employment category, views
      about smoking on hospital premises, etc. Responses were voluntary. RESULTS:
      Response rates were 39-59%. Smoking prevalence has steadily declined at The Queen
      Elizabeth Hospital and is now 8.4%. Prevalence at comparator hospitals was
      approximately double this value. Most staff thought the visibility of smoking was
      problematic, but support for providing smoking area/s was greater than for a
      hospital-wide ban. CONCLUSIONS: The ongoing decline in smoking prevalence at The
      Queen Elizabeth Hospital is probably the result of the Staff Stop Smoking
      Service.

PMID- 20298511
TI  - Descriptive analysis of emergency department oxygen use in acute exacerbation of
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inconsistencies in oxygen therapy recommendations in acute
      exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may result in
      variability in emergency department (ED) oxygen management of patients with COPD.
      The aim of this study was to describe oxygen management in the first 4 h of ED
      care for patients with exacerbation of COPD. METHODS: A retrospective medical
      record audit was conducted at four public and one private ED in Melbourne,
      Australia. Participants were 273 adult ED patients with COPD presenting with a
      primary complaint of shortness of breath from July 2006 to July 2007. Outcome
      measures were physiological data, including oxygen saturation (SpO(2)), oxygen
      delivery devices and flow rates on ED arrival, 1 and 4 h. RESULTS: Oxygen was
      used in 82.0% of patients. Patients who required oxygen had higher incidence of
      ambulance transport (P < 0.001), triage category 2 (P = 0.006), home oxygen use
      (P < 0.001), and increased work of breathing on ED arrival (P < 0.001), and
      higher median respiratory rate (P < 0.001) and heart rate (P = 0.001). SpO(2) >
      90% occurred in the majority of patients (87.5%; 96.4%; 95.6%); however, a
      considerable number of patients with SpO(2) < 90% were not given oxygen (61.8%;
      30%; 45.5%). CONCLUSIONS: A number of patients with documented hypoxaemia were
      not given oxygen and there may be variables other than oxygen saturation that may
      influence oxygen use. Future research should focus on increasing the evidence
      based supporting oxygen use and better understanding of clinicians' oxygen
      decision-making in patients with COPD.

PMID- 20298512
TI  - Severe hyponatraemia in elderly hospitalized patients: prevalence, aetiology and
      outcome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hyponatraemia is the commonest electrolyte disorder in the elderly.
      Data on severe hyponatraemia and the prevalence of cerebral salt wasting syndrome
      (CSWS) in elderly hospitalized patients are lacking. We studied the incidence,
      frequency of various aetiologies, outcome and the possible role of CSWS in severe
      hyponatraemia in elderly medical patients. METHODS: A prospective, observational,
      non-interventional study conducted over a 5-month period in medical wards. Eighty
      six patients aged over 65 years with serum sodium levels < or =125 mEq/L were
      included. All patients were examined by one of the authors, who also evaluated
      potential contributing factors. Demographic, clinical and outcome data were
      extracted from the medical records. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was
      82.1 + 8.7 years. The prevalence of hyponatraemia was 6.2% (8.1% women and 4.0%
      men (P < 0.001)). There was no increase in incidence of hyponatraemia with age.
      The leading cause of hyponatraemia was the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic
      hormone secretion (SIADH), whose aetiology could be determined in only 46% of
      cases. Aetiology was multifactorial in 51% of patients (1.7 aetiological factors
      per patient). All patients with thiazide-induced hyponatraemia had other
      contributing factors. Hyperglycaemia and hypoalbuminaemia were predictors of
      neurological manifestations of hyponatraemia. Overall in-hospital mortality was
      19%. Only hypoalbuminaemia was found as an independent risk factor for death. In
      none of the patients was the hyponatraemia due to CSWS. CONCLUSION: Severe
      hyponatraemia in elderly hospitalized medical patients is more frequent in women
      and of multifactorial aetiology in 50% of cases. It is most commonly caused by
      SIADH; CSWS is an unlikely cause.

PMID- 20298513
TI  - Panallergens and their impact on the allergic patient.
AB  - The panallergen concept encompasses families of related proteins, which are
      involved in general vital processes and thus, widely distributed throughout
      nature. Plant panallergens share highly conserved sequence regions, structure,
      and function. They are responsible for many IgE cross-reactions even between
      unrelated pollen and plant food allergen sources. Although usually considered as
      minor allergens, sensitization to panallergens might be problematic as it bears
      the risk of developing multiple sensitizations. Clinical manifestations seem to
      be tightly connected with geographical and exposure factors. Future population-
      and disease-based screenings should provide new insights on panallergens and
      their contribution to disease manifestations. Such information requires molecule
      based diagnostics and will be valuable for developing patient-tailored
      prophylactic and therapeutic approaches. In this article, we focus on profilins,
      non-specific lipid transfer proteins, polcalcins, and Bet v 1-related proteins
      and discuss possible consequences of panallergen sensitization for the allergic
      patient. Based on their pattern of IgE cross-reactivity, which is reflected by
      their distribution in the plant kingdom, we propose a novel classification of
      panallergens into ubiquitously spread "real panallergens" (e.g. profilins) and
      widespread "eurallergens" (e.g. polcalcins). "Stenallergens" display more limited
      distribution and cross-reactivity patterns, and "monallergens" are restricted to
      a single allergen source.

PMID- 20298514
TI  - Skin prick testing in patients using beta-blockers: a retrospective analysis.
AB  - RATIONALE: The use of beta-blockers is a relative contraindication in allergen
      skin testing yet there is a paucity of literature on adverse events in this
      circumstance. We examined a population of skin tested patients on beta-blockers
      to look for any adverse effects. METHODS: Charts from 2004-2008 in a single
      allergy clinic were reviewed for any patients taking a beta-blocker when skin
      tested. Data was examined for skin test reactivity, type of skin test,
      concomitant asthma diagnosis, allergens tested, and adverse events. RESULTS: One
      hundred and ninety-one patients were taking beta-blockers when skin testing
      occurred. Seventy-two patients had positive skin tests. No tests resulted in an
      adverse event. CONCLUSIONS: This data demonstrates the relative safety of
      administrating of skin prick tests to patients on beta-blocker treatment. Larger
      prospective studies are needed to substantiate the findings of this study.

PMID- 20298515
TI  - Alterations in the complement cascade in post-traumatic stress disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the present study we assessed the functional state of the major
      mediator of the immune response, the complement system, in post-traumatic stress
      disorder (PTSD). METHODS: Thirty one PTSD patients within 13 years from traumatic
      event and the same number of sex- and age-matched healthy volunteers were
      involved in this study. In the blood serum of the study subjects hemolytic
      activities of the classical and alternative complement pathways, as well as the
      activities of the individual complement components have been measured.
      Correlation analysis between all measured parameters was also performed. RESULTS:
      According to the results obtained PTSD is characterized by hyperactivation of the
      complement classical pathway, hypoactivation of the complement alternative
      pathway and overactivation of the terminal pathway. CONCLUSIONS: The results
      obtained provide further evidence on the involvement of the inflammatory
      component in pathogenesis of PTSD.

PMID- 20298516
TI  - Quantitative assessment of the expanding complementarity between public and
      commercial databases of bioactive compounds.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Since 2004 public cheminformatic databases and their collective
      functionality for exploring relationships between compounds, protein sequences,
      literature and assay data have advanced dramatically. In parallel, commercial
      sources that extract and curate such relationships from journals and patents have
      also been expanding. This work updates a previous comparative study of databases
      chosen because of their bioactive content, availability of downloads and facility
      to select informative subsets. RESULTS: Where they could be calculated, extracted
      compounds-per-journal article were in the range of 12 to 19 but compound-per
      protein counts increased with document numbers. Chemical structure filtration to
      facilitate standardised comparisons typically reduced source counts by between 5%
      and 30%. The pair-wise overlaps between 23 databases and subsets were determined,
      as well as changes between 2006 and 2008. While all compound sets have increased,
      PubChem has doubled to 14.2 million. The 2008 comparison matrix shows not only
      overlap but also unique content across all sources. Many of the detailed
      differences could be attributed to individual strategies for data selection and
      extraction. While there was a big increase in patent-derived structures entering
      PubChem since 2006, GVKBIO contains over 0.8 million unique structures from this
      source. Venn diagrams showed extensive overlap between compounds extracted by
      independent expert curation from journals by GVKBIO, WOMBAT (both commercial) and
      BindingDB (public) but each included unique content. In contrast, the approved
      drug collections from GVKBIO, MDDR (commercial) and DrugBank (public) showed
      surprisingly low overlap. Aggregating all commercial sources established that
      while 1 million compounds overlapped with PubChem 1.2 million did not.
      CONCLUSION: On the basis of chemical structure content per se public sources have
      covered an increasing proportion of commercial databases over the last two years.
      However, commercial products included in this study provide links between
      compounds and information from patents and journals at a larger scale than
      current public efforts. They also continue to capture a significant proportion of
      unique content. Our results thus demonstrate not only an encouraging overall
      expansion of data-supported bioactive chemical space but also that both
      commercial and public sources are complementary for its exploration.

PMID- 20298517
TI  - DPRESS: Localizing estimates of predictive uncertainty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The need to have a quantitative estimate of the uncertainty of
      prediction for QSAR models is steadily increasing, in part because such
      predictions are being widely distributed as tabulated values disconnected from
      the models used to generate them. Classical statistical theory assumes that the
      error in the population being modeled is independent and identically distributed
      (IID), but this is often not actually the case. Such inhomogeneous error
      (heteroskedasticity) can be addressed by providing an individualized estimate of
      predictive uncertainty for each particular new object u: the standard error of
      prediction su can be estimated as the non-cross-validated error st* for the
      closest object t* in the training set adjusted for its separation d from u in the
      descriptor space relative to the size of the training set.The predictive
      uncertainty factor gammat* is obtained by distributing the internal predictive
      error sum of squares across objects in the training set based on the distances
      between them, hence the acronym: Distributed PRedictive Error Sum of Squares
      (DPRESS). Note that st* and gammat*are characteristic of each training set
      compound contributing to the model of interest. RESULTS: The method was applied
      to partial least-squares models built using 2D (molecular hologram) or 3D
      (molecular field) descriptors applied to mid-sized training sets (N = 75) drawn
      from a large (N = 304), well-characterized pool of cyclooxygenase inhibitors. The
      observed variation in predictive error for the external 229 compound test sets
      was compared with the uncertainty estimates from DPRESS. Good qualitative and
      quantitative agreement was seen between the distributions of predictive error
      observed and those predicted using DPRESS. Inclusion of the distance-dependent
      term was essential to getting good agreement between the estimated uncertainties
      and the observed distributions of predictive error. The uncertainty estimates
      derived by DPRESS were conservative even when the training set was biased, but
      not excessively so. CONCLUSION: DPRESS is a straightforward and powerful way to
      reliably estimate individual predictive uncertainties for compounds outside the
      training set based on their distance to the training set and the internal
      predictive uncertainty associated with its nearest neighbor in that set. It
      represents a sample-based, a posteriori approach to defining applicability
      domains in terms of localized uncertainty.

PMID- 20298518
TI  - Small Molecule Subgraph Detector (SMSD) toolkit.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Finding one small molecule (query) in a large target library is a
      challenging task in computational chemistry. Although several heuristic
      approaches are available using fragment-based chemical similarity searches, they
      fail to identify exact atom-bond equivalence between the query and target
      molecules and thus cannot be applied to complex chemical similarity searches,
      such as searching a complete or partial metabolic pathway.In this paper we
      present a new Maximum Common Subgraph (MCS) tool: SMSD (Small Molecule Subgraph
      Detector) to overcome the issues with current heuristic approaches to small
      molecule similarity searches. The MCS search implemented in SMSD incorporates
      chemical knowledge (atom type match with bond sensitive and insensitive
      information) while searching molecular similarity. We also propose a novel method
      by which solutions obtained by each MCS run can be ranked using chemical filters
      such as stereochemistry, bond energy, etc. RESULTS: In order to benchmark and
      test the tool, we performed a 50,000 pair-wise comparison between KEGG ligands
      and PDB HET Group atoms. In both cases the SMSD was shown to be more efficient
      than the widely used MCS module implemented in the Chemistry Development Kit
      (CDK) in generating MCS solutions from our test cases. CONCLUSION: Presently this
      tool can be applied to various areas of bioinformatics and chemo-informatics for
      finding exhaustive MCS matches. For example, it can be used to analyse metabolic
      networks by mapping the atoms between reactants and products involved in
      reactions. It can also be used to detect the MCS/substructure searches in small
      molecules reported by metabolome experiments, as well as in the screening of drug
      like compounds with similar substructures.Thus, we present a robust tool that can
      be used for multiple applications, including the discovery of new drug molecules.
      This tool is freely available on http://www.ebi.ac.uk/thornton-srv/software/SMSD/

PMID- 20298519
TI  - Fast automated placement of polar hydrogen atoms in protein-ligand complexes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hydrogen bonds play a major role in the stabilization of protein
      ligand complexes. The ability of a functional group to form them depends on the
      position of its hydrogen atoms. An accurate knowledge of the positions of
      hydrogen atoms in proteins is therefore important to correctly identify hydrogen
      bonds and their properties. The high mobility of hydrogen atoms introduces
      several degrees of freedom: Tautomeric states, where a hydrogen atom alters its
      binding partner, torsional changes where the position of the hydrogen atom is
      rotated around the last heavy-atom bond in a residue, and protonation states,
      where the number of hydrogen atoms at a functional group may change. Also, side
      chain flips in glutamine and asparagine and histidine residues, which are common
      crystallographic ambiguities must be identified before structure-based
      calculations can be conducted. RESULTS: We have implemented a method to determine
      the most probable hydrogen atom positions in a given protein-ligand complex.
      Optimality of hydrogen bond geometries is determined by an empirical scoring
      function which is used in molecular docking. This allows to evaluate protein
      ligand interactions with an established model. Also, our method allows to resolve
      common crystallographic ambiguities such as as flipped amide groups and histidine
      residues. To ensure high speed, we make use of a dynamic programming approach.
      CONCLUSION: Our results were checked against selected high-resolution structures
      from an external dataset, for which the positions of the hydrogen atoms have been
      validated manually. The quality of our results is comparable to that of other
      programs, with the advantage of being fast enough to be applied on-the-fly for
      interactive usage or during score evaluation.

PMID- 20298520
TI  - Shape: automatic conformation prediction of carbohydrates using a genetic
      algorithm.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Detailed experimental three dimensional structures of carbohydrates
      are often difficult to acquire. Molecular modelling and computational
      conformation prediction are therefore commonly used tools for three dimensional
      structure studies. Modelling procedures generally require significant training
      and computing resources, which is often impractical for most experimental
      chemists and biologists. Shape has been developed to improve the availability of
      modelling in this field. RESULTS: The Shape software package has been developed
      for simplicity of use and conformation prediction performance. A trivial user
      interface coupled to an efficient genetic algorithm conformation search makes it
      a powerful tool for automated modelling. Carbohydrates up to a few hundred atoms
      in size can be investigated on common computer hardware. It has been shown to
      perform well for the prediction of over four hundred bioactive oligosaccharides,
      as well as compare favourably with previously published studies on carbohydrate
      conformation prediction. CONCLUSION: The Shape fully automated conformation
      prediction can be used by scientists who lack significant modelling training, and
      performs well on computing hardware such as laptops and desktops. It can also be
      deployed on computer clusters for increased capacity. The prediction accuracy
      under the default settings is good, as it agrees well with experimental data and
      previously published conformation prediction studies. This software is available
      both as open source and under commercial licenses.

PMID- 20298521
TI  - OrChem - An open source chemistry search engine for Oracle(R).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Registration, indexing and searching of chemical structures in
      relational databases is one of the core areas of cheminformatics. However, little
      detail has been published on the inner workings of search engines and their
      development has been mostly closed-source. We decided to develop an open source
      chemistry extension for Oracle, the de facto database platform in the commercial
      world. RESULTS: Here we present OrChem, an extension for the Oracle 11G database
      that adds registration and indexing of chemical structures to support fast
      substructure and similarity searching. The cheminformatics functionality is
      provided by the Chemistry Development Kit. OrChem provides similarity searching
      with response times in the order of seconds for databases with millions of
      compounds, depending on a given similarity cut-off. For substructure searching,
      it can make use of multiple processor cores on today's powerful database servers
      to provide fast response times in equally large data sets. AVAILABILITY: OrChem
      is free software and can be redistributed and/or modified under the terms of the
      GNU Lesser General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation.
      All software is available via http://orchem.sourceforge.net.

PMID- 20298522
TI  - The PubChem chemical structure sketcher.
AB  - PubChem is an important public, Web-based information source for chemical and
      bioactivity information. In order to provide convenient structure search methods
      on compounds stored in this database, one mandatory component is a Web-based
      drawing tool for interactive sketching of chemical query structures. Web-enabled
      chemical structure sketchers are not new, being in existence for years; however,
      solutions available rely on complex technology like Java applets or platform
      dependent plug-ins. Due to general policy and support incident rate
      considerations, Java-based or platform-specific sketchers cannot be deployed as a
      part of public NCBI Web services. Our solution: a chemical structure sketching
      tool based exclusively on CGI server processing, client-side JavaScript
      functions, and image sequence streaming. The PubChem structure editor does not
      require the presence of any specific runtime support libraries or browser
      configurations on the client. It is completely platform-independent and verified
      to work on all major Web browsers, including older ones without support for
      Web2.0 JavaScript objects.

PMID- 20298523
TI  - Evaluation of a Bayesian inference network for ligand-based virtual screening.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bayesian inference networks enable the computation of the probability
      that an event will occur. They have been used previously to rank textual
      documents in order of decreasing relevance to a user-defined query. Here, we
      modify the approach to enable a Bayesian inference network to be used for
      chemical similarity searching, where a database is ranked in order of decreasing
      probability of bioactivity. RESULTS: Bayesian inference networks were implemented
      using two different types of network and four different types of belief function.
      Experiments with the MDDR and WOMBAT databases show that a Bayesian inference
      network can be used to provide effective ligand-based screening, especially when
      the active molecules being sought have a high degree of structural homogeneity;
      in such cases, the network substantially out-performs a conventional, Tanimoto
      based similarity searching system. However, the effectiveness of the network is
      much less when structurally heterogeneous sets of actives are being sought.
      CONCLUSION: A Bayesian inference network provides an interesting alternative to
      existing tools for ligand-based virtual screening.

PMID- 20298524
TI  - Combining docking with pharmacophore filtering for improved virtual screening.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Virtual screening is used to distinguish potential leads from
      inactive compounds in a database of chemical samples. One method for
      accomplishing this is by docking compounds into the structure of a receptor
      binding site in order to rank-order compounds by the quality of the interactions
      they form with the receptor. It is generally established that docking can be
      reasonably successful at generating good poses of a ligand in an active site.
      However, the scoring functions that are used with docking are typically not
      successful at correctly ranking ligands according to binding affinity or even
      distinguishing correct poses of a given ligand from incorrect ones. RESULTS: We
      have developed a simple method for reducing the number of false positives in a
      virtual screen, meaning ligands which are scored highly by the docking program
      but do not bind well in reality. This method uses a docking program for pose
      generation without regard to scoring, followed by filtering with receptor-based
      pharmacophore searches. We applied it to three test-case targets: neuraminidase
      A, cyclin-dependent kinase 2, and the C1 domain of protein kinase C. CONCLUSION:
      The pharmacophore filtering method can perform better than more traditional
      docking + scoring methods, and allows the advantages of both docking-based and
      pharmacophore-based approaches to virtual screening to be fully realized.

PMID- 20298525
TI  - Large scale study of multiple-molecule queries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In ligand-based screening, as well as in other chemoinformatics
      applications, one seeks to effectively search large repositories of molecules in
      order to retrieve molecules that are similar typically to a single molecule lead.
      However, in some case, multiple molecules from the same family are available to
      seed the query and search for other members of the same family.Multiple-molecule
      query methods have been less studied than single-molecule query methods.
      Furthermore, the previous studies have relied on proprietary data and sometimes
      have not used proper cross-validation methods to assess the results. In contrast,
      here we develop and compare multiple-molecule query methods using several large
      publicly available data sets and background. We also create a framework based on
      a strict cross-validation protocol to allow unbiased benchmarking for direct
      comparison in future studies across several performance metrics. RESULTS:
      Fourteen different multiple-molecule query methods were defined and benchmarked
      using: (1) 41 publicly available data sets of related molecules with similar
      biological activity; and (2) publicly available background data sets consisting
      of up to 175,000 molecules randomly extracted from the ChemDB database and other
      sources. Eight of the fourteen methods were parameter free, and six of them fit
      one or two free parameters to the data using a careful cross-validation protocol.
      All the methods were assessed and compared for their ability to retrieve members
      of the same family against the background data set by using several performance
      metrics including the Area Under the Accumulation Curve (AUAC), Area Under the
      Curve (AUC), F1-measure, and BEDROC metrics.Consistent with the previous
      literature, the best parameter-free methods are the MAX-SIM and MIN-RANK methods,
      which score a molecule to a family by the maximum similarity, or minimum ranking,
      obtained across the family. One new parameterized method introduced in this study
      and two previously defined methods, the Exponential Tanimoto Discriminant (ETD),
      the Tanimoto Power Discriminant (TPD), and the Binary Kernel Discriminant (BKD),
      outperform most other methods but are more complex, requiring one or two
      parameters to be fit to the data. CONCLUSION: Fourteen methods for multiple
      molecule querying of chemical databases, including novel methods, (ETD) and
      (TPD), are validated using publicly available data sets, standard cross
      validation protocols, and established metrics. The best results are obtained with
      ETD, TPD, BKD, MAX-SIM, and MIN-RANK. These results can be replicated and
      compared with the results of future studies using data freely downloadable from
      http://cdb.ics.uci.edu/.

PMID- 20298526
TI  - Estimation of synthetic accessibility score of drug-like molecules based on
      molecular complexity and fragment contributions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A method to estimate ease of synthesis (synthetic accessibility) of
      drug-like molecules is needed in many areas of the drug discovery process. The
      development and validation of such a method that is able to characterize molecule
      synthetic accessibility as a score between 1 (easy to make) and 10 (very
      difficult to make) is described in this article. RESULTS: The method for
      estimation of the synthetic accessibility score (SAscore) described here is based
      on a combination of fragment contributions and a complexity penalty. Fragment
      contributions have been calculated based on the analysis of one million
      representative molecules from PubChem and therefore one can say that they capture
      historical synthetic knowledge stored in this database. The molecular complexity
      score takes into account the presence of non-standard structural features, such
      as large rings, non-standard ring fusions, stereocomplexity and molecule size.
      The method has been validated by comparing calculated SAscores with ease of
      synthesis as estimated by experienced medicinal chemists for a set of 40
      molecules. The agreement between calculated and manually estimated synthetic
      accessibility is very good with r2 = 0.89. CONCLUSION: A novel method to estimate
      synthetic accessibility of molecules has been developed. This method uses
      historical synthetic knowledge obtained by analyzing information from millions of
      already synthesized chemicals and considers also molecule complexity. The method
      is sufficiently fast and provides results consistent with estimation of ease of
      synthesis by experienced medicinal chemists. The calculated SAscore may be used
      to support various drug discovery processes where a large number of molecules
      needs to be ranked based on their synthetic accessibility, for example when
      purchasing samples for screening, selecting hits from high-throughput screening
      for follow-up, or ranking molecules generated by various de novo design
      approaches.

PMID- 20298527
TI  - The Spectral Game: leveraging Open Data and crowdsourcing for education.
AB  - We report on the implementation of the Spectral Game, a web-based game where
      players try to match molecules to various forms of interactive spectra including
      1D/2D NMR, Mass Spectrometry and Infrared spectra. Each correct selection earns
      the player one point and play continues until the player supplies an incorrect
      answer. The game is usually played using a web browser interface, although a
      version has been developed in the virtual 3D environment of Second Life. Spectra
      uploaded as Open Data to ChemSpider in JCAMP-DX format are used for the problem
      sets together with structures extracted from the website. The spectra are
      displayed using JSpecView, an Open Source spectrum viewing applet which affords
      zooming and integration. The application of the game to the teaching of proton
      NMR spectroscopy in an undergraduate organic chemistry class and a 2D Spectrum
      Viewer are also presented.

PMID- 20298528
TI  - Molecular structure input on the web.
AB  - A molecule editor, that is program for input and editing of molecules, is an
      indispensable part of every cheminformatics or molecular processing system. This
      review focuses on a special type of molecule editors, namely those that are used
      for molecule structure input on the web. Scientific computing is now moving more
      and more in the direction of web services and cloud computing, with servers
      scattered all around the Internet. Thus a web browser has become the universal
      scientific user interface, and a tool to edit molecules directly within the web
      browser is essential.The review covers a history of web-based structure input,
      starting with simple text entry boxes and early molecule editors based on
      clickable maps, before moving to the current situation dominated by Java applets.
      One typical example - the popular JME Molecule Editor - will be described in more
      detail. Modern Ajax server-side molecule editors are also presented. And finally,
      the possible future direction of web-based molecule editing, based on
      technologies like JavaScript and Flash, is discussed.

PMID- 20298529
TI  - Notch regulates the angiogenic response via induction of VEGFR-1.
AB  - Notch is a critical regulator of angiogenesis and arterial specification. We show
      that ectopic expression of activated Notch1 induces endothelial morphogenesis in
      human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) in a VEGFR-1-dependent manner.
      Notch1-mediated upregulation of VEGFR-1 in HUVEC increased their responsiveness
      to the VEGFR-1 specific ligand, Placental Growth Factor (PlGF). In mice and human
      endothelial cells, inhibition of Notch signaling resulted in decreased VEGFR-1
      expression during VEGF-A-induced neovascularization. In summary, we show that
      Notch1 plays a role in endothelial cells by regulating VEGFR-1, a function that
      may be important for physiological and pathological angiogenesis.

PMID- 20298530
TI  - A role for Egfl7 during endothelial organization in the embryoid body model
      system.
AB  - Epidermal growth factor-like domain 7, Egfl7, is a largely endothelial restricted
      gene which is thought to have a role during the differentiation of embryonic stem
      cells (ESCs) along the endothelial lineage. While it has been shown that Egfl7
      knock-down in zebrafish impairs endothelial cord formation, the role of the gene
      in mammals has been unresolved. Interpretation of mouse knockout studies has been
      complicated by the fact that deletion of miR-126, an intronic microRNA located
      within Egfl7, results in vascular defects. Here we use an siRNA knock-down
      approach to target specific regions of Egfl7 without affecting miR-126
      expression. Egfl7 was knocked down in mouse ESCs and the effect on vascular
      development was assessed using the in vitro embryoid body (EB) model after either
      7 or 14 days of differentiation. Knock-down of Egfl7 resulted in the formation of
      abnormal sheet-like CD31+ structures that were abundant within EBs after 7 days
      of differentiation. Only up to 60% of these sheets co-expressed basement membrane
      and endothelial cell junction markers. Similar CD31+ sheets were also seen as
      outgrowths from 7 day EBs into collagen gels. A partial remodelling occurred by
      14 days of differentiation when fewer CD31+ sheets were seen both within EBs, and
      as outgrowths from EBs. Formation of these sheets was due, at least in part, to
      increased proliferation specifically of CD31+ cells. Cell death within EBs was
      unaffected by Egfl7 knock-down. In conclusion, our work shows that knock-down of
      Egfl7 causes defects in early vascular cord formation, and results in the
      development of CD31+ sheet-like structures. This suggests that Egfl7 is vital for
      the formation of endothelial cell cords, and that the gene has an important role
      during both vasculogenesis and angiogenesis in mammalian cells.

PMID- 20298531
TI  - Methylnaltrexone potentiates the anti-angiogenic effects of mTOR inhibitors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent cancer therapies include drugs that target both tumor growth
      and angiogenesis including mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors. Since
      mTOR inhibitor therapy is associated with significant side effects, we examined
      potential agents that can reduce the therapeutic dose. METHODS: Methylnaltrexone
      (MNTX), a peripheral mu opioid receptor (MOR) antagonist, in combination with the
      mTOR inhibitors temsirolimus and/or rapamycin, was evaluated for inhibition of
      VEGF-induced human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cell (EC) proliferation
      and migration as well as in vivo angiogenesis (mouse Matrigel plug assay).
      RESULTS: MNTX inhibited VEGF-induced EC proliferation and migration with an IC50
      of approximately 100 nM. Adding 10 nM MNTX to EC shifted the IC50 of temsirolimus
      inhibition of VEGF-induced proliferation and migration from approximately 10 nM
      to approximately 1 nM and from approximately 50 to approximately 10 nM
      respectively. We observed similar effects with rapamycin. On a mechanistic level,
      we observed that MNTX increased EC plasma membrane-associated tyrosine phosphate
      activity. Inhibition of tyrosine phosphatase activity (3,4-dephostatin) blocked
      the synergy between MNTX and temsirolimus and increased VEGF-induced tyrosine
      phosphorylation of Src with enhanced PI3 kinase and mTOR Complex 2-dependent
      phosphorylation of Akt and subsequent activation of mTOR Complex 1 (rapamycin and
      temsirolimus target), while silencing Src, Akt or mTOR complex 2 components
      blocked VEGF-induced angiogenic events. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that MNTX
      exerts a synergistic effect with rapamycin and temsirolimus on inhibition of VEGF
      induced human EC proliferation and migration and in vivo angiogenesis. Therefore,
      addition of MNTX could potentially lower the dose of mTOR inhibitors which could
      improve therapeutic index.

PMID- 20298532
TI  - Endothelial progenitor cells: what use for the cardiologist?
AB  - Endothelial Progenitor Cells (EPC) were first described in 1997 and have since
      been the subject of numerous investigative studies exploring the potential of
      these cells in the process of cardiovascular damage and repair. Whilst their
      exact definition and mechanism of action remains unclear, they are directly
      influenced by different cardiovascular risk factors and have a definite role to
      play in defining cardiovascular risk. Furthermore, EPCs may have important
      therapeutic implications and further understanding of their pathophysiology has
      enabled us to explore new possibilities in the management of cardiovascular
      disease. This review article aims to provide an overview of the vast literature
      on EPCs in relation to clinical cardiology.

PMID- 20298533
TI  - Micro computed tomography for vascular exploration.
AB  - Vascular exploration of small animals requires imaging hardware with a very high
      spatial resolution, capable of differentiating large as well as small vessels, in
      both in vivo and ex vivo studies. Micro Computed Tomography (micro-CT) has
      emerged in recent years as the preferred modality for this purpose, providing
      high resolution 3D volumetric data suitable for analysis, quantification,
      validation, and visualization of results. The usefulness of micro-CT, however,
      can be adversely affected by a range of factors including physical animal
      preparation, numerical quantification, visualization of results, and
      quantification software with limited possibilities. Exacerbating these inherent
      difficulties is the lack of a unified standard for micro-CT imaging. Most micro
      CT today is aimed at particular applications and the software tools needed for
      quantification, developed mainly by imaging hardware manufacturers, lack the
      level of detail needed to address more specific aims. This review highlights the
      capabilities of micro-CT for vascular exploration, describes the current state of
      imaging protocols, and offers guidelines and suggestions aimed at making micro-CT
      more accurate, replicable, and robust.

PMID- 20298535
TI  - Intracarotid administration of human bone marrow mononuclear cells in rat
      photothrombotic ischemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence suggests that cell therapy improves functional
      recovery in experimental models of stroke and myocardial infarction. So far only
      small pilot trials tested the effects of cell therapy in stroke patients, whereas
      large clinical trials were conducted in patients with ischemic heart disease. To
      investigate the therapeutic benefit of cell therapy to improve the recovery after
      stroke, we determined the efficacy of bone marrow derived mononuclear cells,
      which were shown to improve the recovery in experimental and clinical acute
      myocardial infarction studies, in a rat stroke model. METHODS: Adult male Wistar
      rats were randomly assigned to receive either five million human bone marrow
      mononuclear cells (hBMC) or placebo intraarterially 3 days after photothrombotic
      ischemia. For immunosuppression the animals received daily injections of
      cyclosporine throughout the experiment, commencing 24 hours before the cell
      transplantation. A battery of behavioral tests was performed before and up to 4
      weeks after ischemia. RESULTS: Body temperature and body weight revealed no
      difference between groups. Neurological deficits measured by the Rotarod test,
      the adhesive-removal test and the cylinder test were not improved by hBMC
      transplantation compared to placebo. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that
      hBMC do not improve functional recovery when transplanted intraaterially 3 days
      after the onset of focal cerebral ischemia. A possible reason for the failed
      neurological improvement after cell therapy might be the delayed treatment
      initiation compared to other experimental stroke studies that showed efficacy of
      bone marrow mononuclear cells.

PMID- 20298536
TI  - In vivo MRI assessment of permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion by
      electrocoagulation: pitfalls of procedure.
AB  - Permanent middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion (pMCAO) by electrocoagulation is
      a commonly used model but with potential traumatic lesions. Early MRI monitoring
      may assess pMCAO for non-specific brain damage. The surgical steps of pMCAO were
      evaluated for traumatic cerebral injury in 22 Swiss mice using diffusion and T2
      weighted MRI (7T) performed within 1 h and 24 h after surgery. Temporal muscle
      cauterization without MCA occlusion produced an early T2 hyperintensity mimicking
      an infarct. No lesion was visible after temporal muscle incision or craniotomy.
      Early MRI monitoring is useful to identify non-specific brain injury that could
      hamper neuroprotective drugs assessment.

PMID- 20298534
TI  - Preconditioning-induced ischemic tolerance: a window into endogenous gearing for
      cerebroprotection.
AB  - Ischemic tolerance defines transient resistance to lethal ischemia gained by a
      prior sublethal noxious stimulus (i.e., preconditioning). This adaptive response
      is thought to be an evolutionarily conserved defense mechanism, observed in a
      wide variety of species. Preconditioning confers ischemic tolerance if not in
      all, in most organ systems, including the heart, kidney, liver, and small
      intestine. Since the first landmark experimental demonstration of ischemic
      tolerance in the gerbil brain in early 1990's, basic scientific knowledge on the
      mechanisms of cerebral ischemic tolerance increased substantially. Various
      noxious stimuli can precondition the brain, presumably through a common
      mechanism, genomic reprogramming. Ischemic tolerance occurs in two temporally
      distinct windows. Early tolerance can be achieved within minutes, but wanes also
      rapidly, within hours. Delayed tolerance develops in hours and lasts for days.
      The main mechanism involved in early tolerance is adaptation of membrane
      receptors, whereas gene activation with subsequent de novo protein synthesis
      dominates delayed tolerance. Ischemic preconditioning is associated with robust
      cerebroprotection in animals. In humans, transient ischemic attacks may be the
      clinical correlate of preconditioning leading to ischemic tolerance. Mimicking
      the mechanisms of this unique endogenous protection process is therefore a
      potential strategy for stroke prevention. Perhaps new remedies for stroke are
      very close, right in our cells.

PMID- 20298537
TI  - COU254, a specific 3-carboxamide-coumarin inhibitor of coagulation factor XII,
      does not protect mice from acute ischemic stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anticoagulation is an important means to prevent from acute ischemic
      stroke but is associated with a significant risk of severe hemorrhages. Previous
      studies have shown that blood coagulation factor XII (FXII)-deficient mice are
      protected from pathological thrombus formation during cerebral ischemia without
      bearing an increased bleeding tendency. Hence, pharmacological blockade of FXII
      might be a promising and safe approach to prevent acute ischemic stroke and
      possibly other thromboembolic disorders but pharmacological inhibitors selective
      over FXII are still lacking. In the present study we investigated the efficacy of
      COU254, a novel nonpeptidic 3-carboxamide-coumarin that selectively blocks FXII
      activity, on stroke development and post stroke functional outcome in mice.
      METHODS: C57Bl/6 mice were treated with COU254 (40 mg/kg i.p.) or vehicle and
      subjected to 60 min transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) using the
      intraluminal filament method. After 24 h infarct volumes were determined from
      2,3,5-Triphenyltetrazoliumchloride(TTC)-stained brain sections and functional
      scores were assessed. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was used to estimate
      the extent of neuronal cell damage. Thrombus formation within the infarcted brain
      areas was analyzed by immunoblot. RESULTS: Infarct volumes and functional
      outcomes on day 1 after tMCAO did not significantly differ between COU254 pre
      treated mice or untreated controls (p > 0.05). Histology revealed extensive
      ischemic neuronal damage regularly including the cortex and the basal ganglia in
      both groups. COU254 treatment did not prevent intracerebral fibrin(ogen)
      formation. CONCLUSIONS: COU254 at the given concentration of 40 mg/kg failed to
      demonstrate efficacy in acute ischemic stroke in this preliminary study. Further
      preclinical evaluation of 3-carboxamide-coumarins is needed before the
      antithrombotic potential of this novel class of FXII inhibitors can be finally
      judged.

PMID- 20298538
TI  - Patient safety in surgery: non-technical aspects of safe surgical performance.
AB  - The performance of operative surgery has an understandable focus placed on
      dexterity, technical precision, as well as the choice of procedure. There is less
      appreciation of the cognitive and social skills of the individual surgeon and the
      effect that these have on the surgical team and on patient outcome. This article
      highlights that impact and explores the contribution of non-technical skills to
      safe practice within the operating room.

PMID- 20298540
TI  - British pain clinic practitioners' recognition and use of the bio-psychosocial
      pain management model for patients when physical interventions are ineffective or
      inappropriate: results of a qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To explore how chronic musculoskeletal pain is managed in
      multidisciplinary pain clinics for patients for whom physical interventions are
      inappropriate or ineffective. METHODS: A qualitative study was undertaken using
      semi-structured interviews with twenty five members of the pain management team
      drawn from seven pain clinics and one pain management unit located across the UK.
      RESULTS: All clinics reported using a multidisciplinary bio-psychosocial model.
      However the chronic pain management strategy actually focussed on psychological
      approaches in preference to physical approaches. These approaches were utilised
      by all practitioners irrespective of their discipline. Consideration of social
      elements such as access to social support networks to support patients in
      managing their chronic pain was conspicuously absent from the approaches used.
      CONCLUSION: Pain clinic practitioners readily embraced cognitive/behavioural
      based management strategies but relatively little consideration to the impact
      social factors played in managing chronic pain was reported. Consequently
      multidisciplinary pain clinics espousing a bio-psychosocial model of pain
      management may not be achieving their maximum potential.

PMID- 20298539
TI  - PATCH: platelet transfusion in cerebral haemorrhage: study protocol for a
      multicentre, randomised, controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients suffering from intracerebral haemorrhage have a poor
      prognosis, especially if they are using antiplatelet therapy. Currently, no
      effective acute treatment option for intracerebral haemorrhage exists. Limiting
      the early growth of intracerebral haemorrhage volume which continues the first
      hours after admission seems a promising strategy. Because intracerebral
      haemorrhage patients who are on antiplatelet therapy have been shown to be
      particularly at risk of early haematoma growth, platelet transfusion may have a
      beneficial effect. METHODS/DESIGN: The primary objective is to investigate
      whether platelet transfusion improves outcome in intracerebral haemorrhage
      patients who are on antiplatelet treatment. The PATCH study is a prospective,
      randomised, multi-centre study with open treatment and blind endpoint evaluation.
      Patients will be randomised to receive platelet transfusion within six hours or
      standard care. The primary endpoint is functional health after three months. The
      main secondary endpoints are safety of platelet transfusion and the occurrence of
      haematoma growth. To detect an absolute poor outcome reduction of 20%, a total of
      190 patients will be included. DISCUSSION: To our knowledge this is the first
      randomised controlled trial of platelet transfusion for an acute haemorrhagic
      disease.

PMID- 20298541
TI  - Automatic colorimetric calibration of human wounds.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recently, digital photography in medicine is considered an acceptable
      tool in many clinical domains, e.g. wound care. Although ever higher resolutions
      are available, reproducibility is still poor and visual comparison of images
      remains difficult. This is even more the case for measurements performed on such
      images (colour, area, etc.). This problem is often neglected and images are
      freely compared and exchanged without further thought. METHODS: The first
      experiment checked whether camera settings or lighting conditions could
      negatively affect the quality of colorimetric calibration. Digital images plus a
      calibration chart were exposed to a variety of conditions. Precision and accuracy
      of colours after calibration were quantitatively assessed with a probability
      distribution for perceptual colour differences (dE_ab). The second experiment was
      designed to assess the impact of the automatic calibration procedure (i.e. chart
      detection) on real-world measurements. 40 Different images of real wounds were
      acquired and a region of interest was selected in each image. 3 Rotated versions
      of each image were automatically calibrated and colour differences were
      calculated. RESULTS: 1st EXPERIMENT: Colour differences between the measurements
      and real spectrophotometric measurements reveal median dE_ab values respectively
      6.40 for the proper patches of calibrated normal images and 17.75 for
      uncalibrated images demonstrating an important improvement in accuracy after
      calibration. The reproducibility, visualized by the probability distribution of
      the dE_ab errors between 2 measurements of the patches of the images has a median
      of 3.43 dE* for all calibrated images, 23.26 dE_ab for all uncalibrated images.
      If we restrict ourselves to the proper patches of normal calibrated images the
      median is only 2.58 dE_ab! Wilcoxon sum-rank testing (p < 0.05) between
      uncalibrated normal images and calibrated normal images with proper squares were
      equal to 0 demonstrating a highly significant improvement of reproducibility. In
      the second experiment, the reproducibility of the chart detection during
      automatic calibration is presented using a probability distribution of dE_ab
      errors between 2 measurements of the same ROI. CONCLUSION: The investigators
      proposed an automatic colour calibration algorithm that ensures reproducible
      colour content of digital images. Evidence was provided that images taken with
      commercially available digital cameras can be calibrated independently of any
      camera settings and illumination features.

PMID- 20298542
TI  - Self-organizing actin waves that simulate phagocytic cup structures.
AB  - This report deals with actin waves that are spontaneously generated on the
      planar, substrate-attached surface of Dictyostelium cells. These waves have the
      following characteristics. (1) They are circular structures of varying shape,
      capable of changing the direction of propagation. (2) The waves propagate by
      treadmilling with a recovery of actin incorporation after photobleaching of less
      than 10 seconds. (3) The waves are associated with actin-binding proteins in an
      ordered 3-dimensional organization: with myosin-IB at the front and close to the
      membrane, the Arp2/3 complex throughout the wave, and coronin at the cytoplasmic
      face and back of the wave. Coronin is a marker of disassembling actin structures.
      (4) The waves separate two areas of the cell cortex that differ in actin
      structure and phosphoinositide composition of the membrane. The waves arise at
      the border of membrane areas rich in phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5) trisphosphate
      (PIP3). The inhibition of PIP3 synthesis reversibly inhibits wave formation. (5)
      The actin wave and PIP3 patterns resemble 2-dimensional projections of phagocytic
      cups, suggesting that they are involved in the scanning of surfaces for particles
      to be taken up.PACS Codes: 87.16.Ln, 87.19.lp, 89.75.Fb.

PMID- 20298543
TI  - Resuscitation with low volume hydroxyethylstarch 130 kDa/0.4 is not associated
      with acute kidney injury.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Acute kidney injury (AKI) in the ICU is associated with poorer
      prognosis. Hydroxyethylstarch (HES) solutions are fluid resuscitation colloids
      frequently used in the ICU with controversial nephrotoxic adverse effects. Our
      study objective was to evaluate HES impact on renal function and organ failures.
      METHODS: This observational retrospective study included 363 patients
      hospitalized for more than 72 hours in our ICU. A hundred and sixty eight
      patients received HES during their stay and 195 did not. We recorded patients'
      baseline characteristics on admission and type and volume of fluid resuscitation
      during the first 3 weeks of ICU stay. We also noted the evolution of urine
      output, the risk of renal dysfunction, injury to the kidney, failure of kidney
      function, loss of kidney function and end-stage kidney disease (RIFLE)
      classification and sepsis related organ failure assessment (SOFA) score over 3
      weeks. RESULTS: Patients in the HES group were more severely ill on admission but
      AKI incidence was similar, as well as ICU mortality. The evolution of urine
      output (P = 0.74), RIFLE classification (P = 0.44) and SOFA score (P = 0.23) was
      not different. However, HES volumes administered were low (763+/-593 ml during
      the first 48 hours). CONCLUSIONS: Volume expansion with low volume HES 130
      kDa/0.4 was not associated with AKI.

PMID- 20298544
TI  - Plasma selenium and risk of dysglycemia in an elderly French population: results
      from the prospective Epidemiology of Vascular Ageing Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A preventive role of selenium on the risk of diabetes has been
      reported and ascribed to the "insulin-like" activity of selenium and the
      antioxidant properties of the selenoenzymes. By contrast, data from cross
      sectional studies and clinical trials have suggested an adverse effect of high
      selenium status and selenium supplementation on type-2 diabetes risk. Given these
      controversial results, we investigated prospectively the relationship between
      baseline plasma selenium concentration and occurrence of dysglycemia (impaired
      fasting glucose or type 2 diabetes) in an elderly French cohort. METHODS: The
      Epidemiology of Vascular Ageing (EVA) study (n = 1389, 59-71 years) is a 9-year
      longitudinal study in which, fasting plasma glucose was measured at baseline, 2,
      4 and 9 years. Analyses were performed on 1162 participants with complete data.
      RESULTS: At baseline plasma selenium mean levels were 1.08 (0.21) mumol/l in men
      and 1.10 (0.20) mumol/l in women. During the 9-year follow-up, 127 cases of
      dysglycemia occurred. A significant interaction was found between plasma selenium
      and sex. Risk of dysglycemia was significantly lower in men with plasma selenium
      in the highest tertile (T3:1.19-1.97) compared to those in the lowest tertile
      (T1:0.18-1.00) [HR = 0.48 (0.25-0.92)], but no significant relationship was
      observed in women. After controlling for socio-demographic factors, lifestyle
      factors, cardiovascular diseases, body mass index, hypertension and lipid
      profile, plasma selenium remained marginally significantly associated with
      occurrence of dysglycemia in men [T3 vs. T1, HR = 0.50 (0.24-1.04)] and unrelated
      in women. CONCLUSIONS: This prospective study suggests a sex-specific protective
      effect of higher selenium status at baseline on later occurrence of dysglycemia.

PMID- 20298545
TI  - Dietary meat fats and burden of cardiovascular disease risk factors, in the
      elderly: a report from the MEDIS study.
AB  - Dietary fats have long been associated with human health, and especially
      cardiovascular disease (CVD). Some observational studies have shown that
      reduction in dietary fats, and particularly cholesterol is associated with lower
      cardiovascular risk; however, other prospective studies or randomized controlled
      trials of dietary fat reduction or modification have shown varying results on CVD
      morbidity and mortality. In this work we evaluated the relationships between
      dietary fats and a cluster of CVD risk factors (i.e., diabetes, obesity,
      hypercholesterolemia, hypertension), among elderly individuals without known CVD.
      In particular, dietary and clinical data from 1486 elderly (aged 65 to 100 years)
      men and women living in Cyprus, Mitilini, Samothraki, Cephalonia, Crete, Lemnos,
      Syros, Naxos, Corfu and Zakynthos islands, and participated in the MEDIS study,
      were analysed. Data analysis revealed that 18.5% of males and 33.3% of females
      had three or four cardiovascular disease risk factors; the major source of fat
      was olive oil (mean intake for men and women 50.0 +/- 19.3 g/day and 46.0 +/-
      16.8 g/day, p < 0.001). In addition it was observed that a 5% increase in energy
      adjusted fat intake from meat was associated with a 21% increase in the
      likelihood of having one additional CVD risk factor (95%CI 6%-39%); no
      significant associations were observed regarding the other types of fat consumed
      by the elderly participants. These findings may state a hypothesis that the
      consumption of fat only from meat or its products seems to increase the burden of
      CVD risk factors among CVD-free, elderly people.

PMID- 20298546
TI  - Choline PET based dose-painting in prostate cancer--modelling of dose effects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several randomized trials have documented the value of radiation dose
      escalation in patients with prostate cancer, especially in patients with
      intermediate risk profile. Up to now dose escalation is usually applied to the
      whole prostate. IMRT and related techniques currently allow for dose escalation
      in sub-volumes of the organ. However, the sensitivity of the imaging modality and
      the fact that small islands of cancer are often dispersed within the whole organ
      may limit these approaches with regard to a clear clinical benefit. In order to
      assess potential effects of a dose escalation in certain sub-volumes based on
      choline PET imaging a mathematical dose-response model was developed. METHODS:
      Based on different assumptions for alpha/beta, gamma 50, sensitivity and
      specificity of choline PET, the influence of the whole prostate and simultaneous
      integrated boost (SIB) dose on tumor control probability (TCP) was calculated.
      Based on the given heterogeneity of all potential variables certain
      representative permutations of the parameters were chosen and, subsequently, the
      influence on TCP was assessed. RESULTS: Using schedules with 74 Gy within the
      whole prostate and a SIB dose of 90 Gy the TCP increase ranged from 23.1% (high
      detection rate of choline PET, low whole prostate dose, high gamma 50/ASTRO
      definition for tumor control) to 1.4% TCP gain (low sensitivity of PET, high
      whole prostate dose, CN + 2 definition for tumor control) or even 0% in selected
      cases. The corresponding initial TCP values without integrated boost ranged from
      67.3% to 100%. According to a large data set of intermediate-risk prostate cancer
      patients the resulting TCP gains ranged from 22.2% to 10.1% (ASTRO definition) or
      from 13.2% to 6.0% (CN + 2 definition). DISCUSSION: Although a simplified
      mathematical model was employed, the presented model allows for an estimation in
      how far given schedules are relevant for clinical practice. However, the benefit
      of a SIB based on choline PET seems less than intuitively expected. Only under
      the assumption of high detection rates and low initial TCP values the TCP gain
      has been shown to be relevant. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the employed assumptions,
      specific dose escalation to choline PET positive areas within the prostate may
      increase the local control rates. Due to the lack of exact PET sensitivity and
      prostate alpha/beta parameter, no firm conclusions can be made. Small variations
      may completely abrogate the clinical benefit of a SIB based on choline PET
      imaging.

PMID- 20298548
TI  - Gene regulatory networks modelling using a dynamic evolutionary hybrid.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inference of gene regulatory networks is a key goal in the quest for
      understanding fundamental cellular processes and revealing underlying relations
      among genes. With the availability of gene expression data, computational methods
      aiming at regulatory networks reconstruction are facing challenges posed by the
      data's high dimensionality, temporal dynamics or measurement noise. We propose an
      approach based on a novel multi-layer evolutionary trained neuro-fuzzy recurrent
      network (ENFRN) that is able to select potential regulators of target genes and
      describe their regulation type. RESULTS: The recurrent, self-organizing structure
      and evolutionary training of our network yield an optimized pool of regulatory
      relations, while its fuzzy nature avoids noise-related problems. Furthermore, we
      are able to assign scores for each regulation, highlighting the confidence in the
      retrieved relations. The approach was tested by applying it to several benchmark
      datasets of yeast, managing to acquire biologically validated relations among
      genes. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the ENFRN in
      retrieving biologically valid regulatory relations and providing meaningful
      insights for better understanding the dynamics of gene regulatory networks. The
      algorithms and methods described in this paper have been implemented in a Matlab
      toolbox and are available from: http://bioserver
      1.bioacademy.gr/DataRepository/Project_ENFRN_GRN/.

PMID- 20298547
TI  - Development of proteoglycan-induced arthritis depends on T cell-supported
      autoantibody production, but does not involve significant influx of T cells into
      the joints.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Inflammatory joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may be
      triggered by autoantibodies, the production of which is supported by autoreactive
      T cells. Studies on RA and animal models of the disease suggest that T cells
      recruited in the joints can locally initiate or propagate arthritis. Herein, we
      investigated the role of joint-homing versus lymphoid organ-homing T cells in the
      development of proteoglycan-induced arthritis (PGIA), an autoimmune model of RA.
      METHODS: To identify T cells migrating to the joints before and during
      development of autoimmune arthritis, we transferred fluorescence-labeled T cells,
      along with antigen-presenting cells, from BALB/c mice with PGIA to naive
      syngeneic severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice. We then monitored the
      recruitment of donor T cells in the ankle joints and joint-draining lymph nodes
      of the recipients using in vivo two-photon microscopy and ex vivo detection
      methods. To limit T-cell access to the joints, we selectively depleted T cells in
      the blood circulation by treatment with FTY720, an inhibitor of lymphocyte egress
      from lymphoid organs. Reduction of T cell presence in both lymphoid organs and
      blood was achieved by injection of donor cells from which T cells were removed
      prior to transfer. T and B cells were quantitated by flow cytometry, and antigen
      (PG)-specific responses were assessed by cell proliferation and serum antibody
      assays. RESULTS: Despite development of adoptively transferred arthritis in the
      recipient SCID mice, we found very few donor T cells in their joints after cell
      transfer. Treatment of recipient mice with FTY720 left the T-cell pool in the
      lymphoid organs intact, but reduced T cells in both peripheral blood and joints.
      However, FTY720 treatment failed to inhibit PGIA development. In contrast,
      arthritis was not seen in recipient mice after transfer of T cell-depleted cells
      from arthritic donors, and serum autoantibodies to PG were not detected in this
      group of mice. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that antigen-specific T cells,
      which home to lymphoid organs and provide help to B cells for systemic
      autoantibody production, play a greater role in the development and progression
      of autoimmune arthritis than the small population of T cells that migrate to the
      joints.

PMID- 20298549
TI  - IgA anti-actin antibodies in children with celiac disease: comparison of
      immunofluorescence with Elisa assay in predicting severe intestinal damage.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies have demonstrated that the presence of serum IgA
      antibodies against actin filaments (AAA) in patients with celiac disease (CD) is
      strongly associated with mucosal damage and severe degrees of villous atrophy.The
      aims of the present study were (1) to verify the effectiveness of IgA-AAA in
      newly diagnosed CD patients in a clinical setting (2) to compare the
      immunofluorescence assay with ELISA assay; (3) to compare the correlation of our
      IgA anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTG-Ab) class with mucosal
      intestinal lesions. METHODS: 90 patients underwent endoscopy and multiple
      biopsies for suspected CD on the basis of symptoms, in presence of positive tTG
      Ab tests. Twenty biopsied and 25 not-biopsied subjects with negative tTG-Ab were
      tested as control groups. IgA-AAA assays were performed by indirect
      immunofluorescence using rat epithelial intestinal cells, and by ELISA with a
      commercial kit. tTG-Ab assay was a radio-binding assay. Intestinal specimens were
      collected by upper endoscopy and the histological study was done according to the
      Marsh's classification modified by Oberhuber (M/O). Auto-antibodies assays and
      histological evaluation have been performed blindly by skilled operators.
      RESULTS: CD diagnosis was confirmed in 82 patients (type I M/O in 2 patients,
      IIIA in 18 patients, IIIB in 29 patients and IIIC in 33 patients). Two patients
      with type 1 lesion in presence of positive tTG-Ab and abdominal complaints,
      started a gluten free diet. The rate of IgA-AAA positivity (sensitivity) by IFI
      and ELISA in histologically proven celiac disease patients, were 5.5% and 25%
      patients in IIIA, 27.5% and 34.4% patients in IIIB, 78.8% and 75% in IIIC
      patients, respectively.Patients with normal or nearly normal mucosa, regardless
      of tTG-Ab status, presented negative IgA-AAA IFI assay. On the other hand, 1
      patient with normal mucosa but positive tTG-Ab, also presented positive IgA-AAA
      ELISA. All healthy non biopsied controls had negative IgA-AAA. tTG-Ab serum
      concentration was significantly correlated with more severe intestinal lesion
      (IIIB, IIIC M/O). CONCLUSIONS: IgA-AAA may be undetectable in presence of severe
      mucosal damage. Histology is still necessary to diagnose celiac disease and IgA
      AAA cannot be included in usual screening tests, because it has little to offer
      if compared to the well-established tTG-Ab.IgA-AAA could be an adjunctive, very
      useful tool to support the diagnosis of CD in case of suboptimal histology, when
      the biopsy is to be avoided for clinical reasons, or in case of negative parents'
      consensus.

PMID- 20298550
TI  - Long-term results of intensity-modulated radiotherapy concomitant with
      chemotherapy for hypopharyngeal carcinoma aimed at laryngeal preservation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective of this retrospective study is to investigate laryngeal
      preservation and long-term treatment results in hypopharyngeal carcinoma treated
      with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) combined with chemotherapy. METHODS:
      Twenty-seven patients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma (stage II-IV) were enrolled
      and underwent concurrent chemoradiotherapy. The chemotherapy regimens were
      monthly cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil for six patients and weekly cisplatin for 19
      patients. All patients were treated with IMRT with simultaneous integrated boost
      technique. Acute and late toxicities were recorded based on CTCAE 3.0 (Common
      Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events). RESULTS: The median follow-up time for
      survivors was 53.0 months (range 36-82 months). The initial complete response
      rate was 85.2%, with a laryngeal preservation rate of 63.0%. The 5-year
      functional laryngeal, local-regional control, disease-free and overall survival
      rates were 59.7%, 63.3%, 51.0% and 34.8%, respectively. The most common greater
      than or equal to grade 3 acute and late effects were dysphagia (63.0%, 17 of 27
      patients) and laryngeal stricture (18.5%, 5 of 27 patients), respectively.
      Patients belonging to the high risk group showed significantly higher risk of
      tracheostomy compared to the low risk group (p = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: After long
      term follow-up, our results confirmed that patients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma
      treated with IMRT concurrent with platinum-based chemotherapy attain high
      functional laryngeal and local-regional control survival rates. However, the late
      effect of laryngeal stricture remains a problem, particularly for high risk group
      patients.

PMID- 20298551
TI  - Use of analgesics in intentional drug overdose presentations to hospital before
      and after the withdrawal of distalgesic from the Irish market.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Distalgesic, the prescription-only analgesic compound of paracetamol
      (325 mg) and dextropropoxyphene (32.5 mg) known as co-proxamol in the UK, was
      withdrawn from the Irish market as of January 2006. This study aimed to evaluate
      the impact of the withdrawal of distalgesic in terms of intentional drug overdose
      (IDO) presentations to hospital emergency departments (EDs) nationally. METHODS:
      A total of 42,849 IDO presentations to 37 of the 40 hospitals EDs operating in
      Ireland in 2003-2008 were recorded according to standardised procedures. Data on
      sales of paracetamol-containing drugs to retail pharmacies for the period 1998
      2008 were obtained from IMS Health. RESULTS: The withdrawal of distalgesic from
      the Irish market resulted in an immediate reduction in sales to retail pharmacies
      from 40 million tablets in 2005 to 500,000 tablets in 2006 while there was a 48%
      increase in sales of other prescription compound analgesics. The rate of IDO
      presentations to hospital involving distalgesic in 2006-2008 was 84% lower than
      in the three years before it was withdrawn (10.0 per 100,000). There was a 44%
      increase in the rate of IDO presentations involving other prescription compound
      analgesics but the magnitude of this rate increase was five times smaller than
      the magnitude of the decrease in distalgesic-related IDO presentations. There was
      a decreasing trend in the rate of presentations involving any paracetamol
      containing drug that began in the years before the distalgesic withdrawal.
      CONCLUSIONS: The withdrawal of distalgesic has had positive benefits in terms of
      IDO presentations to hospital in Ireland and provides evidence supporting the
      restriction of availability of means as a prevention strategy for suicidal
      behaviour.

PMID- 20298552
TI  - Slit3 inhibits Robo3-induced invasion of synovial fibroblasts in rheumatoid
      arthritis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The repellent factor family of Slit molecules has been described to
      have repulsive function in the developing nervous system on growing axons
      expressing the Robo receptors. However, until today no data are available on
      whether these repellent factors are involved in the regulation of synovial
      fibroblast (SF) activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: mRNA expression
      in primary synovial fibroblasts was quantified by quantitative reverse
      transcription PCR and protein expression was measured by fluorescence activated
      cell sorting (FACS) analysis. Different functional assays were performed with
      rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts (RASF): proliferation, migration and a
      novel in-vitro cartilage destruction assay. RESULTS: First, we found increased
      expression of Robo3 expression in RASF compared to normal SF. Interestingly,
      analysis of data from a recently published genome-wide association study suggests
      a contribution of ROBO3 gene polymorphisms to susceptibility of RA. Functional
      assays performed with RASF revealed induction of migration and cartilage
      destruction by Robo3 and increased matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)1 and MMP3
      expression. Treatment of RASF in early passages with Slit3 led to inhibition of
      migration whereas RASF in later passages, having reduced Robo3 expression in cell
      culture, were not inhibited by Slit3 treatment. Here, reduction of Robo3
      expression from passage 3 to 10 might reflect an important step in losing
      repulsive activity of Slit3. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our data showed that
      deregulation of the Robo3 receptor in synovial fibroblasts in RA correlates with
      aggressiveness of the fibroblasts. Slit3 reduces the migratory activity of
      synovial cells from patients with RA, potentially by repulsion of the cells in
      analogy to the neuronal system. Further studies will be necessary to prove Slit
      activity in vivo.

PMID- 20298553
TI  - Novel mutations underlying argininosuccinic aciduria in Saudi Arabia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Argininosuccinic aciduria (ASAuria) is an autosomal recessive
      disorder of the urea cycle relatively common in Saudi Arabia as a consequence of
      extensive consanguinity. It is the most common urea cycle disorder identified in
      the Saudi population, which therefore prioritizes the need to delineate the
      underlying molecular defects leading to disease. FINDINGS: We utilized Whole
      Genome Amplification (WGA), PCR and direct sequencing to identify mutations
      underlying ASAuria cases diagnosed by our institution. A missense mutation that
      accounts for 50% of Saudi ASAuria patients was recently reported by our
      laboratory. In this study we report a further six novel mutations (and one
      previously reported) found in Saudi patients with ASAuria. The novel four
      missense, one nonsense and one splice-site mutation were confirmed by their
      absence in >300 chromosomes from the normal population. Pathogenicity of the
      novel splice-site mutation was also confirmed using reverse transcriptase-PCR
      analysis. Cross species amino acid conservation at the substituted residues
      described were observed in some but not all instances. CONCLUSIONS: Together, the
      eight mutations described by our laboratory, encompass >90% of ASAuria patients
      in Saudi Arabia and add to about 45 other ASAuria mutations reported worldwide.

PMID- 20298554
TI  - YODA: software to facilitate high-throughput analysis of chronological life span,
      growth rate, and survival in budding yeast.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is one of the most widely
      studied model organisms in aging-related science. Although several genetic
      modifiers of yeast longevity have been identified, the utility of this system for
      longevity studies has been limited by a lack of high-throughput assays for
      quantitatively measuring survival of individual yeast cells during aging.
      RESULTS: Here we describe the Yeast Outgrowth Data Analyzer (YODA), an automated
      system for analyzing population survival of yeast cells based on the kinetics of
      outgrowth measured by optical density over time. YODA has been designed
      specifically for quantification of yeast chronological life span, but can also be
      used to quantify growth rate and survival of yeast cells in response to a variety
      of different conditions, including temperature, nutritional composition of the
      growth media, and chemical treatments. YODA is optimized for use with a Bioscreen
      C MBR shaker/incubator/plate reader, but is also amenable to use with any
      standard plate reader or spectrophotometer. CONCLUSIONS: We estimate that use of
      YODA as described here reduces the effort and resources required to measure
      chronological life span and analyze the resulting data by at least 15-fold.

PMID- 20298555
TI  - Comparative in vitro activity of Meropenem, Imipenem and Piperacillin/tazobactam
      against 1071 clinical isolates using 2 different methods: a French multicentre
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Meropenem is a carbapenem that has an excellent activity against many
      gram-positive and gram-negative aerobic, facultative, and anaerobic bacteria. The
      major objective of the present study was to assess the in vitro activity of
      meropenem compared to imipenem and piperacillin/tazobactam, against 1071 non
      repetitive isolates collected from patients with bacteremia (55%), pneumonia
      (29%), peritonitis (12%) and wound infections (3%), in 15 French hospitals in
      2006. The secondary aim of the study was to compare the results of routinely
      testings and those obtained by a referent laboratory. METHOD: Susceptibility
      testing and Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) of meropenem, imipenem and
      piperacillin/tazobactam were determined locally by Etest method. Susceptibility
      to meropenem was confirmed at a central laboratory by disc diffusion method and
      MICs determined by agar dilution method for meropenem, imipenem and
      piperacillin/tazobactam. RESULTS: Cumulative susceptibility rates against
      Escherichia coli were, meropenem and imipenem: 100% and piperacillin/tazobactam:
      90%. Against other Enterobacteriaceae, the rates were meropenem: 99%, imipenem:
      98% and piperacillin/tazobactam: 90%. All Staphylococci, Streptococci and
      anaerobes were susceptible to the three antibiotics. Against non fermeters,
      meropenem was active on 84-94% of the strains, imipenem on 84-98% of the strains
      and piperacillin/tazobactam on 90-100% of the strains. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to
      imipenem, meropenem displays lower MICs against Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia
      coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Except for non fermenters, MICs90 of carbapenems
      were <4 mg/L. Piperacillin/tazobactam was less active against Enterobacteriaceae
      and Acinetobacter but not P. aeruginosa. Some discrepancies were noted between
      MICs determined by Etest accross centres and MICs determined by agar dilution
      method at the central laboratory. Discrepancies were more common for imipenem
      testing and more frequently related to a few centres. Overall MICs determined by
      Etest were in general higher (0.5 log to 1 log fold) than MICs by agar dilution.

PMID- 20298556
TI  - Use of Rasch methodology to develop a short version of the health related quality
      of life for eating disorders questionnaire: a prospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To confirm the internal structure of the Health Related Quality of
      Life for Eating Disorders version 2 questionnaire (HeRQoLEDv2) and create and
      validate a shortened version (HeRQoLED-S). METHODS: 324 patients with eating
      disorders were assessed at baseline and one year later (75.6% of whom responded).
      We performed a confirmatory factor analysis of the HeRQoLEDv2 using baseline
      data, and then a Rasch analysis to shorten the questionnaire. Data obtained at
      year one was used to confirm the structure of the HeRQoLED short form and
      evaluate its validity and reliability. RESULTS: Two latent second-order factors -
      social maladjustment and mental health and functionality -- fit the data for the
      HeRQoLEDv2. Rasch analysis was computed separately for the two latent second
      order factors and shortened the HeRQoLEDv2 to 20 items. Infit and outfit indices
      were acceptable, with the confirmatory factor analysis of the HeRQoLED short form
      giving a root mean square error of approximation of 0.07, a non-normed fit index
      and a comparative fit index exceeding 0.90. The validity was also supported by
      the correlation with the convergent measures: the social maladjustment factor
      correlated 0.82 with the dieting concern factor of the Eating Attitudes Test-26
      and the mental health and functionality factor correlated -0.69 with the mental
      summary component of the Short Form-12. Cronbach alphas exceeded 0.89.
      CONCLUSIONS: Two main factors, social maladjustment and mental health and
      functionality, explain the majority of HeRQoLEDv2 scores. The shortened version
      maintains good psychometric properties, though it must be validated in
      independent samples.

PMID- 20298558
TI  - Central blood pressure and pulse wave velocity: relationship to target organ
      damage and cardiovascular morbidity-mortality in diabetic patients or metabolic
      syndrome. An observational prospective study. LOD-DIABETES study protocol.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diabetic patients show an increased prevalence of non-dipping
      arterial pressure pattern, target organ damage and elevated arterial stiffness.
      These alterations are associated with increased cardiovascular risk.The
      objectives of this study are the following: to evaluate the prognostic value of
      central arterial pressure and pulse wave velocity in relation to the incidence
      and outcome of target organ damage and the appearance of cardiovascular episodes
      (cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction, chest pain and stroke) in
      patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus or metabolic syndrome. METHODS/DESIGN: 
      DESIGN: This is an observational prospective study with 5 years duration, of
      which the first year corresponds to patient inclusion and initial evaluation, and
      the remaining four years to follow-up. SETTING: The study will be carried out in
      the urban primary care setting. STUDY POPULATION: Consecutive sampling will be
      used to include patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes between 20-80 years of
      age. A total of 110 patients meeting all the inclusion criteria and none of the
      exclusion criteria will be included. MEASUREMENTS: Patient age and sex, family
      and personal history of cardiovascular disease, and cardiovascular risk factors.
      Height, weight, heart rate and abdominal circumference. Laboratory tests:
      hemoglobin, lipid profile, creatinine, microalbuminuria, glomerular filtration
      rate, blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, blood insulin, fibrinogen and high
      sensitivity C-reactive protein. Clinical and 24-hour ambulatory (home) blood
      pressure monitoring and self-measured blood pressure. Common carotid artery
      ultrasound for the determination of mean carotid intima-media thickness.
      Electrocardiogram for assessing left ventricular hypertrophy. Ankle-brachial
      index. Retinal vascular study based on funduscopy with non-mydriatic retinography
      and evaluation of pulse wave morphology and pulse wave velocity using the
      SphygmoCor system. The medication used for diabetes, arterial hypertension and
      hyperlipidemia will be registered, together with antiplatelet drugs. DISCUSSION:
      The results of this study will help to know and quantify the prognostic value of
      central arterial pressure and pulse wave velocity in relation to the evolution of
      the subclinical target organ damage markers and the possible incidence of
      cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 20298559
TI  - Effects of UVB-induced oxidative stress on protein expression and specific
      protein oxidation in normal human epithelial keratinocytes: a proteomic approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The UVB component of solar ultraviolet irradiation is one of the
      major risk factors for the development of skin cancer in humans. UVB exposure
      elicits an increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are
      responsible for oxidative damage to proteins, DNA, RNA and lipids. In order to
      examine the biological impact of UVB irradiation on skin cells, we used a
      parallel proteomics approach to analyze the protein expression profile and to
      identify oxidatively modified proteins in normal human epithelial keratinocytes.
      RESULTS: The expression levels of fifteen proteins - involved in maintaining the
      cytoskeleton integrity, removal of damaged proteins and heat shock response -
      were differentially regulated in UVB-exposed cells, indicating that an
      appropriate response is developed in order to counteract/neutralize the toxic
      effects of UVB-raised ROS. On the other side, the redox proteomics approach
      revealed that seven proteins - involved in cellular adhesion, cell-cell
      interaction and protein folding - were selectively oxidized. CONCLUSIONS: Despite
      a wide and well orchestrated cellular response, a relevant oxidation of specific
      proteins concomitantly occurs in UVB-irradiated human epithelial Keratinocytes.
      These modified (i.e. likely dysfunctional) proteins might result in cell
      homeostasis impairment and therefore eventually promote cellular degeneration,
      senescence or carcinogenesis.

PMID- 20298557
TI  - Group motivational intervention in overweight/obese patients in primary
      prevention of cardiovascular disease in the primary healthcare area.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The global mortality caused by cardiovascular disease increases with
      weight. The Framingham study showed that obesity is a cardiovascular risk factor
      independent of other risks such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia and
      smoking. Moreover, the main problem in the management of weight-loss is its
      maintenance, if it is achieved. We have designed a study to determine whether a
      group motivational intervention, together with current clinical practice, is more
      efficient than the latter alone in the treatment of overweight and obesity, for
      initial weight loss and essentially to achieve maintenance of the weight
      achieved; and, secondly, to know if this intervention is more effective for
      reducing cardiovascular risk factors associated with overweight and obesity.
      METHODS: This 26-month follow up multi-centre trial, will include 1200
      overweight/obese patients. Random assignment of the intervention by Basic Health
      Areas (BHA): two geographically separate groups have been created, one of which
      receives group motivational intervention (group intervention), delivered by a
      nurse trained by an expert phsychologist, in 32 group sessions, 1 to 12
      fortnightly, and 13 to 32, monthly, on top of their standard program of diet,
      exercise, and the other (control group), receiving the usual follow up, with
      regular visits every 3 months. DISCUSSION: By addressing currently unanswered
      questions regarding the maintenance in weight loss in obesity/overweight, upon
      the expected completion of participant follow-up in 2012, the IMOAP trial should
      document, for the first time, the benefits of a motivational intervention as a
      treatment tool of weight loss in a primary care setting. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01006213.

PMID- 20298560
TI  - Randomised controlled trial of the effects of physical activity feedback on
      awareness and behaviour in UK adults: the FAB study protocol [ISRCTN92551397].
AB  - BACKGROUND: While there are increasing data implicating poor recognition of
      physical inactivity as a potential barrier to healthy behaviour change, the
      efficacy of feedback to promote physical activity is uncertain. Using a
      randomised controlled trial nested within a population-based cohort study, we
      plan to test three variations of physical activity feedback against a control
      group. Our primary objective is to assess the efficacy of physical activity
      feedback in promoting physical activity behaviour change. Secondary objectives
      are to determine the influence of feedback on physical activity awareness and
      cognitions, and to compare behavioural effects by type of feedback.
      METHODS/DESIGN: We aim to recruit 500 healthy participants aged 30 to 55 years
      from the ongoing Fenland Study (Cambridge, UK). Following careful phenotyping
      during baseline measurement (anthropometric, clinical, body composition and
      fitness measurements, as well as questionnaires assessing self-reported and self
      rated physical activity, psychosocial correlates of physical activity behaviour,
      diet, lifestyle and general health), participants wear a combined heart rate and
      movement sensor (Actiheart(R)) for six continuous days and nights. After receipt
      of the physical activity data (around 2 weeks later), participants are randomly
      allocated to either a control group (no feedback) or one of three types of
      personalised physical activity feedback ('simple', 'visualised' or
      'contextualised'), and complete repeat measures of self-rated physical activity
      and psychosocial correlates. Approximately five weeks after receiving feedback,
      all participants wear the Actiheart(R) for another six-day follow-up period and
      complete repeat questionnaires. Values at outcome, adjusted for baseline, will be
      compared between randomised groups. DISCUSSION: Given the randomised trial design
      and use of objective measure of physical activity, this study is likely to
      provide valuable insights into the efficacy of a feedback intervention in
      changing physical activity behaviour, as well as the psychological mechanisms
      involved. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials: ISRCTN92551397.

PMID- 20298561
TI  - Encephalomyocarditis virus infection in an Italian zoo.
AB  - A fatal Encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) infection epidemic involving fifteen
      primates occurred between October 2006 and February 2007 at the Natura Viva Zoo.
      This large open-field zoo park located near Lake Garda in Northern Italy hosts
      one thousand animals belonging to one hundred and fifty different species,
      including various lemur species. This lemur collection is the most relevant and
      rich in Italy. A second outbreak between September and November 2008 involved
      three lemurs. In all cases, the clinical signs were sudden deaths generally
      without any evident symptoms or only with mild unspecific clinical signs. Gross
      pathologic changes were characterized by myocarditis (diffuse or focal pallor of
      the myocardium), pulmonary congestion, emphysema, oedema and thoracic fluid. The
      EMCV was isolated and recognized as the causative agent of both outbreaks. The
      first outbreak in particular was associated with a rodent plague, confirming that
      rats are an important risk factor for the occurrence of the EMCV infection.

PMID- 20298563
TI  - Part I, patient perspective: activating patients to engage their providers in the
      use of evidence-based medicine: a qualitative evaluation of the VA Project to
      Implement Diuretics (VAPID).
AB  - BACKGROUND: This qualitative evaluation follows a randomized-control trial of a
      patient activation intervention in which hypertensive patients received a letter
      in the mail asking them to discuss thiazide diuretics with their provider.
      Results of the parent study indicated that the intervention was effective at
      facilitating discussions between patients and providers and enhancing thiazide
      prescribing rates. In the research presented here, our objective was to interview
      patients to determine their receptivity to patient activation, a potential
      leverage point for implementing interventions. METHODS: Semi-structured phone
      interviews were conducted with 54 patients, purposefully sampled from a
      randomized controlled trial of a patient activation intervention. All subjects
      had a history of hypertension and received primary care from one of twelve
      Veterans Affairs primary care clinics. All interviews were transcribed verbatim
      and reviewed by the interviewer. Interviews were independently coded by three
      qualitative researchers until consensus was attained, and relevant themes and
      responses were identified, grouped, and compared. NVivo 8.0 was used for data
      management and analysis. RESULTS: Data from this qualitative study revealed that
      most participants held favorable opinions toward the patient activation
      intervention used in the clinical trial. Most (82%) stated they had a positive
      reaction. Patients emphasized they liked the intervention because it was
      straightforward and encouraged them to initiate discussions with their provider.
      Also, by being active participants in their healthcare, patients felt more
      invested. Of the few patients offering negative feedback (11%), their main
      concern was discomfort with possibly challenging their providers' healthcare
      practices. Another outcome of interest was the patients' perceptions of why they
      were or were not prescribed a thiazide diuretic, for which several clinically
      relevant reasons were provided. CONCLUSION: Patients' perceptions of the
      intervention indicated it was effective via the encouragement of dialogue between
      themselves and their provider regarding evidence-based treatment options for
      hypertension. Additionally, patients' experiences with thiazide prescribing
      discussions shed light on the facilitators and barriers to implementing clinical
      practice guidelines regarding thiazides as first-line therapy for hypertension.
      TRIAL REGISTRATION: National Clinical Trial Registry number NCT00265538.

PMID- 20298562
TI  - A predictive computational model of the kinetic mechanism of stimulus-induced
      transducer methylation and feedback regulation through CheY in archaeal
      phototaxis and chemotaxis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Photo- and chemotaxis of the archaeon Halobacterium salinarum is
      based on the control of flagellar motor switching through stimulus-specific
      methyl-accepting transducer proteins that relay the sensory input signal to a two
      component system. Certain members of the transducer family function as receptor
      proteins by directly sensing specific chemical or physical stimuli. Others
      interact with specific receptor proteins like the phototaxis photoreceptors
      sensory rhodopsin I and II, or require specific binding proteins as for example
      some chemotaxis transducers. Receptor activation by light or a change in receptor
      occupancy by chemical stimuli results in reversible methylation of glutamate
      residues of the transducer proteins. Both, methylation and demethylation
      reactions are involved in sensory adaptation and are modulated by the response
      regulator CheY. RESULTS: By mathematical modeling we infer the kinetic mechanisms
      of stimulus-induced transducer methylation and adaptation. The model
      (deterministic and in the form of ordinary differential equations) correctly
      predicts experimentally observed transducer demethylation (as detected by
      released methanol) in response to attractant and repellent stimuli of wildtype
      cells, a cheY deletion mutant, and a mutant in which the stimulated transducer
      species is methylation-deficient. CONCLUSIONS: We provide a kinetic model for
      signal processing in photo- and chemotaxis in the archaeon H. salinarum
      suggesting an essential role of receptor cooperativity, antagonistic reversible
      methylation, and a CheY-dependent feedback on transducer demethylation.

PMID- 20298564
TI  - Part II, provider perspectives: should patients be activated to request evidence
      based medicine? A qualitative study of the VA project to implement diuretics
      (VAPID).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hypertension guidelines recommend the use of thiazide diuretics as
      first-line therapy for uncomplicated hypertension, yet diuretics are under
      prescribed, and hypertension is frequently inadequately treated. This qualitative
      evaluation of provider attitudes follows a randomized controlled trial of a
      patient activation strategy in which hypertensive patients received letters and
      incentives to discuss thiazides with their provider. The strategy prompted high
      discussion rates and enhanced thiazide-prescribing rates. Our objective was to
      interview providers to understand the effectiveness and acceptability of the
      intervention from their perspective, as well as the suitability of patient
      activation for more widespread guideline implementation. METHODS: Semi-structured
      phone interviews were conducted with 21 primary care providers. Interviews were
      transcribed verbatim and reviewed by the interviewer before being analyzed for
      content. Interviews were coded, and relevant themes and specific responses were
      identified, grouped, and compared. RESULTS: Of the 21 providers interviewed, 20
      (95%) had a positive opinion of the intervention, and 18 of 20 (90%) thought the
      strategy was suitable for wider use. In explaining their opinions of the
      intervention, many providers discussed a positive effect on treatment, but they
      more often focused on the process of patient activation itself, describing how
      the intervention facilitated discussions by informing patients and making them
      more pro-active. Regarding effectiveness, providers suggested the intervention
      worked like a reminder, highlighted oversights, or changed their approach to
      hypertension management. Many providers also explained that the intervention
      'aligned' patients' objectives with theirs, or made patients more likely to
      accept a change in medications. Negative aspects were mentioned infrequently, but
      concerns about the use of financial incentives were most common. Relevant
      barriers to initiating thiazide treatment included a hesitancy to switch
      medications if the patient was at or near goal blood pressure on a different anti
      hypertensive. CONCLUSIONS: Patient activation was acceptable to providers as a
      guideline implementation strategy, with considerable value placed on the
      activation process itself. By 'aligning' patients' objectives with those of their
      providers, this process also facilitated part of the effectiveness of the
      intervention. Patient activation shows promise for wider use as an implementation
      strategy, and should be tested in other areas of evidence-based medicine. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: National Clinical Trial Registry number NCT00265538.

PMID- 20298565
TI  - Building capacity in health facility management: guiding principles for skills
      transfer in Liberia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Management training is fundamental to developing human resources for
      health. Particularly as Liberia revives its health delivery system, facility and
      county health team managers are central to progress. Nevertheless, such
      management skills are rarely prioritized in health training, and sustained
      capacity building in this area is limited. We describe a health management
      delivery program in which a north and south institution collaborated to integrate
      classroom and field-based training in health management and to transfer the
      capacity for sustained management development in Liberia. METHODS: We developed
      and implemented a 6-month training program in health management skills (i.e.
      strategic problem solving, financial management, human resource management and
      leadership) delivered by Yale University and Mother Patern College from Liberia,
      with support from the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative. Over three 6-month cycles,
      responsibility for course instruction was transferred from the north institution
      to the south institution. A self-administered survey was conducted of all
      participants completing the course to measure changes in self-rated management
      skills, the degree to which the course was helpful and met its stated objectives,
      and faculty members' responsiveness to participant needs as the transfer process
      occurred. RESULTS: Respondents (n=93, response rate 95.9%) reported substantial
      improvement in self-reported management skills, and rated the helpfulness of the
      course and the degree to which the course met its objectives highly. Levels of
      improvement and course ratings were similar over the three cohorts as the course
      was transferred to the south institution. We suggest a framework of five elements
      for implementing successful management training programs that can be transferred
      and sustained in resource-limited settings, including: 1) use a short-course
      format focusing on four key skill areas with practical tools; 2) include didactic
      training, on-site projects, and on-site mentoring; 3) collaborate with an in
      country academic institution, willing and able to scale-up and maintain the
      training; 4) provide training for the in-country academic faculty; and 5) secure
      Ministry-level support to ensure participation. CONCLUSION: Our findings
      demonstrate key elements for scaling up and replicating educational initiatives
      that address management skills essential for long-term health systems
      strengthening in resource-poor settings.

PMID- 20298566
TI  - Proteome differences associated with fat accumulation in bovine subcutaneous
      adipose tissues.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The fat components of red meat products have been of interest to
      researchers due to the health aspects of excess fat consumption by humans. We
      hypothesized that differences in protein expression have an impact on adipose
      tissue formation during beef cattle development and growth. Therefore, in this
      study we evaluated the differences in the discernable proteome of subcutaneous
      adipose tissues of 35 beef crossbred steers [Charolais x Red Angus (CHAR) (n =
      13) and Hereford x Angus (HEAN) (n = 22)] with different back fat (BF)
      thicknesses. The goal was to identify specific protein markers that could be
      associated with adipose tissue formation in beef cows. RESULTS: Approximately 541
      580 protein spots were detected and compared in each crossbred group, and 33 and
      36 protein spots showed expression differences between tissues with high and low
      BF thicknesses from HEAN and CHAR crossbed, respectively. The annexin 1 protein
      was highly expressed in both crossbred steers that had a higher BF thickness (p <
      0.05) and this was further validated by a western blot analysis. In 13 tissues of
      CHAR animals and 22 tissues of HEAN animals, the relative expression of annexin 1
      was significantly different (p < 0.05) between tissues with high and low BF
      thicknesses. CONCLUSION: The increased expression of annexin 1 protein has been
      found to be associated with higher BF thickness in both crossbred steers. This
      result lays the foundation for future studies to develop the protein marker for
      assessing animals with different BF thickness.

PMID- 20298567
TI  - Nrf2 protects against pulmonary fibrosis by regulating the lung oxidant level and
      Th1/Th2 balance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive and lethal disorder. Although the
      precise mechanisms of pulmonary fibrosis are not fully understood,
      oxidant/antioxidant and Th1/Th2 balances may play an important role in many of
      the processes of inflammation and fibrosis. The transcription factor Nrf2 acts as
      a critical regulator for various inflammatory and immune responses by controlling
      oxidative stress. We therefore investigated the protective role of Nrf2 against
      the development of pulmonary fibrosis. METHODS: To generate pulmonary fibrosis,
      both wild-type C57BL/6 mice and Nrf2-deficient mice of the same background were
      administered bleomycin intratracheally. RESULTS: The survival of Nrf2-deficient
      mice after bleomycin administration was significantly lower than that of wild
      type mice. The degree of bleomycin-induced initial pulmonary inflammation and
      pulmonary fibrosis was much more severe in Nrf2-deficient mice than in wild-type
      mice. The expression of antioxidant enzymes and phase II detoxifying enzymes was
      significantly reduced in the lungs of Nrf2-deficient mice, concomitant with an
      elevation of lung 8-isoprostane level, compared with wild-type mice. The
      expression of Th2 cytokines, such as interleukin-4 and interleukin-13, was
      significantly elevated in the lungs of Nrf2-deficient mice with an increase in
      the number of Th2 cells that express GATA-binding protein 3. CONCLUSIONS: The
      results indicated that Nrf2 protects against the development of pulmonary
      fibrosis by regulating the cellular redox level and lung Th1/Th2 balance. Thus,
      Nrf2 might be an important genetic factor in the determination of susceptibility
      to pulmonary fibrosis.

PMID- 20298568
TI  - Assessment of efficacy and tolerability of once-daily extended release metformin
      in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
AB  - AIMS: To determine prospectively the efficacy, tolerability and patient
      satisfaction of an extended release formulation of metformin (metformin XR) in
      hospital based outpatients with type 2 diabetes mellitus currently treated with
      standard metformin. METHODS: Patients on immediate release standard metformin
      either alone or combined with other oral agents were switched to extended release
      metformin XR 500 mg tablets and titrated to a maximum dose of 2000 mg/day
      Measurements to include glucose and lipid control, blood pressure, body weight,
      waist circumference, C-reactive protein, adverse events and patient satisfaction
      were recorded at baseline, three and six months. RESULTS: Complete data were
      obtained for 35 of the 61 patients enrolled to the study. At three and six months
      no changes were reported for any of the cardiovascular risk factors except for
      lipids where there was a modest rise in plasma triglycerides. These effects were
      achieved with a reduced dose of metformin XR compared to pre-study dosing with
      standard metformin (1500 mg +/- 402 vs 1861 +/- 711 p = 0.004). A total of 77% of
      patients were free of gastrointestinal side effects and 83% of patients stated a
      preference for metformin XR at the end of the study. Ghost tablets were reported
      in the faeces by the majority of the patients (54.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Patients
      switched to extended release metformin XR derived the same clinical and metabolic
      benefits as for standard metformin but with reduced dosage, fewer
      gastrointestinal side effects and a greater sense of well being and satisfaction
      on medication.

PMID- 20298569
TI  - Augmented low-Dye tape alters foot mobility and neuromotor control of gait in
      individuals with and without exercise related leg pain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Augmented low-Dye (ALD) tape is frequently used in the management of
      lower limb musculoskeletal pain and injury, yet our knowledge of its effect is
      incomplete, especially in regard to its neuromotor effects. METHODS: We measured
      electromyographic (EMG) activity of twelve lower limb muscles, three-dimensional
      kinematics of the ankle, knee, hip and pelvis, foot posture and foot mobility to
      determine the physiological effect of ALD tape. Fourteen females with exercise
      related leg pain and 14 matched asymptomatic females walked on a treadmill under
      three conditions: pre-tape, tape and post-tape. A series of repeated measure
      analysis of variance procedures were performed to investigate differences in EMG,
      kinematic, foot posture and mobility measurements. RESULTS: Application of ALD
      tape produced reductions in recruitment of tibialis anterior (7.3%) and tibialis
      posterior (6.9%). Large reductions in midfoot mobility (0.45 to 0.63 cm) and
      increases in arch height (0.58 cm), as well as moderate changes in ankle motion
      in the sagittal (2.0 to 5.3 degrees ) and transverse planes (4.0 to 4.3 degrees )
      were observed. Reduced muscle activation (<3.0%) and increased motion (<1.7
      degrees ) was observed at more proximal segments (knee, hip, pelvis) but were of
      smaller magnitude than at the foot and ankle. Changes in foot posture, foot
      mobility, ankle kinematics and leg muscle activity did not persist following the
      removal of ALD tape, but at more proximal segments small changes (<2.2 degrees ,
      <5.4% maximum) continued to be observed following the removal of tape. There were
      no differences between groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that ALD
      tape influences muscle recruitment, movement patterns, foot posture and foot
      mobility. These effects occur in individuals with and without pain, and are
      dissipated up the kinetic chain. ALD tape should be considered in the management
      of individuals where increased arch height, reduced foot mobility, reduced ankle
      abduction and plantar flexion or reduced activation of leg muscles is desired.

PMID- 20298570
TI  - Synteny mapping between common bean and soybean reveals extensive blocks of
      shared loci.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Understanding syntentic relationship between two species is critical
      to assessing the potential for comparative genomic analysis. Common bean
      (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and soybean (Glycine max L.), the two most important
      members of the Phaseoleae legumes, appear to have a diploid and polyploidy recent
      past, respectively. Determining the syntentic relationship between these two
      species will allow researchers to leverage not only genomic resources but also
      genetic data for important agronomic traits to improve both of these species.
      RESULTS: Genetically-positioned transcript loci of common bean were mapped
      relative to the recent soybean 1.01 pseudochromosome assembly. In nearly every
      case, each common bean locus mapped to two loci in soybean, a result consistent
      with the duplicate polyploidy history of soybean. Blocks of synteny averaging 32
      cM in common bean and 4.9 Mb in soybean were observed for all 11 common bean
      linkage groups, and these blocks mapped to all 20 soybean pseudochromosomes. The
      median physical-to-genetic distance ratio in common bean (based on soybean
      physical distances) was approximately 120 kb/cM. approximately 15,000 common bean
      sequences (primarily EST contigs and EST singletons) were electronically
      positioned onto the common bean map using the shared syntentic blocks as
      references points. CONCLUSION: The collected evidence from this mapping strongly
      supports the duplicate history of soybean. It further provides evidence that the
      soybean genome was fractionated and reassembled at some point following the
      duplication event. These well mapped syntentic relationships between common bean
      and soybean will enable researchers to target specific genomic regions to
      discover genes or loci that affect phenotypic expression in both species.

PMID- 20298571
TI  - Effect on longitudinal growth and anemia of zinc or multiple micronutrients added
      to vitamin A: a randomized controlled trial in children aged 6-24 months.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The benefits of zinc or multiple micronutrient supplementations in
      African children are uncertain. African children may differ from other
      populations of children in developing countries because of differences in the
      prevalence of zinc deficiency, low birth weight and preterm delivery, recurrent
      or chronic infections such as HIV, or the quality of complementary diets and
      genetic polymorphisms affecting iron metabolism.The aim of this study was to
      ascertain whether adding zinc or multiple micronutrients to vitamin A
      supplementation improves longitudinal growth or reduces prevalence of anemia in
      children aged 6-24 months. METHODS: Randomized, controlled double-blinded trial
      of prophylactic micronutrient supplementation to children aged 6-24 months.
      Children in three cohorts - 32 HIV-infected children, 154 HIV-uninfected children
      born to HIV-infected mothers, and 187 uninfected children born to HIV-uninfected
      mothers - were separately randomly assigned to receive daily vitamin A (VA) [n =
      124], vitamin A plus zinc (VAZ) [n = 123], or multiple micronutrients that
      included vitamin A and zinc (MM) [n = 126]. RESULTS: Among all children there
      were no significant differences between intervention arms in length-for-age Z
      scores (LAZ) changes over 18 months. Among stunted children (LAZ below -2) [n =
      62], those receiving MM had a 0.7 Z-score improvement in LAZ versus declines of
      0.3 in VAZ and 0.2 in VA (P = 0.029 when comparing effects of treatment over
      time). In the 154 HIV-uninfected children, MM ameliorated the effect of repeated
      diarrhea on growth. Among those experiencing more than six episodes, those
      receiving MM had no decline in LAZ compared to 0.5 and 0.6 Z-score declines in
      children receiving VAZ and VA respectively (P = 0.06 for treatment by time
      interaction). After 12 months, there was 24% reduction in proportion of children
      with anemia (hemoglobin below 11 g/dL) in MM arm (P = 0.001), 11% in VAZ (P =
      0.131) and 18% in VA (P = 0.019). Although the within arm changes were
      significant; the between-group differences were not significant. CONCLUSIONS:
      Daily multiple micronutrient supplementation combined with vitamin A was
      beneficial in improving growth among children with stunting, compared to vitamin
      A alone or to vitamin A plus zinc. Effects on anemia require further study. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number.
      NCT00156832.

PMID- 20298572
TI  - The COSMIN checklist for evaluating the methodological quality of studies on
      measurement properties: a clarification of its content.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The COSMIN checklist (COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of
      health status Measurement INstruments) was developed in an international Delphi
      study to evaluate the methodological quality of studies on measurement properties
      of health-related patient reported outcomes (HR-PROs). In this paper, we explain
      our choices for the design requirements and preferred statistical methods for
      which no evidence is available in the literature or on which the Delphi panel
      members had substantial discussion. METHODS: The issues described in this paper
      are a reflection of the Delphi process in which 43 panel members participated.
      RESULTS: The topics discussed are internal consistency (relevance for reflective
      and formative models, and distinction with unidimensionality), content validity
      (judging relevance and comprehensiveness), hypotheses testing as an aspect of
      construct validity (specificity of hypotheses), criterion validity (relevance for
      PROs), and responsiveness (concept and relation to validity, and (in) appropriate
      measures). CONCLUSIONS: We expect that this paper will contribute to a better
      understanding of the rationale behind the items, thereby enhancing the acceptance
      and use of the COSMIN checklist.

PMID- 20298573
TI  - Evolving thermostability in mutant libraries of ligninolytic oxidoreductases
      expressed in yeast.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the picture of a laboratory evolution experiment, to improve the
      thermostability whilst maintaining the activity requires of suitable procedures
      to generate diversity in combination with robust high-throughput protocols. The
      current work describes how to achieve this goal by engineering ligninolytic
      oxidoreductases (a high-redox potential laccase -HRPL- and a versatile
      peroxidase, -VP-) functionally expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. RESULTS:
      Taking advantage of the eukaryotic machinery, complex mutant libraries were
      constructed by different in vivo recombination approaches and explored for
      improved stabilities and activities. A reliable high-throughput assay based on
      the analysis of T50 was employed for discovering thermostable oxidases from
      mutant libraries in yeast. Both VP and HRPL libraries contained variants with
      shifts in the T50 values. Stabilizing mutations were found at the surface of the
      protein establishing new interactions with the surrounding residues. CONCLUSIONS:
      The existing tradeoff between activity and stability determined from many point
      mutations discovered by directed evolution and other protein engineering means
      can be circumvented combining different tools of in vitro evolution.

PMID- 20298574
TI  - Anti-infective activity of apolipoprotein domain derived peptides in vitro:
      identification of novel antimicrobial peptides related to apolipoprotein B with
      anti-HIV activity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous reports have shown that peptides derived from the
      apolipoprotein E receptor binding region and the amphipathic alpha-helical
      domains of apolipoprotein AI have broad anti-infective activity and antiviral
      activity respectively. Lipoproteins and viruses share a similar cell biological
      niche, being of overlapping size and displaying similar interactions with
      mammalian cells and receptors, which may have led to other antiviral sequences
      arising within apolipoproteins, in addition to those previously reported. We
      therefore designed a series of peptides based around either apolipoprotein
      receptor binding regions, or amphipathic alpha-helical domains, and tested these
      for antiviral and antibacterial activity. RESULTS: Of the nineteen new peptides
      tested, seven showed some anti-infective activity, with two of these being
      derived from two apolipoproteins not previously used to derive anti-infective
      sequences. Apolipoprotein J (151-170) - based on a predicted amphipathic alpha
      helical domain from apolipoprotein J - had measurable anti-HSV1 activity, as did
      apolipoprotein B (3359-3367) dp (apoBdp), the latter being derived from the LDL
      receptor binding domain B of apolipoprotein B. The more active peptide - apoBdp -
      showed similarity to the previously reported apoE derived anti-infective peptide,
      and further modification of the apoBdp sequence to align the charge distribution
      more closely to that of apoEdp or to introduce aromatic residues resulted in
      increased breadth and potency of activity. The most active peptide of this type
      showed similar potent anti-HIV activity, comparable to that we previously
      reported for the apoE derived peptide apoEdpL-W. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest
      that further antimicrobial peptides may be obtained using human apolipoprotein
      sequences, selecting regions with either amphipathic alpha-helical structure, or
      those linked to receptor-binding regions. The finding that an amphipathic alpha
      helical region of apolipoprotein J has antiviral activity comparable with that
      for the previously reported apolipoprotein AI derived peptide 18A, suggests that
      full-length apolipoprotein J may also have such activity, as has been reported
      for full-length apolipoprotein AI. Although the strength of the anti-infective
      activity of the sequences identified was limited, this could be increased
      substantially by developing related mutant peptides. Indeed the apolipoprotein B
      derived peptide mutants uncovered by the present study may have utility as HIV
      therapeutics or microbicides.

PMID- 20298575
TI  - Neuropeptidomic analysis of the embryonic Japanese quail diencephalon.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endogenous peptides such as neuropeptides are involved in numerous
      biological processes in the fully developed brain but very little is known about
      their role in brain development. Japanese quail is a commonly used bird model for
      studying sexual dimorphic brain development, especially adult male copulatory
      behavior in relation to manipulations of the embryonic endocrine system. This
      study uses a label-free liquid chromatography mass spectrometry approach to
      analyze the influence of age (embryonic days 12 vs 17), sex and embryonic day 3
      ethinylestradiol exposure on the expression of multiple endogenous peptides in
      the developing diencephalon. RESULTS: We identified a total of 65 peptides
      whereof 38 were sufficiently present in all groups for statistical analysis. Age
      was the most defining variable in the data and sex had the least impact. Most
      identified peptides were more highly expressed in embryonic day 17. The top
      candidates for EE2 exposure and sex effects were neuropeptide K (downregulated by
      EE2 in males and females), gastrin-releasing peptide (more highly expressed in
      control and EE2 exposed males) and gonadotropin-inhibiting hormone related
      protein 2 (more highly expressed in control males and displaying interaction
      effects between age and sex). We also report a new potential secretogranin-2
      derived neuropeptide and previously unknown phosphorylations in the C-terminal
      flanking protachykinin 1 neuropeptide. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first
      larger study on endogenous peptides in the developing brain and implies a
      previously unknown role for a number of neuropeptides in middle to late avian
      embryogenesis. It demonstrates the power of label-free liquid chromatography mass
      spectrometry to analyze the expression of multiple endogenous peptides and the
      potential to detect new putative peptide candidates in a developmental model.

PMID- 20298576
TI  - Antibodies against multiple merozoite surface antigens of the human malaria
      parasite Plasmodium falciparum inhibit parasite maturation and red blood cell
      invasion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Plasmodium falciparum merozoites expose at their surface a large
      protein complex, which is composed of fragments of merozoite surface protein 1
      (MSP-1; called MSP-183, MSP-130, MSP-138, and MSP-142) plus associated processing
      products of MSP-6 and MSP-7. During erythrocyte invasion this complex, as well as
      an integral membrane protein called apical membrane antigen-1 (AMA-1), is shed
      from the parasite surface following specific proteolysis. Components of the MSP
      1/6/7 complex and AMA-1 are presently under development as malaria vaccines.
      METHODS: The specificities and effects of antibodies directed against MSP-1, MSP
      6, MSP-7 on the growth of blood stage parasites were studied using ELISA and the
      pLDH-assay. To understand the mode of action of these antibodies, their effects
      on processing of MSP-1 and AMA-1 on the surface of merozoites were investigated.
      RESULTS: Antibodies targeting epitopes located throughout the MSP-1/6/7 complex
      interfere with shedding of MSP-1, and as a consequence prevent erythrocyte
      invasion. Antibodies targeting the MSP-1/6/7 complex have no effect on the
      processing and shedding of AMA-1 and, similarly, antibodies blocking the shedding
      of AMA-1 do not affect cleavage of MSP-1, suggesting completely independent
      functions of these proteins during invasion. Furthermore, some epitopes, although
      eliciting highly inhibitory antibodies, are only poorly recognized by the immune
      system when presented in the structural context of the intact antigen.
      CONCLUSIONS: The findings reported provide further support for the development of
      vaccines based on MSP-1/6/7 and AMA-1, which would possibly include a combination
      of these antigens.

PMID- 20298577
TI  - Theoretical analysis of the mechanisms of a gender differentiation in the
      propensity for orthostatic intolerance after spaceflight.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A tendency to develop reentry orthostasis after a prolonged exposure
      to microgravity is a common problem among astronauts. The problem is 5 times more
      prevalent in female astronauts as compared to their male counterparts. The
      mechanisms responsible for this gender differentiation are poorly understood
      despite many detailed and complex investigations directed toward an analysis of
      the physiologic control systems involved. METHODS: In this study, a series of
      computer simulation studies using a mathematical model of cardiovascular
      functioning were performed to examine the proposed hypothesis that this
      phenomenon could be explained by basic physical forces acting through the simple
      common anatomic differences between men and women. In the computer simulations,
      the circulatory components and hydrostatic gradients of the model were allowed to
      adapt to the physical constraints of microgravity. After a simulated period of
      one month, the model was returned to the conditions of earth's gravity and the
      standard postflight tilt test protocol was performed while the model output
      depicting the typical vital signs was monitored. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis
      demonstrated that a 15% lowering of the longitudinal center of gravity in the
      anatomic structure of the model was all that was necessary to prevent the
      physiologic compensatory mechanisms from overcoming the propensity for reentry
      orthostasis leading to syncope.

PMID- 20298579
TI  - Bentall procedure 39 years after implantation of a Starr-Edwards aortic caged
      ball-valve prosthesis.
AB  - We report a case of a male patient who received an implantation of a Starr
      Edwards-caged-ball-valve-prosthesis in 1967. The surgery and postoperative course
      were without complications and the patient recovered well after the operation.
      For the next four decades, the patient remained asymptomatic--no restrictions on
      his lifestyle and without any complications. In 2006, 39 years after the initial
      operation, we performed a Bentall-Procedure to treat an aortic ascendens aneurysm
      with diameters of 6.0 x 6.5 cm: we explanted the old Starr-Edwards-aortic-caged
      ball-valve-prosthesis and replaced the ascending aorta with a 29 mm St.Jude
      Medical aortic-valve-composite-graft and re-implanted the coronary arteries.This
      case represents the longest time period between Starr-Edwards-caged-ball-valve
      prosthesis-implantation and Bentall-reoperation, thereby confirming the excellent
      durability of this valve.

PMID- 20298580
TI  - Novel model for end-neuroma formation in the amputated rabbit forelimb.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The forelimb amputee poses many reconstructive challenges in the
      clinical setting, and there is a paucity of established surgical models for
      study. To further elucidate the pathogenic process in amputation neuroma
      formation, we created a reproducible, well-tolerated rabbit forelimb amputation
      model. METHODS: Upon approval from the Institutional Animal Care and Use
      Committee, 5 New Zealand White rabbits underwent left forelimb amputation. During
      this initial surgery, the median, radial and ulnar nerves were transected 1.6-2.5
      (mean 2.0) cm distal to the brachial plexus, transposed onto the anterior chest
      wall and preserved at length. Six weeks subsequent to the amputation, the distal
      5 mm of each neuroma was excised, and the remaining stump underwent
      histomorphometric analysis. RESULTS: The nerve cross sectional areas increased by
      factors of 1.99, 3.17, and 2.59 in the median (p = 0.077), radial (p < 0.0001)
      and the ulnar (p = 0.0026) nerves, respectively. At the axonal level, the number
      and cross-sectional area of myelinated fibers demonstrated an inverse
      relationship whereby the number of myelinated fibers in the median, radial and
      ulnar nerves increased by factors of 5.13 (p = 0.0043), 5.25 (p = 0.0056) and
      5.59 (p = 0.0027), and the cross-sectional areas of these myelinated fibers
      decreased by factors of 4.62 (p < 0.001), 3.51 (p < 0.01), and 4.29 (p = 0.0259),
      respectively. CONCLUSION: Given that the surgical model appears well-tolerated by
      the rabbits and that patterns of morphologic change are consistent and
      reproducible, we are encouraged to further investigate the utility of this model
      in the pathogenesis of neuroma formation.

PMID- 20298578
TI  - EEG alpha phenotypes: linkage analyses and relation to alcohol dependence in an
      American Indian community study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Evidence for a high degree of heritability of EEG alpha phenotypes
      has been demonstrated in twin and family studies in a number of populations.
      However, information on linkage of this phenotype to specific chromosome
      locations is still limited. This study's aims were to map loci linked to EEG
      alpha phenotypes and to determine if there was overlap with loci previously
      mapped for alcohol dependence in an American Indian community at high risk for
      substance dependence. METHODS: Each participant gave a blood sample and completed
      a structured diagnostic interview using the Semi Structured Assessment for the
      Genetics of Alcoholism. Bipolar EEGs were collected and spectral power determined
      in the alpha (7.5-12.0 Hz) frequency band for two composite scalp locations
      previously identified by principal components analyses (bilateral fronto-central
      and bilateral centro-parietal-occipital). Genotypes were determined for a panel
      of 791 micro-satellite polymorphisms in 410 members of multiplex families using
      SOLAR. RESULTS: Sixty percent of this study population had a lifetime diagnosis
      of alcohol dependence. Analyses of multipoint variance component LOD scores, for
      the EEG alpha power phenotype, revealed two loci that had a LOD score of 3.0 or
      above for the fronto-central scalp region on chromosomes 1 and 6. Additionally, 4
      locations were identified with LOD scores above 2.0 on chromosomes 4, 11, 14, 16
      for the fronto-central location and one on chromosome 2 for the centro-parietal
      occipital location. CONCLUSION: These results corroborate the importance of
      regions on chromosome 4 and 6 highlighted in prior segregation studies in this
      and other populations for alcohol dependence-related phenotypes, as well as other
      areas that overlap with other substance dependence phenotypes identified in
      previous linkage studies in other populations. These studies additionally support
      the construct that EEG alpha recorded from fronto-central scalp areas may
      represent an important endophenotype associated with alcohol and other substance
      dependence.

PMID- 20298581
TI  - Role of adiponectin and leptin on body development in infants during the first
      year of life.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The control of growth and nutritional status in the foetus and
      neonate is a complex mechanism, in which also hormones produced by adipose
      tissue, such as adiponectin and leptin are involved. The aim of this study was to
      evaluate levels of adiponectin, leptin and insulin in appropriate (AGA) and small
      for gestational age (SGA) children during the 1st year of life and to correlate
      these with auxological parameters. METHODS: In 33 AGA and 29 SGA infants, weight,
      length, head circumference, glucose, insulin, adiponectin and leptin levels were
      evaluated at the second day of life, and at one, six and twelve months, during
      which a portion of SGA could show catch-up growth (rapid growth in infants born
      small for their gestational age). RESULTS: Both total and isoform adiponectin
      levels were comparable between AGA and SGA infants at birth and until age one
      year. These levels significantly increased from birth to the first month of life
      and then decreased to lower values at 1 year of age in all subjects. Circulating
      leptin concentrations were higher in AGA (2.1 +/- 4.1 ng/ml) than in SGA neonates
      (0.88 +/- 1.03 ng/ml, p < 0.05) at birth, then similar at the 1st and the 6th
      month of age, but they increased in SGA from six months to one year, when they
      showed catch-up growth. Circulating insulin levels were not statistically
      different in AGA and SGA neonates at any study time point. Insulin levels in both
      AGA and SGA infants increased over the study period, and were significantly lower
      at birth compared to one, six and 12 months of age. CONCLUSIONS: During the first
      year of life, in both AGA and SGA infants a progressive decrease in adiponectin
      levels was observed, while a difference in leptin values was correlated with the
      nutritional status.

PMID- 20298582
TI  - Can we rely on the best trial? A comparison of individual trials and systematic
      reviews.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The ideal evidence to answer a question about the effectiveness of
      treatment is a systematic review. However, for many clinical questions a
      systematic review will not be available, or may not be up to date. One option
      could be to use the evidence from an individual trial to answer the question?
      METHODS: We assessed how often (a) the estimated effect and (b) the p-value in
      the most precise single trial in a meta-analysis agreed with the whole meta
      analysis. For a random sample of 200 completed Cochrane Reviews (January, 2005)
      we identified a primary outcome and extracted: the number of trials, the
      statistical weight of the most precise trial, the estimate and confidence
      interval for both the highest weighted trial and the meta-analysis overall. We
      calculated the p-value for the most precise trial and meta-analysis. RESULTS: Of
      200 reviews, only 132 provided a meta-analysis of 2 or more trials, with a
      further 35 effect estimates based on single trials. The average number of trials
      was 7.3, with the most precise trial contributing, on average, 51% of the
      statistical weight to the summary estimate from the whole meta-analysis. The
      estimates of effect from the most precise trial and the overall meta-analyses
      were highly correlated (rank correlation of 0.90).There was an 81% agreement in
      statistical conclusions. Results from the most precise trial were statistically
      significant in 60 of the 167 evaluable reviews, with 55 of the corresponding
      systematic reviews also being statistically significant. The five discrepant
      results were not strikingly different with respect to their estimates of effect,
      but showed considerable statistical heterogeneity between trials in these meta
      analyses. However, among the 101 cases in which the most precise trial was not
      statistically significant, the corresponding meta-analyses yielded 31
      statistically significant results. CONCLUSIONS: Single most precise trials
      provided similar estimates of effects to those of the meta-analyses to which they
      contributed, and statistically significant results are generally in agreement.
      However, "negative" results were less reliable, as may be expected from single
      underpowered trials. For systematic reviewers we suggest that: (1) key trial(s)
      in a review deserve greater attention (2) systematic reviewers should check
      agreement of the most precise trial and the meta analysis. For clinicians using
      trials we suggest that when a meta-analysis is not available, a focus on the most
      precise trial is reasonable provided it is adequately powered.

PMID- 20298583
TI  - Association of IL-4RA single nucleotide polymorphisms, HLA-DR and HLA-DQ in
      children with Alternaria-sensitive moderate-severe asthma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Asthma afflicts 6% to 8% of the United States population, and severe
      asthma represents approximately 10% of asthmatic patients. Several epidemiologic
      studies in the United States and Europe have linked Alternaria sensitivity to
      both persistence and severity of asthma. In order to begin to understand genetic
      risk factors underlying Alternaria sensitivity and asthma, in these studies we
      examined T cell responses to Alternaria antigens, HLA Class II restriction and
      HLA-DQ protection in children with severe asthma. METHODS: Sixty children with
      Alternaria-sensitive moderate-severe asthma were compared to 49 children with
      Alternaria-sensitive mild asthma. We examined HLA-DR and HLA-DQ frequencies in
      Alternaria-sensitive asthmatic by HLA typing. To determine ratios of Th1/Th2
      Alternaria-specific T-cells, cultures were stimulated in media alone, Alternaria
      alternata extract and Alt a1. Sensitivity to IL-4 stimulation was measured by up
      regulation of CD23 on B cells. RESULTS: Children with Alternaria-sensitive
      moderate-severe asthma trended to have increased sensitivities to Cladosporium
      (46% versus 35%), to Aspergillus (43% versus 28%), and significantly increased
      sensitivities to trees (78% versus 57%) and to weeds (68% versus 48%). The IL-4RA
      ile75val polymorphism was significantly increased in Alternaria-sensitive
      moderate-severe asthmatics, 83% (0.627 allele frequency) compared to Alternaria
      sensitive mild asthmatics, 57% (0.388 allele frequency). This was associated with
      increased sensitivity to IL-4 stimulation measured by significantly increased IL
      4 stimulated CD23 expression on CD19+ and CD86+CD19+ B cells of Alternaria
      sensitive moderate-severe asthmatics. IL-5 and IL-13 synthesis was significantly
      increased in Alternaria-sensitive moderate-severe asthmatics compared to mild
      asthmatics to Alternaria extract and Alt a1 stimulation. The frequency of HLA
      DQB1*03 allele was significantly decreased in Alternaria-sensitive moderate
      severe asthmatics compared to mild asthmatics, 39% versus 63%, with significantly
      decreased allele frequency, 0.220 versus 0.398. SUMMARY: In children with
      Alternaria-sensitive moderate severe asthma, there was an increased Th2 response
      to Alternaria stimulation and increased sensitivity to IL-4 stimulation. This
      skewing towards a Th2 response was associated with an increased frequency of the
      IL-4RA ile75val polymorphism. In evaluating the HLA association, there was a
      decreased frequency of HLA-DQB1*03 in Alternaria-sensitive moderate severe
      asthmatic children consistent with previous studies suggest that HLA-DQB1*03 may
      be protective against the development of mold-sensitive severe asthma.

PMID- 20298584
TI  - MISHIMA--a new method for high speed multiple alignment of nucleotide sequences
      of bacterial genome scale data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Large nucleotide sequence datasets are becoming increasingly common
      objects of comparison. Complete bacterial genomes are reported almost everyday.
      This creates challenges for developing new multiple sequence alignment methods.
      Conventional multiple alignment methods are based on pairwise alignment and/or
      progressive alignment techniques. These approaches have performance problems when
      the number of sequences is large and when dealing with genome scale sequences.
      RESULTS: We present a new method of multiple sequence alignment, called MISHIMA
      (Method for Inferring Sequence History In terms of Multiple Alignment), that does
      not depend on pairwise sequence comparison. A new algorithm is used to quickly
      find rare oligonucleotide sequences shared by all sequences. Divide and conquer
      approach is then applied to break the sequences into fragments that can be
      aligned independently by an external alignment program. These partial alignments
      are assembled together to form a complete alignment of the original sequences.
      CONCLUSIONS: MISHIMA provides improved performance compared to the commonly used
      multiple alignment methods. As an example, six complete genome sequences of
      bacteria species Helicobacter pylori (about 1.7 Mb each) were successfully
      aligned in about 6 hours using a single PC.

PMID- 20298585
TI  - Late presentation of a mucinous ovarian adenocarcinoma which was initially
      diagnosed as a primary pancreatic carcinoma: a case report and review of the
      literature.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Adenocarcinoma of the ovary is an aggressive neoplasm which often
      metastasizes to the lung or liver. Metastases rarely occur to the pancreas, but a
      tissue diagnosis is required to confirm this event. Although most tumors of the
      pancreas are primary pancreatic neoplasms, metastatic lesions have been reported
      most commonly as arising from renal cell carcinoma. CASE PRESENTATION: We report
      the case of a 51-year-old Caucasian woman with ovarian mucinous adenocarcinoma
      with metastasis to the head of the pancreas that was originally misdiagnosed as a
      pancreatic primary tumor. CONCLUSION: Mucinous ovarian adenocarcinomas rarely
      metastasize to the pancreas. New pancreatic lesions should be investigated
      through tissue biopsy and tumor markers, while keeping an open-minded
      differential diagnosis to avoid a misdiagnosis or a delay in treatment.

PMID- 20298586
TI  - Advantages of the single delay model for the assessment of insulin sensitivity
      from the intravenous glucose tolerance test.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Minimal Model, (MM), used to assess insulin sensitivity (IS) from
      Intra-Venous Glucose-Tolerance Test (IVGTT) data, suffers from frequent lack of
      identifiability (parameter estimates with Coefficients of Variation (CV) less
      than 52%). The recently proposed Single Delay Model (SDM) is evaluated as a
      practical alternative. METHODS: The SDM was applied to 74 IVGTTs from lean (19),
      overweight (22), obese (22) and morbidly obese (11) subjects. Estimates from the
      SDM (K xgI) were compared with the corresponding MM (S I), 1/HOMA-IR index and
      Euglycemic-Hyperinsulinemic Clamp (M-EHC over 7 subjects) estimates. RESULTS: K
      xgI was identifiable in 73 out of 74 subjects (CV = 69% in the 74 th subject) and
      ranged from 1.25 x 10(-5) to 4.36 x 10(-4) min(-1) pM(-1); S I CV was >52% in 36
      subjects (up to 2.36 x 10(9)%) and presented 18 extreme values (<or= 1.5 x 10(
      12) or >or= 3.99). K xgI correlated well with 1/HOMA-IR (r = 0.56, P < 0.001),
      whereas the correlations K xgI-S I and 1/HOMA-IR-S I were high (r = 0.864 and
      0.52 respectively) and significant (P < 0.001 in both cases) only in the non
      extreme SI sub-sample (56 subjects). Correlations K xgI vs. M-EHC and SI vs. M
      EHC were positive (r = 0.92, P = 0.004 and r = 0.83, P = 0.02 respectively). K
      xgI decreased for higher BMI's (P < 0.001), SI significantly so only over the non
      extreme-SI sub-sample. The Acute Insulin Response Index was also computed and the
      expected inverse (hyperbolic) relationship with the K xgI observed. CONCLUSIONS:
      Precise estimation of insulin sensitivity over a wide range of BMI, stability of
      all other model parameters, closer adherence to accepted physiology make the SDM
      a useful alternative tool for the evaluation of insulin sensitivity from the
      IVGTT.

PMID- 20298587
TI  - Effect of day-to-day variations in adrenal cortex hormone levels on abdominal
      symptoms.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is known to be related to
      abdominal symptoms, and the relationship between abdominal pain and cortisol
      secretory patterns has been previously investigated using a cross-sectional
      approach. Here, we investigated the effect of day-to-day variations in salivary
      cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate levels on abdominal symptoms in
      healthy individuals. METHODS: Eleven college students (4 males and 7 females)
      participated in this study. The participants were asked to collect their saliva
      immediately after awakening and before bedtime for eight consecutive days. They
      also completed a questionnaire about abdominal symptoms before bedtime. The
      linear mixed model was applied to analyze the effects of the day-by-day
      variability or the 8-day average adrenal hormone level (at awakening, before
      bedtime, slope from awakening to bedtime) on abdominal symptoms. RESULTS: The day
      to-day variability of cortisol levels before bedtime was negatively related with
      loose stool, while the day-to-day variability of the cortisol slope was
      positively correlated with loose stool. A low 8-day average
      dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate level at awakening was positively related with
      frequent bowel movements, loose stool, and long bouts of severe abdominal pain.
      Likewise, a low 8-day average dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate slope was positively
      related with long bouts of abdominal pain. CONCLUSIONS: Low cortisol levels
      before bedtime and a steeper diurnal cortisol slope during the day may be related
      to bouts of diarrhea during the day.

PMID- 20298588
TI  - Performance evaluation of commercial miRNA expression array platforms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: microRNAs (miRNA) are short, endogenous transcripts that negatively
      regulate the expression of specific mRNA targets. The relative abundance of
      miRNAs is linked to function in vivo and miRNA expression patterns are
      potentially useful signatures for the development of diagnostic, prognostic and
      therapeutic biomarkers. FINDING: We compared the performance characteristics of
      four commercial miRNA array technologies and found that all platforms performed
      well in separate measures of performance. CONCLUSIONS: The Ambion and Agilent
      platforms were more accurate, whereas the Illumina and Exiqon platforms were more
      specific. Furthermore, the data analysis approach had a large impact on the
      performance, predominantly by improving precision.

PMID- 20298589
TI  - Coregulation mapping based on individual phenotypic variation in response to
      virus infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gene coregulation across a population is an important aspect of the
      considerable variability of the human immune response to virus infection.
      Methodology to investigate it must rely on a number of ingredients ranging from
      gene clustering to transcription factor enrichment analysis. RESULTS: We have
      developed a methodology to investigate the gene to gene correlations for the
      expression of 34 genes linked to the immune response of Newcastle Disease Virus
      (NDV) infected conventional dendritic cells (DCs) from 145 human donors. The
      levels of gene expression showed a large variation across individuals. We
      generated a map of gene co-expression using pairwise correlation and
      multidimensional scaling (MDS). The analysis of these data showed that among the
      13 genes left after filtering for statistically significant variations, two
      clusters are formed. We investigated to what extent the observed correlation
      patterns can be explained by the sharing of transcription factors (TFs)
      controlling these genes. Our analysis showed that there was a significant
      positive correlation between MDS distances and TF sharing across all pairs of
      genes. We applied enrichment analysis to the TFs having binding sites in the
      promoter regions of those genes. This analysis, after Gene Ontology filtering,
      indicated the existence of two clusters of genes (CCL5, IFNA1, IFNA2, IFNB1) and
      (IKBKE, IL6, IRF7, MX1) that were transcriptionally co-regulated. In order to
      facilitate the use of our methodology by other researchers, we have also
      developed an interactive coregulation explorer web-based tool called CorEx. It
      permits the study of MDS and hierarchical clustering of data combined with TF
      enrichment analysis. We also offer web services that provide programmatic access
      to MDS, hierarchical clustering and TF enrichment analysis. CONCLUSIONS: MDS
      mapping based on correlation in conjunction with TF enrichment analysis
      represents a useful computational method to generate predictions underlying gene
      coregulation across a population.

PMID- 20298590
TI  - Lovastatin induces apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells and synergizes with
      doxorubicin: potential therapeutic relevance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ovarian carcinoma is a rarely curable disease, for which new
      treatment options are required. As agents that block HMG-CoA reductase and the
      mevalonate pathway, the statin family of drugs are used in the treatment of
      hypercholesterolemia and have been shown to trigger apoptosis in a tumor-specific
      manner. Recent clinical trials show that the addition of statins to traditional
      chemotherapeutic strategies can increase efficacy of targeting statin-sensitive
      tumors. Our goal was to assess statin-induced apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells,
      either alone or in combination with chemotherapeutics, and then determine these
      mechanisms of action. METHODS: The effect of lovastatin on ovarian cancer cell
      lines was evaluated alone and in combination with cisplatin and doxorubicin using
      several assays (MTT, TUNEL, fixed PI, PARP cleavage) and synergy determined by
      evaluating the combination index. The mechanisms of action were evaluated using
      functional, molecular, and pharmacologic approaches. RESULTS: We demonstrate that
      lovastatin induces apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells in a p53-independent manner
      and synergizes with doxorubicin, a chemotherapeutic agent used to treat recurrent
      cases of ovarian cancer. Lovastatin drives ovarian tumor cell death by two
      mechanisms: first, by blocking HMG-CoA reductase activity, and second, by
      sensitizing multi-drug resistant cells to doxorubicin by a novel mevalonate
      independent mechanism. This inhibition of drug transport, likely through
      inhibition of P-glycoprotein, potentiates both DNA damage and tumor cell
      apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this research provide pre-clinical data to
      warrant further evaluation of statins as potential anti-cancer agents to treat
      ovarian carcinoma. Many statins are inexpensive, off-patent generic drugs that
      are immediately available for use as anti-cancer agents. We provide evidence that
      lovastatin triggers apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells as a single agent by a
      mevalonate-dependent mechanism. Moreover, we also show lovastatin synergizes with
      doxorubicin, an agent administered for recurrent disease. This synergy occurs by
      a novel mevalonate-independent mechanism that antagonizes drug resistance, likely
      by inhibiting P-glycoprotein. These data raise important issues that may impact
      how statins can best be included in chemotherapy regimens.

PMID- 20298591
TI  - Enoxaparin, effective dosage for intensive care patients: double-blinded,
      randomised clinical trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are predisposed to
      thromboembolism. Routine prophylactic anticoagulation is widely recommended. Low
      molecular-weight heparins, such as enoxaparin, are increasingly used because of
      predictable pharmacokinetics. This study aims to determine the subcutaneous (SC)
      dose of enoxaparin that would give the best anti-factor Xa levels in ICU
      patients. METHODS: The 72 patients admitted to a mixed ICU at Odense University
      Hospital (OUH) in Denmark were randomised into four groups to receive 40, 50, 60,
      or 70 mg SC enoxaparin for a period of 24 hours. Anti-factor Xa activity (aFXa)
      was measured before, and at 4, 12, and 24 hours after administration. An AFXa
      level between 0.1 to 0.3 IU/ml was considered evidence of effective
      antithrombotic activity. RESULTS: Median peak (4 hours after administration),
      aFXa levels increased significantly with an increase in enoxaparin dose, from
      0.13 IU/ml at 40 mg, to 0.14 IU/ml at 50 mg, 0.27 IU/ml at 60 mg, and 0.29 IU/ml
      at 70 mg (P = 0.002). At 12 hours after administration, median aFXa levels were
      still within therapeutic range for those patients who received 60 mg (P = 0.02).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirmed that a standard dose of 40 mg enoxaparin yielded
      subtherapeutic levels of aFXa in critically ill patients. Higher doses resulted
      in better peak aFXa levels, with a ceiling effect observed at 60 mg. The present
      study seems to suggest inadequate dosage as one of the possible mechanisms for
      the higher failure rate of enoxaparin in ICU patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      ISRCTN03037804.

PMID- 20298592
TI  - Germ-line transmission of trisomy 21: Data from 80 families suggest an
      implication of grandmaternal age and a high frequency of female-specific trisomy
      rescue.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Trisomy of chromosome 21 (T21; Down syndrome, DS) is the most common
      aneuploidy in live births. Though its etiology has been intensively studied for a
      half of century, there are surprisingly many problems awaiting their elucidation.
      Some of the open questions are related directly to germ line mosaicism for T21,
      other problems include the prevalence of males with non-mosaic trisomy over
      females (skewed sex ratio, SR), the genetic predisposition to non-disjunction,
      etc. Studies in families of gonadal mosaicism (GM) carriers might help resolving
      some of these problems. RESULTS: 80 families of carriers of GM, in which the sex
      of the offspring had been specified, were identified in the literature and in
      logbooks of two local genetic units. Mothers in these families were relatively
      young: only 8% of mothers were 35 years old and older at the time of delivery of
      their first affected offspring while the proportion of grandmothers on the GM
      carrier's side aged 35 years old and older was significantly higher (39%).
      Postzygotic rescue of T21 due to error in the meiosis I had been proposed as a
      mechanism of parental GM formation in 78% of the families with known origin of
      the T21. For the other 22%, rescue of errors in the meiosis II or postzygotic
      mitotic non-disjunction was assumed. Mosaicism for T21 in successive generations
      was reported in at least 12 families. The proportion of mosaics among affected
      female offspring (14%) is significantly higher compared to that among affected
      male offspring (0%). Male preponderance (SR = 1.5) is found in non mosaic
      liveborn offspring with either maternally- or paternally transmitted T21. Among
      unaffected offspring of male carriers of GM there is a notable excess of females
      (SR = 0.27). CONCLUSION: Both direct (results of cytogenetic and molecular study
      of the origin of trisomic line) and indirect (advanced grandmaternal age on the
      side of GM carrier) evidences allow to assume that significant proportion of the
      mosaic parents had been conceived as trisomics. Female-specific trisomy rescue
      and genetic predisposition to postzygotic non-disjunction has been suggested as
      mechanisms of formation of both GM and somatic mosaicism. Typical male
      preponderance in affected non mosaic offspring with either maternally- or
      paternally transmitted trisomy 21, indicates than meiotic events are not
      responsible for the skewed sex ratio in DS. However a female excess among
      unaffected offspring of male carriers of GM might be the result of meiotic non
      homologous co-orientation of chromosomes 21 and X in spermatogenesis.

PMID- 20298593
TI  - Kruppel-like factor 5 is a crucial mediator of intestinal tumorigenesis in mice
      harboring combined ApcMin and KRASV12 mutations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Both mutational inactivation of the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC)
      tumor suppressor gene and activation of the KRAS oncogene are implicated in the
      pathogenesis of colorectal cancer. Mice harboring a germline ApcMin mutation or
      intestine-specific expression of the KRASV12 gene have been developed. Both mouse
      strains develop spontaneous intestinal tumors, including adenoma and carcinoma,
      though at a different age. The zinc finger transcription factor Kruppel-like
      factor 5 (KLF5) has previously been shown to promote proliferation of intestinal
      epithelial cells and modulate intestinal tumorigenesis. Here we investigated the
      in vivo effect of Klf5 heterozygosity on the propensity of ApcMin/KRASV12 double
      transgenic mice to develop intestinal tumors. RESULTS: At 12 weeks of age,
      ApcMin/KRASV12 mice had three times as many intestinal tumors as ApcMin mice.
      This increase in tumor number was reduced by 92% in triple transgenic
      ApcMin/KRASV12/Klf5+/- mice. The reduction in tumor number in
      ApcMin/KRASV12/Klf5+/- mice was also statistically significant compared to ApcMin
      mice alone, with a 75% decrease. Compared with ApcMin/KRASV12, tumors from both
      ApcMin/KRASV12/Klf5+/- and ApcMin mice were smaller. In addition, tumors from
      ApcMin mice were more distally distributed in the intestine as contrasted by the
      more proximal distribution in ApcMin/KRASV12 and ApcMin/KRASV12/Klf5+/- mice.
      Klf5 levels in the normal-appearing intestinal mucosa were higher in both ApcMin
      and ApcMin/KRASV12 mice but were attenuated in ApcMin/KRASV12/Klf5+/- mice. The
      levels of beta-catenin, cyclin D1 and Ki-67 were also reduced in the normal
      appearing intestinal mucosa of ApcMin/KRASV12/Klf5+/- mice when compared to
      ApcMin/KRASV12 mice. Levels of pMek and pErk1/2 were elevated in the normal
      appearing mucosa of ApcMin/KRASV12 mice and modestly reduced in
      ApcMin/KRASV12/Klf5+/- mice. Tumor tissues displayed higher levels of both Klf5
      and beta-catenin, irrespective of the mouse genotype from which tumors were
      derived. CONCLUSIONS: Results of the current study confirm the cumulative effect
      of Apc loss and oncogenic KRAS activation on intestinal tumorigenesis. The
      drastic reduction in tumor number and size due to Klf5 heterozygosity in
      ApcMin/KRASV12 mice indicate a critical function of KLF5 in modulating intestinal
      tumor initiation and progression.

PMID- 20298594
TI  - wDBTF: an integrated database resource for studying wheat transcription factor
      families.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transcription factors (TFs) regulate gene expression by interacting
      with promoters of their target genes and are classified into families based on
      their DNA-binding domains. Genes coding for TFs have been identified in the
      sequences of model plant genomes. The rice (Oryza sativa spp. japonica) genome
      contains 2,384 TF gene models, which represent the mRNA transcript of a locus,
      classed into 63 families. RESULTS: We have created an extensive list of wheat
      (Triticum aestivum L) TF sequences based on sequence homology with rice TFs
      identified and classified in the Database of Rice Transcription Factors (DRTF).
      We have identified 7,112 wheat sequences (contigs and singletons) from a dataset
      of 1,033,960 expressed sequence tag and mRNA (ET) sequences available. This
      number is about three times the number of TFs in rice so proportionally is very
      similar if allowance is made for the hexaploidy of wheat. Of these sequences
      3,820 encode gene products with a DNA-binding domain and thus were confirmed as
      potential regulators. These 3,820 sequences were classified into 40 families and
      84 subfamilies and some members defined orphan families. The results were
      compiled in the Database of Wheat Transcription Factor (wDBTF), an inventory
      available on the web http://wwwappli.nantes.inra.fr:8180/wDBFT/. For each
      accession, a link to its library source and its Affymetrix identification number
      is provided. The positions of Pfam (protein family database) motifs were given
      when known. CONCLUSIONS: wDBTF collates 3,820 wheat TF sequences validated by the
      presence of a DNA-binding domain out of 7,112 potential TF sequences identified
      from publicly available gene expression data. We also incorporated in silico
      expression data on these TFs into the database. Thus this database provides a
      major resource for systematic studies of TF families and their expression in
      wheat as illustrated here in a study of DOF family members expressed during seed
      development.

PMID- 20298595
TI  - MPprimer: a program for reliable multiplex PCR primer design.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multiplex PCR, defined as the simultaneous amplification of multiple
      regions of a DNA template or multiple DNA templates using more than one primer
      set (comprising a forward primer and a reverse primer) in one tube, has been
      widely used in diagnostic applications of clinical and environmental microbiology
      studies. However, primer design for multiplex PCR is still a challenging problem
      and several factors need to be considered. These problems include mis-priming due
      to nonspecific binding to non-target DNA templates, primer dimerization, and the
      inability to separate and purify DNA amplicons with similar electrophoretic
      mobility. RESULTS: A program named MPprimer was developed to help users for
      reliable multiplex PCR primer design. It employs the widely used primer design
      program Primer3 and the primer specificity evaluation program MFEprimer to design
      and evaluate the candidate primers based on genomic or transcript DNA database,
      followed by careful examination to avoid primer dimerization. The graph-expanding
      algorithm derived from the greedy algorithm was used to determine the optimal
      primer set combinations (PSCs) for multiplex PCR assay. In addition, MPprimer
      provides a virtual electrophotogram to help users choose the best PSC. The
      experimental validation from 2x to 5x plex PCR demonstrates the reliability of
      MPprimer. As another example, MPprimer is able to design the multiplex PCR
      primers for DMD (dystrophin gene which caused Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy), which
      has 79 exons, for 20x, 20x, 20x, 14x, and 5x plex PCR reactions in five tubes to
      detect underlying exon deletions. CONCLUSIONS: MPprimer is a valuable tool for
      designing specific, non-dimerizing primer set combinations with constrained
      amplicons size for multiplex PCR assays.

PMID- 20298596
TI  - Effectiveness of the 23-valent polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccine against
      invasive pneumococcal disease in people 60 years or older.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The 23-valent polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccine (PPV) is currently
      recommended in elderly and high-risk adults. However, its efficacy in preventing
      pneumococcal infections remains controversial. This study assessed the clinical
      effectiveness of vaccination against invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) among
      people over 60 years. METHODS: Population-based case-control study that included
      88 case patients over 60 years-old with a laboratory-confirmed IPD (bacteraemic
      pneumonia, meningitis or sepsis) and 176 outpatient control subjects who were
      matched by primary care centre, age, sex and risk stratum. Adjusted odds ratios
      (ORs) for vaccination were calculated using conditional logistic regression,
      controlling for underlying conditions. Vaccine effectiveness was estimated as (1 
      OR) x100. RESULTS: Pneumococcal vaccination rate was significantly lower in
      cases than in control subjects (38.6% vs 59.1%; p = 0.002). The adjusted vaccine
      effectiveness was 72% (OR: 0.28; 95% CI: 0.15-0.54) against all IPD and 77% (OR:
      0.23; 95% CI: 0.08-0.60) against vaccine-type IPD. Vaccination was significantly
      effective against all IPD in both age groups: 60-79 years-old (OR 0.32; 95% CI:
      0.14-0.74) and people 80 years or older (OR: 0.29; 95% CI: 0.09-0.91).
      Vaccination appears significantly effective as for high-risk immunocompetent
      subjects (OR: 0.29; 95% CI: 0.11-0.79) as well as for immunocompromised subjects
      (OR: 0.12; 95% CI: 0.03-0.53). CONCLUSION: These findings confirm the
      effectiveness of the 23-valent PPV against IPD, and they also support the benefit
      of vaccination in preventing invasive infections among high-risk and older
      people.

PMID- 20298597
TI  - Cytosolic group IVa phospholipase A2 mediates IL-8/CXCL8-induced transmigration
      of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes in vitro.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cytosolic gIVaPLA2 is a critical enzyme in the generation of
      arachidonate metabolites and in induction of beta2-integrin adhesion in
      granulocytes. We hypothesized that gIVaPLA2 activation also is an essential
      downstream step for post adhesive migration of PMN in vitro. METHODS: Migration
      of PMNs caused by IL-8/CXCL8 was assessed using a transwell migration chamber.
      PMNs were pretreated with two structurally unrelated inhibitors of gIVaPLA2,
      arachidonyl trifluoromethylketone (TFMK) or pyrrophenone, prior to IL-8/CXCL8
      exposure. The fraction of migrated PMNs present in the lower chamber was measured
      as total myeloperoxidase content. GIVaPLA2 enzyme activity was analyzed using
      [14C-PAPC] as specific substrate F-actin polymerization and cell structure were
      examined after rhodamine-phalloidin staining. RESULTS: IL-8/CXCL8-induced
      migration of PMNs was elicited in concentration- and time-dependent manner. Time
      related phosphorylation and translocation of cytosolic gIVaPLA2 to the nucleus
      was observed for PMNs stimulated with IL-8/CXCL8 in concentration sufficient to
      cause upstream phosphorylation of MAPKs (ERK-1/2 and p38) and Akt/PKB. Inhibition
      of gIVaPLA2 corresponded to the magnitude of blockade of PMN migration. Neither
      AA nor LTB4 secretion was elicited following IL-8/CXCL8 activation. In
      unstimulated PMNs, F-actin was located diffusely in the cytosol; however, a clear
      polarized morphology with F-actin-rich ruffles around the edges of the cell was
      observed after activation with IL-8/CXCL8. Inhibition of gIVaPLA2 blocked change
      in cell shape and migration caused by IL-8/CXCL8 but did not cause F-actin
      polymerization or translocation of cytosolic F-actin to inner leaflet of the PMN
      membrane. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate that IL-8/CXCL8 causes a) phosphorylation
      and translocation of cytosolic gIVaPLA2 to the nucleus, b) change in cell shape,
      c) polymerization of F-actin, and d) chemoattractant/migration of PMN in vitro.
      Inhibition of gIVaPLA2 blocks the deformability and subsequent migration of PMNs
      caused by IL-8/CXCL8. Our data suggest that activation of gIVaPLA2 is an
      essential step in PMN migration in vitro.

PMID- 20298598
TI  - Involvement of the genicular branches in cystic adventitial disease of the
      popliteal artery as a possible marker of unfavourable early clinical outcome: a
      case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cystic adventitial disease of the popliteal artery is a rare cause
      of non-atheromatous claudication. It usually requires surgery to improve the
      distance walked by patients. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a 44-year
      old Caucasian man with unilateral symptomatic popliteal cysts extending to his
      genicular branches and associated with multilevel stenosis of his anterior tibial
      artery. A surgical evacuation of the cysts successfully restored his arterial
      patency and led to an objective haemodynamic improvement but was associated with
      early recurrence of symptoms. CONCLUSION: We suggest that the involvement of the
      genicular branches in cystic adventitial disease of the popliteal artery is a
      possible indicator of extensive adventitial degeneration and unfavourable
      clinical prognosis.

PMID- 20298599
TI  - Differential expression of genes in salivary glands of male Rhipicephalus
      (Boophilus)microplus in response to infection with Anaplasma marginale.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bovine anaplasmosis, caused by the rickettsial tick-borne pathogen
      Anaplasma marginale (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae), is vectored by
      Rhipicephalus (Boophilus)microplus in many tropical and subtropical regions of
      the world. A. marginale undergoes a complex developmental cycle in ticks which
      results in infection of salivary glands from where the pathogen is transmitted to
      cattle. In previous studies, we reported modification of gene expression in
      Dermacentor variabilis and cultured Ixodes scapularis tick cells in response to
      infection with A. marginale. In these studies, we extended these findings by use
      of a functional genomics approach to identify genes differentially expressed in
      R. microplus male salivary glands in response to A. marginale infection.
      Additionally, a R. microplus-derived cell line, BME26, was used for the first
      time to also study tick cell gene expression in response to A. marginale
      infection. RESULTS: Suppression subtractive hybridization libraries were
      constructed from infected and uninfected ticks and used to identify genes
      differentially expressed in male R. microplus salivary glands infected with A.
      marginale. A total of 279 ESTs were identified as candidate differentially
      expressed genes. Of these, five genes encoding for putative histamine-binding
      protein (22Hbp), von Willebrand factor (94Will), flagelliform silk protein
      (100Silk), Kunitz-like protease inhibitor precursor (108Kunz) and proline-rich
      protein BstNI subfamily 3 precursor (7BstNI3) were confirmed by real-time RT-PCR
      to be down-regulated in tick salivary glands infected with A. marginale. The
      impact of selected tick genes on A. marginale infections in tick salivary glands
      and BME26 cells was characterized by RNA interference. Silencing of the gene
      encoding for putative flagelliform silk protein (100Silk) resulted in reduced A.
      marginale infection in both tick salivary glands and cultured BME26 cells, while
      silencing of the gene encoding for subolesin (4D8) significantly reduced
      infection only in cultured BME26 cells. The knockdown of the gene encoding for
      putative metallothionein (93 Meth), significantly up-regulated in infected
      cultured BME26 cells, resulted in higher A. marginale infection levels in tick
      cells. CONCLUSIONS: Characterization of differential gene expression in salivary
      glands of R. microplus in response to A. marginale infection expands our
      understanding of the molecular mechanisms at the tick-pathogen interface.
      Functional studies suggested that differentially expressed genes encoding for
      subolesin, putative von Willebrand factor and flagelliform silk protein could
      play a role in A. marginale infection and multiplication in ticks. These tick
      genes found to be functionally relevant for tick-pathogen interactions will
      likely be candidates for development of vaccines designed for control of both
      ticks and tick-borne pathogens.

PMID- 20298600
TI  - Outcome and quality of life after aorto-bifemoral bypass surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aorto-bifemoral bypass (AFB) is commonly performed to treat aorto
      iliac disease and a durable long-term outcome is achieved. Most studies
      documenting beneficial outcomes after AFB have been limited to mortality and
      morbidity rates, costs and length of hospital stay (LOS). Few studies have
      examined the dependency of patients and how their perception of their own health
      changes after surgery. The aim of the present study was to evaluate outcome after
      AFB and to study its determinants. METHODS: This retrospective study was carried
      out in the multidisciplinary Post-Anaesthesia Care Unit (PACU) with five
      intensive care beds. Out of 1597 intensive care patients admitted to the PACU, 75
      were submitted to infrarenal AFB and admitted to these intensive care unit (ICU)
      beds over 2 years. Preoperative characteristics and outcome were evaluated by
      comparing occlusive disease with aneurysmatic disease patients. Six months after
      discharge, the patients were contacted to complete a Short Form-36 questionnaire
      (SF-36) and to have their dependency in Activities of Daily Living (ADL)
      evaluated. Patient's characteristics and postoperative follow-up data were
      compared using Mann-Whitney U test, t test for independent groups, chi-square or
      Fisher's exact test. Patient preoperative characteristics were evaluated for
      associations with mortality using a multiple logistic regression analysis.
      RESULTS: The mortality rate was 12% at six months. Multivariate analysis
      identified congestive heart disease and APACHE II as independent determinants for
      mortality. Patients submitted to AFB for occlusive disease had worse SF-36 scores
      in role physical and general health perception. Patients submitted to AFB had
      worse SF-36 scores for all domains than a comparable urban population and had
      similar scores to other PACU patients. Sixty-six percent and 23% of patients were
      dependent in at least one activity in instrumental and personal ADL,
      respectively, but 64% reported having better general health. CONCLUSION: This
      study shows that congestive heart disease and APACHE II were risk factors for
      mortality after AFB surgery. Survivors who have undergone AFB perceive an
      improved quality of life although they are more dependent in ADL tasks and have
      worse scores in almost all SF-36 than the population to which they belong.

PMID- 20298601
TI  - Large-scale prediction of protein-protein interactions from structures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prediction of protein-protein interactions is an important step
      toward the elucidation of protein functions and the understanding of the
      molecular mechanisms inside the cell. While experimental methods for identifying
      these interactions remain costly and often noisy, the increasing quantity of
      solved 3D protein structures suggests that in silico methods to predict
      interactions between two protein structures will play an increasingly important
      role in screening candidate interacting pairs. Approaches using the knowledge of
      the structure are presumably more accurate than those based on sequence only.
      Approaches based on docking protein structures solve a variant of this problem,
      but these methods remain very computationally intensive and will not scale in the
      near future to the detection of interactions at the level of an interactome,
      involving millions of candidate pairs of proteins. RESULTS: Here, we describe a
      computational method to predict efficiently in silico whether two protein
      structures interact. This yes/no question is presumably easier to answer than the
      standard protein docking question, "How do these two protein structures
      interact?" Our approach is to discriminate between interacting and non
      interacting protein pairs using a statistical pattern recognition method known as
      a support vector machine (SVM). We demonstrate that our structure-based method
      performs well on this task and scales well to the size of an interactome.
      CONCLUSIONS: The use of structure information for the prediction of protein
      interaction yields significantly better performance than other sequence-based
      methods. Among structure-based classifiers, the SVM algorithm, combined with the
      metric learning pairwise kernel and the MAMMOTH kernel, performs best in our
      experiments.

PMID- 20298602
TI  - Left ventricular T2 distribution in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although previous studies have helped define the natural history of
      Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD)-associated cardiomyopathy, the myocardial
      pathobiology associated with functional impairment in DMD is not yet known.The
      objective of this study was to assess the distribution of transverse relaxation
      time (T2) in the left ventricle (LV) of DMD patients, and to determine the
      association of myocardial T2 heterogeneity to the severity of cardiac
      dysfunction. DMD patients (n = 26) and normal control subjects (n = 13) were
      studied by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). DMD subject data was
      stratified based on subject age and LV ejection fraction (EF) into the following
      groups: A (<12 years old, n = 12); B (>or=12 years old, EF <or= 55%, n = 8) and C
      (>or=12 years old, EF = 55%, n = 6). Controls were also stratified by age into
      Groups N1 (<12 years, n = 6) and N2 (>12 years, n = 5). LV mid-slice
      circumferential myocardial strain (epsilon cc) was calculated using tagged CMR
      imaging. T2 maps of the LV were generated for all subjects using a black blood
      dual spin echo method at two echo times. The full width at half maximum (FWHM)
      was calculated from a histogram of LV T2 distribution constructed for each
      subject. RESULTS: In DMD subject groups, FWHM of the T2 histogram rose
      progressively with age and decreasing EF (Group A FWHM= 25.3 +/- 3.8 ms; Group B
      FWHM= 30.9 +/- 5.3 ms; Group C FWHM= 33.0 +/- 6.4 ms). Further, FWHM was
      significantly higher in those with reduced circumferential strain (|epsilon cc|
      <or= 12%) (Group B, and C) than those with |epsilon cc| > 12% (Group A). Group A
      FWHM was not different from the two normal groups (N1 FWHM = 25.3 +/- 3.5 ms; N2
      FWHM= 24.0 +/- 7.3 ms). CONCLUSION: Reduced EF and epsilon cc correlates well
      with increased T2 heterogeneity quantified by FWHM, indicating that subclinical
      functional impairments could be associated with pre-existing abnormalities in
      tissue structure in young DMD patients.

PMID- 20298603
TI  - Stoichiometry and intracellular fate of TRIM-containing TCR complexes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studying the stoichiometry and intracellular trafficking of the T
      cell antigen receptor (TCR) is pivotal in understanding its mechanisms of
      activation. The alphabetaTCR includes the antigen-binding TCRalphabeta
      heterodimer as well as the signal transducing CD3epsilongamma, CD3epsilondelta
      and zeta2 subunits. Although the TCR-interacting molecule (TRIM) is also part of
      the alphabetaTCR complex, it has not been included in most reports so far.
      RESULTS: We used the native antibody-based mobility shift (NAMOS) assay in a
      first dimension (1D) blue native (BN)-PAGE and a 2D BN-/BN-PAGE to demonstrate
      that the stoichiometry of the digitonin-solublized TRIM-containing alphabetaTCR
      is TCRalphabetaCD3epsilon2gammadeltazeta2TRIM2. Smaller alphabetaTCR complexes
      possess a TCRalphabeta CD3epsilon2gammadeltazeta2 stoichiometry. Complexes of
      these sizes were detected in T cell lines as well as in primary human and mouse T
      cells. Stimulating the alphabetaTCR with anti-CD3 antibodies, we demonstrate by
      confocal laser scanning microscopy that CD3epsilon colocalizes with zeta and both
      are degraded upon prolonged stimulation, possibly within the lysosomal
      compartment. In contrast, a substantial fraction of TRIM does not colocalize with
      zeta. Furthermore, TRIM neither moves to lysosomes nor is degraded.
      Immunoprecipitation studies and BN-PAGE indicate that TRIM also associates with
      the gammadeltaTCR. CONCLUSIONS: Small alphabetaTCR complexes have a TCRalphabeta
      CD3epsilon2gammadeltazeta2 stoichiometry; whereas those associated with one TRIM
      dimer are TCRalphabeta CD3epsilon2gammadeltazeta2TRIM2. TRIM is differentially
      processed compared to CD3 and zeta subunits after T cell activation and is not
      degraded. The gammadeltaTCR also associates with TRIM.

PMID- 20298604
TI  - Emotional reaction to diagnosis of infertility in Kuwait and successful clients'
      perception of nurses' role during treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The unfulfilled desire of millions of infertile couples worldwide to
      have their own biological children results in emotional distress. This study
      evaluated the emotional reactions of couples attending a combined infertility
      clinic in Kuwait and successful clients' perception of nurses. METHODS:
      Quantitative and qualitative methods were used. The first phase was by structured
      interview using two standardized psychological scales: the 25-item Hopkins
      Symptom Checklist and Modified Fertility Adjustment Scale. Data were collected
      from 268 couples attending the combined infertility clinic, between October 2002
      and September 2007. The second phase was a semi-structured interview of 10
      clients who got pregnant following treatment. The interview explored their
      feelings and perception of the nurses' role. Interviews were transcribed verbatim
      and analyzed. RESULTS: The average duration of infertility was 4 years; 65.7% of
      the women and 76.1% of men suffered from primary infertility. Emotional reactions
      experienced were: anxiety in women (12.7%) and men (6%), depression in women
      (5.2%) and men (14.9%) and reduced libido in women (6.7%) and men (29.9%). Also
      in men, 14.9% experienced premature ejaculation, 5.2% weak ejaculation and 7.9%
      had impotence although 4.9% were transient. In the semi-structured interviews,
      the emotions expressed were similar and in addition to anger, feelings of
      devastation, powerlessness, sense of failure and frustration. In the survey,
      12.7% of the men were found to show more anxiety than women (6%). Although all
      the 10 women interviewed confirmed they were anxious; only 4 of their partners
      were reported to be sad or anxious. Successful clients' perception of nurses'
      roles included nurses carrying out basic nursing procedures, communicating,
      educating about investigative and treatment procedures, providing emotional
      support by listening, encouraging, reassuring and being empathetic. CONCLUSIONS:
      This study illuminates the emotional reactions of infertile clients. Fertility
      nurses in Kuwait can provide emotional support through communication. The need
      for additional and continuous training for nurses employed in fertility settings
      in Kuwait is paramount.

PMID- 20298605
TI  - A cancer derived mutation in the retinoblastoma gene with a distinct defect for
      LXCXE dependent interactions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The interaction between viral oncoproteins such as Simian virus 40
      TAg, adenovirus E1A, and human papilloma virus E7, and the retinoblastoma protein
      (pRB) occurs through a well characterized peptide sequence, LXCXE, on the viral
      protein and a well conserved groove in the pocket domain of pRB. Cellular
      proteins, such as histone deacetylases, also use this mechanism to interact with
      the retinoblastoma protein to repress transcription at cell cycle regulated
      genes. For these reasons this region of the pRB pocket domain is thought to play
      a critical role in growth suppression. RESULTS: In this study, we identify and
      characterize a tumor derived allele of the retinoblastoma gene (RB1) that
      possesses a discrete defect in its ability to interact with LXCXE motif
      containing proteins that compromises proliferative control. To assess the
      frequency of similar mutations in the RB1 gene in human cancer, we screened blood
      and tumor samples for similar alleles. We screened almost 700 samples and did not
      detect additional mutations, indicating that this class of mutation is rare.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our work provides proof of principal that alleles encoding distinct,
      partial loss of function mutations in the retinoblastoma gene that specifically
      lose LXCXE dependent interactions, are found in human cancer.

PMID- 20298606
TI  - Limited educational attainment and radiographic and symptomatic knee
      osteoarthritis: a cross-sectional analysis using data from the Johnston County
      (North Carolina) Osteoarthritis Project.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Applying a cross-sectional analysis to a sample of 2,627 African
      American and Caucasian adults aged > or = 45 years from the Johnston County
      Osteoarthritis Project, we studied the association between educational attainment
      and prevalence of radiographic knee osteoarthritis and symptomatic knee
      osteoarthritis. METHODS: Age- and race-adjusted associations between education
      and osteoarthritis outcomes were assessed by gender-stratified logistic
      regression models, with additional models adjusting for body mass index, knee
      injury, smoking, alcohol use, and occupational factors. RESULTS: In an analysis
      of all participants, low educational attainment (<12 years) was associated with
      higher prevalence of four knee osteoarthritis outcomes (unilateral and bilateral
      radiographic and symptomatic osteoarthritis). Women with low educational
      attainment had 50% higher odds of having radiographic knee osteoarthritis and 65%
      higher odds of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis compared with those with higher
      educational attainment (> or = 12 years), by using fully adjusted models. In the
      subset of postmenopausal women, these associations tended to be weaker but little
      affected by adjustment for hormone replacement therapy. Men with low educational
      attainment had 85% higher odds of having symptomatic knee osteoarthritis by using
      fully adjusted models, but the association with radiographic knee osteoarthritis
      was explained by age. CONCLUSIONS: After adjustment for known risk factors,
      educational attainment, as an indicator of socioeconomic status, is associated
      with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis in both men and women and with radiographic
      knee osteoarthritis in women.

PMID- 20298607
TI  - Zooming of states and parameters using a lumping approach including back
      translation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Systems biology models tend to become large since biological systems
      often consist of complex networks of interacting components, and since the models
      usually are developed to reflect various mechanistic assumptions of those
      networks. Nevertheless, not all aspects of the model are equally interesting in a
      given setting, and normally there are parts that can be reduced without affecting
      the relevant model performance. There are many methods for model reduction, but
      few or none of them allow for a restoration of the details of the original model
      after the simplified model has been simulated. RESULTS: We present a reduction
      method that allows for such a back-translation from the reduced to the original
      model. The method is based on lumping of states, and includes a general and
      formal algorithm for both determining appropriate lumps, and for calculating the
      analytical back-translation formulas. The lumping makes use of efficient methods
      from graph-theory and -decomposition and is derived and exemplified on two
      published models for fluorescence emission in photosynthesis. The bigger of these
      models is reduced from 26 to 6 states, with a negligible deviation from the
      reduced model simulations, both when comparing simulations in the states of the
      reduced model and when comparing back-translated simulations in the states of the
      original model. The method is developed in a linear setting, but we exemplify how
      the same concepts and approaches can be applied to non-linear problems.
      Importantly, the method automatically provides a reduced model with back
      translations. Also, the method is implemented as a part of the systems biology
      toolbox for matlab, and the matlab scripts for the examples in this paper are
      available in the supplementary material. CONCLUSIONS: Our novel lumping
      methodology allows for both automatic reduction of states using lumping, and for
      analytical retrieval of the original states and parameters without performing a
      new simulation. The two models can thus be considered as two degrees of zooming
      of the same model. This is a conceptually new development of model reduction
      approaches, which we think will stimulate much further research and will prove to
      be very useful in future modelling projects.

PMID- 20298608
TI  - Optimization of preventive health care facility locations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Preventive health care programs can save lives and contribute to a
      better quality of life by diagnosing serious medical conditions early. The
      Preventive Health Care Facility Location (PHCFL) problem is to identify optimal
      locations for preventive health care facilities so as to maximize participation.
      When identifying locations for preventive health care facilities, we need to
      consider the characteristics of the preventive health care services. First,
      people should have more flexibility to select service locations. Second, each
      preventive health care facility needs to have a minimum number of clients in
      order to retain accreditation. RESULTS: This paper presents a new methodology for
      solving the PHCFL problem. In order to capture the characteristics of preventive
      health care services, we define a new accessibility measurement that combines the
      two-step floating catchment area method, distance factor, and the Huff-based
      competitive model. We assume that the accessibility of preventive health care
      services is a major determinant for participation in the service. Based on the
      new accessibility measurement, the PHCFL problem is formalized as a bi-objective
      model based on efficiency and coverage. The bi-objective model is solved using
      the Interchange algorithm. In order to accelerate the solving process, we
      implement the Interchange algorithm by building two new data structures, which
      captures the spatial structure of the PHCFL problem. In addition, in order to
      measure the spatial barrier between clients and preventive health care facilities
      accurately and dynamically, this paper estimates travelling distance and
      travelling time by calling the Google Maps Application Programming Interface
      (API). CONCLUSIONS: Experiments based on a real application for the Alberta
      breast cancer screening program show that our work can increase the accessibility
      of breast cancer screening services in the province.

PMID- 20298609
TI  - Transmission ratio distortion results in asymmetric introgression in Louisiana
      Iris.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Linkage maps are useful tools for examining both the genetic
      architecture of quantitative traits and the evolution of reproductive
      incompatibilities. We describe the generation of two genetic maps using
      reciprocal interspecific backcross 1 (BC1) mapping populations from crosses
      between Iris brevicaulis and Iris fulva. These maps were constructed using
      expressed sequence tag (EST)- derived codominant microsatellite markers. Such a
      codominant marker system allowed for the ability to link the two reciprocal maps,
      and compare patterns of transmission ratio distortion observed between the two.
      RESULTS: Linkage mapping resulted in markers that coalesced into 21 linkage
      groups for each of the reciprocal backcross maps, presumably corresponding to the
      21 haploid chromosomes of I. brevicaulis and I. fulva. The composite map was
      1190.0-cM long, spanned 81% of the I. brevicaulis and I. fulva genomes, and had a
      mean density of 4.5 cM per locus. Transmission ratio distortion (TRD) was
      observed in 138 (48.5%) loci distributed in 19 of the 21 LGs in BCIB, BCIF, or
      both BC1 mapping populations. Of the distorted markers identified, I. fulva
      alleles were detected at consistently higher-than-expected frequencies in both
      mapping populations. CONCLUSIONS: The observation that I. fulva alleles are
      overrepresented in both mapping populations suggests that I. fulva alleles are
      favored to introgress into I. brevicaulis genetic backgrounds, while I.
      brevicaulis alleles would tend to be prevented from introgressing into I. fulva.
      These data are consistent with the previously observed patterns of introgression
      in natural hybrid zones, where I. fulva alleles have been consistently shown to
      introgress across species boundaries.

PMID- 20298610
TI  - Bilateral macular hole formation secondary to sclopetaria caused by shockwaves
      transmitted by a posterior vector: case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sclopetaria is a rare ophthalmic finding in trauma CASE PRESENTATION:
      This is a report of a patient who developed macular holes from sclopetaria
      induced by indirect trauma. A 22-year-old male, suffered a gunshot wound that
      passed behind his eyes, resulting in bilateral macular hole formation CONCLUSION:
      To our knowledge, this is the first reported case in which trauma posterior to
      the globes caused bilateral macular hole formation.

PMID- 20298611
TI  - Measles outbreaks in displaced populations: a review of transmission, morbidity
      and mortality associated factors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease with a significant
      public health impact especially among displaced populations due to their
      characteristic mass population displacement, high population density in camps and
      low measles vaccination coverage among children. While the fatality rate in
      stable populations is generally around 2%, evidence shows that it is usually high
      among populations displaced by disasters. In recent years, refugees and
      internally displaced persons have been increasing. Our study aims to define the
      epidemiological characteristics and risk factors associated with measles
      outbreaks in displaced populations. METHODS: We reviewed literature in the PubMed
      database, and selected articles for our analysis that quantitatively described
      measles outbreaks. RESULTS: A total of nine articles describing 11 measles
      outbreak studies were selected. The outbreaks occurred between 1979 and 2005 in
      Asia and Africa, mostly during post-conflict situations. Seven of eight outbreaks
      were associated with poor vaccination status (vaccination coverage; 17-57%),
      while one was predominantly due to one-dose vaccine coverage. The age of cases
      ranged from 1 month to 39 years. Children aged 6 months to 5 years were the most
      common target group for vaccination; however, 1622 cases (51.0% of the total
      cases) were older than 5 years of age. Higher case-fatality rates (>5%) were
      reported for five outbreaks. Consistent factors associated with measles
      transmission, morbidity and mortality were vaccination status, living conditions,
      movements of refugees, nutritional status and effectiveness of control measures
      including vaccination campaigns, surveillance and security situations in affected
      zones. No fatalities were reported in two outbreaks during which a combination of
      active and passive surveillance was employed. CONCLUSION: Measles patterns have
      varied over time among populations displaced by natural and man-made disasters.
      Appropriate risk assessment and surveillance strategies are essential approaches
      for reducing morbidity and mortality due to measles. Learning from past
      experiences of measles outbreaks in displaced populations is important for
      designing future strategies for measles control in such situations.

PMID- 20298612
TI  - Examination of equine glandular stomach lesions for bacteria, including
      Helicobacter spp by fluorescence in situ hybridisation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The equine glandular stomach is commonly affected by erosion and
      ulceration. The aim of this study was to assess whether bacteria, including
      Helicobacter, could be involved in the aetiology of gastric glandular lesions
      seen in horses. RESULTS: Stomach lesions, as well as normal appearing mucosa were
      obtained from horses slaughtered for human consumption. All samples were tested
      for urease activity using the Pyloritek assay, while mucosal bacterial content
      was evaluated using Fluorescence In Situ Hybridisation. In selected sub samples,
      bacteria characterisation was pursued further by cloning and sequencing. Mucosal
      lesions were found in 36/63 stomachs and included hyperplastic rugae, polypoid
      structures and focal erosions. None of the samples were tested positive for
      urease activity or for FISH using the Helicobacter genus specific probe. In
      samples of lesions, as well as normal samples, clones with 99% similarities to
      Lactobacillus salivarius and Sarcina ventriculi were found. Escherichia like
      bacterium clones and Enterococcus clones were demonstrated in one focal erosion.
      Based on a phylogenetic tree these clones had 100% similarity to Escherichia
      fergusonii and Enterococcus faecium. The Enterococcus were found colonising the
      mucosal surface, while E. fergusonii organisms were also demonstrated
      intraepithelial. CONCLUSION: Gastric Helicobacter spp. could not be verified as
      being involved in lesions of the glandular stomach of the horse. Since E.
      fergusonii has been described as an emerging pathogen in both humans and animals,
      the finding of this bacterium in gastric erosion warrants further clarification
      to whether gastric infection with this type bacterium is important for horses.

PMID- 20298613
TI  - Factors associated with health-seeking behavior among migrant workers in Beijing,
      China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Migrant workers are a unique phenomenon in the process of China's
      economic transformation. The household registration system classifies them as
      temporary residents in cities, putting them in a vulnerable state with an unfair
      share of urban infrastructure and social public welfare. The amount of pressure
      inflicted by migrant workers in Beijing, as one of the major migration
      destinations, is currently at a threshold. This study was designed to assess the
      factors associated with health-seeking behavior and to explore feasible solutions
      to the obstacles migrant workers in China faced with when accessing health-care.
      METHODS: A sample of 2,478 migrant workers in Beijing was chosen by the multi
      stage stratified cluster sampling method. A structured questionnaire survey was
      conducted via face-to-face interviews between investigators and subjects. The
      multilevel methodology (MLM) was used to demonstrate the independent effects of
      the explanatory variables on health seeking behavior in migrant workers. RESULTS:
      The medical visitation rate of migrant workers within the past two weeks was
      4.8%, which only accounted for 36.4% of those who were ill. Nearly one-third of
      the migrant workers chose self-medication (33.3%) or no measures (30.3%) while
      ill within the past two weeks. 19.7% of the sick migrants who should have been
      hospitalized failed to receive medical treatment within the past year. According
      to self-reported reasons, the high cost of health service was a significant
      obstacle to health-care access for 40.5% of the migrant workers who became sick.
      However, 94.0% of the migrant workers didn't have any insurance coverage in
      Beijing. The multilevel model analysis indicates that health-seeking behavior
      among migrants is significantly associated with their insurance coverage.
      Meanwhile, such factors as household monthly income per capita and working hours
      per day also affect the medical visitation rate of the migrant workers in
      Beijing. CONCLUSION: This study assesses the influence of socio-demographic
      characteristics on the migrant workers' decision to seek health care services
      when they fall ill, and it also indicates that the current health service system
      discourages migrant workers from seeking appropriate care of good quality.
      Relevant policies of public medical insurance and assistance program should be
      vigorously implemented for providing affordable health care services to the
      migrants. Feasible measures need to be taken to reduce the health risks
      associated with current hygiene practices and equity should be assured in access
      to health care services among migrant workers.

PMID- 20298614
TI  - Effect of smoking on lung function, respiratory symptoms and respiratory diseases
      amongst HIV-positive subjects: a cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Smoking prevalence in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive
      subjects is about three times of that in the general population. However, whether
      the extremely high smoking prevalence in HIV-positive subjects affects their lung
      function is unclear, particularly whether smoking decreases lung function more in
      HIV-positive subjects, compared to the general population. We conducted this
      study to determine the association between smoking and lung function, respiratory
      symptoms and diseases amongst HIV-positive subjects. RESULTS: Of 120 enrolled HIV
      positive subjects, 119 had an acceptable spirogram. Ninety-four (79%) subjects
      were men, and 96 (81%) were white. Mean (standard deviation [SD]) age was 43.4
      (8.4) years. Mean (SD) of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) percent
      of age, gender, race and height predicted value (%FEV1) was 93.1% (15.7%).
      Seventy-five (63%) subjects had smoked 24.0 (18.0) pack-years. For every ten pack
      years of smoking increment, %FEV1 decreased by 2.1% (95% confidence interval
      [CI]: -3.6%, -0.6%), after controlling for gender, race and restrictive lung
      function (R2 = 0.210). The loss of %FEV1 in our subjects was comparable to the
      general population. Compared to non-smokers, current smokers had higher odds of
      cough, sputum or breathlessness, after adjusting for highly active anti
      retroviral therapy (HAART) use, odds ratio OR = 4.9 (95% CI: 2.0, 11.8). However
      respiratory symptom presence was similar between non-smokers and former smokers,
      OR = 1.0 (95% CI: 0.3, 2.8). All four cases of COPD (chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease) had smoked. Four of ten cases of restrictive lung disease had
      smoked (p = 0.170), and three of five asthmatic subjects had smoked (p = 1.000).
      CONCLUSIONS: Cumulative cigarette consumption was associated with worse lung
      function; however the loss of %FEV1 did not accelerate in HIV-positive population
      compared to the general population. Current smokers had higher odds of
      respiratory symptoms than non-smokers, while former smokers had the same odds of
      respiratory symptoms as non-smokers. Cigarette consumption was likely associated
      with more COPD cases in HIV-positive population; however more participants and
      longer follow up would be needed to estimate the effect of smoking on COPD
      development. Effective smoking cessation strategies are required for HIV-positive
      subjects.

PMID- 20298616
TI  - Association of depression with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes among adults aged
      between 25 to 60 years in Karachi, Pakistan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The combination of depression with type 2 diabetes is a public health
      problem. If diabetes is managed in its initial phase, the morbidity and mortality
      due to this combination may be prevented at an early stage. Therefore, we aimed
      to determine the association of depression with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes
      among adults aged between 25 to 60 years in Karachi, Pakistan. METHODS: From July
      2006 to September 2007, a matched case control study (n = 592) was conducted in
      Civil Hospital, Karachi. Incident cases of type 2 diabetes (n = 296) diagnosed
      within one month were recruited from diabetic Out Patient Department (OPD) of
      Civil Hospital, Karachi. They were matched on age and sex with controls (n =
      296), who were attendants sitting in the medical out patient department of the
      same hospital, recruited on the basis of absence of classical symptoms of
      polyuria and polydipsia along with random blood glucose level of <200 mg/dl
      measured by a glucometer. Depression was identified by the Siddiqui Shah
      Depression Scale. Conditional logistic regression was applied to examine the
      association of depression and other independent variables with newly diagnosed
      type 2 diabetes at 95% C.I. and P < 0.05. RESULTS: The study comprised of 592
      subjects with 432(73%) males and 160(27%) females. Depression was significantly
      associated with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes having mild level (mOR: 3.86;
      95%CI: 2.22,6.71) and moderate to severe level (mOR: 3.41; 95%CI: 2.07,5.61).
      History of (h/o) gestational diabetes (mOR: 2.83; 95%CI: 1.05,7.64), family h/o
      diabetes (mOR: 1.59; 95%CI: 1.04,2.43), nuclear family (mOR: 1.75; 95%CI:
      1.14,2.69), BMI (mOR: 1.62; 95%CI: 1.01,2.60 for obese and mOR: 2.12; 95%CI:
      1.19,3.79 for overweight vs healthy to underweight) were also significantly
      associated with outcome, adjusting for age, sex, marital status, h/o smoking and
      h/o high BP. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetics should be screened simultaneously for
      depression and concomitant preventive strategies for gestational diabetes,
      nuclear family and high BMI should also be used to prevent mortality/morbidity
      among patients between 25 to 60 years of age.

PMID- 20298617
TI  - Small ruminant feed systems: perceptions and practices in the transitional zone
      of Ghana.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adequate feeding is essential to realizing the potential of small
      ruminants to alleviate poverty among smallholder farmers. This study was
      conducted in two villages in the Ejura-Sekyedumase District of Ghana and was
      motivated by farmers' non-adoption of modern feed technologies, but more
      importantly by the need to understand the small ruminant feed system considering
      farmers' different socio-economic backgrounds and how these relate to small
      ruminant performance. In this study, the feed system was defined as the type,
      source and seasonality of feeds and how small ruminants access them. METHODS:
      Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to allow for triangulation. Data
      were collected in seven stages comprising key informant interviews, a census, a
      cultural domain study, botanical specimen collection and identification, focus
      group discussions, a household survey, and a small ruminant performance study.
      RESULTS: Farmers listed 175 items that are used as small ruminant feed and
      salience indexes were calculated. There was high consensus about the domain of
      small ruminant feeds, with 15 items comprising the consensus model. Respondent
      agreement scores correlated positively with age and negatively with list length.
      Respondents from matrilineal lineages had higher agreement scores than those from
      patrilineal lineages. Natural pasture and wild browse scored high in pair wise
      ranking by village and sex groups. Of the 33 feeds that farmers fed to goats,
      maize grains, cassava peels and Margaritaria discoidea were the most salient. Six
      major feed system groups based on access were identified at household level,
      which regrouped into three at village level based on feed type and source.
      Patrilineal households were more likely to tether their livestock. Significant
      differences were found between some socio-economic groups for pre-weaning average
      daily gain (ADG) of kids, but not for prolificacy of does. CONCLUSIONS: The need
      for nutritive and agronomic investigations into major feeds, the creation of non
      cropping zones around village fringes and studies on labour demands of different
      feed systems are proposed. The insight gained in this study on farmers'
      perceptions and practices relating to small ruminant feeds could guide in the
      selection and introduction of feed innovations that fit into current feed systems
      to enhance adoption.

PMID- 20298615
TI  - Production of recombinant proteins in E. coli by the heat inducible expression
      system based on the phage lambda pL and/or pR promoters.
AB  - The temperature inducible expression system, based on the pL and/or pR phage
      lambda promoters regulated by the thermolabile cI857 repressor has been widely
      use to produce recombinant proteins in prokaryotic cells. In this expression
      system, induction of heterologous protein is achieved by increasing the culture
      temperature, generally above 37 degrees C. Concomitant to the overexpression of
      heterologous protein, the increase in temperature also causes a variety of
      complex stress responses. Many studies have reported the use of such temperature
      inducible expression system, however only few discuss the simultaneous stress
      effects caused by recombinant protein production and the up-shift in temperature.
      Understanding the integral effect of such responses should be useful to develop
      improved strategies for high yield protein production and recovery. Here, we
      describe the current status of the heat inducible expression system based on the
      pL and/or pR lambda phage promoters, focusing on recent developments on
      expression vehicles, the stress responses at the molecular and physiological
      level that occur after heat induction, and bioprocessing factors that affect
      protein overexpression, including culture operation variables and induction
      strategies.

PMID- 20298618
TI  - Effects of automated alerts on unnecessarily repeated serology tests in a
      cardiovascular surgery department: a time series analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laboratory testing is frequently unnecessary, particularly repetitive
      testing. Among the interventions proposed to reduce unnecessary testing,
      Computerized Decision Support Systems (CDSS) have been shown to be effective, but
      their impact depends on their technical characteristics. The objective of the
      study was to evaluate the impact of a Serology-CDSS providing point of care
      reminders of previous existing serology results, embedded in a Computerized
      Physician Order Entry at a university teaching hospital in Paris, France.
      METHODS: A CDSS was implemented in the Cardiovascular Surgery department of the
      hospital in order to decrease inappropriate repetitions of viral serology tests
      (HBV).A time series analysis was performed to assess the impact of the alert on
      physicians' practices. The study took place between January 2004 and December
      2007. The primary outcome was the proportion of unnecessarily repeated HBs
      antigen tests over the periods of the study. A test was considered unnecessary
      when it was ordered within 90 days after a previous test for the same patient. A
      secondary outcome was the proportion of potentially unnecessary HBs antigen test
      orders cancelled after an alert display. RESULTS: In the pre-intervention period,
      3,480 viral serology tests were ordered, of which 538 (15.5%) were unnecessarily
      repeated. During the intervention period, of the 2,095 HBs antigen tests
      performed, 330 unnecessary repetitions (15.8%) were observed. Before the
      intervention, the mean proportion of unnecessarily repeated HBs antigen tests
      increased by 0.4% per month (absolute increase, 95% CI 0.2% to 0.6%, p < 0.001).
      After the intervention, a significant trend change occurred, with a monthly
      difference estimated at -0.4% (95% CI -0.7% to -0.1%, p = 0.02) resulting in a
      stable proportion of unnecessarily repeated HBs antigen tests. A total of 380
      unnecessary tests were ordered among 500 alerts displayed (compliance rate 24%).
      CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of unnecessarily repeated tests immediately dropped
      after CDSS implementation and remained stable, contrasting with the significant
      continuous increase observed before. The compliance rate confirmed the effect of
      the alerts. It is necessary to continue experimentation with dedicated systems in
      order to improve understanding of the diversity of CDSS and their impact on
      clinical practice.

PMID- 20298619
TI  - Diversity in anopheline larval habitats and adult composition during the dry and
      wet seasons in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several cases of malaria are frequently recorded during the dry
      period in Ouagadougou town (Burkina Faso). This has led to the design of a series
      of studies focusing on both parasitological and entomological investigations
      intended to provide relevant health data on the risk of local malaria
      transmission according to the way of urbanisation. METHODS: A cross-sectional
      entomological survey was carried out in various districts of Ouagadougou in April
      and October 2006. Adult malaria vectors were collected using CDC traps and indoor
      insecticide spraying performed in four houses during four consecutive
      days/nights. Intensive larval sampling was also done in available water ponds
      throughout the study sites. RESULTS: In April, the anopheline breeding sites
      consisted only of semi-permanent or permanent swamps located mainly in the two
      peripheral districts. Despite the presence of anopheline larvae in these breeding
      sites, less than five Anopheles gambiae s.l. adults were caught by CDC traps and
      indoor insecticide spraying. In October, additionally to the permanent breeding
      sites reported in April, some rainfall swamps were also found positive to
      anophelines. The number of adults' mosquitoes was higher than that collected in
      April (2 vs 159 in October). Out of 115 larvae of An. gambiae s.l. analysed by
      PCR in April, 59.1% (68/115) were identified as Anopheles arabiensis, 39.1%
      (45/115) as An. gambiae M while the S form represented less than 2%. Overall 120
      larvae and 86 females were identified by PCR in October as An. gambiae M form
      (51%) and An. arabiensis (42.2%). The S form represented only 6.8%. The global
      sporozoite rate recorded was high (6.8%) and did not differ between the districts
      except in the central district where no positive mosquito was detected.
      CONCLUSION: Although only few adults' mosquitoes were actively caught during the
      driest month, malaria vectors persisted all year long that increases the risk of
      urban malaria transmission. The distribution of breeding sites and especially the
      occurrence of malaria vectors were more abundant in the periphery, which is more
      like that of a rural settlement. The evolution of malaria prevalence and the
      factors sustaining the risk of transmission in Ouagadougou as well in many
      African cities during the dry season are discussed.

PMID- 20298620
TI  - [Medical problems of musicians].
AB  - Most individuals enjoy making music, but pleasure may be diminished by physical
      complaints. The most common complaints in musicians include injuries of the upper
      part of the body including the shoulder and spine, skin disorders and hearing
      problems. Injuries are not so much related to the extent of rehearsing and
      playing but are mostly the result of a wrong position and misuse of the
      instrument. Adequate preparation before playing and professional coaching to
      avoid injuries or to detect problems at an early stage are exceptions rather than
      the rule. Because of the large number of amateur and professional musicians in
      the Netherlands, music medicine deserves a more prominent role.

PMID- 20298622
TI  - [Advice on guidelines: planning for guideline development in the Netherlands].
AB  - There is a lack of shared responsibility and national steering in guideline
      development. The 'Regieraad' (advisory board on guideline development,
      established by the Dutch Health Secretary) hopes to facilitate the coordination
      of guideline development. Therefore, the board developed a shortlist of the 100
      most important diseases and 25 important care processes, based on several
      accepted criteria. An inventory of already available guidelines and other
      instruments for quality improvement was also made. The board thinks that
      guidelines should become more uniform to improve accessibility and usefulness for
      daily practice. The board encourages the availability of guidelines for the most
      important topics. With the information available a long-term policy for guideline
      development and maintenance can be determined.

PMID- 20298623
TI  - [Dutch parliament legitimizes harmful quackery].
AB  - The Dutch parliament has recently accepted a tax law in which certain groups of
      alternative therapists can be exempt from VAT. To be eligible for this VAT
      exemption, the disciplines to which the therapists belong have to meet certain
      training requirements. In this article it is contended, in agreement with the
      Royal College of Physicians in the UK, that statutory regulation is inappropriate
      for disciplines whose therapies are neither of proved benefit nor appropriately
      tested. It legitimizes harmful therapies. This is illustrated by two serious
      accidents, previously described in this journal, caused by a chiropractor and a
      craniosacral therapist.

PMID- 20298624
TI  - [Colonic obstruction due to volvulus of the sigmoid colon or caecum].
AB  - 3 patients, 2 women aged 41 and 47 and one man aged 75 years, presented with
      abdominal pain and distension. In 2 patients the diagnosis 'sigmoid volvulus' was
      reached following plain abdominal X-ray. Both patients underwent sigmoidal
      resection with primary anastomosis after endoscopic deflation. The third patient
      proved to have a caecal volvulus on emergency laparotomy and underwent ileocaecal
      resection. In 2/3 of the cases diagnosis can be made by history, physical
      examination and conventional X-ray. Delay in the diagnosis increases the risk of
      peritonitis and death due to ischaemia and perforation of the colon. In the
      absence of peritoneal tenderness, signs of ischaemia or sepsis, the initial
      treatment consists of endoscopic deflation, which is successful in 68-78% of
      cases. Resection of the sigmoid colon is recommended a few days after endoscopic
      decompression in order to prevent recurrence. Caecal volvulus is not suitable for
      treatment with endoscopic deflation and should be treated with ileocaecal
      resection.

PMID- 20298625
TI  - [New blood glucose-lowering drugs in type 2 diabetes: a review of the
      literature].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the efficacy and safety of the glucagon-like peptide 1
      (GLP-1) analogues exenatide and liraglutide, and the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP
      4) inhibitors vildagliptin and sitagliptin, registered in the Netherlands for
      treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2). DESIGN: Literature study. METHOD:
      The Medline database was searched up to and including August 2009 for systematic
      reviews and randomised trials with a minimum duration of 12 weeks in patients
      with DM2. Two authors independently selected the studies based on the title,
      abstract and, if necessary, the full text. RESULTS: In addition to 1 systematic
      review on GLP-1 analogues and 1 review on DPP-4 inhibitors, 10 studies on DPP-4
      inhibitors and 16 studies on GLP-1 analogues were included. According to these
      studies, the DPP-4 inhibitors sitagliptin and vildagliptin gave a mean HbA1c
      reduction of 0.7% and 0.6% respectively. GLP-1 analogues led to a mean HbA1c
      reduction of 1%, which is comparable to insulin therapy. Sitagliptin was
      associated with a slight increase in the number of upper respiratory tract
      infections. In a large number of patients, GLP-1 analogues were associated with
      gastrointestinal complaints. DPP-4 inhibitors were associated with a small weight
      gain, compared with weight loss in patients treated with GLP-1 analogues. Data on
      microvascular and macrovascular complications, as well as data on mortality, are
      not yet available in either group. CONCLUSION: GLP-1 analogues regulate blood
      glucose levels as effectively as the current glucose-lowering agents; DPP-4
      inhibitors are less effective. GLP-1 analogues lead to a clear weight reduction
      while DPP-4 inhibitors cause slight weight gain. Data on efficacy and safety in
      the longer term are not yet available.

PMID- 20298626
TI  - [Subcutaneous emphysema as the initial symptom of perforated diverticulitis].
AB  - A 76-year-old woman with no medical history apart from hypertension was admitted
      to the department of Internal Medicine with rectal bleeding. A few days later she
      complained of severe pain in her left leg. On physical examination the leg was
      swollen, shiny and extremely painful to the touch. Later she developed
      subcutaneous emphysema of the upper leg. A CT-scan revealed perforated sigmoid
      diverticulitis and extensive subcutaneous and intramuscular emphysema. During
      surgery, a double-barrelled colostomy was raised on the transverse colon. All
      subcutaneous areas with emphysema were drained. During a second operation, a
      Hartmann resection was performed, with a distal mucous fistula on the descending
      colon. A few days later she died as a result of septicaemia. Subcutaneous
      emphysema is a rare complication of perforated diverticulitis. A lack of
      prospective studies on diverticulitis hampers a rational approach to this common
      condition in daily practice.

PMID- 20298627
TI  - [A dead man with a light reddish skin].
AB  - A 40-year-old man was found dead in his bathroom with a light reddish skin. The
      cause of death was asphyxia due to CO-intoxication.

PMID- 20298628
TI  - [Presentation of illness in the elderly: a simple explanation for a complex
      problem].
AB  - Illness presentation in the elderly is often complex and atypical. This may cause
      negative health outcomes. In the standard medical model of diagnosis, there is a
      1:1 correspondence between clinical signs and symptoms and a pathological disease
      process. This model can be only applied to some presentations of illness in the
      elderly. For this reason Linda Fried, 'grande dame' of geriatric medicine in the
      United States, developed four complementary generic diagnostic models, taking
      into account social and functional aspects as well as clinical symptoms. Here we
      present these models for a broader audience, since not only geriatricians but all
      physicians are being confronted with a growing population of older patients.

PMID- 20298629
TI  - [Primary management and treatment of paediatric septic shock].
AB  - Paediatric shock is common. Hypovolaemic and septic shock are the main forms.
      Early and rapid results-oriented therapy of paediatric septic shock has a
      favourable effect on survival. There is an international guideline for the
      primary management of paediatric shock during the first hour after presentation
      of the patient. The goal of treatment is to prevent oxygen debt and consequently
      organ failure. The main symptoms of paediatric shock are tachycardia and reduced
      consciousness. In a child in shock, the clinical picture should be recognized
      within 15 minutes and an attempt should be made to reverse the situation by rapid
      fluid infusion. If the shock persists after 15 minutes, vasoactive medication
      should be given and the child should be transferred to a local paediatric
      intensive care unit. Intubation and mechanical ventilation are then also
      required.

PMID- 20298630
TI  - [Gut instinct among GPs]

PMID- 20298631
TI  - [The role of gut instinct is an important subject].
AB  - The role of gut instinct in general practice is an important topic. The reliance
      on gut instinct by experienced doctors is thought to be a form of intuitive
      decision-making which fits in with System 1 processes in the dual process model
      in higher cognition. Special mention is made of the theories on intuitive
      decision-making by the famous Dutch psychologist De Groot, who, when
      investigating thought processes of chess masters more than half a century ago,
      developed a fundamental theory on intuitive heuristics. Further studies on the
      determinants and conditions under which heuristics, such as the reliance on gut
      instinct, are applied in clinical practice are very welcome.

PMID- 20298632
TI  - [A progressive vomiting pre-schooler].
AB  - A 4-year-old boy with persistent vomiting had a peptic stenosis of the
      oesophagus.

PMID- 20298633
TI  - [A women with a lumpy calf].
AB  - A 24-year-old woman had big neurofibromas on her left leg caused by type 1
      neurofibromatosis. Four kilograms of tissue were excised.

PMID- 20298634
TI  - [Reversible thrombocytopenia and polyneuropathy: the pleiotropic aspects of
      hypothyroidism].
AB  - Although the relationship between hyperthyroidism and thrombocytopenia is well
      documented, the relationship between hypothyroidism and thrombocytopenia is less
      well known. We describe a 69-year-old man with severe hypothyroidism, mild
      thrombocytopenia and sensorimotor axonal polyneuropathy. After thyroid hormone
      replacement therapy, he became euthyroid and his platelet count normalized over a
      period of three months. The thrombocytopenia may have been due to an
      immunomodulatory effect of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). His neurological
      complaints disappeared and even though electromyography still showed signs of
      axonal polyneuropathy, nerve conduction velocities normalized and he had signs of
      re-innervation. Our case clearly demonstrates that hypothyroidism is a
      heterogeneous disease. As symptoms may be reversible with thyroid hormone
      replacement therapy, it should not be overlooked.

PMID- 20298635
TI  - [Cold ischaemia time and outcome of renal transplantation].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of cold ischaemia time (CIT) on the outcome of
      cadaveric renal transplantation in the Netherlands. DESIGN: Retrospective,
      comparative. METHODS: We studied data from the Netherlands organ transplant
      registry of cadaveric renal transplants from 1990-2007. RESULTS: 6322 cadaveric
      renal transplant recipients were studied, of whom 5306 were from heart-beating
      donors (HBD) and 1016 from non-heart-beating donors (NHBD). The mean CIT was 24.0
      h in the HBD group and 21.6 h in the NHBD group. The rate of delayed graft
      function (DGF) was 12.3% in the HBD group and 50.4% in the NHBD group.
      Multivariate analysis showed that prolonged CIT was an independent risk factor
      for graft failure. Prolonged CIT was also associated with the more frequent
      occurrence of DGF and primary non-function (PNF). Recipients of renal allografts
      from HBD with CIT <or= 20 hours showed a 3% higher 5-year graft survival rate
      than in recipients of kidneys with longer CIT. In recipients of NHBD kidneys with
      CIT < 16 hours, the 5-year graft survival rate was 10% higher than in recipients
      of kidneys with a longer CIT. CONCLUSION: Prolonged cold ischaemia times are
      related to a more frequent occurrence of DGF, PNF and decreased graft survival
      after kidney transplantation. These results underline the need to reduce cold
      ischaemia times in the Netherlands.

PMID- 20298636
TI  - Primary immunodeficiencies associated with DNA-repair disorders.
AB  - DNA-repair pathways recognise and repair DNA damaged by exogenous and endogenous
      agents to maintain genomic integrity. Defects in these pathways lead to
      replication errors, loss or rearrangement of genomic material and eventually cell
      death or carcinogenesis. The creation of diverse lymphocyte receptors to identify
      potential pathogens requires breaking and randomly resorting gene segments
      encoding antigen receptors. Subsequent repair of the gene segments utilises
      ubiquitous DNA-repair proteins. Individuals with defective repair pathways are
      found to be immunodeficient and many are radiosensitive. The role of repair
      proteins in the development of adaptive immunity by VDJ recombination, antibody
      isotype class switching and affinity maturation by somatic hypermutation has
      become clearer over the past few years, partly because of identification of the
      genes involved in human disease. We describe the mechanisms involved in the
      development of adaptive immunity relating to DNA repair, and the clinical
      consequences and treatment of the primary immunodeficiency resulting from such
      defects.

PMID- 20298637
TI  - Facial emotion recognition in schizotypy: the role of accuracy and social
      cognitive bias.
AB  - Facial emotion recognition deficits have been widely investigated in individuals
      with schizophrenia; however, it remains unclear whether these deficits reflect a
      trait-like vulnerability to schizophrenia pathology present in individuals at
      risk for the disorder. Although some studies have investigated emotion
      recognition in this population, findings have been mixed. The current study uses
      a well-validated emotion recognition task, a relatively large sample, and
      examines the relationship between emotion recognition, symptoms, and overall life
      quality. Eighty-nine individuals with psychometrically defined schizotypy and 27
      controls completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire, Penn Emotion
      Recognition Test, and a brief version of Lehman's Quality of Life Interview. In
      addition to labeling facial emotions, participants rated the valence of faces
      using a Likert rating scale. Individuals with schizotypy were significantly less
      accurate than controls when labeling emotional faces, particularly neutral faces.
      Within the schizotypy sample, both disorganization symptoms and lower quality of
      life were associated with a bias toward perceiving facial expressions as more
      negative. Our results support previous research suggesting that poor emotion
      recognition is associated with vulnerability to psychosis. Although emotion
      recognition appears unrelated to symptoms, it probably operates by means of
      different processes in those with particular types of symptoms.

PMID- 20298638
TI  - Target-related distractors disrupt object selection in everyday action: evidence
      from participants with dementia.
AB  - This study evaluated the impact of distractor objects and their similarity to
      target objects on everyday task performance in dementia. Twenty participants with
      dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (n = 12) or subcortical vascular disease (n =
      8) were videotaped while they performed 3 discrete tasks: (1) make a cup of
      coffee, (2) wrap a gift, and (3) pack a lunch under two conditions that were
      counterbalanced across participants. The conditions differed in terms of the type
      of distractor objects included in the workspace: (1) Target-Related Distractor
      Condition - distractor objects were functionally and visually similar to target
      objects (e.g., salt for sugar) (2) Unrelated Distractor Condition - distractors
      were neither visually nor functionally similar to targets (e.g., glue for sugar).
      Participants touched (t = 4.19; p < .01) and used (z = 3.00; p < .01)
      significantly more distractors, made more distractor errors (i.e., substitutions;
      t = 2.93; p < .01), and took longer to complete tasks (t = 2.27; p < .05) in the
      Target-Related Distractor condition. The percent of steps accomplished and non
      distractor errors did not differ across conditions (t < 1.26; p > .05 for both).
      In summary, distractors that were similar to targets elicited significant
      interference effects circumscribed to object selection.

PMID- 20298639
TI  - A test of the cerebellar hypothesis of dyslexia in adequate and inadequate
      responders to reading intervention.
AB  - The cerebellar hypothesis of dyslexia posits that cerebellar deficits are
      associated with reading disabilities and may explain why some individuals with
      reading disabilities fail to respond to reading interventions. We tested these
      hypotheses in a sample of children who participated in a grade 1 reading
      intervention study (n = 174) and a group of typically achieving children (n =
      62). At posttest, children were classified as adequately responding to the
      intervention (n = 82), inadequately responding with decoding and fluency deficits
      (n = 36), or inadequately responding with only fluency deficits (n = 56). Based
      on the Bead Threading and Postural Stability subtests from the Dyslexia Screening
      Test-Junior, we found little evidence that assessments of cerebellar functions
      were associated with academic performance or responder status. In addition, we
      did not find evidence supporting the hypothesis that cerebellar deficits are more
      prominent for poor readers with "specific" reading disabilities (i.e., with
      discrepancies relative to IQ) than for poor readers with reading scores
      consistent with IQ. In contrast, measures of phonological awareness, rapid
      naming, and vocabulary were strongly associated with responder status and
      academic outcomes. These results add to accumulating evidence that fails to
      associate cerebellar functions with reading difficulties.

PMID- 20298640
TI  - Exploring the recollective experience during autobiographical memory retrieval in
      amnestic mild cognitive impairment.
AB  - Autonoetic consciousness refers to the ability to mentally transport oneself back
      in subjective time to relive elements of, or all, of a past event, and is
      compromised in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we investigate
      autobiographical memory (ABM) and the recollective experience in amnestic mild
      cognitive impairment (aMCI). aMCI participants exhibited significant deficits
      compared with healthy elderly controls for both personal semantic and event
      detail components of ABM. These decrements were evident across all life epochs
      for episodic recall. Recall of an event that occurred 1 week previously, was
      tested in the same spatiotemporal context, and provided the greatest group
      dissociation, with elderly controls benefitting from a context-dependent memory
      effect. This reinstantiation of context did not ameliorate the anterograde
      deficits in the aMCI cohort, nor did it facilitate the mental reliving of these
      memories for either participant group. Whereas reliving judgments were comparable
      in both groups, aMCI participants exhibited a compromised capacity to generate
      vivid, self-referential visual imagery and to re-experience the original emotion
      of events. These contextual and experiential deficits extended beyond recently
      encountered events into remote epochs, and suggest a greater level of ABM
      impairment in aMCI than previously assumed.

PMID- 20298641
TI  - Neuropsychological deficits associated with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.
AB  - We sought to elucidate the existence of neuropsychological subtypes in Complex
      Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). One hundred thirty seven patients with CRPS were
      administered tests that assess executive control, naming/lexical retrieval, and
      declarative memory. A 2-step cluster analysis that does not require any a priori
      specification regarding the number of clusters, classified patients into three
      groups. Group 1 obtained scores that were in the average range on all tests (n =
      48; normal CRSP group). Group 2 (n = 58; dysexecutive CRSP group) presented with
      mild impairment or statistically low average test performance on working
      memory/verbal fluency tests. Group 3 (n = 31; global CRSP group) produced scores
      in the statistically low average/borderline range on all tests with particularly
      reduced scores on naming/declarative memory tests. Between-group analyses found
      that the CRPS group 1 obtained higher scores than CRPS groups 2 and 3 on all
      tests. However, groups 2 and 3 were equally impaired on executive tests. CRPS
      group 3 was impaired on tests of naming/memory tests compared to the other
      groups. Significant neuropsychological deficits are present in 65% of patients,
      with many patients presenting with elements of a dysexecutive syndrome and some
      patients presenting with global cognitive impairment.

PMID- 20298642
TI  - Heart rate and blood pressure effects during caloric vestibular testing.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine whether the caloric vestibular test causes significant
      changes in heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Changes in heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure before and after caloric
      irrigation were compared with the degree of nystagmus (as measured by maximum
      slow phase velocity) and the patient's subjective dizziness (scored from 0 to
      10). A cardiologist reviewed each patient's heart rate and mean arterial blood
      pressure changes. Patients' anxiety levels were also assessed. RESULTS: Eighteen
      patients were recruited. There were no adverse events in any patient. There were
      no overall significant differences between the heart rate and mean arterial
      pressure before and after each irrigation. There was a significant correlation
      between the maximum slow phase velocity and patients' subjective dizziness
      scores. CONCLUSION: Heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure are not
      significantly influenced by the caloric vestibular test. This preliminary study
      will enable patients with stable cardiovascular disease to be recruited for
      further risk determination.

PMID- 20298643
TI  - Superior sagittal sinus thrombosis complicating neck dissection.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To report a superior sagittal sinus thrombosis occurring as a rare
      complication of neck dissection, and to present a review of published literature.
      CASE REPORT: A 42-year-old man underwent an elective neck dissection for a tumour
      stage 2, node stage 2b, tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma, prior to
      chemoradiotherapy. During surgery, the right internal jugular vein was sacrificed
      as part of the resection, as tumour was adherent to it. Two weeks after surgery,
      the patient was readmitted with seizures. Subsequent computed tomography and
      magnetic resonance venography confirmed a superior sagittal sinus thrombosis. The
      patient was subsequently anticoagulated and underwent radiotherapy without
      further complication. A review of pre-operative imaging indicated a dominant
      internal jugular vein, ligation of which may have been a factor in the subsequent
      sagittal sinus thrombosis. CONCLUSION: Superior sagittal sinus thrombosis
      following neck dissection is a rare occurrence, with little reported in the
      literature. Dominant internal jugular vein anatomy may be evident on pre
      operative imaging. An awareness of this complication may be helpful to surgeons
      contemplating sacrifice of the internal jugular vein.

PMID- 20298644
TI  - Techniques for early diagnosis and management of cervicofacial necrotising
      fasciitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cervicofacial necrotising fasciitis carries high rates of morbidity
      and mortality, and is not often initially suspected due to its rarity and
      misleadingly innocuous presentation. We propose an algorithm for the timely
      diagnosis and management of cervicofacial necrotising fasciitis. METHODS:
      Retrospective review of seven patients ultimately diagnosed with cervicofacial
      necrotising fasciitis. RESULTS: In these seven patients, common presenting
      symptoms included sore throat, fever and neck pain. On initial examination and
      imaging, only three had obvious findings. One patient's diagnosis was facilitated
      via a bedside cut-down procedure. Six patients underwent surgical debridement.
      Four required tracheotomy, and five wounds closed via secondary intention. There
      were two deaths. CONCLUSION: The severity of cervical necrotising fasciitis and
      its rapid spread necessitate early diagnosis and timely surgical management. The
      presentation often appears benign. A high index of clinical suspicion should be
      maintained in cases of neck cellulitis with nonspecific clinical findings,
      especially in diabetic or otherwise immunocompromised patients. A normal computed
      tomography scan does not rule out necrotising fasciitis. A cut-down procedure may
      be critical to early diagnosis in some cases.

PMID- 20298645
TI  - The a(d) coefficient as a descriptive measure of the within-group agreement of
      ratings.
AB  - The a(d) coefficient was developed to measure the within-group agreement of
      ratings. The underlying theory as well as the construction of the coefficient are
      explained. The a(d) coefficient ranges from 0 to 1, regardless of the number of
      scale points, raters, or items. With some limitations the measure of the within
      group agreement of different groups and groups from different studies is directly
      comparable. For statistical significance testing, the binomial distribution is
      introduced as a model of the ratings' random distribution given the true score of
      a group construct. This method enables a decision about essential agreement and
      not only about a significant difference from 0 or a chosen critical value. The
      a(d) coefficient identifies a single true score within a group. It is not
      provided for multiple true score settings. The comparison of the a(d) coefficient
      with other agreement indices shows that the new coefficient is in line with their
      outcomes, but does not result in infinite or inappropriate values.

PMID- 20298646
TI  - Local anesthesia during dental rehabs, "To use, or not to use: that (still) is
      the question.".

PMID- 20298647
TI  - Antibacterial properties of pit and fissure sealants combined with daily fluoride
      mouth rinse.
AB  - PURPOSE: Pit and fissure sealants are widely used in the prevention of initial
      occlusal caries. The purpose of this study was to determine whether fluoride
      releasing pit and fissure sealants regain their antibacterial properties after
      rinsing with a fluoride solution. METHOD: Helioseal F, Ultraseal XT, Dyract Seal,
      and GC Fuji TRIAGE were placed on the sidewalls of the wells of a 96-microtiter
      plate. After polymerization and a 30 day aging process, the samples were rinsed
      daily with a 0.05% NaF solution for 14 days. Twenty four hours after the last
      fluoride rinse, freshly grown Streptococcus mutans cells (circa 1 x 106) were
      placed on the surface of each sample for 1 hour at 37 degrees C. Growth medium
      was then added to each well and bacterial growth was followed for 24 hours in a
      temperature-controlled spectrophotometer. Similar experiments were conducted on
      samples 48 hours and 72 hours after the last fluoride rinse. RESULTS: The results
      showed that both GC Fuji TRIAGE and Dyract Seal possessed antibacterial
      properties 24 hours after the last fluoride exposure. GC Fuji TRIAGE maintained
      potent antibacterial properties 48 hours after the last fluoride rinse. 72 hours
      after the last fluoride rinse none of the materials showed any antibacterial
      properties. CONCLUSIONS: None of the tested materials showed any antibacterial
      properties after a 30 day aging process An aging process of all tested sealant
      materials, for 30 days, resulted in a complete elimination of their antibacterial
      properties. After a daily 30 second rinse for two weeks with a 0.05% NaF
      solution, the antibacterial attributes of the glass-ionomer and the compomer
      based sealants were regained.

PMID- 20298648
TI  - Determination of the optimum time for surgical removal of unerupted anterior
      supernumerary teeth.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the optimum time for surgical
      removal of unerupted maxillary anterior supernumerary teeth. METHODS: The study
      population consisted of 126 children. Stages C to H of the Demirjian
      classification were used to classify the dental development of the adjacent
      incisors. Associations were sought between the complications and the
      developmental stage of the adjacent maxillary incisors at the time of surgical
      removal. Tests of association were carried out using Fisher's exact test with a
      probability level of P=.05 for statistical significance. RESULTS: Significant
      differences were evident: for mature maxillary central incisors (N=170); between
      all the proportions for root resorption, with the greatest difference being
      between stages E and H (P<.001); for arrested root development between stages D
      and E (P=.013), and D and H (P=.02); and for persistent malocclusion between
      stages E and G (P=.004), E and H (P=.02), F and G (P=.005), and F and H (P=.01).
      CONCLUSION: Early removal of unerupted maxillary supernumerary teeth seems to be
      advantageous with a cutoff point of approximately 6 to 7 years old, after which
      more complications are expected.

PMID- 20298649
TI  - American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry analysis and policy recommendations
      concerning mid-level dental providers.

PMID- 20298650
TI  - Socio-ecological factors associated with returning for post-operative care after
      dental treatment under general anesthesia.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine if specific variables in a
      theorized socio-ecological model are associated with returning for post-operative
      care after dental treatment under general anesthesia. METHODS: A 26 item cross
      sectional survey assessing socio-ecological variables of 100 families of patients
      receiving dental treatment under general anesthesia was conducted. Chi-square
      tests and logistic regressions were used to investigate associations between
      returning for post-operative care with child, family, clinic and environmental
      variables described in the proposed socio-ecological model. RESULTS: Forty-seven
      percent of patients returned for post-operative care. Children without a dental
      home had lower odds of returning than children referred from a continuous source
      of care. Children with an ASA II/III classification had lower odds of returning
      for post-operative care than children who were ASA I. CONCLUSIONS: One child
      level and one environmental level variable in the theorized socio-ecological
      model had an impact on whether patients returned for post-operative care after
      dental treatment under general anesthesia. Further investigation of socio
      ecological variables influencing dental health behaviors is needed.

PMID- 20298651
TI  - Effect of milk and soy-based infant formulas on in situ demineralization of human
      primary enamel.
AB  - PURPOSE: The effect of infant formulas sweetened or not with sucrose on primary
      enamel demineralization and dental biofilm is not known. This study's purpose was
      to evaluate the effect of infant formula and sucrose association on
      demineralization of primary enamel and dental biofilm formed. METHODS: A cross
      over, split-mouth, and blind in situ study was conducted during 3 phases, each of
      10 days duration, during which 11 volunteers wore palatal appliances containing
      slabs of human primary enamel. The dental slabs were extraorally subjected 8
      times a day to 6 groups of treatment: distilled and deionized water; 10% sucrose
      solution; and milk-based and soy-based formula with or without 10% sucrose added.
      After each phase, the acidogenicity, biochemical and microbiological composition
      of dental biofilm formed was analyzed, and enamel demineralization was assessed
      by microhardness. RESULTS: Both formulas induced significant enamel mineral loss,
      which increased when sucrose was added. Both formulas were fermented, resulting
      in a decrease of biofilm pH, irrespective of sucrose addition. Also, lactobacilli
      counts were higher in biofilm formed in the presence of both formulas when
      compared to the water group. CONCLUSIONS: Milk and soy-based formulas present
      potential to induce demineralization in primary enamel, which increased when
      sweetened with sucrose.

PMID- 20298652
TI  - Mineral trioxide aggregate produces superior outcomes in vital primary molar
      pulpotomy.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the outcomes of vital
      primary molar pulpotomy when there is no direct contact between eugenol and the
      vital pulp. Four pulpotomy techniques were compared: (1) ferric sulfate (FS)
      pulpotomy; (2) eugenol-free FS pulpotomy; (3) mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA)
      pulpotomy; and (4) FS/MTA pulpotomy. METHODS: The pulpotomy technique assigned to
      each molar was determined by random selection. Two blinded, disinterested raters
      classified each molar into 1 of 3 radiographic outcomes: (1) N=normal molar
      without pathologic change; (2) Po=pathologic change present, follow-up
      recommended; (3) Px=pathologic change present, extract. RESULTS: A total of 92
      patients with 227 pulpotomy-treated molars returned for at least 1 recall
      examination. Median follow-up for molars was 24 months (range=12-38 months). MTA
      molars demonstrated significantly fewer Px radiographic outcomes than FS molars
      (P=.002, chi-square test). Eugenol-free FS molars demonstrated significantly more
      Px radiographic outcomes than MTA (P<.001, chi-square test) or FS/MTA (P=.002,
      chi-square test) molars. Significantly lower survival was demonstrated for
      eugenol-free FS molars compared to MTA molars (P=.02, log-rank test) over 6 to 38
      months. CONCLUSIONS: Outcomes for mineral trioxide aggregate pulpotomy were
      superior to ferric sulfate and eugenol-free ferric sulfate pulpotomy after a
      median follow-up of 2 years.

PMID- 20298653
TI  - Behavioral determinants of brushing young children's teeth: implications for
      anticipatory guidance.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to identify parents' motivation,
      support, and barriers to twice daily tooth-brushing of infants and preschool-age
      children and to discover new approaches to encourage this important health
      behavior. METHODS: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 44 rural parents
      about tooth-brushing habits and experiences. RESULTS: Forty of 44 parents
      reported that they had begun to brush their child's teeth; 24 (55%) reported
      brushing twice a day or more. Parents who brushed twice a day, vs less often,
      were more likely to describe specific skills to overcome barriers; they expressed
      high self-efficacy and held high self-standards for brushing. Parents who brushed
      their children's teeth less than twice daily were more likely to: hold false
      beliefs about the benefits of twice daily tooth-brushing; report little normative
      pressure or social support for the behavior; have lower self-standards; describe
      more external constraints; and offer fewer ideas to overcome barriers.
      CONCLUSIONS: The findings support an integrative framework in which barriers and
      support for parents' twice daily brushing of their young children's teeth are
      multiple and vary among individuals. Knowledge of behavioral determinants
      specific to individual parents could strengthen anticipatory guidance and
      recommendations about at-home oral hygiene of young children.

PMID- 20298654
TI  - Amelogenesis imperfecta due to a mutation of the enamelin gene: clinical case
      with genotype-phenotype correlations.
AB  - The major protein components of the enamel matrix include the most abundant
      amelogenin proteins as well as less plentiful proteins such as enamelin and
      ameloblastin. The enamel defect in amelogenesis imperfecta (Al) generally results
      in enamel that is too thin (hypoplastic) or too soft (hypocalcification or
      hypomaturation). Previous reports indicate that mutations in the human enamelin
      gene (ENAM) cause hypoplastic Al through autosomal-dominant inheritance patterns
      and patients may also exhibit an anterior open bite. Although crown resorption of
      unerupted teeth occurs more frequently in Al patients, this finding has not been
      previously associated with known ENAM mutations. The purpose of this article was
      to report the genotype-phenotype correlations for a 9-year, 11-month-old boy with
      a homozygous ENAM mutation (c.1258_1259insAG).

PMID- 20298655
TI  - A single appliance for the correction of digit-sucking, tongue-thrust, and
      posterior cross bite.
AB  - Clinical management of non-nutritive sucking habits and the resulting dentofacial
      changes often require multiple appliances to correct, leading to increased
      treatment time and costs. The aim of this paper was to introduce a single
      appliance combining a Teflon roller, a slow palatal expander, and a tongue crib
      appliance that is designed to correct the: (1) sucking habit; (2) anterior open
      bite; (3) posterior crossbite; (4) tongue thrust; and (5) molar relationships
      without the need for multiple treatment strategies. Moreover, the fixed-removable
      design ensures patient compliance, yet allows the appliance to be easily removed
      by the clinician for adjustments.

PMID- 20298656
TI  - Rubber dam use: a survey of pediatric dentistry training programs and private
      practitioners.
AB  - PURPOSE: The benefits of the rubber dam (RD) are well known, but little data on
      utilization is available. This study's purpose was to evaluate the use of the
      rubber dam comparing survey responses of postgraduate pediatric dental residency
      program directors to privately practicing pediatric dentists. METHODS: This
      prospective, Institutional Review Board-approved, survey-based study was sent to
      75 current directors of pediatric dentistry postgraduate programs and a random
      sample of 200 practicing pediatric dentists identified through a computer
      generated process. A 22-item survey was developed, pilot tested, and attached to
      an e-mail sent to the study sample. Surveys were posted and managed at:
      "www.surveymonkey.com". RESULTS: One hundred fifteen respondents completed the
      survey. Fifty-six (75%) were program directors, and 59 (30%) were private
      practitioners. Most respondents felt that the use of RD is considered a standard
      of care and was emphasized during training. More than 80% stated that they use
      the RD either always or frequently during daily practice. The most common factors
      for and against the use of RD were maintaining a dry field and patient anxieties
      and potential for painful stimulus, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study's
      results suggest that the use of rubber dams: (1) is considered a standard of care
      in pediatric dentistry; and (2) may be modified, depending on procedural and/or
      patient factors.

PMID- 20298657
TI  - Caries-risk assessment and caries status of children with autism.
AB  - PURPOSE: This paper's purpose was to describe the caries status of children with
      autism and explore associations with the Caries-risk Assessment Tool promoted by
      the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. METHODS: Data was collected from
      children with autism, their parents, and dentists using interviews, surveys, and
      treatment records. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis explored the
      association of new caries activity and caries experience with oral health
      measures. RESULTS: Subjects were 75 males and 24 females with a mean age (+/-SD)
      of 9.7 years (+/-3.7), (range=2.7 to 19 years). Children < or =7 years old had
      more new caries (60%) than older children (34%; P=.05). Although not
      statistically significant, all children who brushed less than once per day had
      new caries and a mean t-DMF-T (def + DMF) of 73. Children with poor oral hygiene
      had more new caries (59%) than those with good/excellent hygiene (28%; P=.06).
      Caries status was not associated with gender, socioeconomic status, medical
      history, appointment type, dental home, food rewards, restricted diets, and some
      hygiene habits. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the validity of considering
      autism as an indicator of high caries risk. Oral hygiene may be the most
      influential risk indicator associated with new caries in children with autism.

PMID- 20298658
TI  - [Surgical treatment in adenocarcinoma of the cardia].

PMID- 20298659
TI  - [Distal trachea and bronchial large lesions and suture reinforcement with
      Polyglicol Acid (PGA) patch. First clinical experience].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Iatrogenic lacerations of the trachea and the bronchies are mostly
      complications of emergent intubations or percutaneous tracheotomies. The outcome
      is mainly influenced by thorough diagnostics, severity of the lesions, and urgent
      treatment. New materials are used to reduce the tension at the sutured points
      during ventilation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Four patients were operatively treated
      with primary suturing of trachea and bronchies with Polydioxanon. The large
      wounds were then covered using resorbable Soft PGA Mesh (resorbable Polyglykol
      Acid patch). The first two patients were found hypoxic and was orotracheally
      intubated in an emergency. An air leckage was detected in the hospital due to a
      large lesion of the pars membranacea. The third patient was operated in an
      emergency due to ileus caused by progressive colonic carcinoma. The weaning
      period on Intensive Care Unite (ICU) was unsuccessful. In a difficult procedure
      she underwent a percutaneous tracheotomy (dystopia of the trachea due to an
      arteria lusoria) mainly resulting in esophagotracheal fistulae. The fourth
      patient was treated by esophagectomy due to a local progressive carcinoma. A long
      lesion between the carina and left main bronchus resulted. All lacerations were
      treated by single knot suture technique with Polydioxanone and finally covered
      (patched) with PGA Mesh. The outcome of the surgical treatment was analyzed.
      RESULTS: In bronchoscopies and CT-scans no air leackages during respiratory
      ventilation periods were observed. The first patient could be transferred into a
      normal ward from ICU at day 38. The second patient was found to be tetraplegic
      and was discharged into another hospital at day 48. One patient died at the 15th
      postoperative day due to urosepsis. The fourth patient left the ICU on day 10 and
      was discharged home at day 23. CONCLUSIONS: Large iatrogenic airway lacerations
      of the distal trachea should be managed by early surgical repair due to their
      life-threatening outcome. Although only a small number of patients were analyzed
      so far, a PGA Mesh might be useful to increase the suture safety reducing the
      tension at the suture points due to the cuff pressure during long ventilation
      periods.

PMID- 20298660
TI  - Biliary tract injuries during laparoscopic cholecystectomy: three case reports
      and literature review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Biliary tract injuries (BTI) represent the most serious and
      potentially life-threatening complication of cholecystectomy. During open
      cholecystectomies (OC), the prevalence of bile duct injuries has been estimated
      at only 0.1-0.2%. We report 3 cases of BTI during laparoscopic cholecystectomy
      (LC). CASE 1: Ascalesi Hospital, Naples 2003-2007, 875 LC (BTI 0,11%). During the
      dissection of triangle of Calot a partial resection of biliary common duct was
      made. Immediately the lesion was evident and sheltered in laparoscopy, suturing
      with a spin reabsorbable, without biliar drainage. The post-operative outcome was
      good, without alteration of the some parameters, and the patient was discharged
      after three days. At the last follow-up (January 2006) the cholangiography didn't
      show stricture or leakage. CASE 2: General and Laparoscopic Surgical Unit San
      Giovanni di Dio Hospital Frattamaggiore 2004-2007, 720 LC (BTI 0,13%). Patient
      affected by cholecystitis with gallstones. The patient did not present jaundice,
      but abdominal pain, leucocitosis, fever and US evidence of parietal gallbladder
      inflammation. LC was performed after 36 h; during operation, common biliar duct
      was misidentified for subverted anatomy caused by inflammation. The common bile
      duct was clipped, and the patient presented jaundice after three days after
      operation. The colangiography was performed showing the stop. Therefore a
      reoperation was needed and laparotomic Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy was
      performed. CASE 3: Dpt of Emergency Surgery, Second University of Naples 2000
      2007, LC 520 (BTI 0,19%). Patient affected by more than 20 years symptomatic
      cholelithiasis, with only obesity risk factor; she underwent laparoscopic
      cholecystectomy and sudden bleeding of the cystic artery, poor vision and
      probably the long history of symptoms, producing a flogistic alteration of the
      anatomy, caused a misidentification of the cystic duct and the common bile duct
      with complete or lateral clipping of the common hepatic duct. The error was
      unrecognized intra-operatively but after progressive jaundice the postoperative
      colangiography showed a nearly complete stop by two clips. Roux-en-Y
      hepaticojejunostomy with intraoperative cholangiographic control was performed.
      DISCUSSION: The most common cause of BTI is the failure to recognize the anatomy
      of the triangle of Calot. This is attributed to factors inherent to the
      laparoscopic approach, to inadequate training of the surgeon and to local
      anatomical risk factors. The laparoscopic "learning curve" of the surgeon is the
      most important factor of bile ducts injury. But also local anatomical risk
      factors are important such as acute cholecystitis, severe chronic scarring of the
      gallbladder and bleeding or excessive fat in the hepatic hilum. These local risk
      factors seem to be present in 15% to 35% of BTI. Abnormal biliary anatomy, such
      as a short cystic duct or a cystic duct entering into the right hepatic duct also
      may increase the incidence of BTI. Schematic representation of the common
      mechanisms of BTI during LC are: misidentification of the cystic duct and the
      common biliary duct, lateral clipping of the common biliary duct, traumatic
      avulsion the cystic duct junction, diatermic injury of common biliary duct during
      dissection of the Calot triangle or during the cholecystectomy, injury of
      anomalous right hepatic duct. CONCLUSION: Conversion to laparotomy, in difficult
      cases involving inflammatory changes, aberrant anatomy or excessive bleeding, is
      not to be considered as a failure but rather as good surgical decision in order
      to ensure the patient's safety.

PMID- 20298661
TI  - Multifocality of thyroid carcinomas: a "privilege" of papillary tumors or not?
AB  - AIM: To study the frequency of multifocality in well-differentiated non-medullary
      thyroid carcinomas and correlate it with various epidemiological factors, as well
      as with patients' survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was
      conducted on 80 patients who underwent total thyroidectomy from January 1985 to
      December 2004 in the First Department of Surgery of University General Hospital
      of Alexandroupolis, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece, for well
      differentiated non-medullary thyroid cancer (papillary and follicular). Patients'
      medical records and demographics, including age, gender, histological type
      (papillary, follicular), multiple foci of tumors, overall and specific survival
      were analyzed. RESULTS: Multifocality was established in 17/80 patients (21,25%).
      Multifocal tumors were found in 4/20 male patients (20%) and 13/60 female ones
      (21,67%), percentages which are almost identical. Increased rates of multifocal
      tumors were found in the age groups of 20-29, 30-39 and 70-79 years old, while
      low rates were documented in the age groups of 0-9, 10-19 and 60-69 years old.
      Follicular tumors had a 20% rate, similar to papillary tumors (22,2%), and an
      impressive multifocal rate of mixed papillary-follicular neoplasms (75%) was
      found. Finally, survival was not found to be influenced by the multifocality of
      the tumor, under the prerequisition that total thyroidectomy is applied.
      CONCLUSIONS: Multifocality should not be considered as a "privilege" of papillary
      thyroid tumors, but as a privilege of thyroid carcinomas in general. If total
      thyroidectomy is applied in all benign and malignant thyroid diseases, the
      presence of multiple foci does not affect the prognosis and the survival of the
      patients.

PMID- 20298662
TI  - A rare case of extraskeletal osteosarcoma of the esophagus: an example of
      difficult diagnosis.
AB  - Sarcomatous lesions of the esophagus are rare. We describe a controversial case
      of a malignant aggressive tumor of the aesophagus, with a very poor prognosis and
      rapid outcome for the patient. A 74-year-old man underwent endoscopic examination
      for recurrent thoracic pain and dysphagia. A 8 cm mass was found in the cervical
      esophagus. A sarcomatous tumor with osteoid aspects was observed on the
      histopathological examination, without any carcinomatous component.

PMID- 20298663
TI  - [Unusual cause of acute abdomen in adult patient: gallstone ileus].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Gallstone ileus is a rare complication of cholecystolithiasis. It
      causes 1-3% of the mechanical obstructions of the small bowel. It often affects
      patients between 63 and 85 years old. Pre-operative diagnosis is usually delayed
      1-10 days because there is not a specific symptomatology. CASE REPORT: The
      authors report the case of a 50 year-old man with diagnosis of mechanical
      obstruction of the small bowel caused by a voluminous gallstone. Ileal occlusion
      was showed by CT. The patient underwent to one-stage emergency surgery with
      enterolithotomy, cholecystectomy and duodenal fistula repair. Patient's recovery
      was regular and he was discharged fourteen days after surgery. DISCUSSION: In our
      case gallstone ileus was diagnosed with a delay of 5 days. Ultrasonography was
      not able to show the gallbladder. Diagnosis was made by CT, which is the
      diagnostic gold standard. CONCLUSION: Patient's performance status influences
      surgical strategy. In our experience, the patient underwent one-stage surgery
      because he was considered at low risk. Instead staged procedure with
      enterolithotomy and delayed cholecystectomy and fistula repair, is performed only
      in patients at high risk.

PMID- 20298664
TI  - [Surgical treatment of non-metastatic gastric GIST: two cases and review of the
      literature].
AB  - Gastro-Intestinal Stromal Tumors (GISTs) represent an evolving field in
      oncological surgery and must be approached with specific prognostic and
      therapeutic criteria. In the GIST's suspicion the surgeon has to consider all the
      therapeutic possibilities, also for the impossibility to predict the biological
      behaviour and the aggressiveness of the tumor. The presence of a GIST has to be
      suspected in patients observed for gastrointestinal bleeding, when another
      pathology isn't demostrable. Surgical strategy must consider a limited resection
      as the best treatment, differently from what we do for adenocarcinoma. The
      extension of the resection can changes, regarding tumor volume and position, from
      extremely invasive surgery to laparoscopic operations with a partial removal of
      the gastric wall. Lymphadenectomy is not indicated because these tumors rarely
      spread to the nodes. We present the clinical case of two patients observed for
      gastrointestinal bleeding and with preoperative diagnostic suspicion of GIST,
      submitted to surgical resection. In the first case we performed a superior polar
      gastrectomy with esofago-gastric anastomosis for the mass proximity to the
      cardias. In the second patient the intervention has been a limited resection of
      the fundus of stomach including the tumor.

PMID- 20298665
TI  - [Intestinal perforation due to accidental ingestion of foreign bodies].
AB  - Usually the ingested foreign bodies (IFB) pass the gastrointestinal tract making
      no lesions. Sometimes IFB could lead to a gastrointestinal perforation. The most
      frequently perforating IFB are chicken or fish bones and toothpicks, while risks
      factors are mental retardation, alcohol or drug abuse, denture usage, quick
      eating or habitual chewing of toothpicks. The accidentally ingestion in a high
      risk patient with unclear symptoms, added to a low sensitive diagnostic imaging,
      lead to intraoperative diagnosis in one half cases of gastrointestinal
      perforation by IFB. Furthermore the surgical treatment range between the less
      minimal invasive laparoscopic IFB extraction and intraabdominal hole suture to a
      laparotomic bowel or colic resection. Herein we describe our experience in 3
      cases of gastrointestinal perforation by IFB have been diagnosed at surgery and
      treated by IFB extraction and hole suture (in 2 patients; 1 laparoscopy, 1
      laparotomy) or open right emicolectomy (1 patient).

PMID- 20298666
TI  - [Role of ERCP in the era of videolaparoscopic cholecystectomy. Personal
      experience].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In subjects operated by videolaparoscopic cholecystectomy (VLC)
      incidence of synchronous cholecysto-choledochal stones is 7-20%. Aim of the study
      is to report our experience in endoscopic treatment of common bile duct (CBD)
      stones before VLC (sequential treatment). PATIENTS AND METHODS: From January 2001
      to May 2007, 189 ERCP for synchronous cholecysto-choledochal stones were
      performed with analgo-sedation. In selected cases antibiotics and protease
      inhibitors were used. RESULTS: CBD clearance was 100%. The incidence of
      complications (mild, moderate and severe) was 8.2%, mortality 0.53% (1 patient).
      We observed 31 cases of transient asymptomatic hyperamilasemia (16.4%). A total
      of 186 subjects were operated by VLC, with only 3 conversion, without procedure
      related mortality. CONCLUSIONS: In our opinion, the best treatment of syncronous
      cholecisto-choledochal stones is related to available tools and human experience,
      but for an experienced surgical and endoscopic team the sequential approach is
      feasible, safe and effective.

PMID- 20298667
TI  - [Total intradermal suture techniques].
AB  - Two kind of total intradermal suture techniques are described in the present
      report. These procedures allow an effective reduction of post-operative pain of
      surgical wound, prevent infections, cut down tissutal trauma, achieve better
      aesthetic results, making easier postoperative patient's management. From January
      2001 to December 2007, 1,427 patients underwent surgical treatment and the wounds
      have been sewn with self-locking knots or intradermal skin closure with
      introflecting knots. This kind of procedures allow a sharp reduction of
      postoperative pain as well as the incidence of wound infections. Also the number
      of wound medication required after surgery is significantly reduced.

PMID- 20298668
TI  - How to prevent intraoperative risks and complications in laparoscopic
      splenectomy.
AB  - Since its introduction in 1992 laparoscopic splenectomy (LS) has become the
      technique of choice for surgical removal of the spleen in several centres. The
      procedure, however, is associated with risks and complications, either during
      surgery or in the postoperative phase. Although the incidence of intraoperative
      complications is unknown, intraoperative risks in patients undergoing
      laparoscopic splenectomy are not uncommon. In this article, we reviewed the
      literature on risks and complications during LS, and we point out, based on our
      personal series and on the experiences reported by other Authors, how to prevent,
      whenever possible, these complications.

PMID- 20298669
TI  - The effect of transcatheter arterial embolisation for nonvariceal upper
      gastrointestinal bleeding.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the clinical efficacy
      and safety of transcatheter arterial embolisation with coils for nonvariceal
      upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding after failed endoscopic therapy. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: Between 2007 and 2009, transcatheter arterial embolisation was
      performed in 40 patients. We evaluated the angiographic and clinical success
      rate, recurrent bleeding rate, procedure-related complications and clinical
      outcomes. RESULTS: Primary technical success was achieved in all patients. In 82%
      of the patients, haemostasis was achieved with clinical improvement and without
      need for further therapy. There were no ischaemic GI complications. Recurrent
      bleeding occurred in seven patients (18%) within the first week after treatment,
      and in three cases these were managed successfully with a second embolisation.
      The overall 30-day mortality rate was 18%, and mortality related to bleeding was
      10%. The mean follow-up period was 13 months (range 1-31 months). Non-bleeding
      related mortality was 15% in the follow-up period. There were no hospital
      readmissions due to upper GI bleeding. CONCLUSION: Transcatheter arterial
      embolisation for upper GI bleeding is a safe and effective minimally invasive
      method, but it entails relatively high rates of early rebleeding as well as
      relatively high mortality rates both related to GI bleeding and to non-GI
      bleeding causes.

PMID- 20298670
TI  - Immune activation in chronic HIV infection.

PMID- 20298671
TI  - A fluorescence correlation spectroscopy-based assay for fragment screening of
      slowly inhibiting protein-peptide interaction inhibitors.
AB  - A fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS)-based competitive binding assay to
      screen fragment-size compounds that weakly and slowly inhibit protein-peptide
      interactions was established. The interactions were detected by the increased
      diffusion time of a fluorescently labeled peptide probe after binding to its
      interacting protein. We analyzed the interactions between the c-Cbl TKB domain
      and phosphopeptides derived from ZAP-70, APS, and EGFR with the FCS assay and
      obtained 6 hit fragments that bound to the c-Cbl interaction sites. The binding
      amounts of the fragments were measured by direct binding measurements using
      surface plasmon resonance, and 5 fragments were found to bind selectively. The
      effect of 2 of the 5 fragments on the interaction with c-Cbl and the peptide
      exhibited strong time dependency. Furthermore, the inhibition by the selected 5
      fragments on the protein-peptide interaction was confirmed by their effect on
      pull-down assays of c-Cbl with the biotin-conjugated interaction peptides. These
      results indicate the advantage of our FCS-based assay to study the time-dependent
      binding of compounds to their target protein.

PMID- 20298672
TI  - Efficient ligation and cloning of DNA fragments with 2-bp overhangs.
AB  - Various methods of ligation are currently available and routinely used by
      molecular biologists, such as blunt end ligation, cohesive end (two and four
      overhangs), and ligation of Taq polymerase-derived products. However, there is no
      efficient method for the cloning of DNA fragments with 2-bp overhangs. We present
      a simple method for the efficient ligation of DNA fragments with 2-bp overhanging
      ends, ranging in size from 0.7 to 2.5 kbp. Our method involves the initial
      heating and flash freezing of the vector-insert DNA mix, and a subsequent unique
      ligation reaction. This method provides a new molecular biology tool for
      researchers.

PMID- 20298673
TI  - p73 and p63 regulate the expression of fibroblast growth factor receptor 3.
AB  - p53, p63 and p73 make a family of transcription factors that play a vital role in
      development and cancer. All p53 family members have more than one promoter
      producing Transactivating (TA) and Dominant Negative (DeltaN) isoforms and their
      mRNAs are subjected to extensive splicing at 3' end to produce multiple protein
      products. p53 is usually inactivated by point mutations during tumorigenesis,
      whereas the expression levels and p63 and p73 are modulated to give tumor cells a
      selective advantage. In this study, aiming to find novel targets of the p53
      family members, we identified FGFR3 as a gene transcriptionally controlled by p63
      and p73. FGFR3 has been implicated in development and tumor biology as activating
      mutations of this gene was described in skeletal disorders, non-invasive skin
      conditions and superficial bladder cancers. We found that TAp73, TAp63 and
      DeltaNp63 was capable of inducing FGFR3. siRNA mediated downregulation of
      DeltaNp63 decreased endogenous FGFR3 protein levels. Our findings of this new
      link between p53 family proteins and FGFR3 may help understanding the transition
      of superficial bladder cancers to an invasive phenotype.

PMID- 20298674
TI  - DRR1 is expressed in the developing nervous system and downregulated during
      neuroblastoma carcinogenesis.
AB  - Down-regulated in renal cell carcinoma 1 (DRR1) is mapped at 3p21.1, and is a
      candidate tumor suppressor gene. However, its biological roles have yet to be
      elucidated. Here, we developed polyclonal antibodies against DRR1 protein, and
      examined its expression during embryogenesis and carcinogenesis. The DRR1 protein
      was preferentially expressed in axonal projections of the central and peripheral
      nervous system of mice during embryonic days 10.5-16.5. Consistent with this
      expression pattern, the protein was detected in the neurites of primary cultured
      cortical neurons of rats at embryonic day 18.5. Survival of these cells was
      significantly inhibited by RNAi-induced downregulation of DRR1 expression. DRR1
      was poorly expressed in established cancer cell lines, including neuroblastoma
      cells, whereas strong expression was observed in normal cells. A neuroblastoma
      model, MYCN transgenic mice, revealed that DRR1 protein was expressed in the
      celiac ganglion 2 weeks after birth when neuroblast hyperplasia was also
      observed; however, there was no longer any expression of DRR1 protein in tumors
      originating from the ganglion 8 weeks after birth. Together, our data indicate
      that DRR1 protein is expressed in normal cells, particularly in the nervous
      system during embryogenesis, is involved in neuronal cell survival, and is
      downregulated during neuroblastoma carcinogenesis.

PMID- 20298676
TI  - Troglitazone is an estrogen-related receptor alpha and gamma inverse agonist.
AB  - As a ligand for peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma),
      troglitazone inhibits cell growth by mechanisms besides activating PPAR gamma. In
      this study, we found that troglitazone interfered with the interactions between
      estrogen-related receptor alpha and gamma (ERR alpha and ERR gamma) and their
      coactivator PPAR gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PGC-1 alpha) functioning as an
      inverse agonist. Additionally, troglitazone suppressed the expressions of PGC-1
      alpha and its related member PGC-1 beta which are key regulators of mitochondrial
      function. Consequently, troglitazone reduced mitochondrial mass and suppressed
      the expressions of superoxide dismutases to elevate reactive oxygen species (ROS)
      production. The increase in ROS in turn induced the expression of cell cycle
      inhibitor p21(WAF1). We therefore propose that ERR alpha and ERR gamma are
      alternative targets of troglitazone important for mediating its growth
      suppressive effect.

PMID- 20298675
TI  - Direct assessment of P-glycoprotein efflux to determine tumor response to
      chemotherapy.
AB  - Multidrug resistance is a major impediment to the success of cancer chemotherapy.
      The overproduced P-glycoprotein that extrudes anticancer drugs from cells, is the
      most common mechanism detected in multidrug-resistant cancers. Direct measurement
      of cellular efflux of tumors in vivo, rather than estimation of MDR1 mRNA and P
      glycoprotein levels in samples stored or embedded, can functionally characterize
      the mechanism of drug resistance and determine the choice of anticancer drugs for
      cancer patients. Herewith, we introduce a new approach to directly determine P
      glycoprotein efflux of tumors. Employing Flutax-2 (Oregon green-488 paclitaxel)
      and fluorescence spectrophotometry, this method has successfully measured
      cellular transportability including efflux and accumulation in diverse cancer
      cell lines, tumors and other tissues with high reproducibility. With this method,
      we have quantitatively determined cellular efflux that is correlated with P
      glycoprotein levels and the reversal effects of agents in cell lines of breast,
      ovarian, cervical and colon cancers, and in tumor-bearing mice. It has
      sensitively detected these alterations of P-glycoprotein efflux in approximately
      5mg tumor or other tissues with high confidence. This direct and quick functional
      assessment has a potential to determine drug resistance in different types of
      cancers after surgical resection. Further validation of this method in clinic
      settings for the diagnosis of drug resistance purpose is needed.

PMID- 20298677
TI  - Rosiglitazone, an agonist of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma,
      decreases immunoreactivity of markers for cell proliferation and neuronal
      differentiation in the mouse hippocampus.
AB  - In the present study, we investigated the regulating effects of rosiglitazone
      (RSG), a synthetic agonist of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma,
      treatment for 28days on the cell proliferation and neuronal differentiation in
      the mouse hippocampal dentate gyrus by 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU), Ki67 and
      doublecortin (DCX) immunohistochemistry. These markers were detected in the
      subgranular zone (SGZ) of the dentate gyrus in vehicle- and RSG-treated groups.
      In the RSG-treated group, the number of BrdU-, Ki67- and DCX-immunoreactive cells
      was significantly decreased compared to those in the vehicle-treated group. In
      addition, brain-derived neurotrophic factor and glial cell line-derived
      neurotrophic factor levels were significantly decreased in the dentate gyrus of
      the RSG-treated groups compared to the vehicle-treated group. These results
      indicate that RSG treatment decreases immunoreactivities of markers for cell
      proliferation and neuronal differentiation and levels of neurotrophic factors in
      the SGZ of the hippocampal dentate gyrus.

PMID- 20298679
TI  - Word accents and morphology--ERPs of Swedish word processing.
AB  - Results indicating that high stem tones realizing word accents activate a certain
      class of suffixes in online processing of Central Swedish are presented. This
      supports the view that high Swedish word accent tones are induced onto word stems
      by particular suffixes rather than being associated with words in the mental
      lexicon. Using event-related potentials, effects of mismatch between word accents
      and inflectional suffixes were compared with mismatches between stem and suffix
      in terms of declension class. Declensionally incorrect suffixes yielded an
      increase in the N400, indicating problems in lexical retrieval, as well as a P600
      effect, showing reanalysis. Both declensionally correct and incorrect high tone
      inducing (Accent 2) suffixes combined with a mismatching low tone (Accent 1) on
      the stems produced P600 effects, but did not increase the N400. Suffixes usually
      co-occurring with Accent 1 did not yield any effects in words realized with the
      nonmatching Accent 2, suggesting that Accent 1 is a default accent, lacking
      association with any particular suffix. High tones on Accent 2 words also
      produced an early anterior positivity, interpreted as a P200 effect reflecting
      preattentive processing of the tone.

PMID- 20298678
TI  - Organophosphate exposure during a critical developmental stage reprograms
      adenylyl cyclase signaling in PC12 cells.
AB  - Early-life organophosphate (OP) exposures elicit neurobehavioral deficits through
      mechanisms other than inhibiting cholinesterase. Cell signaling cascades are
      postulated as critical noncholinesterase targets that mediate both the initial
      alterations in neurodevelopment as well as subsequent abnormalities of synaptic
      function. We exposed PC12 cells to chlorpyrifos, diazinon or parathion in the
      undifferentiated state and during neurodifferentiation; we then assessed the
      function of the adenylyl cyclase (AC) signaling cascade, measuring basal AC
      activity as well as responses to stimulants acting at G-proteins or on the AC
      molecule itself. In undifferentiated cells, a 2day exposure to the OPs had no
      significant effect on AC signaling but the same treatment in differentiating
      cells produced deficits in all AC measures when exposure commenced at the
      initiation of differentiation. However, when exposure of the differentiating
      cells was continued for 6days, AC activities then became supranormal. The same
      increase was obtained if cells were exposed only for the first two days of
      differentiation, followed by four subsequent days without the OPs. Furthermore,
      the OP effects on cell signaling were entirely distinct from those on indices of
      cell number and neurite outgrowth. These results indicate that OP exposure
      reprograms the AC pathway during a discrete developmental stage at the
      commencement of neurodifferentiation, with effects that continue to emerge after
      OP exposure is discontinued. Importantly, the same sequence is seen with OP
      exposures in neonatal rats, indicating that direct effects of these agents to
      reprogram cell signaling provide a major mechanism for functional effects
      unrelated to cholinesterase inhibition.

PMID- 20298680
TI  - Slow age-dependent decline of doublecortin expression and BrdU labeling in the
      forebrain from lesser hedgehog tenrecs.
AB  - In addition to synaptic remodeling, formation of new neurons is increasingly
      acknowledged as an important cue for plastic changes in the central nervous
      system. Whereas all vertebrates retain a moderate neuroproliferative capacity,
      phylogenetically younger mammals become dramatically impaired in this potential
      during aging. The present study shows that the lesser hedgehog tenrec, an
      insectivore with a low encephalization index, preserves its neurogenic potential
      surprisingly well during aging. This was shown by quantitative analysis of 5
      bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) immunolabeling in the olfactory bulb, paleo-, archi
      , and neocortices from 2- to 7-year-old animals. In addition to these newly born
      cells, a large number of previously formed immature neurons are present
      throughout adulthood as shown by doublecortin (DCX) immunostaining in various
      forebrain regions including archicortex, paleocortex, nucleus accumbens, and
      amygdala. Several ventricle-associated cells in olfactory bulb and hippocampus
      were double-labeled by BrdU and DCX immunoreactivity. However, most DCX cells in
      the paleocortex can be considered as persisting immature neurons that obviously
      do not enter a differentiation program since double fluorescence labeling does
      not reveal their co-occurrence with numerous neuronal markers, whereas only a
      small portion coexpresses the pan-neuronal marker HuC/D. Finally, the present
      study reveals tenrecs as suitable laboratory animals to study age-dependent brain
      alterations (e.g., of neurogenesis) or slow degenerative processes, particularly
      due to the at least doubled longevity of tenrecs in comparison to mice and rats.

PMID- 20298681
TI  - Neural correlates of cross-domain affective priming.
AB  - The affective priming effect has mostly been studied using reaction time (RT)
      measures; however, the neural bases of affective priming are not well
      established. To understand the neural correlates of cross-domain emotional
      stimuli presented rapidly, we obtained event-related potential (ERP) measures
      during an affective priming task using short SOA (stimulus onset asynchrony)
      conditions. Two sets of 480 picture-word pairs were presented at SOAs of either
      150ms or 250ms between prime and target stimuli. Participants decided whether the
      valence of each target word was pleasant or unpleasant. Behavioral results from
      both SOA conditions were consistent with previous reports of affective priming,
      with longer RTs for incongruent than congruent pairs at SOAs of 150ms (771 vs.
      738ms) and 250ms (765 vs. 720ms). ERP results revealed that the N400 effect
      (associated with incongruent pairs in affective processing) occurred at anterior
      scalp regions at an SOA of 150ms, and this effect was only observed for negative
      target words across the scalp at an SOA of 250ms. In contrast, late positive
      potentials (LPPs) (associated with attentional resource allocation) occurred
      across the scalp at an SOA of 250ms. LPPs were only observed for positive target
      words at posterior parts of the brain at an SOA of 150ms. Our finding of ERP
      signatures at very short SOAs provides the first neural evidence that affective
      pictures can exert an automatic influence on the evaluation of affective target
      words.

PMID- 20298683
TI  - The specificity of memory for a highly trained finger movement sequence: Change
      the ending, change all.
AB  - How are highly trained movement sequences represented in long-term memory? Here
      we show that the gains attained in the performance of a well-trained sequence of
      finger movements can be expressed only when the order of the movements is exactly
      as practiced. Ten young adults were trained to perform a given 5-element sequence
      of finger-to-thumb opposition movements with their left hand. Movements were
      analyzed using video based tracking. Three weeks of training resulted, along with
      improved accuracy, in robustly shortened movement times as well as shorter finger
      to-thumb touch times. However, there was little transfer of these gains in speed
      to the execution of the same component movements arranged in a new order.
      Moreover, even when the only change was the omission of the one before final
      movement of the trained sequence (Omit sequence), the initial movements of the
      sequence were significantly slowed down, although these movements were identical
      to the initial movements of the trained sequence. Our results support the notion
      that a well-trained sequence of finger movements can be represented, in the adult
      motor system, as a singular, co-articulated, unit of movement, in which even the
      initial component movements are contingent on the subsequent, anticipated, ones.
      Because of co-articulation related anticipatory effects, gains in fluency and
      accuracy acquired in training on a specific movement sequence cannot be expressed
      in full in the execution of the trained component movements or of a full segment
      of the trained sequence, if followed by a different ending segment.

PMID- 20298682
TI  - SNP improves cerebral hemodynamics during normotension but fails to prevent sex
      dependent impaired cerebral autoregulation during hypotension after brain injury.
AB  - Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of morbidity in children and boys
      are disproportionately represented. Hypotension is common and worsens outcome
      after TBI. Previous studies show that adrenomedullin, a cerebrovasodilator,
      prevented sex dependent impairment of autoregulation during hypotension after
      piglet fluid percussion brain injury (FPI). We hypothesized that this concept was
      generalizable and that administration of another vasodilator, sodium
      nitroprusside (SNP), may equally improve CBF and cerebral autoregulation in a sex
      dependent manner after FPI. SNP produced equivalent percent cerebrovasodilation
      in male and female piglets. Reductions in pial artery diameter, cortical CBF, and
      cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) concomitant with elevated intracranial pressure
      (ICP) after FPI were greater in male compared to female piglets during
      normotension which was blunted by SNP. During hypotension, pial artery dilation
      (PAD) was impaired more in the male than the female after FPI. However, SNP did
      not improve hypotensive PAD after FPI in females and paradoxically caused
      vasoconstriction in males. SNP did not prevent reductions in CBF, CPP or
      autoregulatory index during combined hypotension and FPI in either sex. SNP
      aggravated ERK MAPK upregulation after FPI. These data indicate that despite
      prevention of reductions in CBF after FPI, SNP does not prevent impairment of
      autoregulation during hypotension after FPI. These data suggest that therapies
      directed at a purely hemodynamic increase in CPP will fail to improve outcome
      during combined TBI and hypotension.

PMID- 20298684
TI  - No association of the C>T polymorphism that is located 1385 upstream from initial
      code of fibroblast growth factor 1 gene with Alzheimer's disease in Chinese.
AB  - Several lines of evidence indicate that fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) confers
      neuroprotection against excitotocity and contributes to the selective
      vulnerability of neurons in entorhinal cortex in Alzheimer's disease (AD).
      Especially, FGF1 is related to Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) expression in reactive
      astrocytes. Therefore, FGF1 is a promising candidate gene for AD. Two studies
      reported the association of a polymorphism that is located 1385bp upstream from
      the initial code of FGF1 gene (FGF1 -1385 C>T) polymorphism with AD. To determine
      whether this polymorphism could affect AD development, we investigated the
      association between this polymorphism and AD risk in 372 sporadic AD patients and
      349 controls in a Chinese Han population. No significant difference of allele and
      genotype distributions between the AD cases and the controls was observed in the
      total samples (for the alleles, chi(2)=0.126; p=0.722; for the genotypes,
      chi(2)=0.089; p=0.765), neither when the samples were stratified by ApoE epsilon4
      carrying status, age/age at onset and gender. Our data suggested no association
      between the FGF1 -1385 C>T polymorphism and AD risk in Chinese Han population.

PMID- 20298685
TI  - Over time, high-sensitivity TnT replaces NT-proBNP as the most powerful predictor
      of death in patients with dialysis-dependent chronic renal failure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiac biomarkers are emerging as a potentially powerful prognostic
      tool for renal-dialysis patients. The optimal biomarker and/or combination of
      biomarkers for predicting mortality remain uncertain. This study evaluates the
      prognostic value of the new high-sensitivity troponin T (TnT) assay compared to
      established biomarkers. METHODS: All patients had blood sampled for prospective
      assessment of the prognostic value of traditional risk markers including albumin
      and CRP, and cardiac biomarkers BNP, NT-proBNP, TnT and TnI. Patients were
      closely monitored clinically. Mortality and morbidity outcomes were documented
      for a national morbidity and mortality database. Stored samples were subsequently
      used to measure TnT with a new high-sensitivity assay. RESULTS: After a median of
      30 months from blood collection, NT-proBNP was the most powerful predictor of all
      cause mortality, along with albumin. After a median of 46.7 months the new high
      sensitive TnT assay was the only cardiac biomarker predictive of all-cause
      mortality. TnT was detectable in all dialysis patients using the high-sensitive
      TnT assay with a cut-point of 24.15 ng/L below which all patients survived.
      CONCLUSIONS: The new hs-TnT is the most powerful biomarker for prognostic
      classification for all-cause mortality of all the commonly used biomarkers for
      our renal-dialysis population. Our study also suggests that cardiac biomarkers
      have a different prognostic ability for different time frames with NT-proBNP
      being a better predictor for early mortality and troponin for later mortality.

PMID- 20298686
TI  - Foreward. Special issue in memoriam: Armand M. Karow Jr., Ph.D. (1941-2007).

PMID- 20298687
TI  - Inflammatory response and dynamics of lung T cell subsets in Th1, Th2 biased and
      Th2 deficient mice during the development of hypersensitivity pneumonitis.
AB  - It is considered that hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) occurs with a Th1 cell
      dominance; however, the role of Th1/Th2 balance is still unclear. C57BL/6 (Th1
      biased), BALB/c wt (Th2-biased) and BALB/c Stat6-/- (Th2 deficient) mice were
      treated with Saccharopolyspora rectivirgula (SR) or saline during 3 weeks, and
      sacrificed 1 and 4 days (early and late response) after the last administration.
      Lung isolated T cell subpopulations were analyzed and lung damage extent was
      quantified. C57BL/6 wt mice exhibited a significant increase in the extent of
      lung damage when sacrificed at 4 days compared with those sacrificed 1 day after
      the last SR administration. In contrast, BALB/c wt mice showed a progressive
      decrease in the extent of lung damage. A significant increase of NKT CD4+ subset
      was found in C57BL/6 mice while NKT DN cells were increased in BALBc wt mice.
      Also, NK and gammadelta T cells were increased in BALB/c mice at 1 and 4 days.
      Stat6-/- mice behave similar to the C57BL/6 mice, showing a progressive increase
      in the extent of lung damage. A significant increase in the levels of Th1 and Th2
      cytokines was observed in bronchoalveolar lavage from the SR-treated mice. These
      results confirm a predominant role of the Th1 response in HP and suggest that the
      control of inflammation by Th2 biased mice may be related with the increase of
      NKT DN cells and regulatory NK and gammadelta T cells.

PMID- 20298688
TI  - Identification of a lysine-rich region of Fas as a raft nanodomain targeting
      signal necessary for Fas-mediated cell death.
AB  - Fas interaction at the plasma membrane with its lipid and protein environment
      plays a crucial role in the early steps of Fas signalling induced by Fas ligand
      binding. Particularly, Fas localisation in the raft nanodomains, ezrin-mediated
      interaction with the actin cytoskeleton and subsequent internalization are
      critical steps in Fas-mediated cell death. We identified a lysine-rich region
      (LRR) in the cytoplasmic, membrane-proximal region of Fas as a key determinant
      modulating these initial events. Through a genetic approach, we demonstrate that
      Fas LRR represents another signal additional to palmitoylation targeting Fas to
      the raft nanodomains, and modulates Fas interaction with the cytoskeleton.

PMID- 20298689
TI  - Potential anti-angiogenic role of Slit2 in corneal neovascularization.
AB  - Slits are large secreted proteins critical for axon guidance and neuronal
      precursor cell migration in nervous system. Evidence suggests that classical
      neuronal guidance cues also regulate vascular development. Our objective was to
      investigate whether neuronal guidance cue Slit2 and Roundabout (Robo) receptors
      are involved in corneal neovascularization (NV). Corneal NV model in rats was
      induced by implantation of agarose-coated gelfoam pellets containing basic
      fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) into corneal stroma. Differential expression of
      Slit2 and Robo1-4 between normal and neovascularized cornea was detected by real
      time RT-PCR and visualized by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization.
      Primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were harvested and their
      expression of Robo1-4 was detected by RT-PCR. Recombinant human Slit2 protein was
      prepared and the effect of it on the migration of vascular endothelial cells was
      examined using cell migration assay. Agarose-coated gelfoam pellets were able to
      induce well-localized and reproducible corneal NV model. A significant down
      regulation of Slit2 and a strong up-regulation of Robo1 and Robo4 were seen in
      neovascularized cornea when compared with normal cornea (P < 0.05). Slit2, Robo1
      and Robo4 were throughout the epithelium in normal cornea and markedly weak or
      absent in epithelium in neovascularized cornea, with Robo1 and Robo4 being
      prominent in vascular endothelial cells invading the stroma. Primary HUVECs were
      confirmed to express both Robo1 and Robo4 receptors and their migration was
      inhibited by Slit2 (P < 0.05). This is the first study to assess the association
      between Slit2 and corneal NV. Our findings suggest that the interaction of Slit2
      with Robo1 and Robo4 receptors plays an essential role in inhibiting pathological
      neovascular processes of the cornea and may represent a new therapeutic target
      for corneal NV.

PMID- 20298690
TI  - Pigment epithelium-derived factor inhibits erythropoietin-induced retinal
      endothelial cell angiogenesis by suppression of PI3K/Akt pathway.
AB  - Erythropoietin (EPO) plays a critical role in the vascular system and exhibits
      angiogenic activity in endothelial cells (ECs) such as stimulation of cell
      proliferation, migration and tube formation in vitro. EPO is the major regulator
      of cell proliferation and differentiation of erythroid precursors and there by
      preventing the apoptosis. Pigment epithelial derived factor (PEDF) is a potent
      anti-angiogenic factor whose effects are partially mediated through the induction
      of EC apoptosis. The mechanism of EPO and PEDF in retinal neovascularization has
      not been well documented yet. The effect of EPO and PEDF on cell proliferation
      was determined by MTT assay. In vitro wound-scratch assay was performed to study
      the migration of ECs and in vitro tube formation was assessed by the on-gel assay
      system using gelatin. Inhibitor assay was carried out using LY294002, a
      phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor. Further, PI3K/Akt activity was
      assessed by transient transfection assay using constitutively active (CA) and
      dominant negative (DN) Akt mutants. Dextran permeability assay was performed to
      determine the vascular permeability. We report that EPO stimulates EC
      proliferation, migration, tube formation and permeability whereas PEDF inhibits
      the EPO-induced ECs proliferation and permeability. Over expression of DN Akt
      blocked EPO stimulation of proliferation and permeability, while over expression
      of CA Akt rescues the inhibitory effect of PEDF on proliferation and
      permeability. These results demonstrate that PEDF may inhibit the EPO-induced
      proliferation and permeability via PI3K/Akt-dependent pathway.

PMID- 20298691
TI  - RNAi targeting micro-calpain increases neuron survival and preserves hippocampal
      function after global brain ischemia.
AB  - The calpain family of cysteine proteases has a well-established causal role in
      neuronal cell death following acute brain injury. However, the relative
      contribution of calpain isoforms has not been determined in in vivo models.
      Identification of the calpain isoform responsible for neuronal injury is
      particularly important given the differential role of calpain isoforms in normal
      physiology. This study evaluates the role of m-calpain and micro-calpain in an in
      vivo model of global brain ischemia. Adeno-associated viral vectors expressing
      short hairpin RNAs targeting the catalytic subunits of micro- or m-calpain were
      used to knockdown expression of the targeted isoforms in adult rat hippocampal
      CA1 pyramidal neurons. Knockdown of micro-calpain, but not m-calpain, prevented
      calpain activity 72 h after 6-min transient forebrain ischemia, increased long
      term survival and protected hippocampal electrophysiological function. These
      findings represent the first in vivo evidence that reducing expression of an
      individual calpain isoform can decrease post-ischemic neuronal death and preserve
      hippocampal function.

PMID- 20298693
TI  - Distinct correlations of vasopressin release within the lateral septum and the
      bed nucleus of the stria terminalis with the display of intermale aggression.
AB  - Arginine vasopressin (AVP) has been implicated in a wide variety of social
      behaviors ranging from affiliation to aggression. However, the precise functional
      involvement of AVP in intermale aggression is still a matter of debate. In fact,
      very little is known about AVP release patterns within distinct brain regions
      during the display of intermale aggression and, in turn, the behavioral
      consequences of such release. We used intracerebral microdialysis to monitor
      local AVP release within the lateral septum (LS) and the bed nucleus of the stria
      terminalis (BST) of adult male Wistar rats during the resident-intruder (RI)
      test. Resident males were cohabitated with a female prior to the RI test to
      stimulate intermale aggression toward the intruder male. AVP release within the
      LS correlated positively with intermale aggression. The specific AVP V1a receptor
      antagonist d(CH(2))(5)Tyr(Me)AVP (10 microg/ml) administered via retrodialysis
      (3.3 microl/min, 30 min) into the LS of high-aggressive rats prior to the second
      RI test, prevented an increase in aggression in the second compared with the
      first RI test as seen in vehicle-treated high-aggressive rats. In contrast to the
      LS, AVP release within the BST correlated negatively with intermale aggression.
      Moreover, retrodialysis of synthetic AVP (1 microg/ml) administered into the BST
      of high-aggressive rats significantly reduced the display of aggression during
      the second RI test. These data reveal that AVP can both promote and inhibit
      intermale aggression, depending upon the brain region in which AVP is released.
      Although challenging the general view that central AVP release enhances intermale
      aggression in rodents, our data support a model in which AVP coordinates a range
      of social behaviors by eliciting region-specific effects.

PMID- 20298692
TI  - Social dominance in male vasopressin 1b receptor knockout mice.
AB  - We have previously reported that mice with a targeted disruption of their
      vasopressin 1b receptor gene, Avpr1b, have mild impairments in social recognition
      and reduced aggression. The reductions in aggression are limited to social forms
      of aggression, i.e., maternal and inter-male aggression, while predatory
      aggression remains unaffected. To further clarify the role of the Avpr1b in the
      regulation of social behavior we first examined anxiety-like and depression-like
      behaviors in Avpr1b knockout (Avpr1b -/-) mice. We then went on to test the
      ability of Avpr1b -/- mice to form dominance hierarchies. No major differences
      were found between Avpr1b -/- and wildtype mice in anxiety-like behaviors, as
      measured using an elevated plus maze and an open field test, or depression-like
      behaviors, as measured using a forced swim test. In the social dominance study we
      found that Avpr1b -/- mice are able to form dominance hierarchies, though in
      early hierarchy formation dominant Avpr1b -/- mice display significantly more
      mounting behavior on Day 1 of testing compared to wildtype controls. Further, non
      socially dominant Avpr1b -/- mice spend less time engaged in attack behavior than
      wildtype controls. These findings suggest that while Avpr1b -/- mice may be able
      to form dominance hierarchies they appear to employ alternate strategies.

PMID- 20298694
TI  - "Green odor" inhalation by stressed rat dams reduces behavioral and
      neuroendocrine signs of prenatal stress in the offspring.
AB  - Chronic maternal stress during pregnancy results in the "prenatally stressed"
      offspring displaying behavioral and neuroendocrine alterations that persist into
      adulthood. We investigated how inhalation of green odor (a mixture of equal
      amounts of trans-2-hexenal and cis-3-hexenol) by stressed dams might alter
      certain indices of prenatal stress in their offspring. These indices were
      depression-like behavior (increased immobility time in the forced-swim test) and
      acute restraint stress-induced changes in hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical
      (HPA) axis activity [plasma corticosterone (CORT) and ACTH levels and the number
      of Fos-immunoreactive cells in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (an index
      of neuronal activity)]. Pregnant rats were exposed to restraint stress for 60
      min/day for 10 days (gestational days 10-19). The prenatally stressed offspring
      exhibited significant increases in depression-like behavior and in restraint
      stress-induced ACTH, CORT, and Fos responses, unless their dam had been exposed
      to green odor. The behavioral effect of the odor was also seen in offspring that
      were fostered by unstressed dams. The results obtained in the dams themselves
      were as follows. In vehicle-exposed stressed dams, but not in green odor-exposed
      ones, total body and adrenal weights were significantly decreased or increased,
      respectively. Depression-like behavior was not observed in the vehicle-exposed
      stressed dams themselves. Green odor inhalation prevented the impairment of
      maternal behavior induced by restraint stress. Thus, exposure of dams to stress
      may affect both the fetal brain and fetal HPA axis, and also maternal behavior,
      leading to altered behavioral and neuroendocrine responses in the offspring. Such
      effects may be prevented by the stressed dams inhaling green odor.

PMID- 20298695
TI  - Maternal separation modulates short-term behavioral and physiological indices of
      the stress response.
AB  - Early-life stress produces an anxiogenic profile in adulthood, presumably by
      activating the otherwise quiescent hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis
      during the vulnerable 'stress hyporesponsive period'. While the long-term effects
      of such early-life manipulations have been extensively characterized, little is
      known of the short-term effects. Here, we compared the short-term effects of two
      durations of maternal separation stress and one unseparated group (US) on
      behavioral and physiological indices of the stress response in rat pups.
      Separations included 3h on each of 12days, from postnatal day (PND) 2 to 13 (MS2
      13) and 3days of daily, 6-h separation from PND11-13 (MS11-13). On PND14
      (Experiment 1), both MS2-13 and MS11-13 produced marked reductions in freezing
      toward an adult male conspecific along with reduced levels of glucocorticoid type
      2 (GR) and CRF type-1 (CRF(1)) receptor mRNA in the hippocampus. Group MS2-13 but
      not MS11-13 produced deficits in stressor-induced corticosterone secretion,
      accompanied by reductions in body weight. Our results suggest that GR and/or
      CRF(1) levels, not solely the magnitude of corticosterone secretion, may be
      involved in the modulation of freezing. In a second experiment, we aimed to
      extend these findings by testing male and female separated and unseparated pups'
      unconditioned defensive behaviors to cat odor on PND26, and subsequent
      cue+context conditioning and extinction throughout postnatal days 27-32. Our
      results show that maternal separation produced reductions in unconditioned
      freezing on PND26, with MS2-13 showing stronger deficits than MS11-13. However,
      separation did not affect any other defensive behaviors. Furthermore, separated
      rats failed to show conditioned freezing, although they did avoid the no-odor
      block conditioned cue. There were no sex differences other than weight. We
      suggest that maternal separation may have produced these changes by disrupting
      normal development of hippocampal regions involved in olfactory-mediated
      freezing, not in mechanisms of learning and memory per se. These findings may
      have direct relevance for understanding the mechanisms by which early-life
      adverse experiences produce short-term and lasting psychopathologies.

PMID- 20298696
TI  - One-step assay for quantification of neutralizing antibodies to
      biopharmaceuticals.
AB  - Assessment of immunogenicity is an important part of biopharmaceutical drug
      safety evaluation and a prerequisite for the development of less immunogenic and
      safer biopharmaceuticals since anti-drug antibodies can impair the activity and
      compromise the safety of biopharmaceuticals. Although regulatory authorities
      recommend cell-based assays for detection of neutralizing antibodies (NAbs), such
      assays are difficult to standardize, and ill adapted to high-throughput analysis.
      These limitations have been overcome by the development of a unique one-step cell
      based assay that allows both drug activity and drug NAbs to be quantified rapidly
      and with a high degree of precision simply be adding reporter cells to a sample.
      The reporter cells have been engineered to express firefly luciferase (FL) under
      the control of a drug-responsive promoter, and to express the drug of interest,
      the production of which is normalized relative to the expression of Renilla
      luciferase (RL) transcribed from a common doxycycline-inducible promoter.
      Residual drug levels present in a sample are first quantified by determination of
      FL expression, autocrine drug synthesis is then induced, and NAb activity is
      quantified from the difference in the ratio of FL/RL expression in the presence
      or absence of the sample. Since assay results are normalized relative to the
      expression of an internal standard, results are independent of cell number or
      differences in cell viability thus affording a high degree of assay precision and
      reducing serum matrix effects to a minimum. This unique assay platform is ideally
      suited for high-throughput analysis, is applicable to most biopharmaceuticals,
      and will facilitate standardization and comparison of immunogenicity data. The
      performance of the one-step assay is illustrated for interferon alpha2
      (IFNalpha2) used widely to treated chronic hepatitis C (HCV) infection and
      neoplastic disease.

PMID- 20298697
TI  - Activation of the cardiac Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchanger by sorcin via the interaction of
      the respective Ca(2+)-binding domains.
AB  - Sorcin is a penta-EF-hand protein that interacts with intracellular target
      proteins after Ca(2+) binding. The sarcolemmal Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger (NCX1) may
      be an important sorcin target in cardiac muscle. In this study, RNAi knockdown of
      sorcin, purified sorcin or sorcin variants was employed in parallel measurements
      of: (i) NCX activity in isolated rabbit cardiomyocytes using electrophysiological
      techniques and (ii) sorcin binding to the NCX1 calcium binding domains (CBD1 and
      (iii) using surface plasmon resonance and gel overlay techniques. Sorcin is
      activated by Ca(2+) binding to the EF3 and EF2 regions, which are connected by
      the D helix. To investigate the importance of this region in the interaction with
      NCX1, three variants were examined: W105G and W99G, mutated respectively near EF3
      and EF2, and E124A that does not bind Ca(2+) due to a mutation at EF3.
      Downregulation of sorcin decreased and supplementation with wt sorcin (3muM)
      increased NCX activity in isolated cardiomyocytes. The relative stimulatory
      effects of the sorcin variants were: W105G>wt sorcin>Sorcin Calcium Binding
      Domain (SCBD)>W99G>E124A. Sorcin binding to both CBD1 and 2 was observed. In the
      presence of 50microM Ca(2+), the interaction with CBD1 followed the order
      W105G>SCBD>wt sorcin>W99G>E124A. In sorcin, the interacting surface can be mapped
      on the C-terminal Ca(2+)-binding domain in the D helix region comprising W99. The
      fast association/dissociation rates that characterize the interaction of sorcin
      with CBD1 and 2 may permit complex formation/dissociation during an
      excitation/contraction cycle.

PMID- 20298698
TI  - Malignant and benign mutations in familial cardiomyopathies: insights into
      mutations linked to complex cardiovascular phenotypes.
AB  - Cardiomyopathies, familial or sporadic, have become recognized as one of the
      leading cardiac threats. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) affects 0.2% of the
      population and is the leading cause of sudden death in young adults. Dilated
      cardiomyopathy (DCM) and restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) are associated with
      sudden death as well as heart transplantations. Ventricular noncompaction
      cardiomyopathy (VNCM) is associated with heart failure and arrhythmias.
      Currently, more than 630 mutations in 10 sarcomeric genes associated with
      cardiomyopathy have been identified. HCM is associated with more than 550
      mutations, whereas DCM, RCM and VNCM are associated with 52, 14 and 17 mutations,
      respectively. In many cases, the genes affected present a varying range of
      phenotypic and pathological severity. Recent data suggest that at least two main
      genetic determinants are involved in the pathogenesis and phenotypic variability
      within families afflicted by the same disease-linked gene. Individuals that are
      homozygous for a mutation or heterozygous for two or more mutations often show
      more severe phenotypes. Secondly, genetic modifiers are present in some
      cardiomyopathy patients and are associated with a poorer prognosis. At the
      protein level, changes in protein-protein interactions may also be important in
      determining the type of cardiomyopathy caused by different mutations. This review
      provides insight into the complex cardiovascular phenotypes and genetic
      variability associated with HCM, DCM, RCM and VNCM.

PMID- 20298699
TI  - Increased phosphorylation of tropomyosin, troponin I, and myosin light chain-2
      after stretch in rabbit ventricular myocardium under physiological conditions.
AB  - After a change in muscle length, there is an immediate intrinsic response in the
      amount of developed force, followed by a slower response. Although it has been
      well documented that the slow force response is at least in part generated by
      modification of calcium handling, it is unclear whether regulation at the
      myofilament level occurs during the slow force response. We set out to
      investigate myofilament calcium sensitivity and phosphorylation status of
      myofilament proteins after a step-wise change in cardiac muscle length. Ultra
      thin right ventricular intact trabeculae were isolated from New Zealand White
      rabbit hearts and iontophoretically loaded with the calcium indicator bis-fura-2.
      Twitch force-calcium relationships and steady-state force-[Ca(2+)](i)
      relationships were measured at various muscle lengths at 37 degrees C using
      potassium induced contractures. The EC(50) significantly decreased with increase
      in muscle length and maximal active force development significantly increased,
      while no significant change in the myofilament cooperativity coefficient was
      found. Phosphoprotein analysis Pro-Q diamond staining as well as phosphorylation
      specific antibodies revealed increased phosphorylation of tropomyosin, troponin
      I, and myosin light chain-2 at longer muscle lengths. Specifically, TnI
      phosphorylation at Ser(22/23) was increased. Since the immediate response is seen
      virtually instantaneously and post-translational modifications are thought not to
      occur within such a very short timeframe, we hypothesize that these increases in
      phosphorylation occur during the slow response.

PMID- 20298700
TI  - Positive correlations between molecular and morphological rates of evolution.
AB  - The existence of positive associations between rates of molecular and
      morphological evolution (calculated from branch lengths of phylogenetic trees
      reconstructed using molecular and morphological characters, respectively) is
      important to issues of neutrality in sequence evolution, phylogenetic
      reconstructions assuming neutrality, and evolutionary genotype-phenotype mapping.
      Rates correlate positively when including branches leading to extant species
      (tips). Excluding tips, trends are similar, but statistical significances
      decrease systematically. This is due to (a) lower statistical power (excluding
      tips reduces sample sizes), and (b) rates are solely calculated from inaccurately
      reconstructed character states of extinct ancestral species, and this noise
      decreases correlation strengths. Correlations between molecular and morphological
      rates of evolution increase as more morphological characters are included for
      phylogenetic reconstruction. Sequence lengths apparently affect correlations
      along similar principles. Analyses of plant phylogenies confirm those from
      animals: sampling biases decrease correlations between molecular and
      morphological rates of evolution. Results confirm that genotype and phenotype are
      linked, and suggest adaptive components for molecular evolution. The discussion
      stresses the difficulties associated with analyses and conclusions based on data
      deduced from phylogenetic reconstruction.

PMID- 20298701
TI  - Evolutionary stability and quasi-stationary strategy in stochastic evolutionary
      game dynamics.
AB  - Stochastic evolutionary game dynamics for finite populations has recently been
      widely explored in the study of evolutionary game theory. It is known from the
      work of Traulsen et al. [2005. Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 238701] that the stochastic
      evolutionary dynamics approaches the deterministic replicator dynamics in the
      limit of large population size. However, sometimes the limiting behavior
      predicted by the stochastic evolutionary dynamics is not quite in agreement with
      the steady-state behavior of the replicator dynamics. This paradox inspired us to
      give reasonable explanations of the traditional concept of evolutionarily stable
      strategy (ESS) in the context of finite populations. A quasi-stationary analysis
      of the stochastic evolutionary game dynamics is put forward in this study and we
      present a new concept of quasi-stationary strategy (QSS) for large but finite
      populations. It is shown that the consistency between the QSS and the ESS implies
      that the long-term behavior of the replicator dynamics can be predicted by the
      quasi-stationary behavior of the stochastic dynamics. We relate the paradox to
      the time scales and find that the contradiction occurs only when the fixation
      time scale is much longer than the quasi-stationary time scale. Our work may shed
      light on understanding the relationship between the deterministic and stochastic
      methods of modeling evolutionary game dynamics.

PMID- 20298702
TI  - Evolution and instability in ring species complexes: an in silico approach to the
      study of speciation.
AB  - Ring species are a biological complex that theoretically forms when an ancestral
      population extends its range around a geographic barrier and, despite low-level
      gene flow, differentiates until reproductive isolation exists when terminal
      populations come into secondary contact. Due to their rarity in nature, little is
      known about the biological factors that promote the formation of ring species. We
      use evolutionary algorithms operating on two simple computational problems (SAW
      and K-max) to study the process of speciation under the conditions which may
      yield ring species. We vary evolutionary parameters to measure their influence on
      ring species' development and stability over evolutionary time. Using the SAW
      problem, ring species consistently form, i.e. fertility is negatively correlated
      with distance (R-values between -0.097 and -0.821, p<0.001), and terminal
      populations show substantial infertility. However, all SAW simulations
      demonstrate instability in the complex after sympatric zones are established
      between terminal populations. Higher mutation rates and larger dispersal/breeding
      radii promote ring species' formation and stability. Using a problem with a
      simple fitness landscape, the K-max problem, ring species do not form. Instead,
      speciation around the ring occurs before ring closure as good genotypes become
      locally dominant.

PMID- 20298703
TI  - From heroin epidemics to methamphetamine epidemics: modelling substance abuse in
      a South African province.
AB  - The global rise in the use of methamphetamine has been documented to have reached
      epidemic proportions. Researchers have focussed on the social implications of the
      epidemic. A typical drug use cycle consists of concealed drugs use after
      initiation, addiction, treatment-recovery-relapse cycle, whose dynamics are not
      well understood. The model by White and Comiskey [41], on heroin epidemics,
      treatment and ODE modelling, is modified to model the dynamics of methamphetamine
      use in a South African province. The analysis of the model is presented in terms
      of the methamphetamine epidemic threshold R(0). It is shown that the model has
      multiple equilibria and using the center manifold theory, the model exhibits the
      phenomenon of backward bifurcation where a stable drug free equilibrium co-exists
      with a stable drug persistent equilibrium for a certain defined range of R(0).
      The stabilities of the model equilibria are ascertained and persistence
      conditions established. Furthermore, numerical simulations are performed; these
      include fitting the model to the available data on the number of patients with
      methamphetamine problems. The implications of the results to drug policy,
      treatment and prevention are discussed.

PMID- 20298704
TI  - Dyscravia: voicing substitution dysgraphia.
AB  - We report a new type of dysgraphia, which we term dyscravia. The main error type
      in dyscravia is substitution of the target letter with a letter that differs only
      with respect to the voicing feature, such as writing "coat" for "goat", and
      "vagd" for "fact". Two Hebrew-speaking individuals with acquired dyscravia are
      reported, TG, a man aged 31, and BG, a woman aged 66. Both had surface dysgraphia
      in addition to their dyscravia. To describe dyscravia in detail, and to explore
      the rate and types of errors made in spelling, we administered tests of writing
      to dictation, written naming, and oral spelling. In writing to dictation, TG made
      voicing errors on 38% of the words, and BG made 17% voicing errors. Voicing
      errors also occurred in nonword writing (43% for TG, 56% for BG). The writing
      performance and the variables that influenced the participants' spelling, as well
      as the results of the auditory discrimination and repetition tasks indicated that
      their dyscravia did not result from a deficit in auditory processing, the
      graphemic buffer, the phonological output lexicon, the phonological output
      buffer, or the allographic stage. The locus of the deficit is the phoneme-to
      grapheme conversion, in a function specialized in the conversion of phonemes'
      voicing feature into graphemes. Because these participants had surface dysgraphia
      and were forced to write via the sublexical route, the deficit in voicing was
      evident in their writing of both words and nonwords. We further examined whether
      the participants also evinced parallel errors in reading. TG had a selective
      voicing deficit in writing, and did not show any voicing errors in reading,
      whereas BG had voicing errors also in the reading of nonwords (i.e., she had
      dyslegzia in addition to dyscravia). The dissociation TG demonstrated indicated
      that the voicing feature conversion is separate for reading and writing, and can
      be impaired selectively in writing. BG's dyslegzia indicates that the grapheme-to
      phoneme conversion also includes a function that is sensitive to phonological
      features such as voicing. Thus the main conclusion of this study is that a
      separate function of voicing feature conversion exists in the phoneme-to-grapheme
      conversion route, which may be selectively impaired without deficits in other
      functions of the conversion route, and without a parallel deficit in reading.

PMID- 20298705
TI  - Non-lethal effects of predators on body growth and health state of juvenile
      lizards, Psammdromus algirus.
AB  - Predation risk does not necessarily increase predation rates because prey may be
      able to behave differentially to cope with higher predation risk. However,
      antipredatory behaviors may be costly, leading to negative, although non-lethal,
      effects of predators on prey. We examined in outdoor enclosures whether an
      experimental increase in predation pressure, which did not increase direct
      mortality, but forced individuals to increase antipredatory behaviors, may have
      significant non-lethal effects on body growth and health state of juvenile
      lizards, Psammodromus algirus. Simulated persistent predator attacks resulted in
      slower rates of body size growth and body mass gain of juvenile lizards, which
      may greatly affect their future survival. However, juvenile lizards were able to
      maintain their initial body condition and immune response regardless of predation
      risk level. Moreover, our data suggested that experience of lizards with their
      home range "environment" might allow them to compensate the negative effects of
      temporal high predation risk on body condition when predation risk subsequently
      decreased. Finally, juvenile lizards with greater immune responses showed smaller
      increments in body size, but larger increments in body mass and body condition,
      at the end of the control treatment. In contrast, there was no relationship
      between immunity and growth after the experimental treatment.

PMID- 20298707
TI  - Mild hypohydration induced by exercise in the heat attenuates autonomic
      thermoregulatory responses to the heat, but not thermal pleasantness in humans.
AB  - Hypohydration caused by exercise in the heat attenuates autonomic
      thermoregulation such as sweating and skin blood flow in humans. In contrast, it
      remains unknown if behavioral thermoregulation is modulated during hypohydration.
      We assume that thermal unpleasantness could drive the behavioral response, and
      would also be modulated during hypohydration. Nine healthy young men participated
      in the present study. Body and skin temperatures were monitored. Ratings of
      thermal sensation and pleasantness were conducted. After approximately 45 min
      rest at 27 degrees C, they performed 50-min cycling exercise, which was at the
      level of 40% of heart rate range at 35 degrees C (hypohydration trial) or at the
      level of 10% of heart rate range at 23 degrees C (control trial), respectively.
      Subjects returned to the rest at 27 degrees C, and the ambient temperature was
      then changed from 22 to 38 degrees C. Body weight decreased by 0.9+/-0.1%
      immediately after exercise in the hypohydration trial and 0.3+/-0.1% in the
      control trial. In the cold, no significant difference in thermal sensation or
      pleasantness was observed between trials. There was no significant difference in
      thermal pleasantness between trials in the heat, although thermal sensation in
      the heat (32.5-36 degrees C) was significantly lower in the hypohydration trial
      than in the control trial. In addition, laser Doppler flow of the skin and sweat
      rate were attenuated in the heat in the hypohydration trial. These results may
      indicate that mild hypohydration after exercise in the heat has no influence on
      behavioral responses to the heat.

PMID- 20298706
TI  - Corticosteroid and neurosteroid dysregulation in an animal model of autism, BTBR
      mice.
AB  - Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a constellation of neurodevelopmental
      disorders associated with disruptions in social, cognitive, and/or motor
      behaviors. ASD are more prevalent among males than females and characterized by
      aberrant social and language development, and a dysregulation in stress
      responding. Levels of progesterone (P(4)) and its metabolite 5alpha-pregnan
      3alpha-ol-20-one (3alpha,5alpha-THP) are higher and more variable in females
      compared to males. 3alpha,5alpha-THP is also a neurosteroid, which can be rapidly
      produced de novo in the brain, independent of peripheral gland secretion, and can
      exert homeostatic effects to modulate stress-responding. An inbred mouse strain
      that has demonstrated an ASD-like behavioral and neuroendocrine phenotype is BTBR
      T +tf/J (BTBR). BTBR mice have deficits in cognitive and social behaviors and
      have high circulating levels of the stress hormone, corticosterone. We
      hypothesized that central 3alpha,5alpha-THP levels would be different among BTBR
      mice compared to mice on a similar background C57BL/6J (C57/J) and 129S1/SvlmJ
      (129S1). Tissues were collected from BTBR, C57/J and 129S1 male mice and levels
      of corticosterone, P(4), and 3alpha,5alpha-THP in plasma and in the hypothalamus,
      midbrain, hippocampus, and cerebellum were measured by radioimmunoassay.
      Circulating levels of corticosterone, P(4), and 3alpha,5alpha-THP were
      significantly higher among BTBR, than C57/J and 129S1, mice. Levels of P(4) in
      the cerebellum were significantly higher than other brain regions among all mouse
      strains. Levels of 3alpha,5alpha-THP in the hypothalamus of BTBR mice were
      significantly higher compared to C57/J and 129S1 mice. These findings suggest
      that neuroendocrine dysregulation among BTBR mice extends to 3alpha,5alpha-THP.

PMID- 20298710
TI  - Metarhizium anisopliae enzymes and toxins.
AB  - Entomopathogenic fungi are both a feasible system for the control of insect pests
      in agriculture with a growing market and an important model for studies of host
      pathogen interaction. In the last ten years the actual use of fungi, mainly
      Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana, is increasing reaching commercial
      scale in Countries like Brazil, China and Mexico among others. At the same time
      important progress has occurred in the understanding of the molecular aspects of
      the pathogenesis and in the development of tools to validate putative virulence
      factors by the construction of over-expressing and knock-out strains. This wealth
      of knowledge is helping to access more efficient strains from the biodiversity
      and to optimize formulation for large scale use of this efficient, economic and
      environmental safer form of insect plague control. Here we focus some of the
      progress accumulated specially in M. anisopliae and give an overview of the host
      infection process.

PMID- 20298708
TI  - Reinforcing efficacy of fat, as assessed by progressive ratio responding, depends
      upon availability not amount consumed.
AB  - Intermittent limited access to an optional source of dietary fat can induce binge
      type behavior in rats. However, the ability of such access to alter the
      reinforcing efficacy of fat has not been clearly demonstrated. In this study,
      performance under progressive ratio one (PR1) and three (PR3) schedules of
      shortening (fat) reinforcement was assessed in non-food deprived rats
      (n=15/group). One group of rats had intermittent access to a dietary fat option
      (INT, 1-hour shortening access in the home cage each Monday, Wednesday, and
      Friday), whereas the other group had daily access to the fat option (D, 1-hour
      shortening access daily). Chow and water were continuously available. After five
      weeks, the INT group consumed more shortening during the 1-hour access period
      than did the D group. Rats were then trained to lever press for a solid
      shortening reinforcer (0.1 gm). INT rats earned significantly more reinforcers
      than did D rats under PR1, but not under PR3. Subgroups of INT and D rats (n=7
      each) were matched on the amount of shortening consumed in the home cage during
      week five of the protocol and the PR data were reanalyzed. The INT subgroup
      earned significantly more reinforcers than the D subgroup did under PR1, but not
      PR3. These results demonstrate that: (1) intermittent access to shortening in the
      home cage, but not the amount consumed during the access period (i.e. bingeing),
      increases the reinforcing efficacy of solid shortening; and (2) the type of PR
      schedule is critical in delineating differences between the groups.

PMID- 20298709
TI  - Cr(VI) induces mitochondrial-mediated and caspase-dependent apoptosis through
      reactive oxygen species-mediated p53 activation in JB6 Cl41 cells.
AB  - Cr(VI) compounds are known to cause serious toxic and carcinogenic effects.
      Cr(VI) exposure can lead to a severe damage to the skin, but the mechanisms
      involved in the Cr(VI)-mediated toxicity in the skin are unclear. The present
      study examined whether Cr(VI) induces cell death by apoptosis or necrosis using
      mouse skin epidermal cell line, JB6 Cl41 cells. We also investigated the cellular
      mechanisms of Cr(VI)-induced cell death. This study showed that Cr(VI) induced
      apoptotic cell death in a dose-dependent manner, as demonstrated by the
      appearance of cell shrinkage, the migration of cells into the sub-G1 phase, the
      increase of Annexin V positively stained cells, and the formation of nuclear DNA
      ladders. Cr(VI) treatment resulted in the increases of mitochondrial membrane
      depolarization and caspases activation. Electron spin resonance (ESR) and
      fluorescence analysis revealed that Cr(VI) increased intracellular levels of
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as hydrogen peroxide and superoxide anion
      radical in dose-dependent manner. Blockage of p53 by si-RNA transfection
      suppressed mitochondrial changes of Bcl-2 family composition, mitochondrial
      membrane depolarization, caspase activation and PARP cleavage, leading to the
      inhibition of Cr(VI)-induced apoptosis. Further, catalase treatment prevented p53
      phosphorylation stimulated by Cr(VI) with the concomitant inhibition of caspase
      activation. These results suggest that Cr(VI) induced a mitochondrial-mediated
      and caspase-dependent apoptosis in skin epidermal cells through activation of
      p53, which are mainly mediated by reactive oxidants generated by the chemical.

PMID- 20298711
TI  - Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against vaginolysin:
      mapping of a region critical for its cytolytic activity.
AB  - Vaginolysin (VLY) is a protein toxin released by Gardnerella vaginalis. VLY
      belongs to the group of cholesterol-dependent cytolysins (CDCs). We have
      generated a panel of novel monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against VLY. For the
      generation of MAbs, we have used recombinant VLY expressed in Escherichia coli.
      The functional activity of recombinant VLY was confirmed by an in vitro hemolytic
      assay using human erythrocytes. The MAbs raised against recombinant VLY were
      reactive with VLY from G. vaginalis both by Western blot and ELISA. The cross
      reactivity of MAbs with other CDCs was investigated. For this purpose,
      recombinant cytolysins perfringolysin, listeriolysin, intermedilysin, pneumolysin
      and streptolysin were expressed in E. coli. The MAbs were specific exclusively to
      VLY and did not react with other CDCs. All MAbs were studied for the ability to
      neutralize hemolytic activity of VLY in vitro and several neutralizing MAbs were
      identified. The MAb produced by clone 9B4 showed the most potent neutralizing
      activity. The epitope for this MAb was localized near the N-terminus of VLY,
      between amino acid (aa) residues 112 and 268. The region recognized by the
      neutralizing MAb 9B4 includes the conserved motif (VAARMQYD, aa 189-196) supposed
      to be involved in VLY oligomerization. Selected MAbs were employed to develop a
      sandwich ELISA for VLY quantification. The MAb-based immunoassay was suitable for
      the detection of VLY in the cultures of G. vaginalis. In conclusion, the MAbs
      described in the current study may be useful for structural and functional
      studies of VLY as well as immunodetection of VLY in biological specimens.

PMID- 20298712
TI  - The accuracy of metric judgements: perception of surface normal.
AB  - Observers adjusted a probe (a short rod) to appear normal to a planar surface
      slanted in depth. In Experiment 1, observers (N=12) performed this metric task in
      two conditions: with reduced cues to calibration of binocular viewing parameters
      and with full cues. The results provided evidence for the use of an internal
      working metric in metric tasks because they confirm predictions that (i) errors
      should be largely systematic and accounted for by assuming an inaccurate working
      metric and (ii) this metric should be consistent with miscalibration of relevant
      viewing parameters. The data support the prediction that performance errors
      decrease in a manner consistent with improved binocular calibration, when better
      cues to relevant viewing parameters are provided. We performed two additional
      control experiments as further tests of the binocular miscalibration account, to
      determine whether performance in Experiment 1 could be explained instead by the
      use of monocular cues. We found that monocular performance was significantly
      poorer than binocular performance in reduced-cue conditions (Experiment 2) and
      full-cue conditions (Experiment 3). These control experiments provide
      confirmation that binocular cues contribute to performance in the full-cue
      conditions of Experiment 1, and that disparity was the only effective cue to
      slant in reduced-cue conditions.

PMID- 20298713
TI  - A simple model of the vertical-horizontal illusion.
AB  - In spite of being one of the most elementary visual effects, the vertical
      horizontal illusion is still poorly understood. We provide here a simple
      quantitative model to describe the overestimation of the vertical segment
      relative to the horizontal one. The model also includes a necessary factor
      related to the effect of bisecting a line on the under-estimation of its length.
      These two factors, orientation anisotropy and length bisection, provide a very
      good account of various configurations of the illusion when the stimulus looks
      like a 'T', an 'L', or a '+'-sign, and for different stimulus orientations. The
      orientation anisotropy bias is on average 6% while the length bisection bias
      amounts to about 16%. In addition, when uncertainty about line estimation is
      included, new predictions on the sensitivity of different configurations are
      obtained and confirmed. In particular, we find that the '+'-sign figure suffers
      from a loss of sensitivity in comparing their vertical and horizontal segments
      when compared to the 'L'-figure. This difference can only be accounted for by a
      late-noise model where uncertainty is at the decision stage rather than on the
      image measurements.

PMID- 20298714
TI  - Methamphetamine-induced stereotypy correlates negatively with patch-enhanced
      prodynorphin and arc mRNA expression in the rat caudate putamen: the role of mu
      opioid receptor activation.
AB  - Amphetamines induce stereotypy, which correlates with patch-enhanced c-Fos
      expression the patch compartment of caudate putamen (CPu). Methamphetamine (METH)
      treatment also induces patch-enhanced expression of prodynorphin (PD), arc and
      zif/268 in the CPu. Whether patch-enhanced activation of any of these genes
      correlates with METH-induced stereotypy is unknown, and the factors that
      contribute to this pattern of expression are poorly understood. Activation of mu
      opioid receptors, which are expressed by the neurons of the patch compartment,
      may underlie METH-induced patch-enhanced gene expression and stereotypy. The
      current study examined whether striatal mu opioid receptor blockade altered METH
      induced stereotypy and patch-enhanced gene expression, and if there was a
      correlation between the two responses. Animals were intrastriatally infused with
      the mu antagonist CTAP (10 microg/microl), treated with METH (7.5 mg/kg, s.c.),
      placed in activity chambers for 3h, and then sacrificed. CTAP pretreatment
      attenuated METH-induced increases in PD, arc and zif/268 mRNA expression and
      significantly reduced METH-induced stereotypy. Patch-enhanced PD and arc mRNA
      expression in the dorsolateral CPu correlated negatively with METH-induced
      stereotypy. These data indicate that mu opioid receptor activation contributes to
      METH-induced gene expression in the CPu and stereotypy, and that patch-enhanced
      PD and arc expression may be a homeostatic response to METH treatment.

PMID- 20298716
TI  - Automatic auditory intelligence: an expression of the sensory-cognitive core of
      cognitive processes.
AB  - In this article, we present a new view on the nature of cognitive processes
      suggesting that there is a common core, viz., automatic sensory-cognitive
      processes that form the basis for higher-order cognitive processes. It has been
      shown that automatic sensory-cognitive processes are shared by humans and various
      other species and occur at different developmental stages and even in different
      states of consciousness. This evidence, based on the automatic
      electrophysiological change-detection response mismatch negativity (MMN), its
      magnetoencephalographic equivalent MMNm, and behavioral data, indicates that in
      audition surprisingly complex processes occur automatically and mainly in the
      sensory-specific cortical regions. These processes include, e.g. stimulus
      anticipation and extrapolation, sequential stimulus-rule extraction, and pattern
      and pitch-interval encoding. Furthermore, these complex perceptual-cognitive
      processes, first found in waking adults, occur similarly even in sleeping
      newborns, anesthetized animals, and deeply sedated adult humans, suggesting that
      they form the common perceptual-cognitive core of cognitive processes in general.
      Although the present evidence originates mainly from the auditory modality, it is
      likely that analogous evidence could be obtained from other sensory modalities
      when measures corresponding to those used in the study of the auditory modality
      become available.

PMID- 20298715
TI  - Pharmacological characterization of GPR55, a putative cannabinoid receptor.
AB  - GPR55 has recently attracted much attention as another member of the cannabinoid
      family, potentially explaining physiological effects that are non-CB1/CB2
      mediated. However, the data gathered so far are conflicting with respect to its
      pharmacology. We review the primary literature to date on GPR55, describing its
      discovery, structure, pharmacology and potential physiological functions. The CB1
      receptor antagonist/inverse agonist AM251 has been shown to be a GPR55 agonist in
      all reports in which it was evaluated, as has the lysophospholipid,
      lysophosphatidylinositol (LPI). Whether GPR55 responds to the endocannabinoid
      ligands anandamide and 2-arachidonylglycerol and the phytocannabinoids, delta-9
      tetrahydrocannabidiol and cannabidiol, is cell type and tissue-dependent. GPR55
      has been shown to utilize G(q), G(12), or G(13) for signal transduction; RhoA and
      phospholipase C are activated. Experiments with mice in which GPR55 has been
      inactivated reveal a role for this receptor in neuropathic and inflammatory pain
      as well as in bone physiology. Thus delineating the pharmacology of this receptor
      and the discovery of selective agonists and antagonists merits further study and
      could lead to new therapeutics.

PMID- 20298717
TI  - Time-shift denoising source separation.
AB  - I present a new method for removing unwanted components from neurophysiological
      recordings such as magnetoencephalography (MEG), electroencephalography (EEG), or
      multichannel electrophysiological or optical recordings. A spatiotemporal filter
      is designed to partition recorded activity into noise and signal components, and
      the latter are projected back to sensor space to obtain clean data. To obtain the
      required filter, the original data waveforms are delayed by a series of time
      delays, and linear combinations are formed based on a criterion such as
      reproducibility over stimulus repetitions. The time shifts allow the algorithm to
      automatically synthesize multichannel finite impulse response filters, improving
      denoising capabilities over static spatial filtering methods. The method is
      illustrated with synthetic data and real data from several biomagnetometers, for
      which the raw signal-to-noise ratio of stimulus-evoked components was
      unfavorable. With this technique, components with power ratios relative to noise
      as small as 1 part per million can be retrieved.

PMID- 20298718
TI  - Stochastic estimation of human arm impedance under nonlinear friction in robot
      joints: a model study.
AB  - The basic assumption of stochastic human arm impedance estimation methods is that
      the human arm and robot behave linearly for small perturbations. In the present
      work, we have identified the degree of influence of nonlinear friction in robot
      joints to the stochastic human arm impedance estimation. Internal model based
      impedance control (IMBIC) is then proposed as a means to make the estimation
      accurate by compensating for the nonlinear friction. From simulations with a
      nonlinear Lugre friction model, it is observed that the reliability and accuracy
      of the estimation are severely degraded with nonlinear friction: below 2 Hz,
      multiple and partial coherence functions are far less than unity; estimated
      magnitudes and phases are severely deviated from that of a real human arm
      throughout the frequency range of interest; and the accuracy is not enhanced with
      an increase of magnitude of the force perturbations. In contrast, the combined
      use of stochastic estimation and IMBIC provides with accurate estimation results
      even with large friction: the multiple coherence functions are larger than 0.9
      throughout the frequency range of interest and the estimated magnitudes and
      phases are well matched with that of a real human arm. Furthermore, the
      performance of suggested method is independent of human arm and robot posture,
      and human arm impedance. Therefore, the IMBIC will be useful in measuring human
      arm impedance with conventional robot, as well as in designing a spatial
      impedance measuring robot, which requires gearing.

PMID- 20298719
TI  - A self-referencing glutamate biosensor for measuring real time neuronal glutamate
      flux.
AB  - Quantification of neurotransmitter transport dynamics is hindered by a lack of
      sufficient tools to directly monitor bioactive flux under physiological
      conditions. Traditional techniques for studying neurotransmitter release/uptake
      require inferences from non-selective electrical recordings, are
      invasive/destructive, and/or suffer from poor temporal resolution. Recent
      advances in electrochemical biosensors have enhanced in vitro and in vivo
      detection of neurotransmitter concentration under
      physiological/pathophysiological conditions. The use of enzymatic biosensors with
      performance enhancing materials (e.g., carbon nanotubes) has been a major focus
      for many of these advances. However, these techniques are not used as mainstream
      neuroscience research tools, due to relatively low sensitivity, excessive
      drift/noise, low signal-to-noise ratio, and inability to quantify rapid
      neurochemical kinetics during synaptic transmission. A sensing technique known as
      self-referencing overcomes many of these problems, and allows non-invasive
      quantification of biophysical transport. This work presents a self-referencing
      CNT modified glutamate oxidase biosensor for monitoring glutamate flux near
      neural/neuronal cells. Concentration of basal glutamate was similar to other in
      vivo and in vitro measurements. The biosensor was used in self-referencing
      (oscillating) mode to measure net glutamate flux near neural cells during
      electrical stimulation. Prior to stimulation, the average influx was 33.9+/-6.4
      fmol cm(-2)s(-1)). Glutamate efflux took place immediately following stimulation,
      and was always followed by uptake in the 50-150 fmol cm(-2)s(-1) range. Uptake
      was inhibited using threo-beta-benzyloxyaspartate, and average surface flux in
      replicate cells (1.1+/-7.4 fmol cm(-2)s(-1)) was significantly lower than
      uninhibited cells. The technique is extremely valuable for studying
      neuropathological conditions related to neurotransmission under dynamic
      physiological conditions.

PMID- 20298720
TI  - Seroma fluid subsequent to axillary lymph node dissection for breast cancer
      derives from an accumulation of afferent lymph.
AB  - Seroma is a frequent complication of breast cancer surgery, the etiology of which
      remains indefinite. It represents a subcutaneous accumulation of fluid frequently
      reported after surgical procedures such as axillary lymph node dissection.
      Despite previous studies have associated seroma fluid to an inflammatory exudate,
      the surgical removal of draining lymph nodes may indicate that seroma might not
      represent a mere exudate but rather an accrual of lymph drained from tributary
      tissues. To verify this hypothesis, seromas were collected at different intervals
      of time in patients operated upon for axillary lymph node removal. Fluids were
      analyzed in details by flow cytometry and biochemical assays for their cellular
      content and for their molecular features and relevant cytokine content.
      Lymphocytes and other peculiar blood mononuclear cells were present, while
      erythrocytes, platelets and granulocytes were absent or extremely rare. The
      protein concentration resulted lower (median 64%) than in peripheral blood.
      However, specific proteins related to locoregional tissues resulted highly
      concentrated (e.g. up to 500% for ferritin and 300% for lactate deydrogenase and
      exclusive presence of interleukin-6) whereas all enzymes and proteins synthesized
      in the liver or other organs (e.g. alkaline phosphatase, ALT, gammaGT,
      prealbumin, transferrin, ceruloplasmin, C3 and C4, alpha2 macroglobulin from
      liver; apolipoproteins from liver and gut; amylase and lipase from pancreas) were
      represented in reduced concentrations, thus ruling out that seroma proteins
      derive directly from blood serum. As a whole, this comprehensive cytological and
      molecular analysis provided evidences that seroma is constituted by serum
      ultrafiltrated-derived extracellular fluid of regions located upstream of removed
      lymph nodes. This fluid is then enriched by proteins and cells collected in the
      drained regions. Remarkably, seroma fluids collected in the same patient at
      different time points (up to 50 days following surgery) displayed similar
      biochemical features, clearly indicating that fluid composition was not
      significantly affected by post-surgical locoregional flogosis. Finally, the
      period of seroma formation indicates that lymph accumulates in the axillary
      region during the interval of time needed for afferent lymphatic vessels to re
      anastomose with the efferent ducts. Therefore, seroma fluid represents a font of
      biological material suitable for investigating the biology of breast cancer,
      healing tissues and lymph.

PMID- 20298721
TI  - Conservation of HHV-6 DNA polymerase processivity factor sequence and predicted
      structure suggests it as a target for antiviral development.
AB  - The replication of human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) DNA is catalyzed by the viral DNA
      polymerase pU38 and the processivity factor pU27 which stabilizes the enzyme on
      the DNA template. The genetic polymorphism of pU27 among 46 clinical strains of
      HHV-6 variant A or B and four strains resistant to antivirals was investigated.
      Overall, 28 amino acid changes (7.6%) and a two-amino acid deletion were
      identified among the 368 residues of pU27, when using the U1102 (variant A)
      sequence as the reference. Eleven amino acid changes (3.0%) specifically
      differentiated both variants. The median intravariant amino acid variability was
      1.2% and 0.3% for A and B, respectively. Except for a single change, the pU27
      sequence of multi-drug resistant HHV-6 strains was also conserved. Structural
      models of pU27 for variants A and B were derived from that of the human
      cytomegalovirus homologue pUL44, and showed either identical or very similar
      residues in the regions interacting with viral DNA polymerase and viral DNA
      molecule. As pU27 is both highly conserved and essential for viral replication,
      it might constitute an interesting target for antiviral chemotherapy.

PMID- 20298723
TI  - Development and refinement of a high-efficiency gene-targeting system for
      Aspergillus flavus.
AB  - An efficient gene-targeting system based on impairment of the nonhomologous end
      joining pathway and the orotidine monophosphate decarboxylase gene (pyrG) in
      Aspergillus flavus was established. It was achieved by replacing the ku70 gene
      with the Aspergillus oryzae pyrithiamine resistance (ptr) gene and by inserting
      the Aspergillus parasiticus cypA gene into the pyrG locus. The utility of this
      system was demonstrated by disruption of nine candidate genes for conidial
      pigment biosynthesis. The gene-targeting frequencies ranged from 80 to 100%. Two
      linked genes on chromosome 4, wA and olgA, were confirmed to be involved in
      pigment formation. In contrast to the parental strain which produced yellowish
      green conidia, the knockout mutants produced white and olive-green conidia,
      respectively. The system was further refined by restoring the pyrithiamine
      sensitivity and uracil auxotrophy in the A. flavus transformation recipient with
      an engineered pyrG marker. The improvement allowed gene manipulation using the
      reusable pyrG marker as shown by the restoration of laeA-mediated aflatoxin
      production in an A. flavus laeA-deleted mutant.

PMID- 20298722
TI  - Contributions of the amygdala central nucleus and ventrolateral periaqueductal
      grey to freezing and instrumental suppression in Pavlovian fear conditioning.
AB  - In Pavlovian fear conditioning animals receive pairings of a neutral cue and an
      aversive stimulus such as an electric foot-shock. Through such pairings, the cue
      will come to elicit a central state of fear that produces a variety of autonomic
      and behavioral responses, among which are conditioned freezing and suppression of
      instrumental responding, termed conditioned suppression. The central nucleus of
      the amygdala (CeA) and the ventrolateral periaqueductal grey (vlPAG) has been
      strongly implicated in the acquisition and expression of conditioned fear.
      However, previous work suggests different roles for the CeA and vlPAG in fear
      learning maybe revealed when fear is assessed with conditioned freezing or
      conditioned suppression. To further explore this possibility we gave rats
      selective lesions of either the CeA or vlPAG and trained them in Pavlovian first
      order fear conditioning as well as Pavlovian second-order fear conditioning. We
      concurrently assessed the acquisition of conditioned freezing and conditioned
      suppression. We found that vlPAG and CeA lesions impaired both first- and second
      order conditioned freezing. VlPAG lesions did not impair, and CeA lesions only
      transiently impaired, first-order conditioned suppression. However, both vlPAG
      and CeA lesions impaired second-order conditioned suppression. These results
      suggest that the CeA and vlPAG are critically important to expressing fear
      through conditioned freezing but play different and less critical roles in
      expressing fear through conditioned suppression.

PMID- 20298724
TI  - Rapid detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in mouse feces by colorimetric loop
      mediated isothermal amplification.
AB  - A colorimetric loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay with hydroxy
      naphthol blue was designed to amplify a region in the outer membrane lipoprotein
      (oprL) gene of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The LAMP assay showed 100% specificity for
      the serogroup and other bacteria, and the sensitivity was 10-fold higher than
      that of the PCR assays. The LAMP assay could detect P. aeruginosa inoculated in
      mouse feces at 130 colony-forming units (CFU)/0.1g feces (3.25 CFU/reaction). The
      assay was completed within 2h from DNA extraction. In a field trial, the LAMP
      assay revealed that none of the 27 samples was obtained from 2 specific pathogen
      free (SPF) mouse facilities that were monitoring infection with P. aeruginosa; 1
      out of 12 samples from an SPF mouse facility that was not monitoring infection
      with P. aeruginosa and 2 out of 7 samples from a conventional mouse facility were
      positive for P. aeruginosa. In contrast, P. aeruginosa was not detected in any of
      the samples by a conventional culture assay. Thus, this colorimetric LAMP assay
      is a simple and rapid method for P. aeruginosa detection.

PMID- 20298725
TI  - Strain improvement of the pentose-fermenting yeast Pichia stipitis by genome
      shuffling.
AB  - Genome shuffling based on cross mating was used to improve the tolerance of the
      pentose-fermenting yeast Pichia stipitis towards hardwood spent sulphite liquor
      (HW SSL). Six UV-induced mutants of P. stipitis were used as the starting
      strains, and they were subjected to 4 rounds of genome shuffling. After each
      round, improved strains were selected based on their growth on HW SSL gradient
      plates. Mutant libraries were established after each round and these improved
      mutant strains served as the starting pool for the next round of shuffling.
      Apparent tolerance to HW SSL on the gradient plate increased progressively with
      each round of shuffling up to 4 rounds. Selected improved mutants were further
      tested for tolerance to liquid HW SSL. After 4 rounds of shuffling, 4 mutants,
      two from the third round (designated as GS301 and GS302) and two from the fourth
      round (designated as GS401 and GS402), were selected that could grow in 80% (v/v)
      HW SSL. GS301 and GS302 grew also in 85% (v/v) HW SSL. GS301 was viable in 90%
      (v/v) HW SSL, although no increase in cell number was seen. The P. stipitis wild
      type strain (WT) could not grow on HW SSL unless it was diluted to 65% (v/v) or
      lower. Genome-shuffled strains with improved tolerance to HW SSL retained their
      fermentation ability. Fermentation performance of GS301 and GS302, the 2 strains
      that exhibited the best tolerance to liquid HW SSL, was assessed in defined media
      and in HW SSL. Both strains utilized 4% (w/v) of xylose or glucose more
      efficiently and produced more ethanol than the WT. They also utilized 4% (w/v) of
      mannose or galactose and produced ethanol to the same extent as the WT. GS301 and
      GS302 were able to produce low levels of ethanol in undiluted HW SSL.

PMID- 20298726
TI  - Simple and rapid method for detection of nitrate reductase activity of
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium canettii grown in the Bactec MGIT960
      system.
AB  - Mycobacterium tuberculosis reduces nitrate very strongly as compared to
      Mycobacterium bovis and M. bovis BCG. Nitrate reductase, in conjunction with
      niacin accumulation, constitutes one of the major biochemical tests used in
      clinical microbiology laboratories to differentiate M. tuberculosis from other
      members of the M. tuberculosis complex, as well as nontuberculous Mycobacteria.
      Determination of nitrate reductase activity is currently performed using cultures
      grown on solid media with a slow detection time and the need for large quantities
      of bacilli, as otherwise the test is not reliable. Hereby, we propose a nitrate
      reduction test coupled to Bactec MGIT960 system as a simple, rapid and economic
      method with a total gain of time of about 3 to 4weeks over the conventional solid
      medium. In our study, almost all the M. tuberculosis and Mycobacterium canettii
      strains gave a strongly positive nitrate reductase result within 1day of positive
      detection by the MGIT960 system. In contrast, M. bovis, M. bovis BCG and M.
      africanum strains remained negative even after 14days of incubation. The
      possibility to detect nitrate reductase within 1 to 3days of a positive culture
      using MGIT960 opens new perspectives with the possibility of confirming M.
      tuberculosis - starting directly from pathological specimens.

PMID- 20298727
TI  - Swab transport in Amies gel followed by frozen storage in skim milk tryptone
      glucose glycerol broth (STGGB) for studies of respiratory bacterial pathogens.
AB  - Nasopharyngeal carriage studies are needed to monitor changes in important
      bacterial pathogens in response to vaccination and antibiotics. Commercial swab
      transport followed by transfer to skim milk tryptone glucose glycerol broth for
      frozen storage is an option for studies of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus
      influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis.

PMID- 20298728
TI  - Scopolamine-induced learning impairment reversed by physostigmine in zebrafish.
AB  - In this study, the effects of scopolamine, an acetylcholine muscarinic receptor
      antagonist, and physostigmine, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, on the learning
      ability and memory of zebrafish were evaluated using a passive avoidance response
      test. The zebrafish were trained to stay in a dark compartment to avoid a weight
      dropping into an acryl shuttle chamber with a central sliding door. The crossing
      time was increased significantly, from 30.7+/-40.8s to 179.3+/-27.3s in the
      training session and 179.9+/-28.0s in the test session carried out 2h later in
      the controls. When treatment with 200 microM scopolamine was administered for 1h
      prior to the training session, the crossing time did not increase. The
      scopolamine-induced learning deficit was ameliorated by pretreatment with 20
      microM physostigmine for 1h prior to scopolamine treatment; the crossing time was
      similarly increased, as shown with the controls (60.9+/-11.5s, 130.9+/-27.5s, and
      183.4+/-26.6s in the training session and 108.1+/-23.9s in the test session).
      When scopolamine treatment was administered after the training session, the
      crossing time in the test session was reduced significantly as compared to that
      noted in the third trial of the training session, which was also ameliorated by
      physostigmine pretreatment. These results show that scopolamine impairs both the
      acquisition of passive avoidance response and retention of the learned response,
      and that physostigmine rescues the amnesic effects of scopolamine in zebrafish.

PMID- 20298730
TI  - Restrained eaters show enhanced automatic approach tendencies towards food.
AB  - Although restrained eaters intend to limit their caloric intake, they
      nevertheless frequently fail and indulge in exactly the foods they want to avoid.
      Because automatic food-relevant approach tendencies and affective associations
      may both (independently) contribute to the dysregulation of food intake, the
      present study was designed to investigate the importance of both processes in
      relation to high-fat and low-fat food in restrained and unrestrained eaters. Both
      restrained and unrestrained eaters demonstrated stronger automatic liking
      associations with high-fat food than with low-fat food items, whereas a similar
      pattern was absent in their self-reports of liking food. Interestingly,
      specifically restrained eaters also displayed relatively strong automatic
      approach tendencies. These results appear to be consistent with the incentive
      sensitization theory (Robinson & Berridge, 2001), as overeating seems not so much
      to be characterized by enhanced liking of food but by stronger automatic approach
      tendencies towards food.

PMID- 20298729
TI  - Silk-based delivery systems of bioactive molecules.
AB  - Silks are biodegradable, biocompatible, self-assembling proteins that can also be
      tailored via genetic engineering to contain specific chemical features, offering
      utility for drug and gene delivery. Silkworm silk has been used in biomedical
      sutures for decades and has recently achieved Food and Drug Administration
      approval for expanded biomaterials device utility. With the diversity and control
      of size, structure and chemistry, modified or recombinant silk proteins can be
      designed and utilized in various biomedical application, such as for the delivery
      of bioactive molecules. This review focuses on the biosynthesis and applications
      of silk-based multi-block copolymer systems and related silk protein drug
      delivery systems. The utility of these systems for the delivery of small molecule
      drugs, proteins and genes is reviewed.

PMID- 20298732
TI  - Maintenance electroconvulsive therapy in autistic catatonia: a case series
      review.
AB  - The usage of electroconvulsive therapy for the acute resolution of catatonia in
      autistic children and adults is a novel area that has received increased
      attention over the past few years. Reported length of the acute ECT course varies
      among these patients, and there is no current literature on maintenance ECT in
      autism. The maintenance ECT courses of three patients with autism who developed
      catatonia are presented. Clinical, research, legal, and administrative
      implications for ECT treatment in this special population are discussed.

PMID- 20298731
TI  - Th1 and Th17 immunocompetence in humanized NOD/SCID/IL2rgammanull mice.
AB  - We evaluated the immunocompetence of human T cells in humanized NOD-SCID
      interleukin (IL)-2r-gamma-null (hu-NSG) mice bearing a human thymic organoid,
      after multilineage reconstitution with isogeneic human leukocytes. Delayed type
      hypersensitivity (DTH) response was assessed by a direct footpad challenge of the
      immunized hu-NSG host, or by transfer of splenocytes from immunized hu-NSG, along
      with antigen, into footpads of C.B-17 scid mice (trans vivo [tv] DTH). Both
      methods revealed cellular immunity to tetanus toxoid (TT) or collagen type V
      (ColV). Immunohistochemical analysis of the swollen footpads revealed
      infiltration of human CD45(+) cells, including CD3(+) T cells, CD68(+)
      macrophages, and murine Ly6G(+) neutrophils. We observed a significant
      correlation between the percentage of circulating human CD4(+) cells and the
      direct DTH swelling response to TT. The tvDTH response to TT was inhibited by
      anti-interferon-gamma, whereas the tvDTH response to collagen V was inhibited by
      anti-IL-17 antibody, mimicking the cytokine bias of adult human T cells to these
      antigens. hu-NSG mice were also capable of mounting a B-cell response (primarily
      IgM) to TT antigen. The activation of either Th1- or Th17-dependent cellular
      immune response supports the utility of hu-NSG mice as a surrogate model of
      allograft rejection and autoimmunity.

PMID- 20298733
TI  - Quetiapine in the treatment of refractory irritable bowel syndrome: a case
      report.

PMID- 20298734
TI  - Quetiapine as add-on treatment for bipolar I disorder with comorbid compulsive
      buying and physical exercise addiction.

PMID- 20298735
TI  - Probable risperidone-induced tardive "writer's dystonia".

PMID- 20298736
TI  - Manic switch and serotonin syndrome induced by augmentation of paroxetine with
      methylphenidate in a patient with major depression.

PMID- 20298737
TI  - Aripiprazole augmentation for the treatment of an adolescent with posttraumatic
      stress disorder.

PMID- 20298738
TI  - Effect of chlorhexidine incorporation into a self-etching primer on dentine bond
      strength of a luting cement.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the effect of incorporating chlorhexidine in
      a self-etching primer on the bond strength of an adhesive resin cement to dentine
      and on antibacterial activity. METHODS: Experimental self-etching primers were
      prepared by adding chlorhexidine (CHX) diacetate to ED primer 2.0 (Kuraray
      Medical Inc.) to obtain chlorhexidine concentrations of 1.0 wt% and 2.0 wt%.
      Human occlusal dentine surfaces were conditioned for 30 s using the experimental
      primers or pure ED primer. Composite blocks were luted using Panavia F 2.0
      (Kuraray Medical Inc.). After storage in water for 24 h, the bonded teeth were
      sectioned into 0.9 mm x 0.9 mm beams and stressed to failure in tension to
      examine microtensile bond strength (microTBS). Fractured surfaces were examined
      with a field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The morphology of
      dentine surfaces that were conditioned with each primer was also observed under
      FE-SEM. An agar diffusion test was performed to examine the antibacterial effect
      of each primer against Streptococcus mutans and Enterococcus faecalis. RESULTS:
      Addition of chlorhexidine to the primer had significant effects (p<0.001) on
      microTBS and antibacterial effect. No significant difference in microTBS was
      found between the groups that contained 0% and 1% chlorhexidine in the primer
      (p=0.095). Conversely, the group that contained 2% chlorhexidine showed
      significantly lower microTBS and pronounced cohesive failures within the thin
      layer of the primer. CONCLUSIONS: Incorporation of chlorhexidine into ED primer
      2.0 showed significant antibacterial activities. Conditioning with the 1%
      chlorhexidine-containing primer had no adverse effect on microTBS.

PMID- 20298739
TI  - A structure-activity study to identify novel and efficient substrates of the
      human semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase/VAP-1 enzyme.
AB  - Kinetic studies were performed with various alkanamines as "substrate probes" of
      the properties of the active site of the human semicarbazide-sensitive amine
      oxidase/vascular adhesion protein-1 (SSAO/VAP-1). We found that the enzyme
      substrate recognition step is mainly controlled by apolar interactions and that a
      "good" substrate has a molecular structure containing a long aliphatic chain and
      a second positive charge at a distance greater than 12 A from the reactive amino
      group. In this context, we identified a novel substrate for the human SSAO/VAP-1,
      1,12-diaminododecane (DIADO), which is characterised by the highest catalytic
      efficiency reported to date in comparison to the prototypic substrate
      benzylamine. Computational docking studies revealed the structural basis of this
      behaviour, highlighting the key role played by Lys393 in hindering substrate
      docking. Maximum SSAO/VAP-1 activity is reached at relatively low concentrations
      of DIADO (10-30 microM), and, in these conditions, it has good selectivity: it is
      a good substrate of SSAO/VAP-1 but not of human adipocyte monoamine oxidases or
      pig kidney diamine oxidase. From these findings, it appears that DIADO can be
      used as a new substrate for human SSAO/VAP-1 to elicit glucose transport into
      adipocytes, and may consequently have potential pharmacological applications in
      the design of anti-diabetic agents.

PMID- 20298740
TI  - Compensatory effects of emotion avoidance in adult development.
AB  - Although compensatory strategies can offset regulatory losses that occur in later
      adulthood, they often break down under conditions of over-activation. Two emotion
      regulation tasks examined compensatory effects related to attachment
      classification (AC). Study 1 examined emotional Stroop performance in young (17
      39) and old adults (60-89). Among the elder, participants with dismissing AC
      showed increased response times (RTs) for anger and fear words, whereas
      participants with secure AC showed increased RTs for joy words. Participants with
      anxious AC responded slowest overall. In Study 2, heart rate (HR) was monitored
      while adult (25-82) mother-daughter pairs discussed three emotion events
      (conflict, neutral, happy). During conflict discussion, older dismissing women
      had highest initial HR and slowest recovery, whereas anxious older women had
      lowest initial HR and fastest recovery. Results suggest that in old age
      protective functions of dismissing AC break down under over-activation, whereas
      anxious AC may serve a protective role.

PMID- 20298741
TI  - Allocation of attention to self-name and self-face: An ERP study.
AB  - Self-related information, due to its high social/adaptive value, seems to have a
      preferential access to our attentional resources (cf. the cocktail party effect).
      However, it remains uncertain whether this attention preference is the same for
      different kinds of self-related cues. In this ERP study we showed that self-name
      and self-face when compared with other names and faces, produced very similar
      patterns of behavioral and neural responses, i.e., shorter reaction times (RTs)
      and enhanced P300. The processing of the two self-related cues did not differ
      between each other, neither in RTs nor in P300 responses. In fact, the amplitudes
      of P300 to self-name and self-face were correlated. These results suggest that
      the adaptive value of different kinds of self-related cues tends to be equal and
      they engage attention resources to a similar extent.

PMID- 20298742
TI  - A novel fluorescent-based assay reveals that thrombopoietin signaling and Bcl
      X(L) influence, respectively, platelet and erythrocyte lifespans.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The factors determining platelet and erythrocyte lifespan are not
      completely understood, despite extensive study. The lack of success may be
      attributed to the methods used to measure lifespan kinetics, all of which require
      processing of cells prior to analysis, and the inconsistent and potentially
      inappropriate use of mathematical models for data analysis. The aims of this
      study were to establish an in vivo platelet and erythrocyte labeling method using
      carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFSE), determine the most
      appropriate mathematical model for lifespan analysis, and apply both to the study
      of factors that control platelet and erythrocyte lifespans. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Control, c-mpl knockout (KO), and Bcl-X(L) mutant mice were injected
      with CFSE and platelet and erythrocyte fluorescence followed over time. Datasets
      were analyzed using linear, exponential, multiple-hit, and lognormal mathematical
      models. RESULTS: In vivo CFSE labeling of platelets and erythrocytes requires no
      postcollection processing, proved stable, nontoxic, nonimmunogenic, and the
      lifespans were highly reproducible. Mathematical modeling revealed the lognormal
      model gave a robust fit to control and extreme datasets when either extrinsic or
      intrinsic factors determined lifespan. Using these methods, platelet lifespans
      were found to be significantly shortened in thrombopoietin-receptor-deficient
      mice independent of blood loss, and the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-X(L) was shown
      to play a role in prolonging erythrocyte lifespans. CONCLUSIONS: The simultaneous
      study of platelet and erythrocyte lifespans using in vivo CFSE labeling with
      lognormal modeling yielded insight into common intrinsic and extrinsic platelet
      and erythrocyte lifespan determinants and provides an improved methodology for
      use in this field of research.

PMID- 20298743
TI  - The systems approach to the prespore-specific activation of sigma factor SigF in
      Bacillus subtilis.
AB  - The prespore-specific activation of sigma factor SigF (sigma(F)) in Bacillus
      subtilis has been explained mainly by two factors, i.e., the transient genetic
      asymmetry and the volume difference between the mother cell and the prespore.
      Here, we systematically surveyed the effect of these two factors on sporulation
      using a quantitative modeling and simulation architecture named hybrid functional
      Petri net with extension (HFPNe). Considering the fact that the transient genetic
      asymmetry and the volume difference in sporulation of B. subtilis finally bring
      about the concentration difference in two proteins SpoIIAB (AB) and SpoIIAA (AA)
      between the mother cell and the prespore, we have surveyed the effect of AB and
      AA concentration on the prespore-specific activation of sigma(F) occurring in the
      early stage of sporulation. Our results show that the prespore-specific
      activation of sigma(F) could be governed by the ratio of AA to AB rather than
      their concentrations themselves. Our model also suggests that B. subtilis could
      maximize the ratio of AA to AB in the prespore and minimize it in the mother cell
      by employing both the transient genetic asymmetry and the volume difference
      simultaneously. This might give a good explanation to the co-occurrence of the
      transient asymmetry and the volume difference during sporulation of B. subtilis.
      In addition, we suggest for the first time that the sigma(F) activation in the
      prespore might be switched off by the decrease in the ratio of AA to AB after the
      transient genetic asymmetry is to an end by completion of DNA translocation into
      the prespore.

PMID- 20298744
TI  - Seasonal breeding as a neuroendocrine model for puberty in sheep.
AB  - Puberty is defined as the awakening of the hypothalamic-pituitary gonadal axis.
      Sheep are seasonal breeders, experiencing an annual period of reproductive
      quiescence and renaissance that can be utilized as a model for the onset of
      puberty. Kisspeptin and gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone appear to be important
      for the seasonal shift in reproductive activity and the former is mandatory for
      puberty. The non-breeding season is characterized by an increase in the negative
      feedback effect of estrogen on GnRH and gonadotropin secretion, as is the case in
      the pre-pubertal period. This effect of estrogen may be transmitted by kisspeptin
      cells. Additionally, dopaminergic A14/A15 neurons facilitate the seasonal change
      in estrogen negative feedback. Integrated function of these three groups of
      neurons appears to modulate the annual shift in photoperiod to a physiological
      change in fertility. This review compares and contrasts seasonal cycles of
      reproduction with the mechanisms that relate to the onset of puberty.

PMID- 20298745
TI  - Genetics and phenomics of Pendred syndrome.
AB  - Pendred syndrome is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by
      sensorineural deafness, goiter and a partial defect in iodide organification.
      Goiter development and hypothyroidism vary and appear to depend on nutritional
      iodide intake. Pendred syndrome is caused by biallelic mutations in the SLC26A4
      gene, which encodes pendrin, a multifunctional anion exchanger. Pendrin is mainly
      expressed in the thyroid, the inner ear, and the kidney. In the thyroid, pendrin
      localizes to the apical membrane of thyrocytes, where it may be involved in
      mediating iodide efflux. Loss-of-function mutations in the SLC26A4 gene are
      associated with a partial iodide organification defect, presumably because of a
      reduced iodide efflux into the follicular lumen. In the kidney, pendrin functions
      as a chloride/bicarbonate exchanger. In the inner ear, pendrin is important in
      the maintenance of a normal anion transport and the endocochlear potential.
      Elucidation of the function of pendrin has provided unexpected novel insights
      into the pathophysiology of thyroid hormone biosynthesis, chloride retention in
      the kidney, and composition of the endolymph.

PMID- 20298746
TI  - Trends in puberty timing in humans and environmental modifiers.
AB  - Secular trends in timing of puberty appear to continue although under-nutrition
      has not been any longer a limiting factor for pubertal development. Now obesity
      and other environmental reasons have been suspected to cause this trend, and
      endocrine disrupting chemicals have become into focus as possible contributors.
      Epidemiological studies on endocrine disrupters are still scarce and show only
      weak associations between exposures and timing of puberty. Since genetic
      background explains 50-80% of variability in the timing of puberty, it is not
      surprising that the observed environmental effects are rather modest when
      individual exposures are assessed. Despite that, some exposures have been
      reported to be associated to early (e.g., polybrominated biphenyls) or delayed
      (e.g., lead) puberty. Here we shortly review the available data on recent trends
      in timing of puberty and the possible role of endocrine disrupters.

PMID- 20298747
TI  - Genetics and phenomics of hypothyroidism and goiter due to iodotyrosine
      deiodinase (DEHAL1) gene mutations.
AB  - Iodotyrosine deiodinase is a thyroidal enzyme that deiodinates mono- and di
      iodotyrosines (MIT, DIT) and recycles iodine, a scarce element in the
      environment, for the efficient synthesis of thyroid hormone. Failure of this
      enzyme leads to hypothyroidism, goiter and mental retardation, a clinical
      phenotype yet described in the 1950s, whose diagnostic hallmark is the elevation
      of iodotyrosines in serum and urine. DEHAL1, the gene responsible for this
      activity, was recently isolated and the molecular basis for the iodotyrosine
      deiodinase deficiency (ITDD) unraveled. The current clinical picture of mutations
      in DEHAL1 mostly recapitulates the "classical" phenotype of ITDD, including the
      psychomotor deficits. This is probably due to the lack of expression of the
      disease at the beginning of life, which causes ITDD being undetected in current
      screening programs for congenital hypothyroidism. This worrying feature calls for
      efforts to improve the preclinical detection of iodotyrosine deiodinase
      deficiency in the neonatal time.

PMID- 20298748
TI  - Cleaved bovine prolactin-related protein-I stimulates vascular endothelial cell
      proliferation.
AB  - Prolactin-related protein-I (PRP1) is a member of a non-classical prolactin
      (PRL)/growth hormone family in cattle. However, its function is still unknown.
      PRL, when cleaved by cathepsin D and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), resulted
      in cleaved N-terminal 16kDa fragments (16K-PRL) that have antiangiogenetic
      properties in human and rodents. We examined the possibility of similar activity
      of bovine PRP1. PRP1 (normally 33kDa) was cleaved by cathepsins (CTSs), MMPs, and
      bovine cotyledonary-conditioned medium (BCCM), and generated mainly 26kDa N
      terminal fragments. Two specific enzyme families, CTSs and MMPs cleaved intact
      PRP1, and BCCM also contained PRP1 cleavage activity. Bioactivity for pro- or
      anti-angiogenesis of the cleaved PRP1 was examined in a cell proliferation assay
      using bovine brain vascular endothelial cells. The cleaved PRP1 proliferated the
      endothelial cells in vitro. The endothelial cell proliferation activity of
      cleaved PRP1 may be shared in specific bovine placentomal angiogenesis.

PMID- 20298749
TI  - Intra-amygdala injections of neuropeptide S block fear-potentiated startle.
AB  - Injections of neuropeptide S (NPS) into the lateral ventricle induce a strong
      hyperactivity. Since most behavioral paradigms are dependent of spontaneous
      locomotor activity, this makes it difficult to interpret the role of NPS in such
      paradigms. The aim of the present experiment was to investigate the effects of
      NPS in fear-potentiated startle, a behavioral fear paradigm which we believe is
      less sensitive to general changes in locomotor activity. Furthermore, NPS was
      directly injected into the amygdala, the central site of the neural fear
      circuitry. Our data shows that intra-amygdala NPS injections dose-dependently
      block the expression of conditioned fear and that this effect is independent of
      NPS effects on locomotor activity. This strongly supports a crucial role of
      amygdaloid NPS in conditioned fear.

PMID- 20298750
TI  - Activation of imidazoline I2B receptors is linked with AMP kinase pathway to
      increase glucose uptake in cultured C2C12 cells.
AB  - Guanidine, the active ingredient extracted from Galega officinalis, is introduced
      as a ligand for imidazoline I2 receptor (I2R) because guanidine decreased plasma
      glucose via an activation of I2BR to increase glucose uptake into skeletal muscle
      isolated from Wistar rats. However, the signals for this action of guanidine
      remained obscure. In the present study, we used the cultured skeletal muscle
      fibroblast named C2C12 cell line to investigate this point. We found that
      guanidine increased the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in
      addition to the higher of glucose transporter GLUT4 expression and glucose
      uptake. These effects of guanidine were blocked by the pretreatment with I2R
      antagonist BU224 but not by the blockade of I2AR amiloride. Moreover, compound C
      at concentrations sufficient to inhibit AMPK blocked the guanidine-induced
      glucose uptake and GLUT4 protein level. These results suggested that guanidine
      increases glucose uptake via an activation of I2BR through AMPK activation in
      skeletal muscle cell; this view has not been mentioned before.

PMID- 20298751
TI  - Estrogen receptor alpha is involved in the estrogenic regulation of arginine
      vasopressin immunoreactivity in the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei of
      ovariectomized rats.
AB  - The ovarian hormone estradiol regulates the expression of arginine vasopressin
      gene and the release of arginine vasopressin by magnocellular hypothalamic
      neurons. Magnocellular neurons express estrogen receptor beta and are contacted
      by afferent neurons that express estrogen receptor alpha. In this study we have
      assessed the effect of selective ligands for estrogen receptors to determine the
      subtype of estrogen receptor involved in the regulation of arginine vasopressin
      immunoreactivity in the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei of ovariectomized
      rats. The volume fraction occupied by arginine vasopressin immunoreactive
      material was significantly increased in both nuclei in the animals treated with
      estradiol compared to the animals injected with vehicle. A similar result was
      obtained with an estrogen receptor alpha selective agonist. In contrast, the
      administration of an estrogen receptor beta selective agonist did not
      significantly affect arginine vasopressin immunoreactivity. This finding suggests
      that estradiol may regulate arginine vasopressin levels on the supraoptic and
      paraventricular nuclei by acting on afferent neurons expressing estrogen receptor
      alpha.

PMID- 20298752
TI  - Phase-dependent modulation of soleus H-reflex amplitude induced by rhythmic arm
      cycling.
AB  - Rhythmic arm cycling is known to suppress the Hoffmann (H-) reflex amplitudes in
      the soleus (Sol) muscles of stationary legs. However, it has remained unclear if
      this suppression is modulated according to the phase of movement in the cycle
      path or is rather a general setting of excitability level related to rhythmic
      movement. In the present study we investigated the phase-dependent modulation of
      the Sol H-reflex induced by rhythmic arm cycling by examining reflex amplitudes
      at 12 phases of the arm cycle movement. Arm cycling tasks consisted of bilateral,
      ipsilateral and contralateral movement. Additionally, data were also sampled at
      12 static arm positions mimicking those occurring during movement. H-reflexes
      were evoked and recorded at constant motor wave amplitudes across all conditions.
      Suppression of Sol H-reflex amplitude was dependent upon the phase of movement
      (main effect p<0.0001) during arm cycling, but not during static positioning.
      Results suggest that locomotor central pattern generators may contribute to the
      phasic reflex modulation observed in this study. The phasic modulation was more
      pronounced during bilateral movement, however aspects of the neural control
      driving this modulation were also present during ipsilateral and contralateral
      movement.

PMID- 20298753
TI  - Oleamide suppresses lipopolysaccharide-induced expression of iNOS and COX-2
      through inhibition of NF-kappaB activation in BV2 murine microglial cells.
AB  - Oleamide (cis-9-octadecenamide) is an endogenous sleep-inducing fatty acid amide
      that accumulates in the cerebrospinal fluid of the sleep-deprived animals.
      Microglia are the major immune cells involved in neuroinflammation causing brain
      damage during infection, ischemia, and neurodegenerative disease. In this study,
      we examined the effects of oleamide on LPS-induced production of proinflammatory
      mediators and the mechanisms involved in BV2 microglia. Oleamide inhibited LPS
      induced production of NO and prostaglandin E2 as well as expression of iNOS and
      COX-2. We showed that oleamide blocked LPS-induced NF-kappaB activation and
      phosphorylation of inhibitor kappaB kinase (IKK). We also showed that oleamide
      inhibited LPS-induced phosphorylation of Akt, p38 MAPK, and ERK, activation of PI
      3-kinase, and accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Finally, we showed
      that a specific antagonist of the CB2 receptor, AM630, blocked the inhibitory
      effects of oleamide on LPS-induced production of proinflammatory mediators and
      activation of NF-kappaB. Taken together, our results suggest that oleamide shows
      an anti-inflammatory effect through inhibition of NF-kappaB activation in LPS
      stimulated BV2 microglia.

PMID- 20298754
TI  - Increased corticospinal excitability induced by unpleasant visual stimuli.
AB  - Pleasant and unpleasant emotional stimuli are frequently conceptualized as
      motivators for action. This notion was examined using focal transcranial magnetic
      stimulation (TMS). Ten healthy participants viewed pleasant, neutral, and
      unpleasant pictures from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS).
      During picture viewing, focal TMS was applied to the right motor cortex over the
      area innervating the first dorsal interosseous muscle of the left hand.
      Corticomotor excitability was larger while viewing negative pictures than while
      viewing neutral or positive images, as evidenced by greater motor evoked
      potentials. No difference was found between pleasant and neutral pictures. These
      results are consistent with models of emotion in which the neural networks
      underlying negative emotions have selective, direct connections to brain
      structures that mediate motor responses.

PMID- 20298755
TI  - Heterotopically transplanted CVO neural stem cells generate neurons and migrate
      with SVZ cells in the adult mouse brain.
AB  - Production of new neurons throughout adulthood has been well characterized in two
      brain regions, the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the anterolateral ventricle and
      the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the hippocampus. The neurons produced from these
      regions arise from neural stem cells (NSCs) found in highly regulated stem cell
      niches. We recently showed that midline structures called circumventricular
      organs (CVOs) also contain NSCs capable of neurogenesis and/or astrogliogenesis
      in vitro and in situ (Bennett et al.). The present study demonstrates that NSCs
      derived from two astrogliogenic CVOs, the median eminence and organum vasculosum
      of the lamina terminalis of the nestin-GFP mouse, possess the potential to
      integrate into the SVZ and differentiate into cells with a neuronal phenotype.
      These NSCs, following expansion and BrdU-labeling in culture and heterotopic
      transplantation into a region proximal to the SVZ in adult mice, migrate caudally
      to the SVZ and express early neuronal markers (TUC-4, PSA-NCAM) as they migrate
      along the rostral migratory stream. CVO-derived BrdU(+) cells ultimately reach
      the olfactory bulb where they express early (PSA-NCAM) and mature (NeuN) neuronal
      markers. Collectively, these data suggest that although NSCs derived from the ME
      and OVLT CVOs are astrogliogenic in situ, they produce cells phenotypic of
      neurons in vivo when placed in a neurogenic environment. These findings may have
      implications for neural repair in the adult brain.

PMID- 20298756
TI  - Farnesyl diphosphate synthase attenuates paclitaxel-induced apoptotic cell death
      in human glioblastoma U87MG cells.
AB  - Increased expression of farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FPPS) by stable
      transfection appeared to attenuate paclitaxel-induced apoptotic cell death in
      human glioblastoma U87MG cells. The present results suggest that the apoptotic
      functions of p53 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) are affected by FPPS. Farnesyl
      diphosphate, a catalytic product of FPPS, also attenuated mentioned paclitaxel
      induced apoptotic cell death. As expected, the FPPS inhibitor, pamidronate,
      enhanced paclitaxel-induced apoptotic cell death. The present results suggest
      that FPPS plays an important role in apoptotic cell death of cancer cells by
      blocking the JNK signaling cascade and activating mevalonate metabolism in
      paclitaxel-treated glioblastoma cells.

PMID- 20298757
TI  - Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression and extracellular signal-regulated
      kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) activation in exercise-reduced neuronal apoptosis after
      stroke.
AB  - Exercise preconditioning has been shown to reduce neuronal damage in
      ischemic/reperfusion (I/R) injury. ERK1/2 signaling in injury has been thought to
      modulate neuroprotection. In this study, we investigated the effects of ERK1/2
      activation on the expression and activity of MMP-9 and downstream neuronal
      apoptosis. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to 30min of exercise on
      a treadmill for 3 weeks. Stroke was induced by a 2-h middle cerebral artery (MCA)
      occlusion using an intraluminal filament. Apoptotic protein caspase-3 and
      neuronal apoptosis in cortex and striatum was determined by Western blot at 24h
      reperfusion and TUNEL staining at 48h reperfusion in 5 I/R injury groups: no
      treatment, MMP-9 inhibitor (doxycycline), pre-ischemic exercise, exercised
      animals undergone ERK1/2 inhibition (U0126), and dual inhibition of ERK1/2 and
      MMP-9 in exercised ischemic rats. Cerebral MMP-9 expression in ischemic rats with
      different treatment was determined at 6, 12 and 24h reperfusion by real-time PCR
      for mRNA, Western blot for protein and zymography for enzyme activity. Exercise
      preconditioning significantly (p<0.05) reduced apoptosis determined by caspase-3
      and TUNEL. In non-exercised rats, doxycycline treatment had significant (p<0.05)
      reductions in apoptosis after I/R injury. The dual ERK1/2-MMP-9 inhibited
      exercised animals had significantly (p<0.05) reduced neuronal apoptosis that was
      similar to that seen in exercised ischemic rats. MMP-9 expression in I/R injury
      was significantly (p<0.05) reduced in the exercised animals as compared to non
      exercised controls. When ERK1/2 was inhibited, the reduced MMP-9 expression was
      reversed to the level seen in the non-exercised controls. This study has
      suggested that exercise-induced neuroprotection in I/R injury may be mediated by
      MMP-9 and ERK1/2 expression, leading to a reduction in neuronal apoptosis.

PMID- 20298759
TI  - Dose-related effects of memantine on a mismatch negativity-like response in
      anesthetized rats.
AB  - Memantine is a low-affinity NMDA receptor antagonist that is used in the
      treatment of Alzheimer's disease to alleviate the cognitive symptoms of the
      disease. In humans, memantine has been shown to facilitate auditory change
      detection as reflected in the mismatch negativity (MMN) response recorded in the
      frontal cortex. In the present study we investigated the effects of memantine on
      the auditory MMN-like responses recorded in anesthetized rats. Saline, a low (3
      mg/kg) or a high (10 mg/kg) dose of memantine was i.p. injected into the animals.
      Auditory MMN-like responses were recorded during the presentation of a repeated
      tone of one frequency (standard, P=0.956) that was rarely replaced by a tone of
      another frequency (deviant, P=0.044). The low dose of memantine did not
      observably affect the amplitude of the auditory MMN-like response, but it
      prolonged the duration of the response relative to saline. The high dose of
      memantine, in contrast, blocked the generation of the auditory MMN-like response.
      The findings suggest that memantine may, with appropriate doses, facilitate
      already this early stage of auditory processing.

PMID- 20298758
TI  - Is age-dependent, ketamine-induced apoptosis in the rat somatosensory cortex
      influenced by temperature?
AB  - General anesthetics have long been thought to be relatively safe but recent
      clinical studies have revealed that exposure of very young children (4 years or
      less) to agents that act by blocking the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR)
      can lead to cognitive deficits as they mature. In rodent and non-human primate
      studies, blockade of this receptor during the perinatal period leads to a number
      of molecular, cellular and behavioral pathologies. Despite the overwhelming
      evidence from such studies, doubt remains as to their clinical relevance. A key
      issue is whether the primary injury (apoptotic cell death) is specific to
      receptor blockade or due to non-specific, patho-physiological changes. Principal
      to this argument is that loss of core body temperature following NMDAR blockade
      could explain why injury is observed hours later. We therefore examined the
      neurotoxicity of the general anesthetic ketamine in P7, P14 and P21 rats while
      monitoring core body temperature. We found that, at P7, ketamine induced the pro
      apoptotic enzyme activated caspase-3 in a dose-dependent manner. As expected,
      injury was greatly diminished by P14 and absent by P21. However, contrary to
      expectations, we found that core body temperature was not a factor in determining
      injury. Our data imply that injury is directly related to receptor blockade and
      is unlikely to be overcome by artificially changing core body temperature.

PMID- 20298760
TI  - Amphetamine up-regulates activator of G-protein signaling 1 mRNA and protein
      levels in rat frontal cortex: the role of dopamine and glucocorticoid receptors.
AB  - Acute and chronic exposure to psychostimulants results in altered function of G
      protein-coupled receptors in the forebrain. It is believed that neuroadaptations
      in G-protein signaling contribute to behavioral sensitivity to psychostimulants
      that persists over a prolonged drug-free period. Proteins termed activators of G
      protein signaling (AGS) have been characterized as potent modulators of both
      receptor-dependent and receptor-independent G-protein signaling. Nevertheless,
      the regulation of AGS gene and protein expression by psychostimulants remains
      poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated amphetamine (AMPH)
      induced changes in expression patterns of several forebrain-enriched AGS
      proteins. A single exposure to AMPH (2.5 mg/kg i.p.) selectively induced gene
      expression of AGS1, but not Rhes or AGS3 proteins, in the rat prefrontal cortex
      (PFC) as measured 3 h later. Induction of AGS1 mRNA in the PFC by acute AMPH was
      transient and dose-dependent. Even repeated treatment with AMPH for 5 days did
      not produce lasting changes in AGS1 mRNA and protein levels in the PFC as
      measured 3 weeks post treatment. However, at this time point, a low dose AMPH
      challenge (1 mg/kg i.p.) induced a robust behavioral response and upregulated
      AGS1 expression in the PFC selectively in animals with an AMPH history. The
      effects of AMPH on AGS1 expression in the PFC were blocked by a D2, but not D1,
      dopamine receptor antagonist and partially by a glucocorticoid receptor
      antagonist. Collectively, the present study suggests that (1) AGS1 represents a
      regulator of G-protein signaling that is rapidly inducible by AMPH in the frontal
      cortex, (2) AGS1 regulation in the PFC parallels behavioral activation by acute
      AMPH in drug-naive animals and hypersensitivity to AMPH challenge in sensitized
      animals, and (3) D2 dopamine and glucocorticoid receptors regulate AMPH effects
      on AGS1 in the PFC. Changes in AGS1 levels in the PFC may result in abnormal
      receptor-to-G-protein coupling that alters cortical sensitivity to
      psychostimulants.

PMID- 20298762
TI  - Hydroxylase inhibition reduces synaptic transmission and protects against a
      glutamate-induced ischemia in the CA1 region of the rat hippocampus.
AB  - The discovery of hydroxylases as oxygen sensors and key regulators of hypoxia
      induced gene expression has made them a novel target for manipulating the
      transcriptional response to hypoxia for therapeutic benefit. In this study we
      have investigated the effect of prolyl hydroxylase inhibition on synaptic
      activity in hippocampal slices and compared this to the changes occurring
      following exposure to hypoxia. Furthermore, we investigated a potentially
      protective role for hydroxylase inhibition against a glutamate-induced ischemic
      insult in the CA1 region of organotypic hippocampal cultures. Application of the
      hydroxylase inhibitor, dimethyloxallyl glycine (DMOG), depressed synaptic
      transmission. Both hypoxia and DMOG induced a reversible reduction in synaptic
      transmission, enhanced paired pulse facilitation (P<0.05) and inhibited N-methyl
      d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) activity (P<0.01). However the effects of DMOG were
      adenosine A(1) receptor independent. Our results also suggest a potential
      therapeutic application for prolyl 4-hydroxylase (PHD) inhibitors in cerebral
      ischemia, since DMOG protected the CA1 region in organotypic hippocampal slices
      against a glutamate-induced ischemic insult.

PMID- 20298763
TI  - MDMA causes a redistribution of serotonin transporter from the cell surface to
      the intracellular compartment by a mechanism independent of phospho-p38-mitogen
      activated protein kinase activation.
AB  - 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) causes long-term serotonin depletion and
      reduced serotonin transporter (SERT) function in humans and in animal models.
      Using quantitative Western blotting and real-time PCR, we have shown that total
      SERT protein in the striatum and nucleus accumbens and mRNA levels in the dorsal
      raphe nucleus were not significantly changed following MDMA exposure in rats (4 x
      2 h i.p. injections, 10 mg/kg each). In mouse neuroblastoma (N(2)A) cells
      transiently expressing green fluorescent protein-tagged human SERT (GFP-hSERT),
      we have shown redistribution of SERT from the cell surface to intracellular
      vesicles on exposure to MDMA using cell surface biotinylation, total internal
      reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM) and live-cell confocal microscopy. To
      investigate the mechanism responsible for SERT redistribution, we used specific
      antibodies to phospho-p38-mitogen activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK), a known
      signalling pathway involved in SERT membrane expression. We found that p38 MAPK
      activation was not involved in the MDMA-induced redistribution of SERT from the
      cell-surface to the cell interior. A loss of SERT from the cell surface on acute
      exposure to MDMA may contribute to the decreased SERT function seen in rats
      exposed to MDMA.

PMID- 20298761
TI  - Salicylate-induced degeneration of cochlea spiral ganglion neurons-apoptosis
      signaling.
AB  - Aspirin, whose active ingredient is sodium salicylate, is the most widely used
      drug worldwide, but it is not recommended for children because it may cause
      Reye's syndrome. High doses of salicylate also induce temporary hearing loss and
      tinnitus; while these disorders are believed to disappear when treatment is
      discontinued some data suggest that prolonged treatment may be neurotoxic. To
      investigate its ototoxicity, immature, postnatal day 3 rat cochlear organotypic
      cultures were treated with salicylate. Salicylate did not damage the sensory hair
      cells, but instead damaged the spiral ganglion neurons (SGN) and their peripheral
      fibers in a dose-dependent manner. The cross-sectional area of SGN decreased from
      205 microm(2) in controls to 143, 116, and 91 microm(2) in cultures treated with
      1, 3, or 5 mM salicylate, respectively. Morphological changes and caspase
      upregulation were indicative of caspase-mediated apoptosis. A quantitative RT-PCR
      apoptosis array identified a subset of genes up- or down regulated by salicylate.
      Eight genes showed a biologically relevant change (P<0.05, > or =2 fold change)
      after 3 h treatment with salicylate; seven genes (Tp53, Birc3, Tnfrsf5, Casp7,
      Nfkb1, Fas, Lta, Tnfsf10) were upregulated and one gene (Pycard) was
      downregulated. After 6 h treatment, only one gene (Nol3) was upregulated and two
      genes were downregulated (Cideb and Lhx4) while after 12 h treatment, two genes
      (Il10, Gadd45a) were upregulated and 4 (Prok2, Card10, Ltbr, Dapk1) were
      downregulated. High doses of salicylate in a physiologically relevant range can
      induce caspase-mediated cell death in immature SGN; changes in the expression of
      apoptotic genes particularly among members of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)
      family appear to play an important role in the degeneration.

PMID- 20298765
TI  - The hidden variables of leadership.
AB  - The dynamics of a collective move can be untangled into three components:
      initiation, following and cancellation. Varying the response function parameters
      attached to one individual can switch the collective phenomenology from an
      absence of well identified leader ("distributed leadership") to the emergence of
      a "despotic regime", i.e. this individual leading more often the collective
      moves. I show that not all parameters have the same impact but rather that only a
      large increase of the initiation rate can empower an obvious leader, up to the
      "despotic" regime. Being more readily followed, or cancelling less often can
      enhance the leader's prominence only up to a limited level. To overtake this
      limit would then further require to affect also the parameters attached to the
      others (e.g. to lower their eagerness to initiate group motion as well as their
      probability to be followed when they do).

PMID- 20298764
TI  - Neural heterogeneities and stimulus properties affect burst coding in vivo.
AB  - Many neurons tend to fire clusters of action potentials called bursts followed by
      quiescence in response to sensory input. While the mechanisms that underlie burst
      firing are generally well understood in vitro, the functional role of these
      bursts in generating behavioral responses to sensory input in vivo are less
      clear. Pyramidal cells within the electrosensory lateral line lobe (ELL) of
      weakly electric fish offer an attractive model system for studying the coding
      properties of burst firing, because the anatomy and physiology of the
      electrosensory circuitry are well understood, and the burst mechanism of ELL
      pyramidal cells has been thoroughly characterized in vitro. We investigated the
      coding properties of bursts generated by these cells in vivo in response to
      mimics of behaviorally relevant sensory input. We found that heterogeneities
      within the pyramidal cell population had quantitative but not qualitative effects
      on burst coding for the low frequency components of broadband time varying input.
      Moreover, spatially localized stimuli mimicking, for example, prey tended to
      elicit more bursts than spatially global stimuli mimicking conspecific-related
      stimuli. We also found small but significant correlations between burst
      attributes such as the number of spikes per burst or the interspike interval
      during the burst and stimulus attributes such as stimulus amplitude or slope.
      These correlations were much weaker in magnitude than those observed in vitro.
      More surprisingly, our results show that correlations between burst and stimulus
      attributes actually decreased in magnitude when we used low frequency stimuli
      that are expected to promote burst firing. We propose that this discrepancy is
      attributable to differences between ELL pyramidal cell burst firing under in vivo
      and in vitro conditions.

PMID- 20298768
TI  - Potential use of gamma-cyclodextrin polypseudorotaxane hydrogels as an injectable
      sustained release system for insulin.
AB  - The development of injectable hydrogels for protein delivery is a major
      challenge. In this study, insulin/alpha-cyclodextrin (alpha-CyD) and gamma-CyD
      polypseudorotaxane (PPRX) hydrogels were prepared through inclusion complexation
      between high molecular weight poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and CyDs. The alpha-CyD
      and gamma-CyD PPRX hydrogels were formed by inserting one PEG chain in the alpha
      CyD cavity and two PEG chains in the gamma-CyD cavity. Insulin/CyD PPRX hydrogel
      formation was based on physical crosslinking induced by self-assembling without
      chemical crosslinking reagent. The supramolecular structures of insulin/CyD PPRX
      hydrogels were confirmed with (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR), X-ray
      diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM). The in vitro release study showed that the release rate of
      insulin from the CyDs PPRX hydrogels decreased in the order of gamma-CyD PPRX
      hydrogel>alpha-CyD PPRX hydrogel. This decrease was controlled by the addition of
      CyDs to the medium. The serum insulin level after subcutaneous administration of
      gamma-CyD PPRX hydrogel to rats was significantly prolonged, accompanying with an
      increase in the area under serum concentration-time curve, which was clearly
      reflected in the prolonged hypoglycemic effect. In conclusion, these results
      suggest the potential use of gamma-CyD PPRX hydrogel as an injectable sustained
      release system for insulin.

PMID- 20298767
TI  - Preparation and properties of branched oligoglycerol modifiers for stabilization
      of liposomes.
AB  - We examined the effect on drug delivery of liposomes with surfaces that were
      modified with branched oligoglycerols (BGLs) and explored possible formulation
      advantages to increase drug exposure. BGL012 is a branched oligoglycerol
      derivative with a cascade-like structure of 12 glycerol units, characterized as a
      widely spread structure in aqueous solution. We prepared BGL-phospholipid
      derivatives (BGL-PEs), including BGL012, by coupling 1,2
      distearoylphosphatidylethanolamine to BGLs. BGL012-PE modification of the
      liposomes (BGL012L) achieved a long circulation time after intravenous injection
      in rats. The circulation lifetime of BGL012L was almost the same as that of
      polyethylene glycol (PEG)-modified liposomes. The surface of BGL012L induced the
      formation of a fixed aqueous layer and reduced protein adsorption on the liposome
      surface, without strong interference with the binding reaction on the liposome.
      Thus, the newly synthesized branched oligoglycerol derivatives are considered to
      have useful hydrophilic and physical properties for modifying the liposome
      surface to increase drug exposure.

PMID- 20298769
TI  - Folate-PEG modified poly(2-(2-aminoethoxy)ethoxy)phosphazene/DNA nanoparticles
      for gene delivery: synthesis, preparation and in vitro transfection efficiency.
AB  - Target-specific technique can significantly enhance the efficacy of gene delivery
      system which was limited by many cellular barriers. In this work, a new folate
      PEG modified poly(2-(2-aminoethoxy)ethoxy)phosphazene (PAEP), namely, folate-PEG
      PAEP was synthesized as a folate receptor (FR) targeted carrier, and the
      cytotoxicity, transfection efficiency, cellular uptake and intracellular
      trafficking of folate-PEG-PAEP/DNA nanoparticles (FPPN) were investigated.
      Compared with the PAEP/DNA nanoparticles (PN), the cytotoxicity of FPPN decreased
      significantly at high dose. FPPN showed much higher transfection efficiency
      (15.85+/-1.23%) compared with PN (6.71+/-0.42%) in FR overexpressing Hela cells,
      but no significant difference was observed in CHO-k1 cells lacking FR. The
      transfection activity of FPPN could be reversed in the presence of 1.0mM free
      folic acid in Hela cells. The cellular uptake of FPPN was 37.38% higher than that
      of PN in Hela cells. These results indicated that FPPN could be a potential
      targeted gene delivery system.

PMID- 20298770
TI  - In vivo efficacy of paclitaxel-loaded injectable in situ-forming gel against
      subcutaneous tumor growth.
AB  - Injectable in situ-forming gels have received considerable attention as localized
      drug delivery systems. Here, we examined a poly(ethylene glycol)-b
      polycaprolactone (MPEG-PCL) diblock copolymer gel as an injectable drug depot for
      paclitaxel (Ptx). The copolymer solution remained liquid at room temperature and
      rapidly gelled in vivo at body temperature. In vitro experiments showed that Ptx
      was released from MPEG-PCL copolymer gels over the course of more than 14 days.
      Experiments employing intratumoral injection of saline (control), gel-only,
      Taxol, or Ptx-loaded gel into mice bearing B16F10 tumor xenografts showed that
      Ptx-loaded gel inhibited the growth of B16F10 tumors more effectively than did
      saline or gel alone. Further, intratumoral injection of Ptx-loaded gel was more
      efficacious in inhibiting the growth of B16F10 tumor over 10 days than was
      injection of Taxol. A histological analysis demonstrated an increase in necrotic
      tissue in tumors treated with Ptx-loaded gel. In conclusion, our data show that
      intratumoral injection of Ptx-loaded MPEG-PCL diblock copolymer yielded an in
      situ-forming gel that exhibited controlled Ptx release profile, and that was
      effective in treating localized solid tumors.

PMID- 20298771
TI  - A charge-switched nano-sized polymeric carrier for protein delivery.
AB  - A novel synthetic nanocomplex was constructed from glycol chitosan (GCS) grafted
      with 2,3-dimethylmaleic anhydride (DMA) (denoted as 'GCD' hereafter) and lysozyme
      (isoelectric point=10.9) as a model protein. This is a core-shell supramolecular
      assemble formed through electrostatic interactions between anionic GCD and
      cationic lysozyme at a pH 7.4. The pH-sensitivity of the nanocomplexes originates
      from the dissociation of DMA block from GCD at a slightly acidic pH (i.e., pH
      6.8), resulting in an increased electrostatic repulsion between cationic GCS and
      cationic lysozyme. This pH-induced charge switching of GCD provides a mechanism
      for triggered protein drug release from the nanocomplexes triggered by the small
      change in pH (pH 7.4-6.8).

PMID- 20298772
TI  - Antimicrobial and antimalarial activity of Cussonia species (Araliaceae).
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Cussonia species are used in African traditional
      medicine mainly against pain, inflammation, gastro-intestinal problems, malaria
      and sexually transmitted diseases. AIM OF THE STUDY: To summarise ethnomedicinal
      uses of Cussonia and to find scientific evidence in support of selected main
      uses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)
      method, leaves of 13 Cussonia species, Schefflera umbellifera and Seemannaralia
      gerrardii were tested against pathogens associated with diarrhoea (Enterococcus
      faecalis and Escherichia coli), sexually transmitted infections (Neisseria
      gonorrhoeae and Trichomonas vaginalis) and general infectious diseases
      (Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Antimalarial sensitivity was
      studied using Plasmodium falciparum and the [(3)H]-hypoxanthine incorporation
      assay. Cytotoxic effects on a T-cell leukaemia (Jurkat) cell line were determined
      using the tetrazolium-based cellular toxicity assay. RESULTS: Methanolic extracts
      were active against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MIC of 1.0-1.5 mg/mL), Trichomonas
      vaginalis (MIC of 0.8-1.3 mg/mL) and Staphylococcus aureus (Cussonia arborea, 1.8
      mg/mL). All samples were active against Neisseria gonorrhoeae (MIC of 0.02-0.7
      mg/mL). The methanol extract of Cussonia arborea was the most active against
      Plasmodium falciparum (13.68 microg/mL) and showed anticancer properties (5.60
      microg/mL). CONCLUSIONS: The traditional use of Cussonia species to treat
      sexually transmitted diseases and Plasmodium infections appears to have a
      scientific basis.

PMID- 20298773
TI  - Cell surface hydrophobicity, biofilm formation, adhesives properties and
      molecular detection of adhesins genes in Staphylococcus aureus associated to
      dental caries.
AB  - Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen that forms biofilm. In this study,
      22 S. aureus have been isolated from the oral cavity of Tunisian children and
      investigated for slime production using Congo red agar method (CRA) and semi
      quantitative adherence assay. The hydrophobicity of strains was evaluated by the
      microbial adhesion to solvent (MATS) test. The adherence of S. aureus to Hep2
      cells was examined by light microscopy. The genes implicated in adhesion (icaA,
      icaD, fnbA, cna, clfA) were detected. Polymerase chain reaction was used. The
      affinity to hexadecane was low proving a hydrophilic character of all the studied
      strains. Qualitative biofilm production revealed that 50% of strains were slime
      producers. The result of OD(570) showed that four strains isolated from the
      caries-active children were highly biofilm positive. In addition, 50% of strains
      were icaA and icaD positive. The fnbA gene was present in 59.1% of isolated
      strains. Furthermore, 54.5% of strains harboured the cna gene, 9.1% were clfA
      positive and 50% were hla positive. Quantitative adherence varied considerably
      among the tested strains. All strains showed adherence to Hep2 cells. However,
      the level of adhesion varied between strains as follows. Seven strains were
      defined as moderately adherent, nine as strongly adherent and six as weakly
      adherent. The percentage of infected cells ranged from 15+/-0.0376 (B374) to 96+/
      0.019 (B295) and the total number of bacteria per 100 cells ranged from 15+/-5.1
      (B374) to 1824+/-30.1 (B295).

PMID- 20298774
TI  - Amino acid regions 357-368 and 418-427 of Streptococcus pyogenes 60kDa heat shock
      protein are recognized by antibodies from glaucomatous patient sera.
AB  - Heat shock protein 60kDa (HSP60) could be involved in glaucoma because its
      expression in optical nerve, and autoantibodies to HSP60 have been found in
      glaucomatous patients; however, HSP60 antigenic sites recognized by glaucomatous
      patients are unknown. Therefore, in this work, the antibody levels in the sera of
      glaucoma patients, and HSP60 antigenic sites were determined. Analysis by the
      Hopp and Woods method with GENE 2.2 software identified the possible antigenic
      sites in the amino acid regions 200-213, 226-237, 278-290, 357-368 and 418-427 of
      Streptococcus pyogenes HSP60 (HSP60Sp). According to these, polypeptides were
      generated truncating the hsp60Sp gene by PCR. Antibody levels to HSP60Sp and the
      generated polypeptides were measured by ELISA in serum of glaucomatous patients
      and in healthy subjects. Glaucomatous patients showed higher antibody levels to
      rHSP60Sp (p=0.002) than healthy subjects. We found that the high anti-rHSP60Sp
      antibody levels are associated with the disease (OR=5.2; IC95% of 1.6-16.7;
      p<0.05). Here we report that amino acid regions 357-368 and 418-427 of HSP60Sp
      are the main antigenic sites, because when they are absent the level of anti
      HSP60 antibodies decreased around 80%. These results suggest that the regions 357
      368 and 418-427 of HSP60Sp could be associated with glaucoma.

PMID- 20298775
TI  - BAC library for the amphipod crustacean, Parhyale hawaiensis.
AB  - Bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) are capable of propagating large
      fragments of DNA and have become an invaluable tool for studying genome biology.
      To fill a phylogenetic gap in available genomic sequence and to complement
      ongoing molecular and genetic studies, we have generated a BAC library for the
      marine amphipod crustacean, Parhyale hawaiensis. The library was generated from
      genomic DNA isolated from whole adult animals and comprises 129,024 individual
      clones. The median insert size is approximately 140 kb and the genomic coverage
      is approximately five genome equivalents. We have screened the Parhyale BAC
      library for developmentally relevant genes and characterized the genomic
      organization of four genes: a hedgehog ortholog, and three Pax3/7 paralogs.
      Preliminary analysis suggests that introns are larger and more prevalent in
      Parhyale than in other arthropods whose genomes have been sequenced, which may
      partly account for the large genome size in Parhyale.

PMID- 20298777
TI  - Human transcriptome nexuses: basic-eukaryotic and metazoan.
AB  - Using a new approach, I analysed human transcriptome coexpression network and
      revealed two large-scale nexuses. Besides gene coexpression, each nexus is
      characterized by a combination of gene evolutionary origin, function and among
      tissues expression breadth. The first nexus contains mostly genes of pre-metazoan
      origin, which are widely expressed and have cell-centred functions. The second
      nexus is enriched in genes of metazoan origin, which are expressed more narrowly
      and have organism-centred functions. The revealed nexuses are supported by
      asymmetry in distribution of transcription factor targets between them. Within
      the metazoan nexus, there is a subnexus that is more pronounced in the nervous
      tissues and is enriched in gene regulatory complexity. It mostly contains genes
      related to nervous system, cell communication and multicellular organism
      processes and development. The revealed nexuses indicate a dichotomy in the
      transcriptional regulation and can provide a framework for further functional
      genomics studies.

PMID- 20298776
TI  - Exploring mitochondrial evolution and metabolism organization principles by
      comparative analysis of metabolic networks.
AB  - The endosymbiotic theory proposed that mitochondrial genomes are derived from an
      alpha-proteobacterium-like endosymbiont, which was concluded from sequence
      analysis. We rebuilt the metabolic networks of mitochondria and 22 relative
      species, and studied the evolution of mitochondrial metabolism at the level of
      enzyme content and network topology. Our phylogenetic results based on network
      alignment and motif identification supported the endosymbiotic theory from the
      point of view of systems biology for the first time. It was found that the
      mitochondrial metabolic network were much more compact than the relative species,
      probably related to the higher efficiency of oxidative phosphorylation of the
      specialized organelle, and the network is highly clustered around the TCA cycle.
      Moreover, the mitochondrial metabolic network exhibited high functional
      specificity to the modules. This work provided insight to the understanding of
      mitochondria evolution, and the organization principle of mitochondrial metabolic
      network at the network level.

PMID- 20298778
TI  - Efficacy of a new sustained-release microsphere formulation of exenatide, DA
      3091, in Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats.
AB  - Exenatide must be administered serially by twice-daily subcutaneous (SC)
      injection due to its short half-life. The purpose of the present study is to
      develop an improved sustained-release exenatide formulation with a therapeutic
      efficacy comparable to serial, twice-daily injections of exenatide. A novel SR
      formulation of exenatide, DA-3091, was prepared by single-emulsion solvent
      evaporation using PLGA. It was administered by SC injection to ZDF rats in single
      exenatide doses of 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1 or 2mg/kg. On the 28th, 49th and 70th days,
      a 1 or 2mg/kg dose of DA-3091 was further administered to rats in dose groups of
      1 or 2mg/kg. The efficacy of DA-3091 was then compared with that of serial, twice
      daily SC injections of an exenatide solution for 13 weeks. NFBG and HbA1c
      concentrations were decreased both significantly and linearly as the exenatide
      dose in DA-3091 increased. In addition, food intake and body weight were
      suppressed both significantly and dose-dependently. In equivalent or half doses
      of exenatide, the efficacy of DA-3091 was comparable to that of twice-daily
      injections of exenatide solution for 13 weeks. In conclusion, DA-3091 has the
      potential to be clinically effective when administered every 3 weeks, or less
      frequently, which promises to significantly improve patient compliance.

PMID- 20298779
TI  - Lactoferrin-modified procationic liposomes as a novel drug carrier for brain
      delivery.
AB  - In this study, a new drug carrier for brain delivery, lactoferrin-modified
      procationic liposome, was developed and evaluated in vitro and in vivo. The
      procationic liposomes (PCLs) were neutral or negatively charged at physiological
      pH, and when they touched brain capillary endothelial cells with the help of a
      brain-targeting ligand, lactoferrin (Lf), they were changed into cationic
      liposomes (CL). The PCLs and lactoferrin-modified procationic liposomes (Lf-PCLs)
      with different CHETA/Lf ratio were prepared and characterized. The primary brain
      capillary endothelial cells (BCECs) were cultured to investigate the potential
      cytotoxicity and uptake of liposomes in vitro. An in vitro model of the blood
      brain barrier (BBB), developed by the co-culture of BCECs and astrocytes (ACs),
      was employed to evaluate the ability and mechanisms of liposomes to cross
      endothelial cells. The liposome uptake by the mouse brain in vivo was detected by
      HPLC-fluorescence analysis. The results indicated that compared with the
      conventional liposomes and CLs, PCL and Lf-PCLs showed an improved performance in
      the uptake efficiency and cytotoxicity. Besides the uptake mediated by clathrin
      dependent endocytosis of PCL, Lf-PCL crossed the BCECs through lipid
      raft/caveloae-mediated endocytosis. The endocytosis involved in the transport of
      Lf-PCL crossing BBB was mediated by both receptor- and absorption-mediated
      transcytosis. Compared with the conventional liposomes, PCL and Lf-PCL-8
      (CHETA/Lf ratio=1:8, w/w) were observed to show much improved characteristics of
      the localization in the brain. This study suggested that Lf-PCL was an available
      brain drug delivery carrier with potential future application.

PMID- 20298780
TI  - Lyotropic, liquid crystalline nanostructures of aqueous dilutions of SMEDDS
      revealed by small-angle X-ray scattering: impact on solubility and drug release.
AB  - The present study was conducted to characterise the liquid crystalline phases
      that occur upon diluting a SMEDDS and to elucidate the role of these phases on
      drug solubilisation and release. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) was used to
      probe the structures in aqueous dilutions of 3 SMEDDS consisting of propylene
      glycol mono- and dicaprylate and mono- and dicaprate (PGDCDC) and d-alpha
      tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate 1000 (TPGS 1000), polysorbate 80 (P80)
      or polyoxyl 40 hydrogenated castor oil (P40HC). The scattering patterns revealed
      the formation of either a random periodic or a lamellar phase when 10% (w/w)
      water was added. All formulations exhibited lamellar structures at 20% (w/w)
      aqueous dilution, of which the layer-to-layer distance increased upon further
      addition of water. At 40% (w/w) water, a hexagonal or lamellar phase was formed,
      depending on the geometry of the surfactant. Temperature did not alter the phases
      formed. Incorporation of the drug UC 781 only slightly enlarged the
      characteristic dimensions of the liquid crystalline phases. Drug solubility
      decreased upon aqueous dilution, although 10% (w/w) dilutions of PGDCDC-P80
      SMEDDS and PGDCDC-TPGS 1000 SMEDDS revealed a highly increased solubility as
      compared to the pure formulations. Drug release data revealed that UC 781 release
      could not be linked to the solubilisation capacity of the SMEDDS, but could be
      associated with the solubility of UC 781 in the phases formed at water
      concentrations above 10% (w/w).

PMID- 20298781
TI  - The effect of dehydration conditions on the functionality of anhydrous amorphous
      raffinose.
AB  - The purpose of this investigation is to study the effect of dehydration
      conditions of raffinose pentahydrate (RF.5H2O) on the physical properties and
      functionality of the resulting material. Crystalline RF.5H2O was dehydrated at
      two temperatures, 80 degrees C and 110 degrees C, producing the amorphous
      anhydrous form (RF.am). The dehydration temperature had no effect on a number of
      physical properties of the obtained RF.am, including X-ray powder diffraction,
      surface energy and water uptake. However, despite resulting on the same dynamics
      and extent of water sorption, different dehydration temperatures produced
      amorphous samples with drastically different recrystallization tendencies.
      Thermodynamic parameters show that despite the similarities on certain physical
      attributes, different dehydration temperature results in samples with
      significantly different free energy, hence stability. The difference in free
      energy produced by the dehydration temperature is attributed to differences in
      supramolecular structure that persist even in the liquid domain (above T(g)) of
      the amorphous samples. Evidence of such effects is observed as fluctuations in
      heat capacity present in RF.am but absent in the freshly prepared glass and also
      supported by the presence of molecular mobility modes observed using thermal
      polarization measurements.

PMID- 20298782
TI  - Sun exposure questionnaire predicts circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D
      concentrations in Caucasian hospital workers in southern Italy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Recent sun exposure should correlate with circulating 25
      hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] due to ultraviolet B (UVB)-catalyzed cutaneous
      synthesis of vitamin D. METHODS: A Sun Exposure Score was calculated for healthy
      adults using a recall questionnaire assessing daily Time in Sun (<5 min, 5-30
      min, >30 min) and Skin Exposure (face/hands; face/hands and arms; face/hands and
      legs; and "bathing suit") for 1 week in each of the winter and summer (n=47 and
      23, respectively; n=18 participated in both). Concentrations of 25(OH)D were
      measured by DiaSorin RIA on end-of-week sera. RESULTS: Mean serum 25(OH)D was
      higher in summer than winter (58.6+/-16.5 nmol/L vs. 38.8+/-29.0 nmol/L,
      respectively, P=0.003 unpaired). The calculated Sun Exposure Score correlated
      strongly with serum 25(OH)D during summer (Spearman's rho=0.59, P=0.003); based
      on the Pearson coefficient of determination, summer Sun Exposure Score explained
      38% of the variability in summer serum 25(OH)D. The Sun Exposure Score did not
      correlate with 25(OH)D in the winter (rho=0.19, P=0.210). The summer correlation
      was largely explained by the Time in Sun (rho=0.58, P=0.004) rather than area of
      Skin Exposed (rho=0.10, P=0.660). Although there was a correlation between winter
      and summer Sun Exposure Scores (rho=0.63, P=0.005), there was no summer vs.
      winter correlation in serum 25(OH)D (rho=0.08, P=0.76). CONCLUSION: This simple 1
      week sun exposure recall questionnaire predicted summer serum 25(OH)D
      concentrations, accounting for 38% of the variability in 25(OH)D among healthy
      Italian adults.

PMID- 20298783
TI  - Physical activity and estrogen treatment reduce visceral body fat and serum
      levels of leptin in an additive manner in a diet induced animal model of obesity.
AB  - Estrogen replacement and physical activity have been demonstrated to reduce the
      risk to develop a metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal women. In this study we
      investigate the combined effects of endurance training and estrogen substitution
      in a rat animal model of diet induced obesity. Effects on lipid and glucose
      metabolism were evaluated. Ovariectomized (OVX) or sham-operated (SHAM) female
      Wistar rats were fed with a high fat diet (HF) for 9 weeks. After 3 weeks of
      overnutrition the OVX rats either remained sedentary, performed treadmill
      training, received 17beta-Estradiol (E(2)), or combined treatment. The OVX rats
      had a greater increase in body weight and serum levels of cholesterol,
      triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL). These parameters
      could be reduced by E(2) and more effectively E(2) in combination with exercise.
      Also the increase of visceral body fat and leptin could be improved by E(2) and
      exercise. This combination showed synergistic effects. Serum levels of insulin
      could be reduced by exercise training, E(2) substitution revealed no significant
      changes. Our results indicate that ovariectomy increases the susceptibility to
      develop obesity. In addition they show that the combination of hormone
      replacement therapy (HRT) and physical activity may influence parameters related
      to lipid metabolism positively in an additive manner. The results of this study
      provide evidence that the combination of HRT with physical activity could be a
      very effective strategy to prevent the development of a metabolic syndrome
      induced by overnutrition.

PMID- 20298784
TI  - Comparison of the effects of eldecalcitol and alfacalcidol on bone and calcium
      metabolism.
AB  - Eldecalcitol [ED-71, 2beta-(3-hydroxypropyloxy)-1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3]
      increases lumbar and hip bone mineral density (BMD) in a dose-dependent manner in
      osteoporotic patients with vitamin D supplementation. However, there has been no
      head-to-head comparison of the effects of eldecalcitol with alfacalcidol on bone
      and calcium metabolism in human subjects. Therefore, a randomized open-label
      clinical trial was conducted to compare the effect of eldecalcitol on bone
      turnover markers and calcium metabolism in 59 Japanese postmenopausal women.
      Subjects were randomly assigned to receive 1.0 microg alfacalcidol, 0.5 or 1.0
      microg eldecalcitol once a day for 12 weeks. There was almost no increase in
      serum calcium (Ca) throughout the study period. Eldecalcitol from 0.5 to 1.0
      microg increased daily urinary Ca excretion in a dose-dependent manner, and 1.0
      microg eldecalcitol increased urinary Ca to a similar extent to 1.0 microg
      alfacalcidol. Both 0.5 and 1.0 microg eldecalcitol suppressed urinary NTX
      stronger than 1.0 microg alfacalcidol (-6, -30 and -35% in 1.0 microg
      alfacalcidol, 0.5 and 1.0 microg eldecalcitol-treated groups, respectively, at 12
      weeks). In contrast, changes in serum BALP were similar among the three groups (
      22, -22 and -29% in 1.0 microg alfacalcidol, 0.5 and 1.0 microg eldecalcitol
      treated groups, respectively, at 12 weeks). These results demonstrate that 0.5
      1.0 microg eldecalcitol can effectively inhibit bone resorption stronger than
      alfacalcidol with a similar effect on bone formation and a comparable effect on
      urinary Ca excretion, and suggest that eldecalcitol may have a better
      osteoprotective effect than alfacalcidol.

PMID- 20298785
TI  - Differential regulation of epidermal function by VDR coactivators.
AB  - The transcriptional activity of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) is regulated by a
      number of coactivator and corepressor complexes, which bind to the VDR in a
      ligand (1,25(OH)2D3) dependent (coactivators) or inhibited (corepressors)
      process. In the keratinocyte the major coactivator complexes include the vitamin
      D interacting protein (DRIP) complex and the steroid receptor coactivator (SRC)
      complexes. These coactivator complexes are not interchangeable in their
      regulation of keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation. We found that the
      DRIP complex is the main complex binding to VDR in the proliferating
      keratinocyte, whereas SRC2 and 3 and their associated proteins are the major
      coactivators binding to VDR in the differentiated keratinocyte. Moreover, we have
      found a specific role for DRIP205 in the regulation of beta-catenin pathways
      regulating keratinocyte proliferation, whereas SRC3 uniquely regulates the
      ability of 1,25(OH)2D3 to induce more differentiated functions such as lipid
      synthesis and processing required for permeability barrier formation and the
      innate immune response triggered by disruption of the barrier. These findings
      provide a basis by which we can understand how one receptor (VDR) and one ligand
      (1,25(OH)2D3) can regulate a large number of genes in a sequential and
      differentiation specific fashion.

PMID- 20298786
TI  - Neuroprotective effect of overexpression of thioredoxin on photoreceptor
      degeneration in Tubby mice.
AB  - The Tubby mouse is a phenotypic model for sensorineural deafness and retinal
      dystrophy including Usher syndrome type 1. Thioredoxin is a small 13kDa protein
      which, when ubiquitously expressed as a transgene in the mouse, provides
      protection against multiple disease states including light-induced and oxidative
      stress-induced neurodegeneration and is down-regulated in the Tubby retina. We
      tested if overexpression of human thioredoxin in the Tubby mouse inhibits retinal
      degeneration and loss of visual function. Electroretinography,
      immunocytochemistry, quantitative histology, RT-PCR and Western blots were used
      to obtain data which showed that thioredoxin overexpression prevented loss of
      photoreceptors and retinal function. Analysis of signal pathways showed that
      thioredoxin up-regulated neurotrophic factors BDNF and GDNF and activated
      survival signaling pathways Akt, Ras/Raf1/ and the ERKs while inhibiting the
      ASK1/JNK apoptosis pathway. Relationships between the Tubby gene, its
      pathological phenotype and regulation of the thioredoxin system remain to be
      established.

PMID- 20298787
TI  - Expression by midbrain dopamine neurons of Sema3A and 3F receptors is associated
      with chemorepulsion in vitro but a mild in vivo phenotype.
AB  - Here we explore the role of semaphorin 3A and 3F (Sema3A, Sema3F) in the
      formation of the mesotelencephalic pathway. We show that Sema3A and 3F are
      expressed in the ventral mesencephalon (VM) of E13.5 rat embryos; the receptors
      Neuropilin 1 and Neuropilin 2, and co-receptors L1CAM, NrCAM, and Plexins A1 and
      A3 but not A4 are expressed by VM dopaminergic neurons; these neurons bind Sema3A
      and 3F in vitro which induces collapse of their growth cones and elicits, with
      different potencies, a repulsive response; and this response is absent in axons
      from Nrp1 and Nrp2 null embryos. Despite these in vitro effects, only very mild
      anatomical defects were detected in the organization of the mesotelencephalic
      pathway in embryonic and adult Nrp1 or Nrp2 null mice. However, the dopaminergic
      meso-habenular pathway and catecholaminergic neurons in the parafascicular and
      paraventricular nuclei of the thalamus were significantly affected in Nrp2 null
      mice. These data are consistent with a model whereby Sema3A and 3F, in
      combination with other guidance molecules, contributes to the navigation of DA
      axons to their final synaptic targets.

PMID- 20298788
TI  - Balanced Vav2 GEF activity regulates neurite outgrowth and branching in vitro and
      in vivo.
AB  - We have investigated the role of Vav2, a reported Rac1/Cdc42 GEF, on the
      development of Xenopus spinal neurons in vitro and in vivo. Both gain and loss of
      Vav2 function inhibited the rate neurite extension on laminin (LN), while only
      GFP-Vav2 over-expression enhanced process formation and branching. Vav2 over
      expression protected neurons from RhoA-mediated growth cone collapse, similar to
      constitutively active Rac1, suggesting that Vav2 activates Rac1 in spinal
      neurons. Enhanced branching on LN required both Vav2 GEF activity and N-terminal
      tyrosine residues, but protection from RhoA-mediated collapse only required GEF
      activity. Interestingly, wild-type spinal neurons exhibited increased branching
      on the cell adhesion molecule L1, which required Vav2 GEF function, but not N
      terminal tyrosine residues. Finally, we find that Vav2 differentially affects the
      Rohon-Beard peripheral and central process extension but promotes neurite
      branching of commissural interneurons near the ventral midline. Together, we
      suggest that balanced Vav2 activity is necessary for optimal neurite outgrowth
      and promotes branching by targeting GEF activity to branch points.

PMID- 20298789
TI  - Molecular cloning and characterization of interferon regulatory factors 4 and 8
      (IRF-4 and IRF-8) in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss.
AB  - Mammalian interferon regulatory factor (IRF)4 (PIP, LSIRF, and ICSAT) and IRF8
      (ICSBP) are known to be critical in regulating a spectrum of functional and
      developmental processes in lymphomyeloid cell lineages either through direct
      binding to IRF-E motifs in target gene promoters or indirectly by binding to
      composite motifs recognized by Ets family members, PU.I and Sp.I. Here we report,
      for the first time in fish, the sequencing and characterization of full-length
      cDNA homologues of rainbow trout (rt) IRF4 and rtIRF8. The rtIRF4 molecule
      consists of 1848 bp with a 45 bp 5' UTR and a predicted 378 bp 3' UTR translating
      into a 474 aa protein. RtIRF8 consists of 1951 bp with a 52 bp 5' UTR and a 564
      bp 3' UTR translating into a 444 aa protein. Each gene possesses a putative DNA
      binding domain (DBD) containing the tryptophan pentad-repeat domain found in all
      IRF family members. Both molecules also possess a well conserved IRF association
      domain (IAD). The presence of these domains along with phylogenetic analysis
      places the two genes in the IRF4 subfamily. Both genes were detected in a range
      of trout tissues where IRF8 was the overall predominant transcript. Consistent
      with mammalian studies, the highest expression levels of IRF4 and IRF8 were
      observed in the lymphomyeloid-rich fish tissues, spleen, head kidney and gills.
      IRF8 expression in stimulated trout splenocytes was significantly up-regulated by
      polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly I:C), trout recombinant (r)IL-15, phorbol
      12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), and phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) treatment whilst
      remaining refractory towards lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment. IRF4 was
      significantly down-regulated by LPS stimulation and remained refractory towards
      poly I:C, trout rIL15, and PHA. PMA stimulation elicited a significant
      upregulation of IRF4 expression. Overall, these data support the premise that
      these IRFs are likely to play important roles in the functional and developmental
      processes occurring in fish lymphomyeloid tissues.

PMID- 20298790
TI  - Trajectories of brain aging in middle-aged and older adults: regional and
      individual differences.
AB  - The human brain changes with age. However, the rate and the trajectories of
      change vary among the brain regions and among individuals, and the reasons for
      these differences are unclear. In a sample of healthy middle-aged and older
      adults, we examined mean volume change and individual differences in the rate of
      change in 12 regional brain volumes over approximately 30 months. In addition to
      the baseline assessment, there were two follow-ups, 15 months apart. We observed
      significant average shrinkage of the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, orbital
      frontal cortex, and cerebellum in each of the intervals. Shrinkage of the
      hippocampus accelerated with time, whereas shrinkage of the caudate nucleus,
      prefrontal subcortical white matter, and corpus callosum emerged only at the
      second follow-up. Throughout both assessment intervals, the mean volumes of the
      lateral prefrontal and primary visual cortices, putamen, and pons did not change.
      Significant individual differences in shrinkage rates were observed in the
      lateral prefrontal cortex, the cerebellum, and all the white matter regions
      throughout the study, whereas additional regions (medial-temporal structures, the
      insula, and the basal ganglia) showed significant individual variation in change
      during the second follow-up. No individual variability was noted in the change of
      orbital frontal and visual cortices. In two white matter regions, we were able to
      identify factors associated with individual differences in brain shrinkage. In
      corpus callosum, shrinkage rate was greater in persons with hypertension, and in
      the pons, women and carriers of the ApoEepsilon4 allele exhibited declines not
      noted in the whole sample.

PMID- 20298791
TI  - Auditory temporal expectations modulate activity in visual cortex.
AB  - Temporal expectation is the ability to make predictions and to use temporal
      information to anticipate the occurrence of future events. This capacity is
      associated with highly efficient perceptual and motor behaviors. However, how
      cognitive systems use temporal information to optimize behavior and what brain
      structures are engaged during these processes remains largely unknown.
      Neurophysiological and recent neuroimaging data have suggested that temporal
      expectations modulate activity not only in parietal and motor-related frontal
      regions, but also in occipital visual cortex, when the expected stimulus is a
      simple visual object. Here we investigate crossmodal properties and category
      selectivity of temporal expectations examining activity in visual cortex during
      expectation of auditory stimuli (the sound of hand-clapping or of a hammer
      hammering). We found that activity in occipital cortex changed over time,
      reflecting the subject's temporal expectations about the upcoming auditory event.
      This modulatory effect included extrastriate visual areas known to process body
      parts and tools, despite these were never presented visually during the
      experiment. However activity in these areas was not specific for the expected
      sound category, but it was rather related to the overall probability of the
      auditory target to occur. We conclude that crossmodal associations can influence
      activity in sensory-specific visual areas in an anticipatory manner, consistent
      with temporal expectations affecting activity in a distributed system of motor
      related and sensory-related brain regions.

PMID- 20298793
TI  - Heritability of DTI and MTR in nine-year-old children.
AB  - Overall brain size is strikingly heritable throughout life. The influence of
      genes on variation in focal gray and white matter density is less pronounced and
      may vary with age. This paper describes the relative influences of genes and
      environment on variation in white matter microstructure, measured along fiber
      tracts with diffusion tensor imaging and magnetization transfer imaging, in a
      sample of 185 nine-year old children from monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs.
      Fractional anisotropy, a measure of microstructural directionality, was not
      significantly influenced by genetic factors. In contrast, studying longitudinal
      and radial diffusivity separately, we found significant genetic effects for both
      radial and longitudinal diffusivity in the genu and splenium of the corpus
      callosum and the right superior longitudinal fasciculus. Moreover, genetic
      factors influencing the magnetization transfer ratio (MTR), putatively
      representing myelination, were most pronounced in the splenium of the corpus
      callosum and the superior longitudinal fasciculi, located posterior in the brain.
      The differences in the extent to which genetic and environmental factors
      influence the various diffusion parameters and MTR, suggest that different
      physiological mechanisms (either genetic or environmental) underlie these traits
      at nine years of age.

PMID- 20298792
TI  - Increased functional brain response during word retrieval in cognitively intact
      older adults at genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - Recent language studies in aging and dementia provide two complementary lines of
      evidence that: (1) measures of semantic knowledge and word-finding ability show
      declines comparable to those of episodic memory, and greater impairment than
      executive function measures, during the prodromal period of Alzheimer's disease
      and (2) cognitively intact older adult carriers of the apolipoprotein E (APOE)
      epsilon4 allele also demonstrate poorer object naming than their low-risk peers.
      Given that possible changes in the neural substrates of word retrieval (e.g.,
      Broca's area and fusiform gyrus) in at-risk adults may signal impending cognitive
      decline and serve as a prodromal marker of AD, we examined whether APOE epsilon4
      carriers exhibit changes in brain response in regions subserving word retrieval
      and semantic knowledge. Eleven cognitively intact APOE epsilon4 older adults and
      11 age, education, and family history of AD-matched APOE epsilon3 adults named
      aloud photographs of animals, tools, and vehicles during event-related fMRI.
      Results showed that, in the face of equivalent naming accuracy, APOE epsilon4
      adults demonstrated more widespread brain response with greater signal change in
      the left fusiform gyrus, bilateral medial prefrontal cortex, and right
      perisylvian cortex. Findings are discussed in the context of possible
      compensatory mechanisms invoked to maintain performance in those at genetic risk
      for AD.

PMID- 20298794
TI  - Age-related changes in neural volume and microstructure associated with
      interleukin-6 are ameliorated by a calorie-restricted diet in old rhesus monkeys.
AB  - Systemic levels of proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6)
      increase in old age and may contribute to neural atrophy in humans. We
      investigated IL-6 associations with age in T1-weighted segments and
      microstructural diffusion indices using MRI in aged rhesus monkeys (Macaca
      mulatta). Further, we determined if long-term 30% calorie restriction (CR)
      reduced IL-6 and attenuated its association with lower tissue volume and density.
      Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and diffusion-weighted voxelwise analyses were
      conducted. IL-6 was associated with less global gray and white matter (GM and
      WM), as well as smaller parietal and temporal GM volumes. Lower fractional
      anisotropy (FA) was associated with higher IL-6 levels along the corpus callosum
      and various cortical and subcortical tracts. Higher IL-6 concentrations across
      subjects were also associated with increased mean diffusivity (MD) throughout
      many brain regions, particularly in corpus callosum, cingulum, and parietal,
      frontal, and prefrontal areas. CR monkeys had significantly lower IL-6 and less
      associated atrophy. An IL-6xCR interaction across modalities also indicated that
      CR mitigated IL-6 related changes in several brain regions compared to controls.
      Peripheral IL-6 levels were correlated with atrophy in regions sensitive to
      aging, and this relationship was decreased by CR.

PMID- 20298795
TI  - Fructanolytic and saccharolytic enzymes of Treponema zioleckii strain kT.
AB  - Enzymes in the newly described rumen bacterium, Treponema zioleckii strain kT,
      capable of digesting Timothy grass fructan, inulin, and sucrose were identified
      and characterized. Two specific endolevanases and one non-specific beta
      fructofuranosidase were found in a cell-free extract. The molecular weight of the
      endolevanases were estimated to be 60 and 36 kDa, whereas that of beta
      fructofuranosidase, 87 kDa. The former of the specific enzymes was associated
      with the outer membrane, while the latter and the non-specific beta
      fructofuranosidase, with the periplasm or cytosol. The K(m) and V(max) for
      Timothy grass fructan degradation by endolevanase were 0.27% and 15.75 microM
      fructose equivalents x mg protein(-1) x min(-1), those for sucrose and inulin
      digestion by beta-fructofuranosidase were 1.35 x 10(-3)M and 1.73 microM hexoses
      x mg protein(-1) x min(-1) and 1.77% and 1.83 microM hexoses x mg protein(-1) x
      min(-1), respectively.

PMID- 20298796
TI  - Microbial equol production attenuates colonic methanogenesis and sulphidogenesis
      in vitro.
AB  - Hydrogen gas produced during colonic fermentation is excreted in breath and
      flatus, or removed by hydrogen-consuming bacteria such as methanogens and
      sulphate-reducing bacteria. However, recent research has shown that H2 is also
      consumed by equol-producing bacteria during the reduction of daidzein into equol.
      In this study, the interactions between methanogens, sulphate-reducing, and equol
      producing bacteria were investigated under in vitro simulated intestinal
      conditions. In the presence of daidzein, the equol-producing bacterial consortium
      EPC4 gave rise to equol production in cultures of Methanobrevibacter smithii or
      Desulfovibrio sp. as well as in faecal samples with methanogenic or sulphate
      reducing abilities. Moreover, this supplementation significantly (P<0.001)
      decreased the methanogenesis and sulphidogenesis. The attenuation did not occur
      in the absence of a daidzein source. Additionally, there was no influence of soy
      germ powder, daidzein or equol as such, excluding a possible inhibition by these
      compounds. Finally, a stronger decrease was observed with increasing amounts of
      EPC4 and a constant equol production, suggesting that the observed effect was
      only partly caused by the action of daidzein as a hydrogen sink. These findings
      are of relevance since abdominal discomfort such as bloating and flatulence, are
      related to colonic gas production, whereas equol has potential health benefits.

PMID- 20298797
TI  - Blood chemistry in white stork Ciconia ciconia chicks varies by sex and age.
AB  - Little is known on how blood biochemistry differs among avian chicks, especially
      in sexually monomorphic species. In this study we sampled blood chemistry of 342
      white stork Ciconia ciconia chicks from nests in western Poland during four years
      (2005-2008). Special attention was paid to the effect of chick age and sex on
      blood biochemistry. Since white stork is a monomorphic species, the sex of chicks
      was established by a molecular technique. Nine blood biochemical parameters were
      studied: total protein concentration, urea, uric acid, triglycerides, total
      cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), low density lipoprotein
      cholesterol (LDL), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase
      (ALT). There were sexual differences in total protein, uric acid, cholesterol,
      HDL and AST. However, total protein and uric acid only differed significantly
      between sexes if an age effect was included as a covariate in the analysis.
      Triglycerides decreased significantly, and AST, increased significantly with
      chick age. We confirm that blood biochemistry varies with chick age, but we also
      found significant differences between the sexes. Therefore, to understand changes
      in blood parameters, and to establish reference ranges useful in captive rearing
      of this endangered species, establishing gender may be important, even in very
      young individuals.

PMID- 20298799
TI  - Pharmacogenetics--pivotal to the future of the biopharmaceutical industry.

PMID- 20298798
TI  - Activation of the P2X(7) receptor triggers the elimination of Toxoplasma gondii
      tachyzoites from infected macrophages.
AB  - Toxoplasmosis is caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which is
      widespread throughout the world. After active penetration, the parasite is
      enclosed within a parasitophorous vacuole and survives in the host cell by
      avoiding, among other mechanisms, lysosomal degradation. A large number of
      studies have demonstrated the importance of ATP signalling via the P2X(7)
      receptor, as a component of the inflammatory response against intracellular
      pathogens. Here we evaluate the effects of extracellular ATP on T. gondii
      infection of macrophages. ATP treatment inhibits the parasite load and the
      appearance of large vacuoles in the cytoplasm of intracellular parasites. ROS and
      NO assays showed that only ROS production is involved with the ATP effects.
      Immunofluorescence showed colocalization of Lamp1 and SAG1 only after ATP
      treatment, suggesting the formation of phagolysosomes. The involvement of P2X(7)
      receptors in T. gondii clearance was confirmed by the use of P2X(7) agonists and
      antagonists, and by infecting macrophages from P2X(7) receptor-deficient mice. We
      conclude that parasite elimination might occur following P2X(7) signalling and
      that novel therapies against intracellular pathogens could take advantage of
      activation of purinergic signalling.

PMID- 20298800
TI  - Use of Benford's law in drug discovery data.
AB  - Benford's law states that the distribution of the first digit of many data sets
      is not uniform. The first digit of any random number will be 1 almost 30% of the
      time, and larger digits occur as the first digit with lower and lower frequency,
      to the point where 9 occurs as a first digit only 5% of the time. Here, we
      demonstrate that several data sets in the field of drug discovery follow
      Benford's distribution, whereas 'doctored' data do not. Our findings indicate the
      applicability of Benford's law in assessing data quality in the field of drug
      discovery. We also propose a useful index of evaluating data quality based on
      Benford's law.

PMID- 20298801
TI  - New therapies to treat sight loss in an ageing population.

PMID- 20298802
TI  - Complex exchanges are responsible for the increased effectiveness of C-ions
      compared to X-rays at the first post-irradiation mitosis.
AB  - The purpose of the present study was to investigate as to what extent differences
      in the linear energy transfer (LET) are reflected at the chromosomal level. For
      this study human lymphocytes were exposed to 9.5 MeV/u C-ions (1 or 2 Gy, LET=175
      keV/microm) or X-rays (1-6 Gy), harvested at 48, 72 or 96 h post-irradiation and
      aberrations were scored in first cycle metaphases using 24 color fluorescence in
      situ hybridization (mFISH). Additionally, in selected samples aberrations were
      measured in prematurely condensed G2-phase cells. Analysis of the time-course of
      aberrations in first cycle metaphases showed a stable yield of simple and complex
      exchanges after X-ray irradiation. In contrast, after C-ion exposure the yields
      profoundly increased with harvesting time complicating the estimation of the
      frequency of aberrations produced by high LET particles within the entire cell
      population. This is especially true for the yield of complex exchanges. Complex
      aberrations dominate the aberration spectrum produced by C-ions. Their fraction
      was about 50% for the two measured doses. In contrast, isodoses of X-rays induced
      smaller proportions of complex aberrations (i.e. 5% and 15%, respectively). For
      both radiation qualities the fraction of complexes did not change with harvesting
      time. As expected from the different dose deposition of high and low LET
      radiation, complex exchanges produced by high LET C-ions involved more breaks and
      more chromosomes than those induced by isodoses of X-rays. Noteworthy, C-ions but
      not X-rays induced a small number of complex chromatid-isochromatid exchanges
      that are not expected for cells exposed in the G0-phase. The results obtained so
      far for cells arrested in G2-phase confirm these patterns. Altogether our data
      show that the increased effectiveness of C-ions for the induction of aberrations
      in first cycle cells is determined by complex exchanges, whereas for simple
      exchanges the relative biological effectiveness is about one.

PMID- 20298803
TI  - Some unsolved problems and unresolved issues in radiation cytogenetics: a review
      and new data on roles of homologous recombination and non-homologous end joining.
AB  - New data and historical evidence from our own and other laboratories are
      summarized and discussed bearing on several issues relating to mechanisms and
      processes involved in the formation of chromosomal aberrations following exposure
      to ionizing radiations. Specifically addressed are: (1) the lesions and processes
      affecting the appearance of chromatid-type and/or chromosome-type aberrations
      after radiation, (2) DNA double strand break rejoining processes and the
      restitution of breaks vs. the formation of exchanges, (3) the role of homologous
      recombinational repair in protecting cells from induction of chromatid-type
      aberrations after irradiation of late S/G2 cells, (4) the role of interphase
      chromatin structure and nuclear organization in aberration induction, (5)
      cellular responses for aberration induction in relation to their tissue context,
      and (6) approaches to the detection of aberrations previously known as "cryptic".

PMID- 20298804
TI  - Comparison of different cytotoxicity measurements for the in vitro micronucleus
      assay using L5178Y and TK6 cells in support of OECD draft Test Guideline 487.
AB  - The reference genotoxic agents mitomycin C, cadmium chloride, 2-aminoanthracene,
      vinblastine sulphate and 5-fluorouracil were tested in the in vitro micronucleus
      assay, in mouse lymphoma L5178Y cells and in human lymphoblastoid cells TK6,
      without cytokinesis block. This was done in support of the toxicity measures
      recommended in the late 2007 version of the draft OECD Test Guideline 487 for the
      testing of chemicals. Relative Population Doubling and Relative Increase in Cell
      Counts, used for the selection of the highest concentrations to be evaluated for
      genotoxicity assessment, based on a 50+/-5% cytotoxicity, both allowed to equally
      detect positive mitomycin C, cadmium chloride, 2-aminoanthracene, vinblastine
      sulphate and 5-fluorouracil on L5178Y and/or TK6 cells. Therefore, these
      parameters, recommended in the draft Test Guideline 487, are suitable to select
      the concentrations at the cytotoxicity required for genotoxicity assessment in
      the in vitro micronucleus assay without cytokinesis block.

PMID- 20298805
TI  - Relationship between chromatin structure, DNA damage and repair following X
      irradiation of human lymphocytes.
AB  - Earlier studies using the technique of premature chromosome condensation (PCC)
      have shown that in human lymphocytes, exchange type of aberrations are formed
      immediately following low doses (<2 Gy) of X-rays, whereas at higher doses these
      aberrations increase with the duration of recovery. This reflects the relative
      roles of slow and fast repair in the formation of exchange aberrations. The
      underlying basis for slow and fast repairing components of the DNA repair may be
      related to differential localization of the initial damage in the genome, i.e.,
      between relaxed and condensed chromatin. We have tried to gain some insight into
      this problem by (a) X-irradiating lymphocytes in the presence of dimethyl
      sulfoxide (DMSO) a potent scavenger of radiation-induced .OH radicals followed by
      PCC and (b) probing the damage and repair in two specific chromosomes, 18 and 19,
      which are relatively poor and rich in transcribing genes by COMET-FISH, a
      combination of Comet assay and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)
      techniques. Results obtained show (a) that both fast appearing and slowly formed
      exchange aberrations seem to take place in relaxed chromatin, since they are
      affected to a similar extent by DMSO, (b) significant differential DNA breakage
      of chromosome 18 compared to chromosome 19 in both G0 and G1 phases of the cell
      cycle as detected by Comet assay, indicating that relaxed chromatin containing
      high densities of transcriptionally active genes shows less fragmentation due to
      fast repair (chromosome 19) compared to chromosome 18, and (c) that relaxed
      chromatin is repaired or mis-repaired faster than more compact chromatin.

PMID- 20298808
TI  - Gelucire 44/14 improves fat absorption in rats with impaired lipolysis.
AB  - Clinically relevant fat malabsorption is usually due to impaired intestinal fat
      digestion (lipolysis) and/or to impaired solubilization of the lipolytic
      metabolites. We hypothesized that Gelucire 44/14 - a semi-solid self-micro
      emulsifying excipient - could increase fat absorption. In relevant rat models for
      impaired lipolysis or for impaired solubilization we tested whether
      administration of Gelucire 44/14 enhanced fat absorption. Rats with impaired
      lipolysis (lipase inhibitor Orlistat diet) and rats with reduced solubilization
      (permanent bile diversion) underwent a 72 h fat balance test to assess fat
      absorption. The absorption kinetics of a stable isotope-labeled fatty acid was
      assessed in rats with reduced solubilization, in the presence or absence of
      Gelucire 44/14. Gelucire 44/14 improved fat absorption in rats with impaired
      lipolysis (from 70% to 82%, p<0.001). In rats with reduced solubilization,
      Gelucire 44/14 did not increase fat absorption nor did it reconstitute the
      absorption kinetics of (13)C-labeled palmitate, compared with control rats
      administered buffer without Gelucire 44/14. The present data show that Gelucire
      44/14 might enhance fat absorption under conditions of impaired lipolysis, but
      not during impaired solubilization. We speculate that, due to its self-micro
      emulsification properties, Gelucire 44/14 stabilizes and improves residual
      lipolytic enzyme activity in vivo, which could be of therapeutic value in
      clinical conditions of fat malabsorption due to impaired lipolysis.

PMID- 20298807
TI  - Marked variability in hepatic expression of cytochromes CYP7A1 and CYP27A1 as
      compared to cerebral CYP46A1. Lessons from a dietary study with omega 3 fatty
      acids in hamsters.
AB  - Two diets simulating the recommendations of the American Heart Association to
      increase the intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) were tested on
      Golden Syrian hamsters and compared to the diet simulating the current estimated
      consumption of fat in the United States. N-3 PUFAs were evaluated for their
      effects on serum and brain lipids and on the three cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs
      7A1, 27A1, and 46A1) that play key roles in cholesterol elimination from
      different organs. Hamsters on the highest concentration of n-3 PUFAs had a
      statistically significant decrease in LDL and HDL cholesterol and no change in
      serum total cholesterol and triglycerides levels. CYP27A1 and CYP46A1 mRNA levels
      were increased in the liver and brain, respectively, whereas possible effects on
      CYP7A1 were obscured by a marked intergroup variability at mRNA, protein, and
      sterol product levels. Increased levels of CYP46A1 mRNA in the brain did not lead
      to significant changes in the levels of lathosterol, 24S-hydroxycholesterol or
      cholesterol in this organ. The data obtained are discussed in relation to
      inconsistent effects of n-3 PUFAs on serum lipids in human trials and reported
      positive effects of fish oil on cognitive function.

PMID- 20298809
TI  - Effects of monocrotophos on the reproductive axis in the female goldfish
      (Carassius auratus).
AB  - Monocrotophos (MCP) is a highly toxic organophosphorus pesticide. To elucidate
      the influence of MCP on female fish reproduction, plasma 17beta-estradiol,
      testosterone and gonadotropin levels and aromatase and gonadotropin beta subunit
      gene expression levels were examined in female goldfish (Carassius auratus)
      following a 21-day exposure to 0.01, 0.10 and 1.00 mg L-(1) 40% MCP-based
      pesticide in a semi-static exposure system. The results indicated that MCP
      induced increases in plasma 17beta-estradiol levels and the 17beta
      estradiol/testosterone ratio via interference with the reproductive axis at
      multiple potential sites through two mechanisms: (a) MCP exposure enhanced the
      mRNA expression of gonadal aromatase, the enzyme that converts androgens into
      estrogens, consequently reducing plasma testosterone levels and increasing plasma
      concentrations of 17beta-estradiol; and (b) MCP treatment increased follicle
      stimulating hormone beta subunit mRNA expression and secretion and decreased
      luteinizing hormone beta subunit mRNA expression and secretion, leading to the
      disruption of reproductive endocrine control and androgen and estrogen balance.
      This study provided convincing evidence for reproductive toxicology of MCP by
      disrupting of the HPG axis at multiple sites in female goldfish.

PMID- 20298806
TI  - Mechanisms of intestinal inflammation and development of associated cancers:
      lessons learned from mouse models.
AB  - Chronic inflammation is strongly associated with approximately 1/5th of all human
      cancers. Arising from combinations of factors such as environmental exposures,
      diet, inherited gene polymorphisms, infections, or from dysfunctions of the
      immune response, chronic inflammation begins as an attempt of the body to remove
      injurious stimuli; however, over time, this results in continuous tissue
      destruction and promotion and maintenance of carcinogenesis. Here we focus on
      intestinal inflammation and its associated cancers, a group of diseases on the
      rise and affecting millions of people worldwide. Intestinal inflammation can be
      widely grouped into inflammatory bowel diseases (ulcerative colitis and Crohn's
      disease) and celiac disease. Long-standing intestinal inflammation is associated
      with colorectal cancer and small-bowel adenocarcinoma, as well as extraintestinal
      manifestations, including lymphomas and autoimmune diseases. This article
      highlights potential mechanisms of pathogenesis in inflammatory bowel diseases
      and celiac disease, as well as those involved in the progression to associated
      cancers, most of which have been identified from studies utilizing mouse models
      of intestinal inflammation. Mouse models of intestinal inflammation can be widely
      grouped into chemically induced models; genetic models, which make up the bulk of
      the studied models; adoptive transfer models; and spontaneous models. Studies in
      these models have lead to the understanding that persistent antigen exposure in
      the intestinal lumen, in combination with loss of epithelial barrier function,
      and dysfunction and dysregulation of the innate and adaptive immune responses
      lead to chronic intestinal inflammation. Transcriptional changes in this
      environment leading to cell survival, hyperplasia, promotion of angiogenesis,
      persistent DNA damage, or insufficient repair of DNA damage due to an excess of
      proinflammatory mediators are then thought to lead to sustained malignant
      transformation. With regards to extraintestinal manifestations such as lymphoma,
      however, more suitable models are required to further investigate the complex and
      heterogeneous mechanisms that may be at play.

PMID- 20298810
TI  - Emodin and rhein inhibit LIGHT-induced monocytes migration by blocking of ROS
      production.
AB  - LIGHT is known to act as a novel mediator for atherogenesis. Furthermore, it has
      been reported that emodin, an active component extracted from rhubarb, can stop
      the growth of cancer cells. However, it is not known if emodin exerts anti
      atherogenic effects in the human monocyte, THP-1, following treatment with LIGHT.
      In this study, we evaluated the inhibitory effect of emodin and rhein on LIGHT
      induced migration in THP-1. Emodin and rhein decreased the level of LIGHT-induced
      generation of ROS, as well as the expression of CCR1, CCR2 and ICAM-1 and the
      production of IL-8, MCP-1, TNF-alpha, and IL-6. Emodin and rhein also decreased
      the phosphorylation of the p38 MAPK and IkB-alpha. Furthermore, the NADPH oxidase
      assembly inhibitor, AEBSF, and the blocker of NADPH oxidase, p47(phox) small
      interference RNA (siRNA), also efficiently blocked LIGHT-induced migration, CCR1,
      CCR2, ICAM-1, and HVEM expression, and p38 MAPK and NF-kB activation. These
      findings indicate that the inhibitory effects of emodin and rhein on LIGHT
      induced migration occur via decreasing ROS production and NADPH oxidase p47(phox)
      activation. Taken together, these results indicate that emodin and rhein have the
      potential for use as an anti-atherosclerosis agent.

PMID- 20298811
TI  - Hepatitis B virus DNA level predicts hepatic decompensation in patients with
      acute exacerbation of chronic hepatitis B.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Acute exacerbations of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV)
      infection can lead to hepatic decompensation. It is important to identify factors
      that predict the development of hepatic decompensation during exacerbation so
      that antiviral therapy can be initiated immediately. METHODS: Acute exacerbation,
      defined by an abrupt increase in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels to >5-fold
      the upper limit of normal, occurred in 110 hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)
      seropositive non-cirrhotic patients (138 episodes). The patients were monitored
      every 1 to 2 weeks for serum levels of ALT, bilirubin, albumin, and prothrombin.
      Sex, age, HBV genotype, ALT level, HBV viral load, and the causes (spontaneous or
      relapse from antiviral treatment) of exacerbation were included in multivariate
      logistic regression analyses. The receiver operating characteristic curve was
      used to identify the optimal cut-off value of serum HBV DNA level to identify
      patients at risk for decompensation. RESULTS: Seven of the 138 episodes of acute
      exacerbation (5.1%) resulted in hepatic decompensation; serum HBV DNA level was
      the only significant risk factor (P = .003). The area under the receiver
      operating characteristic curve was 88.6% (P < .001). A serum HBV DNA cut-off
      value of 1.55 x 10(9) copies/mL predicted decompensation with a sensitivity of
      85.7%, a specificity of 85.5%, a negative prediction value of 99.1%, and positive
      prediction value of 24.0%. CONCLUSIONS: During acute exacerbation of HBeAg
      positive chronic hepatitis B, a serum HBV DNA cut-off value of 1.55 x 10(9)
      copies/mL can be used to identify patients in need of immediate antiviral
      therapy.

PMID- 20298812
TI  - A simulation-based comparison of the traditional method, Rolling-6 design and a
      frequentist version of the continual reassessment method with special attention
      to trial duration in pediatric Phase I oncology trials.
AB  - The traditional method (TM), also known as the 3+3 up-and-down design, and the
      continual reassessment method (CRM) are commonly used in Phase I oncology trials
      to identify the maximum tolerated dose (MTD). The rolling-6 is a relative
      newcomer which was developed to shorten trial duration by minimizing the period
      of time during which the trial is closed to accrual for toxicity assessment. In
      this manuscript we have compared the performance of these three approaches via
      simulations not only with respect to the usual parameters such as overall
      toxicity, sample size and percentage of patients treated at doses above the MTD
      but also in terms of trial duration and the dose chosen as the MTD. Our results
      indicate that the toxicity rates are comparable across the three designs, but the
      TM and the rolling-6 tend to treat a higher percentage of patients at doses below
      the MTD. With respect to trial duration, rolling-6 leads to shorter trials
      compared to the TM but not compared to the CRM. Additionally, the doses
      identified as the MTD by the TM and the rolling-6 differ in a large percentage of
      trials. Our results also indicate that the body surface area-based dosing used in
      pediatric trials can make a difference in dose escalation/de-escalation patterns
      in the CRM compared to the cases where such variations are not taken into account
      in the calculations, even leading to different MTDs in some cases.

PMID- 20298813
TI  - Immunological tolerance induced by galectin-1 in rat allogeneic renal
      transplantation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The existed literatures indicated that galectin-1 has anti
      inflammatory effects and plays a pivotal role in autoimmune diseases. Present
      study was to identify the roles of galectin-1 in acute animal renal allograft
      rejection. METHODS: Rat acute rejection models were erected by allogeneic renal
      transplantation. Galectin-1 injection was performed in different concentrations
      in renal recipients post-transplantation. Recipient survivals, CD8+ T cell
      proliferation, production of IFN-gamma, levels of serum CD30, enzyme-linked
      immunoabsorbent spot assay (ELISPOT) and immunohistochemistry were observed or
      tested 7days after renal transplantation. RESULTS: Galectin-1 injection can
      prolong the recipient animal survival, reduce the serum levels of IFN-gamma,
      soluble CD30, percentage of CD8+ T cell subset, CD8+ T cell-mediated
      cytotoxicity, and IFN-gamma ELISPOT frequency for allograft recipients. The
      therapeutic effects of galectin-1 injection on recipient rats were dose
      dependent. CONCLUSION: Galectin-1 plays an important role in CD8+ T cell-mediated
      renal rejection by inducing immunological tolerance.

PMID- 20298814
TI  - Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology. Editorial.

PMID- 20298815
TI  - Effect of propofol on breathing stability in adult ICU patients with brain
      damage.
AB  - The aim of the study was to investigate Propofol's effect on breathing stability
      in brain damage patients, as quantified by the Loop Gain (LG) of the respiratory
      system (breathing stability increases with decreasing LG). In 11 stable brain
      damage patients full polysomnography was performed before, during and after
      propofol sedation, titrated to achieve stage 2 or slow wave sleep. During each
      period, patients were ventilated with proportional assist ventilation and the %
      assist was increased in steps, until either periodic breathing (PB) occurred or
      the highest assist (95%) was achieved. The tidal volume amplification factor
      (VT(AF)) at the highest assist level reached just before PB occurred was used to
      calculate LG (LG=1/VT(AF)). In all but one patient, PB was observed. With
      propofol, the assist level at which PB occurred (73 + or - 19%) was significantly
      higher, than that before (43 + or - 35%) and after propofol sedation (49 + or -
      29%). As a result, with propofol LG (0.49 + or - 0.2) was significantly lower
      than that before (0.74 + or - 0.2) and after propofol sedation (0.69 + or - 0.2)
      (p<0.05). We conclude that Propofol decreases LG. Therefore it exerts an overall
      stabilizing effect on control of breathing.

PMID- 20298816
TI  - Differential scanning calorimetry and fluorescence study of lactoperoxidase as a
      function of guanidinium-HCl, urea, and pH.
AB  - The stability of bovine lactoperoxidase to denaturation by guanidinium-HCl, urea,
      or high temperature was examined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and
      tryptophan fluorescence. The calorimetric scans were observed to be dependent on
      the heating scan rate, indicating that lactoperoxidase stability at temperatures
      near Tm is controlled by kinetics. The values for the thermal transition, Tm, at
      slow heating scan rate were 66.8, 61.1, and 47.2 degrees C in the presence of
      0.5, 1, and 2 M guanidinium-HCl, respectively. The extrapolated value for Tm in
      the absence of guanidinium-HCl is 73.7 degrees C, compared with 70.2 degrees C
      obtained by experiment; a lower experimental value without a denaturant is
      consistent with distortion of the thermal profile due to aggregation or other
      irreversible phenomenon. Values for the heat capacity, Cp, at Tm and Ea for the
      thermal transition decrease under conditions where Tm is lowered. At a given
      concentration, urea is less effective than guanidinium-HCl in reducing Tm, but
      urea reduces Cp relatively more. Both fluorescence and DSC indicate that
      thermally denatured protein is not random coil. A change in fluorescence around
      35 degrees C, which was previously reported for EPR and CD measurements (Boscolo
      et al. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1774 (2007) 1164-1172), is not seen by calorimetry,
      suggesting that a local and not a global change in protein conformation produces
      this fluorescence change.

PMID- 20298817
TI  - Aquifex aeolicus FlgM protein exhibits a temperature-dependent disordered nature.
AB  - Studies on the nature and function of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDP)
      over the past 10 years have demonstrated the importance of IDPs in normal
      cellular function. Although many proteins predicted to be IDPs have been
      experimentally characterized on an individual basis, the conservation of disorder
      between homologous proteins from different organisms has not been fully studied.
      We now demonstrate that the FlgM protein from the thermophile Aquifex aeolicus
      exhibits a more ordered conformation at 20 degrees C than the previously
      characterized FlgM protein from Salmonella typhimurium. FlgM is an inhibitor of
      the RNA transcription factor sigma28, which is involved in regulation of the late
      stage genes involved in flagella synthesis. Previous work has shown that the S.
      typhimurium FlgM protein is an intrinsically disordered protein, though the C
      terminus becomes ordered when bound to sigma28 or under crowded solution
      conditions. In this work, we demonstrate that at 20 degrees C the A. aeolicus
      FlgM protein exhibits alpha-helical character in circular dichroism (CD)
      experiments, though the percentage of alpha-helical content decreases with
      increased temperature, consistent with the FlgM assuming a less folded
      conformation. We also show that the A. aeolicus FlgM exhibits cooperativity in
      chemical denaturation experiments, consistent with a globular nature.
      Furthermore, we use the fluorescent probe FlAsH to show that the H2 helix is
      ordered, even in the unbound state and that the H1 and H2 helices appear to be
      associated with each other in the absence of the sigma28 protein. Finally, we
      demonstrate that the H2 helix assumes an extended conformation at 85 degrees C.
      Based on our results, we propose that at 20 degrees C the A. aeolicus FlgM
      assumes a four-helix bundle-like conformation that becomes a more extended
      conformation at the A. aeolicus' physiological temperature of 85 degrees C.

PMID- 20298818
TI  - Peak frequencies of circulating human influenza-specific antibody secreting cells
      correlate with serum antibody response after immunization.
AB  - Upon vaccination, B cells differentiate into antibody secreting cells (ASCs) that
      migrate via the circulation to tissues. The kinetics of this response and the
      relationship of circulating ASCs to protective antibody titers have not been
      completely explored. METHODS: Influenza-specific and total-IgG ASCs were
      enumerated by Elispot and flow cytometry daily in the blood in 6 healthy adults
      after trivalent influenza vaccination (TIV). RESULTS: Peak H1-specific IgG ASC
      frequencies occurred variably from day 5 to 8 and correlated with the fold-rise
      rise in hemagglutination inhibition (HAI titers); r=0.91, p=0.006. H3-specific
      IgG ASC frequencies correlated less well, perhaps due to a mismatch of the H3
      protein in the vaccine and that used in the Elispot assay. Peak frequencies of
      vaccine-specific and total-IgG ASCs were 0.3% and 0.8%, respectively, of
      peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Peak TIV-, H1-, H3-, and total-IgG ASC
      frequencies were 1736+/-1133, 626+/-520, 592+/-463, and 4091+/-2019 spots/10(6)
      PBMC, respectively. Peak TIV-, H1-, and H3-specific IgG ASC of total-IgG ASC
      frequencies constituted 63%+/-21, 26%+/-10, 22%+/-17, respectively. CONCLUSION:
      After immunization with inactivated influenza vaccine the peak in influenza
      specific ASC frequencies is variable but correlates well with the magnitude of
      protective HAI responses.

PMID- 20298819
TI  - Impact of segmental left ventricle lead position on cardiac resynchronization
      therapy outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The optimal pacing site for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT)
      is along the left ventricle (LV) lateral or posterolateral wall. However, little
      is known about the impact of segmental pacing site on outcomes. OBJECTIVE: We
      assessed the impact of segmental LV lead position on CRT outcomes. METHODS:
      Patients (n = 115) undergoing CRT were followed prospectively. Segmental LV lead
      position along the longitudinal axis (apical, midventricle, or basal) was
      determined retrospectively by examining coronary sinus (CS) venograms and chest X
      rays. The primary outcome was a combined endpoint of heart failure
      hospitalization, cardiac transplantation, or all-cause mortality. Secondary
      outcomes included change in New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class
      and degree of LV reverse remodeling. RESULTS: Patients were divided into two
      groups based on LV lead position: apical (n = 25) and basal/midventricle (n =
      90). The apical group was older (72.9 +/- 8.9 vs. 66.5 +/- 13.3 years; P = .010)
      and more likely to have ischemic cardiomyopathy (77% vs. 52%, P <.001). During a
      mean follow-up of 15.1 +/- 9.0 months, event-free survival was significantly
      lower in the apical group: 52% vs. 79%, hazard ratio [HR] 2.7 (95% confidence
      interval [CI] 1.5-5.5, P = .006). The adverse impact of apical lead placement
      remained significant after adjusting for clinical covariates: HR 2.3 (95% CI 1.1
      4.8, P = .03). The apical group also experienced less improvement in NYHA
      functional class and less LV reverse remodeling. CONCLUSIONS: Apical LV lead
      placement is associated with worse CRT outcomes. Preferential positioning of LV
      leads in the basal/midventricle segments may improve outcomes.

PMID- 20298820
TI  - Efficacy of partial body weight-supported treadmill training compared with
      overground walking practice for children with cerebral palsy: a randomized
      controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of 9 weeks of twice-weekly partial body
      weight-supported treadmill training (PBWSTT) for children with cerebral palsy
      (CP) and moderate to severe walking difficulty compared with overground walking.
      DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Metropolitan Specialist School for
      children with moderate to severe physical and/or intellectual disabilities.
      PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-four children classified level III or IV by the Gross Motor
      Function Classification System were recruited and randomly allocated to
      experimental or control groups. Of these, 26 (15 girls, 11 boys; mean age 10 y,
      10 mo +/- 3 y, 11 mo [range, 5-18 y]) completed training and testing.
      INTERVENTIONS: Both groups completed 9 weeks of twice-weekly walking training.
      The experimental group completed PBWSTT, and the control group completed
      overground walking practice. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Ten-meter walk test (self
      selected walking speed), 10-minute walk (walking endurance), School Function
      Assessment. RESULTS: The overground walking group showed a trend for an increase
      in the distance walked over 10 minutes (F=3.004, P=.097). There was no
      statistically significant difference in self-selected walking speed over 10
      meters or in walking function in the school environment as measured by the School
      Function Assessment. CONCLUSIONS: PBWSTT is safe and feasible to implement in a
      special school setting; however, it may be no more effective than overground
      walking for improving walking speed and endurance for children with CP. Continued
      emphasis on progressive reduction of body weight support along with adding
      concurrent overground walking practice to a treadmill training protocol may
      increase the intensity of training and assist with carryover of improvements to
      overground walking. Treadmill training programs that include concurrent
      overground walking as an additional key feature of the training protocol need to
      be rigorously evaluated for children with CP.

PMID- 20298821
TI  - Transrectal ultrasound-guided transperineal botulinum toxin a injection to the
      external urethral sphincter for treatment of detrusor external sphincter
      dyssynergia in patients with spinal cord injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of a single transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)
      guided transperineal injection of botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) to the external
      urethral sphincter (EUS) for treating detrusor external sphincter dyssynergia
      (DESD). DESIGN: Descriptive study. SETTING: Rehabilitation hospital affiliated
      with a medical university. PARTICIPANTS: Patients (N=18) with suprasacral spinal
      cord injury who had DESD confirmed on video-urodynamic study. INTERVENTIONS: A
      single dose of 100U BTX-A was applied into the EUS via TRUS-guided transperineal
      route injection. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Maximal detrusor pressure, detrusor leak
      point pressure, integrated electromyography (iEMG), maximal pressure on static
      urethral pressure profilometry, and postvoiding residuals. RESULTS: There were
      significant reductions in iEMG (P=.008) and static (P=.012) and dynamic urethral
      pressure (P=.023), but not in detrusor pressure and detrusor leak-point pressure
      after treatment. Postvoiding residuals also significantly decreased in the first
      and second month after treatment (P<.012). CONCLUSIONS: TRUS-guided transperineal
      injection of BTX-A has beneficial effects in treating DESD.

PMID- 20298822
TI  - Utility of functional status for classifying community versus institutional
      discharges after inpatient rehabilitation for stroke.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the ability of patient functional status to differentiate
      between community and institutional discharges after rehabilitation for stroke.
      DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional design. SETTING: Inpatient rehabilitation
      facilities contributing to the Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation.
      PARTICIPANTS: Patients (N=157,066) receiving inpatient rehabilitation for stroke
      from 2006 and 2007. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE:
      Discharge FIM rating and discharge setting (community vs institutional). RESULTS:
      Approximately 71% of the sample was discharged to the community. Receiver
      operating characteristic curve analyses revealed that FIM total performed as well
      as or better than FIM motor and FIM cognition subscales in differentiating
      discharge settings. Area under the curve for FIM total was .85, indicating very
      good ability to identify persons discharged to the community. A FIM total rating
      of 78 was identified as the optimal cut point for distinguishing between positive
      (community) and negative (institution) tests. This cut point yielded balanced
      sensitivity and specificity (both=.77). CONCLUSIONS: Discharge planning is
      complex, involving many factors. Identifying a functional threshold for
      classifying discharge settings can provide important information to assist in
      this process. Additional research is needed to determine if the risks and
      benefits of classification errors justify shifting the cut point to weight either
      sensitivity or specificity of FIM ratings.

PMID- 20298823
TI  - Monitoring training progress during exercise training in cancer survivors: a
      submaximal exercise test as an alternative for a maximal exercise test?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the use of a submaximal exercise test in detecting change
      in fitness level after a physical training program, and to investigate the
      correlation of outcomes as measured submaximally or maximally. DESIGN: A
      prospective study in which exercise testing was performed before and after
      training intervention. SETTING: Academic and general hospital and rehabilitation
      center. PARTICIPANTS: Cancer survivors (N=147) (all cancer types, medical
      treatment completed > or =3 mo ago) attended a 12-week supervised exercise
      program. INTERVENTIONS: A 12-week training program including aerobic training,
      strength training, and group sport. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcome measures were
      changes in peak oxygen uptake (Vo(2)peak) and peak power output (both determined
      during exhaustive exercise testing) and submaximal heart rate (determined during
      submaximal testing at a fixed workload). RESULTS: The Vo(2)peak and peak power
      output increased and the submaximal heart rate decreased significantly from
      baseline to postintervention (P<.001). Changes in submaximal heart rate were only
      weakly correlated with changes in Vo(2)peak and peak power output. Comparing the
      participants performing submaximal testing with a heart rate less than 140 beats
      per minute (bpm) versus the participants achieving a heart rate of 140 bpm or
      higher showed that changes in submaximal heart rate in the group cycling with
      moderate to high intensity (ie, heart rate > or =140 bpm) were clearly related to
      changes in VO(2)peak and peak power output. CONCLUSIONS: For the monitoring of
      training progress in daily clinical practice, changes in heart rate at a fixed
      submaximal workload that requires a heart rate greater than 140 bpm may serve as
      an alternative to an exhaustive exercise test.

PMID- 20298824
TI  - Ultrasound as a screening tool for proceeding with caudal epidural injections.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the anatomical structure of the sacral hiatus using
      ultrasound. Based on the sonographic images of the sacral hiatus, the feasibility
      of caudal epidural injection can then be assessed. DESIGN: Case-controlled study.
      SETTING: Rehabilitation outpatient clinic in a tertiary medical center.
      PARTICIPANTS: Patients (N=47; 20 women, 27 men) with low back pain and sciatica
      who were to receive caudal epidural injection treatments were recruited into this
      study. INTERVENTIONS: Sonographic images of the sacral hiatus were obtained from
      all the patients. An ultrasound machine capable of examining musculoskeletal
      tissues with real-time linear-array ultrasound transducer was used to measure the
      distance between the anterior wall and posterior wall of the sacral hiatus
      (diameter of the sacral hiatus) and the distance between bilateral cornua. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Diameter of the sacral canal and distance between bilateral
      cornua measured in millimeters. RESULTS: The mean diameter of the sacral canal
      was measured to be 5.3+/-2.0 mm in our recruited patients. The mean distance
      between bilateral cornua was measured to be 9.7+/-1.9 mm. Caudal epidural
      injections failed in 7 patients. In these 7 patients, 4 had very small diameter
      of the sacral canal (1.6, 1.2, 1.4, and 1.5 mm). In 1 man, sonographic images
      revealed a closed sacral hiatus (no sacral canal diameter can be measured). Two
      patients revealed flow of fresh blood into the syringe while checking for the
      escape of cerebrospinal fluid after the needles were inserted into the sacral
      canal. For safety reasons, steroid injections were not performed in these 2
      patients. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound may be used as an effective screening tool for
      caudal epidural injections. Anatomic variations of the sacral hiatus can be
      clearly observed using ultrasound. Sonographic images indicating a closed sacral
      canal and sacral diameters ranging from 1.2 to 1.6mm may suggest a higher failure
      rate in caudal epidural injection.

PMID- 20298825
TI  - Effectiveness of pulmonary rehabilitation in reducing health resources use in
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary, outpatient
      pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) program in patients with severe and very severe
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). PR is recommended in advanced COPD,
      but there is limited evidence on the effectiveness of PR in reducing health care
      resources when applied in outpatients. DESIGN: Before and after intervention, a
      prospective research trial of patients enrolled in a PR program. SETTING:
      Outpatient respiratory department in a specialized hospital. PARTICIPANTS: We
      considered prospectively 82 consecutive patients with advanced COPD and finally
      studied 72 patients who completed the PR intensive phase. INTERVENTION: PR
      program. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The effectiveness of this PR program was assessed
      by comparing health resources use from the year before and the year after PR.
      Clinical variables including dyspnea; the body mass index, obstruction, dyspnea,
      exercise capacity (BODE) index; and the Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire and
      health resources use including the number of exacerbations, the number of
      hospitalizations, and days of hospitalization. RESULTS: Patients had a forced
      expiratory volume in the first second percentage predicted (mean +/- SD) of
      33.0+/-9.8 and a BODE index of 5.0+/-2.0. Significant improvements after PR were
      found in dyspnea, exercise capacity, and quality of life and on the BODE index
      (P<.05). Compared with the 12 months before PR, there were also significant
      reductions during the year after PR on exacerbations (3.4+/-3.5 vs 1.9+/-2.0,
      P=.002), hospitalizations (2.4+/-2.0 vs 0.9+/-1.2, P<.001), and days of
      hospitalization (36.1+/-32.7 vs 16.1+/-31.3, P<.001) (ie, a reduction of 44%,
      63%, and 55%, respectively; all P<.05). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that a
      multidisciplinary, outpatient PR program substantially reduces health resources
      use in patients with severe and very severe COPD.

PMID- 20298826
TI  - Demographic and clinical variation in Veterans Health Administration provision of
      assistive technology devices to veterans poststroke.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine variation in provision of assistive technology (AT)
      devices and the extent to which such variation may be explained by patient
      characteristics or Veterans Health Administration (VHA) administrative region.
      DESIGN: Retrospective population-based study. SETTING: VHA. PARTICIPANTS:
      Veterans poststroke in fiscal years 2001 and 2002 (N=12,046). INTERVENTIONS: Not
      applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Provision of 8 categories of AT devices.
      RESULTS: There was considerable regional variation in provision of AT. For
      example, differences across administrative regions in the VHA ranged from 5.1 to
      28.1 standard manual wheelchairs per 100 veterans poststroke. Using logistic
      regression, with only demographic variables as predictors of standard manual
      wheelchair provision, the c statistic was .62, and the pseudo R(2) was 2.5%.
      Adding disease severity increased the c statistic to .67 and the pseudo R(2) to
      6.2%, and adding Veteran Integrated Network System further increased the c
      statistic to .72 and pseudo R(2) to 9.8%. CONCLUSIONS: Our research showed
      significant variation in the provision of AT devices to veterans poststroke, and
      it showed that patient characteristics accounted for only 6.2% of the variation.
      VHA administrative region and disability severity accounted for equivalent
      amounts of the variation. Our findings suggest the need for improvements in the
      process for providing AT and/or provider education concerning device provision.

PMID- 20298827
TI  - Community ambulation in older adults: which internal characteristics are
      important?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the internal characteristics of older adults independent in
      community ambulation to gain further understanding of the skills required for its
      successful execution. DESIGN: Exploratory factor analysis. SETTING: General
      community. PARTICIPANTS: Healthy, community dwelling older adults (N=113) who
      were cognitively intact and walked outdoors independently. INTERVENTIONS: Not
      applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Spatiotemporal gait parameters derived from
      accelerometry over 6 minutes walking outdoors and a battery of measures for
      motor, cognitive, executive, and behavioral characteristics. RESULTS: Mean
      participant age +/- SD was 75.8+/-7.3 years, with almost a third of the sample
      over 80 years. Four factors emerged from the Factor Analysis of 23 variables:
      motor control, self-efficacy, executive function, and cognitive-motor
      interference, which together explained 61.4% of common variance. Eight variables
      loaded onto motor control, accounting for 34.5% of common variance; 7 items
      loaded onto self-efficacy, which explained 12.4% of common variance; 5 variables
      loaded onto executive function, accounting for 8.4% of common variance; and 3
      variables loaded onto cognitive-motor interference, explaining 6% of the
      variance. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study indicate that factors beyond motor
      control contribute to independent community ambulation in older adults,
      reflecting the multidimensional, complex nature of the task. Self-efficacy was
      shown to be more relevant than executive function to gait performance, suggesting
      the need for a broader approach to assessment and intervention strategies.

PMID- 20298828
TI  - Recovery of muscle strength and power after limb-lengthening surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To report muscle strength, power, and function after limb-lengthening
      surgery performed by using the Ilizarov technique. DESIGN: Prospective,
      longitudinal observational study of a cohort of consecutive patients who
      underwent limb-lengthening distraction followed up for 2 years after surgery.
      SETTING: National Health Service hospital specializing in orthopedic surgery.
      PARTICIPANTS: Patients (N=16) who had undergone limb-lengthening surgery
      performed by using the Ilizarov method (11 men, 5 women; mean age=27 y; range, 13
      56 y). INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Muscle strength and power were
      assessed by using 2 validated measures: isokinetic concentric strength of the
      quadriceps and hamstrings measured by using a dynamometer and leg extensor power.
      Measures were recorded preoperatively and at 6, 12, and 24 months after the
      completion of lengthening. Function was measured by 2 timed tests of functional
      performance: stair climbing and sit-to-stand. RESULTS: Overall results were good
      with high reports of function and satisfactory clinical examination. Both
      concentric muscle strength and leg power showed a clear pattern of decreased
      muscle strength at 6 months after frame removal, improving throughout the study
      period until it was within 3% of the preoperative value at 2 years. By 2 years,
      self-reported function and ability to complete timed functional tests had
      returned to or improved on the preoperative values. Muscle strength remained
      slightly below the preoperative value; this was more pronounced in the quadriceps
      than the hamstrings. There was no association between muscle strength and the
      amount of lengthening that had been undertaken. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests
      that there is a small residual decrease in muscle strength and power after limb
      lengthening surgery but that these do not adversely impact on a patients' ability
      to perform everyday functional activities.

PMID- 20298829
TI  - Rasch analysis of the Executive Interview (The EXIT-25) and introduction of an
      abridged version (The Quick EXIT).
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Executive Interview
      (EXIT-25) and to propose modifications that will improve those properties.
      DESIGN: Rasch analysis of existing datasets contributed by 3 prior projects, all
      of which examined criterion-related validity of the EXIT-25. SETTING: A large,
      urban, academic free-standing rehabilitation facility. PARTICIPANTS: The sample
      of 147 was comprised of 109 adults diagnosed with stroke evaluated during
      inpatient rehabilitation and 38 adults with traumatic brain injury evaluated
      during inpatient (n=11) or outpatient rehabilitation (n=27). INTERVENTIONS: Not
      applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The EXIT-25, Repeatable Battery for the
      Assessment of Neuropsychological Status, and Trails A and B. RESULTS: Eleven of
      the 25 items correlated weakly with the total measure and misfit the rating scale
      model. Deleting these 11 items improved the internal consistency of the remaining
      14 items and enhanced the measure's criterion-related validity. CONCLUSIONS: The
      EXIT-25 can be reduced from 25 to 14 items without reducing internal consistency.
      Convergent validity of the abbreviated measure is supported by moderate-size
      correlations with standard measures of cognitive deficits.

PMID- 20298830
TI  - Psychometric properties of the community integration questionnaire adjusted for
      people with aphasia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe the feasibility of the Community Integration
      Questionnaire (CIQ) adjusted for use in people with aphasia and to report its
      psychometric properties in people with aphasia (internal consistency, factor
      analysis, test-retest reliability, convergent validity). DESIGN: A cross
      sectional, interview-based psychometric study. Test-retest reliability was
      evaluated in 20 people (minimal to severe aphasia) by 2 different interviewers
      within a 2-week period. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: In total 490 stroke
      survivors with (minimal to severe) aphasia were approached, of which 165 (34%)
      participants returned the answering letter. Participants (N=150) agreed to take
      part and were interviewed using a structured interview format. INTERVENTIONS: Not
      applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ),
      Frenchay Aphasia Screening Test, Barthel Index, Dartmouth Coop Functional Health
      Assessment Charts (COOP)-World Organisation of Family Doctors (WONCA) Charts,
      Life Satisfaction Questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 150 stroke survivors with
      aphasia completed the CIQ adjusted for people with aphasia. The CIQ adjusted for
      people with aphasia was a feasible instrument. Results showed good internal
      consistency for the CIQ total (standardized Cronbach alpha=.75), excellent test
      retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient=.96), moderate
      correlations with the Barthel Index, the COOP-WONCA, and the Life Satisfaction
      Questionnaire with regard to construct validity. Significant relations were found
      with regard to age and aphasia severity. CONCLUSIONS: The CIQ adjusted for people
      with aphasia seems to be an adequate instrument to assess participation in people
      with aphasia.

PMID- 20298831
TI  - Patient-reported cognitive and communicative functioning: 1 construct or 2?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine the dimensionality of scales for measuring patient
      reported cognitive and communicative functioning in a sample of stroke survivors
      and to evaluate the consequences for measurement of treating them as a single,
      undifferentiated construct. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of existing cross
      sectional data. SETTING: Data were collected in outpatient rehabilitation clinics
      and in the community. PARTICIPANTS: Unilateral stroke survivors (N=316) 3 months
      or more postonset referred for participation in research. INTERVENTIONS: Not
      applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Burden of Stroke Scale cognition and
      communication domain scales were evaluated by using confirmatory factor analysis,
      Rasch analysis, and tests of differential item functioning (DIF). To evaluate the
      impact of multidimensionality on the measurement of individual patients,
      separately estimated cognition and communication scores were compared. Combined
      and separately estimated scores were also examined for responsiveness to group
      differences in the presence of cognitive and communicative impairment. RESULTS:
      Factor analysis and Rasch model fit analyses equivocally supported the
      unidimensionality of the item pool. DIF analyses between participants with right
      versus left hemisphere stroke suggested multidimensionality. Scaling cognition
      and communication items separately resulted in different person scores for a
      significant number of patients and greater responsiveness to group differences.
      CONCLUSIONS: Patient-reported scales assessing communication along with more
      general cognitive activities may possess an internal structure that is
      inconsistent with a unidimensional measurement model with potential negative
      consequences for measurement.

PMID- 20298832
TI  - 5-repetition sit-to-stand test in subjects with chronic stroke: reliability and
      validity.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine the (1) intrarater, interrater, and test-retest
      reliability of the 5-repetition sit-to-stand test (5-repetition STS test) scores,
      (2) correlation of 5-repetition STS test scores with lower-limb muscle strength
      and balance performance, and (3) cut-off scores among the 3 groups of subjects:
      the young, the healthy elderly, and subjects with stroke. DESIGN: Cross-sectional
      study. SETTING: University-based rehabilitation center. PARTICIPANTS: A
      convenience sample of 36 subjects: 12 subjects with chronic stroke, 12 healthy
      elderly subjects, and 12 young subjects. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: 5-Repetition STS test time scores; hand-held dynamometer
      measurements of hip flexors, and knee flexors and extensors; ankle dorsiflexors
      and plantarflexors muscle strength; Berg Balance Scale (BBS); and limits of
      stability (LOS) test using dynamic posturography. RESULTS: Excellent intrarater
      reliability of intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) (range, .970-.976),
      interrater reliability (ICC=.999), and test-retest reliability (ICC range, .989
      .999) were found. Five-repetition STS test scores were also found to be
      significantly associated with the muscle strength of affected and unaffected knee
      flexors (rho=-.753 to -.830; P<.00556) of the subjects with stroke. No
      significant associations were found between 5-repetition STS test and BBS and LOS
      tests in subjects with stroke. Cut-off scores of 12 seconds were found to be
      discriminatory between healthy elderly and subjects with stroke at a sensitivity
      of 83% and specificity of 75%. CONCLUSIONS: The 5-repetition STS test is a
      reliable measurement tool that correlates with knee flexors muscle strength but
      not balance ability in subjects with stroke.

PMID- 20298833
TI  - Psychometric validation of the Manual Ability Measure-36 (MAM-36) in patients
      with neurologic and musculoskeletal disorders.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Manual Ability Measure
      36 (MAM-36), a new hand function outcome measure, and to examine differences in
      manual abilities and item parameters in patients with neurologic and
      musculoskeletal conditions. DESIGN: Convenience sample from 2 time periods, cross
      sectional. SETTING: Outpatient rehabilitation units and private hand clinics.
      PARTICIPANTS: Patients (N=337; mean age, 50.3+/-14.9y) with a variety of
      neurologic and musculoskeletal (orthopedic) diagnoses. Most of these individuals
      were community dwelling, and all had residual functional limitations in the
      hand(s). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rasch analysis was
      performed on MAM-36 data to evaluate both scale structure and psychometric
      properties, which include rating distribution, step measures, item fit,
      separation, and dimensionality. A t test was performed to examine the differences
      in manual abilities in patients with the 2 conditions. Uniform differential item
      functioning (DIF) between neurologic and musculoskeletal groups was examined.
      (DIF occurs when subgroup members within the sample with the same level of the
      underlying trait being measured respond differently to an individual item.)
      Manual ability estimates were recalibrated with step and common item anchoring;
      they were compared with those derived from the original analysis. RESULTS: The 36
      items measured a single construct with no misfitting items. The scale was used as
      intended. The items can reliably separate the participants into 5 ability strata.
      Neurologic patients had a significantly lower mean manual ability than
      musculoskeletal patients. Fourteen items exhibited DIF. However, DIF had no
      effect on either scale quality or calibration of manual ability. We decided that
      a single rating scale is appropriate for both groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      showed that the MAM-36 has more than adequate psychometric properties and can be
      used as a generic outcome measure for patients with a wide variety of clinical
      diagnoses.

PMID- 20298834
TI  - Reliability of the Tardieu Scale for assessing spasticity in children with
      cerebral palsy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To measure the Tardieu Scale's reliability in children with cerebral
      palsy (CP) when used by raters with and without experience in using the scale,
      before and after training. DESIGN: Single-center, intrarater and interrater
      reliability study. SETTING: Institutional ambulatory care. PARTICIPANTS: Referred
      children with CP in the pretraining phase (n=5), during training (n=3), and in
      the posttraining phase (n=15). INTERVENTIONS: The Tardieu Scale involves
      performing passive muscle stretch at 2 velocities, slow and fast. The rater
      derives 2 parameters; the Spasticity Angle X is the difference between the angles
      of arrest at slow speed and of catch-and-release or clonus at fast speed; the
      Spasticity Grade Y is an ordinal variable that grades the intensity (gain) of the
      muscle reaction to fast stretch. In phase 1, experienced raters without
      formalized training in the scale graded elbow, knee, and ankle plantar flexors
      bilaterally, without and with a goniometer. In phase 2, after training, the
      experienced and nonexperienced raters graded the same muscles unilaterally. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Intrarater and interrater reliability of the Tardieu Scale.
      RESULTS: After training, nonexperienced raters had mean +/- SD intrarater and
      interrater agreement rates across all joints and parameters of 80%+/-14% and
      74%+/-16%, respectively. For experienced raters, intrarater and interrater
      agreement rates before training were 77%+/-13% and 66%+/-15%, respectively,
      versus 90%+/-8% and 81%+/-13%, respectively, after training (P<.001 for both).
      Specific angle measurements at the knee were less reliable for the angles of
      catch measured at fast speed. Across all joints, agreement rates were similar
      using visual or goniometric measurements. CONCLUSIONS: Both parameters of the
      Tardieu Scale have excellent intrarater and interrater reliability when assessed
      at the elbow and ankle joints of children with CP, with no difference noted
      between visual and goniometric measurements. Angle measurements were less
      reliable at the knee joints. Training was associated with a highly significant
      improvement in reliability.

PMID- 20298835
TI  - Interrater reliability of goal attainment scaling in rehabilitation of children
      with cerebral palsy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the interrater reliability of Goal Attainment Scaling
      (GAS) in the routine practice of interdisciplinary rehabilitation of children
      with cerebral palsy, and to examine the difference in the interrater reliability
      of the scores between GAS scales constructed by the children's own therapists and
      the scales constructed by independent therapists. DESIGN: Individually tailored
      GAS scales, based on predetermined criteria, were constructed at the start of a 6
      month rehabilitation period. The outcome was rated independently by 2 therapists
      at the end of the treatment period. Two different data sets were acquired, one
      consisting of scores on GAS scales constructed by the children's own therapists,
      the other of scores on GAS scales constructed by matched independent raters of
      the same profession. SETTING: A children's unit of a medium-sized rehabilitation
      center in The Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS: Physical therapists (n=8), occupational
      therapists (n=8), and speech therapists (n=4) participated in pairs. They
      constructed 2 sets of 64 GAS scales each, for 23 children with cerebral palsy.
      INTERVENTIONS: A 6-month interdisciplinary pediatric rehabilitation program. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURE: Interrater reliability was assessed using linear-weighted
      Cohen's kappa. RESULTS: The scales constructed by the children's therapists had
      an interrater reliability of .82 (95% confidence interval [CI], .73-.91). The
      interrater reliability for scales constructed by the independent raters was .64
      (95% CI, .49-.79). The main reason for disagreement between raters was
      discrepancies in the professionals' interpretation of the children's capacities
      versus their actual performance during assessment. CONCLUSIONS: The interrater
      reliability of GAS used under optimal conditions was good, particularly for
      scales constructed by the children's own therapists.

PMID- 20298836
TI  - Trunk muscle activity during wheelchair ramp ascent and the influence of a geared
      wheel on the demands of postural control.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To quantify levels of torso muscular demand during wheelchair ramp
      ascent and the ability of a geared wheel to influence trunk muscle activity.
      DESIGN: Repeated-measures design. Each participant completed manual wheelchair
      ramp ascents for each combination of 4 ramp grades (1:12, 1:10, 1:8, and 1:6) and
      3 wheel conditions (in gear, out of gear, and a standard spoked wheel) in a block
      randomized order by wheel condition. SETTING: Biomechanics laboratory.
      PARTICIPANTS: Healthy novice wheelchair users (N=13; 6 men) from a university
      student population. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Peak
      electromyographic activity, expressed as a percentage of maximal voluntary
      isometric contraction (MVIC) of the abdominals, latissimus dorsi, and erector
      spinae during ramp ascent. Temporal location of peak electromyographic activity
      (EMG) within a propulsive cycle and integrated electromyographic activity for a
      single propulsive cycle. RESULTS: Abdominal peak activity increased 13.9% MVIC
      while peak posterior trunk muscle activity increased 4.9% MVIC between the
      shallowest and steepest ramp grades (P<.05). The geared wheel prevented increased
      peak activity of the rectus abdominis and external oblique (P>.05). Only peak
      electromyographic timing of the erector spinae was influenced during the push
      phase by increasing ramp slope. CONCLUSIONS: Increased trunk muscular demand as a
      result of increasing ramp slope is required to enhance stiffness of the spinal
      column and provide a stable base during manual propulsion. Manual wheelchair
      users with compromised activity capacity, compromised abdominal muscle strength,
      or both, may be able to navigate more difficult terrains while using a geared
      wheelchair wheel because of reduced demands from the abdominal musculature in the
      geared wheel condition.

PMID- 20298837
TI  - Generalization of prism adaptation for wheelchair driving task in patients with
      unilateral spatial neglect.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To verify the efficacy of prism adaptation as a practical means of
      rehabilitation for subjects with unilateral spatial neglect by conducting goal
      directed tasks in the presence of similar visual flankers in the right hemispace
      using an activity of daily living, namely, wheelchair operation. DESIGN:
      Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Rehabilitation center located in Japan.
      PARTICIPANTS: Patients with unilateral spatial neglect (N=10). INTERVENTION:
      Prism adaptation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A midpoint-directed task in which the
      subject faces the center of 2 symbols placed in front and moves the wheelchair
      toward it, and a goal-directed task in which the subject must differentiate a
      single target from multiple symbols and move the wheelchair toward it. RESULTS:
      In the midpoint-directed task, there was a significant shift in the reach
      position bias from +27.7 cm prior to prism adaptation to +3.1cm after prism
      adaptation (P<.01). In the goal-directed task, the time taken to reach the outer
      left target decreased from 21.2 seconds prior to prism adaptation to 11.8 seconds
      after prism adaptation, and the difference between placement of the targets was
      eliminated. CONCLUSIONS: Prism adaptation exhibited the potential to generalize
      the effects on activities of daily living such as driving a wheelchair and to
      ameliorate unilateral spatial neglect even in the presence of right-hemispace
      flankers. Prism adaptation is an effective therapeutic modality in rehabilitation
      because it prevents the appearance of neglect symptoms despite situational or
      contextual changes.

PMID- 20298838
TI  - Relationship between age and spasticity in children with diplegic cerebral palsy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between passive torque, reflex activity,
      co-contraction, and age during the assessment of spasticity of knee flexors and
      extensors in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy (CP). DESIGN:
      Retrospective. SETTING: Pediatric orthopedic hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Children
      (N=36) with spastic diplegic CP. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: Spasticity of the knee flexors and knee extensors (as measured by peak
      passive torque, mean passive torque, reflex activity of the medial hamstrings,
      reflex activity of vastus lateralis, and co-contraction) was assessed during
      passive movements completed using an isokinetic dynamometer with concurrent
      electromyography. RESULTS: A significant positive relationship was found between
      age and mean knee flexor passive torque (P<.05), while a significant negative
      relationship was found between age and mean percentage of the range of motion
      with co-contraction (P<.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that passive
      stiffness may play a larger role in spasticity than reflex activity as children
      with spastic diplegic CP age. Additional research is needed to determine whether
      subject age could influence the effectiveness of interventions, such as serial
      casting or botulinum toxin, for spasticity in children with spastic diplegic CP.

PMID- 20298840
TI  - A 1-year follow-up after shortened constraint-induced movement therapy with and
      without mitt poststroke.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the long-term benefits of shortened constraint-induced
      movement therapy (CIMT) in the subacute phase poststroke. DESIGN: A 1-year follow
      up after shortened CIMT (3h training/d for 2 wk) where the participants had been
      randomized to a mitt group or a nonmitt group. SETTING: A university hospital
      rehabilitation department. PARTICIPANTS: Poststroke patients (N=20, 15 men, 5
      women; mean age 58.8 y; on average 14.8 mo poststroke) with mild to moderate
      impairments of hand function. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: The Sollerman hand function test, the modified Motor Assessment Scale,
      and the Motor Activity Log test. Assessments were made by blinded observers.
      RESULTS: One year after shortened CIMT, participants within both the mitt group
      and the nonmitt group showed statistically significant improvements in arm and
      hand motor performance and on self-reported motor ability compared with before
      and after treatment. No significant differences between the groups were found in
      any measure at any time. CONCLUSIONS: Shortened CIMT seems to be beneficial up to
      1 year after training, but the restraint may not enhance upper motor function. To
      determine which components of CIMT are most effective, larger randomized studies
      are needed.

PMID- 20298839
TI  - Inoculation against falls: rapid adaptation by young and older adults to slips
      during daily activities.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether aging diminishes one's ability to rapidly learn
      to resist falls on repeated-slip exposure across different activities of daily
      living. DESIGN: Quasi-experimental controlled trial. SETTING: Two university
      based research laboratories. PARTICIPANTS: Young (n=35) and older (n=38) adults
      underwent slips during walking. Young (n=60) and older (n=41) adults underwent
      slips during a sit-to-stand task. All (N=174) were healthy and community
      dwelling. INTERVENTION: Low-friction platforms induced unannounced blocks of 2 to
      8 repeated slips interspersed with blocks of 3 to 5 nonslip trials during the
      designated task. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The incidence of falls and balance loss.
      Dynamic stability (based on center of mass position and velocity) and limb
      support (based on hip height) 300 ms after slip onset. RESULTS: Under strictly
      controlled, identical low-friction conditions, all participants experienced
      balance loss, but older adults were over twice as likely as young to fall on the
      first, unannounced, novel slip in both tasks. Independent of age or task,
      participants adapted to avoid falls and balance loss, with most adaptation
      occurring in early trials. By the fifth slip, the incidence of falls and balance
      loss was less than 5% and 15%, respectively, regardless of age or task.
      Reductions in falls and balance loss for each task were accomplished through
      improved control of stability and limb support in both age groups. A rapidly
      reversible age- and task-dependent waning of motor learning occurred after a
      block of nonslip trials. Adaptation to walk slips reached a steady state in the
      second slip block regardless of age. CONCLUSIONS: The ability to rapidly acquire
      fall-resisting skills on repeated-slip exposure remains largely intact at older
      ages and across functional activities. Thus, repeated-slip exposure might be
      broadly effective in inoculating older adults against falls.

PMID- 20298841
TI  - Examining the relationship between cognition and driving performance in multiple
      sclerosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify cognitive predictors of driving performance after multiple
      sclerosis (MS). DESIGN: Prospective design examining predictive value of
      cognitive measures on driving performance. SETTING: All data were collected in an
      outpatient research setting and an outpatient driver rehabilitation program.
      PARTICIPANTS: Participants were community-dwelling persons (N=66) with clinically
      defined MS (86% relapsing-remitting, 14% progressive) with a mean age of 43.47
      years. All were active drivers who met vision requirements established by their
      respective states, and none required adaptive driving equipment. INTERVENTION:
      Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants were administered a
      comprehensive neuropsychologic assessment and a clinical behind-the-wheel (BTW)
      driving evaluation. Additional measures of driving performance included history
      of traffic violations and collisions (since MS onset). RESULTS: Logistic
      regression indicated that information processing speed (Symbol Digit Modality
      Test [SDMT]) was the strongest predictor of BTW performance. A logistic
      regression revealed that the strongest predictors of collision and violation
      frequency were visuospatial learning and recall (7/24 Spatial Recall Test [SPART
      7/24]). CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that information processing and
      visuospatial skills are predictive of driving performance among persons with MS.
      These measures (SDMT and SPART 7/24) may serve as screening methods for
      identifying the potential impact of cognitive impairment on driving. Furthermore,
      the findings raise questions regarding the appropriateness of the BTW evaluation
      to evaluate driving difficulties accurately among individuals with MS.

PMID- 20298842
TI  - Longitudinal changes in the health-related quality of life during the first year
      after traumatic brain injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To track the health-related quality of life (HRQL) at discharge and at
      6 and 12 months after a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and examine factors
      associated with changes in each HRQL domain. DESIGN: Longitudinal cohort study.
      SETTING: Using codes of the International Classification of Diseases, eligible
      participants who had a newly diagnosed TBI were identified from discharge records
      of 4 hospitals in northern Taiwan. Information on the HRQL and injury-related
      characteristics at the initial and 2 follow-up assessments was collected by
      extracting medical records and conducting telephone interviews. PARTICIPANTS:
      Subjects (N=158) participated in the initial assessment, and 147 and 146,
      respectively, completed the follow-up assessments at 6 and 12 months after
      injury. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The brief version of
      the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) with 4 domains of
      physical capacity, psychologic well being, social relationships, and environment.
      RESULTS: Scores on all WHOQOL-BREF domains except social relationships greatly
      improved over the first 6 months and showed continued improvement at 12 months
      after injury. The domain scores of the WHOQOL-BREF at discharge were
      significantly associated with the preinjury HRQL level, marital status, alcohol
      consumption at the time of injury, Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) level, cognition,
      activities of daily living, social support, and depressive status. However, after
      adjusting for these baseline differences, only the GOS level and depressive
      status significantly influenced longitudinal changes in the psychologic and
      social domains over the 12-month period. Changes in the physical and
      environmental domains were not significantly associated with any characteristics
      of the study. CONCLUSIONS: During the first year after a TBI, the magnitude of
      HRQL recovery differed across different HRQL domains. Many factors may have
      significant associations with the initial domain scores of HRQL after TBI;
      however, only a few factors can significantly influence longitudinal changes in
      the HRQL.

PMID- 20298843
TI  - Mental health and posttraumatic stress symptoms 2 years after severe multiple
      trauma: self-reported disability and psychosocial functioning.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe mental health and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS)
      for patients with severe multiple trauma at 2 years postinjury. Further,
      objectives were to examine relationships between PTSS and factors related to the
      person, injury, and postinjury physical and psychosocial functioning from the
      time of return home to 2 years after injury. The final aim was to identify
      predictors of PTSS and mental health at 2 years. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study
      with a 2-year follow-up. SETTING: Hospital and community setting. PARTICIPANTS:
      Patients (N=99) age 18 to 67 years with multiple trauma and a New Injury Severity
      Score (NISS) greater than 15 treated at a regional trauma referral center. Mean
      age +/- SD was 35.3+/-14.2 years; 83% were men. Mean NISS +/- SD was 34.9+/-12.7.
      INTERVENTION: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Postinjury psychologic
      distress associated with depression on the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short
      Form Health Survey Mental Health scale and PTSS on the Post-Traumatic Symptom
      Scale 10 (PTSS-10) at 2 years post injury. Self-reported physical, mental, and
      cognitive functioning at the return home and 1 and 2 years, and coping
      strategies. RESULTS: Mean PTSS-10 score +/- SD at 2 years was 25.6+/-12.2. Twenty
      percent had a PTSS-High score, indicating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
      Twenty-seven percent had Mental Health scores indicating depression. Predictors
      of PTSS were sex (female), younger age, avoidant coping, pain, mental health, and
      cognitive functioning on the return home, which explained 70% of the variance in
      PTSS-10 score. CONCLUSIONS: Twenty percent had a PTSS-High score indicating PTSD
      at 2 years postinjury. The personal factors sex (female), younger age, and
      avoidant coping and the functional factors pain, mental health, and cognitive
      functioning predicted PTSS at 2 years.

PMID- 20298844
TI  - Aging with traumatic brain injury: cross-sectional follow-up of people receiving
      inpatient rehabilitation over more than 3 decades.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate aging with traumatic brain injury (TBI) by determining
      if long-term outcomes after TBI are predicted by years postinjury and age at
      injury after controlling for the severity of the injury and sex. DESIGN: Cross
      sectional follow-up telephone survey. SETTING: Community residents who had
      received initial treatment in a comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation hospital.
      PARTICIPANTS: Survivors of TBI (N=243) stratified by years postinjury (in seven 5
      year cohorts ranging from 1 to over 30 years postinjury) and by age at injury (in
      2 cohorts of people injured before or after age 30). INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Measures of postconcussive symptoms, major secondary conditions
      including fatigue (Modified Fatigue Impact Scale), physical and cognitive
      activity limitations (FIM, Alertness Behavior Subscale of the Sickness Impact
      Profile, Medical Outcomes Study 12-Item Health Status Survey Short Form),
      societal participation restrictions (Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting
      Technique), environmental barriers (Craig Hospital Inventory of Environmental
      Factors), and perceived quality of life (Satisfaction with Life Scale). RESULTS:
      Most problems identified by the outcome measures were reported by one fourth to
      one half of the study participants. Increasing decades postinjury predicted
      declines in physical and cognitive functioning, declines in societal
      participation, and increases in contractures. Increasing age at injury predicted
      declines in functional independence, increases in fatigue, declines in societal
      participation, and declines in perceived environmental barriers. CONCLUSIONS:
      This investigation has increased our understanding of the aging process after TBI
      by demonstrating that both components of aging (years postinjury and age at
      injury) are predictive of several outcomes after TBI.

PMID- 20298845
TI  - Neuropsychologic assessment and cognitive rehabilitation in a patient with locked
      in syndrome and left neglect.
AB  - We describe a patient affected by severe incomplete locked-in syndrome (LIS) and
      left neglect caused by a combination of vascular lesions. Our patient's neglect
      prevented the use of augmentative communication devices based on a computerized
      eye-tracker system. For this reason, we adapted a visual scanning training for
      neglect rehabilitation. At the end of the rehabilitative training, the patient
      had regained full exploration of the monitor and could use the eye-tracker system
      for communicative purposes. This case report shows that specific rehabilitative
      approaches can be devised in severely disabled LIS patients with additional brain
      lesions and specific cognitive defects.

PMID- 20298848
TI  - Distribution coefficients of 60 elements on TODGA resin: application to Ca, Lu,
      Hf, U and Th isotope geochemistry.
AB  - Batch equilibration experiments are conducted to measure the distribution
      coefficients (K(d)) of a large number of elements in nitric, nitric plus
      hydrofluoric, and hydrochloric acids on Eichrom TODGA extraction chromatography
      resin. The K(d)s are used to devise a multi-element extraction scheme for high
      precision elemental and isotopic analyses of Ca, Hf, Lu, Th and U in geological
      materials, using high-purity lithium metaborate (LiBO(2)) flux fusion that allows
      rapid digestion of even the most refractory materials. The fusion melt, dissolved
      in nitric acid, is directly loaded to a TODGA cartridge on a vacuum chamber for
      elemental separation. An Ln-Spec cartridge is used in tandem with TODGA for Lu
      purification. The entire procedure, from flux digestion to preparation for
      isotopic analysis, can be completed in a day. The accuracy of the proposed
      technique is tested by measuring the concentrations of Ca (standard bracketing),
      Hf, Lu, Th and U (isotope dilution), and the isotopic composition of Hf in
      geostandards (USNM3529, BCR-2, BHVO-1, AGV-1 and AGV-2). All measurements are in
      excellent agreement with recommended literature values, demonstrating the
      effectiveness of the proposed analytical procedure and the versatility of TODGA
      resin.

PMID- 20298849
TI  - A graphene-based electrochemical sensor for sensitive detection of paracetamol.
AB  - An electrochemical sensor based on the electrocatalytic activity of
      functionalized graphene for sensitive detection of paracetamol is presented. The
      electrochemical behaviors of paracetamol on graphene-modified glassy carbon
      electrodes (GCEs) were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and square-wave
      voltammetry. The results showed that the graphene-modified electrode exhibited
      excellent electrocatalytic activity to paracetamol. A quasi-reversible redox
      process of paracetamol at the modified electrode was obtained, and the over
      potential of paracetamol decreased significantly compared with that at the bare
      GCE. Such electrocatalytic behavior of graphene is attributed to its unique
      physical and chemical properties, e.g., subtle electronic characteristics,
      attractive pi-pi interaction, and strong adsorptive capability. This
      electrochemical sensor shows an excellent performance for detecting paracetamol
      with a detection limit of 3.2x10(-8)M, a reproducibility of 5.2% relative
      standard deviation, and a satisfied recovery from 96.4% to 103.3%. The sensor
      shows great promise for simple, sensitive, and quantitative detection and
      screening of paracetamol.

PMID- 20298850
TI  - Protein determination using methylene blue in a synchronous fluorescence
      technique.
AB  - A new method for detecting protein by synchronous fluorescence enhancement was
      developed, based on the combination of near infrared (NIR) fluorescence and the
      dedimerization phenomenon of methylene blue (MB). Under analytical conditions,
      there are linear relationships between the enhancing extent of synchronous
      fluorescence of MB-sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS)-protein at 667nm and
      the concentration of protein in the range of 8.0x10(-8)-4.0x10(-5)gmL(-1) for
      bovine serum albumin (BSA), 1.0x10(-7)-3.5x10(-5)gmL(-1) for egg albumin (EA).
      The detection limits (S/N=3) of BSA and EA are 8.9ngmL(-1) and 10.0ngmL(-1),
      respectively. The fluorescence enhancement mechanism is discussed in detail.
      Results from multiple techniques indicate that the fluorescence enhancement of
      the system originates from the hydrophobic microenvironment provided by BSA and
      SDBS, and the formation of an MB-SDBS-BSA complex, as well as the deaggregation
      of some MB dimer.

PMID- 20298851
TI  - Effect of traditional Chinese medicine berberine on type 2 diabetes based on
      comprehensive metabonomics.
AB  - A comprehensive metabonomic method, in combination with fingerprint analysis and
      target analysis, was performed to reveal potential mechanisms of berberine action
      in the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia. Serum samples
      of 60 patients before and after treatment with either berberine or placebo were
      collected. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography and quadrupole time-of-flight
      tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC Q-TOF MS) coupled with pattern recognition
      analysis were used to identify changes in global serum metabolites. Compared with
      placebo, patients before and after berberine treatment could be separated into
      distinct clusters as displayed by the orthogonal signal correction filtered
      partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OSC-PLS-DA) score plot, which
      indicated changes in circulating metabolites after berberine treatment. Among
      them, free fatty acids changed markedly. These were further quantified by UPLC
      combined with single quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC SQ MS). There was a
      highly significant decrease in the concentrations of 13 fatty acids following
      berberine administration. 10 fatty acids also differed statistically from
      placebo. These results suggest that berberine might play a pivotal role in the
      treatment of type 2 diabetes through down-regulating the high level of free fatty
      acids and that comprehensive metabonomic measurements are potentially very useful
      for studying the mechanisms of action of traditional Chinese medicines.

PMID- 20298852
TI  - Silica gel-polyethylene glycol as a new adsorbent for solid phase extraction of
      cobalt and nickel and determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry.
AB  - In this paper a novel solid phase extraction method to determine Co(II) and
      Ni(II) using silica gel-polyethylene glycol (Silica-PEG) as a new adsorbent is
      described. The method is based on the adsorption of cobalt and nickel ions in
      alkaline media on polyethylene glycol-silica gel in a mini-column, elution with
      nitric acid and determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The
      adsorption conditions such as NaOH concentration, sample volume and amount of
      adsorbent were optimized in order to achieve highest sensitivity. The calibration
      graph was linear in the range of 0.5-200.0ngmL(-1) for Co(II) and 2.0-100.0ngmL(
      1) for Ni(II) in the initial solution. The limit of detection based on 3S(b) was
      0.37ngmL(-1) for Co(II) and 0.71ngmL(-1) for Ni(II). The relative standard
      deviations (R.S.D.) for ten replicate measurements of 40ngmL(-1) of Co(II), and
      Ni(II) were 3.24 and 3.13%, respectively. The method was applied to determine
      Co(II) and Ni(II) in black tea, rice flour, sesame seeds, tap water and river
      water samples.

PMID- 20298853
TI  - Combination of ionic liquid-based dispersive liquid-liquid micro-extraction with
      stopped-flow spectrofluorometry for the pre-concentration and determination of
      aluminum in natural waters, fruit juice and food samples.
AB  - In this research, we combined ionic liquid-based dispersive liquid-liquid micro
      extraction (IL-based DLLME) with stopped-flow spectrofluorometry (SFS) to
      evaluate the concentration of aluminum in different real samples at trace level.
      1-Hexylpyridinium hexafluorophosphate [Hpy][PF(6)] ionic liquid and 8
      hydroxyquinoline (oxine), which forms a highly fluorescent complex with Al(3+),
      were chosen as the extraction solvent and chelating agent, respectively. The
      hydrophobic Al-oxine complex was extracted into the [Hpy][PF(6)] and separated
      from the aqueous phase. Then, the concentration of the enriched aluminum in the
      sediment phase was determined by SFS. Some effective parameters that influence
      the SFS signals and the micro-extraction efficiency, such as the suction and
      sending time, the concentration of the chelating agent, pH, the amount of the
      ionic liquid, the type of disperser solvent and diluting agent, ionic strength,
      extraction time, equilibration temperature and centrifugation time were
      investigated and optimized. In the optimum experimental conditions, the limit of
      detection (3s) and enrichment factor were 0.05microgL(-1) and 100, respectively.
      The relative standard deviation (RSD) for six replicate determinations of
      6microgL(-1) Al was 1.7%. The calibration graph using the pre-concentration
      system was linear in the range of 0.06-15microgL(-1) with a correlation
      coefficient of 0.9989. The developed method was validated by the analysis of
      certified reference materials and applied successfully to the determination of
      aluminum in several water, fruit juice and food samples.

PMID- 20298854
TI  - Flow-injection catalytic spectrophotometic determination of molybdenum(VI) in
      plants using bromate oxidative coupling of p-hydrazinobensenesulfonic acid with N
      (1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine.
AB  - A novel flow-injection spectrophotometry has been developed for the determination
      of molybdenum(VI) at nanograms per milliliter levels. The method is based on the
      catalytic effect of molybdenum(VI) on the bromate oxidative coupling of p
      hydrazinobenzenesulfonic acid with N-(1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine to form an azo
      dye (lambda(max)=530nm). Chromotropic acid (4,5-dihydroxy-2,7
      naphthalenedisulfonic acid) acted as an effective activator for the
      molybdenum(VI)-catalyzed reaction and increased the sensitivity of the method.
      The reaction was monitored by measuring the change in absorbance of the dye
      produced. The proposed method allowed the determination of molybdenum(VI) in the
      range 1.0-20ngmL(-1) with sample throughput of 15h(-1). The limit of detection
      was 0.5ngmL(-1) and a relative standard deviation for 10ngmL(-1) molybdenum(VI)
      (n=10) was 2.5%. The interfering ions were eliminated by using the combination of
      a masking agent and on-line minicolumn packed with cation exchanger. The present
      method was successfully applied to the determination of molybdenum(VI) in plant
      foodstuffs.

PMID- 20298855
TI  - Rapid detection of aflatoxin B(1) on membrane by dot-immunogold filtration assay.
AB  - Immunofiltration assay for mycotoxins in which nitrocellulose membrane (NCM) was
      used as a support and enzyme was used as the label has been developed since the
      late 1980s. As colloidal gold is a good labeling substance that can accelerate
      antibody-antigen reaction which result can be read directly by naked eyes, the
      colloidal gold particles could replace the enzyme to be labeled to antibody in
      aflatoxin B(1) (AFB(1)) immunoassay. Dot-immunogold filtration assay (DIGFA) of
      AFB(1) on NCM was developed in this study. At first, the colloidal gold was
      synthesized and colloidal gold-monoclonal antibody (McAb) conjugates against
      AFB(1) were prepared at pH 7.0 of colloidal gold solution, 0.018mg/mL of McAb.
      Then the colloidal gold-McAb conjugates were used to develop AFB(1) DIGFA, which
      detection time was only 15min, six times less than that of ELISA. With this
      method to determine the standard AFB(1) solution, the results demonstrated a
      visual detection limit of approximately 2ng/mL of AFB(1), which was similar to
      that of ELISA. This method had good specificities for AFG(1), AFG(2) and AFM(1)
      and a little cross-reactivity with AFB(2). 45 food samples collected from the
      markets were subjected to DIGFA and the results showed that one corn sample was
      positive and in agreement that of HPLC. It is suggested that DIGFA developed in
      current study has a potential use as a rapid and cost-effective screening tool
      for the determination of AFB(1) in foods in the field within 15min without
      complicated steps.

PMID- 20298856
TI  - Combining the least correlation design, wavelet packet transform and correlation
      coefficient test to reduce the size of calibration set for NIR quantitative
      analysis in multi-component systems.
AB  - The paper focuses on solving a common and important problem of NIR quantitative
      analysis in multi-component systems: how to significantly reduce the size of the
      calibration set while not impairing the predictive precision. To cope with the
      problem orthogonal discrete wavelet packet transform (WPT), the least correlation
      design and correlation coefficient test (r-test) have been combined together. As
      three examples, a two-component carbon tetrachloride system with 21 calibration
      samples, a two-component aqueous system with 21 calibration samples, and a two
      component aqueous system with 41 calibration samples have been treated with the
      proposed strategy, respectively. In comparison with some previous methods based
      on much more calibration samples, the results out of the strategy showed that the
      predictive ability was not obviously decreased for the first system while being
      clearly strengthened for the second one, and the predictive precision out of the
      third one was even satisfactory enough for most cases of quantitative analysis.
      In addition, all important factors and parameters related to our strategy are
      discussed in detail.

PMID- 20298857
TI  - Quantitative analysis of levodopa, carbidopa and methyldopa in human plasma
      samples using HPLC-DAD combined with second-order calibration based on
      alternating trilinear decomposition algorithm.
AB  - An HPLC method combined with second-order calibration based on alternating
      trilinear decomposition (ATLD) algorithm has been developed for the quantitative
      analysis of levodopa (LVD), carbidopa (CBD) and methyldopa (MTD) in human plasma
      samples. Prior to the analysis of the analytes by ATLD algorithm, three time
      regions of chromatograms were selected purposely for each analyte to avoid
      serious collinearity. Although the spectra of these analytes were similar and
      interferents coeluted with the analytes studied in biological samples, good
      recoveries of the analytes could be obtained with HPLC-DAD coupled with second
      order calibration based on ATLD algorithm, additional benefits are decreasing
      times of analysis and less solvent consumption. The average recoveries achieved
      from ATLD with the factor number of 3 (N=3) were 100.1+/-2.1, 96.8+/-1.7 and
      104.2+/-2.6% for LVD, CBD and MTD, respectively. In addition, elliptical joint
      confidence region (EJCR) tests as well as figures of merit (FOM) were employed to
      evaluate the accuracy of the method.

PMID- 20298858
TI  - Fabrication of Pt/polypyrrole hybrid hollow microspheres and their application in
      electrochemical biosensing towards hydrogen peroxide.
AB  - Pt/polypyrrole (PPy) hybrid hollow microspheres were successfully prepared by wet
      chemical method via Fe(3)O(4) template and evaluated as electrocatalysts for the
      reduction of hydrogen peroxide. The as-synthesized products were characterized by
      scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray
      photoelectron spectra (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), inductive coupled plasma
      emission spectrum (ICP) and Fourier-transform infrared spectra (FTIR)
      measurements. The results exhibited that ultra-high-density Pt nanoparticles
      (NPs) were well deposited on the PPy shell with the mean diameters of around
      4.1nm. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) results demonstrated that Pt/PPy hybrid hollow
      microspheres, as enzyme-less catalysts, exhibited good electrocatalytic activity
      towards the reduction of hydrogen peroxide in 0.1M phosphate buffer solution
      (pH=7.0). The composite had a fast response of less than 2s with linear range of
      1.0-8.0mM and a relatively low detection limit of 1.2microM (S/N=3). The
      sensitivity of the sensor for H(2)O(2) was 80.4mAM(-1)cm(-2).

PMID- 20298859
TI  - Pseudo-homogeneous immunoextraction of epitestosterone from human urine samples
      based on gold-coated magnetic nanoparticles.
AB  - A pseudo-homogeneous immunoextraction method based on gold-coated magnetic
      nanoparticles (MNPs) for the specific extraction and quantitative analysis of
      epitestosterone (17alpha-hydroxy-4-androsten-3-one, abbreviated as "ET") from
      human urine samples by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been
      developed. Half-IgG of anti-ET monoclonal antibodies were covalently immobilized
      onto (Fe(3)O(4))(core)-Au(shell) (Fe(3)O(4)@Au) MNPs. An external magnetic field
      was applied to collect the MNPs which were then rinsed with distilled water
      followed by elution with absolute methanol to obtain ET as the analyte. The
      obtained extraction solution was analyzed by HPLC with UV detection (244nm)
      within 12min. The standard calibration curve for ET showed good linearity in the
      range of 20-200ngmL(-1) in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solutions with
      acceptable accuracy and precision. Limit of detection for ET was 0.06ngmL(-1) due
      to an enrichment factor of 100-fold was achieved. The results obtained by the
      present method for spiked human urine samples were in agreement with those from
      indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assays (ELISAs). The antibody
      conjugated Fe(3)O(4)@Au MNPs are novel materials for immunoaffinity extraction.
      Compared with the conventional technique using immunoaffinity column, the method
      described here for sample pretreatment was fast, highly specific, and easy to
      operate.

PMID- 20298860
TI  - Pore expansion of highly monodisperse phenylene-bridged organosilica spheres for
      chromatographic application.
AB  - Monodisperse phenylene-bridged organosilica spheres show great potential as
      chromatographic stationary phase. In this paper, the tunable particle size of
      monodisperse phenylene-bridged organosilica spheres were prepared by co
      condensing different proportion of 1,4-bis(triethoxysilyl)benzene (1,4-BTEB) and
      tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), and then pore size was expanded by two-step post
      synthesis hydrothermal treatments using N,N-dimethyldecylamine
      (DMDA)/dodecylamine (DDA) and tris-(hydroxymethyl)-aminomethane (TRIS) in turn.
      Phenylene-bridged organosilica spheres with particle size of 3.0-3.5microm and
      pore size of 85A were further surface modified by C(18) group and tested in
      reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The primary
      chromatographic results demonstrated that C(18) bonded phenylene-bridged
      organosilica stationary phase has high retention and good chemical stability in
      the high pH mobile phase, which indicated that the phenylene-bridged organosilica
      can be used for HPLC packing supports.

PMID- 20298861
TI  - Extraction of trace amounts of mercury with sodium dodecyle sulphate-coated
      magnetite nanoparticles and its determination by flow injection inductively
      coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry.
AB  - A new method for solid-phase extraction and preconcentration of trace amounts
      Hg(II) from environmental samples was developed by using sodium dodecyle sulphate
      coated magnetite nanoparticles (SDS-coated Fe(3)O(4) NPs) as a new extractant.
      The procedure is based on the adsorption of the analyte, as mercury-Michler's
      thioketone [Hg(2)(TMK)(4)](2+) complex on the negatively charged surface of the
      SDS-coated Fe(3)O(4) NPs and then elution of the preconcentrated mercury from the
      surface of the SDS-coated Fe(3)O(4) NPs prior to its determination by flow
      injection inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. The effects
      of pH, TMK concentration, SDS and Fe(3)O(4) NPs amounts, eluent type, sample
      volume and interfering ions on the recovery of the analyte were investigated.
      Under optimized conditions, the calibration curve was linear in the range of 0.2
      100ngmL(-1) with r(2)=0.9994 (n=8). The limit of detection for Hg(II)
      determination was 0.04ngmL(-1). Also, relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) for
      the determination of 2 and 50ngmL(-1) of Hg(II) was 5.2 and 4.7% (n=6),
      respectively. Due to the quantitative extraction of Hg(II) from 1000mL of the
      sample solution an enhancement factor as large as 1230-fold can be obtained. The
      proposed method has been validated using a certified reference materials, and
      also the method has been applied successfully for the determination of Hg(II) in
      aqueous samples.

PMID- 20298862
TI  - High performance liquid chromatography with two simultaneous on-line antioxidant
      assays: Evaluation and comparison of espresso coffees.
AB  - The antioxidant profiles of various espresso coffees were established using HPLC
      with UV-absorbance detection and two rapid, simultaneous, on-line chemical assays
      that enabled the relative reactivity of sample components to be screened. The
      assays were based on (i) the colour change associated with reduction of the 2,2'
      diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH*); and (ii) the emission of light
      (chemiluminescence) upon reaction with acidic potassium permanganate. Results
      from the two approaches were similar and reflected the complex array of
      antioxidant species present in the samples. However, some differences in
      selectivity were observed. Chromatograms generated with the chemiluminescence
      assay contained more peaks, which was ascribed to the greater sensitivity of the
      reagent towards minor, readily oxidisable sample components. The three coffee
      samples produced closely related profiles, signifying their fundamentally similar
      chemical compositions and origin. Nevertheless, the overall intensity and
      complexity of the samples in both UV absorption and antioxidant assay
      chromatograms were aligned with the manufacturers description of flavour
      intensity and character.

PMID- 20298863
TI  - Rapid pretreatment-free immunochromatographic assay of chloramphenicol in milk.
AB  - A pretreatment-free immunochromatographic assay for detection of chloramphenicol
      (CAP) in milk was developed. The assay is based on competition between CAP
      molecules in the sample and immobilized CAP-protein conjugate for binding to
      monoclonal anti-CAP antibodies conjugated with colloidal gold particles (average
      diameter 30nm). The assay is carried out in the course of sample flowing along
      test strip with immobilized reactants, and its results can be detected by the
      naked eye or by a photometric device. Effect of the concentration of
      immunoreactants on assay characteristics was studied. The assay protocol with
      maximal sensitivity and reliability was optimized using measured values of
      brightness of lines. Detection limit for CAP is 10ngmL(-1). Assay duration is
      10min, and it can be carried out at room temperature without any additional
      devices and reactants. The developed test strip has been applied to CAP detection
      in dairy products.

PMID- 20298864
TI  - A simple automated system for measuring soil respiration by gas chromatography.
AB  - An automated dynamic closed chamber system for CO(2) sampling and analysis was
      developed for the measurement of soil respiration under laboratory conditions.
      The system is composed by a gas chromatograph linked to a fully computerised
      sampling system composed by 16 sample jars and 2 multiposition valves. Besides
      CO(2), the system can automatically and simultaneously measure CH(4), N(2)O and
      other gases of environmental interest. The detection limits of the system for
      CO(2), N(2)O and CH(4) were 2, 1 and 4ppmv, respectively. The accuracy of the
      system, expressed as percent bias, was -0.88, -0.94 and -3.17% for CO(2), N(2)O
      and CH(4), respectively, with relative standard deviation of 0.42, 0.68 and
      0.61%. Measurement of CO(2) evolved following acidification of a known amount of
      reagent grade CaCO(3) showed a standard recovery of 96.8+/-2.5% reached within
      30s after acidification. A linear response of CO(2) respiration was obtained for
      a wide range of operative conditions (5-60min accumulation time, 10-80g soil
      sample size, 10-60mLmin(-1) air flow rate, 15-25 degrees C temperature of
      incubation) demonstrating the flexibility of the system, which allows for the
      measurement of soil samples characterised by different rates of gas evolution.
      Moreover, the results obtained with soil samples showed that within the above
      conditions the proposed system is not affected by potential limitations of static
      closed chamber systems such as CO(2) dissolution in the soil solution, reduced
      rate of CO(2) diffusion from soil to headspace and CO(2) inhibition of microbial
      activity. The system was also capable to detect significant changes in N(2)O
      emissions from soil amended with different amounts of glutamic acid. The
      automatic and frequent measurements provided by the system make possible an
      accurate description of the dynamics of gas evolution from soil samples under
      laboratory conditions.

PMID- 20298865
TI  - Preparation of phenylboronic acid functionalized cation-exchange monolithic
      columns for protein separation and refolding.
AB  - In this study, we described a simple and effective modification procedure to
      prepare poly (methacrylate-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) monolithic columns
      functionalized with 3-aminophenylboronic acid. The column morphology, pore size
      and specific surface area of the fabricated monolith were characterized by
      scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetric
      analysis, and mercury intrusion porosimeter, respectively. The frontal analysis
      was carried out for dynamic loading capacity of the model protein on the modified
      column. The chromatographic performance of the cation-exchange monolith was
      evaluated through separating a mixture of five proteins such as lysozyme,
      cytochrome c, ribonuclease A, trypsin and bovine serum albumin and one-step
      purification of lysozyme from egg whites, and the expected results were obtained.
      In addition, the functionalized column was used to refold ribonuclease A and
      cytochrome c, and this procedure was monitored by circular dichroism and
      fluorescence spectroscopy. Compared with the conventional dilution refolding
      method, the ion-exchange chromatography refolding method developed here is more
      effective for specific bioactivity recovery.

PMID- 20298866
TI  - Enantioanalysis of R-deprenyl based on its molecular interaction with C(70)
      fullerenes.
AB  - Two enantioselective, potentiometric membrane electrodes based on [5,6]fullerene
      C(70) (1) and diethyl (1,2-methanofullerene C(70))-71-71-dicarboxylate (2)
      immobilized in carbon paste, were designed for the enantioanalysis of R-deprenyl.
      The electrodes exhibited near-Nernstian slopes: 57.90 (1) and 59.00mV/decade of
      concentration (2), respectively with low limits of detection 5.9x10(-11) (1) and
      9.6x10(-11)mol/L (2), respectively. The linear concentration ranges are between
      10(-10) and 10(-4)mol/L (1) and between 10(-9) and 10(-4)mol/L (2), respectively.
      The different characteristics involved in the molecular interaction between R
      deprenyl and C(70) fullerenes were explained, namely (i) the stability of each
      molecule and (ii) the explanation of the molecular mechanism of interaction,
      using restricted Hartree-Fock theory, 3-21G(*) RHF-basis set. Furthermore, two
      intermolecular forces of interactions confer the stability of the electrodes;
      electrostatic interaction and moderate hydrogen bond interaction. Stability and
      feasibility of all the generated structures involved in this analysis were
      supported by their respective fundamental frequencies and energy minima. R
      deprenyl can be recovered with average recoveries higher than 99.10% (RSD<0.03%)
      from synthetic mixtures between R- and S-deprenyl. The high selectivity and
      enantioselectivity made possible the enantioanalysis of R-deprenyl in its
      pharmaceutical formulations.

PMID- 20298867
TI  - Simultaneous determination of 11 antibiotics and their main metabolites from four
      different groups by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography-diode
      array-fluorescence (HPLC-DAD-FLD) in human urine samples.
AB  - A new, accurate and sensitive reversed-phase high-performance liquid
      chromatography (RP-HPLC) as analytical method for the quantitative determination
      of 11 antibiotics (drugs) and the main metabolites of five of them present in
      human urine has been worked out, optimized and validated. The analytes belong to
      four different groups of antibiotics (sulfonamides, tetracyclines, penicillins
      and anphenicols). The analyzed compounds were sulfadiazine (SDI) and its N(4)
      acetylsulfadiazine (NDI) metabolite, sulfamethazine (SMZ) and its N(4)
      acetylsulfamethazine (NMZ), sulfamerazine (SMR) and its N(4)-acetylsulfamerazine
      (NMR), sulfamethoxazole (SMX), trimetroprim (TMP), amoxicillin (AMX) and its main
      metabolite amoxicilloic acid (AMA), ampicillin (AMP) and its main metabolite
      ampicilloic acid (APA), chloramphenicol (CLF), thiamphenicol (TIF),
      oxytetracycline (OXT) and chlortetracycline (CLT). For HPLC analysis, diode array
      (DAD) and fluorescence (FLD) detectors were used. The separation of the analyzed
      compounds was conducted by means of a Phenomenex Gemini C(18) (150mm x 4.6mm
      I.D., particle size 5microm) analytical column with LiChroCART LiChrospher C(18)
      (4mm x 4mm, particle size 5microm) guard column. Analyzed drugs were determined
      within 34min using formic acid 0.1% in water and acetonitrile in gradient elution
      mode as mobile phase. A linear response was observed for all compounds in the
      range of concentration studied. Two procedures were optimized for sample
      preparation: a direct treatment with methanol and acetonitrile and a solid phase
      extraction procedure using Bond Elut Plexa columns. The method was applied to the
      determination of the analytes in human urine from volunteers under treatment with
      different pharmaceutical formulations. This method can be successfully applied to
      routine determination of all these drugs in human urine samples.

PMID- 20298868
TI  - Development of a fast and efficient ultrasonic-based strategy for DNA
      fragmentation.
AB  - Several ultrasound-based platforms for DNA sample preparation were evaluated in
      terms of effective fragmentation of DNA (plasmid and genomic DNA)-ultrasonic
      probe, sonoreactor, ultrasonic bath and the newest Vialtweeter device. The
      sonoreactor showed the best efficiency of DNA fragmentation while simultaneously
      assuring no cross-contamination of samples, and was considered the best
      ultrasonic tool to achieve effective fragmentation of DNA at high-throughput and
      avoid sample overheating. Several operation variables were studied
      ultrasonication time and amplitude, DNA concentration, sample volume and sample
      pre-treatment-that allowed optimisation of a sonoreactor-based strategy for
      effective DNA fragmentation. Optimal operating conditions to achieve DNA
      fragmentation were set to 100% ultrasonic amplitude, 100microL sample volume,
      8min ultrasonic treatment (2min/sample) for a DNA concentration of 100microgmL(
      1). The proposed ultrasonication strategy can be easily implemented in any
      laboratory setup, providing fast, simple and reliable means for effective DNA
      sample preparation when fragmentation is critical for downstream molecular
      detection and diagnostics protocols.

PMID- 20298869
TI  - Multiresidue determination of organochlorines in fish oil by GC-MS: a new
      strategy in the sample preparation.
AB  - A rapid, economic and environmentally friendly analytical methodology has been
      implemented for the determination of alpha-, beta-, gamma- and delta-HCH, p,p'
      DDT, p,p'-DDD and p,p'-DDE, PCBs congeners #28, #52, #101, #153, #138 and #180
      and Hexachlorobenzene in fish oil. 1,2,3,4-Tetrachloronaphtalene was used as
      internal standard. The sample preparation, consisting of a single step of clean
      up and fractionation, took place in a column filled with different layers of
      neutral and sulphuric acid modified silica. The analytes were eluted by vacuum
      with of hexane. Significant reduction in terms of solvents, sorbents, and
      analysis time was achieved in comparison with literature. Gas chromatography
      coupled to mass spectrometry was used for the separation and determination of the
      analytes. The instrumental limits of detection were from 0.1 to 1.3ngmL(-1) and
      the response of the detector was linear up to 200ngmL(-1). The separation proved
      to be precise (RSD<3.7% in peak area) and robust in terms of peak area, peak
      efficacy and resolution. The methodology was validated with two certified
      reference materials of cod liver oil, BCR 598 and BCR 349, obtaining no
      statistically significant differences between the concentrations found and
      certified. For the analytes that were not certified, aliquots of the reference
      materials were spiked and the recoveries obtained were satisfactory. These
      results were consistent with those found previously for DDTs by gas
      chromatography with an electron-capture detector. The methodology was applied to
      the analysis of three fish oil pills sold in Spain as a dietary supplement of
      vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids. The sum of the analytes studied was from 64 to
      80ngg(-1). The most abundant compounds are PCBs, followed by DDTs in all samples.

PMID- 20298870
TI  - Development of an analytical methodology to quantify melamine in milk using
      micellar liquid chromatography and validation according to EU Regulation
      2002/654/EC.
AB  - Melamine is a toxic triazine, illegally used as an additive in milk to apparently
      increase the amount of protein. A chromatographic procedure using a C18 column
      and a micellar mobile phase of sodium dodecyl sulphate (0.05M) and propanol
      (7.5%), buffered at pH 3, and a detection set by absorbance at 210nm, was
      reported for the resolution and quantification of melamine in liquid and powdered
      milk samples. In this work, samples were diluted with a SDS solution and were
      directly injected, thus avoiding long extraction and experimental procedures.
      Melamine was eluted in nearly 9.3min without overlapping the protein band or
      other endogeneous compounds. The optimal mobile phase composition was taken using
      a chemometrical approach that considers the retention factor, efficiency and peak
      shape. Validation was performed following the European Commission's indications
      (European Decision 2002/657/EC), and the main analytical parameters studied were:
      linearity (0.02-100ppm; r(2)=0.999), limit of detection (5ppb), intra- and inter
      day precision (R.S.D. <7.6% and <9.7%, respectively) and robustness (R.S.D. <7.4%
      for retention time and <5.0% for area). Sensitivity was adequate to detect
      melamine under the safety limits proposed by the US FDA. Finally, recoveries for
      several milk samples were found in the 85-109% range.

PMID- 20298871
TI  - Ultrasensitive fluorometric determination of hydrogen peroxide and glucose by
      using multiferroic BiFeO(3) nanoparticles as a catalyst.
AB  - BiFeO(3) magnetic nanoparticles (BFO MNPs) are used as a catalyst to develop an
      ultrasensitive method for the determination of H(2)O(2). It is found that BFO
      MNPs can catalyze the decomposition of H(2)O(2) to produce OH radicals, which in
      turn oxidize the weakly fluorescent benzoic acid to a strongly fluorescent
      hydroxylated product with a maximum emission at 405nm. This makes it possible to
      sensitively quantify traces of H(2)O(2). Under optimized conditions, the
      fluorescence intensity is observed to be well linearly correlated with H(2)O(2)
      concentration from 2.0x10(-8) to 2.0x10(-5)molL(-1) with a detection limit of
      4.5x10(-9)molL(-1) (S/N=3). In addition, a selective method for glucose
      determination is developed by using both glucose oxidase and BFO MNPs, which has
      a linear range for glucose concentration from 1.0x10(-6) to 1.0x10(-4)molL(-1)
      with a detection limit of 5.0x10(-7)molL(-1). These new methods have been
      successfully applied for the determination of H(2)O(2) in rainwater and glucose
      in human serum samples.

PMID- 20298872
TI  - Conductive bio-Polymer nano-Composites (CPC): chitosan-carbon nanotube
      transducers assembled via spray layer-by-layer for volatile organic compound
      sensing.
AB  - The chemo-electrical properties of chitosan-carbon nanotubes (Chit-CNT)
      Conductive bio-Polymer nano-Composites (CPC) transducers processed by spray layer
      by-layer (LbL) technique have been investigated. Results show that unlike most
      synthetic polymer matrices, chitosan provides the transducer with high
      sensitivity towards not only polar vapours like water and methanol but also to a
      lesser extent toluene. Quantitative responses are obtained, well fitted with the
      Langmuir-Henry-Clustering (LHC) model allowing to link electrical signal to
      vapour content. Chit-CNT transducers selectivity was also correlated with an
      exponential law to the inverse of Flory-Huggins interaction parameter chi(12).
      These properties make Chit-CNT a good transducer to be implemented in an e-nose.
      Additionally, the observation by atomic force microscopy (AFM) of Chit-CNT
      morphology suggests a chemical nano-switching mechanism promoting tunnelling
      conduction and originating macroscopic vapour sensing.

PMID- 20298873
TI  - Comparative study of the adsorption performance of a multi-sorbent bed
      (Carbotrap, Carbopack X, Carboxen 569) and a Tenax TA adsorbent tube for the
      analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
AB  - A comparison between two types of adsorbent tubes, the commonly used Tenax TA and
      a multi-sorbent bed (Carbotrap, Carbopack X, Carboxen 569) tube developed in our
      laboratory, has been done to evaluate their usefulness in the analysis of VOCs in
      ambient air. Duplicate indoor and outdoor samples of Tenax TA and multi-sorbent
      tubes of 10, 20, 40, 60 and 90l were taken in Barcelona city (Spain) on July and
      October of 2009. Breakthrough values (defined as %VOCs found in the back tube)
      were determined for all sampling volumes connecting two sampling tubes in series.
      The analysis was performed by automatic thermal desorption (ATD) coupled with
      capillary gas chromatography (GC)/mass spectrometry detector (MSD). Significant
      differences between the concentrations obtained-from multi-sorbent bed and Tenax
      TA tubes are observed for the very volatile compounds (56 degrees C<boiling
      point<100 degrees C and 4kPa<vapour pressure (20 degrees C)<47kPa) (e.g. acetone,
      isopropanol, n-hexane) and for alcohols and chlorinated compounds (e.g. 1
      butanol, carbon disulphide, dichloromethane, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride,
      trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene), being the concentrations found higher in
      multi-sorbent bed than in Tenax TA tubes. On the other hand, mainly all compounds
      with boiling points higher than 100 degrees C (except alpha-pinene, chlorinated
      and polar compounds) do not show significant differences between the obtained
      multi-sorbent bed and Tenax TA tube concentrations. For the concentrations
      obtained (5ppt to 100ppb), Tenax TA present high breakthrough values (from 0 to
      77%) for mainly all compounds and sampling volumes studied. On the other hand,
      multi-sorbent bed tubes do not exhibit important breakthrough values for these
      compounds, except the VVOCs ethanol (for all sampled volumes), and acetone,
      dichloromethane and isopropanol (for sampling volumes over 40l). The
      concentration differences observed between Tenax TA and multi-sorbent bed tubes
      are directly related to the high breakthrough values determined for Tenax TA
      adsorbent.

PMID- 20298874
TI  - Integrated multienzyme electrochemical biosensors for monitoring malolactic
      fermentation in wines.
AB  - Integrated amperometric biosensors for the determination of L-malic and L-lactic
      acids were developed by coimmobilization of the enzymes L-malate dehydrogenase
      (MDH) and diaphorase (DP), or L-lactate oxidase (LOX) and horseradish peroxidase
      (HRP), respectively, together with the redox mediator tetrathiafulvalene (TTF),
      on a 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) self-assembled monolayer (SAM)-modified gold
      electrode by using a dialysis membrane. The electrochemical oxidation of TTF at
      +100mV (vs. Ag/AgCl), and the reduction of TTF(+) at -50mV were used for the
      monitoring of the enzyme reactions involved in L-malic and L-lactic acid
      determinations, respectively. Experimental variables concerning the biosensors
      composition and the detection conditions were optimized for each biosensor. Good
      relative standard deviation values were obtained in both cases for the
      measurements carried out with the same biosensor, with no need of cleaning or
      pretreatment of the bioelectrodes surface, and with different biosensors
      constructed in the same manner. After 7 days of continuous use, the MDH/DP
      biosensor still exhibited 90% of the original sensitivity, while the LOX/HRP
      biosensor yielded a 91% of the original response after 5 days. Calibration graphs
      for L-malic and L-lactic were obtained with linear ranges of 5.2x10(-7) to
      2.0x10(-5) and 4.2x10(-7) to 2.0x10(-5)M, respectively. The calculated detection
      limits were 5.2x10(-7) and 4.2x10(-7)M, respectively. The biosensors exhibited a
      high selectivity with no significant interferences. They were applied to monitor
      malolactic fermentation (MLF) induced by inoculation of Lactobacillus plantarum
      CECT 748(T) into a synthetic wine. Samples collected during MLF were assayed for
      L-malic and L-lactic acids, and the results obtained with the biosensors
      exhibited a very good correlation when plotted against those obtained by using
      commercial enzymatic kits.

PMID- 20298875
TI  - A reagentless DNA biosensor based on cathodic electrochemiluminescence at a
      C/C(x)O(1-x) electrode.
AB  - A reagentless signal-on electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor for DNA
      hybridization detection was developed based on the quenching effect of ferrocene
      (Fc) on intrinsic cathodic ECL at thin oxide covered glassy carbon (C/C(x)O(1-x))
      electrodes. To construct the DNA biosensor, molecular beacon (MB) modified with
      ferrocene (3'-Fc) was attached to a C/C(x)O(1-x) electrode via the covalent bound
      between labeled amino (5'-NH(2)) and surface functional groups. It was found that
      the immobilization of the probe on the electrode surface mainly depended on the
      fraction of surface carbonyl moiety. When a complementary target DNA (cDNA) was
      present, the stem-loop of MB on the electrode was converted into a linear double
      helix configuration due to hybridization, resulting in the moving away of Fc from
      the electrode surface, and the restoring of the cathodic ECL signal. The
      restoration of the ECL intensity was linearly changed with the logarithm of cDNA
      concentration in the range of 1.0x10(-11) to 7.0x10(-8)M, and the detection limit
      was ca. 5.0pM (S/N=3). Additionally, single-base mismatched DNA can be
      effectively discriminated from the cDNA. The great advantage of the biosensor
      lies in its simplicity and cost-effective with ECL generated from the electrode
      itself, and no adscititious luminophore is required.

PMID- 20298876
TI  - Determination of beta-artemether and its main metabolite dihydroartemisinin in
      plasma employing liquid-phase microextraction prior to liquid chromatographic
      tandem mass spectrometric analysis.
AB  - A method for the determination of artemether (ART) and its main metabolite
      dihydroartemisinin (DHA) in plasma employing liquid-phase microextraction (LPME)
      for sample preparation prior to liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry
      (LC-MS-MS) was developed. The analytes were extracted from 1mL of plasma
      utilizing a two-phase LPME procedure with artemisinin as internal standard. Using
      the optimized LPME conditions, mean absolute recovery rates of 25 and 32% for DHA
      and ART, respectively, were achieved using toluene-n-octanol (1:1, v/v) as
      organic phase with an extraction time of 30min. After extraction, the analytes
      were resolved within 5min using a mobile phase consisting of methanol-ammonium
      acetate (10mmolL(-1), pH 5.0, 80:20, v/v) on a laboratory-made column based on
      poly(methyltetradecylsiloxane) attached to a zirconized-silica support. MS-MS
      detection was employed using an electrospray interface in the positive ion mode.
      The method developed was linear over the range of 5-1000ngmL(-1) for both
      analytes. Precision and accuracy were within acceptable levels of confidence
      (<15%). The assay was applied to the determination of these analytes in plasma
      from rats treated with ART. The two-phase LPME procedure is affordable and the
      solvent consumption was very low compared to the traditional methods of sample
      preparation.

PMID- 20298877
TI  - Quantification of green fluorescent protein in cellular supernatant by capillary
      electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection for measurement of cell
      death.
AB  - A common method for quantifying cell death is measuring the concentration of
      lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) released by cells as their membranes become unstable.
      In cells expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP), degradation of the cell
      membrane also results in the release of GFP into the surrounding supernatant. In
      this study, we used capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence
      detection to measure the levels of GFP in supernatants of UBIGFP/BL6 primary
      macrophages that had been infected with Salmonella typhimurium, treated with
      staurosporine, or exposed to H(2)O(2), all known inducers of cell death. We also
      used a standard LDH assay to measure the release of LDH into supernatants. We
      observed the rate of cell death quantified by release of GFP and LDH into
      supernatant to be essentially identical, demonstrating that GFP release is at
      least as good as an indicator of macrophage cell death as the established LDH
      release method.

PMID- 20298878
TI  - Determination of rhenium content in molybdenite by ICP-MS after separation of the
      major matrix by solvent extraction with N-benzoyl-N-phenylhydroxalamine.
AB  - A simple and rapid analytical method for determining the concentration of rhenium
      in molybdenite for Re-Os dating was developed. The method used isotope dilution
      inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ID-ICP-MS) after the removal of
      major matrix elements (e.g., Mo, Fe, and W) from Re by solvent extraction with N
      benzoyl-N-phenylhydroxylamine (BPHA) in chloroform solution. The effect on
      extraction efficiency of parameters such as pH (HCl concentration), BPHA
      concentration, and extraction time were also assessed. Under the optimal
      experimental conditions, the validity of the separation method was accessed by
      measuring (187)Re/(185)Re values for a molybdenite reference material (JDC). The
      obtained values were in good agreement with previously measured values of the Re
      standard. The proposed method was applied to replicate Re-Os dating of JDC and
      seven samples of molybdenite from the Yuanzhuding large Cu-Mo porphyry deposit.
      The results demonstrate good precision and accuracy for the proposed method. The
      advantages of the method (i.e., simplicity, efficiency, short analysis time, and
      low cost) make it suitable for routine analysis.

PMID- 20298879
TI  - Tuning of the vinyl groups' spacing at surface of modified silica in preparation
      of high density imprinted layer-coated silica nanoparticles: a dispersive solid
      phase extraction materials for chlorpyrifos.
AB  - This paper reports the preparation of high density imprinted layer-coated silica
      nanoparticles toward selective recognition and fast enrichment of chlorpyrifos
      (CP) from complicated matrices. The molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were
      successfully coated at the surface of modified silica through using the chemical
      immovable vinyl groups at the nanoparticles' surface, followed by the graft
      copolymerization of methacrylic acid (MAA) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate
      (EGDMA) in the presence of templates CP. It has been demonstrated that the space
      of end vinyl groups at the surface of silica can be controlled by changing the
      condition of chemical modification, regulating the thickness of imprinted shells
      and the density of efficient imprinted sites. After removal of templates by
      solvent extraction, the recognition sites of CP were created in the polymer
      coating layer. The CP-imprinted nanoparticles exhibited high recognition
      selectivity and binding affinity to CP analyte. When the CP-imprinted
      nanoparticles were used as dispersive solid-phase extraction (dSPE) materials,
      the high recovery yields of 76.1-93.5% from various spiked samples with only
      1microg/mL analyte were achieved by one-step extraction. These results reported
      herein provide the possibility for the separation and enrichment of CP from
      complicated matrices by the molecular imprinting modification at the surface of
      common silica nanoparticles.

PMID- 20298880
TI  - A novel anthracene-based receptor: highly sensitive fluorescent and colorimetric
      receptor for fluoride.
AB  - A new highly sensitive colorimetric receptor 1 for fluoride based on anthracene
      9,10-dicarbaldehyde bis-p-nitrophenylhydrazone was designed, synthesized and
      characterized. Experiments showed that the receptor 1 can selectively recognize
      the fluoride in DMSO and even in 95/5 DMSO/H(2)O (v/v) mixtures. The ability of
      recognition and the bond between receptor 1 and anions were determined using
      visual inspection, UV-vis and fluorescence analyses. In addition, (1)H NMR
      experiments were carried out to explore the nature of interaction between
      receptor 1 and fluoride. Finally, analytical application and detection of
      fluoride in toothpaste have been studied.

PMID- 20298881
TI  - Electrochemical analysis of methylparathion pesticide by a gemini surfactant
      intercalated clay-modified electrode.
AB  - In this study, an hybrid material obtained by the intercalation of a gemini
      surfactant between the layers of smectite-type clay, was fully characterized by X
      ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and N(2) adsorption
      desorption experiments (BET method). To ascertain the intercalation process of
      the starting clay by the dimeric surfactant, the permselectivity and ion exchange
      properties of the organoclay were investigated by ion exchange voltammetry using
      [Fe(CN)(6)](3-) and [Ru(NH(3))(6)](3+) as redox probes, by the means of a clay
      film-modified electrode. Due to its organophilic character, the surfactant
      intercalated complex was evaluated as electrode modifier for the accumulation of
      methylparathion (MP) pesticide. The electroanalytical procedure involves two
      steps: preconcentration under open-circuit followed by voltammetric detection by
      square wave voltammetry: the peak current obtained (after 5min preconcentration
      in 4x10(-5)molL(-1)MP) on a glassy carbon electrode coated by a thin film of the
      modified clay was more than five times higher than that exhibited by the same
      substrate covered by a film of the pristine clay. This opens the way to the
      development of a sensitive method for the detection of the pesticide. Many
      parameters that can affect the stripping response (surfactant loading of the
      hybrid material, film composition, pH of the detection medium, preconcentration
      time, electrolysis potential and duration as well as some other instrumental
      parameters) were systematically investigated to optimize the sensitivity of the
      organoclay-modified electrode. After optimization, a linear calibration curve for
      MP was obtained in the concentration range from 4x10(-7) to 8.5x10(-6)molL(-1) in
      acetate buffer (pH 5), with a detection limit of 7x10(-8)molL(-1) (signal-to
      noise ratio equal to 3). The interference effect of various inorganic ions likely
      to influence the stripping determination of the pesticide was also examined, and
      the described method was applied to spring water analysis.

PMID- 20298882
TI  - Determination of heavy metals in activated charcoals and carbon black for Lyocell
      fiber production using direct solid sampling high-resolution continuum source
      graphite furnace atomic absorption and inductively coupled plasma optical
      emission spectrometry.
AB  - Reactivity and concentration of additives, especially activated charcoal,
      employed for the Lyocell process, enhance the complexity of reactions in
      cellulose/N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide monohydrate solutions. Analytical control of
      the starting materials is a basic requirement to know the concentration of heavy
      metals, which are potential initiators of autocatalytic reactions. Seven
      activated charcoal and two carbon black samples have been analyzed regarding
      their content of seven elements, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni and V using direct solid
      sampling high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace AAS (SS-HR-CS GF AAS)
      and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES) after
      microwave-assisted acidic digestion as a reference method. The limits of
      detection of the former technique are 1-2 orders of magnitude lower than those of
      ICP OES and comparable to those of more sophisticated techniques. For iron the
      working range of HR-CS GF AAS has been expanded by simultaneous measurement at
      two secondary absorption lines (344,099nm and 344,399nm). Partial least-squares
      regression between measured and calculated temperatures for beginning
      exothermicity (T(on)) has been used to investigate the prediction capability of
      the investigated techniques. Whereas the ICP OES measurements for seven elements
      resulted in an error of prediction of 3.67%, the results obtained by SS-HR-CS GF
      AAS exhibited a correlation coefficient of 0.99 and an error of prediction of
      only 0.68%. Acceptable correlation has been obtained with the latter technique
      measuring only three to four elements.

PMID- 20298883
TI  - Identification of pharmaceutical tablets by Raman spectroscopy and chemometrics.
AB  - Raman spectroscopy has become an attractive tool for the analysis of
      pharmaceutical solid dosage forms. In the present study it is used to ensure the
      identity of tablets. The two main applications of this method are release of
      final products in quality control and detection of counterfeits. Twenty-five
      product families of tablets have been included in the spectral library and a non
      linear classification method, the Support Vector Machines (SVMs), has been
      employed. Two calibrations have been developed in cascade: the first one
      identifies the product family while the second one specifies the formulation. A
      product family comprises different formulations that have the same active
      pharmaceutical ingredient (API) but in a different amount. Once the tablets have
      been classified by the SVM model, API peaks detection and correlation are applied
      in order to have a specific method for the identification and allow in the future
      to discriminate counterfeits from genuine products. This calibration strategy
      enables the identification of 25 product families without error and in the
      absence of prior information about the sample. Raman spectroscopy coupled with
      chemometrics is therefore a fast and accurate tool for the identification of
      pharmaceutical tablets.

PMID- 20298884
TI  - Poly(etheretherketone)-turnings a novel sorbent material for lead determination
      by flow injection flame atomic absorption spectrometry and factorial design
      optimization.
AB  - A novel hydrophobic sorbent material for on-line column preconcentration and
      separation systems coupled with atomic spectrometry was developed.
      Poly(etheretherketone) (PEEK) in the form of turnings was used as packing
      material and evaluated for trace lead determination in environmental samples.
      Sample and ammonium diethyl-dithiophosphate (DDPA) reagent were mixed on-line and
      the Pb(II)-DDPA complex was retained effectively on PEEK-turnings. Isobutyl
      methyl ketone (IBMK) was adopted for efficient analyte complex elution and
      subsequently transportation into the nebulizer-burner system for atomization. The
      developed sorbent material has shown, excellent chemical and mechanical
      resistance, fast adsorption kinetics permitting the use of high sample flow rates
      without significant loss of retention efficiency. For 120s sample
      preconcentration time the sampling frequency was 20h(-1), the enhancement factor
      was 110, the detection limit (3s) was c(L)=0.32microgL(-1), and the relative
      standard deviation (RSD) was s(R)=2.2%, at the 50.0microgL(-1) Pb(II) level. The
      accuracy of the developed method was evaluated by analyzing certified reference
      materials.

PMID- 20298885
TI  - Determination of the leaching of polymeric ion-selective membrane components by
      stripping voltammetry.
AB  - This paper focuses on the quantitative determination of the loss of the
      components from plastic membranes of ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) during
      contact with aqueous bathing solutions. The leaching processes, which affect the
      ISE responses, are rarely characterized by independent methods. For this purpose,
      differential pulse cathodic stripping voltammetry (DP CSV) is used. This method,
      owing to its high sensitivity, acceptable recovery and accuracy, is a good tool
      to characterize the kinetics of leakage of the lipophilic salts. Sodium
      tetraphenylborate (NaTPB) leakage from the PVC-based sodium-selective membrane
      containing two different plasticizers, o-nitrophenyl octyl ether (o-NPOE) or di(2
      ethylhexyl) sebacate (DOS) is presented. Correlation between the rate of leaching
      of the lipophilic salt and dielectric constants of the plasticizers is observed.
      The data obtained by DP CSV correlate well with potentiometric and
      electrochemical impedance responses. The observed outflow of TPB(-) is associated
      with decreasing potentiometric sensitivity to sodium and increasing bulk membrane
      resistance.

PMID- 20298886
TI  - Multivariate analysis of reflectance spectra from propolis: geographical
      variation in Romanian samples.
AB  - The present study described reflectance spectroscopy as a suitable analytical
      tool to discriminate the floral origin of 39 Romanian propolis samples. Relevant
      differences between the UV-vis reflectance spectra of the investigated propolis
      samples within the 220-850nm spectral range were found. The results obtained
      applying cluster analysis, principal component analysis and linear discriminant
      analysis to the digitized data of zero order, zero order normalized and first
      order derivative spectra support the reliability of this technique. In addition,
      the application of the linear discriminant analysis to the score matrices
      corresponding to the first principal components appeared to be an illuminating
      solution. Generally, the samples have been assigned to two large groups in a good
      agreement with their vegetal sampling location, samples originating from
      predominant forest area and samples originating from meadows. Within the first
      group, two subgroups were identified according to the dominant type of the
      forest, deciduous or resinous, while within the last group three subgroups were
      found according to the extend and variety of the meadow.

PMID- 20298887
TI  - A fast and sensitive enzyme immunoassay for brain natriuretic peptide based on
      micro-magnetic probes strategy.
AB  - In this paper, a simple, rapid and low-cost method for the high-sensitivity
      detection of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) was developed, which adopted three
      amplification steps: (a) biotin-streptavidin amplification; (b) micro-magnetic
      probe amplification; (c) HRP (horseradish peroxidase) signal amplification. In
      the present strategy, the streptavidin-coated micro-magnetic particles (MMPs)
      were first conjugated with biotin-labeled capture antibody via the biotin
      streptavidin interaction, which formed bio-functional micro-magnetic probes.
      Then, the analyte (antigen) is sandwiched by HRP-labeled antibody and capture
      antibody bound to MMPs. Finally, the HRP at the surface of sandwich structures
      catalytically oxidized the substrate and generated optical signals that reflected
      the amount of the target BNP. The influence of some important parameters such as
      the size of magnetic particles, the working concentration of HRP-labeled BNP
      antibody, the stability of magnetic probes, and the assay medium of serum BNP,
      etc. on the detection ability of present method was investigated in details. It
      is found that the detection limit of the proposed method could reach 10pg/mL for
      BNP, which is much lower than that of sandwich-type ELISA. Furthermore, this
      detection time for the proposed method just takes about 30min (two reaction steps
      and one wash step), which is faster than that of conventional sandwich-type ELISA
      (taking about 4h, three reaction steps and three wash steps). Inspired by these
      advantages, it is expected that this method can probably be applicable to the
      detection of other hormones and tumor markers that are present in only low
      concentrations within the human body.

PMID- 20298888
TI  - Rapid DNA electrochemical biosensing platform for label-free potentiometric
      detection of DNA hybridization.
AB  - This paper described a novel electrochemical DNA biosensor for rapid specific
      detection of nucleic acids based on the sulfonated polyaniline (SPAN) nanofibre
      and cysteamine-capped gold nanoparticle (CA-G(NP)) layer-by-layer films. A
      precursor film of 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) was firstly self-assembled on
      the Au electrode surface. CA-G(NP) was covalently deposited on the Au/MPA
      electrode to obtain a stable substrate. SPAN nanofibre and CA-G(NP) were
      alternately layer-by-layer assembled on the stable substrate by electrostatic
      force. Cyclic voltammetry was used to monitor the consecutive growth of the
      multilayer films by utilizing [Fe(CN)(6)](3-/4-) as the redox indicator. The (CA
      G(NP)/SPAN)(n) films showed satisfactory ability of electron transfer and
      excellent redox activity in neutral media. Negatively charged probe ssDNA was
      immobilized on the outer layer of the multilayer film (CA-G(NP)) through
      electrostatic affinity. Chronopotentiometry and electrochemical impedance
      spectroscopy were employed to obtain the direct electrochemical readout for probe
      ssDNA immobilization and hybridization using [Fe(CN)(6)](3-/4-) in solution as
      the mediator. While electrochemical impedance spectroscopy led to the
      characterization of the electron-transfer resistance at the electrode,
      chronopotentiometry provided the total resistance at the interfaces of the
      modified electrodes. A good correlation between the total electrode resistances
      and the electron-transfer resistances at the conducting supports was found.
      Chronopotentiometry was suggested as a rapid transduction means (a few seconds).
      Based on the (CA-G(NP)/SPAN)(n) films, the target DNA with 20-base could be
      detected up to 2.13x10(-13)mol/L, and the feasibility for the detection of base
      mismatched DNA was also demonstrated.

PMID- 20298889
TI  - para-Sulfonatocalix[6]arene-modified silver nanoparticles electrodeposited on
      glassy carbon electrode: preparation and electrochemical sensing of methyl
      parathion.
AB  - In this paper, a new electrochemical sensor, based on modified silver
      nanoparticles, was fabricated using one-step electrodeposition approach. The para
      sulfonatocalix[6]arene-modified silver nanoparticles coated on glassy carbon
      electrode (pSC(6)-Ag NPs/GCE) was characterized by attenuated total reflection IR
      spectroscopy (ATR-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning
      electron microscopy (SEM), etc. The pSC(6) as the host are highly efficient to
      capture organophosphates (OPs), which dramatically facilitates the enrichment of
      nitroaromatic OPs onto the electrochemical sensor surface. The combination of the
      host-guest supramolecular structure and the excellent electrochemical catalytic
      activities of the pSC(6)-Ag NPs/GCE provides a fast, simple, and sensitive
      electrochemical method for detecting nitroaromatic OPs. In this work, methyl
      parathion (MP) was used as a nitroaromatic OP model for testing the proposed
      sensor. In comparison with Ag NPs-modified electrode, the cathodic peak current
      of MP was amplified significantly. Differential pulse voltammetry was used for
      the simultaneous determination of MP. Under optimum conditions, the current
      increased linearly with the increasing concentration of MP in the range of 0.01
      80microM, with a detection limit of 4.0nM (S/N=3). The fabrication
      reproducibility and stability of the sensor is better than that of enzyme-based
      electrodes. The possible underlying mechanism is discussed.

PMID- 20298890
TI  - Development of a simple desulfurization procedure for the determination of
      butyltins in complex sediment samples using gas chromatography-pulsed flame
      photometric detection.
AB  - In this study a rapid solid phase extraction (SPE) procedure was developed to
      minimize the effect of different sulfur species for the determination of butyltin
      in sediments. The organosulfur species and organotins were firstly retained on C8
      cartridges and then organotins were selectively eluted and analyzed by gas
      chromatography-pulsed flame photometric detection (GC-PFPD). Optimal conditions
      for the SPE procedure were obtained using an experimental design approach. The
      method's accuracy was established by analyzing a certified reference material
      (CRM), BCR-646 freshwater sediment. The experimental values were found to be in
      agreement with the assigned values for butyltins. Finally, complex sediment
      samples collected from a Chilean harbor were analyzed using this methodology to
      demonstrate its analytical potential for the determination of butyltin in
      environmental samples.

PMID- 20298891
TI  - A low-cost method for determination of calcium carbonate in cement by
      membraneless vaporization with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity
      detection.
AB  - This work presents a flow analysis method for direct quantitation of calcium
      carbonate in cement without pretreatment of the sample. The method is based on
      online vaporization of CO(2) gas following acidification of the sample inside a
      small chamber that has a flow of acceptor solution passing around it.
      Solubilization of the CO(2) gas into the acceptor stream changes the conductivity
      of the acceptor solution causing an increase of signal at the capacitively
      coupled contactless conductivity detection (C(4)D) placed at the outlet of the
      vaporization chamber. This chamber is an adaption from previous work reported on
      'membraneless vaporization' (MBL-VP). The method can be used in the quality
      control of production of mixed cement. These cement materials usually have
      calcium carbonate contents at high concentration range (e.g., 33-99% (w/w)
      CaCO(3)). Analysis of samples by this method is direct and convenient as it
      requires no sample pretreatment. The method is low-cost with satisfactory
      accuracy and acceptable precision.

PMID- 20298892
TI  - Probing the electrochemical double layer of an ionic liquid using voltammetry and
      impedance spectroscopy: a comparative study of carbon nanotube and glassy carbon
      electrodes in [EMIM](+)[EtSO(4)](-).
AB  - Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) are
      compared as techniques for analyzing double layer capacitances of ionic liquids
      (ILs) at the surfaces of two carbon-based electrodes. These systems are relevant
      for energy storage supercapacitors and often are associated with unconventional
      electrochemical properties. Certain theoretical and experimental aspects of CV
      and EIS necessary for quantitative evaluation of the capacitance characteristics
      of such systems are explored. The experiments use 1-ethyl-3-methyl imidazolium
      ethylsulfate as a model IL electrolyte in combination with a porous electrode of
      carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The results are compared with those obtained with a
      nonporous glassy carbon (GC) electrode. The time is constant, and hence the power
      delivery characteristics of the experimental cell are affected by the electrolyte
      resistance and residual faradaic reactions of the IL, as well as by the spatially
      inhomogeneous electrode surfaces. It is shown that adequate characterization of
      these IL-electrode systems can be achieved by combining CV with EIS. A
      phenomenological framework for utilizing this combination is discussed.

PMID- 20298893
TI  - Synthesis and characterization of monoazathiacrown ethers as ionophores for
      polymeric membrane silver-selective electrodes.
AB  - Nine monoazathiacrown ethers have been synthesized and explored as ionophores for
      polymeric membrane Ag(+)-selective electrodes. Potentiometric responses reveal
      that the ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) based on 2,2'-thiodiethanethiol
      derivatives can exhibit excellent selectivities toward Ag(+). The plasticized
      poly(vinyl chloride) membrane electrode using 22-membered N(2)S(5)-ligand as
      ionophore has been characterized and its logarithmic selectivity coefficients for
      Ag(+) over most of the interfering cations have been determined as <-8.0. Under
      optimal conditions, a lower detection limit of 2.2x10(-10)M can be obtained for
      the membrane Ag(+)-ISE.

PMID- 20298894
TI  - Synthesis of Pt/ionic liquid/graphene nanocomposite and its simultaneous
      determination of ascorbic acid and dopamine.
AB  - A water-soluble and electroactive composite - Pt nanoparticles/polyelectrolyte
      functionalized ionic liquid (PFIL)/graphene sheets (GS) nanocomposite was
      synthesized in one pot. The structure and composition of the Pt/PFIL/GS
      nanocomposite were studied by means of ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) and X-ray
      photoelectron spectra (XPS). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission
      electron microscope (TEM) images reveal Pt nanoparticles are densely dispersed on
      the transparent thin PFIL-functionalized graphene sheets. The obtained Pt/PFIL/GS
      nanocomposite-modified electrode was fabricated to simultaneously determine
      ascorbic acid (AA) and dopamine (DA) by cyclic voltammetry. It is worthwhile
      noting that the difference between the two peak potentials of AA and DA oxidation
      is over 200mV, which leads to distinguishing AA from DA. The detection of
      increasing concentrations of AA in the presence of DA and the oxidation of
      continuous addition of DA in the presence of AA were also studied using
      differential pulse voltammetry. The proposed sensor in real sample analysis was
      also examined in human urine samples. Three independent oxidation peaks appear in
      urine sample containing AA and DA. Therefore, the Pt/PFIL/GS nanocomposite might
      offer a good possibility for applying it to routine analysis of AA and DA in
      clinical use.

PMID- 20298895
TI  - Fabrication of low-melting-point alloy microelectrode and monolithic spray tip
      for integration of glass chip with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.
AB  - In this paper, a glass microchip-based emitter with a low-melting-point alloy
      (LMA) microelectrode and a monolithic tip for electrospray ionization mass
      spectrometry (ESI-MS) was described. So far, the fabrication of metal
      microelectrode achieving direct electrical contact in the microchannel of glass
      chip is still a challenge. A novel fabrication approach for LMA microelectrode in
      the glass chip was developed to achieve direct electrode-solution electrical
      contact in the microchannel. An electrode channel and a sample channel were
      firstly fabricated on a glass chip with a micropore connecting the two channels.
      The melted LMA was filled into the electrode channel under a pressure of ca.
      100kPa, forming a stable and nicely fitted interface at the micropore between the
      sample and the electrode channels due to surface tension effect. The melted LMA
      filled in the electrode channel was then allowed to solidify at room temperature.
      The channel geometries including the distance between the sample and the
      electrode channels on the mask and the turning angle of the electrode channel
      were optimized for fabricating the LMA electrode. In this work, an improved
      fabrication approach for monolithic emitter tip based on pyramid-shaped tip
      configuration and stepped grinding method was also developed to fabricate well
      defined sharp tips with a smallest tip end size of ca. 15microm x 50microm. Two
      types of emitter tip end including puncher-shaped tip and fork-shaped tip were
      produced. The emitter with the fork-shaped tip showed better working stability
      (4.4% RSD, TIC) at nanoliter-scale flow rate of 50nL/min. The fabrication
      approaches for the LMA microelectrode and emitter tip are simple and robust, and
      could be carried out in most of routine laboratories without the need of
      complicated and expensive instruments. The performance of the emitter was
      evaluated in the analysis of reserpine, angiotensin II and myoglobin. A
      continuous experiment over 6h demonstrated good stability of the present system
      in long-term analysis.

PMID- 20298896
TI  - The effect of the surface coverage of the phosphonic acid terminated self
      assembled monolayers on the electrochemical behavior of dopamine.
AB  - The surface coverage of 3-mercaptopropylphosphonic acid (HS-CH(2)CH(2)CH(2)
      PO(3)H(2), MPPA) self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold surface can be
      controlled by the dissociation degree of phosphonic acid groups (-PO(3)H(2)) in
      the bulk solution and adsorption time of MPPA molecules under the basic
      condition. Electrochemical measurements show that the low-density MPPA-SAMs
      modified gold electrode enhances significantly the kinetics of electron transfer
      of dopamine (DA), and improves the antifouling capability of modified electrode
      towards DA oxidation. The present results offer crucial information for design
      and optimization of the electrochemical sensors for DA determination.

PMID- 20298897
TI  - Analysis of biogenic amines using corona discharge ion mobility spectrometry.
AB  - A new method based on corona discharge ion mobility spectrometry (CD-IMS) was
      developed for the analysis of biogenic amines including spermidine, spermine,
      putrescine, and cadaverine. The ion mobility spectra of the compounds were
      obtained with and without n-Nonylamine used as the reagent gas. The high proton
      affinity of n-Nonylamine prevented ion formation from compounds with a proton
      affinity lower than that of n-Nonylamine and, therefore, enhanced its
      selectivity. It was also realized that the ion mobility spectrum of n-Nonylamine
      varied with its concentration. A sample injection port of a gas chromatograph was
      modified and used as the sample introduction system into the CD-IMS. The
      detection limits, dynamic ranges, and analytical parameters of the compounds with
      and without using the reagent gas were obtained. The detection limits and dynamic
      ranges of the compounds were about 2ng and 2 orders of magnitude, respectively.
      The wide dynamic range of CD-IMS originates from the high current of the corona
      discharge. The results revealed the high capability of the CD-IMS for the
      analysis of biogenic amines.

PMID- 20298899
TI  - Application of chemometrics and FTIR for determination of viscosity index and
      base number of motor oils.
AB  - The viscosity index (VI) and the base number (BN) of motor oils are the most
      important parameters to be measured in order to assess their performance and
      service time. Both parameters were simply obtained for virgin and recycled motor
      oil samples using multivariate calibration based on the FTIR data. Analysis
      showed that the PLS-1 has outperformed CLS and PCR for the oil parameters
      prediction. Five and four PLS-1 latent variables were found optimum to obtained
      the VI and the BN from the FTIR data; respectively. With high accuracy (99-102%)
      and precision (3-11%), the BN could be determined over the range 4.57
      16.45mgKOHg(-1) and the VI over the range 96-153. The outputs of the PLS-1 were
      found comparable to those obtained by the expensive and time-consuming ASTM
      methods. This developed method is highly recommended for quick monitoring of the
      motor oil quality parameters.

PMID- 20298898
TI  - Synergistic liquid-liquid extractive spectrophotometric determination of
      gold(III) using 1-(2',4'-dinitro aminophenyl)-4,4,6-trimethyl-1,4
      dihydropyrimidine-2-thiol.
AB  - Synergistic liquid-liquid extractive spectrophotometric determination of
      gold(III) using 1-(2',4'-dinitro aminophenyl)-4,4,6-trimethyl-1,4-dihydro
      pyrimidine-2-thiol [2',4'-dinitro APTPT] has been described. Equal volumes
      (5cm(3)) of the 2',4'-dinitro APTPT (0.02molL(-1)) in the presence of pyridine
      (0.5molL(-1)) form an orange-red coloured ternary complex with gold(III) of molar
      ratio 1:1:1 at pH 1.8-2.4 with 5min of shaking. The absorbance of coloured
      organic layer in 1,2-dichloroethane is measured spectrophotometrically at 445nm
      against reagent blank. A pronounced synergism has been observed by the binary
      mixture of 2',4'-dinitro APTPT and pyridine, which shows that the enhancement in
      the absorbance is observed in the presence of pyridine by the adduct formation in
      the organic phase. Beer's law was obeyed in the concentration range 2.5
      20.0microgmL(-1), with molar absorptivity and Sandell's sensitivity values of
      8.7x10(3)dm(3)mol(-1)cm(-1) and 0.023microgcm(-2) respectively. A repetition of
      the method was checked by finding relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) (n=10)
      which was 0.17%. The composition of the gold(III)-2',4'-dinitro APTPT-pyridine
      adduct was established by slope analysis, molar ratio and Job's method. The
      ternary complex was stable for more than 48h. The influence of various factors
      such as pH, 2',4'-dinitro APTPT concentration, solvent and pyridine on the degree
      of complexation has been established. A number of foreign ions tested for their
      interferences and use of suitable masking agents wherever necessary are
      tabulated, which show that selectivity of the method has been enhanced. The
      method is successfully employed for the determination of gold(III) in binary,
      synthetic mixtures and ayurvedic samples. The reliability of the method is
      assured by inter-comparison of experimental values, using an atomic absorption
      spectrometer.

PMID- 20298900
TI  - Simultaneous determination of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated
      hydroxytoluene (BHT) in food samples using a carbon composite electrode modified
      with Cu(3)(PO(4))(2) immobilized in polyester resin.
AB  - A simple electrochemical method was developed for the single and simultaneous
      determination of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene
      (BHT) in food samples using square-wave voltammetry (SWV). A carbon composite
      electrode modified (MCCE) with copper (II) phosphate immobilized in a polyester
      resin was proposed. The modified electrode allowed the detection of BHA and BHT
      at potentials lower than those observed at unmodified electrodes. A separation of
      about 430mV between the peak oxidation potentials of BHA and BHT in binary
      mixtures was obtained. The calibration curves for the simultaneous determination
      of BHA and BHT demonstrated an excellent linear response in the range from
      3.4x10(-7) to 4.1x10(-5)molL(-1) for both compounds. The detection limits for the
      simultaneous determination of BHA and BHT were 7.2x10(-8) and 9.3x10(-8)molL(-1),
      respectively. In addition, the stability and repeatability of the electrode were
      determined. The proposed method was successfully applied in the simultaneous
      determination of BHA and BHT in several food samples, and the results obtained
      were found to be similar to those obtained using the high performance liquid
      chromatography method with agreement at 95% confidence level.

PMID- 20298901
TI  - A cold plasma dielectric barrier discharge atomic emission detector for
      atmospheric mercury.
AB  - An automated atmospheric elemental mercury analyzer based on the dielectric
      barrier discharge (DBD) atomic emission technique was developed. The instrument
      is based on a gold-on tungsten coiled filament preconcentrator fashioned from
      commercial quartz-halogen lamps, a DBD excitation source and a radiation
      detector. An in-house program provided system control and data collection.
      Several types of radiation detectors, e.g., charge coupled device (CCD) array
      spectrometers, photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) and phototube (PT) are investigated.
      An argon plasma provided better performance than a nitrogen plasma. With
      approximately 0.88 standard liters per min sampling rate and preconcentration for
      2min, the estimated (S/N=3) detection limit was 0.12ng/L (Hg(0)), the linear
      range extended at least to 6.6ngHg/L. Typical RSD values for determination at the
      single digit ng/L level ranged from 2.8 to 4.9%. In 19 separate calibrations
      conducted over 7 days, the calibration slope had a standard error of 1%. The
      system was applied to the determination of atmospheric mercury in two different
      locations.

PMID- 20298902
TI  - Optimization and application of methods of triacylglycerol evaluation for
      characterization of olive oil adulteration by soybean oil with HPLC-APCI-MS-MS.
AB  - Triacylglycerols (TAGs) are the main constituents of vegetable oils where they
      occur in complex mixtures with characteristic distributions. Mass spectrometry
      using an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization interface (APCI-MS) run in
      positive mode and an Ion Trap mass analyser were applied in the study of olive
      and soybean oils and their mixtures. Direct injections of soybean and olive oil
      solutions allowed the identification of ions derived from the main TAGs of both
      oils. This procedure showed to be a simple and powerful tool to evaluate mixtures
      or addition of soybean to olive oil. TAG separation was optimized by high
      performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using an octadecylsilica LiChrospher
      column (250mm x 3mm; 5microm) and a gradient composed of acetonitrile and 2
      propanol allowed the separation of the main TAGs of the studied oils. APCI
      vaporization temperature was optimized and best signals were obtained at 370
      degrees C. Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) employing the transition of the
      protonated TAG molecules ([M+H](+)) to the protonated diacylglycerol fragments
      ([M+H-R](+)) improved the selectivity of TAG detection and was used in
      quantitative studies. Different strategies were developed to evaluate oil
      composition following TAG analysis by MRM. The external standard calibration and
      standard additions methods were compared for triolein quantification but the
      former showed to be biased. Further quantitative studies were based on the
      estimates of soybean and olive oil proportions in mixtures by comparison of TAG
      areas found in mixtures of known and unknown composition of both oils. Good
      agreement with expected or labeled values was found for a commercial blend
      containing 15% (w/w) of olive oil in soybean oil and to a 1:1 mixture of both
      oils, showing the potential of this method in characterizing oil mixtures and
      estimating oil proportions. Olive oils of different origins were also evaluated
      by mass spectra data obtained after direct injections of oil solutions and
      principal component analysis (PCA). Argentinean olive oils were clustered in a
      different area of the principal components plot (PC2 xP C1) in comparison with
      European olive oils. The commercial blend containing 15% (w/w) of olive oil in
      soybean oil appeared in a completely different area of the graphic, showing the
      potential of this method to screen out for olive oil adulterations.

PMID- 20298903
TI  - Development of a novel colorimetric indicator label for monitoring freshness of
      intermediate-moisture dessert spoilage.
AB  - A colorimetric mixed pH dye-based indicator with potential for the development of
      intelligent packaging, as a "chemical barcode" for real-time monitoring of
      intermediate-moisture dessert spoilage, is described. This on-package indicator
      contains mixed pH-sensitive dyes, bromothymol blue and methyl red, that respond
      through visible color change to carbon dioxide (CO(2)) as a spoilage metabolite.
      Both indicator solution and indicator label characteristics were studied, as well
      as their response to CO(2). A kinetic approach was used to correlate the response
      of the indicator label to the changes in intermediate-moisture dessert spoilage.
      Color changes, in terms of total color difference of a mixed pH dye-based
      indicator, correlated well with CO(2) levels of intermediate-moisture dessert.
      Trials on golden drop have verified that the indicator response correlates with
      microbial growth patterns in dessert samples, thus enabling the real-time
      monitoring of spoilage either at various constant temperatures or with
      temperature fluctuation.

PMID- 20298904
TI  - Enhancement of peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence intensity by surfactants and its
      application to detect detergent.
AB  - Enhancement of peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence (PO-CL) intensity by a surfactant
      in the H(2)O(2)/bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)oxalate (TCPO)/rhodamine B system was
      described. The effects of 15 surfactants were evaluated by comparing the ratio of
      a relative CL intensity (RCI) with surfactant to that of the blank in each
      system. In preliminary study, H(2)O(2)/imidazole-HNO(3) buffer/TCPO/rhodamine B
      system was used to study the effects of surfactants on PO-CL intensity. Fourteen
      surfactants reduced the CL intensity at the 2% concentration, where their
      relative CL intensities ranged from 0.6 to 93.5%. Some of these phenomena may be
      caused by a notable change of pH that was occurred by adding the surfactant.
      Additionally, enhancement of PO-CL intensity was studied by using system (1)
      H(2)O(2)/TCPO/rhodamine B and (2) H(2)O(2)/imidazole-HNO(3) buffer/TCPO/systems.
      In the system 1, the favorable enhancement of CL intensity (ranged from 124 to
      472%) was observed with 9 surfactants at the 0.5% concentration. This result
      suggested that several surfactants might play a role as a catalyst in the PO-CL
      reaction. There was no tendency to enhance CL intensity among the surfactant
      types. In the system 2, the enhancement of CL intensity was also observed by
      adding with 11 surfactants, which might be mainly caused by the fluorescent
      impurities of surfactants used. Furthermore, detection of detergent commercially
      available was applied by using the system 1.

PMID- 20298905
TI  - Webcam camera as a detector for a simple lab-on-chip time based approach.
AB  - A modification of a webcam camera for use as a small and low cost detector was
      demonstrated with a simple lab-on-chip reactor. Real time continuous monitoring
      of the reaction zone could be done. Acid-base neutralization with phenolphthalein
      indicator was used as a model reaction. The fading of pink color of the indicator
      when the acidic solution diffused into the basic solution zone was recorded as
      the change of red, blue and green colors (%RBG.) The change was related to acid
      concentration. A low cost portable semi-automation analysis system was achieved.

PMID- 20298906
TI  - Ovarian serous low malignant potential (borderline) tumor--does "micropapillary"
      matter?

PMID- 20298907
TI  - 30 years of leadership the impact of JEMS on EMS development.

PMID- 20298910
TI  - A lot to offer the value of 30 years of experience.

PMID- 20298911
TI  - Lemon-Aid: using a mnemonic devices to assess difficult airways.

PMID- 20298912
TI  - Clean floors: a little fun for a serious world.

PMID- 20298913
TI  - Basics & backups critical patient requires airway control & vascular access.

PMID- 20298914
TI  - The state of EMS: where the EMS profession is & where it's headed.

PMID- 20298915
TI  - Trend Alert: the trending & interpretation of vital signs.

PMID- 20298916
TI  - Disposition of the deceased how to determine patient status & prevent futile
      transports.

PMID- 20298917
TI  - Critical decisions: safely excluding patients to reduce inappropriate helicopter
      utilization.

PMID- 20298918
TI  - The customer's always right: steps you can take to ensure customer satisfaction.

PMID- 20298919
TI  - When's my shift: technology has come a long way since printed schedules.

PMID- 20298920
TI  - Not in my backyard!

PMID- 20298921
TI  - Coronary "reverse" steal phenomenon: secret passageway out of castle.

PMID- 20298922
TI  - Screening for cardiovascular risk in asymptomatic patients.
AB  - Cardiovascular disease is the number 1 cause of death in the western world and 1
      of the leading causes of death worldwide. The lifetime risk of atherosclerotic
      cardiovascular disease (CVD) for persons at age 50 years, on average, is
      estimated to be 52% for men and 39% for women, with a wide variation depending on
      risk factor burden. Assessing patients' cardiovascular risk may be used for the
      targeting of preventive treatments of individual patients who are asymptomatic
      but at sufficiently high risk for the development of CVD. Risk stratifying
      patients for CVD remains challenging, particularly for those with low or
      intermediate short-term risk. Several algorithms have been described to
      facilitate the assessment of risk in individual patients. We describe 6 risk
      algorithms (Framingham Risk Score for coronary heart disease events and for
      cardiovascular events, Adult Treatment Panel III, SCORE [Systematic Coronary Risk
      Evaluation] project, Reynolds Risk Score, ASSIGN [Assessing Cardiovascular Risk
      to Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network/SIGN to Assign Preventative
      Treatment], and QRISK [QRESEARCH Cardiovascular Risk Algorithm]) for outcomes,
      population derived/validated, receiver-operating characteristic, variables
      included, and limitations. Areas of uncertainty include 10-year versus lifetime
      risk, prediction of CVD or coronary heart disease end points, nonlaboratory-based
      risk scores, age at which to start, race and sex differences, and whether a risk
      score should guide therapy. We believe that the best high-risk approach to CVD
      evaluation and prevention lies in routine testing for cardiovascular risk factors
      and risk score assessment. We recommend that health care providers discuss the
      global cardiovascular risk and lifetime cardiovascular risk score assessment with
      each patient to better explain each patient's future risk. Appropriate
      intervention, guided by risk assessment, has the potential to bring about a
      significant reduction in population levels of risk.

PMID- 20298923
TI  - Impact of stent overlap on angiographic and long-term clinical outcome in
      patients undergoing drug-eluting stent implantation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We compared the angiographic and long-term clinical outcomes of
      patients with and without overlap of drug-eluting stents (DES). BACKGROUND: DES
      overlap has been associated with delayed healing and increased inflammation in
      experimental studies, but its impact on clinical outcome is not well established.
      METHODS: We analyzed the angiographic and clinical outcomes of 1,012 patients
      treated with DES in the SIRTAX (Sirolimus-Eluting Versus Paclitaxel-Eluting
      Stents for Coronary Revascularization) trial according to the presence or absence
      of stent overlap and the number of stents per vessel: 134 (13.2%) patients with
      multiple DES in a vessel with overlap, 199 (19.7%) patients with multiple DES in
      a vessel without overlap, and 679 (67.1%) patients with 1 DES per vessel.
      RESULTS: Angiographic follow-up at 8 months showed an increased late loss in DES
      overlap patients (0.33 +/- 0.61 mm) compared with the other groups (0.18 +/- 0.43
      mm and 0.15 +/- 0.38 mm, p < 0.01). The smallest minimal lumen diameter was
      located at the zone of stent overlap in 17 (68%) of 25 patients with stent
      overlap who underwent target lesion revascularization. Major adverse cardiac
      events were more common in patients with DES overlap (34 events, 25.4%) than in
      the other groups (42 events, 21.1% and 95 events, 14.0%) at 3 years (p < 0.01).
      Both the risk of target lesion revascularization (20.2% vs. 16.1% vs. 9.7%, p <
      0.01) and the composite of death or myocardial infarction (17.2% vs. 14.1% vs.
      9.1%, p = 0.01) were increased in patients with DES overlap compared with the
      other groups. CONCLUSIONS: DES overlap occurs in >10% of patients undergoing
      percutaneous coronary intervention in routine clinical practice and is associated
      with impaired angiographic and long-term clinical outcome, including death or
      myocardial infarction. (Sirolimus-Eluting Versus Paclitaxel-Eluting Stents for
      Coronary Revascularization; NCT00297661).

PMID- 20298924
TI  - B-type natriuretic peptide and the effect of ranolazine in patients with non-ST
      segment elevation acute coronary syndromes: observations from the MERLIN-TIMI 36
      (Metabolic Efficiency With Ranolazine for Less Ischemia in Non-ST Elevation Acute
      Coronary-Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction 36) trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We designed a prospective evaluation of the interaction between B
      type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and the effect of ranolazine in patients with
      acute coronary syndromes (ACS) as part of a randomized, blinded, placebo
      controlled trial. BACKGROUND: Ranolazine is believed to exert anti-ischemic
      effects by reducing myocardial sodium and calcium overload and consequently
      ventricular wall stress. BNP increases in response to increased wall stress and
      is a strong risk indicator in ACS. METHODS: We measured plasma BNP in all
      available baseline samples (n = 4,543) among patients with non-ST-segment
      elevation ACS randomized to ranolazine or placebo in the MERLIN-TIMI 36
      (Metabolic Efficiency With Ranolazine for Less Ischemia in Non-ST Elevation Acute
      Coronary-Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction 36) trial and followed them for a
      mean of 343 days. The primary end point was a composite of cardiovascular death,
      myocardial infarction, and recurrent ischemia. BNP elevation was defined as >80
      pg/ml. RESULTS: Patients with elevated BNP (n = 1,935) were at significantly
      higher risk of the primary trial end point (26.4% vs. 20.4%, p < 0.0001),
      cardiovascular death (8.0% vs. 2.1%, p < 0.001), and myocardial infarction (10.6%
      vs. 5.8%, p < 0.001) at 1 year. In patients with BNP >80 pg/ml, ranolazine
      reduced the primary end point (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.79; 95% confidence interval
      [CI]: 0.66 to 0.94, p = 0.009). The effect of ranolazine in patients with BNP >80
      pg/ml was directionally similar for recurrent ischemia (HR: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.62 to
      0.98; p = 0.04) and cardiovascular death or myocardial infarction (HR: 0.83; 95%
      CI: 0.66 to 1.05, p = 0.12). There was no detectable effect in those with low BNP
      (p interaction value = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that ranolazine
      may have enhanced efficacy in high-risk patients with ACS identified by increased
      BNP. The interaction of biomarkers of hemodynamic stress and the effects of
      ranolazine warrants additional investigation. (Metabolic Efficiency With
      Ranolazine for Less Ischemia in Non-ST Elevation Acute Coronary Syndromes;
      NCT00099788).

PMID- 20298925
TI  - Biomarker bonanza?

PMID- 20298926
TI  - Effect of cyclosporine on left ventricular remodeling after reperfused myocardial
      infarction.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study examined the effect of a single dose of cyclosporine
      administered at the time of reperfusion on left ventricular (LV) remodeling and
      function by cardiac magnetic resonance 5 days and 6 months after myocardial
      infarction. BACKGROUND: In a human study, administration of cyclosporine at the
      time of acute reperfusion was associated with a smaller infarct size. METHODS:
      Twenty-eight patients of the original cyclosporine study had an acute (at 5 days)
      and a follow-up (at 6 months) cardiac magnetic resonance study to determine LV
      volumes, mass, ejection fraction, myocardial wall thickness in infarcted and
      remote noninfarcted myocardium, and infarct size. RESULTS: There was a persistent
      reduction in infarct size at 6 months in the cyclosporine group compared with the
      control group of patients (29 +/- 15 g vs. 38 +/- 14 g; p = 0.04). There was a
      significant reduction of LV end-systolic volume (and a trend for LV end-diastolic
      volume; p = 0.07) in the cyclosporine group compared with the control group, both
      at 5 days and 6 months after infarction. There was no significant difference
      between the 2 groups in either global LV mass or regional wall thickness of the
      remote noninfarcted myocardium at 5 days or 6 months. Attenuation of LV dilation
      and improvement of LV ejection fraction by cyclosporine at 6 months were
      correlated with infarct size reduction. CONCLUSIONS: Cyclosporine used at the
      moment of acute myocardial infarction reperfusion persistently reduces infarct
      size and does not have a detrimental effect on LV remodeling. These results are
      preliminary and must be supported by further studies. (Ciclosporin A and Acute
      Myocardial Infarction; NCT00403728).

PMID- 20298927
TI  - Reperfusion injury putting the genie back in the bottle?

PMID- 20298928
TI  - Atorvastatin causes insulin resistance and increases ambient glycemia in
      hypercholesterolemic patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We investigated whether atorvastatin might decrease insulin
      sensitivity and increase ambient glycemia in hypercholesterolemic patients.
      BACKGROUND: Clinical trials suggest that some statin treatments might increase
      the incidence of diabetes despite reductions in low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
      cholesterol and improvement in endothelial dysfunction. METHODS: A randomized,
      single-blind, placebo-controlled parallel study was conducted in 44 patients
      taking placebo and in 42, 44, 43, and 40 patients given daily atorvastatin 10,
      20, 40, and 80 mg, respectively, during a 2-month treatment period. RESULTS:
      Atorvastatin 10, 20, 40, and 80 mg significantly reduced LDL cholesterol (39%,
      47%, 52%, and 56%, respectively) and apolipoprotein B levels (33%, 37%, 42%, and
      46%, respectively) after 2 months of therapy when compared with either baseline
      (all p < 0.001 by paired t test) or placebo (p < 0.001 by analysis of variance
      [ANOVA]). Atorvastatin 10, 20, 40, and 80 mg significantly increased fasting
      plasma insulin (mean changes: 25%, 42%, 31%, and 45%, respectively) and glycated
      hemoglobin levels (2%, 5%, 5%, and 5%, respectively) when compared with either
      baseline (all p < 0.05 by paired t test) or placebo (p = 0.009 for insulin and p
      = 0.008 for glycated hemoglobin by ANOVA). Atorvastatin 10, 20, 40, and 80 mg
      decreased insulin sensitivity (1%, 3%, 3%, and 4%, respectively) when compared
      with either baseline (p = 0.312, p = 0.008, p < 0.001, and p = 0.008,
      respectively, by paired t test) or placebo (p = 0.033 by ANOVA). CONCLUSIONS:
      Despite beneficial reductions in LDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B,
      atorvastatin treatment resulted in significant increases in fasting insulin and
      glycated hemoglobin levels consistent with insulin resistance and increased
      ambient glycemia in hypercholesterolemic patients. (Effects of Atorvastatin on
      Adiponectin Levels and Insulin Sensitivity In Hypercholesterolemic Patients;
      NCT00745836).

PMID- 20298929
TI  - Reverse remodeling of the atria after treatment of chronic stretch in humans:
      implications for the atrial fibrillation substrate.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this report was to study the effect of chronic stretch
      reversal on the electrophysiological characteristics of the atria in humans.
      BACKGROUND: Atrial stretch is an important determinant for atrial fibrillation.
      Whether relief of stretch reverses the substrate predisposed to atrial
      fibrillation is unknown. METHODS: Twenty-one patients with mitral stenosis
      undergoing mitral commissurotomy (MC) were studied before and after intervention.
      Catheters were placed at multiple sites in the right atrium (RA) and sequentially
      within the left atrium (LA) to determine: effective refractory period (ERP) at 10
      sites (600 and 450 ms) and P-wave duration (PWD). Bi-atrial electroanatomic maps
      determined conduction velocity (CV) and voltage. In 14 patients, RA studies were
      repeated >or=6 months after MC. RESULTS: Immediately after MC, there was
      significant increase in mitral valve area (2.1 +/- 0.2 cm(2), p < 0.0001) with
      decrease in LA (23 +/- 7 mm Hg to 10 +/- 4 mm Hg, p < 0.0001) and pulmonary
      arterial pressures (38 +/- 16 mm Hg to 27 +/- 12 mm Hg, p < 0.0001) and LA volume
      (75 +/- 20 ml to 52 +/- 18 ml, p < 0.0001). This was associated with reduction in
      PWD (139 +/- 19 ms to 135 +/- 20 ms, p = 0.047), increase in CV (LA: 1.3 +/- 0.3
      mm/ms to 1.7 +/- 0.2 mm/ms, p = 0.006; and RA: 1.0 +/- 0.1 mm/ms to 1.3 +/- 0.3
      mm/ms, p = 0.002) and voltage (LA: 1.7 +/- 0.6 mV to 2.5 +/- 1.0 mV, p = 0.005;
      and RA: 1.8 +/- 0.6 mV to 2.2 +/- 0.7 mV, p = 0.09), and no change in ERP. Late
      after MC, mitral valve area remained at 2.1 +/- 0.3 cm(2) (p = 0.7) but with
      further decrease in PWD (113 +/- 19 ms, p = 0.04) and RA ERP (at 600 ms, p <
      0.0001), with increase in CV (1.0 +/- 0.1 mm/ms to 1.3 +/- 0.2 mm/ms, p = 0.006)
      and voltage (1.8 +/- 0.7 mV to 2.8 +/- 0.6 mV, p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The
      atrial electrophysiologic and electroanatomic abnormalities that result from
      chronic stretch due to MS reverses after MC. These observations suggest that the
      substrate predisposing to atrial arrhythmias might be reversed.

PMID- 20298930
TI  - Sustained inflammation due to nuclear factor-kappa B activation in irradiated
      human arteries.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate gene expression networks
      related to cardiovascular disease in radiated human arteries. BACKGROUND: Recent
      epidemiological studies have shown that radiotherapy is associated with
      cardiovascular disease years after treatment. However, the molecular mechanisms
      underlying late effects of radiation are poorly described. METHODS: Arterial
      biopsies from radiated and nonradiated human conduit arteries, from the same
      patient, were simultaneously harvested during microvascular free tissue transfer
      for cancer-reconstruction in 13 patients, 4 to 500 weeks from radiation
      treatment. Radiated and nonradiated arteries were compared, with Affymetrix
      (Santa Clara, California) microarrays on a subset of the material to generate
      candidate genes. A Taqman (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, California) low
      density array of 45 selected genes was designed for analysis of the whole
      material. RESULTS: Thirteen genes were synchronously expressed in all patients (p
      = 0.0015), including CCL8, CCL3, CXCL2, DUSP5, FGFR2, HMOX1, HOXA9, IL-6, MMP-1,
      PTX3, RDH10, SOD2, and TNFAIP3. A majority of differentially regulated genes
      related to the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) signaling pathway and were
      dysregulated even years after radiation. The NF-kappaB activation was confirmed
      by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. CONCLUSIONS: In the present
      study, we found sustained inflammation due to NF-kappaB activation in human
      radiated arteries. The results are supported by previous in vitro findings
      suggesting that deoxyribonucleic acid injury, after radiation, activates NF
      kappaB. We also suggest that HOXA9 might be involved in the regulation of NF
      kappaB activation. The observed sustained inflammatory response can explain
      cardiovascular disease years after radiation.

PMID- 20298931
TI  - Understanding radiation-induced vascular disease.

PMID- 20298932
TI  - Effect of an antimicrobial agent on atherosclerotic plaques: assessment of
      metalloproteinase activity by molecular imaging.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Technetium-99m-labeled matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor (MPI) was
      used for the noninvasive assessment of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity in
      atherosclerotic plaques after minocycline (MC) intervention. BACKGROUND: MMP
      activity in atherosclerosis contributes to plaque instability. Some antimicrobial
      agents may attenuate MMP activity. METHODS: Atherosclerotic lesions were produced
      in 38 rabbits with a high cholesterol diet for 4 months; 5 groups of rabbits, in
      the fourth month, received fluvastatin (FS) (n = 6), low-dose MC (n = 7), high
      dose MC (n = 7), a combination of low-dose MC and FS (n = 6), or no intervention
      (n = 12); 8 unmanipulated rabbits were used as disease controls. Micro-single
      photon emission computed tomography imaging was performed in all animals after
      intravenous MPI administration, followed by pathologic characterization of the
      aorta. A cell culture study evaluated the effect of MC on MMP production by
      activated human monocytes. RESULTS: MPI uptake was visualized best in untreated
      atherosclerotic animals (percent injected dose per gram MPI uptake, 0.11 +/-
      0.04%). MPI uptake was reduced in the FS (0.06 +/- 0.01%; p < 0.0001), high-dose
      MC (0.05 +/- 0.01%; p < 0.0001), and MC-FS (0.05 +/- 0.005%; p < 0.0001) groups.
      Low-dose MC did not resolve MPI uptake significantly (0.08 +/- 0.02; p = 0.167).
      There was no incremental benefit of the combination of MC and FS. MPI uptake
      showed a significant correlation with plaque MMP-2, and MMP-9 activity. MMP-9
      release from tumor necrosis factor-alpha-activated macrophages was abrogated by
      incubation with MC. CONCLUSIONS: Molecular imaging of MMP activity in
      atherosclerotic plaque allows for the study of the efficacy of therapeutic
      interventions. MC administration resulted in substantial reduction in plaque MMP
      activity and histologically verified plaque stabilization. MC was found to be
      equally effective as FS.

PMID- 20298933
TI  - Improvement in cardiac function with small intestine extracellular matrix is
      associated with recruitment of C-kit cells, myofibroblasts, and macrophages after
      myocardial infarction.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study tested the hypothesis that modulation of angiogenesis and
      cardiac function by injecting small intestine extracellular matrix emulsion (EMU)
      into myocardium is associated with recruitment of c-kit cells, myofibroblasts,
      and macrophages after myocardial infarction. BACKGROUND: Degradation of native
      extracellular matrix has been associated with adverse cardiac remodeling after
      infarction. METHODS: Sixty-four rats were subjected to 45 min ischemia followed
      by 3, 7, 21, and 42 days of reperfusion, respectively. Saline or EMU (30 to 50
      microl) was injected into the area at risk myocardium after reperfusion.
      Histological examination was performed by immunohistochemical staining, and
      cardiac function was analyzed using echocardiography. RESULTS: The population of
      c-kit-positive cells in infarcted myocardium with the EMU injection increased
      significantly relative to the saline control at 7 days of reperfusion. Along with
      this change, alpha-smooth muscle actin expressing myofibroblasts and macrophages
      accumulated to a significant extent compared with the saline control. Increased
      vascular endothelial growth factor protein level and strong immunoreactivity of
      vascular endothelial growth factor expression were observed. Angiogenesis in the
      EMU area was significantly enhanced relative to the saline control, evidenced by
      increased density of alpha-smooth muscle actin positive vessels. Furthermore,
      echocardiography showed significant improvements in fractional shortening,
      ejection fraction, and stroke volume in the EMU group. The wall thickness of the
      infarcted middle anterior septum in the EMU group was significantly increased
      relative to the saline control. CONCLUSIONS: We show for the first time that
      injection of EMU into the infarcted myocardium increases neovascularization and
      preserves cardiac function, potentially mediated by enhanced recruitment of c-kit
      positive cells, myofibroblasts, and macrophages.

PMID- 20298934
TI  - The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute bench to bassinet Program: a new
      paradigm for translational research.

PMID- 20298935
TI  - Spontaneous recanalization of a coronary artery after thrombotic occlusion: in
      vivo demonstration with optical coherence tomography.

PMID- 20298937
TI  - Alpha-adrenergic coronary vasoconstriction in humans.

PMID- 20298939
TI  - Determinants of raised pulse pressure in women.

PMID- 20298940
TI  - Alternative interpretation of mitochondrial metabolic changes in atrial tissue of
      type II diabetic human heart.

PMID- 20298941
TI  - Statins in acute coronary syndromes and genetic insight.

PMID- 20298943
TI  - Mesenteric vascular disease: problems and progress. Introduction.

PMID- 20298944
TI  - Epidemiology of mesenteric vascular disease: clinical implications.
AB  - The overall incidence rate of acute mesenteric ischemia between 1970 and 1982,
      diagnosed at either autopsy or operation, in the population of Malmo, Sweden was
      estimated at 12.9/100,000 person-years. Autopsy rate was 87%. Acute superior
      mesenteric artery (SMA) occlusion (embolus/thrombus ratio = 1.4), mesenteric
      venous thrombosis (MVT), and nonocclusive mesenteric ischemia (NOMI) were found
      in approximately 68%, 16%, and 16%, respectively. Acute SMA occlusion was found
      to be more common than ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms. The incidence
      increased exponentially with age, equally distributed among men and women after
      adjusting for age and gender in the population. Thrombotic occlusions were
      located more proximally than embolic occlusions and intestinal infarction was
      more extensive, whereas patients with embolus had a higher frequency of acute
      myocardial infarction, and had cardiac thrombi in 48% and synchronous emboli in
      68% of the patients. The proportion of patients with symptoms inherent with
      chronic mesenteric ischemia prior to onset of acute thrombotic occlusion has been
      reported to occur in 73%. Cardiac failure, history of atrial fibrillation, and
      recent surgery have all been associated with fatal NOMI. MVT is either caused by
      thrombophilia, direct injury, or local venous congestion or stasis. Multidetector
      row computed tomography with intravenous contrast enhancement and imaging in the
      arterial phase for suspicion of acute SMA occlusion and imaging in the venous
      phase for MVT has become the diagnostic method of choice. In-hospital mortality
      is highest for NOMI, lower for acute SMA occlusion, and lowest, around 20%, for
      MVT.

PMID- 20298945
TI  - Acute mesenteric ischemia: diagnostic approach and surgical treatment.
AB  - Mortality related to acute mesenteric arterial occlusion remains very high.
      Patient survival is dependent on prompt recognition and revascularization before
      ischemia progresses to intestinal gangrene. Biphasic computed tomography
      angiography has surpassed angiography as the diagnostic test of choice due to its
      ability to define the arterial anatomy and to evaluate secondary signs of
      mesenteric ischemia. Unlike chronic mesenteric ischemia, the treatment of acute
      arterial mesenteric ischemia, either embolic or thrombotic, remains largely
      surgical. This is due to the emergent need for revascularization combined with a
      careful evaluation of the intestines. Endovascular techniques remain useful,
      however, and can save precious time in the treatment of these challenging
      patients if integrated into a treatment pathway combined with definitive surgical
      treatment. A new hybrid endovascular-surgical treatment for the treatment of
      acute mesenteric thrombosis is described.

PMID- 20298946
TI  - Chronic mesenteric ischemia: how to select patients for invasive treatment.
AB  - Chronic mesenteric ischemia (CMI) remains a well-described disease process that
      is difficult to diagnose. Since its initial description more than a century ago,
      a myriad of diagnostic and treatment modalities have been applied to ameliorate
      the classic symptoms of postprandial abdominal pain and weight loss. It is
      estimated that mesenteric occlusive disease affects approximately 1% to 18% of
      the population, with a majority of these patients manifesting no symptoms of CMI.
      While associated with a small prevalence, the potential economic impact of this
      disease process, with the increasing age of the population and the catastrophic
      outcomes associated with no treatment, is significant. The primary etiology of
      CMI is atherosclerotic occlusive disease involving the ostia of the mesenteric
      arteries. Several studies have investigated the pathophysiology of the
      postprandial abdominal pain associated with ischemia focusing on transport
      mechanisms, claudication of the intestinal musculature, and ischemia of the
      visceral nerves. The process of diagnosing CMI involves assimilation of the
      presentation, typical history and physical examination findings, and results of
      imaging modalities. At the end of this diagnostic process, the decision to offer
      a patient surgical intervention is primarily based on symptomatology and results
      of duplex and other imaging modalities. There are specific criteria for which to
      offer symptomatic patients interventions. Patients who are asymptomatic do not
      need to undergo revascularization, which may disrupt collateral arterial
      circulation to the mesentery. They should be followed conservatively.

PMID- 20298947
TI  - Endovascular techniques in acute arterial mesenteric ischemia.
AB  - Rapid developments in preoperative noninvasive imaging as well as advanced
      endovascular techniques have made endovascular treatment of acute arterial
      mesenteric ischemia a feasible treatment option in many patients. Multidetector
      computed tomographic angiography will provide the diagnosis and guide treatment
      in most cases. The use of mechanical and aspiration embolectomy, sometimes in
      combination with thrombolytic therapy, is often successful in offering these very
      sick patients a good treatment option to open surgical revascularization.
      Underlying occlusive lesions can be treated in the same setting. Hybrid
      techniques using open abdominal exploration in combination with endovascular
      tools have the possibility of offering minimally invasive treatment to even more
      patients. Access to a hybrid operating room is very advantageous when performing
      these operations because it allows for performing both open and endovascular
      interventions in the same setting. A fixed angiographic system also minimizes
      radiation exposure and improves the imaging capabilities compared to a
      conventional, mobile C-arm. These tools must be used in conjunction with wise,
      careful clinical evaluation of the patient.

PMID- 20298948
TI  - Open surgical treatment for chronic mesenteric ischemia in the endovascular era:
      when it is necessary and what is the preferred technique?
AB  - Treatment of chronic mesenteric ischemia has evolved during the last 2 decades.
      Endovascular treatment has first emerged as an alternative to bypass in the
      elderly or higher-risk patient, but has become the primary modality of treatment
      in most patients with suitable lesions, independent of their surgical risk. Open
      mesenteric revascularization with bypass or (rarely) endarterectomy still has an
      important role in the treatment of patients with more extensive disease,
      including long-segment or flush occlusions, small vessel size, multiple tandem
      lesions, and severe calcification. Our preference for open reconstruction in good
      risk patients with multivessel disease is a supraceliac aorta to celiac and
      superior mesenteric artery (SMA) bypass, whereas an iliac artery to SMA bypass
      or, occasionally, an infrarenal aortic to SMA bypass is used in the higher-risk
      group. In this article, we summarize the selection criteria, techniques, and
      outcomes of open mesenteric reconstruction in the endovascular era.

PMID- 20298949
TI  - Endovascular treatment of chronic arterial mesenteric ischemia: a changing
      perspective?
AB  - Endovascular treatment for chronic mesenteric ischemia is growing in popularity
      because of its lower periprocedural morbidity and mortality than open surgery. It
      is especially suitable for the high-risk surgical candidate and for those who
      have a poor nutritional state, although endovascular surgery may not be possible
      in patients with ostial occlusions or heavily calcified vessels. A positive
      response to angioplasty is helpful to secure a diagnosis in patients with
      slightly atypical symptoms. There are little data at present to suggest that
      primary stenting is better than angioplasty alone, but insertion of a stent may
      be valuable as a rescue procedure following dissection, vascular recoil, or
      thrombosis during angioplasty. The superior mesenteric artery is probably the
      most important vessel to treat but, where this is impossible, celiac or inferior
      mesenteric artery dilatation may have therapeutic benefit. However, there is some
      evidence at present favoring multiple, as opposed to single-vessel, angioplasty
      or stenting. Long-term patency is better after mesenteric bypass, which may be
      preferred in the younger and fitter patient. Treatment of the celiac artery
      compression syndrome is primarily surgical, but stent insertion may have a role
      as a secondary procedure where there is a residual stenosis after median arcuate
      ligament division.

PMID- 20298950
TI  - Nonocclusive mesenteric hypoperfusion syndromes: recognition and treatment.
AB  - The main focus when discussing acute or chronic mesenteric ischemia is on
      occlusive disease, arterial or venous. This article reviews present knowledge on
      mesenteric nonocclusive hypoperfusion syndromes. The following three clinical
      entities are reviewed: (1) Intraabdominal hypertension (IAH), or abdominal
      compartment syndrome (ACS), is important after ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm
      repair. IAH >20 mm Hg occurs in approximately 50% of patients after open repair
      and in 20% after endovascular repair of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, but
      these patients are different and no randomized data exists yet. A consensus
      issued by the World Society of Abdominal Compartment Syndrome provides guidance.
      Early conservative treatment of IAH and, alternatively, abdominal closure devices
      for leaving the abdomen partially open temporarily are discussed and a treatment
      algorithm is suggested. (2) Colonic ischemia after abdominal aortic surgery, its
      risk factors, clinical presentation, and treatment are discussed. A significant
      number of such patients develop IAH and reducing the abdominal perfusion pressure
      affects the left colon, the sentinel organ in these patients. (3) Nonocclusive
      mesenteric ischemia (NOMI); most often such patients suffer from severe cardiac
      failure requiring massive inotropic support. The condition is difficult to
      define. Early diagnosis with multidetector row computed tomography is a
      worthwhile alternative when angiography presents difficulties. A stenosis of the
      superior mesenteric artery is frequently enough that it should be ruled out
      because endovascular treatment can be lifesaving. New knowledge on these three
      different mesenteric hypoperfusion syndromes is reviewed. Success in treating
      these difficult patients is benefited from a multidisciplinary approach.

PMID- 20298951
TI  - Treatment of mesenteric vein thrombosis.
AB  - Mesenteric vein thrombosis has a similar clinical course as arterial, although
      more prolonged. In the majority of cases conventional anticoagulant treatment
      should be used and is often successful. The duration should be at least 6 months.
      Thrombolysis has been used, both systemic and local, although only in small
      series. Surgery is indicated when there is peritonitis, when often bowel
      resection is necessary. Thrombectomy has been used infrequently.

PMID- 20298952
TI  - [Pressure ulcers - management of pressure injuries].

PMID- 20298955
TI  - Traumatic brain injury: time to end the silence.

PMID- 20298957
TI  - Complement-mediated cytotoxicity of antibodies to the GABA(B) receptor.

PMID- 20298959
TI  - Defining post-stroke pain: diagnostic challenges.

PMID- 20298960
TI  - Neurology at a distance.

PMID- 20298963
TI  - Clinical features, pathophysiology, and treatment of medication-overuse headache.
AB  - Medication-overuse headache (MOH) is a chronic headache disorder defined by the
      International Headache Society as a headache induced by the overuse of
      analgesics, triptans, or other acute headache compounds. The population-based
      prevalence of MOH is 0.7% to 1.7%. Most patients with MOH have migraine as their
      primary headache and overuse triptans or simple analgesics. The pathophysiology
      of MOH is still unknown. As well as psychological mechanisms such as operant
      conditioning, changes in endocrinological homoeostasis and neurophysiological
      changes have been observed in patients with MOH. Recently, a genetic
      susceptibility has been postulated. In most cases, treatment of MOH consists of
      abrupt withdrawal therapy and then initiation of an appropriate preventive drug
      therapy. There is no clear evidence on which method of withdrawal therapy is the
      most efficacious. Withdrawal symptoms can be treated with steroids; however, not
      all data support this concept. As MOH can severely affect the quality of life of
      patients, it needs to be recognised early to enable appropriate treatment to be
      initiated.

PMID- 20298964
TI  - Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy: diagnostic and
      therapeutic challenges for a treatable condition.
AB  - Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) is a chronic
      neuropathy of supposed immune origin. Understanding of its pathophysiology has
      recently improved, although its causes remain unclear. The classic presentation
      of CIDP includes sensory and motor symptoms in the distal and proximal segments
      of the four limbs with areflexia, evolving over more than 8 weeks. Raised protein
      concentrations in CSF and heterogeneous slowing of nerve conduction are typical
      of the condition. In addition to this usual phenotype, distribution of symptoms,
      disease course, and disability can be heterogeneous, leading to underdiagnosis of
      the disorder. Diagnosis is sometimes challenging and can require use of imaging
      and nerve biopsy. Steroids and intravenous immunoglobulin are effective, and
      plasma exchange can be helpful as rescue therapy. The usefulness of
      immunosuppressants needs to be established. The identification of specific
      diagnostic markers and new therapeutic strategies with conventional or targeted
      immunotherapy are needed to improve the outlook for patients with CIDP.

PMID- 20298965
TI  - Voltage-gated sodium channels as therapeutic targets in epilepsy and other
      neurological disorders.
AB  - Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) are key mediators of intrinsic neuronal and
      muscle excitability. Abnormal VGSC activity is central to the pathophysiology of
      epileptic seizures, and many of the most widely used antiepileptic drugs,
      including phenytoin, carbamazepine, and lamotrigine, are inhibitors of VGSC
      function. These antiepileptic drugs might also be efficacious in the treatment of
      other nervous system disorders, such as migraine, multiple sclerosis,
      neurodegenerative diseases, and neuropathic pain. In this Review, we summarise
      the structure and function of VGSCs and their involvement in the pathophysiology
      of several neurological disorders. We also describe the biophysical and molecular
      bases for the mechanisms of action of antiepileptic VGSC blockers and discuss the
      efficacy of these drugs in the treatment of epileptic and non-epileptic
      disorders. Overall, clinical and experimental data indicate that these drugs are
      efficacious for a range of diseases, and that the development of drugs with
      enhanced selectivity for specific VGSC isoforms might be an effective and novel
      approach for the treatment of several neurological diseases.

PMID- 20298966
TI  - Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy and other disorders caused by JC
      virus: clinical features and pathogenesis.
AB  - Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a rare but often fatal brain
      disease caused by reactivation of the polyomavirus JC. Knowledge of the
      characteristics of PML has substantially expanded since the introduction of
      combination antiretroviral therapy during the HIV epidemic and the development of
      immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) in patients with PML.
      Recently, the monoclonal antibodies natalizumab, efalizumab, and rituximab--used
      for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, haematological malignancies,
      Crohn's disease, and rheumatic diseases--have been associated with PML.
      Additionally, the JC virus can also lead to novel neurological disorders such as
      JC virus granule cell neuronopathy and JC virus encephalopathy, and might also
      cause meningitis. The increasingly diverse populations at risk and the recent
      discovery of the presence of the JC virus in the grey matter invite us to
      reappraise the pathogenesis of this virus in the CNS.

PMID- 20298967
TI  - Natalizumab-associated progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in patients
      with multiple sclerosis: lessons from 28 cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Treatment of multiple sclerosis with natalizumab is complicated by
      rare occurrence of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). Between
      July, 2006, and November, 2009, there were 28 cases of confirmed PML in patients
      with multiple sclerosis treated with natalizumab. Assessment of these clinical
      cases will help to inform future therapeutic judgments and improve the outcomes
      for patients. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS: The risk of PML increases with duration of
      exposure to natalizumab over the first 3 years of treatment. No new cases
      occurred during the first two years of natalizumab marketing but, by the end of
      November, 2009, 28 cases had been confirmed, of which eight were fatal. The
      median treatment duration to onset of symptoms was 25 months (range 6-80 months).
      The presenting symptoms most commonly included changes in cognition, personality,
      and motor performance, but several cases had seizures as the first clinical
      event. Although PML has developed in patients without any previous use of disease
      modifying therapies for multiple sclerosis, previous therapy with
      immunosuppressants might increase risk. Clinical diagnosis by use of MRI and
      detection of JC virus in the CSF was established in all but one case. Management
      of PML has routinely used plasma exchange (PLEX) or immunoabsorption to hasten
      clearance of natalizumab and shorten the period in which natalizumab remains
      active (usually several months). Exacerbation of symptoms and enlargement of
      lesions on MRI have occurred within a few days to a few weeks after PLEX,
      indicative of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS). This syndrome
      seems to be more common and more severe in patients with natalizumab-associated
      PML than it is in patients with HIV-associated PML. WHERE NEXT?: Diagnosis of
      natalizumab-associated PML requires optimised clinical vigilance, reliable and
      sensitive PCR testing of the JC virus, and broadened criteria for recognition of
      PML lesions by use of MRI, including contrast enhancement. Optimising the
      management of IRIS reactions will be needed to improve outcomes. Predictive
      markers for patients at risk for PML must be sought. It is crucial to monitor the
      risk incurred during use of natalizumab beyond 3 years.

PMID- 20298969
TI  - The worldwide societal costs of dementia: Estimates for 2009.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to update the previous estimate of the
      worldwide cost of dementia in 2005 to 2009. METHODS: The cost model is based on
      prevalence estimates, country and region-specific data on Gross Domestic Product
      per person and average wage, with results from previously published cost-of
      illness studies in different countries. Prevalence figures are updated to 2009
      and costs were adjusted to 2009 constant US dollars ($). RESULTS: The total
      worldwide societal cost of dementia, based on a dementia population of 34.4
      million demented persons, was estimated to $422 billion in 2009, including $142
      billion for informal care (34%). CONCLUSIONS: The worldwide cost of dementia has
      increased by 34% (18% in fixed prices) between 2005 and 2009.

PMID- 20298970
TI  - Cerebrospinal fluid biomarker results in relation to neuropathological dementia
      diagnoses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clinical dementia diagnoses are not always consistent with
      neuropathological findings. As correct diagnosis is important for treatment and
      care, new diagnostic possibilities for dementia are in demand. Cerebrospinal
      fluid biomarkers should ideally be able to identify ongoing processes in the
      brain, but need to be further compared with neuropathological findings for
      evaluation of their diagnostic validity. METHODS: This study included 43 patients
      with a clinical dementia disorder. All patients were neuropathologically examined
      at the University Hospital in Lund, Sweden, during the years 2001-2008, and all
      had a lumbar puncture carried out as part of the clinical investigation during
      the time of cognitive impairment. RESULTS: Of eight patients, five with
      Alzheimer's disease had elevated total tau protein (T-tau) and decreased amyloid
      beta 1-42 protein (Abeta42), while both values for the other three patients were
      normal. Slightly elevated T-tau and/or decreased Abeta42 were also seen in
      several patients with other dementia diagnoses such as Lewy body disease,
      frontotemporal lobar degeneration and vascular dementia. Furthermore, T-tau
      levels did not differ markedly between patients with morphologically tau-positive
      and tau-negative frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Also, seven of nine patients
      with Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease exhibited pronounced elevation in T-tau
      concentration. CONCLUSION: From this rather limited study, being the first of its
      kind in Sweden, we may conclude that there is no perfect concordance between
      cerebrospinal fluid biomarker levels and pathological findings, which should be
      taken into account in the clinical diagnostic setting.

PMID- 20298968
TI  - Developing a national strategy to prevent dementia: Leon Thal Symposium 2009.
AB  - Among the major impediments to the design of clinical trials for the prevention
      of Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most critical is the lack of validated
      biomarkers, assessment tools, and algorithms that would facilitate identification
      of asymptomatic individuals with elevated risk who might be recruited as study
      volunteers. Thus, the Leon Thal Symposium 2009 (LTS'09), on October 27-28, 2009
      in Las Vegas, Nevada, was convened to explore strategies to surmount the barriers
      in designing a multisite, comparative study to evaluate and validate various
      approaches for detecting and selecting asymptomatic people at risk for cognitive
      disorders/dementia. The deliberations of LTS'09 included presentations and
      reviews of different approaches (algorithms, biomarkers, or measures) for
      identifying asymptomatic individuals at elevated risk for AD who would be
      candidates for longitudinal or prevention studies. The key nested recommendations
      of LTS'09 included: (1) establishment of a National Database for Longitudinal
      Studies as a shared research core resource; (2) launch of a large collaborative
      study that will compare multiple screening approaches and biomarkers to determine
      the best method for identifying asymptomatic people at risk for AD; (3)
      initiation of a Global Database that extends the concept of the National Database
      for Longitudinal Studies for longitudinal studies beyond the United States; and
      (4) development of an educational campaign that will address public
      misconceptions about AD and promote healthy brain aging.

PMID- 20298971
TI  - Characterization of tau fibrillization in vitro.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The assembly of tau proteins into paired helical filaments, the
      building blocks of neurofibrillary tangles, is linked to neurodegeneration in
      Alzheimer's disease and related tauopathies. A greater understanding of this
      assembly process could identify targets for the discovery of drugs to treat
      Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. By using recombinant human tau, we
      have delineated events leading to the conversion of normal soluble tau into tau
      fibrils. METHODS: Atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy
      methodologies were used to determine the structure of tau assemblies that formed
      when soluble tau was incubated with heparin for increasing lengths of time.
      RESULTS: Tau initially oligomerizes into spherical nucleation units of 18- to 21
      nm diameter that appear to assemble linearly into nascent fibrils. Among the
      earliest tau fibrils are species that resemble a string of beads formed by
      linearly aligned spheres that with time seem to coalesce to form straight and
      twisted ribbon-like filaments, as well as paired helical filaments similar to
      those found in human tauopathies. An analysis of fibril cross sections at later
      incubation times revealed three fundamental axial structural features.
      CONCLUSIONS: By monitoring tau fibrillization, we showed that different tau
      filament morphologies coexist. Temporal changes in the predominant tau structural
      species suggest that tau fibrillization involves the generation of structural
      intermediates, resulting in the formation of tau fibrils with verisimilitude to
      their authentic human counterparts.

PMID- 20298972
TI  - Genetic variation at a single locus and age of onset for Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - This perspective article provides an opportunity to explain a new genetic finding
      for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD). It is specifically written for
      physicians and scientists who are interested in LOAD, but it may be relevant to
      those interested in identifying susceptibility variants for other complex
      diseases. The significant finding discussed here is that a variable-length,
      deoxythymidine homopolymer (poly-T) within intron 6 of the TOMM40 gene is
      associated with the age of onset of LOAD [Roses AD, Lutz MW, Amrine-Madsen H,
      Saunders AM, Crenshaw DG, Sundseth SS, et al. A TOMM40 variable-length
      polymorphism predicts the age of late-onset Alzheimer's disease. Pharmacogenomics
      J 2009 December 22;[Epublication ahead of print]. This result was obtained with a
      phylogenetic study of the genetic polymorphisms that reside within the linkage
      disequilibrium (LD) block that contains the TOMM40, APOE, and APOC1 genes from
      patients with LOAD and age-matched subjects without disease. Although the data
      will have diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic strategy implications, this
      perspective is meant to place the inheritance pattern for this "complex" human
      disease into context, and to highlight the potential utility of applying
      phylogenetic tools to the study of the genetics of complex diseases.

PMID- 20298973
TI  - Commentary on "Developing a national strategy to prevent dementia: Leon Thal
      Symposium 2009." Creating a national database for successful aging.

PMID- 20298974
TI  - Commentary on "Developing a national strategy to prevent dementia: Leon Thal
      Symposium 2009." The rationale for a National Institutional Review Board for
      neurodegenerative diseases.
AB  - The published proceedings of the second Annual Leon Thal Symposium (Alzheimers
      Dement 2009;5:85-92) have added to the open discussion among leaders in this
      field, with respect to the development of a national strategy for accelerating
      the discovery of preventative interventions for Alzheimer's disease. One of the
      recommended "action steps" detailed in that report centers on the establishment
      of a National Institutional Review Board for neurodegenerative diseases. The
      purpose of this new ethical oversight panel would be to increase the efficiency
      with which large-scale multi-site trials are conducted. This essay expands on
      this recommendation, and two potential organizational models are briefly
      considered. A well-designed, highly-qualified, and responsive National
      Institutional Review Board for neurodegenerative diseases would serve the direct
      interest of protecting the rights, welfare, and safety of our older citizens, who
      so generously contribute their time, energy, and comfort to advance research to
      discover new treatments for this devastating disease.

PMID- 20298976
TI  - Commentary on "Developing a national strategy to prevent dementia: Leon Thal
      Symposium 2009." Is dementia among older individuals 75+ a unique disease?

PMID- 20298977
TI  - Commentary on "Developing a national strategy to prevent dementia: Leon Thal
      Symposium 2009." Methodologic considerations for preventing Alzheimer's disease
      by 2020.

PMID- 20298975
TI  - Commentary on "Developing a national strategy to prevent dementia: Leon Thal
      Symposium 2009." Dementia risk indices: A framework for identifying individuals
      with a high dementia risk.

PMID- 20298978
TI  - Commentary on "Developing a national strategy to prevent dementia: Leon Thal
      Symposium 2009." Developing a blood test for Alzheimer's disease using advanced
      genomic expression technology.
AB  - There is a significant need for reliable molecular biomarkers to aid in
      Alzheimer's disease (AD) clinical diagnosis. RNA transcriptional profiling,
      although extensively applied for biomarker development in other diseases, is
      first defining its role in AD. Application of this technology has the sensitivity
      and power to provide sufficient information for the development of tests to
      determine disease severity, progression, heterogeneity, and potential for
      therapeutic response in the AD population. In order to bring forth the potential
      of this technology, however, the community needs to make a concerted effort to
      begin sample collection as soon as patients/subjects are identified. Only then
      can these powerful technologies be applied in a well controlled study for the
      development of novel diagnostics.

PMID- 20298979
TI  - Design of comprehensive Alzheimer's disease centers to address unmet national
      needs.
AB  - The problem of Alzheimer's disease (AD) exemplifies the challenges of dealing
      with a broad range of aging-related chronic disorders that require long-term,
      labor-intensive, and expensive care. As the baby boom generation ages and brain
      diseases become more prevalent, the need to confront the pending health care
      crisis is more urgent than ever before. Indeed, there is now a critical need to
      expand significantly the national effort to solve the problem of AD, with special
      focus on prevention. The Campaign to Prevent Alzheimer's Disease by 2020
      (PAD2020) aims to create a new paradigm for planning and supporting the
      organization of worldwide cooperative research networks to develop new
      technologies for early detection and treatments of aging-related memory and motor
      impairments. PAD 2020 is developing an implementation plan to justify (1)
      increasing the federal budget for research, (2) developing novel national
      resources to discover new interventions for memory and motor disorders, and (3)
      creating innovative and streamlined decision-making processes for selecting and
      supporting new ideas. Since 1978 the National Institute on Aging or National
      Institute of Health (NIH) established an extensive national network of AD
      research facilities at academic institutions including AD Centers (ADCs),
      Consortium to Establish a Registry for AD, AD Cooperative Study (ADCS), AD Drug
      Discovery Program, National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center, National Cell
      Repository for AD, and AD Neuroimaging Initiative. However, despite the success
      of these programs and their critical contributions, they are no longer adequate
      to meet the challenges presented by AD. PAD 2020 is designed to address these
      changes by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of these programs. For
      example, the ADCs (P30s and P50s) can be enhanced by converting some into
      Comprehensive Alzheimer's Disease Centers (CADCs) to support not only research,
      but also by being demonstration projects on care/treatment, clinical trials, and
      education as well as by seamlessly integrating multisite collaborative studies
      (ADCS, AD Neuroimaging Initiative, Patient Registries, Clinical Data Banks, etc)
      into a cohesive structure that further enhances the original mission of the
      National Institute on Aging ADCs. Regional CADCs offer greater efficiency and
      cost savings while serving as coordinating hubs of existing ADCs, thereby
      offering greater economies of scale and programmatic integration. The CADCs also
      broaden the scope of ADC activities to include research on interventions,
      diagnosis, imaging, prevention trials, and other longitudinal studies that
      require long-term support. Thus, CADCs can address the urgent need to identify
      subjects at high risk of AD for prevention trials and very early in the course of
      AD for clinical trials of disease modification. The enhanced CADCs will allow
      more flexibility among ADCs by supporting collaborative linkages with other
      institutions and drawing on a wider expertise from different locations. This
      perspective article describes the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) CADC Model as
      an illustrative example of how an existing ADC can be converted into a CADC by
      better utilization of Penn academic resources to address the wide range of
      problems concerning AD. The intent of this position paper is to stimulate
      thinking and foster the development of other or alternative models for a
      systematic approach to the study of dementia and movement disorders.

PMID- 20298980
TI  - Commentary on "Design of comprehensive Alzheimer's disease centers to address
      unmet national needs".

PMID- 20298981
TI  - 2010 Alzheimer's disease facts and figures.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the seventh leading cause of all deaths in the United
      States and is virtually tied with the sixth leading cause of death-diabetes. AD
      is the fifth leading cause of death in Americans aged 65 and older. Although
      other major causes of death have been on the decrease, deaths because of AD have
      been rising dramatically. Between 2000 and 2006, heart disease deaths decreased
      11.1%, stroke deaths decreased 18.2%, and prostate cancer-related deaths
      decreased 8.7%, whereas deaths because of AD increased 46.1%. Older African
      Americans and Hispanics are more likely than older white Americans to have AD or
      other dementia. Current estimates are that African-Americans are about 2 times
      more likely, and Hispanics about 1.5 times more likely, than their white
      counterparts to have these conditions. However, the relationship of race and
      ethnicity to the development of AD and other dementias is complex and not fully
      understood. In 2009, nearly 11 million family and other unpaid caregivers
      provided an estimated 12.5 billion hours of care to persons with AD and other
      dementias; this care is valued at nearly $144 billion. Medicare payments for
      services to beneficiaries aged 65 years and older with AD and other dementias are
      three times higher than for beneficiaries without these conditions. Total
      payments for 2010 for health care and long-term care services for people aged 65
      and older with AD and other dementias are expected to be $172 billion (not
      including the contributions of unpaid caregivers). An estimated 5.3 million
      Americans have AD; approximately 200,000 persons under age 65 with AD comprise
      the younger-onset AD population. Every 70 seconds, someone in America develops
      AD; by 2050 the time of every 70 seconds is expected to decrease to every 33
      seconds. Over the coming decades, the baby boom population is projected to add 10
      million people to these numbers. In 2050, the incidence of AD is expected to
      approach nearly a million people per year, with a total estimated prevalence of
      11-16 million people. Dramatic increases in the numbers of "oldest old" (aged 85
      years and older) across all racial and ethnic groups will also significantly
      affect the numbers of people living with AD. This report provides information to
      increase understanding of the public health effect of AD, including incidence and
      prevalence, mortality, costs of care, and effect on caregivers and society in
      general. This report also sets the stage for better understanding the
      relationship between race and ethnicity and the development of AD and other
      dementias.

PMID- 20298982
TI  - Letter to the editor on the 2009 Leon Thal Symposium.

PMID- 20298983
TI  - Recommendations for successful training on methods of delivery of biologics for
      cardiac regeneration: a report of the International Society for Cardiovascular
      Translational Research.
AB  - The field of myocardial regeneration (angiogenesis and myogenesis) might prove to
      play an important role in the future management of cardiovascular disease. Stem
      cells are currently undergoing testing in Phase I and Phase II clinical trials.
      Methods of delivery will affect the outcome of such therapies, perhaps
      significantly. This document provides suggested guidance in 4 methods of
      delivery: endocardial, intracoronary, coronary sinus, and epicardial.

PMID- 20298984
TI  - The impact of transcatheter atrial septal defect closure in the older population:
      a prospective study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We sought to prove that device closure of atrial septal defect (ASD)
      in older patients not only improves cardiac function but also results in
      symptomatic relief by improving functional class. BACKGROUND: Atrial septal
      defect accounts for approximately 10% of all congenital cardiac defects. It is
      possible that ASD closure in older patients may derive benefits, though this is
      not well established. We therefore aim to prospectively assess the clinical
      status and functional class of older patients after transcatheter ASD closure.
      METHODS: This was a prospective study of all patients age 40 years or more who
      underwent device closure of a secundum ASD between April 2004 and August 2006.
      Investigations including atrial and brain natriuretic peptide levels,
      electrocardiography, chest X-ray, transthoracic echocardiogram, 6-min walk test,
      and quality of life questionnaire were performed before and at 6 weeks and 1 year
      after the procedure. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients (median age 70 years, 13
      women) had transcatheter device closure of ASD. Median ASD size was 18 mm (range
      9 to 30 mm). Median pulmonary artery pressure was 22 mm Hg (range 12 to 27 mm
      Hg). At 1 year, New York Heart Association functional class improved (p = 0.004)
      in 16 patients with significant improvement in 6-min walk-test distance (p =
      0.004) and physical (p = 0.002) as well as mental health score (p = 0.03). There
      were no major complications. One year following closure there was a significant
      change in left ventricular end-diastolic (p = 0.001) and end-systolic dimensions
      (p = 0.001) and also significant reduction in right ventricular end-diastolic
      dimension (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrated that ASD closure at
      advanced age results in favorable cardiac remodeling and improvement of
      functional class.

PMID- 20298985
TI  - Primary transcatheter patent foramen ovale closure is effective in improving
      migraine in patients with high-risk anatomic and functional characteristics for
      paradoxical embolism.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In the present study, we sought to assess the effectiveness of
      migraine treatment by means of primary patent foramen ovale (PFO) transcatheter
      closure in patients with anatomical and functional characteristics predisposing
      to paradoxical embolism without previous cerebral ischemia. BACKGROUND: The exact
      role for transcatheter closure of PFO in migraine therapy has yet to be
      elucidated. METHODS: We enrolled 86 patients (68 female, mean age 40.0 +/- 3.7
      years) referred to our center over a 48-month period for a prospective study to
      evaluate severe, disabling, medication-refractory migraine and documented PFO.
      The Migraine Disability Assessment Score (MIDAS) was used to assess the incidence
      and severity of migraine. Criteria for intervention included all of the
      following: basal shunt and shower/curtain shunt pattern on transcranial Doppler
      and echocardiography, presence of interatrial septal aneurysm and Eustachian
      valve, 3 to 4 class MIDAS score, coagulation abnormalities, and medication
      refractory migraine with or without aura. RESULTS: On the basis of our inclusion
      criteria, we enrolled 40 patients (34 females, mean age 35.0 +/- 6.7 years, mean
      MIDAS 35.8 +/- 4.7) for transcatheter PFO closure; the remainder continued on
      previous medical therapy. Percutaneous closure was successful in all cases, with
      no peri-procedural or in-hospital complications. After a mean follow-up of 29.2
      +/- 14.8 months (range 6 to 48 months), PFO closure was complete in 95%; all
      patients (100%) reported improved migraine symptomatology (mean MIDAS score 8.3
      +/- 7.8, p < 0.03). Specifically, auras were eliminated in 100% of patients after
      closure. CONCLUSIONS: Primary transcatheter PFO closure resulted in a very
      significant reduction in migraine in patients satisfying our criteria.

PMID- 20298986
TI  - Patent foramen ovale closure for migraine prevention: the subject is still open.

PMID- 20298987
TI  - Indications and outcomes of surgical closure of ventricular septal defect in
      adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We sought to review our experience with surgical ventricular septal
      defect (VSD) closure in adults. BACKGROUND: Outcome data of VSD closure in adults
      on which to base recommendations are limited. Guidelines recommend closure of
      adult VSD for a Q(p)/Q(s) ratio > or =2, left ventricular volume overload, or
      endocarditis. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 46 patients (mean age 33.6 +/-
      11.2 years, 24 women) who underwent surgical VSD closure (1958 to 2008). RESULTS:
      VSDs were classified according to the Society of Thoracic Surgeons as type 2
      (membranous, 72%) or type 1 (subarterial, 26%). Aortic regurgitation (AR) (28%),
      left ventricular dilation (20%), and pulmonary hypertension (20%) were the most
      common indications for closure. Associated lesions justified surgery in 39% of
      patients. There were no early deaths. Morbidity included 1 high-grade
      atrioventricular block requiring permanent pacemaker and a residual VSD in 7
      patients. Late mortality was 5% (mean follow-up: 10.3 +/- 12.4 years). Patient
      survival did not differ from expected survival in a reference population (p =
      0.75). Late residual VSDs were more common after suture closure (6 of 8
      patients). Late moderate AR developed in 5 patients (4 with a type 1 VSD) with
      aortic valve or sinus of Valsalva repair. The use of intraoperative
      transesophageal echocardiography was associated with fewer residual VSDs and less
      > or = moderate tricuspid valve regurgitation and AR. CONCLUSIONS: Associated
      heart defects and AR were common indications for VSD closure in adults, which was
      performed with low mortality and morbidity. Patch closure and use of
      intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography improve surgical outcomes.
      Important residua emphasize the need for life-long informed follow-up.

PMID- 20298988
TI  - Carotid artery stenting with proximal cerebral protection for patients with
      angiographic appearance of string sign.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the safety and effectiveness of
      carotid artery stenting (CAS) with proximal cerebral protection in patients
      showing string sign at carotid angiography. BACKGROUND: Presence of string sign
      is a well-known factor for adverse events in patients with severe carotid artery
      disease undergoing CAS. METHODS: We used retrospective analysis of a cohort of
      patients who underwent carotid angiography with the intention to undergo carotid
      stenting and had angiographically documented string sign in the target lesion.
      RESULTS: From October 2006 to August 2007, 25 patients (21 men and 4 women, mean
      age 70.9 +/- 8.7 years) presented with string sign during carotid angiography.
      This was 6.0% of a total of 416 patients studied during the time of the study.
      Twenty patients (80.0%) were symptomatic, and 5 (20.0%) were asymptomatic.
      Carotid artery stenting was performed successively in all patients. Proximal
      cerebral protection was applied in all but 1 patient. The 30-day death/stroke
      rate was 0%. At 12-month follow-up neurological events did not occur; 1 patient
      developed a nonfatal myocardial infarction, and another patient died from
      noncardiac cause. The 12-month death/stroke rate was 4.0%. CONCLUSIONS: Carotid
      stenting under proximal cerebral protection seems to be a feasible and safe
      procedure to manage patients with severe carotid stenosis in presence of
      angiographic string sign. Further prospective trials are required to prove
      efficacy of CAS in larger study populations.

PMID- 20298989
TI  - Functional occlusions of the carotid artery (string signs): to treat or not to
      treat?

PMID- 20298990
TI  - Fractional flow reserve and myocardial perfusion imaging in patients with
      angiographic multivessel coronary artery disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between
      myocardial ischemia detected by myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) with single
      photon emission computed tomography with intracoronary pressure-derived
      fractional flow reserve (FFR) in patients with multivessel coronary disease at
      angiography. BACKGROUND: Myocardial perfusion imaging can underestimate the
      number of ischemic territories in patients with multivessel disease. However,
      there are limited data comparing MPI and FFR, a highly accurate functional index
      of myocardial ischemia, in multivessel coronary disease. METHODS: Sixty-seven
      patients (201 vascular territories) with angiographic 2- or 3-vessel coronary
      disease were prospectively scheduled to undergo within 2 weeks MPI (rest/stress
      adenosine) and FFR in each vessel. RESULTS: In 42% of patients, MPI and FFR
      detected identical ischemic territories (mean number of territories 0.9 +/- 0.8
      for both; p = 1.00). In the remaining 36% MPI underestimated (mean number of
      territories; MPI: 0.46 +/- 0.6, FFR: 2.0 +/- 0.6; p < 0.001) and in 22%
      overestimated (mean number of territories; MPI: 1.9 +/- 0.8, FFR: 0.5 +/- 0.8; p
      < 0.001) the number of ischemic territories in comparison with FFR. There was
      poor concordance between the ability of the 2 methods to detect myocardial
      ischemia on both a per-patient (kappa = 0.14 [95% confidence interval: -0.10 to
      0.39]) and per-vessel (kappa = 0.28 [95% confidence interval: 0.15 to 0.42])
      basis. CONCLUSIONS: Myocardial perfusion imaging with single-photon emission
      computed tomography has poor concordance with FFR and tends to underestimate or
      overestimate the functional importance of coronary stenosis seen at angiography
      in comparison with FFR in patients with multivessel disease. These findings might
      have important consequences in using MPI to determine the optimal
      revascularization strategy in patients with multivessel coronary disease.

PMID- 20298991
TI  - Decision making in multivessel coronary disease: the need for physiological
      lesion assessment.

PMID- 20298992
TI  - Point-of-care assessment of platelet reactivity after clopidogrel to predict
      myonecrosis in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We sought to evaluate the influence of platelet reactivity after
      clopidogrel, as assessed by the VerifyNow point-of-care assay (Accumetrics, San
      Diego, California), on myonecrosis in low-to-intermediate risk patients
      undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). BACKGROUND: Inadequate
      platelet inhibition at the time of PCI is associated with a higher risk of
      recurrent ischemic events. METHODS: A total of 250 consecutive biomarker-negative
      patients treated with clopidogrel and undergoing elective PCI were enrolled.
      Cardiac biomarkers (creatine kinase-myocardial band and troponin I) were measured
      before and 8 and 24 h after intervention. Platelet reactivity after clopidogrel
      was assessed immediately before PCI by the VerifyNow P2Y12 point-of-care assay.
      High platelet reactivity (HPR) after clopidogrel was defined as a platelet
      reaction unit value > or =240. RESULTS: Patients with HPR (31% of the overall
      population) showed more frequent myonecrosis, with statistical significance with
      regard to creatine kinase-myocardial band elevation (35% vs. 20%; p = 0.011), and
      by trend with regard to troponin-I elevation (47% vs. 35%; p = 0.059). Incidence
      of periprocedural myocardial infarction was higher in patients with HPR, both by
      creatine kinase-myocardial band (13% vs. 4%; p = 0.011) and troponin-I definition
      (32% vs. 19%; p = 0.019). By multivariable analysis, HPR was an independent
      predictor of periprocedural myocardial infarction. CONCLUSIONS: Easily assessed
      by a point-of-care assay, HPR after clopidogrel is a frequent finding and is
      associated with increased risk of myonecrosis in low-to-intermediate risk
      patients undergoing planned PCI.

PMID- 20298993
TI  - Mortality and morbidity reduction by primary percutaneous coronary intervention
      is independent of the patient's age.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to obtain a valid estimate of the clinical
      effects of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) in relation to age.
      BACKGROUND: Treatment with PPCI is most beneficial in high-risk myocardial
      infarction patients. Paradoxically, elderly patients, who are at increased risk
      of adverse outcome, are often withheld PPCI. METHODS: Individual patient data
      were obtained from 22 randomized trials (n = 6,763) evaluating the clinical
      effects of PPCI versus fibrinolysis (FL). Differences in 30-day death, repeat
      myocardial infarction, and stroke between patients randomized to FL and PPCI were
      determined in 5 age-strata: < or =50, >50 to 60, >60 to 70, >70 to 80, and >80
      years. Treatment effects are reported as odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence
      intervals (CI). Multivariable logistic regression analyses, which included age x
      treatment interaction, were applied to examine evidence of heterogeneity in age
      specific ORs. RESULTS: Thirty-day death increased with increasing age and ranged
      from 1.1% (FL) and 1.8% (PPCI) in patients < or =50 years to 26.4% and 18.3% in
      patients >80 years of age. The point estimate of treatment effect (overall
      adjusted OR: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.52 to 0.79) was compatible with a mortality
      reduction favoring PPCI in all age-strata (except in patients < or =50 years of
      age), and 95% CIs were largely overlapping. There was no evidence of
      heterogeneity in ORs between age categories. Similar results were observed for
      repeat myocardial infarction and stroke. CONCLUSIONS: In this analysis of
      randomized trials, the reduction in clinical end points by PPCI was not
      influenced by age. Hence, age per se should not be considered an exclusion
      criterion for the application of PPCI.

PMID- 20298995
TI  - High-dose atorvastatin in acute coronary and cerebrovascular syndromes.

PMID- 20298994
TI  - Efficacy of high-dose atorvastatin loading before primary percutaneous coronary
      intervention in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: the STATIN STEMI
      trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study sought to determine the efficacy of high-dose atorvastatin
      in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing
      primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). BACKGROUND: Previous randomized
      trials have demonstrated that statin pre-treatment reduced major adverse cardiac
      events (MACEs) in patients with stable angina pectoris and acute coronary
      syndrome. However, no randomized studies have been carried out with STEMI
      patients in a primary PCI setting. METHODS: A total 171 patients with STEMI were
      randomized to 80-mg atorvastatin (n = 86) or 10-mg atorvastatin (n = 85) arms for
      pre-treatment before PCI. All patients were prescribed clopidogrel (600 mg)
      before PCI. After PCI, both groups were treated with atorvastatin (10 mg). The
      primary end point was 30-day incidence of MACE including death, nonfatal MI, and
      target vessel revascularization. Secondary end points included corrected
      thrombolysis in myocardial infarction frame count, myocardial blush grade, and ST
      segment resolution at 90 min after PCI. RESULTS: MACE occurred in 5 (5.8%) and 9
      (10.6%) patients in the 80-mg and 10-mg atorvastatin pre-treatment arms,
      respectively (p = 0.26). Corrected thrombolysis in myocardial infarction frame
      count was lower in the 80-mg atorvastatin arm (26.9 +/- 12.3 vs. 34.1 +/- 19.0, p
      = 0.01). Myocardial blush grade and ST-segment resolution were also higher in the
      80-mg atorvastatin arm (2.2 +/- 0.8 vs. 1.9 +/- 0.8, p = 0.02 and 61.8 +/- 26.2
      vs. 50.6 +/- 25.8%, p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: High-dose atorvastatin pre-treatment
      before PCI did not show a significant reduction of MACEs compared with low-dose
      atorvastatin but did show improved immediate coronary flow after primary PCI.
      High-dose atorvastatin may produce an optimal result for STEMI patients
      undergoing PCI by improving microvascular myocardial perfusion. (Efficacy of High
      Dose AtorvaSTATIN Loading Before Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in ST
      Elevation Myocardial Infarction [STATIN STEMI]; NCT00808717).

PMID- 20298996
TI  - Prior coronary artery bypass graft patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial
      infarction treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We sought to compare outcomes in ST-segment elevation myocardial
      infarction (STEMI) patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention
      (PCI) with or without previous coronary artery bypass grafts (CABG). BACKGROUND:
      Limited information exists regarding procedural success and clinical outcomes of
      STEMI patients with CABG undergoing primary PCI. METHODS: The APEX-AMI
      (Assessment of Pexelizumab in Acute Myocardial Infarction) trial was a
      randomized, placebo-controlled trial of pexelizumab in STEMI patients with
      planned primary PCI: 128 of 5,745 (2.2%) patients had prior CABG.
      Clinical/procedural characteristics, culprit vessel (infarct-related artery
      [IRA]), and 90-day clinical outcomes were compared. RESULTS: Patients with
      previous CABG were more frequently men, older, had a higher incidence of
      comorbidities and multivessel disease. In patients with versus without prior
      CABG, PCI was performed less frequently, that is, 78.9% versus 93.9%; of those
      with prior CABG receiving PCI, Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow
      grade 3 was also restored less often, that is, 82.5% versus 91.6% (both p <
      0.001). In prior CABG, there was a nearly even designation of the IRA as a bypass
      graft (n = 63) versus a native vessel (n = 55): IRA post-PCI TIMI flow grade 3
      was achieved in 66.7% versus 88.0%, respectively (p = 0.043). Prior CABG patients
      had increased 90-day death and composite 90-day death/congestive heart
      failure/shock. Excess death remained significant after multivariable adjustment
      (hazard ratio: 1.9, 95% confidence interval: 1.08 to 3.33, p = 0.025). When prior
      CABG patients were stratified by the type of IRA, there was further
      discrimination of the increased 90-day death, that is, 19% bypass graft (n = 63)
      versus 5.7% native vessel (n = 55, p = 0.05), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Prior
      CABG patients with STEMI are less likely to undergo acute reperfusion, have worse
      angiographic outcomes following primary PCI, and higher 90-day mortality. These
      findings are especially applicable when the IRA was a bypass graft.

PMID- 20298998
TI  - A vanishing lesion.

PMID- 20298997
TI  - Adjunctive transcutaneous ultrasound with thrombolysis: results of the PLUS
      (Perfusion by ThromboLytic and UltraSound) trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We investigated whether transcutaneous ultrasound (TUS) augments
      coronary thrombolysis and achieves higher rates of Thrombolysis In Myocardial
      Infarction (TIMI) flow grade 3 and ST-segment resolution in patients with ST
      segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). BACKGROUND: In animal coronary
      and peripheral artery thrombosis models, low-frequency TUS enhances and
      accelerates thrombolysis. METHODS: In a double-blind, randomized, controlled
      international clinical trial, 396 patients with STEMI < or =6 h were randomized
      to thrombolysis alone or thrombolysis plus TUS. The 60 minute TIMI flow grade, ST
      segment resolution (primary end points) and other angiographic,
      electrocardiographic, and clinical outcomes were compared between treatment
      groups. RESULTS: The trial was halted after Safety and Efficacy Monitoring
      Committee interim analysis that demonstrated lack of treatment efficacy. In
      total, 360 patients were evaluable for angiographic, electrocardiographic, or
      clinical end points. Sixty minutes after thrombolytic administration, the
      proportion of patients achieving TIMI flow grade 3 did not differ between TUS and
      control groups (40.7% vs. 48.5%, respectively; p = 0.10). Achievement of >50% ST
      segment resolution at 60 min did not differ between TUS and control groups (53.2%
      vs. 50.0%; p = 0.93). Thirty-day mortality and composite clinical events-death,
      reinfarction, recurrent ischemia, stroke, major bleed, left ventricular rupture
      (9.7 % vs. 10.2%; p = 0.88)-did not differ between TUS and control patients.
      CONCLUSIONS: Thrombolysis plus TUS failed to improve 60-min TIMI flow grade or ST
      segment resolution versus thrombolysis alone.

PMID- 20298999
TI  - Massive left pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm in a young child.

PMID- 20299000
TI  - Intravascular ultrasound for assessment of coronary drug-eluting stent
      deployment: an evolving field in need of new criteria.

PMID- 20299001
TI  - The American "College" of Cardiology.

PMID- 20299002
TI  - Phenomenological approaches in the thermodynamics of mixed micelles with electric
      charges.
AB  - The stability of mixed micelles in general has been extensively studied by the
      molecular thermodynamic approaches as well as by the phenomenological or
      thermodynamic approaches. In this article, phenomenological approaches in the
      thermodynamics of charged mixed micelles, mostly on ionic/nonionic mixed
      micelles, are reviewed. The electrostatic interaction constitutes a main
      contribution to the excess free energy per monomer (in kT unit) g(ex) in the case
      of ionic/nonionic mixed micelles and the corresponding contribution is generally
      negative, known as the electric synergism. The origin of the electric synergism
      is shown to reside in positive curvatures of g(ex,el) (the electric part of
      g(ex)) when plotted against the mole fraction of the ionic species x. Two types
      of the micellar Gibbs-Duhem (MGD) relations with (type 1) or without (type 2) the
      contribution from counterions are discussed to clarify various confusions found
      in the literature. Effects of varying ionic strengths with the micelle
      composition in the case of charged mixed micelles without any supporting
      electrolyte are discussed and a relevant way to correct for the effects is
      proposed. For ionic/nonionic mixed micelles, the regular solution model (RSM) and
      some two-parameter models to overcome the limitations inherent to the RSM are
      discussed. For mixed micelles subject to type 2 MGD relation, hydrogen ion
      titrations could provide g(el) experimentally just as in the case of linear
      polyelectrolytes and for those micelles subject to RSM, the titration curve
      becomes a straight line. Useful information is presented originating from the
      thermodynamic analysis on the difference of the intrinsic proton dissociation
      constants between the micelle and the monomer. An analytical expression of the
      dependence of the degree of counterion binding on x is discussed in comparison
      with the molecular thermodynamic results. The Corrin-Harkins relation is compared
      with the degree of counterion binding for ionic/nonionic mixed micelles. Mixed
      micelles in the concentration range higher than the critical micelle
      concentration (cmc) are discussed for three cases, the general method of Funasaki
      Hada, the ideal mixing case, and the RSM.

PMID- 20299004
TI  - The effect of parental modeling of anxious behaviors and cognitions in school
      aged children: an experimental pilot study.
AB  - The current study tested: (1) the impact of parental modeling of anxious
      behaviors and cognitions on child anxiety level, anxious cognitions, desired
      avoidance, and objective performance using an experimental paradigm; and (2)
      whether the impact of parental modeling of anxious behaviors and cognitions
      differed by parent gender. Twenty-five parents (a random selection of 12 male and
      13 female parents) participated with one of their children (ages 8-12 years;
      56.0% male; 76.0% Caucasian). All children experienced two test conditions: an
      anxious condition in which their parent was trained to act anxiously before a
      planned spelling test and a non-anxious condition in which their parent was
      trained to act in a relaxed and confident manner before a planned spelling test.
      Results showed that, regardless of parent gender, children endorsed higher
      anxiety levels, anxious cognitions, and desired avoidance of the spelling test in
      the anxious relative to the non-anxious condition. Parental modeling of anxiety
      did not affect child spelling performance. Significant interaction effects
      indicated that fathers had a stronger impact on child anxiety level and
      cognitions than did mothers. Results highlight the importance of parental
      modeling and the potential role of both mothers and fathers in prevention and
      treatment for child anxiety.

PMID- 20299005
TI  - Classification of alcohol abuse by plasma protein biomarkers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Biochemical diagnostics of ethanol intake would improve alcohol abuse
      treatment and have applications in clinical trial and public safety settings.
      Self-reporting of alcohol use has clinical utility but lacks the desired
      reliability. Previously, proposed single-analyte biochemical tests of alcohol
      intake suffer from low sensitivity and specificity or examine only acute drinking
      and have therefore seen limited clinical use. METHODS: To address this unmet
      need, plasma protein biomarker discovery and validation were performed with an
      alcohol self-administering nonhuman primate model system to develop a diagnostic
      that accurately classifies subjects into nondrinking, nonabusive drinking, and
      abusive drinking categories. RESULTS: A 17-plasma protein panel was determined
      that correctly classifies abusive drinking with 100% sensitivity and also
      differentiates any level of drinking from alcohol abstinence with 88% accuracy.
      CONCLUSIONS: The biomarker panel reflects changes in multiple organ systems and
      suggests robust changes in the plasma proteome with drinking that might serve as
      a sensitive and specific diagnostic test. The specific plasma proteins altered
      with alcohol self-administration might represent indicators of alcohol-induced
      stress on a variety of organ systems.

PMID- 20299006
TI  - Basal hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis activity and hippocampal volumes: the
      SMART-Medea study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has frequently been hypothesized that high levels of
      glucocorticoids have deleterious effects on the hippocampus and increase risk for
      cognitive decline and dementia, but no large-scale studies in humans have
      examined the direct relation between hippocampal volumes and hypothalamic
      pituitary-adrenal axis activity. METHODS: Cross-sectional analyses within the
      Second Manifestations of ARTerial disease-Magnetic Resonance (SMART)-Medea study,
      an ancillary study to the SMART-MR study on brain changes on magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) among patients with arterial disease. In 575 patients (mean age 62
      +/- 9 years), diurnal cortisol rhythm was assessed with six saliva samples,
      collected at awakening; at 30, 45, and 60 min thereafter; and at 10 pm and 11 pm.
      A low dose of dexamethasone (.5 mg) was administered at 11 pm, and saliva was
      sampled the next morning at awakening. Volumetric measurements of the hippocampus
      were performed on a three-dimensional fast field echo T1-weighted scan with
      isotropic voxels. RESULTS: Mean total relative hippocampal volume was 6.0 +/- .7
      mL. Linear regression analyses, adjusted for age, sex, vascular risk factors, and
      global brain atrophy showed that participants with higher evening levels and
      higher awakening levels after dexamethasone had smaller hippocampal volumes [B
      per SD (4.2) increase = -.09 mL; 95% confidence interval -.15 to -.03 mL and B
      per SD (2.5) increase = -.07 mL; 95% confidence interval -.13 to -.01 mL,
      respectively]. The awakening response was not significantly associated with
      hippocampal volumes. CONCLUSIONS: In this population, higher evening cortisol
      levels and reduced suppression after dexamethasone were associated with smaller
      hippocampal volumes, independent of total brain volume. The cortisol response
      after awakening was not associated with hippocampal volume.

PMID- 20299007
TI  - Ambulatory and challenge-associated heart rate variability measures predict
      cardiac responses to real-world acute emotional stress.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heart rate variability (HRV) measures homeostatic regulation of the
      autonomic nervous system in response to perturbation and has been previously
      shown to quantify risk for cardiac events. Despite known interactions among
      stress vulnerability, psychiatric illness, and cardiac health, however, this is
      the first study to our knowledge to compare directly the value of laboratory HRV
      in predicting autonomic modulation of real-world emotional stress. METHODS: We
      recorded electrocardiograms (ECG) on 56 subjects: first, within the laboratory
      and then during an acute emotional stressor: a first-time skydive. Laboratory
      sessions included two 5-min ECG recordings separated by one ambulatory 24-hour
      recording. To test the efficacy of introducing a mild emotional challenge, during
      each of the 5-min laboratory recordings, subjects viewed either aversive or
      benign images. Following the laboratory session, subjects participated in the
      acute stressor wearing a Holter ECG. Artifact-free ECGs (n = 33) were analyzed
      for HRV then statistically compared across laboratory and acute stress sessions.
      RESULTS: There were robust correlations (r = .7-.8) between the laboratory and
      acute stress HRV, indicating that the two most useful paradigms (long-term wake,
      followed by short-term challenge) were also most sensitive to distinct components
      of the acute stressor: the former correlated with the fine-tuned regulatory
      modulation occurring immediately prior and following the acute stressor, whereas
      the latter correlated with gross amplitude and recovery. CONCLUSIONS: Our results
      confirmed the efficacy of laboratory-acquired HRV in predicting autonomic
      response to acute emotional stress and suggest that ambulatory and challenge
      protocols enhance predictive value.

PMID- 20299008
TI  - Granular insular cortex inactivation as a novel therapeutic strategy for nicotine
      addiction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nicotine is the principal component of tobacco smoke, resulting in
      addiction, and recent evidence suggests that damage to the insular cortex
      (insula) disrupts tobacco addiction in human smokers. However, the effect of an
      inactivation of this structure in an animal model of nicotine addiction has yet
      to be evaluated. METHODS: To study this question, we investigated the effects of
      reversible inactivation of the granular insula by local injection of a gamma
      aminobutyric acid agonists mixture (baclofen/muscimol) on nicotine self
      administration (SA) under fixed and progressive ratio and on reinstatement of
      nicotine seeking induced by nicotine priming or nicotine-associated cues in rats.
      We also evaluated the effects of granular insula inactivation on food SA and
      relapse as a control. RESULTS: The inactivation of the granular insula decreased
      nicotine SA under both fixed and progressive ratios without affecting the SA of
      food under the same schedules of reinforcement. This inactivation also prevented
      the reinstatement, after extinction, of nicotine seeking induced by nicotine
      associated cues or nicotine priming without modifying the reinstatement of food
      seeking. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that the integrity of the granular
      insula is necessary for exhibiting motivation to take nicotine and to relapse to
      nicotine seeking but not for consuming food pellets or to relapse for food
      seeking. Indeed, it might be interesting to study the effect of methods that are
      able to modulate the activity of the insula--such as repetitive transcranial
      magnetic stimulation or deep brain stimulation--on tobacco addiction and relapse
      in humans.

PMID- 20299009
TI  - IFNgamma primes macrophages for inflammatory activation by high molecular weight
      hyaluronan.
AB  - The objective was to assess outcomes of IFNgamma-priming upon macrophage
      activation by the synovial macromolecule high molecular weight hyaluronan [HMW
      HA] in the context of rheumatoid arthritis inflammation. Human macrophages primed
      by IFNgamma and activated by HMW-HA were evaluated for cytokine secretion by
      ELISA and Milliplex assay and activation profiles by nuclear transcription factor
      EIA. IFNgamma-primed, HMW-HA-activated macrophages produced elevated levels of
      TNF and secreted the TH1 cytokine IL-12p70, while IFNgamma suppressed HMW-HA
      induced secretion of the regulatory cytokine IL-10 and activation of the
      transcription factor c-Jun. IFNgamma modulates the HMW-HA-induced cytokine
      response profile promoting macrophage activation and inflammatory TH1 cytokine
      secretion.

PMID- 20299010
TI  - Leukocyte reactivity as an objective means of quantifying mental loading during
      ergonomic evaluation.
AB  - Psychological stress evokes rapid changes to the cardiovascular and
      neuroendocrine systems, responses that can become habituated following repeated
      exposure. This study, comprising of two phases, suggests that the immune system
      follows a similar trend. Phase 1: 15 healthy subjects (aged between 26 and
      56years) provided capillary blood samples before and after completing three basic
      tasks using, in turn, two automotive touch screen interfaces (Interface 1
      antecedent version, Interface 2-improved version). Using a chemiluminescent
      technique termed leukocyte coping capacity (LCC), the ability of leukocytes to
      produce reactive oxygen species in vitro was assessed. Significant differences in
      leukocyte activity were shown between treatment groups, where the greatest post
      test decrease occurred after using Interface 1. Phase 2: a randomly selected sub
      group (n=4) underwent weekly repeat testing using both interfaces. Significant
      differences in post-test leukocyte reactivity were exhibited between test weeks
      for each interface-the magnitude of response decreasing with successive exposure.

PMID- 20299011
TI  - Incidence and risk factors of non-fatal injuries in Chinese children aged 0-6
      years: a case-control study.
AB  - AIM: To identify the incidence and related risk factors of injuries in pre-school
      children aged 0-6 years in China. METHODS: Children with non-fatal injuries
      (n=122) were matched to healthy controls by sex, age, community of residency and
      history of injury. Conditional multiple logistic regression analysis was
      performed to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
      RESULTS: The overall incidence of injuries was 3.3%. After adjustment for all
      selected variables, the risk factors for childhood injuries included father's
      occupation as a self-employed person (OR: 5.7, 95% CI: 1.8-18.5), child's active
      temperament type (OR: 2.8, 95% CI: 1.5-5.3), inappropriate storage of medicines
      (OR: 3.1, 95% CI: 1.3-6.9) and inappropriate placement of heating equipment (OR:
      2.1, 95% CI: 1.0-4.4). The protective factors included children's acquirement of
      safety education from their teachers at school (OR: 0.03, 95% CI: 0.01-0.2), and
      from their parents (OR: 0.08, 95% CI: 0.02-0.3). CONCLUSIONS: Interventions
      targeting the risk factors specifically may help prevent and reduce the
      occurrence of injuries in young children.

PMID- 20299012
TI  - Problems with pelvic and acetabular fracture data.

PMID- 20299013
TI  - Interpreting patients as a means of clinical practice: introducing nursing
      hermeneutics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The increased reference to hermeneutics from nursing scientists,
      researchers and academics has emphasized that interpretation has traditionally
      been a fundamental part of nursing practice. In nursing research a propensity for
      acquiring knowledge and understanding by using, multiple modalities has been
      demonstrated. In recent years, the use of hermeneutic phenomenology, has featured
      amongst these modalities. Hermeneutic phenomenology is an inquiry arm of,
      philosophical hermeneutics. OBJECTIVES: To explore the hypotheses that the
      patient can be considered as "text" and as such to be, interpreted in order to
      gain information for decision-making in clinical practice. DESIGN: A qualitative
      approach (hermeneutic phenomenological) to nursing clinical practice. SETTINGS:
      The clinical case of a patient suffering from cancer is described in the paper
      who was treated, in an Oncology Centre in Cyprus. METHODS: A hermeneutical model
      of clinical decision-making in nursing is implemented in practice. The, model was
      initially used in medical practice; however it finds applications to nursing as
      well. According, to the model, a patient is perceived as a literary text which
      may be interpreted on four levels: (1) the, literal facts of the patient's body
      and the literal story told by the patient, (2) the nursing diagnostic, meaning of
      the literal data, (3) the praxis (the nursing interventions) emanating from the
      nursing, diagnosis, and (4) the change effected by the clinical encounter in both
      the patient's and nurse's lifeworlds. RESULTS: Nursing interventions were
      successfully informed by the interpretation process.

PMID- 20299014
TI  - DNP=PhD-light, or old wine in new bottles?

PMID- 20299015
TI  - Column switching high-performance liquid chromatography with two channels
      electrochemical detection for high-sensitive determination of isoflavones.
AB  - Column switching HPLC with electrochemical detection (HPLC-ED), which consists of
      one pre-column and two electrochemical detectors subsequent to each analytical
      column, called HPLC-2ED, has been developed for determining isoflavones (daidzin,
      genistin, daidzein, and genistein) with high sensitivity. In the present HPLC
      2ED, the eluted daidzin and genistin from the pre-column were separated on an
      analytical column using a methanol-water-phosphoric acid mixture (30:70:0.5) as
      the mobile phase (MP), and daidzein and genistein were separated on another
      analytical column using a methanol-water-phosphoric acid mixture (50:50:0.5). The
      way of the elute flow from the pre-column was changed by rotating the switching
      valve at 17 min. The difference in retention times of genistein between isocratic
      HPLC-ED and HPLC-2ED was 52.2 min. The detection limit (S/N=3) per column
      injection (5 microL) of genistein was 0.5 pg. The sensitivity by the present
      method is superior to that of previously reported gradient HPLC-ED for the
      determination of isoflavones.

PMID- 20299016
TI  - Preparation of a polyacrylonitrile/multi-walled carbon nanotubes composite by
      surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization on a stainless steel wire
      for solid-phase microextraction.
AB  - We report on the fabrication and performances of a solid-phase microextraction
      (SPME) fiber based on a stainless steel wire coated with a covalently attached
      polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) composite. This
      new coating is obtained by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of
      acrylonitrile mixed with MWCNTs. ATRP is initiated from 11-(2-bromo-2
      methylpropionyloxy)-undecyl-phosphonic acid molecules grafted on the wire surface
      via the phosphonic acid group. The extraction performances of the fibers are
      assessed on different classes of compounds (polar, non-polar, aromatic, etc.)
      from water solutions by headspace extraction. The optimization of the parameters
      affecting the extraction efficiency of the target compounds was studied as well
      as the reproducibility and the repeatability of the fiber. The fibers sustain
      more than 200 extractions during which they remain chemically stable and maintain
      good performances (detection limits lower than 2 microg/l, repeatability, etc.).
      Considering their robustness together with their easy and inexpensive
      fabrication, these fibers could constitute promising alternatives to existing
      products.

PMID- 20299017
TI  - Determination of 4-nonylphenol in water samples using 4-(2,6-dimethylhept-3
      yl)phenol as new internal standard.
AB  - A new method for determining the endocrine disrupting substance 4-nonylphenol
      (technical grade=mixture of isomers, 4-NP) from water samples has been developed
      by using 4-(2,6-dimethylhept-3-yl)phenol (4-sec-NP) as model compound. This
      branched monoalkylphenol is shown to serve as internal standard (IS) for the
      determination of technical 4-nonylphenol. To the best of our knowledge, 4-(2,6
      dimethylhept-3-yl)phenol (racemic mixture) is a newly synthesized 4-nonylphenol
      isomer and has not been described elsewhere. Recoveries have been determined by
      analyzing spiked water samples from distilled water, river water and wastewater.
      Following acetylation, the compounds were enriched via solid phase extraction
      (SPE). Analyses of the compounds were performed by capillary column gas
      chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), operating in selected ion-monitoring
      (SIM) mode. The recovery of technical 4-NP using either the newly prepared 4-sec
      NP or 4-n-nonylphenol (4-n-NP) as IS have been compared. 4-sec-NP showed slightly
      better results. However, in the first series of experiments using wastewater, the
      yields for the derivatization of the two standard compounds were remarkably
      different. The yield for derivatization of 4-n-NP was approximately 20%, probably
      due to the difficult matrix of the wastewater. In contrast, the yield for the
      derivatization of 4-sec-NP was considerably higher (approximately 63%). This
      problem can be solved by increasing the concentration of the reagent used for
      derivatization. For better control of the clean-up process, we recommend
      application of 4-sec-NP as internal standard, at least in water samples with
      complex matrices (e.g., high content of hydroxylated compounds).

PMID- 20299018
TI  - A novel method for the determination of total 1,3-octanediols in apple juice via
      1,3-dioxanes by solid-phase microextraction and high-speed gas chromatography.
AB  - In this work, a novel, simple and fast method based on solid-phase
      microextraction (SPME) followed by high-speed gas chromatography (HSGC) was
      developed for the analysis of total 1,3-octanediols in apple juices by means of
      derivatization reaction to volatile 1,3-dioxanes. The derivatization reaction,
      SPME conditions, glycosidically bound fraction and 1,3-nonanediol as a surrogate
      standard were studied. The formation of 1,3-dioxanes from 1,3-diols was confirmed
      by GC-MS. The method was validated obtaining a regression coefficient (r(2)) of
      0.9996, precisions between 0.3 and 9.8%, extraction recoveries in the range 94.7
      112.2% and LOD of 2.9 microg l(-1). Experimental design has been employed in the
      optimization of extraction factors and robustness assessment. The method was
      applied to the analysis of 21 Asturian apple varieties finding a double
      reciprocal relationship between the concentrations of saturated and unsaturated
      1,3-octanediol.

PMID- 20299019
TI  - Substituent effect on electrophoretic mobility for a series of poly(N-acryloyl
      amino acid)s.
AB  - In this study, the electrophoretic mobilities (mu) for a series of poly(N
      acryloyl-amino acid)s were determined by capillary zone electrophoresis to
      investigate the effect of substituent on the electrophoretic behavior of
      polyelectrolytes. The mu values determined showed a strong correlation with the
      molar volume of the corresponding amino acids.

PMID- 20299020
TI  - Chromatographic analysis. Foreword.

PMID- 20299021
TI  - Continuous solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry
      determination of pharmaceuticals and hormones in water samples.
AB  - A semi-automatic flow-based method for the simultaneous determination of 9
      pharmaceuticals and 3 hormones in water samples in a single analytical run is
      proposed. The analytes were retained on a solid-phase extraction sorbent column
      and 1 microL of the eluate analysed by gas chromatography in combination with
      electron impact ionization mass spectrometry in the SIM mode. The sorbent used,
      Oasis-HLB, provided near-quantitative recovery of all analytes. The proposed
      method was validated with quite good analytical results including low limits of
      detection (0.01-0.06 ng L(-1) for 100 mL of water) and good linearity (r2>0.993)
      throughout the studied concentration ranges. The method provided good accuracy
      (recoveries of 85-103%) and precision (between- and within-day RSD values less
      than 7%) in the determination of the pharmaceuticals and hormones in tap, river,
      pond, well, swimming pool and wastewater.

PMID- 20299022
TI  - A review of analytical techniques for determination of Sudan I-IV dyes in food
      matrixes.
AB  - Sudan dyes are a family of lipophilic azo dyes, extensively used in industrial
      and scientific applications but banned for use as food colorants due to their
      carcinogenicity. Due to the continuing illicit use of Sudan dyes as food
      colorants their determination in different food matrices--especially in different
      chilli and tomato sauces and related products--has during the recent years
      received increasing attention all over the world. This paper critically reviews
      the published determination methods of Sudan I-IV dyes. LC-UV-vis and LC-MS are
      the dominating methods for analysis of Sudan I-IV dyes. Sudan dyes are usually
      found in food at mg kg(-1) levels at which it may be necessary to use a
      preconcentration step in order to attain the desired detection limits. Liquid
      solid extraction is the dominating sample preparation procedure. In recent years
      it has been supplemented by ultrasonic-assisted extraction and pressurized liquid
      extraction. Various solid phase extraction types have been used for sample
      cleanup. The large majority of works use conventional C18 columns and
      conventional LC eluents. Traditionally the UV-vis absorbance detection has been
      the most frequently used. In the recent years MS detection is applied more and
      more often as it offers more reliable identification possibilities.

PMID- 20299023
TI  - Coupling liquid chromatography to Orbitrap mass spectrometry.
AB  - The Orbitrap mass analyzer has become a mainstream mass spectrometry technique.
      In addition to providing a brief introduction to the Orbitrap technology and its
      continuing development, this article reviews the most recent publications quoting
      the use of the Orbitrap detection for a variety of chromatographic separation
      techniques. Its coupling to reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC) represents
      undoubtedly the most ubiquitous approach to both small molecule and proteomic
      analyses. Multi-dimensional LC separations have an important role to play in the
      proteomics applications while an ultra-high-pressure LC is more frequently
      encountered in the area of metabolomics and metabolite analysis. Recently,
      special chromatographic techniques such as hydrophilic interaction chromatography
      and its variations have also been also cited with the Orbitrap detection.

PMID- 20299024
TI  - Selectable one-dimensional or two-dimensional gas chromatography-mass
      spectrometry with simultaneous olfactometry or element-specific detection.
AB  - A novel selectable one-dimensional (1D) or two-dimensional (2D) gas
      chromatography-mass spectrometry (selectable 1D/2D GC-MS) system with selective
      detection was developed by using capillary flow technology and low thermal mass
      GC (LTM-GC). The main advantages of this system are the simple and fast selection
      of 1D GC-MS or 2D GC-MS operation without any instrumental set-up change (e.g. 2D
      GC-MS can be run just after 1D GC-MS run), and simultaneous mass spectrometric
      and olfactometry or element-specific detection for both 1D and 2D separation to
      assure selection of a heart-cut region and correct identification of compounds of
      interest. The feasibility and benefit of the proposed system with selective
      detection, e.g. olfactometry, nitrogen phosphorus detection (NPD), and pulsed
      flame photometric detection (PFPD), was demonstrated with an identification of
      trace amounts of aroma components in beverages (beer and coffee). Using stir bar
      sorptive extraction (SBSE) and selectable 1D/2D GC-Olfactometry/MS on a beer
      sample, beta-damascenone could be determined at 1.9 ng mL(-1) (RSD 3.1%, n=6) as
      a potent aroma compound. In a coffee sample, two odor active compounds were
      clearly resolved from a 4.2 s heart-cut and were assigned probable
      identifications as 4,5-dimethyl thiazole and dimethyl trisulfide based on a NIST
      library search, dual linear retention indices (dual LRI) and elemental
      information obtained by SBSE in combination with selectable 1D/2D GC-NPD/PFPD/MS.

PMID- 20299025
TI  - Separation of intact proteins on porous layer open tubular (PLOT) columns.
AB  - Porous layer open tubular (PLOT) polystyrene divinylbenzene columns have been
      used for separating intact proteins with gradient elution. The 10 microm I.D. x 3
      m columns were easily coupled to standard liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry
      (LC-MS) instrumentation with commercially available fittings. Standard proteins
      separated on PLOT columns appeared as narrow and symmetrical peaks with good
      resolution. Average peak width increased linearly with gradient time (tG) from
      0.14 to 0.33 min (tG 20 and 120 min, respectively) using a 3 m column. With
      shorter columns, peak widths were larger and increased more steeply with gradient
      time. Theoretical peak capacity (nc) increased with column length (tested up to 3
      m). The nc increased with tG until a plateau was reached. The highest peak
      capacity achieved (nc=185) was obtained with a 3 m column, where a plateau was
      reached with tG 90 min. The within- and between column retention time
      repeatabilities were below 0.6% and below 2.5% (relative standard deviation,
      RSD), respectively. The carry-over following injection of 0.5 ng per protein was
      less than 1.1%. The retention time dependence on column temperature was
      investigated in the range 20-50 degrees C. Proteins in a skimmed milk sample were
      separated using the method.

PMID- 20299026
TI  - 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium-based ionic liquids and an anionic surfactant:
      excellent background electrolyte modifiers for the analysis of benzodiazepines
      through capillary electrophoresis.
AB  - In this study, we found that adding 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium-based ionic
      liquids (ILs) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as modifiers in the background
      electrolyte (BGE) for capillary electrophoresis enhanced the separation of
      benzodiazepines. In particular, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium
      bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([BMIM][NTf2]) was the best IL additive for
      the separation system because its anionic moiety interacted favorably with the
      benzodiazepines. We added SDS because of its known effect on the separation of
      hydrophobic analytes. We optimized the separation conditions in terms of the
      concentrations of the IL, SDS, and organic solvent, the pH, and the BGE's ionic
      strength. The optimal BGE, containing 170 mM [BMIM][NTf2] and 10 mM SDS, provided
      baseline separation, high efficiency, and satisfactory peak shapes for the
      benzodiazepines. The separation mechanism was based on heteroassociation between
      the anionic moiety of the IL and the benzodiazepines, with SDS improving the
      resolution of the separation. The limits of detection for the seven analytes
      ranged from 2.74 to 4.42 microg/mL. We subjected a urine sample to off-line solid
      phase extraction (SPE) prior to the analysis of its benzodiazepine content. Our
      experimental results reveal that the combination of [BMIM][NTf2] and SDS provides
      adequate separation efficiency for its application to CE analyses of
      benzodiazepines after SPE concentration.

PMID- 20299027
TI  - Synthesis and application of a T-2 toxin imprinted polymer.
AB  - The synthesis of a T-2 toxin imprinted polymer and its application in food
      analysis are reported for the first time. A molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)
      for the selective recognition of T-2 toxin (T-2) was synthesized by bulk
      polymerization. Methacrylamide and ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate were applied as
      functional monomer and cross-linker, respectively. Molecularly imprinted solid
      phase extraction (MISPE) procedures were optimized for further application in the
      analysis of T-2. Scatchard plot analysis revealed that two classes of imprinted
      binding sites were formed in the imprinted polymer. The dissociation constant
      (KD) of the higher affinity binding sites was 7.0 micromol/l, while the KD of the
      lower affinity binding sites was 54.7 micromol/l. The performance of the MIP
      throughout the clean-up of spiked maize, barley and oat sample extracts was
      compared with the results obtained when using non-imprinted polymer, OASIS HLB
      and immunoaffinity columns (IAC). Depending on the food matrix and the spiked
      concentration, recoveries after MISPE and non-imprinted solid-phase extraction
      varied respectively from 60% to 73% and from 21% to 57%. Recoveries obtained
      after clean-up using OASIS HLB and IAC were in the range of 74-104% and 60-85%,
      respectively. Although highest recoveries were obtained with OASIS HLB sorbents,
      the designed MIP and the IAC were superior regarding selectivity, cross
      reactivity, matrix effect, limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification
      (LOQ). Depending on the matrix, LOD after MISPE ranged from 0.4 microg/kg to 0.6
      microg/kg and LOQ from 1.4 microg/kg to 1.9 microg/kg. LOD and LOQ after OASIS
      HLB clean-up varied from 0.9 microg/kg to 3.5 microg/kg and from 3.1 microg/kg to
      11.7 microg/kg, respectively. The LOD and LOQ values obtained with IAC were in
      the range of 0.3-2.3 microg/kg and 1.0-7.7 microg/kg, respectively. Analysis of
      39 naturally contaminated samples (maize, barley and oat) by liquid
      chromatography tandem mass spectrometry revealed that the MIP could be an
      excellent alternative for clean-up of contaminated food samples.

PMID- 20299028
TI  - Pulmonary vein isolation and autonomic denervation for the management of
      paroxysmal atrial fibrillation by a minimally invasive surgical approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Advances in technology such as epicardial bipolar radiofrequency
      pulmonary vein isolation, ganglionated plexi identification, and isolation and
      thoracoscopic left atrial appendage exclusion have enabled less invasive surgical
      options for management of atrial fibrillation. METHODS: We performed a
      prospective, nonrandomized study of consecutive patients with symptomatic
      paroxysmal atrial fibrillation undergoing a video-assisted, minimally invasive
      surgical ablation procedure. The procedure consisted of bilateral, epicardial
      pulmonary vein isolation with bipolar radiofrequency, partial autonomic
      denervation, and selective excision of the left atrial appendage. Minimum follow
      up was 1 year with long-term monitoring (24-hour continuous, 14-day event or
      pacemaker interrogation). RESULTS: Between March 2005 and January 2008, 52
      patients (35 male), mean age 60.3 years (range, 42-79 years) underwent the
      procedure. The left atrial appendage was isolated in 88.0% (44/50). Average
      hospital stay was 5.2 days (range 3-10 days). There were no operative deaths or
      major adverse cardiac events. On long-term monitoring, freedom from atrial
      fibrillation/flutter/tachycardia was 86.3% (44/51) and 80.8% (42/52) at 6 and 12
      months, respectively. Antiarrhythmic drugs were stopped in 33 of 37 patients and
      warfarin in 30 of 37 of the patients in whom ablation was successful at 12
      months. Freedom from symptoms attributed to atrial
      fibrillation/flutter/tachycardia was 78.0% (39/50) at 6 months and 63.8% (30/47)
      at 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: Minimally invasive surgical ablation is effective in
      the management of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation as evidenced by freedom from
      atrial arrythmias by long-term monitoring at 12 months. Measuring success using
      clinical symptoms underestimated clinical success as compared with long-term
      monitoring.

PMID- 20299029
TI  - Fourteen years' experience with 501 subcoronary Ross procedures: surgical details
      and results.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: During the past decade the Ross procedure using the full root has
      become the predominant surgical technique. However, progressive autograft
      dilatation and eventual failure remain a concern. Here we report on the surgical
      techniques and results of the subcoronary technique over a 14-year period.
      METHODS: A total of 501 patients (mean age, 44.9 +/- 12.9 years; 117 female; 384
      male) were operated on from June 1994 to December 2007. The follow-up database,
      with a completeness of 98.2%, was closed on December 2008, comprising of 2931
      patient-years with a mean follow-up of 5.9 +/- 3.6 years (range, 0.1-14.1 years).
      RESULTS: Surgical details are presented. Early and late mortality were 0.4% (n =
      2) and 4% (n = 20), respectively, valve-related mortality was 1.2% (n = 6),
      whereas the overall survival did not differ from that of the normal population.
      Neurologic events occurred in 22 patients, major bleeding in 9, autograft
      endocarditis in 8, and homograft endocarditis in 10. Freedom from autograft and
      homograft reoperation was 91.9% at 10 years. For the majority of patients,
      hemodynamics was excellent and no root dilatation was observed. CONCLUSIONS:
      Midterm results after the original subcoronary Ross procedure are excellent,
      including normal survival and low risk of valve-related morbidity. Longer-term
      results are necessary for continuous judgment of the subcoronary technique.

PMID- 20299030
TI  - Dor procedure for dyskinetic anteroapical myocardial infarction fails to improve
      contractility in the border zone.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endoventricular patch plasty (Dor) is used to reduce left ventricular
      volume after myocardial infarction and subsequent left ventricular remodeling.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: End-diastolic and end-systolic pressure-volume and Starling
      relationships were measured, and magnetic resonance images with noninvasive tags
      were used to calculate 3-dimensional myocardial strain in 6 sheep 2 weeks before
      and 2 and 6 weeks after the Dor procedure. These experimental results were
      previously reported. The imaging data from 1 sheep were incomplete. Animal
      specific finite element models were created from the remaining 5 animals using
      magnetic resonance images and left ventricular pressure obtained at early
      diastolic filling. Finite element models were optimized with 3-dimensional strain
      and used to determine systolic material properties, T(max,skinned-fiber), and
      diastolic and systolic stress in remote myocardium and border zone. Six weeks
      after the Dor procedure, end-diastolic and end-systolic stress in the border zone
      were substantially reduced. However, although there was a slight increase in
      T(max,skinned-fiber) in the border zone near the myocardial infarction at 6
      weeks, the change was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: The Dor procedure decreases
      end-diastolic and end-systolic stress but fails to improve contractility in the
      infarct border zone. Future work should focus on measures that will enhance
      border zone function alone or in combination with surgical remodeling.

PMID- 20299031
TI  - Feasibility of transapical aortic valve implantation guided by intracardiac
      ultrasound without angiography.

PMID- 20299032
TI  - In utero/neonatal torsion: observation versus prompt exploration.

PMID- 20299033
TI  - Scientific publications: let the reader beware.

PMID- 20299034
TI  - Mining databases--what can we learn?

PMID- 20299035
TI  - Impact of previous radiotherapy for prostate cancer on clinical outcomes of
      patients with bladder cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: The impact of prostate cancer radiotherapy on the biological behavior of
      bladder cancer remains unclear. We compared the outcomes of patients with bladder
      cancer previously treated for prostate cancer with radiotherapy vs other
      treatment modalities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified 144 patients diagnosed
      with bladder cancer between January 1992 and June 2007 with a previous prostate
      cancer diagnosis. Clinicopathological data and outcomes were compared between
      patients with irradiated (brachytherapy and/or external beam radiation therapy
      83) and nonirradiated (androgen deprivation therapy, radical prostatectomy and/or
      surveillance 61) disease. RESULTS: Median time between prostate and bladder
      cancer diagnoses was longer in the irradiated vs nonirradiated group (59 months,
      IQR 25 to 88, vs 24 months, IQR 2 to 87, p = 0.007). Patients in the irradiated
      group presented with higher tumor grade (high 92% vs 77%, p = 0.016) and had
      progression to higher stage disease (muscle invasive 70% vs 43%, p = 0.001) than
      those in the nonirradiated group. Of the patients undergoing cystectomy those
      previously treated with radiation had a numerically higher rate of nonorgan
      confined disease (75% vs 56% for nonirradiated, p = 0.1). Among all patients with
      bladder cancer 5-year cancer specific survival was 73% (95% CI 59-87) for
      irradiated vs 83% (95% CI 71-95) for nonirradiated (p = 0.07). Median followup
      was 53 months (IQR 24 to 75). CONCLUSIONS: More time elapsed between prostate and
      bladder cancer diagnoses for patients treated with radiation, and these patients
      also presented with more advanced disease. Future studies are needed to further
      establish clinical differences in bladder cancer between irradiated and
      nonirradiated cases, and whether biological differences exist.

PMID- 20299036
TI  - Editorial comment.

PMID- 20299037
TI  - Association of angiogenesis related markers with bladder cancer outcomes and
      other molecular markers.
AB  - PURPOSE: We tested whether the altered immunohistochemical expression of
      angiogenesis related markers is associated with outcomes of patients with
      urothelial carcinoma of the bladder, and assessed the correlation of angiogenesis
      related markers with molecular markers commonly altered in urothelial bladder
      carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Vascular endothelial growth factor, basic
      fibroblast growth factor and thrombospondin 1 expression data were collected, as
      were microvessel density data. Immunohistochemical staining was performed on
      specimens from 204 patients treated with radical cystectomy for urothelial
      carcinoma of the bladder. We also stained serial sections of the specimens for
      cyclin E1, cyclin D1, p53, p21, p27, pRB, Ki-67, Bcl-2, caspase-3, survivin and
      cyclooxygenase-2. We measured time to disease recurrence and cancer specific
      mortality, as well as the association with clinical and pathological features and
      other molecular markers. RESULTS: The altered expression of vascular endothelial
      growth factor (over expression), basic fibroblast growth factor (over expression)
      and thrombospondin 1 (decreased expression) was 86%, 79% and 63%, respectively.
      Median microvessel density was 20. All 4 markers were associated with established
      clinicopathological features of aggressive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder
      (such as stage, lymphovascular invasion and lymph node metastasis) and other
      molecular markers. On multivariable analyses that adjusted for standard
      pathological features basic fibroblast growth factor and thrombospondin 1 were
      independent predictors of disease recurrence (HR 3.6, p = 0.002 and HR 2.2, p =
      0.001, respectively) and cancer specific mortality (HR 2.8, p = 0.02 and HR 2.3,
      p = 0.003, respectively). When all 4 markers were included in 1 model basic
      fibroblast growth factor and thrombospondin 1 retained their independent
      association with disease recurrence (HR 2.9, p = 0.014 and HR 1.8, p = 0.022,
      respectively) and only thrombospondin 1 was independently associated with cancer
      specific mortality (HR 1.9, p = 0.031). CONCLUSIONS: Angiogenesis related
      molecular markers are commonly altered in urothelial carcinoma of the bladder,
      making them a target for therapy. Down-regulation of thrombospondin 1 and up
      regulation of basic fibroblast growth factor are independent predictors of
      clinical outcomes of patients with urothelial carcinoma of the bladder.

PMID- 20299038
TI  - Active surveillance for renal cortical neoplasms.
AB  - PURPOSE: We retrospectively evaluated our single center experience with patients
      with renal cortical neoplasms who elected active surveillance. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated our urological oncology database between
      January 1993 and January 2009, identifying a total of 223 renal cortical
      neoplasms in 212 patients that were initially managed by active surveillance. We
      described patient and tumor characteristics, and assessed the differences between
      patients who remained on AS and those who underwent delayed intervention or
      progressed with metastasis. RESULTS: Median patient age was 71 years at active
      surveillance initiation and the median Charlson comorbidity index was 3. Median
      tumor size was 2.8 cm (range 0.5 to 13.7) at study enrollment and 3.7 cm (range
      0.9 to 14.1) at final assessment. The median growth rate in the entire cohort was
      0.34 cm per year (range 0.29 to 2.3). Median followup was 35 months (range 6 to
      137). Active surveillance failed in 15 patients (7%), of whom 4 (2%) progressed
      to metastasis and 11 (5%) required intervention. When comparing cases of failed
      active surveillance with those that continued, there were statistical differences
      in initial tumor size (2.61 vs 3.64 cm, p = 0.019), final tumor size (3.56 vs
      5.17 cm, p = 0.001) and growth rate (0.34 vs 1.75, p = 0.001). There was no
      correlation between initial tumor size and growth rate (Pearson's coefficient r =
      0.006, p = 0.932). A total of 14 patients died of another medical condition. Only
      1 cancer related death (0.5%) was reported in the entire cohort. CONCLUSIONS:
      Active surveillance for renal cortical neoplasms in select older patients with
      comorbidities is a reasonable treatment option. At 3-year followup we noted a 7%
      failure rate.

PMID- 20299039
TI  - Prostate cancer screening in men 75 years old or older: an assessment of self
      reported health status and life expectancy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Opinions vary regarding the appropriate age at which to stop prostate
      specific antigen screening. Some groups recommend screening men with a greater
      than 10-year life expectancy while the United States Preventive Services Task
      Force recommends against screening men 75 years old or older. In this study we
      evaluated the influence of health status and life expectancy on prostate specific
      antigen screening in older men in the United States before the 2008 United States
      Preventive Services Task Force guidelines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study
      cohort comprised 718 men age 75 years or older without a history of prostate
      cancer who responded to the 2005 National Health Interview Survey, representing
      an estimated 4.47 million noninstitutionalized men in the United States. Life
      expectancy was estimated from age and self-reported health status. RESULTS:
      Overall 19% of the men were 85 years old or older and 27% reported fair or poor
      health. In the previous 2 years 52% had a prostate specific antigen screening
      test. After adjustment for age, race, education and physician access, men with
      fair or poor health were less likely to receive prostate specific antigen
      screening than those with excellent or very good health (adjusted OR 0.51, 95% CI
      0.33-0.80, p = 0.003). Overall 42% of the men predicted to live less than 5 years
      and 65% of those predicted to live more than 10 years reported having recent
      prostate specific antigen screening. CONCLUSIONS: Before the United States
      Preventive Services Task Force recommendation, health status and life expectancy
      were used to select older men for prostate specific antigen screening. However,
      many men expected to live less than 5 years were screened. A strict age cutoff of
      75 years reduces over screening but also prohibits screening in healthy older men
      with a long life expectancy who may benefit from screening.

PMID- 20299040
TI  - Complications after radical and partial nephrectomy as a function of age.
AB  - PURPOSE: Partial nephrectomy may be underused compared with radical nephrectomy
      in elderly patients due to concerns about higher complication rates. We
      determined if the association of age and perioperative outcomes differed between
      nephrectomy types. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified patients who underwent
      radical or partial nephrectomy between January 2000 and October 2008. Using
      multivariable methods we determined whether the relationship between age and risk
      of postoperative complications, estimated blood loss or operative time differed
      by nephrectomy type. RESULTS: Of 1,712 patients 651 (38%) underwent radical
      nephrectomy and 1,061 (62%) underwent partial nephrectomy. Patients treated with
      partial nephrectomy had higher complication rates than those who underwent
      radical nephrectomy (20% vs 14%). In a multivariable model age was significantly
      associated with a small increase in risk of complications (OR for 10-year age
      increase 1.17, 95% CI 1.04-1.32, p = 0.009). When including an interaction term
      between age and procedure type, the interaction term was not significant (p =
      0.09), indicating there was no evidence the risk of complications associated with
      partial vs radical nephrectomy increased with advancing age. There was no
      evidence that age was significantly associated with estimated blood loss or
      operative time. CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence that elderly patients
      experience a proportionally higher complication rate, longer operative times or
      higher estimated blood loss from partial nephrectomy than do younger patients.
      Given the advantages of renal function preservation we should expand the use of
      nephron sparing treatment to renal tumors in elderly patients.

PMID- 20299041
TI  - Robotic radical prostatectomy for elderly patients: probability of achieving
      continence and potency 1 year after surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: We assessed the probability of achieving continence and potency after
      robotic radical prostatectomy in elderly patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      cohort included 1,436 robotic radical prostatectomy cases performed at our
      institution between 2003 and 2008. Continence (pad-free) and potency (erection
      sufficient for intercourse) at baseline and 1 year after surgery were evaluated
      by the UCLA-PCI questionnaire. Point estimates of the predicted probabilities of
      continence and potency for age 65, 70 and 75 years were calculated from
      multivariate logistic regression models adjusting for age, nerve sparing status,
      baseline International Prostate Symptom Score and baseline Sexual Health
      Inventory for Men score. Patients who were impotent before surgery or those who
      received hormones or radiation within 1 year after surgery were censored.
      RESULTS: Mean patient age was 60 years (range 38 to 85) with 25% older than 65
      years and 77 (5%) 70 years old or older. Age (OR 0.97, p = 0.002), baseline I-PSS
      (OR 0.98, p = 0.02) and Sexual Health Inventory for Men scores (OR 1.02, p =
      0.005) were independently associated with being pad-free. Age (OR 0.92, p
      <0.0001), baseline Sexual Health Inventory for Men score (OR 1.1, p <0.0001) and
      bilateral nerve sparing (OR 2.92, p <0.0001) were independently associated with
      achieving potency. Predicted probabilities (95% CI) of postoperative 1-year
      continence at age 65, 70 and 75 years were 0.66 (0.63, 0.69), 0.63 (0.57, 0.68)
      and 0.59 (0.52, 0.66), respectively. The corresponding probabilities of
      postoperative 1-year potency after bilateral nerve sparing were 0.66 (0.62,
      0.71), 0.56 (0.49, 0.64) and 0.46 (0.36, 0.56). CONCLUSIONS: In our experience
      there is an acceptable probability of achieving continence and potency after
      robotic radical prostatectomy in selected elderly patients.

PMID- 20299042
TI  - Marker lesion experiments in bladder cancer--what have we learned?
AB  - PURPOSE: In marker lesion experiments a single bladder tumor is deliberately left
      unresected for later ablation by intravesical instillation of a novel agent.
      While the benefits are clear, eg the opportunity to examine the effect of therapy
      on measurable disease, the safety and medical ethics of these experiments are
      less obvious. We review the goals, inclusion criteria, definition of success,
      agents used, effectiveness, safety and ethics of marker lesion studies, and
      suggest a framework for future experiments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Published
      bladder cancer studies using the marker lesion concept were identified with a
      MEDLINE search through March 2009. RESULTS: A total of 23 well documented marker
      lesion studies were identified involving more than 1,200 patients. Most agents
      studied were cytotoxins (mitomycin-C, epirubicin, gemcitabine, valrubicin,
      apaziquone) or immune response modifiers (bacillus Calmette-Guerin, tumor
      necrosis factor-alpha, interferon-alpha, granulocyte-macrophage colony
      stimulating factor). The highest complete response rate in intermediate risk
      patients (67%) was attained with apaziquone. Patients who achieved a complete
      response with this agent also had a prophylactic benefit with a 2-year recurrence
      free rate of 45.2% compared to 26.7% in those who did not achieve a complete
      response. The complete response rate in bacillus Calmette-Guerin trials ranged
      from 32% to 61%. Marker lesion experiments were deemed safe with progression to
      T2 disease in only 7 patients (0.6%) and only when high risk patients were
      selected. CONCLUSIONS: Marker lesion studies are most appropriate for the
      evaluation of novel anticancer therapeutics. Only patients with multiple
      recurrent, noninvasive, low grade tumors (intermediate risk) should be recruited.
      Primary end points should be complete response and recurrence rates after 2 to 3
      years.

PMID- 20299043
TI  - Preoperative hydronephrosis predicts extravesical and node positive disease in
      patients undergoing cystectomy for bladder cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Preoperative hydronephrosis may be associated with a worse outcome in
      patients who undergo radical cystectomy for invasive bladder cancer. We
      characterized the prognostic significance of hydronephrosis, and its relationship
      to cancer stage and outcome. We also evaluated concordance between the side of
      identifiable hydronephrosis and concomitant pelvic lymph node metastasis.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed information from our prospectively collected
      database of patients who underwent radical cystectomy for bladder cancer from
      January 2001 to December 2007. We examined the relationship between
      hydronephrosis and clinical variables as well as survival outcome. Hydronephrosis
      was diagnosed intraoperatively or by radiographic imaging within 3 months of
      radical cystectomy. RESULTS: Of 753 patients 244 (32%) were diagnosed with
      hydronephrosis. Logistic regression modeling revealed that hydronephrosis was an
      independent predictor of extravesical disease (OR 2.01, 95% CI 1.37 to 2.96, p
      <0.001) and node positive disease (OR 1.94, 95% CI 1.29 to 2.91, p = 0.001). Of
      patients with hydronephrosis 88 (36.1%) had concomitant node positive disease and
      74 (30.3%) had node positive disease on the same side as hydronephrosis. Thus,
      hydronephrosis predicted the side of nodal involvement in 74 of 88 patients (84%)
      with identifiable hydronephrosis and node positive disease. CONCLUSIONS:
      Hydronephrosis is an independent predictor of advanced bladder cancer stage, and
      it predicts extravesical disease and node positive disease. Thus, it could prove
      useful to select patients for neoadjuvant chemotherapy before surgery. The strong
      correlation between hydronephrosis side and nodal metastasis may have
      implications for surgical staging and approach.

PMID- 20299044
TI  - Reporting of harm in randomized controlled trials published in the urological
      literature.
AB  - PURPOSE: Evidence-based decision making seeks to balance potential benefits and
      harms (adverse effects) of health care interventions for an individual patient.
      We determined the prevalence and completeness of harm reporting in randomized
      controlled trials in the urological literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      performed a systematic literature search of all randomized controlled trials of
      therapeutic interventions published in The Journal of Urology, Urology, European
      Urology and BJU International in 1996 and 2004. Each article was reviewed by 2
      independent investigators for 10 harm reporting criteria recommended by the
      CONSORT group. Discrepancies were settled by discussion and consensus. RESULTS: A
      total of 152 randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria, of which
      109 (72%) reported adverse event outcomes. The median number of harm reporting
      criteria satisfied improved marginally from 1996 to 2004 (2.8 to 3.3, p = 0.36).
      A large proportion of studies failed to address harm in the abstract (55, 36%),
      introduction (71, 47%) and discussion (52, 34%). Few studies specified which
      adverse events were evaluated (21, 14%), when harm information was collected (32,
      21%) or how the harm was attributed to the intervention (5, 3%). Only 48 (32%)
      articles provided reasons for patient withdrawal and 1 in 5 (33, 22%) reported
      the severity of adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Randomized controlled trials
      published in the urological literature contain significant deficiencies in
      adverse event reporting. These findings suggest the need for reporting standards
      for harm in urological journals. Improvements in adverse event reporting would
      permit a more balanced assessment of interventions and would enhance evidence
      based urological practice.

PMID- 20299045
TI  - Optical coherence tomography in the kidney: a step toward echo microscopy.

PMID- 20299046
TI  - Editorial comment.

PMID- 20299047
TI  - Kidney tumor location measurement using the C index method.
AB  - PURPOSE: Tumor location assessment is essential to plan nephron sparing kidney
      surgery. We describe a method to quantify the proximity of kidney tumors to the
      renal central sinus for reporting and surgical management. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Centrality index scoring was done using standard 2-dimensional cross-sectional
      computerized tomography images in 133 consecutive patients undergoing
      transperitoneal laparoscopic partial nephrectomy between September 2003 and
      November 2005. The Pythagorean theorem was used to calculate the distance from
      tumor center to kidney center. The distance was divided by tumor radius to obtain
      the centrality index. We assessed the correlation of the centrality index with
      laparoscopic partial nephrectomy operative parameters and the urological
      complication rate. Centrality index accuracy and interobserver variability were
      assessed. RESULTS: A centrality index of 0 equates to a tumor that is concentric
      with the center of the kidney. A centrality index of 1 equates to a tumor with
      its periphery touching the kidney center. As the centrality index increases, the
      tumor periphery becomes more distant from the kidney center. Multivariate
      regression analysis revealed an association of the centrality index with warm
      ischemia time (p = 0.004), which is a surrogate for technical complexity.
      Interobserver correlation of centrality index values was greater than 93% with an
      estimated learning curve of 14 cases required for measurement variability to
      decrease below 10% of the mean centrality index of 10 consecutive cases.
      CONCLUSIONS: Centrality index scoring provides a clinically useful measure of
      tumor centrality. This system may allow improved clinical and radiological
      assessment of kidney tumors, and improved reporting of quantitative tumor site.

PMID- 20299048
TI  - Editorial comment.

PMID- 20299049
TI  - Editorial comment.

PMID- 20299050
TI  - The 50-year history of the ice water test in urology.
AB  - PURPOSE: The ice water test was first described in a 1957 study of cold receptors
      in the bladder. We examined the role of the ice water test in the diagnosis and
      management of different urological conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MEDLINE and
      PubMed literature searches were performed, spanning 1956 to January 2009. Other
      studies were identified by reviewing secondary references in the original
      citations. RESULTS: The ice water test has been shown to be a lower motoneuron
      segmental reflex involving C-fiber afferents, which are associated with cold
      receptors. A number of its clinical applications have been described. The test
      was first thought to be specific to upper motoneuron lesions but patients with
      other urological conditions have had a positive test, including those with
      nonneurogenic disorders. The test is almost always negative (contractions less
      than 15 cm H(2)O) in healthy volunteers and in patients with stress urinary
      incontinence, lower motoneuron conditions and bladder pain syndrome. In cases of
      upper motoneuron conditions the positive test rate is 46% to 92% depending on the
      underlying pathological condition. CONCLUSIONS: The ice water test has several
      potential applications but it is not needed in routine clinical practice. To date
      the main interest has been in patients with neurogenic bladder disorders. Further
      studies to investigate the validity and reliability of the ice water test in
      patients with idiopathic detrusor overactivity could prove useful.

PMID- 20299051
TI  - Editorial comment.

PMID- 20299052
TI  - Impact of ischemia on renal function after laparoscopic partial nephrectomy: a
      multicenter study.
AB  - PURPOSE: We assessed the influence of renal ischemia on long-term global renal
      function after laparoscopic partial nephrectomy in patients with 2 functioning
      kidneys in a large, multicenter cohort. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Collected data
      included demographic, clinical and surgical characteristics, tumor parameters and
      renal function outcomes at 4 institutions in a total of 401 patients with 2
      functioning kidneys who underwent laparoscopic partial nephrectomy. Renal
      function was assessed in the immediate postoperative period (days 1 to 3) and at
      last followup (greater than 1 month) using the estimated glomerular filtration
      rate calculated by the 4-variable Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation.
      Ischemia time and covariates were modeled on the percent change in the estimated
      glomerular filtration rate using linear regression. RESULTS: Median ischemia time
      was 29 minutes (IQR 22, 34). The postoperative change and the last (long-term)
      change in the estimated glomerular filtration rate were -16% and -11%,
      respectively. Median time to the last estimated glomerular filtration rate
      measurement was 13 months (IQR 6, 24). On multivariate analysis shorter ischemia
      and operative times, external or ureteral irrigation with cold saline and female
      gender were associated with less postoperative percent change in the estimated
      glomerular filtration rate. Smaller tumor size and absent diabetes were
      associated with less of a final percent change in the estimated glomerular
      filtration rate. Ischemia time was not associated with a percent change in the
      estimated glomerular filtration rate at last followup. CONCLUSIONS: Within the
      range of times in these series renal ischemia did not have a clinically
      significant impact on global renal function in patients with 2 functioning
      kidneys who underwent laparoscopic partial nephrectomy, as measured by the
      estimated glomerular filtration rate.

PMID- 20299053
TI  - Editorial comment.

PMID- 20299054
TI  - Editorial comment.

PMID- 20299055
TI  - Evidence supports a faster growth rate and/or earlier transformation to
      clinically significant prostate cancer in black than in white American men, and
      influences racial progression and mortality disparity.
AB  - PURPOSE: The incidence of prostate cancer is approximately 60% higher and the
      mortality rate is 2 to 3 times greater in black than in white American men. We
      propose that a more rapid prostate cancer growth rate and/or earlier
      transformation from latent to aggressive prostate cancer in black than in white
      men contribute to this disparity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated entirely
      embedded prostate glands on autopsy from 1,056 black and white men who died of
      causes other than prostate cancer. We also reviewed data from our radical
      prostatectomy database and from the Detroit Surveillance, Epidemiology and End
      Results database. RESULTS: Autopsy data indicated that subclinical prostate
      cancer in black and white men starts at early age and clinical characteristics do
      not differ by race at early ages. Radical prostatectomy specimen data revealed
      that prostate cancer volume and Gleason grade were greater in black than in white
      men. Advanced or metastatic prostate cancer occurred at a 4:1 ratio in black and
      white men, respectively, in the Detroit Surveillance, Epidemiology and End
      Results registry database. CONCLUSIONS: Results showed that age at prostate
      cancer initiation and clinical characteristics did not differ by race in our
      autopsy series, prostate cancer volume after radical prostatectomy was greater in
      black than in white men and disease became distant disease at a ratio of 4 black
      men to 1 white man in the Detroit Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results
      population. These findings support the concept that prostate cancer grows more
      rapidly in black than in white men and/or earlier transformation from latent to
      aggressive prostate cancer occurs in black than in white men.

PMID- 20299056
TI  - Development and validation of the Bladder Cancer Index: a comprehensive, disease
      specific measure of health related quality of life in patients with localized
      bladder cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: We developed and validated a reliable, responsive multidimensional
      instrument to measure disease specific health related quality of life in bladder
      cancer survivors treated with local cancer therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Instrument content was based on qualitative information obtained from a panel of
      bladder cancer providers and from patient focus groups. Draft items were piloted
      and revised, resulting in the 36-item Bladder Cancer Index consisting of urinary,
      bowel and sexual health domains. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability,
      convergent validity, concurrent validity and criterion validity were then
      assessed. RESULTS: Internal consistency was high at 0.77 to 0.91. Test-retest
      reliability was also high at 0.73 to 0.95. Correlations among the 3 domains were
      low (r < or = 0.39), indicating interscale independence. Health outcome
      discrimination was apparent in clinically distinct treatment groups. Moderate
      correlation was observed with existing external measures, indicating that the
      Bladder Cancer Index detects aspects of health related quality of life related to
      bladder cancer treatments that are not recorded by more general measures.
      CONCLUSIONS: The Bladder Cancer Index is a robust, multidimensional measure of
      bladder cancer specific health related quality of life and to our knowledge is
      the first available validated instrument to assess health outcomes across a range
      of local treatments commonly used for bladder cancer.

PMID- 20299057
TI  - Repeat partial nephrectomy on the solitary kidney: surgical, functional and
      oncological outcomes.
AB  - PURPOSE: We examined outcomes in patients with recurrent or de novo renal lesions
      treated with repeat partial nephrectomy on a solitary kidney. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: We reviewed the records of patients who underwent nephron sparing
      surgery at the National Cancer Institute from 1989 to 2008. Patients were
      included in analysis if they underwent repeat partial nephrectomy on a solitary
      kidney. Perioperative, functional and oncological outcomes were assessed.
      Functional outcomes were evaluated using the Modification of Diet in Renal
      Disease equation for the estimated glomerular filtration rate. Oncological
      efficacy was examined by the need for subsequent repeat renal surgery and the
      development of metastatic disease. RESULTS: A total of 25 patients were included
      in the analysis. A median of 4 tumors were resected. Median estimated blood loss
      was 2,400 ml and median operative time was 8.5 hours. Perioperative complications
      occurred in 52% of patients, including 1 death and the loss of 3 renal units.
      There was a decrease in the estimated glomerular filtration rate at followup
      visit 1 within 3 months after surgery but at 1-year followup the difference was
      not significant (p <0.01 and 0.12, respectively). Surgical intervention was
      recommended in 8 patients (38%) for recurrent or de novo tumors at a median of 36
      months. The average metastasis-free survival rate in the cohort was 95% at 57
      months (median 50, range 3 to 196). CONCLUSIONS: Repeat partial nephrectomy in
      patients with solitary kidney is a high risk alternative. The complication rate
      is high and there is a modest decrease in renal function but most patients remain
      free of dialysis with acceptable oncological outcomes at intermediate followup.

PMID- 20299058
TI  - Loss of heterozygosis on IFN-alpha locus is a prognostic indicator of bacillus
      Calmette-Guerin response for nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: We evaluated the role of loss of heterozygosity on the interferon-alpha
      locus to predict the response to bacillus Calmette-Guerin therapy in patients
      with nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 117
      consecutive patients were selected, including 77 with nonmuscle invasive bladder
      cancer and 40 controls. Loss of heterozygosity on the interferon-alpha locus
      (chromosome 9p21) was assessed in blood and urine samples before transurethral
      resection. All patients underwent transurethral resection and then 6 weekly
      bacillus Calmette-Guerin instillations. Those with nonmuscle invasive bladder
      cancer were assigned to groups 1 and 2 with and without loss of heterozygosity on
      the interferon-alpha locus, respectively. RESULTS: Of the 77 patients with
      nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer 39 (50.6%) had loss of heterozygosity on the
      interferon-alpha locus (group 1) and 38 (49.4%) had no alteration (group 2). Only
      1 of 40 controls showed loss of heterozygosity on the interferon-alpha locus. At
      the end of followup 13 patients in group 1 and 27 in group 2 were alive without
      recurrence. We noted a significant difference between loss of heterozygosity on
      interferon-alpha and followup status (dF 01, LR 11.252, p = 0.003). Kaplan-Meier
      analysis revealed a significant difference in recurrence probability (response to
      bacillus Calmette-Guerin) and loss of heterozygosity on interferon-alpha (p
      <0.0001). On multivariate analysis loss of heterozygosity (HR 4.09, 95% CI 2.59
      6.28, p = 0.002), grade (grade 3 HR 3.31, 95% CI 1.38-3.35, p = 0.03) and the
      number of lesions (3 or greater HR 2.31, 95% CI 1.38-3.25, p = 0.03) were
      independent predictors of the bacillus Calmette-Guerin response. CONCLUSIONS:
      This study highlights the predictive value of loss of heterozygosity analysis on
      interferon-alpha in patients with nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer treated with
      bacillus Calmette-Guerin.

PMID- 20299059
TI  - Characteristics and outcomes of patients with clinical carcinoma in situ only
      treated with radical cystectomy: an international study of 243 patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: We describe the rate of up staging and the cancer specific outcomes of
      patients with carcinoma in situ refractory to transurethral resection with
      intravesical therapy treated with radical cystectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      records of 3,207 patients treated with radical cystectomy for urothelial
      carcinoma of the bladder at 8 centers in the United States, Canada and Europe
      were reviewed. RESULTS: Of the 3,207 patients who underwent radical cystectomy
      243 (7.6%) had clinical carcinoma in situ only disease before radical cystectomy.
      At radical cystectomy 117 patients (48.1%) had carcinoma in situ only, 20 (8.2%)
      had pT0 urothelial carcinoma of the bladder, 19 (7.8%) had pTa urothelial
      carcinoma of the bladder and 36% had disease up staged (32 [13.2%] pT1, 29
      [11.9%] pT2, 12 [4.9%] pT3 and 14 [5.8%] pT4). A total of 22 patients (9.1%) had
      lymphovascular invasion in the radical cystectomy specimen and 14 (5.8%) had
      metastasis to regional lymph nodes. Overall 5-year recurrence-free and cancer
      specific survival estimates were 74% (95% CI 68-79) and 85% (95% CI 80-89),
      respectively. On multivariable analysis adjusting for the effects of standard
      predictors, lymph node metastasis and lymphovascular invasion were associated
      with an increased risk of disease recurrence (p = 0.017 and p = 0.043,
      respectively) and cancer specific mortality (p = 0.019 and p = 0.001,
      respectively). Female gender was an independent risk factor for cancer specific
      mortality (p = 0.029) but not for disease recurrence (p = 0.173). CONCLUSIONS:
      Approximately a fourth of patients treated with radical cystectomy for clinical
      carcinoma in situ only had muscle invasive disease and 5.8% had metastasis to
      regional lymph nodes. Identification of those patients with a potentially
      aggressive natural history of carcinoma in situ is of the utmost importance as
      they are likely to benefit from early radical cystectomy.

PMID- 20299060
TI  - Percutaneous radio frequency ablation of renal tumors in patients with von Hippel
      Lindau disease: preliminary results.
AB  - PURPOSE: We investigated the preliminary results of percutaneous radio frequency
      ablation for renal tumors in patients with von Hippel-Lindau disease. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Between October 2005 and April 2009 image guided radio frequency
      ablation was performed to ablate a total of 48 renal tumors in 11 patients with
      von Hippel-Lindau disease. Six of the 11 patients had undergone radical or
      partial nephrectomy for renal cell carcinomas. We recorded whether tumors were
      successfully ablated, major complications, and changes in serum creatinine and
      the estimated glomerular filtration rate. RESULTS: A total of 29 sessions (70
      ablations) were done. Of 48 tumors 42 (88%) were successfully ablated at 1 (41)
      or 3 (1) sessions and 6 (12%) had residual or recurrent lesions. Two residual
      tumors were treated with nephrectomy, 2 were too small to be ablated and 1 was
      treated with chemotherapy due to pulmonary metastasis. The remaining residual
      tumor was completely ablated at 2 sessions but recurred. Overall 8 of 11 patients
      (73%) were successfully treated with radio frequency ablation but 3 (27%) had
      residual or recurrent tumors. Two major complications (6.9%) developed at a total
      of 29 sessions, including arteriovenous fistula and ureteral perforation. Mean
      serum creatinine increased 11.2% and the mean estimated glomerular filtration
      rate decreased 9.4% after the last ablation. CONCLUSIONS: Percutaneous radio
      frequency ablation may be a treatment option for multifocal renal tumors in
      patients with von Hippel-Lindau disease but preliminary results were not
      satisfactory due to technical failure.

PMID- 20299061
TI  - Are we making significant progress in the diagnosis and management of bladder
      cancer?

PMID- 20299062
TI  - Standardization of reporting surgical complications--are we ready?

PMID- 20299063
TI  - Editorial comment.

PMID- 20299064
TI  - Do anxiety and distress increase during active surveillance for low risk prostate
      cancer?
AB  - PURPOSE: Anxiety and distress may be present in patients with low risk prostate
      cancer who are on active surveillance. This may be a reason to discontinue active
      surveillance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 150 Dutch patients with prostate
      cancer on active surveillance in a prospective active surveillance study received
      questionnaires at study inclusion and 9 months after diagnosis. We assessed
      changes in scores on decisional conflict with the decisional conflict scale,
      depression with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, generic
      anxiety with the State Trait Anxiety Inventory, prostate cancer specific anxiety
      with the Memorial Anxiety Scale for Prostate Cancer and the self-estimated risk
      of progression. We explored scores 9 months after diagnosis vs those at study
      inclusion for physical health (SF-12 physical component summary), personality
      (Eysenck Personality Questionnaire), shared decision making, prostate cancer
      knowledge, demographics, medical parameters and prostate specific antigen
      doubling time during followup. RESULTS: Questionnaires at study inclusion and 9
      months after diagnosis were completed by 129 of 150 (86%) and 108 of 120
      participants (90%) a median of 2.4 and 9.2 months after diagnosis, respectively.
      Anxiety and distress at study inclusion were previously found to be generally
      favorable. Significant but clinically irrelevant decreases were seen in mean
      scores of the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (p = 0.016), Memorial Anxiety Scale
      for Prostate Cancer fear of progression subscale (p = 0.005) and the self
      estimated risk of progression (p = 0.049). Anxiety and distress 9 months after
      diagnosis were mainly predicted by scores at study inclusion. Higher Eysenck
      Personality Questionnaire neuroticism score and an important role of the
      physician in the treatment decision had additionally unfavorable effects. Good
      physical health, palpable disease and older age had favorable effects. No
      association was seen for prostate specific antigen doubling time. Nine men
      discontinued active surveillance, including 2 due to nonmedical reasons.
      CONCLUSIONS: Anxiety and distress generally remain favorably low during the first
      9 months of surveillance.

PMID- 20299065
TI  - [Hematopoietic orbital tumors].
AB  - Non Hodgkin B cell lymphomas account for most hematopoietic orbital tumors and 10
      % of all orbital tumors. Typically, orbital lymphomas present as salmon-pink,
      painless, and slow growing conjunctival tumors affecting patients over 50 years
      of age. Therapeutic orientation is guided by biopsy.

PMID- 20299067
TI  - [Bichat's buccal fat pad for reconstruction of posterior oral cavity defects].
AB  - Some losses of matter in the posterior area of the oral cavity require
      reconstruction with vascularized tissue to prevent retraction and a limited mouth
      opening. Bichat's fat pad or Bichat's fat ball is rarely used for oral mucosal
      reconstruction despite its proximity, easy availability, plasticity and simple
      use as a flap. Bichat's fat pad is resistant to lipolysis even in case of major
      weight-loss. It usually herniates in the exeresis site of a jugal tumor or
      intermaxillary commissure. When this is not the case, it can be obtained by a
      horizontal vestibular incision. The fat pad is unfolded and sutured without
      tension to the margin of the defect. The flap may be protected by a Bourdonnet
      dressing. Epithelialization begins 8 to 10 days after surgery. It is completed in
      the second or third week. The fat volume is variable, thus filling can only be
      applied to areas with loss of matter under 6cm. The technique is simple and
      quick. Postoperative evolution is usually uneventful; healing is quick as well as
      recovery of normal feeding function.

PMID- 20299066
TI  - [Orbital tumors. Neurosurgical activity].
AB  - In this chapter, we report the results of orbital tumor management in a few
      neurosurgical departments and compare it to a Paris neurosurgical department that
      has developed a close relation with an ophthalmological department. These
      departments' activity is quite low, treating mainly sphenoorbital meningiomas.
      Other tumor groups are unequally and sporadically managed.

PMID- 20299068
TI  - [Variation of cognitive functions and glycemia during physical exercise in
      Ramadan fasting].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: During the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast every day from dawn to
      sunset. Several studies have shown that Ramadan fasting affects biochemical
      parameters, sleep/wake cycle, behaviour and food habits. The purpose of the study
      was to evaluate the effect of Ramadan fasting (RF) and physical exercise on
      cognitive functions, blood glucose. METHODS: Eleven healthy male volunteers aged
      20.45+/-1.65 years were assessed before RF (B.RF), during the 1st week (wk), 3rd
      wk and 1 wk B.RF, in blood sugar, work memory (WM), visual perception (VP),
      before exercise (B. Ex) and after exercise (A. Ex) exercise of 1000 m. RESULTS:
      Compared to control days (B.RF), there were no significant changes in body mass
      index. Physical performance declined significantly during 1st wk (p<0.001), 3th
      wk (p<0.013) and before (p<0.046) of RF. At the level of the glycemia, the
      results show a significant effect of Ramadan by increasing gradually during
      Ramadan but nevertheless, the values remain lower of 100mg/dl. No significant
      change was observed between B. Ex and A. Ex value in WM during RF. However, the
      WM A. Ex value increase significantly during and after RF (respectively 1st wk
      (p<0.013), 3rd wk (p<0.005) and before (p<0.003). The VP was significantly
      affected by fasting effect (F=16.84, p<0.001) and exercise effect (F=14.01,
      p<0.0001), and was progressively increased 15.56% in the 1st wk, 25.69%, the 3rd
      wk during RF, and 27.07% A.RF, but no significant change was found in errors
      performances of VP during and after RF. CONCLUSION: These results showed that the
      intermittent fasting imply differently effects on cognitive functions and
      physiological.

PMID- 20299069
TI  - Effects of cadmium, estradiol-17beta and their interaction on gonadal condition
      and metamorphosis of male and female African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis.
AB  - To assess interaction effects between cadmium (Cd, a putative xenoestrogen) and
      estradiol-17beta (E(2)) on sex differentiation and metamorphosis, Xenopus laevis
      were exposed to solvent-control (0.005% ethanol), Cd (10microgL(-1)), E(2)
      (1microgL(-1)), or Cd and E(2) (Cd+E(2)) in FETAX medium from fertilization to
      75d postfertilization. Each treatment was applied to four aquaria, each with 30
      fertilized eggs. Mortality was recorded and animals were sampled as they
      completed metamorphosis (Nieuwkoop and Faber stage 66). Gonadal sex of
      individuals (including >or= tadpoles NF stage 55 at day 75) was determined gross
      morphologically and used to compute sex ratios. Time course and percent
      completion of metamorphosis, snout-vent length (SVL), hindlimb length (HLL) and
      weight were analyzed for each gender separately. Survival rates did not differ
      among treatments. The E(2) and Cd+E(2) treatments significantly skewed sex ratios
      towards females; however, no sex-ratio differences were observed between the
      control and Cd treatments or between the E(2) and Cd+E(2) treatments. Time course
      of metamorphosis was generally delayed and percent completion of metamorphosis
      was generally reduced in males and females exposed to Cd, E(2) or their
      combination compared to control animals. In males, but not females, the effect of
      Cd+E(2) was greater than that of individual chemicals. Weight at completion of
      metamorphosis was reduced only in females and only by the Cd+E(2) treatment. In
      conclusion, although Cd at an environmentally relevant concentration did not
      exhibit direct or indirect feminizing effects in Xenopus tadpoles, the metal and
      E(2) both had similar inhibitory effects on metamorphosis that were of greater
      magnitude in males than females.

PMID- 20299070
TI  - Inoculum carrier and contaminant bioavailability affect fungal degradation
      performances of PAH-contaminated solid matrices from a wood preservation plant.
AB  - The objective of the study was to investigate the impact of chopped wheat straw
      (CWS), ground corn cobs (GCC) and commercial pellets (CP), as inoculum carriers,
      on both growth and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) degradation
      performances of Dichomitus squalens, Pleurotus ostreatus and Coprinus comatus. A
      historically-contaminated soil (HCS) and creosote-treated shavings (CTS) from the
      Sobeslav wood preservation plant, characterized by different relative abundances
      of the PAH bioavailable fractions, were used to assess the contaminated matrix
      effect and its interaction with both carrier and fungal strain. In HCS, best
      results were obtained with CP-immobilized P. ostreatus, which was able to deplete
      benzo[a]anthracene, chrysene, benzo[b]fluoranthene (BbF), benzo[k]fluoranthene
      (BkF) and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) by 69.1%, 29.7%, 39.7%, 32.8% and 85.2%,
      respectively. Only few high-molecular mass PAHs such as BbF, BkF and BaP were
      degraded beyond their respective bioavailable fractions and this effect was
      confined to a limited number of inoculants. In CTS, only phenanthrene degradation
      exceeded its respective bioavailability from 1.42 to 1.86-fold. Regardless of
      both inoculum carrier and fungal species, degradation was positively and
      significantly (P<0.001) correlated with bioavailability in fungal microcosms on
      HCS and CTS and such correlation was very similar in the two matrices (R(adj)(2)
      equal to 0.60 and 0.59, respectively). The ability of white-rot fungi to degrade
      certain PAHs beyond their bioavailability was experimentally proven by this
      study. Although CTS and HCS considerably differed in their physico-chemical
      properties, PAH contents and contaminant aging, the relationship between
      degradation and bioavailability was not significantly affected by the type of
      matrix.

PMID- 20299071
TI  - Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in blood and breast milk
      samples from residents of a schistosomiasis area with Na-PCP application in
      China.
AB  - Schistosomiasis has prevailed in some areas of China for a long time. Chinese
      technical sodium pentachlorophenate (Na-PCP) has been used to control the spread
      of snail-borne schistosomiasis since the 1960s. Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins
      and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), impurities contained in the Na-PCP, enter the soil
      and may accumulate in the food chain. In order to evaluate their potentially
      harmful effects on local residents, 50 breast milk samples and 20 blood samples
      were collected in 2004 from residents in the Dongting Lake area, one of China's
      known schistosomiasis areas. Levels of 17 PCDD/F congeners were measured in all
      samples, and DNA damage was simultaneously assessed in blood samples. The PCDD/F
      congener distribution patterns in human tissue samples from the Dongting Lake
      area were similar to those in Na-PCP, and the octachlorodibenzodioxin (OCDD)
      congener was predominant in all samples. We also had a primary investigation that
      the breast milk WHO-TEQ associated with some factors such as: age, dietary habit,
      body mass index (BMI) and the total menses times. In blood samples, the samples
      with higher OCDD level had higher DDS (DNA damage score) values than those
      samples with low OCDD level, which indicated that the higher DNA damage value in
      general population might be caused directly or indirectly by PCDD/Fs. The results
      also indicated that the WHO-TEQ values in blood were associated with age (r=0.6,
      p=0.007).

PMID- 20299072
TI  - Development of an environmental friendly method for the analysis of
      organochlorine pesticides in sediments.
AB  - This work proposes a pressurized hot water extraction (PHWE) followed by solid
      phase microextraction (SPME) and determination by gas chromatography-mass
      spectrometry method for the analysis of organochlorine pesticides in sediment
      samples. For SPME, extraction temperature and time, desorption temperature and
      desorption time, and effect of an organic modifier were studied. For PHWE,
      parameters such as organic modifier, percentage of organic modifier, temperature,
      and static extraction time were studied. When these parameters were selected, the
      figures of merit were calculated in order to assess the performance of the
      proposed method. Quantitative recoveries (80-115%) and satisfactory precisions
      were obtained. The detection and quantification limits were between 0.11 and 16
      microg kg(-1) and between 0.24 and 22 microg kg(-1), respectively with good
      linearity between LOQs and 500 microg kg(-1) for most of the studied pesticides.
      The method was validated by the analysis of a reference marine sediment material
      (SRM 1944). The obtained results are in excellent agreement with the certificate
      material. Another sediment reference material (SRM 1941b), with a very low
      concentration of pesticides was also analyzed with good results. In addition,
      this method was successfully applied to the analysis of three marine sediment
      samples. The developed method seems to be a nearly full automated, environmental
      friendly, sensitive, simple and less-time consuming method. Moreover this method,
      look for the implementation of the principles of green analytical chemistry and
      has demonstrated to be suitable for the analysis of organochlorine pesticides at
      trace levels in environmental matrices as sediment samples.

PMID- 20299073
TI  - Concentrations and accumulation features of PCDDs, PCDFs and dioxin-like PCBs in
      cetaceans from Korean coastal waters.
AB  - Despite several studies that report accumulation of polychlorinated biphenyls
      (PCBs) and DDT in marine mammals worldwide, very few have examined
      polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like
      PCBs. In particular, no earlier studies have reported concentrations and
      accumulation profiles of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in marine mammals
      from Korea. In this study, concentrations and accumulation features of PCDD/Fs
      and dioxin-like PCBs were measured in liver and blubber of minke whales and long
      beaked common dolphins collected from Korean coastal waters. The concentrations
      of PCDFs and dioxin-like PCBs in blubber were 3-10 times higher than the
      concentrations measured in liver, but PCDDs were higher in liver than blubber.
      Total toxic equivalent (TEQ) concentrations in blubber of minke whales and common
      dolphins from Korean coastal waters were similar to, or higher than those
      reported for cetaceans and seals from other countries. Homologue and congener
      profiles of PCDD/Fs were different between livers and blubbers, while the
      profiles of dioxin-like PCBs were similar between the tissues. Concentrations of
      PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs in liver and blubber of dolphins were significantly
      higher than those measured in whales, due to differences in habitat and diet. The
      relative contribution of individual chemical groups to total TEQs was different
      between the two cetacean species, suggesting different exposures and metabolic
      activity. The TEQ levels in minke whales did not exceed the threshold level
      suggested for immunomodulation, while TEQs in all dolphin samples exceeded the
      suggested threshold level, implying potential adverse health effects from
      exposure to PCDD/Fs and PCBs.

PMID- 20299074
TI  - Reduction of compost phytotoxicity during the process of decomposition.
AB  - Hog manure from windrows composted at different operating strategies was used in
      a bioassay to determine phytotoxicity. Twelve windows that differed in composting
      strategies (i.e. turning frequency and moisture content adjustment) were built.
      The effects of hog manure water extracts on seed germination and primary root
      growth of cress (Lepidum sativum L.) was measured. The germination index (GI, a
      product of relative seed germination and root elongation) was related to the
      chemical characteristics (electrical conductivity, nitrogen compounds, C:N ratio,
      heavy metals and humification parameters) of the hog manure. The water
      extractable chemical properties of the hog manure that showed the highest
      negative correlation with GI were extractable Cu, extractable Zn and NH(4)(+)N,
      demonstrating that these chemical compounds gradually decrease during composting
      due to transformation to other compounds and immobilization effects. A GI>80 (an
      indicator of the disappearance of phytotoxicity) was reached when the
      concentrations of NH(4)(+)-N, extractable Cu, and extractable Zn were 2gkg(-1),
      15mgkg(-1), and 15mgkg(-1), respectively. Multiple regression analysis revealed
      that NH(4)(+)-N was the most important factors affecting the phytotoxicity of the
      hog manure. Composting strategies employed affected the speed of composting, time
      of maturation, and disappearance of phytotoxicity. The disappearance of
      phytotoxicity corresponded with the time of maturation of the hog manure. If
      optimum composting conditions (windrows turned every 4d with weekly moisture
      adjustment to 60%) are met, phytotoxicity disappears within 56d.

PMID- 20299075
TI  - Spatial distribution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and
      hexabromocyclododecanes in sediments from coastal waters of Korea.
AB  - Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) were
      determined in surface sediments collected from 24 coastal locations in Korea. The
      concentrations of summation operatorPBDEs (defined as the sum of all targeted
      PBDE congeners except for BDE-209) and BDE-209 ranged from 0.05 to 32 ng g(-1)
      dry wt. and from 0.40 to 98 ng g(-1) dry wt., respectively. The PBDE congener
      compositions were dominated by BDE-209, which is in accordance with the
      consumption of decaBDE mixture in Korea. HBCD concentrations ranged from 0.39 to
      59 ng g(-1) dry wt. Concentrations of PBDEs and HBCDs were found to be higher
      near locations with industrial complexes and harbors, associating these compounds
      to urbanization and industrialization. Significant positive correlations between
      PBDE and HBCD concentrations and organic carbon content in sediments imply the
      role played by organic matter in the contaminant transport and trapping in the
      aquatic environment.

PMID- 20299076
TI  - Human brain activation in response to visual stimulation with rural and urban
      scenery pictures: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study.
AB  - Human brain activation was assessed in terms of eco-friendliness while viewing
      still photographs depicting rural and urban surrounding environments with the use
      of a functional magnetic resonance imaging technique. A total of 30 subjects who
      had both rural and urban life experiences participated in this study. In order to
      explore the common and differential activation maps yielded by viewing two
      extreme types of scenery, random effect group analysis was performed with the use
      of one-sample and two-sample t-tests. Activation of the anterior cingulate gyrus,
      globus pallidus, putamen and head of the caudate nucleus was dominant during
      rural scenery viewing, whereas activation of the hippocampus, parahippocamus and
      amygdala was dominant during urban scenery viewing (p<0.01). These findings allow
      better characterization of neural activation, suggesting an inherent preference
      towards nature-friendly living. Such a theoretical acquisition may have an
      important practical impact in view of potential applications for bio-housing and
      the development of environmental psychology-related areas.

PMID- 20299077
TI  - A randomized comparison of totally tubeless and standard percutaneous
      nephrolithotomy in elderly patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the safety, effectiveness, and feasibility of totally
      (tubeless and stentless) tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) in elderly
      patients. Tubeless PCNL is performed widely in adult patients. METHODS: A total
      of 60 patients with renal stones were enrolled in this study. Patients were
      randomized to either a totally tubeless approach (group 1, 30 patients) or
      placement of an 18F nephrostomy tube (group 2, 30 patients). Patients were
      considered uncomplicated and suitable for randomization at the end of the
      operation if there was no significant bleeding or residual stone, and the
      pelvicaliceal system was intact. The incidence of complications, hospital stay,
      analgesic requirements, and stone-free rates were compared in 2 groups. RESULTS:
      The mean age of the patients at receipt of the surgical procedure was 67.7 years
      (range, 60-77) vs 66.5 years (range, 61-74), respectively. The mean stone size
      was 25.6 vs 22.3 mm and stone-free rate was 86% vs 83% for group 1 and 2,
      respectively (P > .05). The mean hospitalization time was 1.5 and 3.2 days (P <
      .001), the mean analgesia requirement (pethidine HCl) was 0.5 and 1.4 mg/kg,
      respectively (P < .01). Decrease in hematocrit was similar in 2 groups. No blood
      transfusions were needed. CONCLUSIONS: Totally tubeless PCNL is safe and
      effective procedure even in elderly patients with renal stones. The
      hospitalization and analgesic requirements are less than standard PCNL. However,
      the tubeless decision should be taken intraoperatively in selected patients.

PMID- 20299078
TI  - Risk of infection after midurethral synthetic sling surgery: are postoperative
      antibiotics necessary?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To review our postoperative infections using single-dose preoperative
      antibiotics. Midurethral synthetic sling surgery is commonly performed.
      Postoperative antibiotics are often prescribed and may have some risk of adverse
      events (AEs). We are unaware of data suggesting decreased risk of infection with
      this practice. METHODS: We reviewed all midurethral synthetic sling surgery
      charts from 2004 to 2008 performed by 1 surgeon who uses only single-dose
      preoperative antibiotics (controls), and 2 who also use postoperative
      antibiotics(cases). A telephone survey was administered, which included questions
      regarding postoperative infections and AEs related to antibiotic use. Our primary
      and secondary outcomes were urinary tract infections (UTIs) and AEs related to
      antibiotic use, respectively. Patients were excluded for bladder injuries,
      postoperative catheters, and concomitant prolapse surgery. RESULTS: We identified
      103 cases and 116 controls, and the telephone survey response rate was 81.3%. At
      baseline, groups had similar characteristics. There was no significant difference
      in UTIs between cases (6.8%) and controls (9.5%). There were no skin infections.
      AEs related to antibiotic use were more common among those that received
      postoperative antibiotics (7.8% vs 0.9%, P=.03). There were 5 (63%) yeast
      infections, 1 (12.5%) rash, 1 (12.5%) case of nausea, and 1 (12.5%) patient with
      colitis among cases and 1 yeast infection among controls. CONCLUSIONS: UTI is
      common after sling surgery, but other infections are rare. The occurrence of UTI
      does not appear to be lower when postoperative antibiotics are prescribed.
      However, AEs associated with antibiotic use are increased. These findings do not
      support the use of postoperative antibiotics.

PMID- 20299079
TI  - The total number of retroperitoneal lymph nodes resected impacts clinical outcome
      after chemotherapy for metastatic testicular cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the prognostic significance of the total number of lymph
      nodes obtained at postchemotherapy retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (PC
      RPLND). After the multidisciplinary management of metastatic germ cell tumor,
      approximately 10%-15% of patients with the histologic finding of fibrosis or
      teratoma will suffer disease recurrence. METHODS: Between 1989 and 2006, a total
      of 628 patients underwent PC-RPLND and were found to have either fibrosis or
      teratoma. After Institutional Review Board approval, complete clinical and
      pathologic data were obtained from our prospective testis cancer surgical
      database. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was constructed to evaluate
      the association of the total number of lymph nodes obtained at PC-RPLND on
      disease recurrence. RESULTS: On pathologic evaluation, 248 (57%) patients had
      fibrosis and 184 (43%) patients had teratoma. The median number of lymph nodes
      resected was 25 (interquartile range, 15-37). On multivariable analysis,
      increasing postchemotherapy nodal size and decreasing lymph node counts were
      significant predictors of disease recurrence (P=.01, .04, respectively). For
      patients with 10 nodes removed, the predicted 2-year relapse free probability was
      90%, compared with 97% when 50 nodes were removed. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest
      that the total number of lymph nodes removed and analyzed is an independent
      predictor of disease recurrence after PC-RPLND. This has implications both for
      the urologist to assure completeness of resection and for the pathologist to
      meticulously assess the pathologic specimens.

PMID- 20299080
TI  - Clinical features and treatment options for Chinese patients with severe primary
      erectile dysfunction.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate clinical features of Chinese patients with severe
      primary erectile dysfunction (S-PED) and to identify the ideal treatment options
      for this population. METHODS: Patients with PED were screened for enrollment in
      our study. Sexual history, marital status, and erectile function were evaluated
      by inquiry including International Index of Erectile Function-5. Individuals with
      severe PED (defined as refractory to management with phosphodiesterase type 5
      inhibitor [PDE5i]) underwent serum hormone analysis, penile color duplex Doppler
      ultrasound, neuroelectromyogram, and cavernosography as appropriate. Long-term
      treatment results were determined. RESULTS: Among 220 PED patients, 72 (32.7%)
      suffered from severe PED (PDE5i nonresponse). Mean age was 31.5 +/- 4.5 years and
      mean duration of attempts at sexual activity was 2.4 +/- 3.2 years, Sixty-eight
      men (94.5%) had organic etiologies for erectile dysfunction, including
      arteriogenic (n = 13), venogenic (n = 35), endocrinologic (n = 6), neurologic (n
      = 9), and cavernosal fibrosis (n = 5). Sixteen men (22.2%) had been divorced.
      Mean erectile function and quality-of-life were significantly improved (P <.001)
      in the 25 men (34.7%) who were treated by penile prosthesis implantation, at a
      mean follow-up of 5.6 years. Satisfaction with penile prosthesis for patients and
      partner was 93.4% and 92.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Severe PED has a major
      impact on young couple's life quality. Venous leak is the most common cause of
      severe PED. Penile prosthesis implantation is safe and effective for severe PED.

PMID- 20299081
TI  - Face validation of a novel robotic surgical simulator.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the face validity of Robotic Surgery Simulator (RoSS), a
      novel virtual reality training platform for the da Vinci Surgical System (DVSS).
      METHODS: Urologic surgeons, fellows, and residents attending the 2009 American
      Urologic Association Annual Meeting in April 2009 were invited to an orientation
      session with RoSS. Participants completed a questionnaire after orientation and
      two modules. RESULTS: Thirty participants including 24 surgeons and fellows
      experienced with robotic surgery and 6 robotic surgery novices participated in
      the study. Eighty percent participants had at least 4 years of experience with
      robotic surgery and 77% had performed an average of 340 cases on the DVSS as
      primary console surgeons. Subjects indicated that RoSS was realistically close to
      the DVSS console in terms of virtual simulation and instrumentation. Fifty-two
      percent of subjects rated RoSS somewhat close and 45% rated RoSS very close to
      the DVSS console. Thirty-seven percent rated RoSS pinch device somewhat close,
      and 47% very close to the DVSS. With regard to movement of the arms, 43% rated it
      somewhat close, 40% rated it very close, and 7% felt that it was just like the
      DVSS. Camera movement and clutch functions were rated not close (11%), somewhat
      close (57%), and very close (32%) to the DVSS. Data were further analyzed in
      terms of surgical volume. Thirty-eight percent of subjects had also tried the
      Mimic dV-Trainer robotic surgery simulator. CONCLUSIONS: RoSS provides
      opportunity for robot-assisted surgical training for future error-free surgery.
      Further validation will be necessary to assess RoSS and the application of
      specific modules for robot-assisted surgical training.

PMID- 20299082
TI  - Determining failure after renal ablative therapy for renal cell carcinoma: false
      negative and false-positive imaging findings.

PMID- 20299084
TI  - SIU Scholarship: Dr. Abimbola Olaniyi Olajide.

PMID- 20299083
TI  - Cut-off value of testes volume in young adults and correlation among testes
      volume, body mass index, hormonal level, and seminal profiles.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To set a population-based cut-off value of normal adult and to
      determine correlations of testicular volume with body mass index (BMI), seminal
      profiles, and hormone levels. Testicular volume is an index of male fertility but
      cut-off values of normal adult has not been reported. METHODS: During 54 months
      from January 2004, 1139 normal young men, 19-27 years old in military service
      were enrolled. Testicular volumes were measured by ultrasonometry. Height, body
      weight, and BMI were measured and semen analysis and hormone assay (follicle
      stimulating hormone [FSH], luteinizing hormone [LH], and testosterone) were
      performed. RESULTS: The mean age was 23.52+/-2.74. The mean testicular volume was
      18.37+/-3.62 cm3 in left, and 18.13+/-3.85 cm3 in right. The mean body weight was
      67.4+/-7.91 kg, the mean height was 176.2+/-6.64 cm, and mean BMI was 22.49+/
      2.02 kg/m2. Testicular volumes had significant but weak correlations with height,
      body weight, and BMI. The semen analyses showed a mean pH of 7.63+/-0.74, volume
      of 2.49+/-1.12 mL, count of 68.63+/-13.62x10(6), motility of 69.93%+/-10.28%, and
      morphology of 68.62%+/-7.48%. Sperm counts and motility had positive correlations
      with testicular volume. The mean hormonal levels of FSH, LH, and testosterone
      were 7.31+/-2.42 mIU/mL, 7.81+/-2.49 mIU/mL, and 6.23+/-1.69 ng/mL, respectively.
      Testicular volume was negatively correlated with FSH and LH and positively with
      testosterone. CONCLUSIONS: In this population-based study, we conclude that the
      cut-off testicular volume in normal young adults is around 18 mL and that
      testicular volume is positively correlated with height, body weight, BMI, semen
      profile, and testosterone, and negatively correlated with FSH and LH.

PMID- 20299085
TI  - SIU Scholarship: Dr. Mathew K. Y. Kyei.

PMID- 20299086
TI  - Novel cost-effective specimen retrieval bag in laparoscopy: Nadiad bag.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe an innovative bag for effective specimen retrieval with
      the aim of reducing the cost of surgery. Retrieval bags are useful in specimen
      retrieval after ablative surgery. METHODS: The components of the retrieval bag
      are a polyethylene roll, nylon thread, and a 5 ureteral catheter. The lower end
      is double-sewn with an autoseal device. The neck of the bag consists of a folded
      edge of the polyethylene bag, which is single-sewn. The folded tunnel
      accommodates the 5F ureteral catheter and nylon thread. Introduction is performed
      through the 10-mm port with the help of an atraumatic grasper without any special
      introducer sheath. Two laparoscopic instruments are required to open, place the
      specimen within, and close the bag. The bag is extracted by extending the port
      incision, if required. RESULTS: The bag was used in 40 cases, including radical
      prostatectomy in 7, simple nephrectomy in 18, nephroureterectomy in 11, and
      adrenalectomy in 4. The running cost of the retrieval bag was <US$2, the least
      expensive of the specimen retrieval systems currently available. The bag had good
      laparoscopic visibility in all cases. Organ entrapment required a certain
      learning curve. The overall entrapment time was 7.6 +/- 3.4 minutes. None of the
      specimens ruptured during entrapment. The entrapment time differed depending on
      the type of specimen retrieved. The retrieval time for kidney, prostate, and
      adrenal specimens was 8 +/- 3, 3 +/- 2, and 3 +/- 1.3, respectively. CONCLUSIONS:
      The retrieval bag is inexpensive and easy to make and maintain, and effectively
      useful with good maneuverability.

PMID- 20299087
TI  - Cystoscopic injections of dextranomer hyaluronic acid into proximal urethra for
      urethral incompetence: efficacy and adverse outcomes.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine whether dextranomer/hyaluronic acid would be more
      efficacious or would produce fewer complications when using the material in a
      standard proximal-urethra cystoscopically-directed injection technique.
      Injectable periurethral bulking agents are an alternative to stress incontinence
      surgery. Dextranomer, a highly hydrophilic dextran polymer, solubilized in a base
      of nonanimal stabilized hyaluronic acid, has been approved as an injectable agent
      for the treatment of childhood vesicoureteric reflux (Deflux, Q-Med AB, Uppsala,
      Sweden), and in Europe for women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) (Zuidex,
      Q-Med AB, Uppsala, Sweden). A previous multicenter trial demonstrated
      nonequivalence compared with bovine glutaraldehyde cross-linked collagen with a
      high complication rate. We sought to determine whether the failure of the
      treatment lay in the material itself or the use of a blind, midurethral injection
      technique. METHODS: A retrospective case series of 56 patients undergoing
      cystoscopically guided bladder neck injections of dextranomer/hyaluronic acid
      with follow-up in 42, included 35 women with intrinsic sphincter deficiency
      (ISD), 4 men with postprostatectomy incontinence, 2 men with sphincteric
      denervation secondary to spinal cord injury, and 1 woman with sphincteric failure
      after a neobladder. Outcome assessment used gender-appropriate International
      Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire, clinical records, and/or urodynamic
      assessment. RESULTS: Of 35 women with ISD, 4 developed pseudoabscess formation
      with outlet obstruction requiring multiple operative interventions. Patient
      defined treatment failure occurred in all 4 carefully selected postprostatectomy
      incontinent men, and in 23 of 35 females with ISD. CONCLUSIONS: Complications
      with cystoscopically injected dextranomer hyaluronic acid at the bladder neck
      occurred at a high rate, and using a validated questionnaire, the efficacy of
      dextranomer hyaluronic acid applied in this manner for ISD was poor.

PMID- 20299088
TI  - Synthesis and characterization of novel dimethacrylates of different chain
      lengths as possible dental resins.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In this study three novel dimethacrylates of different chain lengths
      having bulky bicycloaliphatic rings were synthesized and proposed as possible
      dental monomers for dental resin mixtures. METHODS: The monomers were prepared by
      the reaction of glycidyl methacrylate with dicarboxylic acid esters obtained from
      nadic anhydride and ethylene, 1,4-butylene and 1,6-hexylene glycols. The addition
      reaction of glycidyl methacrylate and the acidic compound was carried out in the
      presence of basic catalyst-tetraethylammonium bromide. The monomers were
      photopolymerized in the presence of a photoinitiator which was 2,2-dimethoxy-2
      phenyloacetophenone. Unfilled homopolymers were evaluated for photopolymerization
      conversion and volumetric curing shrinkage. Water sorption, water solubility,
      flexural strength and hardness were measured. The prepared polymers were also
      subjected to dynamic mechanical studies (DMA). RESULTS: The proposed
      dimethacrylates exhibit low curing shrinkage (about 4-5%) and high degree of
      double bond conversion (up to 84%). Their water sorption and water solubility are
      comparable to those of Bis-GMA composite resin. Furthermore, their thermo
      mechanical properties are better than those of the commonly known
      dimethacrylates. SIGNIFICANCE: The new dimethacrylates are promising photocurable
      dental monomers owning to simple synthesis, high degree of conversion coupled
      with low curing shrinkage and good mechanical properties.

PMID- 20299090
TI  - Hyaluronan induces migration of multidrug-resistant lymphoma cell lines in vitro
      through Tiam1 activation by a PI3K-dependent mechanism.
AB  - Hyaluronan (HA) modulates multidrug resistance (MDR) as well as cell migration.
      Tiam1 is involved in cytoskeleton reorganization during tumor invasion. In this
      report we show the relationship among HA, Tiam1, migration and MDR in murine
      lymphoma cell lines. We observed that MDR cells presented higher migratory
      capacity towards HA in vitro as well as higher constitutive active Tiam1
      expression than the sensitive cell line. Besides, HA treatment induced migration
      towards HA of MDR cell lines through Tiam1 activation by a PI3K-dependent
      mechanism, showing that disruption of HA signaling would be useful in treatment
      of MDR hematological malignancies.

PMID- 20299089
TI  - Use of a specific MMP-inhibitor (galardin) for preservation of hybrid layer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Dentinal MMPs have been claimed to contribute to the auto-degradation
      of collagen fibrils within incompletely resin-infiltrated hybrid layers and their
      inhibition may, therefore, slow the degradation of hybrid layer. This study aimed
      to determine the contribution of a synthetic MMPs inhibitor (galardin) to the
      proteolytic activity of dentinal MMPs and to the morphological and mechanical
      features of hybrid layers after aging. METHODS: Dentin powder obtained from human
      molars was treated with galardin or chlorhexidine digluconate and zymographically
      analyzed. Microtensile bond strength was also evaluated in extracted human teeth.
      Exposed dentin was etched with 35% phosphoric acid and specimens were assigned to
      (1) pre-treatment with galardin as additional primer for 30s and (2) no pre
      treatment. A two-step etch-and-rinse adhesive (Adper Scotchbond 1XT, 3M ESPE) was
      then applied in accordance with manufacturer's instructions and resin composite
      build-ups were created. Specimens were immediately tested for their microtensile
      bond strength or stored in artificial saliva for 12 months prior to being tested.
      Data were evaluated by two-way ANOVA and Tukey's tests (alpha=0.05). Additional
      specimens were prepared for interfacial nanoleakage analysis under light
      microscopy and TEM, quantified by two independent observers and statistically
      analyzed (chi(2) test, alpha=0.05). RESULTS: The inhibitory effect of galardin on
      dentinal MMPs was confirmed by zymographic analysis, as complete inhibition of
      both MMP-2 and -9 was observed. The use of galardin had no effect on immediate
      bond strength, while it significantly decreased bond degradation after 1 year
      (p<0.05). Interfacial nanoleakage expression after aging revealed reduced silver
      deposits in galardin-treated specimens compared to controls (p<0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed that the proteolytic activity of dentinal MMPs
      was inhibited by the use of galardin in a therapeutic primer. Galardin also
      partially preserved the mechanical integrity of the hybrid layer created by a two
      step etch-and-rinse adhesive after artificial aging.

PMID- 20299091
TI  - Infantile mixed phenotype acute leukemia (bilineal and biphenotypic) with
      t(10;11)(p12;q23);MLL-MLLT10.
AB  - We report a case of a 6-month-old boy with a mixed phenotype acute leukemia
      (MPAL), bilineal and biphenotypic immunophenotype (B-lymphoid lineage and
      combined B-lymphoid and monocytic lineage) with t(10;11)(p12;q23);MLL-MLLT10. He
      was treated with acute myeloid leukemia protocol and in complete remission at 7
      month follow-up. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported MLL
      MLLT10 rearranged case presenting as MPAL in an infant. From a clinical practice
      standpoint, this case illustrates the importance of detection of MLL
      rearrangement due to its prognostic implication and the effectiveness of flow
      cytometry immunophenotyping in diagnosing MPAL and monitoring minimal residual
      disease.

PMID- 20299092
TI  - CpG islands aberrant hypermethylation of sex hormone receptor superfamily might
      be involved in the development of leukemic neoplasms.

PMID- 20299093
TI  - Successful imatinib and arsenic trioxide combination therapy for sudden onset
      promyelocytic crisis with t(15;17) in chronic myeloid leukemia.

PMID- 20299094
TI  - Duplications of the long arm of both chromosome 1, dup(1)(q21q32), leading to
      tetrasomy 1q in myelodysplastic syndrome.

PMID- 20299095
TI  - Leukemic transformation associated with massive hyperdiploidy in myelodysplastic
      syndrome (MDS) with der(1;7)(q10;p10): a novel case study.

PMID- 20299096
TI  - Identification and characterization of Japanese flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus
      interferon-stimulated gene 15 (Jf-ISG15).
AB  - Previously, using cDNA microarray analysis, we demonstrated that an EST clone of
      Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) with homology to mammalian interferon
      stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) was strongly induced by treatment with DNA vaccine
      encoding the glycoprotein gene of Hirame rhabdovirus (HIRRV). In this study, we
      conducted molecular cloning and expression analysis of the Japanese flounder
      ISG15 (Jf-ISG15). Jf-ISG15 encoded two exons. The first exon was non-coding,
      while the second exon encoded a protein of 158 amino acids. The coded protein has
      two tandem ubiquitin-like domains with a carboxyl-terminus conjugation motif
      "LRLRGG". Phylogenetic analysis revealed an evolutionary relationship among Jf
      ISG15, mammalian and fish ISG15 orthologues. The interferon-stimulated response
      element (ISRE) sites were conserved among DNA sequences of Jf-ISG15 and mammalian
      ISG15 promoter regions. An RT-PCR analysis of healthy tissues showed that Jf
      ISG15 mRNA was notably strongly expressed in gills, PBLs and spleen. Expression
      of Jf-ISG15 was strongly induced by poly-I:C treatment in head-kidney cells,
      peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) and spleen cells, and by HIRRV infection in
      kidney of juvenile fish suggesting that Jf-ISG15 plays a role in fish antiviral
      response.

PMID- 20299097
TI  - Evaluation of a recombinant measles virus expressing hepatitis C virus envelope
      proteins by infection of human PBL-NOD/Scid/Jak3null mouse.
AB  - In this study, we infected NOD/Scid/Jak3null mice engrafted human peripheral
      blood leukocytes (hu-PBL-NOJ) with measles virus Edmonston B strain (MV-Edm)
      expressing hepatitis C virus (HCV) envelope proteins (rMV-E1E2) to evaluate the
      immunogenicity as a vaccine candidate. Although human leukocytes could be
      isolated from the spleen of mock-infected mice during the 2-weeks experiment, the
      proportion of engrafted human leukocytes in mice infected with MV (10(3)
      10(5)pfu) or rMV-E1E2 (10(4)pfu) was decreased. Viral infection of the
      splenocytes was confirmed by the development of cytopathic effects (CPEs) in co
      cultures of splenocytes and B95a cells and verified using RT-PCR. Finally, human
      antibodies against MV were more frequently observed than E2-specific antibodies
      in serum from mice infected with a low dose of virus (MV, 10(0)-10(1)pfu, and rMV
      E1E2, 10(1)-10(2)pfu). These results showed the possibility of hu-PBL-NOJ mice
      for the evaluation of the immunogenicity of viral proteins.

PMID- 20299098
TI  - Estrangement factors associated with addiction to alcohol and drugs among
      homeless youth in three U.S. cities.
AB  - Substance use is highly prevalent among homeless, street-involved young people.
      Societal estrangement is often associated with substance use, particularly among
      this population. The current study sought to identify four domains of social
      estrangement (disaffiliation, human capital, identification with homeless
      culture, and psychological dysfunction) in relation to alcohol and drug
      addiction. Homeless young adults were recruited from three disparate urban areas:
      Los Angeles, CA (n=50), Austin, TX (n=50) and St. Louis, MO (n=46) using
      comparable research methods and measurement instruments. Findings demonstrated
      that variables measuring psychological dysfunction and homeless culture predicted
      alcohol addiction, while institutional disaffiliation and homeless culture
      predicted drug addiction. Findings affirm distinct patterns of estrangement
      related to alcohol compared to drug addiction. Understanding these features and
      the heterogeneity of this population has strong potential for assisting
      development of programs targeting substance use among this underserved
      population.

PMID- 20299099
TI  - Biomarkers of pesticide exposure and diabetes in the 1999-2004 national health
      and nutrition examination survey.
AB  - The associations of 8 pesticides and pesticide metabolites with total diabetes
      (diagnosed and undiagnosed) and pre-diabetes (glycohemoglobin 5.7-6.4%) were
      evaluated using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES),
      1999-2004. Six of the pesticides were found to be associated with total diabetes
      in separate adjusted logistic regressions. These pesticides and pesticide
      metabolites were beta-hexachlorocyclohexane, p,p'-DDE, p,p'-DDT, oxychlordane,
      trans-nonachlor, and heptachlor epoxide. When the number of compounds elevated
      was tested, 4 or more, of the 6, elevated had an odds ratio of 4.99 (95% CI 1.97
      12.61) compared to none elevated. When the 6 compounds were tested together in a
      single combined adjusted logistic regression only oxychlordane, a metabolite of
      chlordane, and heptachlor epoxide, a metabolite of heptachlor, were significantly
      associated with total diabetes. In the combined adjusted logistic regression,
      oxychlordane >or=14.5ng/g lipid adjusted had an odds ratios of 1.90 (95% CI 1.09
      3.32) compared to oxychlordane <14.5ng/g lipid adjusted, and heptachlor epoxide
      >or=14.6ng/g lipid adjusted had an odds ratio of 1.70 (95% CI 1.16-2.49) compared
      to heptachlor epoxide <14.6ng/g lipid adjusted. Heptachlor epoxide and p,p'-DDT
      were significantly associated with pre-diabetes in separate adjusted logistic
      regressions. When these 2 compounds were tested together only heptachlor epoxide
      remained significantly associated with pre-diabetes. The evidence supporting the
      relationship between pesticides and pesticide metabolites, with diabetes, was
      strongest for heptachlor epoxide and oxychlordane, intermediate for p,p'-DDT, and
      least for beta-hexachlorocyclohexane, p,p'-DDE, and trans-nonachlor. Mirex and
      dieldrin were not associated with total diabetes or pre-diabetes.

PMID- 20299100
TI  - Circular Dichroism reveals evidence of coupling between immunoglobulin constant
      and variable region secondary structure.
AB  - Antibodies (Ab) are bifunctional molecules with two domains, a constant region
      (C) that confers effector properties and a variable (V) region responsible of
      antigen (Ag) binding. Historically the C and V regions were considered to be
      functionally independent, with Ag specificity being solely determined by the V
      region. However, recent studies suggest that the C region can affect Ab fine
      specificity. This has led to the proposal that the C(H) domain influences the
      structure of the V region, thus affecting Ab affinity and fine specificity. An
      inference from this proposal is that V region identical monoclonal Abs (mAbs)
      differing in C region (eg isotype) would manifest different secondary structures
      arising from isotype-induced variation in the V-C regions after Ag binding. We
      hypothesized that such effects could translate into differences in Circular
      Dichroism (CD) upon Ag-Ab complexes formation. Consequently we studied the
      interaction of a set of V region identical IgG(1), IgG(2a), IgG(2b) and IgG(3)
      mAbs with glucuronoxylomannan (GXM). The native CD spectra of the pairs
      IgG(1)/IgG(2a) and IgG(3)/IgG(2b) were strikingly similar, implying similar
      secondary structure content. GXM binding by IgG(1), IgG(2a), IgG(2b) and IgG(3)
      produced different CD changes, with the pairs IgG(1)/IgG(2a) and IgG(3)/IgG(2b)
      again manifesting qualitatively similar trends in secondary structure changes.
      The magnitude of the changes differed among the isotypes with
      IgG(2a)>IgG(3)>IgG(2b)>IgG(1). These differences in CD changes were interpreted
      to reflect differences in V-C secondary structures.

PMID- 20299101
TI  - Hybrid IgG4/IgG4 Fc antibodies form upon 'Fab-arm' exchange as demonstrated by
      SDS-PAGE or size-exclusion chromatography.
AB  - Human IgG4 antibodies are dynamic molecules that in vivo exchange half-molecules
      to become bispecific antibodies. Here we show that IgG4 antibodies and IgG4 Fc
      fragments similarly exchange resulting in hybrid antibodies (a single Fab+Fc)
      with a molecular weight of ca. 100kDa. These antibodies can be separated from
      IgG4 and IgG4 Fc using size-exclusion chromatography and non-reducing SDS-PAGE.
      This method does not rely on a cross-linking immunoassay with its potential for
      false-positive results due to aggregation and it unambiguously demonstrates that
      the 'Fab-arm' exchange process depends entirely on the Fc part (hinge+CH2+CH3).

PMID- 20299102
TI  - Transcription factors PU.1 and IRF4 regulate activation induced cytidine
      deaminase in chicken B cells.
AB  - The chicken immunoglobulin (Ig) variable region is preceded by multiple pseudo
      genes. During B cell maturation, the Ig variable region is converted into various
      pseudo gene sequences, and the diversity of antigen binding site is expanded as a
      consequence. Ig gene conversion is initiated by a B cell-specific enzyme,
      activation induced cytidine deaminase (AID). The mechanisms that regulate AID
      expression and function during Ig gene conversion in chicken B cells are not
      fully elucidated. In this report, we show that the transcription factor PU.1 and
      its functional partner, IRF4, are involved in the expression of AID gene in
      chicken B cells, and the regulation may be mediated in part through a composite
      PU.1/IRF4 binding site near the AID promoter. Relative to IRF4, PU.1 appears to
      be more important for AID expression, implying additional IRF4 independent roles
      for PU.1. Besides regulating AID expression, PU.1 and IRF4 also bind to two
      composite PU.1/IRF4 binding sites in the Iglambda locus, and mutations in these
      binding sites reduce AID-mediated gene conversion. Moreover, AID-mediated gene
      conversion is impaired in IRF4 deficient cells, and the defect may be a
      consequence of both reduced AID expression and lack of IRF4 interaction at the
      Iglambda locus. Based on these observations, we propose that PU.1 and IRF4
      regulate AID at two levels in chicken B cells: the expression of AID as well as
      its gene conversion function at the Iglambda locus.

PMID- 20299103
TI  - Scavenger receptor CD163, a Jack-of-all-trades and potential target for cell
      directed therapy.
AB  - Scavenger receptor CD163 contains nine scavenger receptor cysteine-rich (SRCR)
      domains and because of the presence of this ancient and highly conserved protein
      motif, CD163 belongs to the SRCR superfamily. Expression of CD163 is restricted
      to cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage and is tightly regulated, with a
      general tendency of anti-inflammatory signals to induce CD163 synthesis, while
      pro-inflammatory signals rather seem to downregulate CD163 expression. The first
      identified and most-studied function of CD163 is related to its capacity to bind
      and internalize haemoglobin-haptoglobin (HbHp) complexes. Later on, its
      functional repertoire was expanded, with the identification of CD163 as an
      erythroblast adhesion receptor, a receptor for tumour necrosis factor-like weak
      inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK), as well as a receptor for distinct pathogens
      encompassing bacteria and viruses. Interaction of one of these ligands with CD163
      might result in receptor-mediated endocytosis, but might as well trigger a
      signalling cascade leading to the secretion of signalling molecules, which
      implicates that CD163 also acts as an immunomodulator. Not only the membrane
      bound form of CD163 has an immunomodulating capacity, but also soluble CD163,
      which is generated via ectodomain shedding, is able to exert anti-inflammatory
      effects. Furthermore, the concentration of this soluble protein is significantly
      increased under specific pathological conditions, making it a useful marker
      protein for certain diseases. Finally, its restricted expression pattern and
      potential to internalize make CD163 an attractive candidate as gateway for cell
      directed (immuno)therapy. This review aims to summarize current knowledge on
      CD163's biology and its different biological functions beyond HbHp scavenging,
      thereby mainly focussing on the more recently discovered ones. Furthermore,
      current data supporting the capacity of CD163 to serve as a diagnostic marker in
      certain diseases and its potential as a target molecule for cell-directed therapy
      are surveyed.

PMID- 20299104
TI  - Identification of the amino acid residues involved in human IgG transport into
      egg yolks of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica).
AB  - In avian species, maternal immunoglobulin (Ig) Y is selectively incorporated into
      the yolks of maturing oocytes, although the relevance of receptor-mediated uptake
      is unclear. When administered to birds, several mammalian Igs, including human
      IgG (hIgG), are also incorporated into the yolks. In the current study, to gain
      insight into selective Ig transport into yolks, we intended to identify the amino
      acid residues critical for Ig uptake into egg yolks using alanine and glycine
      scanning mutagenesis of 16 residues located along the C(H)2 and C(H)3 domains of
      hIgG1. Wild-type hIgG1-Fc (WT) and its mutants were synthesized, and their
      uptakes into the egg yolks of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) were determined.
      The triple mutation of loop MIS252-254 to GGG resulted in a 40% decrease in Fc
      uptake in comparison to that of the WT. Furthermore, quartet substitution of
      HEAL429-432 to GGGG located in an exposed loop at the C(H)3 domain completely
      abolished Fc uptake into egg yolks. Next, the residues HEAL429-432 were
      individually substituted with either alanine or glycine. Regardless of the
      glycine and alanine substitution, single mutations of H (429), E (430) and L
      (432) significantly reduced Fc uptake compared with WT uptake. Notably, the blood
      clearance rates of these mutants were equivalent to that of the WT. These results
      suggest that the clustered residues HEAL429-432 in the C(H)3 domain are important
      for the hIgG1 transport into the egg yolks. The sequence HEAL is conserved in
      chicken IgY at positions 550-553 within the C(H)4 domain, which might be involved
      in its uptake into the egg yolks by receptor-mediated endocytosis.

PMID- 20299106
TI  - Cholesterol and CSF 5-HIAA in attempted suicide.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Low serum cholesterol has been linked to suicide and violent
      behaviour. The same kind of associations has been reported regarding low levels
      of 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5-HIAA) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and
      suicidal behaviour. The hypothesis of the link between serum cholesterol and
      suicide incorporate serotonin. It proposes that low cholesterol is related to
      altered serotonergic neurotransmission. A correlation between CSF 5-HIAA and
      serum cholesterol has been shown in animal studies, but has not been found in
      humans. AIM: To study the interrelationship between serum cholesterol and CSF 5
      HIAA in suicide attempters. Since both cholesterol and CSF 5-HIAA are associated
      with suicide and violent suicide attempts, we also investigated the correlation
      with suicide, violent suicide attempt method, suicide intent, hopelessness and
      depression severity. METHODS: Serum total cholesterol and CSF 5-HIAA were
      measured in 42 medication free suicide attempters. Patients were assessed with
      Becks's Hopelessness scale (BHS), Suicide Intent Scale (SIS) and Montgomery
      Asberg depression rating scale (MADRS) and followed-up for causes of death.
      RESULTS: Serum total cholesterol and CSF 5-HIAA showed a significant positive
      correlation adjusted for age, body mass index and substance abuse diagnosis.
      Cholesterol and CSF 5-HIAA levels did not differ between violent and non-violent
      suicide attempters or between suicide completers and survivors. CONCLUSIONS:
      These findings indicate that the serotonergic system may be connected to serum
      cholesterol in patients with a recent suicide attempt.

PMID- 20299107
TI  - The educational patterning of health-related adversities in individuals with
      major depression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder and depression severity are socially
      patterned, disfavouring individuals from lower socioeconomic groups. Depressive
      disorders are associated with several adverse health-related outcomes. We
      examined the educational patterning of somatic health, lifestyles, psychological
      function and treatment modalities in individuals suffering from major depressive
      disorder. METHODS: We used cross-sectional medical and psychiatric data from 992
      participants of The Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA) with a
      diagnosed current major depressive disorder. Associations of education with
      somatic, lifestyle-related, and psychological outcomes, and with treatment
      modalities, adjusted for depression severity, were examined by means of
      (multinomial and binary) logistic and linear regression analyses. RESULTS: In
      addition to and independent of major depressions being more severe in the less
      educated patients, metabolic syndrome, current smoking, low alcohol consumption,
      hopelessness and low control were more prevalent in a group of less educated
      individuals suffering from major depression, compared with their more highly
      educated peers. The less educated persons were more likely to be treated with
      antidepressant medication and less likely to receive psychotherapy treatment.
      None of these observations were explained by a higher depression severity in the
      less educated group. LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional design does not allow us to
      make direct causal inferences regarding the mutual influences of the different
      health-related outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Further research should explore the
      necessity and feasibility of routine screening for additional health risk,
      particularly among less educated depressed individuals.

PMID- 20299108
TI  - Long-term follow-up of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder treated by
      anterior capsulotomy: a neuropsychological study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: For treatment-refractory Obsessive-Compulsive-Disorder (OCD)
      patients, anterior capsulotomy is a potential therapy. We investigated what kinds
      of cognitive deficits treatment-refractory patients have and how anterior
      capsulotomy modifies their clinical and cognitive profiles. METHODS: Ten
      treatment-refractory OCD patients were examined in two groups (operated and non
      operated) with 5 participants in each group, matched for symptom severity,
      gender, age and education. The operated group was treated with anterior
      capsulotomy; the non-operated group was treated only with pharmaco- and
      psychotherapy. The Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Rating Scale (Y-BOCS) was used
      to measure OCD symptoms, and ten neuropsychological tests were used to measure
      cognitive functioning. RESULTS: In the operated group, the score of Y-BOCS score
      significantly decreased during the two-year follow-up period. Additionally, we
      found a significant increase in neuropsychological test scores on the Wechsler
      Intelligence Test (MAWI), California Sorting Test Part A (CST-A), Stroop Test
      Interference Score (STR-I), Verbal Fluency Test and Iowa Gambling Test. As a
      negative result, we observed intrusion errors in the Category Fluency Test. In
      the non-operated group significant improvement was found in Y-BOCS scores. At
      follow-up, we found significant differences between the operated and non-operated
      groups on three neuropsychological tests: Trail Making Test Part B, Repeatable
      Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) Attention Index
      and RBANS Language Index, with better performance in the non-operated group.
      CONCLUSIONS: Both treatment methods (i.e. anterior capsulotomy and pharmaco- and
      psychotherapy) seem effective in reducing OCD symptoms and cognitive deficits,
      but, importantly, to different degrees. The clinical and neuropsychological
      improvements were more impressive in the operated group.

PMID- 20299109
TI  - Glycoprotein and carbohydrate binding protein expression in the placenta in early
      pregnancy loss.
AB  - Glycoproteins expressed at the fetal-maternal interface have been shown to exert
      immunomodulating effects. Glycodelin, hCG and transferrin have been used in in
      vitro experiments as ligands to block E-selectin-mediated cell adhesion. We found
      that glycodelin is a strong inhibitor of the E-selectin-mediated cell adhesion
      with a 10(3)-fold increase in potency compared to the monovalent tetrasaccharide
      sialyl Lewis X. HCG with distinct carbohydrate expression is also an effective
      selectin antagonist, whereas the potency of transferrin is low. This could
      indicate a possible role of glycodelin, hCG and transferrin in preventing
      leukocyte adhesion to the fetal trophoblast. In decidual tissue of abortion
      patients, glycodelin expression was significantly reduced compared to normal
      gestation. These results were confirmed by in situ hybridization. Moreover,
      glycodelin expression in endometrial cells in vitro could be stimulated by
      addition of hCG. Because hCG is down-regulated in women with abortion, we
      speculate that hCG could be one of the factors regulating glycodelin expression.
      Galectins are structurally related proteins with the ability to bind beta
      galactosides through a conserved carbohydrate recognition domain. Galectin-1 (gal
      1) expression in the syncytiotrophoblast is down-regulated in early pregnancy
      loss. Gal-1 recognizes the Thomsen-Friedenreich disaccharide (Galbeta1-3GalNAc-)
      on the syncytiotrophoblast and extravillous trophoblast. Gal-1 also inhibited
      trophoblast cell proliferation but did not induce apoptosis in BeWo cells.
      Ligation of Gal-1 on trophoblast cells may have regulatory effects on trophoblast
      cell differentiation. Decreased expression of Gal-1 may partly explain disturbed
      trophoblast differentiation during early placentation leading to early pregnancy
      loss.

PMID- 20299110
TI  - Differential distribution of WC1(+) gammadelta TCR(+) T lymphocyte subsets within
      lymphoid tissues of the head and respiratory tract and effects of intranasal M.
      bovis BCG vaccination.
AB  - BCG vaccination of neonatal calves induces significant protection against bovine
      tuberculosis. The enhanced protection observed in neonatal calves may be linked
      to an enhanced capacity for IFNgamma production by innate cells, including WC1(+)
      gammadelta T cells, which constitute a major population in young cattle.
      Intranasal BCG vaccination of mice induces high levels of IFNgamma in the lungs,
      which may enhance protection against subsequent challenge with virulent strains
      of mycobacteria. We used an intranasal BCG vaccination model in calves to study
      the effect on the distribution of WC1(+) gammadelta T cells expressing two
      alternate forms of WC1: WC1.1 and WC1.2. These subsets of WC1(+) gammadelta T
      cells have previously been shown to have a differential capacity for IFNgamma
      secretion. Our results indicate that there is a selective expansion/recruitment
      of gammadelta T cells expressing the IFNgamma-associated WC1.1 isoform in tissues
      of the lungs and upper respiratory tract following intranasal BCG vaccination.

PMID- 20299111
TI  - Otolaryngological manifestations of 'Muckle-Wells syndrome'.
AB  - We present a follow-up of a cohort of three cases of Muckle-Wells syndrome (MWS).
      The aim of this report is to characterise the symptoms of this rare autosomal
      dominant condition with respect to the ENT practice. A retrospective analysis of
      the clinical features of MWS from our outpatient follow-up record of the three
      patients diagnosed with MWS. An extensive literature search was performed, using
      Medline through Pub Med (1950-2010), EMBASE (1980-2009) and Ovid (1958-2009).
      Retrospective case note study. In the present cohort, progressive sensorineural
      hearing loss was the main presentation and has been followed up over 10 years
      (median). The spectrum of head and neck presentation from the world literature
      was reviewed and includes hypothyroidism, amyloid goitre, cervical
      lymphadenopathy, and facial rash. This is the first documented report of the
      Otolaryngological features of the MWS in the English ENT literature. An awareness
      of this rare syndrome is essential in order to diagnose this uncommon syndrome
      and thus to plan for a long-term follow-up.

PMID- 20299112
TI  - Clinical correlates of age of onset in psychotic depression.
AB  - The issue whether the clinical characteristics of unipolar psychotic major
      depression (PMD) vary according to the age of onset remains still unclear. Thus,
      the aim of this study was to assess comparatively a broad set of clinical
      characteristics of three groups of PMD patients, namely young early-onset (n=30),
      elderly early-onset (n=34) and elderly late-onset (n=35). Ninety-nine inpatients
      suffering from DSM-IV unipolar PMD were assessed on the basis of Structured
      Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-IV), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression
      (HRSD) and a physical impairment rating scale. The elderly late-onset patients
      suffered from overall more severe depression compared to both early-onset ones,
      more psychic anxiety compared to elderly early-onset patients and more
      gastrointestinal symptoms compared to young early-onset patients. Additionally,
      they expressed significantly more frequently delusions of somatic content and
      higher scores on the HRSD item of hypochondriasis than their young early-onset
      counterparts. The group of elderly early-onset PMD patients was found to hold an
      intermediate position between the young early-onset and elderly late-onset PMD
      patients with regard to hypochondriacal ideation, gastrointestinal symptoms and
      delusions of somatic, guilt, and paranoid content. Their stability of delusional
      content across successive episodes was found to extend into old age.
      Nevertheless, they expressed additional somatic delusions. Overall, the findings
      of the present study suggest considerable differences between young early-onset,
      elderly early-onset and elderly late-onset PMD patients with respect to their
      clinical features.

PMID- 20299113
TI  - Visualization of coronary arteries and coronary stents by low dose 320-slice
      multi-detector computed tomography in a patient with atrial fibrillation.
AB  - Cardiac multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) is widely used in the diagnosis
      of coronary disease. However, the predictive value of this technique is limited
      in the presence of atrial fibrillation and coronary stents. Here we present a
      case showing the ability of the new 320-slice MDCT to assess coronary anatomy in
      a patient with atrial fibrillation and coronary stents.

PMID- 20299114
TI  - Development and validation of a bleeding risk model for patients undergoing
      elective percutaneous coronary intervention.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Accurate estimation of bleeding risk in patients undergoing elective
      percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is difficult and not based on widely
      accepted scores or characteristics. We developed and validated a simple
      prediction model for major bleeding using the SafeTy and Efficacy of Enoxaparin
      in PCI patients, an internationaL randomized Evaluation (STEEPLE) trial, which
      demonstrated the superior safety of enoxaparin over unfractionated heparin (UFH)
      in 3528 patients undergoing elective PCI. METHODS AND RESULTS: Independent
      predictors of non-coronary artery bypass graft (CABG)-related major bleeding
      events were determined using stepwise multivariate logistic regression analysis
      from a development dataset using bootstrap resampling. These predictors were
      assigned an integer coefficient (risk score) proportional to the estimated
      coefficient from the logistic model. Risk scores were tested in a validation
      cohort. Female sex, use of unfractionated heparin (vs. enoxaparin), and use of a
      glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor (vs. nonuse) were the strongest independent
      predictors of bleeding. Extensive testing found that the final model performed
      well with bootstrap resampling in the development set (c-statistic 0.75; 95% CI:
      0.70-0.82; Hosmer-Lemeshow p = 0.29), validation set (c-statistic 0.67; Hosmer
      Lemeshow p = 0.12), and subgroups of high-risk patients analysed from the
      validation set (c-statistic >= 0.67). CONCLUSIONS: Our model for evaluating the
      risk of non-CABG-related major bleeding in patients undergoing elective PCI
      identified sex, the type of antithrombin used, and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa
      inhibitor use as important indicators of bleeding risk, and accurately predicted
      the incidence of non-CABG-related major bleeding in patients undergoing elective
      PCI in the STEEPLE trial.

PMID- 20299115
TI  - Effects of acute autonomic modulation on atrial conduction delay and local
      electrograms duration in paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.
AB  - Slowed atrial conduction may contribute to reentry circuits and vulnerability for
      atrial fibrillation (AF). The autonomic nervous system (ANS) has modulating
      effects on electrophysiological properties. However, complex interactions of the
      ANS with the arrhythmogenic substrate make it difficult to understand the
      mechanisms underlying induction and maintenance of AF. AIM: To determine the
      effect of acute ANS modulation in atrial activation times in patients (P) with
      paroxysmal AF (PAF). METHODS AND RESULTS: 16P (9 men; 59+/-14years) with PAF, who
      underwent electrophysiological study before AF ablation, and 15P (7 men; 58+/
      11years) with atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia, without documentation
      or induction of AF (control group). Each group included 7P with arterial
      hypertension but without underlying structural heart disease. The study was
      performed while off drugs. Multipolar catheters were placed at the high right
      atrium (HRA), right atrial appendage (RAA), coronary sinus (CS) and His bundle
      area (His). At baseline and with HRA pacing (600ms, shortest propagated S2) we
      measured: i) intra-atrial conduction time (IACT, between RAA and atrial
      deflection in the distal His), ii) inter-atrial conduction time (interACT,
      between RAA and distal CS), iii) left atrial activation time (LAAT, between
      atrial deflection in the distal His and distal CS), iv) bipolar electrogram
      duration at four atrial sites (RAA, His, proximal and distal CS). In the PAF
      group, measurements were also determined during handgrip and carotid sinus
      massage (CSM), and after pharmacological blockade of the ANS (ANSB). AF was
      induced by HRA programmed stimulation in 56% (self-limited - 6; sustained - 3),
      68.8% (self-limited - 6; sustained - 5), and 50% (self-limited - 5; sustained -
      3) of the P, in basal, during ANS maneuvers, and after ANSB, respectively (p=NS).
      IACT, interACT and LAAT significantly lengthened during HRA pacing in both groups
      (600ms, S2). P with PAF have longer IACT (p<0.05), a higher increase in both
      IACT, interACT (p<0.01) and electrograms duration (p<0.05) with S2, and more
      fragmented activity, compared with the control group. Atrial conduction times and
      electrograms duration were not significantly changed during ANS stimulation.
      Nevertheless, ANS maneuvers increased heterogeneity of the local electrograms
      duration. Also, P with sustained AF showed longer interACT and LAAT during CSM.
      CONCLUSION: Atrial conduction times, electrograms duration and fractionated
      activity are increased in PAF, suggesting a role for conduction delays in the
      arrhythmogenic substrate. Acute vagal stimulation is associated with prolonged
      interACT and LAAT in P with inducible sustained AF and ANS modulation may
      influence the heterogeneity of atrial electrograms duration.

PMID- 20299116
TI  - Quality of coronary arterial 320-slice computed tomography images in subjects
      with chronic atrial fibrillation compared with normal sinus rhythm.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate coronary arterial image quality on 320-slice CT in subjects
      with chronic atrial fibrillation (CAf) vs. normal sinus rhythm (NSR). MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: In 92 consecutive subjects, 46 each with CAf (male:female ratio
      2.54:1.00, age 69.7 +/- 9.9 years) and NSR (male:female ratio 1.88:1.00, age 63.7
      +/- 13.7 years), 320-slice CT (Aquilion-one) was performed with enhanced images
      reconstructed at 80% of ECG R-to-R intervals. Visualized coronary vessels >1.5mm
      diameter in the right coronary artery, left anterior descending (LAD), and
      circumflex (LCx) distribution were evaluated for length, percentage of length
      free from motion artifacts, and image quality on a scale ranging from 1 (highest
      quality) to 5 (lowest quality). RESULTS: LCx length measurements were
      significantly greater in subjects with NSR (108.8 +/- 27.0mm) than CAf (96.6 +/-
      31.4mm) (P = 0.049), whereas percentages of length free from motion artifacts did
      not differ between the three vascular beds. Image quality, was significantly but
      marginally better overall in NSR than in CAF, as well as for LAD and LCx vascular
      beds. Mean scores in subjects with CAf and NSR were 1.4 +/- 0.7 and 1.3 +/- 0.6
      in all arteries, 1.4 +/- 0.7 and 1.2 +/- 0.5 in LAD, and 1.5 +/- 0.7 and 1.2 +/-
      0.5 in LCx, respectively (all P<0.001). Despite this difference in image quality,
      mean scores for both CAf and NSR were weighted toward the high quality end of the
      scale. CONCLUSION: By 320-slice CT, the overall length of visualized coronary
      arteries, motion artifact-free length, and image quality using a 5-point scale
      showed values equal to or slightly lower in CAf than in NSR, but the absolute
      values were quite acceptable in both groups.

PMID- 20299117
TI  - Safety and efficacy of G-CSF in patients with ischemic heart failure: the CORNER
      (Cell Option For Recovery in the Non-Eligible Patients for Revascularization)
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Demonstration that the heart is not a post-mitotic organ has led to
      clinical trials trying to obtain myocardial repair even in patients with heart
      failure. AIM OF THE STUDY: To evaluate as a less invasive method for promoting
      cardiac repair. METHODS: Thirteen patients with ischemic heart failure in NYHA
      and/or CCS classes >= 3 unsuitable for revascularization received G-CSF, as a
      compassionate use, in addition to optimal medical therapy. Symptoms and cardiac
      perfusion by gated-SPECT were assessed at baseline and at 4 month follow up.
      RESULTS: G-CSF was generally well tolerated. NYHA and CCS classes improved
      significantly from 3 (IR 2.5-3) to 2 (IR 1-2.5) (p = 0.012) and from 3 (IR 1-3)
      to 1 (IR 1-2) (p = 0.033). Heart failure severity symptoms according to the
      Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire scores exhibited a non
      significant improvement from 52 +/- 27 to 39 +/- 26 (p = 0.15). At the Seattle
      Angina Questionnaire scores (ranging from 0 to 100, higher scores indicating
      better status), physical limitation improved from 39 +/- 31 to 64 +/- 29 (p =
      0.03), angina stability from 42 +/- 29 to 64 +/- 28 (p = 0.05), angina frequency
      from 53 +/- 33 to 73 +/- 26 (p = 0.04), treatment satisfaction from 67 +/- 29 to
      83 +/- 21 (p = 0.07), disease perception from 37 +/- 29 to 66 +/- 26 (p = 0.007).
      Quality of life assessed by a Visual Analogue Scale improved from 33 +/- 24 to 64
      +/- 20 mm (p = 0.003). Stress and differential regional perfusion scores improved
      significantly from 1.78 +/- 1.38 to 1.66 +/- 1.38 (p = 0.05) and from 0.35 +/-
      0.68 to 0.23 +/- 0.53 (p = 0.02) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with
      ischemic heart failure unsuitable for revascularization, G-CSF is associated to a
      significant improvement of symptoms, possibly reducing stress-induced ischemia.

PMID- 20299118
TI  - Pulmonary veins of the patients with atrial fibrillation: dual-source computed
      tomography evaluation prior to radiofrequency catheter ablation.

PMID- 20299119
TI  - Comparison of post amputation outcome in patients with type 2 diabetes from
      specialized foot care centres in three developing countries.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate post amputation outcome and associated complications in
      type 2 diabetic patients who had undergone major amputations in developing
      countries. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 526 (M:F; 369:157) subjects from
      three centers [India (IND), n=194, Bangladesh (BAN) n=177 and Tanzania (TAN)
      n=155 who had undergone amputation and subsequently visited the hospital were
      included in this analysis. Details on foot problems and associated complications
      were recorded. RESULTS: The prevalence of amputations was similar in all centres.
      The history of minor amputation and foot deformity was high in BAN. Recurrence of
      foot ulceration was more in TAN (30%) than in IND (9%) and BAN (11%). Re
      amputation rate was similar in all groups (3%). The use of artificial limb was
      most in BAN (97%). Myocardial infarction was more prevalent in IND (15%). In
      Tanzania, 31% had died during the follow-up period and it was 16% and 5% in IND
      and BAN. The causes of death were infection due to septicemia and cardiovascular
      events which finally led to multisystem organ failure. CONCLUSION: The outcome
      following a major diabetic foot amputation was compared in three developing
      countries. Recurrence of foot infection was common in Tanzania. The most frequent
      causes of death were infection and cardiovascular events.

PMID- 20299105
TI  - Vitrectomy outcomes in eyes with diabetic macular edema and vitreomacular
      traction.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate vitrectomy for diabetic macular edema (DME) in eyes with at
      least moderate vision loss and vitreomacular traction. DESIGN: Prospective cohort
      study. PARTICIPANTS: The primary cohort included 87 eyes with DME and
      vitreomacular traction based on investigator's evaluation, visual acuity 20/63
      20/400, optical coherence tomography (OCT) central subfield >300 microns and no
      concomitant cataract extraction at the time of vitrectomy. METHODS: Surgery was
      performed according to the investigator's usual routine. Follow-up visits were
      performed after 3 months, 6 months (primary end point), and 1 year. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: Visual acuity, OCT retinal thickening, and operative complications.
      RESULTS: At baseline, median visual acuity in the 87 eyes was 20/100 and median
      OCT thickness was 491 microns. During vitrectomy, additional procedures included
      epiretinal membrane peeling in 61%, internal limiting membrane peeling in 54%,
      panretinal photocoagulation in 40%, and injection of corticosteroids at the close
      of the procedure in 64%. At 6 months, median OCT central subfield thickness
      decreased by 160 microns, with 43% having central subfield thickness <250 microns
      and 68% having at least a 50% reduction in thickening. Visual acuity improved by
      > or =10 letters in 38% (95% confidence interval, 28%-49%) and deteriorated by >
      or =10 letters in 22% (95% confidence interval, 13%-31%). Postoperative
      complications through 6 months included vitreous hemorrhage (5 eyes), elevated
      intraocular pressure requiring treatment (7 eyes), retinal detachment (3 eyes),
      and endophthalmitis (1 eye). Few changes in results were noted between 6 months
      and 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: After vitrectomy performed for DME and vitreomacular
      traction, retinal thickening was reduced in most eyes. Between 28% and 49% of
      eyes with characteristics similar to those included in this study are likely to
      have improvement of visual acuity, whereas between 13% and 31% are likely to have
      worsening. The operative complication rate is low and similar to what has been
      reported for this procedure. These data provide estimates of surgical outcomes
      and serve as a reference for future studies that might consider vitrectomy for
      DME in eyes with at least moderate vision loss and vitreomacular traction.

PMID- 20299120
TI  - Association between screen time and metabolic syndrome in children and
      adolescents in Korea: the 2005 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination
      Survey.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between screen time and the metabolic
      syndrome (MetS) in a nationally representative sample of children and
      adolescents. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 845 children and
      adolescents (10-18 years of age) from the 2005 Korean National Health and
      Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES). Screen time was defined as TV
      time+computer time. The definition of MetS was based on the modified criteria
      used by the National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III,
      using age- and sex-specific values for some of the criteria. RESULTS: In
      comparison with the children and adolescents in the ST-Q1 (<or=16h for a week),
      the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for MetS of subjects in the ST-Q4
      (>or=35h for a week) was 2.23 (95% CI, 1.02-4.86) after the adjustment for age,
      household income, and residence area. Moreover, screen time for a weekend day was
      also strongly associated with the prevalence of MetS, but not for a weekday.
      CONCLUSIONS: Screen time was independently associated with an increased
      prevalence risk of MetS in children and adolescents in Korea. Public health
      intervention to reduce screen time particularly for a weekend may be needed to
      prevent pediatric MetS in Korea.

PMID- 20299121
TI  - PC-based asymmetry analyzer for facial palsy study in uncontrolled environment: a
      preliminary study.
AB  - We develop a PC-based quantitative asymmetry analyzing system for facial palsy
      patients. To collect frequent data, the system is designed to maximize the chance
      of measure and minimize the variation of measuring. The system is based on the
      DirectX technology adopting white balance correction, lip segmentation, point
      tracking techniques. The degree and pattern of asymmetry is estimated by tracking
      the bi-lateral lip points. Tracking performance is tuned up by changing the
      configuration of tracking compared to previous study. All data are able to be
      sent via FTP and reviewed by clinician. DirectX technology makes it measure
      anywhere. White balance correction is effective in restoring color distortion and
      lip segmentation by region growing is effective in finding bi-lateral lip points
      but not in all environments. Point-tracking is a good method to provide the
      temporal movement of lip. A larger searching window of tracking points shows an
      improved performance in point of variation and robustness at fast movements.
      Transferring via Internet makes monitor the patient frequently. PC-based
      analyzing system is able to use not just in clinic but also at home. The system
      makes it possible to measure frequently and objectively and leads to diagnose
      exact conditions of patient.

PMID- 20299122
TI  - Adsorption of active ingredients of surface disinfectants depends on the type of
      fabric used for surface treatment.
AB  - The disinfection of surfaces in the immediate surrounding of a hospitalised
      patient is considered to be an important element for prevention of nosocomial
      infection. The type of fabric in a mop, however, has to our knowledge never been
      regarded as relevant for an effective disinfection of surfaces. We have therefore
      studied the adsorption of benzalkonium chloride (BAC), glutardialdehyde and
      propan-1-ol from working solutions of three surface disinfectants to four
      different types of fabric (A: white pulp and polyester; B: viscose rayon; C:
      polyester; D: mixture of viscose, cellulose and polyester). The working solutions
      of each disinfectant were exposed to each fabric for up to 24h. Before and after
      exposure, tissues were removed and squeezed in a standardised way. The eluate was
      used for determination of the concentration of the active ingredient in
      quadruplicate. The analysis of glutardialdehyde and BAC was performed using high
      performance liquid chromatography; the analysis of propan-1-ol was done using gas
      chromatography. BAC was strongly adsorbed to the tissues based on white pulp (up
      to 61% after 30 min), followed by the viscose rayon tissues (up to 70% after 30
      min) and the mixed tissues (up to 54% after 7h). The polyester fibre tissue
      adsorbed the smallest amounts of BAC with up to 17% after 15 min. Only with the
      polyester fibre tissue were BAC concentrations found in the range of the
      calculated BAC concentrations. Glutardialdehyde and propan-1-ol did not adsorb to
      any of the fibres. Effective surface disinfection also includes selection of an
      appropriate fabric.

PMID- 20299123
TI  - When are the hands of healthcare workers positive for methicillin-resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus?
AB  - Hand hygiene is a key component in reducing infection. There are few reports on
      the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) on
      healthcare workers' (HCWs') hands. The aim of this study was to establish whether
      HCWs' fingertips were contaminated with MRSA in a clinical hospital setting. The
      study was conducted in an acute tertiary referral hospital on four MRSA wards
      that were part of a larger research study on MRSA epidemiology and four other
      wards not included in the study. The fingertips from all categories of 523 HCWs
      were sampled on 822 occasions by the imprinting of fingertips on MRSA chromogenic
      agar plates. The type of hand hygiene agent used, if any, and the immediate prior
      activity of the HCW were recorded. Overall, 38/822 (5%) fingertips from 523 HCWs
      were MRSA-positive; 12/194 (6%) after clinical contact, 10/138 (10%) after
      contact with the patient's environment and 15/346 (4%) after no specific contact.
      MRSA was recovered on 2/61 (3%) occasions after use of alcohol hand rub, 2/35
      (6%) after 4% chlorhexidine detergent, 7/210 (3%) hand washing with soap and
      water, and 27/493 (5%) when no hand hygiene had been performed. MRSA was
      recovered from HCWs on seven of the eight wards. MRSA was more frequently present
      on fingertips on the four non-study wards vs the four MRSA study wards [18/250
      (7%), 3/201 (1%), respectively; P<or=0.004]. The isolation of MRSA from HCWs'
      fingertips, including after hand hygiene, indicates that more educational
      programmes are necessary to improve the quality of hand hygiene to prevent
      transmission of MRSA.

PMID- 20299124
TI  - What's in the cin bin?

PMID- 20299125
TI  - The necktie as a potential vector of infection: are doctors happy to do without?

PMID- 20299126
TI  - High-throughput whole-genome sequencing to dissect the epidemiology of
      Acinetobacter baumannii isolates from a hospital outbreak.
AB  - Shared care of military and civilian patients has resulted in transmission of
      multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDR-Aci) from military casualties to
      civilians. Current typing technologies have been useful in revealing
      relationships between isolates of A. baumannii but they are unable to resolve
      differences between closely related isolates from small-scale outbreaks, where
      chains of transmission are often unclear. In a recent hospital outbreak in
      Birmingham, six patients were colonised with MDR-Aci isolates indistinguishable
      using standard techniques. We used whole-genome sequencing to identify single
      nucleotide polymorphisms in these isolates, allowing us to discriminate between
      alternative epidemiological hypotheses in this setting.

PMID- 20299127
TI  - MRSA decolonization with Prontoderm compared with chlorhexidine and mupirocin.

PMID- 20299128
TI  - Effects of 'bare below the elbows' policy on hand contamination of 92 hospital
      doctors in a district general hospital.
AB  - Despite a lack of evidence the UK's Department of Health introduced a policy of
      'bare below the elbows' attire in order to try to reduce the incidence of
      nosocomial infection. This study investigates the link between this state of
      dress and hand contamination. A prospective observational study of doctors
      working in a district general hospital was carried out. The fingertips of each
      hand were imprinted onto culture medium, and resultant growth assessed for number
      of colony-forming units and presence of clinically significant pathogens or
      multiply resistant organisms. These findings were correlated with attire, grade,
      sex and specialty. Ninety-two doctors were recruited of whom 49 were 'bare below
      the elbows' compliant and 43 were not. There was no statistically significant
      difference between those doctors who were 'bare below the elbows' and those that
      were not, either for the number of colony-forming units or for the presence of
      clinically significant organisms. No multiply resistant organisms were cultured
      from doctors' hands. 'Bare below the elbows' attire is not related to the degree
      of contamination on doctors' fingertips or the presence of clinically significant
      pathogens. Further studies are required to establish whether investment in
      doctors' uniforms and patient education campaigns are worthwhile.

PMID- 20299129
TI  - Evidence for a simple linear relationship between MRSA rates and hand-washing
      compliance.

PMID- 20299130
TI  - Acinetobacter baumannii bacteraemia in Hong Kong.

PMID- 20299131
TI  - Do patients understand the changes in the way doctors dress?

PMID- 20299132
TI  - Transmission of nosocomial pathogens by white coats: an in-vitro model.

PMID- 20299133
TI  - Respiratory syncytial virus outbreak defined by rapid screening in a neonatal
      intensive care unit.
AB  - Palivizumab is currently licensed for the prevention of respiratory syncytial
      virus (RSV) lower respiratory tract disease in infants and children with chronic
      lung disease, with a history of preterm birth, or with haemodynamically
      significant congenital heart disease, but its routine use during outbreaks in
      neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) is not currently recommended. Here we
      report an outbreak in a NICU detected during a screening trial for RSV infection
      using a rapid antigen test (Respi-Strip((R))). Eleven preterm infants in our NICU
      tested positive for RSV during January 2009. Subsequent testing of the remaining
      infants in the NICU revealed two additional asymptomatic cases. In addition to
      precautions against cross-infection, palivizumab prophylaxis was administered to
      the remaining 37 premature infants. Two days after treatment, RSV was detected in
      two additional infants who had become symptomatic. To our knowledge this is the
      largest RSV outbreak in a NICU to be identified at an early stage by rapid
      testing and effectively controlled by infection control measures and palivizumab
      prophylaxis.

PMID- 20299134
TI  - Efficacy of a standard methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus decolonisation
      protocol in routine clinical practice.
AB  - Decolonisation may reduce the risk of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
      (MRSA) infection in individual carriers and prevent transmission to other
      patients. The aims of this prospective cohort study were to determine the long
      term efficacy of a standardised decolonisation regimen and to identify factors
      associated with failure. Patients colonised with MRSA underwent decolonisation,
      which was considered to be successful if there was no growth in three consecutive
      sets of site-specific screening swabs obtained weekly post treatment. If patients
      were successfully decolonised, follow-up cultures were performed 6 and 12 months
      later. Of 137 patients enrolled, 79 (58%) were successfully decolonised. Of these
      79, 53 (67%) and 44 (56%) remained decolonised at 6 and 12 months respectively.
      Therefore only 44/137 (32%) patients who completed decolonisation were MRSA
      negative 12 months later. Outcome was not associated with a particular strain of
      MRSA. Successful decolonisation was less likely in patients colonised with a
      mupirocin-resistant isolate (adjusted odds ratio: 0.08; 95% confidence interval:
      0.02-0.30), in patients with throat colonisation (0.22; 0.07-0.68) and in
      patients aged >80 years (0.30; 0.10-0.93) compared with those aged 60-80 years.
      These findings suggest that although initially successful in some cases, the
      protocol used did not result in long-term clearance of MRSA carriage for most
      patients.

PMID- 20299135
TI  - Product evaluation of a new chlorhexidine gluconate transparent intravenous line
      dressing.

PMID- 20299136
TI  - Determinants of hand grip strength, knee extension strength and functional status
      in cancer patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Decreased functionality and muscle weakness are prominent
      features in cancer patients. We investigated determinants of muscle function
      assessed by hand grip and knee extension strength as well as functional status in
      cancer patients. METHODS: 189 consecutively admitted cancer patients (age 60.8 +/
      12.7 years, 96 male) were recruited. Muscle function was assessed by hand grip
      and knee extension strength, and percentage of anticipated peak expiratory flow
      (%PEF). Functional status was determined by the EORTC questionnaire of quality of
      life. Nutritional status was assessed with Subjective Global Assessment (SGA).
      Age, gender, SGA, body mass index, clinical variables such as cancer location,
      presence of distant metastases, tumour burden according to TNM stage, UICC stage,
      number of drugs per day, number of comorbidities, type of treatment and
      depression were investigated as potential risk factors for muscle weakness and
      impaired functional status in a multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: 80
      patients (39 male) were classified moderately or severely malnourished.
      Malnutrition also emerged as an independent determinant for hand grip (estimated
      effect size 11%, p < 0.01), knee extension strength (estimated effect size 12%, p
      < 0.001), and peak expiratory flow (estimated effect size 30%, p < 0.008) and
      functional status (estimated effect size 19.4%, p < 0.001) next to age and
      gender, which were the strongest predictors. Among the disease parameters, only
      amount of daily medication exhibited a significant influence on knee extension
      strength. CONCLUSIONS: Malnutrition is a disease independent risk factor for
      reduced muscle strength and functional status in cancer patients. Treatment of
      malnutrition might therefore also restore muscle strength.

PMID- 20299137
TI  - Ordeal by post or valuable research? An e-mail survey of consultant oral and
      maxillofacial surgeons' views of postal questionnaires examining their clinical
      practice.

PMID- 20299138
TI  - Donor pretreatment with dopamine and graft function following kidney transplant:
      a strategy to improve transplant outcomes?

PMID- 20299139
TI  - Social disparities and cause-specific mortality during economic development.
AB  - Social patterning of disease is pervasive and persistent. Disease patterns change
      with economic development and the attendant epidemiological transition. It is
      becoming evident that social patterns of disease are epidemiologically stage
      specific. In a population with a recent history of rapid economic development we
      examined social patterns of all-cause and cause-specific mortality over time to
      elucidate how economic development impacts disparities in health. We used
      concentration indices to provide a summary measure of disparities by income in
      potential years of life lost (PYLL) for the Hong Kong population from 1976 to
      2006. For all-cause mortality and for each of the specific causes considered the
      concentration curve in 2006 dominated the 1976 concentration curve. The
      concentration index for all-cause PYLL was negligible in 1976, but increased over
      the period. PYLL attributable to injury and poisoning was fairly consistently
      associated with lower income, but PYLL attributable to cardiovascular diseases
      and cancer reversed from an association with higher income in 1976 to an
      association with lower income in 2006. Social disparities in health are not
      universal or homogeneous in origin. Attention should be focused on disease
      specific causes of disparities, so that contextually specific prevention
      strategies can be implemented. This is of particular relevance to China and other
      emerging economies where there may be a window of opportunity to prevent
      disparities in cancer and cardiovascular diseases occurring.

PMID- 20299140
TI  - Fertility history and cause-specific mortality: a register-based analysis of
      complete cohorts of Norwegian women and men.
AB  - The relationship between women's reproductive histories and later all-cause
      mortality has been investigated in several studies, with mixed results. Some
      studies have also considered cause-specific mortality and some have included men,
      but none has done both. We analyse associations between parity and age of first
      birth for women and men across 11 cause-of-death groupings using Norwegian
      register data for complete cohorts born 1935-1968 whose mortality was observed
      1980-2003 (i.e. at ages 45-68). Age, period, educational level, marital status,
      region of residence and population size of municipality were included as co
      variates. In total, there were 63,000 deaths. Results showed that relative to
      parents of two children, childless men and women and those with one child had
      higher mortality risks for nearly all cause of death groupings. High parity (4+
      children) was associated with raised male mortality from accidents and violence
      and higher mortality from cancer of the cervix among women. For other cause and
      gender groupings there was either little difference between those with two
      children and those of higher parities or an overall negative association between
      parity and mortality. Among men with the lowest level of education, however, high
      parity was positively associated with mortality from circulatory diseases. For
      all causes except female breast cancer, there was an inverse association between
      age at first birth and mortality risk. Similarities observed across cause groups
      and for women and men suggest that much of the fertility-mortality relationship
      is a result of selection or effects of reproductive behaviour on lifestyle. The
      latter may include both beneficial effects and harmful stress responses. However,
      physiological mechanisms are most probably important for some causes of death for
      women. Research on associations between parenting histories, health related
      behaviours, social support exchanges and reported or measured stress is needed to
      clarify mechanisms underlying the associations reported here.

PMID- 20299141
TI  - Local environments as determinants of walking in Melbourne, Australia.
AB  - Structural changes to neighbourhoods that promote walking are likely to benefit
      everyone in a community and result in long-term improvements in the population's
      physical activity and health. We consider time spent walking in relation to
      objectively measured features of people's local environments (functionality,
      safety, destinations and aesthetics) in Melbourne, Australia. We used multilevel
      ordered logistic regression analysis to examine variations in time spent walking
      amongst 2334 residents of 49 small areas (Census Collection Districts - CCDs).
      Features on each street segment within a 400 m radius of a randomly selected
      household within each CCD were measured, supplemented by geographic information
      system data. Models were adjusted for socio-demographic and socio-economic
      characteristics of individual and socio-economic characteristics of areas. We
      found that increasing track length, having paths located closer to roads, fewer
      buildings with driveways, a greater presence and variety of destinations and
      views of shops, light industry, offices and/or schools (commercial views) were
      associated with more time spent walking in local environments in adjusted models.
      As such, each of the four features of local environments considered (design,
      safety, destinations and aesthetics) were associated on at least one measure with
      walking. Characteristics of areas reflecting urbanisation (destinations,
      commercial views, path location and driveways) were associated with increased
      time spent walking. This study provides important evidence on how urban design
      can be utilised to improve physical activity.

PMID- 20299142
TI  - Do working mothers raise couch potato kids? Maternal employment and children's
      lifestyle behaviours and weight in early childhood.
AB  - Alarm about the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity has focussed attention
      on individual lifestyle behaviours that may contribute to unhealthy weight. More
      distal predictors such as maternal employment may also be implicated since
      working mothers have less time to supervise children's daily activities. The
      research reported here used two waves of data from the Longitudinal Study of
      Australian Children to investigate whether mothers' hours in paid work shape
      young children's television viewing, snacking and physical activity, and through
      those lifestyle behaviours, children's weight at ages 4-5 years and 6-7 years. At
      both ages, children's lifestyle behaviours were interrelated and associated with
      weight status. Cross-sectional analysis confirmed small, direct associations
      between longer hours of maternal employment and child weight at age 4-5 years,
      but not with child's weight measured two years later. In both the cross-sectional
      and prospective analyses, the children of mothers who worked part-time watched
      less television and were less likely to be overweight than children of mothers
      who were not employed or who worked full-time. While associations were small,
      they remained significant after adjustment for maternal weight, household income
      and other factors. The combination of direct and indirect relationships between
      mothers' work hours and the weight status of their young children provides
      additional support to calls for family-friendly work policies as an important
      means for promoting healthy family lifestyles and early childhood wellbeing.

PMID- 20299143
TI  - Illness reporting and demand for medical care in rural Burkina Faso.
AB  - The issue of illness reporting in modelling demand for health care in low- and
      middle-income countries can be handled according to either of two conceptually
      different constructs: (a) considering illness reporting behaviour as endogenous
      to demand; or (b) considering demand itself as the outcome of a sample selection
      phenomenon. In this paper, we take the second viewpoint and estimate the demand
      for medical care with an estimator that uses Heckman-type. Empirical estimates
      based on household survey data from rural Burkina Faso suggest that there are
      some implications of illness reporting behaviour for modelling the demand for
      medical care.

PMID- 20299144
TI  - Body temperature effects on lung injury in ventilated preterm lambs.
AB  - AIMS: Mechanical ventilation causes lung injury in premature infants. Hypothermia
      may protect against and hyperthermia may augment lung injury. We tested the
      effects of hypo- and hyperthermia on ventilation induced acute lung injury in
      preterm lambs. METHODS: Twin sheep fetuses at 128 d GA (term 150 d) were
      surgically delivered and randomized to unventilated control (UVC), normothermia
      (38-39 degrees C) without lung injury (NTNI), or to 1 of 3 injurious ventilation
      groups: hypothermic (33-34 degrees C, LT), normothermic (38-39 degrees C, NT) or
      hyperthermic (40-41 degrees C, HT). NT, LT and HT groups had 15 min of injurious
      ventilation (PEEP 0 cmH(2)O, V(T) escalation to 15 mL/kg) following delivery and
      prior to surfactant. The animals were then gently ventilated (PEEP 5cmH(2)O, V(T)
      7.5 mL/kg) for 2h 45 min. NTNI lambs received surfactant at birth prior to gentle
      ventilation. The lambs were then euthanized, and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)
      fluid and lung tissue were used to evaluate lung injury, inflammatory cell
      counts, inflammatory markers and cytokine mRNA. RESULTS: Target temperatures were
      achieved by 15 min of age and maintained for 3h. All ventilated groups had
      increased BAL protein, lung inflammation and increased cytokine mRNA. HT animals
      developed acidosis, premature death, pneumothoraces, impaired lung function and
      increased inflammatory mRNA expression. LT animals remained clinically stable
      without pneumothoraces or death, had improved ventilatory efficiency and trended
      toward lower inflammatory mRNA expression than NT animals. CONCLUSION:
      Hyperthermia exacerbated ventilator induced lung injury, while hypothermia may
      protect against lung injury in the preterm lamb.

PMID- 20299146
TI  - Assessment of temporal trends in ecosystem health using an holistic indicator.
AB  - The Ecosystem Approach to environmental management, with its explicit
      acknowledgment of the environmental, social and economic elements within
      ecological systems, is becoming increasingly adopted by managers and policy
      makers. However, there are few specific prescriptions as to exactly how these
      different elements should be integrated, or examples where historical changes
      have been tracked. Here, we assess the potential benefits and challenges of
      applying an Ecosystem Approach to management using one particular method, the
      Holistic Ecosystem Health Indicator (HEHI), which integrates data from the
      ecological, social and interactive dimensions into a single composite index of
      ecosystem 'health'. We apply it to one of the best-documented catchments in the
      UK, the Ythan Estuary in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, based on a 50-year time series
      of data. The evaluation of ecosystem health over time is lacking in previous
      applications of HEHI, yet is crucial for the assessment of the utility of this
      approach to ecosystem management. The application of HEHI yielded different
      insights to those revealed from the traditional application of biophysical
      approaches for managing the Ythan. Overall, ecological health declined through
      the 50-year period, although it increased marginally in the last decade, while
      social and interactive dimensions followed the opposite trend. HEHI indicated a
      steady increase in ecosystem health overall except for the last decade, when it
      declined marginally. Our evaluation of the application of ecosystem health for
      the Ythan revealed major data gaps. For the approach to be used more widely,
      issues of data availability and the temporal and geographical mismatch between
      ecological and social research boundaries need to be overcome.

PMID- 20299147
TI  - Outcome predictors of radical prostatectomy in patients with prostate-specific
      antigen greater than 20 ng/ml: a European multi-institutional study of 712
      patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer (PCa) patients with pretreatment prostate-specific
      antigen (PSA) >20 ng/ml have a high risk of biochemical and clinical failure and
      even cancer-related death after local therapy. Pretreatment predictors of outcome
      after radical prostatectomy (RP) in this patient group are necessary. OBJECTIVE:
      Our aim was to assess how the use of additional high-risk factors (biopsy Gleason
      score [bGS] > or = 8 or clinical stage 3-4) can improve prediction of treatment
      failure and cancer-related death after RP in patients with PSA >20. DESIGN,
      SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: In a retrospective multicentre cohort study from six
      European centres between 1987 and 2005, 712 patients with PSA >20 ng/ml underwent
      RP and bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy. MEASUREMENTS: Subgroups were analysed to
      determine the relationship between the number of high-risk factors and
      histopathology, biochemical progression-free survival, clinical evidence of
      progressive disease, prostate cancer-specific mortality (PCSM), and overall
      mortality. Kaplan-Meier analysis with log-rank test and Cox multivariable
      analysis were applied. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Median follow-up was 77 mo. The
      number of high-risk factors was significantly associated with unfavourable
      histopathology. Among patients with only PSA >20 ng/ml, 33% had pT2 PCa, 57.9%
      had bGS <7, 54% had negative surgical margins, and 85% were lymph node negative
      (pN0), whereas among patients with all three high-risk factors, 4.5% had pT2 PCa,
      2.3% had bGS <7, 20.5% had negative margins, and 49% were pN0 (p<0.001). The
      strongest predictor of progression and mortality was bGS. PSA >20 ng/ml
      associated with bGS < or =7 resulted in 10-yr PCSM of 5%; when associated with
      bGS > or =8, PCSM was 35%. The main limitations of the study were retrospective
      design and varying treatment modalities. CONCLUSIONS: PCa patients with PSA >20
      ng/ml have varying risk levels of disease progression and PCSM. Considering
      additional risk factors further stratifies this group into four subgroups that
      can guide the clinician in preoperative patient counselling.

PMID- 20299149
TI  - Laboratory and field evaluation of Metarhizium anisopliae (Deuteromycotina:
      Hyphomycetes) for the control of Rhipicephalus microplus (Acari: Ixodidae) in the
      Mexican tropics.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of Metarhizium anisopliae
      to control Rhipicephalus microplus under laboratory and field conditions (larvae
      on vegetation) in the Mexican tropics. In the laboratory study, Ma34, Ma14 and a
      mixture of Ma34+Ma14 strains of M. anisopliae were evaluated for their control of
      the adult and larval stages of R. microplus, using the adult and larval immersion
      test respectively. The reproductive efficiency index of engorged females was
      determined in the treated and control groups. In the adults, the Ma34 and MA14
      strains both produced an efficacy of 100% on engorged females at 1 x 10(8), 1 x
      10(7) and 1 x 10(6)conidia/ml; however, only Ma34 killed 100% at 1 x
      10(6)conidia/ml dose. The mixture of both strains (Ma34+Ma14) produced an
      efficacy of 100% on engorged females at 1 x 10(8)conidia/ml. R. microplus
      engorged females treated with Ma34 and a mixture of strains Ma34 and Ma14 reduced
      egg oviposition by 55.5% and 39.1% respectively compared to treated controls
      (P<0.001). In the larval evaluation, Ma14 produced an efficacy of 45-62%;
      however, Ma34+Ma14 increased the efficacy reaching 90% (1 x 10(8)conidia/ml
      concentrations, P<0.05). In the field study, twelve 9 m(2) plots with vegetation
      were artificially infested with R. microplus larvae. Six plots were used as
      control and six as test areas. The treated plots received the Ma34+Ma14 (1 x
      10(8)conidia/ml) by manual scattering at 0, 14 and 28 days post-treatment (PT).
      The number of larvae in the treated and control group was determined at 0, 7, 14,
      21, 28 and 35 days PT by the tick drag method. This field study was carried out
      in two different seasons (January-March, wet, April-May, dry). In the wet season
      trial the efficacy of M. anisopliae to control R. microplus was 67.7% and 100% in
      the dry season trial .In conclusion, the mixture of Ma34 and Ma14 strains of M.
      anisopliae showed a high efficacy to control both larval and adult stages of R.
      microplus under laboratory conditions, and in field conditions these strains were
      efficient to control larval stages on vegetation.

PMID- 20299148
TI  - 3,3'-Diindolylmethane (DIM) inhibits the growth and invasion of drug-resistant
      human cancer cells expressing EGFR mutants.
AB  - Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) mutants are associated with resistance to
      chemotherapy, radiation, and targeted therapies. Here we found that the
      phytochemical 3,3'-Diindolylmethane (DIM) can inhibit the growth and also the
      invasion of breast cancer, glioma, and non-small cell lung cancer cells
      regardless of which EGFR mutant is expressed and the drug-resistant phenotype.
      DIM reduced an array of growth factor signaling pathways and altered cell cycle
      regulators and apoptotic proteins favoring cell cycle arrest and apoptosis.
      Therefore, DIM may be used in treatment regimens to inhibit cancer cell growth
      and invasion, and potentially overcome EGFR mutant-associated drug resistance.

PMID- 20299150
TI  - Effect of extra dietary lysine in Ascaridia galli-infected grower layers.
AB  - The hypothesis examined in this study was that extra dietary lysine (Lys) above
      the recommended standard exerts beneficial effects on the defence reactions,
      growth performance and nutrient utilization in Ascaridia galli-infected chickens.
      Therefore, 1-day-old female Lohmann Selected Leghorn chickens were at first fed
      standard Lys diet (8.5 g Lys/kg DM). At 4 weeks of age, the birds were allocated
      to groups 1 and 3, both being continued on standard Lys diet, whereas birds in
      groups 2 and 4 were switched to extra Lys diet (10.5 g Lys/kg DM). Birds in
      groups 3 and 4 were additionally infected at this age (4 weeks) with 250
      embryonated eggs of A. galli. All the birds were slaughtered 7-week-post
      infection (p.i.) at an age of 11 weeks. Infected birds on standard Lys diet
      consumed more feed and reached a similar level of Lys intake as birds on extra
      Lys diet 7-week-p.i. Utilization of feed, crude protein, and Lys for body weight
      (BW) gain was adversely affected in infected birds on standard Lys diet
      (P<0.001). Extra Lys diet reduced the incidence of infection (P<0.05), but worm
      counts, worm length, faecal egg counts and female worm fecundity were not
      different between the infected groups (P>0.05). Extra Lys diet led to higher
      final BW in uninfected and infected birds (P<0.05). It is concluded that extra
      Lys above the normal recommended standard supports the defence reactions and
      compensates the negative effect of infection on growth performance and nutrient
      utilization in A. galli-infected birds.

PMID- 20299151
TI  - Changes in the frequency of the G137D and W251S mutations in the carboxylesterase
      E3 gene of Cochliomyia hominivorax (Diptera: Calliphoridae) populations from
      Uruguay.
AB  - The New World Screwworm (NWS) fly Cochliomyia hominivorax is one of most
      important myiasis-causing flies in the Neotropics. It is responsible for severe
      losses to the livestock industry through both mortality and the loss of
      productivity of infested animals. In Uruguay, NWS represents a significant
      problem. To date this pest has been controlled by the application of chemical
      insecticides, mainly the pyrethroid and organophosphate (OP) classes. However,
      the intensive use of these compounds over many years has led to the evolution of
      resistance which has the potential to compromise the effectiveness of current
      control strategies. One mechanism by which resistance has occurred in this and
      related dipteran species is through two mutations (G137D and W251S) in the
      carboxylesterase E3 enzyme that have enhanced ability to hydrolyze certain
      insecticides. In this study changes in the frequency of these mutations in C.
      hominivorax was investigated in three different Uruguayan regions in 2003 and
      2009. All three regions analyzed showed a reduction in the frequency of the G137D
      mutation and a significant increase in frequency of the W251S mutation, and this
      may be related to the current intense use of dimethyl-OP and pyrethroid
      insecticides. The findings of this study provide current information on the
      frequency of these resistance-associated mutations in NWS in Uruguay and may help
      select appropriate chemicals for NWS control as part of potential pest management
      strategies.

PMID- 20299152
TI  - Comparative virulence of Nosema ceranae and Nosema apis in individual European
      honey bees.
AB  - Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae are intracellular microsporidian parasites
      infecting the midgut epithelial cells of adult honey bees. N. ceranae was
      considered to be restricted to the Asian honey bee, Apis cerana, but is nowadays
      a parasite found also in the European honey bee (Apis mellifera) across most of
      the world. Recent surveys and experimental work suggest that N. ceranae is a
      serious threat to the global beekeeping industry. It has been suggested that N.
      ceranae induces significantly higher mortality in honey bees than N. apis, but
      little is known about their comparative virulence. In this study, we used in vivo
      infection experiments to study the two parasites' different virulence (i.e.
      multiplication rate and infectivity). A qPCR was developed to elucidate within
      host competition between the two parasites using mixed infections. The outcome of
      the experiments indicates minor differences in infectious dose and multiplication
      rate between the two species. Moreover, the mortality caused by N. ceranae was
      not significantly higher than for N. apis and N. ceranae appeared to have no
      competitive advantage within host.

PMID- 20299153
TI  - Patient controlled sedation using a standard protocol for dressing changes in
      burns: Patients' preference, procedural details and a preliminary safety
      evaluation. Are studies always adequately powered and analyzed?

PMID- 20299154
TI  - The application of glycerol-preserved skin allograft in the treatment of burn
      injuries: an analysis based on indications.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Glycerol-preserved skin allograft (GPA) plays a crucial role in the
      management of burns. Its indications include wound-bed preparation, definitive
      dressing and sandwich grafting technique. OBJECTIVE: We analysed the experience
      of using GPA and its efficacy in burn treatment in our burn centre. METHODS: All
      burns managed with GPA in our burn centre from October 2001 to May 2008 were
      analysed. RESULTS: Mean total body surface area (TBSA) of 43 consecutive cases
      was 28.7%. GPA adhered to the wound for an average of 8.4 days before rejection.
      The length of hospital stay of the survivors was 42.5 days. The autograft take
      after wound-bed preparation with GPA was 88.4%. For sandwich grafting technique,
      the autograft take was 74.4%. When GPA was applied for partial-thickness burn as
      definitive dressing, all patients achieved complete healing within an average of
      19 days without further surgical intervention. Despite colonisation of burn
      wounds after application of skin allograft, the outcomes of autograft take and
      wound healing were not significantly different. CONCLUSION: The selective and
      strategic use of the GPA in major burn patients ensures optimal benefits in the
      management of burns. It is versatile in various categories of burn wounds with
      minimal morbidity.

PMID- 20299155
TI  - Gene-expression profiles, tumor microenvironment, and cancer stem cells in breast
      cancer: latest advances towards an integrated approach.
AB  - During the past decade, several high throughput analytical methods for gene
      expression profiling have been developed. DNA microarrays and multiplex RT-PCR
      have been applied in the field of breast-cancer research to establish new
      molecular taxonomic classifications, or a selected group of genes able to predict
      the prognosis of the patients and/or their response to chemotherapy. This
      technology provides an opportunity to refine the anti-neoplastic treatment and
      avoid the currently observed under- and over-treatment of breast-cancer patients.
      In parallel, high throughput technologies for gene-expression analysis have been
      applied to research on cancer stem cells (CSCs) and the tumor microenvironment,
      offering a wider vision of the molecular processes that influence carcinogenic
      events, disease development, and the response to the treatment of breast-cancer
      patients. In this report, we briefly revisit the most relevant genomic studies on
      breast-cancer prognosis and prediction to introduce the latest advances in tumor
      dormancy, its implications in the clinical outcome of disease-free patients and
      its connection with CSCs biology and microenvironment influence in the metastatic
      process. Finally, we have discussed the contribution of the results of these
      studies to the design of new experimental strategies oriented towards
      personalized medicine.

PMID- 20299156
TI  - Maternal and umbilical cord androgen concentrations do not predict digit ratio
      (2D:4D) in girls: a prospective cohort study.
AB  - Digit ratio (2D:4D) is widely used as a marker of prenatal androgen exposure.
      However, there are no published prospective studies where prenatal androgen
      exposure has been measured and correlated with digit ratio in adult life. We
      aimed to establish the prospective relationship between prenatal androgen
      exposure in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy (as measured by maternal
      circulating androgen concentrations and umbilical cord androgen concentrations)
      and digit ratio in adolescent girls. Androgen concentrations (testosterone, free
      androgen index, androstenedione, DHEAS) and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG)
      were measured in stored plasma samples from pregnant mothers at 18 (n=118) and
      34/36 (n=114) weeks of gestation and in cord blood (n=82) from the Western
      Australian Pregnancy (Raine) Cohort Study (www.rainestudy.org.au). Digit ratio
      was measured in 244 female offspring from this cohort at age 14-16 years. Only
      one borderline statistically significant correlation between maternal circulating
      androstenedione levels at 18 weeks of gestation and left hand digit ratio was
      seen. No other statistically significant relationship between maternal androgen
      concentrations or umbilical cord androgen concentrations and digit ratio in
      adolescence were observed. These findings suggest that variation in 2D:4D in
      girls is not established as a result of testosterone concentrations in the second
      and third trimesters. We conclude that prenatal androgen exposure as measured by
      maternal circulating androgen concentrations at 18 and 34/36 weeks of gestation
      or in the umbilical cord at birth may not predict digit ratio in girls.

PMID- 20299157
TI  - Neuroticism and conscientiousness are associated with cortisol diurnal profiles
      in adults--role of positive and negative affect.
AB  - A substantial body of research on the pathophysiology of negative health outcomes
      has focused on dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.
      Maladaptive and adaptive personality features have been discussed to be
      associated with health outcomes. In the current study, we investigated the
      association of neuroticism (N) and conscientiousness (C) with diurnal cortisol
      levels in 102 working parents (M age=37 years; 50% female). Further, we examined
      the impact of daily positive and negative affect on this association. During a 6
      day time-sampling phase, cortisol was measured at awakening and after that within
      intervals of 3h. We found a positive association of N with cortisol levels
      throughout the measurement period, but no association of C with daily cortisol.
      When accounting for daily positive and negative affect, individuals with high
      scores on C displayed reductions in daily cortisol concentrations that were
      driven by positive affect compared to individuals with low C scores. No such
      association emerged for N. Our findings might further elucidate the role of
      personality in HPA axis regulation and improve our understanding of the
      association of endocrine states and health outcomes.

PMID- 20299158
TI  - Low plasma lactate concentration as a biomarker of an incompetent brain-pull: a
      risk factor for weight gain in type 2 diabetes patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Body weight development is closely regulated by central nervous
      mechanisms. As has been demonstrated recently, the capability of the brain to
      actively demand energy from the body (brain-pull) is indispensable for the
      maintenance of systemic homeostasis. A deficit in this brain-pull may result in
      compensatory ingestive behavior followed by weight gain in the medium or long
      term. The aim of this study was to establish a biomarker of such an incompetent
      brain-pull. Since lactate is an alternative cerebral energy substrate to glucose,
      we investigated whether low fasting plasma lactate concentrations are associated
      with weight gain and increased feelings of hunger in patients with type 2
      diabetes over a 3-year period. METHODS: In a population based cohort study 134
      type 2 diabetes patients were examined at baseline and 3-year follow-up. Plasma
      lactate concentrations and additional hormones associated with food intake such
      as e.g. insulin, or leptin, as well as psychological variables like hunger
      feelings before and after a standardized breakfast were measured. The relation
      between fasting plasma lactate concentrations and postprandial hunger as well as
      follow-up weight was analyzed. RESULTS: Low fasting plasma lactate concentrations
      predicted a higher 3-year follow-up weight (B=-1.268, SE=0.625, p=0.04).
      Moreover, low fasting plasma lactate concentrations were associated with more
      pronounced feelings of postprandial hunger (B=-0.406, SE=0.137, p<0.01).
      CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that low plasma lactate concentrations may represent a
      biomarker of an incompetent brain-pull, which is associated with weight gain and
      increased postprandial hunger in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. These
      results are in line with the view that plasma lactate can be used by the brain as
      an alternative energy substrate and thereby to some extent prevent overeating and
      obesity.

PMID- 20299159
TI  - Arachnoid granules: Dandy was Dandy, Cushing and Weed were not.
AB  - Errors can be instructive. It seems that Harvey Cushing and Louis Weed provided
      the medical world with a faulty theory of cerebrospinal fluid absorption. Louis
      Weed, working in Harvey Cushing's laboratory, initially studied the movement of
      substances in the cerebrospinal fluid by using low-pressure studies. Results of
      the low-pressure studies were considered unsatisfactory and high pressure
      experiments were undertaken and these had results similar to earlier work done by
      others in human cadavers. High pressure results demonstrating movement of fluid
      through the arachnoid granules were deemed correct. Because of Cushing's position
      of authority, the theory became accepted as fact and in time proved to be
      entrenched dogma. Walter Dandy demonstrated in experiments on hydrocephalus and
      the surgical removal of the arachnoid granule system that the fluid was produced
      by the choroid plexuses and not absorbed by the arachnoid granules. His work was
      dismissed by Weed as unreliable. Examination of the pattern of deposition of
      corpora amylacea on the surface of the brain provides evidence that cerebrospinal
      fluid does not pass through arachnoid granules but passes through the choroid
      fissure and is recycled through choroid plexus portals. The choroid plexus portal
      theory can explain the findings in the low-pressure experiments of Weed. Bias and
      pride seem to be the source of the faulty theory. Entrenched dogma is resistant
      to challenge.

PMID- 20299160
TI  - Chronic infection and the origin of adaptive immune system.
AB  - It has been speculated that the rise of the adaptive immune system in jawed
      vertebrates some 400 million years ago gave them a superior protection to detect
      and defend against pathogens that became more elusive and/or virulent to the host
      that had only innate immune system. First, this line of thought implies that
      adaptive immune system was a new, more sophisticated layer of host defense that
      operated independently of the innate immune system. Second, the natural
      consequence of this scenario would be that pathogens would have exercised so
      strong an evolutionary pressure that eventually no host could have afforded not
      to have an adaptive immune system. Neither of these arguments is supported by the
      facts. First, new experimental evidence has firmly established that operation of
      adaptive immune system is critically dependent on the ability of the innate
      immune system to detect invader-pathogens and second, the absolute majority of
      animal kingdom survives just fine with only an innate immune system. Thus, these
      data raise the dilemma: If innate immune system was sufficient to detect and
      protect against pathogens, why then did adaptive immune system develop in the
      first place? In contrast to the innate immune system, the adaptive immune system
      has one important advantage, precision. By precision I mean the ability of the
      defense system to detect and remove the target, for example, infected cells,
      without causing unwanted bystander damage of surrounding tissue. While the target
      precision per se is not important for short-term immune response, it becomes a
      critical factor when the immune response is long-lasting, as during chronic
      infection. In this paper I would like to propose new, "toxic index" hypothesis
      where I argue that the need to reduce the collateral damage to the tissue during
      chronic infection(s) was the evolutionary pressure that led to the development of
      the adaptive immune system.

PMID- 20299161
TI  - Comparison between locking and non-locking plates for fixation of metacarpal
      fractures in an animal model.
AB  - PURPOSE: The use of locking plates increases the primary load to failure, thereby
      reducing the rate of implant-related failure. The good clinical and biomechanical
      results of locking plates in long bones might be applicable to treatment of
      metacarpal fractures. The purpose of this study was to determine strength and
      stiffness of locking plates in a metacarpal fracture model with mono- and
      bicortical screw fixation in comparison to non-locking plate mono- and bicortical
      screw fixation, with both types of plates placed at the dorsal side of the bone.
      METHODS: Fresh second metacarpals from domestic pigs (n=40) were randomized in 4
      equal groups. Short, oblique, mid-shaft fractures were generated, using a
      standardized 3-point bending method. Fractures were plated with non-locking,
      titanium, 1-mm-thick monocortical (group 1, n=10) or bicortical (group 2, n =10)
      plates (Leibinger-Stryker; Stryker Corp, Freiburg, Germany). Newly designed
      locking titanium plates with the same width and thickness (Leibinger-Stryker)
      were used in the same manner for groups 3 (monocortical) and 4 (bicortical). The
      metacarpals were then tested to load to failure in a cantilever bending mode.
      RESULTS: Bicortical, non-locking fixation (group 2, 359 +/- 90 N) had a higher
      load to failure than monocortical non-locking fixation (group 1, 250 +/- 56 N) in
      testing the maximum load to failure (p < .01). There was no significant
      difference in stiffness between group 1 (46 +/- 12 N/mm) and group 2 (56 +/- 21
      N/mm). The difference in maximum load to failure between monocortical (group 3,
      440 +/- 85N) and bicortical (group 4, 378 +/- 116 N) locking plate stabilization
      was not significant. Also, there was no significant difference in stiffness
      between monocortical (group 3, 83 +/- 35 N/mm) and bicortical locking plates
      (group 4, 70 +/- 31 N/mm). Comparing non-locking (group 1) and locking plates in
      a monocortical fixation technique (group 3) demonstrated significant differences
      in maximum load to failure (group 1, 250 +/- 56 N; group 3, 440 +/- 85 N) and
      stiffness (group 1, 46 +/- 12 N/mm; group 3, 83 +/- 35 N/mm). The stability of
      monocortical locking plates was stronger, although not statistically significant,
      than the non-locking bicortical plates (load to failure, 440 +/- 85 N vs 359 +/-
      90 N; stiffness, 83 +/- 35 N/mm vs 56 +/- 21 N/mm). CONCLUSIONS: The new
      generation of locking plates can be used to achieve a higher stability for
      fixation of metacarpal fractures. Monocortical, stable fixation can minimize
      flexor tendon interference and probably reduce bone and soft tissue trauma.

PMID- 20299162
TI  - [Learning use of spatulas: risks of perineal injuries and newborns morbidity].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine the acute neonatal and maternal perineal morbidity due to
      resident training on spatulas assisted deliveries. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We
      conducted a retrospective observational study of succesful spatulas-assisted
      deliveries at Nice University Hospital between January2003 and December2006. We
      performed univariate analysis and logistic regression to assess risk of severe
      perineal injuries, vaginal laceration and newborn hospitalization according to
      operator status, controlling for confounders. RESULTS: Among 1004 deliveries,
      86.4% were performed by residents. No significant difference was found on
      incidence of severe perineal tears between the 872 extractions performed by
      residents and the 132 performed by an attending physician (6.9% versus 7.9%
      p=0.706; OR=0.86 IC95% [0.41-1.81]), but extraction performed by young residents
      were associated to more severe perineal tears than those performed by senior
      residents (8.0% versus 4.5% p=0.035; OR=2.10 IC95% [1.16-3.77]). There was no
      difference between groups concerning newborn morbidity and hospitalisation in
      special care units (6.4% versus 9.8% p=0.149; OR=1.49 IC95% [0.73-304]).
      CONCLUSION: According to our data, training of resident do not increase the
      incidence of severe perineal injuries, neonatal complications and hospitalisation
      linked to spatulas assisted delivery.

PMID- 20299163
TI  - [Neurodegenerative polyglutamine expansion diseases: physiopathology and
      therapeutic strategies].
AB  - Polyglutamine expansion diseases are adult-onset inherited neurodegenerative
      disorders that lead to death 10 to 20 years after the first symptoms. Currently,
      there is no therapy to fight against these diseases. They include Huntington's
      disease, spinobulbar muscular atrophy, dentatorubral-pallido-luysian atrophy and
      six types of spino-cerebellar ataxia. The diseases are caused by a unique
      mutational mechanism: an expansion of the CAG trinucleotide in the corresponding
      genes coding for an expanded tract of glutamine in the mutated proteins.
      Polyglutamine expansion confers to the mutant proteins toxic properties that
      cause neuronal cell death in brain regions specific to each disease. Thanks to
      cellular and animal models (fly, fish, mouse and rat) of these diseases, we have
      considerably improved our understanding of the toxic nature of polyglutamine
      expansion and the physiopathology, and we are now in position to design and test
      therapeutic strategies to prevent or delay the disease process.

PMID- 20299164
TI  - Person-environment interaction in the prediction of alcohol abuse and alcohol
      dependence in adulthood.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Behavioral disinhibition (externalizing/impulsivity) and behavioral
      inhibition (internalizing/anxiety) may contribute to the development of alcohol
      abuse and dependence. But tests of person-by-environment interactions in
      predicting alcohol use disorders are needed. This study examined the extent to
      which interactions between behavioral disinhibition, behavioral inhibition and
      family management during adolescence predict alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence
      at age 27. METHODS: This study used longitudinal data from a community sample of
      808 men and women interviewed from ages 10 to 27 in the Seattle Social
      Development Project. Zero-order correlations followed by a series of nested
      regressions examined the relationships between individual characteristics
      (behavioral disinhibition and behavioral inhibition/anxiety) and environment
      (good vs. poor family management practices during adolescence) in predicting
      alcohol abuse and dependence criterion counts at age 27. RESULTS: Behavioral
      disinhibition and poor family management predicted increased likelihood of both
      alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence at age 27. Behavioral inhibition/anxiety was
      unrelated to both outcomes. Youths high in behavioral disinhibition were at
      increased risk for later alcohol abuse and dependence only in consistently poorly
      managed family environments. In consistently well-managed families, high levels
      of behavioral disinhibition did not increase risk for later alcohol abuse or
      dependence. CONCLUSIONS: Behavioral disinhibition increases risk for alcohol
      abuse and dependence in early adulthood only for individuals who experience poor
      family management during adolescence. Interventions seeking to reduce
      environmental risks by strengthening consistent positive family management
      practices may prevent later alcohol abuse and dependence among individuals at
      risk due to behavioral disinhibition.

PMID- 20299165
TI  - Evolution of infectious bronchitis virus in Taiwan: characterisation of RNA
      recombination in the nucleocapsid gene.
AB  - Avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) belongs to the Coronaviridae family and
      causes significant economic loss in Taiwan (TW), even in flocks that have been
      extensively immunised with Massachusetts (Mass)-serotype vaccines. Phylogenetic
      analysis of all non-structural and most structural genes shows that TW IBV is
      genetically distinct from the US strain and more similar to Chinese (CH) IBV. In
      contrast, the nucleocapsid (N) gene of TW IBV presents phylogenetic incongruence.
      RNA recombination at the 5' end of the N gene between TW and US IBV is shown to
      be responsible for this discordance. Surprisingly, the recombinant N gene is
      found in all of tested TW IBV isolates, suggesting that a recombination event
      gave origin to a founder lineage. Our data indicate that RNA recombination in the
      recombinant 5' end of the N gene may have caused the emergence of the current IBV
      population in Taiwan.

PMID- 20299166
TI  - RT-PCR diagnosis followed by sequence characterization of paramyxoviruses in
      clinical samples from snakes reveals concurrent infections within populations
      and/or individuals.
AB  - Paramyxoviruses (PMV) are important causes of disease in snakes in both private
      and zoologic collections and have been described in many different parts of the
      world. We have used the described L-gene nested RT-PCR (Ahne et al., 1999) as a
      diagnostic tool for the detection and characterization of PMV in clinical field
      samples from 102 snakes from Germany and Hungary. Fifty of the tested 203 samples
      were positive in the RT-PCR. 38 organs or swab samples from 25 snakes were
      selected for sequencing. They resulted in 13 different partial L-gene sequences,
      eight of which were identical to earlier characterized isolates, while five were
      new unique sequences, but also closely related to the earlier described PMV
      sequences. The comparison of sequences obtained from tissues from the same animal
      or from different animals from the same collection indicates that snakes can be
      infected with several different PMV during one outbreak. This is the first report
      of concurrent infection in a single snake or group of snakes with several
      distinct PMV.

PMID- 20299167
TI  - Determination of a new designer drug, N-hydroxy-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine
      and its metabolites in rats using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem
      mass spectrometry.
AB  - An N-hydroxy analogue of 3,4-methylendioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), N-hydroxy MDMA
      (N-OH MDMA), has recently been distributed as a new designer drug in some drug
      markets. Very little data is available to the metabolic and pharmacological
      properties of N-OH MDMA, although it has been reported that the N-demethyl
      analogue, N-hydroxy-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (N-OH MDA), is mainly
      metabolized to MDA in rats. In this study, an analytical method for the
      determination of N-OH MDMA and its metabolites in biological samples was
      developed, and the metabolic properties of N-OH MDMA in rats were investigated.
      After the i.p. administration of N-OH MDMA to pigmented hairy rats (5mg/kg/day,
      10 days), N-OH MDMA and its N-dehydroxy and N-demethyl metabolites (MDMA, N-OH
      MDA and MDA) in rat plasma, urine and hair samples were determined by ultra
      performance LC (UPLC)-MS/MS. The hair sample was extracted by 1-h sonication and
      overnight soaking in 5M hydrochloric acid-methanol (1:20). The plasma, urine, and
      hair extract samples were purified using a solid-phase extraction procedure. N-OH
      MDMA in the samples could be precisely analyzed by avoiding an alkaline
      environment. The parent compound very rapidly disappeared from the rat plasma
      (<15min) and urine (<10h), and most of the N-OH MDMA was excreted in the rat
      urine as MDMA and MDA in 72h. In the rat hair samples collected 4 weeks after the
      first administration, N-OH MDMA (0.03ng/mg) and N-OH MDA (0.13ng/mg) were clearly
      detected as well as MDMA (149ng/mg) and MDA (52ng/mg). This analytical method
      will be useful for the analysis of N-OH MDMA and its metabolites in biological
      samples.

PMID- 20299168
TI  - [Interstitial pneumonia related to mesalamine].
AB  - We report the case of a 57-year-old woman with ulcerative colitis since eight
      years who developed a diffuse interstitial pneumonia linked to mesalazine (oral
      and enemas). The adverse drug-related effect to mesalazine was strongly suggested
      regarding improvement upon discontinuation and relapse after reinstitution of
      mesalazine. To date, after 8 years, the patient has not any respiratory symptom
      which is another argument for the adverse drug-related effect to mesalazine.

PMID- 20299169
TI  - [Enteric intussusception in an adult due to a lipoma].

PMID- 20299170
TI  - [Appendicular mucocele: laparoscopic conversion and follow-up].

PMID- 20299171
TI  - Long-term results of Malone's procedure with antegrade irrigation for severe
      chronic constipation.
AB  - AIM: The Malone antegrade colonic enema (MACE) procedure is a minimally invasive
      treatment for severe constipation, and the objective of the present study was to
      assess the long-term results and quality of life in patients undergoing such
      colonic irrigation. METHOD: Twenty-five adult patients underwent MACE between
      1995 and 2002 for chronic constipation. After a mean follow-up duration of 55+/
      36 months, the patients answered questionnaires to assess stoma usage,
      constipation score (KESS) and quality of life (GIQLI). RESULTS: The mean quality
      of-life scores for these patients was 83+/-28 (normal: 125), while their mean
      constipation score was 19+/-9 (normal: <7). Twelve patients stopped the
      irrigations, and eight underwent further surgical procedures, specifically, total
      colectomy with ileostomy (n=2), ileorectal anastomosis (n=3) or segmental
      colectomy (n=3). Finally, five patients had permanent stoma. The 13 remaining
      patients continued to perform irrigations (4.6 per week). The patients' mean KESS
      score was 18.3+/-8 (normal: <7), and the mean GIQLI score was 98+/-20 (normal:
      125). Continence status had no influence on success. CONCLUSION: In our series,
      MACE was successful in half the patients who were, thus, able to avoid more
      aggressive approaches. However, when MACE failed, other surgical procedures were
      often required.

PMID- 20299172
TI  - Technical aspects of MR diffusion imaging of the body.
AB  - In diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI), the intensity of the
      acquired magnetic resonance signal depends on the self-diffusion of the excited
      spins, i.e., on the microscopic stochastic Brownian molecular motion. Since the
      extent and orientation of molecular motion is influenced by the microscopic
      structure and organization of biological tissues, DWI can depict various
      pathological changes of organs or tissues. While DWI of the brain can be
      considered an established technique since the mid-1990s, significantly fewer
      studies have been published about DWI in body imaging, mainly because of the
      relatively low robustness of conventional DWI methods in non-neurological
      applications. Consequently, the image quality in such applications was rather
      limited. This situation, however, improved considerably in recent years due to
      better hardware as well as new pulse sequences, and several new applications of
      DWI (e.g., in the abdominal organs, in musculoskeletal applications, or in whole
      body protocols) have been described. Unfortunately, DWI of the body is
      complicated by frequently low signal-to-noise ratios due to shorter transversal
      (T2) relaxation times and by strong variations of susceptibility. The latter
      result in severe distortion artifacts when standard echo-planar DWI techniques
      are applied. Hence, several alternative (non-echo-planar) diffusion-weighting
      pulse sequence types were proposed and evaluated for DWI applications in the
      body. In this review article, first the basics of molecular diffusion and of
      diffusion-weighted MRI are introduced and then several specific MRI techniques,
      which have been used for DWI of the body, are described. Finally, protocol
      recommendations for different DWI applications in the body are provided.

PMID- 20299173
TI  - In contrast to BOLD: signal enhancement by extravascular water protons as an
      alternative mechanism of endogenous fMRI signal change.
AB  - Despite the popularity and widespread application of functional magnetic
      resonance imaging (fMRI) in recent years, the physiological bases of signal
      change are not yet fully understood. Blood oxygen level-dependant (BOLD) contrast
      - attributed to local changes in blood flow and oxygenation, and therefore
      magnetic susceptibility - has become the most prevalent means of functional
      neuroimaging. However, at short echo times, spin-echo sequences show considerable
      deviations from the BOLD model, implying a second, non-BOLD component of signal
      change. This has been dubbed "signal enhancement by extravascular water protons"
      (SEEP) and is proposed to result from proton-density changes associated with
      cellular swelling. Given that such changes are independent of magnetic
      susceptibility, SEEP may offer new and improved opportunities for carrying out
      fMRI in regions with close proximity to air-tissue and/or bone-tissue interfaces
      (e.g., the prefrontal cortex and spinal cord), as well as regions close to large
      blood vessels, which may not be ideally suited for BOLD imaging. However, because
      of the interdisciplinary nature of the literature, there has yet to be a thorough
      synthesis, tying together the various and sometimes disparate aspects of SEEP
      theory. As such, we aim to provide a concise yet comprehensive overview of SEEP,
      including recent and compelling evidence for its validity, its current
      applications and its future relevance to the rapidly expanding field of
      functional neuroimaging. Before presenting the evidence for a non-BOLD component
      of endogenous functional contrast, and to enable a more critical review for the
      nonexpert reader, we begin by reviewing the fundamental principles underlying
      BOLD theory.

PMID- 20299174
TI  - Perfusion in rat brain at 7 T with arterial spin labeling using FAIR-TrueFISP and
      QUIPSS.
AB  - Measurement of perfusion in longitudinal studies allows for the assessment of
      tissue integrity and the detection of subtle pathologies. In this work, the
      feasibility of measuring brain perfusion in rats with high spatial resolution
      using arterial spin labeling is reported. A flow-sensitive alternating recovery
      sequence, coupled with a balanced gradient fast imaging with steady-state
      precession readout section was used to minimize ghosting and geometric
      distortions, while achieving high signal-to-noise ratio. The quantitative imaging
      of perfusion using a single subtraction method was implemented to address the
      effects of variable transit delays between the labeling of spins and their
      arrival at the imaging slice. Studies in six rats at 7 T showed good perfusion
      contrast with minimal geometric distortion. The measured blood flow values of
      152.5+/-6.3 ml/100 g per minute in gray matter and 72.3+/-14.0 ml/100 g per
      minute in white matter are in good agreement with previously reported values
      based on autoradiography, considered to be the gold standard.

PMID- 20299175
TI  - Sober living houses for alcohol and drug dependence: 18-month outcomes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: A major challenge facing many individuals attempting to abstain from
      substances is finding a stable living environment that supports sustained
      recovery. Sober living houses (SLHs) are alcohol- and drug-free living
      environments that support abstinence by emphasizing involvement in 12-step groups
      and social support for recovery. Among a number of advantages, they are
      financially self-sustaining and residents can stay as long as they wish. Although
      SLHs can be used as housing referrals after inpatient treatment, while clients
      attend outpatient treatment, after incarceration, or as an alternative to
      treatment, they have been understudied and underutilized. METHOD: To describe
      outcomes of SLH residents, we interviewed 245 individuals within 1week of
      entering SLHs and at 6-, 12-, and 18-month follow-up. Eighty-nine percent
      completed at least one follow-up interview. Outcomes included the Addiction
      Severity Index (ASI), Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), and measures of alcohol and
      drug use. Covariates included demographic characteristics, 12-step involvement,
      and substance use in the social network. RESULTS: Regardless of referral source,
      improvements were noted on ASI scales (alcohol, drug, and employment),
      psychiatric severity on the BSI, arrests, and alcohol and drug use. Substance use
      in the social network predicted nearly all outcome measures. Involvement in 12
      step groups predicted fewer arrests and lower alcohol and drug use. CONCLUSION:
      Residents of SLHs made improvements in a variety of areas. Additional studies
      should use randomized designs to establish causal effects of SLHs. Results
      support the importance of key components of the recovery model used by SLHs: (a)
      involvement in 12-step groups and (b) developing social support systems with
      fewer alcohol and drug users.

PMID- 20299176
TI  - Periscope graft to extend distal landing zone in ruptured thoracoabdominal
      aneurysms with short distal necks.
AB  - Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) of ruptured thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms
      may be compromised or even impossible due to short proximal and/or distal necks
      or landing zones, respectively. Supra-aortic branches may limit the proximal
      anchorage and visceral or renal arteries the distal anchorage of endografts.
      While solutions have been proposed to overcome the problem of a short proximal
      neck, no technique has been described that solves the problem of a short distal
      neck. We present the "periscope technique," which allows extension of the distal
      landing zone and complete endovascular treatment of ruptured thoracoabdominal
      aneurysms with short distal necks using devices already stocked in most centers
      performing EVAR procedures.

PMID- 20299177
TI  - Sustained cognitive benefit 5 years after carotid endarterectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the long-term effect of carotid
      endarterectomy (CEA) on cognitive brain function by means of P300 evoked
      potentials. METHODS: Twenty-five consecutive patients (36% women) with a median
      age of 68 years underwent CEA with a median degree of stenosis of 90%. Cognitive
      brain function was objectively measured by means of P300 auditory evoked
      potentials (peak latencies in milliseconds [ms]) before CEA, at discharge, and at
      1 and 5 years. Values were compared with 25 age- and sex-matched healthy
      individuals. RESULTS: Cognitive P300 evoked potentials were prolonged (ie,
      impaired) in patients before CEA compared with controls (vertex [Cz], 384 +/- 52
      vs 357 +/- 16 ms, P = .020]. At 1 year, P300 evoked potentials were significantly
      shortened (ie, improved) in patients after CEA compared with baseline values [Cz,
      371 +/- 38 vs 384 +/- 52 ms, P = .010]. Furthermore, no difference between
      patients after CEA and controls was observed [Cz, 371 +/- 38 vs 360 +/- 14 ms, P
      = .21]. This effect was sustained at 5 years, and P300 evoked potentials
      continued to be significantly shortened (ie, improved) in patients after CEA
      compared with baseline values [Cz, 367 +/- 39 vs 384 +/- 52 ms, P = .040].
      Continuing, no difference between patients after CEA and controls could be
      observed [Cz, 367 +/- 39 vs 362 +/- 17 ms, P = .58]. These results could be
      confirmed in repeated measures analysis of variance for Cz (P = .025) and frontal
      (Fz) results (P = .018). CONCLUSIONS: CEA improves previously impaired cognitive
      brain function as shown by P300 measurements similar to normal cognitive brain
      function of age- and sex-matched healthy individuals. This beneficial effect is
      sustained up to 5 years after treatment.

PMID- 20299178
TI  - Quality of life before surgery is a predictive factor for satisfaction among
      patients undergoing sympathectomy to treat hyperhidrosis.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the postoperative quality of
      life (QOL) experienced among a group of 1167 patients who underwent video
      assisted thoracoscopic sympathectomy (VATS) to treat primary hyperhidrosis, as
      compared with the presurgical QOL. METHODS: Between February 2002 and June 2007,
      1167 patients who had undergone VATS were surveyed. The majority had presented
      with palmar hyperhidrosis (794 patients; 68%), while 340 (29%) had presented with
      axillary hyperhidrosis. Based on data obtained from the QOL protocol applied to
      all of the patients preoperatively, the patients were divided into two groups
      according to the level of their QOL: group 1 consisted of 312 patients (27%) with
      poor QOL and group 2 of 855 patients (73%) with very poor QOL. The same protocol
      was applied postoperatively, and five different levels of satisfaction were
      obtained. The same parameters were evaluated for both the palmar and the axillary
      hyperhidrosis subgroups. RESULTS: The patients with very poor QOL had much better
      results in terms of improvement in QOL than did those with poor QOL (P < .05).
      The same result was observed for both the palmar and axillary hyperhidrosis
      subgroups (P < .05). CONCLUSION: The worse the preoperative QOL among patients
      undergoing sympathectomy to treat primary hyperhidrosis is, the better the
      postoperative improvement in QOL will be.

PMID- 20299179
TI  - Incidence of and outcomes after misaligned deployment of the talent thoracic
      stent graft system.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Various types of device-specific adverse events can occur during
      deployment of thoracic stent grafts due to the high flow rate and severe aortic
      angulation that is often encountered in the thoracic aorta. This study assessed
      the incidence, etiology, and overall effect of misaligned deployment of the
      Talent Thoracic Stent Graft (TSG) System. Techniques to predict and avoid this
      complication are discussed. METHODS: Data collection included pivotal-trial
      follow-up, direct surveys of centers inside and outside the United States and
      principal investigators, a targeted literature search, and review of complaint
      files. Misaligned deployment was considered to occur when the proximal covered or
      uncovered stent apices of a thoracic stent graft folded back on itself and
      remained nonparallel to the wall of the aorta after deployment had been
      completed. RESULTS: Of about 20,305 deployments to date of the Talent TSG, 24
      misaligned deployments were identified for an incidence of 0.1%. Nineteen (79%)
      events occurred during treatment of degenerative aneurysms or penetrating ulcers,
      four (17%) during treatment of dissections, and the underlying pathology could
      not be determined for one patient. The misalignment was noted at the proximal end
      of the stent graft in 15 patients (63%), and the other 9 events (37%) occurred at
      the graft overlap junction. Two events were treated intraoperatively, with a
      second overlapping device placed in one patient and a snare used to reposition
      the proximal stent in another. Adverse clinical events occurred in three patients
      and included a persistent type I endoleak, continued false lumen perfusion in a
      patient with dissection, and delayed retrograde type A dissection in a patient
      undergoing total arch repair. No intraoperative contrast extravasation or
      computed tomography evidence of perforation was noted. There were no
      perioperative deaths or cerebrovascular events, with one report of paraplegia
      among the 24 patients in this series. CONCLUSION: Misaligned deployment is an
      unusual phenomenon that tends to occur in the context of certain well-defined
      anatomic conditions in the thoracic aorta. To date, most of these events have not
      led to significant adverse sequelae. However, careful patient selection,
      periprocedural imaging, and case planning can help to identify anatomies in which
      misaligned opening is likely to occur, allowing physicians to avoid this
      complication.

PMID- 20299180
TI  - Traumatic arteriovenous fistula 52 years after injury.
AB  - Untreated traumatic arteriovenous fistulae (AVF) have been associated with
      aneurysmal dilatation of the involved artery and vein, congestive heart failure,
      and limb ischemia. Open surgical repair of these lesions can be challenging due
      to the elevated venous pressure and surrounding inflammation. This case report
      describes a hybrid open and endovascular approach to treatment of a traumatic AVF
      in the right groin, presenting with aneurysmal ileo-femoral arteries and veins
      and pulmonary hypertension. It provides a rare look at the natural history of a
      traumatic AVF over 50 years following the initial injury.

PMID- 20299181
TI  - Animal models for the assessment of novel vascular conduits.
AB  - The development of an ideal small-diameter conduit for use in vascular bypass
      surgery has yet to be achieved. The ongoing innovation in biomaterial design
      generates novel conduits that require preclinical assessment in vivo, and a
      number of animal models have been used for this purpose. This article examines
      the rationale behind animal models used in the assessment of small-diameter
      vascular conduits encompassing the commonly used species: baboons, sheep, pigs,
      dogs, rabbits, and rodents. Studies on the comparative hematology for these
      species relative to humans are summarized, and the hydrodynamic values for common
      implant locations are also compared. The large- and small-animal models are then
      explored, highlighting the characteristics of each that determine their relative
      utility in the assessment of vascular conduits. Where possible, the performance
      of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene is given in each animal and in each location
      to allow direct comparisons between species. New challenges in animal modeling
      are outlined for the assessment of tissue-engineered graft designs. Finally,
      recommendations are given for the selection of animal models for the assessment
      of future vascular conduits.

PMID- 20299182
TI  - Thrombospondin-1: a proatherosclerotic protein augmented by hyperglycemia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Diabetes is associated with a more aggressive form of atherosclerosis.
      Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), an extracellular matrix protein, is an acute-phase
      reactant that induces vascular smooth muscle (VSMC) migration and proliferation
      in areas of vascular injury and is also up-regulated in VSMCs exposed to
      hyperglycemia. This study tested the hypothesis that hyperglycemia amplifies the
      expression of genes induced by TSP-1 in VSMCs. METHODS: Human aortic VSMCs were
      cultured in Dulbecco Modified Eagle's Medium (DMEM) supplemented with 10% fetal
      bovine serum (FBS) and 1% antibiotics. Cells were used between passages three and
      five. VSMCs were preincubated in DMEM containing 0.2% FBS with 5 mM glucose
      (normoglycemia), 25 mM glucose (hyperglycemia), 25 mM mannose (osmotic control),
      TSP-1 (20 microg/mL), 25 mM glucose + TSP-1 (20 microg/mL), or 25 mM mannose +
      TSP-1 (20 microg/mL). Total RNA was extracted. Microarray analysis was performed
      and analyzed by analysis of variance. P < .05 was considered significant.
      Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (rtPCR) was used to confirm
      selected up-regulated genes. RESULTS: Microarray analysis revealed: (1)
      hyperglycemia altered 30 genes; (2) TSP-1 altered 212 genes, of which 8 were
      altered similarly to VSMCs exposed to 25 mM glucose; (3) TSP-1 up-regulated 10
      genes associated with atherosclerosis and 4 others with diabetic vascular
      disease; (4) hyperglycemia combined with TSP-1 altered expression of 2822 genes.
      The three genes most up-regulated by TSP-1 in a normoglycemic environment were
      uridine 5'-diphosphoglucose (UDP-glucose) dehydrogenase (UGDH, 127%),
      transforming growth factor beta-2 (TGFbeta2, 116%), and hyaluronan synthase 2
      (HAS2, 113%). Further, TSP-1 altered the expression of genes in 13 canonical
      pathways; however, when combined with hyperglycemia, 53 canonical pathways were
      affected. CONCLUSION: Quantitative rtPCR confirmed that genes in several of these
      pathways for TSP-1 and hyperglycemia combined with TSP-1 were up-regulated. These
      findings suggest that TSP-1 may be germane to the progression of atherosclerosis
      and may have a large effect with concurrent hyperglycemia.

PMID- 20299184
TI  - Long-term survivorship analysis of the cementless Spotorno femoral component in
      patients less than 50 years of age.
AB  - The long-term survival of the cementless Spotorno (CLS) femoral component (Zimmer
      Inc, Warsaw, USA) was evaluated in a consecutive series of 85 patients (100 hips)
      less than 50 years of age. The mean follow-up was 12.3 years. Two patients (3
      hips) were lost to follow-up, and 3 (4 hips) died. The survival rate of the CLS
      stem was 96.9% (confidence interval [CI], 93.6%-100%) after 13 years based on
      revision of the stem for any reason. The survival of the stem with revision for
      aseptic loosening as the end point was 97.9% (CI, 95.1%-100%) at 13 years. The
      mean Harris hip score at time of follow-up was 94. The long-term survival of the
      CLS stem is excellent in patients less than 50 years of age.

PMID- 20299185
TI  - Treatment choices in autism spectrum disorder: the role of parental illness
      perceptions.
AB  - A cross-sectional design was employed. Parents of a child with Autism Spectrum
      Disorder (ASD) were asked to complete a modified version of the Revised Illness
      Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-RA) and answer questions about information-seeking
      activities and treatments used. Internal consistency, construct validity, and
      factor structure were assessed. Multivariate logistic regressions were performed.
      Eighty-nine parents having a child with ASD took part in the study. Five
      subscales of the IPQ-R were replicated. Causes were split into personal, external
      and hereditary factors. The most highly rated main cause was a genetic cause.
      Perception of seriousness of the disease was associated with the use of educative
      methods and unpredictable course of disorder associated with drug use. A higher
      sense of personal control was associated with reduced use of nutritional or
      pharmaceutical treatments. Attendance to training programs was associated with
      higher hereditary beliefs and lower perception of cyclical timeline. The IPQ-RA
      captures components of representations of autism and provides a reliable mean for
      exploring illness concept in parents of a child with ASD. Some illness dimensions
      may prevent parents from having the opportunity to modify their concept of
      autism. Such measure may be useful for assessing the modification of potentially
      malleable beliefs with psychoeducational interventions.

PMID- 20299186
TI  - Effects of physical training and calcium intake on bone mineral density of
      students with mental retardation.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of physical training and
      calcium intake on bone mineral density (BMD) of students with mental retardation.
      Forty mentally retarded boys (age 7-10 years old) were randomly assigned to four
      groups (no differences in age, BMD, calcium intake and physical activity):
      training groups with or without calcium supplementation (Tr+Ca+ and Tr+Ca-) and
      nontraining groups with or without calcium supplementation (Tr-Ca+ and Tr-Ca-).
      The intervention involved 45 min of physical training performed 3 sessions a week
      and/or the addition of dietary calcium-rich food using enriched cow milk with
      vitamin D containing 230 mg calcium per serving, over 6 months. Paired-samples t
      test and ANOVA analysis was used to determine the main and combined effects of
      training and calcium on BMD. All groups showed greater femoral neck BMD after 6
      months. The increase in femoral neck BMD in the Tr+Ca+ group was 10% greater than
      increase in the Tr+Ca- group (not significant). Apparently, the effect of
      training was greater than calcium intake because the Tr+Ca- group achieved 4%
      greater BMD than Tr-Ca+ group (not significant). In this study, both training
      groups had greater BMD than the control group (Tr-Ca-) (P<0.05). In these
      participants with inadequate calcium intakes, additional exercise and calcium
      supplementation resulted in a 6-20% greater increase in BMD than controls at the
      loaded site (femoral neck). These results help to provide more evidence for
      public health organizations to deal with both exercise and nutrition issues in
      children for the achievement of peak BMD.

PMID- 20299187
TI  - Inlay-onlay grafting for three-dimensional reconstruction of the posterior
      atrophic maxilla with mandibular bone.
AB  - This prospective study describes and evaluates a surgical approach for 3D
      reconstruction of the posterior maxilla with autogenous mandibular bone in 16
      patients (mean age 51 years). Bone blocks were harvested from the mandible and
      used as lateral or vertical block grafts (onlay); they were also partially milled
      and used for sinus elevation (inlay). In 4 cases, anorganic bovine bone was added
      at the periphery of the blocks. 4 months after grafting, implants were placed in
      a second operation and loaded after 12 weeks. Lateral and vertical augmentations
      were measured immediately after grafting and at re-entry for implant placement.
      Mean lateral augmentation performed was 5.5mm, reduced to 4.3mm (p<0.01) after 4
      months' healing. Mean vertical augmentation was 3.2mm, reduced to 2.1mm (p<0.01)
      after healing. The amounts of lateral and vertical graft resorption were similar
      (1.2mm vs. 1.1mm) but were different when compared with the original graft (22%
      vs. 34%). 49 implants were placed 4 months after grafting. Implant parameters
      were evaluated after 32-48 months follow up and demonstrated 100% survival rates.
      The use of mandibular bone grafts for 3D augmentation of the posterior maxilla
      has shown good results and minor complications.

PMID- 20299188
TI  - Clomipramine increases the incidence and duration of spike-wave discharges in
      freely moving WAG/Rij rats.
AB  - PURPOSE: The noradrenergic and serotonergic system may have a role in modulation
      of absence seizures. We investigated whether the single injection of monoamine
      reuptake inhibitor clomipramine has an acute effect on spike-wave discharge (SWD)
      activity in Wistar Albino Glaxo/Rijswijk (WAG/Rij) rats. METHODS: We injected a
      single dose of 20 or 50 mg/kg clomipramine intraperitoneally into WAG/Rij rats
      and measured the incidence and duration of SWD episodes for 4h after injection.
      The changes in SWDs were compared to the preceding 5-day average control level.
      RESULTS: The 20 mg/kg clomipramine significantly increased the incidence of SWDs
      in the first measured hour while the 50 mg/kg dose significantly increased the
      incidence and duration of SWDs in the whole measured 4-h period. CONCLUSIONS:
      Clomipramine, by acutely elevating synaptic monoamine levels, could exacerbate
      absence seizures.

PMID- 20299189
TI  - Eslicarbazepine acetate as adjunctive therapy in adult patients with partial
      epilepsy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of once-daily eslicarbazepine
      acetate (ESL) when used as add-on treatment in adults with > or = 4 partial-onset
      seizures per 4-week despite treatment with 1 to 3 antiepileptic drugs (AEDs).
      METHODS: This double-blind, parallel-group, multicenter study consisted of an 8
      week observational baseline period, after which patients were randomized to
      placebo (n=100) or once-daily ESL 400 mg (n=96), 800 mg (n=101), or 1200 mg
      (n=98). Patients then entered a 14-week double-blind treatment phase. All
      patients started on their full maintenance dose except for those in the ESL 1200
      mg group who received once-daily ESL 800 mg for 2 weeks before reaching their
      full maintenance dose. RESULTS: Seizure frequency per 4-week (primary endpoint)
      over the 14-week double-blind treatment period was significantly lower than
      placebo in the ESL 800 mg and 1200 mg (p<0.001) groups. Responder rate (> or =
      50% reduction in seizure frequency) was 13.0% (placebo), 16.7% (400 mg), 40.0%
      (800 mg, p<0.001), and 37.1% (1200 mg, p<0.001). Median relative reduction in
      seizure frequency was 0.8% (placebo), 18.7% (400 mg), 32.6% (800 mg, p<0.001),
      and 32.8% (1200 mg). Discontinuation rates due to adverse events (AEs) were 3.0%
      (placebo), 12.5% (400 mg), 18.8% (800 mg), and 26.5% (1200 mg). The most common
      (>5%) AEs in any group were dizziness, somnolence, headache, nausea, diplopia,
      abnormal coordination, vomiting, blurred vision, and fatigue. The majority of AEs
      were of mild or moderate severity. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with once-daily
      eslicarbazepine acetate 800 mg and 1200 mg was more effective than placebo and
      generally well tolerated in patients with partial-onset seizures refractory to
      treatment with 1 to 3 concomitant AEDs.

PMID- 20299190
TI  - Phosphodiesterase signaling system is disrupted in the cerebella of subjects with
      schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression.

PMID- 20299191
TI  - Comparison of the efficacy and impact on cognition of glycopyrrolate and
      biperiden for clozapine-induced sialorrhea in schizophrenic patients: a
      randomized, double-blind, crossover study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clozapine-induced sialorrhea (CIS) is a subjective distressing
      adverse effect and occurs in 31%-57% of schizophrenic patients receiving
      clozapine therapy. Current pharmacotherapy on CIS has focused on anticholinergic
      agents, even though they may impair cognitive function. Previous case reports
      have suggested the benefit of glycopyrrolate or biperiden in treating this
      condition, but no randomized controlled trial has provided evidence. The
      objective of our study was to evaluate the efficacy and impact on cognition of
      glycopyrrolate and biperiden treatments for schizophrenic patients suffering from
      CIS. METHODS: Patients who satisfied the inclusion criteria entered a 12-week,
      randomized, double-blind, crossover, fixed-dose trial. The study consisted of two
      4-week crossover phases, which were separated by a 4-week washout period.
      Sialorrhea and global cognitive function were assessed by using a Drooling Rating
      Scale (DRS) and the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), respectively. RESULTS:
      Throughout the study, patients treated with glycopyrrolate or biperiden had
      significantly reduced DRS scores. Moreover, the DRS scores were significantly
      lower with glycopyrrolate treatment than with biperiden. In other respects, there
      were no significant differences in MMSE scores in patients treated with
      glycopyrrolate. However, we found a significant reduction in MMSE scores in
      patients treated with biperiden. CONCLUSION: We provide evidence, for the first
      time, of the efficacy of glycopyrrolate and biperiden in the treatment of CIS.
      Furthermore, glycopyrrolate displays less impact on cognitive function.
      Consequently, glycopyrrolate can become a valid option for treating CIS.
      Observations from our study serve as a springboard for additional large-scale
      prospective trials.

PMID- 20299192
TI  - A self-organized 3-diethylaminopropyl-bearing glycol chitosan nanogel for tumor
      acidic pH targeting: in vitro evaluation.
AB  - In this study, a novel pH-responsive nanogel composed of glycol chitosan (GCS)
      grafted with functional 3-diethylaminopropyl (DEAP) groups (denoted as GCS-g-DEAP
      hereafter) was fabricated. The GCS-g-DEAP was designed to have a self-assembled
      arrangement consisting of hydrophilic block (GCS) and hydrophobic block (DEAP) at
      physiological pH. As the pH decreased to tumor extracellular pH (pH(e)), the
      nanogel was destabilized due to the protonation of DEAP. The pH-responsive
      property of the nanogel at tumor extracellular pH (pH(e)) was characterized in
      drug-release kinetic studies. The release of doxorubicin (DOX) from DOX-loaded
      nanogels was significantly accelerated at lower pH values, which allowed for
      increased DOX uptake by non-small lung carcinoma A546 cells under a slightly
      acidic pH condition, as in tumor pH(e).

PMID- 20299193
TI  - A kinetic study of silver nanoparticles formation from paracetamol and silver(I)
      in aqueous and micellar media.
AB  - UV-vis spectrophotometeric, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and
      viscometric techniques were used for the formation, characterization and kinetics
      of silver sol formation using silver nitrate as source of silver, paracetamol as
      reducing agent and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as the stabilizer in
      absence and presence of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). The sigmoidal curve of
      absorbance versus the reaction time suggests an autocatalytic reaction path.
      Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results show that the silver nanoparticles
      are all spherical, highly dispersed and aggregated in aqueous solution. In the
      formation of silver nanoparticles, alkaline solution is required. The presence of
      PVA inhibits the rate of silver nanoparticles formation. Effects of [Ag(+)],
      [paracetamol], [CTAB], [NaOH] and [PVA] on the silver sol formation rate were
      analyzed.

PMID- 20299194
TI  - Rational antibody-based HIV-1 vaccine design: current approaches and future
      directions.
AB  - Many antiviral vaccines elicit neutralizing antibodies as a correlate of
      protection. For HIV, given the huge variability of the virus, it is widely
      believed that the induction of a broadly neutralizing antibody (bNAb) response
      will be crucial in a successful vaccine against the virus. Unfortunately, despite
      many efforts, the development of an immunogen that elicits bNAbs remains elusive.
      However, recent structural studies of HIV-1 Env proteins, generation of novel
      bNAbs, maturation of technologies for the isolation of further antibodies,
      insights into the requirements for antibody-mediated protection, and novel
      vaccination approaches are providing grounds for renewed optimism.

PMID- 20299195
TI  - Awakening lineage potential by Ikaros-mediated transcriptional priming.
AB  - Bioinformatic studies on a revised hierarchy of hematopoietic progenitors have
      provided a genome-wide view of lineage-affiliated transcriptional programs
      directing early hematopoiesis. Unexpectedly, lymphoid, myeloid, and erythroid
      gene expression programs were primed with similar frequency at the multipotent
      progenitor stage indicating a stochastic nature to this process. Multilineage
      transcriptional priming is quickly resolved upon erythroid lineage restriction
      with both lymphoid and myeloid transcriptional programs rapidly extinguished.
      However, expression of lymphoid and myeloid factors remains active past nominal
      lymphoid and myeloid lineage restrictions, revealing a common genetic network
      utilized by both pathways. Priming and resolution of multilineage potential is
      dependent on the activity of the DNA binding factor Ikaros. Ikaros primes the
      lymphoid transcriptional program in the HSC and represses the stem cell and other
      disparate transcriptional programs downstream of the HSC. Loss of Ikaros removes
      the lymphoid leg of the immune system and may confer aberrant self-renewing
      properties to myeloid progenitors.

PMID- 20299196
TI  - Relationship of body composition and C-reactive protein with pulmonary function.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: It has been observed that restrictive pulmonary function is
      associated with obesity and C-reactive protein (CRP), an indicator for systemic
      inflammation. However, the interrelationship among body composition, CRP, and
      restrictive pulmonary function has been poorly understood. This study focused on
      the combined effects of body composition and CRP on restrictive pulmonary
      function. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study to examine the
      association of body composition and CRP with restrictive pulmonary function in
      12,787 subjects (7083 men, 5704 women; ages 20-75 yr). We evaluated body
      composition and CRP as a categorical variable (non-obesity, percentage body fat
      <or=75 percentile; obesity, percentage body fat >75 percentile; low-inflammation,
      CRP <or=75 percentile; high-inflammation, CRP >75 percentile) and constructed 4
      groups, which were non-overlapping (reference, inflammatory, obese, obese and
      inflammatory). The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for
      restrictive pulmonary function were calculated across all 4 groups. RESULTS: The
      adjusted ORs (95% CIs) for restrictive pulmonary function according to the 4
      groups were 1.00(reference), 1.19(0.93-1.52), 2.01(1.53-2.64) and 3.51(2.60-4.74)
      in men and 1.00 (reference), 1.26 (0.96-1.69), 1.02 (0.58-1.81), and 3.32 (2.09
      5.27) in women after adjusting for confounding variables. Interaction was found
      between the body fat percentage and CRP in women only (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In
      summary, the coexistence of high fat accumulation and systemic subclinical
      inflammation is associated with restrictive pulmonary function.

PMID- 20299198
TI  - Preparation of mixed-templates molecularly imprinted polymers and investigation
      of the recognition ability for tetracycline antibiotics.
AB  - We developed in the present study a set of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs)
      by precipitation polymerization, using four members of tetracycline antibiotics
      (TCs) as templates (Oxytetracycline, Tetracycline, Chlortetracycline and
      Doxycycline). Then, based on the imprinting effect of different MIPs (TCs),
      Oxytetracycline and Chlortetracycline were chosen as mixed-templates to
      synthesize high selective MIPs for recognition of a family of analytes. And the
      characterization of obtained MIPs was analyzed by FESEM analysis, Brunauer-Emmett
      Teller (BET) method, polymer size analysis, and determination of swelling ratio
      and COOH capacity. It was shown that the optimal imprinting factors of TCs on
      mixed-templates MIPs were more than 6.0 and the maximum binding amount of TCs
      were about 27 micromol g(-1) (Oxytetracycline), 35 micromol g(-1) (Tetracycline),
      35 micromol g(-1) (Chlortetracycline) and 39 micromol g(-1) (Doxycycline),
      respectively. Finally, the mixed-templates MIPs were shown to be promising for on
      line solid-phase extraction-HPLC-UV determination of trace TCs in foodstuffs.
      With a sample loading volume of 10 mL, the enhancement factors were in the range
      of 159-410.

PMID- 20299199
TI  - A sensitive ligase-based ATP electrochemical assay using molecular beacon-like
      DNA.
AB  - A sensitive and selective ligase-based signal-on electrochemical sensing method
      for adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) detection had been developed using molecular
      beacon (MB)-like DNA. In this method, the biotin-tagged MB-like DNA was self
      assembled onto a gold electrode to form a stem-loop structure by means of facile
      gold-thiol chemistry, which resulted in blockage of electronic transmission. It
      was eT OFF state. In the presence of ATP, two nucleotide fragments which were
      complementary to the loop of the MB-like DNA could be ligated by the ATP
      dependent T4 DNA ligase. Hybridization of the ligated DNA with the MB-like DNA
      induced a significant conformational change in this surface-confined DNA
      structure, which in turn released the biotin from the surface allowing free
      exchange of electrons with the electrode generating a measurable electrochemical
      signal (eT ON). The resulting change in electron transfer efficiency was readily
      measured by differential pulse voltammetry at target ATP concentrations as low as
      0.05 nM and with linear response range from 0.1 to 1000 nM. Moreover, it was also
      able to discriminate ATP from its analogues. The proposed method had been
      successfully applied to the determination of ATP in the Escherichia coli O157:H7
      extracts of water samples, and the linear response was found between the
      concentrations of 10(3) and 10(7) cfu/mL.

PMID- 20299200
TI  - A microbial fuel cell as power supply for implantable medical devices.
AB  - This study seeks a new way to provide lasting and secure power for implantable
      medical devices (IMDs) using a microbial fuel cell (MFC) which was proposed to be
      placed in human large intestine and could utilize intestinal contents and
      microorganisms to generate electricity. Based on the anatomic structure and inner
      environmental conditions of large intestine, transverse colon was chosen to be
      the appropriate location for the implantation of MFC. The performance of the MFC
      which simulated the environmental features of transverse colon by controlling
      dissolved oxygen (DO) and pH and was inoculated with simulated intestinal fluid
      (SIF) was investigated. Stable power generation of MFC was obtained after two
      months operation with open circuit voltage (OCV) of 552.2 mV, maximum power
      density of 73.3 mW/m(2), and average voltage output of 308 mV (with external
      resistance of 500 Omega). Moreover, the changes of environmental conditions in
      the chambers of MFC did not have a significant impact on human body based on the
      analysis of pH and DO values. Further studies on internal resistance and power
      density showed that the MFC could generate power of 7-10 mW according to the size
      of intestinal surface area, which was enough for IMDs. These results suggested
      that MFCs located in large intestine could be a promising power source for IMDs.

PMID- 20299197
TI  - Chromatin as a potential carrier of heritable information.
AB  - Organisms with the same genome can inherit information in addition to that
      encoded in the DNA sequence-this is known as epigenetic inheritance. Epigenetic
      inheritance is responsible for many of the phenotypic differences between
      different cell types in multicellular organisms. Work by many investigators over
      the past decades has suggested that a great deal of epigenetic information might
      be carried in the pattern of post-translational modifications of the histone
      proteins, although this is not as well established as many believe. For example,
      it is unclear whether and how the histones, which are displaced from the
      chromosome during passage of the replication fork and are often exchanged from
      the DNA template at other times, carry information from one cellular generation
      to the next. Here, we briefly review the evidence that some chromatin states are
      indeed heritable, and then focus on the mechanistic challenges that remain in
      order to understand how this inheritance can be achieved.

PMID- 20299201
TI  - Graphene oxide arrays for detecting specific DNA hybridization by fluorescence
      resonance energy transfer.
AB  - The unique properties of graphene oxides (GO) such as water dispersibility,
      versatile surface modification, and photoluminescence make them suitable for
      biological applications. In this study, we explored the use of GO sheets as a
      novel DNA biosensor by applying the GO in an array format to recognize specific
      DNA-DNA hybridization interaction. When the probe DNA linked to the surface of GO
      by using carbodiimide chemistry is hybridized with a gold nanoparticle (Au NP)
      labeled complementary DNA strand, the fluorescence emission intensity of the GO
      array is drastically reduced. TEM data reveal that the Au NPs are dispersed on
      the GO surface, particularly at edges and folded structures upon hybridization
      with a density of approximately 80 Au NPs per microm(2). This leads to ca. 87%
      fluorescence quenching as a consequence of fluorescence energy transfer between
      Au NPs and the GO sheets. These results suggest that the GO nanomaterials, which
      are readily synthesized on a large scale from a cheap graphite source, could have
      a wide range of bioapplications in the fields of biosensors, molecular imaging
      and nanobiotechnology.

PMID- 20299202
TI  - Functionalized single-walled carbon nanohorns for electrochemical biosensing.
AB  - Single-walled carbon nanohorns (SWNHs), distinguished by their high purity and
      distinct structure, were noncovalently functionalized with poly(sodium 4
      styrenesulfonate). The functionalized SWNHs were characterized by scanning
      electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy,
      Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and
      thermogravimetry. Heme protein myoglobin was adsorbed onto surface of
      functionalized SWNHs to prepare electrochemical biosensor. Surface assembly
      process and direct electrochemistry of immobilized myoglobin were investigated by
      electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry, respectively. The
      proposed biosensor exhibited good electrocatalysis to the reduction of hydrogen
      peroxide. The response was linear over the range 3-350 microM with a detection
      limit of 0.5 microM. Good reproducibility and stability of the biosensor were
      obtained toward hydrogen peroxide detection.

PMID- 20299203
TI  - Advances in subtyping methods of foodborne disease pathogens.
AB  - Current subtyping methods for the detection of foodborne disease outbreaks have
      limitations that reduce their use by public health laboratories. Recent advances
      in subtyping of foodborne disease pathogens utilize techniques that identify
      nucleic acid polymorphisms. Recent methods of nucleic acid characterization such
      as microarrays and mass spectrometry (MS) may provide improvements such as
      increasing speed and data portability while decreasing labor compared to current
      methods. This article discusses multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat
      analysis, single-nucleotide polymorphisms, nucleic acid sequencing, whole genome
      sequencing, variable absent or present loci, microarrays and MS as potential
      subtyping methods to enhance our ability to detect foodborne disease outbreaks.

PMID- 20299205
TI  - Texture coding in the whisker system.
AB  - The whisker somatosensory system in awake, behaving rodents is a powerful model
      for studying neurobiology of sensation, from molecules to circuits to behavior.
      Recent studies reveal how key tactile features are detected in awake animals and
      encoded by spike trains in somatosensory cortex (S1). Here we summarize progress
      on detection of surface texture (roughness). Texture appears to be inferred from
      the statistics of complex, irregular whisker micromotion on surfaces,
      specifically by mean speed or by patterns of discrete, high-velocity whisker
      slips. These are encoded in S1 by mean firing rate and by sparse, synchronous,
      slip-evoked spike volleys, respectively. An alternative model of place coding for
      texture based on differential whisker resonance is less well supported, but is
      not ruled out.

PMID- 20299204
TI  - Re-valuing the amygdala.
AB  - Recent advances indicate that the amygdala represents valence: a general
      appetitive/aversive affective characteristic that bears similarity to the
      neuroeconomic concept of value. Neurophysiological studies show that individual
      amygdala neurons respond differentially to a range of stimuli with positive or
      negative affective significance. Meanwhile, increasingly specific
      lesion/inactivation studies reveal that the amygdala is necessary for processes-
      for example, fear extinction and reinforcer devaluation--that involve updating
      representations of value. Furthermore, recent neuroimaging studies suggest that
      the human amygdala mediates performance on many reward-based decision-making
      tasks. The encoding of affective significance by the amygdala might be best
      described as a representation of state value-a representation that is useful for
      coordinating physiological, behavioral, and cognitive responses in an
      affective/emotional context.

PMID- 20299206
TI  - Variation in 'standard care' for breast cancer across Europe: a EUROCARE-3 high
      resolution study.
AB  - On a population-based sample of 13,500 European breast cancer patients mostly
      diagnosed in 1996-1998 and archived by 26 cancer registries, we used logistic
      regression to estimate odds of conservative surgery plus radiotherapy (BCS+RT)
      versus other surgery, in T1N0M0 cases by country, adjusted for age and tumour
      size. We also examined: BCS+RT in relation to total national expenditure on
      health (TNEH); chemotherapy use in N+ patients; tamoxifen use in oestrogen
      positive patients; and whether 10 nodes were examined in lymphadenectomies.
      Stage, diagnostic examinations and treatments were obtained from clinical
      records. T1N0M0 cases were 33.0% of the total. 55.0% of T1N0M0 received BCS+RT,
      range 9.0% (Estonia) to 78.0% (France). Compared to France, odds of BCS+RT were
      lower in all other countries, even after adjusting for covariates. Women of 70-99
      years had 67% lower odds of BCS+RT than women of 15-39 years. BCS+RT was 20% in
      low TNEH, 58% in medium TNEH, and 64% in high TNEH countries. Chemotherapy was
      given to 63.0% of N+ and 90.7% of premenopausal N+ (15-49 years), with marked
      variation by country, mainly in post-menopause (50-99 years). Hormonal therapy
      was given to 55.5% of oestrogen-positive cases, 44.6% at 15-49 years and 58.8% at
      50-99 years; with marked variation across countries especially in premenopause.
      The variation in breast cancer care across Europe prior to the development of
      European guidelines was striking; older women received BCS+RT much less than
      younger women; and adherence to 'standard care' varied even among countries with
      medium/high TNEH, suggesting sub-optimal resource allocation.

PMID- 20299208
TI  - Co-pyrolysis characteristics of sawdust and coal blend in TGA and a fixed bed
      reactor.
AB  - Co-pyrolysis characteristics of sawdust and coal blend were determined in TGA and
      a fixed bed reactor. The yield and conversion of co-pyrolysis of sawdust and coal
      blend based on volatile matters are higher than those of the sum of sawdust and
      coal individually. Form TGA experiments, weight loss rate of sawdust and coal
      blend increases above 400 degrees C and additional weight loss was observed at
      700 degrees C. In a fixed bed at isothermal condition, the synergy to produce
      more volatiles is appeared at 500-700 degrees C, and the maximum synergy exhibits
      with a sawdust blending ratio of 0.6 at 600 degrees C. The gas product yields
      remarkably increase at lower temperature range by reducing tar yield. The CO
      yield increases up to 26% at 400 degrees C and CH(4) yield increases up to 62% at
      600 degrees C compared with the calculated value from the additive model.

PMID- 20299207
TI  - Evaluation of the catalytic properties of Burkholderia cepacia lipase immobilized
      on non-commercial matrices to be used in biodiesel synthesis from different
      feedstocks.
AB  - The objective of this work was to produce an immobilized form of lipase from
      Burkholderia cepacia (lipase PS) with advantageous catalytic properties and
      stability to be used in the ethanolysis of different feedstocks, mainly babassu
      oil and tallow beef. For this purpose lipase PS was immobilized on two different
      non-commercial matrices, such as inorganic matrix (niobium oxide, Nb(2)O(5)) and
      a hybrid matrix (polysiloxane-polyvinyl alcohol, SiO(2)-PVA) by covalent binding.
      The properties of free and immobilized enzymes were searched and compared. The
      best performance regarding all the analyzed parameters (biochemical properties,
      kinetic constants and thermal stability) were obtained when the lipase was
      immobilized on SiO(2)-PVA. The superiority of this immobilized system was also
      confirmed in the transesterification of both feedstocks, attained higher yields
      and productivities.

PMID- 20299209
TI  - Methanogenesis control by employing various environmental stress conditions in
      two-chambered microbial fuel cells.
AB  - This study examines methanogen activity in microbial fuel cells when exposed to
      various environmental stresses, such as oxygen, low pH, low temperature,
      inhibitor (2-bromoethanesulfonate (BES)), and variations in external resistance.
      Controlling methanogenesis resulted in an increase in Coulombic efficiency (CE)
      because it was a major cause of electron loss. Methane was mainly produced from
      aceticlastic methanogenesis, rather than by syntrophic acetate oxidation, with
      Methanosarcinaceae being the primary contributor. Lowering the resistance from
      600 to 50 Omega reduced the methanogenic electron loss by 24%; however, changing
      the temperature or pH level had little effect. A BES injection was the most
      potent strategy for the selective inhibition of methanogens without damaging
      exoelectrogens. The addition of 0.1-0.27 mM BES increased the CE from 35% to 70%.
      Oxygen stress successfully inhibited methanogens, while slightly suppressing the
      exoelectrogens, and is believed to be a practical option due to its low operating
      cost.

PMID- 20299210
TI  - Variability of bulk density of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS)
      during gravity-driven discharge.
AB  - Loading railcars with consistent tonnage has immense cost implications for the
      shipping of distillers' dried grains with soluble (DDGS) product. Therefore, this
      study was designed to investigate the bulk density variability of DDGS during
      filling of railcar hoppers. An apparatus was developed similar to a spinning
      riffler sampler in order to simulate the filling of railcars at an ethanol plant.
      There was significant difference (P<0.05) between the initial and final measures
      of bulk density and particle size as the hoppers were emptied in both mass and
      funnel flow patterns. Particle segregation that takes place during filling of
      hoppers contributed to the bulk density variation and was explained by particle
      size variation. This phenomenon is most likely the same throughout the industry
      and an appropriate sampling procedure should be adopted for measuring the bulk
      density of DDGS stored silos or transported in railcar hoppers.

PMID- 20299211
TI  - Enhancement of anti-complementary and radical scavenging activities in the
      submerged culture of Cordyceps sinensis by addition of citrus peel.
AB  - To investigate the optimal conditions for the production of Cordyceps sinensis by
      the submerged culture method, glucosamine and exopolysaccharide (EPS)
      productivities were determined in culture broth containing different carbon
      sources, principally rice bran and citrus peel. An optimal medium composition
      (1.5% rice bran, 0.5% molasses, 3% CSL, 0.1% KH(2)PO(4), and 0.05% MgSO(4)) and
      the optimal condition (25 degrees C and 5-6 d culture time) for high EPS
      productivity with potent immune-stimulating activities were obtained. The
      addition of citrus peel to the culture of C. sinensis under the optimized
      conditions improved EPS productivity and glucosamine content. Furthermore, anti
      complementary activity was higher (58.0-80.8%) using citrus peel as compared to
      no addition of citrus peel (48.2-68.7%). Antioxidant activity (AEAC value) of the
      citrus peel culture was high (284.3-384.6 mg/100g) compared to that of the
      culture without citrus peel (142.8-219.5mg/100g), indicating that the citrus peel
      helped enhance the anti-complementary and antioxidant activities of C. sinensis.

PMID- 20299212
TI  - Comparison of single-step and two-step purified coagulants from Moringa oleifera
      seed for turbidity and DOC removal.
AB  - The coagulant proteins from Moringa oleifera purified with single-step and two
      step ion-exchange processes were used for the coagulation of surface water from
      Meuse river in The Netherlands. The performances of the two purified coagulants
      and the crude extract were assessed in terms of turbidity and DOC removal. The
      results indicated that the optimum dosage of the single-step purified coagulant
      was more than two times higher compared to the two-step purified coagulant in
      terms of turbidity removal. And the residual DOC in the two-step purified
      coagulant was lower than in single-step purified coagulant or crude extract.

PMID- 20299213
TI  - [(11)C]Dimebon, radiosynthesis and lipophilicity of a new potential PET agent for
      imaging of Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease.
AB  - [(11)C]Dimebon (2-[(11)C]methyl-8-methyl-5-(2-(6-methylpyridin-3-yl)ethyl)
      2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole), a new potential PET agent for imaging
      of Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease, was prepared by N
      [(11)C]methylation of desmethyl-Domebon precursor with [(11)C]CH(3)OTf and
      purified with a semi-preparative HPLC method in 30-40% decay corrected
      radiochemical yield and 222-296GBq/mumol specific activity at EOB. The measured
      lipophilicity coefficient (LogP) value of [(11)C]Dimebon was 2.53.

PMID- 20299215
TI  - Identification and hit-to-lead exploration of a novel series of histamine H4
      receptor inverse agonists.
AB  - The identification and hit-to-lead exploration of a novel, potent and selective
      series of histamine H(4) receptor inverse agonists is described. The initial hit,
      3A (IC(50) 19 nM) was identified by means of a ligand-based virtual screening
      approach. Subsequent medicinal chemistry exploration yielded 18I which possessed
      increased potency (R-enantiomer IC(50) 1 nM) as well as enhanced microsomal
      stability.

PMID- 20299214
TI  - (S)-3-(4-(2-(5-Methyl-2-phenyloxazol-4-yl)ethoxy)phenyl)-2-(piperazin-1-yl)
      propanoic acid compounds: synthesis and biological evaluation of dual
      PPARalpha/gamma agonists.
AB  - A series of novel, potent PPARalpha/gamma dual agonists were synthesized and
      appraised. The most potent analogue, compound 2b demonstrated EC(50) value of
      0.012+/-0.002 and 0.032+/-0.01 microM, respectively, for hPPARalpha and
      hPPARgamma in transactivation assay. Additionally, compound 2b demonstrated good
      glucose and lipid lowering effect in genetic diabetic (db/db) mice.

PMID- 20299216
TI  - Benzyl prolinate derivatives as novel selective KCC2 blockers.
AB  - The discovery and optimization of a novel class of selective submicromolar KCC2
      blockers is described. Details of synthesis and SAR are given together with ADME
      properties of selected compounds. A methylsulfone residue on the R(1) phenyl
      group improved the overall general profile of these prolinate derivatives.

PMID- 20299217
TI  - Chemopreventive activities of etodolac and oxyphenbutazone against mouse skin
      carcinogenesis.
AB  - Previous cancer chemoprevention studies have demonstrated that the non-steroidal
      anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can be effective in suppressing the development
      of various human malignancies. Recently we identified the possible anti-tumor
      promoting potentials of 14 new NSAIDs in the Epstein-Barr virus early antigen
      activation assay induced by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). In this
      study we report the inhibition of 7,12-dimethylbenz (a) anthracene (DMBA) induced
      two-stage mouse skin carcinogenesis by etodolac (ETD), one of the most potent
      NSAIDs identified in our in vitro cancer chemopreventive screening of this group
      of drugs. Topical administration of ETD at a very low dose of 85 nmol showed a
      significant decrease in both tumor incidence and burden. This effect is also
      accompanied by a delay in the tumor latency period. Since ETD showed potent
      chemopreventive activity in both in vitro and in vivo studies, it warrants prompt
      consideration for trial in humans as a potential cancer chemopreventive agent. We
      also investigated oxyphenbutazone (OPB) another commonly used NSAID for its
      cancer chemopreventive effect on peroxynitrite (PN) induced-TPA promoted skin
      tumors in the mouse. Following tumor initiation with 390 nmol of PN, the skin
      tumor promotion with 1.7 nmol of TPA was significantly inhibited by oral
      administration of 0.0025% OPB. The results demonstrate that OPB is a potent
      cancer chemopreventive agent in the highly sensitive in vivo mouse test model we
      used.

PMID- 20299218
TI  - Identification of potent, highly constrained CGRP receptor antagonists.
AB  - A novel series of potent CGRP receptor antagonists containing a central quinoline
      ring constraint was identified. The combination of the quinoline constraint with
      a tricyclic benzimidazolinone left hand fragment produced an analog with
      picomolar potency (14, CGRP K(i)=23 pM). Further optimization of the tricycle
      produced a CGRP receptor antagonist that exhibited subnanomolar potency (19, CGRP
      K(i)=0.52 nM) and displayed a good pharmacokinetic profile in three preclinical
      species.

PMID- 20299219
TI  - Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors. The beta-carbonic anhydrases from the fungal
      pathogens Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida albicans are strongly inhibited by
      substituted-phenyl-1H-indole-5-sulfonamides.
AB  - A series of 2-(hydrazinocarbonyl)-3-substituted-phenyl-1H-indole-5-sulfonamides
      and 1-({[5-(aminosulfonyl)-3-phenyl-1H-indol-2-yl]carbonyl}amino)-2,4,6
      trimethylpyridinium perchlorates possessing various 2-, 3- or 4-substituted
      phenyl groups with methyl-, halogeno- and methoxy-functionalities, as well as the
      perfluorophenyl moiety, have been evaluated as inhibitors of the beta-carbonic
      anhydrases (CAs, EC 4.2.1.1) from the pathogenic fungi Cryptococcus neoformans
      (Can2) and Candida albicans (CaNce103). Both enzymes were potently inhibited by
      these sulfonamides, K(I)s in the range of 4.4-118 nM against Can2, and of 5.1-128
      against CaNce103, respectively. Minor structural changes in the 3-substituted
      phenyl moiety contribute significantly to the inhibitory activity. Some of the
      investigated sulfonamides showed promising selectivity ratios for inhibiting Can2
      over the host, human enzymes CA I and II.

PMID- 20299220
TI  - 4,7-Dichloro benzothien-2-yl sulfonylaminomethyl boronic acid: first boronic acid
      derived beta-lactamase inhibitor with class A, C, and D activity.
AB  - 4,7-Dichloro-1-benzothien-2-yl sulfonylaminomethyl boronic acid (DSABA, Compound
      I) was discovered as the first boronic acid-based class D beta-lactamase
      inhibitor. It exhibited an IC(50) of 5.6 microM against OXA-40. The compound also
      inhibited class A and C beta-lactamases with sub to low microM IC(50), and
      synergized with imipenem against Acinetobacter baumannii.

PMID- 20299222
TI  - Solutions for representing the whole-body centre of mass in side cutting
      manoeuvres based on data that is typically available for lower limb kinematics.
AB  - While studying detailed lower limb mechanics of dynamic sports manoeuvres like
      side cutting it is often desirable but practically difficult to directly measure
      velocity profiles of the whole-body centre of mass (CoM). In the current study,
      representations of CoM, either based on a single marker placed on the pelvis or
      thorax, or based on segment kinematics of lower limbs with or without inclusion
      of trunk, were evaluated against whole-body CoM representation. Using the 95%
      limits of agreement method for comparison of two methods, strongest agreement was
      found between velocity of whole-body CoM and CoM representation based on lower
      limbs with the addition of the trunk. The CoM representation based on lower limbs
      only showed weaker agreement, but this representation was still markedly superior
      to single marker representations.

PMID- 20299223
TI  - Symmetrical kinematic changes in highly functioning older patients post-stroke
      during obstacle-crossing.
AB  - With the advances in stroke care, the number of high-functioning patients after
      stroke is increasing. However, existing clinical tools may not be sensitive
      enough to identify the residual deficits in these patients. The current study
      aimed to investigate the control of the pelvis, and the joints and end-point of
      the lower limbs in high-functioning older patients post-stroke during obstacle
      crossing using motion analysis techniques. Twenty-four high-functioning older
      patients following unilateral stroke and fifteen healthy controls walked and
      crossed obstacles of three different heights. End-point variables (leading toe
      clearance and trailing toe-obstacle distance) and crossing pelvic and joint
      angles were obtained for both limbs during leading limb crossing. Whether leading
      with the contralesional or ipsilesional limb, the stroke group exhibited
      significantly different joint kinematics from the controls mainly in the frontal
      and transverse planes, with greater leading toe-clearance, trailing toe-obstacle
      distance, and posterior pelvic tilt. None of the end-point and joint variables
      were significantly different between limbs. High-functioning patients post-stroke
      appeared to have acquired a specific symmetric kinematic strategy with increased
      leading toe-clearance during obstacle-crossing, most likely in order to prevent
      tripping. This symmetric strategy, possibly a consequence of brain
      reorganization, may help in performing functional activities during which
      symmetric performance between the contralesional and ipsilesional sides is
      required. Obstacle-crossing training with both limbs leading alternately may be
      helpful for the development of this symmetric strategy. It is suggested that
      computerized motion analysis of obstacle-crossing can be a sensitive assessment
      tool for distinguishing the motor performance between normal and high-functioning
      patients post-stroke.

PMID- 20299221
TI  - Single-molecule imaging brings Rad51 nucleoprotein filaments into focus.
AB  - The Rad51 protein is essential for DNA repair by homologous recombination. After
      DNA damage, Rad51 localizes to nuclear foci that represent sites of DNA repair in
      vivo. In vitro, Rad51 self-assembles on single- or double-stranded DNA to form a
      nucleoprotein filament. Recently, the merging of innovative single-molecule
      techniques with ensemble methods has provided unique insights into the dynamic
      nature of this filament and its cellular function. The assembly and disassembly
      of Rad51 nucleoprotein filaments is seen to be regulated by recombination
      accessory proteins. In this regard, the BRC repeats of the BRCA2 protein were
      shown to modulate the DNA binding selectivity of Rad51. Furthermore, single
      molecule studies explained the need for a DNA translocase, Rad54 protein, in the
      disassembly of Rad51 double-stranded DNA filaments.

PMID- 20299224
TI  - Secretive ciliates and putative asexuality in microbial eukaryotes.
AB  - Facultative sexuality is assumed to have occurred in the ancestor of all extant
      eukaryotes, but the distribution and maintenance of sex among microbial
      eukaryotes is still under debate. In this paper, we address the purported
      asexuality in colpodean ciliates as an exemplary lineage. Colpodeans are a
      primarily terrestrial clade thought to have arisen up to 900 MYA and contain one
      known derived sexual species. We conclude that the putative asexuality of this
      lineage is an observational artifact. We suggest that the same might hold for
      other microbial eukaryotes, and that many are secretively sexual as well.
      Theoretical work from the distantly related plants and animals suggests that both
      the evolutionary success of ancient asexuals and the reversal of the loss of sex
      are highly unlikely, further suggesting that colpodeans are secretively sexual.
      However, it remains to be seen to what extent sexual theories and predictions
      derived from macro-organismic lineages apply also to microbial eukaryotes.

PMID- 20299226
TI  - Synthesis and biological evaluation of antitumor-active gamma-butyrolactone
      substituted betulin derivatives.
AB  - The plant triterpenes betulin and betulinic acid (BA) are triterpenes featuring
      interesting pharmacological properties. Starting from substituted betulinic
      aldehydes, we used them as lead structures for the synthesis of several gamma
      butyrolactones and butenolides. Their antitumor activity was examined for 15
      cancer cell lines using a SRB-assay and their apoptotic action was documented by
      trypan-blue test and DNA laddering. Several compounds revealed a higher activity
      than betulinic acid.

PMID- 20299225
TI  - The human Mediator complex: a versatile, genome-wide regulator of transcription.
AB  - The Mediator complex interacts extensively with the RNA polymerase II enzyme and
      regulates its ability to express protein-coding genes. The mechanisms by which
      Mediator regulates gene expression remain poorly understood, in part because the
      structure of Mediator and even its composition can change, depending upon the
      promoter context. Combined with the sheer size of the human Mediator complex (26
      subunits, 1.2 MDa), this structural adaptability bestows seemingly unlimited
      regulatory potential within the complex. Recent efforts to understand Mediator
      structure and function have identified expanded roles that include control of
      both pre- and post-initiation events; it is also evident that Mediator performs
      both general and gene-specific roles to regulate gene expression.

PMID- 20299227
TI  - Synthesis and preliminary pharmacological characterisation of a new class of
      nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates (N-BPs).
AB  - A new series of bisphosphonates bearing either the nitrogen-containing NO-donor
      furoxan (1,2,5-oxadiazole 2-oxide) system or the related furazan (1,2,5
      oxadiazole) in lateral chain has been developed. pK(a) values and affinity for
      hydroxyapatite were determined for all the compounds. The products were able to
      inhibit osteoclastogenesis on RAW 246.7 cells at 10microM concentration. The most
      active compounds were further assayed on human PBMC cells and on rat microsomes.
      Unlike most nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates which target farnesyl
      pyrophosphate synthase, experimental and theoretical investigations suggest that
      the activity of our derivatives may be related to different mechanisms. The
      furoxan derivatives were also tested for their ability to relax rat aorta strips
      in view of their potential NO-dependent vasodilator properties.

PMID- 20299229
TI  - Isolation, structure and biological activities of platencin A(2)-A(4) from
      Streptomyces platensis.
AB  - Natural products serve as a great reservoir for chemical diversity and are the
      greatest source for antibacterial agents. Recent discoveries of platensimycin and
      platencin as inhibitors of bacterial fatty acid biosynthesis enzymes supplied new
      chemical scaffolds for potential antibacterial agents to overcome resistant
      pathogens. Discovery of natural congeners augment chemical modification in
      understanding of structure-activity relationship (SAR). Chemical and biological
      screening of the extracts led to isolation of three hydroxylated analogs of
      platencin. The C-12, C-14 and C-15 hydroxylated analogs showed attenuated
      activities which provided significant understanding of functional tolerance in
      the diterpenoid portion of the molecule. A truncated and oxidized C-13 natural
      congener was isolated which suggested direct intermediacy of ent-copalyl
      diphosphate for the biosynthesis of platensimycins and platencins.

PMID- 20299228
TI  - Phosphoramidates of 2'-beta-D-arabinouridine (AraU) as phosphate prodrugs;
      design, synthesis, in vitro activity and metabolism.
AB  - 2'-Beta-D-arabinouridine (AraU), the uridine analogue of the anticancer agent
      AraC, was synthesized and evaluated for antiviral activity and cytotoxicity. In
      addition, a series of AraU monophosphate prodrugs in the form of triester
      phosphoramidates (ProTides) were also synthesized and tested against a range of
      viruses, leukaemia and solid tumour cell lines. Unfortunately, neither the parent
      compound (AraU) nor any of its ProTides showed antiviral activity, nor potent
      inhibitory activity against any of the cancer cell lines. Therefore, the
      metabolism of AraU phosphoramidates to release AraU monophosphate was
      investigated. The results showed carboxypeptidase Y, hog liver esterase and crude
      CEM tumor cell extracts to hydrolyse the ester motif of phosphoramidates with
      subsequent loss of the aryl group, while molecular modelling studies suggested
      that the AraU l-alanine aminoacyl phosphate derivative might not be a good
      substrate for the phosphoramidase enzyme Hint-1. These findings are in agreement
      with the observed disappearance of intact prodrug and concomitant appearance of
      the corresponding phosphoramidate intermediate derivative in CEM cell extracts
      without measurable formation of araU monophosphate. These findings may explain
      the poor antiviral/cytostatic potential of the prodrugs.

PMID- 20299230
TI  - The surface potential of insulating thin films negatively charged by a low-energy
      focused electron beam.
AB  - We report on the surface potential characteristics in the equilibrium state of
      the grounded insulating thin films of several 100 nm thickness negatively charged
      by a low-energy (<5 keV) focused electron beam, which have been simulated with a
      newly developed two-dimensional self-consistent model incorporating electron
      scattering, charge transport and charge trapping. The obtained space charge is
      positive and negative within and outside the region, respectively, where the
      electron and hole densities are greater than the trap density. Thus, the surface
      potential is relatively high around the center, then it decreases to a maximum
      negative value and finally tends to zero along the radial direction. The position
      of the maximum value is far beyond the range of e-beam irradiation as a
      consequence of electron scattering and charge transport. Moreover, a positive
      electric field can be generated near the surface in both radial and axial
      directions. The surface potential at center exhibits a maximum negative value in
      the condition of the approximately 2 keV energy non-penetrating e-beam in this
      work, which is supported by some existing experimental data in scanning electron
      microscopy. Furthermore, the surface potential decreases with the increase in
      beam current, trap density and film thickness, but with the decrease in electron
      mobility.

PMID- 20299231
TI  - Quantitative analysis of a complex metal carbide formed during furnace cooling of
      cast duplex stainless steel using EELS and EDS in the TEM.
AB  - In this work, a method to determine the atomic ratio of Mo and C within complex
      metal carbides using EELS in the TEM has been developed. The method is based on
      the determination of k-factors for given experimental conditions from the EEL
      spectra of Mo(2)C and MoO(3) standards, which had been independently checked by
      XRD and EPMA. Factors affecting the k(Mo/C) value of the Mo(2)C standard were
      also investigated and the value was shown to be insensitive to background
      subtraction window width but sensitive to prolonged irradiation and specimen
      thicknesses above a critical value. The method and k-factor obtained from the
      Mo(2)C standard was applied to spectra from a complex metal carbide precipitate
      formed during furnace cooling of a cast duplex stainless steel. Using EELS and
      EDS in the TEM, the composition was estimated to be
      (Cr(1.52)Fe(2.33)Mo(1.25)Ni(0.17)Si(0.46))C, which is close to M(6)C
      stoichiometry, and the structure was confirmed by electron diffraction.

PMID- 20299232
TI  - Antioxidants and redox regulation: changing notions in a changing world.
AB  - The concepts of antioxidants and redox regulation are reconsidered in the light
      of recent findings, and some new future challenges for redox biology are
      outlined. It is suggested that antioxidants, thioredoxin-mediated redox
      regulation, and signal transduction mediated by reactive oxygen and nitrogen
      species, are all part of the same broad mechanism. The integration of different
      redox inputs, by affecting reversible thiol-disulfide dynamics in a set of target
      proteins, could result in the regulation of key processes such as proteolysis,
      gene expression and the functioning of selected metabolic pathways. Most
      interestingly, redox regulation is not just based on a binary "yes or no"
      response, and is therefore a convenient way to achieve graded control over the
      continuum of environmental variables.

PMID- 20299233
TI  - Immunoreactivity of integrin-linked kinase in primary non-small-cell lung cancer
      and survival after curative resection.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Increased immunoreactivity of integrin-linked kinase (ILK) in the
      primary tumour is an adverse prognostic factor in a variety of preclinical and
      clinical models of human cancer. Here, we investigate the relationship between
      ILK immunoreactivity in primary non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the
      survival after curative lung resection. METHODS: Tumour specimens of 138
      radically operated NSCLC patients have been retrieved from the pathology archive,
      mounted in tissue microarrays and immunostained against ILK. The immunoreactivity
      against ILK has been graded in a semi-quantitative manner (negative or 1-3
      positive) by two observers blinded to any patient data, and correlated to the
      survival data. RESULTS: In total, 88 of 138 tumours (64%) showed an ILK
      immunoreactivity, which varied significantly between various histological
      subtypes as it ranged from 46% (squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)) to 79%
      (adenocarcinoma) (p=0.019). The 5-year cancer-related survival of ILK-positive
      SCC patients was at 42 + or - 10% versus 72 + or - 9% significantly shorter than
      in ILK-negative patients (p=0.011). In addition, the recurrence-free survival
      (RFS) of ILK-positive SCC patients was also significantly shorter than of ILK
      negative patients (38 + or - 10% vs 60 + or - 10%) (p=0.005). In multivariate
      analysis, ILK expression was a significant prognostic factor for RFS in squamous
      cell carcinoma (p=0.018), but not in adenocarcinoma or in the rare histology
      group. CONCLUSIONS: Primary NSCLC tumours show a variable ILK immunoreactivity,
      dependent on the histological subtype. In SCC, ILK immunoreactivity is a
      significantly adverse prognostic factor.

PMID- 20299235
TI  - Left atrial appendage contributes to left atrial booster function after the maze
      procedure: quantitative assessment with multidetector computed tomography.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Although the left atrial appendage (LAA) is excised to prevent
      thrombosis in the maze procedure, it remains unclear whether LAA is retained in
      expectation of LAA booster function. Therefore, we quantitatively assessed LAA
      size and function after the maze procedure in patients with chronic atrial
      fibrillation (AF) and mitral valve disease (MVD), and compared with those in
      patients with sinus rhythm after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). METHODS:
      We studied 23 patients (maze group: 65.0 + or - 9.2 (SD) years) undergoing the
      maze procedure for chronic AF and mitral valve surgery and 16 patients having
      sinus rhythm after CABG (CABG group: 66.5 + or - 9.3 years). The maze procedure
      was conducted by radiofrequency (RF) ablation and LAA was preserved in all cases.
      Left atrium (LA) and LAA volume and booster function were quantitatively
      evaluated by multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) at 11.7 + or - 10.4 months
      (maze group) and 16.8 + or - 19.9 months (CABG group) after the surgery. RESULTS:
      In all 23 patients of the maze group, sinus rhythm was well restored. LAA was
      clearly visualised without thrombi in all 39 patients. The maximal LA volume in
      the maze group was 128.8 + or - 54.6 ml, being larger than 105.3 + or - 36.1 ml
      in the CABG group. LA ejection fraction (EF) in the maze group was 16.1 + or -
      7.0%, being significantly lower than 26.8 + or - 8.7% in the CABG group.
      Meanwhile, the maximal LAA volume in the maze group was significantly larger
      (16.9 + or - 7.3 ml vs 8.4 + or - 4.7 ml), but LAA EF (34.1 + or - 12.8% vs 36.1
      + or - 7.4%) was comparable in the two groups. CONCLUSION: LAA largely
      contributes to LA booster function, particularly in the maze group, because LA
      booster function is deteriorated in this group of patients.

PMID- 20299236
TI  - Nutritional processes of care for older adults admitted to an oncology-acute care
      for elders unit.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute care for elders (ACE) units have been established in the United
      States to prevent functional decline in older hospitalized patients. PURPOSE: We
      sought to examine whether an ace unit that focused specifically on care of older
      oncology patients (OACE) compared with a usual care cancer ward (UCCW)
      demonstrated improved nutritional processes of care in patients who had
      documentation of nutritional deficits. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective
      chart review to examine whether orders had been placed for a nutritional consult
      or use of nutritional supplements. Logistic regression analyses, controlling for
      confounding variables, were conducted to evaluate differences between the wards.
      RESULTS: OACE unit patients were 2.1 times more likely than UCCW patients to have
      a nutrition consult placed and 2.5 times more likely to have nutritional
      supplements ordered. CONCLUSIONS: An OACE unit model of care resulted in
      increased nutritional interventions. Future work is warranted to evaluate
      outcomes of care.

PMID- 20299237
TI  - Interferon-alpha, -beta and -gamma induce CXCL9 and CXCL10 secretion by human
      thyrocytes: modulation by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma
      agonists.
AB  - It has been hypothesized that interferon (IFN) alpha and beta cause autoimmune
      thyroid dysfunctions by changing the Th1/Th2 balance, but the mechanisms involved
      are not yet known. The aims of this study were: (a) to test the effect of
      IFNalpha, IFNbeta and IFNgamma on the secretion of the Th1 chemokines CXCL9 and
      CXCL10, in "primary cultures of human thyroid follicular cells" (TFC); (b) to
      assess the effect of PPARgamma activation on CXCL9 and CXCL10 secretion. In TFC,
      CXCL9 and CXCL10 were undetectable in the supernatant. IFNgamma, IFNalpha and
      IFNbeta, dose dependently induced CXCL9 and CXCL10 release. TNFalpha alone had no
      effect. The combination of each of the IFNs with TNFalpha had a significant
      synergistic effect on CXCL9 and CXCL10 secretion. Treatment of TFC with
      rosiglitazone dose dependently inhibited the IFNs-stimulated CXCL9 and CXCL10
      release. Compared with IFNalpha and IFNbeta, IFNgamma was the most potent
      stimulus of CXCL9 and CXCL10 secretion. In conclusion, IFNalpha, IFNbeta,
      IFNgamma and TNFalpha (synergistically with IFNs) dose-dependently induce the
      release of CXCL9 and CXCL10 by TFC, suggesting that this process may be related,
      at least in part, to the appearance of thyroid dysfunction during IFNs therapy.
      Furthermore, PPARgamma activation partially inhibits this process.

PMID- 20299238
TI  - Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1: a dichotomous role in cardiac remodeling
      following acute myocardial infarction in man?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is elevated after acute
      myocardial infarction (AMI), and potentiates left ventricular (LV) remodeling in
      murine models of AMI. We examined the relationships between serum MCP-1, change
      in LV function and biomarkers related to remodeling in a cohort of AMI patients.
      METHODS: Serum MCP-1 concentrations were measured in 100 patients (age 58.9+/
      12.0 years, 77% male) admitted with AMI and LV dysfunction, at baseline (mean 46
      h), 12 and 24 weeks; cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and measurement of matrix
      metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), MMP-3 and MMP-9 occurred at each time-point.
      RESULTS: MCP-1 increased significantly from 697 [483, 997]pg/mL at baseline to
      878 [678, 1130]pg/mL at 24 weeks (p<0.001). MMP-3 concentration increased while
      MMP-9 decreased significantly over time; MMP-2 concentration did not change
      significantly. BASELINE MCP-1 correlated with change in (Delta) LV end-systolic
      volume index (DeltaLVESVI; r= -0.48, p=0.01) and with DeltaLV ejection fraction
      (DeltaLVEF; r=0.50, p=0.02). However, DeltaMCP-1 correlated positively with
      DeltaLVESVI (r=0.40, p=0.006) and negatively with DeltaLVEF (r= -0.36, p=0.004).
      MCP-1 had no relationship with any MMP. CONCLUSIONS: MCP-1 may have a dichotomous
      role following AMI, aiding early infarct healing but potentiating later
      remodeling, which merits further study before any therapeutic trials of MCP-1
      modulation in humans.

PMID- 20299239
TI  - Gas phase structure of micro-hydrated [Mn(ClO4)]+ and [Mn2(ClO4)3]+ ions probed
      by infrared spectroscopy.
AB  - Gas-phase infrared photodissociation spectroscopy is reported for the
      microsolvated [Mn(ClO(4))(H(2)O)(n)](+) and [Mn(2)(ClO(4))(3)(H(2)O)(n)](+)
      complexes from n = 2 to 5. Electrosprayed ions are isolated in an ion-trap where
      they are photodissociated. The 2600-3800 cm(-1) spectral region associated with
      the OH stretching mode is scanned with a relatively low-power infrared table-top
      laser, which is used in combination with a CO(2) laser to enhance the
      photofragmentation yield of these strongly bound ions. Hydrogen bonding is
      evidenced by a relatively broad band red-shifted from the free OH region. Band
      assignment based on quantum chemical calculations suggest that there is formation
      of water-perchlorate hydrogen bond within the first coordination shell of high
      spin Mn(II). Although the observed spectral features are also compatible with the
      formation of structures with double-acceptor water in the second shell, these
      structures are found relatively high in energy compared with structures with all
      water directly bound to manganese. Using the highly intense IR beam of the free
      electron laser CLIO in the 800-1700 cm(-1), we were also able to characterize the
      coordination mode (eta(2)) of perchlorate for two clusters. The comparison of
      experimental and calculated spectra suggests that the perchlorate Cl-O stretches
      are unexpectedly underestimated at the B3LYP level, while they are correctly
      described at the MP2 level allowing for spectral assignment.

PMID- 20299240
TI  - Backbone and side-chain specific dissociations of z ions from non-tryptic
      peptides.
AB  - Backbone z-type fragment ions formed by electron-transfer dissociation (ETD) of
      doubly protonated peptides AAHAL, AHDAL, and AHADL were subjected to collisional
      activation and their dissociation products were studied by ETD-CID-MS(3) and
      MS(4). Electron structure theory calculations were performed to elucidate ion
      structures and reaction mechanisms. All z ions showed competitive eliminations of
      C(3)H(7) and C(4)H(8) from the C-terminal Leu side chain. The energetics and
      kinetics of these dissociations were studied computationally for the z(4) ion
      from AAHAL, and optimized structures are reported for several intermediates and
      transition states. RRKM calculations on the combined B3LYP and PMP2/6
      311++G(2d,p) potential energy surface provided unimolecular rate constants that
      closely reproduced the experimental branching ratios for C(3)H(7) and C(4)H(8)
      eliminations. Mechanisms were also studied for the loss of CO(2) from z ions
      generated by ETD of AHDAL and AHADL and for a specific radical-induced Asp
      C(alpha)-CO backbone cleavage. CID of the z ions under study did not produce any
      fragment ions that would indicate cascade backbone dissociations triggered by the
      radical sites. In contrast, the majority of backbone dissociations occurred at
      bonds that were remote from the radical sites (spin-remote dissociations) and
      were triggered by proton migrations that were analogous to those considered for
      standard peptide ion fragmentations.

PMID- 20299241
TI  - Application of femtosecond laser mass spectrometry to the analysis of volatile
      organic compounds.
AB  - Femtosecond (fs) lasers have high intensity and ultrashort pulse duration.
      Tunneling ionization occurs for molecules subject to such intense laser fields.
      We have studied the mass spectra of a variety of molecules irradiated by intense
      fs laser pulses. These molecules include some typical volatile organic compounds
      contained in human breath and in the atmosphere. The results demonstrate that all
      of these molecules can be ionized by intense fs laser pulses. Dominant parent ion
      and some characteristic ionic fragments are observed for each molecule. The
      degree of fragmentation can be controlled by adjusting the laser intensity.
      Moreover, saturation ionization can occur for each molecule by increasing the
      laser intensity. These features indicate that fs laser mass spectrometry can be a
      sensitive tool to identify and quantify volatile organic compounds in human
      breath.

PMID- 20299242
TI  - Listeria and Salmonella bacterial vectors of tumor-associated antigens for cancer
      immunotherapy.
AB  - This review covers the use of the facultative intracellular bacteria,
      Listeriamonocytogenes and Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium as delivery
      systems for tumor-associated antigens in tumor immunotherapy. Because of their
      ability to infect and survive in antigen presenting cells, these bacteria have
      been harnessed to deliver tumor antigens to the immune system both as bacterially
      expressed proteins and encoded on eukaryotic plasmids. They do this in the
      context of strong innate immunity, which provides the required stimulus to the
      immune response to break tolerance against those tumor-associated antigens that
      bear homology to self. Here we describe differences in the properties of these
      bacteria as vaccine vectors, a summary of the major therapies they have been
      applied to and their advancement towards the clinic.

PMID- 20299243
TI  - Chicken scFvs and bivalent scFv-C(H) fusions directed against HSP65 of
      Mycobacterium bovis.
AB  - Two chicken single-chain variable region antibody fragments (scFvs) that
      recognised the 65 kDa heat-shock protein (HSP65) of Mycobacterium bovis were
      selected from a large semi-synthetic phage displayed library. Both recognised
      HSP65 in indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunoblots and
      retained their activity during storage. Neither, however, could function as the
      capture reagent in a sandwich ELISA when immobilised on polystyrene. To establish
      whether they could be engineered for general use in immunotests, the genes coding
      for these scFvs were subcloned in expression vectors that contained sequences
      encoding chicken IgY heavy-chain constant region domains. This resulted in larger
      bivalent constructs which more closely resembled IgY molecules. The engineered
      fragments were evaluated in ELISAs and gold-conjugated immunochromatographic
      tests (ICTs). In contrast to their previous behaviour as scFvs, the modified
      fragments (designated "gallibodies") could be used for immunocapture in ELISA and
      could be readily conjugated to colloidal gold nanoparticles. A sandwich ICT that
      could detect recombinant HSP65 was also devised. Although converting the
      recombinant single-chain monomeric antibody fragments to bivalent immunoglobulin
      like molecules did not entirely 'standardise' the behaviour of the scFvs, this
      approach remains potentially useful for developing practical, robust,
      immunodiagnostic reagents.

PMID- 20299244
TI  - Guidelines for establishing a quality improvement program in interventional
      radiology.

PMID- 20299245
TI  - Endovascular management of critical limb ischemia.
AB  - Endovascular management of critical limb ischemia has advanced significantly in
      the recent past, especially the ability to treat tibial artery lesions with
      reasonable results. The indications, results, and technical aspects or
      endovascular management of CLI is reviewed herein. An algorithm for clinical
      management of CLI in patients with tibial occlusive disease is also presented.

PMID- 20299246
TI  - Treatment outcomes of mandibular advancement devices in positional and
      nonpositional OSA patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate treatment outcome of
      mandibular advancement devices (MADs) for positional and nonpositional
      obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). STUDY DESIGN: Forty-two positional (supine apnea
      hypopnea index [AHI] > or = 2 times lateral AHI) and 30 nonpositional (supine AHI
      < 2 times lateral AHI) OSA patients performed 2-nights of sleep study before and
      after insertion of MADs. RESULTS: The decreases in apnea severity based on a
      reduction in the overall and supine AHI values after MADs therapy were
      significantly greater for the positional OSA than nonpositional OSA group. A
      multiple linear regression analysis showed that decrease in overall AHI was
      significantly associated with being in the positional group (standardized
      coefficient = 0.505). Age, body mass index, gender, and time in supine position
      during sleep did not show significant associations with decrease in overall AHI
      after MAD therapy. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that MADs are more effective in
      positional OSA than nonpositional OSA patients.

PMID- 20299247
TI  - Cleft maxillary distraction versus orthognathic surgery--which one is more stable
      in 5 years?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare the long-term stability of
      distraction osteogenesis (DO) and conventional orthognathic surgery (CO) in
      patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP). STUDY DESIGN: CLP patients requiring
      maxillary advancement of 4 to 10 mm were randomized and assigned to either CO or
      DO. In the CO group, the maxilla was fully mobilized to the preplanned position
      and fixed using titanium miniplates. In the DO group, the maxilla was mobilized
      to a limited extent and distractors were fixed on each side of the maxilla.
      Serial lateral cephalographs were taken for the assessment of stability at
      different postoperative periods up to 5 years. RESULTS: In the CO group, the
      maxilla relapsed backward and upward, whereas in the DO group, it advanced more
      forward and downward over 5 years. CONCLUSIONS: Distraction of the cleft maxilla
      can achieve better long-term skeletal stability in maintaining its advanced
      position than CO.

PMID- 20299248
TI  - Complication rates of operatively treated mandibular fractures--the mandibular
      neck.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical treatment of mandibular neck fractures is frequently
      associated with postoperative complications. This study aims at an in-depth
      analysis of complication rates of surgically treated mandibular neck fractures.
      METHODS: All treated patients (264 male, 103 female patients, with 429 mandibular
      neck fractures) of the Vienna University Clinic of Maxillofacial Surgery in the
      period of 1995 to 2005 with at least 1 mandibular neck fracture were included.
      RESULTS: Of surgically treated fractures, 94.8% healed successfully after 1 open
      reduction, 4.4% had 2, and 0.8% had 3 open reductions. Osteosynthesis failure was
      11.3% for 1 miniplate, 6.7% for 2 miniplates, and 8.5% for 1 lag screw. Of the
      surgically treated, 53 (21.3%) had 1 complication, 12 (4.8%) had 2, and 4 (1.6%)
      had 3 complications. Comparing isolated and mandibular neck fractures combined
      with other mandibular fractures the risk of suffering osteosynthesis failure is
      3.59 in case of isolated (P = .004). CONCLUSIONS: Predominant causes of revision
      surgery are osteosynthesis failure, pseudarthrosis, and malposition.

PMID- 20299249
TI  - Shoulder mobility after spinal accessory nerve-sparing modified radical neck
      dissection in oral cancer patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Radical neck dissection (RND), a standard surgical procedure for lymph
      node metastasis of head and neck cancer for decades, causes various dysfunctions,
      such as pain or limited abduction of the shoulder. Various RND modifications have
      been made to reduce these postoperative dysfunctions, but the effect of
      preservation of the spinal accessory nerve is still controversial. The aim of
      this study was to explain our surgical method of sparing the accessory nerve
      during neck dissection and to clarify the effect of preserving the nerve on
      reduction in shoulder dysfunction. STUDY DESIGN: One hundred five neck
      dissections were performed in 90 patients with oral cancer: 4 RNDs and 101
      modified radical neck dissections (mRNDs). The spinal accessory nerve was
      preserved in 96 neck dissections. Dysfunction of the trapezius muscle was
      evaluated by the limitation of shoulder lateral abduction at 3 months after the
      operation. RESULTS: All 9 patients with resection of the spinal accessory nerve
      showed severe shoulder dysfunction, whereas 90 out of 96 with preservation of the
      nerve maintained normal shoulder function. CONCLUSION: Spinal accessory nerve
      sparing neck dissection can reduce postoperative shoulder dysfunction if careful
      operating procedures are used.

PMID- 20299250
TI  - Cervical lymph nodes with or without metastases from oral squamous carcinoma: a
      correlation of MRI findings and histopathologic architecture.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe the magnetic resonance images
      (MRIs) of the architecture of metastatic lymph nodes as well as healthy lymph
      nodes and to correlate the images with the histopathologic architecture of the
      lymph nodes from oral squamous cell carcinoma. STUDY DESIGN: The signal
      intensities of 98 cervical lymph nodes from 20 patients with oral squamous cell
      carcinoma were evaluated on T2-weighted and diffusion-weighted whole-body imaging
      with background body signal suppression (DWIBS). The MRI findings were compared
      with the histopathologic architecture. RESULTS: On T2-weighted images, very
      hyperintense and/or isointense areas were specific findings for lymph nodes
      containing metastases from oral squamous cell carcinoma. Histopathology indicated
      that these areas corresponded to cystic degeneration or keratinization. Using
      DWIBS images with inverted black-and-white image contrast, cystic degeneration,
      keratinization, fibrous tissue, tumor tissue, and lymphoid tissue were either
      hypointense or intermediate in intensity. CONCLUSIONS: On T2-weighted images,
      very hyperintense and/or isointense areas were characteristic findings for lymph
      nodes containing metastases from oral squamous cell carcinoma. This suggests
      cystic degeneration or keratinization within the affected lymph nodes. Using
      DWIBS images, it was difficult to differentiate metastatic from benign lymph
      nodes.

PMID- 20299251
TI  - Risk factors affect the survival outcome of hard palatal and maxillary alveolus
      squamous cell carcinoma: 10-year review in a tertiary referral center.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Hard palatal cancer is relatively rare in the head and neck region.
      Treatment outcome, risk factors that lead to poor survival outcome, and treatment
      strategy are still controversial. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study in a tertiary
      medical center. RESULTS: Surgery is a better treatment strategy than concurrent
      chemoradiation therapy (CCRT) for achieving positive survival outcomes. We also
      found a higher surgical salvage rate in patients with hard palatal cancer who had
      local recurrence or neck relapse. Soft palate or infratemporal fossa involvement
      had poor outcomes. Ulcerative tumor features, tumor volumes larger than 10 mL,
      and local recurrent tumors that could not undergo salvage surgery also had poorer
      survival outcomes in our study. CONCLUSION: Surgical management is still the
      first choice for patients with hard palate or alveolus squamous cell carcinomas
      even when patients had local or neck regional recurrence.

PMID- 20299253
TI  - Self inhibition of phagocytosis: the affinity of 'marker of self' CD47 for
      SIRPalpha dictates potency of inhibition but only at low expression levels.
AB  - Phagocytes engulf foreign cells but not 'self' in part because self cells express
      CD47 as a ligand for signal regulatory protein SIRPalpha, which inhibits
      phagocytosis. Motivated by reports of upregulation of CD47 on both normal and
      cancerous stem cells [1: Jaiswal et al., 2009] and also by polymorphisms in
      SIRPalpha [2: Takenaka et al., 2007], we show here that inhibition of engulfment
      correlates with affinity of CD47 for SIRPalpha - but only at low levels of CD47.
      One common human polymorph of SIRPalpha is studied and binds more strongly to
      human-CD47 than to mouse-CD47 (K(d) approximately 0.12 microM and 6.9 microM,
      respectively) and does not bind sheep red blood cells (RBCs) - which are well
      established targets of human macrophages; in comparison, a common mouse polymorph
      of SIRPalpha binds with similar affinity to human and mouse CD47 (K(d)
      approximately 0.22 microM). Using immunoglobulin (IgG)-opsonized particles with
      varying levels of either human- or mouse-CD47, the effective inhibition constants
      K(i) for blocking phagocytosis are then determined with both human- and mouse
      derived macrophages. Only human phagocytes show significant differences in man
      versus mouse K(i)'s and only at CD47 levels below normal densities for RBCs.
      While phospho-signaling through human-SIRPalpha shows similar trends, consistent
      again with the affinity differences, saturating levels of CD47 (>K(i)) can signal
      and inhibit phagocytosis regardless of man versus mouse. Quantitative analyses
      here prompt more complete characterizations of both CD47 levels and SIRPalpha
      polymorphisms when attempting to study in vivo effects of these key proteins in
      innate immunity.

PMID- 20299254
TI  - Cord blood screening for alpha-thalassemia and hemoglobin variants by isoelectric
      focusing in northern Thai neonates: correlation with genotypes and hematologic
      parameters.
AB  - We describe the screening of newborns for thalassemia and Hb variants by using
      isoelectric focusing (IEF) in a population from northern Thailand where
      hemoglobinopathies are highly prevalent. The report focuses on findings of alpha
      thalassemia, Hb E, and other hemoglobin variants, and their correlation with
      genotypes and hematologic parameters. Two-hundred and seven out of 566 newborns
      (36.6%) had thalassemia genes or Hb variants. Seventeen different genotypes were
      found. Nine cases (1.6%) of Hb H disease (five deletional Hb H diseases, two Hb
      H/Constant Spring diseases, one deletional Hb H disease/Hb E, carrier and one Hb
      H/Constant Spring disease/Hb E carrier) and one Hb E-beta-thalassemia were
      identified. IEF could clearly distinguish Hb H diseases and carriers of two alpha
      globin gene defects from normal individuals according to the presence of Hb
      Bart's and its percentage. For carriers of a single alpha-globin gene defect, Hb
      Bart's was either absent or present in a small amount and was therefore not
      reliable for screening. The presence of an additional band at the Hb A(2)
      position in the newborns signified an Hb E carrier. One case of an absent Hb A
      and a presence of Hb E was identified as Hb E-beta-thalassemia. Two Hb Q-Thailand
      carriers were seen with two additional Hb fractions, presumably combinations of
      gamma-globin and beta-globin with the alpha-globin variant. Newborns with Hb H
      disease had lower Hb, MCV, and MCH levels than normal. MCV and MCH were also
      useful for differentiation of carriers of two alpha-globin gene defects, but not
      for carriers of Hb E or single alpha-globin gene defect. IEF was a reliable
      method for neonatal cord blood screening for alpha-thalassemia and Hb variants.

PMID- 20299256
TI  - Eradication of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae from a swine finishing herd without total
      depopulation.
AB  - Using vaccination and medication, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (Mhyo) was eradicated
      from a finishing herd without total depopulation. Altogether 3243 feeder pigs
      originating from Mhyo-free herds were vaccinated once using an inactivated,
      adjuvanted vaccine before transporting them to a Mhyo-infected finishing herd.
      The Mhyo-infected groups of pigs were medicated with antimicrobial agents at the
      time of the arrival of the first groups of Mhyo-free, vaccinated feeder pigs. The
      groups were operated with an all-in-all-out method in rooms with separate
      ventilation and slurry disposal systems. Thereafter the farmer purchased only non
      vaccinated feeder pigs originating from Mhyo-free sow herds. Serology gave no
      positive results for 5.5 years and it was concluded that the eradication
      programme had been successful in producing a Mhyo-free herd without total
      depopulation.

PMID- 20299257
TI  - A non-uniformly sampled 4D HCC(CO)NH-TOCSY experiment processed using maximum
      entropy for rapid protein sidechain assignment.
AB  - One of the stiffest challenges in structural studies of proteins using NMR is the
      assignment of sidechain resonances. Typically, a panel of lengthy 3D experiments
      are acquired in order to establish connectivities and resolve ambiguities due to
      overlap. We demonstrate that these experiments can be replaced by a single 4D
      experiment that is time-efficient, yields excellent resolution, and captures
      unique carbon-proton connectivity information. The approach is made practical by
      the use of non-uniform sampling in the three indirect time dimensions and maximum
      entropy reconstruction of the corresponding 3D frequency spectrum. This 4D method
      will facilitate automated resonance assignment procedures and it should be
      particularly beneficial for increasing throughput in NMR-based structural
      genomics initiatives.

PMID- 20299255
TI  - Approaches to unravel the genetics of sleep.
AB  - Sleep and circadian rhythms are complex and inter-connected physiological
      processes. Relative to the remarkable progress made in identifying the genetic
      basis of circadian rhythms and some specific sleep disorders, efforts to identify
      genetic variants associated with normal variation in sleep have progressed more
      slowly. Two key issues concerning the design of such studies must be addressed in
      order to facilitate further progress. The first concerns the sleep related traits
      to be targeted. The second issue is the choice of the gene-mapping method
      (linkage, candidate gene association or genome-wide association). This paper
      discusses these issues, reviews published studies of sleep phenotypes, and
      recommends cost-effective methods to advance knowledge of the genetic
      determinants of normal sleep patterns.

PMID- 20299258
TI  - New insights in nutritional management and amino acid supplementation in urea
      cycle disorders.
AB  - Sodium phenylbutyrate is used in the pharmacological treatment of urea cycle
      disorders to create alternative pathways for nitrogen excretion. The primary
      metabolite, phenylacetate, conjugates glutamine in the liver and kidney to form
      phenylacetylglutamine that is readily excreted in the urine. Patients with urea
      cycle disorders taking sodium phenylbutyrate have a selective reduction in the
      plasma concentrations of branched chain amino acids despite adequate dietary
      protein intake. Moreover, this depletion is usually the harbinger of a metabolic
      crisis. Plasma branched chain amino acids and other essential amino acids were
      measured in control subjects, untreated ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency
      females, and treated patients with urea cycle disorders (ornithine
      transcarbamylase deficiency and argininosuccinate synthetase deficiency) in the
      absorptive state during the course of stable isotope studies. Branched chain
      amino acid levels were significantly lower in treated patients with urea cycle
      disorders when compared to untreated ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency
      females or control subjects. These results were replicated in control subjects
      who had low steady-state branched chain amino acid levels when treated with
      sodium phenylbutyrate. These studies suggested that alternative pathway therapy
      with sodium phenylbutyrate causes a substantial impact on the metabolism of
      branched chain amino acids in patients with urea cycle disorders, implying that
      better titration of protein restriction can be achieved with branched chain amino
      acid supplementation in these patients who are on alternative pathway therapy.

PMID- 20299259
TI  - Mouse model of encephalopathy and novel treatment strategies with substrate
      competition in glutaric aciduria type I.
AB  - Glutaric aciduria type I (GA-1) results from an inherited defect in a common step
      of lysine, hydroxylysine and tryptophan metabolism. This defect is associated
      with an age-dependent susceptibility to encephalopathy commonly preceded by non
      specific childhood illnesses or fasting. The brain injury that develops with
      encephalopathic crisis in GA-1 is anatomically and symptomatically similar to
      Huntington's disease, affecting the striatum. The mechanism of injury remains
      poorly understood. Recently, an animal model of GA-1 encephalopathy was developed
      by providing GA-1 mice with added dietary lysine. This model shows age-dependent
      susceptibility similar to the human disease. Enhanced lysine accumulation and
      utilization in the immature brain correlates with increased glutaric acid levels
      and age-dependent susceptibility. Neurotransmitter and Krebs cycle intermediate
      depletion in this model represent novel findings toward uncovering the mechanism
      of neuronal injury. Additionally this mouse model is responsive to glucose
      analogous to human GA-1 and provides insight toward the mechanism of this effect.
      Together these findings led to a new treatment strategy of competing with brain
      lysine uptake that shows promising results. This research serves as a model for
      understanding blood brain barrier amino acid transport at critical stages of
      development and may help advance understanding of brain injury and development of
      treatments in other IEMs including urea cycle disorders.

PMID- 20299260
TI  - Response to Choi et al. regarding the use of a Gaucher diagnostic kit.

PMID- 20299261
TI  - [Capitate osteotomy in Kienbock's disease in twelve cases. Clinical and
      radiological results at five years follow-up].
AB  - Kienbock's disease could occur pain and reduce wrist's range of motion despite of
      an early radiologic staging. Usual surgical procedures unload the lunate. Radial
      shortening is the common procedure in negative ulnar variance. For wrists with
      neutral or positive ulnar variance, this procedure could produce a distal radio
      ulnar discrepancy and an ulnocarpal impingement. We perform, in these cases, a
      capitate shortening. The goal of this study is to relate the wrist functional
      outcome and the radiological result in 12 cases. It was a consecutive
      retrospective study of 12 patients (nine male, three female). Eight Lichtman's
      stage II and four stage III A with neutral or positive ulnar variance. The wrists
      were painful and with a reduce range of motion. The surgical procedure consisted
      in a dorsal approach and a 2-mm shortening osteotomy in the capitate's waist.
      Bone clips were used for fixation. The follow-up average period was 65.8 months.
      All patients had pain relief. The wrist's range of motion improved in all cases.
      Any single complication was noted. The patients recovered their professional or
      usual occupation with an average of 3.6 months. Lunate's vascularization improved
      in all cases. Any intracarpal complication or capitate non-union occured. The
      capitate shortening is a simple and low aggressive procedure. Wrist's functional
      outcome has good results. We recommend this procedure for symptomatic patients in
      early Kienbock's disease with neutral or positive ulnar variance.

PMID- 20299262
TI  - [Multicentric study of thrombosis prevention in upper-extremity microsurgery.
      Survey at the Fesum centers].
AB  - Thrombosis is still the first cause of microsurgery failure. Lots of publications
      have been made but no consensus exists. We first analysed the results of our
      study in 53 French expert surgeons, then we compared them with the last published
      datas, most of all, with the similar surveys. If a big majority (81 %) of the
      surgeons use a preventing method, we observed majors variations between them and
      also compared to the anglosaxons surgeons habits. This survey permits to make the
      point on today's practice and to show that some of them are based on low proof
      level and something even done without any medical references. After datas
      analysis, we observed that none of the medical treatments proved efficiency on
      preventing vascular thrombosis. The low molecular weight heparins (LMWH) could be
      used on postops without increase bleeding but not to lower specially the
      microvascular thrombosis rate. Aspirin did not improve the positive rates and its
      adjonction to LMWH increased the bleeding. Until scientific studies prove
      efficacy of a treatment, the surgeon has to make a personal choice: keeping
      habits or following evidence-based medicine.

PMID- 20299263
TI  - Arthroscopic treatment of a fresh lunate bone fracture detaching the scapholunate
      ligament.
AB  - Fractures of the lunate bone are rare and usually treated by prolonged
      immobilization. We report a fracture of the dorsal pole of the lunate bone
      detaching the scapholunate ligament. The clinical presentation was equivalent to
      an acute disruption of this ligament. Percutaneous screw repair of the bone
      fragment was performed under wrist arthroscopy. The patient kept an analgesic
      splint for five days and early mobilization was provided. After 6 weeks, the
      patient had returned to his previous level of activity with normal wrist motion
      and full strength. Screw fixation under arthroscopy is minimally invasive and
      provides accurate restoration of the lunar anatomy, yielding good functional
      results after a short recovery period. This treatment offers a satisfactory
      alternative to prolonged immobilization and ensures good reduction and
      compression of the fracture. We present a detailed description of the surgical
      technique and its results.

PMID- 20299264
TI  - Melorheostosis of the humerus: a rare differential diagnosis of carpal tunnel
      syndrome.
AB  - Melorheostosis is an uncommon and rare linear hyperostosis, which can be
      complicated by soft tissue changes. We present a case of this disorder in the
      humerus, clinically referred because of carpal tunnel syndrome. Although
      treatment is usually conservative, in this case, a neurolysis and resection of
      the sclerotic bone were done with good clinical result.

PMID- 20299265
TI  - Continuous at-home postoperative analgesia using a catheter in the case of hand
      surgery: preliminary study about 40 cases.
AB  - In hand surgery, ever since continuous at-home postoperative analgesia (CPA) was
      implemented, procedures which cause pain for more than 24h can now be performed
      in ambulatory surgery. The aim of our work was to study the feasibility of CPA.
      Our series comprised 40 patients with a mean age of 50 years. Twenty-four
      patients had an ASA score of 1 and 16 patients had an ASA score of 2. Indications
      were osteoarthritis and rheumatoid diseases. Three steps were involved:
      preoperative (patient screening and information), peroperative (placement of a
      peripheral nerve catheter through an axillary approach using an elastomeric
      device) and postoperative (at-home patient care provided by visiting nurses).
      Evaluation was rated using a CPA score (0 to 10) based on analgesia quality and
      network organization data. The global CPA score was 1.85. The quality of
      analgesia (2.6) scored less than the quality of organization (1.1). In the case
      of analgesia, sleep obtained the lowest score, followed by pain, and lastly,
      unwanted events. As far as organization was concerned, the network obtained the
      lowest score, followed by patient satisfaction, and lastly, patient information.
      Problems were encountered due to insufficient nurse training, analgesia failures,
      as well as unwanted events related to the oral antalgic treatment. However,
      technical success was almost always achieved. Our results show that the
      indications for ambulatory surgery could be extended and hospital-private
      practice networks be further developed. CPA appears to be a promising technique
      for analgesia and ambulatory surgery.

PMID- 20299266
TI  - [Letter to the author of the article: "Pronator quadratus preservation for distal
      radius fractures with locking palmar plate osteosynthesis. Surgical technique"].

PMID- 20299267
TI  - [Intrauterine ischemia of the right upper limb and hemiface: a case report].
AB  - A case of ischemic gangrene of the right upper limb and hemiface noticed at birth
      is reported. It was a male baby born at term vaginally from a non diabetic
      mother. He was allowed in the surgical emergencies, 24 hours after the birth. The
      injuries were irreversible and required an arm amputation and a debridement of
      necrotic areas of the hemiface. The authors discuss the aetiology, the clinical
      features and the management of this rare condition.

PMID- 20299268
TI  - [Treatment of fractures of proximal phalanx of fingers by Eiffel Tower
      percutaneous pinning method. A review of 45 cases].
AB  - The authors report in the treatment of fractures of the proximal phalanx of the
      fingers, the use of Eiffel Tower pinning, a relatively simple method, fast and
      stable, associated to a protection and early rehabilitation. The objective of
      this method is to offer to the patient a pollici-digital grip. Our study is a
      retrospective study of 45 patients treated for fractures of the proximal phalanx
      of the fingers by percutaneous pinning according to Eiffel Tower method. We
      detail this simple and economic technique and examine the functional and
      radiological results of this series of patients. The amplitude of the active
      total motion of the proximal interphalangeal joint is on average 94.16 degrees
      (78.5 % of the normal active mobility of the proximal interphalangeal joint), and
      the amplitude of the active total motion of the metacarpo-phalangeal joint is on
      average 90.05 degrees (75 % of the normal active mobility of the metacarpo
      phalangeal joint).

PMID- 20299269
TI  - Ultrasound-promoted greener synthesis of benzoheterocycle derivatives catalyzed
      by nanocrystalline copper(II) oxide.
AB  - CuO nanoparticles provide an efficient, economic, and novel method for the
      synthesis of quinoxaline, benzoxazine, and benzothiazine under ultrasonic
      irradiation. The protocol offers advantages in terms of higher yields, short
      reaction times, and mild reaction conditions, with reusability of the catalyst.

PMID- 20299270
TI  - Determination of backrest inclination based on biodynamic response study for
      prevention of low back pain.
AB  - Whole-body vibration experiments with subjects under vertical vibration were
      performed to examine and evaluate effects of backrest inclination on vibration
      transmitted through seats to the human body by using biodynamic response
      parameters represented by apparent mass (APMS) and vibration power absorption
      (VPA). The biodynamic response parameters of twelve male subjects, exposed to
      vertical random vibration at 0.8 m/s(2) r.m.s., were characterized under three
      different backrest support conditions, with the upper body supported against
      backrest inclined at angles of 0 degrees (vertical), 10 degrees, and 30 degrees
      with respect to the vertical axis. An increased backrest inclination angle
      resulted in reduction of the total power absorption calculated particularly the
      frequency range of 1-20 Hz. Normalized APMS magnitudes showed a principal
      resonance at about 5 Hz for each subject for a backrest supported vertically. A
      second resonant peak appeared at about 7.5 Hz in addition to the primary resonant
      peak for a backrest inclined at an angle of 10 degrees and then became much
      steeper for a backrest inclined at angle of 30 degrees. For a backrest inclined
      at an angle of 30 degrees, the resonant peak at 5 Hz was less apparent than in
      other backrest inclination postures. All subjects showed the second resonant peak
      at about 7.5 Hz in the double-normalized VPA for a backrest inclined at an angle
      of 30 degrees. According to the evaluation of vibration absorption behavior
      performed in this study, backrest inclination angle is preferable between 10
      degrees and 30 degrees from the viewpoint of prevention of low back pain
      disorder.

PMID- 20299271
TI  - Evaluation of the optimal lengths and number of multiple windows for spectrogram
      estimation of SSVEP.
AB  - The purpose of this paper is to present the optimal number of windows and window
      lengths using multiple window spectrogram for estimation of non-stationary
      processes with shorter or longer duration. Such processes could start in the EEG
      as a result of a stimuli, e.g., steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEP). In
      many applications, the Welch method is used with standard set-ups for window
      lengths and number of averaged spectra/spectrograms. This paper optimizes the
      window lengths and number of windows of the Welch method and other more recent,
      so called, multiple window or multitaper methods and compares the mean squared
      errors of these methods. Approximative formulas for the choice of optimal number
      of windows and window lengths are also given. Examples of spectrogram estimation
      of SSVEP are shown.

PMID- 20299273
TI  - A fast and robust patient specific Finite Element mesh registration technique:
      application to 60 clinical cases.
AB  - Finite Element mesh generation remains an important issue for patient specific
      biomechanical modeling. While some techniques make automatic mesh generation
      possible, in most cases, manual mesh generation is preferred for better control
      over the sub-domain representation, element type, layout and refinement that it
      provides. Yet, this option is time consuming and not suited for intraoperative
      situations where model generation and computation time is critical. To overcome
      this problem we propose a fast and automatic mesh generation technique based on
      the elastic registration of a generic mesh to the specific target organ in
      conjunction with element regularity and quality correction. This Mesh-Match-and
      Repair (MMRep) approach combines control over the mesh structure along with fast
      and robust meshing capabilities, even in situations where only partial organ
      geometry is available. The technique was successfully tested on a database of 5
      pre-operatively acquired complete femora CT scans, 5 femoral heads partially
      digitized at intraoperative stage, and 50 CT volumes of patients' heads. In the
      latter case, both skin and bone surfaces were taken into account by the mesh
      registration process in order to model the face muscles and fat layers. The MMRep
      algorithm succeeded in all 60 cases, yielding for each patient a hex-dominant,
      Atlas based, Finite Element mesh with submillimetric surface representation
      accuracy, directly exploitable within a commercial FE software.

PMID- 20299274
TI  - Exploiting cyanobacterial P450 pathways.
AB  - Cytochrome P450s are hemoprotein oxygenases involved in natural product synthetic
      pathways. Cyanobacteria are oxygenic photosynthetic microorganisms and are
      considered a rich source of natural products, and are now known to harbour P450s.
      A variety of cyanobacterial species have been found to contain multiple copies of
      P450s in their genomes, and over 100 have been predicted. Interestingly, some are
      membrane-bound as in eukaryotes, as opposed to cytoplasmic in bacteria.
      Furthermore, they can complement plant P450s and perform bioremediation of oil
      spills by the breakdown of alkanes. Functional expression of a selection Nostoc
      spp. P450s in Escherichia coli, with associated enzymes, has successfully
      produced the sesquiterpenes--germacradienol, germacrene and B-elemene, although
      others have failed for undetermined reasons.

PMID- 20299275
TI  - Near-infrared spectroscopy quantitative determination of pefloxacin mesylate
      concentration in pharmaceuticals by using partial least squares and principal
      component regression multivariate calibration.
AB  - Pefloxacin mesylate, a broad-spectrum antibacterial fluoroquinolone, has been
      widely used in clinical practice. Therefore, it is very important to detect the
      concentration of Pefloxacin mesylate. In this research, the near-infrared
      spectroscopy (NIRS) has been applied to quantitatively analyze on 108 injection
      samples, which was divided into a calibration set containing 89 samples and a
      prediction set containing 19 samples randomly. In order to get a satisfying
      result, partial least square (PLS) regression and principal components regression
      (PCR) have been utilized to establish quantitative models. Also, the process of
      establishing the models, parameters of the models, and prediction results were
      discussed in detail. In the PLS regression, the values of the coefficient of
      determination (R(2)) and root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSECV) of
      PLS regression are 0.9263 and 0.00119, respectively. For comparison, though
      applying PCR method to get the values of R(2) and RMSECV we obtained are 0.9685
      and 0.00108, respectively. And the values of the standard error of prediction set
      (SEP) of PLS and PCR models are 0.001480 and 0.001140. The result of the
      prediction set suggests that these two quantitative analysis models have
      excellent generalization ability and prediction precision. However, for this PFLX
      injection samples, the PCR quantitative analysis model achieved more accurate
      results than the PLS model. The experimental results showed that NIRS together
      with PCR method provide rapid and accurate quantitative analysis of PFLX
      injection samples. Moreover, this study supplied technical support for the
      further analysis of other injection samples in pharmaceuticals.

PMID- 20299272
TI  - Preparing an oncolytic poliovirus recombinant for clinical application against
      glioblastoma multiforme.
AB  - PVS-RIPO is a genetically recombinant, non-pathogenic poliovirus chimera with a
      tumor-specific conditional replication phenotype. Consisting of the genome of the
      live attenuated poliovirus type 1 (Sabin) vaccine with its cognate IRES element
      replaced with that of human rhinovirus type 2, PVS-RIPO displays an inability to
      translate its genome in untransformed neuronal cells, but effectively does so in
      cells originating from primary tumors in the central nervous system or other
      cancers. Hence, PVS-RIPO unleashes potent cytotoxic effects on infected cancer
      cells and produces sustained anti-tumoral responses in animal tumor models. PVS
      RIPO presents a novel approach to the treatment of patients with glioblastoma
      multiforme, based on conditions favoring an unconventional viral translation
      initiation mechanism in cancerous cells. In this review we summarize advances in
      the understanding of major molecular determinants of PVS-RIPO oncolytic efficacy
      and safety and discuss their implications for upcoming clinical investigations.

PMID- 20299276
TI  - In situ monitoring of pH titration by Raman spectroscopy.
AB  - Molecular speciation of organic compounds in solution is essential for the
      understanding of ionic complexation. The Raman technique was chosen because it
      allows the identification of compounds in different states, and it can give
      information about the molecular geometry from the analysis of the vibrational
      spectra. The effect of pH on organic compounds can give information about the
      ionisation of molecule species. In this study the ionisation steps of salicylic
      acid and paracetamol have been studied by means of potentiometry coupled with
      Raman spectroscopy at 30.0 degrees C in a solution of ionic strength 0.96moldm(
      3) (KNO(3)) and 0.04moldm(-3) (HNO(3)). The protonation and deprotonation
      behaviour of the molecules were studied in different pH regions. The abundance of
      the three different species in the Raman spectra of aqueous salicylic acid have
      been identified satisfactorily, characterised, and determined by numeric
      treatment of the data using a multiwavelength curve-fitting program and confirmed
      with the observed spectral information.

PMID- 20299277
TI  - Luminescence properties of [Ru(bpy)(2)MDHIP](2+) modulated by the introduction of
      DNA, copper(II) ion and EDTA.
AB  - The luminescence properties of [Ru(bpy)(2)MDHIP](2+) (bpy=2,2'-bipyridine,
      MDHIP=2,4-dihydrophenyl-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline) in the absence and
      presence of DNA modulated by the introduction of Cu(2+) ion and EDTA have been
      investigated. It is found that the ruthenium(II) complex can insert and stack
      between the base pairs of calf thymus DNA with MDHIP ligand, and the
      intramolecular hydrogen bond is located inside of the DNA. The presence of DNA
      can enhance the luminescence intensities of [Ru(bpy)(2)MDHIP](2+) both in buffer
      solution and on an ITO surface. Moreover, the luminescence intensities of
      [Ru(bpy)(2)MDHIP](2+) and DNA-bound [Ru(bpy)(2)MDHIP](2+) are quenched by Cu(2+),
      and next recovered by the addition of EDTA. The repetitive luminescence
      modulations have been achieved through the introduction of equimolar Cu(2+) and
      EDTA, respectively. In addition, it becomes evident that the number of
      luminescence-modulation cycles for [Ru(bpy)(2)MDHIP](2+) in the absence and
      presence of DNA is influenced by the cumulative concentrations of CuEDTA,
      generated successively by the strong coordination of Cu(2+) to EDTA.

PMID- 20299278
TI  - Temperature dependent Raman study of S(B)-->S(C) transition in liquid crystalline
      compound N-(4-n-pentyloxybenzylidene)-4'-heptylaniline (5O.7).
AB  - Temperature dependent Raman study of C-H in-plane bending mode ( approximately
      1163cm(-1) and approximately 1190cm(-1)) and C-C stretching mode of phenyl ring (
      approximately 1571cm(-1) and approximately 1594cm(-1)) of N-(4-n
      pentyloxybenzylidene)-4'-heptylaniline (5O.7) has been done. Vibrational
      assignment and potential energy distribution (PED) of individual modes have been
      calculated employing density functional theory (DFT) for the first time. The S(B)
      ->S(C) transition is nicely depicted in the variation of the linewidth of the
      approximately 1163cm(-1) band and the peak position of approximately 1594cm(-1)
      band with temperature. Because of a small amount of charge density transfer from
      the core part to the alkyl chain region, the approximately 1163cm(-1) band shifts
      towards lower wavenumber side whereas the approximately 1190cm(-1) band towards
      higher wavenumber side at S(B)-->S(C) transition. The approximately 1571cm(-1)
      and approximately 1594cm(-1) bands are assigned as 8a and 8b modes, whose
      relative intensity variation with temperature gives the evidence of increased
      possibility of C-H bending motion of the linking group and the C-C stretching of
      the alkyl chain in S(C) phase.

PMID- 20299279
TI  - Growth of gamma glycine crystal and its characterisation.
AB  - Single crystal of gamma-glycine, an organic nonlinear optical material, has been
      grown by solvent evaporation technique from a mixture of aqueous solutions of
      glycine and potassium nitrate, lithium nitrate at room temperature. Gamma glycine
      crystals have been grown up to the dimension of 20mmx15mmx12mm. Powder X-ray
      diffraction of the grown crystal was recorded and indexed. Single crystal X-ray
      diffraction studies were carried out and the unit cell parameters were compared
      with the literature values. The gamma-phase of glycine is confirmed by single
      crystal XRD and FTIR spectral analysis. The crystals were characterised by UV-vis
      NIR transmission spectrum in the range 200-1100nm. The second harmonic generation
      conversion efficiency of gamma-glycine crystal was twice the efficiency of KDP
      crystal. Thermal characteristics of gamma-glycine crystals were determined by
      thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis, which shows
      the thermal stability of the grown crystals. Dielectric constant and dielectric
      loss measurements were carried out at different temperatures and frequencies. The
      microhardness of the grown crystals has been studied using Vicker's microhardness
      tester.

PMID- 20299280
TI  - Determination of ofloxacin and gatifloxacin by mixed micelle-mediated cloud point
      extraction-fluorimetry combined methodology.
AB  - A cloud point extraction process using mixed micelle of the anionic surfactant
      sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and the non-ionic surfactant
      polyoxyethylene(7.5)nonylphenylether (PONPE 7.5) to extract two fluoroquinolone
      antimicrobial agents, ofloxacin and gatifloxacin, from aqueous media was
      investigated. The method is based on the mixed micelle-mediated extraction of
      fluoroquinolones in the presence of NaCl as an inducing agent in phase
      separation, followed by spectrofluorimetric determination. The effect of
      different variables such as pH, PONPE7.5 concentration, SDS concentration, NaCl
      concentration, cloud point temperature, and time was investigated, and optimum
      conditions were established. At optimum conditions, the rectilinear calibration
      graphs were obtained in the concentration range of 0.1-150 and 0.1-250ngmL(-1)
      for ofloxacin and gatifloxacin, and the limits of detection were 0.04 and
      0.06ngmL(-1), respectively. The proposed procedure was applied successfully for
      the detection of the investigated drugs in their pharmaceutical dosage forms, in
      spiked plasma, spiked urine, and urine samples, with good precision and accuracy.

PMID- 20299281
TI  - Molecular interaction of organic dyes in bulk and confined media.
AB  - Molecular interactions of five thiazine dyes with increasing alkyl substitution
      have been studied in aqueous and microemulsion media at 303K within a
      concentration range of (1.35-7.00)x10(-4)M. The dimerization constant (K(d))
      values for the five dyes are ranged between 1.761 and 6.258x10(3)lmol(-1) in bulk
      water media, where as in microemulsion media, K(d)'s are ranged between 1.760 and
      4.110x10(3)lmol(-1). Thionine (with no methyl substitution) and azure A (with two
      methyl substitution) displayed slightly larger K(d) values in microemulsion water
      pools compared to bulk water while other dyes recorded significant drop in K(d)
      values. The influence of microemulsion media on the molecular interaction of dyes
      has been explained in terms of electrostatic and hydrophobic factors. The monomer
      and the dimer spectra are explained in terms of molecular exciton model and the
      optical absorption parameters of both the species are reported in bulk and
      confined media.

PMID- 20299282
TI  - FT-IR, FT-Raman, NMR spectra and DFT calculations on 4-chloro-N-methylaniline.
AB  - In this work, the vibrational spectral analysis was carried out by using FT-IR
      and FT-Raman spectroscopy in the range 400-4000 and 50-3500cm(-1) respectively,
      for the title molecule. The structural and spectroscopic data of the molecule in
      the ground state were calculated by using density functional method using 6
      311++G(d,p) basis set. The vibrational frequencies were calculated and scaled
      values were compared with experimental FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra. The observed
      and calculated frequencies are found to be in good agreement. The complete
      assignments of all the vibrational mode were performed on the basis of the total
      energy distributions (TED). (13)C and (1)H NMR chemical shifts results were given
      and are in agreement with the corresponding experimental values. The
      theoretically constructed FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra exactly coincides with
      experimental one.

PMID- 20299283
TI  - Depression in advanced cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Depression is one of the most common psychiatric diseases seen in
      patients with advanced cancer. It is not only an independent predictor of poor
      survival in advanced cancer but also reduces quality of life, reduces compliance
      with treatment and prolongs hospitalization. Yet all too often depression is
      under diagnosed and under treated in this population. METHOD: A literature review
      was undertaken using extensive electronic and hand searches. KEY FINDINGS: Whilst
      it is true that the diagnostic and treatment challenges facing healthcare
      professionals in this area are considerable one must not forget that depression
      in advanced cancer is treatable and validated assessment tools have been
      developed to facilitate diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: This review article provides the
      reader with a comprehensive review of the current evidence in this field with
      particular focus on assessment and treatment. Depression is under diagnosed and
      under treated - there are valid screening and assessment tools available which
      will allow appropriate management of this important and debilitating symptom.

PMID- 20299284
TI  - Knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of Cypriot nurses on the handling of
      antineoplastic agents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Antineoplastic agents have been associated with major concerns among
      health professionals. The objective of our study was to evaluate the knowledge,
      attitudes and beliefs of Cypriot nurses on their exposure to antineoplastic
      agents. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey using a self-administered questionnaire
      was distributed among oncology nurses in three hospitals in Nicosia. The
      questionnaire was originally compiled by Turk et al., in order to evaluate the
      knowledge, attitudes and safe behaviours of nurses' handling cytotoxic drugs and
      was translated from Turkish to Greek by two bilingual volunteers. RESULTS: A
      total of 88 nurses participated in the survey (20 male and 68 female). The mean
      age of the nurses was 33 years (age range 21-60). The majority of nurses were
      aware of the potential hazards associated with handling of chemotherapy. The mean
      score of the participants' knowledge was 79.43 out of 100. Most of the
      participants reported high levels of compliance with the use of personal
      protective equipment such as gloves and protective gown (95.4%, and 84.5%) during
      reconstitution of antineoplastic agents, respectively. Almost all nurses (98.8%)
      reported use of a safety cabinet during preparation, however only 53.4% reported
      that they have annual medical checkups and only 33% reported having received
      specialized training. CONCLUSION: While the level of knowledge about
      antineoplastic agents is high among nurses, along with the level of personal
      protective equipment use, medical surveillance and employee training seems to be
      lagging behind. Further research may help us identify the reasons for such
      discrepancy.

PMID- 20299285
TI  - Towards a framework for community engagement in global health research.
AB  - New technologies for global public health are spurring critical evaluations of
      the role of communities in research and what they receive in exchange for their
      participation. Community engagement activities resulting from these evaluations
      are most challenging for novel scientific ventures, particularly those involving
      controversial strategies and those in which some risks are poorly understood or
      determined. Remarkably, there is no explicit body of community engagement
      knowledge to which researchers can turn for guidance about approaches that are
      most likely to be effective in different contexts, and why. We describe here a
      framework that provides a starting point for broader discussions of community
      engagement in global health research, particularly as it relates to the
      development, evaluation and application of new technologies.

PMID- 20299286
TI  - The effects of a cardiovascular disease prevention program on knowledge and
      adoption of a heart healthy lifestyle in Jordanian working adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Improving cardiac related knowledge to further healthy lifestyles is
      the best preventive strategy against coronary heart diseases (CHD). Previous
      studies revealed a critical shortage in all-around cardiac related knowledge,
      plus an overall shortage in adopting healthy lifestyle behaviors. AIMS: To
      evaluate the effectiveness of an education, counseling and behavioral skill
      building program in Jordanian working adults' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs
      about CHD and adoption of a healthy lifestyle. METHODS: A non-equivalent quasi
      experimental design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention
      program that is based on Pender's Health Promotion Model. The Response
      Questionnaire and HPLP-II were used to measure subjects' knowledge, attitudes,
      beliefs and adoption of healthy lifestyle. RESULTS: One hundred six subjects
      completed the posttest questionnaires. Experimental group showed significantly
      better cardiac related knowledge, better scores for attitudes, and better scores
      for the health responsibility, nutritional behaviors, interpersonal relationships
      and total HPLP-II score. Subject's beliefs, physical activity, spiritual growth
      and stress management were not improved significantly. Men had better scores in
      beliefs and women had better scores for health responsibility. CONCLUSION:
      Individual commitment to healthier lifestyles should be encouraged, and
      researchers have to design and apply more specific interventions that are
      directed toward improving factors that are not significantly improved through
      traditional programs.

PMID- 20299287
TI  - Small scale genetic alterations contribute to increased mutability at the X
      linked Hprt locus in vivo in Blm hypomorphic mice.
AB  - BLM, the gene mutated in Bloom syndrome (BS), encodes an ATP-dependent RecQ DNA
      helicase that is involved in the resolution of Holliday junctions, in the
      suppression of crossovers and in the management of damaged replication forks.
      Cells from BS patients have a characteristically high level of sister chromatid
      exchanges (SCEs), and increased chromosomal aberrations. Fibroblasts and
      lymphocytes of BS patients also exhibit increased mutation frequency at the X
      linked reporter gene HPRT, suggesting that BLM also plays a role in preventing
      small scale genomic rearrangements. However, the nature of such small scale
      alterations has not been well characterized. Here we report the characterization
      of Hprt mutations in vivo in Blm hypomorphic mice, Blm(tm1Ches)/Blm(tm3Brd). We
      found that the frequency of Hprt mutants was increased about 6-fold in the
      Blm(tm1Ches)/Blm(tm3Brd) mice when compared to Blm(tm3Brd) heterozygous mice or
      wildtype mice. Molecular characterization of Hprt gene in the mutant clones
      indicates that many of the mutations were caused by deletions that range from
      several base pairs to several thousand base pairs. While deletions in BLM
      proficient somatic cells are often shown to be mediated by direct repeats, all
      three deletion junctions in Hprt of Blm(tm1Ches)/Blm(tm3Brd) mice were flanked by
      inverted repeats, suggesting that secondary structures formed during DNA
      replication, when resolved improperly, may lead to deletions. In addition, single
      base pair substitution and insertion/deletion were also detected in the mutant
      clones. Taken together, our results indicated that BLM function is important in
      preventing small scale genetic alterations. Thus, both large scale and small
      scale genetic alterations are elevated when BLM is reduced, which may contribute
      to loss of function of tumor suppressor genes and subsequent tumorigenesis.

PMID- 20299288
TI  - Sputum and serum calprotectin are useful biomarkers during CF exacerbation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adequate monitoring of cystic fibrosis lung disease is difficult. CF
      exacerbation offers a unique setting to test the utility of biomarkers in the
      assessment of changing airways inflammation. We hypothesised that levels of
      calprotectin in sputum (and serum) would change informatively following treatment
      of an exacerbation. METHODS: 27 patients with CF were recruited at onset of
      pulmonary exacerbation. Sputum and serum were collected at the start and end of
      anti-biotic therapy. Sputum calprotectin, interleukin-8 (IL8), and
      myeloperoxidase (MPO) were measured, as were serum calprotectin, CRP and vascular
      endothelial growth factor (VEGF). RESULTS: Sputum calprotectin decreased
      following treatment of an exacerbation (p<0.05), and was superior to other sputum
      markers. Serum calprotectin, CRP, and VEGF also decreased significantly (p=0.002,
      p=0.002, p=0.013 respectively). Serum calprotectin level following treatment had
      predictive value for time to next exacerbation (p=0.032). CONCLUSIONS: This study
      demonstrates the superiority of calprotectin (in sputum and serum) as a biomarker
      of CF exacerbation over better-established markers.

PMID- 20299289
TI  - An analytical method for the measurement of acid metabolites of tryptophan-NAD
      pathway and related acids in urine.
AB  - An analytical method has been developed for the measurements of five urinary
      acids namely, quinolinic acid, picolinic acid, nicotinic acid, 2-pyridylacetic
      acid and 3-pyridylacetic acid. The high performance liquid chromatograph
      electrospray ionization mass spectrometry was operated in positive polarity under
      selected ion monitoring mode, with a column flow rate of 0.2 ml/min and an
      injection volume of 20 microl. The method used isotope-labelled picolinic acid
      (PA-d(4)) and nicotinic acid (NA-d(4)) as internal standards for the
      quantification. The sample preparation involved parallel use of two different
      types of mixed-mode solid phase extraction cartridges (Strata-X-AW for the
      extraction of quinolinic acid, and Strata-X-C for the remaining acids).
      Quantitative analysis of five target acids in several human and rat urine samples
      showed that the levels of acids were relatively uniform among rats while larger
      variations were observed for human samples.

PMID- 20299290
TI  - Development of a high-throughput LC/APCI-MS method for the determination of
      thirteen phytoestrogens including gut microbial metabolites in human urine and
      serum.
AB  - The investigation into the potential usefulness of phytoestrogens in the
      treatment of menopausal symptoms requires large-scale clinical trials that
      involve rapid, validated assays for the characterization and quantification of
      the phytoestrogenic precursors and their metabolites in biological matrices, as
      large interindividual differences in metabolism and bioavailability have been
      reported. Consequently, a new sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography
      mass spectrometry method (HPLC-MS) for the quantitative determination of thirteen
      phytoestrogens including their most important gut microbial metabolites
      (genistein, daidzein, equol, dihydrodaidzein, O-desmethylangolensin, coumestrol,
      secoisolariciresinol, matairesinol, enterodiol, enterolactone, isoxanthohumol,
      xanthohumol and 8-prenylnaringenin) in human urine and serum within one single
      analytical run was developed. The method uses a simple sample preparation
      procedure consisting of enzymatic deconjugation followed by liquid-liquid
      extraction (LLE) or solid-phase extraction (SPE) for urine or serum,
      respectively. The phytoestrogens and their metabolites are detected with a single
      quadrupole mass spectrometer using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization
      (APCI), operating both in the positive and the negative mode. This bioanalytical
      method has been fully validated and proved to allow an accurate and precise
      quantification of the targeted phytoestrogens and their metabolites covering the
      lower parts-per-billion range for the measurement of relevant urine and serum
      levels following ingestion of phytoestrogen-rich dietary supplements.

PMID- 20299291
TI  - Rapid determination of 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 in swine tissue using an isotope
      dilution HPLC-MS assay.
AB  - A rapid method for quantification of 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 in different swine
      tissues based on isotope dilution HPLC-MS has been developed and validated. Six
      times deuterated analyte is used as internal standard. The method is fast and can
      be performed with only 1g sample. Sample preparation for kidney, liver, muscle
      and spleen requires only homogenisation and extraction with methanol. An
      additional enzymatic digest is required for skin, and clean-up of the extract by
      solid-phase extraction (SPE) is used for adipose tissue and skin. The lower limit
      of detection varies from 1 ng/g (muscle) to 5 ng/g (adipose and skin). The method
      has been successfully applied to various tissue samples of pigs fed for 119 days
      either 2000 IU of vitamin D3 or 50 microg of 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 per kg feed.
      For animals ingesting 25-OH-D3 supplements the highest tissue contents were
      observed in the skin (24.8+/-3.5 ng/g), followed by kidney (14.2+/-1.5 ng/g),
      liver and muscle (5.7+/-0.6 ng/g). The 25-OH-D3 content in the skin was
      significantly higher in animals ingesting 2000 IU/kg of vitamin D3 (39.5+/-13.4
      ng/g). Levels in selected tissues of some animals were below the lower limit of
      quantification. No measurable amounts of 25-OH-D3 were found in spleen, abdominal
      fat and subcutaneous fat of the animals of both groups as well as in the liver,
      kidney and muscle of the animals ingesting 2000 IU/kg of vitamin D3.

PMID- 20299292
TI  - Interferon-alpha 2b quantification in inclusion bodies using reversed phase-ultra
      performance liquid chromatography (RP-UPLC).
AB  - Interferon-alpha 2b (IFN-alpha 2b) is a recombinant therapeutic cytokine produced
      as inclusion bodies using a strain of Escherichia coli as expression system.
      After fermentation and recovery, it is necessary to know the amount of
      recombinant IFN-alpha 2b, in order to determine the yield and the load for
      solubilization, and chromatographic protein purification steps. The present work
      details the validation of a new short run-time and fast sample-preparation method
      to quantify IFN-alpha 2b in inclusion bodies using Reversed Phase-Ultra
      Performance Liquid Chromatography (RP-UPLC). The developed method demonstrated an
      accuracy of 100.28%; the relative standard deviations for method precision,
      repeatability and inter-day precision tests were found to be 0.57%, 1.54% and
      1.83%, respectively. Linearity of the method was assessed in the range of
      concentrations from 0.05 mg/mL to 0.5 mg/mL, the curve obtained had a
      determination coefficient (r(2)) of 0.9989. Detection and quantification limits
      were found to be 0.008 mg/mL and 0.025 mg/mL, respectively. The method also
      demonstrated robustness for changes in column temperature, and specificity
      against host proteins and other recombinant protein expressed in the same E. coli
      strain.

PMID- 20299293
TI  - An improved high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric
      method to measure atrazine and its metabolites in human urine.
AB  - We report an improved solid-phase extraction-high-performance liquid
      chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method with isotope dilution
      quantification to measure seven atrazine metabolites in urine. The metabolites
      measured were hydroxyatrazine (HA), diaminochloroatrazine (DACT),
      desisopropylatrazine (DIA), desethylatrazine (DEA), desethylatrazine mercapturate
      (DEAM), atrazine mercapturate (ATZM), and atrazine (ATZ). Using offline mixed
      mode reversed-phase/cation-exchange solid-phase extraction dramatically increased
      recovery and sensitivity by reducing the influence of matrix components during
      separation and analysis. DACT extraction recovery improved to greater than 80%
      while the other analytes had similar extraction efficiencies as previously
      observed. Limits of detection were lower than our previous method (0.05-0.19
      ng/mL) with relative standard deviations less than 10%. The total runtime was
      shorter (18 min) than the previous on-line method, thus it is suitable for large
      scale sample analyses. We increased the throughput of our method twofold by using
      the newer extraction technique.

PMID- 20299294
TI  - Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD): new challenge for general
      practitioners and important burden for health authorities?
AB  - Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of hepatic
      dysfunction encountered in general practice. A large proportion of individuals
      with type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome develop NAFLD. NAFLD is
      associated with severe insulin resistance and increased risk of cardiovascular
      disease and can progress to non-alcoholic steato-hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and
      cancer. Currently the only known effective treatments for NAFLD are lifestyle
      changes including stable weight loss and a diet low in calories. General
      practitioners will increasingly play a key role in dealing with this evolving but
      serious epidemic of NAFLD and associated metabolic complications. However,
      success will depend on the appropriate systems and mechanisms being in place in
      primary care and the proper motivation, support and education of the patient.
      This review provides the primary care physician with: (a) a step-by step guide of
      how to identify NAFLD, (b) information to exclude common other causes of liver
      fat accumulation and (c) additional insight into relationships between NAFLD and
      other conditions such as obesity, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

PMID- 20299295
TI  - Retrospective analysis of an implantable loop recorder for evaluation of syncope,
      collapse, or intermittent weakness in 23 dogs (2004-2008).
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Cardiac arrhythmias as a cause of syncope, collapse, or intermittent
      weakness can be challenging to diagnose. The purpose of this paper is to
      retrospectively review the diagnosis and outcome of 23 cases of syncope or
      collapse in dogs that had a Reveal Plus ILR recorder placed as part of the
      diagnostic evaluation. ANIMALS, MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical records of 23
      client-owned dogs that were presented for evaluation of syncope, collapse, or
      intermittent weakness were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Recurrent syncope
      occurred in 13/23 (57%) and a positive diagnosis of the cause of the event was
      made in 11/13 (48% of all dogs). Diagnoses included 6/11 with prolonged periods
      of sinus arrest with slow ventricular escape rate and one each of sub-optimal
      fixed heart rate by endocardial pacing, high grade second degree atrioventricular
      block, supraventricular tachycardia, normal ECG during multiple episodes, and
      high grade second degree atrioventricular block or sinus arrest. CONCLUSIONS: The
      Reveal Plus ILR device was successful in diagnosing a high percentage of cases of
      syncope or collapse in which signs recurred and implantation had a low
      complication rate. The Reveal Plus ILR device is a useful tool to diagnose the
      etiology of recurrent syncope, collapse, or intermittent weakness in the dog.

PMID- 20299296
TI  - [Kidney removal and transplant from a living donor. Formal recommendations from
      the experts. Short text].

PMID- 20299297
TI  - [Acute renal failure caused by renal lymphoma. A case report].
AB  - Acute renal failure, as the initial manifestation of lymphoma, has been reported
      only in a few cases. In this work, we report the case of a 28-year-old women
      admitted for acute renal failure. Her physical examination detected bilateral
      kidney enlargement. Laboratory evaluation revealed a serum creatinine value 218
      micromol/l. A 24-hour urine collection analysis allowed the detection of 1g of
      protein. No red cells were found after urinanalysis. Renal ultrasound showed
      massively enlarged kidneys. Renal biopsy of the kidney and pathologic examination
      showed diffuse infiltration of the interstitium with lymphocytes and atypical
      cells positive for CD20 markers. A diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell type non
      Hodgkin lymphoma was made. However, investigations revealed the presence of two
      others sites of lymphoma: gastric and ophthalmic. The patient's renal function
      and kidney size as well as the other lymphoma locations were normalized after the
      initiation of chemotherapy.

PMID- 20299298
TI  - [Analysis of hemodialysis and graft representations in patients with chronic
      renal failure: an anthropological approach].
AB  - Hemodialysis and kidney transplant are two treatments for renal failure, which
      lead to numerous changes in the patients' way of life. We have questioned
      ourselves on the different ways they could deal with those changes by studying
      the representations and the ritualisation that surrounds the sick. From 2005 to
      2007, qualitative interviews, based on the method of life stories, were conducted
      with 35 patients with chronic renal failure in three Aquitaine's centres. The
      results show three main groups of representation both in pre-transplant and in
      post-transplant. Specific behaviours are tied to each group of representation
      that are beneficial or deleterious with respect to treatment or the patient's
      social life. We will show that, on the one hand, the patients who see the
      hemodialysis treatment as a traditional rite of passage cope with the situation
      more easily and on the other hand, we will stress that this representation is
      closely linked to how the patients will later accept the kidney transplant. So,
      we have been able to link the representations of hemodialysis patients and
      transplant experience. Then these results have a practical consequence for the
      caregivers who can use the tools of anthropology (the interview guide, analysis
      grid) through a program of therapeutic education, to precociously take care of
      patients who are likely to come up against issues after their kidney transplant.

PMID- 20299299
TI  - Factors that positively influence breastfeeding duration to 6 months: a
      literature review.
AB  - QUESTION: What modifiable factors positively influence breastfeeding duration to
      6 months postpartum? AIM: This question was posed in order to be able to develop
      a midwifery intervention aimed at prolonging breastfeeding. METHOD: An online
      literature search was conducted in Medline, CINAHL, Maternity and Infant Care,
      and Cochrane Database of systematic reviews. The search strategy included the
      following keywords: breastfeeding, duration, initiation, cessation, factors,
      intervention, education, partner, intention, confidence, self-efficacy and
      support. Additional studies were located and extracted from online publications
      of New South Wales Department of Health, Australia. Bio-psycho-social factors
      that are positively associated with breastfeeding duration were identified.
      RESULTS: Modifiable factors that influence women's breastfeeding decisions are:
      breastfeeding intention, breastfeeding self-efficacy and social support. Existing
      midwifery breastfeeding promotion strategies often include social support but do
      not adequately address attempts to modify breastfeeding intention and self
      efficacy. CONCLUSION: The modifiable factors that are positively associated with
      breastfeeding duration are the woman's breastfeeding intention, her breastfeeding
      self-efficacy and her social support. Intervention studies to date have focussed
      on modifying these factors individually with variable results. No interventional
      studies have been conducted with the aim of positively modifying all three
      factors simultaneously.

PMID- 20299300
TI  - The indeterminate adrenal lesion.
AB  - With the increasing use of abdominal cross-sectional imaging, incidental adrenal
      masses are being detected more often. The important clinical question is whether
      these lesions are benign adenomas or malignant primary or secondary masses.
      Benign adrenal masses such as lipid-rich adenomas, myelolipomas, adrenal cysts
      and adrenal haemorrhage have pathognomonic cross-sectional imaging appearances.
      However, there remains a significant overlap between imaging features of some
      lipid-poor adenomas and malignant lesions. The nature of incidentally detected
      adrenal masses can be determined with a high degree of accuracy using computed
      tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) alone. Positron emission
      tomography (PET) is also increasingly used in clinical practice in characterizing
      incidentally detected lesions. We review the performance of the established and
      new techniques in CT, MRI and PET that can be used to distinguish benign adenomas
      and malignant lesions of the adrenal gland.

PMID- 20299301
TI  - Extrarenal malignant rhabdoid tumors: radiologic findings with histopathologic
      correlation.
AB  - Extrarenal malignant rhabdoid tumors (MRT) are extremely rare. There have been
      only a few cases of MRT described in the literature and even fewer in the
      radiology literature. We present rare uterine and hepatic MRT and their computed
      tomography, magnetic resonance, and ultrasound imaging features with
      histopathologic correlation. Although the final diagnosis is based largely on
      histopathology, radiologists should include MRT in their differential
      considerations, regardless of tumor location, when they are dealing with an
      extremely aggressive tumor of early childhood.

PMID- 20299302
TI  - FDG-PET/CT findings of a metastatic pituitary tumor.
AB  - The authors report the fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission
      tomography(PET)/computed tomography (CT) findings of a rare case of growth
      hormone-secreting pituitary carcinoma with multiple metastatic lesions to the
      skeleton. A 31-year-old male had presented with acromegaly and had received
      transsphenoidal resection of a pituitary tumor and adjuvant radiotherapy.
      However, the tumor recurred with local invasions and the patient underwent more
      resections and adjuvant chemotherapy. Several months later, the patient developed
      rising levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 and whole-body FDG-PET/CT scanning
      revealed multiple hypermetabolic lesions throughout the skeleton compatible with
      metastasis.

PMID- 20299303
TI  - Arsenic inhibits myogenic differentiation and muscle regeneration.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The incidence of low birth weights is increased in offspring of women
      who are exposed to high concentrations of arsenic in drinking water compared with
      other women. We hypothesized that effects of arsenic on birth weight may be
      related to effects on myogenic differentiation. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the
      effects of arsenic trioxide (As2O3) on the myogenic differentiation of myoblasts
      in vitro and muscle regeneration in vivo. METHODS: C2C12 myoblasts and primary
      mouse and human myoblasts were cultured in differentiation media with or without
      As2O3 (0.1-0.5 microM) for 4 days. Myogenic differentiation was assessed by
      myogenin and myosin heavy chain expression and multinucleated myotube formation
      in vitro; skeletal muscle regeneration was tested using an in vivo mouse model
      with experimental glycerol myopathy. RESULTS: A submicromolar concentration of
      As2O3 dose-dependently inhibited myogenic differentiation without apparent
      effects on cell viability. As2O3 significantly and dose-dependently decreased
      phosphorylation of Akt and p70s6k proteins during myogenic differentiation. As2O3
      induced inhibition in myotube formation and muscle-specific protein expression
      was reversed by transfection with the constitutively active form of Akt. Sections
      of soleus muscles stained with hematoxylin and eosin showed typical changes of
      injury and regeneration after local glycerol injection in mice. Regeneration of
      glycerol-injured soleus muscles, myogenin expression, and Akt phosphorylation
      were suppressed in muscles isolated from As2O3-treated mice compared with
      untreated mice. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that As2O3 inhibits myogenic
      differentiation by inhibiting Akt-regulated signaling.

PMID- 20299305
TI  - Histopathological features of acquired dermal melanocytosis.
AB  - Acquired dermal melanocytosis (ADM) is the term used for pigmentary disorders
      characterized by blue brown macules, most frequently seen on the face (acquired
      bilateral nevus of Ota-like macules, ABNOM), and rarely found on the trunk or
      extremities. Although extrafacial ADM and ABNOM are not usually considered
      separate entities because of similar features, there has been debate as to
      whether extrafacial ADM and ABNOM might be part of the same disease spectrum,
      with or without the same pathogenesis. In order to investigate the relationship
      between these two entities, the histopathological features of extrafacial ADM and
      ABNOM were evaluated. We examined nine cases of extrafacial ADM and ten cases of
      ABNOM. Biopsies were performed on both normal and lesional skin, or on lesional
      skin only. The sections were stained using hematoxylin-eosin, Fontana-Masson, and
      NKI/beteb. There was no difference in the degree of melanin pigmentation and the
      number of melanocytes per unit area in the lesional skin of the epidermis and
      dermis in the comparisons between extrafacial ADM and ABNOM. The mean depth of
      the dermal melanocytes was significantly increased in extrafacial ADM (0.88 +/-
      0.19 mm) compared to ABNOM (0.58 +/- 0.19 mm); however, in both extrafacial ADM
      and ABNOM, dermal melanocytes were distributed from the upper to the mid dermis.
      In conclusion, there was no significant difference in the histopathological
      features, including relative depth of melanocytes, between extrafacial ADM and
      ABNOM. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate by
      histopathology that extrafacial ADM is the same as ABNOM.

PMID- 20299306
TI  - Steatocystoma multiplex, a rare distribution of a rare disease.

PMID- 20299304
TI  - Polychlorinated biphenyls disrupt intestinal integrity via NADPH oxidase-induced
      alterations of tight junction protein expression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are widely distributed environmental
      toxicants that contribute to numerous disease states. The main route of exposure
      to PCBs is through the gastrointestinal tract; however, little is known about the
      effects of PCBs on intestinal epithelial barrier functions. OBJECTIVE: The aim of
      the present study was to address the hypothesis that highly chlorinated PCBs can
      disrupt gut integrity at the level of tight junction (TJ) proteins. METHODS: Caco
      2 human colon adenocarcinoma cells were exposed to one of the following PCB
      congeners: PCB153, PCB118, PCB104, and PCB126. We then assessed NAD(P)H oxidase
      (NOX) activity and expression and the barrier function of Caco-2 cells. In
      addition, the integrity of intestinal barrier function and expression of TJ
      proteins were evaluated in C57BL/6 mice exposed to individual PCBs by oral
      gavage. RESULTS: Exposure of Caco-2 cells to individual PCB congeners resulted in
      activation of NOX and increased permeability of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)
      labeled dextran (4 kDa). Treatment with PCB congeners also disrupted expression
      of TJ proteins zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and occludin in Caco-2 cells.
      Importantly, inhibition of NOX by apocynin significantly protected against PCB
      mediated increase in epithelial permeability and alterations of ZO-1 protein
      expression. Exposure to PCBs also resulted in alterations of gut permeability via
      decreased expression of TJ proteins in an intact physiological animal model.
      CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that oral exposure to highly chlorinated PCBs
      disrupts intestinal epithelial integrity and may directly contribute to the
      systemic effects of these toxicants.

PMID- 20299307
TI  - Long-term oral azithromycin in chronic plaque psoriasis: a controlled trial.
AB  - Continued sub-clinical streptococcal infection might be responsible for chronic
      plaque psoriasis. Considering the beneficial effect of benzathine penicillin in
      chronic plaque psoriasis, but due to the risk of penicillin sensitivity and to
      its painful parenteral route of administration, we tried oral azithromycin in
      this single blind randomized case-control trial. 50 patients with moderate to
      severe chronic plaque psoriasis were enrolled. Of these, 30 randomly selected
      patients received azithromycin for 48 weeks as a single oral 500 mg daily dose
      for 4 days with a gap of 10 days (total 24 such courses). The remaining 20
      patients received a vitamin C tablet (non-chewable) in the same dosage schedule.
      Informed consent was obtained from all patients enrolled. Though the trial
      concluded at 48 weeks, patients in the azithromycin-arm were followed for another
      year to observe any relapse. A significant improvement in PASI score was noted
      from 12 weeks in the majority of patients in the azithromycin group. At the end
      of 48 weeks, 18 patients (60%) showed excellent improvement, while 6 patients
      (20%) showed good improvement and 4 patients (13.33%) showed mild improvement.
      PASI 75 was 80%. No significant change was seen in lesions in the control group.
      2 patients in the study group and 5 patients in the control group did not
      complete the prescribed duration of study. An exacerbation in lesions was
      reported in 5 cases (16.66%) in the group receiving azithromycin. These
      exacerbations also responded by continuing the same treatment. At the end of
      another one year follow up in the azithromycin-arm, 6 patients (20%) developed a
      recurrence of lesions. Relevant investigations and clinical assessments were done
      at regular intervals to observe any side-effects and to check progress of the
      disease. Data were analysed statistically by using the student t-test. Patients
      tolerated the therapy well.

PMID- 20299308
TI  - Evaluation of local anesthesia and pain control in dermatological surgery: a
      prospective study of 120 patients.
AB  - Local anaesthesia with lidocaine is widely used in dermatology. The aim of this
      study was to evaluate pain at different times of dermatological surgery when
      using local anaesthetic agents. 120 consecutive patients were included during a 3
      month period in a dermatological day surgery unit. Pain was estimated by a visual
      analogue scale, before, during and at the end of the operation. At the end,
      patients were asked about their satisfaction with local anaesthesia or their
      preference for general anaesthesia. Fifty five patients had lesions on the face
      and neck. Other localisations were chest (20 cases), limbs (24 cases), perineum
      (18 cases) and not recorded in 3 cases. Mean diameter of the lesions was 25.3 mm.
      Pain occurred during anaesthetic injection in 88.5% of the patients and the score
      was 5 or more in 42 patients. No pain was recorded during and at the end of the
      operation in 112 and 118 patients respectively. Fifteen patients would have
      preferred general to local anaesthesia because of intense pain. Local anaesthesia
      was judged appropriate by 86% of the patients. However, for lesions of the
      perineum, general anaesthesia would have been preferred by 38.8% of the patients.

PMID- 20299309
TI  - Study of fibroblast gene expression in response to oxidative stress induced by
      hydrogen peroxide or UVA with skin aging.
AB  - The skin aging process, implying oxidative stress, is associated with specific
      gene expression. Ultraviolet A (UVA) and hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) both
      generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) making them relevant in the study of skin
      cell responses to oxidative stresses. To investigate transcript expression
      associated with chronological skin aging and its modulation by two oxidative
      stresses, cDNA micro-arrays, composed of a set of 81 expressed sequence tag (EST)
      clones, were used to probe the patterns of transcript expression in human
      fibroblasts of five young (< 21 years-old) and five older (> 50 years-old)
      healthy females at basal levels and 24 h after exposure to UVA (7 J/cm2) and
      H(2)O(2) (20 mM). At the basal state, 22% of total genes were up-regulated in the
      older group. Although both stresses led to the same cell mortality, H(2)O(2)
      induced a stronger modulation of gene expression than UVA, with 19.5% of
      transcripts up-regulated versus 4%. The aging process affected the response to
      H(2)O(2) and even though cells from old donors presented higher basal levels of
      transcripts they were not able to regulate them in response to the stress.
      Interestingly, UVA had a specific strong inhibitory effect on the expression of
      chemokine (C-C) motif ligand 2 (CCL2) transcript, suggesting a possible mechanism
      for its anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory roles.

PMID- 20299310
TI  - Lichenoid exanthema mimicking graft-versus-host disease associated with
      obstructive lung disease in a non-transplanted patient.
AB  - Lichenoid graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is commonly observed in patients who
      have received donor lymphocyte infusions or allogeneic bone marrow
      transplantation (BMT). Here we report a striking case of lichenoid GVH-like
      exanthema in a young woman without any history of blood transfusions or BMT. A
      polymorphous, multiforme-like exanthema was observed after systemic antibiotic
      therapy of bronchitis and was initially diagnosed as drug eruption. Later on,
      disseminated lichenoid papules were noticed on the trunk and extremities with all
      histologic and clinical characteristics of lichenoid GVHD. Cutaneous GVH-like
      disease developed, as did obstructive lung disease. Pulmonary as well as skin
      disease were both refractory to various immunosuppressive therapies. The immune
      pathogenesis that caused the skin and lung disease in this patient remains
      unclear. Multiple pregnancies with two abortions with the potential induction of
      microchimerism may play a role in the disease pathogenesis.

PMID- 20299311
TI  - Acrodermatitis chronic atrophicans and morphea.

PMID- 20299312
TI  - Carcinosarcoma of the nose.

PMID- 20299313
TI  - Condyloma accuminata-like hypertrophic lichen planus.

PMID- 20299314
TI  - Morphea, an unusual side effect of anti-TNF-alpha treatment.

PMID- 20299315
TI  - Chinese herbal medicine: a neglected offender for fixed drug eruptions.

PMID- 20299316
TI  - Phase III trials of eribulin mesylate (E7389) in extensively pretreated patients
      with locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer.
AB  - Eribulin mesylate (E7389) is a nontaxane microtubule dynamics inhibitor with a
      novel mechanism of action. In preclinical studies, it has activity in a variety
      of in vivo tumor model types, including breast cancer. Following promising
      results from phase I and phase II studies in patients with breast cancer, 2 open
      label, randomized, controlled, parallelgroup phase III studies have been
      initiated, and enrollment has been completed. Both study populations comprise
      patients with locally advanced/recurrent or metastatic disease pretreated with
      several chemotherapy regimens, including an anthracycline and a taxane. In Study
      305, eribulin is being evaluated as late-line therapy. The primary objective is
      to compare overall survival (OS) between eribulin monotherapy and treatment of
      the physician's choice, and progression-free survival (PFS) is one of the
      secondary objectives. The 762 patients enrolled in Study 305 were randomized in a
      2:1 ratio to receive either eribulin or treatment of the physician's choice. In
      Study 301, eribulin is being assessed as second-line therapy, and the primary
      objective is to compare eribulin and capecitabine in terms of OS and PFS.
      Secondary objectives include assessments of response data, duration of response,
      quality of life, pain intensity, analgesic consumption, and assessment of
      pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic relationships for eribulin. In Study 301, the
      1102 patients enrolled were randomized to receive either eribulin or capecitabine
      (approximately 550 patients in each arm). Tumor assessments are carried out every
      8 weeks in Study 305, and every 2 cycles (each of 3 weeks' duration) in Study
      301. Safety is also assessed in both studies.

PMID- 20299317
TI  - Characteristics, treatment, and outcome of breast cancers diagnosed in BRCA1 and
      BRCA2 gene mutation carriers in intensive screening programs including magnetic
      resonance imaging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with conventional screening
      methods improves sensitivity in high-risk patients without benefits on specific
      survival. We evaluated the characteristics, treatments, and prognostic features
      of breast cancers diagnosed among BRCA1/2 mutation carriers either inside or
      outside screening programs that included MRI. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two groups of
      patients diagnosed with a new breast cancer between 2001 and 2007 were compared:
      group 1, patients included in an intensive screening program; and group 2,
      patients outside of this program. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients met inclusion
      criteria for group 1, and 102 for group 2. Seventy-four percent and 65%,
      respectively, were BRCA1 mutation carriers. Tumors in both groups had the same
      characteristics (pN, grade, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, HER2
      expression), except for smaller tumor size in group 1 (median, 6 mm vs. 22 mm; P
      < .0001). Group 1 patients had more frequent sentinel node procedures (57% vs.
      28%; P = .021) and less commonly received chemotherapy (43% vs. 86%; P < .0001).
      The 3-year disease-free survival (93% vs. 74%; P = .1) and the 3-year overall
      survival (100% vs. 92%; P = .2) did not differ between groups. CONCLUSION: MRI
      might provide improvement in BRCA1/2 carriers in terms of smaller tumor size and
      treatment morbidity. However, because of aggressive intrinsic characteristics,
      this does not turn into significant survival benefits.

PMID- 20299318
TI  - Breast cancer hormone receptor assay results of core needle biopsy and modified
      radical mastectomy specimens from the same patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hormone receptor (HR) expression is the most important biomarker and
      is the cornerstone in the management of breast cancer. Therefore, the accuracy of
      its testing is critical in treatment decisions. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of
      160 consecutive patients accrued to an adjuvant hormonal therapy clinical trial
      between March 2003 and May 2008 were studied. Estrogen receptor (ER) and
      progesterone receptor (PgR) protein assays of tissues from modified radical
      mastectomy (MRM) specimens were compared with their previous core needle biopsy
      (CNB) ER and PgR immunohistochemical assay results. RESULTS: The tumors of 146
      (91.2%) out of the 160 patients with CNB HR-positive disease remained HR positive
      in MRM specimen assays. Estrogen receptor positivity decreased from 95% in the
      CNB to 81.9% in MRM specimens and PgR positivity from 93.8% to 86.9%. The overall
      agreement between CNB and MRM specimens was 81.9% for ER and 85.6% for PgR. The
      mean Allred scores were significantly higher in CNB than in MRM specimens: ER,
      6.6 (SD, 2.02) versus 4.71 (SD, 2.62); PgR, 6.68 (SD, 2.16) versus 5.99 (SD,
      2.68); P < .001 and P = .001, respectively. CONCLUSION: Core needle biopsy
      specimens are associated with the identification of more frequent and higher
      levels of tumoral hormonal receptor proteins than MRM specimens. Delayed fixation
      of MRM tissues likely accounted for this finding. Optimal selection of patients
      for hormonal therapies is dependent on tissue management strategies before formal
      hormonal receptor protein testing procedures.

PMID- 20299319
TI  - A phase II trial of pemetrexed and gemcitabine in patients with metastatic breast
      cancer who have received prior taxane therapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: This phase II trial assessed efficacy and safety of pemetrexed plus
      gemcitabine to treat metastatic or locally advanced breast cancer in patients
      previously treated with taxanes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eligible women with
      advanced breast cancer treated with taxanes in the adjuvant or metastatic setting
      received pemetrexed 500 mg/m2 on day 1 followed by gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 on days
      1 and 8 of a 21-day cycle. Hematologic toxicities limiting day 8 gemcitabine
      dosing were observed in the first 20 patients, prompting a protocol amendment to
      evaluate pemetrexed 500 mg/m2 followed by gemcitabine 1500 mg/m2 on day 1 of a 14
      day cycle. Patients received folic acid, vitamin B12, and dexamethasone. The
      primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR). RESULTS: Between July 2003
      and September 2006, 73 evaluable women (median age, 52.1 years; range, 28-73
      years) were enrolled (21-day schedule: 21 patients, 52% estrogen receptor
      positive, 24% HER2-positive; 14-day schedule: 52 patients, 58% ER-positive, 15%
      HER2-positive). For patients on the 21-day and 14-day schedules, median number of
      cycles was 4 (range, 1-8 cycles) and 5 (range, 1-38 cycles), respectively. The
      ORRs were 23.8% and 19.2%, respectively; median survival times were 16.2 months
      and 13.4 months. The most common grade 3/4 hematologic toxicities were
      neutropenia (71% vs. 33%) and leukopenia (24% vs. 14%); febrile neutropenia
      occurred in 10% and 6%. The most common grade 3/4 nonhematologic toxicity was
      fatigue (29% vs. 10%). CONCLUSION: Pemetrexed/gemcitabine given on a 21-day or 14
      day schedule is active in patients with advanced breast cancer previously treated
      with taxanes. A 14-day schedule appears to result in fewer serious toxicities.

PMID- 20299320
TI  - Rheumatic disorders and functional disability with aromatase inhibitor therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aromatase inhibitor therapy is often effective for breast cancer, yet
      it can be accompanied by musculoskeletal pain and stiffness. This prevalence
      assessment aimed to characterize a rheumatologist's view of frequency and
      clinical features, including associated disability, within a breast cancer clinic
      panel of 77 patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The "aromatase inhibitor arthralgia"
      frequency was estimated at 50%, including both those with new and worsened
      discomfort. Substantial functional disability was associated, whether measured by
      individual functional disability (frequencies ranging from 39% to 61%) or
      composite score of 7 functional disability areas (median score 5 compared with
      median 0 in the comparison group; P = .00003). RESULTS: The frequency of clinical
      hand osteoarthritis appeared somewhat increased in the aromatase inhibitor
      arthralgia group (28% vs. 14%; not statistically significant). Yet the
      distribution of aromatase inhibitor-related symptoms and functional disabilities
      appeared to parallel those joint regions commonly affected by osteoarthritis.
      Using clinical criteria to assess 5 common rheumatic disorders (hand
      osteoarthritis, trigger finger, carpal tunnel syndrome, Raynaud's phenomenon, and
      sicca syndrome), the aromatase inhibitor arthralgia group tended to have more
      common rheumatic disorders (P < .05), consistent with nociceptive mechanisms
      making latent disorders symptomatic. CONCLUSION: Aromatase inhibitor therapy for
      postmenopausal breast cancer might be associated with common musculoskeletal
      symptoms and with substantial functional disability and should prompt patient
      education. In view of the potential relevance of estrogen deprivation to
      osteoarthritis onset and severity, future studies of natural history should
      include systematic assessment of osteoarthritis frequency and severity.

PMID- 20299321
TI  - Evolution of capecitabine dosing in breast cancer.
AB  - In the United States, poor patient tolerability of the standard capecitabine
      dosing regimen (1250 mg/m2 twice daily on days 1-14 administered every 21 days)
      limits the established benefit of the agent. The observation that patient
      tolerability improves and efficacy is maintained with lower doses led to the
      investigation of various doses and schedules in patients with metastatic breast
      cancer. Capecitabine monotherapy in daily doses of 1000-2560 mg/m2 or in
      combination with a taxane in daily doses of 825-1250 mg/m2 has confirmed that
      tolerability improves and efficacy is maintained with lower-than-standard doses.
      Similar results have been observed with various dosing schedules, including
      continuous administration and 28-day, 7-day, and 7-days-on/7-days-off cycles.
      These findings suggest that capecitabine administered in a variety of doses and
      schedules might be a viable alternative to anthracycline-containing regimens as
      first- or second-line treatment in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

PMID- 20299322
TI  - Low morale is associated with increased risk of mortality in the elderly: a
      population-based prospective study (NEDICES).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: the study aimed to assess the association between morale and
      mortality. DESIGN: we used data from the Neurological Disorders in Central Spain
      (NEDICES), a population-based study. SUBJECTS: 2,516 older persons (mean age 75.7
      years) participated in the study. METHODS: Cox models were used to estimate risk
      of mortality. Morale was assessed using the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale
      Scale. RESULTS: 489 (21.8%) participants died over a median follow-up of 5.9
      years (range 0.1-7.7 years), including 253 (21.8%) deaths among 1,163
      participants with low morale scores, 168 (19.3%) among 870 participants with
      moderate scores and 68 (14.1%) among participants with high scores. In an
      unadjusted Cox model, relative risk (RR) of mortality in participants with low
      morale scores = 1.69 (P < 0.001) and RR in participants with moderate scores =
      1.47 (P < 0.01) were compared to the reference group (participants with high
      scores). In a Cox model that adjusted for a variety of demographic factors and co
      morbidities, RR of mortality in participants with low morale scores = 1.35 (P
      <0.05) and moderate scores = 1.16 (not significant) were compared to the
      reference group. CONCLUSION: low morale may be an independent predictor of
      mortality in the elderly. By assessing morale, practitioners might be better
      positioned to identify patients with poorer prognoses.

PMID- 20299323
TI  - Severe exfoliative dermatitis caused by strontium ranelate: two cases of a new
      drug reaction.
AB  - Strontium ranelate is a relatively new drug used as a second-line treatment for
      osteoporosis, often targeted at older patients. It is known to cause skin rash
      and rarely drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms, but there are
      no reports of exfoliative dermatitis as a reaction in the literature. We present
      the first two cases of this adverse effect of the drug, combined with
      eosinophilia but no systemic symptoms. We illustrate the significant morbidity
      involved and use of systemic steroid treatment required, highlighting the need
      for awareness of this reaction in medical and particularly in elderly care
      communities.

PMID- 20299324
TI  - SeSAW: balancing sequence and structural information in protein functional
      mapping.
AB  - MOTIVATION: Functional similarity between proteins is evident at both the
      sequence and structure levels. SeSAW is a web-based program for identifying
      functionally or evolutionarily conserved motifs in protein structures by locating
      sequence and structural similarities, and quantifying these at the level of
      individual residues. Results can be visualized in 2D, as annotated alignments, or
      in 3D, as structural superpositions. An example is given for both an
      experimentally determined query structure and a homology model. AVAILABILITY AND
      IMPLEMENTATION: The web server is located at http://www.pdbj.org/SeSAW/.

PMID- 20299325
TI  - Going from where to why--interpretable prediction of protein subcellular
      localization.
AB  - MOTIVATION: Protein subcellular localization is pivotal in understanding a
      protein's function. Computational prediction of subcellular localization has
      become a viable alternative to experimental approaches. While current machine
      learning-based methods yield good prediction accuracy, most of them suffer from
      two key problems: lack of interpretability and dealing with multiple locations.
      RESULTS: We present YLoc, a novel method for predicting protein subcellular
      localization that addresses these issues. Due to its simple architecture, YLoc
      can identify the relevant features of a protein sequence contributing to its
      subcellular localization, e.g. localization signals or motifs relevant to protein
      sorting. We present several example applications where YLoc identifies the
      sequence features responsible for protein localization, and thus reveals not only
      to which location a protein is transported to, but also why it is transported
      there. YLoc also provides a confidence estimate for the prediction. Thus, the
      user can decide what level of error is acceptable for a prediction. Due to a
      probabilistic approach and the use of several thousands of dual-targeted
      proteins, YLoc is able to predict multiple locations per protein. YLoc was
      benchmarked using several independent datasets for protein subcellular
      localization and performs on par with other state-of-the-art predictors.
      Disregarding low-confidence predictions, YLoc can achieve prediction accuracies
      of over 90%. Moreover, we show that YLoc is able to reliably predict multiple
      locations and outperforms the best predictors in this area. AVAILABILITY:
      www.multiloc.org/YLoc.

PMID- 20299326
TI  - HALO--a Java framework for precise transcript half-life determination.
AB  - Recent improvements in experimental technologies now allow measurements of de
      novo transcription and/or RNA decay at whole transcriptome level and
      determination of precise transcript half-lives. Such transcript half-lives
      provide important insights into the regulation of biological processes and the
      relative contributions of RNA decay and de novo transcription to differential
      gene expression. In this article, we present HALO (Half-life Organizer), the
      first software for the precise determination of transcript half-lives from
      measurements of RNA de novo transcription or decay determined with microarrays or
      RNA-seq. In addition, methods for quality control, filtering and normalization
      are supplied. HALO provides a graphical user interface, command-line tools and a
      well-documented Java application programming interface (API). Thus, it can be
      used both by biologists to determine transcript half-lives fast and reliably with
      the provided user interfaces as well as software developers integrating
      transcript half-life analysis into other gene expression profiling pipelines.
      AVAILABILITY: Source code, executables and documentation are available at
      http://www.bio.ifi.lmu.de/software/halo.

PMID- 20299327
TI  - ArchSchema: a tool for interactive graphing of related Pfam domain architectures.
AB  - ArchSchema is a Java Web Start application that generates a dynamic 2D network of
      related Pfam domain architectures. Each node corresponds to a different
      architecture (shown as a sequence of coloured boxes) and indicates whether any 3D
      structural information is available in the PDB. Satellite nodes can show either
      the UniProt codes or the PDB codes of proteins having the given architecture.
      Search options allow search by UniProt code or Pfam domain identifier, and
      results can be filtered by domain, organism, or by selecting only proteins in the
      PDB. AVAILABILITY: ArchSchema can be freely accessed at
      http://www.ebi.ac.uk/Tools/archschema.

PMID- 20299328
TI  - Interaction of human MCM2-7 proteins with TIM, TIPIN and Rb.
AB  - Interactions of human MCM2-7 proteins with the proteins of TIM, TIPIN, an amino
      terminal fragment of Rb, and p27 were examined by co-immuno-precipitation
      experiment using cell lysates of co-expressed insect cells. TIM and TIPIN, both
      of which are involved in regulation of DNA replication fork progression, mainly
      interacted with MCM3-7 proteins. The amino-terminal fragment of Rb, which
      inhibits DNA replication in Xenopus egg extracts, was able to bind with MCM3 and
      MCM6 proteins in addition to MCM7 protein. In contrast, p27 was not able to bind
      any MCM2-7 proteins under the comparable conditions. These results indicate that
      the proteins, which are known to interact with MCM proteins, bind with MCM2-7
      proteins with different affinities and specificities.

PMID- 20299329
TI  - Development of evaluation system for bioactive substances using human artificial
      chromosome-mediated osteocalcin gene expression.
AB  - Bioactive substances in daily food and supplements are expected to prevent
      various lifestyle-related diseases. Recently, many evaluation systems for
      bioactive substances were developed with cell lines integrated with green
      fluorescence protein (GFP) reporter gene. To evaluate osteogensis activity in
      functional food, we developed a novel cell line that reports osteocalcin gene
      expression using the human artificial chromosome (HAC) vector. HAC vectors are
      able to avoid various problems in usual plasmid vector such as difficulty in
      control of transgene copy number. HAC is transmitted to cells as an independent
      chromosome from host chromosomes, and expresses transgenes depending on host cell
      circumstances. We established Chinese hamster ovary cell lines that carried GFP
      gene regulated by osteocalcin gene promoter on the HAC. Expression of GFP was
      responded to vitamin D(3) [1alpha,25(OH)(2)D(3)]. Furthermore, we constructed HAC
      vector bearing tandem repeats of reporter gene unit, to enhance intensity of gene
      expression. GFP expression in these reporter cells is related to the copy number
      of reporter gene units. Using the evaluation system for bioactive substances, we
      could show osteogenic activity in some fish oils.

PMID- 20299330
TI  - Constitutive glycogen synthase kinase-3alpha/beta activity protects against
      chronic beta-adrenergic remodelling of the heart.
AB  - AIMS: Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3) signalling is implicated in the growth
      of the heart during development and in response to stress. However, its precise
      role remains unclear. We set out to characterize developmental growth and
      response to chronic isoproterenol (ISO) stress in knockin (KI) mice lacking the
      critical N-terminal serines, 21 of GSK-3alpha and 9 of GSK-3beta respectively,
      required for inactivation by upstream kinases. METHODS AND RESULTS: Between 5 and
      15 weeks, KI mice grew more rapidly, but normalized heart weight and contractile
      performance were similar to wild-type (WT) mice. Isolated hearts of both
      genotypes responded comparably to acute ISO infusion with increases in heart rate
      and contractility. In WT mice, chronic subcutaneous ISO infusion over 14 days
      resulted in cardiac hypertrophy, interstitial fibrosis, and impaired
      contractility, accompanied by foetal gene reactivation. These effects were all
      significantly attenuated in KI mice. Indeed, ISO-treated KI hearts demonstrated
      reversible physiological remodelling traits with increased stroke volume and a
      preserved contractile response to acute adrenergic stimulation. Furthermore,
      simultaneous pharmacological inhibition of GSK-3 in KI mice treated with chronic
      subcutaneous ISO recapitulated the adverse remodelling phenotype seen in WT
      hearts. CONCLUSION: Expression of inactivation-resistant GSK-3alpha/beta does not
      affect eutrophic myocardial growth but protects against pathological hypertrophy
      induced by chronic adrenergic stimulation, maintaining cardiac function and
      attenuating interstitial fibrosis. Accordingly, strategies to prevent
      phosphorylation of Ser-21/9, and consequent inactivation of GSK-3alpha/beta, may
      enable a sustained cardiac response to chronic beta-agonist stimulation while
      preventing pathological remodelling.

PMID- 20299331
TI  - Mineralocorticoid receptor overexpression in embryonic stem cell-derived
      cardiomyocytes increases their beating frequency.
AB  - AIMS: Cardiac mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) activation triggers adverse
      cardiovascular events that could be efficiently prevented by mineralocorticoid
      antagonists. To gain insights into the pathophysiological role of MR function, we
      established embryonic stem (ES) cell lines from blastocysts of transgenic mice
      overexpressing the human MR driven by its proximal P1 or distal P2 promoter and
      presenting with cardiomyopathy, tachycardia, and arrhythmia. Cardiomyocyte
      differentiation allowed us to investigate the molecular mechanisms contributing
      to MR-mediated cardiac dysfunction. METHODS AND RESULTS: During cardiac
      differentiation, wild-type (WT) and recombinant ES cell cultures and excised
      beating patches expressed endogenous MR along with cardiac gene markers. The two
      fold increase in MR protein detected in P1.hMR and P2.hMR cardiomyocytes led to a
      parallel increase in the spontaneous beating frequency of hMR-overexpressing
      cardiomyocytes compared with WT. The MR-mediated chronotropic effect was ligand
      independent, could be partially repressed by spironolactone, and was accompanied
      by a significant two- to four-fold increase in mRNA and protein levels of the
      pacemaker channel HCN1, generating depolarizing If currents, thus revealing a
      potential new MR target. This was associated with modification in the expression
      of HCN4, the inward-rectifier potassium channel Kir2.1, and the L-type voltage
      dependent calcium channel Cav1.2. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate that the
      amplification of MR signalling in ES-derived cardiomyocytes has a major impact on
      cardiomyocyte contractile properties through an important remodelling of ion
      channel expression, contributing to arrhythmias. Our results highlight the
      prominent role of MR function in cardiac physiology and support the benefit of MR
      antagonists in the management of cardiac dysfunctions.

PMID- 20299332
TI  - Natural therapeutic magnesium lithospermate B potently protects the endothelium
      from hyperglycaemia-induced dysfunction.
AB  - AIMS: We have investigated the effects of magnesium lithospermate B (MLB), the
      active compound of the Oriental herbal remedy, Salvia miltiorrhizae, on
      endothelial dysfunction associated with diabetes mellitus using cultured
      endothelial cells and an animal model of type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: The effect of MLB on vasodilatory function in Otsuka Long-Evans
      Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats was assessed. MLB treatment for 20 weeks starting at
      12 weeks attenuated the decrease in endothelium-dependent vasodilation in OLETF
      rats. MLB treatment also increased serum nitrite level and reduced serum advanced
      glycation end products concentration. The effect of MLB was greater than an
      equivalent dose of alpha-lipoic acid (alphaLA), a popular antioxidant treatment.
      MLB rescued the inhibition of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activity
      and eNOS phosphorylation in endothelial cells cultured in hyperglycaemia. This
      effect was dependent on Akt phosphorylation and associated with decreased O
      linked N-acetylglucosamine protein modification of eNOS. MLB also increased
      nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor-2 (Nrf-2) activation in a
      phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt pathway dependent manner. MLB treatment induced the
      expression of the Nrf-2-regulated antioxidant enzyme, heme oxygenase-1. The
      antioxidant alphaLA could not produce this effect. Moreover, MLB decreased
      oxidative stress and endothelial cell apoptosis caused by hyperglycaemia.
      CONCLUSION: MLB is a naturally occurring, new generation antioxidant that
      activates eNOS and ameliorates endothelial dysfunction in diabetes by enhancing
      vasodilation in addition to reducing oxidative stress. The relative strong
      performance of MLB makes it an ideal candidate for further, expanded trials as a
      new generation of antioxidant to treat diabetes-related complications.

PMID- 20299333
TI  - Role of blood cells in ischaemia-reperfusion induced endothelial barrier failure.
AB  - Ischaemia and reperfusion (I/R) elicits an acute inflammatory response that is
      characterized by the recruitment of inflammatory cells, oxidative stress, and
      endothelial barrier failure. Over the past three decades, much progress has been
      made in our understanding of the mechanisms that underlie the inflammatory
      response and microvascular dysfunction associated with I/R. This review is
      focused on the role of leucocytes (neutrophils and T-lymphocytes) and platelets,
      and their activation products, as mediators of I/R-induced endothelial barrier
      failure. The contributions of cytokines, chemokines, and oxidative stress to I/R
      induced barrier dysfunction are also discussed. It concludes with an analysis of
      how risk factors for cardiovascular disease, i.e. hypertension, diabetes,
      hypercholesterolaemia, and obesity, influence the vascular permeability response
      to I/R. Areas of uncertainty and controversy in this field of investigation are
      also identified.

PMID- 20299335
TI  - Role of GTPases in control of microvascular permeability.
AB  - Inflammatory mediators increase vascular permeability primarily by formation of
      intercellular gaps between endothelial cells of post-capillary venules. Under
      these conditions, endothelial cell-cell contacts such as adherens and tight
      junctions open to allow paracellular fluid passage. Small guanosine
      triphosphatases (GTPases) from the ras superfamily, primarily Rho GTPases (RhoA,
      Rac1, Cdc42) or Rap1 are known to regulate cell adhesion, in part by
      reorganization of the junction-associated cortical actin cytoskeleton. In this
      review, we will discuss the role of small GTPases for the maintenance of
      microvascular barrier functions under resting conditions as well as under
      conditions of increased permeability and their involvement in signalling pathways
      downstream of both barrier-stabilizing and inflammatory mediators. Rac1 and Cdc42
      are the main GTPases required for barrier maintenance and stabilization, whereas
      RhoA negatively regulates barrier properties under both resting and inflammatory
      conditions. For Rac1 and RhoA, contrary functions under certain conditions have
      also been described. However, Rac1-mediated barrier destabilization in
      microvascular endothelium appears to be largely restricted to conditions of
      enhanced endothelial cell migration and thus to be more closely related to
      angiogenesis rather than to inflammation. Recent studies revealed that cAMP
      signalling, which is well known to be barrier protective, enhances barrier
      functions in part via Rap1-mediated activation of Rac1 and Cdc42 as well as by
      inhibition of RhoA. Moreover, barrier-stabilizing mediators directly activate
      Rac1 and Cdc42 or increase cAMP levels. On the other hand, several barrier
      disruptive components appear to increase permeability by reduced formation of
      cAMP, leading to both inactivation of Rac1 and activation of RhoA.

PMID- 20299334
TI  - Caveolin-1 limits the contribution of BK(Ca) channel to EDHF-mediated arteriolar
      dilation: implications in diet-induced obesity.
AB  - AIMS: Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) interacts with large conductance Ca(2+)-activated
      potassium channels (BKCa) and likely exerts a negative regulatory effect on the
      channel activity. We investigated the role of Cav-1 in modulating BK(Ca) channel
      mediated, endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF)-dependent arteriolar
      dilation in normal condition and in an experimental model of obesity. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: In isolated, pressurized (80 mmHg) gracilis muscle arterioles
      (approximately 100 microm) of Cav-1 knockout mice, acetylcholine (ACh)-induced,
      EDHF-mediated dilations were enhanced and were significantly reduced by the
      BK(Ca) channel inhibitor, iberiotoxin (IBTX), whereas IBTX had no effect on EDHF
      mediated dilations in the wild-type mice. Dilations to the selective BK(Ca)
      channel opener, NS-1619 were augmented in the Cav-1 knockout mice. In high-fat
      diet-treated, obese rats ACh-induced coronary arteriolar dilations were
      preserved, whereas IBTX-sensitive, ACh-induced and also NS-1619-evoked
      vasodilations were augmented when compared with lean animals. In coronary
      arterioles of obese rats a reduced protein expression of Cav-1 was detected by
      western immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. Moreover, in coronary arterioles
      of lean rats, disruption of caveolae with methyl-beta-cyclodextrin augmented IBTX
      sensitive, ACh-induced, and also NS-1619-evoked dilations. CONCLUSION: Thus,
      under normal conditions, Cav-1 limits the contribution of the BK(Ca) channel to
      EDHF-mediated arteriolar dilation. In obesity, a reduced expression of Cav-1
      leads to greater contribution of the BK(Ca) channel to EDHF-mediated response,
      which seems essential for maintained coronary dilation.

PMID- 20299336
TI  - A 50% reduction in cyclosporine exposure in stable renal transplant recipients:
      renal function benefits.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although cyclosporine maintenance therapy reduces the risk of acute
      rejection and increases short-term graft survival in renal transplant recipients,
      its associated nephrotoxicity increases the risk of chronic graft dysfunction.
      The dose that allows an optimal risk-to-benefit ratio has not been established.
      METHODS: This multicentre study enrolled stable renal allograft recipients
      receiving cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil without corticosteroids in their
      second year post-transplant. Patients were randomized to a cyclosporine dose
      targeted to a standard area under the concentration-time curve (AUC)(0-12 h)
      (usual exposure, n = 104) or 50% of the study standard AUC(0-12 h) (low exposure,
      n = 108) using a three-point pharmacokinetic sampling. The primary endpoint was
      the percentage of patients with treatment failure at 24 months (graft loss/acute
      rejection/nephrotoxicity/>15% serum creatinine level increase). RESULTS:
      Treatment failure was reported in 37 out of 101 (37%) patients in the usual
      exposure and 19 out of 106 (18%) patients in the low-exposure groups (P = 0.003).
      Mean estimated glomerular filtration rate decreased from baseline to 2 years with
      usual exposure and increased with low exposure (P < 0.001). Mean systolic and
      diastolic blood pressures were lower with low exposure (P = 0.03 and P = 0.008,
      respectively). CONCLUSION: In renal transplant recipients receiving maintenance
      therapy without corticosteroids, a minimization strategy using three-point
      pharmacokinetic sampling to reduce and maintain cyclosporine exposure to 50% of
      the usual levels is safe and reduces the risk of graft dysfunction.

PMID- 20299337
TI  - Non-invasive detection of pulmonary hypertension prior to renal transplantation
      is a predictor of increased risk for early graft dysfunction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Early graft dysfunction is a significant complication after renal
      transplantation and is a marker of adverse outcomes. Although multiple predictors
      of graft dysfunction have been previously described, the reported prevalence of
      pulmonary hypertension (pulmonary HTN) in the dialysis population (40-50%), along
      with biologic and physiologic principles, led us to hypothesize that pulmonary
      HTN might be an additional risk factor for early graft dysfunction. METHODS: We
      performed a retrospective study that screened all adult renal transplants
      performed at our institution over a 3-year period and limited the evaluation to
      those subjects who had an estimated pulmonary artery systolic pressure on a
      preoperative echocardiogram report (n = 55). The primary outcome of this study
      was to investigate the impact of pulmonary HTN on early graft dysfunction using a
      combined endpoint of delayed graft function or slow graft function. RESULTS:
      Among patients receiving a living donor kidney, early graft dysfunction was not
      observed regardless of pulmonary HTN status. However, among patients receiving a
      deceased donor kidney, pulmonary HTN was found to be associated with a
      significant increased risk of early graft dysfunction (56 vs 11.7%, P = 0.01).
      Univariate and multivariable logistic regression supported this observation as an
      independent risk factor beyond potential confounding recipient, donor and graft
      based risk factors for early graft dysfunction (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Pulmonary
      HTN detected on non-invasive imaging prior to renal transplantation appears to be
      an independent predictor of early graft dysfunction among those patients who
      receive a deceased donor kidney.

PMID- 20299339
TI  - Long-term renal survival in malignant hypertension.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Some studies have shown an improvement in the prognosis of patients
      with essential malignant hypertension (MHT), but data about long-term outcome and
      prognostic factors of these patients are scarce. METHODS: We performed a single
      centre retrospective analysis of 197 patients with MHT, diagnosed in the period
      1974-2007. RESULTS: Incidence of MHT remained stable along the different periods
      of the study. Renal damage at presentation was common (63% of patients) but renal
      function improved or remained stable after diagnosis in a majority of patients.
      The probability of renal survival was 84 and 72% after 5 and 10 years,
      respectively. Diagnosis during the first period (1974-85) of the study, previous
      chronic renal impairment, baseline renal function and proteinuria, presence of
      microhaematuria, systolic and diastolic blood pressure and proteinuria during
      follow-up were associated with an unfavourable outcome. By multivariate analysis,
      mean proteinuria during follow-up remained as the only significant risk factor
      (OR, 2.72; 95% CI, 1.59-4.64). Renal survival for patients with mean proteinuria
      <0.5 g/24 h was 100 and 95% after 5 and 10 years, respectively. The number of
      patients who improved or stabilized their renal function significantly increased
      in the second and third periods of the study (1987-2007). CONCLUSIONS: Renal
      survival in MHT has improved in recent years. Mean proteinuria during follow-up
      is a fundamental prognostic factor for renal survival.

PMID- 20299338
TI  - Outcome predictability of serum alkaline phosphatase in men with pre-dialysis
      CKD.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) increases in patients with chronic
      kidney disease (CKD) and high-turnover bone disease. ALP may represent an adjunct
      marker of high bone turnover devoid of drawbacks of serum parathyroid hormone
      (PTH), and it may also be associated with cardiovascular calcification in CKD.
      Higher ALP has been recently associated with increased mortality and coronary
      calcification in dialysis patients. In pre-dialysis CKD patients, this
      association is not clear. METHODS: We examined the association of baseline, time
      varying and time-averaged ALP with all-cause mortality and the composite of pre
      dialysis mortality or end-stage renal disease in a historical prospective cohort
      of 1158 male veterans with pre-dialysis CKD from a single institution by using
      multivariable-adjusted Cox models. RESULTS: Higher ALP was associated with
      increased mortality irrespective of the statistical model. Time-averaged ALP
      displayed a consistent linear association with mortality: a 50-U/L higher serum
      ALP was associated with a multivariable-adjusted death hazard ratio (95%
      confidence interval) of 1.17 (1.08-1.28), P < 0.001. Baseline and time-varying
      ALP showed non-linear associations with mortality, with serum levels above 70 U/L
      in all models and with lower levels in time-varying models. Associations between
      ALP levels and the composite outcomes were similar. However, compared to serum
      PTH, mortality predictability of ALP appeared more incremental. CONCLUSIONS:
      Elevated ALP is associated with increased mortality in patients with pre-dialysis
      CKD. Low ALP appears to be associated with short-term mortality.

PMID- 20299340
TI  - Renal denervation reduces glomerular injury by suppressing NAD(P)H oxidase
      activity in Dahl salt-sensitive rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Renal sympathetic nerve activity has important effects on renal
      function in chronic kidney disease. Recent studies indicated that beta agonists
      directly stimulate NAD(P)H oxidase in endothelial cells. Therefore, we
      investigated whether renal denervation protects renal function through an anti
      oxidative effect. METHODS: The right kidney was removed from Dahl salt-sensitive
      hypertensive rats. Two weeks later, the rats underwent either left renal
      denervation (Nx-RDNx; n = 10) or a sham operation (Nx-Sham; n = 10). After a
      further 6 weeks, kidney function and renal tissue were assessed. In this ex vivo
      study, using isolated glomeruli from Sprague-Dawley rats, the direct effects of
      catecholamine on NAD(P)H oxidase activity were assessed. RESULTS: After the Nx
      RDNx or Nx-Sham surgery, urinary albumin excretion and the histologic glomerular
      sclerosis index were lower in the Nx-RDNx group than in the Nx-Sham group.
      Fluorescence staining for reactive oxygen species in isolated glomeruli was
      significantly weaker in the Nx-RDNx group. A lucigenin assay of NAD(P)H oxidase
      activity in isolated glomeruli indicated that renal denervation may have caused
      the reduction in reactive oxygen species through suppression of the activity of
      NAD(P)H oxidase. The levels of mRNA for NAD(P)H oxidase components and the levels
      of rac1 were higher in glomeruli from the Nx-Sham group than from the Nx-RDNx
      group. In this ex vivo study, although the NAD(P)H oxidase activity did not
      change with administration of either the alpha- or beta2-agonist, it increased
      with the beta1-agonist. CONCLUSIONS: Renal sympathetic denervation helps to
      protect against glomerular sclerosis, possibly by suppressing NAD(P)H oxidase
      activity, thereby decreasing glomerular reactive oxygen species.

PMID- 20299341
TI  - Engineering a family of synthetic splicing ribozymes.
AB  - Controlling RNA splicing opens up possibilities for the synthetic biologist. The
      Tetrahymena ribozyme is a model group I self-splicing ribozyme that has been
      shown to be useful in synthetic circuits. To create additional splicing ribozymes
      that can function in synthetic circuits, we generated synthetic ribozyme variants
      by rationally mutating the Tetrahymena ribozyme. We present an alignment
      visualization for the ribozyme termed as structure information diagram that is
      similar to a sequence logo but with alignment data mapped on to secondary
      structure information. Using the alignment data and known biochemical information
      about the Tetrahymena ribozyme, we designed synthetic ribozymes with different
      primary sequences without altering the secondary structure. One synthetic
      ribozyme with 110 nt mutated retained 12% splicing efficiency in vivo. The
      results indicate that our biochemical understanding of the ribozyme is accurate
      enough to engineer a family of active splicing ribozymes with similar secondary
      structure but different primary sequences.

PMID- 20299342
TI  - Sumoylation of Drosophila SU(VAR)3-7 is required for its heterochromatic
      function.
AB  - In Drosophila, SU(VAR)3-7 is an essential heterochromatin component. It is
      required for proper chromatin condensation, and changing its dose modifies
      position-effect variegation. Sumoylation is a post-translational modification
      shown to play a role in diverse biological processes. Here, we demonstrate that
      sumoylation is essential for proper heterochromatin function in Drosophila
      through modification of SU(VAR)3-7. Indeed, SU(VAR)3-7 is sumoylated at lysine
      K839; this modification is required for localization of SU(VAR)3-7 at pericentric
      heterochromatin, chromosome 4, and telomeres. In addition, sumoylation of
      SU(VAR)3-7 is a prerequisite for its ability to enhance position-effect
      variegation. Thus, these results show that the heterochromatic function of
      SU(VAR)3-7 depends on its own sumoylation, and unveil a role for sumoylation in
      Drosophila heterochromatin.

PMID- 20299343
TI  - A dictionary on microRNAs and their putative target pathways.
AB  - While in the last decade mRNA expression profiling was among the most popular
      research areas, over the past years the study of non-coding RNAs, especially
      microRNAs (miRNAs), has gained increasing interest. For almost 900 known human
      miRNAs hundreds of pretended targets are known. However, there is only limited
      knowledge about putative systemic effects of changes in the expression of miRNAs
      and their regulatory influence. We determined for each known miRNA the
      biochemical pathways in the KEGG and TRANSPATH database and the Gene Ontology
      categories that are enriched with respect to its target genes. We refer to these
      pathways and categories as target pathways of the corresponding miRNA.
      Investigating target pathways of miRNAs we found a strong relation to disease
      related regulatory pathways, including mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)
      signaling cascade, Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta signaling pathway or the
      p53 network. Performing a sophisticated analysis of differentially expressed
      genes of 13 cancer data sets extracted from gene expression omnibus (GEO) showed
      that targets of specific miRNAs were significantly deregulated in these sets. The
      respective miRNA target analysis is also a novel part of our gene set analysis
      pipeline GeneTrail. Our study represents a comprehensive theoretical analysis of
      the relationship between miRNAs and their predicted target pathways. Our target
      pathways analysis provides a 'miRNA-target pathway' dictionary, which enables
      researchers to identify target pathways of differentially regulated miRNAs.

PMID- 20299344
TI  - Identification and characterization of the two isoforms of the vertebrate H2A.Z
      histone variant.
AB  - Histone variants play important roles in the epigenetic regulation of genome
      function. The histone variant H2A.Z is evolutionarily conserved from yeast to
      vertebrates, and it has been reported to have multiple effects upon gene
      expression and insulation, and chromosome segregation. Recently two genes
      encoding H2A.Z were identified in the vertebrate genome. However, it is not yet
      clear whether the proteins transcribed from these genes are functionally
      distinct. To address this issue, we knocked out each gene individually in chicken
      DT40 cells. We found that two distinct proteins, H2A.Z-1 and H2A.Z-2, were
      produced from these genes, and that these proteins could be separated on a long
      SDS-PAGE gel. The two isoforms were deposited to a similar extent by the SRCAP
      chromatin-remodeling complex, suggesting redundancy to their function. However,
      cells lacking either one of the two isoforms exhibited distinct alterations in
      cell growth and gene expression, suggesting that the two isoforms have
      differential effects upon nucleosome stability and chromatin structure. These
      findings provide insight into the molecular basis of the multiple functions of
      the H2A.Z gene products.

PMID- 20299345
TI  - Grapevine under deficit irrigation: hints from physiological and molecular data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A large proportion of vineyards are located in regions with seasonal
      drought (e.g. Mediterranean-type climates) where soil and atmospheric water
      deficits, together with high temperatures, exert large constraints on yield and
      quality. The increasing demand for vineyard irrigation requires an improvement in
      the efficiency of water use. Deficit irrigation has emerged as a potential
      strategy to allow crops to withstand mild water stress with little or no
      decreases of yield, and potentially a positive impact on fruit quality.
      Understanding the physiological and molecular bases of grapevine responses to
      mild to moderate water deficits is fundamental to optimize deficit irrigation
      management and identify the most suitable varieties to those conditions. SCOPE:
      How the whole plant acclimatizes to water scarcity and how short- and long
      distance chemical and hydraulic signals intervene are reviewed. Chemical
      compounds synthesized in drying roots are shown to act as long-distance signals
      inducing leaf stomatal closure and/or restricting leaf growth. This explains why
      some plants endure soil drying without significant changes in shoot water status.
      The control of plant water potential by stomatal aperture via feed-forward
      mechanisms is associated with 'isohydric' behaviour in contrast to 'anysohydric'
      behaviour in which lower plant water potentials are attained. This review
      discusses differences in this respect between grapevines varieties and
      experimental conditions. Mild water deficits also exert direct and/or indirect
      (via the light environment around grape clusters) effects on berry development
      and composition; a higher content of skin-based constituents (e.g. tannins and
      anthocyanins) has generally being reported. Regulation under water deficit of
      genes and proteins of the various metabolic pathways responsible for berry
      composition and therefore wine quality are reviewed.

PMID- 20299346
TI  - Nitrogen uptake, assimilation and remobilization in plants: challenges for
      sustainable and productive agriculture.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Productive agriculture needs a large amount of expensive nitrogenous
      fertilizers. Improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of crop plants is thus of
      key importance. NUE definitions differ depending on whether plants are cultivated
      to produce biomass or grain yields. However, for most plant species, NUE mainly
      depends on how plants extract inorganic nitrogen from the soil, assimilate
      nitrate and ammonium, and recycle organic nitrogen. Efforts have been made to
      study the genetic basis as well as the biochemical and enzymatic mechanisms
      involved in nitrogen uptake, assimilation, and remobilization in crops and model
      plants. The detection of the limiting factors that could be manipulated to
      increase NUE is the major goal of such research. SCOPE: An overall examination of
      the physiological, metabolic, and genetic aspects of nitrogen uptake,
      assimilation and remobilization is presented in this review. The enzymes and
      regulatory processes manipulated to improve NUE components are presented. Results
      obtained from natural variation and quantitative trait loci studies are also
      discussed. CONCLUSIONS: This review presents the complexity of NUE and supports
      the idea that the integration of the numerous data coming from transcriptome
      studies, functional genomics, quantitative genetics, ecophysiology and soil
      science into explanatory models of whole-plant behaviour will be promising.

PMID- 20299347
TI  - Sonographic visualization and ultrasound-guided blockade of the greater occipital
      nerve: a comparison of two selective techniques confirmed by anatomical
      dissection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Local anaesthetic blocks of the greater occipital nerve (GON) are
      frequently performed in different types of headache, but no selective approaches
      exist. Our cadaver study compares the sonographic visibility of the nerve and the
      accuracy and specificity of ultrasound-guided injections at two different sites.
      METHODS: After sonographic measurements in 10 embalmed cadavers, 20 ultrasound
      guided injections of the GON were performed with 0.1 ml of dye at the classical
      site (superior nuchal line) followed by 20 at a newly described site more
      proximal (C2, superficial to the obliquus capitis inferior muscle). The spread of
      dye and coloration of nerve were evaluated by dissection. RESULTS: The median
      sonographic diameter of the GON was 4.2 x 1.4 mm at the classical and 4.0 x 1.8
      mm at the new site. The nerves were found at a median depth of 8 and 17.5 mm,
      respectively. In 16 of 20 in the classical approach and 20 of 20 in the new
      approach, the nerve was successfully coloured with the dye. This corresponds to a
      block success rate of 80% (95% confidence interval: 58-93%) vs 100% (95%
      confidence interval: 86-100%), which is statistically significant (McNemar's
      test, P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings confirm that the GON can be visualized
      using ultrasound both at the level of the superior nuchal line and C2. This newly
      described approach superficial to the obliquus capitis inferior muscle has a
      higher success rate and should allow a more precise blockade of the nerve.

PMID- 20299348
TI  - Effectiveness, safety, and pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics of
      microemulsion propofol in patients undergoing elective surgery under total
      intravenous anaesthesia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were to investigate the effectiveness, safety,
      pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of microemulsion propofol, Aquafol (Daewon
      Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Seoul, Republic of Korea). METHODS: In total, 288
      patients were randomized to receive 1% Aquafol or 1% Diprivan (AstraZeneca,
      London, UK) (n=144, respectively). A 30 mg test dose of propofol was administered
      i.v. over 2 s for assessing injection pain. Subsequently, a bolus of propofol 2
      mg kg(-1) (-30 mg) was administered. Anaesthesia was maintained with a variable
      rate infusion of propofol and a target-controlled infusion of remifentanil. Mean
      infusion rates of both formulations and times to loss of consciousness (LOC) and
      recovery of consciousness (ROC) were recorded. Adverse events and pharmacokinetic
      and pharmacodynamic characteristics were evaluated. RESULTS: Mean infusion rate
      of Aquafol was not statistically different from that of Diprivan (median: 6.2 vs
      6.3 mg kg(-1) h(-1)). Times to LOC and ROC were slightly prolonged in Aquafol
      (median: 21 vs 18 s, 12.3 vs 10.8 min). Aquafol showed similar incidence of
      adverse events to Diprivan. Aquafol (vs Diprivan caused more severe (median VAS:
      72.0 vs 11.5 mm) and frequent (81.9 vs 29.2%) injection pain. The dose-normalized
      AUC(last) of Aquafol and Diprivan was 0.71 (0.19) and 0.74 (0.20) min litre(-1).
      The V(1) of both formulations were proportional to lean body mass. Sex was a
      significant covariate for k(12) and Ce(50) of Aquafol, and for k(e0) of Diprivan.
      CONCLUSIONS: Aquafol was as effective and safe as Diprivan, but caused more
      severe and frequent injection pain. Aquafol demonstrated similar pharmacokinetics
      to Diprivan.

PMID- 20299349
TI  - Percutaneous mitral valve repair with the MitraClip system: acute results from a
      real world setting.
AB  - AIMS: This study sought to evaluate the feasibility and early outcomes of a
      percutaneous edge-to-edge repair approach for mitral valve regurgitation with the
      MitraClip system (Evalve, Inc., Menlo Park, CA, USA). METHODS AND RESULTS
      PATIENTS: were selected for the procedure based on the consensus of a
      multidisciplinary team. The primary efficacy endpoint was acute device success
      defined as clip placement with reduction of mitral regurgitation to < or =2+. The
      primary acute safety endpoint was 30-day freedom from major adverse events,
      defined as the composite of death, myocardial infarction, non-elective cardiac
      surgery for adverse events, renal failure, transfusion of >2 units of blood,
      ventilation for >48 h, deep wound infection, septicaemia, and new onset of atrial
      fibrillation. Thirty-one patients (median age 71, male 81%) were treated between
      August 2008 and July 2009. Eighteen patients (58%) presented with functional
      disease and 13 patients (42%) presented with organic degenerative disease. A clip
      was successfully implanted in 19 patients (61%) and two clips in 12 patients
      (39%). The median device implantation time was 80 min. At 30 days, there was an
      intra-procedural cardiac tamponade and a non-cardiac death, resulting in a
      primary safety endpoint of 93.6% [95% confidence interval (CI) 77.2-98.9]. Acute
      device success was observed in 96.8% of patients (95% CI 81.5-99.8). Compared
      with baseline, left ventricular diameters, diastolic left ventricular volume,
      diastolic annular septal-lateral dimension, and mitral valve area significantly
      diminished at 30 days. CONCLUSION: Our initial results with the MitraClip device
      in a very small number of patients indicate that percutaneous edge-to-edge mitral
      valve repair is feasible and may be accomplished with favourable short-term
      safety and efficacy results.

PMID- 20299350
TI  - DNA testing for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a cost-effectiveness model.
AB  - Aims To explore the cost-effectiveness of alternative methods of screening family
      members for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), the most common monogenic cardiac
      disorder and the most frequent cause of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young
      people. Methods and results Economic decision model comparing cascade screening
      by genetic, as opposed to clinical methods. The incremental cost per life year
      saved was 14,397 euro for the cascade genetic compared with the cascade clinical
      approach. Genetic diagnostic strategies are more likely to be cost-effective than
      clinical tests alone. The costs for cascade molecular genetic testing were
      slightly higher than clinical testing in the short run, but this was largely
      because the genetic approach is more effective and identifies more individuals at
      risk. Conclusion The use of molecular genetic information in the diagnosis and
      management of HCM is a cost-effective approach to the primary prevention of SCD
      in these patients.

PMID- 20299351
TI  - Exercise acutely reverses dysfunction of circulating angiogenic cells in chronic
      heart failure.
AB  - AIMS: Recruitment of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and enhanced activity of
      circulating angiogenic cells (CACs) might explain the benefits of exercise
      training in reversing endothelial dysfunction in chronic heart failure (CHF)
      patients. We studied baseline EPC numbers and CAC function and the effect of a
      single exercise bout. METHODS AND RESULTS: Forty-one CHF patients (mild, n = 22;
      severe, n = 19) and 13 healthy subjects were included. Migratory activity of CACs
      was evaluated in vitro and circulating CD34+ and CD34+/KDR+ (EPC) cells were
      quantified by flow cytometry before and after cardiopulmonary exercise testing
      (CPET). Circulating stromal cell-derived factor-1alpha (SDF-1alpha) and vascular
      endothelial growth factor (VEGF) concentrations were measured. Both CAC migration
      as well as CD34+ cell numbers were significantly reduced in CHF, whereas
      CD34+/KDR+ cells were not different from controls. Endothelial dysfunction was
      related to impaired CAC migration (r = 0.318, P = 0.023). Cardiopulmonary
      exercise testing improved CAC migration in severe (+52%, P < 0.005) and mild CHF
      (+31%, P < 0.005), restoring it to levels similar to controls. Following CPET,
      SDF-1alpha increased in healthy controls and mild CHF (P < 0.005). Vascular
      endothelial growth factor, CD34+, and CD34+/KDR+ cell numbers remained unchanged.
      CONCLUSION: The present findings reveal a potent stimulus of acute exercise to
      reverse CAC dysfunction in CHF patients with endothelial dysfunction.

PMID- 20299352
TI  - Mr Outside and Mr Inside: classic and alternative views on the pathogenesis of
      rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - Different strategies can be applied to overcome an obstacle: one may either
      overcome it from the 'outside' or break it from the 'inside'. Similar strategies
      have been successfully used by two American football players in the 1940s, known
      as 'Mr Outside' and 'Mr Inside'. In this article, the authors propose similar
      concepts for initiating joint inflammation. Arthritis may start 'outside' as a
      primary inflammation of the synovial membrane (synovitis), which later spreads
      over to adjacent structures resulting in penetration into the bone marrow
      (outside-in concept). Alternatively, arthritis may start 'inside', in the bone
      marrow space, and later encroaches upon the synovium (inside-out concept). The
      authors discuss these two fundamentally different viewpoints on the pathogenesis
      of arthritis, each one of which bears attractive explanations for the mystery of
      the pathogenesis of arthritis.

PMID- 20299353
TI  - IL-10/TGF-beta-modified macrophages induce regulatory T cells and protect against
      adriamycin nephrosis.
AB  - IL-10/TGF-beta-modified macrophages, a subset of activated macrophages, produce
      anti-inflammatory cytokines, suggesting that they may protect against
      inflammation-mediated injury. Here, macrophages modified ex vivo by IL-10/TGF
      beta (IL-10/TGF-beta Mu2) significantly attenuated renal inflammation, structural
      injury, and functional decline in murine adriamycin nephrosis (AN). These cells
      deactivated effector macrophages and inhibited CD4+ T cell proliferation. IL
      10/TGF-beta Mu2 expressed high levels of the regulatory co-stimulatory molecule
      B7-H4, induced regulatory T cells from CD4+CD25- T cells in vitro, and increased
      the number of regulatory T cells in lymph nodes draining the kidneys in AN. The
      phenotype of IL-10/TGF-beta Mu2 did not switch to that of effector macrophages in
      the inflamed kidney, and these cells did not promote fibrosis. Taken together,
      these data demonstrate that IL-10/TGF-beta-modified macrophages effectively
      protect against renal injury in AN and may become part of a therapeutic strategy
      for chronic inflammatory disease.

PMID- 20299354
TI  - Revisiting basement membrane pathology in renal cystic disease.

PMID- 20299356
TI  - siRNA therapy for glomerulonephritis.

PMID- 20299355
TI  - Intercalated cell BK-alpha/beta4 channels modulate sodium and potassium handling
      during potassium adaptation.
AB  - The large-conductance, calcium-activated potassium (BK) channels help eliminate
      potassium in mammals consuming potassium-rich diets. In the distal nephron,
      principal cells contain BK-alpha/beta1 channels and intercalated cells contain BK
      alpha/beta4 channels. We studied whether BK-beta4-deficient mice (Kcnmb4(-/-))
      have altered renal sodium and potassium clearances compared with wild-type mice
      when fed a regular or potassium-rich diet for ten days. We did not detect
      differences in urinary flow or fractional excretions of potassium (FE(K)) or
      sodium (FE(Na)) between Kcnmb4-deficient and wild-type mice fed a regular diet.
      However, a potassium-rich diet led to >4-fold increases in urinary flows for both
      groups of mice, although Kcnmb4-deficient mice exhibited less urinary flow,
      higher plasma potassium concentration, more fluid retention, and significantly
      lower FE(K) and FE(Na) than wild-type mice despite similar plasma aldosterone
      levels. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed increased basolateral Na-K-ATPase
      in principal cells of all potassium-adapted mice, but expression of Na-K-ATPase
      in intercalated cells was >10-fold lower. The size of intercalated cells reduced
      and luminal volume increased among potassium-adapted wild-type but not Kcnmb4
      deficient mice. Paradoxically, this led to increased urinary fluid velocity in
      potassium-adapted Kcnmb4-deficient mice compared with wild-type mice. Taken
      together, these data suggest that BK-alpha/beta4 channels in intercalated cells
      reduce cell size, increasing luminal volume to accommodate higher distal flow
      rates during potassium adaptation. These changes streamline flow across the
      principal cells, producing gradients more favorable for potassium secretion and
      less favorable for sodium reabsorption.

PMID- 20299357
TI  - Idiopathic membranous nephropathy: getting better by itself.

PMID- 20299358
TI  - Notch2 activation in the embryonic kidney depletes nephron progenitors.
AB  - Successive activation of Wnt4 and Notch2 generates nephrons from the metanephric
      mesenchyme. Mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition requires Wnt4, and normal
      development of the proximal nephron (epithelia of glomeruli and proximal tubules)
      requires Notch2. It is unknown, however, whether Notch2 dictates the fate of the
      proximal nephron directly. Here, we generated a mutant strain of mice with
      activated Notch2 in Six2-containing nephron progenitor cells of the metanephric
      mesenchyme. Notch2 activation did not skew the cell fate toward the proximal
      nephron but resulted in severe kidney dysgenesis and depletion of Six2-positive
      progenitors. We observed ectopic expression of Wnt4 and premature tubule
      formation, similar to the phenotype of Six2-deficient mice. Activation of Notch2
      in the progenitor cells suppressed Pax2, an upstream regulator of Six2, possibly
      through Hesr genes. Taken together, these data suggest that a positive feedback
      loop exists between Notch2 and Wnt4, and that Notch2 stabilizes, rather than
      dictates, nephron fate by shutting down the maintenance of undifferentiated
      progenitor cells, thereby depleting this population.

PMID- 20299359
TI  - Reactive oxygen species promote caspase-12 expression and tubular apoptosis in
      diabetic nephropathy.
AB  - Apoptosis of tubular epithelial cells contributes to the tubular atrophy that
      accompanies diabetic nephropathy. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) promote tubular
      apoptosis, but the mechanisms by which this occurs are incompletely understood.
      Here, we sought proapoptotic genes that ROS differentially upregulate in renal
      proximal tubular cells of diabetic (db/db) mice. We performed microarray analysis
      using total RNA from freshly isolated renal proximal tubules of nondiabetic,
      diabetic, and diabetic transgenic mice overexpressing catalase in the proximal
      tubule (thereby attenuating ROS). We observed greater expression of caspase-12 in
      the proximal tubules of the diabetic mice compared with the nondiabetic and
      diabetic transgenic mice. Quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry confirmed the
      enhanced expression of caspase-12, as well as members of the endoplasmic
      reticulum stress-induced apoptotic pathway. Ex vivo, albumin induced caspase-12
      activity and expression (protein and mRNA) and mRNA expression of the
      CCAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein in freshly isolated wild-type
      proximal tubules but not in catalase-overexpressing proximal tubules. In vitro,
      albumin stimulated activity of both caspase-12 and caspase-3 as well as
      expression of caspase-12 and CCAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein in
      a human proximal tubule cell line (HK-2). The free radical scavenger tiron
      inhibited these effects. Furthermore, knockdown of caspase-12 with small
      interfering RNA reduced albumin-induced apoptosis in HK-2 cells. Taken together,
      these studies demonstrate that albuminuria may induce tubular apoptosis through
      generation of ROS and the subsequent expression and activation of endoplasmic
      reticulum stress genes in the diabetic kidney.

PMID- 20299361
TI  - Th17 cells promote autoimmune anti-myeloperoxidase glomerulonephritis.
AB  - A major target autoantigen in anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated
      vasculitis is myeloperoxidase (MPO). Although MPO-specific CD4+ Th cells seem to
      orchestrate renal injury, the role of the Th17 subset is unknown. We hypothesized
      that Th17 cells direct injurious anti-MPO autoimmunity in experimental murine
      anti-MPO-induced glomerulonephritis (GN). We immunized mice with MPO to establish
      autoimmunity, resulting in systemic IL-17A production with MPO-specific dermal
      delayed-type hypersensitivity. We triggered disease using antibodies to the
      glomerular basement membrane to induce glomerular deposition of MPO by
      neutrophils. Wild-type mice developed necrotizing GN with an influx of glomerular
      leukocytes and albuminuria. In contrast, mice deficient in the key Th17 effector
      cytokine IL-17A were nearly completely protected. The protective effects resulted
      partly from reduced neutrophil recruitment, which led to less disposition of
      glomerular MPO. To test whether IL-17A also drives autoimmune delayed-type
      hypersensitivity in the kidney, we injected MPO into the kidneys of MPO
      sensitized mice. IL-17A deficiency reduced accumulation of renal macrophages and
      renal CCL5 mRNA expression. In conclusion, IL-17A contributes to the
      pathophysiology of autoimmune anti-MPO GN, suggesting that it may be a viable
      therapeutic target for this disease.

PMID- 20299360
TI  - CCR6 recruits regulatory T cells and Th17 cells to the kidney in
      glomerulonephritis.
AB  - T cells recruited to the kidney contribute to tissue damage in crescentic and
      proliferative glomerulonephritides. Chemokines and their receptors regulate T
      cell trafficking, but the expression profile and functional importance of
      chemokine receptors for renal CD4+ T cell subsets are incompletely understood. In
      this study, we observed that renal FoxP3+CD4+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) and IL
      17-producing CD4+ T (Th17) cells express the chemokine receptor CCR6, whereas
      IFNgamma-producing Th1 cells are CCR6-. Induction of experimental
      glomerulonephritis (nephrotoxic nephritis) in mice resulted in upregulation of
      the only CCR6 ligand, CCL20, followed by T cell recruitment, renal tissue injury,
      albuminuria, and loss of renal function. CCR6 deficiency aggravated renal injury
      and increased mortality (from uremia) among nephritic mice. Compared with wild
      type (WT) mice, CCR6 deficiency reduced infiltration of Tregs and Th17 cells but
      did not affect recruitment of Th1 cells in the setting of glomerulonephritis.
      Adoptive transfer of WT but not CCR6-deficient Tregs attenuated morphologic and
      functional renal injury in nephritic mice. Furthermore, reconstitution with WT
      Tregs protected CCR6-/- mice from aggravated nephritis. Taken together, these
      data suggest that CCR6 mediates renal recruitment of both Tregs and Th17 cells
      and that the reduction of anti-inflammatory Tregs in the presence of a fully
      functional Th1 response aggravates experimental glomerulonephritis.

PMID- 20299363
TI  - It's time to compare anemia management strategies in hemodialysis.
AB  - Randomized trials of intravenous (IV) iron have repeatedly demonstrated a rise in
      hemoglobin (Hgb), an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) dose-sparing effect,
      and apparent safety. Such benefits were confirmed in a trial in hemodialysis
      patients with high ferritin receiving high ESA doses. But long-term randomized
      safety trials of IV iron have not been performed, which critics blame on IV iron
      manufacturers, leading some to question widespread use of IV iron to optimize Hgb
      and reduce ESA dose. ESAs increase risks of cardiovascular events and death when
      used to target higher versus lower Hgb values. Association studies report
      increasing risk with higher ESA doses at approved Hgb targets. Nevertheless, ESAs
      remain essential in dialysis practice. After early termination of the Normal
      Hematocrit Trial in 1996, analysis suggested IV iron was a risk factor for harm.
      In 2006, dangers related to ESA use were recognized. Trial results demonstrating
      IV iron was efficacious and ESA-sparing even at higher serum ferritin have
      intensified the focus on iron safety. Two principal alternatives in the
      management of anemia among dialysis patients are: (1) more intensive ESA dosing
      sparing iron dosing and (2) more intensive iron dosing sparing ESA dosing.
      Extended safety trials of IV iron versus no iron will become confounded by ESA
      dose differences between arms. Similarly higher ESA doses are associated with
      increased mortality risk, but trials comparing ESA doses will be confounded by
      Hgb differences. Rather than focus on individual products, we should perform
      trials comparing anemia management strategies to assess safety, efficacy, and
      cost.

PMID- 20299362
TI  - Hypophosphatemic effect of niacin in patients without renal failure: a randomized
      trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Niacin administration lowers the marked
      hyperphosphatemia that is characteristic of renal failure. We examined whether
      niacin administration also reduces serum phosphorus concentrations in patients
      who have dyslipidemia and are free of advanced renal disease. DESIGN, SETTING,
      PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: We performed a post hoc data analysis of serum
      phosphorus concentrations that had been determined serially (at baseline and
      weeks 4, 8, 12, 18, and 24) among 1547 patients who had dyslipidemia and were
      randomly assigned in a 3:2:1 ratio to treatment with extended release niacin
      (ERN; 1 g/d for 4 weeks and dose advanced to 2 g/d for 20 weeks) combined with
      the selective prostaglandin D2 receptor subtype 1 inhibitor laropiprant (L; n =
      761), ERN alone (n = 518), or placebo (n = 268). RESULTS: Repeated measures
      analysis revealed that ERN-L treatment resulted in a net mean (95% confidence
      interval) serum phosphorus change comparing ERN-L with placebo treatment of -0.13
      mmol/L (-0.15 to -0.13 mmol/L; -0.41 mg/dl [-0.46 to -0.37 mg/dl]). These results
      were consistent across the subgroups defined by estimated GFR of <60 or > or =60
      ml/min per 1.73 m(2), a serum phosphorus of >1.13 mmol/L (3.5 mg/dl) versus < or
      =1.13 mmol/L (3.5 mg/dl), the presence of clinical diabetes, or concomitant
      statin use. CONCLUSIONS: We have provided definitive evidence that once-daily ERN
      L treatment causes a sustained 0.13-mmol/L (0.4-mg/dl) reduction in serum
      phosphorus concentrations, approximately 10% from baseline, which is unaffected
      by estimated GFR ranging from 30 to > or =90 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) (i.e., stages 1
      through 3 chronic kidney disease).

PMID- 20299364
TI  - Associations of diet with albuminuria and kidney function decline.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Sparse longitudinal data exist on how diet influences
      microalbuminuria and estimated GFR (eGFR) decline in people with well-preserved
      kidney function. DESIGN, SETTINGS, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: Of the 3348
      women participating in the Nurses' Health Study who had data on urinary albumin
      to creatinine ratio in 2000, 3296 also had data on eGFR change between 1989 and
      2000. Cumulative average intake of nutrients over 14 years was derived from
      semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires answered in 1984, 1986, 1990,
      1994, and 1998. Microalbuminuria presence and eGFR decline > or = 30% were the
      outcomes of interest. RESULTS: Compared with the lowest quartile, the highest
      quartile of animal fat (odds ratio (OR): 1.72; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.12
      to 2.64) and two or more servings of red meat per week (OR: 1.51; 95% CI: 1.01 to
      2.26) were directly associated with microalbuminuria. After adjustment for other
      nutrients individually associated with eGFR decline > or = 30%, only the highest
      quartile of sodium intake remained directly associated (OR: 1.52; 95% CI: 1.10 to
      2.09), whereas beta-carotene appeared protective (OR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.43 to
      0.89). Results did not vary by diabetes status for microalbuminuria and eGFR
      outcomes or in those without hypertension at baseline for eGFR decline. No
      significant associations were seen for other types of protein, fat, vitamins,
      folate, fructose, or potassium. CONCLUSIONS: Higher dietary intake of animal fat
      and two or more servings per week of red meat may increase risk for
      microalbuminuria. Lower sodium and higher beta-carotene intake may reduce risk
      for eGFR decline.

PMID- 20299365
TI  - Performance of the Cockcroft-Gault, MDRD, and new CKD-EPI formulas in relation to
      GFR, age, and body size.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: We compared the estimations of Cockcroft-Gault,
      Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD), and Chronic Kidney Disease
      Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations to a gold standard GFR measurement
      using (125)I-iothalamate, within strata of GFR, gender, age, body weight, and
      body mass index (BMI). DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: For people
      who previously underwent a GFR measurement, bias, precision, and accuracies
      between measured and estimated kidney functions were calculated within strata of
      the variables. The relation between the absolute bias and the variables was
      tested with linear regression analysis. RESULTS: Overall (n = 271, 44% male, mean
      measured GFR 72.6 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) [SD 30.4 ml/min per 1.73 m(2)]), mean bias
      was smallest for MDRD (P < 0.01). CKD-EPI had highest accuracy (P < 0.01 compared
      with Cockcroft-Gault), which did not differ from MDRD (P = 0.14). The absolute
      bias of all formulas was related to age. For MDRD and CKD-EPI, absolute bias was
      also related to the GFR; for Cockcroft-Gault, it was related to body weight and
      BMI as well. In all extreme subgroups, MDRD and CKD-EPI provided highest
      accuracies. CONCLUSIONS: The absolute bias of all formulas is influenced by age;
      CKD-EPI and MDRD are also influenced by GFR. Cockcroft-Gault is additionally
      influenced by body weight and BMI. In general, CKD-EPI gives the best estimation
      of GFR, although its accuracy is close to that of the MDRD.

PMID- 20299366
TI  - Transfusion burden among patients with chronic kidney disease and anemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Although well-described for patients who require
      dialysis, information on transfusion burden related to anemia in the nondialysis
      patient population with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is lacking. DESIGN,
      SETTINGS, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: A retrospective study was conducted of
      patients with CKD and chronic anemia from 2002 through 2007 in the Veterans
      Administration Healthcare System. Included patients had stage 3 CKD or higher and
      anemia (one or more hemoglobin [Hb] levels <11 g/dl or received anemia therapy
      [erythropoiesis-stimulating agents [ESAs], iron, or both]). The outcome of
      interest was transfusion events, which was evaluated in relation to the absolute
      Hb level and changes in Hb levels overall and according to the type of treatment
      received (no treatment, iron therapy, ESA therapy, or ESA and iron therapy)
      concurrent with each Hb measurement. RESULTS: Among 97,636 patients with CKD and
      anemia, we observed 68,556 transfusion events (61 events per 100 person-years),
      86.6% of which occurred in inpatient settings. At all Hb levels, transfusion
      events were highest during periods of no treatment and increased with declining
      Hb levels. Between an Hb of 10.0 and 10.9 g/dl, the transfusion rate was 2.0% for
      those who received an ESA, iron, or both and 22% for those who received no
      treatment; at an Hb level of 7.0 to 7.9 g/dl, the transfusion rate was 10 to 12%
      for treated and 58% for untreated patients. Low absolute Hb levels but not Hb
      changes was most predictive of a transfusion even after adjustment for patient
      case mix. CONCLUSIONS: Transfusions are still used to treat anemia in patients
      who have CKD and do not require dialysis, although they occur considerably less
      frequently in patients who receive other available anemia therapies.

PMID- 20299367
TI  - Glomerular hyperfiltration in sickle cell disease.

PMID- 20299368
TI  - Examination of association with candidate genes for diabetic nephropathy in a
      Mexican American population.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a multifactorial
      complication characterized by persistent proteinuria in susceptible individuals
      with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Disease burden in people of Mexican-American
      descent is particularly high, but there are only a few studies that characterize
      genes for DN in this ethnic group. Two genes, carnosine dipeptidase 1 (CNDP1) and
      engulfment and cell motility 1 (ELMO1) previously showed association with DN in
      other ethnic groups. CNDP1 and ELMO1 were examined along with eight other genes
      that are less well characterized for DN in a new study of Mexican-Americans.
      DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: The target sample was patients of
      Mexican-American ancestry collected from three centers: 455 patients with DN and
      437 controls with long-term diabetes but no incident nephropathy. Forty-two, 227,
      and 401 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CNDP1, ELMO1, and the other
      eight genes, respectively, were examined. RESULTS: No region in CNDP1 or ELMO1
      showed significant P values. Of the other eight candidate genes, an association
      of DN with a SNP pair, rs2146098 and rs6659783, was found in hemicentin 1 (HMCN1)
      (unadjusted P = 6.1 x 10(-5)). Association with a rare haplotype in this region
      was subsequently identified. CONCLUSIONS: The associations in CNDP1 or ELMO1 were
      not replicable; however, an association of DN with HMCN1 was found. Additional
      work at this and other loci will enable refinement of the genetic hypotheses
      regarding DN in the Mexican-American population to find therapies for this
      debilitating disease.

PMID- 20299369
TI  - Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis: a survey of nephrologists' perceptions and
      practices.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) is a disorder that
      can affect patients with renal dysfunction exposed to a gadolinium-based contrast
      agent (GBCA). Given the unique role nephrologists play in caring for patients at
      risk to develop NSF, this study surveyed their perceptions and practices
      regarding NSF. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: An internet-based,
      cross-sectional survey of clinical nephrologists in the United States was
      performed. Perceptions and self-reported practices regarding NSF and local
      facility policies were assessed concerning GBCA use in renal dysfunction.
      RESULTS: Of the 2310 eligible nephrologists e-mailed to participate in the
      survey, 171 (7.4%) responded. Respondents spent 85% of their time in direct
      patient care and 83% worked in private practice; 59% had cared for a patient with
      NSF. Although over 90% were aware of the morbidity and mortality associated with
      NSF, 31% were unaware of an association with specific GBCA brand and 50% believed
      chronic kidney disease stage 3 patients were at risk to develop NSF. Changes in
      facility policies concerning GBCA use in renal dysfunction were widespread
      (>90%). Most nephrologists (56%) felt that enacted policies were appropriate, yet
      58% were uncertain if the changes had benefited patients. CONCLUSIONS: These
      results indicate that nephrologists are generally familiar with the risk factors
      and consequences of NSF, but their perceptions do not always align with current
      evidence. Local policy changes in GBCA use are pervasive. Most nephrologists are
      comfortable with these policy changes but have mixed feelings regarding their
      effectiveness.

PMID- 20299370
TI  - Renal angina.
AB  - Small elevations in serum creatinine may reflect significant kidney damage and be
      associated with poor patient outcomes, thus rendering creatinine to be a late
      marker of acute kidney injury (AKI). AKI researchers refer to the AKI biomarker
      quest as the "search for the renal troponin I," implying that such putative
      earlier AKI biomarker use could allow for earlier intervention. We consider the
      analogy to troponin I and its acceptance to prompt evaluation and therapeutic
      intervention to treat myocardial ischemia and prevent myocardial infarction an
      informative and potentially applicable model to the AKI field. Because AKI does
      not hurt, there is no validated equivalent of chest pain or anginal equivalent to
      increase suspicion for AKI presence on the part of the clinician. So, although
      biomarkers may ultimately be validated to detect AKI early, unless nephrologists
      and intensivists can define "renal angina" to initiate "renal troponin I"
      assessments, AKI biomarkers may never realize their full potential to improve
      patient care and outcomes. The purpose of this article is to review both adult
      and pediatric AKI literature to devise a definition for a renal anginal syndrome
      equivalent.

PMID- 20299371
TI  - Attitudes to sharing personal health information in living kidney donation.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In living kidney donation, transplant professionals
      consider the rights of a living kidney donor and recipient to keep their personal
      health information confidential and the need to disclose this information to the
      other for informed consent. In incompatible kidney exchange, personal health
      information from multiple living donors and recipients may affect decision making
      and outcomes. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: We conducted a
      survey to understand and compare the preferences of potential donors (n = 43),
      potential recipients (n = 73), and health professionals (n = 41) toward sharing
      personal health information (in total 157 individuals). RESULTS: When considering
      traditional live-donor transplantation, donors and recipients generally agreed
      that a recipient's health information should be shared with the donor (86 and
      80%, respectively) and that a donor's information should be shared with the
      recipient (97 and 89%, respectively). When considering incompatible kidney
      exchange, donors and recipients generally agreed that a recipient's information
      should be shared with all donors and recipients involved in the transplant (85
      and 85%, respectively) and that a donor's information should also be shared with
      all involved (95 and 90%, respectively). These results were contrary to attitudes
      expressed by transplant professionals, who frequently disagreed about whether
      such information should be shared. CONCLUSIONS: Future policies and practice
      could facilitate greater sharing of personal health information in living kidney
      donation. This requires a consideration of which information is relevant, how to
      put it in context, and a plan to obtain consent from all concerned.

PMID- 20299372
TI  - Prevalence of ocular fundus pathology in patients with chronic kidney disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to describe the
      prevalence of ocular fundus pathology in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort
      (CRIC) study, a multicenter, longitudinal study of individuals with varying
      stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD). DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, &
      MEASUREMENTS: In this cross-sectional study, 45 degree digital photos of the disc
      and macula in both eyes were obtained by nonophthalmologic personnel using a
      nonmydriatic Canon CR-DGI fundus camera in 1936 individuals who participated in
      the CRIC study. Photographs were assessed in a masked manner by graders and a
      retinal specialist at a central photograph reading center. The purpose of this
      review was to inform participants quickly of conditions that warranted a complete
      eye examination by an ophthalmologist. RESULTS: Among the 1936 participants who
      were photographed, 1904 (98%) had assessable photographs in at least one eye. Eye
      pathologies that required a follow-up examination by an ophthalmologist were
      identified in 864 (45%) of these 1904 participants. These eye pathologies
      included, among others, retinopathy (diabetic and/or hypertensive), a finding
      that was observed in 482 (25%) of these 1904 participants. Three percent (65
      participants) of the 1904 participants had serious eye conditions that required
      urgent follow-up and treatment. Lower estimated GFR and cardiovascular disease
      were associated with greater eye pathology. Estimated GFR <30 ml/min per 1.73
      m(2) was associated with a three times higher risk for retinopathy. CONCLUSIONS:
      We found a high prevalence of fundus pathology in participants with CKD. This
      finding supports recommendations for regular complete eye examinations in the CKD
      population.

PMID- 20299373
TI  - Dose of dialysis based on body surface area is markedly less in younger children
      than in older adolescents.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBSERVATIONS: The current denominator for dosing dialysis is the
      urea distribution volume (V). Normalizing Kt/V to body surface area (S) has been
      proposed, but the implications of doing this in children have not been examined.
      DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: Dialysis dose given to children
      and adolescents was calculated in terms of conventional V-based scaling and
      surface-area-normalized standard Kt/V (SAN-stdKt/V) calculated as stdKt/V x
      (Vant/S)/17.5, where Vant was an anthropometric estimate of V calculated using
      the Morgenstern equation. Formal 2-pool modeling was used to compute all dialysis
      adequacy outputs. RESULTS: In 34 children (11 girls, 23 boys) dialyzed 3 times a
      week, age range 1.4 to 18 years, the mean delivered equilibrated Kt/V (eKt/V) was
      1.40, and the mean stdKt/V was 2.49, both of which tended to be higher in younger
      children. The ratio of Vant to S was 15.6 +/- 2.69 and was strongly associated
      with age between ages 2 and 16. SAN-stdKt/V averaged 2.21 and was strongly
      correlated with age between ages 2 and 16. If one considers a desired target for
      SAN-stdKt/V to be 2.45, all children less than 10 years of age were below target,
      despite having relatively high values of eKt/V and stdKt/V. CONCLUSIONS: If a
      surface-area-based denominator were to be adopted for dialysis dosing, most
      children under 10 years of age would receive markedly less dialysis than
      adolescent patients and would require 6- to 8-hour hemodialysis sessions or, for
      the youngest children, treatments given more frequently than 3 times/wk.

PMID- 20299374
TI  - The spectrum of MYH9-associated nephropathy.
AB  - Causes of the excess incidence rates of chronic kidney disease in the African
      American population have long been under study. Recently, polymorphisms in the
      nonmuscle myosin heavy chain 9 gene (MYH9) have been associated with nondiabetic
      kidney diseases in African- and European-derived populations. Risk variants in
      MYH9 contribute to approximately 70% of nondiabetic forms of ESRD in African
      Americans and 40 to 45% of all ESRD in this ethnic group, with lesser effects in
      European Americans. It is clear that MYH9 polymorphisms have a significant impact
      on the incidence rates of kidney disease in African Americans. This article
      describes the current spectrum of biopsy-proven MYH9-associated kidney diseases,
      along with potential effects of MYH9 on ethnic differences in clinical outcome.
      MYH9 risk variants exhibit the most impressive association with any common
      complex kidney disease yet identified.

PMID- 20299375
TI  - Reduction of serum hepcidin by hemodialysis in pediatric and adult patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Hepcidin, the principal regulator of iron homeostasis,
      may play a critical role in the response of patients with anemia to iron and
      erythropoiesis-stimulating agent therapy; however, the contribution of hepcidin
      to iron maldistribution and anemia in hemodialysis (HD) patients and the ability
      of HD to lower serum hepcidin levels have not been fully characterized. DESIGN,
      SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: We measured serum hepcidin using a
      competitive ELISA in 30 pediatric and 33 adult HD patients. In addition, we
      determined serum hepcidin kinetics and calculated hepcidin clearance by measuring
      serum hepcidin before, during, and after HD in eight pediatric and six adult
      patients. RESULTS: Hepcidin was significantly increased in pediatric (median
      240.5 ng/ml) and adult HD patients (690.2 ng/ml) when compared with their
      respective control subjects (pediatric 25.3 ng/ml, adult 72.9 ng/ml).
      Multivariate regression analysis showed that serum hepcidin was independently
      predicted by ferritin and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in the pediatric
      group and ferritin, percentage of iron saturation, and high-sensitivity C
      reactive protein in the adult group. Hepcidin levels decreased after dialysis
      from 532 +/- 297 to 292 +/- 171 ng/ml. Hepcidin clearance by HD was 141 +/- 40
      and 128 +/- 44 ml/min in pediatric and adult patients, respectively (NS).
      CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that hepcidin may mediate the negative
      effects of inflammation on both disordered iron metabolism and erythropoiesis in
      HD patients and that intensification of HD could be used therapeutically to
      reduce hepcidin concentrations and thereby improve erythropoiesis-stimulating
      agent responsiveness.

PMID- 20299376
TI  - Sickle cell trait and development of microvascular complications in diabetes
      mellitus.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Many African Americans (AA) have both sickle cell
      trait (SCT) and diabetes mellitus. The objective of this study was to determine
      whether individuals with diabetes mellitus and SCT have higher rates of
      microvascular complications relative to those without SCT. DESIGN, SETTING,
      PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: This was a retrospective study comparing
      albuminuria, estimated GFR (eGFR), and microvascular complications in AA with
      diabetes on the basis of presence of SCT. The study included 821 outpatients who
      underwent hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) testing, and presence of SCT was determined
      using the HbA1c assay. Medical record review and telephone interviews were
      performed for AA participants. RESULTS: Data were obtained on 376 AA patients
      (110 with SCT, 245 with neither SCT nor hemoglobin C trait, and 21 with
      hemoglobin C trait) and 445 European Americans. The mean eGFR and urinary protein
      excretion were similar between the three AA subgroups. Analysis revealed that
      36.3% of AA nontrait and 22.7% of AA SCT participants had retinopathy, peripheral
      vascular disease, or end-stage kidney disease (P = 0.01). After adjustment for
      diabetes duration, age, insulin use, and gender, differences in the prevalence of
      microvascular complications were not observed. CONCLUSIONS: SCT does not increase
      the risk of microvascular complications in AA with diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 20299378
TI  - Cancer risk in patients hospitalized with polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell
      arteritis: a follow-up study in Sweden.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Studies reporting cancer risk after PMR and GCA are few, but it
      remains an issue of both concern and controversy. We examined the overall and
      specific cancer risks among Swedish subjects following hospitalization for these
      diseases. METHODS: PMR and GCA patients were identified from the Swedish Hospital
      Discharge Register and by linking them with the Cancer Registry. Follow-up of
      patients was carried out from the last hospitalization through year 2006.
      Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated in these patients compared
      with subjects without the diseases. RESULTS: A total of 35 918 patients were
      hospitalized for PMR and GCA during the years 1965-2006; the hospitalization rate
      increased towards late age. A total of 3941 patients developed subsequent cancer,
      giving an overall SIR of 1.19; and for cancer diagnosed later than 1 year of
      follow-up, the SIR was 1.06. A significant excess was noted for skin (squamous
      cell carcinoma and melanoma), stomach, lung, prostate, kidney, nervous system and
      endocrine gland tumours, and additionally for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, myeloma and
      leukaemia. Decreased risk was noted for endometrial cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Patients
      hospitalized for PMR and GCA had a marginally increased risk of cancer, with the
      highest risk noted for the first year after hospitalization. However, for
      specific cancers, such as skin cancer and leukaemia, the increases were still
      significant for patients diagnosed later than 1 year after hospitalization,
      suggesting that these could be true associations, but the mechanisms remain to be
      established.

PMID- 20299377
TI  - Timing of erythropoiesis-stimulating agent initiation and adverse outcomes in
      nondialysis CKD: a propensity-matched observational study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The severity of anemia at which to initiate
      erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) treatment in nondialysis chronic kidney
      disease (CKD) patients is unclear. Risk of mortality, hospitalizations, and blood
      transfusion were compared among nondialysis CKD patients with "early" versus
      "delayed" ESA initiation. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: A
      retrospective cohort study was conducted on CKD (estimated GFR <60
      ml/min/1.73m(2)) outpatients in the national Veterans Administration who were
      initiated on ESAs. Patients with ESRD, gastrointestinal bleeding, chemotherapy,
      or hematologic malignancy were excluded. Patients were characterized as having
      early [hemoglobin (Hb) 10.0 to 11.0 g/dl] or delayed (Hb 8.0 to 9.9 g/dl) ESA
      initiation. A propensity score comprising demographic, clinical, and laboratory
      variables was used to select a 1:1 matched cohort. Cox survival and negative
      binomial regression were used to compare the matched groups for all-cause
      mortality, hospitalizations, and blood transfusions. RESULTS: Of 1837 patients
      who met inclusion criteria, 1410 (77%) were successfully matched. The groups did
      not differ significantly in 31 characteristics reflecting sociodemographics,
      comorbidity, healthcare utilization, and renal function. There was no significant
      difference in mortality with early initiation. Those initiated early had a 17%
      lower risk of initial hospitalization and a 29% lower risk of transfusion
      compared with delayed initiation patients. Results did not differ between those
      with and without pre-ESA transfusion or hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: In
      nondialysis CKD, ESA initiation at Hb 10.0 to 11.0 g/dl compared with 8.0 to 9.9
      g/dl is associated with reduced risk of blood transfusion and initial
      hospitalization.

PMID- 20299379
TI  - Common and recurrent HPGD mutations in Caucasian individuals with primary
      hypertrophic osteoarthropathy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Homozygous recessive germline mutations of the 15-hydroxyprostaglandin
      dehydrogenase (HPGD) gene, encoding 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase, result
      in persistent elevation of circulating PGE(2) levels, causing the syndrome of
      primary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy (PHO). Homozygous HPGD mutations have so
      far been reported in 10 families, all but one displaying parental consanguinity.
      Only two of these families were of European origin. We wished to determine the
      role of HPGD in causing PHO in non-consanguineous European families. METHODS:
      Five previously unreported families of Caucasian European origin, with one or
      more individuals affected with typical PHO, were characterized clinically and by
      complete sequencing of the HPGD coding exons. RESULTS: Biallelic HPGD mutations
      were identified in affected individuals in all the five families, confirming a
      very specific association of this phenotype with HPGD mutations. The previously
      described c.175_176delCT frameshift mutation was observed in association with two
      different alleles of an adjacent single nucleotide polymorphism. CONCLUSIONS:
      Biallelic HPGD mutations are found in the majority of patients with typical PHO,
      and sequencing of the HPGD gene is a highly specific first-line investigation for
      patients presenting in this way, particularly during childhood. The
      c.175_176delCT frameshift mutation appears to be recurrent and to be the
      commonest HPGD mutation in Caucasian families.

PMID- 20299380
TI  - Articular manifestations in primary Sjogren's syndrome: clinical significance and
      prognosis of 188 patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Articular manifestations (AMs) occurred in approximately 30-60% of
      patients with primary SS (pSS). We conducted the current study to describe
      clinical presentation, specific treatment and to report clinical outcome of pSS
      patients with AM in a large bicentric French cohort. METHODS: Clinical,
      biological and immunological features of 419 consecutive patients with pSS were
      recorded in order to describe the clinical and immunological course of pSS AM and
      to point out the impact of those rheumatological features on pSS evolution.
      RESULTS: A total of 188 patients with pSS (172 women, 16 men) exhibited AM. They
      preceded sicca symptoms in 32, were simultaneous to pSS diagnosis in 98 and
      followed diagnosis in 59 patients. Clinical presentation was polyarticular and
      concerned mostly peripheral joints (synovitis, n = 66). Symptoms responded
      readily to symptomatic treatment in 45 cases (24%). DMARDs or immunosuppressive
      treatments were introduced in 133 patients: HCQ (n = 111), corticosteroid (n =
      53), MTX (n = 12), SSZ (n = 6), AZA (n = 3), LEF (n = 1), etanercept (n = 1) and
      allochrysine (n = 1). Only one case of RA was diagnosed during the evolution.
      Statistical analysis identified clinical and biological factors associated with
      AM (P < or = 0.05): RP, muscular manifestations, renal involvement, peripheral
      neuropathy, cutaneous vasculitis, and positivity of RF, anti-SSB antibodies and
      cryoglobulinaemia. Patients with AM at diagnosis were characterized by a
      multisystemic involvement at the end of the follow-up period (P < 0.001).
      CONCLUSION: Although AMs are frequent and usually mild in pSS, these
      manifestations are associated with a pluri-systemic involvement of pSS.

PMID- 20299381
TI  - Dysregulation of P2X7 receptor-inflammasome axis in SAPHO syndrome: successful
      treatment with anakinra.

PMID- 20299382
TI  - The tumour necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand-osteoprotegerin
      system in limited systemic sclerosis: a new disease marker?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of the TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand
      osteoprotegerin (TRAIL-OPG) system in the pathogenesis of limited SSc (lSSc).
      METHODS: Circulating levels of TRAIL and of its soluble receptor OPG were
      measured by ELISA in serum samples obtained from 50 lSSc patients and 50 healthy
      controls. RESULTS: TRAIL serum levels in lSSc patients were similar to those of
      healthy controls, whereas the OPG serum levels were significantly increased (P <
      0.0001). According to different subgroups of lSSc patients, TRAIL was not
      statistically different between each group and healthy controls; concerning OPG,
      the statistically different value was also maintained when comparing each single
      lSSc group with the whole control population. CONCLUSIONS: OPG serum levels, but
      not TRAIL, are elevated in lSSc patients. Since OPG binding to TRAIL inhibits
      TRAIL-TRAIL receptor interaction, the relative concentrations of these two
      molecules in the local micro-environment has to be considered. In this setting,
      OPG increase in lSSc patients may produce a detrimental effect by counteracting
      the vasoprotective activity of TRAIL. The TRAIL : OPG ratio and their relative
      levels of expression in lSSc patients should be taken into consideration as a
      possible novel marker of vascular damage.

PMID- 20299383
TI  - Mothers of IVF and spontaneously conceived twins: a comparison of prenatal
      maternal expectations, coping resources and maternal stress.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study explores the differences in prenatal maternal
      expectations, coping resources and maternal stress between first time mothers of
      IVF twins and first time mothers of spontaneously conceived twins. The role of
      prenatal maternal expectations in the prediction of maternal stress was examined,
      as well as the mediating and moderating effect of coping resources on the
      association between pregnancy-type group and maternal stress. METHOD: Mothers of
      twins from various regions in Israel were included in this prospective and cross
      sectional study in which 88 mothers of IVF-conceived twins and 98 mothers of
      spontaneously conceived twins were interviewed twice. First, at 33-36 weeks of
      their pregnancy they completed a socio-demographic questionnaire and the maternal
      expectations questionnaire; then at 6 months after birth they completed a
      questionnaire regarding the delivery and medical condition of the infants, and
      their coping resources and maternal stress. RESULTS: Compared with mothers who
      conceived spontaneously, IVF mothers had more positive prenatal maternal
      expectations, but poorer coping resources and higher levels of maternal stress 6
      months after birth. Maternal expectations had no predictive power regarding
      maternal stress, although the mother's coping resources were significantly
      related to maternal stress and mediated the association between pregnancy type
      and maternal stress. CONCLUSIONS: IVF-pregnant women bearing twins should be
      considered a high-risk group. Early identification of these mothers is essential
      for timely psychosocial interventions in order to enhance their resources and
      decrease maternal stress. Further longitudinal studies are required to determine
      causality in more ethnically-diverse mothers of twins.

PMID- 20299384
TI  - Xenotransplantation of cryopreserved human ovarian tissue into murine back
      muscle.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ovarian tissue (OT) cryopreservation and transplantation are options
      for fertility preservation in young female cancer patients. METHODS: We
      investigated xenotransplantation of human OT into back muscle (B) of severe
      combined immunodeficiency mice. OT follicle content was evaluated by
      stereomicroscopy and pre-transplantation. Xenograft survival, follicular
      development (with/without FSH administration), apoptosis and vascularization were
      compared in B- versus K-site (under the kidney capsule) several times after
      grafting using histology, immunohistochemistry and magnetic resonance imaging. In
      vitro maturation (IVM) was also performed. RESULTS: Anastomoses which developed
      from existing human and invading murine vessels were seen in OT at both sites,
      but angiogenesis was more prominent at the B- than K-site (P < 0.001).
      Vascularization and follicle size were correlated in the B-group (Spearman's
      coefficient 0.73; P < 0.001). FSH increased early (8 days) micro-vessel formation
      in B but not in K grafts (P < 0.0001, versus no FSH). B-site grafts showed a
      better histological morphology and survival (P = 0.0084), formation of larger
      antral follicles (P = 0.005), more metaphase-II (MII) oocytes, growing follicles
      (P = 0.028) and slightly fewer apoptotic follicles than K grafts. One MI oocyte
      from B underwent IVM and reached MII stage next day. CONCLUSIONS: To our
      knowledge, this is the first report of MII and IVM-MII oocytes obtained from B
      xenografts. We report the largest oval-shaped antral follicles containing an MII
      oocyte obtained after OT xenotransplantation to date. Xenografting in the mouse B
      should be further explored as a method for human OT transplantation.

PMID- 20299385
TI  - Private-payer profits can induce negative Medicare margins.
AB  - A common assumption is that hospitals have little control over their costs and
      must charge high rates to private health insurers when Medicare rates are lower
      than hospital costs. We present evidence that contradicts that common assumption.
      Hospitals with strong market power and higher private-payer and other revenues
      appear to have less pressure to constrain their costs. Thus, these hospitals have
      higher costs per unit of service, which can lead to losses on Medicare patients.
      Hospitals under more financial pressure--with less market share and less ability
      to charge higher private rates--often constrain costs and can generate profits on
      Medicare patients.

PMID- 20299386
TI  - A Six Sigma approach to the rate and clinical effect of registration errors in a
      laboratory.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laboratory errors made during the pre-analytical phase can have an
      impact on clinical care. Quality management tools such as Six Sigma may help
      improve error rates. AIM: To use elements of a Six Sigma model to establish the
      error rate of test registration onto the laboratory information system (LIS), and
      to deduce the potential clinical impact of these errors. METHODS: In this
      retrospective study, test request forms were compared with the tests registered
      onto the LIS, and all errors were noted before being rectified. The error rate
      was calculated. The corresponding patient records were then examined to determine
      the actual outcome, and to deduce the potential clinical impact of the
      registration errors. RESULTS: Of the 47 543 tests requested, 72 errors were
      noted, resulting in an error rate of 0.151%, equating to a sigma score of 4.46.
      The patient records reviewed indicated that these errors could, in various ways,
      have impacted on clinical care. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the clinical
      effect of errors made during the pre-analytical phase of the laboratory testing
      process. Reduction of errors may be achieved through implementation of a Six
      Sigma programme.

PMID- 20299387
TI  - The role of endobronchial ultrasound guided transbronchial needle aspiration
      cytology in the investigation of mediastinal lymphadenopathy and masses, the
      North Tees experience.
AB  - AIM: To assess the diagnostic role of endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) guided
      transbronchial fine needle aspiration (TBNA) cytology, in the investigation of
      mediastinal lymphadenopathy and masses, with emphasis on pathology, criteria for
      adequacy, and use of liquid based cytology (LBC). METHODS: In January 2008, EBUS
      guided TBNA was introduced for the staging of lung cancers and for the
      investigation of unexplained mediastinal lymphadenopathy and masses. Initially,
      the material was processed conventionally. In May 2008, the laboratory procured
      the Cytyc T2000. RESULTS: 250 specimens (229 patients) were included from January
      2008 to August 2009. The overall inadequate rate was 12%; 16.6% with the
      conventional method, 17.2% when both conventional and LBC were used, and 9.8%
      with LBC. With the conventional method, an average of 7.5 slides and one cell
      block were received per case. With LBC, one slide and one cell block were used
      for diagnosis. In 72 cases (28.8%) the aspirate showed no evidence of malignancy.
      In 122 cases (48.8%), there was metastatic disease. In five cases (2%), a
      diagnosis of atypia, suspicious for non-small cell malignancy, was made. One case
      (0.4%) each of amyloidosis and mediastinal goitre, 3 cases (1.2%) of lymphoma, 14
      cases (5.6%) of sarcoidosis and 1 case (0.4%) each of sarcoma and mesothelioma
      were seen. CONCLUSIONS: EBUS guided TBNA, in our experience, is a reliable
      technique for staging of lung cancers, and investigation of unexplained
      mediastinal lymphadenopathy and masses. LBC reduces the number of slides from 7.5
      per case to 1 slide, reducing time required for diagnosis.

PMID- 20299388
TI  - Multifocal polypoid endometriosis in a young woman simulating vaginal and pelvic
      neoplasm.
AB  - A 27-year-old nulliparous woman presented with large finger-like projections
      protruding from her vagina. Intraoperatively there were deposits in the pouch of
      Douglas. Clinical presentation and history of vaginal bleeding suggested
      malignancy. Histopathology of both the vaginal and pouch of Douglas masses showed
      endometrial glands and stroma. There was no architectural complexity or
      cytological atypia of glands or stroma. Immunohistochemistry for oestrogen
      receptor, progesterone receptor and CD10 was positive. Based on morphological and
      immunohistochemical findings, multifocal polypoid endometriosis was diagnosed;
      this is a recently described entity having a clinical presentation and age range
      completely different from conventional or non-polypoid endometriosis. Although an
      association between tamoxifen use, unopposed oestrogen therapy and polypoid
      endometriosis has been suggested, the patient had no history of tamoxifen or
      oestrogen intake. Polypoid endometriosis should be part of the differential
      diagnosis in young women presenting with vaginal growth.

PMID- 20299389
TI  - Early functional magnetic resonance imaging activations predict language outcome
      after stroke.
AB  - An accurate prediction of system-specific recovery after stroke is essential to
      provide rehabilitation therapy based on the individual needs. We explored the
      usefulness of functional magnetic resonance imaging scans from an auditory
      language comprehension experiment to predict individual language recovery in 21
      aphasic stroke patients. Subjects with an at least moderate language impairment
      received extensive language testing 2 weeks and 6 months after left-hemispheric
      stroke. A multivariate machine learning technique was used to predict language
      outcome 6 months after stroke. In addition, we aimed to predict the degree of
      language improvement over 6 months. 76% of patients were correctly separated into
      those with good and bad language performance 6 months after stroke when based on
      functional magnetic resonance imaging data from language relevant areas. Accuracy
      further improved (86% correct assignments) when age and language score were
      entered alongside functional magnetic resonance imaging data into the fully
      automatic classifier. A similar accuracy was reached when predicting the degree
      of language improvement based on imaging, age and language performance. No
      prediction better than chance level was achieved when exploring the usefulness of
      diffusion weighted imaging as well as functional magnetic resonance imaging
      acquired two days after stroke. This study demonstrates the high potential of
      current machine learning techniques to predict system-specific clinical outcome
      even for a disease as heterogeneous as stroke. Best prediction of language
      recovery is achieved when the brain activation potential after system-specific
      stimulation is assessed in the second week post stroke. More intensive early
      rehabilitation could be provided for those with a predicted poor recovery and the
      extension to other systems, for example, motor and attention seems feasible.

PMID- 20299390
TI  - Profiling of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia antibody levels in patients with
      and without diabetes.
AB  - Heparin/platelet factor 4 (H:PF4) antibodies are the causative agent in heparin
      induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). The antibodies are frequently formed after
      exposure to heparin, most commonly without any signs of clinical HIT. Heparin
      induced thrombocytopenia antibodies have been detected by enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in individuals who have not been exposed to heparin.
      It is possible that the antibodies could be elicited by PF4 associated with
      endogenous, heparin-like glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). This risk would be higher in
      individuals with endothelial dysfunction and chronic platelet activation. In the
      setting of an outpatient endocrinology clinic, both diabetic and nondiabetic
      patients were studied and compared with healthy volunteers. Heparin/platelet
      factor 4 antibody titers were measured by ELISA and analyzed to determine the
      frequency of clinically seropositive responses, and median and interquartile
      ranges of baseline antibody titers. The study found no increase in frequency of
      ELISA-positive patients among diabetic patients. Moreover, the diabetic
      population had lower overall level of H:PF4 antibody titer, especially the
      subgroups treated with thiazolidinedione drugs or angiotensin receptor blockers.
      Further studies are needed to determine whether subthreshold titers of HIT
      antibody may be reflective of the physiological state of platelet/endothelial
      balance.

PMID- 20299391
TI  - Antiplatelet therapy prasugrel: a novel platelet ADP P2Y12 receptor antagonist.
AB  - Novel adenosine diphosphate (ADP) P2Y(12) antagonists, including prasugrel,
      ticagrelor, cangrelor and elinogrel, are in various phases of clinical
      development. These ADP P2Y(12) antagonists have advantages over clopidogrel
      ranging from faster onset to greater and less variable inhibition of platelet
      function. Novel ADP P2Y(12) antagonists are under investigation to determine
      whether their use can result in improved antiplatelet activity, faster onset of
      action, and/or greater antithrombotic effects than clopidogrel, without an
      unacceptable increase in hemorrhagic or other side effects. Prasugrel (CS-747; LY
      640315), a novel third-generation oral thienopyridine, is a specific,
      irreversible antagonist of the platelet ADP P2Y(12) receptor. Preclinical and
      early phase clinical studies have shown prasugrel to be characterized by more
      potent antiplatelet effects, lower interindividual variability in platelet
      response, and faster onset of activity compared to clopidogrel. Recent findings
      from large-scale phase III testing showed prasugrel to be more efficacious in
      preventing ischemic events in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS)
      undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI); however, this is achieved at
      the expense of an increased risk of bleeding. Prasugrel provides more rapid and
      consistent platelet inhibition than clopidogrel.

PMID- 20299392
TI  - Seasonal variation, weekly and daily rhythm of transient ischemic attack in
      Hungary.

PMID- 20299394
TI  - Men behaving madly: testosterone replacement therapy.

PMID- 20299396
TI  - Sunbed use in children aged 11-17 in England: face to face quota sampling surveys
      in the National Prevalence Study and Six Cities Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To quantify the use of sunbeds in young people across England,
      identify geographical variation, and explore patterns of use, including
      supervision. DESIGN: Two random location sampling surveys. SETTING: National
      Prevalence Study in England; Six Cities Study in Liverpool, Stoke/Stafford,
      Sunderland, Bath/Gloucester, Oxford/Cambridge, and Southampton. PARTICIPANTS:
      3101 children aged 11-17 in the National Prevalence study and 6209 in the Six
      Cities study. RESULTS: In the National Prevalence Study 6.0% (95% confidence
      interval 5.1% to 6.8%) of those aged 11-17 had used a sunbed. Use was higher in
      girls than in boys (8.6% (7.2% to 10.0%) v 3.5% (2.6% to 4.4%), respectively), in
      those aged 15-17 compared with those aged 11-14 (11.2% (9.5% to 12.9%) v 1.8%
      (1.2% to 2.4%), respectively), and in those from lower rather than higher social
      grades (7.6% (5.7% to 9.5%) v 5.4% (4.5% to 6.3%), respectively). Sunbed use was
      higher in the "north" (11.0%, 8.9% to 13.0%) than in the "midlands" (4.2%, 2.5%
      to 5.8%) and the "south" (4.2%, 3.3% to 5.2%). In the Six Cities Study, sunbed
      use was highest in Liverpool and Sunderland (20.0% (17.5% to 22.4%) and 18.0%
      (15.6% to 20.3%), respectively), with rates especially high in girls, those aged
      15-17, or from lower social grades. Mean age of first use was 14, and 38.4%
      (34.7% to 42.1%) of children used a sunbed at least once a week. Nearly a quarter
      (23.0%, 19.8% to 26.1%) of children had used a sunbed at home (including home of
      friends/relatives), and 24.7% (21.0% to 28.4%) said they had used sunbeds
      unsupervised in a tanning/beauty salon or gym/leisure centre. CONCLUSIONS: Sunbed
      use by children is widespread in England, is often inadequately supervised, and
      is a health risk. National legislation is needed to control sunbed outlets.

PMID- 20299397
TI  - Reducing sunbed use in young people.

PMID- 20299400
TI  - Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase genes as a functional marker for
      chemolithoautotrophic halophilic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria in hypersaline
      habitats.
AB  - The presence and diversity of the cbb genes encoding the large subunit of
      ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) (a key enzyme of the
      Calvin-Benson cycle of autotrophic CO(2) assimilation) were investigated in pure
      cultures of seven genera of halophilic chemolithoautotrophic sulfur-oxidizing
      bacteria (SOB) and in sediments from a hypersaline lake in which such bacteria
      have been recently discovered. All of the halophilic SOB strains (with the
      exception of Thiohalomonas nitratireducens) possessed the cbbL gene encoding
      RuBisCO form I, while the cbbM gene encoding RuBisCO form II was detected only in
      some of the pure cultures. The general topologies of the CbbL/CbbM trees and the
      16S rRNA gene tree were different, but both markers showed that the halophilic
      SOB genera formed independent lineages in the Gammaproteobacteria. In some cases,
      such as with several strains of the genus Thiohalospira and with Thioalkalibacter
      halophilus, the cbbL clustering was incongruent with the positions of these
      strains on the ribosomal tree. In the cbbM tree, the clustering of Thiohalospira
      and Thiohalorhabdus strains was incongruent with their branching in both cbbL and
      16S rRNA gene trees. cbbL and cbbM genes related to those found in the analysed
      halophilic SOB were also detected in a sediment from a hypersaline lake in
      Kulunda Steppe (Russia). Most of the cbbL and cbbM genes belonged to members of
      the genus Thiohalorhabdus. In the cbbL clone library, sequences related to those
      of Halothiobacillus and Thiohalospira were detected as minor components. Some of
      the environmental cbbM sequences belonged to as yet unknown phylotypes,
      representing deep lineages of halophilic autotrophs.

PMID- 20299401
TI  - Effect of alkaline growth pH on the expression of cell envelope proteins in
      Fusobacterium nucleatum.
AB  - Fusobacterium nucleatum is a Gram-negative anaerobic organism that plays a
      central role in the development of periodontal diseases. The progression of
      periodontitis is associated with a rise in pH of the gingival sulcus which
      promotes the growth and expression of virulence factors by periodontopathic
      bacteria. We have previously reported that the expression of specific cytoplasmic
      proteins is altered by a shift in growth pH. In the present study we have
      compared cell envelope protein expression of F. nucleatum during chemostat growth
      at pH 7.2 and 7.8. From a total of 176 proteins resolved from the cell envelope,
      15 were found to have altered expression in response to an increase in growth pH
      and were identified by MS. Upregulated proteins included an outer membrane porin
      which has been identified as playing a role in virulence, a periplasmic chaperone
      which assists in the folding of outer membrane proteins, and a transporter
      thought to be involved with iron uptake. Proteins downregulated at pH 7.8 were
      consistent with our previous findings that the bacterium reduces its catabolism
      of energy-yielding substrates in favour of energy-storage pathways. Among the
      downregulated proteins, two transporters which are involved in the uptake of C4
      dicarboxylates and phosphate were identified. A putative protease and an enzyme
      associated with the metabolism of glutamate were also identified. A high
      proportion of the cell envelope proteins suggested by these data to play a role
      in the organism's response to alkaline growth pH may have arisen by lateral gene
      transfer. This would support the hypothesis that genes that provide an ability to
      adapt to the changing conditions of the oral environment may be readily shared
      between oral bacteria.

PMID- 20299402
TI  - Comparison of promoter-specific events during transcription initiation in
      mycobacteria.
AB  - DNA-protein interactions that occur during transcription initiation play an
      important role in regulating gene expression. To initiate transcription, RNA
      polymerase (RNAP) binds to promoters in a sequence-specific fashion. This is
      followed by a series of steps governed by the equilibrium binding and kinetic
      rate constants, which in turn determine the overall efficiency of the
      transcription process. We present here the first detailed kinetic analysis of
      promoter-RNAP interactions during transcription initiation in the sigma(A)
      dependent promoters P(rrnAPCL1), P(rrnB) and P(gyr) of Mycobacterium smegmatis.
      The promoters show comparable equilibrium binding affinity but differ
      significantly in open complex formation, kinetics of isomerization and promoter
      clearance. Furthermore, the two rrn promoters exhibit varied kinetic properties
      during transcription initiation and appear to be subjected to different modes of
      regulation. In addition to distinct kinetic patterns, each one of the
      housekeeping promoters studied has its own rate-limiting step in the initiation
      pathway, indicating the differences in their regulation.

PMID- 20299403
TI  - Hydrogen peroxide induces apoptosis-like death in Entamoeba histolytica
      trophozoites.
AB  - Programmed cell death (PCD) is an essential process in the growth and development
      of multicellular organisms. However, accumulating evidence indicates that
      unicellular eukaryotes can also undergo PCD with apoptosis-like features. This
      study demonstrates that after exposure to 0.8 mM H(2)O(2) for 9 h Entamoeba
      histolytica presents morphological and biochemical evidence of apoptosis-like
      death. Morphological characteristics of apoptosis-like death including DNA
      fragmentation, increased vacuolization, nuclear condensation and cell rounding
      were observed for H(2)O(2)-exposed trophozoites with preservation of membrane
      integrity. Biochemical alteration in ion fluxes is also a key feature in PCD, and
      H(2)O(2)-exposed trophozoites showed overproduction of reactive oxygen species,
      increased cytosolic Ca(2+) and decreased intracellular pH. Phosphatidylserine was
      also found to be expressed in the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane of the
      H(2)O(2)-treated trophozoites. Pretreatment with the cysteine protease inhibitor
      E-64d, the extracellular and intracellular Ca(2+) chelators EGTA and BAPTA/AM,
      and the Ca(2+) influx inhibitor verapamil prior to H(2)O(2) exposure abolished
      DNA fragmentation. The oxidatively stressed trophozoites also showed an increased
      calpain activity, indicating involvement of Ca(2+)-dependent calpain-like
      cysteine proteases in PCD of E. histolytica. A homogeneous caspase assay showed
      no significant caspase activity, and administration of caspase 1 inhibitor also
      did not prevent the death phenotype for the oxidatively stressed trophozoites,
      indicating a caspase-independent apoptosis-like death. Our observations clearly
      demonstrate that there is a distinct calpain-dependent but caspase-independent
      pathway for apoptosis-like death in oxidatively stressed E. histolytica
      trophozoites.

PMID- 20299404
TI  - The high-adhesive properties of the FimH adhesin of Salmonella enterica serovar
      Enteritidis are determined by a single F118S substitution.
AB  - The binding properties of low- and high-adhesive forms of FimH adhesins from
      Salmonella enterica serovars Enteritidis and Typhimurium (S. Enteritidis and S.
      Typhimurium) were studied using chimeric proteins containing an additional
      peptide that represents an N-terminal extension of the FimF protein. This
      modification, by taking advantage of a donor strand exchange mechanism, closes
      the hydrophobic groove in the fimbrial domain of the FimH adhesin. Such self
      complemented adhesins (scFimH) did not form aggregates and were more stable
      (resistant to proteolytic cleavage) than native FimH. High-adhesive variants of
      scFimH proteins, with alanine at position 61 and serine at position 118, were
      obtained by site-directed mutagenesis of fimH genes from low-adhesive variants of
      S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium, with glycine at position 61 and phenylalanine
      at position 118. Direct kinetic analysis using surface plasmon resonance (SPR)
      and glycoproteins carrying high-mannose carbohydrate chains (RNase B, horseradish
      peroxidase and mannan-BSA) revealed the existence of high- and low-adhesive
      allelic variants, not only in S. Typhimurium but also in S. Enteritidis. Using
      two additional mutants of low-adhesive FimH protein from S. Enteritidis (Gly61Ala
      and Phe118Ser), SPR analysis pointed to Ser118 as the major determinant of the
      high-adhesive phenotype of type 1 fimbriae from S. Enteritidis. These studies
      demonstrated for the first time that the functional differences observed with
      whole fimbriated bacteria could be reproduced at the level of purified adhesin.
      They strongly suggest that the adhesive properties of type 1 fimbriae are
      determined only by structural differences in the FimH proteins and are not
      influenced by the fimbrial shaft on which the adhesin is located.

PMID- 20299405
TI  - Identification of Rhodococcus equi lipids recognized by host cytotoxic T
      lymphocytes.
AB  - Immune adult horses have CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) that recognize and
      lyse Rhodococcus equi-infected cells in an equine lymphocyte alloantigen (ELA)-A
      [classical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I]-unrestricted fashion.
      As protein antigens are MHC class I-restricted, the lack of restriction suggests
      that the bacterial antigens being recognized by the host are not proteins. The
      goals of this study were to test the hypothesis that these CTLs recognize unique
      R. equi cell-wall lipids related to mycobacterial lipids. Initial experiments
      showed that treatment of soluble R. equi antigen with broadly reactive proteases
      did not significantly diminish the ability of the antigen to stimulate R. equi
      specific CTLs. R. equi-specific CTLs were also shown to lyse target cells (equine
      macrophages) pulsed with an R. equi lipid extract. Analysis of the R. equi lipid
      by TLC and MS (MALDI-TOF and ES) indicated that the extracted antigen consisted
      of three primary fractions: trehalose monomycolate (TMM), trehalose dimycolate
      (TDM) and cardiolipin (CL). ELA-A-mismatched cells pulsed with purified TMM and
      CL, but not the TDM fraction, were recognized and lysed by R. equi-specific CTLs.
      Because of their role in immune clearance and pathogenesis, transcription of the
      cytokines gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) was also measured
      in response to R. equi lipids by using real-time PCR; elevated IFN-gamma, but not
      IL-4, was associated with host clearance of the bacteria. The whole-cell R. equi
      lipid and all three R. equi lipid fractions resulted in marked increases in IFN
      gamma transcription, but no increase in IL-4 transcription. Together, these data
      support the hypothesis that immune recognition of unique lipids in the bacterial
      cell wall is an important component of the protective immune response to R. equi.
      The results also identify potential lipid antigens not previously shown to be
      recognized by CTLs in an important, naturally occurring actinomycete bacterial
      pathogen.

PMID- 20299406
TI  - The Hem and Has haem uptake systems in Serratia marcescens.
AB  - Serratia marcescens, like several other Gram-negative bacteria, possesses two
      functional haem uptake systems. The first, referred to as the Hem system, can
      transport haem present at a concentration equal to or above 10(-6) M. It requires
      an active outer-membrane receptor which uses proton-motive force energy
      transmitted by the inner-membrane TonB protein. The other system, Has, takes up
      haem at lower concentrations and utilizes a small secreted haem-binding protein
      (haemophore) and its cognate TonB-dependent outer-membrane receptor HasR. Various
      combinations of mutations were used to examine haem uptake activity by the two
      systems in S. marcescens. The Hem uptake system enables S. marcescens to take up
      haem at a concentration of 10(-6) M in the presence of various levels of iron
      depletion. The Has system, which enables such uptake even in the presence of
      lower haem concentrations, requires higher iron depletion conditions for
      function. Has haem uptake requires the presence of HasB, a TonB paralogue encoded
      by the has operon. These two systems enable S. marcescens to take up haem under
      various conditions from different sources, reflecting its capacity to confront
      conditions encountered in natural biotopes.

PMID- 20299407
TI  - Spondyloarthritis in a patient with unilateral buttock pain and history of Crohn
      disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Patients with inflammatory spinal conditions related to
      spondyloarthritis are rarely seen by primary care practitioners. However,
      patients with a history of inflammatory bowel disease and chronic low back or
      buttock pain should be examined carefully for the presence of spondyloarthritis,
      as proper management may include referral to a rheumatologist and appropriate
      medical intervention. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 27-year-old woman with a 6-month
      history of posterior buttock pain was referred for physical therapy with a
      diagnosis of piriformis syndrome. During the second physical therapy visit, a
      nonmechanical source of lumbopelvic pain was suspected, and the patient was
      referred for medical consultation. The patient underwent evaluation by a
      rheumatologist and was eventually diagnosed with spondyloarthritis associated
      with inflammatory bowel disease. OUTCOMES: The patient initiated treatment with
      anti-tumor necrosis factor medication to address the spondyloarthritis. Medical
      management resulted in significant improvement in all outcome measures.
      DISCUSSION: Clinical suspicion of spondyloarthritis is raised when specific
      historical, examination, and imaging findings are present. The posttest
      probability of spondyloarthritis is increased with the presence of inflammatory
      back pain and specific spondyloarthritic features, such as a positive history of
      inflammatory bowel disease, radiographic evidence of sacroiliitis, and
      improvement with anti-inflammatory medication. Referral of patients with these
      findings for a rheumatological evaluation is warranted, as these diseases are
      managed effectively with specific treatment.

PMID- 20299408
TI  - Physical therapists' perceptions of ease of care in patients receiving 2 forms of
      analgesia after total hip arthroplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pain management modalities that facilitate patient mobility may
      contribute to recovery after total hip replacement (THR) surgery. OBJECTIVE: The
      aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of morphine intravenous (IV) patient
      controlled analgesia (PCA) and the fentanyl iontophoretic transdermal system
      (fentanyl ITS) on physical therapists' ability to complete care tasks for
      patients after THR. DESIGN: The data were from an open-label, randomized,
      multicenter, active-control phase IIIb clinical trial. METHODS: The settings were
      52 US-based teaching and community hospitals. The patients were >or=18 years of
      age (mean [SEM]: 62.8 [0.6] years in the fentanyl ITS group and 62.9 [0.6] years
      in the morphine IV PCA group); had an American Society of Anesthesiologists
      physical status of I, II, or III; and were scheduled to undergo primary
      unilateral THR surgery. The patients were randomized to receive analgesia for up
      to 72 hours via the fentanyl ITS (40 microg of fentanyl over 10 minutes for up to
      6 doses per hour for 24 hours or 80 doses per system, whichever occurred first)
      or morphine IV PCA (1-mg bolus doses [with a 5-minute lockout interval between
      doses] for up to 10 doses per hour for 24 hours). All patients received the usual
      treatment administered by physical therapists. After each therapy session,
      physical therapists completed a validated Physical Therapist Ease-of-Care
      Questionnaire, which included time efficiency and convenience subscales (lower
      scores indicated more positive responses) and a satisfaction subscale (a higher
      score indicated a more positive response). Therapists whose average scores were
      <or=2 on all items of the time efficiency and convenience subscales or >or=4 on
      both items of the satisfaction subscale were considered responders. RESULTS:
      Higher percentages of physical therapists were responders for the fentanyl ITS
      than for morphine IV PCA on the subscales that assessed time efficiency (84.9%
      and 59.1%, respectively), convenience (86.6% and 71.2%, respectively), and
      satisfaction (54.3% and 30.5%, respectively). Higher percentages of physical
      therapists favored the fentanyl ITS than favored morphine IV PCA. Limitations The
      trial was limited by its open-label design, and physical therapists were more
      familiar with IV PCA than with the fentanyl ITS. CONCLUSIONS: The findings
      demonstrate benefits to physical therapists of using the fentanyl ITS over
      morphine IV PCA in terms of time efficiency, convenience, and satisfaction.

PMID- 20299409
TI  - Ongoing walking recovery 2 years after locomotor training in a child with severe
      incomplete spinal cord injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The authors previously reported on walking recovery in a
      nonambulatory child with chronic, severe, incomplete cervical spinal cord injury
      (SCI) after 76 sessions of locomotor training (LT). Although clinical measures
      did not predict his recovery, reciprocal patterned leg movements developed,
      affording recovery of independent walking with a reverse rolling walker. The long
      term functional limitations and secondary complications often associated with
      pediatric-onset SCI necessitate continued follow-up of children with SCI.
      Therefore, the purpose of this case report is to describe this child's walking
      function and musculoskeletal growth and development during the 2 years since his
      participation in an LT program and subsequent walking recovery. CASE DESCRIPTION:
      Following LT, the child attended elementary school as a full-time ambulator. He
      was evaluated 1 month (baseline), 1 year, and 2 years after LT. Examination of
      walking function included measures of walking independence, gait speed and
      spatiotemporal parameters, gait kinematics, and daily step activity. Growth and
      development were assessed by tracking his height, weight, incidence of
      musculoskeletal complications, and gross motor task performance. OUTCOMES: Over
      the 2 years, the child continued to ambulate independently with a reverse rolling
      walker, increasing his fastest gait speed. Spatiotemporal and kinematic features
      of his walking improved, and daily step activity increased. Height and weight
      remained on their preinjury trajectory and within age-appropriate norms. The
      child experienced only minor musculoskeletal complications. Additionally, he
      gained the ability to use reciprocal patterned leg movements during locomotor
      tasks such as assisted stair climbing and independent tricycle pedaling.
      CONCLUSIONS: Two years after recovery of walking, this child with incomplete SCI
      had maintained and improved his walking function and experienced age-appropriate
      growth and development.

PMID- 20299411
TI  - Do as I do: exercise habits of physical therapists, physical therapist
      assistants, and student physical therapists.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Physical therapy practitioners are among the many health care
      professionals who can counsel their patients to address the public health care
      concern of physical inactivity. Health care providers who are physically active
      themselves are more likely to counsel patients on the benefits of activity.
      OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this study were: (1) to examine the leisure-time
      physical activity habits of physical therapists, physical therapist assistants,
      and student physical therapists in the United States using Centers for Disease
      Control and Prevention and American College of Sports Medicine (CDC-ACSM)
      recommendations and (2) to compare these habits with those of the general
      population and other health care professionals. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey
      design was used. METHODS: There were 2 data sources. A random sample of American
      Physical Therapy Association members completed an online survey that included
      questions about physical activity habits worded in same manner as the leisure
      time activities section of the 2005 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The
      final study sample comprised 1,238 participants: 923 physical therapists, 210
      student physical therapists, and 105 physical therapist assistants. The 2005 NHIS
      public use data files were the source for the same information about the general
      US population and for a subset of health care professionals. Rates of
      participation in vigorous and moderate physical activity were analyzed. RESULTS:
      Physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and student physical
      therapists exercised at higher rates than adults and health-diagnosing
      professionals in the 2005 NHIS. Limitations The study may be limited by sampling
      and response bias. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified that physical therapists,
      physical therapist assistants, and student physical therapists are meeting CDC
      ACSM physical activity guidelines at higher rates than the US adult population
      and health-diagnosing professionals. These rates exceed the physical activity
      targets set for adults in Healthy People 2010.

PMID- 20299410
TI  - Physical therapists make accurate and appropriate discharge recommendations for
      patients who are acutely ill.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute care physical therapists contribute to the complex process of
      patient discharge planning. As physical therapists are experts at evaluating
      functional abilities and are able to incorporate various other factors relevant
      to discharge planning, it was expected that physical therapists' recommendations
      of patient discharge location would be both accurate and appropriate. OBJECTIVE:
      This study determined how often the therapists' recommendations for patient
      discharge location and services were implemented, representing the accuracy of
      the recommendations. The impact of unimplemented recommendations on readmission
      rate was examined, reflecting the appropriateness of the recommendations. DESIGN:
      This retrospective study included the discharge recommendations of 40 acute care
      physical therapists for 762 patients in a large academic medical center. The
      frequency of mismatch between the physical therapist's recommendation and the
      patient's actual discharge location and services was calculated. The mismatch
      variable had 3 levels: match, mismatch with services lacking, or mismatch with
      different services. Regression analysis was used to test whether mismatch status,
      patient age, length of admission, or discharge location predicted patient
      readmittance. RESULTS: Overall, physical therapists' discharge recommendations
      were implemented 83% of the time. Patients were 2.9 times more likely to be
      readmitted when the therapist's discharge recommendation was not implemented and
      recommended follow-up services were lacking (mismatch with services lacking)
      compared with patients with a match. Limitations This study was limited to one
      facility. Limited information about the patients was collected, and data on
      patient readmission to other facilities were not collected. CONCLUSIONS: This
      study supports the role of physical therapists in discharge planning in the acute
      care setting. Physical therapists demonstrated the ability to make accurate and
      appropriate discharge recommendations for patients who are acutely ill.

PMID- 20299412
TI  - Which lipid fraction is the target and how often should this be monitored?

PMID- 20299413
TI  - Current status of percutaneous coronary intervention in China.

PMID- 20299414
TI  - Gender perspective on risk factors, coronary lesions and long-term outcome in
      young patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Previous data on young patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS)
      have indicated higher rates of normal coronary angiograms but higher mortality in
      women than men. However, ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) differs from
      non-ST-elevation ACS in many aspects. We elucidated sex differences in risk
      factors, angiographic findings and outcome in consecutive STEMI patients below 46
      years of age. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: The Swedish registers
      for CCU care and coronary angioplasty; RIKS-HIA and SCAAR. PATIENTS: 2132 STEMI
      patients below 46 years of age admitted to intensive coronary care units in
      Sweden between 1995 and 2006 and followed for at least 1 year. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: Angiographic findings and short-term and long-term mortality. RESULTS:
      Risk factors were more common in women. Significant coronary lesions were equally
      common (92.1% vs 93.1%, p=0.64) while single vessel disease was more common
      (72.9% vs 59.3%; p<0.001) in women. Women had higher multivariable adjusted in
      hospital mortality, OR 2.85 (95% CI 1.31 to 6.19) while long-term mortality was
      the same, HR 0.93 (95% CI 0.60 to 1.45). The catch-up of mortality in men might
      be related to a higher occurrence of re-infarctions, HR 1.82 (95% CI 1.25 to
      2.65). CONCLUSIONS: STEMI below age 46 is a more rare condition in women than in
      men and more often related to cardiovascular risk factors. More than 90% of both
      men and women had coronary lesions, in women more often single vessel lesions.
      Female sex is associated with higher in-hospital mortality, while long-term
      mortality is low without difference between genders.

PMID- 20299415
TI  - Septic palmar emboli in a case of staphylococcal aortic endocarditis.

PMID- 20299417
TI  - Response to Bhaskaran et al's "Effects of air pollution on the incidence of
      myocardial infarction".

PMID- 20299420
TI  - Prevention of cardiovascular disease in asymptomatic people.

PMID- 20299419
TI  - Inherited cardiovascular conditions: the challenges of genomic medicine.
AB  - The report Heart to Heart published in 2009 by the Foundation for Genomics and
      Population Health provided an account of new health services needs arising from
      greater scientific and clinical understanding of inherited cardiovascular
      conditions. Informed by advice from an expert working group, the report makes
      recommendations for the development of specialised inherited cardiovascular
      conditions services within the UK. The report will also be of relevance
      internationally, wherever cardiologists and geneticists aim to provide care for
      these patients and their families.

PMID- 20299421
TI  - Post-myocardial infarction biventricular pseudoaneurysm with bidirectional shunt.

PMID- 20299422
TI  - Acute myocardial infarction due to paradoxical embolism: successful catheter
      aspiration and histological correlation.

PMID- 20299423
TI  - Comparison of orthodontic treatment need by professionals and parents with
      different socio-demographic characteristics.
AB  - The aim of this study was to compare the socio-demographic features and self
      perception of parents concerning the malocclusion of their children with the
      orthodontist's opinion of normative orthodontic treatment need. The parents of
      208 children (101 girls and 107 boys, between 9 and 18 years: mean 12.8 +/- 2.5),
      who sought orthodontic treatment were asked to score the dental attractiveness of
      their children using the aesthetic component (AC) of the Index of Orthodontic
      Treatment Need (IOTN). These scores were then compared with those of the
      orthodontist, who also scored the Dental Health Component (DHC) of the IOTN. The
      influence of the socio-demographic features of the parents on both the
      orthodontist- and parent-rated IOTN scores was assessed. The AC grade of the IOTN
      and patient characteristics were tested with the Spearman's correlation
      coefficient (rho). The difference between the two dependent variables
      (orthodontists' and parents' AC grade) was compared using Wilcoxon's test. A high
      need for orthodontic treatment was recorded in 74.0 per cent of the subjects.
      Although orthodontists rated 51.4 per cent of the patients as having a severe
      malocclusion on aesthetic grounds, only 33.6 per cent of parents rated their
      child malocclusion as severe. Although socio-demographic factors were not related
      to the parents' perception of malocclusion, they had an influence on orthodontic
      treatment need as assessed by the orthodontist. Parents, in this study
      population, rated their children's orthodontic treatment need less severely than
      the orthodontist regardless of their socio-demographic characteristics. Thus,
      orthodontists should involve parents in the orthodontic treatment decision-making
      process.

PMID- 20299425
TI  - Private long-term care insurance: value to claimants and implications for long
      term care financing.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to obtain a profile of individuals with
      private long-term care (LTC) insurance as they begin using paid LTC services and
      track their patterns of service use, satisfaction with services and insurance,
      claims denial rates, and transitions over a 28-month period. DESIGN AND METHODS:
      Ten LTC insurance companies contributed a random sample of 1,474 qualified
      individuals who were interviewed in-person by a trained nurse and then
      interviewed telephonically every 4 month for a 28-month period. Used in the
      analysis were descriptive statistics and techniques for analyzing longitudinal
      panel data. RESULTS: About 96% of those filing claims were approved for payment.
      At baseline, 37% received home care, 23% assisted living care, 14% were in a
      nursing home, and 26% had not yet begun using paid care. Few claimants reported
      that their policies restricted their choice of providers and most care costs were
      covered. The average number of care transitions was 1, typically occurring within
      4 month of baseline. The less impaired and those in home care settings were most
      likely to transition between service settings. IMPLICATIONS: Having private LTC
      coverage enabled claimants to exercise their preference for alternatives to
      nursing home care.

PMID- 20299424
TI  - Regulation of human organic anion transporter 3 by peptide hormone bradykinin.
AB  - Human organic anion transporter (hOAT) 3 belongs to a family of organic anion
      transporters that play critical roles in the body disposition of numerous
      clinically important drugs. In the current study, we examined the regulation of
      hOAT3 by peptide hormone bradykinin (BK) in COS-7 cells. BK (<or=500 nM) induced
      a concentration- and time-dependent stimulation of hOAT3 activity, kinetically
      revealed as an increased V(max). Such an increase in V(max) resulted from an
      increased cell surface expression without a change in total cell expression of
      the transporter. BK-induced stimulation of hOAT3 activity could be prevented by
      treating hOAT3-expressing cells with staurosporine, a general inhibitor for
      protein kinase C (PKC). To obtain further information on which PKC isoform
      mediates BK regulation of hOAT3 activity, cellular distribution of various PKC
      isoforms was examined in cells treated with BK. We showed that BK treatment
      resulted in a significant translocation of PKCdelta, PKCepsilon, and PKCzeta from
      cytosol to membrane. We further showed that BK treatment enhanced association of
      hOAT3 with PKCdelta, PKCepsilon, and PKCzeta and that isoform-specific inhibitor
      for PKCdelta, PKCepsilon, and PKCzeta reversed BK effect on hOAT3 activity. We
      therefore concluded that BK stimulated hOAT3 activity through activation of
      PKCdelta, PKCepsilon, and PKCzeta, which then led to the redistribution of hOAT3
      from the intracellular compartments to the cell surface and to the up-regulation
      of hOAT3 activity.

PMID- 20299426
TI  - Exposure of human nasal epithelial cells to formaldehyde does not lead to DNA
      damage in lymphocytes after co-cultivation.
AB  - We performed in vitro co-cultivation experiments with primary human nasal
      epithelial cells (HNEC) and isolated lymphocytes to investigate whether reactive
      formaldehyde (FA) can be passed on from nasal epithelial cells (site of first
      contact) to lymphocytes located in close proximity and induce DNA damage in these
      cells. A modified comet assay was used as a sensitive method for the detection of
      FA-induced DNA-protein cross links (DPX) because DPX are the most relevant type
      of FA-induced DNA damage. Our results clearly indicate that co-cultivation of
      lymphocytes with HNEC exposed to FA for 1 h causes a concentration-related
      induction of DPX in lymphocytes when co-cultivation takes place in the exposure
      medium. However, when the exposure medium is changed after FA treatment of HNEC
      and before lymphocytes are added, no induction of DPX is measured in lymphocytes
      even after exposure of HNEC to high FA concentrations (300 microM) and extended
      co-cultivation (4 h). Direct measurement of FA in the cell culture medium by a
      sensitive fluorescent detection kit indicated that FA is actually not released
      even from highly exposed cells into the cell culture medium. These results
      suggest that FA that has entered nasal epithelial cells is not released and does
      not damage other cells in close proximity to the epithelial cells. If these
      results also apply to the in vivo situation, FA would only be genotoxic towards
      directly exposed cells (site of first contact) and there should be no significant
      delivery of inhaled FA to other cells and distant sites. Our results do not
      support a recently proposed hypothetic mechanism for FA-induced leukaemia by
      damaging circulating haematopoietic stem cells or haematopoietic progenitor cells
      in nasal passages, which then travel to the bone marrow and become initiated
      leukaemic stem cells.

PMID- 20299427
TI  - Long-term outcome after coil embolization of cavernous sinus arteriovenous
      fistulas.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cranial nerve palsies are regularly observed in patients
      with arteriovenous fistulas of the cavernous sinus. The purpose of our study was
      to determine the long-term clinical outcome-with a special focus on extra-ocular
      muscular dysfunctions-in patients who had undergone endovascular treatment of a
      cavernous sinus fistula with detachable coils. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen
      patients were recalled for an ophthalmoneurologic control examination (mean
      interval of 4.4 years). The mRS and the EQ-5D questionnaire were used for the
      description of general outcome. Age, duration of symptoms, character of the
      fistula (direct, dural), and coil volume were tested to assess their relevance
      for persistent symptoms. RESULTS: All patients displayed complete regression of
      chemosis, exophthalmus, and pulsating tinnitus with no evidence of recurrences.
      Oculomotor disturbances persisted in 9 of 13 patients and caused permanent
      diplopia in 7 patients. In 15 patients a mRS score of 1 or 2 was achieved;
      however, 7 patients reported some limitations in life quality (EQ-5D). A
      significant correlation was found between coil volume and persistent diplopia (P
      = .032) and persistent cranial nerve VI paresis (P = .037). CONCLUSIONS: Coil
      embolization of the cavernous sinus led to durable closure of AVF and reliable
      regression of acute symptoms. However, long-term follow-up showed a 44% rate of
      persistent cranial nerve deficits with disturbances of oculomotor and visual
      functions. This may be explained by the underlying fistula size itself and/or the
      space-occupying effect of the coils. As neuro-ophthalmologic outcome is crucial
      for control of therapeutic success, patients should be routinely examined by
      ophthalmologists.

PMID- 20299428
TI  - Corpus callosum morphology and microstructure assessed using structural MR
      imaging and diffusion tensor imaging: initial findings in adults with
      neurofibromatosis type 1.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Imaging studies have shown that children with NF-1 have
      increased brain volumes compared with age-matched controls and the CCs are
      disproportionately large. The purpose of this study was to determine if the CC in
      adults with NF-1 differed from that in matched controls by using DTI and
      volumetric imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MR imaging with DTI was performed in
      10 adults with NF-1 and in 10 age-, sex-, and handedness-matched controls by
      using a 3T system. Total brain volumes and the areas and central lengths of the
      CC were calculated, along with the radial width of callosal subdivisions, in the
      2 groups. RESULTS: Our results showed that the total brain volume was not
      significantly different between adults with NF-1 and matched controls. The length
      and total cross-sectional area of the CC were statistically larger in adults with
      NF-1 compared with controls (approximately 10% longer and 20% greater area). On
      DTI we found a preservation of the primary eigenvalue with increases in the minor
      eigenvalues at the genu. CONCLUSIONS: We have shown that the increased size of
      the CC found in children with NF-1 is also present in adults with the syndrome,
      whereas no difference in total brain volume was found.

PMID- 20299430
TI  - JC virus infection of the brain.
AB  - Since its initial description, there have been significant changes in the
      epidemiology, pathogenesis, and clinical and imaging manifestations of JCV
      infection of brain. The most common clinical manifestation is PML. Other recently
      described CNS manifestations are JCE, JCVGCN, and JCM. Although AIDS is the most
      common predisposing factor for JCV reactivation, there is increasing incidence of
      brain manifestations of JCV reactivation in non-HIV settings, including different
      rheumatologic, hematologic, and oncologic conditions; monoclonal antibody
      therapy; transplant recipients; primary immunodeficiency syndromes; and even in
      patients without any recognizable immune deficiency. IRIS may develop secondary
      to restoration of immunity in HIV-positive patients with PML receiving
      antiretroviral therapy. This is of profound clinical significance and needs to be
      diagnosed promptly. Imaging plays a crucial role in the diagnosis of the disease,
      monitoring of treatment response, identifying disease progression, and predicting
      prognosis. In this article, current understanding of the epidemiology,
      pathogenesis, clinical presentations, and all aspects of imaging of JCV infection
      of the brain have been comprehensively reviewed.

PMID- 20299429
TI  - Transcranial access using fluoroscopic flat panel detector CT navigation.
AB  - FPCT and navigation software on contemporary fluoroscopic units perform imaging
      of a quality comparable with conventional CT. They can accurately guide
      percutaneous procedures, providing live instrument visualization and the
      capability to re-image without patient transfer. FPCT navigation was used in the
      placement of a ventricular drain in a 62-year-old woman for subarachnoid-related
      hydrocephalus by using an otherwise standard bedside technique. Ventriculostomy
      catheter placement was technically successful without complication with a
      catheter at the foramen of Monro.

PMID- 20299431
TI  - Partially thrombosed intracranial aneurysms presenting with mass effect: long
      term clinical and imaging follow-up after endovascular treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Partially thrombosed aneurysms as a distinct entity form
      a diverse collection of complex aneurysms characterized by organized intraluminal
      thrombus and solid mass. Endovascular treatment options are PVO or selective coil
      occlusion of the remaining lumen. We present long-term clinical and angiographic
      results of endovascular treatment of unruptured partially thrombosed aneurysms
      that presented with symptoms of mass effect. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 1994
      and 2008, 30 partially thrombosed aneurysms were treated by selective coiling and
      26 by PVO. Of 56 aneurysms, 53 (95%) were large or giant. Neurologic recovery
      during a mean clinical follow-up of 42.7 months was established. Evolution of
      aneurysm size during a mean follow-up of 26.6 months in 46 patients was assessed
      with MR imaging. RESULTS: Seventeen of 56 patients (30%) fully recovered, 22
      patients (39%) partially recovered, 11 patients (20%) were unchanged, and 6
      patients (11%) died. Complete recovery more often occurred after PVO than after
      coiling (12 of 26 versus 5 of 30, P = .02). Aneurysm size reduction occurred more
      often after PVO (17 of 18 versus 2 of 28, P < .001). Five aneurysms continued to
      grow after coiling, resulting in death in 3. During follow-up, 27 additional
      treatments were performed in 19 patients, all treated with coiling. CONCLUSIONS:
      In partially thrombosed aneurysms presenting with mass effect, the results of PVO
      are much better than those of selective coiling. After coiling, additional
      treatments are often needed, and some aneurysms keep growing. When PVO is not
      tolerated or not possible, surgical options should be considered before
      proceeding with coiling.

PMID- 20299432
TI  - Comparative studies of different gadolinium agents in brain tumors: differences
      between gadolinium chelates and their possible influence on imaging features.

PMID- 20299433
TI  - High T2 signal in primary lateral sclerosis supports the topographic distribution
      of fibers in the corpus callosum: assessing disease in the primary motor segment.
AB  - PLS is a disease of the UMN, distinguished from ALS in prognosis and absence of
      LMN signs. We present, to our knowledge, the first conventional MR imaging
      visualization of the callosal motor segment, a concept previously supported by
      primate models, electrophysiologic studies, and postmortem examinations.
      Modification of the Witelson topographic scheme of the CC is supported by MR
      tractography. On the basis of 2 cases of PLS, we present conventional imaging
      confirmation of the revised topographic scheme of fiber distribution across the
      CC.

PMID- 20299434
TI  - Wallerian degeneration in the corticospinal tract evaluated by diffusion tensor
      imaging correlates with motor deficit 30 days after middle cerebral artery
      ischemic stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The quantification and clinical significance of WD in
      CSTs following supratentorial stroke are not well understood. We evaluated the
      anisotropy by using DTI and signal-intensity changes on conventional MR imaging
      in the CST to determine whether these findings are correlated with limb motor
      deficit in patients with MCA ischemic stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied
      60 patients within 12 hours of stroke onset. At admission, day 3, and day 30 of
      evolution, patients underwent multimodal MR imaging, including DTI sequences. We
      assessed the severity of limb weakness by using the motor subindex scores (5a,
      5b, 6a, 6b) of the m-NIHSS and established 3 groups: I (m-NIHSS scores of 0), II
      (m-NIHSS, 1-4), and III (m-NIHSS, 5-8). FA values and rFAs were measured on the
      affected and the unaffected CSTs in the pons. RESULTS: FA values for the CST were
      significantly lower on the affected side compared with the unaffected side only
      at day 30 (P < .001), and the rFA was significantly correlated with the motor
      deficit at day 30 (P < .001; r = -0.793). The sensitivity, specificity, and
      positive and negative predictive values for motor deficit by rFA < 0.925 were
      95.2%, 94.9%, 90.9%, and 97.4%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: WD in the CST revealed
      by DTI correlates with motor deficit 30 days after MCA ischemic stroke. This
      study highlights the utility of imaging follow-up at 30 days and the potential of
      DTI as a surrogate marker in clinical trials.

PMID- 20299435
TI  - Schimmelpenning syndrome: a kind of craniofacial epidermal nevus associated with
      cerebral and ocular MR imaging abnormalities.

PMID- 20299436
TI  - Principles and limitations of computational algorithms in clinical diffusion
      tensor MR tractography.
AB  - There have been numerous reports documenting the graphic reconstruction of 3D
      white matter architecture in the human brain by means of diffusion tensor MR
      tractography. Different from other reviews addressing the physics and clinical
      applications of DTI, this article reviews the computational principles of
      tractography algorithms appearing in the literature. The simplest voxel-based
      method and 2 widely used subvoxel approaches are illustrated first, together with
      brief notes on parameter selection and the restrictions arising from the distinct
      attributes of tract estimations. Subsequently, some advanced techniques
      attempting to offer improvement in various aspects are briefly introduced,
      including the increasingly popular research tracking tool using HARDI. The
      article explains the inherent technical limitations in most of the algorithms
      reported to date and concludes by providing a reference guideline for formulating
      routine applications of this important tool to clinical neuroradiology in an
      objective and reproducible manner.

PMID- 20299437
TI  - Syndromes of the first and second branchial arches, part 1: embryology and
      characteristic defects.
AB  - A variety of congenital syndromes affecting the face occur due to defects
      involving the first and second BAs. Radiographic evaluation of craniofacial
      deformities is necessary to define aberrant anatomy, plan surgical procedures,
      and evaluate the effects of craniofacial growth and surgical reconstructions.
      High-resolution CT has proved vital in determining the nature and extent of these
      syndromes. The radiologic evaluation of syndromes of the first and second BAs
      should begin first by studying a series of isolated defects: CL with or without
      CP, micrognathia, and EAC atresia, which compose the major features of these
      syndromes and allow more specific diagnosis. After discussion of these defects
      and the associated embryology, we proceed to discuss the VCFS, PRS, ACS, TCS,
      Stickler syndrome, and HFM.

PMID- 20299438
TI  - Artery of percheron infarction: imaging patterns and clinical spectrum.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Occlusion of the AOP results in a characteristic pattern
      of ischemia: bilateral paramedian thalamus with or without midbrain involvement.
      Although the classic imaging findings are often recognized, only a few small case
      series and isolated cases of AOP infarction have been reported. The purpose of
      this study was to characterize the complete imaging spectrum of AOP infarction on
      the basis of a large series of cases obtained from multiple institutions.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Imaging and clinical data of 37 patients with AOP
      infarction from 2000 to 2009 were reviewed retrospectively. The primary imaging
      criterion for inclusion was an abnormal signal intensity on MR imaging and/or
      hypoattenuation on CT involving distinct arterial zones of the bilateral
      paramedian thalami with or without rostral midbrain involvement. Patients were
      excluded if there was a neoplastic, infectious, or inflammatory etiology.
      RESULTS: We identified 4 ischemic patterns of AOP infarction: 1) bilateral
      paramedian thalamic with midbrain (43%), 2) bilateral paramedian thalamic without
      midbrain (38%), 3) bilateral paramedian thalamic with anterior thalamus and
      midbrain (14%), and 4) bilateral paramedian thalamic with anterior thalamus
      without midbrain (5%). A previously unreported finding (the "V" sign) on FLAIR
      and DWI sequences was identified in 67% of cases of AOP infarction with midbrain
      involvement and supports the diagnosis when present. CONCLUSIONS: The 4 distinct
      patterns of ischemia identified in our large case series, along with the midbrain
      V sign, should improve recognition of AOP infarction and assist with the
      neurologic evaluation and management of patients with thalamic strokes.

PMID- 20299439
TI  - Functional MR imaging correlates of neuropsychological impairment in primary
      progressive multiple sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cognitive deficits affect <or=30% of patients with PPMS.
      We investigated the functional correlates of cognitive network dysfunction in
      patients with PPMS and their correlation with the extent of structural MR imaging
      damage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 16 right-handed patients with PPMS and 17
      matched controls, structural and fMRIs (during the performance of the 2-back
      task) were acquired. Neuropsychological tests exploring memory, attention, and
      frontal lobe cognitive domains were administered. T2 LL, NBV, and CC areas were
      measured. RESULTS: Six patients with PPMS were CI. Structural MR imaging measures
      did not differ between patients who were CI and those who were CP. Compared with
      patients who were CI, patients who were CP had increased activations of the left
      caudate nucleus, PFC, and inferior parietal lobule. Compared with controls and
      patients who were CP, patients who were CI had increased activations of the SII,
      cerebellum, and insula. Compared with controls, they also had increased
      activations of the right precentral gyrus and a reduced recruitment of the left
      PFC. In patients with PPMS, a decreased composite cognitive score correlated with
      increased activity of the cerebellum, insula, and SII, as well as decreased PFC
      activity. T2 LL correlated with decreased PFC recruitment and increased SII
      recruitment. CONCLUSIONS: In PPMS, an increased recruitment of cognitive-related
      networks might represent a functional reserve with the potential to limit the
      severity of cognitive impairment. The accumulation of T2 lesions and the
      consequent exhaustion of frontal lobe plasticity might contribute to cognitive
      impairment in PPMS.

PMID- 20299440
TI  - Subacute thyroiditis presenting as a focal lesion on [18F] fluorodeoxyglucose
      whole-body positron-emission tomography/CT.
AB  - A 52-year-old man presented with subacute thyroiditis and showed an intensely
      hypermetabolic thyroid lesion on (18)F-FDG PET/CT. The patient also had
      coexisting chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis. The lesion of subacute thyroiditis
      revealed an SUV(max) of 9.1 g/mL and was ill-defined, heterogeneous, markedly
      hypoechoic, and hypovascular on US. Biopsy demonstrated histologic findings of
      subacute thyroiditis, which should be included in the differential diagnosis of
      an intensely hypermetabolic thyroid lesion on (18)F-FDG PET/CT.

PMID- 20299442
TI  - Diel time-courses of leaf growth in monocot and dicot species: endogenous rhythms
      and temperature effects.
AB  - Diel (24 h) leaf growth patterns were differently affected by temperature
      variations and the circadian clock in several plant species. In the monocotyledon
      Zea mays, leaf elongation rate closely followed changes in temperature. In the
      dicotyledons Nicotiana tabacum, Ricinus communis, and Flaveria bidentis, the
      effect of temperature regimes was less obvious and leaf growth exhibited a clear
      circadian oscillation. These differences were related neither to primary
      metabolism nor to altered carbohydrate availability for growth. The effect of
      endogenous rhythms on leaf growth was analysed under continuous light in
      Arabidopsis thaliana, Ricinus communis, Zea mays, and Oryza sativa. No rhythmic
      growth was observed under continuous light in the two monocotyledons, while
      growth rhythmicity persisted in the two dicotyledons. Based on model simulations
      it is concluded that diel leaf growth patterns in mono- and dicotyledons result
      from the additive effects of both circadian-clock-controlled processes and
      responses to environmental changes such as temperature and evaporative demand.
      Apparently very distinct diel leaf growth behaviour of monocotyledons and
      dicotyledons can thus be explained by the different degrees to which diel
      temperature variations affect leaf growth in the two groups of species which, in
      turn, depends on the extent of the leaf growth control by internal clocks.

PMID- 20299441
TI  - Effects of age on the glucose metabolic changes in mild cognitive impairment.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Decreased glucose metabolism in the temporal and parietal
      lobes on FDG-PET is recognized as an early imaging marker for the AD pathology.
      Our objective was to investigate the effects of age on FDG-PET findings in aMCI.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-five patients with aMCI at 55-86 years of age
      (median = 73 years) and 25 age- and sex-matched CN subjects underwent FDG-PET.
      SPM5 was used to compare the FDG uptake in patients in aMCI-old (>73 years) and
      aMCI-young (<or=73 years) groups with CN subjects. The findings in the aMCI-old
      patients were independently validated in a separate cohort of 10 aMCI and 13 CN
      subjects older than 73 years of age. RESULTS: The pattern of decreased glucose
      metabolism and gray matter atrophy in the medial temporal, posterior cingulate,
      precuneus, lateral parietal, and temporal lobes in aMCI-young subjects was
      consistent with the typical pattern observed in AD. The pattern of glucose
      metabolic changes in aMCI-old subjects was different, predominantly involving the
      frontal lobes and the left parietal lobe. Gray matter atrophy in aMCI-old
      subjects was less pronounced than that in the aMCI-young subjects, involving the
      hippocampus and the basal forebrain in both hemispheres CONCLUSIONS: Pathologic
      heterogeneity may be underlying the absence of AD-like glucose metabolic changes
      in older compared with younger patients with aMCI. This may be an important
      consideration for the clinical use of temporoparietal hypometabolism on FDG-PET
      as a marker for early diagnosis of AD in aMCI.

PMID- 20299443
TI  - Clinical utility of three-dimensional integrated 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron
      emission tomography/computed tomography virtual mediastinoscopy.
AB  - The objectives of this study were to devise a new image processing technique to
      reconstruct dynamic three-dimensional (3D) virtual mediastinoscopic images on the
      basis of positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) datasets, and
      to examine the clinical utility of this technique for preoperative simulation of
      and intraoperative guidance during mediastinoscopic nodal biopsy. Of 54 patients
      with suspected or proven lung cancer (LC) who underwent mediastinoscopy between
      January 2005 and December 2007, 37 also underwent preoperative PET/CT. Of these
      37 patients, we tested our image processing protocol in 15 consecutive patients
      with significant mediastinal uptake of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). We reconstructed
      3D virtual mediastinoscopy movies in two mutually complementary demonstration
      modes--the tracheobronchial- and vessel-modes--with accurate representation of
      actual mediastinoscopic procedures. The benefit of these virtual imaging was
      evaluated with regard to their utility in mediastinoscopic nodal biopsy. Our new
      technique enabled better understanding of the spatial interrelationship between
      FDG-avid nodes and mediastinal structures. It facilitated more accurate and safer
      nodal biopsy under virtual guidance. In conclusion, we showed the feasibility of
      our virtual mediastinoscopic technique, which may improve the procedural safety
      and diagnostic accuracy of mediastinoscopic nodal biopsy and nodal staging in LC.

PMID- 20299444
TI  - Clinical features of primary lung cancer adjoining pulmonary bulla.
AB  - A few investigators have suggested a possible association between lung cancer and
      a pulmonary bulla. But its correlation is not yet fully understood. Five hundred
      and forty-five cases with primary lung cancer were studied retrospectively by re
      evaluation of their chest computed tomography (CT)-scans. Cancer adjoined a bulla
      in 19 cases. In these instances, each case's clinical course, pathological
      findings and surgical results were investigated. All cases were men and were
      heavy smokers. Three of them were under 50 years of age. Bulla/cancer incidence
      was 3.5%. Initial symptoms were common respiratory symptoms in five cases (26.3%)
      and hemosputa and hoarseness in one case (5.3%), respectively. In comparison with
      the control group, a ratio of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and large cell
      carcinoma was significantly high (P<0.05) and differentiation of the carcinoma
      was poor (P<0.001). Although the pathological staging and lung function data
      revealed no statistical difference, the survival curve of bulla/cancer group was
      significantly worse (P<0.01). Primary lung cancer adjoining pulmonary bulla tends
      to be poor in prognosis, even if it was small in size. A low-density mass shadow
      adjoining the bulla should be frequently examined by CT-scans and should proceed
      to an exploratory thoracotomy if it have increased in size.

PMID- 20299446
TI  - Management of residual pleural space and air leaks after major pulmonary
      resection.
AB  - Postoperative air leaks associated with residual pleural space is a well known
      complication contributing to prolong hospitalization. Many techniques have been
      proposed for the treatment of this complication. Between 1999 and 2009, 39
      patients with air leaks associated with residual pleural space (>3 cm at chest X
      ray) persisting over three days after major lung resection were enrolled in this
      study. All patients were treated with combined pneumoperitoneum and autologus
      blood patch. Pneumoperitoneum is obtained by the injection of 30 ml/kg of air
      under the diaphragm, using a Verres needle through the periumbilical area. The
      blood patch is obtained by instillating 100 ml of autologus blood through the
      chest tubes. No patients experienced complications related to the procedure.
      Obliteration of pleural space was obtained in all the patients at a maximum of 96
      h postoperatively. Air leaks stopped in all the cases at a maximum of 144 h from
      surgery. Chest tube was removed 24 h after the air leakage disappearance. Our 10
      year experience supports the early, combined use of pneumoperitoneum and blood
      patch whenever pleural space and air leaks present after major pulmonary
      resection. This approach may be recommended because of its easiness, safety,
      effectiveness, and the low costs.

PMID- 20299445
TI  - Video-assisted thoracic surgery for pulmonary aspergilloma.
AB  - The purpose of this retrospective study was to review our experience with video
      assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) for pulmonary aspergilloma. The patients (n=20)
      were aged 62+/-12 years, and eight (40%) were aged 70 years or more. The disease
      types were simple aspergilloma (SA) in six patients and complex aspergilloma (CA)
      in 14. The surgical procedures performed were lobectomy in 14 patients,
      segmentectomy in two, and wedge resection in four. The operation time was shorter
      (143+/-69 min vs. 216+/-85 min; P=0.08) and the blood loss was less (10+/-17 ml
      vs. 307+/-346 ml; P<0.01) for patients with SA than those with CA. Postoperative
      death occurred in one patient with CA who developed a bronchial stump fistula (30
      day mortality; 5.0%). During follow-up, three patients died from other non
      disease-related causes, and the remaining 17 patients survived without
      recurrence. The 5-year survival rate was 89%. In suitable cases, VATS for
      pulmonary aspergilloma may not be inferior to open surgery with regard to safety
      and efficacy. In particular, SA is considered to be a good indication for VATS.

PMID- 20299447
TI  - Iatrogenic type A aortic dissection during cardiac surgery.
AB  - We reviewed our experience of intraoperative type A aortic dissection during
      cardiovascular surgery. From January 1998 to May 2009, intraoperative aortic
      dissection occurred in 10 of 3421 cardiac surgical patients (M:F=4:6, 62.4+/-8.0
      years). Preoperative diagnoses were valvular heart disease (n=6), ischemic heart
      disease (n=2), combined disease (n=1) and aortic aneurysm (n=1). All underwent
      total circulatory arrest (TCA) with retrograde cerebral perfusion and the torn
      aorta was replaced (n=8) or repaired (n=2). Iatrogenic type A dissection occurred
      in 0.29% of patients. It was related with cannulation of ascending aorta (n=4),
      axillary artery (n=2), aortic root (n=2), and femoral artery (n=1) and aortotomy
      repair (n=1). Mortality rate was 40% (4/10). After adoption of routine
      intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography, mortality rate decreased from
      75% (3/4) to 17% (1/6) (P=0.190). We initiated TCA before achieving deep
      hypothermia in three of four non-survivors. There was a trend of increased
      mortality when the disease extended beyond aortic arch (67%, 4/6 vs. 0%, 0/4;
      P=0.076). Although intraoperative aortic dissection occurred in <0.3% of our
      patient population, mortality was high, especially when it extended beyond the
      arch vessels. Better results were expected when early recognition and proper
      treatment under deep hypothermic circulatory arrest could be performed.

PMID- 20299449
TI  - A chromodomain switch mediated by histone H3 Lys 4 acetylation regulates
      heterochromatin assembly.
AB  - Chromodomain proteins (Chp1/Chp2/Swi6/Clr4) bind to methylated H3K9 (H3K9me) and
      regulate pericentric heterochromatin in fission yeast. Chp1 and Clr4 (H3K9-HMT),
      bind transcriptionally active heterochromatin, whereas Chp2/Swi6 (HP1 homologs)
      are recruited during the inactive state. We show that H3K4 acetylation (H3K4ac)
      plays a role in the transition of dimethylated H3K9 (H3K9me2) occupancy from
      Chp1/Clr4 to Chp2/Swi6. H3K4ac, mediated by Mst1, is enriched at pericentromeres
      concomitantly with heterochromatin reassembly. H3K4R (Lys --> Arg) mutation
      increases Chp1 and decreases Chp2/Swi6 pericentric occupancy and exhibits
      centromeric desilencing. Consistent with structural data, H3K4ac specifically
      reduces Chp1/Clr4 affinity to H3K9me. We propose that H3K4ac mediates a
      chromodomain switch from Chp1/Clr4 to Swi6/Chp2 to allow heterochromatin
      reassembly.

PMID- 20299448
TI  - MicroRNAs coordinate an alternative splicing network during mouse postnatal heart
      development.
AB  - Alternative splicing transitions have been identified recently as a conserved
      component of vertebrate heart remodeling during postnatal development. Here we
      report that the targeted deletion of Dicer, specifically in adult mouse
      myocardium, reveals the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in regulating networks of
      postnatal splicing transitions and in maintaining adult splicing programs. We
      demonstrate a direct role for miR-23a/b in the dramatic postnatal down-regulation
      of CUGBP and ETR-3-like factor (CELF) proteins that regulate nearly half of
      developmentally regulated splicing transitions in the heart. These findings
      define a hierarchy in which rapid postnatal up-regulation of specific miRNAs
      controls expression of alternative splicing regulators and the subsequent
      splicing transitions of their downstream targets.

PMID- 20299450
TI  - The communication skills used by deaf children and their hearing peers in a
      question-and-answer game context.
AB  - Communication is frequently characterized by a sequence of questions and answers.
      Little is known about how well students who are deaf or hard of hearing (deaf/HH)
      understand their hearing classmates in the context of an inclusive setting. This
      study explored the communication skills used by deaf/HH children when asking and
      answering questions in a "trivia" game with their hearing peers. Thirty-four
      children with normal hearing and 34 children with a hearing loss ranging from
      mild to profound (>90 dB HL) participated in this study. Each of the 34 dyads
      included 1 child with normal hearing and 1 child with hearing loss, matched by
      gender and grade level at school. Dyads were videotaped and analyzed. Pairs were
      compared in terms of their capacity to repeat the question, strategies used to
      seek information, and accuracy of responses. Results showed that the group of
      hearing children was able to repeat more questions verbatim compared to the
      deaf/HH children. The deaf/HH group required a significantly greater number of
      repetitions, sought a greater number of general clarifications, and correctly
      answered more questions compared with the group of hearing children. The
      implications of these findings are discussed in terms of peer communication and
      pragmatic skill development.

PMID- 20299451
TI  - Human CRB2 inhibits gamma-secretase cleavage of amyloid precursor protein by
      binding to the presenilin complex.
AB  - Drosophila Crumbs has been reported to attenuate Notch signaling by inhibition of
      gamma-secretase cleavage at the wing margins. gamma-Secretase is an intramembrane
      protease that is responsible for the generation of amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptides
      from the beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP). Here, we re-examined gamma
      secretase inhibition by human CRB2, which is the most abundant Crumbs ortholog in
      the brain. Transfected CRB2 inhibited proteolytic production of Abeta and APP
      intracellular domains from APP C-terminal fragments in HEK293 and SH-SY5Y cells.
      Conversely, knockdown of endogenous CRB2 increased gamma-secretase cleavage
      products in SH-SY5Y cells. CRB2 inhibition of gamma-cleavage was also detected in
      cell-free assays. CRB2 interacted with the gamma-secretase complex, but was not a
      competitive substrate for gamma-cleavage. The transmembrane domain of CRB2 was
      indispensable for inhibition of Abeta generation and mediated CRB2 binding with
      the gamma-secretase complex. In addition, the cytoplasmic domain appeared to play
      a supportive role in gamma-secretase inhibition, whereas mutational disruption of
      the two protein-binding motifs involved in the formation of cell adhesion
      complexes did not affect gamma-secretase inhibition. Co-overexpression of
      presenilin-1 or APH-1 abrogated gamma-secretase inhibition probably through
      prevention of the incorporation of CRB2 into the gamma-secretase complex. Our
      results suggest that CRB2 functions as an inhibitory binding protein that is
      involved in the formation of a mature but inactive pool of the gamma-secretase
      complex.

PMID- 20299452
TI  - Crystal structures of human choline kinase isoforms in complex with hemicholinium
      3: single amino acid near the active site influences inhibitor sensitivity.
AB  - Human choline kinase (ChoK) catalyzes the first reaction in phosphatidylcholine
      biosynthesis and exists as ChoKalpha (alpha1 and alpha2) and ChoKbeta isoforms.
      Recent studies suggest that ChoK is implicated in tumorigenesis and emerging as
      an attractive target for anticancer chemotherapy. To extend our understanding of
      the molecular mechanism of ChoK inhibition, we have determined the high
      resolution x-ray structures of the ChoKalpha1 and ChoKbeta isoforms in complex
      with hemicholinium-3 (HC-3), a known inhibitor of ChoK. In both structures, HC-3
      bound at the conserved hydrophobic groove on the C-terminal lobe. One of the HC-3
      oxazinium rings complexed with ChoKalpha1 occupied the choline-binding pocket,
      providing a structural explanation for its inhibitory action. Interestingly, the
      HC-3 molecule co-crystallized with ChoKbeta was phosphorylated in the choline
      binding site. This phosphorylation, albeit occurring at a very slow rate, was
      confirmed experimentally by mass spectroscopy and radioactive assays. Detailed
      kinetic studies revealed that HC-3 is a much more potent inhibitor for ChoKalpha
      isoforms (alpha1 and alpha2) compared with ChoKbeta. Mutational studies based on
      the structures of both inhibitor-bound ChoK complexes demonstrated that Leu-401
      of ChoKalpha2 (equivalent to Leu-419 of ChoKalpha1), or the corresponding residue
      Phe-352 of ChoKbeta, which is one of the hydrophobic residues neighboring the
      active site, influences the plasticity of the HC-3-binding groove, thereby
      playing a key role in HC-3 sensitivity and phosphorylation.

PMID- 20299453
TI  - Expression of a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) leads to attenuation of
      signaling by other GPCRs: experimental evidence for a spontaneous GPCR
      constitutive inactive form.
AB  - The idea of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) coupling to G protein solely in
      their active form was abolished when it was found that certain ligands induce a G
      protein-coupled but inactive receptor form. This receptor form interferes with
      signaling of other receptors by sequestering G protein. However, the spontaneous
      existence of this receptor species has never been established. The aim of the
      present work was to evaluate the existence of the spontaneous conformation of the
      receptor inactively coupled to G protein able to interfere with the response of
      other GPCRs. According to the law of mass action, receptor overexpression should
      lead to increased amounts of all spontaneously occurring species. Based on this,
      we generated Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1)-derived cell lines expressing various
      amounts of the human histamine H2 receptor. In these systems, the signaling of
      other endogenously and transiently expressed GPCRs was attenuated proportionally
      to human H2 receptor expression levels. G protein transfection specifically
      reverted this attenuation, strongly suggesting hijacking of the G protein from a
      common pool. Similar attenuation effects were observed when the beta(2)-
      adrenergic receptor was overexpressed, suggesting that this is a more general
      phenomenon. Moreover, in human mammary MDA-MB-231 cells, a consistent increase in
      the response of other GPCRs was observed when endogenous expression of beta(2)
      adrenergic receptor was knocked down using specific small interfering RNAs. Our
      findings show that GPCRs may interact with the signaling of other receptors by
      modulating the availability of the G protein and suggest the existence of GPCR
      spontaneous coupling to G proteins in an inactive form.

PMID- 20299454
TI  - Metabolic and transcriptional response to cofactor perturbations in Escherichia
      coli.
AB  - Metabolic cofactors such as NADH and ATP play important roles in a large number
      of cellular reactions, and it is of great interest to dissect the role of these
      cofactors in different aspects of metabolism. Toward this goal, we overexpressed
      NADH oxidase and the soluble F1-ATPase in Escherichia coli to lower the level of
      NADH and ATP, respectively. We used a global interaction network, comprising of
      protein interactions, transcriptional regulation, and metabolic networks, to
      integrate data from transcription profiles, metabolic fluxes, and the metabolite
      levels. We identified high-scoring networks for the two strains. The results
      revealed a smaller, but denser network for perturbations of ATP level, compared
      with that of NADH level. The action of many global transcription factors such as
      ArcA, Fnr, CRP, and IHF commonly involved both NADH and ATP, whereas others
      responded to either ATP or NADH. Overexpressing NADH oxidase invokes response in
      widespread aspects of metabolism involving the redox cofactors (NADH and NADPH),
      whereas ATPase has a more focused response to restore ATP level by enhancing
      proton translocation mechanisms and repressing biosynthesis. Interestingly, NADPH
      played a key role in restoring redox homeostasis through the concerted activity
      of isocitrate dehydrogenase and UdhA transhydrogenase. We present a reconciled
      network of regulation that illustrates the overlapping and distinct aspects of
      metabolism controlled by NADH and ATP. Our study contributes to the general
      understanding of redox and energy metabolism and should help in developing
      metabolic engineering strategies in E. coli.

PMID- 20299455
TI  - The fission yeast inhibitor of growth (ING) protein Png1p functions in response
      to DNA damage.
AB  - In budding yeast and human cells, ING (inhibitor of growth) tumor suppressor
      proteins play important roles in response to DNA damage by modulating chromatin
      structure through collaborating with histone acetyltransferase or histone
      deacetylase complexes. However, the biological functions of ING family proteins
      in fission yeast are poorly defined. Here, we report that Png1p, a fission yeast
      ING homolog protein, is required for cell growth under normal and DNA-damaged
      conditions. Png1p was further confirmed to regulate histone H4 acetylation
      through collaboration with the MYST family histone acetyltransferase 1 (Mst1).
      Additionally, both fission yeast PNG1 and MST1 can functionally complement their
      budding yeast correspondence homologs YNG2 and ESA1, respectively. These results
      suggest that ING proteins in fission yeast might also conserve function, similar
      to ING proteins in budding yeast and human cells. We also showed that decreased
      acetylation in Deltapng1 cells resulted in genome-wide down-regulation of 756
      open reading frames, including the central DNA repair gene RAD22. Overexpression
      of RAD22 partially rescued the png1 mutant phenotype under both normal and DNA
      damaged conditions. Furthermore, decreased expression of RAD22 in Deltapng1 cells
      was confirmed to be caused by decreased H4 acetylation at its promoter.
      Altogether, these results indicate that Png1p is required for histone H4
      acetylation and functions upstream of RAD22 in the DNA damage response pathway.

PMID- 20299456
TI  - Ligand-specific conformation of extracellular loop-2 in the angiotensin II type 1
      receptor.
AB  - The orientation of the second extracellular loop (ECL2) is divergent in G-protein
      coupled receptor (GPCR) structures determined. This discovery provoked the
      question, is the ECL2 conformation differentially regulated in the GPCRs that
      respond to diffusible ligands? We have determined the conformation of the ECL2 of
      the angiotensin II type 1 receptor by reporter-cysteine accessibility mapping in
      different receptor states (i.e. empty, agonist-bound and antagonist-bound). We
      introduced cysteines at each position of ECL2 of an N-terminal epitope-tagged
      receptor surrogate lacking all non-essential cysteines and then measured reaction
      of these with a cysteine-reactive biotin probe. The ability of biotinylated
      mutant receptors to react with a steptavidin-HRP-conjugated antibody was used as
      the basis for examining differences in accessibility. Two segments of ECL2 were
      accessible in the empty receptor, indicating an open conformation of ECL2. These
      segments were inaccessible in the ligand-bound states of the receptor. Using the
      accessibility constraint, we performed molecular dynamics simulation to predict
      ECL2 conformation in different states of the receptor. Analysis suggested that a
      lid conformation similar to that of ECL2 in rhodopsin was induced upon binding
      both agonist and antagonist, but exposing different accessible segments delimited
      by the highly conserved disulfide bond. Our study reveals the ability of ECL2 to
      interact with diffusing ligands and to adopt a ligand-specific lid conformation,
      thus, slowing down dissociation of ligands when bound. Distinct conformations
      induced by the bound agonist and the antagonist around the conserved disulfide
      bond suggest an important role for this disulfide bond in producing different
      functional states of the receptor.

PMID- 20299457
TI  - Oxidants positively or negatively regulate nuclear factor kappaB in a context
      dependent manner.
AB  - Redox-based mechanisms play critical roles in the regulation of multiple cellular
      functions. NF-kappaB, a master regulator of inflammation, is an inducible
      transcription factor generally considered to be redox-sensitive, but the modes of
      interactions between oxidant stress and NF-kappaB are incompletely defined. Here,
      we show that oxidants can either amplify or suppress NF-kappaB activation in
      vitro by interfering both with positive and negative signals in the NF-kappaB
      pathway. NF-kappaB activation was evaluated in lung A549 epithelial cells
      stimulated with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha), either alone or in
      combination with various oxidant species, including hydrogen peroxide or
      peroxynitrite. Exposure to oxidants after TNFalpha stimulation produced a robust
      and long lasting hyperactivation of NF-kappaB by preventing resynthesis of the NF
      kappaB inhibitor IkappaB, thereby abrogating the major negative feedback loop of
      NF-kappaB. This effect was related to continuous activation of inhibitor of
      kappaB kinase (IKK), due to persistent IKK phosphorylation consecutive to oxidant
      mediated inactivation of protein phosphatase 2A. In contrast, exposure to
      oxidants before TNFalpha stimulation impaired IKK phosphorylation and activation,
      leading to complete prevention of NF-kappaB activation. Comparable effects were
      obtained when interleukin-1beta was used instead of TNFalpha as the NF-kappaB
      activator. This study demonstrates that the influence of oxidants on NF-kappaB is
      entirely context-dependent, and that the final outcome (activation versus
      inhibition) depends on a balanced inhibition of protein phosphatase 2A and IKK by
      oxidant species. Our findings provide a new conceptual framework to understand
      the role of oxidant stress during inflammatory processes.

PMID- 20299459
TI  - Dicalcin inhibits fertilization through its binding to a glycoprotein in the egg
      envelope in Xenopus laevis.
AB  - Fertilization comprises oligosaccharide-mediated sperm-egg interactions,
      including sperm binding to an extracellular egg envelope, sperm penetration
      through the envelope, and fusion with an egg plasma membrane. We show that
      Xenopus dicalcin, an S100-like Ca(2+)-binding protein, present in the
      extracellular egg envelope (vitelline envelope (VE)), is a suppressive mediator
      of sperm-egg interaction. Preincubation with specific antibody greatly increased
      the efficiency of in vitro fertilization, whereas prior application of exogenous
      dicalcin substantially inhibited fertilization as well as sperm binding to an egg
      and in vitro sperm penetration through the VE protein layer. Dicalcin showed
      binding to protein cores of gp41 and gp37, constituents of VE, in a Ca(2+)
      dependent manner and increased in vivo reactivity of VE with a lectin, Ricinus
      communis agglutinin I, which was accounted for by increased binding ability of
      gp41 to the lectin and greater exposure of gp41 to an external environment. Our
      findings strongly suggest that dicalcin regulates the distribution of
      oligosaccharides within the VE through its binding to the protein core of gp41,
      probably by modulating configuration of oligosaccharides on gp41 and the three
      dimensional structure of VE framework, and thereby plays a pivotal role in sperm
      egg interactions during fertilization.

PMID- 20299458
TI  - The RNA polymerase-associated factor 1 complex (Paf1C) directly increases the
      elongation rate of RNA polymerase I and is required for efficient regulation of
      rRNA synthesis.
AB  - The rate of ribosome synthesis is proportional to the rate of cell proliferation;
      thus, transcription of rRNA by RNA polymerase I (Pol I) is an important target
      for the regulation of this process. Most previous investigations into mechanisms
      that regulate the rate of ribosome synthesis have focused on the initiation step
      of transcription by Pol I; however, recent studies in yeast and mammals have
      identified factors that influence transcription elongation by Pol I. The RNA
      polymerase-associated factor 1 complex (Paf1C) is a transcription elongation
      factor with known roles in Pol II transcription. We previously identified a role
      for Paf1C in transcription elongation by Pol I. In this study, genetic
      interactions between genes for Paf1C and Pol I subunits confirm this conclusion.
      In vitro studies demonstrate that purified Paf1C directly increases the rate of
      transcription elongation by Pol I. Finally, we show that Paf1C function is
      required for efficient control of Pol I transcription in response to target of
      rapamycin (TOR) signaling or amino acid limitation. These studies demonstrate
      that Paf1C plays an important direct role in cellular control of rRNA expression.

PMID- 20299460
TI  - Allosteric drug discrimination is coupled to mechanochemical changes in the
      kinesin-5 motor core.
AB  - Essential in mitosis, the human Kinesin-5 protein is a target for >80 classes of
      allosteric compounds that bind to a surface-exposed site formed by the L5 loop.
      Not established is why there are differing efficacies in drug inhibition. Here we
      compare the ligand-bound states of two L5-directed inhibitors against 15 Kinesin
      5 mutants by ATPase assays and IR spectroscopy. Biochemical kinetics uncovers
      functional differences between individual residues at the N or C termini of the
      L5 loop. Infrared evaluation of solution structures and multivariate analysis of
      the vibrational spectra reveal that mutation and/or ligand binding not only can
      remodel the allosteric binding surface but also can transmit long range effects.
      Changes in L5-localized 3(10) helix and disordered content, regardless of
      substitution or drug potency, are experimentally detected. Principal component
      analysis couples these local structural events to two types of rearrangements in
      beta-sheet hydrogen bonding. These transformations in beta-sheet contacts are
      correlated with inhibitory drug response and are corroborated by wild type
      Kinesin-5 crystal structures. Despite considerable evolutionary divergence, our
      data directly support a theorized conserved element for long distance
      mechanochemical coupling in kinesin, myosin, and F(1)-ATPase. These findings also
      suggest that these relatively rapid IR approaches can provide structural
      biomarkers for clinical determination of drug sensitivity and drug efficacy in
      nucleotide triphosphatases.

PMID- 20299461
TI  - A novel function of sphingosine kinase 1 suppression of JNK activity in
      preventing inflammation and injury.
AB  - The mechanism underlying the protective effect of sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1) in
      inflammatory injury is not clear. We demonstrated using SphK1-null mice (SphK1(-/
      )) the crucial role of SphK1 in suppressing lipopolysaccharide-induced neutrophil
      oxidant production and sequestration in lungs and mitigating lung inflammatory
      injury. This effect of SphK1 was independent of the production of sphingosine 1
      phosphate, the product of SphK1 activity. The anti-inflammatory effect of SphK1
      in the lipopolysaccharide model was mediated through SphK1 interaction with JNK.
      SphK1 stabilization of JNK in turn inhibited JNK binding to the JNK-interacting
      protein 3 (JIP3) and thus abrogated the activation of NADPH oxidase and oxidant
      generation and resultant NF-kappaB activation. Therefore, SphK1-mediated down
      regulation of JNK activity serves to dampen inflammation and tissue injury.

PMID- 20299462
TI  - Angiotensin II stimulates thick ascending limb NO production via AT(2) receptors
      and Akt1-dependent nitric-oxide synthase 3 (NOS3) activation.
AB  - Angiotensin II (Ang II) acutely stimulates thick ascending limb (TAL) NO via an
      unknown mechanism. In endothelial cells, activation of Ang II type 2 receptor
      (AT(2)) stimulates NO. Akt1 activates NOS3 by direct phosphorylation. We
      hypothesized that Ang II stimulates TAL NO production via AT(2)-mediated Akt1
      activation, which phosphorylates NOS3 at serine 1177. We measured NO production
      by fluorescence microscopy. In isolated TALs, Ang II (100 nm) increased NO
      production by 1.1 +/- 0.2 fluorescence units/min (p < 0.01). Ang II increased
      cGMP accumulation by 4.9 +/- 1.3 fmol/microg (p < 0.01). Upon adding the AT(2)
      antagonist PD123319 (1 microm), Ang II failed to stimulate NO (0.1 +/- 0.1
      fluorescence units/min; p < 0.001 versus Ang II); adding the AT(1) antagonist
      losartan (1 microm) resulted in Ang II stimulating NO by 0.9 +/- 0.1 fluorescence
      units/min. Akt inhibitor (5 microm) blocked Ang II-stimulated NO (-0.1 +/- 0.2
      fluorescence units/min versus inhibitor alone). Phospho-Akt1 increased by 72%
      after 5 min (p < 0.006), returning to basal after 10 min. Phospho-Akt2 did not
      change after 5 min but increased by 115 and 163% after 10 and 15 min (p < 0.02).
      Phospho-Akt3 did not change. An AT(2) agonist increased pAkt1 by 78% (p < 0.02),
      PI3K inhibition blocked this effect. In TALs transduced with dominant negative
      Akt1, Ang II failed to stimulate NO (0.1 +/- 0.2 fluorescence units/min versus
      1.2 +/- 0.2 for controls; p < 0.001). Ang II increased phospho-NOS3 at serine
      1177 by 130% (p < 0.01) and 150% after 5 and 10 min (p < 0.02). Ang II increased
      phosphoNOS3 at serine 633 by 50% after 5 min (p < 0.01). Akt inhibition prevented
      NOS3 phosphorylation. We concluded that Ang II enhances TAL NO production via
      activation of AT(2) and Akt1-dependent phosphorylation of NOS3 at serines 1177
      and 633.

PMID- 20299463
TI  - A combined computational and functional approach identifies new residues involved
      in pH-dependent gating of ASIC1a.
AB  - Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are key receptors for extracellular protons.
      These neuronal nonvoltage-gated Na(+) channels are involved in learning, the
      expression of fear, neurodegeneration after ischemia, and pain sensation. We have
      applied a systematic approach to identify potential pH sensors in ASIC1a and to
      elucidate the mechanisms by which pH variations govern ASIC gating. We first
      calculated the pK(a) value of all extracellular His, Glu, and Asp residues using
      a Poisson-Boltzmann continuum approach, based on the ASIC three-dimensional
      structure, to identify candidate pH-sensing residues. The role of these residues
      was then assessed by site-directed mutagenesis and chemical modification,
      combined with functional analysis. The localization of putative pH-sensing
      residues suggests that pH changes control ASIC gating by
      protonation/deprotonation of many residues per subunit in different channel
      domains. Analysis of the function of residues in the palm domain close to the
      central vertical axis of the channel allowed for prediction of conformational
      changes of this region during gating. Our study provides a basis for the
      intrinsic ASIC pH dependence and describes an approach that can also be applied
      to the investigation of the mechanisms of the pH dependence of other proteins.

PMID- 20299464
TI  - Alterations in skeletal muscle fatty acid handling predisposes middle-aged mice
      to diet-induced insulin resistance.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Although advanced age is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, a clear
      understanding of the changes that occur during middle age that contribute to the
      development of skeletal muscle insulin resistance is currently lacking.
      Therefore, we sought to investigate how middle age impacts skeletal muscle fatty
      acid handling and to determine how this contributes to the development of diet
      induced insulin resistance. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Whole-body and skeletal
      muscle insulin resistance were studied in young and middle-aged wild-type and
      CD36 knockout (KO) mice fed either a standard or a high-fat diet for 12 weeks.
      Molecular signaling pathways, intramuscular triglycerides accumulation, and
      targeted metabolomics of in vivo mitochondrial substrate flux were also analyzed
      in the skeletal muscle of mice of all ages. RESULTS: Middle-aged mice fed a
      standard diet demonstrated an increase in intramuscular triglycerides without a
      concomitant increase in insulin resistance. However, middle-aged mice fed a high
      fat diet were more susceptible to the development of insulin resistance-a
      condition that could be prevented by limiting skeletal muscle fatty acid
      transport and excessive lipid accumulation in middle-aged CD36 KO mice.
      CONCLUSION: Our data provide insight into the mechanisms by which aging becomes a
      risk factor for the development of insulin resistance. Our data also demonstrate
      that limiting skeletal muscle fatty acid transport is an effective approach for
      delaying the development of age-associated insulin resistance and metabolic
      disease during exposure to a high-fat diet.

PMID- 20299465
TI  - Prevention of diabetes by FTY720-mediated stabilization of peri-islet tertiary
      lymphoid organs.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse is a well-established mouse model of
      spontaneous type 1 diabetes, which is characterized by an autoimmune destruction
      of the insulin-secreting pancreatic beta-cells. In this study, we address the
      role of tertiary lymphoid organs (TLOs) that form in the pancreas of NOD mice
      during disease progression. METHODS: We developed a model designed to "lock"
      lymphocytes in the pancreatic lymph node (PLN) and pancreas by the use of FTY720,
      which blocks the exit of lymphocytes from lymph nodes. A combination of flow
      cytometry, immunofluorescence, and analysis of clinical scores was used to study
      the effects of long-term FTY720 treatment on TLO development and development of
      diabetes. RESULTS: Continuous treatment of NOD mice with FTY720 prevented
      diabetes development even at a time of significant insulitis. Treatment
      withdrawal led to accelerated disease independent of the PLN. Interestingly,
      naive T-cells trafficked to and proliferated in the TLOs. In addition,
      morphological changes were observed that occurred during the development of the
      disease. Remarkably, although the infiltrates are not organized into T/B-cell
      compartments in 8-week-old mice, by 20 weeks of age, and in age-matched mice
      undergoing FTY720 treatment, the infiltrates showed a high degree of
      organization. However, in naturally and FTY720-induced diabetic mice, T/B-cell
      compartmentalization was lost. CONCLUSION: Our data show that TLOs are
      established during diabetes development and suggest that islet destruction is due
      to a loss of TLO integrity, which may be prevented by FTY720 treatment.

PMID- 20299466
TI  - Mechanisms of insulin resistance after insulin-induced hypoglycemia in humans:
      the role of lipolysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Changes in glucose metabolism occurring during counterregulation are,
      in part, mediated by increased plasma free fatty acids (FFAs), as a result of
      hypoglycemia-activated lipolysis. However, it is not known whether FFA plays a
      role in the development of posthypoglycemic insulin resistance as well. RESEARCH
      DESIGN AND METHODS: We conducted a series of studies in eight healthy volunteers
      using acipimox, an inhibitor of lipolysis. Insulin action was measured during a 2
      h hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp (plasma glucose [PG] 5.1 mmo/l) from 5:00
      p.m. to 7:00 p.m. or after a 3-h morning hyperinsulinemic-glucose clamp (from 10
      a.m. to 1:00 p.m.), either euglycemic (study 1) or hypoglycemic (PG 3.2 mmol/l,
      studies 2-4), during which FFA levels were allowed to increase (study 2), were
      suppressed by acipimox (study 3), or were replaced by infusing lipids (study 4).
      [6,6-(2)H(2)]-Glucose was infused to measure glucose fluxes. RESULTS: Plasma
      adrenaline, norepinephrine, growth hormone, and cortisol levels were unchanged (P
      > 0.2). Glucose infusion rates (GIRs) during the euglycemic clamp were reduced by
      morning hypoglycemia in study 2 versus study 1 (16.8 +/- 2.3 vs. 34.1 +/- 2.2
      micromol/kg/min, respectively, P < 0.001). The effect was largely removed by
      blockade of lipolysis during hypoglycemia in study 3 (28.9 +/- 2.6
      micromol/kg/min, P > 0.2 vs. study 1) and largely reproduced by replacement of
      FFA in study 4 (22.3 +/- 2.8 micromol/kg/min, P < 0.03 vs. study 1). Compared
      with study 2, blockade of lipolysis in study 3 decreased endogenous glucose
      production (2 +/- 0.3 vs. 0.85 +/- 0.1 micromol/kg/min, P < 0.05) and increased
      glucose utilization (16.9 +/- 1.85 vs. 28.5 +/- 2.7 micromol/kg/min, P < 0.05).
      In study 4, GIR fell by approximately 23% (22.3 +/- 2.8 micromol/kg/min, vs.
      study 3, P = 0.058), indicating a role of acipimox per se on insulin action.
      CONCLUSION: Lipolysis induced by hypoglycemia counterregulation largely mediates
      posthypoglycemic insulin resistance in healthy subjects, with an estimated
      overall contribution of approximately 39%.

PMID- 20299467
TI  - Ectopic expression of E2F1 stimulates beta-cell proliferation and function.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Generating functional beta-cells by inducing their proliferation may
      provide new perspectives for cell therapy in diabetes. Transcription factor E2F1
      controls G(1)- to S-phase transition during the cycling of many cell types and is
      required for pancreatic beta-cell growth and function. However, the consequences
      of overexpression of E2F1 in beta-cells are unknown. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS:
      The effects of E2F1 overexpression on beta-cell proliferation and function were
      analyzed in isolated rat beta-cells and in transgenic mice. RESULTS: Adenovirus
      AdE2F1-mediated overexpression of E2F1 increased the proliferation of isolated
      primary rat beta-cells 20-fold but also enhanced beta-cell death. Coinfection
      with adenovirus AdAkt expressing a constitutively active form of Akt (protein
      kinase B) suppressed beta-cell death to control levels. At 48 h after infection,
      the total beta-cell number and insulin content were, respectively, 46 and 79%
      higher in AdE2F1+AdAkt-infected cultures compared with untreated. Conditional
      overexpression of E2F1 in mice resulted in a twofold increase of beta-cell
      proliferation and a 70% increase of pancreatic insulin content, but did not
      increase beta-cell mass. Glucose-challenged insulin release was increased, and
      the mice showed protection against toxin-induced diabetes. CONCLUSIONS:
      Overexpression of E2F1, either in vitro or in vivo, can stimulate beta-cell
      proliferation activity. In vivo E2F1 expression significantly increases the
      insulin content and function of adult beta-cells, making it a strategic target
      for therapeutic manipulation of beta-cell function.

PMID- 20299469
TI  - Idd9.2 and Idd9.3 protective alleles function in CD4+ T-cells and nonlymphoid
      cells to prevent expansion of pathogenic islet-specific CD8+ T-cells.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Multiple type 1 diabetes susceptibility genes have now been identified
      in both humans and mice, yet mechanistic understanding of how they impact disease
      pathogenesis is still minimal. We have sought to dissect the cellular basis for
      how the highly protective mouse Idd9 region limits the expansion of autoreactive
      CD8(+) T-cells, a key cell type in destruction of the islets. RESEARCH DESIGN AND
      METHODS: We assess the endogenous CD8(+) T-cell repertoire for reactivity to the
      islet antigen glucose-6-phosphatase-related protein (IGRP). Through the use of
      adoptively transferred T-cells, bone marrow chimeras, and reconstituted severe
      combined immunodeficient mice, we identify the protective cell types involved.
      RESULTS: IGRP-specific CD8(+) T-cells are present at low frequency in the
      insulitic lesions of Idd9 mice and could not be recalled in the periphery by
      viral expansion. We show that Idd9 genes act extrinsically to the CD8(+) T-cell
      to prevent the massive expansion of pathogenic effectors near the time of disease
      onset that occurs in NOD mice. The subregions Idd9.2 and Idd9.3 mediated this
      effect. Interestingly, the Idd9.1 region, which provides significant protection
      from disease, did not prevent the expansion of autoreactive CD8(+) T-cells.
      Expression of Idd9 genes was required by both CD4(+) T-cells and a nonlymphoid
      cell to induce optimal tolerance. CONCLUSIONS: Idd9 protective alleles are
      associated with reduced expansion of IGRP-specific CD8(+) T-cells. Intrinsic
      expression of protective Idd9 alleles in CD4(+) T-cells and nonlymphoid cells is
      required to achieve an optimal level of tolerance. Protective alleles in the
      Idd9.2 congenic subregion are required for the maximal reduction of islet
      specific CD8(+) T-cells.

PMID- 20299468
TI  - Influence of insulin in the ventromedial hypothalamus on pancreatic glucagon
      secretion in vivo.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Insulin released by the beta-cell is thought to act locally to
      regulate glucagon secretion. The possibility that insulin might also act
      centrally to modulate islet glucagon secretion has received little attention.
      RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Initially the counterregulatory response to
      identical hypoglycemia was compared during intravenous insulin and phloridzin
      infusion in awake chronically catheterized nondiabetic rats. To explore whether
      the disparate glucagon responses seen were in part due to changes in ventromedial
      hypothalamus (VMH) exposure to insulin, bilateral guide cannulas were inserted to
      the level of the VMH and 8 days later rats received a VMH microinjection of
      either 1) anti-insulin affibody, 2) control affibody, 3) artificial extracellular
      fluid, 4) insulin (50 microU), 5) insulin receptor antagonist (S961), or 6) anti
      insulin affibody plus a gamma-aminobutyric acid A (GABA(A)) receptor agonist
      muscimol, prior to a hypoglycemic clamp or under baseline conditions. RESULTS: As
      expected, insulin-induced hypoglycemia produced a threefold increase in plasma
      glucagon. However, the glucagon response was fourfold to fivefold greater when
      circulating insulin did not increase, despite equivalent hypoglycemia and C
      peptide suppression. In contrast, epinephrine responses were not altered. The
      phloridzin-hypoglycemia induced glucagon increase was attenuated (40%) by VMH
      insulin microinjection. Conversely, local VMH blockade of insulin amplified
      glucagon twofold to threefold during insulin-induced hypoglycemia. Furthermore,
      local blockade of basal insulin levels or insulin receptors within the VMH caused
      an immediate twofold increase in fasting glucagon levels that was prevented by
      coinjection to the VMH of a GABA(A) receptor agonist. CONCLUSIONS: Together,
      these data suggest that insulin's inhibitory effect on alpha-cell glucagon
      release is in part mediated at the level of the VMH under both normoglycemic and
      hypoglycemic conditions.

PMID- 20299470
TI  - Extracellular fatty acid synthase: a possible surrogate biomarker of insulin
      resistance.
AB  - CONTEXT: Circulating fatty acid synthase (FASN) is a biomarker of metabolically
      demanding human diseases. The aim of this study was to determine whether
      circulating FASN could be a biomarker of overnutrition-induced metabolic stress
      and insulin resistance in common metabolic disorders. RESEARCH DESIGN AND
      METHODS: Circulating FASN was evaluated in two cross-sectional studies in
      association with insulin sensitivity and in four longitudinal studies
      investigating the effect of diet- and surgery-induced weight loss, physical
      training, and adipose tissue expansion using peroxisome proliferator-activated
      receptor agonist rosiglitazone on circulating FASN. RESULTS: Age- and BMI
      adjusted FASN concentrations were significantly increased in association with
      obesity-induced insulin resistance in two independent cohorts. Both visceral and
      subcutaneous FASN expression and protein levels correlated inversely with
      extracellular circulating FASN (P = -0.63; P < 0.0001), suggesting that
      circulating FASN is linked to depletion of intracellular FASN. Improved insulin
      sensitivity induced by therapeutic strategies that decreased fat mass (diet
      induced, surgery induced, or physical training) all led to decreased FASN levels
      in blood (P values between 0.02 and 0.04). To discriminate whether this was an
      effect related to insulin sensitization, we also investigated the effects of
      rosiglitazone. Rosiglitazone did not lead to significant changes in circulating
      FASN concentration. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that circulating FASN is a
      biomarker of overnutrition-induced insulin resistance that could provide
      diagnostic and prognostic advantages by providing insights on the individualized
      metabolic stress.

PMID- 20299471
TI  - FTO genetic variation and association with obesity in West Africans and African
      Americans.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The FTO gene is one of the most consistently replicated loci for
      obesity. However, data from populations of African ancestry are limited. We
      evaluated genetic variation in the FTO gene and investigated associations with
      obesity in West Africans and African Americans. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The
      study samples comprised 968 African Americans (59% female, mean age 49 years,
      mean BMI 30.8 kg/m(2)) and 517 West Africans (58% female, mean age 54 years, mean
      BMI 25.5 kg/m(2)). FTO genetic variation was evaluated by genotyping 262 tag
      single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across the entire gene. Association of
      each SNP with BMI, waist circumference, and percent fat mass was investigated
      under an additive model. RESULTS: As expected, both African-ancestry samples
      showed weaker linkage disequilibrium (LD) patterns compared with other
      continental (e.g., European) populations. Several intron 8 SNPs, in addition to
      intron 1 SNPs, showed significant associations in both study samples. The
      combined effect size for BMI for the top SNPs from meta-analysis was 0.77 kg/m(2)
      (P = 0.009, rs9932411) and 0.70 kg/m(2) (P = 0.006, rs7191513). Two previously
      reported associations with intron 1 SNPs (rs1121980 and rs7204609, r(2) = 0.001)
      were replicated among the West Africans. CONCLUSIONS: The FTO gene shows
      significant differences in allele frequency and LD patterns in populations of
      African ancestry compared with other continental populations. Despite these
      differences, we observed evidence of associations with obesity in African
      Americans and West Africans, as well as evidence of heterogeneity in association.
      More studies of FTO in multiple ethnic groups are needed.

PMID- 20299472
TI  - Activation of AMP-activated protein kinase inhibits oxidized LDL-triggered
      endoplasmic reticulum stress in vivo.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The oxidation of LDLs is considered a key step in the development of
      atherosclerosis. How LDL oxidation contributes to atherosclerosis remains poorly
      defined. Here we report that oxidized and glycated LDL (HOG-LDL) causes aberrant
      endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and that the AMP-activated protein kinase
      (AMPK) suppressed HOG-LDL-triggered ER stress in vivo. RESEARCH DESIGN AND
      METHODS: ER stress markers, sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) ATPase
      (SERCA) activity and oxidation, and AMPK activity were monitored in cultured
      bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) exposed to HOG-LDL or in isolated aortae
      from mice fed an atherogenic diet. RESULTS: Exposure of BAECs to clinically
      relevant concentrations of HOG-LDL induced prolonged ER stress and reduced SERCA
      activity but increased SERCA oxidation. Chronic administration of Tempol (a
      potent antioxidant) attenuated both SERCA oxidation and aberrant ER stress in
      mice fed a high-fat diet in vivo. Likewise, AMPK activation by pharmacological
      (5'-aminoimidazole-4-carboxymide-1-beta-d-ribofuranoside, metformin, and statin)
      or genetic means (adenoviral overexpression of constitutively active AMPK
      mutants) significantly mitigated ER stress and SERCA oxidation and improved the
      endothelium-dependent relaxation in isolated mouse aortae. Finally, Tempol
      administration markedly attenuated impaired endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation,
      SERCA oxidation, ER stress, and atherosclerosis in ApoE(-/-) and ApoE(-/
      )/AMPKalpha2(-/-) fed a high-fat diet. CONCLUSION: We conclude that HOG-LDL, via
      enhanced SERCA oxidation, causes aberrant ER stress, endothelial dysfunction, and
      atherosclerosis in vivo, all of which are inhibited by AMPK activation.

PMID- 20299473
TI  - TBC1D1 regulates insulin- and contraction-induced glucose transport in mouse
      skeletal muscle.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: TBC1D1 is a member of the TBC1 Rab-GTPase family of proteins and is
      highly expressed in skeletal muscle. Insulin and contraction increase TBC1D1
      phosphorylation on phospho-Akt substrate motifs (PASs), but the function of
      TBC1D1 in muscle is not known. Genetic linkage analyses show a TBC1D1 R125W
      missense variant confers risk for severe obesity in humans. The objective of this
      study was to determine whether TBC1D1 regulates glucose transport in skeletal
      muscle. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In vivo gene injection and electroporation
      were used to overexpress wild-type and several mutant TBC1D1 proteins in mouse
      tibialis anterior muscles, and glucose transport was measured in vivo. RESULTS:
      Expression of the obesity-associated R125W mutant significantly decreased insulin
      stimulated glucose transport in the absence of changes in TBC1D1 PAS
      phosphorylation. Simultaneous expression of an inactive Rab-GTPase (GAP) domain
      of TBC1D1 in the R125W mutant reversed this decrease in glucose transport caused
      by the R125W mutant. Surprisingly, expression of TBC1D1 mutated to Ala on four
      conserved Akt and/or AMP-activated protein kinase predicted phosphorylation sites
      (4P) had no effect on insulin-stimulated glucose transport. In contrast,
      expression of the TBC1D1 4P mutant decreased contraction-stimulated glucose
      transport, an effect prevented by concomitant disruption of TBC1D1 Rab-GAP
      activity. There was no effect of the R125W mutation on contraction-stimulated
      glucose transport. CONCLUSIONS: TBC1D1 regulates both insulin- and contraction
      stimulated glucose transport, and this occurs via distinct mechanisms. The R125W
      mutation of TBC1D1 impairs skeletal muscle glucose transport, which could be a
      mechanism for the obesity associated with this mutation.

PMID- 20299474
TI  - Inhibition of connective tissue growth factor overexpression in diabetic
      retinopathy by SERPINA3K via blocking the WNT/beta-catenin pathway.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is a major fibrogenic factor.
      Increased retinal CTGF levels have been implicated to play a role in diabetic
      retinopathy. SERPINA3K is a serine proteinase inhibitor, and its levels were
      decreased in retinas with diabetic retinopathy. The purpose of this study was to
      investigate the role of SERPINA3K in the regulation of CTGF and fibrogenesis and
      its mechanism of action. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Adenovirus expressing
      SERPINA3K was injected intravitreally into streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.
      CTGF expression was measured using Western blot analysis and real-time RT-PCR.
      Fibrosis was evaluated by quantifying retinal fibronectin using enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay. Wnt pathway activation was determined by phosphorylation of
      LDL receptor-related protein 6, a coreceptor of Wnt ligands, and stabilization of
      beta-catenin, an essential effector of the canonical Wnt pathway. RESULTS: Ad
      SERPINA3K attenuated the CTGF and fibronectin overexpression in retinas of
      diabetic rats. In cultured retinal cells, SERPINA3K blocked the overproduction of
      CTGF induced by high glucose. Dickkopf-1, a specific Wnt antagonist, also
      attenuated the high-glucose-induced CTGF overexpression, indicating a role of Wnt
      signaling in CTGF overexpression in diabetes. Similarly, increased SERPINA3K
      blocked Wnt pathway activation in diabetic retinas and in cells treated with high
      glucose. Further, SERPINA3K also attenuated the Wnt3a-induced activation of the
      canonical Wnt pathway and the overexpression of CTGF. CONCLUSION: SERPINA3K is an
      antifibrogenic factor, and its antifibrogenic activity is through blocking the
      Wnt pathway. Decreased SERPINA3K levels may contribute to the fibrosis in
      diabetic retinopathy.

PMID- 20299475
TI  - Chronic rapamycin treatment causes glucose intolerance and hyperlipidemia by
      upregulating hepatic gluconeogenesis and impairing lipid deposition in adipose
      tissue.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/p70 S6 kinase 1 (S6K1)
      pathway is a critical signaling component in the development of obesity-linked
      insulin resistance and operates a nutrient-sensing negative feedback loop toward
      the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase)/Akt pathway. Whereas acute
      treatment of insulin target cells with the mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) inhibitor
      rapamycin prevents nutrient-induced insulin resistance, the chronic effect of
      rapamycin on insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism in vivo remains elusive.
      RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: To assess the metabolic effects of chronic
      inhibition of the mTORC1/S6K1 pathway, rats were treated with rapamycin (2
      mg/kg/day) or vehicle for 15 days before metabolic phenotyping. RESULTS: Chronic
      rapamycin treatment reduced adiposity and fat cell number, which was associated
      with a coordinated downregulation of genes involved in both lipid uptake and
      output. Rapamycin treatment also promoted insulin resistance, severe glucose
      intolerance, and increased gluconeogenesis. The latter was associated with
      elevated expression of hepatic gluconeogenic master genes, PEPCK and G6Pase, and
      increased expression of the transcriptional coactivator peroxisome proliferator
      activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1alpha (PGC-1alpha) as well as enhanced
      nuclear recruitment of FoxO1, CRTC2, and CREB. These changes were observed
      despite normal activation of the insulin receptor substrate/PI 3-kinase/Akt axis
      in liver of rapamycin-treated rats, as expected from the blockade of the
      mTORC1/S6K1 negative feedback loop. CONCLUSIONS: These findings unravel a novel
      mechanism by which mTORC1/S6K1 controls gluconeogenesis through modulation of
      several key transcriptional factors. The robust induction of the gluconeogenic
      program in liver of rapamycin-treated rats underlies the development of severe
      glucose intolerance even in the face of preserved hepatic insulin signaling to
      Akt and despite a modest reduction in adiposity.

PMID- 20299476
TI  - Naturally arising human CD4 T-cells that recognize islet autoantigens and secrete
      interleukin-10 regulate proinflammatory T-cell responses via linked suppression.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Regulatory T-cells (Tregs) recognizing islet autoantigens are proposed
      as a key mechanism in the maintenance of self-tolerance and protection from type
      1 diabetes. To date, however, detailed information on such cells in humans, and
      insight into their mechanisms of action, has been lacking. We previously reported
      that a subset of CD4 T-cells secreting high levels of the immunosuppressive
      cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10) is significantly associated with late onset of
      type 1 diabetes and is constitutively present in a majority of nondiabetic
      individuals. Here, we test the hypothesis that these T-cells represent a
      naturally generated population of Tregs capable of suppressing proinflammatory T
      cell responses. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We isolated and cloned islet
      specific IL-10-secreting CD4(+) T-cells from nondiabetic individuals after brief
      ex vivo exposure to islet autoantigens using cytokine capture technology and
      examined their phenotype and regulatory potential. RESULTS: Islet-specific IL
      10(+) CD4 T-cells are potent suppressors of Th1 effector cells, operating through
      a linked suppression mechanism in which there is an absolute requirement for the
      cognate antigen of both the regulatory and effector T-cells to be presented by
      the same antigen-presenting cell (APC). The regulatory T-cells secrete perforin
      and granzymes, and suppression is associated with the specific killing of APCs
      presenting antigen to effector T-cells. CONCLUSIONS: This hitherto undescribed
      population of islet autoantigen-specific Tregs displays unique characteristics
      that offer exquisite specificity and control over the potential for pathological
      autoreactivity and may provide a suitable target with which to strengthen beta
      cell-specific tolerance.

PMID- 20299477
TI  - Deletion of the alpha-arrestin protein Txnip in mice promotes adiposity and
      adipogenesis while preserving insulin sensitivity.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Thioredoxin interacting protein (Txnip), a regulator of cellular
      oxidative stress, is induced by hyperglycemia and inhibits glucose uptake into
      fat and muscle, suggesting a role for Txnip in type 2 diabetes pathogenesis.
      Here, we tested the hypothesis that Txnip-null (knockout) mice are protected from
      insulin resistance induced by a high-fat diet. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Txnip
      gene-deleted (knockout) mice and age-matched wild-type littermate control mice
      were maintained on a standard chow diet or subjected to 4 weeks of high-fat
      feeding. Mice were assessed for body composition, fat development, energy
      balance, and insulin responsiveness. Adipogenesis was measured from ex vivo fat
      preparations, and in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and 3T3-L1 preadipocytes
      after forced manipulation of Txnip expression. RESULTS: Txnip knockout mice
      gained significantly more adipose mass than controls due to a primary increase in
      both calorie consumption and adipogenesis. Despite increased fat mass, Txnip
      knockout mice were markedly more insulin sensitive than controls, and augmented
      glucose transport was identified in both adipose and skeletal muscle. RNA
      interference gene-silenced preadipocytes and Txnip(-/-) MEFs were markedly
      adipogenic, whereas Txnip overexpression impaired adipocyte differentiation. As
      increased adipogenesis and insulin sensitivity suggested aspects of augmented
      peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARgamma) response, we
      investigated Txnip's regulation of PPARgamma function; manipulation of Txnip
      expression directly regulated PPARgamma expression and activity. CONCLUSIONS:
      Txnip deletion promotes adiposity in the face of high-fat caloric excess;
      however, loss of this alpha-arrestin protein simultaneously enhances insulin
      responsiveness in fat and skeletal muscle, revealing Txnip as a novel mediator of
      insulin resistance and a regulator of adipogenesis.

PMID- 20299478
TI  - Critical role of the mesenteric depot versus other intra-abdominal adipose depots
      in the development of insulin resistance in young rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Age-associated insulin resistance may be caused by increased visceral
      adiposity and older animals appear to be more susceptible to obesity-related
      resistance than young animals. However, it is unclear to what extent the portally
      drained mesenteric fat depot influences this susceptibility. RESEARCH DESIGN AND
      METHODS: Young high-fat-fed and old obese rats were subjected to 0, 2, 4, or 6
      weeks of caloric restriction. Insulin sensitivity (S(I)) was assessed by
      hyperinsulinemic clamp and lean body mass (LBM) and total body fat were assessed
      by (18)O-water administration. RESULTS: Six weeks of caloric restriction caused a
      similar reduction in body weight in young and old animals (P = 0.748) that was
      not due to reduced subcutaneous fat or LBM, but rather preferential loss of
      abdominal fat (P < 0.05). Most notably, mesenteric fat was reduced equivalently
      in young and old rats after 6 weeks of caloric restriction ( approximately
      decrease 53%; P = 0.537). Despite similar visceral fat loss, S(I) improved less
      in old ( increase 32.76 +/- 9.80%) than in young ( increase 82.91 +/- 12.66%)
      rats versus week 0. In addition, there was significantly more reversal of fat
      accumulation in the liver in young (% reduction: 89 +/- 2) versus old (64 +/- 5)
      rats (P < 0.0001). Furthermore, in young rats, S(I) changed much more rapidly for
      a given change in mesenteric fat versus other abdominal depots (slope = 0.53 vs.
      < or =0.27 kg/min/mg per % fat). CONCLUSIONS Improved S(I) during caloric
      restriction correlated with a preferential abdominal fat loss. This improvement
      was refractory in older animals, likely because of slower liberation of hepatic
      lipid. Furthermore, mesenteric fat was a better predictor of S(I) than other
      abdominal depots in young but not old rats. These results suggest a singular role
      for mesenteric fat to determine insulin resistance. This role may be related to
      delivery of lipid to liver, and associated accumulation of liver fat.

PMID- 20299479
TI  - Alterations in retinal microvascular geometry in young type 1 diabetes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe retinal microvascular geometric parameters in young
      patients with type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Patients with type 1
      diabetes (aged 12-20 years) had clinical assessments and retinal photography
      following standardized protocol at a tertiary-care hospital in Sydney. Retinal
      microvascular geometry, including arteriolar and venular tortuosity, branching
      angles, optimality deviation, and length-to-diameter ratio (LDR), were measured
      from digitized photographs. Associations of these geometric characteristics with
      diabetes duration, A1C level, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and other risk
      factors were assessed. RESULTS: Of 1,159 patients enrolled, 944 (81.4%) had
      gradable photographs and 170 (14.7%) had retinopathy. Older age was associated
      with decreased arteriolar (P = 0.024) and venular (P = 0.002) tortuosity, and
      female subjects had larger arteriolar branching angle than male subjects (P =
      0.03). After adjusting for age and sex, longer diabetes duration was associated
      with larger arteriolar branching angle (P <or= 0.001) and increased arteriolar
      optimality deviation (P = 0.018), higher A1C was associated with increased
      arteriolar tortuosity (>8.5 vs. <or=8.5%, P = 0.008), higher SBP was associated
      with decreased arteriolar LDR (P = 0.002), and higher total cholesterol levels
      were associated with increased arteriolar LDR (P = 0.044) and decreased venular
      optimality deviation (P = 0.044). These associations remained after controlling
      for A1C, retinal vessel caliber, and retinopathy status and were seen in subjects
      without retinopathy. CONCLUSIONS: Key diabetes-related factors affect retinal
      microvascular geometry in young type 1 diabetes, even in those without evidence
      of retinopathy. These early retinal alterations may be markers of diabetes
      microvascular complications.

PMID- 20299480
TI  - Long-term metformin use is associated with decreased risk of breast cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether use of oral hypoglycemic agents is associated with
      an altered breast cancer risk in women. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Using the
      U.K.-based General Practice Research Database, we conducted a nested case-control
      analysis among 22,621 female users of oral antidiabetes drugs with type 2
      diabetes. We evaluated whether they had an altered risk of breast cancer in
      relation to use of various types of oral hypoglycemic agents. Case and control
      patients with a recorded diagnosis of type 2 diabetes were matched on age,
      calendar time, and general practice, and the multivariate conditional logistic
      regression analyses were further adjusted for use of oral antidiabetes drugs,
      insulin, estrogens, smoking BMI, diabetes duration, and HbA1c (A1C). RESULTS: We
      identified 305 case patients with a recorded incident diagnosis of breast cancer.
      The mean +/- SD age was 67.5 +/- 10.5 years at the time of the cancer diagnosis.
      Long-term use of >or=40 prescriptions (>5 years) of metformin, based on 17
      exposed case patients and 120 exposed control patients, was associated with an
      adjusted odds ratio of 0.44 (95% CI 0.24-0.82) for developing breast cancer
      compared with no use of metformin. Neither short-term metformin use nor use of
      sulfonylureas or other antidiabetes drugs was associated with a materially
      altered risk for breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS: A decreased risk of breast cancer
      was observed in female patients with type 2 diabetes using metformin on a long
      term basis.

PMID- 20299481
TI  - Online diabetes self-management program: a randomized study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that people with type 2 diabetes in an online diabetes
      self-management program, compared with usual-care control subjects, would 1)
      demonstrate reduced A1C at 6 and 18 months, 2) have fewer symptoms, 3)
      demonstrate increased exercise, and 4) have improved self-efficacy and patient
      activation. In addition, participants randomized to listserve reinforcement would
      have better 18-month outcomes than participants receiving no reinforcement.
      RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 761 participants were randomized to 1)
      the program, 2) the program with e-mail reinforcement, or 3) were usual-care
      control subjects (no treatment). This sample included 110 American Indians/Alaska
      Natives (AI/ANs). Analyses of covariance models were used at the 6- and 18-month
      follow-up to compare groups. RESULTS: At 6 months, A1C, patient activation, and
      self-efficacy were improved for program participants compared with usual care
      control subjects (P < 0.05). There were no changes in other health or behavioral
      indicators. The AI/AN program participants demonstrated improvements in health
      distress and activity limitation compared with usual-care control subjects. The
      subgroup with initial A1C >7% demonstrated stronger improvement in A1C (P =
      0.01). At 18 months, self-efficacy and patient activation were improved for
      program participants. A1C was not measured. Reinforcement showed no improvement.
      CONCLUSIONS: An online diabetes self-management program is acceptable for people
      with type 2 diabetes. Although the results were mixed they suggest 1) that the
      program may have beneficial effects in reducing A1C, 2) AI/AN populations can be
      engaged in and benefit from online interventions, and 3) our follow-up
      reinforcement appeared to have no value.

PMID- 20299482
TI  - Derivation and validation of a new cardiovascular risk score for people with type
      2 diabetes: the new zealand diabetes cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To derive a 5-year cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk equation from
      usual-care data that is appropriate for people with type 2 diabetes from a wide
      range of ethnic groups, variable glycemic control, and high rates of albuminuria
      in New Zealand. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This prospective open-cohort study
      used primary-care data from 36,127 people with type 2 diabetes without previous
      CVD to derive a CVD equation using Cox proportional hazards regression models.
      Data from 12,626 people from a geographically different area were used for
      validation. Outcome measure was time to first fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular
      event, derived from national hospitalization and mortality records. Risk factors
      were age at diagnosis, diabetes duration, sex, systolic blood pressure, smoking
      status, total cholesterol-to-HDL ratio, ethnicity, glycated hemoglobin (A1C), and
      urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio. RESULTS: Baseline median age was 59 years, 51%
      were women, 55% were of non-European ethnicity, and 33% had micro- or
      macroalbuminuria. Median follow-up was 3.9 years (141,169 person-years),
      including 10,030 individuals followed for at least 5 years. At total of 6,479
      first cardiovascular events occurred during follow-up. The 5-year observed risk
      was 20.8% (95% CI 20.3-21.3). Risk increased with each 1% A1C (adjusted hazard
      ratio 1.06 [95% CI 1.05-1.08]), when macroalbuminuria was present (2.04 [1.89
      2.21]), and in Indo-Asians (1.29 [1.14-1.46]) and Maori (1.23 [1.14-1.32])
      compared with Europeans. The derived risk equations performed well on the
      validation cohort compared with other risk equations. CONCLUSIONS: Renal
      function, ethnicity, and glycemic control contribute significantly to
      cardiovascular risk prediction. Population-appropriate risk equations can be
      derived from routinely collected data.

PMID- 20299483
TI  - Independent metabolic syndrome variants predict new-onset coronary artery
      disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Any combination of metabolic abnormalities may constitute the
      metabolic syndrome (MetS), conferring coronary artery disease (CAD) risk, but the
      independent effect of different combinations on CAD onset remains unknown.
      RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS" Healthy adult siblings (n = 987) of premature CAD
      (<60 years) case subjects were followed for 9.8 +/- 3.8 years. Baseline MetS
      variables (insulin sensitivity index, waist circumference, systolic blood
      pressure, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides) were recombined into five principal
      components (PC1-5), and risk factor-adjusted proportional hazards for CAD onset
      of median-dichotomized PCs were estimated. RESULTS: The significant hazard ratios
      were as follows: for PC1 (all abnormalities except blood pressure) 1.66 (P =
      0.036), PC2 (high blood pressure levels, high HDL cholesterol) 1.71 (P = 0.016),
      and PC4 (low HDL cholesterol, high insulin sensitivity, low triglycerides) 2.0 (P
      = 0.001). Traditionally defined MetS had a hazard ratio of 1.32 (P = 0.18).
      CONCLUSIONS: Independent MetS variants identified by PC analysis may explain
      metabolic mechanisms that increase CAD risk better than the presence of
      traditional MetS.

PMID- 20299484
TI  - Progression of cerebral atrophy and white matter hyperintensities in patients
      with type 2 diabetes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Type 2 diabetes is associated with a moderate degree of cerebral
      atrophy and a higher white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume. How these brain
      imaging abnormalities evolve over time is unknown. The present study aims to
      quantify cerebral atrophy and WMH progression over 4 years in type 2 diabetes.
      RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 55 patients with type 2 diabetes and 28
      age-, sex-, and IQ-matched control participants had two 1.5T magnetic resonance
      imaging scans with a 4-year interval. Volumetric measurements of total brain,
      peripheral cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), lateral ventricles, and WMH were performed
      with k-nearest neighbor-based probabilistic segmentation. All volumes were
      expressed as percentage of intracranial volume. Linear regression analyses,
      adjusted for age and sex, were performed to compare brain volumes between the
      groups and to identify determinants of volumetric change within the type 2
      diabetic group. RESULTS: At baseline, patients with type 2 diabetes had a
      significantly smaller total brain volume and larger peripheral CSF volume than
      control participants. In both groups, all volumes showed a significant change
      over time. Patients with type 2 diabetes had a greater increase in lateral
      ventricular volume than control participants (mean adjusted between-group
      difference in change over time [95% CI]: 0.11% in 4 years [0.00 to 0.22], P =
      0.047). CONCLUSIONS: The greater increase in lateral ventricular volume over time
      in patients with type 2 diabetes compared with control participants shows that
      type 2 diabetes is associated with a slow increase of cerebral atrophy over the
      course of years.

PMID- 20299485
TI  - Hyperglycemia-induced platelet activation in type 2 diabetes is resistant to
      aspirin but not to a nitric oxide-donating agent.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Acute, short-term hyperglycemia enhances high shear stress-induced
      platelet activation in type 2 diabetes. Several observations suggest that
      platelets in type 2 diabetes are resistant to inhibition by aspirin. Our aim was
      to assess comparatively the effect of aspirin, a nitric oxide-donating agent (NCX
      4016), their combination, or placebo on platelet activation induced by acute
      hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In a double-blind,
      placebo-controlled, randomized trial, 40 type 2 diabetic patients were allocated
      to 100 mg aspirin once daily, 800 mg NCX 4016 b.i.d., both of them, or placebo
      for 15 days. On day 15, 1 h after the morning dose, a 4-h hyperglycemic clamp
      (plasma glucose 13.9 mmol/l) was performed, and blood samples were collected
      before and immediately after it for platelet activation and cyclooxygenase-1 (COX
      1) inhibition studies. RESULTS Acute hyperglycemia enhanced shear stress-induced
      platelet activation in placebo-treated patients (basal closure time 63 +/- 7.1 s,
      after hyperglycemia 49.5 +/- 1.4 s, -13.5 +/- 6.3 s, P < 0.048). Pretreatment
      with aspirin, despite full inhibition of platelet COX-1, did not prevent it (
      12.7 +/- 6.9 s, NS vs. placebo). On the contrary, pretreatment with the NO donor
      NCX 4016, alone or in combination with aspirin, suppressed platelet activation
      induced by acute hyperglycemia (NCX 4016 +10.5 +/- 8.3 s; NCX 4016 plus aspirin:
      +12.0 +/- 10.7 s, P < 0.05 vs. placebo for both). Other parameters of shear
      stress-dependent platelet activation were also more inhibited by NCX 4016 than by
      aspirin, despite lesser inhibition of COX-1. CONCLUSIONS: Acute hyperglycemia
      induced enhancement of platelet activation is resistant to aspirin; a NO-donating
      agent suppresses it. Therapeutic approaches aiming at a wider platelet inhibitory
      action than that exerted by aspirin may prove useful in patients with type 2
      diabetes.

PMID- 20299486
TI  - Transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) polymorphism and hyperglycemia in an adult
      Italian population-based cohort.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess whether TCF7L2 polymorphism has a role in the deterioration
      of glycemic control. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Metabolic variables were
      evaluated at baseline and after 6-year follow-up in 1,480 Caucasian subjects from
      a population-based cohort. RESULTS: At baseline, T-allele carriers showed
      significantly lower BMI and homeostasis model assessment for beta-cell function
      (HOMA-B) values and higher fasting glycemia and diabetes prevalence. At follow
      up, fasting glucose and HOMA-B index were increased and reduced, respectively, in
      carriers of the T-allele. Incident impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and incident
      diabetes were 5.7, 10.7, 16.9% and 1.6, 1.7, 3.0% in the CC, CT, and TT
      genotypes, respectively. In a multiple logistic regression model, the association
      between incident IFG and the T-allele was significant (odds ratio [OR] 2.08 [95%
      CI 1.35-3.20] and 3.56 [2.11-5.98] in CT and TT genotypes, respectively).
      CONCLUSIONS: The T-allele of TCF7L2 rs7903146 polymorphism was independently
      associated with increasing fasting glucose values toward hyperglycemia in the
      follow-up.

PMID- 20299487
TI  - Validity of a single-factor model underlying the metabolic syndrome in children:
      a confirmatory factor analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We used confirmatory factor analysis to test whether a single factor
      might explain the clustering of the metabolic syndrome (MS) components in
      children. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We studied 1,020 children aged 10-13 years
      from 20 schools in Cuenca, Spain. The single-factor model included: waist
      circumference (WC), fasting insulin, triglyceride to HDL cholesterol ratio
      (Triglyl/HDL-C), and mean arterial pressure (MAP). The standardized scores of the
      four variables in the model were used to develop a continuous MS index. RESULTS:
      Factor loadings were 0.67 for WC, 0.68 for fasting insulin, 0.57 for Triglyl/HDL
      C, and 0.37 for MAP. The single-factor model also showed a good fit to the data.
      As compared with Adult Treatment Panel III criteria, the MS index showed strong
      validity in the diagnosis of MS (area under the receiver operating characteristic
      curve = 0.98, 95% CI 0.96-0.99). CONCLUSIONS: A single underlying factor has
      acceptable validity to represent MS in children.

PMID- 20299488
TI  - Treatment of type 2 diabetes and outcomes in patients with heart failure: a
      nested case-control study from the U.K. General Practice Research Database.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Diabetes and heart failure commonly coexist, and prior studies have
      suggested better outcomes with metformin than other antidiabetic agents. We
      designed this study to determine whether this association reflects a beneficial
      effect of metformin or a harmful effect of other agents. RESEARCH DESIGN AND
      METHODS: We performed a case-control study nested within the U.K. General
      Practice Research Database cohort in which diagnoses were assigned by each
      patient's primary care physician. Case subjects were patients 35 years or older,
      newly diagnosed with both heart failure and diabetes after January 1988, and who
      died prior to October 2007. Control subjects were matched to case subjects based
      on age, sex, clinic site, calendar year, and duration of follow-up. Analyses were
      adjusted for comorbidities, A1C, renal function, and BMI. RESULTS: The duration
      of concurrent diabetes and heart failure was 2.8 years (SD 2.6) in our 1,633 case
      subjects and 1,633 control subjects (mean age 78 years, 53% male). Compared with
      patients who were not exposed to antidiabetic drugs, the current use of metformin
      monotherapy (adjusted odds ratio 0.65 [0.48-0.87]) or metformin with or without
      other agents (0.72 [0.59-0.90]) was associated with lower mortality; however, use
      of other antidiabetic drugs or insulin was not associated with all-cause
      mortality. Conversely, the use of ACE inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers
      (0.55 [0.45-0.68]) and beta-blockers (0.76 [0.61-0.95]) were associated with
      reduced mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm the benefits of trial-proven
      anti-failure therapies in patients with diabetes and support the use of metformin
      based strategies to lower glucose.

PMID- 20299489
TI  - MicroRNA-34a inhibits cell proliferation by repressing mitogen-activated protein
      kinase kinase 1 during megakaryocytic differentiation of K562 cells.
AB  - Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) induces megakaryocytic differentiation of
      the human chronic myelocytic leukemia cell line K562. We examined the potential
      regulatory role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in this process. Genome-wide expression
      profiling identified 21 miRNAs (miRs) that were induced by the treatment of K562
      cells with PMA. Among them, the expression of miR-34a, miR-221, and miR-222 was
      induced in the early stages and maintained throughout the late stages of
      differentiation. Cell signaling analysis showed that the activation of
      extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) in response to PMA strongly
      induced miR-34a expression by transactivation via the activator protein-1 binding
      site in the upstream region of the miR-34a gene. Reporter gene assays identified
      mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 (MEK1) as a direct target of miR-34a
      and c-fos as a direct target of miR-221/222. Although overexpression of the three
      miRNAs had little effect on cell differentiation, overexpression of miR-34a
      significantly repressed the proliferation of K562 cells with a concomitant
      reduction in MEK1 protein expression. Conversely, a locked nucleic acid probe
      against miR-34a significantly enhanced the proliferation of PMA-treated K562
      cells. Taken together, the results show that PMA activates the MEK-ERK pathway
      and strongly induces miRNA-34a expression, which in turn inhibits cell
      proliferation by repressing the expression of MEK1. Thus, the results highlight
      an important regulatory role for miR-34a in the process of megakaryocytic
      differentiation, especially in the arrest of cell growth, which is a prerequisite
      for cells to enter differentiation.

PMID- 20299490
TI  - Secretagogue type, sex-steroid milieu, and abdominal visceral adiposity
      individually determine secretagogue-stimulated cortisol secretion.
AB  - DESIGN: While androgens and estrogens control glucocorticoid secretion in animal
      models, how the sex-steroid milieu determines cortisol secretion in humans is
      less clear. To address this issue, cortisol was measured in archival sera
      obtained at 10-min intervals for 5 h in 42 healthy men administered double
      placebo, placebo and testosterone, testosterone and dutasteride (to block 5alpha
      reductases type I and type II), or testosterone and anastrozole (to block
      aromatase) in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, prospectively randomized
      design. METHODS: Subjects received i.v. injection of saline, GHRH, GH-releasing
      peptide-2 (GHRP-2), somatostatin (SS), and GHRP-2/GHRH/l-arginine (triple
      stimulus) each on separate mornings fasting. Outcomes comprised cortisol
      concentrations, pulsatile cortisol secretion, and relationships with age or
      abdominal visceral fat (AVF). RESULTS: By ANCOVA, baseline (saline-infused)
      cortisol concentrations (nmol/l) did not differ among the sex-steroid milieus
      (overall mean 364+/-14). In contrast, stimulated peak cortisol concentrations
      were strongly determined by secretagogue type (P<0.001) as follows: triple
      stimulus (868+/-27)>GHRP-2 (616+/-42)>saline=SS=GHRH (grand mean 420+/-21). After
      GHRP-2 injection, pulsatile cortisol secretion increased with age (R(2)=0.16,
      P=0.012). After the triple stimulus, pulsatile cortisol secretion correlated i)
      inversely with serum 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) concentrations (R(2)=0.53,
      P=0.026) and ii) directly with computerized tomography-estimated AVF (R(2)=0.11,
      P=0.038). CONCLUSION: Age, DHT concentrations, AVF, and secretagogue type
      influence pulsatile cortisol secretion at least in men. Further studies should be
      performed to assess ACTH secretion and native ghrelin action in defined sex
      steroid milieus.

PMID- 20299491
TI  - Complex relationship between free thyroxine and TSH in the regulation of thyroid
      function.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The present study re-evaluates the inverse log TSH-free thyroxine
      (fT(4)) relationship, which has generally been assumed to characterize the
      thyroid pituitary hypothalamic feedback regulation in thyroid function. DESIGN
      AND METHODS: The correlation between fT(4) and TSH was analyzed in two data sets
      from differing time periods involving 3223 and 6605 patients referred for thyroid
      testing, representing the whole range of thyroid functions from hypothyroidism to
      hyperthyroidism. RESULTS: We found that the data do not support a linear log TSH
      fT(4) relationship; instead, the correlation's gradient varies with thyroid
      function. As a consequence, an alternate model, based on the error function, was
      introduced. When directly comparing the models by means of curve fitting, using F
      test and Akaike criteria, the alternate model results in a significantly better
      fit. The model was verified in the independent second set of data. Subgroup
      analysis of untreated patients added further proof to the non-linear model.
      CONCLUSIONS: We propose a refined non-linear model to describe the relationship
      between TSH and fT(4). It implies that TSH response to a deviating fT(4) value
      may not be log-linear, but may be disproportionally related to the extent of the
      deviation from an optimum set point. A better understanding of the complex nature
      of the TSH-fT(4) relationship may further the development of more precise
      clinical models and aid in better defining subclinical states of thyroid
      dysfunction. Also, it may encourage other biological interrelations to be
      reconsidered in the wake of advanced measurement techniques and more powerful
      computerized statistical procedures.

PMID- 20299493
TI  - The contribution of health plans and provider organizations to variations in
      measured plan quality.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Some argue that health plans have minimal impacts on quality of care
      and that quality data collection should focus only on physician organizations. We
      investigate the relative impact of physician organizations and health plans on
      quality measures. DESIGN: Statistical analysis of data on 9 Healthcare
      Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measures from 6 health plans and
      159 provider organizations. We use regression analyses to examine the amount of
      variation in HEDIS measures accounted for by variation across provider
      organizations, and whether accounting for health plans explains additional
      variation. We also examine whether accounting for provider organizations explains
      away variation in HEDIS scores across health plans. SETTING: Six health plans and
      159 contracted provider groups in California. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Nine HEDIS
      scores. RESULTS: For all nine measures studied, variation across provider
      organizations explains much of the HEDIS score variation. But, after accounting
      for variation across providers, variation across plans statistically
      significantly explains additional variation. We also find statistically
      significant differences across health plans in HEDIS rates that are not
      substantially affected when we control for the provider organization that cared
      for the patient. CONCLUSIONS: On their face, these results suggest that plans can
      influence quality independent of the selection of physician organizations with
      which they contract, in contrast to hypotheses that plans are 'too far' from
      patients to have an influence. Continued attention to collecting plan-level data
      is warranted. Further work should address other possible sources of variations in
      HEDIS scores, such as variability in plan administrative databases.

PMID- 20299494
TI  - Effectiveness and safety of colistin: prospective comparative cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Colistin has re-entered clinical use by necessity. We aimed to assess
      its effectiveness and safety compared with newer antibiotics. METHODS: This was a
      single-centre, prospective cohort study. Inclusion criteria were
      microbiologically documented pneumonia, urinary tract infection, surgical site
      infection, meningitis or bacteraemia treated appropriately with colistin versus
      imipenem, meropenem or ampicillin/sulbactam (comparators). All consecutive
      patients were included, only once, between May 2006 and July 2009. The primary
      outcome was 30 day mortality. Multivariable and Cox regression survival analyses
      were used to adjust comparisons between groups. Odds ratios (ORs) or hazard
      ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals are reported. RESULTS: Two hundred
      patients treated with colistin and 295 patients treated with comparators were
      included. Treatment with colistin was associated with older age, admission from
      healthcare facilities, mechanical ventilation and lower rate of early appropriate
      antibiotic treatment. The 30 day mortality was 39% (78/200) for colistin versus
      28.8% (85/295) for comparators; unadjusted OR 1.58 (1.08-2.31). In the adjusted
      analysis the OR was 1.44 (0.91-2.26) overall and 1.99 (1.06-3.77) for bacteraemic
      patients (n = 220). At the end of follow-up, treatment with colistin was
      significantly associated with cumulative mortality; adjusted HR 1.27 (1.01-1.60)
      overall and 1.65 (1.18-2.31) among patients with bacteraemia. Nephrotoxicity at
      the end of treatment was more frequent with colistin; OR adjusted for other risk
      factors for nephrotoxicity 3.31 (1.54-7.08). Treatment with colistin was followed
      by increased incidence of Proteus spp. infections during a 3 month follow-up.
      CONCLUSIONS: The need for colistin treatment is associated with poorer survival.
      Adjusted analyses suggest that colistin is less effective and more toxic than
      beta-lactam antibiotics.

PMID- 20299492
TI  - Retinal very long-chain PUFAs: new insights from studies on ELOVL4 protein.
AB  - Compared with other mammalian tissues, retina is highly enriched in PUFA. Long
      chain PUFA (LC-PUFA; C18-C24) are essential FAs that are enriched in the retina
      and are necessary for maintenance of normal retinal development and function. The
      retina, brain, and sperm also contain very LC-PUFA (VLC-PUFA; >C24). Although VLC
      PUFA were discovered more than two decades ago, very little is known about their
      biosynthesis and functional roles in the retina. This is due mainly to intrinsic
      difficulties associated with working on these unusually long polyunsaturated
      hydrocarbon chains and their existence in small amounts. Recent studies on the FA
      elongase elongation of very long chain fatty acids-4 (ELOVL4) protein, however,
      suggest that VLC-PUFA probably play some uniquely important roles in the retina
      as well as the other tissues. Mutations in the ELOVL4 gene are found in patients
      with autosomal dominant Stargardt disease. Here, we review the recent literature
      on VLC-PUFA with special emphasis on the elongases responsible for their
      synthesis. We focus on a novel elongase, ELOVL4, involved in the synthesis of VLC
      PUFA, and the importance of these FAs in maintaining the structural and
      functional integrity of retinal photoreceptors.

PMID- 20299495
TI  - Inhibition of Japanese encephalitis virus replication in cultured cells and mice
      by a peptide-conjugated morpholino oligomer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) has a significant impact on public
      health throughout Asia, and there is a pressing need for development of new
      therapeutics against it. METHODS: Peptide-conjugated phosphorodiamidate
      morpholino oligomers (PPMOs) are antisense agents that enter cells readily and
      interfere with gene expression. Four PPMOs, targeting various locations in the
      JEV genome, were evaluated for antiviral activity against JEV in cultured cells
      and the mouse model of JEV infection. RESULTS: A PPMO (P10882) targeting the JEV
      3' cyclization sequence (3'CSI) had significant antiviral activity in Vero
      (epithelial), Neuro2A (neuronal) and J774E (macrophage) cells at concentrations
      that were not cytotoxic. P10882 added before infection suppressed JEV replication
      to an undetectable level in Vero cells and produced a 93% and 66% reduction in
      titre in J774E and Neuro2A cells, respectively, when measured at 24 h post
      infection. In uninfected cells, fluorescein-labelled PPMOs entered J774E cells
      most efficiently, followed by Vero and Neuro2A cells. The antiviral effect of
      P10882 was also demonstrated in vivo, where 60%-80% of 1-week-old mice treated
      intracerebrally with a 20 mg/kg dose of P10882 every 12 h for 5 days were
      protected from a lethal dose of JEV and showed an undetectable level of virus in
      brain tissue at 2 days post-infection. CONCLUSIONS: P10882, which targets
      sequence that is highly conserved across members of the JEV serocomplex, was
      previously shown to be effective in a mouse model of West Nile disease, and
      represents a candidate antiviral agent against members of the JEV serocomplex.

PMID- 20299496
TI  - Impact of 48 week lopinavir/ritonavir monotherapy on blood cell-associated HIV-1
      DNA in the MONARK trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To study the impact of protease inhibitor monotherapy on the HIV-1
      blood reservoir in 72 antiretroviral-naive patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This
      was evaluated for 72 antiretroviral-naive patients included in the on-treatment
      analysis of the MONARK trial; 46 patients receiving lopinavir/ritonavir
      monotherapy and 26 patients receiving a triple therapy. HIV-DNA was quantified in
      whole blood, using real-time PCR. RESULTS: The decrease in HIV-DNA after 48 weeks
      of lopinavir/ritonavir monotherapy was similar to the decrease observed with
      triple therapy including lopinavir/ritonavir (-0.77 versus -0.69 log copies/10(6)
      leucocytes, respectively; P = 0.91). The HIV-DNA decrease was also similar in
      patients with a virological response in both arms (-0.69 versus -0.69 log
      copies/10(6) leucocytes, respectively). Interestingly, non-responders had a
      significantly higher baseline HIV-DNA load than responders in the monotherapy
      arm; 3.16 versus 2.86 log copies/10(6) leucocytes, respectively (P = 0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: The MONARK data indicate that a lopinavir/ritonavir monotherapy
      regimen is potent against HIV blood reservoirs in antiretroviral-naive patients
      after 1 year of treatment, in comparison with a standard-of-care highly active
      antiretroviral therapy. This impact should be evaluated with other boosted
      protease inhibitor monotherapies.

PMID- 20299497
TI  - A human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 expression-based approach to
      neoadjuvant chemotherapy for operable breast cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We investigated the pathological effects of neoadjuvant chemotherapy
      based on the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 in operable breast cancer.
      METHODS: This prospective clinical study was a pilot involving 63 female
      patients. Before surgery, patients with tumors overexpressing human epidermal
      growth factor receptor 2 received four cycles of 60 mg/m(2) anthracycline and 600
      mg/m(2) cyclophosphamide every 3 weeks, whereas those whose tumors did not
      overexpress human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 received four cycles of 75
      mg/m(2) docetaxel and 600 mg/m(2) cyclophosphamide every 3 weeks. A quasi
      pathological complete response (i.e. absence of invasive tumor or only focal
      residual tumor cells) was the primary endpoint, with compliance and predictors
      for each regimen as secondary endpoints. If a quasi-pathological complete
      response was not achieved, then crossover to the alternative treatment was
      recommended. RESULTS: The quasi-pathological complete response rate was 36.5% (23
      of 63) overall, 27.8% (5 of 18) for the anthracycline and cyclophosphamide
      regimen and 40.0% (18 of 45) for the docetaxel and cyclophosphamide regimen.
      Docetaxel and cyclophosphamide treatment induced a quasi-pathological complete
      response in most patients with triple-negative tumors (15 of 19). The relative
      dose intensity was 97.3% for the anthracycline and cyclophosphamide regimen and
      96.6% for the docetaxel and cyclophosphamide regimen. Quasi-pathological complete
      response to the docetaxel and cyclophosphamide regimen was associated with low
      estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor expression and high MIB-1 and
      topoisomerase IIalpha expression, in univariate analyses, but only with low
      estrogen receptor expression in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Selecting
      neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens on the basis of individual human epidermal
      growth factor receptor 2 status improved efficacy, with docetaxel and
      cyclophosphamide treatment showing particular promise in tumors with the
      potential to be highly malignant.

PMID- 20299498
TI  - Trends of the primary therapy for patients with prostate cancer in Nara uro
      oncological research group (NUORG): a comparison between the CaPSURE data and the
      NUORG data.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We assessed the variations in stage, prostate specific antigen at
      diagnosis, Gleason score, risk classification and primary therapy in Japanese
      prostate cancer patients, and compared with those of the US patients. METHODS:
      Between 2004 and 2006, the distribution of primary therapy and clinical
      characteristics of 2303 newly diagnosed patients at Nara Medical University and
      its 23 affiliated hospitals were assessed to compare with those of the Cancer of
      the Prostate Strategic Urological Research Endeavor data and to clarify the
      differences in data between the USA and Japan. RESULTS: The proportions of
      clinical T stage of 3-4, prostate specific antigen at diagnosis >20 ng/ml,
      Gleason score of 8-10 and high-risk group were greater in our study than those of
      the Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urological Research Endeavor data (T3-4,
      26.2 vs. 3.5-11.8%; prostate-specific antigen, 34.1 vs. 8.1-27.0%; Gleason score,
      29.3 vs. 9.7-12.1%). Regarding the primary treatments, 51% of patients received
      primary androgen deprivation therapy, 30% underwent radical prostatectomy, 14%
      received radiation therapy and 2% had watchful waiting in our study, while the
      corresponding figures in the Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urological Research
      Endeavor data were: radical prostatectomy, 44%; radiation therapy, 23%; primary
      androgen deprivation therapy 20% and watchful waiting 10%. CONCLUSIONS: The
      Japanese prostate cancer patients still have higher prostate-specific antigen at
      diagnosis, higher Gleason score and higher clinical stage than the US patients.
      The trends of primary therapy for prostate cancer were different from those in
      the USA. The higher rate of primary androgen deprivation therapy is
      characteristic for the Japanese patients.

PMID- 20299499
TI  - A comparison of multimodality treatment: two or four courses of paclitaxel plus
      cisplatin or S-1 plus cisplatin followed by surgery for locally advanced gastric
      cancer, a randomized Phase II trial (COMPASS).
AB  - This randomized Phase II trial compares neoadjuvant chemotherapy of two or four
      courses of S-1 (1 M tegafur-0.4 M gimestat-1 M ostat potassium) plus cisplatin or
      paclitaxel plus cisplatin by a two-by-two factorial design for patients with
      macroscopically resectable locally advanced gastric cancer. The primary endpoint
      is the 3-year overall survival. The sample size is 60-80 in a total for two
      hypotheses of the superiority of four courses to two courses and the superiority
      of paclitaxel plus cisplatin to S-1 plus cisplatin. In both arms, S-1 is strongly
      recommended post-operatively for at least 6 months but no adjuvant chemotherapy
      is permitted other than S-1 until recurrence. This trial could appraise more
      suitable cycles and regimen as neoadjuvant chemotherapy for gastric cancer.

PMID- 20299500
TI  - How can health promotion interventions be adapted for minority ethnic
      communities? Five principles for guiding the development of behavioural
      interventions.
AB  - The term 'culturally sensitive' is often used to describe interventions adapted
      for minority ethnic communities. However, understanding of strategies for
      adapting behavioural interventions for such communities is limited. The questions
      addressed in this paper are: What are the main strategies for adapting
      interventions to reduce coronary heart disease (CHD) for minority ethnic
      communities? Why have interventions been adapted in these ways? A systematic
      review was carried out to investigate interventions for preventing CHD, including
      promoting physical activity, smoking cessation and healthier diets in Pakistani,
      Chinese and Indian communities in countries where these groups are minorities.
      International databases and key websites were searched, and 23 477 titles and
      abstracts were initially identified. Seventeen papers met inclusion and quality
      criteria. A 'meta-ethnographic' approach to data synthesis was employed to
      identify underlying principles for adapting interventions. The rationale
      underpinning adaptations is not made explicit in individual studies, limiting
      generalizability. Five principles for adapting behavioural interventions for
      minority ethnic communities were identified: (i) use community resources to
      publicize the intervention and increase accessibility; (ii) identify and address
      barriers to access and participation; (iii) develop communication strategies
      which are sensitive to language use and information requirements; (iv) work with
      cultural or religious values that either promote or hinder behavioural change;
      and (v) accommodate varying degrees of cultural identification. While the
      principles require further testing and verification, they have been generated
      through a systematic approach to study identification, quality appraisal and data
      synthesis. This represents significant progress in advancing understanding of
      adapted behavioural interventions for minority ethnic communities.

PMID- 20299501
TI  - Hospital outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa producing extended-spectrum
      oxacillinase OXA-19.

PMID- 20299502
TI  - Three cases of Arcanobacterium pyogenes-associated soft tissue infection.
AB  - Arcanobacterium pyogenes is an established but often unrecognized human pathogen.
      A. pyogenes may also be misidentified as Arcanobacterium haemolyticum, which
      gives remarkably similar results in conventional biochemical tests. In this
      study, we have reported three cases of wound infections associated with A.
      pyogenes and also on the bacteriological characteristics which are relevant for
      identification of these isolates. The negative reverse CAMP test, the ability to
      produce acid from xylose and to hydrolyse gelatin and the positive beta
      glucuronidase test clearly differentiated A. pyogenes from other closely related
      species. All three isolates were uniformly susceptible to penicillin, ampicillin,
      amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, ceftriaxone and gentamicin, variably susceptible to
      tetracycline and erythromycin and uniformly resistant to cotrimoxazole. Only a
      few confirmed cases have been reported throughout the world and therefore the
      diagnostic evaluation of this organism is emphasized.

PMID- 20299503
TI  - Aspergillus niger: an unusual cause of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis.
AB  - Infections due to Aspergillus species cause significant morbidity and mortality.
      Most are attributed to Aspergillus fumigatus, followed by Aspergillus flavus and
      Aspergillus terreus. Aspergillus niger is a mould that is rarely reported as a
      cause of pneumonia. A 72-year-old female with chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease and temporal arteritis being treated with steroids long term presented
      with haemoptysis and pleuritic chest pain. Chest radiography revealed areas of
      heterogeneous consolidation with cavitation in the right upper lobe of the lung.
      Induced bacterial sputum cultures, and acid-fast smears and cultures were
      negative. Fungal sputum cultures grew A. niger. The patient clinically improved
      on a combination therapy of empiric antibacterials and voriconazole, followed by
      voriconazole monotherapy. After 4 weeks of voriconazole therapy, however, repeat
      chest computed tomography scanning showed a significant progression of the
      infection and near-complete necrosis of the right upper lobe of the lung. Serum
      voriconazole levels were low-normal (1.0 microg ml(-1), normal range for the
      assay 0.5-6.0 microg ml(-1)). A. niger was again recovered from bronchoalveolar
      lavage specimens. A right upper lobectomy was performed, and lung tissue cultures
      grew A. niger. Furthermore, the lung histopathology showed acute and organizing
      pneumonia, fungal hyphae and oxalate crystallosis, confirming the diagnosis of
      invasive A. niger infection. A. niger, unlike A. fumigatus and A. flavus, is less
      commonly considered a cause of invasive aspergillosis (IA). The finding of
      calcium oxalate crystals in histopathology specimens is classic for A. niger
      infection and can be helpful in making a diagnosis even in the absence of
      conidia. Therapeutic drug monitoring may be useful in optimizing the treatment of
      IA given the wide variations in the oral bioavailability of voriconazole.

PMID- 20299504
TI  - Multilocus variable-number tandem repeat analysis of Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor
      strains harbouring classical toxin B.
AB  - Atypical Vibrio cholerae O1 strains - hybrid strains (strains that cannot be
      classified either as El Tor or classical biotype) and altered strains (El Tor
      biotype strains that produce classical cholera toxin) - are currently prevalent
      in Asia and Africa. A total of 74 hybrid and altered strains that harboured
      classical cholera toxin were investigated by multilocus variable-number tandem
      repeat analysis (MLVA). The results showed that the hybrid/altered strains could
      be categorized into three groups and that they were distant from the El Tor
      strain responsible for the seventh cholera pandemic. Hybrid/altered strains with
      a tandem repeat of the classical CTX prophage on the small chromosome were
      divided into two MLVA groups (group I: Mozambique/Bangladesh group; group III:
      Vietnam group), and altered strains with the RS1-CTX prophage containing the El
      Tor type rstR and classical ctxB on the large chromosome were placed in two MLVA
      groups (group II: India/Bangladesh group; group III: India/Vietnam group).

PMID- 20299505
TI  - Allelic variation in colonization factor CS6 of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli
      isolated from patients with acute diarrhoea and controls.
AB  - Colonization factor antigens (CFAs) are important virulence factors in
      enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC). Using a multiplex PCR and RT-PCR, this
      study tested the presence of common colonization factor-encoding genes and their
      expression in 50 ETEC strains isolated from stool specimens. The samples were
      from patients (children) with acute diarrhoea (cases) admitted to the Infectious
      Disease Hospital (Kolkata, India) and from normal children (controls) under 5
      years of age from the community. The results indicated that coli surface antigen
      6 (CS6) was the most prevalent CFA (78 %) expressed by these ETEC strains.
      Sequence analysis of both of the CS6 structural genes, i.e. cssA and cssB, in
      different ETEC isolates revealed the presence of point mutations in a systematic
      fashion. Based on the analysis of these variations, it was found that CssA had
      three alleles and CssB had two. Based on the allelic variations, subtyping of CS6
      into AIBI, AIIBII, AIIIBI, AIBII and AIIIBII is proposed. The point mutations in
      the different alleles were reflected in a partial alteration in the secondary
      structure of both subunits, as determined by computational analysis. The
      functional significance of these changes was confirmed with cellular binding
      studies in Caco-2 cells with representative ETEC isolates. CS6 with AI or AIII
      allelic subtypes showed a higher binding capacity than AII, whereas BI showed
      stronger binding than BII. The AII and BII alleles were mostly detected in
      controls rather than in cases. The antibody specificity of BI and BII also varied
      due to alteration of the amino acids. Thus, CS6 variants are formed as a result
      of different allelic combinations of CssA and CssB, and these changes at the
      functional level might be important in the development of an effective ETEC
      vaccine.

PMID- 20299506
TI  - Silicone colonization by non-Candida albicans Candida species in the presence of
      urine.
AB  - Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common nosocomial infections and 80
      % are related to the use of urinary catheters. Furthermore, Candida species are
      responsible for around 15 % of UTIs and an increasing involvement of non-Candida
      albicans Candida (NCAC) species (e.g. Candida glabrata, Candida tropicalis and
      Candida parapsilosis) has been recognized. Given the fact that silicone is
      frequently used in the manufacture of urinary catheters, the aim of this work was
      to compare both the adhesion and biofilm formation on silicone of different
      urinary clinical isolates of NCAC species (i.e. C. glabrata, C. tropicalis and C.
      parapsilosis) in the presence of urine. Several clinical isolates of NCAC species
      recovered from patients with UTIs, together with reference strains of each
      species, were examined. Adhesion and biofilm formation were performed in
      artificial urine and the biofilm biomass was assessed by crystal violet staining.
      Hydrophobicity and surface charge of cells was determined by measuring contact
      angles and zeta potential, respectively. The number of viable cells in biofilms
      was determined by enumeration of c.f.u. after appropriate culture. The biofilm
      structure was also examined by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The
      results showed that all isolates adhered to silicone in a species- and strain
      dependent manner with C. parapsilosis showing the lowest and C. glabrata the
      highest levels of adhesion. However, these differences in adhesion abilities
      cannot be correlated with surface properties since all strains examined were
      hydrophilic and exhibited a similar zeta potential. Despite a higher number of
      cultivable cells being recovered after 72 h of incubation, stronger biofilm
      formation was not observed and CLSM showed an absence of extracellular polymeric
      material for all isolates examined. In summary, this work demonstrated that all
      tested NCAC species were able to adhere to and survive on silicone in the
      presence of urine. Furthermore, C. glabrata strains presented higher colonization
      abilities than C. tropicalis and C. parapsilosis strains, a fact that might
      explain the larger role of C. glabrata colonization and disseminated infections
      in hospitalized and catheterized patients.

PMID- 20299507
TI  - Fatal vancomycin- and linezolid-resistant Enterococcus faecium sepsis in a child
      undergoing allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for beta
      thalassaemia major.
AB  - Recently vancomycin-resistant and sporadically linezolid-resistant Enterococcus
      species have been described in adults. We report what we believe to be the first
      case of a child with prolonged bone marrow aplasia following haematopoietic stem
      cell transplantation developing a fatal sepsis caused by Enterococcus faecium
      resistant to glycopeptides and linezolid.

PMID- 20299508
TI  - Discovery of a small-molecule type II inhibitor of wild-type and gatekeeper
      mutants of BCR-ABL, PDGFRalpha, Kit, and Src kinases: novel type II inhibitor of
      gatekeeper mutants.
AB  - Many clinically validated kinases, such as BCR-ABL, c-Kit, PDGFR, and EGFR,
      become resistant to adenosine triphosphate-competitive inhibitors through
      mutation of the so-called gatekeeper amino acid from a threonine to a large
      hydrophobic amino acid, such as an isoleucine or methionine. We have developed a
      new class of adenosine triphosphate competitive inhibitors, exemplified by HG-7
      85-01, which is capable of inhibiting T315I- BCR-ABL (clinically observed in
      chronic myeloid leukemia), T670I-c-Kit (clinically observed in gastrointestinal
      stromal tumors), and T674I/M-PDGFRalpha (clinically observed in hypereosinophilic
      syndrome). HG-7-85-01 is unique among all currently reported kinase inhibitors in
      having the ability to accommodate either a gatekeeper threonine, present in the
      wild-type forms of these kinases, or a large hydrophobic amino acid without
      becoming a promiscuous kinase inhibitor. The distinctive ability of HG-7-85-01 to
      simultaneously inhibit both wild-type and mutant forms of several kinases of
      clinical relevance is an important step in the development of the next generation
      of tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

PMID- 20299509
TI  - Transfusion of red blood cells after prolonged storage produces harmful effects
      that are mediated by iron and inflammation.
AB  - Although red blood cell (RBC) transfusions can be lifesaving, they are not
      without risk. In critically ill patients, RBC transfusions are associated with
      increased morbidity and mortality, which may increase with prolonged RBC storage
      before transfusion. The mechanisms responsible remain unknown. We hypothesized
      that acute clearance of a subset of damaged, stored RBCs delivers large amounts
      of iron to the monocyte/macrophage system, inducing inflammation. To test this in
      a well-controlled setting, we used a murine RBC storage and transfusion model to
      show that the transfusion of stored RBCs, or washed stored RBCs, increases plasma
      nontransferrin bound iron (NTBI), produces acute tissue iron deposition, and
      initiates inflammation. In contrast, the transfusion of fresh RBCs, or the
      infusion of stored RBC-derived supernatant, ghosts, or stroma-free lysate, does
      not produce these effects. Furthermore, the insult induced by transfusion of
      stored RBC synergizes with subclinical endotoxinemia producing clinically overt
      signs and symptoms. The increased plasma NTBI also enhances bacterial growth in
      vitro. Taken together, these results suggest that, in a mouse model, the cellular
      component of leukoreduced, stored RBC units contributes to the harmful effects of
      RBC transfusion that occur after prolonged storage. Nonetheless, these findings
      must be confirmed by prospective human studies.

PMID- 20299511
TI  - Phase 1/2 and extension study of velaglucerase alfa replacement therapy in adults
      with type 1 Gaucher disease: 48-month experience.
AB  - Enzyme replacement therapy is the standard of care for symptomatic Gaucher
      disease. Velaglucerase alfa is a human beta-glucocerebrosidase produced in a well
      characterized human cell line. A 9-month phase 1/2 open-label, single-center
      trial and ongoing extension study were conducted to evaluate safety and efficacy
      of velaglucerase alfa. Twelve symptomatic adult type 1 Gaucher patients (intact
      spleens) received velaglucerase alfa (60 U/kg per infusion) during phase 1/2. An
      extension study was offered to patients completing the trial; step-wise dose
      reduction (to 30 U/kg per infusion) was instituted. Eleven patients completed
      phase 1/2; 10 entered the extension; 9 patients reached 39 months of extension.
      No drug-related serious adverse events or withdrawals, and no antibodies were
      observed. Home therapy was successfully implemented during the extension.
      Statistically significant improvements (P < .004) were noted in mean percentage
      change from baseline to 9 months and baseline to 48 months for hemoglobin
      (+19.2%, +21.7%, respectively), platelet counts (+67.6%, +157.8%, respectively),
      normalized liver volume (-18.2%, -42.8%, respectively), and normalized spleen
      volume (-49.5%, -79.3%, respectively). These significant clinical changes and
      safety profile led to phase 3 trials and highlight the potential of velaglucerase
      alfa as alternative therapy for type 1 Gaucher disease. The extension trial is
      registered at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00391625.

PMID- 20299512
TI  - Members of the microRNA-17-92 cluster exhibit a cell-intrinsic antiangiogenic
      function in endothelial cells.
AB  - MicroRNAs are endogenously expressed small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene
      expression on the posttranscriptional level. The miR-17-92 cluster (encoding miR
      17, -18a, -19a/b, -20a, and miR-92a) is highly expressed in tumor cells and is up
      regulated by ischemia. Whereas miR-92a was recently identified as negative
      regulator of angiogenesis, the specific functions of the other members of the
      cluster are less clear. Here we demonstrate that overexpression of miR-17, -18a, 
      19a, and -20a significantly inhibited 3-dimensional spheroid sprouting in vitro,
      whereas inhibition of miR-17, -18a, and -20a augmented endothelial cell sprout
      formation. Inhibition of miR-17 and miR-20a in vivo using antagomirs
      significantly increased the number of perfused vessels in Matrigel plugs, whereas
      antagomirs that specifically target miR-18a and miR-19a were less effective.
      However, systemic inhibition of miR-17/20 did not affect tumor angiogenesis.
      Further mechanistic studies showed that miR-17/20 targets several proangiogenic
      genes. Specifically, Janus kinase 1 was shown to be a direct target of miR-17. In
      summary, we show that miR-17/20 exhibit a cell-intrinsic antiangiogenic activity
      in endothelial cells. Inhibition of miR-17/20 specifically augmented
      neovascularization of Matrigel plugs but did not affect tumor angiogenesis
      indicating a context-dependent regulation of angiogenesis by miR-17/20 in vivo.

PMID- 20299510
TI  - Dual inhibition of PI3K and mTOR inhibits autocrine and paracrine proliferative
      loops in PI3K/Akt/mTOR-addicted lymphomas.
AB  - Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) constitutes a subset of non-Hodgkin lymphoma
      whose incidence is highly increased in the context of HIV infection. Kaposi
      sarcoma-associated herpesvirus is the causative agent of PEL. The
      phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling pathway plays a critical role in
      cell proliferation and survival, and this pathway is dysregulated in many
      different cancers, including PEL, which display activated PI3K, Akt, and
      mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinases. PELs rely heavily on PI3K/Akt/mTOR
      signaling, are dependent on autocrine and paracrine growth factors, and also have
      a poor prognosis with reported median survival times of less than 6 months. We
      compared different compounds that inhibit the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in PEL.
      Although compounds that modulated activity of only a single pathway member
      inhibited PEL proliferation, the use of a novel compound, NVP-BEZ235, that dually
      inhibits both PI3K and mTOR kinases was significantly more efficacious in culture
      and in a PEL xenograft tumor model. NVP-BEZ235 was effective at low nanomolar
      concentrations and has oral bioavailability. We also report a novel mechanism for
      NVP-BEZ235 involving the suppression of multiple autocrine and paracrine growth
      factors required for lymphoma survival. Our data have broad applicability for the
      treatment of cytokine-dependent tumors with PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitors.

PMID- 20299515
TI  - Inhibition of phagocytosis in HIV-1-infected macrophages relies on Nef-dependent
      alteration of focal delivery of recycling compartments.
AB  - Phagocytosis in macrophages is receptor mediated and relies on actin
      polymerization coordinated with the focal delivery of intracellular membranes
      that is necessary for optimal phagocytosis of large particles. Here we show that
      phagocytosis by various receptors was inhibited in primary human macrophages
      infected with wild-type HIV-1 but not with a nef-deleted virus. We observed no
      major perturbation of F-actin accumulation, but adaptor protein 1 (AP1)-positive
      endosome recruitment was inhibited in HIV-1-infected cells. Expression of
      negative factor (Nef) was sufficient to inhibit phagocytosis, and myristoylation
      as well as the LL and DD motifs involved in association of Nef with AP complexes
      were important for this inhibition. We observed that Nef interferes with AP1 in
      association with membranes and/or with a cleaved regulatory form of AP1. Finally,
      an alteration of the recruitment of vesicle-associated membrane protein (VAMP3)-
      and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha)-positive recycling endosomes regulated
      by AP1, but not of VAMP7-positive late endosomes, was observed in phagocytic cups
      of HIV-1-infected macrophages. We conclude that HIV-1 impairs optimal phagosome
      formation through Nef-dependent perturbation of the endosomal remodeling relying
      on AP1. We therefore identified a mechanism of macrophage function down
      regulation in infected cells.

PMID- 20299513
TI  - Arterial and venous thrombosis in monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined
      significance and multiple myeloma: a population-based study.
AB  - Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) have an increased risk of venous thrombosis.
      Interestingly, excess risk of venous thromboembolism has been observed among
      patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). Using
      population-based data from Sweden, we assessed the risks of venous and arterial
      thrombosis in 18,627 MM and 5326 MGUS patients diagnosed from 1958 to 2006,
      compared with 70,991 and 20,161 matched controls, respectively. At 1, 5, and 10
      years after MM diagnosis, there was an increased risk of venous thrombosis:
      hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 7.5 (6.4-8.9), 4.6 (4.1-5.1), and
      4.1 (3.8-4.5), respectively. The corresponding results for arterial thrombosis
      were 1.9 (1.8-2.1), 1.5 (1.4-1.6), and 1.5 (1.4-1.5). At 1, 5, and 10 years after
      MGUS diagnosis, hazard ratios were 3.4 (2.5-4.6), 2.1 (1.7-2.5), and 2.1 (1.8
      2.4) for venous thrombosis. The corresponding risks for arterial thrombosis were
      1.7 (1.5-1.9), 1.3 (1.2-1.4), and 1.3 (1.3-1.4). IgG/IgA (but not IgM) MGUS
      patients had increased risks for venous and arterial thrombosis. Risks for
      thrombosis did not vary by M-protein concentration (> 10.0 g/L or < 10.0 g/L) at
      diagnosis. MGUS patients with (vs without) thrombosis had no excess risk of MM or
      Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia. Our findings are of relevance for future studies
      and for improvement of thrombosis prophylaxis strategies.

PMID- 20299516
TI  - Target recognition-induced NK-cell responses.

PMID- 20299514
TI  - E-selectin engages PSGL-1 and CD44 through a common signaling pathway to induce
      integrin alphaLbeta2-mediated slow leukocyte rolling.
AB  - In inflamed venules, neutrophils rolling on E-selectin induce integrin
      alpha(L)beta(2)-dependent slow rolling on intercellular adhesion molecule-1 by
      activating Src family kinases (SFKs), DAP12 and Fc receptor-gamma (FcRgamma),
      spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk), and p38. E-selectin signaling cooperates with
      chemokine signaling to recruit neutrophils into tissues. Previous studies
      identified P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) as the essential E-selectin
      ligand and Fgr as the only SFK that initiate signaling to slow rolling. In
      contrast, we found that E-selectin engagement of PSGL-1 or CD44 triggered slow
      rolling through a common, lipid raft-dependent pathway that used the SFKs Hck and
      Lyn as well as Fgr. We identified the Tec kinase Bruton tyrosine kinase as a key
      signaling intermediate between Syk and p38. E-selectin engagement of PSGL-1 was
      dependent on its cytoplasmic domain to activate SFKs and slow rolling. Although
      recruiting phosphoinositide-3-kinase to the PSGL-1 cytoplasmic domain was
      reported to activate integrins, E-selectin-mediated slow rolling did not require
      phosphoinositide-3-kinase. Studies in mice confirmed the physiologic significance
      of these events for neutrophil slow rolling and recruitment during inflammation.
      Thus, E-selectin triggers common signals through distinct neutrophil
      glycoproteins to induce alpha(L)beta(2)-dependent slow rolling.

PMID- 20299517
TI  - Cyclophosphamide in aplastic anemia?

PMID- 20299518
TI  - V(D)J recombination and staggered DNA breaks: guilty again.

PMID- 20299519
TI  - Macrophages give Gas(6) to cancer.

PMID- 20299520
TI  - If Virchow were to meet Newton.

PMID- 20299521
TI  - A novel antiphospholipid antibody agent?

PMID- 20299522
TI  - Pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus infections in children with sickle cell
      disease.

PMID- 20299523
TI  - Update on dental nanocomposites.
AB  - Dental resin-composites are comprised of a photo-polymerizable organic resin
      matrix and mixed with silane-treated reinforcing inorganic fillers. In the
      development of the composites, the three main components can be modified: the
      inorganic fillers, the organic resin matrix, and the silane coupling agents. The
      aim of this article is to review recent studies of the development of dental
      nanocomposites and their clinical applications. In nanocomposites, nanofillers
      are added and distributed in a dispersed form or as clusters. For increasing the
      mineral content of the tooth, calcium and phosphate ion-releasing composites and
      fluoride-releasing nanocomposites were developed by the addition of DCPA-whiskers
      or TTCP-whiskers or by the use of calcium fluoride or kaolinite. For enhancing
      mechanical properties, nanocomposites reinforced with nanofibers or nanoparticles
      were investigated. For reducing polymerization shrinkage, investigators modified
      the resin matrix by using methacrylate and epoxy functionalized nanocomposites
      based on silsesquioxane cores or epoxy-resin-based nanocomposites. The effects of
      silanization were also studied. Clinical consideration of light-curing modes and
      mechanical properties of nanocomposites, especially strength durability after
      immersion, was also addressed.

PMID- 20299524
TI  - Bcl2 is not required for the development and maintenance of leukemia stem cells
      in mice.
AB  - The existence of leukemia stem cells (LSCs) responsible for tumor maintenance has
      been firmly established. Therefore, therapeutic targeting of these LSCs may have
      a profound impact on cancer eradication. The anti-apoptotic protein Bcl2 has been
      proposed as a therapeutic target, but its role in LSC biology has not been
      investigated. In order to understand the role of Bcl2 in LSC generation and
      maintenance, we have taken advantage of our Sca1-BCRABLp210 mouse model of human
      chronic myeloid leukemia and bcl2 gene-targeted mice. This study provides genetic
      evidence that the inhibition of Bcl2 is not critical for the generation,
      selection or maintenance of the tumor initiating and maintaining cells in mice.

PMID- 20299525
TI  - Wheel running, skeletal muscle aerobic capacity and 1-methyl-1-nitrosourea
      induced mammary carcinogenesis in the rat.
AB  - Emerging evidence indicates that intrinsic differences and induced changes in
      aerobic capacity are probably to play a critical role in the development of
      chronic diseases like cancer. This study was initiated: (i) to determine how
      citrate synthase activity, which is routinely used as a marker of aerobic
      capacity and mitochondrial density in skeletal muscle, was affected by voluntary
      running on either a motorized activity wheel or a non-motorized free wheel and
      (ii) to investigate the association between aerobic capacity and the carcinogenic
      response induced in the mammary gland by intraperitoneal injection of 1-methyl-1
      nitrosurea. Overall, wheel running reduced cancer incidence (96 versus 72%, P =
      0.0006) and the number of cancers per animal (2.84 versus 1.78, P < 0.0001) and
      induced citrate synthase activity (276 versus 353 U/mg, P < 0.0001, sedentary
      control versus wheel running,respectively). Both motorized and free wheel running
      increased citrate synthase activity (373 +/- 24, 329 +/- 11 and 276 +/- 9 U/mg
      protein, P < 0.0001) and reduced the average number of cancers per rat (2.84,
      1.96 and 1.63, P < 0.01), sedentary control, free wheel and motorized wheel,
      respectively. However, regression analyses failed to provide evidence of a
      significant association between citrate synthase activity and either cancer
      incidence or cancer multiplicity. Citrate synthase activity is a single measure
      in a complex pathway that determines aerobic capacity. The multifaceted nature of
      intrinsic and inducible aerobic capacity limits the usefulness of citrate
      synthase activity alone in elucidating the relationship between aerobic capacity
      and the carcinogenic response.

PMID- 20299527
TI  - Inhibition of mTORC1 signaling reduces tumor growth but does not prevent cancer
      progression in a mouse model of thyroid cancer.
AB  - Selective drugs targeting dysregulated oncogenic pathways are promising cancer
      therapies. Because the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) pathway
      is hyperactivated in human follicular thyroid cancer (FTC), we hypothesized that
      its inhibition could block cancer development and progression. We, therefore,
      analyzed the effect of a treatment with a specific mTORC1 inhibitor (RAD001) in a
      faithful mouse model of FTC with constitutive mTORC1 activation
      (TRbeta(PV/PV)Pten(+/-) mice). The treatment did not prevent capsular and
      vascular invasion of the thyroid and the occurrence of lung metastasis. However,
      it substantially decelerated thyroid tumor growth, thereby prolonging
      TRbeta(PV/PV)Pten(+/-) mouse life span. RAD001 efficiently inhibited mTORC1
      activity, as shown by the reduced phosphorylation of its downstream targets
      involved in the activity of the translation machinery, such as ribosomal S6
      kinase (p70(S6K)), eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E binding protein
      (4E-BP1) and the eukaryotic translation initiation factors eIF-4B and eIF-4G.
      Whereas mTORC1 signaling inhibition did not alter cell apoptosis, it induced a
      significant decrease in cell proliferation that was associated with the reduced
      abundance and altered activity of key regulators of cell cycle progression.
      Altogether, our data indicate that mTORC1 signaling plays a major role in the
      integration of the mitogenic signal in FTC. Therefore, our preclinical study with
      a relevant mouse model of FTC demonstrates for the first time that RAD001
      efficaciously stabilizes cancer growth although it does not prevent its fatal
      outcome. In conclusion, our work underscores that in the treatment of FTC
      patients, RAD001 can only be used in combination with drugs and therapies
      inducing tumor shrinkage and blocking metastasis.

PMID- 20299529
TI  - Deficient and dysfunctional regulatory T cells in the lungs of chronic beryllium
      disease subjects.
AB  - RATIONALE: Chronic beryllium disease (CBD) is a CD4(+) T cell-mediated disorder
      characterized by persistent lung inflammation. Naturally occurring regulatory T
      (T(reg)) cells modulate adaptive immune responses. The role of this T-cell subset
      in beryllium-induced lung disease is unknown. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study
      was to determine whether dysfunctional T(reg) cells in the lung contribute to the
      "unchecked" inflammatory response that characterizes CBD. METHODS: Using blood
      and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells from normal control subjects and
      individuals with beryllium-induced disease, we determined the frequency and
      function of naturally occurring T(reg) cells. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A
      significantly decreased percentage and expression of FoxP3 in BAL CD4(+) T cells
      from CBD patients compared with beryllium-sensitized subjects was seen, and the
      percentage of FoxP3-expressing CD4(+) T(reg) cells in BAL inversely correlated
      with disease severity. In contrast to blood T(reg) cells derived from beryllium
      sensitized subjects and patients with CBD that completely suppressed blood
      responder T-cell proliferation, BAL FoxP3-expressing T(reg) cells from patients
      with CBD are unable to suppress anti-CD3-mediated BAL T-cell proliferation.
      Mixing studies showed that blood T(reg) cells are capable of suppressing
      autologous BAL responder T cells. Conversely, BAL CD4(+) T(reg) cells are
      incapable of suppressing blood T cells, confirming that the failure of BAL T(reg)
      cells to suppress T-cell proliferation is caused by a dysfunctional T(reg) cell
      subset and not by resistance of BAL effector T cells to suppression. CONCLUSIONS:
      These findings suggest that the deficient and dysfunctional T(reg) cells in the
      lung of patients with CBD contribute to the persistent inflammatory response in
      this disease.

PMID- 20299531
TI  - Tumor necrosis factor-{alpha} rs361525 polymorphism is associated with increased
      local production and downstream inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease.
AB  - RATIONALE: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has a genetic component,
      explaining susceptibility. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha polymorphisms have
      been associated with COPD, but it is unclear if genotype influences clinical
      phenotype, protein expression, and bioactivity. OBJECTIVES: To determine if a
      functional polymorphism was important by assessing TNF-alpha expression and
      activity and its association with clinical severity over time. METHODS: Patients
      with COPD with rs361525 polymorphism were matched to patients with COPD without
      rs361525 polymorphism. TNF-alpha, its antagonists, and downstream mediators were
      measured in plasma and sputum. To determine TNF-alpha bioactivity, IL-8 secretion
      from primary bronchial epithelial cells (PBECs) was measured, and neutrophil
      migration was assessed using sputum from both subject groups in the presence and
      absence of TNF-alpha antibody. Subjects were followed annually and compared.
      MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Patients with polymorphism had more chronic
      bronchitis, a lower body mass index, and a greater annual decline in FEV(1) than
      patients with COPD without rs361525 polymorphism. TNF-alpha concentrations were
      100-fold higher in airway secretions from the patients with the rs361525
      polymorphism, with no difference in TNF-alpha antagonists. Their lung secretions
      contained more IL-8 and myeloperoxidase, consistent with downstream inflammation.
      Sputum from patients with rs361525 polymorphism induced greater secretion of IL-8
      from PBECs and increased neutrophil migration. These effects could be abrogated
      by TNF-alpha antibody, demonstrating the bioactivity of TNF-alpha in lung
      secretions from this group. CONCLUSIONS: This TNF-alpha polymorphism is
      associated with clinical features of disease including progression. There is
      clear evidence of TNF-alpha overexpression and bioactivity with neutrophilic
      inflammation. The polymorphism is likely to be a factor that influences a COPD
      disease phenotype and its progression.

PMID- 20299530
TI  - Progressive 3q amplification consistently targets SOX2 in preinvasive squamous
      lung cancer.
AB  - RATIONALE: Amplification of distal 3q is the most common genomic aberration in
      squamous lung cancer (SQC). SQC develops in a multistage progression from normal
      bronchial epithelium through dysplasia to invasive disease. Identifying the key
      driver events in the early pathogenesis of SQC will facilitate the search for
      predictive molecular biomarkers and the identification of novel molecular targets
      for chemoprevention and therapeutic strategies. For technical reasons, previous
      attempts to analyze 3q amplification in preinvasive lesions have focused on small
      numbers of predetermined candidate loci rather than an unbiased survey of copy
      number variation. OBJECTIVES: To perform a detailed analysis of the 3q amplicon
      in bronchial dysplasia of different histological grades. METHODS: We use
      molecular copy-number counting (MCC) to analyze the structure of chromosome 3 in
      19 preinvasive bronchial biopsy specimens from 15 patients and sequential biopsy
      specimens from 3 individuals. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We demonstrate that
      no low-grade lesions, but all high-grade lesions, have 3q amplification. None of
      seven low-grade lesions progressed clinically, whereas 8 of 10 patients with high
      grade disease progressed to cancer. We identify a minimum commonly amplified
      region on chromosome 3 consisting of 17 genes, including 2 known oncogenes, SOX2
      and PIK3CA. We confirm that both genes are amplified in all high-grade dysplastic
      lesions tested. We further demonstrate, in three individuals, that the clinical
      progression of high-grade preinvasive disease is associated with incremental
      amplification of SOX2, suggesting this promotes malignant progression.
      CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate progressive 3q amplification in the
      evolution of preinvasive SQC and implicate SOX2 as a key target of this dynamic
      process.

PMID- 20299533
TI  - Elevated exhaled nitric oxide in high-risk neonates precedes transient early but
      not persistent wheeze.
AB  - RATIONALE: Elevated fractional exhaled nitric oxide (Fe(NO)) concentration has
      been suggested to predict early childhood wheeze and sensitization. OBJECTIVES:
      To investigate the association between Fe(NO) in asymptomatic neonates and the
      development of wheeze patterns and atopic intermediary phenotypes in the first 6
      years of life. METHODS: We measured Fe(NO) in 253 healthy 1-month-old neonates
      from the Copenhagen Prospective Study on Asthma in Childhood birth cohort and
      monitored prospectively wheezy episodes by daily diary cards during the first 6
      years of life. Total IgE, specific IgE, and blood eosinophil count were assessed
      at age 6 months, 4 years, and 6 years. Associations were studied by Cox
      regression, logistic regression, and generalized linear models. MEASUREMENTS AND
      MAIN RESULTS: Increased neonatal Fe(NO) level was significantly associated with
      the development of recurrent wheeze in the first year of life (hazard ratio,
      2.63; 95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 6.2; P = 0.026) but not thereafter. The
      association was unaffected by environmental tobacco smoke exposure. Fe(NO) was
      not associated with elevated levels of total IgE, specific IgE, or blood
      eosinophil count at any age point and was unrelated to neonatal lung function.
      CONCLUSIONS: An elevated Fe(NO) level in asymptomatic neonates born to mothers
      with asthma preceded the development of transient early wheezing, but not
      persistent wheezing during preschool age, and was unrelated to atopy. This
      suggests an early disease process other than small airway caliber contributing to
      the transient wheezing phenotype.

PMID- 20299532
TI  - A prospective multicenter study of adrenal function in critically ill children.
AB  - RATIONALE: Adrenal insufficiency is a clinical condition associated with fluid-
      and catecholamine-resistant hypotension. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study
      were to determine the prevalence of adrenal insufficiency, risk factors and
      potential mechanisms for its development, and its association with clinically
      important outcomes in critically ill children. METHODS: A prospective, cohort
      study was conducted from 2005 to 2008 in seven tertiary-care, pediatric intensive
      care units in Canada on patients up to 17 years of age with existing vascular
      access. Adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation tests (1 microg) were performed
      and adrenocorticotropic hormone levels measured in all participants. MEASUREMENTS
      AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of 381 patients had adrenal testing on admission. The
      prevalence of adrenal insufficiency was 30.2% (95% confidence interval, 25.9
      35.1). Patients with adrenal insufficiency had higher baseline cortisol levels
      (28.6 microg/dl vs. 16.7 microg/dl, P < 0.001) and were significantly older (11.5
      yr vs. 2.3 yr, P < 0.001) than those without adrenal insufficiency. Adrenal
      insufficiency was associated with an increased need for catecholamines (P <
      0.001) and more fluid boluses (P = 0.026). The sensitivity and specificity of the
      low-dose adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation test were 100% and 84%,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Adrenal insufficiency occurs in many disease
      conditions in critically ill children and is associated with an increased use of
      catecholamines and fluid boluses. It is likely multifactorial in etiology and is
      associated with high baseline cortisol levels. Further research is necessary to
      determine which of these critically ill children are truly cortisol deficient
      before any treatment recommendations can be made.

PMID- 20299534
TI  - Ethnic differences in perception of lung function: a factor in pediatric asthma
      disparities?
AB  - RATIONALE: Disparities in pediatric asthma exist in that Latino children have
      higher prevalence and greater morbidity from asthma than non-Latino white
      children. The factors behind these disparities are poorly understood, but ethnic
      related variations in children's ability to accurately recognize and report their
      pulmonary functioning may be a contributing process. OBJECTIVES: To determine (1)
      if differences exist between Latino and non-Latino white children's perceptual
      accuracy and (2) whether these differences are related to asthma outcomes.
      METHODS: Five hundred and twelve children, aged 7-16 years (290 island Puerto
      Ricans, 115 Rhode Island Latinos, and 107 Rhode Island non-Latino white children)
      participated in a 5-week home-based protocol in which twice daily they entered
      subjective estimates of their peak expiratory flow rate into a hand-held,
      programmable spirometer and then performed spirometry. Their accuracy was
      summarized as three perceptual accuracy scores. Demographic data, asthma
      severity, intelligence, emotional expression, and general symptom-reporting
      tendencies were assessed and covaried in analyses of the relationship of
      perceptual accuracy to asthma morbidity and health care use. MEASUREMENTS AND
      MAIN RESULTS: Younger age, female sex, lower intelligence, and poverty were
      associated with lower pulmonary function perception scores. Island Puerto Rican
      children had the lowest accuracy and highest magnification scores, followed by
      Rhode Island Latinos; both differed significantly from non-Latino white children.
      Perceptual accuracy scores were associated with most indices of asthma morbidity.
      CONCLUSIONS: Controlling for other predictive variables, ethnicity was related to
      pulmonary function perception ability, as Latino children were less accurate than
      non-Latino white children. This difference in perceptual ability may contribute
      to recognized asthma disparities.

PMID- 20299536
TI  - Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is associated with deficits in verbal but not
      visual memory.
AB  - RATIONALE: Although cognitive deficits are well documented in patients with sleep
      apnea, the impact on memory remains unclear. OBJECTIVES: To test the hypotheses
      that (1) patients with obstructive sleep apnea have memory impairment and (2)
      memory impairment is commensurate with disease severity. METHODS: Patients with
      obstructive sleep apnea and healthy volunteers (apnea-hypopnea index <5 events/h)
      completed a test battery specially designed to differentiate between aspects of
      memory (semantic, episodic, and working) versus attention. Sleepiness was
      measured on the basis of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and Oxford Sleep Resistance
      test. Memory performance in patients versus control subjects was compared (Mann
      Whitney U test; P < 0.01, Bonferroni corrected for multiple comparisons) and
      relationships between performance and disease severity were analyzed by linear
      regression. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Sixty patients and healthy control
      subjects matched for age (mean +/- SD: patients, 51 +/- 9 yr; control subjects,
      50 +/- 9 yr) and education (patients, 14 +/- 3 yr; control subjects, 15 +/- 3 yr)
      participated. Patients demonstrated impaired Logical Memory Test results
      (immediate recall: patients, median [range], 36 [9-69]; control subjects, 43 [19
      64], P = 0.0004; and delayed recall: patients, 22 [6-42]; control subjects, 27
      [10-46]; P = 0.0001). There were minimal differences in attention, visual
      episodic, semantic, or working memory; patients performed better than control
      subjects on Spatial Span forward and backward. Regression analysis revealed that
      Logical Memory Test performance was not significantly related to disease severity
      after controlling for age, education, and sleepiness. CONCLUSIONS: Obstructive
      sleep apnea is associated with impairment in verbal, but not visual, memory. The
      impairment was present across a range of disease severity and was not explained
      by reduced attention. Such verbal memory impairment may affect daytime
      functioning and performance.

PMID- 20299535
TI  - Long-term cognitive and psychological outcomes in the awakening and breathing
      controlled trial.
AB  - RATIONALE: Studies have shown that reducing sedation of critically ill patients
      shortens time on the ventilator and in the intensive care unit (ICU). Little is
      known, however, of how such strategies affect long-term cognitive, psychological,
      and functional outcomes. OBJECTIVES: To determine the long-term effects of a wake
      up and breathe protocol that interrupts and reduces sedative exposure in the ICU.
      METHODS: In this a priori planned substudy conducted at one tertiary care
      hospital during the Awakening and Breathing Controlled Trial, a multicenter
      randomized controlled trial, we assessed cognitive, psychological, and
      functional/quality-of-life outcomes 3 and 12 months postdischarge among 180
      medical ICU patients randomized to paired daily spontaneous awakening trials with
      spontaneous breathing trials (SBTs) or to sedation per usual care plus daily
      SBTs. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Cognitive impairment was less common in the
      intervention group at 3-month follow-up (absolute risk reduction, 20.2%; 95%
      confidence interval, 1.5-36.1%; P = 0.03) but not at 12-month follow-up (absolute
      risk reduction, -1.9%; 95% CI, -21.3 to 27.1%; P = 0.89). Composite cognitive
      scores, alternatively, were similar in the two groups at 3-month and 12-month
      follow-up (P = 0.80 and 0.61, respectively), as were symptoms of depression (P =
      0.59 and 0.82) and posttraumatic stress disorder (P = 0.59 and 0.97). Activities
      of daily living, functional status, and mental and physical quality of life were
      similar between groups throughout follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: In this trial,
      management of mechanically ventilated medical ICU patients with a wake up and
      breathe protocol resulted in similar cognitive, psychological, and functional
      outcomes among patients tested 3 and 12 months post-ICU. The proven benefits of
      this protocol, including improved 1-year survival, were not offset by adverse
      long-term outcomes. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT
      00097630).

PMID- 20299537
TI  - Impact of panic disorder upon self-management educational goals in chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease?
AB  - The rationale for introducing self-management plans for the whole chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) population is uncertain. This study's aim
      was to investigate whether people with panic disorder (PD), compared to non-panic
      disordered (NPD), derived additional educational or psychological benefits from
      having a self-management plan. The 24-week prospective study followed 76
      participants hospitalized with an exacerbation of COPD. Participants completed
      mental health questionnaires including psychological measures of self-management
      plan impact. Subsequently, a nurse provided education for using a self-management
      plan. All participants were Plan naive irrespective of their PD status. Self
      management knowledge was assessed before introducing the Plan (baseline), 1 week
      post discharge and at 24 weeks. At baseline 28 (37%) of participants met the
      criteria for PD and this group had higher scores (better knowledge) for an
      impending (p < 0.05) and severe exacerbation (p < 0.05) and capacity to act
      during a severe exacerbation (p < 0.01). No interaction effect was found between
      PD and NPD scores over time, indicating that the PD's knowledge did not improve
      or deteriorate over time relative to the NPD. Evidence was mixed regarding the
      Plan's psychological impact. Self-management confidence improved in both groups.
      Amongst the PD group, perceived control of self-management tasks increased but so
      did body vigilance and distress about having COPD. There is mixed evidence
      regarding educational and psychological benefits of COPD self-management plans
      for people with PD. No additional educational advantages were found for the PD
      group. Plans may increase confidence and control over self-management but may
      also increase body vigilance and distress about having COPD.

PMID- 20299538
TI  - High prevalence of undiagnosed and severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
      at first hospital admission with acute exacerbation.
AB  - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common cause of acute medical
      hospital admission, and the prevalence of undiagnosed COPD in the community is
      high. The impact of undiagnosed COPD on presentation to secondary care services
      is not currently known. We therefore set out to characterise patients at first
      admission with an acute exacerbation of COPD, and to identify potential areas for
      improvement in earlier diagnosis and further management. A retrospective case
      review of patients first admitted to a district teaching hospital with an acute
      exacerbation of COPD over a 1-year period was carried out. Forty-one patients
      with a first admission with an acute exacerbation of COPD were identified, 14
      (34%) of whom had not been previously diagnosed and were diagnosed with COPD as a
      result of the admission. At presentation, this group of patients had severe
      disease, with mean (SD) FEV(1) 1.02 (0.32) L, and a respiratory acidosis in eight
      (20%) patients, even though this was their first admission for an acute
      exacerbation of COPD. Missed potential opportunities to intervene in community
      and inpatient management were identified, including earlier diagnosis, pre
      hospital corticosteroid therapy, inpatient respiratory team input, provision of
      smoking cessation advice and consideration of pulmonary rehabilitation. Patients
      with a first hospital admission with an acute exacerbation of COPD frequently
      have severe disease at presentation. Despite having severe disease, a diagnosis
      of COPD had not been made in the community prior to admission in one-third of
      patients. Future work should be directed at earlier identification of patients
      who are symptomatic from COPD and ensuring that the interventions of proven
      benefit in COPD are systematically offered to patients in both primary and
      secondary care.

PMID- 20299539
TI  - "Water leakage" in an oxygenator; a suspected unexpected phenomenon.

PMID- 20299540
TI  - Interleukin-1 family member 9 stimulates chemokine production and neutrophil
      influx in mouse lungs.
AB  - Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is a proinflammatory cytokine that signals through the Type
      I IL-1 receptor (IL-1RI). Novel IL-1-like cytokines were recently identified.
      Their functions in lung disease remain unclear. Interleukin-1 family member-9 (IL
      1F9) is one such IL-1-like cytokine, expressed in the lungs of humans and mice.
      IL-1F9 signals through IL-1 receptor-related protein 2 (IL-1Rrp2/IL-1RL2), which
      is distinct from IL-1RI. We sought to determine if IL-1F9 acts as a
      proinflammatory cytokine in lung disease. IL-1F9 protein was increased in lung
      homogenates of house dust mite-challenged A/J mice compared with controls, and
      expression was seen in airway epithelial cells. The intratracheal administration
      of recombinant mouse IL-1F9 increased airway hyperresponsiveness and induced
      neutrophil influx and mucus production, but not eosinophilic infiltration in the
      lungs of mice. In addition, IL-1alpha protein levels in bronchoalveolar lavage
      fluid, chemokines, and chemokine-receptor mRNA expression in the lungs were
      increased after the instillation of intratracheal IL-1F9. Consistent with these
      changes, NF-kappaB transcription factor activity was increased in the lungs of
      mice challenged with IL-1F9 and in a macrophage cell line treated with IL-1F9.
      These data suggest that IL-1F9 is upregulated during inflammation, and acts as a
      proinflammatory cytokine in the lungs.

PMID- 20299541
TI  - Editorial for PEDS special issue on antibodies.

PMID- 20299542
TI  - SEEDbodies: fusion proteins based on strand-exchange engineered domain (SEED) CH3
      heterodimers in an Fc analogue platform for asymmetric binders or immunofusions
      and bispecific antibodies.
AB  - Bispecific antibodies and asymmetric Fc fusion proteins offer opportunities for
      important advances in therapeutics. Bivalent IgG depends upon in vivo
      dimerization of its heavy chains, mediated by homodimeric association of its
      C(H)3 domains. We have developed a heterodimeric Fc platform that supports the
      design of bispecific and asymmetric fusion proteins by devising strand-exchange
      engineered domain (SEED) C(H)3 heterodimers. These derivatives of human IgG and
      IgA C(H)3 domains create complementary human SEED C(H)3 heterodimers that are
      composed of alternating segments of human IgA and IgG C(H)3 sequences. The
      resulting pair of SEED C(H)3 domains preferentially associates to form
      heterodimers when expressed in mammalian cells. SEEDbody (Sb) fusion proteins
      consist of [IgG1 hinge]-C(H)2-[SEED C(H)3], that may be genetically linked to one
      or more fusion partners. This investigation reports on the generation of mono-Fab
      Sb and Sb-IL2 monocytokine as models. They were expressed at high levels in NS/0
      cells, purified on recombinant protein A resin and were well-behaved in solution.
      When administered intravenously to mice, Sb pharmacokinetics exhibited the long
      serum half-life extensions typical of comparable Fc-containing immunofusion and
      IgG1 controls.

PMID- 20299545
TI  - Surgical repair of meniscal tears with concomitant anterior cruciate ligament
      reconstruction in patients 18 years and younger.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are sparse data available regarding outcome of meniscal repair
      performed at the time of ACL reconstruction in the pediatric and adolescent
      population. PURPOSE: To review the results of meniscal repair performed at the
      time of ACL reconstruction in pediatric and adolescent patients. STUDY DESIGN:
      Case series; Level of evidence, 4. METHODS: The records of all patients age 18
      years or younger who underwent meniscal repair at the time of ACL reconstruction
      between 1990 and 2005 were reviewed. Ninety-nine patients (56 female, 43 male)
      with an average age of 16 years (range, 13-18) were included. Average injury to
      surgery interval was 107 days (range, 2-1109). Clinical outcomes were assessed at
      a mean of 8 years postoperatively (range, 2-19). A multivariate model was used to
      compare this cohort with a previously published cohort of patients with isolated
      meniscal tears. RESULTS: The clinical success rate of meniscal repair was 84% for
      simple tears, 59% for displaced bucket-handle tears, and 57% for complex tears
      (74% overall). Twenty-six menisci (26% overall) failed repair and 25 patients
      underwent repeat arthroscopic surgery (19 partial meniscectomies, 6 re-repairs).
      The average Tegner and International Knee Documentation Committee scores were 6.2
      (range, 2-10) and 90.3 (range, 52-100), respectively. Risk factors for failure
      included complex and bucket-handle tear (P = .01), medial meniscal tears (P =
      .03), and skeletal immaturity (P = .01). Compared with isolated meniscal repairs
      in a similar pediatric and adolescent population, complex tears repaired in
      combination with ACL reconstruction did significantly better (57% vs 13%; P =
      .004). CONCLUSION: Clinically successful repair of meniscal tears treated at the
      time of ACL reconstruction in patients 18 years or younger depends on tear type,
      with complex and bucket-handle tears being negative prognostic factors. Complex
      tears have a higher rate of clinical success when repaired at the time of ACL
      reconstruction versus when repaired in isolation.

PMID- 20299543
TI  - Genome wide analyses reveal little evidence for adaptive evolution in many plant
      species.
AB  - The relative contribution of advantageous and neutral mutations to the
      evolutionary process is a central problem in evolutionary biology. Current
      estimates suggest that whereas Drosophila, mice, and bacteria have undergone
      extensive adaptive evolution, hominids show little or no evidence of adaptive
      evolution in protein-coding sequences. This may be a consequence of differences
      in effective population size. To study the matter further, we have investigated
      whether plants show evidence of adaptive evolution using an extension of the
      McDonald-Kreitman test that explicitly models slightly deleterious mutations by
      estimating the distribution of fitness effects of new mutations. We apply this
      method to data from nine pairs of species. Altogether more than 2,400 loci with
      an average length of approximately 280 nucleotides were analyzed. We observe very
      similar results in all species; we find little evidence of adaptive amino acid
      substitution in any comparison except sunflowers. This may be because many plant
      species have modest effective population sizes.

PMID- 20299544
TI  - Relationship between low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and
      dementia in the elderly. The InChianti study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To evaluate the association between plasma lipid fractions and the
      prevalence of dementia in a large sample of Italian older individuals. METHODS: A
      total of 1051 older community-dwelling individuals (age >/=65 years), enrolled in
      the InChianti study, were included. Diagnosis of dementia was established at
      baseline and at the 3-year follow-up using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
      Mental Disorder (Fourth Edition) criteria. Plasma lipids were measured by
      standardized methods at baseline and after 3 years. RESULTS: At baseline, 61
      individuals (5.8%) were affected by dementia. Demented individuals showed
      significantly lower total cholesterol (TC), nonhigh-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels compared
      with controls; no differences were found in triglycerides (TG) and lipoprotein
      (a) levels. Of the 819 subjects reevaluated at the 3-year follow-up, 81 (9.9%)
      received a new diagnosis of dementia. Again, demented subjects were characterized
      by significantly lower TC, non-HDL-C, and HDL-C levels compared with controls,
      thus confirming the baseline findings. At multivariate logistic regression
      analysis, HDL-C levels (odds ratio: 0.96, 95% confidence interval: 0.93-0.99),
      but not TG and non-HDL-C, were associated with dementia independent of important
      confounders including age, gender, apo E phenotype, stroke, weight loss,
      interleukin 6 levels, and ankle-brachial index. CONCLUSIONS: Among community
      dwelling older people, individuals affected by dementia showed significantly
      lower TC, non-HDL-C, and HDL-C levels; however, at multivariate analysis, only
      HDL-C was associated with dementia. Our results suggest the existence of an
      independent relationship between dementia and low HDL-C levels.

PMID- 20299546
TI  - 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin counteracts the p53 response to a
      genotoxicant by upregulating expression of the metastasis marker agr2 in the
      hepatocarcinoma cell line HepG2.
AB  - 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is an environmental pollutant that
      binds the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a transcription factor that triggers
      various biological responses. In this study, we show that TCDD treatment
      counteracts the p53 activation (phosphorylation and acetylation) elicited by a
      genotoxic compound, etoposide, in the human hepatocarcinoma cell line HepG2 and
      we delineated the mechanisms of this interaction. Using small interfering RNA
      knockdown experiments, we found that the newly described metastasis marker,
      anterior gradient-2 (AGR2), is involved in this effect. Both AGR2 messenger RNA
      (mRNA) and protein levels were increased (sixfold and fourfold, respectively) by
      TCDD treatment, and this effect was mediated by the AhR receptor. The half-life
      of AGR2 mRNA was unchanged by TCDD treatment. Analysis of the promoter of the
      AGR2 gene revealed three putative xenobiotic-responsive elements (XREs) in the
      proximal 3.5-kb promoter. Transient transfection of HepG2 cells by the Gaussia
      luciferase reporter gene driven by various deleted and mutated fragments of the
      promoter indicated that only the most proximal XRE was active. Binding of the AhR
      to the endogenous AGR2 promoter was also triggered by TCDD treatment. These
      results suggest that AhR ligands such as TCDD might contribute to tumor
      progression by inhibiting p53 regulation (phosphorylation and acetylation)
      triggered by genotoxicants via the increased expression of the metastasis marker
      AGR2.

PMID- 20299547
TI  - Embryotoxic and teratogenic effects of the combination of bisphenol A and
      genistein on in vitro cultured postimplantation rat embryos.
AB  - The potential teratogenic effects and fetal toxicity of environmental estrogenic
      endocrine disruptors have become a great concern in recent years, and they have
      yet to be fully characterized. In the present study, the teratogenic effects of
      bisphenol A (BPA) and genistein (GEN) on rat embryos during their critical period
      of organogenesis were investigated using a whole-embryo culture experiment. The
      combined exposure effects of BPA and GEN were explored using a 4 x 4 full
      factorial design. Both BPA and GEN produced concentration-dependent inhibition of
      embryonic development, beginning at 32.0 and 10.0 microg/ml, respectively. Full
      factorial and isobologram analyses revealed a significant synergistic interaction
      between BPA and GEN for most end points (12 out of 20 tested), as indicated by
      the enhanced developmental toxicity of BPA after coexposure with different dose
      levels of GEN. In particular, serious malformations and a higher abnormal
      frequency of the central nervous system were induced by the combination of BPA
      and GEN. Our findings suggest that GEN may be embryotoxic and teratogenic to
      humans. BPA alone may not be a potential teratogen, but these two estrogenic
      chemicals have a synergistic effect on embryonic development when present
      together during the critical period of major organ formation. The current
      findings suggest that pregnant women should not take soy supplements, but more
      studies are necessary to provide a conclusive recommendation.

PMID- 20299548
TI  - Variation in transcription factor binding among humans.
AB  - Differences in gene expression may play a major role in speciation and phenotypic
      diversity. We examined genome-wide differences in transcription factor (TF)
      binding in several humans and a single chimpanzee by using chromatin
      immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing. The binding sites of RNA polymerase
      II (PolII) and a key regulator of immune responses, nuclear factor kappaB (p65),
      were mapped in 10 lymphoblastoid cell lines, and 25 and 7.5% of the respective
      binding regions were found to differ between individuals. Binding differences
      were frequently associated with single-nucleotide polymorphisms and genomic
      structural variants, and these differences were often correlated with differences
      in gene expression, suggesting functional consequences of binding variation.
      Furthermore, comparing PolII binding between humans and chimpanzee suggests
      extensive divergence in TF binding. Our results indicate that many differences in
      individuals and species occur at the level of TF binding, and they provide
      insight into the genetic events responsible for these differences.

PMID- 20299549
TI  - Heritable individual-specific and allele-specific chromatin signatures in humans.
AB  - The extent to which variation in chromatin structure and transcription factor
      binding may influence gene expression, and thus underlie or contribute to
      variation in phenotype, is unknown. To address this question, we cataloged both
      individual-to-individual variation and differences between homologous chromosomes
      within the same individual (allele-specific variation) in chromatin structure and
      transcription factor binding in lymphoblastoid cells derived from individuals of
      geographically diverse ancestry. Ten percent of active chromatin sites were
      individual-specific; a similar proportion were allele-specific. Both individual
      specific and allele-specific sites were commonly transmitted from parent to
      child, which suggests that they are heritable features of the human genome. Our
      study shows that heritable chromatin status and transcription factor binding
      differ as a result of genetic variation and may underlie phenotypic variation in
      humans.

PMID- 20299550
TI  - Resolving mechanisms of competitive fertilization success in Drosophila
      melanogaster.
AB  - Our understanding of postcopulatory sexual selection has been constrained by an
      inability to discriminate competing sperm of different males, coupled with
      challenges of directly observing live sperm inside the female reproductive tract.
      Real-time and spatiotemporal analyses of sperm movement, storage, and use within
      female Drosophila melanogaster inseminated by two transgenic males with,
      respectively, green and red sperm heads allowed us to unambiguously discriminate
      among hypothesized mechanisms underlying sperm precedence, including physical
      displacement and incapacitation of "resident" sperm by second males, female
      ejection of sperm, and biased use of competing sperm for fertilization. We find
      that competitive male fertilization success derives from a multivariate process
      involving ejaculate-female and ejaculate-ejaculate interactions, as well as
      complex sperm behavior in vivo.

PMID- 20299551
TI  - Three-dimensional invisibility cloak at optical wavelengths.
AB  - We have designed and realized a three-dimensional invisibility-cloaking structure
      operating at optical wavelengths based on transformation optics. Our blueprint
      uses a woodpile photonic crystal with a tailored polymer filling fraction to hide
      a bump in a gold reflector. We fabricated structures and controls by direct laser
      writing and characterized them by simultaneous high-numerical-aperture, far-field
      optical microscopy and spectroscopy. A cloaking operation with a large bandwidth
      of unpolarized light from 1.4 to 2.7 micrometers in wavelength is demonstrated
      for viewing angles up to 60 degrees.

PMID- 20299554
TI  - Fusion. Budget red tape in Europe brings new delay to ITER.

PMID- 20299553
TI  - Science-based health care.

PMID- 20299552
TI  - Functional hierarchy and reversibility within the murine spermatogenic stem cell
      compartment.
AB  - Stem cells support tissue maintenance by balancing self-renewal and
      differentiation. In mice, it is believed that a homogeneous stem cell population
      of single spermatogonia supports spermatogenesis, and that differentiation, which
      is accompanied by the formation of connected cells (cysts) of increasing length,
      is linear and nonreversible. We evaluated this model with the use of lineage
      analysis and live imaging, and found that this putative stem cell population is
      not homogeneous. Instead, the stem cell pool that supports steady-state
      spermatogenesis is contained within a subpopulation of single spermatogonia. We
      also found that cysts are not committed to differentiation and appear to recover
      stem cell potential by fragmentation, and that the fate of individual
      spermatogonial populations was markedly altered during regeneration after damage.
      Thus, there are multiple and reversible paths from stem cells to differentiation,
      and these may also occur in other systems.

PMID- 20299555
TI  - Anthrax investigation. Silicon mystery endures in solved anthrax case.

PMID- 20299556
TI  - Psychiatry. Beyond DSM: seeking a brain-based classification of mental illness.

PMID- 20299557
TI  - U.S. science policy. MIT engineering dean tapped to head NSF.

PMID- 20299558
TI  - National Science Foundation. Budget shortfall could derail plans for underground
      lab.

PMID- 20299559
TI  - India. Hardy cotton-munching pests are latest blow to GM crops.

PMID- 20299560
TI  - 2010 budget. Fresh momentum for China's science juggernaut.

PMID- 20299561
TI  - 2010 budget. China amasses war chest to confront its environmental nightmares.

PMID- 20299563
TI  - Research funding. Polish science reforms bring fear and hope.

PMID- 20299565
TI  - Evolution. Male rivalry extends to sperm in female reproductive tract.

PMID- 20299566
TI  - Climate change. The Nile Delta's sinking future.

PMID- 20299567
TI  - Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Coaxing out another taste of the sun.

PMID- 20299568
TI  - Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Lucky glimpses of a weirdly wetter moon.

PMID- 20299570
TI  - Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Spirit is willing, though weak.

PMID- 20299569
TI  - Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Snapshots from the meeting.

PMID- 20299571
TI  - Chilean scientists rally after quake.

PMID- 20299573
TI  - Unlocking the door to better cybersecurity.

PMID- 20299574
TI  - Planning for biodiversity in future climates.

PMID- 20299575
TI  - Salmon swimming against multiple threats.

PMID- 20299576
TI  - Is the message from Athens being heard?

PMID- 20299578
TI  - Ecology. China, India, and the environment.

PMID- 20299579
TI  - Chemistry. Setting the trap for reactive resonances.

PMID- 20299580
TI  - Plant science. Phenology under global warming.

PMID- 20299581
TI  - Applied physics. Controlling turbulence.

PMID- 20299582
TI  - Neuroscience. AMPA receptors--another twist?

PMID- 20299583
TI  - Physics. Toward organic all-optical switching.

PMID- 20299584
TI  - Behavior. Fairness in modern society.

PMID- 20299585
TI  - Materials science. Expanding the repertoire of shape memory alloys.

PMID- 20299586
TI  - An evolving view of Saturn's dynamic rings.
AB  - We review our understanding of Saturn's rings after nearly 6 years of
      observations by the Cassini spacecraft. Saturn's rings are composed mostly of
      water ice but also contain an undetermined reddish contaminant. The rings exhibit
      a range of structure across many spatial scales; some of this involves the
      interplay of the fluid nature and the self-gravity of innumerable orbiting
      centimeter- to meter-sized particles, and the effects of several peripheral and
      embedded moonlets, but much remains unexplained. A few aspects of ring structure
      change on time scales as short as days. It remains unclear whether the vigorous
      evolutionary processes to which the rings are subject imply a much younger age
      than that of the solar system. Processes on view at Saturn have parallels in
      circumstellar disks.

PMID- 20299587
TI  - Saturn: atmosphere, ionosphere, and magnetosphere.
AB  - The Cassini spacecraft has been in orbit around Saturn since 30 June 2004,
      yielding a wealth of data about the Saturn system. This review focuses on the
      atmosphere and magnetosphere and briefly outlines the state of our knowledge
      after the Cassini prime mission. The mission has addressed a host of fundamental
      questions: What processes control the physics, chemistry, and dynamics of the
      atmosphere? Where does the magnetospheric plasma come from? What are the physical
      processes coupling the ionosphere and magnetosphere? And, what are the rotation
      rates of Saturn's atmosphere and magnetosphere?

PMID- 20299588
TI  - Markets, religion, community size, and the evolution of fairness and punishment.
AB  - Large-scale societies in which strangers regularly engage in mutually beneficial
      transactions are puzzling. The evolutionary mechanisms associated with kinship
      and reciprocity, which underpin much of primate sociality, do not readily extend
      to large unrelated groups. Theory suggests that the evolution of such societies
      may have required norms and institutions that sustain fairness in ephemeral
      exchanges. If that is true, then engagement in larger-scale institutions, such as
      markets and world religions, should be associated with greater fairness, and
      larger communities should punish unfairness more. Using three behavioral
      experiments administered across 15 diverse populations, we show that market
      integration (measured as the percentage of purchased calories) positively
      covaries with fairness while community size positively covaries with punishment.
      Participation in a world religion is associated with fairness, although not
      across all measures. These results suggest that modern prosociality is not solely
      the product of an innate psychology, but also reflects norms and institutions
      that have emerged over the course of human history.

PMID- 20299589
TI  - Ferrous polycrystalline shape-memory alloy showing huge superelasticity.
AB  - Shape-memory alloys, such as Ni-Ti and Cu-Zn-Al, show a large reversible strain
      of more than several percent due to superelasticity. In particular, the Ni-Ti
      based alloy, which exhibits some ductility and excellent superelastic strain, is
      the only superelastic material available for practical applications at present.
      We herein describe a ferrous polycrystalline, high-strength, shape-memory alloy
      exhibiting a superelastic strain of more than 13%, with a tensile strength above
      1 gigapascal, which is almost twice the maximum superelastic strain obtained in
      the Ni-Ti alloys. Furthermore, this ferrous alloy has a very large damping
      capacity and exhibits a large reversible change in magnetization during loading
      and unloading. This ferrous shape-memory alloy has great potential as a high
      damping and sensor material.

PMID- 20299590
TI  - Eliminating turbulence in spatially intermittent flows.
AB  - Flows through pipes and channels are the most common means to transport fluids in
      practical applications and equally occur in numerous natural systems. In general,
      the transfer of fluids is energetically far more efficient if the motion is
      smooth and laminar because the friction losses are lower. However, even at
      moderate velocities pipe and channel flows are sensitive to minute disturbances,
      and in practice most flows are turbulent. Investigating the motion and spatial
      distribution of vortices, we uncovered an amplification mechanism that constantly
      feeds energy from the mean shear into turbulent eddies. At intermediate flow
      rates, a simple control mechanism suffices to intercept this energy transfer by
      reducing inflection points in the velocity profile. When activated, an immediate
      collapse of turbulence is observed, and the flow relaminarizes.

PMID- 20299591
TI  - Microcavity laser oscillating in a circuit-based resonator.
AB  - Lasers based on microcavities are extremely attractive for their compactness, low
      power dissipation, and potential for ultrafast modulation speed. We describe an
      ultrasmall laser based on a subwavelength electronic inductor-capacitor (LC)
      resonant circuit that allows for extreme confinement of the electric field. This
      electrically injected laser operates at a frequency of 1.5 terahertz, and the
      mode volume is strongly subwavelength. The design concept of the LC resonator can
      be extended from the terahertz range to higher frequencies and also applied to
      detectors and modulators.

PMID- 20299592
TI  - The climatic signature of incised river meanders.
AB  - Climate controls landscape evolution, but quantitative signatures of climatic
      drivers have yet to be found in topography on a broad scale. Here we describe how
      a topographic signature of typhoon rainfall is recorded in the meandering of
      incising mountain rivers in the western North Pacific. Spatially averaged river
      sinuosity generated from digital elevation data peaks in the typhoon-dominated
      subtropics, where extreme rainfall and flood events are common, and decreases
      toward the equatorial tropics and mid-latitudes, where such extremes are rare.
      Once climatic trends are removed, the primary control on sinuosity is rock
      weakness. Our results indicate that the weakness of bedrock channel walls and
      their weakening by heavy rainfall together modulate rates of meander propagation
      and sinuosity development in incising rivers.

PMID- 20299593
TI  - Transition-state spectroscopy of partial wave resonances in the F + HD reaction.
AB  - Partial wave resonances, quasi-bound resonance states with well-defined rotation
      in the transition state region of a chemical reaction, play a governing role in
      reaction dynamics but have eluded direct experimental characterization. Here, we
      report the observation of individual partial wave resolved resonances in the F +
      HD --> HF + D reaction by measuring the collision energy-dependent, angle- and
      state-resolved differential cross section with extremely high resolution,
      providing a spectroscopic probe to the transition state of F + HD --> HF + D. The
      agreement of the data with the high-level theoretical calculations confirms the
      sensitivity of this probe to the subtle quantum mechanical factors guiding this
      benchmark reaction.

PMID- 20299594
TI  - Mechanosensitive self-replication driven by self-organization.
AB  - Self-replicating molecules are likely to have played an important role in the
      origin of life, and a small number of fully synthetic self-replicators have
      already been described. Yet it remains an open question which factors most
      effectively bias the replication toward the far-from-equilibrium distributions
      characterizing even simple organisms. We report here two self-replicating peptide
      derived macrocycles that emerge from a small dynamic combinatorial library and
      compete for a common feedstock. Replication is driven by nanostructure formation,
      resulting from the assembly of the peptides into fibers held together by beta
      sheets. Which of the two replicators becomes dominant is influenced by whether
      the sample is shaken or stirred. These results establish that mechanical forces
      can act as a selection pressure in the competition between replicators and can
      determine the outcome of a covalent synthesis.

PMID- 20299595
TI  - Seminal fluid mediates ejaculate competition in social insects.
AB  - Queens of ants and bees normally obtain a lifetime supply of sperm on a single
      day of sexual activity, and sperm competition is expected to occur in lineages
      where queens receive sperm from multiple males. We compared singly mated
      (monandrous) and multiply mated (polyandrous) sister groups of ants and bees and
      show that seminal fluid of polyandrous species has a more positive effect on the
      survival of a male's own sperm than on other males' sperm. This difference was
      not observed in the monandrous species, suggesting that incapacitation of
      competing sperm may have independently evolved in both bees and ants. In Atta
      leafcutter ants, the negative effect of the seminal fluid of other males was
      negated by secretion from the queen sperm-storage organ, suggesting that queens
      may control ejaculate competition after sperm storage.

PMID- 20299596
TI  - A critical role for alpha4betadelta GABAA receptors in shaping learning deficits
      at puberty in mice.
AB  - The onset of puberty defines a developmental stage when some learning processes
      are diminished, but the mechanism for this deficit remains unknown. We found
      that, at puberty, expression of inhibitory alpha4betadelta gamma-aminobutyric
      acid type A (GABAA) receptors (GABAR) increases perisynaptic to excitatory
      synapses in CA1 hippocampus. Shunting inhibition via these receptors reduced N
      methyl-D-aspartate receptor activation, impairing induction of long-term
      potentiation (LTP). Pubertal mice also failed to learn a hippocampal, LTP
      dependent spatial task that was easily acquired by delta-/- mice. However, the
      stress steroid THP (3alphaOH-5alpha[beta]-pregnan-20-one), which reduces tonic
      inhibition at puberty, facilitated learning. Thus, the emergence of
      alpha4betadelta GABARs at puberty impairs learning, an effect that can be
      reversed by a stress steroid.

PMID- 20299599
TI  - Probiotic bacteria and intestinal epithelial barrier function.
AB  - The intestinal tract is a diverse microenvironment where more than 500 species of
      bacteria thrive. A single layer of epithelium is all that separates these
      commensal microorganisms and pathogens from the underlying immune cells, and thus
      epithelial barrier function is a key component in the arsenal of defense
      mechanisms required to prevent infection and inflammation. The epithelial barrier
      consists of a dense mucous layer containing secretory IgA and antimicrobial
      peptides as well as dynamic junctional complexes that regulate permeability
      between cells. Probiotics are live microorganisms that confer benefit to the host
      and that have been suggested to ameliorate or prevent diseases including
      antibiotic-associated diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, and inflammatory bowel
      disease. Probiotics likely function through enhancement of barrier function,
      immunomodulation, and competitive adherence to the mucus and epithelium. This
      review summarizes the evidence about effects of the many available probiotics
      with an emphasis on intestinal barrier function and the mechanisms affected by
      probiotics.

PMID- 20299597
TI  - Circadian gating of the cell cycle revealed in single cyanobacterial cells.
AB  - Although major progress has been made in uncovering the machinery that underlies
      individual biological clocks, much less is known about how multiple clocks
      coordinate their oscillations. We simultaneously tracked cell division events and
      circadian phases of individual cells of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus
      elongatus and fit the data to a model to determine when cell cycle progression
      slows as a function of circadian and cell cycle phases. We infer that cell cycle
      progression in cyanobacteria slows during a specific circadian interval but is
      uniform across cell cycle phases. Our model is applicable to the quantification
      of the coupling between biological oscillators in other organisms.

PMID- 20299600
TI  - Novel anti-inflammatory functions for endothelial and myeloid cyclooxygenase-2 in
      a new mouse model of Crohn's disease.
AB  - Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is an important regulator of inflammation implicated in
      the development of a variety of diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease
      (IBD). However, the regulation of intestinal inflammation by COX-2 is poorly
      understood. We previously reported that COX-2(-/-) mice fed a cholate-containing
      high-fat (CCHF) diet had high mortality of unknown mechanisms attributable to
      severe intestinal inflammation in the ileo-ceco-colic junction that presented
      characteristics similar to Crohn's disease (CD). To further characterize the role
      of COX-2 in intestinal inflammation, we established cell-specific conditional COX
      2(-/-) mice. Endothelial cell-specific (COX-2(-E/-E)) and myeloid cell-specific
      (COX-2(-M/-M)) COX-2(-/-) mice, but not wild-type mice, on the CCHF diet
      developed localized CD-like pathology at the ileo-ceco-colic junction that was
      associated with cellular infiltration, increased expression of myeloperoxidase
      and IL-5, and decreased IL-10 expression. The CD-like pathology in COX-2(-E/-E)
      mice was also accompanied by increased expression of cytokines (IL-6, TNF-alpha,
      and INF-gamma), compared with wild-type mice and COX-2(-M/-M) mice. In contrast,
      the ileo-ceco-colic inflammation in COX-2(-M/-M) mice was associated with more
      pronounced infiltration of granulocytes and macrophages than COX-2(-E/-E) mice.
      COX-2(-ME/-ME) (COX-2(-M/-M) x COX-2(-E/-E)) mice on the CCHF diet developed CD
      like pathology in the ileo-ceco-colic junction reminiscent of total COX-2(-/-)
      mice on CCHF diet and wild-type mice on CCHF diet treated with COX-2 inhibitor,
      celecoxib. The pathology of diet-mediated ileo-ceco-colic inflammation in COX-2(
      /-) mice offers an excellent model system to elucidate the protective roles of
      endothelial and myeloid COX-2 and the molecular pathogenesis of CD.

PMID- 20299601
TI  - Exploring the interplay of barrier function and leukocyte recruitment in
      intestinal inflammation by targeting fucosyltransferase VII and trefoil factor 3.
AB  - Intestinal mucosal integrity is dependent on epithelial function and a regulated
      immune response to injury. Fucosyltransferase VII (Fuc-TVII) is an essential
      enzyme required for the expression of the functional ligand for E- and P
      selectin. Trefoil factor 3 (TFF3) is involved in both protecting the intestinal
      epithelium against injury as well as aiding in wound repair following injury. The
      aim of the present study was to assess the interplay between barrier function and
      leukocyte recruitment in intestinal inflammation. More specifically, we aimed to
      examine how targeted disruption of Fuc-TVII either in wild-type or TFF3(-/-) mice
      would alter their susceptibility to colonic injury. TFF3 and Fuc-TVII double
      knockout mice (TFF3/Fuc-TVII(-/-) mice) were generated by mating TFF3(-/-) and
      Fuc-TVII(-/-) mice. Colitis was induced by administration of dextran sodium
      sulfate (DSS) (2.5% wt/vol) in the drinking water. Changes in baseline body
      weight, diarrhea, and fecal blood were assessed daily. Upon euthanasia, extents
      of colonic inflammation were assessed macroscopically, microscopically, and
      through quantification of myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity. Colonic lymphocyte
      subpopulations were assessed at 6 days after administration of DSS by flow
      cytometry and immunohistochemistry. No baseline intestinal inflammation was found
      in TFF3/Fuc-TVII(-/-), TFF3(-/-), Fuc-TVII(-/-), or wild-type mice. Loss of Fuc
      TVII resulted in a reduction in disease severity whereas TFF3(-/-) mice were
      markedly more susceptible to DSS-induced colitis. Remarkably, the loss of Fuc
      TVII in TFF3(-/-) mice markedly decreased the severity of DSS-induced colitis as
      evidenced by reduced weight loss, diarrhea, decreased colonic MPO levels and
      improved survival. Furthermore, the loss of TFF3 resulted in increased severity
      of spontaneous colitis in IL-2/beta-microglobulin-deficient mice. These studies
      highlight the importance of the interplay between factors involved in the innate
      immune response, mucosal barrier function, and genes involved in regulating
      leukocyte recruitment and other aspects of the immune response.

PMID- 20299602
TI  - Schlafen 3 induction by cyclic strain regulates intestinal epithelial
      differentiation.
AB  - The intestinal epithelium is subjected to repetitive deformation during normal
      gut function by peristalsis and villous motility. In vitro, cyclic strain
      promotes intestinal epithelial proliferation and induces an absorptive phenotype
      characterized by increased dipeptidyl dipeptidase (DPPIV) expression. Schlafen 3
      is a novel gene recently associated with cellular differentiation. We sought to
      evaluate whether Schlafen 3 mediates the effects of strain on the differentiation
      of intestinal epithelial cell (IEC)-6 in the absence or presence of cyclic
      strain. Strain increased Schlafen 3 mRNA and protein. In cells transfected with a
      control-nontargeting siRNA, strain increased DPPIV-specific activity. However,
      Schlafen 3 reduction by siRNA decreased basal DPPIV and prevented any stimulation
      of DPPIV activity by strain. Schlafen 3 reduction also prevented DPPIV induction
      by sodium butyrate (1 mM) or transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta (0.1 ng/ml),
      two unrelated differentiating stimuli. However, Schlafen-3 reduction by siRNA did
      not prevent the mitogenic effect of strain or that of EGF. Blocking Src and
      phosphatidyl inositol (PI3)-kinase prevented strain induction of Schlafen 3, but
      Schlafen 3 induction required activation of p38 but not ERK. These results
      suggest that cyclic strain induces an absorptive phenotype characterized by
      increased DPPIV activity via Src-, p38-, and PI3-kinase-dependent induction of
      Schlafen 3 in rat IEC-6 cells on collagen, whereas Schlafen 3 may also be a key
      factor in the induction of intestinal epithelial differentiation by other stimuli
      such as sodium butyrate or TGF-beta. The induction of Schlafen 3 or its human
      homologs may modulate intestinal epithelial differentiation and preserve the gut
      mucosa during normal gut function.

PMID- 20299603
TI  - Modulatory effect of curcumin on survival of irradiated human intestinal
      microvascular endothelial cells: role of Akt/mTOR and NF-{kappa}B.
AB  - Radiation therapy is an essential modality in the treatment of colorectal
      cancers. Radiation exerts an antiangiogenic effect on tumors, inhibiting
      endothelial proliferation and survival in the tumor microvasculature. However,
      damage from low levels of irradiation can induce a paradoxical effect,
      stimulating survival in endothelial cells. We used human intestinal microvascular
      endothelial cells (HIMEC) to define effects of radiation on these gut-specific
      endothelial cells. Low-level irradiation (1-5 Gy) activates NF-kappaB and the
      phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway, which is involved in cell cycle
      reentry and cell survival in HIMEC. A downstream target of PI3K/Akt is mammalian
      target of rapamycin (mTOR), which contributes to endothelial proliferation and
      angiogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the signaling molecules
      involved in the radiosensitizing effects of curcumin on HIMEC subjected to low
      levels of irradiation. We have demonstrated that exposure of HIMEC to low levels
      of irradiation induced Akt and mTOR phosphorylation, which was attenuated by
      curcumin, rapamycin, LY294002, and mTOR small interference RNA (siRNA).
      Activation of NF-kappaB by low levels of irradiation was inhibited by curcumin,
      SN-50, and mTOR siRNA. Curcumin also induced apoptosis by induction of caspase-3
      cleavage in irradiated HIMEC. In conclusion, curcumin significantly inhibited NF
      kappaB and attenuated the effect of irradiation-induced prosurvival signaling
      through the PI3K/Akt/mTOR and NF-kappaB pathways in these gut-specific
      endothelial cells. Curcumin may be a potential radiosensitizing agent for
      enhanced antiangiogenic effect in colorectal cancer radiation therapy.

PMID- 20299605
TI  - Decreased phospho-Akt signaling in a mouse model of total parenteral nutrition: a
      potential mechanism for the development of intestinal mucosal atrophy.
AB  - Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) leads to a decline in phosphatidylinositol 3
      kinase (PI3K)/phospho-Akt (p-Akt) activity, affecting downstream signaling,
      reducing epithelial cell (EC) proliferation, and contributing to intestinal
      mucosal atrophy. We hypothesized that promoting Akt activity would prevent these
      changes. We used a novel Akt-activating peptide, TCL1 (a head-to-tail dimer of
      the Akt-binding domain of T-cell lymphoma-1), or an inactive mutant sequence
      TCL1G conjugated to a transactivator of transcription peptide sequence to promote
      intracellular uptake. Four groups of mice were studied, enteral nutrition group
      (control), control mice given a functioning TCL1 (control + TCL1), TPN mice given
      TCL1G (control peptide, TPN + TCL1G); and TPN mice given TCL1. TPN mice given
      TCL1G showed a significant decrease in jejunal EC p-Akt (Ser473 and Thr308)
      abundance, whereas TPN + TCL1 mice showed increased p-Akt (Ser473) abundance.
      Phosphorylation of beta-catenin and glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (downstream
      targets of Akt signaling) were also decreased in the TPN + TCL1G group and
      completely prevented in the TPN + TCL1 group. Use of TCL1 nearly completely
      prevented the decline in EC proliferation seen in the TPN + TCL1G group, as well
      as partly returned EC apoptosis levels close to controls. The mammalian target of
      rapamycin pathway demonstrated a similar reduction in activity in the TPN + TCL1G
      group that was significantly prevented in the TPN + TCL1 group. These results
      support a significant loss of PI3K/p-Akt signaling upon replacing enteral
      nutrition with TPN, and prevention of this loss demonstrates the key importance
      of PI3K/p-Akt signaling in maintaining gut integrity including EC proliferation
      and reduction in apoptosis.

PMID- 20299606
TI  - The endothelial mineralocorticoid receptor regulates vasoconstrictor tone and
      blood pressure.
AB  - Pathophysiological aldosterone (aldo)/mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) signaling
      has significant effects on the cardiovascular system, resulting in hypertension
      and cardiovascular remodeling; however, the specific contribution of the vascular
      MR to blood pressure regulation remains to be established. To address this
      question, we generated a mouse model with conditional overexpression of the MR in
      endothelial cells (MR-EC). In basal conditions, MR-EC mice developed moderate
      hypertension that could be reversed by canrenoate, a pharmacological MR
      antagonist. MR-EC mice presented increased contractile response of resistance
      arteries to vasoconstrictors (phenylephrine, thromboxane A(2) analog, angiotensin
      II, and endothelin 1) in the absence of vascular morphological alterations. The
      acute blood pressure response to angiotensin II or endothelin 1 infusion was
      increased in MR-EC mice compared with that in littermate controls. These
      observations demonstrate that enhanced MR activation in the endothelium generates
      an increase in blood pressure, independent of stimulation of renal tubular Na(+)
      transport by aldo/MR or direct activation of smooth muscle MR and establish one
      mechanism by which endothelial MR activation per se may contribute to impaired
      vascular reactivity.

PMID- 20299607
TI  - Randomized, double-blind, multicenter, placebo-controlled study evaluating the
      effect of aldosterone antagonism with eplerenone on ventricular remodeling in
      patients with mild-to-moderate heart failure and left ventricular systolic
      dysfunction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aldosterone antagonism has been studied in patients with advanced
      heart failure (HF) and also in patients with post-myocardial infarction and left
      ventricular (LV) dysfunction with HF symptoms. Few data are available on effects
      of aldosterone antagonism in patients with mild-to-moderate HF. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: In a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in
      patients with mild-to-moderate HF and LV systolic dysfunction, patients with New
      York Heart Association class II/III HF and LV ejection fraction (EF) < or =35%
      were randomly assigned to receive eplerenone 50 mg/d versus placebo in addition
      to contemporary background therapy. Quantitative radionuclide ventriculograms to
      assess LV volumes and ejection fraction were performed at baseline and again
      after 9 months of double-blind treatment and were analyzed in a central core
      laboratory, blinded to treatment. The primary efficacy analysis was the between
      group comparison of the change in LV end-diastolic volume index. Secondary
      analyses examined changes in LV end-systolic volume index and ejection fraction
      as well as markers of collagen turnover. Of the total 226 patients enrolled, 117
      were randomly assigned to receive eplerenone and 109 to receive placebo. There
      was high use of contemporary background therapy at baseline, with > 90% use of
      angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and/or angiotensin receptor blockers and
      > 90% use of beta-blockers. Over 36 weeks of treatment, there was no apparent
      between-group difference in the changes in end-diastolic volume index or end
      systolic volume index. There was a reduction in the collagen turnover marker
      procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide and plasma B-type natriuretic peptide in
      the eplerenone group compared with placebo (P=0.01 and P=0.04, respectively).
      There was no change in symptom status or quality-of-life measures. CONCLUSIONS:
      In a clinically stable, well-treated population of patients with mild-to-moderate
      HF symptoms and LV dysfunction, 36 weeks of treatment of aldosterone antagonism
      with eplerenone at a dose of 50 mg daily had no detectable effect on parameters
      of LV remodeling.

PMID- 20299604
TI  - Inflammatory mediators in gastroesophageal reflux disease: impact on esophageal
      motility, fibrosis, and carcinogenesis.
AB  - Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of the most common problems in
      clinical practice today. It is widely believed that functional and structural
      abnormalities of the gastroesophageal junction as well as an abnormal exposure to
      gastroduodenal contents are the main contributors to its pathogenesis. Novel
      findings of the inflammatory process in GERD suggest a far more complex process
      involving multifaceted inflammatory mechanisms. This review summarizes knowledge
      about the expression of inflammatory mediators in GERD and their potential
      cellular sources and provides an integrated concept of disease pathogenesis. In
      addition we evaluate the contribution of inflammatory mediators to well-known
      complications of GERD, namely motility abnormalities, fibrosis, and
      carcinogenesis. Novel findings regarding the pathophysiology of esophageal
      inflammation should enhance our understanding of GERD and its complications and
      provide new treatment insights.

PMID- 20299608
TI  - Heat stress alters hemodynamic responses during the Valsalva maneuver.
AB  - The Valsalva maneuver can be used as a noninvasive index of autonomic control of
      blood pressure and heart rate. The purpose of this investigation was to test the
      hypothesis that sympathetic mediated vasoconstriction, as referenced by
      hemodynamic responses during late phase II (phase IIb) of the Valsalva maneuver,
      is inhibited during whole body heating. Seven individuals (5 men, 2 women)
      performed three Valsalva maneuvers (each at a 30-mmHg expiratory pressure for 15
      s) during normothermia and again during whole body heating (increase sublingual
      temperature approximately 0.8 degrees C via water-perfused suit). Each Valsalva
      maneuver was separated by a minimum of 5 min. Beat-to-beat mean arterial blood
      pressure (MAP) and heart rate were measured during each Valsalva maneuver, and
      responses for each phase were averaged across the three Valsalva maneuvers for
      both thermal conditions. Baseline MAP was not significantly different between
      normothermic (88+/-11 mmHg) and heat stress (84+/-9 mmHg) conditions. The change
      in MAP (DeltaMAP) relative to pre-Valsalva MAP during phases IIa and IIb was
      significantly lower during heat stress (IIa=-20+/-8 mmHg; IIb=-13+/-7 mmHg)
      compared with normothermia (IIa=-1+/-15 mmHg; IIb=3+/-13 mmHg). DeltaMAP from pre
      Valsalva baseline during phase IV was significantly higher during heat stress
      (25+/-10 mmHg) compared with normothermia (8+/-9 mmHg). Counter to the proposed
      hypothesis, the increase in MAP from the end of phase IIa to the end of phase IIb
      during heat stress was not attenuated. Conversely, this increase in MAP tended to
      be greater during heat stress relative to normothermia (P=0.06), suggesting that
      sympathetic activation may be elevated during this phase of the Valsalva while
      heat stressed. These data show that heat stress does not attenuate this index of
      vasoconstrictor responsiveness during the Valsalva maneuver.

PMID- 20299609
TI  - Fuel selection and cycling endurance performance with ingestion of [13C]glucose:
      evidence for a carbohydrate dose response.
AB  - Endurance performance and fuel selection while ingesting glucose (15, 30, and 60
      g/h) was studied in 12 cyclists during a 2-h constant-load ride [approximately
      77% peak O2 uptake] followed by a 20-km time trial. Total fat and carbohydrate
      (CHO) oxidation and oxidation of exogenous glucose, plasma glucose, glucose
      released from the liver, and muscle glycogen were computed using indirect
      respiratory calorimetry and tracer techniques. Relative to placebo (210+/-36 W),
      glucose ingestion increased the time trial mean power output (%improvement, 90%
      confidence limits: 7.4, 1.4 to 13.4 for 15 g/h; 8.3, 1.4 to 15.2 for 30 g/h; and
      10.7, 1.8 to 19.6 for 60 g/h glucose ingested; effect size=0.46). With 60 g/h
      glucose, mean power was 2.3, 0.4 to 4.2% higher, and 3.1, 0.5 to 5.7% higher than
      with 30 and 15 g/h, respectively, suggesting a relationship between the dose of
      glucose ingested and improvements in endurance performance. Exogenous glucose
      oxidation increased with ingestion rate (0.17+/-0.04, 0.33+/-0.04, and 0.52+/
      0.09 g/min for 15, 30, and 60 g/h glucose), but endogenous CHO oxidation was
      reduced only with 30 and 60 g/h due to the progressive inhibition of glucose
      released from the liver (probably related to higher plasma insulin concentration)
      with increasing ingestion rate without evidence for muscle glycogen sparing. Thus
      ingestion of glucose at low rates improved cycling time trial performance in a
      dose-dependent manner. This was associated with a small increase in CHO oxidation
      without any reduction in muscle glycogen utilization.

PMID- 20299610
TI  - Age and load compliance alter time to task failure for a submaximal fatiguing
      contraction with the lower leg.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to compare the time to failure and muscle
      activation of young and old adults for a sustained isometric submaximal
      contraction with the dorsiflexor muscles when the foot was restrained to a force
      transducer (force-control task) compared with supporting an equivalent inertial
      load unrestrained in the sagittal plane (position-control task). Seventeen young
      (23.6+/-6.5 yr) and 12 old (70.0+/-5.0 yr) adults performed the force-control and
      position-control tasks at 30% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) until task
      failure on separate days. Despite the similar load torque for each task, time to
      failure was longer for the force-control than position-control task (10.4+/-4.5
      vs. 8.6+/-3.4 min, P=0.03) for the young and old adults. The old adults, however,
      had a longer time to task failure than the young adults for both tasks (11.4+/
      4.4 vs. 8.1+/-2.1 min, P=0.01), with no interaction of age and task (P=0.83). The
      rate of increase in agonist and antagonist root-mean-square EMG, agonist EMG
      bursting activity, mean arterial pressure, and heart rate during the fatiguing
      contraction was greater for the position-control than force-control task for the
      young and old adults. The old adults had a less rapid rate of increase in EMG
      activity, fluctuations in motor output, and cardiovascular measures than the
      young adults for both tasks. Development of fatigue can be manipulated in young
      and old adults by providing greater support to the foot and less ankle compliance
      during daily and ergonomic tasks that require prolonged activation of the lower
      leg. Minimizing load compliance to one degree of freedom during a position
      control task maintained the greater fatigue resistance with age for an isometric
      contraction.

PMID- 20299611
TI  - Is interindividual variability of EMG patterns in trained cyclists related to
      different muscle synergies?
AB  - Our aim was to determine whether muscle synergies are similar across trained
      cyclists (and thus whether the same locomotor strategies for pedaling are used),
      despite interindividual variability of individual EMG patterns. Nine trained
      cyclists were tested during a constant-load pedaling exercise performed at 80% of
      maximal power. Surface EMG signals were measured in 10 lower limb muscles. A
      decomposition algorithm (nonnegative matrix factorization) was applied to a set
      of 40 consecutive pedaling cycles to differentiate muscle synergies. We selected
      the least number of synergies that provided 90% of the variance accounted for
      VAF. Using this criterion, three synergies were identified for all of the
      subjects, accounting for 93.5+/-2.0% of total VAF, with VAF for individual
      muscles ranging from 89.9+/-8.2% to 96.6+/-1.3%. Each of these synergies was
      quite similar across all subjects, with a high mean correlation coefficient for
      synergy activation coefficients (0.927+/-0.070, 0.930+/-0.052, and 0.877+/-0.110
      for synergies 1-3, respectively) and muscle synergy vectors (0.873+/-0.120,
      0.948+/-0.274, and 0.885+/-0.129 for synergies 1-3, respectively). Despite a
      large consistency across subjects in the weighting of several monoarticular
      muscles into muscle synergy vectors, we found larger interindividual variability
      for another monoarticular muscle (soleus) and for biarticular muscles (rectus
      femoris, gastrocnemius lateralis, biceps femoris, and semimembranosus). This
      study demonstrated that pedaling is accomplished by the combination of the
      similar three muscle synergies among trained cyclists. The interindividual
      variability of EMG patterns observed during pedaling does not represent
      differences in the locomotor strategy for pedaling.

PMID- 20299612
TI  - Reduction of total lung capacity in obese men: comparison of total intrathoracic
      and gas volumes.
AB  - Restriction of total lung capacity (TLC) is found in some obese subjects, but the
      mechanism is unclear. Two hypotheses are as follows: 1) increased abdominal
      volume prevents full descent of the diaphragm; and 2) increased intrathoracic fat
      reduces space for full lung expansion. We have measured total intrathoracic
      volume at full inflation using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 14
      asymptomatic obese men [mean age 52 yr, body mass index (BMI) 35-45 kg/m2] and 7
      control men (mean age 50 yr, BMI 22-27 kg/m2). MRI volumes were compared with gas
      volumes at TLC. All measurements were made with subjects supine. Obese men had
      smaller functional residual capacity (FRC) and FRC-to-TLC ratio than control men.
      There was a 12% predicted difference in mean TLC between obese (84% predicted)
      and control men (96% predicted). In contrast, differences in total intrathoracic
      volume (MRI) at full inflation were only 4% predicted TLC (obese 116% predicted
      TLC, control 120% predicted TLC), because mediastinal volume was larger in obese
      than in control [heart and major vessels (obese 1.10 liter, control 0.87 liter,
      P=0.016) and intrathoracic fat (obese 0.68 liter, control 0.23 liter, P<0.0001)].
      As a consequence of increased mediastinal volume, intrathoracic volume at FRC in
      obese men was considerably larger than indicated by the gas volume at FRC. The
      difference in gas volume at TLC between the six obese men with restriction,
      TLC<80% predicted (OR), and the eight obese men with TLC>80% predicted (ON) was
      26% predicted TLC. Mediastinal volume was similar in OR (1.84 liter) and ON (1.73
      liter), but total intrathoracic volume was 19% predicted TLC smaller in OR than
      in ON. We conclude that the major factor restricting TLC in some obese men was
      reduced thoracic expansion at full inflation.

PMID- 20299613
TI  - A phenomenological model that predicts forces generated when electrical
      stimulation is superimposed on submaximal volitional contractions.
AB  - Superimposition of electrical stimulation during voluntary contractions is used
      to produce functional movements in individuals with central nervous system
      impairment, to evaluate the ability to activate a muscle, to characterize the
      nature of fatigue, and to improve muscle strength during postsurgical
      rehabilitation. Currently, the manner in which voluntary contractions and
      electrically elicited forces summate is not well understood. The objective of the
      present study is to develop a model that predicts the forces obtained when
      electrical stimulation is superimposed on a volitional contraction. Quadriceps
      femoris muscles of 12 able-bodied subjects were tested. Our results showed that
      the total force produced when electrical stimulation was superimposed during a
      volitional contraction could be modeled by the equation T=V+S[(MaxForce
      V)/MaxForce]N, where T is the total force produced, V is the force in response to
      volitional contraction alone, S is the force response to the electrical
      stimulation alone, MaxForce is the maximum force-generating ability of the
      muscle, and N is a parameter that we posit depends on the differences in the
      motor unit recruitment order and firing rates between volitional and electrically
      elicited contractions. In addition, our results showed that the model predicted
      accurately (intraclass correlation coefficient>or=0.97) the total force in
      response to a wide range of stimulation intensities and frequencies superimposed
      on a wide range of volitional contraction levels. Thus the model will be helpful
      to clinicians and scientists to predict the amount of stimulation needed to
      produce the targeted force levels in individuals with partial paralysis.

PMID- 20299614
TI  - A common haplotype and the Pro582Ser polymorphism of the hypoxia-inducible factor
      1alpha (HIF1A) gene in elite endurance athletes.
AB  - Hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF1A) is a transcription factor regulating
      several genes in response to hypoxic stimuli. HIF1A target genes code for
      proteins involved in oxygen transport, glycolytic enzymes, and glucose
      transporters. We investigated whether single-nucleotide polymorphisms and
      haplotypes in the HIF1A gene are associated with endurance performance in the
      Genathlete cohort, which includes 316 Caucasian male elite endurance athletes
      (EEA) with a maximal oxygen uptake of 79.0+/-3.5 ml.kg(-1).min(-1) (mean+/-SD)
      and 304 Caucasian male sedentary controls with a maximal oxygen uptake of 40.1+/
      7.0 ml.kg(-1).min(-1). Six single-nucleotide polymorphisms (rs1951795,
      rs11158358, rs2301113, rs11549465, rs115494657, rs17099207) were genotyped with
      the TaqMan system. We found a nominal significant tendency for a difference
      between the two groups for HIF1A Pro582Ser (rs11549465) genotype distributions
      (Pchi2=0.017). Homozygotes of the Pro genotype were slightly more frequent in
      athletes than in controls (84 vs. 75%). Compared with Ser carriers, the odds
      ratio (OR) of being an EEA in Pro/Pro homozygotes was 1.77 [95% confidence
      interval (CI): 1.18-2.67, P=0.006] compared with the other genotypes. A common
      HIF1A haplotype (frequency: 15%), including the rs11549465 Pro allele and the
      minor A allele of rs17099207 in the 3' flanking region of the gene, showed a
      significant association with EEA status (OR: 2.37, 95% CI: 1.21-4.66, P=0.012),
      whereas the most prevalent haplotype (frequency: 59%) comprising the rs11549465
      Pro allele and the major G allele of rs1709920 showed no association with EEA
      status (OR: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.58-1.50, P=0.769). We found preliminary evidence that
      the HIF1A Pro582Ser polymorphism and a common haplotype of the HIF1A gene may be
      associated with EEA status in Caucasian men.

PMID- 20299615
TI  - Short-term exercise training prevents micro- and macrovascular disease following
      coronary stenting.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of exercise on coronary
      blood flow and macrovascular atherosclerosis in response to stent deployment.
      Male Yucatan swine were placed on a control diet (C); on a high-fat/cholesterol
      diet (hypercholesterolemic; H); or on a high-fat/cholesterol diet and aerobically
      exercise trained (HX) starting after 36 wk on the diet. All pigs underwent
      coronary angiography and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) guided placement of a
      bare metal stent in the circumflex coronary artery after 40 wk on diets and 3 wk
      later pigs underwent repeat angiography and IVUS and coronary blood flow (CBF)
      measurement. Average peak velocity (APV) was measured under basal conditions and
      in response to intracoronary application of the endothelium-independent
      vasodilator adenosine and the endothelium-dependent vasodilator bradykinin. There
      was a similar approximately 8-fold increase in total cholesterol in H and HX
      compared with control. Baseline CBF was increased above control and H in HX
      (P<0.05). At all doses adenosine-induced CBF was impaired in H, but preserved in
      HX. Similarly, bradykinin-induced CBF was impaired in H vs. control, yet was
      potentiated in HX. Microvessel density was decreased in H and preserved in HX vs.
      control. Native atheroma in HX was lower relative to H and control, while in
      stent stenosis in HX was not different from H. Hyperlipidemia-induced
      microvascular dysfunction after stent deployment may be a result of reduction in
      microvessel density. This is the first report that short-term exercise training
      near the time of stenting prevents stent-induced microvascular dysfunction and
      attenuates native atheroma independent of changes in plasma cholesterol in this
      porcine model.

PMID- 20299616
TI  - Missing links in pressure ulcer research--an interdisciplinary overview.
AB  - This paper surveys the literature on the etiology of sitting-acquired deep tissue
      pressure ulcers from three different viewpoints. The first viewpoint is
      identification of risk factors related to seated posture. The second viewpoint
      focuses on the external factors that can cause necrosis to human cells, such as
      ischemia and compression. The third viewpoint focuses on computational models of
      the human buttocks to calculate where stress concentrations occur. Each viewpoint
      contributes to the understanding of pressure ulcer etiology, but in combination
      they cover the multiple scales from cell to organism, and the combined insight
      can provide important information toward a full understanding of the phenomenon.
      It is concluded that the following three questions must be answered by future
      research. 1) Does compressive stress alone explain cell death, or is it necessary
      to consider the full three-dimensional strain tensor in the tissues? 2) How does
      the change in posture-induced load applied on the human buttocks change the
      stress distribution in the deep muscle tissue? 3) Is it possible to optimize the
      seated posture in a computational model to reduce the deeper tissue loads?

PMID- 20299617
TI  - Onset of obesity in carboxypeptidase E-deficient mice and effect on airway
      responsiveness and pulmonary responses to ozone.
AB  - When compared with lean, wild-type mice, obese Cpefat mice, 14 wk of age and
      older, manifest innate airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to intravenous
      methacholine and enhanced pulmonary inflammation following acute exposure to
      ozone (O3). The purpose of this study was to examine the onset of these augmented
      pulmonary responses during the onset of obesity. Thus airway responsiveness and
      O3-induced pulmonary inflammation and injury were examined in 7- and 10-wk-old
      Cpefat and age-matched, wild-type, C57BL/6 mice. Compared with age-matched
      controls, 7- and 10-wk-old Cpefat mice were approximately 25 and 61% heavier,
      respectively. Airway responsiveness to intravenous methacholine was assessed via
      forced oscillation in unexposed Cpefat and wild-type mice. The 10- but not 7-wk
      old Cpefat mice exhibited innate AHR. O3 exposure (2 ppm for 3 h) increased
      markers of pulmonary inflammation and injury in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid
      of all mice. However, most markers were greater in Cpefat vs. wild-type mice,
      regardless of age. Serum levels of leptin, a satiety hormone and proinflammatory
      cytokine, were increased in Cpefat vs. wild-type mice of both age groups, but the
      serum levels of other systemic inflammatory markers were greater only in 10-wk
      old Cpefat vs. wild-type mice. These results demonstrate that a 25% increase in
      body weight is sufficient to augment pulmonary responses to O3, but innate AHR is
      not manifest until the mice become much heavier. These results suggest that the
      mechanistic bases for these responses are different and may develop according to
      the nature and degree of the chronic systemic inflammation that is present.

PMID- 20299619
TI  - Does your (genetic) alphabet soup spell "runner"?

PMID- 20299620
TI  - On the regulation of the blood supply to the brain: old age concepts and new age
      ideas.

PMID- 20299618
TI  - Increased intramuscular lipid synthesis and low saturation relate to insulin
      sensitivity in endurance-trained athletes.
AB  - Intramuscular triglyceride (IMTG) has received considerable attention as a
      potential mechanism promoting insulin resistance. Endurance-trained athletes have
      high amounts of IMTG but are insulin sensitive, suggesting IMTG content alone
      does not change insulin action. Recent data suggest increased muscle lipid
      synthesis protects against fat-induced insulin resistance. We hypothesized that
      rates of IMTG synthesis at rest would be increased in athletes compared with
      controls. Eleven sedentary men and 11 endurance-trained male cyclists
      participated in this study. An intravenous glucose tolerance test was performed
      to assess insulin action. After 3 days of dietary control and an overnight fast,
      [13C16]palmitate was infused at 0.0174 micromol.kg(-1).min(-1) for 4 h, followed
      by a muscle biopsy to measure isotope incorporation into IMTG and diacylglycerol.
      Compared with controls, athletes were twice as insulin sensitive (P=0.004) and
      had a significantly greater resting IMTG concentration (athletes: 20.4+/-1.6
      microg IMTG/mg dry wt, controls: 14.5+/-1.8 microg IMTG/mg dry wt, P=0.04) and
      IMTG fractional synthesis rate (athletes: 1.56+/-0.37%/h, controls: 0.61+/
      0.15%/h, P=0.03). Stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 mRNA expression (P=0.02) and protein
      content (P=0.03) were also significantly greater in athletes. Diacylglycerol, but
      not IMTG, saturation was significantly less in athletes compared with controls
      (P=0.002). These data indicate endurance-trained athletes have increased
      synthesis rates of skeletal muscle IMTG and decreased saturation of skeletal
      muscle diacylglycerol. Increased synthesis rates are not due to recovery from
      exercise and are likely adaptations to chronic endurance exercise training.

PMID- 20299621
TI  - Adiposity-independent sympathetic activity in black men.
AB  - Obesity is thought to lead to sympathetic overactivity as a compensatory
      adjustment to weight gain. However, most of the experimental support for the
      hypothesis has been derived from white cohorts. Our previous study in blacks
      indicated that sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) is closely correlated with body
      mass index only in women, whereas, in black men, SNA is elevated and dissociated
      from adiposity (Abate et al., Hypertension 38: 379-383, 2001). To further
      determine whether total and regional adiposity are determinants of SNA in blacks,
      we performed a prospective weight loss study in 12 normotensive obese black men
      and 9 obese black women. SNA, body mass index, and abdominal fat mass were
      measured before and 16 wk after hypocaloric diet. The major new findings are
      that, in obese black men, the dietary-induced weight loss of 11.3+/-0.8 kg
      resulted in reduction in plasma leptin, insulin, and visceral abdominal fat but
      had no effect on SNA (from baseline of 26+/-4 to 28+/-3 bursts/min, P=not
      significant). In contrast, in black women, weight loss of 8.0+/-0.9 kg caused
      similar reductions in plasma leptin, insulin, and visceral abdominal fat and led
      to a reduction in SNA by 40% (from baseline of 22+/-2 to 13+/-3 bursts/min,
      P<0.05). In conclusion, these new data from this prospective study provide strong
      support for a major adiposity-independent sympathetic activity in black men and
      adiposity-related sympathetic activity in black women.

PMID- 20299622
TI  - Myocellular basis for tapering in competitive distance runners.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a 3-wk taper on the
      physiology of competitive distance runners. We studied seven collegiate distance
      runners (20+/-1 yr, 66+/-1 kg) before and after a 3-wk taper. The primary
      measures included 8-km cross-country race performance, gastrocnemius single
      muscle fiber size and function (peak force, shortening velocity, and power),
      baseline and exercise-induced gene expression 4 h after a standardized 8-km run,
      citrate synthase activity, and maximal and submaximal cardiovascular physiology
      (oxygen consumption, ventilation, heart rate, and respiratory exchange ratio).
      Race performance improved by 3% following taper (P<0.05). Myosin heavy chain
      (MHC) IIa fiber diameter (+7%, P<0.05), peak force (+11%, P=0.06), and absolute
      power (+9%, P<0.05) increased following taper. In addition to the MHC IIa
      adaptations, taper elicited a distinct postexercise gene response. Specifically,
      the induction of MuRF-1 was attenuated following taper, whereas MRF4, HSP 72, and
      MT-2A displayed an exaggerated response (P<0.05). No changes were observed in MHC
      I size or function, baseline gene expression, citrate synthase activity, or
      cardiovascular function. Our findings show that tapered training in competitive
      runners promoted MHC IIa fiber remodeling and an altered transcriptional response
      following the same exercise perturbation, with no adverse affects on aerobic
      fitness. Together, these results provide a myocellular basis for distance runners
      to taper in preparation for peak performance.

PMID- 20299623
TI  - A novel user-friendly score (HAS-BLED) to assess 1-year risk of major bleeding in
      patients with atrial fibrillation: the Euro Heart Survey.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Despite extensive use of oral anticoagulation (OAC) in patients with
      atrial fibrillation (AF) and the increased bleeding risk associated with such OAC
      use, no handy quantification tool for assessing this risk exists. We aimed to
      develop a practical risk score to estimate the 1-year risk for major bleeding
      (intracranial, hospitalization, hemoglobin decrease > 2 g/L, and/or transfusion)
      in a cohort of real-world patients with AF. METHODS: Based on 3,978 patients in
      the Euro Heart Survey on AF with complete follow-up, all univariate bleeding risk
      factors in this cohort were used in a multivariate analysis along with historical
      bleeding risk factors. A new bleeding risk score termed HAS-BLED (Hypertension,
      Abnormal renal/liver function, Stroke, Bleeding history or predisposition, Labile
      international normalized ratio, Elderly (> 65 years), Drugs/alcohol
      concomitantly) was calculated, incorporating risk factors from the derivation
      cohort. RESULTS: Fifty-three (1.5%) major bleeds occurred during 1-year follow
      up. The annual bleeding rate increased with increasing risk factors. The
      predictive accuracy in the overall population using significant risk factors in
      the derivation cohort (C statistic 0.72) was consistent when applied in several
      subgroups. Application of the new bleeding risk score (HAS-BLED) gave similar C
      statistics except where patients were receiving antiplatelet agents alone or no
      antithrombotic therapy, with C statistics of 0.91 and 0.85, respectively.
      CONCLUSION: This simple, novel bleeding risk score (HAS-BLED) provides a
      practical tool to assess the individual bleeding risk of real-world patients with
      AF, potentially supporting clinical decision making regarding antithrombotic
      therapy in patients with AF.

PMID- 20299624
TI  - A CT scan score for the assessment of lung disease in children with common
      variable immunodeficiency disorders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prevalence and severity of structural lung disease in children
      with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) disorders is not well known, and a
      dedicated CT scanning protocol and CT scan scoring system have not been described
      in this category. METHODS: This was a cohort study of 54 children (34 CVID, 20
      CVID-like disorder) in a stable condition who underwent volumetric inspiratory
      and end-expiratory CT scans. Scans were scored for airway abnormalities,
      interstitial and parenchymal lung disease, and lymphadenopathy using a newly
      developed CT scan scoring system. Scores were normalized to a 0% to 100% scale.
      Observer agreement was assessed using an intraclass correlation coefficient (Ri).
      Prevalence and severity of CT scan abnormalities were calculated. RESULTS:
      Structural lung disease was common (85%-93%), but usually mild as reflected in
      the relatively low scores (bronchiectasis score 2.8% +/- 6.4%). Moderate-to
      severe bronchiectasis was found in three (5%) patients. Expiratory air trapping
      was the most common finding, found in 71% to 80%, but often in a mild form;
      application of a cut off level of > 10% reduced its prevalence to 33% to 38%. In
      9% to 15% of all patients, air trapping was the only abnormality. Multiple lung
      nodules were seen in 24% to 25% and could disappear after corticosteroid
      treatment. Observer agreement was moderate (Ri 0.6-0.79) to good (Ri > 0.8) for
      all items and the composite scores, except airway wall thickening. CONCLUSION: In
      children with CVID disorders, mild structural lung disease is common. Expiratory
      CT scans show the most frequent abnormality, air trapping. The occurrence of
      (silent) lung disease progression and the clinical impact of CT scans require
      further investigations.

PMID- 20299625
TI  - Air pollution and prevalence of bronchitic symptoms among children in Taiwan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There were limited studies concerning ambient air pollution exposure
      on development of bronchitic symptoms among children. These studies provided
      suggestive but inconclusive results. Therefore, the objective of this study is to
      assess the association between air pollutants and the prevalence of bronchitic
      symptoms in the Taiwan Children Health Study. METHODS: We conducted a nationwide
      cross-sectional study of 5,049 Taiwanese children in 2007. Routine air pollution
      monitoring data were used for sulfur dioxide (SO(2)), nitrogen dioxides (NO(2)),
      ozone (O(3)), carbon monoxide (CO), and particles with an aerodynamic diameter <=
      2.5 MUm (PM(2.5)). The exposure parameters were calculated using the between
      community 3-year average concentration. The effect estimates were presented as
      odds ratios (ORs) per interquartile changes for SO(2), NO(2), O(3), CO, and
      PM(2.5). RESULTS: In the two-stage hierarchical model adjusting for confounding,
      the prevalence of bronchitic symptoms with asthma was positively associated with
      the between-community 3-year average concentrations of NO(2) (adjusted OR, 1.81
      per 8.79 ppb; 95% CI, 1.14-2.86), and CO (OR, 1.31 per 105 ppb; 95% CI, 1.04
      1.64). The prevalence of phlegm with no asthma was related to O(3) (OR, 1.32 per
      8.77 ppb; 95% CI, 1.06-1.63). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that long-term
      exposure to outdoor air pollutants, such as NO(2), CO, and O(3), may increase the
      prevalence of bronchitic symptoms among children.

PMID- 20299626
TI  - Leukocyte telomere length and plasma catestatin and myeloid-related protein 8/14
      concentrations in children with obstructive sleep apnea.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common in children and leads to
      multiple end-organ morbidities induced by the cumulative burden of oxidative
      stress and inflammation. Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) reflects not only
      chronologic age but also the burden of disease. We hypothesized that LTL would be
      decreased in children with OSA. METHODS: Two hundred thirteen children (mean age,
      7.7 +/- 1.4 years) were included after a sleep study and a morning blood sample.
      LTL was examined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction in a case-control
      setting involving 111 OSA cases and 102 controls. Myeloid-related protein (MRP)
      8/14 and catestatin plasma levels also were assayed using enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Log LTL was significantly increased and OSA
      severity dependently increased in children (P = .012), was positively associated
      with apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) (r = 0.236; P < .01), and was inversely
      correlated with age (r = -0.145; P < .05). In a multivariate regression model,
      LTL was independently associated with AHI (beta = 0.28; P = .002) after adjusting
      for age, sex, BMI z score, and race. Children with OSA exhibited higher BP (P <
      .05), lower plasma catestatin (P = .009), and higher MRP 8/14 levels (P < .001)
      than controls. Of note, children with the lowest plasma catestatin levels (< 1.39
      ng/mL) had 5.2-fold increased odds of moderate-to-severe OSA (95% CI, 1.19-23.4
      ng/mL; P < .05) after adjusting for confounding variables. CONCLUSIONS: In
      pediatric OSA, LTL is longer rather than shorter. Children with OSA have reduced
      plasma catestatin levels and increased BP along with increased MRP 8/14 levels
      that exhibit AHI dependencies. Thus, catestatin and MRP 8/14 levels may serve as
      biomarkers for cardiovascular risk in the context of pediatric OSA. However, the
      implications of increased LTL in children with OSA remain to be defined.

PMID- 20299627
TI  - Laser tissue welding in lung and tracheobronchial repair: an animal model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Violation of the integrity of the airway (pulmonary parenchymal air
      leak or tracheobronchial injury) remains a challenging problem in chest medicine
      and thoracic surgery. Tissue sealants such as fibrin glue have been suggested to
      improve outcomes but they are still associated with significant failure rates.
      Laser tissue welding (LTW) is an alternative method that produces wound repairs
      that are significantly stronger than those of fibrin glue and may be used to
      repair air leaks. METHODS: We used an Institutional Animal Care and Use
      Committees-approved New Zealand white rabbit model of lung parenchymal and
      tracheal injury. Lung wounds (n = 8 per condition) were created and either left
      open or repaired using fibrin glue or LTW. Tracheal wounds (n = 5 per condition)
      were created using incisions in the membranous and cartilaginous portions or by
      removing a tracheal ring, and were repaired using LTW. Within each tissue type,
      the burst strength of the wounds was measured using a digital manometer and were
      compared with one another using a two-tailed, paired Student t test. RESULTS:
      Among the lung injuries, the burst strength of the LTW repair (19.95 +/- 4.98 mm
      Hg) was significantly stronger than that of the fibrin glue repair or open wound
      (10.53 +/- 5.01 mm Hg, P = .001, and 7.61 +/- 2.64 mm Hg, P < .001,
      respectively). Among the tracheal injuries, the burst strength of the membranous
      incision (101.00 +/- 20.25 mm Hg) was significantly higher than that of the
      cartilaginous incision (75.08 +/- 10.50 mm Hg, P = .03) but not that of the
      cartilaginous defect (77.34 +/- 12.35 mm Hg). CONCLUSIONS: LTW is capable of
      sealing wounds in the tracheobronchial tree and can produce bonds that are twice
      as strong as fibrin glue in lung parenchyma. LTW may be a better alternative than
      fibrin glue in the repair of injuries to the airway.

PMID- 20299628
TI  - Treatment effects of low-dose theophylline combined with an inhaled
      corticosteroid in COPD.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) have proved disappointing at reducing
      airway inflammation in COPD. However, previous studies indicate that low doses of
      theophylline enhance the activity of a key corticosteroid-associated corepressor
      protein, histone deacetylase (HDAC)2, which is reduced in COPD. This may account,
      at least in part, for the relative corticosteroid resistance. Thus, combination
      therapy with an ICS and low-dose theophylline may be of benefit in the treatment
      of COPD. METHODS: To test the hypothesis that ICS and theophylline have a greater
      therapeutic effect than theophylline alone, 30 patients with COPD were treated
      with placebo theophylline capsules and either inhaled fluticasone propionate (FP)
      (500 microg bid) or inhaled placebo for 4 weeks in a double-dummy, randomized,
      double-blind, parallel study. After a 2-week washout, patients were given active
      theophylline capsules (plasma level of 8.8-12.4 mg/L). RESULTS: In an across-arm
      comparison, combination treatment with FP and theophylline did not reduce total
      sputum neutrophils but significantly reduced total sputum eosinophils (P < .05).
      Additional across-arm comparisons suggest a further reduction in percentage
      sputum neutrophils and sputum chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 8/IL-8 (P < .05).
      Furthermore, within-arm observational data also demonstrated increases in forced
      midexpiratory flow rate and FEV(1)% predicted (P < .05) following combination
      treatment only. In an open-label study, low-dose theophylline when added to
      inhaled FP increased total HDAC activity in peripheral blood monocytes ninefold
      (P < .01) compared with FP alone from the same patients with COPD. CONCLUSIONS:
      Combination therapy with an inhaled corticosteroid and low-dose theophylline may
      attenuate airway inflammation in patients with COPD. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      clinicaltrials.gov; Identifier NCT00241631.

PMID- 20299629
TI  - Swallowing dysfunction in nonneurologic critically ill patients who require
      percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of swallowing
      dysfunction in nonneurologic critically ill patients who require percutaneous
      dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) for prolonged mechanical ventilation (MV) and to
      compare the duration of the cannulation period and length of stay in the critical
      care unit (CCU) in patients with and without swallowing dysfunction. METHODS: A
      total of 40 consecutive patients without neurologic disorders who require PDT for
      prolonged MV were included. Previous to the tracheostomy decannulation process,
      an otolaryngologist performed a fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing
      (FEES). We used analysis of variance for the analysis; the results are presented
      as mean values +/- SD. RESULTS: Mean age was 62 +/- 15 years. Acute Physiology
      and Chronic Health Evaluation II and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores
      were 21 +/- 2 and 9 +/- 1, respectively. Time of MV previous to PDT was 20 +/- 11
      days, total MV duration was 38 +/- 16 days, and CCU stay was 63 +/- 27 days. The
      incidence of swallowing dysfunction in this group of patients was 38% (15/40). No
      difference was found in the age or time period of MV previous to PDT between
      groups. The time period between FEES to tracheostomy decannulation process was 19
      +/- 11 days in patients with swallowing dysfunction vs 2 +/- 4 days in those
      patients without dysfunction (P < .001). Patients who developed swallowing
      dysfunction stayed longer in the CCU (69 +/- 23 vs 47 +/- 19 days, P < .01).
      CONCLUSIONS: Nearly 40% of nonneurologic critically ill patients requiring PDT
      for prolonged MV presented swallowing dysfunction and experienced a significant
      delay in their tracheostomy decannulation process.

PMID- 20299630
TI  - CT scan features as predictors of patient outcome after bronchial intervention in
      endobronchial TB.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to identify the CT scan features that
      predict patient outcome after reexpansion procedures in patients with the
      fibrotic stage of endobronchial TB. METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled 30
      patients (four men, 26 women) aged 32 +/- 11 years who had lobar or whole-lung
      atelectasis as sequela of endobronchial TB. Patients underwent helical CT scan
      examinations and subsequent reexpansion procedures for atelectasis, including
      balloon dilatation (n = 2), stent placement (n = 23), and surgical bronchoplasty
      (n = 5). Two thoracic radiologists evaluated the location and extent of airway
      narrowing, the extent of volume loss, parenchymal calcification, mucus plugging,
      and bronchiectasis within atelectasis on preprocedural CT scans. The success of
      reexpansion procedures was defined as the recovery of lung volume being > 80% of
      the estimated original volume as determined during follow-up imaging.
      Preprocedural CT scans and clinical features were compared for the results of the
      reexpansion procedures using the Wilcoxon two-sample test or Fisher exact test.
      RESULTS: Atelectasis was reexpanded in 30% (nine of 30) of patients after
      reexpansion procedures. The presence of parenchymal calcification and
      bronchiectasis within atelectasis showed a high tendency of failure in
      reexpansion procedures (P < .001). Mucus plugging, the extent of airway
      narrowing, volume loss on CT images, and endobronchial TB activity at the time of
      intervention did not affect the results (P > .05). Patients with successful
      results were significantly younger than those with unsatisfactory results.
      CONCLUSIONS: Parenchymal calcification and bronchiectasis within atelectasis are
      correlated with a high chance of failure in reexpansion procedures. Knowledge of
      CT scan features may help radiologists to predict the results of lung-conserving
      therapy to avoid unnecessary interventions.

PMID- 20299631
TI  - Chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 12/stromal cell-derived factor-1 is associated
      with leukocyte recruitment in asthma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Asthma is characterized by allergic airway inflammatory response
      involving extensive leukocyte infiltration. The stromal cell-derived factor (SDF)
      1 or chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 12 (CXCL12) attracts a number of cells,
      including resting T lymphocytes, monocytes, CD34(+) stem cells, basophils, and
      mature eosinophils. To date, however, the potential role of CXCL12/SDF-1 in
      relation to leukocyte recruitment in asthma has not been previously examined, to
      our knowledge. METHODS: Levels of CXCL12/SDF-1 in the BAL fluid (BALF) of 15
      subjects with asthma and 13 healthy subjects were measured by enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay. Immunohistochemistry was performed to identify the cellular
      source of this chemokine. RESULTS: CXCL12/SDF-1 concentrations were significantly
      elevated in BALF from subjects with asthma compared with normal subjects (median
      845 pg/mL, range, 296-1,700 pg/mL vs median 55 pg/mL, range 25-97 pg/mL; P <
      .001). Concentrations of CXCL12/SDF-1 correlated with macrophages (r = 0.728, P <
      .01), lymphocytes (r = 0.651, P < .01), and eosinophils (r = 0.765, P < .01). By
      immunohistochemistry, CXCL12/SDF-1 was localized to the airway epithelium and to
      a lesser extent to mononuclear cells. CONCLUSION: CXCL12/SDF-1 is released in
      high concentration in BALF of patients with asthma. The finding that
      concentrations of this chemokine correlated with leukocyte numbers in BALF
      suggests that this chemokine may contribute to the cell recruitment in asthma.

PMID- 20299632
TI  - Patient-controlled sedation: a novel approach to sedation management for
      mechanically ventilated patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patient self-administration of medications for analgesia and
      procedural sedation is common. However, it is not known whether mechanically
      ventilated ICU patients can self-administer their own sedation to manage
      symptoms. METHODS: This descriptive pilot study examined the safety, adequacy,
      and satisfaction of patient-controlled sedation (PCS) with a convenience sample
      of critically ill, mechanically ventilated patients (N = 17) in the ICUs at
      University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
      Dexmedetomidine was administered via a patient-demand infusion pump system for a
      maximum of 24 h. Pumps were programmed with basal infusion plus patient-triggered
      boluses; nurses adjusted the basal infusion based on a dosing algorithm. Data
      were collected on sedation adequacy, additional dosing of analgesics and
      sedatives, hemodynamic parameters, safety of PCS, patient satisfaction with PCS,
      and nurse satisfaction with PCS. RESULTS: Although a majority of the hemodynamic
      values were within the established safety parameters for the study, 25% of
      patients experienced mild adverse physiologic effects. Furthermore, despite
      patients' perception of sedation adequacy with PCS, 70% received supplemental
      opiates or benzodiazepine medications while participating in the study. Patients
      rated dexmedetomidine PCS favorably for self-management of anxiety, level of
      relaxation obtained, and comfort in self-administering sedation. Nurses also were
      generally satisfied with PCS as a method of sedation, dexmedetomidine as the
      sedative, and patient response to the sedation. CONCLUSIONS: PCS warrants further
      investigation as a means to promote comfort in mechanically ventilated critically
      ill patients.

PMID- 20299633
TI  - Patient-clinician communication: associations with important health outcomes
      among veterans with COPD.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High quality patient-clinician communication is widely advocated, but
      little is known about which health outcomes are associated with communication for
      patients with COPD. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional study of 342 veterans
      enrolled in a randomized controlled trial, we evaluated the association of
      communication, measured with the quality of communication (QOC) instrument, with
      subject-reported quality of clinician care, breathing problem confidence, and
      general self-rated health. We measured these associations using general
      estimating equations and adjusted odds ratios (OR) of patient-reported outcomes
      associated with one-point changes in QOC scores. RESULTS: Nearly one-half of the
      subjects reported receiving the best imaginable care (47%), whereas fewer
      reported being confident with their breathing problems all the time (29%) or in
      very good or excellent health (15%). General communication was associated with
      best-imagined quality of care (OR, 4.29; 95% CI, 2.84-6.48; P < .001) and
      confidence in dealing with breathing problems all the time (OR, 1.74; 95% CI,
      1.34-2.25; P < .001) but not general self-rated health (OR, 1.19; 95% CI, 0.92
      1.55; P = .19). Specific clinician behaviors with larger associations with higher
      quality care included listening, caring, and attentiveness. The associations
      between general communication and quality care increased over time (P for
      interaction .03). CONCLUSIONS: Communication between patients and clinicians is
      associated with quality of care and confidence in dealing with breathing
      problems, and this association may change over time. Attention to specific
      communication strategies may lead to improvements in the care of patients with
      COPD.

PMID- 20299635
TI  - Out of the shadows: Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.

PMID- 20299636
TI  - Winston Wong, MD: leveling the field.

PMID- 20299634
TI  - Procalcitonin levels predict bacteremia in patients with community-acquired
      pneumonia: a prospective cohort trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Guidelines recommend blood culture sampling from hospitalized
      patients with suspected community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). However, the yield of
      true-positive results is low. We investigated the benefit of procalcitonin (PCT)
      on hospital admission to predict blood culture positivity in CAP. METHODS: This
      was a prospective cohort study with a derivation and validation set including 925
      patients with CAP who underwent blood culture sampling on hospital admission.
      RESULTS: A total of 73 (7.9%) patients had true bacteremia (43 of 463 in the
      derivation cohort, 30 of 462 in the validation cohort). The area under the
      receiver operating characteristics curve of PCT in the derivation and validation
      cohorts was similar (derivation cohort, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.78-0.89; validation
      cohort, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.72-0.88). Overall, PCT was a significantly better
      predictor for blood culture positivity than WBC count, C-reactive protein, and
      other clinical parameters. In multivariate regression analysis, only antibiotic
      pretreatment (adjusted odds ratio, 0.25; P < .05) and PCT serum levels (adjusted
      odds ratio, 3.72; P < .001) were independent predictors. Overall, a PCT cutoff of
      0.1 microg/L would enable reduction of the total number of blood cultures by
      12.6% and still identify 99% of the positive blood cultures. Similarly, 0.25
      microg/L and 0.5 microg/L cutoffs would enable reduction of blood cultures by 37%
      and 52%, respectively, and still identify 96% and 88%, respectively, of positive
      blood cultures. CONCLUSIONS: Initial PCT level accurately predicted blood culture
      positivity in patients with CAP. PCT measurement has the potential to reduce the
      number of drawn blood cultures in the emergency department and to implement a
      more targeted allocation of limited health-care resources.

PMID- 20299637
TI  - Advancing paternal and maternal age are both important for autism risk.

PMID- 20299638
TI  - Capacity-building assistance and structural challenges in HIV prevention
      services.

PMID- 20299639
TI  - George E. Bolling (1876-1945): founder of an early public health laboratory.

PMID- 20299640
TI  - Hidden in plain sight marketing prescription drugs to consumers in the twentieth
      century.
AB  - Although the public health impact of direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical
      advertising remains a subject of great controversy, such promotion is typically
      understood as a recent phenomenon permitted only by changes in federal regulation
      of print and broadcast advertising over the past two decades. But today's
      omnipresent ads are only the most recent chapter in a longer history of DTC
      pharmaceutical promotion (including the ghostwriting of popular articles,
      organization of public-relations events, and implicit advertising of products to
      consumers) stretching back over the twentieth century. We use trade literature
      and archival materials to examine the continuity of efforts to promote
      prescription drugs to consumers and to better grapple with the public health
      significance of contemporary pharmaceutical marketing practices.

PMID- 20299641
TI  - Policy and system change and community coalitions: outcomes from allies against
      asthma.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We assessed policy and system changes and health outcomes produced by
      the Allies Against Asthma program, a 5-year collaborative effort by 7 community
      coalitions to address childhood asthma. We also explored associations between
      community engagement and outcomes. METHODS: We interviewed a sample of 1477
      parents of children with asthma in coalition target areas and comparison areas at
      baseline and 1 year to assess quality-of-life and symptom changes. An extensive
      tracking and documentation procedure and a survey of 284 participating
      individuals and organizations were used to ascertain policy and system changes
      and community engagement levels. RESULTS: A total of 89 policy and system changes
      were achieved, ranging from changes in interinstitutional and intrainstitutional
      practices to statewide legislation. Allies children experienced fewer daytime (P
      = .008) and nighttime (P = .004) asthma symptoms than comparison children. In
      addition, Allies parents felt less helpless, frightened, and angry (P = .01)
      about their child's asthma. Type of community engagement was associated with
      number of policy and system changes. CONCLUSIONS: Community coalitions can
      successfully achieve asthma policy and system changes and improve health
      outcomes. Increased core and ongoing community stakeholder participation rather
      than a higher overall number of participants was associated with more change.

PMID- 20299642
TI  - Preventing high blood pressure and promoting longevity.

PMID- 20299643
TI  - Neighborhoods and chronic disease onset in later life.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To strengthen existing evidence on the role of neighborhoods in
      chronic disease onset in later life, we investigated associations between
      multiple neighborhood features and 2-year onset of 6 common conditions using a
      national sample of older adults. METHODS: Neighborhood features for adults aged
      55 years or older in the 2002 Health and Retirement Study were measured by use of
      previously validated scales reflecting the built, social, and economic
      environment. Two-level random-intercept logistic models predicting the onset of
      heart problems, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and arthritis by 2004
      were estimated. RESULTS: In adjusted models, living in more economically
      disadvantaged areas predicted the onset of heart problems for women (odds ratio
      [OR] = 1.20; P < .05). Living in more highly segregated, higher-crime areas was
      associated with greater chances of developing cancer for men (OR = 1.31; P < .05)
      and women (OR = 1.25; P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: The neighborhood economic
      environment is associated with heart disease onset for women, and neighborhood
      level social stressors are associated with cancer onset for men and women. The
      social and biological mechanisms that underlie these associations require further
      investigation.

PMID- 20299644
TI  - Associations between racial discrimination, limited English proficiency, and
      health-related quality of life among 6 Asian ethnic groups in California.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We examined the association of racial discrimination and limited
      English proficiency with health-related quality of life among Asian Americans in
      California. METHODS: We studied Chinese (n = 2576), Filipino (n = 1426), Japanese
      (n = 833), Korean (n = 1128), South Asian (n = 822), and Vietnamese (n = 938)
      respondents to the California Health Interview Survey in 2003 and 2005. We
      assessed health-related quality of life with the Centers for Disease Control and
      Prevention's measures of self-rated health, activity limitation days, and
      unhealthy days. RESULTS: Overall, Asians who reported racial discrimination or
      who had limited English proficiency were more likely to have poor quality of
      life, after adjustment for demographic characteristics. South Asian participants
      who reported discrimination had an estimated 14.4 more activity limitation days
      annually than South Asians who did not report discrimination. Results were
      similar among other groups. We observed similar but less consistent associations
      for limited English proficiency. CONCLUSIONS: Racial discrimination, and to a
      lesser extent limited English proficiency, appear to be key correlates of quality
      of life among Asian ethnic groups.

PMID- 20299645
TI  - Perinatal outcomes for Asian, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islander mothers
      of single and multiple race/ethnicity: California and Hawaii, 2003-2005.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We examined characteristics and birth outcomes of Asian/Pacific
      Islander (API) mothers to determine whether differences in outcomes existed
      between mothers of single race/ethnicity and multiple race/ethnicity. METHODS: We
      used data from California and Hawaii birth certificates from 2003 through 2005 to
      describe variation in birth outcomes for API subgroups by self-reported maternal
      race/ethnicity (single versus multiple race or API subgroup), and we also
      compared these outcomes to those of non-Hispanic White women. RESULTS: Low
      birthweight (LBW) and preterm birth (PTB) varied more among API subgroups than
      between mothers of single versus multiple race/ethnicity. After adjustment for
      sociodemographic and behavioral risk factors, API mothers of multiple
      race/ethnicity had outcomes similar to mothers of single race/ethnicity, with
      exceptions for multiple-race/ethnicity Chinese (higher PTB), Filipino (lower LBW
      and PTB), and Thai (higher LBW) subgroups. Compared with single-race non-Hispanic
      Whites, adverse outcomes were elevated for most API subgroups: only single
      race/ethnicity Korean mothers had lower rates of both LBW (3.4%) and PTB (5.6%);
      single-race/ethnicity Cambodian, Laotian, and Marshallese mothers had the highest
      rates of both LBW (8.8%, 9.2%, and 8.4%, respectively) and PTB (14.0%, 13.7%, and
      18.8%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Strategies to improve birth outcomes for API
      mothers should consider variations in risk by API subgroup and multiple
      race/ethnicity.

PMID- 20299646
TI  - Decreases in smoking prevalence in Asian communities served by the Racial and
      Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) project.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We examined trends in smoking prevalence from 2002 through 2006 in 4
      Asian communities served by the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health
      (REACH) intervention. METHODS: Annual survey data from 2002 through 2006 were
      gathered in 4 REACH Asian communities. Trends in the age-standardized prevalence
      of current smoking for men in 2 Vietnamese communities, 1 Cambodian community,
      and 1 Asian American/Pacific Islander (API) community were examined and compared
      with nationwide US and state-specific data from the Behavioral Risk Factor
      Surveillance System. RESULTS: Prevalence of current smoking decreased
      dramatically among men in REACH communities. The reduction rate was significantly
      greater than that observed in the general US or API male population, and it was
      greater than reduction rates observed in the states in which REACH communities
      were located. There was little change in the quit ratio of men at the state and
      national levels, but there was a significant increase in quit ratios in the REACH
      communities, indicating increases in the proportions of smokers who had quit
      smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking prevalence decreased in Asian communities served by
      the REACH project, and these decreases were larger than nationwide decreases in
      smoking prevalence observed for the same period. However, disparities in smoking
      prevalence remain a concern among Cambodian men and non-English-speaking
      Vietnamese men; these subgroups continue to smoke at a higher rate than do men
      nationwide.

PMID- 20299647
TI  - Comparison of disability rates among older adults in aggregated and separate
      Asian American/Pacific Islander subpopulations.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We assessed the prevalence and adjusted odds of 4 types of disability
      among 7 groups of older Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) subpopulations,
      both separately and aggregated, compared with non-Hispanic Whites. METHODS: Data
      were from the nationally representative 2006 American Community Survey, which
      included institutionalized and community-dwelling Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (n =
      524), Vietnamese (n = 2357), Korean (n = 2082), Japanese (n = 3230), Filipino (n
      = 5109), Asian Indian (n = 2942), Chinese (n = 6034), and non-Hispanic White (n =
      641 177) individuals aged 55 years and older. The weighted prevalence, population
      estimates, and odds ratios of 4 types of disability (functional limitations,
      limitations in activities of daily living, cognitive problems, and blindness or
      deafness) were reported for each group. RESULTS: Disability rates in older adults
      varied more among AAPI subpopulations than between non-Hispanic Whites and the
      aggregated Asian group. Asian older adults had, on average, better disability
      outcomes than did non-Hispanic Whites. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the
      strongest evidence to date that exclusion of institutionalized older adults
      minimizes disparities in disabilities between Asians and Whites. The aggregation
      of Asians into one group obscures substantial subgroup variability and fails to
      identify the most vulnerable groups (e.g., Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders and
      Vietnamese).

PMID- 20299648
TI  - Disparities in breast cancer survival among Asian women by ethnicity and
      immigrant status: a population-based study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We investigated heterogeneity in ethnic composition and immigrant
      status among US Asians as an explanation for disparities in breast cancer
      survival. METHODS: We enhanced data from the California Cancer Registry and the
      Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program through linkage and
      imputation to examine the effect of immigrant status, neighborhood socioeconomic
      status, and ethnic enclave on mortality among Chinese, Japanese, Filipino,
      Korean, South Asian, and Vietnamese women diagnosed with breast cancer from 1988
      to 2005 and followed through 2007. RESULTS: US-born women had similar mortality
      rates in all Asian ethnic groups except the Vietnamese, who had lower mortality
      risk (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.3; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.1, 0.9). Except
      for Japanese women, all foreign-born women had higher mortality than did US-born
      Japanese, the reference group. HRs ranged from 1.4 (95% CI = 1.2, 1.7) among
      Koreans to 1.8 (95% CI = 1.5, 2.2) among South Asians and Vietnamese. Little of
      this variation was explained by differences in disease characteristics.
      CONCLUSIONS: Survival after breast cancer is poorer among foreign- than US-born
      Asians. Research on underlying factors is needed, along with increased awareness
      and targeted cancer control.

PMID- 20299650
TI  - Ke 'Ano Ola: Moloka'i's community-based healthy lifestyle modification program.
AB  - We evaluated a community-based 12-week healthy lifestyle program in Moloka'i, HI,
      called Ke 'Ano Ola, which was developed to decrease chronic disease risk through
      health education emphasizing weight loss, exercise, and risk factor reduction.
      Program leaders' strong commitment and positive role modeling, along with social
      and group support and community involvement, were key elements. A pre-post
      evaluation of weight, blood pressure, total cholesterol, and blood sugar showed
      significant improvements for weight (mean change [Delta] = -7.4 lbs; P < .001),
      systolic blood pressure (Delta = -3.8 mm Hg; P = .027), diastolic blood pressure
      (Delta = -4.6 mm Hg; P < .001), and total cholesterol (Delta = -9.7 mg/dL; P <
      .001). Attrition was low, with 89% of participants attending all 12 sessions. Our
      findings show that lifestyle improvements in a predominantly Native Hawaiian
      community are achievable in a support group setting.

PMID- 20299649
TI  - Discrimination and mental health-related service use in a national study of Asian
      Americans.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We examined the association between perceived discrimination and use
      of mental health services among a national sample of Asian Americans. METHODS:
      Our data came from the National Latino and Asian American Study, the first
      national survey of Asian Americans. Our sample included 600 Chinese, 508
      Filipinos, 520 Vietnamese, and 467 other Asians (n=2095). We used logistic
      regression to examine the association between discrimination and formal and
      informal service use and the interactive effect of discrimination and English
      language proficiency. RESULTS: Perceived discrimination was associated with more
      use of informal services, but not with less use of formal services. Additionally,
      higher levels of perceived discrimination combined with lower English proficiency
      were associated with more use of informal services. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of
      perceived discrimination and language proficiency on service use indicates a need
      for more bilingual services and more collaborations between formal service
      systems and community resources.

PMID- 20299652
TI  - Tuberculosis among persons born in the Philippines and living in the United
      States, 2000-2007.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We examined demographic, clinical, and treatment outcome
      characteristics of Filipinos with tuberculosis (TB) in the United States.
      METHODS: We calculated TB case rates from US Census Bureau population estimates
      and National Tuberculosis Surveillance System data for US-born non-Hispanic
      Whites and for US residents born in the Philippines, India, China, Cambodia,
      Vietnam, Pakistan, and Korea--countries that are major contributors to the TB
      burden in the United States. We compared Filipinos with the other groups through
      univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Of 45,504 TB patients, 15.5% were
      Filipinos; 43.0% were other Asian/Pacific Islander groups; and 41.6% were Whites.
      Per 100 000 persons in 2007, the TB rate was 73.5 among Cambodians, 54.0 among
      Vietnamese, 52.1 among Filipinos, and 0.9 among Whites. Filipinos were more
      likely than other groups to be employed as health care workers and to have used
      private health care providers but less likely to be HIV positive and to be
      offered HIV testing. CONCLUSIONS: The relatively high TB rate among Filipinos
      indicates that TB control strategies should target this population. Providers
      should be encouraged to offer HIV testing to all TB patients.

PMID- 20299651
TI  - Perception of barriers to immunization among parents of Hmong origin in
      California.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We explored factors associated with perception of barriers to
      immunization among parents of Hmong origin in California, whose children
      experience persistent immunization inequities even with health insurance.
      METHODS: A partnership of academic researchers and members of the Hmong community
      conducted a community-based participatory research project. We collected data in
      naturalistic settings with a standardized instrument. We analyzed responses from
      417 parents and caregivers and created a structural equation model to determine
      factors that contributed to perceived barriers. RESULTS: Of 3 potential
      contributing factors to perceived barriers-nativity, socioeconomic position, and
      use of traditional Hmong health care (i.e., consulting shamans and herbalists)
      the latter 2 significantly predicted higher perceived barriers to immunization.
      Nativity, indicated by years in the United States, age of arrival in the United
      States, and English language fluency, did not predict perceived barriers.
      CONCLUSIONS: Interventions aimed at reducing immunization inequities should
      consider distinct sociocultural factors that affect immunization rates among
      different refugee and immigrant groups.

PMID- 20299653
TI  - Analyzing national health reform strategies with a dynamic simulation model.
AB  - Proposals to improve the US health system are commonly supported by models that
      have only a few variables and overlook certain processes that may delay, dilute,
      or defeat intervention effects. We use an evidence-based dynamic simulation model
      with a broad national scope to analyze 5 policy proposals. Our results suggest
      that expanding insurance coverage and improving health care quality would likely
      improve health status but would also raise costs and worsen health inequity,
      whereas a strategy that also strengthens primary care capacity and emphasizes
      health protection would improve health status, reduce inequities, and lower
      costs. A software interface allows diverse stakeholders to interact with the
      model through a policy simulation game called HealthBound.

PMID- 20299654
TI  - The forgotten treasure: bilingualism and Asian children's emotional and
      behavioral health.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We investigated the relation between the language status of children
      and their behavioral and emotional well-being during their early school years.
      METHODS: Behavioral and emotional well-being were drawn from teacher-reported
      data and included externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Three-level growth
      curve analyses were conducted on a subsample (n = 12 586) of children from the
      Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, kindergarten cohort, who originated from
      Asian countries. US-born, non-Hispanic White children served as the comparison
      group. RESULTS: All children started with a similar level of internalizing and
      externalizing behaviors at kindergarten entry. The growth rate of problem
      behaviors was slowest in fluent bilingual and non-English-dominant bilingual
      children compared with White English-monolingual children. By contrast, problem
      behaviors increased at a significantly faster rate in non-English-monolingual
      children, who had the highest level of problem behaviors among all children by
      fifth grade. CONCLUSIONS: By fifth grade, fluent bilingual and non-English
      dominant bilingual children had the lowest levels of internalizing and
      externalizing behaviors, whereas non-English-monolingual children had the highest
      levels of both behavior problems. Our data suggest emotional and behavioral
      benefits of being bilingual.

PMID- 20299656
TI  - Health status and health services access and utilization among Chinese, Filipino,
      Japanese, Korean, South Asian, and Vietnamese children in California.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We examined health status and health services access and utilization
      of Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, South Asian, Vietnamese, and non-Hispanic
      White children in California. METHODS: We analyzed aggregated data from the 2003
      and 2005 California Health Interview Survey (648 Chinese, 523 Filipino, 235
      Japanese, 308 Korean, 314 South Asian, 264 Vietnamese, and 8468 non-Hispanic
      White children aged younger than 12 years), examining the relationship between
      Asian ethnicities and outcomes. RESULTS: Compared with non-Hispanic White
      children, Korean children were 4 times more likely to lack health insurance;
      Filipino children were twice as likely to not have had recent contact with a
      doctor; Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese children were less likely to have visited
      an emergency room in the past year; and Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese children
      were more likely to be in fair or poor health. Age, gender, poverty, citizenship
      nativity status, health insurance, and parental marital and child health statuses
      were related to most outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Asian ethnicities have heterogeneous
      health care access and utilization patterns, suggesting the need for targeted
      outreach to different Asian ethnic groups.

PMID- 20299655
TI  - Effects of socioeconomic status on colon cancer treatment accessibility and
      survival in Toronto, Ontario, and San Francisco, California, 1996-2006.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We examined the differential effects of socioeconomic status on colon
      cancer care and survival in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and San Francisco,
      California. METHODS: We analyzed registry data for colon cancer patients from
      Ontario (n = 930) and California (n = 1014), diagnosed between 1996 and 2000 and
      followed until 2006, on stage, surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy, and survival. We
      obtained socioeconomic data for individuals' residences from population censuses.
      RESULTS: Income was directly associated with lymph node evaluation, chemotherapy,
      and survival in San Francisco but not in Toronto. High-income persons had better
      survival rates in San Francisco than in Toronto. After adjustment for stage,
      survival was better for low-income residents of Toronto than for those of San
      Francisco. Middle- to low-income patients were more likely to receive indicated
      chemotherapy in Toronto than in San Francisco. CONCLUSIONS: Socioeconomic factors
      appear to mediate colon cancer care in urban areas of the United States but not
      in Canada. Improvements are needed in screening, diagnostic investigations, and
      treatment access among low-income Americans.

PMID- 20299658
TI  - Use of a smokers' quitline by Asian language speakers: results from 15 years of
      operation in California.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We examined state quitline utilization by smokers who called Chinese
      , Vietnamese-, or Korean-language lines, and compared their usage rates to those
      of Asians and Whites calling the English-language line. METHODS: Using data from
      15 years (1993-2008) of operation of the California quitline (which included data
      on 22 061 callers to Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese lines) and from multiple
      California Health Interview Surveys, we computed the call rates for Whites,
      English-speaking Asians, and the 3 Asian-language groups. We also examined
      callers' demographics and where they heard about the quitline. RESULTS: Asian
      smokers who spoke English were significantly less likely than English-speaking
      White smokers to call the quitline (odds ratios range from 0.36 to 0.62). Smokers
      speaking 1 of the 3 Asian languages were no less likely than White smokers to
      call (odds ratios range from 0.82 to 3.25). More than 80% of those calling the
      Asian-language lines reported hearing about the quitline through mass media.
      CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to general expectation, smokers speaking Asian languages
      were just as likely to call the quitline as English-speaking White smokers. State
      quitlines should consider adding Asian-language lines to help address disparities
      in access to cessation services.

PMID- 20299657
TI  - Chlorpyrifos exposure and urban residential environment characteristics as
      determinants of early childhood neurodevelopment.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We evaluated whether neighborhood characteristics correlated with
      early neurodevelopment and whether these characteristics confounded the
      previously reported association between exposure to chlorpyrifos (an
      organophosphate insecticide) and neurodevelopment. METHODS: We obtained prenatal
      addresses, chlorpyrifos exposure data, and 36-month Psychomotor Development Index
      (PDI) and Mental Development Index (MDI) scores for a birth cohort in New York
      City (born 1998-2002). We used data from the 2000 US Census to estimate measures
      of physical infrastructure, socioeconomic status, crowding, demographic
      composition, and linguistic isolation for 1-kilometer network areas around each
      child's prenatal address. Generalized estimating equations were adjusted for
      demographics, maternal education and IQ, prenatal exposure to tobacco smoke,
      caretaking environment quality, and building dilapidation. RESULTS: Of 266
      children included as participants, 47% were male, 59% were Dominican, and 41%
      were African American. For each standard deviation higher in neighborhood percent
      poverty, the PDI score was 2.6 points lower (95% confidence interval [CI] = -3.7,
      -1.5), and the MDI score was 1.7 points lower (95% CI = -2.6, -0.8). Neighborhood
      level confounding of the chlorpyrifos-neurodevelopment association was not
      apparent. CONCLUSIONS: Neighborhood context and chlorpyrifos exposure were
      independently associated with neurodevelopment, thus providing distinct
      opportunities for health promotion.

PMID- 20299660
TI  - Morbidity risk at birth for Asian Indian small for gestational age infants.
AB  - Whether the traditional definition of small for gestational age (SGA) is an
      appropriate marker of risk for populations that have relatively lower birthweight
      is unclear. We determined proportions of White and Asian Indian SGA infants and
      those admitted to the special care nursery. Compared with White infants, Asian
      Indian infants were more likely to be SGA (14.5% versus 2.7%) and more likely to
      be admitted to the special care nursery (20.7% versus 3.7%), suggesting that
      traditional definitions of SGA may be applicable as a marker of risk.

PMID- 20299659
TI  - Effectiveness of a controlled trial to promote colorectal cancer screening in
      Vietnamese Americans.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We conducted a controlled trial of a public education and provider
      intervention to increase colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates among Vietnamese
      Americans, who typically have lower rates than non-Hispanic Whites. METHODS: The
      public education intervention included a Vietnamese-language CRC screening media
      campaign, distribution of health educational material, and a hotline. The
      provider intervention consisted of continuing medical education seminars,
      newsletters, and DVDs. Vietnamese in Alameda and Santa Clara Counties,
      California, received the intervention from 2004 to 2006; Vietnamese in Harris
      County, Texas, were controls and received no intervention. A quasi-experimental
      study design with pre- and postintervention surveys of the same 533 participants
      was used to evaluate the combined intervention. RESULTS: The postintervention-to
      preintervention odds ratio for having ever had a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy was
      1.4 times greater in the intervention community than in the control community.
      Knowledge and attitudes mediated the effect of the intervention on CRC screening
      behavior. Media exposure mediated the effect of the intervention on knowledge.
      CONCLUSIONS: Improving CRC knowledge through the media contributed to the
      effectiveness of the intervention.

PMID- 20299661
TI  - Understanding the rapid increase in life expectancy in South Korea.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We assessed life expectancy increases in the past several decades in
      South Korea by age and specific causes of death. METHODS: We applied Arriaga's
      decomposition method to life table data (1970-2005) and mortality statistics
      (1983-2005) to estimate age- and cause-specific contributions to changes in life
      expectancy. RESULTS: Reductions in infant mortality made the largest age-group
      contribution to the life expectancy increase. Reductions in cardiovascular
      diseases (particularly stroke and hypertensive diseases) contributed most to
      longer life expectancy between 1983 and 2005 (30% in males and 28% in females).
      Lower rates of stomach cancer, liver disease, tuberculosis, and external-cause
      mortality accounted for 30% of the male and 20% of the female increase in
      longevity. However, higher mortality from ischemic heart disease, lung and
      bronchial cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, diabetes, and suicide offset
      gains by 10% in both genders. CONCLUSIONS: Rapid increases in life expectancy in
      South Korea were mostly achieved by reductions in infant mortality and in
      diseases related to infections and blood pressure.

PMID- 20299662
TI  - Short communication: genetic ablation of L-type Ca2+ channels abolishes
      depolarization-induced Ca2+ release in arterial smooth muscle.
AB  - RATIONALE: In arterial myocytes, membrane depolarization-induced Ca(2+) release
      (DICR) from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) occurs through a metabotropic pathway
      that leads to inositol trisphosphate synthesis independently of extracellular
      Ca(2+) influx. Despite the fundamental functional relevance of DICR, its
      molecular bases are not well known. OBJECTIVE: Biophysical and pharmacological
      data have suggested that L-type Ca(2+) channels could be the sensors coupling
      membrane depolarization to SR Ca(2+) release. This hypothesis was tested using
      smooth muscle-selective conditional Ca(v)1.2 knockout mice. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      In aortic myocytes, the decrease of Ca(2+) channel density was paralleled by the
      disappearance of SR Ca(2+) release induced by either depolarization or Ca(2+)
      channel agonists. Ca(v)1.2 channel deficiency resulted in almost abolition of
      arterial ring contraction evoked by DICR. Ca(2+) channel-null cells showed
      unaltered caffeine-induced Ca(2+) release and contraction. CONCLUSION: These data
      suggest that Ca(v)1.2 channels are indeed voltage sensors coupled to the
      metabolic cascade, leading to SR Ca(2+) release. These findings support a novel,
      ion-independent, functional role of L-type Ca(2+) channels linked to
      intracellular signaling pathways in vascular myocytes.

PMID- 20299664
TI  - Multiplex coherent anti-stokes Raman spectroscopy images intact atheromatous
      lesions and concomitantly identifies distinct chemical profiles of
      atherosclerotic lipids.
AB  - RATIONALE: Lipids are a key component of atherogenesis. However, their
      physiological role on the progression of atherosclerosis including plaque
      vulnerability has not been clearly understood, because of the lack of appropriate
      tools for chemical assessment. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to develop a label-free
      chemical imaging platform based on multiplex coherent anti-Stokes Raman
      scattering (CARS) for the correlative study of the morphology and chemical
      profile of atherosclerotic lipids. METHODS AND RESULTS: Whole aortas from
      atherosclerotic apolipoprotein E knock-out mice were en face examined by
      multiplex CARS imaging and 4 distinctive morphologies of the lipids
      (intra/extracellular lipid droplets and needle-/plate-shaped lipid crystals) were
      classified. The chemical profiles of atherosclerotic lipids depending on
      morphologies were firstly identified from intact atheromatous tissue by multiplex
      CARS. We demonstrated that needle-/plate-shaped lipid crystals in advanced
      plaques had undergone a phase shift to the solid state with increased protein
      contents, implying that lipid modification had occurred beforehand. The validity
      of lipid-selective multiplex CARS imaging was supported by comparative results
      from oil red O staining and whole-mount immunohistochemistry. By spatial CARS
      analysis of atherosclerosis progression, we found greater accumulation of lipid
      crystals in both the lesser curvature of the aortic arch and the innominate
      artery. Furthermore, multiplex CARS measurement successfully demonstrated the
      effect of a drug, statin, on atherosclerotic lipids by showing the change of
      their chemical profiles. CONCLUSIONS: Multiplex CARS imaging directly provides
      intact morphologies of atherosclerotic lipids with correlative chemical
      information, thereby suggesting its potential applications in the investigation
      of lipid-associated disorders and the preclinical drug screening.

PMID- 20299663
TI  - Specific regulation of noncanonical p38alpha activation by Hsp90-Cdc37 chaperone
      complex in cardiomyocyte.
AB  - RATIONALE: p38 is an important stress activated protein kinase involved in gene
      regulation, proliferation, differentiation, and cell death regulation in heart.
      p38 kinase activity can be induced through canonical pathway via upstream kinases
      or by noncanonical autophosphorylation. The intracellular p38 kinase activity is
      tightly regulated and maintained at low level under basal condition. The
      underlying regulatory mechanism for canonical p38 kinase activation is well
      studied, but the regulation of noncanonical p38 autophosphorylation remains
      poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the molecular basis for the
      regulation of noncanonical p38 autophosphorylation and its potential functional
      impact in cardiomyocytes. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using both proteomic and
      biochemical tools, we established that heat shock protein (Hsp)90-Cdc37
      chaperones are part of the p38alpha signaling complex in mammalian cells both in
      vitro and in vivo. The Hsp90-Cdc37 chaperone complex interacts with p38 via
      direct binding between p38 and Cdc37. Cdc37 expression is both sufficient and
      necessary to suppress noncanonical p38 activation via autophosphorylation at
      either basal state or under TAB1 (TAK1 binding protein-1) induction. In contrast,
      Cdc37 expression has no impact on p38 activation by canonical upstream kinase
      MKK3 or oxidative stress. Furthermore, Hsp90 inhibition results in p38 activation
      via autophosphorylation, and p38 activity contribute to apoptotic cell death
      induced by Hsp90 inhibition. CONCLUSION: Our study has revealed a so far
      uncharacterized function of Hsp90-Cdc37 as an endogenous regulator of
      noncanonical p38 activity.

PMID- 20299665
TI  - Potential and failure of the ABCD2 score in stroke risk prediction after
      transient ischemic attack.

PMID- 20299666
TI  - Excess body weight and incidence of stroke: meta-analysis of prospective studies
      with 2 million participants.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: A systematic review of the prospective studies addressing
      the relationship of overweight and obesity to major stroke subtypes is lacking.
      We evaluated the occurrence of a graded association between overweight, obesity,
      and incidence of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke by a meta-analysis of cohort
      studies. METHODS: A search of online databases and relevant reviews was
      performed. Inclusion criteria were original article in English, prospective study
      design, follow-up > or = 4 years, indication of number of subjects exposed, and
      number of events across body mass index categories. Crude unadjusted relative
      risk (RR) and 95% CI were calculated for each study for overweight or obese
      compared with normal-weight categories. Log-transformed values and SE were used
      to calculate the pooled RR with random effects models; publication bias was
      checked. Additional analyses were performed using the multivariate estimates of
      risk reported in the individual studies. RESULTS: Twenty-five studies were
      included, with 2 274 961 participants and 30 757 events. RR for ischemic stroke
      was 1.22 (95% CI, 1.05-1.41) for overweight and 1.64 (95% CI, 1.36-1.99) for
      obesity, whereas RR for hemorrhagic stroke was 1.01 (95% CI, 0.88-1.17) and 1.24
      (95% CI, 0.99-1.54), respectively. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses ruled
      out gender, population average age, body mass index and blood pressure, year of
      recruitment, year of study publication, and length of follow-up as significant
      sources of heterogeneity. The additional analyses relying on the published
      multivariate estimates of risk provided qualitatively similar results.
      CONCLUSIONS: Overweight and obesity are associated with progressively increasing
      risk of ischemic stroke, at least in part, independently from age, lifestyle, and
      other cardiovascular risk factors.

PMID- 20299667
TI  - Population-based study of ABCD2 score, carotid stenosis, and atrial fibrillation
      for early stroke prediction after transient ischemic attack: the North Dublin TIA
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Transient ischemic attack (TIA) etiologic data and the
      ABCD(2) score may improve early stroke risk prediction, but studies are required
      in population-based cohorts. We investigated the external validity of the ABCD(2)
      score, carotid stenosis, and atrial fibrillation for prediction of early
      recurrent stroke after TIA. METHODS: Patients with TIA in the North Dublin city
      population (N=294 529) were ascertained by using overlapping hospital and
      community sources. The relations between individual ABCD(2) items, carotid
      stenosis, atrial fibrillation, and early stroke were examined. RESULTS: In
      confirmed TIA cases (n=443), carotid stenosis predicted 90-day stroke (hazard
      ratio=2.56; 95% CI, 1.27 to 5.15, P=0.003). Stroke risk rose with increasing
      grade of carotid stenosis, ranging from 5.4% (95% CI, 3.3% to 8.7%) with <50%
      stenosis to 17.2% (95% CI, 9.7% to 29.7%) with severe stenosis/occlusion (hazard
      ratio=3.3; 95% CI, 1.5 to 7.4, P=0.002). In confirmed TIA cases (n=443), the
      ABCD(2) score performed no better than chance for prediction of 90-day stroke (c
      statistic=0.55; 95% CI, 0.45 to 0.64), largely related to the 24.2% (8/33) of
      patients who experienced a recurrence and had low ABCD(2) scores (0-3). However,
      in nonspecialist-suspected TIA cases (n=700), the predictive utility improved for
      stroke at 28 (c-statistic=0.61; 95% CI, 0.50 to 0.72) and 90 (c-statistic=0.61;
      95% CI, 0.52 to 0.71) days. CONCLUSIONS: In a population-based TIA cohort,
      significant predictive information was provided by carotid stenosis. The ABCD(2)
      score had predictive utility in patients with TIA suspected by nonspecialists.
      Low scores occurred in several patients with stroke recurrences, suggesting that
      caution is needed before using the score in isolation.

PMID- 20299669
TI  - Comparing pumps.

PMID- 20299668
TI  - ABCD2 score predicts severity rather than risk of early recurrent events after
      transient ischemic attack.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The ABCD(2) score predicts the early risk of stroke after
      transient ischemic attack (TIA). However, data on the severity of recurrent
      events would also be useful. Do patients with high scores also have more severe
      early recurrent strokes, perhaps further justifying hospital admission? Do
      patients with low scores have a low early risk of recurrent TIA as well as
      recurrent stroke? METHODS: We completed a prospective, population-based study in
      Oxfordshire, England, of 500 consecutive patients presenting with TIA from April
      1, 2002, by using multiple methods of case ascertainment (Oxford Vascular Study).
      Recurrent TIA, minor stroke, and major stroke (National Institutes of Health
      Stroke Scale score >3 at the time of first assessment) were identified by face-to
      face follow-up. Predictive value was expressed as the area under the receiver
      operating characteristic curve. RESULTS: Of 500 patients with TIA, 55 had a
      recurrent TIA (11.0%; 95% CI, 8.3% to 13.7%) and 50 had a recurrent stroke
      (10.0%; 95% CI, 7.5% to 12.0%) within 7 days. The ABCD(2) score was highly
      predictive of major recurrent stroke (area under the receiver operating
      characteristic curve=0.80; 95% CI, 0.72 to 0.87, P<0.0001), weakly predictive of
      minor stroke (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve=0.57; 95%
      CI, 0.43 to 0.71, P=0.26), and inversely related to risk of recurrent TIA (area
      under the receiver operating characteristic curve=0.37; 95% CI, 0.29 to 0.44,
      P=0.001) (overall heterogeneity, P<0.0001). The score predicted stroke-related
      disability, length of stay for recurrent stroke, and hence, overall acute
      hospital care costs. CONCLUSIONS: The ABCD(2) score predicts severity of
      recurrent events after TIA, high scores being associated with major recurrent
      stroke and low scores with high rates of recurrent TIA. These findings have
      implications for cost-benefit analyses of policies on hospital admission for
      patients with high scores and for the advice given to patients with low scores.

PMID- 20299670
TI  - Robert Lefkowitz: godfather of G protein-coupled receptors.

PMID- 20299671
TI  - M cells in the human heart.

PMID- 20299672
TI  - Epicardial-myocardial signaling directing coronary vasculogenesis.
AB  - The establishment of the coronary circulation is critical for the development of
      the embryonic heart. Over the last several years, there has been tremendous
      progress in elucidating the pathways that control coronary development.
      Interestingly, many of the pathways that regulate the development of the coronary
      vasculature are distinct from those governing vasculogenesis in the rest of the
      embryo. It is becoming increasingly clear that coronary development depends on a
      complex communication between the epicardium, the subepicardial mesenchyme, and
      the myocardium mediated in part by secreted growth factors. This communication
      coordinates the growth of the myocardium with the formation of the coronary
      vasculature. This review summarizes our present understanding of the role of
      these growth factors in the regulation of coronary development. Continued
      progress in this field holds the potential to lead to novel therapeutics for the
      treatment of patients with coronary artery disease.

PMID- 20299673
TI  - Circadian clocks and vascular function.
AB  - The circadian clock regulates many aspects of physiology, including
      cardiovascular function. Internal oscillators exist in endothelial, smooth muscle
      cells, and fibroblasts of the vasculature. Vascular tone and thrombus formation,
      2 key elements of vascular function with regard to adverse cardiovascular events,
      exhibit diurnal rhythmicity. In this review, we describe changes in vascular
      function that result from genetic disruption of discrete elements of the
      circadian clock.

PMID- 20299674
TI  - The RAGE axis: a fundamental mechanism signaling danger to the vulnerable
      vasculature.
AB  - The immunoglobulin superfamily molecule RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation end
      product) transduces the effects of multiple ligands, including AGEs (advanced
      glycation end products), advanced oxidation protein products, S100/calgranulins,
      high-mobility group box-1, amyloid-beta peptide, and beta-sheet fibrils. In
      diabetes, hyperglycemia likely stimulates the initial burst of production of
      ligands that interact with RAGE and activate signaling mechanisms. Consequently,
      increased generation of proinflammatory and prothrombotic molecules and reactive
      oxygen species trigger further cycles of oxidative stress via RAGE, thus setting
      the stage for augmented damage to diabetic tissues in the face of further
      insults. Many of the ligand families of RAGE have been identified in
      atherosclerotic plaques and in the infarcted heart. Together with increased
      expression of RAGE in diabetic settings, we propose that release and accumulation
      of RAGE ligands contribute to exaggerated cellular damage. Stopping the vicious
      cycle of AGE-RAGE and RAGE axis signaling in the vulnerable heart and great
      vessels may be essential in controlling and preventing the consequences of
      diabetes.

PMID- 20299676
TI  - Galactosemia diagnosis gets an upgrade.

PMID- 20299677
TI  - Reproducibility in serial C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 measurements in
      post-myocardial infarction patients: results from the AIRGENE study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Among the numerous emerging biomarkers, high-sensitivity C-reactive
      protein (hsCRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) have received widespread interest, and a
      large database has been accumulated on their potential role as predictors of
      cardiovascular risk. The concentrations of inflammatory biomarkers, however, are
      influenced, among other things, by physiological variation, which is the natural
      within-individual variation occurring over time. Implementation of hsCRP and IL-6
      measurement into clinical practice requires data on the reliability of such
      measurements. METHODS: We serially measured hsCRP and IL-6 concentrations in up
      to 6 blood samples taken at monthly intervals from 200 post-myocardial infarction
      patients who participated in the AIRGENE study. RESULTS: The mean (SD) of the ln
      transformed plasma concentrations (in milligrams per liter for hsCRP and
      nanograms per liter for IL-6) for all participants over all samples was 0.16
      (1.04) for hsCRP and 0.76 (0.57) for IL-6, with no significant differences
      between men and women. The within-individual and analytical variance component
      for the ln-transformed hsCRP data was 0.37, and the between-individual variance
      component was 0.73. For the ln-transformed IL-6 data, these values were 0.11 and
      0.22, respectively. A substantial part of the total variation in plasma hsCRP and
      IL-6 concentrations was explained by the between-individual variation (as a
      percentage of the total variance, 66.1% for the ln-transformed hsCRP data and
      66.2% for the ln-transformed IL-6 data). For both markers, 2 measurements were
      needed to reach a sufficient reliability. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate
      considerable stability and good reproducibility for serial hsCRP and IL-6
      measurements. Thus, there should be no major concern about misclassification in
      clinical practice if at least 2 subsequent measurements are taken.

PMID- 20299675
TI  - The promise of cell-based therapies for diabetic complications: challenges and
      solutions.
AB  - The discovery of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in human peripheral blood
      advanced the field of cell-based therapeutics for many pathological conditions.
      Despite the lack of agreement about the existence and characteristics of EPCs,
      autologous EPC populations represent a novel treatment option for complications
      requiring therapeutic revascularization and vascular repair. Patients with
      diabetic complications represent a population of patients that may benefit from
      cellular therapy yet their broadly dysfunctional cells may limit the feasibility
      of this approach. Diabetic EPCs have decreased migratory prowess and reduced
      proliferative capacity and an altered cytokine/growth factor secretory profile
      that can accelerate deleterious repair mechanisms rather than support proper
      vascular repair. Furthermore, the diabetic environment poses additional
      challenges for the autologous transplantation of cells. The present review is
      focused on correcting diabetic EPC dysfunction and the challenges involved in the
      application of cell-based therapies for treatment of diabetic vascular
      complications. In addition, ex vivo and in vivo functional manipulation(s) of
      EPCs to overcome these hurdles are discussed.

PMID- 20299678
TI  - Enrichment and detection of rare alleles by means of snapback primers and rapid
      cycle PCR.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Selective amplification of minority alleles is often necessary to
      detect cancer mutations in clinical samples. METHODS: Minor-allele enrichment and
      detection were performed with snapback primers in the presence of a saturating
      DNA dye within a closed tube. A 5' tail of nucleotides on 1 PCR primer hybridizes
      to the variable locus of its extension product to produce a hairpin that
      selectively enriches mismatched alleles. Genotyping performed after rapid-cycle
      PCR by melting of the secondary structure identifies different variants by the
      hairpin melting temperature (T(m)). Needle aspirates of thyroid tissue (n = 47)
      and paraffin-embedded biopsy samples (n = 44) were analyzed for BRAF (v-raf
      murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1) variant p.V600E, and the results were
      compared with those for dual hybridization probe analysis. Needle aspirates of
      lung tumors (n = 8) were analyzed for EGFR [epidermal growth factor receptor
      (erythroblastic leukemia viral (v-erb-b) oncogene homolog, avian)] exon 19 in
      frame deletions. RESULTS: Use of 18-s cycles and momentary extension times of "0
      s" with rapid-cycle PCR increased the selective amplification of mismatched
      alleles. A low Mg(2+) concentration and a higher hairpin T(m) relative to the
      extension temperature also improved the detection limit of mismatched alleles.
      The detection limit was 0.1% for BRAF p.V600E and 0.02% for EGFR exon 19 in-frame
      deletions. Snapback and dual hybridization probe methods for allele
      quantification of the thyroid samples correlated well (R(2) = 0.93) with 2 more
      BRAF mutations (45 and 43, respectively, of 91 samples) detected after snapback
      enrichment. Different EGFR in-frame deletions in the lung samples produced
      different hairpin T(m)s. CONCLUSIONS: Use of snapback primers for enrichment and
      detection of minority alleles is simple, is inexpensive to perform, and can be
      completed in a closed tube in <25 min.

PMID- 20299679
TI  - Multiplex enzyme assay for galactosemia using ultraperformance liquid
      chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Galactosemia is one of the most important inherited disorders
      detected by newborn screening tests. Abnormal results in screening tests should
      be confirmed by enzyme activity assays, but existing methods are time and labor
      intensive. We developed a novel multiplex enzyme assay for galactosemia using
      ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS).
      METHODS: [(13)C6]-galactose, [(13)C2]-galactose-1-phosphate, and UDP-glucose were
      used as substrates for 3 galactose-metabolizing enzymes. The end products from
      the combined reaction mixtures, [(13)C6]-galactose-1-phosphate, UDP-[(13)C2]
      galactose, and UDP-galactose, were simultaneously measured using UPLC-MS/MS.
      Linearity, imprecision, ion suppression, and the effects of substrate were
      evaluated to determine assay performance. Enzyme activities from 35 healthy
      individuals, 8 patients with enzyme deficiency, and 18 mutant cells were
      analyzed. RESULTS: Substrates, products, and internal standards from the mixture
      of 3 enzyme reactions were clearly separated by using UPLC-MS/MS, with an
      injection cycle time of 10 min. Ion suppression was 0.1%-2.5%, the interassay
      imprecision of UPLC-MS/MS was 3.3%-10.6% CV, and the linearity of each system was
      good (R(2) = 0.994-0.999). Patient samples and mutated cells showed consistently
      low enzyme activities compared with those of normal individuals and wild-type
      cells. CONCLUSIONS: This method allows for a high-throughput and reproducible
      multiplex enzyme assay for galactosemia in erythrocytes.

PMID- 20299680
TI  - Liquid chromatography-isotope dilution-mass spectrometry as a new basis for the
      reference measurement procedure for hemoglobin A1c determination.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Standardization of hemoglobin (Hb)A(1c) measurements is a process of
      considerable interest for quality assurance in diabetes management. To contribute
      to continuous quality improvement and fulfillment of the requirements for
      reference measurement procedures according to the standards of the International
      Organization for Standardization, we developed a calibration system of highest
      metrological order using isotope dilution-mass spectrometry with a reference
      material. METHOD: Samples were prepared by enzymatic cleavage based on the IFCC
      reference measurement procedure for LC-MS analysis. After digestion the samples
      were spiked with [D7]-labeled glycated and nonglycated hexapeptides as internal
      standards for quantification. LC-MS analysis was performed by using a C12
      reversed-phase column and a gradient of acetonitrile/H(2)O containing 0.1% formic
      acid. RESULTS: Calibration systems for HbA(1c) determination based on liquid
      chromatography-isotope dilution-mass spectrometry (LC-ID-MS) and on the IFCC
      reference measurement procedure were compared. A linear regression analysis
      demonstrated a correlation of r(2) = 1.00 between the 2 different calibration
      systems. Mean deviation was 5.5% for the calibration and 3.3% for hemolysate
      samples, with a mean expanded uncertainty of 4.9%. CONCLUSIONS: This LC-ID-MS
      procedure allows the current IFCC reference measurement procedure for HbA(1c) to
      be raised to a higher order of accuracy.

PMID- 20299681
TI  - Long- and short-term effects of tobacco smoking on circulating concentrations of
      B vitamins.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Smoking is associated with decreased concentrations of several
      antioxidant vitamins. We sought to determine the relation between circulating
      concentrations of selected B vitamins and smoking status, with particular
      attention to longitudinal associations. METHODS: We used baseline data from 2 B
      vitamin intervention trials that included 6837 patients with ischemic heart
      disease. Smoking habits were ascertained by interview. Vitamins and metabolites,
      including the nicotine metabolite cotinine, were measured in plasma and serum by
      microbiological assays or gas/liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
      RESULTS: The highest circulating concentrations of folate and pyridoxal
      5'phosphate (PLP) and lowest concentrations of total plasma homocysteine, a
      functional marker of folate status, were observed for self-reported never
      smokers, followed by self-reported ex-smokers and current smokers (P(trend) <
      0.001). Cobalamin and its functional marker methylmalonic acid were not
      associated with smoking status. Based on their low cotinine concentrations, we
      were able to identify a group of smokers that had abstained from smoking for 3
      days or more. Compared with smokers with high plasma cotinine, smokers with low
      cotinine had significantly higher circulating concentrations of folate, PLP, and
      riboflavin (all P < 0.005), and this trend continued for ex-smokers, with
      increasing time since smoking cessation. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking lowered circulating
      concentrations of folate, PLP, and riboflavin, but concentrations increased
      significantly after a few days of smoking cessation. We propose that short-term
      effects may be related to acute smoking-induced oxidative stress, whereas the
      longer-lasting effects among ex-smokers may reflect changes in diet and/or
      restoration of vitamin concentrations in tissue during the first few months to
      years after smoking cessation.

PMID- 20299682
TI  - Mycobacterium tuberculosis induces IL-17A responses through TLR4 and dectin-1 and
      is critically dependent on endogenous IL-1.
AB  - In the present study, we dissected the pathways that trigger the IL-17A responses
      by MTB. Dectin-1 and TLR4 were shown to be involved in MTB-induced IL-17A
      production, and blockade of the NOD2, TLR2, or MR had no effect on IL-17A. The
      MAPK Erk, known to mediate transcription of IL-1beta mRNA, was strongly involved
      in the IL-17A production induced by MTB. The intracellular enzymes caspase-1 and
      serine proteases, which process pro-IL-1beta into the active IL-1beta, were also
      crucial for the induction of IL-17A. Lastly, the MTB-induced IL-17A response was
      strongly dependent on signaling through the IL-1R but not the IL-6R pathway. In
      conclusion, the MTB-induced IL-17A response relies strongly on the endogenous IL
      1 pathway and IL-1R signaling. TLR4 and dectin-1 are the main receptors
      responsible for mediating the signals responsible for IL-17A production by MTB.
      These findings contribute to a better understanding of the host response to
      mycobacteria and provide the opportunity to explore potential, novel, therapeutic
      strategies against TB.

PMID- 20299683
TI  - Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 deficiency protects against visceral fat
      induced atherosclerosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the role of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (Mcp-1) on
      the progression of visceral fat-induced atherosclerosis. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      Visceral fat inflammation was induced by transplantation of perigonadal fat. To
      determine whether recipient Mcp-1 status affected atherosclerosis induced by
      inflammatory fat, apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE(-/-)) and ApoE(-/-) and Mcp-1
      deficient (Mcp-1(-/-)) mice underwent visceral fat transplantation. Intravital
      microscopy was used to study leukocyte-endothelial interactions. To study the
      primary tissue source of circulating Mcp-1, both fat and bone marrow
      transplantation experiments were used. Transplantation of visceral fat increased
      atherosclerosis in ApoE(-/-) mice but had no effect on atherosclerosis in ApoE(-/
      ),Mcp-1(-/-) mice. Intravital microscopy revealed increased leukocyte attachment
      to the endothelium in ApoE(-/-) mice compared with ApoE(-/-),Mcp-1(-/-) mice
      after receiving visceral fat transplants. Transplantation of visceral fat
      increased plasma Mcp-1, although donor adipocytes were not the source of
      circulating Mcp-1 because no Mcp-1 was detected in plasma from ApoE(-/-),Mcp-1(-/
      ) mice transplanted with Wt fat, indicating that recipient Mcp-1-producing cells
      were affecting the atherogenic response to the fat transplantation. Consistently,
      transplantation of Mcp-1(-/-) fat to ApoE(-/-) mice did not lead to
      atheroprotection in recipient mice. Bone marrow transplantation between Wt and
      Mcp-1(-/-) mice indicated that the primary tissue source of circulating Mcp-1 was
      the endothelium. CONCLUSIONS: Recipient Mcp-1 deficiency protects against
      atherosclerosis induced by transplanted visceral adipose tissue.

PMID- 20299684
TI  - Impaired development of atherosclerosis in Abcg1-/- Apoe-/- mice: identification
      of specific oxysterols that both accumulate in Abcg1-/- Apoe-/- tissues and
      induce apoptosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To generate Abcg1(-/-) Apoe(-/-) mice to understand the mechanism and
      cell types involved in changes in atherosclerosis after loss of ABCG1. METHODS
      AND RESULTS: ABCG1 is highly expressed in macrophages and endothelial cells, 2
      cell types that play important roles in the development of atherosclerosis.
      Abcg1(-/-) Apoe(-/-) and Apoe(-/-) mice and recipient Apoe(-/-) mice that had
      undergone transplantation with bone marrow from Apoe(-/-) or Abcg1(-/-) Apoe(-/-)
      mice were fed a Western diet for 12 or 16 weeks before quantification of
      atherosclerotic lesions. These studies demonstrated that loss of ABCG1 from all
      tissues, or from only hematopoietic cells, was associated with significantly
      smaller lesions that contained increased numbers of TUNEL- and cleaved caspase 3
      positive apoptotic Abcg1(-/-) macrophages. We also identified specific oxysterols
      that accumulate in the brains and macrophages of the Abcg1(-/-) Apoe(-/-) mice.
      These oxysterols promoted apoptosis and altered the expression of proapoptotic
      genes when added to macrophages in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: Loss of ABCG1 from all
      tissues or from only hematopoietic cells results in smaller atherosclerotic
      lesions populated with increased apoptotic macrophages, by processes independent
      of ApoE. Specific oxysterols identified in tissues of Abcg1(-/-) Apoe(-/-) mice
      may be critical because they induce macrophage apoptosis and the expression of
      proapoptotic genes.

PMID- 20299686
TI  - Characterization of ion channels involved in the proliferative response of
      femoral artery smooth muscle cells.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) contribute significantly to
      occlusive vascular diseases by virtue of their ability to switch to a
      noncontractile, migratory, and proliferating phenotype. Although the
      participation of ion channels in this phenotypic modulation (PM) has been
      described previously, changes in their expression are poorly defined because of
      their large molecular diversity. We obtained a global portrait of ion channel
      expression in contractile versus proliferating mouse femoral artery VSMCs, and
      explored the functional contribution to the PM of the most relevant changes that
      we observed. METHODS AND RESULTS: High-throughput real-time polymerase chain
      reaction of 87 ion channel genes was performed in 2 experimental paradigms: an in
      vivo model of endoluminal lesion and an in vitro model of cultured VSMCs obtained
      from explants. mRNA expression changes showed a good correlation between the 2
      proliferative models, with only 2 genes, Kv1.3 and Kvbeta2, increasing their
      expression on proliferation. The functional characterization demonstrates that
      Kv1.3 currents increased in proliferating VSMC and that their selective blockade
      inhibits migration and proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: These findings establish the
      involvement of Kv1.3 channels in the PM of VSMCs, providing a new therapeutical
      target for the treatment of intimal hyperplasia.

PMID- 20299685
TI  - The intrinsic complement regulator decay-accelerating factor modulates the
      biological response to vascular injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the presence of decay-accelerating factor (or
      CD55), an intrinsic complement regulator, protects against the development of
      vascular disease, given that complement activation can affect leukocytes and
      platelets. METHODS AND RESULTS: Leukocyte-platelet complexes are critical for the
      initiation and progression of atherosclerosis and restenosis; however, the
      mechanism by which these processes promote vascular injury is incompletely
      defined. We performed femoral artery wire injury in Daf1(-/-) mice and their wild
      type controls. Leukocyte accumulation, cellular proliferation, and neointimal
      thickening were enhanced in Daf1(-/-) mice versus wild-type mice. Deficiency of
      either the C3a or the C5a receptor, respectively, reversed the increased vascular
      inflammation, cellular proliferation, and neointimal formation in Daf1(-/-) mice.
      CONCLUSIONS: Decay-accelerating factor control of C3a and C5a generation and
      prevention of the binding of these activation fragments to the C3a and C5a
      receptors are critical for the biological response to vascular injury. Targeting
      the C3a and C5a receptors may be useful for the prevention of neointimal
      hyperplasia.

PMID- 20299687
TI  - Aortic regurgitation dramatically alters the distribution of atherosclerotic
      lesions and enhances atherogenesis in mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Hemodynamics plays a critical role in atherogenesis, but the
      association between flow pattern and preferential localization of lesion is not
      fully understood. We developed a mouse model of aortic valve regurgitation (AR)
      to change the aortic flow pattern and observed the effects on plaque formation.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: High-frequency Doppler ultrasound imaging of 10 untreated
      C57BL/6J mice and 6 sham-treated low-density lipoprotein receptor-deficient
      (Ldlr(-/-)) mice revealed consistent antegrade blood flow throughout the aorta
      and oscillatory flow only along the lesser curvature of the aortic arch. Catheter
      induced AR in 7 Ldlr(-/-) mice produced various degrees of diastolic retrograde
      flow throughout the aorta. After the mice were fed a cholesterol-enriched diet
      for 6 weeks, the burden of atherosclerotic lesions was increased 6-fold, with the
      naturally plaque-resistant descending aorta becoming susceptible. The AR severity
      correlated positively with the lesion burden in the descending thoracic and
      abdominal aorta but negatively with the lesions in the ascending aorta and aortic
      arch. CONCLUSIONS: This AR model is valuable for elucidating the relationship
      between hemodynamics and predisposition of the artery wall to atherosclerosis,
      because of the significant alterations in local flow patterns and the conversion
      of large regions in the descending aorta from lesion resistant to lesion prone.

PMID- 20299688
TI  - Peripheral artery disease is associated with a high CD163/TWEAK plasma ratio.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In addition to its role in the clearance of haptoglobin-hemoglobin (Hp
      Hb) complexes, CD163 is a macrophage scavenger receptor for tumor necrosis factor
      like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK). We recently reported that the CD163/TWEAK
      plasma ratio could be a potential biomarker of atherothrombosis in asymptomatic
      subjects. In this study, we assessed soluble TWEAK (sTWEAK) and soluble CD163
      (sCD163) plasma levels in white males with peripheral artery disease (PAD) and in
      atherothrombotic femoral plaques to evaluate their relationship with disease. We
      also analyzed whether Hp-Hb complexes could compete for CD163-mediated TWEAK
      uptake. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients with PAD (n=155) showed a trend toward
      lower sTWEAK (median [interquartile range]: 134 [110-204] versus 147 [119-205]
      pg/mL; P=0.067) and higher sCD163 (median [interquartile range]: 367 [269-506]
      versus 288 [234-369] ng/mL; P<0.001) plasma concentrations than age-matched
      controls (n=251). sCD163 and sTWEAK plasma levels were negatively correlated in
      both patients and controls. After stratification according to the severity of
      disease, sCD163/sTWEAK ratio was significantly increased in patients with more
      severe disease relative to the other groups (P=0.049). Analysis of conditioned
      medium obtained from cultured human atherothrombotic femoral plaque samples
      (n=36) and healthy aortas (n=14) revealed that high amounts of sCD163 were
      released by the atherothrombotic tissue, whereas sTWEAK presented the opposite
      trend (P<0.05). Finally, we report a potential association between CD163 shedding
      and oxidative stress. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the sCD163/sTWEAK
      plasma ratio may be associated with atherothrombosis burden in PAD. We
      hypothesize that an imbalance between TWEAK and CD163 could reflect the
      progression of atherothrombosis.

PMID- 20299689
TI  - The extent of coronary atherosclerosis is associated with increasing circulating
      levels of high sensitive cardiac troponin T.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study explored the relationship between coronary atherosclerotic
      plaque burden and quantifiable circulating levels of troponin measured with a
      recently introduced high sensitive cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) assay. METHODS
      AND RESULTS: Cardiac patients suspected of having coronary artery disease (CAD)
      but without acute coronary syndrome were studied. Cardiac troponin T levels were
      assessed using the fifth-generation hs-cTnT assay. All patients (n=615) underwent
      cardiac computed tomographic angiography (CCTA). On the basis of CCTA, patients
      were classified as having no CAD or mild (<50% lesion), moderate (50% to 70%
      lesion), severe (>70% lesion), or multivessel CAD (multiple >70% lesions). As a
      comparison, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels were measured.
      Progressively increasing hs-cTnT levels were found in patients with mild (median,
      4.5 ng/L), moderate (median, 5.5 ng/L), severe (median, 5.7 ng/L), and
      multivessel (median, 8.6 ng/L) CAD compared with patients without CAD (median,
      3.7 ng/L) (all P<0.01). For high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and N-terminal
      pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, no such relationship was observed. In patients
      without CAD, 11% showed hs-cTnT levels in the highest quartile, compared with 62%
      in the multivessel disease group (P<0.05). Multivariance analysis identified hs
      cTnT as an independent risk factor for the presence of CAD. CONCLUSIONS: In
      patients without acute coronary syndrome, even mild CAD is associated with
      quantifiable circulating levels of hs-cTnT.

PMID- 20299690
TI  - Vascular endothelial growth factor-secreting mast cells and myofibroblasts: a
      novel self-perpetuating angiogenic pathway in aortic valve stenosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the proangiogenic potential of myofibroblasts and mast
      cells, 2 types of cells present in human aortic valves. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      Aortic valve stenosis is an active atheroinflammatory disease, characterized by
      the accumulation of inflammatory cells and the neovascularization of the valves.
      A total of 85 stenotic valves and 20 control valves were obtained during valve
      replacement surgery. The results of immunohistochemistry analysis revealed
      stenotic aortic valves that contained 3 types of neovessels: small microvessels,
      medium microvessels, and organized arterioles. The distribution density of the
      neovessels was significantly higher in stenotic valves than in control valves
      (P<0.001) and correlated positively with valvular calcification gradus (r=0.26,
      P=0.02) and mast cell density (r=0.38, P<0.001). In the neovascularized areas of
      stenotic aortic valves, mast cells contained vascular endothelial growth factor
      and were degranulated, indicating their activation. The stimulation of cultured
      myofibroblasts derived from aortic valves with a mast cell-preconditioned medium,
      hypoxic culture conditions, or tobacco smoke all induced vascular endothelial
      growth factor secretion in the myofibroblasts. Finally, mast cell tryptase was
      able to degrade the antiangiogenic molecule endostatin in vitro. CONCLUSIONS:
      Mast cells and myofibroblasts may accelerate the progression of aortic valve
      stenosis by altering the balance between angiogenic and antiangiogenic factors in
      the valves, thus promoting valvular neovascularization.

PMID- 20299691
TI  - Lack of association between adiponectin levels and atherosclerosis in mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Adiponectin is an adipocyte-derived, secreted protein that is
      implicated in protection against a cluster of related metabolic disorders. Mice
      lacking adiponectin display impaired hepatic insulin sensitivity and respond only
      partially to peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma agonists.
      Adiponectin has been associated with antiinflammatory and antiatherogenic
      properties; however, the direct involvement of adiponectin on the atherogenic
      process has not been studied. METHODS AND RESULTS: We crossed adiponectin
      knockout mice (Adn(-/-)) or mice with chronically elevated adiponectin levels
      (Adn(Tg)) into the low-density lipoprotein receptor-null (Ldlr(-/-)) and the
      apoliprotein E-null (Apoe(-/-)) mouse models. Adiponectin levels did not
      correlate with a suppression of the atherogenic process. Plaque volume in the
      aortic root, cholesterol accumulation in the aorta, and plaque morphology under
      various dietary conditions were not affected by circulating adiponectin levels.
      In light of the strong associations reported for adiponectin with cardiovascular
      disease in humans, the lack of a phenotype in gain- and loss-of-function studies
      in mice suggests a lack of causation for adiponectin in inhibiting the buildup of
      atherosclerotic lesions. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that the actions of
      adiponectin on the cardiovascular system are complex and multifaceted, with a
      minimal direct impact on atherosclerotic plaque formation in preclinical rodent
      models.

PMID- 20299693
TI  - Critical illness as a result of influenza A/H1N1 infection in pregnancy.

PMID- 20299692
TI  - Caregiver participation in hospice interdisciplinary team meetings via videophone
      technology: A pilot study to improve pain management.
AB  - This article discusses a pilot study testing a videophone intervention enabling
      hospice patients and caregivers to remotely participate in interdisciplinary team
      meetings, with the goal of improving pain management. The aim of this study was
      to test potential outcome measures and combine the data with qualitative
      observations to assess the overall feasibility and promise of the intervention.
      The outcomes evaluated included hospice patient quality of life, caregiver
      perceptions of pain medications, caregiver quality of life, and caregiver anxiety
      related to team participation. The pilot study showed that caregiver
      participation in the care planning process is feasible and may change caregiver
      perceptions of pain medication, potentially improving pain management for hospice
      patients.

PMID- 20299695
TI  - Acupuncture transmitted infections.

PMID- 20299694
TI  - Critical illness due to 2009 A/H1N1 influenza in pregnant and postpartum women:
      population based cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiology of 2009 A/H1N1 influenza in critically
      ill pregnant women. DESIGN: Population based cohort study. SETTING: All intensive
      care units in Australia and New Zealand. PARTICIPANTS: All women with 2009 H1N1
      influenza who were pregnant or recently post partum and admitted to an intensive
      care unit in Australia or New Zealand between 1 June and 31 August 2009. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity. RESULTS: 64
      pregnant or postpartum women admitted to an intensive care unit had confirmed
      2009 H1N1 influenza. Compared with non-pregnant women of childbearing age,
      pregnant or postpartum women with 2009 H1N1 influenza were at increased risk of
      admission to an intensive care unit (relative risk 7.4, 95% confidence interval
      5.5 to 10.0). This risk was 13-fold greater (13.2, 9.6 to 18.3) for women at 20
      or more weeks' gestation. At the time of admission to an intensive care unit, 22
      women (34%) were post partum and two had miscarried. 14 women (22%) gave birth
      during their stay in intensive care and 26 (41%) were discharged from an
      intensive care unit with ongoing pregnancy. All subsequently delivered. 44 women
      (69%) were mechanically ventilated. Of these, nine (14%) were treated with
      extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Seven women (11%) died. Of 60 births after
      20 weeks' gestation, four were stillbirths and three were infant deaths. 22 (39%)
      of the liveborn babies were preterm and 32 (57%) were admitted to a neonatal
      intensive care unit. Of 20 babies tested, two were positive for the 2009 H1N1
      virus. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnancy is a risk factor for critical illness related to
      2009 H1N1 influenza, which causes maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality.

PMID- 20299696
TI  - Association between industry affiliation and position on cardiovascular risk with
      rosiglitazone: cross sectional systematic review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore a possible link between authors' financial conflicts of
      interest and their position on the association of rosiglitazone with increased
      risk of myocardial infarction in patients with diabetes. DATA SOURCES: On 10
      April 2009, we searched Web of Science and Scopus for articles citing and
      commenting on either of two index publications that contributed key data to the
      controversy (a meta-analysis of small trials and a subsequent large trial). Data
      selection Articles had to comment on rosiglitazone and the risk of myocardial
      infarction. Guidelines, meta-analyses, reviews, clinical trials, letters,
      commentaries, and editorials were included. DATA EXTRACTION: For each article, we
      sought information about the authors' financial conflicts of interest in the
      report itself and elsewhere (that is, in all publications within two years of the
      original publication and online). Two reviewers blinded to the authors' financial
      relationships independently classified each article as presenting a favourable
      (that is, rosiglitazone does not increase the risk of myocardial infarction),
      neutral, or unfavourable view on the risk of myocardial infarction with
      rosiglitazone and on recommendations on the use of the drug. RESULTS: Of the 202
      included articles, 108 (53%) had a conflict of interest statement. Ninety authors
      (45%) had financial conflicts of interest. Authors who had a favourable view of
      the risk of myocardial infarction with rosiglitazone were more likely to have
      financial conflicts of interest with manufacturers of antihyperglycaemic agents
      in general, and with rosiglitazone manufacturers in particular, than authors who
      had an unfavourable view (rate ratio 3.38, 95% CI 2.26 to 5.06 and 4.29, 2.63 to
      7.02, respectively). There was likewise a strong association between favourable
      recommendations on the use of rosiglitazone and financial conflicts of interest
      (3.36, 1.94 to 5.83). These links persisted when articles rather than authors
      were used as the unit of analysis (4.69, 2.84 to 7.72), when the analysis was
      restricted to opinion articles (6.29, 2.15 to 18.38) or to articles in which the
      rosiglitazone controversy was the main focus (6.50, 2.56 to 16.53), and both in
      articles published before and after the Food and Drug Administration issued a
      safety warning for rosiglitazone (3.43, 0.99 to 11.82 and 4.95, 2.87 to 8.53,
      respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Disclosure rates for financial conflicts of interest
      were unexpectedly low, and there was a clear and strong link between the
      orientation of authors' expressed views on the rosiglitazone controversy and
      their financial conflicts of interest with pharmaceutical companies. Although
      these findings do not necessarily indicate a causal link between the position
      taken on the cardiac risk of rosiglitazone in patients with diabetes and the
      authors' financial conflicts of interest, they underscore the need for further
      changes in disclosure procedures in order for the scientific record to be
      trusted.

PMID- 20299697
TI  - Developmental and functional abilities in children with cerebral palsy as related
      to pattern and level of motor function.
AB  - Abilities among school-aged children with cerebral palsy with different patterns
      and levels of motor function were evaluated. Children within spasticity patterns
      (33 with quadriplegia, 25 with hemiplegia, 19 with diplegia) and Gross Motor
      Function Classification System levels were compared (level I, walking = 47%;
      level II-III, restricted ambulation = 18%; level IV-V, wheelchair needs = 34%,).
      Outcomes included measures of intelligence, behavior, motor, and functional
      limitations (communication, daily living, socialization). Motor performance and
      prosocial behaviors were lower for children with quadriplegia (F = 16.13, 12.71;
      P < .0001), with no differences for behavioral difficulties between spasticity
      groups. Prosocial behaviors were different between level IV-V and other groups (F
      = 16.25, P < .0001). Functional limitations were more likely for children with
      quadriplegia (P < .0001), but not diplegia or hemiplegia, and for children in
      level IV-V, but similar for level I and level II-III. Children with quadriplegia,
      or level IV-V, are more likely to exhibit limitations, whereas children with
      better motor function (I-III), hemiplegia, or diplegia, exhibit diverse
      capabilities. A holistic assessment approach is essential to ensure that
      limitations are addressed comprehensively.

PMID- 20299698
TI  - Spinal cord infarction due to fibrocartilaginous embolization: the role of
      diffusion weighted imaging and short-tau inversion recovery sequences.
AB  - Fibrocartilaginous embolization is a rare cause of ischemic myelopathy caused by
      embolization of intersomatic disk nucleus pulposus into spinal vasculature during
      Valsalva-like maneuvers. Diagnostic criteria are based on patient's clinical
      history, magnetic resonance evidence of T2-hyperintense spinal cord lesion, and
      exclusion of other causes of ischemic myelopathy. These criteria do not take into
      account the development of magnetic resonance techniques able to enhance signal
      abnormalities within the neighboring intersomatic disc or vertebral body and to
      early characterize central nervous system lesions according to the presence of
      cytotoxic edema. We present 2 pediatric cases of progressive paraplegia
      attributed to fibrocartilaginous embolization in which short-tau inversion
      recovery and diffusion-weighted imaging sequences played a pivotal role showing
      the ischemic nature of spinal cord lesions. Due to its specificity, diffusion
      weighted imaging should be included in the magnetic resonance criteria of
      fibrocartilaginous embolization and in standard magnetic resonance analysis when
      dealing with acute transverse myelopathy.

PMID- 20299699
TI  - Schizencephaly: pre- and postnatal magnetic resonance imaging.
AB  - Schizencephaly is a rare disorder of neuronal migration that is characterized by
      the presence of clefts that extend from the ependymal surface of the lateral
      ventricles to the pial lining of the cortex. The authors present the case of a
      female patient with a prenatal diagnosis made by magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI), her clinical course, and neurorradiological evolution following birth. A 6
      year-old female, with right open lip schizencephaly, was diagnosed by means of
      prenatal cerebral magnetic resonance at the gestational age of 25 weeks. The
      patient does not present intellectual disability, reaching developmental mile
      stones at normal time points. The MRI of the brain reveals right, perisylvian,
      closed lip schizencephaly. Prenatal MRI is remarkably useful in the diagnosis and
      prognostic approach to the condition. It is less useful in classifying the
      unilateral forms (open vs closed lips), and hence, its prognostic validity is
      more limited.

PMID- 20299701
TI  - Growth differentiation factor-15 and cardiovascular dysfunction and disease:
      malefactor or innocent bystander?

PMID- 20299700
TI  - Electroencephalogram discharges in atypical cognitive development.
AB  - To investigate the significance of electroencephalogram (EEG) discharges and
      their treatment, we retrospectively reviewed the charts of 22 children with
      atypical cognitive development that did not respond to standard educational
      therapy and demonstrated discharges on EEG. Most children demonstrated no obvious
      symptoms of seizures, and developmental regression and/or fluctuations were
      uncommon. The majority of children demonstrated a language and attention disorder
      and autism symptomatology and had multifocal discharges on EEGs. Of the 20
      patients treated with antiepileptic medications, 70% demonstrated definite
      improvement within 1 clinic visit. This study suggests that children with EEG
      discharges and developmental cognitive disorders demonstrate a unique pattern of
      symptomatology and discharges on EEG. This study suggests that children with
      developmental cognitive disorders that do not respond to standard therapy may
      benefit from screening with an EEG and a trial of antiepileptic mediation if
      discharges are detected.

PMID- 20299702
TI  - Stroke risk in AF: do AF patterns matter?

PMID- 20299704
TI  - Domain adaptation problems: a DASVM classification technique and a circular
      validation strategy.
AB  - This paper addresses pattern classification in the framework of domain adaptation
      by considering methods that solve problems in which training data are assumed to
      be available only for a source domain different (even if related) from the target
      domain of (unlabeled) test data. Two main novel contributions are proposed: 1) a
      domain adaptation support vector machine (DASVM) technique which extends the
      formulation of support vector machines (SVMs) to the domain adaptation framework
      and 2) a circular indirect accuracy assessment strategy for validating the
      learning of domain adaptation classifiers when no true labels for the target-
      domain instances are available. Experimental results, obtained on a series of two
      dimensional toy problems and on two real data sets related to brain computer
      interface and remote sensing applications, confirmed the effectiveness and the
      reliability of both the DASVM technique and the proposed circular validation
      strategy.

PMID- 20299703
TI  - Regression of advanced rat and human gliomas by local or systemic treatment with
      oncolytic parvovirus H-1 in rat models.
AB  - Oncolytic virotherapy is a potential treatment modality under investigation for
      various malignancies including malignant brain tumors. Unlike some other natural
      or modified viruses that show oncolytic activity against cerebral neoplasms, the
      rodent parvovirus H-1 (H-1PV) is completely apathogenic in humans. H-1PV
      efficiently kills a number of tumor cells without harm to corresponding normal
      ones. In this study, the concept of H-1PV-based virotherapy of glioma was tested
      for rat (RG-2 cell-derived) and for human (U87 cell-derived) gliomas in
      immunocompetent and immunodeficient rat models, respectively. Large orthotopic
      rat and human glioma cell-derived tumors were treated with either single
      stereotactic intratumoral or multiple intravenous (iv) H-1PV injections.
      Oncolysis was monitored by magnetic resonance imaging and proven by histology.
      Virus distribution and replication were determined in brain and organs. In
      immunocompetent rats bearing RG-2-derived tumors, a single stereotactic
      intratumoral injection of H-1PV and multiple systemic (iv) applications of the
      virus were sufficient for remission of advanced and even symptomatic intracranial
      gliomas without damaging normal brain tissue or other organs. H-1PV therapy
      resulted in significantly improved survival (Kaplan-Meier analysis) in both the
      rat and human glioma models. Virus replication in tumors indicated a contribution
      of secondary infection by progeny virus to the efficiency of oncolysis. Virus
      replication was restricted to tumors, although H-1PV DNA could be detected
      transiently in adjacent or remote normal brain tissue and in noncerebral tissues.
      The results presented here and the innocuousness of H-1PV for humans argue for
      the use of H-1PV as a powerful means to perform oncolytic therapy of malignant
      gliomas.

PMID- 20299705
TI  - Sparse multiple kernel learning for signal processing applications.
AB  - In many signal processing applications, grouping of features during model
      development and the selection of a small number of relevant groups can be useful
      to improve the interpretability of the learned parameters. While a lot of work
      based on linear models has been reported to solve this problem, in the last few
      years, multiple kernel learning has come up as a candidate to solve this problem
      in nonlinear models. Since all of the multiple kernel learning algorithms to date
      use convex primal problem formulations, the kernel weights selected by these
      algorithms are not strictly the sparsest possible solution. The main reason for
      using a convex primal formulation is that efficient implementations of kernel
      based methods invariably rely on solving the dual problem. This work proposes the
      use of an additional log-based concave penalty term in the primal problem to
      induce sparsity in terms of groups of parameters. A generalized iterative
      learning algorithm, which can be used with a linear combination of this concave
      penalty term with other penalty terms, is given for model parameter estimation in
      the primal space. It is then shown that a natural extension of the method to
      nonlinear models using the "kernel trick" results in a new algorithm, called
      Sparse Multiple Kernel Learning (SMKL), which generalizes group-feature selection
      to kernel selection. SMKL is capable of exploiting existing efficient single
      kernel algorithms while providing a sparser solution in terms of the number of
      kernels used as compared to the existing multiple kernel learning framework. A
      number of signal processing examples based on the use of mass spectra for cancer
      detection, hyperspectral imagery for land cover classification, and NIR spectra
      from wheat, fescue grass, and diesel are given to highlight the ability of SMKL
      to achieve a very high accuracy with a very few kernels.

PMID- 20299706
TI  - A general methodology for the determination of 2D bodies elastic deformation
      invariants: application to the automatic identification of parasites.
AB  - A novel methodology is introduced here that exploits 2D images of arbitrary
      elastic body deformation instances so as to quantify mechanoelastic
      characteristics that are deformation invariant. Determination of such
      characteristics allows for developing methods offering an image of the undeformed
      body. General assumptions about the mechanoelastic properties of the bodies are
      stated which lead to two different approaches for obtaining bodies' deformation
      invariants. One was developed to spot a deformed body's neutral line and its
      cross sections, while the other solves deformation PDEs by performing a set of
      equivalent image operations on the deformed body images. Both of these processes
      may furnish a body-undeformed version from its deformed image. This was confirmed
      by obtaining the undeformed shape of deformed parasites, cells (protozoa),
      fibers, and human lips. In addition, the method has been applied to the important
      problem of parasite automatic classification from their microscopic images. To
      achieve this, we first apply the previous method to straighten the highly
      deformed parasites, and then, apply a dedicated curve classification method to
      the straightened parasite contours. It is demonstrated that essentially different
      deformations of the same parasite give rise to practically the same undeformed
      shape, thus confirming the consistency of the introduced methodology. Finally,
      the developed pattern recognition method classifies the unwrapped parasites into
      six families, with an accuracy rate of 97.6 percent.

PMID- 20299707
TI  - DAISY: an efficient dense descriptor applied to wide-baseline stereo.
AB  - In this paper, we introduce a local image descriptor, DAISY, which is very
      efficient to compute densely. We also present an EM-based algorithm to compute
      dense depth and occlusion maps from wide-baseline image pairs using this
      descriptor. This yields much better results in wide-baseline situations than the
      pixel and correlation-based algorithms that are commonly used in narrow-baseline
      stereo. Also, using a descriptor makes our algorithm robust against many
      photometric and geometric transformations. Our descriptor is inspired from
      earlier ones such as SIFT and GLOH but can be computed much faster for our
      purposes. Unlike SURF, which can also be computed efficiently at every pixel, it
      does not introduce artifacts that degrade the matching performance when used
      densely. It is important to note that our approach is the first algorithm that
      attempts to estimate dense depth maps from wide-baseline image pairs, and we show
      that it is a good one at that with many experiments for depth estimation
      accuracy, occlusion detection, and comparing it against other descriptors on
      laser-scanned ground truth scenes. We also tested our approach on a variety of
      indoor and outdoor scenes with different photometric and geometric
      transformations and our experiments support our claim to being robust against
      these.

PMID- 20299708
TI  - FRVT 2006 and ICE 2006 large-scale experimental results.
AB  - This paper describes the large-scale experimental results from the Face
      Recognition Vendor Test (FRVT) 2006 and the Iris Challenge Evaluation (ICE) 2006.
      The FRVT 2006 looked at recognition from high-resolution still frontal face
      images and 3D face images, and measured performance for still frontal face images
      taken under controlled and uncontrolled illumination. The ICE 2006 evaluation
      reported verification performance for both left and right irises. The images in
      the ICE 2006 intentionally represent a broader range of quality than the ICE 2006
      sensor would normally acquire. This includes images that did not pass the quality
      control software embedded in the sensor. The FRVT 2006 results from controlled
      still and 3D images document at least an order-of-magnitude improvement in
      recognition performance over the FRVT 2002. The FRVT 2006 and the ICE 2006
      compared recognition performance from high-resolution still frontal face images,
      3D face images, and the single-iris images. On the FRVT 2006 and the ICE 2006
      data sets, recognition performance was comparable for high-resolution frontal
      face, 3D face, and the iris images. In an experiment comparing human and
      algorithms on matching face identity across changes in illumination on frontal
      face images, the best performing algorithms were more accurate than humans on
      unfamiliar faces.

PMID- 20299709
TI  - Kernel entropy component analysis.
AB  - We introduce kernel entropy component analysis (kernel ECA) as a new method for
      data transformation and dimensionality reduction. Kernel ECA reveals structure
      relating to the Renyi entropy of the input space data set, estimated via a kernel
      matrix using Parzen windowing. This is achieved by projections onto a subset of
      entropy preserving kernel principal component analysis (kernel PCA) axes. This
      subset does not need, in general, to correspond to the top eigenvalues of the
      kernel matrix, in contrast to the dimensionality reduction using kernel PCA. We
      show that kernel ECA may produce strikingly different transformed data sets
      compared to kernel PCA, with a distinct angle-based structure. A new spectral
      clustering algorithm utilizing this structure is developed with positive results.
      Furthermore, kernel ECA is shown to be an useful alternative for pattern
      denoising.

PMID- 20299710
TI  - Learning context-sensitive shape similarity by graph transduction.
AB  - Shape similarity and shape retrieval are very important topics in computer
      vision. The recent progress in this domain has been mostly driven by designing
      smart shape descriptors for providing better similarity measure between pairs of
      shapes. In this paper, we provide a new perspective to this problem by
      considering the existing shapes as a group, and study their similarity measures
      to the query shape in a graph structure. Our method is general and can be built
      on top of any existing shape similarity measure. For a given similarity measure,
      a new similarity is learned through graph transduction. The new similarity is
      learned iteratively so that the neighbors of a given shape influence its final
      similarity to the query. The basic idea here is related to PageRank ranking,
      which forms a foundation of Google Web search. The presented experimental results
      demonstrate that the proposed approach yields significant improvements over the
      state-of-art shape matching algorithms. We obtained a retrieval rate of 91.61
      percent on the MPEG-7 data set, which is the highest ever reported in the
      literature. Moreover, the learned similarity by the proposed method also achieves
      promising improvements on both shape classification and shape clustering.

PMID- 20299711
TI  - Nonnegative least-correlated component analysis for separation of dependent
      sources by volume maximization.
AB  - Although significant efforts have been made in developing nonnegative blind
      source separation techniques, accurate separation of positive yet dependent
      sources remains a challenging task. In this paper, a joint correlation function
      of multiple signals is proposed to reveal and confirm that the observations after
      nonnegative mixing would have higher joint correlation than the original unknown
      sources. Accordingly, a new nonnegative least-correlated component analysis
      (n/LCA) method is proposed to design the unmixing matrix by minimizing the joint
      correlation function among the estimated nonnegative sources. In addition to a
      closed-form solution for unmixing two mixtures of two sources, the general
      algorithm of n/LCA for the multisource case is developed based on an iterative
      volume maximization (IVM) principle and linear programming. The source
      identifiability and required conditions are discussed and proven. The proposed
      n/LCA algorithm, denoted by n/LCA-IVM, is evaluated with both simulation data and
      real biomedical data to demonstrate its superior performance over several
      existing benchmark methods.

PMID- 20299712
TI  - Polynomial time algorithms for ratio regions and a variant of normalized cut.
AB  - In partitioning, clustering, and grouping problems, a typical goal is to group
      together similar objects, or pixels in the case of image processing. At the same
      time, another goal is to have each group distinctly dissimilar from the rest and
      possibly to have the group size fairly large. These goals are often combined as a
      ratio optimization problem. One example of such a problem is a variant of the
      normalized cut problem, another is the ratio regions problem. We devise here the
      first polynomial time algorithms solving optimally the ratio region problem and
      the variant of normalized cut, as well as a few other ratio problems. The
      algorithms are efficient and combinatorial, in contrast with nonlinear continuous
      approaches used in the image segmentation literature, which often employ spectral
      techniques. Such techniques deliver solutions in real numbers which are not
      feasible to the discrete partitioning problem. Furthermore, these continuous
      approaches are computationally expensive compared to the algorithms proposed
      here. The algorithms presented here use as a subroutine a minimum s,t-cut
      procedure on a related graph which is of polynomial size. The output consists of
      the optimal solution to the respective ratio problem, as well as a sequence of
      nested solutions with respect to any relative weighting of the objectives of the
      numerator and denominator.

PMID- 20299713
TI  - Spatial-temporal fusion for high accuracy depth maps using dynamic MRFs.
AB  - Time-of-flight range sensors and passive stereo have complimentary
      characteristics in nature. To fuse them to get high accuracy depth maps varying
      over time, we extend traditional spatial MRFs to dynamic MRFs with temporal
      coherence. This new model allows both the spatial and the temporal relationship
      to be propagated in local neighbors. By efficiently finding a maximum of the
      posterior probability using Loopy Belief Propagation, we show that our approach
      leads to improved accuracy and robustness of depth estimates for dynamic scenes.

PMID- 20299714
TI  - Unsupervised object segmentation with a hybrid graph model (HGM).
AB  - In this work, we address the problem of performing class-specific unsupervised
      object segmentation, i.e., automatic segmentation without annotated training
      images. Object segmentation can be regarded as a special data clustering problem
      where both class-specific information and local texture/color similarities have
      to be considered. To this end, we propose a hybrid graph model (HGM) that can
      make effective use of both symmetric and asymmetric relationship among samples.
      The vertices of a hybrid graph represent the samples and are connected by
      directed edges and/or undirected ones, which represent the asymmetric and/or
      symmetric relationship between them, respectively. When applied to object
      segmentation, vertices are superpixels, the asymmetric relationship is the
      conditional dependence of occurrence, and the symmetric relationship is the
      color/texture similarity. By combining the Markov chain formed by the directed
      subgraph and the minimal cut of the undirected subgraph, the object boundaries
      can be determined for each image. Using the HGM, we can conveniently achieve
      simultaneous segmentation and recognition by integrating both top-down and bottom
      up information into a unified process. Experiments on 42 object classes (9,415
      images in total) show promising results.

PMID- 20299715
TI  - Watershed cuts: thinnings, shortest path forests, and topological watersheds.
AB  - We recently introduced watershed cuts, a notion of watershed in edge-weighted
      graphs. In this paper, our main contribution is a thinning paradigm from which we
      derive three algorithmic watershed cut strategies: The first one is well suited
      to parallel implementations, the second one leads to a flexible linear-time
      sequential implementation, whereas the third one links the watershed cuts and the
      popular flooding algorithms. We state that watershed cuts preserve a notion of
      contrast, called connection value, on which several morphological region merging
      methods are (implicitly) based. We also establish the links and differences
      between watershed cuts, minimum spanning forests, shortest path forests, and
      topological watersheds. Finally, we present illustrations of the proposed
      framework to the segmentation of artwork surfaces and diffusion tensor images.

PMID- 20299716
TI  - Decoupled linear estimation of affine geometric deformations and nonlinear
      intensity transformations of images.
AB  - We consider the problem of registering two observations on an arbitrary object,
      where the two are related by a geometric affine transformation of their
      coordinate systems, and by a nonlinear mapping of their intensities. More
      generally, the framework is that of jointly estimating the geometric and
      radiometric deformations relating two observations on the same object. We show
      that the original high-dimensional, nonlinear, and nonconvex search problem of
      simultaneously recovering the geometric and radiometric deformations can be
      represented by an equivalent sequence of two linear systems. A solution of this
      sequence yields an exact, explicit, and efficient solution to the joint
      estimation problem.

PMID- 20299717
TI  - Age-invariant face recognition.
AB  - One of the challenges in automatic face recognition is to achieve temporal
      invariance. In other words, the goal is to come up with a representation and
      matching scheme that is robust to changes due to facial aging. Facial aging is a
      complex process that affects both the 3D shape of the face and its texture (e.g.,
      wrinkles). These shape and texture changes degrade the performance of automatic
      face recognition systems. However, facial aging has not received substantial
      attention compared to other facial variations due to pose, lighting, and
      expression. We propose a 3D aging modeling technique and show how it can be used
      to compensate for the age variations to improve the face recognition performance.
      The aging modeling technique adapts view-invariant 3D face models to the given 2D
      face aging database. The proposed approach is evaluated on three different
      databases (i.g., FG-NET, MORPH, and BROWNS) using FaceVACS, a state-of-the-art
      commercial face recognition engine.

PMID- 20299718
TI  - Recognition of 3D objects based on implicit polynomials.
AB  - Closed-form expressions for a new set of 3D rotation invariants that are linear,
      quadratic, and angular combinations of implicit polynomial (IP) coefficients are
      developed. Based on these invariants, we propose a 3D object recognition method
      that outperforms recognition based on IP fitting after pose estimation, and the
      MPEG-7 SSD technique.

PMID- 20299719
TI  - Vascular structure and binomial statistics for response modeling in radiosurgery
      of cerebral arteriovenous malformations.
AB  - Radiation treatment of arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) has a slow and
      progressive vaso-occlusive effect. Some studies suggested the possible role of
      vascular structure in this process. A detailed biomathematical model has been
      used, where the morphological, biophysical and hemodynamic characteristics of
      intracranial AVM vessels are faithfully reproduced. The effect of radiation on
      plexiform and fistulous AVM nidus vessels was simulated using this theoretical
      model. The similarities between vascular and electrical networks were used to
      construct this biomathematical AVM model and provide an accurate rendering of
      transnidal and intranidal hemodynamics. The response of different vessels to
      radiation and their obliteration probability as a function of different
      angiostructures were simulated and total obliteration was defined as the
      probability of obliteration of all possible vascular pathways. The dose response
      of the whole AVM is observed to depend on the vascular structure of the intra
      nidus AVM. Furthermore, a plexiform AVM appears to be more prone to obliteration
      compared with an AVM of the same size but having more arteriovenous fistulas.
      Finally, a binomial model was introduced, which considers the number of crucial
      vessels and is able to predict the dose response behavior of AVMs with a complex
      vascular structure.

PMID- 20299720
TI  - Photon-counting spectral computed tomography using silicon strip detectors: a
      feasibility study.
AB  - We show how the spectral imaging framework should be modified to account for a
      high fraction of Compton interactions in low Z detector materials such as
      silicon. Using this framework, where deposited energies differ from actual photon
      energies, we compare the performance of a silicon strip detector, including the
      influence of scatter inside the detector and charge sharing but disregarding
      signal pileup, with an ideal energy integrating detector. We show that although
      the detection efficiency for silicon rapidly drops for the acceleration voltages
      encountered in clinical computed tomography practice, silicon detectors could
      perform on a par with ideal energy integrating detectors for routine imaging
      tasks. The use of spectrally sensitive detectors opens up the possibility for
      decomposition techniques such as k-edge imaging, and we show that the proposed
      modification of the spectral imaging framework is beneficial for such imaging
      tasks.

PMID- 20299721
TI  - Ultrasonic particle image velocimetry for improved flow gradient imaging:
      algorithms, methodology and validation.
AB  - This paper presents a new algorithm for ultrasonic particle image velocimetry
      (Echo PIV) for improving the flow velocity measurement accuracy and efficiency in
      regions with high velocity gradients. The conventional Echo PIV algorithm has
      been modified by incorporating a multiple iterative algorithm, sub-pixel method,
      filter and interpolation method, and spurious vector elimination algorithm. The
      new algorithms' performance is assessed by analyzing simulated images with known
      displacements, and ultrasonic B-mode images of in vitro laminar pipe flow,
      rotational flow and in vivo rat carotid arterial flow. Results of the simulated
      images show that the new algorithm produces much smaller bias from the known
      displacements. For laminar flow, the new algorithm results in 1.1% deviation from
      the analytically derived value, and 8.8% for the conventional algorithm. The
      vector quality evaluation for the rotational flow imaging shows that the new
      algorithm produces better velocity vectors. For in vivo rat carotid arterial flow
      imaging, the results from the new algorithm deviate 6.6% from the Doppler
      measured peak velocities averagely compared to 15% of that from the conventional
      algorithm. The new Echo PIV algorithm is able to effectively improve the
      measurement accuracy in imaging flow fields with high velocity gradients.

PMID- 20299722
TI  - Pixel-based subsets for rapid multi-pinhole SPECT reconstruction.
AB  - Block-iterative image reconstruction methods, such as ordered subset expectation
      maximization (OSEM), are commonly used to accelerate image reconstruction. In
      OSEM, the speed-up factor over maximum likelihood expectation maximization (MLEM)
      is approximately equal to the number of subsets in which the projection data are
      divided. Traditionally, each subset consists of a couple of projection views, and
      the more subsets are used, the more the solution deviates from MLEM solutions. We
      found for multi-pinhole single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) that
      even moderate acceleration factors in OSEM lead to inaccurate reconstructions.
      Therefore, we introduce pixel-based ordered subset expectation maximization
      (POSEM), which is based on an alternative subset choice. Pixels in each subset
      are spread out regularly over projections and are spatially separated as much as
      possible. We validated POSEM for data acquired with a focusing multi-pinhole
      SPECT system. Performance was compared with traditional OSEM and MLEM for a rat
      total body bone scan, a gated mouse myocardial perfusion scan and a Defrise
      phantom scan. We found that POSEM can be operated at acceleration factors that
      are often an order of magnitude higher than in traditional OSEM.

PMID- 20299723
TI  - Thickness-dependent spontaneous dewetting morphology of ultrathin Ag films.
AB  - We show here that the morphological pathway of spontaneous dewetting of ultrathin
      Ag films on SiO2 under nanosecond laser melting is dependent on film thickness.
      For films with thickness h of 2 nm < or = h < or = 9.5 nm, the morphology during
      the intermediate stages of dewetting consisted of bicontinuous structures. For
      films with 11.5 nm < or = h < or = 20 nm, the intermediate stages consisted of
      regularly sized holes. Measurement of the characteristic length scales for
      different stages of dewetting as a function of film thickness showed a systematic
      increase, which is consistent with the spinodal dewetting instability over the
      entire thickness range investigated. This change in morphology with thickness is
      consistent with observations made previously for polymer films (Sharma and Khanna
      1998 Phys. Rev. Lett. 81 3463-6; Seemann et al 2001 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 13
      4925-38). Based on the behavior of free energy curvature that incorporates
      intermolecular forces, we have estimated the morphological transition thickness
      for the intermolecular forces for Ag on SiO2. The theory predictions agree well
      with observations for Ag. These results show that it is possible to form a
      variety of complex Ag nanomorphologies in a consistent manner, which could be
      useful in optical applications of Ag surfaces, such as in surface enhanced Raman
      sensing.

PMID- 20299725
TI  - Scattering matrix approach to multichannel transport in many lead graphene
      nanoribbons.
AB  - Multichannel analysis of graphene nanoribbons (GNR), often required for
      describing applications to practical devices, constitutes a heavy computational
      task, even in a simplified framework like that provided by discrete or nearest
      neighbour models. Scattering (S) matrix techniques, widely used for quantum
      transport in low dimensional systems and for the computation of electromagnetic
      fields, is shown here to provide a powerful formal platform for the analysis,
      and, in principle, the synthesis, of GNR multiport circuits. Periodic modes,
      solutions of GNR waveguides, are demonstrated to obey charge conservation and
      reciprocity constraints corresponding to unitary and symmetry properties of the S
      matrix, under proper normalization conditions. We propose a systematic use of
      this approach to deal with problems such as scattering by lattice defects, the
      presence of external applied fields, crossing GNRs and T-junctions.

PMID- 20299724
TI  - Enzyme-assisted formation of nanosphere: a potential carrier for hydrophobic
      compounds.
AB  - In this study, we report the use of a phosphatase to catalyze the formation of
      nanospheres from a hydrophobic compound (Ada-GFFY-OMe, 2) via a unique mechanism.
      The nanospheres were stable in aqueous solutions for two weeks. Their size could
      be controlled by both concentrations of the precursor (Ada-GFFY(p)-OMe, 1) and
      the enzyme and the nanospheres were characterized by SEM and dynamic light
      scattering (DLS). We then demonstrated that nanospheres could help the cell
      impermeable propidium iodine (PI) to penetrate the cells, which implied that the
      nanospheres have the potential to be developed into useful carriers for
      hydrophobic drugs. This study offers the first example of using an enzyme to
      control the formation of nanospheres from a hydrophobic compound. There is thus
      the potential that nanospheres can be developed into a carrier for hydrophobic
      drugs.

PMID- 20299726
TI  - Magnetic carbon nanotube labelling for haematopoietic stem/progenitor cell
      tracking.
AB  - Haematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) research has significantly
      contributed to the understanding and harnessing of haematopoiesis for
      regenerative medicine. However, the methodology for real-time tracking HSPC in
      vivo is still lacking, which seriously restricts the progress of research.
      Recently, magnetic carbon nanotubes (mCNT) have generated great excitement
      because they have been successfully used as vehicles to deliver a lot of
      biomolecules into various cells. There is, however, no report about mCNT being
      used for tracking HSPC. In this paper, we investigated the uptake efficiency of
      fluorescein-isothiocyanate-labelled mCNT (FITC-mCNT) into HSPC and their effect
      on the cytotoxicity and differentiation of HSPC. We found that cellular uptake of
      FITC-mCNT was concentration-and time-dependent. The uptake of FITC-mCNT into HSPC
      reached up to 100% with the highest mean fluorescence (MF). More importantly,
      efficient FITC-mCNT uptake has no adverse effect on the cell viability,
      cytotoxicity and differentiation of HSPC as confirmed by colony-forming unit
      assay (CFU). In conclusion, the results reported here suggest the further
      tailoring of mCNT for their use in HSPC labelling/tracking in vivo or gene
      delivery into HSPC.

PMID- 20299727
TI  - Sensitivity enhancement of differential splitter-based transduction for photonic
      microcantilever arrays.
AB  - We report enhanced sensitivity for in-plane photonic transduction of static
      deflection of microscale cantilevers by modifying the mode structure of double
      step rib waveguides used to capture light from the free end of waveguide
      microcantilevers. A measured sensitivity of 0.77 x 10( - 3) nm( - 1) is achieved,
      comparable to the best reported for the optical lever method and over two orders
      of magnitude larger than for piezoresistive transduction. The corresponding
      minimum detectable deflection is 59 pm for a 3.5 Hz measurement bandwidth.

PMID- 20299728
TI  - Donor-acceptor alternating copolymers as donor materials for bulk-heterojunction
      solar cells: effects of molecular structure on film morphology and device
      performance.
AB  - Three photovoltaic-applicable donor-acceptor (D-A) alternating copolymers
      including poly{(9,9-dihexyl-9H-fluorene-2,7-ylene)-alt-2-(2,6-bis((E)-2-(5-bromo
      3,4-dihexylthiophen-2-yl)vinyl)-4H-pyran-4-ylidene) malononitrile} (PFTMT),
      poly{(10-hexyl-10H-phenothiazine-3,7-ylene)-alt-2-(2,6-bis((E)-2-(5-bromo-3,4
      dihexylthiophen-2-yl)vinyl)-4H-pyran-4-ylidene) malononitrile} (PPTMT) and
      poly{(2,20-bithiophene-5,50-ylene)-alt-2-(2,6-bis((E)-2-(5-bromo-3,4
      dihexylthiophen-2-yl)vinyl)-4H-pyran-4-ylidene)malononitrile} (PDTTMT), were
      blended with [6,6]-phenyl-C(61)-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) to serve as
      active layers for photovoltaic applications. The effects of extrinsic (blend
      ratio and solvent) and intrinsic factors (donor materials) on the morphologies of
      this series of active layers were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM)
      and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was found that the PFTMT:PCBM
      active layers show distinct phase segregation with large PCBM clusters above 100
      nm and are strongly affected by solvent evaporation rate in higher blend ratios.
      In contrast, the PPTMT:PCBM active layers are homogeneous and not affected by
      blend ratios and solvents, while the PDTTMT:PCBM active layers show an
      interpenetrating network initially formed at the blend ratio of 1:1. These
      results indicate that the polymer-PCBM repulsions arising from the molecular
      structure of the polymers play a significant role in determining the resulting
      morphologies of the blend films. Strong PFTMT-PCBM repulsion leads to large-scale
      phase segregation, while weak repulsions in PPTMT-PCBM and PDTTMT-PCBM favor
      small-scale phase segregation only. The best photovoltaic power conversion
      efficiencies are obtained from PDTTMT-based solar cells with the PDTTMT:PCBM
      blend ratio of 1:3 and nanoscale phase separation of the active layer, where a
      good balance is formed between a large donor-acceptor interface and the
      continuous paths of donor and acceptor phase for opposite charge carrier
      transport to their corresponding electrodes.

PMID- 20299729
TI  - Extended-area nanostructuring of TiO2 with femtosecond laser pulses at 400 nm
      using a line focus.
AB  - An efficient way to generate nanoscale laser-induced periodic surface structures
      (LIPSS) in rutile-type TiO(2) with frequency-converted femtosecond laser pulses
      at wavelengths around 400 nm is reported. Extended-area structuring on fixed and
      moving substrates was obtained by exploiting the line focus of a cylindrical
      lens. Under defined conditions with respect to pulse number, pulse energy and
      scanning velocity, two types of ripple-like LIPSS with high and low spatial
      frequencies (HSFL, LSFL) with periods in the range of 90 nm and 340 nm,
      respectively, were formed. In particular, lower numbers of high energetic pulses
      favour the generation of LSFL whereas higher numbers of lower energetic pulses
      enable the preferential creation of HSFL. Theoretical calculations on the basis
      of the Drude model support the assumption that refractive index changes by photo
      excited carriers are a major mechanism responsible for LSFL. Furthermore, the
      appearance of random substructures as small as 30 nm superimposing low spatial
      frequency ripples is demonstrated and their possible origin is discussed.

PMID- 20299730
TI  - Nanofluidics in hollow nanowires.
AB  - We present a novel scheme for producing nanotube membranes using free-standing
      hollow nanowires, with easily controllable dimensions. GaAs-AlInP core-shell
      nanowires were grown by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy and were partially
      embedded in a polymer film. The GaAs core and substrate were etched selectively,
      leaving tubes with open access to both sides of the membrane. Electrophoretic
      transport of T4-phage DNA through the hollow nanowires was demonstrated using
      epifluorescence microscopy.

PMID- 20299731
TI  - Black-box modeling to estimate tissue temperature during radiofrequency catheter
      cardiac ablation: Feasibility study on an agar phantom model.
AB  - The aim of this work was to study linear deterministic models to predict tissue
      temperature during radiofrequency cardiac ablation (RFCA) by measuring magnitudes
      such as electrode temperature, power and impedance between active and dispersive
      electrodes. The concept involves autoregressive models with exogenous input
      (ARX), which is a particular case of the autoregressive moving average model with
      exogenous input (ARMAX). The values of the mode parameters were determined from a
      least-squares fit of experimental data. The data were obtained from
      radiofrequency ablations conducted on agar models with different contact pressure
      conditions between electrode and agar (0 and 20 g) and different flow rates
      around the electrode (1, 1.5 and 2 L min(-1)). Half of all the ablations were
      chosen randomly to be used for identification (i.e. determination of model
      parameters) and the other half were used for model validation. The results
      suggest that (1) a linear model can be developed to predict tissue temperature at
      a depth of 4.5 mm during RF cardiac ablation by using the variables applied
      power, impedance and electrode temperature; (2) the best model provides a
      reasonably accurate estimate of tissue temperature with a 60% probability of
      achieving average errors better than 5 degrees C; (3) substantial errors (larger
      than 15 degrees C) were found only in 6.6% of cases and were associated with
      abnormal experiments (e.g. those involving the displacement of the ablation
      electrode) and (4) the impact of measuring impedance on the overall estimate is
      negligible (around 1 degrees C).

PMID- 20299732
TI  - Efficient computation of the elastography inverse problem by combining
      variational mesh adaption and a clustering technique.
AB  - This paper is concerned with an efficient implementation suitable for the
      elastography inverse problem. More precisely, the novel algorithm allows us to
      compute the unknown stiffness distribution in soft tissue by means of the
      measured displacement field by considerably reducing the numerical cost compared
      to previous approaches. This is realized by combining and further elaborating
      variational mesh adaption with a clustering technique similar to those known from
      digital image compression. Within the variational mesh adaption, the underlying
      finite element discretization is only locally refined if this leads to a
      considerable improvement of the numerical solution. Additionally, the numerical
      complexity is reduced by the aforementioned clustering technique, in which the
      parameters describing the stiffness of the respective soft tissue are sorted
      according to a predefined number of intervals. By doing so, the number of
      unknowns associated with the elastography inverse problem can be chosen
      explicitly. A positive side effect of this method is the reduction of artificial
      noise in the data (smoothing of the solution). The performance and the rate of
      convergence of the resulting numerical formulation are critically analyzed by
      numerical examples.

PMID- 20299733
TI  - Improving initial polyp candidate extraction for CT colonography.
AB  - Reducing the number of false positives (FPs) as much as possible is a challenging
      task for computer-aided detection (CAD) of colonic polyps. As part of a typical
      CAD pipeline, an accurate and robust process for segmenting initial polyp
      candidates (IPCs) will significantly benefit the successive FP reduction
      procedures, such as feature-based classification of false and true positives
      (TPs). In this study, we introduce an improved scheme for segmenting IPCs. It
      consists of two main components. One is geodesic distance-based merging, which
      merges suspicious patches (SPs) for IPCs. Based on the merged SPs, another
      component, called convex dilation, grows each SP beyond the inner surface of the
      colon wall to form a volume of interest (VOI) for that IPC, so that the inner
      border of the VOI beyond the colon inner surface could be segmented as convex, as
      expected. The IPC segmentation strategy was evaluated using a database of 50
      patient studies, which include 100 scans at supine and prone positions with 84
      polyps and masses sized from 6 to 35 mm. The presented IPC segmentation strategy
      (or VOI extraction method) demonstrated improvements, in terms of having no
      undesirably merged true polyp and providing more helpful mean and variance of the
      image intensities rooted from the extracted VOI for classification of the TPs and
      FPs, over two other VOI extraction methods (i.e. the conventional method of Nappi
      and Yoshida (2003 Med. Phys. 30 1592-601) and our previous method (Zhu et al 2009
      Cancer Manag. Res. 1 1-13). At a by-polyp sensitivity of 0.90, these three
      methods generated the FP rate (number of FPs per scan) of 4.78 (new method), 6.37
      (Nappi) and 7.01 (Zhu) respectively.

PMID- 20299734
TI  - LaBr(3):Ce and SiPMs for time-of-flight PET: achieving 100 ps coincidence
      resolving time.
AB  - The use of time-of-flight (TOF) information in positron emission tomography (PET)
      enables significant improvement in image noise properties and, therefore, lesion
      detection. Silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) are solid-state photosensors that
      have several advantages over photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). SiPMs are small,
      essentially transparent to 511 keV gamma rays and insensitive to magnetic fields.
      This enables novel detector designs aimed at e.g. compactness, high resolution,
      depth-of-interaction (DOI) correction and MRI compatibility. The goal of the
      present work is to study the timing performance of SiPMs in combination with
      LaBr(3):Ce(5%), a relatively new scintillator with promising characteristics for
      TOF-PET. Measurements were performed with two, bare, 3 mm x 3 mm x 5 mm
      LaBr(3):Ce(5%) crystals, each coupled to a 3 mm x 3 mm SiPM. Using a (22)Na point
      source placed at various positions in between the two detectors, a coincidence
      resolving time (CRT) of approximately 100 ps FWHM for 511 keV annihilation photon
      pairs was achieved, corresponding to a TOF positioning resolution of
      approximately 15 mm FWHM. At the same time, pulse height spectra with well
      resolved full-energy peaks were obtained. To our knowledge this is the best CRT
      reported for SiPM-based scintillation detectors to date. It is concluded that
      SiPM-based scintillation detectors can provide timing resolutions at least as
      good as detectors based on PMTs.

PMID- 20299735
TI  - Fully automated intrinsic respiratory and cardiac gating for small animal CT.
AB  - A fully automated, intrinsic gating algorithm for small animal cone-beam CT is
      described and evaluated. A parameter representing the organ motion, derived from
      the raw projection images, is used for both cardiac and respiratory gating. The
      proposed algorithm makes it possible to reconstruct motion-corrected still images
      as well as to generate four-dimensional (4D) datasets representing the cardiac
      and pulmonary anatomy of free-breathing animals without the use of
      electrocardiogram (ECG) or respiratory sensors. Variation analysis of projections
      from several rotations is used to place a region of interest (ROI) on the
      diaphragm. The ROI is cranially extended to include the heart. The centre of mass
      (COM) variation within this ROI, the filtered frequency response and the local
      maxima are used to derive a binary motion-gating parameter for phase-sensitive
      gated reconstruction. This algorithm was implemented on a flat-panel-based cone
      beam CT scanner and evaluated using a moving phantom and animal scans (seven rats
      and eight mice). Volumes were determined using a semiautomatic segmentation. In
      all cases robust gating signals could be obtained. The maximum volume error in
      phantom studies was less than 6%. By utilizing extrinsic gating via externally
      placed cardiac and respiratory sensors, the functional parameters (e.g. cardiac
      ejection fraction) and image quality were equivalent to this current gold
      standard. This algorithm obviates the necessity of both gating hardware and user
      interaction. The simplicity of the proposed algorithm enables adoption in a wide
      range of small animal cone-beam CT scanners.

PMID- 20299736
TI  - Practical dietary calorie management, body weight control and energy expenditure
      of diabetic patients in short-term hospitalization.
AB  - AIM: We investigated how dietary management affected body weight (BW) reduction
      and energy expenditure in obese and normal-weight type 2 diabetic patients.
      METHODS: Type 2 diabetic patients who were hospitalized for diabetic control (93
      men and 51 women) were checked for resting energy expenditure (REE). Subjects
      were divided into the two groups according to body mass index (BMI): obese (BMI >
      or = 25), and normal-weight (BMI <25). Following the recommendations by JDS, JAS
      and JASSO, ideal body weight was calculated as [IBW=height (m) x height (m) x 22
      (kg/m(2))], and dietary calorie (kcal/day) was determined as 25 kcal/kg IBW.
      RESULTS: Dietary calorie intake during hospitalization was similar in both
      groups. REE was greater in obese than in normal-weight patients. The difference
      between the calorie intake and energy expenditure (Deltacalorie) was -222+/-26
      kcal in obese patients and 69+/-27 kcal in normal-weight patients. Obese patients
      therefore had larger BW decreases than normal-weight patients (-171+/-12 vs. 
      92+/-11 g/day, p<0.005). In the obese group, a positive correlation was found
      between the change of BW and Deltacalorie. This correlation remained after
      adjusting for age, BMI, gender, and respiratory quotient. Serum lipid profiles
      were significantly improved in both groups. CONCLUSION: These diet instructions
      showed the appropriate calorie restriction depending on the BMI and induced
      reasonable BW reduction in both obese and normal-weight subjects. The dietary
      program recommended by JDS, JAS and JASSO is practically useful for BW control
      and for improving lipid metabolism in type 2 diabetic patients.

PMID- 20299737
TI  - Effects of a fish-based diet on the serum adiponectin concentration in young, non
      obese, healthy Japanese subjects.
AB  - AIM: Adiponectin has insulin-sensitizing, anti-atherogenic, and anti-inflammatory
      properties, and researchers have recently reported that omega-3 polyunsaturated
      fatty acid (PUFA) can increase the serum adiponectin concentration, suggesting
      that dietary factors, such as fish intake, may have an influence on the serum
      adiponectin concentration. In general, Japanese subjects consume twice as much
      fish as people in other countries. We hypothesized that incremental change in
      serum omega-3 PUFA levels by fish intake is an important regulator of serum
      adiponectin even in Japanese subjects. The aim of this study was to explore the
      relationship among fish consumption, serum omega-3 PUFA, such as eicosapentaenoic
      acid (EPA), levels, and serum adiponectin levels. METHOD: We recruited 17 healthy
      Japanese volunteers (seven men and 10 women) for an 8-week fish-diet intervention
      (omega-3 PUFA 3.0 g/day) without affecting total energy intake, and measured
      serum adiponectin concentration and fatty acid profiles. RESULTS: Fish-diet
      intervention significantly increased the serum adiponectin concentration in women
      (from 13.5+/-4.6 to 15.8+/-5.2 microg/mL, p <0.01) but not in men (from 8.7+/-2.8
      to 8.7+/-2.5 microg/mL). Serum omega-3 PUFA increased more in female subjects
      than male subjects after the fish-diet intervention (57.3+/-86.6 vs 150.9+/-46.7
      microg/mL, p=0.011), suggesting that changes in omega-3 PUFA concentration may
      explain the different response between sexes. CONCLUSION: A fish-based diet
      intervention increased the serum adiponectin concentration in young, non-obese,
      healthy Japanese female subjects. The increment in serum omega-3 PUFA may
      regulate the serum adiponectin concentration.

PMID- 20299738
TI  - Radiation therapy: state of the art and the future.
AB  - Technical innovation in radiation therapy (RT) such as stereotactic irradiation,
      intensity modulated RT, image-guided RT, and brachytherapy using remote
      controlled after-loading system have made it possible to deliver ideally
      distributed radiation dose to the target with great accuracy, while sparing the
      adjacent organs at risk. As a result, tumor control rate by RT improved markedly
      and became excellent alternative to surgery for asymptomatic or mildly
      symptomatic brain tumors, early stage lung cancer, and low-risk prostate cancer.
      In locally advanced stage of cancer, randomized controlled trials established the
      chemoradiation therapy as a standard treatment option for patients with head and
      neck cancer, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, and cervical cancer. RT is also a
      valuable treatment for palliation of local symptoms caused by cancer with
      consistently high response rates. Minimally invasive therapy has come to be
      emphasized its needs in the background of increased tendency of elderly patients
      with cancer, and advances in conformal dose delivery technique raise the RT at a
      more important position in cancer therapy. However, adequate number of RT
      profession is indispensable to utilize highly-sophisticated RT technology.
      Substantiality of an education system for radiation oncologist, RT technologist,
      and medical physicists is our current most important issue.

PMID- 20299739
TI  - Crucial role of renin-angiotensin system in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.
AB  - The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has been demonstrated to play a critical role
      in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis, thereby contributing to
      development of cardiovascular diseases. Angiotensin II (Ang II), a major
      substrate in RAS, stimulates atherosclerosis through various deleterious effects
      such as endothelial dysfunction, cellular proliferation and inflammation.
      Recently, local RAS in vasculature is reported to play an important role. Many of
      these atherogenic actions of Ang II are mediated by reactive oxygen species
      (ROS). Investigation of the role of ROS and inflammation induced by RAS may
      provide a clue to understanding the pathophysiology of atherosclerotic diseases,
      and may lead to a new therapeutic strategy.

PMID- 20299740
TI  - Mechanisms of matrix metalloproteinase-9 upregulation and tissue destruction in
      various organs in influenza A virus infection.
AB  - Severe influenza is characterized clinicopathologically by multiple organ
      failure, although the relationship amongst virus and host factors that influence
      this morbid outcome and the underlying mechanisms of action remain unclear. The
      present study identified marked upregulation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9
      and pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) in various
      organs after intranasal infection of influenza A WSN virus. MMP-9 and TNF-alpha
      were upregulated in the lung, the site of initial infection, as well as in the
      brain and heart. The infection-induced MMP-9 upregulation was inhibited by anti
      TNF-alpha antibodies and by anti-oxidative reagents pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate
      and N-acetyl-L-cysteine, which inhibit activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF
      kappaB), as well as by nordihydroguaiaretic acid, which inhibits activation of
      activator protein 1 (AP-1). In addition, MMP-9 upregulation via TNF-alpha was
      also suppressed by inhibitors of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), such
      as extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 and p38, and partly by a c-Jun N
      terminal kinase inhibitor. These results indicated that the influenza-induced MMP
      9 upregulation in various organs is mediated through MAPK-NF-kappaB- and/or AP-1
      dependent mechanisms. Strategies that neutralize TNF-alpha as well as inhibitors
      of MAPK-NF-kappa B- and/or AP-1-dependent pathways may be useful for suppressing
      the MMP-9 effect and thus preventing multiple organ failure in severe influenza.

PMID- 20299741
TI  - Function of the frontal lobe in autistic individuals: a proton magnetic resonance
      spectroscopic study.
AB  - PURPOSE: In this investigation, we studied differences in chemical metabolites in
      certain brain regions between autistic patients and normal control subjects.
      METHODS: Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) was used to evaluate
      functional activity in these regions. Specific regions studied were right and
      left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex(DLPFC) and the anterior cingulated
      cortex(ACC). RESULTS: In the ACC, the N
      acetylaspartate(NAA)/creatine/phosphocreatine(Cr) ratio in autistic patients
      (n=31) was significantly lower than that in control subjects (n=28). The decrease
      in the NAA/Cr ratio for the ACC was much greater in the group with worst social
      ability. NAA/Cr for the left DLPFC and social ability of autistic patients also
      correlated well. Furthermore, NAA/Cr for the left DLPFC in the group with
      intelligence quotient (IQ) below 50 was significantly less than in controls.
      NAA/Cr for the right DLPFC in autistic patients was not decreased compared to
      controls, and did not correlate with IQ or social ability. CONCLUSIONS: These
      findings suggest neuronal dysfunction in the ACC and left DLPFC in autism, and
      also a relationship between social disability and metabolic dysfunction in these
      regions. Dysfunction in the ACC and the left DLPFC may contribute to the
      pathogenesis of autism.

PMID- 20299742
TI  - Nutritional status, feeding practice and incidence of infectious diseases among
      children aged 6 to 18 months in northern mountainous Vietnam.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of undernutrition, incidence of infectious
      diseases and the situation of feeding practices to determine the risk factors for
      undernutrition among children aged 6 to 18 months in rural Vietnam. DESIGN: A
      cross-sectional study was conducted among one hundred eighty-eight mother-child
      pairs in Bac Giang, Vietnam. Weight and height of the children were measured and
      referred to data from the WHO/CDC/NCHS. Incidence of infectious diseases was
      diagnosed based on the WHO Recommended Surveillance Standards. Data on socio
      demographic variables and feeding practices were obtained through a structured
      questionnaire. RESULT: The prevalence of underweight, stunting and wasting was
      19.7%, 23.4% and 5.3%, respectively. The incidence of diarrhea and acute
      respiratory infections (ARIs) during the last 14 days of the interview was 12.2%
      and 20.2%, respectively. Although 99% of the children were breastfed, the
      prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding in the first 4 mo was 21.3%. Non-exclusive
      breastfeeding in the first 4 month (OR 3.95, p=0.025) and low birth weight (OR
      4.38, p=0.009) were associated with underweight in the children, while incidence
      of infectious disease was not (OR 1.16, p=0.734). CONCLUSION: Undernutrition is
      highly prevalent in the study site and non-exclusive breast feeding is one of the
      risk factors.

PMID- 20299743
TI  - Increasing early insulin secretion compensate adequately for hepatic insulin
      resistance in CCl4-induced cirrhosis rats.
AB  - A number of recent publications have reported an increased frequency prevalence
      of glucose intolerance with hyperinsulinemia in liver cirrhosis. The aim of this
      work was to detect, in CCl(4)-induced liver cirrhosis rat, the presence and
      starting point of muscle and liver insulin resistance. Eighteen rats received
      intraperitoneal injection of 2 ml of soybean oil containing of CCl(4) twice a
      week for 20 weeks. We executed standard oral glucose tolerance and clamp study to
      evaluate systemic insulin resistance. Hepatic glucose uptake was much lower in
      CCl(4) group than that in control group, but peripheral glucose uptake was not
      decreased in this study. In contrast, early-phase insulin secretion was enhanced
      in CCl(4) rat using oral glucose load during clamp methods. These data suggested
      that increased early insulin secretion compensate adequately for hepatic insulin
      resistance in rats. However there was a report that peripheral glucose uptake was
      decreased in the case of human liver cirrhosis, which was formed in the course of
      time. In a chronic condition, this may be associated with reduced insulin content
      and developed systemic insulin resistance in liver cirrhosis. Then a long term
      observation study will be required to examine the presence of muscle insulin
      resistance in liver cirrhosis.

PMID- 20299744
TI  - Prediction of Japanese children at risk for complications of childhood obesity:
      gender differences for intervention approaches.
AB  - Childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health problems in Japan,
      especially in Tokushima compared with other prefectures. This study was designed
      to clarify the life habits which predispose to development of obesity and can be
      modified through an appropriate intervention program to combat childhood obesity
      and its lifestyle-related diseases. A total of 216 school children from Itano
      Town, a municipality of Tokushima Prefecture, Japan, who are attending the fourth
      grade (9-10 years) of elementary schools, participated in the study from 2004 to
      2007. The study included child's life habits questionnaire, investigating
      physical activity by recording the daily steps using a pedometer, anthropometric
      measurements, hematological examination and hemodynamometry in a cross-sectional
      survey during a two-month period from June to July every year. We conclude that
      there are considerable gender-related differences for developing obesity and
      other lifestyle-related diseases; and all intervention strategies against obesity
      must consider such gender differences. For example, restriction of television
      watching hours must be intervened for controlling obesity in boys, however for
      girls, promotion of exercise practice or making more steps per day with adequate
      sleeping periods should be intervened as the proper approaches for preventing and
      controlling obesity and other lifestyle-related diseases.

PMID- 20299745
TI  - Determinants of life satisfaction among Japanese elderly women attending health
      care and welfare service facilities.
AB  - Prolonged life expectancy must be recognized as an excellent achievement of
      modern medicine, but not all the elderly people are satisfied with their lives.
      Life satisfaction is a multi-dimensional issue that depends on many objective and
      subjective characteristics. In this study, we aimed at investigating the factors
      affecting life satisfaction of 314 elderly Japanese women attending in 28 elderly
      care and welfare facilities at Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. Our results indicated
      that elderly subjects with depression tendencies always show significantly lower
      degrees of life satisfaction than others who are not depressed (p<0.001)
      regardless of their cognitive status. Furthermore, elderly women who shared
      decision for their living place and whose opinions were considered for daily life
      decisions reported significantly more life satisfaction levels than others. We
      conclude that elderly life satisfaction is affected by various determinants
      however, with different influencing weight. Life satisfaction of elderly people,
      with or without dementia, is greatly affected by their mood status and share in
      decision making. Avoiding elderly people depressive mood, sharing them in various
      daily decisions, considering their opinions, and allowing them to decide their
      elderly-care facility placement are crucial determinants for their life
      satisfaction and essential for their coping, adaptation, well-being and
      successful aging.

PMID- 20299746
TI  - Relationship between Barthel Index scores during the acute phase of
      rehabilitation and subsequent ADL in stroke patients.
AB  - The Barthel Index (BI) cannot be used to measure initial stroke severity or by
      extension, to stratify patients by severity in acute stroke trials because most
      patients are bedbound in the first few hours after stroke, either by their
      deficit or by medical directive. Our objectives were to clarify the threshold of
      acute BI for use in the prediction of subsequent independence in activities of
      daily living (ADL) and to assist in the definition of acute stroke rehabilitation
      goals. Subjects comprised 78 patients out of 191 inpatients admitted with acute
      stroke at our hospital during 2006-2007. The BI ADL score was divided into 2
      ranges (BI> or =60 and < or =40), in a process similar to previous studies.
      During the acute period (from onset to approximately 3 weeks), all patients with
      a BI> or =40 could improve their ADL in 6 months. Patients with a BI< or =40
      exhibited two ADL recovery outcomes (improved and no change) at 6 months. We also
      found that the skill level of basic activities related to standing was
      significant indicator of BI improvement (P<0.001). BI scores determined at
      approximately 3 weeks were reliable predictors of ADL disabilities at 6 months.

PMID- 20299747
TI  - Different interaction between HIV-1 Vif and its cellular target proteins
      APOBEC3G/APOBEC3F.
AB  - We examined a series of site-directed point mutants of human immunodeficiency
      virus type 1 (HIV-1) Vif for their interaction with cellular anti-viral factors
      APOBEC3G/APOBEC3F. Mutant viruses that display growth-defect in H9 cells did not
      counteract effectively APOBEC3G and/or APOBEC3F without exception, as monitored
      by single-cycle infectivity assays. While growth-defective mutants of Vif C
      terminal region were unable to suppress APOBEC3G/APOBEC3F, some N-terminal region
      mutants did neutralize one of APOBEC3G/APOBEC3F. These data have suggested that
      members of APOBEC3 family other than APOBEC3G/APOBEC3F are not important for anti
      HIV-1 activity. Furthermore, APOPEC3G/APOBEC3F were found to differently
      associate with Vif in virions as analyzed by equilibrium density centrifugation.
      Taken together, these results indicated that interaction of HIV-1 Vif and
      APOBEC3G is distinct from that between Vif and APOBEC3F.

PMID- 20299748
TI  - Fibroblast growth factor 23 mediates the phosphaturic actions of cadmium.
AB  - Phosphaturia has been documented following cadmium (Cd) exposure in both humans
      and experimental animals. The fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23)/klotho axis
      serves as an essential phosphate homeostasis pathway in the bone-kidney axis. In
      the present study, we investigated the effects of Cd on phosphate (Pi)
      homeostasis in mice. Following Cd injection into WT mice, plasma FGF23
      concentration was significantly increased. Urinary Pi excretion levels were
      significantly higher in Cd-injected WT mice than in control group. Plasma Pi
      concentration decreased only slightly compared with control group. No change was
      observed in plasma parathyroid hormone and 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D(3) in both
      group of mice. We observed a decrease in phosphate transport activity and also
      decrease in expression of renal phosphate transporter SLC34A3 [NaPi-IIc/NPT2c],
      but not SLC34A1 [NaPi-IIa/NPT2a]. Furthermore, we examined the effect of Cd on
      Npt2c in Npt2a-knockout (KO) mice which expresses Npt2c as a major NaPi co
      transporter. Injecting Cd to Npt2aKO mice induced significant increase in plasma
      FGF23 concentration and urinary Pi excretion levels. Furthermore, we observed a
      decrease in phosphate transport activity and renal Npt2c expression in Cd
      injected Npt2a KO mice. The present study suggests that hypophosphatemia induced
      by Cd may be closely associated with the FGF23/klotho axis.

PMID- 20299749
TI  - Very low-frequency rTMS modulates SEPs over the contralateral hemisphere.
AB  - In order to investigate the transcallosal effects of repetitive transcranial
      magnetic stimulation (rTMS), we studied median somatosensory evoked potentials
      (SEPs) before and after applying monophasic very low-frequency (0.2 Hz)
      subthreshold rTMS over the right motor cortex. For SEPs, median nerve was
      stimulated on each side. Sham rTMS served as the control. Twelve healthy subjects
      participated in this study. After rTMS over the right hemisphere, the amplitude
      of N34 component in right median SEPs recorded from the left parietal scalp (C3')
      increased significantly. Other components of right or left median SEPs or those
      after sham stimulation showed no changes. Monophasic 0.2 Hz subthreshold rTMS
      over the motor cortex predominantly affected the contralateral SEPs, probably
      through the transcallosal pathway.

PMID- 20299750
TI  - Tracking overweight and obesity in Japanese children; a six years longitudinal
      study.
AB  - Childhood overweight/obesity is growing steeply, globally. It is usually regarded
      as a risk factor for severe obesity over life-time course. Here, we investigated
      temporal course of overweight/obesity development in Japanese school children. A
      six-year longitudinal study was performed on 16,245 Japanese primary school
      children (8,427 boys and 7,818 girls) comprising three cohorts of 1(st)
      approximately 3(rd) grade. A baseline survey was conducted at 2001, followed by
      annual baseline studies from 2002 approximately 2007 to determine the prevalence
      and track overweight/obesity. Our results showed that the prevalence of
      overweight was 15 approximately 23% in boys and 15 approximately 18% in girls,
      however, for obesity it ranged between 4 approximately 7% in boys; and 2
      approximately 4% in girls. As regards for tracking status, 60 approximately 80%
      of overweight and 35 approximately 70% of obese Japanese primary school boys
      track into overweight or obese junior high school adolescents. However, these
      percentages are lower among primary school girls, where only 50 approximately 70%
      overweight and 30 approximately 60% obese primary school girls track into
      overweight and obese adolescents, respectively. We conclude that Japanese boys
      are fatter than girls; and approximately 80% of overweight/obese Japanese primary
      school children track into junior high school overweight/obese adolescents.

PMID- 20299751
TI  - Weight and height growth velocities of Japanese boys and girls between age 7 and
      14 years: a critical window for early adolescent overweight risk.
AB  - Childhood overweight is an important worldwide problem of public health concern,
      with metabolic, physical and psychosocial complications. More and more evidence
      is accumulating that children who gain weight rapidly earlier in life are at
      higher risk of becoming overweight later in adulthood life. Therefore, in a seven
      year longitudinal study, we studied mid-childhood and early adolescence weight
      and height growth velocities among 5,024 Japanese 2(nd) grade primary school boys
      and girls along with its effect on the likelihood of being overweight adolescents
      by the age of 14 y. Our findings showed that weight growth velocity of both sexes
      was associated with being overweight at the end of longitudinal study. Boys' risk
      of accelerated weight growth velocity and becoming overweight adolescents was
      almost doubled during ages 7 approximately 11 y and become reduced afterward.
      Otherwise, odds ratios of girls' weight growth velocity peaks were found only at
      ages from 9 approximately 10 and 10 approximately 11 y. Thus, we suggest a
      critical window of mid-childhood period associated with adolescence risk of
      overweight, and we recommend that studying weight growth determinants during 7
      approximately 11 y of boys and 9 approximately 11 y of girls may help in
      developing and applying proper programs for prevention and intervention of
      overweight problem.

PMID- 20299752
TI  - Radiographic comparison between male and female patients with lumbar
      spondylolysis.
AB  - We studied the lumbar spines of 117 adults (39 women and 78 men) with
      spondylolysis unrelated to low back pain using multidetector computed tomography
      (CT). Of the 117 subjects with spondylolysis, including five with multiple-level
      spondylolysis, there were 124 vertebrae with spondylolysis. In adult lumbar
      spines with unilateral spondylolysis, there was no significant difference between
      the incidence of spondylolisthesis in female and male subjects. However, in those
      with bilateral spondylolysis, there was a significantly higher incidence of
      spondylolisthesis in female subjects (90.9%) than in males (66.2%). Furthermore,
      females with bilateral spondylolysis had significant more slippage than males.
      Lumbar index and lumbar lordosis were not significantly different between male
      and female subjects, and did not significantly correlate with slippage. In
      conclusion, to treat acute spondylolysis in adolescents, it is important to
      obtain bony union at least unilaterally, especially in female subjects, to
      prevent further slippage.

PMID- 20299753
TI  - Immunohistochemical analyses of parathyroid hormone-dependent downregulation of
      renal type II Na-Pi cotransporters by cryobiopsy.
AB  - The "in vivo cryotechnique" (IVCT) is a new method of morphological analysis
      which has the advantage of freezing tissues in living animals without stopping
      their blood circulation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect
      of parathyroid hormone (PTH) on renal type II Na-Pi transporters (NaPi-IIa and
      NaPi-IIc) and "cryobiopsy" (CB) using special cryoforceps as a simple method of
      the IVCT. The kidney tissues were biopsied at various time points after PTH
      administration by CB using liquid nitrogen as the cryogen. By hematoxylin-eosin
      (HE) staining the kidney tissues, well-frozen areas without visible ice crystals
      were obtained in the tissue surface areas, and the brush border membrane (BBM) of
      proximal tubules was well preserved at a light microscopic level.
      Immunohistochemical evaluation showed that PTH downregulated NaPi-IIa and NaPi
      IIc at the BBM, being controlled by a different mechanism. In this method, the
      PTH-induced internalization of NaPi-IIc from microvilli to subapical compartments
      was not observed in the tissue preparations. NaPi-IIc protein appears to be
      degraded in microvilli of the proximal tubular cells after the injection of PTH.
      We suggest that CB using liquid nitrogen is useful to investigate renal type II
      Na-Pi transporters at the light microscopic level.

PMID- 20299754
TI  - Early ambulation after total knee arthroplasty prevents patients with
      osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis from developing postoperative higher
      levels of D-dimer.
AB  - This study aimed to clarify the therapeutic effects of postoperative ambulation
      after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) on deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in patients
      with osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after TKA. Subjects of
      this study were thirty-seven inpatients (21 inpatients: OA, 16 inpatients: RA)
      undergoing TKA (32 female and 5 male). Subjects were divided into two groups,
      deep venous thrombosis (DVT) group (n=25) and non-DVT group (N group, n=12). The
      cutoff value was 10.0 microg/ml plasma D-dimer level measured on 7(th)
      postoperative day. The N group was below the cutoff value. Another cutoff value
      divided into two groups, ambulatory group (n=26) and non-ambulatory group (n=11).
      Ambulatory group was the date of ambulation beginning below 7(th) day.
      Statistical analysis confirmed that all subjects showed a significant correlation
      to the date of ambulation. Postoperative ambulation beginning had strong
      association with the level of D-dimer (r=0.71). Group comparison showed that the
      non-ambulatory group had significant higher values of D-dimer than ambulatory
      group (P=0.022). Typical case supported these results. Postoperative early
      ambulation within a week after TKA kept patients with OA and RA after TKA lower
      level of D-dimer.

PMID- 20299755
TI  - Clinical significance of Galectin-3 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.
AB  - Overexpression of galectin-3 in a variety of cancer cell lines has been shown to
      correlate with tumor progression and metastasis. In this study, we investigated
      the expression of galectin-3 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CC-RCC) and
      evaluated the relationship between galectin-3 expression levels and the
      clinicopathological features of CC-RCC. Expression of galectin-3 in the kidney
      cancer cell lines Caki-1, Caki-2, A704, ACHN and KPK-1 were evaluated using
      western blot analysis, while galectin-3 expression in CC-RCC tissues and normal
      parenchyma were measured by real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry. We found that
      galectin-3 was overexpressed in the Caki-1, Caki-2, A704, ACHN and KPK-1 cell
      lines and that the expression level in CC-RCC was also significantly higher than
      that in renal parenchyma obtained from the same patient samples (p=0.039).
      Galectin-3 expression in CC-RCC with distant metastasis was also significantly
      higher than that in CC-RCC without distant metastasis (p=0.045). In conclusion,
      we revealed that galectin-3 is highly expressed in CC-RCC, especially in CC-RCC
      with distant metastasis, suggesting that galectin-3 may serve as a novel target
      molecule for predicting CC-RCC metastasis.

PMID- 20299756
TI  - A huge ovarian smooth muscle tumor: a case report.
AB  - Ovarian smooth muscle tumors are a very rare type of ovarian tumor. In this
      paper, we report the case of a 62-year-old woman who had a huge smooth muscle
      tumor of the right ovary. The values of all the serum tumor markers were within
      normal limit. The tumor measured 25 cm in diameter and weighed 6,200 g.
      Histological examination revealed that coagulative cellular atypia was moderate
      to severe, necrosis was not present and mitotic index was low. According to the
      criteria for the evaluation of the uterine smooth muscle tumors, this huge tumor
      was diagnosed as atypical leiomyoma. However, we finally made a diagnosis of this
      tumor as a smooth muscle tumor of uncertain malignant potential (STUMP) because
      of its huge size. Further information is required regarding the characteristics
      of ovarian smooth muscle tumor and the propriety to introduce uterine tumor
      histological criteria to ovarian tumors.

PMID- 20299757
TI  - Desensitization treatment with cisplatin after carboplatin hypersensitivity
      reaction in gynecologic cancer.
AB  - Platinum-based chemotherapy is the standard regimen for the treatment of
      gynecologic cancers; however, hypersensitivity reactions (HR) to platinum often
      lead to discontinuation of this effective treatment. Here we performed a
      desensitization protocol for platinum infusion in 3 patients who required
      platinum re-administration after developing HR. Two patients (Case 1 and 2) were
      treated with the desensitization protocol successfully without developing HR
      during the subsequent 3 courses. Case 3 tolerated desensitization well for 2
      courses, but in the 3(rd) course, she developed severe HR immediately after the
      initiation of cisplatin infusion because the desensitization protocol was
      unintentionally omitted. These cases show the usefulness and effectiveness of the
      desensitization protocol for the continuation of platinum treatment in patients
      who have undergone an extended number of treatments.

PMID- 20299758
TI  - Effects of the whole-body cryotherapy on a total antioxidative status and
      activities of some antioxidative enzymes in blood of patients with multiple
      sclerosis-preliminary study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: There is evidence that multiple sclerosis (MS) is not only
      characterized by immune mediated inflammatory reactions but also by
      neurodegenerative processes. Neutralization of oxidative stress and
      excitotoxicity, might represent a therapeutic approach to provide neuroprotection
      in MS. The purpose of this study was to compare changes in total antioxidative
      status and activities of chosen antioxidative enzymes, such as: SOD, CAT in
      erythrocytes of patients with MS before and after using WBCT with control group.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: 32 patients with multiple sclerosis (ICD10-G35) and 20
      healthy subjects were recruited for the study. The examined MS group (n=16) was
      treated with a series of 10 daily exposures in a cryogenic chamber (2-3 min, from
      -120 degrees C to -110 degrees C) and program of exercises. The control MS group
      (n=16) had only exercises. Plasma TAS as well as SOD and CAT activities in
      erythrocytes were measured. RESULTS: The level of TAS in MS patients was
      distinctly reduced compared to healthy subjects. After two weeks of WBCT
      treatment an increase of TAS in the whole examined group (p>0.01) were observed
      in relation to control MS group. There was not increase of CuZnSOD and CAT
      activities. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest positive antioxidant effects of WBCT
      as a short-term adjuvant treatment for patients suffered due to MS.

PMID- 20299759
TI  - Long-term recurrence-free survivor after laparoscopic removal of solitary adrenal
      metastasis from endometrial adenocarcinoma.
AB  - Solitary adrenal metastasis from endometrial adenocarcinoma is extremely rare. We
      report herein the case of a laparoscopically resected solitary adrenal metastasis
      originating from endometrial adenocarcinoma. The patient was a 55-year-old woman
      who had undergone total abdominal hysterectomy for stage IIIc endometrial
      carcinoma, followed by 7 courses of adjuvant chemotherapy comprising carboplatin
      and paclitaxel. However, the patient developed an isolated right adrenal
      metastasis 15 months postoperatively. The solitary adrenal metastasis (diameter,
      5.7 cm) was removed laparoscopically. The patient has now been in good health
      without recurrence for 5 years and 7 months after laparoscopic surgery. To the
      best of our knowledge, this is the first case of solitary adrenal metastasis
      originating from endometrial adenocarcinoma that is controlled for the long term
      by successful laparoscopic resection.

PMID- 20299760
TI  - Distribution and identification of airborne fungi in railway stations in Tokyo,
      Japan.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The current study was performed to (1) understand the distribution of
      airborne fungi culturable on dichloran-glycerol agar (DG18) media over a one-year
      monitoring period, (2) identify the types of airborne fungi collected, and (3)
      compare and contrast under- and above-ground spaces, in two railway stations in
      Tokyo, Japan. METHODS: Measurements of airborne fungi were taken at stations A
      and B located in Tokyo. Station A had under- and above-ground concourses and
      platforms whereas station B had spaces only above-ground. Airborne fungi at each
      measurement position were collected with an air sampler on DG18 media. After
      cultivation of the sample plates, the number of fungi colonies was counted on
      each agar plate. RESULTS: In station A, the underground platform was
      characterized as (1) having the highest humidity and (2) a high concentration of
      airborne fungi, with (3) a high proportion of non-sporulating fungi (NSF) and
      Aspergillus versicolor. There was a strong positive correlation between the
      concentrations of airborne particles and fungi in station A. Common aspects of
      the two stations were (1) that fungi were mostly detected in autumn, and (2)
      there was no correlation between the humidity and concentration of fungi
      throughout the year. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that the
      distribution and composition of fungi differ depending on the structure of the
      station.

PMID- 20299761
TI  - Industry and injury related hospital contacts: a follow-up study of injuries
      among working men in Denmark.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To estimate proportions of injuries that are attributable to the work
      environment (excess fractions) among economically active men and to identify
      industries associated with an elevated injury risk. METHODS: A follow-up study
      was conducted among all economically active men in Denmark aged 20-59 yr 1
      January 1999 (N=1,315,772) for first hospital contacts in the period 1999-2003
      due to injury in five body regions. Age standardised hospital treatment ratios
      (SHR) were calculated by industry and excess fractions were estimated. RESULTS:
      The excess fractions by body region attributable to the work environment were:
      22% (95% CI 18-26%) for lower extremities, 29% (95% CI 24-34%) for head and neck,
      31% (95% CI 25-37%) for thorax, 36% (95% CI 30-43%) for upper extremities, and
      39% (CI: 32-46%) for back injuries. We identified eight industries associated
      with significantly elevated risks for injuries to each of the five body regions.
      These were: "road contractors", "bricklayer, joiner, and carpentry work",
      "finishing (construction work)", "transport of goods", "fire service and salvage
      corps", "stone-works, pottery, and glass industry", "cleaning, laundries, and dry
      cleaners", and "slaughterhouse industry". CONCLUSIONS: There are substantial
      industrial inequalities in injury rates among male workers in Denmark. The size
      of the inequalities differs between body regions.

PMID- 20299762
TI  - Comparative study of the effect of basal diet formulation, dietary fat and
      cholesterol levels on the development of aortic atherosclerotic lesions in B6.KOR
      Apoeshl mice.
AB  - To optimize the adequate atherogenic diet composition for nutritional
      atherosclerosis studies utilizing B6.KOR-Apoe(shl) mice, we investigated the
      effect of dietary cholesterol, AIN formula, and dietary fats on the development
      of atherosclerosis. Cholesterol supplementation (0.15-2%) for 12 weeks resulted
      in a dose-dependent increase in the development of atherosclerosis. Furthermore,
      there were no significant differences in the degree of atherosclerosis between
      B6.KOR-Apoe(shl) mice fed a modified-AIN-76 diet and those fed a modified-AIN-93M
      diet containing corn oil or soybean oil for 10 and 12 weeks. The present
      experiment indicates that the adequate dietary level of cholesterol was 0.15%,
      and that further studies are necessary to determine the optimal level of various
      types of dietary oils for nutritional atherosclerosis experiments in B6.KOR
      Apoe(shl) mice.

PMID- 20299763
TI  - Analysis of sterol and other components present in unsaponifiable matters of
      mahua, sal and mango kernel oil.
AB  - The amount and characterization of phytosterol and other minor components present
      in three Indian minor seed oils, mahua (Madhuca latifolia), sal (Shorea robusta)
      and mango kernel (Mangifera indica), have been done. Theses oils have shown
      commercial importance as cocoa-butter substitutes because of their high
      symmetrical triglycerides content. The conventional thin layer chromatography
      (TLC), gas chromatography (GC) & gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS)
      techniques were used to characterize the components and the high performance thin
      layer chromatography (HPTLC) technique was used to quantify the each group of
      components. The experimental data showed that the all the three oils are rich in
      sterol content and among all the sterols, beta-sitosterol occupies the highest
      amount. Sal oil contains appreciable amount of cardenolides, gitoxigenin.
      Tocopherol is present only in mahua oil and oleyl alcohol is present in mango
      kernel oil. Hydrocarbon, squalene, is present in all the three oils. The
      characterization of these minor components will help to detect the presence of
      the particular oil in specific formulations and to assess its stability as well
      as nutritional quality of the specific oil.

PMID- 20299765
TI  - Effects of bleach activator, sodium alkyl acyloxybenzene sulfonate, on house dust
      mites (Dermatophagoides farinae).
AB  - House dust mites (Dermatophagoides farinae) in bedding and clothes are a major
      allergen. However, house dust mites cannot be killed by general washing
      conditions under 50 degrees C. Therefore, low-temperature washing conditions must
      be improved to eliminate house dust mites. Sodium alkyl acyloxybenzene sulfonate
      (OBS) is a bleach activator that is used to intensify the bleaching effects of
      some laundry products. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of
      OBS on the elimination of house dust mites in low-temperature washing conditions.
      D. farinae was soaked in solutions containing different types of OBS for various
      durations and at various temperatures. The miticidal effects of the various
      washing conditions were also evaluated for D. farinae. Then sodium
      lauroyloxybenzene sulfonate (OBS-12) produced the highest D. farinae mortality
      rate among the OBS solutions that were examined and had a stronger miticidal
      effect than available chlorine under general washing conditions. OBS exhibited
      miticidal effects under general washing conditions at low temperatures. Since OBS
      is already used as an additive in some laundry products to increase the bleaching
      activity, OBS can be easily used to kill house dust mites under general washing
      conditions.

PMID- 20299764
TI  - Antibacterial activity and the variation of Tanacetum parthenium (L.) Schultz
      Bip. essential oils from Turkey.
AB  - Water-distilled essential oils from herbal parts of Tanacetum parthenium from two
      different localities in Turkey were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The essential oil
      of T. parthenium collected from Davutpasa-Istanbul location were characterized
      with camphor 49%, trans-chrysanthenyl acetate 22.1% and camphene 9.4%. Second
      plant sample is collected from the remote east end of the country Savsat-Ardahan
      location. The essential oil from this location was characterized with camphor
      60.8% and camphene 6.8%. Unlike the former this sample contains trans
      chrysanthenyl acetate in trace amount and cis- chrysanthenyl acetate in very
      small amount (0.6%) which is not present in the first sample. Antibacterial
      activity of the oils were evaluated for five Gram (+) and five Gram (-) bacteria
      by using a broth microdilution assay. The highest activity was observed on
      Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant S.aureus
      however when compared with positive control oils showed higher MIC values. The
      oil of Istanbul-sample showed highest activity on B. subtilis (125 microg/mL) and
      methicillin-resistant S. aureus (125 microg/mL) which is two fold concentration
      when compared with the positive control chloramphenicol (62.5 microg/mL). The oil
      of Ardahan sample showed the highest activity on S. aureus (125 microg/mL) which
      is likewise two fold concentration of the positive control chloramphenicol (62.5
      microg/mL). DPPH scavenging activity was 59.3% of the oil from Davutpasa at 15
      mg/mL concentration. When compared to positive control alpha-tocopherol (94.6%)
      Savsat oil (28.2%) showed low and Davutpasa oil showed medium DPPH scavenging
      activity. All of the oils showed toxicity to Vibrio fischeri in the TLC
      bioluminescence assay.

PMID- 20299766
TI  - Novel synthesis of N-alkoxycarbonyl amino acids and surfactant properties of
      their sodium salts.
AB  - N-Acyl amino acids have been prepared from fatty acid chlorides and amino acids,
      but it may not be easy to vary the hydrophobic groups on the view point of
      availability. In this work, instead of acid halides, long alkyl chloroformates
      were prepared by the facile reaction of alcohols and triphosgene as an induction
      agent of hydrophobic group on amino acids. N-Alkoxycarbonyl amino acids were
      synthesized from alkyl chloroformate and amino acids under Schotten-Baumann
      reaction condition with some modification. Surfactant properties of their sodium
      salts were studied by surface tension measurements, dynamic light scattering and
      foaming test, and compared with those of N-acyl amino acids. Sodium salts of N
      alkoxycarbonyl amino acids showed an excellent surface tension lowering ability
      comparable to N-acyl amino acids, and they also exhibited good foaming ability
      and stability.

PMID- 20299767
TI  - Composition-insensitive highly viscous wormlike micellar solutions formed in
      anionic and cationic surfactant systems.
AB  - We investigated phase behavior and rheological properties of aqueous micellar
      phase formed in water/cocoyl glutamate neutralized with triethanol amine (CGT
      n)/hexadecyl trimethylammonium salt (CTAB or CTAC) systems, where n is a degree
      of neutralization. Micellar phase appears in wide composition range with respect
      to the surfactant mixing fraction in ternary phase diagrams at 25 degrees C. At
      high mixing fraction of cationic surfactant in the water/CGT-n/CTAB systems, one
      can observe a highly viscous micellar phase in which worm-like micelles are
      expected to form. Contrary to conventional systems in which worm-like micelles
      are formed, the zero-shear viscosity of the micellar solution in the water/CGT
      n/CTAB system with n=1.2 increases with the addition of cationic cosurfactant and
      once decreases after a maximum, then increases again and decreases after the
      second maximum. At n=1.5 and 2, highly viscous solution is observed in the
      relatively wide range of surfactant mixing fraction instead of two maxima of the
      viscosity curve observed at n=1.2. In the case of CTAC instead of CTAB we can
      observe narrow composition range for the maximum viscosity. Frequency sweep
      measurements were performed on the highly viscous samples in the water/CGT
      1.5/CTAB system. Typical viscoelastic behavior of worm-like micellar solutions is
      observed; i.e. the curves of storage (G') and loss (G") moduli make a crossover
      and the data points of G' and G" can be fitted to the Maxwell model. Relaxation
      time against the mixing fraction of two surfactants behaves similarly to the zero
      shear viscosity change, whereas the plateau modulus continuously increases in the
      plateau region for the zero-shear viscosity curve.

PMID- 20299768
TI  - Three new cyclic diarylheptanoids and other phenolic compounds from the bark of
      Myrica rubra and their melanogenesis inhibitory and radical scavenging
      activities.
AB  - Ten cyclic diarylheptanoids (1-10), including three new compounds: myricanone 5-O
      alpha-L-arabinofuranosyl-(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (7), myricanone 17-O-beta
      D-(6'-O-galloyl)-glucopyranoside (8), and 16-methoxy acerogenin B 9-O-beta-D
      apiofuranosyl-(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (10), along with two flavonoids (11,
      12), were isolated from the extracts of Myrica rubra (Myricaceae) bark. The
      structures of new compounds were determined on the basis of spectroscopic
      methods. On evaluation of compounds 1-12 against the melanogenesis in the B16
      melanoma cells, six compounds, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, and 12, exhibited inhibitory
      effects with 30-56% reduction of melanin content at 25 microg/mL with no or very
      weak toxicity to the cells (82-103% of cell viability at 25 microg/mL). In
      addition, upon evaluation of compounds 1-12 against the scavenging activities of
      free radicals [against the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical], seven
      compounds, 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 11, and 12, showed potent scavenging activity [IC(50) 2
      21 microM (0.6-7.3 microg/mL)].

PMID- 20299769
TI  - Formulation and in vitro evaluation of ketoprofen in palm oil esters nanoemulsion
      for topical delivery.
AB  - The aim of the present study is to formulate and investigate the potential of
      nanoemulsion formulation for topical delivery of ketoprofen. In this study, Palm
      Oil Esters (POEs) a newly introduced oil by Universiti Putra Malaysia researchers
      was chosen for the oil phase of the nanoemulsion, because the oil was reported to
      be a good vehicle for pharmaceutical use. Oil-in-water nanoemulsion was prepared
      by spontaneous emulsification method. The droplets size was studied by laser
      scattering spectroscopy (Nanophox) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM).
      Franz diffusion cells were used, to determine the drug release and drug
      transferred through methyl acetate cellulose membrane (artificial membrane). The
      results of droplets size analysis shows the droplets are in the range of
      nanoemulsion which is below than 500 nm. The in vitro release profile shows a
      sufficient percentage of drugs released through the methyl acetate cellulose
      membrane. This initial study showed that the nanoemulsion formulated using POEs
      has great potential for topical delivery of ketoprofen.

PMID- 20299770
TI  - Principal component and interacting QTL analyses identify novel gene loci
      associated with metabolic traits in mice.
AB  - Previously analyzed F2 mice between KK/Ta and RR/Sgn strains were further
      investigated by defining appropriate permutation-derived threshold levels for
      significance and by searching pairwise gene interactions. In addition, a
      principal component analysis was conducted to extract a potential parameter that
      accounts for the joint occurrence of metabolic abnormalities. As a result, one
      significant interaction, containing novel QTL on chromosome 15, was identified
      for plasma total-cholesterol levels. For the principal component that potentially
      accounted for the joint occurrence of metabolic abnormalities, one significant
      QTL was identified on chromosome 12. This locus was not significant for any
      single trait. These complex genetic bases could not be disclosed as long as a
      separate trait was analyzed by traditional single QTL scans.

PMID- 20299771
TI  - Canine distemper virus infection in fennec fox (Vulpes zerda).
AB  - Fifteen 8-month-old fennec foxes imported from Sudan showed fever, mucopurulent
      ocular discharge, diarrhea, severe emaciation, seizures, and generalized ataxia,
      and died. Three of the 15 animals were presented for diagnostic investigation.
      Severe dehydration, brain congestion, and gastric ulcers were observed in all
      animals. In one animal, the lungs had failed to collapse and were multifocally
      dark red in appearance. Histopathologically, there were lymphohistiocytic
      meningoencephalitis with malacia, mild interstitial pneumonia, lymphoid depletion
      of lymphoid tissues and organs, and intestinal villous atrophy with intralesional
      coccidia. There were many intracytoplasmic and/or intranuclear inclusion bodies
      in the epithelial cells of the medullary velum, lungs, liver, kidneys, trachea,
      pancreas, stomach, gall bladder, urinary bladder, and ureters, and in macrophages
      of malacia foci and lymphocytes and macrophages of lymphoid organs. Additionally,
      intestinal coccidia were confirmed to be Isospora species by a fecal test. To our
      knowledge, this is the first report of canine distemper with intestinal
      coccidiosis in fennec fox.

PMID- 20299772
TI  - Participation in genetic testing research varies by social group.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Advances in technology have made individual access to personal
      genetic information foreseeable in the near future. Policy makers and the media
      forecast that the ready availability of personal genetic profiles would benefit
      both the individual and the health care system by improving outcomes and
      decreasing cost. However, there is a significant gap between having access to
      genetic data and either wanting or understanding the information it provides.
      OBJECTIVE: Our primary aim was to evaluate, using a population-based sample of
      healthy adults, whether gender, race and education status influences interest and
      participation in a multiplex genetic susceptibility test. METHODS: Healthy,
      insured individuals, 25-40 years of age, were approached via a large, integrated
      health system in which primary and specialty care is available. Study
      participants were offered personalized genetic risk information on 8 common
      chronic health conditions. Social groups historically known not to participate in
      genetic research (men, African Americans and those from lower education
      neighborhoods) were oversampled. We describe the recruitment outcomes and testing
      decisions of these social groups. RESULTS: We found that even among those with
      access to health care, African Americans were less likely to participate in the
      multiplex genetic susceptibility test, while those from higher education
      neighborhoods were more likely to participate. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest
      that large social groups will likely be underrepresented in research in
      personalized genomics even when robust population-based recruitment strategies
      are employed.

PMID- 20299773
TI  - First results of [11C]choline PET/CT-guided secondary lymph node surgery in
      patients with PSA failure and single lymph node recurrence after radical
      retropubic prostatectomy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: [(11)C]choline PET/CT provides the opportunity to detect small
      lymph node metastases (LNM) (>5 mm) in prostate cancer (PCa) with exact
      topographic allocation. PSA development after resection of single LN recurrence
      detected via [(11)C]choline PET/CT without adjuvant therapy is not yet analyzed.
      We wanted to evaluate the potential of [(11)C]choline PET/CT in the diagnosis of
      single LN recurrence after radical prostatectomy (RPE) and whether secondary
      resection can result in PSA remission. METHODS: We investigated 6 patients with
      biochemical recurrence (PSA: median 2.04, range 0.67-4.51 ng/ml) after RPE. A
      single suspicious LN was detected on PET/CT without suspicion of local relapse or
      distant metastasis. The suspicious and nearby LN were open dissected (09/2004
      02/2008). Histological and PET/CT findings were compared and the postoperative
      PSA development was examined. RESULTS: All metastasis-suspicious LN could be
      confirmed histologically. The additionally removed 10 LN were all correctly
      negative for cancer. Three patients showed a complete permanent PSA remission
      (<0.01 (n = 2), <0.03 ng/ml (n = 1)) without adjuvant therapy (follow-up: median
      24, range 21-35 months). CONCLUSIONS: In this small selected collective
      [(11)C]choline PET/CT achieved reliable results. After resection of single LNM in
      all patients the oncologic criteria of a remission were fulfilled. Three of 6
      patients had a complete PSA remission without adjuvant therapy. Whether cure or a
      positive influence on the course of disease can be achieved in individual
      patients has to be shown in further studies.

PMID- 20299774
TI  - Addition of lidocaine suppositories to periprostatic nerve block enhances pain
      control in prostate biopsies: a placebo-controlled randomized trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a combined topical
      and local anesthesia consisting of a transrectal lidocaine suppository followed
      by periprostatic nerve block (PNB) in comparison to the combination of
      transrectally applied lidocaine gel followed by PNB and PNB alone as methods of
      reducing pain during transrectal prostate biopsy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 100
      patients were randomized to four groups and received either a placebo suppository
      or 10 ml of 2% lidocaine gel or a suppository containing 60 or 120 mg of
      lidocaine 1 h before biopsy. Additionally, every patient received a PNB using 5
      ml 2% lidocaine. After performing an extensive transrectal ultrasound-guided
      biopsy, pain was evaluated using a visual pain scale. RESULTS: The mean pain
      score in the placebo group was 3.4, in the lidocaine gel group it was 3.7, and in
      the 60 or 120 mg lidocaine suppository groups it was 2.4 and 2.5, respectively.
      No patient showed vegetative symptoms like sweating or symptomatic hypotonia and
      no patient had severe pain. CONCLUSION: The addition of lidocaine suppositories
      to PNB as a form of combined anesthesia showed a significantly better pain
      reduction than the addition of lidocaine gel to PNB or PNB alone.

PMID- 20299775
TI  - The role of exenterative surgery and urinary diversion in persistent or locally
      recurrent gynecological malignancy: complications and survival.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Treatment options in patients with persistent or locally recurrent
      cervical cancer are limited. The aim of this study was to determine the chance of
      cure and associated morbidity following pelvic exenteration. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Consecutive patients who underwent pelvic exenteration between January
      1992 and December 2006 at the University Hospital of Bern or the Karlsruhe
      Medical Center were evaluated. Time to recurrence, type of exenteration and
      urinary diversion, pathological stage, postoperative complications and survival
      were assessed. RESULTS: Initial therapy prior to diagnosis of persistent or
      locally recurrent disease included radiation therapy in 51%. Anterior
      exenteration was performed in 37 (86%) and total exenteration in 6 (14%). Half of
      the women underwent additional procedures. A continent urinary diversion was
      constructed in 16 and an ileal conduit in 27 patients. Early postoperative
      complications were generally minor and only 2 patients required surgical
      intervention. Four intestinal fistulas were successfully treated conservatively.
      Late complications were mainly tumor-related. Complication rates associated with
      the urinary diversion were low and there was no difference in complications
      between continent and incontinent diversions. The overall disease-specific 5-year
      survival rate after exenteration was 36.5%. Survival correlated significantly
      with surgical margin status. CONCLUSION: In patients with persistent or locally
      recurrent gynecological malignancy of the pelvis, exenteration is a viable option
      with long-term survival in over one third of patients. Continent urinary
      diversion did not show higher complication rates than an ileal conduit and should
      be considered even in irradiated patients. This may be of greater significance in
      younger patients in whom an intact body image can play an important role in
      quality of life.

PMID- 20299776
TI  - Downsizing a tumor thrombus of advanced renal cell carcinoma with neoadjuvant
      systemic therapy and resulting histopathological effects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We report a treatment option in surgical therapy of locally advanced
      renal cell carcinoma (RCC). METHOD: A 63-year-old patient with locally advanced
      RCC including an atrial thrombus underwent 2 cycles of neoadjuvant therapy
      (Sutent 50 mg daily for 4 weeks followed by 2 weeks off) and then tumor surgery.
      Primary surgical therapy had to be delayed because of suspected bronchial
      carcinoma and additional diagnostics. After neoadjuvant therapy to downsize the
      tumor thrombus and exclusion of any additional malignant tumors, operation was
      done via abdominal access; no sternotomy was necessary. RESULTS:
      Histopathological examinations of the primary tumor after tyrosine kinase
      inhibitor therapy were evaluated and compared to tumor biopsy material taken
      before therapy. CONCLUSION: Neoadjuvant therapy with Sutent may represent a
      favorable treatment option in cases of locally advanced clear-cell RCC with
      extended tumor thrombus.

PMID- 20299777
TI  - The proportion of free PSA and upgrading of biopsy Gleason score after radical
      prostatectomy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Upgrading of biopsy Gleason score (GS) after radical prostatectomy
      (RP) to GS >or=7 is common in patients with low-grade prostate cancer in biopsy.
      We evaluated whether a low proportion of free PSA (%fPSA) and total PSA (tPSA)
      predict significant upgrading after RP. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 122 patients with
      biopsy GS 5 or 6 prostate cancer and a tPSA <10 ng/ml who underwent RP in our
      academic center were included in the study. The utility of prebiopsy %fPSA and
      tPSA as predictors of significant upgrading was evaluated. RESULTS: Among
      patients undergoing RP, upgrading to GS >or=7 was found in 61 of 122 (50%)
      patients. A low %fPSA was a predictor of significant upgrading of tumors with
      biopsy GS 5 or 6 prostate cancer in patients with tPSA <10 ng/ml. CONCLUSIONS:
      Our results suggest that the selection of prostate cancer patients for active
      surveillance or re-biopsy may be improved by using %fPSA as a predictor of
      significant upgrading.

PMID- 20299778
TI  - Is perioperative intravesically applied antibiotic solution effective in the
      prophylaxis of urinary tract infections after renal transplantation?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of intravesically applied amikacin for the
      prophylaxis of urinary tract infections (UTIs) occurring in the first 3 months
      after kidney transplantation. METHODS: In a prospective, randomized, controlled
      trial, 200 consecutive renal transplant recipients were randomly divided into two
      equal groups. The bladders of the first group, the amikacin group, were filled
      with saline solution containing amikacin (1 g in adults and 30 mg/kg in pediatric
      patients) whereas the bladders of the patients of the second group, the control
      group, were filled with saline solution. Patients were followed up for 3 months
      after transplantation with urine cultures to evaluate the prevalence of
      posttransplantation UTIs in both groups. RESULTS: The overall incidence of UTIs
      was found to be significantly lower in the amikacin group (25 vs. 49%; p =
      0.0007). In addition, male patients, patients with end-stage renal disease due to
      glomerulonephritis, patients receiving renal transplantation for the first time,
      or those from the amikacin group receiving a living-related graft had a
      significantly lower incidence of UTIs than their counterparts in the control
      group (p < 0.05). UTIs were most frequently caused by Escherichia coli (28.9%).
      CONCLUSIONS: Perioperative bladder irrigation with amikacin solution
      significantly decreases the overall incidence of UTIs in the first 3 months after
      kidney transplantation.

PMID- 20299779
TI  - Transient visual loss triggered by scuba diving in a patient with a petrous
      epidermoid and combined thrombotic risk factors.
AB  - A 25-year-old woman who developed transient neurological abnormalities after
      scuba diving is reported. The subsequent day she experienced transient left-side
      monocular blindness. Arterial ocular occlusion in apparently healthy young women
      is unusual, and a search for the cause of this devastating vascular event is
      mandatory. Occlusion of the left branch retinal artery, total occlusion of the
      left internal carotid artery, and a petrous apex epidermoid were found, together
      with a shortened prothrombin time (INR: 0.73), a slightly elevated serum
      cholesterol level (6.1 mmol/l) and combined thrombophilia (elevated FVIIIC plus
      type 2 sticky platelet syndrome). This case underlines the complex mechanism of
      thromboembolic diseases, and the importance of the acquired trigger (in the
      present case scuba diving) in addition to the long-term anatomical and
      biochemical risk factors.

PMID- 20299780
TI  - Inducible nitric oxide synthase-activated mitochondrial apoptotic pathway in
      hypoxic and aged rat hearts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hypoxia and aging determine on mammalian cells a stress response
      which implies modified production of oxidants, reactive oxygen species or
      reactive nitrogen species at the mitochondrial level, interfering with cell
      signaling proteins and inducing mitochondrial damage, apoptosis occurrence and
      functional consequences. OBJECTIVE: Here we report the effects of hypoxia on the
      in vivo morphological and biochemical response of young and aged Wistar rat
      hearts. METHODS: Left ventricles were excised from each experimental point and
      processed. Investigations of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression
      and apoptotic events, mitochondrial damage, were performed by light and electron
      microscopy, respectively; endothelial, inducible and neuronal NOS, PKCalpha,
      pPKCalpha, caspase-3 expression and Apaf-1/cytochrome c complex formation were
      assessed by Western blotting and co-immunoprecipitation analyses, respectively.
      RESULTS: Besides morphological modifications, which confirm mitochondrial
      suffering upon hypoxia exposure in both young and aged hearts, the role played by
      PKCalpha in controlling nitric oxide synthase (NOS) protein level was
      investigated. Downstream PKCalpha activation, a dramatic iNOS expression
      increase, concomitant to enhanced apoptotic cell percentage and Apaf-1/cytochrome
      c co-immunoprecipitation, is evident in the hypoxic young, suggesting iNOS
      mediated activation of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. CONCLUSIONS:
      Moreover, overexpression of iNOS and VEGF in the hypoxic young rat hearts
      suggests that an increased VEGF level may allow coordinated development of the
      lymphatic and blood vasculature, necessary for fluid homeostasis and to
      counteract oxidative stress. Thus the inhibition of such growth factor proposes
      new therapeutic possibilities for diseases associated to vascular function and
      for solid tumors which show pathological angiogenesis and lymphoangiogenesis.

PMID- 20299781
TI  - The first cytogenetic map of the tuatara, Sphenodon punctatus.
AB  - Tuatara, Sphenodon punctatus, is the last survivor of the distinctive reptilian
      order Rhynchocephalia and is a species of extraordinary zoological interest, yet
      only recently have genomic analyses been undertaken. The karyotype consists of 28
      macrochromosomes and 8 microchromosomes. A Bacterial Artificial Chromosome (BAC)
      library constructed for this species has allowed the first characterization of
      the tuatara genome. Sequence analysis of 11 fully sequenced BAC clones
      (approximately 0.03% coverage) increased the estimate of genome wide GC
      composition to 47.8%, the highest reported for any vertebrate. Our physical
      mapping data demonstrate discrete accumulation of repetitive elements in large
      blocks on some chromosomes, particularly the microchromosomes. We suggest that
      the large size of the genome (5.0 pg/haploid) is due to the accumulation of
      repetitive sequences. The microchromosomes of tuatara are rich in repetitive
      sequences, and the observation of one animal that lacked a microchromosome pair
      suggests that at least this microchromosome is unnecessary for survival. We used
      BACs bearing orthologues of known genes to construct a low-coverage cytogenetic
      map containing 21 markers. We identified a region on chromosome 4 of tuatara that
      shares homology with 7 Mb of chicken chromosome 2, and therefore the orthologous
      region of the snake Z chromosome. We identified a region on tuatara chromosome 3
      that is orthologous to the chicken Z, and a region on chromosome 9 orthologous to
      the mammalian X. Since the tuatara determines sex by temperature and has no sex
      chromosomes, this implies that different tuatara autosome regions are homologous
      with the sex chromosomes of mammals, birds and snakes. We have identified anchor
      BAC clones that can be used to reliably mark chromosomes 3-7, 10 and 13, some of
      which are difficult to distinguish based on morphology alone. Fluorescence in
      situ hybridization mapping of 18S rDNA confirms the presence of a single NOR
      located on the long arm of chromosome 7, as previously identified by silver
      staining. Further work to construct a dense physical map will lead to a better
      understanding of the dynamics of genome evolution and organization in this
      isolated species.

PMID- 20299782
TI  - Relationship between assays of glycemia in diabetic subjects with advanced
      chronic kidney disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Relative to hemoglobin A(1c) (HbA(1c)), glycated albumin (GA) more
      accurately reflects recent glycemic control in diabetic patients on hemodialysis
      and peritoneal dialysis. These assays have yet to be compared in patients with
      advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: HbA(1c) and GA were
      simultaneously measured in 303 diabetic subjects: 70 with CKD prior to dialysis
      (CKD-stage 4), 184 with CKD after transplantation (TXP-stage 3) and 49 non
      nephropathy controls. RESULTS: Mean estimated GFR was 76, 46 and 26 ml/min in
      controls, TXP-3 and CKD-4 cases, respectively. Mean (SD) HbA(1c) (%) and GA (%)
      concentrations were 7.30 (1.40) and 16.8 (4.9) in controls, 7.28 (1.66) and 21.5
      (6.4) in CKD-4 cases, and 7.21 (1.62) and 21.2 (5.5) in TXP-3 cases,
      respectively. The GA:HbA(1c) ratio differed significantly between non-nephropathy
      controls and both groups of CKD patients (both p < 0.001), but not between CKD-4
      and TXP-3 cases (p = 0.92). The glucose:HbA(1c) ratio was inversely associated
      with GFR in all 254 nephropathy cases (r = -0.13; p = 0.04), while glucose:GA did
      not vary significantly based upon GFR (r = -0.08; p = 0.24). CONCLUSIONS: The
      relationship between glycated albumin and HbA(1c) is influenced by the presence
      of reduced GFR in diabetic patients with CKD. The accuracy of the HbA(1c) assay
      in diabetic subjects with severe nephropathy requires further investigation,
      although HbA(1c) performs relatively well with milder CKD.

PMID- 20299783
TI  - Suppressor of cytokine signaling-1 ameliorates expression of MCP-1 in diabetic
      nephropathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducers and activators of transcription
      (STAT) contribute to diabetic nephropathy. Suppressor of cytokine signaling-1
      (SOCS-1) is one of the negative feedback regulators of JAK/STAT signaling. This
      study investigated the effect of SOCS-1 on the JAK/STAT pathway and MCP-1
      expression in diabetic nephropathy. METHODS: Streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice
      received pEF-FLAG-I/mSOCS-1 plasmid or pEF-FLAG-I vector for 4 weeks and were
      compared with age-matched nondiabetic mice. Functional and pathologic markers,
      expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and TGF-beta1 and
      phosphorylation of STAT1 and STAT3 were assessed. The effect of SOCS-1 on the
      expression of MCP-1 in mesangial cells under high glucose conditions was also
      examined. RESULTS: Urine albumin excretion and renal hypertrophy were alleviated
      in diabetic mice by overexpression of SOCS-1. The expression of TGF-beta1 and MCP
      1 and the activation of STAT1 and STAT3 were significantly inhibited in diabetic
      kidney by gene delivery of SOCS-1. In cultured mesangial cells, overexpression of
      SOCS-1 markedly suppressed high glucose-induced MCP-1 expression. CONCLUSIONS:
      This study suggests that SOCS-1 may attenuate renal damage by ameliorating MCP-1
      expression and regulation of the phosphorylation of JAK/STAT in diabetic mice.

PMID- 20299784
TI  - Role of body composition in the glycaemic response to foods fed to three
      different ethnic groups: a pilot study.
AB  - AIM: To examine the role of overweight and obesity on the glycaemic response to
      foods across the whole population. DESIGN: Randomised, repeated measures design.
      SETTING: Oxford, UK. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Twenty-seven healthy volunteers, 9
      Caucasian, 9 Asian, and 9 African, voluntarily participated in the study. The
      glycaemic response to two breakfast cereals and two bread types was determined in
      obese and overweight subjects. RESULTS: The current study shows that a very
      strong correlation exists between fasting blood glucose, peak change in glucose
      and the IAUC for glucose with each of BMI and WC (r = 0.88, 0.92; 0.82, 0.82;
      0.91, 0.81; p = 0.01, respectively) for the Caucasian group. In addition, there
      was a strong significant negative association between the mean GI values of the
      four foods and the BMI for the Caucasian subjects (r = 0.61, p < 0.05).
      Furthermore, there was a strong positive significant association between the mean
      GI values of the four foods and the percentage body fat mass for the Asian
      subjects (r = 0.67, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study has shown that the GI
      values of foods are affected by body composition in Asian and Caucasian subjects.

PMID- 20299785
TI  - Preliminary evidence of a high risk of bleeding on aspirin plus clopidogrel in
      aspirin-naive patients in the acute phase after TIA or minor ischaemic stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aspirin plus clopidogrel (A+C) may be more effective than aspirin
      only (AO) acutely after TIA and minor stroke, but the risk of bleeding in the
      acute phase is uncertain. We determined this risk, focusing particularly on
      aspirin-naive patients. METHODS: We studied consecutive referrals to the EXPRESS
      study clinic from 1/4/02 to 31/3/08. A 30- to 90-day course of A+C was given to
      patients presenting acutely. Bleeding events were identified by face-to-face
      follow-up, diagnostic coding, and blood transfusion data. Unpublished data from
      the FASTER pilot trial were also studied. RESULTS: Among 633 EXPRESS patients
      treated with aspirin (+/- clopidogrel), there were 12 spontaneous bleeds (6
      minor, 6 major/life-threatening) within 90 days after assessment, with a higher
      risk for A+C vs. AO (8/247 vs. 4/386, p = 0.047 overall; 5/247 vs. 1/386, p =
      0.03 for major/life-threatening bleeds). The excess of major/life-threatening
      bleeds on A+C vs. AO was seen in aspirin-naive patients, (4/137 vs. 0/273, p =
      0.01), but not in prior-aspirin patients (1/110 vs. 1/113, p = 0.98). All
      symptomatic bleeds in the FASTER pilot also occurred in aspirin-naive patients
      randomized to A+C (6/104 vs. 0/94, p = 0.03). In a pooled analysis, major/life
      threatening bleeding on A+C occurred in 9/241 aspirin-naive patients (90-day risk
      = 4.8%, 1.6-8.0) versus 1/204 prior-aspirin patients (p = 0.009). CONCLUSION:
      Although based on relatively few outcomes, the high risk of major bleeding on A+C
      acutely after TIA or minor stroke in aspirin-naive patients is a cause for
      concern. The potential risk to patients is sufficient to mandate detailed
      monitoring of bleeding risk in ongoing trials and stratify results by whether
      patients were aspirin-naive.

PMID- 20299786
TI  - Fibro-fatty volume of culprit lesions in Virtual Histology intravascular
      ultrasound is associated with the amount of debris during carotid artery
      stenting.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the amount of
      aspirated debris during distal balloon-protected carotid artery stenting (CAS)
      and the pre-intervention plaque composition, as assessed by Virtual Histology
      (VH) intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). METHODS: The study subjects were 25
      consecutive patients (mean age, 73.0 +/- 5.2 years; 20 males and 5 females) who
      underwent CAS under distal balloon protection. The average rate of carotid
      stenosis was 74.6 +/- 12.9% by North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy
      Trial criteria. We assessed culprit plaque components by VH-IVUS before CAS.
      Aspirated debris was filtered, stained with HE and mounted onto glass slides. The
      quantity of debris was evaluated by measuring its surface area. We evaluated the
      relationship between the quantity of aspirated debris and VH-IVUS measurements
      before CAS. RESULTS: The amount of debris during CAS was positively correlated
      with the total plaque volume in grayscale IVUS (Rs = 0.480, p = 0.015) and fibro
      fatty volumes over the entire lesion length in VH-IVUS (Rs = 0.561, p = 0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: Culprit lesions with large plaque volumes, especially larger fibro
      fatty volumes, as imaged by VH-IVUS, are associated with large amounts of debris
      during balloon-protected CAS.

PMID- 20299787
TI  - Impact of prestroke oral anticoagulation on severity and outcome of ischemic and
      hemorrhagic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stroke prevention with oral anticoagulation is effective in patients
      with atrial fibrillation. An additional beneficial effect of oral anticoagulation
      prior to the event on stroke severity and prognosis was suggested in ischemic
      strokes. We tested whether this benefit is preserved after inclusion of
      hemorrhagic strokes and adjustment for prestroke living conditions. METHODS: Data
      were used from a prospective hospital-based intervention trial evaluating quality
      of care and outcome in ten district hospitals. All ischemic and hemorrhagic
      stroke patients with atrial fibrillation were included. We analyzed separate
      multivariable regression models to identify factors associated with prescription
      of oral anticoagulation before stroke and to investigate the independent effect
      of anticoagulation on admission stroke severity, 3-month mortality and functional
      outcome. RESULTS: The analysis comprised 804 (718 ischemic, 86 hemorrhagic)
      stroke patients admitted between July 2003 and March 2005. Males, patients aged
      65-84, living independently, with diabetes, previous cerebrovascular event or
      additional high cardioembolic risks were more likely to receive oral
      anticoagulation before admission. Admission international normalized ratio (INR)
      between 2 and 3 (OR 0.35, 95% CI: 0.17-0.71) or higher (OR 0.32, 95% CI: 0.11
      0.92) was associated with less severe strokes (including hemorrhagic strokes)
      compared with INR <2. Anticoagulation was associated with decreased risk of death
      and poor functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale >3) at 3 months (OR 0.54, 95%
      CI: 0.36-0.84, and OR 0.70, 95% CI: 0.47-1.06). After adjustment for stroke
      severity, anticoagulation had no additional effect on mortality and functional
      outcome. CONCLUSIONS: The beneficial effect of prestroke anticoagulation on
      stroke outcome related to the reduced stroke severity is not offset by adverse
      effects in hemorrhagic stokes.

PMID- 20299788
TI  - Mean platelet volume in the early phase of acute ischemic stroke is not
      associated with severity or functional outcome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies reported an increase of mean platelet volume (MPV)
      in patients with acute ischemic stroke. However, its correlation with stroke
      severity has not been investigated. Moreover, studies on the association of MPV
      with functional outcome yielded inconsistent results. METHODS: We included all
      consecutive ischemic stroke patients admitted to CHUV (Centre Hospitalier
      Universitaire Vaudois) Neurology Service within 24 h after stroke onset who had
      MPV measured on admission. The association of MPV with stroke severity (NIHSS
      score at admission and at 24 h) and outcome (Rankin Scale score at 3 and 12
      months) was analyzed in univariate analysis. The chi(2) test was performed to
      compare the frequency of minor strokes (NIHSS score < or =4) and good functional
      outcome (Rankin Scale score < or =2) across MPV quartiles. The ANOVA test was
      used to compare MPV between stroke subtypes according to the TOAST
      classification. Student's two-tailed unpaired t test was performed to compare MPV
      between lacunar and nonlacunar strokes. MPV was generated at admission by the
      Sysmex XE-2100 automated cell counter (Sysmex Corporation, Kobe, Japan) from EDTA
      blood samples. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the frequency of
      minor strokes (p = 0.46) and good functional outcome (p = 0.06) across MPV
      quartiles. MPV was not associated with stroke severity or outcome in univariate
      analysis. There was no significant difference in MPV between stroke subtypes
      according to the TOAST classification (p = 0.173) or between lacunar and
      nonlacunar strokes (10.50 +/- 0.91 vs. 10.40 +/- 0.81 fl, p = 0.322).
      CONCLUSIONS: MPV, assessed within 24 h after ischemic stroke onset, is not
      associated with stroke severity or functional outcome.

PMID- 20299789
TI  - Difference in infarct volume and patterns between cardioembolism and internal
      carotid artery disease: focus on the degree of cardioembolic risk and carotid
      stenosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Infarct volume and patterns may vary according to the
      stroke subtype. Within each stroke subtype, however, it is not clear if the
      infarct volume and patterns are affected by the risk of cardioembolism (CE) and
      the degree of arterial stenosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We included consecutive
      patients with acute symptomatic ischemic lesions on diffusion-weighted imaging
      (DWI) performed within 48 h of symptom onset who had CE or internal carotid
      artery disease (ICAD). CE was divided into high-risk and medium-risk groups, and
      ICAD was divided into ICA occlusion (ICAO) and ICA stenosis (ICAS > or =50%)
      groups. DWI lesion patterns were classified as single versus multiple, and as
      large territorial versus perforating artery (large > or =2 cm, small <2 cm)
      versus pial artery versus border zone infarct. Infarct volumes and National
      Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores were obtained. RESULTS: Of the
      167 patients included, 120 had CE (98 high-risk, 22 medium-risk) and 47 had ICAD
      (25 ICAO, 22 ICAS). The infarct volume was largest in the high-risk CE group,
      followed by the ICAO group. The infarct volumes in the medium-risk CE and ICAS
      groups were similar. Infarct volumes correlated with NIHSS scores. Single and
      large territorial infarcts were more common in the high-risk CE group, while
      multiple lesions as well as pial and border zone infarcts were more frequent in
      the ICAD subgroups. The lesion patterns of the medium-risk CE and ICAD groups
      were relatively similar. CONCLUSIONS: CE and ICAD have heterogeneous radiologic
      characteristics depending on the risk of embolism and the degree of carotid
      stenosis.

PMID- 20299791
TI  - Metabolic syndrome relates to lacunar stroke without white matter lesions: a
      study in first-ever lacunar stroke patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of three or more of the
      following risk factors: obesity, elevated blood pressure, elevated triglyceride
      level, elevated glucose level, and low high-density lipoprotein level. Lacunar
      infarcts (LS) account for 25% of all ischemic strokes and are small, deeply
      located brain infarcts. Two different subtypes exist, which are distinguished by
      the presence of concomitant white matter lesions (WML) on brain imaging. We
      determined the prevalence of MetS in LS and the association between MetS with LS
      subtypes in a series of first-ever LS patients. METHODS: We included 92 patients
      with a first-ever LS, and 92 patients with a first-ever atheroslerotic cortical
      stroke (CS) matched for age and sex. LS subtypes were defined according to
      presence of concomitant WML. We defined MetS retrospectively according to
      previously defined standards. RESULTS: 35.9% of LS patients and 45.7% of CS
      patients had MetS (OR 0.67; 95% CI 0.37-1.20). MetS was more prevalent in LS
      without WML than in LS with WML (44.4 and 23.7%, respectively; OR 2.98; 95% CI
      1.04-8.47). Similarly, MetS related more to CS compared to LS with WML (OR 2.56;
      95% CI 1.03-6.37). CONCLUSION: MetS relates more strongly to LS without WML and
      to CS, than to LS with WML. Our results suggest a different underlying mechanism
      between LS without WML and CS, and lacunar stroke with WML.

PMID- 20299792
TI  - Stroke and action slowing: mechanisms, determinants and prognosis value.
AB  - AIM: The present study aimed to determine the mechanisms and determinants of
      stroke-related action slowing. METHODS: Thirty-six stroke patients not presenting
      any clinical motor deficit of the preferred hand (mean post-stroke delay 11
      months) were compared to matched controls on Finger Tapping test (motor speed),
      Visual Inspection Time test (visual perceptual speed) and Simple and Choice
      Reaction Time tests. RESULTS: Patients were slower on all tests except Choice
      Reaction Time: Visual Inspection (p = 0.003), Finger Tapping test (p = 0.001),
      Simple Reaction Time (p = 0.002) tests were impaired including performance
      measured with the ipsi-lesional hand. This pattern and the uniform lengthening
      across the entire reaction time distribution both suggest that psychomotor
      slowing was due to slowing of perceptual and motor processes. The main
      determinant of action slowing was lesion location: (1) Visual Inspection Time =
      right inferior parietal lobulus (OR 18, 95% CI 2.9-108); (2) Finger Tapping =
      left frontal middle gyrus (OR 18, 95% CI 2.9-108) and lenticular nucleus (OR 59,
      95% CI 1.9-1,775), and (3) Simple Reaction Time = right lenticular nucleus (OR
      110, 95% CI 8-1,490) and posterior fossa (OR 55, 95% CI 3.4-890). Finally poor
      outcome depended on Tapping Frequency measured with the contra-lesional index (OR
      0.1, 95% CI 0.02-0.5; p = 0.0005) and impairment on the Token test (OR 151, 95%
      CI 2.24-1136; p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that stroke-related action
      slowing is mainly due to slowing of perceptual and motor processes. Action
      slowing was related to lesions of the large network. Finally Tapping Frequency is
      an independent predictor of outcome. This supports that action slowing is an
      important consequence of stroke and that it is a promising prognosis index.

PMID- 20299790
TI  - Novel hemostatic factor levels and risk of ischemic stroke: the Atherosclerosis
      Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The role of hemostatic factor levels in cerebral
      infarction remains uncertain. We studied the association of levels of several
      under-studied hemostatic factors with ischemic stroke in a population-based
      cohort. METHODS: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study includes
      15,792 individuals aged 45-54 years at intake. Hemostatic factors II, V, IX, X,
      XI, XII, plasminogen and alpha(2)-antiplasmin were measured on frozen citrate
      plasma samples from 1990 to 1992. A case-cohort design was used, including all
      incident ischemic strokes (n = 89) over a median of 7.5 years and a stratified
      cohort random sample (n = 412). To determine the association of hemostatic
      factors with incident ischemic stroke, we computed hazard ratios (HRs) using
      multivariate proportional hazard regression analyses adjusted for demographic and
      other cardiovascular risk factors. RESULTS: The cohort random sample had a mean
      age (SD) of 56.9 (5.4) years and 42% were men. The age-, sex- and race-adjusted
      HRs for highest versus lowest quartiles were: factor XI (2.74, 95% CI 1.42-5.29),
      factor IX (1.92, 95% CI 0.99-3.73), and alpha(2)-antiplasmin (2.24, 95% CI 1.16
      4.33). Correspondingly, the HRs of ischemic stroke per SD increment of factors
      XI, IX, and alpha(2)-antiplasmin were 1.64, 1.46 and 1.52, respectively (all p <
      0.05). After multivariate adjustment including other clinical variables, the
      standardized HR remained significant for factor XI (1.50, 95% CI 1.10-2.05), but
      no other factor. CONCLUSION: A greater level of factor XI was associated with an
      increased risk of ischemic stroke. Higher factor XI levels might help identify
      patients at elevated ischemic stroke risk.

PMID- 20299793
TI  - Prominent chemopreventive and chemoenhancing effects for resveratrol: unraveling
      molecular targets and the role of C-reactive protein.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Resveratrol (RSVL) claims health benefits that pertain to the
      consumption of red wine/grapes. We currently evaluated the chemopreventive
      effects of RSVL, as well as its possible chemoenhancing effects when given with
      cisplatin (CP), in the Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) solid tumor model.
      Further, we monitored concomitant changes in serum levels of C-reactive protein
      (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), leukocytic count (LC) and lipid
      peroxidation (measured as malondialdehyde, MDA). RESULTS: EAC-bearing mice
      exhibited a markedly elevated LC (2 fold), CRP (11 fold) and MDA levels (2.7
      fold). RSVL (20 or 40 mg/kg) elicited significant, dose-dependent reductions in
      tumor size (58 and 78%, respectively), as well as in LC (normalized), CRP (down
      to 2 fold), TNF-alpha (down to near control levels) and MDA levels (normalized).
      The chemopreventive effects for CP (55% reduction in cell growth) was
      significantly lower than that of RSVL (40 mg/kg, 79% inhibition). Interestingly,
      coadministration of RSVL (20 mg/kg) markedly enhanced the chemoprevention of CP.
      Correlation studies revealed a high degree of positive association between tumor
      growth and CRP (r = 0.89) and leukocytosis (r = 0.86), thus attesting to a
      diagnostic/prognostic role for CRP in this solid tumor. CONCLUSION: RSVL elicited
      remarkable cytotoxicity on its own and appreciably augmented those of CP as well.
      The extent of tumor progression in various mouse groups was highly reflected by
      CRP levels. RSVL acts prominently by reducing inflammatory cytokines,
      leukocytosis and oxidative stress.

PMID- 20299794
TI  - Carnitine deficiency aggravates cyclophosphamide-induced cardiotoxicity in rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study examined, for the first time, the involvement of carnitine
      deficiency in cardiotoxicity, particularly cyclophosphamide (CP)-induced
      cardiomyopathy, as well as effects of carnitine supplementation with propionyl-L
      carnitine (PLC) on cardiotoxicity. METHODS: An animal model of carnitine
      deficiency was developed in rats treated with D-carnitine (DC)-mildronate (MD).
      Adult male Wistar albino rats were assigned to one of six treatment groups: the
      first three groups were injected intraperitoneally with normal saline, PLC (250
      mg/kg/day), and DC (250 mg/kg/day) combined with MD (200 mg/kg/day),
      respectively, for 10 successive days. In groups 4-6, the same doses of normal
      saline, PLC and DC-MD were injected, respectively, during the 5 successive days
      before and after a single dose of CP (200 mg/kg). On day 6 after CP treatment, 24
      hour urine was collected, then animals were sacrificed, and serum as well as
      hearts were isolated. RESULTS: CP caused a significant increase in serum creatine
      phosphokinase isoenzyme (CK-MB), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), urinary carnitine
      excretion and clearance and intramitochondrial acetyl-CoA/CoA-SH, and a
      significant decrease in serum free carnitine, total carnitine and adenosine
      triphosphate (ATP) contents in cardiac tissue. In the carnitine-depleted rats, CP
      induced dramatic increases in CK-MB and LDH levels, carnitine clearance and
      intramitochondrial acetyl-CoA/CoA-SH, as well as progressive reduction in total
      carnitine and ATP in cardiac tissues. Interestingly, PLC supplementation
      completely reversed the biochemical and histopathological changes induced by CP
      to the control values. CONCLUSION: (1) Carnitine deficiency is a risk factor
      which is involved in CP-related cardiomyopathy; (2) serum and urinary carnitine
      levels should be monitored and viewed as indices of CP-induced multiple organ
      toxicity, and (3) carnitine supplementation, using PLC, prevents the development
      of CP-induced cardiotoxicity.

PMID- 20299795
TI  - Pentoxifylline inhibits integrin-mediated adherence of 12(S)-HETE and TNFalpha
      activated B16F10 cells to fibronectin and endothelial cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pentoxifylline (PTX), a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, inhibits homing
      of metastatic B16F10 melanoma cells to the lung. Studies on the mechanism of
      action of PTX showed inhibition of adhesion of cultured melanoma cells to various
      extracellular matrix substrates and inhibition of cell surface integrin
      expression. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of PTX on surface
      expression of integrin and integrin-mediated adhesion induced by biological
      mediators, tumour necrosis factor (TNF) alpha and 12(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic
      acid (HETE), in B16F10 cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: B16F10 cells were treated
      with 12(S)-HETE (1 microM, 1 h), TNFalpha (5 ng/ml, 2 h) and phorbol 12-myristate
      13-acetate (400 nM, 20 min), and the effect of PTX on these treatments was
      studied by flow cytometry, adhesion assay and confocal microscopy. RESULTS: 12(S)
      HETE and TNFalpha brought about an increase in the surface expression of beta(1)
      integrins and F10 cell adhesion to fibronectin and endothelial cells; this
      increased adhesion was mediated at least in part by alterations in the
      localization of beta(1) integrins. Pretreatment with PTX was able to completely
      abrogate this induction in integrin expression. CONCLUSION: PTX can inhibit
      surface expression of integrin and integrin-mediated adhesion induced by several
      biological mediators, and this might be a possible mechanism for its
      antimetastatic action, in vivo.

PMID- 20299796
TI  - Born to be bradycardic?

PMID- 20299797
TI  - Atypical ST segment elevation and ventricular fibrillation without structural
      heart disease: a new electrocardiographic presentation of a channelopathy?
AB  - Primary electrical syndromes are a group of rare inherited diseases that
      predispose to arrhythmias in the absence of structural abnormalities of the
      heart, and are associated with several ion channel mutations. Extrinsic factors,
      such as fever, may contribute to the development of electrical instability in
      these patients. We report the case of a 52-year-old patient who was admitted for
      syncope and had an in-hospital episode of ventricular fibrillation, who presented
      with an admission ECG showing marked precordial ST segment elevation (maximum 5
      mm in V2). The patient did not have structural heart disease and during the
      hospital stay there was progressive ST segment normalization, with features
      suggestive of Brugada pattern. An automated defibrillator was implanted for
      secondary prevention of sudden cardiac arrest. We believe that these findings may
      represent a new form of presentation of a genetic electrical syndrome.

PMID- 20299798
TI  - Functional rs20417 SNP (-765G>C) of cyclooxygenase-2 gene does not predict the
      risk of recurrence of ischemic events in coronary patients: results of a 7-year
      prospective study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The -765G>C variation (rs20417 SNP) in the promoter of cyclooxygenase
      2 (COX-2) gene has been demonstrated to lower COX-2 enzyme activity in the
      vasculature, thus affecting atherosclerotic plaque growth and stability.
      Therefore, this genetic variant may be a candidate influencing the residual risk.
      METHODS: In 285 coronary patients the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular
      events (MACEs), defined as a composite of cardiovascular deaths, non-fatal
      myocardial infarction and stroke, unstable angina and revascularization
      procedures, was monitored for a median of 7.8 years. The genotypes were obtained
      in 231 patients (81%) by PCR amplification and FAU I digestion. RESULTS: 89 MACEs
      (38.5%) were recorded during the follow-up in genotyped patients. Their incidence
      was not different in patients with GC or CC when compared with those with GG
      genotype (46.2 vs. 35.5% respectively; p = 0.14). Kaplan-Meyer analysis did not
      demonstrate any influence of COX-2 genotypes on the event-free survival time (log
      rank p = 0.55). After controlling for confounders, the -765G>C carrier status was
      not associated with significant variation in the risk of MACE or its individual
      components. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the functional G-765C variant
      in the COX-2 gene is not a significant predictor of the recurrence of ischemic
      events in coronary patients.

PMID- 20299799
TI  - Cerebellum and source memory.
AB  - We report the case of a 40-year-old right-handed German-speaking man who
      presented with ischemic stroke in the territories of the right superior
      cerebellar artery and posterior inferior cerebellar artery. The objective of the
      present study was to investigate the consequences of this cerebellar damage with
      regard to higher cognitive functions. On admission to the stroke unit, the
      patient presented with dysarthria, right-sided appendicular ataxia, gait ataxia,
      and right-sided horizontal nystagmus (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale,
      NIHSS, score 4). When examined 10 days after his stroke using a set of
      neuropsychological tests, he showed a marked deficit in the ability to remember
      when and in which context he had previously encountered verbal material. This
      aspect of memory, so-called 'source memory', is known to be mediated mainly by
      frontal and medial temporal structures. The present case suggests the existence
      of a strong functional connectivity between cerebellum and cortical regions
      underlying specific memory processes.

PMID- 20299800
TI  - Hysterectomy and lower urinary tract symptoms: a nonrandomized comparison of
      vaginal and abdominal hysterectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: It has been reported that lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS)
      are more prevalent in patients who have undergone hysterectomy. However, the
      effects of surgical approach of hysterectomy on micturition have not been well
      documented. The aim of this study is to compare LUTS between patients who
      underwent vaginal and abdominal hysterectomy. METHODS: Prospective observational
      study among 430 patients undergoing vaginal or abdominal hysterectomy for benign
      disease other than genital prolapse. Participating patients completed a validated
      disease-specific questionnaire before surgery, 6 months and 3 years after
      surgery. RESULTS: 112 women underwent vaginal hysterectomy and 318 abdominal
      hysterectomy. After correction for differences in uterine size, descent of the
      uterus and other differences, LUTS were more common at 3 years after surgery
      following vaginal than following abdominal hysterectomy (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.3-4.0).
      After adjustment for descent of the uterus, uteral size, parity and indication
      for hysterectomy, this difference was still statistical significant (adjusted OR
      3.0, 95% CI 1.4-6.2). CONCLUSION: As compared to abdominal hysterectomy, LUTS
      appear to be more common following vaginal hysterectomy.

PMID- 20299801
TI  - Morphological and molecular modifications induced by different carbohydrate
      sources in Tuber borchii.
AB  - During the life cycle of mycorrhizal fungi, morphological, genetic and metabolic
      modifications are induced in the fungus and its symbiotic partner. These changes
      are influenced by environmental factors: light, gravity, oxygen, temperature,
      soil type, nutrients, root exudates and the presence of particular bacterial and
      perhaps fungal and viral populations in the mycorrhizosphere. To determine
      whether different carbohydrates lead to cell-signalling events and
      morphofunctional changes in cultured Tuber borchii mycelia, the expression level
      of genes involved in morphological modifications was investigated using a
      macroarray technique and real-time RT-PCR. The morphological study showed an
      increased growth of Tuber mycelia in glucose, while the hyphae were thinner and
      less branched in sucrose and maltose. This was accompanied by an upregulation of
      the genes involved in the general cell metabolism, detoxification processes,
      hyphal growth and cytoskeleton organization. Since glucose is also present in
      root exudates, the increased expression of these genes might support the
      hypothesis that glucose can act as a signal for the fungus to indicate the
      presence of the plant, and to trigger the complex symbiotic process. These
      mechanisms can lead to morphological modifications, including increased branching
      of the root which is necessary for the fungus to establish the symbiosis.

PMID- 20299803
TI  - Obesity-associated cognitive decline: excess weight affects more than the
      waistline.

PMID- 20299802
TI  - Longitudinal examination of obesity and cognitive function: results from the
      Baltimore longitudinal study of aging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity indices (i.e. BMI, waist-to-hip ratio) show differential
      relationships to other health outcomes, though their association to
      neurocognitive outcome is unclear. METHODS: We examined whether central obesity
      would be more closely associated with cognitive function in 1,703 participants
      from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. RESULTS: Longitudinal mixed
      effects regression models showed multiple obesity indices were associated with
      poorer performance in a variety of cognitive domains, including global screening
      measures, memory, and verbal fluency tasks. Obesity was associated with better
      performance on tests of attention and visuospatial ability. An obesity index by
      age interaction emerged in multiple domains, including memory and
      attention/executive function. CONCLUSION: Obesity indices showed similar
      associations to cognitive function, and further work is needed to clarify the
      physiological mechanisms that link obesity to poor neurocognitive outcome.

PMID- 20299804
TI  - Size of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease epidemic associated with cadaveric dura
      transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ongoing surveillance following the 1996 Japanese nationwide survey on
      dural-graft-associated Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (d-CJD) has found that, of all d
      CJD cases occurring globally, most patients were identified in Japan. Despite
      wide recognition that the epidemic is the consequence of shortcomings in the
      regulation of organ transplantation and the tardy decision-making by the Japanese
      health ministry, the size of the d-CJD epidemic remains unknown. METHODS: To
      estimate the overall size of the d-CJD epidemic, a mathematical model was
      constructed using data on 132 d-CJD patients from the Japanese nationwide
      surveillance system from 1996 to 2008. RESULTS: Our bayesian model predicted the
      size of the epidemic to be 163 patients (95% bayesian credible set: 147-183),
      suggesting that the probability of observing a total of 200 d-CJD patients in the
      future is low. Further, using a model which included a hypothetical 1987 ban on
      the use of dura mater, we estimated that the number of patients developing d-CJD
      would have been between 82 and 122, had Japan acted sooner to counteract the
      influx of tainted grafts. CONCLUSION: From a public health point of view,
      minimizing the number of patients exposed should be the highest priority in
      stemming future epidemics.

PMID- 20299805
TI  - Time of birth, residential solar radiation and age at onset of multiple
      sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUNDS/AIM: Gestational and early life events have been suggested to
      contribute to multiple sclerosis (MS) susceptibility. We assessed the effects of
      time and place of birth on the age at onset of MS symptoms. METHODS: We selected
      a national cohort of 967 veterans from the Multiple Sclerosis Surveillance
      Registry for whom month and season (time) of birth, and birthplace (city and
      state) were available. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to examine
      the association between time of birth, birthplace latitude and solar radiation,
      and the age at onset of MS symptoms among the study sample. RESULTS: Patients
      with a relapsing form of the disease (R-MS), who were born in winter and whose
      birthplace was in low solar radiation areas, had disease symptom onset on average
      2.8 years earlier than those born in seasons other than winter and in medium- and
      high-solar radiation areas (p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that
      exposure early in life to geographical and seasonal factors, possibly related to
      the protective effect of sunlight, and thus vitamin D, is associated with a delay
      in MS symptom onset. Other larger studies are required to examine the period
      specific (from conception to adulthood) environmental factors that are associated
      with MS susceptibility.

PMID- 20299806
TI  - Cognitive impairment and associated factors among the elderly in the Shanghai
      suburb: findings from a low-education population.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to investigate the prevalence of cognitive impairment
      and associated factors among elderly people in the Shanghai suburb. METHODS: A
      population-based survey was conducted for people aged 60 years and over in a
      community of 2 towns (Huaxin and Xujing) in Qingpu district, located in the
      western suburb of Shanghai. Face-to-face interviews were carried out to collect
      relevant information with prepared questionnaires. The Chinese version of the
      Mini-Mental State Examination was used to screen subjects with cognitive
      impairment, and the criteria of cognitive impairment were adjusted for education
      level. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to
      evaluate factors putatively associated with cognitive impairment. RESULTS: There
      were 2,809 subjects (1,010 men and 1,799 women) aged 60 years and over (mean:
      70.6, SD: 6.6) included in the study, and 198 people (42 men and 156 women) had
      cognitive impairment, with a prevalence of 7.0% (95% CI: 6.1-7.9) for both
      genders, 4.2% (95% CI: 3.6-4.8) for men and 8.7% (95% CI: 8.0-9.4) for women
      among the elderly. The prevalence rates of cognitive impairment increased with
      age. Although a number of factors were found to be significantly associated with
      the risk of cognitive impairment from the univariate analysis, only age (OR:
      2.245, 95% CI: 1.755-2.872) and preferring a nonsalty diet (OR: 0.647, 95% CI:
      0.460-0.912) were left in the final model of multivariate logistic regression
      analysis. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of cognitive impairment among the elderly in
      the Shanghai suburb is relatively high, compared with that previously reported
      from other areas in China, but lower than that from western countries. Factors
      associated with cognitive impairment need to be further investigated in the
      future.

PMID- 20299807
TI  - Development and validation of a self-administered questionnaire for myasthenia
      gravis patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To date, the investigation of the epidemiological profile of
      myasthenia gravis (MG) is sparse, and the influence of environmental and
      lifestyle factors on the occurrence of the disease remains thus unknown. The main
      aim of this study, which is part of a European collaborative project
      (EuroMyasthenia), was to develop a self-administered questionnaire to investigate
      these potential predisposing factors for MG. No instrument for investigating
      these particular factors has previously been designed for MG patients. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: The questionnaire was developed in 3 stages: (1) devising a draft
      questionnaire based on questions derived from previously validated questionnaires
      and self-designed questions on MG characteristics; (2) testing the questionnaire
      on Norwegian MG patients (n = 57), and (3) assessing the content and criterion
      validity, and test-retest reliability, of the final questionnaire. RESULTS: The
      questionnaire was easy to use and showed good feasibility for MG patients.
      Psychometric evaluation established the validity and reliability of the self
      designed questions on MG characteristics. CONCLUSION: This is the first validated
      instrument developed to identify self-assessed environmental factors and
      potential predisposing factors for MG, and suitable for use in large-scale
      epidemiological studies.

PMID- 20299808
TI  - Systematic review of observational studies.

PMID- 20299809
TI  - Case-control studies: the importance of design and conduct.

PMID- 20299810
TI  - Design and methods of population surveys.

PMID- 20299811
TI  - Neuropsychobiological aspects, comorbidity patterns and dimensional models in
      borderline personality disorder.
AB  - Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a comorbid and disabling condition with
      high prevalence in psychiatric settings. The pathogenesis of BPD involves complex
      interactions among genetic, neurobiological and environmental factors, resulting
      in multiple core symptom domains such as emotional dysregulation, impulse
      dyscontrol, aggression, cognitive dysfunctions and dissociative states.
      Neurobiological studies show that symptoms and behaviors of BPD are partly
      associated with alterations in glutamatergic, dopaminergic and serotonergic
      systems. In addition, neuroimaging studies in BPD patients indicate differences
      in the volume and activity of specific brain regions related to emotion and
      impulse control, such as the prefrontal and cingulate cortex, amygdala and
      hippocampus. Neurobiological alterations are related to cognitive disturbances in
      patients with BPD and neuropsychological tests have shown abnormalities of
      memory, attention, language, and executive functions. The aim of the present
      review is to provide an updated overview of the main neuropsychobiological
      aspects of BPD and their relation to clinical symptoms, comorbidity patterns and
      dimensional models.

PMID- 20299812
TI  - P300 and the stroop effect in overweight minority adolescents.
AB  - AIM: The goal was to examine the relationship between a risk factor for poor
      cognitive control and a health outcome of growing public significance--an excess
      body mass--among adolescents. METHODS: To this end, 109 adolescents aged 14-20
      years were recruited and assigned to 1 of 4 groups defined by the crossing of the
      absence versus presence of a parental history (PH) of externalizing disorders
      with a body mass index (BMI) percentile (BMIP) < 85 versus > or = 85. The
      principal measure estimating cognitive control was the P300 event-related
      electroencephalographic response recorded during the Stroop task. RESULTS: The
      analyses revealed a synergistic interaction between BMIP rank, PH and trial type:
      the increase in P300 latency and the decrease in response accuracy, elicited by
      the presence of interfering information, were markedly greater in high-BMIP
      subjects with a PH of externalizing disorders than in the other subject groups.
      Analyses of a later component, the N450, previously associated with the Stroop
      interference effect, revealed no effect of BMI or PH. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude
      that subjects with both a PH of externalizing disorders and an excess BMI
      constitute a unique group that is less able to resolve cognitive conflict than
      others. The excessive delay in P300 evoked by conflicting response demands in
      these subjects may be a marker of a heritable factor that increases risk for both
      excess body mass and substance use disorders.

PMID- 20299813
TI  - Spatial learning and expression patterns of PP1 mRNA in mouse hippocampus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Synaptic plasticity is believed to be the major cellular basis for
      learning and memory. Protein phosphorylation is a key process involved in changes
      in the efficacy of neurotransmission. In long-term changes synaptic plasticity is
      followed by structural plasticity and protein de novo synthesis. Such mechanisms
      are believed to build the basis of hippocampal learning and memory investigated
      in the Morris water maze (MWM) task. To examine the role of dephosphorylation
      during that model for spatial learning, we analyzed protein phosphatase 1 (PP1)
      expression in the hippocampus of mice at various stages of the task and in two
      groups with different learning abilities. METHODS: Mice were trained for 4 days
      with four trials each day in the MWM. For gene expression hippocampi were
      prepared 1, 6 and 24 h after the last trial of each day. PP1 and brain-derived
      neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA levels were determined by quantitative real-time
      PCR. RESULTS: The task requirements themselves affected expression levels of both
      PP1 and BDNF. In contrast to BDNF, PP1 was differentially expressed during
      learning. Poorly and well performing mice differed significantly. When
      performance was poor the expression level of PP1 was higher. CONCLUSION: Present
      results add further in vivo evidence that not only phosphorylation but also
      dephosphorylation is a major mechanism involved in learning and memory.
      Therefore, inhibition of hippocampal phosphatase activity might improve learning
      and memory.

PMID- 20299814
TI  - The Bern psychopathology scale for the assessment of system-specific psychotic
      symptoms.
AB  - The translation from psychiatric core symptoms to brain functions and vice versa
      is a largely unresolved issue. In particular, the search for disorders of single
      brain regions explaining classical symptoms has not yielded the expected results.
      Based on the assumption that the psychopathology of psychosis is related to a
      functional imbalance of higher-order brain systems, the authors focused on three
      specific candidate brain circuitries, namely the language, and limbic and motor
      systems. These domains are of particular interest for understanding the
      disastrous communication breakdown during psychotic disorders. Core symptoms of
      psychosis were mapped on these domains by shaping their definitions in order to
      match the related brain functions. The resulting psychopathological assessment
      scale was tested for interrater reliability and internal consistency in a group
      of 168 psychotic patients. The items of the scale were reliable and a principal
      component analysis (PCA) was best explained by a solution resembling the three
      candidate systems. Based on the results, the scale was optimized as an instrument
      to identify patient subgroups characterized by a prevailing dysfunction of one or
      more of these systems. In conclusion, the scale is apt to distinguish symptom
      domains related to the activity of defined brain systems. PCA showed a certain
      degree of independence of the system-specific symptom clusters within the patient
      group, indicating relative subgroups of psychosis. The scale is understood as a
      research instrument to investigate psychoses based on a system-oriented approach.
      Possible immediate advantages in the clinical application of the understanding of
      psychoses related to system-specific symptom domains are also discussed.

PMID- 20299816
TI  - The extracellular matrix and cell migration.
AB  - As we know all too well, pancreatic cancer has a very poor prognosis largely due
      to its early tendency to invade, locally and distantly. Recently, scientists in
      the field have increasingly focused on the desmoplastic reaction, which is
      characteristic of most pancreatic cancers. This reaction is associated with
      proliferation of fibroblastic cells, sometimes outnumbering local tumor cells,
      and consists of abundant extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. Importantly, the
      processes of invasion and metastasis take place within this tumor
      microenvironment. Stroma and tumor cells exchange signals to modify the local
      ECM, which subsequently stimulates cell migration and promotes proliferation and
      survival. Even though recognition of the significance of these microenvironment
      interactions exists, knowledge on the mechanisms of the interplay among
      pancreatic cells, myofibroblasts, and the ECM is lacking. Therefore, this
      'Pancreatology and the Web' focuses on websites that provide information on the
      ECM and cell migration. and IAP.

PMID- 20299815
TI  - Radiofrequency coblation decreases blood loss during endoscopic sinonasal and
      skull base tumor removal.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Minimizing bleeding during transnasal resections of sinonasal
      tumors is imperative for optimizing visualization and decreasing complications.
      The purpose of the present study was to determine whether radiofrequency
      coblation decreases blood loss during endoscopic tumor removal. METHODS:
      Sinonasal/skull base tumors treated in 2008 with endoscopic techniques were
      reviewed. The data collected included demographics, histopathology, technique,
      duration, complications and estimated blood loss (EBL). Full operative
      videoendoscopy was available in all cases and scored by the authors using the 11
      point Wormald surgical field grading scale. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients
      (average age: 46 years) with sinonasal or skull base tumors treated with
      transnasal endoscopic techniques were identified. Coblation was used in 10 cases.
      The sinus/skull base tumors included were esthesioneuroblastoma (n = 6), melanoma
      (n = 3), squamous cell carcinoma (n = 3), inverted papilloma (n = 3),
      adenocarcinoma (n = 2), intracranial dermoid cyst (n = 2), adenoid cystic
      carcinoma (n = 1), craniopharyngioma (n = 1), fibromyxosarcoma (n = 1) and
      undifferentiated carcinoma (n = 1). The use of the coblation device was
      associated with a significant decrease in all categories including EBL (350 vs.
      1,000 ml; p = 0.0001), EBL per operative time (66 vs. 166 ml/h; p = 0.0001) and
      Wormald grade (3.3 vs. 6.4; p = 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Radiofrequency coblation
      significantly decreased blood loss during endoscopic tumor removal and is a
      useful tool in the armamentarium of the endoscopic skull base surgeon.

PMID- 20299817
TI  - Primers on molecular pathways - cycling toward pancreatic cancer.
AB  - Human cells divide and proliferate during the early stages of life to support
      development, and throughout adult life to support normal cellular turnover. Each
      dividing cell follows an orderly and tightly regulated series of events known as
      the cell cycle. This process ensures proper cellular division that maintains DNA
      and chromosomal integrity and responds appropriately to external signals which
      communicate the level of demand for new cells. In cancer, genetic mutations
      leading to the overexpression of proteins which support cell cycle progression,
      or the downregulation of proteins involved in cell cycle inhibition contributes
      to the dysregulated cellular division and proliferation of malignant cells. The
      resulting uninhibited cellular proliferation provides ample opportunity for
      additional genetic mutations that lead to tumor progression. In the following
      review, we provide a brief introduction to the cell cycle and a discussion of the
      mechanism underlying the dysregulation of the cell cycle in human cancer. We pay
      particular attention to pancreatic adenocarcinoma, an aggressive tumor that has a
      5-year survival rate of 3-5%, and is the fourth leading cause of cancer mortality
      in the US. and IAP.

PMID- 20299818
TI  - Diagnostic efficacy of the secretin stimulation test for the Zollinger-Ellison
      syndrome: an intra-individual comparison using different dosages in patients and
      controls.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: The secretin stimulation test is the principal diagnostic tool
      to identify Zollinger-Ellison syndrome (ZES). We investigated, by intra
      individual comparison, which dose of secretin results in the highest diagnostic
      efficacy to identify the ZES. METHODS: Fifty-seven paired secretin stimulation
      tests, using both 0.26 microg/kg and 0.78 microg/kg secretin, performed in 13 ZES
      patients and 12 controls, were analyzed and the findings confirmed in a
      validation cohort. RESULTS: A gastrin increase of >100 ng/l was found to be the
      most sensitive and specific criterion for a positive test. Higher gastrin
      increases after 0.78 microg/kg compared to 0.26 microg/kg secretin contributed to
      a slightly more sensitive (82.9 vs. 80.5%) but less specific (68.8 vs. 81.3%)
      test. A validation cohort, with 98 tests using 0.26 microg/kg secretin in 21 ZES
      patients and 39 controls, provided similar results. In ZES patients with normal
      fasting serum gastrin levels (<100 ng/l), there was no diagnostic benefit from
      the use of a higher secretin dose. CONCLUSIONS: The 0.26 microg/kg secretin
      stimulation test has the best diagnostic efficacy for the ZES. and IAP.

PMID- 20299819
TI  - Gemcitabine induces the VMP1-mediated autophagy pathway to promote apoptotic
      death in human pancreatic cancer cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Autophagy is a degradation process of cytoplasmic cellular
      constituents. We have described the vacuole membrane protein-1 (VMP1) whose
      expression triggers autophagy in mammalian cells. The aim of this study was to
      analyze the role of autophagy in human pancreatic cancer cell death.
      METHODS/RESULTS: Here we show that gemcitabine, the standard chemotherapy for
      pancreatic cancer, induced autophagy in PANC-1 and MIAPaCa-2 cells, as evidenced
      by the accumulation of acidic vesicular organelles, the recruitment of
      microtubule-associated protein-1 light chain-3, and electron microscopy. In
      addition, gemcitabine treatment induced early expression of VMP1 in cancer cells.
      Gemcitabine also induced apoptosis detected by morphology, annexin V-positive
      cells, and cleavage of caspase-3. Surprisingly, 3-methyladenine, an autophagy
      inhibitor, decreased apoptosis in gemcitabine-treated cells, showing that
      autophagy leads to cancer cell apoptotic death. Finally, VMP1 knockdown decreased
      autophagy and apoptosis in gemcitabine-treated cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS: The
      VMP1-autophagy pathway promotes apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells and mediates
      gemcitabine-induced cytotoxicity. and IAP.

PMID- 20299820
TI  - Detection of gallstones in acute pancreatitis: when and how?
AB  - The detection and management of bile duct stones in acute pancreatitis have
      improved considerably. Now it is possible to identify non-invasively stones in
      the duct before definitive treatment. Recently new evidence has confirmed that
      the indication for early endoscopic sphincterotomy should be severe acute
      pancreatitis with evidence of bile duct obstruction. This review analyses the
      evidence that defines current best practice in this area. and IAP.

PMID- 20299821
TI  - Are there prognostic factors related to recurrence in pancreatic endocrine
      tumors?
AB  - AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the rate, site, time of recurrence
      and prognostic factors related to the appearance of recurrences in patients
      affected by pancreatic endocrine tumors (PETs). METHODS: Data from 67 consecutive
      patients with PETs who underwent R0 resection were analyzed. The prognostic
      factors considered were: gender, age, type of tumor, presence of symptoms, size
      of tumor, tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage, WHO classification and adjuvant
      therapy. RESULTS: The recurrence rate was 24.6%, with a mean time of 7.3 +/- 4.5
      years. The majority were in the liver (75% of cases) and were rarely local (25%).
      Univariate analysis of the prognostic factors showed that the risk of recurrences
      is significantly higher in PETs in MEN-1 syndrome, in tumor size > or =4 cm, in
      the presence of liver metastases, in TNM stages III-IV and, finally, in PD-Cas
      and WD-Cas. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that only MEN-1 syndrome
      and the WHO classification were independent predictors of an increased risk of
      recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Several prognostic factors were related to recurrences
      in PETs. MEN-1 syndrome and the WHO classification can be considered independent
      factors of an increased risk of recurrence. and IAP.

PMID- 20299822
TI  - Investigations into the binding affinities of different human 5-HT4 receptor
      splice variants.
AB  - This study examined whether the drug-receptor-binding sites of 5 selected human 5
      HT(4) receptor splice variants [h5-HT4(a), h5-HT4(b), h5-HT4(c), h5-HT4(d) and h5
      HT4(g)] display preferential affinities towards agonists. The agonists selected
      on the basis of chemical diversity and clinical relevance were: 5-HT4 benzamides,
      renzapride, zacopride and prucalopride; the benzimidazolones, DAU 6236 and BIMU
      1; the aromatic ketone, RS67333, and the indole carbazimidamide tegaserod. The
      rank order of affinities ranging across the splice variants was: tegaserod (pKi:
      7.38-7.91) > or = Y-36912 (pKi: 7.03-7.85) = BIMU 1 (pKi: 6.92-7.78) > or = DAU
      6236 (pKi: 6.79-7.99) > or = 5-HT (pKi: 5.82-7.29) > or = 5-MeOT (pKi: 5.64-6.83)
      > or = renzapride (pKi: 4.85-5.56). We obtained affinity values for the 5-HT4(b),
      (d) and (g) variants for RS67333 (pKi: 7:48-8.29), prucalopride (pKi: 6.86-7.37)
      and zacopride (pKi: 5.88-7.0). These results indicate that the ligands interact
      with the same conserved site in each splice variant. Some splice variants have a
      higher affinity for certain agonists and the direction of selectivity followed a
      common trend of lowest affinity at the (d) variant. However, this trend was not
      evident in functional experiments. Our findings suggest that it may be possible
      to design splice variant selective ligands, which may be of relevance for
      experimental drugs but may be difficult to develop clinically.

PMID- 20299823
TI  - Comparable sensitivities of urine cotinine and breath carbon monoxide at follow
      up time points of three months or more in a smoking cessation trial.
AB  - To control for likely overreporting of abstinence in clinical trials of smoking
      cessation aids, field convention demands the corroboration of subjects' self
      reports by a biochemical/pharmacological marker. It is, however, currently
      debated if urinary cotinine (UC), a metabolite of nicotine, should be preferred
      because of its higher sensitivity, although sample collection for and analysis of
      cotinine are much more expensive and work intensive than carbon monoxide (CO)
      measurements in exhaled air. In the present study, it turned out that UC was of
      only moderately higher sensitivity than CO (99.4% vs. 96.3%; p = 0.02), the
      difference being significant only at group sizes of >164. UC identified
      participants as smokers who escaped CO detection in 4.9% of the cases, whereas CO
      identified smokers who escaped UC detection in 2.7% of the cases (p = 0.014). Our
      findings suggest that the costs/disadvantages of using UC instead of CO may
      outweigh its benefit as a pharmacological marker of (non)smoking status.

PMID- 20299824
TI  - Role of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis in the modulation of pollinosis
      induced by pollen antigens.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To clarify the mechanism of stress-induced modification of allergic
      diseases, we studied the effect of restraint stress on plasma levels of cytokines
      and the symptoms of pollinosis in mice. METHODS: The effects of restraint stress
      and the role of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA-axis) in the
      development of pollen antigen-induced pollinosis were studied in control,
      hypophysectomized, adrenalectomized or ACTH-administered mice. Twenty days after
      sensitization, animals were subjected to mild restraint stress for 3 hours, and
      plasma levels of IFN-gamma, IL-10, and IgE were measured. We analyzed the
      incidence of sneezing and nasal rubbing in the sensitized animals. RESULTS:
      Plasma levels of IL-10 and IgE increased in the sensitized animals with a
      concomitant increase in the incidence of sneezing and nasal rubbing. The
      increases in plasma IgE, IL-10 and the incidence of sneezing and nasal rubbing
      were suppressed by restraint stress. Adrenalectomy increased IFN-gamma, inhibited
      the increase in plasma IL-10 and IgE, and suppressed the incidence of sneezing.
      In contrast, hypophysectomy increased plasma levels of IL-10, IFN-gamma, and IgE
      and the incidence of sneezing. Intraperitoneal administration of ACTH decreased
      IL-10 in plasma but increased IFN-gamma and suppressed the incidence of nasal
      rubbing. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings show that the HPA-axis and ACTH play
      important roles in the regulation of plasma cytokines and IgE thereby modulating
      symptoms of pollinosis. The results also suggest that a mild restraint stress
      suppresses the increase in Th2-dependent cytokines and IgE to reduce the symptoms
      of pollinosis.

PMID- 20299825
TI  - An 18-year follow-up of allergy development related to nasal metachromatic cell
      findings during infancy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The ability to predict the development of allergic diseases in
      infants is important. Predictive biomarkers are wanted to improve the risk
      evaluation in addition to known heredity of allergy. Biomarkers taken during
      infancy need to be evaluated through longitudinal studies into adulthood. The
      objective of this study was to analyse the occurrence of metachromatic cells in
      the nasal mucosa during infancy (MC(infancy)) and evaluate the cells as
      predictive biomarkers of allergy development. METHODS: Previously, MC(infancy)
      occurrences were analysed in 64 infants with and without allergy heredity, and
      related to allergy development at 18 months and 6 years of age. In this third
      follow-up at 18 years of age, current allergy symptoms were analysed. MC(infancy)
      findings were related to the cumulative number of allergic subjects. The
      predictive values of MC(infancy) and known heredity were compared. RESULTS: The
      cumulative number of subjects with allergy was 46, probable allergy 5, and no
      allergy 13. Detected MC(infancy) predicted allergy with high accuracy (31/33),
      but negative MC(infancy) findings did not exclude the risk (15/31). In the group
      of allergic subjects positive MC(infancy) were found in 31/46 (67%), positive
      heredity in 37/46 (80%) and one/both factors positive in 43/46 (93%). Detection
      of MC(infancy) could precede the debut of allergy symptoms by many years.
      CONCLUSIONS: Detected MC(infancy) predicted allergy development, but absence of
      MC(infancy) did not exclude the risk, and therefore this biomarker was not found
      to be adequate. There is a further need to find biomarkers with high ability to
      both predict and exclude the risk.

PMID- 20299826
TI  - Antitussive effects of the leukotriene receptor antagonist montelukast in
      patients with cough variant asthma and atopic cough.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic cough is the only symptom of cough variant asthma (CVA) and
      atopic cough (AC). Cysteinyl leukotriene receptor antagonists have been shown to
      be effective in CVA, but there are no reports on their effectiveness in AC. To
      evaluate the antitussive effect of montelukast, a leukotriene receptor
      antagonist, in CVA and AC. METHODS: Seventy-five patients with chronic cough
      received diagnostic bronchodilator therapy with oral clenbuterol hydrochloride
      for 6 days. Of the 75 patients, 48 and 27 met the simplified diagnostic criteria
      for CVA and AC, respectively. Patients with CVA were randomly divided into 3
      groups: montelukast, clenbuterol, and montelukast plus clenbuterol. Patients with
      AC were randomly divided into 2 groups: montelukast and placebo. The efficacy of
      cough treatment was assessed with a subjective cough symptom scale (0 meant "no
      cough" and 10 denoted "cough as bad as at first visit"). The cough scale,
      pulmonary function test, and peak expiratory flow rate (PEF) were evaluated
      before and after 2 weeks of treatment. RESULTS: In patients with CVA, 2-week
      treatment with montelukast, clenbuterol, and montelukast plus clenbuterol all
      significantly decreased cough scores and treatment with montelukast plus
      clenbuterol was superior to treatment with montelukast alone. In the montelukast
      plus clenbuterol group, PEF values in the morning and evening significantly
      increased after 2 weeks compared with values before treatment. In patients with
      AC, scores on the cough scale did not differ significantly between the
      montelukast group and the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS: Montelukast was confirmed
      to suppress chronic non-productive cough in CVA, whereas it was not effective in
      non-productive cough in AC.

PMID- 20299841
TI  - When should nurse practitioners bill "incident to" a physician?

PMID- 20299842
TI  - SELECT: evaluation and implementation of clinical practice guidelines: a guidance
      document from the American Professional Wound Care Association.

PMID- 20299843
TI  - Insights into acinetobacter war-wound infections, biofilms, and control.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii is associated with a wide
      spectrum of infectious diseases ranging from nosocomial, community-acquired
      infections to those acquired following war or natural disaster. Especially to
      military personnel with war wounds, Acinetobacter infection is a formidable
      threat. The treatment has become exceedingly difficult, not only because the
      bacterium can develop extensive antimicrobial resistance but because it also
      forms biofilms that are resistant to host defense and antimicrobial treatment.
      Such causative factors as biofilm formation and resistance are highly likely to
      lead to nonhealing wounds. This review, although focused on A baumannii
      infections, aims to summarize what is known about immunization protection against
      wound biofilm infections and to apply such understanding in exploring the unknown
      area of war-wound infection protection. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SELECTION:
      Publications were searched and selected through http://www.pubmed.gov by using
      the key words Acinetobacter baumannii, bacteria, war wounds, burn wounds, wound
      infections, biofilms, vaccines, and immunization. The literature selected was
      categorized according to the subheadings within this article. CONCLUSIONS: It is
      imperative to develop such effective measures as active and passive immunization
      to control multidrug-resistant and tenacious A baumannii infections and to
      prevent nonhealing wounds. The authors' understanding in immunization against
      burn wound-related infections by the model bacteria will facilitate research
      progress in the poorly explored area of immunization against war-wound biofilm
      infections.

PMID- 20299844
TI  - Transitional off-loading: an evidence-based approach to pressure redistribution
      in the diabetic foot.
AB  - PURPOSE: To enhance the learner's competence in providing pressure redistribution
      therapy for the diabetic foot. TARGET AUDIENCE: This continuing education
      activity is intended for physicians and nurses with an interest in skin and wound
      care. OBJECTIVES: After participating in this educational activity, the
      participant should be better able to: 1. Relate diabetic foot problems to the
      need for using off-loading devices. 2. Distinguish between the various types of
      dressings and off-loading devices used for diabetic foot wounds. 3. Apply the
      "transitional approach" to off-loading the diabetic foot.

PMID- 20299846
TI  - Checklists for compliance.

PMID- 20299850
TI  - The uniform data system for medical rehabilitation: report of patients with
      traumatic brain injury discharged from rehabilitation programs in 2000-2007.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To provide benchmarking information for a large national sample of
      patients receiving inpatient rehabilitation after traumatic brain injury. DESIGN:
      Secondary data analysis from 893 medical rehabilitation facilities located in the
      United States that contributed information to the Uniform Data System for Medical
      Rehabilitation from January 2000 through December 2007. Variables analyzed
      included demographic information (age, sex, marital status, race or ethnicity,
      prehospital living setting, and discharge setting), hospitalization information
      (length of stay, program interruptions, payer, onset date, rehabilitation
      impairment group, Internation Classification of Diseases-9th revision codes for
      admitting diagnosis, and co-morbidities), and functional status information (FIM
      instrument [FIM] ratings at admission and discharge, FIM efficiency, FIM gain).
      RESULTS: Descriptive statistics from 101,188 patients showed length of stay
      decreasing from a mean of 22.7 (+/-20.5) days to 16.6 (+/-14.8) days during the 8
      yr study period. FIM total admission and discharge ratings also decreased. Mean
      admission ratings decreased from 58.6 (+/-24.7) to 54.8 (+/-21.2). Mean discharge
      ratings decreased from 92.4 (+/-24.2) to 85.0 (+/-24.0). Accordingly, mean
      functional independence measure change decreased from 33.8 (+/-20.5) to 30.2 (+/
      18.4). The percentage of patients discharged to the community settings ranged
      from 81.3% in 2000 to 74.1% in 2007. All results are likely influenced by various
      policy changes affecting classification or documentation processes or both.
      CONCLUSIONS: National rehabilitation data from persons with traumatic brain
      injury in 2000-2007 indicate that patients are spending less time in an inpatient
      care setting than in the previous years and are experiencing improvements in
      functional independence during their stay. In addition, a majority of patients
      are discharged to community settings after inpatient rehabilitation.

PMID- 20299851
TI  - A review of driving simulator parameters relevant to the Operation Enduring
      Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran population.
AB  - There is currently a pressing need for safe, reliable, cost-effective methods of
      evaluating driving ability. With recent improvements in virtual reality
      technology, driving simulators seem to offer a promising alternative to on-road
      methods of driving assessment. One population at risk for driving difficulties
      may be veterans returning from combat in Iraq or Afghanistan. The use of driving
      simulators to evaluate and remediate veterans' abilities to operate a motor
      vehicle is a rehabilitative goal. However, there are no consistent standardized
      procedures for determining safe from unsafe driving using driving simulators,
      which limit the clinical utility of this important tool. The purposes of this
      article are (1) to give the reader a better understanding of the parameters that
      are most commonly measured in the driving simulation literature and (2) to review
      parameters that are most relevant for the Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation
      Iraqi Freedom veteran population.

PMID- 20299856
TI  - Impaired information integration contributes to communication difficulty in
      corticobasal syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the cognitive and neural correlates of discourse
      impairment in corticobasal syndrome (CBS). BACKGROUND: Difficulty communicating
      is a frequent clinical manifestation in patients with CBS. However, the
      mechanisms underlying this disabling problem are not well understood. METHODS:
      Twenty patients with CBS and 8 healthy seniors narrated a picture story.
      Narratives were analyzed for maintenance of the narrative theme, identification
      of the overall point of the story (global connectedness), and connectedness
      between consecutive events (local connectedness). Discourse measures were
      correlated with performance on cognitive tasks and with cortical atrophy as
      determined by magnetic resonance imaging voxel-based morphometry. RESULTS:
      Patients with CBS referred to the narrative theme significantly less frequently
      than controls. Global connectedness was intact in only 6 of 20 CBS patients
      (30%), but preserved in all controls. Local connectedness was significantly
      diminished in patients relative to controls. Discourse performance in CBS was
      related to tasks requiring higher-order integration of visual material, but not
      to basic visuospatial/visuoperceptual, language, or memory function. Discourse
      impairment was directly related to atrophy in the right parietal lobe and
      bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that
      impaired information integration in CBS, related to parieto-frontal disease,
      interferes with patients' ability to narrate a coherent story.

PMID- 20299857
TI  - Brazilian version of the Addenbrooke Cognitive Examination-revised in the
      diagnosis of mild Alzheimer disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the accuracy of the Brazilian version of the
      Addenbrooke Cognitive Examination-revised (ACE-R) in the diagnosis of mild
      Alzheimer disease (AD). BACKGROUND: The ACE-R is an accurate and brief cognitive
      battery for the detection of mild dementia, especially for the discrimination
      between AD and frontotemporal dementia. METHODS: The battery was administered to
      31 patients with mild AD and 62 age-matched and education-matched cognitively
      healthy controls. Both groups were selected using the Dementia Rating Scale and
      were submitted to the ACE-R. Depression was ruled out in both groups by the
      Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia. The performance of patients and
      controls in the ACE-R was compared and receiver operator characteristic curve
      analysis was undertaken to ascertain the accuracy of the instrument for the
      diagnosis of mild AD. RESULTS: The mean scores at the ACE-R were 63.10+/-10.22
      points for patients with AD and 83.63+/-7.90 points for controls. The cut-off
      score <78 yielded high diagnostic accuracy (receiver operator characteristic area
      under the curve=0.947), with 100% sensitivity, 82.26% specificity, 73.8% positive
      predictive value, and 100% negative predictive value. CONCLUSIONS: The Brazilian
      version of the ACE-R displayed high diagnostic accuracy for the identification of
      mild AD in the studied sample.

PMID- 20299858
TI  - Anxiety affects working memory only in left hemibody onset Parkinson disease
      patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This investigation sought to examine the potential moderating
      influence of heightened anxiety on working memory in Parkinson disease (PD)
      patients. Further, we wanted to determine whether this moderating influence of
      anxiety differentially affects PD patients with left hemibody (LBH) versus right
      hemibody (RHB) onset of motor symptoms. BACKGROUND: Research has examined the
      neurocognitive effects of depression in PD. However, a paucity of research has
      examined the effects of heightened anxiety in PD. We predicted that LHB PD
      patients with heightened anxiety would perform worse on a measure of working
      memory than RHB PD patients. METHOD: A total of 59 PD patients completed the
      state-trait anxiety inventory and were also administered the digit span subtest
      of the Wechsler Memory Scale-III. RESULTS: The results supported the hypotheses,
      indicating that the LHB PD patients with heightened anxiety performed
      significantly worse than the RHB PD patients with heightened anxiety and the LHB
      PD patients with low anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that left
      hemibody onset PD patients may experience more disability in their activities of
      daily living. Future research should explore whether differences also exist
      between PD patients with and without the diagnosed anxiety disorders.

PMID- 20299859
TI  - Verbal and visuospatial memory in lateral onset Parkinson disease: time is of the
      essence.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This investigation sought to study immediate and delayed verbal and
      visuospatial recall in Parkinson disease (PD) patients with left hemibody (LHO)
      and right hemibody (RHO) onset of motor symptoms and to examine the role of
      mental processing speed in recall of this information. BACKGROUND: Research is
      mixed regarding material specific memory impairments in LHO and RHO PD. However,
      earlier research has not used a factorial approach in investigating material
      specific memory in LHO and RHO PD. We hypothesized that LHO PD patients would
      exhibit an increase in performance following the delayed verbal free recall trial
      and either decline or stability in performance on the delayed visuospatial free
      recall trial. The opposite pattern was hypothesized for RHO PD patients. METHOD:
      The Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-revised (HVLT-R) and the Brief Visuospatial
      Memory Test-revised (BVMT-R) were administered to a sample of 28 LHO PD patients
      and 36 RHO PD patients. The Stroop Color-word Test was administered as a measure
      of mental processing speed. RESULTS: The results indicated that the RHO group
      experienced a significant decline in performance on verbal free recall from the
      immediate to the delayed trials and a significant improvement in performance from
      the immediate to the delayed visuospatial free recall trials. Additionally, a
      significant negative correlation was found between mental processing speed and
      changes in recall from the immediate to the delayed conditions for the RHO group.
      CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the RHO PD group experienced a
      significant decline in verbal free recall and a significant improvement in
      visuospatial free recall from the immediate to the delayed trials and that the
      LHO PD patients experienced no significant changes. Further, mental processing
      speed appears to influence the recall of information from the immediate to the
      delayed conditions.

PMID- 20299860
TI  - Frontal assessment battery in patients with Parkinson disease in a Turkish
      population.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to assess frontal dysfunction in Turkish
      patients with idiopathic Parkinson disease (PD) by using frontal assessment
      battery (FAB), and to determine the relationship among FAB scores and education,
      Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and severity of the disease. BACKGROUND:
      Cognitive impairment in patients with PD mainly involves executive dysfunction.
      Executive dysfunction is mainly related to the frontal lobes and their
      connections with the thalamus and basal ganglia. FAB is an easily applicable and
      valid test to examine frontal functions. METHOD: Forty patients diagnosed with PD
      and 52 healthy controls were included in the study. Age, sex, disease duration,
      and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale scores were noted. FAB and MMSE were
      administered to all participants. Both groups were compared according to FAB
      scores, MMSE, age, and education. RESULTS: FAB scores were significantly lower in
      patients with PD (P=0.00) than in healthy controls. In patients with PD, FAB
      scores were solely correlated with MMSE. In the subgroup analysis, the
      performance of patients with PD was worse than the healthy participants on
      similarities and fluency tasks. CONCLUSIONS: FAB scores are lower in Turkish
      patients with PD than in the healthy participants, and could be used for the
      evaluation of subtle cognitive deficits in these patients.

PMID- 20299862
TI  - Fragile X dementia Parkinsonism Syndrome (FXDPS).
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: The fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome is
      characterized by intention tremor and ataxia in people who are premutation
      carriers of the Fragile X gene. Patients with this disorder might also
      demonstrate signs of dementia with parkinsonian features. We report a patient
      with dementia and parkinsonian signs who did not demonstrate an intention tremor
      or gait ataxia. METHODS: A 58-year-old woman who had 2 sons with fragile X
      retardation syndrome and was a carrier, developed progressive dementia, including
      impaired memory, executive dysfunction, nonfluent speech, and parkinsonian signs,
      but had no action-intention tremor and no gait ataxia. Magnetic resonance imaging
      revealed extensive abnormalities of the white matter. RESULTS: On post-mortem
      examination, 7 years after this evaluation, she demonstrated extensive
      subcortical white matter pallor (spongiosis) and widespread ubiquitin-positive
      intranuclear inclusions in both neurons and in protoplasmic astrocytes
      characteristic of fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome, but no spongiosis
      in the cerebellar peduncles a defining feature of this tremor/ataxia syndrome.
      CONCLUSIONS: Patients who present with dementia and signs of Parkinson syndrome,
      even in the absence of ataxia or intention tremor should be evaluated for this
      fragile X dementia parkinsonism syndrome.

PMID- 20299861
TI  - Improved language in a chronic nonfluent aphasia patient after treatment with
      CPAP and TMS.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To present pretreatment and post-treatment language data for a
      nonfluent aphasia patient who received 2 treatment modalities: (1) continuous
      positive airway pressure (CPAP) for his sleep apnea, starting 1-year poststroke;
      and (2) repetitive transcranial magnetic brain stimulation (TMS), starting 2
      years poststroke. BACKGROUND: Language data were acquired beyond the spontaneous
      recovery period of 3 to 6 months poststroke onset. CPAP restores adequate oxygen
      flow throughout all stages of sleep, and may improve cognition. A series of slow,
      1 Hz repetitive TMS treatments to suppress a posterior portion of right pars
      triangularis has been shown to improve phrase length and naming in chronic
      nonfluent aphasia. METHOD: The Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination and Boston
      Naming Test were administered pre-CPAP, and after 2 to 5 months of CPAP. These
      same tests were administered pre-TMS, and at 3 and 6 months post-TMS, and again
      2.4 years later. RESULTS: Post-CPAP testing showed increased Phrase Length,
      Auditory Comprehension, and naming Animals and Tools/Implements (Boston
      Diagnostic Aphasia Examination). Testing at 3 and 6 months post-TMS showed
      significant increase in Phrase Length, Auditory Comprehension, and Boston Naming
      Test compared with pre-TMS. These gains were retained at 2.4 years post-TMS. CPAP
      use continued throughout. CONCLUSIONS: Physiologic treatment interventions may
      promote language recovery in chronic aphasia.

PMID- 20299863
TI  - A cortically blind patient with preserved visual imagery.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: The loss or preservation of visual imagery in patients with
      cortical blindness may be helpful in resolving the controversial roles assigned
      by some researchers to the early visual cortex during the process of visual
      imagery. PATIENT AND METHODS: Here we report a patient with complete permanent
      cortical blindness coupled with denial of the blindness (Anton syndrome) as a
      result of bilateral occipital infarction. RESULTS: Interestingly, the patient's
      ability to visualize objects, color, and spatial imagery was preserved, although
      cerebral computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission
      tomography scans detected what was likely complete bilateral damage to the
      primary visual cortex. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings may support the hypothesis that
      the primary visual cortex, in which retinal spatial geometry is preserved, is not
      critical for visual imagery.

PMID- 20299864
TI  - The amnesic syndrome of primary Whipple disease of the brain.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe a case of primary Whipple disease (WD) of the brain, which
      may manifest as an amnesic syndrome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 46-year-old woman
      developed primary WD of the brain. The onset was characterized by a short-term
      amnesic syndrome for several months before the onset of generalized tonic-clonic
      seizures. Her amnesia was stable throughout her illness. RESULTS: Our patient had
      impairment of verbal and visual memory tasks with reduced learning. Her amnesic
      syndrome was secondary to asymmetric bilateral hippocampal atrophy with gliosis
      involving the mesial temporal structures-all secondary to primary WD of the
      brain. CONCLUSIONS: WD may present as an amnesic syndrome and needs to be thought
      of as a treatable cause of cognitive dysfunction in young adults.

PMID- 20299865
TI  - Nomophobia: the mobile phone in panic disorder with agoraphobia: reducing phobias
      or worsening of dependence?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In this report, we present and discuss a hypothesis for the
      development, in individuals with panic disorder and agoraphobia, of dependence on
      his or her mobile phone (MP). BACKGROUND: This disorder, termed nomophobia, is a
      result of the development of new technologies. Nomophobia is considered a
      disorder of the modern world and refers to discomfort or anxiety caused by being
      out of contact with a MP or computer. It is the pathologic fear of remaining out
      of touch with technology. METHOD: We present, the case report of a patient who
      has continuously kept his MP with him since 1995 because of his overwhelming need
      to feel safe and to be able to immediately call emergency services and people he
      trusts should he feel sick. RESULT: The patient was treated with medication and
      cognitive-behavior psychotherapy. He has remained asymptomatic for 4 years. The
      patient showed significant medical improvement in his panic disorder and phobias,
      but there has been no change in his nomophobia. CONCLUSIONS: The case presented
      here illustrates the dependence of an individual with panic disorder on his MP. A
      specific approach for this dependence should be used in some panic disorder
      patients.

PMID- 20299866
TI  - Auditory hallucinations: nomenclature and classification.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The literature on the possible neurobiologic correlates of auditory
      hallucinations is expanding rapidly. For an adequate understanding and linking of
      this emerging knowledge, a clear and uniform nomenclature is a prerequisite. The
      primary purpose of the present article is to provide an overview of the
      nomenclature and classification of auditory hallucinations. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Relevant data were obtained from books, PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane
      Library. RESULTS: The results are presented in the form of several classificatory
      arrangements of auditory hallucinations, governed by the principles of content,
      perceived source, perceived vivacity, relation to the sleep-wake cycle, and
      association with suspected neurobiologic correlates. CONCLUSIONS: This overview
      underscores the necessity to reappraise the concepts of auditory hallucinations
      developed during the era of classic psychiatry, to incorporate them into our
      current nomenclature and classification of auditory hallucinations, and to test
      them empirically with the aid of the structural and functional imaging techniques
      currently available.

PMID- 20299868
TI  - Neonatal intensive care: dogma is for the dogs.

PMID- 20299870
TI  - Current world literature.

PMID- 20299869
TI  - Overview of chronic kidney disease in children.

PMID- 20299898
TI  - In defense of the DNP.

PMID- 20299906
TI  - Asthma in pregnancy: reading between the lines.

PMID- 20299908
TI  - Speak the language of autism.

PMID- 20299910
TI  - Climb to new educational heights.

PMID- 20299911
TI  - Smoking cessation: SNUB OUT CAD.

PMID- 20299912
TI  - A close-up view of flu.

PMID- 20299954
TI  - Casp8p41 expression in primary T cells induces a proinflammatory response.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: HIV infection of CD4 T cells can lead to HIV protease-mediated
      cleavage of procaspase 8 generating a novel, HIV-specific peptide called
      Casp8p41. Casp8p41 has at least two biologic functions: induction of cell death
      via mitochondrial depolarization and release of cytochrome C, as well as
      activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NFkappaB). We have previously shown that
      Casp8p41-induced NFkappaB activation enhances HIV LTR transcription and
      consequently increases HIV replication. Herein, we questioned whether Casp8p41
      induced NFkappaB activation impacts the cytokine profile of cells expressing
      Casp8p41. DESIGN: Analysis of cells expressing Casp8p41 and HIV-infected T cells.
      METHODS: We assessed whether host genes are transcriptionally activated following
      Casp8p41 production, using microarray analysis, cytokine quantification, followed
      by western blot and flow cytometry. RESULTS: Microarray analysis identified 259
      genes significantly upregulated following expression of Casp8p41. Furthermore,
      Casp8p41 expression in primary CD4 T cells results in increased production of
      interleukin (IL)-2, IL-15 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF), as well as IL-1RA;
      whereas levels of granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor and interferon
      (IFN)-gamma were reduced in the Casp8p41 expressing cells. Intracellular flow
      cytometry confirmed the co-association of Casp8p41 with elevated TNF in HIV
      infected cells. CONCLUSION: These data indicate that the expression of Casp8p41
      in HIV-infected CD4 T cells in addition to promoting apoptosis and enhancing HIV
      replication also promotes a proinflammatory cytokine milieu, which is
      characteristic of untreated HIV infection.

PMID- 20299955
TI  - Noncirrhotic portal hypertension in HIV-infected patients: unique clinical and
      pathological findings.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Liver disease of unknown cause in HIV-infected persons is rare but
      increasingly being reported. Noncirrhotic portal hypertension is the main feature
      in a subset of these patients, in whom gastrointestinal bleeding is the most
      frequent and potentially life-threatening clinical presentation. METHODS: We
      describe the epidemiological, clinical and histological features of 12 HIV
      positive individuals presenting with noncirrhotic portal hypertension. RESULTS:
      An interpretable liver biopsy was available in 11, and cirrhosis was absent in
      all patients. Three patients had nodular regenerative hyperplasia of the liver,
      whereas eight showed morphological features previously described as 'hepatoportal
      sclerosis'. In four of the later group, a distinctive lesion was noted
      characterized by massive absence of portal veins along with focal fibrous
      obliteration of small portal veins. All patients had been treated with didanosine
      for long periods and inflammatory and thrombotic processes hypothetically
      triggered by this purine analogue in the hepatic microvasculature might result in
      this form of obliterative portal venopathy. CONCLUSION: Noncirrhotic portal
      hypertension is a rare but unique entity presenting in HIV-positive individuals
      generally with prior prolonged exposure to didanosine, which shows an
      obliteration of portal veins as the most distinctive histological finding in the
      liver.

PMID- 20299956
TI  - Conjugate and polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccines do not improve initial
      response of the polysaccharide vaccine in HIV-infected adults.
AB  - This is a randomized trial to compare the immunoglobulin G response and the
      antibody avidity after two pneumococcal vaccinations, conjugated pneumococcal
      vaccine (CPV) and polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccine (PPV) 4 weeks after vs. PPV
      alone in 202 HIV-infected adults. There were no differences in the two
      strategies, either in the percentage of immunoglobulin G two-fold increase for
      the CPV included serotypes or immunoglobulin G two-fold increase, reaching the
      level of 1 microg/ml except for serotype 23F (26% responded after conjugated
      pneumococcal vaccine + PPV vs. 14% after PPV). No avidity increases were seen in
      any strategy.

PMID- 20299957
TI  - Lower atovaquone/proguanil concentrations in patients taking efavirenz,
      lopinavir/ritonavir or atazanavir/ritonavir.
AB  - HIV-infected travellers frequently use atovaquone/proguanil as malaria
      prophylaxis. We compared atovaquone/proguanil pharmacokinetics between healthy
      volunteers and HIV-infected patients taking efavirenz, lopinavir/ritonavir or
      atazanavir/ritonavir. The geometric mean ratio (95% confidence interval) area
      under the curve (AUC)0-->t for atovaquone relative to the healthy volunteers was
      0.25 (0.16-0.38), 0.26 (0.17-0.41) and 0.54 (0.35-0.83) for patients on
      efavirenz, lopinavir/ritonavir and atazanavir/ritonavir, respectively. Proguanil
      plasma concentrations were also significantly lower (38-43%). Physicians should
      be alert for atovaquone/proguanil prophylaxis failures in patients taking
      efavirenz, lopinavir/ritonavir or atazanavir/ritonavir.

PMID- 20299958
TI  - Tuberculosis outcomes and drug susceptibility in individuals exposed to isoniazid
      preventive therapy in a high HIV prevalence setting.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Despite World Health Organization recommendations, concerns about
      promoting resistance have impeded implementation of isoniazid preventive therapy
      (IPT) for tuberculosis (TB). We describe characteristics of TB in individuals
      previously exposed to IPT as part of 'Thibela TB', a cluster-randomized trial of
      community-wide IPT in gold miners in South Africa. DESIGN: Case series including
      participants who were dispensed IPT, attended at least one follow-up visit and
      were subsequently treated for TB. METHODS: TB episodes were detected through
      surveillance and through follow-up if IPT was stopped early. Drug susceptibility
      data were compared with TB episodes detected through surveillance in control
      clusters (where IPT use was minimal) and a laboratory substudy of mycobacterial
      sputum culture from TB suspects in control clusters. RESULTS: Among 126 eligible
      individuals (125 men, median age 43 years), median time from starting IPT to TB
      treatment was 316 days (interquartile range 174-491). Ninety-four of the 126
      (75%) were first episodes. Eighty-nine of 103 (86%) tested HIV-infected, with the
      median CD4 cell count of 196 cells/microl (n = 51). Sixty-four of 108 (59%) with
      known treatment outcomes were cured or completed treatment. Among 71 isolates
      with drug susceptibility results available, 12.1% [95% confidence interval (CI)
      5.0-23.3] and 7.7% (95% CI 0.2-36.0) from first and retreatment episodes,
      respectively, had isoniazid resistance, compared with 6.0% (95% CI 3.1-10.2) and
      18.7% (95% CI 10.6-29.3) in control clusters and 11.8% (95% CI 8.2-16.3) among
      first TB episodes in the laboratory substudy. CONCLUSION: TB after recent IPT has
      prevalence of drug resistance similar to background and treatment outcomes
      typical of this setting. These data support wider implementation of IPT.

PMID- 20299960
TI  - An insight into the opening path to semi-open conformation of HIV-1 protease by
      molecular dynamics simulation.
AB  - Investigation of the opening process of HIV-1 protease is highly useful for
      understanding its functional mechanism and substrate/inhibitor binding dynamics,
      and for facilitating inhibitor drug design. Previous molecular dynamics
      simulations have revealed some opening paths and conformations, but they appear
      to be insufficient to explain some experimentally detected opening behaviors. We
      evaluated the possibility of the existence of alternative opening paths to the
      semi-open conformation by performing the molecular dynamics simulation of the
      early opening process of an inhibitor-free HIV-1 protease with explicit
      solvation. The closed form of the HIV-1 protease transforms to the semi-open form
      in 2500 ps via a path significantly different from those detected by other
      reported molecular dynamics simulations of the same protein. Some characteristics
      of this alternative path are consistent with the experimentally detected opening
      behavior. Our study combined with earlier studies suggested the existence of
      multiple opening paths.

PMID- 20299959
TI  - Long-term trends in adherence to antiretroviral therapy from start of HAART.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: People on antiretroviral therapy are likely to be required to maintain
      good adherence throughout their lives. We aimed to investigate long-term trends
      in highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) adherence to identify the main
      predictors and to evaluate whether participants experience periods of low
      adherence (<or=60%). METHODS: Participants in the Royal Free Clinic Cohort were
      followed from the date of start of HAART until the end of the last recorded ART
      prescription or death. Follow-up was divided into 6-month periods, and for each
      period, a value of adherence, measured as the percentage of days in the 6-month
      period covered by a valid prescription for at least three antiretroviral drugs,
      was calculated. RESULTS: Patients were assessed for drug coverage adherence for a
      median of 4.5 years [inter-quartile range (IQR) 2.4-7.2; maximum 9 years]
      covering a period up to 13 years from start of HAART. There was evidence of a
      slight increase in adherence over time [adjusted odds ratio (OR) of >95%
      adherence = 1.02 per year; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.04; P = 0.0053].
      Independent predictors of adherence were age, demographic group, calendar year
      period, drug regimen and previous virologic failures. The overall rate of at
      least one period of low adherence was 0.12 per person-year, but this rate
      decrease markedly over time to 0.01 in 2007/2008. CONCLUSION: Adherence, as
      measured by drug coverage, does not decrease on average over more than a decade
      from start of HAART. This is encouraging, because it shows that patients could
      potentially maintain viral suppression for many years.

PMID- 20299961
TI  - Tuberculosis and survival of HIV-infected individuals by time since
      seroconversion.
AB  - In a cohort of 1950 HIV-positive men with known dates of HIV seroconversion, 399
      developed tuberculosis. Mortality rates following tuberculosis were greatly
      increased (hazard ratio, adjusted for age at seroconversion, 4.7, 95% confidence
      interval 3.7-6.1), and this ratio was similar at different times following
      seroconversion. Overall mortality was similar to that in western seroconverter
      cohorts with much lower rates of tuberculosis, suggesting that tuberculosis is
      more a marker of HIV progression than a cause of it.

PMID- 20299962
TI  - Changes in sexual behaviours: from secular trends to public health policies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the relative contribution of secular trends and public
      health policies to changes in sexual behaviour. DESIGN: Three random probability
      surveys of the sexual behaviour of people aged 18-69 years were conducted in
      1970, 1992 and 2006 in France. METHODS: Data of the 2006 survey (n = 12,364) were
      compared with those from two surveys carried out in 1970 (n = 2625) and 1992 (n =
      20,055). RESULTS: Over the last decades, median age at first intercourse has
      decreased by 4 years for women (22.0 in the 1930s vs. 17.6 in the 2000s) and 1
      year for men (18.1 vs. 17.2). Lifetime number of sexual partners increased for
      women (1.8 in 1970 vs. 4.4 in 2006), but not for men (11.8 vs. 11.6). At the same
      time, the proportion of respondents, especially women, who reported
      nonpenetrative sexual practices and considered sexual intercourse essential to
      well being was on the increase. These changes are mainly attributed to an
      increase in women's social status. A marked increase in condom use was observed
      following the first AIDS/HIV prevention campaigns in the 1980s. CONCLUSION:
      Public health interventions that are synergistic with trends in social norms are
      likely to be more effective than those that run counter to them. In France,
      sexual health and HIV prevention policies aimed at harm limitation appear to have
      chimed with secular trends. The evidence of greater diversification of sexual
      practices offers potential to increase the range of safer sex messages used in
      public health interventions.

PMID- 20299963
TI  - Ability of treatment week 12 viral response to predict long-term outcome in
      genotype 1 hepatitis C virus/HIV coinfected patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Guidelines recommendation to extend treatment duration in genotype 1
      hepatitis C virus (HCV)/HIV-coinfected patients who clear the virus later than
      treatment week 4 is not evidence-based. Our main objective was to study the
      ability of week 12 viral response [early virologic response (EVR)] to predict
      long-term outcome in patients treated for 48 weeks. DESIGN: Multicenter
      retrospective cohort analysis. METHODS: Genotype 1 HCV treatment-naive, HIV
      coinfected adult patients with compensated liver disease who started combination
      therapy with fixed-dose pegylated-interferon (pegIFN) alfa-2a or weight-based
      pegIFN alfa-2b plus ribavirin were included. Univariate and forward stepwise
      logistic regression analysis were used to identify predictors of sustained viral
      response (SVR) and relapse. RESULTS: By intention-to-treat analysis, 31.3%
      (87/278) of patients achieved an SVR. SVR rate was more than three-fold higher in
      patients who cleared the virus by week 12 of treatment compared with late
      responders. Among 123 end-of-treatment responders, 36 (29.3%) relapsed. Relapse
      risk increased in patients with cirrhosis, in those with ribavirin dose
      reductions and in late responders: more than 65% of patients who cleared the
      virus between weeks 12 and 24 relapsed following 48 weeks of treatment compared
      with 10% of those attaining a complete EVR (<15 IU/ml) at treatment week 12 (risk
      ratio 6.4, 95% confidence interval 2.9-14.4). CONCLUSION: Viral response at
      treatment week 12 is a strong predictor of long-term outcome. Genotype 1 HCV/HIV
      coinfected patients who achieve a complete EVR (<15 IU/ml) are at low risk of
      viral relapse after completing the standard 48 weeks of therapy.

PMID- 20299966
TI  - Impairment in kidney tubular function in patients receiving tenofovir is
      associated with higher tenofovir plasma concentrations.
AB  - Tenofovir (TFV) is a nucleotide analogue active against HIV and hepatitis B
      virus. Although TFV rarely affects the glomerular function, abnormalities in the
      kidney tubular function appear to be quite common. The relationship between TFV
      exposure and kidney tubular dysfunction (KTD) was examined prospectively in 92
      HIV-infected individuals. Median TFV plasma trough concentration was higher in
      patients with KTD than in the rest (182 vs. 106 ng/ml; P = 0.001). This dose
      dependent effect further supports an involvement of TFV in KTD.

PMID- 20299964
TI  - Incidence and nature of cognitive decline over 1 year among HIV-infected former
      plasma donors in China.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To quantify and characterize the nature of cognitive change over 1
      year in a cohort of HIV-positive former plasma donors in rural China. DESIGN: The
      present study is an observational cohort study. METHODS: One hundred and ninety
      two HIV-positive and 101 demographically comparable HIV-negative individuals, all
      former plasma donors, who lived in a rural part of China, received comprehensive
      medical and neuropsychological examinations. At study entry, 56% of HIV-positive
      group was on combination antiretroviral treatment and 60.9% at follow-up.
      Multiple regression change score approach was used with the HIV-negative sample
      to develop norms for change that would be then applied to the HIV-positive
      participants. Follow-up test scores adjusted for the control group practice
      effect. RESULTS: Fifty-three HIV-positive individuals (27%) developed significant
      cognitive decline as compared with five (5%) HIV-negative individuals. Cognitive
      decline was predicted at baseline by AIDS status, lower nadir CD4, and worse
      processing speed; at follow-up, it was associated with lower current CD4 cell
      count and failure of viral suppression on combination antiretroviral treatment.
      Neuropsychological decline also was associated with decreased independence in
      activities of daily living. Using neuropsychological impairment scores that were
      corrected for 'practice' on repeated testing, we found that among the decliners,
      41.5% (N = 22) had incident impairment, whereas 38% (N = 20) declined within the
      impaired range and another 20.7% (N = 11) declined within the normal range.
      CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates that despite ongoing combination
      antiretroviral treatment, cognitive decline in HIV-positive people is common over
      a 1-year follow-up. Regression-based norms for change on western
      neuropsychological tests can be used to detect disease-related cognitive decline
      in a developing country.

PMID- 20299965
TI  - Cytokine signaling pathway polymorphisms and AIDS-related non-Hodgkin lymphoma
      risk in the multicenter AIDS cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cytokine stimulation of B-cell proliferation may be an important
      causative mechanism for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related non
      Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) may be a co-factor,
      particularly for primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors, which are uniformly
      EBV-positive in the setting of AIDS. Thus, we examined associations of genetic
      variation in IL10 and related cytokine-signaling molecules (IL10RA, CXCL12, IL13,
      IL4, IL4R, CCL5 and BCL6) with AIDS-related NHL risk and evaluated differences
      between primary CNS and systemic tumors. PATIENTS AND MATERIALS: We compared 160
      Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) participants with incident lymphomas, of
      which 90 followed another AIDS diagnosis, to HIV-1-seropositive controls matched
      on duration of lymphoma-free survival post-HIV-1 infection (N = 160) or post-AIDS
      diagnosis (N = 90). We fit conditional logistic regression models to estimate
      odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Carriage of at
      least one copy of the T allele for the IL10 rs1800871 (as compared to no copies)
      was associated with decreased AIDS-NHL risk specific to lymphomas arising from
      the CNS (CC vs. CT/TT: OR = 0.3; 95% CI 0.1, 0.7) but not systemically (CC vs.
      CT/TT: OR = 1.0; 95% CI 0.5, 1.9) (Pheterogeneity = 0.03). Carriage of two copies
      of the 'low IL10' haplotype rs1800896_A/rs1800871_T/rs1800872_A was associated
      with decreased lymphoma risk that varied by number of copies (Ptrend = 0.02).
      None of the ORs for the other studied polymorphisms was significantly different
      from 1.0. CONCLUSION: Excessive IL10 response to HIV-1 infection may be
      associated with increased risk of NHL, particularly in the CNS. IL10
      dysregulation may be an important causative pathway for EBV-related
      lymphomagenesis.

PMID- 20299967
TI  - Unusual five amino acid insert within subtype C HIV-1 envelope contributes to
      dual-tropism (X4R5).
AB  - During the course of HIV infection, some HIV-1 viruses switch from using the CCR5
      (R5) coreceptor to using CXCR4 (X4). Here, we describe two subtype C isolates
      from a Zimbabwean patient that switched from using R5 to using both R5 and X4
      with an accompanying addition of five amino acids to the V3 loop region of
      envelope. The insert appears to be derived from the human genome rather than a
      duplication within HIV-1.

PMID- 20299968
TI  - Cerebrospinal fluid in HIV-1 systemic viral controllers: absence of HIV-1 RNA and
      intrathecal inflammation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A subset of HIV-infected patients, termed 'elite' viral controllers,
      maintain undetectable plasma HIV RNA levels in the absence of therapy. In this
      group, host-mediated viral control may be accompanied by chronic systemic
      inflammation. It is unknown whether either infection or chronic inflammation is
      present within the central nervous system of these individuals. METHODS: Cross
      sectional analysis compared cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) HIV RNA and biomarkers of
      intrathecal inflammation in eight controllers (plasma HIV RNA levels <50
      copies/ml) with 26 HIV-uninfected individuals, 25 untreated individuals HIV
      infected, viremic individuals, and 23 HIV-infected individuals with treatment
      mediated viral suppression (plasma HIV RNA levels <50 copies/ml). RESULTS: All
      controllers had CSF HIV RNA levels below 2.5 copies/ml. CSF white blood cell
      (WBC) counts and CSF: plasma albumin ratios in the controllers were similar to
      those in both HIV-uninfected individuals and antiretroviral therapy-suppressed
      HIV-infected individuals. CSF neopterin, MCP-1, and IP-10 concentrations were
      also not different in the controllers from either HIV-uninfected or treated HIV
      infected individuals. CONCLUSION: The character of CSF HIV infection and degree
      of immunoactivation in controllers is comparable to that of HIV-uninfected and
      antiretroviral therapy-suppressed HIV-infected individuals, but distinct from
      that of untreated, viremic HIV-infected individuals.

PMID- 20299969
TI  - Cleidocranial dysplasia with severe parietal bone dysplasia: a new
      (p.Val124Serfs) RUNX2 mutation.

PMID- 20299970
TI  - Mitomycin C does not inhibit exacerbation of granular corneal dystrophy type II
      induced by refractive surface ablation.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of mitomycin C (MMC) on the exacerbation of
      corneal opacity that occurs in patients with granular corneal dystrophy type II
      (GCD II) after refractive corneal surface ablation. METHODS: Ten eyes of patients
      with GCD II who underwent refractive corneal surface ablation with MMC were
      compared with 10 eyes that were not treated with MMC. Best spectacle-corrected
      visual acuity, the degree of corneal opacity, and contrast sensitivity were
      evaluated at least 3 years after surgery. Corneal opacities were quantified using
      Pentacam densitometry maps. RESULTS: No measured between-group value showed a
      statistically significant difference. CONCLUSION: Simultaneous application of MMC
      does not prevent exacerbation of GCD II after refractive corneal surface
      ablation.

PMID- 20299971
TI  - Extended long-term results of penetrating keratoplasty for keratoconus.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the extended long-term results of penetrating
      keratoplasty (PK) for keratoconus. METHODS: The subjects were all patients with
      clinical keratoconus who underwent initial PK at University of Tokyo from 1971 to
      1990 and whose medical records were available. Data were retrieved from the
      medical records. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to estimate the
      cumulative probability of immune reaction-free grafts and graft survival.
      RESULTS: One hundred twenty-five eyes in 125 patients met the entry criteria. The
      average age at the time of PK was 25.0 +/- 8.9 years. With an average follow-up
      period of 15.3 +/- 9.7 years, 12 eyes (9.6%) experienced rejection and 5 eyes
      (4.0%) experienced graft failure. Average best-corrected visual acuity in
      logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution at preoperation, 10, 20, and 25
      years after surgery was 1.54 +/- 0.68, 0.06 +/- 0.22, 0.03 +/- 0.17, and 0.14 +/-
      0.42, respectively. The cumulative probability of graft survival at 10, 20, and
      25 years after PK was 98.8%, 97.0%, and 93.2%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS:
      Recovery of visual acuity was good after PK for keratoconus in an extended follow
      up. The graft survival rate, however, gradually decreased 20 years after PK.

PMID- 20299972
TI  - Comparison between normal values of 2- and 5-minute Schirmer test without
      anesthesia.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the 2- and 5-minute Schirmer test I (test without anesthesia)
      in healthy individuals so as to exploit the possibility of using the 2-minute
      instead of the 5-minute test. MATERIAL AND METHOD: 162 healthy (81 males and 81
      females) individuals (without dry eye symptoms and free of pathology affecting
      tear secretion and tear drainage), aged between 20 and 85 years, were recruited
      in the study (3 age-groups: 20-45, 46-65, and 66-85 years). Schirmer test I (test
      without topical anesthesia) was performed in both eyes simultaneously. The values
      of tear secretion were recorded in 2 and 5 minutes and compared in relation to
      age and gender. The patients were asked to comment on the duration and the
      discomfort they felt. RESULTS: In 2 minutes, the average tear secretion was 12.71
      +/- 2.47 mm (mean +/- SD) for the right eyes and 12.62 +/- 2.09 mm for the left
      eyes and in 5 minutes, 16.74 +/- 3.59 and 16.831 +/- 3.38 mm, respectively. For
      confidence interval of 99%, the mean values of tear secretion, in individuals who
      were expected to have normal secretion, were higher than 10 mm in 2 minutes and
      higher than 13 mm in 5 minutes (significance level 1% or a = 0.01). Only 5.55% of
      the eyes presented values <10 mm (7-9.5 mm) in the 2-minute test and values <13
      mm (8.5-12.5 mm) in the 5-minute test. There was no significant difference in
      tear secretion between males and females, between the different age-groups, and
      between right and left eyes. All the examined individuals expressed their
      negative comments and considered the test as an unpleasant procedure and
      consequently preferred the shorter possible duration. CONCLUSION: The 2-minute
      test is more acceptable by both the examiners and the examined individuals and
      may be used, in respect to the above results, as an alternative of the 5-minute
      test. Normal individuals tend to have Schirmer test I values > or = 10 mm in 2
      minutes, irrespective of age and gender.

PMID- 20299973
TI  - Effect of incision width on graft survival and endothelial cell loss after
      Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the effect of incision width (5.0 and 3.2 mm) on graft
      survival and endothelial cell loss 6 months and 1 year after Descemet stripping
      automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK). METHODS: One hundred sixty-seven
      subjects with endothelial decompensation from a moderate-risk condition
      (principally Fuchs dystrophy or pseudophakic corneal edema) underwent DSAEK by 2
      experienced surgeons. The donor was folded over and inserted with single-point
      fixation forceps. This retrospective analysis assessed graft survival,
      complications, and endothelial cell loss, which was calculated from baseline
      donor and 6-month and 1-year postoperative central endothelial images evaluated
      by an independent specular microscopy reading center. RESULTS: No primary graft
      failures occurred in either group. One-year graft survival rates were comparable
      (98% vs 97%) in the 5.0- and 3.2-mm groups, respectively (P = 1.0). Complications
      included graft dislocation, graft rejection episodes, and elevated intraocular
      pressure and occurred at similar rates in both groups (P > or = 0.28). Pupillary
      block glaucoma did not occur in either group. Mean baseline donor endothelial
      cell density did not differ: 2782 cells per square millimeter in the 5.0-mm (n =
      64) and 2784 cells per square millimeter in the 3.2-mm (n = 103) groups. Percent
      endothelial cell loss was 27% +/- 20% (n = 55) versus 40% +/- 22% (n = 71; 6
      months) and 31% +/- 19% (n = 45) versus 44% +/- 22% (n = 62; 12 months) in the
      5.0- and 3.2-mm incision groups, respectively (both P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: One
      year after DSAEK, overall graft success was comparable for the 2 groups; however,
      the 5.0-mm incision width resulted in substantially lower endothelial cell loss
      at 6 and 12 months.

PMID- 20299974
TI  - Straylight measurements in contact lens wear.
AB  - PURPOSE: (1) To quantify the effect of contact lens wear on straylight in rigid
      and soft contact lens wearers and (2) to relate findings to morphological changes
      and subjective complaints. METHODS: Straylight was measured using the Oculus C
      Quant during contact lens wear and after contact lens removal in 30 rigid contact
      lens wearers and 30 soft contact lens wearers. Semi-quantitative (0-4) slit-lamp
      grading of anterior segment changes using Efron grading scales and contact lens
      characteristics were performed. Subjects answered a straylight questionnaire.
      RESULTS: Soft contact lens wearers had a mean straylight of logarithmic value of
      the straylight parameter [log(s)] = 0.934 during contact lens wear and after
      contact lens removal [comparable to log(s) = 0.938 of age-matched normal eyes].
      Rigid contact lens wearers had a mean straylight during contact lens wear of
      log(s) = 1.167. After contact lens removal, log(s) significantly decreased to
      0.997 (P < 0.01). Straylight values with rigid contact lenses were strongly
      increased (P < 0.001) compared with age-matched normal eyes; after contact lens
      removal, these values decreased but remained elevated. Straylight in rigid
      contact lens wearers correlated with the amount of deposits on the contact lens
      (P < 0.01) but not with other variables of the contact lens score. The
      questionnaire showed more straylight complaints in rigid contact lens wearers
      than in soft contact lens wearers (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Rigid contact lens
      wear leads to increased straylight during contact lens wear and after contact
      lens removal. This may be because of subclinical effects of contact lens wear on
      the cornea and is not seen in soft contact lens wearers.

PMID- 20299975
TI  - Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty in eyes with previous
      trabeculectomy and tube shunt procedures: intraoperative and early postoperative
      complications.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the intraoperative and early postoperative outcomes of
      Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) in patients with
      previous glaucoma filtering surgeries. METHODS: A retrospective review of all
      DSAEK surgeries performed at one center comparing complications of DSAEK in eyes
      with previous glaucoma filtering procedures (study eyes) with a time-matched
      group of all other DSAEK cases (control eyes). RESULTS: There were 28 study eyes,
      19 with previous trabeculectomies and 9 with previous glaucoma drainage devices
      (GDDs) and 431 control eyes. Study group intraoperative complications included 1
      compromised bleb and 1 loss of donor tissue because of traumatic manipulation.
      One intraoperative complication, a perforation of the donor tissue, occurred in
      the control group. Venting stab incisions were used more often in study eyes (n =
      5; 18%) than in control eyes (n = 12; 4.4%) (P = 0.002). GDD tubes were trimmed
      in 2 eyes (22%). No intraoperative manipulations were used to occlude the
      glaucoma filters or tubes. Postoperative complications in the study group
      included 1 dislocation (3.6%) and 1 decentered graft (3.6%) and 1 eye with loss
      of pressure control (3.6%), whereas in the control group, there were 10
      dislocations (2.3%) and 1 decentered graft (0.2%) (P = 0.267 for dislocations and
      P = 0.118 for decentered grafts). One episode of pupillary block (0.2%) occurred
      in the control group, and none occurred in the study group. No primary graft
      failures occurred in either group. CONCLUSIONS: DSAEK surgeries in eyes with
      previous glaucoma filtering procedures were performed without primary graft
      failure and with reasonably low dislocation (3.6%) and graft decentration (3.6%)
      rates. Although the intraoperative complication rate for the study group (7.1%)
      was higher than the rate for the control group (0.23%), excellent early
      postoperative outcomes can be achieved when DSAEK is performed in eyes with
      previous trabeculectomies and GDDs.

PMID- 20299976
TI  - In vivo confocal microscopic findings of 2 patients with Bietti crystalline
      corneoretinal dystrophy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe the clinical and in vivo confocal microscopic findings of
      the cornea in 2 patients with Bietti crystalline corneoretinal dystrophy using
      Heidelberg Retina Tomograph II Rostock Cornea Module. METHODS: Two women 25 and
      33 years of age underwent ophthalmologic assessment, including fundus
      photography, optical coherence tomography, fluorescein angiography,
      electroretinography, and in vivo confocal microscopy. RESULTS: Slit-lamp
      examination revealed crystalline deposits at the superior limbus of the cornea in
      both of the subjects. Fundus examination disclosed numerous glistening yellowish
      white crystalline deposits scattered throughout the posterior pole and
      midperipheral retina, retina pigment epithelium and choriocapillaris atrophy;
      pigment clumping; and retinal scarring. Optical coherence tomography demonstrated
      hyperreflective red and white areas corresponding to the crystalline deposits in
      the retinal pigment epithelium-choriocapillaris complex. In vivo confocal
      microscopy of the superior paralimbal area showed randomly oriented needle-shaped
      or rod-shaped crystals up to 40 microm in length and 4-8 microm in width in the
      epithelium and the stroma. In other areas, the epithelium, stroma, and
      endothelium had normal appearance with no deposits. CONCLUSIONS: In vivo confocal
      microscopy is a noninvasive examination technique that shows clearly the corneal
      crystals located mainly in the superior paralimbal area in Bietti crystalline
      corneoretinal dystrophy, which can easily be missed even by an experienced
      ophthalmologist and therefore may aid further in the diagnosis.

PMID- 20299977
TI  - Midterm outcomes of autologous cultivated limbal stem cell transplantation with
      or without penetrating keratoplasty.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report the midterm outcomes of autologous limbal stem cell
      transplantation cultivated on amniotic membrane (AM) with or without subsequent
      penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) in patients with total unilateral limbal stem cell
      deficiency (LSCD). METHODS: Eight eyes of 8 consecutive patients with unilateral
      total LSCD underwent autologous limbal stem cell transplantation cultivated on
      AM. Four eyes underwent subsequent optical PKP. Main outcome measures were
      corneal vascularization and transparency. RESULTS: The patients were followed for
      34.0 +/- 13.5 months (6-48 months). Seven cases had a stable corneal epithelium
      with marked decrease in opacification and vascularization. Progressive sectorial
      conjunctivalization was evident in all cases with subsequent PKP at the last
      follow-up. Primary failure was observed in one case because of exposure.
      CONCLUSIONS: Transplantation of autologous stem cells cultivated on AM with or
      without subsequent PKP seems to be an effective way for visual rehabilitation in
      total LSCD. More work with more cases and longer follow-up are needed to optimize
      this procedure to provide and maintain an adequate supply of limbal stem cells in
      these patients.

PMID- 20299978
TI  - The I allele of the angiotensin converting enzyme I/D polymorphism confers
      protection against coronary artery disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mutations in genes regulating lipid metabolism, vasoactivity, and
      coagulation are important modulators of coronary artery disease (CAD). OBJECTIVE:
      This study investigated the association between allelic variants of the
      angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), methytetrahydrofolate reductase, plasminogen
      activator inhibitor-1 and factor V genes and CAD. METHODS: Clinical, biochemical,
      and angiographic information were collected from 300 patients who underwent
      cardiac catheterization and their DNA was genotyped by restriction fragment
      length polymorphism. RESULTS: The frequency of the D allele of the ACE gene was
      significantly higher than the I allele in patients with more than 70% stenosis in
      any vessel. Among patients with more than 70% stenosis, carriers of the D allele
      were 2.8 times more likely to be males. The presence of the ACE I allele was
      negatively associated with CAD with (P=0.02 ,OR=0.38.) CONCLUSION: This study
      describes a protective role of the ACE I allele in individuals who may be at risk
      of developing CAD.

PMID- 20299980
TI  - Assessment of tissue characteristics of noncalcified coronary plaques by 64-slice
      computed tomography in comparison with integrated backscatter intravascular
      ultrasound.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The ability of 64-slice computed tomography (CT) angiography to
      differentiate plaque types remains unclear. We evaluated whether the density of
      noncalcified coronary plaques by 64-slice CT angiography correlates with plaque
      components assessed by integrated backscatter intravascular ultrasound (IB-IVUS).
      METHODS: Eighty-six patients [stable angina/acute coronary syndrome (ACS) 67/19,
      mean age 62+/-11 years] who showed significant coronary artery stenosis (> or
      =50% diameter stenosis) by 64-slice CT angiography underwent coronary angiography
      and were evaluated using IB-IVUS. RESULTS: A total of 92 noncalcified coronary
      plaques on CT angiography were evaluated with IB-IVUS. There was a positive
      correlation between CT density and calcified tissue content (r=0.41, P<0.001).
      However, the CT density of plaques did not correlate with other tissue
      components. Patients with ACS showed more lipid (43.1+/-13.2 vs. 35.8+/-13.5,
      P=0.03) and less soft fibrous tissue (50.5+/-11.7 vs. 56.5+/-12.0, P=0.05) by IB
      IVUS than those with stable angina. However, the mean CT density of plaques in
      ACS was not different from that in stable angina (140.6+/-88.5 vs. 113.1+/-80.9,
      P=0.19). CONCLUSION: Except for calcified tissue, CT angiography failed to
      differentiate plaque types of noncalcified tissue. Therefore, the role of 64
      slice CT angiography in identifying lipid-rich plaques remains limited.

PMID- 20299979
TI  - Increased expression of plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) in HEPG2
      cells induced by insulin mediated by the 3'-untranslated region of the PAI-1 gene
      and its pharmacologic implications.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Insulin increases, through several molecular mechanisms, expression of
      plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), the major physiologic inhibitor of
      fibrinolysis. This phenomenon has been implicated as a cause of accelerated
      coronary artery disease and the increased incidence of acute coronary syndromes
      associated with type 2 diabetes. We have previously reported that physiologic and
      pharmacologic concentrations of insulin induce PAI-1 synthesis in human HepG2
      cells and that simvastatin can attenuate its effects. This study was performed to
      further elucidate mechanisms responsible for the insulin-induced PAI-1
      production. METHODS: Concentrations of PAI-1 mRNA were determined by real-time
      PCR, and PAI-1 protein was assayed by western blotting. PAI-1 promoter (-829 to
      +36 bp) activity was assayed with the use of luciferase reporter assays. The
      potential role of the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) in the PAI-1 gene was assayed
      with the use of luciferase constructs containing the 3'-UTR. Oxidative stress was
      measured by loading cells with carboxy-2,7 dichlorodihydrofluorescein. RESULTS:
      Insulin increased PAI-1 promoter activity, PAI-1 mRNA, and accumulation of PAI-1
      protein in the conditioned media. Insulin-inducible PAI-1 promoter activity was
      attenuated by simvastatin. Experiments performed with luciferase reporters
      containing the 3'-UTR showed that insulin increased luciferase activity through
      this region. Insulin also increased oxidative stress. Both insulin-inducible
      luciferase activity through the 3'-UTR and oxidative stress were attenuated by
      simvastatin. CONCLUSION: Insulin can increase PAI-1 expression through multiple
      mechanisms including induction mediated by the 3'-UTR of the PAI-1 gene.
      Accordingly, beneficial pleiotropic effects of statins on coronary artery disease
      may be attributable, in part, to attenuation of overexpression of PAI-1 mediated
      by the 3'-UTR in syndromes of insulin resistance (such as the metabolic syndrome)
      and type 2 diabetes.

PMID- 20299981
TI  - Validation of a strategy to diagnose coronary artery disease and predict cardiac
      events in high-risk renal transplant candidates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We validated a strategy for diagnosis of coronary artery disease
      (CAD) and prediction of cardiac events in high-risk renal transplant candidates
      (at least one of the following: age > or =50 years, diabetes, cardiovascular
      disease). METHODS: A diagnosis and risk assessment strategy was used in 228 renal
      transplant candidates to validate an algorithm. Patients underwent dipyridamole
      myocardial stress testing and coronary angiography and were followed up until
      death, renal transplantation, or cardiac events. RESULTS: The prevalence of CAD
      was 47%. Stress testing did not detect significant CAD in 1/3 of patients. The
      sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the
      stress test for detecting CAD were 70, 74, 69, and 71%, respectively. CAD,
      defined by angiography, was associated with increased probability of cardiac
      events [log-rank: 0.001; hazard ratio: 1.90, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.29
      2.92]. Diabetes (P=0.03; hazard ratio: 1.58, 95% CI: 1.06-2.45) and
      angiographically defined CAD (P=0.03; hazard ratio: 1.69, 95% CI: 1.08-2.78) were
      the independent predictors of events. CONCLUSION: The results validate our
      observations in a smaller number of high-risk transplant candidates and indicate
      that stress testing is not appropriate for the diagnosis of CAD or prediction of
      cardiac events in this group of patients. Coronary angiography was correlated
      with events but, because less than 50% of patients had significant disease, it
      seems premature to recommend the test to all high-risk renal transplant
      candidates. The results suggest that angiography is necessary in many high-risk
      renal transplant candidates and that better noninvasive methods are still lacking
      to identify with precision patients who will benefit from invasive procedures.

PMID- 20299982
TI  - Evaluating cancer epidemiologic risk factors using multiple primary malignancies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several authors have proposed the use of patients with double primary
      malignancies affecting the same or contralateral organ as a genetically enriched
      resource of cases for epidemiologic case-control studies in cancer. Such an
      approach is based on the assumption that the factors that increase the risk of a
      second primary are the same ones which influence the risk of a first primary. The
      advantages for statistical power are premised on the assumption that relative
      risks in survivors of a first primary cancer are similar to relative risks in the
      unaffected population. We explore these assumptions theoretically and empirically
      using published data from breast cancer studies involving bilateral breast
      cancer. METHODS: We conducted a literature review to identify case-control
      studies of variants in 4 genes known to affect breast cancer risk:
      CHEK2*1100delC; multiple variants in BRCA1 and BRCA2; and FGFR2 rs2981582.
      Summary odds ratios were obtained for each of 3 study designs: a conventional
      case-control design, the design comparing bilateral cases with unilateral
      controls, and the design comparing bilateral cases with population controls.
      RESULTS: The data show strong patterns of steadily increasing prevalence of risk
      factors from healthy controls to primary cases to bilateral cases, as expected.
      Relative risks in survivors of unilateral breast cancer are either the same as in
      the general population, or modestly attenuated. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with double
      primary malignancies are a very important underused resource for cancer
      epidemiologic investigation. Such patients are especially useful for broad genome
      wide discovery studies, and for studies of rare, strong risk factors such as high
      penetrance genes.

PMID- 20299983
TI  - A simplified risk score to predict difficult intubation: development and
      prospective evaluation in 3763 patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Despite the presence of numerous preoperative tests to
      predict a difficult airway, there is no reliable bedside method. The aim of this
      study was to create and verify a simplified risk model with an acceptable
      discriminating power. METHODS: A total of 3763 patients from two university
      hospitals were screened for potential risk factors for difficult intubation,
      defined as needing additional technical or human resources, more than three
      attempts or duration more than 10 min. A random sample (n = 2509) was subjected
      to multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis, and the most powerful
      independent risk factors were used to build a simplified model that was applied
      to a validation dataset (n = 1254). RESULTS: The following factors (odds ratio)
      were associated with a difficult intubation: presence of upper front teeth
      (3.61), history of difficult intubation (2.88), any Mallampati status different
      from '1' (2.55) or equal to '4' (1.91) and mouth opening less than 4 cm (1.80).
      The discriminating power of the score was 0.72 (95% confidence interval 0.63
      0.81). The likelihood for a difficult intubation increases continuously from 0
      (when no risk factor is present) to 2, 4, 8 and 17%, when one, two, three and
      more than three factors are present. CONCLUSION: The new simplified multivariate
      risk score for difficult intubation may prove to be useful in clinical practice
      for predicting a difficult airway. Presence of upper front teeth, a history of
      difficult intubation, any Mallampati status different from '1' and equal to '4'
      and mouth opening less than 4 cm are independent risk factors for difficult
      endotracheal intubation. With each of these risk factors, the likelihood
      increases from 0 (when no risk factor is present) to 17% (when four or five
      factors are present).

PMID- 20299984
TI  - N-acetylcysteine does not prevent renal dysfunction after off-pump coronary
      artery bypass surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Coronary artery bypass graft surgery in high-risk
      patients may be associated with postoperative renal dysfunction. N-Acetylcysteine
      is a powerful antioxidant and has been used to prevent contrast-induced renal
      dysfunction. The efficacy of N-acetylcysteine in preventing postoperative renal
      dysfunction following off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery was studied.
      METHODS: A prospective, randomized, controlled study was conducted in patients
      undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass graft. The study group (37 patients)
      received N-acetylcysteine in the perioperative period, whereas the control group
      (37 patients) did not. The data obtained were analysed using the independent
      sample t-test (Student's t-test) and chi-test. RESULTS: There was no significant
      difference in the incidence of renal dysfunction between the two groups. Three
      patients (8.6%) in the N-acetylcysteine group and four (11.4%) in the control
      group developed renal dysfunction (P value was 1.00). CONCLUSION: N
      Acetylcysteine does not have any beneficial effect on renal function in high-risk
      patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass graft.

PMID- 20299985
TI  - Cognitive and psychiatric disorder in myotonic dystrophy.

PMID- 20299986
TI  - Glottic web mimicking subglottic stenosis: revisited.

PMID- 20299987
TI  - Late intravascular migration of a previously well functioning labour epidural
      catheter.
AB  - Intravascular epidural catheters may result in insufficient labour analgesia or
      can produce potentially lethal complications following an epidural top-up. We
      report a case of a previously well functioning epidural catheter positioned
      epidurally using a combined spinal epidural anaesthesia technique, which
      subsequently was found to be intravascular. The literature is reviewed.

PMID- 20299988
TI  - Effects of a continuous low-dose clonidine epidural regimen on pain, satisfaction
      and adverse events during labour: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled
      trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Epidural clonidine has been proposed as an adjunct for
      anaesthetic mixtures during labour. Administered as a bolus, clonidine may have
      side effects such as sedation and hypotension; its continuous infusion could be
      attractive in this respect. We, therefore, conducted a randomized, double-blind
      trial using patient-controlled epidural analgesia with a background infusion
      using a low dose of clonidine during labour. METHODS: A total of 128 healthy
      parturients in active labour received a patient-controlled epidural analgesia
      solution of 0.0625% levobupivacaine and sufentanil 0.25 microg ml(-1) with or
      without clonidine 2 microg ml(-1). Ninety-five parturients were analysed. The
      pain score over time was evaluated as well as drug volume utilization;
      supplementation bolus and side effects were recorded. The primary endpoint was
      maternal satisfaction [ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT00437996)]. RESULTS:
      Three patients in the control group failed to achieve satisfactory epidural
      analgesia owing to a technical issue. Although the primary endpoint was not
      statistically significant, analgesia was more pronounced and obtained earlier in
      the clonidine group. The area under the curve for the visual analogue pain score
      was significantly lower in the clonidine group. In this group, hourly doses of
      levobupivacaine and sufentanil were reduced (13.9 +/- 4.3 vs. 16.3 ml +/- 4.0; P
      = 0.005) as well as rescue supplementation and pruritus incidence (18 vs. 46%; P
      = 0.004). Maternal blood pressure was significantly lower, over time, in the
      clonidine group but remained within the normal range. Sedation was similar in
      both groups (4.3 vs. 2.0%; not significant). CONCLUSION: The addition of
      clonidine to epidural levobupivacaine and sufentanil for patient-controlled
      epidural analgesia in labour improved analgesia, reduced the supplementation rate
      and reduced pruritus without improvement in maternal satisfaction. Blood pressure
      was significantly lower in the clonidine group over time but without clinical
      consequence.

PMID- 20299989
TI  - Persistent pain following knee arthroplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of persistent pain after orthopaedic
      surgery has been the subject of only few studies and the risk factors for
      persistent pain have been evaluated even more rarely. The purpose of the present
      study was to evaluate the degree and the risk factors of persistent pain after
      knee arthroplasty. METHODS: The prevalence of persistent postoperative pain after
      knee replacement was evaluated with a questionnaire in a large, register-based
      cross-sectional prevalence study. The main hypothesis was that the type of
      operation (primary, bilateral, revision) would influence the prevalence of
      persistent postoperative pain. Logistic regression analysis was performed to test
      the hypothesis and to find other possible risk factors for the development of
      persistent pain. RESULTS: The total number of patients was 855. The operation was
      a primary arthroplasty in 648 patients (75.7%), a bilateral arthroplasty in 137
      patients (21.1%) and a revision arthroplasty in 70 patients (8.2%). The response
      rate was 65.7%. The type of operation was not associated with the prevalence of
      persistent pain, but the degree of early postoperative pain was the strongest
      risk factor. If the degree of pain during the first postoperative week was from
      moderate to intolerable, the risk for the development of persistent pain was
      three to 10 times higher compared with patients complaining of mild pain during
      the same period. Other risk factors were the long duration of preoperative pain
      and female sex. CONCLUSION: Intensity of early postoperative pain and delayed
      surgery increase the risk of the persistent pain after knee arthroplasty.

PMID- 20299990
TI  - Bispectral index-controlled postoperative sedation in cardiac surgery patients: a
      comparative trial between closed loop and manual administration of propofol.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Postoperative cardiac surgery patients are usually
      sedated according to clinical sedation scores. Electrophysiological data derived
      from electroencephalography, such as the bispectral index (BIS), have been
      reported to assess and quantify the level of sedation, although experience in
      these patients is limited. In the current study, we evaluated a closed-loop
      system - closed-loop anaesthesia delivery system (CLADS) - for postoperative
      sedation after open heart surgery using BIS. METHODS: Forty-one postoperative
      cardiac surgery patients in the age group 18-65 years were included. In the
      postanaesthesia care unit, they were randomly allocated to two groups: a CLADS
      group, which received a continuous infusion of propofol using CLADS, and a manual
      group, which received propofol at a rate manually adjusted by the clinician.
      Propofol was administered in both groups to maintain the BIS at a target of 70
      for adequate sedation. Patients were weaned from mechanical ventilation and the
      trachea extubated after confirmation of haemodynamic stability, haemostasis,
      normothermia and mental orientation. RESULTS: The percentage of total sedation
      time during which BIS remained within +/-10 of the target value (BIS of 70 during
      sedation) was significantly higher in the CLADS group than in the manual group (P
      = 0.002). The assessment of performance parameters using median performance error
      and median absolute performance error indicated better performance in the CLADS
      group. Manual control required the propofol infusion rate to be changed
      frequently, taking up considerable time and attention of the clinician.
      CONCLUSION: Closed-loop delivery of propofol to control BIS for postoperative
      sedation is feasible and efficient after cardiac surgery.

PMID- 20299991
TI  - Tourniquet use during total knee replacement in a Jehovah's Witness with sickle
      cell trait: a case report.

PMID- 20299992
TI  - Preoperative chronic pain in radical prostatectomy patients: preliminary evidence
      for enhanced susceptibility to surgically induced pain.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to examine a possible
      relationship between the extent of preoperative chronic pain and the development
      of moderate-to-severe acute postoperative pain. METHODS: Eighty-four patients
      scheduled for radical prostatectomy were studied. Pain intensities after
      mobilization during the first 3 postoperative days were added to yield a total
      pain score (total pain score after mobilization, range 0-30). Pain was considered
      as moderate to severe at a total pain score after mobilization of 12 or higher.
      The preoperative severity of chronic pain disorders was measured using the Mainz
      Pain Staging System (I-III). Further possible preoperative risk factors for the
      development of intense postoperative pain that were examined included pain
      intensity, pain in the urological site, psychological distress (Hospital Anxiety
      and Depression Scale) and health-related quality of life (Short Form-12).
      RESULTS: Patients with moderate-to-severe preoperative chronic pain and those
      with higher Mainz Pain Staging System stages were significantly (P < 0.001) more
      likely to develop moderate-to-severe postoperative pain. Anxiety and depression
      scores as well as physical health (Short Form-12) were significantly associated
      with a total pain score after mobilization of at least 12. The development of
      postoperative pain was independent of the presence of preoperative pain in the
      urological site. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that higher degrees of
      preoperative chronic pain were associated with the development of more intense
      pain after radical prostatectomy. Preoperative psychological distress and reduced
      physical health were associated with a marked increase in postoperative pain
      intensity.

PMID- 20299993
TI  - An opioid-free anaesthetic using nerve blocks enhances rapid recovery after minor
      hand surgery in children.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The aim of this prospective randomized study was to
      evaluate the quality of analgesia, postoperative comfort and subsequent duration
      of hospitalization after distal hand surgery and peripheral nerve block at the
      wrist for paediatric outpatients. METHODS: Sixty consecutive ASA I or II children
      were randomly assigned to the following groups: in group B (block),
      intraoperative and postoperative analgesia was provided by peripheral nerve
      block; and in group O (opioids), intraoperative and postoperative analgesia was
      provided by intravenous opioids. The patients' age, sex and type of surgery were
      recorded as were the postoperative pain management and postoperative vomiting.
      Time to discharge from the recovery room, the postoperative ward and the time to
      discharge home were also noted. RESULTS: The two groups were similar with respect
      to age, sex, ASA physical status, weight, height and types of injuries. The
      incidence of postoperative pain (CHEOPS score >or=7) and the incidence of
      postoperative vomiting were significantly higher in group O than in group B: 26.6
      versus 3.3%; P = 0.025, and 33.3 versus 6.6%; P = 0.011, respectively. The time
      before oral intake was significantly longer in group O than in group B [187 (75
      265) min versus 60 (32-125) min, respectively, P = 0.0002]. The time to meet
      discharge home criteria was 277 (230-330) min in group O versus 210 (145-260) min
      in group B (P = 0.0039). CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates for the first
      time that, after distal hand surgery in children, peripheral nerve block improves
      pain management, opioid analgesia-induced side effects and provides a shorter
      postoperative recovery time than systemic analgesia with opioids.

PMID- 20299994
TI  - Determinants of cerebral oximetry in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery
      bypass grafting: an observational study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The present study investigated whether positioning of
      the heart during off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting leads to changes in
      regional cerebral oxygen saturation measured by near infrared spectroscopy.
      METHODS: In 35 consecutive patients undergoing elective off-pump coronary artery
      bypass grafting, cerebral oxygen saturation was measured by near infrared
      spectroscopy. A 20% decrease from baseline values was considered to be cerebral
      hypoperfusion. Mean arterial pressure, cardiac index, arterial carbon dioxide
      partial pressure, central venous pressure, haemoglobin concentration, and body
      temperature were determined simultaneously. Each value was recorded at the
      following time points: at baseline; after positioning the heart for distal
      anastomoses of the left anterior descending artery, the circumflex, and the right
      coronary artery; after repositioning the heart; and after chest closure.
      Significant changes in each parameter from baseline were detected using repeated
      measures analysis of variance. Determinants of cerebral oxygen saturation during
      surgery were analysed by means of generalized estimation equations. RESULTS:
      Cerebral oxygen saturation remained constant during grafting of the left anterior
      descending artery and decreased significantly during grafting of the circumflex
      (P = 0.001) and the right coronary artery (P < 0.001). Cerebral hypoperfusion was
      found in seven (20%) patients. Changes in haemoglobin concentration (P = 0.014),
      arterial CO2 partial pressure (P = 0.001), cardiac output (P < 0.001), and
      central venous pressure (P = 0.014) determined alterations in cerebral oxygen
      saturation. CONCLUSION: Positioning of the heart during off-pump coronary artery
      bypass grafting leads to a decrease in regional cerebral oxygen saturation. This
      decrease is associated with changes in cardiac output, haemoglobin concentration,
      arterial CO2 partial pressure, and central venous pressure.

PMID- 20299995
TI  - Comfort of the patient during axillary blocks placement: a randomized comparison
      of the neurostimulation and the ultrasound guidance techniques.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Axillary brachial plexus block under neurostimulation is commonly
      used for upper limb surgery, but it is sometimes recognized as an uncomfortable
      technique, with most patients identifying electrical stimulation as an unpleasant
      moment. Ultrasound-guided regional anaesthesia, which becomes an increasingly
      popular technique, does not require electrical stimulation and then should
      theoretically improve axillary block placement comfort. The aim of this study was
      to compare the comfort of the patients during axillary block placement with
      neurostimulation and ultrasound guidance using either the out-of-plane or the in
      plane approach. METHODS: Consecutive patients were prospectively enrolled in
      three equal groups: neurostimulation, ultrasound out-of-plane and ultrasound in
      plane approaches. A score was used to measure the comfort of the patients during
      axillary blocks placement. This score included three criteria: maximum pain
      intensity perceived during block placement measured using a visual analogue scale
      (0, no pain and 100, maximal or worse imaginable pain), the number of unpleasant
      events declared by the patients and the satisfaction of the patient (unsatisfied,
      acceptable, satisfied, very satisfied). The comfort score was calculated as the
      sum of each criterion, which was attributed a value of 0 or 1: visual analogue
      scale (<or=30/100, 1; >30/100, 0), number of unpleasant events (0, 1; >or=1, 0)
      and satisfaction (satisfied or very satisfied, 1; acceptable or unsatisfied, 0).
      Procedures of axillary blocks placement resulting in a comfort score of 3 and 2
      were arbitrary considered as very comfortable and comfortable, respectively.
      Success rate of axillary blocks, time to perform block and complications related
      to procedures were noted. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty patients were included.
      In the ultrasound out-of-plane group, 55% (22/40) and 25% (10/40) of the
      procedures were very comfortable and comfortable as compared with 32% (13/40, P <
      0.05) and 20% (8/40, P < 0.01) in the ultrasound in-plane group and 25% (10/40, P
      < 0.01) and 8% (3/40, P < 0.01) in the neurostimulation group, respectively.
      Duration of axillary placement was significantly smaller in the ultrasound out-of
      plane group as compared with that of in-plane approaches (P < 0.05) and
      neurostimulation (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The present study showed that the
      ultrasound approaches were less painful and more comfortable than
      neurostimulation to place axillary blocks. We also showed that, although pain
      intensity resulting from blocks placement was similar with the ultrasound
      approaches, very comfortable procedures were more frequent with the out-of-plane
      than with the in-plane approach.

PMID- 20299996
TI  - General anaesthesia for MRI in children with hypotonia: a case series.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To characterize the safety of general anaesthesia, used
      to facilitate MRI in children with clinical hypotonia, and to determine whether
      this technique could be performed safely as an outpatient procedure. METHODS: All
      children (age <or=12 years) who underwent MRI with general anaesthesia as a part
      of their diagnostic work-up for hypotonia at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota,
      USA, between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2006, were identified. Demographics,
      medical history, anaesthetic details, postanaesthetic disposition and the disease
      state identified as the cause of hypotonia, if available, were recorded. RESULTS:
      Thirty-seven children underwent 38 general anaesthetics. Age was 2.7 +/- 2.3
      years (range, 8 days-9 years). A volatile anaesthetic was employed in 37 out of
      38 instances and nitrous oxide was used in 31. Three children experienced minor
      intraprocedural adverse events, and three children experienced minor adverse
      events in the postanaesthesia recovery room. No child required an unanticipated
      hospital admission or was re-admitted following discharge due to adverse events.
      A specific causative disease process was eventually identified in 17 children and
      represented a diverse group of disorders; a final diagnosis was never obtained in
      the remaining 20 children. CONCLUSION: Use of general anaesthesia to facilitate
      MRI in children with clinical hypotonia appears to be a well tolerated practice.
      No major peri-procedural adverse events were noted, and all minor adverse events
      were either easily treated or resolved spontaneously.

PMID- 20299997
TI  - Is the EndoFlex tube a beneficial tool for nasal intubation?

PMID- 20299998
TI  - Anaesthetic considerations for intrabronchial valves.

PMID- 20299999
TI  - Stairs instead of elevators at workplace: cardioprotective effects of a pragmatic
      intervention.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Population strategies to increase physical activity are an essential
      part of cardiovascular disease prevention. However, little data exist on
      lifestyle interventions that are easy to integrate into everyday life such as
      using stairs instead of elevators at the workplace. DESIGN: Pre and
      postintervention study. METHODS: A 12-week promotional campaign for stair use
      consisting in posters and floor stickers at the point of choice between stairs
      and elevators at each hospital floor was organized in a university hospital
      building. In 77 selected employees with an inactive lifestyle, physical activity,
      aerobic fitness, anthropometrics, blood pressure, lipids, insulin sensitivity,
      and C-reactive protein were assessed at baseline, 12 weeks, and 6 months.
      RESULTS: During the intervention median daily number of ascended and descended
      one-story staircase units was 20.6/day (14.2-28.1) compared with 4.5/day (1.8
      7.2) at baseline (P<0.001). At 12 weeks, estimated maximal aerobic capacity had
      increased by 9.2+/-15.1% (P<0.001) corresponding with approximately 1 MET. There
      were significant declines in waist circumference (-1.7+/-2.9%), weight (-0.7+/
      2.6%), fat mass (-1.5+/-8.4%), diastolic blood pressure (-1.8+/-8.9%), and low
      density lipoprotein cholesterol (-3.0+/-13.5%). At 6 months, the median daily
      number of ascended and descended one-story staircase units had decreased to 7.2
      (3.5-14.0). Benefits on estimated maximal aerobic capacity (+5.9+/-12.2%,
      P=0.001) and fat mass (-1.4+/-8.4%, P=0.038) persisted. CONCLUSION: Encouraging
      stair use at work is effective for improving fitness, body composition, blood
      pressure, and lipid profile in asymptomatic individuals with an inactive
      lifestyle and thus may be a simple way to significantly reduce cardiovascular
      disease risk at the population level.

PMID- 20300000
TI  - Trends in vascular risk factors and medication use in patients with various
      manifestations of vascular diseases or type 2 diabetes mellitus from 1996 to
      2007: the Second Manifestations of ARTerial disease study.
AB  - AIMS: To investigate time trends in vascular risk factors and medication use for
      patients referred to a vascular specialist with manifest vascular disease or type
      2 diabetes mellitus (DM2). METHODS AND RESULTS: Change in risk factor profile and
      medication use at referral over a 12-year period was evaluated and compared
      between patients with coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral
      arterial disease, abdominal aortic aneurysm, and DM2, who participated in the
      Second Manifestations of ARTerial disease study in the period of 1996-2007. A
      total of 4731 patients were included (mean age 59+/-11 years, 75% male) in the
      period 1996-2007. Obesity (body mass index >=30 kg/m2) prevalence increased from
      14 to 24%, and no change in smoking behavior was observed. The prevalence of
      hyperlipidemia (total cholesterol >=4.5 mmol/l or low-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol >=2.5 mmol/l) at referral declined from 92% in 1996-1997 to 45% in
      2006-2007. The proportion of patients with blood pressure above 140/90 mmHg
      decreased from 66 to 51%. The use of lipid-lowering, blood pressure-lowering, and
      antithrombotic medication at referral increased over the observation period.
      CONCLUSION: An improvement in risk factor profile was seen in patients referred
      with manifest vascular disease or DM2 over a 12-year period. Nevertheless, the
      prevalence of modifiable risk factors is still high leaving patients at elevated
      vascular risk.

PMID- 20300001
TI  - Cardiac rehabilitation in Europe: results from the European Cardiac
      Rehabilitation Inventory Survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programmes support patients to achieve
      professionally recommended cardiovascular prevention targets and thus good
      clinical status and improved quality of life and prognosis. Information on CR
      service delivery in Europe is sketchy. DESIGN: Postal survey of national CR
      related organizations in European countries. METHODS: The European Cardiac
      Rehabilitation Inventory Survey assessed topics including national guidelines,
      legislation and funding mechanisms, phases of CR provided and characteristic of
      included patients. RESULTS: Responses were available for 28 of 39 (72%)
      countries; 61% had national CR associations; 57% national professional
      guidelines. Most countries (86%) had phase I (acute inhospital) CR, but with
      differing service availability. Only 29% reported provision to more than 80%
      patients. Phase II was also available, but 15 countries reported provision levels
      below 30%. Almost half (46%) had national legislation regarding phase II CR;
      three-quarters had government funding. Phase III was less supported: although
      available in most countries, 11 could not provide estimates of numbers
      participating. Thirteen reported that all costs were met by patients. CONCLUSION:
      Fewer than half of eligible cardiovascular patients benefit from CR in most
      European countries. Deficits include absent or inadequate legislation, funding,
      professional guidelines and information systems in many countries. Priorities for
      improvement include promoting national laws and guidelines specific for CR and
      increasing both CR programme participation rates and CR infrastructure. The
      European Association of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation can have an
      important coordinating role in sharing expertise among national CR-related
      agencies. Ultimately, such cooperation can accelerate CR delivery to the benefit
      of cardiac patients across Europe.

PMID- 20300002
TI  - Obesity, physical activity and the development of metabolic syndrome: the
      Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective of this study is to determine the impact of body weight
      and physical activity on the development of metabolic syndrome (MetS). DESIGN AND
      METHODS: We used the public use data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities
      study. From the baseline cohort, we identified, as the study population, 9359
      individuals who did not have MetS and who completed the second follow-up
      examination in 1993-1995. RESULTS: In 6 years of follow-up, 1970 individuals
      (25%) developed MetS. Compared with normal weight group [body mass index (BMI)<25
      kg/m], the odds ratios [95% confidence interval (CI)] of incident MetS were 2.81
      (95% CI: 2.50-3.17) and 5.24 (95% CI: 4.50-6.12) for the overweight (BMI: 25-30
      kg/m) and the obese groups (BMI>or=30 kg/m), respectively. Compared with persons
      in the lowest quartile of leisure-time physical activity, the odds ratios (95%
      CI) of incident MetS were 0.80 (95% CI: 0.71-0.91) and 0.92 (95% CI: 0.81-1.04)
      for persons in the highest and the middle quartiles of leisure-time physical
      activity, respectively. Our results indicated that at any level of physical
      activity, there is a graded increase in the risk of incident MetS with an
      increase in BMI, in contrast to a lack of graded association between physical
      activity and the incidence of MetS in all categories of BMI. CONCLUSION: This
      study highlights the need to target obesity more than physical activity in
      preventing the development of MetS.

PMID- 20300003
TI  - Improving documentation of procedural sedation in an adult emergency department.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study evaluates the effects of an educational intervention and
      the use of a preprinted form on the adequacy of documentation of procedural
      sedation in an adult emergency department. METHODS: The study was conducted at a
      tertiary hospital's emergency department. Structured medical record review was
      performed before and after a multipronged educational intervention and again
      after the introduction of a preprinted form that included factors distilled from
      published procedural sedation guidelines. Good documentation was defined as
      having less than five of 22 documentation items missing, and greater than 10
      items missing was defined as a poor documentation. RESULTS: The baseline group
      consisted of 93 patients with 102 included posteducation and 118 included after
      the introduction of the form. At baseline, 4.3% had good documentation, and 47.3%
      had poor documentation. Posteducation, these results were 16.7 and 30.4% for good
      and poor documentation, respectively. After the introduction of the form, 33.9%
      had good documentation and 38.1% had poor documentation. Only 39% of cases used
      the form, which resulted in 80.4% of medical records having good documentation
      and with none having poor documentation. Concurrently, if the form was not used
      to assist documentation, 1.4% had good documentation and 62.5% had poor
      documentation. CONCLUSION: Baseline documentation was poor and improved slightly
      after both the educational interventions. Use of a preprinted form was associated
      with no medical records being classified as having poor documentation; however,
      uptake of the form use was low. Emergency departments should develop and consider
      mandatory use of such an aid together with training staff in the use of the aid
      and the important implications of adequate procedural documentation.

PMID- 20300004
TI  - Tolerance and outcome of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma
      treated with sorafenib.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sorafenib is the standard treatment for patients with an advanced
      stage of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aims of this study were (i) to
      evaluate the tolerance and survival of sorafenib-treated patients, in a
      nonselected population, especially in Child-Pugh B patients; and (ii) to identify
      potential prognostic factors of survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From April 2007
      to December 2008, 50 patients received sorafenib for advanced HCC. Seventeen
      (34%) were Child-Pugh B patients. We recorded adverse events and the duration of
      treatment and survival. For 34 patients with histopathologically proven HCC,
      immunophenotypical analysis was carried out using antibodies against cluster
      differentiation 34, vascular endothelial growth factor, phosphorylated ERK,
      cytokeratin 19, and phosphorylated stat3. RESULTS: Patients with Child-Pugh B
      cirrhosis had a more advanced stage of the disease compared with Child-Pugh A
      patients. The occurrence of adverse events was similar in Child-Pugh A and Child
      Pugh B patients. Duration of treatment until discontinuation for bad tolerance
      was lower in Child-Pugh B patients (1.8 vs. 5 months, P=0.02). Survival of Child
      Pugh A patients was higher compared with Child-Pugh B patients (8.9 vs. 2 months,
      P=0.004). Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group
      Performance Status, portal vein impairment, extra-hepatic spread, and alpha
      foetoprotein were also prognostic factors. In multivariate analysis, the sole
      factor associated with survival was the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage. None
      of the immunohistological markers used was associated with tolerance and
      survival. CONCLUSION: Occurrence of adverse events is similar in Child-Pugh A and
      Child-Pugh B patients. Nevertheless, the survival of Child-Pugh B patients is
      very low. Whether liver function or tumor spread is responsible for mortality is
      unclear. Opportunity of treatment for Child-Pugh B patients is questionable. The
      immunophenotype of tumoral tissue was not predictive of survival.

PMID- 20300005
TI  - Kupffer cell depletion reduces hepatic inflammation and apoptosis but decreases
      survival in abdominal sepsis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: During abdominal sepsis, the activation of hepatic Kupffer cells (KC)
      and its consequences are of central interest. This study evaluates the impact of
      selective KC depletion on hepatic microcirculation, cytokine release, and
      systemic alterations in the colon ascendens stent peritonitis (CASP), a model of
      polymicrobial abdominal sepsis. METHODS: For KC depletion clodronate liposomes
      were injected 24 h before CASP surgery in female C57BL/6N mice. Three and 12 h
      after CASP, in-vivo fluorescence microscopy of the liver was performed. Analysis
      of hepatocellular apoptosis was conducted by immunohistochemistry. In addition,
      levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), IL-6, and IL-10 in the liver, lungs,
      spleen, and plasma were determined, and bacteriology and survival analysis were
      performed. RESULTS: CASP led to significant sinusoidal perfusion failure,
      increased leukocyte recruitment, hepatocellular apoptosis and increased levels of
      TNF, IL-6, and IL-10 in the liver and plasma. KC depletion before CASP
      significantly reduced leukocyte recruitment to the liver and hepatocellular
      apoptosis. IL-10 secretion decreased dramatically in the liver and plasma of KC
      depleted septic mice. In contrast, TNF levels were clearly elevated after
      clodronate treatment. In the lung and spleen, a compensatory upregulation of IL
      10 could be detected after KC depletion. Clodronate treatment resulted in a
      significant reduction in survival. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that KC
      depletion is locally protective in polymicrobial abdominal sepsis, as it reduces
      hepatic inflammation and apoptosis. These effects could be observed in the
      presence of clearly elevated TNF levels. However, the lack of IL-10 in KC
      depleted mice resulted in a detrimental systemic proinflammation.

PMID- 20300006
TI  - Appropriate diagnosis of biliary cystic tumors: comparison with atypical hepatic
      simple cysts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Biliary cystadenoma (BCA) and biliary cystadenocarcinoma (BCAC) are
      often confused with other intrahepatic cystic diseases. AIMS: The aims of this
      study were to investigate predictive factors of biliary cystic tumor (BCT) and
      clinical characteristic of BCAC. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed
      preoperative diagnoses, overall characteristics and postoperative outcome of 20
      BCTs and 19 cystadenoma-mimicking simple cysts that were pathologically
      confirmed. RESULTS: Comparing with atypical simple cysts, symptoms, left-lobe
      cyst, thick wall, septation, mural nodule, bile duct dilatation and an increase
      of serum alkaline phosphatase were associated with BCTs. However, on multivariate
      analysis, mural nodule, left-lobe cyst, and an increase of serum alkaline
      phosphatase were significantly frequent in BCTs with odds ratios of 75.5, 13.8,
      and 33.0, respectively. Among the 20 BCTs, seven BCACs were diagnosed. The
      characteristics of BCACs were mural nodule (P<0.01), intrahepatic cyst debris
      (P<0.01), and bile duct dilation (P=0.04). Cystic fluid analysis provided no
      significant differences between BCT and simple cyst. After fine needle aspiration
      cytology of BCTs, all except one BCAC with atypical cell showed nonspecific
      findings. After complete surgical excision (97.4% of patients), only one patient
      with BCAC had recurrence during 29 months of follow-up period. CONCLUSION: In
      hepatic cysts with mural nodule, left-lobe cyst or increment of serum alkaline
      phosphatase seem to be indicative of BCTs in the diagnosis of suspicious hepatic
      cyst. Intracystic debris, bile duct dilation, and mural nodule may be suggestive
      clinical features of malignancy in BCTs.

PMID- 20300007
TI  - The histone deacetylase inhibitor ITF2357 decreases surface CXCR4 and CCR5
      expression on CD4(+) T-cells and monocytes and is superior to valproic acid for
      latent HIV-1 expression in vitro.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Chromatin-associated repression is one mechanism that maintains HIV-1
      latency. Inhibition of histone deacetylases (HDAC) reverses this repression
      resulting in viral expression from quiescently infected cells. Clinical studies
      with the HDAC inhibitor valproic acid (VPA) failed to substantially decrease the
      latent pool within resting CD4(+) cells. Here we compared the efficacy of
      ITF2357, an orally active and safe HDAC inhibitor, with VPA for HIV-1 expression
      from latently infected cells in vitro. We also evaluated the effect of ITF2357 on
      the surface expression of CXCR4 and CCR5. METHODS: Latently infected cell lines
      were incubated with either ITF2357 or VPA and p24 levels were measured.
      Peripheral blood mononuclear cells of uninfected donors were treated with ITF2357
      and HIV-1 coreceptors expression was assessed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: At
      clinically relevant concentrations, ITF2357 increased p24 by 15-fold in ACH2
      cells and by 9-fold in U1 cells, whereas VPA increased expression less than 2
      fold. Analogues of ITF2357 primarily targeting HDAC-1 increased p24 up to 30
      fold. In CD4(+) T cells treated with ITF2357, CXCR4 expression decreased by 54%
      (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: ITF2357 is superior to VPA in inducing HIV-1 from
      latently infected cells. Safely used in humans, ITF2357 is an attractive
      candidate for HIV-1 clinical purging.

PMID- 20300008
TI  - Evolution of integrase resistance during failure of integrase inhibitor-based
      antiretroviral therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although integrase inhibitors are highly effective in the management
      of drug-resistant HIV, some patients fail to achieve durable viral suppression.
      The long-term consequences of integrase inhibitor failure have not been well
      defined. METHODS: We identified 29 individuals who exhibited evidence of
      incomplete viral suppression on a regimen containing an integrase inhibitor (23
      raltegravir, 6 elvitegravir). Before initiating the integrase inhibitor-based
      regimen, the median CD4 T-cell count and plasma HIV RNA levels were 62 cells/mm
      and 4.65 log10 copies/mL, respectively. RESULTS: At the first failure time-point,
      the most common integrase resistance pattern for subjects taking raltegravir was
      wild-type, followed in order of frequency by Q148H/K/R+G140S, N155H, and
      Y143R/H/C. The most common resistance pattern for subjects taking elvitegravir
      was E92Q. Long-term failure was associated with continued viral evolution,
      emergence of high-level phenotypic resistance, and a decrease in replicative
      capacity. CONCLUSIONS: Although wild-type failure during early integrase
      inhibitor failure is common, most patients eventually develop high-level
      phenotypic drug resistance. This resistance evolution is gradual and associated
      with declines in replicative capacity.

PMID- 20300009
TI  - MRI restricted diffusion in optic nerve infarction after autologous fat
      transplantation.
AB  - A 24-year-old woman reported blindness in the left eye upon awakening from fat
      autotransplantation to her forehead for soft tissue augmentation in the face.
      Clinical findings on the third postoperative day suggested ipsilateral ophthalmic
      artery occlusion with infarction of the optic nerve and retina. There were also
      clinical manifestations of a mild right hemiparesis. MRI diffusion-weighted
      imaging (DWI) revealed restricted diffusion of the left optic nerve and left
      middle cerebral artery domain indicative of the cytotoxic edema of infarction.
      This is the second report of optic nerve infarction after fat autotransplantation
      to the forehead and the first report of DWI restricted diffusion in this setting.

PMID- 20300010
TI  - Elbow septic arthritis in children: clinical presentation and management.
AB  - The elbow is a rare location for septic arthritis, and this fact may produce
      diagnostic errors. The purpose of this study is to determine the most typical
      clinical presentation and to evaluate the management and functional outcome of
      these patients. We present our experience with this entity. This is a
      retrospective study of seven cases between February 2004 and November 2007, five
      girls and two boys with a mean age of 2.8 years, ranging from 1.2 to 4.9 years.
      We explain our diagnosis criteria and management algorithm. Functional results
      were evaluated using the Mayo Elbow Performance Score. It is necessary to suspect
      septic arthritis in an elbow with persistent pain and functional limitation (24
      48 h) and no earlier trauma. The most frequent infectious agent is Staphylococcus
      aureus. Using specific antibiotics until the disappearance of radiological
      changes we have obtained excellent clinical results according to the Mayo Elbow
      Performance Score.

PMID- 20300011
TI  - The relation of triceps surae surgical lengthening and crouch gait in patients
      with cerebral palsy.
AB  - To investigate the effect of earlier triceps surae (TS) surgical lengthening at
      knee kinematics in the stance phase in patients with cerebral palsy (CP). One
      thousand and thirty-nine participants from an eligible total of 1750 children
      with CP were referred to gait analysis laboratory from January 2000 to April
      2007. Inclusion criteria were the diagnosis of diparetic spastic CP levels I to
      III (GMFCS) and complete kinematics documentation. Patients with an asymmetrical
      knee pattern at kinematics and with different types of TS management among sides
      were excluded. The patients were divided into two groups according to the mean
      minimum knee flexion (MMKF) in stance phase: group A (n=253) MMKF > or =30
      degrees and group B (n=786) MMKF less than 30 degrees . For each group, the
      occurrence of following procedures for TS in the past: (i) earlier surgery, (ii)
      gastrocnemius lengthening (zone I), (iii) gastrocnemius and soleus lengthening
      (zone II), and (iv) calcaneous tendon lengthening (zone III), was investigated. A
      chi test was applied to check if the number of procedures performed was different
      between groups. The level of significance was defined as P value of less than
      0.05. The number of patients with no earlier surgeries at TS was higher in group
      B (51.8%) than in group A (39.1%), and this difference was significant (P<0.01).
      In addition, the number of procedures at the calcaneous tendon was more elevated
      in group A (36.8%) than in group B (27%), and this finding was statistically
      significant as well (P<0.02). The percentage of surgical lengthening at zones I
      and II was very similar between the groups A and B. This study has shown that
      patients without earlier surgical procedures at TS are more susceptible to reach
      better extension of the knees in the stance phase. Patients in a crouch gait had
      a higher number of calcaneous tendon lengthening performed in the past than
      patients with a more normal knee extension in the stance phase.

PMID- 20300012
TI  - Single vs. multiple sets of resistance exercise for muscle hypertrophy: a meta
      analysis.
AB  - Previous meta-analyses have compared the effects of single to multiple sets on
      strength, but analyses on muscle hypertrophy are lacking. The purpose of this
      study was to use multilevel meta-regression to compare the effects of single and
      multiple sets per exercise on muscle hypertrophy. The analysis comprised 55
      effect sizes (ESs), nested within 19 treatment groups and 8 studies. Multiple
      sets were associated with a larger ES than a single set (difference = 0.10 +/-
      0.04; confidence interval [CI]: 0.02, 0.19; p = 0.016). In a dose-response model,
      there was a trend for 2-3 sets per exercise to be associated with a greater ES
      than 1 set (difference = 0.09 +/- 0.05; CI: -0.02, 0.20; p = 0.09), and a trend
      for 4-6 sets per exercise to be associated with a greater ES than 1 set
      (difference = 0.20 +/- 0.11; CI: -0.04, 0.43; p = 0.096). Both of these trends
      were significant when considering permutation test p values (p < 0.01). There was
      no significant difference between 2-3 sets per exercise and 4-6 sets per exercise
      (difference = 0.10 +/- 0.10; CI: -0.09, 0.30; p = 0.29). There was a tendency for
      increasing ESs for an increasing number of sets (0.24 for 1 set, 0.34 for 2-3
      sets, and 0.44 for 4-6 sets). Sensitivity analysis revealed no highly influential
      studies that affected the magnitude of the observed differences, but one study
      did slightly influence the level of significance and CI width. No evidence of
      publication bias was observed. In conclusion, multiple sets are associated with
      40% greater hypertrophy-related ESs than 1 set, in both trained and untrained
      subjects.

PMID- 20300013
TI  - Vertical jump performance and blood ammonia and lactate levels during typical
      training sessions in elite 400-m runners.
AB  - This study described the effects of 6 typical high-intensity intermittent running
      training sessions of varying distances (60-300 m) and intensities (80-105% of the
      individual best 400-m record time) on blood ammonia and lactate concentration
      changes and on vertical jumping height, in twelve 400-m elite male runners. At
      the end of the training sessions, similar patterns of extremely high blood
      lactate (14-23 mmol.L) and ammonia levels (50-100 mumol.L) were observed.
      Vertical jumping performance was maintained during the initial exercise bouts up
      to a break zone of further increase in the number of exercise bouts, which was
      associated, especially in subjects with the highest initial vertical jump, with a
      pronounced decrease (6-28%) in vertical jumping performance, as well as with
      blood lactate concentrations exceeding 8-12 mmol.L, and blood ammonia levels
      increasing abruptly from rest values. This break zone may be related to signs of
      energetic deficiency of the muscle contractile machinery associated with the
      ability to regenerate adenosine triphosphate at high rates. It is suggested that
      replacing some of these extremely demanding training sessions with other
      intermittent training sessions that preserve muscle generating capacity should
      allow elite athletes to practice more frequently at competitive intensity with
      lower fatigue.

PMID- 20300014
TI  - Amino acid supplements and recovery from high-intensity resistance training.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate whether short-term amino acid
      supplementation could maintain a short-term net anabolic hormonal profile and
      decrease muscle cell damage during a period of high-intensity resistance training
      (overreaching), thereby enhancing recovery and decreasing the risk of injury and
      illness. Eight previously resistance trained males were randomly assigned to
      either a high branched chain amino acids (BCAA) or placebo group. Subjects
      consumed the supplement for 3 weeks before commencing a fourth week of
      supplementation with concomitant high-intensity total-body resistance training
      (overreaching) (3 x 6-8 repetitions maximum, 8 exercises). Blood was drawn prior
      to and after supplementation, then again after 2 and 4 days of training. Serum
      was analyzed for testosterone, cortisol, and creatine kinase. Serum testosterone
      levels were significantly higher (p < 0.001), and cortisol and creatine kinase
      levels were significantly lower (p < 0.001, and p = 0.004, respectively) in the
      BCAA group during and following resistance training. These findings suggest that
      short-term amino acid supplementation, which is high in BCAA, may produce a net
      anabolic hormonal profile while attenuating training-induced increases in muscle
      tissue damage. Athletes' nutrient intake, which periodically increases amino acid
      intake to reflect the increased need for recovery during periods of overreaching,
      may increase subsequent competitive performance while decreasing the risk of
      injury or illness.

PMID- 20300015
TI  - Nutritional supplementation, performance, and oxidative stress in college soccer
      players.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to examine changes in performance and metabolic
      parameters in collegiate soccer players during preseason preparation and to
      determine the impact of a nutraceutical blend proposed to reduce oxidative
      stress. Male Division I college soccer players (n = 22) performed a progressive
      maximal treadmill test at the beginning and end of preseason to assess changes in
      Vo2max, velocity at lactate threshold (VLT), time-to-exhaustion, lipid
      hydroperoxide (LPO), 8-isoprostane, and creatine kinase (CK) response. After
      baseline testing, athletes were randomly assigned to receive the nutraceutical
      blend (EXP; n = 12) or an isocaloric equivalent (CON; n = 10) for 20 days of
      preseason training. DeltaVo2max (2.1 +/- 3.3 ml.kg.min, p = 0.007), DeltaVLT (0.8
      +/- 1.4 km.h, p = 0.045), and Deltatime-to-exhaustion (39.4 +/- 77.4 seconds, p =
      0.033) were improved across groups, but a significant effect of supplementation
      on performance was not seen. Changes in resting levels of CK from the beginning
      to end of preseason were significantly lower (p = 0.044) in EXP (64.8 +/- 188.4
      U.L) than in CON (292.8 +/- 304.8 U.L). Additionally, EXP demonstrated a
      significant decrease in the magnitude of the 8-isoprostane response at Trial 2
      compared with Trial 1 (effect size [ES] = -0.74), whereas CON had an increased
      response (ES = 0.20). A similar pattern was seen for LPO (p = 0.067). Preseason
      training in male college soccer players resulted in significant improvements in
      Vo2max, VLT, and time-to-exhaustion. Supplementing with a proprietary antioxidant
      and nutraceutical blend may enhance some of these effects as indicated by
      magnitude of the responses. However, it appears that the most notable effects of
      supplementation were seen for reduced CK and oxidative stress, at least with
      short-term supplementation.

PMID- 20300016
TI  - Arginine and ornithine supplementation increases growth hormone and insulin-like
      growth factor-1 serum levels after heavy-resistance exercise in strength-trained
      athletes.
AB  - This placebo-controlled double-blind study was designed to investigate the effect
      of arginine and ornithine (arg and orn) supplementation during 3-week heavy
      resistance training on serum growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor-1/insulin
      like growth factor-binding protein 3 (GH/IGF-1/IGFBP-3), testosterone, cortisol,
      and insulin levels in experienced strength-trained athletes. The subjects were
      randomly divided between a placebo group (n = 8) and the l-Arg/l-Orn-supplemented
      group (n = 9), and performed pre and posttraining standard exercise tests with
      the same absolute load, which consisted of the same exercise schedule as that
      applied in the training process. Fasting blood samples were obtained at rest, 2
      minutes after the cessation of the strength exercise protocol, and after 1 hour
      of recovery. The resting concentrations of the investigated hormones and IGFBP-3
      did not differ significantly between the study groups. In response to exercise
      test, all the hormones were elevated (p < 0.05) at both time points. Significant
      increases (p < 0.05) were observed in both GH and IGF-1 serum levels after arg
      and orn supplementation at both time points, whereas a significant decrease was
      seen in IGFBP-3 protein during the recovery period. Because there was no between
      group difference in the remaining hormone levels, it appears that the GH/IGF
      1/IGFBP-3 complex may be the major player in muscle tissue response to short-term
      resistance training after arg and orn supplementation.

PMID- 20300017
TI  - Anabolic and catabolic hormones and energy balance of the male bodybuilders
      during the preparation for the competition.
AB  - The purpose of the study was to investigate simultaneous effects of energy
      balance, caloric intake, and the hormonal anabolic-catabolic balance in
      bodybuilders prior to competition. Fourteen male bodybuilders took part in an 11
      week energy-restricted period to reduce body fat. The subjects were divided into
      the energy-restricted group (ERG) (n = 7), who were preparing for the
      competition, or the control group (CG) (n = 7) who continued to train regularly
      and did not change their dietary or training pattern. Participants were tested at
      11 weeks (T1), 5 weeks (T2), and 3 days (T3) before competition for diet, body
      composition, and fasting hormonal assessment. Body mass and body fat percentage
      of ERG were significantly (p < 0.05) decreased during the study period. In ERG,
      insulinlike growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and insulin decreased significantly during
      the 11-week weight-reduction period (p < 0.05). Testosterone was decreased only
      from week 11 to week 5 (from 20.3 +/- 6.0 to 18.0 +/- 6.8 nmol/L). Changes in IGF
      I concentration were significantly related to changes in insulin (r = 0.741), fat
      mass (r = 0.705), lean body mass (r = 0.696), and body mass (r = 0.652). Changes
      in insulin concentrations were significantly related to changes in fat mass (r =
      0.630) and lean body mass (r = 0.725). These data indicate that severe energy
      restriction to extremely low body energy reserves decreases significantly the
      concentrations of 3 anabolic pathways despite high protein intake. Monitoring of
      insulin and IGF-1 concentration is suggested to prevent losses in muscle mass in
      energy-restricted conditions. Other nutritional strategies might be needed to
      prevent possible catabolic effect during preparation of bodybuilders to
      competition.

PMID- 20300018
TI  - Selected factors correlated to athletic performance in adults with mental
      retardation.
AB  - The aims of this study were to assess the contribution of selected factors to the
      athletic performance in adults with mental retardation (MR) and to analyze the
      correlation of each factor with subjects' MR levels. Twenty-nine trained athletes
      with MR aged 20-45 years were recruited. The fundamental factors included
      anthropometric measurements, flexibility, muscular strength and endurance,
      explosive leg power, cardiovascular endurance, and motor coordination. The
      athletic performances were as follows: 60 m, 300 m, 400 m in walking, standing
      long jump, and vortex throw (Level I) or 100-m run, shot put, and long jump
      (Level II). Motor coordination and body weight had significant contributions to
      60 m (p < 0.01) and the %body fat had significant contribution to 300 m and 100 m
      (p < 0.05). The explosive leg power had significant contribution to vortex throw
      and standing long jump (p < 0.05). The upper-body strength and muscular endurance
      had significant contribution in shot put (p < 0.05). The body weight had
      significant contribution in long jump (p < 0.05). MR level was positively
      correlated to motor coordination (p < 0.05) and negatively to abdominal muscular
      strength and endurance (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the results showed the
      possibility to determine the contributions of selected factors to the athletic
      performance. This should be addressed in athletics training to help athletes with
      MR to perform successfully in their competitions.

PMID- 20300019
TI  - The effect of a traditional dance training program on the physical fitness of
      adults with hearing loss.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a traditional dance
      training program on aerobic capacity and muscle strength of adults with hearing
      loss. Twenty-three adults with hearing loss were separated into 2 groups.
      Thirteen subjects (6 men, 7 women, mean age, 25.7 +/- 3.9 years) constituted the
      intervention group, whereas 10 subjects (5 men, 5 women, mean age, 26.4 +/- 5.9
      years) formed the control group. Pretraining and posttraining treadmill tests
      were performed to determine heart rate (HR peak), peak minute ventilation (VE
      peak), peak oxygen consumption (VO2 peak, absolute and relative), and time to
      exhaustion (min). Peak torque of hamstring and quadriceps muscles at angular
      velocities of 60 degrees /s, 180 degrees /s, and 300 degrees /s was also
      measured. The intervention group followed a 12-week traditional dance training
      program, whereas the control group received no training during this period.
      Repeated measures of multiple analyses of variance were used to test mean
      differences between the values of both groups. A paired t-test was used to
      compare the values within each group prior and after program participation. A
      significance level of 0.05 was used for all tests. Following the 12-week training
      program, significant improvements in peak physiological parameters were seen for
      the intervention group for peak minute ventilation, peak oxygen consumption (both
      absolute and relative), time to exhaustion, and peak torque values between the 2
      measurements (initial and final). No significant improvements in peak
      physiological parameters and peak torque were noticed in the control group. In
      conclusion, adults with hearing loss can improve their physical fitness levels
      with the application of a systematic and well-designed traditional dance training
      program.

PMID- 20300020
TI  - The metabolic costs of reciprocal supersets vs. traditional resistance exercise
      in young recreationally active adults.
AB  - An acute bout of traditional resistance training (TRAD) increases energy
      expenditure (EE) both during exercise and in the postexercise period. Reciprocal
      supersets (SUPERs) are a method of resistance training that alternates multiple
      sets of high-intensity agonist-antagonist muscle groups with limited recovery.
      The purpose of this study was to compare the energy cost of SUPERs and TRAD both
      during and in the postexercise period. We hypothesized that SUPERs would produce
      greater exercise EE relative to the duration of exercise time and greater excess
      postexercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) than TRAD of matched work. Ten
      recreationally active, young men each participated in 2 exercise protocols:
      SUPER, followed 1 week later by TRAD matched within using a 10-repetition maximum
      load for 6 exercises, 4 sets, and repetitions. Participants were measured for
      oxygen consumption and blood lactate concentration during exercise and 60 minutes
      postexercise after each exercise bout. No significant differences were observed
      in aerobic exercise EE between trials (SUPER 1,009.99 +/- 71.42 kJ; TRAD 954.49
      +/- 83.31 kJ); however, when expressed relative to time, the exercise EE was
      significantly greater during SUPER (34.70 +/- 2.97 kJ.min) than TRAD (26.28 +/-
      2.43 kJ.min). Excess postexercise oxygen consumption was significantly greater
      after SUPER (79.36 +/- 7.49 kJ) over TRAD (59.67 +/- 8.37 kJ). Average blood
      lactate measures were significantly greater during SUPER (5.1 +/- 0.9 mmol.L)
      than during TRAD (3.8 +/- 0.6 mmol.L). Reciprocal supersets produced greater
      exercise kJ.min, blood lactate, and EPOC than did TRAD. Incorporating this method
      of resistance exercise may benefit exercisers attempting to increase EE and have
      a fixed exercise volume with limited exercise time available.

PMID- 20300021
TI  - Effects of quadriceps and hamstrings proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation
      stretching on knee movement sensation.
AB  - Stretching before competition has traditionally been thought to benefit
      performance; however, recent evidence demonstrating reduced muscle force and
      power immediately after stretching suggests otherwise. We hypothesized that knee
      joint position sense would be diminished immediately after proprioceptive
      neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching to the hamstrings and quadriceps.
      Eighteen subjects (aged 18-30 years) were seated with their dominant foot
      attached to a motorized arm with the knee flexed at 135 degrees . To block
      external cues, the subjects wore a blindfold, earplugs, and headphones providing
      white noise. The knee was displaced in either the flexion or the extension
      direction at a velocity of 0.4 degrees .s, and subjects pressed a button when
      they sensed motion. The knee was returned to 135 degrees , and the test was
      repeated for a total of 10 trials. The PNF group received PNF stretching to the
      hamstrings and quadriceps of the dominant leg. The SHAM group had the dominant
      leg passively moved within each subject's functional range of motion. The ability
      to detect knee movement was retested in the PNF and SHAM groups. Pre- and
      posttest latencies between movement onset and subject response were analyzed.
      Results indicated that the PNF group had significantly increased latencies after
      stretching (from 2.56 +/- 0.83 to 3.46 +/- 1.90 seconds) compared with the SHAM
      group (3.93 +/- 2.40 to 3.72 +/- 2.15 seconds). It is concluded that PNF
      stretching of the hamstrings and quadriceps may acutely diminish sensitivity to
      knee movement. For coaches and trainers, these findings are consistent with
      previous reports of loss in muscle force and power immediately after stretching,
      suggesting that stretching just before competition may diminish performance.

PMID- 20300022
TI  - Oxygen cost of kettlebell swings.
AB  - In recent years, kettlebells have re-emerged as a popular training modality for
      the conditioning of athletes. We sought to quantify the aerobic challenge of one
      popularly recommended kettlebell workout. Ten college-aged men (age = 20.8 +/-
      1.1 years, height = 179 +/- 3 cm, body mass = 77.3 +/- 7.7 kg, Vo2max = 52.78 +/-
      6.22 ml.kg.min) completed a graded exercise test to exhaustion for the
      determination of Vo2max. Two to 7 days later, subjects completed a kettlebell
      exercise routine consisting of as many 2-handed swings as could be completed in
      12 minutes using a 16-kg kettlebell. During this exercise bout, subjects' expired
      gases were collected and analyzed for the determination of Vo2, and heart rate
      (HR) was continuously measured. Percent HRmax and Vo2max achieved during the
      kettlebell exercise were compared with each other using a paired t-test. Subjects
      completed 265 +/- 68 swings during the 12 minutes and achieved an average Vo2 of
      34.31 +/- 5.67 ml.kg.min and an average HR of 165 +/- 13 b.min. The average
      %HRmax (86.8 +/- 6.0%) during kettlebell exercise was significantly higher (p <
      0.001) than the average Vo2max (65.3 +/- 9.8%) that was achieved. Continuous
      kettlebell swings can impart a metabolic challenge of sufficient intensity to
      increase Vo2max. Heart rate was substantially higher than Vo2 during kettlebell
      swings. Kettlebells provide a useful tool with which coaches may improve the
      cardiorespiratory fitness of their athletes. However, HRs achieved during
      continuous kettlebell exercise are significantly higher than actual Vo2.

PMID- 20300023
TI  - Muscle activation when performing the chest press and shoulder press on a stable
      bench vs. a Swiss ball.
AB  - The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a stable surface (bench) vs.
      an unstable surface (Swiss ball) on muscle activation when performing the
      dumbbell chest press and shoulder press. Sixteen healthy men (24.19 +/- 2.17
      years) performed 1 repetition maximum (1RM) tests for the chest press and
      shoulder press on a stable surface. A minimum of 48 hours post 1RM, subjects
      returned to perform 3 consecutive repetitions each of the chest press and
      shoulder press at 80% 1RM under 4 different randomized conditions (chest press on
      bench, chest press on Swiss ball, shoulder press on bench, shoulder press on
      Swiss ball). Electromyography was used to assess muscle activation of the
      anterior deltoid, pectoralis major, and rectus abdominus. The results revealed no
      significant difference in muscle activation between surface types for either
      exercise. This suggests that using an unstable surface neither improves nor
      impairs muscle activation under the current conditions. Coaches and other
      practitioners can expect similar muscle activation when using a Swiss ball vs. a
      bench.

PMID- 20300025
TI  - Hamstring muscle extensibility influences the criterion-related validity of sit
      and-reach and toe-touch tests.
AB  - The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of hamstring muscle
      extensibility on the hamstring criterion-related validity of the sit-and-reach
      (SR) and toe-touch (TT) tests. Two hundred forty young adults (mean age: 22.9 +/-
      3.6 years) participated in this study. Three trials of straight leg raise (SLR)
      (left and right), SR, and TT tests were performed in a random order. The subjects
      were dichotomized into group A (subjects with an SLR angle < 75 degrees ) or
      group B (subjects with an SLR angle >/= 75 degrees ). The correlation values
      between SLR angle and SR and TT scores were calculated and compared between both
      groups. Group B elicited higher mean SR and TT scores than group A (p < 0.001).
      Group A showed low associations between SLR with respect to the SR (r = 0.31
      0.41) and TT (r = 0.28-0.40) tests. Group B showed moderate values for both SR (r
      = 0.55) and TT (r = 0.60-0.61) tests. The hamstring criterion-related validity of
      the SR and TT tests is influenced by hamstring muscle extensibility. From the
      results of this investigation, we find that the SR and TT tests are not valid
      measures of hamstring extensibility for subjects with reduced hamstring muscle
      extensibility.

PMID- 20300024
TI  - Fatigue effects on knee joint stability during two jump tasks in women.
AB  - Dynamic knee joint stability may be affected by the onset of metabolic fatigue
      during sports participation that could increase the risk for knee injury. The
      purpose of this investigation was to determine the effects of metabolic fatigue
      on knee muscle activation, peak knee joint angles, and peak knee internal moments
      in young women during 2 jumping tasks. Fifteen women (mean age: 24.6 +/- 2.6
      years) participated in one nonfatigued session and one fatigued session. During
      both sessions, peak knee landing flexion and valgus joint angles, peak knee
      extension and varus/valgus internal moments, electromyographic (EMG) muscle
      activity of the quadriceps and hamstrings, and quadriceps/hamstring EMG
      cocontraction ratio were measured. The tasks consisted of a single-legged drop
      jump from a 40-cm box and a 20-cm, up-down, repeated hop task. The fatigued
      session included a Wingate anaerobic protocol followed by performance of the 2
      tasks. Although participants exhibited greater knee injury-predisposing factors
      during the fatigued session, such as lesser knee flexion joint angles, greater
      knee valgus joint angles, and greater varus/valgus internal joint moments for
      both tasks, only knee flexion during the up-down task was statistically
      significant (p = 0.028). Metabolic fatigue may perhaps predispose young women to
      knee injuries by impairing dynamic knee joint stability. Training strength
      endurance components and the ability to maintain control of body movements in
      either rested or fatigued situations might help reduce injuries in young women
      athletes.

PMID- 20300026
TI  - The physical and anthropometric profiles of adolescent alpine skiers and their
      relationship with sporting rank.
AB  - The aim of this work was to determine the somatotype of national-level adolescent
      Spanish skiers, to establish the maximum strength and anaerobic power of their
      legs, and to examine the relationship between these variables and their national
      ranks. The study subjects were 31 adolescents skiers, of whom 15 were girls and
      16 boys; all were 13-16 years old. Their percentage body fat and muscular mass
      were recorded, as was their ability to jump (countermovement jump [CMJ]), the
      strength and power of their legs (squat test), and their anaerobic power (Wingate
      and continuous jump [CMJ30''] tests). The mesomorphic somatotype was the most
      common among the boys, whereas the endomesomorphic somatotype was the most common
      among the girls. In the boys, sporting rank was significantly correlated with
      muscular mass (rs = 0.70; p = 0.003), with the CMJ and CMJ30'' (rs = 0.67; p <
      0.01, and rs = 0.59; p < 0.05, respectively), and with the mean power and maximum
      dynamic strength in the squat test (rs = 0.59; p = 0.017). No such relationships
      were seen for the girls. None of the Wingate test variables, except for mean
      power (in the boys only; rs = 0.55; p < 0.05), correlated with sporting rank. The
      results suggest that power, as measured by the CMJ and CMJ30'', and the strength
      and power of the legs, as measured by the squat test, are associated with the
      sporting success of male skiers but not of female skiers. Power, as measured by
      the Wingate test, cannot be used to predict the performance of either sex.

PMID- 20300027
TI  - Whole-body vibration training effects on the physical performance of basketball
      players.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of 4 weeks of whole-body
      vibration training added to the conventional training of basketball players.
      Eighteen competitive basketball players (13 male symbol, 5 female symbol, 18-24
      years old) were randomly assigned to a whole-body vibration group (WBVG, n = 10;
      7 male symbol and 3 female symbol) or a control group (CG, n = 8; 6 male symbol
      and 2 female symbol). During the 4-week period, all subjects maintained their
      conventional basketball training program. The members of WBVG were additionally
      trained 3 times a week for 20 minutes on a vibration platform (10 unloaded static
      lower limb exercises, 40-Hz, 4-mm, Silverplate). Testing was performed before and
      after the 4-week period and comprised strength assessment, vertical jump
      performance, and a 10-m sprint test. The maximal voluntary isometric strength of
      the knee extensors significantly increased (p < 0.001) after vibration training,
      as did squat jump (SJ) height (p < 0.05), whereas performance of the
      countermovement jump, drop jump, 30-second rebound jump, and 10-m sprint remained
      unchanged. The results of the present study indicated that a 4-week whole-body
      vibration training program added to the conventional training of basketball
      players during the preseason is an effective short-term stimulus to enhance knee
      extensor strength and slightly SJ performance.

PMID- 20300028
TI  - Effect of a prior force-velocity test performed with legs on subsequent peak
      power output measured with arms or vice versa.
AB  - The aim of this study was to examine whether measurement of peak anaerobic power
      (Wpeak) by force-velocity test using the arms or the legs influenced the
      performance obtained when the opposite muscle group was tested. Ten trained male
      throwers (age: 20.6 +/- 2; stature: 1.82 +/- 0.06 m; and body mass: 85.5 +/- 17.2
      kg) performed, on separate days, 2 Monark cycle-ergometer protocols comprising
      (a) arm cranking (A1) followed by a leg cycling (L2) force-velocity test (series
      A-L) and (b) a leg cycling (L1) followed by an arm cranking (A2) force-velocity
      test (series L-A). On each day, 8 minutes of seated rest separated the 2 force
      velocity tests. Arterialized capillary blood was collected from the finger tips
      for blood lactate analysis at rest and at the end of each force-velocity test.
      Wpeak-A1 and Wpeak-A2 were similar (8.1 +/- 1.7 and 8.6 +/- 1.5 W.kg,
      respectively). Wpeak-L1 and Wpeak-L2 were 14.0 +/- 3 and 13.4 +/- 2.8 W.kg (NS).
      Blood [La] increased significantly after each force-velocity test (p < 0.001),
      but peak blood [La] did not differ significantly between L1 (6.6 +/- 1.2) and L2
      (6.2 +/- 1.4 mmol.L) or between A1 (7.2 +/- 1.0) and A2 (7.4 +/- 1.6 mmol.L). In
      this population, force-velocity tests performed using the legs or the arms did
      not induce a significant decrease in force-velocity determinations of peak
      anaerobic power performed subsequently with the opposite muscle group. In
      strength-trained athletes, the force-velocity approach can thus be used to
      measure the peak power output of both the legs and the arms in a single
      laboratory session, without adversely affecting estimates of an athlete's
      performance.

PMID- 20300029
TI  - Two days of hypoxic exposure increased ventilation without affecting performance.
AB  - The aim of this study was to test the short-term effects of using hypoxic rooms
      before a simulated running event. Thirteen subjects (29 +/- 4 years) lived in a
      hypoxic dormitory (1,800 m) for either 2 nights (n = 6) or 2 days + nights (n =
      7) before performing a 1,500-m treadmill test. Performance, expired gases, and
      muscle electrical activity were recorded and compared with a control session
      performed 1 week before or after the altitude session (random order). Arterial
      blood samples were collected before and after altitude exposure. Arterial pH and
      hemoglobin concentration increased (p < 0.05) and PCO2 decreased (p < 0.05) upon
      exiting the room. However, these parameters returned (p < 0.05) to basal levels
      within a few hours. During exercise, mean ventilation (VE) was higher (p < 0.05)
      after 2 nights or days + nights of moderate altitude exposure (113.0 +/- 27.2
      L.min) than in the control run (108.6 +/- 27.8 L.min), without any modification
      in performance (360 +/- 45 vs. 360 +/- 42 seconds, respectively) or muscle
      electrical activity. This elevated VE during the run after the hypoxic exposure
      was probably because of the subsistence effects of the hypoxic ventilatory
      response. However, from a practical point of view, although the use of a
      normobaric simulating altitude chamber exposure induced some hematological
      adaptations, these disappeared within a few hours and failed to provide any
      benefit during the subsequent 1,500-m run.

PMID- 20300030
TI  - Comparison of active, manual, and instrumental straight leg raise in measuring
      hamstring extensibility.
AB  - The active manual straight leg raise (ASLR) and passive manual straight leg raise
      (MSLR) tests are commonly used in clinical settings to assess hamstring
      tightness. However, to our knowledge, the validity and sensitivity of these tests
      have not been compared with the instrumental straight leg raise (ISLR). The aim
      of the present study was to assess the intrarater reproducibility of the ISLR and
      compare the sensitivity of the ASLR, MSLR, and ISLR to change. Twelve men with
      hamstring tightness underwent the ASLR, MSLR, and ISLR tests at baseline and
      after a 4-week home-based right leg stretching program with the left leg serving
      as a control. The ISLR measurements were repeated consecutively at baseline to
      assess reproducibility. The intraclass correlation coefficient for the ISLR was
      0.94, and the coefficient of reproducibility was 6. Significant differences in
      the range of motion emerged between all testing methods (p < 0.05). In the
      stretched legs, the mean +/- SD increases were 17 +/- 5 degrees for ISLR, 10 +/-
      8 degrees for ASLR, and 6 +/- 5 degrees for MSLR, whereas the control legs showed
      a significant mean change only for ASLR (5 +/- 4 degrees ). The mean standard
      response with the ASLR and MSLR tests did not differentiate between the treated
      and control legs, but it was almost 10-fold higher in the treated leg than the
      control leg for the ISLR, clearly differentiating between them. The ISLR had good
      reproducibility and sensitivity to changes, whereas ASLR and MSLR showed a poor
      ability to detect changes. Thus, the ISLR test is recommended for use in research
      evaluating the effectiveness of stretching.

PMID- 20300031
TI  - Lower extremity muscle activation during baseball pitching.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate muscle activation levels of select
      lower extremity muscles during the pitching motion. Bilateral surface
      electromyography data on 5 lower extremity muscles (biceps femoris, rectus
      femoris, gluteus maximus, vastus medialis, and gastrocnemius) were collected on
      11 highly skilled baseball pitchers and compared with individual maximal
      voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) data. The pitching motion was divided into
      4 distinct phases: phase 1, initiation of pitching motion to maximum stride leg
      knee height; phase 2, maximum stride leg knee height to stride foot contact
      (SFC); phase 3, SFC to ball release; and phase 4, ball release to 0.5 seconds
      after ball release (follow-through). Results indicated that trail leg musculature
      elicited moderate to high activity levels during phases 2 and 3 (38-172% of
      MVIC). Muscle activity levels of the stride leg were moderate to high during
      phases 2-4 (23-170% of MVIC). These data indicate a high demand for lower
      extremity strength and endurance. Specifically, coaches should incorporate
      unilateral and bilateral lower extremity exercises for strength improvement or
      maintenance and to facilitate dynamic stabilization of the lower extremities
      during the pitching motion.

PMID- 20300032
TI  - Gender influence on response time to sensory stimuli.
AB  - The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effect of auditory stimuli
      (AS) and visual stimuli (VS) on response time, speed, and distance in male and
      female college athletes. Thirty-five healthy National Collegiate Athletic
      Association Division I men's soccer and women's lacrosse athletes (mean age 20.7
      +/- 2.3 years) participated in the study. This experiment was conducted in a
      laboratory environment, using a Cybex "Reactor" a 14-sensor force plate device
      used to detect response times, speed, and distance. Subjects stood on the "start"
      sensor and were instructed at the prompt (auditory: a prerecorded "go" command,
      visual: an illuminated circle on a television monitor) to run through the "end"
      sensor without braking. Three trials of each condition were performed by each
      subject. Movement time, speed, and distance were recorded for each trial. General
      linear model repeated measure analyses and post hoc 1-way analysis of variance
      were conducted on all dependent variables (p < or = 0.05). Movement time was
      significantly faster in men compared with women under AS (p = 0.008) and VS (p <
      0.05) conditions. A trend toward a faster transit time was noted in men in the AS
      condition (p = 0.072), but transit time was faster in men in the VS condition (p
      < 0.001). Transit speed (distance covered) was faster in men in response to AS (p
      < 0.05) and VS (p < 0.001). Male athletes respond faster as compared with female
      athletes, and cover greater distance when presented with VSs as compared to ASs.
      Data suggest that performance in male athletes related to response times, speed,
      and distance may be enhanced with the use of visual cueing or VSs.

PMID- 20300033
TI  - Acute effects of different warm-up methods on sprint, slalom dribbling, and
      penalty kick performance in soccer players.
AB  - Although pre-event static stretching is an accepted practice in most athletics
      program, pre-event dynamic exercise is becoming popular. The purpose of this
      study was to compare the acute effects of different warm-up methods on soccer
      performance. Twenty-six professional soccer players (23.3 +/- 3.2 years, 178.2 +/
      6.1 cm, and 73.0 +/- 6.5 kg) performed 4 different warm-up routines in random
      order on nonconsecutive days. The warm-up methods consisted of only 5 minutes of
      jogging (Method A), 5 minutes of jogging and static stretching (Method B), 5
      minutes of jogging and dynamic exercise (Method C), and 5 minutes of jogging and
      a combination of static stretching and dynamic exercise (Method D). After each
      warm-up session, subjects were tested on the sprint, slalom dribbling, and
      penalty kick performance. Methods A-D were compared by repeated-measures analyses
      of variance and post hoc comparisons. In this study, existence of a significant
      drop in sprint, slalom dribbling, and penalty kick performances of Method C has
      been determined in comparison with that of Method A (p < 0.05). Again for sprint,
      slalom dribbling, and penalty kick performances of Method A in comparison with
      those of Method A, the existence of a significant increase has been determined (p
      < 0.05). In Method D in comparison with Method A, for sprint, slalom dribbling,
      and penalty kick performances, existence of no significant difference has been
      determined (p > 0.05). The results of this study suggest that it may be desirable
      for soccer players to perform dynamic exercises before the performance of
      activities that require a high power output.

PMID- 20300034
TI  - Physiological responses and characteristics of table tennis matches determined in
      official tournaments.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to verify the physiological responses and the match
      characteristics of table tennis and also to compare these responses in 2
      different performance-level athletes from official tournaments. Twenty male table
      tennis players (12 regional experience-RP and 8 national and international
      experience-NP) were participants in the study. Blood lactate concentration
      ([LAC]) and heart rate (HR) were measured as physiological parameters in 21
      official table tennis matches, and other 12 matches had recorded the duration of
      rally (DR), rest time, effort and rest ratio (E:R), total playing time (TPT),
      effective playing time (EPT), and frequency of shots by video analyses. The [LAC]
      verified in all matches was 1.8 mmol.L (+/-0.8), whereas the [LAC] peak was 2.2
      mmol.L (+/-0.8). There were no significant differences between the 2 groups (p >
      0.05) in both parameters. The HR was 164 b.min (+/-14), corresponding to 81.2%
      (+/-7.4) of the predicted maximum HR. As characteristics of the matches, the DR
      corresponded to 3.4 seconds (+/-1.7), rest time to 8.1 seconds (+/-5.1), E:R to
      0.4 (+/-0.2), TPT to 970.5 seconds (+/-336.1), EPT to 44.3% (+/-23.7), and
      frequency of shots to 35.3 balls.min (+/-7.7). Among groups, the rest time was
      lower in RP than in NP. Consistently, the E:R and EPT were higher in RP than in
      NP (p < 0.05). The results suggest that table tennis matches present the aerobic
      system as a principal output energy, the phosphagenic system being the most
      important during efforts. The information pertaining to the physiological profile
      and the characteristics of table tennis should be used by coaches planning
      physical training and specific exercise prescriptions aiming at achieving maximal
      sport performance.

PMID- 20300035
TI  - Short-term effects of complex and contrast training in soccer players' vertical
      jump, sprint, and agility abilities.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to analyze the short-term effects of complex and
      contrast training (CCT) on vertical jump (squat and countermovement jump), sprint
      (5 and 15 m), and agility (505 Agility Test) abilities in soccer players. Twenty
      three young elite Portuguese soccer players (age 17.4 +/- 0.6 years) were divided
      into 2 experimental groups (G1, n = 9, and G2, n = 8) and 1 control group (G3, n
      = 6). Groups G1 and G2 have done their regular soccer training along with a 6
      week strength training program of CCT, with 1 and 2 training sessions.wk,
      respectively. G3 has been kept to their regular soccer training program. Each
      training session from the CCT program was organized in 3 stations in which a
      general exercise, a multiform exercise, and a specific exercise were performed.
      The load was increased by 5% from 1 repetition maximum each 2 weeks. Obtained
      results allowed identifying (a) a reduction in sprint times over 5 and 15 m (9.2
      and 6.2% for G1 and 7.0 and 3.1%, for G2; p < 0.05) and () an increase on squat
      and jump (12.6% for G1 and 9.6% for G2; p < 0.05). The results suggested that the
      CCT induced the performance increase in 5 and 15 m sprint and in squat jump.
      Vertical jump and sprint performances after CCT program were not influenced by
      the number of CCT sessions per week (1 or 2 sessions.wk). From the obtained
      results, it was suggested that the CCT is an adequate training strategy to
      develop soccer players' muscle power and speed.

PMID- 20300036
TI  - Two series of fifty jumps performed within sixty minutes do not exacerbate muscle
      fatigue and muscle damage.
AB  - Previous studies have demonstrated that an exercise bout repeated prior to full
      recovery, within 2-6 days, does not impair muscle function to a greater extent
      and does not affect the repair process. The aim of this study was to examine
      whether repeated exercise performed 60 minutes after the first one exacerbates
      muscle fatigue and damage. Ten healthy, physically active males (21.1 +/- 1.4
      years, 75.2 +/- 4.1 kg, 178.7 +/- 4.5 cm) performed 2 bouts of 50 continuous
      maximal intensity jumps with a 60-minute rest period. Peak quadriceps muscle
      force evoked by electrical stimulation at 15 (P15) and 50 (P50) Hz and maximal
      voluntary contraction force (MVCF) were measured 2, 30, and 60 minutes after bout
      1 and bout 2. The results demonstrated a significant decrease in P15, P50, and
      MVCF during bout 1 (p < 0.05). The force did not recover within 60 minutes after
      exercising. After the second bout, the MVCF and P50 decreased to similar extent
      both immediately after and 30-60 minutes after the first one despite the fact
      that bout 2 was repeated with the voluntary and involuntary force still
      depressed. It was concluded that within 60 minutes repeated jumping exercise does
      not exacerbate muscle fatigue and muscle damage. From the coach's point of view
      it is of significance that the neuromuscular system appears to be well protected
      from frequently repeated muscle damaging exercise.

PMID- 20300038
TI  - Relationship between strength, power, speed, and change of direction performance
      of female softball players.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate (a) the cross-sectional relationship
      of strength, power, and performance variables in trained female athletes and (b)
      determine if the relationship between these variables changes over the course of
      a season. Ten female softball players (age = 18.1 +/- 1.6 years, height = 166.5
      +/- 8.9 cm, and weight = 72.4 +/- 10.8 kg) from a state Australian Institute of
      Sport softball team were tested for maximal lower body strength (one repetition
      maximum [1RM]), peak force (PF), peak velocity (PV), and peak power (PP) during
      jump squats unloaded and loaded, unloaded countermovement vertical jump height
      (VJH) 1 base and 2 base sprint performance and change of direction performance on
      dominant and nondominant sides. The testing sessions occurred pre, mid, and post
      a 20-week training period. Relationship between body weight (BW), relative
      strength (1RM/BW), VJH, relative PP, relative PF, PV, speed, and change of
      direction variables were assessed by Pearson product-moment correlation
      coefficient at each testing session. Significant relationships were found across
      all time points with BW, speed, and change of direction measures (r = 0.70-0.93)
      and relative strength and measures of speed and change of direction ability (r = 
      0.73-0.85). There were no significant relationships between VJH and any measure
      of performance at any time point. In conclusion, BW and relative strength have
      strong to very strong correlations with speed and change of direction ability,
      and these correlations remain consistent over the course of the season. However,
      it seems as if many relationships vary with time, and their relationships should
      therefore be investigated longitudinally to better determine if these cross
      sectional relationships truly reflect a deterministic relationship.

PMID- 20300037
TI  - Elite female soccer players perform more high-intensity running when playing in
      international games compared with domestic league games.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to compare movement pattern, fatigue development,
      and heart rate (HR) for top-class elite female players when playing international
      (INT) vs. domestic league games (DOM). Video-based time-motion analyses and HR
      recordings were performed on 17 players during INT and DOM. The distances covered
      in high-intensity running (HIR) and sprinting were longer (p < 0.05) in INT
      compared with DOM. More (p < 0.05) HIR was covered in INT than DOM during first
      and second half. Additionally, more (p < 0.05) sprinting occurred in INT compared
      with DOM in the first half. In both game types, the amount of HIR was reduced by
      24-27% (p < 0.05) in the last 15-minute period compared with the first four 15
      minute periods of the game. The midfielders covered longer (p < 0.05) distances
      with HIR in INT than in DOM over the entire game and in the most intense 5-minute
      period of the games, whereas no differences were observed between the game types
      for defenders. No difference in the HR response was found between INT and DOM. In
      conclusion, more HIR and sprinting occur in international compared with domestic
      games, which may affect the fatigue development for players in physically
      demanding roles. Thus, our results are important to coaches to prepare players to
      meet the challenges of international soccer games and show that the ability to
      perform intense intermittent exercise should be trained regularly in elite female
      players.

PMID- 20300039
TI  - Sensitization of human melanoma cells by tamoxifen to apoptosis induction by
      pancratistatin, a nongenotoxic natural compound.
AB  - The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of the natural compound
      pancratistatin (PST), isolated from the Hymenocallis littoralis, in human
      melanoma cells. Melanoma is an aggressive form of skin cancer that is commonly
      fatal if not diagnosed in its early stage of development. Melanoma is resistant
      to many treatments, thus drastically limiting chemotherapy options for this
      cancer. We have shown that exposure to PST induces apoptosis in human melanoma
      within 72 h using Hoechst staining. Interestingly tamoxifen (TAM), an estrogen
      receptor antagonist, sensitizes these cells to apoptosis induction by PST as
      observed with Hoechst and annexin-V staining. This cotreatment did not affect the
      viability of normal noncancerous human fibroblasts. Both of these compounds have
      been shown to target the mitochondria synergistically, as indicated by higher
      levels of reactive oxygen species generation from isolated mitochondria. PST
      alone and in combination with TAM shows depolarization of the mitochondrial
      membrane potential as shown by JC-1 staining. Melanoma drug resistance was not
      observed after posttreatment recuperation, as cells displayed apoptotic
      morphology up to 96 h after drug-free media replacement. Our results indicate
      that TAM alone does not induce apoptosis in this cell line, but sensitizes the
      mitochondria, thereby enhancing the effect of PST exposure. In conclusion,
      combination of two nongenotoxic compounds offers a novel treatment regime for
      this notoriously resilient form of skin cancer. 

PMID- 20300041
TI  - Electroencephalographic dynamics of musical emotion perception revealed by
      independent spectral components.
AB  - This study explores the electroencephalographic (EEG) correlates of emotional
      experience during music listening. Independent component analysis and analysis of
      variance were used to separate statistically independent spectral changes of the
      EEG in response to music-induced emotional processes. An independent brain
      process with equivalent dipole located in the fronto-central region exhibited
      distinct delta-band and theta-band power changes associated with self-reported
      emotional states. Specifically, the emotional valence was associated with delta
      power decreases and theta-power increases in the frontal-central area, whereas
      the emotional arousal was accompanied by increases in both delta and theta
      powers. The resultant emotion-related component activations that were less
      interfered by the activities from other brain processes complement previous EEG
      studies of emotion perception to music.

PMID- 20300042
TI  - Role of FDG-PET/CT in detection of recurrent disease in colorectal cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: One-third of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) are likely to have
      a recurrence within the first 1-2 years. Conventional imaging modalities have
      limitations in detecting recurrent disease early. The purpose of this study was
      to assess the usefulness of fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission
      tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) in the detection of recurrence in
      patients with CRCs. METHODS: One hundred and eighty-three patients, who were
      earlier treated with surgery and/or chemotherapy/radiotherapy, underwent 269
      PET/CT studies for the detection of recurrence. The final diagnosis was made on
      the basis of histological analysis or clinical and imaging follow-up. RESULTS:
      The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative
      predictive value in detecting recurrent CRC using F-FDG-PET/CT were 87, 90, 88,
      93, and 80%, respectively. PET/CT was found to have limitations in detecting
      microscopic disease and small-sized lesions. The common cause of false-positive
      PET/CT results was infective and inflammatory pathology in our setup. CONCLUSION:
      PET/CT showed high sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for the detection of
      recurrent disease in patients, who were earlier treated for CRC. PET/CT can be
      considered as a useful diagnostic tool in these patients.

PMID- 20300040
TI  - Early menopausal hormone use influences brain regions used for visual working
      memory.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The cognitive benefit of postmenopausal hormone use is controversial;
      however, timing of treatment close to menopause may increase the likelihood of
      preserving cognitive function. We examined the effects of early-initiation
      hormone use on visual working memory, hypothesizing that long-term hormone use is
      associated with greater brain activation during visual working memory. METHODS:
      This was a cross-sectional comparison of long-term early hormone users-current (n
      = 13) and past (n = 24; 2.1 +/- 1.0 years off hormones)-with never users (n =
      18), using a visual memory task and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
      We evaluated 55 women older than 60 years at the University of Michigan's General
      Clinical Research Center. Hormone users had completed at least 10 continuous
      years of conjugated equine estrogens with or without medroxyprogesterone acetate,
      begun within 2 years of menopause. Women were excluded for illness, medication,
      intermittent estrogen use, phytoestrogen use, recent smoking, and MRI
      contraindications. The primary outcome was functional MRI-detected brain activity
      during the visual memory task. RESULTS: Compared with never users, both groups of
      hormone users had increased activation in the frontal and parietal cortices,
      insula, hippocampus, and cingulate; combined hormone users also had increased
      activation in the putamen and raphe (corrected P < 0.05 or uncorrected P < 0.001
      with a priori hypothesis). Across the entire sample, the medial temporal cortex
      (P < 0.0001 right; P < 0.018 left) and right hippocampus (P < 0.0001) positively
      correlated with task performance. CONCLUSIONS: Hormone use was associated with
      increased brain activation during the visual memory task, in regions used for
      visual working memory. A positive correlation between activation and task
      performance suggests that early-initiation, long-term postmenopausal hormone use
      may benefit visual working memory.

PMID- 20300043
TI  - Comparison between short-acquisition myocardial perfusion SPECT reconstructed
      with a new algorithm and conventional acquisition with filtered backprojection
      processing.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare a novel reconstruction package (Evolution for Cardiac),
      used to improve image quality in myocardial perfusion single photon emission
      computed tomography (MPS) and enable shorter scan acquisitions, to filtered
      backprojection used for conventional time acquisitions. METHODS: Forty-four
      patients who underwent 2-day Tc-99m sestamibi MPS had both standard [SD: 14-min
      scan and filtered backprojection processing] and short (SH: 6-min scan and
      iterative reconstruction with Evolution for Cardiac) studies. In a 17-segment
      model of the left ventricle, each segment was automatically scored 0-4 (normal to
      absent radiotracer activity); summed stress, rest and difference scores (SSS,
      SRS, SDS) were obtained. Spearman's test assessed the correlation between scores
      from SD and SH studies, and Bland-Altman plots evaluated absolute and mean
      differences of scores between these studies. RESULTS: The SSS, SRS, and SDS were
      not statistically different between SD and SH studies (SSS: 5.9 + or - 6.6 vs.
      5.8 + or - 6.5; SRS: 2.6 + or - 3.5 vs. 2.6 + or - 2.9; SDS: 3.3 + or - 5.8 vs.
      3.2 + or - 5.7). Significant correlations were observed between SD and SH studies
      regarding SSS (R(2)=0.93), SRS (R(2)=0.85), and SDS (R(2)=0.9) (all P<0.001).
      Bland-Altman plots showed that differences in SSS, SRS, and SDS fell within 2
      standard deviations of the average differences between SD and SH studies. Overall
      agreement between clinical readings of SD and SH scans was good (up to 100% in
      abnormal scans). CONCLUSION: A new reconstruction package (Evolution for Cardiac)
      enabled short MPS acquisition without changes in quantitative perfusion results
      when compared with conventional acquisition and processing.

PMID- 20300044
TI  - Radiation therapy for the treatment of vestibular schwannoma: a critical
      evaluation of the state of the literature.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Review publications reporting radiation treatment of vestibular
      schwannomas (VS) and describe how data, patient characteristics, and study
      endpoints were reported. DATA SOURCES: PubMed search for English language
      articles on radiation treatment of VS published from January 2002 to July 2007.
      STUDY SELECTION: Studies presenting outcomes were selected, yielding 56 articles
      (58 studies) in journals of neurosurgery (30), oncology (18), otolaryngology (6),
      and other (2). DATA EXTRACTION/SYNTHESIS: Data included type of study, number of
      subjects, demographics, follow-up times, type of radiation, tumor size, tumor
      control definition, control rates, facial nerve function measure and outcome,
      type of hearing and vestibular testing and outcomes, and complications.
      Descriptive statistics were performed. RESULTS: Studies (72.9%) were
      retrospective reviews with stated sample sizes ranging from 5 to 829. Gamma-knife
      (49.2%), linear accelerator (35.6%), and proton beam (6.8%) were used with
      various doses. Average follow-up was less than 5 years in 79.6% of studies, and
      67.4% included patients at less than or equal to 1 year. Tumor size was reported
      as diameter (23.7%), volume (49.2%), both (11.9%), other (3.4%), or not reported
      (11.9%). Definition of tumor control varied: less than or equal to 2 mm growth
      (22.0%), no visible/measurable change (16.9%), required surgery (10.2%), other
      (17.0%), and not clearly specified (33.9%). Facial nerve outcome was reported as
      House-Brackmann (64.4%), normal/abnormal (11.9%), other (1.7%), or was not
      reported (22%). CONCLUSION: The lack of uniform reporting criteria for tumor
      control, facial function and hearing preservation, and variability in follow-up
      times make it difficult to compare studies of radiation treatment for VS. We
      recommend consideration of reporting guidelines such as those used in otology for
      reporting VS resection results.

PMID- 20300045
TI  - Trends in hospitalizations from all-cause gastroenteritis in children younger
      than 5 years of age in Brazil before and after human rotavirus vaccine
      introduction, 1998-2007.
AB  - Rotavirus vaccination was introduced in Brazil in March 2006. We describe trends
      in hospitalizations from all-cause gastroenteritis in children younger than 5
      years during pre- and postvaccination periods using hospital discharge data from
      Brazil Hospital Information System (SIH-SUS). A reduction in gastroenteritis
      hospitalizations of 26% and 48% in 2006 and in 2007, respectively, was observed
      among children younger than 1 year compared with prevaccination period (1998
      2005). The largest reduction rates among children younger than 1 year were noted
      in the South and Southeast regions, approximately 56% in 2007, where vaccine
      coverage was the highest.

PMID- 20300046
TI  - Impact of immigration on pulmonary tuberculosis in spanish children.

PMID- 20300047
TI  - COC use, ACE/AGT gene polymorphisms, and risk of stroke.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To clarify the effects of the association between combined oral
      contraceptives (COC) use and ACE/AGT gene on stroke risk, and to undertake a
      preliminarily study of the molecular mechanism of the association between COC
      exposure and predisposing genes of hypertension on the increased risk of stroke.
      METHODS: This study was a multi-center case-control study based on the population
      of 25 towns in the surveillance regions of Jiangsu province, China. RESULTS: (i)
      The univariate analysis of the frequency of the DD genotype of ACE insert/delete
      (I/D) polymorphism between the cases and controls indicated its significant
      association with the stroke (P<0.01), especially for hemorrhagic stroke (P<0.01).
      (ii) Women with COC exposure and ACE I/D genotype had an increased risk for all
      strokes [adjusted odds ratio 5.63; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.20, 15.68],
      and an increased risk for hemorrhagic stroke (adjusted odds ratio 31.53; 95% CI,
      3.54, 281.14) after adjustment for education and occupation. (iii) Multivariate
      analyses showed that hypertension was the most important risk factor for
      hemorrhagic stroke and ischemic stroke. COC use was a significant risk factor for
      hemorrhagic stroke. The combined effects of COC use, for 15 years and above, and
      ACE I/D polymorphism increased the risk of all strokes by more than eight times,
      and the risk of hemorrhagic stroke by more than 15 times. CONCLUSION:
      Hypertension was a most important risk factor for stroke incidence. The D allele
      of ACE I/D polymorphism may be a potential risk allele for stroke. COC users
      carried the ID+DD genotype that may further increase the risk of stroke,
      especially for hemorrhagic stroke.

PMID- 20300048
TI  - Common genetic variation of beta1- and beta2-adrenergic receptor and response to
      four classes of antihypertensive treatment.
AB  - Varying results have been reported on the association of beta-adrenergic receptor
      polymorphisms with blood pressure (BP) response to beta-blockers. We investigated
      the influence of ADRB1 Ser49Gly and Arg389Gly, and ADRB2 Gly16Arg and Glu27Gln
      polymorphisms on ambulatory BP response to bisoprolol and three other
      antihypertensive drug monotherapies in a placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross
      over study with 233 moderately hypertensive men. ADRB1 Ser49Ser homozygotes
      tended to have a better ambulatory BP response to bisoprolol but the difference
      was statistically nonsignificant. ADRB1 Arg389Arg homozygotes did not show better
      BP response to bisoprolol than the other genotypes. There were no significant
      associations of ADRB2 polymorphisms with BP responses to any of the study drugs.
      The results from this controlled study in hypertensive men do not support
      clinical use of common polymorphisms in ADRB1 and ADRB2 in predicting BP
      responses to beta-blockers or to three other antihypertensive drugs.

PMID- 20300049
TI  - Polymorphisms spanning the TNFR2 and TACE genes do not contribute towards
      variable anti-TNF treatment response.
AB  - The introduction of tumour necrosis factor antagonists (anti-TNF) has greatly
      improved the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, however, a significant proportion
      of patients fail to respond to therapy. We hypothesized that variants spanning
      the type 2 TNF receptor (TNFR2) and the TNF cleavage enzyme (TACE) genes
      contribute towards the observed variation in patient response (defined as the
      absolute change in 28-joint count disease activity score). Twenty-nine single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped in a large cohort of patients
      (n=602) and analysed by multivariate linear regression. Three SNPs (rs520916,
      rs652625, rs597519) mapping upstream of TNFR2 showed borderline evidence for
      association (P<0.1) across the complete cohort and, more so, in the etanercept
      treated subgroup. However, the evidence of association was neither replicated in
      an independent cohort (n=377) nor strengthened after combined analysis (n=979).
      We conclude that common SNPs spanning the TNFR2 and TNF cleavage enzyme (TACE)
      genes do not have a major effect on the response to anti-TNF therapy in
      rheumatoid arthritis patients.

PMID- 20300050
TI  - Determination of linezolid in human plasma by high-performance liquid
      chromatography with ultraviolet detection.
AB  - A high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of
      linezolid in human plasma was developed and validated. After precipitation of
      plasma proteins with perchloric acid, the protein-free supernatant was separated
      by isocratic reverse-phase chromatography on a X Bridge C18 column. The mobile
      phase consisted of a mixture of phosphoric acid 0.05%: acetonitrile (75:25, v/v)
      with a flow rate of 1 mL/min. The column elute was monitored at 254 nm. The
      method was linear from 0.2 to 48 mg/L (mean r2 = 0.9996, n = 10). The observed
      intra- and inter-day assay imprecision ranged from 2.83% to 8.16% (18.80% at the
      lower limit of quantification); inaccuracy varied between -0.33% and 8.18%. Mean
      drug recovery was 99.8% for linezolid and 90.0% for the internal standard (para
      toluic acid). The method was found to be precise and accurate and suitable for
      therapeutic drug monitoring of linezolid in routine clinical practice.

PMID- 20300051
TI  - Successful human islet isolation and transplantation indicating the importance of
      class 1 collagenase and collagen degradation activity assay.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Purified tissue dissociation enzymes (TDEs) are critical to
      successful human islet isolation required for clinical transplantation, but
      little is known about the characteristics of the key enzymes-class I (C1) and
      class II (C2) collagenase from Clostridium histolyticum-used in these procedures.
      Here, we show the differences between the C1 collagenase found in purified
      collagenase products manufactured by three suppliers and the impact of
      differences in C1 between two suppliers on human islet yield. METHODS:
      Collagenase from Roche, Serva/Nordmark (Uetersen, Germany), and VitaCyte
      (Indianapolis, IN) were analyzed by analytical high-performance liquid
      chromatography and collagen degradation activity (CDA), an assay that
      preferentially detects intact C1 collagenase. Human islet isolations were
      performed using current standard practices. RESULTS: These studies showed that
      the highest amount of intact C1 that correlated with a high specific CDA (CDA
      unit per milligram of protein). The highest specific CDA was found in VitaCyte
      product followed by the Roche and Serva/Nordmark products. The products of
      VitaCyte were used successfully for human islet isolation (n=14) with an average
      final islet yield obtained was 419,100+/-150,900 islet equivalent number (IEQ)
      (4147+/-1759 IEQ/g pancreas). Four of these preparations were used successfully
      in clinical transplantation procedures. These TDEs gave significantly better
      results when compared with earlier data where 27 isolations were performed using
      Serva NB1 collagenase and NB neutral protease where the final islet yield was
      217,500+/-152,400 IEQ (2134+/-1524 IEQ/g pancreas). CONCLUSIONS: These data
      indicate the importance of intact C1 and the use of the appropriate analytical
      assays to correlate biochemical characteristics of TDEs to islet quality and
      yield.

PMID- 20300052
TI  - Primary prevention of ulcers in patients taking aspirin or NSAIDs.
AB  - Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are common causes
      of peptic ulcer disease. Patients infected with Helicobacter pylori who take
      aspirin or another NSAID have an especially high risk. Drugs that have been tried
      for prevention of ulcers in patients taking NSAIDs including H2-receptor
      antagonists, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), aluminum- or magnesium-containing
      antacids, the prostaglandin misoprostol (Cytotec, and others), and antibiotics to
      eradicate H. pylori.

PMID- 20300053
TI  - Rosiglitazone (Avandia) revisited.

PMID- 20300054
TI  - Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for refractory wounds.

PMID- 20300055
TI  - Decrease in reported tuberculosis cases - United States, 2009.
AB  - Every year, CDC reports results from the National TB Surveillance System for the
      previous year. For 2009, a total of 11,540 tuberculosis (TB) cases were reported
      in the United States. The TB rate was 3.8 cases per 100,000 population, a
      decrease of 11.4% from the rate of 4.2 per 100,000 reported for 2008. The 2009
      rate showed the greatest single-year decrease ever recorded and was the lowest
      recorded rate since national TB surveillance began in 1953. TB case counts and
      rates decreased substantially among both foreign-born and U.S.-born persons,
      although foreign-born persons and racial/ethnic minorities continued to have TB
      disease disproportionate to their respective populations. The TB rate in foreign
      born persons was nearly 11 times higher than in U.S.-born persons. The rates
      among Hispanics and blacks were approximately eight times higher than among non
      Hispanic whites, and rates among Asians were nearly 26 times higher. The large
      decrease in reported cases during 2009 might represent a decrease in TB disease
      resulting from changes in population demographics or improved TB control.
      However, increased underreporting or underdiagnosis of TB also is possible. CDC
      currently is investigating possible causes for the sharp decrease in reported TB
      cases. Diagnosing and reporting all TB cases is essential to ensure treatment of
      patients with TB and implementation of other public health interventions that
      interrupt transmission.

PMID- 20300056
TI  - Monitoring tuberculosis programs - National Tuberculosis Indicator Project,
      United States, 2002-2008.
AB  - The National Tuberculosis Indicators Project (NTIP) is a secure, web-based
      monitoring system that uses routinely collected surveillance data on individual
      tuberculosis (TB) cases to measure the performance of state and local TB control
      programs, help programs to prioritize improvement efforts and focus on key TB
      control activities, and track progress toward national program objectives. Data
      are reported on a yearly basis and with frequent updates. This report summarizes
      NTIP results from the most recent 5 years for which data are available. Program
      performance was mixed, with general improvement for indicators related to TB case
      management (e.g., recommended initial therapy, genotyping data reported, human
      immunodeficiency virus [HIV] status reported, sputum culture reporting, and
      culture conversion documentation), but lower performance for indicators related
      to contact investigations of patients with infectious TB (e.g., contact
      elicitation, medical evaluation of contacts to infectious TB patients, and
      treatment initiation rate for persons diagnosed with latent TB infection [LTBI]).
      All performance indicators remained below the national performance targets for
      2015. Starting in 2010, programs receiving CDC cooperative agreement funds for TB
      prevention and control will be required to use NTIP indicator data to describe
      their performance and formulate plans for improvement.

PMID- 20300057
TI  - Investigational heptavalent botulinum antitoxin (HBAT) to replace licensed
      botulinum antitoxin AB and investigational botulinum antitoxin E.
AB  - CDC announces the availability of a new heptavalent botulinum antitoxin (HBAT,
      Cangene Corporation) through a CDC-sponsored Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
      Investigational New Drug (IND) protocol. HBAT replaces a licensed bivalent
      botulinum antitoxin AB and an investigational monovalent botulinum antitoxin E
      (BAT-AB and BAT-E, Sanofi Pasteur) with expiration of these products on March 12,
      2010. As of March 13, 2010, HBAT became the only botulinum antitoxin available in
      the United States for naturally occurring noninfant botulism.

PMID- 20300058
TI  - Use of a reduced (4-dose) vaccine schedule for postexposure prophylaxis to
      prevent human rabies: recommendations of the advisory committee on immunization
      practices.
AB  - This report summarizes new recommendation and updates previous recommendations of
      the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for postexposure
      prophylaxis (PEP) to prevent human rabies (CDC. Human rabies prevention---United
      States, 2008: recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization
      Practices. MMWR 2008;57[No. RR-3]). Previously, ACIP recommended a 5-dose rabies
      vaccination regimen with human diploid cell vaccine (HDCV) or purified chick
      embryo cell vaccine (PCECV). These new recommendations reduce the number of
      vaccine doses to four. The reduction in doses recommended for PEP was based in
      part on evidence from rabies virus pathogenesis data, experimental animal work,
      clinical studies, and epidemiologic surveillance. These studies indicated that 4
      vaccine doses in combination with rabies immune globulin (RIG) elicited adequate
      immune responses and that a fifth dose of vaccine did not contribute to more
      favorable outcomes. For persons previously unvaccinated with rabies vaccine, the
      reduced regimen of 4 1-mL doses of HDCV or PCECV should be administered
      intramuscularly. The first dose of the 4-dose course should be administered as
      soon as possible after exposure (day 0). Additional doses then should be
      administered on days 3, 7, and 14 after the first vaccination. ACIP
      recommendations for the use of RIG remain unchanged. For persons who previously
      received a complete vaccination series (pre- or postexposure prophylaxis) with a
      cell-culture vaccine or who previously had a documented adequate rabies virus
      neutralizing antibody titer following vaccination with noncell-culture vaccine,
      the recommendation for a 2-dose PEP vaccination series has not changed.
      Similarly, the number of doses recommended for persons with altered
      immunocompetence has not changed; for such persons, PEP should continue to
      comprise a 5-dose vaccination regimen with 1 dose of RIG. Recommendations for pre
      exposure prophylaxis also remain unchanged, with 3 doses of vaccine administered
      on days 0, 7, and 21 or 28. Prompt rabies PEP combining wound care, infiltration
      of RIG into and around the wound, and multiple doses of rabies cell-culture
      vaccine continue to be highly effective in preventing human rabies.

PMID- 20300059
TI  - Genetic studies of human DNA repair proteins using yeast as a model system.
AB  - Understanding the roles of human DNA repair proteins in genetic pathways is a
      formidable challenge to many researchers. Genetic studies in mammalian systems
      have been limited due to the lack of readily available tools including defined
      mutant genetic cell lines, regulatory expression systems, and appropriate
      selectable markers. To circumvent these difficulties, model genetic systems in
      lower eukaryotes have become an attractive choice for the study of functionally
      conserved DNA repair proteins and pathways. We have developed a model yeast
      system to study the poorly defined genetic functions of the Werner syndrome
      helicase-nuclease (WRN) in nucleic acid metabolism. Cellular phenotypes
      associated with defined genetic mutant backgrounds can be investigated to clarify
      the cellular and molecular functions of WRN through its catalytic activities and
      protein interactions. The human WRN gene and associated variants, cloned into DNA
      plasmids for expression in yeast, can be placed under the control of a regulatory
      plasmid element. The expression construct can then be transformed into the
      appropriate yeast mutant background, and genetic function assayed by a variety of
      methodologies. Using this approach, we determined that WRN, like its related RecQ
      family members BLM and Sgs1, operates in a Top3-dependent pathway that is likely
      to be important for genomic stability. This is described in our recent
      publication at www.impactaging.com. Detailed methods of specific assays for
      genetic complementation studies in yeast are provided in this paper.

PMID- 20300060
TI  - UTX mediates demethylation of H3K27me3 at muscle-specific genes during
      myogenesis.
AB  - Polycomb (PcG) and Trithorax (TrxG) group proteins act antagonistically to
      establish tissue-specific patterns of gene expression. The PcG protein Ezh2
      facilitates repression by catalysing histone H3-Lys27 trimethylation (H3K27me3).
      For expression, H3K27me3 marks are removed and replaced by TrxG protein catalysed
      histone H3-Lys4 trimethylation (H3K4me3). Although H3K27 demethylases have been
      identified, the mechanism by which these enzymes are targeted to specific genomic
      regions to remove H3K27me3 marks has not been established. Here, we demonstrate a
      two-step mechanism for UTX-mediated demethylation at muscle-specific genes during
      myogenesis. Although the transactivator Six4 initially recruits UTX to the
      regulatory region of muscle genes, the resulting loss of H3K27me3 marks is
      limited to the region upstream of the transcriptional start site. Removal of the
      repressive H3K27me3 mark within the coding region then requires RNA Polymerase II
      (Pol II) elongation. Interestingly, blocking Pol II elongation on transcribed
      genes leads to increased H3K27me3 within the coding region, and formation of
      bivalent (H3K27me3/H3K4me3) chromatin domains. Thus, removal of repressive
      H3K27me3 marks by UTX occurs through targeted recruitment followed by spreading
      across the gene.

PMID- 20300061
TI  - Daughter cell separation is controlled by cytokinetic ring-activated cell wall
      hydrolysis.
AB  - During bacterial cytokinesis, hydrolytic enzymes are used to split wall material
      shared by adjacent daughter cells to promote their separation. Precise control
      over these enzymes is critical to prevent breaches in wall integrity that can
      cause cell lysis. How these potentially lethal hydrolases are regulated has
      remained unknown. Here, we investigate the regulation of cell wall turnover at
      the Escherichia coli division site. We show that two components of the division
      machinery with LytM domains (EnvC and NlpD) are direct regulators of the cell
      wall hydrolases (amidases) responsible for cell separation (AmiA, AmiB and AmiC).
      Using in vitro cell wall cleavage assays, we show that EnvC activates AmiA and
      AmiB, whereas NlpD activates AmiC. Consistent with these findings, we show that
      an unregulated EnvC mutant requires functional AmiA or AmiB but not AmiC to
      induce cell lysis, and that the loss of NlpD phenocopies an AmiC(-) defect.
      Overall, our results suggest that cellular amidase activity is regulated
      spatially and temporally by coupling their activation to the assembly of the
      cytokinetic ring.

PMID- 20300062
TI  - IBRDC2, an IBR-type E3 ubiquitin ligase, is a regulatory factor for Bax and
      apoptosis activation.
AB  - Bax, a pro-apoptotic protein from the Bcl-2 family, is central to apoptosis
      regulation. To suppress spontaneous apoptosis, Bax must be under stringent
      control that may include regulation of Bax conformation and expression levels. We
      report that IBRDC2, an IBR-type RING-finger E3 ubiquitin ligase, regulates the
      levels of Bax and protects cells from unprompted Bax activation and cell death.
      Downregulation of IBRDC2 induces increased cellular levels and accumulation of
      the active form of Bax. The ubiquitination-dependent regulation of Bax stability
      is suppressed by IBRDC2 downregulation and stimulated by IBRDC2 overexpression in
      both healthy and apoptotic cells. Although mostly cytosolic in healthy cells,
      upon induction of apoptosis, IBRDC2 accumulates in mitochondrial domains enriched
      with Bax. Mitochondrial accumulation of IBRDC2 occurs in parallel with Bax
      activation and also depends on the expression levels of Bcl-xL. Furthermore,
      IBRDC2 physically interacts with activated Bax. By applying Bax mutants in HCT116
      Bax(-/-) cells, combined with the use of active Bax-specific antibodies, we have
      established that both mitochondrial localization and apoptotic activation of Bax
      are required for IBRDC2 translocation to the mitochondria.

PMID- 20300063
TI  - Interaction of MAGED1 with nuclear receptors affects circadian clock function.
AB  - The circadian clock has a central role in physiological adaption and anticipation
      of day/night changes. In a genetic screen for novel regulators of circadian
      rhythms, we found that mice lacking MAGED1 (Melanoma Antigen Family D1) exhibit a
      shortened period and altered rest-activity bouts. These circadian phenotypes are
      proposed to be caused by a direct effect on the core molecular clock network that
      reduces the robustness of the circadian clock. We provide in vitro and in vivo
      evidence indicating that MAGED1 binds to RORalpha to bring about positive and
      negative effects on core clock genes of Bmal1, Rev-erbalpha and E4bp4 expression
      through the Rev-Erbalpha/ROR responsive elements (RORE). Maged1 is a non-rhythmic
      gene that, by binding RORalpha in non-circadian way, enhances rhythmic input and
      buffers the circadian system from irrelevant, perturbing stimuli or noise. We
      have thus identified and defined a novel circadian regulator, Maged1, which is
      indispensable for the robustness of the circadian clock to better serve the
      organism.

PMID- 20300064
TI  - A bacterial effector targets host DH-PH domain RhoGEFs and antagonizes macrophage
      phagocytosis.
AB  - Bacterial pathogens often harbour a type III secretion system (TTSS) that injects
      effector proteins into eukaryotic cells to manipulate host processes and cause
      diseases. Identification of host targets of bacterial effectors and revealing
      their mechanism of actions are crucial for understating bacterial virulence. We
      show that EspH, a type III effector conserved in enteric bacterial pathogens
      including enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), enterohaemorrhagic E. coli
      and Citrobacter rodentium, markedly disrupts actin cytoskeleton structure and
      induces cell rounding up when ectopically expressed or delivered into HeLa cells
      by the bacterial TTSS. EspH inactivates host Rho GTPase signalling pathway at the
      level of RhoGEF. EspH directly binds the DH-PH domain in multiple RhoGEFs, which
      prevents their binding to Rho and thereby inhibits nucleotide exchange-mediated
      Rho activation. Consistently, infection of mouse macrophages with EPEC harbouring
      EspH attenuates phagocytosis of the bacteria as well as FcgammaR-mediated
      phagocytosis. EspH represents the first example of targeting RhoGEFs by bacterial
      effectors, and our results also reveal an unprecedented mechanism used by enteric
      pathogens to counteract the host defence system.

PMID- 20300065
TI  - Inhibition of the PtdIns(5) kinase PIKfyve disrupts intracellular replication of
      Salmonella.
AB  - 3-phosphorylated phosphoinositides (3-PtdIns) orchestrate endocytic trafficking
      pathways exploited by intracellular pathogens such as Salmonella to gain entry
      into the cell. To infect the host, Salmonellae subvert its normal macropinocytic
      activity, manipulating the process to generate an intracellular replicative
      niche. Disruption of the PtdIns(5) kinase, PIKfyve, be it by interfering mutant,
      siRNA-mediated knockdown or pharmacological means, inhibits the intracellular
      replication of Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium in epithelial cells.
      Monitoring the dynamics of macropinocytosis by time-lapse 3D (4D) videomicroscopy
      revealed a new and essential role for PI(3,5)P(2) in macropinosome-late
      endosome/lysosome fusion, which is distinct from that of the small GTPase Rab7.
      This PI(3,5)P(2)-dependent step is required for the proper maturation of the
      Salmonella-containing vacuole (SCV) through the formation of Salmonella-induced
      filaments (SIFs) and for the engagement of the Salmonella pathogenicity island 2
      encoded type 3 secretion system (SPI2-T3SS). Finally, although inhibition of
      PIKfyve in macrophages did inhibit Salmonella replication, it also appears to
      disrupt the macrophage's bactericidal response.

PMID- 20300066
TI  - Genetic influence on baroreflex sensitivity in normotensive young men.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The dysfunction of baroreflex plays an important role in the
      pathogenesis of essential hypertension. Recent studies suggest that approximately
      40% of the variation in baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) may be accounted for by
      genetic factors. However, only a few such genetic polymorphisms have been
      explicitly identified. METHODS: A total of 182 normotensive young men were
      included in the study. They were tested for the occurrence of genotypes involving
      nine polymorphisms in six genes that have a role in the regulation of the
      cardiovascular system. BRS was calculated from the spontaneous fluctuation of
      systolic blood pressure (SBP) and heart interval, using a sequence method.
      RESULTS: BRS was negatively correlated with body mass index (BMI), SBP, and
      family history of hypertension. Univariate analysis revealed that BRS is
      significantly associated with three of the polymorphisms studied. At the
      polymorphism T-786C in the endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase (eNOS) gene,
      the subjects with TT genotype had lower BRS than subjects carrying either the TC
      or the CC genotype. At the polymorphism of C-344T in the aldosterone synthase
      gene (CYP11B2), subjects with the TT genotype had higher BRS as compared to those
      with CC. At the polymorphism of T-58C in the bradykinin B2 receptor (B2R) gene,
      subjects with CC genotype had lower BRS as compared to subjects with TT. A
      multivariable linear regression analysis indicated that 16% of the BRS variation
      could be explained by these three polymorphisms. CONCLUSIONS: Baroreflex function
      plays an important role in regulating blood pressure, both in the short term and
      in the long term. Three polymorphisms that are associated with the variation in
      BRS were identified in the eNOS, CYP11B2, and B2R genes, respectively; overall,
      they accounted for 16% of the BRS variation.

PMID- 20300068
TI  - Hypertension, prehypertension, and transient elevated blood pressure in children:
      association with weight excess and waist circumference.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To assess the prevalence of hypertension (H), prehypertension (PH),
      and transient elevated blood pressure (TH) and their relationship with weight
      class and waist circumference (WC) in an unselected population of Northern
      Italian children. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 5,131
      children (5-11 years). Weight class was defined according to the International
      Obesity Task Force references, H and PH according to the National High Blood
      Pressure Education Program. A child was classified as having PH or H when
      systolic blood pressure (SBP) and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) at first
      screening were > or =90th percentile and the mean of three subsequent measures
      was between the 90th and 95th or > or =95th percentile, respectively. When BP
      values at the first screening were > or =90th percentile but the mean of three
      subsequent measures was <90th percentile the child was classified as having TH.
      RESULTS: A proportion of 3.4% presented H, 2.7% PH, and 10.4% TH, 20% overweight,
      and 6% obesity. Weight class and WC were significantly associated to an increased
      risk of falling into any of the hypertensive categories. In children with TH BP z
      scores of the mean of the three subsequent measurements following the first
      screening were significantly higher than BP z-scores observed in normotensive
      children (P value <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Weight class and WC are associated with
      BP. This is observed not only for H but also for PH, and for nonsustained forms
      of H. Prospective studies are needed to assess whether children with PH and TH
      will develop sustained H.

PMID- 20300067
TI  - Inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 exacerbates cardiac hypertrophy and
      fibrosis in Ren-2 hypertensive rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence suggests that cardiac angiotensin-converting enzyme
      2 (ACE2) may contribute to the regulation of heart function and hypertension
      induced cardiac remodeling. We tested the hypothesis that inhibition of ACE2 in
      the hearts of (mRen2)27 hypertensive rats may accelerate progression of cardiac
      hypertrophy and fibrosis by preventing conversion of angiotensin II (Ang II) into
      the antifibrotic peptide, angiotensin-(1-7) (Ang-(1-7)). METHODS: Fourteen male
      (mRen2)27 transgenic hypertensive rats (12 weeks old, 401 + or - 7 g) were
      administered either vehicle (0.9% saline) or the ACE2 inhibitor, MLN-4760 (30
      mg/kg/day), subcutaneously via mini-osmotic pumps for 28 days. RESULTS: Although
      ACE2 inhibition had no effect on average 24-h blood pressures, left ventricular
      (LV) Ang II content increased 24% in rats chronically treated with the ACE2
      inhibitor (P < 0.05). Chronic ACE2 inhibition had no effect on plasma Ang II or
      Ang-(1-7) levels. Increased cardiac Ang II levels were associated with
      significant increases in both LV anterior, posterior, and relative wall
      thicknesses, as well as interstitial collagen fraction area and cardiomyocyte
      hypertrophy in the transgenic animals chronically treated with the ACE2
      inhibitor. Cardiac remodeling was not accompanied by any further alterations in
      LV function. CONCLUSIONS: These studies demonstrate that chronic inhibition of
      ACE2 causes an accumulation of cardiac Ang II, which exacerbates cardiac
      hypertrophy and fibrosis without having any further impact on blood pressure or
      cardiac function.

PMID- 20300069
TI  - TrkB agonist antibody dose-dependently raises blood pressure in mice with diet
      induced obesity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) regulates food intake and
      body weight, but is not useful as a therapeutic because of its short half-life.
      Chronic activation of its receptor, tyrosine kinase receptor B (TrkB), represents
      an alternative strategy for lowering body weight. However, because BDNF can raise
      blood pressure (BP) acutely, it is possible that chronic TrkB activation will
      produce adverse cardiovascular effects. METHODS: We used radiotelemetry to test
      whether treatment with a TrkB agonist antibody (Ab) causes adverse cardiovascular
      effects in mice with diet-induced obesity. RESULTS: High-dose (1 mg/kg) TrkB Ab
      reduced body weight and significantly increased BP, whereas low-dose (0.3 mg/kg)
      treatment lowered body weight without adverse cardiovascular effects. Rimonabant,
      through a different mechanism of action, lowered body weight in this model more
      than TrkB activation, but showed no adverse effects on heart rate (HR) or BP.
      These data suggest that elevated BP was a direct effect of high-dose TrkB Ab
      treatment rather than secondary to substantial weight loss. CONCLUSIONS: Overall,
      high-dose TrkB Ab lowered body weight and increased BP, whereas low-dose TrkB Ab
      treatment caused therapeutic weight loss without adverse cardiovascular effects.
      We conclude that TrkB activation dose-dependently lowers body weight and
      transiently raises BP in mice with diet-induced obesity.

PMID- 20300070
TI  - A cross-national comparative study of blood pressure and hypertension between
      English and Dutch South-Asian- and African-origin populations: the role of
      national context.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We compare patterns of blood pressure (BP) and prevalence of
      hypertension between white-Dutch and their South-Asian and African minority
      groups with their corresponding white-English and their South-Asian and African
      ethnic minority groups; and the contribution of physical activity, body sizes,
      and socioeconomic position (SEP); and the quality of BP treatment that may
      underlie differences in mean BP. METHODS: Secondary analyses of population-based
      studies of 13,999 participants from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
      RESULTS: Compared with Dutch South-Asians, all English South-Asian men and women
      had lower BP and prevalence of hypertension except for systolic BP in English
      Indian men. Among Africans, the systolic BP did not differ, but the diastolic BP
      levels were lower in English-Caribbean and English- (sub-Sahara) African men and
      women than in their Dutch-African counterparts. English-Caribbeans had a lower
      prevalence of hypertension than Dutch-Africans. Compared with white-Dutch, white
      English men and women had higher systolic BP levels, but lower diastolic BP
      levels. There were no differences in the prevalence of hypertension between the
      white groups. Most differences remained unchanged after adjustment for SEP,
      lifestyle, and body sizes in all ethnic groups. BP control rates were
      substantially lower among Dutch-African and Dutch South-Asian hypertensives than
      among their English counterparts (except Indians). CONCLUSIONS: We found marked
      variations in BP and hypertension prevalence between comparable ethnic groups in
      England and the Netherlands. Poor BP control among Dutch South-Asians and
      Africans contributed to their disadvantage of the relatively high BP levels.

PMID- 20300071
TI  - Fruits and vegetables intake and physical activity among hypertensive adults in
      the United States: behavioral risk factor surveillance system, 2003 and 2007.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Consuming enough fruits and vegetables and engaging in regular
      physical activity are believed to be two important components of several
      lifestyle modifications for people with hypertension. The purpose of this study
      was to measure the degree to which US adults with hypertension achieved
      recommended intakes of fruits and vegetables and engaged in recommended levels of
      physical activity in 2003 and 2007. METHODS: Using the Behavioral Risk Factor
      Surveillance System (BRFSS) data conducted in 2003 (N = 264,178) and 2007 (N =
      430,082), we determined the changes in the prevalence of eating > or =5 servings
      of fruits and vegetables and of obtaining Healthy People 2010 recommended level
      of physical activity among adults with hypertension during the period. RESULTS:
      In 2003 and 2007, among individuals with hypertension, age-adjusted prevalences
      of eating > or =5 servings of fruits and vegetables were 23.8 and 24.4% (P =
      0.394) and meeting a recommended physical activity level were 38.2 and 40.3% (P <
      0.001). With 2003 as the reference, odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of
      eating > or =5 servings of fruits and vegetables and meeting a recommended
      physical activity for 2007 were 1.02 (0.97-1.08) and 1.06 (1.01-1.10),
      respectively, after adjusting for relevant factors. CONCLUSIONS: Among
      hypertensives, less than a quarter are eating five or more servings of fruits and
      vegetables per day, and less than half are meeting recommended physical activity.
      In 4 years, there was no statistically significant improvement in intake of
      fruits and vegetables and just a slight, albeit statistically significant,
      improvement in physical activity among US adults.

PMID- 20300072
TI  - Effect of pressure overload on cardioprotection via PI3K-Akt: comparison of
      postconditioning, insulin, and pressure unloading.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Postconditioning (PC) and insulin exert cardioprotection by
      activating phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K) signaling. Because pressure
      overload exacerbates ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury, we tested the hypothesis
      that (i) pressure overload attenuates PC- and insulin-induced cardioprotection,
      an effect caused by reduced PI3K-Akt signaling and (ii) pressure unloading
      confers cardioprotection comparable to either PC or insulin. METHODS: Infarct
      size (IS) and levels of relevant proteins (i.e., Akt, glycogen synthase kinase
      3beta (GSK-3beta), 3'-phosphoinositide dependent kinase 1 (PDK1), phosphatase and
      tensin homolog on chromosome ten (PTEN)) were determined in hearts subjected to
      IR. RESULTS: Pressure overload increased IS in association with changes in
      protein levels consistent with reduced PI3K-Akt signaling (i.e., ischemic
      reperfused vs. normoxic hearts). PC and insulin reduced IS but it was greater in
      hearts perfused at the higher, than the lower, pressure. Wortmannin (PI3K
      inhibitor) partially reversed PC-induced cardioprotection, with IS being greater
      in the high-pressure group. Pressure unloading during reperfusion caused the most
      marked reduction in IS whereas pressure loading abolished PC-induced
      cardioprotection. Nonetheless, the phospho-Akt/total Akt ratios and phospho-GSK
      3beta levels were unaffected by perfusion pressure in insulin-treated or
      postconditioned hearts. Moreover, protein levels were similar in pressure
      unloaded and pressure-loaded hearts. CONCLUSIONS: Pressure overload reduces PI3K
      Akt signaling following IR. However, a differential in PI3K-Akt signaling was not
      observed in ischemia-reperfused, insulin-treated, and postconditioned hearts,
      suggesting involvement of pathways other than PI3K-Akt for the effect of pressure
      on IS. Importantly, pressure unloading at reperfusion represents a novel and
      effective cardioprotective maneuver.

PMID- 20300073
TI  - The effect of pulse rate and blood pressure dipping status on the risk of stroke
      and cardiovascular disease in Japanese hypertensive patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There have been few reports on the relationship between variation in
      the diurnal pulse rate (PR) in relation to a nondipper blood pressure (BP)
      pattern and cardiovascular events in elderly hypertensives. METHODS: Ambulatory
      BP monitoring (ABPM) was conducted at baseline in 811 older Japanese
      hypertensives (clinical BP >140/90 mm Hg; age >50 years old) enrolled in the
      Jichi Medical School ABPM study, wave 1. They were followed up for an average of
      41 months, and the incidence of subsequent cardiovascular event and death was
      evaluated. PR nondipping status was defined as (awake PR - sleep PR)/awake PR
      <0.1. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 72.3 +/- 9.8 years (311 men and 500
      women). The nondipper patients had a higher risk of cardiovascular events (11.5%
      vs. 6.1%, P = 0.006) and stroke (9.9% vs. 5.7%, P = 0.039) than the dippers.
      Patients were classified into four subgroups: BP dipping plus PR dipping status
      (n = 471), BP dipping plus PR nondipping (n = 37), BP nondipping plus PR dipping
      (n = 250), and BP nondipping plus PR nondipping (n = 53). The combination of BP
      and PR nondipping constituted a higher risk of cardiovascular events and stroke
      than the other three combinations combined (cardiovascular events: 17.0% vs.
      7.5%, P = 0.015; stroke: 17.0% vs. 6.6%, P = 0.005). On Cox proportional hazards
      modeling, BP nondipping with PR nondipping led to a significant synergistic
      increase in the risk of stroke (hazard ratio: 8.92; 95% confidence interval: 1.03
      77.5, P = 0.048). CONCLUSIONS: A blunted PR dip might predict a stroke in elderly
      hypertensives with a nondipping BP status.

PMID- 20300074
TI  - Risk of progression to hypertension in a rural Chinese women population with
      prehypertension and normal blood pressure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To determine the incidence of hypertension and its risk factors among
      rural Chinese women with prehypertension and normotension. METHODS: A population
      based sample of 12,060 rural Chinese women aged > or = 35 years and free from
      hypertension at baseline were followed from 2004-2006 to 2008. Incident
      hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) > or = 140 mm Hg,
      diastolic blood pressure (DBP) > or = 90 mm Hg, or current use of
      antihypertensive medication. RESULTS: Over a median follow-up of 28 months
      (range, 14-47 months), 23.4% of women developed hypertension. The age-adjusted
      incidence rate was higher in prehypertension than in normotension (11.2/100
      person-years vs. 7.9/100 person-years, P < 0.05). Among women with
      prehypertension, independent predictors of incident hypertension were baseline
      age, Mongolian ethnicity, low physical activity, baseline body mass index (BMI),
      baseline salt intake and family history of hypertension. Among women with normal
      blood pressure (BP), independent predictors were baseline age, low physical
      activity, baseline BMI and baseline salt intake. The awareness, treatment, and
      control rates for newly developed hypertension were 33.2, 23.0, and 2.1%,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that the incidence of hypertension
      is high among rural Chinese women and it is associated with many risk factors,
      and the data also suggest that most newly developed hypertension cases are not
      treated. This high incidence of hypertension may be related to rapid social
      changes in our country and may apply to other areas of the developing world.
      These results call for urgent improvements in hypertension prevention, detection
      and treatment.

PMID- 20300076
TI  - Low-grade systemic inflammation, arterial structure and function, and
      hypertension.

PMID- 20300079
TI  - The effect of the interleukin-1 cytokine family members IL-1F6 and IL-1F8 on
      adipocyte differentiation.
AB  - Obesity is characterized by chronic low-grade inflammation originating from
      expanding adipose tissue. In the present study, we examined the adipogenic
      expression levels of IL-1F6 and IL-1F8, both members of the IL-1 family of
      cytokines, and their effects on adipose tissue gene expression. Although IL-1F6
      is primarily present in adipose tissue resident macrophages and induced by
      inflammation, IL-1F8 is absent. IL-1F6, but not IL-1F8, reduces adipocyte
      differentiation, as shown by a significant decrease in PPARgamma gene expression.
      Finally, both IL-1F6 and IL-1F8 are able to induce inflammatory gene expression
      in mature adipocytes. In conclusion, we demonstrate for the first time that IL
      1F6 is present in adipose tissue and that IL-1F6 and IL-1F8 are involved in the
      regulation of adipose tissue gene expression. Importantly, IL-1F6 inhibits
      PPARgamma expression which may lead to reduced adipocyte differentiation
      suggesting metabolic effects of this cytokine.

PMID- 20300080
TI  - Improvements in coronary heart disease risk indicators by alternate-day fasting
      involve adipose tissue modulations.
AB  - The ability of alternate-day fasting (ADF) to modulate adipocyte parameters in a
      way that is protective against coronary heart disease (CHD) has yet to be tested.
      Accordingly, we examined the effects of ADF on adipokine profile, body
      composition, and CHD risk indicators in obese adults. Sixteen obese subjects (12
      women/4 men) participated in a 10-week trial with three consecutive dietary
      intervention phases: (i) 2-week baseline control phase, (ii) 4-week ADF
      controlled feeding phase, and (iii) 4-week ADF self-selected feeding phase. After
      8 weeks of treatment, body weight and waist circumference were reduced (P < 0.05)
      by 5.7 +/- 0.9 kg, and 4.0 +/- 0.9 cm, respectively. Fat mass decreased (P <
      0.05) by 5.4 +/- 0.8 kg, whereas fat-free mass did not change. Plasma adiponectin
      was augmented (P < 0.05) by 30% from baseline. Leptin and resistin concentrations
      were reduced (P < 0.05) by 21 and 23%, respectively, post treatment. Low-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triacylglycerol concentrations were 25% and
      32% lower (P < 0.05), respectively, after 8 weeks of ADF. High-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), C-reactive protein, and homocysteine
      concentrations did not change. Decreases in LDL-C were related to increased
      adiponectin (r = -0.61, P = 0.01) and reduced waist circumference (r = 0.39, P =
      0.04). Lower triacylglycerol concentrations were associated with augmented
      adiponectin (r = -0.39, P = 0.04) and reduced leptin concentrations (r = 0.45, P
      = 0.03) post-treatment. These findings suggest that adipose tissue parameters may
      play an important role in mediating the cardioprotective effects of ADF in obese
      humans.

PMID- 20300081
TI  - Obesity reduction black intervention trial (ORBIT): 18-month results.
AB  - Obesity is a chronic condition that is prevalent in black women. The Obesity
      Reduction Black Intervention Trial (ORBIT) was a randomized controlled weight
      loss and weight-loss maintenance (WLM) trial. Participants (N = 213) were
      randomized to the intervention or control groups in August 2005 and September
      2006. Follow-up data were collected 6 and 18 months after randomization. The main
      outcome was change in weight and BMI from baseline to 18 months. The mean weight
      at baseline was 104.9 kg, and the mean weight loss in the intervention group at 6
      months was 3.0 kg and a gain of 0.2 kg in the control group (mean difference
      between groups in weight change at 6 months, adjusting for baseline weight and
      cohort, -3.27 kg; 95% confidence interval (CI), -4.50 to -2.05 kg; P < 0.001).
      Both groups gained weight between 6 and 18 months (mean 1.0 kg in the
      intervention group and 0.1 kg in the control group). However, intervention
      participants lost significantly more weight than control participants during the
      18-month intervention (adjusted mean difference between groups at 18 months, 
      2.83 kg; 95% CI, -4.71 to -0.95; P = 0.003). At 18 months, intervention
      participants were more likely than control participants to have lost at least 5%
      of baseline weight (24% vs. 12%, P < 0.04). Our results indicate that the ORBIT
      program did promote weight loss and weight-loss maintenance. However, the results
      also clearly illustrate there is more to learn about what will contribute to
      meaningful weight loss and maintenance in this population.

PMID- 20300082
TI  - A model of binge-like eating behavior in mice that does not require food
      deprivation or stress.
AB  - Binge eating disorder (BED) is characterized by excessive food intake during a
      short period of time and is often associated with obesity. Mouse models of binge
      like eating behavior are lacking making it difficult to employ genetic models in
      the identification of mechanisms regulating excessive eating. We report a rapid
      and simple model to induce binge-like eating behavior in mice that does not
      require food deprivation or exogenous stressors. Weekly 24 h access to a
      nutritionally complete high energy diet (HED), along with continuous access to
      standard chow, resulted in a significant increase in HED intake following its
      presentation compared to mice that had continuous access to both diets. Mice
      exhibiting binge-like eating consumed one-third of their normal total daily
      caloric intake within 2.5 h of HED presentation. Moreover, total 24-h caloric
      intakes were increased by 50% in mice exhibiting binge-like eating. Following
      repeated cycles, binge-like eating of the HED was maintained over several weeks
      with no evidence of habituation or significant alterations in body weight and
      adiposity. Pharmacological evaluation of binge-like eating behavior was performed
      using clinically employed compounds. Interestingly, binge-like eating was dose
      dependently decreased by fluoxetine, but not baclofen or topiramate. These data
      support clinical validation of this mouse model of binge-like eating behavior, as
      fluoxetine has been shown to reduce binge frequency in human subjects with BED.
      The availability of transgenic and knockout mice will allow for the determination
      of genes that are involved in the initiation and maintenance of binge-like eating
      behavior.

PMID- 20300083
TI  - Adiposity and beta-cell function: relationships differ with ethnicity and age.
AB  - The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is higher among African Americans (AA) vs.
      European Americans (EA), is highest at middle age, and is related to obesity.
      This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that the association of adiposity
      (percent body fat (%fat)) with indexes of insulin sensitivity (S(I)) and beta
      cell function would differ with ethnicity and age. Subjects were 168 healthy,
      normoglycemic AA and EA girls and women aged 7-12 years, 18-32 years, and 40-70
      years. An intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) was used to assess indexes
      of insulin secretion and action: S(I), acute C-peptide secretion (X0); basal,
      first-phase, second-phase, and total beta-cell responsivity to glucose (PhiB,
      Phi1, Phi2, and Phi(TOT), respectively); and the disposition index (DI = S(I) *
      Phi(TOT)). %Fat was assessed with dual energy X-ray absorptiometrys. Adiposity
      was significantly associated with S(I) among EA (-0.57, P < 0.001) but not AA (
      0.20, P = 0.09). Adiposity appeared stimulatory to beta-cell function in the two
      groups of younger subjects and in EA, but inhibitory in postmenopausal women,
      particularly AA postmenopausal women. Among AA postmenopausal women, %fat was
      inversely associated with Phi1 (r = -0.57, P < 0.05) and Phi(TOT) (r = -0.68, P <
      0.01). These results suggest that the impact of adiposity on insulin secretion
      and action differs with age and ethnicity.

PMID- 20300084
TI  - Sex- and depot-dependent differences in adipogenesis in normal-weight humans.
AB  - To elucidate cellular mechanisms of sex-related differences in fat distribution,
      we determined body fat distribution (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and single
      slice abdominal computed tomography (CT)), adipocyte size, adipocyte number, and
      proportion of early-differentiated adipocytes (aP2(+)CD68(-)) in the
      stromovascular fraction (SVF) in the upper and lower body of normal-weight
      healthy men (n = 12) and premenopausal women (n = 20) (age: 18-49 years, BMI: 18
      26 kg/m(2)). Women had more subcutaneous and less visceral fat than men. The
      proportion of early differentiated adipocytes in the subcutaneous adipose tissue
      SVF of women was greater than in men (P = 0.01), especially in the femoral depot,
      although in vitro adipogenesis, as assessed by peroxisome proliferator activated
      receptor-gamma (PPARgamma) expression, was not increased in femoral preadipocytes
      cultured from women compared with men. In women, differentiation of femoral
      preadipocytes was less than that of abdominal subcutaneous preadipocytes (P =
      0.04), and femoral subcutaneous preadipocytes tended to be more resistant to
      tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha)-induced apoptosis (P = 0.06). Thus,
      turnover and utilization of the preadipocyte pool may be reduced in lower vs. the
      upper-body fat in women. Collectively, these data indicate that the
      microenvironment, rather than differences in inherent properties of preadipocytes
      between genders, may explain the gynoid obesity phenotype and higher percent body
      fat in women compared to men.

PMID- 20300085
TI  - Quantification of intermuscular adipose tissue in the erector spinae muscle by
      MRI: agreement with histological evaluation.
AB  - Deposition of fat between skeletal muscle bundles and beneath the muscle fascia,
      recently called intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT), is gaining attention as
      potential contributor to insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, muscle function
      impairment, and disability. The aim of this study was to compare IMAT as measured
      at the erector spinae level by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a well
      recognized gold standard method to evaluate fat content inside muscles, and
      histology estimates. In 18 healthy elderly men and women with a wide range of BMI
      (25.05-35.58 kg/m(2)), undergoing elective vertebral surgery, IMAT within the
      erector spinae muscle was evaluated by MRI, by body composition using dual-energy
      X-ray absorptiometry and histological evaluation of intraoperative biopsy sample.
      The concordance between IMAT/total area (TA) ratio evaluated by MRI and
      histological examination was analyzed employing Lin's concordance correlation
      coefficient and the procedure proposed by Bland and Altman. Two thresholds to
      distinguish between muscle and IMAT calculated, respectively, by 20 and 10%
      reduction of the gray-level intensity evaluated by MRI from surrounding
      subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) were used. With a 20% reduction, calculated
      IMAT/TA as evaluated by MRI on average exceeds histological evaluation by 21.79%,
      whereas by reducing the threshold by 10% agreement between MRI and histology
      improved with a 12.42% difference. Our data show a good degree of concordance
      between IMAT assessment by MRI and histology and seems to show that agreement
      between the two methods could be improved by using a more restrictive threshold
      between muscle and fat.

PMID- 20300086
TI  - Plasma epinephrine predicts fasting glucose in centrally obese African-American
      women.
AB  - The high prevalence of diabetes in African-American (AA) women has been widely
      assumed to be related to the greater prevalence of obesity in this group.
      Catecholamine release acting on central adipose tissue has been proposed to be a
      contributing factor. The aim of this article was to examine the interaction of
      plasma catecholamines and central adiposity on fasting and nonfasting glucose
      levels in two separate samples. In both studies, the women were healthy,
      nondiabetic of similar age. In addition, both studies assessed plasma epinephrine
      (EPI) and norepinephrine (NOREPI) levels collected at three time points. In study
      1, catecholamines were measured during a standardized laboratory mental stress
      task and in study 2, they were measured during the initial phase (10 min) of an
      intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT). Results from both studies revealed
      significant effects of EPI on fasting glucose in the obese women. In study 1,
      mean EPI levels were significantly related to fasting glucose in AA women with
      high trunk fat (beta = 0.60, P < 0.001). Because high BMI was associated with
      high trunk fat in women, we used BMI >30 as a proxy for high trunk fat (>32%) in
      study 2. In study 2, EPI response to the glucose bolus was a strong predictor of
      fasting glucose in AA women with BMI >30 (beta = 0.75, P < 0.003). We conclude
      that the effect of central adiposity on fasting glucose may be moderated by
      plasma EPI. This suggests that adrenal medullary activity could play a role in
      the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes.

PMID- 20300087
TI  - The effect of surgical weight reduction on left ventricular structure and
      function in severe obesity.
AB  - The aim of this study was to examine the effect of surgical weight reduction on
      cardiac structure and function and to seek the determinants of these changes.
      Sixty-six severely obese adults (BMI >or=35 kg/m(2)) who received bariatric
      surgery underwent echocardiographic examination before and 3 months after
      surgery. At 3 months after surgery, BMI and systolic blood pressure (BP)
      decreased (43.3 +/- 6.3 to 34.1 +/- 5.6 kg/m(2), P < 0.001, and 146 +/- 12 to 130
      +/- 14 mm Hg, P < 0.001, respectively). In left ventricular (LV) geometry, the
      relative wall thickness (RWT) and LV mass index decreased significantly (0.43 +/-
      0.05 to 0.35 +/- 0.05, P < 0.001, and 50 +/- 11 to 39 +/- 11 g/m(2.7), P < 0.001,
      respectively) without changes in chamber size. Multivariate analyses showed
      change in systolic BP to be an independent predictor for the changes in RWT and
      LV mass index. In myocardial performance, peak systolic mitral annular velocity
      and all diastolic indexes showed significant improvements. We concluded that LV
      hypertrophy and function improved rapidly after bariatric surgery in severely
      obese adults. BP reduction was the major determinant for the regression of LV
      hypertrophy in the early stage of surgical weight reduction.

PMID- 20300088
TI  - Genome-wide association studies in pharmacogenomics.
AB  - Genome-wide association (GWA) studies for pharmacogenomics-related traits are
      increasingly being performed to identify loci that affect either drug response or
      susceptibility to adverse drug reactions. Until now, only the largest effects
      have been detected, partly because of the challenges of obtaining large numbers
      of cases for pharmacogenomic studies. Since 2007, a range of pharmacogenomics GWA
      studies have been published that have identified several interesting and novel
      associations between drug responses or reactions and clinically relevant loci,
      showing the value of this approach.

PMID- 20300090
TI  - What's in a review?

PMID- 20300089
TI  - Chromatin structure and the inheritance of epigenetic information.
AB  - Although it is widely accepted that the regulation of the chromatin landscape is
      pivotal to conveying the epigenetic program, it is still unclear how a defined
      chromatin domain is reproduced following DNA replication and transmitted from one
      cell generation to the next. Here, we review the multiple mechanisms that
      potentially affect the inheritance of epigenetic information in somatic cells. We
      consider models of how histones might be recycled following replication, and
      discuss the importance of positive-feedback loops, long-range gene interactions
      and the complex network of trans-acting factors in the transmission of chromatin
      states.

PMID- 20300092
TI  - The genetic code: an archaeal path to literacy.

PMID- 20300093
TI  - Kinase inhibitors: narrowing down the real targets.

PMID- 20300094
TI  - Biosynthesis: unmasking morphine.

PMID- 20300095
TI  - Channels: flies feel your pain.

PMID- 20300101
TI  - Do astrocytes really exocytose neurotransmitters?
AB  - In the past 20 years, an extra layer of information processing, in addition to
      that provided by neurons, has been proposed for the CNS. Neuronally evoked
      increases of the intracellular calcium concentration in astrocytes have been
      suggested to trigger exocytotic release of the 'gliotransmitters' glutamate, ATP
      and D-serine. These are proposed to modulate neuronal excitability and
      transmitter release, and to have a role in diseases as diverse as stroke,
      epilepsy, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease and HIV infection. However, there is
      intense controversy about whether astrocytes can exocytose transmitters in vivo.
      Resolving this issue would considerably advance our understanding of brain
      function.

PMID- 20300102
TI  - Modelling the molecular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity using systems biology
      approaches.
AB  - Synaptic plasticity is thought to underlie learning and memory, but the
      complexity of the interactions between the ion channels, enzymes and genes that
      are involved in synaptic plasticity impedes a deep understanding of this
      phenomenon. Computer modelling has been used to investigate the information
      processing that is performed by the signalling pathways involved in synaptic
      plasticity in principal neurons of the hippocampus, striatum and cerebellum. In
      the past few years, new software developments that combine computational
      neuroscience techniques with systems biology techniques have allowed large-scale,
      kinetic models of the molecular mechanisms underlying long-term potentiation and
      long-term depression. We highlight important advancements produced by these
      quantitative modelling efforts and introduce promising approaches that use
      advancements in live-cell imaging.

PMID- 20300104
TI  - The regulatory crosstalk between kinases and proteases in cancer.
AB  - Kinases and proteases are responsible for two fundamental regulatory mechanisms-
      phosphorylation and proteolysis--that orchestrate the rhythms of life and death
      in all organisms. Recent studies have highlighted the elaborate interplay between
      both post-translational regulatory systems. Many intracellular or pericellular
      proteases are regulated by phosphorylation, whereas multiple kinases are
      activated or inactivated by proteolytic cleavage. The functional consequences of
      this regulatory crosstalk are especially relevant in the different stages of
      cancer progression. What are the clinical implications derived from the fertile
      dialogue between kinases and proteases in cancer?

PMID- 20300105
TI  - Cell line-based platforms to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of candidate
      anticancer agents.
AB  - Efforts to discover new cancer drugs and predict their clinical activity are
      limited by the fact that laboratory models to test drug efficacy do not
      faithfully recapitulate this complex disease. One important model system for
      evaluating candidate anticancer agents is human tumour-derived cell lines.
      Although cultured cancer cells can exhibit distinct properties compared with
      their naturally growing counterparts, recent technologies that facilitate the
      parallel analysis of large panels of such lines, together with genomic
      technologies that define their genetic constitution, have revitalized efforts to
      use cancer cell lines to assess the clinical utility of new investigational
      cancer drugs and to discover predictive biomarkers.

PMID- 20300107
TI  - Pitavastatin reduces oxidative stress and attenuates intermittent hypoxia-induced
      left ventricular remodeling in lean mice.
AB  - We have reported previously that intermittent hypoxia related to sleep apnea
      induces cardiovascular remodeling secondary to the oxidative stress. The aim of
      this study was to examine the effect of pitavastatin as an antioxidant to prevent
      intermittent hypoxia-induced left ventricular (LV) remodeling in mice without
      hypercholesterolemia. Eight-week-old male C57BL/6J mice (n=35) were exposed to
      intermittent hypoxia (30 s exposure to 5% oxygen, followed by 30 s exposure to
      21% oxygen) for 8 h per day during the daytime or maintained under normoxic
      conditions; in addition, they were either treated with pitavastatin (3 mg kg(-1)
      per day) or vehicle for 10 days. After cardiac catheterization and blood
      sampling, the LV myocardium was examined. The systemic blood pressure and plasma
      level of total cholesterol were similar among the four groups. Intermittent
      hypoxia significantly increased the expression levels of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4
      HNE) proteins, TNF-alpha and TGF-beta mRNA, and also the number of terminal
      deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin end labeling (TUNEL)-positive
      myocardial cells in the LV myocardium. In addition, enhanced hypertrophy of the
      cardiomyocytes, perivascular fibrosis and histological degeneration were observed
      in the mice exposed to hypoxic stress. Treatment with pitavastatin significantly
      suppressed the expression levels of the 4-HNE proteins, cytokines, superoxide
      production and TUNEL-positive myocardial cells in the LV myocardium, consequently
      attenuating the hypoxia-induced histological changes. Pitavastatin preserved, at
      least partially, the morphological structure of the LV myocardium in lean mice
      exposed to intermittent hypoxia, through its antioxidant effect.

PMID- 20300108
TI  - Increasing adherence: is that enough?

PMID- 20300109
TI  - Seasonal variation in metabolic syndrome prevalence.
AB  - Accumulating evidence has shown that seasonal variations can exist within
      metabolic syndrome parameters. The aim of this study was to examine the
      hypothesis that there are seasonal variations in the prevalence of metabolic
      syndrome in Japanese subjects. We investigated a total of 1202 male workers in
      our institution (44+/-10 years) who underwent health checkups in both June
      (summer) and December (winter) 2008. In this study, metabolic syndrome was
      defined according to the criteria proposed by the National Cholesterol Education
      Program (NCEP), the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the Japanese
      Society of Internal Medicine (JSIM). Serum levels of high-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol and fasting glucose, as well as blood pressure (BP), were
      significantly higher in winter than in summer, whereas waist circumference and
      serum levels of triglyceride exhibited little change. The prevalence rates of
      NCEP, IDF, and JSIM metabolic syndrome in this study were 3.8, 15.1 and 12.4% in
      winter and 3.2, 10.7 and 8.4% in summer, respectively. Of all metabolic syndrome
      components, an elevated BP was most significantly correlated with the seasonal
      variation of metabolic syndrome prevalence. This study demonstrated seasonal
      variations in metabolic syndrome prevalence in Japanese male workers. These
      results indicate that the season of health checkups may affect the clinical
      diagnosis and management of metabolic syndrome.

PMID- 20300106
TI  - Targeting metabolic transformation for cancer therapy.
AB  - Cancer therapy has long relied on the rapid proliferation of tumour cells for
      effective treatment. However, the lack of specificity in this approach often
      leads to undesirable side effects. Many reports have described various 'metabolic
      transformation' events that enable cancer cells to survive, suggesting that
      metabolic pathways might be good targets. There are currently several drugs under
      development or in clinical trials that are based on specifically targeting the
      altered metabolic pathways of tumours. This Review highlights pathways against
      which there are already drugs in different stages of development and also
      discusses additional druggable targets.

PMID- 20300110
TI  - Cystatin B inhibition of TRAIL-induced apoptosis is associated with the
      protection of FLIP(L) from degradation by the E3 ligase itch in human melanoma
      cells.
AB  - Past studies have identified a number of distinct mechanisms that contribute to
      the resistance of melanoma cells against apoptosis induced by TNF-related
      apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL). In this report we show that cystatin B is
      another endogenous inhibitor of TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Cystatin B-deficient
      melanoma cell lines established by shRNA knockdown displayed increased apoptosis
      that was associated with enhanced activation of caspase-8 induced by TRAIL. This
      was not related to the inhibitory effect of cystatin B on the lysosomal cysteine
      proteases, cathepsin B and L, as they did not have a role in TRAIL-induced
      apoptosis in most melanoma cell lines even when cystatin B was inhibited.
      Instead, sensitization of melanoma cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis by inhibition
      of cystatin B appeared associated with decreased stability of FLIP(L) as the
      levels of FLIP(L) were reduced because of shortened half-life time in melanoma
      cells deficient in cystatin B. In contrast, over-expression of cystatin B
      increased the levels of FLIP(L), decreased the amount of the E3 ligase Itch
      associated with FLIP(L), and reduced FLIP(L) ubiquitination. Inhibition of Itch
      by siRNA restored the levels of FLIP(L) and blocked sensitization to TRAIL
      induced apoptosis associated with deficiency in cystatin B. Taken together, these
      results indicate that cystatin B regulates Itch-mediated degradation of FLIP(L)
      and thereby TRAIL-induced apoptosis in melanoma cells.

PMID- 20300111
TI  - Jun and JunD-dependent functions in cell proliferation and stress response.
AB  - Jun is essential for fetal development, as fetuses lacking Jun die at mid
      gestation with multiple cellular defects in liver and heart. Embryos expressing
      JunD in place of Jun (Jun(d/d)) can develop to term with normal fetal livers, but
      display cardiac defects as observed in fetuses lacking Jun. Jun(d/d) mouse
      embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) exhibit early senescence, which can be rescued by
      EGF and HB-EGF stimulation, probably through activation of Akt signaling. Thus,
      JunD cannot functionally replace Jun in regulating fibroblast proliferation. In
      Jun(-/-) fetal livers, increased hydrogen peroxide levels are detected and
      expression of Nrf1 and Nrf2 (nuclear erythroid 2-related transcription factors)
      is downregulated. Importantly, increased oxidative stress as well as expression
      of Nrf1 and Nrf2 is rescued by JunD in Jun(d/d) fetal livers. These data show
      that Jun is of critical importance for cellular protection against oxidative
      stress in fetal livers and fibroblasts, and Jun-dependent cellular senescence can
      be restored by activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor pathway.

PMID- 20300112
TI  - CAML regulates Bim-dependent thymocyte death.
AB  - Appropriate control of apoptosis during T lymphocyte differentiation is critical
      for destruction of T cells bearing potentially autoreactive or useless immuno
      receptors and for survival of those T cells bearing antigen receptors that may
      recognize foreign proteins. Despite the well-established importance of thymocyte
      survival, the exact signals regulating thymocyte apoptosis have not been fully
      elucidated. Here, we show that thymocytes lacking the endoplasmic reticulum
      protein calcium-modulating cyclophilin ligand (CAML) failed to undergo normal T
      cell development and exhibited dramatically increased rates of apoptosis. In
      vitro, CAML-deficient thymocytes accumulated high levels of reactive oxygen
      species (ROS) and underwent abnormally accelerated death in response to several
      cytotoxic stimuli, including treatment with etoposide, cytokine deprivation, or
      Fas ligation. Although neither p53 deletion nor loss of Fas rescued the survival
      and continued development of CAML-deficient thymocytes, removal of the pro
      apoptotic BH3-only Bcl-2 family member Bim significantly restored their survival.
      This work reveals CAML to be a critically important regulator of ROS- and Bim
      dependent thymocyte death.

PMID- 20300114
TI  - The numbers behind morphogenesis.
AB  - The IHES meeting on Pattern Formation in Morphogenesis covered computational
      approaches to understanding central developmental processes. Global changes in
      tissue morphogenesis were attributed to small local asymmetries in protein
      localization or activity, and the underlying mechanisms for robust patterning of
      defined signalling pathways were explored.

PMID- 20300113
TI  - Inhibition of Lck enhances glucocorticoid sensitivity and apoptosis in lymphoid
      cell lines and in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
AB  - Glucocorticoids are used as part of front-line therapy to treat lymphoid
      malignancy because of their remarkable ability to induce apoptosis. Yet, in T
      cells, glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis is readily inhibited by lymphocyte
      activation and signaling. We have previously shown that the Src family kinase,
      Lck (lymphocyte cell-specific tyrosine kinase), which is predominantly expressed
      in T cells, interacts with IP3 receptors to facilitate calcium signaling. Here,
      we discovered that dexamethasone downregulates Lck, which, in turn, suppresses
      lymphocyte activation by inhibiting pro-survival calcium oscillations. Moreover,
      stable expression of shRNAs that selectively targeted Lck or treatment with the
      Src inhibitor dasatinib (BMS-354825) enhanced apoptosis induction by
      dexamethasone. To investigate the effect of Lck inhibition in a primary leukemia
      model, we employed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells that aberrantly
      expressed Lck and were relatively insensitive to dexamethasone. Lck expression
      was correlated with resistance to dexamethasone in CLL cells, and its inhibition
      by dasatinib or other inhibitors markedly enhanced glucocorticoid sensitivity.
      Collectively, these data indicate that Lck protects cells from glucocorticoid
      induced apoptosis and its inhibition enhances sensitivity to dexamethasone. Small
      molecule inhibitors of Lck, such as dasatinib, may function to reverse
      glucocorticoid resistance in some lymphoid malignancies.

PMID- 20300115
TI  - Metabolism and cancer mix in Madrid.
AB  - The CNIO Cancer Conference 'The Energy of Cancer' held last November was a bridge
      between metabolic and cancer research, emphasizing the interdisciplinary nature
      of the field. It confirmed that the outlines of the main pathways involved in
      coordinating nutrient uptake and metabolism with cell growth have begun to
      emerge.

PMID- 20300116
TI  - Zero sense in European approach to GM.

PMID- 20300117
TI  - Safeguarding good scientific practice in Europe.

PMID- 20300119
TI  - Conductin/axin2 and Wnt signalling regulates centrosome cohesion.
AB  - Activated Wnt/beta-catenin signalling is a characteristic of many cancers and
      drives cell-cycle progression. Here, we report a mechanism linking Wnt/beta
      catenin signalling to centrosome separation. We show that conductin/axin2, a
      negative regulator of beta-catenin, localizes at the centrosomes by binding to
      the centriole-associated component C-Nap1. Knockout or knockdown of conductin
      leads to premature centrosome separation--that is, splitting--which is abolished
      by knockdown of beta-catenin. Conductin promotes phosphorylation of the amino
      terminal serine (Ser 33/37) and threonine (Thr 41) residues of centrosome
      associated beta-catenin. Beta-catenin mutated at these residues causes
      centrosomal splitting, whereas a phospho-mimicking mutant of beta-catenin does
      not. Importantly, beta-catenin-induced splitting is not inhibited by blocking
      beta-catenin-dependent transcription. Treatment with Wnts and inhibition of
      glycogen synthase kinase 3 block beta-catenin phosphorylation and induce
      centrosomal splitting. These data indicate that Wnt/beta-catenin signalling and
      conductin regulate centrosomal cohesion by altering the phosphorylation status of
      beta-catenin at the centrosomes.

PMID- 20300118
TI  - Structural basis of wedging the Golgi membrane by FAPP pleckstrin homology
      domains.
AB  - The mechanisms underlying Golgi targeting and vesiculation are unknown, although
      the responsible phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PtdIns(4)P) ligand and four
      phosphate-adaptor protein (FAPP) modules have been defined. The micelle-bound
      structure of the FAPP1 pleckstrin homology domain reveals how its prominent wedge
      independently tubulates Golgi membranes by leaflet penetration. Mutations
      compromising the exposed hydrophobicity of full-length FAPP2 abolish lipid
      monolayer binding and compression. The trafficking process begins with an
      electrostatic approach, phosphoinositide sampling and perpendicular penetration.
      Extensive protein contacts with PtdIns(4)P and neighbouring phospholipids reshape
      the bilayer and initiate tubulation through a conserved wedge with features
      shared by diverse protein modules.

PMID- 20300120
TI  - HLA and CTLA4 polymorphisms may confer a synergistic risk in the susceptibility
      to Graves' disease.
AB  - Graves' disease (GD) is an autoimmune disease characterized by hyperthyroidism
      due to the presence of autoantibodies against thyroid-stimulating hormone
      receptor, which is measured as thyroid-stimulating hormone-binding inhibitory
      immunoglobulin (TBII). Most of the GD patients are TBII-positive, but TBII is
      undetectable in a proportion of GD patients. We previously reported the
      association of HLA-A 02 and -DPB1 0501 with TBII-positive GD, whereas TBII
      negative GD showed association with HLA-A 02 and DPB1 0202. Recently,
      polymorphisms of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA4) gene are
      reported to be associated with GD. In this study, we investigated 329 (240 TBII
      positive and 89 TBII-negative) GD patients and 378 controls for the polymorphisms
      in HLA-A, -DPB1 and CTLA4 (CT60, rs3087243, A/G) to investigate the contribution
      of these factors in the susceptibility to GD. A significant association with
      CTLA4 was found for the TBII-positive GD (G carriers in patients vs controls,
      97.1 vs 91.8%; odds ratio (OR)=2.97, 95% confidence interval=1.29-6.87, P=0.008),
      but the association was weak and not significant for the TBII-negative GD (94.4
      vs 91.8%; OR=1.50, 95% confidence interval=0.57-3.98, P=0.41). Stratification
      analyses suggested a possible synergistic interaction of CTLA4 with HLA-A 02 and 
      DPB1 0501 in the susceptibility to TBII-positive GD.

PMID- 20300121
TI  - Functional impact of a single-nucleotide polymorphism in the OPRD1 promoter
      region.
AB  - The delta-opioid receptor mediates rewarding effects of many substances of abuse.
      We reported an increased frequency of the minor G-allele of single-nucleotide
      polymorphism (SNP) rs569356 (the only variant identified so far in the promoter
      region of the delta-opioid receptor gene (OPRD1)) in subjects with opioid
      dependence. In this study, we examined the functional significance of this
      variant. OPRD1 promoter region harboring SNP rs569356 was amplified by PCR and
      inserted into a firefly luciferase reporter vector. HEK293 cells were co
      transfected with these constructs and a renilla luciferase vector to control for
      transfection efficiency. Expression of firefly luciferase (driven by the OPRD1
      promoter) was measured by a dual luciferase reporter assay and normalized by
      renilla luciferase expression. Moreover, alleles altering expression were further
      assessed for binding of human brain nuclear proteins by electrophoretic mobility
      shift assay (EMSA). The minor G-allele was associated with significantly greater
      expression levels of firefly luciferase than the major A-allele of SNP rs569356
      (P=0.003). EMSA also showed specific gel shift bands, suggesting that SNP
      rs569356 is situated in the binding site of potential transcription factors.
      These results suggest that the minor G-allele of SNP rs569356 may enhance
      transcription factor binding and increase OPRD1 expression.

PMID- 20300122
TI  - Are GJB2 mutations an aggravating factor in the phenotypic expression of
      mitochondrial non-syndromic deafness?
AB  - Hearing impairment is a frequent condition, and genes have an important role in
      its etiology. The majority of hearing loss occurs in non-syndromic form, with
      deafness being the only clinically recognizable feature. More than 60 nuclear
      genes or loci have been shown to be involved in non-syndromic hearing loss, but
      mutations in mitochondrial DNA also cause hearing impairment. Mitochondrial DNA
      mutations usually lead to progressive hearing loss with an age of onset varying
      from childhood to early adulthood. It is interesting to note that there is a
      great variability among phenotypes between individuals harboring the same
      mitochondrial mutation, even within the same family, and the phenotype may range
      from profound deafness to completely normal hearing. In the past years, the
      debate on mitochondrial mutations has been about the penetrance, the tissue
      specificity and the mechanisms of modifier genes that can modulate the severity
      of the phenotypic expression of the deafness-associated mitochondrial DNA
      mutations. Here we summarize evidence regarding modifying genes, and we discuss
      the effect of the coexistence of mitochondrial and GJB2 mutations in families
      reported to date.

PMID- 20300123
TI  - The pursuit of genome-wide association studies: where are we now?
AB  - It is now 5 years since the first genome-wide association studies (GWAS),
      published in 2005, identified a common risk allele with large effect size for age
      related macular degeneration in a small sample set. Following this exciting
      finding, researchers have become optimistic about the prospect of the genome-wide
      association approach. However, most of the risk alleles identified in the
      subsequent GWAS for various complex diseases are common with small effect sizes
      (odds ratio <1.5). So far, more than 450 GWAS have been published and the
      associations of greater than 2000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) or
      genetic loci were reported. The aim of this review paper is to give an overview
      of the evolving field of GWAS, discuss the progress that has been made by GWAS
      and some of the interesting findings, and summarize what we have learned over the
      past 5 years about the genetic basis of human complex diseases. This review will
      focus on GWAS of SNPs association for complex diseases but not studies of copy
      number variations.

PMID- 20300124
TI  - Cerebral hemorrhage in Fabry's disease.
AB  - Fabry's disease is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder resulting from alpha
      galactosidase A deficiency. Although ischemic stroke is recognized as an
      important manifestation of Fabry's disease, hemorrhagic stroke is considered to
      be rare. Here, we report our recent clinical experience with three hemizygous
      male patients with Fabry's disease who developed cerebral hemorrhage. One patient
      had classic type Fabry's disease with p.Ala37Val mutation and others had
      cerebrovascular variant with p.Glu66Gln mutation. Degeneration of the cerebral
      small arteries secondary to deposition of glycosphingolipids and aging, in
      addition to hypertension and antiplatelet/anticoagulant agents, are considered to
      be contributing factors for hemorrhage. Fabry's disease is frequently associated
      with not only ischemic but also hemorrhagic stroke, especially in elderly
      patients.

PMID- 20300125
TI  - Family-based association study of IGF1 microsatellites and height, weight, and
      body mass index.
AB  - Height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) are partly heritable, known to be
      associated with chronic diseases, and are linked to circulating insulin-like
      growth factor I (IGF-I) concentrations. IGF-I concentrations are also partly
      heritable and thus genetic variation at IGF1 could influence height, weight, BMI
      and the risk of developing chronic diseases. Our objective was to examine the
      association of genetic variation at IGF1 with height, weight and BMI using a
      sample of premenopausal women. A family-based study design was used to
      investigate the association of three IGF1 CA repeat variants at 5' (5'CA), intron
      2 (In2CA) and 3' (3'CA) with these anthropometric measures. We analyzed the data
      for 827 families of different sizes and configurations, which included 1520
      premenopausal women. Nominally significant associations (P<or=0.05) were found
      for a rare 3' variant allele (3'CA-193) and BMI (P=0.05), and for the more common
      3'CA-187 allele and weight (P=0.04). These associations did not remain
      significant when adjusted for multiple comparisons. Haplotype analysis did not
      support an association between these variants and anthropometric measures. This
      study does not support an association between IGF1 and these anthropometric
      measures. Study limitations, including sample size and capturing genetic
      variation at IGF1 with these markers, could mean associations were missed.

PMID- 20300126
TI  - The effect of preservative-free HP-Guar on dry eye after phacoemulsification: a
      flow cytometric study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the effect of hydroxypropyl (HP)-Guar added to regular post
      phacoemulsification treatment in dry eye signs and symptoms, and its influence on
      the expression of various inflammatory markers by flow cytometry (FCM) in
      impression cytology specimens. METHODS: This prospective, interventional, single
      centre study included 48 eyes of 48 patients with age-related cataract. After
      phacoemulsification, patients were randomised to the usual treatment group (UT),
      with 21 patients who received tobramycin and dexamethasone eye drops (Tobradex,
      Alcon Cusi, Spain), and the HP-Guar group, with 27 patients who received the UT
      plus preservative-free artificial tears (Systane UD, Alcon Cusi, Spain). Corneal
      and conjunctival staining with fluorescein and lissamine green, tear film break
      up time (TBUT), Schirmer's I test with anaesthesia (Jones test), tear clearance,
      and ocular surface disease index (OSDI) were assessed preoperatively and 1 month
      after surgery. Besides, conjunctival impression cytology was performed in order
      to investigate inflammatory markers (CD3, CD11b, and HLA-DR) using FCM. RESULTS:
      HP-Guar group shows statistical better results compared with the UT group in TBUT
      (6.4+/-0.7 vs 9+/-2.5, P=0.0004), OSDI (11.5+/-8.2 vs 3.3+/-2.5, P=0.0002),
      ocular symptoms subscale (7.3+/-6.1 vs 1.7+/-1.8, P=0.0004), vision-related
      function subscale (2.2+/-1.8 vs 0.4+/-0.6, P=0.0002), CD3 (2.5+/-1.4 vs 1.1+/
      1.1, P=0.011), and HLA-DR (6.8+/-4.5 vs 1.8+/-1.7, P=0.0002). CONCLUSION: The
      addition of HP-Guar to regular treatment after cataract surgery reduces ocular
      surface inflammation and dry eye signs and symptoms.

PMID- 20300127
TI  - Intravitreal bevacizumab vs intravitreal triamcinolone combined with macular
      laser grid for diffuse diabetic macular oedema.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the 12-month clinical outcome of patients with persistent
      non-ischaemic diffuse diabetic macular oedema (DME) treated with intravitreal
      bevacizumab (IVB) or with intravitreal injection of triamcinolone combined with
      macular laser grid (IVTA-MLG) from September 2005 to February 2008. METHODS:
      Retrospective interventional comparative study. Best-corrected visual acuity
      (BCVA, ETDRS LogMAR scale) and foveal thickness (FT) at optical coherence
      tomography (OCT) were obtained at baseline and during 12 months after first
      treatment. Re-treatment was based on clinical or OCT-based evidence of persistent
      macular oedema or deterioration in visual acuity. RESULTS: Forty-three eyes (32
      patients) with DME were treated with IVB. Ninety-six eyes (52 patients) with DME
      were treated with combined laser grid treatment and intravitreal triamcinolone.
      At baseline, mean BCVA and FT were 0.92+/-0.34 LogMAR and 372+/-22 microm in the
      IVTA-MLG group, and 1.07+/-0.49 LogMAR and 423+/-33 microm in the IVB group,
      respectively. At 1- and 3-month visits, BCVA and FT had significantly improved in
      both groups. After 6 and 12 months, the IVB group experienced a statistically
      significant improvement in visual acuity (0.83+/-0.21 LogMAR, P<0.001 at 6
      months; BCVA 0.86+/-0.24 LogMAR, P<0.001 at 12 months) and FT (248+/-18 microm,
      P<0.001 at 6 months; 262+/-28 microm, P=0.001 at 12 months) when compared with
      baseline, whereas the IVTA-MLG group did not show statistically significant
      improvement in vision and FT. An increase in intraocular pressure (IOP) was
      present in 10 of 96 (10.4%) eyes treated with IVTA-MLG, and in two cases it was
      resistant to topical treatment. No significant side effects were reported in the
      IVB group. CONCLUSIONS: At 6 and 12 months after first treatment for chronic DME
      IVB provided significant improvement of BCVA and FT, whereas improvement after
      IVTA-MLG was not significant. Increased IOP occurred in 10.4% of patients who
      received IVTA, with two patients requiring trabeculectomy.

PMID- 20300128
TI  - Recurrent endothelial graft rejection after DSAEK triple procedure.

PMID- 20300129
TI  - Increased oxidative DNA damage, lipid peroxidation, and reactive oxygen species
      in cultured orbital fibroblasts from patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy:
      evidence that oxidative stress has a role in this disorder.
AB  - PURPOSE: We investigated the oxidative stress in orbital fibroadipose tissues and
      cultured orbital fibroblasts from patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO).
      METHODS: The content of 8-hydroxy 2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), an important
      biomarker of oxidative DNA damage, was measured in orbital fibroadipose tissues
      and cultured orbital fibroblasts from patients with GO and compared with age
      matched normal controls. A product of lipid peroxidation, malondialdehyde (MDA),
      and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cultured orbital fibroblasts
      was also determined. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the 8-OHdG
      content of orbital fibroadipose tissues between patients with GO and age-matched
      normal controls (P=0.074). However, the levels of 8-OHdG and MDA in GO orbital
      fibroblasts were significantly higher than those of normal controls (P=0.0026 and
      P<0.001, respectively). In addition, GO orbital fibroblasts had higher contents
      of superoxide anions and hydrogen peroxide compared with those of normal controls
      (P=0.0133 and 0.0025, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Orbital fibroblasts represent
      the most abundant cell type among orbital connective tissues and exhibit great
      differences in their phenotypes. Increased oxidative DNA damage and lipid
      peroxidation, as well as higher intracellular ROS levels in GO orbital
      fibroblasts may have a role in the pathogenesis of GO.

PMID- 20300130
TI  - Antimycin A18 produced by an endophytic Streptomyces albidoflavus isolated from a
      mangrove plant.

PMID- 20300131
TI  - Battening down the hatches.

PMID- 20300132
TI  - The biological century: coming to terms with risk in the life sciences.

PMID- 20300133
TI  - Do NK cells always need a license to kill?

PMID- 20300134
TI  - Quieting T cells with Slfn2.

PMID- 20300135
TI  - Rolling back neutrophil adhesion.

PMID- 20300136
TI  - Signal 0 for guided priming of CTLs: NKT cells do it too.

PMID- 20300141
TI  - Motion artifact suppression in full-field optical coherence tomography.
AB  - Significant motion artifacts limit the performance of conventional full-field
      optical coherence tomography (FF-OCT) for in-vivo imaging. We present a
      theoretical and experimental study of those limitations. A new FF-OCT system
      suppressing most of artifacts due to sample motions is demonstrated using
      instantaneous phase shifting with nonpolarizing optics and pulsed illumination.
      The experimental setup is based on a Linnik-type interferometer illuminated by
      the superluminescence emission from a Ti:Al(2)O(3) waveguide crystal. En face
      tomographic images are calculated as a combination of two phase-opposed
      interferometric images acquired simultaneously by two CCD cameras placed at both
      outputs of the interferometer, with a spatial resolution of 0.8 microm x 1.6
      microm (axial x transverse) and a detection sensitivity of approximately 60 dB.

PMID- 20300142
TI  - Optical temperature measurements of silicon microbridge emitters.
AB  - Microbridges are miniature suspended structures fabricated in silicon. Passing a
      current through the microbridge can heat it up to the point of incandescence. A
      glowing microbridge can be used as a wideband light source. This study presents a
      method for optical measurement of the temperature of a microbridge. Spectroscopic
      measurements of microbridges are optically challenging, because the multilayer
      structures cause interference effects. To determine the temperature from the
      emitted spectrum, the emissivity was modeled with thin-film Fresnel equations.
      Temperatures of 500-1100 degrees C were obtained from the measured spectra at
      different levels of applied power. The range is limited by the sensitivity of the
      detectors at lower power levels and by the stability of the bridge at higher
      levels. Results of the optical measurements were compared with contact
      temperature measurements made with a microthermocouple in the same temperature
      range. The results of the two methods agree within 100 K.

PMID- 20300138
TI  - Sensing the outside world: TSLP regulates barrier immunity.
AB  - Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is an interleukin 7 (IL-7)-like cytokine
      originally characterized by its ability to promote the activation of B cells and
      dendritic cells (DCs). Subsequent studies have shown that TSLP promotes T helper
      type 2 (TH2) cell responses associated with immunity to some helminth parasites
      and the pathogenesis of many inflammatory diseases, including atopic dermatitis
      and asthma. This review will focus on recent findings indicating that in addition
      to influencing B cell and DC function, TSLP can promote TH2 cytokine-associated
      inflammation by directly promoting the effector functions of CD4+ TH2 cells,
      basophils and other granulocyte populations while simultaneously limiting the
      expression of DC-derived proinflammatory cytokines and promoting regulatory T
      cell responses in peripheral tissues.

PMID- 20300143
TI  - Reconstruction and analysis of pulsed thermographic sequences for nondestructive
      testing of layered materials.
AB  - We develop a heat transfer model to reconstruct pulsed thermographic data of
      layered objects. One of its salient features is its incorporation of normalized
      variables for a generalized approach to such problems. Additionally, we establish
      a methodology to determine the spatial and temporal limits of the data
      reconstruction process. Moreover, we describe an effective nondestructive
      technique for detecting and characterizing internal defects in multilayer
      objects. This inspection technique is verified on the construction of physical
      models and their examination. The depth, transverse dimensions, and front-surface
      shape of the detected defects are straightforwardly obtained from 3D depthgrams.

PMID- 20300144
TI  - Angle-resolved scattering and reflectance of extreme-ultraviolet multilayer
      coatings: measurement and analysis.
AB  - Roughness-induced light scattering critically affects the performance of optical
      components, in particular at short wavelengths. We present a stand-alone
      instrument for angle-resolved scattering and reflectance measurements at 13.5 nm
      in the extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) spectral range. The achieved dynamic range
      allows even the scattering of high-quality EUV mirrors on extremely smooth
      substrates to be investigated. For Mo/Si multilayers, total scatter losses of
      several percent have been observed, depending on the substrate qualities as well
      as on roughening and smoothing effects during coating. Different approximate
      models for estimating the impact of roughness on scatter losses are discussed and
      compared with experimental results.

PMID- 20300145
TI  - Diffraction-grating-type phase converters for conversion of Hermite-Laguerre
      Gaussian mode into Gaussian mode.
AB  - Diffraction gratings that can be used to convert the Hermite-Laguerre-Gaussian
      (HLG) mode into the Gaussian mode were obtained; these modes are space modes of
      light beams. The HLG mode is intermediate between the Hermite-Gaussian and the
      Laguerre-Gaussian modes. Generally, gratings produced from interfering two beams
      as holograms contain information of not only the phase modulation factor but also
      the amplitude modulation factor. Thus, they cannot be expected to provide high
      conversion efficiency. To produce high-efficiency gratings, the interference
      equation is divided into two factors. The gratings produced by considering only
      the phase factors act as phase converters.

PMID- 20300146
TI  - Mixed segmentation-detection-based technique for point target detection in
      nonhomogeneous sky.
AB  - This paper deals with point target detection in infrared images of the sky for
      which there are local variations of the gray level mean value. We show that
      considering a simple image model with the gray level mean value varying as a
      linear or a quadratic function of the pixel coordinates can improve mixed
      segmentation-detection performance in comparison to homogeneous model-based
      approaches.

PMID- 20300147
TI  - Spatially multiplexed multi-input-multi-output optical imaging system in a
      turbid, turbulent atmosphere.
AB  - Active optical imaging is preferred over radio frequency counterparts due to its
      higher resolution, faster area search rate, and relatively easier learning and
      interpretation of the image by a human observer. However, in imaging through
      atmosphere, one should consider dispersive effects of multiple scatterings and
      turbulence-induced wave perturbations, which give rise to intensity fluctuations
      and wavefront distortions. All these phenomena broaden and distort the spatial
      impulse response known as the point spread function (PSF). In this paper, a
      spatially multiplexed multi-input-multi-output imaging system design, inspired by
      multispot diffuse indoor communications configuration first introduced by Yun and
      Kavehrad [IEEE International Conference Selected Topics in Wireless
      Communications (IEEE, 1992), pp 262-265], is presented. At the transmitter, a
      computer-generated holographic beam splitter is used to generate arrays of
      beamlets, providing a faster area search rate and a uniformly distributed
      illumination over the entire target area. Then, at the receiver, an array of
      photodetectors is used to collect the reflected rays. While a Monte Carlo ray
      tracing algorithm developed at Pennsylvania State University, Center for
      Information and Communications Research (CICTR), is used to model imaging in
      multiple-scattering turbid media, phase screens are employed to simulate
      turbulence-induced wavefront distortions. Hence, a comprehensive framework is
      exploited that takes into account possible sources of degradation. Using this
      framework, system performance is analyzed under different meteorological
      conditions. Restoration techniques such as adaptive-optics corrections, blind
      deconvolution, and time gating are used to improve the contrast and enhance the
      sharpness and resolution of the images.

PMID- 20300148
TI  - Least-squares calibration method for fringe projection profilometry considering
      camera lens distortion.
AB  - By using the least-squares fitting approach, the calibration procedure for fringe
      projection profilometry becomes more flexible and easier, since neither the
      measurement of system geometric parameters nor precise control of plane moving is
      required. With consideration of camera lens distortion, we propose a modified
      least-squares calibration method for fringe projection profilometry. In this
      method, camera lens distortion is involved in the mathematical description of the
      system for least-squares fitting to reduce its influence. Both simulation and
      experimental results are shown to verify the validity and ease of use of this
      modified calibration method.

PMID- 20300149
TI  - Quantitative measurement of size and three-dimensional position of fast-moving
      bubbles in air-water mixture flows using digital holography.
AB  - We present a digital in-line holographic imaging system for measuring the size
      and three-dimensional position of fast-moving bubbles in air-water mixture flows.
      The captured holograms are numerically processed by performing a two-dimensional
      projection followed by local depth estimation to quickly and efficiently obtain
      the size and position information of multiple bubbles simultaneously. Statistical
      analysis on measured bubble size distributions shows that they follow lognormal
      or gamma distributions.

PMID- 20300150
TI  - Spectroscopic determination of rotational temperature in C2H4/C2H2/O2 flames for
      diamond growth with and without tunable CO2 laser excitation.
AB  - Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and spectroscopic temperature determination
      were carried out to study C(2)H(4)/C(2)H(2)/O(2) flames used for diamond
      deposition with and without an excitation by a wavelength-tunable CO(2) laser.
      Strong emissions from C(2) and CH radicals were observed in the visible range in
      all the acquired OES spectra. When the flames were irradiated by using a
      continuous-wave (CW) CO(2) laser at a wavelength of 10.591 microm, the emission
      intensities of the C(2) and CH radicals in the flames increased owing to the
      laser excitation. The CO(2) laser was also tuned to a wavelength of 10.532 microm
      to precisely match the resonant frequency of the CH(2)-wagging vibrational mode
      of the C(2)H(4) molecules. OES spectroscopy of the C(2) and CH radicals were
      performed at different laser powers. The rotational temperatures of CH radicals
      in the flames were determined by analyzing the spectra of the R branch of the
      A(2)Delta-->X(2)Pi (0,0) electronic transition near 430 nm. The deposited diamond
      thin-films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, stylus
      profilometry, and Raman spectroscopy. The deposition mechanism with and without
      the CO(2) laser excitation was discussed based on the OES spectral results.

PMID- 20300151
TI  - Laser optical gas sensor by photoexcitation effect on refractive index.
AB  - Laser optical gas sensors are fabricated by using the crystalline silicon carbide
      polytype 6H-SiC, which is a wide-bandgap semiconductor, and tested at high
      temperatures up to 650 degrees C. The sensor operates on the principle of
      semiconductor optics involving both the semiconductor and optical properties of
      the material. It is fabricated by doping 6H-SiC with an appropriate dopant such
      that the dopant energy level matches the quantum of energy of the characteristic
      radiation emitted by the combustion gas of interest. This radiation changes the
      electron density in the semiconductor by photoexcitation and, thereby, alters the
      refractive index of the sensor. The variation in the refractive index can be
      determined from an interference pattern. Such patterns are obtained for the
      reflected power of a He-Ne laser of wavelength 632.8 nm as a function of
      temperature. SiC sensors have been fabricated by doping two quadrants of a 6H-SiC
      chip with Ga and Al of dopant energy levels E(V)+0.29 eV and E(V)+0.23 eV,
      respectively. These doped regions exhibit distinct changes in the refractive
      index of SiC in the presence of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) and nitrogen monoxide (NO)
      gases respectively. Therefore Ga- and Al-doped 6H-SiC can be used for sensing
      CO(2) and NO gases at high temperatures, respectively.

PMID- 20300152
TI  - High-spatial-resolution nulling microellipsometer using rotational polarization
      symmetry.
AB  - We report the design and experimental testing of a high-spatial-resolution
      nulling microellipsometer. This microellipsometer design is based on the
      previously reported principle of rotational polarization symmetry to improve the
      signal-to-noise ratio of spatially resolved ellipsometric measurements. Through
      the use of an electro-optic polarization rotator, a null detection scheme is made
      possible and implemented. Surface profiling of a lithographically patterned
      microstructure is demonstrated with the nulling microellipsometer. A lateral
      spatial resolution of 0.48 microm is calculated with a numerical aperture of 0.9
      and an illumination wavelength of 632.8 nm.

PMID- 20300153
TI  - Characterization of optical constants for uranium from 10 to 47 nm.
AB  - We use a laser high-harmonics-based extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) polarimeter to
      determine the optical constants of elemental uranium in the wavelength range from
      10 to 47 nm. The constants are extracted from the measured ratio of p-polarized
      to s-polarized reflectance from a thin uranium film deposited in situ. The film
      thickness is inferred from a spectroscopic ellipsometry measurement of the sample
      after complete oxidation in room air. Uranium has been used as a high-reflectance
      material in the EUV. However, difficulties with oxidation prevented its careful
      characterization previous to this study. We find that measured optical constants
      for uranium vary significantly from previous estimates.

PMID- 20300154
TI  - Quantitative measurement of the phase locking of highly repetitive ultrashort
      optical pulses generated by a multifrequency continuous-wave Raman laser.
AB  - We proposed and demonstrated a novel method for the evaluation of optical pulse
      trains generated by a multifrequency continuous-wave Raman laser operating at a
      mode separation of 17.6 THz. This approach is based on the detection of a
      nonlinear signal arising from the intensity modulation of a pulse train, which
      should provide a useful means for measuring the deviation from phase locking of
      multifrequency lasers. Our results suggest that an optimization of intracavity
      dispersion allows the generation of phase-locked multifrequency emissions, which
      leads to optical pulse trains at a repetition rate in excess of 10 THz.

PMID- 20300155
TI  - Refractive index measurement using photonic crystal fiber-based Fabry-Perot
      interferometer.
AB  - We have constructed a novel refractive index (RI) sensor based on a fiber optic
      Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) by splicing a section of hollow core fiber
      between a single-mode fiber and a photonic crystal fiber (PCF). Owing to the air
      holes in the cladding of the PCF, various substances, such as liquids and gases
      with different RI, can enter or leave the in-fiber air cavity, which makes the
      device usable as a refractometer. In this paper, the fiber optic FPI sensor has
      been used to monitor the RI changes of air with different pressures, and the
      experimental results show that such a sensor has an RI sensitivity of 805.1
      microm/RIU, and hysteresis is not observed. Moreover, the easy fabrication method
      gives the in-fiber refractometer many potential applications in the sensing
      field.

PMID- 20300156
TI  - Effect of fabrication errors on the diffraction pattern produced by sawtooth
      gratings.
AB  - In this work we investigate, analytically and numerically, the effect on the
      diffracted field produced by typical fabrication errors in sawtooth gratings. The
      analysis is carried out for the near and far field, showing the effects on the
      intensity and on the diffraction orders efficiency. When the grating profile is
      not perfect but presents a curved profile or overdevelopment error, some
      different diffraction orders appear, changing the intensity and the efficiency of
      each order. In addition, when roughness is present, a decreasing of efficiency is
      produced, but without generating different diffraction orders than the first one.
      We show the analytical dependence of these modifications in terms of the profile
      of the grating, corroborating the results with numerical methods.

PMID- 20300157
TI  - Effect of temperature on the molding of chalcogenide glass lenses for infrared
      imaging applications.
AB  - We examine the effect of temperature on the molding of chalcogenide glass for
      infrared (IR) lens fabrication and evaluate a molded chalcogenide glass lens.
      Both the adhesion of the chalcogenide glass to the mold's surface and lens
      breakage depended on the initial heating temperature and on the molding
      temperatures in the glass molding process. In addition, the molded chalcogenide
      glass lens was evaluated based on transcription characteristics of the mold's
      surface, IR transmittance, and x-ray diffraction patterns. From the analysis
      results, we verified that the chalcogenide glass lens for IR imaging application
      could be fabricated by well-controlled temperature conditions.

PMID- 20300158
TI  - Spectral anomaly detection in deep shadows.
AB  - Although several hyperspectral anomaly detection algorithms have proven useful
      when illumination conditions provide for enough light, many of these same
      detection algorithms fail to perform well when shadows are also present. To date,
      no general approach to the problem has been demonstrated. In this paper, a novel
      hyperspectral anomaly detection algorithm that adapts the dimensionality of the
      spectral detection subspace to multiple illumination levels is described. The
      novel detection algorithm is applied to reflectance domain hyperspectral data
      that represents a variety of illumination conditions: well illuminated and poorly
      illuminated (i.e., shadowed). Detection results obtained for objects located in
      deep shadows and light-shadow transition areas suggest superiority of the novel
      algorithm over standard subspace RX detection.

PMID- 20300159
TI  - Accommodating brightness and exposure levels in densitometry of stained
      polyacrylamide electrophoresis gels.
AB  - Flatbed scanner densitometers can be operated under various illumination and
      recording exposure levels. In this work, we show that optical density measurement
      accuracy, sensitivity, and stability of stained polyacrylamide electrophoresis
      gel densitometry are crucially dependent on these two factors (brightness and
      exposure level), notwithstanding that the source is monochromatic, spatially
      uniform, and the measurements are made using an accurately calibrated step wedge
      in tandem. We further outline a method to accommodate the intensity deviations
      over a range of illumination and exposure levels in order to maintain sensitivity
      and repeatability in the computed optical densities. Comparisons were also made
      with results from a commercial densitometer.

PMID- 20300160
TI  - Inversion of water cloud lidar signals based on accumulated depolarization ratio.
AB  - The relation between the accumulated single scattering factor and the layer
      accumulated depolarization ratio appears to be independent of the geometry of the
      measurements and contains information on the optical depth and thus on the
      extinction coefficient. A simple equation is developed to retrieve the extinction
      coefficient from the total integrated signal and the integrated depolarization
      ratio measurements. The results compare well with Klett and Weinman lidar
      inversion techniques. The results from the measurements of the integrated
      depolarization ratio can be used to set the far end initial extinction
      coefficient value required for Klett and Weinman lidar inversion or can be used
      directly.

PMID- 20300161
TI  - Simulation and experimental results of kaleidoscope homogenizers for longitudinal
      diode pumping.
AB  - With the goal to set a homogenizer to allow coupling of a stack of diodes with a
      disk amplifier medium for a longitudinally pumped laser or amplifier, we report
      simulation and experimental results on homogenization of the light supplied by a
      large stack of diodes. We investigate various kaleidoscope cross-section shapes
      and various optical coupling configurations.

PMID- 20300162
TI  - Evaluation and benchmarking of a pixel-shifting camera for superresolution
      lensless digital holography.
AB  - In lensless digital holography, the comparatively low resolution of the CCD
      devices that are used to record the digital holograms has to date limited both
      the maximum linear dimensions of the measurement object and also the minimum
      possible stand-off distance between the object and the CCD detector. A signal
      processing-based technique known as superresolution (SR) image reconstruction can
      provide an alternative approach that reduces these restrictions. We report on an
      SR image reconstruction technique that has been introduced by employing a camera
      with a "microscanning" function to capture SR digital holograms via multiple
      subpixel movements of the CCD sensor. A detailed description of the approach is
      given, along with experimental results, which are discussed and evaluated,
      showing the advantages of using this method. An approach using three-dimensional
      holographic contouring is also described that may be adopted as a strategy for
      benchmarking newly developed algorithms at any stage of the lensless digital
      holographic process.

PMID- 20300163
TI  - Characterization and reduction of reabsorption losses in luminescent solar
      concentrators.
AB  - The effects of excitation wavelength on the optical properties (emission spectrum
      and quantum yield) of a luminescent solar concentrator (LSC) containing a
      fluorescent organic dye (Lumogen F Rot 305) are studied. Excitation at
      wavelengths on the long-wavelength edge of the absorption spectrum of the dye
      results in redshifted emission, but the quantum yield remains constant at 100%.
      The origin of this effect and its consequences are discussed. The extent of the
      long-wavelength tail of the absorption spectrum of the dye is determined and the
      importance in reabsorption losses is shown. The optical efficiencies and photon
      transport probabilities of LSCs containing either an organic dye or a rare-earth
      lanthanide complex are compared using ray-tracing simulations and experiment. The
      optical efficiency is shown to depend strongly on the Stokes shift of the
      fluorophore. The lanthanide complex, which has a very large Stokes shift,
      exhibits a higher optical efficiency than the dye (64% cf. 50%), despite its
      lower quantum yield (86% cf. 100%).

PMID- 20300164
TI  - Impact of different Na-incorporating methods on Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin film solar
      cells with a low-Na substrate.
AB  - As a kind of Na-incorporating control method, NaF co-evaporation or soda-lime
      glass thin films (SLGTFs) are useful to improve the photovoltaic performance of
      Cu(In,Ga)Se(2) (CIGS) cells fabricated on low-Na substrates. X-ray diffraction
      (XRD) patterns and scanning electron microscope pictures demonstrate that the
      grain size of CIGS thin film is reduced with the addition of Na. In addition, a
      variance of the preferred orientation is found by XRD patterns in terms of SLGTF
      samples. By a use of 100 nm thick SLGTF as a Na source, the best CIGS solar cell
      with an efficiency of 13.42% has been obtained.

PMID- 20300165
TI  - Generation of continuous-wave single-frequency 1.5 W 378 nm radiation by
      frequency doubling of a Ti:sapphire laser.
AB  - We have generated continuous-wave single-frequency 1.5 W 378 nm radiation by
      frequency doubling a high-power Ti:sapphire laser in an external enhancement
      cavity. An LBO crystal that is Brewster-cut and antireflection coated on both
      ends is used for a long-term stable frequency doubling. By optimizing the input
      coupler's reflectivity, we could generate 1.5 W 378 nm radiation from a 5 W 756
      nm Ti:sapphire laser. According to our knowledge, this is the highest CW
      frequency-doubled power of a Ti:sapphire laser.

PMID- 20300166
TI  - Intense green upconversion emission in Tb3+/Yb3+ codoped alumino-germano-silicate
      optical fibers.
AB  - We observed intense green upconversion emission from Tb(3+) centered at 546 nm
      due to transition D(4)5-->F(5)7 in Tb(3+)/Yb(3+) codoped alumino-germano-silicate
      optical fibers by direct excitation of Yb(3+) ions with a laser diode at 976 nm.
      A two-photon cooperative energy transfer upconversion among a pair of Yb(3+)
      donor ions and a Tb(3+) acceptor ion are responsible for the observed green
      emission. Appropriately increasing the concentration of Tb(3+) relative to Yb(3+)
      was found to facilitate the energy transfer upconversion process from Yb(3+) to
      Tb(3+), while an excess of Tb(3+) ions inversely introduced more of the
      concentration quenching effect and phonon-assistant backward energy transfer from
      Tb(3+) to Yb(3+) and, therefore, damaged the observed green emission. The
      intensity of the observed green emission was found optimum for a concentration
      ratio of Tb(3+) to Yb(3+) of 2:1 in alumino-germano-silicate optical glass
      fibers.

PMID- 20300167
TI  - Demonstration of a 1.1 petawatt laser based on a hybrid optical parametric
      chirped pulse amplification/mixed Nd:glass amplifier.
AB  - We present the design and performance of the Texas Petawatt Laser, which produces
      a 186 J 167 fs pulse based on the combination of optical parametric chirped pulse
      amplification (OPCPA) and mixed Nd:glass amplification. OPCPA provides the
      majority of the gain and is used to broaden and shape the seed spectrum, while
      amplification in Nd:glass accounts for >99% of the final pulse energy.
      Compression is achieved with highly efficient multilayer dielectric gratings.

PMID- 20300168
TI  - Highly birefringent photonic crystal fiber based on a double-hole unit.
AB  - We propose a novel highly birefringent photonic crystal fiber (PCF) based on a
      double-hole unit. Because of the effect of the double-hole unit in which double
      airholes can be effectively viewed as elliptical airholes, the proposed PCF can
      achieve birefringence similar to that of an elliptical-hole PCF with high
      birefringence even up to the order of 0.01 and still avoid the inherent challenge
      to fabricate an elliptical-hole PCF. The proposed PCF also has a lower
      confinement loss than an elliptical-hole PCF with the same air-filling fraction.

PMID- 20300170
TI  - The worldwide airline network and the dispersal of exotic species: 2007-2010.
AB  - International air travel has played a significant role in driving recent
      increases in the rates of biological invasion and spread of infectious diseases.
      By providing high speed, busy transport links between spatially distant, but
      climatically similar regions of the world, the worldwide airline network (WAN)
      increases the risks of deliberate or accidental movements and establishment of
      climatically sensitive exotic organisms. With traffic levels continuing to rise
      and climates changing regionally, these risks will vary, both seasonally and year
      by-year. Here, detailed estimates of air traffic trends and climate changes for
      the period 2007-2010 are used to examine the likely directions and magnitudes of
      changes in climatically sensitive organism invasion risk across the WAN. Analysis
      of over 144 million flights from 2007-2010 shows that by 2010, the WAN is likely
      to change little overall in terms of connecting regions with similar climates,
      but anticipated increases in traffic and local variations in climatic changes
      should increase the risks of exotic species movement on the WAN and establishment
      in new areas. These overall shifts mask spatially and temporally heterogenous
      changes across the WAN, where, for example, traffic increases and climatic
      convergence by July 2010 between parts of China and northern Europe and North
      America raise the likelihood of exotic species invasions, whereas anticipated
      climatic shifts may actually reduce invasion risks into much of eastern Europe.

PMID- 20300169
TI  - Capillary electrophoresis mass spectrometry-based saliva metabolomics identified
      oral, breast and pancreatic cancer-specific profiles.
AB  - Saliva is a readily accessible and informative biofluid, making it ideal for the
      early detection of a wide range of diseases including cardiovascular, renal, and
      autoimmune diseases, viral and bacterial infections and, importantly, cancers.
      Saliva-based diagnostics, particularly those based on metabolomics technology,
      are emerging and offer a promising clinical strategy, characterizing the
      association between salivary analytes and a particular disease. Here, we
      conducted a comprehensive metabolite analysis of saliva samples obtained from 215
      individuals (69 oral, 18 pancreatic and 30 breast cancer patients, 11 periodontal
      disease patients and 87 healthy controls) using capillary electrophoresis time-of
      flight mass spectrometry (CE-TOF-MS). We identified 57 principal metabolites that
      can be used to accurately predict the probability of being affected by each
      individual disease. Although small but significant correlations were found
      between the known patient characteristics and the quantified metabolites, the
      profiles manifested relatively higher concentrations of most of the metabolites
      detected in all three cancers in comparison with those in people with periodontal
      disease and control subjects. This suggests that cancer-specific signatures are
      embedded in saliva metabolites. Multiple logistic regression models yielded high
      area under the receiver-operating characteristic curves (AUCs) to discriminate
      healthy controls from each disease. The AUCs were 0.865 for oral cancer, 0.973
      for breast cancer, 0.993 for pancreatic cancer, and 0.969 for periodontal
      diseases. The accuracy of the models was also high, with cross-validation AUCs of
      0.810, 0.881, 0.994, and 0.954, respectively. Quantitative information for these
      57 metabolites and their combinations enable us to predict disease
      susceptibility. These metabolites are promising biomarkers for medical screening.
      ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article
      (doi:10.1007/s11306-009-0178-y) contains supplementary material, which is
      available to authorized users.

PMID- 20300171
TI  - Extreme female promiscuity in a non-social invertebrate species.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While males usually benefit from as many matings as possible, females
      often evolve various methods of resistance to matings. The prevalent explanation
      for this is that the cost of additional matings exceeds the benefits of receiving
      sperm from a large number of males. Here we demonstrate, however, a strongly
      deviating pattern of polyandry. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We analysed
      paternity in the marine snail Littorina saxatilis by genotyping large clutches
      (53-79) of offspring from four females sampled in their natural habitats. We
      found evidence of extreme promiscuity with 15-23 males having sired the offspring
      of each female within the same mating period. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Such a
      high level of promiscuity has previously only been observed in a few species of
      social insects. We argue that genetic bet-hedging (as has been suggested earlier)
      is unlikely to explain such extreme polyandry. Instead we propose that these high
      levels are examples of convenience polyandry: females accept high numbers of
      matings if costs of refusing males are higher than costs of accepting superfluous
      matings.

PMID- 20300172
TI  - Genetic and epigenetic somatic alterations in head and neck squamous cell
      carcinomas are globally coordinated but not locally targeted.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Solid tumors, including head and neck squamous cell carcinomas
      (HNSCC), arise as a result of genetic and epigenetic alterations in a sustained
      stress environment. Little work has been done that simultaneously examines the
      spectrum of both types of changes in human tumors on a genome-wide scale and
      results so far have been limited and mixed. Since it has been hypothesized that
      epigenetic alterations may act by providing the second carcinogenic hit in gene
      silencing, we sought to identify genome-wide DNA copy number alterations and CpG
      dinucleotide methylation events and examine the global/local relationships
      between these types of alterations in HNSCC. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We
      have extended a prior analysis of 1,413 cancer-associated loci for epigenetic
      changes in HNSCC by integrating DNA copy number alterations, measured at 500,000
      polymorphic loci, in a case series of 19 primary HNSCC tumors. We have previously
      demonstrated that local copy number does not bias methylation measurements in
      this array platform. Importantly, we found that the global pattern of copy number
      alterations in these tumors was significantly associated with tumor methylation
      profiles (p<0.002). However at the local level, gene promoter regions did not
      exhibit a correlation between copy number and methylation (lowest q = 0.3), and
      the spectrum of genes affected by each type of alteration was unique.
      CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: This work, using a novel and robust statistical approach
      demonstrates that, although a "second hit" mechanism is not likely the
      predominant mode of action for epigenetic dysregulation in cancer, the patterns
      of methylation events are associated with the patterns of allele loss. Our work
      further highlights the utility of integrative genomics approaches in exploring
      the driving somatic alterations in solid tumors.

PMID- 20300173
TI  - Are maternal antibodies really that important? Patterns in the immunologic
      development of altricial passerine house sparrows (Passer domesticus).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Maternal antibodies are believed to play an integral role in
      protecting immunologically immature wild-passerines from environmental antigens.
      This study comprehensively examines the early development of the adaptive immune
      system in an altricial-developing wild passerine species, the house sparrow
      (Passer domestics), by characterizing the half-life of maternal antibodies in
      nestling plasma, the onset of de novo synthesis of endogenous antibodies by
      nestlings, and the timing of immunological independence, where nestlings rely
      entirely on their own antibodies for immunologic protection.
      METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In an aviary study we vaccinated females against
      a novel antigen that these birds would not otherwise encounter in their natural
      environment, and measured both antigen-specific and total antibody concentration
      in the plasma of females, yolks, and nestlings. We traced the transfer of
      maternal antibodies from females to nestlings through the yolk and measured
      catabolisation of maternal antigen-specific antibodies in nestlings during early
      development. By utilizing measurements of non-specific and specific antibody
      levels in nestling plasma we were able to calculate the half-life of maternal
      antibodies in nestling plasma and the time point at which nestling were capable
      of synthesizing antibodies themselves. Based on the short half-life of maternal
      antibodies, the rapid production of endogenous antibodies by nestlings and the
      relatively low transfer of maternal antibodies to nestlings, our findings suggest
      that altricial-developing sparrows achieve immunologic independence much earlier
      than precocial birds. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: To our knowledge, this is the
      first in depth analyses performed on the adaptive immune system of a wild
      passerine species. Our results suggest that maternal antibodies may not confer
      the immunologic protection or immune priming previously proposed in other
      passerine studies. Further research needs to be conducted on other altricial
      passerines to determine if the results of our study are a species-specific
      phenomenon or if they apply to all altricial-developing birds.

PMID- 20300174
TI  - Record dynamics in ants.
AB  - The success of social animals (including ourselves) can be attributed to
      efficiencies that arise from a division of labour. Many animal societies have a
      communal nest which certain individuals must leave to perform external tasks, for
      example foraging or patrolling. Staying at home to care for young or leaving to
      find food is one of the most fundamental divisions of labour. It is also often a
      choice between safety and danger. Here we explore the regulation of departures
      from ant nests. We consider the extreme situation in which no one returns and
      show experimentally that exiting decisions seem to be governed by fluctuating
      record signals and ant-ant interactions. A record signal is a new 'high water
      mark' in the history of a system. An ant exiting the nest only when the record
      signal reaches a level it has never perceived before could be a very effective
      mechanism to postpone, until the last possible moment, a potentially fatal
      decision. We also show that record dynamics may be involved in first exits by
      individually tagged ants even when their nest mates are allowed to re-enter the
      nest. So record dynamics may play a role in allocating individuals to tasks, both
      in emergencies and in everyday life. The dynamics of several complex but purely
      physical systems are also based on record signals but this is the first time they
      have been experimentally shown in a biological system.

PMID- 20300176
TI  - Variation in DNA substitution rates among lineages erroneously inferred from
      simulated clock-like data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The observation of variation in substitution rates among lineages has
      led to (1) a general rejection of the molecular clock model, and (2) the
      suggestion that a number of biological characteristics of organisms can cause
      rate variation. Accurate estimates of rate variation, and thus accurate
      inferences regarding the causes of rate variation, depend on accurate estimates
      of substitution rates. However, theory suggests that even when the substitution
      process is clock-like, variable numbers of substitutions can occur among lineages
      because the substitution process is stochastic. Furthermore, substitution rates
      along lineages can be misestimated, particularly when multiple substitutions
      occur at some sites. Although these potential causes of error in rate estimation
      are well understood in theory, such error has not been examined in detail;
      consequently, empirical studies that estimate rate variation among lineages have
      been unable to determine whether their results could be impacted by estimation
      error. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To evaluate the extent to which error in
      rate estimation could erroneously suggest rate variation among lineages, we
      examined rate variation estimated for datasets simulated under a molecular clock
      on trees with equal and variable branch lengths. Thus, any apparent rate
      variation in these datasets reflects error in rate estimation rather than true
      differences in the underlying substitution process. We observed substantial rate
      variation among lineages in our simulations; however, we did not observe rate
      variation when average substitution rates were compared between different clades.
      CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results confirm previous theoretical work
      suggesting that observations of among lineage rate variation in empirical data
      may be due to the stochastic substitution process and error in the estimation of
      substitution rates, rather than true differences in the underlying substitution
      process among lineages. However, conclusions regarding rate variation drawn from
      rates averaged across multiple branches are likely due to real, systematic
      variation in rates between groups.

PMID- 20300175
TI  - Predicting drug-target interaction networks based on functional groups and
      biological features.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Study of drug-target interaction networks is an important topic for
      drug development. It is both time-consuming and costly to determine compound
      protein interactions or potential drug-target interactions by experiments alone.
      As a complement, the in silico prediction methods can provide us with very useful
      information in a timely manner. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To realize this, drug
      compounds are encoded with functional groups and proteins encoded by biological
      features including biochemical and physicochemical properties. The optimal
      feature selection procedures are adopted by means of the mRMR (Maximum Relevance
      Minimum Redundancy) method. Instead of classifying the proteins as a whole
      family, target proteins are divided into four groups: enzymes, ion channels, G
      protein- coupled receptors and nuclear receptors. Thus, four independent
      predictors are established using the Nearest Neighbor algorithm as their
      operation engine, with each to predict the interactions between drugs and one of
      the four protein groups. As a result, the overall success rates by the jackknife
      cross-validation tests achieved with the four predictors are 85.48%, 80.78%,
      78.49%, and 85.66%, respectively. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results indicate
      that the network prediction system thus established is quite promising and
      encouraging.

PMID- 20300177
TI  - BOLD signal in both ipsilateral and contralateral retinotopic cortex modulates
      with perceptual fading.
AB  - Under conditions of visual fixation, perceptual fading occurs when a stationary
      object, though present in the world and continually casting light upon the
      retina, vanishes from visual consciousness. The neural correlates of the
      consciousness of such an object will presumably modulate in activity with the
      onset and cessation of perceptual fading. METHOD: In order to localize the neural
      correlates of perceptual fading, a green disk that had been individually set to
      be equiluminant with the orange background, was presented in one of the four
      visual quadrants; Subjects indicated with a button press whether or not the disk
      was subjectively visible as it perceptually faded in and out. RESULTS: Blood
      oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) signal in V1 and ventral retinotopic areas V2v and
      V3v decreases when the disk subjectively disappears, and increases when it
      subjectively reappears. This effect occurs in early visual areas both
      ipsilaterally and contralaterally to the fading figure. That is, it occurs
      regardless of whether the fading stimulus is presented inside or outside of the
      corresponding portion of visual field. In addition, we find that the microsaccade
      rate rises before and after perceptual transitions from not seeing to seeing the
      disk, and decreases before perceptual transitions from seeing to not seeing the
      disk. These BOLD signal changes could be driven by a global process that operates
      across contralateral and ipsilateral visual cortex or by a confounding factor,
      such as microsaccade rate.

PMID- 20300178
TI  - A novel translocation breakpoint within the BPTF gene is associated with a pre
      malignant phenotype.
AB  - Partial gain of chromosome arm 17q is an abundant aberrancy in various cancer
      types such as lung and prostate cancer with a prominent occurrence and prognostic
      significance in neuroblastoma--one of the most common embryonic tumors. The
      specific genetic element/s in 17q responsible for the cancer-promoting effect of
      these aberrancies is yet to be defined although many genes located in 17q have
      been proposed to play a role in malignancy. We report here the characterization
      of a naturally-occurring, non-reciprocal translocation der(X)t(X;17) in human
      lung embryonal-derived cells following continuous culturing. This aberrancy was
      strongly correlated with an increased proliferative capacity and with an acquired
      ability to form colonies in vitro. The breakpoint region was mapped by
      fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to the 17q24.3 locus. Further
      characterization by a custom-made comparative genome hybridization array (CGH)
      localized the breakpoint within the Bromodomain PHD finger Transcription Factor
      gene (BPTF), a gene involved in transcriptional regulation and chromatin
      remodeling. Interestingly, this translocation led to elevation in the mRNA levels
      of the endogenous BPTF. Knock-down of BPTF restricted proliferation suggesting a
      role for BPTF in promoting cellular growth. Furthermore, the BPTF chromosomal
      region was found to be amplified in various human tumors, especially in
      neuroblastomas and lung cancers in which 55% and 27% of the samples showed gain
      of 17q24.3, respectively. Additionally, 42% percent of the cancer cell lines
      comprising the NCI-60 had an abnormal BPTF locus copy number. We suggest that
      deregulation of BPTF resulting from the translocation may confer the cells with
      the observed cancer-promoting phenotype and that our cellular model can serve to
      establish causality between 17q aberrations and carcinogenesis.

PMID- 20300179
TI  - Immune requirements of post-exposure immunization with modified vaccinia Ankara
      of lethally infected mice.
AB  - Current prophylactic vaccines work via the induction of B and T cell mediated
      memory that effectively control further replication of the pathogen after entry.
      In the case of therapeutic or post-exposure vaccinations the situation is far
      more complex, because the pathogen has time to establish itself in the host,
      start producing immune-inhibitory molecules and spread into distant organs. So
      far it is unclear which immune parameters have to be activated in order to thwart
      an existing lethal infection. Using the mousepox model, we investigated the
      immunological mechanisms responsible for a successful post-exposure immunization
      with modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA). In contrast to intranasal application of
      MVA, we found that intravenous immunization fully protected mice infected with
      ectromelia virus (ECTV) when applied three days after infection. Intravenous MVA
      immunization induced strong innate and adaptive immune responses in lethally
      infected mice. By using various gene-targeted and transgenic mouse strains we
      show that NK cells, CD4 T cells, CD8 T cells and antibodies are essential for the
      clearance of ECTV after post-exposure immunization. Post-exposure immunization
      with MVA is an effective measure in a murine model of human smallpox. MVA
      activates innate and adaptive immune parameters and only a combination thereof is
      able to purge ECTV from its host. These data not only provide a basis for
      therapeutic vaccinations in the case of the deliberate release of pathogenic
      poxviruses but possibly also for the treatment of chronic infections and cancer.

PMID- 20300180
TI  - The extracytoplasmic function sigma factor SigV plays a key role in the original
      model of lysozyme resistance and virulence of Enterococcus faecalis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Enterococcus faecalis is one of the leading agents of nosocomial
      infections. To cause diseases, pathogens or opportunistic bacteria have to adapt
      and survive to the defense systems encountered in the host. One of the most
      important compounds of the host innate defense response against invading
      microorganisms is lysozyme. It is found in a wide variety of body fluids, as well
      as in cells of the innate immune system. Lysozyme could act either as a
      muramidase and/or as a cationic antimicrobial peptide. Like Staphylococcus
      aureus, E. faecalis is one of the few bacteria that are completely lysozyme
      resistant. RESULTS: This study revealed that oatA (O-acetyl transferase) and dlt
      (D-Alanylation of lipoteicoic acids) genes contribute only partly to the lysozyme
      resistance of E. faecalis and that a specific transcriptional regulator, the
      extracytoplasmic function SigV sigma factor plays a key role in this event.
      Indeed, the sigV single mutant is as sensitive as the oatA/dltA double mutant,
      and the sigV/oatA/dltA triple mutant displays the highest level of lysozyme
      sensitivity suggesting synergistic effects of these genes. In S. aureus, mutation
      of both oatA and dlt genes abolishes completely the lysozyme resistance, whereas
      this is not the case in E. faecalis. Interestingly SigV does not control neither
      oatA nor dlt genes. Moreover, the sigV mutants clearly showed a reduced capacity
      to colonize host tissues, as they are significantly less recovered than the
      parental JH2-2 strain from organs of mice subjected to intravenous or urinary
      tract infections. CONCLUSIONS: This work led to the discovery of an original
      model of lysozyme resistance mechanism which is obviously more complex than those
      described for other Gram positive pathogens. Moreover, our data provide evidences
      for a direct link between lysozyme resistance and virulence of E. faecalis.

PMID- 20300181
TI  - Interaction of E2 glycoprotein with heparan sulfate is crucial for cellular
      infection of Sindbis virus.
AB  - Cell culture-adapted strains of Sindbis virus (SINV) initially attach to cells by
      the ability to interact with heparan sulfate (HS) through selective mutation for
      positively charged amino acid (aa) scattered in E2 glycoprotein (W. B. Klimstra,
      K. D. Ryman, and R. E. Johnston, J. Virol. 72: 7357-7366, 1998). Here we have
      further confirmed that interaction of E2 protein with HS is crucial for cellular
      infection of SINV based on the reverse genetic system of XJ-160 virus, a Sindbis
      like virus (SINLV). Both SINV YN87448 and SINLV XJ-160 displayed similar
      infectivity on BHK-21, Vero, or C6/36 cells, but XJ-160 failed to infect mouse
      embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cells. The molecular mechanisms underlying the
      selective infectivity of XJ-160 were approached by substituting the E1, E2, or
      both genes of XJ-160 with that of YN87448, and the chimeric virus was denominated
      as XJ-160/E1, XJ-160/E2, or XJ-160/E1E2, respectively. In contrast to the
      parental XJ-160, all chimeric viruses became infectious to wild-type MEF cells
      (MEF-wt). While MEF-Ext(-/-) cells, producing shortened HS chains, were resistant
      not only to XJ-160, but also to YN87448 as well as the chimeric viruses,
      indicating that the inability of XJ-160 to infect MEF-wt cells likely due to its
      incompetent discrimination of cellular HS. Treatment with heparin or HS-degrading
      enzyme resulted in a substantial decrease in plaque formation by YN87448, XJ
      160/E2, and XJ-160/E1E2, but had marginal effect on XJ-160 and XJ-160/E1,
      suggesting that E2 glycoprotein from YN87448 plays a more important role than
      does E1 in mediating cellular HS-related cell infection. In addition, the peptide
      containing 145-150 aa from E2 gene of YN87448 specifically bound to heparin,
      while the corresponding peptide from the E2 gene of XJ-160 essentially showed no
      binding to heparin. As a new dataset, these results clearly confirm an essential
      role of E2 glycoprotein, especially the domain of 145-150 aa, in SINV cellular
      infection through the interaction with HS.

PMID- 20300182
TI  - Plasmid construction using recombination activity in the fission yeast
      Schizosaccharomyces pombe.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Construction of plasmids is crucial in modern genetic manipulation.
      As of now, the common method for constructing plasmids is to digest specific DNA
      sequences with restriction enzymes and to ligate the resulting DNA fragments with
      DNA ligase. Another potent method to construct plasmids, known as gap-repair
      cloning (GRC), is commonly used in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
      GRC makes use of the homologous recombination activity that occurs within the
      yeast cells. Due to its flexible design and efficiency, GRC has been frequently
      used for constructing plasmids with complex structures as well as genome-wide
      plasmid collections. Although there have been reports indicating GRC feasibility
      in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, this species is not commonly used
      for GRC as systematic studies of reporting GRC efficiency in S. pombe have not
      been performed till date. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We investigated GRC
      efficiency in S. pombe in this study. We first showed that GRC was feasible in S.
      pombe by constructing a plasmid that contained the LEU2 auxotrophic marker gene
      in vivo and showed sufficient efficiency with short homology sequences (>25 bp).
      No preference was shown for the sequence length from the cut site in the vector
      plasmid. We next showed that plasmids could be constructed in a proper way using
      3 DNA fragments with 70% efficiency without any specific selections being made.
      The GRC efficiency with 3 DNA fragments was dramatically increased >95% in
      lig4Delta mutant cell, where non-homologous end joining is deficient. Following
      this approach, we successfully constructed plasmid vectors with leu1+, ade6+,
      his5+, and lys1+ markers with the low-copy stable plasmid pDblet as a backbone by
      applying GRC in S. pombe. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We concluded that GRC was
      sufficiently feasible in S. pombe for genome-wide gene functional analysis as
      well as for regular plasmid construction. Plasmids with different markers
      constructed in this research are available from NBRP-yeast
      (http://yeast.lab.nig.ac.jp/).

PMID- 20300183
TI  - Does plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 drive lymphangiogenesis?
AB  - The purpose of this study is to explore the function of plasminogen activator
      inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) during pathological lymphangiogenesis. PAI-1, the main
      physiological inhibitor of plasminogen activators is involved in pathological
      angiogenesis at least by controlling extracellular proteolysis and by regulating
      endothelial cell survival and migration. Protease system's role in
      lymphangiogenesis is unknown yet. Thus, based on its important pro-angiogenic
      effect, we hypothesized that PAI-1 may regulate lymphangiogenesis associated at
      least with metastatic dissemination of cancer cells. To address this issue, we
      studied the impact of PAI-1 deficiency in various murine models of tumoral
      lymphangiogenesis. Wild-type PAI-1 proficient mice were used as controls. We
      provide for the first time evidence that PAI-1 is dispensable for tumoral
      lymphangiogenesis associated with breast cancers either induced by mammary
      carcinoma cell injection or spontaneously appearing in transgenic mice expressing
      the polyomavirus middle T antigen (PymT) under the control of a mouse mammary
      tumor virus long-terminal repeat promoter (MMTV-LTR). We also investigated
      inflammation-related lymphatic vessel recruitment by using two inflammatory
      models. PAI-1 deficiency did neither affect the development of lymphangioma nor
      burn-induced corneal lymphangiogenesis. These novel data suggest that vascular
      remodelling associated with lymphangiogenesis and angiogenesis involve different
      molecular determinants. PAI-1 does not appear as a potential therapeutic target
      to counteract pathological lymphangiogenesis.

PMID- 20300185
TI  - Integrative pathway-centric modeling of ventricular dysfunction after myocardial
      infarction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A significant proportion of myocardial infarction (MI) patients
      undergo complex, coordinated perturbations at the molecular level that may
      eventually drive the occurrence of ventricular dysfunction and heart failure.
      Despite advances in the elucidation of key processes implicated in this
      condition, traditional methods relying on gene expression data and the
      identification of individual biomarkers in isolation pose major limitations not
      only for improving prediction power, but also for model interpretability.
      Mechanisms underlying clinical responses after MI remain elusive and there is no
      biomarker with the capacity to accurately predict ventricular dysfunction after
      MI. This calls for the exploration of system-level modeling of ventricular
      dysfunction in post-MI patients. Within this discovery framework key
      perturbations and predictive patterns are characterized by the integrated
      biological activity levels observed in pathways, rather than in individual genes.
      METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here we report an integrative approach to
      identifying pathways related with ventricular dysfunction post MI with potential
      prognostic and therapeutic value. We found that a diversity of pathway-level
      perturbations can be profiled in samples of patients with ventricular dysfunction
      post MI, most of which represent major reductions of gene expression. Highly
      perturbed pathways included those implicated in antigen-dependent B-cell
      activation and the synthesis of leucine. By analyzing patient-specific samples
      encoded with information derived from highly-perturbed pathways, it is possible
      to visualize differential prognostic patterns and to perform computational
      classification of patients with areas under the receiver operating characteristic
      curve above 0.75. We also demonstrate how the integration of the outcomes
      generated by different pathway-based analysis models may improve ventricular
      dysfunction prediction performance. SIGNIFICANCE: This research offers an
      alternative, comprehensive view of key relationships and perturbations that may
      trigger the emergence or prevention of ventricular dysfunction post-MI.

PMID- 20300184
TI  - Motor neuron synapse and axon defects in a C. elegans alpha-tubulin mutant.
AB  - Regulation of microtubule dynamics underlies many fundamental cellular mechanisms
      including cell division, cell motility, and transport. In neurons, microtubules
      play key roles in cell migration, axon outgrowth, control of axon and synapse
      growth, and the regulated transport of vesicles and structural components of
      synapses. Loss of synapse and axon integrity and disruption of axon transport
      characterize many neurodegenerative diseases. Recently, mutations that
      specifically alter the assembly or stability of microtubules have been found to
      directly cause neurodevelopmental defects or neurodegeneration in vertebrates. We
      report here the characterization of a missense mutation in the C-terminal domain
      of C. elegans alpha-tubulin, tba-1(ju89), that disrupts motor neuron synapse and
      axon development. Mutant ju89 animals exhibit reduction in the number and size of
      neuromuscular synapses, altered locomotion, and defects in axon extension.
      Although null mutations of tba-1 show a nearly wild-type pattern, similar axon
      outgrowth defects were observed in animals lacking the beta-tubulin TBB-2.
      Genetic analysis reveals that tba-1(ju89) affects synapse development independent
      of its role in axon outgrowth. tba-1(ju89) is an altered function allele that
      most likely perturbs interactions between TBA-1 and specific microtubule
      associated proteins that control microtubule dynamics and transport of components
      needed for synapse and axon growth.

PMID- 20300186
TI  - Literature review comparing laparoscopic and percutaneous endoscopic
      gastrostomies in a pediatric population.
AB  - Objective. This study compares laparoscopic and percutaneous endoscopic
      gastrostomy (PEG) in a paediatric population to test the hypothesis that there is
      a difference in the frequency of serious gastrointestinal complications between
      the two methods. Methods. All reports published between 1995 and 2009 on
      laparoscopic gastrostomy and PEG in children was included. Prospective and
      retrospective trials, comparing the two methods or dealing with one of them only
      were included. Endpoints were accidentally performed gastrointestinal fistula
      causing an emergency re-operation. The frequency of inadvertent gastroenteric
      fistulas using the two different techniques was calculated. Results. 822
      publications were found when using the search terms: gastrostomy,
      gastrointestinal complications, and all child: 0-18 years. From these, 54 studies
      were extracted for this investigation. These studies reported a total of 4331
      children undergoing gastrostomy operation, 1027 by using the laparoscopic
      technique and 3304 using the PEG technique. The number of serious
      gastrointestinal fistulas to colon or small bowel was 0% and .27%, respectively,
      P < .05. Conclusions. The results suggest that by performing laparoscopic
      gastrostomy in children it is possible to avoid the serious intestinal fistula
      complications caused by a blind puncture through the abdominal cavity when
      performing the PEG.

PMID- 20300187
TI  - Correlation between clinicopathology and expression of heat shock protein 72 and
      glycoprotein 96 in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - Heat shock protein 72 (HSP72) and glycoprotein 96 (gp96) are highly expressed in
      cancer tissues. Recent studies indicate the possible roles of HSP72 and gp96 in
      the development and progression of gastrointestinal carcinomas but detailed
      information is still ambiguous. We investigated the correlation between
      clinicopathology and expression of HSP72 and gp96 in human esophageal squamous
      cell carcinoma. The expression of HSP72 and gp96 was studied in 120 human
      esophageal squamous cell carcinomas with or without metastasis as well as in
      mucous membrane adjacent to cancers by way of immunohistochemistry. HSP72
      immunoreactivities were detected in 112 of 120 primary tumors (93.3%) and in 30
      of 120 mucous membranes adjacent to cancers (25.0%). Gp96 detected in esophageal
      squamous cell carcinoma and inmucous membrane adjacent to cancer was 85.0% and
      20.0%, respectively. Both HSP72 and gp96 stained in cytoplasm. HSP72 and gp96
      expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas with metastasis was
      significantly higher than those with nonmetastasis (P < .05). The results
      indicate that there exists a significant correlation between the expression of
      HSP72 and gp96 and the progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinomas. HSP72
      and gp96 expression were significantly associated with the presence of tumor
      infiltration, lymph node, and remote metastasis.

PMID- 20300188
TI  - Spontaneous tumor lysis syndrome in the setting of B-cell lymphoma.
AB  - Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) presenting in absence of chemotherapy is a rare
      occurrence. One of the true oncological emergencies, it can lead to significant
      morbidity and mortality. TLS is a phenomena usually associated with tumor cell
      death after treatment. The etiology of the spontaneous TLS is not well
      understood, which complicates the diagnosis. TLS is well known to oncologists but
      physicians outside of this specialty have little or no experience with this
      condition. Early recognition and treatment are the keys to limiting the sequela
      of the condition. Spontaneous tumor lysis syndrome is rare but presents added
      risks to the patient because of the potential for delayed diagnosis and no
      benefit of pretreatment. Diagnosis may be further delayed because this may be the
      first symptom of underlying malignancy. Therefore, it is imperative that all
      clinicians are familiar with the syndrome to assure timely recognition.

PMID- 20300190
TI  - Characterization of the Melanoma miRNAome by Deep Sequencing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are 18-23 nucleotide non-coding RNAs that regulate
      gene expression in a sequence specific manner. Little is known about the
      repertoire and function of miRNAs in melanoma or the melanocytic lineage. We
      therefore undertook a comprehensive analysis of the miRNAome in a diverse range
      of pigment cells including: melanoblasts, melanocytes, congenital nevocytes,
      acral, mucosal, cutaneous and uveal melanoma cells. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL
      FINDINGS: We sequenced 12 small RNA libraries using Illumina's Genome Analyzer II
      platform. This massively parallel sequencing approach of a diverse set of
      melanoma and pigment cell libraries revealed a total of 539 known mature and
      mature-star sequences, along with the prediction of 279 novel miRNA candidates,
      of which 109 were common to 2 or more libraries and 3 were present in all
      libraries. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Some of the novel candidate miRNAs may be
      specific to the melanocytic lineage and as such could be used as biomarkers to
      assist in the early detection of distant metastases by measuring the circulating
      levels in blood. Follow up studies of the functional roles of these pigment cell
      miRNAs and the identification of the targets should shed further light on the
      development and progression of melanoma.

PMID- 20300191
TI  - Tgf-Beta isoform specific regulation of airway inflammation and remodelling in a
      murine model of asthma.
AB  - The TGF-beta family of mediators are thought to play important roles in the
      regulation of inflammation and airway remodelling in asthma. All three mammalian
      isoforms of TGF-beta, TGF-beta(1-3), are expressed in the airways and TGF-beta(1)
      and -beta(2) are increased in asthma. However, there is little information on the
      specific roles of individual TGF-beta isoforms. In this study we assess the roles
      of TGF-beta(1) and TGF-beta(2) in the regulation of allergen-induced airway
      inflammation and remodelling associated with asthma, using a validated murine
      model of ovalbumin sensitization and challenge, and isoform specific TGF-beta
      neutralising antibodies. Antibodies to both isoforms inhibited TGF-beta mediated
      Smad signalling. Anti-TGF-beta(1) and anti-TGF-beta(2) inhibited ovalbumin
      induced sub-epithelial collagen deposition but anti-TGF-beta(1) also specifically
      regulated airway and fibroblast decorin deposition by TGF-beta(1). Neither
      antibody affected the allergen-induced increase in sub-epithelial fibroblast-like
      cells. Anti- TGF-beta(1) also specifically inhibited ovalbumin-induced increases
      in monocyte/macrophage recruitment. Whereas, both TGF-beta(1) and TGF-beta(2)
      were involved in regulating allergen-induced increases in eosinophil and
      lymphocyte numbers. These data show that TGF-beta(1) and TGF-beta(2) exhibit a
      combination of specific and shared roles in the regulation of allergen-induced
      airway inflammation and remodelling. They also provide evidence in support of the
      potential for therapeutic regulation of specific subsets of cells and
      extracellular matrix proteins associated with inflammation and remodelling in
      airway diseases such as asthma and COPD, as well as other fibroproliferative
      diseases.

PMID- 20300192
TI  - Microenvironment modulates osteogenic cell lineage commitment in differentiated
      embryonic stem cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Due to their self-renewal, embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are attractive
      cells for applications in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. Although
      ESC differentiation has been used as a platform for generating bone in vitro and
      in vivo, the results have been unsatisfactory at best. It is possible that the
      traditional culture methods, which have been used, are not optimal and that other
      approaches must be explored. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: ESCs were
      differentiated into osteoblast lineage using a micro-mass approach. In response
      to osteogenic differentiation medium, many cells underwent apoptosis, while
      others left the micro-mass, forming small aggregates in suspension. These
      aggregates were cultured in three different culture conditions (adhesion, static
      suspension, and stirred suspension), then examined for osteogenic potential in
      vitro and in vivo. In adhesion culture, ESCs primed to become osteoblasts
      recommitted to the adipocyte lineage in vitro. In a static suspension culture,
      resulting porous aggregates expressed osteoblasts markers and formed bone in vivo
      via intermembranous ossification. In a stirred suspension culture, resulting non
      porous aggregates suppressed osteoblast differentiation in favor of expanding
      progenitor cells. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We demonstrate that microenvironment
      modulates cell fate and subsequent tissue formation during ESC differentiation.
      For effective tissue engineering using ESCs, it is important to develop optimized
      cell culture/differentiation conditions based upon the influence of
      microenvironment.

PMID- 20300193
TI  - Purification and functional characterisation of rhinocerase, a novel serine
      protease from the venom of Bitis gabonica rhinoceros.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Serine proteases are a major component of viper venoms and are
      thought to disrupt several distinct elements of the blood coagulation system of
      envenomed victims. A detailed understanding of the functions of these enzymes is
      important both for acquiring a fuller understanding of the pathology of
      envenoming and because these venom proteins have shown potential in treating
      blood coagulation disorders. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study a
      novel, highly abundant serine protease, which we have named rhinocerase, has been
      isolated and characterised from the venom of Bitis gabonica rhinoceros using
      liquid phase isoelectric focusing and gel filtration. Like many viper venom
      serine proteases, this enzyme is glycosylated; the estimated molecular mass of
      the native enzyme is approximately 36 kDa, which reduces to 31 kDa after
      deglycosylation. The partial amino acid sequence shows similarity to other viper
      venom serine proteases, but is clearly distinct from the sequence of the only
      other sequenced serine protease from Bitis gabonica. Other viper venom serine
      proteases have been shown to exert distinct biological effects, and our
      preliminary functional characterization of rhinocerase suggest it to be
      multifunctional. It is capable of degrading alpha and beta chains of fibrinogen,
      dissolving plasma clots and of hydrolysing a kallikrein substrate.
      CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: A novel multifunctional viper venom serine protease has
      been isolated and characterised. The activities of the enzyme are consistent with
      the known in vivo effects of Bitis gabonica envenoming, including bleeding
      disorders, clotting disorders and hypotension. This study will form the basis for
      future research to understand the mechanisms of serine protease action, and
      examine the potential for rhinocerase to be used clinically to reduce the risk of
      human haemostatic disorders such as heart attacks and strokes.

PMID- 20300194
TI  - BTG interacts with retinoblastoma to control cell fate in Dictyostelium.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the genesis of many tissues, a phase of cell proliferation is
      followed by cell cycle exit and terminal differentiation. The latter two
      processes overlap: genes involved in the cessation of growth may also be
      important in triggering differentiation. Though conceptually distinct, they are
      often causally related and functional interactions between the cell cycle
      machinery and cell fate control networks are fundamental to coordinate growth and
      differentiation. A switch from proliferation to differentiation may also be
      important in the life cycle of single-celled organisms, and genes which arose as
      regulators of microbial differentiation may be conserved in higher organisms.
      Studies in microorganisms may thus contribute to understanding the molecular
      links between cell cycle machinery and the determination of cell fate choice
      networks. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here we show that in the amoebozoan D.
      discoideum, an ortholog of the metazoan antiproliferative gene btg controls cell
      fate, and that this function is dependent on the presence of a second tumor
      suppressor ortholog, the retinoblastoma-like gene product. Specifically, we find
      that btg-overexpressing cells preferentially adopt a stalk cell (and, more
      particularly, an Anterior-Like Cell) fate. No btg-dependent preference for ALC
      fate is observed in cells in which the retinoblastoma-like gene has been
      genetically inactivated. Dictyostelium btg is the only example of non-metazoan
      member of the BTG family characterized so far, suggesting that a genetic
      interaction between btg and Rb predated the divergence between dictyostelids and
      metazoa. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: While the requirement for retinoblastoma
      function for BTG antiproliferative activity in metazoans is known, an interaction
      of these genes in the control of cell fate has not been previously documented.
      Involvement of a single pathway in the control of mutually exclusive processes
      may have relevant implication in the evolution of multicellularity.

PMID- 20300196
TI  - Plant species and functional group combinations affect green roof ecosystem
      functions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Green roofs perform ecosystem services such as summer roof
      temperature reduction and stormwater capture that directly contribute to lower
      building energy use and potential economic savings. These services are in turn
      related to ecosystem functions performed by the vegetation layer such as
      radiation reflection and transpiration, but little work has examined the role of
      plant species composition and diversity in improving these functions.
      METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We used a replicated modular extensive (shallow
      growing- medium) green roof system planted with monocultures or mixtures
      containing one, three or five life-forms, to quantify two ecosystem services:
      summer roof cooling and water capture. We also measured the related ecosystem
      properties/processes of albedo, evapotranspiration, and the mean and temporal
      variability of aboveground biomass over four months. Mixtures containing three or
      five life-form groups, simultaneously optimized several green roof ecosystem
      functions, outperforming monocultures and single life-form groups, but there was
      much variation in performance depending on which life-forms were present in the
      three life-form mixtures. Some mixtures outperformed the best monocultures for
      water capture, evapotranspiration, and an index combining both water capture and
      temperature reductions. Combinations of tall forbs, grasses and succulents
      simultaneously optimized a range of ecosystem performance measures, thus the main
      benefit of including all three groups was not to maximize any single process but
      to perform a variety of functions well. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Ecosystem
      services from green roofs can be improved by planting certain life-form groups in
      combination, directly contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation
      strategies. The strong performance by certain mixtures of life-forms, especially
      tall forbs, grasses and succulents, warrants further investigation into niche
      complementarity or facilitation as mechanisms governing biodiversity-ecosystem
      functioning relationships in green roof ecosystems.

PMID- 20300195
TI  - A role for methyl-CpG binding domain protein 2 in the modulation of the estrogen
      response of pS2/TFF1 gene.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In human Estrogen Receptor alpha (ERalpha)-positive breast cancers,
      5' end dense methylation of the estrogen-regulated pS2/TFF1 gene correlates with
      its transcriptional inhibition. However, in some ERalpha-rich biopsies, pS2
      expression is observed despite the methylation of its TATA-box region. Herein, we
      investigated the methylation-dependent mechanism of pS2 regulation.
      METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We observed interplay between Methyl-CpG Binding
      Domain protein 2 (MBD2) transcriptional repressor and ERalpha transactivator: (i)
      the pS2 gene is poised for transcription upon demethylation limited to the
      enhancer region containing the estrogen responsive element (ERE); (ii) MBD2
      binding sites overlapped with the methylation status of the pS2 5' end; (iii)
      MBD2 depletion elevated pS2 expression and ectopic expression of ERalpha
      partially overcame the inhibitory effect of MBD2 when the ERE is unmethylated.
      Furthermore, serial chromatin immunoprecipitation assays indicated that MBD2 and
      ERalpha could simultaneously occupy the same pS2 DNA molecule; (iv) concomitant
      ectopic ERalpha expression and MBD2 depletion resulted in synergistic
      transcriptional stimulation, while the pS2 promoter remains methylated.
      CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: MBD2 and ERalpha drive opposite effects on pS2
      expression, which are associated with specific steady state levels of histone H3
      acetylation and methylation marks. Thus, epigenetic silencing of pS2 could be
      dependent on balance of the relative intracellular concentrations of ERalpha and
      MBD2.

PMID- 20300197
TI  - Hypoxia promotes glycogen accumulation through hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)
      mediated induction of glycogen synthase 1.
AB  - When oxygen becomes limiting, cells reduce mitochondrial respiration and increase
      ATP production through anaerobic fermentation of glucose. The Hypoxia Inducible
      Factors (HIFs) play a key role in this metabolic shift by regulating the
      transcription of key enzymes of glucose metabolism. Here we show that oxygen
      regulates the expression of the muscle glycogen synthase (GYS1). Hypoxic GYS1
      induction requires HIF activity and a Hypoxia Response Element within its
      promoter. GYS1 gene induction correlated with a significant increase in glycogen
      synthase activity and glycogen accumulation in cells exposed to hypoxia.
      Significantly, knockdown of either HIF1alpha or GYS1 attenuated hypoxia-induced
      glycogen accumulation, while GYS1 overexpression was sufficient to mimic this
      effect. Altogether, these results indicate that GYS1 regulation by HIF plays a
      central role in the hypoxic accumulation of glycogen. Importantly, we found that
      hypoxia also upregulates the expression of UTP:glucose-1-phosphate
      urydylyltransferase (UGP2) and 1,4-alpha glucan branching enzyme (GBE1), two
      enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of glycogen. Therefore, hypoxia regulates
      almost all the enzymes involved in glycogen metabolism in a coordinated fashion,
      leading to its accumulation. Finally, we demonstrated that abrogation of glycogen
      synthesis, by knock-down of GYS1 expression, impairs hypoxic preconditioning,
      suggesting a physiological role for the glycogen accumulated during chronic
      hypoxia. In summary, our results uncover a novel effect of hypoxia on glucose
      metabolism, further supporting the central importance of metabolic reprogramming
      in the cellular adaptation to hypoxia.

PMID- 20300198
TI  - Anti-inflammatory effects of licorice and roasted licorice extracts on TPA
      induced acute inflammation and collagen-induced arthritis in mice.
AB  - The anti-inflammatory activity of licorice (LE) and roasted licorice (rLE)
      extracts determined in the murine phorbol ester-induced acute inflammation model
      and collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model of human rheumatoid arthritis. rLE
      possessed greater activity than LE in inhibiting phorbol ester-induced ear edema.
      Oral administration of LE or rLE reduced clinical arthritis score, paw swelling,
      and histopathological changes in a murine CIA. LE and rLE decreased the levels of
      proinflammatory cytokines in serum and matrix metalloproteinase-3 expression in
      the joints. Cell proliferation and cytokine secretion in response to type II
      collagen or lipopolysaccharide stimulation were suppressed in spleen cells from
      LE or rLE-treated CIA mice. Furthermore, LE and rLE treatment prevented oxidative
      damages in liver and kidney tissues of CIA mice. Taken together, LE and rLE have
      benefits in protecting against both acute inflammation and chronic inflammatory
      conditions including rheumatoid arthritis. rLE may inhibit the acute inflammation
      more potently than LE.

PMID- 20300199
TI  - GABA(C) Receptors in the Lateral Amygdala: A Possible Novel Target for the
      Treatment of Fear and Anxiety Disorders?
AB  - Activation of GABA(A)Rs in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala (LA), a key site
      of plasticity underlying fear learning, impairs fear learning. The role of
      GABA(C)Rs in the LA and other brain areas is poorly understood. GABA(C)Rs could
      be an important novel target for pharmacological treatments of anxiety-related
      disorders since, unlike GABA(A)Rs, GABA(C)Rs do not desensitize. To detect
      functional GABA(C)Rs in the LA we performed whole cell patch clamp recordings in
      vitro. We found that GABA(A)Rs and GABA(B)Rs blockade lead to a reduction of
      evoked inhibition and an increase increment of excitation, but activation of
      GABA(C)Rs caused elevations of evoked excitation, while blocking GABA(C)Rs
      reduced evoked excitation. Based on this evidence we tested whether GABA(C)Rs in
      LA contribute to fear learning in vivo. It is established that activation of
      GABA(A)Rs leads to blockage of fear learning. Application of GABA(C) drugs had a
      very different effect; fear learning was enhanced by activating and attenuated by
      blocking GABA(C)Rs in the LA. Our results suggest that GABA(C) and GABA(A)Rs play
      opposing roles in modulation of associative plasticity in LA neurons of rats.
      This novel role of GABA(C)Rs furthers our understanding of GABA receptors in fear
      memory acquisition and storage and suggests a possible novel target for the
      treatment of fear and anxiety disorders.

PMID- 20300200
TI  - A cognitive training intervention increases resting cerebral blood flow in
      healthy older adults.
AB  - Healthy aging is typically accompanied by some decline in cognitive performance,
      as well as by alterations in brain structure and function. Here we report the
      results of a randomized, controlled trial designed to determine the effects of a
      novel cognitive training program on resting cerebral blood flow (CBF) and gray
      matter (GM) volume in healthy older adults. Sixty-six healthy older adults
      participated in 8 weeks of either a training program targeting attention and
      distractibility or an educational control program. This training program produced
      significantly larger increases in resting CBF to the prefrontal cortex than the
      control program. Increases in blood flow were associated with reduced
      susceptibility to distraction after training, but not with alterations in GM
      volume. These data demonstrate that cognitive training can improve resting CBF in
      healthy older adults and that cerebral perfusion rates may be a more sensitive
      indicator of the benefits of cognitive training than volumetric analyses.

PMID- 20300201
TI  - Mutations in ARX Result in Several Defects Involving GABAergic Neurons.
AB  - Genetic investigations of X-linked mental retardation have demonstrated the
      implication of ARX in a wide spectrum of disorders extending from phenotypes with
      severe neuronal migration defects, such as lissencephaly, to mild or moderate
      forms of mental retardation without apparent brain abnormalities, but with
      associated features of dystonia and epilepsy. These investigations have in recent
      years directed attention to the role of this gene in brain development. Analysis
      of its spatio-temporal localization profile revealed expression in telencephalic
      structures at all stages of development, mainly restricted to populations of GABA
      containing neurons. Furthermore, studies of the effects of ARX loss of function
      either in humans or in lines of mutant mice revealed varying defects, suggesting
      multiple roles of this gene during development. In particular, Arx has been shown
      to contribute to almost all fundamental processes of brain development:
      patterning, neuronal proliferation and migration, cell maturation and
      differentiation, as well as axonal outgrowth and connectivity. In this review, we
      will present and discuss recent findings concerning the role of ARX in brain
      development and how this information will be useful to better understand the
      pathophysiological mechanisms of mental retardation and epilepsy associated with
      ARX mutations.

PMID- 20300202
TI  - A rapid and reliable method of counting neurons and other cells in brain tissue:
      a comparison of flow cytometry and manual counting methods.
AB  - It is of critical importance to understand the numbers and distributions of
      neurons and non-neurons in the cerebral cortex because cell numbers are reduced
      with normal aging and by diseases of the CNS. The isotropic fractionator method
      provides a faster way of estimating numbers of total cells and neurons in whole
      brains and dissected brain parts. Several comparative studies have illustrated
      the accuracy and utility of the isotropic fractionator method, yet it is a
      relatively new methodology, and there is opportunity to adjust procedures to
      optimize its efficiency and minimize error. In the present study, we use 142
      samples from a dissected baboon cortical hemisphere to evaluate if isotropic
      fractionator counts using a Neubauer counting chamber and fluorescence microscopy
      could be accurately reproduced using flow cytometry methods. We find greater
      repeatability in flow cytometry counts, and no evidence of constant or
      proportional bias when comparing microscopy to flow cytometry counts. We conclude
      that cell number estimation using a flow cytometer is more efficient and more
      precise than comparable counts using a Neubauer chamber on a fluorescence
      microscope. This method for higher throughput, precise estimation of cell numbers
      has the potential to rapidly advance research in post-mortem human brains and
      vastly improve our understanding of cortical and subcortical structures in
      normal, injured, aged, and diseased brains.

PMID- 20300203
TI  - The IKK complex, a central regulator of NF-kappaB activation.
AB  - The IKK kinase complex is the core element of the NF-kappaB cascade. It is
      essentially made of two kinases (IKKalpha and IKKbeta) and a regulatory subunit,
      NEMO/IKKgamma. Additional components may exist, transiently or permanently, but
      their characterization is still unsure. In addition, it has been shown that two
      separate NF-kappaB pathways exist, depending on the activating signal and the
      cell type, the canonical (depending on IKKbeta and NEMO) and the noncanonical
      pathway (depending solely on IKKalpha). The main question, which is still only
      partially answered, is to understand how an NF-kappaB activating signal leads to
      the activation of the kinase subunits, allowing them to phosphorylate their
      targets and eventually induce nuclear translocation of the NF-kappaB dimers. I
      will review here the genetic, biochemical, and structural data accumulated during
      the last 10 yr regarding the function of the three IKK subunits.

PMID- 20300204
TI  - Single-molecule and superresolution imaging in live bacteria cells.
AB  - Single-molecule imaging enables biophysical measurements devoid of ensemble
      averaging, gives enhanced spatial resolution beyond the diffraction limit, and
      permits superresolution reconstructions. Here, single-molecule and
      superresolution imaging are applied to the study of proteins in live Caulobacter
      crescentus cells to illustrate the power of these methods in bacterial imaging.
      Based on these techniques, the diffusion coefficient and dynamics of the
      histidine protein kinase PleC, the localization behavior of the polar protein
      PopZ, and the treadmilling behavior and protein superstructure of the structural
      protein MreB are investigated with sub-40-nm spatial resolution, all in live
      cells.

PMID- 20300205
TI  - The nuclear envelope.
AB  - The nuclear envelope (NE) is a highly regulated membrane barrier that separates
      the nucleus from the cytoplasm in eukaryotic cells. It contains a large number of
      different proteins that have been implicated in chromatin organization and gene
      regulation. Although the nuclear membrane enables complex levels of gene
      expression, it also poses a challenge when it comes to cell division. To allow
      access of the mitotic spindle to chromatin, the nucleus of metazoans must
      completely disassemble during mitosis, generating the need to re-establish the
      nuclear compartment at the end of each cell division. Here, I summarize our
      current understanding of the dynamic remodeling of the NE during the cell cycle.

PMID- 20300206
TI  - The isoforms of the p53 protein.
AB  - p53 is a transcription factor with a key role in the maintenance of genetic
      stability and therefore preventing cancer formation. It belongs to a family of
      genes composed of p53, p63, and p73. The p63 and p73 genes have a dual gene
      structure with an internal promoter in intron-3 and together with alternative
      splicing, can express 6 and 29 mRNA variants, respectively. Such a complex
      expression pattern had not been previously described for the p53 gene, which was
      not consistent with our understanding of the evolution of the p53 gene family.
      Consequently, we revisited the human p53 gene structure and established that it
      encodes nine different p53 protein isoforms because of alternative splicing,
      alternative promoter usage, and alternative initiation sites of translation.
      Therefore, the human p53 gene family (p53, p63, and p73) has a dual gene
      structure. We determined that the dual gene structure is conserved in Drosophila
      and in zebrafish p53 genes. The conservation through evolution of the dual gene
      structure suggests that the p53 isoforms play an important role in p53 tumor
      suppressor activity. We and others have established that the p53 isoforms can
      regulate cell-fate outcome in response to stress, by modulating p53
      transcriptional activity in a promoter and stress-dependent manner. We have also
      shown that the p53 isoforms are abnormally expressed in several types of human
      cancers, suggesting that they play an important role in cancer formation. The
      determination of p53 isoforms' expression may help to link clinical outcome to
      p53 status and to improve cancer patient treatment.

PMID- 20300207
TI  - Clinical outcomes and correlates of TP53 mutations and cancer.
AB  - The initial observation that p53 accumulation might serve as a surrogate
      biomarker for TP53 mutation has been the cornerstone for vast translational
      efforts aimed at validating its clinical use for the diagnosis, prognosis, and
      treatment of cancer. Early on, it was realized that accurate evaluation of p53
      status and function could not be achieved through protein-expression analysis
      only. As our understanding of the p53 pathway has evolved and more sophisticated
      methods for assessment of p53 functional integrity have become available, the
      clinical and molecular epidemiological implications of p53 abnormalities in
      cancers are being revealed. They include diagnostic testing for germline p53
      mutations, and the assessment of selected p53 mutations as biomarkers of
      carcinogen exposure and cancer risk and prognosis. Here, we describe the
      strengths and limitations of the most frequently used techniques for
      determination of p53 status in tumors, as well as the most remarkable latest
      findings relating to its clinical and epidemiological value.

PMID- 20300208
TI  - Auxin and monocot development.
AB  - Monocots are known to respond differently to auxinic herbicides; hence, certain
      herbicides kill broadleaf (i.e., dicot) weeds while leaving lawns (i.e., monocot
      grasses) intact. In addition, the characters that distinguish monocots from
      dicots involve structures whose development is controlled by auxin. However, the
      molecular mechanisms controlling auxin biosynthesis, homeostasis, transport, and
      signal transduction appear, so far, to be conserved between monocots and dicots,
      although there are differences in gene copy number and expression leading to
      diversification in function. This article provides an update on the conservation
      and diversification of the roles of genes controlling auxin biosynthesis,
      transport, and signal transduction in root, shoot, and reproductive development
      in rice and maize.

PMID- 20300209
TI  - Auxin transporters--why so many?
AB  - Interacting and coordinated auxin transporter actions in plants underlie a
      flexible network that mobilizes auxin in response to many developmental and
      environmental changes encountered by these sessile organisms. The independent but
      synergistic activity of individual transporters can be differentially regulated
      at various levels. This invests auxin transport mechanisms with robust functional
      redundancy and added auxin flow capacity when needed. An evolutionary perspective
      clarifies the roles of the different transporter groups in plant development.
      Mathematical and functional analysis of elements of auxin transport makes it
      possible to rationalize the relative contributions of members of the respective
      transporter classes to the localized auxin transport streams that then underlie
      both preprogrammed developmental changes and reactions to environmental stimuli.

PMID- 20300210
TI  - Motor axon pathfinding.
AB  - Motor neurons are functionally related, but represent a diverse collection of
      cells that show strict preferences for specific axon pathways during embryonic
      development. In this article, we describe the ligands and receptors that guide
      motor axons as they extend toward their peripheral muscle targets. Motor neurons
      share similar guidance molecules with many other neuronal types, thus one
      challenge in the field of axon guidance has been to understand how the vast
      complexity of brain connections can be established with a relatively small number
      of factors. In the context of motor guidance, we highlight some of the temporal
      and spatial mechanisms used to optimize the fidelity of pathfinding and increase
      the functional diversity of the signaling proteins.

PMID- 20300211
TI  - Molecular and cellular mechanisms of lamina-specific axon targeting.
AB  - The specificity of synaptic connections is directly related to the functional
      integrity of neural circuits. Long-range axon guidance and topographic mapping
      mechanisms bring axons into spatial proximity of target cells and thus limit the
      number of potential synaptic partners. Synaptic specificity is then achieved by
      extracellular short-range guidance cues and cell-surface recognition cues. Neural
      activity may enhance the precision and strength of specific circuit connections.
      Here, we focus on one of the final steps of synaptic matchmaking: the targeting
      of synaptic layers and the mutual recognition of axons and dendrites within these
      layers.

PMID- 20300213
TI  - The organic composition of carbonaceous meteorites: the evolutionary story ahead
      of biochemistry.
AB  - Carbon-containing meteorites provide a natural sample of the extraterrestrial
      organic chemistry that occurred in the solar system ahead of life's origin on the
      Earth. Analyses of 40 years have shown the organic content of these meteorites to
      be materials as diverse as kerogen-like macromolecules and simpler soluble
      compounds such as amino acids and polyols. Many meteoritic molecules have
      identical counterpart in the biosphere and, in a primitive group of meteorites,
      represent the majority of their carbon. Most of the compounds in meteorites have
      isotopic compositions that date their formation to presolar environments and
      reveal a long and active cosmochemical evolution of the biogenic elements.
      Whether this evolution resumed on the Earth to foster biogenesis after exogenous
      delivery of meteoritic and cometary materials is not known, yet, the selective
      abundance of biomolecule precursors evident in some cosmic environments and the
      unique L-asymmetry of some meteoritic amino acids are suggestive of their
      possible contribution to terrestrial molecular evolution.

PMID- 20300212
TI  - Human genetic disorders of axon guidance.
AB  - This article reviews symptoms and signs of aberrant axon connectivity in humans,
      and summarizes major human genetic disorders that result, or have been proposed
      to result, from defective axon guidance. These include corpus callosum agenesis,
      L1 syndrome, Joubert syndrome and related disorders, horizontal gaze palsy with
      progressive scoliosis, Kallmann syndrome, albinism, congenital fibrosis of the
      extraocular muscles type 1, Duane retraction syndrome, and pontine tegmental cap
      dysplasia. Genes mutated in these disorders can encode axon growth cone ligands
      and receptors, downstream signaling molecules, and axon transport motors, as well
      as proteins without currently recognized roles in axon guidance. Advances in
      neuroimaging and genetic techniques have the potential to rapidly expand this
      field, and it is feasible that axon guidance disorders will soon be recognized as
      a new and significant category of human neurodevelopmental disorders.

PMID- 20300214
TI  - SLAM-family receptors: immune regulators with or without SAP-family adaptors.
AB  - The signaling lymphocytic activation molecule (SLAM) family of receptors and the
      SLAM-associated protein (SAP) family of intracellular adaptors are expressed in
      immune cells. By way of their cytoplasmic domain, SLAM-related receptors
      physically associate with SAP-related adaptors. Evidence is accumulating that the
      SLAM and SAP families play crucial roles in multiple immune cell types. Moreover,
      the prototype of the SAP family, that is SAP, is mutated in a human
      immunodeficiency, X-linked lymphoproliferative (XLP) disease. In the presence of
      SAP-family adaptors, the SLAM family usually mediates stimulatory signals that
      promote immune cell activation or differentiation. In the absence of SAP-family
      adaptors, though, the SLAM family undergoes a "switch-of-function," thereby
      mediating inhibitory signals that suppress immune cell functions. The molecular
      basis and significance of this mechanism are discussed herein.

PMID- 20300216
TI  - Symmetry breaking in biology.
AB  - Symmetry breaking is essential for cell movement, polarity, and developmental
      patterning. Amplification of initial asymmetry is key to the conserved mechanisms
      involved.

PMID- 20300215
TI  - Signaling to NF-kappaB: regulation by ubiquitination.
AB  - The NF-kappaB pathway is a ubiquitous stress response that activates the NF
      kappaB family of transcription factors. Antigen receptors, receptors of the
      innate immune system, and certain intracellular stressors are potent activators
      of this pathway. The transcriptional program that is activated is both
      antiapoptotic and highly proinflammatory. Indeed, any compromise in engagement of
      the pathway results in immunodeficiency, whereas constitutive activation
      generates a sustained inflammatory response that may promote malignancy. As such,
      NF-kappaB activation is under tight regulation by a number of post-translational
      modifications, including phosphorylation and ubiquitination. This article
      attempts to synthesize our current knowledge regarding the regulation of NF
      kappaB signaling by ubiquitination, specifically highlighting the biochemical
      basis for both positive and negative feedback loops that function in unison to
      generate coordinated signals that are essential for the viability of metazoan
      animals.

PMID- 20300218
TI  - The air liquid-interface, a skin microenvironment, promotes growth of melanoma
      cells, but not their apoptosis and invasion, through activation of mitogen
      activated protein kinase.
AB  - The air-liquid interface (ALI) is a common microenvironment of the skin, but it
      is unknown whether the ALI affects melanoma cell behaviors. Using a collagen gel
      invasion assay, immunohistochemistry, and Western blots, here we show that
      melanoma cell proliferation in cultures with an ALI is higher than melanoma cell
      proliferation in submerged cultures. Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) uptake, an
      indicator of cell proliferation, of melanoma cells at the ALI was about 3 times
      that of submerged cells, while ALI and submerged melanoma cells had similar
      levels of single-stranded DNA (a marker of apoptosis). The ALI enhanced the
      expression of Raf-1, MEK-1 and pERK-1/2 components of the mitogen-activated
      protein kinase (MAPK) cascade, in cells more than the submerged condition did.
      The increases in BrdU uptake and pERK-1/2 expression promoted by ALI was
      abolished by the MEK inhibitor, PD-98059. ALI-treated and submerged melanoma
      cells did not infiltrate into the collagen gel, and they showed no significant
      difference in the expression of the invasion- and motility-related molecules,
      matrix metalloproteinase-1 and -9, laminin 5, and filamin A. Our data indicate
      that the ALI, a skin microenvironment, accelerates the growth, but not the
      apoptosis or invasion, of melanoma cells through MAPK activation.

PMID- 20300219
TI  - Potential involvement of the stem cell factor receptor c-kit in alopecia areata
      and androgenetic alopecia: histopathological, immunohistochemical, and
      semiquantitative investigations.
AB  - Alopecia areata (AAR) and androgenetic alopecia (AGA) are two major forms of
      alopecia based on altered hair growth condition. In general, the cell cycle is
      regulated by several mechanisms including the stem cell factor/c-kit signaling.
      To assess a role for stem cell activity in alopecia, we performed
      histopathological, immunohistochemical, and semiquantitative analyses of c-kit as
      well as Ki-67 in scalp biopsy specimens obtained from 14 patients with AAR, 18
      patients with AGA, and 6 age-matched control subjects, using the specific
      antibodies. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded skin sections were examined.
      Immunoreactivities for Ki-67 and c-kit were localized in keratinocytes and
      melanocytes in the outermost layer of hair follicles. The mean length of hair
      follicles was significantly shorter in the AAR and AGA groups than in the control
      group. The mean number of Ki-67-immunoreactive cells per follicle was
      significantly reduced in the AAR and AGA groups as compared with the control
      group. The mean number of c-kit-immunoreactive cells per follicle was
      significantly increased in the AAR and AGA groups as compared with the control
      group. Our results indicate that c-kit is upregulated in the hair follicle cells
      in these forms of alopecia, and suggest that the upregulation reflects a negative
      feedback mechanism in response to possible downregulation of the ligand stem cell
      factor.

PMID- 20300217
TI  - Chromosome territories.
AB  - Chromosome territories (CTs) constitute a major feature of nuclear architecture.
      In a brief statement, the possible contribution of nuclear architecture studies
      to the field of epigenomics is considered, followed by a historical account of
      the CT concept and the final compelling experimental evidence of a territorial
      organization of chromosomes in all eukaryotes studied to date. Present knowledge
      of nonrandom CT arrangements, of the internal CT architecture, and of structural
      interactions with other CTs is provided as well as the dynamics of CT
      arrangements during cell cycle and postmitotic terminal differentiation. The
      article concludes with a discussion of open questions and new experimental
      strategies to answer them.

PMID- 20300220
TI  - Sexual impairment and its effects on quality of life in patients with rectal
      cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The effects of rectal surgery on patients' postoperative quality of
      life (QOL) and sexual function has been little studied to date. The present study
      aims to address this issue. METHODS: 519 patients who had undergone surgery for
      rectal cancer from January 1997 to January 2003 were included in the study. The
      EORTC-QLQ-C-30 questionnaire and an additional, tumor-specific module were
      administered prospectively multiple times over a 2-year period: before surgery,
      on discharge from the hospital, and at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after surgery.
      Comparisons were made between men and women, different age groups, and different
      surgical procedures: abdominoperineal resection (APR) versus anterior resection
      (AR). RESULTS: There were significant differences between men and women on scales
      of function and symptoms. Women had worse scores for physical function and
      overall quality of life and higher values for fatigue. Sexual life was impaired
      in both men and women, but the impairment was significantly more severe in men,
      and men felt more distressed by it than women did. Physical function and overall
      quality of life were better in patients aged 69 and younger, while patients aged
      70 and older suffered from fatigue. Younger patients had a more severe impairment
      of sexuality, which, over the time period of the study, led to severe emotional
      symptoms. Sexuality was more severely impaired in patients who had undergone APR
      than in those who had undergone AR. CONCLUSION: These findings show that the
      quality of life is changed by surgery for rectal cancer and is influenced by the
      patient's sex and age, as well as by the particular surgical approach used.

PMID- 20300221
TI  - Home telemonitoring in patients with chronic heart failure: a chance to improve
      patient care?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Telemonitoring can improve the medical care, quality of life, and
      prognosis of chronically ill patients. This review article summarizes the current
      status of health services research on telemonitoring, focusing on patients with
      chronic congestive heart failure. METHOD: The Medline database was selectively
      searched for articles appearing from June 2001 to May 2008, with an emphasis on
      randomized, controlled trials. RESULTS: The available scientific data on vital
      signs monitoring are limited, yet there is evidence for a positive effect on some
      clinical endpoints, particularly mortality. Nonetheless, any possible improvement
      of patient-reported outcomes, such as the quality of life, still remains to be
      demonstrated. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that telemonitoring is effective, yet
      there is no evidence for superior outcomes with any particular model of care
      incorporating telemonitoring (i.e., monitoring of vital signs versus structured
      telephone monitoring). A valid criticism is that the individual components of
      home telemonitoring have not yet been separately tested in order to compare their
      individual effects.

PMID- 20300223
TI  - Correspondence (letter to the editor): Hand hygiene prevents MRSA transmission.

PMID- 20300225
TI  - Correspondence (letter to the editor): Controlled cyclophotocoagulation.

PMID- 20300226
TI  - Current trends in mathematical modeling of high-temperature thermal therapies.

PMID- 20300227
TI  - Considerations for thermal injury analysis for RF ablation devices.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The estimation of lesion size is an integral part of treatment
      planning for the clinical applications of radiofrequency ablation. However, to
      date, studies have not directly evaluated the impact of different computational
      estimation techniques for predicting lesion size. In this study, we focus on
      three common methods used for predicting tissue injury: (1) iso-temperature
      contours, (2) Cumulative equivalent minutes, (3) Arrhenius based thermal injury.
      METHODS: We created a geometric model of a multi-tyne ablation electrode and
      simulated thermal and tissue injury profiles that result from three calculation
      methods after 15 minutes exposure to a constant RF voltage source. A hybrid
      finite element technique was used to calculate temperature and tissue injury.
      Time-temperature curves were used in the assessment of iso-temperature thresholds
      and the method of cumulative equivalent minutes. An Arrhenius-based formulation
      was used to calculate sequential and recursive thermal injury to tissues.
      RESULTS: The data demonstrate that while iso-temperature and cumulative
      equivalent minute contours are similar in shape, these two methodologies grossly
      over-estimate the amount of tissue injury when compared to recursive thermal
      injury calculations, which have previously been shown to correlate closely with
      in vitro pathologic lesion volume measurement. In addition, Arrhenius
      calculations that do not use a recursive algorithm result in a significant
      underestimation of lesion volume. The data also demonstrate that lesion width and
      depth are inadequate means of characterizing treatment volume for multi-tine
      ablation devices. CONCLUSIONS: Recursive thermal injury remains the most
      physiologically relevant means of computationally estimating lesion size for
      hepatic tumor applications. Iso-thermal and cumulative equivalent minute
      approaches may produce significant errors in the estimation of lesion size.

PMID- 20300228
TI  - Preliminary Study of Coagulation Monitoring by Antenna for Treatment during
      Microwave Coagulation Therapy.
AB  - Microwave coagulation therapy (MCT) has been employed mainly for treatment of
      small size tumors. In the treatment, thin microwave antenna is inserted into the
      tumor and microwave energy heats up the tumor up to at least 60 degrees C for
      generation of enough coagulated volume including the target tumor. During the
      microwave radiation, reflection coefficient of treatment antenna changes
      significantly. In this paper, possibility of coagulation monitoring was found
      observing the reflection coefficient change of the antenna by numerical
      calculations and measurements.

PMID- 20300230
TI  - Editors' note.

PMID- 20300229
TI  - Mathematical modeling of epicardial RF ablation of atrial tissue with overlying
      epicardial fat.
AB  - The efficacy of treating atrial fibrillation by RF ablation on the epicardial
      surface is currently under question due to the presence of epicardial adipose
      tissue interposed between the ablation electrode and target site (atrial wall).
      The problem is probably caused by the electrical conductivity of the fat (0.02
      S/m) being lower than that of the atrial tissue (0.4-0.6 S/m). Since our
      objective is to improve epicardial RF ablation techniques, we planned a study
      based on a two-dimensional mathematical model including an active electrode, a
      fragment of epicardial fat over a fragment of atrial tissue, and a section of
      atrium with circulating blood. Different procedures for applying RF power were
      studied, such as varying the frequency, using a cooled instead of a dry
      electrode, and different modes of controlling RF power (constant current,
      temperature and voltage) for different values of epicardial fat thickness. In
      general, the results showed that the epicardial fat layer seriously impedes the
      passage of RF current, thus reducing the effectiveness of atrial wall RF
      ablation.

PMID- 20300231
TI  - Balloon pulmonary valvotomy as interim palliation for symptomatic young infants
      with tetralogy of Fallot.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe the case selection, technique and immediate and short
      term results of balloon pulmonary valvotomy (BPV) in young infants with tetralogy
      of Fallot (TOF). BACKGROUND: Symptomatic young infants with TOF can either
      undergo corrective surgery or Blalock-Taussig (BT) shunt. Corrective surgery in
      early infancy is associated with significant morbidity and is not a realistic
      option in many centers. BT shunt carries the risk of branch pulmonary artery
      distortion and shunt occlusion. METHODS: Infants less than three months with a
      significant valvar pulmonary stenosis (with or without associated infundibular
      and annular component) and oxygen saturation </=80% were offered BPV. The right
      ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) was crossed with 4F Judkin's right coronary
      catheter and the valve was crossed with 0.014" coronary guide wire. Serial
      balloon dilatations were done with over the wire coronary balloons (3-4 mm) and
      Mini Tyshak balloons up to a balloon annulus ratio of 2:1, depending upon the
      improvement in saturation and formation of annular waist. RESULTS: SEVENTEEN
      INFANTS LESS THAN THREE MONTHS OF AGE WITH TETRALOGY OF FALLOT (MEDIAN AGE: 33
      days, range: 10-90 days, weight: 3.47 +/- 0.87 kg, pulmonary annulus Z score: 
      5.59 +/- 1.04) including eight neonates underwent palliative BPV between May 2004
      and March 2007. The mean balloon annulus ratio was 1.4 +/- 0.28 and fluoroscopy
      time was 26.18 +/- 20.2 minutes. The mean oxygen saturation increased
      significantly from 73 +/- 7% to 90 +/- 3.68% following BPV (p = 0.0001). The only
      major complication was RVOT perforation and pericardial tamponade in one infant.
      The mean follow-up period was 23 +/- 12 months. Two babies developed significant
      desaturation requiring surgery in the six months following BPV. There was a
      significant increase in pulmonary annulus. The z score for the pulmonary annulus
      improved from -5.59 +/-1.04 before BPV to - 4.31 +/- 1.9 at the time of last
      follow-up (p = 0.018). The mean Z score of hilar right pulmonary artery (RPA)
      increased significantly from -1.19 +/- 1.78 before BPV to 0.7 +/- 0.91 after BPV
      (p = 0.001). The mean Z score of hilar left pulmonary artery (LPA) increased
      significantly from -1.28 +/- 1.41 to 0.03 +/- 1.29 after BPV (p = 0.005). Eight
      patients underwent corrective surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Balloon pulmonary valvotomy
      is safe and effective. It significantly improves the growth of pulmonary annulus
      and branch pulmonary arteries. Thus it can be considered as an interim palliative
      procedure for symptomatic young infants with TOF and predominant valvar pulmonary
      stenosis.

PMID- 20300232
TI  - Three dimensional echocardiography in congenital heart defects.
AB  - Three dimensional echocardiography (3DE) is a new, rapidly evolving modality for
      cardiac imaging. Important technological advances have heralded an era where
      practical 3DE scanning is becoming a mainstream modality. We review the modes of
      3DE that can be used. The literature has been reviewed for articles that examine
      the applicability of 3DE to congenital heart defects to visualize anatomy in a
      spectrum of defects ranging from atrioventricular septal defects to mitral valve
      abnormalities and Ebstein's anomaly. The use of 3DE color flow to obtain
      echocardiographic angiograms is illustrated. The state of the science in
      quantitating right and left ventricular volumetrics is reviewed. Examples of
      novel applications including 3DE transesophageal echocardiography and image
      guided interventions are provided. We also list the limitations of the technique,
      and discuss potential future developments in the field.

PMID- 20300234
TI  - Perventricular closure of muscular ventricular septal defects: How do I do it?

PMID- 20300235
TI  - Simplified double barrel repair with autologous pericardium for tetralogy of
      fallot with hypoplastic pulmonary annulus and anomalous coronary crossing right
      ventricular outflow.

PMID- 20300233
TI  - Long QT syndrome: A therapeutic challenge.
AB  - Congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) is one of the most common cardiac
      channelopathies and is characterized by prolonged ventricular repolarization and
      life-threatening arrhythmias. The mortality is high among untreated patients. The
      identification of several LQTS genes has had a major impact on the management
      strategy for both patients and family members. An impressive genotype-phenotype
      correlation has been noted and genotype identification has enabled genotype
      specific therapies. Beta blockers continue to be the primary treatment for
      prevention of life threatening arrhythmias in the majority of patients. Other
      therapeutic options include pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators,
      left cardiac sympathetic denervation, sodium channel blocking medications and
      lifestyle modification.

PMID- 20300236
TI  - Stenting the ductus arteriosus: Case selection, technique and possible
      complications.
AB  - Ductal stenting is an attractive alternative to conventional shunt surgery in
      duct dependent congenital heart disease as it avoids thoracotomy and its related
      problems. With today's generation of coronary stents which have better profile,
      flexibility and trackability, ductal stenting may be achieved safely and with
      considerably less difficulty than previously described.As in Blalock-Taussig (BT)
      shunt, ductal stenting is indicated mainly in duct-dependent cyanotic lesions
      chiefly in the neonatal period. Unlike the Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) as an
      isolated lesion, the ductus in cyanotic heart disease has a remarkable
      morphologic variability. The ductus tends to arise more proximally under the
      aortic arch, giving rise to a vertical ductus or occasionally it may arise from
      the subclavian artery. It also tends to be long and sometimes very tortuous,
      rendering stent implantation technically impossible. The ductus in these patients
      may also insert onto one of the branch pulmonary arteries with some stenosis at
      the site of insertion. The ductus in Tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia
      (TOF-PA) tend to exhibit these morphologic features and to a lesser degree in
      transposition of great arteries with ventricular septal defect and pulmonary
      atresia (TGA-VSD-PA) and the more complex forms of univentricular hearts. In the
      preliminary angiographic evaluation, it is important to delineate these
      morphologic features as the basis for case selection.Ductal stenting may be done
      by the retrograde femoral artery route or the antegrade transvenous route
      depending on the ductus morphology and the underlying cardiac lesion. The
      detailed techniques and essential hardware are described. Finally, major
      potential complications of the procedure are described. Acute stent thrombosis is
      the most serious and potentially catastrophic. Emergent treatment with
      thrombolytic therapy and mechanical disruption of thrombus are required. With
      proper case selection, appropriate technique and the right hardware ductal
      stenting provides reasonable short-medium term palliation in duct-dependent
      cyanotic heart disease.

PMID- 20300237
TI  - Alternatives to conduits.

PMID- 20300238
TI  - Making of a pediatric cardiac surgeon, in India.

PMID- 20300239
TI  - Awareness of infective endocarditis prophylaxis in parents of children with
      congenital heart disease: A prospective survey.
AB  - A prospective survey of parents of the children with congenital heart disesease
      was conducted to determine their awareness as regards the importance of oral
      hygiene and prophylaxis against infective endocarditis (IE). The results of this
      study demonstrated that only 8% of the parents were aware of the importance of
      good oro-dental hygiene and need for IE prophylaxis.

PMID- 20300240
TI  - Summary of the new guidelines for prevention of Infective Endocarditis:
      Implications for the developing countries.

PMID- 20300241
TI  - Giant coronary artery aneurysm with a thrombus secondary to Kawasaki disease.
AB  - Although coronary artery aneurysms occur in Kawasaki disease, giant aneurysms are
      rare. We report a very large coronary artery aneurysm, measuring 25 mm and
      involving left anterior descending artery, in a 2-year-old child with Kawasaki
      disease. The challenges in management of such a patient have been highlighted.

PMID- 20300242
TI  - Arterial tortuosity syndrome: A rare entity.
AB  - We present a 5 month old baby who was referred for an incidental detection of a
      murmur and was found to have tortuous pulmonary arteries with multiple peripheral
      pulmonary stenoses and bilateral inguinal hernia pointing towards the diagnosis
      of arterial tortuosity syndrome.

PMID- 20300243
TI  - Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery in infancy
      with preserved left ventricular function: Potential pitfalls and clues to
      diagnosis.
AB  - Left ventricular dysfunction is almost invariably associated with anomalous
      origin of the left coronary artery from pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) that presents
      during infancy. We report three cases of infants who presented with ALCAPA with
      relatively well-preserved left ventricular systolic function with a view to
      illustrate the mechanisms that help maintain left coronary perfusion and discuss
      the specific echocardiographic clues that suggest diagnosis in these
      circumstances.

PMID- 20300244
TI  - Bacterial pericarditis presenting as hemorrhagic pericardial effusion in a 6-year
      old girl.
AB  - Hemorrhagic pericardial effusion is known to occur due to tuberculosis,
      malignancy, uremia or trauma. We present a rare case of a 6 year old girl with
      bacterial pericarditis who had hemorrhagic pericardial effusion with cardiac
      tamponade.

PMID- 20300246
TI  - Selected summaries.

PMID- 20300245
TI  - Drug therapy: Sildenafil for post-operative pulmonary hypertension and
      Eisenmenger syndrome - A brief review of literature and survey of expert opinion.

PMID- 20300247
TI  - Drug trials in children: Doubts and dilemmas.

PMID- 20300248
TI  - The Fontan pathway: What's down the road?
AB  - The Fontan circulation results from routing of the systemic venous blood to the
      pulmonary circulation without a hydraulic source of a ventricle. Although a
      hypertrophied right atrium was thought to be essential for this circulation, the
      current form of the operation has neither the right atrium nor any valves in the
      venous circulation that is connected to the pulmonary arteries directly.
      Modifications in the operative model was one of the early steps in improving
      outcome. Use of fenestration, staging of Fontan completion and better
      perioperative management have led to a significant drop in mortality rates in the
      current era. Despite this, there is late attrition of patients with complications
      such as arrhythmias, ventricular dysfunction, and unusual clinical syndromes of
      protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) and plastic bronchitis. Management of failing
      Fontan includes a detailed hemodynamic and imaging assessment to treat any
      correctable lesions such as obstruction within the Fontan circuit, early control
      of arrhythmia and maintenance of sinus rhythm, symptomatic treatment for PLE and
      plastic bronchitis, manipulation of systemic and pulmonary vascular resistance,
      and Fontan conversion of less favorable atriopulmonary connection to extra
      cardiac total cavopulmonary connection with arrythmia surgery. Cardiac
      transplantation remains the only successful definitive palliation in the failing
      Fontan patients.

PMID- 20300249
TI  - Tetralogy of Fallot: Current surgical perspective.
AB  - Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is an important lesion for all pediatric and congenital
      heart surgeons. In designing the most appropriate operation for children with
      TOF, the postoperative physiology should be taken into account, both in the short
      and long term. The balance between pulmonary stenosis (PS) and pulmonary
      insufficiency (PI) may be critical for preservation of ventricular function. A
      unified repair strategy that limits both residual PS and PI is presented, along
      with supporting experimental evidence, a strategy for dealing with coronary
      anomalies, and comments regarding best timing of operation.

PMID- 20300250
TI  - Distribution of blood pressure in school going children in rural area of Wardha
      district, Maharashatra, India.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To study the blood pressure of school going children in a rural area
      and its relationship with the anthropometric indices. METHODS: A prospective,
      cross-sectional study was carried out from November 2006 to December 2007 in the
      school going children between the ages of 6-17 years from eight different schools
      in the rural areas of Wardha district. The height, weight, systolic blood
      pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were recorded in both sexes
      followed by complete clinical examination with special emphasis on cardiovascular
      system. Hypertension (HT) was defined as SBP or DBP exceeding the 95th percentile
      for age, gender, and height on at least three separate occasions, 1-3 weeks
      apart. SPSS software was used to analyze the data. Coefficient correlation tests
      were employed to assess the relation between BP and anthropometric variables.
      RESULTS: Of 2643 school children, 1227 were boys and 1416 girls with a male to
      female ratio of 1:1.16. In boys, SBP and DBP increased with age except a marginal
      decline in SBP at the age of 17 years (-0.09) and decrease in the DBP (-1.29) at
      16 years of age. In girls, SBP and DBP also increased with age except at 11
      years, wherein there was a mild decrease in SBP (-0.09) as well as the DBP (
      0.24). Correlation coefficient analysis showed highly significant positive
      correlation of height with SBP and DBP. There was a significant correlation of
      SBP and DBP with the weight, and body mass index (BMI). The prevalence of HT was
      5.75% (i.e., 3.25% for systolic HT and 2.49% for diastolic HT). CONCLUSION: We
      recommend that there is a need for checking BP to detect HT in children, so that
      remedial measures can be initiated as early as possible.

PMID- 20300252
TI  - Unidirectional valved patches for closure of septal defects in patients with
      severe pulmonary hypertension.
AB  - Pulmonary hypertension due to delay in presentation, diagnosis, referral, and
      surgery for septal defects is not uncommon in the developing world and translates
      into high morbidity and mortality following open heart surgery to close these
      defects. Leaving a small atrial communication may not always be effective.
      Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and inhaled nitric oxide therapy in the
      immediate postoperative phase may not be available or may not be financially
      feasible in many institutions which are economically challenged. Unidirectional
      valved patch is emerging as a new and effective solution to this problem and
      promises to make at least the immediate postoperative results more predictable in
      this subset of patients.

PMID- 20300251
TI  - Catheterisation laboratory is the place for rehabilitating the pulmonary
      arteries.

PMID- 20300254
TI  - Axillary artery access for cardiac interventions in newborns.

PMID- 20300253
TI  - Post operative temporary epicardial pacing: When, how and why?
AB  - Temporary epicardial pacing is commonly used for the diagnosis and treatment of
      arrhythmias in the acute post operative period after surgery for congenital heart
      disease. Temporary epicardial pacemakers have become increasingly sophisticated
      over the years and have evolved from simple single chamber devices with few
      programmable parameters to complex dual chamber devices capable of adjustable
      parameters similar to permanent pacemakers. This review will describe the various
      indications for temporary pacing, technical considerations for both the choice of
      pacing wires and pacemaker modes, complications with temporary pacing and our
      current practice with temporary pacing.

PMID- 20300255
TI  - Off-pump bi-directional Glenn shunt: How I do it?

PMID- 20300256
TI  - Tetralogy of fallot.

PMID- 20300257
TI  - Retroaortic left innominate vein - Incidence, association with congenital heart
      defects, embryology, and clinical significance.
AB  - In a retrospective analysis of echocardiograms, the incidence of retroaortic
      innominate vein was found to be 0.55% amongst children with congenital heart
      disease. It was most commonly associated with tetralogy of Fallot and right
      aortic arch.

PMID- 20300258
TI  - Ruptured submitral aneurysm in an eight-year-old girl.
AB  - We present illustrative images of submitral aneurysm in a young girl. The
      diagnosis was established on echocardiography and the extent of the problem was
      defined through multi-detector computerized tomography.

PMID- 20300259
TI  - Gaucher's disease type III C: Unusual cause of intracardiac calcification.
AB  - We report a case of intracardiac calcification associated with oculomotor apraxia
      and corneal deposits in a 12-year-old girl, who presented with dyspnea on
      exertion, sinusitis, and epistaxis since the age of 6 years. Unusual presentation
      with multiorgan involvement prompted us to evaluate her in terms of
      metabolic/storage disorder. The bone marrow aspirate confirmed the diagnosis of
      Gaucher's disease.

PMID- 20300260
TI  - Primary primitive neuroectodermal tumor: An unusual cause of right ventricular
      intracavitary obstruction in a child.
AB  - A six-year-old boy presented with a brief history suggestive of right heart
      failure. Investigations revealed a mass filling almost the entire right
      ventricle. Palliative resection of the mass was done. The operative specimen
      revealed a primary primitive neuroectodermal tumor of the heart, the first of its
      kind reported in the pediatric age group.

PMID- 20300261
TI  - Role of beta-blockers in Marfan's syndrome and bicuspid aortic valve: A time for
      re-appraisal.

PMID- 20300262
TI  - Selected summaries.

PMID- 20300263
TI  - Training of pediatric cardiac surgeon in India.

PMID- 20300264
TI  - The 'Lost' frontier of clinical medicine: Have we reached a point of no return?

PMID- 20300266
TI  - Sequential segmental analysis.

PMID- 20300267
TI  - Transcatheter closure of patent ductus arteriosus: Evaluating the effect of the
      learning curve on the outcome.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Initial experience with transcatheter closure of
      patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) using detachable coils and Amplatzer duct occluder
      devices is reported. We evaluated the outcome, complications, and influence of
      the learning curve, and also assessed the need of surgical backup for such
      interventional procedures. METHODS: From January 2000 to December 2004, 121
      patients underwent transcatheter closure of PDA. Aortic angiogram was performed
      to evaluate the size, position, and shape of the duct for appropriately choosing
      the occluder device type and size. A second aortic angiogram was performed 10
      minutes after device deployment. Echocardiography was repeated at intervals of 24
      hours, then at 1, 3, and 6 months after the procedure to assess complications.
      Stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to assess the role of experience
      in improving the outcome of the procedure. RESULTS: Of 121 cases, four patients
      had pulmonary artery embolization of the occluder device which was successfully
      retrieved in the catheterization laboratory, while two others had embolization
      that required surgical intervention. Four patients had temporary residual leak,
      nine had protrusion of the device into the aorta without significant Doppler
      pressure gradient or hemolysis on follow-up, and five had partial hemodynamically
      insignificant obstruction to the left pulmonary artery. Statistical analysis
      showed that the effect of the learning curve and experience was responsible for
      93% improvement in the procedural outcome over the five-year study period.
      CONCLUSION: Transcatheter occlusion of PDA is safe and effective alternative to
      surgery. Complications occurred in those with unfavorable duct anatomy and with
      the use of multiple coils. Surgical backup was important for such interventional
      procedures. Experience played a major role in the proper choice of device type
      and size which greatly influenced the outcome of the procedure.

PMID- 20300265
TI  - The role of stents in the treatment of congenital heart disease: Current status
      and future perspectives.
AB  - Intravascular or intracardiac stenoses occur in many forms of congenital heart
      disease (CHD). Therefore, the implantation of stents has become an accepted
      interventional procedure for stenotic lesions in pediatric cardiology.
      Furthermore, stents are know to be used to exclude vessel aneurysm or to ensure
      patency of existing or newly created intracardiac communications. With the
      further refinement of the first generation of devices, a variety of "modern"
      stents with different design characteristics have evolved. Despite the tremendous
      technical improvement over the last 20 years, the "ideal stent" has not yet been
      developed. Therefore, the pediatric interventionalist has to decide which stent
      is suitable for each lesion. On this basis, currently available stents are
      discussed in regard to their advantages and disadvantages for common application
      in CHD. New concepts and designs developed to overcome some of the existing
      problems, like the failure of adaptation to somatic growth, are presented. Thus,
      in the future, biodegradable or growth stents might replace the currently used
      generation of stents. This might truly lead to widening indications for the use
      of stents in the treatment of CHD.

PMID- 20300269
TI  - Modified single-patch technique: Repairing complete atrioventricular septal
      defect.

PMID- 20300268
TI  - Impact of fetal echocardiography.
AB  - Prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease is now well established for a wide
      range of cardiac anomalies. Diagnosis of congenital heart disease during fetal
      life not only identifies the cardiac lesion but may also lead to detection of
      associated abnormalities. This information allows a detailed discussion of the
      prognosis with parents. For continuing pregnancies, appropriate preparation can
      be made to optimize the postnatal outcome. Reduced morbidity and mortality,
      following antenatal diagnosis, has been reported for coarctation of the aorta,
      hypoplastic left heart syndrome, and transposition of the great arteries. With
      regard to screening policy, most affected fetuses are in the "low risk"
      population, emphasizing the importance of appropriate training for those who
      undertake such obstetric anomaly scans. As a minimum, the four chamber view of
      the fetal heart should be incorporated into midtrimester anomaly scans, and where
      feasible, views of the outflow tracts should also be included, to increase the
      diagnostic yield. Newer screening techniques, such as measurement of nuchal
      translucency, may contribute to identification of fetuses at high risk for
      congenital heart disease and prompt referral for detailed cardiac assessment.

PMID- 20300270
TI  - The modified single patch technique.

PMID- 20300271
TI  - Surgery for complete atrioventricular septal defect: Is a uniform strategy
      applicable?

PMID- 20300272
TI  - Echocardiography in acute rheumatic fever.

PMID- 20300273
TI  - Vasopressin in the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit: Myth or reality.
AB  - Pediatric cardiac surgery is undergoing a metamorphosis, with more and more
      critical patients being operated in our country today. Although the principles of
      physiology have not changed, it is imperative that care providers continue to
      stay abreast with developments and newer drugs that may help modify the outcome.
      The team dynamics have also become more complex, which necessitates the need for
      all care providers (surgeons, cardiologists, anesthesiologists, and intensivists)
      to better understand the interactions and benefits of newer drugs. Vasopressin
      has been used in our adult patients for more than a decade and recently has found
      its rightful place in the pediatric armoury. The objective of this article is to
      review the physiology of vasopressin and the rationale of its use in critically
      ill children with shock, in context of the available published data.

PMID- 20300274
TI  - Is there a role for carvedilol in the management of pediatric heart failure? A
      meta analysis and e-mail survey of expert opinion.

PMID- 20300275
TI  - Transcatheter device closure of ruptured sinus of Valsalva: Immediate results and
      short term follow up.
AB  - This is a retrospective, observational study comprising of eight patients with
      isolated rupture of the sinus of Valsalva (RSOV) who underwent transcatheter
      device closure. The mean age of presentation was 32.8 +/- 10.0 years. New York
      Heart Association (NYHA) class at the time of presentation was II (six patients)
      and III (two patients). The RSOVs were all closed using a patent ductus
      arteriosus device. The mean procedural time was 42.3 +/- 5.4 minutes, while the
      fluoroscopic time was 24.5 +/- 6.9 minutes. All had complete closure of the
      shunt. The average hospital stay was 2.9 +/- 1.1 days. There were no major
      complications. The patients were followed up for a mean of 11.3 +/- 4.1 months.
      At the time of the last follow up all the patients were in NYHA class I. We
      conclude that in the short term, transcatheter closure of isolated RSOV is a
      viable alternative to surgical repair.

PMID- 20300276
TI  - Ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm: Yet another hole to plug!

PMID- 20300277
TI  - Transcatether closure of an atrial redirection baffle leak.
AB  - We present the case of a woman born with transposition of the great arteries, who
      was surgically repaired with the Mustard technique. Because of interatrial
      shunting, she was brought to the cardiac catheterization laboratory for device
      closure. Matrix-array 3D transesophageal echocardiography enabled visualization
      of both baffle leaks and demonstrated its orientation in a fashion superior to 2D
      imaging, had it been used alone. The leaks were successfully closed with a single
      transcatheter device.

PMID- 20300278
TI  - Constrictive pericarditis in a patient with sinus venosus atrial septal defect
      and anomalous right upper pulmonary venous return.
AB  - This is a report of a 49-year-old male, who presented with typical signs and
      symptoms of constrictive pericarditis. He was diagnosed with sinus venosus atrial
      septal defect (ASD) and anomalous right upper pulmonary venous return during his
      adolescence, which was elected not to be repaired. During the attempted repair of
      the ASD it was noted there was a thick fibrous material covering the heart, which
      had progressed over time leading to frank constrictive pericarditis. His ASD
      spontaneously closed over time. There have been less than 10 cases reported with
      constrictive pericarditis of nonsurgical etiology in a patient with ASD, and none
      with sinus venosus ASD.

PMID- 20300279
TI  - Echocardiographic detection of intracardiac thrombus complicating
      ventriculoatrial shunt.

PMID- 20300280
TI  - Cardiac care for the economically challenged: What are the options?

PMID- 20300281
TI  - Pediatric cardiac care for the economically disadvantaged in India: Problems and
      prospects.

PMID- 20300282
TI  - The nuts and bolts of pediatric cardiac care for the economically challenged.

PMID- 20300283
TI  - A cytogenetic study of couples with recurrent spontaneous abortions and infertile
      patients with recurrent IVF/ICSI failure.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study was conducted to determine the frequency and contribution of
      chromosomal abnormalities in miscarriages and in couples with recurrent in vitro
      fertilization/intra cytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) failure. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A total of 221 individuals; 79 with three or more recurrent spontaneous
      abortions and 142 with at least three IVF/ICSI failures. Chromosomal analysis
      from peripheral blood lymphocytes was performed according to standard cytogenetic
      methods using G-banding technique. RESULTS: Abnormal karyotype was found in 21
      (9.50%) individuals. Of these 21 subjects, 4 (19.04%) exhibited sex chromosomal
      abnormalities and 17 (80.96%) had autosomal abnormalities. Male partners had
      significantly higher chromosomal abnormalities (5.88%) than of females (3.61%).
      These abnormalities were also higher in patients with recurrent spontaneous
      abortions than with IVF/ICSI failure (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These data may be
      indicative that chromosomal abnormalities are involved more in spontaneous
      abortions than in recurrent IVF/ICSI failure. Cytogenetic analysis could be
      valuable for these couples when clinical data fail to clarify the cause.

PMID- 20300284
TI  - Reactivation of inactive X chromosome in buccal smear of carcinoma of breast.
AB  - Buccal mucosal smears of 100 female patients of carcinoma of breast were compared
      with 100 controls matched accordingly. The frequency of Barr bodies was
      significantly lower in carcinoma of breast patients (menstruating and menopausal
      women) P < 0.001 when compared with controls indicating reactivation of the
      inactive X chromosome.

PMID- 20300286
TI  - A386G transition in DAZL gene is not associated with spermatogenic failure in
      Tamil Nadu, South India.
AB  - The DAZ-like (DAZL) gene located on the short arm of autosomal chromosome 3
      (3p24), an essential master gene for the premeiotic development of male and
      female germ cells, is the father of the Y-chromosome DAZ gene cluster and encodes
      for RNA-binding proteins. Reported instances of positive association of DAZL gene
      mutations with infertility in men have been found in a Taiwanese population but
      not in Caucasians. There is no study from Tamil Nadu, South India, to demonstrate
      the role of DAZL gene in male infertility; we, therefore, analyzed a total of 287
      men, including 147 infertile and 140 normozoospermic fertile controls from rural
      areas of Tamil Nadu, South India, to assess the phenotypic effect of DAZL
      mutations in this region of the world. Interestingly, all our samples showed
      absence of the A386G (T54A) mutation that was found to be associated with
      spermatogenic failure in the Taiwanese population. Therefore, we suggest that the
      A386G (T54A) mutation is not associated with male infertility in Tamil Nadu,
      South India.

PMID- 20300285
TI  - Can novel Apo A-I polymorphisms be responsible for low HDL in South Asian
      immigrants?
AB  - Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death in the world. Even
      though its rates have decreased worldwide over the past 30 years, event rates are
      still high in South Asians. South Asians are known to have low high-density
      lipoprotein (HDL) levels. The objective of this study was to identify
      Apolipoprotein A-I (Apo A-I) polymorphisms, the main protein component of HDL and
      explore its association with low HDL levels in South Asians. A pilot study on 30
      South Asians was conducted and 12-h fasting samples for C-reactive protein, total
      cholesterol, HDL, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), triglycerides, Lipoprotein (a),
      Insulin, glucose levels, DNA extraction, and sequencing of Apo A-I gene were
      done. DNA sequencing revealed six novel Apo A-I single nucleotide polymorphisms
      (SNPs) in South Asians, one of which (rs 35293760, C938T) was significantly
      associated with low (<40 mg/dl) HDL levels (P = 0.004). The association was also
      seen with total cholesterol (P = 0.026) and LDL levels (P = 0.032). This pilot
      work has highlighted some of the gene-environment associations that could be
      responsible for low HDL and may be excess CAD in South Asians. Further larger
      studies are required to explore and uncover these associations that could be
      responsible for excess CAD risk in South Asians.

PMID- 20300287
TI  - A case of acute myeloid leukemia-M2 with trisomy 4 in addition to t(8;21).
AB  - t(8;21)(q22;q22) is the most frequently observed karyotypic abnormality
      associated with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), specifically in FAB-M2. Short-term
      unstimulated bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood lymphocyte culture showed
      47,XX, +4,t(8;21) in all metaphase plates; and interphase and metaphase results
      of AML-ETO fusion was positive and trisomy of 4 was confirmed with WCP probes.
      Trisomy 4 in AML with t(8;21) is a rare numerical abnormality. Here we present
      such case of patient which may constitute a distinctive subtype.

PMID- 20300288
TI  - Cornelia de lange syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CDLS) is a rare multiple congenital
      anomaly syndrome characterized by a distinctive facial appearance, developmental
      delay, growth retardation, low birth weight, skeletal formation anomaly, and
      hirsutism. CASE: Here for the first time a case of CDLS from Iran, a 15-week-old
      male infant who was refereed as a case of multiple congenital anomalies. Clinical
      investigation showed that the child was a case of CDLS. CONCLUSION: This is the
      first case report with CDLS in Iran.

PMID- 20300289
TI  - Megarbane syndrome.

PMID- 20300290
TI  - Radial aplasia with oligodactyly.

PMID- 20300291
TI  - A plethora of techniques to detect mutations: Which one to choose?

PMID- 20300292
TI  - t-plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 polymorphism in idiopathic pulmonary arterial
      hypertension.
AB  - AIM: The aim of the present study was to identify the possible genotypic
      association of 3'UTR Hind III polymorphism of Plasminogen activator Inhibitor-1
      (PAI-1) gene with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH). BACKGROUND:
      IPAH is a disorder with abnormally raised mean pulmonary arterial pressure and
      increase in the resistance to blood flow in pulmonary artery. One of the
      pathological features seen is development of intraluminal thrombin deposition
      leading to thrombosis. Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 is an important
      inhibitor of the fibrinolytic system; its up-regulation may suppress fibrinolysis
      and result in an increased risk of thrombosis. METHOD: Blood samples from 54 IPAH
      patients and 100 healthy voluntary donors were analyzed by PCR-RFLP method for
      3'UTR Hind III polymorphism. RESULTS AND DISSCUSSION: A significant association
      of Hd2 allele with the disease was observed. Raised mean level of right
      ventricular systolic pressure was observed in the Hd2/Hd2 genotypic patients,
      strengthening the role of Hd2 allele in the disease progression. Our data
      suggests an association of Hd2/Hd2 genotype, which may lead to the up-regulation
      of PAI-1 gene leading to increased levels of PAI-1, which is seen in IPAH. PAI-1
      competes with plasminogen activators and hinders the normal mechanism of
      plasminogen activation system and leads to thrombosis and formation of plexiform
      lesions in the lung tissue, further strengthening its role in tissue remodeling
      and disease progression.

PMID- 20300293
TI  - Frequency of twinning in southwest Nigeria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the human species, twin is a type of multiple birth in which the
      mother gives birth to two offspring from the same pregnancy. The occurrence and
      frequency of twinning, however, varies across human populations. The maternal
      age, socio-environmental factors, increase in the use of contraceptives, the race
      of human population, increase in the spontaneous abortion rate, and seasonal
      variations are among the factors that could influence twinning rate. Information
      on twinning rates in southwest Nigeria is limited. AIMS: This study presents
      information on the frequency of twinning, as well as its analysis by maternal
      age, in four urban settings in southwest Nigeria. This is with the aim of
      extending current knowledge on the frequency of twinning in southwest Nigeria and
      contributing to the demographic studies in the country. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Data on single births and twin births from January 1995 to December 2004 were
      collected from the Oyo State General Hospital (OSGH), Wesley Guild Hospital
      (WGH), Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH), and Ekiti State
      Specialist Hospital (ESSH) in Ogbomoso, Ilesa, Ile-Ife, and Ado-Ekiti
      respectively. These were analyzed by year and maternal age groups of 15-19, 20
      24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, and 45-49 years according to the standard method.
      RESULTS: A frequency of twin births of 46.5 per 1000 deliveries and 46.2 per 1000
      deliveries was recorded for Ilesa and Ile-Ife respectively. The frequency
      recorded for Ogbomoso and Ado-Ekiti was 38.5 and 22.1 per 1000 deliveries
      respectively. The overall average frequency of 40.2 per 1000 deliveries for the
      four hospitals ranks among the highest recorded rates of twin births in the
      world. The maternal age group of 25-29 years had the highest occurrence of twin
      births, while the lowest was recorded in the 45-49 years age group. CONCLUSION:
      This analysis reveals high incidence of twinning in the studied areas and
      supports previous assertion that the southwestern part of Nigeria has the highest
      twinning rate in the country and in the whole world. It is our opinion that diet,
      maternal history of twinning, and some socio-environmental factors may have
      influenced the results.

PMID- 20300295
TI  - Identification of FVIII gene mutations in patients with hemophilia A using new
      combinatorial sequencing by hybridization.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Standard methods of mutation detection are time consuming in
      Hemophilia A (HA) rendering their application unavailable in some analysis such
      as prenatal diagnosis. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the feasibility of combinatorial
      sequencing-by-hybridization (cSBH) as an alternative and reliable tool for
      mutation detection in FVIII gene. PATIENTS/METHODS: We have applied a new method
      of cSBH that uses two different colors for detection of multiple point mutations
      in the FVIII gene. The 26 exons encompassing the HA gene were analyzed in 7 newly
      diagnosed Italian patients and in 19 previously characterized individuals with
      FVIII deficiency. RESULTS: Data show that, when solution-phase TAMRA and QUASAR
      labeled 5-mer oligonucleotide sets mixed with unlabeled target PCR templates are
      co-hybridized in the presence of DNA ligase to universal 6-mer oligonucleotide
      probe-based arrays, a number of mutations can be successfully detected. The
      technique was reliable also in identifying a mutant FVIII allele in an obligate
      heterozygote. A novel missense mutation (Leu1843Thr) in exon 16 and three novel
      neutral polymorphisms are presented with an updated protocol for 2-color cSBH.
      CONCLUSIONS: cSBH is a reliable tool for mutation detection in FVIII gene and may
      represent a complementary method for the genetic screening of HA patients.

PMID- 20300294
TI  - Association of beta2-adrenergic receptor and insulin receptor substrate-1
      polymorphisms with obesity in a Northern Indian population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Imbalance in hormonal levels, regulated by host genetic factors, are
      known to be a major cause of obesity. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate association
      of genetic polymorphisms of beta(2)-adrenergic receptor (beta(2)-AR) and insulin
      receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) with hormonal levels in northern Indian obese.
      METHODS: A total of 111 obese and 89 age matched non-obese subjects were studied
      after taking detailed clinical profile. Hormonal assays in serum/plasma for
      different hormones were done using IRMA and RIA kits. Genetic analysis of beta(2)
      AR (-47 and -20, T to C) and IRS-1 (Arg972Gly) was done using PCR-RFLP.
      STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS (version 11.5)
      software. All continuous variables were expressed as mean +/- SD and tested by
      ANOVA test. Comparisons of categorical variables were assessed using X(2) tests
      or Fisher's exact test. P-value <0.05 was considered as significant. RESULTS:
      Analysis showed that obese subjects had significantly higher value of blood
      pressure (systolic), WHR, leptin insulin and glucagon and lower value of GH. In
      beta(2)-AR (-47) T/C and IRS-1 Gly972Arg gene polymorphisms we did not found
      significant differences in genotype or allele frequencies. Moreover, none of the
      studied hormonal or metabolic parameters showed any association with the gene
      polymorphisms. CONCLUSIONS: Study reveals no significant association of beta(2)
      AR (-47 and -20, T to C) and IRS-1 Gly 972 Arg polymorphisms with obesity in
      northern Indians.

PMID- 20300296
TI  - Hereditary multiple exostoses and schizophrenia.
AB  - I report a case of a patient who suffered schizophrenia and multiple exostoses
      and argue the possible role of EXT gene and nearly chromosomal loci in further
      genetic investigations related to schizophrenia.

PMID- 20300297
TI  - Distal arthrogryposis syndrome.
AB  - A 5-month-old male infant presented with weak cry, decreased body movements,
      tightness of whole body since birth, and one episode of generalized seizure on
      day 4 of life. He was born at term by elective caesarian section performed for
      breech presentation. The child had failure to thrive, contractures at elbow and
      knee joints, hypertonia, microcephaly, small mouth, retrognathia, and
      camptodactyly. There was global developmental delay. Abdominal examination
      revealed umbilical and bilateral inguinal hernia. Visual evoked response and
      brainstem evoked response audiometry were abnormal. Nerve conduction velocity was
      normal. Magnetic resonance imaging of brain revealed paucity of white matter in
      bilateral cerebral hemispheres with cerebellar and brain stem atrophy. The
      differential diagnoses considered in the index patient were distal arthrogryposis
      (DA) syndrome, cerebroculofacioskeletal syndrome, and Pena Shokier syndrome. The
      index patient most likely represents a variant of DA: Sheldon Hall syndrome.

PMID- 20300298
TI  - Falciparum malaria selected while HIV-1 slaughtered.

PMID- 20300299
TI  - National and ethnic human mutation database: A need of the day.

PMID- 20300300
TI  - Fc gamma receptor polymorphisms in systemic lupus erythematosus and their
      correlation with the clinical severity of the disease.
AB  - Receptors for the Fc domains of IgG (Fc gamma R) play a critical role in linking
      humoral and cellular immune responses. The various Fc gamma R genes may
      contribute to differences in infectious and immune related diseases in various
      ethnic populations. Polymorphisms of Fc gamma R mainly Fc gamma R IIA, IIB, IIIA,
      IIIB have been identified as genetic factors influencing susceptibility to
      disease or disease course of a prototype autoimmune disease like Systemic Lupus
      Erythematosus (SLE). Activated and inhibitory Fc gamma Rs seem to play an
      important role in the pathogenesis of SLE, in initiation of autoimmunity, the
      subsequent development of inflammatory lesions and finally immune clearance
      mechanisms. This review focuses on the role of Fc gamma R polymorphism and their
      association with clinical manifestations and initiation of autoantibody
      production, inflammatory handling of immune complexes and disease development in
      SLE patients.

PMID- 20300301
TI  - Standardization of PCR-RFLP analysis of nsSNP rs1468384 of NPC1L1 gene.
AB  - Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1) protein, a newly identified sterol influx
      transporter, located at the apical membrane of the enterocyte, which may actively
      facilitate the uptake of cholesterol by promoting the passage of sterols across
      the brush border membrane of the enterocyte. It effects intestinal cholesterol
      absorption and intracellular transport and as such is an integral part of complex
      process of cholesterol homeostasis. The study of population data for the
      distribution of these single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of NPC1L1 has lead to
      the identification of six non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNP).
      The in vitro analysis using the software MuPro and StructureSNP shows that nsSNP
      M510I (rs1468384), which involves A-->G base pair change leads to decrease in the
      stability of the protein. A reproducible and a cost-effective PCR-RFLP based
      assay was developed to screen for the SNP among population data. This SNP has
      been studied in Caucasian, Asian, and African American populations. Till date, no
      data is available on Indian population. The distribution of M510I NPC1L1 genotype
      was estimated in the North Western Indian Population as a test case. The allele
      distribution in Indian Population differs significantly from that of other
      populations. The methodology thus proved to be robust enough to bring out these
      differences.

PMID- 20300302
TI  - Apolipoprotein E gene polymorphism and dyslipidaemia in adult Asian Indians: A
      population based study from Calcutta, India.
AB  - AIM: The study was aimed to determine the association of Apolipoprotein E (apo E)
      gene polymorphisms on lipid levels in Asian Indian population. METHODS: A total
      of 350 (184 males and 166 females) adult (30 years and above) Asian Indians of
      Calcutta and suburb participated in the study. Anthropometric measures, lipids
      profiles, and blood glucose measures were collected. Out of 350 subjects, a
      sample of 70 individuals was selected randomly for genotyping after adjusting for
      age and sex. The apo E gene polymorphisms were determined by agarose gel
      electrophoresis. RESULTS: The apo E polymorphism showed significant association
      with dyslipidaemia (P=0.0135) with epsilon3/4 combination has had the highest
      occurrence of dyslipidaemia and metabolic syndrome (MS) followed by epsilon4/4
      <epsilon3/3 <epsilon2/4 <epsilon2/3 in decreasing order. CONCLUSIONS: The
      epsilon4 allele of apo E gene independent of other risk factors is associated
      with dyslipidaemia in particular with low HDLc and high TC: HDLc ratio.

PMID- 20300304
TI  - Allelic variants of DYX1C1 are not associated with dyslexia in India.
AB  - Dyslexia is a hereditary neurological disorder that manifests as an unexpected
      difficulty in learning to read despite adequate intelligence, education, and
      normal senses. The prevalence of dyslexia ranges from 3 to 15% of the school aged
      children. Many genetic studies indicated that loci on 6p21.3, 15q15-21, and
      18p11.2 have been identified as promising candidate gene regions for dyslexia.
      Recently, it has been suggested that allelic variants of gene, DYX1C1 influence
      dyslexia. In the present study, exon 2 and 10 of DYX1C1 has been analyzed to
      verify whether these single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) influence dyslexia,
      in our population. Our study identified 4 SNPs however, none of these SNPS were
      found to be significantly associated with dyslexia suggesting DYX1C1 allelic
      variants are not associated with dyslexia.

PMID- 20300303
TI  - The CTLA4 -819 C/T and +49 A/G dimorphisms are associated with Type 1 diabetes in
      Egyptian children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an organ-specific autoimmune disease
      characterized by T cell-mediated destruction of pancreatic islets. T cell
      proliferation is negatively regulated by cytotoxic lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4).
      CTLA-4 polymorphisms are associated with T1D in some but not all populations.
      AIMS: The study was conducted to investigate the association of the C-819T and
      A+49G single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of CTLA-4 gene in T1D patients in the
      Egyptian population. METHODS: The association of the C-819T SNP in intron 1 and
      A+49G SNP in exon 1 of the CTLA-4 gene with T1D were investigated in 396 Egyptian
      patients </=14 years old and 396 control subjects >24 years old, with the same
      ratio of males to females in both groups. The diagnosis of T1D was made on the
      basis of ketoacidosis or ketosis with severe symptoms of acute onset at
      presentation and continuous dependence on insulin. Controls were negative for
      anti-GAD antibodies and were greater than 24 years of age. Genotyping was
      performed using single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP), temperature
      gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE), and polymerase chain reaction-restriction
      fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). RESULTS: The results demonstrated an
      association of the C-819T and A+49G SNPs in the CTLA-4 gene with T1D patients
      (P=0.0047) and (P=0.000575), respectively. Moreover, this association was
      stratified by gender and age to female patients with age at onset 0-5 years old
      (P=0.0186) and (P=0.00115) more than male patient with the age at onset 0-5 years
      old (P= 0.3120) and (P=0.345161), respectively. CONCLUSION: The results support
      an association of the C-819T and A+49G SNPs in the CTLA-4 gene with Egyptian
      children, specifically, females of onset age 0-5 years old.

PMID- 20300305
TI  - Bloom's syndrome in a 12-year-old Iranian girl.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bloom's syndrome, an autosomal recessive inherited disorder, belongs
      to the group of chromosomal breakage syndromes. The clinical diagnosis of BS is
      confirmed cytogenetically. Its frequency in the general population is unknown but
      it is common in eastern European Ashkenazi Jews. CASE REPORT: A 12-year-old girl
      was referred to us because of short stature. She was the second child of the
      first cousin marriage. She had a slender body frame, short stature, and
      microcephaly. Her face was long and narrow with prominent nose, and malar and
      mandibular hypoplasia. The spots of hyper and hypo pigmentation were observed in
      the trunk and limbs. Telangectasia spots were observed in some areas of the
      trunk. Additionally, generalized hirsutism was present in the whole body.
      Cytogenetic findings revealed an abnormality in the structural chromosome.
      CONCLUSION: This is the first BS case that has been reported in Iranian female
      population.

PMID- 20300306
TI  - The Moroccan human mutation database.

PMID- 20300307
TI  - An optimised method for quantifying glenoid orientation.
AB  - A robust quantification method is essential for inter-subject glenoid comparison
      and planning of total shoulder arthroplasty. This study compared various scapular
      and glenoid axes with each other in order to optimally define the most
      appropriate method of quantifying glenoid version and inclination.Six glenoid and
      eight scapular axes were defined and quantified from identifiable landmarks of
      twenty-one scapular image scans. Pathology independency and insensitivity of each
      axis to inter-subject morphological variation within its region was tested.
      Glenoid version and inclination were calculated using the best axes from the two
      regions.The best glenoid axis was the normal to a least-square plane fit on the
      glenoid rim, directed approximately medio-laterally. The best scapular axis was
      the normal to a plane formed by the spine root and lateral border ridge. Glenoid
      inclination was 15.7 degrees +/- 5.1 degrees superiorly and version was 4.9
      degrees +/- 6.1 degrees , retroversion.The choice of axes in the present
      technique makes it insensitive to pathology and scapular morphological
      variabilities. Its application would effectively improve inter-subject glenoid
      version comparison, surgical planning and design of prostheses for shoulder
      arthroplasty.

PMID- 20300308
TI  - An electromyographic analysis of shoulder muscle activation during push-up
      variations on stable and labile surfaces.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Numerous exercises are used to strengthen muscles around the shoulder
      joint including the push-up and the push-up plus. An important consideration is
      the addition of surface instability in the form of swiss ball for rehabilitation
      and strength. The justification for the use of the swiss ball is based on its
      potential for increasing muscular demand required to maintain postural stability
      and for improving joint proprioception. Evidence for this is lacking in
      literature. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: To compare the myoelectric amplitude of
      shoulder muscles during push-ups on labile and stable surface. STUDY DESIGN: Same
      subject experimental study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty healthy male subjects
      in the age group 20-30 years with a mean height of 173.65 cm (+/- SD 2.56) and a
      mean weight of 69.9 kg (+/-SD 0.2) were taken. Surface electromyogram was
      recorded from triceps, pectoralis major, serratus anterior and upper trapezius
      while performing push-up and push-up plus exercises, both on labile and stable
      surface. RESULTS: Significant increase in muscle activity was observed in
      pectoralis major and triceps muscle (only during eccentric phase of elbow
      pushups), while serratus anterior and upper trapezius showed no change in
      activation level on swiss ball. CONCLUSION: The addition of a swiss ball is
      capable of influencing shoulder muscle activity during push-up variations,
      although the effect is task and muscle dependent.

PMID- 20300309
TI  - Early arthroscopic release in stiff shoulder.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the results of early arthroscopic release in the patients of
      stiff shoulder METHODS: Twenty patients of stiff shoulder, who had symptoms for
      at least three months and failed to improve with steroid injections and physical
      therapy of 6 weeks duration, underwent arthroscopic release. The average time
      between onset of symptoms and the time of surgery was 4 months and 2 weeks. The
      functional outcome was evaluated using ASES and Constant and Murley scoring
      systems. RESULTS: All the patients showed significant improvement in the range of
      motion and relief of pain by end of three months following the procedure. At 12
      months, mean improvement in ASES score is 38 points and Constant and Murley score
      is 4O.5 points. All patients returned to work by 3-5 months (average -4.5
      months). CONCLUSION: Early arthroscopic release showed promising results with
      reliable increase in range of motion, early relief of symptoms and consequent
      early return to work. So it is highly recommended in properly selected patients.
      LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

PMID- 20300310
TI  - Perioperative fracture-dislocation of the humeral head during a resurfacing
      hemiarthroplasty.
AB  - We report a case of perioperative fracture-dislocation of the humeral head
      produced during the reaming for a resurfacing replacement hemiarthroplasty (RRH)
      in a 79-year old woman. This is a surgical complication not previously described
      in the literature for this type of prosthesis design. Resurfacing humeral head
      implant has been noted as a useful treatment for glenohumeral arthropathies, also
      in elderly people, with a very low incidence of complications. However, as we
      report, they are possible.It is advisable that conventional stemmed implants
      could be available when RRH is performed.

PMID- 20300311
TI  - Modified arthroscopic double row repair of partial thickness tear of the rotator
      Cuff involving articular and bursal side.
AB  - Partial thickness of rotator cuff tears is considered as a common cause of
      shoulder disability. Various techniques for arthroscopic repair of partial
      thickness tear of rotator cuff have been reported in the literature. These
      techniques have addressed the articular side partial thickness cuff tear. We
      present an arthroscopic repair of partial thickness tear of rotator cuff
      involving both articular and bursal surfaces without converting into a full
      thickness tear. Each side of the tear was repaired with suture anchors
      separately.

PMID- 20300312
TI  - Diclofenac patches for postoperative shoulder pain.

PMID- 20300313
TI  - Pulmonary embolism following rotator cuff repair.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies have provided data on the incidence of pulmonary
      embolism following shoulder arthroplasty and repair of fractures of the proximal
      humerus. However, there is no information on the risk of pulmonary embolism
      following the surgical management of rotator cuff tears. METHODS: We performed a
      review of 1176 patients who underwent operative procedures for rotator cuff tears
      between January 1(st), 2001 and December 31(st), 2005 to identify all patients
      who developed a symptomatic pulmonary embolism postoperatively. RESULTS: Three
      patients developed pulmonary embolisms that were diagnosed with computed
      tomography angiography. The overall incidence was calculated to be 0.26%. None of
      the patients died as a result of the pulmonary embolism. CONCLUSIONS: The data
      from this review indicates that the risk of pulmonary embolism following surgery
      for rotator cuff repair is low, but not nonexistent. The most common presenting
      symptoms of pulmonary embolism were chest pain, shortness of breath, and hypoxia.
      This study should raise surgeons' awareness about this possible complication
      following rotator cuff repair surgery.

PMID- 20300314
TI  - A contribution to the calculation of a safe deltoid split.
AB  - PURPOSE: Traditional teaching suggests that a safe deltoid split should extend no
      more than 5 cm from the lateral edge of the acromion. However, there are reports
      of nerves lying within this distance. Our aim was to redefine the safe maximum
      split and also to study the influence of arm length and position. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Thirty cadaveric shoulders were dissected using the deltoid-splitting
      approach and the acromion-axillary nerve distance was measured in the neutral
      position, in abduction, and in adduction. This was correlated to upper arm
      length. Deltoid splits were measured at the end of 13 deltoid-splitting shoulder
      operations. RESULTS: The mean acromion-axillary nerve distance was 6.0 cm (SD
      0.6; range 4.5-6.5). Abduction brought the nerve closer by 1.5 cm. There was a
      strong correlation with upper arm length (r = 0.82) but the presence of high
      individual variability did not allow calculation of a safe deltoid split. The
      mean deltoid split in 13 open shoulder operations was 3.4 cm. CONCLUSIONS: Taking
      the mean acromion-axillary nerve distance minus three standard deviations as the
      safe deltoid split would protect 99.7% of nerves. Therefore we recommend that the
      maximum deltoid split should be 4.2 cm; this distance would be sufficient to
      preserve all nerves in our study as well as all those reported by other authors.
      Splitting the deltoid in abduction should be avoided. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The
      traditional 5-cm deltoid split is probably too generous. We believe 4.2 cm is a
      safer limit.

PMID- 20300316
TI  - Giant cell tumor along with secondary aneurysmal bone cyst of scapula: A rare
      presentation.
AB  - Giant cell tumor (GCT) is a distinctive lesion characterized by the proliferation
      of multinucleate giant cells in a stroma of mononuclear cells; it is generally
      seen in skeletally mature individuals. GCT of bone is usually found in the long
      bones around the knee or in the distal radius of young adults and is unusual in
      the flat bones. We report a case of GCT of the acromion of the scapula, with a
      secondary aneurysmal bone cyst, in a 30-year-old female. Based on our review of
      the English language medical literature, it appears that the occurrence of a GCT
      along with a secondary aneurysmal bone cyst in flat bones (e.g.. the scapula) is
      very rare.

PMID- 20300315
TI  - Rupture of the intra-articular portion of the long head of the biceps associated
      with a symptomatic os acromiale.
AB  - We report the case of a 45-year-old male who presented with a 5-year history of
      shoulder pain following an injury. Clinical and radiological investigations
      revealed a ruptured long head of the biceps and a meso-os acromiale. We performed
      an arthroscopic resection of the intra-articular stump of the long head of the
      biceps, followed by internal fixation of the mobile os acromiale using a tension
      band technique. Rupture of the long head of the biceps associated with a
      symptomatic os acromiale has not been previously described. This case reinforces
      the importance of routine shoulder arthroscopy in the treatment of symptomatic os
      acromiale.

PMID- 20300317
TI  - An unusual variation of deltoid muscle.
AB  - An unusual anatomic variation of the deltoid muscle was found in a 45-year-old
      female cadaver during dissection of the right upper extremity. The posterior
      fibers of the right deltoid muscle were enclosed in a distinct fascial sheet and
      the deltoid muscle was seen to arise from the middle 1/3 of the medial border of
      the scapula. There was no accompanying vascular or neural anomaly of the deltoid
      muscle. To the best of our knowledge, unilateral posterior separation of the
      deltoid muscle with a distinct fascia has not been described previously. While
      dissecting deltoid, posterior deltoid, or scapular flaps, the surgeon needs to
      look out for this variation because it may cause confusion.

PMID- 20300318
TI  - Nonunion of a scapular spine fracture: Case report and management with open
      reduction, internal fixation, and bone graft.
AB  - Fractures of the scapular spine are relatively uncommon. We report a case of a 39
      year old male who developed an atrophic non-union scapular spine fracture
      entering the spino-glenoid notch. We describe our experience with this rare
      fracture pattern and identify the need for early internal fixation in the young,
      active and working population.

PMID- 20300319
TI  - Giant cell tumor of bone with secondary aneurysmal bone cyst.

PMID- 20300320
TI  - Separate segments within the deltoid muscle: Anatomical variants or wishful
      thinking?

PMID- 20300321
TI  - Isolated focal chondral defects in the glenohumeral joint.

PMID- 20300322
TI  - Microfracture of chondral lesions of the glenohumeral joint.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine if microfracture is successful in treating chondral
      lesions of the shoulder. DESIGN: Case series. SETTING: Tertiary referral
      practice. PATIENTS: From June 2005 to November 2006, eight patients underwent
      shoulder arthroscopy with arthroscopic microfracture to treat full-thickness
      chondral lesions of less than 4 cm(2) size. The study group consisted of six men
      and two women. The mean age at surgery was 37 years (range: 27-55 years). One
      patient (12.5%) had an isolated chondral defect and seven patients (87.5%) had
      associated conditions treated simultaneously: two patients had arthroscopic
      subacromial decompressions, two had capsular plications for multidirectional
      instability, and three had anterior stabilization done (one with an associated
      superior labrum anterior to posterior repair and one with repair of a small
      rotator cuff tear). Five patients had humeral head defects and three had glenoid
      defects. INTERVENTION: Microfracture. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Constant score and
      Oxford score. RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 15.4 months, with a range of
      12-27 months. The mean preoperative Constant score was 43.88 (range: 28-70) and
      at final follow-up the mean Constant score was 90.25 (range: 85-100); this
      difference was significant (P<0.005). The mean preoperative Oxford score was
      25.75 (range: 12-37) and the mean postoperative Oxford score at final follow-up
      was 17 (range: 11-27); the difference was significant (P<0.005). There were no
      complications. Two patients underwent reoperation which allowed assessment of the
      lesion; in both cases the lesions showed good filling with fibrocartilage.
      CONCLUSION: Microfracture has been shown to be a reliable method of treatment for
      chondral lesions within the knee. We believe that this technique may also be
      applied to the shoulder; however, further study is required to assess its
      efficacy in this joint. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

PMID- 20300323
TI  - Managing chondral lesions of the glenohumeral joint.

PMID- 20300324
TI  - Full recovery of muscle function after delayed primary repair of deltoid muscle
      detachment.
AB  - Detachment of the deltoid muscle and tendon is a rare complication that is
      reported to result in poor outcome after rotator cuff surgery. We performed a
      delayed primary repair of the detached deltoid in a 53-year-old female patient
      who underwent an open acromioplasty procedure. A successful result was achieved
      after surgical restoration of the deltoid muscle origin back to the acromion. At
      25 months' follow-up the patient had recovered almost the full range of motion of
      the glenohumeral joint and was free of pain. Due to lack of literature on this
      rare condition, there are no well-defined treatment principles for the management
      of deltoid muscle detachments that develop as a complication of rotator cuff
      surgery. This paper describes a repair procedure for the management of deltoid
      muscle detachments. In addition, it discusses the importance of the guidelines
      that have to be followed during primary rotator cuff surgery.

PMID- 20300325
TI  - Dynamic posterior stabilization of shoulder hemiarthroplasty in long-standing
      neglected posterior dislocation of the glenohumeral joint.
AB  - Posterior dislocations of the shoulder are rare. They account for less than 3% of
      all shoulder dislocations. The treatment of neglected bilateral posterior
      dislocation of the shoulder is controversial. We present a novel operative
      technique to stabilize a shoulder hemiarthroplasty that we used in the treatment
      of a chronic posterior dislocation of a shoulder with an acute four-part fracture
      of the proximal humerus.

PMID- 20300326
TI  - Complete absence of the suprascapular notch in a Nigerian scapula: A possible
      cause of suprascapular nerve entrapment.

PMID- 20300327
TI  - Message from the president.

PMID- 20300328
TI  - From the Editor's Desk.

PMID- 20300329
TI  - An evolution of the "golden age" of dermatologic surgery (1958-2008).

PMID- 20300330
TI  - Botulinum Toxin: Non-cosmetic Indications and Possible Mechanisms of Action.
AB  - Botulinum toxin (BTX) has gained a great interest in cosmetic dermatology for its
      effects on hyperkinetic facial lines. Understanding the basic research and
      analysis of effects of this potent drug can lead to other possible indications of
      interest for dermatologists. The use of BTX in focal hyperhidrosis is well
      established, but BTX has also effects on pain perception, itch and inflammation
      as discussed in this review.

PMID- 20300331
TI  - Facial lifting with Aptos Methods.
AB  - Face lift hitherto had been a complicated and elaborate procedure. The
      introduction of threads to lift skin has been a major advance in lifting sagging
      skin. These threads which have barbs on their surface have simplified the
      procedure and have the possibilities of combination with other rejuvenation
      procedures. The article traces the evolution of threadlift.

PMID- 20300332
TI  - A review of modern surgical hair restoration techniques.
AB  - The field of hair restoration has had a chequered history. From the days of punch
      grafting to the present day techniques of follicular unit hair transplantation,
      the field has seen a number of new advances. This article reviews these
      developments.

PMID- 20300333
TI  - Serial excision of congenital melanocytic nevi.
AB  - Congenital melanocytic nevus needs to be excised for aesthetic reasons and
      concerns regarding its malignant potential. Many methods like surgical resection,
      dermabrasion, curettage, chemical peeling, laser resurfacing, etc., are available
      for treatment. We hereby report the efficacy of excision of nevi by serial
      excision.

PMID- 20300334
TI  - Co(2) laser resurfacing for facial rhytides.
AB  - Resurfacing of facial rhytides (periorbital crow-feet wrinkles) was performed in
      three cases by carbon dioxide laser (Sharplan((R)) 1030 machine). Good to
      excellent results were observed. However, erythema and postinflammatory
      pigmentation were important side effects.

PMID- 20300335
TI  - Treatment of unusually large acrochordon by shave excision and
      electrodesiccation.
AB  - Acrochordons are usually small in size and are easily treated with
      electrofulguration under local anaesthesia. Here is a report of a giant
      acrochordon which posed problems in management. A technique to manage it under
      local anaesthesia in an office setting is described.

PMID- 20300336
TI  - Combination treatment of periungual warts.
AB  - Periungual wart presents challenge for management in view of their frequent
      recurrence. The case report demonstrates the efficacy of a combination treatment
      of electrodessication and trichloroacetic acid application.

PMID- 20300337
TI  - Modified Unna Boot and Pinch Grafting for Chronic Non-healing Venous Leg Ulcer.
AB  - Venous ulcers cause considerable morbidity. A 45-year-old man reported with non
      healing ulcer since 15 years. Patch tests revealed multiple sensitivity.
      Infection was first controlled with antibiotics and antiseptics. Dressing with
      modified Unna's boot made with zinc oxide 40% and glycerine paste 60% resulted in
      formation of healthy granulation tissue. Pinch grafting was subsequently done to
      promote epithelization. We recommend the use of Unna's paste instead of more
      expensive synthetic and occlusive and semi occlusive dressing to promote
      granulation tissue and pinch grafting after bed is ready to hasten
      epithelization.

PMID- 20300338
TI  - Radiosurgical ablation of solitary trichoepithelioma.
AB  - Trichoepithelioma presents a challenge for management in view of its location. We
      describe the use of radiofrequency ablation in the management of this condition.

PMID- 20300339
TI  - Excision of Basal cell carcinoma with radio frequency ablation.
AB  - Basal cell carcinoma is usually treated by excision, or by ablative methods such
      as cryosurgery and laser. We describe treament of basal cell carcinoma by
      radiofrequency device.

PMID- 20300341
TI  - Informed consent: an ethical obligation or legal compulsion?
AB  - Informed consent is a vital document while performing all surgical and aesthetic
      procedures, particularly in the current day practice. Proper documentation and
      counseling of patients is important in any informed consent.

PMID- 20300340
TI  - Split skin grafting for leg ulcers complicating rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - Leg ulcers as a complication of rheumatoid arthritis are difficult to heal. We
      present a case responding to treatment with cyclophosphamide and split skin
      grafting.

PMID- 20300342
TI  - Use of Injection Five Fluorouracil (FFU) With or Without Injection Trimacinolone
      in the Management of Hypertrophic Scars and Keloids.

PMID- 20300343
TI  - How to make local anesthesia less painful.
AB  - Most cutaneous surgeries are performed under local anaesthesia. It is important
      the process of administration of local anaesthetics is pain free. This article
      suggests simple tips to make local anaestesia less painful.

PMID- 20300344
TI  - Tumescent liposuction: a review.
AB  - Liposuction is a cosmetic procedure to remove fat. Liposuction may be performed
      either under general anaesthesia or under local anaesthesia. The procedure has
      been reported to be associated with significant morbidity and risk of mortality
      under general anaesthesia. Since the first description by Jeffrey Klein,
      dermatologic surgeons have made significant contributions in this field, and
      tumescent liposuction using microcannuale under local anaesthesia, is regarded as
      safe and effective. The author has performed over 200 liposuctions in the last
      four years in India and this article describes the procedure of microcannular
      tumescent liposuction in the light of her experience.

PMID- 20300345
TI  - Pharmacological sphincterotomy for chronic anal fissures by botulinum toxin a.
AB  - Chronic anal fissure is a common proctologic disease. Botulinum toxin (BTX) can
      be used for temporary chemical denervation to treat this painful disorder. Its
      application is by intramuscular injections into either the external or internal
      anal sphincter muscle. The mode of action, application techniques, and possible
      complications or adverse effects of BTX therapy are discussed in this report. The
      healing rate is dependent on the BTX dosage. The short-term healing rate (</= 6
      months) is 60-90%, whereas about 50% of the patients show a complete response in
      long-term follow-up studies (> 1 year). Adverse effects are generally mild, but
      relapses occur more often than with surgery. Conservative therapy is currently
      considered as a first-line treatment. With increasing evidence for its efficacy,
      BTX can now be considered among the first-line nonsurgical treatements. Although,
      surgical management by lateral sphincterotomy is the most effective treatment, it
      shows a higher incidence of incontinence and greater general morbidity rate than
      BTX. BTX is a useful alternative to surgery and in many cases, surgery can be
      avoided with the use of BTX.

PMID- 20300346
TI  - Dermal fillers: tips to achieve successful outcomes.
AB  - Fillers have become a common aesthetic treatment for several cosmetic problems.
      Several types of fillers are available from different sources and of different
      longevities. It is important that the treating physician be aware of the
      different techniques of administration and their possible side effects. This
      article reviews the available literature on the subject.

PMID- 20300347
TI  - Teledermatology: its role in dermatosurgery.
AB  - Dermatologic surgery and aesthetic dermatology are rapidly emerging and expanding
      specialties in India. However, dermatologists practicing surgeries and aesthetics
      in India represent a highly selected group and are mostly confined to metros.
      Dermatologists in the peripheral and remote regions need to reach these
      specialists for the benefit of their patients and teledermatology is an
      invaluable tool for this purpose. Video-conference, store and forward, Satellite
      communication, Hybrid teledermatology, mobile teledermatology, Integration model,
      nurse-led teledermatology, teledermatology focusing difficult-to-manage cases,
      screening and triage services are the various teledermatology services developed
      to suit the needs of dermatology care from a distance. Types of teledermatology
      service, pattern of net work connectivity and purpose of dermatology service are
      the three cardinal parameters for management of the dermatoses from a distance.
      This article reviews the literature, and analyzes the possible options available
      for a teledermatosurgery practice.

PMID- 20300348
TI  - Evaluation of Long-pulsed 1064 nm Nd:YAG Laser-assisted Hair Removal vs Multiple
      Treatment Sessions and Different Hair Types in Indian Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: LONGER WAVELENGTH LASERS SUCH AS ND: YAG are considered to be the
      best for darker skin phototypes. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to
      investigate the safety and efficacy of long-pulsed, 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser-assisted
      hair removal in relation to multiple treatment sessions and different hair types
      in Indian patients. METHOD: Fifty-nine adult women with skin phototypes IV and V
      were treated with a long-pulsed Nd: YAG laser (1064 nm, 10 mm spot size, fluence
      of 30-50 J/cm(2), pulse duration 15-30 ms). Six consecutive treatment sessions
      were given at 4-6 week intervals. The modified Ferriman Gallway system of scoring
      was used to grade the hairs before each treatment session and six weeks after the
      last therapy. Based on this grading, three main hair types were recognised: thin
      vellus (Grade 1), intermediate (Grade 2), and terminal hair (Grades 3 and 4).
      Patients were divided into three groups: achievers who converted to thin vellus
      hair (Grade I), responders who shifted to a lower grade but were short of
      reaching grade 1, and failures who did not show any change throughout the six
      laser sessions. RESULTS: Six weeks after six laser treatment sessions, the
      achievers totaled 56%, responders 23%, and failures 20% of the patient
      population. At the end of the 3(rd), 4(th), 5(th), and 6(th) sessions, achievers
      were 5, 15, 25, and 56% respectively of all the patients (P < 0.001, which was
      statistically significant). Achievers for terminal hair were 57.5% while it was
      53.8% for intermediate hair (P = 0.9, nonsignificant). There were no permanent
      side effects. There were no failures in the terminal group while nearly 50% of
      the patients were failures in the intermediate group. CONCLUSION: Six multiple
      laser treatment sessions with a long-pulsed, 1064 nm Nd: YAG laser with contact
      cooling were found to be safe and effective for hair reduction in Indian patients
      with both terminal and intermediate hair. The success rate was found to improve
      with successive sessions. However, terminal hairs responded better than
      intermediate hairs.

PMID- 20300349
TI  - QYAG5 Q-switched Nd:YAG Laser Treatment of Nevus of Ota: An Indian Study of 50
      Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nevus of Ota is very common in Asian patients. The condition is more
      common in females, with a male-female ratio of 1:4.8. Most patients seek
      treatment early in life due to the psychological trauma and cosmetic
      disfigurement. The Q-switched lasers have changed the way we approach the
      condition and have become the mainstay of therapy. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To
      evaluate long-term safety and efficacy of pigmented lesion laser Palomar QYAG5 Q
      switched Nd:YAG in 50 Indian patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty patients of
      nevus of Ota underwent multiple treatments (average 6 sessions) carried out over
      a period of 1year with a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser (QYAG5, Palomar, USA). Of the 50
      patients, 2 were males; and the rest, females. Five patients had a bilateral
      involvement. Skin types treated included phototypes 4 and 5. The response after
      subsequent treatments was documented through serial photographs that were taken
      before and after the completion of treatments. Patients were followed up for a
      period of 1 year after the last session. Response to treatment was graded based
      on physician's global assessment. RESULTS: Excellent improvement was noted in a
      majority of the patients at the end of the treatments. Greater-than-60%
      improvement was seen in 66% of the patients. The remaining patients had moderate
      clearing of pigmentation (30%-60% improvement). No significant adverse effects
      were seen immediately after the treatments and on long-term follow-up. Transient
      post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation was observed in 5 (10%) patients, which
      cleared with use of sunscreens and bleaching agents within 2 months. No textural
      change or scarring was seen. Hypopigmentation (guttate type) was observed in 1
      (2%) patient, which resolved within 3 months. No recurrence was observed after 1
      year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: This study validates the superior efficacy of Q
      switched Nd:YAG laser when compared to conventional methods for treatment of
      nevus of Ota.

PMID- 20300350
TI  - Lymphangioma circumscriptum (microcystic lymphatic malformation): palliative
      coagulation using radiofrequency current.
AB  - Lymphangioma circumscriptum (LC, microcystic lymphatic malformation), a
      hamartomatous lymphatic malformation, is a difficult condition to treat.
      Different treatments such as surgical excision, lasers, sclerotherapy etc have
      all been tried with varying success. We report here the efficacy of a
      radiofrequency current in two patients with lymphangioma circumscriptum. The
      radiofrequency technique is a safe, economical, and commonly available technique
      for the treatment of LC; the surgical safety and outcome were satisfactory in our
      patients.

PMID- 20300351
TI  - Radiofrequency ablation of adenoma sebaceum.
AB  - Adenoma sebaceum is one of the diagnostic features of tuberous sclerosis.
      Histologically, they are angiofibromas that occur over the central part of the
      face and hence, cause a major cosmetic disfigurement. Different forms of ablative
      treatments including laser ablation have been used for the treatment of this
      condition. Laser treatment is expensive and any form of treatment for adenoma
      sebaceum is not a one-time procedure but is a recurring process as the condition
      is genetic in aetiology. It is therefore appropriate to use a cheap and easily
      available modality, particularly in the Indian scenario. We hereby report a case
      of tuberous sclerosis in whom we ablated the lesions by radiofrequency technique
      with acceptable results.

PMID- 20300352
TI  - Hailey-hailey disease: a novel method of management by radiofrequency surgery.
AB  - Hailey-Hailey disease is a chronic, recurrent disease that causes considerable
      morbidity to the patient. While the medical line of treatment is only palliative,
      different surgical modalities have been reported to offer longer lasting
      remission. We report a case of Hailey-Hailey disease successfully treated with
      radiofrequency surgery.

PMID- 20300353
TI  - Radiofrequency in dermatosurgery.

PMID- 20300354
TI  - Botulinum Toxin Deaths: What is the Fact?

PMID- 20300356
TI  - Lawrence M Field's article on "An evolution of the 'Golden Age' of dermatological
      surgery (1958-2008)" and my views.

PMID- 20300355
TI  - Evaluation of Speakers at CME: Cosmecon 2006, An International Conference on
      Ageing and Anti-ageing.
AB  - AIM: To determine what constitutes effective or ineffective lecturing in
      dermatological conferences and also the utility of a scientific programme for the
      dermatologists. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Evaluation forms were circulated to
      delegates attending the Cosmecon conference on ageing and anti-ageing, held in
      July 2006 at Bangalore. Feedback from the delegates in the form of completed
      evaluation forms of individual speakers and each session of the 3-day conference
      Cosmecon (including the live workshop on aesthetic and surgical procedures) were
      studied. Comments were analysed with the help of a biostatistician to determine
      the positive and negative responses. RESULTS: On day 1 of the conference,
      workshop included 14 procedures by different specialists and on the second and
      third days of the conference, there were a total of 10 sessions, with five on
      each day. Evaluation forms were handed out to 440 delegates on day 1 and 600
      delegates on days 2 and 3. Fifty-five speakers were evaluated by an average 56
      delegates out of 440 delegates on day 1 and 600 delegates on the second and third
      days. The delegate response to completing the evaluation form was poor. Only
      about 25% of the delegates completed the feedback forms. However, the feedback
      did give some insight to the scientific programme, on both positive and negative
      aspects. Most delegates stated that they benefited from the presentations. The
      main negative response was lack of opportunity to ask questions after a lecture.
      The main positive comment was that the time keeping in the conference was very
      good. CONCLUSION: The response of the delegates in providing feedback was poor.
      Efforts have to be made to educate and encourage delegates to complete the
      feedback forms. Systematic review of the speakers would provide information to
      design future CME programmes effectively and to incorporate improvements for
      effective lecturing and to avoid ineffective lectures. The CME evaluation can
      also help the organizers to provide training to presenters and to monitor
      performance.

PMID- 20300357
TI  - (Great) Grandfatherly Advice for Young(er) Dermatologic Surgeons.

PMID- 20300358
TI  - Modified subcuticular stitch.

PMID- 20300359
TI  - Techniques of skin biopsy and practical considerations.
AB  - Skin biopsy is a safe, easy and out-patient procedure of diagnostic and academic
      relevance. There are various methods of performing skin biopsy depending on the
      size of lesion, suspected clinical diagnosis and site of lesion. Although biopsy
      is usually a safe procedure, complications such as bleeding, infection and
      scarring may occasionally be encountered while performing biopsy in an out
      patient with basic infrastructure. This article details the various techniques of
      skin biopsy, their indications and practical steps to curtail complications
      arising from the procedure.

PMID- 20300360
TI  - Use of Lasers for Becker's Nevus and Keratosis Pilaris.

PMID- 20300362
TI  - Checklists for surgical safety in dermatosurgery.

PMID- 20300363
TI  - Controversy: botulinum toxin in pregnancy.
AB  - Botulinum toxin A (BTX-A), a purified protein derived from the bacteria
      Clostridium botulinum, has been widely used in aesthetic dermatology. Though BTX
      A was initially used by neurologists extensively for neurological conditions such
      as blepharospasm, strabismus headaches, dystonia and spasticity, it has become
      popular among dermatologists and plastic surgeons for its cosmetic indications.
      Its use in pregnancy has been controversial and this article deals with the
      issues of use of BTX-A in pregnancy.

PMID- 20300364
TI  - Blepharoplasty: an overview.
AB  - Blepharoplasty plays a vital role in facial rejuvenation, with direct aesthetic
      relation to the brow and the cheek. Upper and lower eyelid blepharoplasty are
      indicated for the treatment of excess skin and/or orbital fat. Preoperative
      evaluation should include a thorough medical and ophthalmic history, along with a
      detailed cutaneous and eye examination. Symptoms of preexisting dry eye should be
      elicited preoperatively, as they directly correlate with postoperative
      complications. Physical examination should take into account brow position,
      eyelid ptosis, lower eyelid position, and cheek projection. Blepharoplasty can be
      performed by many operative approaches. This review highlights the standard skin
      only upper blepharoplasty and lower eyelid conservative fat excision or
      repositioning.

PMID- 20300365
TI  - Finasteride-its impact on sexual function and prostate cancer.
AB  - Finasteride, a specific and competitive inhibitor of 5alpha-reductase enzyme Type
      2, inhibits the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). In
      adults, DHT acts as primary androgen in prostate and hair follicles. The only FDA
      approved dermatological indication of finasteride is androgenetic alopecia. But,
      apprehension regarding sexual dysfunction associated with finasteride deters
      dermatologists from prescribing the drug and patients from taking the drug for
      androgenetic alopecia. Testosterone, through its humoral endocrine and local
      paracrine effects is relevant in central and peripheral modulation of sexual
      function than locally acting DHT. Several large population-based long-term
      placebo-controlled studies, using International Index of Erectile Function-5
      questionnaire and objective method (Nocturnal Penile Tumescence) to assess the
      erectile function have demonstrated no clear evidence of the negative effect of
      finasteride on erectile function. Reduction in ejaculatory volume is the only
      established causal relationship between finasteride and sexual dysfunction.
      Though finasteride causes significant reduction in all the semen parameters
      except sperm morphology, they did not fall below the threshold levels to
      interfere with fertility. Therefore, the sexual adverse effects associated with
      finasteride should be viewed in relation to normal prevalence and natural history
      of erectile dysfunction in the population, age of the patient, other confounding
      factors and also nocebo effect. The impact of finasteride on the prevention of
      prostate cancer has been discussed extensively. Finasteride is found to be
      effective in significantly reducing the incidence of low-grade prostate cancer.
      But the paradoxical increase in high-grade cancer in the finasteride group has
      been attributed to increased sensitivity and improved performance of prostate
      specific antigen levels to detect all grades of prostate cancer.

PMID- 20300366
TI  - Peat: a natural source for dermatocosmetics and dermatotherapeutics.
AB  - In recent years the interest for natural substances in dermatotherapy and
      cosmetics has increased. Peat is a complex natural source of humic substances
      that are of potential interest in both dermatology and cosmetology. Humic
      substances in peat have been partially characterized and pharmacologic and
      biologic activities have been documented. Possible clinical applications are
      outlined.

PMID- 20300367
TI  - Soft tissue augmentation with autologous fat graft: the dissected pouch
      technique.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Soft tissue augmentation with autologous fat graft has been
      increasingly used by plastic surgeons despite unpredictable results. Several
      techniques have been described to prevent the main setback of this technique, fat
      graft resorption. However, there is no ideal technique described for this
      purpose. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty patients with subcutaneous tissue loss,
      atrophy or hypoplasia were treated with lipofilling. A subcutaneous pouch is
      dissected at the deformed area and later it is filled with autologous fat graft.
      RESULTS: Graft maintenance during the postoperative period was satisfactory.
      Overcorrection was not performed except for the first three cases. Patient,
      surgeon and layman satisfaction was surveyed. Satisfaction was rated between 0
      and 10. The mean score was 7.67 +/- 1.22. CONCLUSION: The authors describe a
      technique for soft tissue augmentation which effectively corrects contour
      deformities, provides a low resorption rate and a relatively non-visible scar
      without causing irregularities.

PMID- 20300368
TI  - Microneedling therapy in atrophic facial scars: an objective assessment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atrophic facial scars are always a challenge to treat, especially the
      ones that are deep-seated and/or involve much of the face. Microneedling or
      dermaroller therapy is a new addition to the treatment armamentarium for such
      scars that offers a simple and reportedly effective management of these scars.
      AIMS: The aim of the present study was to perform an objective evaluation of the
      efficacy of dermaroller treatment in atrophic facial scars of varying etiology.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-seven patients of atrophic facial scarring were
      offered multiple sittings of microneedling (dermaroller) treatment and their
      scars were evaluated and graded clinically and by serial photography at the start
      as well as at two months after the conclusion of the treatment protocol. Any
      change in the grading of scars after the end of treatment and follow-up period
      was noted down. The patients were also asked to evaluate the effectiveness of the
      treatment received on a 1-10 point scale. The efficacy of dermaroller treatment
      was thus assessed both subjectively by the patients as well as objectively by a
      single observer. RESULTS: Overall 36 out of the total of 37 patients completed
      the treatment schedule and were evaluated for its efficacy. Out of these 36
      patients, 34 achieved a reduction in the severity of their scarring by one or two
      grades. More than 80% of patients assessed their treatment as 'excellent' on a 10
      point scale. No significant adverse effects were noted in any patient.
      CONCLUSIONS: Microneedling therapy seems to be a simple and effective treatment
      option for the management of atrophic facial scars.

PMID- 20300369
TI  - Serenoa Repens: Does It have Any Role in the Management of Androgenetic Alopecia?
AB  - Serenoa repens is one among the many naturally occurring 5 alpha reductase (5aR)
      inhibitors which has gained popularity as a magical remedy for androgenetic
      alopecia. It is widely advertised on the web and sold by direct marketing. Used
      as a self-medication, there is a risk of missing the early detection of prostate
      cancer. There is little evidence to support its efficacy, warranting larger
      clinical trials on androgenetic alopecia.

PMID- 20300370
TI  - Combination technique of radiofrequency ablation with sclerotherapy in acquired
      lymphangiectasis of the vulva.
AB  - Aquired lymphangiectasis of the vulva is an uncommon condition and only few cases
      have been reported following tuberculous lymphadenitis. A case is reported that
      was successfully treated with a unique combination therapy of radiofrequency
      ablation and sclerotherapy with polidocanol. There was no recurrence at two years
      of follow-up.

PMID- 20300371
TI  - Pilomatrixoma of earlobe.
AB  - Pilomatrixomas are uncommon in children and are frequently misdiagnosed
      preoperatively. We report a two-year-old female patient with an unusual
      localization in the earlobe. The lesion was treated by simple enucleation and in
      two years of follow-up there has been no evidence of recurrence. The case is
      being reported in view of its rarity and unusual location.

PMID- 20300373
TI  - Stability in vitiligo: why such a hullabaloo?

PMID- 20300372
TI  - Stability in Vitiligo? What's that?

PMID- 20300375
TI  - Definitions in laser technology.

PMID- 20300374
TI  - A painless nodule with excessive sweating.

PMID- 20300376
TI  - Conference Report: ACSICON 2008.

PMID- 20300377
TI  - Cutaneous vesicles caused by transcutaneous gas-monitoring sensor.

PMID- 20300378
TI  - The philosophy we believe and the principles we practice.

PMID- 20300379
TI  - State of the Globe: Yellow Fever is Still Around and Active!

PMID- 20300380
TI  - Assessing yellow Fever risk in the ecuadorian Amazon.
AB  - This study reports results of a cross-sectional study based on interviews and
      seroepidemiological methods to identify risk factors for yellow fever infection
      among personnel of a military garrison in the Amazonian rainforest. Clinical
      symptoms and signs observed among yellow fever cases are also described. Humoral
      immune response to yellow fever, Mayaro, Venezuelan equine encephalitis,
      Oropouche, and dengue 2 infection was assessed by evaluating IgM and IgG specific
      antibodies. A yellow fever attack rate of 13% (44/341, with 3 fatal cases) was
      observed among military personnel. Signs of digestive track bleeding (14.6%) and
      hematuria (4.9%) were observed among the yellow fever cases. In 32.2% of the
      cases, we measured high levels of serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase and
      serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase with maximum levels of 6,830 and 3,500,
      respectively. Signs of bleeding or jaundice were observed in some cases, and high
      levels of transaminases were seen. The epidemiological and laboratory
      investigations demonstrated that the military personnel were affected by a yellow
      fever outbreak. The association between clearing the rainforest and also being at
      the detachments with yellow fever infection confirms that clearing is the main
      factor in the jungle model of transmission, which takes place deep in the
      Amazonian rainforest.

PMID- 20300382
TI  - HIV Infection, Genital Symptoms and Sexual Risk Behavior among Indian Truck
      Drivers from a Large Transportation Company in South India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sentinel surveillance conducted in the high Human Immuno-deficiency
      Virus (HIV) prevalent state of Andhra Pradesh includes sub-populations thought to
      be at high-risk for HIV, but has not included truck drivers. Novel HIV prevention
      programs targeting this population increasingly adopt public - private
      partnership models. There have been no targeted studies of HIV prevalence and
      risk behavior among truck drivers belonging to the private sector in India.
      METHODS: A sample of 189 truck drivers, aged between 15 and 56, were recruited
      from Gati Limited's large trucking depot in Hyderabad, India. A quantitative
      survey instrument was conducted along with blood collection for HIV 1/2 testing.
      Multivariate regression models were utilized to determine predictors of HIV
      infection and risk behavior. RESULTS: 2.1% of subjects were infected with HIV.
      Older age was protective against self-reported genital symptoms (OR = 0.77; P =
      0.03), but these were more likely among those truck drivers with greater income
      (OR = 1.05; P = 0.02), and those who spent more time away from home (OR = 25.7; P
      = 0.001). Men with higher incomes also reported significantly more sex partners
      (OLS coefficient = 0.016 more partners / 100 rupees in monthly income, P = 0.04),
      as did men who spent a great deal of time away from home (OLS coefficient = 1.30,
      P = 0.002). Drivers were more likely to report condom use with regular partners
      if they had ever visited a female sex worker (OR = 6.26; P = 0.002), but married
      drivers exhibited decreased use of condoms with regular partners (OR = 0.14, P =
      0.008). Men who had higher levels of knowledge regarding HIV and HIV preventative
      practices were also more likely to use condoms with regular partners (OR = 1.22,
      P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Time away from home, urban residence, income, and marital
      status were the strongest correlates of genital symptoms for Sexually Transmitted
      Infections (STI) and risk behaviors, although none were consistent predictors of
      all outcomes. Low HIV prevalence might be explained by a cohort that was mostly
      married, and at home. Novel HIV prevention interventions may be most cost
      effective when focusing upon young, single, and long-haul truck drivers.

PMID- 20300381
TI  - Two Highly Immunized Hilly Areas versus Double Measles Outbreak Investigations in
      District Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, India, in 2006.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We investigated two sequential outbreaks of measles in seven villages
      of Kangra, to confirm the diagnosis and to formulate recommendations for
      prevention and control. METHODS: We defined a case of measles as occurrence of
      fever with rash in a child aged six months to 17 years during the period 3(rd)
      September to 23(rd) November 2006. We collected information on age, sex,
      residence, date of onset, symptoms, signs, treatment taken, traveling history and
      vaccination status. We described the outbreak by time, place and person. We
      estimated vaccine coverage and efficacy in the affected villages. We confirmed
      diagnosis clinically, serologically and through genotyping of the virus. RESULTS:
      We identified 69 cases. Overall attack rates ranged between 4.2% and 6%. All case
      patients were between 6 years to 11 years of age. Age-specific attack rate in
      double outbreaks ranged in between 1.7% and 21.6%, the highest being in the age
      range 11-17 years. No deaths or complications were reported. The epidemic curve
      was suggestive of typical propagated pattern. The first outbreak imported virus
      after an interschool game competition (relative risk, 6.44%; 95% confidence
      interval, 3.81-10.91); followed by the second outbreak, in which people exchanged
      foods in the festival in one infected village of the first outbreak (relative
      risk, 5.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.90-14.77; P <.001). The calculated
      immunization coverage (93%) coincided nearly with administrative claims. The
      vaccine efficacies were estimated to be 85% and 81% in the first and second
      outbreaks respectively. Eleven of the 16 case patients were tested for measles
      IgM antibodies, while two nasopharyngeal swabs were positive by polymerase chain
      reaction (PCR) and are genotyped D4 measles strain. Vitamin A supplementations
      were only given in four villages. CONCLUSION: Measles outbreaks were confirmed in
      high-immunization-coverage areas. We recommended (i) second dose opportunity for
      measles in Himachal Pradesh and (ii) vitamin A supplementation to all the case
      patients.

PMID- 20300383
TI  - Clinical significance of isolated anti-hbc positivity in cases of chronic liver
      disease in new delhi, India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The presence of anti-HBc IgG in the absence of HBsAg is usually
      indicative of a past self-limiting HBV infection. But it is frequently associated
      with co-infection with HCV which can worsen the existing status of chronic liver
      disease (CLD). OBJECTIVES: The present study was planned to evaluate the
      significance of isolated HBc IgG positivity in patients of CLD and look for the
      presence of HCV co-infection in such patients. METHODS: Clinical profiles and
      biochemical tests were done for all the 77 CLD cases included in the study. Blood
      samples were taken from these patients and tested by the commercially available
      EIA for the presence of HBsAg, anti-HBc IgG, anti-HBs and anti-HCV. HBV DNA was
      detected by amplifying the surface region in all the cases. RESULTS: Isolated
      anti-HBc IgG positivity defined as the presence of anti-HBc IgG in absence of any
      other serological markers of HBV infection was detected in 28 patients. Out of 64
      patients positive for anti-HBc IgG 36 had the markers of HBV, either HBsAg, HBV
      DNA or anti-HBs alone or in combination. There was a significant association
      between isolated anti-HBc IgG positivity and HCV co-infection. CONCLUSION: Anti
      HBc IgG should be tested in all patients with CLD as it is frequently the only
      marker of HBV infection in such patients and they should be monitored closely as
      such patients can develop CLD. Presence of co-infection with HCV should be
      actively searched for in such patients.

PMID- 20300385
TI  - The laboratorial diagnosis of dengue: applications and implications.
AB  - The diagnosis of infection by the dengue virus relies, in most cases, on the
      clinical judgment of the patient, since only a few major centers have clinical
      laboratories that offer diagnostic tests to confirm the clinical impressions of
      an infection. At present, routine laboratory diagnosis is done by different kinds
      of testing. Among them are the methods of serological research, virus isolation,
      detection of viral antigens, and detection of viral genomes. The continued
      development of diagnostic tests, which are cheap, sensitive, specific, easy to
      perform, and capable of giving early diagnosis of the dengue virus infection is
      still a need. There are also other obstacles that are not specifically related to
      the technological development of diagnostic methods. For instance, infrastructure
      of the laboratories, the training of personnel, and the capacity of research of
      these laboratories are still limited in many parts of Brazil and the world, where
      dengue is endemic. Clinical laboratories, especially the ones that serve regions
      with a high incidence of dengue, should be aware of all the diagnostic methods
      available for routine these days, and choose the one that best suit their working
      conditions and populations served, in order to save lives.

PMID- 20300384
TI  - Association between hepatitis C and hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer, the third most
      common cause for cancer death in the world, a major cause of death in patients
      with chronic hepatitis C virus infection, and responsible for approximately one
      million deaths each year. Overwhelming lines of epidemiological evidence have
      indicated that persistent infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major risk
      for the development of HCC. The incidence of HCC is expected to increase in the
      next two decades, largely due to hepatitis C infection and secondary cirrhosis,
      and detection of HCC at an early stage is critical for a favorable clinical
      outcome. Potential preventive strategies in the development of HCC are being
      recognized. The natural history of HCC is highly variable and the clinical
      management choices for HCC can be complex, hence patient assessment and treatment
      planning have to take the severity of the nonmalignant liver disease into
      account. This review summarizes the inter-relationship between HCV and liver
      carcinogenesis.

PMID- 20300386
TI  - Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome in a newborn.
AB  - A six-day-old newborn was admitted with exfoliating erythematous lesions over the
      face, of two days duration. The lesions spread to the rest of the body during the
      next two days. A diagnosis of Staphylococcal Scalded Skin Syndrome (SSSS) was
      made clinically and confirmed by isolation of Staphylococcus aureus from a blood
      sample. The child responded to Injection vancomycin and no fresh lesions were
      seen after the next 48 hours. However the child developed severe pneumonia and
      left against medical advice.

PMID- 20300387
TI  - Herpes labialis manifesting as recurrent erythema multiforme and solitary ulcer
      on face.
AB  - A 65-year-old lady presented with recurrent crusting of lips and ulceration on
      face since the last three weeks. History revealed recurrent herpes labialis
      during the previous three years. Examination showed hemorrhagic crusting of lips
      and a solitary crusted ulcer on the right cheek. The patient showed partial
      improvement with antiviral therapy. On withdrawal of initial therapy, the patient
      developed classical lesions of herpes labialis and erythema multiforme.
      Investigations confirmed herpes simplex infection and erythema multiforme. All
      the lesions including the ulcer on the face responded to maintenance therapy with
      antivirals. Though herpes infection has been found to cause ulcers especially in
      the peri-anal region in immunosuppressed individuals, it is the first time in
      literature that a facial ulcer has been ascribed to herpes simplex virus that too
      in an immunocompetent individual.

PMID- 20300388
TI  - Seasonal influenza: waiting for the next pandemic.
AB  - With the ongoing cases of H1N1 influenza (aka Swine Flu) occurring around the
      globe, seasonal influenza has a tendency to be overlooked by the media and
      general population as a source of illness and death. Yet, these pandemic
      influenza viruses arise from these seasonal influenza viruses. This article will
      provide an overview of seasonal influenza, its prevention and treatment, and the
      global surveillance system in place, used to detect the next influenza pandemic.

PMID- 20300389
TI  - Approach to a patient with urosepsis.
AB  - Urinary tract infections can occur in all age groups and produce an exceptionally
      broad range of clinical syndromes ranging from asymptomatic bacteriuria to acute
      pyelonephritis with Gram negative sepsis to septic shock. In approximately one
      quarter of all patients with sepsis, the focus of infection is localized to the
      urogenital tract. This may lead to substantial morbidity and significant economic
      implications. We present a review of the current approaches to managing
      urospesis.

PMID- 20300390
TI  - Histological diagnosis of madura foot (mycetoma): a must for definitive
      treatment.
AB  - Mycetoma, an uncommon chronic infection of skin and subcutaneous tissues in
      tropical countries is caused by true fungi (eumycetoma) or by filamentous
      bacteria (actinomycetoma). Since the treatment of these two etiologies is
      entirely different, a definite diagnosis after histopathological and
      microbiological examination is mandatory. We hereby present five cases of Madura
      foot.

PMID- 20300391
TI  - Fatal Postoperative Candida glabrata Septicemia in a Child with Congenital Heart
      Disease.
AB  - The incidence of candidemia has been reported to be high in some cardiovascular
      surgery units. Congenital heart disease has been considered a risk factor for
      acquisition of candidemia. This present case is a postoperative Candida glabrata
      in a child with congenital heart disease. A 3-year-old child, a previously
      diagnosed case of situs-solitus D loop situs with double outlet right ventricle,
      ventricular septal defect, pulmonary stenosis and large ostium secundum atrial
      septal defect, was admitted with history of effort intolerance. A left modified
      Blalock-Taussig shunt was performed and then the child underwent closure of the
      ventricular septal defect and the atrial septal defect. On the third day the
      patient developed fever. Klebsiella pneumoniae was isolated from blood which
      responded to piperacillin + tazobactam but on the twelfth day, the patient again
      developed fever spikes. The blood cultures performed at this time showed repeated
      isolation of Candida glabrata. Amphotericin B was started but still the patient
      deteriorated and died on the 22(nd) day after operation. The antifungal
      susceptibility of the isolate performed showed that the isolate was resistant to
      Amphotericin B.

PMID- 20300392
TI  - A case of endogenous trichosporon endophthalmitis treated with micafungin and
      voriconazole.
AB  - Invasive fungal infections are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality.
      Endogenous fungal endophthalmitis is a rare intraocular infection with potential
      vision threatening consequences. Our review of the literature revealed only one
      other case of Trichosporon endophthalmitis. Ocular fungal infections are
      difficult to eradicate because of the limited availability of systemic and
      intravitreal therapeutic agents and poor tissue penetration of current
      antifungals. Along with systemic antifungal agents, vitrectomy and intravitreal
      amphotericin B have been suggested as optimal treatments for fungal
      endophthalmitis. Other antifungals such as flucytosine and triazoles have
      recently received consideration. Although the current antifungal therapy is not
      highly successful, there remains a significant potential for more successful
      treatments in the future, based on the current studies. We report a case of
      endogenous trichosporon endophthalmitis that was successfully treated with
      micafungin and voriconazole. This combination has not been previously reported as
      a successful therapy in literature. More targeted research is required to uncover
      additional efficacious therapies to combat trichosporon.

PMID- 20300393
TI  - Cholera outbreaks in iran and duration time of outbreaks.

PMID- 20300394
TI  - Inducible Clindamycin Resistance in Staphylococcus aureus: Reason for Treatment
      Failure.

PMID- 20300395
TI  - Cytomegalovirus infection and unusual early graft dysfunction in a renal
      transplant recipient.

PMID- 20300396
TI  - State of the globe: evaluating the existence of extended spectrum Beta
      lactamases.

PMID- 20300397
TI  - Extended Spectrum Beta-lactamase Detection in Gram-negative Bacilli of Nosocomial
      Origin.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Resistance to third generation cephalosporins by acquisition and
      expression of extended spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL) enzymes among gram-negative
      bacilli is on a rise. The presence of ESBL producing organisms significantly
      affects the course and outcome of an infection and poses a challenge to infection
      management worldwide. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the period from June 2007 to
      2008, we collected 1489 samples from patients suspected of nosocomial infection.
      The isolates were identified based on colony morphology and biochemical reaction.
      Gram negative bacilli resistant to third generation cephalosporins were tested
      for ESBL by double disc synergy test (DDST- a screening test)and then phenotypic
      confirmatory test. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done by modified
      Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method. RESULTS: From the sample of 238 gram-negative
      bacilli, we isolated Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella
      pneumoniae, Citrobacter freundii, Proteus mirabilis, Morganella morganii and
      Enterobacter cloacae. Following both methods, 34% isolates were ESBL-positive.
      The ESBL producing isolates were significantly resistant (p < 0.01) to
      ampicillin, piperacillin, piperacillin/tazobactam, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole,
      tetracycline, ciprofloxacin and gentamicin as compared to non-ESBL producers.
      Multidrug resistance was significantly (p < 0.01) higher (69.14%) in ESBL
      positive isolates than non-ESBL isolates (21.66%). CONCLUSION: High prevalence of
      ESBL in our hospital cannot be ignored. ESBL producers can be detected by DDST
      and phenotypic confirmatory test with equal efficacy. The sensitivity of
      screening test improved with the use of more than one antibiotic and addition of
      one or two antibiotics would not increase cost and labor. We recommend DDST using
      multiple antibiotics in all microbiology units as a routine screening test.

PMID- 20300398
TI  - Current Status of HIV/AIDS in South Asia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: According to the United Nations Joint Program on HIV/AIDS, 33.2
      million adults and children are living with the infection worldwide. Of these,
      two to three million are estimated to be in South Asia. All countries of the
      region have a low prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, it
      is important to review the current epidemiological data to identify the trends of
      infection as it would have implications on prevention. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      performed a MEDLINE search using phrases 'South Asia' plus 'HIV', 'AIDS', and
      names of individual countries in South Asia (limits: articles published in last
      10 years, in English language). Clinical trials, reviews, meta-analyses, letters,
      editorials, and practice guidelines were all considered. The following countries
      were included as belonging to South Asia; Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India,
      Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Recent estimates and data on country
      status, and details of national control programs were obtained from websites of
      international agencies such as the World Bank and United Nations Joint Program on
      HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: This review looks into many aspects of
      HIV infection in South Asia including country profiles with regard to infection,
      economic and psychological burden of illness and treatment issues in the South
      Asian context.

PMID- 20300399
TI  - Insecticides Susceptibility Status of the Bedbugs (Cimex lectularius) in a Rural
      Area of Magugu, Northern Tanzania.
AB  - The recent spread of bedbugs, Cimex lectularius L. (Heteroptera: Cimicidae), has
      received attention of the public health sector for designing of effective plan of
      action for control. Several studies have focused on determining the distribution
      and abundance of bedbug populations in tropical areas. This study establishes
      baseline information on deltamethrin, permethrin, alphacypermethrin,
      lambdacypermethrin and K-O tab susceptibility status in a bedbug population
      collected from Magugu area in northern Tanzania. The evolution of insecticide
      resistance could be a primary factor in explaining this resurgence of bedbugs in
      many areas, both rural and urban. Evaluation of the bedbug population from houses
      in Magugu indicates that the population of bedbugs is susceptible to pyrethroid
      insecticides, which are commonly used. Without the development of new tactics for
      bedbug resistance management, further escalation of this public health problem
      should be expected when resistant gene spreads within the population. These
      results suggest that although all concentrations kill bedbugs, more evaluations
      should be done using WHO kits and mechanisms involved in pyrethroid resistance
      should be evaluated, such as metabolic and knockdown resistance gene, to have a
      broad picture for better design of control methodologies.

PMID- 20300400
TI  - Antibiotic Sensitivity and Plasmid Profiles of Escherichia coli Isolated from
      Pediatric Diarrhea.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The emergence of drug resistance among diarrheagenic Escherichia coli
      (E. coli) in the pediatric population is an important cause of morbidity and
      mortality in developing countries. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Isolation and
      identification of E. coli strains from stool specimens are carried out according
      to standard techniques. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using
      disc-diffusion method. Plasmid profiling and conjugation experiments were done to
      analyze the antibiotic resistance transfer from one bacterium cell to another
      through plasmid. RESULTS: Out of 170 pediatric diarrheal samples, 105 (61.76%) E.
      coli strains were isolated. About 90% of E. coli strains were resistant to most
      of the antimicrobial agents tested. All the isolates were resistant to
      ampicillin, imipenem and cotrimoxazole and were sensitive to amikacin. The
      resistance to antibiotics shows 29 different antibiotic resistance patterns.
      About 67 (64%) strains of E. coli isolates harbored plasmids, and 51 (76.1%) of
      them were able to transfer their plasmids. The plasmid sizes ranged from 1.0 to
      25 kb, the most common plasmid of size 4.8 kb being detected in all the plasmid
      harbored E. coli strains. The results of transconjugation show that all the
      transconjugant colonies were carrying 4.8-kb plasmid and were resistant to
      ampicillin, imipenem and cotrimoxazole. CONCLUSION: There is an increase in the
      prevalence of drug resistance among E. coli isolates, and conjugal transfer of
      plasmids has greatly contributed to the rapid spread of antibiotic resistance
      among E. coli isolates.

PMID- 20300401
TI  - Anamnestic immune response to dengue and decreased severity of yellow Fever.
AB  - A protective immunity against yellow fever, from cross-reactive dengue
      antibodies, has been hypothesized as an explanation for the absence of yellow
      fever in Southern Asia where dengue immunity is almost universal. This study
      evaluates the association between protective immunity from cross-reactive dengue
      antibodies with yellow fever infection and severity of the disease. The study
      population consisted of military personnel of a jungle garrison and its
      detachments located in the Ecuadorian Amazonian rainforest. The cross-sectional
      study employed interviews as well as seroepidemiological methods. Humoral immune
      response to yellow fever, Mayaro, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, Oropouche, and
      dengue 2 infections was assessed by evaluating IgM and IgG specific antibodies.
      Log-linear regression analysis was used to evaluate age and presence of
      antibodies, against dengue type 2 virus, as predictors of yellow fever infection
      or severe disease. During the seroepidemiological survey, presence of dengue
      antibodies among yellow fever cases were observed in 77.3% cases from the coastal
      region, where dengue is endemic, 14.3% cases from the Amazon and 16.7 % cases
      from the Andean region. Dengue cross-reactive antibodies were not significantly
      associated with yellow fever infection but significantly associated with severity
      of the disease. The findings of this study suggest that previous exposure to
      dengue infection may have induced an anamnestic immune response that did not
      prevent yellow fever infection but greatly reduced the severity of the disease.

PMID- 20300402
TI  - Mitigation approaches to combat the flu pandemic.
AB  - Management of flu pandemic is a perpetual challenge for the medical fraternity
      since time immemorial. Animal to human transmission has been observed thrice in
      the last century within an average range of 11-39 years of antigenic recycling.
      The recent outbreak of influenza A (H1N1, also termed as swine flu), first
      reported in Mexico on April 26, 2009, occurred in the forty first year since last
      reported flu pandemic (July 1968). Within less than 50 days, it has assumed
      pandemic proportions (phase VI) affecting over 76 countries with 163
      deaths/35,928 cases (as on 15(th) June 2009). It indicated the re-emergence of
      genetically reassorted virus having strains endemic to humans, swine and avian
      (H5N1). The World Health Organisation (WHO) member states have already pulled up
      their socks and geared up to combat such criticalities. Earlier outbreaks of
      avian flu (H5N1) in different countries led WHO to develop pandemic preparedness
      strategies with national/regional plans on pandemic preparedness. Numerous
      factors related to climatic conditions, socio-economic strata, governance and
      sharing of information/logistics at all levels have been considered critical
      indicators in monitoring the dynamics of escalation towards a pandemic
      situation.The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Government of India,
      with the active cooperation of UN agencies and other stakeholders/experts has
      formulated a concept paper on role of nonhealth service providers during
      pandemics in April 2008 and released national guidelines - management of
      biological disasters in July 2008. These guidelines enumerate that the success of
      medical management endeavors like pharmaceutical (anti-viral Oseltamivir and
      Zanamivir therapies), nonpharmaceutical interventions and vaccination development
      etc., largely depends on level of resistance offered by mutagenic viral strain
      and rationale use of pharmaco therapeutic interventions. This article describes
      the mitigation approach to combat flu pandemic with its effective implementation
      at national, state and local levels.

PMID- 20300404
TI  - The Case of the Infection that Wasn't !
AB  - Eosinophilic esophagitis is an under-recognized inflammatory disorder of the
      esophagus. It has been frequently diagnosed in pediatric patients; however, over
      the last few years, there has been an increase in the number of cases recognized
      in adults as well. Despite this fact, eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) is often a
      delayed diagnosis in the primary care setting due to the overlapping symptoms it
      shares with other esophageal and gastrointestinal disorders such as
      gastroesophageal reflux disease and gastroenteritis, as well as a lack of
      awareness among physicians who see adult patients. We performed an exhaustive
      search of the literature, which revealed over 400 articles on EE; however, most
      were reported in gastroenterology or autoimmune specialty journals. We report a
      case of eosinophilic esophagitis in a 39-year-old man who presented with
      persistent epigastric abdominal pain and who was diagnosed via endoscopy and
      biopsy.

PMID- 20300403
TI  - The rise of an opportunistic infection called "Invasive Zygomycosis".
AB  - Invasive zygomycosis is a devastating fungal infection seen mostly in immune
      compromised patients. We present a case of a 48-year old diabetic man, with
      aplastic anemia, who developed severe pulmonary mucormycosis that led to his
      rapid demise despite early diagnosis and treatment with liposomal amphotericin B.
      We also conducted an extensive review of the pathogenesis of invasive
      zygomycosis, its history, predisposing factors, clinical aspects, diagnostic
      modalities, treatment options, morbidity and mortality.

PMID- 20300405
TI  - Biliary ascariasis on magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography.
AB  - A 17-year-old girl presented with features of biliary obstruction. Magnetic
      resonance cholangi-pancreatography revealed typical linear signals in common bile
      duct, which appears like Ascaris lumbricoides. The diagnosis was confirmed by
      endoscopic removal of the worm.

PMID- 20300406
TI  - Rhabdomyolysis in a Child Secondary to Staphylococcus aureus Endocarditis.
AB  - Rhabdomyolysis secondary to bacterial infection has only rarely been
      investigated, and there are case reports of the same mainly in adults. This
      article describes the first reported case of rhabdomyolysis in a child secondary
      to Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis. A 12-year-old child presented with
      myalgia, pyrexia and dark urine and was found to have infective endocarditis due
      to S. aureus.

PMID- 20300407
TI  - Periodontitis, a true infection.

PMID- 20300408
TI  - Urinary tract abscess in nephrectomized renal transplant recipient.

PMID- 20300409
TI  - Association of urinary tract infection in women with bacterial vaginosis.

PMID- 20300410
TI  - State of the Globe: Helicobacter pylori and Hepatitis C Together Hamper Health.

PMID- 20300411
TI  - Helicobacter pylori and Hepatitis C Virus Coinfection in Egyptian Patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a leading cause of end
      stage liver disease worldwide. It has been shown that Helicobacter pylori (H.
      pylori) plays an important role in chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease and
      gastric malignancies, and its eradication has been advocated. The association
      between H. pylori infection and liver cirrhosis in patients with hepatitis C
      virus has been documented in different parts of the world; nevertheless, no
      conclusive data is available in Egypt. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the present
      study, the status of H. pylori infection was sought in 90 patients with chronic
      HCV infection and in 66 HCV-free healthy controls. RESULTS: The study showed that
      the H. pylori positivity was increased significantly (P = 0.03) in the HCV
      infected patients when compared to that in healthy controls, where H. pylori
      infection was found in 50 (55.6%) out of 90 of the HCV-infected patients versus
      26 (39.4%) out of 66 of the healthy controls. In HCV-infected patients, the
      prevalence of H. pylori infection was increased significantly (P = 0.04) from
      chronic active hepatitis to cirrhosis. H. pylori infection was present in 6/18
      (33.3%), 10/21 (47.6%), 16/27 (59.3%), 18/24 (75.0%) patients with chronic active
      hepatitis, Child-Pugh score A, Child-Pugh score B and Child-Pugh score C,
      respectively. More importantly, the prevalence of H. pylori infection in HCV
      infected patients was increased very significantly (P = 0.003) with increasing
      Meld (model for end-stage liver disease) score. The prevalence of H. pylori was
      documented in 9/28 (32.1%) patients with Meld score >10 and in 41/62 (66.1%)
      patients with Meld score >10. CONCLUSION: It may be stated that our results
      collectively reflect a remarkable increase in H. pylori prevalence with advancing
      hepatic lesions, and the eradication treatment may prove beneficial in those
      patients with chronic hepatitis C.

PMID- 20300412
TI  - Reporting Emerging Resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae from India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are reports of emergence of resistant strains of S. pneumoniae
      showing resistance to penicillin from all over the world, and now, resistance to
      multiple drugs (multidrug-resistant strains) has been added to it. However,
      scanty reports are available so far from India, depicting such resistance. AIMS:
      The aim of the present study is to look for the prevalence of penicillin
      resistant pneumococci and also the multidrug-resistant strains among S.
      pneumoniae, isolated from respiratory specimens, in the coastal part of South
      India. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2008
      to December 2008, in our tertiary care center. Fifty pathogenic clinical isolates
      were collected from patients suffering from lower respiratory tract infections.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Penicillin resistance was screened by 1 mug oxacillin disk
      on Muller-Hinton blood agar followed by Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC)
      detection by the agar dilution method according to the Clinical Laboratory
      Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Antibiotic susceptibility for other
      antibiotics was carried out by the Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method followed by
      an E-test with HiComb test strips from Hi-media. RESULTS: Out of 50 isolates, 4%
      (95% Confidence Interval - 1.4, 9.4) showed total resistance to penicillin,
      whereas, 10% (95% CI; 1.6, 18.3) showed intermediate resistance. These penicillin
      resistant pneumococci (4%) were also found to be multidrug-resistant (MDR)
      strains. Maximum resistance was observed for cotrimoxazole and tetracycline (24%
      each with 95% CI; 12.2, 35.8) followed by erythromycin and ciprofloxacin (14%
      each with 95%CI; 4.4, 23.6). CONCLUSIONS: Increasing emergence of the resistant
      strains of S. pneumoniae in the community set up requires continuous monitoring
      and a restricted use of antibiotics to keep a check on its resistance pattern,
      for an effective treatment plan.

PMID- 20300413
TI  - Looking at Complicating Non-Biological Issues in Women with HIV.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The increasing number of women acquiring Human Immunodeficiency
      Virus (HIV) has resulted in a 'feminization' of the epidemic. In this article we
      are reviewing whether females are disadvantaged in the epidemic, due to factors
      independent of the biological differences in sexes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      searched MEDLINE and EMBASE for articles with key words 'Women', 'Gender,' and
      'HIV' in any field. The search was restricted to articles published in English
      within the last 10 years (1999-2009). Data were coded independently by two
      reviewers from 94 selected sources. The coded data were categorized under five
      commonly encountered concepts; violence, poverty, gender norms, prevention
      /treatment-related issues, and Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Treatment (HAART).
      RESULTS: The link between inter-partner violence (IPV) and HIV risk for women is
      observed by many authors. In assessing the link between poverty and HIV,
      indicators such as food insufficiency and income inequality may be better
      indicators compared to wealth itself. Although women are disadvantaged with male
      dominated gender norms, evidence suggests that the traditional norms are changing
      in many societies. A positive association between living in urban communities,
      education, and better HIV knowledge has been observed in females, although it is
      not always synonymous with reduced risk behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Women are still
      disadvantaged in many HIV-related issues such as poverty, violence, and gender
      norms. At least in Africa, there is evidence of a positive change in spheres of
      education and gender norms. However, the situation in Asia is largely unexplored.

PMID- 20300415
TI  - A novel tool for classification of epidemiological data of vector-borne diseases.
AB  - In this article we present a novel tool that renders efficient classification of
      epidemiological data of vector-borne diseases. This algorithm has been applied on
      the data of the Filariasis disease and the results are compared with the well
      known k-nearest neighbor algorithm.

PMID- 20300414
TI  - Hepatitis B vaccination status and needlestick injuries among healthcare workers
      in syria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although a majority of countries in the Middle East show intermediate
      or high endemicity of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, which clearly poses a
      serious public health problem in the region, the situation in the Republic of
      Syria remains unclear. The aim of this study is to determine the hepatitis B
      vaccination status, to assess the number of vaccinations administered, and to
      estimate the annual incidence of needlestick injuries (NSIs) among healthcare
      workers (HCWs) in Aleppo University hospitals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross
      sectional design with a survey questionnaire was used for exploring details of
      NSIs during 2008, hepatitis B vaccination status, and HBV infection among a
      random stratified sample of HCWs in three tertiary hospitals in Aleppo (n = 321).
      RESULTS: Two hundred and forty-six (76.6%) HCWs had sustained at least one NSI
      during 2008. Nine (2.8%) had HBV chronic infection and 75 HCWs (23.4%) were never
      vaccinated. Anesthesiology technicians had the greatest exposure risk when
      compared to office workers [OR = 16,95% CI (2.55-100), P < 0.01], doctors [OR =
      10,95% CI (2.1 47.57), P < 0.01], and nurses [OR = 6.75,95% CI (1.56-29.03), P =
      0.01]. HCWs under 25 and between the age of 25 and 35 years were at increased
      risk for NSI when compared to HCWs older than 45 years [OR = 3.12,95% CI (1.19
      8.19), P = 0.02] and [OR = 3.05,95% CI (1.42-6.57), P < 0.01], respectively.
      CONCLUSION: HCWs at Aleppo University hospitals are frequently exposed to blood
      borne infections. Precautions and protection from NSIs are important in
      preventing infection of HCWs. Education about the transmission of blood-borne
      infections, vaccination, and post-exposure prophylaxis must be implemented and
      strictly monitored.

PMID- 20300416
TI  - Rural Epidemiology of HIV Positive Tribal Patients from Chhattisgarh in India.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The primary objective was to study the epidemiology of Human
      Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) positive tribal patients, and the secondary
      objective was to study the associated comorbidities in a tertiary care hospital
      in the tribal (Bastar) region of Chhattisgarh, India, between December 2006 and
      November 2008, and their relation to CD4 counts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this
      study 90 tribal HIV positive subjects were enrolled. Information on demographics,
      that is, weight, height, age, educational status, sex, clinical finding, and
      laboratory parameters (CD4 counts) were noted. RESULTS: Among 90 HIV patients, 54
      (60%) were males and 36 (40%) were females. Among these, most patients, 37
      (41.1%), were in the age group of 30 to 39 years. Among these patients, 79.56%
      belonged to the lower socioeconomic status, whereas, only 1.45% were from a high
      socioeconomic status. The largest group was made up of drivers (32.2%), with the
      second largest group being housewives (27.7%) and laborers (17.7%), respectively.
      A majority of the patients had a low education, 35.5% were educated only up to
      the fifth standard and 31.8% up to high school, while 18.8% were illiterate. The
      predominant mode of transmission was heterosexual contact (78.8%), only one
      patient (1.1%) was infected through transfusion of infected blood, five (5.5%)
      patients acquired infection via vertical (mother to child) transmission, and in
      13 patients the transmission history was not clear. CONCLUSION: There was a high
      frequency of behavioral risk factors, together with unawareness, and very little
      health infrastructure, thus creating an impending risk for the rapid spread of
      HIV/AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).

PMID- 20300417
TI  - Recommendations for control of East african sleeping sickness in Uganda.
AB  - East African sleeping sickness, caused by Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, is
      prominent in Uganda and poses a serious public health challenge in the region.
      This publication attempts to provide key components for designing a strategy for
      a nationwide initiative to provide insecticide-treatment of the animal reservoir
      to control T. b. rhodesiense. The contents of this article will focus on
      insecticide-based vector control strategies, monitoring and evaluation framework,
      and knowledge gaps required for future initiatives.

PMID- 20300419
TI  - Oral sex, oral health and orogenital infections.
AB  - Oral sex is commonly practiced by sexually active male-female and same-gender
      couples of various ages, including adolescents. The various type of oral sex
      practices are fellatio, cunnilingus and analingus. Oral sex is infrequently
      examined in research on adolescents; oral sex can transmit oral, respiratory, and
      genital pathogens. Oral health has a direct impact on the transmission of
      infection; a cut in your mouth, bleeding gums, lip sores or broken skin increases
      chances of infection. Although oral sex is considered a low risk activity, it is
      important to use protection and safer sex precautions. There are various methods
      of preventing infection during oral sex such as physical barriers, health and
      medical issues, ethical issues and oral hygiene and dental issues. The lesions or
      unhealthy periodontal status of oral cavity accelerates the phenomenon of
      transmission of infections into the circulation. Thus consequences of unhealthy
      or painful oral cavity are significant and oral health should be given paramount
      importance for the practice of oral sex.

PMID- 20300418
TI  - Revisiting Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infections.
AB  - Within less than 50 years, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
      made a tremendous impact worldwide. It is not limited to medical facilities and
      healthcare institutions anymore. Indeed since two decades, cases of MRSA
      infections arising from the community among apparently healthy individuals are
      increasing. In this paper, I will present a case of community-associated MRSA
      sepsis followed by a comprehensive review about the history, pathogenesis,
      epidemiology, clinical presentations, diagnostic modalities, therapeutic options,
      contributing factors, growing cost and other pertinent elements of this newly
      evolving epidemic of MRSA infections.

PMID- 20300420
TI  - Cryptococcal osteomyelitis in the ribs.
AB  - Isolated cryptococcal osteomyelitis, in an immunocompetent, is rare and only a
      few cases have been reported in literature. We present the case of a 30-year-old
      man presented with pain on the left side of chest with fever and gradually
      increasing swelling in left lateral lower aspect of chest. Investigation revealed
      a lytic lesion in the anterior end of left 6(th) rib with normal CD4 count. He
      was tested negative for HIV antigen. Excision of the sixth rib, morphologically
      revealed cryptococcal osteomyelitis and the patient was given anti-fungal
      treatment for six months.

PMID- 20300421
TI  - Trigeminal Neuralgia in an HIV Patient.
AB  - Trigeminal neuralgia is a painful condition affecting face. Its commonest cause
      is the tortuous vessels in prepontine cistern. There are other causes also, like
      brainstem lesions and mass lesions, as well as inflammatory causes. We present a
      case of an HIV patient with marked involvement of trigeminal nerves, which is a
      unique finding in immunocompromised patients.

PMID- 20300422
TI  - Enterococcal Cerebellopontine Angle Abscess in a 12-year-old Female.
AB  - Despite advances in imaging and antibiotic treatment, brain abscess is still
      encountered occasionally. Various aerobic and anaerobic bacteria have been
      reported as causative agents of brain abscess but only a few cases of
      enterococcal brain abscesses have been reported. Here we report a case of brain
      abscess in a 12-year-old female patient, who presented with a history of fever,
      chills, headache, convulsions since seven days and history of altered sensorium
      and aphasia since the last two days. The patient had chronic suppurative otitis
      media of both ears following trauma and presented with ear discharge. The
      diagnosis of brain abscess was done by computerized tomography scan and the pus
      was aspirated by left suboccipital burr hole operation. Enterococcus species was
      cultured from the aspirated pus sample. The patient responded to surgical
      drainage and antibiotic treatment.

PMID- 20300423
TI  - Pharyngeal histoplasmosis presenting as a tumor mass in an immunocompetent host.

PMID- 20300424
TI  - Tubercular infection presenting as sinus over ankle joint after knee replacement
      surgery.

PMID- 20300425
TI  - Acute myocardial infarction in a hospital cohort of malaria.

PMID- 20300426
TI  - Fulminant nonocclusive mesenteric ischemia just after hip arthroplasty.
AB  - Nonocclusive mesenteric ischemia (NOMI) is not a rare clinical entity in
      intensive medicine, and it can be a consequence of several clinical or surgical
      situations. This pathology results from reduced intestinal microvascular blood
      supply associated with an acute inflammatory process, culminating with bowel
      necrosis. This is a case on a female patient who developed immediate postsurgical
      NOMI following hip arthroplasty and died. Since diagnosis of this potentially
      fatal condition remains a dilemma, NOMI should always be considered an eventual
      postoperative complication in high-risk surgical patients such as elderly
      individuals with previous history of nicotine abuse, congestive heart failure,
      and essential hypertension. The present paper highlights the importance of early
      diagnosis and prompt adequate treatment of NOMI in subjects with diminished
      cardiac output and severe abdominal pain.

PMID- 20300428
TI  - Intraosseous hemangioma of the inferior turbinate.
AB  - The nasal cavity harbors an enormous variety of neoplasms, including epithelial
      and mesenchymal tumors. Hemangioma is an infrequent mesenchymal tumor of the
      nasal cavity, mostly arising in the mucosa and rarely in the bones. We describe
      the case of a 73-year-old woman who was referred to our hospital with a tumor in
      her left nasal cavity. The tumor originated from the left inferior turbinate.
      Histological examination subsequent to complete excision revealed that the tumor
      was an intraosseous cavernous hemangioma. To our knowledge, this is the second
      case of intraosseous hemangioma of the inferior turbinate reported in the English
      literature.

PMID- 20300427
TI  - ICAM-1 clustering on endothelial cells recruits VCAM-1.
AB  - In the initial stages of transendothelial migration, leukocytes use the
      endothelial integrin ligands ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 for strong adhesion. Upon adhesion
      of the leukocyte to endothelial ICAM-1, ICAM-1 is clustered and recruited to the
      adhered leukocyte, promoting strong adhesion. In this study, we provide evidence
      for the colocalization of VCAM-1 at sites of ICAM-1 clustering. Anti-ICAM-1
      antibody-coated beads were used to selectively cluster and recruit ICAM-1 on
      primary human endothelial cells. In time, co-localization of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1
      around the adherent beads was observed. Biochemical pull-down assays showed that
      ICAM-1 clustering induced its association to VCAM-1, suggesting a physical link
      between these two adhesion molecules. The association was partly dependent on
      lipid rafts as well as on F-actin and promoted adhesion. These data show that
      VCAM-1 can be recruited, in an integrin-independent fashion, to clustered ICAM-1
      which may serve to promote ICAM-1-mediated leukocyte adhesion.

PMID- 20300430
TI  - The Effectiveness of an After-school Program Targeting Urban African American
      Youth.
AB  - The present study reports on the effectiveness at one-year follow-up of an after
      school prevention program targeting 6(th) grade African American youth residing
      in high-risk urban areas. The program, conducted on-site over the school-year
      period, involved a group mentoring approach emphasizing remedial education and an
      appreciation of African American cultural heritage in promoting school bonding,
      social skills development, and greater academic achievement. Behavioral and
      adjustment outcome data were obtained from two participating middle-school sites
      (intervention and comparison, involving 237 and 241 students, respectively)
      serving essentially equivalent urban communities. Results of the study revealed
      significant effects for academic achievement and behavior in terms of grade point
      average and teacher ratings that favored students at the intervention site. At
      this site, greater participation of parents in the intervention program was found
      to be positively related to improvement of the children in grade point average.
      No differential site-related changes in negative behavior were observed.

PMID- 20300429
TI  - Cytokines and their STATs in cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis.
AB  - Cytokines play a critical role in shaping the host immune response to Leishmania
      infection and directing the development of protective and non-protective
      immunities during infection. Cytokines exert their biological activities through
      the activation and translocation of transcription factors into the nucleus
      whether they drive the expression of specific cytokine-responsive genes. Signal
      transducer and activator of transcription (STATs) are transcription factors which
      play a critical role in mediating signaling downstream of cytokine receptors and
      are important for shaping the host immune response during Leishmania infection.
      Here we discuss the signature cytokines and their associated STATs involved in
      the host immune response during cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis.

PMID- 20300431
TI  - Who wins and who loses? Public transfer accounts for US generations born 1850 to
      2090.
AB  - Public transfer programs in industrial nations are thought to benefit the elderly
      through pension and health care programs at the expense of the young and future
      generations. However, this intergenerational picture changes if public education
      is also considered as a transfer program. We calculate the net present value
      (NPV) of benefits received minus taxes paid for US generations born 1850 to 2090.
      Surprisingly, all generations 1950 to 2050 are net gainers, while many current
      elderly are losers. Windfall gains from starting Social Security and Medicare
      partially offset windfall losses from starting public education, roughly
      consistent with the Becker-Murphy theory.

PMID- 20300432
TI  - An unusual clinical presentation of merkel cell carcinoma: a case report.
AB  - Introduction. Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare, aggressive neuroendocrine cell
      carcinoma arising in the sun-exposed skin of elderly patients. Most of these
      tumors are located in the dermis. An unusual clinical presentation of such a
      tumor in the subcutis, if not biopsied, may be easily mistaken as a benign
      lesion. Case Presentation. An 83-year-old white woman presented with a several
      month history of a painless 7 mm subcutaneous mass that was initially thought to
      be a lipoma. A conservative follow-up was planned. At the insistence of the
      patient, an excisional biopsy of the mass was performed revealing a subcutaneous
      Merkel cell carcinoma. The tumor cells stained positively for CK 20,
      chromogranin, and synaptophysin. No other primary or metastatic tumors found
      after a thorough work-up. The patient was treated with local irradiation. She
      remains disease free at her six-month follow-up visit. Conclusion. When a new
      growth is encountered in the sun-exposed skin of elderly patients, a biopsy is
      warranted even if the lesion clinically appears benign.

PMID- 20300433
TI  - Endonuclease IV is the main base excision repair enzyme involved in DNA damage
      induced by UVA radiation and stannous chloride.
AB  - Stannous chloride (SnCl(2)) and UVA induce DNA lesions through ROS. The aim of
      this work was to study the toxicity induced by UVA preillumination, followed by
      SnCl(2) treatment. E. coli BER mutants were used to identify genes which could
      play a role in DNA lesion repair generated by these agents. The survival assays
      showed (i) The nfo mutant was the most sensitive to SnCl(2); (ii) lethal
      synergistic effect was observed after UVA pre-illumination, plus SnCl(2)
      incubation, the nfo mutant being the most sensitive; (iii) wild type and nfo
      mutants, transformed with pBW21 plasmid (nfo(+)) had their survival increased
      following treatments. The alkaline agarose gel electrophoresis assays pointed
      that (i) UVA induced DNA breaks and fpg mutant was the most sensitive; (ii)
      SnCl(2)-induced DNA strand breaks were higher than those from UVA and nfo mutant
      had the slowest repair kinetics; (iii) UVA + SnCl(2) promoted an increase in DNA
      breaks than SnCl(2) and, again, nfo mutant displayed the slowest repair kinetics.
      In summary, Nfo protects E. coli cells against damage induced by SnCl(2) and UVA
      + SnCl(2).

PMID- 20300434
TI  - Vaccines against human carcinomas: strategies to improve antitumor immune
      responses.
AB  - Multiple observations in preclinical and clinical studies support a role for the
      immune system in controlling tumor growth and progression. Various components of
      the innate and adaptive immune response are able to mediate tumor cell
      destruction; however, certain immune cell populations can also induce a protumor
      environment that favors tumor growth and the development of metastasis. Moreover,
      tumor cells themselves are equipped with various mechanisms that allow them to
      evade surveillance by the immune system. The goal of cancer vaccines is to induce
      a tumor-specific immune response that ultimately will reduce tumor burden by
      tipping the balance from a protumor to an antitumor immune environment. This
      review discusses common mechanisms that govern immune cell activation and tumor
      immune escape, and some of the current strategies employed in the field of cancer
      vaccines aimed at enhancing activation of tumor-specific T-cells with concurrent
      reduction of immunosuppression.

PMID- 20300435
TI  - Extracorporeal immunoglobulin elimination for the treatment of severe myasthenia
      gravis.
AB  - Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a neuromuscular disorder leading to fluctuating muscle
      weakness and fatigue. Rarely, long-term stabilization is not possible through the
      use of thymectomy or any known drug therapy. We present our experience with
      extracorporeal immunoglobulin (Ig) elimination by immunoadsorption (adsorbers
      with human Ig antibodies). Acetylcholine receptor antibodies (AChRAs) were
      measured during long-term monitoring (4.7 +/- 2.9 years; range 1.1-8.0). A total
      of 474 samples (232 pairs) were analyzed, and a drop in AChRA levels was observed
      (P = .025). The clinical status of patients improved and stabilized. Roughly 6.8%
      of patients experienced clinically irrelevant side effects. The method of Ig
      elimination by extracorporeal immunoadsorption (IA) is a clinical application of
      the recent biotechnological advances. It offers an effective and safe therapy for
      severe MG even when the disease is resistant to standard therapy.

PMID- 20300437
TI  - Identification of four Entamoeba histolytica organellar DNA polymerases of the
      family B and cellular localization of the Ehodp1 gene and EhODP1 protein.
AB  - We report the identification of a family of four active genes (Ehodp1, Ehodp2,
      Ehodp3, and Ehodp4) encoding putative DNA polymerases in Entamoeba histolytica,
      the protozoan parasite responsible of human amoebiasis. The four Ehodp genes show
      similarity to DNA polymerases encoded in fungi and plant mitochondrial plasmids.
      EhODP polypeptides conserve the 3'-5' exonuclease II and 5'-3' polymerization
      domains, and they have the I, II, and III conserved boxes that characterize them
      as DNA polymerases of family B. Furthermore, we found in EhODP polymerases two
      novel A and B boxes, present also in DNA polymerases encoded in fungi
      mitochondrial plasmids. By in situ PCR, Ehodp1 gene was located in nuclei and in
      DNA-containing cytoplasmic structures. Additionally, using polyclonal antibodies
      against a recombinant rEhODP1-168 polypeptide, and confocal microscopy, EhODP1
      was located in cytoplasmic DNA-containing structures.

PMID- 20300436
TI  - Skeletal muscle insulin resistance in endocrine disease.
AB  - We summarize the existing literature data concerning the involvement of skeletal
      muscle (SM) in whole body glucose homeostasis and the contribution of SM insulin
      resistance (IR) to the metabolic derangements observed in several endocrine
      disorders, including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), adrenal disorders and
      thyroid function abnormalities. IR in PCOS is associated with a unique
      postbinding defect in insulin receptor signaling in general and in SM in
      particular, due to a complex interaction between genetic and environmental
      factors. Adrenal hormone excess is also associated with disrupted insulin action
      in peripheral tissues, such as SM. Furthermore, both hyper- and hypothyroidism
      are thought to be insulin resistant states, due to insulin receptor and
      postreceptor defects. Further studies are definitely needed in order to unravel
      the underlying pathogenetic mechanisms. In summary, the principal mechanisms
      involved in muscle IR in the endocrine diseases reviewed herein include abnormal
      phosphorylation of insulin signaling proteins, altered muscle fiber composition,
      reduced transcapillary insulin delivery, decreased glycogen synthesis, and
      impaired mitochondrial oxidative metabolism.

PMID- 20300438
TI  - Enhanced muscle growth by plasmid-mediated delivery of myostatin propeptide.
AB  - Myostatin is a member of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta)
      superfamily that functions as a negative regulator of skeletal muscle development
      and growth. Myostatin blockade therefore offers a strategy for promoting muscle
      growth in livestock production without resorting to genetic manipulation. In this
      report, we examined the effect of myostatin inhibition by plasmid-mediated
      delivery of a mutant myostatin propeptide (MProD76A), a natural inhibitor of
      myostatin, on the growth performance of mice. A significant increase in skeletal
      muscle mass was observed after a single intramuscular injection of naked plasmid
      DNA encoding MProD76A into mice. Enhanced muscle growth occurred because of
      myofiber hypertrophy, but no cardiac muscle hypertrophy and organomegaly was
      observed in the mice after myostatin inhibition by plasmid-mediated MProD76A
      delivery. These results demonstrate a promising approach to enhancing muscle
      growth that warrants further investigation in domestic animals.

PMID- 20300439
TI  - Anti-inflammatory effects of Inonotus obliquus in colitis induced by dextran
      sodium sulfate.
AB  - A total of 28 male BALB/c mice (average weight 20.7 +/- 1.6 g) were divided into
      4 treatment groups and fed a commercial diet (A), a commercial diet + induced
      colitis by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) (B), Inonotus obliquus (IO)
      administration (C), and IO administration + induced colitis by DSS (D). IO
      treatment (C, D) decreased the expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha
      and signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT)1 compared to those
      of the colitis induced group (B). The expressions of IL-4 and STAT6 were
      decreased in group D compared to the colitis induced group (B). The serum
      immunoglobulin (Ig)E level decreased in IO treatment groups (C, D) compared to no
      IO treatment groups (A and B) although there was no significant difference
      between the IO treatment groups. Extract from IO itself had a weak cytotoxic
      effect on murine macrophage cell line (RAW264.7 cells). Extract from IO inhibited
      lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced, TNF-alpha, STAT1, pSTAT1, STAT6, and pSTAT6
      production in RAW264.7 cells.

PMID- 20300440
TI  - Wealth Accumulation and the Health of Union Army Veterans, 1860-1870.
AB  - How did the wartime health of Union Army recruits affect their wealth
      accumulation through 1870? Wounds and exposure to combat had strong negative
      effects on subsequent savings, as did illnesses while in the service. The impact
      of poor health was particularly strong for unskilled workers. Health was a
      powerful determinant of nineteenth-century economic mobility. Infectious
      diseases' influences on wealth accumulation suggest that the economic gains from
      the improvement of the disease environment should be enormous. The direct
      economic costs of the Civil War were probably much greater than previously
      thought, given the persistent adverse health effects of wartime experiences.

PMID- 20300441
TI  - SU-8-based immunoisolative microcontainer with nanoslots defined by nanoimprint
      lithography.
AB  - Cells can secrete biotherapeutic molecules that can replace or restore host
      function. The transplantation of such cells is a promising therapeutic modality
      for the treatment of several diseases including type 1 diabetes mellitus. These
      cellular grafts are encapsulated in semipermeable and immunoisolative membranes
      to protect them from the host immune system, while allowing the transport of
      nutrients and small molecules that are required for cell survival and function.
      The authors report on SU-8-based biocompatible immunoisolative cuboid
      microcontainers for cell transplantation. Each microcontainer comprises a
      300*300*250 or a 1100*1100*250 MUm(3) SU-8 hollowed cuboid base that houses the
      cells and an optically transparent SU-8-based nanoporous lid that closes the
      device. The hollowed cuboid base was formed by conventional optical lithography
      to have 8 nl (200*200*200 MUm(3)) encapsulation volume for cellular payload. The
      lid comprises a thick SU-8 slab with an array of cylindrical wells, whose bottom
      surface is sealed with a thin nanoporous SU-8 membrane. The nanoporous membrane
      was created from a 100 nm grating (width and spacing) initial silicon mold
      subjected to a repeated cycle of oxidation and wet etching to achieve a 20 nm
      wide and 200 nm pitch nano silicon grating. Nanoimprinting and oblique-angle
      metal deposition, followed by inductively coupled plasma etching were utilized to
      create 15 nm wide and 350-450 nm deep nanoslots in the thin SU-8 membrane.
      Isolated mouse islets were encapsulated in the hollowed cuboid base and the
      nanoporous lid was assembled on top. The penetration of large and small molecules
      into the microcontainer was observed with fluorescence.

PMID- 20300442
TI  - Hippocampal amnesia disrupts verbal play and the creative use of language in
      social interaction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While the neural substrates and cognitive components of creativity
      have received considerable attention in cognitive neuroscience, the creative use
      of language in social interaction has been less well studied. As part of a
      broader program of research on language-and-memory-in-use in individuals with
      hippocampal amnesia, we analyzed verbal play, a creative use of language that is
      pervasive in everyday communicative interaction.  AIMS: To identify instances of
      creative uses of language in the protocols of social and collaborative
      interactions, to characterize the qualitative nature, and to determine the
      frequency of these interactions initiated by participants with hippocampal
      amnesia vs. comparison participants in order to ascertain whether amnesia impairs
      this aspect of social communication.  METHODS AND PROCEDURES: This study uses
      quantitative group comparisons and detailed discourse analysis to analyze verbal
      play in the interactional discourse sessions of 4 participants with hippocampal
      amnesia and 4 healthy (demographically matched) comparison participants, each
      interacting with a familiar partner while completing a collaborative referencing
      task and with a researcher between task trials.  RESULTS: All participants used
      verbal play. However, significantly fewer episodes were initiated in sessions
      with amnesia participants (312) and by participants with amnesia themselves (187)
      than in sessions with comparison participants (572) and by comparison
      participants (395). No significant group differences were observed for
      interactional forms, resources, or functions. Qualitative differences were also
      observed in amnesia sessions (e.g., more rotely produced episodes, lack of
      thematically linked episodes).  CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that
      hippocampal amnesia disrupts the creative use of language in social interaction
      and accord with our previous work pointing to impairments in language-and-memory
      in-use more broadly. These findings highlight the interdependence of language and
      memory especially in the interactional aspects of communication.

PMID- 20300443
TI  - Asymmetric total syntheses of (+)- and (-)-versicolamide B and biosynthetic
      implications.
AB  - The Diels-Alder reaction is one of the most well-studied, synthetically useful
      organic transformations. While a significant number of naturally occurring
      substances are postulated to arise by biosynthetic Diels-Alder reactions,
      rigorous confirmation of a mechanistically distinct natural Diels-Alderase enzyme
      remains elusive. Within this context, several related fungi within the
      Aspergillus genus produce a number of metabolites of opposite absolute
      configuration including (+)- or (-)-versicolamide B. These alkaloids are
      hypothesized to arise via biosynthetic Diels-Alder reactions implying that each
      Aspergillus species possesses enantiomerically distinct Diels-Alderases. Herein,
      experimental validation of these biosynthetic proposals via deployment of the
      IMDA reaction as a key step in the asymmetric total syntheses of (+)- and (-)
      versicolamide B is described. Laboratory validation of the proposed biosynthetic
      Diels-Alder construction, coupled with the secondary metabolite profile of the
      producing fungi, reveals that each Aspergillus species has evolved
      enantiomerically distinct indole oxidases, as well as enantiomerically distinct
      Diels-Alderases.

PMID- 20300444
TI  - A Glimpse into Urban Middle Schools on Probation for "Persistently Dangerous"
      Status: Identifying Malleable Predictors of Fighting.
AB  - The No Child Left Behind Act requires state boards of education to identify
      schools that are unsafe. Schools that are identified by measures such as
      suspension and expulsion rates are subsequently labeled "persistently dangerous."
      To our knowledge there is no published research that attempts to characterize
      fighting behavior among youth who may attend schools designated as "persistently
      dangerous." Two hundred and thirteen sixth grade African American boys and girls
      attending two urban middle schools on probation for "persistently dangerous"
      status were examined to investigate differences in demographic characteristics of
      gender and age and predictor factors of non-parental adult mentorship, parental
      acceptance of fighting behavior, and peer fighting. These analyses suggest a
      relationship between the number of peers who fight, youth who believed their
      parents endorse fighting, and youth without non parental adult mentorship were
      more likely to fight. This study also indicates that regardless of school status
      there are modifiable predictors associated with early adolescent fighting.

PMID- 20300445
TI  - Nano-imaging with Storm.
AB  - Multicolour, three-dimensional stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy now
      makes it possible to image cellular structures with near molecular-scale
      resolution.

PMID- 20300446
TI  - Legal Consciousness and Responses to Sexual Harassment.
AB  - Studies of legal mobilization often focus on people who have perceived some
      wrong, but rarely consider the process that selects them into the pool of
      potential "mobilizers." Similarly, studies of victimization or targeting rarely
      go on to consider what people do about the wrong, or why some targets come
      forward and others remain silent. We here integrate sociolegal, feminist, and
      criminological theories in a conceptual model that treats experiencing sexual
      harassment and mobilizing in response to it as interrelated processes. We then
      link these two processes by modeling them as jointly determined outcomes and
      examine their connections using interviews with a subset of our survey
      respondents. Our results suggest that targets of harassment are selected, in
      part, because they are least likely to tell others about the experience.
      Strategies that workers employ to cope with and confront harassment are also
      discussed. We find that traditional formal/informal dichotomies of mobilization
      responses may not fully account for the range of ways individuals respond to
      harassment, and we propose a preliminary typology of responses.

PMID- 20300447
TI  - Products, Partners & Public Health: Transfer of Biomedical Technologies from the
      U.S. Government.
AB  - The United States (U.S.) leads the world in government support for non-military
      research and development (R&D), especially support for work that directly relates
      to health and human development. A focal point for such investments to date in
      biomedical research has been the National Institutes of Health (NIH), receiving
      $23.3 billion in fiscal year 2002. Whether internal or externally based, the
      biomedical research performed has led to a large variety of novel basic, and
      clinical research discoveries - all of which generally require commercial
      partners in order to develop them into products for hospital, physician or
      patient use. This article describes the role of the NIH, including ways in which
      it works with corporate partners or licensees to commercialize its funded
      research into products in order to help fulfill it mission as a healthcare agency
      within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

PMID- 20300448
TI  - SEGMENTATION OF 3D DEFORMABLE OBJECTS WITH LEVEL SET BASED PRIOR MODELS.
AB  - We propose a level set based deformable model for the segmentation of multiple
      objects from 3D medical images using shape prior constraints. As an extension to
      the level set distribution model of object shape presented in [1][2][3], this
      paper evaluates the performance of the level set representation of the object
      shape by comparing it with the point distribution model(PDM)[4] using the Chi
      square test. We define a Maximum A Posteriori(MAP) estimation model using level
      set based prior information to realize the segmentation of the multiple objects.
      To achieve this, only one level set function is employed as the representation of
      the multiple objects of interest within the image. We then define the probability
      distribution over the variations of objects contained in a set of training
      images. We found the algorithm to be computationally efficent, robust to noise,
      able to handle multidimensional data, and avoids the need for explicit point
      correspondences during the training phase. Results and validation from various
      experiments on 2D/3D medical images are demonstrated.

PMID- 20300450
TI  - Struct-NB: predicting protein-RNA binding sites using structural features.
AB  - We analyse sequence and structural features of protein-RNA interfaces using RB
      147, a non-redundant dataset of protein-RNA complexes extracted from the PDB. We
      train classifiers using machine learning algorithms to predict protein-RNA
      interfaces from sequence and structure-derived features of proteins. Our
      experiments show that Struct-NB, a Naive Bayes classifier that exploits
      structural features, outperforms its counterparts that use only sequence features
      to predict protein-RNA binding residues.

PMID- 20300449
TI  - Personalizing HER2-targeted therapy in metastatic breast cancer beyond HER2
      status: what we have learned from clinical specimens.
AB  - HER2 is over-expressed in approximately 25% to 30% of human metastatic breast
      cancers, primarily due to gene amplification. There are currently two HER2
      targeted therapies approved for clinical use, the monoclonal HER2 antibody
      trastuzumab and the EGFR/HER2 dual tyrosine kinase inhibitor lapatinib. Although
      both agents show clinical benefit in a subset of patients with metastatic breast
      cancer, many patients with HER2-over-expressing metastatic breast tumors do not
      respond to these agents. Furthermore, those who do show an initial response
      generally demonstrate disease progression, on average in less than one year. It
      has become clear that HER2 expression status alone does not adequately predict
      response to HER2-targeted therapy. Identification and clinical validation of
      molecular predictors of response to trastuzumab and lapatinib is critical for
      further personalizing treatment and improving clinical benefit for patients whose
      tumors over-express HER2. In this review, we discuss published data describing
      potential predictors of response or resistance to trastuzumab and lapatinib.
      While a discussion of the preclinical work is provided, the emphasis is placed on
      potential predictors that have been studied in clinical specimens such as tumor
      tissue or serum obtained from patients treated with HER2-targeted therapy. The
      present analysis and synthesis of the available literature therefore contribute
      towards an emerging knowledgebase to personalize breast cancer treatment taking
      into factors including but beyond HER2 expression.

PMID- 20300451
TI  - High Frequency Measurements of Viscoelastic Properties of Hydrogels for Vocal
      Fold Regeneration.
AB  - This report describes a torsional wave experiment used to measure the
      viscoelastic properties of vocal fold tissues and soft materials over the range
      of phonation frequencies. A thin cylindrical sample is mounted between two
      hexagonal plates. The assembly is enclosed in an environmental chamber to
      maintain the temperature and relative humidity at in vivo conditions. The bottom
      plate is subjected to small oscillations by means of a galvanometer driven by a
      frequency generator that steps through a sequence of frequencies. At each
      frequency, measured rotations of the top and bottom plates are used to determine
      the ratio of the amplitudes of the rotations of the two plates. Comparisons of
      the frequency dependence of this ratio with that predicted for torsional waves in
      a linear viscoelastic material allows the storage modulus and the loss angle, in
      shear, to be calculated by a best-fit procedure. Experimental results are
      presented for hydrogels that are being examined as potential materials for vocal
      fold regeneration.

PMID- 20300452
TI  - Role of Place of Residence on Drinking and Driving among Students in a Hispanic
      Serving University.
AB  - This study describes the role of place of residence on drinking and driving among
      students in a large Hispanic-serving institution. The National College Health
      Assessment survey was administered during the fall of 2004. 1130 randomly
      selected students completed this anonymous questionnaire. Hispanic students were
      less likely to drive after drinking compared to non-Hispanic white students, but
      Hispanic students were more likely to live with parents (55%) compared with non
      Hispanic white students (22%). After adjusting for the place of residence, there
      were no significant differences in drinking and driving between Hispanics and non
      Hispanic white students. Therefore, in part, lower levels of driving after
      drinking among Hispanic students was mediated by current place of residence.
      However, the impact of living with parents was not significant among heavy
      alcohol users.

PMID- 20300453
TI  - Single-Vesicle Fusion Assay Reveals Munc18-1 Binding to the SNARE Core Is
      Sufficient for Stimulating Membrane Fusion.
AB  - Munc18, an essential regulatory protein for intracellular membrane fusion
      mediated by SNAREs, is known for stabilizing the closed conformation of syntaxin
      through the interaction with the N-terminal Habc domain (amino acids 28-146) of
      syntaxin. In addition, Munc18 accelerates membrane fusion and its interaction
      with SNARE core and the N-peptide (amino acids 1-24) of syntaxin is thought to be
      necessary for this function. Using the recently developed fluorescence resonance
      energy transfer assay to detect the fusion between two individual vesicles
      harboring cognate SNARE proteins, we studied the effect of Munc18 on the fusion
      induced by neuronal SNARE proteins by following the mixing of lipid molecules
      between the two vesicles. We found that Munc18-1 stimulates neuronal SNARE
      mediated fusion not only with full-length syntaxin 1A but also with a truncated
      syntaxin 1A that is missing both the Habc domain and the N-peptide. The electron
      paramagnetic resonance analysis indicates that the SNARE core/Munc18 interaction
      is responsible for this stimulatory function and the membrane plays a role for
      establishing this interaction.

PMID- 20300454
TI  - Use of alternative tobacco products in multiethnic youth from Jujuy, Argentina.
AB  - This study examines alternative tobacco use among Latin American youth. A self
      administered survey in a random sample of 27 schools was administered in 2004 in
      Jujuy, Argentina (N = 3218). Prevalence of alternative tobacco product use was
      24.1%; 15.3% of youth used hand-rolled cigarettes, 7.8% smoked cigars, 2.3%
      chewed tobacco leaf and 1.6% smoked pipe. Among youth who never smoked
      manufactured cigarettes, alternative product use was rare (2.9%), except for
      chewing tobacco (22%). In multivariate logistic regression boys were more likely
      than girls to smoke pipe (OR = 3.1; 95% CI 1.1-8.7); indigenous language was
      associated with smoking hand-rolled cigarettes (OR = 1.4; 95% CI-1.1-1.9) and
      pipe (OR = 2.2; 95% CI 1.5-3.4). Working in tobacco sales was a risk factor for
      chewing tobacco (OR = 2.9; 95% CI: 1.7-4.9) and smoking hand-rolled cigarettes
      (OR = 1.4; 95% CI 1.1-1.8). Having friends who smoked was associated with chewing
      tobacco (OR = 1.8; 95% CI 1.0-3.2) and with smoking cigars (OR = 2.1; 95% CI 1.5
      2.9). Current drinking and thrill-seeking orientation were associated with cigars
      and pipe smoking. Findings highlight the importance of surveillance of
      alternative tobacco products use and availability among youth and for addressing
      identified risk factors.

PMID- 20300456
TI  - N-alkyl-N-(phosphonoethyl) substituted (meth)acrylamides - new adhesive monomers
      for self-etching self-priming one part dental adhesive.
AB  - Novel N-alkyl-N-(phosphonoethyl) substituted mono-, bis- and
      tris(meth)acrylamides 3 were synthesized by two different three-step reactions
      and characterized by IR, (1)H NMR and (13)C NMR spectroscopy as well as
      refractive index and viscosity. The phosphonoethyl substituted (meth)acrylamide
      monomers show improved hydrolytic stability compared to carboxylic esters. The
      highest stability was found for the phosphonoethyl substituted acrylamide
      monomers. Acrylamides have a larger polymerization enthalpy ranging from -50 to 
      70 kJ.mol-1 per double bond compared to methacrylamides which show -8.57 to -25.1
      kJ.mol-1 per double bond. Depending on their structure (meth)acrylamides 3
      exhibit an adhesion to enamel and dentin up to 19.5 MPa. The monomer 3c shows the
      highest adhesion values to both substrates, namely 15.3 +/- 3.4 MPa to enamel and
      18.5 +/- 2.3 MPa to dentin.

PMID- 20300455
TI  - Regulation of P-glycoprotein in renal proximal tubule epithelial cells by LPS and
      TNF-alpha.
AB  - During endotoxemia, the ATP-dependent drug efflux pump P-glycoprotein (Abcb1/P
      gp) is upregulated in kidney proximal tubule epithelial cells. The signaling
      pathway through which lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or tumor necrosis factor-alpha
      (TNF-alpha) regulates P-gp expression and activity was investigated further in
      the present study. Exposure of rat kidney proximal tubule cells to TNF-alpha
      alone or TNF-alpha and LPS increased P-gp gene and protein expression levels and
      efflux activity, suggesting de novo P-gp synthesis. Upon exposure to TNF-alpha in
      combination with LPS, P-gp activity in renal proximal tubule cells is increased
      under influence of nitric oxide (NO) produced by inducible NO synthase. Upon
      exposure to TNF-alpha alone, P-gp upregulation seems to involve TLR4 activation
      and nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) translocation, a pathway that is likely
      independent of NO. These findings indicate that at least two pathways regulate P
      gp expression in the kidney during endotoxemia.

PMID- 20300457
TI  - Ring-alkyl connecting group effect on mesogenic properties of p-carborane
      derivatives and their hydrocarbon analogues.
AB  - The effect of the phenyl-alkyl connecting group on mesogenic properties of
      several series of isostructural compounds containing p-carborane (A and B),
      bicyclo[2.2.2]octane (C), and benzene (D) was investigated using thermal and
      optical methods. Results demonstrated that mesophase stability in the series
      containing A-D follows the order (Alk)CH2CH2- < (Alk)OOC- < (Alk)CH2O- < (Alk)COO
      . Surprisingly, the connecting groups (Alk)CH2CH2- and (Alk)OOC- destabilize the
      mesophase significantly stronger for carboranes (A and B) than for carbocyclic
      derivatives (C and D). Analysis indicates that this effect may have quadrupolar
      and conformational origin.

PMID- 20300458
TI  - Low temperature enantiotropic nematic phases from V-shaped, shape-persistent
      molecules.
AB  - A series of V-shaped, shape-persistent thiadiazole nematogens, based on an
      oligo(phenylene ethynylene) scaffold with ester groups connected via alkyloxy
      spacers, was efficiently prepared by a two-step procedure. Phase engineering
      results in an optimum of the mesophase range and low melting temperature when the
      nematogens are desymmetrised with a butoxy and a heptyloxy spacer. The mesophases
      are enantiotropic and over the whole temperature range nematic. For the optimised
      mesogen structure, optical investigations by conoscopy monitored a uniaxial
      nematic phase upon cooling from the isotropic phase to room temperature (DeltaT =
      150 degrees  C). X-ray studies on magnetic-field-aligned samples of this mesogen
      family revealed a general pattern, indicating the alignment of two molecular axes
      along individual directors in the magnetic field. These observations may be
      rationalised with larger assemblies of V-shaped molecules isotropically
      distributed around the direction of the magnetic field.

PMID- 20300459
TI  - [3.3]Dithia-bridged cyclophanes featuring a thienothiophene ring: synthesis,
      structures and conformational analysis.
AB  - The synthesis of [3.3]dithia-bridged cyclophanes 7, 9 and 11 incorporating a
      fused heterocycle, thieno[2,3-b]thiophene is described. The structures are
      established by 1H NMR analysis and, in the case of 11, also by single crystal X
      ray crystallography. Conformational analysis by variable temperature NMR suggests
      that cyclophanes 7, 9 and 11 exhibit conformationally rigid bridges and rings at
      least up to 130 degrees  C. Energy minimization of 11 revealed anti-11 to be the
      most stable conformation. Although, the computed energy difference between the
      most stable conformation anti-11 and the next higher energy conformation syn-anti
      11 is only 2.98 kJ/mol, it is intriguing that 11 does not exhibit thia-bridge
      inversion even at elevated temperatures.

PMID- 20300460
TI  - 1-(4-Alkyloxybenzyl)-3-methyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium organic backbone: a versatile
      smectogenic moiety.
AB  - The merger of ionic liquid and liquid crystal fields, obtained by using the
      imidazolium ring as a common element, has allowed us to tailor a new set of
      materials which associate specific functionalities. These functionalities are
      consequences of the original properties of the component, ionic liquids, liquid
      crystals and their association in a single compound. The study of this
      interesting association led us to elaborate environment-flexible cationic
      architectures from which mesomorphic properties emerge. Moreover, we have also
      explored the influence of different anions on the mesomorphic properties.

PMID- 20300461
TI  - Influence of spacer chain lengths and polar terminal groups on the mesomorphic
      properties of tethered 5-phenylpyrimidines.
AB  - Based on 5-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-octylpyrimidine 8, 5-phenylpyrimidine derivatives
      3-7, 9 with different spacer chain lengths (C(2) up to C(6)) and different
      terminal polar groups (Br, Cl, N(3), OH, CN) were synthesized by etherification
      and nucleophilic substitution. The mesomorphic behaviour of these compounds was
      investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarizing optical
      microscopy (POM) and X-ray diffraction (WAXS and SAXS) and revealed smectic A
      mesophases for bromides, chlorides and azides 3, 4 and 6. For these compounds a
      maximum phase width was observed for the C(5) spacer regardless of the terminal
      group, whereas the hydroxy- and cyano-substituted derivatives 5 and 7,
      respectively, were non mesomorphic and showed only melting transitions.

PMID- 20300462
TI  - Appetitive and aversive visual learning in freely moving Drosophila.
AB  - To compare appetitive and aversive visual memories of the fruit fly Drosophila
      melanogaster, we developed a new paradigm for classical conditioning. Adult flies
      are trained en masse to differentially associate one of two visual conditioned
      stimuli (CS) (blue and green light as CS) with an appetitive or aversive chemical
      substance (unconditioned stimulus or US). In a test phase, flies are given a
      choice between the paired and the unpaired visual stimuli. Associative memory is
      measured based on altered visual preference in the test. If a group of flies has,
      for example, received a sugar reward with green light in the training, they show
      a significantly higher preference for the green stimulus during the test than
      another group of flies having received the same reward with blue light. We
      demonstrate critical parameters for the formation of visual appetitive memory,
      such as training repetition, order of reinforcement, starvation, and individual
      conditioning. Furthermore, we show that formic acid can act as an aversive
      chemical reinforcer, yielding weak, yet significant, aversive memory. These
      results provide a basis for future investigations into the cellular and molecular
      mechanisms underlying visual memory and perception in Drosophila.

PMID- 20300463
TI  - Age-related changes in processing speed: unique contributions of cerebellar and
      prefrontal cortex.
AB  - Age-related declines in processing speed are hypothesized to underlie the
      widespread changes in cognition experienced by older adults. We used a structural
      covariance approach to identify putative neural networks that underlie age
      related structural changes associated with processing speed for 42 adults ranging
      in age from 19 to 79 years. To characterize a potential mechanism by which age
      related gray matter changes lead to slower processing speed, we examined the
      extent to which cerebral small vessel disease influenced the association between
      age-related gray matter changes and processing speed. A frontal pattern of gray
      matter and white matter variation that was related to cerebral small vessel
      disease, as well as a cerebellar pattern of gray matter and white matter
      variation were uniquely related to age-related declines in processing speed.
      These results demonstrate that at least two distinct factors affect age-related
      changes in processing speed, which might be slowed by mitigating cerebral small
      vessel disease and factors affecting declines in cerebellar morphology.

PMID- 20300464
TI  - Gaze-Direction-Based MEG Averaging During Audiovisual Speech Perception.
AB  - To take a step towards real-life-like experimental setups, we simultaneously
      recorded magnetoencephalographic (MEG) signals and subject's gaze direction
      during audiovisual speech perception. The stimuli were utterances of /apa/ dubbed
      onto two side-by-side female faces articulating /apa/ (congruent) and /aka/
      (incongruent) in synchrony, repeated once every 3 s. Subjects (N = 10) were free
      to decide which face they viewed, and responses were averaged to two categories
      according to the gaze direction. The right-hemisphere 100-ms response to the
      onset of the second vowel (N100m') was a fifth smaller to incongruent than
      congruent stimuli. The results demonstrate the feasibility of realistic viewing
      conditions with gaze-based averaging of MEG signals.

PMID- 20300466
TI  - Similarity Grouping and Repetition Blindness are Both Influenced by Attention.
AB  - Previous studies have reported seemingly conflicting results regarding how the
      amount of stimulus similarity between two simultaneously presented target stimuli
      impacts perceptual performance. There are many reports of 'repetition blindness',
      where individuals do worse when shown two similar stimuli relative to two
      different stimuli. On the other hand, there are reports of 'similarity grouping',
      where participants perform better when identifying two similar objects relative
      to two different objects. This manuscript posits that repetition blindness and
      similarity grouping coexist and can be elicited in the same subjects in a single
      task. This not only explains the previous opposite effects of stimulus similarity
      on task performance, but also provides a unique opportunity to directly compare
      these opposite effects of stimulus similarity with respect to susceptibility to a
      modulating factor. Since previous studies have provided inconclusive results on
      whether attentional relevance can modulate the effect of stimulus similarity on
      task performance, the current manuscript aims to compare repetition blindness and
      similarity grouping with respect to their susceptibility to attentional
      relevance. The results of the first experiment confirmed that both repetition
      blindness and similarity grouping can be elicited in the same experiment,
      suggesting that repetition blindness and similarity grouping coexist. The results
      of the second experiment suggest that both repetition blindness and similarity
      grouping can be modulated by attentional relevance. These results support the
      explanation of repetition blindness as a token individuation failure.
      Furthermore, these results suggest that supposedly pre-attentional grouping
      mechanisms might not operate as independently from top-down attentional
      modulations as traditionally thought.

PMID- 20300467
TI  - Coordinated scaling of cortical and cerebellar numbers of neurons.
AB  - While larger brains possess concertedly larger cerebral cortices and cerebella,
      the relative size of the cerebral cortex increases with brain size, but relative
      cerebellar size does not. In the absence of data on numbers of neurons in these
      structures, this discrepancy has been used to dispute the hypothesis that the
      cerebral cortex and cerebellum function and have evolved in concert and to
      support a trend towards neocorticalization in evolution. However, the rationale
      for interpreting changes in absolute and relative size of the cerebral cortex and
      cerebellum relies on the assumption that they reflect absolute and relative
      numbers of neurons in these structures across all species - an assumption that
      our recent studies have shown to be flawed. Here I show for the first time that
      the numbers of neurons in the cerebral cortex and cerebellum are directly
      correlated across 19 mammalian species of four different orders, including
      humans, and increase concertedly in a similar fashion both within and across the
      orders Eulipotyphla (Insectivora), Rodentia, Scandentia and Primata, such that on
      average a ratio of 3.6 neurons in the cerebellum to every neuron in the cerebral
      cortex is maintained across species. This coordinated scaling of cortical and
      cerebellar numbers of neurons provides direct evidence in favor of concerted
      function, scaling and evolution of these brain structures, and suggests that the
      common notion that equates cognitive advancement with neocortical expansion
      should be revisited to consider in its stead the coordinated scaling of neocortex
      and cerebellum as a functional ensemble.

PMID- 20300468
TI  - Noradrenergic modulation of intrinsic and synaptic properties of lumbar
      motoneurons in the neonatal rat spinal cord.
AB  - Although it is known that noradrenaline (NA) powerfully controls spinal motor
      networks, few data are available regarding the noradrenergic (NAergic) modulation
      of intrinsic and synaptic properties of neurons in motor networks. Our work
      explores the cellular basis of NAergic modulation in the rat motor spinal cord.
      We first show that lumbar motoneurons express the three classes of adrenergic
      receptors at birth. Using patch-clamp recordings in the newborn rat spinal cord
      preparation, we characterized the effects of NA and of specific agonists of the
      three classes of adrenoreceptors on motoneuron membrane properties. NA increases
      the motoneuron excitability partly via the inhibition of a K(IR) like current.
      Methoxamine (alpha(1)), clonidine (alpha(2)) and isoproterenol (beta)
      differentially modulate the motoneuron membrane potential but also increase
      motoneuron excitability, these effects being respectively inhibited by the
      antagonists prazosin (alpha(1)), yohimbine (alpha(2)) and propranolol (beta). We
      show that the glutamatergic synaptic drive arising from the T13-L2 network is
      enhanced in motoneurons by NA, methoxamine and isoproterenol. On the other hand,
      NA, isoproterenol and clonidine inhibit both the frequency and amplitude of
      miniature glutamatergic EPSCs while methoxamine increases their frequency. The
      T13-L2 synaptic drive is thereby differentially modulated from the other
      glutamatergic synapses converging onto motoneurons and enhanced by presynaptic
      alpha(1) and beta receptor activation. Our data thus show that the NAergic system
      exerts a powerful and complex neuromodulation of lumbar motor networks in the
      neonatal rat spinal cord.

PMID- 20300469
TI  - Molecular length distribution and the formation of smectic phases.
AB  - The phase diagrams of two mixtures of chemically similar smectogenic mesogens
      strongly differing in molecular length were investigated. In these mixtures the
      nematic phase present in the pure short mesogen disappeared rapidly on the
      addition of the longer mesogen, while the smectic state was preserved. In the
      smectic state the smectic A phase was the much more stable phase as the smectic C
      phase disappeared quite rapidly as well. In these compounds the loss of the
      smectic C phase is accompanied by a decrease in smectic translational order and
      very small tilt angles. This leads to a concentration induced smectic C to
      smectic A transition. Thus smectic A seems to be the most stable phase to
      accommodate mesogenic molecules of substantially different length. These
      surprising results are of general interest for the understanding of the structure
      and dynamics of smectic phases, as the structure of these bidisperse smectics is
      signified by extensive out-of-layer fluctuations.

PMID- 20300465
TI  - Premorbid cognitive deficits in young relatives of schizophrenia patients.
AB  - Neurocognitive deficits in schizophrenia (SZ) are thought to be stable trait
      markers that predate the illness and manifest in relatives of patients.
      Adolescence is the age of maximum vulnerability to the onset of SZ and may be an
      opportune "window" to observe neurocognitive impairments close to but prior to
      the onset of psychosis. We reviewed the extant studies assessing neurocognitive
      deficits in young relatives at high risk (HR) for SZ and their relation to brain
      structural alterations. We also provide some additional data pertaining to the
      relation of these deficits to psychopathology and brain structural alterations
      from the Pittsburgh Risk Evaluation Program (PREP). Cognitive deficits are noted
      in the HR population, which are more severe in first-degree relatives compared to
      second-degree relatives and primarily involve psychomotor speed, memory,
      attention, reasoning, and social-cognition. Reduced general intelligence is also
      noted, although its relationship to these specific domains is underexplored.
      Premorbid cognitive deficits may be related to brain structural and functional
      abnormalities, underlining the neurobiological basis of this illness. Cognitive
      impairments might predict later emergence of psychopathology in at-risk subjects
      and may be targets of early remediation and preventive strategies. Although
      evidence for neurocognitive deficits in young relatives abounds, further studies
      on their structural underpinnings and on their candidate status as endophenotypes
      are needed.

PMID- 20300470
TI  - Parasympathetic functions in children with sensory processing disorder.
AB  - The overall goal of this study was to determine if parasympathetic nervous system
      (PsNS) activity is a significant biomarker of sensory processing difficulties in
      children. Several studies have demonstrated that PsNS activity is an important
      regulator of reactivity in children, and thus, it is of interest to study whether
      PsNS activity is related to sensory reactivity in children who have a type of
      condition associated with sensory processing disorders termed sensory modulation
      dysfunction (SMD). If so, this will have important implications for understanding
      the mechanisms underlying sensory processing problems of children and for
      developing intervention strategies to address them. The primary aims of this
      project were: (1) to evaluate PsNS activity in children with SMD compared to
      typically developing (TYP) children, and (2) to determine if PsNS activity is a
      significant predictor of sensory behaviors and adaptive functions among children
      with SMD. We examine PsNS activity during the Sensory Challenge Protocol; which
      includes baseline, the administration of eight sequential stimuli in five sensory
      domains, recovery, and also evaluate response to a prolonged auditory stimulus.
      As a secondary aim we examined whether subgroups of children with specific
      physiological and behavioral sensory reactivity profiles can be identified.
      Results indicate that as a total group the children with severe SMD demonstrated
      a trend for low baseline PsNS activity, compared to TYP children, suggesting this
      may be a biomarker for SMD. In addition, children with SMD as a total group
      demonstrated significantly poorer adaptive behavior in the communication and
      daily living subdomains and in the overall Adaptive Behavior Composite of the
      Vineland than TYP children. Using latent class analysis, the subjects were
      grouped by severity and the severe SMD group had significantly lower PsNS
      activity at baseline, tones and prolonged auditory. These results provide
      preliminary evidence that children who demonstrate severe SMD may have
      physiological activity that is different from children without SMD, and that
      these physiological and behavioral manifestations of SMD may affect a child's
      ability to engage in everyday social, communication, and daily living skills.

PMID- 20300471
TI  - Thematic series on supramolecular chemistry.

PMID- 20300472
TI  - Solvent-free phase-vanishing reactions with PTFE (Teflon(r)) as a phase screen.
AB  - In a solvent-free phase-vanishing reaction with PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene,
      Teflon(r)) tape as the phase screen, a thermometer adapter is utilized to insert
      a PTFE-sealed tube into the vapor phase above the substrate. Besides avoiding use
      of solvents, the experimental design is not dependent upon the densities of the
      reactants and the procedure generates little or no waste while providing the
      reaction products in high yield and in high purity.

PMID- 20300473
TI  - Prediction of reduction potentials from calculated electron affinities for metal
      salen compounds.
AB  - The electron affinities (EAs) of a training set of 19 metal-salen compounds were
      calculated using density functional theory. Concurrently, the experimental
      reduction potentials for the training set were measured using cyclic voltammetry.
      The EAs and reduction potentials were found to be linearly correlated by metal.
      The reduction potentials of a test set of 14 different metal-salens were then
      measured and compared to the predicted reduction potentials based upon the
      training set correlation. The method was found to work well, with a mean unsigned
      error of 99 mV for the entire test set. This method could be used to predict the
      reduction potentials of a variety of metal-salen compounds, an important class of
      coordination compounds used in synthetic organic electrochemistry as
      electrocatalysts.

PMID- 20300474
TI  - An efficient partial synthesis of 4'-O-methylquercetin via regioselective
      protection and alkylation of quercetin.
AB  - An efficient partial 5-step synthesis of 4'-O-methylquercetin from quercetin in
      63% yield is reported. This strategy relies on the selective protection of the
      catechol group with dichlorodiphenylmethane in diphenyl ether as solvent and on
      the selective protection of the hydroxyl groups at positions 3 and 7 with
      chloromethyl ether.

PMID- 20300475
TI  - Whole grain for whom and why?
AB  - A definition of whole grain is a critical first step in investigating health
      claims for whole grain and its products. Today, there is no internationally
      accepted definition of whole grain. Some existing definitions are broad and
      commodity-based, including grains with similar end uses, while others are more
      restricted. Scientific knowledge must be the basis for inclusion of certain
      grains. It is better to start with a restricted list of grains (a precautionary
      principle) and extend this as more knowledge becomes available. An exact
      definition of the raw materials (milled, cracked, crushed, rolled, or flaked) and
      knowledge of the components providing health effects would appear to be crucial
      issues for the European authorities when approving health claims. It is important
      that health claims are evidence-based, sustainable, and officially validated.

PMID- 20300476
TI  - Viscous and gravitational contributions to mixing during vertical brine transport
      in water-saturated porous media.
AB  - The transport of fluids miscible with water arises in groundwater contamination
      and during remediation of the subsurface environment. For concentrated salt
      solutions, i.e., brines, the increased density and viscosity determine mixing
      processes between these fluids and ambient groundwater. Under downward flow
      conditions, gravitational and viscous forces work against each other to determine
      the interfacial mixing processes. Historically, mixing has been modeled as a
      dispersive process, as viscous fingering, and as a combination of both using
      approaches that were both analytical and numerical. A compilation of previously
      reported experimental data on vertical miscible displacements by fluids with
      significant density and viscosity contrasts reveals some agreement with a
      stability analysis presented by Hill (1952). Additional experimental data on one
      dimensional dispersion during downward displacement of concentrated salt
      solutions by freshwater and freshwater displacement by brines support the
      stability analysis and provides an empirical representation for dispersion
      coefficients as functions of a gravity number and a mobility ratio.

PMID- 20300477
TI  - Clinical and Microbiological Determinants of Outcome in Staphylococcus aureus
      Bacteraemia.
AB  - Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB) is commonly complicated by metastatic
      infection or relapse after treatment. Objectives. The study aim was to determine
      the role of bacterial, host, and management factors in development of complicated
      SAB. Methods. A prospectively-conducted observational study gathered data on
      predisposition, management and outcome of 100 consecutive SAB cases. Antibiotic
      susceptibilities and genetic lineage of bacterial isolates were determined.
      Further clinical and microbiological data were gathered on two retrospective
      series from 1999-2000 (n = 57) and 2004 (n = 116). Results. In the prospective
      cases, 27% met our definition of complicated disease. Expressed as RR and 95% CI,
      complicated disease was associated with diabetes (1.58, 1.00-2.48), injecting
      drug use (5.48, 0.88-33.49), community-onset of symptoms (1.4, 1.02-1.92), and
      symptom duration >/=48 hours prior to starting effective antibiotic therapy
      (2.10, 1.22-3.61). Uncomplicated disease was associated with the presence of a
      central line (0.69, 0.55-0.88) and prompt removal of a primary focus (0.71, 0.57
      0.90). Neither methicillin resistance nor genetic lineage was associated with
      complicated disease, but methicillin resistance was associated with higher
      mortality. Conclusions. This study demonstrates that clinical rather than
      microbial factors are the major determinants of SAB outcome and underscores the
      importance of early treatment.

PMID- 20300480
TI  - Incubation Environment Affects Immune System Development in a Turtle with
      Environmental Sex Determination.
AB  - The developmental environment can have lasting effects on posthatching phenotype
      in oviparous animals. Innate immune response is one important component of
      fitness in vertebrates because it provides a generalized defense against
      infection. In addition, because male vertebrates are at a higher risk of
      infection than females, males may benefit more from increased innate immunity
      than females. We determined the effects of incubation temperature on the innate
      immune response of hatchling map turtles (Graptemys) by incubating eggs at a
      range of male and female producing-temperatures and assessing plasma complement
      activity in the resulting hatchlings. We found a significant effect of incubation
      environment on circulating complement in hatchling Graptemys ouachitensis, with
      male-producing temperatures yielding the highest innate immune response. Most
      important, these results demonstrate that immune response is affected by
      developmental environment in a species with environmental sex determination,
      potentially resulting in sex differences in the ability to fend off pathogens.

PMID- 20300481
TI  - Church-Based Social Relationships and Change in Self-Esteem Over Time.
AB  - This study had two goals. The first goal was to see if church-based social
      relationships are associated with change in self-esteem. Emotional support from
      fellow church members and having a close personal relationship with God served as
      measures of church-based social ties. The second goal was to see whether
      emotional support from fellow church members is more strongly associated with
      self-esteem than emotional support from secular social network members. The data
      came from an ongoing nationwide survey of older adults. The findings revealed
      that having a close personal relationship with God is associated with a stronger
      sense of self-esteem at the baseline and follow-up interviews. In contrast,
      emotional support from fellow church members was not associated with self-esteem
      at either point in time. However, emotional support from secular social network
      members was related to self-esteem at the baseline but not the follow-up
      interview.

PMID- 20300479
TI  - Inflammatory mediators of hepatic steatosis.
AB  - Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is rapidly becoming a world-wide public
      health problem. NAFLD represents a spectrum of disease ranging from "simple
      steatosis", which is considered relatively benign, to nonalcoholic
      steatohepatitis and to NAFLD-associated cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease.
      The etiology of NAFLD and its progression is complex and remains incompletely
      understood. The progression of the disease involves many factors. Apart from the
      two hits, the accumulation of TG and the development of fibrosis and
      necroinflammatory processes, exit numerous molecules associated with these two
      hits. Among them we can highlight the pro-inflammatory molecules and
      adiponectins. This review focuses on the growing evidence from both experimental
      and human studies suggesting a central role of cytokines in the pathogenesis of
      NAFLD. We review the role of cytokines as key regulators of insulin sensitivity
      and hepatic lipid overloading, liver injury and inflammation, and fibrosis with
      an emphasis on potential therapeutic implications.

PMID- 20300478
TI  - PPAR/RXR Regulation of Fatty Acid Metabolism and Fatty Acid omega-Hydroxylase
      (CYP4) Isozymes: Implications for Prevention of Lipotoxicity in Fatty Liver
      Disease.
AB  - Fatty liver disease is a common lipid metabolism disorder influenced by the
      combination of individual genetic makeup, drug exposure, and life-style choices
      that are frequently associated with metabolic syndrome, which encompasses
      obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, and insulin resistant
      diabetes. Common to obesity related dyslipidemia is the excessive storage of
      hepatic fatty acids (steatosis), due to a decrease in mitochondria beta-oxidation
      with an increase in both peroxisomal beta-oxidation, and microsomal omega
      oxidation of fatty acids through peroxisome proliferator activated receptors
      (PPARs). How steatosis increases PPARalpha activated gene expression of fatty
      acid transport proteins, peroxisomal and mitochondrial fatty acid beta-oxidation
      and omega-oxidation of fatty acids genes regardless of whether dietary fatty
      acids are polyunsaturated (PUFA), monounsaturated (MUFA), or saturated (SFA) may
      be determined by the interplay of PPARs and HNF4alpha with the fatty acid
      transport proteins L-FABP and ACBP. In hepatic steatosis and steatohepatitis, the
      omega-oxidation cytochrome P450 CYP4A gene expression is increased even with
      reduced hepatic levels of PPARalpha. Although numerous studies have suggested the
      role ethanol-inducible CYP2E1 in contributing to increased oxidative stress,
      Cyp2e1-null mice still develop steatohepatitis with a dramatic increase in CYP4A
      gene expression. This strongly implies that CYP4A fatty acid omega-hydroxylase
      P450s may play an important role in the development of steatohepatitis. In this
      review and tutorial, we briefly describe how fatty acids are partitioned by fatty
      acid transport proteins to either anabolic or catabolic pathways regulated by
      PPARs, and we explore how medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) CYP4A and long-chain
      fatty acid (LCFA) CYP4Fomega-hydroxylase genes are regulated in fatty liver. We
      finally propose a hypothesis that increased CYP4A expression with a decrease in
      CYP4F genes may promote the progression of steatosis to steatohepatitis.

PMID- 20300482
TI  - Parents' Union Dissolution and Adolescents' School Performance: Comparing
      Methodological Approaches.
AB  - We use data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health and the
      Adolescent Health and Academic Achievement Study to estimate how parents' union
      dissolution influences changes in adolescents' mathematics course work gains,
      overall grade point average, and course failure rates during a window of
      approximately 1 year (N = 2,629). A primary purpose of this study is
      demonstrating the utility of propensity score matching techniques for studying
      topics such as ours that pose methodological challenges such as dealing with
      endogeneity and selection bias. We compare propensity score matching techniques
      to ordinary least squares (OLS) regression methods to show and discuss
      comparability of results obtained using these different procedures. Findings
      suggest that associations between parents' union dissolution and achievement may
      be causal, regardless of method used.

PMID- 20300483
TI  - Mexican American Mothers and Fathers' Prenatal Attitudes and Father Prenatal
      Involvement: Links to Mother-Infant Interaction and Father Engagement.
AB  - The present study examines the associations between Mexican American mothers' and
      fathers' pregnancy intentions, fathers' participation in prenatal activities and
      mother-infant interactions and father engagement with 9 month-old infants in a
      nationally representative sample of 735 infants and their parents participating
      in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - Birth Cohort. After controlling for a
      host of variables, multiple regressions revealed that when mothers wanted the
      pregnancy, fathers engaged in more literacy and caregiving activities than when
      mothers did not want the pregnancy. When couples disagreed about wanting the
      pregnancy, fathers engaged in more literacy activities and showed more warmth
      than when they agreed. Relationship quality significantly moderated the effects
      of parents' wantedness on mother-infant interactions and fathers' engagement in
      literacy activities.

PMID- 20300484
TI  - On the String Averaging Method for Sparse Common Fixed Points Problems.
AB  - We study the common fixed point problem for the class of directed operators. This
      class is important because many commonly used nonlinear operators in convex
      optimization belong to it. We propose a definition of sparseness of a family of
      operators and investigate a string-averaging algorithmic scheme that favorably
      handles the common fixed points problem when the family of operators is sparse.
      The convex feasibility problem is treated as a special case and a new subgradient
      projections algorithmic scheme is obtained.

PMID- 20300485
TI  - Semiparametric Inference for ROC Curves with Censoring.
AB  - Comparison of two samples can sometimes be conducted on the basis of analysis of
      ROC curves. A variety of methods of point estimation and confidence intervals for
      ROC curves have been proposed and studied well. We develop smoothed empirical
      likelihood based confidence intervals for ROC curves when the samples are
      censored and generated from semiparametric models. The resulting empirical log
      likelihood function is shown to be asymptotically chi-squared. Simulation studies
      illustrate that the proposed empirical likelihood confidence interval is
      advantageous over the normal approximation based confidence interval. A real data
      set is analyzed using the proposed method.

PMID- 20300487
TI  - The Doubting Process: A Longitudinal Study of the Precipitants and Consequences
      of Religious Doubt.
AB  - Religious doubt arises from a process in which there is a precipitant, the
      experience of doubt, a coping response, and a health-related outcome. We explore
      this process by assessing whether social factors precipitate doubt and the coping
      responses that are invoked to deal with it. Moreover, we evaluate whether these
      coping responses are, in turn, associated with health. The data reveal that, over
      time, people who encounter more negative interaction with fellow congregants have
      more doubts about religion, whereas more spiritual support and greater
      involvement in prayer groups are associated with less religious doubt. The
      findings further indicate that people who encounter more negative interaction are
      more likely to suppress religious doubts, but people who attend Bible study
      groups are more likely to seek spiritual growth when faced with doubt. Finally,
      the results suggest that suppressing religious doubt is associated with less
      favorable health, whereas seeking spiritual growth does not have a significant
      effect.

PMID- 20300488
TI  - RanGTPase: A Key Regulator of Nucleocytoplasmic Trafficking.
AB  - RanGTPase belongs to the Ras superfamily of small GTPases. It possesses a
      distinctive acidic C-terminal DEDDDL motif and predominantly localizes to the
      nucleus. RanGTPase is known to regulate nucleocytoplasmic trafficking as well as
      mitotic spindle and nuclear envelope formation. Ran-directed nucleocytoplasmic
      trafficking is an energy-dependent directional process that also depends on
      nuclear import or export signals. Ran-directed nucleocytoplasmic trafficking is
      also facilitated by several cellular components, including RanGTPase,
      karyopherins, NTF2 and nucleoporins. GTP-bound Ran is asymmetrically distributed
      in the nucleus, while GDP-bound Ran is predominantly cytoplasmic. Controlled by
      RanGEF and RanGAP, RanGTPase cycles between the GDP- and GTP-bound states
      enabling it to shuttle cargoes in an accurate spatial and temporal manner.
      RanGTPase plays a role in the nuclear import in such a way that GTP-bound Ran
      dissociates importin:cargo complex in the nucleus and recycles importin back to
      cytoplasm. Likewise, RanGTPase plays a role in the nuclear export in such a way
      that nuclear GTP-bound Ran triggers the aggregation of Ran:exportin:cargo
      trimeric complex which is then transported to cytoplasm while hydrolysis of
      RanGTP to RanGDP releases the export cargoes in cytoplasm. RanGTPase has been
      reported to be essential for cell viability and its over-expression is linked to
      tumorigenesis. Thus, RanGTPase plays a crucial role in regulating key cellular
      events and alterations in its expression may lead to cancer development and/or
      progression.

PMID- 20300486
TI  - Recent Progress on the Stereoselective Synthesis of Cyclic Quaternary alpha-Amino
      Acids.
AB  - The most recent papers describing the stereoselective synthesis of cyclic
      quaternary alpha-amino acids are collected in this review. The diverse synthetic
      approaches are classified according to the size of the ring and taking into
      account the bond that is formed to complete the quaternary skeleton.

PMID- 20300489
TI  - Patient-Specific Vascular NURBS Modeling for Isogeometric Analysis of Blood Flow.
AB  - We describe an approach to construct hexahedral solid NURBS (Non-Uniform Rational
      B-Splines) meshes for patient-specific vascular geometric models from imaging
      data for use in isogeometric analysis. First, image processing techniques, such
      as contrast enhancement, filtering, classification, and segmentation, are used to
      improve the quality of the input imaging data. Then, lumenal surfaces are
      extracted by isocontouring the preprocessed data, followed by the extraction of
      vascular skeleton via Voronoi and Delaunay diagrams. Next, the skeleton-based
      sweeping method is used to construct hexahedral control meshes. Templates are
      designed for various branching configurations to decompose the geometry into
      mapped meshable patches. Each patch is then meshed using one-to-one sweeping
      techniques, and boundary vertices are projected to the lumenal surface. Finally,
      hexahedral solid NURBS are constructed and used in isogeometric analysis of blood
      flow. Piecewise linear hexahedral meshes can also be obtained using this
      approach. Examples of patient-specific arterial models are presented.

PMID- 20300491
TI  - Unpacking Intuition: A Conjecture.
AB  - Can intuition be taught? The way in which faces are recognized, the structure of
      natural classes, and the architecture of intuition may all be instances of the
      same process. The conjecture that intuition is a species of recognition memory
      implies that human intuitive decision making can be enormously enhanced by
      virtual simulation. 

PMID- 20300492
TI  - Bridal Pregnancy and Spouse Pairing Patterns in Japan.
AB  - In this paper, we examined two aspects of recent increases in marriage preceded
      by pregnancy (bridal pregnancy) in Japan. Using information on 28,973 respondents
      to the Japanese National Fertility Surveys, we first demonstrated that increases
      in bridal pregnancy between 1970 and 2002 were concentrated among women without
      postsecondary education. We then estimated multinomial logistic regression models
      to evaluate change over time in the association between bridal pregnancy and
      patterns of educational pairing. Results indicated that bridal pregnancy is
      associated with a significantly higher likelihood of nonnormative educational
      pairing and that this relationship has become more pronounced over time. We
      concluded by evaluating these results in comparative context and speculating
      about the implications for subsequent family change in Japan.

PMID- 20300493
TI  - A Stimulus-Oriented Approach to Memory.
AB  - Our understanding of short-term recognition memory can be enhanced by careful
      choice and control of test materials. Theory-driven manipulation of memory test
      stimuli, including visual textures, human faces, and complex sounds, minimize
      individual differences and make it possible to predict recognition performance
      for specific combinations of stimulus items. This stimulus-oriented approach to
      memory reveals that stimulus similarity plays two different important roles in
      recognition memory. By exploiting tools used in psychophysics, it is possible to
      generate mnemometric functions-detailed "snapshots" that capture key features of
      subjects' memory strength.

PMID- 20300494
TI  - A Comparison of Some Model Order Reduction Methods for Fast Simulation of Soft
      Tissue Response using the Point Collocation-based Method of Finite Spheres
      (PCMFS).
AB  - In this paper we develop the Point Collocation-based Method of Finite Spheres
      (PCMFS) to simulate the viscoelastic response of soft biological tissues and
      evaluate the effectiveness of model order reduction methods such as modal
      truncation, Hankel optimal model and truncated balanced realization techniques
      for PCMFS. The PCMFS was developed in [1] as a physics-based technique for real
      time simulation of surgical procedures. It is a meshfree numerical method in
      which discretization is performed using a set of nodal points with approximation
      functions compactly supported on spherical subdomains centered at the nodes. The
      point collocation method is used as the weighted residual technique where the
      governing differential equations are directly applied at the nodal points. Since
      computational speed has a significant role in simulation of surgical procedures,
      model order reduction methods have been compared for relative gains in efficiency
      and computational accuracy. Of these methods, truncated balanced realization
      results in the highest accuracy while modal truncation results in the highest
      efficiency.

PMID- 20300495
TI  - Efficient molecular surface rendering by linear-time pseudo-Gaussian
      approximation to Lee-Richards surfaces (PGALRS).
AB  - The PGALRS (pseudo-Gaussian approximation to Lee-Richards surfaces) algorithm is
      discussed. By modeling electron density with unphysical pseudo-Gaussian atoms,
      the Lee-Richards surface can be approximated by a contour level of that density
      in time approximately linear in the number of atoms. Having that contour level,
      the atoms and residues closest to that surface can be identified in average time
      O[n(2/3)log(n)] using a NearTree-based nearest neighbor search. If a high-quality
      Lee-Richards surface is required, then, as a final stage, one of the standard Lee
      Richards algorithms can be used but considering only the previously identified
      surface residues; the typical cost is thereby reduced to O[n(2/3)log(n)], making
      the overall average time for all the steps O(n). For very large macromolecules,
      such a reduction in computational burden may be essential to being able to render
      a meaningful molecular surface. This approach extends the feasible range of
      application for existing molecular surface software, such as MSMS, to larger
      macromolecules, especially to macromolecules with more than 50 000 atoms, and can
      be used as a starting point for surface-based (as opposed to backbone-based)
      motif identification, e.g. using ProMol.

PMID- 20300496
TI  - An expedient and new synthesis of pyrrolo[1,2-b]pyridazine derivatives.
AB  - The reaction of 2-[2-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-oxo-1-phenylethyl]-4-methyl-3-oxo
      pentanoic acid phenylamide with tertiary butyl carbazate and subsequent
      condensation of the resulting carbamate derivative with a chalcone provided a
      facile new approach to pyrrolo[1,2-b]pyridazine derivatives.

PMID- 20300497
TI  - An enantiomerically pure siderophore type ligand for the diastereoselective 1 : 1
      complexation of lanthanide(III) ions.
AB  - A facile synthesis of a highly preorganized tripodal enterobactine-type ligand 1a
      H3 consisting of a chiral C3-symmetric macrocyclic peptide and three tridentate 2
      amido-8-hydroxyquinoline coordinating units is presented. Complex formation with
      various metal ions (Al(3+), Ga(3+), Fe(3+), La(3+) and Eu(3+)) was investigated
      by spectrophotometric methods. Only in the case of La(3+) and Eu(3+) were well
      defined 1 : 1 complexes formed. On the basis of CD spectroscopy and DFT
      calculations the configuration at the metal centre of the La(3+) complex was
      determined to show Lambda helicity. The coordination compounds [(1a)Ln] presented
      should be prototypes for further lanthanide(III) complexes with an enterobactine
      analogue binding situation.

PMID- 20300490
TI  - Inflammation in adult and neonatal stroke.
AB  - This chapter will discuss the current knowledge of the contribution of systemic
      and local inflammation in acute and sub-chronic stages of experimental stroke in
      both the adult and neonate. It will review the role of specific cell types and
      interactions among blood cells, endothelium, glia, microglia, the extracellular
      matrix and neurons - cumulatively called "neurovascular unit" - in stroke
      induction and evolution. Intracellular inflammatory signaling pathways such as
      nuclear factor kappa beta and mitogen-activated protein kinases, and mediators
      produced by inflammatory cells such as cytokines, chemokines, reactive oxygen
      species and arachidonic acid metabolites, as well as the modifying role of age on
      these mechanisms, will be reviewed as well as the potential for therapy in stroke
      and hypoxic-ischemic injury.

PMID- 20300498
TI  - Versatile supramolecular reactivity of zinc-tetra(4-pyridyl)porphyrin in
      crystalline solids: Polymeric grids with zinc dichloride and hydrogen-bonded
      networks with mellitic acid.
AB  - Crystal engineering studies confirm that the zinc-tetra(4-pyridyl)porphyrin
      building block reveals versatile supramolecular chemistry. In this work, it was
      found to be reactive in the assembly of both (a) a 2D polymeric array by a unique
      combination of self-coordination and coordination through external zinc
      dichloride linkers and (b) an extended heteromolecular hydrogen-bonded network
      with mellitic acid sustained by multiple connectivity between the component
      species.

PMID- 20300500
TI  - Pd/C-mediated synthesis of alpha-pyrone fused with a five-membered nitrogen
      heteroaryl ring: a new route to pyrano[4,3-c]pyrazol-4(1H)-ones.
AB  - Pd/C-mediated alkynylation of 5-iodo-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid, involving the
      first regioselective construction of alpha-pyrone ring on a pyrazol moiety via
      tandem coupling-cyclization process, has been developed to afford pyrano[4,3
      c]pyrazol-4(1H)-one in a single pot.

PMID- 20300499
TI  - Control of stilbene conformation and fluorescence in self-assembled capsules.
AB  - The extensively studied trans-stilbene molecule is known to give only weak
      fluorescence in solution and inside loosely-fitting synthetic capsules. However,
      trans-stilbene has been recently studied in the context of antibody interiors,
      where binding results in strong blue fluorescence. The present research was
      undertaken to understand the spatial factors that influence stilbene
      fluorescence. trans-Stilbene was encapsulated in the snug, self-assembled complex
      1.1 and exhibited fluorescence quenching due to the distortion of its ground
      state geometry. When the complex is elongated by incorporating glycouril spacers,
      trans-stilbene is allowed to adapt a fully coplanar arrangement and fluorescence
      returns.

PMID- 20300501
TI  - Hydroxyapatite supported caesium carbonate as a new recyclable solid base
      catalyst for the Knoevenagel condensation in water.
AB  - The Knoevenagel condensation between aromatic aldehydes and malononitrile, ethyl
      cyanoacetate or malonic acid with hydroxyapatite supported caesium carbonate in
      water is described. HAP-Cs2CO3 was found to be a highly active, stable and
      recyclable catalyst under the reaction conditions.

PMID- 20300502
TI  - A short synthesis of +/--cherylline dimethyl ether.
AB  - A synthesis of +/--cherylline dimethyl ether is reported. The key steps involved
      are Michael-type addition, radical azidonation of an aldehyde, Curtius
      rearrangement, and reduction of an isocyanate intermediate followed by Pictet
      Spengler cyclization.

PMID- 20300503
TI  - Can we measure catalyst efficiency in asymmetric chemical reactions? A
      theoretical approach.
AB  - Small molecule asymmetric catalysts are often described as being "good" or "bad"
      but to date there has been no way of comparing catalyst efficiency
      quantitatively. We define a simple formula, Asymmetric Catalyst Efficiency (ACE),
      that allows for such a comparison. We propose that a catalyst is more efficient
      if fewer atoms are utilised to give a product in a required enantiomeric excess.
      We illustrate this concept by analysing several well-known asymmetric catalytic
      chemical reactions carried out in academic laboratories, and compare small
      molecule catalysts with enzymes. We conclude that ACE is a useful descriptor for
      the comparison of diverse catalytic systems. It is also noteworthy that, despite
      the relatively short period of investigation into small molecule catalysts, they
      are competitive with enzymes with regards to this measure of catalytic
      efficiency.

PMID- 20300504
TI  - Coaxial electrospinning of liquid crystal-containing poly(vinylpyrrolidone)
      microfibres.
AB  - With the relatively new technique of coaxial electrospinning, composite fibres of
      poly(vinylpyrrolidone) with the liquid crystal 4-cyano-4'-octylbiphenyl in its
      smectic phase as core material could be produced. The encapsulation leads to
      remarkable confinement effects on the liquid crystal, inducing changes in its
      phase sequence. We conducted a series of experiments to determine the effect of
      varying the relative flow rates of inner and outer fluid as well as of the
      applied voltage during electrospinning on these composite fibres. From X-ray
      diffraction patterns of oriented fibres we could also establish the orientation
      of the liquid crystal molecules to be parallel to the fibre axis, a result
      unexpected when considering the viscosity anisotropy of the liquid crystal kept
      in its smectic phase during electrospinning.

PMID- 20300505
TI  - Enantioselective synthesis of tricyclic amino acid derivatives based on a rigid 4
      azatricyclo[5.2.1.0]decane skeleton.
AB  - An enantioselective route to four tricyclic amino acids and N-tosylamides,
      composed of a central norbornane framework with a 2-endo,3-endo-annelated
      pyrrolidine ring and a 5-endo-C1 or -C2 side chain, has been developed. A key
      intermediate was the chiral, N-Boc-protected ketone (1R,2S,6S,7R)-4
      azatricyclo[5.2.1.02,6]decan-8-one, available from inexpensive endo-carbic
      anhydride in five steps and 47% yield. The rigid scaffold makes these amino acid
      derivatives promising candidates for beta-turn-inducing building blocks in
      peptidomimetics and for chiral auxiliaries in asymmetric organocatalysis.

PMID- 20300506
TI  - Flow through reactors for organic chemistry: directly electrically heated tubular
      mini reactors as an enabling technology for organic synthesis.
AB  - Until recently traditional heating in organic chemistry has been done with oil
      heating baths or using electric heat exchangers. With the advent of microwave
      equipment, heating by microwaves was rapidly introduced as standard method in
      organic chemistry laboratories, mainly because of the convenient possibility to
      operate at high temperature accompanied by accelerated reaction rates. In the
      present contribution we discuss the method of heating small, continuously
      operated reactors by passing electric current directly through the reactor wall
      as an enabling technology in organic chemistry. The benefit of this method is
      that the heat is generated directly inside the reactor wall. By this means high
      heating rates comparable to microwave ovens can be reached but at much lower cost
      for the equipment. A tool for the comparison of microwave heating and traditional
      heating is provided. As an example kinetic data for the acid catalyzed hydrolysis
      of methyl formate were measured using this heating concept. The reaction is not
      only a suitable model but also one of industrial importance since this is the
      main production process for formic acid.

PMID- 20300507
TI  - Diastereoselective functionalisation of benzo-annulated bicyclic sultams:
      Application for the synthesis of cis-2,4-diarylpyrrolidines.
AB  - The cis-dibromination of unsaturated bicyclic bridgehead sultams 5a and 5b, and
      experiments designed to understand the cis-stereochemical outcome of these
      reactions, are described. In the case of 5b, a novel solvent dependent
      carbocation rearrangement occurs with the formation of 18b. cis-Dibromides 13a
      and 13b undergo regioselective dehydrobromination, and the participation of the
      resultant vinyl bromide 24a in lithiation and Pd-coupling chemistry is described.
      In the case of the latter, hydrogenation of the styryl products afforded a single
      diastereoisomer. These compounds were then studied under dissolved metal
      reduction conditions, in which the cleavage of both N-S and C-S bonds takes place
      to afford cis-2,4-diaryl-substituted pyrrolidines 35-37.

PMID- 20300508
TI  - Ring strain and total syntheses of modified macrocycles of the isoplagiochin
      type.
AB  - Macrocycles of the bisbibenzyl-type are natural products that are found
      exclusively in bryophytes (liverworts). The molecular framework of the subtype
      "isoplagiochin" is of substantial structural interest because of the chirality of
      the entire molecule, which arises from two biaryl axes in combination with two
      helical two-carbon units in a cyclic arrangement. From a structural as well as a
      synthetic point of view we report on the total synthesis of compounds which
      possess more rigid two-carbon biaryl bridges like stilbene (E or Z) or even
      tolane moieties which were introduced starting with a Sonogashira protocol. The
      McMurry method proved to be a powerful tool for the cyclization to these
      considerably ring-strained macrocycles.

PMID- 20300509
TI  - Three step synthesis of single diastereoisomers of the vicinal trifluoro motif.
AB  - A three step route to single diastereoisomers of the vicinal trifluoromethyl
      motif is described. The route starts from either syn- or anti-alpha,beta-epoxy
      alcohols and takes a direct approach in that each of the three steps introduces a
      fluorine atom in a regio- and stereo-specific manner. Starting from either the
      syn- or the anti-alpha,beta-epoxy alcohol, stereospecific reactions generate two
      separate diastereoisomeric series of this motif. The route is a significant
      improvement on an earlier six step strategy.

PMID- 20300510
TI  - Nodular worm infection in wild chimpanzees in Western Uganda: a risk for human
      health?
AB  - This study focused on Oeosophagostomum sp., and more especially on O. bifurcum,
      as a parasite that can be lethal to humans and is widespread among humans and
      monkeys in endemic regions, but has not yet been documented in apes. Its
      epidemiology and the role played by non-human primates in its transmission are
      still poorly understood. O. stephanostomum was the only species diagnosed so far
      in chimpanzees. Until recently, O. bifurcum was assumed to have a high zoonotic
      potential, but recent findings tend to demonstrate that O. bifurcum of non-human
      primates and humans might be genetically distinct. As the closest relative to
      human beings, and a species living in spatial proximity to humans in the field
      site studied, Pan troglodytes is thus an interesting host to investigate.
      Recently, a role for chimpanzees in the emergence of HIV and malaria in humans
      has been documented. In the framework of our long-term health monitoring of wild
      chimpanzees from Kibale National Park in Western Uganda, we analysed 311 samples
      of faeces. Coproscopy revealed that high-ranking males are more infected than
      other individuals. These chimpanzees are also the more frequent crop-raiders.
      Results from PCR assays conducted on larvae and dried faeces also revealed that
      O. stephanostomum as well as O. bifurcum are infecting chimpanzees, both species
      co-existing in the same individuals. Because contacts between humans and great
      apes are increasing with ecotourism and forest fragmentation in areas of high
      population density, this paper emphasizes that the presence of potential zoonotic
      parasites should be viewed as a major concern for public health. Investigations
      of the parasite status of people living around the park or working inside as well
      as sympatric non-human primates should be planned, and further research might
      reveal this as a promising aspect of efforts to reinforce measures against crop
      raiding.

PMID- 20300511
TI  - Modulation of hepatocarcinoma cell morphology and activity by parylene-C coating
      on PDMS.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The ability to understand and locally control the morphogenesis of
      mammalian cells is a fundamental objective of cell and developmental biology as
      well as tissue engineering research. We present parylene-C (ParC) deposited on
      polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as a new substratum for in vitro advanced cell
      culture in the case of Human Hepatocarcinoma (HepG2) cells. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:
      Our findings establish that the intrinsic properties of ParC-coated PDMS
      (ParC/PDMS) influence and modulate initial extracellular matrix (ECM; here, type
      I collagen) surface architecture, as compared to non-coated PDMS substratum.
      Morphological changes induced by the presence of ParC on PDMS were shown to
      directly affect liver cell metabolic activity and the expression of transmembrane
      receptors implicated in cell adhesion and cell-cell interaction. These changes
      were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), which elucidated differences
      in HepG2 cell adhesion, spreading, and reorganization into two- or three
      dimensional structures by neosynthesis of ECM components. Local modulation of
      cell aggregation was successfully performed using ParC/PDMS micropatterns
      constructed by simple microfabrication. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: We demonstrated
      for the first time the modulation of HepG2 cells' behavior in relation to the
      intrinsic physical properties of PDMS and ParC, enabling the local modulation of
      cell spreading in a 2D or 3D manner by simple microfabrication techniques. This
      work will provide promising insights into the development of cell-based platforms
      that have many applications in the field of in vitro liver tissue engineering,
      pharmacology and therapeutics.

PMID- 20300512
TI  - NADPH oxidase limits innate immune responses in the lungs in mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), an inherited disorder of the
      NADPH oxidase in which phagocytes are defective in generating superoxide anion
      and downstream reactive oxidant intermediates (ROIs), is characterized by
      recurrent bacterial and fungal infections and by excessive inflammation (e.g.,
      inflammatory bowel disease). The mechanisms by which NADPH oxidase regulates
      inflammation are not well understood. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We found
      that NADPH oxidase restrains inflammation by modulating redox-sensitive innate
      immune pathways. When challenged with either intratracheal zymosan or LPS, NADPH
      oxidase-deficient p47(phox-/-) mice and gp91(phox)-deficient mice developed
      exaggerated and progressive lung inflammation, augmented NF-kappaB activation,
      and elevated downstream pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-17, and G-CSF)
      compared to wildtype mice. Replacement of functional NADPH oxidase in bone marrow
      derived cells restored the normal lung inflammatory response. Studies in vivo and
      in isolated macrophages demonstrated that in the absence of functional NADPH
      oxidase, zymosan failed to activate Nrf2, a key redox-sensitive anti-inflammatory
      regulator. The triterpenoid, CDDO-Im, activated Nrf2 independently of NADPH
      oxidase and reduced zymosan-induced lung inflammation in CGD mice. Consistent
      with these findings, zymosan-treated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from X
      linked CGD patients showed impaired Nrf2 activity and increased NF-kappaB
      activation. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These studies support a model in which
      NADPH oxidase-dependent, redox-mediated signaling is critical for termination of
      lung inflammation and suggest new potential therapeutic targets for CGD.

PMID- 20300513
TI  - Prospects for the development of odour baits to control the tsetse flies Glossina
      tachinoides and G. palpalis s.l.
AB  - Field studies were done of the responses of Glossina palpalis palpalis in Cote
      d'Ivoire, and G. p. gambiensis and G. tachinoides in Burkina Faso, to odours from
      humans, cattle and pigs. Responses were measured either by baiting (1.) biconical
      traps or (2.) electrocuting black targets with natural host odours. The catch of
      G. tachinoides from traps was significantly enhanced ( approximately 5x) by odour
      from cattle but not humans. In contrast, catches from electric targets showed
      inconsistent results. For G. p. gambiensis both human and cattle odour increased
      (>2x) the trap catch significantly but not the catch from electric targets. For
      G. p. palpalis, odours from pigs and humans increased (approximately 5x) the
      numbers of tsetse attracted to the vicinity of the odour source but had little
      effect on landing or trap-entry. For G. tachinoides a blend of POCA (P = 3-n
      propylphenol; O = 1-octen-3-ol; C = 4-methylphenol; A = acetone) alone or
      synthetic cattle odour (acetone, 1-octen-3-ol, 4-methylphenol and 3-n
      propylphenol with carbon dioxide) consistently caught more tsetse than natural
      cattle odour. For G. p. gambiensis, POCA consistently increased catches from both
      traps and targets. For G. p. palpalis, doses of carbon dioxide similar to those
      produced by a host resulted in similar increases in attraction. Baiting traps
      with super-normal (approximately 500 mg/h) doses of acetone also consistently
      produced significant but slight (approximately 1.6x) increases in catches of male
      flies. The results suggest that odour-baited traps and insecticide-treated
      targets could assist the AU-Pan African Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication
      Campaign (PATTEC) in its current efforts to monitor and control Palpalis group
      tsetse in West Africa. For all three species, only approximately 50% of the flies
      attracted to the vicinity of the trap were actually caught by it, suggesting that
      better traps might be developed by an analysis of the visual responses and
      identification of any semiochemicals involved in short-range interaction.

PMID- 20300514
TI  - Wolbachia age-sex-specific density in Aedes albopictus: a host evolutionary
      response to cytoplasmic incompatibility?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Wolbachia bacteria have invaded many arthropod species by inducing
      Cytoplasmic Incompatibility (CI). These symbionts represent fascinating objects
      of study for evolutionary biologists, but also powerful potential biocontrol
      agents. Here, we assess the density dynamics of Wolbachia infections in males and
      females of the mosquito Aedes albopitcus, an important vector of human pathogens,
      and interpret the results within an evolutionary framework. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL
      FINDINGS: Wolbachia densities were measured in natural populations and in age
      controlled mosquitoes using quantitative PCR. We show that the density dynamics
      of the wAlbA Wolbachia strain infecting Aedes albopictus drastically differ
      between males and females, with a very rapid decay of infection in males only.
      CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Theory predicts that Wolbachia and its hosts should
      cooperate to improve the transmission of infection to offspring, because only
      infected eggs are protected from the effects of CI. However, incompatible matings
      effectively lower the fertility of infected males, so that selection acting on
      the host genome should tend to reduce the expression of CI in males, for example,
      by reducing infection density in males before sexual maturation. The rapid decay
      of one Wolbachia infection in Aedes albopictus males, but not in females, is
      consistent with this prediction. We suggest that the commonly observed reduction
      in CI intensity with male age reflects a similar evolutionary process. Our
      results also highlight the importance of monitoring infection density dynamics in
      both males and females to assess the efficiency of Wolbachia-based control
      strategies.

PMID- 20300515
TI  - High dengue case capture rate in four years of a cohort study in Nicaragua
      compared to national surveillance data.
AB  - Dengue is a major public health problem in tropical and subtropical regions;
      however, under-reporting of cases to national surveillance systems hinders
      accurate knowledge of disease burden and costs. Laboratory-confirmed dengue cases
      identified through the Nicaraguan Pediatric Dengue Cohort Study (PDCS) were
      compared to those reported from other health facilities in Managua to the
      National Epidemiologic Surveillance (NES) program of the Nicaraguan Ministry of
      Health. Compared to reporting among similar pediatric populations in Managua, the
      PDCS identified 14 to 28 (average 21.3) times more dengue cases each year per
      100,000 persons than were reported to the NES. Applying these annual expansion
      factors to national-level data, we estimate that the incidence of confirmed
      pediatric dengue throughout Nicaragua ranged from 300 to 1000 cases per 100,000
      persons. We have estimated a much higher incidence of dengue than reported by the
      Ministry of Health. A country-specific expansion factor for dengue that allows
      for a more accurate estimate of incidence may aid governments and other
      institutions calculating disease burden, costs, resource needs for prevention and
      treatment, and the economic benefits of drug and vaccine development.

PMID- 20300516
TI  - Influence of urban landscapes on population dynamics in a short-distance migrant
      mosquito: evidence for the dengue vector Aedes aegypti.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dengue viruses are endemic across most tropical and subtropical
      regions. Because no proven vaccines are available, dengue prevention is primarily
      accomplished through controlling the mosquito vector Aedes aegypti. While
      dispersal distance is generally believed to be approximately 100 m, patterns of
      dispersion may vary in urban areas due to landscape features acting as barriers
      or corridors to dispersal. Anthropogenic features ultimately affect the flow of
      genes affecting vector competence and insecticide resistance. Therefore, a
      thorough understanding of what parameters impact dispersal is essential for
      efficient implementation of any mosquito population suppression program.
      Population replacement and genetic control strategies currently under
      consideration are also dependent upon a thorough understanding of mosquito
      dispersal in urban settings. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We examined the
      effect of a major highway on dispersal patterns over a 2 year period. A. aegypti
      larvae were collected on the east and west sides of Uriah Butler Highway (UBH) to
      examine any effect UBH may have on the observed population structure in the
      Charlieville neighborhood in Trinidad, West Indies. A panel of nine
      microsatellites, two SNPs and a 710 bp sequence of mtDNA cytochrome oxidase
      subunit 1 (CO1) were used for the molecular analyses of the samples. Three CO1
      haplotypes were identified, one of which was only found on the east side of the
      road in 2006 and 2007. AMOVA using mtCO1 and nuclear markers revealed significant
      differentiation between the east- and west-side collections. CONCLUSION AND
      SIGNIFICANCE: Our results indicate that anthropogenic barriers to A. aegypti
      dispersal exist in urban environments and should be considered when implementing
      control programs during dengue outbreaks and population suppression or
      replacement programs.

PMID- 20300517
TI  - The suppression of immune system disorders by passive attrition.
AB  - Exposure to infectious diseases has an unexpected benefit of inhibiting
      autoimmune diseases and allergies. This is one of many fundamental fitness
      tradeoffs associated with immune system architecture. The immune system attacks
      pathogens, but also may (inappropriately) attack the host. Exposure to pathogens
      can suppress the deleterious response, at the price of illness and the decay of
      immunity to previous diseases. This "hygiene hypothesis" has been associated with
      several possible underlying biological mechanisms. This study focuses on
      physiological constraints that lead to competition for survival between immune
      system cell types. Competition maintains a relatively constant total number of
      cells within each niche. The constraint implies that adding cells conferring new
      immunity requires loss (passive attrition) of some cells conferring previous
      immunities. We consider passive attrition as a mechanism to prevent the initial
      proliferation of autoreactive cells, thus preventing autoimmune disease. We see
      that this protection is a general property of homeostatic regulation and we look
      specifically at both the IL-15 and IL-7 regulated niches to make quantitative
      predictions using a mathematical model. This mathematical model yields insight
      into the dynamics of the "Hygiene Hypothesis," and makes quantitative predictions
      for experiments testing the ability of passive attrition to suppress immune
      system disorders. The model also makes a prediction of an anti-correlation
      between prevalence of immune system disorders and passive attrition rates.

PMID- 20300518
TI  - Phylogeography and population structure of Glossina fuscipes fuscipes in Uganda:
      implications for control of tsetse.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Glossina fuscipes fuscipes, a riverine species of tsetse, is the main
      vector of both human and animal trypanosomiasis in Uganda. Successful
      implementation of vector control will require establishing an appropriate
      geographical scale for these activities. Population genetics can help to resolve
      this issue by characterizing the extent of linkage among apparently isolated
      groups of tsetse. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We conducted genetic analyses
      on mitochondrial and microsatellite data accumulated from approximately 1000
      individual tsetse captured in Uganda and neighboring regions of Kenya and Sudan.
      Phylogeographic analyses suggested that the largest scale genetic structure in G.
      f. fuscipes arose from an historical event that divided two divergent
      mitochondrial lineages. These lineages are currently partitioned to northern and
      southern Uganda and co-occur only in a narrow zone of contact extending across
      central Uganda. Bayesian assignment tests, which provided evidence for admixture
      between northern and southern flies at the zone of contact and evidence for
      northerly gene flow across the zone of contact, indicated that this structure may
      be impermanent. On the other hand, microsatellite structure within the southern
      lineage indicated that gene flow is currently limited between populations in
      western and southeastern Uganda. Within regions, the average F(ST) between
      populations separated by less than 100 km was less than approximately 0.1.
      Significant tests of isolation by distance suggested that gene flow is ongoing
      between neighboring populations and that island populations are not uniformly
      more isolated than mainland populations. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Despite the
      presence of population structure arising from historical colonization events, our
      results have revealed strong signals of current gene flow within regions that
      should be accounted for when planning tsetse control in Uganda. Populations in
      southeastern Uganda appeared to receive little gene flow from populations in
      western or northern Uganda, supporting the feasibility of area wide control in
      the Lake Victoria region by the Pan African Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis
      Eradication Campaign.

PMID- 20300519
TI  - Genetic variations in HSPA8 gene associated with coronary heart disease risk in a
      Chinese population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is ample evidence that Hsp70 takes part in the progress of
      coronary heart disease (CHD). This implies that genetic variants of Hsp70 genes
      such as HSPA8 (HSC70) gene might contribute to the development of CHD. The
      present study aimed to investigate whether certain genetic variants of HSPA8 gene
      are associated with CHD in Han Chinese people. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A
      total of 2006 subjects (1003 CHD cases and 1003 age- and sex- matched healthy
      controls) were recruited. Genetic variants in the HSPA8 gene were identified by
      sequencing of the gene in 60 unrelated Chinese. Four tag single nucleotide
      polymorphisms (tagSNPs) (rs2236659, rs2276077, rs10892958, and rs1461496) were
      selected and genotyped. The function of the significant SNP was evaluated using
      luciferase reporter assays in two cell lines. By sequencing the promoter and all
      exons and introns of the HSPA8 gene, 23 genetic variants were identified. One
      promoter SNP rs2236659 was associated with susceptibility to CHD. Carriers of the
      "C" allele of rs2236659 had decreased CHD risk with odds ratio (OR) of 0.78 (95%
      CI: 0.62, 0.98; P = 0.033) after adjustment for conventional risk factors.
      Haplotype analyses indicated that haplotype GCGC contributed to a lower CHD risk
      (OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.65, 0.93; P = 0.006) compared with the common haplotype
      AGGT. In a transfection assay, the C allele of rs2236659 showed a 37-40% increase
      in luciferase expression of the reporter gene luciferase in endothelial and non
      endothelial cells compared with the T allele. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These
      findings suggest that genetic variants in HSPA8 gene (especially promoter SNP
      rs2236659) contribute to the CHD susceptibility by affecting its expression
      level.

PMID- 20300520
TI  - Cytoprotective effect of the elongation factor-2 kinase-mediated autophagy in
      breast cancer cells subjected to growth factor inhibition.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Autophagy is a highly conserved and regulated cellular process
      employed by living cells to degrade proteins and organelles as a response to
      metabolic stress. We have previously reported that eukaryotic elongation factor-2
      kinase (eEF-2 kinase, also known as Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase
      III) can positively modulate autophagy and negatively regulate protein synthesis.
      The purpose of the current study was to determine the role of the eEF-2 kinase
      regulated autophagy in the response of breast cancer cells to inhibitors of
      growth factor signaling. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We found that nutrient
      depletion or growth factor inhibitors activated autophagy in human breast cancer
      cells, and the increased activity of autophagy was associated with a decrease in
      cellular ATP and an increase in activities of AMP kinase and eEF-2 kinase.
      Silencing of eEF-2 kinase relieved the inhibition of protein synthesis, led to a
      greater reduction of cellular ATP, and blunted autophagic response. We further
      showed that suppression of eEF-2 kinase-regulated autophagy impeded cell growth
      in serum/nutrient-deprived cultures and handicapped cell survival, and enhanced
      the efficacy of the growth factor inhibitors such as trastuzumab, gefitinib, and
      lapatinib. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The results of this study provide new
      evidence that activation of eEF-2 kinase-mediated autophagy plays a protective
      role for cancer cells under metabolic stress conditions, and that targeting
      autophagic survival may represent a novel approach to enhancing the effectiveness
      of growth factor inhibitors.

PMID- 20300521
TI  - Non-invasive bleaching of the human lens by femtosecond laser photolysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Globally, cataract is the leading cause of blindness and impaired
      vision. Cataract surgery is an attractive treatment option but it remains
      unavailable in sufficient quantity for the vast majority of the world population
      living in areas without access to specialized health care. Reducing blindness
      from cataract requires solutions that can be applied outside operating theatres.
      Cataract is a protein conformational disease characterized by accumulation of
      light absorbing, fluorescent and scattering protein aggregates. The aim of the
      study was to investigate whether these compounds were susceptible to
      photobleaching by a non-invasive procedure and whether this would lead to optical
      rejuvenation of the lens. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Nine human donor lenses
      were treated with an 800 nm infra-red femtosecond pulsed laser in a treatment
      zone measuring 1x1x0.52 mm. After laser treatment the age-induced yellow
      discoloration of the lens was markedly reduced and the transmission of light was
      increased corresponding to an optical rejuvenation of 3 to 7 years.
      CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The results demonstrate that the age-induced yellowing
      of the human lens can be bleached by a non-invasive procedure based on
      femtosecond laser photolysis. Cataract is a disease associated with old age. At
      the current technological stage, lens aging is delayed but with a treatment
      covering the entire lens volume complete optical rejuvenation is expected. Thus,
      femtosecond photolysis has the potential clinical value of replacing invasive
      cataract surgery by a non-invasive treatment modality that can be placed in
      mobile units, thus breaking down many of the barriers impeding access to
      treatment in remote and poor regions of the world.

PMID- 20300522
TI  - Exploring eye movements in patients with glaucoma when viewing a driving scene.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Glaucoma is a progressive eye disease and a leading cause of visual
      disability. Automated assessment of the visual field determines the different
      stages in the disease process: it would be desirable to link these measurements
      taken in the clinic with patient's actual function, or establish if patients
      compensate for their restricted field of view when performing everyday tasks.
      Hence, this study investigated eye movements in glaucomatous patients when
      viewing driving scenes in a hazard perception test (HPT). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL
      FINDINGS: The HPT is a component of the UK driving licence test consisting of a
      series of short film clips of various traffic scenes viewed from the driver's
      perspective each containing hazardous situations that require the camera car to
      change direction or slow down. Data from nine glaucomatous patients with
      binocular visual field defects and ten age-matched control subjects were
      considered (all experienced drivers). Each subject viewed 26 different films with
      eye movements simultaneously monitored by an eye tracker. Computer software was
      purpose written to pre-process the data, co-register it to the film clips and to
      quantify eye movements and point-of-regard (using a dynamic bivariate contour
      ellipse analysis). On average, and across all HPT films, patients exhibited
      different eye movement characteristics to controls making, for example,
      significantly more saccades (P<0.001; 95% confidence interval for mean increase:
      9.2 to 22.4%). Whilst the average region of 'point-of-regard' of the patients did
      not differ significantly from the controls, there were revealing cases where
      patients failed to see a hazard in relation to their binocular visual field
      defect. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Characteristics of eye movement patterns in
      patients with bilateral glaucoma can differ significantly from age-matched
      controls when viewing a traffic scene. Further studies of eye movements made by
      glaucomatous patients could provide useful information about the definition of
      the visual field component required for fitness to drive.

PMID- 20300523
TI  - Human breast cancer cell lines co-express neuronal, epithelial, and melanocytic
      differentiation markers in vitro and in vivo.
AB  - Differentiation programs are aberrant in cancer cells allowing them to express
      differentiation markers in addition to their tissue of origin. In the present
      study, we demonstrate the multi-lineage differentiation potential of breast
      cancer cell lines to express multiple neuronal/glial lineage-specific markers as
      well as mammary epithelial and melanocytic-specific markers. Multilineage
      expression was detected in luminal (MCF-7 and SKBR3) and basal (MDA-MB-231) types
      of human breast cancer cell lines. We also observed comparable co-expression of
      these three cell lineage markers in MDA-MB-435 cells in vitro, in MDA-MB-435
      primary tumors derived from parental and single cell clones and in lung
      metastases in vivo. Furthermore, ectoderm multi-lineage transdifferentiation was
      also found in human melanoma (Ul-MeL) and glioblastoma cell lines (U87 and D54).
      These observations indicate that aberrant multi-lineage transdifferentiation or
      lineage infidelity may be a wide spread phenomenon in cancer.

PMID- 20300525
TI  - N-octanoyl dopamine, a non-hemodyanic dopamine derivative, for cell protection
      during hypothermic organ preservation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although donor dopamine treatment reduces the requirement for post
      transplantation dialysis in renal transplant recipients, implementation of
      dopamine in donor management is hampered by its hemodynamic side-effects.
      Therefore novel dopamine derivatives lacking any hemodynamic actions and yet are
      more efficacious in protecting tissue from cold preservation injury are
      warranted. We hypothesized that variation of the molecular structure would yield
      more efficacious compounds avoid of any hemodynamic effects.
      METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To this end, we assessed protection against cold
      preservation injury in HUVEC by the attenuation of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)
      release. Modification of dopamine by an alkanoyl group increased cellular uptake
      and significantly improved efficacy of protection. Further variation revealed
      that only compounds bearing two hydroxy groups in ortho or para position at the
      benzene nucleus, i.e. strong reductants, were protective. However, other reducing
      agents like N-acetyl cysteine and ascorbate, or NADPH oxidase inhibition did not
      prevent cellular injury following cold storage. Unlike dopamine, a prototypic
      novel compound caused no hemodynamic side-effects. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: In
      conclusion, we demonstrate that protection against cold preservation injury by
      catecholamines is exclusively governed by strong reducing capacity and sufficient
      lipophilicity. The novel dopamine derivatives might be of clinical relevance in
      donor pre-conditioning as they are completely devoid of hemodynamic action, their
      increased cellular uptake would reduce time of treatment and therefore also may
      have a potential use for non-heart beating donors.

PMID- 20300524
TI  - Activation of PPARbeta/delta causes a psoriasis-like skin disease in vivo.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is one of the most frequent skin diseases world-wide. The
      disease impacts enormously on affected patients and poses a huge financial burden
      on health care providers. Several lines of evidence suggest that the nuclear
      hormone receptor peroxisome proliferator activator (PPAR) beta/delta, known to
      regulate epithelial differentiation and wound healing, contributes to psoriasis
      pathogenesis. It is unclear, however, whether activation of PPARbeta/delta is
      sufficient to trigger psoriasis-like changes in vivo. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL
      FINDINGS: Using immunohistochemistry, we define the distribution of
      PPARbeta/delta in the skin lesions of psoriasis. By expression profiling, we
      confirm that PPARbeta/delta is overexpressed in the vast majority of psoriasis
      patients. We further establish a transgenic model allowing inducible activation
      of PPARbeta/delta in murine epidermis mimicking its distribution in psoriasis
      lesions. Upon activation of PPARbeta/delta, transgenic mice sustain an
      inflammatory skin disease strikingly similar to psoriasis, featuring
      hyperproliferation of keratinocytes, dendritic cell accumulation, and endothelial
      activation. Development of this phenotype requires the activation of the Th17
      subset of T cells, shown previously to be central to psoriasis. Moreover, gene
      dysregulation in the transgenic mice is highly similar to that in psoriasis. Key
      transcriptional programs activated in psoriasis, including IL1-related signalling
      and cholesterol biosynthesis, are replicated in the mouse model, suggesting that
      PPARbeta/delta regulates these transcriptional changes in psoriasis. Finally, we
      identify phosphorylation of STAT3 as a novel pathway activated by PPARbeta/delta
      and show that inhibition of STAT3 phosphorylation blocks disease development.
      CONCLUSIONS: Activation of PPARbeta/delta in the epidermis is sufficient to
      trigger inflammatory changes, immune activation, and signalling, and gene
      dysregulation characteristic of psoriasis.

PMID- 20300526
TI  - A novel analytical framework for dissecting the genetic architecture of
      behavioral symptoms in neuropsychiatric disorders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: For diagnosis of neuropsychiatric disorders, a categorical
      classification system is often utilized as a simple way for conceptualizing an
      often complex clinical picture. This approach provides an unsatisfactory model of
      mental illness, since in practice patients do not conform to these prototypical
      diagnostic categories. Family studies show notable familial co-aggregation
      between schizophrenia and bipolar illness and between schizoaffective disorders
      and both bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, revealing that mental illness does
      not conform to such categorical models and is likely to follow a continuum
      encompassing a spectrum of behavioral symptoms. RESULTS AND METHODOLOGY: We
      introduce an analytic framework to dissect the phenotypic heterogeneity present
      in complex psychiatric disorders based on the conceptual paradigm of a continuum
      of psychosis. The approach identifies subgroups of behavioral symptoms that are
      likely to be phenotypically and genetically homogenous. We have evaluated this
      approach through analysis of simulated data with simulated behavioral traits and
      predisposing genetic factors. We also apply this approach to a psychiatric
      dataset of a genome scan for schizophrenia for which extensive behavioral
      information was collected for each individual patient and their families. With
      this approach, we identified significant evidence for linkage among depressed
      individuals with two distinct symptom profiles, that is individuals with sleep
      disturbance symptoms with linkage on chromosome 2q13 and also a mutually
      exclusive group of individuals with symptoms of concentration problems with
      linkage on chromosome 2q35. In addition we identified a subset of individuals
      with schizophrenia defined by language disturbances with linkage to chromosome
      2p25.1 and a group of patients with a phenotype intermediate between those of
      schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder with linkage to chromosome 2p21.
      CONCLUSIONS: The findings presented are novel and demonstrate the efficacy of
      this approach in detection of genes underlying such complex human disorders as
      schizophrenia and depression.

PMID- 20300527
TI  - GSK3 influences social preference and anxiety-related behaviors during social
      interaction in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome and autism.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nearly 1% of children in the United States exhibit autism spectrum
      disorders, but causes and treatments remain to be identified. Mice with deletion
      of the fragile X mental retardation 1 (Fmr1) gene are used to model autism
      because loss of Fmr1 gene function causes Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) and many
      people with FXS exhibit autistic-like behaviors. Glycogen synthase kinase-3
      (GSK3) is hyperactive in brains of Fmr1 knockout mice, and inhibition of GSK3 by
      lithium administration ameliorates some behavioral impairment in these mice. We
      extended our studies of this association by testing whether GSK3 contributes to
      socialization behaviors. This used two mouse models with disrupted regulation of
      GSK3, Fmr1 knockout mice and GSK3 knockin mice, in which inhibitory serines of
      the two isoforms of GSK3, GSK3alpha and GSK3beta, are mutated to alanines,
      leaving GSK3 fully active. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To assess sociability,
      test mice were introduced to a restrained stimulus mouse (S1) for 10 min,
      followed by introduction of a second restrained stimulus mouse (S2) for 10 min,
      which assesses social preference. Fmr1 knockout and GSK3 knockin mice displayed
      no deficit in sociability with the S1 mouse, but unlike wild-type mice neither
      demonstrated social preference for the novel S2 mouse. Fmr1 knockout mice
      displayed more anxiety-related behaviors during social interaction (grooming,
      rearing, and digging) than wild-type mice, which was ameliorated by inhibition of
      GSK3 with chronic lithium treatment. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These results
      indicate that impaired inhibitory regulation of GSK3 in Fmr1 knockout mice may
      contribute to some socialization deficits and that lithium treatment can
      ameliorate certain socialization impairments. As discussed in the present work,
      these results suggest a role for GSK3 in social behaviors and implicate
      inhibition of GSK3 as a potential therapeutic.

PMID- 20300528
TI  - A at single nucleotide polymorphism-358 is required for G at -420 to confer the
      highest plasma resistin in the general Japanese population.
AB  - Insulin resistance is a feature of type 2 diabetes. Resistin, secreted from
      adipocytes, causes insulin resistance in mice. We previously reported that the
      G/G genotype of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at -420 (rs1862513) in the
      human resistin gene (RETN) increased susceptibility to type 2 diabetes by
      enhancing its promoter activity. Plasma resistin was highest in Japanese subjects
      with G/G genotype, followed by C/G, and C/C. In this study, we cross-sectionally
      analyzed plasma resistin and SNPs in the RETN region in 2,019 community-dwelling
      Japanese subjects. Plasma resistin was associated with SNP-638 (rs34861192), SNP
      537 (rs34124816), SNP-420, SNP-358 (rs3219175), SNP+299 (rs3745367), and SNP+1263
      (rs3745369) (P<10(-13) in all cases). SNP-638, SNP -420, SNP-358, and SNP+157
      were in the same linkage disequilibrium (LD) block. SNP-358 and SNP-638 were
      nearly in complete LD (r(2) = 0.98), and were tightly correlated with SNP-420
      (r(2) = 0.50, and 0.51, respectively). The correlation between either SNP-358 (or
      SNP-638) or SNP-420 and plasma resistin appeared to be strong (risk alleles for
      high plasma resistin; A at SNP-358, r(2) = 0.5224, P = 4.94x10(-324); G at SNP
      420, r(2) = 0.2616, P = 1.71x10(-133)). In haplotypes determined by SNP-420 and
      SNP-358, the estimated frequencies for C-G, G-A, and G-G were 0.6700, 0.2005, and
      0.1284, respectively, and C-A was rare (0.0011), suggesting that subjects with A
      at -358, generally had G at -420. This G-A haplotype conferred the highest plasma
      resistin (8.24 ng/ml difference/allele compared to C-G, P<0.0001). In THP-1
      cells, the RETN promoter with the G-A haplotype showed the highest activity.
      Nuclear proteins specifically recognized one base difference at SNP-358, but not
      at SNP-638. Therefore, A at -358 is required for G at -420 to confer the highest
      plasma resistin in the general Japanese population. In Caucasians, the
      association between SNP-420 and plasma resistin is not strong, and A at -358 may
      not exist, suggesting that SNP-358 could explain this ethnic difference.

PMID- 20300529
TI  - A monomeric variant of insulin degrading enzyme (IDE) loses its regulatory
      properties.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Insulin degrading enzyme (IDE) is a key enzyme in the metabolism of
      both insulin and amyloid beta peptides. IDE is unique in that it is subject to
      allosteric activation which is hypothesized to occur through an oligomeric
      structure. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: IDE is known to exist as an
      equilibrium mixture of monomers, dimers, and higher oligomers, with the dimer
      being the predominant form. Based on the crystal structure of IDE we deleted the
      putative dimer interface in the C-terminal region, which resulted in a monomeric
      variant. Monomeric IDE retained enzymatic activity, however instead of the
      allosteric behavior seen with wild type enzyme it displayed Michaelis-Menten
      kinetic behavior. With the substrate Abz-GGFLRKHGQ-EDDnp, monomeric IDE retained
      approximately 25% of the wild type activity. In contrast with the larger peptide
      substrates beta-endorphin and amyloid beta peptide 1-40, monomeric IDE retained
      only 1 to 0.25% of wild type activity. Unlike wild type IDE neither bradykinin
      nor dynorphin B-9 activated the monomeric variant of the enzyme. Similarly,
      monomeric IDE was not activated by polyphosphates under conditions in which the
      activity of wild type enzyme was increased more than 50 fold.
      CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These findings serve to establish the dimer interface
      in IDE and demonstrate the requirement for an oligomeric form of the enzyme for
      its regulatory properties. The data support a mechanism where the binding of
      activators to oligomeric IDE induces a conformational change that cannot occur in
      the monomeric variant. Since a conformational change from a closed to a more open
      structure is likely the rate-determining step in the IDE reaction, the subunit
      induced conformational change likely shifts the structure of the oligomeric
      enzyme to a more open conformation.

PMID- 20300530
TI  - Inefficient complement system clearance of Trypanosoma cruzi metacyclic
      trypomastigotes enables resistant strains to invade eukaryotic cells.
AB  - The complement system is the main arm of the vertebrate innate immune system
      against pathogen infection. For the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative
      agent of Chagas disease, subverting the complement system and invading the host
      cells is crucial to succeed in infection. However, little attention has focused
      on whether the complement system can effectively control T. cruzi infection. To
      address this question, we decided to analyse: 1) which complement pathways are
      activated by T. cruzi using strains isolated from different hosts, 2) the
      capacity of these strains to resist the complement-mediated killing at nearly
      physiological conditions, and 3) whether the complement system could limit or
      control T. cruzi invasion of eukaryotic cells. The complement activating
      molecules C1q, C3, mannan-binding lectin and ficolins bound to all strains
      analysed; however, C3b and C4b deposition assays revealed that T. cruzi activates
      mainly the lectin and alternative complement pathways in non-immune human serum.
      Strikingly, we detected that metacyclic trypomastigotes of some T. cruzi strains
      were highly susceptible to complement-mediated killing in non-immune serum, while
      other strains were resistant. Furthermore, the rate of parasite invasion in
      eukaryotic cells was decreased by non-immune serum. Altogether, these results
      establish that the complement system recognizes T. cruzi metacyclic
      trypomastigotes, resulting in killing of susceptible strains. The complement
      system, therefore, acts as a physiological barrier which resistant strains have
      to evade for successful host infection.

PMID- 20300531
TI  - Hypoxia inactivates the VHL tumor suppressor through PIASy-mediated SUMO
      modification.
AB  - The hypoxic microenvironment contributes to embryonic development and tumor
      progression through stabilization of the potent transcriptional factor HIFalpha.
      In normoxia, the tumor suppressor protein VHL acts as an E3 ubiquitin ligase to
      target HIFalpha for proteolytic destruction. Increasing evidence shows that VHL
      is a multifunctional adaptor involved in inhibition of HIFalpha-dependent and
      independent cellular processes. However, the molecular effect of hypoxic stress
      on VHL functions remains elusive. Here we report that PIASy, a SUMO E3 ligase
      upregulated in hypoxia, interacts with VHL and induces VHL SUMOylation on lysine
      residue 171. Moreover, PIASy-mediated SUMO1 modification induces VHL
      oligomerization and abrogates its inhibitory function on tumor cell growth,
      migration and clonogenicity. Knockdown of PIASy by small interfering RNA leads to
      reduction of VHL oligomerization and increases HIF1alpha degradation. These
      findings reveal a unique molecular strategy for inactivation of VHL under hypoxic
      stress.

PMID- 20300532
TI  - Transformation of environmental Bacillus subtilis isolates by transiently
      inducing genetic competence.
AB  - Domesticated laboratory strains of Bacillus subtilis readily take up and
      integrate exogenous DNA. In contrast, "wild" ancestors or Bacillus strains
      recently isolated from the environment can only be genetically modified by phage
      transduction, electroporation or protoplast transformation. Such methods are
      laborious, have a variable yield or cannot efficiently be used to alter
      chromosomal DNA. A major disadvantage of using laboratory strains is that they
      have often lost, or do not display ecologically relevant physiologies such as the
      ability to form biofilms. Here we present a method that allows genetic
      transformation by natural competence in several environmental isolates of B.
      subtilis. Competence in these strains was established by expressing the B.
      subtilis competence transcription factor ComK from an IPTG-inducible promoter
      construct present on an unstable plasmid. This transiently activates expression
      of the genes required for DNA uptake and recombination in the host strain. After
      transformation, the comK encoding plasmid is lost easily because of its intrinsic
      instability and the transformed strain returns to its wild state. Using this
      method, we have successfully generated mutants and introduced foreign DNA into a
      number of environmental isolates and also B. subtilis strain NCIB3610, which is
      widely used to study biofilm formation. Application of the same method to strains
      of B. licheniformis was unsuccessful. The efficient and rapid approach described
      here may facilitate genetic studies in a wider array of environmental B. subtilis
      strains.

PMID- 20300534
TI  - In vivo accumulation of Helicobacter pylori products, NOD1, ubiquitinated
      proteins and proteasome in a novel cytoplasmic structure.
AB  - Cell internalization and intracellular fate of H. pylori products/virulence
      factors in vivo by human gastric epithelium, the main target of H. pylori-induced
      pathologies (i.e., peptic ulcer and cancer), are still largely unknown.
      Investigating gastric endoscopic biopsies from dyspeptic patients by means of
      ultrastructural immunocytochemistry, here we show that, in human superficial
      foveolar epithelium and its metaplastic or dysplastic foci, H. pylori virulence
      factors accumulated in a discrete cytoplasmic structure characterized by 13-nm
      thick cylindrical particles of regular punctate-linear substructure resembling
      the proteasome complex in size and structure. Inside this particle-rich
      cytoplasmic structure (PaCS) we observed colocalization of VacA, CagA, urease and
      outer membrane proteins with NOD1 receptor, ubiquitin-activating enzyme E1,
      polyubiquitinated proteins, proteasome components and potentially oncogenic
      proteins like SHP2 and ERKs in human gastric epithelium. By means of electron and
      confocal microscopy, we demonstrate that the in vivo findings were reproduced in
      vitro by incubating human epithelial cell lines with H. pylori products/virulence
      factors. PaCSs differed from VacA-induced vacuoles, phagosomes, aggresomes or
      related bodies. Our data suggest that PaCS is a novel, proteasome-enriched
      structure arising in ribosome-rich cytoplasm at sites of H. pylori products
      accumulation. As a site of selective concentration of bacterial virulence
      factors, the ubiquitin-proteasome system and interactive proteins, PaCS is likely
      to modulate immune-inflammatory and proliferative responses of the gastric
      epithelium of potential pathologic relevance.

PMID- 20300535
TI  - Grip force is part of the semantic representation of manual action verbs.
AB  - Motor actions and action verbs activate similar cortical brain regions. A
      functional interference can be taken as evidence that there is a parallel
      treatment of these two types of information and would argue for the biological
      grounding of language in action. A novel approach examining the relationship
      between language and grip force is presented. With eyes closed and arm extended,
      subjects listened to words relating (verbs) or not relating (nouns) to a manual
      action while holding a cylinder with an integrated force sensor. There was a
      change in grip force when subjects heard verbs that related to manual action.
      Grip force increased from about 100 ms following the verb presentation, peaked at
      380 ms and fell abruptly after 400 ms, signalling a possible inhibition of the
      motor simulation evoked by these words. These observations reveal the intimate
      relationship that exists between language and grasp and show that it is possible
      to elucidate online new aspects of sensorimotor interaction.

PMID- 20300533
TI  - Aptamer antagonists of myelin-derived inhibitors promote axon growth.
AB  - Myelin of the adult central nervous system (CNS) is one of the major sources of
      inhibitors of axon regeneration following injury. The three known myelin-derived
      inhibitors (Nogo, MAG, and OMgp) bind with high affinity to the Nogo-66 receptor
      (NgR) on axons and limit neurite outgrowth. Here we show that RNA aptamers can be
      generated that bind with high affinity to NgR, compete with myelin-derived
      inhibitors for binding to NgR, and promote axon elongation of neurons in vitro
      even in the presence of these inhibitors. Aptamers may have key advantages over
      protein antagonists, including low immunogenicity and the possibility of ready
      modification during chemical synthesis for stability, signaling, or
      immobilization. This first demonstration that aptamers can directly influence
      neuronal function suggests that aptamers may prove useful for not only healing
      spinal cord and other neuronal damage, but may be more generally useful as
      neuromodulators.

PMID- 20300536
TI  - Molecular evolution of human H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A virus in Thailand, 2006
      2009.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Annual seasonal influenza outbreaks are associated with high
      morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVE: To index and document evolutionary changes
      among influenza A H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from Thailand during 2006-2009,
      using complete genome sequences. METHODS: Nasopharyngeal aspirates were collected
      from patients diagnosed with respiratory illness in Thailand during 2006-2009.
      All samples were screened for Influenza A virus. A total of 13 H1N1 and 21 H3N2
      were confirmed and whole genome sequenced for the evolutionary analysis using
      standard phylogenetic approaches. RESULTS: Phylogenetic analysis of HA revealed a
      clear diversification of seasonal from vaccine strain lineages. H3N2 seasonal
      clusters were closely related to the WHO recommended vaccine strains in each
      season. Most H1N1 isolates could be differentiated into 3 lineages. The
      A/Brisbane/59/2007 lineage, a vaccine strain for H1N1 since 2008, is closely
      related with the H1N1 subtypes circulating in 2009. HA sequences were conserved
      at the receptor-binding site. Amino acid variations in the antigenic site
      resulted in a possible N-linked glycosylation motif. Recent H3N2 isolates had
      higher genetic variations compared to H1N1 isolates. Most substitutions in the NP
      protein were clustered in the T-cell recognition domains. CONCLUSION: In this
      study we performed evolutionary genetic analysis of influenza A viruses in
      Thailand between 2006-2009. Although the current vaccine strain is efficient for
      controlling the circulating outbreak subtypes, surveillance is necessary to
      provide unambiguous information on emergent viruses. In summary, the findings of
      this study contribute the understanding of evolution in influenza A viruses in
      humans and is useful for routine surveillance and vaccine strain selection.

PMID- 20300537
TI  - Family structure and well-being at older ages in Japan.
AB  - The family structure of older Japanese is projected to change dramatically as a
      result of very low fertility, increasing levels of non-marriage, childlessness,
      and divorce, and declining intergenerational coresidence. To provide an empirical
      basis for speculation about the implications of projected increases in single
      person and couple-only households, we use two sources of data to describe
      relationships between family structure and the physical and emotional well-being
      of Japanese men and women age 60 and above. We find that marriage is positively
      associated with self-rated health and emotional well-being among older men but
      not women. In contrast to expectations, however, we find only limited evidence
      that the presence of children contributes to well-being. Taken as a whole, our
      results suggest that declines in marriage may have negative implications for the
      well-being of older Japanese men while the implications of declines in fertility
      and intergenerational coresidence may be less than popularly believed.

PMID- 20300538
TI  - Emotion regulation in depression: relation to cognitive inhibition.
AB  - Depression is a disorder of impaired emotion regulation. Consequently, examining
      individual differences in the habitual use of emotion regulation strategies has
      considerable potential to inform models of this debilitating disorder. The aim of
      the current study was to identify cognitive processes that may be associated with
      the use of emotion regulation strategies and to elucidate their relation to
      depression. Depression has been found to be associated with difficulties in
      cognitive control and, more specifically, with difficulties inhibiting the
      processing of negative material. We used a negative affective priming task to
      assess the relations among inhibition and individual differences in the habitual
      use of rumination, reappraisal, and expressive suppression in clinically
      depressed, formerly depressed, and never-depressed participants. We found that
      depressed participants exhibited the predicted lack of inhibition when processing
      negative material. Moreover, within the group of depressed participants, reduced
      inhibition of negative material was associated with greater rumination. Across
      the entire sample, reduced inhibition of negative material was related to less
      use of reappraisal and more use of expressive suppression. Finally, within the
      formerly depressed group, less use of reappraisal, more use of rumination, and
      greater expressive suppression were related to higher levels of depressive
      symptoms. These findings suggest that individual differences in the use of
      emotion regulation strategies play an important role in depression, and that
      deficits in cognitive control are related to the use of maladaptive emotion
      regulation strategies in this disorder.

PMID- 20300539
TI  - Acculturation and Enculturation Trajectories Among Mexican-American Adolescent
      Offenders.
AB  - This study examines changes over time in ethnic affirmation/belonging and ethnic
      identity achievement, Spanish language use, English language use, Mexican/Mexican
      American affiliation/identification and Anglo affiliation/identification in a
      sample of Mexican-American adolescents participating in a longitudinal study of
      juvenile offenders. The Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure and the Acculturation
      Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II were completed by the Mexican-American
      adolescents 7 times over a 3-year period. The findings from longitudinal growth
      modeling analyses and growth mixture modeling analyses indicate that there is
      heterogeneity in the initial scores and changes over time on these variables that
      are related to markers for the cultural qualities of the home environment (i.e.,
      generational status and mother's most frequent language use). In contrast to
      expectations, marginalized or assimilated acculturation trajectories/types were
      not overrepresented in this sample of adolescent offenders. Implications for our
      understanding of the nature of acculturation and enculturation processes and the
      way these processes are studied are discussed.

PMID- 20300541
TI  - A Short-Term Longitudinal Study of the Relationship between Motivation to Read
      and Reading Fluency Skill in Second Grade.
AB  - This short-term longitudinal study investigated the relationships between
      students' reading self-concept, goals for reading, and reading fluency skill over
      the course of the second grade year. Second grade children (N=185) were
      administered the Test of Word Reading Efficiency, the second grade Dynamic
      Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills, and an adapted version of Motivation
      to Read Profile at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year. Results
      showed that students' goals for reading were related to reading self-concept, but
      unrelated to reading fluency. In addition, reading self-concept was significantly
      related to reading fluency at each time point. Latent-variable path analysis was
      used to test four potential relationships between students' reading self-concept
      and reading fluency skill: (a) an independence model; (b) a skill development
      model; (c) a self-enhancement model; and (d) a reciprocal effects model. Support
      for a reciprocal model was found between students' reading fluency skill and
      reading self-concept over the second grade year. This finding also indicated that
      students' reading self-concept begins to influence their reading achievement
      earlier than previous research had indicated. Implications for educational
      practice and future research will also be discussed.

PMID- 20300543
TI  - A new nonlinear classifier with a penalized signed fuzzy measure using effective
      genetic algorithm.
AB  - This paper proposes a new nonlinear classifier based on a generalized Choquet
      integral with signed fuzzy measures to enhance the classification accuracy and
      power by capturing all possible interactions among two or more attributes. This
      generalized approach was developed to address unsolved Choquet-integral
      classification issues such as allowing for flexible location of projection lines
      in n-dimensional space, automatic search for the least misclassification rate
      based on Choquet distance, and penalty on misclassified points. A special genetic
      algorithm is designed to implement this classification optimization with fast
      convergence. Both the numerical experiment and empirical case studies show that
      this generalized approach improves and extends the functionality of this Choquet
      nonlinear classification in more real-world multi-class multi-dimensional
      situations.

PMID- 20300542
TI  - Experimental and theoretical investigation of chain length and surface coverage
      on fouling of surface grafted polypeptoids.
AB  - Numerous strategies exist to prevent biological fouling of surfaces in
      physiological environments; our strategy focuses on the modification of surfaces
      with poly-N-substituted glycine oligomers (polypeptoids). We previously reported
      the synthesis and characterization of three novel polypeptoid polymers that can
      be used to modify titanium oxide surfaces, rendering the surfaces resistant to
      adsorption of proteins, to adhesion of mammalian and bacterial cells and to
      degradation by common protease enzymes. In this study, we investigated the effect
      of polypeptoid chain length on the antifouling properties of the modified
      surfaces. For these experiments we used poly(N-methoxyethyl) glycines with
      lengths between ten and fifty repeat units and determined the influence of chain
      length on coating thickness and density as well as resistance to protein
      adsorption and cellular adhesion. Short-term protein resistance remained low for
      all polymers, as measured by optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy, while
      fibroblast adhesion after several weeks indicated reduced fouling resistance for
      the polypeptoid-modified surfaces with the shortest chain length polymer.
      Experimental observations were compared to predictions obtained from a molecular
      theory of polymer and protein adsorption. Good agreement was found between
      experiment and theory for the chain length dependence of peptoid grafting
      density, and for protein adsorption as a function of peptoid grafting density.
      The theoretical predictions provide specific guidelines for the surface coverage
      for each molecular weight for optimal antifouling. The predictions show the
      relationship between polymer layer structure and fouling.

PMID- 20300544
TI  - Autoimmune thyroiditis presenting as palmoplantar keratoderma.
AB  - Palmoplantar keratoderma is a heterogeneous group of hereditary and acquired
      disorders characterized by abnormal thickening of palms and soles. Hypothyroidism
      is an unusual cause of palmoplantar keratoderma, rarely reported in the
      literature. We report a case of a 43-year-old woman presented with a 3-month
      history of a diffuse palmoplantar hyperkeratosis unresponsive to topical
      keratolytics and corticosteroids. Her past medical and family histories were
      unremarkable. She complained of recent asthenia, mood changes and constipation.
      Laboratory evaluation revealed an autoimmune thyroiditis with hypothyroidism.
      Other causes of acquired palmoplantar keratoderma were excluded. After hormonal
      replacement therapy institution, a gradual improvement of skin condition was
      observed. The diagnosis of underlying causes for acquired palmoplantar
      keratoderma can be a difficult task; however its recognition is essential for
      successful treatment results. Although a very rare association, hypothyroidism
      must be suspected in patients with acquired palmoplantar keratoderma,
      particularly when it occurs in association with systemic symptoms.

PMID- 20300540
TI  - Scorpion venom and the inflammatory response.
AB  - Scorpion venoms consist of a complex of several toxins that exhibit a wide range
      of biological properties and actions, as well as chemical compositions, toxicity,
      and pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics. These venoms are
      associated with high morbility and mortality, especially among children. Victims
      of envenoming by a scorpion suffer a variety of pathologies, involving mainly
      both sympathetic and parasympathetic stimulation as well as central
      manifestations such as irritability, hyperthermia, vomiting, profuse salivation,
      tremor, and convulsion. The clinical signs and symptoms observed in humans and
      experimental animals are related with an excessive systemic host inflammatory
      response to stings and stings, respectively. Although the pathophysiology of
      envenomation is complex and not yet fully understood, venom and immune responses
      are known to trigger the release of inflammatory mediators that are largely
      mediated by cytokines. In models of severe systemic inflammation produced by
      injection of high doses of venom or venoms products, the increase in production
      of proinflammatory cytokines significantly contributes to immunological
      imbalance, multiple organ dysfunction and death. The cytokines initiate a cascade
      of events that lead to illness behaviors such as fever, anorexia, and also
      physiological events in the host such as activation of vasodilatation,
      hypotension, and increased of vessel permeability.

PMID- 20300545
TI  - Evidence for vertical transmission of HPV from mothers to infants.
AB  - Few large studies have evaluated concordance based on a broad spectrum of human
      papillomavirus (HPV) types in oral and genital specimens of mothers and their
      recently born infants. This information is important in determining whether HPV
      vaccines administered prior to pregnancy may be useful for preventing vertical
      transmission. HPV DNA was positive in 30% of mothers and 1.5% of newborns.
      Maternal/newborn concordance (HPV+/+ or HPV-/-) was 71%. Among HPV DNA+ mothers,
      only 3% of their infants were DNA+ and only 1 pair had the same HPV type. Among
      HPV- women, 0.8% of infants were HPV+. HPV DNA detected in hospitalized newborns
      reflects current infection transmitted to infants during pregnancy or delivery.
      None of the mother/baby HPV DNA+ concordance pairs detected viral types found in
      HPV vaccines suggesting that vaccination prior to pregnancy is unlikely to be
      efficacious in preventing vertical transmission.

PMID- 20300546
TI  - An appraisal of anatomical and limited hepatectomy for regional hepatolithiasis.
AB  - AIM: Determination of first line treatment with limited hepatectomy or Anatomical
      hepatectomy provides better clinical outcome. METHODS: Immediate and long-term
      outcomes of 106 patients who underwent partial hepatectomy for RH at our
      institution from January 2001 to February 2005 were analyzed retrospectively.
      Clinical end-points included time to recovery of hepatic function, residual
      stones, infection of the liver remnant, bile leakage, recurrent stones,
      morbidity, and mortality. RESULTS: LH was performed in 59 patients and AH in 47
      patients as first-line treatment. The time of hepatic function recovery was not
      statistically different between the two groups (P > .05). However, Patients in AH
      group suffered from less residual stones (P < .05), less infection of the raw
      surface of liver remnant (P < .05), and less bile leakage (P < .05), with a
      median follow-up of 40.3 +/- 0.8 months (range 3-48), and AH group suffered a
      less recurrent stone rate (P < .05). No difference in morbidity, and mortality
      rates between the two groups. CONCLUSION: AH is a safe and effective treatment
      for RH, with a fair rate of surgical complications, it should be considered as
      first-line treatment of RH.

PMID- 20300547
TI  - Environmental exposure to emissions from petrochemical sites and lung cancer: the
      lower Mississippi interagency cancer study.
AB  - To investigate potential links between environmental exposure to petrochemical
      plant emissions and lung cancer, a population-based case-control study (LMRICS)
      was conducted in eleven Louisiana parishes bordering the Mississippi River. Cases
      and age, gender, and race-matched controls were interviewed regarding potential
      risk factors. Residential history was geocoded to provide indices of long-term
      proximity to industrial sites. Cases were more likely to have lived near a
      petrochemical site. Models adjusted for other risk factors, however, showed small
      or no association with lung cancer (odds ratio for residence within a half-mile
      of a site = 1.10, 95% confidence interval 0.58-2.08). While associations were
      strongest for exposures exceeding 15 years, none approached statistical
      significance and there was no clear dose-response across exposure duration,
      distance categories, or when sites were grouped according to carcinogenicity
      rating of chemical releases. Residential proximity to petrochemical plants along
      the lower Mississippi thus showed no significant association with lung cancer.

PMID- 20300549
TI  - Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance with amyloid deposition in the
      lung and non-amyloid eosinophilic deposition in the brain: a case report.
AB  - Background. Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is rarely
      complicated by amyloidosis. Case. A 66-year-old white male presented to the
      emergency room (ER) after an unwitnessed fall and change in mental status.
      Patient was awake and alert but not oriented. There was no focal deficit on
      neurological exam. Past medical history (PMH) included hypertension,
      hypercholesterolemia, aortic valve replacement (nonmetallic), incomplete heart
      block controlled by a pacemaker and IgG- IgA type Monoclonal Gammopathy of
      Undetermined Significance. The MGUS was diagnosed 9 months ago on serum protein
      electrophoresis (SPEP) as patient was referred to the outpatient clinic for
      hyperglobulinemia on routine blood work. In ER, a head-computed tomography (CT)
      revealed multiple parenchymal hemorrhagic lesions suspicious for metastases. A CT
      chest, abdomen and pelvis revealed numerous ground-glass and solid nodules in the
      lungs. Lower extremity duplex and transesophageal echocardiogram were negative.
      Serial blood cultures and serologies for cryptococcus and histoplasmosis,
      antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA), antinuclear antibody (ANA),
      rheumatoid factor (RF), cryoglobulin, and antiglomerular basement membrane (anti
      GBM) antibodies were all negative. CT guided lung biopsy was positive for
      Thioflavin T amyloid deposits. Brain biopsy was positive for eosinophilic
      material (similar to the lungs) but negative for Thioflavin T stain. The
      patient's clinical status continued to deteriorate with cold cyanotic fingers
      developing on day 12 and a health care acquired pneumonia, respiratory failure,
      and fungemia on day 18. On day 29, family withdrew life support and denied any
      autopsies. Conclusion. Described is an atypical course of MGUS complicated by
      amyloidosis of the lung and nonamyloid eosinophilic deposition in the brain. As
      MGUS might be complicated by diseases such as amyloidosis and multiple myeloma, a
      scheduled follow-up of these patients is always necessary. Further research is
      needed in order to better define the optimal treatment and management strategies
      of MGUS and its complications.

PMID- 20300548
TI  - The dual role of calcium as messenger and stressor in cell damage, death, and
      survival.
AB  - Ca(2+) is an important second messenger participating in many cellular
      activities; when physicochemical insults deregulate its delicate homeostasis, it
      acts as an intrinsic stressor, producing/increasing cell damage. Damage elicits
      both repair and death responses; intriguingly, in those responses Ca(2+) also
      participates as second messenger. This delineates a dual role for Ca(2+) in cell
      stress, making difficult to separate the different and multiple mechanisms
      required for Ca(2+)-mediated control of cell survival and apoptosis. Here we
      attempt to disentangle the two scenarios, examining on the one side, the events
      implicated in deregulated Ca(2+) toxicity and the mechanisms through which this
      elicits reparative or death pathways; on the other, reviewing the role of Ca(2+)
      as a messenger in the transduction of these same signaling events.

PMID- 20300550
TI  - Ischemic Stroke of the Artery of Percheron with Normal Initial MRI: A Case
      Report.
AB  - The artery of Percheron is a solitary trunk representing an uncommon anatomic
      variant that provides bilateral arterial supply to the paramedian thalami and the
      rostral midbrain. Occlusion of this artery results in bilateral thalamic and
      mesencephalic infarctions. The clinical diagnosis is difficult because the
      complex anatomy causes large clinical variability. We report a case of a comatose
      patient with normal early head-computed tomography and magnetic resonance
      imaging. A bilateral paramedian thalamic infarct due to an occlusion of the
      artery of Percheron was revealed two days later by a new head computed
      tomography. To our knowledge, this is the first report in the literature of a
      symptomatic patient presenting an acute Percheron stroke with normal early brain
      magnetic resonance imaging. Our case indicates that a normal initial magnetic
      resonance imaging cannot formally eliminate the diagnosis of acute stroke of the
      artery of Percheron. We discuss the causes of noncontributive brain magnetic
      resonance imaging at the onset of this acute Percheron stroke and the alternative
      diagnosis and therapy methods.

PMID- 20300551
TI  - Aberrant methylation of thrombospondin-1 and its association with reduced
      expression in gastric cardia adenocarcinoma.
AB  - AIM: Investigate the promoter methylation of the Thrombospondin-1 (TSP1) gene in
      gastric cardia adenocarcinoma (GCA). METHODS: MSP approach, immunohistochemistry
      method, and RT-PCR were used respectively to examine the promoter methylation of
      TSP1, its protein and mRNA expression in tumors and corresponding normal tissues.
      The expression and concentration of TGF-beta1 were examined respectively by
      immunohistochemistry and ELISA method. The status of T cell immunity was examined
      by Flow cytometry analysis. RESULTS: TSP1 was methylated in 34/96 (35.4%) tumor
      specimens, which was significantly higher than that in corresponding normal
      tissues (P < .001). Protein and mRNA expression of TSP1 in GCA tumor tissues were
      reduced significantly and were associated with TSP1 methylation. The protein
      expression of TGF-beta1 was significantly higher in tumor tissues (P < .001) and
      was associated with TNM stage and histological differentiation. The concentration
      of active and total TGF-beta1 did not show significant difference between the GCA
      patients with hypermethylation of TSP1 and without methylation of TSP1 (P > .05).
      The function of T cell immunity was significantly different between the GCA
      patients with hypermethylation of TSP1 and without methylation of TSP1.
      CONCLUSIONS: Epigenetic silencing of TSP1 gene by promoter hypermethylation may
      play an important role in GCA.

PMID- 20300552
TI  - Disrupting ovarian cancer metastatic colonization: insights from metastasis
      suppressor studies.
AB  - Ovarian cancer affects approximately 25,000 women in the United States each year
      and remains one of the most lethal female malignancies. A standard approach to
      therapy is surgical cytoreduction, after which the remaining microscopic residual
      disease is treated with chemotherapy. The vast majority of patients have disease
      recurrence, underscoring the crucial need for approaches to control the regrowth,
      or colonization, of tissues after local treatment. Improved therapies require
      mechanistic information about the process of metastatic colonization, the final
      step in metastasis, in which cancer cells undergo progressive growth at secondary
      sites. Studies of metastasis suppressors are providing insights into events
      controlling metastatic colonization. This paper reviews our laboratory's approach
      to the identification, characterization, and functional testing of the JNKK1/MKK4
      metastasis suppressor in ovarian cancer metastatic colonization. Specifically, we
      demonstrate that interaction of ovarian caner cells with the omental
      microenvironment activates JNKK1/MKK4 resulting in decreased proliferation
      without affecting apoptosis. The potential role of the omental microenvironment,
      specifically milky spot structures, is also described. It is our goal to provide
      this work as a usable paradigm that will enable others to study metastasis
      suppressors in clinical and experimental ovarian cancer metastases.

PMID- 20300553
TI  - A Bayesian Maximum Entropy approach to address the change of support problem in
      the spatial analysis of childhood asthma prevalence across North Carolina.
AB  - The spatial analysis of data observed at different spatial observation scales
      leads to the change of support problem (COSP). A solution to the COSP widely used
      in linear spatial statistics consists in explicitly modeling the spatial
      autocorrelation of the variable observed at different spatial scales. We present
      a novel approach that takes advantage of the non-linear Bayesian Maximum Entropy
      (BME) extension of linear spatial statistics to address the COSP directly without
      relying on the classical linear approach. Our procedure consists in modeling data
      observed over large areas as soft data for the process at the local scale. We
      demonstrate the application of our approach to obtain spatially detailed maps of
      childhood asthma prevalence across North Carolina (NC). Because of the high
      prevalence of childhood asthma in NC, the small number problem is not an issue,
      so we can focus our attention solely to the COSP of integrating prevalence data
      observed at the county-level together with data observed at a targeted local
      scale equivalent to the scale of school-districts. Our spatially detailed maps
      can be used for different applications ranging from exploratory and hypothesis
      generating analyses to targeting intervention and exposure mitigation efforts.

PMID- 20300554
TI  - Simulating Monovalent and Divalent Ions in Aqueous Solution Using a Drude
      Polarizable Force Field.
AB  - An accurate representation of ion solvation in aqueous solution is critical for
      meaningful computer simulations of a broad range of physical and biological
      processes. Polarizable models based on classical Drude oscillators are introduced
      and parametrized for a large set of monoatomic ions including cations of the
      alkali metals (Li(+), Na(+), K(+), Rb(+) and Cs(+)) and alkaline earth elements
      (Mg(2+), Ca(2+), Sr(2+) and Ba(2+)) along with Zn(2+) and halide anions (F(-),
      Cl(-), Br(-) and I(-)). The models are parameterized, in conjunction with the
      polarizable SWM4-NDP water model [Lamoureux et al., Chem. Phys. Lett. 418, 245
      (2006)], to be consistent with a wide assortment of experimentally measured
      aqueous bulk thermodynamic properties and the energetics of small ion-water
      clusters. Structural and dynamic properties of the resulting ion models in
      aqueous solutions at infinite dilution are presented.

PMID- 20300555
TI  - Is There a Predisposition Gene for Ewing's Sarcoma?
AB  - Ewing's sarcoma is a highly malignant tumor of children and young adults. The
      molecular mechanisms that underlie Ewing's Sarcoma development are beginning to
      be understood. For example, most cases of this disease harbor somatic chromosomal
      translocations that fuse the EWSR1 gene on chromosome 22 with members of the ETS
      family. While some cooperative genetic events have been identified, such as
      mutations in TP53 or deletions of the CDKN2A locus, these appear to be absent in
      the vast majority of cases. It is therefore uncertain whether EWS/ETS
      translocations are the only consistently present alteration in this tumor, or
      whether there are other recurrent abnormalities yet to be discovered. One method
      to discover such mutations is to identify familial cases of Ewing's sarcoma and
      to then map the susceptibility locus using traditional genetic mapping
      techniques. Although cases of sibling pairs with Ewing's sarcoma exist, familial
      cases of Ewing's sarcoma have not been reported. While Ewing's sarcoma has been
      reported as a 2nd malignancy after retinoblastoma, significant associations of
      Ewing's sarcoma with classic tumor susceptibility syndromes have not been
      identified. We will review the current evidence, or lack thereof, regarding the
      potential of a heritable condition predisposing to Ewing's sarcoma.

PMID- 20300556
TI  - Ureteroiliac artery fistula in a young woman with short bowel syndrome for
      radiation enteritis.
AB  - Ureteral-iliac artery fistula is a rare and potentially life-threatening
      complication, typically occurring after radiation therapy in already surgically
      treated cancer patients. This case report describes the diagnostic challenges and
      the successful management, with the positioning of an intra-arterial prosthesis,
      of a fistula between the internal iliac artery and the left ureter presenting as
      massive hematuria in a young woman with history of total colectomy and pelvic
      radiotherapy for rectal cancer and subsequent wide ileal resections and bilateral
      ureteral stent positioning for radiation enteritis. Ureteroiliac artery fistulas
      require a prompt diagnosis and intervention, to avoid life threatening clinical
      events.

PMID- 20300557
TI  - Combining area-based and individual-level data in the geostatistical mapping of
      late-stage cancer incidence.
AB  - This paper presents a geostatistical approach to incorporate individual-level
      data (e.g. patient residences) and area-based data (e.g. rates recorded at census
      tract level) into the mapping of late-stage cancer incidence, with an application
      to breast cancer in three Michigan counties. Spatial trends in cancer incidence
      are first estimated from census data using area-to-point binomial kriging. This
      prior model is then updated using indicator kriging and individual-level data.
      Simulation studies demonstrate the benefits of this two-step approach over
      methods (kernel density estimation and indicator kriging) that process only
      residence data.

PMID- 20300558
TI  - Left Ventricle Segmentation Using Model Fitting and Active Surfaces.
AB  - A method to perform 4D (3D over time) segmentation of the left ventricle of a
      mouse heart using a set of B mode cine slices acquired in vivo from a series of
      short axis scans is described. We incorporate previously suggested methods such
      as temporal propagation, the gradient vector flow active surface, superquadric
      models, etc. into our proposed 4D segmentation of the left ventricle. The
      contributions of this paper are incorporation of a novel despeckling method and
      the use of locally fitted superellipsoid models to provide a better
      initialization for the active surface segmentation algorithm. Average distances
      of the improved surface segmentation to a manually segmented surface throughout
      the entire cardiac cycle and cross-sectional contours are provided to demonstrate
      the improvements produced by the proposed 4D segmentation.

PMID- 20300559
TI  - An evolutionary examination of telemedicine: a health and computer-mediated
      communication perspective.
AB  - Telemedicine, the use of advanced communication technologies in the healthcare
      context, has a rich history and a clear evolutionary course. In this paper, the
      authors identify telemedicine as operationally defined, the services and
      technologies it comprises, the direction telemedicine has taken, along with its
      increased acceptance in the healthcare communities. The authors also describe
      some of the key pitfalls warred with by researchers and activists to advance
      telemedicine to its full potential and lead to an unobstructed team of
      technicians to identify telemedicine's diverse utilities. A discussion and future
      directions section is included to provide fresh ideas to health communication and
      computer-mediated scholars wishing to delve into this area and make a difference
      to enhance public understanding of this field.

PMID- 20300560
TI  - Computation of nonparametric convex hazard estimators via profile methods.
AB  - This paper proposes a profile likelihood algorithm to compute the nonparametric
      maximum likelihood estimator of a convex hazard function. The maximisation is
      performed in two steps: First the support reduction algorithm is used to maximise
      the likelihood over all hazard functions with a given point of minimum (or
      antimode). Then it is shown that the profile (or partially maximised) likelihood
      is quasi-concave as a function of the antimode, so that a bisection algorithm can
      be applied to find the maximum of the profile likelihood, and hence also the
      global maximum. The new algorithm is illustrated using both artificial and real
      data, including lifetime data for Canadian males and females.

PMID- 20300561
TI  - Novel mutations in MERTK associated with childhood onset rod-cone dystrophy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report the clinical phenotype in patients with a retinal dystrophy
      associated with novel mutations in the MER tyrosine kinase (MERTK) gene. METHODS:
      A consanguineous family of Middle Eastern origin was identified, and affected
      members underwent a full clinical evaluation. Linkage analysis was performed
      using the Affymetrix 50K chip. Regions of homozygosity were identified. The
      positional candidate genes protocadherin 21 (PCDH21), retinal G protein-coupled
      receptor (RGR), and MERTK were polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified and
      sequenced. Long-range PCR was performed to characterize the deletion. Two hundred
      and ninety-two probands with autosomal recessive, childhood onset, retinal
      dystrophies were analyzed using the Asper Ophthalmics Leber congenital amaurosis
      chip to screen for known MERTK mutations. RESULTS: Analysis of a 50K-Affymetrix
      whole genome scan identified three regions of homozygosity on chromosomes 2 and
      10. Screening of the candidate gene MERTK showed a possible deletion of exon 8.
      Long-range PCR identified a ~9 kb deletion within MERTK that removes exon 8.
      Screening of DNA from a panel of Saudi Arabian patients with autosomal recessive
      retinitis pigmentosa identified a second consanguineous family with the same
      mutation. One patient with a known MERTK mutation (p.R651X) was identified using
      the Asper Ophthalmics Leber congenital amaurosis chip. Further screening of the
      gene identified a second novel splice site mutation in intron 1. The phenotype
      associated with these identified MERTK mutations is of a childhood onset rod-cone
      dystrophy with early macular atrophy. The optical coherence tomography (OCT)
      appearance is distinctive with evidence of debris beneath the sensory retina.
      CONCLUSIONS: Mutations in MERTK are a rare cause of retinal dystrophy. Non
      homologous recombination between Alu Y repeats near or within disease genes may
      be an important cause of retinal dystrophies.

PMID- 20300562
TI  - A monogenic dominant mutation in Rom1 generated by N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea
      mutagenesis causes retinal degeneration in mice.
AB  - PURPOSE: To characterize an N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea-induced dominant mouse mutant,
      M-1156, that exhibits progressive retinal degeneration and to investigate the
      pathogenesis of the retinal phenotype in the mutant. METHODS: A positional
      candidate gene approach was used to identify the causative gene in the M-1156
      mutant. Funduscopic examination, light microscopy, transmission electron
      microscopy, and electroretinography were performed to analyze the M-1156
      phenotype. Real-time quantitative PCR, immunohistochemistry, and western blotting
      were also performed. RESULTS: Linkage analysis enabled the mutant gene to be
      mapped to a region of chromosome 19 containing Rom1, which encodes rod outer
      segment membrane protein 1. Sequence analysis demonstrated that the mutation
      consisted of a single base T-->C substitution at position 1,195 in Rom1 (M96760,
      National Center for Biotechnology Information [NCBI]) and that the mutant allele
      was expressed. A putative missense mutation designated Rom1(Rgsc1156) that was
      identified in the M-1156 mutant mouse causes a Trp to Arg substitution at
      position 182 in the translated protein. Rom1(Rgsc1156) heterozygotes were found
      to have a mottled retina and narrowed arteries in the fundus oculi.
      Photomicrographs of the retina revealed significant differences among the
      genotypes in the thickness of the outer nuclear layer and in the length of the
      outer segments of the photoreceptors. The alterations were more marked in the
      homozygotes than in the heterozygotes. Electron micrographs showed that the
      diameters of the discs varied in the heterozygotes and that the discs were more
      compactly stacked than in the wild type. There were significant differences among
      the genotypes in the amplitude of the a-wave in single-flash electroretinograms,
      but there were no significant differences among the photopic electroretinograms.
      Real-time quantitative PCR showed that there were no significant differences
      among the genotypes in Rom1 or peripherin/rds (Prph2) mRNA levels relative to the
      rhodopsin (Rho) mRNA level. Rom1 and Prph2 immunoreactivity were decreased in the
      retinas of the Rom1(Rgsc1156) mutants. Semiquantitative western blot analysis of
      retinas from 3-week-old Rom1(Rgsc1156) mutants demonstrated significant decreases
      in Rom1, Prph2, and Rho protein levels in all of the genotypes. CONCLUSIONS: The
      Trp182Arg substitution in Rom1(Rgsc1156) mutants causes retinal degeneration. The
      results suggested that Trp182Arg mutant Rom1 causes a decrease in the levels of
      wild-type Prph2 and Rom1, which in turn cause a reduction in the level of Prph2
      containing tetramers in the disc rim region and ultimately result in unstable,
      disorganized outer segments and photoreceptor degeneration.

PMID- 20300563
TI  - FOXO1 plays an essential role in apoptosis of retinal pericytes.
AB  - PURPOSE: An early and significant event in diabetic retinopathy is the loss of
      retinal microvascular pericytes. Studies were performed to investigate pathways
      through which an advanced glycation endproduct and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)
      alpha stimulate apoptosis in retinal pericytes through the activation of the pro
      apoptotic transcription factor Forkhead box O1 (FOXO1). METHODS: Human retinal
      pericytes were stimulated by carboxymethyllysine (CML)-collagen, an advanced
      glycation endproduct, or TNF-alpha in vitro. Apoptosis was assessed by measuring
      cytoplasmic histone-associated DNA. The role of FOXO1 was examined by RNA
      interference (RNAi), and specific inhibitors were used to investigate the role of
      p38 and Jun N-terminal kinase mitogen-activated protein kinase (JNK MAP) kinases,
      Akt, and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB). Caspase-3 activity was measured with
      a luminescent substrate, and FOXO1 DNA-binding activity was measured by
      electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). RESULTS: TNF-alpha and CML-collagen
      but not control collagen stimulated apoptosis, caspase-3 activity, and FOXO1 DNA
      binding activity in pericytes. Silencing FOXO1 by small interfering RNA prevented
      apoptosis of pericytes in response to both TNF-alpha and CML-collagen. By use of
      specific inhibitors, we demonstrated that both FOXO1 activation and subsequent
      apoptosis was mediated, in part, by p38 and JNK MAP kinases. In contrast Akt and
      NF-kappaB inhibitors had the opposite effect on pericyte apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS:
      The results demonstrate pathways through which two different mediators, TNF-alpha
      and an advanced glycation endproduct, can induce pericyte apoptosis through
      activation of the transcription factor FOXO1.

PMID- 20300564
TI  - Evaluation of the X-linked modifier loci for Leber hereditary optic neuropathy
      with the G11778A mutation in Chinese.
AB  - PURPOSE: To test the association of the X-chromosome regions (Xp21.1-q21.2 and
      Xq25-27.2) with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) in Chinese patients.
      METHODS: One hundred and seventy-five male LHON patients with the G11778A
      mutation and 100 unrelated normal males participated. Twelve microsatellite
      markers and four single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped for
      patients and controls. A chi(2) or Fisher's exact test was used to compare the
      frequencies of genotypes as well as haplotypes in the two groups. RESULTS:
      Significant differences between patients and controls were found in two isolated
      microsatellite markers (DXS6803: chi(2)=37.17, p=2.45 x 10(-5); DXS984:
      chi(2)=33.88, p=1.66 x 10(-6)) based on genotype frequencies. However, no
      significant differences for genotype and haplotype frequencies were found in the
      other 14 markers located in the two reported regions of Xp21.1-q21.2 and Xq25
      27.2. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide suggestive evidence of X-linked modifiers
      on the expression of LHON. Further studies are needed to identify the exact
      nuclear genes that might affect LHON expression.

PMID- 20300565
TI  - TRPM1 mutations are associated with the complete form of congenital stationary
      night blindness.
AB  - PURPOSE: To identify human transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily
      M, member 1 (TRPM1) gene mutations in patients with congenital stationary night
      blindness (CSNB). METHODS: We analyzed four different Japanese patients with
      complete CSNB in whom previous molecular examination revealed no mutation in
      either nyctalopin (NYX) or glutamate receptor, metabotropic 6 (GRM6). The
      ophthalmologic examination included best-corrected visual acuity, refraction,
      biomicroscopy, ophthalmoscopy, fundus photography, Goldmann kinetic perimetry,
      color vision tests, and electroretinography (ERG). Exons 2 through 27 and the
      exon-intron junction regions of human TRPM1 were sequenced. RESULTS: Five
      different mutations in human TRPM1 were identified. Mutations were present in
      three unrelated patients with complete CSNB. All three patients were compound
      heterozygotes. Fundus examination revealed no abnormalities other than myopic
      changes, and the single bright-flash, mixed rod-cone ERG showed a "negative-type"
      configuration with a reduced normal a-wave and a significantly reduced b-wave
      amplitude. Our biochemical and cell biologic analyses suggest that the two
      identified IVS mutations lead to abnormal TRPM1 protein production, and imply
      that the two identified missense mutations lead to the mislocalization of the
      TRPM1 protein in bipolar cells (BCs). CONCLUSIONS: Human TRPM1 mutations are
      associated with the complete form of CSNB in Japanese patients, suggesting that
      TRPM1 plays an essential role in mediating the photoresponse in ON BCs in humans
      as well as in mice.

PMID- 20300566
TI  - Decreasing the homodimer interaction: a common mechanism shared by the deltaG91
      mutation and deamidation in betaA3-crystallin.
AB  - PURPOSE: Cataracts can be broadly divided into two types: congenital cataracts
      and age-related cataracts. DeltaG91 is a previously discovered congenital
      mutation in betaA3-crystallin that impairs protein solubility. On the other hand,
      the deamidation of beta-crystallin is a significant feature in aged and
      cataractous lenses. Several deamidation sites were also identified in betaA3
      crystallin. The present study is to compare the functional consequence of
      DeltaG91 mutation and the deamidation of betaA3-crystallin in terms of folding
      properties and protein-protein interaction. METHODS: Protein secondary structure
      and hydrophobic properties were investigated by in silica analysis of the wild
      type and mutants sequences. Full-length betaA3-crystallin was cloned into a
      mammalian two-hybrid system in order to investigate protein-protein interactions.
      Deletion and deamidation were introduced by site-directed mutagenesis protocols.
      Both the Q85 and Q180 deamidation sites were substituted with glutamic acid
      residues to mimic deamidation. Different combinations of plasmid constructs were
      transfected in HeLa cells, and changes of protein-protein interactions were
      analyzed by the luciferase assay. RESULTS: Bioinformatics prediction suggested
      that DeltaG91 mutation alters both the predicted secondary structure and
      hydrophobic character of betaA3-crystallin, while deamidation only exhibits
      minimal effects. Mammalian two-hybrid results indicated that both DeltaG91
      mutation and Q85/Q180 deamidation could significantly decrease the interaction of
      the betaA3-crystallin homodimer. CONCLUSION: Our results provided evidence that
      both mutations involved in congenital cataracts and deamidation in aged lenses
      commonly altered protein-protein interaction between human lens betaA3
      crystallins, which may lead to protein insolubilization and contribute to
      cataracts.

PMID- 20300567
TI  - Alterations in lenticular proteins during ageing and selenite-induced
      cataractogenesis in Wistar rats.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine putative alterations in the major lenticular proteins in
      Wistar rats of different ages and to compare these alterations with those
      occurring in rats with selenite-induced cataract. METHODS: Lenticular
      transparency was determined by morphological examination using slit-lamp
      biomicroscopy. Alterations in lenticular protein were determined by sodium
      dodecyl sulfate-PAGE (SDS-PAGE) and confirmed immunologically by western blot.
      RESULTS: Morphological examination did not reveal observable opacities in the
      lenses of the rats of different age groups; however, dense nuclear opacities were
      noted in lenses of rats in the selenite-cataract group. Western blot assays
      revealed age-related changes in soluble and urea-soluble lenticular proteins.
      Decreased alphaA- and betaB1-crystallins in the soluble fraction and aggregation
      of alphaA-crystallin, in addition to the degraded fragment of betaB1-crystallin,
      in the urea-soluble fraction appeared to occur in relation to increasing age of
      the rats from which the lenses were taken; similarly, cytoskeletal proteins
      appeared to decline with increasing age. The lenses from rats in the selenite
      cataract group exhibited similar changes, except that there was also high
      molecular weight aggregation of alphaA-crystallin. CONCLUSIONS: The results of
      this study suggest that there is loss, as well as aggregation, of alphaA
      crystallin in the aging rat lens, although there is no accompanying loss of
      lenticular transparency.

PMID- 20300568
TI  - Mitogen-activated protein kinases in the porcine retinal arteries and neuroretina
      following retinal ischemia-reperfusion.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to examine changes in the expression of
      intracellular signal-transduction pathways, specifically mitogen-activated
      protein kinases, following retinal ischemia-reperfusion. METHODS: Retinal
      ischemia was induced by elevating the intraocular pressure in porcine eyes,
      followed by 5, 12, or 20 h of reperfusion. The results were compared to those of
      the sham- operated fellow eye. The retinal arteries and neuroretina were isolated
      separately and examined. Tissue morphology and DNA fragmentation were studied
      using histology. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2), p38, c
      junNH(2)-terminal kinases (JNK), and c-jun protein and mRNA expression were
      examined using immunofluorescence staining, western blot, and real-time PCR
      techniques. RESULTS: Pyknotic cell nuclei, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase
      dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells, and glial fibrillary acidic
      protein mRNA expression were increased in ischemia, suggesting injury.
      Phosphorylated ERK1/2 protein levels were increased in the neuroretina following
      ischemia, while mRNA levels were unaltered. p38 protein and mRNA levels were not
      affected by ischemia. Immunofluorescence staining for phosphorylated p38 was
      especially intense in the retinal blood vessels, while only weak in the
      neuroretina. Phosphorylated JNK protein and mRNA were slightly decreased in
      ischemia. Phosphorylated c-jun protein and mRNA levels were higher in the
      neuroretina after ischemia-reperfusion. CONCLUSIONS: Retinal ischemia-reperfusion
      alters expression of mitogen-activated protein kinases, particularly ERK1/2, in
      the neuroretina and retinal arteries. The development of pharmacological
      treatment targeting these intracellular transduction pathways may prevent injury
      to the eye following retinal circulatory failure.

PMID- 20300569
TI  - Informal urban settlements and cholera risk in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As a result of poor economic opportunities and an increasing shortage
      of affordable housing, much of the spatial growth in many of the world's fastest
      growing cities is a result of the expansion of informal settlements where
      residents live without security of tenure and with limited access to basic
      infrastructure. Although inadequate water and sanitation facilities, crowding and
      other poor living conditions can have a significant impact on the spread of
      infectious diseases, analyses relating these diseases to ongoing global
      urbanization, especially at the neighborhood and household level in informal
      settlements, have been infrequent. To begin to address this deficiency, we
      analyzed urban environmental data and the burden of cholera in Dar es Salaam,
      Tanzania. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Cholera incidence was examined in
      relation to the percentage of a ward's residents who were informal, the
      percentage of a ward's informal residents without an improved water source, the
      percentage of a ward's informal residents without improved sanitation, distance
      to the nearest cholera treatment facility, population density, median asset index
      score in informal areas, and presence or absence of major roads. We found that
      cholera incidence was most closely associated with informal housing, population
      density, and the income level of informal residents. Using data available in this
      study, our model would suggest nearly a one percent increase in cholera incidence
      for every percentage point increase in informal residents, approximately a two
      percent increase in cholera incidence for every increase in population density of
      1000 people per km(2) in Dar es Salaam in 2006, and close to a fifty percent
      decrease in cholera incidence in wards where informal residents had minimally
      improved income levels, as measured by ownership of a radio or CD player on
      average, in comparison to wards where informal residents did not own any items
      about which they were asked. In this study, the range of access to improved
      sanitation and improved water sources was quite narrow at the ward level,
      limiting our ability to discern relationships between these variables and cholera
      incidence. Analysis at the individual household level for these variables would
      be of interest. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results suggest that ongoing global
      urbanization coupled with urban poverty will be associated with increased risks
      for certain infectious diseases, such as cholera, underscoring the need for
      improved infrastructure and planning as the world's urban population continues to
      expand.

PMID- 20300570
TI  - A comparative proteomic analysis reveals a new bi-lobe protein required for bi
      lobe duplication and cell division in Trypanosoma brucei.
AB  - A Golgi-associated bi-lobed structure was previously found to be important for
      Golgi duplication and cell division in Trypanosoma brucei. To further understand
      its functions, comparative proteomics was performed on extracted flagellar
      complexes (including the flagellum and flagellum-associated structures such as
      the basal bodies and the bi-lobe) and purified flagella to identify new bi-lobe
      proteins. A leucine-rich repeats containing protein, TbLRRP1, was characterized
      as a new bi-lobe component. The anterior part of the TbLRRP1-labeled bi-lobe is
      adjacent to the single Golgi apparatus, and the posterior side is tightly
      associated with the flagellar pocket collar marked by TbBILBO1. Inducible
      depletion of TbLRRP1 by RNA interference inhibited duplication of the bi-lobe as
      well as the adjacent Golgi apparatus and flagellar pocket collar. Formation of a
      new flagellum attachment zone and subsequent cell division were also inhibited,
      suggesting a central role of bi-lobe in Golgi, flagellar pocket collar and
      flagellum attachment zone biogenesis.

PMID- 20300571
TI  - Morbid obesity as a risk factor for hospitalization and death due to 2009
      pandemic influenza A(H1N1) disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Severe illness due to 2009 pandemic A(H1N1) infection has been
      reported among persons who are obese or morbidly obese. We assessed whether
      obesity is a risk factor for hospitalization and death due to 2009 pandemic
      influenza A(H1N1), independent of chronic medical conditions considered by the
      Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to increase the risk of
      influenza-related complications. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We used a case
      cohort design to compare cases of hospitalizations and deaths from 2009 pandemic
      A(H1N1) influenza occurring between April-July, 2009, with a cohort of the U.S.
      population estimated from the 2003-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination
      Survey (NHANES); pregnant women and children <2 years old were excluded. For
      hospitalizations, we defined categories of relative weight by body mass index
      (BMI, kg/m(2)); for deaths, obesity or morbid obesity was recorded on medical
      charts, and death certificates. Odds ratio (OR) of being in each BMI category was
      determined; normal weight was the reference category. Overall, 361
      hospitalizations and 233 deaths included information to determine BMI category
      and presence of ACIP-recognized medical conditions. Among >or=20 year olds,
      hospitalization was associated with being morbidly obese (BMI>or=40) for
      individuals with ACIP-recognized chronic conditions (OR = 4.9, 95% CI 2.4-9.9)
      and without ACIP-recognized chronic conditions (OR = 4.7, 95%CI 1.3-17.2). Among
      2-19 year olds, hospitalization was associated with being underweight
      (BMI<or=5(th) percentile) among those with (OR = 12.5, 95%CI 3.4-45.5) and
      without (OR = 5.5, 95%CI 1.3-22.5) ACIP-recognized chronic conditions. Death was
      not associated with BMI category among individuals 2-19 years old. Among
      individuals aged >or=20 years without ACIP-recognized chronic medical conditions
      death was associated with obesity (OR = 3.1, 95%CI: 1.5-6.6) and morbid obesity
      (OR = 7.6, 95%CI 2.1-27.9). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings support
      observations that morbid obesity may be associated with hospitalization and
      possibly death due to 2009 pandemic H1N1 infection. These complications could be
      prevented by early antiviral therapy and vaccination.

PMID- 20300572
TI  - FaaPred: a SVM-based prediction method for fungal adhesins and adhesin-like
      proteins.
AB  - Adhesion constitutes one of the initial stages of infection in microbial diseases
      and is mediated by adhesins. Hence, identification and comprehensive knowledge of
      adhesins and adhesin-like proteins is essential to understand adhesin mediated
      pathogenesis and how to exploit its therapeutic potential. However, the knowledge
      about fungal adhesins is rudimentary compared to that of bacterial adhesins. In
      addition to host cell attachment and mating, the fungal adhesins play a
      significant role in homotypic and xenotypic aggregation, foraging and biofilm
      formation. Experimental identification of fungal adhesins is labor- as well as
      time-intensive. In this work, we present a Support Vector Machine (SVM) based
      method for the prediction of fungal adhesins and adhesin-like proteins. The SVM
      models were trained with different compositional features, namely, amino acid,
      dipeptide, multiplet fractions, charge and hydrophobic compositions, as well as
      PSI-BLAST derived PSSM matrices. The best classifiers are based on compositional
      properties as well as PSSM and yield an overall accuracy of 86%. The prediction
      method based on best classifiers is freely accessible as a world wide web based
      server at http://bioinfo.icgeb.res.in/faap. This work will aid rapid and rational
      identification of fungal adhesins, expedite the pace of experimental
      characterization of novel fungal adhesins and enhance our knowledge about role of
      adhesins in fungal infections.

PMID- 20300573
TI  - Reconstitution of mammary epithelial morphogenesis by murine embryonic stem cells
      undergoing hematopoietic stem cell differentiation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mammary stem cells are maintained within specific microenvironments
      and recruited throughout lifetime to reconstitute de novo the mammary gland.
      Mammary stem cells have been isolated through the identification of specific cell
      surface markers and in vivo transplantation into cleared mammary fat pads.
      Accumulating evidence showed that during the reformation of mammary stem cell
      niches by dispersed epithelial cells in the context of the intact epithelium-free
      mammary stroma, non-mammary epithelial cells may be sequestered and reprogrammed
      to perform mammary epithelial cell functions and to adopt mammary epithelial
      characteristics during reconstruction of mammary epithelium in regenerating
      mammary tissue in vivo. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To examine whether other
      types of progenitor cells are able to contribute to mammary branching
      morphogenesis, we examined the potential of murine embryonic stem (mES) cells,
      undergoing hematopoietic differentiation, to support mammary reconstitution in
      vivo. We observed that cells from day 14 embryoid bodies (EBs) under
      hematopoietic differentiation condition, but not supernatants derived from these
      cells, when transplanted into denuded mammary fat pads, were able to contribute
      to both the luminal and myoepithelial lineages in branching ductal structures
      resembling the ductal-alveolar architecture of the mammary tree. No teratomas
      were observed when these cells were transplanted in vivo.
      CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our data provide evidence for the dominance of the
      tissue-specific mammary stem cell niche and its role in directing mES cells,
      undergoing hematopoietic differentiation, to reprogram into mammary epithelial
      cells and to promote mammary epithelial morphogenesis. These studies should also
      provide insights into regeneration of damaged mammary gland and the role of the
      mammary microenvironment in reprogramming cell fate.

PMID- 20300574
TI  - Predictors of HIV testing among patients with tuberculosis in North West
      Ethiopia: a case-control study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The acceptance of HIV testing among patients with tuberculosis (TB)
      is low in Ethiopia. The purpose of this study was to assess predictors of
      acceptance of HIV testing among patients with TB in North Ethiopia. METHODS: A
      case control study was conducted in eight randomly selected health facilities in
      North Ethiopia from February 5 to March 11, 2009. A total of 282 participants
      (188 controls and 94 cases) were included in the study. Cases were TB patients
      who refused to be tested for HIV. We used quantitative and qualitative methods of
      data collection. For the quantitative survey, cases and controls were interviewed
      by trained nurses using a pre-tested and structured questionnaire. In-depth
      interviews were conducted with 5 nurse counselors and 15 TB patients. Bivariate
      and multivariate analysis was done using SPSS 16.0 statistical software. RESULTS:
      The uptake of HIV testing among TB patients in the study health facilities was
      70.6%. The rate of TB/HIV co-infection in those who were tested was 36.2%. From
      the source population, a total of 282 participants were included in the study. TB
      patients who had formal education [OR = 2.35, (95%CI: 1.33, 4.13)], high
      awareness about the benefits of HIV counseling and testing [OR = 3.14, 95%CI:
      1.77, 5.50)], and a low stigmatized attitude [OR = 3.16, 95%CI: 1.79, 5.59)] were
      more likely to accept HIV testing. The qualitative study also revealed that low
      awareness and stigma were the major reasons for non-acceptance of HIV testing.
      CONCLUSION: "Knowledge and attitude" factors were the major barriers for HIV
      testing. Tailored training should be given to TB patients and the community
      concerning the benefits of HIV testing. During counseling sessions, health
      workers should focus on barriers of uptake of HIV testing such as stigma and
      discrimination.

PMID- 20300575
TI  - Lifting without seeing: the role of vision in perceiving and acting upon the size
      weight illusion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Our expectations of an object's heaviness not only drive our
      fingertip forces, but also our perception of heaviness. This effect is
      highlighted by the classic size-weight illusion (SWI), where different-sized
      objects of identical mass feel different weights. Here, we examined whether these
      expectations are sufficient to induce the SWI in a single wooden cube when lifted
      without visual feedback, by varying the size of the object seen prior to the
      lift. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Participants, who believed that they were
      lifting the same object that they had just seen, reported that the weight of the
      single, standard-sized cube that they lifted on every trial varied as a function
      of the size of object they had just seen. Seeing the small object before the lift
      made the cube feel heavier than it did after seeing the large object. These
      expectations also affected the fingertip forces that were used to lift the object
      when vision was not permitted. The expectation-driven errors made in early trials
      were not corrected with repeated lifting, and participants failed to adapt their
      grip and load forces from the expected weight to the object's actual mass in the
      same way that they could when lifting with vision. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:
      Vision appears to be crucial for the detection, and subsequent correction, of the
      ostensibly non-visual grip and load force errors that are a common feature of
      this type of object interaction. Expectations of heaviness are not only powerful
      enough to alter the perception of a single object's weight, but also continually
      drive the forces we use to lift the object when vision is unavailable.

PMID- 20300577
TI  - Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli: An Emerging Enteric Food Borne Pathogen.
AB  - Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) are quite heterogeneous category of an
      emerging enteric pathogen associated with cases of acute or persistent diarrhea
      worldwide in children and adults, and over the past decade has received
      increasing attention as a cause of watery diarrhea, which is often persistent.
      EAEC infection is an important cause of diarrhea in outbreak and non-outbreak
      settings in developing and developed countries. Recently, EAEC has been
      implicated in the development of irritable bowel syndrome, but this remains to be
      confirmed. EAEC is defined as a diarrheal pathogen based on its characteristic
      aggregative adherence (AA) to HEp-2 cells in culture and its biofilm formation on
      the intestinal mucosa with a "stacked-brick" adherence phenotype, which is
      related to the presence of a 60 MDa plasmid (pAA). At the molecular level,
      strains demonstrating the aggregative phenotype are quite heterogeneous; several
      virulence factors are detected by polymerase chain reaction; however, none
      exhibited 100% specificity. Although several studies have identified specific
      virulence factor(s) unique to EAEC, the mechanism by which EAEC exerts its
      pathogenesis is, thus, far unknown. The present review updates the current
      knowledge on the epidemiology, chronic complications, detection, virulence
      factors, and treatment of EAEC, an emerging enteric food borne pathogen.

PMID- 20300578
TI  - Cytokines and other mediators in alopecia areata.
AB  - Alopecia areata, a disease of the hair follicles with multifactorial etiology and
      a strong component of autoimmune origin, has been extensively studied as far as
      the role of several cytokines is concerned. So far, IFN-gamma, interleukins, TNF
      alpha, are cytokines that are well known to play a major role in the pathogenesis
      of the disease, while several studies have shown that many more pathways exist.
      Among them, MIG, IP-10, BAFF, HLA antigens, MIG, as well as stress hormones are
      implicated in disease onset and activity. Within the scope of this paper, the
      authors attempt to shed light upon the complexity of alopecia areata underlying
      mechanisms and indicate pathways that may suggest future treatments.

PMID- 20300579
TI  - A Dominant-Negative PPARgamma Mutant Promotes Cell Cycle Progression and Cell
      Growth in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells.
AB  - PPARgamma ligands have been shown to have antiproliferative effects on many cell
      types. We herein report that a synthetic dominant-negative (DN) PPARgamma mutant
      functions like a growth factor to promote cell cycle progression and cell
      proliferation in human coronary artery smooth muscle cells (CASMCs). In quiescent
      CASMCs, adenovirus-expressed DN-PPARgamma promoted G1-->S cell cycle progression,
      enhanced BrdU incorporation, and increased cell proliferation. DN-PPARgamma
      expression also markedly enhanced positive regulators of the cell cycle,
      increasing Rb and CDC2 phosphorylation and the expression of cyclin A, B1, D1,
      and MCM7. Conversely, overexpression of wild-type (WT) or constitutively-active
      (CA) PPARgamma inhibited cell cycle progression and the activity and expression
      of positive regulators of the cell cycle. DN-PPARgamma expression, however, did
      not up-regulate positive cell cycle regulators in PPARgamma-deficient cells,
      strongly suggesting that DN-PPARgamma effects on cell cycle result from blocking
      the function of endogenous wild-type PPARgamma. DN-PPARgamma expression enhanced
      phosphorylation of ERK MAPKs. Furthermore, the ERK specific-inhibitor PD98059
      blocked DN-PPARgamma-induced phosphorylation of Rb and expression of cyclin A and
      MCM7. Our data thus suggest that DN-PPARgamma promotes cell cycle progression and
      cell growth in CASMCs by modulating fundamental cell cycle regulatory proteins
      and MAPK mitogenic signaling pathways in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs).

PMID- 20300580
TI  - Music composition from the brain signal: representing the mental state by music.
AB  - This paper proposes a method to translate human EEG into music, so as to
      represent mental state by music. The arousal levels of the brain mental state and
      music emotion are implicitly used as the bridge between the mind world and the
      music. The arousal level of the brain is based on the EEG features extracted
      mainly by wavelet analysis, and the music arousal level is related to the musical
      parameters such as pitch, tempo, rhythm, and tonality. While composing, some
      music principles (harmonics and structure) were taken into consideration. With
      EEGs during various sleep stages as an example, the music generated from them had
      different patterns of pitch, rhythm, and tonality. 35 volunteers listened to the
      music pieces, and significant difference in music arousal levels was found. It
      implied that different mental states may be identified by the corresponding
      music, and so the music from EEG may be a potential tool for EEG monitoring,
      biofeedback therapy, and so forth.

PMID- 20300581
TI  - Modeling Cu(II) binding to peptides using the extensible systematic force field.
AB  - The utility of the extensible systematic force field (ESFF) was tested for
      copper(II) binding to a 34-amino-acid Cu(II) peptide, which includes five
      histidine residues and is the putative copper-binding site of lysyl oxidase. To
      improve computational efficiency, distance geometry calculations were used to
      constrain all combinations of three histidine ligands to be within bonding
      distance of the copper and the best results were utilized as starting structures
      for the ESFF computations. All likely copper geometries were modeled, but the
      results showed only a small dependence on the geometrical model in that all
      resulted in a distorted square pyramidal geometry about the copper, some of the
      imidazole rings were poorly oriented for ligation to the Cu(II), and the copper
      nitrogen bond distances were too long. The results suggest that ESFF should be
      used with caution for Cu(II) complexes where the copper-ligand bonds have
      significant covalency and when the ligands are not geometrically constrained to
      be planar.

PMID- 20300582
TI  - A false case of clozapine-resistant schizophrenia.
AB  - One of the subjects that most concerns physicians is treatment-resistance. About
      30%-60% of schizophrenia patients do not respond adequately to antipsychotic
      treatment and are known as refractory schizophrenia patients. Clozapine has been
      the drug of choice in such cases. However, approximately 30% of them do not
      respond to clozapine either. Here, we describe a patient with an initial
      diagnosis of refractory schizophrenia who had a history of dramatic
      aggressiveness. However, in this case, "refractoriness" was a wrong diagnosis. A
      case of psychosis secondary to epilepsy had been treated as schizophrenia for
      almost 20 years. Reports like this one are important because they remind us of
      how a thorough investigation can lead to the correct diagnosis and improve the
      patient's prognosis.

PMID- 20300583
TI  - Concordance of KRAS/BRAF Mutation Status in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer before
      and after Anti-EGFR Therapy.
AB  - Anti-EGFR targeted therapy is a potent strategy in the treatment of metastatic
      colorectal cancer (mCRC) but activating mutations in the KRAS gene are associated
      with poor response to this treatment. Therefore, KRAS mutation analysis is
      employed in the selection of patients for EGFR-targeted therapy and various
      studies have shown a high concordance between the mutation status in primary CRC
      and corresponding metastases. However, although development of therapy related
      resistance occurs also in the context of novel drugs such as tyrosine kinase
      inhibitors the effect of the anti-EGFR treatment on the KRAS/BRAF mutation status
      itself in recurrent mCRC has not yet been clarified. Therefore, we analyzed 21
      mCRCs before/after anti-EGFR therapy and found a pre-/posttherapeutic concordance
      of the KRAS/BRAF mutation status in 20 of the 21 cases examined. In the one
      discordant case, further analyses revealed that a tumor mosaicism or multiple
      primary tumors were present, indicating that anti-EGFR therapy has no influence
      on KRAS/BRAF mutation status in mCRC. Moreover, as the preselection of patients
      with a KRAS(wt) genotype for anti-EGFR therapy has become a standard procedure,
      sample sets such ours might be the basis for future studies addressing the
      identification of potential anti-EGFR therapy induced genetic alterations apart
      from KRAS/BRAF mutations.

PMID- 20300584
TI  - Pretreatment with Cry1Ac protoxin modulates the immune response, and increases
      the survival of Plasmodium-infected CBA/Ca mice.
AB  - Malaria is a major global health problem that kills 1-2 million people each year.
      Despite exhaustive research, naturally acquired immunity is poorly understood.
      Cry1A proteins are potent immunogens with adjuvant properties and are able to
      induce strong cellular and humoral responses. In fact, it has been shown that
      administration of Cry1Ac protoxin alone or with amoebic lysates induces
      protection against the lethal infection caused by the protozoa Naegleria fowleri.
      In this work, we studied whether Cry1Ac is able to activate the innate immune
      response to induce protection against Plasmodium berghei ANKA (lethal) and P.
      chabaudi AS (nonlethal) parasites in CBA/Ca mice. Treatment with Cry1Ac induced
      protection against both Plasmodium species in terms of reduced parasitaemia,
      longer survival time, modulation of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and
      increased levels of specific antibodies against Plasmodium. Understanding how to
      boost innate immunity to Plasmodium infection should lead to immunologically
      based intervention strategies.

PMID- 20300585
TI  - Myonecrosis in sickle cell anemia-overlooked and underdiagnosed.
AB  - Medical literature detailing muscular complications of sickle cell anemia is
      sparse and limited to a few case-reports. Features consistent with myositis and
      myonecrosis are often overlooked and patients are inadequately treated, leading
      to unforeseen complications. We report an interesting case of sickle cell
      myonecrosis and review the existing literature on this subject.

PMID- 20300586
TI  - Differential expression of microRNAs between eutopic and ectopic endometrium in
      ovarian endometriosis.
AB  - Endometriosis, defined as the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterus,
      is a common gynecological disease with poorly understood pathogenesis. MicroRNAs
      are members of a class of small noncoding RNA molecules that have a critical role
      in posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression by repression of target
      mRNAs translation. We assessed differentially expressed microRNAs in ectopic
      endometrium compared with eutopic endometrium in 3 patients through microarray
      analysis. We identified 50 microRNAs differentially expressed and the
      differential expression of five microRNAs was validated by real-time RT-PCR in
      other 13 patients. We identified in silico their predicted targets, several of
      which match the genes that have been identified to be differentially expressed in
      ectopic versus eutopic endometrium in studies of gene expression. A functional
      analysis of the predicted targets indicates that several of these are involved in
      molecular pathways implicated in endometriosis, thus strengthening the hypothesis
      of the role of microRNAs in this pathology.

PMID- 20300587
TI  - Successful treatment of Cisplatin overdose with plasma exchange.
AB  - Accidental cisplatin overdose has been occurring with an increasing frequency due
      to expanding usage of the agent. However, the optimal strategy to treat such
      patients remains to be established. Here, we report a case of large cisplatin
      overdose, successfully managed by plasma exchange, intravenous hydration,
      granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) administration, and other
      supportive care. A 67-year-old man with esophageal carcinoma received a large
      cisplatin overdose of 240 mg/m(2), when he received adjuvant therapy following
      subtotal esophagectomy. On day 4, he experienced frank cisplatin toxicities and
      emergency plasma exchange was initiated. With 7 cycles of plasma exchange, the
      cisplatin concentration decreased from 2,350 to 110 ng/mL. Severe bone marrow
      suppression with high fever ensued on day 10, which was successfully treated with
      G-CSF and antibiotics. Despite moderate hearing sense reduction, he recovered
      without significant complications. Immediate plasma exchange with hydration and
      other care was efficacious in quickly lowering cisplatin concentrations.

PMID- 20300588
TI  - Tomatine adjuvantation of protective immunity to a major pre-erythrocytic vaccine
      candidate of malaria is mediated via CD8+ T cell release of IFN-gamma.
AB  - The glycoalkaloid tomatine, derived from the wild tomato, can act as a powerful
      adjuvant to elicit an antigen-specific cell-mediated immune response to the
      circumsporozoite (CS) protein, a major pre-erythrocytic stage malaria vaccine
      candidate antigen. Using a defined MHC-class-I-restricted CS epitope in a
      Plasmodium berghei rodent model, antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity
      and IFN-gamma secretion ex vivo were both significantly enhanced compared to
      responses detected from similarly stimulated splenocytes from naive and tomatine
      saline-immunized mice. Further, through lymphocyte depletion it is demonstrated
      that antigen-specific IFN-gamma is produced exclusively by the CD8(+) T cell
      subset. We conclude that the processing of the P. berghei CS peptide as an
      exogenous antigen and its presentation via MHC class I molecules to CD8(+) T
      cells leads to an immune response that is an in vitro correlate of protection
      against pre-erythrocytic malaria. Further characterization of tomatine as an
      adjuvant in malaria vaccine development is indicated.

PMID- 20300589
TI  - Orthotopic Liver Transplantation: Is There a Risk for Listeria monocytogenes
      Infection?
AB  - Immunosuppression of any kind is a known risk factor for infection with Listeria
      monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes). Particularly, patients with impaired liver
      function are at increased risk of developing an aggravated course of infection
      with this bacterial pathogen (see Nolla-Salas et al.; 2002 and Cabellos et al.;
      2008). It is a well-known pathogen in immunocompromised patients, but has only
      seldom been reported following orthotopic liver transplantation. Invasion of the
      central nervous system presenting as meningitis or meningoencephalitis and
      bacteremia are the principal clinical manifestations of listerial infections (see
      Brouwer et al.; 2006). We present an account of a case of a patient who developed
      L. monocytogenes meningitis during the early period after liver transplantation.

PMID- 20300590
TI  - Size of AT(n) insertions in promoter region modulates Gmhsp17.6-L mRNA transcript
      levels.
AB  - During earlier experiments, an SSR molecular marker (176 Soy HSP) showing high
      correlation (70%) with resistance/susceptibility to javanese root-knot nematode
      Meloidogyne javanica was identified in soybean. After being sequenced, results
      indicated that the SSR 176 Soy HSP marker was inserted in the promoter region of
      Gmhsp17.6-L gene. It was also detected in this region that resistant genotypes
      presented insertions between AT(31) and AT(33) in size and susceptible genotypes,
      AT(9). Gmhsp17.6-L gene coding region presented a perfect match in amino acid
      sequence in all soybean genotypes. A ribonuclease protection assay showed that
      Gmhsp17.6-L gene mRNA transcripts were present in all genotypes. A real-time
      relative quantification (qPCR) indicated in the resistant individuals higher mRNA
      transcripts levels, which presented in the sequencing more AT(n) insertions.
      These results suggest that the number of AT(n) insertions inside this promoter
      region could modulate up or down gene levels. Those findings can lead to the
      possibility of manipulating, between some limits, the mRNA transcripts levels
      using different sizes of AT(n) insertions.

PMID- 20300591
TI  - Protective effect and mechanisms of radix astragali injection on the intestinal
      mucosa of rats with obstructive jaundice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To research the protective effects and mechanisms of Radix Astragali
      injection on the intestinal mucosa of rats with obstructive jaundice (OJ).
      METHODS: The rats were randomly divided into sham-operated, model control and
      Radix Astragali treated group. We observed the pathological changes of intestinal
      mucosa, expression levels of Bax and NF-kappaB proteins, and apoptosis indexes in
      intestinal mucosa as well as serum NO, MDA and SOD contents, respectively, on 7d,
      14d, 21d and 28d after operation. RESULTS: The pathological severity score (on 7d
      and 14d), apoptotic indexes (on 14d) of the intestinal mucosa and serum MDA
      content (on 14d) of treated group were significantly lower than those in the
      model control group (P < .05). The serum SOD contents (on all time points) of
      treated group were significantly higher than those in the model control group (P
      < .05). The sham-operated group (on 21d) of the product of staining intensity and
      positive rate of Bax protein was significantly lower than model control group (P
      < .05). CONCLUSION: Radix Astragali injection could protect the intestinal mucosa
      of OJ rats by increasing the content of SOD, reducing the content of MDA,
      inhibiting the apoptosis and relieving the pathological changes of intestinal
      mucosa.

PMID- 20300592
TI  - Development and validation of a spike detection and classification algorithm
      aimed at implementation on hardware devices.
AB  - Neurons cultured in vitro on MicroElectrode Array (MEA) devices connect to each
      other, forming a network. To study electrophysiological activity and long term
      plasticity effects, long period recording and spike sorter methods are needed.
      Therefore, on-line and real time analysis, optimization of memory use and data
      transmission rate improvement become necessary. We developed an algorithm for
      amplitude-threshold spikes detection, whose performances were verified with (a)
      statistical analysis on both simulated and real signal and (b) Big O Notation.
      Moreover, we developed a PCA-hierarchical classifier, evaluated on simulated and
      real signal. Finally we proposed a spike detection hardware design on FPGA, whose
      feasibility was verified in terms of CLBs number, memory occupation and temporal
      requirements; once realized, it will be able to execute on-line detection and
      real time waveform analysis, reducing data storage problems.

PMID- 20300594
TI  - Long-term outcomes following laparoscopic and abdominal supracervical
      hysterectomies.
AB  - Long-term outcomes, in terms of cervical stump symptoms and overall patient
      satisfaction, were studied in women both after abdominal (SAH) and laparosocopic
      (LSH) supracervical hysterectomies. Altogether, 134 women had SAH and 315 women
      LSH during 2004 and 2005 at our department. The response rate of this
      retrospective study was 79%. Persistent vaginal bleeding after the surgery was
      reported by 17% in the SAH group and 24% in the LSH group. Regular bleeding was
      reported by only 8% in both study groups, and the women rarely found the bleeding
      bothersome. The women reported a significant pain reduction after the surgery,
      but women having a hysterectomy because of pain and/or endometriosis should be
      informed about the possibility of persistent symptoms. The overall patient
      satisfaction after both procedures was high, but the patients should have proper
      preoperative information about the possibility of cervical stump symptoms after
      any supracervical hysterectomy.

PMID- 20300593
TI  - Alteration of sarcoplasmic reticulum ca release in skeletal muscle from calpain 3
      deficient mice.
AB  - Mutations of Ca(2+)-activated proteases (calpains) cause muscular dystrophies.
      Nevertheless, the specific role of calpains in Ca(2+) signalling during the onset
      of dystrophies remains unclear. We investigated Ca(2+) handling in skeletal cells
      from calpain 3-deficient mice. [Ca(2+)](i) responses to caffeine, a ryanodine
      receptor (RyR) agonist, were decreased in -/- myotubes and absent in -/-
      myoblasts. The -/- myotubes displayed smaller amplitudes of the Ca(2+) transients
      induced by cyclopiazonic acid in comparison to wild type cells. Inhibition of L
      type Ca(2+) channels (LCC) suppressed the caffeine-induced [Ca(2+)](i) responses
      in -/- myotubes. Hence, the absence of calpain 3 modifies the sarcoplasmic
      reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) release, by a decrease of the SR content, an impairment of
      RyR signalling, and an increase of LCC activity. We propose that calpain 3
      dependent proteolysis plays a role in activating support proteins of
      intracellular Ca(2+) signalling at a stage of cellular differentiation which is
      crucial for skeletal muscle regeneration.

PMID- 20300595
TI  - I-131 treatment of graves' disease in an unsuspected first trimester pregnancy;
      the potential for adverse effects on the fetus and a review of the current
      guidelines for pregnancy screening.
AB  - Graves' disease is a thyroid-specific autoimmune disorder in which the body makes
      antibodies to the thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor leading to
      hyperthyroidism. Therapeutic options for the treatment of Graves' disease include
      medication, radioactive iodine ablation, and surgery. Radioactive iodine is
      absolutely contraindicated in pregnancy as exposure to I-131 to the fetal thyroid
      can result in fetal hypothyroidism and cretinism. Here we describe a case of a
      female patient with recurrent Graves' disease, who inadvertently received I-131
      therapy when she was estimated to be eight days pregnant. This was despite the
      obtaining of a negative history of pregnancy and a negative urine pregnancy test
      less than 24 hours prior to ablation. At birth, the infant was found to have
      neonatal Graves' disease. The neonatal Graves' disease resolved spontaneously. It
      was suspected that the fetal thyroid did not trap any I-131 as it does not
      concentrate iodine until 10 weeks of gestation.

PMID- 20300596
TI  - Increased Serum PAI-1 Levels in Subjects with Metabolic Syndrome and Long-Term
      Adverse Mental Symptoms: A Population-Based Study.
AB  - Depression is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and is
      associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Levels of plasminogen activator
      inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), an inhibitor of tissue-type and urokinase-type plasminogen
      activators, are associated with MetS. To clarify the role of PAI-1 in subjects
      with long-term adverse mental symptomatology (LMS; including depression) and
      MetS, we measured circulating PAI-1 levels in controls (n = 111), in subjects
      with MetS and free of mental symptoms (n = 42), and in subjects with both MetS
      and long-term mental symptoms (n = 70). PAI-1 increased linearly across the three
      groups in men. In logistic regression analysis, men with PAI-1 levels above the
      median had a 3.4-fold increased likelihood of suffering from the comorbidity of
      long-term adverse mental symptoms and MetS, while no such associations were
      detected in women. In conclusion, our results suggest that in men high PAI-1
      levels are independently associated with long-term mental symptomatology.

PMID- 20300597
TI  - Sporadic, nontrauma-related, desmoid tumor of the pancreas: a rare disease-case
      report and literature review.
AB  - Desmoid tumors (DTs) are neoplasms of fibroblastic origin characterized by lack
      of a capsule. They are nonmetastatic and locally aggressive. Intraabdominal DTs
      are often observed in familial adenomatous polyposis and Gardner syndrome or
      subsequent to localized traumatic injury. Sporadic forms are defined as nontrauma
      or nongenetic-related DTs. Isolated, sporadic pancreatic DTs have been
      considered anecdotal, with only 9 cases described in the literature. We report
      the case of a 68-year-old man with a case of sporadic cystic DT localized to the
      pancreatic tail. The tumor was discovered incidentally during computerized
      tomography performed for an unrelated condition. The patient was asymptomatic;
      however, biopsy was performed on the clinical suspicion of cystic cancer of the
      pancreas. Pathology analysis showed fibroblastic proliferation, and the diagnosis
      of DT was confirmed by immunohistochemical staining for beta-catenin. The patient
      underwent resection with no further treatment and remain disease-free 60 months
      after surgery.

PMID- 20300598
TI  - Size functions for the morphological analysis of melanocytic lesions.
AB  - Size Functions and Support Vector Machines are used to implement a new automatic
      classifier of melanocytic lesions. This is mainly based on a qualitative
      assessment of asymmetry, performed by halving images by several lines through the
      center of mass, and comparing the two halves in terms of color, mass
      distribution, and boundary. The program is used, at clinical level, with two
      thresholds, so that comparison of the two outputs produces a report of low-middle
      high risk. Experimental results on 977 images, with cross-validation, are
      reported.

PMID- 20300599
TI  - Rituximab Efficacy during a Refractory Polyarteritis Nodosa Flare.
AB  - Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is a systemic vasculitis whose severe forms are
      treated with glucocorticoids and cyclophosphamide. Refractory patients are
      exposed to many complications, notably accelerated atherosclerosis. We report a
      case report of 71-year-old man followed for polyarteritis nodosa refractory to
      glucocorticoids and cyclosphosphamide. Systemic vasculitis relapses are followed
      to accelerated atherosclerosis: severe ischemic lesions led to amputation of
      lower limbs. Remission of refractory PAN is obtained with rituximab.
      Disappearance of biological inflammatory is allowed to regression of ischemic
      lesions in upper limbs. In this situation, we recommend a systematic vascular
      work-up for patients suffered from refractory vasculitis. On the other hand,
      therapeutic trials are needed to determine the real efficacy and place of
      rituximab in the treatment of polyarteritis nodosa.

PMID- 20300600
TI  - Innate killing of Leishmania donovani by macrophages of the splenic marginal zone
      requires IRF-7.
AB  - Highly phagocytic macrophages line the marginal zone (MZ) of the spleen and the
      lymph node subcapsular sinus. Although these macrophages have been attributed
      with a variety of functions, including the uptake and clearance of blood and
      lymph-borne pathogens, little is known about the effector mechanisms they employ
      after pathogen uptake. Here, we have combined gene expression profiling and RNAi
      using a stromal macrophage cell line with in situ analysis of the leishmanicidal
      activity of marginal zone macrophages (MZM) and marginal metallophilic
      macrophages (MMM) in wild type and gene targeted mice. Our data demonstrate a
      critical role for interferon regulatory factor-7 (IRF-7) in regulating the
      killing of intracellular Leishmania donovani by these specialised splenic
      macrophage sub-populations. This study, therefore, identifies a new role for IRF
      7 as a regulator of innate microbicidal activity against this, and perhaps other,
      non-viral intracellular pathogens. This study also highlights the importance of
      selecting appropriate macrophage populations when studying pathogen interactions
      with this functionally diverse lineage of cells.

PMID- 20300601
TI  - Membrane damage elicits an immunomodulatory program in Staphylococcus aureus.
AB  - The Staphylococcus aureus HrtAB system is a hemin-regulated ABC transporter
      composed of an ATPase (HrtA) and a permease (HrtB) that protect S. aureus against
      hemin toxicity. S. aureus strains lacking hrtA exhibit liver-specific hyper
      virulence and upon hemin exposure over-express and secrete immunomodulatory
      factors that interfere with neutrophil recruitment to the site of infection. It
      has been proposed that heme accumulation in strains lacking hrtAB is the signal
      which triggers S. aureus to elaborate this anti-neutrophil response. However, we
      report here that S. aureus strains expressing catalytically inactive HrtA do not
      elaborate the same secreted protein profile. This result indicates that the
      physical absence of HrtA is responsible for the increased expression of
      immunomodulatory factors, whereas deficiencies in the ATPase activity of HrtA do
      not contribute to this process. Furthermore, HrtB expression in strains lacking
      hrtA decreases membrane integrity consistent with dysregulated permease function.
      Based on these findings, we propose a model whereby hemin-mediated over
      expression of HrtB in the absence of HrtA damages the staphylococcal membrane
      through pore formation. In turn, S. aureus senses this membrane damage,
      triggering the increased expression of immunomodulatory factors. In support of
      this model, wildtype S. aureus treated with anti-staphylococcal channel-forming
      peptides produce a secreted protein profile that mimics the effect of treating
      DeltahrtA with hemin. These results suggest that S. aureus senses membrane damage
      and elaborates a gene expression program that protects the organism from the
      innate immune response of the host.

PMID- 20300602
TI  - YfiBNR mediates cyclic di-GMP dependent small colony variant formation and
      persistence in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
AB  - During long-term cystic fibrosis lung infections, Pseudomonas aeruginosa
      undergoes genetic adaptation resulting in progressively increased persistence and
      the generation of adaptive colony morphotypes. This includes small colony
      variants (SCVs), auto-aggregative, hyper-adherent cells whose appearance
      correlates with poor lung function and persistence of infection. The SCV
      morphotype is strongly linked to elevated levels of cyclic-di-GMP, a ubiquitous
      bacterial second messenger that regulates the transition between motile and
      sessile, cooperative lifestyles. A genetic screen in PA01 for SCV-related loci
      identified the yfiBNR operon, encoding a tripartite signaling module that
      regulates c-di-GMP levels in P. aeruginosa. Subsequent analysis determined that
      YfiN is a membrane-integral diguanylate cyclase whose activity is tightly
      controlled by YfiR, a small periplasmic protein, and the OmpA/Pal-like outer
      membrane lipoprotein YfiB. Exopolysaccharide synthesis was identified as the
      principal downstream target for YfiBNR, with increased production of Pel and Psl
      exopolysaccharides responsible for many characteristic SCV behaviors. An yfi
      dependent SCV was isolated from the sputum of a CF patient. Consequently, the
      effect of the SCV morphology on persistence of infection was analyzed in vitro
      and in vivo using the YfiN-mediated SCV as a representative strain. The SCV
      strain exhibited strong, exopolysaccharide-dependent resistance to nematode
      scavenging and macrophage phagocytosis. Furthermore, the SCV strain effectively
      persisted over many weeks in mouse infection models, despite exhibiting a marked
      fitness disadvantage in vitro. Exposure to sub-inhibitory concentrations of
      antibiotics significantly decreased both the number of suppressors arising, and
      the relative fitness disadvantage of the SCV mutant in vitro, suggesting that the
      SCV persistence phenotype may play a more important role during antimicrobial
      chemotherapy. This study establishes YfiBNR as an important player in P.
      aeruginosa persistence, and implicates a central role for c-di-GMP, and by
      extension the SCV phenotype in chronic infections.

PMID- 20300604
TI  - N-acetylglucosamine induces white to opaque switching, a mating prerequisite in
      Candida albicans.
AB  - To mate, the fungal pathogen Candida albicans must undergo homozygosis at the
      mating-type locus and then switch from the white to opaque phenotype.
      Paradoxically, opaque cells were found to be unstable at physiological
      temperature, suggesting that mating had little chance of occurring in the host,
      the main niche of C. albicans. Recently, however, it was demonstrated that high
      levels of CO(2), equivalent to those found in the host gastrointestinal tract and
      select tissues, induced the white to opaque switch at physiological temperature,
      providing a possible resolution to the paradox. Here, we demonstrate that a
      second signal, N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), a monosaccharide produced primarily
      by gastrointestinal tract bacteria, also serves as a potent inducer of white to
      opaque switching and functions primarily through the Ras1/cAMP pathway and
      phosphorylated Wor1, the gene product of the master switch locus. Our results
      therefore suggest that signals produced by bacterial co-members of the
      gastrointestinal tract microbiota regulate switching and therefore mating of C.
      albicans.

PMID- 20300603
TI  - Dynamic imaging of experimental Leishmania donovani-induced hepatic granulomas
      detects Kupffer cell-restricted antigen presentation to antigen-specific CD8 T
      cells.
AB  - Kupffer cells (KCs) represent the major phagocytic population within the liver
      and provide an intracellular niche for the survival of a number of important
      human pathogens. Although KCs have been extensively studied in vitro, little is
      known of their in vivo response to infection and their capacity to directly
      interact with antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells. Here, using a combination of
      approaches including whole mount and thin section confocal microscopy, adoptive
      cell transfer and intra-vital 2-photon microscopy, we demonstrate that KCs
      represent the only detectable population of mononuclear phagocytes within
      granulomas induced by Leishmania donovani infection that are capable of
      presenting parasite-derived peptide to effector CD8(+) T cells. This restriction
      of antigen presentation to KCs within the Leishmania granuloma has important
      implications for the identification of new candidate vaccine antigens and for the
      design of novel immuno-therapeutic interventions.

PMID- 20300605
TI  - Structural basis of cell wall cleavage by a staphylococcal autolysin.
AB  - The major autolysins (Atl) of Staphylococcus epidermidis and S. aureus play an
      important role in cell separation, and their mutants are also attenuated in
      virulence. Therefore, autolysins represent a promising target for the development
      of new types of antibiotics. Here, we report the high-resolution structure of the
      catalytically active amidase domain AmiE (amidase S. epidermidis) from the major
      autolysin of S. epidermidis. This is the first protein structure with an amidase
      like fold from a bacterium with a gram-positive cell wall architecture. AmiE
      adopts a globular fold, with several alpha-helices surrounding a central beta
      sheet. Sequence comparison reveals a cluster of conserved amino acids that define
      a putative binding site with a buried zinc ion. Mutations of key residues in the
      putative active site result in loss of activity, enabling us to propose a
      catalytic mechanism. We also identified and synthesized muramyltripeptide, the
      minimal peptidoglycan fragment that can be used as a substrate by the enzyme.
      Molecular docking and digestion assays with muramyltripeptide derivatives allow
      us to identify key determinants of ligand binding. This results in a plausible
      model of interaction of this ligand not only for AmiE, but also for other PGN
      hydrolases that share the same fold. As AmiE active-site mutations also show a
      severe growth defect, our findings provide an excellent platform for the design
      of specific inhibitors that target staphylococcal cell separation and can thereby
      prevent growth of this pathogen.

PMID- 20300606
TI  - Homeostatic interplay between bacterial cell-cell signaling and iron in
      virulence.
AB  - Pathogenic bacteria use interconnected multi-layered regulatory networks, such as
      quorum sensing (QS) networks to sense and respond to environmental cues and
      external and internal bacterial cell signals, and thereby adapt to and exploit
      target hosts. Despite the many advances that have been made in understanding QS
      regulation, little is known regarding how these inputs are integrated and
      processed in the context of multi-layered QS regulatory networks. Here we report
      the examination of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa QS 4-hydroxy-2-alkylquinolines
      (HAQs) MvfR regulatory network and determination of its interaction with the QS
      acyl-homoserine-lactone (AHL) RhlR network. The aim of this work was to elucidate
      paradigmatically the complex relationships between multi-layered regulatory QS
      circuitries, their signaling molecules, and the environmental cues to which they
      respond. Our findings revealed positive and negative homeostatic regulatory loops
      that fine-tune the MvfR regulon via a multi-layered dependent homeostatic
      regulation of the cell-cell signaling molecules PQS and HHQ, and interplay
      between these molecules and iron. We discovered that the MvfR regulon component
      PqsE is a key mediator in orchestrating this homeostatic regulation, and in
      establishing a connection to the QS rhlR system in cooperation with RhlR. Our
      results show that P. aeruginosa modulates the intensity of its virulence
      response, at least in part, through this multi-layered interplay. Our findings
      underscore the importance of the homeostatic interplay that balances competition
      within and between QS systems via cell-cell signaling molecules and environmental
      cues in the control of virulence gene expression. Elucidation of the fine-tuning
      of this complex relationship offers novel insights into the regulation of these
      systems and may inform strategies designed to limit infections caused by P.
      aeruginosa and related human pathogens.

PMID- 20300607
TI  - Staphylococcus aureus RNAIII binds to two distant regions of coa mRNA to arrest
      translation and promote mRNA degradation.
AB  - Staphylococcus aureus RNAIII is the intracellular effector of the quorum sensing
      system that temporally controls a large number of virulence factors including
      exoproteins and cell-wall-associated proteins. Staphylocoagulase is one major
      virulence factor, which promotes clotting of human plasma. Like the major cell
      surface protein A, the expression of staphylocoagulase is strongly repressed by
      the quorum sensing system at the post-exponential growth phase. Here we used a
      combination of approaches in vivo and in vitro to analyze the mechanism used by
      RNAIII to regulate the expression of staphylocoagulase. Our data show that RNAIII
      represses the synthesis of the protein through a direct binding with the mRNA.
      Structure mapping shows that two distant regions of RNAIII interact with coa mRNA
      and that the mRNA harbors a conserved signature as found in other RNAIII-target
      mRNAs. The resulting complex is composed of an imperfect duplex masking the Shine
      Dalgarno sequence of coa mRNA and of a loop-loop interaction occurring downstream
      in the coding region. The imperfect duplex is sufficient to prevent the formation
      of the ribosomal initiation complex and to repress the expression of a reporter
      gene in vivo. In addition, the double-strand-specific endoribonuclease III
      cleaves the two regions of the mRNA bound to RNAIII that may contribute to the
      degradation of the repressed mRNA. This study validates another direct target of
      RNAIII that plays a role in virulence. It also illustrates the diversity of
      RNAIII-mRNA topologies and how these multiple RNAIII-mRNA interactions would
      mediate virulence regulation.

PMID- 20300617
TI  - Pandemic dynamics and the breakdown of herd immunity.
AB  - In this note we discuss the issues involved in attempting to model pandemic
      dynamics. More specifically, we show how it may be possible to make projections
      for the ongoing H1N1 pandemic as extrapolated from knowledge of seasonal
      influenza. We derive first-approximation parameter estimates for the SIR model to
      describe seasonal influenza, and then explore the implications of the existing
      classical epidemiological theory for the case of a pandemic virus. In particular,
      we note the dramatic nonlinear increase in attack rate as a function of the
      percentage of susceptibles initially present in the population. This has severe
      consequences for the pandemic, given the general lack of immunity in the global
      population.

PMID- 20300608
TI  - Direct TLR2 signaling is critical for NK cell activation and function in response
      to vaccinia viral infection.
AB  - Natural killer (NK) cells play an essential role in innate immune control of
      poxviral infections in vivo. However, the mechanism(s) underlying NK cell
      activation and function in response to poxviruses remains poorly understood. In a
      mouse model of infection with vaccinia virus (VV), the most studied member of the
      poxvirus family, we identified that the Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2-myeloid
      differentiating factor 88 (MyD88) pathway was critical for the activation of NK
      cells and the control of VV infection in vivo. We further showed that TLR2
      signaling on NK cells, but not on accessory cells such as dendritic cells (DCs),
      was necessary for NK cell activation and that this intrinsic TLR2-MyD88 signaling
      pathway was required for NK cell activation and played a critical role in the
      control of VV infection in vivo. In addition, we showed that the activating
      receptor NKG2D was also important for efficient NK activation and function, as
      well as recognition of VV-infected targets. We further demonstrated that VV could
      directly activate NK cells via TLR2 in the presence of cytokines in vitro and
      TLR2-MyD88-dependent activation of NK cells by VV was mediated through the
      phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)
      pathway. Taken together, these results represent the first evidence that
      intrinsic TLR signaling is critical for NK cell activation and function in the
      control of a viral infection in vivo, indicate that multiple pathways are
      required for efficient NK cell activation and function in response to VV
      infection, and may provide important insights into the design of effective
      strategies to combat poxviral infections.

PMID- 20300618
TI  - Evolutionary constraints acting on DDX3X protein potentially interferes with Rev
      mediated nuclear export of HIV-1 RNA.
AB  - Differential host-pathogen interactions direct viral replication in infected
      cells. In HIV-1 infected cells, nuclear export of viral RNA transcripts into
      cellular cytoplasm is governed by interaction of HIV-1 Rev, Exportin-1 (CRM-1)
      and DDX3X. Knock down of DDX3X has been shown to drastically impair HIV
      replication. Here we show that evolutionary forces are responsible for demarking
      previously unidentified critical functionally important residues on the surface
      of DDX3X. Using computational approaches, we show that these functional residues,
      depending on their location, are capable of regulating ATPase and RNA helicase
      functions of DDX3X. The potential of these residues in designing better blockers
      against HIV-1 replication was also assessed. Also, using stepwise docking
      simulations, we could identify DDX3X-CRM-1 interface and its critical functional
      residues. Our data would help explain the role of DDX3X in HIV-1 Rev function
      with potential to design new intervention strategies against HIV-1 replication.

PMID- 20300619
TI  - Neurotrophins regulate bone marrow stromal cell IL-6 expression through the MAPK
      pathway.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The host's response to infection is characterized by altered levels
      of neurotrophins and an influx of inflammatory cells to sites of injured tissue.
      Progenitor cells that give rise to the differentiated cellular mediators of
      inflammation are derived from bone marrow progenitor cells where their
      development is regulated, in part, by cues from bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC).
      As such, alteration of BMSC function in response to elevated systemic mediators
      has the potential to alter their function in biologically relevant ways,
      including downstream alteration of cytokine production that influences
      hematopoietic development. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In the current study
      we investigated BMSC neurotrophin receptor expression by flow cytometric analysis
      to determine differences in expression as well as potential to respond to NGF or
      BDNF. Intracellular signaling subsequent to neurotrophin stimulation of BMSC was
      analyzed by western blot, microarray analysis, confocal microscopy and real-time
      PCR. Analysis of BMSC Interleukin-6 (IL-6) expression was completed using ELISA
      and real-time PCR. CONCLUSION: BMSC established from different individuals had
      distinct expression profiles of the neurotrophin receptors, TrkA, TrkB, TrkC, and
      p75(NTR). These receptors were functional, demonstrated by an increase in Akt
      phosphorylation following BMSC exposure to recombinant NGF or BDNF. Neurotrophin
      stimulation of BMSC resulted in increased IL-6 gene and protein expression which
      required activation of ERK and p38 MAPK signaling, but was not mediated by the
      NFkappaB pathway. BMSC response to neurotrophins, including the up-regulation of
      IL-6, may alter their support of hematopoiesis and regulate the availability of
      inflammatory cells for migration to sites of injury or infection. As such, these
      studies are relevant to the growing appreciation of the interplay between
      neurotropic mediators and the regulation of hematopoiesis.

PMID- 20300620
TI  - Bile acid-induced arrhythmia is mediated by muscarinic M2 receptors in neonatal
      rat cardiomyocytes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a common disease
      affecting up to 5% of pregnancies and which can cause fetal arrhythmia and sudden
      intrauterine death. We previously demonstrated that bile acid taurocholate (TC),
      which is raised in the bloodstream of ICP, can acutely alter the rate and rhythm
      of contraction and induce abnormal calcium destabilization in cultured neonatal
      rat cardiomyocytes (NRCM). Apart from their hepatic functions bile acids are
      ubiquitous signalling molecules with diverse systemic effects mediated by either
      the nuclear receptor FXR or by a recently discovered G-protein coupled receptor
      TGR5. We aim to investigate the mechanism of bile-acid induced arrhythmogenic
      effects in an in-vitro model of the fetal heart. METHODS AND RESULTS: Levels of
      bile acid transporters and nuclear receptor FXR were studied by quantitative real
      time PCR, western blot and immunostaining, which showed low levels of expression.
      We did not observe functional involvement of the canonical receptors FXR and
      TGR5. Instead, we found that TC binds to the muscarinic M(2) receptor in NRCM and
      serves as a partial agonist of this receptor in terms of inhibitory effect on
      intracellular cAMP and negative chronotropic response. Pharmacological inhibition
      and siRNA-knockdown of the M(2) receptor completely abolished the negative effect
      of TC on contraction, calcium transient amplitude and synchronisation in NRCM
      clusters. CONCLUSION: We conclude that in NRCM the TC-induced arrhythmia is
      mediated by the partial agonism at the M(2) receptor. This mechanism might serve
      as a promising new therapeutic target for fetal arrhythmia.

PMID- 20300621
TI  - DNA methylation as a biomarker for cardiovascular disease risk.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Elevated serum homocysteine is associated with an increased risk of
      cardiovascular disease (CVD). This may reflect a reduced systemic remethylation
      capacity, which would be expected to cause decreased genomic DNA methylation in
      peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We examined
      the association between prevalence of CVD (myocardial infarction, stroke) and its
      predisposing conditions (hypertension, diabetes) and PBL global genomic DNA
      methylation as represented by ALU and Satellite 2 (AS) repetitive element DNA
      methylation in 286 participants of the Singapore Chinese Health Study, a
      population-based prospective investigation of 63,257 men and women aged 45-74
      years recruited during 1993-1998. Men exhibited significantly higher global DNA
      methylation [geometric mean (95% confidence interval (CI)): 159 (143, 178)] than
      women [133 (121, 147)] (P = 0.01). Global DNA methylation was significantly
      elevated in men with a history of CVD or its predisposing conditions at baseline
      (P = 0.03) but not in women (P = 0.53). Fifty-two subjects (22 men, 30 women) who
      were negative for these CVD/predisposing conditions at baseline acquired one or
      more of these conditions by the time of their follow-up I interviews, which took
      place on average about 5.8 years post-enrollment. Global DNA methylation levels
      of the 22 incident cases in men were intermediate (AS, 177) relative to the 56
      male subjects who remained free of CVD/predisposing conditions at follow-up
      (lowest AS, 132) and the 51 male subjects with a diagnosis of CVD or predisposing
      conditions reported at baseline (highest AS 184) (P for trend = 0.0008) No such
      association was observed in women (P = 0.91). Baseline body mass index was
      positively associated with AS in both men and women (P = 0.007).
      CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings indicate that elevated, not decreased, PBL
      DNA methylation is positively associated with prevalence of CVD/predisposing
      conditions and obesity in Singapore Chinese.

PMID- 20300622
TI  - Time-dependent c-Myc transactomes mapped by Array-based nuclear run-on reveal
      transcriptional modules in human B cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The definition of transcriptional networks through measurements of
      changes in gene expression profiles and mapping of transcription factor binding
      sites is limited by the moderate overlap between binding and gene expression
      changes and the inability to directly measure global nuclear transcription
      (coined "transactome"). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We developed a method to
      measure nascent nuclear gene transcription with an Array-based Nuclear Run-On
      (ANRO) assay using commercial microarray platforms. This strategy provides the
      missing component, the transactome, to fully map transcriptional networks. ANRO
      measurements in an inducible c-Myc expressing human P493-6 B cell model reveals
      time-dependent waves of transcription, with a transactome early after c-Myc
      induction that does not persist at a late, steady-state phase, when genes that
      are regulated by c-Myc and E2F predominate. Gene set matrix analysis further
      uncovers functionally related groups of genes putatively regulated by waves of
      transcription factor motifs following Myc induction, starting with AP1 and CREB
      that are followed by EGR1, NFkB and STAT, and ending with E2F, Myc and ARNT/HIF
      motifs. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: By coupling ANRO with previous global mapping
      of c-Myc binding sites by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) in P493-6 cells,
      we define a set of transcriptionally regulated direct c-Myc target genes and pave
      the way for the use of ANRO to comprehensively map any transcriptional network.

PMID- 20300624
TI  - Genetic heterogeneity of oesophageal cancer in high-incidence areas of southern
      and northern China.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Oesophageal cancer is one of the most common and
      deadliest cancers worldwide. Our previous population-based study reported a high
      prevalence of oesophageal cancer in Chaoshan, Guangdong Province, China.
      Ancestors of the Chaoshan population migrated from the Taihang Mountain region of
      north-central China, which is another high-incidence area for oesophageal cancer.
      The purpose of the present study was to obtain evidence of inherited
      susceptibility to oesophageal cancer in the Chaoshan population, with reference
      to the Taihang Mountain population, with the eventual goal of molecular
      identification of the disease genes. METHODS: We conducted familial correlation,
      commingling, and complex segregation analyses of 224 families from the Chaoshan
      population and 403 families from the Taihang population using the FPMM program of
      S.A.G.E. version 5.3.0. A second analysis focused on specific families having
      large numbers of affected individuals or early onset of the disease. RESULTS: For
      the general population, moderate sib-sib correlation was noticed for esophageal
      cancer. Additionally, brother-brother correlation was even higher. Commingling
      analyses indicated that a three-component distribution model best accounts for
      the variation in age of onset of oesophageal cancer, and that a multifactorial
      model provides the best fit to the general population data. An autosomal dominant
      mode and a dominant or recessive major gene with polygenic inheritance were found
      to be the best models of inherited susceptibility to oesophageal cancer in some
      large families. CONCLUSIONS: The current results provide evidence for inherited
      susceptibility to oesophageal cancer in certain high-risk groups in China, and
      support efforts to identify the susceptibility genes.

PMID- 20300623
TI  - A new statistic to evaluate imputation reliability.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As the amount of data from genome wide association studies grows
      dramatically, many interesting scientific questions require imputation to combine
      or expand datasets. However, there are two situations for which imputation has
      been problematic: (1) polymorphisms with low minor allele frequency (MAF), and
      (2) datasets where subjects are genotyped on different platforms. Traditional
      measures of imputation cannot effectively address these problems.
      METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We introduce a new statistic, the imputation
      quality score (IQS). In order to differentiate between well-imputed and poorly
      imputed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), IQS adjusts the concordance
      between imputed and genotyped SNPs for chance. We first evaluated IQS in relation
      to minor allele frequency. Using a sample of subjects genotyped on the Illumina 1
      M array, we extracted those SNPs that were also on the Illumina 550 K array and
      imputed them to the full set of the 1 M SNPs. As expected, the average IQS value
      drops dramatically with a decrease in minor allele frequency, indicating that IQS
      appropriately adjusts for minor allele frequency. We then evaluated whether IQS
      can filter poorly-imputed SNPs in situations where cases and controls are
      genotyped on different platforms. Randomly dividing the data into "cases" and
      "controls", we extracted the Illumina 550 K SNPs from the cases and imputed the
      remaining Illumina 1 M SNPs. The initial Q-Q plot for the test of association
      between cases and controls was grossly distorted (lambda = 1.15) and had 4016
      false positives, reflecting imputation error. After filtering out SNPs with
      IQS<0.9, the Q-Q plot was acceptable and there were no longer false positives. We
      then evaluated the robustness of IQS computed independently on the two halves of
      the data. In both European Americans and African Americans the correlation was
      >0.99 demonstrating that a database of IQS values from common imputations could
      be used as an effective filter to combine data genotyped on different platforms.
      CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: IQS effectively differentiates well-imputed and poorly
      imputed SNPs. It is particularly useful for SNPs with low minor allele frequency
      and when datasets are genotyped on different platforms.

PMID- 20300625
TI  - Genetic characterization of the influenza A pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus isolates
      from India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Influenza A pandemic H1N1 2009 (H1N1pdm) virus appeared in India
      in May 2009 and thereafter outbreaks with considerable morbidity and mortality
      have been reported from many parts of the country. Continuous monitoring of the
      genetic makeup of the virus is essential to understand its evolution within the
      country in relation to global diversification and to track the mutations that may
      affect the behavior of the virus. METHODS: H1N1pdm viruses were isolated from
      both recovered and fatal cases representing major cities and sequenced.
      Phylogenetic analyses of six concatenated whole genomes and the hemagglutinin
      (HA) gene of seven more isolates from May-September 2009 was performed with
      reference to 685 whole genomes of global isolates available as of November 24,
      2009. Molecular characterization of all the 8 segments was carried out for known
      pathogenic markers. RESULTS: The first isolate of May 2009 belonged to clade 5.
      Although clade 7 was the dominant H1N1pdm lineage in India, both clades 6 and 7
      were found to be co-circulating. The neuraminidase of all the Indian isolates
      possessed H275, the marker for sensitivity to the neuraminidase inhibitor
      Oseltamivir. Some of the mutations in HA are at or in the vicinity of antigenic
      sites and may therefore be of possible antigenic significance. Among these a
      D222G mutation in the HA receptor binding domain was found in two of the eight
      Indian isolates obtained from fatal cases. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of the 13
      Indian isolates grouped in the globally most widely circulating H1N1pdm clade 7.
      Further, correlations of the mutations specific to clade 7 Indian isolates to
      viral fitness and adaptability in the country remains to be understood. The D222G
      mutation in HA from isolates of fatal cases needs to be studied for
      pathogenicity.

PMID- 20300626
TI  - Testing the effect of metabolic rate on DNA variability at the intra-specific
      level.
AB  - We tested the metabolic rate hypothesis (whereby rates of mtDNA evolution are
      postulated to be mediated primarily by mutagenic by-products of respiration) by
      examining whether mass-specific metabolic rate was correlated with root-to-tip
      distance on a set of mtDNA trees for the springtail Cryptopygus antarcticus
      travei from sub-Antarctic Marion Island.Using Bayesian analyses and a novel
      application of the comparative phylogenetic method, we did not find significant
      evidence that contemporary metabolic rates directly correlate with mutation rate
      (i.e., root-to-tip distance) once the underlying phylogeny is taken into account.
      However, we did find significant evidence that metabolic rate is dependent on the
      underlying mtDNA tree, or in other words, lineages with related mtDNA also have
      similar metabolic rates.We anticipate that future analyses which apply this
      methodology to datasets with longer sequences, more taxa, or greater variability
      will have more power to detect a significant direct correlation between metabolic
      rate and mutation rate. We conclude with suggestions for future analyses that
      would extend the preliminary approach applied here, in particular highlighting
      ways to tease apart oxidative stress effects from the effects of population size
      and/or selection coefficients operating on the molecular evolutionary rate.

PMID- 20300627
TI  - The neural correlates of visuospatial perceptual and oculomotor extrapolation.
AB  - The human visual system must perform complex visuospatial extrapolations (VSE)
      across space and time in order to extract shape and form from the retinal
      projection of a cluttered visual environment characterized by occluded surfaces
      and moving objects. Even if we exclude the temporal dimension, for instance when
      judging whether an extended finger is pointing towards one object or another, the
      mechanisms of VSE remain opaque. Here we investigated the neural correlates of
      VSE using functional magnetic resonance imaging in sixteen human observers while
      they judged the relative position of, or saccaded to, a (virtual) target defined
      by the extrapolated path of a pointer. Using whole brain and region of interest
      (ROI) analyses, we compared the brain activity evoked by these VSE tasks to
      similar control judgements or eye movements made to explicit (dot) targets that
      did not require extrapolation. The data show that activity in an occipitotemporal
      region that included the lateral occipital cortex (LOC) was significantly greater
      during VSE than during control tasks. A similar, though less pronounced, pattern
      was also evident in regions of the fronto-parietal cortex that included the
      frontal eye fields. However, none of the ROIs examined exhibited a significant
      interaction between target type (extrapolated/explicit) and response type
      (oculomotor/perceptual). These findings are consistent with a close association
      between visuoperceptual and oculomotor responses, and highlight a critical role
      for the LOC in the process of VSE.

PMID- 20300628
TI  - Anti transglutaminase antibodies cause ataxia in mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune gastrointestinal disorder
      characterized by the presence of anti-transglutaminase 2 (TG2) and anti-gliadin
      antibodies. Amongst the neurological dysfunctions associated with CD, ataxia
      represents the most common one. METHODS: We analyzed by immunohistochemistry, the
      anti-neural reactivity of the serum from 20 CD patients. To determine the role of
      anti-TG2 antibodies in ataxia, two anti-TG2 single chain variable fragments
      (scFv), isolated from a phage-display IgA antibody library, were characterized by
      immunohistochemistry and ELISA, and injected in mice to study their effects on
      motor coordination. We found that 75% of the CD patient population without
      evidence of neurological involvement, has circulating anti-neural IgA and/or IgG
      antibodies. Two anti-TG2 scFvs, cloned from one CD patient, stained blood vessels
      but only one reacted with neurons. This anti-TG2 antibody showed cross reactivity
      with the transglutaminase isozymes TG3 and TG6. Intraventricular injection of the
      anti-TG2 or the anti-TG2/3/6 cross-reactive scFv provoked transient, equally
      intensive ataxia in mice. CONCLUSION: The serum from CD patients contains anti
      TG2, TG3 and TG6 antibodies that may potentially cause ataxia.

PMID- 20300629
TI  - Influence of maternal gestational treatment with mycobacterial antigens on
      postnatal immunity in an experimental murine model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has been proposed that the immune system could be primed as early
      as during the fetal life and this might have an impact on postnatal vaccination.
      Therefore, we addressed in murine models whether gestational treatment with
      mycobacterial antigens could induce better immune responses in the postnatal
      life. METHODS/FINDINGS: BALB/c mice were treated subcutaneously (s.c.) at the
      second week of gestation with antigen (Ag)85A or heparin-binding hemagglutinin
      (HBHA) in the absence of adjuvant. Following birth, offspring mice were immunized
      intranasally (i.n.) with the same antigens formulated with the adjuvant cholera
      toxin (CT) at week 1 and week 4. One week after the last immunization, we
      assessed antigen-specific recall interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) responses by in
      vitro restimulation of lung-derived lymphocytes. Protection against infection was
      assessed by challenge with high dose Mycobacterium bovis Bacille Calmette-Guerin
      (BCG) given i.n. We found that recall IFN-gamma responses were higher in the
      offspring born to the treated mother compared to the untreated-mother. More
      importantly, we observed that the offspring born to the treated mother controlled
      infection better than the offspring born to the untreated mother. Since the
      gestational treatment was done in absence of adjuvant, essentially there was no
      antibody production observed in the pregnant mice and therefore no influence of
      maternal antibodies was expected. We hypothesized that the effect of maternal
      treatment with antigen on the offspring occurred due to antigen transportation
      through placenta. To trace the antigens, we conjugated fluorescent nanocrystals
      with Ag85A (Qdot-ITK-Ag85A). After inoculation in the pregnant mice, Qdot-ITK
      Ag85A conjugates were detected in the liver, spleen of pregnant females and in
      all the fetuses and placentas examined. CONCLUSION: The fetal immune system could
      be primed in utero by mycobacterial antigens transported through the placenta.

PMID- 20300630
TI  - Levels of 17beta-estradiol receptors expressed in embryonic and adult zebrafish
      following in vivo treatment of natural or synthetic ligands.
AB  - The nuclear receptors encompass a group of regulatory proteins involved in a
      number of physiological processes. The estrogen receptors (ERs), of which one
      alpha and one beta form exist in mammals function as transcription factors in
      response to 17beta-estradiol (E2). In zebrafish there are three gene products of
      estrogen receptors and they are denoted esr1 (ERalpha), esr2a (ERbeta2) and esr2b
      (ERbeta1). Total RNA of zebrafish early life stages (<3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96
      and 120 hours post fertilization) and of adult fish (liver, intestine, eye,
      heart, brain, ovary, testis, gill, swim bladder and kidney) were isolated
      following in vivo exposures. Using specific primers for each of the three
      zebrafish ERs the expression levels were quantified using real time PCR
      methodology. It was shown that in absence of exposure all three estrogen
      receptors were expressed in adult fish. The levels of expression of two of these
      three ER genes, the esr1 and esr2a were altered in organs such as liver,
      intestine, brain and testis in response to ligand (E2, diethylstilbestrol or 4
      nonylphenol). During embryogenesis two of the three receptor genes, esr1 and
      esr2b were expressed, and in presence of ligand the mRNA levels of these two
      genes increased. The conclusions are i) estrogen receptor genes are expressed
      during early development ii) altered expression of esr genes in response to
      ligand is dependent on the cellular context; iii) the estrogenic ligand 4
      nonylphenol, a manufactured compound commonly found in sewage of water treatment
      plants, acts as an agonist of the estrogen receptor during development and has
      both agonist and antagonist properties in tissues of adult fish. This knowledge
      of esr gene function in development and in adult life will help to understand
      mechanisms of interfering mimicking endocrine chemicals in vivo.

PMID- 20300632
TI  - Conversion of phase information into a spike-count code by bursting neurons.
AB  - Single neurons in the cerebral cortex are immersed in a fluctuating electric
      field, the local field potential (LFP), which mainly originates from synchronous
      synaptic input into the local neural neighborhood. As shown by recent studies in
      visual and auditory cortices, the angular phase of the LFP at the time of spike
      generation adds significant extra information about the external world, beyond
      the one contained in the firing rate alone. However, no biologically plausible
      mechanism has yet been suggested that allows downstream neurons to infer the
      phase of the LFP at the soma of their pre-synaptic afferents. Therefore, so far
      there is no evidence that the nervous system can process phase information. Here
      we study a model of a bursting pyramidal neuron, driven by a time-dependent
      stimulus. We show that the number of spikes per burst varies systematically with
      the phase of the fluctuating input at the time of burst onset. The mapping
      between input phase and number of spikes per burst is a robust response feature
      for a broad range of stimulus statistics. Our results suggest that cortical
      bursting neurons could play a crucial role in translating LFP phase information
      into an easily decodable spike count code.

PMID- 20300631
TI  - A cluster randomized trial of routine HIV-1 viral load monitoring in Zambia:
      study design, implementation, and baseline cohort characteristics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The benefit of routine HIV-1 viral load (VL) monitoring of patients
      on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in resource-constrained settings is uncertain
      because of the high costs associated with the test and the limited treatment
      options. We designed a cluster randomized controlled trial to compare the use of
      routine VL testing at ART-initiation and at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months, versus our
      local standard of care (which uses immunological and clinical criteria to
      diagnose treatment failure, with discretionary VL testing when the two do not
      agree). METHODOLOGY: Dedicated study personnel were integrated into public-sector
      ART clinics. We collected participant information in a dedicated research
      database. Twelve ART clinics in Lusaka, Zambia constituted the units of
      randomization. Study clinics were stratified into pairs according to matching
      criteria (historical mortality rate, size, and duration of operation) to limit
      the effect of clustering, and independently randomized to the intervention and
      control arms. The study was powered to detect a 36% reduction in mortality at 18
      months. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: From December 2006 to May 2008, we completed
      enrollment of 1973 participants. Measured baseline characteristics did not differ
      significantly between the study arms. Enrollment was staggered by clinic pair and
      truncated at two matched sites. CONCLUSIONS: A large clinical trial of routing VL
      monitoring was successfully implemented in a dynamic and rapidly growing national
      ART program. Close collaboration with local health authorities and adequate
      reserve staff were critical to success. Randomized controlled trials such as this
      will likely prove valuable in determining long-term outcomes in resource
      constrained settings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00929604.

PMID- 20300633
TI  - Cross-presentation of a spread-defective MCMV is sufficient to prime the majority
      of virus-specific CD8+ T cells.
AB  - CD8+ T cells can be primed by peptides derived from endogenous proteins (direct
      presentation), or exogenously acquired protein (cross-presentation). However, the
      relative ability of these two pathways to prime CD8+ T cells during a viral
      infection remains controversial. Cytomegaloviruses (CMVs) can infect professional
      antigen presenting cells (APCs), including dendritic cells, thus providing
      peptides for direct presentation. However, the viral immune evasion genes
      profoundly impair recognition of infected cells by CD8+ T cells. Nevertheless,
      CMV infection elicits a very strong CD8+ T cell response, prompting its recent
      use as a vaccine vector. We have shown previously that deleting the immune
      evasion genes from murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) that target class I MHC
      presentation, has no impact on the size or breadth of the CD8+ T cell response
      elicited by infection, suggesting that the majority of MCMV-specific CD8+ T cells
      in vivo are not directly primed by infected professional APCs. Here we use a
      novel spread-defective mutant of MCMV, lacking the essential glycoprotein gL, to
      show that cross-presentation alone can account for the majority of MCMV-specific
      CD8+ T cell responses to the virus. Our data support the conclusion that cross
      presentation is the primary mode of antigen presentation by which CD8+ T cells
      are primed during MCMV infection.

PMID- 20300634
TI  - Gene expression profile for predicting survival in advanced-stage serous ovarian
      cancer across two independent datasets.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Advanced-stage ovarian cancer patients are generally treated with
      platinum/taxane-based chemotherapy after primary debulking surgery. However,
      there is a wide range of outcomes for individual patients. Therefore, the
      clinicopathological factors alone are insufficient for predicting prognosis. Our
      aim is to identify a progression-free survival (PFS)-related molecular profile
      for predicting survival of patients with advanced-stage serous ovarian cancer.
      METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Advanced-stage serous ovarian cancer tissues from
      110 Japanese patients who underwent primary surgery and platinum/taxane-based
      chemotherapy were profiled using oligonucleotide microarrays. We selected 88 PFS
      related genes by a univariate Cox model (p<0.01) and generated the prognostic
      index based on 88 PFS-related genes after adjustment of regression coefficients
      of the respective genes by ridge regression Cox model using 10-fold cross
      validation. The prognostic index was independently associated with PFS time
      compared to other clinical factors in multivariate analysis [hazard ratio (HR),
      3.72; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.66-5.43; p<0.0001]. In an external dataset,
      multivariate analysis revealed that this prognostic index was significantly
      correlated with PFS time (HR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.20-1.98; p = 0.0008). Furthermore,
      the correlation between the prognostic index and overall survival time was
      confirmed in the two independent external datasets (log rank test, p = 0.0010 and
      0.0008). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The prognostic ability of our index based on
      the 88-gene expression profile in ridge regression Cox hazard model was shown to
      be independent of other clinical factors in predicting cancer prognosis across
      two distinct datasets. Further study will be necessary to improve predictive
      accuracy of the prognostic index toward clinical application for evaluation of
      the risk of recurrence in patients with advanced-stage serous ovarian cancer.

PMID- 20300635
TI  - Cerebral asymmetries: complementary and independent processes.
AB  - Most people are right-handed and left-cerebrally dominant for speech, leading
      historically to the general notion of left-hemispheric dominance, and more
      recently to genetic models proposing a single lateralizing gene. This
      hypothetical gene can account for higher incidence of right-handers in those with
      left cerebral dominance for speech. It remains unclear how this dominance relates
      to the right-cerebral dominance for some nonverbal functions such as spatial or
      emotional processing. Here we use functional magnetic resonance imaging with a
      sample of 155 subjects to measure asymmetrical activation induced by speech
      production in the frontal lobes, by face processing in the temporal lobes, and by
      spatial processing in the parietal lobes. Left-frontal, right-temporal, and right
      parietal dominance were all intercorrelated, suggesting that right-cerebral
      biases may be at least in part complementary to the left-hemispheric dominance
      for language. However, handedness and parietal asymmetry for spatial processing
      were uncorrelated, implying independent lateralizing processes, one producing a
      leftward bias most closely associated with handedness, and the other a rightward
      bias most closely associated with spatial attention.

PMID- 20300636
TI  - Serum amyloid P therapeutically attenuates murine bleomycin-induced pulmonary
      fibrosis via its effects on macrophages.
AB  - Macrophages promote tissue remodeling but few mechanisms exist to modulate their
      activity during tissue fibrosis. Serum amyloid P (SAP), a member of the pentraxin
      family of proteins, signals through Fcgamma receptors which are known to affect
      macrophage activation. We determined that IPF/UIP patients have increased protein
      levels of several alternatively activated pro-fibrotic (M2) macrophage-associated
      proteins in the lung and monocytes from these patients show skewing towards an M2
      macrophage phenotype. SAP therapeutically inhibits established bleomycin-induced
      pulmonary fibrosis, when administered systemically or locally to the lungs. The
      reduction in aberrant collagen deposition was associated with a reduction in M2
      macrophages in the lung and increased IP10/CXCL10. These data highlight the role
      of macrophages in fibrotic lung disease, and demonstrate a therapeutic action of
      SAP on macrophages which may extend to many fibrotic indications caused by over
      exuberant pro-fibrotic macrophage responses.

PMID- 20300637
TI  - Source partitioning using stable isotopes: coping with too much variation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stable isotope analysis is increasingly being utilised across broad
      areas of ecology and biology. Key to much of this work is the use of mixing
      models to estimate the proportion of sources contributing to a mixture such as in
      diet estimation. METHODOLOGY: By accurately reflecting natural variation and
      uncertainty to generate robust probability estimates of source proportions, the
      application of Bayesian methods to stable isotope mixing models promises to
      enable researchers to address an array of new questions, and approach current
      questions with greater insight and honesty. CONCLUSIONS: We outline a framework
      that builds on recently published Bayesian isotopic mixing models and present a
      new open source R package, SIAR. The formulation in R will allow for continued
      and rapid development of this core model into an all-encompassing single analysis
      suite for stable isotope research.

PMID- 20300638
TI  - Platelet-mediated metabolism of the common dietary flavonoid, quercetin.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Flavonoid metabolites remain in blood for periods of time potentially
      long enough to allow interactions with cellular components of this tissue. It is
      well-established that flavonoids are metabolised within the intestine and liver
      into methylated, sulphated and glucuronidated counterparts, which inhibit
      platelet function. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We demonstrate evidence
      suggesting platelets which contain metabolic enzymes, as an alternative location
      for flavonoid metabolism. Quercetin and a plasma metabolite of this compound, 4'
      O-methyl quercetin (tamarixetin) were shown to gain access to the cytosolic
      compartment of platelets, using confocal microscopy. High performance liquid
      chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS) showed that quercetin was
      transformed into a compound with a mass identical to tamarixetin, suggesting that
      the flavonoid was methylated by catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) within
      platelets. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Platelets potentially mediate a third phase
      of flavonoid metabolism, which may impact on the regulation of the function of
      these cells by metabolites of these dietary compounds.

PMID- 20300639
TI  - Long-term mortality in patients diagnosed with meningococcal disease: a Danish
      nationwide cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In contrast to the case fatality rate of patients diagnosed with
      meningococcal disease (MD) the long-term mortality in these patients is poorly
      documented. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We performed a nationwide, population
      based cohort study including all Danish patients diagnosed with MD from 1977
      through 2006 and alive one year after diagnosis. Data was retrieved from the
      Danish National Hospital Register, the Danish Civil Registration System and the
      Danish Register of Causes of Death. For each patient four age- and gender-matched
      individuals were identified from the population cohort. The siblings of the MD
      patients and of the individuals from the population cohort were identified. We
      constructed Kaplan-Meier survival curves and used Cox regression analysis,
      cumulative incidence function and subdistribution hazard regression to estimate
      mortality rate ratios (MRR) and analyze causes of death. We identified 4,909 MD
      patients, 19,636 individuals from the population cohort, 8,126 siblings of MD
      patients and 31,140 siblings of the individuals from the population cohort. The
      overall MRR for MD patients was 1.27 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.12-1.45),
      adjusted MRR, 1.21 (95% CI, 1.06-1.37). MD was associated with increased risk of
      death due to nervous system diseases (MRR 3.57 (95% CI, 1.82-7.00). No increased
      mortality due to infections, neoplasms or cardiovascular diseases was observed.
      The MRR for siblings of MD patients compared with siblings of the individuals
      from the population cohort was 1.17 (95% CI, 0.92-1.48). CONCLUSIONS: Patients
      surviving the acute phase of MD have increased long-term mortality, but the
      excess risk of death is small and stems mainly from nervous system diseases.

PMID- 20300640
TI  - Deciphering normal blood gene expression variation--The NOWAC postgenome study.
AB  - There is growing evidence that gene expression profiling of peripheral blood
      cells is a valuable tool for assessing gene signatures related to exposure, drug
      response, or disease. However, the true promise of this approach can not be
      estimated until the scientific community has robust baseline data describing
      variation in gene expression patterns in normal individuals. Using a large
      representative sample set of postmenopausal women (N = 286) in the Norwegian
      Women and Cancer (NOWAC) postgenome study, we investigated variability of whole
      blood gene expression in the general population. In particular, we examined
      changes in blood gene expression caused by technical variability, normal inter
      individual differences, and exposure variables at proportions and levels relevant
      to real-life situations. We observe that the overall changes in gene expression
      are subtle, implying the need for careful analytic approaches of the data. In
      particular, technical variability may not be ignored and subsequent adjustments
      must be considered in any analysis. Many new candidate genes were identified that
      are differentially expressed according to inter-individual (i.e. fasting, BMI)
      and exposure (i.e. smoking) factors, thus establishing that these effects are
      mirrored in blood. By focusing on the biological implications instead of directly
      comparing gene lists from several related studies in the literature, our analytic
      approach was able to identify significant similarities and effects consistent
      across these reports. This establishes the feasibility of blood gene expression
      profiling, if they are predicated upon careful experimental design and analysis
      in order to minimize confounding signals, artifacts of sample preparation and
      processing, and inter-individual differences.

PMID- 20300641
TI  - Fatal cardiac arrhythmia and long-QT syndrome in a new form of congenital
      generalized lipodystrophy with muscle rippling (CGL4) due to PTRF-CAVIN
      mutations.
AB  - We investigated eight families with a novel subtype of congenital generalized
      lipodystrophy (CGL4) of whom five members had died from sudden cardiac death
      during their teenage years. ECG studies revealed features of long-QT syndrome,
      bradycardia, as well as supraventricular and ventricular tachycardias. Further
      symptoms comprised myopathy with muscle rippling, skeletal as well as smooth
      muscle hypertrophy, leading to impaired gastrointestinal motility and
      hypertrophic pyloric stenosis in some children. Additionally, we found impaired
      bone formation with osteopenia, osteoporosis, and atlanto-axial instability.
      Homozygosity mapping located the gene within 2 Mbp on chromosome 17.
      Prioritization of 74 candidate genes with GeneDistiller for high expression in
      muscle and adipocytes suggested PTRF-CAVIN (Polymerase I and transcript release
      factor/Cavin) as the most probable candidate leading to the detection of
      homozygous mutations (c.160delG, c.362dupT). PTRF-CAVIN is essential for caveolae
      biogenesis. These cholesterol-rich plasmalemmal vesicles are involved in signal
      transduction and vesicular trafficking and reside primarily on adipocytes,
      myocytes, and osteoblasts. Absence of PTRF-CAVIN did not influence abundance of
      its binding partner caveolin-1 and caveolin-3. In patient fibroblasts, however,
      caveolin-1 failed to localize toward the cell surface and electron microscopy
      revealed reduction of caveolae to less than 3%. Transfection of full-length PTRF
      CAVIN reestablished the presence of caveolae. The loss of caveolae was confirmed
      by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) in combination with fluorescent imaging. PTRF
      CAVIN deficiency thus presents the phenotypic spectrum caused by a quintessential
      lack of functional caveolae.

PMID- 20300642
TI  - Effects of transcriptional pausing on gene expression dynamics.
AB  - Stochasticity in gene expression affects many cellular processes and is a source
      of phenotypic diversity between genetically identical individuals. Events in
      elongation, particularly RNA polymerase pausing, are a source of this noise.
      Since the rate and duration of pausing are sequence-dependent, this regulatory
      mechanism of transcriptional dynamics is evolvable. The dependency of pause
      propensity on regulatory molecules makes pausing a response mechanism to external
      stress. Using a delayed stochastic model of bacterial transcription at the single
      nucleotide level that includes the promoter open complex formation, pausing,
      arrest, misincorporation and editing, pyrophosphorolysis, and premature
      termination, we investigate how RNA polymerase pausing affects a gene's
      transcriptional dynamics and gene networks. We show that pauses' duration and
      rate of occurrence affect the bursting in RNA production, transcriptional and
      translational noise, and the transient to reach mean RNA and protein levels. In a
      genetic repressilator, increasing the pausing rate and the duration of pausing
      events increases the period length but does not affect the robustness of the
      periodicity. We conclude that RNA polymerase pausing might be an important
      evolvable feature of genetic networks.

PMID- 20300643
TI  - Identification of the regulatory logic controlling Salmonella pathoadaptation by
      the SsrA-SsrB two-component system.
AB  - Sequence data from the past decade has laid bare the significance of horizontal
      gene transfer in creating genetic diversity in the bacterial world. Regulatory
      evolution, in which non-coding DNA is mutated to create new regulatory nodes,
      also contributes to this diversity to allow niche adaptation and the evolution of
      pathogenesis. To survive in the host environment, Salmonella enterica uses a type
      III secretion system and effector proteins, which are activated by the SsrA-SsrB
      two-component system in response to the host environment. To better understand
      the phenomenon of regulatory evolution in S. enterica, we defined the SsrB
      regulon and asked how this transcription factor interacts with the cis-regulatory
      region of target genes. Using ChIP-on-chip, cDNA hybridization, and comparative
      genomics analyses, we describe the SsrB-dependent regulon of ancestral and
      horizontally acquired genes. Further, we used a genetic screen and computational
      analyses integrating experimental data from S. enterica and sequence data from an
      orthologous regulatory system in the insect endosymbiont, Sodalis glossinidius,
      to identify the conserved yet flexible palindrome sequence that defines DNA
      recognition by SsrB. Mutational analysis of a representative promoter validated
      this palindrome as the minimal architecture needed for regulatory input by SsrB.
      These data provide a high-resolution map of a regulatory network and the
      underlying logic enabling pathogen adaptation to a host.

PMID- 20300644
TI  - Detailed simulations of cell biology with Smoldyn 2.1.
AB  - Most cellular processes depend on intracellular locations and random collisions
      of individual protein molecules. To model these processes, we developed
      algorithms to simulate the diffusion, membrane interactions, and reactions of
      individual molecules, and implemented these in the Smoldyn program. Compared to
      the popular MCell and ChemCell simulators, we found that Smoldyn was in many
      cases more accurate, more computationally efficient, and easier to use. Using
      Smoldyn, we modeled pheromone response system signaling among yeast cells of
      opposite mating type. This model showed that secreted Bar1 protease might help a
      cell identify the fittest mating partner by sharpening the pheromone
      concentration gradient. This model involved about 200,000 protein molecules,
      about 7000 cubic microns of volume, and about 75 minutes of simulated time; it
      took about 10 hours to run. Over the next several years, as faster computers
      become available, Smoldyn will allow researchers to model and explore systems the
      size of entire bacterial and smaller eukaryotic cells.

PMID- 20300645
TI  - A multiscale model to investigate circadian rhythmicity of pacemaker neurons in
      the suprachiasmatic nucleus.
AB  - The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus is a multicellular system
      that drives daily rhythms in mammalian behavior and physiology. Although the gene
      regulatory network that produces daily oscillations within individual neurons is
      well characterized, less is known about the electrophysiology of the SCN cells
      and how firing rate correlates with circadian gene expression. We developed a
      firing rate code model to incorporate known electrophysiological properties of
      SCN pacemaker cells, including circadian dependent changes in membrane voltage
      and ion conductances. Calcium dynamics were included in the model as the putative
      link between electrical firing and gene expression. Individual ion currents
      exhibited oscillatory patterns matching experimental data both in current levels
      and phase relationships. VIP and GABA neurotransmitters, which encode synaptic
      signals across the SCN, were found to play critical roles in daily oscillations
      of membrane excitability and gene expression. Blocking various mechanisms of
      intracellular calcium accumulation by simulated pharmacological agents
      (nimodipine, IP3- and ryanodine-blockers) reproduced experimentally observed
      trends in firing rate dynamics and core-clock gene transcription. The
      intracellular calcium concentration was shown to regulate diverse circadian
      processes such as firing frequency, gene expression and system periodicity. The
      model predicted a direct relationship between firing frequency and gene
      expression amplitudes, demonstrated the importance of intracellular pathways for
      single cell behavior and provided a novel multiscale framework which captured
      characteristics of the SCN at both the electrophysiological and gene regulatory
      levels.

PMID- 20300646
TI  - Transcriptome profiling of a toxic dinoflagellate reveals a gene-rich protist and
      a potential impact on gene expression due to bacterial presence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dinoflagellates are unicellular, often photosynthetic protists that
      play a major role in the dynamics of the Earth's oceans and climate. Sequencing
      of dinoflagellate nuclear DNA is thwarted by their massive genome sizes that are
      often several times that in humans. However, modern transcriptomic methods offer
      promising approaches to tackle this challenging system. Here, we used massively
      parallel signature sequencing (MPSS) to understand global transcriptional
      regulation patterns in Alexandrium tamarense cultures that were grown under four
      different conditions. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We generated more than
      40,000 unique short expression signatures gathered from the four conditions. Of
      these, about 11,000 signatures did not display detectable differential expression
      patterns. At a p-value < 1E-10, 1,124 signatures were differentially expressed in
      the three treatments, xenic, nitrogen-limited, and phosphorus-limited, compared
      to the nutrient-replete control, with the presence of bacteria explaining the
      largest set of these differentially expressed signatures.
      CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Among microbial eukaryotes, dinoflagellates contain the
      largest number of genes in their nuclear genomes. These genes occur in complex
      families, many of which have evolved via recent gene duplication events. Our
      expression data suggest that about 73% of the Alexandrium transcriptome shows no
      significant change in gene expression under the experimental conditions used here
      and may comprise a "core" component for this species. We report a fundamental
      shift in expression patterns in response to the presence of bacteria,
      highlighting the impact of biotic interaction on gene expression in
      dinoflagellates.

PMID- 20300647
TI  - Modeling co-expression across species for complex traits: insights to the
      difference of human and mouse embryonic stem cells.
AB  - Complex interactions between genes or proteins contribute substantially to
      phenotypic evolution. We present a probabilistic model and a maximum likelihood
      approach for cross-species clustering analysis and for identification of
      conserved as well as species-specific co-expression modules. This model enables a
      "soft" cross-species clustering (SCSC) approach by encouraging but not enforcing
      orthologous genes to be grouped into the same cluster. SCSC is therefore robust
      to obscure orthologous relationships and can reflect different functional roles
      of orthologous genes in different species. We generated a time-course gene
      expression dataset for differentiating mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells, and
      compiled a dataset of published gene expression data on differentiating human ES
      cells. Applying SCSC to analyze these datasets, we identified conserved and
      species-specific gene regulatory modules. Together with protein-DNA binding data,
      an SCSC cluster specifically induced in murine ES cells indicated that the
      KLF2/4/5 transcription factors, although critical to maintaining the pluripotent
      phenotype in mouse ES cells, were decoupled from the OCT4/SOX2/NANOG regulatory
      module in human ES cells. Two of the target genes of murine KLF2/4/5, LIN28 and
      NODAL, were rewired to be targets of OCT4/SOX2/NANOG in human ES cells. Moreover,
      by mapping SCSC clusters onto KEGG signaling pathways, we identified the signal
      transduction components that were induced in pluripotent ES cells in either a
      conserved or a species-specific manner. These results suggest that the
      pluripotent cell identity can be established and maintained through more than one
      gene regulatory network.

PMID- 20300648
TI  - Slower visuomotor corrections with unchanged latency are consistent with optimal
      adaptation to increased endogenous noise in the elderly.
AB  - We analyzed age-related changes in motor response in a visuomotor compensatory
      tracking task. Subjects used a manipulandum to attempt to keep a displayed cursor
      at the center of a screen despite random perturbations to its location. Cross
      correlation analysis of the perturbation and the subject response showed no age
      related increase in latency until the onset of response to the perturbation, but
      substantial slowing of the response itself. Results are consistent with age
      related deterioration in the ratio of signal to noise in visuomotor response. The
      task is such that it is tractable to use Bayesian and quadratic optimality
      assumptions to construct a model for behavior. This model assumes that behavior
      resembles an optimal controller subject to noise, and parametrizes response in
      terms of latency, willingness to expend effort, noise intensity, and noise
      bandwidth. The model is consistent with the data for all young (n = 12, age 20
      30) and most elderly (n = 12, age 65-92) subjects. The model reproduces the
      latency result from the cross-correlation method. When presented with increased
      noise, the computational model reproduces the experimentally observed age-related
      slowing and the observed lack of increased latency. The model provides a precise
      way to quantitatively formulate the long-standing hypothesis that age-related
      slowing is an adaptation to increased noise.

PMID- 20300649
TI  - Comparing families of dynamic causal models.
AB  - Mathematical models of scientific data can be formally compared using Bayesian
      model evidence. Previous applications in the biological sciences have mainly
      focussed on model selection in which one first selects the model with the highest
      evidence and then makes inferences based on the parameters of that model. This
      "best model" approach is very useful but can become brittle if there are a large
      number of models to compare, and if different subjects use different models. To
      overcome this shortcoming we propose the combination of two further approaches:
      (i) family level inference and (ii) Bayesian model averaging within families.
      Family level inference removes uncertainty about aspects of model structure other
      than the characteristic of interest. For example: What are the inputs to the
      system? Is processing serial or parallel? Is it linear or nonlinear? Is it
      mediated by a single, crucial connection? We apply Bayesian model averaging
      within families to provide inferences about parameters that are independent of
      further assumptions about model structure. We illustrate the methods using
      Dynamic Causal Models of brain imaging data.

PMID- 20300650
TI  - Interplay between pleiotropy and secondary selection determines rise and fall of
      mutators in stress response.
AB  - Mutators are clones whose mutation rate is about two to three orders of magnitude
      higher than the rate of wild-type clones and their roles in adaptive evolution of
      asexual populations have been controversial. Here we address this problem by
      using an ab initio microscopic model of living cells, which combines population
      genetics with a physically realistic presentation of protein stability and
      protein-protein interactions. The genome of model organisms encodes replication
      controlling genes (RCGs) and genes modeling the mismatch repair (MMR) complexes.
      The genotype-phenotype relationship posits that the replication rate of an
      organism is proportional to protein copy numbers of RCGs in their functional form
      and there is a production cost penalty for protein overexpression. The mutation
      rate depends linearly on the concentration of homodimers of MMR proteins. By
      simulating multiple runs of evolution of populations under various environmental
      stresses--stationary phase, starvation or temperature-jump--we find that
      adaptation most often occurs through transient fixation of a mutator phenotype,
      regardless of the nature of stress. By contrast, the fixation mechanism does
      depend on the nature of stress. In temperature jump stress, mutators take over
      the population due to loss of stability of MMR complexes. In contrast, in
      starvation and stationary phase stresses, a small number of mutators are supplied
      to the population via epigenetic stochastic noise in production of MMR proteins
      (a pleiotropic effect), and their net supply is higher due to reduced genetic
      drift in slowly growing populations under stressful environments. Subsequently,
      mutators in stationary phase or starvation hitchhike to fixation with a
      beneficial mutation in the RCGs, (second order selection) and finally a mutation
      stabilizing the MMR complex arrives, returning the population to a non-mutator
      phenotype. Our results provide microscopic insights into the rise and fall of
      mutators in adapting finite asexual populations.

PMID- 20300651
TI  - Neocortical axon arbors trade-off material and conduction delay conservation.
AB  - The brain contains a complex network of axons rapidly communicating information
      between billions of synaptically connected neurons. The morphology of individual
      axons, therefore, defines the course of information flow within the brain. More
      than a century ago, Ramon y Cajal proposed that conservation laws to save
      material (wire) length and limit conduction delay regulate the design of
      individual axon arbors in cerebral cortex. Yet the spatial and temporal
      communication costs of single neocortical axons remain undefined. Here, using
      reconstructions of in vivo labelled excitatory spiny cell and inhibitory basket
      cell intracortical axons combined with a variety of graph optimization
      algorithms, we empirically investigated Cajal's conservation laws in cerebral
      cortex for whole three-dimensional (3D) axon arbors, to our knowledge the first
      study of its kind. We found intracortical axons were significantly longer than
      optimal. The temporal cost of cortical axons was also suboptimal though far
      superior to wire-minimized arbors. We discovered that cortical axon branching
      appears to promote a low temporal dispersion of axonal latencies and a tight
      relationship between cortical distance and axonal latency. In addition,
      inhibitory basket cell axonal latencies may occur within a much narrower temporal
      window than excitatory spiny cell axons, which may help boost signal detection.
      Thus, to optimize neuronal network communication we find that a modest excess of
      axonal wire is traded-off to enhance arbor temporal economy and precision. Our
      results offer insight into the principles of brain organization and communication
      in and development of grey matter, where temporal precision is a crucial
      prerequisite for coincidence detection, synchronization and rapid network
      oscillations.

PMID- 20300652
TI  - Quantitative comparison of catalytic mechanisms and overall reactions in
      convergently evolved enzymes: implications for classification of enzyme function.
AB  - Functionally analogous enzymes are those that catalyze similar reactions on
      similar substrates but do not share common ancestry, providing a window on the
      different structural strategies nature has used to evolve required catalysts.
      Identification and use of this information to improve reaction classification and
      computational annotation of enzymes newly discovered in the genome projects would
      benefit from systematic determination of reaction similarities. Here, we
      quantified similarity in bond changes for overall reactions and catalytic
      mechanisms for 95 pairs of functionally analogous enzymes (non-homologous enzymes
      with identical first three numbers of their EC codes) from the MACiE database.
      Similarity of overall reactions was computed by comparing the sets of bond
      changes in the transformations from substrates to products. For similarity of
      mechanisms, sets of bond changes occurring in each mechanistic step were
      compared; these similarities were then used to guide global and local alignments
      of mechanistic steps. Using this metric, only 44% of pairs of functionally
      analogous enzymes in the dataset had significantly similar overall reactions. For
      these enzymes, convergence to the same mechanism occurred in 33% of cases, with
      most pairs having at least one identical mechanistic step. Using our metric,
      overall reaction similarity serves as an upper bound for mechanistic similarity
      in functional analogs. For example, the four carbon-oxygen lyases acting on
      phosphates (EC 4.2.3) show neither significant overall reaction similarity nor
      significant mechanistic similarity. By contrast, the three carboxylic-ester
      hydrolases (EC 3.1.1) catalyze overall reactions with identical bond changes and
      have converged to almost identical mechanisms. The large proportion of enzyme
      pairs that do not show significant overall reaction similarity (56%) suggests
      that at least for the functionally analogous enzymes studied here, more stringent
      criteria could be used to refine definitions of EC sub-subclasses for improved
      discrimination in their classification of enzyme reactions. The results also
      indicate that mechanistic convergence of reaction steps is widespread, suggesting
      that quantitative measurement of mechanistic similarity can inform approaches for
      functional annotation.

PMID- 20300653
TI  - Non-linear neuronal responses as an emergent property of afferent networks: a
      case study of the locust lobula giant movement detector.
AB  - In principle it appears advantageous for single neurons to perform non-linear
      operations. Indeed it has been reported that some neurons show signatures of such
      operations in their electrophysiological response. A particular case in point is
      the Lobula Giant Movement Detector (LGMD) neuron of the locust, which is reported
      to locally perform a functional multiplication. Given the wide ramifications of
      this suggestion with respect to our understanding of neuronal computations, it is
      essential that this interpretation of the LGMD as a local multiplication unit is
      thoroughly tested. Here we evaluate an alternative model that tests the
      hypothesis that the non-linear responses of the LGMD neuron emerge from the
      interactions of many neurons in the opto-motor processing structure of the
      locust. We show, by exposing our model to standard LGMD stimulation protocols,
      that the properties of the LGMD that were seen as a hallmark of local non-linear
      operations can be explained as emerging from the dynamics of the pre-synaptic
      network. Moreover, we demonstrate that these properties strongly depend on the
      details of the synaptic projections from the medulla to the LGMD. From these
      observations we deduce a number of testable predictions. To assess the real-time
      properties of our model we applied it to a high-speed robot. These robot results
      show that our model of the locust opto-motor system is able to reliably stabilize
      the movement trajectory of the robot and can robustly support collision
      avoidance. In addition, these behavioural experiments suggest that the emergent
      non-linear responses of the LGMD neuron enhance the system's collision detection
      acuity. We show how all reported properties of this neuron are consistently
      reproduced by this alternative model, and how they emerge from the overall opto
      motor processing structure of the locust. Hence, our results propose an
      alternative view on neuronal computation that emphasizes the network properties
      as opposed to the local transformations that can be performed by single neurons.

PMID- 20300654
TI  - Drosophila Xpd regulates Cdk7 localization, mitotic kinase activity, spindle
      dynamics, and chromosome segregation.
AB  - The trimeric CAK complex functions in cell cycle control by phosphorylating and
      activating Cdks while TFIIH-linked CAK functions in transcription. CAK also
      associates into a tetramer with Xpd, and our analysis of young Drosophila embryos
      that do not require transcription now suggests a cell cycle function for this
      interaction. xpd is essential for the coordination and rapid progression of the
      mitotic divisions during the late nuclear division cycles. Lack of Xpd also
      causes defects in the dynamics of the mitotic spindle and chromosomal instability
      as seen in the failure to segregate chromosomes properly during ana- and
      telophase. These defects appear to be also nucleotide excision repair (NER)
      independent. In the absence of Xpd, misrouted spindle microtubules attach to
      chromosomes of neighboring mitotic figures, removing them from their normal
      location and causing multipolar spindles and aneuploidy. Lack of Xpd also causes
      changes in the dynamics of subcellular and temporal distribution of the CAK
      component Cdk7 and local mitotic kinase activity. xpd thus functions normally to
      re-localize Cdk7(CAK) to different subcellular compartments, apparently removing
      it from its cell cycle substrate, the mitotic Cdk. This work proves that the
      multitask protein Xpd also plays an essential role in cell cycle regulation that
      appears to be independent of transcription or NER. Xpd dynamically localizes
      Cdk7/CAK to and away from subcellular substrates, thereby controlling local
      mitotic kinase activity. Possibly through this activity, xpd controls spindle
      dynamics and chromosome segregation in our model system. This novel role of xpd
      should also lead to new insights into the understanding of the neurological and
      cancer aspects of the human XPD disease phenotypes.

PMID- 20300655
TI  - Bias and evolution of the mutationally accessible phenotypic space in a
      developmental system.
AB  - Genetic and developmental architecture may bias the mutationally available
      phenotypic spectrum. Although such asymmetries in the introduction of variation
      may influence possible evolutionary trajectories, we lack quantitative
      characterization of biases in mutationally inducible phenotypic variation, their
      genotype-dependence, and their underlying molecular and developmental causes.
      Here we quantify the mutationally accessible phenotypic spectrum of the vulval
      developmental system using mutation accumulation (MA) lines derived from four
      wild isolates of the nematodes Caenorhabditis elegans and C. briggsae. The
      results confirm that on average, spontaneous mutations degrade developmental
      precision, with MA lines showing a low, yet consistently increased, proportion of
      developmental defects and variants. This result indicates strong purifying
      selection acting to maintain an invariant vulval phenotype. Both developmental
      system and genotype significantly bias the spectrum of mutationally inducible
      phenotypic variants. First, irrespective of genotype, there is a developmental
      bias, such that certain phenotypic variants are commonly induced by MA, while
      others are very rarely or never induced. Second, we found that both the degree
      and spectrum of mutationally accessible phenotypic variation are genotype
      dependent. Overall, C. briggsae MA lines exhibited a two-fold higher decline in
      precision than the C. elegans MA lines. Moreover, the propensity to generate
      specific developmental variants depended on the genetic background. We show that
      such genotype-specific developmental biases are likely due to cryptic
      quantitative variation in activities of underlying molecular cascades. This
      analysis allowed us to identify the mutationally most sensitive elements of the
      vulval developmental system, which may indicate axes of potential evolutionary
      variation. Consistent with this scenario, we found that evolutionary trends in
      the vulval system concern the phenotypic characters that are most easily affected
      by mutation. This study provides an empirical assessment of developmental bias
      and the evolution of mutationally accessible phenotypes and supports the notion
      that such bias may influence the directions of evolutionary change.

PMID- 20300656
TI  - Arginylation-dependent neural crest cell migration is essential for mouse
      development.
AB  - Coordinated cell migration during development is crucial for morphogenesis and
      largely relies on cells of the neural crest lineage that migrate over long
      distances to give rise to organs and tissues throughout the body. Recent studies
      of protein arginylation implicated this poorly understood posttranslational
      modification in the functioning of actin cytoskeleton and in cell migration in
      culture. Knockout of arginyltransferase (Ate1) in mice leads to embryonic
      lethality and severe heart defects that are reminiscent of cell migration
      dependent phenotypes seen in other mouse models. To test the hypothesis that
      arginylation regulates cell migration during morphogenesis, we produced Wnt1-Cre
      Ate1 conditional knockout mice (Wnt1-Ate1), with Ate1 deletion in the neural
      crest cells driven by Wnt1 promoter. Wnt1-Ate1 mice die at birth and in the first
      2-3 weeks after birth with severe breathing problems and with growth and
      behavioral retardation. Wnt1-Ate1 pups have prominent defects, including short
      palate and altered opening to the nasopharynx, and cranial defects that likely
      contribute to the abnormal breathing and early death. Analysis of neural crest
      cell movement patterns in situ and cell motility in culture shows an overall
      delay in the migration of Ate1 knockout cells that is likely regulated by
      intracellular mechanisms rather than extracellular signaling events. Taken
      together, our data suggest that arginylation plays a general role in the
      migration of the neural crest cells in development by regulating the molecular
      machinery that underlies cell migration through tissues and organs during
      morphogenesis.

PMID- 20300657
TI  - MiR-218 inhibits invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer by targeting the Robo1
      receptor.
AB  - MicroRNAs play key roles in tumor metastasis. Here, we describe the regulation
      and function of miR-218 in gastric cancer (GC) metastasis. miR-218 expression is
      decreased along with the expression of one of its host genes, Slit3 in metastatic
      GC. However, Robo1, one of several Slit receptors, is negatively regulated by miR
      218, thus establishing a negative feedback loop. Decreased miR-218 levels
      eliminate Robo1 repression, which activates the Slit-Robo1 pathway through the
      interaction between Robo1 and Slit2, thus triggering tumor metastasis. The
      restoration of miR-218 suppresses Robo1 expression and inhibits tumor cell
      invasion and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, our results
      describe a Slit-miR-218-Robo1 regulatory circuit whose disruption may contribute
      to GC metastasis. Targeting miR-218 may provide a strategy for blocking tumor
      metastasis.

PMID- 20300658
TI  - HP1 recruitment in the absence of argonaute proteins in Drosophila.
AB  - Highly repetitive and transposable element rich regions of the genome must be
      stabilized by the presence of heterochromatin. A direct role for RNA interference
      in the establishment of heterochromatin has been demonstrated in fission yeast.
      In metazoans, which possess multiple RNA-silencing pathways that are both
      functionally distinct and spatially restricted, whether RNA silencing contributes
      directly to heterochromatin formation is not clear. Previous studies in
      Drosophila melanogaster have suggested the involvement of both the AGO2-dependent
      endogenous small interfering RNA (endo-siRNA) as well as Piwi-interacting RNA
      (piRNA) silencing pathways. In order to determine if these Argonaute genes are
      required for heterochromatin formation, we utilized transcriptional reporters and
      chromatin immunoprecipitation of the critical factor Heterochromatin Protein 1
      (HP1) to monitor the heterochromatic state of piRNA clusters, which generate both
      endo-siRNAs and the bulk of piRNAs. Surprisingly, we find that mutation of AGO2
      or piwi increases silencing at piRNA clusters corresponding to an increase of HP1
      association. Furthermore, loss of piRNA production from a single piRNA cluster
      results in genome-wide redistribution of HP1 and reduction of silencing at a
      distant heterochromatic site, suggesting indirect effects on HP1 recruitment.
      Taken together, these results indicate that heterochromatin forms independently
      of endo-siRNA and piRNA pathways.

PMID- 20300660
TI  - Cystic fibrosis is a risk factor for celiac disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The coexistence of cystic fibrosis (CF) and celiac disease (CD) has
      been reported. To our knowledge there is no study directly comparing the
      incidence of CD in CF patients to that in the general population at the same
      time. There is no published data on genetic predisposition to CD in CF patients
      either. Therefore, in the present study we aimed to assess the genetic
      predisposition to CD and its incidence in CF patients comparing it to data from
      the general population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two hundred eighty-two CF patients
      were enrolled in the study. In 230 CF patients the genetic predisposition to CD
      (the presence of HLA-DQ2/ DQ8) was assessed. In all CF patients, serological
      screening for CD was conducted. In patients with positive antiendomysial
      antibodies (EMA) gastroduenoscopy was offered. Intestinal histology was
      classified according to modified Marsh criteria. The results of serological CD
      screening in 3235 Polish schoolchildren and HLA-DQ typing in 200 healthy subjects
      (HS) were used for comparison. RESULTS: Positive EMA was found in 2.84% of the
      studied CF patients. The incidence of proven CD was 2.13%. The incidence of CD as
      well as positive serological screening were significantly more frequent in the CF
      group than in the general population. The frequency of CD-related HLA-DQ alleles
      in CF and HS did not differ. CONCLUSIONS: Genetic predisposition to celiac
      disease in cystic fibrosis patients is similar to that of the general population.
      However, our results suggest that cystic fibrosis is a risk factor for celiac
      disease development.

PMID- 20300659
TI  - The human polyoma JC virus agnoprotein acts as a viroporin.
AB  - Virus infections can result in a range of cellular injuries and commonly this
      involves both the plasma and intracellular membranes, resulting in enhanced
      permeability. Viroporins are a group of proteins that interact with plasma
      membranes modifying permeability and can promote the release of viral particles.
      While these proteins are not essential for virus replication, their activity
      certainly promotes virus growth. Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML)
      is a fatal demyelinating disease resulting from lytic infection of
      oligodendrocytes by the polyomavirus JC virus (JCV). The genome of JCV encodes
      six major proteins including a small auxiliary protein known as agnoprotein.
      Studies on other polyomavirus agnoproteins have suggested that the protein may
      contribute to viral propagation at various stages in the replication cycle,
      including transcription, translation, processing of late viral proteins, assembly
      of virions, and viral propagation. Previous studies from our and other
      laboratories have indicated that JCV agnoprotein plays an important, although as
      yet incompletely understood role in the propagation of JCV. Here, we demonstrate
      that agnoprotein possesses properties commonly associated with viroporins. Our
      findings demonstrate that: (i) A deletion mutant of agnoprotein is defective in
      virion release and viral propagation; (ii) Agnoprotein localizes to the ER early
      in infection, but is also found at the plasma membrane late in infection; (iii)
      Agnoprotein is an integral membrane protein and forms homo-oligomers; (iv)
      Agnoprotein enhances permeability of cells to the translation inhibitor
      hygromycin B; (v) Agnoprotein induces the influx of extracellular Ca(2+); (vi)
      The basic residues at amino acid positions 8 and 9 of agnoprotein key are
      determinants of the viroporin activity. The viroporin-like properties of
      agnoprotein result in increased membrane permeability and alterations in
      intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis leading to membrane dysfunction and enhancement
      of virus release.

PMID- 20300661
TI  - Boric acid as a protector against paclitaxel genotoxicity.
AB  - Paclitaxel (PAC) is an anticancer drug used for treatments of breast, ovarian and
      lung cancers. However, little data is available in the literature on its
      potential genotoxicity on healthy human cells. On the other hand, boron
      deficiency and supplementation exert important biological effects in human and
      animal tissues. The biological effects of dietary boron are defined, but its
      interaction with PAC is not known for therapeutic uses. The aim of the present
      study was to determine whether boric acid (BA) confer a protection against PAC
      genotoxicity. After the application of PAC (10 or 20 microg/l) and BA (2.5 or 5
      mg/l), the genotoxic effects were assessed by sister chromatid exchange (SCE) and
      micronucleus (MN) tests in human blood cultures. We also analyzed nuclear
      division index (NDI) in peripheral lymphocytes. Our results showed that PAC
      significantly (P<0.05) increased the frequencies of SCEs and the formations of
      MNs in peripheral lymphocytes as compared to controls. PAC decreased the nuclear
      division index in lymphocyte cultures. Boric acid did not show cytotoxic or
      genotoxic effects at the concentrations tested. Furthermore, the PAC-induced
      increases in the genotoxicity and cytotoxicity indices were diminished by the
      addition of BA. The present study suggests for the first time that BA can prevent
      the genotoxicity of PAC on human lymphocytes.

PMID- 20300662
TI  - N-myc downstream regulated 1 gene and its place in the cellular machinery.
AB  - The exact function of the protein product of N-myc downstream regulated 1 gene
      (NDRG1) is unclear. Depending on the tissue type the NDRG1 protein is localized
      in the cytoplasm, nucleus, mitochondrion or membranes. Moreover, the expression
      of NDRG1 may be altered by several factors such as hypoxia, heavy metals, DNA
      damage, hormones, oncogene, and tumor-suppressor genes. A number of studies
      emphasize the role of NDRG1 in cancerogenesis. Presumably NDRG1 participates in
      angiogenesis, metastases, and mechanisms leading to anti-cancer drug resistance.
      This review summarizes current knowledge about the NDRG1 gene and the position of
      NDRG1 protein in the cellular machinery. The role of NDRG1 in cancer pathogenesis
      and its possible usefulness as a prognostic factor for patients with cancer is
      also discussed.

PMID- 20300663
TI  - Cloning and characterization of the yak gene coding for calpastatin and in silico
      analysis of its putative product.
AB  - The calcium-activated neutral proteases, mu- and m-calpain, along with their
      inhibitor, calpastatin, have been demonstrated to mediate a variety of Ca(2+)
      dependent processes including signal transduction, cell proliferation, cell cycle
      progression, differentiation, apoptosis, membrane fusion, platelet activation and
      skeletal muscle protein degradation. The cDNA coding for yak calpastatin was
      amplified and cloned by RT-PCR to investigate and characterize the
      nucleotide/amino-acid sequence and to predict structure and function of the
      calpastatin. The present study suggests that the yak calpastatin gene encodes a
      protein of 786 amino acids that shares 99 % sequence identity with the amino-acid
      sequence of cattle calpastatin, and that the yak protein is composed of an N
      terminal region (domains L and XL) and four repetitive homologous C-terminal
      domains (d1-d4), in which several prosite motifs are present including short
      peptide L54-64 (EVKPKEHTEPK in domain L) and GXXE/ DXTIPPXYR (in subdomain B),
      where X is a variable amino acid. Our results suggest the existence of other
      functional sites including potential phosphorylation sites for protein kinase C,
      cAMP- and cGMP-dependent protein kinase, casein kinase II, as well as N
      myristoylation and amidation sites that play an important role in molecular
      regulation of the calpain/calpastatin system. The regulation of the
      calpain/calpastatin system is determined by the interaction between dIV and dVI
      in calpains and subdomains A, B, and C in calpastatin.

PMID- 20300667
TI  - Lost in translation.

PMID- 20300668
TI  - High-throughput automated droplet microfluidic system for screening of reaction
      conditions.
AB  - We demonstrate a new droplet on demand (DOD) technique and an integrated system
      for scanning of arbitrary combinations of 3 miscible solutions in approximately
      1.5 microL droplets at 3 Hz. The DOD system uses standard electromagnetic valves
      that are external to the microfluidic chip. This feature makes up for modularity,
      simplicity of assembly and compatibility with virtually any microfluidic chip and
      yields an on-chip footprint of less than 1 mm(2). A novel protocol for formation
      of DOD enables generation of an arbitrarily large range of volumes of droplets at
      a maximum operational frequency of approximately 30 Hz. The integrated system
      that we demonstrate can be used to scan up to 10,000 conditions of chemical and
      biochemical reactions per hour using approximately 10 mL of solutions in total.

PMID- 20300669
TI  - Benchmarking methods of enhanced heavy oil recovery using a microscaled bead
      pack.
AB  - A microscaled bead-pack is capable of simulating two-phase fractional flow within
      porous media and can be applied to simulating interactions between fluids and
      geological materials under dynamic conditions within the laboratory.

PMID- 20300670
TI  - A microfluidic chip-compatible bioassay based on single-molecule detection with
      high sensitivity and multiplexing.
AB  - Many applications in pharmaceutical development, clinical diagnostics, and
      biological research demand rapid detection of multiple analytes (multiplexed
      detection) in a minimal volume. This need has led to the development of several
      novel array-based sensors. The most successful of these so far have been
      suspension arrays based on polystyrene beads. However, the 5 microm beads used
      for these assays are incompatible with most microfluidic chip technologies,
      mostly due to clogging problems. The challenge, then, is to design a detection
      particle that has high information content (for multiplexed detection), is
      compatible with miniaturization, and can be manufactured easily at low cost. DNA
      is a solid molecular wire that is easily produced and manipulated, which makes it
      a useful material for nanoparticles. DNA molecules are very information-rich,
      readily deformable, and easily propagated. We exploit these attributes in a
      suspension array sensor built from specialized recombinant DNA, Digital DNA, that
      carries both specific analyte-recognition units, and a geometrically encoded
      identification pattern. Here we show that this sensor combines high multiplexing
      with high sensitivity, is biocompatible, and has sufficiently small particle size
      to be used within microfluidic chips that are only 1 microm deep. We expect this
      technology will be the foundation of a broadly applicable technique to identify
      and quantitate proteins, nucleic acids, viruses, and toxins simultaneously in a
      minimal volume.

PMID- 20300671
TI  - High-throughput fluorescence detection using an integrated zone-plate array.
AB  - Microfluidic devices enable massive parallelization of sample manipulation and
      delivery, but a similarly parallelized and integrated optical detection system
      does not yet exist. Standard large numerical aperture wide field or scanning
      optical systems are not capable of the large field of view and detection
      sensitivity required to collect fluorescence from parallel arrays of microfluidic
      devices. Instead, we present a fluorescence measurement platform based on a
      microfabricated zone-plate array integrated into a parallelized microfluidic
      device. The zone-plate array is orientated so that a single high numerical
      aperture zone plate is aligned to read out the fluorescence from each of 64
      output channels of a drop-making device. The parallelization of microfluidics and
      optics produces an integrated system capable of analysis of nearly 200,000 drops
      per second.

PMID- 20300672
TI  - Optimization of microfluidic single cell trapping for long-term on-chip culture.
AB  - The poor efficiency of microfluidic single cell trapping is currently restricting
      the full potential of state-of-the-art single cell analyses. Using fluid dynamics
      simulations in combination with particle image velocimetry to systematically
      optimize trap architectures, we present a microfluidic chip with enhanced single
      cell trapping and on-chip culture performance. Upon optimization of trap
      geometries, we measured trapping efficiencies of up to 97%. Our device also
      enables the stable, relatively long-term culture of individual non-adherent
      mammalian cells in high-throughput without a significant decrease in cell
      viability. As a first application of this platform we demonstrate the automated
      separation of the two daughter cells generated upon single cell division. The
      reliable trapping and re-trapping of mammalian cells should for example provide
      the fundament for novel types of investigations in stem cell and tumour cell
      biology, which depend on reliable tracking of genealogical relationships such as
      in stem cell lineage tracking.

PMID- 20300673
TI  - Air-stable supported membranes for single-cell cytometry on PDMS microchips.
AB  - Protein-reinforced supported bilayer membranes (rSBMs) composed of
      phosphatidylcholine (PC), biotin-PE and Neutravidin were used to coat hybrid
      microchips composed of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and glass. Since the coatings
      required a freshly oxidized, hydrophilic substrate, a novel method to rapidly
      connect reservoirs using plasma oxidation was first developed and found to
      support up to 5.2 N cm(-2) (1.5 N) pull-off force. rSBMs were then assembled in
      the oxidized hydrophilic channels. The electroosmotic mobility (mu(eo)) of rSBM
      coated channels was measured over a 3 h time to evaluate the stability of the
      coatings for microchip electrophoresis. rSBM-coated microchips with a simple
      cross-design had excellent properties for microchip separations, yielding
      efficiencies of up to 700,000 plates m(-1) for fluorescent dyes and peptides. The
      separation performance of rSBM and PC-coated channels was evaluated after
      repeatedly drying and rehydrating the channels. The separation efficiency of
      fluorescein on PC-coated devices decreased by 40% after one dehydration cycle and
      nearly 75% after 3 cycles. In contrast for rSBM-coated devices there was no
      significant change in the fluorescein efficiency until the third cycle (10%
      decreased efficiency). rSBM-coated channels were also markedly more stable when
      placed in a dehydrated state during long-term storage compared to PC-coated
      channels, and showed reduced chip failure and no reduction in performance for up
      to one month of dehydrated storage. Finally, rSBM-coated devices were used to
      perform single-cell cytometry. Microchips that had been dehydrated, stored two
      weeks, and rehydrated prior to use demonstrated similar performance to newly
      coated devices for the separation of fluorescein and carboxyfluorescein from
      single cells. Thus rSBM-coated devices were rugged withstanding electric fields,
      prolonged storage under dehydrated conditions, and biofouling by cellular
      constituents while maintaining excellent separation performance.

PMID- 20300674
TI  - Numerical modeling and experimental validation of uniform microchamber filling in
      centrifugal microfluidics.
AB  - In this paper, a comprehensive approach to numerical and experimental analysis of
      microchamber filling in centrifugal microfluidics is presented. In the
      development of micro total analysis systems, it is often necessary to achieve
      complete, uniform filling of relatively large microchambers, such as those needed
      for nucleic acid amplification or detection. With centrifugal devices, these
      large microchambers must often be orientated perpendicularly to the direction of
      centrifugal force and are usually bounded by materials with varying surface
      properties. The resulting fluidic flow in such systems can be complex and is not
      well characterized. To gain further insight into complex fluidic behavior on
      centrifugal microfluidic platforms, numerical modeling using the Volume of Fluids
      method is performed to simulate microchamber filling in a centrifugal
      microfluidic device with integrated sample preparation, amplification, and
      detection capabilities. Parametric analyses are performed using numerical models
      to predict microchamber filling behavior for a range of pressure conditions. High
      speed flow visualization techniques are used to track the liquid meniscus during
      filling of the microchambers, and comparison to the numerical predictions for
      experimental validation is achieved by analyzing the liquid volume fraction as a
      function of the non-dimensional temporal profile during filling. When channel
      filling profiles are compared, the numerical model predictions utilizing static
      conditions are in strong agreement with the experimental data. When dynamic
      modeling conditions are used, the numerical predictions are extremely accurate as
      compared to the experimental data.

PMID- 20300675
TI  - Microfluidic lab-on-a-foil for nucleic acid analysis based on isothermal
      recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA).
AB  - For the first time we demonstrate a self-sufficient lab-on-a-foil system for the
      fully automated analysis of nucleic acids which is based on the recently
      available isothermal recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA). The system
      consists of a novel, foil-based centrifugal microfluidic cartridge including
      prestored liquid and dry reagents, and a commercially available centrifugal
      analyzer for incubation at 37 degrees C and real-time fluorescence detection. The
      system was characterized with an assay for the detection of the antibiotic
      resistance gene mecA of Staphylococcus aureus. The limit of detection was <10
      copies and time-to-result was <20 min. Microfluidic unit operations comprise
      storage and release of liquid reagents, reconstitution of lyophilized reagents,
      aliquoting the sample into < or = 30 independent reaction cavities, and mixing of
      reagents with the DNA samples. The foil-based cartridge was produced by blow
      molding and sealed with a self-adhesive tape. The demonstrated system excels
      existing PCR based lab-on-a-chip platforms in terms of energy efficiency and time
      to-result. Applications are suggested in the field of mobile point-of-care
      analysis, B-detection, or in combination with continuous monitoring systems.

PMID- 20300676
TI  - Biosensor system-on-a-chip including CMOS-based signal processing circuits and 64
      carbon nanotube-based sensors for the detection of a neurotransmitter.
AB  - We developed a carbon nanotube (CNT)-based biosensor system-on-a-chip (SoC) for
      the detection of a neurotransmitter. Here, 64 CNT-based sensors were integrated
      with silicon-based signal processing circuits in a single chip, which was made
      possible by combining several technological breakthroughs such as efficient
      signal processing, uniform CNT networks, and biocompatible functionalization of
      CNT-based sensors. The chip was utilized to detect glutamate, a neurotransmitter,
      where ammonia, a byproduct of the enzymatic reaction of glutamate and glutamate
      oxidase on CNT-based sensors, modulated the conductance signals to the CNT-based
      sensors. This is a major technological advancement in the integration of CNT
      based sensors with microelectronics, and this chip can be readily integrated with
      larger scale lab-on-a-chip (LoC) systems for various applications such as LoC
      systems for neural networks.

PMID- 20300677
TI  - Vacuum membrane distillation by microchip with temperature gradient.
AB  - A multilayered microchip (25 x 95 mm) used for vacuum distillation is designed,
      fabricated and tested by rectification of a water-methanol mixture. The polymer
      chip employs a cooling channel to generate a temperature gradient along a
      distillation channel below, which is separated into a channel (72 microm deep)
      for liquid phase and a channel (72 microm deep) for vapor phase by an
      incorporated microporous poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) membrane. The
      temperature gradient is controlled by adjusting hotplate temperature and flow
      rate of cooling water to make the temperatures in the stripping section higher
      than the increasing boiling points of the water-enriched liquids and the
      temperatures in the rectifying section lower than the decreasing dew points of
      the methanol-enriched vapors. The effects of temperature gradient, feed
      composition, feed flow rate and membrane pore size on the micro distillation are
      also investigated. A theoretical plate number up to 1.8 is achieved at the
      optimum conditions.

PMID- 20300678
TI  - Controlled reagent transport in disposable 2D paper networks.
AB  - Recent reports have demonstrated the multi-analyte detection capability of paper
      networks with multiple outlets per inlet. In this report, we focus on the
      capabilities of 2D paper networks with multiple inlets per outlet and demonstrate
      the controlled transport of reagents within paper devices. Specifically, we
      demonstrate methods of controlling fluid transport using the geometry of the
      network and dissolvable barriers. Finally, we discuss the implications for higher
      sensitivity detection using this type of 2D paper network.

PMID- 20300681
TI  - A clustering approach to segmenting users of internet-based risk calculators.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Risk calculators are widely available Internet applications that
      deliver quantitative health risk estimates to consumers. Although these tools are
      known to have varying effects on risk perceptions, little is known about who will
      be more likely to accept objective risk estimates. OBJECTIVE: To identify
      clusters of online health consumers that help explain variation in individual
      improvement in risk perceptions from web-based quantitative disease risk
      information. METHODS: A secondary analysis was performed on data collected in a
      field experiment that measured people's pre-diabetes risk perceptions before and
      after visiting a realistic health promotion website that provided quantitative
      risk information. K-means clustering was performed on numerous candidate variable
      sets, and the different segmentations were evaluated based on between-cluster
      variation in risk perception improvement. RESULTS: Variation in responses to risk
      information was best explained by clustering on pre-intervention absolute pre
      diabetes risk perceptions and an objective estimate of personal risk. Members of
      a high-risk overestimater cluster showed large improvements in their risk
      perceptions, but clusters of both moderate-risk and high-risk underestimaters
      were much more muted in improving their optimistically biased perceptions.
      CONCLUSIONS: Cluster analysis provided a unique approach for segmenting health
      consumers and predicting their acceptance of quantitative disease risk
      information. These clusters suggest that health consumers were very responsive to
      good news, but tended not to incorporate bad news into their self-perceptions
      much. These findings help to quantify variation among online health consumers and
      may inform the targeted marketing of and improvements to risk communication tools
      on the Internet.

PMID- 20300682
TI  - Long-term impact of physician encoding on detail and number of recorded
      diagnoses. Support by a speciality specific list of diseases.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To improve the recording of diagnostic discharge data, pediatricians
      encoded diagnostic information as part of discharge letter writing supported by a
      pediatric list of ICD-9-CM-based codes. We evaluated the effect of this new
      policy on level of detail and number of recorded diagnoses. METHODS: We compared
      proportions of specific principal diagnoses and numbers of secondary diagnoses of
      the four years before with the eight years after introduction. RESULTS:
      Immediately after introduction, half of the diagnoses for which both generic and
      specific codes existed was coded specific. In later years this proportion
      remained stable at 0.35 (p <0.05). Diagnoses that fall under the pediatrician's
      own subspecialty had more often a specific code than diagnoses that do not. The
      mean number of secondary diagnoses per admission increased from 0.7 before
      introduction to 1.4 in the third year after introduction (p <0.05) but gradually
      fell back to 0.7. This increase and decrease was mainly due to diagnoses that did
      not fall under the pediatrician's own subspecialty. The extra codes in individual
      discharge summaries had added informational value. CONCLUSIONS: Discharge letter
      linked encoding by pediatricians supported by a pediatric list of diseases leads
      initially to increased detail and number of diagnoses with added informational
      value. When attention diminishes, especially the level of detail and number of
      secondary diagnoses that do not fall under one's own subspecialty decrease. The
      level of detail of principal diagnoses remains stable because of the advantage
      for pediatricians of having specific diagnostic codes falling under their own
      subspecialty.

PMID- 20300683
TI  - [Comparison of the effects resulted by modified maxillary oblique plate and Twin
      block in advancing mandible].
AB  - URPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects resulted by modified
      maxillary oblique plate in advancing mandible. METHODS: Twelve Class II division
      II cases (4 males, 8 females) with mandibular retrusion were selected as group 1
      aligned by fixed appliances in the upper arches, and their mandibles were
      advanced by the modified maxillary oblique plates. Meanwhile, twelve Class II
      division II cases (5 males, 7 females) with mandibular retrusion were selected as
      group 2 treated with the Twin-block. The average age was 11 years 8 months in
      group 1, and 11 years 6 months in group 2. The effects of advancing mandible were
      compared between the two groups by analyzing cephalometric films before and after
      treatment with SAS6.0 software package. RESULTS: Mandibular advancement was
      achieved in the two groups. Mandibular anterior teeth labial tipping was more
      obvious in group 1 than in group 2, but without significant those(P>0.05). Both
      mesial and occlusal movements of the lower first molar in group 2 were more
      significant than those in group 1 (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results,
      the modified maxillary oblique plate is an excellent appliance for the advancing
      mandible in Class II division II cases with the advantages of economics,
      simplification and effectiveness.

PMID- 20300684
TI  - [Maxillofacial 3-dimensional morphological analysis for patients with Class III
      malocclusion and facial asymmetry].
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the skeletodental factors relating to the chin point
      deviation of facial asymmetry in skeletal Class III malocclusion patients using
      three-dimensional computed tomography. METHODS: Forty-one adult female patients
      with class III malocclusion, who underwent three-dimensional CT examination
      before orthodontics treatment, were assigned as group of symmetry or group of
      asymmetry according to the amount of chin point deviation from the facial
      midline. Midfacial and mandibular variables were measured. The data was analyzed
      with SPSS13.0 software package. RESULTS: Patients in the group of asymmetry
      showed higher positions of the upper canine and first molar, shorter ramus
      height, more superior positioning of gonion on the deviated side, more mesial and
      frontal inclination of the ramus, medial and frontal positioning of gonion on the
      opposite side than the group of symmetry. Menton deviation correlated
      significantly with the difference of ramus height between the 2 sides ramus,
      ramus height in the deviated side and other skeletodental factors. CONCLUSIONS:
      Facial asymmetry in Class III patients is due to the overgrowth,frontal and
      mesial inclination of the ramus in the opposite side.

PMID- 20300685
TI  - [Investigation of dental manpower in non-public medical units in Shanghai].
AB  - PURPOSE: A mass survey on dental manpower was made in non-public medical units in
      Shanghai in 2007 to analyze the
      number,structure,composition,distribution,equipment and out-patient departments
      (OPDs) of dental manpower and to approach the existing problems. The purpose was
      to provide information for investigating the dental manpower in Shanghai and the
      reasonable allocation and utilization of the dental manpower in Shanghai.
      METHODS: A mass survey on dental manpower was made in non-public medical units in
      Shanghai in 2007 by means of questionnaire investigation, which included direct
      interview and telephone interview. The survey content included the
      number,structure,composition,distribution,equipment and out-patient
      departments(OPDs) of dental manpower in non-public medical units in Shanghai.
      RESULTS: There were 488 non-public dental units and 1172 dentists, 848 nurses, 79
      technicians, 1377 dental units in Shanghai. 86.9% of the dentists were young and
      middle-aged, 44.88% of them had middle level professional tiles, 51.28% of them
      had university educational background and the specialty of 89.59% of the dentists
      was general dentistry. 81.84% of the nurses had primary professional tiles and
      75.47% of the nurses' educational background was below the junior college degree.
      The ratio of the dentists to nurses to technicians was 15:11:1. The non-public
      dental units and dental manpower resources were concentrated in the downtown with
      54.1% of the units, 57.85% of the dentists, 61.57% of the nurses and 79.75% of
      the technicians there. The total amount of dental out-patient departments DOPDs
      in non-public medical units in Shanghai in 2007 was 976,650, 61.42% in the
      downtown. 38.97% of the units thought the DOPDs were few or less while 57.82%
      considered it was just right. Among them, 20.04% of the units thought their units
      needed dentists. Among them, 68.09% of the units needed general dentists.
      CONCLUSIONS: Dental manpower in non-public medical units in Shanghai concentrates
      in the downtown and Pudong new area. The structure and composition are
      reasonable. Most of the patients visit the non-public units in the downtown for
      treatment, many units think their amount of out-patient is small and they need
      general dentists mostly.

PMID- 20300686
TI  - [Application of palatal base combined with shield above floor of mouth for
      restoration of acquired mandibular defect with glossectomy: report of one case].
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the prosthetic results of application of palatal base
      combined with shield above the floor of mouth for restoration of acquired
      mandibular defect with glossectomy. METHODS: Palatal base with four wrought
      clasps was designed for the upper prostheses. Shield just above the floor of the
      mouth and buccal mucosa was fabricated to support the buccal mucosa and muscle.
      Then the upper and lower prostheses were linked by using thermal curing acrylic
      resin on the left and right side. RESULTS: Good retention of the prostheses was
      obtained. The appearance of the patient was remarkably improved. Depression of
      the lower lip was improved. Oral function was enhanced. CONCLUSIONS: Better
      prosthetic results could be obtained by using palatal base combined with shield
      above the floor of mouth for restoration of acquired mandibular defect with
      glossectomy.

PMID- 20300687
TI  - [Application of digital photography in color matching of porcelain restoration in
      special color teeth].
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical application of digital photography in special
      color teeth, and to explore the role and the problems s of digital photos to
      improve cosmetic effect. METHODS: Digital photography combined visual color
      matching was applied in 50 cases with special color teeth in ceramic restorations
      selected randomly. Then the satisfactory degree of the patients and dentists was
      evaluated and the value of L*a*b* between prosthesis and its neighbors was
      collected by self-developed software Dental ImgShop. Chroma (C(ab) )and hue
      (h(ab) degrees ) were calculated according to the value of a and b. The data was
      analyzed with paired t test using SAS6.12 software package, so as chromatic
      aberration (deltaE). RESULTS: The satisfactory degree of the patients was 98%,
      and the satisfaction degree of the dentists was 94%. The range of L, a ,b C(ab),
      h(ab) degrees of special color teeth was 54.50-92.29, -0.97-8.12,-0.73-20.85,0.85
      21.34,29.73-89.20, respectively. There was no significant difference between the
      prosthesis and their neighbors statistically (P>0.05). The mean value of
      chromatic aberration (deltaE) was 0.948(0.136-3.45), and only 3 cases were
      unacceptable (deltaE>/=2). CONCLUSIONS: Digital photography could record and
      transmit the color information of special color teeth more exactly, and could
      improve the patients satisfaction and the cosmetic effect in color measuring.
      Supported by Research Fund of Natural Science for Young Scholars of Minhang
      Central Hospital.

PMID- 20300688
TI  - [Ectopic meningioma in oral and maxillofacial region: report of 23 cases].
AB  - PURPOSE: To analyse the clinical features and treatment of ectopic meningioma
      (EM) in oral and maxillofacial region. METHODS: Twenty-three cases of EM in the
      oral and maxillofacial region from 1990 to 2008 were reviewed. The clinical
      features, image findings, surgical treatment and follow-up results were analyzed.
      RESULTS: The median age of these patients was 37 years old and there was no
      gender predilection, but there were more female patients in the group of over 40
      years old. The primary sites of the tumor were parapharyngeal space(13),
      infratemporal space/ pterygopalatine space(5), temporal region(3),orbital area
      (1) and buccal mucosa(1). The CT image of EM in the oral and maxillofacial region
      was similar to that in the brain. All 23 cases underwent surgical treatment,
      seventeen cases underwent the tumor totally resected and 6 cases underwent
      partially resected. Twelve cases were followed up, in which 3 cases recurred and
      8 cases had a long-term nerve injury. CONCLUSIONS: EM in the oral and
      maxillofacial region mainly occurs in adolescent, middle-aged patients and
      females over 40 years old. The predilection site of the tumor is the deep space
      of oral and maxillofacial region with adherence to the cervical sheath and lower
      cranial nerves. Preoperative CT scan is helpful for diagnosis. The main choice of
      treatment is total resection. The main complication is nerve injury.

PMID- 20300689
TI  - [Investigation of dental manpower in public medical units in Shanghai].
AB  - PURPOSE: To provide information for investigating the dental manpower of in the
      number, composition, distribution, equipment and out-patient departments (OPDs)
      in Shanghai and the reasonable allocation and utilization of the dental manpower
      in Shanghai. METHODS: A mass survey on dental manpower was made in public medical
      units in Shanghai in 2007 by means of questionnaire investigation, which included
      direct interview and telephone interview. The survey content included the
      number,structure,composition,distribution,equipment and out-patient departments
      of dental manpower in public medical units in Shanghai. RESULTS: There were 364
      public dental medical units distributing 26 tertiary hospitals, 99 grade 2
      hospitals, 239 primary hospitals with 2046 dentists, 634 nurses, 281 technicians
      and 2010 dental units in Shanghai. 77.17% of the dentists were young and middle
      aged, 47.85% of them had primary professional tiles, 42.23% of them had
      university educational background and the specialty of 68.04% of the dentists was
      general dentistry. 66.88% of the nurses had primary professional tiles and 68.45%
      of the nurses' educational background was below the junior college degree. The
      ratio of the dentists to nurses to technicians was 7:2:1. The public dental
      medical therapy units and dental manpower resources were concentrated in the
      downtown with 41.48% of the units, 68.23% of the dentists, 79.81% of the nurses
      and 82.21% of the technicians there. The total amount of dental out-patient
      departments (DOPDs) in public medical units in Shanghai in 2006 was 5,146,536,
      69.23% in the downtown, with 26.95% in the tertiary hospitals. 15.79% of the
      units thought the DOPDs were too many while 56.23% considered just right. Among
      them, 27.20% of the units mostly in the downtown thought their units needed
      dentists. Among them, 66.67% of the units needed general dentists. CONCLUSIONS:
      Dental manpower in public medical units in Shanghai is not a small amount, but
      nurses are relatively in shortage. At the same time, its composition and
      distribution are not reasonable with the public dental manpower concentrating in
      the downtown and tertiary hospitals. Most of the patients visit the hospitals in
      the downtown and tertiary hospitals for treatment.

PMID- 20300690
TI  - [A study of oral health behaviors among 65 to 74 years old people in Shanxi
      province].
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the oral health behaviors among 65 to 74 years old people in
      Shanxi province, and provide a base line for oral health service. METHODS: Four
      hundred and five old people aged from 65 to 74 in Shaanxi province was selected
      according to the Third National Oral Health Investigation Criteria and the oral
      health behaviors of them were investigated by questionnaire. SPSS 13.0 software
      package was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Of the participates, 14.3%,
      6.6%, 39.5% of old people ate dessert, candy/chocolate, sugar-containing dairy
      products every day, and 27.5%, 17.0%, 0.7%, 0.5% drank fresh fruit, saccharine,
      fruit juice, carbonated drinks once daily, respectively. Compared with the rural
      areas,the proportion of people who drank fresh fruit or ate dessert, sugar
      containing dairy products once daily was higher in the urban area (P<0.01). The
      proportion of people who significantly smoked cigarette, drank alcohol, or drank
      tea every day was 31.4%, 33.8% and 70.6%, respectively. Smoking and tea
      consumption were more prevalent in the urban area as well as in males(P<0.01). No
      difference was found between the prevalence of drinking alcohol in the urban and
      rural area(P>0.05), but more males drank alcohol than females(P<0.01). 55.8% of
      people brushed their teeth more than one time a day. Among the investigated
      people, about 80% never used the toothpick;only 0.7% of them used dental
      floss;About 30% of the investigated people used fluorine-contained toothpaste,
      more of them in the urban areas (P<0.01). Fluorine toothpaste usage was 29.1%,
      significant difference was found between in the urban and rural area (P<0.01),
      but no significant difference was noted between in males and females(P>0.05).
      CONCLUSION: Oral health behaviors of 65 to 74 years old people in Shanxi province
      is irrationality, and needs to be adjusted and improved.

PMID- 20300691
TI  - [A survey on the need of oral treatment on residents in quake-hit areas in
      Dujiangyan city].
AB  - PURPOSE: To survey the need of oral treatment, and to search the regularity of
      oral diseases occurrence among residents in quake-hit areas in Dujiangyan city.
      METHODS: Data of 970 residents had been collected from 15 sampling spots by the
      household oral health interview survey in Dujingyan city.The information was
      analyzed with FoxPro6.0 and SPSS11.5 software package. According to medical
      evacuation support,the need of oral treatment was classified into four degrees.
      RESULTS: The results showed that 3.8% of residents needed no oral treatment,
      81.3% needed regular oral treatment, 62.8% needed early oral treatment, and 6.1%
      needed dental emergencies. CONCLUSIONS: The need of oral treatment in residents
      is very frequent and general in quake-hit areas. It's suggested that the work of
      oral health care is to be strengthened, and the order of oral health care is to
      be established.

PMID- 20300692
TI  - [A preliminary analysis of the ratio between the upper and lower anterior teeth].
AB  - PURPOSE: The widths of anterior teeth are measured and compared to see if there
      was any specific ratio between the anterior teeth, and to provide some
      referential data for clinical application in esthetic dentistry. METHODS: Gypsum
      casts of the maxillary and mandibular arches were made by traditional ways. With
      the help of dividers and vernier calipers, the widths of anterior teeth were
      measured. The mean values were gained by doing the measurement several times.
      SAS6.12 software package was used for grouped t test, paired t test and REG
      regression. RESULTS: Statistically significant difference(P<0.01) was observed,
      when comparing the widths of anterior teeth with their ideal golden section(0.618
      or 1.618). There were statistically significant differences in the correlation
      coefficient of anterior teeth(P=0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The golden section is not
      found in the anterior teeth. There is some proportional relationships between the
      upper and lower anterior teeth.

PMID- 20300693
TI  - [Clinical efficacy of carbarnide peroxide in-home tooth whitening for removal of
      stains caused by dental fluorosis].
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of carbarnide peroxide in-home tooth
      whitening for removal of stains caused by dental fluorosis. METHODS: One hundred
      and eight teeth,from 24 patients with diffuse opacities on the enamel surfaces
      due to effects of dental fluorosis, were assigned into mild, medium and heavy
      groups, and treated with carbarnide peroxide in-home tooth whitening. Before,
      immediately after bleaching and one year later, CMYK shade guide was used to
      record the change of color. Bleaching efficacy and course of treatment were
      calculated, and lightening stability was evaluated. The sensitivity of teeth was
      recorded during the treatment by Visual analogue scale (VAS).The results were
      analyzed with SPSS13.0 software package for X(2) text. RESULTS: (1)Mild group had
      100% decoloring efficacy after one course. The decoloring efficacy in medium and
      heavy groups was 94.29% and 86.21%. There was no significant difference among
      three groups(P>0.05).(2)There was no significant difference on the treatment
      efficacy between the time of treatment completion and after one year in all three
      groups(P>0.05).(3) The tooth sensitivity appeared during the treatment and
      disappeared in 2 to 3 hours after divorced from medicine. The sensitive rate was
      56.52%. CONCLUSION: The bleaching efficacy of carbarnide peroxide in-home tooth
      whitening on dental fluorosis's stains is good, safe and can maintain a period of
      time.

PMID- 20300694
TI  - [Effect of enamel matrix proteins on the growth of apatite coating on chemically
      modified titanium].
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of enamel matrix proteins(EMPs) on the growth of
      apatite coatings on dual thermo-etching or alkali heat-treated pure titanium(Ti).
      METHODS: EMPs were extracted from porcine tooth germs and identified by SDS-PAGE.
      Dual thermo-etching treated or alkali-heat treated Ti samples, then, were exposed
      in a blank or EMPs containing(150microg/mL) modified simulated body fluid(m-SBF)
      at 37degrees centigrade for 7 days. SEM, EDS, XRD and FTIR were employed to
      observe or analyze the morphologies, element components and crystal structures of
      the apatite coatings. RESULTS: In dual thermo-etching-treated groups, almost no
      calcium-phosphate deposits were found on the titanium surfaces of control group
      and some amount of calcium-phosphate deposits with the main element components of
      Ca, P, O and C, however, formed on those of experimental group. But in alkali
      heat-treated groups, the apatite coatings proved to be carbonate hydroxyapatite
      formed on the titanium surfaces of both control group and experimental group, and
      the apatite coatings of the latter were found porous(300-600nm) and uneven.
      CONCLUSIONS: Alkali heat-treatment is in favor of apatite deposition, and EMPs
      can promote apatite deposition on both dual thermo-etching and alkali heat
      treated pure titanium surfaces.

PMID- 20300695
TI  - [Establishment of xenografted model of oral verrucous carcinoma with focal
      squamous cell carcinoma metastasizing to the cervical lymph nodes in nude mice].
AB  - PURPOSE: To use the excised cervical lymph node tissue from oral verrucous
      carcinoma patient with focal squamous cell carcinoma subcutaneously to establish
      a xenografted model in nude mice. METHODS: The xenograft tumors were finally
      removed for histopathological study and the mice were laparotomized to examine
      metastatic tumors in livers, kidneys, lungs. RESULTS: The tumor formation rate
      was 87.5%(7/8),and the appearance of transplanted tumors was like that in human
      and HE staining showed that the cancer cells of those tumors models and
      mesenchymal components remained morphologically like the original tumor. The
      liver, renal, lung and lymph nodes didn't show obvious metastasis. CONCLUSION:
      The xenografted model is successfully established with a higher formation rate,
      and the model morphologically resembles the human tumor.

PMID- 20300696
TI  - [Establishment and evaluation of the in vitro dynamic biofilm model].
AB  - PURPOSE: To establish a dynamic model which could simulate the ecologic
      environment of oral cavity and study the cariogenicity of oral biofilm,
      continuously observe the formation of oral biofilm. METHODS: The fermental vessel
      and chemostat were designed according to the purpose of the study. Four strains
      of oral bacteria, namely Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguis,
      Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Actinomyces naeslundii, were inoculated in the
      fermenter. The hydroxyapatite (HA) discs and glass slides were put in the
      chemostat. The temperature, oxide pressure, pH, dilution rate, circulation rate
      and substrate of the chemostat were carefully modulated. Distilled water and 25mM
      sucrose solution were used to test the stability of the system. At the beginning
      of the model establishment, the anabiosis bacteria were inoculated in fermenter
      full of fresh artificial saliva with a dilution rate of 10%. After the growth of
      bacteria in the fermenter was stable, the four-organism bacterial consortium was
      inoculated in the chemotat for 24 hours together with fresh artificial saliva
      (v/v=1:9). The organisms in planktonic phase were examined everyday. When the
      populations of consortium got stable(about 72 hours), the test solution was
      pulsed in the chemostat every 12 hours for 5 days. The HA discs and glass slides
      were observed every 24 hours for five times. The data was analyzed using SPSS
      10.0 software package. Dunnet t test was used to compare the difference between
      the two groups at the level of alpha=0.05. RESULTS: The dynamic model was
      successfully established on oral biofilm study. With the pulse of sucrose
      solution, the environment in the chemostat simulated the cariogenic environment
      in nature, and all data namely the bacteria population, the biofilm
      microstructure changed with solution pulse. CONCLSUIONS: The model established is
      proved to be stable and the parameters in the model could be successfully
      controlled. The model fulfills the dynamic observation of formation of biofilm
      and caries lesion in vitro.

PMID- 20300697
TI  - [Role of NF-kappaB pathway in shikonin induced apoptosis in oral squamous cell
      carcinoma Tca-8113 cells].
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the role of NF-kappaB signal transduction pathway in
      apoptosis induced by shikonin in human tongue squamous cell carcinoma Tca-8113
      cell line. METHODS: Expression of IkappaBa, phosphatase-IkappaBa, bcl-2 and Bax
      proteins were detected by Western blot, NF-kappaB DNA-binding activity was
      detected by electrophoretic mobility shift analysis (EMSA), and activities of
      caspase 3, caspase 8 and caspase 9 were analyzed by enzyme linked immunosorbent
      assay(ELISA). The data was analyzed by one-way ANOVA test and t test using
      SPSS12.0 software package. RESULTS: The expression of phosphatase-IkappaBa
      protein and the nuclear NF-kappaB DNA-binding activity was significantly
      decreased in shikonin treated cells by Western and EMSA. Bcl-2 protein expression
      was also decreased in the process. The activity of all the three proteases was
      elevated and pancaspase inhibitor Z-Asp-CH2-DCB could protect Tca8113 cells from
      shikonin-induced apoptosis(P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Anti-tumor effects of shikonin
      in Tca-8113 cells act at least partially through the inactivation of NF-kappaB
      pathway and subsequent activation of protease caspase family. Pharmacologic
      inhibition of the NF-kappaB activity by shikonin might be a powerful treatment
      option for OSCC.

PMID- 20300699
TI  - [A pilot study of three dimensional printing of human bone marrow stem cells
      (hBMSCs)].
AB  - PURPOSE: To establish a three-dimensional biological printing technique of
      hBMSCs. METHODS: The hBMSCs were regularly isolated and cultured, and adjusted to
      the density of 1x10(6)/mL single cell suspension. Then these cells were labeled
      by PI fluorescence marker, and transferred by rapid prototype biological printer.
      Deposition spots were 300microm apart at X-axis, 500microm at Y-axis, 50microm at
      Z-axis, and then observed by laser confocal microscope. RESULTS: This technique
      could deposit cells with good spatial control. In three-dimensional layer, each
      "cell ink" drop contained 15-35 hBMSCs post-transfer, and achieved accurate
      distribution with spots distributed 300microm apart at x-axis, 500microm at y
      axis and 50microm at Z-axis. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that hBMSCs can be
      effectively delivered by a rapid prototype printer with speed and accuracy.
      Application of three dimensional printing is of great importance in tissue
      engineering bone.

PMID- 20300698
TI  - [Study on cytotoxicity of three kinds of dental ceramic alloys on L929 mouse
      fibroblasts in vitro].
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the cytotoxicity in vitro of three kinds of dental
      ceramic alloys on L929 mouse fibroblasts. METHODS: CCK-8 assay was a quick method
      to study the cell relative proliferation rate or cytotoxicity. L929 mouse
      fibroblasts were used to detect the cell relative proliferation rate of the three
      kinds of dental ceramic alloys(NiCr,CoCr and golden alloys containing 58% of
      gold) by CCK-8 assay. The DNA damage of L929 mouse fibroblasts was determined by
      single cell gel electrophoresis(SCGE). The data was statistically analyzed with
      SAS 9.0 software package. RESULTS: The relative growth rate induced by NiCr, CoCr
      and golden dental ceramic alloys was (75.9510+/-7.6244)%, (84.8920+/-8.2660)% and
      (88.5420+/-12.3611)%, respectively. NiCr ceramic alloys caused the most marked
      cytotoxicity(P<0.05), and there was no difference between CoCr ceramic alloys and
      58% golden ceramic alloys(P>0.05). The cytotoxicity of the three kinds of metal
      ceramic alloys was all grade 1, i.e. mild cytotoxicity. The DNA damage of L929
      mouse fibroblasts induced by NiCr ceramic alloys was most serious(P<0.05). There
      was no difference in the DNA damage between CoCr ceramic alloys and 58% golden
      ceramic alloys(P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: NiCr ceramic alloys can suppress the
      proliferation of the L929 mouse fibroblasts and promote DNA damage. While CoCr
      ceramic alloys which are similar to 58% golden ceramic alloys show less
      cytotoxicity than NiCr ceramic alloys. CoCr or 58% golden ceramic alloys should
      be used as crown and bridge for patients instead of NiCr ceramic alloy
      clinically.

PMID- 20300700
TI  - [Nifedipine regulated expression of bcl-2 in human gingival epithelial cells in
      vitro].
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of nifedipine(NIF) on transcription of bcl-2
      in human gingival epithelial cells(HGECs) in vitro and to study the pathogenesis
      of epithelial thickening in drug-induced gingival overgrowth(DGO). METHODS: The
      gingival tissues obtained from periodontal surgeries were digested with enzyme
      and HGECs were cultured in vitro; HGECs were identified by immunohistochemistry;
      bcl-2 mRNA levels were quantitated by Real-time PCR 24 hours and 48 hours after
      cells stimulated by NIF with different concentration (0microg/ml,
      1microg/ml,2microg/ml,3microg/ml), in which 0microg/ml NIF as blank control. The
      data was analyzed by one-way ANOVA using SPSS 11.0 software package. RESULTS:
      HGECs cultured in vitro showed keratin positive signal and vimentin negative
      signal; the level of bcl-2 mRNA increased with NIF 3microg/ml after 24 hours
      treatment, which appeared significant increase compared with blank control
      (P<0.05); after 48 hours treatment the level of bcl-2 mRNA in the groups of
      2microg/ml and 3microg/ml showed significant increase compared with blank control
      (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: NIF regulates the level of bcl-2 mRNA.

PMID- 20300701
TI  - [Morphological and histological adaptation after mandibular functional
      positioning only in vertical dimension].
AB  - PURPOSE: To elucidate the role of mandibular vertical functional positioning in
      condylar adaptive remodeling. METHODS: Forty female Sprague-Dawley rats at the
      age of 5 weeks were randomly divided into 4 control and experimental groups. All
      the animals were sacrificed on day 3, 6, 9 and 12 (n=5). Bite plates on upper
      posterior teeth were fitted on the experimental animals to induce functional
      repositioning of the mandible. Morphological and histological analysis was
      carried out to quantitatively analyze the amount of the adaptive changes of
      condylar cartilage. Independent-samples t test and One-Way ANOVA using SPSS11.0
      software package were performed. RESULTS: Twelve days after mandibular vertical
      functional positioning the condylar height increased. Nine days after mandibular
      vertical functional positioning the thickness of prechondroblast layer and
      chondroblast layer increased significantly compared with control groups. However
      the thickness of hypertrophic layer decreased significantly after 6 days'
      mandibular repositioning. No change was found in the thickness of mesenchymal
      layer during the experimental period. CONCLUSIONS: Mandibular vertical functional
      positioning could enhance the growth of condyle. The resulted adaptive remodeling
      in condylar cartilage plays an important role in the treatment mechanism of
      mandibular deficiency via functional appliances.

PMID- 20300702
TI  - [Observation of the number of molar root canal with X-ray imaging and three
      dimensional imaging].
AB  - PURPOSE: To find a convenient way to reconstruct the morphologic characters of
      the molar root canal with 3dsmax8.0 software in the laboratory and evaluate the
      difference of the number of molar root canal between the in vivo X-ray image and
      three-dimensional image. METHODS: Twelve recently extracted molar roots were
      studied. In vivo X-ray images were taken before serial section. Starting at the
      root apex, serial cross sections were taken from each specimen using a saw
      microtome, and each cross section was photographed under a stereoscopic
      microscope. All of the digital photos were inputted into the computer to be
      reconstructed by 3dsmax software. RESULTS: A three-dimensional image of the molar
      root canal was built successfully. There were 19 molar root canals observed via
      in vivo X-ray image and 47 molar root canals observed in the three-dimensional
      image. The number of molar root canal that observed via in vivo X-ray image was
      less than that from the three-dimensional image. CONCLUSION: Use of saw microtome
      and 3dsmax software can reconstruct the three-dimensional image of the tooth.

PMID- 20300703
TI  - [The establishment of three dimensional finite element model of a maxillary
      impacted canine and its support tissues].
AB  - PURPOSE: To establish a three dimensional finite element model of a maxillary
      impacted canine and its support tissues by means of finite element method (FEM)
      and spiral CT which can offer digital model for orthodontic traction. METHODS: A
      patient with a completely bony impacted maxillary canine was chosen. The CAD
      model of the canine and its surrounding tissues was established using spiral CT
      equipment, Mimics and Unigraphic. The CAD model was changed to FEM models by MSC.
      Mentat which could cut nets in CAD models. RESULTS: With the use of spiral
      CT,Mimics,UG and MSC, FEM model of the maxillary impacted canine and its support
      tissues and the whole maxilla was constructed and the model was of high
      geometrical similarity. CONCLUSION: The FEM model of maxillary impacted canine
      established by spiral CT,Mimics,UG and MSC has high accuracy, integrated
      constitution and optimized mesh which can be taken into account in the course of
      the treatment planning prior to starting therapy.

PMID- 20300704
TI  - [Comparative study on the shaping ability of canals with 2 new nickel- titanium
      rotary instruments].
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the shaping ability of two nickel-titanium rotary systems:
      Mtwo and K3. METHODS: Thirty-six mesio-buccal root canals of maxillary first
      molars were divided into two groups: group A(> or =20> or =) and group B(<20
      degrees ),according to the angle of the canal. Then, each group was randomly
      divided into two subsets and prepared by Mtwo,K3, respectively. All root canals
      were injected with the contrast medium and digital images of all canals were
      recorded before and after instrumentation. The computer assistant analyze image
      software was used to form the geometrical central line of pre-instrumented
      canals. Then the central line was imaged to the post-instrumented canals. The
      canal transportation and the decrease of curvature were measured. All the data
      was analyzed with SPSS11.0 software package. RESULTS: Difference between groups
      was compared using t test.When the curvature of canal > or =20 degrees ,the
      transportation at the beginning of the curvature and the decrease of curvature of
      Mtwo were significantly less than those of K3(P<0.05).When the curvature of canal
      <20 degrees there was no significant difference between Mtwo and K3 in the
      transportation and decrease of curvature(P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Both Mtwo and K3
      systems show good preservation of the original geometry of the root canals, the
      Mtwo system can better preserve original curvature of canals, when the curvature
      of canal is larger than 20 degrees .

PMID- 20300705
TI  - [The influence of temperature and curing light units on the microhardness of
      composite resin].
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of different temperature and different light
      curing units on the hardness of composite resin. METHODS: Specimens were
      fabricated from Clearfil AP-X composite resin (Kuraray,Japan)and stored at three
      different temperature(5degrees centigrade,23degrees centigrade,40degrees
      centigrade).Then they were cured by a quartz tungsten halogen Translux CL or a
      second generation LED Elipar FreeLight2. The microhardness of the top and bottom
      surfaces of the specimens were determined using a digital microhardness tester.
      Statistical analyses were performed using the two-way ANOVA by SPSS 17.0 software
      package. RESULTS: Whether cured by QTH or LED, the specimens stored at 40degrees
      centigrade had higher top and bottom hardness value than that stored at the other
      temperatures(P<0.01). The LED light produced a significantly better hardness on
      top and bottom surfaces of specimens stored at the three different
      temperatures(P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The use of pre-warmed composite resins might
      help to increase the composite resin hardness. Second generation LED is more
      efficient than halogen light unit.

PMID- 20300706
TI  - [Bilingual teaching in stomatological education in China: problems and future
      strategies].
AB  - Bilingual teaching has been used for several years in many Colleges of
      Stomatology in China, but there are still some problems be solved in textbooks,
      training of teachers, methods of teaching, etc. This paper discusses the purpose,
      manners, problems and strategies of bilingual teaching in stomatology. We believe
      that the specialties of stomatology and the situations of China should be
      considered in conducting bilingual teaching. The purposes of bilingual teaching
      are to use English and/or Chinese to teach basic and clinical knowledge and skill
      in Stomatology, and enhance the English ability of the students as well. To
      achieve the purposes and improve the quality of bilingual teaching, a well
      organized textbook and adequate qualified teachers are demanded, modern teaching
      medias and methods should be adopted, and a rational teaching quality evaluation
      system should be established and fulfilled.

PMID- 20300707
TI  - [A mandibular second molar with three mesial roots: report of one case].
AB  - A case of unusual root canal morphology was presented to demonstrate anatomic
      variations in mandibular second molars. This case report presented the endodontic
      therapy of a mandibular second molar with three canals in the mesial root. A
      mesial middle canal was found between the mesiobuccal and mesiolingual canals.
      This report indicated the importance of looking for additional canals and unusual
      canal morphology, because knowledge of their existence might occasionally enable
      clinicians to treat a case successfully that otherwise to fail.

PMID- 20300708
TI  - [Circadian rhythmicity and addiction].
AB  - The chronobiological aspects of addiction constitute a recently developed field
      of study that has obtained interesting data from both basic and clinical
      research. Drug consumption has a negative effect on the expression of circadian
      rhythmicity, since it produces a flattening of the functions and a delay of
      maximal values, and can even cause a state of desynchronization of endogenous
      control. Moreover, it has been shown that the clock-genes Clock and Per2 are
      associated with vulnerability to addiction, the first gene directly regulating
      dopaminergic activity in the reward system and the second participating in the
      sensitivity to and abstinence from drugs. The evening circadian typology has also
      been proposed as an individual difference to be taken into account as a risk
      factor in the development of drug addiction. Finally, the reorganization of
      circadian rhythmicity with regular daily schedules adjusted to the cycle of light
      darkness, exposure to natural or artificial light, and the administration of
      melatonin may be useful strategies in the treatment of drug addictions.

PMID- 20300709
TI  - [Prevention of substance abuse: randomised or observational evaluation is
      absolutely needed].
AB  - Prevention programs and interventions in the field of drug abuse are designed to
      reduce the incidence of onset of substance use, but they can also produce harms.
      This is the reason why rigorous evaluations are absolutely needed. In Europe, in
      spite of the large spread of such interventions, they are rarely evaluated with
      rigorous study designs. For these reasons it is important to promote the
      evaluation of every program that can be considered of relevance. This would allow
      the other practitioners to choose the interventions on the base of evidence of
      effectiveness. But which kind of evaluation prevention programs needed? There is
      a substantial agreement on the role of the randomized evaluation. Randomization
      is the only effective way to control for numerous factors that can bias the
      results. The typical evaluation design associated to most part of intervention
      programs, the pre-post assessment, cannot produce unbiased estimations. There are
      however many interventions that cannot be randomised, because they cannot be
      provided at the individual level (e.g like the price policies for cigarettes).
      These programs require an observational approach for evaluation, like a cohort or
      an Interrupted Time Series design. Even if these study designs have a complex
      methodology, the evaluation is of high relevance in order to allow the
      development of prevention strategies based on evidence.

PMID- 20300710
TI  - [Research on etiological aspects of dual pathology].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: It is important to assess the interaction between family
      psychopathologic history (FH), family dynamics (FD), behavior disorders,
      substance-use disorders and personality disorders (PD). METHODOLOGY: Cross
      sectional design. The sample was made up of 350 subjects with substance-use
      disorders who were assessed for FH including alcoholism and substance-use
      disorders through an interview; for substance use via a questionnaire; for FD;
      for PD using the International Personality Disorder Examination (IPDE); for
      behavior problems in adolescence; and for disocial disorder. Correlated variables
      were included in logistic regression models. RESULTS: Early age of onset for
      substance use is related to FH of substance use disorders and poorer FD. FH of
      alcoholism, substance-use disorders and psychiatric disorders are related to
      poorer FD. Early age of onset for substance use, FH and a disruptive FD are
      related to behavior problems and disocial disorder. Early age of onset for
      substance use, FH, disruptive FD, behavior problems and disocial disorder are
      related to presence of PD. Logistic regression predicted the presence of PD by
      age of onset for use of methadone (CI(95):1.005/3.222; p=0.048) and of other
      opiates (CI(95):0.864/0.992;p=0.028). FH score in alcoholism predicted Borderline
      Personality Disorder (CI(95):1.137- 2.942; p=0.013), and age of onset of cocaine
      use predicted Antisocial Personality Disorder (CI(95):0.864/0.992; p=0.028).
      CONCLUSIONS: FH of substance use and own use predict the presence of some PDs.

PMID- 20300711
TI  - [Myocardial necrosis and severe biventricular dysfunction in the context of
      chronic ephedrine abuse].
AB  - Ephedra is an amphetamine-like compound with a potent sympathomimetic effect.
      Ephedrine, its active component, is widely used for weight loss, to enhance
      athletic performance or as component of some drugs. Its cardiovascular effects
      include tachycardia, increased inotropy, arterial vasoconstriction and
      hypertension, and these are the effects for which it is used therapeutically.
      However, it can also cause adverse effects, such as neuropathy, myopathy,
      psychosis, addiction, stroke, insomnia, myocarditis, arrhythmias, myocardial
      infarction or sudden death. We present the case of a patient, with pre-existing
      psychiatric conditions, who developed congestive heart failure and pulmonary
      oedema in the context of severe biventricular dysfunction and myocardial necrosis
      secondary to longstanding ephedrine abuse. Secondary causes of dilated
      myocardiopathy such as alcohol abuse, autoimmunity, hemochromatosis, thyroid
      alterations, viral or bacterial myocarditis and coronary heart disease, were
      ruled out. Five years after total cessation of use of the drug containing
      ephedrine, the patient is symptom-free, with partial recovery of left ventricular
      ejection fraction.

PMID- 20300712
TI  - [Validity of the Spanish version of the Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale (HSNS) in
      subjects attended at an Addiction Treatment Unit].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Narcissistic personality is an important component of personality
      disorders which are prevalent in those presenting drug abuse or dependence.
      Assessment instruments usually consider self-esteem, narcissism and covert
      narcissism, but although Spanish versions of instruments for self-esteem and
      narcissism are available, there is no available test for covert narcissism.
      OBJECTIVE. To test the validity of the Spanish version of the Hypersensitive
      Narcissism Scale (HSNS) in individuals presenting drug abuse or dependence.
      METHOD: In a sample of 79 outpatients, we assessed reliability by means of
      Cronbach's alpha and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), construct
      validity through factor analysis, and concurrent validity by means of the
      correlation between the HSNS and measures of severity, disability, self-esteem,
      grandiose narcissism and personality disorders. RESULTS: Reliability of the HSNS
      total scale score was satisfactory (Cronbach's alpha = 0,73, ICC = 0,67), though
      some items would require further consideration. Factor analysis showed good
      construct validity with three factors compatible with the theory of covert
      narcissism. With regard to concurrent validity, covert narcissism (HSNS)
      correlated positively with open narcissism, severity and disability due to drug
      use, and negatively with self-esteem. Highest scores on the HSNS corresponded to
      borderline, narcissistic and passive-aggressive personality disorders.
      CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish version of the HSNS could be a valid instrument for the
      assessment of covert narcissism in those treated for drug abuse or dependence.

PMID- 20300713
TI  - [Psychometric properties of the Nicotine Dependence Syndrome Scale (NDSS) in a
      sample of smokers treated for their alcohol dependence].
AB  - The assessment of nicotine dependence with brief instruments is of great
      relevance for the better detection of this disorder. Here we present the results
      with the Nicotine Dependence Syndrome Scale (NDSS) by Shiffman, Waters and
      Hickcox (2004) in a sample of 183 patients treated at an Alcohol Dependence Unit
      who were also cigarette smokers. The results indicate that the general factor
      which evaluates nicotine dependence (NDSS-T) has good reliability (Cronbach's
      alpha = 0.80). Factor analysis identifies four of the five factors proposed in
      the original version, those of drive, priority, continuity and stereotypy.
      Reliability of the scales derived ranges from very good (0.80) to moderate
      (0.63). The NDSS-T correlates significantly with the Fagerstrom Tolerance
      Questionnaire (FTQ), with the DSM-IV criteria for nicotine dependence assessed
      through the SCID, and with the number of cigarettes smoked per day. The ROC
      curves indicate an NDSS-T score of 0.80 under the curve (0.70 for the FTND),
      showing that it adequately predicts nicotine dependence. This study confirms the
      utility of this new instrument for assessing nicotine dependence in smokers who
      also abuse or depend upon alcohol.

PMID- 20300714
TI  - [Relationship between cocaine dependence treatment and personal values of
      openness to change and conservation].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship between participation in a drug addiction
      treatment program and Schwartz's values of Openness to change (Self-direction,
      Stimulation and Hedonism) and Conservation (Tradition, Conformity and Security)
      in cocaine users. METHOD: The present quasi-experimental study was carried out on
      a sample of 411 adult cocaine users, grouped according to whether they had begun
      treatment more than three months earlier or less than three months earlier or
      they were not receiving any treatment. Using Schwartz's Personal Values
      Questionnaire (PVQ), we measured the priority given by each of these groups to
      the values of Conservation and Openness to change. RESULTS: Participants who had
      initiated the treatment more than three months earlier tended to score lower in
      the values of Openness to change than those who were not in treatment, though
      there were no significant differences in these values between those who were not
      in treatment and those who had been in treatment for less than three months. On
      the other hand, it was observed that participants in treatment, regardless of the
      time spent in treatment, scored higher in values of Conservation than the cocaine
      users who were not in treatment. DISCUSSION: These results reveal the
      relationship between attendance on a cocaine-dependence treatment program and
      personal values, together with their potential importance in treatment and
      rehabilitation programs for cocaine users.

PMID- 20300715
TI  - [Treatment dropout in cocaine addicts].
AB  - The high rate of dropout from treatment programs is one of the most serious
      problems in the field of drug dependence. Early identification of predictors of
      dropout risk can provide useful information on the specific treatment needs of
      these types of patient. The aim of this study was to identify predictors of
      premature cessation of an outpatient treatment program for cocaine addicts. The
      study was carried out at public healthcare units in a Spanish city. Participants
      were 91 cocaine addicts admitted for treatment for their addiction, assessed by
      means of interview and various self-report measures. For identifying predictive
      variables the researchers used a factor analysis, a cluster analysis and a CHAID
      analysis. The variables that obtained predictive capacity were the MAST scores
      and the combined alcohol and drugs scores on the EuropASI. These three variables
      were grouped in a single factor which was called addictive severity. The
      predictive analysis showed that this factor had some degree of capacity for the
      prediction of dropout, but that it was not completely determinant. The results
      suggest the advantage of detecting at the admission stage those patients who
      might require more attention to their motivational aspects, greater treatment
      control and intensity, or the provision of complementary interventions.

PMID- 20300716
TI  - [Psychometric properties of the GHQ-28 in opiate-dependent patients].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To know the psychometric properties of the GHQ-28 when it is applied
      to a sample of opiate-dependent patients. METHOD: Participants were 138 opiate
      dependent patients. Reliability was estimated by means of the Cronbach's alpha
      and Spearman-Brown coefficients. Confirmatory Factor Analysis was applied to
      check the four-factor structure proposed by Goldberg and Hillier. The sensitivity
      and specificity of the instrument for the detection of possible psychiatric cases
      were measured using ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) analysis, using as
      criterion the DSMIV diagnosis from the Mini International Neuropsychiatric
      Interview. RESULTS: Reliability estimation was adequate. Validity results could
      not confirm the four-factor structure of GHQ-28 proposed by Goldberg and Hillier.
      The sensitivity and specificity parameters show optimum values of 60.7 % and 73.7
      %, respectively, 65.9 % of the participants being correctly classified.
      CONCLUSIONS: GHQ-28 shows adequate reliability and appropriate sensitivity and
      specificity parameters when it is applied to opiate-dependent patients. However,
      the original factorial structure could not be confirmed. Given these results and
      those from other validity studies in which the relationships with Severity of
      Dependence, Physical Health and Health-Related Quality of Life were shown, the
      GHQ-28 can be considered a useful instrument for screening in clinical practice.

PMID- 20300717
TI  - [Delay in seeking medical care in patients addicted to psychoactive substances].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Clinical practice shows that addict patients tend to seek attention
      from health services after a long period of time, and that their relatives do not
      seek early medical care, despite knowledge of the addiction. OBJECTIVES: To
      determine the time elapsed between the beginning of patients' substance use and
      when they first seek specialized medical care (TC) and the time elapsed between
      relatives perceiving the substance use and when they first seek specialized
      medical care (TSAM); also, to identify the factors associated with seeking
      medical care earlier. DESIGN: Observational, descriptive study. A structured
      survey, validated by experts in the field of addiction, was applied to 113 family
      members responsible for patients addicted to psychoactive substances in 5
      hospitals in the city of Lima. RESULTS: Patients seek specialist medical care for
      the first time 11.22 years after commencement of substance use, and family
      members take to 4.69 years to seek medical care from when they perceive of the
      substance use. Female gender, the concept of addiction as a disease and not
      waiting for the patient's decision before seeking medical care reduce TC and TSAM
      in the case of most substances. CONCLUSIONS: Patients addicted to psychoactive
      substances turn to health services only after long TC and TSAM; moreover, the
      delay in seeking medical care on the part of relatives means that patients
      continue to use substances.

PMID- 20300718
TI  - [The promotion of resilience and protective factors in children of alcoholics and
      drug addicts].
AB  - Children from families of alcoholics and drug addicts are a high-risk group for
      developing a mental or substance-related disorder. The parental substance-related
      disorder can cause different effects on the physical, mental, and cognitive
      health of children in various stages of development, particularly internalizing
      and externalizing disorders. For the development of the mental health of these
      children, the promotion of resilience and protective factors play a crucial role.
      General and specific resilience and protective factors, which are relevant for
      prevention and intervention for children of alcoholics and substance users, are
      presented based on empirical studies. Resilience is commonly understood as a
      mental hardiness of children and adolescents to biological, mental, and
      psychosocial developmental risks. Important is the multilevel consideration of
      internal and external protective factors. In doing so, resilience is understood
      as a process that is subject to fluctuations over the course of life. The "stress
      strain-coping-support" model is suitable for the theoretical concept of
      preventive measures for children of alcoholics and drug addicts.

PMID- 20300719
TI  - [Requirements for hygiene in the medical care of immunocompromised patients.
      Recommendations from the Committee for Hospital Hygiene and Infection Prevention
      at the Robert Koch Institute (RKI)].

PMID- 20300721
TI  - [Langerhans cell histiocytosis. Solitary facial lesion].
AB  - Langerhans cell histiocytosis is the general term for all clinical entities
      characterized by a proliferation of dendritic cells that are phenotypically
      identical to the Langerhans cells of the skin. As dendritic cells are present in
      nearly every tissue of the body, Langerhans cell histiocytosis shows a broad
      spectrum of clinical manifestations, mostly in the bone (approximately 80%) and
      skin (approximately 60%). Langerhans cell histiocytosis is basically a disease of
      the childhood and early youth, but can rarely occur in the elderly. Here, we
      report on a 70-year-old man presenting with a single facial lesion of Langerhans
      cell histiocytosis and summarize the most important clinical aspects as well as
      current therapeutic concepts.

PMID- 20300720
TI  - [Infantile hemangioma. Successful treatment with propranolol].
AB  - We report on an infant, aged four months, suffering from a severe hemangioma of
      the left labium majus. We induced systemic treatment with propranolol in off
      label-use over a period of 5 1/2 months. A few weeks after onset of the
      treatment, the size and color of hemangioma was obviously reduced; finally there
      was an almost complete regression. This result underlines the role of propranolol
      in treatment of problematic hemangioma.

PMID- 20300722
TI  - [Classical and atypical presentations of Galli-Galli disease].
AB  - Galli-Galli disease is a rare genodermatosis which classically presents with
      reticulate hyperpigmentation of the flexures and intertriginous areas. Recently,
      an atypical clinical presentation of Galli-Galli disease with monomorphic lentigo
      like maculae and papules has been reported. We describe two cases of Galli-Galli
      disease, one patient presenting with a classical form and another with atypical
      skin lesions. In spite of the clinical differences, the histopathological
      examination - with filiform elongated rete ridges and acantholysis - confirmed
      the diagnosis of Galli-Galli disease in both cases.

PMID- 20300723
TI  - [Metastatic Crohn disease. Atypical manifestation].
AB  - Crohn disease may be associated with many different typical and atypical
      cutaneous manifestations, also known as "metastatic Crohn disease". A 33-year-old
      man presented with generalized erythematous plaques with bullae and pustules.
      Histological examination revealed dense epidermal and dermal neutrophilic
      infiltration, as well as dermal edema with signs of vasculitis. The patient
      recovered with topical and systemic glucocorticosteroids. The lesions healed with
      both flat and hypertrophic scars. In summary, we present a generalized atypical
      case of metastatic Crohn disease.

PMID- 20300724
TI  - [International Classification of Function, Disability and Health (ICF). Basis for
      cutaneous rehabilitation management].
AB  - Functioning and health are central issues in medical rehabilitation. With the
      International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), the
      World Health Organization implemented in 2001 a system for the description and
      classification of functioning that is accepted worldwide. Applying the bio-psycho
      social perspective, this model based on interdependencies, comprises the
      components Body Function, Body Structure and Activity and Participation as well
      as contextual influences of health: the Environmental and Personal factors. The
      ICF is of prime importance in clinical practice, teaching, and research. It
      provides a universal language to be used in health care permitting the
      characterization of the specific functional problems of individuals. The
      rehabilitation of skin diseases takes advantage on the ICF in rehabilitation
      management. In this paper we describe the philosophy of the ICF and its
      implementation in rehabilitation of patients with chronic skin problems on the
      basis of a case study.

PMID- 20300725
TI  - Vascular calcification and magnesium.

PMID- 20300726
TI  - [Artificial sphincter for the treatment of incontinence].
AB  - The artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) has been successfully implanted in the
      last 40 years. Continuous improvement of the AUS and increasing experience with
      the device has led to its widespread acceptance. The major indication is still
      post-prostatectomy incontinence. In this collective patient satisfaction was
      reported in over 90%. In a number of patients with neurogenic bladder dysfunction
      and congenital or acquired anatomical disorders of the urethra, an AUS can be an
      alternative to urinary diversion. Nonetheless, complications such as infections
      and erosions are still a problem, leading to revisions and secondary procedures
      in up to 20% of the cases. Therefore, operative expertise and precise execution
      of aseptic rules are basic prerequisites.

PMID- 20300727
TI  - Mental health services in the health accounts: the Czech Republic.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Policy makers as well as health services researchers lack information
      on financial flows within national mental health systems. The studies that are
      available use different methodologies and hence it is difficult to make any
      comparisons. The aim of this study was to modify the existing health accounting
      framework and apply it to describe and analyse the financial flows within a
      national mental health system. METHODS: Mental health expenditures are classified
      by the three-dimensional methodology of OECD health accounts that is extended by
      two other dimensions for the purpose of the study. RESULTS: The framework of five
      dimensional mental health accounts is introduced and applied to mental health
      expenditure in the Czech Republic, 2006. Mental health expenditure is estimated
      to be 4.14% of the total health expenditure. Mental health expenditure is
      classified based on its source of financing, provider industry, health-care
      function, cost category and diagnostic group. CONCLUSIONS: Health expenditure
      estimates present the most detailed information on resource allocation in the
      mental health system of the Czech Republic. The application of the standardized
      framework in other countries can improve the quality of international
      comparisons. On the national level, especially if the time series are available,
      mental health accounts can serve as a useful tool for strategic resource
      allocation decisions. This is particularly useful for the countries that plan
      changes in resource allocation directed from institutional to community-based
      care.

PMID- 20300728
TI  - Shortage and underutilization of psychiatric beds in southern Brazil: independent
      data of Brazilian mental health reform.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mental health policies throughout the world are being subjected to
      several changes due to increased pressure from the public and from health
      administrators. Mental health policies in the developing world experienced
      changes following advice and consultation from the World Health Organization
      (WHO). This was the case with Brazil, which enacted several laws and policies
      affecting community care and the closure of beds in psychiatric hospitals (the
      deinstitutionalization movement). Rio Grande do Sul, the southeast state in
      Brazil, adopted this policy in 1992, but still suffers from a shortage of
      psychiatric beds in both general hospitals (GHs) and psychiatric hospitals (PHs),
      despite advances in the provision of community care. As a result, Rio Grande do
      Sul (RS) can be studied as an example of "what actually happens" in mental health
      care in the developing world. METHODS: The study analyzed online administrative
      data from 2000 to 2007 for three main parameters of mental health care (i.e.
      hospital use rate, length of stay, and hospital bed capacity). These were used to
      evaluate differences in psychiatric care among GHs and PHs. The number of
      existing and required psychiatric beds in RS was also calculated. RESULTS: GHs
      had very low hospital use rates, while PHs had a very high length of stay (200%
      higher than GH). The number of admissions to GHs grew by 170% over the 8 year
      period, and psychiatric bed availability was 1.5 per 10,000 inhabitants.
      CONCLUSIONS: The study provided evidence for the need of 30-50% more psychiatric
      beds in GHs. Also, additional staff training is needed to increase use rates in
      GHs and decrease the length of stay in PHs. Additional studies covering national
      data must be carried out to assess the extent of these problem in other Brazilian
      mental health care services.

PMID- 20300730
TI  - Effect of processing on dislodging of cypermethrin residues on brinjal.
AB  - Brinjal fruits were sprayed with recommended dose (0.001%) of cypermethrin.
      Effects of processing viz. washing, cooking in water, cooking in oil, microwave
      cooking, and grilling was studied to dislodge cypermethrin residues on brinjal.
      Cypermethrin residues remaining in the control and processed samples were
      analyzed by gas chromatography equipped with ECD. Dislodging of cypermethrin
      residues was observed more in grilling (50.12%), followed by cooking in oil
      (45.2%), cooking in water (41.4%), and microwave cooking (40.89%) after 1st day
      of the treatment. Reduction of residues after washing treatment was minimal.

PMID- 20300729
TI  - Social dynamics of postpartum depression: a population-based screening in South
      Eastern Hungary.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine contributing psychosocial factors to postnatal depression
      (PND) in Hungary in 1996 and in 2006. METHODS: In 1996 and 2006, a total of 2,333
      and 1,619 women, respectively, were screened for PND in South-Eastern Hungary,
      based on a Leverton questionnaire (LQ) score of >= 12 at 6-10 weeks after
      delivery. RESULTS: The LQ scores indicated an increase in PND from 15.0% in 1996
      to 17.4% in 2006. The best predictors for PND in a multiple regression analysis
      were living in an urban environment [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 11.26], unstable
      relationship (AOR = 3.1) and a perceived lack of social support from partner (AOR
      = 3.65) in 1996, and recent major life events (AOR = 3.38), unstable relationship
      (AOR = 3.84), self-reported low income (AOR = 1.82), and intention to return to
      work soon after delivery (AOR = 0.47) in 2006. CONCLUSIONS: A self-defined low
      socioeconomic status and an intention to return to work have become significant
      factors in the development of PND. Besides the family factors recognized as
      salient variables in 1996, economic features came into prominence as newly
      identified main predictive factors for PND in 2006.

PMID- 20300731
TI  - Impact of simulation-based learning on medication error rates in critically ill
      patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare medication administration error rates before and after the
      provision of educational sessions using either traditional didactic lecture or
      simulation-based training. METHODS: A single-center, parallel, controlled,
      prospective study conducted in adult coronary critical care (CCU) and medical
      intensive care units (MICU). Twenty-four nurses were observed administering
      medications. Documentation included drug name, dose, route, time and technique
      during observation and active medication orders in the patient's chart. A direct
      observation method was completed at baseline and repeated twice after the
      interventions. Data obtained during observation were analyzed for medication
      administration error rates. Interventions were two types of educational sessions
      with content developed from baseline medication administration error data:
      simulation-based training for CCU nurses and a didactic lecture for MICU nurses.
      Quizzes completed before and after the interventions were used to assess
      knowledge. RESULTS: A total of 880 doses (402 CCU, 478 MICU) were observed. After
      the simulation-based educational intervention in the CCU, medication
      administration error rates decreased from 30.8 to 4.0% (p < 0.001) in the initial
      post-intervention observation and were sustained in the final post-intervention
      observation (30.8 to 6.2%; p < 0.001). The error rate in the MICU after the
      didactic lecture intervention was not significantly different from the baseline
      and increased in the final post-intervention observation from 20.8 to 36.7% (p =
      0.002). Mean quiz scores were significantly improved after education sessions in
      both ICUs. CONCLUSIONS: Simulation-based learning provides a significant
      advantage to patient care through the reduction of medication administration
      errors compared to lecture style education.

PMID- 20300733
TI  - The US FRAX filter: avoiding confusion or hindering progress?

PMID- 20300732
TI  - The relation between geometry and function of the ankle joint complex: a
      biomechanical review.
AB  - This review deals with the relation between the anatomy and function of the ankle
      joint complex. The questions addressed are how high do the forces in the ankle
      joint get, where can the joints go (range of motion) and where do they go during
      walking and running. Finally the role of the ligaments and the articular surfaces
      is discussed, i.e. how does it happen. The magnitude of the loads on the ankle
      joint complex are primarily determined by muscle activity and can be as high as
      four times the body weight during walking. For the maximal range of motion,
      plantar and dorsiflexion occurs in the talocrural joint and marginally at the
      subtalar joint. In-eversion takes place at both levels. The functional range of
      motion is well within the limits of the maximal range of motion. The ligaments do
      not contribute to the forces for the functional range of motion but determine the
      maximal range of motion together with the articular surfaces. The geometry of the
      articular surfaces primarily determines the kinematics. Clinical studies must
      include these anatomical aspects to better understand the mechanism of injury,
      recovery, and interventions. Models can elucidate the mechanism by which the
      anatomy relates to the function. The relation between the anatomy and mechanical
      properties of the joint structures and joint function should be considered for
      diagnosis and treatment of ankle joint pathology.

PMID- 20300737
TI  - Imaging methods for elemental, chemical, molecular, and morphological analyses of
      single cells.
AB  - Combining elemental, chemical, molecular, and morphological imaging information
      from individual cells with a lateral resolution well below 1 x 1 microm(2) is the
      current technological challenge for investigating the smallest dimensions of
      living systems. In the race for such analytical performance, several techniques
      have been successfully developed; some use probes to determine given cellular
      contents whereas others use possible interactions between cellular matter with
      light or elements for characterization of contents. Morphological techniques
      providing information about cell dimensions have, when combined with other
      techniques, also opened the way to quantitative studies. New analytical
      opportunities are now being considered in cell biology, combining top-performance
      imaging techniques, applied to the same biosystem, with microscopy (nm-mum range)
      techniques providing elemental (micro-X-ray fluorescence, particle-induced X-ray
      emission, secondary-ion mass spectrometry), chemical (Raman, coherent anti-stokes
      Raman, Fourier-transform infrared, and near-field), molecular (UV-visible
      confocal and multiphoton), and morphological (AFM, ellipsometry, X-ray phase
      contrast, digital holography) information. Dedicated cell-culture methods have
      been proposed for multimodal imaging in vitro and/or ex vivo. This review shows
      that in addition to UV-fluorescent techniques, the imaging modalities able to
      provide interesting information about a cell, with high spatial and time
      resolution, have grown sufficiently to envisage quantitative analysis of chemical
      species inside subcellular compartments.

PMID- 20300735
TI  - Altered parahippocampal functioning in cannabis users is related to the frequency
      of use.
AB  - RATIONALE: Converging lines of evidence suggest an association between cannabis
      use and impaired episodic memory as well as related associative learning. These
      deficits have been associated with the duration, frequency, and age of onset of
      cannabis use. However, it remains unclear whether these parameters of use
      differently impact memory-related hippocampal functioning. METHODS: Forty-two
      cannabis users were examined by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging
      while they encoded and retrieved face-profession associations. Region of interest
      analysis was subsequently used to compare (para-)hippocampal functioning in users
      with (1) a longer and shorter duration of use, (2) a higher and lower frequency
      of use, and (3) an earlier and later onset. To further separate the effects of
      these parameters of use on performance and (para-)hippocampal activity, linear
      regression analysis was applied. RESULTS: Compared to low-frequency users, high
      frequency users displayed stronger blood oxygenation level-dependent response
      during encoding in the left parahippocampal gyrus. No differences were obvious
      for the groups separated according to duration of use or an earlier and later
      onset of use. Linear regression analysis confirmed the association between a
      higher frequency of use and increased activity in the left parahippocampal gyrus.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the frequency of use might have a
      particular critical impact on intact parahippocampal functioning in cannabis
      users. Increased activity within the encoding-related network might reflect
      functional compensation to maintain cognitive functioning.

PMID- 20300736
TI  - Comparison of the mass transfer in totally porous and superficially porous
      stationary phases in liquid chromatography.
AB  - The characterization of mass-transfer processes in a chromatographic column
      during a separation process is essential, since the influence of the mass
      transfer kinetics on the shape of the chromatographic band profiles and on the
      efficiency of the separation is crucial. Several sources of mass transfer in a
      chromatographic bed have been identified and studied: the axial dispersion in the
      stream of mobile phase, the external mass-transfer resistance, intraparticle
      diffusion, and the kinetics of adsorption-desorption. We measured and compared
      the characteristics and performance of a new brand of shell particles and those
      of a conventional brand of totally porous silica particles. The shell stationary
      phase was made of 2.7-microm superficially porous particles (a 1.7-microm solid
      core is covered with a 0.5-microm-thick shell of porous silica). The other
      material consisted of totally porous particles of conventional 3.5-microm
      commercial silica. We measured the first and second central moments of the peaks
      of human insulin over a wide range of mobile phase velocities (from 0.02 to 1.3
      mL/min) at 20 degrees C. The plate height equations were constructed and the
      axial dispersion, external mass transfer, as well as the intraparticle diffusion
      coefficients were calculated for the two stationary phases.

PMID- 20300738
TI  - Solution to the beryllium valence challenge.

PMID- 20300739
TI  - Quantification of nitrotyrosine in nitrated proteins.
AB  - For kinetic studies of protein nitration reactions, we have developed a method
      for the quantification of nitrotyrosine residues in protein molecules by liquid
      chromatography coupled to a diode array detector of ultraviolet-visible
      absorption. Nitrated bovine serum albumin (BSA) and nitrated ovalbumin (OVA) were
      synthesized and used as standards for the determination of the protein nitration
      degree (ND), which is defined as the average number of nitrotyrosine residues
      divided by the total number of tyrosine residues in a protein molecule. The
      obtained calibration curves of the ratio of chromatographic peak areas of
      absorbance at 357 and at 280 nm vs. nitration degree are nearly the same for BSA
      and OVA (relative deviations <5%). They are near-linear at low ND (< 0.1) and can
      be described by a second-order polynomial fit up to ND=0.5 (R2>0.99). A change of
      chromatographic column led to changes in absolute peak areas but not in the peak
      area ratios and related calibration functions, which confirms the robustness of
      the analytical method. First results of laboratory experiments confirm that the
      method is applicable for the investigation of the reaction kinetics of protein
      nitration. The main advantage over alternative methods is that nitration degrees
      can be efficiently determined without hydrolysis or digestion of the investigated
      protein molecules.

PMID- 20300740
TI  - Validated HPAEC-PAD method for prebiotics determination in synbiotic fermented
      milks during shelf life.
AB  - Interest concerning functional food has been growing in recent years, and much
      attention has been focused on the choice of prebiotic fibers and probiotic
      microorganisms added to food products with the aim of improving health, producing
      synbiotic products. In the work reported here, an innovative analytical method
      performed by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography (HPAEC) with pulsed
      electrochemical detection has been optimized and validated for application to the
      study of prebiotic effects in synbiotic fermented milk prepared by addition of
      probiotics. The proposed method permits the evaluation of fructooligosaccharides
      and inulooligosaccharides with degrees of polymerization of 6-7 and 4-7,
      respectively. Quantitative determination was performed on oligosaccharides, whose
      standards are not commercially available, by employing calibration curves built
      by adding a known amount of the fiber used as an ingredient to the matrix. The
      work provides results from a parallel study on simultaneous variations of
      prebiotics and probiotics during the shelf life of fermented milk samples. The
      main advantage over time-consuming, classic enzymatic methods, whose results are
      limited only to average fiber content, is the possibility of dosing each
      carbohydrate by performing a single HPAEC run. Validation in terms of detection
      and quantitation limits, linearity, precision, and recovery was carried out.

PMID- 20300741
TI  - Paracetamol for intravenous use in medium--and intensive care patients:
      pharmacokinetics and tolerance.
AB  - PURPOSE: We studied the pharmacokinetics of paracetamol and determine the
      incidence of hypotension after intravenous administration in medium- (MCU) and
      intensive care (ICU) patients. METHODS: All patients on the ICU/MCU starting with
      paracetamol i.v. were included, yielding 38 patients. Blood samples were
      collected at predetermined time points to determine paracetamol serum
      concentration. The number of patients with a clinically relevant reduction in
      systolic blood pressure (SBP) and the number of patients that needed intervention
      to regain an acceptable blood pressure level were assessed. RESULTS: Overall,
      pharmacokinetic data were roughly comparable with earlier publications, but
      differences were noted in the subgroup ICU patients. Also, there was a trend to a
      larger peak serum concentration (p = 0.052) and a significantly smaller volume of
      distribution (p = 0.033) in MCU patients compared with ICU patients. Twenty-two
      percent (22%) and 33% of patients had a clinically relevant reduction in systolic
      blood pressure (SBP) 15 and 30 min after start of paracetamol infusion,
      respectively. In six patients (16%), an intervention was needed to correct blood
      pressure. Overall, SBP was significantly reduced at T = 15 min and 30 min
      postinfusion (p < 0.003 at both time points) when compared with SBP at the start
      of paracetamol infusion. CONCLUSIONS: Further research on differences in
      paracetamol pharmacokinetics between ICU and MCU patients is warranted, as these
      differences might result in differences in efficacy. Furthermore, administration
      of paracetamol i.v. as potential cause of hypotension in the critically ill
      patient must not be overlooked.

PMID- 20300742
TI  - Norwegian medical students' attitudes towards the pharmaceutical industry.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Whereas there is a considerable body of information on the interaction
      between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry, little is known about the
      pharmaceutical industry-medical student relationship. We have assessed the extent
      of contact between Norwegian medical students and the pharmaceutical industry as
      well as the attitudes of these students towards the pharmaceutical industry.
      METHODS: A self-assessment questionnaire was distributed to fifth- and sixth-year
      students attending the four medical schools in Norway and to Norwegian medical
      students attending selected universities abroad. RESULTS: A total of 65.8% of all
      eligible students returned a completed questionnaire. Of these, 73.9% had been
      exposed to various levels of contact with the pharmaceutical industry, but only
      17.5% reported having a generally positive attitude towards the industry. The
      level of exposure did not correlate in students' attitudes; rather, it correlated
      positively to a feeling of competence in terms of being able to handle such
      interactions. A majority of students responded that while they would decline
      accepting monetary gifts, they would welcome receiving reimbursements for meeting
      expenses, meals and educational material. Students favoured a practice of full
      disclosure of potential industry-related conflicts of interest among the
      university teaching staff. There were considerable differences in the students'
      attitudes between universities, suggesting that medical students are prone to
      influence from university lecturers. CONCLUSIONS: Norwegian medical students are
      opinionated, critical and curious with respect to pharmaceutical industry
      relations. This interest can be explored and probably also modified by
      educational initiatives.

PMID- 20300743
TI  - Comparison of plasma, venous and capillary blood levels of piperaquine in
      patients with uncomplicated falciparum malaria.
AB  - PURPOSE: Dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP) is a fixed-dose artemisinin-based
      combination treatment. Field pharmacokinetic studies would be simplified and
      facilitated by being able to use small volume capillary assays rather than venous
      blood. The aim of this study was to describe the relationship between piperaquine
      concentrations measured in capillary blood, venous blood and venous plasma.
      METHODS: Samples of plasma, whole blood obtained by venesection and capillary
      blood were taken simultaneously from patients with uncomplicated Plasmodium
      falciparum malaria treated with DP between 0 and 9 weeks after treatment.
      Piperaquine concentrations in venous and capillary samples were measured using
      solid phase extraction and analysis by liquid chromatography with ultraviolet
      detection. RESULTS: A total of 161 sets of the three measures were obtained from
      54 patients. Piperaquine concentrations in the venous blood samples were
      approximately twofold higher and those in the capillary blood samples were
      threefold higher than the corresponding venous plasma concentrations. Capillary
      blood piperaquine concentrations were approximately 1.7-fold higher than venous
      blood concentrations, and this difference also increased with time. CONCLUSION:
      Differences in whole blood and plasma levels of piperaquine suggest
      compartmentalisation of the drug within blood cells, as also occurs with the
      structurally related quinoline chloroquine. The relationship between piperaquine
      concentrations in the venous plasma, venous blood and capillary blood is variable
      and unpredictable at low concentrations. However, within the range of
      concentrations usually present in patients between 3 and 21 days after treatment
      with currently recommended doses, the relationship between capillary and venous
      whole blood is predictable; consequently, capillary blood sampling can be used in
      field assessments.

PMID- 20300745
TI  - Toxicity of the insecticide etofenprox to three life stages of the grass shrimp,
      Palaemonetes pugio.
AB  - Opportunities for environmental contamination by the insecticide etofenprox are
      increasing as its uses expand from primarily indoor residential to rice
      cultivation and mosquito control. To provide toxicity data for sensitive
      saltwater species, effects of etofenprox were assessed using three life stages of
      the estuarine grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio. Adults, larvae, and embryos were
      tested in aqueous exposures, while adults and larval shrimp were also tested in
      the presence of sediment. In addition, sublethal cellular stress biomarkers,
      glutathione and lipid peroxidation, were examined. Larval shrimp was the most
      sensitive life stage, with 96-h median lethal concentration (LC(50)) of 0.89
      microg/l, compared with 1.26 microg/l for adults and 100 microg/l for embryos.
      Presence of sediment significantly decreased toxicity of etofenprox to both adult
      and larval shrimp. Etofenprox exposure (100 micog/l) increased time to hatch in
      embryos. Lipid peroxidation levels were reduced in adult and larval shrimp after
      96 h exposure to etofenprox, while no effect on glutathione was detected. The
      results of this study provide new information on the toxicity of etofenprox to
      estuarine invertebrates. These data may prove beneficial to the regulation of
      this pesticide and management of its uses in coastal areas.

PMID- 20300744
TI  - Nonenzymatic augmentation of lactate transport via monocarboxylate transporter
      isoform 4 by carbonic anhydrase II.
AB  - Monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs) are carriers of high-energy metabolites like
      lactate and pyruvate, and different MCT isoforms are expressed in a wide range of
      cells and tissues. Transport activity of MCT isoform 1 (MCT1), heterologously
      expressed in Xenopus oocytes, has previously been shown to be supported by
      carbonic anhydrase II (CAII) in a noncatalytic manner. In the present study, we
      investigated possible interactions of CAII with MCT4, expressed in Xenopus
      oocytes. MCT4 transport activity is enhanced both by injected and by coexpressed
      CAII, similar to MCT1, with the highest augmentation at low extracellular pH and
      low lactate concentrations. CAII-induced augmentation in MCT4 transport activity
      is independent from the enzyme's catalytic function, as shown by application of
      the CA inhibitor ethoxyzolamide and by coexpression of MCT4 with the
      catalytically inactive mutant CAII-V143Y.

PMID- 20300746
TI  - Therapeutic strategies in children with an isolated unilaterally absent proximal
      pulmonary artery.
AB  - Therapeutic strategies for isolated unilateral absence of a proximal pulmonary
      artery remain unclear. The natural history of the disease, or thrombosis of
      primary surgical anastomosis, leads to exclusion of the affected lung with
      increased risk of intrapulmonary bleeding, impaired quality of life, and
      shortened life expectancy. We herein describe our two-stage approach in a small
      series of patients starting with interventional catheterization followed by
      surgical anastomosis. Other medical interventions, such as anticoagulation and
      pulmonary vasodilatation, are key factors to successfully restore pulmonary
      circulation in this rare defect.

PMID- 20300747
TI  - A new coupon design for simultaneous analysis of in situ microbial biofilm
      formation and community structure in drinking water distribution systems.
AB  - This study presents a new coupon sampling device that can be inserted directly
      into the pipes within water distribution systems (WDS), maintaining
      representative near wall pipe flow conditions and enabling simultaneous
      microscopy and DNA-based analysis of biofilms formed in situ. To evaluate this
      sampling device, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and denaturing gradient
      gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analyses were used to investigate changes in biofilms
      on replicate coupons within a non-sterile pilot-scale WDS. FISH analysis
      demonstrated increases in bacterial biofilm coverage of the coupon surface over
      time, while the DGGE analysis showed the development of increasingly complex
      biofilm communities, with time-specific clustering of these communities. This
      coupon design offers improvements over existing biofilm sampling devices in that
      it enables simultaneous quantitative and qualitative compositional
      characterization of biofilm assemblages formed within a WDS, while importantly
      maintaining fully representative near wall pipe flow conditions. Hence, it
      provides a practical approach that can be used to capture the interactions
      between biofilm formation and changing abiotic conditions, boundary shear stress,
      and turbulent driven exchange within WDS.

PMID- 20300748
TI  - A novel nitric oxide producing probiotic patch and its antimicrobial efficacy:
      preparation and in vitro analysis.
AB  - Microbial and fungal infections are a significant consideration in the etiology
      of all wounds. Numerous antimicrobial and antifungal formulations have been
      developed with varying degrees of efficacy and stability. Here, we report a
      nitric oxide producing probiotic adhesive patch device and investigate its
      antimicrobial and antifungal efficacy in vitro. This probiotic patch utilizes the
      metabolic activity of immobilized lactic acid bacteria, glucose, and nitrite
      salts for the production of gaseous nitric oxide (gNO), which is used as an
      antimicrobial agent against bacterial and fungal pathogens. Results show that
      application of gNO-producing probiotic patches to cultures of E. coli, S. aureus,
      P. aeruginosa, MRSA, T. mentagrophytes, and T. rubrum resulted in complete cell
      death at between 4 and 8 h, and application to cultures of A. baumannii, resulted
      in fewer than ten colonies detected per milliliter at 6 h. These results
      demonstrate that a gNO-producing probiotic patch device containing bacteria,
      glucose, and nitrite salts can produce sufficient levels of gNO over a
      therapeutically relevant duration to kill common bacterial and fungal wound
      pathogens in humans.

PMID- 20300749
TI  - Impact of peritoneal dialysis versus hemodialysis on incidence of intra-abdominal
      infection after simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplant.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Whether peritoneal dialysis is a risk factor for the development of
      intra-abdominal infection after simultaneous pancreas-kidney (SPK)
      transplantation is controversial. METHODS: We investigated the incidence of intra
      abdominal infection and graft survival rates in 100 patients who underwent SPK
      transplantation. Prior to transplantation, 25 patients received peritoneal
      dialysis (PD) and 75 received hemodialysis (HD); mean duration of dialysis was 25
      +/- 35 months and 17 +/- 10 months, respectively. RESULTS: The two groups
      displayed similar gender distribution, cold ischemia time, dialysis duration,
      diabetes duration, and method of exocrine drainage. Intra-abdominal infections
      developed in 23 patients in the HD group (30%) and in 6 (24%) patients in the PD
      group (P = 0.41). In the HD group, 61% of patients with intra-abdominal
      infections had grades 3 and 4 complications requiring surgery, compared with only
      33% in the PD group. The 1-year pancreas graft survival rate was 88% for HD and
      94% for PD (P = 0.67) (mean follow-up = 55 +/- 38 months). There were no
      significant intergroup differences in acute rejection episodes, kidney graft
      survival rates, or length of hospital stay. CONCLUSIONS: In our experience, PD
      prior to SPK transplantation is not associated with increased incidence of intra
      abdominal infection compared to HD.

PMID- 20300750
TI  - Pelvic arterial embolisation in a trauma patient with a pre-existing
      aortobifemoral graft.
AB  - Pelvic fractures secondary to blunt trauma are associated with a significant
      mortality rate due to uncontrolled bleeding. Interventional radiology (IR) can
      play an important and central role in the management of such patients, offering
      definitive minimally invasive therapy and avoiding the need for high-risk
      surgery. Rapid access to whole-body computed tomography has been shown to improve
      survival in polytrauma patients and allows rapid diagnosis of vascular injury and
      assessment of suitability for endovascular therapy. IR can then target and treat
      the specific area of bleeding. Embolisation of bleeding pelvic arteries has been
      shown to be highly effective and should be the treatment of choice in this
      situation. The branches of the internal iliac artery (IIA) are usually involved,
      and these arteries are accessed by way of IIA catheterisation after abdominal
      aortography. Occasionally these arteries cannot be accessed by way of this
      conventional route because of recent IIA ligation carried out surgically in an
      attempt to stop the bleeding or because (in the rare situation we describe here)
      these vessels are excluded secondary to previous aortoiliac repair. In this
      situation, knowledge of pelvic arterial collateral artery pathways is important
      because these will continue to supply pelvic structures whilst making access to
      deep pelvic branches challenging. We describe a rare case, which has not been
      previously reported in the literature, in which successful embolisation of a
      bleeding pelvic artery was carried out by way of the collateral artery pathways.

PMID- 20300751
TI  - Arterial distribution of calibrated tris-acryl gelatin and polyvinyl alcohol
      embolization microspheres in sheep uterus.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to compare, after embolization, the distribution in
      the uterine arterial vasculature of tris-acryl gelatin microspheres (TGMS) and
      polyvinyl alcohol microspheres (PVAMS). A limited bilateral uterine artery
      embolization was performed in six adult sheep under fluoroscopic control by
      injecting in each uterine artery 0.25 ml of 500- to 700-microm TGMS of PVAMS
      suspended in 50/50 saline/contrast medium. Sacrifices were performed 1 week after
      embolization and uteri were analyzed histologically. The number and size of
      microspheres and vessels were measured, as well as the histological location
      according to a classification in four zones of the uterus. One hundred sixty-five
      vessels (69 vessels occluded with TGMS and 96 vessels occluded with PVAMS) were
      measured. The size of the occluded vessels decreased significantly from proximal
      to distal zones of the uterine vasculature (P < 0.0001). The location of TGMS and
      PVAMS within the vasculature was significantly different (P < 0.0001) since PVAMS
      blocked significantly more distally than TGMS. Deformation of the microspheres
      within the tissue was greater for PVAMS (18.0% +/- 12.3%) than for TGMS (8.7% +/-
      9.2%) (P < 0.0001). In conclusion, PVAMS have a more distal distribution in the
      sheep uterine vasculature, compared to TGMS. Such differences in partition,
      already described in the kidney embolization model, can ultimately explain the
      different clinical outcome reported with these two types of microspheres in
      uterine fibroid embolization.

PMID- 20300752
TI  - Screening and evaluating the mimic peptides as a useful serum biomarker of
      ankylosing spondylitis using a phage display technique.
AB  - To screen specific serum biomarker for ankylosing spondylitis (AS) using a phage
      random peptide library. A phage random peptide library of random peptide 12-mers
      was immunoscreened with purified immunoglobulin (Ig) G from sera of AS patients.
      Positive clones obtained after three rounds of biopanning were detected with
      ELISA and sequenced. Reaction of the screened positive clones with sera from AS
      patients, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
      patients, osteoarthritis (OA) patients and healthy controls was detected using
      phage ELISA. Correlation among erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive
      protein (CRP), and the absorbance value of the positive clone in phage ELISA was
      examined in AS patients. Seventeen out of twenty randomly selected phage clones
      exhibited specific reaction with purified sera IgG from AS patients, among them
      seven coming from the same clone whose inserted peptide sequence was LALPPLAPNHHH
      (named "AS1"). Phage ELISA results showed that the positive reaction rate of the
      AS1 clone was 92.0% with AS patients, significantly different (P < 0.01) from
      those with SLE patients (56.7%), RA patients (50.0%), OA patients (13.3%), and
      healthy controls (14.0%). Absorbance value of the AS1 clone in phage ELISA was
      significantly higher than those in the other groups (P < 0.05). In addition, the
      absorbance value of the AS1 clone showed no statistically significant correlation
      with ESR and CRP in AS patients, suggesting that AS1 detects AS patients through
      a unique mechanism other than inflammation. The short peptide AS1 obtained
      through screening of a phage random peptide library with purified serum IgG from
      AS patients can specifically react with the sera of AS patients, and thereby may
      be a candidate of AS-specific serum biomarkers.

PMID- 20300753
TI  - Polymyalgia rheumatica and vertebral fractures: a 1-year pilot controlled study.
AB  - No data exist about the possibility that vertebral fracture in PMR patients could
      be independent of steroid therapy. For this reason, we aimed to investigate this
      topic by a case cohort study with a 1-year follow-up for each patient. We
      selected ten consecutive patients who experienced vertebral fractures (VF-group)
      during the first month of 1-year follow-up period and without any other
      significant associated condition. As a control group we studied ten control
      patients, without vertebral fractures and with a follow-up of 1 year, randomly
      selected among a larger group of patients affected by polymyalgia rheumatica. The
      following data were analysed: eritrosedimention rate (ESR), visual analogical
      scale score (VAS), methyprednisolone daily dosage. Each patient had been monthly
      evaluated by the aforementioned clinical and laboratoristic parameters during the
      1-year follow-up period. The VF-group resulted with a higher and statistically
      significant median corticosteroid 12-month total dosage [mean 3,480 mg (95%CI
      2,805-3,030) vs. 2,760 mg (2,666.25-3,247.5)]. The VF-group had statistically
      significant higher ESR and VAS AUC when compared to control group (median ESR
      AUC, 484.75 vs. 288.25; P = 0.0001; median VAS AUC, 70.75 vs. 43.5 P < 0.0001);
      ESR at the baseline (cut-off >80 mm) showed a specificity of 90% (95%CI 56-100)
      and sensitivity of 70% (95%CI 35-93). VAS difference from first to second month
      (cut-off <or=3) showed a specificity of 90% (95%CI 56-100) and sensitivity of 80%
      (95% CI 44-97). Our results point out that vertebral fracture might be predicted
      from commonly used laboratory (ESR) and clinical (VAS) findings.

PMID- 20300754
TI  - Lack of evidence for association of two functional SNPs of CHI3L1 gene (HC-gp39)
      with rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - CHI3L1 gene encodes for a glycoprotein (HC-gp39 or YKL40) secreted by synovial
      fibroblasts, macrophages, neutrophil granulocytes and chondrocytes. Its
      expression is under the control of NF-kB. It is regarded as an acute phase
      protein, and its levels are significantly elevated in rheumatic diseases.
      Furthermore, HC-gp39 has been shown to be recognized by autoreactive T cells in
      rheumatoid arthritis. In the present study, we have examined two functional
      variants of the promoter region of CHI3L1 gene (CHI3L1-1 (rs4950928) and CHI3L1-2
      (rs10399931) that have been reported earlier to be associated with schizophrenia
      and sarcoidosis. We used TaqMan allelic discrimination assays to study the
      genotypes of Hungarian patients with rheumatoid arthritis (n = 182) and of
      healthy controls (n = 194). No significant association of the investigated SNPs
      with the disease was found. Here we report that CHI3L1 SNPs, shown to be involved
      in the predisposition of schizophrenia, are not associated with rheumatoid
      arthritis.

PMID- 20300755
TI  - The relationship between vitamin D and disease activity and functional health
      status in rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - We aimed to establish the relationship between serum vitamin D levels and disease
      activity and health status in rheumatoid arthritis. Sixty-five patients with RA
      fulfilling ACR criteria for the classification of rheumatoid arthritis and forty
      healthy controls were included in this study. Disease activity was assessed
      according to the Disease Activity Score including 28 joint counts. C-reactive
      protein (CRP, mg/dl) was determined by the nephelometric method. Erythrocyte
      sedimentation rate (ESR, mm/h) was determined by the Westergren method.
      Rheumatoid factor (RF, IU/ml) was also determined by the nephelometric method,
      and RF > 20 IU/ml was defined as positive. 25-OH Vitamin D EIA Kit was used to
      measure serum 25-OH Vitamin D levels. We found that the mean of the 25-OH D
      vitamin levels of the patients with RA was not different than that of controls (P
      = 0.936). We divided patients with RA into three groups according to DAS28 as low
      activity group (group 1, n = 25), moderate activity group (group 2, n = 25), and
      high activity group (group 3, n = 15). 25-OH vitamin D levels of the patients in
      the high activity group (group 3) were found to be the lowest (P < 0.001), and
      the patients with moderate disease activity had lower levels than those in the
      mild group (P = 0.033). Serum 25-OH vitamin D levels were significantly
      negatively correlated with DAS28, CRP, and HAQ (respectively, r = -0.431, P =
      0.000, r = -0.276, P = 0.026, and r = -0.267, P = 0.031). Serum vitamin D levels
      in patients with RA were similar those in the healthy controls, while it
      significantly decreases in accordance with the disease activity and decreasing
      functional capacity.

PMID- 20300756
TI  - Lack of association of FcgammaRIIIb polymorphisms with systemic lupus
      erythematosus: a meta-analysis.
AB  - Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease. Fcgamma
      receptor genes have been suggested to play an important role in the pathogenesis
      of SLE and lupus nephritis (LN). This study aims to assess the association
      between FcgammaRIIIb-NA1/NA2 polymorphism and the susceptibility to SLE and lupus
      nephritis. Relevant studies were identified from electronic databases. A meta
      analysis was performed for heterogeneity test and pooled OR calculation. The
      overall OR of NA2/NA2 homozygous genotype and NA2 allele frequency showed no
      significant association with SLE and lupus nephritis. Similarly, the association
      between FcgammaRIIIb-NA1/NA2 polymorphism and SLE and lupus nephritis was not
      found in European and Asian population. Taken together, our results suggest that
      FcgammaRIIIb might not be a susceptibility gene for SLE and lupus nephritis.

PMID- 20300758
TI  - Ventriculosubgaleal shunt procedure and its long-term outcomes in premature
      infants with post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: It is well known that 10-15% of hydrocephalus cases at childhood and
      40-50% in premature infants, occur following Germinal matrix hemorrhage (GMH).
      Such hemorrhages are reported to arise due to the rupture of germinal matrix (GM)
      vessels as a result of cerebral blood flow changes among infants with <1500 g
      birth weight and <32 weeks old. Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) associated with
      GMH leads to a disruption in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and ventricular
      dilatation. Ventriculosubgaleal shunt (VSGS) is preferred in those hydrocephalus
      cases because it is a simple and rapid method, precludes the need for repetitive
      aspiration for evacuation of CSF, establishes a permanent decompression without
      causing electrolyte and nutritional losses, and aims to protect the cerebral
      development of newborns with GMH. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The present study
      comprises 25 premature cases, subjected to VSGS and diagnosed with post
      hemorrhagic hydrocephalus (PHH) arising from IVH associated with GM, and low
      birth weight (LBW) in the Neurosurgery Department of the Medical Faculty of
      Erciyes University between July 2002 and September 2006. VSGS surgery was
      performed on those cases, and their clinical and radiological prognoses were
      monitored with regard to several parameters. RESULTS: Mortality and morbidity
      results were found to be lower than those in PPH treatment methods. While
      prognosis of grade 4 GMHs was poor, grades 2 and 3 GMHs displayed a much better
      prognosis after VSGS along with complete recovery in some hydrocephalus cases.

PMID- 20300759
TI  - [Internal medicine and its core topics].

PMID- 20300761
TI  - Causes and consequences of 93 fetuses with cardiomegaly in a tertiary center in
      Thailand.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess etiology, perinatal mortality and associated factors of
      fetal cardiomegaly (FC). METHODS: A retrospective study of fetuses with
      cardiomegaly was conducted. Demographic data, ultrasonographic findings, and
      outcomes were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Ninety-three fetuses were
      analyzed. The causes of FC were cardiac causes 49.5%, Bart's hemoglobinopathies
      28%, and non-Bart's anemia 15%. Ascites, pericardial effusion, and hydrops were
      more prevalent in fetuses with anemia than those with cardiac abnormalities. The
      overall perinatal mortality was 69.9%. Although all Bart's hydrops died,
      perinatal mortality of non-Bart's anemia, and structural cardiac defect were 57.1
      and 69.7%, respectively. Excluding Bart's anemia, receiver-operating
      characteristic curve analysis demonstrated that cardiothoracic ratio of >=0.58
      best predictive for perinatal mortality. Earlier gestational age at diagnosis,
      skin edema, and chromosomal abnormality were associated with higher mortality.
      CONCLUSIONS: Majority causes of FC were cardiac and anemic in origin. It carried
      high-perinatal mortality depending on the causes.

PMID- 20300760
TI  - [Osteoarthritis in hereditary metabolic diseases].
AB  - Primary osteoarthritis (OA) of peripheral joints is a common disease mainly
      occurring after the age of 50. It is important to distinguish primary from
      secondary OA. Younger age at disease onset, rapid progression, unusual disease
      manifestations and co-morbidities are signs of secondary OA. This review outlines
      an important group of secondary OA. Hereditary metabolic diseases can exhibit
      joint involvement. For some of these diseases, correct diagnosis is critical,
      since appropriate therapy influences not only joint function and quality of life,
      but can also prevent relevant end-organ damage.

PMID- 20300762
TI  - Pelvic angiomatosis: an unusual cause of recurrent obstructed labor: a case
      report and review of literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pelvic angiomatosis is a very rare cause of obstructive labor.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 26-year-old P2 L2 had two cesarean sections for
      recurrent obstructed labor due to a large pelvic mass. Investigations after the
      first cesarean section suggested a benign nature of the mass for which she was
      advised surgical resection, but she refused due to social reasons. Tumor had
      pelvic and extrapelvic part extending through obturator foramen into the right
      thigh. Resection of the pelvic part by abdominoperineal approach led to a
      profusely bleeding bed which was managed by ligation of bilateral internal iliac
      artery. Resection of extrapelvic part was attempted but it was abandoned due to
      hemodynamic instability of the patient. RESULTS: Patient is asymptomatic and is
      having a relatively static residual extrapelvic part of pelvic tumor for last 2
      years. CONCLUSION: Pelvic angiomatosis is a very rare condition but should be
      considered and ruled out in case of a pelvic mass of uncertain origin. MRI plays
      an important role in the initial diagnosis, in surgical planning and in the
      follow-up in order to detect recurrences. Surgical resection should be as
      conservative as possible, balancing the need for complete surgical extirpation
      with the morbidity of the procedure.

PMID- 20300763
TI  - Olfactory bulb volume and depth of olfactory sulcus in patients with idiopathic
      olfactory loss.
AB  - Olfactory loss is considered as idiopathic (IOL) when no cause can be found,
      neither on the basis of a standardized history nor a thorough clinical
      evaluation. Olfactory bulb volume (OB) has been shown to be decreased in patients
      with olfactory loss due to trauma, infections, or sinonasal disease. However, OB
      volume has not yet been investigated in IOL patients. Twenty-two patients with
      IOL were compared with 22 controls in terms of olfactory performance and of OB
      volume assessed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Psychophysical testing
      confirmed that patients had lower scores than controls: P < 0.001 for threshold
      (T), discrimination (D), identification (I) and global TDI score. Mean right,
      left and total OB volumes were significantly smaller for IOL patients as compared
      to controls. Both for IOL and controls, there was a significant correlation
      between odor thresholds and total OB volume, respectively. In conclusion,
      patients with IOL have decreased olfactory function and decreased OB volume when
      compared with controls. This was previously demonstrated for patients with
      postinfectious or posttraumatic olfactory dysfunction, but not for patients with
      uneventful conditions possibly damaging their olfactory apparatus.

PMID- 20300764
TI  - News on treatment: from antiepileptics in childhood absence epilepsy to
      improvement of falls in Parkinson's disease by deep brain stimulation.

PMID- 20300765
TI  - Fundus autofluorescence and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography findings
      of leopard spots in nanophthalmic uveal effusion syndrome.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe fundus autofluorescence (FAF) imaging and spectral domain
      optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) findings of leopard spots in nanophthalmic
      uveal effusion syndrome. METHODS: A 34-year-old man with retinal detachment
      associated with nanophthalmic uveal effusion syndrome in the right eye underwent
      sclerotomy three times. After the final surgery, the subretinal fluid resolved
      gradually. Then, SD-OCT examination, FAF photography, fluorescein angiography
      (FA), and indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) were performed simultaneously with
      the spectralis Heidelberg retina angiograph + OCT system. RESULTS: SD-OCT
      revealed focal thickening of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) layer at the
      same locations as leopard spots, which appeared hypofluorescent on FA and ICGA.
      These spots showed hyperautofluorescence on FAF imaging. Six months later, focal
      thickening of the RPE layer became smaller on OCT and hyperautofluorescence was
      attenuated on FAF imaging. CONCLUSIONS: Simultaneous imaging of the fundus with
      multiple modalities including OCT, FAF, FA, and ICGA indicates that leopard spots
      in the fundus of uveal effusion syndrome may show hyperautofluorescence and
      correspond to focal thickening of the RPE layer by SD-OCT. This imaging method
      may help elucidate the pathology of various fundus lesions in vivo.

PMID- 20300766
TI  - Early high-dose intravenous methylprednisolone is effective in preserving retinal
      nerve fiber layer thickness in patients with neuromyelitis optica.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a recurring inflammatory neurological
      disease characterized by severe optic neuritis and myelitis. The purpose of this
      study was to determine whether the retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT) is
      correlated with the clinical presentations in patients with NMO and to determine
      the clinical factors that lead to poor visual outcomes. METHODS: Thirty-five eyes
      of 18 patients with the NMO spectrum and 28 eyes of 14 patients with multiple
      sclerosis (MS) were studied. All of the patients had at least one episode of
      optic neuritis (ON) >6 months before being studied. The eyes were classified into
      four groups based on an episode of ON: NMO-ON, NMO eyes with at least one episode
      of ON; NMO-nonON, NMO eyes without an episode of ON; MS-ON, MS eyes with at least
      one episode of ON; and MS-nonON, MS eyes without an episode of ON. The RNFLT was
      measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT). The correlations between the
      RNFLT and the clinical data were determined. RESULTS: The overall RNFL was
      thinner in patients in the NMO-ON group than in the MS-ON group (63.84 um vs.
      84.28 um; p = 0.0006) especially in the superior and inferior quadrants. The
      overall RNFLT was significantly correlated with the best-corrected visual acuity
      (BCVA) in both the NMO groups (r = 0.67; p < 0.0001) and the MS groups (r = 0.62;
      p = 0.0097). The overall RNFLT was negatively correlated with the number of
      relapses in the NMO group. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis
      showed that the cut-off value for a decrease in visual acuity to <20/20 was 71.41
      um of the overall RNFLT in the NMO group. The frequency of the ON relapses and
      the time for beginning the treatment with high-dose intravenous
      methylprednisolone (HIMP) significantly affected the preservation of the RNFLT.
      CONCLUSIONS: The overall thinner RNFL in eyes with NMO than in eyes with MS
      indicates a greater loss of optic nerve axons in eyes with NMO. An early
      intervention with HIMP and preventing recurrences in NMO are critical for
      minimizing the axonal loss. Our findings indicate that OCT is an important method
      of evaluating loss of optic nerve axons in eyes with NMO and MS.

PMID- 20300768
TI  - Cold-induced vasoconstriction at forearm and hand skin sites: the effect of age.
AB  - During mild cold exposure, elderly are at risk of hypothermia. In humans,
      glabrous skin at the hands is well adapted as a heat exchanger. Evidence exists
      that elderly show equal vasoconstriction due to local cooling at the ventral
      forearm, yet no age effects on vasoconstriction at hand skin have been studied.
      Here, we tested the hypotheses that at hand sites (a) elderly show equal
      vasoconstriction due to local cooling and (b) elderly show reduced response to
      noradrenergic stimuli. Skin perfusion and mean arterial pressure were measured in
      16 young adults (Y: 18-28 years) and 16 elderly (E: 68-78 years). To study the
      effect of local vasoconstriction mechanisms local sympathetic nerve terminals
      were blocked by bretylium (BR). Baseline local skin temperature was clamped at 33
      degrees C. Next, local temperature was reduced to 24 degrees C. After 15 min of
      local cooling, noradrenaline (NA) was administered to study the effect of neural
      vasoconstriction mechanisms. No significant age effect was observed in
      vasoconstriction due to local cooling at BR sites. After NA, vasoconstriction at
      the forearm showed a significant age effect; however, no significant age effect
      was found at the hand sites. [Change in CVC (% from baseline): Forearm Y: -76 +/-
      3 vs. E: -60 +/- 5 (P < 0.01), dorsal hand Y: -74 +/- 4 vs. E: -72 +/- 4 (n.s.),
      ventral hand Y: -80 +/- 7 vs. E: -70 +/- 11 (n.s.)]. In conclusion, in contrast
      to results from the ventral forearm, elderly did not show a blunted response to
      local cooling and noradrenaline at hand skin sites. This indicates that at hand
      skin the noradrenergic mechanism of vasoconstriction is maintained with age.

PMID- 20300767
TI  - Ten-year follow-up of photorefractive keratectomy for myopia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to evaluate the long-term (10-year) outcome
      of excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) on myopic eyes. METHODS: This
      retrospective study included 42 eyes of 29 patients (13 male, 16 female; mean age
      33.4 years, range 21 to 60) who were treated with myopic PRK at St. Luke's
      International Hospital, Tokyo, Japan, from May 1 1995 to December 31 1998, and
      followed up for more than 10 years. The main outcome measures were efficacy,
      predictability, stability, safety, and complications. We also evaluated the
      progress of intraocular pressure, corneal thickness, and endothelial cell density
      after the surgery. The cases of retreatments were excluded from this study.
      RESULTS: Ten years after the surgery, 17 eyes (40%) had 20/20 vision or better,
      and 35 eyes (81%) had 20/40 or better. With regard to the refractive
      predictability, 55 percent of the eyes were within +/- 1.0D and 76% were within
      +/- 2.0D, 10 years after the surgery. There was myopic regression with a mean
      change in refraction of-0.51 +/- 1.78D. Best spectacle-corrected visual acuity
      (BCVA) was unchanged or improved in 95%, and only two eyes lost 1 line of BCVA.
      The mean corneal haze score was 0.19 +/- 0.40, and the decreasing rate of
      endothelial cell was 8.30 +/- 9.94% at 10 years, which was slightly higher than
      the spontaneous decreasing rate with age. CONCLUSIONS: PRK is safe and effective
      in refraction even 10 years after surgery; however, further long-term follow-up
      is needed to evaluate the decreasing of endothelial cells.

PMID- 20300769
TI  - Exercise training-induced enhancement in myocardial mechanics is lost after 2
      weeks of detraining in rats.
AB  - Exercise training is assumed to improve myocardial function; however, the role of
      detraining and its effect on myocardial parameters are still unclear. The aim of
      the present study was to evaluate the effect of detraining on ventricular
      remodeling and myocardial mechanical parameters after an 8 week (5 days/week, 60
      min/day) swimming training period. Forty-three female Wistar rats were
      distributed into six groups: trained (T, n = 9), detrained 2 weeks (D2, n = 8),
      detrained 4 weeks (D4, n = 8) and their respective controls: untrained (U, n =
      5), untrained 2 weeks (U2, n = 5) and untrained 4 weeks (U4, n = 5). Detrained
      rats underwent training and then remained sedentary (i.e., "detraining") for 2 or
      4 weeks. After training, the T group demonstrated increased physical capacity,
      left ventricular (LV) posterior wall thickness, and LV end-diastolic diameter,
      along with decreased heart rate, as evaluated by echocardiogram. In addition, the
      inotropism and lusitropism parameters studied on papillary muscles showed
      improvement in the T group (P < 0.05). However, after just 2 weeks of detraining,
      all parameters regressed back to values which were similar to those of the
      untrained groups. In conclusion, our results confirmed that exercise training is
      capable of inducing myocardial remodeling and improving contractile performance;
      however, these changes are completely lost after a short period of detraining.

PMID- 20300770
TI  - Successful evaluation of a new animal model using mice for esophageal
      adenocarcinoma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: For the better understanding of the pathophysiological events
      occurring in the sequence inflammation-metaplasia-carcinoma in esophageal
      adenocarcinoma, an animal model would be desirable. In the past, several rat
      models have been used yielding conflicting results. Some demonstrated a sequence
      similar to the human situation whereas others failed to initiate true esophageal
      adenocarcinoma or even Barrett's metaplasia. For the study of the molecular
      events involved in the carcinogenesis of Barrett's carcinoma, a mouse model would
      be much more promising since most of the genetically altered animals are mice.
      However, as of now no such model exists, in the past predominately due to the
      high mortality involved with the surgical procedure to create a mixed
      duodenogastric reflux. METHODS: Forty BALB-C mice weighing between 22 and 25 g
      underwent an esophagojejunostomy. The animals were sacrificed at 3, 4, and 5
      months. Pathological evaluation was performed with HE staining. RESULTS: Overall
      mortality was 17%. However, mortality within the first ten animals was 30%.
      Reasons were technical problems with the anastomosis, opening of the pleural
      cavity, or bleeding events. All animals had a severe esophagitis regardless of
      the time. Intestinal metaplasia could be found in 60% of the animals after 4
      months and esophageal adenocarcinoma in 55% after 5 months. One animal showed
      multiple lung metastases. CONCLUSION: After a certain learning curve
      esophagojejunostomy is feasible in mice with an acceptable mortality rate and
      leads to esophageal adenocarcinoma.

PMID- 20300771
TI  - Identification and optimization of tyrosine hydroxylase activity in Mucuna
      pruriens DC. var. utilis.
AB  - Tyrosine hydroxylase, an iron containing tetrahydrobiopterin dependent
      monooxygenase (tyrosine 3-monooxygenase; EC 1.14.16.2), catalyzes the rate
      limiting step in which L: -dopa is formed from the substrate L-tyrosine. L-Dopa
      concentration and activity of L-tyrosine hydroxylase enzyme were measured in
      roots, stem, leaves, pods, and immature seeds of Mucuna pruriens. Immature seeds
      contained maximum L-dopa content and mature leaves possessed maximum catalytic
      activity of tyrosine hydroxylase. Tyrosine hydroxylase from leaf homogenate was
      characterized as a 55 kDa protein by SDS-PAGE and Western-blot analysis with
      monoclonal mouse IgG2a tyrosine hydroxylase antibody. The conditions for maximum
      tyrosine hydroxylase activity from the leaf extract were optimized with respect
      to temperature, pH, cofactor 6-MPH(4), and divalent metal ions. The tyrosine
      hydroxylase from leaf extract possessed a K (m) value of 808.63 microM for L
      tyrosine at 37 degrees C and pH 6.0. The activity of the enzyme was slightly
      inhibited at 2,000 microM L-tyrosine. Higher concentrations of the cofactor 6
      MPH(4), however, completely inhibited the synthesis of L-dopa. Tyrosine
      hydroxylase converted specific monophenols such as L-tyrosine (808.63 microM) and
      tyramine (K (m) 1.1 mM) to diphenols L-dopa and dopamine, respectively. Fe(II)
      activated the enzyme while higher concentration of other divalent metals reduced
      its activity. For the first time, tyrosine hydroxylase from M. pruriens is being
      reported in this study.

PMID- 20300772
TI  - Sporadic hybrid oncocytic/chromophobe tumor of the kidney: a clinicopathologic,
      histomorphologic, immunohistochemical, ultrastructural, and molecular cytogenetic
      study of 14 cases.
AB  - Hybrid oncocytic/chromophobe tumors (HOCT) of the kidney have been described in
      patients with Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome (BHD) and in association with renal
      oncocytosis without BHD. HOCT in patients without evidence of BHD or renal
      oncocytosis is exceedingly rare, and these cases have been poorly characterized.
      We have identified and studied 14 cases of HOCT from previously diagnosed renal
      oncocytomas (398 cases) and chromophobe renal cell carcinomas (351 cases) without
      evidence of BHD or renal oncocytosis. Immunohistochemical, ultrastructural, and
      molecular genetic studies analyzing numerical chromosomal changes, loss of
      heterozygosity for chromosome 3p, and mutation status of VHL, c-kit, PDGFR, and
      folliculin (FLCN) genes were performed. HOCTs were identified in nine men and
      five women (age range 40-79 years). The size of tumors ranged from 2 to 11 cm.
      All tumors displayed a solid alveolar architecture and were composed of cells
      with abundant granular eosinophilic oncocytic cytoplasm with perinuclear halos.
      Occasional binucleated neoplastic cells were present, but irregular,
      hyperchromatic, wrinkled (raisinoid) nuclei were absent. The cytoplasm contained
      numerous mitochondria of varying sizes, but only sparse microvesicles with
      amorphic lamellar content were found. Tumors were positive for CK7 (12/14), AE1
      AE3 (14/14), anti-mitochondrial antigen (14/14), E-cadherin (11/13), parvalbumin
      (12/14), and epithelial membrane antigen (14/14). Tumors were generally negative
      for racemase, CK20, CD10, and carboanhydrase IX. Interphase fluorescence in situ
      hybridization revealed multiple chromosomal losses and gains with a median of
      four (range 1-9) chromosomal aberrations per case. Monosomy of chromosome 20 was
      common and found in 7 of 14 cases. Monosomy of chromosomes 6 and 9 was present in
      4 of 14 cases each, of which two cases displayed monosomy for both chromosomes 6
      and 9. Polysomy of chromosomes 10, 21, and 22 was found in 4/14 cases each, of
      which one case displayed polysomy for all these three chromosomes. No pathogenic
      mutations were found in the VHL, c-kit, PDGFR, and folliculin (FLCN) genes. (1)
      We have shown that hybrid oncocytic/chromophobe tumors of the kidney do occur,
      albeit rarely, outside the Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome and without associated renal
      oncocytosis. (2) These tumors constitute a relatively homogenous group with
      histomorphologic features of both chromophobe renal cell carcinoma and renal
      oncocytoma. (3) Sporadic hybrid oncocytic/chromophobe renal tumors are
      characterized by multiple numerical aberrations (both mono- and polysomies) of
      chromosomes 1, 2, 6, 9, 10, 13, 17, 21, and 22 and lack of mutations in the VHL,
      c-kit, PDGFRA, and FLCN genes. (4) The tumors seem to behave indolently as no
      evidence of malignant behavior was documented in our series, although admittedly,
      the follow-up was too short to fully elucidate the biological nature of this rare
      neoplasm. At worst, these tumors could have a low malignant potential, which only
      can be found out with longer follow-up.

PMID- 20300773
TI  - Co-expression of CD173 (H2) and CD174 (Lewis Y) with CD44 suggests that
      fucosylated histo-blood group antigens are markers of breast cancer-initiating
      cells.
AB  - Histo-blood group antigens CD173 (H2) and CD174 (Lewis Y) are known to be
      developmentally regulated carbohydrate antigens which are expressed to a varying
      degree on many human carcinomas. We hypothesized that they might represent
      markers of cancer-initiating cells (or cancer stem cells, CSC). In order to test
      this hypothesis, we examined the co-expression of CD173 and CD174 with stem cell
      markers CD44 and CD133 by flow cytometry analysis, immunocytochemistry, and
      immunohistochemistry on cell lines and tissue sections from breast cancer. In
      three breast cancer cell lines, the percentage of CD173(+)/CD44(+) cells ranged
      from 17% to >60% and of CD174(+)/CD44(+) from 21% to 57%. In breast cancer tissue
      sections from 15 patients, up to 50% of tumor cells simultaneously expressed
      CD173, CD174, and CD44 antigens. Co-expression of CD173 and CD174 with CD133 was
      also observed, but to a lesser percentage. Co-immunoprecipitation and sandwich
      ELISA experiments on breast cancer cell lines suggested that CD173 and CD174 are
      carried on the CD44 molecule. The results show that in these tissues CD173 (H2)
      and CD174 (LeY) are associated with CD44 expression, suggesting that these
      carbohydrate antigens are markers of cancer-initiating cells or of early
      progenitors of breast carcinomas.

PMID- 20300774
TI  - Preschoolers' and parents' asthma education trial (P2AET)--a randomized
      controlled study.
AB  - We aimed to evaluate a family-oriented psycho-educational asthma training program
      for the age group of 2-5 years, involving both parents and children. Children
      were included after having at least 3 obstructive episodes in their life plus
      chronic or recurrent wheeze in the 6 months before the start of the study. In the
      multicenter randomized trial we had (1) a waiting group (WG), (2) an instruction
      group (IG) trained in a structured way according to the national asthma
      guideline, and (3) an education group (EG), having a standardized
      multiprofessional psycho-educational program, according to the national licensed
      asthma education for the age group of 6-18 years. All were assessed after 6
      months. A subgroup analysis was performed on those being on regular inhaled
      corticosteroids at study entry (74.3%). A total of 338 children were randomized,
      and 288 (85%) completed the study. In the asthma emergency management, test
      scores increased most in EG, less in IG, and not in WG. For emergency visits the
      risk ratio for EG was 0.68 compared to IG: Patients regularly inhaling
      corticosteroids (74.3%) had an increased risk for emergency visits when having
      only an instruction (OR 3.99 [1.89-8.40]) or had been waiting (OR 2.5 [1.16
      5.37]) when compared to those having an asthma education. We conclude that in the
      German health system, the family oriented psycho-educational program provided in
      a standardized manner by a multiprofessional team is effective also in the age
      group of 2-5 years. It should be made accessible to each asthmatic child.

PMID- 20300775
TI  - PTEN mutation spectrum in breast cancers and breast hyperplasia.
AB  - PURPOSE: Phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) is one of
      the most frequently mutated human tumor suppressor genes. The present study aims
      to investigate the role of PTEN mutation in breast carcinogenesis by analyzing
      PTEN mutation spectrum and the protein expression in breast cancers, adjacent
      hyperplastic lesions, benign breast lesions and normal breast tissues. METHODS:
      All 9 exons of PTEN gene were amplified by PCR with DNA extracted from 50 of
      human breast cancers and corresponding adjacent breast hyperplasia tissues,
      adjacent normal breast tissues, as well as 50 breast benign lesions residing in
      or around Yunnan, China, respectively. PCR products were then sequenced for
      mutation screening. And we also proved the effect of mutations on the expression
      of PTEN protein by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: PTEN mutations were detected in
      11 of 50 (22%) breast cancers and 4 of 50 (8%) adjacent ductal hyperplasia, all
      of which were atypical ductal hyperplasia and same PTEN mutation were detected in
      the corresponding cancer tissues. No PTEN mutation was detected in all adjacent
      normal breast tissues and 50 cases of breast benign lesions. The mutation sites
      concentrated at exon 3, 4, 5 and 7; no mutation was detected in exon 1, 2, 6, 8,
      or 9 and splicing sites of all introns. The hottest mutation spots were exon 5
      with missense mutations. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that 24 of 50 (48%)
      breast cancers and 6 of 50 (12%) adjacent breast hyperplasia demonstrated
      negative immuno-staining of PTEN (loss of PTEN protein expression). All the 4
      adjacent breast tissues harbored PTEN mutations and 9 of 11 breast cancers with
      PTEN mutation were loss of PTEN expression. Statistical analysis revealed that
      PTEN gene mutations were correlated with the PTEN expression. CONCLUSIONS: The
      incidence of PTEN mutations is relatively high in patients with sporadic breast
      cancer in the region of Yunnan, China and exists at the early stage of breast
      cancer development. The PTEN mutations have significant effect on the expression
      silencing of PTEN protein indicating the important role of PTEN mutation in
      carcinogenesis of breast cancers.

PMID- 20300776
TI  - Plasticity in response to phosphorus and light availability in four forest herbs.
AB  - The differential ability of forest herbs to colonize secondary forests on former
      agricultural land is generally attributed to different rates of dispersal. After
      propagule arrival, however, establishing individuals still have to cope with
      abiotic soil legacies from former agricultural land use. We focused on the
      plastic responses of forest herbs to increased phosphorus availability, as
      phosphorus is commonly found to be persistently bioavailable in post-agricultural
      forest soils. In a pot experiment performed under field conditions, we applied
      three P levels to four forest herbs with contrasting colonization capacities:
      Anemone nemorosa, Primula elatior, Circaea lutetiana and Geum urbanum. To test
      interactions with light availability, half of the replicas were covered with
      shade cloths. After two growing seasons, we measured aboveground P uptake as well
      as vegetative and regenerative performance. We hypothesized that fast-colonizing
      species respond the most opportunistically to increased P availability, and that
      a low light availability can mask the effects of P on performance. All species
      showed a significant increase in P uptake in the aboveground biomass. The
      addition of P had a positive effect on the vegetative performances of two of the
      species, although this was unrelated to their colonization capacities. The
      regenerative performance was affected by light availability (not by P addition)
      and was related to the species' phenology. Forest herbs can obviously benefit
      from the increased availability of P in post-agricultural forests, but not all
      species respond in the same way. Such differential patterns of plasticity may be
      important in community dynamics, as they affect the interactions among species.

PMID- 20300777
TI  - Simulating phenological shifts in French temperate forests under two climatic
      change scenarios and four driving global circulation models.
AB  - After modeling the large-scale climate response patterns of leaf unfolding, leaf
      coloring and growing season length of evergreen and deciduous French temperate
      trees, we predicted the effects of eight future climate scenarios on phenological
      events. We used the ground observations from 103 temperate forests (10 species
      and 3,708 trees) from the French Renecofor Network and for the period 1997-2006.
      We applied RandomForest algorithms to predict phenological events from climatic
      and ecological variables. With the resulting models, we drew maps of phenological
      events throughout France under present climate and under two climatic change
      scenarios (A2, B2) and four global circulation models (HadCM3, CGCM2, CSIRO2 and
      PCM). We compared current observations and predicted values for the periods 2041
      2070 and 2071-2100. On average, spring development of oaks precedes that of
      beech, which precedes that of conifers. Annual cycles in budburst and leaf
      coloring are highly correlated with January, March-April and October-November
      weather conditions through temperature, global solar radiation or potential
      evapotranspiration depending on species. At the end of the twenty-first century,
      each model predicts earlier budburst (mean: 7 days) and later leaf coloring
      (mean: 13 days) leading to an average increase in the growing season of about 20
      days (for oaks and beech stands). The A2-HadCM3 hypothesis leads to an increase
      of up to 30 days in many areas. As a consequence of higher predicted warming
      during autumn than during winter or spring, shifts in leaf coloring dates appear
      greater than trends in leaf unfolding. At a regional scale, highly differing
      climatic response patterns were observed.

PMID- 20300778
TI  - Effect of intraoperative acetated Ringer's solution with 1% glucose on glucose
      and protein metabolism.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of the intraoperative administration of
      Ringer's solution with 1% glucose on the metabolism of glucose, lipid and muscle
      protein during surgery. METHODS: Thirty-one adult patients, American Society of
      Anesthesiologists physical status I or II, undergoing elective otorhinolaryngeal,
      head and neck surgeries were randomly assigned to one of two patient groups:
      those receiving acetated Ringer's solution with 1% glucose (Group G) or those
      receiving acetated Ringer's solution without glucose (Group R) throughout the
      surgical procedure. Plasma glucose was measured at anesthetic induction (T0),
      artery 1 h (T1), 2 h (T2), 3 h after anesthetic induction (T3) and at the end of
      surgery (T4). Plasma ketone bodies, insulin and 3-methylhistidine were measured
      at T0 and T4. RESULTS: The intravenous infusion for patients in Group G and R was
      6.1 + or - 0.8 and 6.3 + or - 1.7 ml/kg/h, respectively, with Group G patients
      receiving a dose of 4.1 g/h glucose. Plasma glucose levels were significantly
      higher in Group G than in Group R patients at T1, T2, T3 and T4; however, plasma
      glucose remained <150 mg/dl in both groups. The plasma concentration of ketone
      bodies was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in Group R than in Group G patients at
      T4. Changes in plasma 3-methylhistidine concentration was significantly lower in
      Group G than in Group R patients. These results indicate that acetated Ringer's
      solution with 1% glucose decreased protein catabolism without hyperglycemia among
      the Group G patients. CONCLUSION: The infusion of a small dose of glucose (1%)
      during minor otorhinolaryngeal, head and neck surgeries may suppress protein
      catabolism without hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia.

PMID- 20300780
TI  - Cardiac arrest in the left lateral decubitus position and extracorporeal
      cardiopulmonary resuscitation during neurosurgery: a case report.
AB  - Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the lateral position during noncardiac
      surgery has been described in only a few reports in the past. Here, we report a
      case of cardiac arrest in a 61-year-old man undergoing microvascular
      decompression surgery for trigeminal neuralgia in the left lateral decubitus
      position. During the initial 5 min of CPR, chest compression was performed in
      this position by two rescuers; one from the chest and the other from the back,
      pushing simultaneously. Because ventricular arrhythmia was refractory to
      conventional CPR even after placing the patient back to the supine position,
      extracorporeal life support was introduced in the operating room by using the
      femoro-femoral approach (right atrio-femoral veno-arterial bypass). This
      alternative CPR markedly decreased the frequency of ventricular arrhythmia.
      Subsequent coronary angiogram detected 99% stenosis of the right coronary artery.
      Ventricular arrhythmia ceased after coronary revascularization, and the patient
      was successfully weaned from the extracorporeal bypass circuit. The patient was
      discharged alive with minimal neurological impairment. We suggest that chest
      compression in the lateral position by two rescuers is an efficient resuscitation
      maneuver, and if an electrical storm is refractory to conventional CPR,
      extracorporeal life support should be considered in the operating-room setting.

PMID- 20300779
TI  - Colforsin-induced vasodilation in chronic hypoxic pulmonary hypertension in rats.
AB  - PURPOSE: Colforsin, a water-soluble forskolin derivative, directly activates
      adenylate cyclase and thereby increases the 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate
      (cAMP) level in vascular smooth muscle cells. In this study, we investigated the
      vasodilatory action of colforsin on structurally remodeled pulmonary arteries
      from rats with pulmonary hypertension (PH). METHODS: A total of 32 rats were
      subjected to hypobaric hypoxia (380 mmHg, 10% oxygen) for 10 days to induce
      chronic hypoxic PH, while 39 rats were kept in room air. Changes in isometric
      force were recorded in endothelium-intact (+E) and -denuded (-E) pulmonary
      arteries from the PH and control (non-PH) rats. RESULTS: Colforsin-induced
      vasodilation was impaired in both +E and -E arteries from PH rats compared with
      their respective controls. Endothelial removal did not influence colforsin
      induced vasodilation in the arteries from control rats, but attenuated it in
      arteries from PH rats. The inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) synthase did not
      influence colforsin-induced vasodilation in +E arteries from controls, but
      attenuated it in +E arteries from PH rats, shifting its concentration-response
      curve closer to that of -E arteries from PH rats. Vasodilation induced by 8-bromo
      cAMP (a cell-permeable cAMP analog) was also impaired in -E arteries from PH
      rats, but not in +E arteries from PH rats, compared with their respective
      controls. CONCLUSIONS: cAMP-mediated vasodilatory responses without beta
      adrenergic receptor activation are impaired in structurally remodeled pulmonary
      arteries from PH rats. In these arteries, endothelial cells presumably play a
      compensatory role against the impaired cAMP-mediated vasodilatory response by
      releasing NO (and thereby attenuating the impairment). The results suggest that
      colforsin could be effective in the treatment of PH.

PMID- 20300781
TI  - Camptocormia: the bent spine syndrome, an update.
AB  - Camptocormia, also referred to as bent spine syndrome (BSS) is defined as an
      abnormal flexion of the trunk, appearing in standing position, increasing during
      walking and abating in supine position. BSS was initially considered, especially
      in wartime, as a psychogenic disorder. It is now recognized that in addition to
      psychiatric syndromes, many cases of reducible BSS have a somatic origin related
      to a number of musculo-skeletal or neurological disorders. The majority of BSS of
      muscular origin is related to a primary idiopathic axial myopathy of late onset,
      appearing progressively in elderly patients. Diagnosis of axial myopathy first
      described by Laroche et al. is based upon CT/MRI examination demonstrating
      massive fatty infiltration of paravertebral muscles. The non-specific
      histological aspect includes an extensive endomysial fibrosis and fat tissue with
      irregular degenerated fibers. Weakness of the paravertebral muscles can be
      secondary to a wide variety of diseases generating diffuse pathologic changes in
      the muscular tissue. BSS can be the predominant and sometimes revealing symptom
      of a more generalized muscular disorder. Causes of secondary BSS are numerous.
      They must be carefully assessed and ruled out before considering the diagnosis of
      primary axial myopathy. The principal etiologies include on the one hand
      inflammatory myopathies, muscular dystrophies of late onset, myotonic myopathies,
      endocrine and metabolic myopathies, and on the other hand neurological disorders,
      principally Parkinson's disease. Camptocormia in Parkinsonism is caused by axial
      dystonia, which is the hallmark of Parkinson's disease. There is no specific
      pharmacologic treatment for primary axial myopathy. General activity, walking
      with a cane, physiotherapy, and exercises should be encouraged. Treatment of
      secondary forms of BSS is dependent upon the variety of the disorder generating
      the muscular pathology. Pharmacologic and general management of camptocormia in
      Parkinson's disease merge with that of Parkinsonism. Levodopa treatment, usually
      active on tumor rigidity and akinesia, has poor or negative effect on BSS.

PMID- 20300783
TI  - Protection against HIV-envelope-induced neuronal cell destruction by HIV
      attachment inhibitors.
AB  - We demonstrate that HIV attachment inhibitors (AIs) prevent HIV envelope-induced
      destruction of two neuronal cell lines (SH-SY5Y and BE(2)-M17) at low nanomolar
      concentrations. The fusion inhibitor enfuvirtide and the CCR5 inhibitors
      UK427,857 and TAK779 do not display protection activity, suggesting the
      involvement of Env/cell interaction site(s) distinct from the sites involved in
      the viral entry process. We surmise that by inducing conformation changes in the
      envelope, AIs likely obstruct novel interactions with a neuronal cell factor(s)
      required for induction of apoptosis. This antiretroviral class may therefore have
      the potential to inhibit HIV-induced neuron damage, thereby curtailing the
      increasing incidence of HIV-associated cognitive impairment.

PMID- 20300782
TI  - Spinal decompensation in degenerative lumbar scoliosis.
AB  - Due to the aging population, degenerative scoliosis is a growing clinical
      problem. It is associated with back pain and radicular symptoms. The pathogenesis
      of degenerative scoliosis lies in degenerative changes of the spinal structures,
      such as the intervertebral disc, the facet joints and the vertebrae itself.
      Possibly muscle weakness also plays a role. However, it is not clear what exactly
      causes the decompensation to occur and what determines the direction of the
      curve. It is known that in the normal spine a pre-existing rotation exists at the
      thoracic level, but not at the lumbar level. In this retrospective study we have
      investigated if a predominant curve pattern can be found in degenerative
      scoliosis and whether symptoms are predominantly present at one side relative to
      the curve direction. The lumbar curves of 88 patients with degenerative scoliosis
      were analyzed and symptoms were recorded. It was found that curve direction
      depended significantly on the apical level of the curve. The majority of curves
      with an apex above L2 were convex to the right, whereas curves with an apex below
      L2 were more frequently convex to the left. This would indicate that also in
      degenerative scoliosis the innate curvature and rotational pattern of the spine
      plays a role in the direction of the curve. Unilateral symptoms were not coupled
      to the curve direction. It is believed that the symptoms are related to local and
      more specific degenerative changes besides the scoliotic curve itself.

PMID- 20300784
TI  - Low prevalence of DNA viruses in the human endometrium and endometriosis.
AB  - The chronic female disease endometriosis causes debilitating pain and lowered
      fertility. The aetiology is unknown, but indications of an infectious agent are
      present. This study investigates the possible involvement of a pathogenic virus
      in endometriosis patients and controls. DNA was purified from biopsies and
      subjected to highly sensitive PCR tests detecting human papillomavirus (HPV)
      types, the herpes family viruses HSV-1 and -2, CMV, and EBV, and the
      polyomaviruses SV40, JCV, BKV, KIV, WUV, and MCV. The prevalence of pathogenic
      DNA viruses in the human endometrium was generally low (0-10%). The virus
      prevalence was found to vary slightly when comparing the endometrium of healthy
      women and women with endometriosis. However, these were not significant
      differences, and no viruses were identified in endometriotic lesions. These
      results do not point towards any evidence that endometriosis is caused by these
      viruses.

PMID- 20300785
TI  - Codon usage bias and recombination events for neuraminidase and hemagglutinin
      genes in Chinese isolates of influenza A virus subtype H9N2.
AB  - The representative complete neuraminidase sequences (NA) of 138 Chinese isolates
      and hemagglutinin sequences (HA) of 128 Chinese isolates of influenza A virus
      subtype H9N2 were analyzed to reveal codon usage bias and recombination events. A
      plot of the effective number of codons (ENC) against G + C context at the third
      position of the codons (ENC-plot) and correlation analysis demonstrated that
      mutational pressure is the main factor determining the codon usage bias in the
      H9N2 subtype. The high ENC values (51.31 for NA and 48.83 for HA) indicated that
      the codon usage bias in Chinese H9N2 isolates was very low. Plots of
      correspondence analysis and an ENC plot indicated that the HA and NA genes had
      different codon usage bias. Recombination analysis revealed two possible
      recombination events for HA and NA gene sequences in the Chinese isolates.
      Subsequent phylogenetic analysis further supported the validity of these
      recombination events. In addition, one false-positive recombinant for HA gene was
      found, which may have been derived from contamination during PCR amplification.

PMID- 20300786
TI  - Tanshinone IIA enhances BMP-2-stimulated commitment of C2C12 cells into
      osteoblasts via p38 activation.
AB  - In this study, we demonstrate a stimulatory effect of tanshinone IIA isolated
      from the root of Salvia miltiorrhiza on the commitment of bi-potential
      mesenchymal precursor C2C12 cells into osteoblasts in the presence of bone
      morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2. At low concentrations, tanshinone IIA enhanced BMP
      2-stimulated induction of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), an early phase biomarker of
      osteoblast differentiation, and mRNA expression of BMPs. ALP induction was
      inhibited by the BMP antagonist noggin, suggesting that tanshinone IIA enhances
      the osteogenic activity of BMP signaling. Furthermore, considering the tanshinone
      IIA-mediated enhancement of BMP-2-stimulated Smad-Runx2 activities, tanshinone
      IIA could enhance the osteogenic activity of BMP-2 via acceleration of Smad-Runx2
      activation. Additionally, pharmacologic inhibition studies suggest the possible
      involvement of p38 in the action of tanshinone IIA. The p38 inhibitor SB202190
      strongly and dose-dependently inhibited tanshinone IIA-enhanced ALP induction.
      SB202190 also dose-dependently inhibited the tanshinone IIA-induced p38
      activation and combined tanshinone IIA-BMP-2-induced Smad activation. In
      conclusion, tanshinone IIA enhances the commitment of C2C12 cells into
      osteoblasts and their differentiation through synergistic cross talk between
      tanshinone IIA-induced p38 activation and BMP-2-induced Smad activation. These
      activations could subsequently induce the activation of Runx2, which induces
      osteogenesis via regulation of the osteogenic factors BMP and ALP expression.

PMID- 20300787
TI  - Utilization of amino acids by bacteria from the pig small intestine.
AB  - This study determined the utilization of amino acids (AA) by bacteria from the
      lumen of the pig small intestine. Digesta samples from different segments of the
      small intestine were inoculated into media containing 10 mmol/L each of select AA
      (L-lysine, L-threonine, L-arginine, L-glutamate, L-histidine, L-leucine, L
      isoleucine, L-valine, L-proline, L-methionine, L-phenylalanine or L-tryptophan)
      and incubated for 24 h. The previous 24-h culture served as an inoculum for a
      subsequent 24-h subculture during each of 30 subcultures. Results of the in vitro
      cultivation experiment indicated that the 24-h disappearance rates for lysine,
      arginine, threonine, glutamate, leucine, isoleucine, valine or histidine were 50
      90% in the duodenum, jejunum or ileum groups. After 30 subcultures, the 24-h
      disappearance rates for lysine, threonine, arginine or glutamate remained greater
      than 50%. The denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis showed that
      Streptococcus sp., Mitsuokella sp., and Megasphaera elsdenii-like bacteria were
      predominant in subcultures for utilizing lysine, threonine, arginine and
      glutamate. In contrast, Klebsiella sp. was not a major user of arginine or
      glutamate. Furthermore, analysis of AA composition and the incorporation of AA
      into polypeptides indicated that protein synthesis was a major pathway for AA
      metabolism in all the bacteria studied. The current work identified the possible
      predominant bacterial species responsible for AA metabolism in the pig small
      intestine. The findings provide a new framework for future studies to
      characterize the metabolic fate of AA in intestinal microbes and define their
      nutritional significance for both animals and humans.

PMID- 20300788
TI  - Gluten T cell epitope targeting by TG3 and TG6; implications for dermatitis
      herpetiformis and gluten ataxia.
AB  - Transglutaminase 2 (TG2) is well characterized as the main autoantigen of celiac
      disease. The ability of TG2 to deamidate and crosslink gluten peptides is
      essential for the gluten-dependent production of TG2 specific autoantibodies. In
      patients with primarily extraintestinal manifestation of gluten sensitivity the
      repertoire of autoantibodies may be different. In dermatitis herpetiformis (DH),
      TG3 appears to be the target autoantigen whereas in gluten ataxia (GA)
      autoantibodies reactive with TG6 are present. A functional role for TG3 and TG6
      in these diseases has yet to be described. It is also not known whether these
      enzymes can use gluten peptides implicated in the pathology as substrates. We
      here report that similar to TG2, TG3 and TG6 can specifically deamidate gluten T
      cell epitopes. However, the fine specificities of the enzymes were found to
      differ. TG2 can form covalent complexes with gluten by iso-peptide and thioester
      bonds. We found that both TG3 and TG6 were able to complex with gluten peptides
      through thioester linkage although less efficiently than TG2, whereas TG6 but not
      TG3 was able to form iso-peptide linked complexes. Our findings lend credence to
      the notion that TG3 and TG6 are involved in the gluten-induced autoimmune
      responses of DH and GA.

PMID- 20300789
TI  - Use of the Burrows-Wheeler similarity distribution to the comparison of the
      proteins.
AB  - In this paper, we present an approach based on Burrows-Wheeler transform to
      compare the protein sequences. The strings representing amino acid sequences do
      not reflect the chemical physical properties better, and it is very hard to
      extract any key features by reading these long character strings directly. The
      use of the Burrows-Wheeler similarity distribution needs a suitable
      representation which can reflect some interesting properties of the proteins. For
      the comparison of the primary protein sequences we convert the protein sequences
      into digital codes by the Ponnuswamy hydrophobicity index, and for the comparison
      of the structure of the proteins we adjust the topology of protein structure
      strings, which are simple but useful representation of the secondary structure of
      proteins to match the Burrows-Wheeler similarity distribution. At last, some
      experiments show that the approach proposed in this paper is a powerful and
      useful tool for the comparison of proteins.

PMID- 20300791
TI  - Inter-individual and age differences in exploration, neophobia and problem
      solving ability in a Neotropical raptor (Milvago chimango).
AB  - Animal innovations have far-reaching ecological and evolutionary consequences.
      The occurrence and persistence of an innovation require several processes,
      including exploration, social and asocial learning, and low neophobia. In
      addition, the identity of the innovator may determine how these new behaviours
      are socially transmitted. Taking into account inter-individual and age
      differences, we investigated three correlates of animal innovation: object
      exploration, neophobia level and novel problem-solving ability in an
      opportunistic generalist raptor, the Chimango Caracara (Milvago chimango).
      Eighteen individuals (7 adults and 11 juveniles) were caught during the non
      breeding period and housed in individual cages in outdoor aviaries. Each bird was
      given three tests: exploration, neophobia and problem-solving. Individuals
      differed in their response to novel situations both within and between age
      groups. Most of the juveniles were more explorative and had a lower neophobic
      response to a strange object than adult birds, but both age groups were able to
      solve a novel problem when given a food reward. In juveniles, neophobia level and
      problem-solving performance were inversely related; however, we found no
      relationship between these behaviours in adults. Exploration did not correlate
      with neophobia or problem-solving ability for either age group. This research is
      one of the few studies exploring the inter-individual and age differences in
      behavioural innovation and their correlates in a bird of prey. The explorative
      tendency, low neophobia and ability to innovate showed by M. chimango may be
      advantageous for this generalist and opportunistic raptor and might be some of
      the factors underlying its ecological success.

PMID- 20300790
TI  - Inhibition of osteoclastogenesis by prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor dimethyloxallyl
      glycine.
AB  - Studies examining the effects of hypoxia upon osteoclast biology have
      consistently revealed a stimulatory effect; both osteoclast differentiation and
      resorption activity have been shown to be enhanced in the presence of hypoxia. In
      the present study we examined the effects of the hypoxia mimetics dimethyloxallyl
      glycine (DMOG) and desferrioxamine (DFO) upon osteoclastogenesis. In contrast to
      hypoxia, our studies revealed a dose-dependent inhibition of osteoclast formation
      from macrophages treated with DMOG and DFO. Moreover, expression of a
      constitutively active form of hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha (HIF-1alpha) did
      not enhance osteoclastogenesis and actually attenuated the differentiation
      process. DMOG did not affect cell viability or receptor activator of nuclear
      factor kappaB ligand (RANKL)-dependent phosphorylation of mitogen-activated
      protein (MAP) kinases. However, RANKL-dependent transcription of tartrate
      resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) was reduced in the presence of DMOG.
      Additionally, DMOG promoted transcription of the pro-apoptotic mediator B-Nip3.
      These studies suggest that a hypoxia-responsive factor other than HIF-1alpha is
      necessary for enhancing the formation of osteoclasts in hypoxic settings.

PMID- 20300792
TI  - The spectrum of GNE mutations: allelic heterogeneity for a common phenotype.
AB  - Hereditary inclusion body myopathy (IBM2) was mainly reported in Middle Eastern
      Jewish patients. Distal myopathy with rimmed vacuoles has been described as a
      worldwide distributed distal myopathy. Both diseases are caused by mutations of
      the UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase/N-acetylmannosamine kinase (GNE) gene.
      Herein we report two patients: an Egyptian Muslim patient with the "common"
      Middle Eastern mutation (M712T), rarely described in non-Jewish patients; and an
      Italian patient carrying a novel GNE mutation (L179F) in the epimerase domain.
      Our patients share common clinical and histopathological features, with some
      interesting aspects. The first patient presented a clinical deterioration during
      her first pregnancy confirming that an increased requirement of sialic acid
      during pregnancy may trigger a clinical worsening. The second patient showed a
      slowly progressive deterioration, different from other patients carrying
      mutations in the epimerase domain, who had a severe and rapid progression.

PMID- 20300793
TI  - Subacute cognitive disorders as initial presentation of intravascular lymphoma: a
      case report and review of literature.
AB  - Intravascular lymphoma is a rare subtype of diffuse large B cell lymphoma,
      characterized by proliferation of mature B cells within the lumina of small and
      medium vessels of many organs, without parenchymal involvement. The clinical
      phenotype is extremely variegated; moreover, neurological symptoms such as
      encephalopathy and focal neurological deficits occur and often coincide with
      disease's debut. We described the clinical course of a patient with intravascular
      diffuse large B cell lymphoma presented with subacute cognitive decline without
      focal signs, later associated to aspecific general symptoms that rapidly evolved
      to a severe inexplicable encephalopathy accompanied to systemic failure.

PMID- 20300795
TI  - The trend of drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae from nasopharynx of
      children.
AB  - We investigated the trend of the carriage of drug-resistant Streptococcus
      pneumoniae in nasopharynx of children. The 202 isolates from pediatric
      outpatients and their previous antibiotic use was investigated from 2004 to 2006.
      The total rate of patients medicated with antibiotics was 47.5%, a 6.9% decrease
      compared with our previous study performed from 2001 to 2003. There were 56
      (27.7%) penicillin-susceptible, 83 (41.1%) penicillin-intermediate, and 63
      (31.2%) penicillin-resistant strains by the susceptibility breakpoints used
      during the previous study period. There were 196 (97%) susceptible, 5 (2.5%)
      intermediate, and 1 (0.5%) resistant strains by breakpoints in this study, which
      were introduced in 2008 by the Clinical Laboratory and Standards Institute. The
      rate of strains with a single altered pbp gene was 21.8% (44), with 2 altered pbp
      genes was 21.8% (31), and with 3 altered pbp genes was 53.5% (108). The total
      rate of strains with altered pbp gene(s) was 90.1% (183). We found the emergence
      of strains with pbp1a and 2b and the higher rate of strains with pbp2x. There was
      obvious association between amoxicillin use and the carriage of altered pbp
      gene(s). These results might suggest that amoxicillin was not a safe alternative
      to prevent the emergence of resistant strains. We need to reassess a beneficial
      approach for the treatment of pediatric outpatients.

PMID- 20300794
TI  - Nervous system and Fabry disease, from symptoms to diagnosis: damage evaluation
      and follow-up in adult patients, enzyme replacement, and support therapy.
AB  - The X-linked genetic Fabry disease causes multiorgan lesions due to intracellular
      storage of the substrate globotriaosylceramide. Neurological involvement ranges
      from painful, small fiber neuropathy to cerebrovascular disorders to multifocal
      aggressive forms. Disease identification through proper differential diagnosis
      and timely assessment of organ damage should guide a careful treatment planning.
      Mainstay treatment, include enzyme replacement and support therapy. Neurologists
      have a pivotal role in early instrumental and clinical detection of organ damage.
      A panel of experts has developed a set of consensus recommendations to guide the
      approach of neurologists to Fabry disease.

PMID- 20300796
TI  - The target hemoglobin in non-dialysis CKD: still a matter for debate?

PMID- 20300797
TI  - Detecting columnar deformations in a supermesogenic octapode by proton NMR
      relaxometry.
AB  - We used proton ( (1)H nuclear magnetic relaxation (NMR) dispersions to study the
      molecular dynamics in the isotropic phase and mesophases (nematic and columnar
      hexagonal) of a supermesogenic octapode formed by laterally connecting calamitic
      mesogens to an inorganic silsesquioxane cube through flexible spacers. The
      dispersions of the spin-lattice relaxation time (T(1)) are interpreted through
      relaxation mechanisms used for the study of molecular dynamics in low-molar-mass
      liquid crystals but adapted to the case of liquid crystalline supermolecules. At
      high frequencies (above 10MHz) the behaviour of the T(1) with the Larmor
      frequency is similar for all phases and is ascribed to local reorientations
      and/or rotations. At intermediate and low frequencies (below 10MHz) our results
      show notable differences in the T(1) behaviour with respect to the mesophases.
      The nematic (N) and isotropic (Iso) phases' low-frequency results are similar and
      are interpreted for both phases in terms of order director fluctuations (ODF),
      revealing that even in the isotropic phase local nematic order is detected by
      proton NMR relaxometry. Local nematic order in the Iso phase is interpreted in
      terms of the presence of nematic cybotactic clusters induced by the
      interdigitation of mesogens that is promoted by the silsesquioxane octapode
      molecular structure. In the columnar hexagonal (Col (h) phase, the T(1)
      dispersions show that elastic columnar deformations (ECD) dominate the nuclear
      magnetic relaxation below 10MHz. This result shows that the columnar packing of
      the octapode clearly restricts the collective fluctuations of the mesogenic units
      inspite of their local nematic order.

PMID- 20300798
TI  - Autonomic failure in a HIV-infected patient.
AB  - We present a case report of severe autonomic failure in a 43-year-old well
      controlled HIV patient. Clinical and pharmacological autonomic function testing
      supported the diagnosis of peripheral autonomic failure. Simple physiological
      manoeuvres substantially improved symptoms.

PMID- 20300799
TI  - The social determinants of what?

PMID- 20300800
TI  - Causal connections between water quality and land use in a rural tropical island
      watershed: rural tropical island watershed analysis.
AB  - We examined associations between riparian canopy cover, presence or absence of
      cattle, rainfall, solar radiation, month of year, dissolved oxygen, turbidity,
      salinity, and Enterococcus concentrations in riparian surface soils with
      Enterococcus geometric mean in-stream water concentrations at Waipa watershed on
      the north side of the Hawaiian island Kaua'i. Each 1% decrease in riparian canopy
      cover was associated with a 4.6 most probable number (MPN)/100 ml increase of the
      geometric mean of Enterococcus in stream water (P < 0.05). Each unit decrease in
      salinity (ppt) was associated with an increase of Enterococcus by 68.2 MPN/100 ml
      in-stream water geometric mean concentrations (P < 0.05). Month of year was also
      associated with increases in stream water Enterococcus geometric mean
      concentrations (P < 0.05). Reducing riparian canopy cover is associated with
      Enterococcus increases in stream water, suggesting that decreasing riparian
      vegetation density could increase fecal bacteria surface runoff.

PMID- 20300801
TI  - Performance of the IEF-MST solvation continuum model in the SAMPL2 blind test
      prediction of hydration and tautomerization free energies.
AB  - The IEF-MST continuum solvation model is used to predict the hydration free
      energies and tautomeric preferences of a set of multifunctional compounds
      compiled as a blind test for computational solvation methods in the SAMPL2
      contest. Computations of hydration free energies was performed using both HF/6
      31G(d) and B3LYP/6-31G(d) versions of the IEF-MST model. For tautomeric
      preferences, the IEF-MST data was combined with the gas phase free energy
      differences predicted at different levels of theory ranging from MP2/6-31+G(d) to
      MP2/CBS+[CCSD-MP2/6-31+G(d)] levels. Comparison with the experimental data
      provided for hydration free energies yields a root-mean square deviation (rmsd)
      close to 2.3 kcal/mol, which is quite remarkable, especially considering the
      reduced set of training compounds used in the parametrization of the IEF-MST
      method. With regard to tautomerism, the lowest error in the prediction of the
      relative stabilities between tautomers in solution is obtained by combining
      MP2/CBS+[CCSD-MP2/6-31+G(d)] results with IEF-MST hydration free energies,
      yielding a rmsd of ca. 3.4 kcal/mol. The results illustrate the delicate balance
      that must be kept between the intrinsic relative stabilities in the gas phase and
      the differential hydration preferences in order to obtain an accurate description
      of the prototropic tautomerism in bioorganic compounds.

PMID- 20300803
TI  - pH-sensitive multi-PEGylated block copolymer as a bioresponsive pDNA delivery
      vector.
AB  - PURPOSE: A reversibly-PEGylated diblock copolymer, poly(aspartate-hydrazide
      poly(ethylene glycol))-block-poly(aspartate-diaminoethane) (p[Asp(Hyd-PEG)]-b
      p[Asp(DET)]) was reported here for enhanced gene transfection and colloidal
      stability. The diblock copolymer possessed a unique architecture based on a
      poly(aspartamide) backbone. The first block, p[Asp(Hyd)], was used for multi-PEG
      conjugations, and the second block, p[Asp(DET)], was used for DNA condensation
      and endosomal escape. METHODS: p[Asp(Hyd-PEG)]-b-p[Asp(DET)] was synthesized and
      characterized by (1)H-NMR. Polyplexes were formed by mixing the synthesized
      polymers and pDNA. The polyplex size, zeta-potential, and in vitro transfection
      efficiency were determined by dynamic light scattering, zeta-potential
      measurements, and luciferase assays, respectively. pH-dependent release of PEG
      from the polymer was monitored by cationic-exchange chromatography. RESULTS: The
      polyplexes were 70-90 nm in size, and the surface charge was effectively shielded
      by a PEG layer. The transfection efficiency of the reversibly PEGylated
      polyplexes was confirmed to be comparable to that of the non-PEGylated
      counterparts and 1,000 times higher than that of the irreversibly PEGylated
      polyplexes. PEG release was demonstrated to be pH-sensitive. Fifty percent of the
      PEG was released within 30 min at pH 5, while the polymer incubated at pH 7.4
      could still maintain 50% of PEG after 8 h. CONCLUSION: The reversibly PEGylated
      polyplexes were shown to maintain polyplex stability without compromising
      transfection efficiency.

PMID- 20300802
TI  - Two-layered dissolving microneedles for percutaneous delivery of peptide/protein
      drugs in rats.
AB  - PURPOSE: Feasibility study of two-layered dissolving microneedles for
      percutaneous delivery of peptide/proteins using recombinant human growth hormone
      (rhGH) and desmopressin (DDAVP). METHODS: Two-layered dissolving microneedles
      were administered percutaneously to the rat skin. Plasma rhGH and DDAVP
      concentrations were measured by EIA and LC/MS/MS. In vivo dissolution and
      diffusion rates of drugs in the skin were studied using tracer dyes, lissamine
      green B (LG) for rhGH and evans blue (EB) for DDAVP. Diffusion of drugs
      vertically into the skin was studied using FITC-dextran (MW = 20 kDa)-loaded
      dissolving microneedles. Stability experiments were performed at -80 degrees C
      and 4 degrees C. RESULTS: The absorption half-lives, t (1/2a), of rhGH and DDAVP
      from dissolving microneedles were 23.7 +/- 4.3-28.9 +/- 5.2 and 14.4 +/- 2.9-14.1
      +/- 1.1 min; the extents of bioavailability were 72.8 +/- 4.2-89.9 +/- 10.0% and
      90.0 +/- 15.4-93.1 +/- 10.3%, respectively. LG and EB disappeared from the
      administered site within 2 h and 3 h after administration. Five green fluorescein
      spots were detected at 15 s and enlarged transversally at 30 s. FITC-dextran was
      delivered into the microcapillaries at 5 min and 10 min. The rhGH and DDAVP were
      stable in dissolving microneedles for one month at -80 degrees C and 4 degrees C.
      CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that the two-layered dissolving microneedles are
      useful as an immediate-release transdermal DDS for peptide/protein drugs.

PMID- 20300804
TI  - Multi-component polymeric system for tumour cell-specific gene delivery using a
      universal bungarotoxin linker.
AB  - PURPOSE: A new universal tool for specific, non-covalent and non-destructive
      attachment of a recombinant antibody fragment to a polymer-modified adenovirus
      has been utilised to regulate the tropism of adenoviral gene delivery vector.
      METHODS: We have prepared a multivalent reactive N-(2
      hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide-based copolymer (PHPMA) bearing an alpha
      bungarotoxin-binding peptide (BTXbp). The copolymer was used for covalent surface
      modification of adenoviral vectors (Ad). The alpha-bungarotoxin protein (BTX) has
      a nanomolar binding affinity for BTXbp, allowing non-covalent linkage of BTX
      fusion proteins. A single chain variable fragment of anti-PSMA antibody bearing
      BTX (scFv-BTX) binding to the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) was
      conjugated with the copolymer-coated adenovirus to enable specific infection of
      prostate cancer cells via PSMA receptors. RESULTS: As shown by ELISA, the
      copolymer-coated virus exhibited much reduced binding to anti-Ad antibodies.
      Infection of PC-3 and LNCaP prostate cancer cells was ~100-fold less efficient
      with copolymer-coated Ad than with un-modified Ad. Conjugation of scFv-BTX with
      Ad-PHPMA-BTXbp led to 5-10-fold restoration of infection in PSMA-positive LNCaP
      cells. In PSMA-negative PC-3 cells, the conjugation of scFv-BTX with Ad-PHPMA
      BTXbp gave no enhancement of infection. CONCLUSIONS: We have shown that the
      presented Ad-PHPMA-BTXbp/scFv-BTX system can be used as a universal tool for a
      receptor-specific virotherapy.

PMID- 20300806
TI  - Suppression of microRNA accumulation via RNA interference in Arabidopsis
      thaliana.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulatory molecules in plants. These small RNAs are
      processed in the nucleus from longer precursor transcripts that form distinct
      secondary structures. The miRNAs target specific messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and
      consequently down-regulate gene expression. The importance of these regulatory
      molecules is wide-ranging, however, few loss-of-function mutants have been
      identified in miRNA genes and understanding the biology of miRNA-target pairings
      has largely depended upon creating alterations in the sequences of the target
      genes. Here we demonstrate using Arabidopsis thaliana, that it is possible to use
      RNA interference (RNAi) to suppress accumulation of miRNAs. Significantly reduced
      accumulation of miR163 and miR171a was achieved using hairpin RNAi constructs
      that were designed to target both the primary miRNA transcripts and their
      promoters. The presence of DNA methylation in the targeted promoter regions
      suggests that inhibition of transcription of the miRNA precursors is responsible.
      Reduction of miRNA accumulation resulted in an increase in accumulation of the
      mRNA targets of these miRNAs. This demonstrates that knock-down of miRNA
      expression can be achieved, thereby providing a straightforward approach for
      disrupting miRNA-target pairings and studying miRNA functions.

PMID- 20300805
TI  - PCS-based structure determination of protein-protein complexes.
AB  - A simple and fast nuclear magnetic resonance method for docking proteins using
      pseudo-contact shift (PCS) and (1)H(N)/(15)N chemical shift perturbation is
      presented. PCS is induced by a paramagnetic lanthanide ion that is attached to a
      target protein using a lanthanide binding peptide tag anchored at two points. PCS
      provides long-range (approximately 40 A) distance and angular restraints between
      the lanthanide ion and the observed nuclei, while the (1)H(N)/(15)N chemical
      shift perturbation data provide loose contact-surface information. The usefulness
      of this method was demonstrated through the structure determination of the p62
      PB1-PB1 complex, which forms a front-to-back 20 kDa homo-oligomer. As p62 PB1
      does not intrinsically bind metal ions, the lanthanide binding peptide tag was
      attached to one subunit of the dimer at two anchoring points. Each monomer was
      treated as a rigid body and was docked based on the backbone PCS and backbone
      chemical shift perturbation data. Unlike NOE-based structural determination, this
      method only requires resonance assignments of the backbone (1)H(N)/(15)N signals
      and the PCS data obtained from several sets of two-dimensional (15)N
      heteronuclear single quantum coherence spectra, thus facilitating rapid structure
      determination of the protein-protein complex.

PMID- 20300807
TI  - Impaired antigen processing and presentation machinery is associated with
      immunotolerant state in chronic hepatitis B virus infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The mechanism of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-specific T cell
      hyporesponsiveness in hepatitis Be antigen (HBeAg)-positive subjects is not well
      understood. Inefficient antigen processing and transport to major
      histocompatibility complex class I molecules, namely due to low molecular weight
      protein (LMP) 2 and 7 and transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP) 1
      and 2 genes could be playing a role. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty patients with
      chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection, hepatitis B surface antigen, and HBeAg
      positive; 26 with raised (Gr. I) and 14 with persistently normal ALT levels (Gr.
      II) and 11 healthy controls (Gr. III) were studied. Total RNA was isolated from
      peripheral blood mononuclear cells and mRNA expression of TAP1, TAP2, LMP2, and
      LMP7 genes was analyzed by semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase
      chain reaction method. Gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) and tumor necrosis factor
      alpha (TNF-alpha) levels were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
      (ELISA) using log-log and linear graphs, respectively. RESULTS: Group II CHB
      patients had significantly lower mRNA expression for TAP1 (p = 0.003) and LMP2 (p
      = 0.002) genes as compared to Gr. I patients. The mRNA expression of TAP2 and
      LMP7 genes was comparable between the groups. However, expression of TAP1 (p =
      0.02), TAP2 (p = 0.035), and LMP2 (p = 0.041) was found to be significantly
      higher in Gr. III subjects compared to Gr. I and Gr. II patients. In Gr. I and
      II, the IFN-gamma {s54.2{9.4-165} pg/ml), (59.5{28.5-110} pg/ml)}, and TNF-alpha
      {12.0 (8.0-23.2)},{10.8(6.2-20.8)} pg/ml levels were comparable but were
      significantly (p = 0.00,0.004, respectively) higher than Gr. III subjects.
      CONCLUSIONS: Low expression of TAP1 and LMP2 suggests an important role of these
      genes in defective viral antigen processing in immune tolerant state of CHB
      patients. Higher IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha production in CHB are probably enough to
      potentiate liver injury but not enough to clear the chronic HBV infection. These
      novel observations could pave way for new therapeutic strategies for immune
      restoration in CHB infected patients.

PMID- 20300808
TI  - Utilization of the Native American Talking Circle to teach incident command
      system to tribal community health representatives.
AB  - The public health workforce is diverse and encompasses a wide range of
      professions. For tribal communities, the Community Health Representative (CHR) is
      a public health paraprofessional whose role as a community health educator and
      health advocate has expanded to become an integral part of the health delivery
      system of most tribes. CHRs possess a unique set of skills and cultural awareness
      that make them an essential first responder on tribal land. As a result of their
      distinctive qualities they have the capability of effectively mobilizing
      communities during times of crisis and can have a significant impact on the
      communities' response to a local incident. Although public health emergency
      preparedness training is a priority of federal, state, local and tribal public
      health agencies, much of the training currently available is not tailored to meet
      the unique traits of CHRs. Much of the emergency preparedness training is
      standardized, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Training
      Programs, and does not take into account the inherent cultural traditions of some
      of the intended target audience. This paper reports on the use of the Native
      American Talking Circle format as a culturally appropriate method to teach the
      Incident Command System (ICS). The results of the evaluation suggest the talking
      format circle is well received and can significantly improve the understanding of
      ICS roles. The limitations of the assessment instrument and the cultural
      adaptations at producing changes in the understanding of ICS history and concepts
      are discussed. Possible solutions to these limitations are provided.

PMID- 20300809
TI  - Peer knowledge and roles in supporting access to care and treatment.
AB  - People living with HIV (PLWHIV) have been involved in the continuum of HIV care
      since the early days of the epidemic providing education and prevention services.
      There is a growing interest in utilizing HIV positive peers to support access to
      care and treatment, but little is known about the range of roles these peers
      perform and what they need to know to do this work. This study of 186 HIV
      positive peers currently providing community health services in eight states
      found that peers perform a wide range of roles, including assistance with care
      and treatment, emotional support, and service referrals. Over 80% discussed
      medications with clients. On average, experienced peers provided correct
      responses to 73% of questions about HIV and AIDS, and 65% of questions about the
      appropriate role of a peer. Peers living with HIV for more than 5 years, in paid
      employment with more than a high school education had higher HIV knowledge scores
      than volunteers. Higher education, length of time living with HIV, age and
      speaking English as the primary language were associated with higher peer
      knowledge scores. This study suggests that we cannot assume that peers already
      working in the field are fully knowledgeable about HIV care and treatment or peer
      roles. It is important to address gaps in knowledge through continuing education
      and to create common standards for the training and skills that peers who work in
      community health settings need to have.

PMID- 20300810
TI  - Hepatitis B prevalence among Asian Americans in Michigan: an assessment to guide
      future education and intervention strategies.
AB  - Free HBV (hepatitis B virus) screening was offered at 8 health fairs to Asian
      Americans in Southeast and West Michigan for two and a half years as a community
      service to study the prevalence of hepatitis B among Asian Americans in Michigan
      as a first step in reducing the incidence of hepatitis B. The screening included
      a 4 ml blood sample and a questionnaire assessing demographics and family history
      of hepatitis B; tests included the HBV surface antigen and antibody. 567 people
      participated in the study. About 6% of the participants had chronic hepatitis B
      (HBV carriers), 54% had the antibody (either had the disease before or were
      vaccinated) and 40% had no antibody or antigen (never infected by HBV and should
      be vaccinated to get protection). More than 95% of the participants were
      immigrants. Participants indicated in the family history that 10% had relatives
      with hepatitis B, 5% with liver cirrhosis, and 3% with liver cancer. Results of
      our screening supported our hypothesis that prevalence of hepatitis B among Asian
      Americans in Michigan would be similar to that in Asian Americans on the East and
      West coasts. We need to develop a strategy in Michigan to address this disease.
      In conducting this study, it was noticed that there was still resistance by Asian
      Americans to participate in clinical studies. An education intervention that is
      delivered in native Asian languages and in a culturally sensitive manner is
      needed to effectively raise awareness of hepatitis B among Asian Americans.

PMID- 20300811
TI  - Production of reactive oxygen species by the mitochondrial electron transport
      chain in Drosophila melanogaster.
AB  - Mitochondrial free radicals and in particular mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen
      Species (mtROS) are considered to be totally or partially responsible for several
      different diseases including Parkinson, diabetes or cancer. Even more
      importantly, mtROS have also been proposed as the main driving force behind the
      aging process. Thus, in the last decade, there has been a growing interest in the
      role of free radicals as signalling molecules. Collectively this makes
      understanding mechanisms controlling free radical production extremely important.
      There is extensive published literature on mammalian models (essentially rat,
      mouse and guinea pig) however; this is not the case in Drosophila melanogaster.
      Drosophila is an excellent model to study different physiological and
      pathological processes. Additionally a robust method to study mtROS is extremely
      useful. In the present article, we describe a simple--but extremely sensitive-
      method to study mtROS production in Drosophila. We have performed various
      experiments to determine which specific respiratory complexes produce free
      radicals in the electron transport chain of Drosophila melanogaster. Complex I is
      the main generator of ROS in Drosophila mitochondria, leaking electrons either in
      the forward or reverse direction. The production of ROS during reverse electron
      transport can be prevented either by rotenone or by the oxidation of NADH by
      complex I. These results clearly show that Drosophila mitochondria function in a
      very similar way to mammalian mitochondria, and therefore are a very relevant
      experimental model for biochemical studies related to ageing.

PMID- 20300812
TI  - Effects of Ginkgo biloba extract on heart and liver mitochondrial functions:
      mechanism(s) of action.
AB  - Though extracts of Ginkgo biloba leaves (GBE) have a wide pharmacological
      application, little is known about GBE effects on mitochondria. In this work,
      effects of ethanolic GBE on the respiration of isolated rat heart and liver
      mitochondria were investigated. We found that GBE stimulates the pyruvate +
      malate-dependent State 2 respiration of heart mitochondria and decreases
      mitochondrial membrane potential. Uncoupling effect of GBE was found to be due to
      its protonophoric action and is likely to be mediated by the ATP/ADP-translocator
      and uncoupling proteins. The effect of GBE was less in liver than in heart
      mitochondria. State 3 respiration of heart mitochondria was slightly stimulated
      at low and depressed at higher GBE concentrations. Inhibition of State 3
      respiration of heart mitochondria was not relieved by uncoupler indicating that
      GBE may inhibit the respiratory chain complexes or the substrate transport.
      However, Complex IV of the respiratory chain was not inhibited by GBE. H(2)O(2)
      generation was attenuated by low concentration of GBE probably due to mild
      uncoupling. The data suggest that mild but not severe uncoupling activity of GBE
      may be important in providing pharmacological protection of cellular functions in
      pathological situations.

PMID- 20300813
TI  - Perinatal depression and birth outcomes in a Healthy Start project.
AB  - Given the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes associated with a depressive
      disorder, the Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) Maternal and
      Child Health Bureau (MCHB) from 2001-2005 devoted resources through the Federal
      Healthy Start Initiative to screen pregnant women for depression and link them
      with services. In this report, we present the evaluation of a program that
      screened for depression and provided services for women with depressive symptoms
      or psychiatric distress in pregnancy to assess whether the program was associated
      with a reduction in babies born low birth weight, small for gestational age, or
      preterm. The program impact was examined among 1,100 women in three cohorts
      enrolled from 2001-2005 that included: (1) subjects recruited prior to the
      inception of the Healthy Start Initiative; (2) subjects enrolled in the Healthy
      Start Initiative; and (3) a comparison group recruited during the project period
      but not enrolled in the Healthy Start Initiative. After adjustment for
      covariates, women with probable depression were over one and a half times more
      likely to give birth to a preterm baby than non depressed women. Neither adjusted
      nor unadjusted risks for delivery of preterm, low birth weight or small for
      gestational age infants were significantly lower for women enrolled in Healthy
      Start as compared to women not enrolled in Healthy Start. However, regardless of
      enrollment in Healthy Start, women who delivered babies after the Healthy Start
      program began were 85% less likely to deliver preterm babies than women giving
      birth before the program began. Depression status conferred increased risk of
      adverse birth outcomes, results that were not altered by participation in the
      Healthy Start program. We cannot exclude the possibility that the community
      activities of the Healthy Start program promoted increased attention to health
      issues among depressed women and hence enhance birth outcomes.

PMID- 20300814
TI  - The effect of parity on cause-specific mortality among married men and women.
AB  - The objective of this study was to examine mortality differentials among men and
      women by parity for deaths from cardio-vascular disease (CVD), cancer and other
      causes. The census-based Israel Longitudinal Mortality Study II (1995-2004) was
      used to identify 71,733 married men and 62,822 married women (45-89 years).
      During the 9-year follow-up period, 19,347 deaths were reported. Cox proportional
      hazard models adjusted for age, origin, and social class were used. A non-linear
      association between parity and CVD mortality was detected for men and women.
      Excess CVD mortality risks were observed among middle-aged women with no children
      (hazard ratio [HR] 2.43, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.49, 3.96) and among
      middle-aged women and men with 8+ children (HR(women) 1.64, CI 1.02, 2.65;
      HR(men) 1.40, CI 1.01, 1.93) compared to those with two children. No clear
      pattern of association between cancer mortality and parity was apparent for men.
      Elderly women with 8+ children showed reduced mortality risks from reproductive
      cancers (HR 0.22, CI 0.05, 0.91). Similar parity-related mortality patterns were
      observed for men and women for deaths from CVD and other causes indicating
      biosocial pathways. The association between parity and cancer mortality differed
      by gender, age and type of cancer.

PMID- 20300815
TI  - Effects of oral glucocorticoid therapy on CD4+CD25+CD127- and CD4+CD25high T cell
      levels in asthmatic patients.
AB  - Our purpose was to evaluate the effects of short-term oral glucocorticoid (GC)
      treatment on frequencies of T cells with putative regulatory phenotype (namely,
      CD4+CD25+CD127- and CD4+CD25high) in patients with asthma exacerbations. In
      addition, we sought to determine frequencies of above T cell subsets in adult
      asthmatic patients in relation to disease severity and different treatment
      regimens. The analysis was performed in 62 patients with different stages of
      asthma and ten healthy controls. Polychromatic flow cytometry was applied to
      delineate T cells with CD4+CD25+CD127- and CD4+CD25high phenotype. Exhaled nitric
      oxide analysis was used to assess allergic airway inflammation. Levels of neither
      CD4+CD25+CD127- nor CD4+CD25high T cells were significantly altered after 7-day
      oral GC treatment. Importantly, there were no detectable differences in
      frequencies of those cells among studied groups of asthmatics with different
      severity of disease and healthy controls. Moreover, levels of CD4+CD25+CD127- and
      CD4+CD25high T cells in asthmatic patients were not correlated to exhaled nitric
      oxide concentrations. Our data indicate that neither effects of average doses of
      oral GC treatment nor disease severity are related to changes in frequencies of
      CD4+CD25+CD127- and CD4+CD25high T cells in adult asthmatic patients.

PMID- 20300816
TI  - The cognitive interview for eyewitnesses with autism spectrum disorder.
AB  - The cognitive interview (CI) is one of the most widely accepted forms of
      interviewing techniques for eliciting the most detailed, yet accurate reports
      from witnesses. No research, however, has examined its effectiveness with
      witnesses with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Twenty-six adults with ASD and 26
      matched typical adults viewed a video of an enacted crime, and were then
      interviewed with either a CI, or a structured interview (SI) without the CI
      mnemonics. Groups did not differ on the quantity or quality of their reports when
      interviewed with a SI, however, when interviewed with a CI the ASD group was
      significantly less accurate. Findings indicate that investigative professionals
      should be cautious in relying on the CI to interview witnesses with ASD.

PMID- 20300817
TI  - Memory awareness for faces in individuals with autism.
AB  - Little is known regarding metacognition in individuals with autism. Specifically,
      it is unclear how individuals with autism think about their own mental states.
      The current study assessed memory awareness during a facial recognition task.
      High-functioning children (M = 13.1 years, n = 18) and adults (M = 27.5 years, n
      = 16) with autism matched with typically developing children (M = 14.3 years, n =
      13) and adults (M = 26.9 years, n = 15) were tested. Children with autism
      demonstrated less accurate memory awareness for faces and less reliable
      differentiation between their confidence ratings compared to typically developing
      children. Subtle impairments in memory awareness for faces were also evident in
      adults with autism. Results indicate that broader metacognitive deficits may
      exist in individuals with autism, possibly contributing to other known
      impairments.

PMID- 20300818
TI  - Does parental education have a moderating effect on the genetic and environmental
      influences of general cognitive ability in early adulthood?
AB  - Hereditary influences account for a substantial proportion of the variance in
      many cognitive abilities. However, there is increasing recognition that the
      relative importance of genetic and environmental influences may vary across
      different socioeconomic levels. The overall goal of the present study was to
      examine whether parental education has a moderating effect on genetic and
      environmental influences of general cognitive ability in early adulthood (age
      19.6 +/- 1.5). Participants were 5,955 male twins from the Vietnam Era Twin (VET)
      Registry. Significant effects of parental education on mean level of general
      cognitive ability scores were found, but a model without moderating effects of
      parental education on genetic or environmental influences on cognitive scores
      proved to be the best fitting model. Some, but not all, previous studies have
      found significant moderating effects; however, no consistent pattern emerged that
      could account for between-study differences regarding moderating effects on
      genetic and environmental influences.

PMID- 20300819
TI  - First same-sex partner and the internet.
AB  - The present study examined the first episode of anal intercourse of young gay and
      bisexual men (YGBM) who were in the midst of their coming-out. Cross-sectional
      data regarding the first episode of anal intercourse were extracted from
      Outcomes, a longitudinal study on coming-out and sexual behavior of YGBM in the
      Netherlands. Overall, 45% of respondents reported unprotected anal intercourse
      (UAI) with their first same-sex partner. Rates of UAI did not significantly
      differ between meeting place (offline vs. online) and partner status (steady,
      regular or casual).

PMID- 20300820
TI  - Barriers to pharmacy-based syringe purchase among injection drug users in
      Tijuana, Mexico: a mixed methods study.
AB  - Injection drug users (IDUs) may be denied purchase of sterile syringes even where
      purchase without a prescription is legal. This study examined barriers to over
      the-counter (OTC) syringe purchase among IDUs in Tijuana, Mexico. A quantitative
      survey and subsequent focus groups were used to quantify barriers to purchase,
      identify their correlates and provide in-depth exploration of syringe purchase
      experiences. Of 627 IDUs, 81% purchased a syringe in the past 6 months and 16%
      were refused or overcharged. Factors independently associated with
      refusal/overcharging were homelessness, receptive syringe sharing, >5 uses per
      syringe, and number of lifetime abscesses. Few pharmacies sold syringes to IDUs,
      who adapted by limiting purchase attempts to pharmacies known to sell syringes
      consistently. Failed purchases occurred when drug withdrawal required purchase at
      unusual times or locations, often following release from jail. IDUs reported
      syringe sharing, syringe reuse, and searching through unsecured medical waste for
      syringes in response to failed purchase attempts. Interventions to expand OTC
      syringe sales to IDUs, particularly near detention facilities, will facilitate
      safer injection practices.

PMID- 20300822
TI  - Inside the black box: assessing and improving quality in youth programs.
AB  - Over the past decade, structured programming for children and youth during the
      non-school hours has expanded exponentially. A confluence of recent research
      studies and program evaluations backs the publicly perceived notion that after
      school programs can positively influence important developmental and learning
      outcomes. The rapid expansion of the field and the potential of programs to
      contribute to child and youth development have made defining what high quality
      programs look like and learning how to improve program quality key challenges
      facing the field. This paper describes what is known about the relation between
      youth program quality and youth developmental outcomes, summarizes different
      quality assessment tools being used in the field, and discusses how such tools
      are being used to drive systemic quality improvement efforts.

PMID- 20300821
TI  - Examining the potential of community-based after-school programs for Latino
      youth.
AB  - Results are presented from two pilot studies examining the potential influence of
      community-based after-school programs (ASPs) on regionally diverse Latino youth
      of varying ages. Study 1 examined relations between dimensions of ASP attendance
      and content, and ethnic identity development, and self-worth in urban Latino
      adolescents. In this study, higher ratings of the ASP's emphasis on ethnic
      socialization were associated with a more developed ethnic identity, while
      greater intensity of ASP participation and perceptions of ASP quality were
      associated with higher levels of self-worth. Study 2 examined relations between
      ASP participation and development of concentration and emotion regulation skills
      in rural Latino grade-school youth. In this study, youth who regularly attended
      the ASP demonstrated significantly better concentration and regulation skills
      than those who did not regularly attend, if they exhibited preexisting
      concentration and regulation problems. Findings illustrate how ASPs with varying
      strategies, activities, and assessment tools can be evaluated in the interest of
      designing future large-scale investigations into ASPs and Latino positive youth
      development.

PMID- 20300823
TI  - More than attendance: the importance of after-school program quality.
AB  - A central theme of the articles featured in this issue is the need to improve the
      quality of after-school programs. In this commentary, we discuss why student
      engagement, program characteristics and implementation, staff training, and
      citywide policy are key considerations in the effort to define and achieve high
      quality programs for youth.

PMID- 20300824
TI  - Dilemmas of practice: challenges to program quality encountered by youth program
      leaders.
AB  - To create and sustain high quality youth development programs it is important to
      understand the challenging situations and dilemmas that emerge in program
      leaders' daily work with youth. In this research the experiences of leaders in 12
      programs were followed over a 2-9 month period, which led to the identification
      of 250 dilemma situations. Qualitative analyses identified 5 categories and 12
      subcategories of dilemmas that reflected distinct types of considerations (e.g.,
      youth's personalities, relationships with the community). The analyses also found
      that the experienced leaders in the study typically responded to these dilemmas
      in ways that were youth-centered and that balanced multiple considerations. It is
      argued that researchers need to go beyond identifying features of high quality
      programs, and more fully examine how effective leaders create and sustain high
      quality in response to the challenging situations of practice.

PMID- 20300825
TI  - A meta-analysis of after-school programs that seek to promote personal and social
      skills in children and adolescents.
AB  - A meta-analysis of after-school programs that seek to enhance the personal and
      social skills of children and adolescents indicated that, compared to controls,
      participants demonstrated significant increases in their self-perceptions and
      bonding to school, positive social behaviors, school grades and levels of
      academic achievement, and significant reductions in problem behaviors. The
      presence of four recommended practices associated with previously effective skill
      training (SAFE: sequenced, active, focused, and explicit) moderated several
      program outcomes. One important implication of current findings is that ASPs
      should contain components to foster the personal and social skills of youth
      because youth can benefit in multiple ways if these components are offered. The
      second implication is that further research is warranted on identifying program
      characteristics that can help us understand why some programs are more successful
      than others.

PMID- 20300826
TI  - Current evidence on the relationship between three polymorphisms in the FGFR2
      gene and breast cancer risk: a meta-analysis.
AB  - In this article, inconsistency of the association of polymorphisms of fibroblast
      growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) with breast cancer is noted. Three commonly
      studied FGFR2 polymorphisms including rs1219648 (A > G), rs2420946 (C > T), and
      rs2981582 (C > T) were selected to explore their association with risk of
      development of breast cancer by meta-analysis of published case-control studies.
      The results showed that all these three polymorphisms were significantly
      associated with altered breast cancer risk in any model (co-dominant, dominant,
      or recessive model) and in stratification based on ethnicity and study design. In
      the subgroup analyses for postmenopausal women, significantly increased risks
      were found for rs1219648 and rs2420946 in any model. This meta-analysis suggests
      that FGFR2 is likely an important genetic marker contributing to susceptibility
      of breast cancer. We recommend that these single nucleotide polymorphisms to be
      included in future association studies and functional assays.

PMID- 20300827
TI  - Stimulation of retinoic acid-induced functional sodium iodide symporter (NIS)
      expression and cytotoxicity of 131I by carbamazepine in breast cancer cells.
AB  - The sodium iodide symporter (NIS) mediates the active iodide uptake in the
      thyroid gland as well as lactating breast tissue. Recently, we reported
      significant stimulation of all-trans retinoic acid (atRA)-induced NIS expression
      in the estrogen-receptor positive human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 by
      dexamethasone (Dex) in vitro and in vivo, which might offer the potential to
      image and treat breast cancer with radioiodine. In this study, based on its known
      interaction with the pregnane-X-receptor (PXR) forming a heterodimer with the
      retinoid-X-receptor (RXR), we examined the effect of carbamazepine (CBZ), a
      potent activator of PXR, on atRA-induced NIS expression and therapeutic efficacy
      of (131)I in MCF-7 cells. For this purpose, functional NIS expression in MCF-7
      cells was examined by iodide uptake assay, quantitative real-time PCR as well as
      Western blot analysis, followed by investigation of (131)I cytotoxicity in vitro
      after incubation with CBZ (4, 25, 100 MUM) in the presence of atRA (1 MUM) with
      or without Dex (100 nM). Incubation with CBZ stimulated atRA-induced iodide
      accumulation up to twofold in a concentration-dependent manner, while atRA/Dex
      stimulated iodide uptake was further stimulated up to 1.5-fold by additional CBZ
      treatment based on significantly increased NIS mRNA and protein levels. This
      stimulatory effect of CBZ was shown to be dependent on the PI3K-Akt pathway
      without involvement of mTOR. In contrast, treatment with CBZ alone had no effect
      on functional NIS expression. Moreover, selective cytotoxicity of (131)I was
      significantly increased from approximately 20% in MCF-7 cells treated with atRA
      alone to 50% after treatment with CBZ in the presence of atRA, which was further
      enhanced to 90% after combined treatment with atRA/Dex/CBZ. In conclusion, CBZ
      represents another potent stimulator of atRA-induced functional NIS expression
      resulting in an enhanced selective killing effect of (131)I in MCF-7 breast
      cancer cells.

PMID- 20300828
TI  - Metformin inhibits aromatase expression in human breast adipose stromal cells via
      stimulation of AMP-activated protein kinase.
AB  - AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is recognized as a master regulator of energy
      homeostasis. In concert with the AMPK-kinase LKB1, it has been shown to provide a
      molecular link between obesity and postmenopausal breast cancer via its actions
      to inhibit aromatase expression, hence estrogen production, within the breast.
      The anti-diabetic drug metformin is known to increase the activity of AMPK and
      was therefore hypothesized to inhibit aromatase expression in primary human
      breast adipose stromal cells. Results demonstrate that metformin significantly
      decreases the forskolin/phorbol ester (FSK/PMA)-induced expression of aromatase
      at concentrations of 10 and 50 muM. Consistent with the hypothesized actions of
      metformin to increase AMPK activity, treatment with 50 muM metformin results in a
      significant increase in phosphorylation of AMPK at Thr172. Interestingly,
      metformin also causes a significant increase in LKB1 protein expression and
      promoter activity, thereby providing for the first time an additional mechanism
      by which metformin activates AMPK. Furthermore, metformin inhibits the nuclear
      translocation of CRTC2, a CREB-coactivator known to increase aromatase expression
      which is also a direct downstream target of AMPK. Overall, these results suggest
      that metformin would reduce the local production of estrogens within the breast
      thereby providing a new key therapeutic tool that could be used in the
      neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings and conceivably also as a preventative measure
      in obese women.

PMID- 20300829
TI  - The PHSCN dendrimer as a more potent inhibitor of human breast cancer cell
      invasion, extravasation, and lung colony formation.
AB  - The alpha5beta1 integrin fibronectin receptor is an attractive therapeutic target
      in breast cancer because it plays key roles in invasion and metastasis. While its
      inactive form is widely expressed, activated alpha5beta1 occurs only on tumor
      cells and their associated vasculature. The PHSCN peptide has been shown to bind
      activated alpha5beta1 preferentially, thereby blocking invasion in vitro, and
      inhibiting growth, metastasis and tumor recurrence in preclinical models.
      Moreover in a recent Phase I clinical trial, systemic PHSCN monotherapy was well
      tolerated, and metastatic disease failed to progress for 4-14 months in 38% of
      patients receiving it. A significantly more potent PHSCN derivative, the PHSCN
      polylysine dendrimer (Ac-PHSCNGGK-MAP) has recently been developed. We report
      that it is 1280- to 6700-fold more potent than the PHSCN peptide at blocking
      alpha5beta1 mediated SUM-149 PT and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell invasion
      of naturally occurring basement membranes in vitro. Chou-Talalay analysis of
      these data suggested that invasion inhibition by the PHSCN dendrimer was highly
      synergistic. We also report that, consistent with its enhanced invasion
      inhibitory potency, the PHSCN dendrimer is 700- to 1100-fold more effective than
      the PHSCN peptide at preventing SUM-149 PT and MDA-MB-231 extravasation in the
      lungs of athymic, nude mice. Our results also show that many extravasated SUM-149
      PT and MDA-MB-231 cells go on to develop into metastatic colonies, and that
      pretreatment with the PHSCN dendrimer is more than 100-fold more effective at
      reducing lung colony formation. Since many patients newly diagnosed with breast
      cancer already have locally advanced or metastatic disease, the availability of a
      well-tolerated, nontoxic systemic therapy that can prevent metastatic progression
      by blocking invasion could be very beneficial.

PMID- 20300830
TI  - Accumulation and remobilization of metals in superficial sediments in Tianjin,
      China.
AB  - The concentrations of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb in superficial sediment samples
      collected from three representative sites (Yuqiao Reservoir, Haihe River, and
      Haihe River Estuary) in Tianjin, North China, were analyzed using various single
      extraction and sequential extraction procedures to determine their
      remobilization, extractability, and distribution patterns. Sediments from the
      Haihe River had higher metal concentrations and geo-accumulation indices,
      especially for Cd and Zn, than sediments from the other two sites, suggesting
      that the Haihe River has been heavily influenced by anthropogenic activities. In
      addition, over 31% and 28.2% of the total Cd in the Haihe River and the Yuqiao
      Reservoir, respectively, and 18.2% of the total Zn in the Haihe River were found
      to be associated with the exchangeable form, indicating the significant
      remobilization of Cd and Zn when compared with Cr and Ni. However, over 98% of
      the Ni and 78% of the Cr were most closely associated with the residue and
      oxidizable fractions, which resulted in their becoming environmentally immobile.
      Based on the Environmental Protection Agency method 3050B, Cd and Zn had the
      greatest extraction efficiency when a single extraction procedure using 0.5-mol
      L(-1) HCl, 0.43-mol L(-1) HAcO, and 0.05-mol L(-1) ethylene-diamine-tetra-acetic
      acid was conducted, with extraction yields of up to 72%, 68%, and 56% for Cd and
      50%, 49%, and 29% for Zn, respectively, being obtained for the Haihe River
      sediments. This was followed by the yields of Cu and Pb and, finally, those of
      unpolluted metals such as Cr and Ni. HCl and acetic acid extraction provided
      equivalent information for predicting Cd and Zn mobility in the sediments studied
      and produced suitable results for quick screening.

PMID- 20300831
TI  - Study of heavy metal pollution in seawater of Kepez harbor of Canakkale (Turkey).
AB  - In this work, the heavy metals cadmium and lead in Kepez harbor were studied with
      regard to the determination of the environmental pollution levels. Seawater
      samples of the Dardanelles (Canakkale Strait) were collected from the nearest
      station to Kepez harbor in July 2007. Then, the concentrations of these metals
      were determined after simple pretreatment of samples by the proposed inductively
      coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) method. The analysis of a
      given sample is completed in about 15 min by the ICP-AES method, and the
      concentrations of Cd and Pb were found to be 73.80 mg L(-1) (relative standard
      deviation [RSD], 1.07%) and 9.39 mg L(-1) (RSD, 0.70%), respectively. The
      accuracy of the applied ICP technique was checked by recovery studies, and good
      recoveries were obtained. The pollution levels of Cd and Pb recorded in this
      study were compared with those in other studies to analyze the water sample in
      Kepez harbor.

PMID- 20300832
TI  - PAHs in soils and estimated air-soil exchange in the Pearl River Delta, South
      China.
AB  - In this study, 74 soil samples collected from the Pearl River Delta were analyzed
      for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The PAH mixture in the soils is
      mainly of low molecular weight compounds, with naphthalene (21.4%) and
      phenanthrene (21.8%) being dominant. Soil PAH levels from the Pearl River Delta
      are relatively low (28-711 ng/g, averaged 192 ng/g) compared to those from urban
      soils in temperate regions. The mean concentration of SigmaPAHs generally
      decrease with increasing distance from the city center, with SigmaPAHs of paddy
      soils>crop soil>natural soil. PAHs in the air were measured during a year-round
      sampling campaign using semipermeable membrane devices, and the transfer of
      chemicals between the soil and air compartments were estimated. Soil-air fugacity
      quotient calculations showed a highly uncertain equilibrium position of PAHs,
      with net volatilization of naphthalene and fluorene, whereas net deposition of
      phenanthrene, fluoranthene, and pyrene, indicating a capacity for the air to
      supply the soil with more substances.

PMID- 20300833
TI  - Airborne pollen of ornamental tree species in the NW of Spain.
AB  - This study analyzed airborne pollen counts for the tree taxa most widely used for
      ornamental purposes in the northwestern Iberian Peninsula (Platanus,
      Cupressaceae, Olea, Myrtaceae, Cedrus, and Casuarina) at four sites (Vigo,
      Ourense, Santiago, and Lugo), using aerobiological data recorded over a long
      period (1993-2007). The abundance and the temporal and spatial distribution of
      these pollen types were analyzed, and the influence of weather-related factors on
      airborne pollen counts was assessed. Platanus (in Ourense) and Olea (in Vigo)
      were the taxa contributing most to pollen counts. In general terms, the results
      may be taken as indicators of potential risk for pollen-allergy sufferers and
      therefore used in planning future green areas.

PMID- 20300834
TI  - Stagnant surface water bodies (SSWBs) as an alternative water resource for the
      Chittagong metropolitan area of Bangladesh: physicochemical characterization in
      terms of water quality indices.
AB  - The concern over ensuing freshwater scarcity has forced the developing countries
      to delve for alternative water resources. In this study, we examined the
      potential of stagnant surface water bodies (SSWBs) as alternative freshwater
      resources in the densely populated Chittagong metropolitan area (CMPA) of
      Bangladesh--where there is an acute shortage of urban freshwater supply. Water
      samples were collected at 1-month intervals for a period of 1 year from 12
      stations distributed over the whole metropolis. Samples were analyzed for pH,
      water temperature (WTemp), turbidity, electrical conductivity (EC), total
      dissolved solids, total solids, total hardness, dissolved oxygen (DO), chloride,
      orthophosphates, ammonia, total coliforms (TC), and trace metal (Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb,
      As, and Fe) concentrations. Based on these parameters, different types of water
      quality indices (WQIs) were deduced. WQIs showed most of CMPA-SSWBs as good or
      medium quality water bodies, while none were categorized as bad. Moreover, it was
      observed that the minimal water quality index (WQIm), computed using five
      parameters: WTemp, pH, DO, EC, and turbidity, gave a reliable estimate of water
      quality. The WQIm gave similar results in 72% of the cases compared with other
      WQIs that were based on larger set of parameters. Based on our finding, we
      suggest the wider use WQIm in developing countries for assessing health of SSWBs,
      as it will minimize the analytical cost to overcome the budget constraints
      involved in this kind of evaluations. It was observed that except turbidity and
      TC content, all other quality parameters fluctuated within the limit of the World
      Health Organization suggested standards for drinking water. From our findings, we
      concluded that if the turbidity and TC content of water from SSWBs in CMPA are
      taken care of, they will become good candidates as alternative water resources
      all round the year.

PMID- 20300835
TI  - Heavy metal concentrations in groundwaters and soils of Thane Region of
      Maharashtra, India.
AB  - Thane district is one of the most industrialized districts in Maharashtra. The
      heavy industrialization and the increasing urbanization are responsible for the
      rapidly increasing stress on the water and soil environment of the area.
      Therefore, an attempt has been made through comprehensive study on the
      groundwater contamination and soil contamination due to heavy metals in Thane
      region of Maharashtra. The area undertaken for the study was Thane and its
      suburbans Kalwa, Divajunction, Dombivali, Kalyan, and Ulhasnagar.
      Industrialization and urbanization lead to generation of large volumes of
      wastewater from domestic, commercial, industrial, and other sources, which
      discharged in to natural water bodies like river and creek in this region.
      Groundwater samples and soil samples were collected from residential, commercial,
      agriculture, and industrial areas. Groundwater samples were analyzed for various
      water quality parameters. The analytical data shows very high concentration of
      total dissolved solids, total hardness, total alkalinity, chemical oxygen demand,
      chloride etc. Groundwater and soil samples were analyzed for ten heavy metals by
      inductively coupled plasma (ICPE-9000) atomic emission spectroscopy. The
      analytical data reveal that, very high concentration level of arsenic, cadmium,
      mercury, and nickel throughout the industrial area. The random dumping of
      hazardous waste in the industrial area could be the main cause of the groundwater
      and soil contamination spreading by rainwater and wind. In the residential areas
      the local dumping is expected to be the main source for heavy metals. A
      comparison of the results of groundwater with WHO guidelines show that most of
      the groundwater sampling station are heavily contaminated with organic matter and
      heavy metals. Groundwater samples are heavily contaminated by arsenic, cadmium,
      mercury, and nickel. Similarly, the results of heavy metals in soil compared with
      Swedish soil guideline values for polluted soil show that soil samples collected
      from residential, commercial and industrial areas are heavily contaminated by
      arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and nickel.

PMID- 20300836
TI  - Analysis of the environmental impact on a stream: is only tannery to blame?
AB  - The contribution of wastewater from a tannery industry to the pollution of a
      stream was investigated. The main parameters studied were biochemical oxygen
      demand, chemical oxygen demand, chromium, dissolved oxygen, fecal and total
      coliforms, nitrogen, oils and greases, pH, phosphorous, sulfides, suspended
      solids, turbidity, and volatile solids. Three sampling points were located: (1)
      at the discharge point of tannery wastewater, (2) 50 m upstream, and (3) 80 m
      downstream of discharge point. Also was investigated the pollution at the stream
      source.

PMID- 20300837
TI  - Nitrate levels modulate denitrification activity in tropical mangrove sediments
      (Goa, India).
AB  - A study to examine the short-term effect of nitrate and organic carbon addition
      on denitrification activity was carried out on sediments from a mangrove
      ecosystem prone to anthropogenic activities (Divar, Goa, India). Laboratory
      microcosms were prepared using sediment sectioned at every 2-cm-depth interval
      from the surface to 10 cm. The incubations were subjected to varying nitrate
      amendments at concentrations ranging from 0, 5, 10, 20, 40 to 60 MUmol l(-1) (up
      to three times more than measured in field). Nitrous oxide production rates
      increased significantly (n=15; p<0.001) on addition of the nutrient at all depths
      investigated indicating that denitrification in mangrove sediments was
      NO[Formula: see text] limited. Incubations amended with organic carbon were
      prepared using glucose as a substrate with concentrations ranging from 0%, 0.1%,
      0.3%, 0.5%, 0.75% to 1%. No significant increase in N2O production was observed
      on organic C addition. When both the substrates were in excess (1 mmol KNO3+1
      mmol glucose), potential denitrification rates decreased with depth and were up
      to 38 times higher than the in situ denitrification activity varying from 81.26
      to 304.09 MUmol N2O-N m(-2) h(-1). These results reveal that mangrove sediments
      could act as a sink for nitrate and microbially mediated denitrification could
      effectively reduce N load controlling any adverse environmental impact in the
      adjoining estuarine system.

PMID- 20300838
TI  - Water quality decline in coastal aquifers under anthropic pressure: the case of a
      suburban area of Dakar (Senegal).
AB  - In recent years, the unregulated increase of the population in coastal areas of
      developing countries has become source of concern for both water supply and
      quality control. In the region of Dakar (Senegal), approximately 80% of water
      resources come from groundwater reservoirs, which are increasingly affected by
      anthropogenic pressures. The identification of the main sources of pollution, and
      thus the aquifer vulnerability, is essential to provide a sound basis for the
      implementation of long-term geochemically based water management plans in this
      sub-Saharan area. With this aim, a hydrochemical and isotopic survey on 26 wells
      was performed in the so-called Peninsula of Cap-Vert. Results show that seawater
      intrusion represents the main process affecting groundwater chemical
      characteristics. Nitrates often exceed the World Health Organization drinking
      water limits: stable isotopes of dissolved nitrate (delta15N and delta18O)
      indicate urban sewage and fertilizers as a major source of contamination. Results
      depict a complex situation in which groundwater is affected by direct and
      indirect infiltration of effluents, mixing with seawater and freshening processes
      from below. Besides the relevance of the investigation at a regional level, it
      represents a basis for decision-making processes in an integrated water resources
      management and in the planning of similar monitoring strategies for other urban
      coastal regions.

PMID- 20300839
TI  - Water quality of a tributary of the Pearl River, the Beijiang, Southern China:
      implications from multivariate statistical analyses.
AB  - Water quality information of Beijiang River, a tributary of Pearl River in
      Guangdong, China, was analyzed to provide an overview of the hydrochemical
      functioning of a major agricultural/rural area and an industrial/urban area.
      Eighteen water quality parameters were surveyed at 13 sites from 2005 to 2006 on
      a monthly basis. A bivariate correlation analysis was carried out to evaluate the
      regional correlations of the water quality parameters, while the principal
      component analysis (PCA) technique was used to extract the most influential
      variables for regional variations of river water quality. Six principal
      components were extracted in PCA which explained more than 78% and 84% of the
      total variance for agricultural/rural and industrial/urban areas, respectively.
      Physicochemical factor, organic pollution, sewage pollution, geogenic factor,
      agricultural nonpoint source pollution, and accumulated pesticide usage were
      identified as potential pollution sources for agricultural/rural area, whereas
      industrial wastewaters pollution, mineral pollution, geogenic factor, urban
      sewage pollution, chemical industrial pollution, and water traffic pollution were
      the latent pollution sources for industrial/urban area. A multivariate linear
      regression of absolute principal component scores (MLR-APCS) technique was used
      to estimate contributions of all identified pollution sources to each water
      quality parameter. High coefficients of determination of the regression equations
      suggested that the MLR-APCS model was applicable for estimation of sources of
      most water quality parameters in the Beijiang River Basin.

PMID- 20300840
TI  - Scaffold-directed and traceless synthesis of tricyclic quinoxalinone imidazoles
      under microwave irradiation: for SCS-09 special issue-combinatorial approaches to
      drug discovery.
AB  - Traceless synthesis of 2-aminoimidazoquinoxalinones has been performed on soluble
      polymer support under open-vessel microwave dielectric heating. The reaction
      progression is monitored directly by the conventional proton NMR which indicated
      no release of the substrate from the support. Fmoc-deprotected amino acid polymer
      conjugates react with 1,5-difluoro-2,4-dinitro benzene to yield polymer bound
      dinitro fluoro amines, which are further substituted by various primary amines to
      yield PEG-immobilized dinitrodiamines. Simultaneous reduction of aromatic meta
      dinitro group leads to the traceless release of 2-quinoxalinones, followed by N
      hetero cyclization with various isothiocyanates in the presence of
      mercury(II)chloride to furnish 2-aminoimidazoquinolinone rings with three points
      of diversity at rapid pace.

PMID- 20300842
TI  - Vulnerable sites and changes in mucin in the rat small intestine after non
      steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs administration.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The location of mucosal damage and changes in mucin content
      in the rat small intestine following administration of non-steroidal anti
      inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have not been well elucidated. METHODS: After
      subcutaneous administration of loxoprofen sodium (10-40 mg/kg), the small
      intestinal mucosa of male Wistar rats was evaluated macroscopically,
      histologically, and immunohistochemically by measuring the total mucin content
      and immunoreactivity for anti-mucin monoclonal antibody, HCM31, 1, 3, 7, and 14
      days later. Changes in the number of enterobacteria invading the mucosa around
      the lesions were also determined. RESULTS: Loxoprofen sodium induced erosions and
      ulcers along the mesenteric margin of the distal jejunum. Early (<=6 h) mucosal
      lesions were small and round, located between the branches of the mesenteric
      arteries. In the jejunum, there was a transient increase in the total mucin
      content, and HCM31-positive mucin in the mucosa around the ulcers increased
      significantly on days 3 and 7, but in the ileum there were no marked changes and
      few ulcers. Bacterial translocation following loxoprofen sodium administration
      significantly increased, according to the site of the intestinal lesions.
      CONCLUSIONS: Vascularly compromised sites along the jejunal mesenteric margin are
      vulnerable to NSAIDs-induced damage and show increased numbers of enterobacteria
      in the NSAIDs-treated mucosa. Increased sialomucin content in the mucus around
      the lesions may play an important role in the healing of NSAIDs-induced
      intestinal lesions.

PMID- 20300841
TI  - Esophageal adenocarcinoma: treatment modalities in the era of targeted therapy.
AB  - Esophageal adenocarcinoma is an aggressive malignancy with a poor outcome, and
      its incidence continues to rise at an alarming rate. Current treatment strategies
      combining chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery are plagued with high rates of
      recurrence and metastasis. Multiple molecular pathways including the epidermal
      growth factor receptor, vascular endothelial growth factor, v-erb-b2
      erythroblastic leukemia viral oncogene homolog (ERBB2), and Aurora kinase
      pathways are activated in many esophageal adenocarcinomas. In many cases, these
      pathways have critical roles in tumor progression. Research on the mechanisms by
      which these pathways contribute to disease progression has resulted in numerous
      biologic agents and small molecules with the potential to improve outcome. The
      promise of targeted therapy and personalized medicine in improving the clinical
      outcome is now closer than it has ever been.

PMID- 20300843
TI  - Is BRAF mutation associated with interval colorectal cancers?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Colon cancers diagnosed in the interval after a complete
      colonoscopy may occur due to limitations of colonoscopy or due to rapid tumor
      growth. The aim of this study was to compare the association of BRAF V600E
      mutation in interval versus non-interval colorectal cancers and to determine the
      relationship between BRAF mutation and 5-year survival. METHODS: We searched our
      institution's cancer registry for interval cancers, defined as colon cancers that
      developed within 5 years of a complete colonoscopy. These were frequency matched
      to patients with non-interval cancers. Archived cancer specimens were tested for
      BRAF V600E mutation and MSI. RESULTS: There were 63 interval and 131 non-interval
      cancers. BRAF mutation was present in 28% of interval cancers compared to 19% of
      non-interval cancers (P = 0.18). In a multivariable logistic regression model,
      proximal location (OR 1.85; 95% CI 1.01-3.8) and MSI (OR 2.7; 95% 1.1-6.8) were
      independently associated with interval cancers while BRAF mutation was not (OR
      0.93; 95% CI 0.36-2.38). BRAF mutation portended a poor 5-year survival,
      particularly among microsatellite stable cancers. CONCLUSIONS: BRAF mutation is
      not associated with interval cancers but is a marker of poor prognosis,
      particularly in microsatellite stable cancers.

PMID- 20300844
TI  - Increased prevalence of reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate in chronic
      hepatitis C patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To investigate the prevalence and severity of reduced estimated
      glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC).
      METHODS: Medical record review of 831 consecutive CHC patients seen in our clinic
      between July 2000 and August 2003; eGFR was estimated using the abbreviated
      Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (aMDRD) equation. The stage of kidney
      disease was determined based on eGFR expressed in milliliters per minute per 1.73
      m(2): stage 1 (signs of kidney damage but normal or elevated (eGFR >or= 90),
      stage 2 (eGFR 60-89), stage 3 (30-59), stage 4 (eGFR 15-29), stage 5 (eGFR < 15
      or dialysis-dependent). RESULTS: A total of 522 patients had available data with
      using the aMDRD equation, 51% had abnormal eGFR (stage 1, 4.6%; stage 2, 36.4%;
      stage 3 or 4, 6.1%; stage 5, 3.8%). Of 190 patients with stage 2 kidney disease,
      189 patients (99.5%) had normal serum creatinine and only one patient (0.5%) had
      elevated creatinine concentrations (>1.4 mg/dl). Of the 32 patients with stage 3
      or 4 disease, 20 (62.5%) had a normal serum creatinine concentration. Of 349
      patients without diseases known to cause renal insufficiency, 38% had stage 2-4
      renal disease. In a subset of these patients, 95/522 (18%) the measured
      creatinine clearance showed good correlation with their aMDRD (R = 0.47, (p <
      0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: In CHC patients, a normal serum creatinine concentration
      does not assure normal kidney function. Estimation of eGFR with the aMDRD
      equation is a more accurate method of identifying patients with chronic kidney
      disease and reduced eGFR. Therefore, CHC patients should be screened more
      rigorously for chronic kidney disease because of the high prevalence of reduced
      eGFR. Lastly, in all CHC patients, the aMDRD eGFR should be used in each
      encounter with these patients when assessing their renal function irrespective of
      their serum creatinine.

PMID- 20300845
TI  - Abnormal small-intestinal endocrine cells in patients with irritable bowel
      syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: General disturbances in gastrointestinal motility have been reported
      in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The gastrointestinal tract
      hormones play an important role in regulating gastrointestinal motility. AIMS: To
      investigate a possible abnormality in the small intestinal endocrine cells of IBS
      patients. METHODS: Included in the study were 41 patients with irritable bowel
      syndrome according to Rome Criteria III and 42 healthy controls. Duodenal
      biopsies were obtained from both patients and controls during gastroscopy. The
      biopsies were immunostained by avidin-biotin-complex method for secretin, CCK,
      GIP, somatostatin, and serotonin cells. The cell densities were quantified by
      computerized image analysis. RESULTS: The density of secretin- and CCK
      immunoreactive cells in patients with IBS was significantly reduced. The
      reduction in secretin and CCK cells occurred only in IBS-diarrhea patients, but
      not in IBS-constipation subtype. Both GIP and somatostatin cell densities were
      reduced in the duodenum of IBS patients. There was no statistical difference
      between the subtypes of IBS patients, regarding secretin, CCK, GIP, or
      somatostatin cell densities. Serotonin cell density was not affected in patients
      with IBS. CONCLUSIONS: The low densities of secretin and CCK cells in IBS
      diarrhea patients may cause a functional pancreatic insufficiency as well as
      inadequate gall emptying, as these hormones stimulate pancreatic bicarbonate and
      enzyme secretion and CCK stimulates as well gall bladder contraction. Low
      densities of secretin, GIP, and somatostatin cells in IBS patients might result
      in a high secretion of gastric acid, as secretin, GIP, and somatostatin inhibit
      gastric acid secretion.

PMID- 20300846
TI  - Electromagnetically controlled biological assembly of aligned bacterial cellulose
      nanofibers.
AB  - We have developed a new biofabrication process in which the precise control of
      bacterial motion is used to fabricate customizable networks of cellulose
      nanofibrils. This article describes how the motion of Acetobacter xylinum can be
      controlled by electric fields while the bacteria simultaneously produce
      nanocellulose, resulting in networks with aligned fibers. Since the electrolysis
      of water due to the application of electric fields produces the oxygen in the
      culture media far from the liquid-air boundary, aerobic cellulose production in
      3D structures is readily achievable. Five separate sets of experiments were
      conducted to demonstrate the assembly of nanocellulose by A. xylinum in the
      presence of electric fields in micro- and macro-environments. This study
      demonstrates a new concept of bottom up material synthesis by the control of a
      biological assembly process.

PMID- 20300847
TI  - The effect of stent porosity and strut shape on saccular aneurysm and its
      numerical analysis with lattice Boltzmann method.
AB  - The analysis of a flow pattern in cerebral aneurysms and the effect of stent
      strut shapes are presented in this article. The treatment of cerebral aneurisms
      with a porous stent has recently been proposed as a minimally invasive way to
      prevent rupture and favor coagulation mechanism inside the aneurism. The
      efficiency of stent is related to several parameters, including porosity and
      stent strut shapes. The goal of this article is to study the effect of the stent
      strut shape and porosity on the hemodynamic properties of the flow inside an
      aneurysm using a numerical analysis. In this study, we use the concept of flow
      reduction to characterize the stent efficiency. Also, we use the lattice
      Boltzmann method (LBM) of a non-Newtonian blood flow. To resolve the
      characteristics of a highly complex flow, we use an extrapolation method for the
      wall and stent boundary. To ease the code development and facilitate the
      incorporation of new physics, a scientific programming strategy based on object
      oriented concepts is developed. Reduced velocity, smaller average vorticity
      magnitude, smaller average shear rate, and increased viscosity are observed when
      the proposed stent shapes and porosities are used. The rectangular stent is
      observed to be optimal and to decrease the magnitude of the velocity by 89.25% in
      the 2D model and 53.92% in the 3D model in the aneurysm sac. Our results show the
      role of the porosity and stent strut shape and help us to understand the
      characteristics of stent strut design.

PMID- 20300848
TI  - Peptide interfacial biomaterials improve endothelial cell adhesion and spreading
      on synthetic polyglycolic acid materials.
AB  - Resorbable scaffolds such as polyglycolic acid (PGA) are employed in a number of
      clinical and tissue engineering applications owing to their desirable property of
      allowing remodeling to form native tissue over time. However, native PGA does not
      promote endothelial cell adhesion. Here we describe a novel treatment with hetero
      bifunctional peptide linkers, termed "interfacial biomaterials" (IFBMs), which
      are used to alter the surface of PGA to provide appropriate biological cues.
      IFBMs couple an affinity peptide for the material with a biologically active
      peptide that promotes desired cellular responses. One such PGA affinity peptide
      was coupled to the integrin binding domain, Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD), to build a
      chemically synthesized bimodular 27 amino acid peptide that mediated interactions
      between PGA and integrin receptors on endothelial cells. Quartz crystal
      microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCMD) was used to determine the
      association constant (K (A) 1 x 10(7) M(-1)) and surface thickness (~3.5 nm).
      Cell binding studies indicated that IFBM efficiently mediated adhesion,
      spreading, and cytoskeletal organization of endothelial cells on PGA in an
      integrin-dependent manner. We show that the IFBM peptide promotes a 200% increase
      in endothelial cell binding to PGA as well as 70-120% increase in cell spreading
      from 30 to 60 minutes after plating.

PMID- 20300849
TI  - Direct electrical stimulation using a battery-operated device for induction and
      modulation of colonic contractions in pigs.
AB  - Direct electrical stimulation of the colon offers a promising approach for the
      induction of propulsive colonic contractions by using an implantable device. The
      objective of this study was to assess the feasibility to induce colonic
      contractions using a commercially available battery-operated stimulator (maximum
      pulse width of 1 ms and maximum amplitude of 10 V). Three pairs of pacing
      electrodes were inserted into the cecal seromuscular layer of anesthetized pigs.
      During a first set of in vivo experiments conducted on six animals, a pacing
      protocol leading to cecum contractions was determined: stimulation bursts with 1
      ms pulse width, 10 V amplitude (7-15 mA), 120 Hz frequency, and 30-s burst
      duration, repeated every 2-5 min. In a second testing phase, an evaluation of the
      pacing protocol was performed in four animals (120 stimulation bursts in total).
      By using the battery-operated stimulator, contractions of the cecum and movement
      of contents could be induced in 92% of all stimulations. A cecal shortening of
      about 30% and an average intraluminal pressure increase of 10.0 +/- 6.0 mmHg were
      observed.

PMID- 20300850
TI  - Computational tools for quantitative breast morphometry based on 3D scans.
AB  - Quantitative analysis of breast morphometry is critical to breast plastic
      surgery. Recently, three-dimensional (3D) photography has emerged as a strong new
      alternative for breast morphometry analysis in comparison to other existing
      techniques. 3D photography enables the capture of the entire breast surface
      topology virtually in a single snapshot and without any direct contact with the
      patient, thus causing minimal discomfort. In this paper, we present a set of
      computational tools for the quantitative analysis of two key morphological
      properties of the breast that are of interest to breast plastic surgery based on
      3D scans, namely breast shape and volume. The breast shape is modeled using a
      compact geometric model capable of capturing the global shape of the breast with
      very few parameters. Specifically, the shape model is deduced by applying a set
      of five global deformations to a geometric primitive. These deformations, defined
      using very intuitive parameters, closely model the key shape variables that
      surgeons inherently use to describe the overall shape of the breast. Patient
      specific parameters of the breast shape model are automatically recovered by
      fitting a generic breast shape model to the 3D scan of the patient's breast using
      a physics-based deformable model framework. The mean error of fit between the
      automatically fitted shape model and the actual breast surface for 12 subjects
      varied between 0.9 and 2.6 mm. These results are very encouraging considering the
      fact that only 17 parameters are used to determine the shape of the breast. The
      breast volume is estimated automatically by first localizing the breast on a 3D
      scan of the patient's torso and then computing the volume enclosed between an
      interpolated breast-less torso surface and the actual breast. The volume
      estimated by the proposed method was found to be within the intra-operator
      variability among five segmentation trials performed manually by an expert on 3D
      torso scans of three subjects.

PMID- 20300851
TI  - Mapping the spatiotemporal dynamics of calcium signaling in cellular neural
      networks using optical flow.
AB  - An optical flow gradient algorithm was applied to spontaneously forming networks
      of neurons and glia in culture imaged by fluorescence optical microscopy in order
      to map functional calcium signaling with single pixel resolution. Optical flow
      estimates the direction and speed of motion of objects in an image between
      subsequent frames in a recorded digital sequence of images (i.e., a movie).
      Computed vector field outputs by the algorithm were able to track the
      spatiotemporal dynamics of calcium signaling patterns. We begin by briefly
      reviewing the mathematics of the optical flow algorithm, and then describe how to
      solve for the displacement vectors and how to measure their reliability. We then
      compare computed flow vectors with manually estimated vectors for the progression
      of a calcium signal recorded from representative astrocyte cultures. Finally, we
      applied the algorithm to preparations of primary astrocytes and hippocampal
      neurons and to the rMC-1 Muller glial cell line in order to illustrate the
      capability of the algorithm for capturing different types of spatiotemporal
      calcium activity. We discuss the imaging requirements, parameter selection and
      threshold selection for reliable measurements, and offer perspectives on uses of
      the vector data.

PMID- 20300852
TI  - Large neutral amino acids in daily practice.
AB  - At the Kennedy Centre for Phenylketonuria, Denmark, large neutral amino acids
      (LNAAs) are being used to treat adult and adolescent patients who are nonadherent
      to dietary treatment for phenylketonuria (PKU). At the start of treatment, a
      patient must undergo dietary analysis and regular blood sampling to measure
      plasma amino acid (AA) concentrations. The aim of this analysis and treatment is
      that the patient receives 25-30% of the daily protein requirement from LNAA
      supplementation and the remaining 70-75% from natural, low-phenylalanine proteins
      (although some patients have difficulties in maintaining this level of protein
      intake). Patients are therefore able to follow a more "normal" diet than those
      adhering to a PKU diet with AA supplementation (in which only 20% of the daily
      protein requirement is provided from the diet and 80% from AA supplementation).
      LNAAs have also been used to treat older patients with untreated/late-diagnosed
      PKU who show profound intellectual, psychological, and behavioral impairments.
      Treatment with LNAAs has been shown to improve measures of concentration and
      awareness of external stimuli in some of these patients and thus enhance their
      socialization, emotionality, frustration tolerance, and mood. 

PMID- 20300854
TI  - Rapid detection of pathogens using antibody-coated microbeads with
      bioluminescence in microfluidic chips.
AB  - Detection of pathogens was demonstrated in a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/glass
      microfluidic chip with which microbead-based immunoseparation platform and the
      bioluminescence technology were integrated. Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7
      was used as the model bacteria. The microchamber in microfluidic chip was filled
      with glass beads coated with antibodies which could capture specific organism,
      and the capture efficiency of the chip for the bacteria was about 91.75%
      approximately 95.62%. Then the concentration of bacteria was determined by
      detecting adenosine triphosphate (ATP) employing bioluminescence reaction of
      firefly luciferin-lucifera-ATP on chip. The method allowed reliable detection of
      E. coli O157:H7 concentrations from 3.2 x 10(1) cfu/microL to 3.2 x 10(5)
      cfu/microL within 20 min. This research demonstrated excellent reproducibility,
      stability, and specificity, and could accurately detect the pathogenic bacteria
      in food samples. The microfluidic chip and the equipments used in this method are
      easy to miniaturize, thus the method has great potential to be developed to a
      portable device for rapid detection of pathogens.

PMID- 20300853
TI  - Fatal cerebral edema associated with serine deficiency in CSF.
AB  - Two young girls without a notable medical history except for asthma presented
      with an acute toxic encephalopathy with very low serine concentrations both in
      plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) comparable to patients with 3
      phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (3-PGDH) deficiency. Clinical symptoms and enzyme
      measurement (in one patient) excluded 3-PGDH deficiency. Deficiencies in other
      serine biosynthesis enzymes were highly unlikely on clinical grounds. On basis of
      the fasting state, ketone bodies and lactate in plasma, urine and CSF, we
      speculate that reduced serine levels were due to its use as gluconeogenic
      substrate, conversion to pyruvate by brain serine racemase or decreased L-serine
      production because of a lack of glucose. These are the first strikingly similar
      cases of patients with a clear secondary serine deficiency associated with a
      toxic encephalopathy. 

PMID- 20300855
TI  - Mitochondria-targeting photosensitizer-encapsulated amorphous nanocage as a
      bimodal reagent for drug delivery and biodiagnose in vitro.
AB  - The use of ceramic nano-carriers containing anti-cancer drugs for targeted
      delivery that span both fundamental and applied research has attracted the
      interest of the scientific community. In this paper, a hydrophobic photodynamic
      therapy drug, hypocrellin A (HA), was successfully encapsulated in water-soluble
      amorphous silica nanocage (HANC) by an improved sol-gel method. These nanocages
      are of ultrasmall size, highly monodispersed, stable in aqueous suspension, and
      retain the optical properties of HA. Moreover, these nanocages can be effectively
      delivered, subsequently taken up by cancer cells and finally targeted to
      mitochondria. In addition, incubation time dependent photodynamic efficacy
      difference between HANC and HA was investigated for the first time. Especially,
      the nanocages, owning extremely high stable fluorescence comparing with free HA,
      also have potentials as efficient probes for optical biodiagnose in vitro. All
      these properties of HANC could possibly make it especially promising to be used
      as a bimodal reagent for photodynamic therapy and biodiagnose.

PMID- 20300856
TI  - Compressed collagen gel as the scaffold for skin engineering.
AB  - Collagen gel scaffolds can potentially be utilized as cell seeded systems for
      skin tissue engineering. However, its dramatic contraction after being mixed with
      cells and its mechanical weakness are the drawbacks for its application to skin
      engineering. In this study, a compressed collagen gel scaffold was fabricated
      through the rapid expulsion of liquid from reconstituted gels by the application
      of 'plastic compression'(PC) technique. Both compressed and uncompressed gels
      were characterized with their gel contraction rate, morphology, the viability of
      seeded cells, their mechanical properties and the feasibility as a scaffold for
      constructing tissue-engineered skin. The results showed that the compression
      could significantly reduce the contraction of the collagen gel and improve its
      mechanical property. In addition, seeded dermal fibroblasts survived well in the
      compressed gel and seeded epidermal cells gradually developed into a stratified
      epidermal layer, and thus formed tissue engineered skin. This study reveals the
      potential of using compressed collagen gel as a scaffold for skin engineering.

PMID- 20300857
TI  - A computational and experimental study inside microfluidic systems: the role of
      shear stress and flow recirculation in cell docking.
AB  - In this paper, microfluidic devices containing microwells that enabled cell
      docking were investigated. We theoretically assessed the effect of geometry on
      recirculation areas and wall shear stress patterns within microwells and studied
      the relationship between the computational predictions and experimental cell
      docking. We used microchannels with 150 microm diameter microwells that had
      either 20 or 80 microm thickness. Flow within 80 microm deep microwells was
      subject to extensive recirculation areas and low shear stresses (<0.5 mPa) near
      the well base; whilst these were only presented within a 10 microm peripheral
      ring in 20 microm thick microwells. We also experimentally demonstrated that cell
      docking was significantly higher (p < 0.01) in 80 microm thick microwells as
      compared to 20 microm thick microwells. Finally, a computational tool which
      correlated physical and geometrical parameters of microwells with their fluid
      dynamic environment was developed and was also experimentally confirmed.

PMID- 20300858
TI  - Microfluidic perifusion and imaging device for multi-parametric islet function
      assessment.
AB  - A microfluidic islet perifusion device was developed for the assessment of
      dynamic insulin secretion of multiple pancreatic islets and simultaneous
      fluorescence imaging of calcium influx and mitochondrial potential changes. The
      fanned out design of the second generation device optimized the efficient mixing
      and uniform distribution of rapid alternating solutions in the perifusion chamber
      and allowed for the generation of reproducible glucose gradients. Simultaneous
      imaging of calcium influx and mitochondrial potential changes in response to
      glucose stimulation showed high signal-noise ratio and spatial-temporal
      resolution. These results suggest that this system can be used for detailed study
      of the endocrine function of pancreatic islets with simultaneous imaging of
      intracellular ion fluxes and mitochondrial membrane potential changes. This tool
      can be used for quality assessment of islets preparation before transplantation
      and for in vitro studies of islet function.

PMID- 20300859
TI  - Serum testosterone in females exposed to natural sour gas with respect to
      polymorphisms of XRCC1, GSTM1, and GSTT1.
AB  - The present study was done to determine the modulation effect(s) of polymorphisms
      of XRCC1, GSTM1, and GSTT1 on concentration of serum testosterone in females
      exposed to natural sour gas. Also we examine whether chronic exposure to natural
      gas containing sulfur compounds act as natural selection force on XRCC1
      polymorphisms. The present study was performed on 68 healthy unrelated female
      students living in polluted areas of MIS. Also for investigating the effect of
      natural selection on XRCC1 polymorphism, a study was performed on two groups of
      healthy individuals of MIS citizens. The first and second groups including 94
      (age range 30-85 years) and 187 individuals (age range 5-20 years), respectively.
      First and second groups were born and were not born in contaminated areas of the
      MIS, respectively. There was no significant difference between genotypes of XRCC1
      for concentration of serum testosterone. Although GSTT1-null genotype had higher
      level of serum testosterone in comparison with the present genotype (t=2.392,
      df=66, P=0.023), a borderline difference between genotypes of GSTM1 for serum
      testosterone was observed (t=1.928, df=66, P=0.058). Analysis of variance
      revealed significant difference between combination genotypes of GSTM1 and GSTT1
      for serum testosterone (F=4.167; df=3, 64; P=0.009). The Duncan post hoc test
      indicated that the combination genotype of "present GSTM1/null GSTT1" had
      significant higher level of testosterone. There is no evidence that XRCC1
      polymorphisms have advantage/disadvantage when population exposed to natural sour
      gas. The polymorphisms of GSTM1 and GSTT1 modulate serum testosterone
      concentration in young females exposed to natural sour gas.

PMID- 20300860
TI  - Identification of candidate genes associated with CBB resistance in common bean
      HR45 (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) using cDNA-AFLP.
AB  - Common bacterial blight (CBB), incited by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. phaseoli
      (Xap), is a serious seed-borne disease of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in
      both temperate and tropical production zones. The line HR45 is highly resistant
      to Xap infection on leaves and pods in both field and greenhouse. To understand
      the molecular mechanisms underlying CBB resistance in HR45, cDNA-amplified
      fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technique was used to identify the genes that
      are differentially expressed in the leaves of HR45 at different time-periods
      after inoculation. Selective amplifications with 34 primer combinations allowed
      the visualization of 2,448 transcript-derived fragments (TDFs) in infected
      leaves, and 259 (10.6%) of them were differentially expressed TDFs (DE-TDFs).
      Seventy-seven of the DE-TDFs were cloned and sequenced. Thirty-nine of the 77
      (50.6%) DE-TDFs representing bean transcripts were not previously reported in any
      EST database. The expression patterns of 10 representative DE-TDFs were further
      confirmed by real-time RT-PCR. BLAST analysis suggested that 40% (31 of 77) of
      the DE-TDFs were homologous to the genes related to metabolism, photosynthesis,
      and cellular transport, whereas 28% (22 of 77) of the DE-TDFs showed homology to
      the genes involved in defence response, response to stimulus, enzyme regulation,
      and transcription regulation. Thus, the 22 pathogenesis-related DE-TDFs were
      selected as potential functional candidate genes (FCGs) in association with CBB
      resistance. Meanwhile, six of the DE-TDFs (1FCG and five other DE-TDFs) were in
      silico mapped to the distal region of the bean linkage group B6 (the genomic
      location containing the major CBB resistance QTL in HR45) and, therefore, were
      considered as positional candidate genes (PCGs). This study represents a first
      step towards the discovery of bean genes expressed upon Xap infection. This
      information will be useful for elucidating the molecular basis of the resistance
      response process and identifying the genes that underlie the CBB-resistance.

PMID- 20300861
TI  - Loss of heterozygosity of the tumor suppressor gene Tg737 in the side population
      cells of hepatocellular carcinomas is associated with poor prognosis.
AB  - Analysis of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) is a useful method for finding genetic
      alterations in tumor and precancerous lesion tissues. In this study, we analyzed
      LOH of the tumor suppressor gene Tg737 in side population cells of human
      hepatocellular carcinomas. Side population cells were sorted and identification
      by flow cytometry from suspensions of hepatocarcinoma or normal liver cells
      generated from 95 hepatocellular carcinoma and normal tissues, respectively. DNA
      was extracted from the two groups of side population cells and peripheral blood
      specimens. Five microsatellite markers on the Tg737 gene were used to analyze the
      frequency of loss of heterozygosity in the side population cells of the
      hepatocellular carcinoma. Twenty-four (25.30%) tumor samples had a large deletion
      in more than three microsatellite markers. The highest frequency of loss of
      heterozygosity was observed with the G64212 marker (78.75%) and the SHGC-57879
      marker (75.95%). Statistical analysis of the correlation between loss of
      heterozygosity of Tg737 and clinicopathological features indicated a strong
      correlation between the two markers associated with the highest frequency of loss
      of heterozygosity and survival. The results indicate that loss of heterozygosity
      of the tumor suppressor gene Tg737 may play an important role in the
      carcinogenetic mechanism of liver cancer stem cells. In addition, the independent
      association between loss of heterozygosity at the SHGC-57879 and G64212 markers
      and worsened short-term survival in patients could be used as a novel prognostic
      predictor. Further studies of side population cells may contribute to the
      establishment of novel therapeutic strategies for hepatocellular carcinoma.

PMID- 20300862
TI  - Polymorphisms of BMPR-IB gene and their relationship with litter size in goats.
AB  - The bone morphogenetic protein receptor IB (BMPR-IB) gene was studied as a
      candidate gene for the prolificacy of goats. According to mRNA sequence of ovine
      BMPR-IB gene, ten pairs of primers were designed to detect single nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs) of exon 1, exon 2, exon 6 to exon 10 and 3' untranslated
      region (UTR) of the BMPR-IB gene in both high prolificacy breed (Jining Grey
      goat) and low prolificacy breeds (Wendeng Dairy and Inner Mongolia Cashmere
      goats) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-single strand conformation polymorphism
      (SSCP) method. Only the products amplified by primers P8 and P10 of the 3'UTR
      displayed polymorphisms. For primer P8, three genotypes (AA, AB and BB) were
      detected in Jining Grey and Wendeng Dairy goats, two genotypes (AA and AB) were
      in Inner Mongolia Cashmere goats. Sequencing revealed one mutation (71C->T) of
      the BMPR-IB gene in genotype BB compared with AA. The differences of least
      squares mean (LSM) for litter size between genotypes AA, AB and BB were non
      significant (P > 0.05) in Jining Grey goats. For primer P10, three genotypes (CC,
      CD and DD) were detected in Jining Grey and Wendeng Dairy goats and one genotype
      (CC) in Inner Mongolia Cashmere goats. Sequencing revealed one mutation (130T->C)
      of the BMPR-IB gene in genotype DD compared with CC. The differences of LSM for
      litter size between genotypes CC, CD and DD were non-significant (P > 0.05) in
      Jining Grey goats. These results preliminarily showed that the detected loci of
      the BMPR-IB gene had no significant effect on prolificacy of Jining Grey goats.

PMID- 20300863
TI  - Interleukin-8-251A/T polymorphism and Helicobacter pylori infection influence
      risk for the development of gastric cardiac adenocarcinoma in a high-incidence
      area of China.
AB  - Polymorphisms in cytokine genes may contribute to increased susceptibility to
      different cancers. The aim of this paper is to investigate the association of IL
      8-251A/T polymorphism and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection with the risk
      of developing gastric cardiac adenocarcinoma (GCA) in the south of Taihang
      Mountain, a high-incidence area of esophageal cancer in China. The IL-8-251 A/T
      polymorphism was genotyped in 519 cases of GCA and 504 healthy controls. The H.
      pylori infection in GCA patients and controls was detected by rapid urease test
      (RUT), histopathology or (14)C-urea breath test ((14)C-UBT). The results showed
      that family history of upper gastrointestinal cancer (UGIC) and H. pylori
      infection significantly increased the risk of developing GCA. The overall
      genotype and allelotype distributions of IL-8 promoter SNPs in GCA patients were
      significantly different from those in healthy controls. Compared with TT
      genotype, AA genotype significantly elevated the risk of developing GCA. The
      stratification analysis revealed that, compared with the TT genotype, the AA
      genotype significantly elevated the risk of developing GCA in both positive
      family history of UGIC and H. pylori infection subgroups. This study provides
      evidence to support a relationship of increased susceptibility to GCA in
      individuals of the south Taihang Mountain region with IL-8 251 AA genotype,
      especially for those individuals who have family history of UGIC or H. pylori
      infection.

PMID- 20300864
TI  - Investigation of porcine FABP3 and LEPR gene polymorphisms and mRNA expression
      for variation in intramuscular fat content.
AB  - Porcine chromosome 6 (SSC6) has been reported to have QTL affecting intramuscular
      fat content (IMF) in multiple populations. The objective of this study was to
      investigate the effect of FABP3 and LEPR genetic variations as well as their mRNA
      expression on the IMF trait in a three-generation of Korean native pig and
      Yorkshire crossed animals. Several polymorphisms of the FABP3 (HinfI, HaeIII and
      HinfI*) were significantly associated with moisture, tenderness and flavor score
      (P < 0.05), and were used to construct haplotypes: haplotype 1 (-TCT-) increased
      the marbling and intramuscular fat content, however, haplotype 2 (-CCT-)
      decreased tenderness. The LEPR AvaII polymorphism showed significant association
      with moisture, intramuscular fat, cholesterol and flavor score (P < 0.05). The
      linkage analyses with six microsatellites mapped FABP3 gene in the interval
      between the markers Sw1129 and S0228 (Sw1129--11.7 cM--FABP3-9.1 cM--S0228), and
      the LEPR gene between the markers S0121 and Sw322 (S0121--7.5 cM--LEPR--28.5 cM-
      Sw322). QTL mapping suggested a significant QTL affecting Moisture (83 cM) and
      IMF (84 cM) located close to marker S0228. The gene expression results showed
      that in the loin muscle, both of the FABP3 and LEPR genes showed significantly
      higher expression in pigs with higher IMF%, however, in the backfat, only FABP3
      showed differential expression between these two groups of pigs (significantly
      higher expression in pigs with lower IMF%) (P < 0.05). In the liver, both of
      these two genes did not show any difference between the high and low IMF% groups.

PMID- 20300865
TI  - Characterization of two cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L) invertase genes.
AB  - Two cotton vacuolar-invertase genes were identified and sequenced. Both genes had
      seven exons, including an unusually small second exon typical of acid invertases.
      These genes encode peptides with many features shared by acid invertases from
      other species including, leader sequences that probably target the peptide to the
      vacuole, active site motifs and substrate binding motifs. Expression analyses
      indicated that one of the genes was expressed in roots during the starch filling
      stage of development. However, expression of the same gene fluctuated during the
      starch utilization stage of development. Therefore this gene was unlikely to play
      a role in determining sink strength of this tissue. Both genes were expressed in
      elongating fibers where they were likely to play a role in cell expansion. The
      invertase gene uniquely expressed in fiber had a simple sequence repeat (SSR) in
      the third intron that was polymorphic among various cotton species. An EST was
      identified with an expansion of the SSR that included the third intron indicating
      this SSR is associated with a splice variant. The polymorphic SSR may be useful
      in investigating the function of this gene in fiber development.

PMID- 20300866
TI  - Quality-of-life measures in Taiwanese adults with symptomatic gallstone disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to investigate the association of
      quality-of-life status with baseline laboratory findings among Taiwanese adults
      having symptomatic gallstone disease. METHODS: A prospective quality-of-life
      survey was administered at a tertiary referral medical center among 102
      consecutive adults with symptomatic gallstone disease. Patients underwent regular
      laboratory testing at admission and were evaluated using the 36-Item Short-Form
      Health Survey (SF-36) and the Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI).
      Correlation and regression models were used to investigate quality-of-life
      predictors. RESULTS: Compared with the general Taiwanese adult population,
      patients having symptomatic gallstone disease had significantly poorer
      performance on all eight SF-36 subscales (P < 0.001). Total GIQLI showed moderate
      to strong correlation with all eight SF-36 subscale scores (gamma = 0.29 ~ 0.62,
      P < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, serum levels of direct bilirubin (beta = 
      32.6, P = 0.001) and alkaline phosphatase (beta = -13.6, P = 0.032) were
      predictive of worse total GIQLI (adjusted R (2) = 0.183). CONCLUSIONS:
      Symptomatic gallstone disease may considerably affect patient quality of life in
      terms of general health status and gastrointestinal-specific measures. Before
      gallstone surgery, serum levels of direct bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase
      significantly correlated with quality-of-life measures and can be used to
      evaluate patient well-being at admission.

PMID- 20300867
TI  - Novel one-stop multidisciplinary follow-up clinic significantly improves cancer
      risk management in BRCA1/2 carriers.
AB  - The purpose of this study is to measure the impact of a multidisciplinary one
      stop follow-up clinic (MDOSC) on breast and ovarian surveillance, risk reducing
      surgery and enrolment in clinical trials in BRCA1/2 carriers. All BRCA1/2
      carriers in our region were invited and chose which specialists to see in our
      MDOSC offering best practice using clinical protocols based on national
      guidelines and published data. Uptake was evaluated over 24 months recording
      numbers of individuals undergoing breast and ovarian surveillance, risk reducing
      surgery, newly diagnosed cancers, their method of detection and participation in
      clinical trials. 172 (60%) of invited BRCA1/2 carriers chose to attend the MDOSC.
      Breast surveillance was initiated in 88% and screening frequency altered in 14%
      of women to comply with national guidelines. Risk reducing salpingo-oophorectomy
      was chosen by 47% of women and an additional 39% were considering it. The rate of
      failure to remove fallopian tubes fell from 15 to 3% of procedures (P < 0.01) and
      peritoneal washings and serial sectioning of tubes and ovaries rose from 25% and
      14% before, to 67% (P < 0.001) and 63% (P < 0.001) procedures, respectively,
      after initiation of our MDOSC. 24% of women considered and 18% decided to undergo
      risk reducing mastectomy during the follow-up period. Participation in clinical
      trials increased significantly from 51 to 229 enrolments (P < 0.001). Our novel
      MDOSC designed to devise an individually tailored cancer risk management strategy
      had a high uptake amongst our BRCA1/2 carriers. Attendance resulted in improved
      breast and ovarian cancer risk management.

PMID- 20300868
TI  - Elevated blood lead levels and cytogenetic markers in buccal epithelial cells of
      painters in India: genotoxicity in painters exposed to lead containing paints.
AB  - BACKGROUND, AIM, AND SCOPE: Lead, a major contaminant, is highly used in paint
      manufacturing due to its anticorrosive properties. Recent reports indicated high
      lead content among Indian paints used for commercial purposes. Painters are
      continuously exposed to these lead containing paints during painting of both
      commercial as well as residential buildings. Lead is well-known for its
      genotoxicty in occupational workers; however, in Indian painters the genotoxic
      effects of lead have not been reported to date. Therefore we aimed to study the
      genotoxic end points in painters due to their long-term exposure to these high
      lead-containing Indian paints. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Study group selection was
      made after a questionnaire administration, which included questions about
      lifestyle and medical history to exclude exposure to the other potential sources
      of genotoxics. Blood and buccal cell samples were obtained from 30 male painters
      and from a similar number of age-matched controls of same location with no
      occupational exposure to lead. Blood lead levels (Pb-B) were measured in painters
      and controls. Micronucleus (MN) frequencies and nuclear changes, i.e.,
      karyorrhexis, karyolysis, broken egg, and binucleated, were investigated in
      buccal epithelial cells. RESULTS: Painters had significantly (P < 0.01) greater
      lead levels in blood than the control group. MN frequencies and nuclear changes
      in buccal epithelial cells were also significantly (P < 0.01) elevated in
      painters as compared with control subjects. Regression analysis also revealed
      significant (P < 0.01) association of Pb-B with all the genotoxic endpoints in
      painters. Cytogenetic damage was significantly associated with Pb-B as no other
      co-founding factors (smoking, alcohols) showed significant difference between
      both groups. DISCUSSION: Lead is widely used in paints which may serve as
      potential source of exposure among painters due to their long-term engagement
      with paints. Our results clearly demonstrated genotoxicity among the exposed
      population as evident from increase micronucleus frequencies, frequent nuclear
      changes, and apoptosis. Many studies had previously related nuclear change events
      in buccal epithelial cells with the progression of different carcinomas.
      Furthermore in-depth investigations with larger sample size are needed to provide
      evidence to this effect. CONCLUSIONS: Here, we report cytogenetic toxicity to the
      exposed population by the high lead containing paints from India for the first
      time. Frequent, high and unregulated use of lead in paints may cause genetic
      mutation and may accelerate cytogenetic damage which may further lead to
      different carcinomas in painters. These findings need to be considered and
      necessary steps should be taken to protect the occupational workers engaged with
      these high lead-containing paints. RECOMMENDATIONS: The use of lead in paints is
      completely unregulated in India and routine surveillance of paints for lead
      content is still lacking. These paints are readily available in markets and are
      also used in other products (jewelry, miniblinds) which could be exported to
      other countries including United States and Europe. Serious consideration should
      be given to the inclusion of regulations and bans on the use of lead in paints.
      Moreover, attention should also be paid towards the use of various protective
      measures (face-masks, hand gloves, and separate clothes) by the workers as safe
      work practices during working periods.

PMID- 20300869
TI  - Body burdens of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in childbearing-aged women at an
      intensive electronic-waste recycling site in China.
AB  - BACKGROUND, AIM AND SCOPE: This study is the first to investigate PBDE body
      burden with regard to the concurrent analyses of multiple human matrices, namely
      milk, placenta, and hair, collected from a group of childbearing-aged women at an
      electronic waste (e-waste) recycling site to determine the partitioning of PBDEs
      in these different human matrices and the possible health risks imposed to
      infants at the e-waste recycling site. METHODS AND METHODS: Five sets of milk,
      placenta, and hair samples were collected from an e-waste site (Taizhou, Zhejiang
      Province) and a reference site (Lin'an city, Zhejiang Province; 245 km away from
      Taizhou) in China. The concentrations of total PBDEs in different human tissues
      were analyzed according to US EPA standard methods. RESULTS: PBDE body burdens of
      women from the e-waste site (milk 117 +/- 191, 8.89-457 ng/g fat, placenta 19.5
      +/- 29.9, 1.28-72.1 ng/g fat, hair 110 +/- 210, 8.47-486 ng/g dry wt.) showed
      significantly higher levels than those from the reference site (milk 2.06 +/-
      0.94, 1.0-3.56 ng/g fat, placenta 1.02 +/- 0.36, 0.59-1.42 ng/g fat, hair 3.57 +/
      2.03, 1.56-5.61 ng/g dry wt.) and were higher than those reported in other
      studies, due to e-waste recycling operations, especially open burning. On a dry
      weight basis, the following trend was found for PBDE among the samples from
      Taizhou: hair>>milk>placenta. Among the donors, the body burden of an e-waste
      worker ranked second. Higher brominated BDEs (hepta-BDEs) contributed a
      significantly greater proportion to total PBDEs in hair of the Taizhou women
      (20%) than that in milk (2.9%) and in placenta (2.6%). The estimated intake of
      PBDEs of 6-month-old breastfed infants living at the e-waste site was 572 +/- 839
      ng/kg body wt/day, which was 57 times higher than that of infants from the
      reference site (10.1 +/- 4.60 ng/kg body wt/day). Moreover, the maximum
      calculated value (2,240 ng/kg body wt/day) exceeded the chronic oral reference
      dose for penta-BDE (2,000 ng/kg/day) of US EPA. DISCUSSION: BDE-47 was the
      dominant congener accounting for 20-30% in all the individual samples, while
      higher-brominated congeners, for example, BDE-183 and BDE-190, contributed
      between 2% and 20%. The presence of hepta-BDE congeners (BDE-181, BDE-190) in
      hair of the women in Taizhou suggest that thermal degradation of Deca-BDE from
      the open burning of e-waste may have been their source because these congeners
      are not found in either Penta-BDE or Octa-BDE technical products. Of the three
      types of samples analyzed, it was also suspected that hair may be more favorable
      to higher-brominated compounds which might explain why the hair samples contained
      the highest total PBDE concentrations and the highest proportion of higher
      brominated BDEs (hepta-BDEs). CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that
      primitive e-waste recycling in China leads to high PBDE body burdens in local
      residents and can potentially threaten the health of infants. RECOMMENDATIONS AND
      PERSPECTIVES: Control measures should be imposed to minimize the level of
      pollutants resulting from e-waste processing operations to the environment and to
      humans. In-depth investigations on epidemiological studies of health impacts
      caused by e-waste recycling operations should be conducted. It is recommended
      that further measurements of PBDE levels in local food (e.g., fish, shellfish,
      dairy products, meat, fruits, and vegetables), dust, air, water, and human
      specimens be collected from a larger sample size at the e-waste processing site
      for the determination of human exposure pathways to PBDEs.

PMID- 20300870
TI  - Characterization of phenol degradation by high-efficiency binary mixed culture.
AB  - BACKGROUND, AIM, AND SCOPE: Two new high phenol-degrading strains, Micrococcus
      sp. and Alcaligenes faecalis JH 1013, were isolated. The two isolates could grow
      aerobically in mineral salts medium containing phenol as a sole carbon source at
      concentration of 3,000 mg L(-1). It was found that the binary mixed culture of
      the two isolates possessed good potential for phenol removal. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: Phenol biodegradation using the binary mixed culture of the two isolates
      was studied. The optimal conditions were determined to be temperature 32 degrees
      C, pH 7.0, inoculum size 10.0%, and agitation rate 150 rpm in the synthetic
      wastewater. In addition, the kinetics of the cell growth and phenol degradation
      by the binary mixed culture were also investigated using Haldane model over a
      wide range of initial phenol concentrations from 20 to 2,400 mg L(-1). RESULTS:
      The experimental data indicated that the binary mixed culture had pretty high
      phenol degradation potential, which could thoroughly degrade the phenol in the
      synthetic wastewater containing phenol 2,400 mg L(-1) within 72 h under aerobic
      condition. Under the optimal conditions, the phenol concentration was reduced
      speedily from 1,000 to below 0.28 mg L(-1) in the presence of the binary mixed
      culture, and the phenol degradation rate reached 99.97% after 16 h. It was well
      below the standard value 0.28 mg L(-1) as described by Chinese Environmental
      Protection Agency. It was clear that the Haldane kinetic model adequately
      described the dynamic behavior of phenol degradation by the binary mixed culture
      with kinetic constants of q (max) = 0.45 h(-1), K (sq) = 64.28 mg L(-1), and K
      (iq) = 992.79 mg L(-1). The phenol concentration to avoid substrate inhibition
      had been inferred theoretically to be 252.62 mg L(-1). CONCLUSIONS: Phenol, as
      the only carbon source, could be degraded by the binary mixed culture at high
      initial phenol concentrations. Phenol exhibited inhibitory behavior, and the
      growth kinetics of the binary mixed culture could be correlated well by the
      simple Haldane's inhibitory model. The kinetics parameters were invariably
      required for the design and simulation of batch and continuous bioreactor
      treating phenolic wastewaters.

PMID- 20300872
TI  - Cardiogoniometric parameters for detection of coronary artery disease at rest as
      a function of stenosis localization and distribution.
AB  - Cardiogoniometry (CGM), a spatiotemporal electrocardiologic 5-lead method with
      automated analysis, may be useful in primary healthcare for detecting coronary
      artery disease (CAD) at rest. Our aim was to systematically develop a stenosis
      specific parameter set for global CAD detection. In 793 consecutively admitted
      patients with presumed non-acute CAD, CGM data were collected prior to elective
      coronary angiography and analyzed retrospectively. 658 patients fulfilled the
      inclusion criteria, 405 had CAD verified by coronary angiography; the 253
      patients with normal coronary angiograms served as the non-CAD controls. Study
      patients--matched for age, BMI, and gender--were angiographically assigned to 8
      stenosis-specific CAD categories or to the controls. One CGM parameter possessing
      significance (P < .05) and the best diagnostic accuracy was matched to one CAD
      category. The area under the ROC curve was .80 (global CAD versus controls). A
      set containing 8 stenosis-specific CGM parameters described variability of R
      vectors and R-T angles, spatial position and potential distribution of R/T
      vectors, and ST/T segment alterations. Our parameter set systematically combines
      CAD categories into an algorithm that detects CAD globally. Prospective
      validation in clinical studies is ongoing.

PMID- 20300871
TI  - Zinc tolerance and uptake by Arabidopsis halleri ssp. gemmifera grown in nutrient
      solution.
AB  - BACKGROUND, AIM, AND SCOPE: Zinc is an essential micronutrient element but its
      concentrations found in contaminated soils frequently exceed those required by
      the plant and soil organisms, and thus create danger to animal and human health.
      Phytoremediation is a technique, often employed in remediation of contaminated
      soils, which aims to remove heavy metals or other contaminants from soils or
      waters using plants. Arabidopsis (A.) halleri ssp. gemmifera is a plant recently
      found to be grown vigorously in heavy metal contaminated areas of Japan and it
      contained remarkably high amount of heavy metals in its shoots. However, the
      magnitude of Zn accumulation and tolerance in A. halleri ssp. gemmifera need to
      be investigated for its use as a phytoremediation plant. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      A. halleri ssp. gemmifera was grown for 3 weeks into half-strength nutrient
      solution with Zn (as ZnSO(4)) levels ranging from 0.2 to 2,000 microM. The
      harvested plants were separated into shoots and roots, dried in the oven, and
      ground. The plant tissue was digested with nitric-perchloric acid, and the Zn
      concentration in the digested solution was measured by atomic absorption
      spectrophotometer. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The results showed no reduction in
      shoot and root dry weight when plants were grown at 0.2 to 2,000 microM Zn in the
      solution. The highest Zn concentration measured in the shoots was 26,400 mg kg(
      1) at 1,000 microM Zn, while in the roots, it was 71,000 mg kg(-1) at 2,000
      microM Zn treatment. Similar to the Zn concentration in plant parts, maximum Zn
      accumulation of 62 mg plant(-1) in the shoots and 22 mg plant(-1) in the roots
      was obtained at 1,000 and 2,000 microM Zn in the solution. The percentage of Zn
      translocation in shoot varied from 69% to 90% of the total Zn, indicating that
      the shoot was the major sink of Zn accumulation in this plant. CONCLUSIONS: The
      results of this study indicate that the growth of A. halleri ssp. gemmifera was
      not affected by the Zn level of up to 2,000 microM in the nutrient solution. The
      concentration of Zn found in shoot indicated that A. halleri ssp. gemmifera has
      an extraordinary ability to tolerate and accumulate Zn and hence a good candidate
      for the phytoremediation of Zn-polluted soil. RECOMMENDATIONS AND OUTLOOK: Based
      on the results presented in this study and earlier hydroponics, and field study,
      A. halleri ssp. gemmifera seems to be a potential heavy metals hyperaccumulator,
      and could be recommended to use for phytoremediation of Cd- and Zn-contaminated
      soils.

PMID- 20300874
TI  - Family caregivers, patients, and physicians.

PMID- 20300873
TI  - A method for continuously assessing the autonomic response to music-induced
      emotions through HRV analysis.
AB  - Interest in therapeutic applications of music has recently increased, as well as
      the effort to understand the relationship between music features and
      physiological patterns. In this study, we present a methodology for
      characterizing music-induced effects on the dynamics of the heart rate
      modulation. It consists of three steps: (i) the smoothed pseudo Wigner-Ville
      distribution is performed to obtain a time-frequency representation of HRV; (ii)
      a parametric decomposition is used to robustly estimate the time-course of
      spectral parameters; and (iii) statistical population analysis is used to
      continuously assess whether different acoustic stimuli provoke different dynamic
      responses. Seventy-five healthy subjects were repetitively exposed to pleasant
      music, sequences of Shepard tones with the same tempo as the pleasant music and
      unpleasant sounds overlaid with the same sequences of Shepard tones. Results show
      that the modification of HRV parameters are characterized by an early fast
      transient phase (15-20 s), followed by an almost stationary period. All kinds of
      stimuli provoked significant changes compared to the resting condition, while
      during listening to pleasant music the heart and respiratory rates were higher
      (for more than 80% of the duration of the stimuli, p < 10(-5)) and the power of
      the HF modulation was lower (for more than 70% of the duration of the stimuli, p
      < 0.05) than during listening to unpleasant stimuli.

PMID- 20300875
TI  - Lasting sunrise.

PMID- 20300876
TI  - Fundoplication after laparoscopic Heller myotomy for esophageal achalasia: what
      type?
AB  - Because of the high success rate of minimally invasive surgery, a radical shift
      in the treatment algorithm of esophageal achalasia has occurred. Today, a
      laparoscopic Heller myotomy is the preferred treatment modality for achalasia.
      This remarkable change is due to the recognition by gastroenterologists and
      patients that a laparoscopic Heller myotomy gives better and more durable results
      than pneumatic dilatation and intrasphincteric injection of botulinum toxin
      injection, while it is associated to a short hospital stay and a fast recovery
      time. While there is agreement about the need of a fundoplication in conjunction
      to the myotomy, some questions still remain about the type of fundoplication:
      Should the fundoplication be total or partial, and in case a partial
      fundoplication is chosen, should it be anterior or posterior? The following
      review describes the data present in the literature in order to identify the best
      procedure that can achieve prevention or control of gastroesophageal reflux after
      a myotomy without impairing esophageal emptying.

PMID- 20300877
TI  - Periampullary and duodenal neoplasms in neurofibromatosis type 1: two cases and
      an updated 20-year review of the literature yielding 76 cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) are at increased risk to
      develop tumors throughout the gastrointestinal tract, including neuromas,
      gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), and periampullary somatostatin-rich
      carcinoids. Here, we briefly describe two male patients with NF1 and review the
      recent literature on this topic. METHODS: Databases for PubMed and MEDLINE were
      searched for English-language articles since 1989 using a list of keywords, as
      well as references from review articles. RESULTS: The results generated by the
      search yielded 50 articles and 74 cases. Patients most commonly presented with
      jaundice, weight loss, GI bleeding, or anemia. The mean age at presentation was
      47.9 years, with 59% of patients being female. Mean tumor size was 3.8 cm (range
      0.9-27 cm). Tumor location was the duodenum (60%), ampulla (31%), pancreas (5%),
      or bile duct/gallbladder (4%). Tumor type was reported as somatostatinoma (40%),
      GIST (34%), adenocarcinoma (8%), carcinoid (6%), neurofibroma (5%), schwannoma
      (4%), or gangliocytic paraganglioma (3%). Treatment included classic Whipple
      procedure (42%), local excision (25%), pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy
      (17%), and other resection (6%). Mean follow-up was 31 months postresection
      (range 0-99 months): 75% of patients were alive with no evidence of disease.
      CONCLUSIONS: These results underscore the importance of a thorough evaluation for
      tumors in NF1 patients with gastrointestinal symptoms, as well as subsequent
      surgical management when findings suggest a tumor in the periampullary region, as
      resection remains the mainstay of treatment.

PMID- 20300878
TI  - Regression of immunoproliferative small intestinal disease after eradication of
      Helicobacter pylori.
AB  - A 20-year-old male presented with low-grade fever, abdominal pain, anorexia, and
      weight loss of 4-month duration. On examination, he was emaciated. Barium meal
      follow-through examination showed extensive nodularity and thickening of duodenal
      and jejunal folds. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the abdomen revealed
      extensive proximal small-bowel thickening with mesenteric lymphadenopathy. Upper
      gastrointestinal endoscopy and enteroscopy revealed thickening of folds with
      multiple small superficial ulceration involving antrum, duodenum, and jejunum.
      The duodenal and jejunal biopsy was suggestive of immunoproliferative small
      intestinal disease, stage 0 (Salem) or stage A (Galian). Antral biopsy showed
      presence of Helicobacter pylori infection. He underwent H. pylori eradication
      following which he had significant clinical improvement; repeat evaluation at 6
      months showed dramatic improvement in his clinical, radiological, and
      histological parameters.

PMID- 20300879
TI  - Selective outcome reporting: telling and detecting true lies. The state of the
      science.

PMID- 20300880
TI  - Endoleak accidentally discovered in congestive heart failure patient.

PMID- 20300881
TI  - Trichoplusia ni cells (High Five) are highly efficient for the production of
      influenza A virus-like particles: a comparison of two insect cell lines as
      production platforms for influenza vaccines.
AB  - Virus-like particles (VLPs) consisting of the influenza A virus proteins
      haemagglutinin (HA) and matrix protein (M1) represent a new alternative approach
      for vaccine design against influenza virus. Influenza VLPs can be fast and easily
      produced in sufficient amounts in insect cells using the baculovirus expression
      system. Up to now, influenza VLPs have been produced in the Spodoptera frugiperda
      cell line Sf9. We compared VLP production in terms of yield and quality in two
      insect cell lines, namely Sf9 and the Trichoplusia ni cell line BTI-TN5B1-4 (High
      Five). Additionally we compared VLP production with three different HAs and two
      different M1s from influenza H1 and H3 strains including one swine-origin
      pandemic H1N1 strain. Comparison of the two cell lines showed dramatic
      differences in baculovirus background as well as in yield and particle density.
      Taken together, we consider the establishment of the BTI-TN5B1-4 cell line
      advantageous as production cell line for influenza VLPs.

PMID- 20300882
TI  - Characterization of a monoclonal antibody cell culture production process using a
      quality by design approach.
AB  - The goal of quality by design (QbD) in cell culture manufacturing is to develop
      manufacturing processes which deliver products with consistent critical quality
      attributes (CQAs). QbD approaches can lead to better process understanding
      through the use of process parameter risk ranking and statistical design of
      experiments (DOE). The QbD process starts with an analysis of process parameter
      risk with respect to CQAs and key performance indicators (KPIs). Initial DOE
      study designs and their factor test ranges are based on the outcomes of the
      process parameter risk ranking exercises. Initial DOE studies screen factors for
      significant influences on CQAs as well as characterize responses for process
      KPIs. In the case study provided here, multifactor process characterization
      studies using a scale-down model resulted in significant variation in charge
      heterogeneity of a monoclonal antibody (MAb) as measured by ion-exchange
      chromatography (IEC). Iterative DOE studies, using both screening and response
      surface designs, were used to narrow the operating parameter ranges so that
      charge heterogeneity could be controlled to an acceptable level. The data from
      the DOE studies were used to predict worst-case conditions, which were then
      verified by testing at those conditions. Using the approach described here,
      multivariate process parameter ranges were identified that yield acceptable CQA
      levels and that still provide operational flexibility for manufacturing.

PMID- 20300883
TI  - Utilization of site-specific recombination for generating therapeutic protein
      producing cell lines.
AB  - The AttSite Recombinase Technology from Intrexon, Blacksburg, VA, utilizes
      specific DNA sequences and proprietary recombinase enzymes to catalyze the
      insertion of a gene of interest at a specific location in the host cell genome.
      Using this technology, we have developed Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cell lines
      that have incorporated attB recombination sites at highly transcriptionally
      active loci or 'hot spots' within the cell genome. Subsequently, these attB site
      containing host cell lines could then be used for the expression of future
      Centocor products. Candidate production cell lines would be generated by a simple
      recombination event. Since the therapeutic gene of interest would preferentially
      integrate into the pre-selected high-expressing attB site, candidate cell lines
      would consistently express high levels of the gene of interest. We have been able
      to demonstrate that the AttSite Recombinase Technology could be a valid approach
      for the development of high-expressing production cell lines.

PMID- 20300885
TI  - Comparative studies of various artificial microRNA expression vectors for RNAi in
      mammalian cells.
AB  - Artificial microRNA (amiRNA) has recently become an important RNA interference
      (RNAi) technology for gene therapy and gene function studies. Here nine
      expression strategies were employed to construct plasmid vectors expressing
      amiRNA (amiR-Fluc) against firefly luciferase (Fluc). Our results indicate that
      all nine vectors can successfully produce mature amiR-Fluc and specifically
      suppress the expression of Fluc, although the RNAi efficiency in different
      mammalian cells displays obvious differences. Among these nine vectors, three can
      efficiently co-express DsRed reporter gene linked with amiR-Fluc cassette.
      Moreover, the recommended number of concatenated amiRNAs in a multi-amiRNA
      expression vector should not be more than four, and the relative position of an
      amiRNA in the multi-amiRNA expression vector has no apparent influence on its
      RNAi activity. In summary, all these results described here provide valuable
      information for the rational design and application of amiRNA expression vector.

PMID- 20300886
TI  - Characterization of enzymes in the oxidation of 1,2-propanediol to D: -(-)-lactic
      acid by Gluconobacter oxydans DSM 2003.
AB  - Although Gluconobacter oxydans can convert 1,2-propanediol to D: -(-)-lactic
      acid, the enzyme(s) responsible for the conversion has remain unknown. In this
      study, the membrane-bound alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) of Gluconobacter oxydans
      DSM 2003 was purified and confirmed to be essential for the process of D: -(-)
      lactic acid production by gene knockout and complementation studies. A 25 percent
      decrease in D: -(-)-lactic acid production was found for the aldehyde
      dehydrogenase (ALDH) deficient strain of G. oxydans DSM 2003, indicating that
      this enzyme is involved in the reaction but not necessary. It is the first report
      that reveals the function of ADH and ALDH in the biooxidation of 1,2-propanediol
      to D: -(-)-lactic acid by G. oxydans DSM 2003.

PMID- 20300884
TI  - Structure and basal transcription complex of RNA polymerase II core promoters in
      the mammalian genome: an overview.
AB  - The mammalian core promoter is a sophisticated and crucial component for the
      regulation of transcription mediated by the RNA polymerase II. It is generally
      defined as the minimal region of contiguous DNA sequence that is sufficient to
      accurately initiate a basal level of gene expression. The core promoter
      represents the ultimate target for nucleation of a functional pre-initiation
      complex composed of the RNA polymerase II and associated general transcription
      factors. Among the more than 40 distinct proteins assembling the basal
      transcription complex, TFIID plays a central role in recognizing and binding
      specific core promoter elements to support creating an environment that
      facilitates transcription initiation. Several common DNA motifs, like the TATA
      box, initiator region, or the downstream promoter element, are found in a subset
      of core promoters present in various combinations. Another class of promoters
      that is usually absent of a TATA box is constituted by the so-called CpG islands,
      which are associated with the majority of protein-coding genes within the
      mammalian genome.

PMID- 20300887
TI  - Stem/precursor cell-based CNS therapy: the importance of circumventing immune
      suppression by transplanting autologous cells.
AB  - Stem/precursor cell (SPC) therapy for neurodegeneration and neurotrauma has
      enormous therapeutic potential, but despite ongoing research efforts the success
      of clinical trials remains limited. Therapies that utilize immune suppression in
      combination with SPC transplantation have thus far failed to consider the
      beneficial role of the immune system in central nervous system (CNS) recovery.
      Systemic immune suppression may prevent neural repair, and in some cases
      exacerbate the underlying disorder. Until about a decade ago, immunosuppression
      for CNS disorders was viewed as a therapeutic target, based on the perception
      that all immune activity in the CNS was destructive. However, recent studies show
      that the infiltration of blood-borne immune cells into the CNS following
      neurotrauma and during chronic neurodegeneration promote CNS protection and
      regeneration. In the context of SPC therapies, although immune suppression
      prevents rejection of non-autologous cell grafts, it also prevents the
      restorative immune response by eliminating the immune mediated guidance cues that
      are required for SPCs to migrate to the location they are needed, and preventing
      SPC-mediated immunomodulation. This article argues in favor of transplanting
      autologous SPCs, particularly bone marrow derived cells. The therapeutic use of
      autologous SPCs for neural repair circumvents the need for concomitant immune
      suppression, exploits the immunomodulatory capacity of these cells, and maintains
      the immune niche that supports neural repair and is required to guide these cells
      to their appropriate locations. Overall, such an approach accommodates the
      requirements for translational therapeutics, and provides a standardized platform
      for reconciling the inherent controversies in the science.

PMID- 20300889
TI  - The use of commercial alcohol products to sterilize bones prior to DNA sampling.
AB  - In disaster situations it is not always possible to maintain an adequate supply
      of standard equipment and sterilizing solutions. We have compared bone samples
      from cadavers cleaned in commercial white alcohol to samples from the same
      individuals cleaned with 95% surgical spirit. We have found that it is possible
      to use a commercial, white spirit to clean specimens taken from human cadavers
      femoral diaphysis collected for DNA analysis.

PMID- 20300890
TI  - 1H, 13C and 15N assignment of the C-terminal domain of GNA2132 from Neisseria
      meningitidis.
AB  - GNA2132 (Genome-derived Neisseria Antigen 2132) is a surface-exposed lipoprotein
      discovered by reverse vaccinology and expressed by genetically diverse Neisseria
      meningitidis strains (Pizza et al. 2000). The protein induces bactericidal
      antibodies against most strains of Meningococccus and has been included in a
      multivalent recombinant vaccine against N. meningitidis serogroup B. Structure
      determination of GNA2132 is important for understanding the antigenic properties
      of the protein in view of increased efficiency vaccine development. We report
      practically complete (1)H, (13)C and (15)N assignment of the detectable spectrum
      of a highly conserved C-terminal region of GNA2132 (residues 245-427) in micellar
      solution, a medium used to improve the spectral quality. The first 32 residues of
      our construct up to residue 277 were not visible in the spectrum, presumably
      because of line broadening due to solvent and/or conformational exchange.
      Secondary structure predictions based on chemical shift information indicate the
      presence of an all beta-protein with eight beta strands.

PMID- 20300888
TI  - Risks and mechanisms of oncological disease following stem cell transplantation.
AB  - Unique biological properties of stem cells make them a precious source of cell
      material for treatment of a number of pathological conditions. Among issues
      inhibiting transition of stem cell technologies to the clinics, the risk of
      oncological complications of stem cell-based therapies is the most critical. A
      massive amount of clinical and experimental data demonstrates that both
      hematological (including acute and chronic myeloid leukemia) and non
      hematological (including teratoma and non-teratoma tumors) malignancies could
      arise from donor stem cells of different types. A wide spectrum of mechanisms
      could underlie the development of oncological disease in recipients, including:
      i) blast transformation of proliferating donor stem cells under persistent action
      of certain factors in the recipient, thus causing de novo malignancies; ii)
      contamination of donor cell material with malignant cells; iii) transmission of
      particular viral subtypes with donor stem cells, combined with immunosuppression
      therapy effects; iv) uncontrollable proliferation of residual undifferentiated
      stem cells of various plasticity; and v) karyotypic instability in stem cells
      following prolonged culturing/expansion in vitro. Potential preventive strategies
      are diverse and include i) high-throughput cell sorting-based strategies; ii)
      introduction of suicide genes into the donor stem cell genome; iii) application
      of apoptosis-inducing epigenetic factors; and some other options.

PMID- 20300891
TI  - Backbone 1H, 13C, and 15N resonance assignments for lysozyme from bacteriophage
      lambda.
AB  - Lysozyme from lambda bacteriophage (lambda lysozyme) is an 18 kDa globular
      protein displaying some of the structural features common to all lysozymes; in
      particular, lambda lysozyme consists of two structural domains connected by a
      helix, and has its catalytic residues located at the interface between these two
      domains. An interesting feature of lambda lysozyme, when compared to the well
      characterised hen egg-white lysozyme, is its lack of disulfide bridges; this
      makes lambda lysozyme an interesting system for studies of protein folding. A
      comparison of the folding properties of lambda lysozyme and hen lysozyme will
      provide important insights into the role that disulfide bonds play in the
      refolding pathway of the latter protein. Here we report the (1)H, (13)C and (15)N
      backbone resonance assignments for lambda lysozyme by heteronuclear
      multidimensional NMR spectroscopy. These assignments provide the starting point
      for detailed investigation of the refolding pathway using pulse-labelling
      hydrogen/deuterium exchange experiments monitored by NMR.

PMID- 20300892
TI  - Assignment of the orphan nuclear receptor Nurr1 by NMR.
AB  - The orphan nuclear receptor Nurr1 has been implicated in a number of conditions
      including Parkinson's disease and Schizophrenia. As such, it is of interest to
      study its interactions with other proteins, possibly mediated by small molecules,
      considering possible use as a drug target. We produced (2)H, (15)N, (13)C
      labelled-Nurr1 to generate the backbone amide NH, carbonyl C', C(alpha) and
      C(beta) assignments. About 84.0% of residues could be assigned. Most of the 37
      missing assignments fall in 3 regions of the protein. Two of these surround a
      putative ligand-binding region of Nurr1, suggesting that this region of the
      protein is flexible, despite the ligand-binding pocket being filled with
      hydrophobic side-chains from residues surrounding the ligand binding pocket.

PMID- 20300893
TI  - Validity of a power law approach to model tablet strength as a function of
      compaction pressure.
AB  - Designing quality into dosage forms should not be only based on qualitative or
      purely heuristic relations. A knowledge space must be generated, in which at
      least some mechanistic understanding is included. This is of particular interest
      for critical dosage form parameters like the strength of tablets. In line with
      this consideration, the scope of the work is to explore the validity range of a
      theoretically derived power law for the tensile strength of tablets. Different
      grades of microcrystalline cellulose and lactose, as well as mixtures thereof,
      were used to compress model tablets. The power law was found to hold true in a
      low pressure range, which agreed with theoretical expectation. This low pressure
      range depended on the individual material characteristics, but as a rule of
      thumb, the tablets having a porosity of more than about 30% or being compressed
      below 100 MPa were generally well explained by the tensile strength relationship.
      Tablets at higher densities were less adequately described by the theory that is
      based on large-scale heterogeneity of the relevant contact points in the compact.
      Tablets close to the unity density therefore require other theoretical
      approaches. More research is needed to understand tablet strength in a wider
      range of compaction pressures.

PMID- 20300894
TI  - Evaluation of chitosan/alginate beads using experimental design: formulation and
      in vitro characterization.
AB  - Bovine serum albumin-loaded beads were prepared by ionotropic gelation of
      alginate with calcium chloride and chitosan. The effect of sodium alginate
      concentration and chitosan concentration on the particle size and loading
      efficacy was studied. The diameter of the beads formed is dependent on the size
      of the needle used. The optimum condition for preparation alginate-chitosan beads
      was alginate concentration of 3% and chitosan concentration of 0.25% at pH 5. The
      resulting bead formulation had a loading efficacy of 98.5% and average size of
      1,501 mum, and scanning electron microscopy images showed spherical and smooth
      particles. Chitosan concentration significantly influenced particle size and
      encapsulation efficiency of chitosan-alginate beads (p < 0.05). Decreasing the
      alginate concentration resulted in an increased release of albumin in acidic
      media. The rapid dissolution of chitosan-alginate matrices in the higher pH
      resulted in burst release of protein drug.

PMID- 20300895
TI  - A review of multi-responsive membranous systems for rate-modulated drug delivery.
AB  - Membrane technology is broadly applied in the medical field. The ability of
      membranous systems to effectively control the movement of chemical entities is
      pivotal to their significant potential for use in both drug delivery and
      surgical/medical applications. An alteration in the physical properties of a
      polymer in response to a change in environmental conditions is a behavior that
      can be utilized to prepare 'smart' drug delivery systems. Stimuli-responsive or
      'smart' polymers are polymers that upon exposure to small changes in the
      environment undergo rapid changes in their microstructure. A stimulus, such as a
      change in pH or temperature, thus serves as a trigger for the release of drug
      from membranous drug delivery systems that are formulated from stimuli-responsive
      polymers. This article has sought to review the use of stimuli-responsive
      polymers that have found application in membranous drug delivery systems.
      Polymers responsive to pH and temperature have been extensively addressed in this
      review since they are considered the most important stimuli that may be exploited
      for use in drug delivery, and biomedical applications such as in tissue
      engineering. In addition, dual-responsive and glucose-responsive membranes have
      been also addressed as membranes responsive to diverse stimuli.

PMID- 20300896
TI  - Modulation of tramadol release from a hydrophobic matrix: implications of
      formulations and processing variables.
AB  - In the present investigation, hydrogenated cottonseed oil (HCSO) was evaluated as
      a sustained release matrix for a freely soluble drug, tramadol. Hydrophobic
      matrix tablets of tramadol, was evaluated by compression of physical mixture of
      drug and wax, dispersion of drug in HCSO by hot fusion or solubilisation
      techniques. The method of preparation of tablet had a significant effect on drug
      release with higher release observed from direct compression matrices and slower
      release from matrix prepared by dispersion (hot-fused matrices). Influence of
      addition of hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose,
      polyethylene glycol 4000 and surfactants like sodium lauryl sulphate and
      polysorbate 20 to HCSO matrix on drug release was investigated. The added
      excipients exhibited a propensity to enhance drug release from the HCSO matrix.
      NaCMC was effective at a lower ratio (<10% w/w) and when incorporated at higher
      level made HCSO matrix to erode and disintegrate in a short period.

PMID- 20300897
TI  - The effects of rosuvastatin on the serum cortisol, serum lipid, and serum
      mevalonic acid levels in the healthy Indian male population.
AB  - In this open-label, balanced, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel study,
      healthy male volunteers were randomly divided into two groups. Each group
      received either a single oral dose of rosuvastatin 20 mg or placebo. Estimations
      were done at predose on day 1 of dosing (baseline) and 24 h postdose after days 7
      and 14. Serum cortisol and serum lipid levels were estimated using enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay kits and serum mevalonic acid (MVA) levels were measured
      using validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method.
      Rosuvastatin produced a statistically significant (P < 0.05) decrease in total
      cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, very low-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol, and triglycerides. However, the increase in high-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol and decrease in cortisol and MVA were not statistically significant
      when compared to the placebo-treated group. The study showed that rosuvastatin at
      a dose of 20 mg/day for a period of 14 days was very potent as cholesterol
      lowering agent, without any significant change in serum cortisol level in the
      healthy Indian male population.

PMID- 20300898
TI  - Buccal drug delivery of pravastatin sodium.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to develop and optimize formulations of
      mucoadhesive bilayered buccal tablets of pravastatin sodium using carrageenan gum
      as the base matrix. The tablets were prepared by direct compression method.
      Polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) K 30, Pluronic(R) F 127, and magnesium oxide were
      used to improve tablet properties. Magnesium stearate, talc, and lactose were
      used to aid the compression of tablets. The tablets were found to have good
      appearance, uniform thickness, diameter, weight, pH, and drug content. A 2(3)
      full factorial design was employed to study the effect of independent variables
      viz. levels of carrageenan gum, Pluronic F 127 and PVP K30, which significantly
      influenced characteristics like in vitro mucoadhesive strength, in vitro drug
      release, swelling index, and in vitro residence time. The tablet was coated with
      an impermeable backing layer of ethyl cellulose to ensure unidirectional drug
      release. Different penetration enhancers were tried to improve the permeation of
      pravastatin sodium through buccal mucosa. Formulation containing 1% sodium lauryl
      sulfate showed good permeation of pravastatin sodium through mucosa.
      Histopathological studies revealed no buccal mucosal damage. It can be concluded
      that buccal route can be one of the alternatives available for the administration
      of pravastatin sodium.

PMID- 20300899
TI  - Case report: Spinal anesthesia by mini-laminotomy for a patient with ankylosing
      spondylitis who was difficult to anesthetize.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Orthopaedic surgeons frequently encounter patients with ankylosing
      spondylitis who would benefit from various types of lower limb operations;
      however, some of these patients present challenges for anesthesiologists. CASE
      DESCRIPTION: We report the case of a 65-year-old patient with a fractured femoral
      component 30 years after a cemented THA. The patient had severe tracheal stenosis
      and ankylosing spondylitis making general endotracheal and conventional neuraxial
      anesthesia nearly impossible. LITERATURE REVIEW: Possible alternative anesthetic
      approaches described in the literature include awake fiberoptic bronchoscopic
      guided intubation, laryngeal mask airway, and caudal anesthesia. PURPOSES AND
      CLINICAL RELEVANCE: We achieved successful anesthesia using spinal laminotomy
      with the patient under local anesthesia followed by insertion of a spinal
      catheter and injection of an anesthetic agent. The loosened component was revised
      to a cementless THA.

PMID- 20300900
TI  - Routine surveillance of modular PFC TKA shows increasing failures after 10 years.
AB  - BACKGROUND/RATIONALE: A 10-year survivorship of 100% was reported for patients
      with PFC cruciate-retaining prostheses. Beyond 10 years, we observed additional
      polyethylene wear likely related to thin liners gamma-irradiated in air and were
      concerned this wear might predispose to implant construct failure.
      QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: We therefore determined (1) the functional scores at a
      minimum of 15 years followup, (2) rates of radiographic failure, (3) overall
      revision rates, and (4) mode of failure after 10 years and the fate of the
      revised implants. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 75 patients with 101 press
      fit condylar posterior cruciate-retaining prostheses. At a minimum followup of 15
      years, 35 patients (47 knees) were living and evaluated clinically. No patients
      were lost to followup. RESULTS: There were no revisions during the first 11 years
      and six reoperations subsequently were performed in five patients (6% overall
      rate of revision but 12.8% in patients who survived more than 15 years). Three of
      six revisions had concerning liner wear at 10 years and all six were revised for
      polyethylene wear. Polyethylene exchange was performed in four of the five
      patients who underwent revisions, all of whom were doing well at an average of
      7.2 years (range, 4.7-9.1 years) after the revision procedure. CONCLUSIONS: At
      long-term followup, the overall revision rate remained low (6%). For patients
      surviving 15 years or more, the rate of revision was 12.8% and all revisions were
      secondary to aseptic sequelae of polyethylene wear. All revisions occurred more
      than 10 years after the initial procedures. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV,
      therapeutic study. See Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of
      levels of evidence.

PMID- 20300901
TI  - Synovial fluid biomarkers for periprosthetic infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We have previously described a unique gene expression signature
      exhibited by synovial fluid leukocytes in response to bacterial infection,
      identifying a number of potential biomarkers for infection. However, the
      diagnostic performance of these potential biomarkers in an immunoassay format is
      unknown. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: We therefore evaluated the sensitivity, specificity,
      and accuracy of several potential synovial fluid biomarkers for infection, and
      compared them to current standards of testing for periprosthetic infection.
      METHODS: We prospectively collected synovial fluid from 14 patients classified as
      having a periprosthetic infection and 37 patients classified as having an aseptic
      failure. The synovial fluid samples were tested for 23 potential biomarkers for
      periprosthetic infection. We then determined differences in biomarker levels
      between infected and aseptic groups, then computed the sensitivity, specificity,
      positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy for select
      biomarkers, and finally compared those to current standard tests for infection.
      RESULTS: Twelve synovial fluid biomarkers had substantially higher average levels
      in the synovial fluid of infected versus aseptic patients. Synovial fluid levels
      of IL-1 were a mean of 258 times higher in patients with a periprosthetic
      infection compared to patients having revision for aseptic diagnoses. Synovial
      fluid IL-1 and IL-6 levels correctly classified all patients in this study with a
      sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value
      and accuracy equal to 1. Several markers tested in this study outperformed the
      ESR and CRP tests. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with a periprosthetic infection have
      elevated levels of numerous synovial fluid biomarkers, when compared to patients
      with aseptic diagnoses. Several of these biomarkers exhibited nearly ideal
      sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy in this study, suggesting that synovial
      fluid biomarkers could be a valuable tool for diagnosing periprosthetic
      infection. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, prognostic study. See Guidelines for
      Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

PMID- 20300902
TI  - Case report: Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma of the lumbar spine in a child.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chondrosarcomas of the spine constitute 4% to 10% of all primary
      spinal bone tumors and approximately 70% of the cases occur during the second or
      third decade of life. Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma is a rare aggressive variant of
      chondrosarcoma. The prognosis of mesenchymal chondrosarcoma is usually poor with
      a tendency for late local recurrence and metastasis. CASE DESCRIPTION: We
      describe a case of primary mesenchymal chondrosarcoma affecting the L5 vertebra
      of a 9-year-old girl. The patient underwent a staged circumferential resection of
      the tumor after three rounds of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The patient had
      additional chemotherapy and radiation therapy as an intralesional margin was
      achieved during the procedure. At 9 years followup, the patient was asymptomatic,
      neurologically intact, and remained in remission. LITERATURE REVIEW: We
      identified only four previously published cases of spinal mesenchymal
      chondrosarcoma in childhood, two of which had relatively early recurrence and
      poor survival, and two survived but with only short followup. PURPOSES AND
      CLINICAL RELEVANCE: As the clinical and radiographic findings of mesenchymal
      chondrosarcoma are nonspecific, the diagnosis of this rare tumor requires careful
      histopathologic review of the specimens. We suggest the differential diagnosis of
      every primary intraspinal tumor include tumors of mesenchymal origin. The
      prognosis is apparently not uniformly poor.

PMID- 20300903
TI  - Two-stage exchange knee arthroplasty: does resistance of the infecting organism
      influence the outcome?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Periprosthetic joint infection after TKA is a challenging
      complication. Two-stage exchange arthroplasty is the accepted standard of care,
      but reported failure rates are increasing. It has been suggested this is due to
      the increased prevalence of methicillin-resistant infections. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES:
      We asked the following questions: (1) What is the reinfection rate after two
      stage exchange arthroplasty? (2) Which risk factors predict failure? (3) Which
      variables are associated with acquiring a resistant organism periprosthetic joint
      infection? METHODS: This was a case-control study of 102 patients with infected
      TKA who underwent a two-stage exchange arthroplasty. Ninety-six patients were
      followed for a minimum of 2 years (mean, 34.5 months; range, 24-90.1 months).
      Cases were defined as failures of two-stage exchange arthroplasty. RESULTS: Two
      stage exchange arthroplasty was successful in controlling the infection in 70
      patients (73%). Patients who failed two-stage exchange arthroplasty were 3.37
      times more likely to have been originally infected with a methicillin-resistant
      organism. Older age, higher body mass index, and history of thyroid disease were
      predisposing factors to infection with a methicillin-resistant organism.
      CONCLUSIONS: Innovative interventions are needed to improve the effectiveness of
      two-stage exchange arthroplasty for TKA infection with a methicillin-resistant
      organism as current treatment protocols may not be adequate for control of these
      virulent pathogens. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, prognostic study. See Guidelines
      for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

PMID- 20300905
TI  - Exploring the role of the built and social neighborhood environment in moderating
      stress and health.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Health researchers have explored how different aspects of
      neighborhood characteristics contribute to health and well-being, but current
      understanding of built environment factors is limited. PURPOSE: This study
      explores whether the association between stress and health varies by residential
      neighborhood, and if yes, whether built and social neighborhood environment
      characteristics act as moderators. METHODS: This study uses multilevel modeling
      and variables derived from geospatial data to explore the role of neighborhood
      environment in moderating the association of stress with health. Individual-level
      data (N = 4,093) were drawn from residents of 45 neighborhoods within
      Philadelphia County, PA, collected as part of the 2006 Philadelphia Health
      Management Corporation's Household Health Survey. RESULTS: We find that the
      negative influence of high stress varied by neighborhood, that residential
      stability and affluence (social characteristics) attenuated the association of
      high stress with health, and that the presence of hazardous waste facilities
      (built environment characteristics) moderated health by enhancing the association
      with stress. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that neighborhood environment has
      both direct and moderating associations with health, after adjusting for
      individual characteristics. The use of geospatial data could broaden the scope of
      stress-health research and advance knowledge by untangling the intertwined
      relationship between built and social environments, stress, and health. In
      particular, future studies should integrate built environment characteristics in
      health-related research; these characteristics are modifiable and can facilitate
      health promotion policies.

PMID- 20300906
TI  - Impact of weight on long-term survival among patients without known coronary
      artery disease and a normal stress SPECT MPI.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While obesity has been shown to be associated with a worse mortality,
      an "obesity paradox"--lower mortality in obese patients--has been noted among
      many patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). The extent to which an obesity
      paradox operates among patients with only suspected CAD, is not well determined.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 3,673 patients (60 +/- 13 years, 36% males) with
      no history of heart disease and a normal stress SPECT were included in this
      study. Normal weight was defined as BMI of 18.5-24.9 kg x m(2); overweight 25
      29.9 kg . m(2), obese >30 kg x m(2). The baseline clinical risk factors were
      recorded for each patient. The end point of the study was all-cause mortality. Of
      patients 942 (26%) were normal weight, 1,261 (34%) were overweight, and 1,470
      (40%) were obese. Mean patient follow-up was 7.5 +/- 3 years. When compared to
      normal weight patients (event rate 3.2%/year), there was a lower incidence of
      death in the overweight (event rate 1.5%/year, P < .0001) and the obese (event
      rate 1.2%/year, P < .0001) groups. After controlling for baseline risk factors,
      using a reference HR = 1 for normal weight patients, there was a lower risk of
      death in the overweight (HR = .54, 95% CI .43-.7) and the obese groups (HR = .49,
      95% CI .38-.63). CONCLUSION: In patients without known cardiac disease and a
      normal stress SPECT, overweight and obese patients had a lower rate of all-cause
      mortality compared to normal weight patients over long-term follow-up. This study
      substantially extends the spectrum of patients in whom the obesity paradox is
      present.

PMID- 20300908
TI  - Is preoperative opioid utilization an important factor in predicting phantom limb
      pain?

PMID- 20300907
TI  - Relation of left-ventricular dyssynchrony by phase analysis of gated SPECT images
      and cardiovascular events in patients with implantable cardiac defibrillators.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Left-ventricular (LV) dyssynchrony could be measured by gated SPECT
      myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). This study examined the relation between the
      degree of dyssynchrony and outcome in patients with implantable cardiac
      defibrillators (ICDs). METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 70 patients with ICD and
      LV ejection fraction (EF) <.40 by gated MPI (performed within 6 weeks of the
      device implantation). The images were re-processed using phase analysis to derive
      phase standard deviation (SD) and histogram bandwidth. All-cause mortality and
      appropriate ICD shocks were identified as the primary endpoint. There were 87%
      men, aged 62 +/- 11 years. The EF was 26 +/- 8% (range 12%-39%). The phase SD was
      51 degrees +/- 20 degrees (range 12 degrees -99 degrees ) and the histogram
      bandwidth was 157 degrees +/- 72 degrees (range 21 degrees -327 degrees ). The SD
      and bandwidth were significantly greater than corresponding values in patients
      with normal EF (15.8 +/- 11.8 degrees and 42.0 +/- 28.4 degrees , respectively, P
      < .0001, each). At 1 year, 8 patients (11%) died or had shocks. The patients with
      events had higher phase SD than those without events (60 +/- 5 degrees vs 50 +/-
      21 degrees , P = .002). The histogram bandwidth was also higher in those with
      events (185 +/- 37 vs 154 +/- 75, P = .07). All patients with event had a phase
      SD >or= 50 degrees , while none of the patients with a phase SD < 50 degrees (N =
      26) had an event (P = .02). CONCLUSIONS: The severity of LV dyssynchrony by phase
      analysis in patients with LV dysfunction, and ICD is associated with increased
      risk of death and appropriate ICD shock; a phase SD < 50 degrees was associated
      with no events at 1 year.

PMID- 20300910
TI  - The impact of a primetime cancer storyline: from individual knowledge and
      behavioral intentions to policy-level changes.
AB  - We assessed the educational impact of a primetime network TV storyline that
      addressed cancer patient navigators. An online survey was administered after the
      episode aired. Exposed respondents saw the episode (n = 336); unexposed
      respondents did not (n = 211). Exposed respondents were more likely to report
      they would recommend a patient navigator (61% vs. 48%, p = 0.01). Clips of the
      episode were shown to raise awareness of patient navigators in a Congressional
      Committee meeting before the Patient Navigator Act was signed into law (2005).
      Entertainment education can have a positive impact on cancer knowledge and can
      contribute to policy-level decisions.

PMID- 20300909
TI  - Physical exercise attenuates MPTP-induced deficits in mice.
AB  - Two experiments were performed to investigate the effects of physical exercise
      upon the hypokinesia induced by two different types of MPTP administration to
      C57/BL6 mice. In the first, mice were administered either the standard MPTP dose
      (2 * 20 or 2 * 40 mg/kg, 24-h interval) or vehicle (saline, 5 ml/kg); and over
      the following 3 weeks were given daily 30-min period of wheel running exercise
      over five consecutive days/week or placed in a cage in close proximity to the
      running wheels. Spontaneous motor activity testing in motor activity test
      chambers indicated that exercise attenuated the hypokinesic effects of both doses
      of MPTP upon spontaneous activity or subthreshold L: -Dopa-induced activity. In
      the second experiment, mice were either given wheel running activity on four
      consecutive days (30-min period) or placed in a cage nearby and on the fifth day,
      following motor activity testing over 60 min, injected with either MPTP (1 * 40
      mg/kg) or vehicle. An identical procedure was maintained over the following 4
      weeks with the exception that neither MPTP nor vehicle was injected after the
      fifth week. The animals were left alone (without either exercise or MPTP) and
      tested after 2- and 4-week intervals. Weekly exercise blocked, almost completely,
      the progressive development of severe hypokinesia in the MPTP mice and partially
      restored normal levels of activity after administration of subthreshold L: -Dopa,
      despite the total absence of exercise following the fifth week. In both
      experiments, MPTP-induced loss of dopamine was attenuated by the respective
      regime of physical exercise with dopamine integrity more effectively preserved in
      the first experiment. The present findings are discussed in the context of
      physical exercise influences upon general plasticity and neuroreparative
      propensities as well as those specific for the nigrostriatal pathway.

PMID- 20300911
TI  - Multilayer and multimetric quality control: the Supercourse.
AB  - Cancer-related presentations are rapidly communicated through thousands of
      Websites, chat rooms, newsgroups, list servers, newsletters, YouTube, and e
      mails, with no specific attention to the validity of the reported findings.
      Quality control (QC) of cancer education lectures on the Web is an important
      concern, just like the quality assessment of all information found on the Web.
      This paper discusses the Supercourse, a global library of 3,600 online lectures
      available at www.pitt.edu/~super1 and several alternative quality control
      approaches that are being developed as part of this global effort. Peer review
      may not be optimal for the review of online lectures because it is labor
      intensive and has low throughput. To our knowledge, we are among the first to
      begin a multilayer and multimetric evaluation approach toward QC (MQC) of
      PowerPoint lectures on the Web. We hope that future scientific research on peer
      review as well as on emerging multilayer QC methodologies will help us to
      determine best measures of QC, especially in the field of rapidly developing
      cancer education.

PMID- 20300912
TI  - Educational intervention among barbers about liver cancer-inducing viruses: a
      pilot study from a developing country.
AB  - Liver cancer is among the most prevalent cancers in the world and it is mainly
      related to the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). This study
      evaluated the effectiveness of educational intervention on knowledge and
      practices regarding hepatitis B and hepatitis C among barbers. After completion
      of baseline interviews of 70 barbers in Karachi, Pakistan, a 30-min educational
      session was conducted. The same sessions were repeated twice for all barbers at
      an interval of 1 month each for reinforcement. Post-intervention interviews were
      conducted after 1 month of the last session. Before intervention, only 11.4% of
      the study participants had scored "good" about the knowledge of HBV, which
      improved to 74.3% after intervention (p < 0.001). Similarly, for HCV, significant
      improvement was observed after intervention. Regarding the safe practices to
      prevent HBV and HCV infections, <2% had scored to the level of "good" at
      baseline, which improved to 48.6% after intervention (p < 0.001). Educational
      interventions to prevent cancer-induced viruses are highly effective even in
      illiterate/low-educated people.

PMID- 20300913
TI  - Development and validation of a nutritional education pamphlet for low literacy
      pediatric oncology caregivers in Central America.
AB  - A culturally appropriate nutrition education pamphlet was developed and validated
      for low-literacy caregivers in Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. The pamphlet
      was developed after a preliminary survey of pediatric oncology nurses in the 3
      countries to assess the need for education materials, caregiver literacy levels,
      and local eating habits. Experts in nutrition and low-literacy patient education
      and pediatric oncology nurses validated the pamphlet's content and design. The
      pamphlet was validated positively and has been circulated to pediatric oncology
      caregivers in Central America.

PMID- 20300914
TI  - Breast screening navigator programs within three settings that assist underserved
      women.
AB  - Medically underserved women in the Greater Denver Metropolitan Area had low rates
      of routine repeat mammograms in the latter 1990s. "Increasing Mammography
      Adherence among Medically Underserved Women" was designed to increase annual
      rescreening among medically underserved populations living in this area. Four
      community-based organizations collaborated to implement this 5-year study. A
      culturally modified navigator model including both face-to-face and telephone
      formats was used to facilitate mammography for African Americans, Latinas, Native
      Americans, and poor White women who had not been rescreened in more than 18
      months. The navigator-implemented intervention was statistically significant at
      the 0.05 level for increasing rescreening.

PMID- 20300915
TI  - African American's self-report patterns using the National Cancer Institute
      Colorectal Cancer Screening questionnaire.
AB  - Studies that examine colorectal cancer screening (CRCS) behaviors and correlates
      rely on self-reports of screening status. Self-reports of CRCS may be more biased
      than other self-reported cancer screening because of multiple screening options,
      tests may be offered in combination, and screening schedules differ for each
      test. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) sponsored the development of a core set
      of questions to measure self-reported CRCS that are consistent with current
      guidelines, the NCI Colorectal Cancer Screening questionnaire (NCI CRCS). Several
      studies support the validity and reliability of this measure; however, none of
      the existing studies have described African American (AA) responses to items that
      might be important to clinical decision making and research related to screening
      adherence. This paper addresses the limited descriptions of AA response patterns
      to items that comprise the NCI CRCS. The NCI CRCS was administered to 439 AAs 50
      to 75 years, participating in the baseline survey of a Center for Excellence in
      Cancer Communication CRC study. The survey measured self-reported CRCS, factors
      associated with screening, and response patterns to items that might affect
      estimates of screening and screening adherence. AA participants reported on CRCS,
      the test used, and time interval since last screening. Except for queries related
      to month and year of screening, few participants reported uncertainty in response
      to items. Two thirds of participants reported receiving CRCS; however, less than
      half of participants were adherent to guidelines. Less than half reported
      healthcare provider recommendations to screen. AA participants responded to items
      on the NCI CRCS as developed. Until new strategies or items are available,
      interval since last screening appears to be the most appropriate item to estimate
      AA self-reported CRCS adherence. Strategies are needed to increase physician
      recommendation to screen.

PMID- 20300916
TI  - Seeking to bridge two cultures: the Wisconsin Hmong cancer experience.
AB  - Compared to white non-Hispanics, Hmong report higher incidence rates of certain
      cancers and present at an advanced stage. Using a community-based participatory
      research approach, Hmong leaders partnered with academic researchers to assess
      the Wisconsin Hmong population's readiness to address cancer. Using the Colorado
      Tri-Ethnic Center's Community Readiness Assessment, face-to-face interviews were
      conducted with eight Hmong leaders. The stage of readiness to address cancer was
      "Vague Awareness". Six thematic areas provided insight into this stage and
      recommendations for effective intervention. Results emphasize the need for a
      bridge between Hmong and mainstream communities to provide basic, culturally
      appropriate education on the US healthcare system and cancer.

PMID- 20300917
TI  - MMP-7 overexpression is an independent prognostic marker in gastric cancer.
AB  - To enable cancer to invade and to metastasize, the surrounding stroma must be
      degraded. Matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) is capable of degrading many
      extracellular matrix proteins and cellular adhesions, is overexpressed in many
      malignancies, and plays a role in tumour progression. The purpose of this study
      was to evaluate the association between MMP-7 tissue expression and patients'
      prognosis in gastric cancer. From 264 patients who underwent surgery for gastric
      cancer, surgical specimens were collected on tissue array blocks and stained by
      immunohistochemistry for MMP-7. In 27 (10.2%) of the specimens, immunopositivity
      was found as high, in 50 (18.9%) as moderate and in 51 (19.3%) as weak. In 136
      cases (51.5%), the immunopositivity was negative. A statistically significant
      correlation appeared between high MMP-7 expression and poor survival. In
      conclusion, our results suggest that MMP-7 expression may prove helpful in
      evaluating gastric cancer prognosis.

PMID- 20300920
TI  - [Training palliative care in Austria - empathy combined with science - the 3rd
      intensive course of palliative medicine].

PMID- 20300918
TI  - Brain damage in a large cohort of solvent abusers.
AB  - The neuropathology of solvent inhalation consists of patchy myelin loss with
      white matter macrophages that contain granular inclusions. It has been described
      only in a small number of cases. We sought to characterize the abnormalities in
      greater detail. In a retrospective study from 1995 to 2009, we encountered 88
      autopsy cases with documented history of solvent abuse by inhalation and 1 with
      industrial exposure. Among these are 6 fetuses and infants with maternal
      exposure, 23 children (12-17 years), and 60 adults (18-66 years). Available brain
      samples from 75 cases were stained with solochrome cyanein (to demonstrate
      myelin) and periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) (to highlight the inclusions). Forty
      brains of ethanol and/or illicit drug exposed individuals and ten cases of
      multiple sclerosis were examined as controls. We found that 16 cases (age 23-49,
      median 37 years) had well-established leukoencephalopathy with multifocal myelin
      loss and abundant macrophages that stain with PAS and which contain birefringent
      inclusions. Six cases (age 15-55, median 27 years) had early leukoencephalopathy
      with scattered macrophages but no obvious myelin changes. Clusters of PAS
      staining but non-birefringent macrophages were seen in 2/10 cases of (active)
      multiple sclerosis and in none of the ethanol/drug exposed brains.
      Ultrastructurally, inclusions from solvent cases differed from multiple sclerosis
      cases. Although exposure to solvents is impossible to quantify, there appears to
      be a duration-dependent effect. Brain damage related to solvent abuse can begin
      within only a few years of the onset. In the context of substance abuse, the
      changes are relatively specific for solvent inhalation and do not appear to
      result from demyelination alone. Interaction with ethanol cannot be excluded as a
      compounding risk factor.

PMID- 20300921
TI  - [Meaningfullness and duration of palliative chemotherapy with regard to the
      quality of life of palliative patients].
AB  - I am reporting on a 74-year-old female patient with primary pulmonary and hepatic
      metastatic colon cancer. In the course of three-and-a-half years the patient
      decided to receive multiple cycles of palliative chemotherapy, irradiation of the
      liver and of the upper body. As a result of the extended anti-tumour therapy,
      remissions of the advanced cancer disease could be achieved repeatedly, which
      lead to a substantial increase of the patient's quality of life. This case shows
      that even in an advanced palliative situation the goal of a multimodal treatment
      is to curb disease progression and to extend the life and increase quality of
      life of the patient.

PMID- 20300922
TI  - [Invasive tumor pain therapy in the final stage of a cervix cancer patient].
AB  - Cancer disease is associated with a lot of very burdening symptoms. Pain is with
      dyspnea and emesis in the first time in a rate of about 50%, in the terminal
      stage up to 90% the most tormenting symptom. For more than 90% of patients the 3
      step-WHO-regimen for cancer pain is able to relieve pain successfully. But a
      little group of cancer patients need invasive measures and methods to relieve
      pain sufficiently. This would be the 4th step, according to the enlarged WHO
      regimen. Intravenous or intrathecal applications, eventually regional blockades
      should be considered. The following case-report shows the steps of a difficult
      cancer pain therapy in a regional general hospital. It is sometimes not evidence
      based, on the one hand because of necessary organizational, staff-related, or
      other makeshifts in daily clinical practice, on the other hand because of the
      lack of appropriate EBM-guidelines. The pressure to reduce the pain effectively
      and as simple as possible produces sometimes polypragmatic, retrospective not
      always satisfying measures.

PMID- 20300923
TI  - [Radiotherapy of singular brain metastases].
AB  - Single cerebral metastases in malignant disease pose a particular therapeutic
      challenge. The options consist of surgical resection, stereotactic radiation, and
      total brain irradiation. No significant therapeutic advantage for any of these
      methods has as yet been demonstrated in the literature. We present the case of a
      young patient with a single brain metastasis of a sigmoidal carcinoma, in stable
      general condition. We present our therapeutic regimen and discuss the various
      pros and cons of the different therapies.

PMID- 20300924
TI  - [Nutritional therapy in a rapid progressive course of malignant disease].
AB  - On the basis of experience with a patient, the problems encountered in the
      inducement of a proper and timely nutritional therapy in the case of a rapidly
      advancing malignant disease are shown. The report addresses the issue of criteria
      for determining malnutrition as well as the difference between enteral nutrition
      and parenteral nutrition.

PMID- 20300925
TI  - ["Surgical intermediate care unit" outcomes, facts and experiences after 5
      years].
AB  - The increasing economic pressure has resulted in strategies to use efficient
      treatment forms. The aim of our study was to evaluate to which extent the
      intermediate care unit (IMC-unit) relieves the intensive care unit and the wards.
      We analyzed: patient population, age, gender, admission criteria and the rate of
      patients with intensive nursing procedures between January 1, 2005 and December
      31, 2007. The level of care was calculated according to the standard patient
      categories. The mean age amounted to 58.9 years. Intensive care patients made up
      43.6% and patients from the emergency ward 36.6% of the total IMC-allocation.
      After IMC care 54.3% of all IMC-patients could be taken over by wards. The
      confused patients amounted to 27.5% and isolated patients 4.3%. The average care
      intensity amounted to 4.5 hours per patient daily and the mean length of stay in
      hospital was 9 days. Particularly the relief of nursing intensity and the
      possibility of primary treatment of severely injured persons reflect the
      requirements of IMC.

PMID- 20300926
TI  - First described case of human granulocytic anaplasmosis in a patient in Eastern
      Austria.
AB  - A 64-year-old otherwise healthy patient presented with high fever,
      thrombocytopenia, elevated liver enzymes and an erythema on the belly. The
      patient remembered a tick bite four weeks ago when walking with his dog before
      the specific symptoms started. A meningococcal disease or hematological illness
      was excluded. The serological results for tick-borne diseases showed a high IgG
      antibody titer for Anaplasma phagocytophila. All symptoms and laboratory
      parameters normalized after one week of hospitalization. The patient received no
      treatment and recovered completely. This is the first confirmed case of human
      granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) in Eastern Austria.

PMID- 20300928
TI  - [Pelvic ring injuries in the elderly].

PMID- 20300927
TI  - Tick-borne encephalitis in the age of general mobility.
AB  - The 11th meeting of the International Scientific Working Group on Tick-borne
      Encephalitis (ISW-TBE) was conducted under the title of, "From childhood to
      golden age: increased mobility - increased risk of contracting TBE?" Participants
      from 26 countries, including the United States of America and China, presented
      reports on the latest developments and trends in local TBE cases, vaccination
      coverage and risk factors. In particular, the situation of children and the
      elderly (the "golden agers") was discussed. As the current evidence suggests, the
      location and extension of endemic areas for TBE have changed over the last few
      years, along with global warming and the shift of infected ticks to higher
      altitudes. The increased mobility of the human population adds to the heightened
      exposure; outdoor activities and international travel are on the rise also, and
      especially, amongst the 50+ generation, who are already per se at higher risk of
      disease manifestation, complications and case fatality. Most Europeans travel
      within Europe, often without sufficient awareness of endemic areas. Only high
      immunization rates can ensure low disease rates in the long run. To achieve this
      goal, public education is the sole effective approach for raising the level of
      awareness. Overall, the risk of any given person to contract TBE should not be
      regarded as a fixed entity, but rather it must be estimated individually, on the
      basis of knowledge of the TBE virus endemic areas and risk factors.

PMID- 20300929
TI  - [Patellar fracture after patellar stabilization].
AB  - We report on a 20-year-old female patient with a fracture of the patella after
      she fell on"black ice" 2 months after medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL)
      reconstruction for patellar instability. For reconstruction of the MPFL, a single
      hamstring tendon graft was passed through the medial intermuscular septum and was
      fixed to the superomedial pole of the patella. The fracture was reduced by wire
      cerclage. Intraoperatively it was shown that the fracture line went through the
      patellar drill hole. No complications occurred during the further postoperative
      period. The literature contains only a few case reports describing fractures of
      the patella after MPFL reconstruction without any specific trauma. In this case,
      an interruption in blood supply with resulting avascular necrosis was suspected
      as a causal factor.

PMID- 20300930
TI  - Left hand, but not right hand, reaching is sensitive to visual context.
AB  - Recently, it has been reported that grasping with the left hand is more
      vulnerable to visual size illusions than grasping with the right hand. The
      present study investigated whether this increased sensitivity of the left hand
      for visual context extends to reaching. Left- and right-handed participants
      reached for targets embedded in two different visual contexts with either left or
      right hands. Visual context was manipulated by presenting targets either in a
      blank field or within an array of placeholders marking possible target locations.
      Regardless of handedness, the presence of placeholders affected left hand, but
      not right hand, reaching by improving end-point accuracy and reducing movement
      speed. Furthermore, left hand reaching was more accurate for far than near
      targets, whereas right hand reaching showed the opposite pattern. We discuss two
      possible hemispheric lateralization accounts of these findings.

PMID- 20300931
TI  - Somatotopic dominance in tactile temporal processing.
AB  - The sense of touch is initiated by stimulation of peripheral mechanoreceptors,
      and then the spatio-temporal pattern of the receptors' activation is interpreted
      by central cortical processing. To explore the tactile central processing, we
      psychophysically studied human judgments of the temporal relationships between
      two tactile events occurring at different skin locations. We examined four types
      of two-point temporal judgments-simultaneity, temporal order, apparent motion,
      and inter-stimulus interval-which differ from one another in time scale and task
      requirement. To perform any of the four temporal judgment tasks, the brain has to
      integrate spatially separated inputs. The main focus of the present study is to
      examine how the spatial separation affects the temporal judgment tasks. Two
      spatial coordinates can be defined in touch: the somatotopic coordinate, defined
      by cortical topography, and the spatiotopic coordinate, defined in the
      environment. In our experiments, the somatotopic distance was manipulated by
      stimulating the middle and index fingers of the same hand or different hands
      (ipsilateral vs. bilateral conditions), while the spatiotopic distance was
      manipulated by increasing the stimulators' separation under bilateral conditions
      (bilateral-near vs. bilateral-far conditions). Our results clearly demonstrated
      that all four of the temporal judgments were significantly affected by the
      somatotopic distance, but only slightly by the spatiotopic distance. The present
      results, together with the previous findings, suggest that tactile temporal
      judgments in a wide range of time scale, from several to several 100 ms,
      primarily reflect processing at the level of somatotopic representation unless
      the performance is further constrained by spatial processing.

PMID- 20300932
TI  - Widespread translocation from autosomes to sex chromosomes preserves genetic
      variability in an endangered lark.
AB  - Species that pass repeatedly through narrow population bottlenecks (<100
      individuals) are likely to have lost a large proportion of their genetic
      variation. Having genotyped 92 Raso larks Alauda razae, a Critically Endangered
      single-island endemic whose world population in the Cape Verdes over the last 100
      years has fluctuated between about 15 and 130 pairs, we found variation at 7 of
      21 microsatellite loci that successfully amplified, the remaining loci being
      monomorphic. At 6 of the polymorphic loci variation was sex-linked, despite the
      fact that these microsatellites were not sex-linked in the other passerine birds
      where they were developed. Comparative analysis strongly suggests that material
      from several different autosomes has been recently transferred to the sex
      chromosomes in larks. Sex-linkage might plausibly allow some level of
      heterozygosity to be maintained, even in the face of persistently small
      population sizes.

PMID- 20300933
TI  - Association of inflammation of the left anterior descending coronary artery with
      cardiovascular risk factors, plaque burden and pericardial fat volume: a PET/CT
      study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Measurements of [(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake as a potential
      marker of the inflammatory activity of the vessel wall could be useful to
      identify vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques. The purpose of this study was to
      correlate the FDG uptake in the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD)
      with cardiovascular risk factors, pericardial fat volume (PFV) and calcified
      plaque burden (CPB). METHODS: A total of 292 consecutive tumour patients were
      examined by whole-body FDG PET and contrast-enhanced CT. The blood pool-corrected
      standardized uptake value (target to background ratio, TBR) was measured in the
      LAD, and the contrast-enhanced CT images were used to measure the PFV and the
      CPB. The Spearman correlation coefficient and the unpaired t test were used for
      statistical comparison between image-based results and cardiovascular risk
      factors. RESULTS: Vascular FDG uptake could be measured for 161 of 292 (55%)
      patients without myocardial uptake, but the vessel uptake could not be
      distinguished in the other patients, due to pervasive myocardial uptake. The TBR
      of the LAD showed significant correlations with hypertension (R = 0.18; p <
      0.05), coronary heart disease (R = 0.19; p < 0.05), body mass index (BMI) (R =
      0.19; p < 0.05), CPB (R = 0.36; p < 0.001) and PFV (R = 0.20; p < 0.05), but not
      with other risk factors. Patients with a TBR in the upper tertile had a larger
      CPB and a higher PFV than patients with a TBR in the lower tertile (9.1 vs 3.5; p
      < 0.001 for CPB and 92.2 vs 71.5 mm(3); p < 0.05 for PVF). CONCLUSION: FDG uptake
      measurement in the LAD correlates with hypertension, coronary heart disease, BMI,
      PFV and CPB. However, due to myocardial FDG uptake these measurements are only
      feasible in one half of the patients.

PMID- 20300934
TI  - Anticipating forest and range land development in central Oregon (USA) for
      landscape analysis, with an example application involving mule deer.
AB  - Forest policymakers, public lands managers, and scientists in the Pacific
      Northwest (USA) seek ways to evaluate the landscape-level effects of policies and
      management through the multidisciplinary development and application of spatially
      explicit methods and models. The Interagency Mapping and Analysis Project (IMAP)
      is an ongoing effort to generate landscape-wide vegetation data and models to
      evaluate the integrated effects of disturbances and management activities on
      natural resource conditions in Oregon and Washington (USA). In this initial
      analysis, we characterized the spatial distribution of forest and range land
      development in a four-county pilot study region in central Oregon. The empirical
      model describes the spatial distribution of buildings and new building
      construction as a function of population growth, existing development,
      topography, land-use zoning, and other factors. We used the model to create
      geographic information system maps of likely future development based on human
      population projections to inform complementary landscape analyses underway
      involving vegetation, habitat, and wildfire interactions. In an example
      application, we use the model and resulting maps to show the potential impacts of
      future forest and range land development on mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus)
      winter range. Results indicate significant development encroachment and habitat
      loss already in 2000 with development located along key migration routes and
      increasing through the projection period to 2040. The example application
      illustrates a simple way for policymakers and public lands managers to combine
      existing data and preliminary model outputs to begin to consider the potential
      effects of development on future landscape conditions.

PMID- 20300935
TI  - Effect of classification procedure on the performance of numerically defined
      ecological regions.
AB  - Ecological regionalizations define geographic regions exhibiting relative
      homogeneity in ecological (i.e., environmental and biotic) characteristics.
      Multivariate clustering methods have been used to define ecological regions based
      on subjectively chosen environmental variables. We developed and tested three
      procedures for defining ecological regions based on spatial modeling of a
      multivariate target pattern that is represented by compositional dissimilarities
      between locations (e.g., taxonomic dissimilarities). The procedures use a
      "training dataset" representing the target pattern and models this as a function
      of environmental variables. The model is then extrapolated to the entire domain
      of interest. Environmental data for our analysis were drawn from a 400 m grid
      covering all of Switzerland and consisted of 12 variables describing climate,
      topography and lithology. Our target patterns comprised land cover composition of
      each grid cell that was derived from interpretation of aerial photographs. For
      Regionalization 1 we used conventional cluster analysis of the environmental
      variables to define 60 hierarchically organized levels comprising from 5 to 300
      regions. Regionalization 1 provided a base-case for comparison with the model
      based regionalizations. Regionalization 2, 3 and 4 also comprised 60
      hierarchically organized levels and were derived by modeling land cover
      composition for 4000 randomly selected "training" cells. Regionalization 2 was
      based on cluster analysis of environmental variables that were transformed based
      on a Generalized Dissimilarity Model (GDM). Regionalization 3 and 4 were defined
      by clustering the training cells based on their land cover composition followed
      by predictive modeling of the distribution of the land cover clusters using
      Classification and Regression Tree (CART) and Random Forest (RF) models.
      Independent test data (i.e. not used to train the models) were used to test the
      discrimination of land cover composition at all hierarchical levels of the
      regionalizations using the classification strength (CS) statistic. CS for all the
      model-based regionalizations was significantly higher than for Regionalization 1.
      Regionalization 3 and 4 performed significantly better than Regionalization 2 at
      finer hierarchical levels (many regions) and Regionalization 4 performed
      significantly better than Regionalization 3 for coarse levels of detail (few
      regions). Compositional modeling can significantly increase the performance of
      numerically defined ecological regionalizations. CART and RF-based models appear
      to produce stronger regionalizations because discriminating variables are able to
      change at each hierarchic level.

PMID- 20300936
TI  - Spatial differentiation of landscape values in the Murray River region of
      Victoria, Australia.
AB  - This research advances the understanding of the location of perceived landscape
      values through a statistically based approach to spatial analysis of value
      densities. Survey data were obtained from a sample of people living in and using
      the Murray River region, Australia, where declining environmental quality
      prompted a reevaluation of its conservation status. When densities of 12
      perceived landscape values were mapped using geographic information systems
      (GIS), valued places clustered along the entire river bank and in associated
      National/State Parks and reserves. While simple density mapping revealed high
      value densities in various locations, it did not indicate what density of a
      landscape value could be regarded as a statistically significant hotspot or
      distinguish whether overlapping areas of high density for different values
      indicate identical or adjacent locations. A spatial statistic Getis-Ord Gi* was
      used to indicate statistically significant spatial clusters of high value
      densities or "hotspots". Of 251 hotspots, 40% were for single non-use values,
      primarily spiritual, therapeutic or intrinsic. Four hotspots had 11 landscape
      values. Two, lacking economic value, were located in ecologically important river
      red gum forests and two, lacking wilderness value, were near the major towns of
      Echuca-Moama and Albury-Wodonga. Hotspots for eight values showed statistically
      significant associations with another value. There were high associations between
      learning and heritage values while economic and biological diversity values
      showed moderate associations with several other direct and indirect use values.
      This approach may improve confidence in the interpretation of spatial analysis of
      landscape values by enhancing understanding of value relationships.

PMID- 20300937
TI  - Four pathogenic Candida species differ in salt tolerance.
AB  - The virulence of Candida species depends on many environmental conditions,
      including extracellular pH and concentration of alkali metal cations. Tests of
      the tolerance/sensitivity of four pathogenic Candida species (C. albicans, C.
      dubliniensis, C. glabrata, and C. parapsilosis) to alkali metal cations under
      various growth conditions revealed significant differences among these species.
      Though all of them can be classified as rather osmotolerant yeast species, they
      exhibit different levels of tolerance to different salts. C. parapsilosis and C.
      albicans are the most salt-tolerant in general; C. dubliniensis is the least
      tolerant on rich YPD media and C. glabrata on acidic (pH 3.5) minimal YNB medium.
      C. dubliniensis is relatively salt-sensitive in spite of its ability to maintain
      as high intracellular K(+)/Na(+) ratio as its highly salt-tolerant relative C.
      albicans. On the other hand, C. parapsilosis can grow in the presence of very
      high external NaCl concentrations in spite of its high intracellular Na(+)
      concentrations (and thus lower K(+)/Na(+) ratio) and thus resembles salt-tolerant
      (halophilic) Debaryomyces hansenii.

PMID- 20300938
TI  - One novel homozygous mutation of SLC39A4 gene in a Chinese patient with
      acrodermatitis enteropathica.
AB  - Acrodermatitis enteropathica, a rare autosomal recessive disease, manifests as
      periorificial and symmetrical acral dermatitis, alopecia, and diarrhea due to
      insufficient zinc uptake by the intestine. Recent research revealed that
      mutations in the SLC39A4 gene are responsible for acrodermatitis enteropathica.
      This gene encodes one member of a human zinc transporter-like protein, also known
      as ZIP4. We detected one novel homozygous mutation c.1115T > G in the human
      SLC39A4 gene in one Chinese patient, which leading to p.L372R of the ZIP4.
      Homology analysis shows Leu372 in ZIP4 is conserved in Eutheria.

PMID- 20300939
TI  - Two new mutations of the ADAR1 gene associated with dyschromatosis symmetrica
      hereditaria.
AB  - Dyschromatosis symmetrica hereditaria (DSH) is a pigmentary genodermatosis of
      autosomal dominant inheritance characterized by a mixture of hyperpigmented and
      hypopigmented macules distributed on the dorsal aspects of the hands and feet.
      Genetic studies have identified mutations in ADAR1 gene to be responsible for
      this disorder. We detected two mutations in two families with DSH, which include
      a heterozygous g-->a transversion at the first base of the 3'-acceptor splice
      site of intron 5 (c. 2080-1g>a, IVS5-1g>a) and a transition c.3076C>T. IVS5-1g>a
      should prevent proper splicing of the transcript while c.3076C>T leading to a
      missense mutation p.R1026W of the ADAR1 gene. Our study suggests that splice site
      mutation IVS5-1g>a and missense mutation p.R1026W are new mutations of ADAR1
      gene, which should be useful in genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis for the
      affected families and expanding the database on ADAR1 gene mutations in DSH.

PMID- 20300940
TI  - Validation of adequate endogenous reference genes for the normalisation of qPCR
      gene expression data in human post mortem tissue.
AB  - Gene expression analyses based on messenger RNA (mRNA) profiling require accurate
      data normalisation. When using endogenous reference genes, these have to be
      validated carefully. Therefore, we examined the transcript stability of 10
      potential reference genes using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction:
      beta actin, 18S rRNA, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, TATA box-binding
      protein, hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl-transferase I, beta-2-microglobulin,
      hydroxymethylbilane synthase, succinate dehydrogenase complex, subunit A,
      cyclophilin A and ubiquitin C. The aim of the current study was to assess which
      reference genes show stable mRNA levels in human post mortem cardiac muscle,
      skeletal muscle and brain tissue. Considering cardiac muscle tissue, CYCA and TBP
      were identified as the most stable while in skeletal muscle tissue, SDHA and TBP,
      and in brain tissue, SDHA and HMBS turned out to be the most stable. Furthermore,
      we recommend a minimum of four carefully validated endogenous control genes for
      reliable data normalisation in human post mortem tissue. Parameters influencing
      the stability of transcript amounts were found to be mainly the post mortem
      interval in cardiac muscle and skeletal muscle tissue and the donor's cause of
      death in skeletal muscle and brain samples. Further parameters like gender, age
      at death and body mass index were found to influence mRNA quantities in skeletal
      muscle only. The set of stable control genes identified in this study may be used
      in further studies if the composition of the samples is similar to the one used
      here.

PMID- 20300941
TI  - Center-of-mass alterations and visual illusion of extent.
AB  - In the present communication, we have developed a computational model related to
      the conception of positional coding via centers-of-masses (centroids) of the
      objects' luminance distributions. The model predictions have been tested by the
      results of our psychophysical study of geometrical illusion of extent evoked by a
      modified Brentano figure consisting of three separate spots clusters. In
      experiments, the centroids of the clusters were manipulated by varying the
      positions of additional non-target spots flanking the stimulus terminators. A
      good correspondence between the model predictions and the illusion magnitude
      changes provided convincing evidences in favor of "centroid" explanation of
      origin of the illusion investigated.

PMID- 20300942
TI  - Simulated visual homing in desert ant natural environments: efficiency of skyline
      cues.
AB  - Desert ants, foraging in cluttered semiarid environments, are thought to be
      visually guided along individual, habitual routes. While other navigational
      mechanisms (e.g. path integration) are well studied, the question of how ants
      extract reliable visual features from a complex visual scene is still largely
      open. This paper explores the assumption that the upper outline of ground objects
      formed against the sky, i.e. the skyline, provides sufficient information for
      visual navigation. We constructed a virtual model of the ant's environment. In
      the virtual environment, panoramic images were recorded and adapted to the
      resolution of the desert ant's complex eye. From these images either a skyline
      code or a pixel-based intensity code were extracted. Further, two homing
      algorithms were implemented, a modified version of the average landmark vector
      (ALV) model (Lambrinos et al. Robot Auton Syst 30:39-64, 2000) and a gradient
      ascent method. Results show less spatial aliasing for skyline coding and best
      homing performance for ALV homing based on skyline codes. This supports the
      assumption of skyline coding in visual homing of desert ants and allows novel
      approaches to technical outdoor navigation.

PMID- 20300943
TI  - Keeping an eye on the violinist: motor experts show superior timing consistency
      in a visual perception task.
AB  - Common coding theory states that perception and action may reciprocally induce
      each other. Consequently, motor expertise should map onto perceptual consistency
      in specific tasks such as predicting the exact timing of a musical entry. To test
      this hypothesis, ten string musicians (motor experts), ten non-string musicians
      (visual experts), and ten non-musicians were asked to watch progressively
      occluded video recordings of a first violinist indicating entries to fellow
      members of a string quartet. Participants synchronised with the perceived timing
      of the musical entries. Results revealed significant effects of motor expertise
      on perception. Compared to visual experts and non-musicians, string players not
      only responded more accurately, but also with less timing variability. These
      findings provide evidence that motor experts' consistency in movement execution-a
      key characteristic of expert motor performance-is mirrored in lower variability
      in perceptual judgements, indicating close links between action competence and
      perception.

PMID- 20300944
TI  - The Sos-recruitment system as a tool to analyze cellular localization of plant
      proteins: membrane localization of Arabidopsis thaliana PEPINO/PASTICCINO2.
AB  - We have explored a modified cytosolic yeast-two-hybrid Sos-recruitment system
      (SRS) in order to test for membrane localization of a protein. In this system,
      membrane localization is assessed by rescue of a yeast strain carrying a
      temperature-sensitive mutation in the CDC25 gene (cdc25-2) at restrictive
      temperature. The homologous human Sos (hSos) is capable to replace cdc25-2
      provided that it is attached to the membrane because only then hSos is
      functional. This can be achieved when hSos is artificially fused to a protein
      containing trans-membrane domains (Tms). GFP/YFP fusion construct analyses of the
      Arabidopsis thaliana PEPINO/PASTICCINO2 (PEP/PAS2) protein have previously shown
      disparate cellular localizations although this protein possesses clear Tms.
      Analysis of N-terminal and C-terminal hSos-PEP/PAS2 fusions respectively
      suggests, that PEP/PAS2 is an integral membrane protein with cytosolic N- and C
      termini. This implies that the protein has an even number of Tms and that the
      first Tm, a signal peptide, is not cleaved off. Our study shows that SRS is
      suitable to test for protein membrane localization and possibly for more detailed
      topological analysis of membrane proteins.

PMID- 20300945
TI  - Clinical usefulness of AGEs as a biomarker for the attenuation of NASH.

PMID- 20300946
TI  - A giant fusiform aneurysm of the external carotid artery branch in an infant.

PMID- 20300947
TI  - Detection of bone erosion in early rheumatoid arthritis: ultrasonography and
      conventional radiography versus non-contrast magnetic resonance imaging.
AB  - Nowadays, there is a trend toward early diagnosis and treatment of rheumatoid
      arthritis (RA) especially in patients with early signs of bone erosion which can
      be detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The aim of following study is to
      compare the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography (US) and conventional
      radiography (CR) compared to MRI for early detection of bone erosion in RA
      patients. In 12 patients with RA diagnosis, 120 first to fifth
      metacarpophalangeal joints and 96 second to fifth proximal interphalangeal joints
      were examined. Non-contrast MRI, US and CR were performed for bone erosion
      evaluation. For further analysis, the patients were divided in two equal groups
      according to disease activity score (DAS28). The overall sensitivity and
      specificity of US compared to MRI in detecting bone erosion were 0.63 and 0.98,
      respectively with a considerable agreement (kappa = 0.68, p < 0.001). Sensitivity
      and specificity of CR compared to MRI in detecting bone erosion were 0.13 and
      1.00, respectively (kappa = 0.20, p < 0.001). In patients with more active
      disease, the sensitivity and specificity were 0.67 and 0.99 (kappa = 0.74, p <
      0.001) compared to 0.59 and 0.97 (kappa = 0.61, p < 0.001) for the rest of
      patients according to DAS28. Conclusively, these findings reveal an acceptable
      agreement between US and MRI for detection of bone erosion in patients with early
      RA but not CR. US might be considered as a valuable tool for early detection of
      bone erosion especially when MRI is not available or affordable. Besides, it
      seems the US could be more reliable when the disease is more active.

PMID- 20300948
TI  - An evaluation of the usefulness of Staphylococcus aureus serodiagnosis in
      clinical practice.

PMID- 20300949
TI  - Eradication of the commensal intestinal microflora by oral antimicrobials
      interferes with the host response to lipopolysaccharide.
AB  - The host components and commensal microorganisms of the intestinal
      microenvironment play roles in the development and maintenance of the host
      defence. Recent observations have suggested that toll-like receptors (TLRs) are
      involved in the recognition of innate immunity against intestinal microbes.
      However, little is known regarding the role of TLR in the maintenance of systemic
      host defence by intestinal microorganisms. We studied the expression and function
      of TLR4 and TLR2 on alveolar and peritoneal macrophages in mice after 3 weeks of
      oral administration of streptomycin and cefotaxime. After active treatment, the
      intestinal microorganisms were nearly completely eradicated, and the surface
      expression of TLR4 and TLR2 on the peritoneal macrophages was prominently
      downregulated. When the actively treated mice were challenged with
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a TLR4 ligand, the host response was markedly impaired.
      Our results suggest that the oral administration of antimicrobials downregulates
      the expression of surface TLR on the peritoneal macrophages and modulates the
      host immune responses against LPS by modifying the intestinal environment.

PMID- 20300950
TI  - A model for arterial adaptation combining microstructural collagen remodeling and
      3D tissue growth.
AB  - Long-term adaptation of soft tissues is realized through growth and remodeling
      (G&R). Mathematical models are powerful tools in testing hypotheses on G&R and
      supporting the design and interpretation of experiments. Most theoretical G&R
      studies concentrate on description of either growth or remodeling. Our model
      combines concepts of remodeling of collagen recruitment stretch and orientation
      suggested by other authors with a novel model of general 3D growth. We translate
      a growth-induced volume change into a change in shape due to the interaction of
      the growing tissue with its environment. Our G&R model is implemented in a finite
      element package in 3D, but applied to two rotationally symmetric cases, i.e., the
      adaptation towards the homeostatic state of the human aorta and the development
      of a fusiform aneurysm. Starting from a guessed non-homeostatic state, the model
      is able to reproduce a homeostatic state of an artery with realistic parameters.
      We investigate the sensitivity of this state to settings of initial parameters.
      In addition, we simulate G&R of a fusiform aneurysm, initiated by a localized
      degradation of the matrix of the healthy artery. The aneurysm stabilizes in size
      soon after the degradation stops.

PMID- 20300951
TI  - Aurora kinase A induces miR-17-92 cluster through regulation of E2F1
      transcription factor.
AB  - Aurora kinase A (AURKA) is an essential mitotic serine/threonine kinase and its
      abnormal expression is observed in many malignancies, yet the exact role for
      AURKA in tumorigenesis still remains elusive. Here, through a transcription
      factor array, we show that the transcription activity of E2F1 was increased by
      AURKA overexpression. Meanwhile, the E2F1 protein level was found to be
      upregulated and a correlation between AURKA and E2F1 expression was observed in
      cancer specimens. Further analysis revealed that AURKA increased E2F1 protein
      stability by inhibiting proteasome-dependent degradation of this protein.
      Additionally, a microRNA cluster, miR-17-92, was found to be upregulated upon
      AURKA overexpression, and this stimulation was largely repressed by E2F1
      knockdown. Chromatin immunoprecipitation further demonstrated that AURKA enhanced
      E2F1 occupancy to the promoter of the miR-17-92 cluster. These data reveal a
      novel link between AURKA and microRNAs via the regulation of E2F1, providing new
      clues for understanding the role of AURKA in tumorigenesis.

PMID- 20300953
TI  - Hydroxyapatite nanoparticles as a controlled-release carrier of BMP-2: absorption
      and release kinetics in vitro.
AB  - Recently, nanoparticles have been extensively developed as controlled-release
      carriers; however, there has been little research on hydroxyapatite nanoparticles
      (HANPs) and their potential applications. In this study, HANPs were investigated
      as a controlled-release carrier of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), the
      absorption and release kinetics of which were analyzed in vitro. Different
      concentrations of BMP-2 solution were used to evaluate the adsorptive properties
      of HANPs. It was observed that the amount of BMP-2 adsorbed onto HANPs could be
      as high as 70 mug/mg and that adsorption rate was highly correlated with the
      concentration of BMP-2 solution used. After absorption, the suspension of HANPs
      absorbed BMP-2 (HANPs/BMP-2) was incubated at 37 degrees C for 15 days and the
      release kinetics of BMP-2 from HANPs/BMP-2 was determined daily. The release
      profile showed sustained release of BMP-2 over the period of the investigation.
      Collectively, these results suggest that HANPs has the potential to function as a
      carrier for drug delivery systems and as a scaffold material in bone tissue
      engineering.

PMID- 20300954
TI  - In vivo study of ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate applied in direct contact with nerves
      regenerating in a novel nerve-guide.
AB  - Stitch suture is still the most recommended method to hold a nerve-guide in place
      but stitch suture is a well known cause of local inflammatory response. Glues of
      several kinds have been proposed as an alternative but they are not easy to apply
      in a real surgical setting. In 2006 authors developed a new concept of nerve
      guide termed "NeuroBox" which is double-halved, not-degradable and rigid, and
      allows the use of cyanoacrylic glues. In this study, Authors analyzed
      histologically the nerve-glue interface. Wistar rats were used as animal model.
      In group 1, animals were implanted a NeuroBox to promote the regeneration of an
      experimentally produced 4 mm gap in the sciatic nerve. In group 2, the gap was
      left without repair ("sham-operated" group). Group 3 was assembled by harvesting
      10 contralateral intact nerves to document the normal anatomy. Semi-thin sections
      for visible light microscopy and ultra-thin sections for Transmission Electron
      Microscopy were analyzed. Results showed that application of ethyl-2
      cyanoacrylate directly to the epineurium produced no significative insult to the
      underlining nerve fibers nor impaired nerve regeneration. No regeneration
      occurred in the "sham-operated" group.

PMID- 20300952
TI  - Centrioles: active players or passengers during mitosis?
AB  - Centrioles are cylinders made of nine microtubule (MT) triplets present in many
      eukaryotes. Early studies, where centrosomes were seen at the poles of the
      mitotic spindle led to their coining as "the organ for cell division". However, a
      variety of subsequent observational and functional studies showed that
      centrosomes might not always be essential for mitosis. Here we review the
      arguments in this debate. We describe the centriole structure and its
      distribution in the eukaryotic tree of life and clarify its role in the
      organization of the centrosome and cilia, with an historical perspective. An
      important aspect of the debate addressed in this review is how centrioles are
      inherited and the role of the spindle in this process. In particular, germline
      inheritance of centrosomes, such as their de novo formation in parthenogenetic
      species, poses many interesting questions. We finish by discussing the most
      likely functions of centrioles and laying out new research avenues.

PMID- 20300955
TI  - Raising the stakes: assessing the human service response to the advent of a
      casino.
AB  - This article reports the findings of one county's human service network's
      readiness to treat gambling related problems in anticipation of the opening of a
      new casino. Using a cross-sectional survey design, questionnaires were mailed to
      executive directors of all mental health, family counseling, drug and alcohol,
      and faith-based, addiction-related organizations in the county (N = 248); 137
      (55.2%) agency directors responded to the questionnaire. The survey requested
      information about agency demographics, training, screening, treatment, and public
      awareness/education. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses were used to
      summarize the findings. The analyses revealed a lack of human service response to
      the impending start of casino gambling. More than three-quarters of respondents
      had not sent staff for training in screening or treating gambling disorders, did
      not screen for problem gambling, did not treat problem gambling, and did not
      refer clients to other agencies for treatment of gambling-related problems. The
      most common reason offered for not engaging in prevention and treatment
      activities was that problem gambling is not considered an issue for the agency.
      There were differences between mental health and/or substance abuse focused
      agencies and other service providers. Based on the findings of this study,
      specific strategies to enhance the service delivery network's capacity to address
      problem gambling are suggested.

PMID- 20300956
TI  - What do genetic counselors learn on the job? A qualitative assessment of
      professional development outcomes.
AB  - Professional development is an important goal for professionals in human service
      fields such as counseling, teaching, and nursing. However, there are relatively
      few published papers on this topic specific to genetic counselors, and no studies
      systematically examine the outcomes of their professional development. This study
      was designed to investigate genetic counselors' perceptions of their post-degree
      learning and to compare themes in their learning to those of psychotherapist
      professional development models. Two hundred ninety-three genetic counselors
      completed the demographics portion of an anonymous online survey, and of these,
      185 also responded to at least one of two open-ended items: What is the most
      important thing you have learned about yourself in your practice as a genetic
      counselor? and What advice would you give to genetic counseling students just
      starting their career? An interpretative content-analysis method was used to
      extract three major themes: Intrapersonal lessons, Interpersonal lessons, and
      Professional lessons. Training and practice implications and research
      recommendations are provided.

PMID- 20300957
TI  - Morphologically accurate reduced order modeling of spiking neurons.
AB  - Accurately simulating neurons with realistic morphological structure and synaptic
      inputs requires the solution of large systems of nonlinear ordinary differential
      equations. We apply model reduction techniques to recover the complete nonlinear
      voltage dynamics of a neuron using a system of much lower dimension. Using a
      proper orthogonal decomposition, we build a reduced-order system from salient
      snapshots of the full system output, thus reducing the number of state variables.
      A discrete empirical interpolation method is then used to reduce the complexity
      of the nonlinear term to be proportional to the number of reduced variables.
      Together these two techniques allow for up to two orders of magnitude dimension
      reduction without sacrificing the spatially-distributed input structure, with an
      associated order of magnitude speed-up in simulation time. We demonstrate that
      both nonlinear spiking behavior and subthreshold response of realistic cells are
      accurately captured by these low-dimensional models.

PMID- 20300958
TI  - A Validation of Blanchard's typology: comment on Nuttbrock et al. (2010).

PMID- 20300959
TI  - Colchicine-induced apoptosis was prevented by glycogen synthase kinase-3
      inhibitors in PC12 cells.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to examine whether glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK
      3) is involved in colchicine-induced cell death in PC12 cells by using GSK
      inhibitors. Colchicine increased apoptotic cell death with morphological changes
      characterized by cell shrinkage and nuclear condensation or fragmentation. GSK-3
      inhibitors such as alsterpaullone, SB216763, and AR-A014418 prevented colchicine
      induced cell death and caspase-3 activation. These results suggest that
      colchicine induces caspase-dependent apoptotic cell death and that GSK-3
      activation is involved in cell death in PC12 cells.

PMID- 20300960
TI  - Predictors of interobserver agreement in breast imaging using the Breast Imaging
      Reporting and Data System.
AB  - The Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) was introduced in 1993 to
      standardize the interpretation of mammograms. Though many studies have assessed
      the validity of the system, fewer have examined its reliability. Our objective is
      to identify predictors of reliability as measured by the kappa statistic. We
      identified studies conducted between 1993 and 2009 which reported kappa values
      for interpreting mammograms using any edition of BI-RADS. Bivariate and
      multivariate multilevel analyses were used to examine associations between
      potential predictors and kappa values. We identified ten eligible studies, which
      yielded 88 kappa values for the analysis. Potential predictors of kappa included:
      whether or not the study included negative cases, whether single- or two-view
      mammograms were used, whether or not mammograms were digital versus screen-film,
      whether or not the fourth edition of BI-RADS was utilized, the BI-RADS category
      being evaluated, whether or not readers were trained, whether or not there was an
      overlap in readers' professional activities, the number of cases in the study and
      the country in which the study was conducted. Our best multivariate model
      identified training, use of two-view mammograms and BI-RADS categories (masses,
      calcifications, and final assessments) as predictors of kappa. Training, use of
      two-view mammograms and focusing on mass description may be useful in increasing
      reliability in mammogram interpretation. Calcification and final assessment
      descriptors are areas for potential improvement. These findings are important for
      implementing policies in BI-RADS use before introducing the system in different
      settings and improving current implementations.

PMID- 20300962
TI  - Present at the creation: the clinical pastoral movement and the origins of the
      dialogue between religion and psychiatry.
AB  - The contemporary dialogue between religion and psychiatry has its roots in what
      is called the clinical pastoral movement. The early leaders of the clinical
      pastoral movement (Anton Boisen, Elwood Worcester, Helen Flanders Dunbar, and
      Richard Cabot) were individuals of talent, even genius, whose lives and work
      intersected one another in the early decades of the twentieth century. Their
      legacy endures in the persons they inspired and continue to inspire and in the
      professional organizations and academic programs that profit from their
      pioneering work. To understand them and the era of their greatest productivity is
      to understand some of what psychiatry and religion have to say to each other.
      Appreciating their legacy requires attention to the context of historical
      movements and forces current in America at the end of the nineteenth and the
      beginning of the twentieth century that shaped religious, psychiatric, and
      cultural discourse. This essay attempts to provide an introduction to this rich
      and fascinating material. This material was first presented as a Grand Rounds
      lecture at The New York Presbyterian Hospital, Payne Whitney Westchester in the
      Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College.

PMID- 20300963
TI  - Cancer survivors' spiritual well-being and use of complementary methods: a report
      from the American Cancer Society's Studies of Cancer Survivors.
AB  - We examined associations between spiritual well-being and CAM use among 4,139
      cancer survivors. We also explored the classification of religious/spiritual
      practices (R/S) as CAMs and alternative subscale structures of the Functional
      Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy--Spiritual Well-being (FACIT-Sp). We
      evaluated three aspects of spirituality, Faith, Peace, and Meaning, and use of 19
      CAMs in 5 domains. Mind-body methods were subdivided into R/S and non-R/S. All
      FACIT-Sp factors were associated with CAM use, but in different directions:
      Meaning and Faith were positively associated; Peace was negatively associated.
      Peace was negatively associated with R/S CAMs, but not non-R/S CAMs. The
      prevalence of CAM use dropped from 79.3 to 64.8% when R/S items were excluded.
      These findings confirm an association between spiritual well-being and CAM use,
      including some non-R/S CAMs, and provide evidence of the benefits of using the
      three-factor FACIT-Sp solution and treating R/S CAMs as a separate category.

PMID- 20300964
TI  - On defining "mental disorder": purposes and conditions of adequacy.
AB  - All definitions of mental disorder are backed up by arguments that rely on
      general criteria (e.g., that a definition should be consistent with ordinary
      language). These desiderata are rarely explicitly stated, and there has been no
      systematic discussion of how different definitions should be assessed. To arrive
      at a well-founded list of desiderata, we need to know the purpose of a
      definition. I argue that this purpose must be practical; it should, for example,
      help us determine who is entitled to publicly funded health care. I then propose
      eight conditions of adequacy that can be used to assess competing definitions
      (e.g., the ordinary language condition, the coherence condition, and the
      condition of normative adequacy). These conditions pull in different directions,
      however, and we must decide which are most important. I also suggest that there
      is no single definition that can help us deal with all the relevant practical
      issues.

PMID- 20300965
TI  - 2010 TNM staging system for cutaneous melanoma...and beyond.

PMID- 20300966
TI  - Sentinel node identification rate and nodal involvement in the EORTC 10981-22023
      AMAROS trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The randomized EORTC 10981-22023 AMAROS trial investigates whether
      breast cancer patients with a tumor-positive sentinel node biopsy (SNB) are best
      treated with an axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) or axillary radiotherapy
      (ART). The aim of the current substudy was to evaluate the identification rate
      and the nodal involvement. METHODS: The first 2,000 patients participating in the
      AMAROS trial were evaluated. Associations between the identification rate and
      technical, patient-, and tumor-related factors were evaluated. The outcome of the
      SNB procedure and potential further nodal involvement was assessed. RESULTS: In
      65 patients, the sentinel node could not be identified. As a result, the sentinel
      node identification rate was 97% (1,888 of 1,953). Variables affecting the
      success rate were age, pathological tumor size, histology, year of accrual, and
      method of detection. The SNB results of 65% of the patients (n = 1,220) were
      negative and the patients underwent no further axillary treatment. The SNB
      results were positive in 34% of the patients (n = 647), including macrometastases
      (n = 409, 63%), micrometastases (n = 161, 25%), and isolated tumor cells (n = 77,
      12%). Further nodal involvement in patients with macrometastases,
      micrometastases, and isolated tumor cells undergoing an ALND was 41, 18, and 18%,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: With a 97% detection rate in this prospective
      international multicenter study, the SNB procedure is highly effective,
      especially when the combined method is used. Further nodal involvement in
      patients with micrometastases and isolated tumor cells in the sentinel node was
      similar-both were 18%.

PMID- 20300967
TI  - Ratio of metastatic to resected lymph nodes as a prognostic factor in node
      positive colorectal cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study was designed to assess the prognostic value of the ratio
      of metastatic to resected lymph nodes (lymph node ratio [LNR]) in patients with
      node-positive colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS: From May 1998 to December 2007,
      data from a total of 514 patients who underwent curative surgery for CRC with
      proven lymph node metastases were analyzed. Patients were categorized into four
      groups on the basis of quartiles: LNR1 (<0.09), LNR2 (between 0.09 and 0.18),
      LNR3 (>0.18 and <0.34), and LNR4 (>=0.34). RESULTS: The median numbers of
      resected and metastatic nodes were 14 (range, 2-67) and 2 (range, 1-31),
      respectively. With a median follow-up period of 48.5 months, the 5-year overall
      survival rates of patients with LNR1, LNR2, LNR3, and LNR4 were 79, 72, 62, and
      55%, respectively (P < 0.001); the 5-year disease-free survival rates of patients
      with LNR1, LNR2, LNR3, and LNR4 were 73, 67, 54, and 42%, respectively (P <
      0.001). In the multivariate analysis, the LNR was an independent prognostic
      factor for both overall (P = 0.012) and disease-free survival (P = 0.009), as
      were pT and pN category. LNR remained statistically significant both in patients
      with <12 and with >12 nodes retrieved. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to the
      conventional pT and pN categories, the LNR was a predictor of both the overall
      and disease-free survival in patients with node-positive CRC. It may compensate
      for an inadequate lymph node dissection in surgery for CRC.

PMID- 20300968
TI  - A contemporary update on scleroderma.

PMID- 20300969
TI  - ADAM-17 over-expression in gallbladder carcinoma correlates with poor prognosis
      of patients.
AB  - The ADAMs is a multi-functional gene family of membrane proteins possessing a
      disintegrin and metalloprotease domain. They have potential implications for the
      metastasis of human tumor cells via cell adhesion and protease activities.
      However, no studies have yet comprehensively examined the expression of ADAMs in
      gallbladder carcinoma. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that ADAM
      17 (otherwise known as tumor necrosis factor-alpha converting enzyme) is involved
      in the progression of gallbladder carcinoma. Two hundreds samples of gallbladder
      carcinoma and sixty non-cancerous gallbladder samples were used to measure the
      expression of total ADAM-17 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the
      precursor and active forms by western blotting analysis. Expression of ADAM-17
      was significantly increased in tumors with high histological grade and pT stage
      compared with low histological grade and pT stage tumors and was not associated
      with patients' gender, age, histological type, and resection margin involvement.
      Patients with high expression of ADAM-17 had a significantly shorter overall
      survival compared with those with low expression. Significantly, the prognostic
      impact of ADAM-17 was independent of conventional prognostic factors for
      gallbladder carcinoma. The current study demonstrated that the over-expression of
      ADAM-17 in patients with gallbladder carcinoma was linked closely with
      histological grade, pT stage and prognosis, and thus provides further impetus for
      exploiting ADAM-17 as new target for the treatment of gallbladder carcinoma.

PMID- 20300970
TI  - Painless acute pancreatitis associated with sorafenib treatment: a case report.
AB  - Sorafenib is a multikinase inhibitor that is used for the treatment of metastatic
      renal-cell carcinoma. We report the case of a patient with painless acute
      pancreatitis associated with sorafenib treatment. The patient was a 71-year-old
      man who had undergone surgery for left renal carcinoma and tumor thrombus in the
      inferior vena cava and right atrium (IVC-RA). After a follow-up period of 3
      years, he developed right adrenal metastasis and received interferon (IFN)-alpha
      treatment. One year later, progression of the adrenal metastasis was observed,
      and he was admitted to a hospital for treatment with sorafenib, which was
      administered at a dose of 800 mg/day. Two weeks later, he developed painless
      acute pancreatitis associated with sorafenib treatment. Thereafter, sorafenib
      treatment was discontinued, and he was treated with conservative therapy. Three
      weeks later, he was discharged. Even though painless acute pancreatitis
      associated with sorafenib treatment is rare, the possible development of painless
      acute pancreatitis in patients undergoing sorafenib treatment must be kept in
      mind.

PMID- 20300971
TI  - The protective effects of intratympanic dexamethasone and vitamin E on cisplatin
      induced ototoxicity are demonstrated in rats.
AB  - Cisplatin ototoxicity is a major dose-limiting factor in the treatment of several
      neoplasms. Dexamethasone and vitamin E are two slow-acting free radical cleaners,
      and they have been shown to ameliorate nephrotoxicity and endothelial cell damage
      in animals receiving cisplatin. The purpose of the study was to determine the
      effectiveness of vitamin E and dexamethasone as an otoprotectant
      intratympanically. Prospective, randomized controlled trial in the rat model.
      Wistar rats were sedated using 50 mg/kg intraperitoneal ketamine and 7.5 mg/kg
      xylazine. Baseline auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing was performed in
      response to clicks and 4.8-, 12-, 16-kHz tone bursts. After auditory thresholds
      were determined, the animals received intraperitoneal drug administration
      according to one of the four groups. The rat groups received (group I) % 09 NaCl
      solution intratympanically (IT), (group II) cisplatin (20 mg/kg) only
      intraperitoneally (IP), (group III) dexamethasone (0.1-0.3 ml) IT and (group IV)
      vitamin E solution (0.1-0.3 ml) IT followed after 30 min by 20 mg/kg cisplatin.
      After the 3-day follow-up, ABR testing was performed and threshold changes were
      recorded. Group II animals showed marked hearing loss with average threshold
      shifts of 39.7 +/- 1.4 dB for clicks, 7.3 +/- 2.6 dB at 4 kHz, 8.4 +/- 1.6 dB at
      8 kHz, 71.1 +/- 4.2 dB at 12 kHz and 71.9 +/- 5.9 dB at 16 kHz. No significant
      loss was observed in group III with shifts of 1.60 +/- 1.3 dB, 4.75 +/- 2.4 dB,
      8.7 +/- 3.4 dB, and 4.3 +/- 2.1 dB for clicks and tone bursts at 4.8, 12, and 16
      kHz, respectively. And similar findings were observed in group IV with shifts of
      3.3 +/- 1.4 dB, 7.2 +/- 2.1 dB, 10.8 +/- 2 dB, and 13.3 +/- 3.1 dB for clicks and
      tone bursts at 4.8, 12, and 16 kHz, respectively. Significant protection was seen
      in group III and IV animals compared with group II animals. There is no side
      effect in IT administration of vitamin E and dexamethasone for hearing functions
      and two of them appear to have a easier, safer, usable protective effect against
      cisplatin ototoxicity.

PMID- 20300972
TI  - beta-Catenin overexpression in malignant glioma and its role in proliferation and
      apoptosis in glioblastma cells.
AB  - beta-Catenin, a core component of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling, has been shown to
      be a crucial factor in a broad range of tumors, while its role in glioma is not
      well understood. In this study, the expression of beta-catenin in astrocytic
      glioma tissues with different grade and human normal cerebral tissues was
      examined using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and
      immunohistochemistry. We found a higher expression level of beta-catenin in
      astrocytic glioma patients with high grade in comparison with the normal
      controls. Additionally, siRNA was transfected into human U251 glioblastoma cells
      by liposome after the design of siRNA was confirmed to effectively inhibit the
      expression of beta-catenin by RT-PCR. Compared to the control siRNA group, siRNA
      mediated knockdown of beta-catenin in human U251 cells inhibited cell
      proliferation, resulted in cell apoptosis, and arrested cell cycle in G0/G1.
      Additionally, downregulation of beta-catenin decreased the expression level of
      cyclin D1, c-Myc and c-jun. Taken together, these results indicate that
      overexpression of beta-catenin may be an important contributing factor to glioma
      progression.

PMID- 20300973
TI  - Astrocyte-elevated gene-1 overexpression is associated with poor prognosis in
      gastric cancer.
AB  - Astrocyte-elevated gene-1 (AEG-1) plays an important role in diverse cancers and
      its up-regulation is associated with poor survival of patients. However, the
      status of AEG-1 expression and its significance in gastric cancer are still
      unclear. In this study, the expression of AEG-1 was studied in different gastric
      cancer cell lines and gastric cancer tissues. Expression of AEG-1 was
      significantly higher in gastric cancer tissues than that in normal tissues.
      Overexpression of AEG-1 was found in 62.9% of gastric cancers and significantly
      associated with TNM stage and Ki-67 proliferation index (P < 0.01). For survival
      study, overexpression of AEG-1 was significantly associated with poor survival (P
      < 0.01). Further multivariate analysis suggested that AEG-1 overexpression was an
      independent prognostic factor for the disease. We demonstrated that inhibition of
      AEG-1 expression by specific siRNA clearly inhibited SGC-7901 cell growth and
      enhanced cell apoptosis (P < 0.01). Inhibition of AEG-1 reduced phosphorylation
      of AKT and glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3beta (Ser 9) and decreased the level
      of beta-catenin, lymphoid enhancer binding factor 1 (LEF1), and Cyclin D1. This
      indicated that AEG-1 may play a role in Wnt/beta-catenin-mediated cancer
      progression. Taken together, overexpression of AEG-1 could be a useful prognostic
      factor in patients with gastric cancer. Targeted inhibition of AEG-1 may provide
      a novel therapeutic strategy for gastric cancer.

PMID- 20300974
TI  - Growth inhibitory effects of DJ-1-small interfering RNA on laryngeal carcinoma
      Hep-2 cells.
AB  - Cancer of the larynx is the commonest head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The
      DJ-1 gene is a novel mitogen-dependent oncogene. Survivin is a structurally
      unique member of the inhibitors of apoptosis proteins. DJ-1 and survivin play
      important roles in carcinogenesis. The function of DJ-1, and the relationship
      between DJ-1 and survivin in laryngeal carcinoma, has never been explored. Small
      interfering RNAs (siRNAs) directed against the DJ-1 gene were initially
      transfected into laryngeal carcinoma Hep-2 cells with liposome. The viability of
      Hep-2 cells was then detected by the MTT assay. The changes in cell-cycle
      distribution were monitored by flow cytometry. Finally, changes in DJ-1 and
      survivin genes mRNA and protein levels were evaluated by semi-quantitative RT-PCR
      and Western blotting, respectively. Blocking expression of the DJ-1 gene with DJ
      1-siRNA significantly suppressed the viability of Hep-2 cells. Treatment with DJ
      1-siRNA resulted in a G2/M accumulation. Expressions of DJ-1 and survivin gene
      mRNA and protein levels were suppressed by DJ-1-siRNA in a dose-dependent manner.
      These data indicate, for the first time, that the DJ-1 gene may have an important
      role in the carcinogenesis of laryngeal carcinoma.

PMID- 20300975
TI  - The invasive malignancy from peritoneal epithelial cell: a report of four cases
      and review of literature.
AB  - To analyze the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of primary
      peritoneal carcinoma (PPC) and to review the literature, so as to raise the
      awareness of the disease. Four cases of PPC diagnosed in our department from
      March 2005 to September 2007 were retrospectively analyzed. Four cases were all
      treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. They were treated with intraperitoneal
      chemohyperthermia (IPCH) with cisplatin, carboplatin or oxaliplatin with a closed
      sterile circuit of 1,000 ml physiologic saline and inflow temperature is 43
      degrees C, while they were receiving high-intensity focused microwave
      hyperthermia (HIFMH) concomitantly. Intravenous paclitaxel or docetaxel was used
      in three patients, while cyclophosphamide and adriamycin injection in another
      patient. After two cycles of chemotherapy, ascites decreased significantly or
      even disappeared. Up to 6 January 2010, the four cases had survived for 38, 51,
      33 and 29 months, respectively. PPC is a group of invasive malignancy derived
      from the peritoneal epithelium, it is common in women and is homogeneous with
      ovarian cancer in pathology. Diagnosis relies mainly on postoperative pathologic
      diagnosis and cytology after ruling out ovarian cancer and gastrointestinal
      cancer. Platinum-containing chemotherapy, IPCH and the administration of taxanes
      can improve the overall response rate and long-term survival.

PMID- 20300976
TI  - Rho kinase inhibitor fasudil suppresses migration and invasion though down
      regulating the expression of VEGF in lung cancer cell line A549.
AB  - Rho and Rho-associated kinase play an important role in focal adhesion, stress
      fiber formation and cell motility. Fasudil is a kind of Rho kinase inhibitor. The
      effect and precise molecular mechanism of fasudil on the biology behavior of lung
      cancer cell A549 remains unclear. The cytotoxic effect of fasudil on A549 cell
      was measured by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide
      (MTT) assay. Wound-healing assay was used to evaluate the effect of fasudil on
      migration activity of A549 cells. The invasion activity of A549 cells was
      detected by transwell chamber assay. The expression of MMPs was measured by
      gelatin zymography. RT-PCR and western blot were used to investigate the
      molecular change of A549 cells after treated with fasudil. Fasudil-inhibited
      proliferation of A549 cells in a concentration-dependent manner, decreased the
      migration and invasion activity. After treated with fasudil, the expression of
      MMP-2 and MMP-9 was significantly inhibited compared with the control group.
      Furthermore, the expression of RhoA and VEGF of A549 cell treated with fasudil
      was significantly down-regulated. Our findings indicate that fasudil might have a
      therapeutic potential for lung cancer though inhibiting cell proliferation,
      migration, invasion, MMPs activity and down-regulating the expression of RhoA and
      VEGF.

PMID- 20300977
TI  - Pathobiologic implications of methylation and expression status of Runx3 and CHFR
      genes in gastric cancer.
AB  - Runx3 and CHFR genes were defined as tumor suppressor genes in gastric cancer
      (GC) recently. This paper was to investigate the roles of methylation and
      expression status of Runx3 and CHFR genes in GC patients. Methylation-specific
      polymerase chain reaction (MSP) and bisulfite DNA sequencing (BSP) were used to
      detect methylation status of Runx3 and CHFR genes in GC patients. The expression
      of Runx3 and CHFR in GC patients was analyzed by reverse transcription polymerase
      chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemical analysis. The expression of the
      protein and mRNA decreased remarkably in the patients with aberrant promoter
      methylation of Runx3 and CHFR genes. The methylation status of Runx3 and CHFR
      were inversely related to the tumor size, tumor invasion depth and tumor
      differentiation in GC patients. Moreover, the protein expression of Runx3 and
      CHFR were significantly correlated with tumor invasion depth and tumor
      differentiation, respectively. Aberrant promoter methylation of Runx3 and CHFR
      genes may be involved in the carcinogenesis and development of GC and may provide
      useful clues for the prediction of the malignant behaviors of GC.

PMID- 20300978
TI  - Gemcitabine and cisplatin in patients with carcinoma of unknown primary site.
AB  - The optimal therapy for carcinoma of unknown primary site (CUPS) is still under
      investigation. In this retrospective trial, we reported the response rates and
      overall and progression free survival of 23 CUPS patients that were treated with
      gemcitabine and cisplatin. The mean age of the patients was 54.95 (32-77).
      Sixteen (69.6%) of them were males and 7(30.4%) females. Totally 109 cycles with
      a mean of 6 were administered. Thirteen of 23 patients (56.5%) presented with
      only one metastatic site, and the liver is the most frequent metastatic site
      (39.1%). Histologic types were adenocarcinoma in 14 patients (60.8%), squamous
      carcinoma in 1 patient (4.8%), epithelioid cancer in 3 patients (13%) and
      undifferentiated cancer in 5 patients (21.7%). Three patient achieved a CR (13%),
      4 patients achieved a PR (17.4%) and 8 patients had SD (34.8%) with an overall
      30.4% response rate. However, 8 patients had progressive disease with a
      percentage of 34.8%. The median follow-up time was 10 months (3-42 months). The
      mean and median survival was 12.5 (3-42) months and 10 months (range, 3-42
      months) and progression free survival was 5.5 months (range, 0-23 months).
      Gemcitabine plus cisplatin may be an effective treatment of CUPS. Therefore
      additional trials are needed especially with new chemotherapeutics.

PMID- 20300979
TI  - Expression of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase in acute myeloid leukemia and the
      effect of its inhibition on cultured leukemia blast cells.
AB  - Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), a catabolizing enzyme of tryptophan, is a
      novel immunosuppressive agent blocking T-cell activation in neoplastic cells,
      including acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. IDO inhibitors as 1-methyl
      tryptophan (1MT) can abrogate IDO enzymatic activity and may result in an
      effective immune response. Mononuclear cells (MNCs) were separated from
      peripheral blood of 25 AML patients and 25 normal adults. IDO expression was
      detected by RT-PCR and its enzymatic activity by a colorimetric method. MNCs were
      cultured and the effects of Adriamycin, 1MT and a mixture of both on blast and
      lymphocyte cell counts after 24 and 72 h were detected. IDO mRNA and activity
      were detected in 52% of patients and absent in normal subjects. There was a
      significant correlation between IDO mRNA expression and its enzymatic activity in
      AML. IDO activity was correlated positively with patient's ages and negatively
      with hemoglobin levels. There was a significant inhibition of blast cells
      proliferation with Adriamycin and more inhibition when combined with 1MT. The
      inhibition was more after 72 h more than 24 h of culture. However, using 1MT
      alone showed no significant inhibitory effect on blast cells, with a significant
      increase in lymphocyte counts. Our study confirms the role of indoleamine 2,3
      dioxygenase in tumor-induced immune tolerance and points to the possible benefit
      of 1-methyl tryptophan as immunotherapeutic enhancing the anticancer effects of
      traditional chemotherapeutics.

PMID- 20300980
TI  - Clinical significance of the ratio between the alpha 2 plasmin inhibitor-plasmin
      complex and the thrombin-antithrombin complex in advanced non-small cell lung
      cancer.
AB  - The aims of this study are to: (a) confirm the prognostic significance of the
      procoagulant molecules D dimer, thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), and plasmin
      alpha2-plasmin inhibitor complex (PIC); (b) to evaluate hemostatic activation in
      patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); and (c) to delineate
      the relationships between markers of hemostasis and other clinical
      characteristics. In this study, a low PIC/TAT ratio and poor PS were significant
      independent negative prognostic factors for survival in patients with advanced
      NSCLC. The PIC/TAT ratio may become a surrogate marker for treatment with
      anticoagulants in the future.

PMID- 20300981
TI  - Activated protein C resistance in the Japanese population due to homozygosity for
      the factor V R2 haplotype.

PMID- 20300982
TI  - Separation of antileukemic effects from graft-versus-host disease in MHC
      haploidentical murine bone marrow transplantation: participation of host immune
      cells.
AB  - Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is associated with both
      graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effects. In
      clinical studies of HLA-mismatched HSCT, strong GVL effects have been reported.
      In the present study, we addressed the mechanism of the GVL and GVH response
      using MHC-haploidentical murine bone marrow transplantation (BMT) models.
      Recipient BDF1 (H-2(b/d)) mice received T cell-depleted bone marrow and spleen
      cells from B6C3F1 (H-2(b/k)) or C57BL/6 (H-2(b)) mice with or without P815
      mastocytoma cells (H-2(d)) after receiving lethal total body irradiation. B6C3F1 
      -> BDF1 (hetero-to-hetero type) recipients showed more powerful antileukemic
      effects with less severe GVHD than C57BL/6 --> BDF1 (parent-to-F1 type)
      recipients. Compared with C57BL/6 --> BDF1 recipients, significantly higher in
      vitro cytotoxic activity against P815 cells was observed in B6C3F1 --> BDF1
      recipients. Significantly lower CXCR3 expression on donor T cells and higher
      interferon (IFN)-gamma expression were considered to be associated with strong
      antileukemic effects with less severe GVHD in B6C3F1 --> BDF1 recipients.
      Furthermore, host immune cells, especially natural killer cells and CD8(+) T
      cells, were found to contribute remarkably to high IFN-gamma production in B6C3F1
      --> BDF1 recipients. Thus, in MHC-haploidentical HSCT, host immune cells may
      change the balance between GVH and GVL response through IFN-gamma production.

PMID- 20300984
TI  - The prevalence of fentanyl in drug-related deaths in Philadelphia 2004-2006.
AB  - Fentanyl is an increasingly common drug of abuse. The Philadelphia Medical
      Examiner's Office reported 252 drug-related deaths in Philadelphia that tested
      positive for fentanyl during the year 2006 in comparison to 22 and 19 in 2005 and
      2004, respectively. We reviewed the data from 2004 to 2006 from the Philadelphia
      Medical Examiner's office. Key words such as fentanyl, drug, cocaine, ethanol,
      medic (medication), tox (intoxication), or poison were used as search words. In
      comparison to 2004 and 2005 data, there was a statistically significant increase
      in number of drug-related deaths (DRDs) and the percentage of DRDs that tested
      positive for fentanyl in 2006. We postulate that the increase in DRDs in 2006 may
      be related to increase use or abuse of fentanyl, lack of general public awareness
      that fentanyl is a potent opioid, inadequate dose of naloxone and/or the surge of
      clandestinely manufactured fentanyl.

PMID- 20300983
TI  - Plasma levels of Hsp70 and anti-Hsp70 antibody predict risk of acute coronary
      syndrome.
AB  - Although immune reactions against heat shock proteins have been implicated in the
      pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, conflicting associations between Hsp70, anti
      Hsp70 antibody and coronary heart disease (CHD) have been reported. This study
      assessed whether there is a significant association between extracellular human
      Hsp70, anti-Hsp70 antibody and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and stable angina
      (SA), and examined dynamic changes in Hsp70 and anti-Hsp70 antibody levels
      induced by acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Plasma Hsp70 and anti-Hsp70
      antibody levels in 291 patients with ACS (179 AMI, 112 unstable angina), 126
      patients with SA and 417 age and sex-matched healthy subjects, and in 40 patients
      after admission for AMI, and on day 2, 3, and 7 after the onset of AMI were
      determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Hsp70 levels were
      significantly higher in ACS and SA and anti-Hsp70 antibody levels were only
      markedly lower in ACS than controls. After adjustment for traditional CHD risk
      factors, increasing levels of Hsp70 were significantly associated with an
      increased risk and severity of ACS (P for trend < 0.001), whereas increasing
      levels of anti-Hsp70 antibody were associated with a decreased risk of ACS (P for
      trend = 0.0003). High levels of Hsp70 combined with low levels of anti-Hsp70
      antibody had a joint effect on the risk of ACS (OR, 5.14, 95% CI, 3.00-8.79; P <
      0.0001). In patients with AMI, Hsp70 levels decreased rapidly from days 1-7 after
      onset, whereas anti-Hsp70 antibody levels increased in patients with AMI. These
      findings suggest that higher Hsp70 levels or lower anti-Hsp70 antibody levels are
      independently associated with a higher risk of ACS. Higher Hsp70 levels and lower
      anti-Hsp70 antibody levels combine to further increase this risk.

PMID- 20300985
TI  - Hypothermia and Fever after organophosphorus poisoning in humans--a prospective
      case series.
AB  - There have been many animal studies on the effects of organophosphorus pesticide
      (OP) poisoning on thermoregulation with inconsistent results. There have been no
      prospective human studies. Our aim was to document the changes in body
      temperature with OP poisoning. A prospective study was conducted in a rural
      hospital in Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka. We collected data on sequential patients with
      OP poisoning and analyzed 12 patients selected from 53 presentations who had
      overt signs and symptoms of OP poisoning and who had not received atropine prior
      to arrival. All patients subsequently received specific management with atropine
      and/or pralidoxime and general supportive care. Tympanic temperature, ambient
      temperature, heart rate, and clinical examination and interventions were recorded
      prospectively throughout their hospitalization. Initial hypothermia as low as 32
      degrees C was observed in untreated patients. Tympanic temperature increased over
      time from an early hypothermia (<35 degrees C in 6/12 patients) to later fever
      (7/12 patients >38 degrees C at some later point). While some of the late high
      temperatures occurred in the setting of marked tachycardia, it was also apparent
      that in some cases fever was not accompanied by tachycardia, making excessive
      atropine or severe infection an unlikely explanation for all the fevers. In
      humans, OP poisoning causes an initial hypothermia, and this is followed by a
      period of normal to high body temperature. Atropine and respiratory complications
      may contribute to fever but do not account for all cases.

PMID- 20300986
TI  - Investigation of source position uncertainties & balloon deformation in MammoSite
      brachytherapy on treatment effectiveness.
AB  - The MammoSite breast high dose rate brachytherapy is used in treatment of early
      stage breast cancer. The tumour bed volume is irradiated with high dose per
      fraction in a relatively small number of fractions. Uncertainties in the source
      positioning and MammoSite balloon deformation will alter the prescribed dose
      within the treated volume. They may also expose the normal tissues in balloon
      proximity to excessive dose. The purpose of this work is to explore the impact of
      these two uncertainties on the MammoSite dose distribution in the breast using
      dose volume histograms and Monte Carlo simulations. The Lyman-Kutcher and
      relative seriality models were employed to estimate the normal tissues
      complications associated with the MammoSite dose distributions. The tumour
      control probability was calculated using the Poisson model. This study gives low
      probabilities for developing heart and lung complications. The probability of
      complications of the skin and normal breast tissues depends on the location of
      the source inside the balloon and the volume receiving high dose. Incorrect
      source position and balloon deformation had significant effect on the prescribed
      dose within the treated volume. A 4 mm balloon deformation resulted in reduction
      of the tumour control probability by 24%. Monte Carlo calculations using EGSnrc
      showed that a deviation of the source by 1 mm caused approximately 7% dose
      reduction in the treated target volume at 1 cm from the balloon surface. In
      conclusion, accurate positioning of the (192)Ir source at the balloon centre and
      minimal balloon deformation are critical for proper dose delivery with the
      MammoSite brachytherapy applicator. On the basis of this study, we suggest that
      the MammoSite treatment protocols should allow for a balloon deformation of < or
      = 2 mm and a maximum source deviation of < or = 1 mm.

PMID- 20300987
TI  - Single cell RT-PCR on mouse embryos: a general approach for developmental
      biology.
AB  - Preimplantation development is a complicated process, which involves many genes.
      We have investigated the expression patterns of 17 developmentally important
      genes and isoforms in early mouse embryos as well as in single cells of the mouse
      embryo. The comparison is an excellent example for showing the importance of
      studying heterogeneity among cell populations on the RNA level, which is being
      increasingly addressed in basic research and medical sciences, particularly with
      a link to diagnostics (e.g. the analysis of circulating tumor cells and their
      progenitors). The ubiquitously expressed histone variant H3f3a and the
      transcription factor Pou5f1 generated mRNA-derived products in all analyzed
      preimplantation embryos (up to the morula stage) and in all analyzed blastomeres
      from 16-cell embryos, indicating a rather uniform reactivation of pluripotency
      gene expression during mouse preimplantation development. In contrast, genes that
      have been implicated in epigenetic genome reprogramming, such as DNA
      methyltransferases, methylcytosine-binding proteins, or base excision repair
      genes revealed considerable variation between individual cells from the same
      embryo and even higher variability between cells from different embryos. We
      conclude that at a given point of time, the transcriptome encoding the
      reprogramming machinery and, by extrapolation, genome reprogramming differs
      between blastomeres. It is tempting to speculate that cells expressing the
      reprogramming machinery have a higher developmental potential.

PMID- 20300988
TI  - Poly(A) cDNA real-time PCR for indicator gene measurement in cancer.
AB  - Microarray gene expression profiling has identified gene signatures or
      "Indicator" genes predictive of outcome in many cancer types including lymphoma,
      and more recently pancreatic cancer. This has identified novel and powerful
      diagnostic and prognostic and generically applicable markers, promising more
      specific diagnosis and treatment, together with improved understanding of
      pathobiology. There is now an urgent need to translate these signatures to
      clinical use. However, gene microarrays rely on relatively large amounts of fresh
      starting tissue obviating measurement of Indicator genes in routine practice, and
      there is a need for development of another, simple, robust, relatively
      inexpensive and sensitive method for their translation to clinical use. We have
      piloted the use of real-time PCR measurement of specific prognostic genes, so
      called "Indicator" genes, in globally amplified polyA cDNA for this purpose.
      Poly(A) PCR coordinately amplifies cDNA copies of all polyadenylated mRNAs,
      thereby generating a PCR product (polyA cDNA) whose composition reflects the
      relative abundance of all expressed genes in the starting sample. Poly(A) PCR
      enables global mRNA amplification from picogram amounts of RNA and has been
      routinely used to analyse expression in small samples including single cells. The
      poly(A) cDNA pool generated is also indefinitely renewable and as such represents
      a "molecular block". Real-time PCR measurement, using gene-specific primers and
      probes, of the expression levels of specific Indicator genes then allows gene
      signatures to be detected within the poly(A) cDNA, thereby enabling expression
      profiling of very small amounts of starting material. This chapter details this
      method as applied to fresh and paraffin embedded tissue and to pancreatic juice.
      In this chapter, we have concentrated on application of the method to pancreatic
      cancer, but the generic nature of the method renders it applicable to any cancer
      type, thereby representing a novel platform for cancer diagnosis across all
      tumour types.

PMID- 20300989
TI  - Transcriptome profiling of host-microbe interactions by differential display RT
      PCR.
AB  - In recent years, DNA microarray has become increasingly popular as a tool to
      investigate global expression patterns compared to differential display RT-PCR.
      Although differential display RT-PCR can be labour-intensive, it has its own
      merits over those of DNA microarray. While the latter usually consists of a well
      defined set of species-specific genes, differential display RT-PCR allows the
      investigation of host-microbe interactions without bias towards any mRNA
      transcripts. This means that the regulated transcript expression of both host and
      pathogen can be analysed simultaneously. In addition, novel transcripts and
      alternate splicing variants pertaining to the infection can also be discovered.
      We have investigated the response of rhabdomyosarcoma cells to infection with a
      neurovirulent strain of enterovirus 71 (EV71) at different time-points during the
      infection process compared with uninfected cells. Using differential display RT
      PCR, we identified mRNAs that were up- or down-regulated. Less than half of the
      clones match known genes including those involved in mediating the cytoskeleton,
      cell cycle, cell death, protein translational machinery and cellular transport.
      The rest of the clones do not match any known genes, of which several are novel
      genes. Noteworthy is the discovery of an alternate splicing form of TRIP7, which
      is down-regulated during EV71 infection. The differential display technique has
      potentially wide applicability to elucidate the gene expression or transcriptomic
      profiles of host-microbe interactions, which can provide a better understanding
      of microbial pathogenesis.

PMID- 20300990
TI  - Quantitative RT-PCR methods for mature microRNA expression analysis.
AB  - This chapter describes two methods to measure expression of mature miRNA levels
      using qRT-PCR. The first method uses stem-loop RT primers to produce cDNA for
      specific miRNAs, a technique that our laboratory has modified to increase the
      number of miRNAs being reverse transcribed within a single RT reaction from one
      (as suggested by the manufacturer) to five. The second method uses a modified
      oligo(dT) technique to reverse transcribe all transcripts within an RNA sample;
      therefore, target miRNA and normalizing mRNA can be analyzed from the same RT
      reaction. We examined the level of miRNA-132, a miRNA known to be upregulated in
      granulosa cells following hCG treatment, using both of these methods. Data were
      normalized to GAPDH or snU6 and evaluated by DeltaDeltaCt and standard curve
      analysis. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in miRNA-132 expression
      between the stem-loop and modified oligo(dT) RT methods indicating that both are
      statistically equivalent. However, from a technical point of view, the modified
      oligo(dT) method was less time consuming and required only a single RT reaction
      to reverse transcribe both miRNA and mRNA.

PMID- 20300992
TI  - Detection and identification of CD46 splicing isoforms by nested RT-PCR.
AB  - CD46 (Membrane Cofactor Protein, MCP) is a transmembrane glycoprotein, which is
      expressed by all nucleated human cells whose purpose is to protect against
      autologous complement attack. In addition, CD46 can serve as a receptor for
      several viruses and bacteria and as a potent regulator of the inflammatory
      response by affecting T cell differentiation. Multiple isoforms of CD46 exist due
      to alternative splicing and are coexpressed in human cells in various patterns
      and expression levels. However, specific diseases have not been associated with
      isoform coexpression. We applied a nested RT-PCR method to investigate the
      coexpression pattern of CD46 splicing variants in otosclerotic and normal stapes
      footplate specimens. Using this method, we detected an altered isoform expression
      pattern and identified four novel CD46 splicing variants overexpressed in
      otosclerotic bone. This study is the first comprehensive report to provide
      evidence for disease associated alternative splicing of CD46.

PMID- 20300991
TI  - Detection of influenza A virus neuraminidase and PB2 gene segments by one step
      reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.
AB  - We describe a single step reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction
      protocol that can be used to amplify part of the neuraminidase gene segment
      (segment 6) from all nine subtypes of influenza A virus. The method has also been
      applied to amplify gene segment 1 of influenza A, which encodes the basic
      polymerase protein 2 (PB2). The method combines the use of mixed base primers
      with a "touchdown" thermal cycling program and is applicable to a wide range of
      nucleic acid targets in which there is genetic variability in the regions
      complementary to the PCR primers.

PMID- 20300993
TI  - Simultaneous detection of bluetongue virus RNA, internal control GAPDH mRNA, and
      external control synthetic RNA by multiplex real-time PCR.
AB  - Bluetongue is an insect-borne disease of domestic and wild ruminants that
      requires strict monitoring by sensitive, reproducible and robust methods. Real
      time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis has
      become the method of choice for routine viral diagnosis. As false-negative test
      results can have serious implications; an internal/external control system should
      be incorporated in each analysis to detect RT-qPCR failure due to poor sample
      quality, improper nucleic acid extraction and/or PCR inhibition. To increase the
      diagnostic capacity and reduce costs, it is recommended to use a multiplex
      strategy which enables the amplification of multiple targets in a single
      reaction. This chapter describes the application of a triplex RT-qPCR for the
      simultaneous detection of bluetongue viral RNA, an internal control and an
      external control. The primer and probe sequences of the BTV RT-qPCR were taken
      from Toussaint et al. (J Virol Methods 140:115-123, 2007), whereas the internal
      and external RT-qPCRs were specifically designed to detect endogenous
      glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase mRNA and a synthetic RNA, respectively.
      To maximize the sensitivity of the assay, the primer concentrations of the
      internal/external control reactions were limited and the amount of Taq DNA
      polymerase was increased. A comparison of the singleplex versus triplex RT-qPCR
      indicated that the triplex RT-qPCR exhibits a higher analytical sensitivity. Due
      to the incorporation of the internal/external control system, the triplex RT-qPCR
      allows an even more reliable and rapid diagnosis of bluetongue than the
      previously described singleplex RT-qPCR (J Virol Methods 140:115-123, 2007).

PMID- 20300994
TI  - Detection of West Nile viral RNA from field-collected mosquitoes in tropical
      regions by conventional and real-time RT-PCR.
AB  - West Nile virus (WNV) is an emerging mosquito-borne flavivirus, which has rapidly
      spread and is currently widely distributed. Therefore, efforts for WNV early
      detection and ecological surveillance of this disease agent have been increased
      around the world. Although virus isolation is known to be the standard method for
      detection and identification of viruses, the use of RT-PCR assays as routine
      laboratory tests provides a rapid alterative suitable for the detection of viral
      RNA on field-collected samples. A method for WNV RNA genome detection in field
      collected mosquitoes is presented in this chapter. This method has been designed
      for virus surveillance in tropical regions endemic for other flaviviruses.
      Reverse Transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR) assays, both standard and real time, to detect
      WNV and other flaviviruses are described. A first screening for flavivirus RNA
      detection is performed using a conventional RT-PCR with two different sets of
      flavivirus consensus primers. Mosquito samples are then tested for WNV RNA by a
      real-time (TaqMan) RT-PCR assay. Sample preparation and RNA extraction procedures
      are also described.

PMID- 20300995
TI  - Detection of antisense RNA transcripts by strand-specific RT-PCR.
AB  - Comprehensive genome annotation requires extensive cDNA analysis. This analysis
      has identified natural antisense transcripts (NATs), which are distinct from the
      microRNAs, siRNAs, and piRNAs, in a number of diverse eukaryotes. This wide
      conservation supports the possibility of an important role for NATs in regulating
      cellular processes. Investigating their roles requires the confirmation of
      expressed sequence tag (EST) data and the detection of antisense transcripts in
      distinct cellular backgrounds. This chapter describes the use of a reverse
      transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method for the detection of
      antisense transcripts. The protocol was designed to reduce the number of first
      strand synthesis reactions during screening for antisense transcripts through the
      utilization of antisense directed primers and oligo dT to prime first strand
      synthesis. These results are further confirmed using sense and antisense directed
      primers in first strand synthesis. Results indicate that optimization of the
      screens requires proper controls to confirm removal of gDNA contamination and to
      rule out self-priming as a source of first strand products.

PMID- 20300996
TI  - RT-PCR amplification and cloning of large viral sequences.
AB  - A long reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (LRP) protocol is
      described for the amplification of large RNA sequences. The amplification of near
      full-length hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome from serum samples is used as an
      example to detail each step in LRP procedure, including primer design, RNA
      extraction, reverse transcription, and PCR. The protocol for efficient cloning of
      such large amplicons is also presented. Since HCV represents a difficult template
      in terms of its near full-length amplification due to extensive secondary
      structures and low titers in clinical samples, methods described in this chapter
      should be applicable for other RNA viruses and cellular RNA templates.

PMID- 20300997
TI  - One-step RT-LATE-PCR for mRNA and viral RNA detection and quantification.
AB  - LATE-PCR is an optimized form of asymmetric PCR that efficiently generates high
      levels of single-stranded DNA amplicons. Single-stranded amplicons are
      advantageous because, as shown in this chapter, they can be probed at low
      temperature(s) with one or more probes. Based on its properties, LATE-PCR is also
      useful for constructing multiplex assays. Viral RNA or RNA present in cells can
      be detected and quantified using LATE-PCR preceded by a reverse transcription
      (RT) step that converts RNA into cDNA. According to the conventional two-step
      approach, RT is primed using nonspecific random oligonucleotides prior to
      performing PCR amplification in a separate step. Recently, however, the so-called
      "one-step" RT-PCR strategy has gained increasing popularity because all reagents
      needed for both reactions are added together in a single mix, thus reducing the
      possibility of contamination, a consideration particularly relevant to viral
      samples analysis. We describe below two protocols using RT-LATE-PCR and provide
      specific guidelines for the general application of this technique. The first
      protocol is devised to quantify mRNA from mouse embryos by real-time PCR; the
      second protocol employs end-point analysis to detect a number of different viral
      like sequences in a multiplex reaction.

PMID- 20300998
TI  - Changes in gene expression of caveolin-1 after inflammatory pain using
      quantitative real-time PCR.
AB  - This chapter will take the reader through the steps involved in obtaining a gene
      expression profile using real-time PCR. Real-time PCR is an end-point measure of
      changes in gene expression that have occurred after a physiological event. It
      specifically describes the process by which real-time PCR was used to measure
      caveolin-1 gene expression after an inflammatory pain insult. The method outlines
      the initial stage of total RNA extraction from the starting material through the
      main steps involved in producing a gene expression profile including primer
      design, RNA quantification and cDNA production by reverse transcription and of
      course the real-time PCR. The caveolin-1 gene measured here is the main component
      of specialised domains found in the plasma membrane with a primary function
      described as signal transduction 'hot spots'. The result of this experiment shows
      that there was a twofold increase in caveolin-1 gene expression in rat dorsal
      root ganglions 24 h after Complete Freund's Adjuvant administration and a
      decrease at 48 h.

PMID- 20300999
TI  - Real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction.
AB  - The real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RQ
      PCR) has become the method of choice for the quantification of specific mRNAs.
      This method is fast, extremely sensitive, and accurate, requires only very small
      amounts of input RNA, and is relatively simple to perform. These characteristics
      have made it the method of choice for minimal residual disease monitoring such as
      in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). CML comprises approximately 20% of all
      leukemias and is characterized by a balanced (9;22) chromosomal translocation
      that results in the formation of a chimeric gene comprised of the BCR (breakpoint
      cluster region) gene and the ABL oncogene (BCR-ABL fusion gene). The chimeric
      gene encodes a fusion protein with constitutively increased tyrosine kinase
      activity, resulting in growth factor-independent proliferation. This kinase is
      the target for current CML therapy, and BCR-ABL fusion gene levels are monitored
      to determine the effectiveness of this therapy. This chapter uses BCR-ABL
      transcript detection to illustrate an example for the RQ-PCR and describes a RQ
      PCR method to detect the most common form of the BCR-ABL fusion transcript in
      CML, known as p210 BCR-ABL.

PMID- 20301000
TI  - The use of comparative quantitative RT-PCR to investigate the effect of cysteine
      incubation on GPx1 expression in freshly isolated cardiomyocytes.
AB  - Intracellular cysteine availability is one of the major rate limiting factors
      that regulate the synthesis of the major antioxidant, glutathione. Little is
      known, however, about the effect of cysteine upon glutathione-associated enzymes
      in isolated heart cells. Such knowledge is important if a full understanding and
      exploitation of cysteine's cardioprotective potential is to be achieved.
      Therefore, this study describes the use of a comparative quantitative reverse
      transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay to investigate the effect
      of incubation of freshly isolated rat cardiomyocytes for 2 h at 37 degrees C with
      or without 0.5 mM cysteine on the expression of cellular glutathione peroxidase
      (GPx1). The main analytical method is the conventional RT-PCR in a standard
      thermal cycler followed by electrophoresis and scanning densitometry using the
      expression of the housekeeping gene, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase
      (GAPDH), for normalising purposes. Each step of this straight-forward and
      relatively inexpensive method is explained in detail to facilitate its adoption
      by the reader for experiments investigating the effects of any compound on any
      gene in any cell population. The results of the current investigation show that
      cysteine incubation significantly increases the expression of GPx1 in freshly
      isolated cardiomyocytes compared to control, suggesting the possibility of a new
      beneficial role for cysteine in myocardial protection.

PMID- 20301001
TI  - The renaissance of competitive PCR as an accurate tool for precise nucleic acid
      quantification.
AB  - Here, we report a detailed procedure for the exact quantification of minute
      amounts of nucleic acids by competitive PCR. This technique entails the co
      amplification of a target DNA or cDNA in a biological sample together with a
      known quantity of a target-specific standard, the competitor, which is added
      exogenously to the sample and is almost identical to the DNA region to be
      amplified. Competitive PCR offers the advantage to render the PCR reaction
      independent of the number of amplification cycles, since any intra-assay
      variation has the same effect on both target and competitor. Since the final
      ratio between target and competitor amplification products exactly reflects the
      initial ratio between the two species, and being the amount of added competitor
      known, competitive PCR allows the determination of the exact number of molecules
      of target, with an accuracy that is still unsurpassed by any other alternative
      procedure, including real-time PCR. The protocols described in this chapter cover
      most of the possible applications of competitive PCR, including the
      quantification of an mRNA transcript and the simultaneous determination of
      multiple targets.

PMID- 20301002
TI  - Skeletal muscle RNA extraction in preparation for RT-PCR.
AB  - Extraction of high quality RNA is paramount to successful RT-PCR, and here, a
      method proven optimal for skeletal muscle is described. While this method
      described is for use with skeletal muscle, it could be suitable for other types
      of mammalian tissue also. This method describes an approach to extract high
      quality RNA with minimal degradation and the subsequent analysis of that RNA in
      preparation for RT-PCR. Two separate methods of RNA quantification and analysis
      are described in this chapter and regardless of the method chosen for
      quantitation and analysis, it is imperative that the integrity of the sample be
      established before proceeding to RT-PCR.

PMID- 20301003
TI  - Reverse transcription of the ribonucleic acid: the first step in RT-PCR assay.
AB  - Reverse transcription (RT) is the synthesis of complementary deoxyribonucleic
      acids (DNA) from single-stranded ribonucleic acid (RNA) templates. This process
      is catalyzed by the reverse transcriptase enzyme, which is the replicating enzyme
      of retroviruses. Reverse transcriptase was discovered in 1970, and since then, it
      has played an instrumental role in the advancement of molecular biology and
      biotechnology research. In the presence of all four deoxynucleotides (dNTP: dATP,
      dCTP, dGTP, and dTTP) and under well-defined salt and pH conditions, the reverse
      transcriptase extends a primer complementary to the RNA to produce a
      complementary DNA (cDNA) for the RNA template. In this chapter, a simple method
      of reverse transcription of total cellular RNA into cDNA is described using
      Superscript II reverse transcriptase (Invitrogen); the resulting cDNA can be used
      in polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

PMID- 20301004
TI  - Primer design for RT-PCR.
AB  - Primer design is a crucial initial step in any experiment utilizing PCR to target
      and amplify a known nucleotide sequence of interest. Properly designed primers
      will increase PCR amplification efficiency as well as isolate the targeted
      sequence of interest with higher specificity. Many factors that may limit the
      success of a primer pair can be detected a priori with computational methods. For
      example, primer dimer detection, amplification of alternative products, stem loop
      interference, extreme melting temperatures, and genotype-specific variations in
      the target sequence can all be considered computationally to minimize subsequent
      PCR failures. The use of computational sequence analysis tools to select the best
      primer pair from the available candidates will not only reduce experimental rates
      of failure but also avoid the generation of misleading results arising from the
      amplification of alternative products.

PMID- 20301005
TI  - Hot start PCR.
AB  - Hot Start activation approaches are increasingly being used to improve the
      performance of PCR. Since the inception of Hot Start as a means of blocking DNA
      polymerase extension at lower temperatures, a number of approaches have been
      developed that target the essential reaction components such as magnesium ion,
      DNA polymerase, oligonucleotide primers, and dNTPs. Herein, five different Hot
      Start activation protocols are presented. The first method presents the use of
      barriers as a means of segregating key reaction components until a Hot Start
      activation step. The second and third protocols demonstrate Hot Start approaches
      to block DNA polymerase activity through the use of anti-DNA polymerase
      antibodies and accessory proteins, respectively. The fourth and fifth protocols
      utilize thermolabile chemical modifications to the oligonucleotide primers and
      dNTPs. The results presented demonstrate that all protocols significantly improve
      the specificity of traditional thermal cycling protocols.

PMID- 20301006
TI  - Real-time RT-PCR for automated detection of HIV-1 RNA during blood donor
      screening.
AB  - Real-time RT-PCR has become the method of choice for automated detection of viral
      RNA target sequences in the clinical laboratory. Besides commercially available
      certified test systems, a variety of so-called in-house methods have been
      described in the literature. Generally, appropriate validation and continuous
      quality control are mandatory if these in-house-developed assays are used in
      clinical diagnostics. In this chapter, an in-house HIV-1 real-time RT-PCR assay
      for blood donor screening is described. The procedure includes the pooling of
      plasma samples, viral RNA isolation, and subsequent detection of amplification in
      real-time one-step RT-PCR. The validation considers the specificity, the
      sensitivity on HIV-1 genomic variants, and the robustness of the assay.

PMID- 20301007
TI  - Appraisal of memory functioning and memory performance in healthy ageing and
      early-stage Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: To compare memory evaluations in healthy older people and people
      with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and present standardised individual and dyadic
      methods for classifying degree of memory awareness in the participants with
      dementia. METHODS: Cross-sectional study evaluating awareness of memory
      functioning and performance and providing normative data for healthy individuals
      and couples, together with comparison data from people with AD. RESULTS: As a
      group, older people are reasonably accurate raters of their own memory
      functioning and performance, although considerable individual differences can be
      observed, and control dyads show good comparative accuracy. Comparing normative
      data from the control group to data from participants with AD confirms that
      significant overestimation is a frequent feature among people with dementia, with
      approximately two-thirds showing this pattern, although significant under
      estimation is also reliably observed in a small proportion of people with
      dementia. Different types of measure elicit different profiles of memory
      awareness in participants with dementia. CONCLUSION: Normative data from older
      individuals and couples provides useful percentile-based indices for determining
      level of memory awareness in people with dementia.

PMID- 20301008
TI  - Impact of exposure to community violence, Hurricane Katrina, and Hurricane Gustav
      on posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms among school age children.
AB  - This study examined the relationship between exposure to Hurricane Gustav and
      distress among 122 children (ages 7-12) to determine whether that relationship
      was moderated by prior experiences with Hurricane Katrina and exposure to
      community violence (ECV). Measures of hurricane experiences, ECV, posttraumatic
      stress (PTS) symptoms, and depression were administered. Assessments occurred
      after the third anniversary of Katrina, which coincided with the landfall of
      Gustav. Results indicated that the relation between exposure to Gustav and PTS
      was moderated by prior experiences. There was a positive association between
      Gustav exposure and PTS for children who experienced high Katrina exposure and
      low ECV, with a similar trend for children with high ECV and low Katrina
      exposure. There was no relationship between Gustav exposure and PTS for children
      with low Katrina and low ECV or for children with high Katrina and high ECV. The
      relationship between exposure to Gustav and depression was not moderated by
      children's prior experience. However, there was a relationship between Katrina
      exposure and depression for children with high ECV. Results suggest that prior
      trauma may amplify the relationship between hurricane exposure and distress, but
      children with high cumulative trauma may remain highly symptomatic regardless of
      disaster exposure.

PMID- 20301010
TI  - Event-based prospective memory in children with sickle cell disease: effect of
      cue distinctiveness.
AB  - Event-based prospective memory (EB-PM) is the formation of an intention and
      remembering to perform it in response to a specific event. Currently, EB-PM
      performance in children with sickle cell disease (SCD) is unknown. In this study,
      we designed a computer-based task of EB-PM; No-Stroke, Silent-Infarct, and Overt
      Stroke groups performed significantly below the demographically similar control
      group without SCD. Cue distinctiveness was varied to determine if EB-PM could be
      improved. All groups, with the exception of the Overt-Stroke group, performed
      significantly better with a perceptually distinctive cue. Overall, these results
      suggest that EB-PM can be improved significantly in many children with SCD.

PMID- 20301009
TI  - Toddlers with elevated autism symptoms show slowed habituation to faces.
AB  - We explored social information processing and its relation to social and
      communicative symptoms in toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their
      siblings. Toddlers with more severe symptoms of autism showed slower habituation
      to faces than comparison groups; slower face learning correlated with poorer
      social skills and lower verbal ability. Unaffected toddlers who were siblings of
      children with ASD also showed slower habituation to faces compared with toddlers
      without siblings with ASD. We conclude that slower rates of face learning may be
      an endophenotype of ASD and is associated with more severe symptoms among
      affected individuals.

PMID- 20301011
TI  - Health benefits of whole grain phytochemicals.
AB  - A whole grain consists of the intact, ground, cracked, or flaked caryopsis, whose
      principal anatomical components--the starchy endosperm, germ, and bran--are
      present in the same relative proportions as they exist in the intact caryopsis.
      Whole grain food products can be intact, consisting of the original composition
      of bran, germ, and endosperm, throughout the entire lifetime of the product, or
      reconstituted, in which one or more of the original components of a whole grain
      is recombined to the relative proportion naturally occurring in the grain kernel.
      Increased consumption of whole grains has been associated with reduced risk of
      major chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, and
      some cancers. Whole grain foods offer a wide range of phytochemicals with health
      benefits that are only recently becoming recognized. The unique phytochemicals in
      whole grains are proposed to be responsible for the health benefits of whole
      grain consumption. In this paper, whole grain phytochemicals and the health
      benefits associated with their consumption are reviewed.

PMID- 20301012
TI  - Implications of salt and sodium reduction on microbial food safety.
AB  - Excess sodium consumption has been cited as a primary cause of hypertension and
      cardiovascular diseases. Salt (sodium chloride) is considered the main source of
      sodium in the human diet, and it is estimated that processed foods and restaurant
      foods contribute 80% of the daily intake of sodium in most of the Western world.
      However, ample research demonstrates the efficacy of sodium chloride against
      pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms in a variety of food systems. Notable
      examples of the utility and necessity of sodium chloride include the inhibition
      of growth and toxin production by Clostridium botulinum in processed meats and
      cheeses. Other sodium salts contributing to the overall sodium consumption are
      also very important in the prevention of spoilage and/or growth of microorganisms
      in foods. For example, sodium lactate and sodium diacetate are widely used in
      conjunction with sodium chloride to prevent the growth of Listeria monocytogenes
      and lactic acid bacteria in ready-to-eat meats. These and other examples
      underscore the necessity of sodium salts, particularly sodium chloride, for the
      production of safe, wholesome foods. Key literature on the antimicrobial
      properties of sodium chloride in foods is reviewed here to address the impact of
      salt and sodium reduction or replacement on microbiological food safety and
      quality.

PMID- 20301013
TI  - Intake of added sugars and selected nutrients in the United States, National
      Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2006.
AB  - In the Institute of Medicine (IOM) macronutrient report the Committee recommended
      a maximal intake of < or = 25% of energy from added sugars. The primary
      objectives of this study were to utilize National Health and Nutrition
      Examination Survey (NHANES) to update the reference table data on intake of added
      sugars from the IOM report and compute food sources of added sugars. We combined
      data from NHANES with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
      MyPyramid Equivalents Database (MPED) and calculated individual added sugars
      intake as percent of total energy then classified individuals into 8 added sugars
      percent energy categories, calculated usual intake with the National Cancer
      Institute (NCI) method, and compared intakes to the Dietary Reference Intakes
      (DRIs). Nutrients at most risk for inadequacy based on the Estimated Average
      Requirements (EARs) were vitamins E, A, C, and magnesium. Nutrient intake was
      less with each 5% increase in added sugars intake above 5-10%. Thirteen percent
      of the population had added sugars intake > 25%. The mean g-eq added sugars
      intake of 83.1 g-eq/day and added sugars food sources were comparable to the mid
      1990s. Higher added sugars intakes were associated with higher proportions of
      individuals with nutrient intakes below the EAR, but the overall high calorie and
      the low quality of the U.S. diet remained the predominant issue. With over 80% of
      the population at risk for select nutrient inadequacy, guidance may need to focus
      on targeted healthful diet communication to reach the highest risk demographic
      groups for specific life stage nutrient inadequacies.

PMID- 20301014
TI  - Policosanols as nutraceuticals: fact or fiction.
AB  - Policosanols (PC) are very long chain aliphatic alcohols derived from the wax
      constituent of plants. In the early 1990s, researchers at Dalmer Laboratories in
      La Habana Cuba isolated and produced the first PC supplement from sugarcane wax.
      The original PC supplement has been approved as a cholesterol-lowering drug in
      over 25 countries throughout the Caribbean and South America. Cuban studies claim
      that 1 to 20 mg/day of the original PC supplement are effective at producing
      significant reductions in total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein
      cholesterol (LDL-C). These studies also show that PC supplements are potent
      antioxidants, promote proper arterial endothelial cell function, inhibit platelet
      aggregation and thrombosis, and serve as effective treatments for intermittent
      claudication. However, for the most part, those studies reporting therapeutic
      efficacy of PC were carried out by one research group situated in Cuba.
      Conversely, research groups outside of Cuba have failed to validate the
      cholesterol-lowering and antioxidant efficacy of PC. Cuban researchers, however,
      continue to claim that the efficacy is attributed to the unique purity and
      composition of the original PC preparation, a mixture not found in PC products
      used by external research groups. The absence of independent and external studies
      confirming the therapeutic benefits of PC in disease prevention and treatment
      raises questions regarding their true efficacy.

PMID- 20301015
TI  - Coenzyme Q10 contents in foods and fortification strategies.
AB  - Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ(10)) is an effective natural antioxidant with a fundamental
      role in cellular bioenergetics and numerous known health benefits. Reports of its
      natural occurrence in various food items are comprehensively reviewed and
      critically evaluated. Meat, fish, nuts, and some oils are the richest nutritional
      sources of CoQ(10), while much lower levels can be found in most dairy products,
      vegetables, fruits, and cereals. Large variations of CoQ(10) content in some
      foods and food products of different geographical origin have been found. The
      average dietary intake of CoQ(10) is only 3-6 mg, with about half of it being in
      the reduced form. The intake can be significantly increased by the fortification
      of food products but, due to its lipophilicity, until recently this goal was not
      easily achievable particularly with low-fat, water-based products. Forms of
      CoQ(10) with increased water-solubility or dispersibility have been developed for
      this purpose, allowing the fortification of aqueous products, and exhibiting
      improved bioavailability; progress in this area is described briefly. Three main
      fortification strategies are presented and illustrated with examples, namely the
      addition of CoQ(10) to food during processing, the addition of this compound to
      the environment in which primary food products are being formed (i.e. animal
      feed), or with the genetic modification of plants (i.e. cereal crops).

PMID- 20301016
TI  - Clostridium botulinum in cattle and dairy products.
AB  - The use of plastic-wrapped and nonacidified silage as cattle feed has led to an
      increasing number of botulism outbreaks due to Clostridium botulinum Groups I-III
      in dairy cattle. The involvement of Groups I and II organisms in cattle botulism
      has raised concern of human botulism risk associated with the consumption of
      dairy products. Multiplication of C. botulinum in silage and in the
      gastrointestinal tract of cattle with botulism has been reported, thus
      contamination of the farm environment and raw milk, and further transmission
      through the dairy chain, are possible. The standard milk pasteurization treatment
      does not eliminate spores, and the intrinsic factors of many dairy products allow
      botulinal growth and toxin production. Although rare, several large botulism
      outbreaks due to both commercial and home-prepared dairy products have been
      reported. Factors explaining these outbreaks include most importantly temperature
      abuse, but also unsafe formulation, inadequate fermentation, insufficient thermal
      processing, post-process contamination, and lack of adequate quality control for
      adjunct ingredients were involved. The small number of outbreaks is probably
      explained by a low incidence of spores in milk, the presence of competitive
      bacteria in pasteurized milk and other dairy products, and growth-inhibitory
      combinations of intrinsic and extrinsic factors in cultured and processed dairy
      products.

PMID- 20301017
TI  - Aloe vera as a functional ingredient in foods.
AB  - The main scientific discoveries on Aloe vera published mainly in the last three
      decades are presented in this work. After describing Aloe from a botanical point
      of view, the papers related with the chemical composition of different parts of
      the leaf of Aloe, particularly those in which the gel is described and are
      presented in a synthetic manner. The chemical analyses reveal that Aloe gel
      contains mannose polymers with some glucose and other sugars, among which the
      most important is Acemannan. Besides these, other components such as
      glycoproteins, enzymes, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals are described.
      Different factors also affecting the chemical composition of the gel, such as
      species and variety, climatic and soil conditions, cultivation methods,
      processing and preservation, are enumerated and discussed. On the other hand, the
      main therapeutic applications have been revised and the possible damaging effects
      of Aloe are also commented upon. A special emphasis is placed on the biologically
      active compounds or groups of compounds responsible for the therapeutic
      applications and which are their action mechanisms. The paper concludes that more
      research is needed to confirm the therapeutic and beneficial effects and to
      definitively clarify the myth surrounding Aloe vera. A general view on the
      problem of the commercialization and establishment of the quality and safety of
      Aloe products in the food industry has been offered here. The main points and
      European regulations that need to be considered regarding the quality control of
      prepared Aloe products are presented in this paper.

PMID- 20301018
TI  - Reliability and maintainability analysis of bread production line.
AB  - The statistical analysis of the bread production line of the failure and repair
      data at machine and line levels was displayed. The experiment covers a period of
      twenty-five months. The best fit of the failure data between the common
      theoretical distributions was found and its parameters were computed. The
      reliability and hazard rate modes for all machines and the entire production line
      were calculated as well. The models could prove to be a useful tool to assess the
      current conditions, and to predict the reliability for upgrading the maintenance
      policy of the production line. It was pointed out that (a) the availability of
      the bread production line is 90.74% and went down to 86.76% because the
      equipment's failures cause an additional production gap in the line, (b) the
      53.5% of all failures occurred at the bread machine, cooling tower machine, and
      volumetric-divider machine, and (c) the machines of the bread production line
      that displayed increasing hazard rate functions were identified. This analysis
      will be very useful in terms of identifying the occurring and latent problems in
      manufacturing process of bread and improve it.

PMID- 20301019
TI  - Modeling thermophysical properties of food under high pressure.
AB  - A set of well-known generic models to predict the thermophysical properties of
      food from its composition at atmospheric conditions was adapted to work at any
      pressure. The suitability of the models was assessed using data from the
      literature for four different food products, namely tomato paste, potato, pork,
      and cod. When the composition of the product considered was not known, an
      alternative was proposed if some thermal data at atmospheric conditions were
      available. Since knowledge on the initial freezing point and ice content of food
      are essential for the correct prediction of its thermal properties, models for
      obtaining these properties under pressure were also included. Our results showed
      that good predictions under pressure, accurate enough for most engineering
      calculations can be made, either from composition data or using known thermal
      data of the food considered at atmospheric conditions. All the equations and
      coefficients needed to construct the models are given throughout the text, thus
      readers can compose their own routines. However, these routines can also be
      downloaded free at http://www.if.csic.es/programas/ifiform.htm as executable
      programs running in Windows.

PMID- 20301020
TI  - Contextual factors influencing HIV risk behaviour in Central Asia.
AB  - Central Asia has experienced a rapid increase in HIV. HIV interventions and
      prevention programmes are needed that adequately appreciate and account for the
      ways that ongoing cultural, political and economic changes in this region affect
      HIV risk reduction efforts. Drawing on relevant literature, this paper provides a
      contextual foundation to better understand the impact of context on HIV risk
      behaviour in the countries of Central Asia and to begin the conversation on the
      contextual factors of Islam and polygamy.

PMID- 20301021
TI  - Comparison of long-term results of drug-eluting stent and bare metal stent
      implantation in heart transplant recipients with coronary artery disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transplanted heart coronary artery disease (TxCAD) may occur in a
      significant proportion of patients following cardiac transplantation. Drug
      eluting stents (DES) have been successfully used in patients with CAD, but their
      efficacy in TxCAD patients has not been well established. AIM: To compare long
      term results of intracoronary implantation of DES and BMS in patients suffering
      from TxCAD. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of all intracoronary
      stent implantations for TxCAD with at least one control coronary angiography
      performed during follow-up. We identified 28 DES (all sirolimus-eluting stents,
      SES) and 28 BMS implantations in 23 patients. The mean follow-up time was 410+/
      58 days after DES, and 572+/-434 days after BMS implantation (p=0.004). We
      compared the occurrence of in-stent restenosis (ISR) in DES and BMS, and survival
      of patients in the context of risk factors that were identified for each stent
      implantation separately. RESULTS: There were 2 (7%) ISR revealed in DES patients
      (mean time from PCI to restenosis 492+/-58 days) vs. 17 (61%) ISR in BMS patients
      (mean time from PCI to restenosis 475+/-345 days) (p<0.001). There were 3 (18%)
      deaths in patients with DES, 4 (31%) in patients with BMS, and 1 (14%) in a
      patient with DES and BMS (NS). The risk factor profile was comparable, except for
      higher age at the time of transplantation (46+/-7 vs. 41+/-6 years, p=0.011) and
      stent implantation (54+/-7 vs. 49+/-6 years, p<0.001) for DES. CONCLUSION:
      Favourable long-term results of DES compared with BMS implantation for TxCAD
      suggest the preferential use of DES in heart transplant recipients.

PMID- 20301022
TI  - The combined pharmacological stress echocardiography protocol for predicting
      viability in territories supplied by coronary arteries at varying degrees of
      obstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pharmacological stress echocardiography has gained wide acceptance
      for identification of myocardial viability. AIM: We sought to explore the
      diagnostic accuracy of the combined pharmacological stress echocardiography
      protocol to predict viability of myocardial segments supplied by arteries at
      varying degrees of stenosis/occlusion. METHODS: We enrolled 100 consecutive
      patients with significant coronary stenosis/occlusion, prior myocardial
      infarction, and regional wall motion abnormality in the distribution of the
      affected artery. All patients underwent assessment of global and regional left
      ventricular systolic function. Patients underwent 3 pharmacological stress
      echocardiography protocols: low dose dobutamine, infra-low dose dipyridamole, and
      combined protocols. They underwent thereafter successful coronary
      revascularisation either by percutaneous coronary angioplasty, or by surgical
      bypass grafting. Follow-up echocardiography was performed 8 weeks later. Segments
      were subdivided according to the severity of stenosis/occlusion of the supplying
      artery into 3 subgroups, namely: those supplied by totally occluded, critically
      stenosed, or subcritically stenosed arteries. Predicted recovery by any of the 3
      protocols for each category of segments was compared with real contractility
      improvement after revascularisation. RESULTS: The combined protocol had a
      significantly higher sensitivity for predicting contractile recovery in all
      segment categories compared with the other 2 protocols. In addition, it had a
      similar specificity in segments supplied by subcritically stenosed arteries,
      though with a lower specificity in segments supplied by totally occluded and
      critically stenosed arteries when compared with the other two protocols.
      CONCLUSION: The combined pharmacological stress protocol would better predict
      viability, as compared to the low dose dobutamine and the infra-low dose
      dipyridamole protocols, particularly in segments supplied by subcritically
      stenosed arteries.

PMID- 20301023
TI  - Determinants of physical fitness in males with systolic heart failure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) is a systemic disease which affects mainly older
      adults. The main symptom of HF is exercise intolerance which in the course of
      disease can cause limitations in independent functioning. So far no study on the
      impact of HF on physical fitness in men, regardless of disease severity, has been
      reported. AIM: To evaluate physical fitness in men with HF independently of age,
      HF severity, concomitant diseases and pharmacological treatment. METHODS: The
      study group consisted of 228 men with stable systolic dysfunction (age 60+/-11,
      left ventricular ejection fraction--LVEF 29+/-9%, NYHA class I/II/III/IV-
      17/44/35/4%). In order to assess physical fitness the Functional Fitness Test by
      Rikli and Jones for older adults was used. RESULTS: The level of physical fitness
      decreased with age. Patients with greater severity of HF had worse aerobic
      endurance, agility and muscular endurance in comparison with men in NYHA classes
      I-II. A lower level of agility and dynamic balance was found in patients with
      higher concentration of NT-proBNP and lower levels of haemoglobin and eGFR.
      Coexisting atrial fibrillation and diabetes mellitus were associated with
      decreased physical fitness. No relationship between flexibility and clinical
      parameters or concomitant diseases was found in the study group. CONCLUSIONS: The
      most important determinants of physical fitness in men with HF were age and NYHA
      class. Additional factors which decreased physical fitness were atrial
      fibrillation and diabetes mellitus. Higher level of NT-proBNP and lower levels of
      haemoglobin were associated with a reduction of upper body strength and aerobic
      endurance.

PMID- 20301024
TI  - The clinical course of acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction in patients with
      hypertension.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Arterial hypertension has been documented as one the cardiovascular
      risk factors. The issue whether hypertension worsens the clinical course and
      short-term prognosis of patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction
      (STEMI) has been addressed by several studies, however, the results were not
      uniform. AIM: To compare the clinical course and short-term prognosis in STEMI
      patients with or without hypertension. METHODS: The study group consisted of 366
      patients with STEMI, of whom 234 (63.9%) had a history of hypertension (150
      males, mean age 58.5+/-11.2 years) whereas 132 (100 males, mean age 60.3+/-11.9)
      did not. All patients underwent primary angioplasty with stent implantation.
      Details from medical history, cardiovascular risk factors, clinical course and in
      hospital complications were recorded and compared between patients with and
      without hypertension. RESULTS: There were differences between both study groups
      in the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors. Patients with hypertension had
      more frequently history of coronary artery disease (56 vs. 37%, p<0.01), BMI>25
      kg/m2 (90 vs. 85%, p<0.01), type 2 diabetes (27 vs. 14%, p<0.05), hyperlipidaemia
      (56 vs. 43%, p<0.05), and renal disease (11 vs. 5%, p<0.05). Clinical course of
      MI was more complicated in patients with hypertension who had more often
      cardiogenic shock (10 vs. 6%, p<0.05), pulmonary oedema (12 vs. 4%, p<0.05),
      sinus tachycardia>90 beats/min on admission (12 vs. 4%, p<0.05), ventricular
      tachycardia or fibrillation (20 vs. 11%, p<0.01) and complete atrioventricular
      block (11 vs. 4%, p<0.01). In-hospital deaths occurred in 18 (7.7%) patients with
      hypertension and 7 (5.3%) patients without hypertension (NS). Multivariate
      analysis identified age>65 years, symptoms of heart failure, atrial fibrillation,
      elevated blood glucose level and creatinine level as independent prognostic
      factors of adverse outcome in both groups whereas history of stroke, increased
      while cell blood count, urea level and two-vessel disease where independent
      prognostic variables in patients with hypertension. Ventricular tachycardia or
      fibrillation had prognostic significance only in STEMI patients without
      hypertension. CONCLUSION: Patients with STEMI and hypertension have more
      cardiovascular risk factors and more complicated in-hospital course of MI than
      normotensive patients.

PMID- 20301025
TI  - Off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery can be completed safely in high risk
      patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) grafting has the potential to
      reduce morbidity and mortality, compared to on-pump cardiac surgery. AIM: We
      compared the early results of OPCAB lateral and posterior wall revascularisations
      in 'low', 'intermediate' and 'high' risk patients as defined by the EuroSCORE
      system. METHODS: Eighty-nine patients who underwent OPCAB with lateral and
      posterior wall revascularisation from January 2006 to December 2008 were included
      in this study. Patients were allocated to one of the three risk groups according
      to the EuroSCORE system: low, moderate and high risk groups. Perioperative and
      early postoperative results of the three groups were compared. RESULTS:
      Significantly fewer patients required prolonged ICU stay in the low risk group,
      compared to moderate (19.4 vs. 50%) and high risk groups (19.4 vs. 36.7%). In
      addition, prolonged mechanical ventilation was more common in moderate (39.3 vs.
      9.7%) and high risk groups (36.7 vs. 9.7%), compared to the low risk group.
      However, the groups did not differ in terms of mortality or other perioperative
      outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that in patients who are considered
      high risk on the basis of the EuroSCORE model and have diseased vessels on the
      lateral and/or posterior walls of the heart suitable for grafting, the early
      outcomes with OPCAB are similar to those in medium or low EuroSCORE risk
      category. The EuroSCORE model may overestimate the risk for OPCAB procedures.

PMID- 20301026
TI  - Evaluation of safety and the success rate of cryoballoon ablation of the
      pulmonary vein ostia in patients with atrial fibrillation--a preliminary report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cryoballon isolation of the pulmonary veins has recently emerged as a
      promissing technique for ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF). AIM: To present
      our initial experience in cryoballon isolatin of the pulmonary veins in patients
      with AF. METHODS: Eight patients (5 males; age 59+/-2 years) with AF: 2 with
      persistent and 6 with paroxysmal (5 of them after unsuccessful RF ablation) with
      >or=6 month follow-up after the procedure were included. One patient after
      myocardial infarction was treated with primary angioplasty with stent
      implantation. Another one had biatrial pacemaker. The procedure was performed
      with cryobaloon with 28 mm diameter (Arctic Front--Cryocath). After transseptal
      puncture mapping of the pulmonary vein ostia was performed with Lasso catheter
      (Johnson and Johnson). At each pulmonary vein ostium with pulmonary vein
      potentials 2 cryoapplications of 300 s duration was performed. Correct balloon
      placement before cryoapplication was checked using contrast injection into the
      pulmonary veins. During cryoapplication in the right pulmonary vein ostia
      permanent pacing of the phrenic nerve 30 beats per minute was performed to
      prevent its paralysis. After cryoapplications in all veins remapping with Lasso
      catheters was performed. In the absence of pulmonary vein potentials the
      procedure was finished, otherwise next cryoapplications were performed. During
      follow-up ECG was performed if any palpitations occurred, and 24-hour Holter
      monitoring was performed 1, 2 ,4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 months after the procedure. A 2
      month blanking period after the procedure was used. The lack of symptomatic AF
      and the absence of AF>30 s on Holter ECG monitoring were defined as successful
      procedure. An improvement was defined as reduction of frequency/duration of AF
      paroxysm and reduction of the EHRA index>or=1. RESULTS: During 8 procedures
      isolation of 31 pulmonary vein was performed. Procedure duration was 3.5+/-0.85
      h, fluoroscopy time--33.55+/-15.44 min, and total cryoapplication time--38.33+/
      4.1 min. There were no complications. After the follow-up of 8.5+/-0.99 months 6
      (75%) patients were free from arrhythmia, including the patient after myocardial
      infarction and one patient with permanent AF prior ablation. In another patient
      an improvement was observed (EHRA score II/III to I) whereas in one patient with
      permanent AF the procedure was unsuccessful. CONCLUSION: Cryoballoon ablation of
      pulmonary vein ostia is effective and safe, and can be an alternative to RF
      ablation. Easier procedure technique make possible shortening of the learning
      curve and increase the number of treated patients.

PMID- 20301027
TI  - 'Sandwich patch technique' to repair multiple trabecular ventricular septal
      defects--a case report.
AB  - In the case of multiple trabecular ventricular septal defects, it is difficult to
      identify the exact locations and margins because of trabeculations of the right
      ventricle. It is also well known that ventriculotomy for closure of ventricular
      septal defects sometimes causes postoperative ventricular dysfunction or
      arrhythmia. To overcome these problems, we used the 'sandwich patch technique' to
      repair multiple trabecular ventricular septal defects.

PMID- 20301028
TI  - [Patient with Ebstein anomaly treated by Carpentier's technique tricuspid valve
      repair--a case report].
AB  - Ebstein anomaly is a congenital tricuspid valve and right ventricle malformation
      characterised by posterior and/or septal leaflet deformation that are
      malpositioned. The target of surgical intervention is to restore tricuspid valve
      function with right ventricle preservation but also to decrease the risk of
      cardiac arrhythmias. We present a case of a 56-year-old female patient with type
      C Ebstein anomaly. She underwent successful procedure of tricuspid valve repair
      with biodegradable ring.

PMID- 20301029
TI  - [Effective treatment of recurrent infective endocarditis. Is it always in
      compliance with the guidelines?].
AB  - We present a case of recurrent infective endocarditis (IE) in a 36-year-old man,
      localised on native congenital bicuspid aortic valve and an acquired membranous
      ventricular septal defect with vegetations extending to the right ventricle.
      Patient was successfully treated with standard therapy for IE due to
      staphylococci MSSA followed by aortic valve replacement and closure of
      ventricular septal defect.

PMID- 20301030
TI  - [Acute aortic dissection type A in a 28-year-old woman 10 days after delivery].
AB  - A case of a 28-year-old women, with acute aortic dissection type B, ten days
      after childbirth is described. The pregnancy was ended by cesarean section. The
      patient underwent successful stent grafting. A subsequent one-month follow-up
      period was uneventful. Diagnosis and treatment of acute aortic dissection are
      discussed.

PMID- 20301031
TI  - [Sleep apnea syndrome or atrio-ventricular block and hypertension?].
AB  - A case of hypertensive patient with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is
      presented. The third degree atrio-ventricular block was detected during
      diagnostic procedure and treatment of blood pressure in patient with obstructive
      sleep apnea. A heart pacemaker has been implanted. After this procedure the sleep
      apnea signs have not been detected.

PMID- 20301032
TI  - [The role of DNA methylation in etiopathology of coronary heart diseases].

PMID- 20301033
TI  - [The role of cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging in dilated
      cardiomyopathy].

PMID- 20301034
TI  - [Acute coronary syndrome in a patient with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome--a case
      report].
AB  - A case of a 59-year-old man with acute coronary syndrome and ECG features of WPW
      syndrome is described. The typical chest pain and release of myocardial necrosis
      markers were accompanied by ECG signs of preexcitation. Angiography revealed
      significant lesions in coronary arteries. Difficulties in ECG diagnosis of acute
      myocardial infaction in the presence of preexicitation are disscussed.

PMID- 20301035
TI  - Isolated cardiac hydatidosis--a case report.
AB  - Cardiac hydatidosis is rarely encountered. A case of isolated cardiac hydatid
      cyst of the left ventricle in a young woman is described. The diagnosis was
      suggested by echocardiography and was confirmed later by pathological evaluation.
      Serological tests were negative. The patient underwent a successful operation for
      cyst resection.

PMID- 20301036
TI  - [Percutaneous revascularisation of subacute occlusion of the left subclavian
      artery manifesting as acute coronary syndrome in a patient after coronary artery
      bypass grafting].
AB  - A case of subacute occlusion of the left subclavian artery (LSA) manifesting as
      acute coronary syndrome and associated with coronary-subclavian steal syndrome
      (CSSS) in a 56-year-old man following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is
      presented. Complex percutaneous angioplasty with stenting of the LSA and left
      vertebral artery were successfully performed. In this article, the clinical
      management of unstable post-CABG patients with occlusion of the subclavian artery
      is discussed.

PMID- 20301037
TI  - [Contribution of atrioventricular node inputs on orthodromic atrioventricular
      reentrant tachycardia cycle length].
AB  - We describe a 21-year-old woman with a previous history of orthodromic AVRT and
      overt preexcitation. Electrophysiological study revealed the presence of a left
      sided accessory pathway. During an orthodromic AVRT a spontaneous sudden change
      in heart rate (141 to 202 beats/min) without any change of the QRS morphology was
      noted due to a decrease in AH interval (from AH=227 ms to AH=100 ms). We
      explained this phenomenon as the sudden change of the inferior inputs to superior
      in the AV node.

PMID- 20301038
TI  - [The 6-minute walking test--clinical usefulness and limitations].

PMID- 20301039
TI  - [The role of gerontology in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular
      diseases].

PMID- 20301040
TI  - [Bosenten and sildenafil in the treatment of Eisenmenger syndrome].

PMID- 20301041
TI  - [Transcatheter closure of left atrial appendage with the Amplatzer Cardiac Plug
      in patients with atrial fibrillation and high risk of thromboembolic events-
      early experience].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia in patients beyond
      65 years of age. Several of those patients have contraindications to coumadin
      treatment. Ninety percent of atrial thrombi related to atrial fibrillation are
      found in the left atrial appendage. AIM: We present our early experience with the
      left atrial appendage transcatheter closure using the Amplatzer Cardiac Plug.
      METHODS: Transcatheter closure was performed in general anaesthesia and under
      transoesophageal echocardiography control in three patients aged 69, 73 and 61
      years (two female). All had atrial fibrillation with high risk of thromboembolic
      events (CHADS2 score 2 points). In all of them coumadin treatment was
      contraindicated. RESULTS: The procedure time was 112, 109 and 60 min (fluoroscopy
      time: 25, 29 and 12.5 min). The Amplatzer Cardiac Plugs of 24, 26 and 22 mm were
      implanted successfully and without complications. The day after, transthoracic
      echocardiogram revealed proper position of the implant and complete occlusion of
      the appendage in all patients. The patients were discharged on antiplatelet
      treatment. CONCLUSION: Transcatheter left atrial appendage closure with the
      Amplatzer Cardiac Plug may be a promising therapeutic option for patients with
      atrial fibrillation-related high risk of thromboembolic events and with
      contraindications to anti-vitamin K treatment.

PMID- 20301042
TI  - Activity profile in elite Italian soccer team.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to analyse the activity profile of players in a top
      class team in the Italian national football league over the course of a season
      (n=388). The effect of playing position and the two halves on the number and
      duration of short, intense bursts of effort and recovery phases was studied. The
      main results show that midfielders cover significantly more distance than players
      in other positions (p<0.001). For midfielders, the number of displacements of 2
      40 m and the number of sprints covering between 2 and 9 m and between 30 and 40 m
      are considerably greater than for other positions (p<0.05). The distances covered
      in the second half compared to the first half are significantly lower for all
      categories of run (p<0.05). In the second half, the distance covered at very high
      intensity is significantly lower (p<0.01), whilst the number of recovery times
      greater than 120 s increases significantly compared to the first half (p<0.01).
      This study provides data which could be used as a basis for the work of
      scientists as well as football professionals.

PMID- 20301043
TI  - Knee proprioception after exercise-induced muscle damage.
AB  - The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether exercise-induced
      quadriceps muscle damage affects knee proprioception such as joint position sense
      (JPS), force sense and the threshold to detect passive movement (TTDPM). Fourteen
      young men performed sets of eccentric quadriceps contractions at a target of 60%
      of the maximal concentric peak torque until exhaustion; the exercise was
      interrupted whenever the subject could not complete two sets. Muscle soreness,
      JPS, the TTDPM and force sense were examined before the exercise as well as one,
      24, 48, 72 and 96 h after exercise. The results were compared using one-way
      repeated-measure ANOVA. Plasma CK activity, collected at the same times, was
      analyzed by the Friedman's test to discriminate differences between baseline
      values and each of the other assessment moments (p<0.05). Relative to the
      proprioception assessment, JPS at 30 and 70 degrees of knee flexion and force
      sense were significantly decreased up to 48 h, whereas TTDPM decreased
      significantly at only one hour and 24 h after exercise, at 30 and 70 degrees of
      the knee flexion, respectively. The results allow the conclusion that eccentric
      exercise leading to muscle damage alters joint proprioception, suggesting that
      there might be impairment in the intrafusal fibres of spindle muscles and in the
      tendon organs.

PMID- 20301044
TI  - Bone mass in prepubertal tennis players.
AB  - To assess if exercise before puberty affects bone mineral content (BMC) and bone
      mineral density (BMD) we determined BMC and BMD in the dominant arm (DA) and non
      dominant arm (NDA), lumbar spine and femoral neck in 25 tennis players (TP), 21
      soccer players (SP) and 22 physically active controls (CG). All of them were
      under 12 years of age and prepubertal. In TP the DA was heavier than the NDA
      (7.5+/-0.8%), due to a greater lean mass (10.2+/-1.2%) and BMC (16.3+/-2.2%). The
      increased BMC is due to a greater DA bone area (11.1+/-1.9%) and BMD (4.1+/
      0.7%). BMC inter-arm asymmetry was 50-75% of that previously observed in
      professional TP. Inter-arm asymmetry in lean mass, BMC, BMD and bone area was
      significantly higher in TP than in SP and CG. Lumbar spine BMC and BMD were
      similar across groups. TP and CG had similar femoral neck BMDs, whilst SP had
      higher femoral neck BMD than TP. In conclusion, tennis participation before
      puberty is associated with increased lean mass and bone mass, due to an enhanced
      bone size and areal BMD in the playing arm.

PMID- 20301045
TI  - Examining the accumulated oxygen deficit method in front crawl swimming.
AB  - The present study investigated the Accumulated Oxygen Deficit (AOD) method in
      front crawl swimming with the aims to assess the robustness of the oxygen
      uptake/swimming velocity regression line and to quantify the precision of the
      AOD. Twenty-nine male swimmers performed two swimming tests in different days,
      with a 24 h recovery between tests: a graded test and an all-out test. The all
      out test was performed either in 100 m (n=11), 200 m (n=13) or 400 m (n=5).
      Through all testing expired gases were collected breath by breath and analysed
      with a K4b2 Gas Analyser (Cosmed, Rome, Italy) connected to an AquaTrainer Valve
      (Cosmed, Rome, Italy). The error of oxygen uptake/swimming velocity regression
      lines was approximately 4-5 ml x kg (-1) x min (-1)) and the regressions allowed
      an extrapolation of the energy cost to higher intensities with a standard error
      of prediction of approximately 3-4 ml x kg (-1) x min (-1). However, the data
      variability was considerable (95% confidence intervals of the linear
      extrapolation larger than 13 ml x kg (-1) x min (-1)). The AOD imprecision varied
      among the three distance events from approximately 3-13 ml x kg (-1). These
      absolute errors are small, considering the time that subjects took to cover the
      three distances, but relative to the AOD values that were estimated they can be
      considered high, especially in the 400 m bout.

PMID- 20301046
TI  - The power profile predicts road cycling MMP.
AB  - Laboratory tests of fitness variables have previously been shown to be valid
      predictors of cycling time-trial performance. However, due to the influence of
      drafting, tactics and the variability of power output in mass-start road races,
      comparisons between laboratory tests and competition performance are limited. The
      purpose of this study was to compare the power produced in the laboratory Power
      Profile (PP) test and Maximum Mean Power (MMP) analysis of competition data. Ten
      male cyclists (mean+/-SD: 20.8+/-1.5 y, 67.3+/-5.5 kg, V O (2 max) 72.7+/-5.1 mL
      x kg (-1) x min (-1)) completed a PP test within 14 days of competing in a series
      of road races. No differences were found between PP results and MMP analysis of
      competition data for durations of 60-600 s, total work or estimates of critical
      power and the fixed amount of work that can be completed above critical power
      (W'). Self-selected cadence was 15+/-7 rpm higher in the lab. These results
      indicate that the PP test is an ecologically valid assessment of power producing
      capacity over cycling specific durations. In combination with MMP analysis, this
      may be a useful tool for quantifying elements of cycling specific performance in
      competitive cyclists.

PMID- 20301047
TI  - Effects of repetitive training at low altitude on erythropoiesis in 400 and 800 m
      runners.
AB  - Classical altitude training can cause an increase in total hemoglobin mass (THM)
      if a minimum "dose of hypoxia" is reached (altitude >or=2,000 m, >or=3 weeks). We
      wanted to find out if repetitive exposure to mild hypoxia during living and
      training at low altitude (<2,000 m) for several weeks, often performed by elite
      athletes, might also have significant effects on erythropoiesis. THM,
      erythropoietin (EPO), soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) and ferritin were
      determined in 8 elite runners before and after each of 2 training camps at low
      altitude interspersed by 3 weeks of sea-level training and at the same time
      points in a control group (CG) of 5 well-trained runners. EPO, sTfR and ferritin
      were also repeatedly measured during the altitude training camps. Repeated
      measures ANOVA revealed significant increases in EPO- and sTfR-levels during both
      training camps and a significant decrease in ferritin indicating enhanced
      erythropoietic stimulation during living and training at low altitude.
      Furthermore, significant augmentation of THM by 5.1% occurred in the course of
      the 2 altitude training camps. In conclusion, repetitive living and training at
      low altitude leads to a hypoxia-induced increase in erythropoietic stimulation in
      elite 400 m and 800 m runners and, apparently, might also cause a consecutive
      augmentation of THM.

PMID- 20301048
TI  - Resistance exercise intensity progression in older men.
AB  - Our purpose was to examine possible influences of age on resistance exercise (RE)
      intensity progression in men. Twenty-four men, divided in young sedentary (YS;
      n=10; 25.9+/-3.7 years), older sedentary (OS; n=7; 67.4+/-5.2 years), and older
      runners (OR; n=7; 71.3+/-3.0 years), underwent a 2 times-a-week RE program for 13
      weeks. Muscle strength was assessed before and after training by 1-repetition
      maximum test. RE workloads were recorded for each exercise session, and increases
      of 5-10% were made whenever adaptation occurred. Muscle strength improved
      similarly in all groups after RE (P<0.001). Relative RE intensity progression was
      not significantly different between YS and OS, except for a greater increase in
      calf raise relative workload observed in YS (P<0.05). In contrast, OR displayed
      greater relative workload increase in 7 and 6 exercises than YS and OS,
      respectively (P<0.05). The RE was safe as no injuries or major muscle pain were
      observed in either group. These results suggest that healthy sedentary older men
      are capable to exercise and increase RE intensity in the same way as young men,
      while physically active older men are capable to increase RE intensity in greater
      way than sedentary young and older men.

PMID- 20301049
TI  - Changes in the salivary biomarkers induced by an effort test.
AB  - Physical exercise induces biochemical changes in the body that modify analytes in
      blood and saliva among other body fluids. This study analyzed the effect of an
      incremental effort test on the salivary protein profile to determine whether any
      specific protein is altered in response to such stress. We also measured
      thresholds of salivary alpha amylase, total salivary protein and blood lactate
      and searched for correlations among them. Twelve male cyclists underwent a
      progressive test in which blood and saliva samples were collected simultaneously
      at each stage. The salivary total protein profile revealed that physical exercise
      primarily affects the polypeptide corresponding to salivary alpha-amylase, the
      concentration of which increased markedly during the test. We observed thresholds
      of salivary alpha-amylase (sAAT), total salivary protein (PAT) and blood lactate
      (BLT) in 58%, 83% and 100% of our sample, respectively. Pearson's correlation
      indicates a strong and significant association between sAAT and BLT (r= 0.84,
      P<0.05), sAAT and PAT (r= 0.83, P<0.05) and BLT and PAT (r= 0.90, P<0.05). The
      increased expression of the salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) polypeptide suggests
      that sAA is the main protein responsible for the increase in total protein
      concentration of whole saliva. Therefore, monitoring total protein concentration
      is an efficient tool and an alternative noninvasive biochemical method for
      determining exercise intensity.

PMID- 20301050
TI  - [Retraumatization--a conceptional approach].
AB  - Characteristics of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be influenced by
      newly experienced traumata or confrontation with trauma-associated stimuli. Terms
      like reactivation or retraumatization are used either to describe slightly,
      temporary or severe and permanent increase in PTSD symptoms. Trigger, duration
      and intensity of a potential increase in symptoms have not been consistently
      defined yet. The purpose of this overview is to operationalize the term
      retraumatization on the background of empirical studies and to deduce a
      standardized definition. Furthermore implications for research and clinical
      practice are discussed.

PMID- 20301051
TI  - [Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): spouses' quality of life and
      burden during the course of disease].
AB  - Little is known about the effect of chronic diseases like COPD on the well-being
      of caring partners. The aim of the present study was the prospective longitudinal
      evaluation of quality of life as well as psychological distress with
      consideration to further psychosocial variables. Therefore a group of 143
      consecutive COPD-outpatients and their spouses (n=105) were followed-up over a
      period of 3 years to assess changes in quality of life (EuroQol), psychological
      distress (SCL-90-R) and social support (F-SozU). Complete data were available in
      64 couples. Spouses showed reduced quality of life and nearly one out of four
      reported increased psychological distress. Among others, initial social distress
      predicted quality of life and psychological distress. Given the results, it is
      time to take action in order to prevent caring spouses to become dependent on
      care themselves.

PMID- 20301052
TI  - From congenital dermal sinus tract to extensive epidural abscess of the spine.

PMID- 20301053
TI  - Early course of Berardinelli-Seip congenital lipodystrophy (BSCL).
AB  - Berardinelli-Seip congenital lipodystrophy (BSCL) is a very rare autosomal
      recessive disease. In the described patient diagnostic relevant symptoms
      developed at 3 week age.

PMID- 20301054
TI  - [Skin abscesses in kindergarten children: severe courses due to Panton-Valentine
      leukocidin producing S. aureus].

PMID- 20301055
TI  - Apparently no sedative benzoflavone moiety in passiflorae herba.
AB  - Due to the fact that an Indian group had reported a benzoflavone moiety (BZF) as
      an active principle in the herb of Passiflora incarnata L. (Passifloraceae), this
      study was performed to isolate the compound for analytical purposes. In
      Passiflorae herba from three different origins (cultivations in India, Italy and
      France) a compound with the published TLC characteristics was detected in trace
      amounts only in the Italian material. No traces of the substance were found in
      the drugs from India and France. In a commercial extract two compounds with the
      respective TLC characteristics were detected. One was identified as a phytol
      isomer. Due to the very small amounts of the second compound its structure
      elucidation was not successful. The amount of extract for the isolation
      corresponded to approximately the 10-fold amount of the drug, from which the
      isolation of 332 mg "BZF" had been reported. The detection of only trace amounts
      of a BZF-like compound in one of three commercial samples of Passiflorae herba
      and in an extract suggests for the first time that BZF is not the active
      principle in this drug and should not serve as an active marker.

PMID- 20301056
TI  - Enhancement of artemisinin content through four cycles of recurrent selection
      with relation to heritability, correlation and molecular marker in Artemisia
      annua L.
AB  - Due to the high demand and low yield of the anti-malarial drug artemisinin in
      natural populations of Artemisia annua (Quinghao), an attempt has been made to
      enhance the artemisinin content through 4 cycles of recurrent selection (C(0)
      C(3)) using selected genotypic and phenotypic traits. Based on their phenotypic
      and genotypic characteristics, the top 5% plants of each cycle were selected, and
      their seedlings were planted in poly-cross block to produce seeds for the
      subsequent generation. A significant increase in the artemisinin content (0.15%
      in C (0) to 1.16% in C (3), i.e., about 40% genetic gain over the generation) was
      observed. This enhancement was directly correlated with the plant height and
      branching intensity in all four cycles. Similarly, the PCV (phenotypic
      coefficient of variation) and GCV (genotypic coefficient of variation) have been
      observed to have a higher value for artemisinin content. The DNA marker (MAP 12)
      with relation to artemisinin was also identified for high yielding genotypes in
      all four cycles of selection. Over the four cycles of recurrent selection, the
      plant developed an oval appearance (Variety: CIM-Arogya) and a high artemisinin
      content (1.16%).

PMID- 20301057
TI  - Anti-adipogenic activities of Alnus incana and Populus balsamifera bark extracts,
      part I: sites and mechanisms of action.
AB  - Obesity is an epidemic in most developed countries and novel therapeutic
      approaches are needed. In the course of a screening project of medicinal plants
      used by the Eastern James Bay Cree of Canada and having potential for the
      treatment of diabetes, we have identified several products that inhibit
      adipogenesis, suggesting potential antiobesity activities. The inhibitory
      activity of two of these, the extract of the inner bark of the deciduous trees
      Alnus incana ssp. rugosa (Speckled Alder) and Populus balsamifera L. (Balsam
      Poplar), was analyzed using the 3T3-L1 cell model of adipogenesis. Intracellular
      triglyceride accumulation, pre-adipocyte proliferation, and PPAR- gamma activity
      were measured. Alnus incana extracts acted early in the differentiation process
      but did not affect clonal expansion of pre-adipocytes nor the morphological
      transformation from fibroblast-like to rounded fat-laden cells. Alnus incana
      extracts were found to act as partial agonists toward PPAR- gamma activity. In
      contrast, Populus balsamifera extracts completely abrogated adipogenesis,
      severely limited clonal expansion of pre-adipocytes and generally maintained
      cells in an undifferentiated fibroblast-like morphology. Populus balsamifera
      extracts exerted antagonistic action against PPAR- gamma activity. It is
      concluded that, through their actions on the adipocyte, these plant products may
      be useful for the treatment of obesity and related metabolic diseases.

PMID- 20301058
TI  - Anti-adipogenic activities of Alnus incana and Populus balsamifera bark extracts,
      part II: bioassay-guided identification of actives salicortin and oregonin.
AB  - Among modern day metabolic diseases, obesity has reached epidemic proportions
      worldwide and novel therapeutic support strategies are urgently needed.
      Adipocytes are interesting targets in this context. Using ethnobotanical and
      bioassay screening techniques, we have identified two Boreal Forest plants used
      by the James Bay Cree that potently inhibit adipogenesis, namely ALNUS INCANA
      ssp. RUGOSA (Speckled Alder) and POPULUS BALSAMIFERA (Balsam Poplar). The mode of
      action of this inhibitory activity was reported in a companion paper. The current
      study report the results of a classical bioassay-guided fractionation approach
      aimed at identifying the active principles responsible for the inhibition of
      adipogenesis, as measured using triglyceride accumulation in the 3T3-L1 adipocyte
      model cell line. The glycosides oregonin and salicortin were isolated and
      identified as the respective active principles for ALNUS INCANA and POPULUS
      BALSAMIFERA. These compounds thus offer promise as novel agents to mitigate the
      incidence or the progression of obesity.

PMID- 20301059
TI  - Antitrypanosomal activity of a diterpene and lignans isolated from Aristolochia
      cymbifera.
AB  - Bioguided fractionation of extract from the leaves of Aristolochia cymbifera led
      to the isolation of the furofuran lignans fargesin, epieudesmin, and sesamin; the
      dibenzylbutyrolactone lignans hinokinin and kusunokinin; and an ENT-labdane
      diterpene named copalic acid. Our data demonstrated that copalic acid and
      kusunokinin were the most active compounds against trypomastigotes of Trypanosoma
      cruzi. Additionally, copalic acid demonstrated the highest parasite selectivity
      as a result of low toxicity to mammalian cells, despite a considerable hemolytic
      activity at higher concentrations. Among the isolated compounds, kusunokinin
      could be considered the most promising candidate, as it displayed significant
      activity against intracellular amastigotes (IC(50) = 17 uM) and trypomastigotes
      (IC(50) = 51 uM) without hemolytic activity. Fargesin, hinokinin, epieudesmin,
      and sesamin were also effective against trypomastigotes, but these compounds were
      highly toxic to mammalian cells and no parasite selectivity could be identified.
      The need for novel drugs for American trypanosomiasis is evident, and these
      secondary metabolites from A. cymbifera represent a useful tool for drug design.

PMID- 20301061
TI  - [Pay for performance: payment determined by outcome].

PMID- 20301060
TI  - Anatomical and technical tips for use of the superficial inferior epigastric
      artery (SIEA) flap in breast reconstructive surgery.
AB  - Techniques for autologous breast reconstruction have evolved to minimize donor
      site morbidity and reduce flap-specific complications. When available, the
      superficial inferior epigastric artery (SIEA) flap represents the optimal method
      to achieve the former. However, many microsurgeons have been reluctant to adopt
      this procedure due to technical challenges inherent to the surgery, as well as
      concerns with the intrinsic capacity of the superficial vessel system to
      adequately support this flap. This article sets forth a simple approach to the
      SIEA flap harvest and demonstrates that favorable results may be achieved even
      for small caliber vessels. A total of 46 patients underwent 53 SIEA breast
      reconstructions over a 6-year period using a modified approach for pedicle
      dissection and arterial inclusion criteria solely on the basis of presence of a
      palpable pulse. Average pedicle length harvested for all SIEA flaps was 6.07 cm;
      and mean arterial (0.96 mm) and venous (2.27 mm) diameters represent the lowest
      published values. Three flaps (5.7%) demonstrated fat necrosis or partial flap
      necrosis, with one (1.9%) complete flap loss. These results compare favorably
      with those of previous SIEA series employing diameter-based selection criteria,
      suggesting that the presence of a palpable arterial pulse may be sufficient to
      permit successful utilization of this flap.

PMID- 20301062
TI  - "So what?".

PMID- 20301063
TI  - Influenza pandemic: a perspective.

PMID- 20301064
TI  - Evidence-based decision-making (part II): applications in disaster relief
      operations.
AB  - Recognized limitations to data in disaster management have led to dozens of
      initiatives to strengthen data gathering and decision-making during disasters.
      These initiatives are complicated by fundamental problems of definitions of
      terms, ambiguity of concepts, lack of standardization in methods of data
      collection, and inadequate attempts to strengthen the analytic capability of
      field organizations. Cross-cutting issues in needs assessment, coordination, and
      evaluation illustrate additional recurring challenges in dealing with evidence in
      humanitarian assistance. These challenges include lack of agency expertise,
      dyscoordination at the field level, inappropriate reliance on indicators that
      measure process rather than outcome, flawed scientific inference, and erosion of
      the concept of minimum standards. Decision-making in disaster management
      currently places a premium on expert or eminence-based decisions. By contrast,
      scientific advances in disaster medicine call for evidence-based decisions whose
      strength of evidence is established by the methods of data acquisition. At
      present, disaster relief operations may be data driven, but that does not mean
      that they are soundly evidence-based. Options for strengthening evidence-based
      activities include rigorously adhering to evidenced-based interventions, using
      evidence-based tools to identify new approaches to problems of concern, studying
      model programs as well as failed ones to identify approaches that deserve
      replication, and improving standards for evidence of effectiveness in disaster
      science and services.

PMID- 20301065
TI  - Health impact of the 2004 Andaman Nicobar earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The human impact of the tsunami that occurred on 26 December 2004 was
      enormous, with Indonesia bearing a huge proportion of the losses. The aftermath
      brought predictions of communicable disease outbreaks and widespread fear of
      epidemics. However, evidence from previous disasters due to natural hazards does
      not support all of these predictions. The objectives of this study were to: (1)
      describe the relative importance of infectious diseases and injuries as a
      consequence of a disaster due to natural hazards; and (2) identify key
      recommendations for the improvement of control and surveillance of these diseases
      during and after disasters. METHODS: A team from the Center for Research on the
      Epidemiology of Disasters visited Jakarta and Banda Aceh from 11-23 January 2005,
      and collected data from the Central and Provincial Ministries of Health (MOH),
      the World Health Organization (WHO), and a field hospital from the International
      Committee of the Red Cross in Banda Aceh. The epidemiological profiles of
      diseases before and after the tsunami were compared. Cholera, tetanus, wounds and
      wound infections, acute respiratory infections, malaria, and dengue were included
      in this analysis. RESULTS: Certain diseases (e.g., cholera, malaria, dengue) are
      not always an immediate priority post-disaster. Rates of disaster-related health
      conditions requiring emergency response fell by half, and became negligible
      around four weeks after the precipitating events. Some conditions, such as
      aspiration pneumonia and tetanus, which normally are rare, require special
      preparedness for emergency personnel. In addition, resistant and rare pathogens
      are associated with disasters due to natural hazards in the tropics and require
      specialized knowledge for the rapid and successful treatment of related
      infections. CONCLUSIONS: Within the first four weeks of a disaster, international
      humanitarian agencies in the health sector should start working with the MOH. The
      WHO surveillance system established immediately after the tsunami offers lessons
      for developing a prototype for future emergencies. Guidelines for tetanus and
      aspiration pneumonia should be included in disaster medicine handbooks, and
      humanitarian aid groups should be prepared to provide emergency obstetrics and
      post-natal services. Relief funding after naturally occurring disasters should
      consider funding sustainability. Donors should know when to stop providing
      emergency relief funds and transition to recovery/development strategies.

PMID- 20301066
TI  - Public health preparedness of post-Katrina and Rita shelter health staff.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: During 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck the US Gulf Coast,
      displacing approximately two million people. With >250,000 evacuees in shelters,
      volunteers from the American Red Cross (ARC) and other nongovernmental and faith
      based organizations provided services. The objective of this study was to
      evaluate the composition, pre-deployment training, and recognition of scenarios
      with outbreak potential by shelter health staff. METHODS: A rapid assessment
      using a 36-item questionnaire was conducted through in-person interviews with
      shelter health staff immediately following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Data were
      collected by sampling at shelters located throughout five ARC regions in Texas.
      The survey focused on: (1) public health capacity; (2) level of public health
      awareness among staff; (3) public health training prior to deployment; and (4)
      interest in technical support for public health concerns. In addition, health
      staff volunteers were asked to manage 11 clinical scenarios with possible public
      health implications. RESULTS: Forty-three health staff at 24 shelters were
      interviewed. Nurses comprised the majority of shelter health volunteers and were
      present in 93% of shelters; however, there were no public health providers
      present as staff in any shelter. Less than one-third of shelter health staff had
      public health training, and only 55% had received public health information
      specific to managing the health needs of evacuees. Only 37% of the shelters had a
      systematic method for screening the healthcare needs of evacuees upon arrival.
      Although specific clinical scenarios involving case clusters were referred
      appropriately, 60% of the time, 75% of all clinical scenarios with epidemic
      potential did not elicit proper notification of public health authorities by
      shelter health staff. In contrast, clinical scenarios requiring medical attention
      were correctly referred >90% of the time. Greater access and support from health
      and public health experts was endorsed by 93% of respondents. CONCLUSIONS: Public
      health training for sheltering operations must be enhanced and should be a
      required component of pre-deployment instruction. Development of a standardized
      shelter intake health screening instrument may facilitate assessment of needs and
      appropriate resource allocation. Shelter health staff did not recognize or report
      the majority of cases with epidemic potential to public health authorities.
      Direct technical support to shelter health staff for public health concerns could
      bridge existing gaps and assist surveillance efforts.

PMID- 20301067
TI  - Sheltering the sheltered: protecting the public health and educating the
      workforce.

PMID- 20301068
TI  - Evaluation of a pandemic preparedness training intervention of emergency medical
      services personnel.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Emergency medical services (EMS) personnel play an integral role
      during the national response to a pandemic event. To help ensure their health and
      safety, especially during the early stages of an outbreak, knowledge and
      adherence with personal protective equipment (PPE) and infection control
      strategies will be essential. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to
      assess the effectiveness of a multi-method, pandemic preparedness training
      intervention using a pre-/post-test design. METHODS: A convenience sample of 129
      EMS personnel participated in a training program on pandemic preparedness.
      Training consisted of an educational intervention with a focus on the routes of
      transmission of the influenza virus, proper use of respiratory PPE, agency
      policies regarding infection control practices, and seasonal influenza
      vaccination. This was followed by a skill-based drill on respirator fit-checking
      and proper respirator donning and doffing procedures. RESULTS: Pre-/post-test
      results indicate a significant increase in knowledge and behavioral intentions
      with respect to respirator use, vaccination with seasonal influenza vaccine, and
      willingness to report to duty during a pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: This method was
      effective in increasing knowledge and compliance intentions in EMS healthcare
      personnel. Further research should focus on whether training results in behavior
      modification.

PMID- 20301069
TI  - Is there an association between risk perception and disaster preparedness in
      rural US hospitals?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study examined disaster preparedness, risk perception, and
      their association in rural hospitals in the United States. The focus of disaster
      preparedness largely has been centered on urban areas, in part because of the
      perception that more concentrated areas have an increased risk of a disastrous
      event. Therefore, it was hypothesized that risk perception may be a contributing
      factor for adequate preparedness in rural areas. This research was a component of
      a larger study of rural hospital preparedness. The objective of this study was to
      describe the perceived risk of disaster events and the status of disaster
      preparedness in rural hospitals. It was hypothesized that there is a positive
      association between risk perception and preparedness. METHODS: Secondary data
      analysis was conducted using the National Study of Rural Hospitals (2006-2007)
      from Johns Hopkins University. The study, based on a regionally stratified,
      random sample of rural hospitals, consisted of a mailed questionnaire and a
      follow-up telephone interview with each hospital's Chief Executive Officer (n =
      134). A model of disaster preparedness was utilized to examine seven elements of
      preparedness. Risk perception was examined through seven perceived risk threats.
      RESULTS: The results indicated that rural hospitals were moderately prepared,
      overall, (78% prepared on average), with higher preparedness in
      education/training (89%) and isolation/decontamination (91%); moderate
      preparedness in administration/planning (80%), communication/notification (83%),
      staffing/support (66%, and supplies/pharmaceuticals/laboratory support (70%); and
      lower preparedness in surge capacity (64%). The respondents reported greater
      perceived risk from disasters due to natural hazards (79% reported moderate to
      high risk) and vehicular accidents (77%) than from humanmade disasters (23%).
      Results obtained from logistic regression models indicated that there was no
      statistically significant difference in the odds of a hospital being prepared
      overall when comparing high versus low risk perception (OR = 0.61; 95% CI = 0.26
      1.44). Positive associations were identified only between higher perceived risk
      overall and the subcategory of education/training preparedness (OR = 1.24; 95% CI
      = 1.05-1.27). CONCLUSIONS: Rural hospitals reported being moderately prepared in
      the event of a disaster with a low perception of risk for human-made disasters.
      Further research should be conducted to identify predictors of preparedness in
      rural hospitals in order to optimize readiness for potential disaster events.

PMID- 20301070
TI  - Moral experience of Canadian healthcare professionals in humanitarian work.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Expatriate healthcare professionals frequently participate in
      international relief operations that are initiated in response to disasters due
      to natural hazards or humanitarian emergencies in low resource settings. This
      practice environment is significantly different from the healthcare delivery
      environment in the home countries of expatriate healthcare professionals. Human
      rights, public health, medicine, and ethics intersect in distinct ways as
      healthcare professionals provide care and services in communities affected by
      crisis. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the moral experience of
      Canadian healthcare professionals during humanitarian relief work. METHODS: This
      is a qualitative study with 18 semi-structured individual interviews based on
      Interpretive Description methodology. There are two groups of participants: (1)
      15 healthcare professionals (nine doctors, five nurses, and one midwife) with
      more than three months experience in humanitarian work; and (2) three individuals
      who have experience as human resource or field coordination officers for
      humanitarian, non-governmental organizations. Participants were recruited by
      contacting non-governmental organizations, advertisement at the global health
      interest group of a national medical society, word of mouth, and a snowball
      sampling approach in which participants identified healthcare professionals with
      experience practicing in humanitarian settings who might be interested in the
      research. RESULTS: Five central themes were identified during the analysis: (1)
      examination of motivations and expectations; (2) the relational nature of
      humanitarian work; (3) attending to steep power imbalances; (4) acknowledging and
      confronting the limits of what is possible in a particular setting; and (5)
      recognition of how organizational forms and structures shape everyday moral
      experience. DISCUSSION: Humanitarian relief work is a morally complex activity.
      Healthcare professionals who participate in humanitarian relief activities, or
      who are contemplating embarking on a humanitarian project, will benefit from
      carefully considering the moral dimensions of this work. Humanitarian
      organizations should address the moral experiences of healthcare professionals in
      staff recruitment, as they implement training prior to departure, and in
      supporting healthcare professionals in the field.

PMID- 20301071
TI  - Personal protection during resuscitation of casualties contaminated with chemical
      or biological warfare agents--a survey of medical first responders.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The threat of mass casualties caused by an unconventional terrorist
      attack is a challenge for the public health system, with special implications for
      emergency medicine, anesthesia, and intensive care. Advanced life support of
      patients injured by chemical or biological warfare agents requires an adequate
      level of personal protection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the personal
      protection knowledge of emergency physicians and anesthetists who would be at the
      frontline of the initial health response to a chemical/biological warfare agent
      incident. METHODS: After institutional review board approval, knowledge of
      personal protection measures among emergency medicine (n = 28) and anesthetics (n
      = 47) specialty registrars in the South Thames Region of the United Kingdom was
      surveyed using a standardized questionnaire. Participants were asked for the
      recommended level of personal protection if a chemical/biological warfare
      agent(s) casualty required advanced life support in the designated hospital
      resuscitation area. RESULTS: The best awareness within both groups was regarding
      severe acute respiratory syndrome, and fair knowledge was found regarding
      anthrax, plague, Ebola, and smallpox. In both groups, knowledge about personal
      protection requirements against chemical warfare agents was limited. Knowledge
      about personal protection measures for biological agents was acceptable, but was
      limited for chemical warfare agents. CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight the need
      to improve training and education regarding personal protection measures for
      medical first receivers.

PMID- 20301072
TI  - Paramedic knowledge, attitudes, and training in end-of-life care.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Paramedics often are asked to care for patients at the end of life.
      To do this, they must communicate effectively with family and caregivers,
      understand their legal obligations, and know when to withhold unwanted
      interventions. The objectives of this study were to ascertain paramedics'
      attitudes toward end-of-life (EOL) situations and the frequency with which they
      encounter them; and to compare paramedics' preparation during training for a
      variety of EOL care skills. METHODS: A written survey was administered to a
      convenience sample of paramedics in two cities: Denver, Colorado and Los Angeles,
      California. Questions addressed: (1) attitudes toward EOL decision-making in
      prehospital settings; (2) experience (number of EOL situations experienced in the
      past two years); (3) importance of various EOL tasks in clinical practice
      (pronouncing and communicating death, ending resuscitation, honoring advance
      directives (ADs)); and (4) self-assessed preparation for these EOL tasks. For
      each task, importance and preparation were measured using a four-point Likert
      scale. Proportions were compared using McNemar chi-square statistics to identify
      areas of under- or over-preparation. RESULTS: Two hundred thirty-six paramedics
      completed the survey. The mean age was 39 years (range 22-59 years), and 222
      (94%) were male. Twenty percent had >20 years of experience. Almost all
      participants (95%; 95% CI = 91-97%) agreed that prehospital providers should
      honor field ADs, and more than half (59%; 95% CI = 52-65%) felt that providers
      should honor verbal wishes to limit resuscitation at the scene. Ninety-eight
      percent of the participants (95% CI = 96-100%) had questioned whether specific
      life support interventions were appropriate for patients who appeared to have a
      terminal disease. Twenty-six percent (95% CI = 20-32%) reported to have used
      their own judgment during the past two years to withhold or end resuscitation in
      a patient who appeared to have a terminal disease. Significant discrepancies
      between the importance in practice and the level of preparation during training
      for the four EOL situations included: (1) understanding ADs (75% very important
      vs. 40% well prepared; difference 35%: 95% CI = 26-43%); (2) knowing when to
      honor written ADs (90% very important vs. 59% well-prepared; difference 31%: 95%
      CI = 23-38%); and (3) verbal ADs (75% very important vs. 54%well-prepared,
      difference 21%: 95% CI = 12-29%); and (4) communicating death to family or
      friends (79% very important vs. 48% well prepared, difference 31%: 95% CI = 23
      39%). Paramedics' preparation in EOL skills was significantly lower than that for
      clinical skills such as endotracheal intubation or defibrillation. CONCLUSIONS:
      There is a need to include more training in EOL care into prehospital training
      curricula, including how to verify and apply ADs, when to withhold treatments,
      and how to discuss death with victims' family or friends.

PMID- 20301073
TI  - The October 2005 earthquake in Northern Pakistan: patterns of injuries in victims
      brought to the Emergency Relief Hospital, Doraha, Mansehra.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Knowledge of injuries of earthquake victims is important to plan
      relief efforts. This cross-sectional study was conducted following the 08 October
      2005 earthquake in Northern Pakistan to determine the pattern of injuries
      sustained and their relationship with age and gender in order to identify the
      medical needs in an earthquake-affected zone. METHODS: The study was conducted
      between 13 October and 23 October 2005 at the Emergency Relief Hospital, Doraha,
      Mansehra. From the 1,700 patients registered in the hospital, 310 were sampled
      randomly for the study. Demography and details of the patients' injuries were
      noted by history and physical examination. Twelve cases were omitted due to
      incomplete data. RESULTS: Of the cases, 54% were female. Children less than or
      equal to 10 years old formed the largest age group. Isolated bone injuries were
      present in 41%, soft tissue injuries in 36%, and mixed injuries in 23% of the
      patients. The most common bone injury was lower limb fracture (52%), while the
      most common non-bone injury was non-infected, soft tissue wounds on the limbs
      (33%). Among patients with soft tissue injuries, gangrenous wounds were present
      in 9%, and grossly infected wounds in 30% (20% on limbs and 10% on rest of the
      body). CONCLUSIONS: The population injured during the earthquake showed a higher
      proportion of females and children less than or equal to 10 years old, and lower
      limb bone injuries. The data highlight the need to address orthopedic, pediatric,
      and women's health issues, and for logistic arrangement of relevant diagnostic
      and therapeutic facilities at the initial stages of relief activities after
      earthquakes.

PMID- 20301074
TI  - Editorial comments--October 2005 earthquake in Northern Pakistan: patterns of
      injuries in victims brought to the Emergency Relief Hospital, Doraha, Mansehra.

PMID- 20301075
TI  - Disaster relief and recovery after a landslide at a small, rural hospital in
      Guatemala.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Though many reports have assessed hospital emergency responses
      during a disaster that affected the facility's operations, relatively little work
      has been dedicated to identifying factors that aid or impede the recovery of such
      hospitals. PROBLEM: On 05 October 2005, Hurricane Stan triggered landslides that
      buried an impoverished Mayan community in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala. The six
      bed Hospitalito Atitlan also was in the landslide's path. Though opened just
      months earlier, the institution maintained 24-hour services until reopening in a
      new facility only 15 days after the landslides. METHODS: This qualitative study
      examined the Hospitalito Atitlan's disaster recovery using unstructured
      interviews with key hospital personnel and community members. Participant
      observation provided information about institutional and cultural dynamics
      affecting the hospital's recovery. Data were collected retrospectively during
      June-September 2006 and June 2007. RESULTS: The Hospitalito's emergency responses
      and recovery were distinct endeavors that nonetheless overlapped in time. The
      initial 12 hours of disorganized emergency relief work was quickly succeeded by
      an organized effort by the institution to provide inpatient and clinic-based care
      to the few severely injured and many worried-well patients. As international aid
      started arriving 2-3 days post-landslide, the Hospitalito's 24-hour clinical
      services made it an integral organization in the comprehensive health response.
      Meanwhile, a subset of the Hospitalito's non-clinical staff initiated rebuilding
      efforts by Day 2 after the event, joined later by medical staff as outside aid
      allowed them to hand off clinical duties. Effective use of the Internet and
      conventional media promoted donations of money and supplies, which provided the
      raw materials used by a group determined to reopen their hospital. CONCLUSIONS:
      Early work by a recovery-focused team coupled with a shared understanding of the
      Hospitalito as an institution that transcended its damaged building drove the
      hospital's rapid post-emergency revival. Encouraging a similar sense of mission,
      emulating the Hospitalito's handling of funding and material procurement, and
      conducting rebuilding and relief efforts in parallel may aid recovery at other
      health facilities.

PMID- 20301076
TI  - Large-scale air-medical transport from a peripheral hospital to level-1 trauma
      centers after remote mass-casualty incidents in Israel.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Mass-casualty incidents (MCIs) result in the evacuation of many
      patients to the nearest medical facility. However, an overwhelming number of
      patients and the type and severity of injuries may demand rapid, mass airmedical
      transport to more advanced medical centers. This task may be challenging,
      particularly after a MCI in a neighboring country. The Israeli Air Force Rescue
      and Airmedical Evacuation Unit (RAEU) is the main executor of airmedical
      transport in Israel, including MCIs. PROBLEM: The available data on airmedical
      transport from remote MCIs are limited.The objective of this study was to
      evaluate the airmedical transport from a rural hospital after two remote MCIs.
      METHODS: The study was retrospective and reviewed descriptive records of
      airmedical transports. RESULTS: The RAEU was involved in airmedical transports
      from a peripheral hospital shortly after two remote MCIs that occurred in the
      Sinai desert near the Egyptian-Israeli border. Nineteen (22.4%) and 25 (100%) of
      the treated trauma patients from each event were airmedically transported to
      Level-1 Trauma Centers in Israel within hours of the dispatch.The rapid dispatch
      and accumulation of medical personnel and equipment was remarkable. The
      airmedical surge capacity was broad and sufficient. Cooperation with local
      authorities and a tailored boarding procedure facilitated a quality outcome.
      CONCLUSIONS: The incorporation of a large-scale airmedical transport program with
      designated multidisciplinary protocols is an essential component to a remote
      disaster preparedness plan.

PMID- 20301077
TI  - Establishing disaster medical assistance teams in Japan.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The large number casualties caused by the 1995 Great Hanshin and
      Awaji Earthquake created a massive demand for medical care. However, as area
      hospitals also were damaged by the earthquake, they were unable to perform their
      usual functions. Therefore, the care capacity was reduced greatly. Thus, the
      needs to: (1) transport a large number of injured and ill people out of the
      disaster-affected area; and (2) dispatch medical teams to perform such wide-area
      transfers were clear. The need for trained medical teams to provide medical
      assistance also was made clear after the Niigata-ken Chuetsu Earthquake in 2004.
      Therefore, the Japanese government decided to establish Disaster Medical
      Assistance Teams (DMATs), as "mobile, trained medical teams that rapidly can be
      deployed during the acute phase of a sudden-onset disaster". Disaster Medical
      Assistance Teams have been established in much of Japan. The provision of
      emergency relief and medical care and the enhancement and promotion of DMATs for
      wide-area deployments during disasters were incorporated formally in the Basic
      Plan for Disaster Prevention in its July 2005 amendment. RESULTS: The essential
      points pertaining to DMATs were summarized as a set of guidelines for DMAT
      deployment. These were based on the results of research funded by a Health and
      Labour Sciences research grant from the, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) of the
      Ministry of Health. The guidelines define the basic procedures for DMAT
      activities-for example: (1) the activities are to be based on agreements
      concluded between prefectures and medical institutions during non-emergency
      times; and (2) deployment is based on requests from disaster-affected prefectures
      and the basic roles of prefectures and the MHLW. The guidelines also detail DMAT
      activities at the disaster scene of the, support from medical institutions, and
      transportation assistance including "wide-area" medical transport activities,
      such as medical treatment in staging care units and the implementation of medical
      treatment onboard aircraft. CONCLUSIONS: Japan's DMATs are small-scale units that
      are designed to be suitable for responding to the demands of acute emergencies.
      Further issues to be examined in relation to DMATs include expanding their
      application to all prefectures, and systems to facilitate continuous education
      and training.

PMID- 20301078
TI  - A fundamental, national, medical disaster management plan: an education-based
      model.
AB  - During disasters, especially following earthquakes, health systems are expected
      to play an essential role in reducing mortality and morbidity. The most
      significant naturally occurring disaster in Iran is earthquakes; they have killed
      >180,000 people in the last 90 years. According to the current plan in 2007, the
      disaster management system of Iran is composed of three main work groups: (1)
      Prevention and risk management, (2) Education, and (3) Operation. This
      organizational separation has resulted in lack of necessary training programs for
      experts of specialized organizations, e.g., the Ministry of Health and Medical
      Education (MOHME).The National Board of MOHME arranged a training program in the
      field of medical disaster management. A qualified training team was chosen to
      conduct this program in each collaborating center, based on a predefined
      schedule. All collaborating centers were asked to recall 5-7 experts from each
      member university. Working in medical disaster management field for greater than
      or equal to 2 years was an inclusion criterion. The training programs lasted
      three days, consisted of all relevant aspects of medical disaster management, and
      were conducted over a six-month period (November 2007-April 2008). Pre-test and
      post-tests were used to examine the participants' knowledge regarding disaster
      management; the mean score on the pretest was 67.1 +/-11.6 and 88.1 +/-6.2,
      respectively. All participants were asked to hold the same training course for
      their organizations in order to enhance knowledge of related managers,
      stakeholders, and workers, and build capacity at the local and provincial levels.
      The next step was supposed to be developing a comprehensive medical disaster
      management plan for the entire country. Establishing nine disaster management
      regional collaborating centers in the health system of Iran has provided an
      appropriate base for related programs to be rapidly and easily accomplished
      throughout the country. This tree-shaped model is recommended as a cost-benefit
      and rapid approach for conducting training programs and developing a disaster
      management plan in the health system of a developing country.

PMID- 20301079
TI  - Just-in-time public health training and networking in Farsi-speaking countries:
      Influenza A (H1N1) experience.

PMID- 20301080
TI  - Genomic damage in endothelial progenitor cells from uremic patients in
      hemodialysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: End stage renal disease (ESRD) is associated with a high incidence
      of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Patients undergoing hemodialysis show a
      reduced number and an impaired function of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs),
      which in physiological conditions contribute to repair the vascular damage. In
      patients with ESRD, massive oxidative genome damage has been demonstrated but the
      role of HD in causing it is still a controversial issue. The aim of our study was
      to analyze the effects of a single HD session on the number of cells marked with
      CD34 (including sub-type cells known to be EPCs); we then evaluated the genomic
      damage in these cells using COMET assay. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We quantified
      CD34(+) cells in blood samples in 30 patients in hemodiafiltration treatment for
      3.5 to 4 hours 3 times/week and in 30 healthy volunteers. In HD patients, blood
      samples were drawn at different time intervals: start of dialysis (T(0)), at the
      end of the treatment (T(end)) and 24 hours afterwards in the interdialytic day
      (T(inter)). Staining and analysis was performed using the ISHAGE (International
      Society of Hematotherapy and Graft Engineering) guidelines. EPCs count was
      conducted using a multiparameter flow cytometric lyse no-wash method. Genomic
      damage was evaluated by Comet assay. RESULTS: The number of CD34(+) cells in the
      HD patients at the beginning of the dialysis session (T(0)) was significantly
      lower than in healthy controls. HD patients showed a significant increase in CD34
      number at the end of the session (T(end)) with respect to T(0). In the
      interdialytic period (T(int)), the number of CD34(+) cells was significantly
      reduced with respect to T(end). COMET assay performed on CD34(+) cells showed a
      higher basal level of genomic damage in HD patients than in controls; it
      increased in a statistically significant manner after the hemodialysis session,
      while in the interdialytic period it came back to T(0) level. CONCLUSIONS: Uremic
      status is characterized by lower levels of circulating EPCs, which increase after
      a single session of HD together with genomic damage to the CD34(+) cells.

PMID- 20301081
TI  - The effects of vitamin E-coated dialysis membranes on serum paraoxonase activity
      in hemodialysis patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hemodialysis patients are exposed to oxidative stress, which can lead
      to several complications. We therefore sought to evaluate the effect of using
      vitamin E-coated dialysis membranes for a period of 3 months on serum paraoxonase
      activity and oxidative stress markers. METHODS: Twenty patients and 25 healthy
      controls were included in this study. Hemodialysis patients were evaluated before
      and after 3 months of treatment with vitamin E-coated dialysis membranes. Plasma
      malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, as well as the oxidizability of red blood cells
      (RBCs) and apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins (expressed as RBC-MDA and
      DeltaMDA, respectively) were determined in order to investigate the patients'
      oxidative status. Plasma vitamin E and vitamin C levels, serum total carotenoid
      levels and paraoxonase activity were measured to investigate the patients'
      antioxidative defenses. RESULTS: After 3 months of treatment with vitamin E
      coated membranes, vitamin E levels were significantly increased and the
      oxidizability of RBCs was significantly reduced in the hemodialysis patients.
      However, there were not any differences from baseline in serum paraoxonase
      activity, plasma MDA levels or the oxidizability of apolipoprotein B-containing
      lipoproteins in these patients. CONCLUSIONS: Despite promising improvements in
      vitamin E levels and the oxidizability of RBCs, the results of this study do not
      support a satisfactory antioxidative effect of vitamin E-coated dialysis
      membranes. Further studies are needed to identify antioxidative treatments for
      hemodialysis patients.

PMID- 20301082
TI  - Severe reversible acute renal failure in idiopathic nephrotic syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Only few cases of acute renal failure (ARF) requiring dialysis have
      been reported in patients with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (NS). This study
      aims to better define the clinical outcome and treatment of this condition.
      METHODS: A pilot enquiry regarding the occurrence of ARF requiring dialysis in
      patients with NS and biopsy proven minimal changes (MC) or focal segmental
      glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) was conducted among 5 nephrology centers. RESULTS: From
      1996-2006, 6 patients with idiopathic NS (4 MC, 2 FSGS) developed ARF requiring
      dialysis early after onset of NS. At presentation all but 1 patient had elevated
      blood pressure. Patients were treated with dialysis from 7-40 days. All achieved
      complete or partial remission after 4-8 weeks of steroids. Recovery of renal
      function paralleled with the reduction of proteinuria. At renal biopsy proximal
      tubules showed a large amount of protein droplets, flattening of epithelial
      cells, and focal detachment of cells from the basal membrane. After a follow-up
      of 24-60 months, 5 patients had a relapse. Of these 4 were responsive to
      steroids, while one progressed to dialysis after an episode of hemolytic uremic
      syndrome related to cyclosporine treatment. ARF did not recur. CONCLUSION: ARF
      requiring dialysis is a rare and unexpected complication of idiopathic NS
      occurring in most cases early after presentation. These patients are sensitive to
      steroids that should be administered as promptly as possible in view of the
      potential noxious effect of protein overload on proximal tubular cells.

PMID- 20301083
TI  - Serum parathyroid hormone and phosphate influence the levels of circulating CD34+
      cells in uremia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is an active stimulator of bone marrow
      osteoblasts; it is involved in the niche organization, ie the bone marrow
      microenvironment which controls the turnover and the fate of endothelial
      progenitor cells (EPCs). PTH stimulates EPC production; this action can be
      measured by counting the number of circulating CD34+ cells. METHODS: This
      observational cross-sectional study aimed to verify this effect in 3 groups of
      hemodialysis patients with different serum PTH levels. The first group consisted
      of 11 patients affected by secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPTH group, serum PTH
      levels >500 pg/ml); the second group consisted of 10 patients with serum PTH
      levels between 150 and 500 pg/ml (TargetPTH group); the third group consisted of
      10 patients with serum PTH levels below the treatment target after
      parathyroidectomy (PTx group, serum PTH levels <150 pg/ml). Serum PTH, calcium
      (Ca), phosphorus (P), alkaline phosphatases (ALP), urea nitrogen, albumin and
      hemoglobin were measured. Flow cytofluorimetry with CD45+ sequential gating was
      effected; therefore, CD34+ cells could be analyzed. RESULTS: The SHPTH group
      showed significantly higher values of serum PTH, P and ALP (respectively,
      p<0.0001, p<0.033 and p<0.0001), and significantly lower values of circulating
      CD34+ cells (both in absolute and percent terms) in the SHPTH and in the
      TargetPTH groups (for both, p<0.0001). Two models of multiple regression analysis
      built with circulating CD34+ cells (expressed as percentage in the first one and
      as absolute values in the second one) as dependent variables showed that only
      serum PTH and P values were inversely associated with both. CONCLUSIONS: Our data
      suggest that an inverse relationship exists in uremic patients among circulating
      CD34+ cells and serum P and PTH levels. The count of circulating CD34+ cells
      might represent a novel biomarker for the assessment of the cardiovascular risk
      for dialysis patients.

PMID- 20301084
TI  - Do statins delay the incidence of ESRD in diabetic patients with moderate CKD?
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is little information on whether statins and LDL cholesterol
      are associated with the onset of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in at-risk
      populations. METHODS: In a retrospective, single-center study of 156 patients
      with diabetes and CKD, we evaluated disease progression and incidence of ESRD in
      patients treated or not treated with statins. RESULTS: There were 81 and 75
      patients in statin and no-statin groups respectively. Participants were followed
      for a median of 28 months (95% CI 19 to 34). Total cholesterol and LDL levels
      decreased significantly in the statin group and were associated with a
      significant decrease in the rate of eGFR decline (-6.0 vs. -9.8
      mL/min/1.73m(2)/year, p=0.01). However, this difference was not statistically
      significant after consideration of propensity scores (p=0.43). Kaplan-Meier
      survival analyses demonstrated that the incidence of ESRD was significantly
      greater in the no-treatment group (HR=2.21, 95% CI 1.45-3.81, p=0.0007). LDL
      cholesterol, statins, eGFR, mean arterial pressure and ACE-I/ARB were significant
      predictors of ESRD in univariate analyses. However, stepwise Cox regression
      analyses using propensity scores only retained LDL and baseline eGFR as
      independent predictors of ESRD. CONCLUSIONS: Only LDL cholesterol but not statins
      were associated with ESRD progression in diabetic patients with moderate CKD
      after data adjustment for propensity scores. Prospective studies are needed to
      determine if LDL cholesterol mediates the effect of statins on disease
      progression in these patients.

PMID- 20301085
TI  - Pedometers as a means to increase spontaneous physical activity in chronic
      hemodialysis patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pedometers are simple devices which measure spontaneous physical
      activity. In nonrenal disease populations, pedometers were successfully used to
      encourage patients to increase their habitual physical activity through self
      monitoring of its intensity. Our aim was to investigate how an awareness of using
      pedometers helps in increasing daily spontaneous physical activity in patients on
      hemodialysis. METHODS: We studied 33 hemodialysis patients (16 women, 17 men;
      mean age 58.3 +/- 10.1 years; mean dialysis vintage 41.4 +/- 28.6 months). Daily
      walking activity was measured by pedometers 7 times over 4 months during 5
      midweek interdialysis periods and 2 dialysis-free weekends. During the study,
      patients recorded their activities and pedometer readings. Blood count, serum
      albumin, electrolytes, lipids, C-reactive protein (CRP), interdialytic weight
      gain and erythropoiesis-stimulating agent dosages were also measured. Body
      composition was estimated with multifrequency phase-sensitive bioimpedance. The
      patients also filled in the SF-36 questionnaire. RESULTS: Total number of steps
      counted between 2 midweek dialysis sessions increased from a mean 9,337 +/- 5,317
      to 11,921 +/- 5,909 (p=0.001). Number of steps during dialysis-free days
      increased, from 3,766 +/- 1,963 to 4,978 +/- 2,495 (p=0.0005). Total number of
      steps between midweek dialysis and dialysis after dialysis-free weekend break
      tended to increase from 20,974 +/- 10,696 to 22,080 +/- 11,631 (p=0.06). At study
      end, the number of steps taken during weekend days was greater than during
      between midweek dialysis sessions. Bioimpedance did not reveal significant
      changes of body composition. The patients had similar scores on physical
      functioning, general health and mental health perception and total SF-36 at the
      end of the study. CONCLUSION: Pedometers could serve as a simple means to
      increase spontaneous physical activity in patients on chronic hemodialysis.

PMID- 20301086
TI  - Evaluation of visual evoked potentials in chronic renal failure patients with
      different treatment modalities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Uremia causes central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction. Modern
      diagnostic methods are useful for the recognition of CNS complications in uremic
      patients. Data concerning visual evoked potentials (VEPs) of chronic renal
      failure (CRF) patients is limited. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to assess
      and compare VEPs abnormalities in CRF patients managed by only medical therapy
      (pre-dialysis) or medical therapy plus renal replacement therapy (continuous
      ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) or hemodialysis (HD)). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Fifty-nine patients diagnosed with CRF of various etiologies were
      divided into 3 groups according to the treatment modalities used to manage CRF;
      pre-dialysis group, HD group and CAPD group. For the comparison of VEPs
      parameters, an age matched control group was formed with 10 healthy subjects.
      RESULTS: Bilateral N2 latency (p<0.001), bilateral P2 latency (p=0.003), right N2
      latency (p=0.006) and left VEP N2 latency (p=0.002) in the HD group was
      significantly higher than the control group. The CAPD group had significantly
      increased bilateral N2 latency (p<0.001), right eye VEP N2 latency (p=0.004),
      right eye P2 latency (p=0.001), left eye N2 latency (p=0.005) and left eye P2
      latency (p=0.001) levels than the control group. There was no significant
      difference between VEPs of the CAPD and HD groups. CONCLUSION: The renal
      replacement treatments that we evaluated have similar effects on VEPs. Diminished
      VEPs indicating visual neuronal system damage were observed, when CRF progresses.
      CNS dysfunctions can be diagnosed and additional therapeutic approaches could be
      followed using VEPs during the treatment of CRF.

PMID- 20301087
TI  - Qualitative screening for volatile organic compounds in human blood using solid
      phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
AB  - A fast and simple screening procedure using solid-phase microextraction and gas
      chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS) in full-scan mode for the
      determination of volatile organic compounds (VOC) is presented. The development
      of a fast and simple screening technique for the simultaneous determination of
      various volatiles is of great importance, because of their widespread use,
      frequent occurrence in forensic toxicological questions and the fact that there
      is often no hint on involved substances at the crime scene. To simulate a
      screening procedure, eight VOC with different chemical characteristics were
      chosen (isoflurane, halothane, hexane, chloroform, benzene, isooctane, toluene
      and xylene). To achieve maximum sensitivity, variables that influence the SPME
      process, such as type of fiber, extraction and desorption temperature and time,
      agitation and additives were optimized by preliminary studies and by means of a
      central composite design. The limits of detection and recoveries ranged from 2.9
      microg/l (xylene) to 37.1 microg/l (isoflurane) and 7.9% (chloroform) to 61.5%
      (benzene), respectively. This procedure can be used to answer various forensic
      and toxicological questions. The short time taken for the whole analytical
      procedure may make its eventual adoption for routine analysis attractive.

PMID- 20301088
TI  - Structural identification of hindered amine light stabilisers in coil coatings
      using electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry.
AB  - Hindered amine light stabilisers (HALS) are the most effective antioxidants
      currently available for polymer systems in post-production, in-service
      applications, yet the mechanism of their action is still not fully understood.
      Structural characterisation of HALS in polymer matrices, particularly the
      identification of structural modifications brought about by oxidative conditions,
      is critical to aid mechanistic understanding of the prophylactic effects of these
      molecules. In this work, electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry (ESI
      MS/MS) was applied to the analysis of a suite of commercially available 2,2,6,6
      tetramethylpiperidine-based HALS. Fragmentation mechanisms for the [M + H](+)
      ions are proposed, which provide a rationale for the product ions observed in the
      MS/MS and MS(3) mass spectra of N-H, N-CH(3), N-C(O)CH(3) and N-OR containing
      HALS (where R is an alkyl substituent). A common product ion at m/z 123 was
      identified for the group of antioxidants containing N-H, N-CH(3) or N-C(O)CH(3)
      functionality, and this product ion was employed in precursor ion scans on a
      triple quadrupole mass spectrometer to identify the HALS species present in a
      crude extract from of a polyester-based coil coating. Using MS/MS, two
      degradation products were unambiguously identified. This technique provides a
      simple and selective approach to monitoring HALS structures within complex
      matrices.

PMID- 20301089
TI  - Treating the aged in rural communities: the application of cognitive-behavioral
      therapy for depression.
AB  - Many rural communities are experiencing an increase in their older adult
      population. Older adults who live in rural areas typically have fewer resources
      and poorer mental and physical health status than do their urban counterparts.
      Depression is the most prevalent mental health problem among older adults, and
      80% of the cases are treatable. Unfortunately, for many rural elders, depressive
      disorders are widely under-recognized and often untreated or undertreated.
      Psychotherapy is illustrated with the case of a 65-year-old rural married man
      whose presenting complaint was depressive symptoms after a myocardial infarction
      and loss of ability to work. The case illustrates that respect for rural elderly
      clients' deeply held beliefs about gender and therapy, coupled with an
      understanding of their limited resources, can be combined with psychoeducational
      and therapeutic interventions to offer new options.

PMID- 20301090
TI  - Synthesis, 1H and 13C NMR assignment and electrochemical properties of novel
      thiophene-thiazolothiazole oligomers and polymers.
AB  - Novel hexyl-substituted bisthiophene compounds containing a thiazolothiazole(5,4
      d) unit have been explored. The molecules are soluble in common organic solvents,
      which would enhance their chance of possible integration in printable
      electronics. Synthesis and complete elucidation of the chemical structures by
      detailed 1D/2D NMR spectroscopy are described. This provides interesting input
      for chemical shift prediction software, because few experimental data on this
      type of compounds are available. Furthermore, the potential n-type character of
      these derivatives is verified using electrochemical measurements. In addition,
      the low-bandgap character of conjugated polymers containing the thiazolothiazole
      unit is demonstrated by performing an electropolymerization.

PMID- 20301091
TI  - Quantification, confirmation and screening capability of UHPLC coupled to triple
      quadrupole and hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry in pesticide
      residue analysis.
AB  - The potential of three mass spectrometry (MS) analyzers (triple quadrupole, QqQ;
      time of flight, TOF; and quadrupole time of flight, QTOF) has been investigated
      and compared for quantification, confirmation and screening purposes in pesticide
      residue analysis of fruit and vegetable samples. For this purpose, analytical
      methodology for multiresidue determination of 11 pesticides, taken as a model,
      has been developed and validated in nine food matrices for the three mass
      analyzers coupled to ultra high pressure liquid chromatography. In all cases,
      limits of quantification around 0.01 mg/kg were reached, fulfilling the most
      restrictive case of baby-food analysis. Regarding absolute sensitivity, the lower
      limits of detection were obtained, as expected, for QqQ (100 fg), whereas
      slightly higher limits (300 fg) were obtained for both TOF and QTOF. Confirmative
      capacity of each analyzer was studied for each analyte based on the
      identification points (IPs) criterion, useful for a comprehensive comparison.
      QTOF mass analyzer showed the highest confirmatory capacity, although QqQ
      normally led to sufficient number of IPs, even at lower concentration levels. The
      potential of TOF MS was also investigated for screening purposes. To this aim,
      around 50 commercial fruits and vegetables samples were analyzed, searching for
      more than 400 pesticides. TOF MS proved to be an attractive analytical tool for
      rapid detection and reliable identification of a large number of pesticides
      thanks to the full spectrum acquisition at accurate mass with satisfactory
      sensitivity. This process is readily boosted when combined with specialized
      software packages, together with theoretical exact mass databases. Several
      pesticides (e.g. carbendazim in citrus and indoxacarb in grape) were detected in
      the samples. Further unequivocal confirmation of the identity was performed using
      reference standards and/or QTOF MS/MS experiments.

PMID- 20301092
TI  - On the use of a dual-scale model to improve understanding of a pharmaceutical
      freeze-drying process.
AB  - The evolution of product temperature and of residual ice content in the various
      vials of a batch during a freeze-drying process can be significantly affected by
      local conditions around each vial. In fact, vapor fluid dynamics in the drying
      chamber determines the local pressure that, taking into account the heat flow
      from the shelf and, eventually, radiation from chamber surfaces, is responsible
      for the sublimation rate and product temperature. These issues have to be taken
      into account when using mathematical simulation to predict the evolution of the
      product as a consequence of the operating conditions (recipe design), as well as
      during the scale-up of a recipe obtained in a small-scale equipment to a large
      scale unit. In this framework, a dual-scale model can significantly improve the
      understanding for pharmaceuticals freeze-drying processes: it couples a three
      dimensional model, describing the fluid dynamics in the chamber, and a second
      mathematical model, either mono- or bi-dimensional, describing the drying of the
      product in each vial. Thus, it can be profitably used to gain knowledge about
      process dynamics, and to improve the design of the equipment, as well as the
      performance of the control system of the process.

PMID- 20301093
TI  - 1H and 13C NMR spectral data of bioactive cage-like polycyclic compounds.
AB  - Bioactive cage-like polycyclic compounds have attracted the attention of several
      research groups because of their unique appearance and their biological
      activities. Their structures were established on the basis of (1)H NMR and (13)C
      NMR spectroscopic data. The (1)H and (13)C signal assignments and most
      homonuclear hydrogen coupling constants were assigned by use of techniques such
      as 1D (1)H and (13)C NMR and 2D gCOSY, non-edited gHSQC and gHMBC. The gNOESY
      experiments proved the endo-stereochemistry.

PMID- 20301094
TI  - There is a steady-state transcriptome in exponentially growing yeast cells.
AB  - The growth of yeast cells in batches in glucose-based media is a standard
      condition in most yeast laboratories. Most gene expression experiments are done
      by taking this condition as a reference. Presumably, cells are in a stable
      physiological condition that can be easily reproduced in other laboratories. With
      this assumption, however, it is necessary to consider that the average amount of
      the mRNAs per cell for most genes does not change during exponential growth. That
      is to say, there is a steady-state condition for the transcriptome. However, this
      has not been rigorously demonstrated to date. In this work we take several cell
      samples during the exponential phase growth to perform a kinetic study using the
      genomic run-on (GRO) technique, which allows simultaneous measurement of the
      amount of mRNA and transcription rate variation at the genomic level. We show
      here that the steady-state condition is fulfilled for almost all the genes during
      most exponential growth in yeast extract-peptone-dextrose medium (YPD) and,
      therefore, that simultaneous measures of the transcription rates and the amounts
      of mRNA can be used for indirect mRNA stability calculations. With this kinetic
      approach, we were also able to determine the relative influence of the
      transcription rate and the mRNA stability changes for the mRNA variation for
      those genes that deviate from the steady state.

PMID- 20301095
TI  - Novel graph distance matrix.
AB  - We have introduced novel distance matrix for graphs, which is based on
      interpretation of columns of the adjacency matrix of a graph as a set of points
      in n-dimensional space, n being the number of vertices in the graph. Numerical
      values for the distances are based on the Euclidean distance between n points in
      n-dimensional space. In this way, we have combined the traditional representation
      of graphs (drawn as 2D object of no fixed geometry) with their representation in
      n-dimensional space, defined by a set of n-points that lead to a representation
      of definite geometry. The novel distance matrix, referred to as natural distance
      matrix, shows some structural properties and offers novel graph invariants as
      molecular descriptors for structure-property-activity studies. One of the novel
      graph descriptors is the modified connectivity index in which the bond
      contribution for (m, n) bond-type is given by 1/ radical(m + n), where m and n
      are the valence of the end vertices of the bond. The novel distance matrix (ND)
      can be reduced to sparse distance-adjacency matrix (DA), which can be viewed as
      specially weighted adjacency matrix of a graph. The quotient of the leading
      eigenvalues of novel distance-adjacency matrix and novel distance matrix, as
      illustrated on a collection of graphs of chemical interest, show parallelism with
      a simple measure of graph density, based on the quotient of the number of edges
      in a graph and the maximal possible number of edges for graphs of the same size.

PMID- 20301096
TI  - Making the diagnosis with only two levels of nongynecologic cell blocks as
      opposed to three is more cost effective.
AB  - Two hundred forty-three of 246 cases in phase I (98.8%) and 246 of 247 cases in
      phase II (99.6%) had adequate or the same material present on the level two cell
      blocks. Sixty-nine cases were malignant (28.1%), 20 were atypical (8.1%), 157
      were benign (63.8), and 16 were signed out on the cell block only (6.5%) in phase
      I. In phase II, 69 (27.9%) cases were malignant, 22 (8.9%) were atypical, 156
      (63.2%) were benign, and 18 (7.3%) were signed out based on material present in
      the cell block. Fifteen cases in phase I (6.1%) and 17 (6.9%) in phase II needed
      immunohistochemical staining for further evaluation. Twenty-four upper urinary
      tract (UUT) cases were signed out as malignant (49.0%), 10 were atypical (20.4%),
      and 15 were benign (30.6%) in phase I. In phase II, 18 (56.3%) UUT were
      malignant, 8 (25.0%) were atypical, and 6 (18.7%) were benign. In phase I, 13
      (26.5%) and in phase II, 18 (56.3%) were graded on the cell block only. On
      comparing the two phases, there was no significant difference in the amount of
      diagnostic material present between the level three and level two cell blocks
      (98.8% and 99.6%, respectively) or the number of cases diagnosed based on the
      cell block (6.5% and 7.3%, respectively). Cases signed out as malignant,
      atypical, and benign were similar in both phases. Likewise, the cases that
      required immunohistochemical staining to aid in the diagnosis between phase one
      and phase two were similar (6.1% and 6.9%, respectively). respectively).

PMID- 20301097
TI  - Generation of functional hepatocytes from human embryonic stem cells under
      chemically defined conditions that recapitulate liver development.
AB  - Generation of hepatocytes from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) could represent
      an advantageous source of cells for cell therapy approaches as an alternative to
      orthotopic liver transplantation. However, the generation of differentiated
      hepatocytes from hESCs remains a major challenge, especially using a method
      compatible with clinical applications. We report a novel approach to
      differentiate hESCs into functional hepatic cells using fully defined culture
      conditions, which recapitulate essential stages of liver development. hESCs were
      first differentiated into a homogenous population of endoderm cells using a
      combination of activin, fibroblast growth factor 2, and bone morphogenetic
      protein 4 together with phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibition. The endoderm cells
      were then induced to differentiate further into hepatic progenitors using
      fibroblast growth factor 10, retinoic acid, and an inhibitor of activin/nodal
      receptor. After further maturation, these cells expressed markers of mature
      hepatocytes, including asialoglycoprotein receptor, tyrosine aminotransferase,
      alpha1-antitrypsin, Cyp7A1, and hepatic transcription factors such as hepatocyte
      nuclear factors 4alpha and 6. Furthermore, the cells generated under these
      conditions exhibited hepatic functions in vitro, including glycogen storage,
      cytochrome activity, and low-density lipoprotein uptake. After transduction with
      a green fluorescent protein-expressing lentivector and transplantation into
      immunodeficient uPA transgenic mice, differentiated cells engrafted into the
      liver, grew, and expressed human albumin and alpha1-antitrypsin as well as green
      fluorescent protein for at least 8 weeks. In addition, we showed that hepatic
      cells could be generated from human-induced pluripotent cells derived from
      reprogrammed fibroblasts, demonstrating the efficacy of this approach with
      pluripotent stem cells of diverse origins. CONCLUSION: We have developed a robust
      and efficient method to differentiate pluripotent stem cells into hepatic cells,
      which exhibit characteristics of human hepatocytes. Our approach should
      facilitate the development of clinical grade hepatocytes for transplantation and
      for research on drug discovery.

PMID- 20301099
TI  - Gas-fragmentation study of the novel synthetic zwitterionic drug 3-methyl-9-(2
      oxa-2lambda5-2H-1,3,2-oxazaphosphorine-2-cyclohexyl)-3,6,9
      triazaspiro[5,5]undecane chloride (SLXM-2) by electrospray ionization tandem mass
      spectrometry.
AB  - The zwitterionic drug 3-methyl-9-(2-oxa-2lambda5-2H-1,3,2-oxazaphosphorine-2
      cyclohexyl)-3,6,9-triazaspiro[5,5]undecane chloride (SLXM-2) is a novel synthetic
      compound which has shown anticancer activity and low toxicity in vivo. In this
      study, the various gas-phase fragmentation routes were analyzed by electrospray
      ionization mass spectrometry (positive ion mode) in conjunction with tandem mass
      spectrometry (ESI-MS(n)) for the first time. In ESI-MS the fragment ion at m/z
      289 (base peak) was formed by loss of the chlorine anion from the zwitterionic
      precursor SLXM-2. The fragment ion at m/z 232 was formed from the ion at m/z 289
      by loss of 1-methylaziridine. The detailed gas-phase collision-induced
      dissociation (CID) fragmentation mechanisms obtained from the various precursor
      ions extracted from the zwitterionic SLXM-2 drug was obtained by tandem mass
      spectrometry analyses.

PMID- 20301100
TI  - Release kinetics of actives from chewing gums into saliva monitored by direct
      analysis in real time mass spectrometry.
AB  - Direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry (DART-MS) was used to monitor the
      release kinetics of a taste-refreshing compound from chewing gums into the saliva
      of subjects. A new DART-MS sample probe was designed which was about four times
      more sensitive than the current benchmark probe. This decreased the impact of the
      dilution of the saliva samples that was required to minimize ion suppression
      effects and make quantitative analyses without an internal standard possible. The
      new probe was also about three times more reproducible, which allowed
      quantitative measurements to be conducted manually without requiring the enhanced
      precision provided by an automatic sample positioner. The accuracy of analyses
      performed by DART-MS was verified by comparing the results obtained from saliva
      samples analyzed both by DART-MS and by a more classical liquid
      chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) method. This investigation showed good
      agreement between the two techniques. DART-MS could then be used to objectively
      demonstrate the efficiency of a granular carbohydrate-based delivery system to
      boost for a few minutes the release of a lipophilic flavor raw material with a
      high octanol/water partition coefficient, cyclohexanecarboxamide, N-ethyl-5
      methyl-2-(1-methylethyl) (WS-3), from chewing gum into saliva.

PMID- 20301101
TI  - Direct quantification of 11-nor-Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid
      in urine by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry in relation to doping
      control analysis.
AB  - An accurate and precise method for the quantification of 11-nor-Delta(9)
      tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (THCA) in urine by liquid
      chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) for doping analysis purposes
      has been developed. The method involves the use of only 200 microL of urine and
      the use of D(9)-THCA as internal standard. No extraction procedure is used. The
      urine samples are hydrolysed using sodium hydroxide and diluted with a mixture of
      methanol/glacial acetic acid (1:1). Chromatographic separation is achieved using
      a C8 column with gradient elution. All MS and MS/MS parameters were optimised in
      both positive and negative electrospray ionisation modes. For the identification
      and the quantification of THCA three product ions are monitored in both
      ionisation modes. The method is linear over the studied range (5-40 ng/mL), with
      satisfactory intra-and inter-assay precision, and the relative standard
      deviations (RSDs) are lower than 15%. Good accuracy is achieved with bias less
      than 10% at all levels tested. No significant matrix effects are observed. The
      selectivity and specificity are satisfactory, and no interferences are detected.
      The LC/MS/MS method was applied for the analysis of 48 real urine samples
      previously analysed with a routine gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS)
      method. A good correlation between the two methods was obtained (r(2) > 0.98)
      with a slope close to 1.

PMID- 20301102
TI  - Stable ion complexes of vitamin A species (retinol) in solution as detected by
      mass spectrometry.
AB  - Mechanisms of retinol (ROL) transport in plasma alternative to that involving the
      Retinol-Binding Protein (RBP) have been hypothesized after RBP-knockout mice were
      shown to be viable and fertile. Accordingly, the possibility of a ROL fraction
      circulating free in plasma has been suggested. In this study, stable complex
      formation between ROL and the physiological relevant ions Na(+), Li(+), and K(+)
      was investigated by using mass spectrometry and assessed in regard to the
      aforementioned alternative mechanism. The ROL-Na complex was found to be
      kinetically favoured with respect to the ROL-Li and ROL-K complexes.
      Fragmentation of the [ROL-Na](+) adduct rendered the carbocation [ROL+H-H(2)O](+)
      (m/z 269) and NaOH as neutral loss. In consonance with these results, it is
      hypothesized on the possibility of the complex [ROL-Na](+) being an alternative
      way of ROL transport to cells, as well as an intermediate in cis/trans isomerism.

PMID- 20301103
TI  - Analysis of benzofuran derivatives using electrospray ionization ion trap and
      electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

PMID- 20301104
TI  - Surface-activated chemical ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and
      labeling-free approach: two powerful tools for the analysis of complex plant
      functional proteome profiles.
AB  - Surface-activated chemical ionization (SACI) has been widely used in recent years
      to analyze a range of different compounds (e.g., peptides, street drugs, amino
      acids). The main benefits of this technology are its high sensitivity and its
      effectiveness under different chromatographic conditions. Here, we used SACI in
      conjunction with a highly selective quadrupole time-of-flight mass analyzer to
      characterize a complex proteome pattern after separation by sodium dodecyl
      sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The data obtained were
      compared with those obtained using the micro-electrospray ionization (ESI)
      approach, which showed that using SACI strongly increased the number of
      detectable proteins. The higher sensitivity is mainly due to the ability of SACI
      to selectively produce singly charged species of high intensity under full-scan
      conditions and doubly charged species for tandem mass spectrometric (MS/MS)
      peptide characterization by simply changing the ionization conditions during data
      acquisition.

PMID- 20301105
TI  - Comprehensive plasma-screening for known and unknown substances in doping
      controls.
AB  - Occasionally, doping analysis has been recognized as a competitive challenge
      between cheating sportsmen and the analytical capabilities of testing
      laboratories. Both have made immense progress during the last decades, but
      obviously the athletes have the questionable benefit of frequently being able to
      switch to new, unknown and untested compounds to enhance their performance. Thus,
      as analytical counteraction and for effective drug testing, a complementary
      approach to classical targeted methods is required in order to implement a
      comprehensive screening procedure for known and unknown xenobiotics. The present
      study provides a new analytical strategy to circumvent the targeted character of
      classical doping controls without losing the required sensitivity and
      specificity. Using 50 microL of plasma only, the method potentially identifies
      illicit drugs in low ng/mL concentrations. Plasma provides the biological fluid
      with the circulating, unmodified xenobiotics; thus the identification of unknown
      compounds is facilitated. After a simple protein precipitation, liquid
      chromatographic separation and subsequent detection by means of high
      resolution/high accuracy orbitrap mass spectrometry, the procedure enables the
      determination of numerous compounds from different classes prohibited by the
      World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). A new hyphenated mass spectrometry technology
      was employed without precursor ion selection for higher collision energy
      dissociation (HCD) fragmentation experiments. Thus the mass spectra contained all
      the desired information to identify unknown substances retrospectively. The
      method was validated for 32 selected model compounds for qualitative purposes
      considering the parameters specificity, selectivity, limit of detection (<0.1-10
      ng/mL), precision (9-28%), robustness, linearity, ion suppression and recovery
      (80-112%). In addition to the identification of unknown compounds, the plasma
      samples were simultaneously screened for known prohibited targets.

PMID- 20301106
TI  - In situ probing of cholesterol in astrocytes at the single-cell level using laser
      desorption ionization mass spectrometric imaging with colloidal silver.
AB  - Mass spectrometric imaging has been utilized to localize individual astrocytes
      and to obtain cholesterol populations at the single-cell level in laser
      desorption ionization (LDI) with colloidal silver. The silver ion adduct of
      membrane-bound cholesterol was monitored to detect individual cells. Good
      correlation between mass spectrometric and optical images at different cell
      densities indicates the ability to perform single-cell studies of cholesterol
      abundance. The feasibility of quantification is confirmed by the agreement
      between the LDI-MS ion signals and the results from a traditional enzymatic
      fluorometric assay. We propose that this approach could be an effective tool to
      study chemical populations at the cellular level.

PMID- 20301107
TI  - High-throughput analysis of in vitro cytochrome p450 inhibition samples using
      mass spectrometry coupled with an integrated liquid chromatography/autosampler
      system.

PMID- 20301108
TI  - Production and isolation of ligated metal(IV)-oxo ions by tandem mass
      spectrometry.
AB  - High valent metal(IV)-oxo species, [M(==O)(MeIm)(n)(OAc)](+) (M = Mn-Ni, MeIm = 1
      methylimidazole, n = 1-2), which are relevant to biology and oxidative catalysis,
      were produced and isolated in gas-phase reactions of the metal(II) precursor ions
      [M(MeIm)(n)(OAc)](+) (M = Mn-Zn, n = 1-3) with ozone. The precursor ions
      [M(MeIm)(OAc)](+) and [M(MeIm)(2)(OAc)](+) were generated via collision-induced
      dissociation of the corresponding [M(MeIm)(3)(OAc)](+) ion. The dependence of
      ozone reactivity on metal and coordination number is discussed.

PMID- 20301109
TI  - Determination of elemental compositions by gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass
      spectrometry using chemical and electron ionization.
AB  - Many metabolomic applications use gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS)
      under standard 70 eV electron ionization (EI) parameters. However, the abundance
      of molecular ions is often extremely low, impeding the calculation of elemental
      compositions for the identification of unknown compounds. On changing the beam
      steering voltage of the ion source, the relative abundances of molecular ions at
      70 eV EI were increased up to ten-fold for alkanes, fatty acid methyl esters and
      trimethylsilylated metabolites, concomitant with 2-fold absolute increases in ion
      intensities. We have compared the abundance, mass accuracy and isotope ratio
      accuracy of molecular species in EI with those in chemical ionization (CI) with
      methane as reagent gas under high-mass tuning. Thirty-three peaks of a diverse
      set of trimethylsilylated metabolites were analyzed in triplicate, resulting in
      342 ion species ([M+H](+), [M-CH(3)](+) for CI and [M](+.), [M-CH(3)](+.) for
      EI). On average, CI yielded 8-fold more intense molecular species than EI. Using
      internal recalibration, average mass errors of 1.8 +/- 1.6 mm/z units and isotope
      ratio errors of 2.3 +/- 2.0% (A+1/A ratio) and 1.7 +/- 1.8% (A+2/A ratio) were
      obtained. When constraining lists of calculated elemental compositions by
      chemical and heuristic rules using the Seven Golden Rules algorithm and PubChem
      queries, the correct formula was retrieved as top hit in 60% of the cases and
      within the top-3 hits in 80% of the cases.

PMID- 20301110
TI  - The P-value illusion: how to improve (psychiatric) genetic studies.
AB  - There is an emerging appreciation that genome-wide association studies (GWAS)
      have failed to live up to expectations and deliver major advances to date. A
      "surge" strategy, of pooling resources and increasing number of subjects tested,
      is underway. We argue that, while useful, it will not be enough by itself.
      Complementary approaches are needed to mine these large datasets. We describe a
      series of problems, opportunities, and offer a potential comprehensive solution.

PMID- 20301111
TI  - Wide-angle light-scattering differentiation of organelle-size particle
      distributions in whole cells.
AB  - A finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is used to study the multiple
      scattering from many organelle-size particles distributed in a biological cell.
      Conventional flow cytometry, where the small-angle forward scatter (FSC)
      intensity and side scatter (SSC) intensity are used for cell characterizations,
      may have difficulties to differentiate the organelle distributions in biological
      cells. Based on the FDTD simulations, a light-scattering methodology is proposed
      here to overcome such a problem. This method differentiates the dense and sparse
      distributions of organelle-size particles in a cell, by counting the peak numbers
      in both large-angle FSC and wide-angle SSC, with the multiple scattering effects
      being considered. Implemented with a wide-angle microfluidic cytometer, the
      approach demonstrated in this theoretical study may find potential applications
      in clinics for label-free cell physiological study.

PMID- 20301114
TI  - Impact of chemotherapy on quality of life in patients with metastatic
      esophagogastric cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a key issue in patients
      with metastatic esophagogastric cancer, a disease associated with survival times
      rarely exceeding 10 months. The objective of the current review was to evaluate
      the effects of chemotherapy on the HRQoL of patients with metastatic or locally
      advanced, inoperable esophagogastric cancer. METHODS: A systematic MEDLINE search
      was performed to address a predefined question list: Does chemotherapy improve or
      maintain HRQoL? Do available data favor a particular chemotherapy? What relation
      exists between HRQoL and the efficacy and tolerability of therapy? RESULTS: The
      majority of studies, including large randomized studies, indicated no significant
      improvements in mean HRQoL scores versus baseline after chemotherapy. However,
      scores were maintained and symptomatic relief or improved performance status was
      observed in many patients. HRQoL was maintained in approximately 50% of patients
      for up to 6 months but deteriorated in the remaining patients. In randomized
      phase 3 trials, only cisplatin/fluorouracil plus either docetaxel or epirubicin
      were found to provide superior HRQoL versus comparators. Between-regimen
      differences in HRQoL scores appeared to correspond to differences in the efficacy
      rather than the toxicity of treatment regimens. CONCLUSIONS: Chemotherapy
      maintained HRQoL in a substantial proportion of patients with advanced
      esophagogastric cancer. This effect appeared to correspond to the efficacy of the
      treatment.

PMID- 20301112
TI  - Increased fructose consumption is associated with fibrosis severity in patients
      with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
AB  - The rising incidence of obesity and diabetes coincides with a marked increase in
      fructose consumption. Fructose consumption is higher in individuals with
      nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) than in age-matched and body mass index
      (BMI)-matched controls. Because fructose elicits metabolic perturbations that may
      be hepatotoxic, we investigated the relationship between fructose consumption and
      disease severity in NAFLD. We studied 427 adults enrolled in the NASH Clinical
      Research Network for whom Block food questionnaire data were collected within 3
      months of a liver biopsy. Fructose consumption was estimated based on reporting
      (frequency x amount) of Kool-aid, fruit juices, and nondietary soda intake,
      expressed as servings per week, and classified into none, minimum to moderate (<7
      servings/week), and daily (> or =7 servings/week). The association of fructose
      intake with metabolic and histological features of NAFLD was analyzed using
      multiple linear and ordinal logistic regression analyses with and without
      controlling for other confounding factors. Increased fructose consumption was
      univariately associated with decreased age (P < 0.0001), male sex (P < 0.0001),
      hypertriglyceridemia (P < 0.04), low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol
      (<0.0001), decreased serum glucose (P < 0.001), increased calorie intake (P <
      0.0001), and hyperuricemia (P < 0.0001). After controlling for age, sex, BMI, and
      total calorie intake, daily fructose consumption was associated with lower
      steatosis grade and higher fibrosis stage (P < 0.05 for each). In older adults
      (age > or = 48 years), daily fructose consumption was associated with increased
      hepatic inflammation (P < 0.05) and hepatocyte ballooning (P = 0.05). CONCLUSION:
      In patients with NAFLD, daily fructose ingestion is associated with reduced
      hepatic steatosis but increased fibrosis. These results identify a readily
      modifiable environmental risk factor that may ameliorate disease progression in
      patients with NAFLD.

PMID- 20301115
TI  - Does MC1R genotype convey information about melanoma risk beyond risk phenotypes?
AB  - BACKGROUND: A study was carried out to describe associations of MC1R variants and
      melanoma in a US population and to investigate whether genetic risk is modified
      by pigmentation characteristics and sun exposure measures. METHODS: Melanoma
      patients (n = 960) and controls (n = 396) self-reported phenotypic
      characteristics and sun exposure via structured questionnaire and underwent a
      skin examination. Logistic regression was used to estimate associations of high-
      and low-risk MC1R variants and melanoma, overall and within phenotypic and sun
      exposure strata. A meta-analysis of results from published studies was
      undertaken. RESULTS: Carriage of 2 low-risk or any high-risk MC1R variants was
      associated with increased risk of melanoma (odds ratio [OR], 1.7; 95% confidence
      interval [CI], 1.0-2.8; and OR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.5-3.0, respectively). However,
      risk was stronger in or limited to individuals with protective phenotypes and
      limited sun exposure, such as those who tanned well after repeated sun exposure
      (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.6-3.6), had dark hair (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.5-3.6), or had dark
      eyes (OR, 3.2; 95% CI, 1.8-5.9). We noted this same pattern of increased melanoma
      risk among persons who did not freckle, tanned after exposure to first strong
      summer sun, reported little or average recreational or occupational sun exposure,
      or reported no sun burning events. Meta-analysis of published literature
      supported these findings. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that MC1R genotypes
      provide information about melanoma risk in those individuals who would not be
      identified as high risk based on their phenotypes or exposures alone.

PMID- 20301117
TI  - Human mesenchymal stem cells and their use in cell-based therapies.
AB  - The human population is increasingly facing various diseases, including types of
      cancer, that cannot be cured with conventional drugs. Advanced drug targeting of
      tumor cells is also often impossible when treating highly invasive and
      infiltrative tumors such as glioblastoma or pulmonary cancer, because of tumor
      cells' high migration and invasiveness. Pluripotent human mesenchymal stem cells
      (hMSCs) have been extensively studied, and strategies are being proposed for
      treating "incurable" cancers and injury/disease-affected organs. Because of their
      own intrinsic properties, involving homing and immunomodulatory potency, hMSCs
      could be used as an excellent cell/drug delivery vehicle in those cell-based
      therapies. Their unprecedented use has been shadowed, however, by their
      spontaneous transformation, which links them to cancer-initiating cells during
      tumor development. How malignant initiation proceeds in vivo, and what are the
      exact characteristics of the cancer-initiating cells, still remain to be
      investigated. In the present review, the authors summed up the most recent
      knowledge about hMSC characteristics, their malignant transformation, and
      outlined the possibilities of their safe use in novel cell-based therapies.

PMID- 20301118
TI  - Effect of GroEL on thermal aggregation of glycogen phosphorylase b from rabbit
      skeletal muscle.
AB  - The suppression of the thermal aggregation of glycogen phosphorylase b (Phb) from
      rabbit skeletal muscle by the chaperonin GroEL is studied using dynamic light
      scattering. It is shown that the decrease in the rate of Phb aggregation under
      the action of GroEL is due to the transition of the aggregation process from the
      kinetic regime, wherein the rate of aggregation is limited by diffusion of the
      interacting particles, to a regime where the sticking probability for the
      colliding particles becomes lower than one (reaction-limited cluster-cluster
      aggregation). The analytical-ultracentrifugation data show that elevated
      temperatures induce dissociation of the dimeric Phb. The formation of a complex
      between the denatured monomeric form of Phb and the dissociated forms of GroEL is
      detected during heating at 46 degrees C.

PMID- 20301119
TI  - Improving the heat resistance of ribonuclease A by the addition of poly(N,N
      diethylaminoethyl methacrylate)-graft-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEAMA-g-PEG).
AB  - Poly(N,N-diethylaminoethyl methacrylate)-graft-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEAMA-g
      PEG) has previously been used as a novel additive to improve the heat resistance
      of lysozyme, which has a positive net charge and a negatively charged active
      site. In the present study, we show that PEAMA-g-PEG prevents heat inactivation
      of ribonuclease A (RNase A), which has a positive net charge and a positively
      charged active site. After treatment at 98  degrees C for 10 min, the enzymatic
      activity of RNase A complexed with PEAMA-g-PEG was maintained at up to 75% of the
      level of the native RNase A. The extents of inactivation of RNase A and the
      complex of RNase A with PEAMA-g-PEG were strongly dependent upon the heating
      temperature and incubation time. Circular dichroism (CD) spectral analysis
      revealed that heat-induced irreversible inactivation was largely suppressed when
      RNase A was complexed with PEAMA-g-PEG. These findings suggest that the heat
      resistance of RNase A is improved by the external addition of PEAMA-g-PEG.

PMID- 20301120
TI  - Response of human corneal fibroblasts on silk film surface patterns.
AB  - Transparent, biodegradable, mechanically robust, and surface-patterned silk films
      were evaluated for the effect of surface morphology on human corneal fibroblast
      (hCF) cell proliferation, orientation, and ECM deposition and alignment. A series
      of dimensionally different surface groove patterns were prepared from optically
      graded glass substrates followed by casting poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) replica
      molds. The features on the patterned silk films showed an array of asymmetric
      triangles and displayed 37-342 nm depths and 445-3 582 nm widths. hCF DNA content
      on all patterned films were not significantly different from that on flat silk
      films after 4 d in culture. However, the depth and width of the grooves
      influenced cell alignment, while the depth differences affected cell orientation;
      overall, deeper and narrower grooves induced more hCF orientation. Over 14 d in
      culture, cell layers and actin filament organization demonstrated that confluent
      hCFs and their cytoskeletal filaments were oriented along the direction of the
      silk film patterned groove axis. Collagen type V and proteoglycans (decorin and
      biglycan), important markers of corneal stromal tissue, were highly expressed
      with alignment. Understanding corneal stromal fibroblast responses to surface
      features on a protein-based biomaterial applicable in vivo for corneal repair
      potential suggests options to improve corneal tissue mimics. Further, the
      approaches provide fundamental biomaterial designs useful for bioengineering
      oriented tissue layers, an endemic feature in most biological tissue structures
      that lead to critical tissue functions.

PMID- 20301121
TI  - Manipulating CD4+ T cells by optical tweezers for the initiation of cell-cell
      transfer of HIV-1.
AB  - Cell-cell interactions through direct contact are very important for cellular
      communication and coordination - especially for immune cells. The human
      immunodeficiency virus type I (HIV-1) induces immune cell interactions between
      CD4(+) cells to shuttle between T cells via a virological synapse. A goal to
      understand the process of cell-cell transmission through virological synapses is
      to determine the cellular states that allow a chance encounter between cells to
      become a stable cell-cell adhesion. We demonstrate the use of optical tweezers to
      manipulate uninfected primary CD4(+) T cells near HIV Gag-iGFP transfected Jurkat
      T cells to probe the determinants that induce stable adhesion. When combined with
      fast 4D confocal fluorescence microscopy, optical tweezers can be utilized not
      only to facilitate cell-cell contact, but also to simultaneously track the
      formation of a virological synapse, and ultimately to probe the events that
      precede virus transfer.

PMID- 20301122
TI  - Optical micromanipulations in the non-diffractive regime.
AB  - The ever-evolving topic of optical micromanipulation has established itself as a
      discipline over the last three decades, and is of much interest to a wide
      research community due to constantly emerging new applications across the various
      key disciplines. Performing optical manipulation using evanescent waves is termed
      near-field optical manipulation, which is essentially the manipulation of
      particles in the non-diffractive regime. The concept of the breaking of
      diffraction limit is the spur driving near-field optics studies, as opposed to
      all far field optical applications where light cannot be focused to a spot
      smaller than the diffraction limited value, which is about half the wavelength of
      light in the medium. The authors present a review of the various near-field
      optical manipulation techniques and then report on the observation of erythrocyte
      pearl chains by a near-field optical tweezer.

PMID- 20301123
TI  - Optofluidic chip for single cell trapping and stretching fabricated by a
      femtosecond laser.
AB  - The authors present the design and optimization of an optofluidic monolithic
      chip, able to provide optical trapping and controlled stretching of single cells.
      The chip is fabricated in a fused silica glass substrate by femtosecond laser
      micromachining which can produce both optical waveguides and microfluidic
      channels with great accuracy. A new fabrication procedure adopted in this work
      allows the demonstration of microchannels with a square cross-section, thus
      guaranteeing an improved quality of the trapped cell images. Femtosecond laser
      micromachining emerges as a promising technique for the development of
      multifunctional integrated biophotonic devices that can be easily coupled to a
      microscope platform, thus enabling a complete characterization of the cells under
      test.

PMID- 20301124
TI  - Real time characterization of hydrodynamics in optically trapped networks of
      micro-particles.
AB  - The hydrodynamic interactions of micro-silica spheres trapped in a variety of
      networks using holographic optical tweezers are measured and characterized in
      terms of their predicted eigenmodes. The characteristic eigenmodes of the
      networks are distinguishable within 20-40 seconds of acquisition time. Three
      different multi-particle networks are considered; an eight-particle linear chain,
      a nine-particle square grid and, finally, an eight-particle ring. The eigenmodes
      and their decay rates are shown to behave as predicted by the Oseen tensor and
      the Langevin equation, respectively. Finally, we demonstrate the potential of
      using our micro-ring as a non-invasive sensor to the local environmental
      viscosity, by showing the distortion of the eigenmode spectrum due to the
      proximity of a planar boundary.

PMID- 20301125
TI  - Particle trapping using dielectrophoretically patterned carbon nanotubes.
AB  - This study presents the dielectrophoretic (DEP) assembly of multi-walled carbon
      nanotubes (MWCNTs) between curved microelectrodes for the purpose of trapping
      polystyrene microparticles within a microfluidic system. Under normal conditions,
      polystyrene particles exhibit negative DEP behaviour and are repelled from
      microelectrodes. Interestingly, the addition of MWCNTs to the system alters this
      situation in two ways: first, they coat the surface of particles and change their
      dielectric properties to exhibit positive DEP behaviour; second, the assembled
      MWCNTs are highly conductive and after the deposition serve as extensions to the
      microelectrodes. They establish an array of nanoelectrodes that initiates from
      the edge of microelectrodes and grow along the electric field lines. These
      nanoelectrodes can effectively trap the MWCNT-coated particles, since they cover
      a large portion of the microchannel bottom surface and also create a much
      stronger electric field than the primary microelectrodes as confirmed by our
      numerical simulations. We will show that the presence of MWCNT significantly
      changes performance of the system, which is investigated by trapping sample
      polystyrene particles with plain, COOH and goat anti-mouse IgG surfaces.

PMID- 20301126
TI  - Continuous dielectrophoretic separation of particles in a spiral microchannel.
AB  - Particle separation is a fundamental operation in the areas of biology and
      physical chemistry. A variety of force fields have been used to separate
      particles in microfluidic devices, among which electric field may be the most
      popular one due to its general applicability and adaptability. So far, however,
      electrophoresis-based separations have been limited primarily to batchwise
      processes. Dielectrophoresis (DEP)-based separations require in-channel micro
      electrodes or micro-insulators to produce electric field gradients. This article
      introduces a novel particle separation technique in DC electrokinetic flow
      through a planar double-spiral microchannel. The continuous separation arises
      from the cross-stream dielectrophoretic motion of particles induced by the non
      uniform electric field inherent to curved channels. Specifically, particles are
      focused by DEP to one sidewall of the first spiral, and then
      dielectrophoretically deflected toward the other sidewall of the second spiral at
      a particle-dependent rate, leading to focused particle streams along different
      flow paths. This DEP-based particle separation technique is demonstrated in an
      asymmetric double-spiral microchannel by continuously separating a mixture of
      5/10 microm particles and 3/5 microm particles.

PMID- 20301127
TI  - Pumpless dispensing of a droplet by breaking up a liquid bridge formed by
      electric induction.
AB  - Dispensing uniform pico-to-nanoliter droplets has become one of essential
      components in various application fields from high-throughput bio-analysis to
      printing. In this study, a new method is suggested and demonstrated for
      dispensing a droplet on the top plate with an inverted geometry by using electric
      field. The process of dispensing droplets consists of two stages: (i) formation
      of liquid bridge by moving up the charged fluid mass using the electrostatic
      force between the charges on the fluid mass and the induced charges on the
      substrate and (ii) its break-up by the motion of the top plate. Different from
      conventional electrohydrodynamic methods, electric induction enables the droplets
      to be dispensed on various surfaces including non-conducting substrate. The use
      of capillarity with an inverted geometry removes the need of external pumps or
      elaborates control for constant flow feed. The droplet diameter has been
      characterized as a function of the nozzle-to-plate distance and the plate moving
      velocity. The robustness of the present method is shown in terms of nozzle length
      and applied voltage. Finally, its practical applicability is confirmed by
      rendering a 19 by 24 array of highly uniform droplets with only 1.8% size
      variation without use of any active feedback control.

PMID- 20301129
TI  - Ultrahigh-energy-density microbatteries enabled by new electrode architecture and
      micropackaging design.

PMID- 20301130
TI  - Controlling electronic States and transport properties at the level of single
      molecules.
AB  - Since molecular electronics has been rapidly growing as a promising alternative
      to conventional electronics towards the ultimate miniaturization of electronic
      devices through the bottom-up strategy, it has become a long-term desire to
      understand and control the transport properties at the level of single molecules.
      In this Research News article it is shown that one may modify the electronic
      states of single molecules and thus control their transport properties through
      designing and fabrication of functional molecules or manipulating molecules with
      scanning tunneling microscopy. The rectifying effect of single molecules can be
      realized by designing a donor-barrier-acceptor architecture of Pyridine-sigma
      C(60) molecules to achieve the Aviram-Ratner rectifier and by modifying
      electronic states through azafullerene C(59)N molecules. The effect of the
      negative differential resistances can be realized by appropriately matching the
      molecular orbital symmetries between a cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc) molecule and
      a Ni electrode. The electronic states and transport properties of single
      molecules, such as CoPc and melamine molecules, can be altered through
      manipulation or modifying molecular structures, leading to functionalized
      molecular devices.

PMID- 20301132
TI  - Seed-mediated synthesis of truncated gold decahedrons with a AuCl/oleylamine
      complex as precursor.

PMID- 20301133
TI  - Gold-based hybrid nanocrystals through heterogeneous nucleation and growth.

PMID- 20301134
TI  - Iso-structural phase transitions in BiFeO3.

PMID- 20301131
TI  - Glyconanomaterials: synthesis, characterization, and ligand presentation.
AB  - Glyconanomaterials, nanomaterials carrying surface-tethered carbohydrate ligands,
      have emerged and demonstrated increasing potential in biomedical imaging,
      therapeutics, and diagnostics. These materials combine the unique properties of
      nanometer-scale objects with the ability to present multiple copies of
      carbohydrate ligands, greatly enhancing the weak affinity of individual ligands
      to their binding partners. Critical to the performance of glyconanomaterials is
      the proper display of carbohydrate ligands, taking into consideration of the
      coupling chemistry, the type and length of the spacer linkage, and the ligand
      density. This article provides an overview of the coupling chemistry for
      attaching carbohydrate ligands to nanomaterials, and discusses the need for
      thorough characterization of glyconanomaterials, especially quantitative analyses
      of the ligand density and binding affinities. Using glyconanoparticles
      synthesized by a versatile photocoupling chemistry, methods for determining the
      ligand density by colorimetry and the binding affinity with lectins by a
      fluorescence competition assay are determined. The results show that the
      multivalent presentation of carbohydrate ligands significantly enhances the
      binding affinity by several orders of magnitude in comparison to the free ligands
      in solution. The effect is sizeable even at low surface ligand density. The type
      and length of the spacer linkage also affect the binding affinity, with the
      longer linkage promoting the association of bound ligands with the corresponding
      lectins.

PMID- 20301135
TI  - Characterization of complex assemblages of organic acids in geological samples by
      negative electrospray ionization mass spectrometry using a double-focusing
      magnetic sector field mass spectrometer.
AB  - Four different geological sample types (a crude oil, a crude oil asphaltene, a
      reservoir core extract and a reservoir core asphaltene) have been characterized
      by negative ionization electrospray mass spectrometry at low and high mass
      resolution using a double-focusing magnetic sector field mass spectrometer. The
      mass range, shape of the spectra and the signal distribution of the acidic
      constituents as well as the average molecular weights, the total ion abundance
      and signal intensity in the spectra were compared for the different sample types.
      Nominal mass classes have been evaluated and Kendrick mass plots were generated
      in order to identify homologous series. For the crude oil sample, accurate mass
      assignments were made by high-resolution double-focusing magnetic sector field
      mass spectrometry (DFMSFMS) and were compared with those obtained by negative ion
      electrospray ionization (ESI) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass
      spectrometry (FTICRMS). With both instrument types, compounds with the molecular
      composition C(n)H(2n+z)O(2), among which carboxylic acids predominated, were the
      main acidic compound class detectable in negative ESI mass spectra. Good
      agreement was achieved for the double bond class distribution and the carbon
      number distribution of the O(2) class. In addition, minor compound classes could
      be identified using FTICRMS.

PMID- 20301136
TI  - Exploring rearrangements along the fragmentation of glutaric acid negative ion: a
      combined experimental and theoretical study.
AB  - Glutaric acid, a common short-chain aliphatic dicarboxylic acid, was investigated
      in the negative ion mode by subjecting its [M-H](-) ion to collision-induced
      dissociation (CID) experiments in an infinity ion cyclotron resonance (ICR) cell
      coupled to a hexapole-quadrupole-hexapole ion guide. A 12 Tesla magnet was used
      for high-resolution measurements. Two distinctive main pathways were observed in
      the MS/MS spectrum. The fragmentation pathways were also thoroughly investigated
      in a density functional theory (DFT) study involving a B3LYP/6
      311+G(2d,p)//B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level of theory. Elimination of CO(2) from the [M
      H](-) ion of the dicarboxylic acid takes place in a concerted mechanism, by which
      a 1,5 proton shift occurs from the intact carboxyl group to the methylene moiety
      located in the alpha position relative to the deprotonated carboxyl group. This
      concerted mechanism stabilizes the terminal negative charge and deprotonates the
      second carboxylic acid group. Water elimination from the [M-H](-) ion does not
      take place by means of a simple proton removal from the alpha methylene group -
      and OH(-) release from the carboxylate group to abstract an additional alpha
      proton thus leading to the formation of a deprotonated ketene anion. In the case
      of this dicarboxylic acid, a new mechanism was found for water elimination, which
      differs from that known for aliphatic monocarboxylic acids. An intramolecular
      interaction between the deprotonated and the intact carboxyl groups plays a key
      role in making a new energetically favourable mechanism. The DFT study also
      reveals that a combined loss of CO2 and H2O in the form of H2CO3 is possible.

PMID- 20301137
TI  - Social group norms, school norms, and children's aggressive intentions.
AB  - This study examined whether the effect of social group norms on 7- and 10-year
      old children's aggression can be moderated or extinguished by contrary school
      norms. Children (n=384) participated in a simulation in which they were assigned
      membership in a social group for a drawing competition against an outgroup.
      Participants learnt that their group had a norm of inclusion, exclusion, or
      exclusion-plus-relational aggression, toward non-group members, and that the
      school either had a norm of inclusion, or no such norm. Findings indicated that
      group norms influenced the participants' direct and indirect aggressive
      intentions, but that the school norm moderated the group norm effect, with the
      school's norm effect tending to be greater for indirect vs. direct aggression,
      males vs. females, and younger vs. older participants. Discussion focused on how
      school norms can be developed, endorsed, and presented so that they have their
      most lasting effect on children.

PMID- 20301138
TI  - Local attitudes and perceptions toward crop-raiding by orangutans (Pongo abelii)
      and other nonhuman primates in northern Sumatra, Indonesia.
AB  - Human-wildlife conflicts, such as crop-raiding, increase as people expand their
      agricultural activities into wildlife habitats. Crop-raiding can reduce tolerance
      toward species that are already threatened, whereas potential dangers posed by
      conflicts with large-bodied species may also negatively influence local
      attitudes. Across Asia, wild pigs and primates, such as macaques, tend to be the
      most commonly reported crop raiders. To date, reports of crop-raiding incidents
      involving great apes have been less common, but incidents involving orangutans
      are increasingly emerging in Indonesia. To investigate the interplay of factors
      that might explain attitudes toward crop-raiding by orangutans (Pongo abelii),
      focal group discussions and semi-structured interviews were conducted among 822
      farmers from 2 contrasting study areas in North Sumatra. The first study area of
      Batang Serangan is an agroforest system containing isolated orangutans that crop
      raid. In contrast, the second area of Sidikalang comprises farmlands bordering
      extensive primary forest where orangutans are present but not reported to crop
      raid. Farmers living in Batang Serangan thought that orangutans were dangerous,
      irrespective of earlier experience of crop-raiding. Farmers placed orangutans as
      the third most frequent and fourth most destructive crop pest, after Thomas' leaf
      monkey (Presbytis thomasi), wild boar (Sus scrofa), and long-tailed macaque
      (Macaca fascicularis). Although most (57%) farmers across both study areas were
      not scared of wildlife species, more than a quarter (28%) of the farmers' feared
      orangutans. Farmers in Batang Serangan were generally more tolerant toward crop
      raiding orangutans, if they did not perceive them to present a physical threat.
      Most (67%) Batang Serangan farmers said that the local Forestry Department staff
      should handle crop-raiding orangutans, and most (81%) said that these officials
      did not care about such problems. Our results suggest that efforts to mitigate
      human-orangutan conflict may not, per se, change negative perceptions of those
      who live with the species, because these perceptions are often driven by fear.

PMID- 20301139
TI  - Time course of vocal modulation during isolation in common marmosets (Callithrix
      jacchus).
AB  - Common marmosets vocalize phee calls as isolation calls, which seem to facilitate
      their reunion with family groups. To identify multiple acoustic properties with
      different time courses, we examined acoustic modulations of phees during
      different social contexts of isolation. Subject marmosets were totally isolated
      in one condition, were visually isolated and could exchange vocalizations in
      another condition, and were visually isolated and subsequently totally isolated
      in a third condition. We recorded 6,035 phees of 10 male-female marmoset pairs
      and conducted acoustic analysis. The marmosets frequently vocalized phees that
      were temporally elongated and louder during isolation, with varying time courses
      of these changes in acoustic parameters. The vocal rates and sound levels of the
      phees increased as soon as the marmosets saw their pair mates being taken away,
      and then gradually calmed down. The phee duration was longer in conditions during
      which there were no vocal responses from their pair mates. Louder vocalizations
      are conspicuous and seem to be effective for long-distance transmission, whereas
      shorter call duration during vocal exchanges might avoid possible vocal overlap
      between mates.

PMID- 20301140
TI  - The use of fluid boluses to safely perform extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) in
      low-weight children: a novel procedure.
AB  - Apheresis procedures in small children are technically challenging and require
      special planning with attention to extracorporeal volume. Discontinuous
      procedures such as extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) require additional
      consideration. Alternative methods to perform ECP have been utilized in small
      children that require manipulation of mononuclear cells outside the standard
      closed-loop system. We present a safe and feasible alternative to the procedure
      for children who weigh less than 40 Kg, while maintaining a closed loop, sterile
      system utilizing the UVAR XTS device. A retrospective chart review was performed
      analyzing the use of fluid boluses (normal saline in those between 20 and 40 Kg,
      5% albumin in those under 20 Kg) before ECP. Eleven patients underwent 334 ECP
      procedures for acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (n = 9), and for
      prevention of graft-versus-host disease (n = 2). Volumes of fluid boluses were
      calculated based on the expected extracorporeal volume during the first draw
      cycle. Treatments consisted of at least three draw cycles using the 125 mL bowl.
      The median weight was 28.5 Kg (range 19 to 39); nine of 11 required red cell
      transfusions to maintain adequate hematocrit. Complications attributed to ECP
      included tachycardia, dizziness, nausea, and hypotension; these occurred either
      in combination or isolation in 31% of the procedures and resolved following
      additional fluid boluses. Only three (0.8%) required early photoactivation due to
      these complications. The median time to completion of treatment was 2 h and 58
      min (range 1:30 to 5:03). ECP is well tolerated in low-weight pediatric patients
      if hematocrit and hydration are carefully maintained.

PMID- 20301142
TI  - Cyclometalated Ir(III) complexes with substituted 1,10-phenanthrolines: a new
      class of efficient cationic organometallic second-order NLO chromophores.
AB  - Cyclometalated cationic Ir(III) complexes with substituted 1,10-phenanthrolines
      (1,10-phen), such as [Ir(ppy)(2)(5-R-1,10-phen)]Y (ppy=cyclometalated 2
      phenylpyridine; R=NO(2), H, Me, NMe(2); Y(-)=PF(6) (-), C(12)H(25)SO(3) (-), I(
      )) and [Ir(ppy)(2)(4-R,7-R-1,10-phen)]Y (R=Me, Ph) are characterized by a
      significant second-order optical non linearity (measured by the electrical field
      induced second harmonic generation (EFISH) technique). This nonlinearity is
      controlled by MLCT processes from the cyclometalated Ir(III), acting as a donor
      push system, to pi* orbitals of the phenanthroline, acting as an acceptor pull
      system. Substitution of cyclometalated 2-phenylpyridine by the more pi
      delocalized 2-phenylquinoline (pq) or benzo[h]quinoline (bzq) or by the sulfur
      containing 4,5-diphenyl-2-methyl-thiazole (dpmf) does not significantly affect
      the mubeta absolute value, which instead is affected by the nature of the R
      substituents on the phenanthroline, the higher value being associated with the
      electron-withdrawing NO(2) group. By using a combined experimental (the EFISH
      technique and (1)H and (19)F PGSE NMR spectroscopy) and theoretical (DFT, time
      dependent-DFT (TDDFT), sum over states (SOS) approach) investigation, evidence is
      obtained that ion pairing, which is controlled by the nature of the counterion
      and by the concentration, may significantly affect the mubeta values of these
      cationic NLO chromophores. In CH(2)Cl(2), concentration-dependent high absolute
      values of mubeta are obtained for [Ir(ppy)(2)(5-NO(2)-1,10-phen)]Y if Y is a
      weakly interacting anion, such as PF(6) (-), whereas with a counterion, such as
      C(12)H(25)SO(3) (-) or I(-), which form tight ion-pairs, the absolute value of
      mubeta is lower and quite independent of the concentration. This mubeta trend is
      partially due to the perturbation of the counterion on the LUMO pi* levels of the
      phenanthroline. The correlation between the mubeta value and dilution shows that
      the effect of concentration is a factor that must be taken into careful
      consideration.

PMID- 20301143
TI  - The effect of the equatorial environment on oxo-group silylation of the uranyl
      dication: a computational study.
AB  - A theoretical investigation of the reductive oxo-group silylation reaction of the
      uranyl dication held in a Pacman macrocylic environment has been carried out. The
      effect of the modeling of the Pacman ligand on the reaction profiles is found to
      be important, with the dipotassiation of a single oxo group identified as a key
      component in promoting the reaction between the Si-X and uranium-oxo bonds. This
      reductive silylation reaction is also proposed to occur in an aqueous environment
      but was found not to operate on bare ions; in this latter case, substitution of a
      ligand in the equatorial plane was the most likely reaction. These results
      demonstrate the importance of the presence but not the identity of the equatorial
      ligands upon the silylation of the uranyl U-O bond.

PMID- 20301144
TI  - Increasing the sensitivity and single-base mismatch selectivity of the molecular
      beacon using graphene oxide as the "nanoquencher".
AB  - Here, we report a novel, highly sensitive, selective and economical molecular
      beacon using graphene oxide as the "nanoquencher". This novel molecular beacon
      system contains a hairpin-structured fluorophore-labeled oligonucleotide and a
      graphene oxide sheet. The strong interaction between hairpin-structured
      oligonucleotide and graphene oxide keep them in close proximity, facilitating the
      fluorescence quenching of the fluorophore by graphene oxide. In the presence of a
      complementary target DNA, the binding between hairpin-structured oligonucleotide
      and target DNA will disturb the interaction between hairpin-structured
      oligonucleotide and graphene oxide, and release the oligonucleotide from graphene
      oxide, resulting in restoration of fluorophore fluorescence. In the present
      study, we show that this novel graphene oxide quenched molecular beacon can be
      used to detect target DNA with higher sensitivity and single-base mismatch
      selectivity compared to the conventional molecular beacon.

PMID- 20301145
TI  - From a network of computed reaction enthalpies to atom-based thermochemistry
      (NEAT).
AB  - A simple and fast, weighted, linear least-squares refinement protocol and code is
      presented for inverting the information contained in a network of quantum
      chemically computed 0 K reaction enthalpies. This inversion yields internally
      consistent 0 K enthalpies of formation for the species of the network. The
      refinement takes advantage of the fact that the accuracy of computed enthalpies
      depends strongly on the quantum-chemical protocol employed for their
      determination. Different protocols suffer from different sources of error; thus,
      the reaction enthalpies computed by them have "random" residual errors. Since it
      is much more natural for quantum-chemical energy and enthalpy results, including
      reaction enthalpies, to be based on the electronic ground states of the atoms and
      not on the historically preferred elemental states, and since these two possible
      protocols can be converted into each other straightforwardly, it is proposed that
      first-principles thermochemistry should employ the ground electronic states of
      atoms. In this scheme, called atom-based thermochemistry (AT), the enthalpy of
      formation of a gaseous compound corresponds simply to the total atomization
      energy of the species; it is always positive, and it reflects the bonding
      strength within the molecule. The inversion protocol developed and based on AT is
      termed NEAT, which represents the fact that the protocol proceeds from a network
      of computed reaction enthalpies toward atom-based thermochemistry, most directly
      to atom-based enthalpies of formation. After assembling a database that consisted
      of 361 ab initio reactions and reaction enthalpies involving 188 species,
      collected from 31 literature sources, the following dependable 0 K atom-based
      enthalpies of formation, Delta(f)${H{{{?rm AT}?hfill ?atop 0?hfill}}}$, all in kJ
      mol(-1), have been obtained by means of NEAT: H(2)=432.07(0), CH=334.61(15),
      NH=327.69(25), OH=425.93(21), HF=566.13(31), CO=1072.08(28), O(2)=493.51(34),
      CH(2)=752.40(21), H(2)O=918.05(20), HO(2)=694.53(32), CO(2)=1597.77(40),
      CH(3)=1209.64(29), NH(3)=1157.44(33), C(2)H(2)=1625.78(40), and
      CH(4)=1641.68(40), in which the uncertainty values given in parentheses represent
      95 % confidence intervals. The average deviation of these values from the well
      established active thermochemical tables (ATcT) values is a mere 0.25 kJ mol(-1),
      with a maximum deviation of 0.7 kJ mol(-1). This shows that the use of a large
      number of ab initio reaction enthalpies within a NEAT-type protocol has
      considerable advantages over the sequential utilization of the ab initio
      information.

PMID- 20301146
TI  - Rhenium(I)-catalyzed cyclization of silyl enol ethers containing a propargyl
      carboxylate moiety: versatile access to highly substituted phenols.

PMID- 20301147
TI  - Asymmetric retro- and transfer-aldol reactions catalyzed by a simple chiral
      primary amine.
AB  - One stone four birds: A single chiral primary amine was found to catalyze
      unprecedented asymmetric retro-aldol and transfer-aldol reactions, leading to
      four different chiral aldol adducts from one common chiral source with up to 99:1
      d.r. and 99 % ee (see scheme).

PMID- 20301148
TI  - Competitive hydrogen-atom abstraction versus oxygen-atom and electron transfers
      in gas-phase reactions of [X4O10].+ (X = P, V) with C2 H4.
AB  - Why so different? The comparison of the reaction of "bare" [P4O10](.+) and
      [V4O10](.+) with ethene by mass-spectrometric and computational studies permits
      insight into mechanistic aspects of the competition between C-H bond activation
      and oxygen-atom and electron transfers. Whereas [P4O10](.+) reacts by homolytic C
      H bond cleavage and electron transfer, the isostructural [V4O10](.+) shows only
      oxygen-atom transfer (see picture).

PMID- 20301149
TI  - Sub-mol % catalyst loading and ligand-acceleration in the copper-catalyzed
      coupling of aryl iodides and terminal alkyenes.

PMID- 20301150
TI  - Small-molecule affinity ligands for protein purification: combined computational
      enrichment and automated in-line screening of an optically encoded library.

PMID- 20301151
TI  - Synthesis and properties of a fifteen-coordinate complex: the thorium
      aminodiboranate [Th(H3BNMe2BH3)4].

PMID- 20301152
TI  - Enantioselective adsorption in achiral zeolites.

PMID- 20301153
TI  - Modular inorganic nanocomposites by conversion of nanocrystal superlattices.
AB  - Inorganic nanocomposites have been prepared by assembling colloidal nanocrystals
      and then replacing the organic ligands with precursors to an inorganic matrix
      phase. Separate synthesis and processing of the nanocrystal and matrix phases
      allows complete compositional modularity and retention of the superlattice
      morphologies for sphere (see scheme; top) or rod (bottom) assemblies.

PMID- 20301154
TI  - The ouroborand: a cavitand with a coordination-driven switching device.

PMID- 20301155
TI  - Sensitive detection of native proteins using extractive electrospray ionization
      mass spectrometry.

PMID- 20301157
TI  - Tunable bromomagnesium thiolate Tishchenko reaction catalysts: intermolecular
      aldehyde-trifluoromethylketone coupling.

PMID- 20301158
TI  - Concise synthesis of (-)-nakadomarin A.
AB  - The beautiful orchestration of new methods and synthesis design was instrumental
      to the very efficient synthesis of the manzamine alkaloid (-)-nakadomarin A. In
      only six operations, the two relatively simple compounds shown were converted
      into the hexacyclic natural product.

PMID- 20301159
TI  - Direct, one-pot sequential reductive alkylation of lactams/amides with Grignard
      and organolithium reagents through lactam/amide activation.

PMID- 20301160
TI  - Substrate conformations set the rate of enzymatic acrylation by lipases.
AB  - Acrylates represent a class of alpha,beta-unsaturated compounds of high
      industrial importance. We investigated the influence of substrate conformations
      on the experimentally determined reaction rates of the enzyme-catalysed
      transacylation of methyl acrylate and derivatives by ab initio DFT B3LYP
      calculations and molecular dynamics simulations. The results supported a least
      motion mechanism upon the sp(2) to sp(3) substrate transition to reach the
      transition state in the enzyme active site. This was in accordance with our
      hypothesis that acrylates form productive transition states from their low-energy
      s-sis/s-trans conformations. Apparent k(cat) values were measured for Candida
      antarctica lipase B (CALB), Humicola insolens cutinase and Rhizomucor miehei
      lipase and were compared to results from computer simulations. More potent
      enzymes for acryltransfer, such as the CALB mutant V190A and acrylates with
      higher turnover numbers, showed elevated populations of productive transition
      states.

PMID- 20301161
TI  - RNA-cleaving deoxyribozyme sensor for nucleic acid analysis: the limit of
      detection.
AB  - Along with biocompatibility, chemical stability, and simplicity of structural
      prediction and modification, deoxyribozyme-based molecular sensors have the
      potential of an improved detection limit due to their ability to catalytically
      amplify signal. This study contributes to the understanding of the factors
      responsible for the limit of detection (LOD) of RNA-cleaving deoxyribozyme
      sensors. A new sensor that detects specific DNA/RNA sequences was designed from
      deoxyribozyme OA-II [Chiuman, W.; Li, Y. (2006) J. Mol. Biol. 357, 748-754]. The
      sensor architecture allows for a unique combination of high selectivity, low LOD
      and the convenience of fluorescent signal monitoring in homogeneous solution. The
      LOD of the sensor was found to be approximately 1.6 x 10(-10) M after 3 h of
      incubation. An equation that allows estimation of the lowest theoretical LOD
      using characteristics of parent deoxyribozymes and their fluorogenic substrates
      was derived and experimentally verified. According to the equation,
      "catalytically perfect" enzymes can serve as scaffolds for the design of sensors
      with the LOD not lower than approximately 2 x 10(-15) M after 3 h of incubation.
      A new value termed the detection efficiency (DE) is suggested as a time
      independent characteristic of a sensor's sensitivity. The expressions for the
      theoretical LOD and DE can be used to evaluate nucleic acid and protein enzymes
      for their application as biosensing platforms.

PMID- 20301162
TI  - RNA grooves can accommodate disulfide-bridged bundles of alpha-helical peptides.

PMID- 20301163
TI  - Endoscopic resection of early gastric cancer treated by guideline and expanded
      National Cancer Centre criteria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Criteria for endoscopic resection in patients with early gastric
      cancer (EGC) have been expanded recently by the National Cancer Centre (NCC).
      This study compared long-term outcomes in patients with EGC who underwent
      endoscopic treatment according to guideline criteria with those treated according
      to expanded criteria. METHODS: Baseline and outcome data from patients undergoing
      curative endoscopic resection for EGC between January 1999 and December 2005 were
      collected from electronic medical records. Survival time hazard ratios and 95 per
      cent confidence intervals were calculated using the Cox proportional hazards
      model. RESULTS: Of 1485 patients who had a curative resection, 635 (42.8 per
      cent) underwent resection according to traditional criteria and 625 (42.1 per
      cent) according to expanded criteria. There was no significant difference in
      overall survival between the groups. CONCLUSION: Patients who have treatment
      following the expanded criteria have similar long-term survival and outcomes to
      those treated according to guideline criteria.

PMID- 20301164
TI  - Mechanisms of RNA degradation by the eukaryotic exosome.

PMID- 20301165
TI  - Outcome of elderly patients with oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma after
      surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oesophagectomy may have morbidity and mortality rates that severely
      compromise long-term survival in elderly patients. The aim of this study was to
      compare clinical outcomes in elderly patients with oesophageal squamous cell
      carcinoma (SCC) with those of younger controls. METHODS: Elderly patients at
      least 70 years old with oesophageal SCC were matched 1 : 1 with controls aged
      less than 70 years according to sex, tumour stage, tumour location, histological
      grade, surgical approach, completeness of resection and surgical period. Co
      morbidities, surgical complications, surgical mortality and long-term survival
      were compared. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty-six patients were included in each
      group. Surgical mortality was greater in the elderly group (5.9 versus 0.7 per
      cent; P = 0.036). Overall and disease-specific 5-year survival rates were worse
      among patients aged at least 70 years (30.0 versus 41.8 per cent, and 31.5 versus
      44.7 per cent respectively), as were 10-year rates (13.7 versus 26.4 per cent,
      and 20.2 versus 29.0 per cent). Disease-free survival rates after 5 years (24.0
      versus 35.5 per cent) and 10 years (12.3 versus 24.3 per cent) were not
      statistically significant (P = 0.076). CONCLUSION: Poor functional status may
      account for higher morbidity and mortality rates in elderly patients with
      oesophageal SCC. Acceptable perioperative mortality rates and substantial long
      term survival can still be achieved. Elderly patients should not be denied
      oesophagectomy.

PMID- 20301167
TI  - MicroRNA profiling of Barrett's oesophagus and oesophageal adenocarcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The genetic changes that drive metaplastic progression from squamous
      oesophageal mucosa toward intestinal metaplasia and adenocarcinoma are unclear.
      The aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) is involved in the development of
      cancer. This study examined whether miRNAs play a role in the development of
      oesophageal adenocarcinoma. METHODS: RNA was extracted from mucosa of normal
      oesophageal squamous epithelium, normal gastric epithelium, Barrett's oesophagus
      with intestinal metaplasia and oesophageal adenocarcinoma obtained from 16
      individuals. Expression profiles of 377 human miRNAs were determined by
      microarray analysis and selected miRNAs were analysed further using real-time
      reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in tissues from 32
      individuals. RESULTS: Microarray analyses identified 44 miRNAs likely to have
      altered expression between various mucosal samples. Of these, miR-21, miR-143,
      miR-145, miR-194, miR-203, miR-205 and miR-215 were chosen for validation by real
      time RT-PCR. Tissue-specific expression profiles were observed, with miR-21, miR
      143, miR-145, miR-194 and miR-215 significantly upregulated in columnar tissues
      compared with normal squamous epithelium. Expression of miR-143, miR-145 and miR
      215 was lower in oesophageal adenocarcinoma than in Barrett's oesophagus. Levels
      of miR-203 and miR-205 were high in normal squamous epithelium and low in
      columnar epithelia. MiR-205 levels were lower in gastric epithelium than in both
      Barrett's oesophagus and adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSION: Expression of miRNA might
      define disease states in oesophageal epithelium. Dysregulation of specific miRNAs
      could contribute to metaplastic and neoplastic processes in the oesophageal
      mucosa.

PMID- 20301168
TI  - Images come to life.

PMID- 20301166
TI  - Photocaged t7 RNA polymerase for the light activation of transcription and gene
      function in pro- and eukaryotic cells.
AB  - A light-activatable bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase (T7RNAP) has been generated
      through the site-specific introduction of a photocaged tyrosine residue at the
      crucial position Tyr639 within the active site of the enzyme. The photocaged
      tyrosine disrupts polymerase activity by blocking the incoming nucleotide from
      reaching the active site of the enzyme. However, a brief irradiation with
      nonphototoxic UV light of 365 nm removes the ortho-nitrobenzyl caging group from
      Tyr639 and restores the RNA polymerase activity of T7RNAP. The complete
      orthogonality of T7RNAP to all endogenous RNA polymerases in pro- and eukaryotic
      systems allowed for the photochemical activation of gene expression in bacterial
      and mammalian cells. Specifically, E. coli cells were engineered to produce
      photocaged T7RNAP in the presence of a GFP reporter gene under the control of a
      T7 promoter. UV irradiation of these cells led to the spatiotemporal activation
      of GFP expression. In an analogous fashion, caged T7RNAP was transfected into
      human embryonic kidney (HEK293T) cells. Irradiation with UV light led to the
      activation of T7RNAP, thereby inducing RNA polymerization and expression of a
      luciferase reporter gene in tissue culture. The ability to achieve spatiotemporal
      regulation of orthogonal RNA synthesis enables the precise dissection and
      manipulation of a wide range of cellular events, including gene function.

PMID- 20301169
TI  - Direct analysis of lipids in mouse brain using electrospray droplet impact/SIMS.
AB  - Electrospray droplet impact (EDI)/secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is a new
      desorption/ionization technique for mass spectrometry in which highly charged
      water clusters produced from the atmospheric-pressure electrospray are
      accelerated in vacuum by 10 kV and impact the sample deposited on the metal
      substrate. EDI/SIMS was shown to enhance intact molecular ion formation
      dramatically compared to conventional SIMS. EDI/SIMS has been successfully
      applied to the analysis of mouse brain without any sample preparation. Five types
      of lipids, i.e. phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylserine,
      phosphatidylinositol (PI), galactocerebroside (GC) and sulfatide (ST), were
      readily detected from mouse brain section. In addition, by EDI/SIMS, six
      different regions of the mouse brain (cerebral cortex, corpus callosum, striatum,
      medulla oblongata, cerebellar cortex and cerebellar medulla) were examined. While
      GCs and STs were found to be rich in white matter, PIs were rich in gray matter.

PMID- 20301170
TI  - Assembly of gold nanoparticles on a molecular ultrathin film: tuning the surface
      plasmon resonance.
AB  - A number of methodologies for immobilizing metal nanoparticles in 2-dimensional
      aggregate structures on various substrates, some with concomitant tuning of the
      surface plasmon resonance (SPR), have been reported. Many of them involve special
      functionalization of the nanoparticles, multiple fabrication steps or lengthy
      procedures. The present study demonstrates that monolayer Langmuir-Blodgett (LB)
      film of a hemicyanine-based amphiphile with cationic headgroup is an easily
      fabricated platform for harnessing citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles. It is
      shown that a single immersion step can be used to immobilize the nanoparticles
      uniformly on large area films and that systematic variation of the immersion time
      from 10 min to 6 h leads to controlled assembly of the particles and tuning of
      the SPR band over approximately 100 nm. A model for the structural reorganization
      in the LB film that facilitates the assembly of nanoparticles is presented and
      the advantages of the current methodology over earlier protocols are pointed out.
      The versatility of LB films in terms of the molecular level control of
      fabrication it enables and the variety of film structures that can be realized,
      point to the wide scope for future explorations, expanding upon the present
      observations.

PMID- 20301171
TI  - Hydride transfer reactions via ion-neutral complex: fragmentation of protonated N
      benzylpiperidines and protonated N-benzylpiperazines in mass spectrometry.
AB  - An ion-neutral complex (INC)-mediated hydride transfer reaction was observed in
      the fragmentation of protonated N-benzylpiperidines and protonated N
      benzylpiperazines in electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Upon protonation
      at the nitrogen atom, these compounds initially dissociated to an INC consisting
      of [RC(6)H(4)CH(2)](+) (R = substituent) and piperidine or piperazine. Although
      this INC was unstable, it did exist and was supported by both experiments and
      density functional theory (DFT) calculations. In the subsequent fragmentation,
      hydride transfer from the neutral partner to the cation species competed with the
      direct separation. The distribution of the two corresponding product ions was
      found to depend on the stabilization energy of this INC, and it was also approved
      by the study of substituent effects. For monosubstituted N-benzylpiperidines,
      strong electron-donating substituents favored the formation of
      [RC(6)H(4)CH(2)](+), whereas strong electron-withdrawing substituents favored the
      competing hydride transfer reaction leading to a loss of toluene. The logarithmic
      values of the abundance ratios of the two ions were well correlated with the
      nature of the substituents, or rather, the stabilization energy of this INC.

PMID- 20301172
TI  - Adsorption of proline and glycine on the TiO2(110) surface: a density functional
      theory study.
AB  - The optimal adsorption modes for the amino acids glycine and proline on the ideal
      TiO(2)(110) surface are investigated by using density functional theory (PBE)
      applying periodic boundary conditions. Binding modes with anionic acid moieties
      bridging two titanium atoms after transferring a proton to the surface are the
      most stable configurations for both molecules investigated-similar to previous
      results for carboxylic acids. In contrast to the latter compounds, amino acids
      can form hydrogen bonds via the amino group towards the surface-bound proton;
      this provides an additional stabilisation of 15-20 kJ mol(-1). Zwitterionic
      binding modes are less stable (by 10-20 kJ mol(-1)) and are less important for
      proline. Neutral modes are energetically even less favourable. Calculations of
      vibrational frequencies and core-level shifts complement the adsorption study and
      provide guidance for future experimental investigations. Control of the
      computational parameters is crucial for the derivation of accurate results. The
      layout and thickness of the slab model used are also shown to be decisive
      factors. Calculations with a different GGA-functional (PW91) provide very similar
      relative energies, although the absolute energies change by about 20 kJ mol(-1).
      Results derived with the hybrid functional PBE0 show an even greater
      stabilisation of the anionic binding modes with respect to the zwitterionic
      modes. A previously observed discrepancy between experimental and theoretical
      results for glycine could be solved, although the experimentally proposed free
      rotation of the C-C bond could not be reproduced.

PMID- 20301173
TI  - Determination of the vibrational density of states and emission spectrum of
      lutetium monoxide.

PMID- 20301174
TI  - In situ video-STM studies of adsorbate dynamics at electrochemical interfaces.
AB  - The dynamic behavior of individual adsorbates at electrochemical interfaces was
      studied directly by in situ high-speed scanning tunneling microscopy, using
      sulfur adsorbed on Cu(100) electrodes in 0.01 M HCl solution as an example. By
      dosing from diluted Na(2)S solutions S(ad) coverages of a few percent can be
      prepared, with the sulfur adsorbates occupying positions within the c(2x2)
      lattice of coadsorbed chloride. S(ad) tracer diffusion occurs via hopping between
      neighboring c(2x2) lattice sites at considerably higher rates than those of
      sulfur on Cu(100) under UHV conditions, indicating a pronounced influence of the
      electrochemical environment on the adsorbate surface dynamics. The diffusion
      barrier linearly increases by 0.5 eV per V with potential and is strongly
      affected by neighboring S(ad) and surface defects. The S(ad)-S(ad) interactions
      extend over approximately 7 A. They are repulsive between nearest-neighbor and
      attractive between next-nearest-neighbor sites, respectively, and result in
      significantly reduced diffusion barriers. S(ad) on the upper terrace side of
      steps are transiently trapped and exhibit lower diffusion rates, leading to the
      formation of small metastable p(2x2) domains. Attractive interactions between
      S(ad) and domain boundaries in the c(2x2) adlayer result in boundary pinning as
      well as transient trapping and enhanced diffusion of S(ad) along the boundary.

PMID- 20301175
TI  - Intermediates in the catalytic cycle of [NiFe] hydrogenase: functional
      spectroscopy of the active site.
AB  - The [NiFe] hydrogenase from the anaerobic sulphate reducing bacterium
      Desulfovibrio vulgaris Miyazaki F is an excellent model for constructing a
      mechanism for the function of the so-called 'oxygen-sensitive' hydrogenases. The
      present review focuses on spectroscopic investigations of the active site
      intermediates playing a role in the activation/deactivation and catalytic cycle
      of this enzyme as well as in the inhibition by carbon monoxide or molecular
      oxygen and the light-sensitivity of the hydrogenase. The methods employed include
      magnetic resonance and vibrational (FTIR) techniques combined with
      electrochemistry that deliver information about details of the geometrical and
      electronic structure of the intermediates and their redox behaviour. Based on
      these data a mechanistic scheme is developed.

PMID- 20301176
TI  - The conformations of amino acids on a gold(111) surface.
AB  - The interactions of amino acids with inorganic surfaces are of interest for
      biologists and biotechnologists alike. However, the structural determinants of
      peptide-surface interactions have remained elusive, but are important for a
      structural understanding of the interactions of biomolecules with gold surfaces.
      Molecular dynamics simulations are a tool to analyze structures of amino acids on
      surfaces. However, such an approach is challenging due to lacking
      parameterization for many surfaces and the polarizability of metal surfaces.
      Herein, we report DFT calculations of amino acid fragments in vacuo and molecular
      dynamics simulations of the interaction of all amino acids with a gold(111)
      surface in explicit solvent, using the recently introduced polarizable gold force
      field GolP. We describe preferred orientations of the amino acids on the metal
      surface. We find that all amino acids preferably interact with the gold surface
      at least partially with their backbone, underlining an unfolding propensity of
      gold surfaces.

PMID- 20301177
TI  - Site-specific DNA-controlled fusion of single lipid vesicles to supported lipid
      bilayers.
AB  - We investigate the Ca(2+)-triggered fusion of lipid vesicles site-selectively
      tethered to a DNA-modified supported lipid bilayer array, with the DNA strands
      designed such that hybridization occurs in a zipperlike fashion. Prior to the
      addition of Ca(2+), which is observed to induce docking and subsequent fusion
      (within 200 ms), the vesicles display lateral mobility determined by the number
      of tethers. Fusion is observed to require around ten DNA strands per vesicle, but
      does not occur at higher DNA coverage. However, despite the fact that fusion was
      restricted to occurring for vesicles tethered with around ten DNA strands, there
      is no correlation between single-vesicle diffusivity and fusogenicity. A possible
      scenario for the DNA-induced fusion machinery, consistent with these
      observations, is that prior to Ca(2+)-induced docking, the vesicles diffuse with
      a small number (2-4) of DNA tethers. Upon addition of Ca(2+), the vesicles dock,
      presumably due to bridging of lipid head groups. Fusion then occurs under
      conditions where 10-16 DNA tethers form and rearrange at the rim of the contact
      region between a docked vesicle and the SLB. The time required for this
      rearrangement, which may include both DNA hybridization and dehybridization
      during zipping, is expected to represent the observed docking and fusion time of
      less than 200 ms.

PMID- 20301178
TI  - Spatial distribution of acoustic cavitation bubbles at different ultrasound
      frequencies.
AB  - Images of sonoluminescence, sonophotoluminescence and sonochemiluminescence are
      recorded in order to semi-quantitatively compare the spatial distribution of the
      cavitation activity at three different ultrasound frequencies (170 kHz, 440 kHz
      and 700 kHz) and at various acoustic amplitudes. At all ultrasound frequencies
      investigated, the sonochemically active cavitation zones are much larger than the
      cavitation zones where sonoluminescence is observed. Also, the sonochemically
      active bubbles are observed at relatively lower acoustic amplitudes than that
      required for sonoluminescence bubbles to appear. The acoustic power required for
      the observation of the initial cavitation bubbles increases with an increase in
      the ultrasound frequency. The cavitation bubbles are observed relatively
      uniformly throughout the reactor at 170 kHz whereas they are located away from
      the transducer at the higher frequencies used in this study. While these
      observations highlight the complexities involved in acoustic cavitation, possible
      reasons for the observed results are discussed.

PMID- 20301179
TI  - Unusual chiral transfer in radical copolymerization of vinyl monomers bearing
      side-on p-terphenyl pendants.
AB  - Radical copolymerization of a chiral monomer, (+)-2,5-bis[4'-((S)-2
      methylbutoxy)phenyl]styrene and an achiral monomer, 2,5-bis(4'
      hexyloxyphenyl)styrene, is carried out in anisole at 90 degrees C with benzoyl
      peroxide as the initiator. The resultant optically active helical copolymers show
      an unusual linear relationship between optical activity and composition, in sharp
      contrast with Green's "sergeants-and-soldiers" and "majority" rules. Analysis of
      the polarimetry, circular dichroism, and chain extension results suggest that the
      weak steric interaction between the propagation helical radical and the incoming
      monomer drove the copolymer chain to grow in a specific direction. Moreover, the
      helical macroinitiator is successfully used to induce the helix-sense-selective
      atom transfer radical polymerization of an achiral analogous monomer to yield
      optically-active block copolymers, which indicate a convenient way to prepare
      helical polymers with an excess screw sense from an achiral monomer by means of
      radical polymerization.

PMID- 20301180
TI  - A continuous-flow method for the generation of hydrogen from formic acid.

PMID- 20301181
TI  - Dealloying shows the way to new catalysts.

PMID- 20301182
TI  - Molecular dynamics simulations of MALDI: laser fluence and pulse width dependence
      of plume characteristics and consequences for matrix and analyte ionization.
AB  - Molecular dynamics simulations of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization
      were carried out to investigate laser pulse width and fluence effects on primary
      and secondary ionization process. At the same fluence, short (35 or 350 ps)
      pulses lead to much higher initial pressures and ion concentrations than longer
      ones (3 ns), but these differences do not persist because the system relaxes
      toward local thermal equilibrium on a nanosecond timescale. Higher fluences
      accentuate the initial disparities, but downstream differences are not
      substantial. Axial velocities of ions and neutrals are found to span a wide
      range, and be fluence dependent. Total ion yield is only weakly dependent on
      pulse width, and consistent with experimental estimates. Secondary reactions of
      matrix cations with analyte neutrals are efficient even though analyte ions are
      ablated in clusters of matrix.

PMID- 20301183
TI  - The kinematics of locomotion in caecilians: effects of substrate and body shape.
AB  - Caecilians are limbless amphibians that have radiated extensively in the tropics,
      and have evolved distinct cranial and postcranial specializations associated with
      a burrowing lifestyle. Some species are recognized as being surface active,
      whereas others are dedicated burrowers. Previous authors have demonstrated that
      some caecilians use a hydrostatic mechanism to generate burrowing forces which is
      dependent on the existence of skin-vertebral independence. It has been
      hypothesized that skin-vertebral independence may be lost in extremely elongated
      species, thus affecting their ability to burrow. Here, we use X-ray video to
      study the kinematics of locomotion in five species of caecilian differing in
      their degree of body elongation. Animals were filmed moving in or across
      different substrates imposing different functional demands on the locomotor
      system. Our data demonstrate that all species have the ability to perform
      internal concertina locomotion, but indicate differences between species in the
      kinematics of locomotion with more elongate species showing a smaller degree of
      skin-vertebral independence. In all species, locomotion was dependent on the
      substrate and species switched from using lateral undulation on the surface
      substrates to the use of whole body or internal concertina in wide and narrow
      tunnels, respectively. When burrowing in soil, all species used a combination of
      whole-body and internal concertina locomotion. Additional studies on the ability
      of different species to generate forces are needed to test whether the reduced
      skin-vertebral independence in elongate forms has resulted in a decreased ability
      to generate burrows.

PMID- 20301185
TI  - A study of the cesium cation bonding to carboxylate anions by the kinetic method
      and quantum chemical calculations.
AB  - Collision-induced dissociation (CID) of the Cs(+) heterodimer adducts of the
      nitrate anion (NO(3)(-)) and a variety of substituted benzoates (XBenz(-))
      [(XBenz(-))(Cs(+))(NO(3)(-))](-) produces essentially nitrate and benzoate ions.
      A plot of the natural logarithm of their intensity ratio, ln[I (NO(3)(
      ))/I(XBenz(-))], versus the calculated cesium cation affinity (DFT B3LYP) of the
      substituted benzoate ions (equivalent to the enthalpy of heterolytic dissociation
      of the salt) is reasonably linear. This suggests that the kinetic method can be
      used as a source of data on the intrinsic interaction between the anionic and the
      cationic moieties in a salt.

PMID- 20301184
TI  - Mass spectrometry of fluorocarbon-labeled glycosphingolipids.
AB  - A method for generation of novel fluorocarbon derivatives of glycosphingolipids
      (GSLs) with high affinity for fluorocarbon phases has been developed, and their
      potential applications to mass spectrometry (MS)-based methodologies for
      glycosphingolipidomics have been investigated. Sphingolipid ceramide N-deacylase
      (SCDase) is used to remove the fatty acid from the ceramide moiety, after which a
      fluorocarbon-rich substituent (F-Tag) is incorporated at the free amine of the
      sphingoid. In initial trials, a neutral GSL, globotriaosylceramide (Gb(3)Cer),
      three purified bovine brain gangliosides, and four fungal glycosylinositol
      phosphorylceramides (GIPCs) were de-N-acylated, derivatized by prototype F-Tags,
      and recovered by solid phase extraction on fluorocarbon-derivatized silica (F
      SPE). The efficacy of SCDase treatment of GIPCs was here demonstrated for the
      first time. Compatibility with subsequent per-N,O-methylation was established for
      the F-tagged Gb(3) Cer and purified gangliosides, and extensive mass spectra
      (MS(1) and MS(2)) consistent with all of the expected products were acquired. The
      potential use of F-tagged derivatives for a comprehensive MS based profiling
      application was then demonstrated on a crude ganglioside mixture extracted from
      bovine brain. Finally, a simple trial in microarray format demonstrated fixation
      of F-tagged G(M1) ganglioside to a fluorous glass surface, with the glycan intact
      and available for interaction with a fluorescent derivative of cholera toxin B
      chain. The methods described thus provide a new avenue for rapid GSL recovery or
      cleanup, potentially compatible with a variety of platforms for mass
      spectrometric profiling and structure analysis, as well as parallel analysis of
      functional interactions.

PMID- 20301189
TI  - Abstracts of the Society of Hospital Medicine Annual Meeting. April 8-11, 2010.
      Washington, DC, USA.

PMID- 20301192
TI  - Atomic force microscopy study on chlorpromazine-induced morphological changes of
      living HeLa cells In Vitro.
AB  - Chlorpromazine (CPZ)-induced morphological changes of living human cervical
      carcinoma cells were investigated by atomic force microscopy in near
      physiological condition. The results showed that the cell morphology changed
      visibly with time in the presence of CPZ (>21 microM). The cell membrane shrank
      gradually and detached finally from the substrate. After being treated with CPZ
      for 50 min, the cell volume increased by about 27.6% while its projective area
      (cell adhered to the substrate) decreased by about 12%. The mechanism was also
      discussed.

PMID- 20301193
TI  - Activation of human bronchial epithelial cells by inflammatory cytokines IL-27
      and TNF-alpha: implications for immunopathophysiology of airway inflammation.
AB  - Interleukin (IL)-27 is a member of IL-6/IL-12 family cytokines produced by
      antigen-presenting cells in immune responses. IL-27 can drive the commitment of
      naive T cells to a T helper type 1 (Th1) phenotype and inhibit inflammation in
      later phases of infection. Human bronchial epithelial cells have been shown to
      express IL-27 receptor complex. In this study, we investigated the in vitro
      effects of IL-27, alone or in combination with inflammatory cytokine tumor
      necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha on the pro-inflammatory activation of human primary
      bronchial epithelial cells and the underlying intracellular signaling mechanisms.
      IL-27 was found to enhance intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) expression
      on the surface of human bronchial epithelial cells, and a synergistic effect was
      observed in the combined treatment of IL-27 and TNF-alpha on the expression of
      ICAM-1. Although IL-27 did not alter the basal IL-6 secretion from bronchial
      epithelial cells, it could significantly augment TNF-alpha-induced IL-6 release.
      These synergistic effects on the up-regulation of ICAM-1 and IL-6 were partially
      due to the elevated expression of TNF-alpha receptor (p55TNFR) induced by IL-27.
      Further investigations showed that the elevation of ICAM-1 and IL-6 in human
      bronchial epithelial cells stimulated by IL-27 and TNF-alpha was differentially
      regulated by phosphatidylinositol 3-OH kinase (PI3K)-Akt, p38 mitogen-activated
      protein kinase, and nuclear factor-kappaB pathways. Our results therefore provide
      a new insight into the molecular mechanisms involved in airway inflammation.

PMID- 20301195
TI  - Lipophilic cationic drugs increase the permeability of lysosomal membranes in a
      cell culture system.
AB  - Lysosomes accumulate many drugs several fold higher compared to their
      extracellular concentration. This mechanism is believed to be responsible for
      many pharmacological effects. So far, uptake and release kinetics are largely
      unknown and interactions between concomitantly administered drugs often provoke
      mutual interference. In this study, we addressed these questions in a cell
      culture model. The molecular mechanism for lysosomal uptake kinetics was analyzed
      by live cell fluorescence microscopy in SY5Y cells using four drugs (amantadine,
      amitriptyline, cinnarizine, flavoxate) with different physicochemical properties.
      Drugs with higher lipophilicity accumulated more extensively within lysosomes,
      whereas a higher pK(a) value was associated with a more rapid uptake. The drug
      induced displacement of LysoTracker was neither caused by elevation of intra
      lysosomal pH, nor by increased lysosomal volume. We extended our previously
      developed numerical single cell model by introducing a dynamic feedback
      mechanism. The empirical data were in good agreement with the results obtained
      from the numerical model. The experimental data and results from the numerical
      model lead to the conclusion that intra-lysosomal accumulation of lipophilic
      xenobiotics enhances lysosomal membrane permeability. Manipulation of lysosomal
      membrane permeability might be useful to overcome, for example, multi-drug
      resistance by altering subcellular drug distribution.

PMID- 20301194
TI  - Sorafenib combined vitamin K induces apoptosis in human pancreatic cancer cell
      lines through RAF/MEK/ERK and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase pathways.
AB  - Apoptosis has been shown to be induced by many agents, including the clinically
      useful Sorafenib and K vitamins (VKs). Since few agents have activity against
      pancreas cancer cell growth, we evaluated the role of naturally occurring K
      vitamins and Sorafenib both independently and together on the growth in culture
      of pancreas adenocarcinoma cell lines, including PL-5, PANC-1, and MIA PaCa-2. We
      found that when a K vitamin was combined with Sorafenib, the dose of Sorafenib
      required for growth inhibition was substantially reduced. Furthermore, growth
      could be inhibited at doses of each VK plus Sorafenib in combination that were
      ineffective when used alone. This effect was seen using vitamins K1, K2, and K5.
      The combination of VK1 plus Sorafenib-induced apoptosis, as determined by both
      FACS and TUNEL staining. Phospho-ERK and Bcl-2 levels were decreased, but not
      levels of other bcl-2 family members. Cleavage of caspases 3 and 8, PARP and Bid
      were all induced by this combination. Vitamin K1 plus Sorafenib combination also
      resulted in elevated levels of activated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and its
      substrates c-Jun and FasL. JNK inhibition partly antagonized the induction of
      apoptosis. Thus, combination VK1 plus Sorafenib strongly induced growth
      inhibition and apoptosis in pancreas cancer cells, involving both inhibition of
      the RAF/MEK/ERK pathway as well as activation of the JNK, c-Jun and FasL
      apoptotic pathway. Since both agents are available for human use, the combination
      is attractive for evaluation against pancreas cancer growth in vivo.

PMID- 20301197
TI  - Estrogen regulated expression of the p21 Waf1/Cip1 gene in estrogen receptor
      positive human breast cancer cells.
AB  - The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor protein p21(Waf1/Cip1) is a potent tumor
      suppressor. Here, we demonstrate that estradiol regulates the p21(Waf1/Cip1)
      gene. Estradiol induces p21(Waf1/Cip1) mRNA expression within 30-60 min
      independent of new protein synthesis in the estrogen receptor alpha (ER alpha)
      positive human breast cancer cell line MCF-7. Similar to other estradiol
      responsive promoters, the p21(Waf1/Cip1) upstream promoter region has several
      estrogen response element (ERE) half-sites nestled in AP-1 binding sites, which
      are positioned upstream to Sp1 binding sites. Using the chromatin
      immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay, we show that estradiol stimulation resulted in
      the recruitment of transcription factors ER alpha, Sp1, and Sp3 to the
      p21(Waf1/Cip1) upstream promoter element. The Sp1 inhibitor mithramycin A
      abrogated Sp1, and to a lesser extent Sp3 binding, and markedly reduced the
      estradiol stimulated p21(Waf1/Cip1) gene expression. However, ER alpha binding
      was not affected in the mithramycin A and estradiol treated cells. On closer
      examination of the half-site ERE/AP-1 sites upstream to the Sp1 sites in a
      separate ChIP experiment, we found a pronounced association of ER alpha upon
      estradiol treatment compared to almost negligible binding of Sp1 or Sp3. Together
      these studies provide evidence that ER alpha is recruited to the half-site ERE/AP
      1 sites in the p21(Waf1/Cip1) upstream promoter element. Although Sp1/Sp3 is not
      involved in the recruitment of ER alpha to the promoter, Sp1 is necessary for
      estrogen-induced p21(Waf1/Cip1) promoter activity.

PMID- 20301198
TI  - Protein-protein interactions involving IKKgamma (NEMO) that promote the
      activation of NF-kappaB.
AB  - Inhibitor of kappaB kinase (IKK) gamma (IKKgamma), also referred to as nuclear
      factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) essential modulator (NEMO), is an important regulatory
      component of the IKK complex. The IKK complex is a signalosome that catalyzes the
      inducible phosphorylation of IkappaB proteins, which is a key step that leads to
      the activation of NF-kappaB. The exact functions of IKKgamma (NEMO) as part of
      the IKK complex have not yet been fully elucidated. This mini-review covers 16
      proteins that have been reported to bind to IKKgamma and lead to the enhancement
      of the activities of the IKK complex, thus resulting in NF-kappaB activation. The
      major mechanisms by which these interactions are mediated involve the recognition
      of ubiquitinated upstream signaling components by IKKgamma or the modification of
      IKKgamma itself by ubiquitination. Additional mechanisms include the sumoylation
      or phosphorylation of IKKgamma and the modification of the tertiary or quaternary
      structure of IKKgamma.

PMID- 20301196
TI  - Promotion of cell spreading and migration by vascular endothelial-protein
      tyrosine phosphatase (VE-PTP) in cooperation with integrins.
AB  - Vascular endothelial-protein tyrosine phosphatase (VE-PTP) is a receptor-type
      protein tyrosine phosphatase with a single catalytic domain in its cytoplasmic
      region and multiple fibronectin type III-like domains in its extracellular
      region. VE-PTP is expressed specifically in endothelial cells and is implicated
      in regulation of angiogenesis. The molecular basis for such regulation by VE-PTP
      has remained largely unknown, however. We now show that forced expression of VE
      PTP promoted cell spreading as well as formation of lamellipodia and filopodia in
      cultured fibroblasts plated on fibronectin. These effects of VE-PTP on cell
      morphology required its catalytic activity as well as activation of integrins and
      Ras. In addition, VE-PTP-induced cell spreading and lamellipodium formation were
      prevented by inhibition of Src family kinases or of Rac or Cdc42. Indeed, forced
      expression of VE-PTP increased the level of c-Src phosphorylation at tyrosine
      416. Moreover, the VE-PTP-induced changes in cell morphology were suppressed by
      expression of dominant negative forms of FRG or Vav2, both of which are guanine
      nucleotide exchange factors for Rho family proteins and are activated by tyrosine
      phosphorylation. Forced expression of VE-PTP also enhanced fibronectin-dependent
      migration of cultured fibroblasts. Conversely, depletion of VE-PTP by RNA
      interference in human umbilical vein endothelial cells or mouse endothelioma
      cells inhibited cell spreading on fibronectin. These results suggest that VE-PTP,
      in cooperation with integrins, regulates the spreading and migration of
      endothelial cells during angiogenesis.

PMID- 20301199
TI  - Facial synkinesis after experimental compression of the facial nerve comparing
      intratemporal and extratemporal lesions.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The anatomical configuration of the facial nerve differs
      greatly between the intratemporal and extratemporal portions. The purpose of this
      study was to investigate the incidence of facial synkinesis and misdirection on
      clamping the facial nerve at the intratemporal or extratemporal portion of the
      facial nerve in guinea pigs. STUDY DESIGN: Experimental study. METHODS: In 16
      guinea pigs, the facial nerve was clamped with microsurgical needle forceps at
      either the extratemporal (group A) or intratemporal (group B) segment. Facial
      nerve function was evaluated 1 week postoperatively using electroneurography
      (ENoG), and the incidence of facial synkinesis was evaluated 15 weeks
      postoperatively using an evoked blink reflex test. Fifteen weeks postoperatively,
      two retrograde fluorescent tracers (Dil [1-1'-dioctodecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethyl
      indocarbocyanine perchlorate] and True Blue) were injected into the facial
      muscles to observe reorganization of the facial nucleus. RESULTS: No significant
      difference in the ENoG threshold was observed between groups A and B. In group A,
      none of the animals developed facial synkinesis and the somatotopic organization
      of the facial nucleus was not disturbed. In contrast, synkinesis occurred and the
      somatotopic organization was disturbed in group B. CONCLUSIONS: A lack of
      funicular structure within the intratemporal facial nerve increases the
      possibility of misdirected regenerating axons and synkinesis.

PMID- 20301200
TI  - PHR1 is a vesicle-bound protein abundantly expressed in mature olfactory neurons.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To characterize the role of Phr1, a gene highly expressed
      in primary sensory neurons where it encodes an integral membrane protein with an
      N-terminal pleckstrin homology domain and a C-terminal transmembrane domain, in
      the olfactory system. METHODS: We studied the immunelocalization of the PHR1
      protein in mouse olfactory epithelium both at steady state and during
      regeneration following methyl bromide (MeBr) exposure using scanning confocal
      microscopy. Additionally, we examined the electrophysiologic role of Phr1 in
      olfaction and short-term olfactory adaptation. RESULTS: We found that PHR1 is
      abundantly and specifically expressed in olfactory neurons. It is widely
      distributed in punctate, vesiculated organelles throughout the cell bodies,
      axons, and glomeruli of primary olfactory neurons but is specifically excluded
      from the olfactory cilia. In the regenerating olfactory epithelium, PHR1
      expression appears at 14 days following MeBr ablation coinciding with the onset
      of olfactory neuron maturity. Despite the abundant and specific expression
      throughout the olfactory neurons, mice lacking Phr1 did not exhibit differences
      in the distribution of the components of olfactory signal transduction system,
      the rate of olfactory regeneration following MeBr exposure, olfactory function,
      or short-term adaptation to odors. CONCLUSIONS: Phr1 is widely and abundantly
      expressed throughout mature olfactory neurons and other primary sensory neurons,
      but its absence does not appear to affect olfactory morphology, regeneration,
      sensory function, or adaptation. The exact function of Phr1 remains to be
      discovered.

PMID- 20301202
TI  - First trimester maternal serum placental growth factor in trisomy 21 pregnancies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine placental growth factor (PlGF) levels in first trimester
      maternal serum in trisomy 21 pregnancies and to investigate the potential value
      of PlGF in a first trimester screening test. METHODS: First trimester maternal
      serum from 70 trisomy 21 cases and 375 euploid controls were retrospectively
      analyzed for PlGF using a DELFIA Xpress immunoassay platform. Results were
      expressed as multiples of medians (MoM) for comparison. RESULTS: PlGF levels were
      significantly decreased in pregnancies with trisomy 21, 0.76 MoM versus 0.98 MoM
      in controls. Inclusion of PlGF into the first trimester combined test [maternal
      age, pregnancy associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A), free-beta human chorionic
      gonadotrophin (beta-hCG) and nuchal translucency] would increase the detection
      rate by 0.5% at a 5% false positive rate. CONCLUSION: PlGF at 11 weeks to 13
      weeks 6 days has the potential to be included as a marker for the detection of
      pregnancies with trisomy 21.

PMID- 20301201
TI  - Epitope mapping of function-blocking monoclonal antibody CM6 suggests a "weak"
      integrin binding site on the laminin-332 LG2 domain.
AB  - Laminin-332 (Ln-332) is an extracellular matrix molecule that regulates cell
      adhesion, spreading, and migration by interaction with cell surface receptors
      such as alpha3beta1 and alpha6beta4. Previously, we developed a function-blocking
      monoclonal antibody against rat Ln-332, CM6, which blocks hemidesmosome assembly
      induced by Ln-332-alpha6beta4 interactions. However, the location of its epitope
      on Ln-332 has remained unclear. In this study, we show that the CM6 epitope is
      located on the laminin G-like (LG)2 module of the Ln-332 alpha3 chain. To specify
      the residues involved in this epitope, we produced a series of GST-fused alpha3
      LG2 mutant proteins in which rat-specific acids were replaced with human acids by
      a site-directed mutagenesis strategy. CM6 reactivity against these proteins
      showed that CM6 binds to the (1089)NERSVR(1094) sequence of rat Ln-332 LG2
      module. In a structural model, this sequence maps to an LG2 loop sequence that is
      exposed to solvent according to predictions, consistent with its accessibility to
      antibody. CM6 inhibits integrin-dependent cell adhesion on Ln-332 and inhibits
      cell spreading on both Ln-332 and recombinant LG2 (rLG2; but not rLG3),
      suggesting the presence of an alpha3beta1 binding site on LG2. However, we were
      unable to show that rLG2 supports adhesion in standard assays, suggesting that
      LG2 may contain a "weak" integrin binding site, only detectable in spreading
      assays that do not require washes. These results, together with our previous
      findings, indicate that binding sites for alpha3beta1 and alpha6beta4 are closely
      spaced in the Ln-332 LG domains where they regulate alternative cell functions,
      namely adhesion/migration or hemidesmosome anchoring.

PMID- 20301203
TI  - Trifluoromethylated (tetrahydropyrrolo) quinazolinones by a new three-component
      reaction and facile assignment of the regio- and stereoisomers formed by NMR
      spectroscopy.
AB  - A new three-component cyclisation reactions of methyl 3,3,3-trifluoropyruvate, 2
      aminobenzylamine and oxo compounds afforded tetrahydropyrroloquinazolinones of
      the types 4 and 5 as mixtures of regio- and stereoisomers. Whereas standard 1D
      NMR spectroscopy was used for a facile assignment of the cyclization
      regioisomers, a combination of homo (proton-proton) and heteronuclear (proton
      fluorine) NOE experiments allowed the determination of the relative configuration
      on stereogenic centres. The structure of some compounds was also confirmed by the
      X-ray diffraction. Adaptation of the 1D double-pulsed field-gradient spin-echo
      NOE for a heteronuclear case is presented.

PMID- 20301204
TI  - Successful photocoagulation on both sides of inter-twin membrane for twin-twin
      transfusion syndrome in a case of iatrogenic septostomy after an amnioreduction.

PMID- 20301205
TI  - Glycolysis links p53 function with NF-kappaB signaling: impact on cancer and
      aging process.
AB  - In 1930, Otto Warburg observed that cancer cells produce an increased amount of
      their energy through aerobic glycolysis and subsequently, this was called the
      Warburg effect. During aging, the capacity for mitochondrial respiration clearly
      declines and aerobic glycolysis appears to compensate for the deficiency in
      oxidative metabolism. This shift in energy production, both in aging and cancer,
      could protect from the toxic effects of oxygen free radicals whereas increased
      glycolysis can have adverse effects. It was recently demonstrated that the
      glycolysis-linked protein O-glycosylation can potentiate the catalytic activity
      of IKK beta and subsequently trigger NF-kappaB signaling. It seems that tumor
      suppressor oncogene p53 has an important role in the regulation of protein O
      glycosylation since p53 is a potent inhibitor of glycolysis, for example, via
      TIGAR protein expression. Aging is known to repress the function of p53 and this
      could enhance glycolysis and NF-kappaB signaling. We will discuss the role of p53
      in the regulation of glycolysis-dependent activation of NF-kappaB signaling in
      both cancer and aging process.

PMID- 20301206
TI  - Hepatitis B virus replication in primary macaque hepatocytes: crossing the
      species barrier toward a new small primate model.
AB  - The development of new anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) therapies, especially
      immunotherapeutic approaches, has been limited by the lack of a primate model
      more accessible than chimpanzees. We have previously demonstrated that sylvanus
      and cynomolgus macaques are susceptible to in vivo HBV infection after
      intrahepatic HBV DNA inoculation. In this study, we evaluated the susceptibility
      of primary macaque hepatocytes (PMHs) to HBV infection with a highly efficient
      HBV genome-mediated transfer system via a recombinant baculovirus (Bac-HBV).
      Freshly prepared PMHs, isolated from macaque liver tissue by collagenase
      perfusion, were transduced with Bac-HBV, and intermediates of replication were
      followed for 9 days post-transduction. Evidence of HBV replication (hepatitis B
      surface antigen secretion, viral DNA, RNA, and covalently closed circular DNA)
      was detected from day 1 to day 9 post-transduction. HBV markers were dose
      dependent and still detectable at a multiplicity of infection of 10. Importantly,
      transduced PMHs secreted all typical forms of HBV particles, as evidenced by a
      cesium chloride gradient as well as transmission electron microscopy.
      Furthermore, the Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) ligand was used to stimulate freshly
      prepared macaque peripheral blood mononuclear cells to generate TLR9-induced
      cytokines. We then demonstrated the antiviral effects of both TLR9-induced
      cytokines and nucleoside analogue (lamivudine) on HBV replication in transduced
      PMHs. CONCLUSION: Baculovirus-mediated genome transfer initiated a full HBV
      replication cycle in PMHs; thus highlighted both the baculovirus efficiency in
      crossing the species barrier and macaque susceptibility to HBV infection.
      Moreover, our results demonstrate the relevance of thus system for antiviral
      compound evaluations with either nucleoside analogues or inhibitory cytokines.
      Cynomolgus macaques are readily available, are immunologically closely related to
      humans, and may therefore represent a promising model for the development of new
      immunotherapeutic strategies.

PMID- 20301207
TI  - Cytological diagnosis of actinomycosis and eumycetoma: a report of two cases.
AB  - Mycetoma and actinomycosis are common in tropical countries and are increasingly
      diagnosed in other parts of the world due to rapid mobilization of the
      population. They are usually diagnosed on histopathology. There is very limited
      data on the role of fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in diagnosing these
      lesions. We report here two cases: one of eumycetoma and the other of an
      actinomycosis that were reliably diagnosed with FNAC. The cytological features
      were similar to histopathology features and differentiated eumycetoma and
      actinomycosis. FNAC is a rapid, simple and inexpensive outpatient procedure that
      helps in rapid diagnosis.

PMID- 20301208
TI  - Intrathyroidal oncocytic parathyroid adenoma: a diagnostic pitfall on fine-needle
      aspiration.
AB  - Oncocytic parathyroid adenoma is a rarely seen benign neoplasm of the parathyroid
      and intrathyroidal location of this lesion is also uncommon. It can be easily
      misdiagnosed as Hurthle cell thyroid neoplasm on fine-needle aspiration (FNA).
      Here, an intrathyroidal oncocytic parathyroid adenoma in a 32-year-old male is
      reported. Ultrasonography showed a nodule 2 cm in largest diameter in the left
      thyroid lobe. FNA revealed cellular smears containing monotonous oncocytic cells
      arranged in monolayered sheets, pseudopapillary structures and clusters within a
      rich vascular network. The case was reported as "suspicious for Hurthle cell
      thyroid neoplasm" on FNA. Frozen section examination showed intrathyroidal
      oncocytic parathyroid adenoma with a rim of normal parathyroid tissue. The
      diagnosis was also confirmed with immunohistochemical stains (TTF-1, PTH,
      thyroglobulin) performed on permanent sections. Cytopathologic features of
      oncocytic parathyroid adenoma and Hurthle cell thyroid neoplasm are similar. It
      is important to keep oncocytic parathyroid adenoma in mind in the differential
      diagnosis of Hurthle cell thyroid neoplasm. Prior knowledge of clinical,
      radiological and laboratory data will avoid wrong cytopathologic diagnosis.

PMID- 20301209
TI  - Cytopathological features of warty (condylomatous) carcinoma of the penis: a case
      report and distinction from other verruciform penile tumors.
AB  - Warty (condylomatous) carcinoma (WC) is a rare specific variant of invasive
      squamous cell carcinoma that shows hybrid features of condyloma with invasive
      cell carcinoma. As compared with conventional squamous cell carcinoma, WC tends
      to run a less aggressive clinical course. A case is presented here in which
      squash smears of a penile foreskin tumor in a 65-year-old male revealed small
      cohesive clusters and sheets of tumor cells in papillary configurations. The
      neoplastic cells were polygonal to elongated and contained oval nuclei, coarse
      chromatin pattern, and distinct nucleoli. Nuclear pleomorphism and loss of
      nuclear polarity were observed. Characteristically, there were also many
      koilocytes demonstrating mild to moderate nuclear atypia and perinuclear
      cytoplasmic halos. A cytologic diagnosis of a verruciform penile tumor was
      suggested. Histologic examination of the tumor showed a hyper-parakeratotic
      arborizing papillomatous growth with thin fibrovascular cores and the tips were
      variably rounded or tapered. Obvious koilocytic cytopathic change, nuclear
      pleomorphism, and focal stromal invasion were observed. Immunohistochemically,
      the tumor cells showed diffuse and strong membranous staining for cytokeratin
      (AE1/AE3) while the MIB-1 and p53 immunoreactive cells were confined to the basal
      areas of the papillae. No lymphovascular invasion was detected in D2-40 or
      elastic Van-Gieson stains. On the basis of the overall features, we confirmed a
      final diagnosis of penile WC. We demonstrated here for the first time the
      cytopathological features of penile WC with emphasis on differential diagnostic
      considerations.

PMID- 20301210
TI  - Large pulmonary cryptococcoma and cryptococcal meningitis in an immunocompetent
      patient: a case report.
AB  - Pulmonary cryptococcoma is a life threatening mycosis and is an unusual disease
      for immunocompetent individuals. Herein we report a case of large pulmonary
      cryptococcoma associated with cryptococcal meningitis, presenting radiologically
      as a lung mass in right upper lobe, in a previously healthy, HIV negative,
      immunocompetent young individual. Since cryptococcosis continues to be an
      important infection in HIV negative patients and is associated with substantial
      overall and cause-specific mortality, the need for consideration of this entity
      in the differential diagnosis of a lung mass is emphasized.

PMID- 20301211
TI  - Elevated expression of SOX9 is related with the progression of gastric carcinoma.
AB  - To investigate the SOX9 expression and its effects on promoting invasion and
      metastasis in the primary gastric adenocarcinomas. One hundred and eighty six
      patients with primary gastric adenocarcinomas who underwent surgery between 2002
      and 2006 were classified as low, intermediate, and high SOX9 expression groups by
      immunohistochemistry (IHC). Our IHC performance showed that SOX9 was lowly
      expressed in lower crypt of the normal epithelium adjacent to the tumor, and SOX9
      expression was also observed in the intestinal metaplastic epithelium, but no
      SOX9 expression was detected in the surface epithelium. The stronger SOX9
      expression was observed in the T3-T4 group than in the T1-T2 group, and there was
      a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.0005). The SOX9 expression
      was correlated with the lymph node metastasis, and it showed significant between
      N0, N1, N2, and N3 groups (P < 0.0005). Similar to the lymph node metastasis
      classification, the SOX9 expression was also related to the tumor staging. From
      the stage Ia-Ib to stage II-IIIa and stage IIIb-IV, the SOX9 expression was
      elevated and the difference was significant (P < 0.0005). On the contrary, the
      SOX9 expression was not related to the histological classification (P > 0.05).
      Also the SOX9 expression showed no significance in patient age (P > 0.05). The
      SOX9 is overexpressed in the advanced stage of gastric carcinoma. SOX9 is related
      to the tumor progression though promoting invasion and metastasis, probably via
      enhancing the adhesion between the tumor cells and matrix or vessels which
      facilitates the tumor cells metastasis.

PMID- 20301212
TI  - Papanicolaou stain may not be necessary in majority of head and neck fine-needle
      aspirations: evidence from a correlation study between Diff-Quik-based onsite
      diagnosis and final diagnosis in 287 head and neck fine-needle aspirations.
AB  - Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is a useful tool for immediate assessment of
      palpable lesions, especially in the head and neck region. The objective of this
      study is to evaluate the degree of correlation between Diff-Quik-based onsite
      diagnosis (OD) and final diagnosis (FD) and further improve the efficiency of FNA
      practice. Two hundred and eighty-seven cytopathologist-performed FNAs from the
      head and neck region were evaluated. Number of passes, number and type of slides
      and correlation (agreement, modified final diagnosis and disagreement) between OD
      and FD were evaluated. Among 287 FNAs, the average number of passes per FNA case
      was 2 (range, 1-5&.rpar;). The mean number of slides reviewed per case was 5
      including 2 Diff-Quik (D-Q)-stained slides, 2 Papanicolaou (Pap)-stained slides,
      and 1 cell block (CB)/1 cytospin (Cy). 247 of 287 (86%) cases showed agreement
      between OD and FD. FD on 36 out of 287 cases (12.5%) was slightly modified or
      refined after reviewing additional slides. A major diagnostic discrepancy was
      noted in four cases (1.5%), three of which were classified as squamous cell
      carcinoma on final diagnosis, and confirmed on surgical follow-up. Accurate
      diagnosis can be achieved in the majority (86%) of head and neck FNAs based on
      immediate examination of D-Q stained slides alone. In a small number of cases
      (12.5%), reviewing additional slides may refine the final diagnosis. In rare
      cases, especially cystic squamous lesions, Pap-stained slides appeared to be
      helpful. It is plausible to use D-Q-stained slides alone with most head and neck
      FNAs in order to provide more cost effective and efficient triaging and patient
      management.

PMID- 20301213
TI  - Cytological findings of mixed squamous cell and glandular papilloma in the lung.
AB  - Pulmonary mixed squamous cell and glandular papilloma is an extremely rare
      neoplasm. This is the first cytological report of such a rare neoplasm. A 59-year
      old Japanese man was admitted to the hospital complaining of a persistent cough
      and bloody sputum. A bronchial endoscopic examination revealed an endobronchial
      polypoid tumor. Upon bronchial brush cytology by Papanicolaou stain, squamous
      dysplasia showing mild atypia was suspected. The smears showed moderate
      cellularity with singly scattered cells or loose clusters of cells, consisting of
      squamous cells and a few columnar cells. Nuclei of the squamous cells showed mild
      atypia, but there was no nuclear atypia of the columnar cells. Upon
      intraoperative pathological examination by frozen section, pulmonary mixed
      squamous cell and glandular papilloma was suspected. Intraoperative imprint
      cytology by Ultrafast Papanicolaou stain showed a few differences in comparison
      with bronchial brush cytology, which were thought to be due to differences in
      obtaining cytological specimens or the steps prior to the staining. The patient
      underwent a segmentectomy of the left lung. Histopathological diagnosis confirmed
      a mixed squamous cell and glandular papilloma. The postoperative course has been
      uneventful for 5 years after surgery. It was thought that cytology was
      diagnostically inadequate on its own in the present case. However, mixed squamous
      cell and glandular papilloma must be considered as another type of pulmonary
      tumor in cytological preparations, especially in a case showing endobronchial
      papillary growth by bronchoscopy.

PMID- 20301214
TI  - beta-Sheet aggregation of kisspeptin-10 is stimulated by heparin but inhibited by
      amphiphiles.
AB  - The murine 10-residue neurohormone kisspeptin (YNWNSFGLRY) is an important
      regulator of reproductive behavior and gonadotrophin secretion. It is known to
      form a random coil in solution, but undergoes a structural change in the presence
      of membranes although the nature of this change is not fully determined. The
      peptide's conformational versatility raises the question whether it is also able
      to form ordered aggregates under physiological conditions, which might be
      relevant as a storage mechanism. Here we show that heparin induces kisspeptin to
      form beta-sheet rich amyloid aggregates both at neutral (pH 7.0) and slightly
      acidic (pH 5.2) conditions. Addition of heparin leads to aggregation after a
      certain lag phase, irrespective of the time of addition of heparin, indicating
      that heparin is needed to facilitate the formation of fibrillation nuclei.
      Aggregation is completely inhibited by submicellar concentrations of zwitterionic
      and anionic surfactants. Unlike previous reports, our NMR data do not indicate
      persistent structure in the presence of zwitterionic surfactant micelles. Thus
      kisspeptin can aggregate under physiologically relevant conditions provided
      heparin is present, but the process is highly sensitive to the presence of
      amphiphiles, highlighting the very dynamic nature of the peptide conformation and
      suggesting that kisspeptin aggregation is a biologically regulatable process.

PMID- 20301215
TI  - Conformations and properties of the L-tryptophyl-containing peptides in solution,
      depending on the pH--theoretical study vs. experiments.
AB  - The conformational preference and electronic properties of three L-tryptophyl
      containing dipeptides, i.e., glycyl-L-tryptophane (H-Gly-Trp-OH), L-alanyl-L
      tryptophane (H-Ala-Trp-OH), and L-methionyl-L-tryptophane (L-Met-Trp-OH) in
      solution depending on the pH of the media are studied both theoretically and
      experimentally. The effect of the protonation of the COO(-) and deprotonation of
      the NH3+ as well as the alkaline hydrolysis of the amide fragment in a strong
      basic media on the electronic spectra are discussed. Ab initio and density
      functional theory (DFT) methods as well as the time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) method
      as a function of the basis set are performed with a view to obtain the geometry
      and electronic properties of all of the species as well as the intermediate,
      obtained in the alkaline hydrolysis mechanism.

PMID- 20301216
TI  - Widespread distribution of knockdown resistance mutations in the bed bug, Cimex
      lectularius (Hemiptera: Cimicidae), populations in the United States.
AB  - We previously reported high deltamethrin resistance in bed bugs, Cimex
      lectularius, collected from multiple areas of the United States (Romero et al.,
      2007). Recently, two mutations, the Valine to Leucine mutation (V419L) and the
      Leucine to Isoleucine mutation (L925I) in voltage-gated sodium channel alpha
      subunit gene, had been identified to be responsible for knockdown resistance
      (kdr) to deltamethrin in bed bugs collected from New York (Yoon et al., 2008).
      The current study was undertaken to investigate the distribution of these two kdr
      mutations in 110 bed bug populations collected in the United States. Out of the
      17 bed bug populations that were assayed for deltamethrin susceptibility, two
      resistant populations collected in the Cincinnati area and three deltamethrin
      susceptible lab colonies showed neither of the two reported mutations (haplotype
      A). The remaining 12 populations contained L925I or both V419L and L925I
      mutations in voltage-gated sodium channel alpha-subunit gene (haplotypes B&C). In
      93 populations that were not assayed for deltamethrin susceptibility, 12
      contained neither of the two mutations (haplotype A) and 81 contained L925I or
      V419L or both mutations (haplotypes B-D). Thus, 88% of the bed bug populations
      collected showed target-site mutations. These data suggest that deltamethrin
      resistance conferred by target-site insensitivity of sodium channel is widely
      spread in bed bug populations across the United States.

PMID- 20301217
TI  - Heparan sulfate in lung morphogenesis: The elephant in the room.
AB  - Heparan sulfate (HS) is a structurally complex polysaccharide located on the cell
      surface and in the extracellular matrix, where it participates in numerous
      biological processes through interactions with a vast number of regulatory
      proteins such as growth factors and morphogens. HS is crucial for lung
      development; disruption of HS synthesis in flies and mice results in a major
      aberration of airway branching, and in mice, it results in neonatal death as a
      consequence of malformed lungs and respiratory distress. Epithelial-mesenchymal
      interactions governing lung morphogenesis are directed by various diffusible
      proteins, many of which bind to, and are regulated by HS, including fibroblast
      growth factors, sonic hedgehog, and bone morphogenetic proteins. The majority of
      research into the molecular mechanisms underlying defective lung morphogenesis
      and pulmonary pathologies, such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia and pulmonary
      hypoplasia associated with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), has focused on
      abnormal protein expression. The potential contribution of HS to abnormalities of
      lung development has yet to be explored to any significant extent, which is
      somewhat surprising given the abnormal lung phenotype exhibited by mutant mice
      synthesizing abnormal HS. This review summarizes our current understanding of the
      role of HS and HS-binding proteins in lung morphogenesis and will present in
      vitro and in vivo evidence for the fundamental importance of HS in airway
      development. Finally, we will discuss the future possibility of HS-based
      therapeutics for ameliorating insufficient lung growth associated with lung
      diseases such as CDH.

PMID- 20301219
TI  - Extracellular matrix provides an optimal niche for the maintenance and
      propagation of mesenchymal stem cells.
AB  - Relatively little is known about the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying
      the control of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) proliferation, differentiation, and
      survival. This presents difficulties in following and characterizing cells along
      the lineage because of our inability to isolate and obtain a sufficient number of
      homogeneous MSCs using current culture systems for in vitro expansion. Adjusting
      the cellular machinery to allow greater proliferation can lead to other unwanted
      outcomes, such as unmanageable precancerous changes, or differentiation down an
      undesired pathway. Recently, it has become increasingly evident that the
      extracellular matrix (ECM) is an important component of the cellular niche in a
      tissue, supplying critical biochemical and physical signals to initiate and
      sustain cellular functions. Indeed, it is very doubtful that the intricate and
      highly ordered nature of the ECM could be reproduced with synthetic or purified
      components. This review cites evidence that supports an alternative approach for
      maintenance of MSCs by simulating in vitro the bone marrow ECM, where MSCs reside
      in vivo, and discusses the potential mechanisms whereby the ECM regulates the
      exposure of cells to growth factors that subsequently control MSC replication and
      differentiation, and also how the ECM provides unique cues that govern the
      lineage specification and differentiation of MSCs.

PMID- 20301220
TI  - Basement membranes in development and disease.
AB  - Basement membranes (BMs) are specializations of the extracellular matrix that act
      as key mediators of development and disease. Their sheet like protein matrices
      typically serve to separate epithelial or endothelial cell layers from underlying
      mesenchymal tissues, providing both a biophysical support to overlying tissue as
      well as a hub to promote and regulate cell-cell and cell-protein interactions. In
      the latter context, the BM is increasingly being recognized as a mediator of
      growth factor interactions during development. In this review, we discuss recent
      findings regarding the structure of the BM and its roles in mediating the normal
      development of the embryo, and we examine congenital diseases affecting the BM
      which impact embryonic development and health in later life.

PMID- 20301221
TI  - The role of mechanical signals in regulating chondrogenesis and osteogenesis of
      mesenchymal stem cells.
AB  - It is becoming increasingly clear that mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)
      differentiation is regulated by mechanical signals. Mechanical forces generated
      intrinsically within the cell in response to its extracellular environment, and
      extrinsic mechanical signals imposed upon the cell by the extracellular
      environment, play a central role in determining MSC fate. This article reviews
      chondrogenesis and osteogenesis during skeletogenesis, and then considers the
      role of mechanics in regulating limb development and regenerative events such as
      fracture repair. However, observing skeletal changes under altered loading
      conditions can only partially explain the role of mechanics in controlling MSC
      differentiation. Increasingly, understanding how epigenetic factors, such as the
      mechanical environment, regulate stem cell fate is undertaken using tightly
      controlled in vitro models. Factors such as bioengineered surfaces, substrates,
      and bioreactor systems are used to control the mechanical forces imposed upon,
      and generated within, MSCs. From these studies, a clearer picture of how
      osteogenesis and chondrogenesis of MSCs is regulated by mechanical signals is
      beginning to emerge. Understanding the response of MSCs to such regulatory
      factors is a key step towards understanding their role in development, disease
      and regeneration.

PMID- 20301218
TI  - Tissue-dependent induction of apoptosis by matrix metalloproteinase stromelysin-3
      during amphibian metamorphosis.
AB  - Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a superfamily of Zn(2+)-dependent proteases
      that are capable of cleaving the proteinaceous component of the extracellular
      matrix (ECM). The ECM is a critical medium for cell-cell interactions and can
      also directly signal cells through cell surface ECM receptors, such as integrins.
      In addition, many growth factors and signaling molecules are stored in the ECM.
      Thus, ECM remodeling and/or degradation by MMPs are expected to affect cell fate
      and behavior during many developmental and pathological processes. Numerous
      studies have shown that the expression of MMP mRNAs and proteins associates
      tightly with diverse developmental and pathological processes, such as tumor
      metastasis and mammary gland involution. In vivo evidence to support the roles of
      MMPs in these processes has been much harder to get. Here, we will review some of
      our studies on MMP11, or stromelysin-3, during the thyroid hormone-dependent
      amphibian metamorphosis, a process that resembles the so-called postembryonic
      development in mammals (from a few months before to several months after birth in
      humans when organ growth and maturation take place). Our investigations
      demonstrate that stromelysin-3 controls apoptosis in different tissues via at
      least two distinct mechanisms.

PMID- 20301222
TI  - Therapeutic potential of the immunomodulatory activities of adult mesenchymal
      stem cells.
AB  - Adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) include a select population of resident cells
      within adult tissues, which retain the ability to differentiate along several
      tissue-specific lineages under defined media conditions and have finite expansion
      potential in vitro. These adult progenitor populations have been identified in
      various tissues, but it remains unclear exactly what role both transplanted and
      native MSCs play in processes of disease and regeneration. Interestingly,
      increasing evidence reveals a unique antiinflammatory immunomodulatory phenotype
      shared among this population, lending support to the idea that MSCs play a
      central role in early tissue remodeling responses where a controlled inflammatory
      response is required. However, additional evidence suggests that MSCs may not
      retain infinite immune privilege and that the context with which these cells are
      introduced in vivo may influence their immune phenotype. Therefore, understanding
      this dynamic microenvironment in which MSCs participate in complex feedback loops
      acting upon and being influenced by a plethora of secreted cytokines,
      extracellular matrix molecules, and fragments will be critical to elucidating the
      role of MSCs in the intertwined processes of immunomodulation and tissue repair.

PMID- 20301223
TI  - Laying the groundwork for growth: Cell-cell and cell-ECM interactions in
      cardiovascular development.
AB  - Cardiac development is reliant upon the spatial and temporal regulation of both
      genetic and chemical signals. Central to the communication of these signals are
      direct interactions between cells and their surrounding environment. The
      extracellular matrix (ECM) plays an integral role in cell communication and
      tissue growth throughout development by providing both structural support and
      chemical signaling factors. The present review discusses elements of cell-cell
      and cell-ECM interactions involved in cardiogenesis, and how disruption of these
      interactions can result in numerous heart defects. Examining the relationships
      between cells and their immediate environment has implications for novel and
      existing therapeutic strategies to combating congenital disorders.

PMID- 20301224
TI  - Molecular characterization of two novel deltamethrin-inducible P450 genes from
      Liposcelis bostrychophila Badonnel (Psocoptera: Liposcelididae).
AB  - Two novel P450 genes, CYP6CE1 and CYP6CE2 (GenBank accession number: EF421245 and
      EF421246), were cloned and characterized from psocid, Liposcelis bostrychophila.
      CYP6CE1 and CYP6CE2 contain open reading frames of 1,581 and 1,563 nucleotides
      that encode 527 and 521 amino acid residues, respectively. The putative proteins
      of CYP6CE1 and CYP6CE2 show predicted molecular weights of 60.76 and 59.83 kDa
      with a theoretical pI of 8.58 and 8.78, respectively. CYP6CE1 and CYP6CE2 share
      74% identity with each other, and the deduced proteins are typical microsomal
      P450s sharing signature sequences with other insect CYP6 P450s. Both CYP6CE1 and
      CYP6CE2 share the closest identities with Hodotermopsis sjoestedti CYP6AM1 at 48%
      among the published sequences. Phylogenetic analysis showed a closer relationship
      of CYP6CE1 and CYP6CE2 with CYP6 members of other insects than with those from
      other families. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR showed that both CYP6CE1 and
      CYP6CE2 are expressed at all developmental stages tested. Interestingly, CYP6CE2
      transcripts decreased from the highest in 1st nymph to the lowest in adults,
      which seemed to suggest developmental regulation. However, neither CYP6CE1 nor
      CYP6CE2 were stage specific. The CYP6CE1 and CYP6CE2 transcripts in adults
      increased significantly after deltamethrin exposure. Recombinant protein
      expression studies are needed to determine the real functions of these proteins.

PMID- 20301225
TI  - The venlafaxine "heart revenge:" a short report.
AB  - A 40-year-old white woman with a history of venlafaxine abuse was admitted to our
      emergency department within 3 days after attempting suicide. On admission, blood
      pressure was 140/85 mm Hg with 70 beats per minute. The resting 12-lead ECG
      showed a significant ST-segment elevation in the anterolateral leads consistent
      with acute anterolateral myocardial infarction (anterolateral AMI). Noninvasive
      monitoring of blood oxygen saturation showed 97% while she was breathing room
      air. Laboratory findings showed the increase of troponin I up to 16 microg/L
      (normal range, 0-0.05 microg/L) and creatine kinase MB subunit levels up to 166
      U/L (normal range, 0-25 U/L). An emergency coronary angiogram was normal.
      Venlafaxine is generally prescribed for the treatment of major depression, as
      well as, generalized and social anxiety. This is the first time in the literature
      that we describe an association between myocardial infarction and an overdose
      with venlafaxine.

PMID- 20301226
TI  - A large family from Argentina with prekallikrein deficiency due to a compound
      heterozygosis (T insertion in intron 7 and Asp558Glu in exon 15): prekallikrein
      Cordoba.

PMID- 20301227
TI  - A literature review regarding the management of varicella-zoster virus.
AB  - Chickenpox and shingles (varicella-zoster virus [VZV]) pose a threat to
      individuals who are immunosuppressed and/or have rheumatoid arthritis or another
      inflammatory musculoskeletal condition. In this paper we present a literature
      review of the condition, management and prevention.

PMID- 20301228
TI  - Teaching medical students about chronic disease: patient-led teaching in
      rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of patient-led teaching compared with
      doctor-led teaching, regarding the impact of chronic disease (rheumatoid
      arthritis [RA]). METHODS: A set of learning objectives regarding the impact of RA
      on patient and family was designed. Students (n = 42) attached to the academy for
      their musculoskeletal diseases module were randomized to teaching either by a
      doctor or a patient. Outcome was assessed using a knowledge test, feedback forms
      and qualitative written interview. RESULTS: In the knowledge test, the groups
      performed equally. The patient-taught group scored 24.5 +/- 3.5 (max 35); the
      doctor-taught group scored 24.6 +/- 4.1 (p > 0.05; NS). Feedback was completed by
      40/42 students. Mean scores for the overall grading of teaching (1-5, where 1 =
      worst, 5 = best) were: patient teaching 4.36 (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.11,
      4.61); doctor teaching 3.69 (95% CI 3.52, 3.92).The difference between the
      average scores was 0.42 (p = 0.005). Qualitative feedback showed recurring themes
      that students appreciated the personal nature of the patient's teaching, enabling
      them to understand the impact of the disease on patients and their families. The
      doctors' teaching was also appreciated, particularly the interactive style and
      opportunity to participate in role play. CONCLUSIONS: We have demonstrated that
      our patient was at least as good as a doctor at teaching about the impact of
      chronic disease on patients. Furthermore, this experience is valued by students
      who appreciate the personal insight that a patient can offer.

PMID- 20301793
TI  - [EPI-CLIN 3rd French-speaking Conference of Clinical Epidemiology, Fes, Morocco,
      7-8 May 2009. Abstracts].

PMID- 20301229
TI  - A non-functioning vitamin D receptor predisposes to leukaemoid reactions in mice.
AB  - The vitamin D hormone 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) [1,25(OH)(2) D(3) ], the
      biologically active form of vitamin D, is not only essential for mineral
      metabolism but may have important functions beyond calcium homoeostasis. By gene
      targeting, we have recently generated mice expressing a functionally inactive
      mutant vitamin D receptor (VDR). After a change in environmental conditions from
      specific pathogen free (SPF) conditions to a modified barrier system, a high
      percentage of aged mutant, but not wild-type, mice developed a haematological
      disorder characterized by splenomegaly, granulocytosis, thrombocytosis and
      dysplastic changes with displacement of erythropoiesis in bone marrow during the
      following months. All cases were associated with very high serum levels of the
      acute phase reaction protein serum amyloid A (SAA). Serological testing of
      affected mice revealed antibodies against murine hepatitis virus (MHV). However,
      electron microscopy of spleen and bone marrow cells did not reveal virus
      particles, and clinical signs of infectious diseases were absent. We hypothesize
      that a non-functioning VDR is associated with a latent defect in the regulation
      of myeloid cell differentiation and proliferation. Under the conditions of
      environmental stress, this latent defect may predispose to a deregulation of
      myelopoiesis in the form of a leukaemoid reaction accompanied by dysplastic
      changes. Thus, 1,25(OH)(2) D(3) may be an important inhibitory factor in the
      onset and progression of myeloproliferative and myelodysplastic diseases.

PMID- 20301794
TI  - The explant can safely remove cemented acetabular components.

PMID- 20301795
TI  - Niacin compared with ezetimibe.

PMID- 20301796
TI  - Niacin compared with ezetimibe.

PMID- 20301797
TI  - Niacin compared with ezetimibe.

PMID- 20301798
TI  - Platelet inhibition with cangrelor.

PMID- 20301799
TI  - Papillary fibroelastoma of an anomalous mitral valve chorda.
AB  - Cardiac papillary fibroelastoma (CPF) is a rare primary cardiac tumour. This
      tumour constitutes about 10-15% of all primary cardiac tumours. We report here a
      case of CPF of an anomalous mitral valve chorda.

PMID- 20301800
TI  - Dabigatran versus warfarin for venous thromboembolism.

PMID- 20301801
TI  - Continuing medical education--limiting industry's influence.

PMID- 20301802
TI  - Continuing medical education--limiting industry's influence.

PMID- 20301803
TI  - Knee arthroscopy: viewing the posterior horn  of the medial meniscus.

PMID- 20301804
TI  - An alternative use of Foley catheters in  Ilizarov external fixation.

PMID- 20301805
TI  - Pre-contouring plates using synthetic bone  models as a template to aid minimal
      access  fracture fixation.

PMID- 20301806
TI  - A simple technique for in situ renal artery  perfusion during abdominal aortic 
      aneurysm repair.

PMID- 20301807
TI  - Suction retractor: a useful aid for deep plane  dissections.

PMID- 20301808
TI  - 'Boot' as a 'collar' - a simple solution to shunt slippage.

PMID- 20301809
TI  - The use of Goldfinger(TM)(Ethicon Endo Surgery) to facilitate laparoscopic distal
      pancreatectomy.

PMID- 20301810
TI  - Use of a K-wire as an aid to ensuring an  accurate neck cut during hip hemi
      arthroplasty.

PMID- 20301811
TI  - Dual-eligibles: a better way.

PMID- 20301812
TI  - Application of SYPRO Ruby- and Flamingo-stained polyacrylamide gels  to Western
      blot analysis.
AB  - Western blots are widely used for analysis of the expression levels of specific
      proteins. Blotting is conducted after sodium dodecyl sulfate or native
      polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis without staining the gel. However, when it is
      necessary to analyze the gel, duplicate polyacrylamide gels (one of which is
      stained) usually must be prepared, leading to the consumption of precious sample.
      Thus, we have developed a convenient and efficient Western blot method using a
      stained gel. This simple modification should be beneficial for the analysis of
      samples that are limited in quantity and/or samples for which the stained gel
      serves as the loading control.

PMID- 20301813
TI  - Environmental effects of ozone depletion and its interactions with climate
      change: progress report, 2009.
AB  - The parties to the Montreal Protocol are informed by three panels of experts. One
      of these is the Environmental Effects Assessment Panel (EEAP), which deals with
      UV radiation and its effects on human health, animals, plants, biogeochemistry,
      air quality and materials. Since 2000, the analyses and interpretation of these
      effects have included interactions between UV radiation and global climate
      change. When considering the effects of climate change, it has become clear that
      processes resulting in changes in stratospheric ozone are more complex than
      believed previously. As a result of this, human health and environmental problems
      will likely be longer-lasting and more regionally variable. Like the other
      panels, the EEAP produces a detailed report every four years; the most recent was
      that for 2006 (Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2007, 6, 201-332). In the years in
      between, the EEAP produces a less detailed and shorter progress report, as is the
      case for this present one for 2009. A full quadrennial report will follow for
      2010.

PMID- 20301814
TI  - Winds of change: growing demands for transparency in the relationship between
      doctors and the pharmaceutical industry.

PMID- 20301815
TI  - Culture care meanings, beliefs, and practices in Rural Dominican Republic.
AB  - PURPOSE: This ethnonursing study explored the meanings, beliefs, and practices of
      care for rural Dominicans in the Dominican Republic. DESIGN: Leininger's culture
      care diversity and universality theory, ethnonursing, and four-phase analysis
      method guided the study. Interviews were conducted with 19 general and 10 key
      informants. FINDINGS: Analysis of interviews revealed three main themes: (a)
      family presence is essential for meaningful care experiences and care practices,
      (b) respect and attention are central to the meaning of care and care practices,
      and (c) rural Dominicans value and use both generic (folk) and professional care
      practices. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Implications and recommendations for
      nursing practice, education, and research are described.

PMID- 20301816
TI  - Providing care for migrant farm worker families in their unique sociocultural
      context and environment.
AB  - This article highlights the Farm Worker Family Health Program's (FWFHP)
      strategies for providing care to migrant farm workers residing within a unique
      social and cultural context. The care provided by health professions students
      from a variety of disciplines extends and augments the work of the local migrant
      farm worker clinic that is pushed beyond capacity during peak growing and harvest
      times. Nursing's social responsibility to care for underserved populations is a
      guiding principle of the FWFHP and shapes how the work is translated into action.
      The FWFHP is a community-academic partnership that began in the rural
      southeastern United States in 1993. Challenges facing migrant farm worker
      families include access to health care, language, health literacy, housing and
      sanitation, family and community integrity, and workplace safety. The nursing
      practice strategies used to address these health challenges may be adapted to
      strengthen health programs serving other populations who live in poverty or
      reside in low-resource settings.

PMID- 20301817
TI  - Case studies of Hispanic caregivers of persons with dementia: reconciliation of
      self.
AB  - An interpretive phenomenology perspective is used to explore the lived experience
      of two Hispanic caregivers and the phenomenon of mastery. The analysis showed how
      theses caregivers derive meaning of their experience through a process of
      reconciliation of self between the roles of parental caretaker, respectful
      daughter, and caregiver. This reconciliation of self is a form of mastery, and
      the process of reconciliation is grounded in cultural values of intergenerational
      reciprocity and familism. Nurses have the unique opportunity to support a
      caregiver in his or her interaction with the person with dementia. The
      implications for practice include the need for nurses to acknowledge, validate,
      and support caregiver's experience of reconciling self as a form of health
      promotion.

PMID- 20301818
TI  - Incorporating cultural competence content into graduate nursing curricula through
      community-university collaboration.
AB  - Health professionals are reorienting workforce education to better prepare
      students for working with increasingly diverse populations. The authors describe
      a community-based curriculum deliberation process in which community leaders and
      health workers deliberated with faculty and students to make recommendations
      about a graduate nursing curriculum. There were five areas of competencies
      recommended for graduate nursing to improve care of diverse populations: self
      awareness, basic knowledge of culture and identity, attitudes that promote cross
      cultural communication, cross-cultural clinical skills, and advocacy skills. The
      school now is in the process of phasing in recommendations gained from the
      deliberation.

PMID- 20301819
TI  - Ultrasound-guided continuous femoral nerve block for analgesia after total knee
      arthroplasty: catheter perpendicular to the nerve versus catheter parallel to the
      nerve.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study tested the hypothesis that, in continuous
      femoral nerve block (CFNB) under ultrasound guidance, placing a catheter
      perpendicular to the nerve can shorten the time of catheter insertion while
      providing a similar quality of analgesia compared with placing a catheter
      parallel to the nerve. METHODS: Fifty patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty
      were randomly assigned to receive ultrasound-guided CFNB either with the catheter
      parallel to the nerve technique (parallel group, n = 25) or with the catheter
      perpendicular to the nerve technique (perpendicular group, n = 25). Patient
      controlled morphine analgesia pumps were available to all the patients after
      surgery. The time of catheter insertion, failure rates, pain scores, morphine
      consumption, nausea and vomiting, and maximal degree of knee flexion were
      recorded. RESULTS: The time of catheter insertion was shorter in the
      perpendicular group than in the parallel group (12 +/- 3 versus 22 +/- 6 mins, P
      < 0.01). Failed catheter insertion occurred in 3 (12%) of 25 patients in the
      parallel group and in none of 25 patients in the perpendicular group (P =
      0.2347). There were no significant differences in pain scores, opioid
      consumption, incidence of nausea and vomiting, and maximal degree of knee flexion
      between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: In CFNB under ultrasound guidance, using the
      catheter perpendicular to the nerve technique can shorten the time of catheter
      insertion while providing a similar quality of analgesia after total knee
      arthroplasty as compared with the catheter parallel to the nerve technique.

PMID- 20301820
TI  - Safety of high volume lipid emulsion infusion: a first approximation of LD50 in
      rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lipid infusion reverses systemic local anesthetic toxicity. The
      acceptable upper limit for lipid administration is unknown and has direct bearing
      on clinical management. We hypothesize that high volumes of lipid could have
      undesirable effects and sought to identify the dose required to kill 50% of the
      animals (LD(50)) of large volume lipid administration. METHODS: Intravenous lines
      and electrocardiogram electrodes were placed in anesthetized, male Sprague-Dawley
      rats. Twenty percent lipid emulsion (20, 40, 60, or 80 mL/kg) or saline (60 or 80
      mL/kg), were administered over 30 mins; lipid dosing was assigned by the Dixon
      "up-and-down" method. Rats were recovered and observed for 48 hrs then euthanized
      for histologic analysis of major organs. Three additional rats were administered
      60 mL/kg lipid emulsion and euthanized at 1, 4, and 24 hrs to identify
      progression of organ damage. RESULTS: The maximum likelihood estimate for LD(50)
      was 67.72 (SE, 10.69) mL/kg. Triglycerides were elevated immediately after
      infusion but returned to baseline by 48 hrs when laboratory abnormalities
      included elevated amylase, aspartate aminotransferase, and serum urea nitrogen
      for all lipid doses. Histologic diagnosis of myocardium, brain, pancreas, and
      kidneys was normal at all doses. Microscopic abnormalities in lung and liver were
      observed at 60 and 80 mL/kg; histopathology in the lung and liver was worse at 1
      hr than at 4 and 24 hrs. CONCLUSIONS: The LD(50) of rapid, high volume lipid
      infusion is an order of magnitude greater than doses typically used for lipid
      rescue in humans and supports the safety of lipid infusion at currently
      recommended doses for toxin-induced cardiac arrest. Lung and liver histopathology
      was observed at the highest infused volumes.

PMID- 20301821
TI  - Spinal Anesthesia and Intrathecal Clonidine Decrease the Hypnotic Requirement of
      Propofol.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Spinal anesthesia and intrathecal clonidine are known
      to have hypnotic effects. We investigated the effect of spinal anesthesia and
      intrathecal clonidine on the requirement of propofol for sedation. METHODS: Sixty
      adult patients scheduled for stripping and ligation of varicose veins under local
      or spinal anesthesia were enrolled in this study. Group 1 included patients given
      local anesthesia, group 2 included patients given spinal anesthesia, and group 3
      included patients given spinal anesthesia with 75 microg of clonidine. Target
      controlled infusion of propofol was started to achieve a target concentration of
      1 and 1.5 microg/mL, and the mean bispectral index (BIS) for 1 min was checked
      after an effect site concentration (Ce) of 1 and 1.5 microg/mL propofol was
      reached. In addition, the Ce of propofol was documented when the mean BIS for 1
      min reached 80 and 70 for the 3 groups, respectively, during the observation
      period. RESULTS: The BIS at 1 microg/mL propofol Ce was 87 (group 1), 80 (group
      2), and 69 (group 3). The BIS at 1.5 microg/mL propofol Ce was 76, 64, and 51,
      respectively. The Ce of propofol when the BIS first reached 80 was 1.4, 1.1, and
      0.7 microg/mL, respectively. The Ce of propofol when the BIS first reached 70 was
      1.7, 1.4, and 0.9 microg/mL, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Spinal anesthesia and
      intrathecal clonidine might reduce the requirement of propofol for sedation. Our
      study showed target concentrations of propofol for sedation of 1.4 to 1.7 using
      local anesthesia only, 1.1 to 1.4 using spinal anesthesia with bupivacaine, and
      0.7 to 0.9 microg/mL using spinal anesthesia with bupivacaine and 75 microg of
      clonidine

PMID- 20301822
TI  - Pulsed radiofrequency for the treatment of occipital neuralgia: a prospective
      study with 6 months of follow-up.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Occipital neuralgia is a paroxysmal nonthrobbing,
      stabbing pain in the area of the greater or lesser occipital nerve caused by
      irritation of these nerves. Although several therapies have been reported, no
      criterion standard has emerged. This study reports on the results of a
      prospective trial with 6 months of follow-up in which pulsed radiofrequency
      treatment of the greater and/or lesser occipital nerve was used to treat this
      neuralgia. METHODS: Patients presenting with clinical findings suggestive of
      occipital neuralgia and a positive test block of the occipital nerves with 2 mL
      of local anesthetic underwent a pulsed radiofrequency procedure of the culprit
      nerves. Mean scores for pain, quality of life, and medication intake were
      measured 1, 2, and 6 months after the procedure. Pain was measured by the visual
      analog and Likert scales, quality of life was measured by a modified brief pain
      questionnaire, and medication intake was measured by a Medication Quantification
      Scale. RESULTS: During a 29-month period, 19 patients were included in the study.
      Mean visual analog scale and median Medication Quantification Scale scores
      declined by 3.6 units (P = 0.002) and 8 units (P = 0.006), respectively, during 6
      months. Approximately 52.6% of patients reported a score of 6 (pain improved
      substantially) or higher on the Likert scale after 6 months. No complications
      were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Pulsed radiofrequency treatment of the greater and/or
      lesser occipital nerve is a promising treatment of occipital neuralgia. This
      study warrants further placebo-controlled trials.

PMID- 20301823
TI  - Models and mechanisms of local anesthetic cardiac toxicity: a review.
AB  - Cardiovascular collapse, even death, may occur after intoxication with
      bupivacaine or related amide local anesthetic agents. The problem has been
      studied in myriad laboratories for more than 20 years. Nevertheless, there is
      consensus neither regarding which animal model best mimics this clinical
      catastrophe nor as to which ion channel, enzyme, or other local anesthetic
      binding site represents the point of initiation for the process. This review
      aimed to define the various credible mechanisms that have been proposed to
      explain cardiovascular collapse and death after administration of local
      anesthetics, particularly after bupivacaine and related agents.

PMID- 20301824
TI  - Clinical presentation of local anesthetic systemic toxicity: a review of
      published cases, 1979 to 2009.
AB  - The classic description of local anesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST) generally
      described in textbooks includes a series of progressively worsening neurologic
      symptoms and signs occurring shortly after the injection of local anesthetic and
      paralleling progressive increases in blood local anesthetic concentration,
      culminating in seizures and coma. In extreme cases, signs of hemodynamic
      instability follow and can lead to cardiovascular collapse. To characterize the
      clinical spectrum of LAST and compare it to the classic picture described above,
      we reviewed published reports of LAST during a 30-year period from 1979 to 2009.
      Ninety-three cases were identified and analyzed with respect to onset of toxicity
      and the spectrum of signs and symptoms. Sixty percent of cases followed the
      classic pattern of presentation. However, in the remainder of cases, symptoms
      were substantially delayed after the injection of local anesthetic, or involved
      only signs of cardiovascular compromise, with no evidence of central nervous
      system toxicity. Although information gained from retrospective case review
      cannot establish incidence, outcomes, or comparative efficacies of treatment, it
      can improve awareness of the clinical spectrum of LAST and, theoretically, the
      diagnosis and treatment of affected patients. The analytic limitations of our
      method make a strong case for developing a prospective, global registry of LAST
      as a robust alternative for educating practitioners and optimizing management of
      LAST.

PMID- 20301825
TI  - Wound spread of radiolabeled saline with multi- versus few-hole catheters.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Continuous wound infusion of local anesthetics is
      effective in postoperative pain management and may be useful in major joint
      arthroplasty, but the optimal technique for postoperative administration of local
      anesthetics in the wound awaits trials evaluating the optimal type of catheter
      (single-, few-, or multiholed catheters). METHODS: Sixteen patients undergoing
      total hip arthroplasty were randomized to intraoperative subfascial placement of
      a triple-orifice epidural catheter or a 15-cm multiholed catheter. Twenty
      milliliters of technetium Tc 99m diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid-labeled
      saline was injected postoperatively and wound spread for 10 mins was recorded
      with a double-head gamma camera. RESULTS: Mean (SD) wound spread (cm(2)) was the
      same with administration through a multiholed catheter versus the epidural
      catheter in both anterior (89 [15] versus 82 [20], P = 0.4) and lateral (68 [19]
      versus 60 [11], P = 0.3) projections. CONCLUSIONS: Wound spread of a bolus
      injection through 15-cm multiholed catheters versus triple-orifice epidural
      catheters is similar with subfascial catheter placement in total hip
      arthroplasty. Procedure-specific trials are required to evaluate the analgesic
      efficacy of postoperative administration of local anesthetic in the wound with
      different types of catheter before general recommendations can be made.

PMID- 20301826
TI  - Sonographic identification of needle tip by specialists and novices: a blinded
      comparison of 5 regional block needles in fresh human cadavers.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Needle visibility using ultrasound remains problematic
      at steep insertion angles. Despite modified techniques, steep approaches are
      still needed, particularly in the obese, neuraxial anesthesia or pain blocks
      around the spine. We describe a novel technique for objective assessment of
      needle-tip identification and present data on a new needle. METHODS: Five needles
      were compared for accuracy of tip position identification. Pajunk facet-tipped,
      Tuohy-tipped, Polymedic Ultrasound, Hakko EchoStim, and a new intermittently
      textured needle (T). Static ultrasound images were obtained of the needles in
      first-thaw, unembalmed cadavers at shallow, moderate and steep angles. Actual tip
      position was defined. Images were presented in blinded, random order to 10
      experienced and 10 novice anesthetists who estimated tip position. Distance
      between true tip position and estimated position was measured ("tip error").
      Secondary objectives included subjective measures of visibility and differences
      between needles at shallower insertion angles and between novice and expert
      observers. RESULTS: At steep angles, study needles varied significantly with
      regard to tip error (P < 0.0001). Needle T scored highest for confidence and
      subjective visibility at moderate and steep angles. There was no significant
      difference between novice and experienced anesthetists for tip error or
      visibility. Experts were more confident in their estimates. CONCLUSIONS: Needle T
      demonstrated good properties even at steep insertion angles. Tip location was
      accurate, and observers rated it highly visible. Ability to identify needle-tip
      position can be objectively assessed.

PMID- 20301827
TI  - In-plane ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral block: a preliminary report of
      36 cases with radiologic confirmation of catheter position.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) can be used for
      unilateral surgical procedures. Modifications of the classic approach have been
      proposed to minimize the risk of pleural puncture. In this study, we evaluated
      the feasibility and success rate of a transverse in-plane ultrasound (US)-guided
      TPVB with radiologic confirmation of catheter position. METHODS: A total of 36
      patients scheduled for unilateral surgery with a TPVB catheter were included in
      this prospective study. Ultrasonographically, the transverse process of the
      thoracic vertebra and rib were identified at the appropriate thoracic level. The
      transducer was moved cranially until an intercostal US view was obtained,
      indicated by visualization of the parietal pleura. An in-plane needle insertion
      approach from lateral to medial was used, and a total of 20 mL ropivacaine 0.75%
      was injected through the needle and a subsequently threaded catheter, while the
      spread of local anesthetic was observed. Sensory spread of the block was
      evaluated by loss of cold sensation in the dermatomes. Catheter position was
      radiologically evaluated with radiopaque dye. RESULTS: Block success rate was
      100%. In all patients, correct radiologic thoracic paravertebral catheter
      position was confirmed; 1 patient also showed additional epidural spread. The
      median number of total dermatomal segments with loss of cold sensation was 6. No
      pneumothorax or contralateral loss of cold sensation occurred. CONCLUSION: An in
      plane transverse US-guided TPVB using the described technique is feasible and has
      a high success rate. In all patients, correct catheter position in the thoracic
      paravertebral space was radiologically confirmed.

PMID- 20301828
TI  - Ultrasound does not improve the success rate of a deep peroneal nerve block at
      the ankle.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The deep peroneal nerve is 1 of 5 nerves anesthetized when performing
      an ankle block. Multiple techniques of blocking the deep peroneal nerve have been
      described, but little evidence exists to delineate the efficacy of any one
      technique. We hypothesized that ultrasound would increase both the success rate
      and the quality of a deep peroneal nerve block at the ankle. METHODS: Eighteen
      healthy volunteers participated in this randomized, controlled, prospective
      study. Each subject was randomly assigned to receive an ultrasound-guided deep
      peroneal nerve block of either the right or the left ankle. The deep peroneal
      nerve on the opposite side was blocked using a conventional landmark technique.
      Subjects were blinded to the technique used. All blocks were preformed with 5 mL
      of 3% 2-chloroprocaine. We evaluated both sensory and motor blocks at 10-min
      intervals for 60 mins. RESULTS: Blocks were maximal in both groups at 20 to 30
      mins. There was a statistically significant difference in temperature sensation
      and motor function at 10 mins favoring the ultrasound group. There was no
      statistical difference in motor function, temperature, or pinprick sensation
      between 20 and 60 mins. CONCLUSIONS: The use of ultrasound seems to improve the
      onset of deep peroneal nerve block at the ankle but does not improve the overall
      quality of the block.

PMID- 20301829
TI  - Special anniversary volume - issue 6: replacement - focus on the testing of
      chemicals and products. Preface.

PMID- 20301830
TI  - Mail-order versus local pharmacies on adherence: study methods make for unfair
      comparison.

PMID- 20301831
TI  - Case law update: a review of recent rulings of interest to risk managers.
      Harrison v. Binnion, No. 34731(Idaho, July 7, 2009).

PMID- 20301832
TI  - Case law update: a review of recent rulings of interest to risk managers. Vazquez
      Rivera v. Hospital Episcopal San Lucas, Civil No. 08-2223 (JP) (D.P.R. May 25,
      2009).

PMID- 20301833
TI  - Case law update: a review of recent rulings of interest to risk managers. Jones v
      HealthSouth Treasure Valley Hospital, 206 P.3d 473 (Idaho 2009).

PMID- 20301834
TI  - [Q & A. An emergency case admitted with hematemesis followed by exacerbation of
      abdominal pain].

PMID- 20301835
TI  - [New aspects of tumor pathobiology].
AB  - Several biological principles such as epigenetic changes, RNA interference,
      epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and cancer stem cell formation have been
      recently connected to the pathobiology of tumors. All these phenomena have, along
      with genetic changes, a significant impact on the neoplastic transformation
      and/or tumor progression. Authors report a review of the above mentioned
      "nongenetic" processes and their effect on the neoplastic transformation, and the
      appearance, behavior, prognosis, and therapy of tumors. Future diagnostic and
      therapeutic perspectives are also discussed.

PMID- 20301836
TI  - [What is your diagnosis? Composite pheochromocytoma with a ganglioneuroma
      component].

PMID- 20301837
TI  - [Detection of regulatory protein p16/INK4A in the dysplastic cervical squamous
      cell epithelium is a diagnostic tool for carcinoma prevention].
AB  - Parallel sections from 423 randomly selected blocks representing biopsies of 178
      women with the diagnosis of cervical dysplasia and/or erosion were stained for
      p16 polypeptide. The p16/INK4A (inhibitory kinase 4) protein is a cellular
      division regulator, expression of which increases in the presence of oncoprotein
      E7, encoded by human papillomavirus (HPV). Expression of p16 protein was seen in
      the nuclei and cytoplasm of dysplastic squamous epithelium cells as well as in
      carcinoma cells. In 16.6% of erosion cases, the p16 antigen was present in the
      basal and suprabasal layer of the surrounding squamous epithelium revealing
      features of CIN I/LSIL. In CIN I/LSIL as classified by HE staining, the p16
      antigen was found in 65 out of 80 (81%) cases. The p16 protein was typically seen
      in dysplastic basal and suprabasal cells encompassing a confluent layer in the
      lowest third segment of stratified epithelium. In CIN II and CIN III grouped as
      HSIL, the positive rate of p16 antigen presence was 95% (in 45 cases out of 47)
      and/or 100% (in each of 27 cases), respectively. The typical sign of p16 antigen
      distribution in HSIL was its staining over two thirds and/or throughout the whole
      dysplastic epithelium. Extensive staining for p16 antigen was registered within
      nuclei as well as cytoplasm of neoplastic cells in all 6 cervical squamous cell
      carcinomas, which were examined in many sections when being used as positive
      controls. Based on our experience, we consider the p16 antigen staining a helpful
      tool indicating dysplastic cells and estimating their extent.

PMID- 20301838
TI  - Mammaglobin immunostaining in the differential diagnosis between cutaneous
      apocrine carcinoma and cutaneous metastasis from breast carcinoma.
AB  - The differential diagnosis between cutaneous apocrine carcinoma (CAC) and
      cutaneous metastases from breast carcinoma is commonly difficult. Many times,
      clinical information is crucial in the final diagnosis, because help that can be
      obtained from immunohistochemistry is usually limited concerning this subject. We
      used the antibody mammaglobin in order to study 10 cases of cutaneous metastasis
      of ductal breast carcinoma, and 2 cases of CAC. One of the CAC cases showed only
      scattered positive cells, while the other did not show any positivity. Four cases
      of metastatic breast carcinoma also showed scattered positive cells. In other
      five metastatic cases, positive cells were abundant, representing up to 60% of
      the tumoral cells. One case of metastatic breast carcinoma did not show any
      expression of mammaglobin at all. Although, more cases of CAC should probably be
      studied in the future before any categorical conclusion can be obtained, our
      results seem to indicate that a pattern of immunostaining with expression of
      mammaglobin in many cells would favor a metastatic origin of the tumor.

PMID- 20301840
TI  - [Congenital granular cell epulis: a case report].
AB  - Congenital granular cell epulis is a rare benign lesion occuring exclusively in
      newborns as a solitary or multiple swelling of alveolar mucosa of either maxilla
      or mandible. A case of a female newborn who presented with multiple swellings of
      both maxillary and mandibular alveolar mucosa measuring up to 10 mm is presented.
      On 24th postnatal day, the lesions were under general anesthesia excised and sent
      for microscopic examination, which revealed congenital granular cell epulis.
      Immunohistochemically, granular cells showed expression of both vimentin and PGP
      9.5, whereas the proof of S100 protein and inhibin was negative. The
      postoperative course was uneventful and follow-up for 8 months showed no local
      recurrence.

PMID- 20301839
TI  - [Unusual clinical presentation of hepatic yolk sac tumour in periappendical
      region. A case report and review of the literature].
AB  - Primary hepatic yolk sac tumour (YST) is a very rare neoplasm. The authors
      present a case of a 20-year-old woman with fever and pain in the epigastrium,
      clinically resembling acute appendicitis along with high levels of serum alpha
      fetoprotein. From laparoscopic appendectomy there was bioptically verified a
      diagnosis of YST. Consequently, there was discovered a tumor in the liver and the
      patient underwent right hemihepatectomy, hemicolectomy and ovariectomy, from
      which the YST was disclosed in the liver and in the coecum with spread into
      regional lymph nodes. While the gonadal, mediastinal and central nervous system
      origin of the YST was excluded, the diagnosis of the primary hepatic YST could
      have been established. The exact etiology of primary hepatic YST is still
      unclear. It has been suggested that these YSTs might originate from the germ
      cells that escaped during migration course from the yolk sac to the genital ridge
      during embryogenesis with subsequent malignant transformation or from persistent
      pluripotent embryonic cells in the liver, which escaped from the influence of
      differentiation during embryogenesis. This tumour is aggressive with ability to
      spread into distant sites, where it can lead to the first clinical presentation.

PMID- 20301841
TI  - Necker in Scotch perspective.

PMID- 20301842
TI  - Measuring the Breathing Light Illusion by means of induced simultaneous contrast.
AB  - By blurring the margins of a surface, both its brightness and the perceived
      contrast against a superimposed figure with sharp boundaries increase. Also, if
      one approaches a blurred white spot on a grey background, this spot will appear
      wider and brighter: this phenomenon is known as the Breathing Light Illusion
      (BLI) (Gori and Stubbs, 2006 Perception 35 1573-1577). We studied the increment
      of the achromatic contrast of a grey sharp-boundary disk when it was superimposed
      on the BLI. This augmentation of the perceived contrast in the dynamic
      presentation of the BLI was significantly stronger than the effect that Agostini
      and Galmonte (2002a Psychonomic Bulletin and Review 9 264-269) obtained in static
      presentation. Our study leads to an indirect quantification of the BLI. Two
      control experiments showed that the increment of the achromatic contrast depends
      on the blurred spot and is independent of the dynamic increment in angular size.
      These results argue for a causal relationship between the increase in brightness
      due to the BLI and the darkening of the superimposed disk.

PMID- 20301843
TI  - Spatial distortions induced by dotted patterns.
AB  - Prolonged steady fixation of parallel, radial, or concentric lines positioned
      close to each other generates phenomena of illusory oscillation, waving, and
      shimmering. Purkinje reported a first observation of these phenomena almost two
      centuries ago (review by Wade, 1977 Perception 6 407-433). Here we show that
      illusory waving and oscillation phenomena arise at first glance when dotted lines
      are either interposed between continuous lines, or positioned very close to
      straight edges. Phenomenological and individual observations indicate that dotted
      and linear patterns are independent sources of different illusory effects: the
      former of waving, the latter of shimmering/scintillating. The two effects enhance
      each other when dotted and continuous lines are alternated. Possible accounts of
      the phenomena are discussed. Waving is likely to originate from the perceived
      alteration of dot spacing, which in turn gives rise to depth cues and the
      consequent illusory deviation in depth. Shimmering and scintillating are
      attributed to imperfect binocular fusion, which can cause phenomena of brightness
      induction. A theory of the combination of the two illusory effects is put
      forward.

PMID- 20301844
TI  - Sensitivity to reflection and translation is modulated by objectness.
AB  - The salience of a transformation between a pair of contours depends on the type
      of transformation (eg a reflection or a translation) and also on figure-ground
      organisation. Reflection is most salient when both contours belong to the same
      surface, and translation is most salient when they do not connect a surface.
      These findings are based on reaction time (RT). Here I replicate and extend them
      by measuring both RT and sensitivity. The figure-ground relations were changed
      unambiguously by using stereograms. I compared reflection and translation when
      they were present within a surface or across surfaces (experiment 1), and within
      an object or a hole (experiments 2-4). Holes are interesting because they are not
      objects, but their presence does not increase the number of total objects in the
      scene. The within-surface advantage for reflection was present in all
      experiments. There was a between-surface advantage for translation in experiment
      1 but there was no hole advantage for translation in experiments 2-4. Thus the
      effect of context, ie objectness, on detection of regularity is a robust and
      general phenomenon present in every experiment, but the type of interaction
      differs for reflection and translation.

PMID- 20301845
TI  - The effect of cognitive distraction on saccadic latency.
AB  - Saccadic initiation is increasingly being studied as a surrogate for more general
      neural mechanisms of decision-making. Visual 'decision-making' is thought to be
      controlled by higher cortical functions. Lower areas such as the superior
      colliculus are thought to be involved with more primitive optomotor reflexes that
      can generate short-latency saccades. It is now well established that imposition
      of fronto-executive load on subjects performing a saccadic task which, in
      particular, involves suppression of saccades (the no-go saccadic task), increases
      the number of errors made. It is theorised that a weakening of cortical control
      of the superior colliculus is responsible for the increase in error rate. One way
      to test this theory is to measure the latency of incorrect saccades made in a no
      go saccadic task in relation to error rate under different conditions of fronto
      executive load. A high error rate combined with an increased number of short
      latency saccades in the range of express or early saccades would indicate that
      subjects have an inability to inhibit these short-latency more reflexive
      saccades, which seem to originate in the superior colliculus. Hence the normal
      cortical control of the superior colliculus is weakened. We used a saccadic go/no
      go task under fronto-executive load and found that the proportion of short
      latency saccades increased with audio-verbal interference, in conjunction with an
      increase in error rate. These findings provide strong empirical evidence to
      support the theory that maintenance of cortical functions is key to the control
      of saccadic responses. Under conditions of fronto-executive loading such cortical
      control is weakened, leaving subjects with a reduced ability to inhibit short
      latency more reflexive saccades.

PMID- 20301846
TI  - Deciphering faces: quantifiable visual cues to weight.
AB  - Body weight plays a crucial role in mate choice, as weight is related to both
      attractiveness and health. People are quite accurate at judging weight in faces,
      but the cues used to make these judgments have not been defined. This study
      consisted of two parts. First, we wanted to identify quantifiable facial cues
      that are related to body weight, as defined by body mass index (BMI). Second, we
      wanted to test whether people use these cues to judge weight. In study 1, we
      recruited two groups of Caucasian and two groups of African participants,
      determined their BMI and measured their 2-D facial images for: width-to-height
      ratio, perimeter-to-area ratio, and cheek-to-jaw-width ratio. All three measures
      were significantly related to BMI in males, while the width-to-height and cheek
      to-jaw-width ratios were significantly related to BMI in females. In study 2,
      these images were rated for perceived weight by Caucasian observers. We showed
      that these observers use all three cues to judge weight in African and Caucasian
      faces of both sexes. These three facial cues, width-to-height ratio, perimeter-to
      area ratio, and cheek-to-jaw-width ratio, are therefore not only related to
      actual weight but provide a basis for perceptual attributes as well.

PMID- 20301847
TI  - Interactions among the effects of head orientation, emotional expression, and
      physical attractiveness on face preferences.
AB  - Previous studies have shown that preferences for direct versus averted gaze are
      modulated by emotional expressions and physical attractiveness. For example,
      preferences for direct gaze are stronger when judging happy or physically
      attractive faces than when judging disgusted or physically unattractive faces.
      Here we show that preferences for front versus three-quarter views of faces, in
      which gaze direction was always congruent with head orientation, are also
      modulated by emotional expressions and physical attractiveness; participants
      demonstrated preferences for front views of faces over three-quarter views of
      faces when judging the attractiveness of happy, physically attractive
      individuals, but not when judging the attractiveness of relatively unattractive
      individuals or those with disgusted expressions. Moreover, further analyses
      indicated that these interactions did not simply reflect differential perceptions
      of the intensity of the emotional expressions shown in each condition.
      Collectively, these findings present novel evidence that the effect of the
      direction of the attention of others on attractiveness judgments is modulated by
      cues to the physical attractiveness and emotional state of the depicted
      individual, potentially reflecting psychological adaptations for efficient
      allocation of social effort. These data also present the first behavioural
      evidence that the effect of the direction of the attention of others on
      attractiveness judgments reflects viewer-referenced, rather than face-referenced,
      coding and/or processing of gaze direction.

PMID- 20301848
TI  - Time to learn: evidence for two types of attentional guidance in contextual
      cueing.
AB  - Repetition of the same spatial configurations of a search display implicitly
      facilitates performance of a visual-search task when the target location in the
      display is fixed. The improvement of performance is referred to as contextual
      cueing. We examined whether the association process between target location and
      surrounding configuration of distractors occurs during active search or at the
      instant the target is found. To dissociate these two processes, we changed the
      surrounding configuration of the distractors at the instant of target detection
      so that the layout where the participants had searched for the target and the
      layout presented at the instant of target detection differed. The results
      demonstrated that both processes are responsible for the contextual-cueing
      effect, but they differ in the accuracies of attentional guidance and their time
      courses, suggesting that two different types of attentional-guidance processes
      may be involved in contextual cueing.

PMID- 20301849
TI  - Memory for time distinguishes between perception and action.
AB  - Our experience of time is unlike that of other features of the sensory world such
      as colour, movement, touch, or sound because there is no unique receptor system
      through which it is received. However, since time can be perceived, remembered,
      estimated, and compared in a way analogous to other sensory experiences, it
      should perhaps be subject to some of the same architectures or principles that
      have advanced understanding in these other domains. By adapting a task designed
      to test visual memory within a perception/action framework we investigated
      whether memory for time is affected by the use to which temporal information is
      put. When remembering a visual or auditory duration for subsequent motor
      production, storage is biased by a delay of up to 8 s. When the same duration is
      remembered for subsequent perception, however, there is no such effect of delay
      on memory. The results suggest a distinction in temporal memory that parallels
      the perception/action dichotomy in vision.

PMID- 20301850
TI  - Light location influences the perceived locations of internal sounds.
AB  - Numerous studies have shown that visual stimuli can bias the perceived location
      of auditory stimuli. Here, we sought to determine if a visual stimulus can also
      bias the perceived location of multiple internal auditory stimuli. Fifty subjects
      were presented with a train of eight binaural click-pairs over headphones while a
      single flash of light was presented either to the left or to the right side of a
      central fixation point on an otherwise black CRT screen. A no-flash baseline was
      also implemented, as was a no-fixation control. The subjects used a rating scale
      to indicate the perceived location of each of the eight click-pairs within their
      heads. The results showed that the flash of light significantly influenced the
      perceived location of the click-pairs, biasing them in the same direction as the
      flash of light. This suggests that, even without perceptual correspondence, cross
      modal interactions can occur.

PMID- 20301851
TI  - The phantom in the mirror: a modified rubber-hand illusion in amputees and
      normals.
AB  - The bodily boundaries in amputees may seem to be more malleable than in non
      amputees, given the propensity for a phantom limb to embody a mirror-reflected
      hand. However, in the present investigation, in which phantom-limb illusions
      within body space are induced and manipulated, we found that perceiving phantom
      sensations and illusory embodiment does not require amputation. Surprisingly, in
      the present modified rubber-hand illusion, we found that simultaneous stroking or
      stimulation of the participant's target hand was not necessary to induce
      illusions of embodiment and corresponding perceptual illusions. We tested this
      upper-limb paradigm in fourteen upper-limb amputees and twenty-six controls
      (including fourteen lower-limb amputees). We propose a model for embodiment of a
      rubber or real hand passively observed in a mirror. In this model, passive
      observation of the hand in the mirror triggers body representations (body image
      and body schema), most likely through activation of the posterior parietal cortex
      and temporo-parietal junction. Activity in these regions heightens awareness of
      peripersonal space and increases tactile sensitivity, and may subsequently
      enhance perception of illusory touch and embodiment. Furthermore, sense of
      embodiment may be more apparent to the participant when the hand is threatened;
      however, embodiment may even be strengthened when the motor system is engaged,
      evoking motor schemata to support the more easily induced perceptual embodiment
      via body image.

PMID- 20301852
TI  - Long-term adaptation to neck/shoulder pain and perceptual performance in a hand
      laterality motor imagery test.
AB  - The effect of neck/shoulder pain on the performance in a hand laterality motor
      imagery test was studied. Responses to the Cooper and Shepard (1975, Journal of
      Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance 104 48-56) hand
      laterality test were explored in twenty-four individuals with chronic non
      specific neck pain and twenty-one subjects with chronic neck pain of traumatic
      origin (whiplash-associated disorder). Twenty-two controls were also included in
      the study. Digitalised right- or left-hand stimuli were presented at five
      different stimulus angles (0 degrees, 45 degrees laterally, 90 degrees laterally,
      135 degrees laterally, and 180 degrees). The experimental task was to decide the
      laterality as fast and accurately as possible. The performance, both reaction
      time (RT) and accuracy, of the two experimental groups was contrasted with that
      of the control group. The main results revealed that the subjects afflicted with
      whiplash injury on the average exhibited a faster response pattern than symptom
      free healthy controls. Despite their musculoskeletal deficits and experience of
      pain these volunteers also exhibited a preserved speed-accuracy tradeoff. Longer
      duration of time with symptoms of neck pain was, moreover, associated with
      progressively faster RTs. These results point to perceptual learning and may
      reflect different stages of adaptation to neck pain.

PMID- 20301853
TI  - "She's a waterfall": motion aftereffect and perceptual design in video games
      involving virtual musicianship.
AB  - A particularly unpleasant version of motion aftereffect was revealed after
      extensively playing proprietary video games in which the task is to co-ordinate
      spatially distributed responses in time with music. During playing, key musical
      and rhythmic phrases descend as coloured shapes from the top of the screen. After
      playing, static text is presented that appears to slide upwards, reflecting a
      neural reaction contrary to the falling shapes. The game both serves as a
      contemporary example of motion aftereffect and also highlights certain cross
      modal associations between space, time, and sound in the design of stimulus
      response relations.

PMID- 20301854
TI  - Forcing free fusion of stereograms.
AB  - n order to read articles that either are on stereopsis, or use stereopsis as a
      tool, it is virtually inescapable to learn to fuse stereograms without the help
      of a stereoscope or special glasses (free fusion). For a few, this is easy. For
      many, it is frustratingly difficult, leading some to turn their backs on
      stereopsis altogether. Here, we show how presenting a stereogram on a
      transparency-rather than on paper-with a fixation cross behind it (for uncrossed
      fusion), or presenting a fixation cross on a transparency with a paper stereogram
      behind it (for crossed fusion), can force free fusion towards greater success.

PMID- 20301855
TI  - Why are mixed-race people perceived as more attractive?
AB  - Previous, small scale, studies have suggested that people of mixed race are
      perceived as being more attractive than non-mixed-race people. Here, it is
      suggested that the reason for this is the genetic process of heterosis or hybrid
      vigour (ie cross-bred offspring have greater genetic fitness than pure-bred
      offspring). A random sample of 1205 black, white, and mixed-race faces was
      collected. These faces were then rated for their perceived attractiveness. There
      was a small but highly significant effect, with mixed-race faces, on average,
      being perceived as more attractive. This result is seen as a perceptual
      demonstration of heterosis in humans-a biological process that may have
      implications far beyond just attractiveness.

PMID- 20301856
TI  - Social determinants of cardiovascular health and disease.

PMID- 20301857
TI  - Duty to warn and genetic disease.
AB  - In this clinical column, we discuss the ambiguous distinction between genetic
      research and clinical genetics, particularly for Mendelian diseases with high
      recurrence risk, high morbidity and/or mortality and the possible amelioration of
      such diseases by screening or treatment. We use arrhythmogenic right ventricular
      cardiomyopathy as an example of a lethal Mendelian disorder, which prompted the
      discussion contained in this column. Working with such diseases may mean that
      genetic researchers have some responsibility for both immediate research subjects
      and their extended families, as they obtain molecular genetic information. For
      some diseases, therefore, a willingness to accept genetic research results should
      be an inclusion criterion, and it may be considered unethical for research ethics
      boards to approve genetic studies unless measures to ensure clinical follow-up
      have been established. We recommend managing the tensions between genetic
      research and clinical practice by using disease-based genetic registers,
      organized within a clinical genetic service.

PMID- 20301858
TI  - Validity and reliability of a Swedish version of the Relationship Assessment
      Scale (RAS): a pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a need for a short and easily administered scale, in the
      Swedish language, for assessing partner relationships in the health care of
      persons with cardiac disease. PURPOSE: To establish the reliability and validity
      of the Swedish version of the Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS). DESIGN: The
      present pilot study has a methodological design. FINDINGS: Content validity has
      been tested for relevance, clarity and readability. The scale was tested for
      construct validity with explorative factor analysis. The reliability was tested
      by internal consistency and test-retest analysis. The result showed a two-factor
      solution, which does not correspond to the original proposed one-factor solution.
      The factor analyses revealed two quite distinct factors of RAS, labelled
      "Relationship built on expectations and satisfaction of needs" and "Relationship
      built on love and devotion". CONCLUSIONS: The scale has satisfactory psychometric
      properties in terms of content validity, construct validity, homogeneity and
      stability in a population of persons with cardiac disease. Wider evaluations of
      the RAS for other populations and settings are recommended.

PMID- 20301859
TI  - Did you know ? ...NPO after midnight is not best practice.

PMID- 20301860
TI  - The art of medicine.

PMID- 20301861
TI  - Health care reform--one doctor/citizen's opinion.

PMID- 20301862
TI  - Nursing care partnership program: project summaries.

PMID- 20301864
TI  - Moulding the next generation of researchers.

PMID- 20301863
TI  - In conversation about nursing research.

PMID- 20301865
TI  - Opening new doors.

PMID- 20301866
TI  - Finding a niche in research.

PMID- 20301867
TI  - Nursing research wants its due.

PMID- 20301868
TI  - Some early thoughts on Spring.

PMID- 20301869
TI  - Pregnancy: a stress test for future health.

PMID- 20301870
TI  - First-trimester genetic diagnosis: a series of six cases.
AB  - A first-trimester screen consists of a nuchal translucency (NT) ultrasound
      measurement as well as maternal serum testing for pregnancy-associated plasma
      protein-A (PAPP-A) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). An increased nuchal
      translucency (NT) thickness at 11 to 14 weeks gestational age is a common finding
      for Down syndrome, Trisomy 18 and cardiac defects. We present a series of six
      patients, four with NT measurements greater than the 95th centile, and two
      additional cases where the NT was normal, but maternal serum biochemical markers
      were unusual. All six of these cases had a chromosome anomaly or another genetic
      condition: Noonan syndrome, triploidy, Down syndrome, Trisomy 18, Turner syndrome
      and a rare chromosome abnormality known as Ring 18-Monosomy 18. Our series
      underlines the fact that it is important to explore other genetic and chromosome
      abnormalities, in addition to Down syndrome and Trisomy 18, when there is an
      abnormality on a first-trimester screen.

PMID- 20301871
TI  - Nonunion of a distal tibial stress fracture associated with vitamin D deficiency:
      a case report.
AB  - Nonunions of fractures occur infrequently and can be multifactorial. Some
      predisposing factors include fracture instability, poor vascularity and
      inadequate fracture reduction. The role of metabolic bone disease and endocrine
      abnormalities in nonunions is often overlooked. This article reports a case of a
      tibial nonunion associated with vitamin D deficiency. The diagnosis and treatment
      of the nonunion and endocrine abnormality is discussed. This case illustrates the
      importance of a multidisciplinary approach in this increasingly common endocrine
      condition.

PMID- 20301872
TI  - Examining patient beliefs: a step in physician-patient communication about
      medicines.

PMID- 20301874
TI  - Quality focus: Physicians remain the foundation of health improvement.

PMID- 20301873
TI  - Extenuating circumstances: The white coat ceremony--symbolism and promise.

PMID- 20301875
TI  - Scope of practice: overly cautious or professional vigilance?

PMID- 20301876
TI  - Movie smoking, movie horror, and urge to smoke.
AB  - It is known that exposure to smoking cues increases urge to smoke (UTS), but
      little is known about other media factors that might also increase UTS. We
      hypothesized that horror/ thriller movies might also increase UTS by increasing
      negative affect. We surveyed 536 movie patrons who were smokers aged 18 years or
      older. Subjects had exited 26 movies, of which 12 contained smoking and two were
      horrorfilms, one with and one without smoking. We used random effects regression
      to assess the association between exposure to movie smoking, movie horror, both
      and UTS, controlling for confounding factors. Median age was 26 years and 52%
      were female. Mean UTS was 5.9, 6.6, 6.6, and 8.7 for smokers exiting movies
      without smoking, with smoking, horror without smoking and horror with smoking
      respectively. Smoking in movies was associated with a significantly higher UTS
      (0.63 [95% CI 0.31-0.94]). Horror with smoking increased UTS by 2.8 points (95%
      C.I. 2.3, 3.5); the horror without smoking estimate was 0.88, but not
      statistically significant. This short report offers preliminary evidence that
      movie horror as one factor besides visual smoking cues that could increase UTS in
      a community setting.

PMID- 20301877
TI  - [Clinical condition of the newborn versus tobacco smoke exposure during fetal
      life].
AB  - The aim of this work was the assessment of the clinical condition, birth weight,
      frequency of premature birth and incidence of intrauterine growth restriction
      (IUGR) of the newborns whose mothers were active and passive smokers. This was a
      prospective study conducted in a group of 147 newborns born during the years 2003
      2004 in the Princess Anna Mazowiecka Hospital, Warsaw, and hospitalized in the
      Neonatal and Intensive Care Department of Warsaw Medical University. Based on a
      questionnaire identifying the exposure to tobacco smoke and cotinine
      concentration in the mother's urine, the newborns were assigned to three groups:
      the newborns whose mothers were active smokers, the newborns whose mothers were
      passive smokers and the newborns of non-smoking mothers. There were no
      statistically significant differences in the Apgar score assessment at the 1st
      and 5th minute between the three groups of the newborns. Acid-base balance
      parameters (pH, BE) were also similar. The birth weight of the newborns of
      mothers who were active smokers was 325g lower than the birth weight of the
      newborns of non-smoking mothers. This difference was statistically significant p
      = 0.033. Maternal smoking in pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of
      deficit in birth weight 2.6 (1.0-6.9, CI 95%). In the group of the newborns whose
      mothers were active smokers, the incidence of lower birth weight (< 2500g) was
      also statistically significantly higher p = 0.01. There were no statistically
      significant differences in the incidence of premature birth and intrauterine
      growth restriction (IUGR).

PMID- 20301878
TI  - [Prenatal and postnatal child exposure to environmental tobacco smoke].
AB  - The aim of the study was to evaluate the prenatal and postnatal child exposure to
      environmental tobacco smoke. The study population consisted of 83 women from
      Lodz, Poland among which detail questionnaire was conducted three times during
      pregnancy period. From all women included into the study the saliva sample was
      collected to verify smoking status in pregnancy. One year after delivery the
      second questionnaire was performed and urine sample from all children was
      collected. The cotinine level in saliva and urine was analyzed using Liquid
      Chromatography with Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS ESI+). About 22% of the
      children were expose to ETS during prenatal and 46% in postnatal period. Cotinine
      level in children's urine statistically differentiated children from smoking
      mothers (Geometric Mean (GM) 11.4 ng/ml; 95% CI 7.1-18.3) and exposed homes (GM
      7.3 ng/ml; 95% CI 3.6-15.0) compared with non-exposed homes (GM 1.3 ng/ml; 95% CI
      0.9-1.7) (p < 0.001). Children should be more protected from ETS exposure in
      prenatal and postnatal period.

PMID- 20301879
TI  - [Preconceptional cigarette smoking and other risk factors for giving birth to a
      child with orofacial cleft].
AB  - Evidence suggests an association between orofacial clefts and maternal smoking,
      common cold, and stressful life events. 247 mothers of children with an orofacial
      cleft completed a self-administered survey with questions concerning obstetric
      history. Of these, 29.6% were smokers in pre-conceptional period. 6.3%, 5.2% and
      25.2% of participants reported working exposure to solvents, stressful life
      events, and common cold in the early pregnancy, respectively. Differences were
      seen between smokers and non-smokers for preconceptional folic acid
      supplementation (5.6% vs. 19.9%), multivitamin use (2.8% vs. 6.4%), pre
      conceptional health care utilization (15.3% vs. 30.4%), and late enrollment for
      prenatal care (> 12 weeks of gestation; 6.2% vs. 1.9%). Improved lifestyles of
      women of childbearing age is required.

PMID- 20301880
TI  - [The effect of tobacco smoking on clinimetric evaluation of stroke patients].
AB  - Tobacco smoking is recognized as the risk factor of stroke, however its effect on
      the risk of recurrent cerebrovascular events is not well clarified. THE AIM OF
      THE STUDY: To evaluate the effect of tobacco smoking on results of clinimetric
      scoring of stroke patients and association with results of routine laboratory
      tests. The study included 431 stroke patients (409--ischemic stroke, 22--with
      hemorrhagic transformation of ischemic stroke). After admission to Emergency Room
      all stroke patients were examined clinically and scored according to National
      Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). Then, 7 days after stroke onset NIHSS
      scoring was repeated and patients were scored in Rankin and GOS scales (Glasgow
      Outcome Scale). Everyday activity was assessed in Barthel scale 30, 90, 180 and
      360 days after stroke onset. Moreover, computer tomography scans and laboratory
      tests were performed including hematology, glucose, fibrinogen, CRP and D-dimers
      concentrations. In smokers with ischemic stroke we have found trend (p = 0.0695)
      in decreasing of NIHSS scoring in comparison with non-smokers. The assessment in
      Rankin scale performed 7 days after stroke onset showed better neurological state
      of smokers with stroke (p < 0.01) in comparison with non-smokers and in ex
      smokers with ischemic stroke (p < 0.05) comparing to non-smokers. Smokers with
      stroke (ischemic and with hemorrhagic transformation) had higher (p < 0.01)
      scoring in GOS 7 days after onset of symptoms in comparison with non-smokers. Ex
      smokers with ischemic stroke had higher (p < 0.05) scores in GOS than nonsmokers.
      Tobacco smoking had no effect on clinimetric evaluation of patients with
      hemorrhagic transformation of ischemic stroke. Smoking was associated with lower
      levels of glucose, fibrinogen and D-dimers and higher hematocrit in ischemic
      stroke patients. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical course of the early phase of ischemic
      stroke was benign in smokers comparing to non-smokers. Better results of
      clinimetric evaluation and lower mortality of smokers with ischemic stroke may be
      related to lower levels of glucose, fibrinogen and D-dimers. Tobacco smoking had
      no effect on long-term clinimetric evaluation of patients both with ischemic
      stroke and hemorrhagic transformation. In smokers with hemorrhagic transformation
      higher mortality was associated with increased D-dimers concentration.

PMID- 20301881
TI  - [The smokers voice self assessment based on Voice Handicap Index (VHI)].
AB  - Complex voice assessment due to European Laryngeal Society proposals (2000)
      contains voice self estimation based on the Polish version of the Voice Handicap
      Index (VHI). This study focuses on the relation between voice handicap and
      smoking in dysphonic patients, who are using voice professionally. Thirty
      outpatient (25 female and 5 male, aged 40 to 55 years) voice department attendees
      suffering from professional dysphonia took part in this study. All patients after
      phoniatric examination completed the Polish version of the Voice Handicap Index
      (VHI). The questions concern functional, emotional and physical complains due to
      dysphonia. Most of smokers did not complain of dysphonia related problems
      comparing to non smokers. Even the scores of functional and emotional scales of
      VHI in smokers shown better results (less handicap) than in nonsmokers. Smoking
      does not affect patients handicap due to dysphonia measured in the Voice Handicap
      Index.

PMID- 20301882
TI  - [Impact of cigarette smoking on the clinical outcome of Crohn's disease].
AB  - Cigarette smoking is a well known independent risk factor for a more severe
      course of Crohn's disease, but individual factors determining this impact are
      poorly known and it is not evident if smoking cessation is associated with an
      improvement in the disease activity. The aim of our study was to assess the
      factors determining the harmful impact of smoking in individuals with Crohn's
      disease. A total of 148 consecutive patients with Crohn's disease and Crohn's
      disease activity index < 200 were enrolled in a prospective 12-18 month study.
      Patients were classified into three groups as: current smokers, former smokers,
      and nonsmokers. Body mass index, alcohol consumption, oral contraceptive use and
      blood lipid levels were also recorded. The main outcome measure was the rate of
      fare-up. We observed the flare-up developement in 38% current smokers, versus 21%
      non-smokers and 26% former smokers. The relative risk of flare-up adjusted for
      confounding factors was 1.37 (1.09 +/- 1.96) in current smokers. Obesity,
      dyslipidaemia, and alcohol consumption had no significant effect. Current
      smoking, particularly heavy smoking, significantly increases the risk of flare-up
      in Crohn's disease patients. Former smokers have a risk similar to that of non
      smokers.

PMID- 20301883
TI  - [Does spironolactone use at arterial hypertension therapy protect endothelium
      also in smoking patients?].
AB  - The aim of the study was evaluation of spironolactone effect on concentration of
      endothelin-1 (ET-1 - vasoconstrictive substance produced by endothelial cells)
      and aldosterone (Ald) and plasma renin activity (PRA) in patients with primary
      arterial hypertension (AH): group A--smoking patients (11 individuals) in
      comparison with group B--non-smoking ones (12 individuals). ET-1, Ald and PRA
      were assessed before treatment (examination 1) and after 20 days of
      spironolactone therapy in dose 25 mg/day (examination 2). We observed: In group A
      significant elevation of: ET-1 ((Me +/- S exam.1 - 45.55 +/- 12.95 vs. exam.2 -
      63.41 +/- 12.71 pg/ml, p = 0,009) PRA (Me +/- S exam.1 - 1.8 +/- 0.78 vs. exam.2 
      3.0 +/- 1.41 ng/ml/h, p = 0,012). In group B: significant decrease of ET-1 (Me
      +/- S exam.1- 61.58 +/- 12.15 vs. exam.2 - 43.48 +/- 14.37 pg/ml, p = 0.0028)
      significant elevation of PRA (Me +/- S exam1 - 1.20 +/- 1,91 vs. exam2 - 2.51 +/-
      1.78 ng/ ml/h, p = 0.028).In our investigation different action of spironolactone
      on ET-1 in the two groups was observed. In group B spironolactone decreased ET-1
      but in group A we noticed elevated ET-1 concentration. These results indicate
      advantageous endothelial effect of spironolactone only in non-smoking patients
      with AH.

PMID- 20301884
TI  - [Smoking and periodontal disease of adolescents--results of an epidemiological
      survey].
AB  - A questionnaire concerning oral health designed for young people aged between 15
      and 18 and based on one produced by Tokyo University entitled Medical Outcome
      Study (MOS) and Oral Health Score (OHS) 8020, was submitted to a group of Polish
      citizens. One of the 10 questions in the OHS part of the questionnaire concerned
      smoking habits. 296 persons (157 girls and 139 boys) living in west Poland, took
      part. For a clearer evaluation of the health habits in this group, a comparison
      was made between the youngest (15 y old) and oldest (18 y old) groups. The Oral
      health Score (with a possible maximum 20 points) for the examined group was 14.4
      which is one of the lowest among evaluated European countries. Smoking was most
      frequent among the 18 year olds (20.1%) whereas among the respondents in the
      younger group it was this value (16.5%). Moreover, in age 15 group, boys (29%)
      were more often smokers than girls (5.5%); 22% of 18 year old girls and 19.8% of
      boys smoked. Comparing the answers relating to oral health with the frequency of
      smoking revealed a connection between this habit and the presence of periodontal
      disease. Smoking increases a risk of developing periodontal disease. According to
      the results there is a need to increase an oral health education and
      identification of risk factors such smoking among Polish adolescents.

PMID- 20301885
TI  - [State of dentition and the index of dental decay treatment in smokers and non
      smokers].
AB  - The aim of the study was evaluation of the state of dentition and the efficiency
      of dental decay treatment in smokers and non-smokers as well as defining whether
      dentists and family doctors inform their patients about the negative influence of
      tobacco smoking on their health state. The studies were conducted among 64
      people, 35 men (54.69%) and 29 women (45.31%). Cigarette smoking was reported by
      26 people (40.63%). The mean age of nonsmokers was 37.87 and smokers 39.04%. In
      the smokers group the value of mean number D denoting the number of carious teeth
      was 6.23; the mean number M denoting the number of missing teeth had the value of
      9.85, in non-smokers 4.66 and 6.29 respectively. In smokers the value of mean
      number F denoting the number of filled teeth was 4.46 and in non-smokers 7.39 (p<
      0,01). The mean number DMF in smokers had the value of 20.54, in non-smokers
      18.34. The state of dentition in smokers was distinguished by greater number of
      carious and missing teeth and smaller number of filled teeth. In non-smoking
      patients the efficiency of dental decay treatment was higher in comparison with
      the group of non-smoking people (p < 0.05). Dentists informed 35.94% of the
      surveyed about the harmfulness of cigarette smoking whereas family doctors
      informed 29.69% of them. It is necessary to conduct thorough studies to define
      the influence of cigarette smoking on oral health as well as to inform all
      patients about the negative influence of cigarette smoking on their health state.

PMID- 20301886
TI  - [The influence of tobacco smoking on the state of dentition and the effect of the
      chronic periodontitis conservative treatment in periodontology clinic patients at
      the Chair and Department of Periodontology of the Medical University in Lublin].
AB  - Tobacco smoking is a serious health and social problem. The aim of the study was
      investigation of the influence of tobacco smoking on the state of dentition and
      effects of conservative treatment of the chronic, moderately advanced
      periodontitis by comparison of API, SBI, PPD and CAL indices before and after the
      treatment in smoking and non-smoking patients. Smokers group consisted of 30
      people aged 30-48 including 15 men and 15 women who had smoked for more than 10
      years, with the intensity of smoking of more than 10 cigarettes a day. The
      control group constituted 30 non-smoking people aged 30-50; 15 men and 15 women.
      The SBI index of bleeding from periodontal pockets in smokers is essentially
      statistically lower than in non-smokers, with similar hygiene indices. Shallowing
      of periodontal pockets depth (PPD) after the treatment is smaller than in
      smokers. Reconstruction of alveolodental ligament measured with CAL index in
      smokers seems to be smaller than in non-smokers.

PMID- 20301887
TI  - [Functional and health conditions of elderly smokers].
AB  - Research conducted for many years, on smoking harm has revealed a connection
      between using nicotine and numerous disorders affecting human beings. Nowadays
      33% of Poles smoke, 11-25% of the elderly smoke. There are plentiful anti-smoking
      campaigns aimed at the young and those in their reproductive years. Such
      campaigns addressed to the elderly are a seldom occurrence. The aim of this work
      was to analyze the actual functioning and health of smokers aged 65 and more
      living in various surroundings. The research involved a group of 300 individuals
      aged more than 65: older people home residents--100 individuals, veteran home
      residents--100 individuals and the University of the Third Age students--100
      individuals. The tool utilized in the course of the research was a questionnaire
      concerning smoking, diseases affecting the subjects, medication taken and
      personal information. Assessment of a functional state, physical activity, mental
      state and health was carried out with the help of General Geriatric Assessment
      questionnaires. In the researched group, the frequency of smoking was 11.3%,
      18.1% among men, 9.2% among women. The average age of the smokers was 70.6 +/-
      5.6, the average age of the non-smokers was 75.5 +/- 7.0 .The average number of
      cigarettes smoked was 11.3 +/- 7.3 a day. The older the subjects of the research,
      the smaller percentage of the smokers among them as well as the fewer cigarettes
      smoked. The smokers indicated a substantially higher MMSE result, Tinetti, lower
      BMI, lower percentage of fat, lower frequency of being affected by cataract or
      urinary incontinence and a larger number of lung conditions. In the researched
      groups both in the older people home and veteran home residents, the smokers are
      younger, better educated, more fit, better nourished, possessing a larger mental
      capacity and hand strength as compared to the other members of a given community.
      Among the University of the Third Age students no significant differences between
      the smokers and non-smokers were observed. The smallest percentage of the smokers
      is among the University of the Third Age students (9%), the largest among the
      older people home residents (14%). The most cigarettes are smoked by the
      University of the Third Age students, the fewest by the older people home and the
      veteran home residents. Women smokers constitute majority among the University of
      the Third Age students whereas there are more men smokers among the older people
      home and the veteran home residents. There is a distinct need of organizing anti
      smoking campaigns aimed at the elderly taking into account the area of their
      functioning.

PMID- 20301888
TI  - [Changes in tracheal ciliated epithelium of rats exposed to environmental tobacco
      smoke--experimental studies].
AB  - It has been already proved in many experimental studies that tobacco smoke has
      multiple toxic effects on respiratory tract cells. Alterations in ciliary
      epithelium of rats trachea after short exposition to high tobacco smoke
      concentrations in inhaled air were been determinate in current study.
      Morphological evaluation revealed in lining epithelium voluminous exudate located
      between epithelium and lamina propria cells with evidently larger number of mast
      cells.

PMID- 20301889
TI  - [Development of analytical method for determination nicotine metabolites in
      urine].
AB  - The assay of biomarkers in biological material is the most popular and reliable
      method in estimate exposure to tobacco smoke. Nicotine and its metabolites
      qualify to the most specific biomarkers for tobacco smoke. Currently the most
      often used are cotinine and trans-3'-hydroxycotinine. The aim of this study was
      development of easy and quick method of determining nicotine and its main
      metabolites with high performance liquid chromatography--available in most
      laboratories. Nicotine and its metabolites in urine (cotinine, trans-3'
      hydroxycotinine, nornicotine and nicotine N-oxide) was determined by means of
      high performance liquid chromatography with spectrometry detection (HPLC-UV). The
      determined compounds were extracted from urine by means of the liquid-liquid
      technique, before analysed by the HPLC method. Developed technique of high
      performance liquid chromatography proved to be useful to assessment nicotine and
      its four metabolites in smokers, though further research are necessary. The
      further modification of procedure is required, because of the interferences of
      cotinine N-oxide with matrix, which prevent determination. Increasing the
      efficiency of extraction nicotine and nornicotine could enable the determination
      in people exposed on environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). This study confirm other
      authors' observations that 3'-hydroxycotinine might be equivalent with cotinine
      predictor of tobacco smoke exposure, however further studies are required.

PMID- 20301890
TI  - [Impact of tobacco smoking on biologic background of laryngeal squamous cell
      carcinoma].
AB  - The most common risk factors related to the occurrence of laryngeal cancer is
      related to tobacco smoking. It is interlinked to the presence of chemical
      substance in tobacco smoke. These substances are mutagenic factors and they are
      carcinogens. These substances penetrate cell, they penetrate cellular nucleus and
      in consequence, it causes damage to the genetic material. Accumulation of
      mutations enables cells to conduct local invasion, and it initiates tumor
      invasion and metastasis. We used tissue samples from 11 patients that were
      selected from all head and neck specimens and diagnosed at Department of Clinical
      Pathology in Bydgoszcz in 2008. We have made immunohistochemical staining in
      order to describe localization of MMP-2. Furthermore, the expression of
      proliferative antigens: PCNA and Ki-67 in laryngeal carcinoma and their relations
      to tumor invasion and metastasis were measured. We divided patients into two
      groups: people who smoke less than 20 cigarettes a day and people who smoke over
      20 cigarettes a day. All patients were diagnosed with a squamous cell carcinoma
      with histological grade G2. Tumors were staged according to the TNM
      classification. Studied patients were classified ranging T2 - T4, N0 - N3 and all
      were M0. We found out similarities in expression of analyzing antigens in
      individual groups of patients. We observed decreased expression of MMP-2, PCNA
      and Ki-67 amongst patients who smoke less than 20 cigarettes a day in comparison
      with patients who smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day. We noticed such trend in
      tumor cells and in dysplastic cells. We certify differences between levels of
      expression of researched markers according they intensity of exposure on tobacco
      smoking. Probably those differences may represent different levels of cell
      damage.

PMID- 20301891
TI  - [Mutations of tumor suppressor gemne TP53 in tobacco smoke-associated tumors].
AB  - Tumour suppressor gene TP53 is a subject of frequent lesions and mutations in a
      majority of cancer types that is followed by its dysfunction in regulation of
      cell proliferation, apoptosin and DNA repair. Mutation profile reflects the
      presence of mutagen-vulnerable sites (including tobacco smoke carcinogens) in its
      structure. A number of mutations in tobacco smoke-associated cancers are higher
      than in other types. Particularly, G > T mutation is recognized a signature to
      benzo(a)pyrene exposure. Further, a mutation profile is dependent on cancer
      anatomic localization and histological type. There were put forward suggestions
      concerning estimation of cancer risk and disease prognosis basing of TP53 gene
      status and expression. The protocols of gene therapy involving TP53 gene are
      still not satisfactory.

PMID- 20301892
TI  - [Significance of Arg554Lys AHR gene polymorhism an survival of in squamous cell
      carcinoma laryngeal cancer in relation to tobacco smoking--preliminary study].
AB  - Initiation and progression of laryngeal cancer is associated with tobacco smoking
      and abusing of strong alcoholic beverages. A significance of genetic factor,
      although not defined sufficiently yet has been raised as well. The studies were
      focused on an influence of AHR gene polymorphism on survival of squamous cell
      carcinoma laryngeal subjects. The study material was 65 archival DNA samples
      analyzed by RLP-PCR. The samples varying with electrophoretic mobility were DNA
      sequenced. In the study group 9 heterozygotic variants Arg554Lys (codon 554) were
      detected. One case was a carrier of two other mutations in codon: 490 (1468 A >
      G) and 570 (1708 G > A). Survival time, metastasis and occurrence of second
      primary tumors were compared in carriers of wild type and Arg554Lys variant AHR.
      Preliminary results indicate for a necessity of further studies as until now the
      study group is too small to find a conclusive association.

PMID- 20301893
TI  - [The effect of cigarette smoking on serum concentration of conjugated dienes in
      stroke patients].
AB  - Exposition to tobacco smoke as a source of free radicals leads to stimulation of
      lipids peroxidation. Oxidation of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) increases the
      risk of stroke. Aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of cigarette smoking
      on the serum concentration of conjugated dienes as markers of peroxidation of
      fatty acids. In the study participated 431 subsequent stroke patients (ischemic
      and with hemorrhagic transformation) hospitalized in Department of Neurology in
      Poznan in a period from February 2007 to may 2008. The control group consisted of
      16 healthy, non-smoking volunteers. The concentration of conjugated dienes (CD)
      in patients' sera was estimated by spectrophotometric methods. Furthermore, lipid
      profile, glucose level, concentration of C-reactive protein and white blood cells
      count were analysed. We have also calculated waist- to hip ratio. Serum
      concentrations of conjugated dienes were increased both in smoking and non
      smoking patients with ischemic stroke. We noticed negative correlation between
      conjugated dienes levels and tobacco smoking duration in patients with ischemic
      stroke (Kendall's tau = -0.154, p = 0.0474). Moreover, conjugated dienes
      concentration correlated positively with triacylglycerides levels in smokers with
      ischemic stroke (rSpearman = 0.198, p = 0.0452; Kendall's tau = 0.135, p =
      0.0428). The abnormalities in concentrations of conjugated dienes in ischemic
      stroke patients resulted rather from disturbances of cerebral circulation, than
      from cigarette smoking itself. Hypertriglyceridemia in smokers with ischemic
      stroke causes up-regulation of lipids peroxidation. The rate of production of
      conjugated dienes is associated with distribution of adipose tissue reflected by
      waist to hip ratio.

PMID- 20301894
TI  - [The effect of cigarette smoking on serum activities of paraoxonase and
      arylesterase in stroke patients].
AB  - Cigarette smoking is one of most important modifiable risk factors of stroke.
      Lipids peroxidation remains crucial among pathomechanisms leading to increased
      risk of stroke in tobacco smokers. AIM OF THE STUDY: To evaluate the effect of
      cigarette smoking on the activity of paraoxonase and arylesterase as enzymes
      involved in protection against oxidation of low-density lipoproteins. We have
      included in the study 431 subsequent stroke patients hospitalized in Department
      of Neurology in Poznan in a period from February 2007 to May 2008. The control
      group consisted of 16 healthy, nonsmoking volunteers. The activity of paraoxonase
      (PON) and arylesterase (ARE) in patients' sera was estimated by
      spectrophotometric methods. All patients admitted to emergency room underwent
      clinical examination. General examination, neurological examination and
      clinimetric assessment with the use of GCS (Glasgow Coma Scale) and NIHSS
      (National Institute of Health Stroke Scale) scales were performed. RESULTS: The
      group of ischemic stroke patients consisted of 26.7% current smokers, 31.3%--ex
      smokers, and 42% never-smokers. Among patients with hemorrhagic transformation of
      ischemic stroke 13.6 % actively smoked cigarettes, 22.7% were ex-smokers, and
      63.7%--never-smokers. The statistical analysis of age of patients in all studied
      groups showed the younger onset of stroke in smokers (p < 0.0001). The activity
      of arylesterase was significantly disturbed by cigarette smoking in patients with
      ischemic stroke. In smokers with ischemic stroke ARE activity correlated
      negatively with number of cigarettes smoked daily (r = -0.2133; p = 0.0322). We
      have showed positive correlation of duration of smoking with ARE activity (r =
      0.2573; p = 0.0239). In non-smoking ischemic stroke patients PON activity
      increased significantly (p < 0.01) comparing to controls. Tobacco smoking caused
      impairment of enzymatic antioxidant mechanisms related to paraoxonase activity,
      because there was no significant (p > 0.05) up-regulation of PON activity in
      smokers with ischemic stroke. The activity of arylesterase is modified by tobacco
      smoking in ischemic stroke patients. Smoking causes disturbances in paraoxonase-
      associated enzymatic antioxidant effects in ischemic stroke patients.
      Abnormalities of activities of antioxidant enzymes may cause earlier onset of
      stroke in tobacco smokers.

PMID- 20301895
TI  - [Lack of association between metabolic and antioxidant gene polymorphisms (GSTM1,
      GSTT1, CAT, MnSOD, GPX1) and maternal quitting of smoking in pregnancy-
      preliminary results].
AB  - A number of genetic studies have been performed to find susceptibility genes for
      smoking behavior. Recently the polymorphism Mspl in CYP1A1 was reported to
      facilitate quitting of smoking during pregnancy. We aimed to determine whether
      polymorphisms of CAT (-330C > T), MnSOD2 (c. 47T > C), GPX1 (c599C > T), the null
      GSTM1 and GSTT1 are associated with smoking behavior in pregnant women. We found
      no significant differences in genotypes distribution between women who quit
      smoking in the first trimester of pregnancy and persistent smokers. Analyzed
      polymorphisms seems to not influence susceptibility to smoking in the
      investigated group of women.

PMID- 20301896
TI  - [Tobacco smoking by patients treat for alcohol addiction--interaction of
      psychoactive substances].
AB  - Alcohol and tobacco addictions are often joined. There are biological and
      environmental reasons of the co-addiction. Active compounds present in the
      substances can interact in different ways, for example in biotransformation
      reactions. The aim of the paper was to describe differences of ethanol and
      nicotine metabolites concentrations in biological fluids. The material was blood
      and urine collected from alcohol and tobacco addicted patients treated in The
      Detoxication Department, Toxicology Clinic in Krakow. Acetaldehyde and volatile
      substances were determined in blood by GC-FID. Cotinine was determined in urine
      by HPLC-UV. Most (91.3%) of alcohol addicted patients were tobacco smokers. In
      the group 76.3% patients smoked more than 11 cigarettes per day. Tobacco
      addiction was usually longer or lasted the same time as alcohol addiction. Mean
      cotinine urine concentrations in the group of alcohol addicted smoking patients
      were lower than in group of smoking patients not alcohol addicted (p < 0.05).
      Differences between mean acetaldehyde blood concentrations in group of alcohol
      addicted smoking patients and alcohol addicted non smoking patients were not
      significant (p > 0.05).

PMID- 20301897
TI  - [Exposure to respirable suspended particles in smoking and non-smoking sections
      of pubs in southern Poland].
AB  - Particulate matter (PM), including fine particulate matter (PM2.5), is one of the
      main pollutant which it damages of human health seriously. Tobacco smoke is
      significant source of PM2.5 in indoor microenvironments. New bill of complete
      smoking ban in all public places in Poland is currently under consideration in
      polish parliament. Proposed maximum allowed concentration of PM2.5 for all non
      smoking sections is 0.03 mg/m3. Concentrations of tobacco-specific fine
      particulate matter (PM2.5) were monitored in thirteen pubs located in southern
      part of Poland during winter season. All examined pubs had two types of sections:
      smoking and non-smoking. PM2.5 concentrations were monitored during one hour in
      each section using DustTrak monitor (TSI Inc., USA). The Wilcoxon matched pair
      test was used to compare pollutant concentrations in smoking vs. non-smoking
      sections. Average 1-hour PM2.5 concentration in smoking sections was 1.25 +/-
      1.85 mg/ m3 and varied from 0.18 do 7.21 mg/ m3. Average 1-hour PM2.5
      concentration in non-smoking sections was 0.35 +/- 0.29 mg/m3 and varied from
      0.056 to 1.01 mg/m3. The highest temporary PM2.5 concentration of 25.5 mg/m3 was
      found in a pub located in cellar storey were with volume of 60 m3, 13 smokers and
      no air-condition. There was little difference in PM2.5 levels between smoking and
      non-smoking section.

PMID- 20301898
TI  - [Evaluation of the indication of carbon monoxide in exhaled air].
AB  - In spite of intensified antitobacco campaigns and decrease in social acceptance
      for smoking it is still an important issue. In prevention there is a need to make
      smokers and non-smoking people aware of a level of exposure to tobacco smoke. One
      of the objective methods to evaluate this exposition is to measure a
      concentration of the carbon monoxide in exhaled air. The aim of our study was to
      evaluate the indication of carbon monoxide in exhaled air. The research was based
      on examination of 67 patients admitted to admission room in SP CSK, Warsaw. The
      level of carbon monoxide was measured with Smokerlyzer device in 56 cases (34
      women, 22 men). Everyone in this group answered questions concerning a reason of
      admission to hospital, concomitant diseases, and addiction to smoking and ways of
      fight against the addiction as far as smokers are concerned. Current smokers
      answered also questions about their attitude to smoking and filled in Fagerstrom
      and Schneider tests. In a group of 67 patients 11 were not able to proceed the
      test with Smokerlyzer, 5 (45.5%) due to dyspnea, 4 (36.4%) due to lack of a
      verbal contact. In the group of 56 investigated patients 20 (35.7%) have never
      smoked, 32 (57.1%) were ex-smokers and 4 (7.1%) were current smokers. 3 (75%) of
      the smokers have tried to give up smoking 3 times on average. In the Fagerstrom
      test their mean came to 3.5 points, what indicates a low level of addiction. The
      Schneider test averaged out 8 points, what indicates a good motivation to give up
      smoking. The average of concentration of carbon monoxide in exhaled air came to 8
      ppm (1.87% Hb) in this group. In the group of non-smoking patients the level of
      carbon monoxide came to 1.4 ppm (0.67%Hb). In the group of nonsmoking patients
      exposed to the tobacco smoke, the level of carbon monoxide came to 3 ppm (1.15%),
      but the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The increased CO
      level in exhaled air is usually caused by smoking cigarettes and exposure to ETS.
      All the smokers acknowledged the addiction. Routine use of Smokerlyzer in the
      admission room is limited, mainly by the dyspnea. Despite the practicality of CO
      level measurement, taking medical history of smoking is still the most important.

PMID- 20301900
TI  - [Electrophoretic pattern of alpha-amylase isoenzymes in serum of non-smoking and
      smoking normal persons and patients with pancreatitis].
AB  - Recent epidemiological studies have shown the significant role of tobacco smoking
      in the development of chronic pancreatitis. It has been demonstrated that
      nicotine may also alter normal exocrine pancreatic function. However, the
      mechanism of development of these changes has not been fully recognised. In this
      pilot study we used a electrophoresis to compare the serum amylase patterns of
      healthy smokers and non-smokers. Amylase isoenzymes, separated into the
      pancreatic types by electrophoresis in agarose gel. Sample volume was 20 mL. The
      electrophoresis was at 4 degrees C temperature for 2 to 2.5 h. Amylase isoenzymes
      on agarose gels was localized by staining using the visualization system Phadebas
      Amylase Test. In serum normal non-smokers, I and II-type isoenzymes were
      predominant. III type izoenzyme was found in serum of smoking patients with
      pancreatitis. Total amylase activity in serum of smokers was slightly above
      normal. The isoenzymogram shows the presence of II and III-type isoenzyme,
      increase of isoenzymes activity. Earlier study III-type isoenzyme was found only
      in serum from cases of acute pancreatitis. In electrophoretic pattern of alpha
      amylase isoenzymes in serum of smoking normal persons and patients with
      pancreatitis was affirmed the additional form of izoenzmes of amylase, that
      provide damaging influence tobacco smoking on pancreas.

PMID- 20301899
TI  - [Estimation of optimal levels of tobacco biomarkers to distinguish active and
      passive smokers using ROC analysis].
AB  - Many epidemiological studies on health consequences of tobacco smoke exposure
      require classification of examined subjects either as active or passive smokers.
      Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves are useful for organizing cut-off
      values of tobacco biomarkers and visualizing their performance. The cut-off
      values might be applied to distinguish cigarette smokers and persons involuntary
      exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke (SHS). Aim of the study was estimation of
      optimal levels of three biomarkers (cotinine, 1-hydroxypyren, and
      carboxyhemoglobin) to distinguish active and passive smokers using ROC curves. 98
      subjects (62% females) were qualified to the study. Mean age was 40 +/- 12 years.
      Active smokers (n = 38) had an average smoking history of 9 +/- 8 years and
      declared smoking at least 5 cigarettes per day (mean 17 +/- 7). Passive smokers
      (n = 60) declared being exposed to environmental tobacco smoke either at home or
      work (n = 18) or other indoor microenvironments, where they spent some time
      during their daily activity (n = 42). Cut-off values were determined for each
      biomarker using ROC curves. Optimal cut-off values were: 327 microg/g creatinine
      for cotinine, 47 ng/g creatinine for hydroxypyren, and 1.27% HbCO for
      carboxyhemoglobin. Among three studied biomarkers, cotinine showed the best
      sensitivity of 97.4% and specificity of 90.0%. Carboxyhemoglobin showed
      sensitivity of 89.5% and specificity of 93.3%, whereas 1-hydroxypyren 76.3% and
      78.3%, respectively. Analysis of ROC curves appears to be a way to distinguish
      active and passive smokers using various tobacco biomarkers.

PMID- 20301901
TI  - [Concentrations of serum bone turnover markers in smoking pregnant women and in
      umbilical cord blood of newborns].
AB  - Smoking is proved to be harmful to many aspects of human health. In many papers
      lower bone mineral density and differences in bone metabolism in patients who
      smoke were shown. However, little is known about biochemical bone formation and
      resorption markers in women who smoke during pregnancy as well as in their
      newborn. The aim of the study was to assess whether the smoking during pregnancy
      has an effect on the serum levels of bone metabolism markers in maternal and
      umbilical cord blood. The study consisted of 43 pregnant women under surveillance
      at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic of the Institute of Mother and Child in
      Warsaw. They were divided into two groups: smoking (n = 22) and nonsmoking (n =
      21) pregnant women. The serum concentration of bone turnover markers (osteocalcin
      -OC and C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen--CTX) were determined by
      immunoenzymatic method in maternal and umbilical cord blood obtained at the time
      of delivery. In the whole studied group concentration of bone metabolism markers
      were significantly higher in umbilical cord blood than in maternal blood. In
      umbilical cord blood mean concentration of osteocalcin was: 70.4 +/- 19.3 ng/ml
      whereas in maternal serum it was 16.6 +/- 5.8 ng/ml (p < 0.0001). Moreover, the
      level of the resorption marker CTX was 1.02 +/- 0.28 ng/ml and 0.71 +/- 0.24
      ng/ml (p < 0.0001), respectively. In serum of both smoking and non-smoking
      mothers similar values of osteocalcin (17.9 +/- 7.1 ng/ml versus 15.3 +/- 3.8
      ng/ml) and CTX (0.69 +/- 0.21 ng/ml versus 0.64 +/- 0.27 ng/ml) were observed.
      However, in umbilical cord blood of smokers, the concentration of OC was about 2
      fold lower (p < 0.0001), while the CTX level was slightly higher than in the non
      smoking group. In both groups significant correlation (p < 0.0001) between
      concentration of CTX in mothers and their newborns were found. Our results
      indicate the negative influence of smoking during pregnancy on the fetal's bone
      formation process. This is reflected in lower osteocalcin level in umbilical cord
      blood and might be one of the causes of bone metabolism disturbances later during
      childhood and even in adult life.

PMID- 20301902
TI  - [The effect of tobacco smoking on nitric oxide serum concentration in pregnant
      women and umbilical cord blood].
AB  - The aim of the study was to estimate the effect of tobacco smoking on serum
      nitric oxide (NO) concentration in pregnant women and umbilical cord blood and
      birth weight. We also examined the relation between serum NO and number of
      cigarettes consumed by mother. Forty healthy pregnant women patients of Clinical
      Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Mother and Child were
      divided into two groups: smoking and tobacco abstinent according to questionnaire
      declaration. The current smokers were defined as those who had smoked 5
      cigarettes per day for 2 years before conception and continued smoking during
      pregnancy. Serum concentrations of nitric oxide were determined by colorimetric
      method using a commercially available kit Nitric Oxide NonEnzymatic Assay (Oxis
      International Inc, USA). We observed that the mean concentrations of nitric oxide
      in serum were similar on the beginning and the end of pregnancy. In group of
      smoking women these values decreased during pregnancy and were lower 10% in I and
      20% in III trimester (p < 0.01) than in tobacco abstinent. In umbilical cord
      blood of infants born to smoking women level of nitric oxide was slightly lower
      than in non-smoking ones. In both studied groups the mean concentrations of
      nitric oxide in umbilical cord blood were higher than these observed in mothers
      in third trimester (in smoking 46% and in nonsmoking 17% respectively; p < 0.01).
      In smoking group we observed positive correlation between concentrations of NO in
      serum of mothers and cord blood of their newborns (r = 0.74; p < 0.01). Our
      analysis revealed negative correlation between number of cigarettes consumed and
      serum nitric oxide in smoking women (r = -0.52 in I trimester and r = -0.47; p <
      0.05 in III trimester) as well as in their children (r = - 0.35; p < 0.05). Birth
      weight in infants born of smoking mothers was lower in average by 260 g as
      compared with non-smoking ones (p < 0.05). Our results indicate that tobacco
      smoking during pregnancy reduced serum nitric oxide concentrations in mothers and
      their children and correlated with number of cigarettes daily consumed. In
      smoking women lower concentrations of NO co-exist with smaller birth weight than
      in tobacco abstinent which may suggest correlation between these parameters.
      Further studies will be continued in larger group of matched maternal-cord pairs
      to confirm of this association.

PMID- 20301903
TI  - [Concentration of calcium ions in the saliva and the value of the pH of the
      saliva in female and male smokers].
AB  - Dental decay is a pathological process of extrasomatic origin which leads to
      demineralization and proteolytic degradation of hard surfaces of a tooth
      susceptible to this disease. Saliva composition, including calcium ion
      concentration and its pH value, is of importance in the development of the
      carious process. Tobacco smoke contains toxic compounds which negatively
      influence oral health. The aim of the study was evaluation of the selected saliva
      components: protein concentration, Ca2+ concentration, pH value both in male and
      female smokers. The investigated group included 65 patients reporting for the
      treatment to the Department of Conservative Dentistry of Medical University in
      Lublin. In the investigated group male smokers constituted 15.38%, female smokers
      -20.00%, male nicotine abstinents 21.54% and female nicotine abstinent 43.08%.
      The study included both survey examinations of patients and biochemical
      examinations of the saliva. Mixed, non-stimulated saliva was used as a material
      for biochemical examinations. Ca2+ concentration and pH of the saliva were
      assayed with the use of Rapidlab 348 analyzer. Protein in the saliva was assayed
      with calorimetric method according to Lowry. Saliva was collected from smokers 10
      120 minutes after smoking of several cigarettes. It was stated that Ca2+ and
      protein concentration as well as pH of the saliva were not correlated with sex
      and cigarette smoking or non-smoking.

PMID- 20301904
TI  - [Effect of combined exposure to ethanol and tobacco smoke on lipid peroxidation
      in rats].
AB  - Usually, alcohol addicted persons smokes cigarettes. In the study, the effect of
      combined exposure to alcohol and tobacco smoke in alcohol addicted rats on liver
      peroxidation was evaluated. Alcohol abuse and its presence in blood did not
      influence the cotinine level, what indicates the lack of the importance of this
      factor in nicotine metabolism. Similarly, enzymatic markers of liver damage
      (AspAT, AIAT, ALP) did not change, what showed lack of hepatotoxic effect studied
      compounds in applied model of alcohol addiction and tobacco smoke exposure.
      Combined exposure to alcohol and tobacco smoke increases the level of lipid
      peroxidation in brain, liver and lungs however decreases in serum. In kidneys the
      results are not unambiguous.

PMID- 20301905
TI  - [Influence of age in content of trace elements in pharyngeal tonsils from
      exposure and unexposure children].
AB  - This project is aimed to estimate the effect of passive smoke on the levels of
      selected trace elements (Ca, Mg, K, Na) in pharyngeal tonsils of children in
      several group of age (2-5 years, 6-9 years, 10-15 years). This trace elements
      were determined using ICP-AES method. It was concluded that the exposure to the
      cigarette smoke in pharyngeal tonsils is a factor producing the changes in the
      levels of essential elements: geometric mean of Ca was the highest in pharyngeal
      tonsils of children in 10-15 years old unexposure to ETS (410 microg/g). The
      least level of Ca - 281 microg/g was observed in this samples in the same group
      of age, but in children exposure by ETS. High levels of K was observed in
      pharyngeal tonsils of children exposure to passive smoking in all of group of age
      to comparison to unexposure by ETS. The greatest content - 27479 microg/g was in
      pharyngeal tonsils in exposure to ETS in 6-9 years old was observed, but the
      least - 16478 microg/g in 10-15 years old. Change of content of Mg was from 764
      to 784 microg/g in samples from children exposure by ETS to comparison 720-744
      microg/g in children unexposure by ETS. High level of Na was observed in
      pharyngeal tonsils from children exposure to ETS in all of group of age to
      comparison to unexposure. This study showed that the kind of interaction
      dependent on age and exposed by ETS. The changes of given elements were different
      for children passive smoking and no passive smoking in several group of age.

PMID- 20301906
TI  - [Trace elements concentration in pharyngeal tonsils from exposed and unexposed to
      ETS children in refer to sex and places of living].
AB  - The aim of this study was investigation influence sex and place living
      (industrial region or village) to concentration of: Ca, K, Mg and Na in
      pharyngeal tonsils (n = 84) from children exposed and unexposed to tobacco smoke
      and analysis kind of interactions between trace elements. Determination of these
      elements contents were performed by ICP-AES. It was found higher concentrations
      of Ca and Na in pharyngeal tonsils from boys (389 microg//g) and girls (356
      microg/g) unexposed to tobacco smoke to comparison to expose to ETS boys (304
      microg/g) and girls (298 microg/g). Higher concentrations of Ca and Na was found
      in this samples from children unexposed on ETS, living in industrial area to
      comparison to unexposed to ETS children living in village region. Higher
      concentration of K and Mg was found in exposed to ETS girls and boys in
      comparison to unexposed to ETS children, and higher level of these metals were
      found in exposed to tobacco smoke children living in industrial region and
      village.

PMID- 20301907
TI  - [The important mean of passive smoking for lead and chromium content in deciduous
      teeth].
AB  - In this work the changes of lead (Pb) and chromium (Cr) content in deciduous
      children teeth exposed on environmental tobacco smoking were presented. As the
      control group were given deciduous children teeth nonexposed on tobacco smoking
      in home. The content of lead in deciduous teeth was higher in non-exposed
      population (13.81 microg/g) than in passive-smoking population (12.28 microg/g) p
      < or = 0.005. The passive smoking has effect to less chromium content in
      deciduous teeth. The quotient of lead and chromium contents was higher in passive
      smoking boys and girls and different kind of deciduous teeth.

PMID- 20301908
TI  - [The influence of tobacco smoking on the occurrence of copper in hydroxiapatites
      of gallstones].
AB  - The studies were carried out on the changes in copper content in concretions of
      gallstones which were taken from 146 women (49 smoking and 97 no smoking) and 24
      men (11 smoking and 13 no smoking), respectively. The elemental composition of
      gallstones was determined with ICP-AES method (Inductively Coupled Plasma -
      Atomic Emission Spectroscopy). Studies on copper occurrence in concretions of
      gallstones showed the presence of its higher concentrations in case of smoking
      women (9.59 microg/g) and men (8.99 microg/g) in comparison with no smoking women
      (7.02 microg/g) and men (7.66 microg/ g). It was shown differences in pattern of
      changes of copper concentration in gallstones in case of smoking and no smoking
      women and men.

PMID- 20301909
TI  - [The assessment of exposure on passive smoking in obese children].
AB  - The aim of this study was to assess the an exposure on passive smoking in 50
      obese children (29 girls and 21 boys) aged 9-16 years. We use questionnaire and
      personal interview method to complete data about smoking style, time of external
      exposure on tobacco smoke, number of family members whose are smoked, and the
      pinion of children about smoking generally. In the all subjects only one - 15
      years old girl, was smoked active. 34% of children had non-smoking parents, 24%
      of children had one smoking parent, both in 20%, three members of family were
      smoked in 10% of children, and 12% had four and more. Inside sub-group of
      children with smoking parent 30% of them declared that their parents never smoke
      in children present, 15% sometimes. More than 50% of parents always smoked in
      children companion. The mean time of exposure on tobacco smoke was assess on 4.4
      +/- 3.7 hour per day. We found positive significant correlation between BMI and
      daily time of exposure on tobacco smoke in obese children (r = 0.30, p < 0.05).
      There are necessary to complete more data about the comparison of passive smoking
      and obesity especially in children and their health.

PMID- 20301910
TI  - [Tobacco smoking among girls in Poland between 1998 and 2008].
AB  - There are numerous researches referring to tobacco smoking among girls in Poland.
      Unfortunately comparing their results and trends tracking is prevented by
      methodological differences, such as: sample selection, use of different research
      tools, way of conducting researches and analyzing their results. In this paper,
      on the basis of data collected from periodical studies conducted in Poland in the
      years 1998-2009 on the representative samples of adolescents, the estimation of
      tobacco smoking frequency among girls at the age of 15-18 years in Poland was
      performed. Moreover, the general trend referring to smoking among this group was
      analyzed. In this article the results were used form such a research projects as:
      HBSC (Heath Behavior in School-aged Children. A WHO Cross-national Collaborative
      Study); ESPAD (The European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs) and
      "Mokotowskie Research", leaded by Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology.

PMID- 20301911
TI  - [Analysis of the phenomenon and the knowledge of smoking cigarettes among pupils
      and students].
AB  - The aim of presented study was to comparison analysis the attitude related to
      smoking habit among pupils and students. Data was collected through questionnaire
      which was filled individually and independently by each respondent and
      additionally anonymity was guaranteed. Research covered group of 135 elementary
      school pupils, 131--high school, 106--grammar school and 294 students. The
      questionnaire covered such topics as: beginning and reasons for cigarettes
      smoking, the environment of surveyed and knowledge about diseases connected with
      smoking, trials to break smoking cigarettes.

PMID- 20301912
TI  - [Does elitism of school influence the smoking-related health behaviour among
      grammar school students?].
AB  - The aim of the study was connected with smoking health behaviour estimation among
      public (SZP) and nonpublic (SZN) grammar school students. The analysis of 156
      anonymous questionnaires was made. Questionnaires contained questions of parents'
      education, material situation of family, physical education, social relations
      with family and peers and positive or negative perception of smoking. In total
      trial we observed a strong positive correlation between style of smoking or
      number of smoked cigarettes and positive perception of smoking (r = 0.62 or r =
      0.36 respectively). The latter correlated significantly with family presence of
      smoking (r = 0.18). Percentages of smoking students of SZP and SZN differed and
      amounted 22% and 18% respectively. Within I/II SZP classes the smoking depended
      on material position of family (r = 0.28) and positive perception of smoking (r =
      0.68). Among students of III SZP classes the dependence on material situation was
      stronger (r = 0.49), while students of III SZN classes became to perceive smoking
      more positive (r = 0.82). Social relations of students of I/II SZN classes were
      inversely proportional to prevalence of smoking in their families. Smoking
      students of III SZN classes worked out much more variously in comparison with
      pupils of SZP. The main motivation of smoking within school students was the
      positive perception of smoking. The differences of smoking prevalence within both
      types of school probably formed in the families and observed in I/II classes
      pupils, vanished during the time of III class of studying. Elitism of school do
      not protect the student from smoking: during the time of III SZN class the
      smoking receives clearly positive appearance and became established. Probably
      existing antinicotinic school programs should much more decidedly deliver the
      negative appearance of health effects of smoking.

PMID- 20301913
TI  - [The prevalence of tobacco smoking and psychoactive substances use among
      teenagers from the secondary school--pilot study].
AB  - The main of the study was to describe psychoactive substances abuse among
      teenagers from secondary school and recognition the reasons of tobacco smoking,
      alcohol drinking and drugs taking. Tobacco smoking was declared by 24% pupils.
      The main reasons of tobacco smoking, in pupil's opinion, were: addicted
      influences of nicotine and relaxing effects of smoking. According of the results
      of the study 16% pupils drank alcohol, on average one teenager of the ninth had
      or have contact with the drugs. The most famous drugs were: marijuana (66.7%) and
      amphetamine (33.3%).

PMID- 20301914
TI  - Popularizing smoking among academic youth during the first years of studies.
AB  - For several years there have been systematic organization and educational
      activities carried out in many countries, also in Poland, aimed at large groups
      of people in order to limit the frequency of smoking. Living in environment free
      from tobacco smoke is a condition of maintaining good health of an individual and
      human population. The results of research show that it is very difficult to free
      oneself from smoking. Therefore, preventive actions among high school and
      academic youth must be particularly intensified. Health behaviour of post
      graduates of medical departments who will take up work in health centers in the
      future will be particularly under scrutiny, and there will be many followers
      among patients, too. The aim of this work was to establish participation of the
      smoking people among the first year students, during the first two months of
      2008. In March 2008 all of the students of the first year of stationary and non
      stationary divisions of the Department of Health Science at the Medical
      University of Lodz took part in the research, using an auditory survey. In total,
      there were 512 people on students lists. 479 of them took part in the research
      (93.5%). Among the 479 respondents, 34.2% (164) of the tested admitted to smoking
      and 65.8% (315 people) answered that in January and February 2008 they did not
      smoke a single cigarette. Among 308 stationary female and male students, those
      who smoked (88 people) made up for 28.6%, whereas among the 171 of the non
      stationary tested students, those who smoked made up for 44.4% (76 people). In
      the group of smokers 53.7% (88 people) were the stationary students and 46.3% (76
      people) were the non-stationary ones. Participation of smoking students in
      January and February 2008 among all of the students at the Department of Health
      Science was very high--tobacco smoke was inhaled by every third student.

PMID- 20301915
TI  - [Spreading of smoking habit among students of the Public Medical Higher
      Professional School in Opole in 2006-2009].
AB  - Smoking is the most widespread addiction and for years is a basic addiction
      hazard among youngsters. The beginning of nicotine addiction is occult, during
      time runs as habit and biological nicotine addiction. The health consequences are
      seen after time. Children have their first contact with cigarettes in their own
      families and the problem of smoking is the consequence of following adults'
      example. The risk of smoking addiction rises because of negative influence of
      background and because of the need of being approved among men of the same age.
      The objective of the study was the analysis of spreading of smoking among
      students of PMWSZ in Opole during years 2006-2009.688 students of nursery and
      obstetrics faculty were investigated. Among them 175 (25.4%) were smokers and 513
      (74.6%) were non-smokers. More than half of smokers (61.2%) started smoking in
      secondary grammar school. 110 (62.9%) of them tried to overcome their addiction.
      These failed attempts confirm the necessity of multi-aspect anti-nicotine help
      given by health professionals: doctors, psychologists, addiction therapeutics and
      pedagogues.

PMID- 20301916
TI  - [Prevalence of tobacco smoking university students and health locus of control].
AB  - Global spread of diseases of civilization, such as cardiovascular disease,
      metabolic diseases, cancers, caused, that individual or group healthy behaviours,
      have become, for practitioners and researches, a basic area of interest. Healthy
      behaviours are the effect of shaped attitude against health, and particular
      against a sense of responsibility for owns health and co-responsibility for
      others health. Health Locus of Control theory indicates, that there exist
      relations between owns health locus of control and providing pro-health
      activities, for example reduce tobacco smoking. The aim of the study was the
      assessment of relation between prevalence of tobacco smoking among university
      students and health locus of control. The study was carried out among 457
      university students from Podkarpackie Region- University of Rzeszow PWSZ Krosno
      and PWSZ Sanok. The survey was conducted by means of diagnostic survey with the
      use of questionnaire and Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale Form B-
      MHCL-B. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficient and chi-square test were used
      in statistic analyzes. The study proved that the majority of students has never
      smoked and does not smoke. Place of residence turned out to be a differentiation
      factor of tobacco smoking, and there were more smokers among students living in
      cities. There were observed no characteristic differences in the group of smokers
      and non-smokers and health locus of control. Internal control, in the opinion of
      studied group, was recognized to be the most important factor, more less role was
      attributed to the impact of others and a chance. Faculty of study turned out to
      different the assessment of importance of internal control and a chance for
      health state. Internal control was the least emphasized by nursing students, and
      a chance by obstetrics students.

PMID- 20301917
TI  - [Competence of pharmacy students of the Jagiellonian University Medical College,
      Department of Pharmacy in Cracow in the problem of tobacco addiction].
AB  - Over 1.2 billion people in the world are addicted to tobacco products. Tobacco
      smoke contributes to increased risk cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases
      and development of cancers. A survey carried out in lines of medical students was
      assessed prevalence of smoking and attitudes toward the problem of smoking. This
      research has never been carried out with departments of pharmaceutical students.
      The aim of this work was to assess the level of knowledge of students
      Pharmaceutical Faculty of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow addiction from
      smoking cigarettes, the harmfulness of smoking, knowledge of preparations used in
      the course of emergence from addiction and move topic dependence on tobacco
      smoking during the study. Carried a voluntary and anonymous survey, allow for
      verify and compare the knowledge of issues related to smoking, as well as some
      idea of how many students smoke cigarettes. The study was performed in the group
      of 485 students, including 378 from the Pharmaceutical Faculty and 107 from
      Medical Laboratory Department from all years. As is clear from the survey
      conducted students from higher years to cope better with questions about
      carcinogens, diseases caused by tobacco smoking and have bigger knowledge about
      antinicotine preparations. Among students from IV and V years is also the most
      people claiming that they can provide anti-smoking advice. It was found the
      largest proportion of smoking students on the IV and V year. The greatest
      knowledge of tobacco dependence Faculty of Pharmacy students acquired in class
      with toxicology, physiology and biology. Universities have a huge scope for
      action in conducting antinicotine programs.

PMID- 20301918
TI  - [Level of tobacco smoking amongst 6th year students of Wroclaw Medical
      University].
AB  - Prevention of tobacco smoking amongst youths and young adult could limit deaths
      because of illness tobacco related to 2050. The assessment of the level of
      smoking was the aim of examinations amongst medical students. An anonymous
      questionnaire containing questions on the subject of tobacco smoking was carried
      amongst 6th year students of the Medical Department of Wroclaw Medical University
      in the academic year 2008/2009. Two hundreds then students took part in the
      study. 62% of examined came from the provincial capital, the 11.4% from the town
      with the population above 100 hundred of inhabitants, 22.4% of towns with the
      population below 100 hundred of inhabitants and 3.8% of students--from country
      centers. 14.8 % respondents admitted to smoking cigarettes, 75.2% were non
      smoking persons, 10% were smokers but ceased smoking cigarettes in the sequence
      of a few last years. Amongst smokers--the most (59% of students and 71% of
      students) is smoking to 5 cigarettes per day. The most students (56% of women and
      60% of men) began smoking in the secondary school. In studied group 67.6% (142)
      examined is claiming that the anti-tobacco advice should give family doctors, and
      43% thinks that a patient which isn't able to cease the smoking in spite of
      strong motivation should be seen by a family doctor. The percentage of smokers
      amongst medical students didn't take turns in the sequence of two last years,
      however amongst smokers--biggest percentage is smoking to 5 cigarettes per day.
      The students most often begin smoking in the secondary school. The straight
      majority of the medical students is paying attention, that family doctors should
      take up giving the anti-tobacco advice and helping patients which isn't able to
      cease the smoking in spite of strong motivation. The ones smoking the small
      number of cigarettes and which began smoking in the secondary school are
      predominating amongst smokers. Overbalancing percentage of examined is located
      anti-tobacco therapy into competence of a family doctor.

PMID- 20301919
TI  - [Comparison the phenomenon of smoking cigarettes among cosmetology students and
      personnel beauty salon from Podlaskie county].
AB  - The aim of the study was to learn the attitude towards tobacco smoking of
      cosmetology students and personnel of beauty salon. This study was one of the
      results of the Preventive Medicine Program implemented at the University of
      Cosmetology and Health Care in Bialystok. Data was collected through
      questionnaire which was filled individually and independently by each respondent
      and additionally anonymity was guaranteed. Research covered group of 98 students
      and 100 women working in beauty salons.

PMID- 20301920
TI  - [Occurrence of cigarette smoking among pregnant women].
AB  - Life-style is defined as any set of human behavioural patterns, either conducive
      or detrimental to health. It is the most important factor influencing health.
      Cigarette smoking is emphasised as one of its determinants, as far as behavioural
      patterns detrimental to health are concerned. The article chiefly focuses on
      presenting the occurrence of cigarette smoking among pregnant women. The
      intermediate objectives were to identify the behavioural patterns discussed,
      concerning the immediate social surroundings of the future mothers. The study was
      conducted in the Province of Wielkopolska in 2009. It included 105 pregnant
      women. A diagnostic survey was applied; the tool: a questionnaire. It was
      established that the majority of the pregnant respondents assessed favourably
      both their own health and the preparation to their future role as mothers, 60.95%
      and 68.57%, respectively. All women participating in the study did not smoke, in
      contrast to their immediate family members, the majority of whose smoked.
      Pregnancy requires maintaining a proper life-style from a concerned woman: it
      influences her and her child's well-being. One of the main tasks of public health
      specialists is to provide young women with information set, concerning health
      promotion and shaping of desirable attitudes, conducive to health. Education
      concerning such a life-style should be directed not only at pregnant women but
      also at their spouses.

PMID- 20301921
TI  - [Cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption in patients with oral cancer].
AB  - The study aim was to analyse the frequency of simultaneous smoking and alcohol
      consumption in 142 patients with oral cancer and in the control group. A
      connection between the prevalence of these habits and epidemiological traits of
      the patients and features of malignant lesions was evaluated. Statistical
      analysis revealed that simultaneous smoking and alcohol abuse were significantly
      more frequent in the cases group. A strong influence of these habits on the
      development of oral squamous cell carcinoma was noted.

PMID- 20301922
TI  - [Tobacco smoking among hospitalised patients with coronary arterial disease].
AB  - The impact of tobacco smoking on the development of cardio-vascular diseases,
      including coronary arterial disease (CAD) is very well known by now. More than
      1/3 of the Polish adult population are affected which roughly corresponds with
      WHO accepted percentage of smokers world-wide (over 30%, over 15 years of age).
      Smokers with cardio-vascular problems are, naturally, even more dramatically
      affected. The article focuses on selected consequences of tobacco smoking among
      patients with coronary arterial disease. One hundred patients, already diagnosed
      with CAD, and hospitalised because of it, formed the studied group (71 male, 29
      female). A survey questionnaire was employed as a tool, to inquire the subjects
      on elements of their life-style, encompassing both declared, acquired knowledge
      on behavioural patterns conducive to health and its implementation in every-day
      life. The life-style patterns included, for example, proper diet, physical
      activity and tobacco smoking. The study results showed that 97% of the group were
      well aware of the negative influence of smoking on their health (the remaining 3%
      left the question unanswered). None of the respondents was convinced of the
      alleged positive aspects of tobacco smoking. At the same time, 17% of the
      subjects with CAD still smoked, 56% ceased smoking, and the remaining 27% never
      smoked. The study revealed moreover that the very realisation that nicotinism
      influenced the CAD progress was instrumental in ceasing smoking by the 56% of
      former tobacco addicts. Tobacco smoking remains an issue among persons with
      diagnosed coronary arterial disease. A clear discrepancy was noted, between the
      almost 100% awareness of the habit's harmful consequences and reality of every
      day life.

PMID- 20301923
TI  - [Cigarette smoking in selected group of primary hypertension outpatients].
AB  - Primary hypertension belongs to the major health risk factors affecting mostly
      populations in developed countries. One of the risk factors responsible for
      cardio-vascular diseases morbidity, including primary hypertension is cigarette
      smoking. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of cigarette smoking
      in a group of 33 primary hypertension outpatients and 29 healthy individuals. If
      was found that in the past primary hypertension outpatients smoked cigarettes
      more frequently, in higher quantity per day and for a longer period of time, in
      comparison with the healthy subjects. Besides, currently over 20% of outpatients
      declared cigarettes smoking which, may diminish the efficacy of antihypertensive
      drug therapy.

PMID- 20301924
TI  - [The occurrence of tobacco smoking and obesity in schizophrenia women].
AB  - The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence of tobacco smoking and obesity
      in 58 schizophrenia women aged 45.1 +/- 9.9 years. 72% of women declared tobacco
      dependence as well as 14% smoked dependently on mood and 14% didn't smoke. There
      were statistically significant differences between women whose smoke or not in
      the case of BMI. The smoking women had significant higher BMI than non-smoking
      women (27.81 +/- 3.51 vs. 22.35 +/- 4.29, respectively). We didn't observe such
      comparisons between period smoking women and smoking women as well as non-smoking
      women. In the case of frequency distribution of schizophrenia women according to
      BMI we observed significant differences in this parameter. In the little
      underweight women (BMI below 20, n = 5) 60% didn't smoke. In the group of normal
      weight women (BMI = 21-25, n = 14) 64% smoked and 22% didn't. In the groups of
      overweight women (BMI = 26-30, n = 28) and obese women (BMI > 30) most of them
      were smoked. In the first of those groups 79% were smoking women and only 7%
      nonsmoking as well as in the second--all of women were smoked. These results show
      that the tobacco dependence and obesity could strongly correlate in schizophrenia
      and we need more studies in this case.

PMID- 20301925
TI  - [Degree of nicotine dependence in the Gastroenterology Ward of Clinical Hospital
      number 4 in Lublin].
AB  - It is common knowledge that smoking badly influences people's health. Amount of
      toxic chemical substances delivered to the human organism is directly
      proportional to the number of smoked cigarettes. Tobacco smoking increases the
      number of ill people and accelerates death. The problem of nicotine addiction has
      both social and medical aspects. The aim of the work was to assess the tobacco
      smoking among patients hospitalized in the Gastroenterology Clinic in SPSK 4 in
      Lublin. We found that smoking prevalence in the investigated group considerably
      exceeds the average values for Polish population.

PMID- 20301926
TI  - [Polish nurses' smoking behavior and environmental tobacco smoke exposure].
AB  - The aim of the study was to evaluate the nurses' exposure to active and passive
      smoking. The study population consisted of 299 nurses. Among the study population
      detailed questionnaire was conducted incusing sociodemographic characteristic,
      smoking profile and environmental tobacco smoke exposure. About 18% of nurses
      indicated current tobacco smoking and 25% smoking in the past. Only 13% of the
      study population declared complete ban of tobacco smoking in their homes and 20%
      indicated exposure to tobacco smoke in the workplaces. The women were most
      frequently exposed to inhaling tobacco smoke in bars and pubs (97%), restaurants
      (65%) and in private cars (64%).

PMID- 20301927
TI  - [Socio-demographic factors and the prevalence of tobacco smoking in the
      workplace].
AB  - Tobacco smoking constitutes to be the main cause of health risk in Poland and is
      one of the most harmful elements of human's lifestyle. Workplace was recognized
      as a major source of tobacco smoke exposure for others. There should be keep in
      mind, that in present, it is a task of both employers and employees to create and
      maintain a safe work environment. The aim of the paper is to assess the
      prevalence of tobacco smoke among employees of one of the biggest works in
      Podkarpackie Region, with regard to age, gender, education and performed
      function. The study was carried out between January and March 2008 in the biggest
      works on Podkarpackie Region, within the programme "Smoke-free workplace". On the
      first stage of the study the prevalence of tobacco smoking was assessed, and the
      opinions of employees of 1291 about the problem of tobacco smoking were known.
      The survey was conducted by means of diagnostic survey with the use of
      questionnaire. The chi-square test was used in statistic analyzes. It results
      from the study, that the majority of studied employees never has smoked and do
      not smoke. The problem of tobacco smoking among studied group in general did not
      considered women. A large group of studied employees (smokers and non-smokers)
      indicated, that only occasionally is exposured on passive smoking, or this
      problem did not consider them at all. It was stated, that there are differences
      in gender, age, education and tobacco smoking. More than a half of studied men do
      not smoke, and represents younger and better educated group. A position also
      differentiated studied employees in the scope of tobacco smoking. People on high
      managing positions smoked slightly more frequent.

PMID- 20301928
TI  - [Detection of nicotine dependence in different age groups].
AB  - The work discusses the usefulness of different diagnostics tests helpful in
      nicotine dependence diagnosis in relation to patients age. The Hooked on Nicotine
      Checklist (HONC) test proved to be the most useful for the group of teenagers
      whereas for adults the CAGE questionnaire, the Four C test, the Fagerstrom Test
      for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) and Heaviness of Smoking Index (HIS) gave the best
      results. In the elderly people age group the limits of FTND and HIS test were
      pointed out.

PMID- 20301929
TI  - [Smoking among the unemployed: impact of structural factors on lifestyle].
AB  - In times of economic crisis, questions arise about its relationship to the state
      of public health. One of the responses might be to investigate health behaviors
      of people who suffer most from the crisis, which is the unemployed. This study
      focuses on the many links between smoking among the jobless and other aspects of
      their lifestyle as well as selected social factors. In our research, we used
      statistical methods and a questionnaire. based survey. The research was conducted
      in 2007 and it covered 1,068 unemployed persons registered with the District
      Employment Office in Poznan. The prevalence of smoking among the unemployed is
      higher than the national average and is associated with their socio-economic
      status, gender and such lifestyle aspects as the amount of alcohol consumed, the
      amount of free time, body mass index, the number of meals consumed, the number of
      persons the unemployed can rely on, and the amount of time devoted to exercise.

PMID- 20301930
TI  - [Cigarette smoking among the unemployed registered with Poznan District
      Employment Office].
AB  - The aim of this paper was to present the incidence and causes of smoking among
      those currently unemployed, and to show changes, if any, resulting from their
      continued joblessness. The analysis was based on the results of 1,068 surveys
      taken in 2007 among the unemployed registered with the District Employment Office
      in Poznan. It was found that cigarette smoking among the unemployed remains high
      and is associated with the respondents' gender, educational background, economic
      status and duration of unemployment. Severity of smoking increased more often for
      those unemployed on a short-term basis, with a number of smoked cigarettes per
      day more likely to decrease for those in medium- and long-term unemployment.
      Respondents quoted two equivalent reasons for smoking: wanting to have a
      cigarette and frustration.

PMID- 20301931
TI  - [Tobacco smoking in small communes of Lodz province].
AB  - Tobacco smoking sill remains a dominating, single and variable risk factor of
      circulatory system diseases (CSD) morbidity and mortality. The population studies
      conducted over the last years in Poland makes the monitoring of CSD risk factors,
      including smoking frequency, possible, however mainly in urban populations. The
      purpose of the study was to determine the tobacco smoking frequency in rural
      population of Lodz province depending on such demographic-social features as:
      sex, age, marital status, education level, professional activity and income. The
      study, which is a part of the Multi-Center Representative Nationwide Health
      Survey of Population (WOBASZ), included 324 inhabitants of two randomly chosen,
      small (up to 8.000 inhabitants) communes in Lodz province - Zloczew and Ostrowek.
      The tobacco smoking frequency (regular and occasional) in the investigated group
      was 24.7%, among men--34.7%, among women--16.1%. Women who smoke cigarettes were
      usually aged under 34 whereas men-smokers were most frequently under 55. Regular
      smokers smoked on average 14.6 +/- 7.23 cigarettes per day (men constitute
      significantly larger statistical group than women). The average duration of
      regular smoking was 21.8 +/- 13.01 years. Persons who had never smoked
      constituted 62.3% of the investigated group (50.0% of men and 73.0% of women).
      Among the inhabitants of small communes of Lodz province, persons with a low
      level of education (vocational education) and higher (or incomplete university)
      education smoked most frequently. In the latter education-level category, only a
      small group of men smoked (0.15) and as many as ? of women. No statistically
      characteristic dependence between tobacco smoking and professional activity,
      education level, marital status or month income was found (although men-smokers
      were most frequently unemployed and least frequently farmers).

PMID- 20301932
TI  - [Smoking from the perspective of positive psychology].
AB  - Cigarette smoking remains a significant problem on a global scale. Positive
      psychology is blazing new trails in researching the mutual relation between
      health and disease, stressing the promotion of positive factors supporting
      health. The crucial point in this perspective is examining the factors, that
      assists healthy behaviours. The paper is an introduction to the research on the
      sense of happiness and emotionality in the currently cigarette addicted, never
      smokers and past smokers. Studies clearly show that in people who threw smoking
      level of happiness and awareness of owns emotions are the highest compared to
      those never smokers and smokers.

PMID- 20301933
TI  - [The relationship between tobacco smoking and risk behaviour syndrome among 15
      year-old adolescents in Poland and other European countries].
AB  - In most of studies on the multiple risk behaviour syndrome, tobacco smoking is
      consider as one of the main components. In this paper smoking was excluded from
      this syndrome. On the contrary, a set of behaviours that includes: alcohol abuse,
      cannabis use and aggressive behaviours (bullying, fighting) was described and its
      association with smoking related behaviours was evaluated. Data were collected
      from 15-year-old students (N = 50618) from 28 countries participating in Health
      Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey in 2005/06. Representative
      samples of pupils completed a standardised questionnaire during school hours in
      each country. Risk Behaviour Syndrome (RBS) was measured on the scale ranged 0-12
      points, categorized into 3 levels. We tried to answer the following questions: 1)
      is early tobacco onset related with the higher risk of being involved in multiple
      problem behaviours; 2) what is the prevalence of regular tobacco smoking among
      adolescents reporting multiple problem behaviours; 3) in what extent gender
      modifies above relationships; 4) are similar patterns observed in Poland and
      combined international sample. The results have shown, that in Poland 22.6% of
      boys and 5.0% of girls reported high level of RBS (6 points or more). The
      prevalence of every day smoking was equal to 14.9% and 10,1%, in boys and girls,
      respectively. This percentage increased to 38.8% and 61.0% in the group of boys
      and girls reporting high score on RBS scale. More boys than girls started to
      smoke at age 13 yrs or earlier (38.6% vs. 27.1%). Adolescents who begun smoking
      earlier, were more likely to be regular smokers at age 15, and more likely to
      report multiple risk behaviors. In all countries the influence of early tobacco
      onset on the RBS is more evident among girls.

PMID- 20301935
TI  - [Smokers' motivation to quit smoking].
AB  - Smoking is a commonly recognized risk factor of civilization diseases. The number
      of damaging compounds, including carcinogenetic, inhaled by a smoker and exhaled,
      is directly proportional to a number of smoked cigarettes. Currently 32% of the
      Polish adult population smoke tobacco (38% males and 26% females), which is a
      serious social and healthy issue. The aim of study was to recognition opinions
      about smoking and motivations to quit. Altogether 384 adults participated in the
      survey. 207 were smokers and 177 people who had quit. Author contrasted two
      groups of the respondents to find out the differences. For the both groups the
      most important motivations to smoking cessatiom were healthy reasons independent
      of sex, age and education.

PMID- 20301934
TI  - [Knowledge about influence of smoking tobacco on health condition and developing
      fetus of the patients of women health center in urban and rural areas].
AB  - Chemical compounds that are present in tobacco smoke negatively affect the health
      of everyone, but most of all it damages the organism of the developing and young
      bodies. Both passive and active smoking is harmful. The level of knowledge in the
      society concerning smoking increases systematically. However, many people choose
      to ignore warnings and prohibitions concerning smoking. From the findings it
      results that 60% of the pregnant women is threatened with inhaling tobacco smoke
      at work place or at home, and almost every third pregnant woman smokes. The aim
      of the research was to recognize the knowledge about the influence of smoking
      tobacco on the developing fetus of the patients of health centers in Lodz and in
      Opoczno. Between 1st and 15th April 2007, there were studies carried out using an
      auditory survey among 240 female patients who came for advice at the health
      center. One health center in Lodz was chosen at random and one in Opoczno.
      Subsequently, people queuing to the doctor's were asked to fill the survey, until
      120 patients completed it. Collected material was then analysed statistically.
      The questionnaire consisted in total of 28 questions, including 11 concerning
      patients' knowledge about the influence of smoking tobacco on health. Almost 21%
      of the questioned was of a mistaken opinion that not everyone can quit smoking.
      Over 16% of them did not know that smoking may lead to vascular diseases and 2%
      of women did not see the connection between smoking and respiratory system
      diseases, 11% of the surveyed did not know that smoking is harmful and over 10%
      did not know that passive smoking has negative effect on the developing fetus.
      Defects in knowledge concerning influence of smoking, particularly passive
      smoking on the frequency of illnesses occurrence and the development of fetus,
      among some of the respondents, requires the increase of didactic activities of
      health care workers.

PMID- 20301936
TI  - [Health behaviors of nicotine addicts].
AB  - Nicotine addiction is a huge social problem and at the same time it is one of the
      most popular and well-known risk factor in many diseases which can be eliminated.
      The aim of the study was to asses differences in the health behaviours from
      regard on type the dependence of from nicotine. In the study participated 221
      (males and females) persons dependent on nicotine. In this study applied:
      Inventory of Health Behaviour--IZZ by Juczynski and Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine
      Dependence. Received results show that health behaviours are practiced more often
      by women and it is not dependent on the level of their addiction. Among men the
      type of nicotine addiction differentiates the frequency of applying the healthy
      behaviours. Pharmacological addicts have fewer tendencies to behave in healthy
      way.

PMID- 20301937
TI  - [Pro health of attitudes of elderly persons with regards to addiction of smoking
      at the present transformation time].
AB  - The aim of the research is a subjective health assessment by the old and their
      level of health awareness about tobacco smoking. The research was carried out by
      means of the FACIT survey (abridged version) done to examine 80 elderly people
      (45 women, 36 men) The FACIT scale was employed to evaluate health condition in
      the area of physical efficiency, psychosocial functions and patients' general
      opinions about their health. Most of the examined were people with low health
      self-assessment and low level of knowledge about tobacco smoking. The
      insufficient health awareness level of the examined elderly people indicated a
      necessity of implementation of education programmes and easy access to health
      promotion institutions.

PMID- 20301938
TI  - [The police officers' knowledge about the health consequences of smoking
      tobacco].
AB  - Smoking tobacco by the public service workers is a serious health and social
      problem as its consequences may restrict their efficiency. The aim of the test
      was assessing police officers' knowledge about smoking affecting health
      condition. The research tool was a questionnaire that included questions about
      knowledge on health consequences of smoking. The research included 102 police
      officers of District Police Headquarters in Tomaszow Mazowiecki. The average age
      was 36.0 +/- 7.36 years. The frequency of smoking in the group was 66.7%, the
      regular smokers constituted 56.9%. The level of knowledge among smokers and non
      smokers was diverse. The smokers knew less than the nonsmokers, especially in the
      area of the influence of smoking on cardiovascular system and physical
      efficiency. The police officers knew about the influence of smoking on sense
      organs the least. It is recommended to implement systematic educational actions
      to increase the knowledge level about the health consequences of smoking tobacco.

PMID- 20301939
TI  - [Knowledge and behaviour concerning smoking tobacco among police officers].
AB  - Job of a policeman belongs to the group of jobs with highest factor of
      psychological load. Working under high stress results in police officers reaching
      out for a cigarette, regardless of their knowledge about how harmful it is,
      believing--quite wrongly--that this will lower the stress level. The aim of the
      research was to determine the behaviour of policemen concerning smoking tobacco
      and evaluating their knowledge about its influence on health. In Poland in March
      and April 2008, there was research carried out using an auditory survey among 315
      police officers of City Police Station in a city of almost 80 thousand people.
      The survey was completed by 102 people, which makes up for 32.4% of the total
      number of employed. Among the respondents there were 86 men (84.3%) and 16 women
      (15.7%). Age average of the surveyed was 37. The highest number, 76 people
      (74.5%) were graduates of high schools. Majority, 50 people (56.9%) had been in
      police service for over 15 years. Answering the questions included in the survey,
      concerning smoking cigarettes during two months prior to the questionnaire, 40
      people (39.2%) admitted to smoking. This number included 28 people (27.4% of the
      total number of the studied cases) who claimed they had smoked every day, seven
      people (6.9%) responded they smoked almost every day and 5 people (4.9%) smoked
      from time to time. In the group of 30 smoked men, majority, that is 16 people
      answered they had smoked everywhere they wished to, disregarding signs
      prohibiting smoking. Evaluating the influence of smoking on health, 88 people
      (86.3%) claimed it was very harmful. Vast majority of the studied cases, that is
      78 people (76.5%) thought their knowledge about negative effects of smoking was
      high enough, but almost half of the studied cases, that is 48 people (47.1%)
      claimed they had never heard about actions or antinicotine campaigns in Poland.
      Popularizing smoking among police officers who agreed to take part grounds to
      claim that police officers who did not agree to take part in completing the
      survey also smoked cigarettes. Majority of police officers who smoked, inhaled
      tobacco smoke disregarding their knowledge about the damaging effect of smoking.

PMID- 20301940
TI  - [The opinions of employees about smoking in the workplace].
AB  - Smoking is now a serious social problem in Poland and abroad. Unfortunately,
      adverse effects also affect the businesses in which the crews smoke tobacco. For
      several years a wide-ranging measures aimed at reducing the population of smoking
      employees can be observed, unfortunately their results are significantly below
      expectations. What must be noted is that the effectiveness of these projects to a
      large extent is determined by the opinion of the smoking part of the crew about
      the problem of smoking in the workplace. The aim of this work was to analyze the
      opinions of employees about smoking in the workplace. The selection of study
      group was expedient. The people tested were permanent employees of a large plant
      in Rzeszow. The research materials were the answers to the questions given to an
      anonymous survey. The survey contained 21 questions about their opinions to
      smokers and 17 questions about their opinions to non-smokers. The perception of
      risks arising from the smoking of tobacco by smokers and non-smokers was asked
      for, and their expectations towards the company. They were asked also the
      willingness to join special programs helping in quitting the addiction of
      smoking. The individuals who smoke at least one cigarette a day were recognized
      as daily smokers of tobacco (as defined by WHO). Those who used to smoke every
      day in the past or occasionally were considered as ex-smokers. (less than one
      cigarette per day). 4200 surveys were distributed in the plant. The filled - in
      forms with replies were received from 1412 workers, representing 33.6% of
      questionnaires distributed. All the surveys were put in order and checked on its
      merits. 1291 were classified as correct, what represented 30.7% of questionnaires
      distributed. The latest version of the program Statistica 8.0 was used for the
      statistical calculations. Test results show that 14.9% of employees smoke
      tobacco, and every third smoker is worried about the consequences of smoking. As
      far as opinions on the presence of smoking in the workplace are concerned, most
      workers believe (94.3%) that the employer should do everything to protect the non
      smokers from having to inhale tobacco smoke. Only one in ten believes (11.4%)
      that talking about the harmfulness of smoking is the attack on the freedom of
      smokers, and argues that there is a lot of exaggeration in speaking about the
      harmfulness of smoking. As for the negative effects of smoking the most
      frequently mentioned are health consequences (36.6%). In a population of smokers
      17.9% want to quit smoking very much and one in ten do not consider such
      possibility. What is comforting, however, is that 48.9% of respondents expressed
      opinions about joining the pro-health program which goal is to help in quitting
      smoking. The study shows that the vast majority of staff believes that the
      employer should protect the non-smokers from inhaling tobacco smoke and help the
      smoking employees in quitting smoking. More than half of all workers considered
      that the employer should help the employees to quit smoking addiction. Smokers
      worry about the health consequences resulting from tobacco smoking. Almost half
      of respondents expressed their willingness to join a program helping in releasing
      from the addiction of smoking, but a large group of smokers has not shown such an
      interest. Age and level of education do not affect the motivation to release from
      the addiction of smoking among smoking employees.

PMID- 20301941
TI  - [Opinions about smoking bans and e-cigarettes among inhabitants of Poznan--the
      results of a pilot study].
AB  - The aim of the pilot study was to assess the opinions about smoking bans and e
      cigarettes among inhabitants of Poznan. In this research we used inquiry-sheet
      public opinion tool verifying acquaintance of problem. Opinions in that survey
      were different among men and women. Most women declared support for smoke-free
      policies. The highest level of support was for smoke-free public transport.
      Majority of respondents believed that polish smokers do not respect smoke-free
      regulations. E-cigarettes have not a big chance to be popular in Poland.

PMID- 20301942
TI  - [Opinions of the participants of 'Quit and Win' competition concerning prizes
      motivating to refrain from smoking].
AB  - Big antinicotine campaigns both in Poland and worldwide, are finished with a
      competition with prizes of different value. Psychologists say that a prize
      significantly motivates a person to certain kinds of behaviour. During
      educational activities carried out in the time of campaign, it is recommended to
      use techniques of psychological interaction that would release motives most
      beneficial to health. The aim of the work was to recognize frequency of being
      influenced mostly by the possibility of winning a prize before making a decision
      about quitting smoking and joining the competition, and learning the opinions of
      prize laureates concerning efficiency of 'Quit and Win' competitions. Empirical
      material comes from two sources. The first one is the selected fragments of a
      survey study carried out at Social and Preventive Medicine Department among 1700
      participants of 'Quit and Win' competition that finished the 2nd International
      Antinicotine Campaign in Poland. The correctly filled survey was sent by 1285
      people, that is 75.6%. The second source is a fragment of a survey study carried
      out in 2003 among 54 laureates of 'Quit and Win' competition in Poland. The
      completed survey was sent by majority of the laureates, that is 34 people (f =
      0.63). Possibility of winning a prize as the most important reason for taking up
      the attempt to stop smoking and joining the competition was pointed to by 56
      respondents (4.4%), whereas the remaining people chose other reasons as the most
      important ones. In the group of 34 respondents who were the laureates of
      competitions, majority, that is 22 people (f = 0.65) claimed the competition with
      prizes as a very effective method of reducing smoking. Half of the surveyed (17
      people) claimed the possibility of winning a few prizes of high value would be
      more motivating than winning one of many prizes of smaller value. As the least
      attractive, prize gifts were pointed to. A prize in the form of a trip or holiday
      was considered very popular, as much as money prize. A chance to win a prize was
      considered the most important motive in undertaking the attempt to refrain from
      smoking by a small number of participants of 'Quit and Win' competition. In the
      opinion of majority of the respondents who were laureates of competitions as
      chosen at random, competitions with prizes organized at the end of campaigns are
      an effective method of antinicotine prevention.

PMID- 20301943
TI  - [The students of Public Higher Medical Professional School in Opole spreading
      anti-tobacco advice].
AB  - Smoking tobacco in our society is the primary risk factor in the emergence of
      many diseases, including cardiovascular and cancer, elevating the risk of
      mortality before 65 years of age. Very important is the fact that this is a
      removable, which can be completely eliminated. The smoker health could be in
      better conditions and also other people from his environment. A man who is messed
      up is the sick man who, while having the motivation to stop smoking, need a
      comprehensive and specialized medical treatment. Respondents nursing and
      midwifery students in Opole PMWSZ most important in providing advice to patients
      students choose family doctors (34.1%) and internists (17.9%). According to the
      respondents, patients who, despite a strong motivation to stop smoking can not,
      should find help in specialized anti-tobacco clinic (27.8%), substance abuse
      treatment clinic (16.5%), and psychological counseling (11.4%). Half of the
      surveyed students (51.35%) declared the ability to advice patients, while only
      18.7% of respondents correctly answered the question what is the minimum
      intervention of tobacco control, 56% of respondents claimed that it is
      information to the patient of the consequences of smoking. Important in reducing
      the health effects of smoking is to prepare health workers to diagnose the
      problem of addiction and comprehensive professional treatment.

PMID- 20301944
TI  - [Practical anti-tobacco intervention in education ability of undergraduates of
      medical faculty].
AB  - Minimal anti-tobacco intervention (MIA) is an efficient and inexpensive method of
      smoking cessation intervention. The ability for practical use of MIA could be
      acquired by a majority of physicians-practitioners in Poland and other European
      Union countries. The objective of the work was to establish a practical knowledge
      in the scope of anti-tobacco strategies of senior students of the Medical Faculty
      of the Medical University of Bialystok after six-year education. We also assessed
      the prevalence of tobacco smoking among students of Medical Faculty. The
      percentage of tobacco smokers between the last course students of Medical Faculty
      average at 15% of women and 29% of men. Only 3 of all woman and half of men think
      they could effectively help in smoking cessation, but most of the assessed
      students have not acquired sufficient knowledge for an anti-tobacco intervention
      as well as they don't know practical tools like Fagerstom Test for Nicotine
      Dependence or Schneider's Smoker Complaint Scale.

PMID- 20301945
TI  - [Acting in the framework of the nicotine addiction prevention--the level of
      knowledge amongst 6th year students of Wroclaw Medical University].
AB  - It was stated explicitly that smoking was increasing the risk of the death about
      25-40% because of cardiovascular diseases, about 30-40% because of malignant
      tumors and is causing about 70% of deaths from illness of the respiratory system
      (no cancerous). It was also proved that basic means increasing the effectiveness
      of taken attempts to limit the smoking were useful and easy to apply by every
      doctor independently of the medical specialty. An anonymous questionnaire
      containing questions on the subject of the realization of problems connected with
      the tobacco addiction in the route of medical studies was carried amongst 6th
      year students of the Medical Department of Wroclaw Medical University in the
      academic year 2008/2009. 210 students took part in the study. 62% of examined
      came from the provincial capital, the 11.4% from the town with the population
      above 100 hundred of inhabitants, 22.4% of towns with the population below 100
      hundred of inhabitants and 3.8% of students--from country centers. Only 78% of
      students is claiming that problems concerning nicotinism were being brought up on
      the university. 56.7% of examined is judging that he is able to give an anti
      smoking advice to a patient. The correct answer in the question about the
      Fagerstroma test and describing physical addiction gave 47% of students, only
      39.5% examined--in the question about the assessment of motivation test (the
      Schneider scale), and 37.2% of students responded to the question what is
      consists in minimum anti-tobacco intervention. An insufficient frequency of
      bringing up the problem of smoking on medical studies is visible harmfulness, a
      consequence is a lowering knowledge amongst students. Little over 3 of students
      is confirming students that problems concerning the nicotinism were being brought
      up during studies (mainly during classes in the field of internal medicine),
      however every sixth of examined students is declaring the knowledge in the case
      of the patient addicted to the nicotine and every fourth has the knowledge. The
      preparing graduates of the Medical Faculty for the participation in realization
      of basic schedules of the promotion of the health and the diseases prevention is
      developing unusually pessimistically towards above data, the fight against the
      nicotine addiction is filling one of the essential positions, independently on
      the medical specialty.

PMID- 20301946
TI  - Comparison assessment methods of smoking consequences use in primary care.
AB  - Cigarette smoking is an independent factor influences on development of smoke
      related diseases (for example COPD, emphysema). The aim of the study was to check
      correlation between the changes in respiratory tract and use additional tests
      such as: a spirometric test, a chest radiogram and measurement of exhaled carbon
      monoxide among subjects. In the study took part 398 people: 182 active smokers,
      145 ex-smokers and 71 never smokers. Average age of participants was 49.3 +/-
      14.7 years, and number of years smoked cigarettes was 28 among men and 22 among
      women (p < 0.001). COPD has been diagnosed at 110 women (36-32.7% active smokers,
      44-40% never smokers and 30-27.3% former smokers) and at 108 men (53-40.8% active
      smokers, 52-23.9% never smokers and 77-35.3% former smokers). Emphysema has been
      diagnosed at 22 women (11-50% active smokers, 3-13.6% never smokers, 8-36.4%
      former smokers) and at 54 men (23-42.6% active smokers, 1-1.9% never smokers, 30
      55.6% former smokers). The measurement of carbon monoxide in exhaled air was
      noted at 122 active smokers, 2 never smokers and 31 former smokers. In comparison
      to the chest radiogram, the spirometric test (COPD and emphysema) with the level
      of CO exhaled by subjects showed strong dependence for emphysema ( = 8.655; p <
      0.004; C = 0.207) and for COPD ( = 10.522; p < 0.002; C = 0.228). The same
      statistically significant correlation showed results among active smokers for
      emphysema (= 6.919; p = 0.008528; C = 0.272) and for COPD ( = 43.512; p < 0.001;
      C = 0.633). The research showed that there are strong dependence between gender
      and tobacco smoking, and also correlation between respiratory tests used in this
      paper and changes which appeared as results of tobacco smoking.

PMID- 20301947
TI  - [Effectiveness of smoking cessation in group-based behavioral treatment in
      association to health status and motivation of participants--own research
      findings].
AB  - The efficacy and cost-effectiveness of behavioral treatments compare favorably
      with the pharmacotherapies and community-based interventions. Group-based
      behavioral programs have been scientifically proven as the effective smoking
      cessation intervention. Aim of the study was identifying predictors of the
      efficacy of smoking cessation in health factors: health status and motivation and
      doctor's advice. Program is a multicomponent group-based behavioral intervention
      with the elements recommended by the US Public Health Service as the most
      effective. 517 smokers were included into the program in the outpatient clinic
      setting in years 2001-2007. A point prevalence abstinence (PPA) was estimated by
      self-reported smoking cessation. Three homogeneous groups of patients according
      to their status health were established: participants with tobacco-related
      diseases n = 182, with psychiatric disorders n = 101 and healthy ones n = 150.
      59.6% of participants stopped smoking during four-week program. Program was
      effective in smoking cessation both for sick and healthy participants.
      Motivational factors, among others health motivation did not distinguish for
      whole population as well as for participants with tobacco-related diseases. Lack
      of doctor's advice increased efficacy of smoking cessation both for the whole
      population and for group with tobacco-related diseases. Nor health status and
      motivation neither doctor's advice were predictors of behavioral group-based
      treatment for tobacco smokers.

PMID- 20301948
TI  - [Assessment of the effectiveness of pharmacists' activities in treatment of
      tobacco-addicted patients in the context of pharmacists' counselling in Cracow's
      pharmacies].
AB  - Tobacco-related diseases killed 100 millions people in 20th century and unless
      urgent action is taken, it is predicted that 1 billion people in total will be
      killed by smoking in this century. Pharmacists as health-care professionals
      should support the healthy lifestyle campaign and motivate smokers to quit
      smoking especially as they have the theoretical basis for such counselling. The
      aims of the study were: 1. to evaluate the readiness of pharmacists employed in
      public pharmacies to manage patients who would like to stop smoking; 2. to assess
      the pharmacists' current knowledge of the harmfulness of smoking and methods of
      treatment of this addiction. The pharmacists were interviewed for readiness to
      help addicted people and for knowledge of health promotion problems. A study was
      carried out do determine pharmacists counselling skills. Investigator (monitor)
      visited pharmacies passing him(her)self off as a smoker who would like to quit
      smoking and enquired about methods of the addiction cessation. Next the
      investigator filled in questionnaires according to the pharmacists' answers.
      Sixty pharmacists were interviewed. The results showed that pharmacists were
      willing to help tobacco-addicted patients and although they strongly recommended
      smoking cessation, their knowledge of methods of tobacco-addiction treatment was
      restricted. The strongest interest and most extensive knowledge of smoking
      cessation problems was observed in pharmacists ranging in age from 30 to 50
      whereas pharmacists over 50 showed the worst results. The reason of this result
      was due to imperfect factual knowledge and unawareness of the value of
      pharmaceutical care in the oldest group of pharmacists. Insufficient education of
      pharmacists may influence the effectiveness of counseling.

PMID- 20301949
TI  - [Evaluation of nurses' knowledge about heath effects of active and passive
      smoking and their attitude towards providing smoking cessation activities].
AB  - The aim of the study was to evaluate the nurses' knowledge about health effects
      of active and passive smoking and their attitude towards providing smoking
      cessation activities. The study population consisted of 299 nurses. About 57% of
      the women thought that some kind of cigarettes can be less dangerous than other.
      Almost all of the nurses indicated that tobacco smoking may lead to addiction.
      Unfortunately only 67% of study population thought that sidestream smoke contains
      substances dangerous for health. All nurses indicated that tobacco smoking causes
      lung cancer and 77% of them that it can cause cardio-vascular diseases and only
      26% that it increases the risk of bladder cancer. Almost all women indicated that
      environmental tobacco smoke exposure is dangerous for pregnant women and the
      faetus. The nurses were educated about health effects of active and passive
      smoking but they have limited knowledge about the methods used in antismoking
      counseling.

PMID- 20301950
TI  - [Smoke-free environment--nurse attitudes towards smoke-free regulations].
AB  - The aim of the study was to analyze the nurse attitudes towards smoke-free
      regulations in public places. The study population consisted of 299 nurses. Among
      the study population questionnaire was conducted including socio-demographic
      characteristic, smoking and ETS profile, knowledge about health effects of
      smoking and abilities for conduction of antismoking counseling. Detail
      information was collected about nurse opinion on smoke-free public places such as
      offices, other workplaces, health and educational buildings, restaurants and
      bars. About 18% of study participants declared current tobacco smoking and 25%
      were former smokers. Almost all participating in the study women (85%-98%) are in
      favor of smoking ban in offices, health and educational buildings. 75% supported
      smoking ban in workplaces but 15% of them were somewhat opposed. Most of the
      nurses were in favor of smoke-free restaurants (64%) but they were less likely to
      support smoke-free bars, pubs and clubs (45%). Unfortunately 63% of interview
      women do not accept smoking ban in private cars. The percentage of women who
      support total ban of smoking in the presence of pregnant women was 93% and in the
      presence of children 79%. It is important to conduct educational and
      informational activities to increase public awareness on health consequences of
      active and passive smoking and the ways of elimination of such exposures.

PMID- 20301951
TI  - [Tobacco and health in the activity of the State Sanitary Inspectorate].
AB  - This paper presents the activity of the Department of the Health Education and
      Health Promotion in the Sanitary Inspectorate in area of nicotinism prevention,
      undertaking during the implementation of the National Program of the Reducing the
      Health Effects of the Smoking in Poland. The local sections of the health
      education and health promotion on Mazovia use different forms of activity to
      encourage quitting smoking: education in schools, working places' monitoring,
      distribution of the educational leaflets and flyers, public actions for local
      communities on smoking prevention, etc. Cooperation with a lot of the
      governmental and non-governmental institutions guarantees the high quality of the
      health education's activities in this field.

PMID- 20301952
TI  - Developing of LC/MS method with microwave assisted extraction for determination
      of methadone and it major metabolite (EDDP) in the blood of patients of methadone
      maintenance treatment.
AB  - Opium derivatives as the addictive substances cause many medical and social
      problems. In treatment of opiates addiction except psychotherapy a long time
      pharmacotherapy with methadone or buprenorphine are apply. In a recent study both
      moderate- and high-dose methadone treatment resulted in reductions in illicit
      opioid use. The aim of the study was develop fast high sensitive liquid
      chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry for determination of methadone and
      EDDP after microwave assisted extraction. Developed method for methadone and EDDP
      determination were linear over the range 5 to 1000 ng/ml for methadone and its
      metabolite. The method exhibit a good intra and inter day precision, the
      microwave assisted extraction was also satisfactory with recovery superior to
      80%. The mean concentration of methadone in plasma of patients receiving 40 mg of
      drug per day was 194 ng/ml but in second group (receiving 90 mg of methadone/day)
      263 ng/ml. The ratio of the doses was 2.25 but for methadone concentration only
      1.36. The much higher ratio (3.25) of concentrations was noticed for EDDP. This
      observation can support opinion other authoress about polymorphism of methadone
      pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.

PMID- 20301953
TI  - [Acute dextromethorphan poisoning based on the records of the Department of
      Toxicology and Internal Diseases in Poznan].
AB  - The recreational usage of dextrometorphan, the popular antitussive medicine, has
      become alarming in Poland. The euphoric and hallucinogenic activity of this drug
      manifests after high doses, usually ranging from 225 to 1500 mg that may lead to
      acute poisoning. Currently, dextrometh-orphan is considered as addictive
      substance. In this article we describe the symptoms of acute dextrometorphan
      poisoning that have been observed in 11 patients, aged between 16 and 31 years
      that have been treated in the Department of Toxicology and Internal Diseases
      Raszeja Hospital in Poznan. In the course of intoxication the most frequent
      symptom was balance disturbation (12.50%), impaired motoric coordination
      (11.36%), confusion (11.36%) and papillary dilation (11.36%). Agitation (9.09%),
      tachycardia (7.95%), hallucinations (6.82%), disartria (5.68%) and hypertension
      (4.55%) were less common. The doses of dextromethorphan ranged from 4.28 to 16.67
      mg/kg. All the patients were treated symptomatically. They recovered without
      sequelae and were discharged after 1-3 days of hospitalization.

PMID- 20301954
TI  - [Confounding variables in observational studies and their influence on obtained
      results].
AB  - In estimating the influence of one variable on another one we must ensure that
      observed effect is not caused by factors other than these under investigation.
      These last, called confounders of analyzed variables, influencing simultaneously
      both analyzed quantities may generate spurious non existing in reality
      relationships or change direction of these really existing.

PMID- 20301955
TI  - [Speed drugs].
AB  - Until recently "speed drugs" have not awake higher social emotions. Usually they
      associate with Red Bull, allowed driving long time, and workaholic from modern
      enterprise to regenerate before next task. Currently on the base of new
      regulation on the list of controlled substances benzylpyperazine, its related
      compounds and 17 plants products were added. The article discussed the sources
      and biological action of these psychoactive substances, which are illegal in
      Poland.

PMID- 20301956
TI  - [Cigarette and coffee--pharmacokinetics interaction between nicotine and
      caffeine].
AB  - Coffee drinking and tobacco smoking stand nicotine and caffeine the number one
      licit psychoactive substances. Many people inseparably combine a cup of coffee
      with cigarette. The two most important compounds in these products, nicotine and
      caffeine can influence on there concentration and pharmacodynamics activity in
      the body. The changes of the level of these compounds can be caused by changes of
      the pharmacokinetics on the way of enzyme induction by other chemical individuals
      content in the coffee and tobacco smoke.

PMID- 20301957
TI  - [Exposition of pregnant women and their children on toxic effect of lead from
      tobacco smoke].
AB  - Presented work is a review of scientific literature regarding mechanisms of
      adverse effect of lead exposure on pregnancy and child development. The authors
      discuss lead metabolism in human body and also determine the mechanism of toxic
      lead effect with a special emphasis placed on its trans-placental transport and
      the resulting detrimental effects for the fetus. We also discuss the results of
      studies indicating a correlation between the lead exposition of pregnant women
      and developmental deficits in the infant.

PMID- 20301958
TI  - [Cigarette smoking and cardiovascular disease].
AB  - Clinical and experimental studies indicate that either active or passive
      cigarette smoke exposure promotes vasomotor dysfunction, atherogenesis, and
      thrombosis in multiple vascular beds. Although the precise mechanisms responsible
      remain undetermined, free radical-mediated oxidative stress appears to play a
      central role in cigarette smoking mediated athero-thrombotic diseases. These free
      radicals could potentially arise directly from cigarette smoke and indirectly
      from endogenous sources as well. Furthermore, potentiated by multiple
      prothrombotic and antifibrynolytic effects, intravascular thrombosis is the
      predominant cause of acute cardiovascular events. Epidemiologic, clinical, and
      experimental data also suggest that the pathophysiologic effects of cigarette
      smoke exposure on cardiovascular function may be nonlinear.

PMID- 20301959
TI  - [Tobacco addiction in pregnant women and parturients--anesthetic considerations].
AB  - A global increase in addictions also affects pregnant women. In mothers-to be
      most frequent is tobacco dependence, despite broad spread of information on
      negative influence of smoking on the mother and infant. Other substance misuse as
      ethanol but also illicit drugs may additionally coexist in pregnancy. Smoking
      cigarettes underlies complications of pregnancy and parturition and babies of
      smoking mothers present with lower birthweight. As a disorder involving a number
      of pathologies tobacco dependence in pregnant women and parturients implicates an
      increased peripoerative risk, especially for respiratory and cardiac
      complications. Anesthetic management of choice is neuraxial blockades, both for
      labor analgesia and surgery. On contact with tobacco dependent pregnant and
      parturient patient an anesthetist should also take an advantage for smoking
      cessation consulting.

PMID- 20301960
TI  - Smoking and thyroid disease--review of literature.
AB  - Smoking has multiple effects on the thyroid gland, which is associated with
      important clinical implications such as the increased risk and severity of
      autoimmune thyroid disorders especially Graves disease. The influence of tobacco
      smoking is mainly associated with pharmacological action of nicotine and also
      with toxins such as thiocyanate. The present review of the relevant literature
      concentrates on the effect of smoking on the Graves ophthalmopathy and autoimmune
      thyroid disorders such as Hashimoto disease. The effect of passive smoking on
      children and the influence of smoking on foetus are also shown. In contrast, the
      protective influence of tobacco on the thyroid cancer is also widely noticed.
      Finally, our study describes observations related to the psychological and legal
      aspects of smoking.

PMID- 20301961
TI  - [Influence of natural active compounds on the skin in tobacco smokers].
AB  - Tobacco smoking is one of the main factors which negatively influence on the
      skin, and accelerate the process of skin ageing. Skin damaged by smoking appears
      grey, slack and dry. Oxidative stress is possible mechanism consistent with
      negative effects of smoking that activate skin premature wrinkling. This paper
      presents some of natural active compounds as polyphenols or unsaturated fatty
      acids which can reduce negative effect of smoking on the skin.

PMID- 20301962
TI  - [History of cigarette smoking. The effect of tobacco smoking on women's health].
AB  - History of cigarette smoking started on XV century, when Columb imported tobacco
      to Europe. Popular using of tobacco we are indebted Jaen Nicot Villeman, the name
      of nicotine originate from his surname. Tobacco first was exploited like a drug,
      however now it is a very harmful stimulant. Cigarette smoking is still an actual
      problem and increased risk of many diseases. Very toxic components of smoke get
      inside all the organs and upsetting their activities and proper running of the
      life processes. It is common knowledge that smoking badly influences women's
      health. Nicotine makes the negative influence on function of ovaries metabolism
      of hormones and state of osseous tissue. Maternal smoking during pregnancy is
      associated with obstetrical and pediatrician complication with fetus, newborn and
      child. The aim of the article is to summarize the role of tobacco smoking on
      women's health.

PMID- 20301963
TI  - [Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS)--implementation process in Poland].
AB  - In the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control ( FCTC) is stated a need to
      develop national, regional and global program of control, mechanisms, determinant
      factors, consequences of using tobacco products and inhaling tobacco smoke. One
      of crucial elements of global control system of tobacco use--Global Tobacco
      Surveillance System (GTSS) is Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS). Poland is
      amongst several countries which were invited to conduct GATS. The aim of his work
      s to describe the objectives, aims, and implementation GATS Project in our
      country. It will base on current experience of WHO Country Office in Poland. GATS
      is a representative households survey created to systematically monitor various
      types usage of tobacco products including smoking but also other forms of usage
      amongst adults (over 15 years of age). The main objective of GATS is diagnosis of
      current state and reasons for development of the tobacco epidemic amongst adults
      Poles. This diagnosis is necessary to determine actions in health and socio-
      economic policy priorities in order to minimize the usage of tobacco products.
      Researches in GATS Project are to be completed by the end of 209 and data
      analysis and final report in 2010.

PMID- 20301964
TI  - [In vitro cultures of tobacco and their impact on development of plant
      biotechnology].
AB  - Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) and related species had played a pioneer role in the
      development of plant biotechnology. Already in thirties of the XX century,
      aseptic in vitro cultures were established as one of the first plant tissue in
      vitro cultures. In the next decade the tobacco cultures served for investigations
      of organogenesis--formation of advetitiuos shoots and roots--the process
      important for micropropagation. In 60-ties of the previous century, the
      totipotency of plant cells, i.e. ability for regeneration of the full plant from
      single cell, has been unequivocally proved on the basis of experiments with
      tobacco cell cultures. Moreover, thanks to the tobacco in vitro cultures, the
      medium for performance of plant in vitro cultures was elaborated in 1962, which
      is the most frequently used medium till now. Tobacco was the first plant
      regenerated from a protoplast, as well as the first somatic hybrid and chimera in
      vitro were derived from tobacco cultures (the 70-ies). Tobacco was also one of
      the first transgenic plants and for its formation in vitro culture has been
      necessary to carry out transformation of tissue and regeneration of shoots and
      roots. Simultaneously preformed cell suspension culture of tobacco exhibited, on
      one hand, exceptional utility for studies of plant cell biology, and on the other
      hand, appeared applicable for performing controlled biosynthesis of useful
      metabolites and biotransformation (bioconversion), that is directed chemical
      modification of foreign compounds introduced to such culture. Tobacco has played
      the role of the model plant in investigations of biology and biotechnological
      applications of plants.

PMID- 20301965
TI  - [New role for tobacco--production of biopharmaceuticals].
AB  - Over one hundred of biopharmaceuticals present on the pharmaceutical market-
      among them mainly therapeutically peptides and proteins such as hormones,
      enzymes, interferons, blood factors, monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, growth
      factors and fusion proteins, are manufactured through recombinant DNA technology
      in cultures of transgenic bacterial (Escherichia coli), yeast (Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae) and mammalian cells (CHO, BHK) and rarely insect cells or insects
      (Bombyx mori). High costs of their manufacturing with simultaneous increased
      demand for existing and new biopharmaceuticals prompt for the search of cheaper
      methods of production by using transgenic domestic animals and, in particular, in
      transgenic crop plants. Among many plant species investigated for ability to
      produce biopharmaceuticals, such like cereals, legumes, oil plants, vegetables
      and fruit plants, aquatic plants and mosses, the outstanding features posses two
      tobacco species--Nicotiana tabacum and Nicotiana benthamiana. Foreign proteins
      can be expressed in those plants not only in nuclear genome, but also easily in
      chloroplast genome, through transient transformation and propagation of
      transgenic plant virus--e.g. tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). Tobacco was shown to be
      useful to produce various therapeutical proteins, even such complex ones as
      antibodies including secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), with partial humanization
      of N-glycans. Especially important is possibility of rapid preparation, even
      within a week, vaccines and monoclonal antibodies for clinical tests or
      personalized anticancer therapy through transient transformation or infection
      with transgenic virus. Tobacco with foreign gene may be employed for manufacture
      in two ways--either in field or green-house cultivation or in the form of in
      vitro suspension cell culture. Among many biopharmaceuticals expressed in
      tobacco, several vaccines and antibodies are in advanced stages of development,
      in clinical evaluations and probably close to application in medicine.

PMID- 20301966
TI  - Annual report: surveillance of adverse events following immunisation in
      Australia, 2008.
AB  - This report summarises Australian passive surveillance data for adverse events
      following immunisation (AEFI) reported to the Therapeutic Goods Administration
      (TGA) for 2008, and describes reporting trends over the 9-year period 2000 to
      2008. There were 1,542 AEFI records for vaccines administered in 2008. This was
      an annual AEFI reporting rate of 7.2 per 100,000 population, a 5% decrease
      compared with 2007. The majority of AEFI reports described non-serious events
      while 10% (n = 152) were classified as serious. Two deaths temporally associated
      with immunisation were reported; there was no evidence to suggest a causal
      association. The most commonly reported reactions were injection site reaction,
      allergic reaction, fever and headache. AEFI reporting rates in 2008 were 2.7
      events per 100,000 administered doses of influenza vaccine for adults aged > or =
      18 years, 18.9 per 100,000 administered doses of pneumococcal polysaccharide
      vaccine for those aged > or = 65 years, and 17.2 per 100,000 administered doses
      of scheduled vaccines for children aged < 7 years. Reports for infants increased
      in 2008, mainly related to gastrointestinal system events temporally associated
      with receipt of rotavirus vaccine in the 1st full year of the rotavirus
      immunisation program, while there was a substantial decrease in AEFI reports for
      human papilIoma virus vaccine in adolescents compared with 2007 when the program
      commenced. Increases in reports in children and adults were also partly
      attributed to the implementation of enhanced passive surveillance in Victoria.
      The consistently low reporting rate of serious AEFI highlights the safety of
      vaccines in Australia and illustrates the value of the national TGA database as a
      surveillance tool for monitoring AEFIs nationally.

PMID- 20301967
TI  - Australian Rotavirus Surveillance Program annual report, 2008/2009.
AB  - The Australian Rotavirus Surveillance Program together with collaborating
      laboratories Australia-wide, conducts a laboratory based rotavirus surveillance
      program. This report describes the genotypes of rotavirus strains responsible for
      the hospitalisation of children with acute gastroenteritis during the period 1
      July 2008 to 30 June 2009, the second year of surveillance following introduction
      of rotavirus vaccine into the National Immunisation Program. Five hundred and
      ninety-two faecal samples from across Australia were examined for G and P
      genotype using hemi-nested multiplex reverse transcription-polymerase chain
      reaction assays. Of the 445 confirmed as rotavirus positive, genotype G2P[4] was
      the dominant type nationally, representing 50.3%, followed by genotype G1P[8]
      (22.5%). Genotypes G3P[8], G4P[8] and G9P[8] each represented less than 5% of
      circulating strains nationally. Uncommon rotavirus genotype combinations,
      including G1P[4] (n = 6), G4P[4] (n = 2) and single strains of G1P[6] and G3P[6]
      were identified during this study period. The national dominance of G2P[4] was
      associated with a large outbreak of severe gastroenteritis in Alice Springs in
      early 2009. This is the first report to describe G2P[4] as the dominant genotype
      nationally. Whether vaccine pressure has resulted in emergence of this genotype
      is not yet known.

PMID- 20301969
TI  - Outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium 44 related to egg consumption.
AB  - ACT Health investigated an outbreak of gastroenteritis associated with a local
      restaurant in December 2008. The infecting agent was Salmonella serotype
      Typhimurium phage type 44. A case control study was conducted to identify the
      source of infection. A total of 22 cases and 9 controls were recruited to take
      part in the study. Both poached eggs (odds ratio [OR] 42.00) and hollandaise
      sauce (OR 19.00) had elevated odds ratios that were statistically significant.
      The major limitation of the study was the small sample size and small number of
      controls. Despite this, a strong association with illness and consumption of eggs
      and hollandaise sauce was detected and this was further supported by
      environmental evidence. The investigation concluded that the cause of the
      outbreak was putatively contaminated eggs, either on their own or as an
      ingredient used in hollandaise sauce. The investigation and control measures led
      to an improvement in hygiene practices at the restaurant and contributed to the
      voluntary recall of the contaminated batch of eggs from the Australian Capital
      Territory. The results of the study also build upon other evidence that egg
      related salmonellosis is now common in Australia and attention to commercial
      practices at production and processing is overdue.

PMID- 20301968
TI  - Monitoring the incidence and causes of diseases potentially transmitted by food
      in Australia: annual report of the OzFoodNet Network, 2008.
AB  - In 2008, OzFoodNetsites reported 25,260 notifications of 9 diseases or conditions
      that are commonly transmitted by food. The most frequently notified infections
      were Campylobacter (15,535 notifications) and Salmonella (8,310 notifications).
      Public health authorities provided complete serotype and phage type information
      on 94% of all Salmonella infections in 2008. The most common Salmonella serotype
      notified in Australia during 2008 was Salmonella Typhimurium, and the most common
      phage type was S. Typhimurium 135. During 2008, OzFoodNet sites reported 1,545
      outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness; affecting 25,555 people and resulting in
      691 people being hospitalised. There were 99 deaths during these outbreaks. The
      majority (83%, 1,276/1,545) of outbreaks were due to person-to-person spread, but
      7% (104/1,545) were transmitted by contaminated food. Foodborne outbreaks
      affected 1,454 persons including 96 hospitalisations. Eleven deaths were reported
      during these outbreaks. For these foodborne outbreaks, Salmonella was the most
      common aetiological agent and restaurants were the most common setting where
      foods were prepared. Twenty of these foodborne outbreaks were related to the
      consumption of eggs; the majority (n = 18) of these outbreaks were due to various
      phage types of S. Typhimurium. This report summarises the incidence of disease
      potentially transmitted by food in Australia and details outbreaks associated
      with various food vehicles in 2008. These data assist agencies to identify
      emerging disease, develop food safety policies, and prevent foodborne illness.

PMID- 20301970
TI  - Outbreaks of Salmonella Typhimurium phage type 197 of multiple genotypes linked
      to an egg producer.
AB  - This paper describes outbreaks of Salmonella Typhimurium phage type 197 (STm197)
      linked to eggs from the farm of a single egg producer. Epidemiological and
      microbiological investigations (genotyping by multiple locus variable number
      tandem repeats analysis [MLVA]) identified outbreaks of STm197 with the same or
      closely-related MLVA profiles in a series of restaurants across Brisbane over 2
      months. Environmental health investigations revealed that these restaurants were
      supplied with eggs from the same egg producer and that cross-contamination may
      have contributed to the outbreak. Environmental swabs taken from restaurant
      kitchens and the farm of the egg producer identified a number of salmonellas
      including STm197, many with MLVA profiles matching or closely related to the
      human strains from outbreak cases. A case-to-case comparison study showed a
      significant association between illness with 1 MLVA type and attending a
      restaurant during the 5 days before onset of illness (odds ratio [OR] 8.1, 95%
      confidence interval [CI] 1.8, 35.4). MLVA has become a valuable tool for S.
      Typhimurium surveillance and outbreak investigation. This outbreak further
      justifies the Commonwealth Government's decision to develop a draft national
      primary production and processing standard for eggs and egg products to address
      food safety risks posed by cracked and dirty eggs.

PMID- 20301972
TI  - Communicable diseases surveillance.

PMID- 20301971
TI  - OzFoodNet quarterly report, 1 July to 30 September 2009.

PMID- 20301973
TI  - Being and the death drive: the quality of Green's thinking.

PMID- 20301974
TI  - Sources and vicissitudes of being in D. W. Winnicott's work.
AB  - The author questions the reasons for the appearance of the concept of being in
      Winnicott's work four years before his death. Winnicott illustrated his concept
      of being by describing a patient in whom he found a complete dissociation of male
      and female elements. Insisting on the role of the environment and the part played
      by the mother, Winnicott considered that the pure female element relates to the
      breast or the mother, in the sense that the baby is becoming the breast. He
      opined that instinct or drive has nothing to do with this. The present paper
      discusses this viewpoint at length, comparing Winnicott's and Freud's positions.
      It is noted that Winnicott introduced his concept of being at a time when he felt
      threatened by his own mortality.

PMID- 20301976
TI  - Rethinking pathological mourning: multiple types and therapeutic approaches.
AB  - Different types of pathological mourning are discussed, with the idea that
      refining psychoanalytic nosology in this sector can contribute to the enhancement
      of interventions more suitable for each. Primary fixation to the object--extant
      before the loss--is differentiated from secondary fixation, which occurs when
      suffering in the present leads to idealization of an object that is only then
      felt to be actually lost. The role of narcissism, guilt feelings, and paranoid
      anxieties in the process of pathological mourning is considered. Clinical
      material illustrates some of these conditions.

PMID- 20301975
TI  - Reality testing in place of interpretation: a phase in psychoanalytic work with
      descendants of Holocaust survivors.
AB  - Repetition of experience endured by the first generation has frequently been
      observed in descendants of Holocaust survivors. Such repetitions are associated
      with an erosion of the ability, in the area of the trauma, to distinguish more or
      less reliably between external and internal reality. This in turn results from
      the defensive need, in the affected families, to dissociate from such extreme
      traumatic experiences. Clinical material is presented to show that, at a certain
      phase in psychoanalytic work with patients belonging to subsequent generations,
      interpretive activity may need to be temporarily suspended in order to facilitate
      reality testing and the recognition of the Shoah as an objective historical fact.

PMID- 20301977
TI  - The mind as a complex internal object: inner estrangement.
AB  - The psyche is not a passive container (of emotions, memories, representations,
      objects, structures, drives, defenses, etc.), and not just an object-seeking
      organism; it acts on itself as the object of its own scrutiny, which can take
      many forms. Emphasis on the role of interpersonal object relations has sometimes
      tended to reduce our working model of the psyche to its internalizations and how
      these shape personality. This essay uses illustrative clinical vignettes and
      metapsychological reasoning to explore the mind's relationship to itself and its
      capacity to act upon itself, arguing that attention to this aspect of clinical
      material is vital to the psychoanalytic process, fostering what might be
      described as the growth of internal intersubjectivity.

PMID- 20301978
TI  - Copies without originals: the psychodynamics of cosmetic surgery.
AB  - The use of cosmetic surgery and procedures has sharply increased in recent years.
      This paper outlines an object-relational framework for understanding the
      unconscious fantasies that may drive the pursuit of body modification and
      proposes three categories of such fantasies. For some individuals, the pursuit of
      "beauty" through cosmetic surgery provides a psychic retreat from the reality of
      dependency as the self retreats into believing that it can create itself (the
      self-made fantasy). For others, it is a means for creating a felt-to-be ideal
      self, thereby averting the pain of the loss of an object that would love and
      desire the self (the perfect-match fantasy). For still others, it may be the only
      means of expelling an object felt to be alien or polluting that is unconsciously
      identified with the body (the reclaiming fantasy).

PMID- 20301979
TI  - Like drives, cultural products exert a "demand on the mind for work": an
      introduction to two exemplary essays.

PMID- 20301980
TI  - Computing the unconscious.
AB  - This essay examines the unconscious as modeled by cognitive science and compares
      it to the psychoanalytic unconscious. In making this comparison, the author
      underscores the important but usually overlooked fact that computational
      psychology and psychoanalytic theory are both varieties of posthumanism. He
      argues that if posthumanism is to advance a vision for our future that is no
      longer fixated on a normative image of the human, then its own normative claims
      about the primacy of Darwinian functioning must be disrupted and undermined
      through a renewed emphasis on its Freudian heritage.

PMID- 20301981
TI  - Menu cards in time of famine: on psychoanalysis and politics.
AB  - The author interrogates the limits of psychoanalytic practice and
      psychoanalytically inclined political theory. The limits of psychoanalytically
      inclined political theory are read for what they can tell us about the lasting
      eclipse of the political, and so, inversely, for what they can tell us about what
      a viable political culture requires, just as the limits of the political efficacy
      of psychoanalytic practice are read for what they can tell us about what would be
      required for its successful realization.

PMID- 20301982
TI  - Whimsy.

PMID- 20301983
TI  - A randomized double-blind study comparing the efficacy and safety of orlistat
      versus placebo in obese patients with mild to moderate hypercholesterolemia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Obesity is a chronic disease and a serious health problem that
      leads to increased prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia and
      gallbladder disease. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of orlistat for weight
      loss and improved lipid profile compared to placebo in obese patients with
      hypercholesterolemia, treated over a period of 6 months. METHODOLOGY: In a 6
      month, multicenter (10 centers in Portugal), double-blind, parallel, placebo
      controlled study, 166 patients, aged 18-65 years, body mass index (BMI) > or = 27
      kg/m2, LDL cholesterol > 155 mg/dl, were randomized to a reduced calorie diet
      (600 kcal/day deficit) plus orlistat three times a day or placebo. Exclusion
      criteria included triglycerides > 400 mg/dl, severe cardiovascular disease,
      uncontrolled hypertension, type 1 or 2 diabetes under pharmacological treatment,
      and gastrointestinal or pancreatic disease. RESULTS: The mean difference in
      weight from baseline was 5.9% (5.6 kg) in the orlistat group vs. 2.3% (2.2 kg) in
      the placebo group. In the orlistat group 49% of patients achieved 5-10% weight
      loss and 8.8% achieved > 10%. The orlistat group showed a significant reduction
      in total and LDL cholesterol, with similar changes for HDL in both treatment
      groups. The frequency of gastrointestinal adverse events was slightly higher in
      the orlistat group than in the placebo group, leading to discontinuation in 7
      patients. CONCLUSION: Treatment with orlistat plus a reduced calorie diet for 6
      months achieved significant reductions in weight, BMI and lipid parameters.

PMID- 20301984
TI  - Results of the routine use of 4F catheters for diagnostic catheterization in a
      cath lab.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Complications at the site of vascular access are the most common
      adverse events in cardiac catheterization. The use of small gauge catheters may
      reduce this risk and allow earlier ambulation, the main disadvantage according to
      some authors being inferior image quality. The aim of our study was to evaluate
      the safety and image quality of 4 French diagnostic catheters. METHODS: We
      performed a retrospective study of 1656 patients who underwent diagnostic cardiac
      catheterization with 4F catheters via the femoral artery between January 2006 and
      December 2007, and analyzed the complications during and immediately after the
      procedure. The quality of the films was assessed in 125 consecutive patients from
      this group, who were also followed up on average one month after hospital
      discharge. RESULTS: Cardiac catheterization with 4F catheters was technically
      possible in all cases. Patients were able to ambulate and were discharged from
      hospital on average four and six hours respectively after the procedure.
      Complications during or immediately after the procedure occurred in 5.8% of
      cases. In the subgroup with clinical follow-up, there was minor bleeding at the
      access site in 16.4% and hematoma in 14.4%; in the latter group, only one patient
      had major hematoma requiring therapeutic intervention. No other major
      complications were recorded and the patients resumed their daily activities on
      average 7 days after discharge. Image analysis revealed that most of the films
      were of good quality. CONCLUSION: The use of 4F catheters for diagnostic cardiac
      catheterization via the femoral approach enables rapid hemostasis and early
      ambulation, with a low incidence of complications at the access site. This type
      of catheter provides good quality images and there were no problems in their
      handling. 4F catheters are therefore a good option to consider for cardiac
      catheterization, especially when no therapeutic procedures are expected.

PMID- 20301985
TI  - "Toll-free" access.

PMID- 20301986
TI  - Hemoptysis in a single lung Fontan: percutaneous approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Fontan procedure is sometimes the last palliative surgery for
      complex congenital heart disease with single-ventricle physiology. According to
      some authors, atrial-baffle fenestrations with right-to-left shunts have improved
      the surgical outcome of the Fontan operation. Percutaneous fenestration closure
      at a later stage may increase saturations and reduce the risk of embolic
      complications. A case could be made that the fenestration should be left patent
      if the patient, having lost the continuity of the pulmonary artery to one lung,
      only has a single functional lung. CASE REPORT: The case of an 11-year-old boy
      with a severe form of Ebstein anomaly is reported. He had undergone a fenestrated
      Fontan procedure and had lost the continuity to the left pulmonary artery.
      Further intervention was discouraged at other centers but he was eventually
      referred to our institution due to increasing cyanosis and severe hemoptysis.
      Several right-sided arteriovenous pulmonary malformations and collateral arteries
      were embolized percutaneously; a major right-to-left shunt at the fenestration in
      the atrial baffle was also occluded with an Amplatzer device. His saturation rose
      from 78 to 94% and his exercise tolerance increased, without further hemoptysis.

PMID- 20301987
TI  - From the discovery of the circulation of the blood to the first steps in
      hemorheology: part 2.
AB  - In the second and last part of this article, the contributions of two more
      brilliant figures are described in two sections, A and B, respectively Marcello
      Malpighi and Antonie van Leeuwenhoek. Through the originality of their work, both
      confirmed the pioneer William Harvey's observations and went on to add important
      details. Malpighi applied the optical microscope, until then used almost
      exclusively as a mere curiosity, to the in vitro study of the body tissues of
      various species. Outstanding among these pioneering observations was the
      visualization, for the first time, of capillary structures and blood corpuscles,
      on the basis of which he defined the composition of blood and, also for the first
      time, the concept of its fluidity. Furthermore, Malpighi confirmed the structural
      and functional continuity of the systemic circulation, which Harvey had been
      unable to demonstrate. Although van Leeuwenhoek lacked an academic education, he
      was able to see, through lenses he built himself, the microscopic details of the
      organic and inorganic world around him. Among numerous detailed observations of
      all types of substances, particularly important were the insights that he
      obtained into the nature of blood and red blood cells, to which he attributed the
      color of arterial and venous blood. He calculated the size of erythrocytes with
      striking accuracy. He was able to distinguish arterial from venous blood,
      confirmed the heart's function as the force behind the propulsion of the blood
      through the arteries and of the rhythmic nature of the pulse, and elucidated the
      return of the blood to the heart by different vessels, the veins. He visualized
      the bifurcation of the arteries into increasingly narrow vessels until they gave
      way to capillary networks, which in turn became successively wider venous
      channels. Van Leeuwenhoek demonstrated the existence of arterial-venous
      anastomoses. He discovered erythrocyte sedimentation and deformability (their
      shape varying from the original discoid or oval form, observed in larger vascular
      segments, to flat forms, adapted to the diameter of narrower vessels). In the
      process he defined the characteristics of red cell circulation and the
      alterations that follow blood coagulation, and was thus a perceptive pioneer of
      the concepts of hemorheology applied to medicine.

PMID- 20301988
TI  - Bilateral papillary muscle infarction in a chagasic patient.
AB  - We report a case of a 59-year-old patient diagnosed with chagasic cardiomyopathy,
      who manifested sudden heart failure while hospitalized, evolving to death due to
      cardiogenic and septic shock. Anatomical-pathological studies revealed infarction
      of the papillary muscles together with histological changes compatible with 48 to
      72 hours of evolution. Pulmonary edema was considered the cause of death,
      probably related to mitral regurgitation of ischemic nature. The cause of the
      papillary muscle infarction was not elucidated by study of the coronary tree,
      which presented no signs of recent thrombosis. Explanation for the papillary
      muscle infarction in this patient may be related to the presence of alterations
      in microcirculation represented by vasodilation and the consequent phenomenon of
      "stealing" of blood flow in this territory to the detriment of other areas, or
      due to the fact that the papillary muscles may represent convergence zones of two
      distinct coronary circulations.

PMID- 20301989
TI  - Cardiomyopathy in Churg-Strauss syndrome.
AB  - The authors present the case of a 56-year-old man, admitted to the hospital twice
      in ten days for acute coronary syndrome with normal coronary angiograms. In the
      second hospitalization, the patient had anginal crises that did not respond to
      anti-ischemic therapy, associated with cough and wheezing. The echocardiogram
      revealed worsening left ventricular systolic dysfunction. He had no
      cardiovascular risk factors but there was a history of bronchial asthma, allergic
      rhinitis and peripheral neuropathy of the left upper limb with paresthesias.
      Laboratory studies showed eosinophilia, detected in previous blood tests,
      although more marked than before. Chest X-rays showed non-fixed pulmonary
      infiltrates and bronchoalveolar lavage revealed increased lymphocytes and
      eosinophils, suggesting Churg-Strauss syndrome with the probable cardiac
      manifestation of coronary vasospasm. A cardiac MRI was also performed but was
      inconclusive due to the patient's intolerance of the exam.

PMID- 20301990
TI  - Coronary perforation following stent implantation.

PMID- 20301991
TI  - Arrhythmogenic biventricular dysplasia?

PMID- 20301992
TI  - Portuguese Registry of Acute Coronary Syndromes: seven years of activity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Portuguese Registry of Acute Coronary Syndromes was established
      in 2002, with the goal of gathering data on the clinical characteristics,
      treatment and prognosis of Portuguese patients with acute coronary syndromes
      (ACS). OBJECTIVE: To report the information collected during the seven years of
      activity of the Portuguese Registry of ACS (from January 1, 2002 to December 31,
      2008). METHODS: The Portuguese Registry of ACS is an observational, prospective
      and continuous registry, which started on January 1, 2002 and involved 45
      Portuguese hospitals. Patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction
      (STEMI), non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and unstable
      angina (UA) were included. Information was collected on 188 variables, including
      data on clinical presentation, treatment and prognosis of patients with ACS.
      RESULTS: The registry included 22,482 patients (mean age 66 +/- 13 years, 70%
      male), distributed as follows: 45.4% STEMI, 41.4% NSTEMI and 13.1% UA.
      Reperfusion therapy was used in 63% of STEMI patients, ris- ing from 60% in 2002
      to 75% in 2008, with an increasing proportion of primary angioplasty relative to
      fibrinolysis. Aspirin, low molecular weight heparin and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa
      inhibitors were used in respectively 97%, 88% and 26% of the patient population.
      A combination of dual antiplatelets, beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme
      inhibitors and statins was used in 32% of patients during hospitalization, in 26%
      on discharge and in 16% six months after the acute event. Coronary angiography
      was performed in the majority of patients (62%), followed by a coronary
      revascularization procedure in about a third (38%). Coronary angiography was
      increasingly used during the period under analysis, with a concomitant increase
      in revascularization procedures. In-hospital mortality was 5.2% in the overall
      population (7.7% in STEMI, 3.9% in NSTE-MI and 0.7% in UA), declining
      significantly over time. Cumulative mortality six months after the acute event
      was 7.5% (10.2% in STEMI, 6.6% in NSTEMI and 1.5% in UA). CONCLUSION: The
      Portuguese Registry of ACS has collected crucial information on the clinical
      characteristics, treatment and prognosis of ACS in Portugal. The reported results
      reveal discrepancies between the guidelines for ACS treatment and their
      application in clinical practice. Analysis of the results has identified several
      issues that require particular attention and future intervention in order to
      improve ACS treatment and prognosis.

PMID- 20301993
TI  - Intrapartum ultrasonogram for the determination of fetal occiput position and
      risk of cesarean section.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the value of intrapartum ultrasonographically determined
      occiput position and risk of cesarean section. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Between
      August 1, 2008 and May 31, 2009, 330 singleton pregnant women, GA 37-42 weeks
      with cephalic presentation who were in early active phase of labor at Thammasat
      University hospital were recruited. The fetal occiput position was determined by
      transabdominal ultrasonography. The occiput posterior defined as cases and non
      occiput posterior defined as controls. Perinatal outcomes and delivery methods
      were recorded. Independent sample t-test, Chi-square and multivariable regression
      were applied for analysis. RESULTS: The incidence of occiput posterior was 29.7%.
      The abnormal cervical dilatation, cesarean delivery, and newborn weight were
      statistically significantly higher in cases. 44.9% of cases underwent cesarean
      section compared to 14.7% of controls. CONCLUSION: Fetal occiput posterior
      presentation determined in early stage of active labor by ultrasonography was a
      significant independent risk of cesarean section.

PMID- 20301994
TI  - Reference centile chart for fetal nuchal translucency, maternal serum PAPP-A and
      free beta hCG.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To create reference centile chart of fetal nuchal translucency
      maternal serum pregnancy associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) and maternal serum
      free beta human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG) in order to predict
      preliminarily Down syndrome in Thai fetuses during 10-14 weeks of gestation.
      MATERIAL AND METHOD: This was a prospective, descriptive cohort study. From 1
      January 2004 to 31 December 2006, a total of 1,000 pregnant women during 10-14
      weeks of gestation were participated in the present study. Pregnancy outcomes
      were reviewed from the records. The excluded cases were chromosomal and major
      structural abnormalities, twin pregnancy and cases resulting in miscarriage or
      intrauterine death. All women had a scan for nuchal translucency (NT) and had
      blood taken for measurement of maternal serum PAPP-A and free beta-hCG level.
      RESULTS: The mean NT was 1.6 +/- 0.8 mm (range 0.3-14 mm). The 5th, 50th and 95th
      centile of PAPP-A and free beta-hCG during 11-14 weeks of gestation were 1.54-69,
      14-28, 51-57 and 24.8-17, 78-47, 181.6-126.5 mIU/mL, respectively. The
      distribution and the 5% and 95%, lower and upper limits of NT, PAPP-A and free
      beta-hCG was presented. CONCLUSION: The present study shows that NT measurements
      increase with increasing gestational age. The mean serum PAPP-A rises and the
      mean serum-free beta hCG decreases from 10 to 14 weeks of gestation in normal
      Thai fetuses. These results can be used for reference value to predict fetal Down
      Syndrome.

PMID- 20301995
TI  - Antibacterial activity of carbapenem-based combinations againts multidrug
      resistant Acinetobacter baumannii.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii are increasingly
      encountered and frequently susceptible only to colistin with their MIC values
      close to resistance breakpoint. Antibacterial activity of two carbapenem-based
      combinations were explored in order to overcome the bacterial resistance.
      MATERIAL AND METHOD: Thirty clinical isolates of MDRA. baumannii were employed to
      assess in vitro antibacterial activity of two carbapenem-based regimens. Imipenem
      combined with colistin and meropenem combined with colistin and sulbactam were
      the first and second regimens, respectively. All isolates were resistant to
      imipenem (MIC range: 8-128 microg/ml) and meropenem (MIC range: 64-256 microg/ml)
      but still susceptible to colistin (MIC range: 0.5-2 microg/ml). The MIC range of
      sulbactam was 4-64 microg/ml. None of the isolates produced metallo-beta
      lactamase. RESULTS: Synergistic antibacterial effect of imipenem combined with
      colistin was observed against 100 percent of A. baumannii isolates by the
      checkerboard microdilution panel method. In a subsequent time kill study, the
      most active concentration of this regimen was the combination of imipenem at the
      fixed concentration of 32 microg/ml and colistin at the 1/4 of the MIC values of
      each isolate that exerted significantly higher bactericidal activity than
      imipenem at 32 microg/ml alone and colistin alone at the 1/4 of the MIC values.
      The scanning electron micrographs demonstrated major cell morphological change
      and cell wall destruction after 2-hour exposure to this combination. The triple
      combinations of meropenem, sulbactam and colistin showed synergy against 96.7
      percent of MDR A. baumannii while double combinations of either meropenem and
      sulbactam, meropenem and colistin, and sulbactam and colistin showed synergy
      effects of 70%, 73.3% and 53.3%, respectively The time kill study using ten
      isolates also showed better killing effect by the triple combination than any of
      the double combinations. CONCLUSION: Antibacterial activity against MDR A.
      baumannii of imipenem plus colistin was superior over any single of the two
      agents. The addition of sulbactam to meropenem and colistin may further improve
      their antibacterial activity. The double or triple carbapenem-based combinations
      offer promising alternatives in the treatment of infections due to MDR A.
      baumannii.

PMID- 20301996
TI  - Comparison of continuous infusion versus intermittent infusion of vancomycin in
      patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the pharmacokinetics of vancomycin administration by
      continuous infusion and intermittent infusion. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A
      prospective, randomized, two-way crossover study of 12 patients with methicillin
      resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections was conducted. All patients were
      randomized to receive vancomycin in both regimens consecutively: (i) infusion of
      15 mg/kg of vancomycin as a loading dose for 1 h followed by 30 mg/kg of
      vancomycin as a continuous infusion over 24 h for 48 h; and (ii) intermittent
      infusion of 15 mg/kg of vancomycin for 1 h every 12 h for 48 h. Vancomycin
      pharmacokinetic studies were carried out during hours 24-48 after the start of
      both regimens. RESULTS: For the continuous infusion regimen, the mean highest
      steady-state concentration was 24.88 +/- 12.75 microg/ml and the mean lowest
      steady-state concentration was 19.89 +/- 10.15 microg/ml. For the intermittent
      infusion regimen, the mean peak and trough serum concentrations were 55.02 +/-
      17.36 and 12.43 +/- 12.86 microg/ml, respectively. After 10 days of vancomycin
      treatment, the MRSA infections were eradicated in all patients. Moreover, during
      both methods of infusion, no adverse events related to the use of vancomycin were
      observed. CONCLUSION: Either continuous infusion or intermittent infusion can be
      used as an effective mode of vancomycin administration to achieve bactericidal
      activity.

PMID- 20301997
TI  - Metabolic syndrome and atherosclerotic risk factors as determinants of blood
      sugar control in diabetic patients: a retrospective cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of metabolic syndrome and atherosclerotic risk
      factors on blood sugar control in diabetic patients. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This
      present retrospective cohort study of two hundreds of medical records of diabetes
      patients treated at the outpatient internal medicine department during the year
      2006-2007. Data were collected using a case record form containing biochemical
      profile characteristics of patients and metabolic components by the World Health
      Organization (WHO) criteria. The affecting factors to optimal treatment were
      analyzed to give descriptive (percent = %, mean, SD, median, range) and
      inferential statistics (odds ratio = OR). RESULTS: There were 200 diabetic
      patients included in the present study with males of 30.5% and females of 69.5%.
      Patients who have a higher number of components of criteria of metabolic syndrome
      tend to have difficulties in controlling their blood sugar (OR for 4 vs. < 3
      components: 4.78 95% CI = 1.14-19.97). Patients with younger age groups are more
      likely to fail to control their blood sugar with OR of 3.87 (95% CI = 1.53-9.76).
      CONCLUSION: Diabetic patients who have higher components of metabolic syndrome
      and younger age tend to have difficulties in controlling their blood sugar.
      However, the association between having atherosclerotic risk factors and outcome
      of blood sugar control is inconclusive and needs further studies with a larger
      sample size.

PMID- 20301998
TI  - Accuracy of the distance between suprasternal notch and superior iliac spine to
      determine umbilical arterial catheter length.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to validate the SSSL in pre-determinating the
      insertional length between the sixth and tenth thoracic vertebrae (T6-T10) and
      examine repeatability property. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A prospective recruitment of
      52 babies who were placed the umbilical arterial catheter in the NICU, Thammasat
      University Hospital was performed. Insertional length of the distance between
      suprasternal notch and superior iliac spine (SSSL) were performed. The catheter
      tips were verified against anatomical points on chest and abdominal radiograph.
      The SSSL was measured twice on each patient to indicate repeatability property.
      RESULTS: All babies (100 percent accuracy) were correctly placed the catheter
      tips at high placement (T6 to T10) at the first attempt. Repeatability
      coefficient for repeating measure of the SSSL was 0.7 centimeters. CONCLUSION:
      The SSSL is repeatable, simple, and perfectly accurate for pre-determination of
      the umbilical arterial catheter length to position the catheter tip at T6-T10.

PMID- 20301999
TI  - Boosted p24 antigen assay for early diagnosis of perinatal HIV infection.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The authors evaluated the accuracy of in-house boosted-p24 antigen
      assay for diagnosis of perinatal HIV infection. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The author
      has retrospectively reviewed the medical records of infants born to HIV-positive
      mothers. The infants were tested for boosted-p24 antigen assay at the age of 1-2
      months and 4-6 months. HIV infection was defined as positive anti-HIV at the age
      18 months or older, or had positive HIV-PCR with clinical signs and symptoms
      compatible with HIV/AIDS. RESULTS: There were 168 infants included in this review
      and six were HIV-infected. The boosted-p24 antigen assay had the sensitivity,
      specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 33.33%,
      98.27%, 50%, and 95.8%, respectively at 1-2 month-old, and 100%, 98.27%, 71.43%,
      and 100%, respectively at 4-6 month-old. CONCLUSION: Boosted-p24 antigen assay
      could be a cheaper alternative test to help diagnosis of perinatal HIV infection
      in infants. The test was very accurate when performed at 4-6 months.

PMID- 20302000
TI  - Outcomes of very low birth weight infants in Songklanagarind Hospital.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the mortality and morbidity rates of very low birth
      weight (VLBW) infants in Songklanagarind Hospital. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A
      retrospective study of all infants with birth weight < 1,500 g admitted to the
      neonatal intensive care unit between January 2003 and December 2006. RESULTS: A
      total of 178 VLBW infants, met the enrollment criteria, with mean (+/- standard
      deviation-SD) birth weight and gestational age of 1,123 +/- 273 g and 29 +/- 3
      weeks, respectively. Forty-two (23.6%) were referred from other hospitals. The
      overall mortality rate was 27.0%. Perinatal risk factors of mortality were birth
      weight < 1,000 g (p < 0.01), congenital anomalies (p < 0.01), and Apgar score at
      1 minute < or = 5 (p < 0.01). Among the 130 (73.0%) survivors to discharge, 92
      (70.8%) survived without major morbidity. The major morbidities were
      moderate/severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia, retinopathy of prematurity stage 3,
      necrotizing enterocolitis stage > or = 2 and intraventricular hemorrhage grade >
      or = III in 31 (23.8%), 12 (9.2%), 4 (3.1%) and 2 (1.5%) infants, respectively.
      CONCLUSION: The mortality rate of VLBW infants in Songklanagarind Hospital was
      similar to other developing countries, although greater than in developed
      countries. Among survivors, the major morbidity rates were acceptable.

PMID- 20302001
TI  - A comparison of open and percutaneous pulley release in trigger digits.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the results of open surgery with those of percutaneous
      surgery in patients with trigger digits. MATERIAL AND METHOD: One hundred forty
      two patients with 160 trigger fingers and thumbs were prospectively randomized to
      either open (70 patients, 80 digits) or percutaneous (72 patients, 80 digits)
      surgeries at Ratchaburi Hospital. The operations were performed by one surgeon
      between May 1, 2007 and Dec 31, 2008. Operative time, postoperative range of
      motion of the finger proximal interphalangeal joint (PIP) or thumb
      interphalangeal joint (IP), patient satisfaction score, patient pain score, and
      surgical complications were assessed at weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8. RESULTS:
      Trigger digits were successfully treated in eighty digits (100%) of the patients
      who underwent open surgery and in seventy-nine digits (98.75%) of the patients
      who underwent percutaneous surgery. Mean operative time, mean postoperative range
      of motion of the finger PIP or thumb IP, mean postoperative satisfaction score,
      and mean postoperative patient pain score were not significantly different
      between the groups. No serious complications were observed in either group. One
      patient in the percutaneous surgery group underwent open surgery two months later
      due to pain and locking. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous trigger digit surgery using the
      full handle knife 45 degrees is effective and safe, and results functional
      outcomes equal to those with open trigger digit surgery.

PMID- 20302002
TI  - Comparative mechanical axis deviation after TKA between conventional and CAS
      procedure.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study was to report the results of
      radiographic comparisons made between CAS-TKA and conventional TKA. MATERIAL AND
      METHOD: The authors retrospectively compared 102 knee radiographs from
      conventional TKA to 84 knees from CAS-TKA. RESULTS: The mean mechanical axis
      deviation was 2.77 degrees for conventional TKA and 1.80 degrees for CAS-TKA (p =
      0.0002). For conventional TKA 42.2% of the results were considered to be outliers
      versus only 14.3% outlier frequency among the CAS-TKA procedures (p < 0.0001).
      Only 54.4% of scanograms were proper for the presented analysis due to improper
      anterior-posterior positioning. Implementation of a corrective standing block
      eliminated this issue. CONCLUSION: CAS-TKA significantly reduces both margins of
      error in knee alignment and frequency of outlier compared with conventional TKA.
      Further investigation to compare long-term results of CAS-TKA with conventional
      TKA is recommended.

PMID- 20302003
TI  - One year results of selective laser trabeculoplasty in the treatment of primary
      open angle glaucoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of selective laser trabeculoplasty
      (SLT) as a treatment of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG). MATERIAL AND METHOD:
      In a prospective clinical study, 21 eyes suffering from POAG were treated with
      SLT over inferior 180 degrees of trabecular meshwork. The intraocular pressure
      (IOP) was measured before and 1 hour, 1 week, and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after
      the treatment. The glaucoma medications were continued on the same regimen during
      the study period. RESULTS: The mean preoperative IOP was 18.6 mmHg (SD 2.2). The
      mean IOP reduction were 4.9 mmHg (26.3%) 1 hour after SLT, 2.6 mmHg (14.0%) 1
      week after SLT, 4.0 mmHg (21.5%) 1 month after SLT, 3.5 mmHg (18.8%) 3 months
      after SLT, 3.7 mmHg (19.9%) 6 months after SLT, and 3.3 mmHg (17.7%) 12 months
      after SLT. There were minimal adverse reactions including conjunctival injection
      and mild anterior chamber reaction. CONCLUSION: SLT is a safe and effective
      procedure to reduce IOP in POAG patients.

PMID- 20302004
TI  - Clinical assessment of levocetirizine and budesonide in treatment of persistent
      allergic rhinitis regarding to symptom severity.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare effectiveness of levocetirizine and budesonide in treatment
      of persistent allergic rhinitis (PER) in patients with high and low total symptom
      scores (TSS). MATERIAL AND METHOD: Randomized, parallel-group study. Patients
      with PER were randomized to receive levocetirizine 5 mg (n = 50) or budesonide
      256 microg (n = 50) daily for 4 week and were followed-up for another 4 weeks
      post-treatment. TSS combining itching, sneezing, rhinorrhea, daytime and
      nighttime nasal congestion was recorded daily during and after treatment for an
      entire period of 8 weeks. Efficacy variables included area under curves depicting
      reduction and increase in TSSs over time relative to baselines and time to
      response and symptom relapses. RESULTS: Symptoms were categorized as high and low
      using a median TSS of 8 as cutoff. Levocetirizine was as effective in control of
      high and low symptoms except for time to achieve maximum effect (2 days versus 1
      week, respectively, p = 0.002) but was more effective in preventing relapses of
      high symptoms (p = 0.001). Budesonide was more effective against high than low
      symptoms (p < 0.001) but showed no difference in preventing relapses. Typical
      response rate of levocetirizine and budesonide were demonstrated in treatment of
      high symptoms. Levocetirizine achieved its full effectiveness in 2 days while
      budesonide required 2 weeks. Budesonide at full effect (after 2 weeks) was
      superior to levocetirizine (p = 0.004) but comparable for the entire treatment of
      4 weeks (p =.059) and was inferior to in preventing relapses (p = 0.001). No such
      difference could be observed between these drugs in control of low symptoms.
      CONCLUSION: The effectiveness of the drug treatment in the present study is
      dependent of symptom severity. Levocetirizine bases on its rate of response and
      relapse was superior to budesonide in treatment of the high symptom group and is
      comparable in the low symptom group.

PMID- 20302005
TI  - Digit span and verbal fluency tests in patients with mild cognitive impairment
      and normal subjects in Thai-community.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Far too little attention has been paid to the difference of Digit
      Span test and category verbal fluency test (CVFT) between normal and mild
      cognitive impairment (MCI) subjects. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the difference of
      Digit Span test and CVFT between normal subjects and patients with MCI and study
      the influence of age, gender, and education on the task performance. MATERIAL AND
      METHOD: The authors collected data of 77 participants diagnosed with amnestic MCI
      (from 517 participants screened) and 30 normal subjects aged 50 or over enrolled
      from communities in Bangkok. The Digit Span test and CVFT (semantic fluency and
      Controlled word association test for letter fluency) were used to evaluate the
      subjects. RESULTS: MCI patients had significantly lower digit span score, in both
      Digits Forward and Digits Backward, poorer performance on semantic fluency for
      animals and fruits and letter fluency test. The logistic regression model of MCI
      diagnosis showed that only Digits Backward score was a predictor of MCI diagnosis
      (OR 0.643 for each increment of 1 digit, p = 0.009, 95% confidence interval 0.462
      0.896). The cut-off point of Digit Backward score was 4 and yielded sensitivity
      of 77% and specificity of 57%. Females had lower scores than males in every test
      except semantic fluency for fruits. The digit span and semantic fluency scores
      decreased as age increased but letter fluency increased correspondently with age.
      The digit span and CVFT scores increased in parallel with the increase of
      education. CONCLUSION: MCI patients had poorer performance on the Digit Span and
      CVFT tests than normal age and education matched subjects. Digits Backward test
      can predict the MCI diagnosis. Age, gender and education have an impact on the
      performance of the tests.

PMID- 20302006
TI  - Cadmium-exposed population in Mae Sot district, Tak province: 3. Associations
      between urinary cadmium and renal dysfunction, hypertension, diabetes, and
      urinary stones.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the associations between urinary cadmium and renal
      dysfunction, hypertension, diabetes, and urinary stones in an adult population
      living in cadmium-contaminated areas in Mae Sot District, Tak Province, Thailand.
      MATERIAL AND METHOD: Seven hundred ninety five cadmium-exposed adults were
      screened for urinary cadmium, renal dysfunction, hypertension, diabetes, and
      urinary stones in 2005. Six selected markers of renal function in the present
      study were urinary excretion of beta2-microglobulin (beta2-MG), N-acetyl-beta-D
      glucosaminidase (NAG), total protein and calcium, serum creatinine, and
      glomerular filtration rate (GFR). RESULTS: The mean age of the study persons was
      50-years-old. The overall prevalence rates of hypertension, diabetes, and urinary
      stones were 33.3%, 6.2%, and 8.9% respectively. The prevalence of increased
      proteinuria was greatest in those with urinary cadmium levels > or = 15 microg/g
      creatinine. Urinary excretion of beta2-MG, NAG, and total protein significantly
      increased with increasing urinary cadmium levels, after adjusting for other co
      variables by multiple linear regression analysis. However, urinary cadmium was
      not significantly associated with urinary calcium, serum creatinine, and GFR. The
      prevalence rates of hypertension, diabetes, and urinary stones did not
      significantly increase with increasing urinary cadmium levels. Hypertension,
      diabetes, and urinary stones were also significant predictors of impaired renal
      function. CONCLUSION: In this population, increasing levels of urinary cadmium
      are associated with increasing urinary excretion of beta2-MG, NAG, and total
      protein. Risk for hypertension, diabetes, and urinary stones remains uncertain in
      relation to cadmium exposure.

PMID- 20302007
TI  - The evaluation of primary care unit of Mahasarakham Hospital.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the one-year performance outcome of Community Medical Care
      Unit (CMU) in Mahasarakham Hospital. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This cross-sectional
      descriptive study used the CIPP model. The target population was divided into two
      groups. The first group consisted of the executive committee of Mahasarakham
      Hospital including one director, five Vice-directors, and 16 CMU paramedical
      personnel and public health administrators. The second group consisted of 281
      randomized people in the service area of CMU, Mahasarakham Hospital. RESULTS: The
      overall outcome evaluation of both groups was high with mean of 3.53 and 3.86,
      respectively. The evaluation of context, input, and output was ranked high in
      both groups while the process ranking was moderate in the first group and high in
      the other group. The present study proposed that project guidelines be explicit
      policies, improvement in behavioral service, appropriate workload, adequate
      parking lot, and network sharing of hospital data bank. CONCLUSION: The quality
      and efficiency of CMU project are dependent upon explicit policy, well-planned
      structure of organization, efficient-informative systems, good development plan,
      and adequate manpower. The personnel should plan the project process and
      continuously improve the system. CMU project would be neither successful nor
      beneficial for the development ofpublic health care system if it lacked the
      participation of the people in the community and associated networks. The results
      of the present study might be the useful data for improving and developing the
      pattern of community healthcare service in urban area.

PMID- 20302008
TI  - Vaginal vault rupture with evisceration of small intestine during coitus.
AB  - In 2009, a 41-year-old Thai woman who had undergone abdominal hysterectomy 4
      months earlier was admitted because of bleeding per vagina without pain during
      coitus for 1 day. She had undergone pelvic examination that disclosed small
      intestine in vagina and scanty bleeding of vaginal vault. Closure of the rupture
      of the vaginal vault during laparotomy was completed, resulting in satisfactory
      condition. Vaginal vault rupture is a rare condition. Prompt surgical and medical
      intervention are required to prevent complications. Incidence, risk factors, and
      management for rupture of the vaginal vault that occurs after total abdominal
      hysterectomy are discussed.

PMID- 20302009
TI  - Subungual squamous cell carcinoma masquerading as chronic common infection.
AB  - Subungual squamous cell carcinoma is a rare disease that has been frequently
      misdiagnosed as benignity due to lack of awareness among doctors. The author
      reports a typical case of subungual squamous cell carcinoma in a 49-year-old Thai
      farmer who presented with a 4-year history of chronic persistent discharging
      ulcer at the nail bed of the left middle finger after experiencing a minor trauma
      to the hyponychium. Initially, he was treated as benign infection but the
      condition did not improve. The nail bed was biopsied and subungual squamous cell
      carcinoma was finally diagnosed. One small left epitrochlear lymph node and one
      large left axillary lymph node were palpable. He underwent amputation of the neck
      of the middle phalanx of the left middle finger and biopsy of ipsilateral
      epitrochlear lymph node and dissection of the affected axillary tissue. The
      histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of subungual squamous cell
      carcinoma with left epitrochlear and axillary lymph node metastasis. Radiotherapy
      was planned.

PMID- 20302010
TI  - Presacral fibrosarcoma in childhood: a case report.
AB  - Presacral fibrosarcoma is a rare malignant tumor in childhood. Because of its
      rarity in the presacral region, it is often missed from the differential
      diagnosis of presacral mass in childhood. The authors present a case of large
      presacral fibrosarcoma involving spinal canal, with an initial presentation of
      back pain and abnormal gaiting.

PMID- 20302011
TI  - Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome in HIV-infected patients with
      tuberculosis.
AB  - Tuberculosis (TB) remains an important problem in patients with human
      immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome
      (AIDS). Concomitant administration therapy of both TB and HIV is fraught with
      difficulties. Despite the fact that the use of highly active antiretroviral
      therapy (HAART) led to significant improve quality of life and decrease morbidity
      including mortality-associated to HIV/AIDS, adverse drug effects lead to
      interruptions in both HIV and TB therapy. In addition, an important problem when
      HAART is initiated in patients with TB is the possibility of developing immune
      reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS). A six-month regimen consisting of
      isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide, and ethambutal for two months followed by
      isoniazid and rifampicin for four months is a standard regimen for the treatment
      of known or presumed drug-susceptible TB disease. The following strategy may
      minimize the risk of IRIS. Patients with CD4 cell counts < 100 cells/mm3,
      efavirenz-based HAART regimen is recommended and should be initiated as soon as
      the patients can tolerate TB treatment. Patients with CD4 cell counts 100-350
      cells/mm3, HAART should be started at two months after TB treatment initiation.
      HAART should be deferred with closed follow-up of CD4 cell counts if patients
      have CD4 cell counts > 350 cells/mm3.

PMID- 20302012
TI  - [Analysis of expression of vesicular transport genes in avesicular cells of the
      microsporidium Paranosema (Antonospora) locustae].
AB  - Long adaptation of microsporidia, a large group fungi-related protozoa, to
      intracellular lifestyle has resulted in a drastic minimization of parasite cell.
      Ultrastructural analysis has shown that the Golgi complex of the microsporidia
      Paranosema (Antonospora) grylli and P. locustae appears as branching or varicose
      networks of thin tubules. These tubular networks are connected to endoplasmic
      reticulum, plasma membrane and forming polar tube but have no vesicles. Vesicles
      were not found even if ultra-fast cryofixation and membrane fusion/uncoating
      inhibition were used. However, a limited number of genes involved in vesicular
      transport were found in microsporidia genomes. In this study we used RT-PCR to
      analyze the content of mRNA transcripts encoding beta and beta' subunits COPI
      coatomer complex, Sec13 and Sec31 subunits COPII, SNARE-proteins synaptobrevin
      and syntaxin-like member of SFT family in P. locustae intracellular stages. The
      level of expression of studied genes was comparable with that of gene encoding
      alternative oxidase, enzyme envolved in microsporidia core metabolism. Moreover,
      polyclonal antibodies raised against recombinant Sec13 subunit COPII, expressed
      in B Escherichia coli, has shown accumulation of the protein is spores and stages
      of intracellular development as well as its association with membranes. The
      presence of components of vesicular transport machinery in avesicular
      microsporidia cells requires their functional analysis.

PMID- 20302013
TI  - [Cultivation of cells on a surface covered by microspheres with coupled
      histones].
AB  - The use of histones for modification of the surface intended for cultivation of
      cells was studied. The work was carried out on the cell line 293 of human
      embryonic kidney transformed by adenovirus (Ad5) and on the cell line BALB/3T3
      clone A31 of mouse spontaneous transformed embryonic fibroblasts. We analyzed
      interaction of cells with histones of different types put on a hydrophobic
      surface or on dextran microspheres with diameters of 1.0 microm. It was shown,
      that all histones studied possessed adhesive ability, but their complexes
      consisting of total and core histones rendered the best influence on adhesion,
      morphology and growth of the cells in culture. Thus, cross-linked conjugates of
      histones immobilized on microspheres promoted in a greater degree formation of a
      network of cellular structures due to formation of intracellular contacts and
      simultaneous interaction of cells with several microspheres. Comparing with
      BALB/3T3 clone A31 the cell line 293 showed significant increase in proliferative
      activity in 11 days of cultivation on microspheres covered with cross-linked
      conjugates of histones. Our investigations have shown that the microspheres
      covered with cross-linked conjugates of histones can be used in the further at
      creation of the three-dimensional porous matrices intended for in vitro formation
      of tissue-like cellular structures in them.

PMID- 20302014
TI  - [Nitric oxide in the mechanisms of afferent innervations of arteries of the
      brain].
AB  - Structural elements of afferent innervations of brain arteries in rats such as
      receptors and nervous fibers, neurons of ganglia jugularis unit and the nucleus
      of a single way were investigated with the help of histochemical and electron
      cytochemical methods. The presence of three types of receptors and afferent
      fibers has been established in vessels. Neurons with positive reaction to NADPH
      diaphorase have been allocated in the ganglia jugularis unit and the nucleus of a
      single way (17.4 and 24.5% accordingly).

PMID- 20302015
TI  - [Interchromatin granule clusters of mouse preovulatory oocytes, organization,
      molecular composition and possible functions].
AB  - At the diplotene stage of meiotic prophase, the nucleus of mouse preovulatory
      oocytes contains multiple interchromatin granule clusters (IGC). These nuclear
      compartments are universal and evolutionary conserved and enriched in pre-mRNA
      splicing factors. Nowadays, IGCs are believed to play an important role in gene
      expression events and contain different molecular components that allow coupling
      of many processes from transcription to mRNA export. We obtained the data on the
      distributions of poly(A)+RNA, hnRNPS A/B, and NXF1/TAP factor of mRNA export.
      These factors were found to associate with IGCs of mouse preovulatory oocytes. In
      the present study, we have demonstrated for the first time the dynamics of large
      IGCs after specific phosphorilation of SR-proteins with okadaic acid, an
      inhibitor of protein phosphatases. Using electron microscopy, conventional
      fluorescent and confocal microscopies, as well as microinjections of
      olygonucleotide probes in mouse oocytes, some features of structural organization
      and molecular compositions of IGCs in the nuclei of mouse oocyte from antral
      follicles were established. Possible roles of IGCs in pre-mRNA metabolism and the
      participation of these structures in mRNA export are discussed.

PMID- 20302016
TI  - [Comparative research of normal and transformed fibroblast spreading. The role of
      microfilament polymerization and actin-myosin contractility].
AB  - Polymerization of microfilaments and their subsequent rearrangements under
      control of actin-myosin interactions are two main processes underlined
      morphogenetic reactions of cells. We studied their role during spreading of
      normal and transformed REF52tetRas fibroblasts with adjustable ras oncogene
      expression. Treatment with inhibitors of cell contractility (Y27532 or
      blebbistatin) led to disappearance of actin bundles and focal adhesions, but both
      normal and transformed cells preserved high pseudopodial activity. Spreading was
      considerably accelerated in normal cells and less accelerated in ras-transformed
      cells under these conditions. When actin polymerization was suppressed with low
      concentrations of latrunculin A, stress-fibrills and focal contacts were
      preserved, but lamellipodial activity was lost in normal cells, so spreading was
      dramatically inhibited. In the case of transformed fibroblasts, actin bundles and
      focal adhesions virtually disappeared, but pseudopofial activity was not lost and
      spreading was suppressed to a lesser extent. Therefore, the most essential
      process in regulation of cell spreading and polarization is microfilament
      polymerization at the leading edge. Incidentally, ras-transformed cells are less
      sensitive to inhibitors affecting cytoskeletal structure than non-transformed
      ones. Possible mechanisms underlying these diversities are discussed.

PMID- 20302017
TI  - [Somatic polyploidy associated metabolic changes revealed by modular biology].
AB  - Excessive somatic polyploidy usually accompanies physiologic and pathologic
      overload and it is generally accepted as a symptom of pathology. At the same
      time, polyploidy cells exist in most fungal, plant, mollusk, fish, bird and
      mammalian tissues confirming their great evolutionary success. The secret of this
      success remains enigmatic. Since transcriptome rearrangements usually start with
      metabolic flux redistribution, we decided to investigate firstly the effects of
      polyploidy on cell metabolism. Using multitest approach of modular biology and
      databases Entrez Gene, RefSeq, GNF SymAtlas, Gene Ontology, KEGG, BioCarta;
      MsigDb, Reactome, GenMAPP, and HumanCyc, we performed detailed comparison of
      metabolic genes expression in human and mouse organs with reciprocal pattern of
      polyploidy (i. e. in the heart and in the liver). Pairwise criss-cross comparison
      of diploid vs. polyploid organs allowed removing species- and tissue-specific
      effects. From our results, polyploidy is associated with rearrangements of main
      metabolic pathways. We found deep depression of mitochondrial processes, features
      of autophagia, and increased carbohydrate degradation and lipid biosynthesis.
      Taken together, these changes pointed to the energy and oxygen deprivation. We
      also found clear indications of enhanced oxidative stress protection. The major
      of them are triggering of pentose-phosphate pathway, depression of mitochondria
      cytoplasm electron shuttles, and impartment of electron flows across 1 (NADH
      dehydrogenase) and IV (cytochrome c-oxydase) breath complexes. We suggest that
      all these changes are necessary for the increase in metabolic plasticity and for
      the protection of replicating DNA from oxidative damage.

PMID- 20302018
TI  - [Comparison of crude lysate pellets of isogenic strains of yeast with different
      prion composition: identification of a set of prion-associated proteins].
AB  - A new approach: comparative analysis of proteins of the pellets of crude cell
      lysates of isogenic strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae differing by their prion
      composition permitted to identify a large group of prion-associated proteins in
      yeast cells. 2D-electrophoresis followed by MALDI-analysis of a recipient [psi-]
      strain and of [PSI+] cytoductant led to identification of 35 proteins whose
      aggregation state responded to a shift of prion(s) content. Approximately half of
      these proteins belonged to functional groups of chaperones and enzyme involved in
      glucose metabolism. Notable were also proteins involved in translation, in
      oxidative stress response and in protein degradation. The data obtained are
      compared with the results of other groups who used other approaches to detecting
      proteins involved in prion aggregates.

PMID- 20302020
TI  - Considering the revised recommendations for antibiotic prophylaxis in patients
      with valvular disease.

PMID- 20302019
TI  - [The effect of red pigment on amyloidization of yeast proteins].
AB  - Amyloid bound thioflavine T fluorescence was studied in the lysates of yeast
      strains carrying mutations in genes ADE1 or ADE2 and accumulating red pigment, a
      result of polymerization of aminoimidazoleribotide (an intermediate of adenine
      biosynthesis). The fluorescence is drastically enhanced in the case of cells
      grown in media containing high concentration of adenine (100 mg/l) that blocks
      accumulation of red pigment. Blocks at first stages of purine biosynthesis de
      novo also impede red pigment and lead to the same effect on thioflavine
      fluorescence. At the same time induction of mutations in genes ADE1 or ADE2 in
      originally white prototrophic strains leads to considerable drop of fluorescence.
      A fraction of protein polymers was studied by agarose gel electrophoresis and
      this permitted to conclude that lowering of fluorescence intensity is indeed
      connected with the decrease of amyloid amount in cells accumulating red pigment.
      Model experiments with insulin fibers demonstrate that red pigment binds fibrils
      and blocks their interaction with Thioflavine T. 2D-electrophoretic comparison of
      pellet proteins of red and white isogenic strains, followed by MALDI, allowed
      identification of 23 pigment-dependent proteins. These proteins mostly belong to
      functional classes of chaperones and proteins, involved in glucose metabolism,
      closely corresponding to prion-dependent proteins characterized in our previous
      work. We suppose that, binding amyloid fibrils, red pigment hinders formation of
      prion aggregates and also, blocking fibril contact with chaperones, impedes prion
      propagation.

PMID- 20302021
TI  - What's in your patient's mouth? How lifestyle, disease, and the environment
      affect the oral cavity.

PMID- 20302022
TI  - Retroperitoneal fibrosis and obstructive uropathy due to actinomycosis: case
      report of a treatment approach.
AB  - An actinomycotic retroperitoneal infection usually occurs in the presence of an
      intrauterine device (IUD). It can result in pelvic inflammatory disease and
      diffuse retroperitoneal fibrosis. A 39-year-old patient was admitted to the
      emergency unit with left flank pain. A computed tomography scan of the abdomen
      showed bilateral hydroureteronephrosis and a retroperitoneal malignant mass.
      Other tumors were excluded with a colonoscopy and an upper gastrointestinal
      endoscopy. Results of a fine needle aspiration biopsy showed fibrosis compatible
      with retroperitoneal mesenteritis. Double-J stents were placed in both ureters,
      and immunosuppressive therapy was started. The patient had clinical and
      radiologic responses to the therapy. A bilateral ureterolysis and sigmoid colon
      resection were done. The pathology report showed fibrosis and Actinomyces
      israelii infection. Parenteral and oral penicillins were administered. The
      probability of an Actinomyces infection in patients with retroperitoneal fibrosis
      should be kept in mind, especially in cases in which the patient has an
      intrauterine device.

PMID- 20302023
TI  - Squamous cell deep carcinoma after abdominal dermolipectomy: a case report.
AB  - We present a rare case of squamous cell carcinoma that arose deeply in the
      abdominal wall, 10 years after abdominal dermolipectomy and wall repair by dermal
      adipose graft was performed. The patient presented a 10-cm-diameter subcutaneous
      tumor that was ulcerated on its superficial aspect, adherent to deep tissues.
      After histologic examination, we tried to remove the neoplastic mass in a radical
      way. The surgical defect was repaired with a bilateral tensor fasciae latae flap.
      The extension, aggressiveness, and deep localization of the malignancy led to the
      patient's death. In this article, we also analyze a different hypothesis about
      the origin of squamous cell deep carcinomas and the related literature.

PMID- 20302024
TI  - Lethal perianal infection with septic shock: how should we manage this critical
      condition?
AB  - Some patients with perianal infection fall into a critical condition with severe
      sepsis and septic shock (lethal perianal infection). The objective of this study
      is to clarify the clinicopathological characteristics of, and treatment
      strategies for, lethal perianal infection. The clinical records of 7 patients
      with lethal perianal infection were examined. For two rapidly dying cases (within
      3 days), we performed resection of the rectum or local anal drainage as a primary
      management of damage control. These patients were transferred to our center
      because of septic shock and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and had
      received insufficient fluid resuscitation in the previous hospital. Another
      nonsurviving case who died on the 16th day was transferred without MODS and
      underwent perianal drainage but could not recover from shock, even after repeated
      surgical procedures were performed. To prevent a perianal infection from becoming
      lethal, it should be managed as early as possible with sufficient fluid
      resuscitation with adequate drainage.

PMID- 20302025
TI  - Retrospectively comparative evaluation of the first- and second-line chemotherapy
      with campto and oxaliplatin combined with oral tegafur/uracil (UFT)/leucovorin
      (LV) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.
AB  - Oral tegafur/uracil (UFT), like an intravenous drip with 5-fluorouracil (5
      FU)/leucovorin (LV), has been regarded as an active regimen in the treatment of
      advanced colorectal cancer. In this clinical trial, we evaluate the toxicity and
      efficacy of regimens containing oral UFT/LV, instead of an intravenous drip with
      5-FU/LV, in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. A phase II study
      involving 39 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) who received UFT/LV
      plus irinotecan (Group A)/oxaliplatin (Group B) alternated with UFT/LV plus
      oxaliplatin (Group A)/irinotecan (Group B) was evaluated. The overall tumor
      control rate (CR + PR + SD) was approximately 64%, and median overall survival
      was approximately 12 months. Of the 547 doses the 39 patients received, 6 events
      (1.10%) of neutropenia, 5 events (0.91%) of diarrhea, 2 events (0.37%) of
      stomatitis, and 2 events (0.37%) of anemia were observed. The alternating regimen
      seems to be effective and well tolerated for patients with metastatic CRC.

PMID- 20302026
TI  - Clinical importance of vitamin D receptor gene polymorphism in invasive ductal
      carcinoma.
AB  - In this study, we aimed to investigate the clinical importance of the vitamin D
      receptor gene polymorphism in invasive ductal breast cancer. All patients
      included in the study had clinical T1-2, N0-M0 invasive ductal carcinoma.
      Patients' demographics, axillary metastasis status, metastatic lymph nodi/total
      dissected lymph nodes from axilla, histopathologic characteristics of tumors,
      local recurrences, and survival ratio were assessed. Vitamin D receptor B
      genotype frequencies in the patient group (P > 0.05) were as follows: B/b, 43
      (77%); B/B, 13 (23%). In conclusion, the vitamin D receptor gene B allele does
      not seem to be related to local recurrence and distant metastasis of invasive
      ductal cancer of the breast.

PMID- 20302027
TI  - Intestinal endometriosis: role of laparoscopy in diagnosis and treatment.
AB  - Endometriosis is a disease in women in which endometrial tissue is found in
      abnormal sites, frequently in the peritoneum and pelvic viscera. Endometriosis
      may therefore affect the genital organs, particularly the left ovary, or it may
      occur elsewhere in the abdomen, principally the digestive tract in the sigmoid
      rectum. The difficulty of prompt diagnosis of nongenital endometriotic lesions,
      whose symptoms are usually nonspecific, and the inadequacy of traditional
      diagnostic approaches mean the disease has time to progress. A case report is
      used here to show the use of laparoscopy with immediate histologic examination
      for the prompt diagnosis and intraoperative treatment of intestinal
      endometriosis. For patients with extragenital endometriosis, laparoscopic
      resection offers immediate postoperative advantages but also gives gradual relief
      of symptoms and in some cases improves reproductive capacity; there is also less
      formation of adhesions in this disease, which by definition tends to cause them,
      often making a second look indispensable.

PMID- 20302028
TI  - FDG PET/CT in the detection of recurrent rectal cancer.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to assess the additional value of combined fluorine
      18 (18F)-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed
      tomography (CT) in the follow-up of rectal cancer after surgery. Forty-eight
      examinations in 30 patients were evaluated retrospectively. CT and PET components
      were interpreted separately, and this was followed by a consensus reading. Sites
      of increased FDG uptake as well as PET/CT findings were categorized as benign
      (1), equivocal (2), or malignant (3). The standard of reference was histology or
      clinical and imaging follow-up for at least 6 months. Sensitivity, specificity,
      positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy for differentiating benign
      (14/31) from malignant (17/31) uptake sites in the small pelvis were 100%, 64%,
      77%, 100%, and 84% for PET/CT, and 100%, 29%, 63%, 100%, and 68% for PET,
      respectively. Regarding extrapelvic abnormalities, PET/CT was able to distinguish
      benign (31/88) from malignant (57/88) with a sensitivity, specificity, positive
      and negative predictive values, and accuracy of 100%, 87%, 93%, 100%, and 95%,
      compared with 96%, 68%, 85%, 91%, and 86% for PET. The rare case of an FDG uptake
      of adrenal adenoma is documented. PET/CT is valuable in the staging of rectal
      cancer, particularly for excluding recurrent disease suspected by PET
      interpretation alone in a considerable number of patients.

PMID- 20302029
TI  - Malignancy rates in operated patients with hyperthyroidism in an area of endemic
      goiter.
AB  - We aimed to evaluate the incidence of thyroid cancer in Turkish patients with
      hyperthyroidism who had undergone thyroid surgery. The data of 344 patients who
      had been operated on for hyperthyroidism between 1998 and 2006 at our center were
      evaluated retrospectively. Sixty-five of the subjects had single toxic adenomas,
      223 had toxic multinodular goiter, and 56 had Graves' disease. In 35 of 344
      patients (10.1%), papillary carcinoma was diagnosed. Other forms of thyroid
      carcinomas were not observed. The rate of carcinoma was found to be 11.6% in
      patients with toxic multinodular goiter, 7.7% in patients with single toxic
      adenomas, and 7.1% in patients with Graves' disease. Occult papillary carcinoma
      was found in 62.9% of all malignancy diagnoses. The primary aim in the surgical
      treatment of hyperthyroidism should be to abolish the hyperthyroid state.
      However, the probability of malignancy, especially occult carcinoma, should
      always be considered.

PMID- 20302030
TI  - Laparoscopic reoperation with total fundoplication for failed Heller myotomy: is
      it a possible option? Personal experience and review of literature.
AB  - Laparoscopic Heller myotomy with antireflux procedure seems the procedure of
      choice in the treatment of patients with esophageal achalasia. Persistent or
      recurrent symptoms occur in 10% to 20% of patients. Few reports on reoperation
      after failed Heller myotomy have been published. No author has reported the
      realization of a total fundoplication in these patient groups. The aim of this
      study is to evaluate the efficacy of laparoscopic reoperation with the
      realization of a total fundoplication after failed Heller myotomy for esophageal
      achalasia. From 1992 to December 2007, 5 out of a series of 242 patients (2.1%),
      along with 2 patients operated elsewhere, underwent laparoscopic reintervention
      for failed Heller myotomy. Symptoms leading to reoperation included persistent
      dysphagia in 3 patients, recurrent dysphagia in another 3, and heartburn in 1
      patient. Mean time from the first to the second operation was 49.7 months (range,
      4-180 months). Always, the intervention was completed via a laparoscopic approach
      and a Nissen-Rossetti fundoplication was realized or left in place after a
      complete Heller myotomy. Mean operative time was 160 minutes (range, 60-245
      minutes). Mean postoperative hospital stay was 3.1 +/- 1.5 days. No major
      morbidity or mortality occurred. At a mean follow-up of 16.1 months, reoperation
      must be considered successful in 5 out of 7 patients (71.4%). The dysphagia
      DeMeester score fell from 2.71 +/- 0.22 to 0.91 +/- 0.38 postoperatively. The
      regurgitation score changed from 2.45 +/- 0.34 to 0.68 +/- 0.23. Laparoscopic
      reoperation for failed Heller myotomy with the realization of a total
      fundoplication is safe and is associated with good long-term results if performed
      by an experienced surgeon in a center with a long tradition of esophageal
      surgery.

PMID- 20302031
TI  - Case of Bochdalek hernia in the elderly: success with laparotomy.
AB  - Bochdalek hernia is usually diagnosed in pediatric patients and not in the
      elderly. In adults, there are some cases resulting in misdiagnosis of pneumonia,
      pleural effusion, congenital bulla, and pneumothorax by chest roentgenogram. We
      present here a rare case of Bochdalek hernia in an elderly patient who suffered
      from sudden back pain and had the hernia repaired with laparotomy.

PMID- 20302032
TI  - Rationale for selective neck dissection in N+ oral cancer.
AB  - The most significant prognostic factor is the presence of regional metastasis in
      patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The radical neck dissection has
      been the preferred therapeutic modality to neck metastasis for one century. The
      objective of this study was to analyze the feasibility of selective neck
      dissection for SCC of the lower sites of the mouth. The charts of a series of 460
      cases of SCCs of the inferior floor of the mouth treated in Hospital Heliopolis,
      Brazil, between 1978 and 2002, were retrospectively reviewed. The pattern of
      metastatic spread was analyzed in the radical neck dissection according to N
      stage. In the radical neck dissections, the metastatic spread index for levels IV
      and V were 5.8% and 4.6%, respectively, for cN0 patients and 9.9% and 5.9%,
      respectively, for cN+ patients. When level I was the only site of metastasis,
      this index was 11% and 5.5%, respectively. The indication of a selective neck
      dissection including levels I-IV is oncologically safe for SCCs of the inferior
      mouth when level I is clinically compromised.

PMID- 20302033
TI  - Intestinal obstructions: what has changed so far?
AB  - The aim of this study is to evaluate the changing factors related to surgery in
      intestinal obstruction. The surgical records of patients who were operated for
      intestinal obstruction at Hacettepe University Medical School during the years
      1980-1985 and 2000-2005 were evaluated retrospectively. There were 92 patients in
      group I and 185 patients in group II. The cause of intestinal obstruction was
      adhesions in 41.30% of the patients in group I and tumors in 45.95% of the
      patients in group II (P = 0.0001). Patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis
      constituted 3.26% of the patients in group I and 27.03% of the patients in group
      II (P = 0.0001). Abdominal computed tomography was not used in the first group
      and was used in 60.54% of those in the second group (P = 0.0001). Complications
      were seen in 40.54% of patients in the second group and in 26.08% of patients in
      the first group (P = 0.01). During the past 20 years, changes have occurred that
      were related to causes, diagnostic tools, and nutritional support for patients
      undergoing surgery for intestinal obstruction. Despite these changes, no changes
      in length of hospital stay or mortality have been reported. Intestinal
      obstruction due to peritoneal carcinomatosis seems to be a growing problem.

PMID- 20302034
TI  - The genetics of abdominal aortic aneurysms: a comprehensive meta-analysis
      involving eight candidate genes in over 16,700 patients.
AB  - Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) are thought to be multifactorial in etiology. A
      variety of susceptibility genes have been associated, but definitive conclusions
      have been difficult to draw and are partly hampered by the small number of
      patients in each study. We undertook a comprehensive meta-analysis on any gene
      that was investigated in a case-control model of AAA. A comprehensive, genetic
      meta-analysis of all genes investigated by using an allelic-association, case
      control model in AAA was conducted. Electronic databases were searched through
      July 2009 for any candidate gene in AAA. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence
      intervals (CIs) were determined for each gene-disease association by using fixed-
      and random-effect models. Twenty studies in 7 candidate genes were analysed among
      16,748 individuals (i.e., 7891 patients and 8857 controls). Of the 8 genes
      studied, 5 genes were associated with AAA. The angiotensin-1 converting enzyme
      (ACE) insertion/deletion polymorphism (I/D) showed a significant association in
      both a dominant model (OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.17 to 1.56; P < 0.0001) and a
      recessive model (OR 1.24; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.42; P < 0.00001). The pooled ORs for
      the C677T variant of 5,10-methyltetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) were 1.34 (95%
      CI, 1.08 to 1.65; P = 0.007) for the dominant model and 1.16 (95% CI, 0.81 to
      1.67; P = 0.41) for a recessive model. There was also significance in the
      dominant model of the angiotensin-1 receptor polymorphism (AT1R) A1166C (OR,
      1.94; 95% CI, 1.66 to 2.28; P < 0.00001) and in the dominant (95% CI, 1.18 to
      2.11; P = 0.002) and recessive (OR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.13 to 2.02; P = 0.006) models
      of the interleukin-10 1082 polymorphism. The MMP-3 nt-1612 polymorphism was also
      significant in the dominant (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.12 to 1.76; P = 0.003) and
      recessive (OR 1.3; 95% CI, 1.05 to 1.61; P = 0.02) models. In conclusion, there
      is a genetic basis to sporadic aortic aneurysms. Patients with the ACE/D and
      MTHFR/677T, AT1R/C, IL-10/A, and MMP-3 nt-1612 polymorphisms are at an increased
      risk of developing this condition.

PMID- 20302035
TI  - Initial ultrasonographic assessment for blunt abdominal trauma: is it a reliable
      diagnostic modality for emergency laparotomy?
AB  - Abdominal ultrasound has been proposed as a tool for the evaluation of blunt
      abdominal trauma. The aim of this study was to evaluate ultrasound's ability to
      identify intraabdominal injuries that require surgical treatment. Data from 1463
      patients were examined retrospectively during a 2-year time period, which were
      ultrasonographically evaluated for blunt abdominal injury. Hemoperitoneum and
      abdominal visceral injury were correctly detected by ultrasound with 88%
      sensitivity and 96.8% specificity. The results are in accordance with the
      international literature.

PMID- 20302036
TI  - Open and laparoscopic repair of Spigelian hernia.
AB  - Spigelian hernia is an uncommon ventral wall hernia. Because of the infrequent
      occurrence of a Spigelian hernia, the optimal surgical repair technique is not
      patently established in the surgical literature. A series of 4 consecutive
      patients who underwent surgical repair of a Spigelian hernia is reported with
      complete long-term follow-up. Each patient was referred for evaluation of point
      tenderness of the lower abdominal wall. A hernia bulge was found in the Spigelian
      hernia belt during physical examination of each patient. Clinical awareness of
      the Spigelian hernia by physical examination occurred best by palpation of the
      abdominal wall with the patient coughing or straining while in the standing
      position. The first Spigelian hernia was surgically repaired by an open procedure
      with primary fascial closure of the hernia defect reinforced with an onlay mesh.
      A laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal mesh repair was performed in the
      remaining 3 patients. No recurrence of the Spigelian hernia occurred in any of
      the patients in this series, who were evaluated yearly by physical examination
      after the hernia repair. The open Spigelian hernia primary fascial repair with
      onlay mesh and the laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal Spigelian hernia
      mesh repair were uncomplicated surgical procedures that required customary and
      normal surgical technical skill.

PMID- 20302037
TI  - Visceral fat volume and surgical outcomes of colorectal resection.
AB  - As the impact of visceral fat volume on surgical outcomes in colorectal resection
      had not previously been assessed, this study was designed to compare the surgical
      outcomes of colorectal resection in obese and nonobese patients. From 2004 to
      2007, 79 operative patients with colorectal cancer were examined. Of these, 25
      were obese (i.e., greater than 100 cm2 visceral fat volume), and 54 were
      nonobese. Mean operating time was significantly longer in obese than in nonobese
      patients (P < 0.01). Mean blood loss was significantly greater in obese than in
      nonobese patients (P < 0.01). Mean blood loss/h was significantly greater in
      obese than nonobese patients (P < 0.01). Surgical site infection was more common
      in obese than in nonobese patients, but this difference was not statistically
      significant. In conclusion, this study suggested that a visceral fat volume of
      greater than 100 cm2 may be one of the risk factors in colorectal resection.

PMID- 20302038
TI  - Enhancement effect of ethanol on lipopolysaccharide-induced procoagulant status
      in human umbilical endothelial cells.
AB  - In spite of the inhibitory effects of ethanol (EtOH) on platelet function, soft
      blood clots are often observed in cadaveric blood in cases of sudden death after
      alcohol ingestion. In order to resolve this discrepancy, we have focused on the
      role of vascular endothelial cells. We tried to investigate the effects of EtOH
      and LPS on endothelial cells from various perspectives; thrombogenic factor (Von
      Willebrand factor, VWF), fibrinolytic factor (tissue plasminogen activator, tPA)
      and inflammatory factor (Interleukin-6, IL-6). Human umbilical vein endothelial
      cells (HUVECs) were incubated with various concentrations of EtOH (0-160 mM) with
      or without LPS. Treatment with EtOH and LPS increased VWF release from HUVECs
      without enhancement mRNA expression. Treatment with 40 mM of EtOH also increased
      IL-6 release from HUVECs without enhancement mRNA expression. Although EtOH
      inhibited LPS-induced IL-6 mRNA expression, 20 mM of EtOH still had an increasing
      effect on the release of IL-6. These doses of EtOH are consistent with a moderate
      drunkenness level in a normal person. On the other hand, mRNA expression and
      release reaction of tPA were not affected by EtOH and LPS addition. In
      conclusion, EtOH enhances procoagulant status via VWF release and IL-6 production
      cooperation with LPS and may contribute to soft blood clot formation in cadaveric
      blood.

PMID- 20302039
TI  - Collaboration between medical examiner and toxicologist-analyst.
AB  - Negative effects of the increasing number of toxic substances in the external
      environment affecting the human organism are highly reflected in everyday
      forensic practice. In parallel with new circumstances also the methods enabling
      identification of heterogeneous substances have been developing. Demonstrating
      evidence is more challenging and sophisticated particularly in cases with proving
      several xenobiotics including metabolites and their possible interaction. Poison
      intoxications of unknown origin can represent a diagnostic problem. Consequently
      close collaboration between involved forensic professionals i.e. medical examiner
      and forensic toxicologist-analyst is inevitable. The data provided by police
      investigators are significant as well--investigated circumstances, testimonies
      and in case of hospitalization detailed data from clinicians. In everyday
      forensic practice the shortage of medical examiners specialised in toxicology and
      knowledgeable toxicologists-analysts has been increasingly experienced. The
      urgent requirement for more specialists arises more frequently not only in
      suspected fatal poisonings but also in assessing of analysis results particularly
      in cases of persons directly involved in road traffic accidents, work-related
      injuries, etc. The number of cases requiring detecting psychoactive substances is
      also increasing. On the other hand recent experience demands expanding the
      spectrum and increasing the number of indications of toxicological analyses from
      medical examiners involved in performing autopsies. At present the Slovak
      forensic workplaces are in the process of being equipped with instrumentation
      designed for expanding the spectrum of toxicological analyses and improving their
      quality. There hence emerges a need for developing the contemporary concept of
      Slovak forensic toxicology with respect to both organizational and methodological
      aspects focused on better interaction of activities carried out by medical
      examiners and toxicologist-analysts. The essential part of developing the
      coordination of both expert groups is also postgraduate education with an
      emphasis on improving mutual recognition principles of their work.

PMID- 20302040
TI  - [Impact of acute alcoholism on the women's mortality in the northern region of
      Slovak Republic].
AB  - Problem of women's alcoholism doesn't belong among main topics of Slovak or Czech
      public discussions. Though everyone meeting the phenomenon of women's alcoholism
      can feel the fatal consequences of this mistake, our society used to perceive
      alcoholism as a men's problem. The authors performed the complex analysis of the
      mortuary files with particular focusing on the cases of women's deaths caused by
      alcohol intoxication, and the cases of deaths where an alcohol played the
      dominating role, in the northern regions of Slovak republic. Submitted article is
      author's next referring to urgent need of public discussion concerning the
      alcohol consumption in Slovakia, the phenomenon being widely tolerated by the
      society.

PMID- 20302041
TI  - [[Determination and evaluation of the influence of addictive drugs on drivers of
      motor vehicles in Germany]].

PMID- 20302042
TI  - Childbirth in the land of Utopia.

PMID- 20302043
TI  - Stop TV portraying childbirth as dangerous.

PMID- 20302044
TI  - Humanising birth in Brazil.

PMID- 20302045
TI  - Time to make midwifery matter in Ireland.

PMID- 20302046
TI  - Hope for Grace Kodindo.

PMID- 20302047
TI  - Birthing the creative mother.

PMID- 20302048
TI  - Phenomenological qualitative interviewing and the novice researcher.

PMID- 20302049
TI  - Midwives and mental health: the need for postnatal clarity. Part 2: the midwife's
      role.

PMID- 20302050
TI  - The importance of interprofessional learning.

PMID- 20302051
TI  - Reaching out in Milton Keynes.

PMID- 20302052
TI  - Research unwrapped: Diagnosing active labour.

PMID- 20302053
TI  - Midwifery basics: understanding research (4). Data collection methods and
      measurement.

PMID- 20302054
TI  - A medical mystery.

PMID- 20302056
TI  - Children's trusts look set to improve with new legislation.

PMID- 20302057
TI  - Online directory aims to prevent cases slipping through the net.

PMID- 20302058
TI  - Philosophical shift.

PMID- 20302059
TI  - Nurse-facilitated discharge for children and their families.
AB  - This article explores the introduction of nurse-facilitated discharge in one
      children's day care unit. It highlights how a need for change to the discharge
      procedure was established and how the practice was developed, successfully
      introduced and subsequently reviewed. The author concludes that the process has
      improved patients' experience with families no longer waiting hours for a
      consultant to discharge them. It has relieved bed pressures and empowered staff
      to extend the process to inpatient children's wards.

PMID- 20302060
TI  - Caring for young people with chronic illness: a case study.
AB  - This article is a case study of a 16-year-old female with congenital muscular
      dystrophy. It aims to raise awareness of some of the issues associated with
      complex illness during adolescence, particularly the transition from child to
      adult services. To improve care it is argued that the needs and values of the
      young person should be respected and interventions planned locally with the young
      person and their family where appropriate.

PMID- 20302061
TI  - Cardiovascular assessment in children: assessing pulse and blood pressure.
AB  - Cardiovascular assessment is an important nursing skill in the assessment and
      management of acutely ill children and children with chronic conditions. This
      article outlines the differences in the cardiovascular systems of infants,
      children and adults, and explains how to provide circulatory assessment in
      children, focusing on assessing pulse and blood pressure.

PMID- 20302062
TI  - Medical school curriculum review.

PMID- 20302063
TI  - Medication use patterns in elderly South Dakota Medicare patients.
AB  - Optimizing medication use through the evaluation of Potentially Inappropriate
      Medications (PIMs) has been the focus of a great deal of research. The Centers
      for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has created its own definition of PIMs
      from a variety of existing criteria and has contracted with each state's Quality
      Improvement Organization (South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care in South
      Dakota) to work on reducing PIM rates. In South Dakota, 16.4 percent of Medicare
      beneficiaries who filled a prescription (April 1, 2008, through September 30,
      2008) received a PIM. Of the patients receiving PIMs, 13.6 percent received PIMs
      from two or more categories, and 88.3 percent filled a prescription for at least
      one of the five most common PIM categories. These five PIM categories were
      propoxyphene, skeletal muscle relaxants (select agents), nitrofurantoin, oral
      estrogens and antihistamines (select agents). While there may be rare occasions
      when these agents are justified, safer or more effective alternatives exist.

PMID- 20302064
TI  - Medication reconciliation: need for a team approach.

PMID- 20302065
TI  - Extenuating circumstances: indoor tanning: the preventable epidemic.

PMID- 20302066
TI  - Striving to become more heart-healthy.

PMID- 20302067
TI  - [Experimental investigation of atmosphere and water vapor with laser induced
      breakdown spectroscopy].
AB  - The present article investigated the laser induced breakdown spectra of
      atmosphere molecules as background spectrum for the measurement of airborne
      particles. The authors detailedly analyzed the spectral lines of oxygen, nitrogen
      and hydrogen in the laser induced breakdown spectra of atmosphere molecules
      corresponding to the National Institute of Standards and Technology atomic
      spectroscopy database line data. In addition, the authors studied the intensity
      of emitted spectral lines induced by laser breakdown process at different time
      delays and signal integration width As a result, the authors obtained the
      conclusion that the intensity of signal depends on variations of delay time
      strongly, and with a delay time more than 7 micros the interference resulting
      from the presence of atmosphere molecule can be reduced effectively in the
      application of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy. Also, the variations in
      signal integration width have few effects while it is longer than the instrument
      minimum of 1.1 ms. Besides, this paper investigated the relative intensities of
      spectral lines of oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen in the condition of different
      contents of water vapor in atmosphere, and the authors observed that the
      intensities of atomic emission line of hydrogen have a linear trend varying with
      the moisture in atmosphere. These results can be useful for the further
      application of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy in detecting and monitoring
      of airborne particles in the air.

PMID- 20302068
TI  - [Analysis of spectral intensity of fermi resonance of molecules].
AB  - Raman spectra of liquid carbon disulfide (CS) and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)
      were measured. And the spectral intensity was analyzed using the J. F. Bertran
      theory and the group theory. The rule about Fermi resonance was obtained from the
      Raman spectra of carbon disulfide (CS) and carbon tetrachloride (CCL4): (1) The
      energy can transfer between a fundamental and an overtone frequency about Fermi
      resonance; the two spectra have the same intensity. The spectral intensity of the
      two spectra was equal (R=1) about Fermi resonance, when the difference between
      fundamental of Fermi resonance and overtone of Fermi resonance was very small.
      (2) The intensity of overtone is stronger than that of fundamental's. (3) The
      spectrum of Fermi resonance was observed, but the fundamental frequency was not.
      This article has very good reference value for the assignments in the molecular
      structure and the research of contents.

PMID- 20302069
TI  - [Measurement of the cross section in Li(2P)+H2-->LiH+H reaction].
AB  - At a Li density of approximately 10(13) cm(-3), the lithium vapor was irradiated
      in a five-arm stainless steel heat pipe oven containing Li and H2 with pulses of
      radiation from a N2-laser-pumped dye laser, populating Li(2P) state by the Li(2S-
      >2P) resonance transition at 670.8 nm. Typical operating pressure of H2 was 60
      300 Pa. The cross section for Li(2P)+H2-->LiH+H reaction was measured using
      method of atomic fluorescence. The decay signal of the time-resolved fluorescence
      from the 2P-->2S transition was monitored. The decay curve of the Li(2P) can be
      treated as a single exponential function. The effective lifetimes of the 2P state
      was obtained. According to the Stern-Volmer equation, a plot of reciprocal of
      effective lifetimes of the 2P state quenched by H2 against its densities yielded
      a slope that indicated the total cross section for deactivation and an intercept
      (at which the H2 pressure is zero) that provided the information about the
      radiative lifetime of the state. The total quenching (reactive+nonreactive) cross
      section for deactivation of the 2P state by means of collisions with H2 is (25.1
      +/- 4.0) x 10(-16) cm2. The reactive cross section could be obtained using
      results of the recording of the fluorescence signals with rapid rise in transient
      regime (<10 ns) Li(2P-->2S) at the different H2 densities. The authors fitted a
      two-state rate equation model to obtain the cross section sigma (Li(2P)+H2-
      >LiH+H) = (0.2 +/- 0.1) x 10(-16) cm2. The authors' results imply that reactive
      collisions occur on average 1/125 as often as quenching collisions. The cross
      section for reaction is small but not negligible.

PMID- 20302070
TI  - [Photo-induced electron transfer effects of poly(2-methoxy-5-octyloxy)-p
      phenylene vinylene/Y2O3:Eu3+ nano-composites].
AB  - The photoelectric nano-composites of poly(2-methoxy-5-octyloxy)-p-phenylene
      vinylene/Y2O3:Eu3+ (PMOCOPV/Y2O3:Eu3+) were prepared by dehydrochlorination in
      situ polymerization. The result of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
      indicates that PMOCOPV is coated on the surface of Y2O3:Eu3+. Compared with
      PMOCOPV, the absorption of PMOCOPV/Y2O3:Eu3+ is strengthened, and a red shift of
      the absorption peak can be clearly observed in the UV-Vis spectrum.
      Photoluminescence spectroscopy indicates that the maximum emission wavelength of
      the PMOCOPV/Y2O3:Eu3+ is red-shifted and the intensity of photoluminescence
      increases in comparison with PMOCOPV. PMOCOPV/Y2O3:Eu3+ shows fluorescence
      increasing, which involved the inter-molecular photo-induced charge transfer
      process. The optical band gap of PMOCOPV/Y2O3:Eu3+ decreases. The third-order
      optical nonlinear susceptibility of PMOCOPV/Y2O3:Eu3+ nano-composites was
      measured by degenerate four wave mixing. The results show that the third-order
      nonlinear optical responses of PMOCOPV/Y2O3:Eu3+ nano-composites are enhanced in
      comparison with PMOCOPV, which can be attributed to inter-molecular photo-induced
      electron transfer and delocalized pi electron coupling between PMOCOPV and
      Y2O3:Eu3+.

PMID- 20302071
TI  - [Study of spectra characteristics of Dy3+ -activated LiSrBO3 phosphor].
AB  - The LiSrBO3:Dy3+ phosphor was synthesized by solid-state method. SrCO2 (99.9%),
      Li2CO3 (99.9%), H3BO3 (99.9%) and Dy2O3 (99.9%) were used as starting materials.
      After these individual materials were blended and grounded thoroughly in an agate
      mortar, the homogeneous mixture was heated at 700 degrees C for 2 h in air, and
      LiSrBO3:Dy3+ phosphors were obtained. The phase present of the samples was
      characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) (D/max-rA, Cu Kalpha, 40 kV, 40
      mA, lamda = 0.15406 nm). The excitation and emission spectra of these phosphors
      were measured by a RF-540 photoluminescence spectrophotometer. The emission
      spectrum of LiSrBO3:Dy3+ phosphor shows several bands at 486, 578 and 668 nm,
      respectively. The excitation spectrum for 578 nm emission has several excitation
      bands at 331, 368, 397, 433, 462 and 478 nm, respectively. The effect of Dy3+
      concentration on the emission intensity of LiSrBO3:Dy3+ was investigated, and the
      result shows that the emission intensity of LiSrBO3:Dy3+ phosphor firstly
      increases with increasing Dy2+ concentration, then decreases, viz. the
      concentration quenching exists. And the Dy3+ concentration corresponding to the
      maximal emission intensity is 3 mol%, and the concentration quenching mechanisms
      are the d-d interaction by Dexter theory.

PMID- 20302072
TI  - [Preparation and luminescent properties of CaMoO4:Tb3+].
AB  - The precursor of the sample CaMoO4:Tb3+ was prepared by the coprecipitation
      method. TG-DTA spectra show that there is, at 850 degrees C, an energy absorption
      peak, suggesting that the sample reaches the activation spot of its response. The
      XRD pattern of the roasted sample shows that CaMoO4:Tb3+, in the single phase, is
      a representative scheelite structure of CaMoO4, but the peaks shift toward right,
      implying that tiny crystal defect in the crystal is produced. The defect is
      likely to be formed by the formation of the holes as two Tb3+ replace three Ca2+
      in a cell. The excitation and emission spectra of the sample were investigated
      and revealed that the defect structure of the sample is in favor of the energy
      transfer of the characteristic peak (488 nm) of the MoO4(2-) effectively to Tb3+,
      and makes the 4f electrons of the Tb3+ transit, especially the (7)F6-->(5)D4
      electronic transition (488 nm) of the Tb3+, to be greatly strengthened. As a
      result, the emission spectra with lamdaex=488 nm show that the emission intensity
      of the spontaneously activated fluorescence MoO4(2-) is greatly weakened, while
      the green light luminescence intensity of the (5)D4-->(7)F5 transition (544 nm)
      of the Tb3+ is greatly enhanced. This suggests that the sample CaMoO4:Tb3+ will
      become the luminescence material with potentially great application value.

PMID- 20302073
TI  - [Synthesis and properties of nanorod-long afterglow BaAl2O4:Eu2+, Dy3+ phosphor].
AB  - The present paper mainly reports a new method to synthesize long afterglow
      photoluminescent material BaAl2O4:Eu2+, Dy3+. Al(NO3)3.9H2O, Ba(NO3)2, urea,
      RE(NO3) 3(RE==Eu, Dy) were employed as raw materials, the admixture of H2O/n
      butanol and H2O/n-butanol/SBS were used as medium, then BaAl2O4:Eu2+, Dy3+
      phosphor was achieved by calcining the precursor, which was synthesized by
      hydrothermal method, at 130 degrees C under reduction atmosphere. The TEM and SEM
      were used to analyse the morphology and BaAl2O4:Eu2+, Dy3+ synthesized by
      annealing at 1300 degrees C are all nanorods. The excitation and emission spectra
      of the phosphor indicated that all of them are broad band, and the main emission
      peak is around 498 nm, which is due to 5d-->4f transition of Eu2+. The state
      solid synthesis of the long afterglow phosphor BaAl2O4:Eu2+, Dy3+ generally
      requires a high calcination temperature, so the products are easily agglomerated,
      and in this paper the hydrothermal solvothermal synthesis was used, so the
      synthesized products calcined at 130 degrees degrees C still present well
      dispersed rod structure, need not milling, and display well luminescence
      performance. The authors compared the two different conditions of experiment, and
      found that under the condition without surfactant the authors can still get well
      dispersed rod structure of BaAl2O4:Eu2+, Dy3+. The method is hopeful to be used
      in synthesizing other alkali-earth aluminate and silicate and other luminescent
      materials.

PMID- 20302074
TI  - [The application of Fourier transform infrared technology in biomedical sphere].
AB  - The authors systemically reviewed the development of FTIR technology and its
      innovative advances during the past fifty years. FTIR technique was once
      abandoned after initial exploration in biomedical fields, which could not confirm
      its reliability and credibility. After technological innovation and refined
      numerical analysis methods, FTIR technique has been applied to a wide range of
      fields, from single cellular to the complex biomedical tissue components.
      Nowadays, mature and advanced FTIR technology, such as FTIR microspectrometer and
      FTIR imaging system, with the aid of pattern recognition and tissue microarray,
      greatly facilitated the large parallel scale investigation of molecular
      structure. The recent development of FTIR spectroscopic imaging has enhanced our
      capability to examine, on a microscopic scale, the spatial distribution of
      vibrational spectroscopic signatures of materials spanning the physical and
      biomedical disciplines. The integration of instrumentation development,
      theoretical analyses to provide guidelines for imaging practice, novel data
      processing algorithms, and the introduction of the technique to new fields. FTIR
      technique has helped analyze the complex components of bile stones, which
      persisted to be a vexing problem and causing high death rate in China. Besides,
      FTIR technology could provide reliable information in discriminating benign and
      malignancy. It has been used in detecting thyroid nodules, mammary gland,
      gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular and prostate diseases, and parotid gland
      tissue in combination with ATR detecting device, and has broad clinical
      application prospects. Till now, FTIR technology has achieved the fast and
      accurate diagnosis for freshly dissected tissues such as discriminating thyroid
      carcinoma from nodular goiter intraoperatively. However, further investigations
      need to be done in this sphere to achieve greater accomplishments.

PMID- 20302075
TI  - [FTIR study on the synthesis of poly(propylene fumarate) and its copolymer].
AB  - Poly(propylene fumarate) (PPF) is one kind of linear biodegradable polyester and
      the unsaturated double bonds along its main chain can be crosslinked with other
      olefinic monomers to form three-dimensional networks, and the networks can
      support tissues. In the present paper, firstly, the intermediate oligomer-bis (2
      hydroxypropyl) fumarate (PFP) was synthesized, and then the unsaturated linear
      polyester PPF was synthesized with the oligomer PFP through melting condensation
      process. Additionally, on the base of the process, the oligomer bis(2
      hydroxypropyl) sebacate (PSP) was synthesized by similar method and then a kind
      of new copolymer named poly(propylene fumarate-co-propylene sebacate) [P(PF-co
      PS)] that comprised bis(2-hydroxypropyl) sebacate segments was synthesized with
      PFP and PSP by melting condensation. During the synthesis process, the structures
      of bis(2-hdroxypropyl) fumarate, bis(2-hydroxypropyl) sebacate, PPF and P(PF-co
      PS) were characterized by FTIR The results shows that with the polymerization
      going along, oligomer bis (2-hydroxypropyl) fumarate and bis(2-hydroxypropyl)
      sebacate converted to PPF or P(PF-co-PS) gradually.

PMID- 20302076
TI  - [Study on esterified modification of anthocyanins by FTIR].
AB  - Anthocyanins are relatively abundant in vegetables and fruits, which have
      potential positive health effects. The role of anthocyanins as food coloring
      agents becomes very important because they can provide attractive bright color of
      many food products. Nevertheless, the instability of natural anthocyanins was a
      big obstacle for its usage in food as colorants. The stability of the red radish
      anthocyanins is significantly improved by modified esterification of the
      colorant. Usually, the red radish anthocyanins was composed of several components
      of similar structures. The major methods for determining the structures of
      anthocyanin colorants involve chromatographic techniques such as TLC, HPLC and
      HPLC-MS, which are very useful in separation and identification of the components
      of anthocyanins However, compared to the spectroscopic method, the
      chromatographic methods are usually complicated and time-consuming during
      separation and analysis. In the present paper, the authors seek to establish a
      new, rapid and economic method for the analysis of structural change before and
      after esterified modification of anthcyanins in view of unique macro-fingerprint
      characteristics of infrared spectroscopy, which could reflect the whole change of
      complicated mixture system. The anthocyanins from red radish was esterification
      modified by reacting with succinic anhydride, and the natural and modified
      anthocyanins were detected by FTIR The results showed that carbonyl of succinic
      anhydride was connected with the hydroxyl in glucosyl rings of anthocyanins to
      form new esterified anthocyanins, which are more stable than the natural one and
      present attractive bright color as usual.

PMID- 20302077
TI  - [Study on rapid identification of Cornu saigae tataricae and Cornu antelopis
      block by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy].
AB  - In the present paper, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to
      study the chemical characterizations of cornu saigae tataricae, cornu antelopis
      block and the mixed sample of them. The results show that there are significant
      differences between FTIR characterizations of cornu saigae tataricae and cornu
      antelopes block. The infrared spectra of cornu saigae tataricae are mainly
      composed of the absorption bands of protein, but in cornu antelopis block the
      absorption bands of Ca3 (PO4)2 are observed beside protein. And other obvious
      differences were detected in the FTIR spectra of the two samples: amide bands, C-
      O stretching vibration bands, and CH stretching vibration bands. The drug of
      cornu saigae tataricae, cornu antelopis block, and the mixed sample of them could
      be identified rapidly according to the differences. This experiment gave the
      scientific data for the researches on chemical components and quality evaluation
      system of cornu saigae tataricae, and provides the identification method of cornu
      saigae tataricae and cornu antelopis block.

PMID- 20302078
TI  - [Comparative study on the infrared fingerprint of Abrus cantoniensis based on the
      methods of sequential analysis of dual-indexes and cluster analysis].
AB  - The methods of sequential analysis of dual-indexes and cluster analysis were
      utilized to investigate the infrared fingerprints of A. cantoniensis planted in
      different years and different places in Guangxi, China. The results showed that 6
      samples were able to be completely separated only through 13 point smoothing,
      when the dual-indexes analysis was applied in the present research, and the
      accurate relationship between these samples could be inspected and expressed by
      quantitative relationships under 6-dimensional spaces; however, the effect of
      cluster was bad only through 13 point smoothing of raw spectra, and it was very
      difficult to find out the regular sequences while the cluster analysis was
      applied. Furthermore, the 6 samples were able to be completely separated if raw
      spectra were dealed with 1st derivative after 13 point smoothing, and the
      clustering effects were more obvious and 6 samples of A. cantoniensis were
      completely separated. The above two methods could be used to evaluate the quality
      of Chinese medicinal materials easily when the sample was not excessive
      quantitatively, but the method of dual-indexes analysis was more difficult than
      the clustering analysis if the sample size was too large, since a mass of data
      such as common peak ratio and variation peak ratio of the IR fingerprint spectra
      were processed and analyzed statistically, while this method could accurately
      find out the closest relationship between any samples through comparing the
      quantitative relationships of common peak ratio and variation peak ratio of each
      sample under 6-dimensional space; the precision of cluster analysis was less than
      dual-indexes analysis, but it was more convenient than dual-indexes analysis when
      large sample data were analysed. Finally the above two methods all showed that
      the chemical composition of the A. cantoniensis was similar in the same
      cultivated area, but the difference in chemical composition of A. cantoniensis in
      different years was distinct even they were in the same place.

PMID- 20302079
TI  - [Research on the effective signal extraction in the noninvasive blood glucose
      sensing by near infrared spectroscopy].
AB  - Diabetes seriously endanger human health, and noninvasive glucose sensing is the
      expectation of both doctors and patients. Physiological background is
      complicated, volatile and mixed with a variety of tissue information, resulting
      in direct measurement of the body's near infrared spectra difficult to truly
      reflect the concentration change in glucose. As a matter of fact, blood volume is
      always changing, but human tissue background and the concentration of blood
      components are constant in a short period. Taking advantage of this, subtracted
      blood volume spectrometry is propounded, which could eliminate the interference
      of human tissue background and obtain effective spectrum information of blood. To
      verify the effectiveness of the method, a experimental system was developed. The
      system noise is better than 20 microAU, and the signal to noise ratio of the
      effective spectrum signal at 1250 nm is 20,000:1. Finally, the feasibility and
      advantages of subtracted blood volume spectrometry are clarified in clinical
      application of near infrared non-invasive glucose sensing.

PMID- 20302080
TI  - [Analysis and comparison of daxueteng and their extracts by FTIR].
AB  - The present study is to compare and analyze Sargentodora cuneata (oliv) Rehd.
      etwils herbs, the aqueous, anthraquinone extracts and residue in Jiang Xi and An
      Hui quickly and undamagedly by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) and
      two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy. In the spectra of DaXueTeng, there are
      two strong peak areas at about 1400-1620 cm(-1) and 1000-1200 cm(-1), and it was
      concluded that DaXueTeng contains much glycoside and anthraquinone. Anthraquinone
      extracts only exhibit strong peaks of 1400-1620 cm(-1) which were stronger than
      that of 1000-1200 cm(-1), and this illustrated that this method was adapted to
      extracting anthraquinone; then aqueous only show powerful peaks of 1000-1200 cm(
      1), so the authors know that the craftwork was suitable for extracting glycoside;
      finally, the authors also found that the residue of DaXueTeng contained much
      calcium oxalate. All of these illustrated that FTIR could not only analyze and
      identify traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and extract components, but also
      discriminate contents of different extracts of TCM. The authors developed the new
      method to analyze and evaluate the DaXueTeng and their pharmacodynamic extracts
      successfully.

PMID- 20302081
TI  - [Assessment of cerebral oxygen saturation using near infrared spectroscopy under
      driver fatigue state].
AB  - The objective of the present study is to assess the cerebral saturation under
      driver fatigue based on the near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) signals. Twenty
      healthy male subjects were randomly divided into two groups: A-group (study
      group) and B-group (control group). All subjects were required to be well rested
      before the experiment. In A-group the subjects were required to perform the
      simulated driving task for 3 hours. Cerebral oxygenation signal was monitored for
      20 minutes prior to and after the prescribed task period from the left frontal
      lobe. The results show that cerebral oxygen saturation was found to be
      significantly lower following 3-hour driving in the task group compared to that
      in the control group (F = 15.92, p < 0.001). Also a significant difference in
      selective reaction time was observed between the task group and control group
      during the post task period (p = 0.021). These findings showed that the cerebral
      blood oxygen saturation was closely related to the driver fatigue. The decline of
      the cerebral oxygen saturation might indicate a reduced cerebral oxygen delivery.
      This suggests that NIRS could provide a non-invasive method to detect driver
      fatigue.

PMID- 20302082
TI  - [Geographical origin discrimination of Auricularia auricula using variable
      selection method of modeling power].
AB  - Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy combined with variable selection method of
      modeling power was investigated for the fast and accurate geographical origin
      discrimination of auricularia auricula. A total of 240 samples of auriculari
      auricula were collected in the market, and the spectra of all samples were
      scanned within the spectral region of 1100-2500 nm. The calibration set was
      composed of 180 (45 samples for each origin) samples, and the remaining 60
      samples were employed as the validation set. The optimal partial least squares
      (PLS) discriminant model was achieved after performance comparison of different
      preprocessing (Savitzky-Golay smoothing, standard normal variate, 1-derivative,
      and 2-derivative). The effective wavelengths, which were selected by modeling
      power (MP) and used as input data matrix of least squares-support vector machine
      (LS-SVM), were employed for the development of modeling power-least squares
      support vector machine (MP-LS-SVM) model. Radial basis function (RBF) kernel was
      applied as kernel function. Three threshold methods for variable selection by
      modeling power were applied in MP-LSSVM models, and there were the values of
      modeling power higher than 0.95, higher than 0.90, and higher than 0.90 combined
      with peak location (0.90+Peak). The correct recognition ratio in the validation
      set was used as evaluation standards. The absolute error of prediction was set as
      0.1, 0.2 and 0.5, which showed the wrong recognition threshold value. The results
      indicated that the MP-LS-SVM (0.90+Peak) model could achieve the optimal
      performance in all three absolute error standards (0.1, 0.2 and 0.5), and the
      correct recognition ratio was 98.3%, 100% and 100%, respectively. The variable
      selection threshold (0.90+Peak) was the most suitable one in the application of
      modeling power. It was concluded that modeling power was an effective variable
      selection method, and near infrared spectroscopy combined with MP-LS-SVM model
      was successfully applied for the origin discrimination of auricularia auricula,
      and an excellent prediction precision was also achieved.

PMID- 20302083
TI  - [Noninvasive detection of the concentrations of pigments in pork tissue using
      near infrared spectroscopy].
AB  - Based on the absorption spectra of hemoglobin and myoglobin in the near infrared
      band, the concentrations of these pigments in the biological tissues can be
      obtained using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) by detecting the intensity
      attenuation of the emitted light compared with the incident light. Based on the
      steady-state spatially resolved NIRS, the prototype for detecting the
      concentrations of tissue hemoglobin and myoglobin was independently developed by
      our group. The probe consisted of an LED light source which could emit three
      different wavelengths in the near infrared band, and two detectors which were
      placed on the same line with and at the distances of 30/40 mm to the LED. The
      pigment concentrations of two pieces of pork, one from the erector spinae and the
      other from the rectus femoris, were detected using this prototype. The total
      concentrations of hemoglobin and myoglobin (c(total)) were (6.42 + 1.51) micromol
      x L(-1) in the erector spinae, and (15.48 +/- 4.54) micromol x L(-1) in the
      rectus femoris, respectively. The myoglobin was dominant in both of the results.
      These were consistent with the recent empirical reports. In summary, the NIRS
      method and prototype are authentic in detecting the pigment concentrations of
      pork tissue non-invasively, real-time, directly and conveniently.

PMID- 20302084
TI  - [Determination of hard rate of licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis F.) seeds using
      near infrared reflectance spectroscopy].
AB  - With 112 licorice seed samples with different hard rates ranging from 0.3% to
      99.3%, harvested in different years from 2002 to 2007 and from different
      locations of China including Xinjiang municipality, Ningxia province, Inner
      Mongolia municipality, Gansu province, Shanxi province and Heilongjiang province,
      a model for determining hard rate of licorice seeds was tried to be built by near
      infrared reflectance spectroscopy with quantitative partial least squares (QPLS).
      All the seeds samples were divided into two groups: calibration set (including 84
      samples) and validation set (including 28 samples). The influences of different
      spectral regions, different main components and different calibration samples on
      the prediction results were compared. The result indicated that the spectral
      regions of 4000-8000, 5000-9000, 5000-8000, 5000-7000 and 5000-6000 cm(-1) all
      had satisfied and similar prediction results, then 5000-6000 cm(-1) was regarded
      as the optimum spectral region for building the model because of its faster
      operation speed. The model with 6 main components had better relative high
      determination coefficient (R2) and low standard errors and absolute errors. With
      the spectral range from 5000 to 6000 cm(-1) and 6 main components, there was a
      better fitting between the predictive value and true value. Determination
      coefficients (R2) of calibration and validation sets are 90.23% and 91.24%, the
      coefficients of correlation are 0.9532 and 0.9579, the standard errors are 10.31
      and 9.72, and the average absolute errors are 8.01% and 7.45% respectively. Even
      with different calibration samples, the models have high determination
      coefficient (R2 over 90%), low standard errors (about 10.00) and low absolute
      errors (about 7.90%). The building of NIR model for determining hard rate of
      licorice seeds could promote the application of hard seeds in cultivation.

PMID- 20302085
TI  - [Quickly determination of titanium dioxide content in juice based on Vis/NIR
      spectroscopy technique].
AB  - In order to quickly and accurately detect the content of titanium dioxide in the
      juice, a method combining chemometrics and Vis/NIR spectroscopy technique was
      used in the present study. First, the content of titanium dioxide in the juice
      sample was determined by using spectrophotometer and standard curve of titanium
      dioxide. Then, different amount of pure titanium dioxide was adulterated into the
      juice collected from the market to prepare eight different content samples. A
      total of 320 juice samples were studied. Two hundred samples (25 samples for each
      content) were randomly selected from the 320 samples to be the calibration set
      while the other 120 samples (15 samples for each content) were selected as the
      validation set. The spectra of juice were within near infrared (NIR) and mid
      infrared (MIR). First six different preprocessing methods were compared, such as
      standard normal variate (SNV), moving average, derivative and multivariate
      scatter correction (MSC). The optimal partial least squares(PLS)was built after
      the performance comparison of different preprocessing methods. Another algorithm,
      principal component-artificial neural network (PC-ANN), was also used: first, the
      original spectral date was processed using principal component analysis, the best
      number of principal components (PCs) was selected, and the scores of these PCs
      would be taken as the input of the artificial neural network (ANN). The PC-ANN
      was trained with samples in the calibration collection and the samples in
      prediction set were predicted. After comparison, MSC was found to be the most
      appropriate spectral preprocessing method and the best number of PCs is 7. The
      correlation coefficients (R2) between the real values and predicted ones by
      discriminant analysis model were 0.9008 (PLS) and 0.8684 (PC-ANN) respectively.
      The root mean standard errors of prediction (RMSEP) by PLS and PC-ANN were 0.05
      (PLS) and 0.04 (PC-ANN) respectively. The result indicated that the content of
      titanium dioxide in the juice powder to be quickly detected by nondestructive
      determination method was very feasible and laid a solid foundation for setting up
      the titanium dioxide content forecasting model of juice powder.

PMID- 20302086
TI  - [Study on the identification of ganoderma by multi-steps infrared macro
      fingerprint method].
AB  - Ganoderma lucidum, ganoderma atrum, ganderma tsugae Murr. and ganoderma lipsiense
      can be discriminated and identified by using multi-steps infrared macro
      fingerprint method. The 1D-1R spectra, based on the peaks intensity at 1153 and
      1078 cm(-1), which are the fingerprint characteristic peaks of glucoside
      compounds, show that the content of glucoside compounds of them was in the order
      of: ganoderma lucidum>ganoderma atrum>ganderma tsugae Murr. >ganoderma lipsiense.
      Generally, the second derivative IR spectra can clearly enhance the spectra
      resolution. In the range of 1600-1720 cm(-1), the position and sharpness of
      characteristics peaks were very different, and it's proved that amino acid
      peptide compounds of them were different. In the 2D-IR spectra, four of them have
      the same autopeak at 1100 cm(-1), which is the autopeaks of glucoside, but the
      number of autopeaks of ganoderma lucidum was 4 and its strongest autopeak was
      1040 cm(-1), while 5 autopeaks, 4 autopeaks and 5 autopeaks were for ganoderma
      atrum, ganderma tsugae Murr. and ganoderma lipsiense respectively, and their
      strongest autopeaks were 1040, 1139, 1140 and 1134 cm(-1) respectively. The multi
      steps infrared maro-fingerprint identification testified that the contents of
      glucoside compounds and amino acid peptide compounds in these four kinds of
      ganoderma are different. It's proved that multi-steps infrared maro-fingerprint
      method can be used to analyze and distinguish ganoderma lucidum, ganoderma atrum,
      ganderma tsugae Murr. and ganoderma lipsiense.

PMID- 20302087
TI  - [Raman spectra of monkey cerebral cortex tissue].
AB  - Monkey cerebral cortex, an important part in the brain to control action and
      thought activities, is mainly composed of grey matter and nerve cell. In the
      present paper, the in situ Raman spectra of the cerebral cortex of the birth,
      teenage and aged monkeys were achieved for the first time. The results show that
      the Raman spectra for the different age monkey cerebral cortex exhibit most
      obvious changes in the regions of 1000-1400 and 2800-3000 cm(-1). With monkey
      growing up, the relative intensities of the Raman bands at 1313 and 2885 cm(-1)
      mainly assigned to CH2 chain vibrational mode of lipid become stronger and
      stronger whereas the relative intensities of the Raman bands at 1338 and 2932 cm(
      1) mainly assigned to CH3 chain vibrational mode of protein become weaker and
      weaker. In addition, the two new Raman bands at 1296 and 2850 cm(-1) are only
      observed in the aged monkey cerebral cortex, therefore, the two bands can be
      considered as a character or "marker" to differentiate the caducity degree with
      monkey growth In order to further explore the changes, the relative intensity
      ratios of the Raman band at 1313 cm(-1) to that at 1338 cm(-1) and the Raman band
      at 2885 cm(-1) to that at 2 932 cm(-1), I1313/I1338 and I2885/I2932, which are
      the lipid-to-protein ratios, are introduced to denote the degree of the lipid
      content. The results show that the relative intensity ratios increase
      significantly with monkey growth, namely, the lipid content in the cerebral
      cortex increases greatly with monkey growth. So, the authors can deduce that the
      overmuch lipid is an important cause to induce the caducity. Therefore, the
      results will be a powerful assistance and valuable parameter to study the order
      of life growth and diagnose diseases.

PMID- 20302088
TI  - [IR and Raman spectroscopic studies on the derivatives of butylphthalide].
AB  - dl-NBP is a potentially beneficial and promising drug for treatment of ischemic
      stroke with multiple actions that affect different pathophysiologic processes,
      such as improving microcirculation, decreasing brain infarct volume, regulating
      energy metabolism, and especially inhibiting platelet aggregation and reducing
      thrombus formation. However, NBP is limited to use in the clinic by other side
      effects, such as elevated aminotransferase, abnormal liver function and digestive
      response. Some derivates of NBP were synthesized with the halides (F, Cl and Br)
      on the 6-position, and their IR and Raman spectra were measured. They proved the
      complemental information for deducing their structure. By comparing the spectra
      of the NBP, the band of disubstituted benzene disappeared in the derivatives, and
      the band of trisubstituted benzenes were observed. The stretching vibrational
      band of C--H was detected in the Raman spectra, but was not observed in IR. In
      the low frequency region, the deformation vibration band of --C--C--C--C was also
      observed in the Raman spectra.

PMID- 20302090
TI  - [Application of in situ cryogenic Raman spectroscopy to analysis of fluid
      inclusions in reservoirs].
AB  - Identification of salts is a principal problem for analysis of fluid inclusions
      in reservoirs. The fluid inclusions from deep natural gas reservoirs in Minfeng
      sub-sag were analyzed by in situ cryogenic Raman spectroscopy. The type of fluid
      inclusions was identified by Raman spectroscopy at room temperature. The Raman
      spectra show that the inclusions contain methane-bearing brine aqueous liquids.
      The fluid inclusions were analyzed at -180 degrees C by in situ cryogenic Raman
      spectroscopy. The spectra show that inclusions contain three salts, namely NaCl2,
      CaCl2 and MgCl2. Sodium chloride is most salt component, coexisting with small
      calcium chloride and little magnesium chloride. The origin of fluids in
      inclusions was explained by analysis of the process of sedimentation and
      diagenesis. The mechanism of diagenesis in reservoirs was also given in this
      paper. The results of this study indicate that in situ cryogenic Raman
      spectroscopy is an available method to get the composition of fluid inclusions in
      reservoirs. Based on the analysis of fluid inclusions in reservoirs by in situ
      cryogenic Raman spectroscopy with combination of the history of sedimentation and
      diagenesis, the authors can give important evidence for the type and mechanism of
      diagenesis in reservoirs.

PMID- 20302089
TI  - [Adsorption of methylene blue on colloidal silver--a surface-enhanced Raman
      spectroscopy study combined with density functional theory calculations].
AB  - Surface-enhanced Raman spectra of methylene blue (MB) at different concentrations
      in silver colloid were obtained. The results indicate that the physical
      adsorption is dominant at high concentration while the chemical adsorption is the
      main fashion at relatively low concentration; there are different adsorption
      orientations at different concentration: MB+ molecule is perpendicular to the
      surface of silver nanoparticle at high concentration and adopts a parallel
      orientation on the surface of nanoparticle at low concentration. The effect of
      adsorbing time of MB molecule in Ag colloid was investigated and the adsorption
      dynamics study shows that the parallel orientation at low concentration does not
      change with the adsorbing time increasing. Density functional theory (DFT)
      calculations at the level of B3LYP/6-311+G * (for C, S, N, H)/LANL2DZ (for Ag)
      were employed to optimize the structures and predict Raman frequencies of MB+ and
      various MB+ -Ag complexes. The results of experiments and calculations suggest
      that the silver atom prefers to be bound to N and S atoms in the aromatic ring,
      and thus two different complexes are formed, i.e., conformer N-Ag and conformer S
      Ag. Moreover, the Mulliken charge population analysis indicates that N atom in
      the aromatic ring prefers to interact with Ag than S atom does. Finally, the
      Raman frequencies observed in the experiments and their vibrational modes were
      tentatively assigned and discussed.

PMID- 20302091
TI  - [Investigation of hydrophobic effect on the hydrogen-bond formation of 1,1,3,3
      tetramethylurea by Raman methods].
AB  - The binary systems of 1,1,3,3-tetramethylurea (TMU) with water, TMU with
      methanol, TMU with ethanol and N,N-dimethylformamide(DMF) with water were
      measured by Raman method. With the analysis of the frequency changes of
      stretching vibration of carboxyl with concentration the authors found that the
      frequency shift underwent two processes: first, the frequency of stretching
      vibration of carboxyl down shifts with the increase in hydrogen-bond acceptor
      concentration; secondly, when the concentration of binary system surpasses a
      critical value, the wave number remains almost constant, and only the rela tive
      intensity changes. Through this critical volume ratio, the authors found that the
      large self-associated water molecule was in volved in the TMU aqueous binary
      system; while the small self-associated molecule or dimer formation was present
      in other binary systems.

PMID- 20302092
TI  - [SERS spectra of serum from rash].
AB  - The SERS spectra of serums from the healthy persons and rash patients were
      measured. In the serum of rash, the band of amide I appeared at 1648 cm(-1),
      while this peak vanished in healthy serums. The relative intensity of 637 cm(-1)
      assigned to the gauche conformation of C S increased 23% and the band at 725 cm(
      1) corresponding to anti-conformation decreases 60%. These indicate that the
      structure of the protein has changed in serums from the rash patients. The
      relative intensity at 1449 cm(-1) assigned to the lipids increased nearly one
      time. The band at 1099 cm(-1) assigned to the Man-D vanished, indicating that the
      contents of lipids, glucide and protein increased in rash patients. These results
      may offer a powerful experiment basis for rash diagnosis and biochemistry
      mechanism study. The multivariae ura statistical methods of principal component
      analysis (PCA) were also used to analyze the SERS of the serums from healthy
      persons and rash patients, it can be seen that the regional distribution of rash
      is wider than healthy volunteers, showing that these serums can be discriminated
      by PCA.

PMID- 20302093
TI  - [Raman spectra of carbon fibers during electrochemical treatment].
AB  - Laser Raman spectroscopy was employed to characterize the microstructure
      variations of polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fibers during electrochemical
      treatment, and the characteristics of first-order Raman spectra of carbon fibers
      with different treatment time were investigated in the present paper. The results
      indicate that the Raman spectra of the carbon fibers can be fitted into four
      bands, named as D (or D1) band, G band, D2 band and D3 band, respectively. The
      Raman parameters to characterize surface microstructure variations of carbon
      fibers mainly include R(I(D2)) / I(G), area ratio of D band and G band), I(D2) /
      I(G) (area ratio of D2 band and G band), I(D3) / I(G) (area ratio of D3 band and
      G band), and I(D(S))/ I(G) (area ratio of all the disordered structure and G
      band). The peak separation between D band and G band becomes large after
      electrochemical treatment. R increases, which indicates that the surface
      disordered degree of carbon fibers increases. I(D3) / I(G) increases, which is
      caused by organic molecules, fragments or functional groups; decreases which is
      caused by the break of the aliphatic structures. With increasing treatment time,
      I(D(S)) / I(G) increases continuously, and the change trend of l(D(S)) / I(G) is
      consistent with that of R value, which can be used to comprehensively explain the
      variation of the surface structure of carbon fibers. So, the variety rules of the
      structure of carbon fibers can be investigated by laser Raman spectroscopy during
      electrochemical treatment.

PMID- 20302094
TI  - [Investigation on photooxidative degradation of
      polypropylene/organomontmorillonite nanocomposites].
AB  - Photooxidation degradation of polypropylene (PP)/organomontmorillonite (OMMT)
      nanocomposites was studied under UV irradiation at wavelength 365 nm. The OMMT
      was dispersed homogeneously in the PP matrix. The structural variation induced by
      photooxidation was detected by FTIR spectroscopy. It can be seen that the
      evolution of PP and nanocomposites PP/OMMT on irradiation is an increase in
      absorbance in the hydroxyl and carbonyl absorption regions. Carbonyl index was
      used to characterize the rate of photooxidative degradation. At the early stage
      of irradiation (shorter than 11 hours), the rate of photooxidative degradation of
      PP/OMMT nanocomposites was much faster than that of pure PP. With the increase in
      the irradiation time, the rate of photooxidative degradation of PP/OMMT
      nanocomposites became slower than that of pure PP. On the other hand, the OMMT
      content can also influence the photooxidative degradation rate. The variation in
      the photooxidative degradation rate is proposed to originate from the competition
      between the light shielding effect and accelerating photo-oxidative degradation
      effect of organomontmorillonite. These two effects play roles in the
      photooxidation process of PP simultaneously. At the early stage of irradiation,
      the accelerating photooxidative degradation effect dominates. With the increase
      in the irradiation time, the active sites such as SiOH, --OH etc and transition
      metal ions (Fe2+, Fe3+ etc) in the OMMT which can accelerate photooxidation are
      gradually consumed, and then the light shielding effect may play the main role.
      The method of curve-fitting was used to characterize the influence of
      organomontmorillonite on the photooxidative degradation products. Compared with
      pure PP, the content of products of carboxylic acid and anhydride were found to
      increase, whereas that of ester decreases in PP/OMMT nanocomposites.

PMID- 20302095
TI  - [Spectrum recovery method for interferometric data].
AB  - The interferometric data acquired by Fourier transform spectrometer was a
      betweenness which couldn't be used directly. For the successful application of
      the interferometric data, spectrum recovery processing must be adopted. The
      conventional method based on inverse Fourier transform was frequently used for
      spectrum recovery. According to the principle analysis of the interferometric
      data, the mixing model was induced, and the spectrum recovery method based on the
      mixing model of the interferometric data was presented. Finally, the computer
      simulation for these two methods mentioned above was implemented, and the
      recovered spectra were compared with the standard spectrum. The simulation
      results indicated that the spectral precision of the new method was better than
      the conventional method, which provided a new scheme for spectrum recovery.

PMID- 20302096
TI  - [Preparation of GSH capped CdSe/CdS core-shell QDs and labeling of human T
      lymphocyte].
AB  - Two kinds of L-glutathione capped highly fluorescent CdSe/CdS core-shell quantum
      dots (QDs) emitting green and orange fluorescence at 350 nm excitation were
      firstly prepared by an aqueous approach and used as fluorescent labels, to link
      mouse anti-human CD3 which was expressed on human T-lymphocyte. UV-Vis absorption
      and fluorescence emission spectra of the as-prepared CdSe/CdS core-shell QDs were
      studied. Compared with the CdSe QDs, a remarkable enhancement in the emission
      intensity and a red shift of emission wavelength of CdSe/CdS core-shell QDs was
      observed for the two kinds of QDs emitting green and orange fluorescence. The TEM
      results showed that the as prepared CdSe and CdSe/CdS QDs dispersed well in
      aqueous solution, and their shape was approximately spherical, and the CdSe/CdS
      QDs nano particles emitting green fluorescence are of about 5 nm in diameter. The
      two kinds of CdSe/CdS QDs were linked with mouse anti-human CD3 to image human T
      lymphocyte. The fluorescent microscopical images of human T-lymphocyte labeled
      with CdSe/CdS QDs-CD3 and FITC-CD3 demonstrated that the fluorescent CdSe/CdS QDs
      exhibited much better photo stability and brighter fluorescence than FITC,
      showing a good application potential in the immuno-labeling of cells.

PMID- 20302097
TI  - [Study on the structure and constituents of polysaccharide from ganoderma
      lucidum].
AB  - Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides were extracted by boiling water from the
      fruiting bodies of red ganoderma lucidum, then protein was removed by Sevage
      reagent, with ethanol precipitation, run water dialysis, centrifugation and
      freeing-drying. Monosaccharides were acetylated and quantified by external
      standard, and the polysaccharides the amount of total carbohydrates was
      determined by phenol-sulfuric acid method. The monosaccharide constituents,
      structure and Mw distribution were analyzed by UV-Vis, IR, GC, GC-MS and HPSEC
      with ELSD. The results demonstrated that ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides were
      beige, the yield was about 2%, and the content > or = 43%. IR spectrometry showed
      that the structure of ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide was pyranoid glucan with
      beta-glycosidic bond. The quantitative result of external standards indicated
      that the monosaccharide constituents were mainly composed of glucose, at about
      89% percent, and contained a small amount of D-arabinose, D-xylose, D-mannose and
      D-galactose. It was a homogeneous polysaccharide with the amorphous structure,
      attributed to biological macromolecules, its Mw distribution was at 80-2000 Kda,
      and a primary Mw at 2000 Kda.

PMID- 20302098
TI  - [Optical and spectral parameters in Ce3+ -doped gadolinium gallium aluminum
      garnet glass-ceramics].
AB  - The crystalline phases of Ce3+ -doped gadolinium gallium aluminum garnet (GGAG)
      glass-ceramics were investigated by X-ray diffraction, and the fluorescence
      spectra were recorded under the pumping of blue light-emitting diode (LED) using
      an integrating sphere of 10-inch in diameter, which connected to a CCD detector.
      The spectral power distribution of the glass-ceramics was obtained from the
      measured spectra first, and then the quantum yield was derived based on the
      photon distribution. The quantum yield of Ce3+ emission in GGAG glass-ceramics is
      29.2%, meanwhile, the color coordinates and the correlated color temperature
      (CCT) of combined white light were proved to be x = 0.319, y = 0.349 and 6086 K,
      respectively. Although the quantum yield is a little smaller than the value in
      Ce3+ -doped YAG glass-ceramics, the CCT of the combined white light is much
      smaller than that in the latter. The optical behavior of GGAG glass-ceramics
      provides new vision for developing comfortable LED lighting devices.

PMID- 20302099
TI  - [Preparation, characterization and specific biological labeling of silica coated
      upconversion fluorescent nanocrystals].
AB  - The authors synthesized a kind of upconversion nanocrystals NaYF4:Yb3+, Er3+ via
      the hydrothermal assisted homogeneous precipitation method, and then the
      nanocrystal was coated with silica. The SEM image demonstrated that the as
      prepared samples were uniform in size distribution with ca. 25 nm before and ca.
      250 nm after silica coating, respectively. The upconversion spectra and
      photoluminescence lifetime measurement showed that the silica shell had hardly
      effect on the properties of fluorescence of the NaYF4:Yb3+, Er3+ nanocrystals. At
      the same time, the naked eye-visible green upconversion fluorescence pattern was
      acquired from the as-prepared upconversion nanoparticles in the PBS buffer (2
      wt%) excited by 980 nm laser at room temperature. These water-soluble
      nanoparticles were linked to the antibodies using the coupling reagents
      glutaraldehyde. The circular dichroism (CD) spectra of antibody and upconversion
      nanoparticles-antibody conjugates were very similar to each other, indicating
      that the secondary structure of antibody remained largely intact after the
      conjugation. Finally, antigen-antibody recognition reaction was performed on the
      surface of a silicon slide. The immunofluorescence in vitro indicated that the
      upconversion nanoparticles-antibody bioconjugates had excellent species-specific
      detection ability with hardly non-specific binding. Based on the present results,
      it is anticipated that the silica-coated upconversion nanoparticles are suitable
      for use as biolabeling materials.

PMID- 20302100
TI  - [Study on quantitative model for suspended sediment concentration in Taihu Lake].
AB  - The complicated compositions of Case II waters result in the complex properties
      of spectral curves. The present paper analyzed the in situ measurements data of
      spectral curves, and further realized the relationships between the properties of
      spectral curves and suspended sediment concentration. The study found that the
      max peak of spectral curves was moving to the direction of shortwavelength as
      increasing suspended sediment concentration, namely the blue shift of wavelength;
      the area enclosed by spectral curve and coordinate axis in the range of sensitive
      bands had preferably linear relationship with the suspended sediment
      concentration (curve area model); the trapezoidal area model which was an
      approximation of curve area model could also excellently reflect those
      relationships, and be greatly suitable for multi-spectral satellite imagery
      retrieval such as LandSat/TM, MODIS and so on. The inversion results of
      trapezoidal area model for LandSat/TM imagery on October 27, 2003 in Taihu Lake
      showed that the suspended sediment concentration ranged from 30 to 80 mg x L(-1),
      the distribution pattern was higher in the west, south and central lake and lower
      in the east lake; compared with the in situ measurements in the regions, and the
      relative error of retrieval model was 6.035%.

PMID- 20302101
TI  - [Modeling and simulation of effect of optical distortion on the large aperture
      static imaging spectrometer].
AB  - As a new type Fourier transform imaging spectrometry, large aperture static
      imaging spectrometry (LASIS) has come forth in recent years, which has many
      advantages such as simple principle, high stability and so on. However, the
      requirement for the optical system design of LASIS was very harsh. As one of the
      optical aberrations, optical distortion degrades the data quality acquired by
      LASIS, consequently limits its applications. According to the analysis of the
      data acquisition principle of LASIS, the data model with the effect of optical
      distortion was presented, which could be used for LASIS performance pre
      evaluation. Finally, the computer simlulation of the data model was achieved with
      supposed parameters. The simulation results indicated that the relative error
      more than 5% was induced in the recovery spectrum, and approximate 8 nm spectral
      line deviation was occurred at the long wavelength region. The results show that
      the 4% optical distortion was inapplicable for LASIS although it is acceptant for
      common optical imaging system.

PMID- 20302102
TI  - [Study on the interaction of L-cysteine dipeptide with DNA].
AB  - In the present paper the interaction mechanism and mode of biologically active
      cysteine dipeptide (Cys-Cys) with DNA was studied by UV-Vis spectrophotometry and
      fluorescence spectroscopy using ethidium bromide as a fluorescence probe. The
      results showed that in the buffer solution of Tris-HCl (pH 7.20), at low
      concentration of Cys-Cys, the ultraviolet spectrum of DNA-Cys-Cys system produced
      hypochromic effect with increasing the concentration of Cys-Cys. When the
      concentration of Cys-Cys increased to some high extent, the ultraviolet spectrum
      of DNA-Cys-Cys system produced hyperchromic effect. Salt-effect experiment showed
      that the interaction is liable to be affected by the ionic strengths, suggesting
      the existence of electrostatic binding between Cys-Cys and DNA. The fluorescence
      of EB-DNA had quenching effect with increasing the concentration of Cys-Cys, and
      the Stern-Volmer equation indicated that the quenching process was a static one.
      According to the Lineweaver-Burk equation the binding constant was determined to
      be 1.640 x 10(4) L x mol(-1). From the above results it can be concluded that the
      interaction mode of Cys-Cys with DNA was mainly electrostatic binding. These
      findings could contribute to further investigation on the mechanism of
      oligopeptides interaction with DNA.

PMID- 20302103
TI  - [Non-invasive measurement of human hemoglobin concentration by dynamic spectrum
      method].
AB  - For non-invasively measurement of the components of human blood, dynamic spectrum
      method was used to measure hemoglobin concentration of volunteers for the first
      time. In-vivo measurements were carried out on 34 healthy volunteers, and their
      dynamic spectra were collected. To ensure the dynamic spectrum data to be valid,
      a number of experiments were carried out on the dynamic spectrum data. BP
      artificial neural network was used to establish the calibration model of
      subjects' hemoglobin concentration values against dynamic spectrum data. Among 34
      swatches, 19 swatches were taken as calibration set and the other 15 as
      prediction set. For calibration set and prediction set, the correlation
      coefficient was 0.9831 and 0.9365 respectively. The biggest relative error of
      prediction is 7.5%, and the average relative error is 3.04%. The accuracy of
      measurement results can satisfy the demand for clinical application. Measurement
      results show that the influences of measuring conditions on spectra can be
      decreased effectively by dynamic spectrum method and this method can be applied
      to accurate non-invasive measurement of human hemoglobin concentration. It can be
      a good method for non-invasive blood analysis.

PMID- 20302104
TI  - [A novel spectral surface plasmon resonance 2-D sensing technique and its
      applications in DNA microarrays].
AB  - The authors have previously proposed a novel refractive index two-dimensional
      sensing technique named "parallel scan spectral surface plasmon resonance
      imaging". In the technique, with a line-shaped light illumination, an image
      acquired with CCD detector could provide both SPR wavelength information and one
      dimensional spatial distribution, and then provide one-dimensional distribution
      of refractive index with further calculation. Thus, two-dimensional distribution
      of refractive index of the entire sensing area can be obtained with one
      dimensional optical line parallel scan. The technique offers advantages of both
      high sensitivity and high throughput, and could have potential applications in
      microarray analysis. In the present paper, the authors improve the data
      processing methods of the technique. The authors use the refractive index of air
      as a reference to get over the problem of precision of the incident angle. The
      authors also sense a manually dotted Legionella pneumophila mip DNA probe array
      with this technique and prove the feasibility of sensing microarrays by this
      highly sensitive and label-free technique. The relation between the equivalent
      refractive indices and the concentrations of the dotted Legionella pneumophila
      mip DNA probes is obtained, which has important reference value for further
      study.

PMID- 20302105
TI  - [Characterization of insoluble polyamide-6,T by MALDI-TOF MS].
AB  - Five different sample solvents (trifluoroacetic acid, tetrahydrofuran, formic
      acid, acetonitrile, 60% acetonitrile /5% trifluoroacetic acid) and two kinds of
      sample preparation methods were chosen for characterizing the structure, mole
      mass and mass distribution of insoluble polymer of polyamide-6, T (PA6T) by
      matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry
      (MALDI-TOF MS). It was shown that the spectra with wide mole mass and high signal
      to-noise (S/N) ratio were obtained, when using 60% acetonitrile /5%
      trifluoroacetic acid as solvent, and solvent sample preparation with one step
      droplet method was better than non-solvent sample preparation. The main chain
      structure of PA6T polymerized in ionic liquid was analyzed, which was linear
      without the presence of cyclic polymer. Three structures of end groups were
      obtained, carboxyl group or amino group at both ends or carboxyl group at one end
      and amino group at the other. The mean mole mass and mass distribution were
      obtained by MALDI-TOF MS and size-exclude chromatography (SEC). It was shown that
      the mean mole mass by MALDI-TOF MS is lower than that by SEC and the mass
      distribution was narrower than that by SEC method, which resulted from the
      default of low mass fraction when calculated by exploring data and high mass
      fraction hardly detected for the difficulty of ionization. MALDI-TOF MS is a
      suitable method for the characterization of the structure and mole mass of
      insoluble poly(aromatic amide).

PMID- 20302106
TI  - [Relationship between simulated acid rain stress and leaf reflectance].
AB  - Acid rain is a worldwide environmental problem. Serious acid rain pollution in
      subtropical China has constituted a potential threat to the health of the local
      forest. In the present paper, the changing properties of the chlorophyll
      concentration and spectral reflectance at the visible wavelengths for the six
      subtropical broad-leaved tree species leaves under simulated acid rain (SAR)
      treatment with different pH levels were studied. With the increasing strength of
      the SAR, the chlorophyll concentrations of the experimental species under pH 2.5
      and pH 4.0 treatment were higher than that under pH 5.6; the spectral reflectance
      at the visible wavelengths for pH 2.5 and pH 4.0 were lower than that for pH 5.6
      in general; while there weren't significant differences between pH 2.5 and pH
      4.0. After the treatment with different levels of SAR, the differences in
      spectral reflectance at the visible wavelengths mainly focused around the green
      peak and red edge on the reflectance curve. The subtropical broad-leaved tree
      species studied were relatively not sensitive to acid rain stresses; some
      stronger acid rain may accelerate the growth of the tree species used here to
      some extent.

PMID- 20302107
TI  - [New highly phosphorescent heteroleptic tris-cyclometalated iridium (III)
      complexes: synthesis and photophysical characterization].
AB  - New heteroleptic tris-cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes (ppy)2 Ir(LX) (ppy==2
      phenylpyridine, LX==Sal (salicylic acid), Msal (4-methylsalicylic acid), FSal(4
      trifluoro methyl salicylic acid)) was synthesized and characterized. The
      molecular structure, photophysical properties and thermal stability were tested
      and analyzed. The results show that the absorption peaks were located around 270,
      370, 450 and 484 nm respectively at room temperature. The two former peaks at 270
      and 370 nm should belong to 1pi--pi* transition at ppy and transition from
      salicylic acid ligands to 2-phenylpyridine; The peaks around 450 and 484 nm can
      be assigned to the charge transfer transition from Ir to ligand (1MLCT and 3MLCT)
      and 3pi--pi* transition respectively. The PL emission peaks were located at 520,
      522, and 510 nm, respectively. The emission of (ppy), Ir(Sal) and (ppy), Ir
      (MSal) was mainly ascribed to the radiation transition of triple state 3MLCT,
      while the emission of (ppy)2 Ir(FSal) was mainly from the radiation transition
      between Sal and ppy, partly from the radiation transition of single state 1MLCT
      and triple state 3MLCT. The quantum efficiencies of these complexes were 0.37,
      0.33 and 0.29 respectively. The thermal decomposition temperature was from 306 to
      328 degrees C. (ppy)2 Ir(LX), being a series of efficient phosphorescent
      materials with good thermal stability, can be used in the organic
      electroluminescent devices.

PMID- 20302108
TI  - [Structural and spectral study of a novel rare-earth and 3-bi-pyridine acid
      polymer].
AB  - A novel zero-dimension coordination polymer Gd2 (In)6 (H2O)4 (1) (In = 3
      bipyridine acid) was synthesized under hydrothermal condition. By the analysis of
      single-crystal X-ray diffraction, the structure of the compound is that two Gd
      atoms connect with zero-dimension bi- nucleus cluster by the bridged carboxylate
      of four Ins. Based on the determination of the structure, the 2D correlation FTIR
      spectra with the perturbations of magnetism and thermal was applied. Under the
      perturbations of temperature, the vibration of the carboxylate has the very
      strong response, which is related with the strong coordinating ability of the
      carboxylate. At the same time, due to the different coordinated mode of the
      carboxylate with Gd, the response of Gd--O bonds is different under the
      temperature perturbations. Under the perturbations of magnetism, the vibration of
      the carboxylate has also the very strong response, which may be related with one
      negetive charge of the carboxylate. The 2D correlation ultraviolet spectral with
      the perturbation of magnetism were investigated. Compared with one-dimension
      ultraviolet spectral, the transition of the pi electrons in bi-pyridine ring and
      the charge transition from ligand to the metal have the very strong response. At
      the same time, the fluorescence spectral and TGA were studied.

PMID- 20302109
TI  - [Effect of sand-stabilization engineering on soil humus and components by
      analysis by several spectroscopy methods].
AB  - After the potassium bichromate-strong sulfuric acid hot process, the ultraviolet
      spectrophotometer was used on the contrast with the traditional titrimetric
      method to analyze soil (51 years, 43 year, 32 year, 20 year vegetations restores
      in the Tenggeli sand) humus and the humus components content. At the same time,
      the infrared spectrum was used to discuss their structure change during restoring
      process. The result indicated that using the visible spectroscopy method for the
      determination of the humus and the humus component is feasible. The spectroscopy
      method determination of organic matter is better (coefficient of variation at
      most is 7.26%) than the traditional titrimetric method, as it is accurate, fast
      and simple, and favors large quantities. The result indicated that humus content
      presents increasing tendency along with restoring ages. Change is big in early
      restore time, and tends to be stable in the later period. Infrared spectrum shape
      is similar, but the characteristic peak intensity has obvious difference.
      Compared with the wind-drift sand, little molecule saccharides decrease and aryl
      groups increase.

PMID- 20302110
TI  - [Monitoring stripe rust of winter wheat using PHI based on sensitive bands].
AB  - Forty six points representing different severity degree of stripe rust were
      established in winter wheat field. The canopy reflectance was collected by an ASD
      hand-held spectrometer at each point. Meanwhile, the diseases index was
      investigated. These data were used for the following analysis. Firstly, the
      relationships between diseases index and reflectance of bands in the range of 300
      1500 nm were analyzed. The sensitive bands were selected for stripe rust
      detecting. Secondly, considering the character of PHI image, red bands (620-718
      nm) and near infrared bands (770-805 nm) were assigned as the best bands.
      Finally, the mean reflectance of red bands (620-718 nm) and near infrared bands
      (770-805 nm) was calculated respectively to construct the reverse model with the
      observed diseases indexes: DI = 19.241 R1 - 2.20667 R2 + 12.2744. With this
      model, the severity degree of stripe rust of winter wheat was monitored
      successfully in PHI image.

PMID- 20302111
TI  - [Study of building quantitative analysis model for chlorophyll in winter wheat
      with reflective spectrum using MSC-ANN algorithm].
AB  - Preprocess method of multiplicative scatter correction (MSC) was used to reject
      noises in the original spectra produced by the environmental physical factor
      effectively, then the principal components of near-infrared spectroscopy were
      calculated by nonlinear iterative partial least squares (NIPALS) before building
      the back propagation artificial neural networks method (BP-ANN), and the numbers
      of principal components were calculated by the method of cross validation. The
      calculated principal components were used as the inputs of the artificial neural
      networks model, and the artificial neural networks model was used to find the
      relation between chlorophyll in winter wheat and reflective spectrum, which can
      predict the content of chlorophyll in winter wheat. The correlation coefficient
      (r) of calibration set was 0.9604, while the standard deviation (SD) and relative
      standard deviation (RSD) was 0.187 and 5.18% respectively. The correlation
      coefficient (r) of predicted set was 0.9600, and the standard deviation (SD) and
      relative standard deviation (RSD) was 0.145 and 4.21% respectively. It means that
      the MSC-ANN algorithm can reject noises in the original spectra produced by the
      environmental physical factor effectively and set up an exact model to predict
      the contents of chlorophyll in living leaves veraciously to replace the classical
      method and meet the needs of fast analysis of agricultural products.

PMID- 20302112
TI  - [The spectral characteristics and chlorophyll content at winter wheat growth
      stages].
AB  - The canopy spectral reflectance and chlorophyll content of winter wheat were
      measured and analyzed in the whole growing season. The characteristics of canopy
      spectral reflectance indicated that the canopy spectral reflectance changed
      signifi cantly at different stages. It decreased first and increased later with
      growth progress in the visible region (400-750 nm) after jointing stage, then the
      reflectance was lowest at booting stage. In near-infrared region (750-1000 nm)
      the spectral reflectance climbed sharply. The canopy reflectance was declined at
      booting stage and rose to the highest point at flowering stage. It dropped to
      minimum level subsequently at milk-ripe stage. However, the spectral reflectance
      characteristics at jointing stage and booting stage were used to detect the
      chlorophyll content. High correlation was observed between the canopy spectral
      reflectance and chlorophyll content. The positive correlation of canopy spectral
      reflectance with chlorophyll content was found at jointing stage and booting
      stage. Because the plant spectral reflectance was effected by chlorophyll greatly
      in visible region, the correlation coefficient reached 0.89 at 552 nm in booting
      stage. On the contrary, there was a negative correlation at flowering stage.
      Meanwhile, the red edge inflection point as one of the most important spectral
      parameters was analyzed at winter wheat growth stages based on the first
      derivative of reflectance spectra. The relation between the red edge inflection
      point and chlorophyll content was observed in each plot and the analysis results
      illustrated that the red edge inflection points could help detect the chlorophyll
      content at jointing stage and booting stage. The linear model of chlorophyll
      content with red edge inflection points was built at jointing stage (R2 = 0.92).
      High correlation was found between thered edge inflection point and chlorophyll
      content at booting stage. It was showed that the binomial model (R2 = 0.91) was
      better than linear model (R2 = 0.73). It was indicated that using spectral
      analysis to detect the winter wheat chlorophyll content non-destructively was
      feasible. The obtained conclusions also provided theoretical basis for further
      researches on measuring methods of chlorophyll content in the field.

PMID- 20302113
TI  - [Retrieval model for subtle variation of contamination stressed maize chlorophyll
      using hyperspectral data].
AB  - Chlorophyll content is an important indicator of photosynthesis activity, stress
      and nutritional state. In the present paper, the hyperspectral data, foliar
      chlorophyll content and heavy metal contents in foliar and soil were measured for
      the maize growing in three natural fields. In most previous research, the
      contamination stress was controlled artificially in laboratory by adding
      chromium, zinc or copper pollutant etc. to the soil, and the pollutant
      concentration added was much higher than that in natural environment. The three
      sample fields were under different heavy mental contamination level, but all
      located at the Changchun region, Northeast China, where is called Golden Maize
      Belts in the world. After continuum removal (400-800 nm), ten spectral indices
      were computed including max absorption position, normalized reflectance at max
      absorption position, absorption depth, green peak, normalized reflectance at
      green peak, red edge, normalized reflectance at red edge, red peak, absorption
      width, and asymmetry degree. The physics meaning of the above indices and their
      correlation with maize foliar chlorophyll content were analyzed. It was found
      that there were close relationships between these indices and foliar chlorophyll
      content except max absorption position, green edge and asymmetry degree. Besides
      the asymmetry degree, five indices were selected in the stepwise multiple linear
      regression for estimating chlorophyll content and its determination coefficient
      (R2) is 0.7027. Furthermore, in order to measure the weak change information of
      foliar chlorophyll content under the contamination stress, the BP artificial
      neural network (ANN-BP) was used. Several ANN-BP models were built and tried with
      different structure, namely five nodes, seven nodes or ten nodes in input layer,
      one hidden layer or two hidden layer, and different nodes number in hidden
      layers. It was found that the highest accuracy of estimates was obtained by the
      model with two hidden layers, ten nodes in input layer, seven nodes in first
      hidden layer and 4 nodes in second hidden layer (R2 = 0.9758).

PMID- 20302114
TI  - [Detection of the expression of transgene in rice plant based on hyperspectral
      remote sensing technique].
AB  - The present study aims to identify the expression of transgene in given rice
      plant samples in certain conditions. To avoid external noise caused by
      temperature change and water-loss, field spectrum was collected with ASD field
      spectrometer in natural state. The study calculated the mean spectrum of samples
      as main data set analyzed which were controlled by inner clustering coefficient
      to ensure data quality. By mean spectrum, the noise from random distinctions in
      few individual cultivators, which could not be expressed in the class stably,
      could be weakened even with filtering. With the help of parameters, such as red
      edge and green peak, this study gave qualitative spectral differences between
      transgenic samples and their parents. The results show that the transgenes in
      rice plant were expressed and influenced the samples. Moreover, it was found that
      the parameters of area are more suitable for describing the differences/changes
      of the samples, while PRI and SR-PRI are more sensitive to indicate them. Most of
      the above results could be found on the continuum-removal spectrum curve of
      samples. These conclusive results demonstrate that hyperspectral remote sensing
      technique has good prospects and application potential in transgene expression
      detection and monitoring, especially in plant breeding process.

PMID- 20302115
TI  - [Effects of pulsed electric fields on phenols and colour in young red wine].
AB  - The effects of pulsed electric fields (PEFs) applied on the 2 phenolic acids and
      3 flavan-3-ols in young red wine, as well as the changes in colour intensity and
      colour hue, were investigated using a parallel treatment chamber. High
      performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with UV-visible detector was
      used to analyze the contents of these two phenols. The high voltage pulse
      generator in this experiment designed and produced by Tsinghua University can
      generate exponential decay pulses. The chambers of this experiment were parallel
      plate treatment chambers with interelectrode distances of 0.5 cm. The
      experimental results show that after PEF treatment (energy density: 24.5, 40.5,
      60.5 J x mL(-1)) the concentration of most phenolic compounds changed
      significantly. Moreover, the energy density of 60. 5 J x mL(-1) was chosen as the
      optimal parameter.

PMID- 20302116
TI  - [Nitrogen content testing and diagnosing of cucumber leaves based on
      multispectral imagines].
AB  - Using CCD camera and special filters, the growth parameters of cucumber plants,
      the nitrogen content and the area of leaves, were investigated in an experimental
      greenhouse. In order to make nutrient stress to the plants, different nitrogen
      levels were prepared. The basic nitrogen content was 0.067 kg x L(-1) and four
      different levels of nitrogen contents were made to be 2, 1, 0.5, and 0.2 N,
      respectively. The genetic and water-segment methods were used to separate IR and
      R2 images from the background. It was found that the result of water-segment is
      better. It has clearer boundary, less noise and closer result to the original
      image. After the reflectance information of cucumber leaves was obtained, the
      vegetation indexes, RVI, NDVI and GNDVI, were calculated and then the correlation
      coefficients between each vegetation index and nitrogen content or leave area
      were analyzed. The result shows that there is an obvious linear correlation
      between NDVI and nitrogen content of leaves or leave area and the R2 are 0.8209
      and 0.7017, respectively. The high correlations were also observed between GNDVI
      and nitrogen content of leaves or leave area, and the R2 are 0.7625 and 0.6762,
      respectively. The reason is that the reflectance of IR is mainly affected by
      reflectivity and the canopy structure of cucumber leaves. As biomass and area of
      leaves increase with the nitrogen content, the reflectivity of leaves becomes
      stronger. And the gap among cells of high nitrogen content leaves is large. Cell
      wall has more water, which has a strong effect on the reflectivity of NIR At
      visible wavelength, the reflectance of cucumber leaves decreases as nitrogen
      content increases since the chlorophyll content increases as nitrogen content
      increases. The trend of correlation between RVI and nitrogen content disagreed
      with that of the correlation between RVI and leave area. There is an obvious
      linear correlation between RVI and leave area, and the R2 is 0.8577. However, the
      correlations between RVI and nitrogen content exhibit a nonlinear relationship,
      and R2 is only 0.5988. It is because as cucumbers grow older, the reflectance of
      canopy increases at visible wavelength but decreases at near infrared wavelength.
      The experimental result proves that CCD camera and special filters can be used as
      a good method for diagnosing nitrogen content of cucumber plants.

PMID- 20302117
TI  - [Leaf characteristics extraction of rice under potassium stress based on static
      scan and spectral segmentation technique].
AB  - The timing, convenient and reliable method of diagnosing and monitoring crop
      nutrition is the foundation of scientific fertilization management. However, this
      expectation cannot be fulfilled by traditional methods, which always need
      excessively work on sampling, detection and analysis and even exhibit lagging
      timing. In the present study, stable images for potassium-stressed leaf were
      acquired using stationary scanning, and object-oriented segmentation technique
      was adopted to produce image objects. Afterwards, nearest neighbor classifier
      integrated the spectral, shape and topologic information of image objects to
      precisely identify characteristics of potassium-stressed features. Diagnosing
      with image, the 3rd expanded leaves are superior to the 1st expanded leaves. In
      order to assess the result, 250 random samples and an error matrix were applied
      to undertake the accuracy assessment of identification. The results showed that
      the overall accuracy and kappa coefficient was 96.00% and 0.9453 respectively.
      The study offered an information extraction method for quantitative diagnosis of
      rice under potassium stress.

PMID- 20302118
TI  - [DNA nanosensor fluorescence imaging microscopy].
AB  - Quantum dots have many excellent optical properties such as high quantum yield,
      long fluorescence lifetime, wide excitation spectrum and narrow emission
      spectrum, tunable emission wavelength and so on, thus have become a newpopular
      type of fluorescence probes in these years. Quantum-dot-based DNA nanosensor
      comprising streptavidin-conjugated quantum dots, capture probes with biotin and
      reporter probes with Cy5 was designed to detect DNA or RNA segments. Capture
      probes and reporter probes were connected by the target DNA or RNA segments so
      that quantum dots and Cy5s could be together and FRET (fluorescence resonance
      energy transfer) could be detected. In the present work, quantum-dot-based DNA
      nanosensor was combined with ICCD fluorescence microscopy imaging system through
      the authors' experiments. Using the total internal reflection fluorescence
      (TIRF), FRET between quantum dots and Cy5s was recorded by ICCD showing that
      segments of singlestranded target DNA with 30-base length were detected in
      solution using DNA nanosensor. When Cy5-ssDNA-Biotins were added into streptavi
      din-conjugated quantum dots in solution, by real time recording, the FRET
      efficiency was found to increase with time, which indicated the process of
      streptavidin-conjugated quantum dots capturing Cy5-ssDNA-Biotins. It was also
      observed that streptavidin-conjugated quantum dots and Cy5-ssDNA-Biotins could
      both enter living Chinese hamster ovary cells and have FRET. The process of
      streptavidin-conjugated quantum dots capturing Cy5-ssDNA-Biotins was detected in
      the cells as well and Cy5s were photobleached after a long time of irradiation.
      It has been proved that detecting DNA or RNA segments in living cells with DNA
      nanosensor is possible.

PMID- 20302119
TI  - [Synthesis of the CaCO3:Eu3+ red phosphor by microwave method].
AB  - The red phosphor of CaCO3 doped with Eu3+ was synthesized with the microwave
      method in the aqueous solution and characterized with electron microscope (SEM),
      X-ray diffraction (XRD), and photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation
      (PL-PLE) spectrum. Also under investigation was the influence of microwave power
      on luminescence properties. The results showed that the synthesized CaCO3:Eu+
      particles were the mixture of various particles in the forms of vaterite with
      flower-flake, calcite with cubic shape and aragonite with needle-like, which were
      evenly dispersed. The Eu3+ ion as the luminescent center inhabited the site of
      Ca3+ in mixed phases of CaCO3:Eu3+. This feature was mainly characterized by the
      intense charge transfer band range from 200 to 300 nm in the PLE spectrum, which
      was the wide band excitation. Moreover, the narrow excitation peaks at 319, 395,
      465, 535 nm and so on could be detected in the PLE spectrum. For the mixed phase,
      the magnetic-dipole transition (5)D0 to (7)F1 emission was split into two
      sublevels at about 589 and 593 nm by the crystal field. The mainly emission peaks
      were located in the vicinity of 614 and 620 nm, corresponding to the electric
      dipole transition (1)D0-->(7)F2 of Eu3+ ions that was the pure red emission.
      Moreover, with the improvement of the microwave power, the emission intensity was
      on rise for the morphology and phase of the sample changed from the flower-flake
      vaterite to the needle-like aragonite, coupled with the intensity of red light
      emission.

PMID- 20302120
TI  - [Technology of advanced glycation endproducts fluorescence measurement and
      precorrection].
AB  - The necessity to measure advanced glycation endproducts (AGE) was analyzed in the
      present paper, and the apparatus for measuring skin autofluorescence was also
      designed making use of the special excitation spectrum and emission spectrum. A
      portion of tissue at the volar side of the arm of individuals (11 diabetes and 19
      control subjects) was illuminated with excitation light, i.e., monochromatic
      light around 370 nm, and the emission spectrum was detected on the skin of
      control subjects and diabetic patients respectively. All measurements were
      performed at room temperature in a semi-dark environment. It can be seen that
      different sites of an individual could lead to different results, and the color
      can also affect the results. The technology of fluorescence precorrection was
      applied in order to get rid of the influence of noise, different site of skin,
      the color of skin etc. The result indicates that the technology of precorrection
      is of avail and the repetitiveness is well.

PMID- 20302121
TI  - [Study of the fluorescence characteristics of DOM from the Yangtze River and
      Jialing River around Chongqing's urban areas].
AB  - The fluorescence emission and excitation emission matrix (EEM) technologies were
      used to characterize the dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the water body of the
      Yangtze River and Jialing River around the Chongqing urban areas from April to
      August 2008. Concerning about the accidents of the Wenchuan's Earthquake in May
      and Tangjiashan Yansaihu's effects in June, and the high water period time in the
      summer in two months of July and August, from the EEM obtained from each sampling
      station and time, the composition, distribution and their changing features of
      the DOM in the two rivers were investigated as combined with the water samples'
      environmental parameters such as pH, DO, DOC with EEM's fingerprint features,
      f(450/500) etc; finally the bio-environment behavior effects of the three types
      of fluorescence peaks were elaborated, where humic-like, fulvic-like, and protein
      like from the five sampling stations' EEMs during the five months were given
      detailed representation. From the experimental results obtained, the fluorescence
      peaks are mainly composed of two types of fluorophores: humic-like and protein
      like in the two rivers around the Chongqing urban areas during the investigation
      in five months, the protein-like's peaks value in Jialing River is higher than
      the values in the Yangtze River, and all the fluorescence peaks in the two
      Rivers' water body decrease more or less after the two Rivers join in Chun Tan
      sampling station; the protein-like peak is notably higher after the "5 x 12"
      earthquake period time including May and June and high water period time, which
      mainly originated from terrestrial sources, but its intensities decreased
      observably while the water bodies of the two rivers joining together in the Chao
      Tianmen and Chun Tan's sampling station.

PMID- 20302122
TI  - [Quantitative determination of melamine by fluorescence spectroscopy and radial
      basis function neural networks].
AB  - Based on the experimental study, it was found that melamine solution excited by
      UV light can generate a strong fluorescence. The fluorescence spectrum is within
      a range from 310 to 600 nm, the peak wavelength of the fluorescence is about 420
      nm, and the relationship between fluorescence intensity and melamine solution
      concentration is nonlinear. A method for the determination of melamine solution
      concentration was presented, which was based on fluorescence spectroscopy and
      radial basis function neural networks. For each sample, 30 emission wavelength
      values were selected, the fluorescence intensity corresponding to the selected
      wavelength was used as the network data, and a radial basis function neural
      network was trained and constructed. The trained radial basis function neural
      network was employed to predict the melamine solution concentration in five kinds
      of samples, and the relative errors of the results were 0.93%, 0.09%, 0.31%,
      1.55% and 4.61%, respectively. The results show that this method can determine
      the content of melamine quickly and accurately. The whole research outcomes will
      provide a new method for determining the content of melamine and food safety
      supervision.

PMID- 20302123
TI  - [Application of three-dimensional fluorescence spectra technique to
      discrimination of distilled spirits based on support vector machines].
AB  - In order to study the identifying and classification method of distilled spirits,
      about 100 kinds of normative distilled spirits were selected as the laboratory
      samples and their fluorescence spectra induced by ultraviolet light were measured
      by Roper-Scientific SP-2558 respectively. Then, using the statistics and plot
      software Origin 7.5, the authors composed the three-dimensional fluorescence
      spectra of the distilled spirits. In the meanwhile, the three-dimensional
      fluorescence spectra of the dis tilled spirits were also studied respectively.
      The authros compared the three-dimensional fluorescence spectra of different
      distilled spirits with the same brands and that of different spirits with the
      same brands. The authors are very confident that there must be some typical
      parameters, by which the authors can distinguish different kinds of distilled
      spirits with different brands effectively. And the authors found that while the
      three-dimensional fluorescence spectra of different distilled spirits with
      different brands are definitely different by their three typical parameters
      including the number of the major summit, position of the major summit and
      optimum wavelength, the three typical parameters of the three-dimensional
      fluorescence spectra of different distilled spirits with the same brand are very
      similar. Finally, the authors extracted the three typical parameters that are the
      number of the major summit, position of the major summit and optimum wavelength.
      Then, the data were processed by computer for emulation. As a result, the authors
      found that, using the three characteristic parameters, different kinds of
      distilled spirits can be classified ac curately by the algorithm of LS-SVM (least
      squares support vector machine). The outcomes of the data emulated by different
      algorithms were obtained seriatim. The authors compared the outcomes, and the
      fact proved that more accurate outcome of identifying and classification can be
      obtained by LS-SVM.

PMID- 20302124
TI  - [Rapid method for determination of furfural and 5-hydroxymethyl furfural in pre
      extraction stream of biomass using UV spectroscopy].
AB  - The present paper reports a rapid method for the determination of furfural (F)
      and 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) in pre-extraction liquors of lignocellulosic
      biomass based on UV spectroscopy. In a concentrated acetic acid medium, F and HMF
      have an isosbestic point at 276 nm. It was found that the acidic soluble lignin
      in the pre-extraction sample is the major interference species in the F and HMF
      spectroscopic quantification However, only acidic soluble lignins have the
      absorption at the wavelengths above 325 nm. Based on the absorption of the acidic
      soluble lignins at 325 nm, their absorptions at either F or HMF absorbed
      wavelengths can be determined. Thus, with a simple triple-wavelength technique,
      both F and HMF in the pre-extraction liquors of lignocellulosic biomass can be
      quantified based on the spectroscopic measurement at the isosbestic point
      wavelength (276 nm), maximum absorption wavelength of F (272 nm) and the acid
      soluble lignin absorbed wavelength (325 nm). The present method does not require
      the hazardous organic compounds (such as phenolic compounds etc.) acting as a
      color reagent in the experiment. It is not only simple and rapid, but also has a
      good measurement precision and accuracy, with the relative standard deviations of
      3.02% and 2.72%, and recoveries of 95%-107% and 96%-101%, respectively, in the F
      and HMF quantification. The present method is suitable for use in the research on
      pre-extraction hemicellulose of the lignocellulosic biomass in bio-refinery area
      in order to achieve a high selective sugar conversion.

PMID- 20302125
TI  - [Qualitative and quantitative analysis of various elements in chromite ore by ICP
      AES].
AB  - Kind of the elements in chromite ore was firstly determined by ICP-AES. Twenty
      nine elements, such as Cr, Fe, Al, Mg, Zn, Ca and Ni, were contained in the
      chromite sample based on the qualitative analysis. Then the contents of main
      elements Cr, Fe, Al, Mg, Ca, T, Si, Mn and V were measured. The chromite samples
      processing procedures have two steps, the first is decomposition by nitrate
      carbonate and sodium tetraborate at 950 degrees C for 30 min, then leaching by
      dilute hydrochloric acid at 80 degrees C for 10 min. The method showed
      satisfactory precision and accuracy with the RSDs between 0.48% and 2.05% and the
      recovery rates between 90.5% and 111.3%.

PMID- 20302126
TI  - [Determination of metal elements in paper sludges by ICP-AES].
AB  - Metal elements, especially the heavy metal element, need to be considered for
      resource utilization of paper sludge. Seventeen kinds of metal elements were
      determined by ICP-AES method, which were form two kinds of paper sludge from
      Anhui Shanying paper mill, one kind of paper sludge from Fujian Qingshan paper
      mill, and one kind of paper sludge from Fujian Zhongzhu paper mill. The results
      show that there are different amounts of metal elements in the 4 kinds of paper
      sludge including poisonous metal elements, such as Cr, etc, metal element which
      is poisonous when excessive, such as Fe, etc, and P and K which are beneficial
      for plant growth Al and Ca contents are maximal. The recovery ratio for Fujian
      Zhongzhu paper mill obtained by standard addition method is 94.4%-107.3%. Heavy
      metal elements content lower than the national standard GB/4284-84 "Control
      standards for pollutions in sludge form agricultural use". The order of heavy
      metal elements content is paper sludge from Fujian Zhongzhu paper mill<paper
      sludge from Fujian Qingshan paper mill<paper sludge from Anhui Shanying paper
      mill. The results provide theoretical directions for resource utilization of
      paper sludge, especially for agricultural utilization and land utilization

PMID- 20302127
TI  - [Separation/preconcentration of trace rare earth elements in Tricholoma giganteum
      by micro-column with nanometer A1203 and their determination by ICP-AES].
AB  - Using a micro-column packed with immobilized 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-bonzoil-5
      pyrazone(PMBP) on nanometer Al2O3 powder as the adsorption material, the
      adsorption and elution behaviors of rare earth ions (Sc3+, Y3+ and La3+) on the
      above material under dynamic conditions were studied with inductively coupled
      plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. The conditions for preconcentration of rare
      earth ions were optimized, and the results show that the studied ions can be
      adsorbed quantitatively on the above material at pH 4.5 and the analytes adsorbed
      on the column can be eluted with 0.5 mol x L(-1) HCl solution. The detection
      limits of the method for Sc, Y and La were 0.15, 0.18 and 0.34 microg x L(-1),
      respectively, and the relative standard deviations were 2.5%, 3.0% and 1.7%,
      respectively (n=12, c = 0.5 mg x L(-1)). The proposed method was applied to the
      determination of trace amount of Sc, Y and La in Tricholoma giganteum with
      satisfactory results.

PMID- 20302128
TI  - [Research on the silk aging with x-ray diffraction spectra].
AB  - The present paper did some researches on the deterioration mechanism and the
      changes in crystallinity of silk fabrics by means of the X-ray diffraction
      analysis. The samples artificially aged and excavated from Hubei, Innermongolia,
      Shaanxi and Qinghai provinces were analyzed. The artificial aging was done by
      simulating three main natural aging factors: light, heat and hydrolysis. The
      analytical results show that X-ray diffraction analysis could reveal the aging
      process and characteristic of silk, as well as the changes in crystallinity
      during silk aging. The X-ray diffraction analysis is of practical value for the
      conservation state and aging mechanism studies of ancient silk. In addition, X
      ray diffraction analysis could also provide important information on ancient
      technology of textile and apparel.

PMID- 20302129
TI  - [Identification of different corrosion covering the surface of Chinese ancient
      lead glazed potteries].
AB  - In the present paper, different corrosions of three pieces of Chinese ancient
      lead glazed potteries from different burial circumstances were analyzed by using
      XRD, FTIR, EDXRF, RS etc, and the analyses indicate that the main crystalline
      phase of corrosion of HYT is cerussite (PbCO3), that of SYT is calcium-lead
      hydroxyapatite [Pb(10-x) Ca(x) (PO4)(OH)2 (x < 2.7)] and the yellow area of the
      erosion is attributed to a certain mount of iron oxide, that of TSC is the
      cerussite (PbCO3) and calcium-lead hydroxyapatite [Pb(10-x)Ca(x) (PO4) (OH)2 (x <
      2.7)], and the brown-black area of the erosion product is the result of the
      existence of little mount of iron and carbon black.

PMID- 20302131
TI  - [A method for auto-recognizing the stars based on spectral feature].
AB  - The LAMOST project, the world's largest sky survey project being implemented in
      China, urgently needs an automatic stars recognition and classification system.
      This paper presents a method for auto-recognizing the stars based on spectral
      feature. This method consists of three main steps: First, the integral
      information of spectral lines is calculated and the stellar Balmer lines are
      detected by using the wavelet features of spectral lines. Then, the
      characteristic frequency of M-type stars and the locations of absorption bands
      are obtained accurately through the wavelet features of absorption bands.
      Finally, based on the results of the former step, the emission-line stars, M-type
      stars and early-type stars can be recognized. The extensive experiments with real
      observed spectra from the SDSS DR4 show that the method can robustly recognize
      stellar spectra, the correct rate of the emission-line stars is as high as 97.5%,
      the correct rate of M-type stars is as high as 98.1% and the correct rate of
      early-type stars is as high as 96.8%. The error rate of the quasars and the
      galaxies is less than 2%. This method is designed to automatically recognize
      stellar spectra with relative flux and low signal-to-noise ratio, which is
      applicable to the LAMOST data.

PMID- 20302130
TI  - [XPS study on the influence of calcination conditions to cerium ion valence].
AB  - For the system of Ce(NO3)2.6H2O and urea solution during homogeneous
      precipitation method, X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectrum (IR) and
      especially X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to study and
      characterize the product structure, variety of cerium ion valence, compound
      surface character and kernel electronic configurations. The results of XRD and IR
      showed that calcination temperature had a great effect on the cerium ion valence.
      The products are orthorhombic Ce2 O(CO3)2.H2O with valence III by using
      homogeneous precipitation method directly. When heated from the temperature 200
      degrees C to 250 degrees C, the product of CeO(CO3)2.H2O with valence VI was
      finally changed into stable CeO2 with valence IV. XPS was used to study the
      surface character and kernel electronic configurations of the three different
      compounds through fine scanning of O(1s), Ce(3d) and Ce(4d) apices, and the
      results approved that the compounds with different valences are caused by the
      different valence electronic configurations of the products.

PMID- 20302132
TI  - [Spatially modulated Fourier transform imaging spectrometer data compression
      research].
AB  - Fourier transform imaging spectrometer is a new technic, and has been developed
      very fast in recent ten years. When it is used in satellite, because of the limit
      by the data transmission, the authors need to compress the original data obtained
      by the Fourier transform imaging spectrometer, then, the data can be transmitted,
      and can be incepted on the earth and decompressed. Then the authors can do data
      process to get spectrum data which can be used by user. Data compression technic
      used in Fourier transform imaging spectrometer is a new technic, and few papers
      introduce it at home and abroad. In this paper the authors will give a data
      compression method, which has been used in EDIS, and achieved a good result.

PMID- 20302133
TI  - [Study of an optical fiber grating sensor for monitoring corrosion of reinforcing
      steel].
AB  - Based on the principle of the fiber Bragg grating strain sensor as well as the
      volume expansion of the reinforcing steel due to corrosion, an optical fiber
      grating sensor for monitoring corrosion of reinforcing steel and the method of
      temperature compensation were studied in the present paper. The sensor
      construction is that one Bragg grating is stuck on the inner center of two bars
      against each other, and the reinforcement volume as well as the diameter will
      expand due to corrosion. Based upon sensing mechanism, monitoring will be carried
      out by transforming the diameter increase to the fiber strain, and as a result
      the degree and rate of reinforcement corrosion can be obtained. The principle of
      corrosion monitoring is that the strain induced by corrosion and temperature
      fluctuation is measured by a reinforcing steel fiber grating sensor. At the same
      time, the strain induced by temperature fluctuation is also measured by an
      individual stainless fiber grating sensor. Therefore by two independent fiber
      grating sensors, the volume changed by corrosion can be separated. By the
      concrete encapsulating and embedding method of FBG corrosion sensor, the degree
      of corrosion of reinforcing reinforcement will be measured directly, which is not
      affected by corrosion factors and can be used in the early corrosion monitoring
      of reinforcement in concrete structures. Finally the relationship between
      corrosion rate and shift in center wavelength was calibrated by experiment.

PMID- 20302134
TI  - MDT's five-minute interview.

PMID- 20302135
TI  - A reappraisal of biomaterials science.
AB  - Biomaterials have evolved over the past decade in response to the need for more
      sophisticated technologies for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. We consider
      here the ways in which biomaterials are changing and the consequences of this for
      medical technology.

PMID- 20302136
TI  - Selecting the right polymer.
AB  - Choosing the correct polymer for a medical device requires a comprehensive look
      at many aspects of performance and economy. This decision-making process is
      illustrated here with approaches to choosing materials for an injection moulded
      steam sterilisation tray for surgical instruments and goods.

PMID- 20302137
TI  - Simplification of liquid flow sensing.
AB  - Advances in microsensor technology have the potential to improve performance
      reliability in microfuidic applications. The technology and its capabilities are
      described.

PMID- 20302138
TI  - Assessing biological safety of metals associated with medical devices.
AB  - As human exposure to heavy metals increases, the impact these metals are having
      on morbidity is a growing concern. Methods of evaluating potential toxicity in
      medical device materials are discussed.

PMID- 20302139
TI  - US regulation of combination products.
AB  - The successful launch ofa combination product in the United States (US) will
      depend on how well a company understands applicable US regulations and policies,
      which differ in important ways from requirements in Europe. This article provides
      an overview of useful information on the US regulation of these products that can
      be found on the newly redesigned Food and Drug Administration website.

PMID- 20302140
TI  - Joining and forming using torsional ultrasonic principles.
AB  - Developments in torsional ultrasonic joining mean that it is now used in a
      diverse range of joining, forming, selective weakening and "break-off"
      applications in the medical device industry.The principles and benefits of the
      technique are described together with application examples.

PMID- 20302141
TI  - PVC: a broader perspective.
AB  - A look at the wider applications of poly(vinyl chloride) and how the industry is
      committed to achieving a more sustainable future.

PMID- 20302142
TI  - Building better surfaces.
AB  - Developments in electrospinning are set to provide novel nanofibre-based
      structures including intelligent coatings that promote the growth of bone tissue
      into an implant.

PMID- 20302143
TI  - Safer arterial access.
AB  - Intra-arterial injection of drugs intended for intravenous delivery is a frequent
      and potentially devastating consequence of placing an arterial line in a patient.
      A system is described here that prevents this complication from occurring and its
      use is advocated in intensive care and operating theatre settings.

PMID- 20302144
TI  - Expert attributes cause of child's death to nursing negligence.

PMID- 20302145
TI  - Did ER personnel miss classic stroke symptoms?

PMID- 20302146
TI  - NY: physician employers sued nurse employee: court denied claim for
      indemnification v. nurse.

PMID- 20302147
TI  - Nursing home care smacks of deplorable nursing care.

PMID- 20302148
TI  - What was RN's duty when Dr. did not order prophylaxis for pt.?

PMID- 20302149
TI  - Did amputation & death result from failure to monitor pt.?

PMID- 20302150
TI  - NY: nurse played key role in rape conviction: credibility of nurse vital in
      corroborating rape.

PMID- 20302151
TI  - Florida's birth-related injury 'plan' no bar to suit.

PMID- 20302152
TI  - [Ankle joint as knee replacement].

PMID- 20302153
TI  - [Prevention of intestinal cancer. Is the conventional fecal test overtaken?].

PMID- 20302154
TI  - [Not everyone has the "good tone" -- who is allowed to answer the telephone in
      your practice?].

PMID- 20302155
TI  - [Interview with the Federal Health Minister Philipp Rosler. Health bonus: "No
      change from now to soon"].

PMID- 20302156
TI  - [Why does the child wet always again?].

PMID- 20302157
TI  - [Therapy of enuresis and incontinence in in childhood. From ringing pants to
      medicaments].

PMID- 20302158
TI  - [Syncopal incident in a young man: more dangerous than it was thought].

PMID- 20302159
TI  - [Drug therapy of Crohn's disease: slowly increase or start aggressively right
      away?].

PMID- 20302160
TI  - [I do not agree with those replies].

PMID- 20302161
TI  - [Multimodal treatment of chronic pain. Only the practical, complementary
      combination leads to success].

PMID- 20302162
TI  - [Cooperation with a psychotherapist is important for chronic pain patients].

PMID- 20302163
TI  - [Motivating chronic pain patients].

PMID- 20302164
TI  - [Physiotherapy in patients with chronic pain].

PMID- 20302165
TI  - [Breath therapy--a possible support for patients with chronic pain].

PMID- 20302166
TI  - [How to deal with stomal complications].

PMID- 20302167
TI  - [Blood pressure telemonitoring].

PMID- 20302168
TI  - [Homeopathic complex lessens complaints permanently].

PMID- 20302169
TI  - [Look diagnosis. Young woman with headache. Now she has speech disorders].

PMID- 20302170
TI  - [Barmer GEK Report: Always more patient contacts. Revolving door medicine in the
      general practice?].

PMID- 20302171
TI  - [With the prioritization comes the two-class medicine. Injustice with the
      system].

PMID- 20302172
TI  - [Prioritization undermines physician-patient relations. "Then one can right away
      get rid of the physician completely"].

PMID- 20302173
TI  - [Do we still need digitalis today?].

PMID- 20302174
TI  - [Acutely confused old man].

PMID- 20302175
TI  - [Naturopathy procedures on the way to the future].

PMID- 20302176
TI  - [Phytotherapy of cough].

PMID- 20302177
TI  - [When it suddenly cracks like a whip. Limping Achilles].

PMID- 20302178
TI  - [Rupture of the Achilles tendon].

PMID- 20302179
TI  - [Rupture of quadriceps and patellar tendon].

PMID- 20302180
TI  - [Epicondylopathia humeri radialis: efficancy of radiation therapy].

PMID- 20302181
TI  - [Emergency checklist: priapism].

PMID- 20302183
TI  - [Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists: inhibition of the renin angiotensin
      system].

PMID- 20302182
TI  - [Blood in urine--a warning signal].

PMID- 20302184
TI  - The winter walkability project: occupational therapists' role in promoting
      citizen engagement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Walkability is one feature of a person-friendly community that
      citizen engagement can influence. PURPOSE: Describe a winter walkability project
      and how an occupational therapist supported citizen engagement and participation
      in local policy decision making. METHODS: Seven stakeholder representatives
      undertook a participatory research project to address winter walkability. Through
      focus groups and walking logs, 10 citizens provided feedback on barriers to
      winter walking and a new sidewalk snow-clearing method. Analysis ascertained
      factors contributing to winter sidewalk walkability and factors promoting citizen
      engagement. FINDINGS: Results identified reasons for and barriers to walking,
      perceived reasons for sidewalk conditions, and perceived effectiveness of the
      snow-clearing intervention. Citizens recommended against using the new snow
      clearing method. Factors promoting citizen engagement included individual actions
      producing nominal results, individual and community-level interest, and
      development as citizen-experts. IMPLICATIONS This project provides one example of
      how occupational therapists can take a sociopolitical role and facilitate citizen
      and occupational engagement.

PMID- 20302185
TI  - Re-examining concepts of occupation and occupation-based models: occupational
      therapy and community development.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A growing body of literature supports the role of occupational
      therapists in community development. Using a community development approach,
      occupational therapists respond to community-identified occupational needs. They
      work to build local resources and capacities and self-sustaining programs that
      foster change within the community and potentially beyond. PURPOSE: The purpose
      of this paper is to highlight some key issues related to occupational therapy
      practice in community development. KEY ISSUES: The definitions and
      classifications of occupation focus primarily on the individual and fail to
      elaborate on the shared occupations of a community. As well, occupation-based
      models of practice are not easily applied to occupational therapy practice in
      community development. IMPLICATIONS: In order for occupational therapy to
      articulate its role in community development, greater heed needs to be given to
      the definition and categorization of occupation, occupation-based models of
      practice, and their application to communities.

PMID- 20302186
TI  - Assessment of Awareness of Disability measures among persons with acquired brain
      injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Limited self-awareness of disabilities can compromise individuals'
      occupational performance. PURPOSE: The Assessment of Awareness of Disability
      (AAD) provides occupational therapists with a standardized methodology for
      measuring clients'self-awareness when performing activities of daily living
      (ADL). This is the first study that formally examines the stability of the AAD
      measures. METHODS: The AAD was administered twice to 15 participants with
      acquired brain injury (ABI) within one or two days. One participant's data were
      excluded because significant changes in his ADL process abilities were detected.
      Two criteria were used to examine the stability of the remaining 14 participants'
      AAD measures: standardized difference Z-scores and a difference of 0.65 logits.
      FINDINGS: All 14 participants' AAD measures were stable on the basis of theirZ
      scores; 13 participants' measures were stable based on the 0.65 logit difference.
      IMPLICATIONS: Occupational therapists can have confidence that the AAD generates
      stable measures when administered to adults with ABI.

PMID- 20302187
TI  - Paediatric occupational therapy: addressing parental stress with the sense of
      coherence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Families of children who have disabilities experience multiple
      stressors. "Sense of coherence" (SOC) reflects a person's view of life and his or
      her capacity to respond to stressful situations. PURPOSE: The purposes of this
      paper are to (I) introduce the concept of SOC; (2) review the literature on the
      stresses experienced by parents of children with disabilities; and (3) discuss
      how SOC can be used to evaluate systematically and to address effectively
      parents' resiliency against stressors. KEY ISSUES: The literature shows a strong
      correlation between parental stress, avoidantcoping, depression, and low SOC.
      Preliminary evidence suggests that an early intervention program can help
      increase parents' SOC. IMPLICATIONS: Occupational therapists can use the SOC as a
      framework from which to identify the strength of a parents' SOC, and, when deemed
      to be low, help create a process for enhancing resilience.

PMID- 20302188
TI  - Test-retest reliability of the GAPP functional capacity evaluation in healthy
      adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Functional capacity evaluations are commonly used in work
      rehabilitation practice to assess a person's capacity to perform work-related
      activities. PURPOSE: This study examined the test-retest reliability of
      participants' performance and administrator ratings using the Gibson Approach to
      Functional Capacity Evaluation (GAPP FCE). METHODS: Forty-eight healthy adults
      were evaluated twice on 12 recommended core items of the GAPP FCE and rated for
      overall performance. FINDINGS: The ICCs and 95% CIs for the Physical Level of
      Work and Alternative Physical Level of Work Ratings were 0.93 (0.87-0.96) and
      0.86 (0.72-0.93) respectively. The ICCs for the core item-level ratings ranged
      from 0.15 to 0.94, and the ICCs for the actual loads handled in the manual
      handling items ranged from 0.88 to 0.95. IMPLICATIONS: The stability of an
      overall physical level of work rating shows potential for use in functional
      capacity evaluation practice and research. Further research is needed to
      investigate other measurement properties of the GAPP FCE using populations with
      injury or disability.

PMID- 20302189
TI  - Occupational therapy students' experiences in learning occupation-centred
      approaches to working with children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The increasing emphasis on performance outcomes and the use of
      occupation-centred approaches has implications for practice education. PURPOSE:
      This study aimed to describe students' experiences of learning to use occupation
      centred approaches when working with children within a university clinic.
      METHODS: Nine occupational therapy students and two clinical educators completed
      three indepth interviews at intervals across the students' fieldwork experiences.
      Therapy observations, review of therapy documentation, and tutorial group e-mails
      informed data triangulation. Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes.
      FINDINGS: Students described needing to make a theoretical shift in thinking to
      focus on occupational performance and identified a number of challenges relating
      to learning complex techniques and strategies. IMPLICATIONS: Teaching methods
      that assist in making occupation-centred assessment and intervention techniques
      more explicit and learner-friendly for new users are required. These findings
      provide valuable new insights in guiding this process.

PMID- 20302190
TI  - Professor Thoma Ionescu (1860-1926) founder of the modern Romanian school of
      surgery.

PMID- 20302191
TI  - Spinal muscular atrophy disease: a literature review for therapeutic strategies.
AB  - Currently, there is no cure for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).
      Based on the available clinical and molecular findings, different therapeutic
      strategies were tested in vitro and in vivo and clinical trials are ongoing. The
      main therapeutic direction is focused on the enhancement of SMN expression by
      increasing the full-length (fl) SMN2 transcript levels, preventing the SMN exon 7
      from skipping or from protein stabilizing. In addition, the action of
      neurotrophic, neuroprotective or anabolic agents is tested and stem cell and gene
      therapy approaches are in a promising development.

PMID- 20302193
TI  - Prognostic factors in retroperitoneal fibrosis.
AB  - The aim of this study is to evaluate effective prognostic factors in the
      evolution of patients with retroperitoneal fibrosis and to establish the validity
      of fractal analysis in determining the disease severity in these patients.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study included 19 patients (M/F: 5/14) treated for
      idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis and bilateral obstructive renal failure
      between Jan 2004-Dec 2008. Patients were identified retrospectively, searching
      for patients diagnosed with IRF, after retroperitoneal biopsy or, in most cases
      the diagnosis rested on radiological findings, especially CT, with identification
      of a retroperitoneal mass, the absence of other demonstrable renal or ureteric
      disease or any other pathology that could explain the findings. CT was very
      useful in describing the retroperitoneal mass around the aorta and inferior vena
      cava, the extent of the lesion and for monitoring the response to surgical
      treatment during the follow-up. The data were evaluated about medical history,
      physical examination findings, laboratory tests (serum urea and creatinine, blood
      sugar, sodium, potassium, bicarbonate levels, serum pH, uric acid, haematocrit,
      white blood cell count), imaging methods (renal ultrasound, abdominal CT-scan,
      MRI). At admission all patients had active disease with obstructive renal failure
      and underwent bilateral ureteric stenting in order to normalize the BUN levels.
      After normalizing of BUN levels, ureterolysis and omental wrapping was performed.
      Postoperatively, ureteric stents were removed after 1 month and remission of
      renal disfunction was obtained in approximately 5 months (range 2-10 months). All
      patients were followed for at least 1 year. Patients were regularly checked every
      3 months. RESULTS: Of the 19 patients, there were 5 men and 14 women. The median
      age at diagnosis of RF was 50 years (range 42-64 years). The most frequent
      presenting symptoms were back or abdominal pain, weakness, weight loss,
      oligoanuria, arterial hypertension and mild fever. The duration of symptoms
      before diagnosis ranged from 6 to 18 months. At presentation all patients had
      active disease, presenting renal dysfunction with a median serum creatinine of
      5.18 mg/dl (range 1-15.4 mg/dl). Most of the patients had moderate bilateral
      hydronephrosis (2nd degree hydronephrosis). In our study, all patients had
      excellent prognosis, with full recovery of renal function in 78% of cases (15
      patients). The fractal dimension of the fibrosis mass contour correlates with
      level of renal function impairment. Even more, the fractal dimension seems to
      slightly variate between CT evaluations (1.30 +/- 0.1), suggesting a non
      aggressive pattern of extension of the fibrotic mass characteristic for benign
      lesions. CONCLUSIONS: The imaging parameters did not predict the disease
      severity, except the increase in fractal dimension of fibrosis surface area.
      Efficacy of bilateral ureteric stenting in improving renal function is limited in
      most of the cases. Dispite the level of renal function impairment at admission,
      full recovery can be achieved after bilateral ureteric stenting/nephrostomy and
      ureterolisis.

PMID- 20302192
TI  - The effect of stress on the defense systems.
AB  - Acute stress increases resistance to infection. The alteration of this mechanism
      in chronically stressed people impairs the organism's ability to mount a strong
      immune response with a resultant increase in morbidity. Acute stress induces a
      probable sympatho-adrenergically mediated increase in chemotaxis and adhesion
      molecules expression, thus promoting immune cells migration to sites of infection
      and/or inflammation, while chronic stress impairs this mechanism. Protracted
      stressful conditions decrease NK cytotoxic capacity. There is a substance P,
      which under stressful circumstances mediates the increase in macrophage cytokine
      production. Acute stress increases T cell mobilization through a beta2
      adrenergically mediated process, which is blunted during chronic stress.
      Psychological stress impairs the immune system's ability to produce antibodies in
      response to a vaccine, thereby making the organism more vulnerable to infections.

PMID- 20302195
TI  - Growth factors in orthopedic surgery.
AB  - Growth factors have represented an essential issue of interest for the
      researchers and clinicians in orthopedics and trauma over the last 40 years. In
      the last 10 to 15 years, the advances registered in this field have permitted the
      identification of the most active cellular and humoral factors as well as the
      improvement of their use in the orthopedic and trauma surgery. Their domain of
      application has been continuously enlarged and the results have been visible from
      the beginning. The authors present their appreciation on the actual state of this
      subject as well as their experience with results and related conclusions.

PMID- 20302194
TI  - General considerations on posterior fossa arteriovenous malformations (clinics,
      imaging and therapy). Actual concepts and literature review.
AB  - The posterior fossa arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is uncommon and different
      from other intracranial AVM in its natural history, diagnosis, treatment,
      prognosis, and other features. Authors present a review of the actual procedures
      of diagnosis and treatment in the field of infratentorial cerebral arterio-venous
      malformations, based on the actual literature data. Pre-therapeutic
      considerations, such as clinical presentation and diagnostic evaluation, are
      initially discussed because they are crucial in choosing the optimal treatment.
      Posterior fossa AVMs merit multimodality intervention when feasible in most cases
      because of their higher risk of rupture and higher potential of morbidity and
      mortality. In addition, we present two significant cases treated in our
      department.

PMID- 20302196
TI  - Assisted suicide.

PMID- 20302197
TI  - Primary immunodeficiencies of the B lymphocyte.
AB  - The immune response consists of two main components: humoral immunity represented
      by B lymphocytes and cellular immunity maintained by the T lymphocytes.
      Immunoglobulins, produced by B-lymphocytes, are the main mediators of humoral
      immunity, and deficiencies at this level affect the body's response to infection.
      Plasmocytes produce nine antibody izotypes: immunoglobulins G (IgG1, IgG2, IgG3,
      IgG4), immunoglobulins M (IgM), immunoglobulins A (IgA1, IgA2), immunoglobulins D
      (IGD) and immunoglobulins E (IgE). Primary hypogammaglobulinemias are
      characterized by the occurrence of recurrent infections and, paradoxically, by
      the occurrence of autoimmune diseases. Characteristic for these diseases is that
      symptoms occur at 7-9 months after birth, when transplacental antibody titers
      transmitted from the mother decrease, and the infant's body is unable to
      synthesize them to normal levels. Primary hypogammaglobulinemias are transmitted
      genetically, but mutations at the molecular level are still not fully understood.
      The most common are: Bruton agammaglobulinemia, transient newborn
      hypogammaglobulinemia, selective immunoglobulin deficiency and variable common
      immunodeficiency. Treatment consists of monthly antibiotics and immunoglobulins,
      depending on antibody titers (except for IgA deficiency).

PMID- 20302198
TI  - Evaluation of successful treatment in achalasia with timed barium esophagogram:
      revisiting an old friend.
AB  - Achalasia is a rare idiopathic, primary esophageal motility disorder.
      Pharmacologic, endoscopic and surgical methods are used in its treatment. The
      efficiency of the treatment is generally based on clinical "subjective" criteria.
      Manometry, which is the gold standard in diagnostic and in treatment monitoring
      is not always available, it is costly and it needs expertise. The role of timed
      barium esophagogram in the evaluation of the patients before and after endoscopic
      dilation will be discussed in the article. This method is standardized, less
      costly, and has a good correlation with clinical and manometrical results.

PMID- 20302199
TI  - Arterial hypertension management with conversion enzyme inhibitors in
      hemodialysis patients.
AB  - By establishing the renal suppletion procedure, the patients with chronic renal
      failure also have an acceleration of arterial hypertension phenomena. The
      management of this situation calls for the understanding of the ethological
      mechanisms (hypervolemia by the reduction of Na excretion and high rennin
      secretion) and the adaptation of the therapeutic approach to every patient. An
      individualized dialysis prescription is imposed, taking into account the residual
      renal function and an anti-hypertension treatment, in which the role of the
      conversion enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitor) is intensely debated.

PMID- 20302200
TI  - The therapeutic attitude in distal radial Salter and Harris type I and II
      fractures in children.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Salter Harris Fractures type, especially type I and II are treated
      by orthopedic reduction in the emergency room or operating room, under general
      anesthesia, followed by plaster immobilization. Neglected or incorrectly treated
      fractures, leading to malunion and radiocarpal subluxations which require
      surgical procedure. PURPOSE: This paper proposes to evaluate the correctly
      applied orthopedic treatment and the expose of an original surgical technique in
      case of neglected and incorrectly treated fractures, leading to mal-unions and
      impediments in the radiocarpal mobility and aesthetics. MATERIAL AND METHOD: we
      studied a group of 238 children with Salter Harris fractures type I and II,
      treated in "M.S. Curie" Emergency Hospital for Children, Bucharest. Out of the
      studied group, 200 children were treated by orthopedic reduction and
      immobilization in a plaster device. Malunions present within 38 children due to
      neglected or mistreated fractures, underwent open reduction with internal
      osteosynthesis by a technique that avoids violating the growth cartilage. This
      technique involves making an internal fixation with the radial joint surface in a
      normal position. RESULTS: Children receiving proper orthopedic reduction and
      immobilization in plaster device, 200 patients, were cured after 30-45 days of
      immobilization, depending on age and joint mobility which were within normal
      range. The 38 children with malunions underwent surgery to rectify the position
      of the radial joint surface. Postoperative results were good, proper position of
      the radiocarpal joint were made during the surgical procedure. The intemal
      fixation is ensured by a transepiphyseal wire and after 30 days of immobilization
      in a plaster device the patients started the recovery treatment. Radiocarpal
      joint mobility returned to normal after a variable period of 3 to 6 months,
      depending on the patient's age. CONCLUSIONS: Salter Harris I and II fractures are
      absolute indication for orthopedic treatment, in a matter of emergency,
      preferably in the operating room under general anesthesia. Verification is
      necessary between the 7th and 14th day after orthopedic reduction, to avoid
      malunions. Malunited fractures require surgical intervention after a special
      technique, avoiding damage to the growth cartilage and radial epiphysis.

PMID- 20302201
TI  - Endometrium and ovarian cancer synchronous to endometriosis--a retrospective
      study of our experience of 7 years.
AB  - PURPOSE: Although endometriosis is a benign disorder, recent studies suggest that
      endometriosis could be viewed as a neoplastic process. The objective of this
      study is to explore the epidemiology of synchronous neoplasms (SPN) in women with
      severe endometriosis. PATIENTS & METHODS: The prevalence of SPN in cases with
      endometriotic ovarian cysts that underwent surgery at "Lito" Maternity Hospital
      of Athens and at Anticancer Institute of Bucharest was investigated. The review
      period was from the year 2000 to 2008. The medical records and pathology were
      reviewed to confirm the diagnosis and stage of tumors. RESULTS: Five women with
      synchronous cancer of the genital tract were identified. All of our patients had
      a grade-I endometrioid carcinoma of the uterus (Ia in 3, Ib in 2). Myometrium was
      invaded in less than 1/3, in 4 cases, and less than 1/2 in one case. Similarly, 4
      out of 5 ovarian cancers were endometrioid, while one was serum cystadenosarcoma.
      All of the ovarian malignancies were grade I (Ib in 3 and Ia in 2). The median
      diameter of the ovarian neoplasias was of 4.3 cm, as opposed to 4.5 cm that was
      the median diameter of all endometrioid cysts. When the larger ovarian malignant
      cyst in each patient was accounted, the median diameter was calculated as having
      5.8 cm. CONCLUSIONS: Women with synchronous primary cancers of the endometrium
      and ovary have distinct clinical characteristics including younger age,
      premenopausal status, and nulliparity. This suggests that a hormonal "field
      effect" may account for the development of these simultaneous endometrioid
      cancers, supporting the theory of estrogen receptors.

PMID- 20302202
TI  - Erythrodermic atopic dermatitis with late onset--case presentation.
AB  - Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory disease, usually associated with a
      personal or family history of atopic diseases such as AD, allergic rhinitis or
      asthma that most commonly arise in childhood and present with elevated IgE serum
      in up to 85% of patients. The severity of AD is based on the extent of affected
      areas, itch intensity and appearance of skin lesions. Here, we present the case
      of a 21-year-old female patient with generalized erythematous eczematous skin
      lesions, flexural lichenifications accompanied by intense pruritus, painful
      fissures and erosions resulting from scratching. She also presented erythematous
      plaques with thin scales on the scalp. The patient had no personal or familial
      history of AD, allergic rhinitis or asthma and the onset of cutaneous symptoms
      presented severe exacerbation in the last 2 months of the last 3 years. The main
      laboratory findings were- high serum eosinofilia (2400/microL) and very high
      total IgE serum (11449 UI/L). The flare remission was induced with systemic
      treatment (corticotherapy, oral H1 antihistamines, and antibiotherapy) and
      topical therapy (UVB 311 nm, topical glucocorticoids and hydration). It is very
      important to recognize AD as a cause of erythroderma, especially in a patient
      with a late onset of the disease, in order to treat it promptly and to prevent
      ulterior recurrences, by educating the patient to have an adequate life style and
      to treat the recurrences at the very first symptoms.

PMID- 20302203
TI  - Pancreatogenic diabetes pacient selection for pancreatic islet transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: recently, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, can be treated by
      pancreatic islet allotransplantation. METHODS: This retrospective study involves
      137 patients from the Surgery Department of Colentina Clinical Hospital,
      Bucharest, in the July 2000 - July 2008 period, who underwent pancreatic
      resections, the number of patients who developed pancreatogenic diabetes and
      their selection for the pancreatic islet transplantation. RESULTS: After
      pancreatectomy, 70 patients are diagnosed with diabetes, and 42 with prediabetic
      stages (IFG and IGT). 61 of these had average glycemic excursions (MAGE) over the
      normal, and 31 of the 70 patients diagnosed with diabetes, presented hypoglycemic
      episodes during treatment. CONCLUSION: The present criteria of patient selection
      for pancreatic islets transplantation are limited and can be applied to a small
      number of patients.

PMID- 20302204
TI  - Laparoscopic exploration in pediatric surgery emergencies.
AB  - The laparoscopic approach of pediatric surgery emergencies represents a specific
      preoccupation in hospitals everywhere in the world. Nowadays, when confronted
      with this pathology, pediatric surgeons are able to apply certain well-defined
      therapeutic protocols, depending on the technical equipment at their disposal and
      their laparoscopic expertise and training. We hereby present some of the surgical
      pediatric emergencies that have been subjected to minimally invasive celioscopic
      techniques, in the Department of Pediatric Surgery "Maria Sklodowska Curie"
      Hospital, from August 1999 to July 2007. Out of 83 exploratory laparoscopies, 12
      were performed for emergency pathology, other than acute appendicitis (in its
      various forms, including peritonitis) or acute cholecystitis. However, during the
      above-mentioned period, the number of therapeutic laparoscopies for emergencies
      has grown significantly (239 from a total of 663 laparoscopies), reflecting to a
      large extent the activity of a clinic with an emergency surgery profile. The
      authors conclude that exploratory laparoscopies in pediatric surgery emergencies
      are suited for surgical teams with a solid experience in celioscopy and a certain
      professional maturity, necessary to correctly appreciate the surgical and
      anesthetic risks involved by each individual case. It is not recommended that
      inexperienced laparoscopic surgeons embark on the "adventure" of this minimally
      invasive approach for this type of pathology. Only when the training and learning
      process is fully and correctly completed, specialists are offered the advantage
      of continuing a celioscopic exploration by performing a minimally invasive
      therapeutic procedure, even for a pediatric emergency case.

PMID- 20302205
TI  - Pancreatic cancer presenting with paraneoplastic thrombophlebitis--case report.
AB  - CONTEXT: The complex of symptoms in pancreatic cancer is vague, which often
      delays presentation and diagnosis. Thrombophlebitis is an unusual presentation of
      pancreatic cancer, which appears more frequent in the cancer of the body and tail
      of the pancreas. CASE REPORT: We present a case of a 52-years-old woman who was
      admitted to the hospital for a superficial thrombophlebitis. At the abdomen
      ultrasound screening, multiple liver masses, relatively well defined, with a hypo
      echoic center and a hyper-echoic periphery, were identified. The head of the
      pancreas was normal, the body and the tail could not be seen very well due to
      flatulence. After computed tomography, the diagnosis was "Pancreatic tumor with
      multiple hepatic metastases (stage IV)". After the histopathological examination,
      1250 mg/m2 of Gemcitabine was started on day 1 and 8 every 28 days, plus 100
      mg/day of Erlotinib (Tarceva), every day. At the end of the seventh month of
      treatment, the patient suffered an irreversible ischemic cardiac event.
      CONCLUSION: Superficial thrombophlebitis can be the initial manifestation of the
      pancreatic cancer. Gemcitabine and erlotinib is now a FDA approved regimen for
      patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. While the search for the best
      gemcitabine based backbone for advanced pancreatic cancer continues, studies of
      anti-angiogenic agents alone or in combination with traditional chemotherapy,
      should be undertaken, as they may improve overall survival in this group of poor
      prognosis patients.

PMID- 20302206
TI  - TURis plasma vaporization in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer--the first
      Romanian experience with a new technique.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The development of bipolar resection using saline irrigation
      provided significant improvements in NMIBT treatment. The aim of our study was to
      evaluate the efficacy and safety of a newly introduced endoscopic technique, the
      bipolar transurethral resection in saline-plasma vaporization of bladder tumors
      (TURis-PVBT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between May and October 2009, 57 consecutive
      patients presenting papillary bladder tumors larger than 1 cm underwent TURis
      PVBT and a 3 months follow-up. Initial tumor biopsy, followed by plasma
      vaporization of the tumor and biopsies of the tumoral bed were performed in all
      cases. Complementary treatment was applied according to risk indications. The
      follow-up protocol included abdominal ultrasonography, cytology and cystoscopy at
      3 months. RESULTS: TURis-PVBT was successfully performed in all cases. Multiple
      tumors were found in 45.6% of the cases and 50.9% of the patients presented
      tumors larger than 3 cm. The mean tumoral volume was of 11 ml. The mean operative
      time was of 17 minutes, the mean hemoglobin decrease was of 0.4 g/dl, the mean
      catheterization period was of 2.5 days and the mean hospital stay was of 3.5
      days. The pathological exam diagnosed 57.9% pTa cases, 31.6% pT1 cases and 10.5%
      pT2 cases. No tumoral base biopsies were positive for malignancy. The recurrence
      rate at 3 months for the 51 NMIBT patients was of 15.7%. Orthotopic recurrent
      tumors were encountered in 5.9% of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: TURis-PVBT seems to
      represent a promising endoscopic treatment alternative for NMIBT patients, with
      good efficacy, reduced morbidity, fast postoperative recovery and satisfactory
      follow-up parameters.

PMID- 20302207
TI  - The international "Balint" Award--a rising opportunity for Romanian medical
      students.
AB  - The International "Balint" Award for students, instituted by the Foundation for
      Psychosomatic and Social Medicine in honor of Michael and Enid Balint, has been a
      rising opportunity for Romanian medical and psychology students to achieve
      international fame. Romanian students have been among the winners of this award
      for the last 10 years, in competition with students from Ivy League and other
      illustrious universities. The "Ascona model" case presentation debates the
      psychological side of a medical case, while keeping in focus the diagnostic,
      pathology and treatment issues. This article focuses on explaining this type of
      case presentation in correlation with one of the papers submitted in the contest
      that has received this award in the 15th International Balint Congress. The
      exposed case is that of a 17-year-old boy presenting with apparent stupor
      encountered by an emergency mobile unit. The patient was suspected of substance
      abuse and overdose but these suspicions were denied by the clinical exam. Further
      encounters led to the conclusion that both the boy and his whole family needed
      psychotherapy counseling and were referred there with great success.

PMID- 20302208
TI  - Peds guidelines include appointment of ED nurse, physician coordinators.
AB  - Among the joint guidelines released by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the
      American College of Emergency Physicians, and the Emergency Nurses Association
      was the recommendation to create two new ED positions - physician coordinator and
      nurse coordinator--to help ensure optimal care for pediatric patients in the ED.
      Select someone who already has shown a keen interest in pediatrics and who
      demonstrates that they follow the latest developments in the field. Excellent
      communication skills are a must, as they will be the liaison to other
      departments. Give the coordinators responsibility for performance improvement
      activities and disaster planning as they pertain to the care and safety of
      children in the ED.

PMID- 20302209
TI  - Nurses take ownership of rads discrepancies.
AB  - The ED at Catawba Valley Medical Center in Hickory, NC, has improved its
      responses to radiology discrepancies by redesigning its process and giving
      ownership of that process to two nurses. Here are some of the key aspects of the
      process: every day the coordinators check the computer system, into which
      discrepancies are entered by radiology. Diagnosis and treatment are reviewed with
      one of the ED physicians. If the patient has been discharged, the coordinator
      will contact the patient via phone or follow-up letter.

PMID- 20302210
TI  - Prepare for more monitoring of quality performance.

PMID- 20302211
TI  - HOP QDRP modeled after inpatient program.

PMID- 20302212
TI  - If providers apologize, will there be a lawsuit?

PMID- 20302213
TI  - Analysis of mandibular position using different methods of location.
AB  - There has been much discussion regarding the ideal position of the condyle in the
      mandibular fossa. Although the centric relation position (CR) is used as a
      reference, some authors do not believe that it is physiologic. Thus, the aim of
      this study was to evaluate in a group of asymptomatic individuals the position of
      the condyle in the mandibular fossa at maximum intercuspation (MI), with a
      occlusal splint and with a Lucia jig between the teeth. It was analyzed by means
      of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), transcranial radiography imaging and
      analysis of horizontal axis of rotation from casts mounted on an articulator. The
      results showed that even if patients had mandibular displacement in positions of
      CR, habitual maximum intercuspation and with the occlusal splint, confirmed by
      means of the analysis of the horizontal axis of rotation, the images showed no
      statistically significant differences among condylar positions. It can therefore
      be concluded that the positions analyzed were similar and that transcranial
      radiography seems to be a reliable method for analyzing condylar position.

PMID- 20302214
TI  - Efficacy of 35% hydrogen peroxide on human enamel: in vitro evaluation in
      different tooth areas.
AB  - This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a 35% hydrogen peroxide--based gel
      without activation in vitro on three areas of the tooth surface. Vestibular faces
      of human premolar teeth were darkened, followed by two whitenings at 7-day
      intervals. The efficacy of whitening was determined in the cervical third, medium
      third and incisal third of the tooth surface with an Easyshade-Vita
      spectrophotometer based on the CIELab system. The L, a, b parameters were
      determined for each third by the identification of high luminosity and hues
      tending to green and yellow; pigmentation luminosity was then reduced, and the
      parameters a and b became reddish and yellowish, respectively. Seven days after
      the first whitening, there were significant improvements in L and a values. Seven
      days after the second whitening, the three parameters returned to values close to
      the initial values; the b parameter was most strongly correlated with whitening
      efficacy. DE values revealed a visually perceptible difference. There was a
      satisfactory removal of pigmentation after both whitenings, while the lack of
      uniformity among the tooth-surface thirds after the first session justified the
      performance of two whitening procedures. With regard to each third, DE indicated
      a visibly perceptible difference, although L, a and b values showed no
      statistically significant differences.

PMID- 20302215
TI  - 24 hours and 3-months bond strength between dual-cured resin cements and
      simplified adhesive systems.
AB  - This study evaluated the bonding compatibility between dual-cured resin cements
      and simplified adhesive systems (one-step self-etch and two-step etch & rinse),
      measured after 24 hours and 3 months. The occlusal dentin surfaces of 24 human
      third molars were exposed and flattened. Teeth were randomly assigned to 3 groups
      and treated with different combinations of adhesive system and resin cement [G1
      Single Bond/Rely X ARC (SB/RX); G2-Excite DSC/Variolink II (EX/VR); G3-Adper
      Prompt/Rely X ARC (AD/RX)]. Indirect composite restorations were cemented on
      flattened surfaces, and sectioned to obtain multiple bonded beams for the
      microtensile bond strength test. The beams from each tooth were tested under
      tension after 24 hours and 3 months (ANOVA/ Tukey's test, alpha=5%). Failure
      patterns were evaluated with scanning electron microscopy. After 24h, AD/RX
      presented the lowest bond strength mean values. AD/RX specimens did not withstand
      three months storage. SB/RX and EX/VR presented similar bond strengths in both
      periods tested. The association AD/RX resulted in low bond strength mean values,
      especially after storage. Cementing indirect restorations using one-step self
      etch adhesive systems and dual-cured resin cements would be clinically
      unreliable.

PMID- 20302216
TI  - Correlation of the hybrid layer thickness and resin tags length with the bond
      strength of a self-etching adhesive system.
AB  - The objective of this study was to measure the thickness of the hybrid layer
      (HLT), length of resin tags (RTL) and bond strength (BS) in the same teeth, using
      a self-etching adhesive system Adper Prompt L Pop to intact dentin and to analyze
      the correlation between HLTand RTL and their BS. Ten human molars were used for
      the restorative procedures and each restored tooth was sectioned in mesio-distal
      direction. One section was submitted to light microscopy analysis of HLT and RTL
      (400x). Another section was prepared and submitted to the microtensile bond test
      (0.5 mm/min). The fractured surfaces were analyzed using scanning electron
      microscopy to determine the failure pattern. Correlation between HLT and RTL with
      the BS data was analyzed by linear regression. The mean values of HLT, RTL and BS
      were 3.36 microm, 12.97 microm and 14.10 MPa, respectively. No significant
      relationship between BS and HLT (R2= 0.011, p>0.05) and between BS and RTL (R2=
      0.038) was observed. The results suggested that there was no significant
      correlation between the HLT and RTL with the BS of the self-etching adhesive to
      dentin.

PMID- 20302217
TI  - Observation of tags and hybrid layer of a single bottle conventional adhesive
      system and a self-etching adhesive system, on sound dentin.
AB  - This experimental light microscopy study investigated the formation of a hybrid
      layer and resin tags on sound dentin, after utilization of conventional and self
      etching adhesive systems. After restorative procedures, the specimens were
      decalcified in a formic acid and sodium citrate solution, embedded in paraffin,
      sectioned at 6-microm thickness and stained by the Brown & Brenn method for
      analysis and measurement by light microscopy (AXIOPHOT) (400x). The results were
      statistically analyzed by analysis of variance, at a significance level of 5%.
      Based on the results, it could be concluded that the conventional adhesive
      allowed the formation of a thicker hybrid layer than the self-etching adhesive,
      with similar penetration into the dentinal tubules (resin tags).

PMID- 20302218
TI  - A comparison of the film thickness of two adhesive luting agents and the effect
      of thermocycling on their microTBs to feldspathic ceramic.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of thermocycling (TC) on
      the microtensile bond strength (microTBS) of two luting agents to feldspathic
      ceramic and to measure their film thickness (FT). For the microTBS test, sixteen
      blocks (6.4 x 6.4 x 4.8 mm) were fabricated using a feldspathic ceramic, etched
      with 10% hydrofluoric acid, rinsed and treated with the silane agent. The ceramic
      blocks were divided into two groups (n= 8): Gr1: dual-cured resin cement and Gr2:
      flowable resin. The luting agents were applied on the treated surfaces.
      Microsticks (1 +/-0. 1mm2) were prepared and stored under two conditions: dry,
      specimens immediately submitted to the microTBS test, and TC (6,000 cycles; 5
      degrees C-55 degrees C). The microTBS was evaluated using a universal testing
      machine (1 mm/min). The microTBS data (MPa) were submitted to two-way ANOVA and
      Tukey' test (5%). For the FT test (ISO 4049), 0.05 ml of each luting agent (n=8)
      was pressed between two Mylar-covered glass plates (150 N) for 180 seconds and
      light polymerized. FT was measured using a digital paquimeter (Model 727-2001).
      The data (mm) were submitted to one-way ANOVA. The luting cement did not
      influence the microTBS results (p= 0.4467). Higher microtensile bond values were
      found after TC (20.5 +/- 8.6 MPa) compared to the dry condition (13.9 +/- 4.
      7MPa), for both luting agents. The luting agents presented similar film
      thicknesses: Gr1- 0.052 +/- 0.016 mm; Gr2-0.041 +/- 0.003 mm. The luting agents
      presented similar film thickness and microTBS values, in dry and TC conditions
      and TC increased the bond strength regardless of the luting agent.

PMID- 20302219
TI  - The effect of smoking on gingival crevicular fluid volume during the treatment of
      gingivitis.
AB  - Smoking is detrimental to periodontal tissues, and periodontal destruction is
      greater among smokers. Paradoxically, smokers seem to have less gingival bleeding
      than never-smokers with comparable supragingival plaque. There is scarce
      information about the impact of smoking on gingival crevicular fluid (GCF)
      volume. This single-arm study clinical trial assessed the effect of smoking on
      GCF volume during the treatment of gingivitis. The sample included 24 never
      smokers (47.3 +/-6.7years old, 41.7% males) and 21 smokers (45.8 +/- 5.1 years
      old; 55% males; 19.6 +/- 11.8 cigarettes/day; 24.1 +/- 8.7 years of smoking) with
      gingivitis and chronic periodontitis. After baseline supragingival scaling,
      patients received oral hygiene instructions weekly for 180 days. Particqants were
      examined at baseline, 30, 90 and 180 days, and gingival bleeding index (GBI),
      bleeding on prob-ing (BOP), periodontal probing depth (PPD) and GCF volume were
      recorded. Statistical analysis was performed using linear models (Wald test,
      p<0.05%). Smokers had significantly smaller GCF volumes than never-smokers. This
      finding was not attributed to GBI, BOP or PPD. Higher volumes of GCF were
      significantly associated with deeper pockets. GCF was significantly reduced
      throughout the study for both smokers and never-smokers, and the largest
      reductions were seen at 30 days. Smoking affected the GCF crevicular fluid volume
      independently of the presence of gingival bleeding, BOP and PPD. Smoking status
      and PPD should be taken into account when GCG volume and components are under
      investigation.

PMID- 20302220
TI  - Dye diffusion in instrumented root canals irrigated with different solutions.
AB  - Success in endodontics depends largely on the activity of the irrigation
      solutions used during canal cleaning and shaping. Sometimes the irrigation
      solutions should act deep within the dentin, particularly in cases of chronic
      infectious lesions, in which it has been found that germs can lodge in the depths
      of the dentinal tubules. The aim of this study was to compare the penetration of
      methylene blue in root dentin in instrumented teeth irrigated with different
      solutions, considering the apical, middle and cervical thirds. Single-rooted
      teeth were instrumented, irrigated, flooded with 2% methylene blue, washed and
      cut into thirds. Dye penetration in the dentin was measured by means of two
      procedures. Linear measurement: maximum dye penetration was recorded towards the
      four surfaces of each third. Area measurement: the stained surface of each third
      was measured on digitalized images. On analyzing the data with Friedman and
      Kruskall Wallis tests, it was found that there was greater penetration of
      methylene blue in the coronary third in all experimental groups, followed by
      middle and apical thirds. The mean values for the different groups using the
      linear method were EDTA 17%: 71.69% - 60.10% - 34.55%. NaOCl 2.5%: 54.04% -
      41.79% - 27.53%. CHX 0.2%: 44.28%, 37.58%, 17.80%; and using the area method the
      mean values were: 17% EDTA: 61.52%, 45.44%, 27.08%. 2.5% NaOCl: 38.15%, 30.77%,
      14.60%. 0.2% CHX: 40.95%, 35.46%, 12.27%,for the cervical, middle and coronary
      thirds respectively. Dye penetration was greatest with 17% EDTA, followed by 2.5%
      NaOCl and 0.2% CHX, whereas none was observed when distilled water was used.

PMID- 20302221
TI  - The use of topical subgingival gels of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
      (NSAIDs) as an adjunct to non-surgical management of chronic periodontitis.
AB  - The treatment of chronic periodontitis consists of conventional mechanical
      debridement and removal of plaque and calculus'. Topical NSAIDs could be used to
      complement the therapy as an adjunct to resolve the inflammatory process and
      clinical signs of the disease more rapidly. A randomized clinical trial was
      performed on 33 systemically healthy patients diagnosed with chronic
      periodontitis, aged 21 to 40 years. All patients underwent scaling and root
      planing on one quadrant per week, and sub-gingival gel was applied 48 hours after
      each session. Patients were grouped into 4 treatment protocols with gels
      containing: (1) placebo, (2) 1% acetyl-salicylic acid (ASA), (3) 1% ketoprofen
      (KTP) and (4) 2% ketoprofen. The clinical variables studied were: probing depth,
      attachment level, tooth mobility, plaque index, gingival index and bleeding on
      probing. All protocols (groups 1, 2, 3 and 4) induced a reduction of probing
      depths, plaque and gingival indices and bleeding on probing. The 1% ASA and 2%
      KTP protocols (groups 2 and 4) significantly reduced the probing depth variable
      (ANOVA p<0.05).

PMID- 20302222
TI  - Overjet and overbite analysis during the eruption of the upper permanent
      incisors.
AB  - ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to analyze the overjet and overbite
      behavior during eruption of the upper permanent incisors. Fourth-eight plaster
      casts of 16 patients from ages 6-13 years were appraised longitudinally. It was
      found that the overjet remains constant, starting at the eruption of the upper
      permanent central incisors until eruption of the upper permanent canine teeth,
      while the overbite increases after eruption of the upper permanent lateral
      incisors and remains constant with the eruption of the canine teeth.

PMID- 20302223
TI  - Effects of thermocycling on mechanical properties of soft lining materials.
AB  - Soft linings are materials used to reduce the tension and forces of mastication,
      forming all or part of the fitting surface of a denture. This study evaluated the
      effect of thermocycling on water absorption, solubility, Shore A hardness and
      color stability of permanent soft liner materials. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two
      chemically activated soft liner materials (Sofreliner S; GC Reline Ultrasoft)
      were tested. Twenty cylindrical specimens (30.0 x 1.0 mm) were prepared for
      measuring water absorption and solubility and another twenty (30.0 x 3 mm) for
      analyzing Shore A hardness and color stability. Color was measured by a
      spectrophotometer before and after 2000 thermocycles. A one-way ANOVA test and
      Tukey test at a 5% confidence level (p<0.05) were performed. RESULTS: The results
      did not show statistical differences for water absorption, solubility or color
      stability. The post-thermocycling Shore A hardness values were significantly
      higher than those before the treatment. CONCLUSION: Thermocycling of soft liner
      materials increased Shore A hardness.

PMID- 20302224
TI  - Malignant oral-maxillary neoplasm in children and adolescents. A retrospective
      analysis from the biopsy service at a school of dentistry in Argentina.
AB  - There are few studies on oral-maxillary lesions in children and adolescents, and
      reports on malignant neoplasms are scarce. Comparison of available data is
      difficult due to the different criteria and racial-ethnic origin of the
      populations in each study. The aim of this work was to perform a retrospective
      study of malignant oral neoplasms in patients aged up to 20 years diagnosed at a
      center specialized in histopathological diagnosis of oral diseases between 1990
      and 2005. The 24 retrieved cases accounted for 0.9% (n: 2434) of total biopsies
      in this age group during that period, and for 8.4% (n: 236) of the tumors. Mean
      age of the whole population was 9.2 years with even distribution according to
      sex. The most frequent tumor types were extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma (7
      cases), osteosarcoma (4 cases) and Ewing sarcoma (3 cases). These data can be
      considered representative of our population of children and adolescents and serve
      as a basis for recognition and presumptive diagnosis in clinical practice.

PMID- 20302225
TI  - We all need a net.

PMID- 20302226
TI  - Mayo Clinic was first.

PMID- 20302227
TI  - Net work. Minnesota's two largest safety-net hospitals are waging an online
      campaign to save GAMC.

PMID- 20302228
TI  - Rural delivery. A new fellowship prepares family physicians to do much-needed
      obstetrics work in rural communities.

PMID- 20302229
TI  - Caring collaborative. How residents of one Minnesota county joined forces to
      provide free medical services.

PMID- 20302230
TI  - Weighing reform.

PMID- 20302231
TI  - Community service.

PMID- 20302232
TI  - Reflections on reform. Fix the bill: a call for future bipartisan health care
      reform.

PMID- 20302233
TI  - Reflections on reform. A question of value.

PMID- 20302234
TI  - Eating an elephant. A sampling of the plateful of proposals in the Senate health
      care reform bill.

PMID- 20302235
TI  - A net worth saving. Minnesota's health care safety net is a needed now more than
      ever.

PMID- 20302236
TI  - America's safety net and health care reform--what lies ahead? Even if the nation
      reforms its health care system, we will still need to tend to our tattered safety
      net.

PMID- 20302237
TI  - The insurance safety net. Minnesota's public and private programs.
AB  - More than 725,000 people in Minnesota get their health insurance coverage through
      safety-net programs.This article describes the four safety-net insurance programs
      operating in Minnesota--Medical Assistance, MinnesotaCare, General Assistance
      Medical Care, and the Minnesota Comprehensive Health Association-their
      eligibility guidelines, coverage limitations, and financing mechanisms.

PMID- 20302238
TI  - The addicted physician. A rational response to an irrational disease.
AB  - Physicians are as likely to experience drug and alcohol addiction as anyone in
      the general population. They are more likely than others, however, to abuse
      prescription medications. Dealing with an impaired colleague is a difficult,
      emotionally charged job for physician leaders and hospital administrators, who've
      often had little training on how to handle such a situation. In addition to
      describing a case of an addicted physician, this article reviews data about the
      incidence of addiction among physicians and the challenges associated with
      confronting such a problem. It also describes the legal reporting requirements
      and resources such as the Minnesota Health Professionals Services Program and
      Physicians Serving Physicians that can help physicians get into treatment
      programs designed specifically for health care professionals. Physicians who go
      through such treatment programs and subsequent monitoring have been found to have
      remarkable recovery rates.

PMID- 20302239
TI  - Forgiveness denied, healing delayed. A young doctor learns that wounds of the
      "heart" can be as damaging as injuries to the body.

PMID- 20302240
TI  - A sweet solution? And a major philatelic error.

PMID- 20302241
TI  - This issue: childhood obesity.

PMID- 20302242
TI  - A 10-year-old girl being evaluated for cardiomegaly.

PMID- 20302243
TI  - Treatment of molluscum contagiosum with cantharidin: a practical approach.
AB  - Molluscum contagiosum is very common. In this article we discuss the use of
      cantharidin as a treatment option for molluscum contagiosum and give detailed
      information about distribution sources, how to apply it, and caveats regarding
      its use.Molluscum contagiosum is a common viral disease of childhood caused by a
      poxvirus, which presents with small, firm, dome-shaped, umbilicated papules. It
      is generally benign and self-limited, with spontaneous resolution within 6 months
      to several years. Watchful waiting can often be an appropriate management
      strategy; however, some patients either desire or require treatment. Reasons for
      actively treating molluscum contagiosum may include alleviation of discomfort and
      itching (particularly in patients where an eczematous eruption - the so-called
      "molluscum eczema" - is seen in association) or in patients with ongoing atopic
      dermatitis where more lesions are likely to be present. Other reasons for
      treatment include limitation of spread to other areas and people, prevention of
      scarring and superinfection, and elimination of the social stigma of visible
      lesions. No one treatment is uniformly effective.Treatment options include
      destructive therapies (curettage, cryotherapy, cantharidin, and keratolytics,
      among others), immunomodulators (imiquimod, cimetidine, and Candida antigen), and
      antivirals (cidofovir). In this article we discuss and describe our first-line
      treatment approach for those molluscum needing treatment - cantharidin.

PMID- 20302244
TI  - Childhood obesity and the built environment.

PMID- 20302245
TI  - Metabolic and respiratory comorbidities of childhood obesity.

PMID- 20302246
TI  - Practical application of the nutrition recommendations for the prevention and
      treatment of obesity in pediatric primary care.

PMID- 20302247
TI  - Motivational interviewing (patient-centered counseling) to address childhood
      obesity.

PMID- 20302248
TI  - The importance of exercise: know how to say 'go'.

PMID- 20302249
TI  - Psychological complications of obesity.

PMID- 20302251
TI  - Embracing technology.

PMID- 20302254
TI  - Herpes zoster in older adults.
AB  - Herpes zoster (HZ) is a common condition among older adults, manifested by pain
      and the classic presentation of a unilateral rash that follows a dermatomal
      distribution and does not cross the midline of the body. It is caused by
      reactivation of the virus that caused chickenpox during an earlier infection. In
      many cases, acute HZ is followed by a severe and disabling complication known as
      postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), characterized by pain that persists for months or
      even years after the HZ rash heals. Using an individual example, this article
      provides information on the clinical manifestations, evidence-based treatment
      recommendations for, and prevention of HZ and PHN through use of the zoster
      vaccine Zostavax, licensed in the United States in 2006.

PMID- 20302256
TI  - The Maisonneuve injury: a comprehensive review.

PMID- 20302257
TI  - Sharing decisions with patients.

PMID- 20302260
TI  - Clip & save: drug chart. FDA-approved drugs to treat ADHD.

PMID- 20302261
TI  - Responding to restraint issues.

PMID- 20302262
TI  - Occupational therapy should be part of conversion disorder treatment.

PMID- 20302265
TI  - A closer look at caregiving.

PMID- 20302267
TI  - How to help when disaster strikes.
AB  - Nurses aligned with a specific disaster relief system maximize their
      opportunities to participate "on the ground" when a disaster strikes. Nurses can
      align with many excellent governmental and nongovernmental organizations in
      preparation for local, state, national, or international emergency relief
      responses. This article discusses some of the primary health care-related
      disaster relief organizations, how to connect with them, and the considerations
      in preparing for deployment.

PMID- 20302266
TI  - The professional association and practice excellence.

PMID- 20302268
TI  - Establishing an incident review committee.
AB  - A well-defined incident review committee may prevent losses, identify areas for
      corrective action, and promote overall safety in an organization. A
      multidisciplinary committee will involve employees in the safety process and
      heighten safety awareness. Reviewing injuries, incidents, occupational illnesses,
      and workers' compensation claims assists in root cause analysis and enables an
      organization to be proactive in preventing further employee incidents and
      injuries.

PMID- 20302269
TI  - A biopsychosocial perspective on the management of work-related musculoskeletal
      disorders.
AB  - This article provides an overview of current literature about workplace-related
      musculoskeletal disorders from a biopsychosocial perspective. The authors
      conclude that disability management and early intervention efforts can only be
      meaningful within the context of targeted interventions, including mechanisms for
      psychosocial screening. In addition, they suggest that return to work should be
      considered an integral, rather than superficial, contribution to the
      rehabilitative process.

PMID- 20302271
TI  - Nursing compact.
AB  - A nursing licensure compact is an agreement between two or more states that the
      licensing of a nurse in one place will be valid in the other. This is especially
      critical for the occupational health nurse, who may practice in more than one
      state.

PMID- 20302272
TI  - N-aryl chromophore ligands for bright europium luminescence.
AB  - Sterically hindered N-aryl-benzimidazole pyridine-2-carboxylic acids (aryl =
      phenyl, 4-biphenyl, 2-naphthyl) readily form homoleptic, neutral, nine-coordinate
      europium complexes which display efficient sensitized luminescence in solid state
      and in dichloromethane solution with quantum yields reaching 59% and have
      monoexponential and nearly temperature-independent lifetimes as long as 2.7 ms.
      The ligand-centered absorption band with a maximum at 321-342 nm and intensity
      (50-56) x 10(3) M(-1)cm(-1) ensures efficient harvesting of excitation light by
      the complexes. Variation of N-aryl chromophore enhances the ligand absorption at
      250-350 nm without changing its triplet state energy which amounts to (19.2-21.3)
      x 10(3) cm(-1). Photophysical properties of europium complexes benefit from
      adequate protection of the metal by the ligands against non-radiative
      deactivation and efficient ligand-to-metal energy transfer exceeding 70%. A
      correlation is observed between the sensitized luminescence quantum yields of
      europium and the ligand triplet state energy; in certain cases it points to the
      presence of a second-sphere quenching of Eu(III) by co-crystallized water in the
      solid state.

PMID- 20302273
TI  - The importance of precursor and successor complex formation in a bimolecular
      proton-electron transfer reaction.
AB  - The transfer of a proton and an electron from the hydroxylamine 1-hydroxyl
      2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine (TEMPOH) to [Co(III)(Hbim)(H(2)bim)(2)](2+)
      (H(2)bim = 2,2'-biimidazoline) has an overall driving force of DeltaG degrees = 
      3.0 +/- 0.4 kcal mol(-1) and an activation barrier of DeltaG(degrees) = 21.9 +/-
      0.2 kcal mol(-1). Kinetic studies implicate a hydrogen-bonded "precursor complex"
      at high [TEMPOH], prior to proton-electron (hydrogen-atom) transfer. In the
      reverse direction, [Co(II)(H(2)bim)(3)](2+) + TEMPO, a similar "successor
      complex" was not observed, but upper and lower limits on its formation have been
      estimated. The energetics of formation of these encounter complexes are the
      dominant contributors to the overall energetics in this system: DeltaG degrees '
      for the proton-electron transfer step is only -0.3 +/- 0.9 kcal mol(-1). Thus,
      formation of the precursor and successor complexes can be a significant component
      of the thermochemistry for intermolecular proton-electron transfer, particularly
      in the low-driving-force regime, and should be included in quantitative analyses.

PMID- 20302274
TI  - Synthesis, structure, and two-photon absorption studies of a phosphorus-based
      tris hydrazone ligand (S)P[N(Me)N=CH-C6H3-2-OH-4-N(CH2CH3)2]3 and its metal
      complexes.
AB  - A phosphorus-supported multidentate ligand (S)P[N(Me)N=CH-C(6)H(3)-2-OH-4-N(CH
      (2)CH(3))(2)](3) (1) has been used to prepare mononuclear complexes LM [M = Fe
      (2) Co (3)] and trinuclear complexes L(2)M(3) [M = Mn (4), Ni (5), Zn (6), Mg
      (7), Cd (8)]. In both 2 and 3 the ligand binds the metal ion in a facial
      coordination mode utilizing three imino nitrogen (3N) and three phenolic oxygen
      (3O) atoms. The molecular structures of L(2)Mn(3), L(2)Ni(3), L(2)Zn(3),
      L(2)Mg(3), and L(2)Cd(3) (4-8) are similar; two trihydrazone ligands are involved
      in coordination to hold the three metal ions in a linear fashion. Each of the
      trishydrazone ligands behaves as a trianionic hexadentate ligand providing three
      imino and three phenolic oxygen atoms for coordination to the metal ions. The
      coordination environment around the two terminal metal ions is similar (3N, 3O)
      while the central metal ion has a 6O coordination environment. Third-order non
      linear optical properties of these compounds as measured by their two-photon
      absorption (TPA) cross section reveals that while 1 does not possess obvious TPA
      activity, complexes 2 (3213 GM) and 4 (3516 GM) possess a large TPA cross section
      at 770 nm.

PMID- 20302275
TI  - Photovoltaic devices with an active layer from a stamping transfer technique:
      single layer versus double layer.
AB  - In this study, organic photovoltaic devices with single or double-layered active
      film were prepared from a stamping transfer technique. A P3HT/PCBM single-layered
      active layer and a ratio-controlled P3HT/PCBM double-layered active can be
      successfully fabricated with the help of ultraviolet curable polycarbonate films
      via a stamping transfer technique. The maximum conversion efficiency values 2.85
      for a single active layer transferred device and 3.24% for an optimized double
      active layer transferred device. Even though transferred double layers should
      have a sharp interface boundary, an intermixed zone with a concentration gradient
      was generated by the interpenetration of a donor-rich layer and an acceptor-rich
      layer in a thermal annealing process. The generation of the intermixed zone is
      confirmed by Auger electron spectroscopy. The enhanced conversion efficiency
      levels are attributed to the increased efficiency of the carrier transporting
      process, which is due to the fact that the concentration gradient is combined
      with the efficient charge generation from the bulk heterojunction layers.

PMID- 20302276
TI  - Relating interactions of dye molecules with chitosan to adsorption kinetic data.
AB  - The scope of the present work is the study of the adsorption behavior of two dyes
      of different nature/class on several chitosan derivatives. The adsorbents used
      were grafted with different functional groups (carboxyl, amido, sulfonate, N
      vinylimidazole) to increase their adsorption capacity and cross-linked to improve
      their mechanical resistance. This complete kinetic analysis was realized at 25,
      45, and 65 degrees C to observe the effect of temperature on adsorption rates for
      each adsorbent-adsorbate system. Activated carbon was also used as an adsorbent
      for reference/comparison. The experimental equilibrium data were successfully
      fitted to the Langmuir-Freundlich (L-F) isotherms, presenting high correlation
      coefficients (R(2) approximately 0.998). A detailed pore-surface diffusion with
      local adsorption-desorption model has been developed to describe the adsorption
      kinetics in chitosan adsorbents. The existence of kinetic data in several
      temperatures assists in recognizing the diffusion mechanism in the adsorbent
      particles. The findings on diffusion mechanisms and the corresponding
      coefficients, from using the model to match the experimental data, are compatible
      with the expected adsorbent-dye interactions based on their chemical structure.

PMID- 20302277
TI  - One-step dry method for the synthesis of supported single-crystalline organic
      nanowires formed by pi-conjugated molecules.
AB  - We present for the first time a general vacuum process for the growth of
      supported organic nanowires formed by pi-conjugated molecules, including
      metalloporphyrins, metallophthalocyanines, and perylenes. This methodology
      consists on a one-step physical vapor deposition of the pi-conjugated molecules.
      The synthesis is carried out at controlled temperature on substrates with tailor
      morphology which allows the growth of organic nanowires in the form of squared
      nanofibers and nanobelts. The study of the nanowires by electron diffraction and
      HRTEM combining with the results of a theoretical analysis of the possible
      arrangement of the pi-conjugated molecules along the nanowires reveals that the
      nanowires show a columnar structure along the fiber axis consisting of pi-stacked
      molecules having a herringbone-like arrangement. The formation of these nanowires
      on different substrates demonstrates that the growth mechanism is independent of
      the substrate chemical composition. An in-depth phenomenological study of the
      formation of the nanowires drives us to propose a growth mechanism based on a
      crystallization process. Furthermore, the growth method allows the fabrication of
      two particular 1D heterostructures: binary and open core@shell organic
      nanofibers.

PMID- 20302278
TI  - Role of solubilized water in micelles formed by Triton X-100 in 1-butyl-3
      methylimidazolium ionic liquids.
AB  - We demonstrate here the aggregation behavior of a nonionic surfactant Triton X
      100 in two 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium ionic liquids (the hydrophilic IL
      [bmim][BF(4)] and the hydrophobic IL [bmim][PF(6)]) by surface tension
      measurements. The effects of added water on the microstructure of Triton X-100 in
      ILs micelles are investigated. When small amounts of water are added to Triton X
      100 in [bmim][PF(6)] micelles, the water molecules are first bound to the
      ethylene oxide (EO) units of Triton X-100 and then form the water pool in the
      core of the microemulsion. When water molecules are added to the Triton X-100 in
      [bmim][BF(4)] micelles, there is no microemulsion formed; these water molecules
      are first solubilized in [bmim][BF(4)]. When the solubilization is saturated, the
      water molecules start to bind to the EO group of Triton X-100; these results are
      confirmed by UV-vis, FTIR, and (1)H NMR spectra.

PMID- 20302279
TI  - Rupture mechanism of aromatic systems from graphite probed with molecular
      dynamics simulations.
AB  - Intermolecular interactions involving aromatic rings are of pivotal importance in
      many areas of chemistry, biology and materials science. Mimicking recent atomic
      force microscopy (AFM) experiments that measured the adhesion forces of single pi
      pi complexes, here interactions between pyrene/coronene and graphite have been
      probed by force-probe molecular dynamics (FPMD) simulations. The pyrene or
      coronene molecule was connected to a virtual spring through a flexible
      poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) linker and was pulled away from graphite in water
      under constant velocity. Pyrene and coronene showed similar unbinding pathways
      featuring four states, with a transition and an intermediate state connecting the
      bound and unbound states in terms of distance and interplanar angles. Transient
      conformations with tilted orientations (approximately 40 degrees) and with one
      side of the aromatic structure still in contact with the graphite surface
      (approximately 70 degrees) were identified as the transition and intermediate
      states, respectively, similar to previously observed perpendicularly stacked
      benzene dimers. The distance to transition state x(tr) was determined to be 0.23
      +/- 0.03 nm both for pyrene/graphite and coronene/graphite. The complexes share
      similar unbinding pathways, but coronene binds to graphite more strongly than to
      pyrene.

PMID- 20302281
TI  - Orientation controlled Schottky barrier formation at Au nanoparticle-SrTiO3
      interfaces.
AB  - In this paper, the electrical transport of Au nanoparticle/SrTiO(3)
      nanointerfaces has been studied. The fabrication method detailed creates
      atomically smooth SrTiO(3) substrate and controlled Au nanoparticle morphologies
      to create two unique interfaces. The two interfaces are identifiable in atomic
      force microscope images allowing us to compare variations in the electronic
      structure using scanning force spectroscopy. By combining AC imaging with
      scanning force spectroscopy, the interfaces are effectively probed and left
      undisturbed. The ideality factor and Schottky barrier height are obtained and
      compared with one orientation exhibiting deviations from thermionic emission
      theory while the other showing strong similarities to large area Schottky
      contacts. It is thus shown that controlling the interface structure is of utmost
      importance to controlling nanoscale Schottky barriers.

PMID- 20302280
TI  - Quantitative spreading kinetics of a three molecular layer liquid patch.
AB  - The late stage kinetics of the spreading of a smectic nanodrop on a solid surface
      was investigated by direct and real time imaging of a three molecular layer patch
      using the SEEC microscopy. Experimental data do not conform to the only available
      theory, which covers only weakly stratified liquids. A new model is proposed, in
      remarkable agreement with experiments, in which the spreading mechanism appears
      to be a quasi-static process ruled by solid/liquid interactions, 2D Laplace
      pressure, and separate edge and surface permeation coefficients.

PMID- 20302282
TI  - Highly stereoselective 7-endo-trig/ring contraction cascade to construct
      pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoline derivatives.
AB  - With the cooperation of Cram's phenonium ion, a novel cascade reaction was
      illustrated to construct pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinolines as a sole diastereoisomer in
      good to excellent yields. Preliminary mechanistic studies revealed that the gamma
      lactam ring and electron-rich arene are important driving forces for ring
      contraction.

PMID- 20302283
TI  - Longitudinal surface plasmon resonance based gold nanorod biosensors for mass
      spectrometry.
AB  - A "strategy" for analyte capture/ionization based on chemical derivatization of
      gold nanorods and infrared laser desorption ionization (IR-LDI) is described.
      This is the first example of laser desorption/ionization of biomolecules using
      gold nanorods irradiated with an IR laser. LDI is performed at wavelengths (1064
      nm) that overlap with the longitudinal surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) mode of
      gold nanorods. The absorbed energy from the laser facilitates desorption and
      ionization of the analyte. The wavelength of the LSPR band can be tuned by
      controlling the aspect ratio (length-to-diameter) of the nanorod. For example,
      the SPR band for Au nanorods having an aspect ratio of 5:1 is centered at
      approximately 840 nm, and this band overlaps with the 1064 nm output of a Nd:YAG
      laser. We show that a variety of biomolecules can be efficiently desorbed and
      ionized by 1064 nm irradiation of nanorods. We also show that analyte capture can
      be controlled by surface chemistry of the nanorods. The results of these studies
      are important for designing nanomaterial-based capture assays for mass
      spectrometry and interfacing nanomaterials with imaging/spatial profiling mass
      spectrometry experiments.

PMID- 20302284
TI  - Synthesis of necklace-like magnetic nanorings.
AB  - Necklace-like magnetite and maghemite nanorings, composed of magnetic
      nanoparticles (NPs) with average size about 40 nm, have been prepared via a
      solvothermal process in a colloidal solution by a self-assembly process. The
      composition, phase, and morphology of these nanorings have been characterized by
      X-ray diffraction, X-ray absorption, and transmission electron microscopy. In
      this paper, we discuss the influence of reaction conditions on the formation of
      nanorings structure including the amount of PVP in starting materials, reaction
      time, and temperature. On the basis of experimental observation, we supposed that
      magnetite NPs may first assemble into chains by magnetic dipole-dipole
      interactions. These dipolar chains, which are metastable structures relative to
      necklace-like nanorings, then produced the rings. So, the stability of chains may
      determine the yield, size, and morphologies of necklace-like nanorings.

PMID- 20302285
TI  - Surface reaction of sulfur-containing amino acids on Cu(110).
AB  - Adsorption behaviors of sulfur-containing amino acids, cysteine, methionine, and
      cystine molecules on Cu(110) surface were studied by core level photoelectron
      spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation. We found the following through the
      systematic comparisons of core level peaks such as S 2p, N 1s, and O 1s from
      different amino acids. At low coverage regimes, all the molecules form two
      distinct thiolate species, and their S 2p binding energy difference was about 0.9
      eV. The relative populations of the two thiolates were different for different
      molecules and their coverage, which is due to the different bond strength of the
      sulfur-containing functional groups. At high coverage regimes, only cysteine
      molecules form zwitterionic state, which is related to the molecular ordering on
      Cu(110) surface.

PMID- 20302286
TI  - CHF2OCHF2 (HFE-134): IR spectrum and kinetics and products of the chlorine-atom
      initiated oxidation.
AB  - Smog chamber/FTIR techniques were used to measure k(Cl + CHF(2)OCHF(2)) = (5.7 +/
      1.5) x 10(-16) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) in 700 Torr of N(2)/O(2) diluent at 296
      +/- 1 K. This result is 100 times lower than the previous literature value. The
      chlorine-atom-initiated atmospheric oxidation of CHF(2)OCHF(2) gives COF(2) in a
      molar yield of (185 +/- 22) %. The IR spectrum was recorded, and a radiative
      efficiency of 0.44 W m(-2) ppb(-1) was determined. The results are discussed with
      respect to the atmospheric chemistry and environmental impact of CHF(2)OCHF(2).

PMID- 20302287
TI  - Viscosity of polyelectrolytes solutions in nanofilms.
AB  - We use a thin film pressure balance to probe the rheological properties of thin
      liquid films. These films are made from mixed aqueous solutions of surfactants
      and polyelectrolytes. They drain under applied pressure in a noncontinuous way
      due to a stratification process of the polyelectrolytes network. The
      stratification kinetics was studied for films stabilized by different
      surfactants. Using a theoretical model, it is possible to examine the effect of
      both the surfactant and the film thickness on the local dissipation. On one hand,
      it was observed that dissipation depends on the polyelectrolyte concentration
      only, regardless whether the surfactant is neutral or bears electric charges
      opposite to those of the polyelectrolyte. On the other hand, it was found that
      dissipation is stronger in thinner films.

PMID- 20302288
TI  - Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-tethered silicate platelets for colloidal dispersion
      of conjugated polymers with thermoresponsive and photoluminescence properties.
AB  - Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-tethered nanosilicate platelets (NSP-PNiPAAm) have
      been synthesized by covalently bonding the polymer onto the surfaces of silicate
      platelets of nanometer dimension, and this class of nanohybrids has proved to be
      effective for dispersing water-insoluble conjugated polymers (CPs). Simple
      pulverization of poly[2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH
      PPV) with NSP-PNiPAAm rendered the powder material dispersible in water,
      whereupon it displayed thermoresponsive properties at 37.5 degrees C and CP
      particle size variation between ca. 50 and 100 nm by SEM observation. The same
      dispersion had a maximum UV-vis absorption at 524 nm and PL emission at 605 nm.
      The PL emission was significantly higher at 4 degrees C than at 45 degrees C.
      Being coated as a film, it showed an orange emission under an ultraviolet lamp,
      consistent with the PL measurement. The water-borne process of dispersing the CP
      in aqueous media by the presence of NSP-PNiPAAm and followed by film formation to
      demonstrate a unique method of manipulating hydrophobic conjugated polymers in a
      facile manner.

PMID- 20302289
TI  - Nanoscale free-carrier profiling of individual semiconductor nanowires by
      infrared near-field nanoscopy.
AB  - We report quantitative, noninvasive and nanoscale-resolved mapping of the free
      carrier distribution in InP nanowires with doping modulation along the axial and
      radial directions, by employing infrared near-field nanoscopy. Owing to the
      technique's capability of subsurface probing, we provide direct experimental
      evidence that dopants in interior nanowire shells effectively contribute to the
      local free-carrier concentration. The high sensitivity of s-SNOM also allows us
      to directly visualize nanoscale variations in the free-carrier concentration of
      wires as thin as 20 nm, which we attribute to local growth defects. Our results
      open interesting avenues for studying local conductivity in complex nanowire
      heterostructures, which could be further enhanced by near-field infrared
      nanotomography.

PMID- 20302290
TI  - Boron dipyrromethene (Bodipy) phosphorescence revealed in [Ir(ppy)(2)(bpy
      C[triple bond]C-bodipy)](+).
AB  - The synthesis, structural characterization, electrochemistry, and molecular
      photophysics of [Ir(ppy)(2)(bpy-C[triple bond]C-Bodipy)](PF(6)), where ppy is 2
      phenylpyridine and bpy-C[triple bond]C-Bodipy is 5-ethynyl-2,2'-bipyridine-8
      phenyl-1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-4,4-bis(2,5-dioxaoct-7-ynyl)-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s
      indacene (4), is presented. Static and dynamic photoluminescence and absorption
      measurements in conjunction with cyclic voltammetry were employed to elucidate
      the nature of the intramolecular energy transfer processes occurring in the
      excited state of the title chromophore. Parallel studies were performed on
      appropriate model chromophores (2 and 3) intended to represent the photophysics
      of the isolated molecular subunits, that is, triplet metal-to-ligand-charge
      transfer ((3)MLCT) and triplet Bodipy intraligand ((3)IL) excited states,
      respectively. Upon charge transfer excitation of the title chromophore, the
      (3)MLCT based phosphorescence readily observed in 2 (Phi(em) = 0.027, tau = 243
      ns) is quantitatively quenched resulting from production of the (3)Bodipy excited
      state through intramolecular triplet-triplet energy transfer. The formation of
      the (3)Bodipy-localized excited state is confirmed by features in the transient
      absorption difference spectrum, extended excited-state lifetime (tau = 25
      micros), as well the observation of (3)IL Bodipy-based phosphorescence detected
      at 730 nm at 77 K. The low temperature Bodipy phosphorescence is readily produced
      in 4 as a result of the internal Ir(III) heavy atom.

PMID- 20302291
TI  - Stabilized (111)in-labeled sCCK8 analogues for targeting CCK2-receptor positive
      tumors: synthesis and evaluation.
AB  - Radiolabeled cholecystokinin-8 (CCK8) peptide analogues can be used for peptide
      receptor radionuclide imaging and therapy for tumors expressing CCK2/gastrin
      receptors. Earlier findings indicated that sulfated CCK8 (sCCK8, Asp-Tyr(OSO(3)H)
      Met-Gly-Trp-Met-Asp-Phe-NH(2)) may have better characteristics for peptide
      receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) than gastrin analogues. However, sCCK8
      contains an easily hydrolyzable sulfated tyrosine residue and two methionine
      residues which are prone to oxidation. Here, we describe the synthesis of
      stabilized sCCK8 analogues, resistant to hydrolysis and oxidation. Hydrolytic
      stability was achieved by replacement of the Tyr(OSO(3)H) moiety by a robust
      isosteric sulfonate, Phe(p-CH(2)SO(3)H). Replacement of methionine by norleucine
      (Nle) or homopropargylglycine (HPG) avoided undesired oxidation side-reactions.
      The phenylalanine analogue Phe(p-CH(2)SO(3)H) of l-tyrosine, synthesized by a
      modification of known synthetic routes, was incorporated in three peptides:
      sCCK8[Phe(2)(p-CH(2)SO(3)H),Met(3,6)], sCCK8[Phe(2)(p-CH(2)SO(3)H),Nle(3,6)], and
      sCCK8[Phe(2)(p-CH(2)SO(3)H),HPG(3,6)]. All peptides were N-terminally conjugated
      with the macrocyclic chelator DOTA (1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-N,N',N'',N'''
      tetraacetic acid) and radiolabeled with In-111. In vitro binding assays on CCK2R
      expressing HEK293 cells revealed that all three peptides showed specific binding
      and receptor-mediated internalization, with binding affinity values (IC(50)) in
      the nanomolar range. In vitro oxidation studies demonstrated that peptides with
      Nle or HPG indeed were resistant to oxidation. In vivo targeting studies in mice
      with AR42J tumors showed that tumor uptake was highest for (111)In-DOTA-sCCK8 and
      (111)In-DOTA-sCCK8[Phe(2)(p-CH(2)SO(3)H),Nle(3,6)] (4.78 +/- 0.64 and 4.54 +/-
      1.15%ID/g, respectively, 2 h p.i.). The peptide with the methionine residues
      replaced by norleucine ((111)In-DOTA-sCCK8[Phe(2)(p-CH(2)SO(3)H), Nle(3,6)])
      showed promising in vivo characteristics and will be further investigated for
      radionuclide imaging and therapy of CCK2R-expressing tumors.

PMID- 20302292
TI  - Phosphinite thioethers derived from chiral epoxides. Modular P,S-ligands for Pd
      catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitutions.
AB  - A new family of modular P,S-ligands has been prepared from enantiopure
      arylglycidols. These ligands have been iteratively optimized with respect to four
      different structural parameters for use in Pd-catalyzed allylic substitutions. As
      a final output, highly active and enantioselective ligands for these
      synthetically important transformations have been developed, and the factors
      controlling their catalytic behavior have been rationalized. From a
      methodological point of view, a convenient procedure for the regioselective ring
      opening of cis-glycidic esters with bulky thiols to yield the corresponding beta
      alkylthio-alpha-hydroxy carboxylic acids has been developed.

PMID- 20302293
TI  - Vertical distributions of plutonium and 137Cs in lacustrine sediments in
      northwestern china: quantifying sediment accumulation rates and source
      identifications.
AB  - We investigated the vertical distributions of 239+240Pu and 137Cs activities and
      240Pu/239Pu atom ratios in two lakes in northwestern China. The 240Pu/239Pu atom
      ratio from the Chinese nuclear test (CNT) site at Lop Nor is too complicated to
      identify the regional fallout source. However, radionuclides from the test site
      may be resolved mainly by the vertical distribution of radionuclides because
      there is no overlap between the global fallout peak and the local fallout peak.
      We analyzed Pu isotopes and 137Cs in sediments from two lakes (Sugan and
      Shuangta) located in northwestern China, near the CNT, and Lake Sihailongwan
      located in northeastern China to date recent lacustrine sediments and resolve
      global/local fallout sources. The apparently low 240Pu/239Pu atom ratio of 0.103
      +/- 0.010 at Lake Sugan was likely representative of the fallout from the Lop Nor
      site. Our results also demonstrated that the 239+240Pu activity was more useful
      for recent chronology of lacustrine sediments, compared to 137Cs. Sediment
      accumulation rates of 0.651, 0.058-0.061, and 0.015 g x cm(-2) x a(-1) for
      sediment cores of Lake Shuangta, Lake Sugan and Lake Sihailongwan, respectively,
      were obtained by using the 239+240Pu fallout peak as a discrete time marker for
      1964. The respective contributions of 137Cs and 239+240Pu from the CNT were
      estimated to be about 40 and 27% for Lake Sugan and 36 and 20% for Lake Shuangta.
      Plutonium isotopes in lacustrine sediments were proven to be useful for
      quantifying sediment accumulation rates and for source identification of the
      radioactive contamination.

PMID- 20302294
TI  - Palladium-catalyzed reductive homocoupling of aromatic halides and oxidation of
      alcohols.
AB  - Palladium-catalyzed reductive homocoupling of aromatic halides can be performed
      in alcohol solutions without any auxiliary reducing reagents. Pd(dppf)Cl(2) [dppf
      = 1,1'-bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene] has been shown as the most effective
      catalyst among the palladium catalysts screened for the model reductive
      homocoupling of iodobenzene in alcoholic solutions. The reduction of iodobenzene
      is stoichiometrically coupled with the oxidation of solvent alcohol (3-pentanol).
      The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) studies clearly indicate that the
      oxidation of solvent alcohol molecules is involved with the in situ regeneration
      of the reductive Pd(0)(dppf) active species, indicating that the solvent alcohol
      also reacts as a reducing reagent for the reductive homocoupling of aromatic
      halides. Elimination of the external reducing reagents will simplify the product
      separation and purification. Base is essential for the success of the
      Pd(dppf)Cl(2)-catalyzed redox reaction as 2 molar equiv of base is needed to
      neutralize the acid byproduct formed. Biaryls are the predominant products for
      the Pd(dppf)Cl(2)-catalyzed reductions of the unsubstituted aromatic halides in 3
      pentanol solution, whereas the dehalogenation products are predominant for the
      Pd(dppf)Cl(2)-catalyzed reductions of the substituted aromatic halides. The
      reaction mechanisms have been discussed for the palladium-mediated concomitant
      reduction of aromatic halides and oxidation of alcohols without any auxiliary
      reductants and oxidants.

PMID- 20302295
TI  - The low-temperature inflection observed in neutron scattering measurements of
      proteins is due to methyl rotation: direct evidence using isotope labeling and
      molecular dynamics simulations.
AB  - There is increasing interest in the contribution of methyl groups to the overall
      dynamics measured by neutron scattering experiments of proteins. In particular an
      inflection observed in atomic mean square displacements measured as a function of
      temperature on high resolution spectrometers (approximately 1 microeV) was
      explained by the onset of methyl group rotations. By specifically labeling a non
      methyl-containing side-chain in a native protein system, the purple membrane, and
      performing neutron scattering measurements, we here provide direct experimental
      evidence that the observed inflection is indeed due to methyl group rotations.
      Molecular dynamics simulations reproduce the experimental data, and their
      analysis suggests that the apparent transition is due to methyl group rotation
      entering the finite instrumental resolution of the spectrometer. Methyl group
      correlation times measured by solid state NMR in the purple membrane, taken from
      previous work, support the interpretation.

PMID- 20302296
TI  - A stable 1,2-disilacyclohexene and its 14-electron palladium(0) complex.
AB  - A novel stable cyclic disilene, 1,2-diphenyl-3,3,6,6-tetrakis(trimethylsilyl)-1,2
      disilacyclohexene (1), was synthesized via the reaction of the corresponding 1,4
      dilithiobutane with phenylchlorosilane. This new strategy would be applicable to
      the synthesis of stable cyclic disilenes having rather small residual
      substituents on unsaturated silicon atoms. A stable tricoordinate Y-shaped
      disilene palladium complex, 2, that was synthesized by the reaction of 1 with
      bis(tricyclohexylphosphine)palladium was found to have the strongest pi-complex
      character among known disilene palladium complexes.

PMID- 20302297
TI  - A highly tunable stereoselective olefination of semistabilized
      triphenylphosphonium ylides with N-sulfonyl imines.
AB  - The Wittig reaction involving direct olefination of triphenylphosphonium ylides
      (Ph(3)P horizontal lineCHR) with aldehydes is arguably the most often used method
      for alkene synthesis, but in general it yields mixtures of Z- and E-alkenes for
      semistabilized triphenylphosphonium ylides (R = aryl or vinyl). We have developed
      a simple and efficient protocol to improve the stereoselectivity significantly by
      replacing the aldehydes used in the Wittig reaction with N-sulfonyl imines, which
      possess distinct electronic and steric properties relative to aldehydes. A broad
      range of aromatic, alpha,beta-unsaturated, and aliphatic imines bearing
      appropriate N-sulfonyl groups smoothly undergo olefination reaction with various
      benzylidenetriphenylphosphoranes or allylidenetriphenylphosphoranes under mild
      reaction conditions to afford an array of both Z- and E-isomers of conjugated
      alkenes in good to excellent yields and with greater than 99:1 stereoselectivity.
      Moreover, this tunable protocol has been successfully applied to the highly
      stereoselective synthesis of two anticancer agents, DMU-212 and its Z-isomer.

PMID- 20302298
TI  - pH-Responsive quantum dots via an albumin polymer surface coating.
AB  - Multifunctional peptide-polymer hybrid materials have been applied as efficient
      and biocompatible quantum-dot coating materials. Significant pH responsiveness
      (e.g., an influence of the pH on the quantum yields of the peptide-polymer/QDs)
      was found and is attributed to conformational rearrangements of the peptide
      backbone.

PMID- 20302299
TI  - An active-site phenylalanine directs substrate binding and C-H cleavage in the
      alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase TauD.
AB  - Enzymes that cleave C-H bonds are often found to depend on well-packed
      hydrophobic cores that influence the distance between the hydrogen donor and
      acceptor. Residue F159 in taurine alpha-ketoglutarate dioxygenase (TauD) is
      demonstrated to play an important role in the binding and orientation of its
      substrate, which undergoes a hydrogen atom transfer to the active site Fe(IV)=O.
      Mutation of F159 to smaller hydrophobic side chains (L, V, A) leads to
      substantially reduced rates for substrate binding and for C-H bond cleavage, as
      well as increased contribution of the chemical step to k(cat) under steady-state
      turnover conditions. The greater sensitivity of these substrate-dependent
      processes to mutation at position 159 than observed for the oxygen activation
      process supports a previous conclusion of modularity of function within the
      active site of TauD (McCusker, K. P.; Klinman, J. P. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.
      U.S.A. 2009, 106, 19791-19795). Extraction of intrinsic deuterium kinetic isotope
      effects (KIEs) using single turnover transients shows 2- to 4-fold increase in
      the size of the KIE for F159V in relation to wild-type and F159L. It appears that
      there is a break in behavior following removal of a single methylene from the
      side chain of F159L to generate F159V, whereby the protein active site loses its
      ability to restore the internuclear distance between substrate and Fe(IV)=O that
      supports optimal hydrogenic wave function overlap.

PMID- 20302300
TI  - Cyclic sulfones as novel P3-caps for hepatitis C virus NS3/4A (HCV NS3/4A)
      protease inhibitors: synthesis and evaluation of inhibitors with improved potency
      and pharmacokinetic profiles.
AB  - HCV infection affects more than 170 million people worldwide and many of those
      patients will reach the end stage complications of the disease which include
      hepatocarcinoma and liver failure. The success rate for treatment of patients
      infected with genotype-1 is about 40%. Therefore, novel treatments are needed to
      combat the infection. The HCV NS3 protease inhibitor Boceprevir (1) was reported
      by our research group and efforts continue for the discovery of more potent
      compounds with improved pharmacokinetic profiles. A new series of HCV NS3
      protease inhibitors having a cyclic sulfone P3-cap have been discovered.
      Compounds 43 and 44 showed K(i)* values in the single-digit nM range and their
      cellular potency was improved by 10-fold compared to 1. The pharmacokinetic
      profiles of 43 and 44 in rats and monkeys were also improved to achieve higher
      plasma levels after oral administration.

PMID- 20302302
TI  - (1S)-1,5-anhydro-1-[5-(4-ethoxybenzyl)-2-methoxy-4-methylphenyl]-1-thio-D
      glucitol (TS-071) is a potent, selective sodium-dependent glucose cotransporter 2
      (SGLT2) inhibitor for type 2 diabetes treatment.
AB  - Derivatives of a novel scaffold, C-phenyl 1-thio-D-glucitol, were prepared and
      evaluated for sodium-dependent glucose cotransporter (SGLT) 2 and SGLT1
      inhibition activities. Optimization of substituents on the aromatic rings
      afforded five compounds with potent and selective SGLT2 inhibition activities.
      The compounds were evaluated for in vitro human metabolic stability, human serum
      protein binding (SPB), and Caco-2 permeability. Of them, (1S)-1,5-anhydro-1-[5-(4
      ethoxybenzyl)-2-methoxy-4-methylphenyl]-1-thio-D-glucitol (3p) exhibited potent
      SGLT2 inhibition activity (IC(50) = 2.26 nM), with 1650-fold selectivity over
      SGLT1. Compound 3p showed good metabolic stability toward cryo-preserved human
      hepatic clearance, lower SPB, and moderate Caco-2 permeability. Since 3p should
      have acceptable human pharmacokinetics (PK) properties, it could be a clinical
      candidate for treating type 2 diabetes. We observed that compound 3p exhibits a
      blood glucose lowering effect, excellent urinary glucose excretion properties,
      and promising PK profiles in animals. Phase II clinical trials of 3p (TS-071) are
      currently ongoing.

PMID- 20302301
TI  - Structure-activity relationships in toll-like receptor-2 agonistic
      diacylthioglycerol lipopeptides.
AB  - The N-termini of bacterial lipoproteins are acylated with a (S)-(2,3
      bisacyloxypropyl)cysteinyl residue. Lipopeptides derived from lipoproteins
      activate innate immune responses by engaging Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and are
      highly immunostimulatory and yet without apparent toxicity in animal models. The
      lipopeptides may therefore be useful as potential immunotherapeutic agents.
      Previous structure-activity relationships in such lipopeptides have largely been
      obtained using murine cells, and it is now clear that significant species
      specific differences exist between human and murine TLR responses. We have
      examined in detail the role of the highly conserved Cys residue as well as the
      geometry and stereochemistry of the Cys-Ser dipeptide unit. (R)
      Diacylthioglycerol analogues are maximally active in reporter gene assays using
      human TLR2. The Cys-Ser dipeptide unit represents the minimal part-structure, but
      its stereochemistry was found not to be a critical determinant of activity. The
      thioether bridge between the diacyl and dipeptide units is crucial, and
      replacement by an oxoether bridge results in a dramatic decrease in activity.

PMID- 20302304
TI  - Oxygen-isotope exchange rates for three isostructural polyoxometalate ions.
AB  - We compare oxygen-isotope exchange rates for all structural oxygens in three
      polyoxoniobate ions that differ by systematic metal substitutions of Ti(IV) -->
      Nb(V). The [H(x)Nb(10)O(28)]((6-x)-), [H(x)TiNb(9)O(28)]((7-x)-), and
      [H(x)Ti(2)Nb(8)O(28)]((8-x)-) ions are all isostructural yet have different
      Bronsted properties. Rates for sites within a particular molecule in the series
      differ by at least approximately 10(4), but the relative reactivities of the
      oxygen sites rank in nearly the same relative order for all ions in the series.
      Within a single ion, most structural oxygens exhibit rates of isotopic exchange
      that vary similarly with pH, indicating that each structure responds as a whole
      to changes in pH. Across the series of molecules, however, the pH dependencies
      for isotope exchanges and dissociation are distinctly different, reflecting
      different contributions from proton- or base-enhanced pathways. The proton
      enhanced pathway for isotope exchange dominates at most pH conditions for the
      [H(x)Ti(2)Nb(8)O(28)]((8-x)-) ion, but the base-enhanced pathways are
      increasingly important for the [H(x)TiNb(9)O(28)]((7-x)-) and
      [H(x)Nb(10)O(28)]((6-x)-) structures at higher pH. The local effect of Ti(IV)
      substitution could be assessed by comparing rates for structurally similar
      oxygens on each side of the [H(x)TiNb(9)O(28)]((7-x)-) ion and is surprisingly
      small. Interestingly, these nanometer-size structures seem to manifest the same
      general averaged amphoteric chemistry that is familiar for other reactions
      affecting oxides in water, including interface dissolution by proton- and
      hydroxyl-enhanced pathways.

PMID- 20302305
TI  - A new class of surfactants with multinuclear, inorganic head groups.
AB  - The main ability of amphiphilic molecules is to alter the energy of interfaces.
      They aid in the formation of various materials characterized by a high surface to
      volume ratio. Furthermore, amphiphiles tend to self-organize into structures of
      higher complexity. In the current study anionic surfactants containing a purely
      inorganic multinuclear head group of the polytungstate type R-[PW(11)O(39)](3-)
      were synthesized. Alkyl chains of different length were attached to the head
      group via siloxy bridges. Furthermore, the counterions could be varied.
      Ultimately, a heteropolyacid surfactant (H(+) as the counterion) could be
      prepared. The self-assembly behavior of the polyoxometalate surfactants into
      micelles and even lyotropic phases was studied. For instance, the formation of a
      phase with P6/mm symmetry containing hexagonally packed cylinders has been
      observed. Finally, it was possible to extend the functionality of classical
      amphiphiles. The polyoxometalate amphiphiles have been used for the
      emulsification of and, at the same time, as the initiator for the cationic
      polymerization of styrene. As a result, interesting organic-inorganic hybrid
      polymer latexes with surfaces containing heteropolyacid entities were prepared.

PMID- 20302303
TI  - Targeted delivery of paclitaxel to tumor cells: synthesis and in vitro
      evaluation.
AB  - We previously reported a novel drug delivery system, drug-linker-Phe-Phe-Arg
      methylketone (FFR-mk)-factor VIIa (fVIIa). The method utilizes tissue factor
      (TF), which is aberrantly and abundantly expressed on many cancer cells. The
      advantage of this delivery system is its ability to furnish a potent anticancer
      drug specifically to the tumor vasculature and cancer cells. In this paper, we
      describe the synthesis of paclitaxel (PTX)-Phe-Phe-Arg-chloromethyl ketone (FFR
      ck), followed by coupling with fVIIa to form PTX-FFR-mk-fVIIa. FFRck was
      separately linked to the OH groups at the C2' or C7 positions of PTX (C2'- or C7
      PTX-FFRck), the C2' analogue exhibiting better activity against human head and
      neck squamous KB 3-1 cells. The activity order against PTX-sensitive KB 3-1 cells
      is C2'-PTX-FFRmk-fVIIa > PTX > C2'-PTX-FFRck. The C2' complex shows an IC(50) of
      12 nM against the PTX-sensitive cell line and 130 nM against PTX-resistant cells.

PMID- 20302307
TI  - Electrostatic polarization makes a substantial contribution to the free energy of
      avidin-biotin binding.
AB  - Avidin-biotin is one of the strongest protein-ligand binding systems, with broad
      applications in biomedical science. Here we report a quantum-based computational
      study to help elucidate the mechanism of binding avidin to biotin (BTN1) and its
      close analogue, 2'-iminobiotin (BTN2). Our study reveals that electronic
      polarization of protein plays a critical role in stabilizing the beta sheet
      (Thr113-Arg122) at the binding site and makes a substantial contribution to the
      free energy of avidin-biotin binding. The current finding is in contradiction to
      the previous notion that electrostatic interaction has no effect on or makes an
      unfavorable contribution to the free energy of avidin-biotin binding. Our
      calculations also show that the difference in binding free energy of avidin to
      BTN1 and BTN2 is almost entirely due to the contribution of electrostatic
      interaction resulting from polarization-induced stabilization of a hydrogen bond
      between avidin and BTN1. The current result provides strong evidence that protein
      polarization accounts for the electrostatic contribution to binding free energy
      that was missing in previous studies of avidin-biotin binding.

PMID- 20302308
TI  - Intercalation of ethylene glycol into yttrium hydroxide layered materials.
AB  - Intercalation of ethylene glycol into layered yttrium hydroxide containing
      nitrate counterions was accomplished by heating the reagents in a methanol
      solution of sodium methoxide under autogenous pressure at 413 K for 20 h. The
      resulting crystalline material had an expanded interlayer distance of 10.96 A,
      confirming the intercalation of an ethylene glycol derived species.
      Characterization of the material by FT-IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric
      analysis, and the catalytic transesterification of tributyrin with methanol was
      consistent with direct bonding of ethylene glycolate anions (O(2)C(2)H(5)(-)) to
      the yttrium hydroxide layers, forming Y-O-C bonds. The layers of the material are
      proposed to be held together by H-bonding between the hydroxyls of grafted
      ethylene glycol molecules attached to adjacent layers. Glycerol can also be
      intercalated into yttrium hydroxide layered materials by a similar method.

PMID- 20302306
TI  - Molecular basis for enantioselectivity in the (R)- and (S)
      hydroxypropylthioethanesulfonate dehydrogenases, a unique pair of stereoselective
      short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases involved in aliphatic epoxide
      carboxylation.
AB  - (R)- and (S)-2-hydroxypropyl-CoM (R-HPC and S-HPC) are produced as intermediates
      in bacterial propylene metabolism from the nucleophilic addition of coenzyme M to
      (R)- and (S)-epoxypropane, respectively. Two highly enantioselective
      dehydrogenases (R-HPCDH and S-HPCDH) belonging to the short-chain
      dehydrogenase/reductase family catalyze the conversion of R-HPC and S-HPC to 2
      ketopropyl-CoM (2-KPC), which undergoes reductive cleavage and carboxylation to
      produce acetoacetate. In the present study, one of three copies of S-HPCDH
      enzymes present on a linear megaplasmid in Xanthobacter autotrophicus strain Py2
      has been cloned and overexpressed, allowing the first detailed side by side
      characterization of the R-HPCDH and S-HPCDH enzymes. The catalytic triad of S
      HPCDH was found to consist of Y156, K160, and S143. R211 and K214 were identified
      as the amino acid residues coordinating the sulfonate of CoM in S-HPC. R211A and
      K214A mutants were severely impaired in the oxidation of S-HPC or reduction of 2
      KPC but were largely unaffected in the oxidation and reduction of aliphatic
      alcohols and ketones. Kinetic analyses using R- and S-HPC as substrates revealed
      that enantioselectivity in R-HPCDH (value, 944) was dictated largely by
      differences in k(cat) while enantioselectivity for S-HPCDH (value, 1315) was
      dictated largely by changes in K(m). S-HPCDH had an inherent high
      enantioselectivity for producing (S)-2-butanol from 2-butanone that was
      unaffected by modulators that interact with the sulfonate binding site. The
      tertiary alcohol 2-methyl-2-hydroxypropyl-CoM (M-HPC) was a competitive inhibitor
      of R-HPCDH-catalyzed R-HPC oxidation, with a K(is) similar to the K(m) for R-HPC,
      but was not an inhibitor of S-HPCDH. The primary alcohol 2-hydroxyethyl-CoM was a
      substrate for both R-HPCDH and S-HPCDH with identical K(m) values. The pH
      dependence of kinetic parameters suggests that the hydroxyl group is a larger
      contributor to S-HPC binding to S-HPCDH than for R-HPC binding to R-HPCDH. It is
      proposed that active site constraints within the S-HPCDH prevent proper binding
      of R-HPC and M-HPC due to steric clashes with the improperly aligned methyl group
      on the C2 carbon, resulting in a different mechanism for controlling substrate
      specificity and enantioselectivity than present in the R-HPCDH.

PMID- 20302309
TI  - Stepwise and selective carborane substitution in the B(3,6) positions of a 16e
      CpCo half-sandwich complex containing a chelating ortho-carborane-1,2-dithiolate
      ligand.
AB  - The reactions of the 16e half-sandwich complex, CpCo(S(2)C(2)B(10)H(10)) (1),
      with alkynones at ambient temperature lead to complexes
      CpCo(S(2)C(2)B(10)H(9))(CH=CH-C(O)R) (R = Ph (2), 2-naphthyl (3)). Both 2 and 3
      are still 16e half-sandwich complexes containing a B(3)-substituted ortho
      carborane-1,2-dithiolate ligand. Treatment of 2 with excess alkynes R(1)C[triple
      bond]CR(2) (R(1) = H, R(2) = Ph, C(O)Ph, CO(2)Me; R(1) = R(2) = CO(2)Me) affords
      five complexes, CpCo(S(2)C(2)B(10)H(8))(CH(2)CPh)(CH=CH-C(O)Ph) (4),
      CpCo(S(2)C(2)B(10)H(8))(CH=CH-C(O)Ph)(2) (5), CpCo(S(2)C(2)B(10)H(8))(CH=CH
      CO(2)Me)(CH=CH-C(O)Ph) (6), CpCo(S(2)C(2)B(10)H(9))(MeO(2)C-C=C-CO(2)Me)(CH=CH
      C(O)Ph) (7), and CpCo(S(2)C(2)B(10)H(9))(MeO(2)C-C=C-CO(2)Me)(2)(CH=CH-C(O)Ph)
      (8). Complex 4 is an 18e complex bearing a B-CH(2) unit. Both 5 and 6 retain a
      16e half-sandwich structure but contain a B(3,6)-disubstituted ortho-carborane
      1,2-dithiolate ligand. However, in 7 and 8 one or two alkynes are inserted into
      one of the Co-S bonds to generate 18e species, respectively. Heating 7 leads to
      the 16e complex, CpCo(S(2)C(2)B(10)H(8))(MeO(2)C-C=CH-CO(2)Me)(CH=CH-C(O)Ph) (9),
      having a B(3,6)-disubstituted ortho-carborane-1,2-dithiolate ligand as in 5 and
      6. All complexes were fully characterized by spectroscopic techniques and
      elemental analysis. The solid-state structures of 2 and 3 and 5-9 were further
      characterized by X-ray structural analysis.

PMID- 20302310
TI  - Synthesis, structure, and electrochemistry of the dicluster molecular pincer
      [Pt(3)(mu-PBu(t)(2))(3)(CO)(2)](2)(mu-1',1'''-diethynylbiferrocene).
AB  - The CuI catalyzed dehydro-halogenation of 1',1'''-diethynylbiferrocene and
      {Pt(3)}Cl [{Pt(3)} = Pt(3)(mu-PBu(t)(2))(3)(CO)(2)] (1:2 molar ratio) in
      diethylamine gives in high yields the bicluster derivative [{Pt(3)}CC-(eta(5)
      C(5)H(4))Fe(eta(5)-C(5)H(4))](2), 3, in which two platinum triangles are
      connected by a diethynylbiferrocene spacer. In the structure of 3, confirmed by a
      diffractometric study, the two {Pt(3)} fragments lie, perfectly eclipsed, on the
      same side of the biferrocenyl moiety; this folded structure is also preferred in
      solution, as suggested by NMR Diffusion Ordered Spectroscopy (DOSY) and 1D
      Rotating-frame Overhauser Enhancement (ROE) measurements. Compound 3 exhibits a
      rich redox behavior, with a crowded sequence of six one-electron oxidation
      processes, the electrode potentials of which have been evaluated by digital
      simulations. On the basis of a spectroelectrochemical study, the first two
      oxidations are assigned to the iron centers of the diferrocenyl unit and the
      subsequent four electrons are removed from the {Pt(3)} units.

PMID- 20302311
TI  - Direct ab initio MD study on the electron capture dynamics of hydroperoxy radical
      (HOO)-water complexes.
AB  - The electron capture dynamics of hydroperoxy radical-water complexes have been
      investigated by means of direct density functional theory (DFT) molecular
      dynamics (MD) method to elucidate the solvation (hydration) effect on the
      reaction mechanism. The complexes composed of HOO and one to four water
      molecules, HOO(H(2)O)(n) (n = 1-4), were considered to be the hydrated HOO
      system. After the electron capture of n = 1, only solvent reorientation of H(2)O
      around HOO(-) occurred, and a stable complex (HOO(-)-H(2)O) was formed within 100
      300 fs. In the case of n = 2-4, a proton of H(2)O was transferred from H(2)O to
      OOH(-), whereas H(2)O(2) and OH(-)(H(2)O)(n-1) were found as products. It was
      suggested that the HOO radical adsorbed on water cluster is efficiently converted
      in the H(2)O(2) without activation barrier after the electron capture of HOO.
      Time scales of proton transfer were calculated to be 200-300 fs. The mechanism of
      electron capture of HOO in polar stratospheric cloud was discussed on the basis
      of theoretical results.

PMID- 20302312
TI  - Computational study on nitronium and nitrosonium oxalate: potential oxidizers for
      solid rocket propulsion?
AB  - The enthalpies of formation for solid ionic nitrosonium oxalate, [NO](2)[O(2)C
      CO(2)], nitronium oxalate, [NO(2)](2)[O(2)C-CO(2)], as well as covalent
      bis(nitroso)oxalic acid, ON-O(2)C-CO(2)-NO, and oxalic acid dinitrate ester,
      O(2)N-O(2)C-CO(2)-NO(2), were calculated using the complete basis set (CBS-4M)
      method of Petersson and coworkers to obtain very accurate energies. For the
      nitrosonium species, the ionic form ([NO](2)[O(2)C-CO(2)]) was identified as the
      more stable isomer, whereas for the nitrosonium compound, the covalently bound
      dinitrate ester (O(2)N-O(2)C-CO(2)-NO(2)) was found to be more stable. The
      combustion parameters with respect to possible use as ingredients in solid rocket
      motors for both stable species were calculated using the EXPLO5 and the ICT code.
      The performance of an aluminized formulation with covalently bound dinitrate
      ester (O(2)N-O(2)C-CO(2)-NO(2)) was shown to be comparable to that of ammonium
      perchlorate/aluminum. This makes oxalic acid dinitrate ester a potentially
      interesting perchlorate-free and environmentally benign oxidizer for solid rocket
      propulsion.

PMID- 20302313
TI  - Platinum(II) and phosphorus MM3 force field parametrization for chromophore
      absorption spectra at room temperature.
AB  - Platinum(II) and phosphine MM3 force field parameters are derived from fits to
      the ground state potential energy surface at the level of Kohn-Sham density
      functional theory with employment of the B3LYP exchange-correlation functional.
      The parametrization includes bond stretch, angle bend, and torsional parameters
      for a planar platinum(II) center with phosphine and ethynyl ligands. The force
      field is used to study the dynamics of a fifth-generation dendrimer-coated
      platinum(II)organic compound in tetrahydrofurane solution at room temperature,
      and, based on a selection of conformations from the molecular dynamics
      simulation, the averaged linear absorption spectrum is determined with use of the
      CAM-B3LYP functional. The main absorption peak in the theoretical absorption
      spectrum is found at a transition wavelength of 325 nm with a full-width at half
      maximum of 26 nm due to conformational broadening.

PMID- 20302315
TI  - Electronic delocalization, energetics, and optical properties of tripalladium
      ditropylium halides, [Pd(3)(C(7)H(7))(2)X(3)](1-) (X = Cl(-), Br(-), and I(-)).
AB  - Here we report relativistic electronic structure calculations employing all
      electron density functional theory (DFT) including scalar and spin-orbit
      interaction, on the multimetallic sandwich compound [Pd(3)(C(7)H(7))(2)X(3)](1-)
      (X = Cl(-) (1), Br(-) (2), and I(-) (3)), which can be considered as a
      [Pd(3)X(3)](3-) fragment flanked by two ring-ligands [(C(7)H(7))(2)](2+). The
      calculations suggest that the [Pd(3)X(3)](3-)-ligand interaction is mainly
      arising from electrostatic contributions, where the formally zerovalent Pd atoms
      allows backdonation of charge from the halide X(1-) atoms to the
      [(C(7)H(7))(2)](2+) ligands, resulting in a net charge of about +0.4 for each Pd
      atoms that decreases from 1 to 3. The electronic delocalization estimated via the
      NICS indexes and the ELF function allows us to describe a significant stabilizing
      sigma-aromaticity at the center of the Pd(3) triangle, which decreases from
      [Pd(3)Cl(3)](3-) to [Pd(3)I(3)](3-) (1 to 3) due to the softer character of the
      iodine counterpart, that donates extra charge to the ligands. The calculated
      electronic transitions via TD-DFT are in reasonable agreement with the
      experimental data obtained in CH(2)Cl(2) solution, indicating that the most
      intense transition involves a core-centered [Pd(3)X(3)](3) transition toward the
      [(C(7)H(7))(2)](2+) ligands, with mainly X(1-) character in the former molecular
      spinor that is responsible for the variation of the observed lambda(max)
      according to the variation of X(1-).

PMID- 20302314
TI  - Ladder polyether synthesis via epoxide-opening cascades directed by a
      disappearing trimethylsilyl group.
AB  - Epoxide-opening cascades offer the potential to construct complex polyether
      natural products expeditiously and in a manner that emulates the biogenesis
      proposed for these compounds. Herein we provide a full account of our development
      of a strategy that addresses several important challenges of such cascades. The
      centerpiece of the method is a trimethylsilyl (SiMe(3)) group that serves several
      purposes and leaves no trace of itself by the time the cascade has come to an
      end. The main function of the SiMe(3) group is to dictate the regioselectivity of
      epoxide opening. This strategy is the only general method of effecting endo
      selective cascades under basic conditions.

PMID- 20302316
TI  - Calorimetric and diffractometric evidence for the sequential crystallization of
      buffer components and the consequential pH swing in frozen solutions.
AB  - Sequential crystallization of succinate buffer components in the frozen solution
      has been studied by differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffractometry
      (both laboratory and synchrotron sources). The consequential pH shifts were
      monitored using a low-temperature electrode. When a solution buffered to pH <
      pK(a)(2) was cooled from room temperature (RT), the freeze-concentrate pH first
      increased and then decreased. This was attributed to the sequential
      crystallization of succinic acid, monosodium succinate, and finally disodium
      succinate. When buffered to pH > pK(a)(2), the freeze-concentrate pH first
      decreased and then increased due to the sequential crystallization of the basic
      (disodium succinate) followed by the acidic (monosodium succinate and succinic
      acid) buffer components. XRD provided direct evidence of the crystallization
      events in the frozen buffer solutions, including the formation of disodium
      succinate hexahydrate [Na(2)(CH(2)COO)(2).6H(2)O]. When the frozen solution was
      warmed in a differential scanning calorimeter, multiple endotherms attributable
      to the melting of buffer components and ice were observed. When the frozen
      solutions were dried under reduced pressure, ice sublimation was followed by
      dehydration of the crystalline hexahydrate to a poorly crystalline anhydrate.
      However, crystalline succinic acid and monosodium succinate were retained in the
      final lyophiles. The pH and the buffer salt concentration of the prelyo solution
      influenced the crystalline salt content in the final lyophile. The direction and
      magnitude of the pH shift in the frozen solution depended on both the initial pH
      and the buffer concentration. In light of the pH-sensitive nature of a
      significant fraction of pharmaceuticals (especially proteins), extreme care is
      needed in both the buffer selection and its concentration.

PMID- 20302318
TI  - Modeling the rovibrationally excited C2H4OH radicals from the photodissociation
      of 2-bromoethanol at 193 nm.
AB  - This study photolytically generates, from 2-bromoethanol photodissociation, the 2
      hydroxyethyl radical intermediate of the OH + ethene reaction and measures the
      velocity distribution of the stable radicals. We introduce an impulsive model to
      characterize the partitioning of internal energy in the C(2)H(4)OH fragment. It
      accounts for zero-point and thermal vibrational motion to determine the
      vibrational energy distribution of the nascent C(2)H(4)OH radicals and the
      distribution of total angular momentum, J, as a function of the total recoil
      kinetic energy imparted in the photodissociation. We render this system useful
      for the study of the subsequent dissociation of the 2-hydroxyethyl radical to the
      possible asymptotic channels of the OH + ethene reaction. The competition between
      these channels depends on the internal energy and the J distribution of the
      radicals. First, we use velocity map imaging to separately resolve the C(2)H(4)OH
      + Br((2)P(3/2)) and C(2)H(4)OH + Br((2)P(1/2)) photodissociation channels,
      allowing us to account for the 10.54 kcal/mol partitioned to the Br((2)P(1/2))
      cofragment. We determine an improved resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization
      (REMPI) line strength for the Br transitions at 233.681 nm (5p (4)P(1/2) <-- 4p
      (2)P(3/2)) and 234.021 nm (5p (2)S(1/2) <-- 4p (2)P(1/2)) and obtain a spin-orbit
      branching ratio for Br((2)P(1/2)):Br((2)P(3/2)) of 0.26 +/- 0.03:1. Energy and
      momentum conservation give the distribution of total internal energy, rotational
      and vibrational, in the C(2)H(4)OH radicals. Then, using 10.5 eV photoionization,
      we measure the velocity distribution of the radicals that are stable to
      subsequent dissociation. The onset of dissociation occurs at internal energies
      much higher than those predicted by theoretical methods and reflects the
      significant amount of rotational energy imparted to the C(2)H(4)OH photofragment.
      Instead of estimating the mean rotational energy with an impulsive model from the
      equilibrium geometry of 2-bromoethanol, our model explicitly includes weighting
      over geometries across the quantum wave function with zero, one, and two quanta
      in the harmonic mode that most strongly alters the exit impact parameter. The
      model gives a nearly perfect prediction of the measured velocity distribution of
      stable radicals near the dissociation onset using a G4 prediction of the C-Br
      bond energy and the dissociation barrier for the OH + ethene channel calculated
      by Senosiain et al. (J. Phys. Chem. A 2006, 110, 6960). The model also indicates
      that the excited state dissociation proceeds primarily from a conformer of 2
      bromoethanol that is trans across the C-C bond. We discuss the possible
      extensions of our model and the effect of the radical intermediate's J
      distribution on the branching between the OH + ethene product channels.

PMID- 20302319
TI  - Electrophilic aromatic substitution: the role of electronically excited states.
AB  - Electrophilic aromatic substitutions (EAS), one of the most extensively studied
      organic reactions, can be considered under certain circumstances as a
      photochemical reaction without light. Thermochemical considerations show that in
      the gas phase, the reaction system (electrophile plus aromatic neutral) is often
      found initially in an electronically excited state, whereas the reaction products
      are formed on the ground state potential energy surface (PES). The crossing to
      the ground state is usually very rapid, so that the rate-determining steps take
      place on the ground state surface. It is shown that after the crossing (through a
      conical intersection (CI)), the system can be found on different parts of the
      ground state potential surface. In particular, the CI is connected without a
      barrier to all moieties assumed to be important in the reaction (pi complex,
      radical pair, and sigma complex). In some cases, due to a relatively low electron
      affinity of the electrophile and bond reorganization, the reaction starts on the
      ground state PES; a conical intersection exists in these cases, but is not
      accessed by the reactants. The topology of the reaction surface due to the
      avoided crossing is reminiscent of that in which an actual crossing takes place.
      The paper provides a comprehensive model for several EAS reactions. The CIs are
      located computationally, and an energy level diagram is proposed for some
      representative EAS reactions.

PMID- 20302320
TI  - Reaction rates and mechanism of the ascorbic acid oxidation by molecular oxygen
      facilitated by Cu(II)-containing amyloid-beta complexes and aggregates.
AB  - A forefront of the research on Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the interaction of
      amyloid beta (Abeta) peptides with redox metal ions (e.g., Cu(II), Fe(III), and
      Fe(II)) and the biological relevance of the Abeta-metal complexes to neuronal
      cell loss and homeostasis of essential metals and other cellular species. This
      work is concerned with the kinetic and mechanistic studies of the ascorbic acid
      oxidation reaction by molecular oxygen that is facilitated by Cu(II) complexes
      with Abeta(1-16), Abeta(1-42), and aggregates of Abeta(1-42). The reaction rate
      was found to linearly increase with the concentrations of Abeta-Cu(II) and
      dissolved oxygen and be invariant with high ascorbic acid concentrations. The
      rate constants were measured to be 117.2 +/- 15.4 and 15.8 +/- 2.8 M(-1) s(-1) at
      low (<100 muM) and high AA concentrations, respectively. Unlike free Cu(II), in
      the presence of AA, Abeta-Cu(II) complexes facilitate the reduction of oxygen by
      producing H(2)O(2) as a major product. Such a conclusion is drawn on the basis
      that the reaction stoichiometry between AA and O(2) is 1:1 when the Abeta
      concentration is kept at a much greater value than that of Cu(II). A mechanism is
      proposed for the AA oxidation in which the oxidation states of the copper center
      in the Abeta complex alternates between 2+ and 1+. The catalytic activity of
      Cu(II) toward O(2) reduction was found to decrease in the order of free Cu(II) >
      Abeta(1-16)-Cu(II) > Abeta(1-42)-Cu(II) > Cu(II) complexed by the Abeta
      oligomer/fibril mixture > Cu(II) in Abeta fibrils. The finding that Cu(II) in
      oligomeric and fibrous Abeta aggregates possesses considerable activity toward
      H(2)O(2) generation is particularly significant, since in senile plaques of AD
      patients the coexisting copper and Abeta aggregates have been suggested to
      inflict oxidative stress through the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS).
      Although Cu(II) bound to oligomeric and fibrous Abeta aggregates is less
      effective than free Cu(II) and the monomeric Abeta-Cu(II) complex in producing
      ROS, in vivo the Cu(II)-containing Abeta oligomers and fibrils might be more
      biologically relevant given their stronger association with cell membranes and
      the closer proximity of ROS to cell membranes.

PMID- 20302321
TI  - Computational backbone mutagenesis of Abeta peptides: probing the role of
      backbone hydrogen bonds in aggregation.
AB  - Using replica exchange molecular dynamics (REMD) and united atom implicit solvent
      model we examine the role of backbone hydrogen bonds (HBs) in Abeta aggregation.
      The importance of HBs appears to depend on the aggregation stage. The backbone
      HBs have little effect on the stability of Abeta dimers or on their aggregation
      interface. The HBs also do not play a critical role in initial binding of Abeta
      peptides to the amyloid fibril. Their elimination does not change the continuous
      character of Abeta binding nor its temperature. However, cancellation of HBs
      forming between incoming Abeta peptides and the fibril disrupts the locked fibril
      like states in the bound peptides. Without the support of HBs, bound Abeta
      peptides form few long beta-strands on the fibril edge. As a result, the deletion
      of peptide-fibril HBs is expected to impede fibril growth. As for the peptides
      bound to Abeta fibril the deletion of interpeptide HBs reduces the beta
      propensity in the dimers making them less competent for amyloid assembly. These
      simulation findings together with the backbone mutagenesis experiments suggest
      that a viable strategy for arresting fibril growth is the disruption of
      interpeptide HBs.

PMID- 20302323
TI  - Organic-inorganic composite nanocoatings with superhydrophobicity, good
      transparency, and thermal stability.
AB  - Superhydrophobic, highly transparent, and stable organic-inorganic composite
      nanocoating is successfully prepared by a simple sol-gel dip-coating method. This
      method involves control of the aggregation of inorganic colloid particles by
      polymerization and ultrasonic vibration to create the desired micro/nanostructure
      in the coating. Superhydrophobicity and transparency of the coating can be
      controlled by adjusting the initial concentration of monomer and the size of
      aggregates in the sol-gel. Thus, superhydrophobicity and high transparency can be
      concurrently achieved in a single coating. The prepared coating also possesses
      good thermal stability. Its superhydrophobicity can be maintained from 20 to 90
      degrees C.

PMID- 20302324
TI  - Expeditious synthesis of benzopyrans via Lewis acid-catalyzed C-H
      functionalization: remarkable enhancement of reactivity by an ortho substituent.
AB  - An expeditious construction of a benzopyran skeleton via Lewis acid-catalyzed C-H
      functionalization was achieved. In this process, a [1,5] hydride shift and 6-endo
      cyclization successively occurred to give benzopyrans. The presence of
      substituents ortho to the alkoxy group significantly enhanced the reactivity,
      affording the desired compounds in excellent chemical yields with short reaction
      times.

PMID- 20302325
TI  - Selective synthesis of allenes and alkynes through ligand-controlled, palladium
      catalyzed decarboxylative hydrogenolysis of propargylic formates.
AB  - Ligand-controlled regioselective palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative
      hydrogenolysis of propargylic formates is described. A wide range of allenes and
      alkynes were obtained by using either 1,2-diphenylphosphinoethane (DPPE) or 1,6
      bisdiphenylphosphinohexane (DPPH) as a catalyst ligand.

PMID- 20302326
TI  - Metabonomics in ulcerative colitis.
AB  - A recent publication in the Journal of Proteome Research applied metabolic
      profiling ("metabonomics") to ulcerative colitis; several different biosamples
      were investigated ( J. Proteome Res. 2010 , 9 , 954 - 962 ). Comparing urinary
      profiles, no differences were found between cases and controls; in a previously
      published study ( Am. J. Gastroenterol. 2009 , 104 , 1435 - 1444 ), we had found
      significant differences. In this correspondence, the reasons for our experimental
      and analytical approach are explained, and the negative results of the Journal of
      Proteome Research study are discussed.

PMID- 20302328
TI  - Proteomic analysis of plasma from patients undergoing coronary artery bypass
      grafting reveals a protease/antiprotease imbalance in favor of the serpin alpha1
      antichymotrypsin.
AB  - We used proteomics to identify systematic changes in the plasma proteins of
      patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) by means of
      cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. It is known that, after CABG, a complex systemic
      inflammatory responses ensues that favors the occurrence of adverse postoperative
      complications frequently recognizing inflammation itself and/or thrombosis as the
      underlying mechanism. We found a marked and persistent postoperative increase in
      the levels of the serpin-protease inhibitor alpha(1)-antichymotrypsin (alpha(1)
      ACT) that fully maintains the inhibitory activity blunting its protease substrate
      cathepsin G. An intraoperative increase followed by a rapid decline in proteases
      activation was documented, accompanied by a substantial induction of leucine-rich
      alpha-2-glycoprotein, a protein involved in neutrophilic granulocyte
      differentiation. Finally, a time-dependent alteration in the expression of
      haptoglobin, transthyretin, clusterin, and apoE was observed. In conclusion, we
      showed that after CABG, a protease/antiprotease imbalance occurs with early
      cathepsin G activation and a more delayed increase in alpha(1)-ACT. As cathepsin
      G is a serpin involved both in inflammation and coagulation activation, this
      confirms and expands the concept of a marked dysregulation of both inflammatory
      and hemostatic balances occurring after CABG. The pharmacologic modulation of
      this imbalance may be a new therapeutic target to reduce postoperative
      complications.

PMID- 20302329
TI  - Insight into the cellular uptake mechanism of a secondary amphipathic cell
      penetrating peptide for siRNA delivery.
AB  - Delivery of siRNA remains a major limitation to their clinical application, and
      several technologies have been proposed to improve their cellular uptake. We
      recently described a peptide-based nanoparticle system for efficient delivery of
      siRNA into primary cell lines: CADY. CADY is a secondary amphipathic peptide that
      forms stable complexes with siRNA and improves their cellular uptake
      independently of the endosomal pathway. In the present work, we have combined
      molecular modeling, spectroscopy, and membrane interaction approaches in order to
      gain further insight into CADY/siRNA particle mechanism of interaction with
      biological membrane. We demonstrate that CADY forms stable complexes with siRNA
      and binds phospholipids tightly, mainly through electrostatic interactions.
      Binding to siRNA or phospholipids triggers a conformational transition of CADY
      from an unfolded state to an alpha-helical structure, thereby stabilizing
      CADY/siRNA complexes and improving their interactions with cell membranes.
      Therefore, we propose that CADY cellular membrane interaction is driven by its
      structural polymorphism which enables stabilization of both electrostatic and
      hydrophobic contacts with surface membrane proteoglycan and phospholipids.

PMID- 20302330
TI  - Enantioselective synthesis of (+)-estrone exploiting a hydrogen bond-promoted
      Diels-Alder reaction.
AB  - Starting from Dane's diene and methylcyclopentenedione, (+)-estrone is
      synthesized along the Quinkert-Dane route in 24% total yield. The key step is an
      enantioselective Diels-Alder reaction promoted by an amidinium catalyst as
      efficiently as by a traditional Ti-TADDOLate Lewis acid.

PMID- 20302333
TI  - Temperature dependence of Henry's law constant for hydrogen cyanide. Generation
      of trace standard gaseous hydrogen cyanide.
AB  - Primary data for the temperature dependent solubility of HCN in water do not
      presently exist for low concentrations of HCN at environmentally or
      physiologically relevant temperatures. Henry's Law constant (K(H), M/atm) for the
      vapor-solution equilibrium of HCN was determined in 0.1 M sodium phosphate buffer
      (adjusted to pH 9.00 +/- 0.03 at 296.6 +/- 0.1 K) from 287-311 K. Stable gas
      phase concentrations of HCN are generated by established techniques, via air
      equilibration of aqueous cyanide partitioned by a microporous membrane. The
      effluent gaseous HCN, in equilibrium with the constant temperature aqueous
      cyanide, was collected in dilute NaOH and determined by a spectrophotometrically
      using cobinamide. The K(H) of HCN may be expressed as ln K(H) (M/atm) = (8205.7
      +/- 341.9)/T - (25.323 +/- 1.144); r(2) = 0.9914) where T is the absolute
      temperature in K. This corresponds to 9.02 and 3.00 M/atm at 25 and 37.4 degrees
      C, respectively, compared to actual measurements of 9.86 and 3.22 at 25.0 and
      37.8 degrees C, respectively. The technique also allows for convenient generation
      of trace levels of HCN at ppbv-ppmv levels that can be further diluted.

PMID- 20302334
TI  - Considering time in LCA: dynamic LCA and its application to global warming impact
      assessments.
AB  - The lack of temporal information is an important limitation of life cycle
      assessment (LCA). A dynamic LCA approach is proposed to improve the accuracy of
      LCA by addressing the inconsistency of temporal assessment. This approach
      consists of first computing a dynamic life cycle inventory (LCI), considering the
      temporal profile of emissions. Then, time-dependent characterization factors are
      calculated to assess the dynamic LCI in real-time impact scores for any given
      time horizon. Although generally applicable to any impact category, this approach
      is developed here for global warming, based on the radiative forcing concept.
      This case study demonstrates that the use of global warming potentials for a
      given time horizon to characterize greenhouse gas emissions leads to an
      inconsistency between the time frame chosen for the analysis and the time period
      covered by the LCA results. Dynamic LCA is applied to the US EPA LCA on renewable
      fuels, which compares the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of different
      biofuels with fossil fuels including land-use change emissions. The comparison of
      the results obtained with both traditional and dynamic LCA approaches shows that
      the difference can be important enough to change the conclusions on whether or
      not a biofuel meets some given global warming reduction targets.

PMID- 20302335
TI  - Investigating lyophilization of lipid nanocapsules with fluorescence correlation
      spectroscopy.
AB  - This paper describes characterization of lyophilized lipid nanocapsules loaded
      with Alexa 488 by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS). Fluorimetry
      analysis of nanocapsules containing self-quenching concentrations of 5- and 6
      carboxyfluorescein was performed to establish a point of reference for FCS. FCS
      results complemented the results obtained by fluorimetry for a bulk nanocapsule
      solution and provided additional information about the size and dye retention by
      individual nanocapsules. Using this method, we determined that nanocapsules
      composed of the thiol-functionalized lipids showed the best dye retention and the
      most consistent results. Dye retention, size, and photolysis efficiency of these
      thiol-functionalized nanocapsules doped with a far-red photosensitizer did not
      change substantially upon lyophilization and storage at -20 degrees C for up to 2
      months, making lyophilization a suitable method for the long-term storage of
      nanocapsules with the appropriate lipid composition.

PMID- 20302336
TI  - SnO2-based dye-sensitized hybrid solar cells exhibiting near unity absorbed
      photon-to-electron conversion efficiency.
AB  - Improving the solar light harvesting and photon-to-electron conversion efficiency
      for hybrid, organic-inorganic photovoltaics are critical challenges. Titania
      based solid-state hybrid solar cells are moderately efficient at converting
      visible photons to electrons, but major electrical losses still remain. A
      material based paradigm shift is required to dramatically enhance the performance
      of these devices. Here, we present an investigation into solid-state dye
      sensitized solar cells (SDSCs) incorporating a molecular hole-transporter and
      mesoporous tin oxide electrodes, in place of titania usually employed. We
      investigate the influence of treating the surface of the SnO(2) with different
      oxides and find that MgO "passivated" SnO(2) electrodes demonstrate an
      unprecedented absorbed photon-to-electron conversion efficiency of near unity
      across a broad spectral range. A dual surface treatment of TiO(2) followed by MgO
      enables tuning of the solar cell photovoltage, fill factor, and efficiency with
      visible light absorbing cells delivering 3% solar-to-electrical full sun power
      conversion efficiency.

PMID- 20302337
TI  - Quantum confinement, surface roughness, and the conduction band structure of
      ultrathin silicon membranes.
AB  - We report direct measurements of changes in the conduction-band structure of
      ultrathin silicon nanomembranes with quantum confinement. Confinement lifts the 6
      fold-degeneracy of the bulk-silicon conduction-band minimum (CBM), Delta, and two
      inequivalent sub-band ladders, Delta(2) and Delta(4), form. We show that even
      very small surface roughness smears the nominally steplike features in the
      density of states (DOS) due to these sub-bands. We obtain the energy splitting
      between Delta(2) and Delta(4) and their shift with respect to the bulk value
      directly from the 2p(3/2)-->Delta transition in X-ray absorption. The measured
      dependence of the sub-band splitting and the shift of their weighted average on
      degree of confinement is in excellent agreement with theory, for both Si(001) and
      Si(110).

PMID- 20302338
TI  - Enantioselective alkenylation via nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling with
      organozirconium reagents.
AB  - A new family of organometallic compounds, organozirconium reagents, are shown to
      serve as suitable partners in cross-coupling reactions of (activated) secondary
      alkyl electrophiles. Thus, the first catalytic method for coupling secondary
      alpha-bromoketones with alkenylmetal reagents has been developed, specifically, a
      mild, versatile, and stereoconvergent carbon-carbon bond-forming process that
      generates potentially labile beta,gamma-unsaturated ketones with good
      enantioselectivity.

PMID- 20302339
TI  - Kinetics of yttrium-ligand complexation monitored using hyperpolarized (89)Y as a
      model for gadolinium in contrast agents.
AB  - Hyperpolarization by dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) enhances
      (89)Y spin magnetization by 3 to 4 orders of magnitude and provides a way to
      monitor yttrium-ligand complexation "on the fly" by means of (89)Y NMR. In this
      communication, we show an example of free yttrium Y(3+) being complexed with
      1,4,7,10-tetrakis(acetamido)-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane (DOTAM) to form
      [Y(DOTAM)(H(2)O)](3+) as a model for gadolinium in contrast agents.

PMID- 20302340
TI  - Functionally relevant interplay between the Fe(4)S(4) cluster and CN(-) ligands
      in the active site of [FeFe]-hydrogenases.
AB  - [FeFe]-hydrogenases are highly efficient H(2)-evolving metalloenzymes that
      include cyanides and carbonyls in the active site. The latter is an Fe(6)S(6)
      cluster (the so-called H-cluster) that can be subdivided into a binuclear portion
      carrying the CO and CN(-) groups and a tetranuclear subcluster. The fundamental
      role of cyanide ligands in increasing the basicity of the H-cluster has been
      highlighted previously. Here a more subtle but crucial role played by the two CN(
      ) ligands in the active site of [FeFe]-hydrogenases is disclosed. In fact, QM/MM
      calculations on all-atom models of the enzyme from Desulfovibrio desulfuricans
      show that the cyanide groups fine-tune the electronic and redox properties of the
      active site, affecting both the protonation regiochemistry and electron transfer
      between the two subclusters of the H-cluster. Despite the crucial role of
      cyanides in the protein active site, the currently available bioinspired
      electrocatalysts generally lack CN(-) groups in order to avoid competition
      between the latter and the catalytic metal centers for proton binding. In this
      respect, we show that a targeted inclusion of phosphine ligands in hexanuclear
      biomimetic clusters may restore the electronic and redox features of the wild
      type H-cluster.

PMID- 20302341
TI  - A clomazone immunoassay to study the environmental fate of the herbicide in rice
      (Oryza sativa) agriculture.
AB  - The environmental impact of rice agriculture is poorly studied in developing
      countries, mainly due to limitations of the analytical capacity. Here, we report
      the development of a clomazone enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay as a fast and
      cost-effective tool to monitor the dissipation of this herbicide along the
      harvest. Antibodies were prepared using different strategies of hapten
      conjugation, and the best hapten/antibody pair was selected. It proved to be a
      reliable tool to measure the herbicide in the 2.0-20 ng/mL range in field
      samples, with excellent correlation with high-performance liquid chromatography
      results. The assay was used to study the dissipation of the herbicide in the
      floodwater of experimental rice paddies in Uruguay. Large differences in the
      residual amounts of herbicide were observed depending on the flooding practices.
      Because of its robustness and simplicity, the assay may be useful to delineate
      and monitor management practices that can contribute to minimizing the release of
      the herbicide in the environment.

PMID- 20302342
TI  - Systematic analysis of the content of 502 polyphenols in 452 foods and beverages:
      an application of the phenol-explorer database.
AB  - Considerable information on polyphenol content in foods is scattered in up to
      1000 peer-reviewed publications and is therefore not easily exploited. Over 60000
      food composition data have been collected from this literature and stored in the
      new Phenol-Explorer database ( www.phenol-explorer.eu ). Thirty-seven thousand
      data were selected after evaluation and aggregated separately according to 5
      categories of analytical methods to generate mean content values for 502
      compounds (glycosides, esters, or aglycones) in 452 foods. These data are
      exploited here in a first systematic analysis of the content in foods of these
      502 polyphenols. These data will be useful for epidemiologists to determine
      polyphenol intake and associations with health and diseases in populations and
      for food scientitsts and food manufacturers to develop new products with
      optimized properties.

PMID- 20302343
TI  - Enrichment of armchair carbon nanotubes via density gradient ultracentrifugation:
      Raman spectroscopy evidence.
AB  - We have used resonant Raman scattering spectroscopy to fully analyze the relative
      abundances of different (n,m) species in single-walled carbon nanotube samples
      that are metallically enriched by density gradient ultracentrifugation.
      Strikingly, the data clearly show that our density gradient ultracentrifugation
      process enriches the metallic fractions in armchair and near-armchair species. We
      observe that armchair carbon nanotubes constitute more than 50% of each (2n + m)
      family.

PMID- 20302344
TI  - Structure of the ethylammonium nitrate surface: an X-ray reflectivity and
      vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy study.
AB  - X-ray reflectivity and vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy are used to probe
      the structure of the ethylammonium nitrate (EAN)-air interface. X-ray
      reflectivity reveals that the EAN-air interface is structured and consists of
      alternating nonpolar and charged layers that extend 31 A into the bulk.
      Vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy reveals interfacial cations have their
      ethyl moieties oriented toward air, with the CH(3) C(3) axis positioned
      approximately 36.5 degrees from interface normal. This structure is invariant
      between 15 and 51 degrees C. On account of its molecular symmetry, the
      orientation of the nitrate anion cannot be determined with certainty.

PMID- 20302346
TI  - Zinc chloride promoted formal oxidative coupling of aromatic aldehydes and
      isocyanides to alpha-ketoamides.
AB  - Reaction of aromatic aldehydes and isocyanides in the presence of N
      methylhydroxyamine, acetic acid, and zinc chloride affords the aryl alpha
      ketoamides in moderate to good yields.

PMID- 20302345
TI  - Porous polymer monolithic column with surface-bound gold nanoparticles for the
      capture and separation of cysteine-containing peptides.
AB  - A new porous polymer monolithic capillary column modified with gold nanoparticles
      that enables the selective capture of cysteine-containing peptides has been
      developed to reduce the complexity of peptide mixtures generated in bottom-up
      proteomic analysis. The column is prepared from a poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co
      ethylene dimethacrylate) monolith through reaction of some of its epoxide
      moieties with cysteamine to afford a monolith rich in surface thiol groups. In
      situ reduction of chloroauric acid within the column is then used to form gold
      nanoparticles attached to the surface of the pores of the monolith. This process
      preserves the excellent hydrodynamic properties of the monolithic column while
      providing a means to selectively retain cysteine-containing peptides from an
      analyte due to their high affinity for gold. Release of the retained peptides is
      subsequently achieved with an excess of 2-mercaptoethanol. The loading capacity
      determined for l-cysteine using frontal elution is 2.58 mumol/m. Since the gold
      thiol link is less stable at elevated temperatures, the adsorption capacity is
      recovered by washing the column at 80 degrees C for 2 h. While regeneration is
      easy, the multiplicity of bonds between the monolithic support and the gold
      nanoparticles prevents their elution even under harsh conditions such as
      treatment with pure 2-mercaptoethanol or treatment with boiling water for 5 h.
      Application of the gold modified monolith in tandem with a packed C18 capillary
      column is demonstrated with baseline separation of a peptide mixture achieved in
      a two step process. The first involves retention of cysteine-containing peptides
      in monolith with reversed phase separation of all other peptides, while the
      retained peptides are released from monolith and separated in the second step.

PMID- 20302347
TI  - Systematic electron crystallographic studies of self-assembled binary nanocrystal
      superlattices.
AB  - Multicomponent nanocrystal assemblies have received great attention due to their
      fundamental role in the study of self-assembly and novel physical properties
      arising from particle interactions. Here, we report the formation of the first
      binary nanocrystal superlattices (BNSLs) consisting of different-sized Fe3O4
      nanocrystals. We establish a framework to systematically study the structure of
      BNSLs using a dual-axis tomography TEM holder. The tilt series obtained not only
      allows us to map the three-dimensional (3D) structure of icosahdedral AB(13) (ico
      AB(13)) and AlB(2)-type BNSLs but also uncovers the structural differences among
      the projections of ico-AB(13), cuboctahedral AB(13) (cub-AB(13)), and AlB(2).
      This structural characterization method is general and is important for further
      exploration of structural diversity in BNSLs and in the development of rigorous
      structure-property relationships in BNSLs. The formation of ico-AB(13) and AlB(2)
      BNSLs from electrostatically neutral Fe3O4 nanoparticles is consistent with the
      space-filling principles and further supports entropy as the dominant factor
      during the growth of these BNSLs.

PMID- 20302348
TI  - An unprecedented biogenetic-type chemical synthesis of 1(15-->11) abeotaxanes
      from normal taxanes.
AB  - A one-pot chemical process using BF(3).Et(2)O for the synthesis of a new class of
      1(15-->11) abeotaxanes from normal taxanes has been developed. The chemical
      structures of rearranged 1(15-->11) abeotaxane were established by extensive 2D
      NMR spectroscopic data.

PMID- 20302349
TI  - Kinetics of chemical degradation in monoclonal antibodies: relationship between
      rates at the molecular and peptide levels.
AB  - This article describes a method to analyze the kinetics of monoclonal antibody
      degradation and to determine the quantitative relationship between the
      degradation rates observed at the molecular and peptide levels. The proposed
      model can be applied to any degradation pathway that can be well approximated by
      a first order reaction; if several pathways exist, the model assumes that they
      are independent. Three examples are presented to illustrate the benefits of this
      approach. For each case, the calculated fractions of species were compared to one
      or more data sets to demonstrate the good agreement between experimental results
      and model prediction. This method can serve as a valuable tool in interpreting
      chromatograms of degraded samples and predicting the population of species
      present at the molecular level when only data from degradation observed at the
      peptide level is available. This method further demonstrates how deviations from
      predictions of simple models can be used to unravel additional, unforeseen
      reactions.

PMID- 20302350
TI  - Controlled storage of ferrocene derivatives as redox-active molecules in
      dendrimers.
AB  - Dendritic polyphenylazomethines (DPA) could encapsulate ferroceniums by
      complexation of the electron-donating skeleton of the DPA imines. Upon addition
      of ferroceniums to a series of dendritic polyphenylazomethines (DPAGX, where X is
      the generation number, X = 1-4), the UV-vis spectra showed changes in a manner
      similar to that observed for the complexation of metal ions with DPAGX. Stepwise
      shifts in the isosbestic point were consistently observed with the number of
      imine groups in the first and second layers of the generation-4 dendrimer
      (DPAG4). DPAG2 and DPAG3 were also found to trap 6 equiv of ferroceniums. To
      investigate the complexation, UV-vis spectroscopy, (57)Fe Mossbauer spectroscopy,
      electrospray ionization-mass spectroscopy (ESI-MS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and
      fluorescence spectroscopy were performed. We confirmed that neutral ferrocenes
      cannot complex with the imine group while ferroceniums can. Utilizing the redox
      property of ferrocenes, we were able to electrochemically control the
      encapsulation and release of ferrocenes into the DPA in a manner similar to redox
      responsive proteins such as ferritin. In addition to ferrocenes, oligoferrocenes
      could also be trapped in the DPA. The biferrocene cation(1+) was particularly
      suitable for electrochemical switching due to its stable mixed valence condition.
      The terferrocene dication(2+) encapsulated into DPAG4 could be fabricated into a
      thin film, which exhibited the near-infrared absorption of an intervalence charge
      transfer (IV-CT) band, pointing the way toward the use of such systems in
      material science.

PMID- 20302351
TI  - xComb: a cross-linked peptide database approach to protein-protein interaction
      analysis.
AB  - We developed an informatic method to identify tandem mass spectra composed of
      chemically cross-linked peptides from those of linear peptides and to assign
      sequence to each of the two unique peptide sequences. For a given set of proteins
      the key software tool, xComb, combs through all theoretically feasible cross
      linked peptides to create a database consisting of a subset of all combinations
      represented as peptide FASTA files. The xComb library of select theoretical cross
      linked peptides may then be used as a database that is examined by a standard
      proteomic search engine to match tandem mass spectral data sets to identify cross
      linked peptides. The database search may be conducted against as many as 50
      proteins with a number of common proteomic search engines, e.g. Phenyx, Sequest,
      OMSSA, Mascot and X!Tandem. By searching against a peptide library of linearized,
      cross-linked peptides, rather than a linearized protein library, search times are
      decreased and the process is decoupled from any specific search engine. A further
      benefit of decoupling from the search engine is that protein cross-linking
      studies may be conducted with readily available informatics tools for which
      scoring routines already exist within the proteomic community.

PMID- 20302353
TI  - Metabolomic patterns in glioblastoma and changes during radiotherapy: a clinical
      microdialysis study.
AB  - We employed stereotactic microdialysis to sample extracellular fluid
      intracranially from glioblastoma patients, before and during the first five days
      of conventional radiotherapy treatment. Microdialysis catheters were implanted in
      the contrast enhancing tumor as well as in the brain adjacent to tumor (BAT).
      Reference samples were collected subcutaneously from the patients' abdomen. The
      samples were analyzed by gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC
      TOF MS), and the acquired data was processed by hierarchical multivariate curve
      resolution (H-MCR) and analyzed with orthogonal partial least-squares (OPLS). To
      enable detection of treatment-induced alterations, the data was processed by
      individual treatment over time (ITOT) normalization. One-hundred fifty-one
      metabolites were reliably detected, of which 67 were identified. We found
      distinct metabolic differences between the intracranially collected samples from
      tumor and the BAT region. There was also a marked difference between the
      intracranially and the subcutaneously collected samples. Furthermore, we observed
      systematic metabolic changes induced by radiotherapy treatment among both tumor
      and BAT samples. The metabolite patterns affected by treatment were different
      between tumor and BAT, both containing highly discriminating information, ROC
      values of 0.896 and 0.821, respectively. Our findings contribute to increased
      molecular knowledge of basic glioblastoma pathophysiology and point to the
      possibility of detecting metabolic marker patterns associated to early treatment
      response.

PMID- 20302354
TI  - Galactosylated poly(2-(2-aminoethyoxy)ethoxy)phosphazene/DNA complex
      nanoparticles: in vitro and in vivo evaluation for gene delivery.
AB  - To achieve efficient gene delivery to the tumor after intravenous administration,
      biodegradable poly(2-(2-aminoethyoxy)ethoxy)phosphazene (PAEP) was modified by
      lactobionic acid, bearing a galactose group as a targeting ligand. Galactosylated
      poly(2-(2-aminoethyoxy)ethoxy)phosphazene (Gal-PAEP) with 4.9% substitution
      degree of galactose could condense pDNA into nanoparticles with a size around 130
      nm at the polymer/DNA ratio (N/P) of 2-40. For BEL-7402 cells, the in vitro
      transfection efficiency of gal-PAEP/DNA complex nanoparticles (gal-PACNs) was
      much higher than that of the PAEP/DNA complex nanoparticles (PACNs). MTT assay
      indicated that the cytotoxicity of PACNs significantly decreased after
      conjugating with the galactose moiety. Gal-PACNs displayed the selective gene
      expression in the tumor and liver with relatively low gene expression in the lung
      or other organs compared with PACNs. These results suggested that gal-PACNs could
      be a promising targeting gene carrier to deliver a therapeutic gene in future.

PMID- 20302352
TI  - Critical role of the isoform-specific region in alpha1-Na,K-ATPase trafficking
      and protein Kinase C-dependent regulation.
AB  - The isoform-specific region (ISR) is a region of structural heterogeneity among
      the four isoforms of the catalytic alpha-subunit of the Na,K-ATPase and an
      important structural determinant for isoform-specific functions. In the present
      study, we examined the role of a potential dileucine clathrin adaptor recognition
      motif [DE]XXXL[LI] embedded within the alpha1-ISR. To this end, a rat alpha1
      construct where leucine 499 was replaced by a valine (as found in the alpha2
      isoform sequence) was compared to wild-type rat alpha1 after stable expression in
      opossum kidney cells. Total Na,K-ATPase expression, activity, or in situ
      (86)Rb(+) transport was not affected by the L499V mutation. However, surface Na,K
      ATPase expression was nearly doubled. This increase was associated with a reduced
      rate of internalization from the cell surface of about 50% after a 4 h chase and
      became undetectable if clathrin-coated pit-mediated trafficking was blocked with
      chlorpromazine. Further, PKC-induced stimulation of Na,K-ATPase-mediated
      (86)Rb(+) uptake was doubled in mutant-expressing cells, comparable to the
      chimera containing the intact alpha2-ISR. Similar results were observed when the
      potential motif was disrupted by means of an E495S mutation. These findings
      suggest that a dileucine motif embedded within the Na,K-ATPase alpha1-ISR plays a
      critical role in the surface expression of Na,K-ATPase alpha1 polypeptides at
      steady state and in the response to PKC activation.

PMID- 20302355
TI  - Isocyano analogues of [Co(CO)(4)](n): a tetraisocyanide of cobalt isolated in
      three states of charge.
AB  - The encumbering m-terphenyl isocyanide ligand, CNAr(Mes2) (Mes = 2,4,6
      Me(3)C(6)H(2)), is used to stabilize homoleptic tetraisocyanide complexes of
      cobalt in the 1-, 0, and 1+ charge state. Most importantly, these complexes serve
      as isolable analogues of the binary carbonyl complexes [Co(CO)(4)](-), Co(CO)(4),
      and [Co(CO)(4)](+). Sodium amalgam reduction of CoCl(2) in the presence of
      CNAr(Mes2) provides the salt Na[Co(CNAr(Mes2))(4)], which can be oxidized with 1
      equiv of ferrocenium triflate (FcOTf) to the neutral complex, Co(CNAr(Mes2))(4).
      X-ray diffraction, FTIR spectroscopy, and low-temperature EPR spectroscopy reveal
      that Co(CNAr(Mes2))(4) modulates between D(2d)- and C(2v)-symmetric forms. DFT
      calculations are used to rationalize this structural modulation in terms of
      thermal access to low-energy b(2)-symmetric C-Co-C bending modes. Treatment of
      Na[Co(CNAr(Mes2))(4)] with 2 equiv of FcOTf, followed by addition of
      Na[BAr(F)(4)], provides the salt [Co(CNAr(Mes2))(4)]BAr(F)(4), which contains a
      diamagnetic, square planar monovalent cobalt center. The molecular and electronic
      structures of [Co(CNAr(Mes2))(4)]BAr(F)(4) are compared and contrasted to the
      reported properties of the carbonyl cation, [Co(CO)(4)](+).

PMID- 20302356
TI  - Is [FeO](2+) the active center also in iron containing zeolites? A density
      functional theory study of methane hydroxylation catalysis by Fe-ZSM-5 zeolite.
AB  - Arguments are put forward that the active alpha-oxygen site in the Fe-ZSM-5
      catalyst consists of the FeO(2+) moiety. It is demonstrated that this zeolite
      site for FeO(2+) indeed obeys the design principles for high reactivity of the
      FeO(2+) moiety proposed earlier: a ligand environment consisting of weak
      equatorial donors (rather oxygen based than nitrogen based) and very weak or
      absent trans axial donor. The alpha-oxygen site would then owe its high
      reactivity to the same electronic structure features that lends FeO(2+) its high
      activity in biological systems, as well as in the classical Fenton chemistry.

PMID- 20302357
TI  - Formation and properties of organo-phosphatase complexes by abiotic and biotic
      polymerization of pyrogallol-phosphatase mixtures.
AB  - In this paper, the catalytic efficacy of peroxidase and manganese oxide, both
      commonly present in soil, to catalyze the formation of pyrogallol-phosphatase
      complexes was compared. The influence of several factors (e.g., the concentration
      of pyrogallol, the amount of catalysts, the nature of manganese oxide,
      birnessite, or pyrolusite, the incubation time, and the pH) on the transformation
      of pyrogallol and the characteristics and properties of the pyrogallol
      phosphatase interaction products were investigated. The pyrogallol transformation
      mediated by both catalysts was very fast and increased by increasing the catalyst
      concentration. The nature of the catalyst also influenced the size and the
      molecular mass of the formed complexes. When polymerization of pyrogallol
      occurred with high intensity, a loss of phosphatase activity occurred, and it
      strongly depended on the pH at which the process was carried out and the
      catalyst. In particular, with peroxidase, the phosphatase activity was much lower
      in either suspensions or supernatants and not measurable in the insoluble
      complexes as compared to that measured in the presence of manganese oxides.

PMID- 20302358
TI  - Antioxidant activity of wines determined by a polarographic assay based on
      hydrogen peroxide scavenge.
AB  - Antioxidant (AO) activity of various red and white wines of different origin as
      well as some individual phenolic compounds present in wine has been assessed
      using a polarographic assay. Direct current polarography has been used to survey
      hydrogen peroxide scavenge (HPS) upon gradual addition of tested samples. Results
      expressed as reciprocal value of wine volume required for 50% decrease of anodic
      limiting current of hydrogen peroxide have been validated through correlation
      with Folin-Ciocalteau and DPPH assays. All wines exhibit HPS activity analogous
      with total phenolic content and DPPH scavenge. Reliability and accuracy, low
      cost, and rapid and direct experimental procedure open a wide area for
      application of this assay, making it a good alternative to standard, widely
      accepted AO assays.

PMID- 20302359
TI  - Intramolecular anodic olefin coupling reactions: using competition studies to
      probe the mechanism of oxidative cyclization reactions.
AB  - A competition experiment was designed so that the relative rates of anodic
      cyclization reactions under various electrolysis conditions can be determined.
      Reactions with ketene dithioacetal and enol ether-based substrates that use
      lithium methoxide as a base were shown to proceed through radical cation
      intermediates that were trapped by a sulfonamide anion. Results for the oxidative
      coupling of a vinyl sulfide with a sulfonamide anion using the same conditions
      were consistent with the reaction proceeding through a nitrogen-radical.

PMID- 20302360
TI  - A straightforward three-component synthesis of alpha-amino esters containing a
      phenylalanine or a phenylglycine scaffold.
AB  - A range of alpha-amino esters has been synthesized in good to high yields using a
      straightforward three-component reaction among preformed or in situ generated
      aromatic or benzylic organozinc reagents, primary or secondary amines, and ethyl
      glyoxylate. The procedure, which is characterized by its simplicity, allows the
      concise synthesis of esters bearing a phenylglycine or a phenylalanine scaffold.

PMID- 20302361
TI  - Asymmetric acid-catalyzed Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley-Aldol reactions of enolizable
      aldehydes.
AB  - A highly, stereo- and regioselective Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley-Aldol
      etherification process of enolizable aldehydes is described. This new
      transformation is catalyzed by trifluoroacetic acid. The method also allows cross
      aldol reactions with alpha-branched enolizable aldehydes and thus provides access
      to defined configured quaternary stereogenic centers.

PMID- 20302362
TI  - Synthesis of polysubstituted furans based on a stepwise Sonogashira coupling of
      (Z)-3-iodoalk-2-en-1-ols with terminal propargylic alcohols and subsequent Au(I)-
      or Pd(II)-catalyzed cyclization-aromatization via elimination of H2O.
AB  - Recently, we have developed highly regio- and stereoselective carbometalation of
      2-alkynols and 2,3-allenols. The organometallacyclic intermediates may be trapped
      with I(2) to afford 3-iodoalk-2-en-1-ols. These 3-iodoalk-2-en-1-ols may readily
      undergo the Sonogashira coupling with terminal propargyl alcohols to form 4-alkyn
      2-ene-1,6-diols. Subsequent cycloisomerization in DMA or CH(2)Cl(2) with
      Au(PPh(3))Cl and AgOTf as the catalyst would afford polysubstituted 2-(1
      alkenyl)furans; with PdCl(2) as the catalyst and the reaction in DMA in the
      presence of allylic bromides, the same substrates afforded polysubstituted 2-(1,4
      alkadienyl)furans. In both types of catalyzed cyclization reactions, the
      elimination of H(2)O promoted the aromatization to form the furan ring. Different
      alkyl or aryl groups could be introduced into different positions of furans due
      to the substituent-loading capability of 3-iodoalkenols and diversity of the
      terminal propargyl alcohols and allylic bromides.

PMID- 20302363
TI  - Forecasting global generation of obsolete personal computers.
AB  - Electronic waste (e-waste) has emerged as a new policy priority around the world.
      Motivations to address e-waste include rapidly growing waste streams, concern
      over the environmental fate of heavy metals and other substances in e-waste, and
      impacts of informal recycling in developing countries. Policy responses to global
      e-waste focus on banning international trade in end-of-life electronics, the
      premise being that e-waste is mainly generated in the developed world and then
      exported to the developing world. Sales of electronics have, however, been
      growing rapidly in developing nations, raising the question of whether informal
      recycling in developing countries driven by international trade or domestic
      generation. This paper addresses this question by forecasting the global
      generation of obsolete personal computers (PCs) using the logistic model and
      material flow analysis. Results show that the volume of obsolete PCs generated in
      developing regions will exceed that of developed regions by 2016-2018. By 2030,
      the obsolete PCs from developing regions will reach 400-700 million units, far
      more than from developed regions at 200-300 million units. Future policies to
      mitigate the impacts of informal recycling should address the domestic situation
      in developing countries.

PMID- 20302364
TI  - Chlorine monoxide (Cl(2)O) and molecular chlorine (Cl(2)) as active chlorinating
      agents in reaction of dimethenamid with aqueous free chlorine.
AB  - HOCl is often assumed to represent the active oxidant in solutions of free
      available chlorine (FAC). We present evidence that Cl(2)O and Cl(2) can play a
      greater role than HOCl during chlorination of the herbicide dimethenamid.
      Reaction orders in [FAC] were determined at various solution conditions and
      ranged from 1.10 +/- 0.13 to 1.78 +/- 0.22, consistent with the concurrent
      existence of reactions that appear first-order and second-order in [FAC].
      Solution pH, [Cl(-)], [FAC], and temperature were systematically varied so that
      the reactivity and activation parameters of each FAC species could be delineated.
      Modeling of kinetic data afforded calculation of second-order rate constants
      (units: M(-1) s(-1)) at 25 degrees C: k(Cl2O) = (1.37 +/- 0.17) x 10(6), k(Cl2) =
      (1.21 +/- 0.06) x 10(6), and k(HOCl) = 0.18 +/- 0.10. Under conditions typical of
      drinking water chlorination, Cl(2)O is the predominant chlorinating agent of
      dimethenamid. To the extent that Cl(2)O represents the active species in
      reactions with other disinfection byproduct (DBP) precursors, the influence of
      [FAC] and pH on DBP precursor reaction rates is different than if HOCl were the
      principal oxidant. Moreover, these findings call into question the validity of
      apparent rate constants (k(app)) commonly reported in the chlorination
      literature.

PMID- 20302365
TI  - s-Tetrazines as building blocks for new functional molecules and molecular
      materials.

PMID- 20302366
TI  - How PCBs are like grasshoppers.

PMID- 20302367
TI  - Environmental assessment of the CIESOL solar building after two years operation.
AB  - Life cycle assessment is applied to assess the environmental benefits and trade
      offs of a solar-assisted heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system
      installed in the CIESOL building in Almeria (southeastern Spain). The
      environmental performance of this system is compared to that of a conventional
      HVAC system using a heat pump. The study evaluates these systems from cradle to
      grave, and the impact assessment includes, in addition to the CML2001 method, an
      impact category dealing with impacts on freshwater resources. The results show
      that the solar-assisted HVAC involves lower impacts in many impact categories,
      achieving, as an example, a reduction of 80% in greenhouse-gas emissions. On the
      other hand, key weak points of this system are the production of capital goods,
      but specially water use for cooling, due to its high impact on freshwater
      resources. Minimization of water requirements should be a priority for further
      development of this promising technology.

PMID- 20302368
TI  - The active species in drinking water chlorination: the case for Cl(2)O.

PMID- 20302369
TI  - Effects of chitosan and rosmarinate esters on the physical and oxidative
      stability of liposomes.
AB  - Liposomes have substantial potential to deliver bioactive compounds in foods.
      However, the oxidative degradation and physical instability of liposomes limit
      their utilization. This research evaluated the ability of chitosan and rosmarinic
      acid and its esters to increase the physical and oxidative stability of
      liposomes. Particle size analysis studies showed that the physical stability of
      liposomes was enhanced by depositing a layer of cationic chitosan onto the
      negatively charged liposomes. The combination of octadecyl rosmarinate (40
      microM) and chitosan coating resulted in significantly greater inhibition of
      lipid oxidation in the liposomes compared to chitoson or octadecyl rosmarinate
      alone. Increasing the concentrations of octadecyl rosmarinate to a concentration
      of 40 microM in the chitosan-coated liposomes decreased lipid oxidation. Only
      butyl rosmarinate exhibited stronger antioxidant activity than free rosmarinic
      acid. Eicosyl rosmarinate (20 carbons) had lower antioxidant activity than all
      other rosmarinic acid derivatives. These results suggest that by combining the
      inclusion of appropriate antioxidants such as rosmarinic acid and the deposition
      of a chitosan coating onto the surface of liposomes may significantly increase
      the oxidative and physical stability of liposomes.

PMID- 20302370
TI  - Phenolic compounds in cherry ( Prunus avium ) heartwood with a view to their use
      in cooperage.
AB  - The phenolic and tannic composition of heartwood extracts from Prunus avium ,
      commonly known as cherry tree, before and after toasting in cooperage were
      studied using HPLC-DAD and HPLC-DAD/ESI-MS. Nonflavonoid (16 compounds) and
      flavonoid (27 compounds) polyphenols were identified, 12 of them in only a
      tentative way. The nonflavonoids found were lignin constituents, and their
      pattern is different compared to oak, since they include compounds such as
      protocatechuic acid and aldehyde, p-coumaric acid, methyl vanillate, methyl
      syringate, and benzoic acid, but not ellagic acid, and only a small quantity of
      gallic acid. In seasoned wood we found a great variety of flavonoid compounds
      which have not been found in oak wood for cooperage, mainly, in addition to the
      flavan-3-ols (+)-catechin, a B-type procyanidin dimer, and a B-type procyanidin
      trimer, the flavanones naringenin, isosakuranetin, and eriodictyol and the
      flavanonols aromadendrin and taxifolin. Seasoned and toasted cherry wood showed
      different ratios of flavonoid to nonflavonoid compounds, since toasting results
      in the degradation of flavonoids, and the formation of nonflavonoids from lignin
      degradation. On the other hand, the absence of hydrolyzable tannins in cherry
      wood, which are very important in oak wood, is another particular characteristic
      of this wood that should be taken into account when considering its use in
      cooperage.

PMID- 20302371
TI  - Pharmacokinetics of adenosine and cordycepin, a bioactive constituent of
      Cordyceps sinensis in rat.
AB  - Cordycepin is a bioactive constituent of Cordyceps sinensis that has been shown
      to regulate homeostatic function. As an adenosine analogue, it is possible
      cordycepin goes through a similar metabolic pathway to that of adenosine. To
      investigate this hypothesis, a sensitive liquid chromatography with photodiode
      array detector (HPLC-PDA) coupled to a microdialysis sampling system was
      developed to monitor cordycepin and adenosine in rat blood and liver. Other
      endogenous nucleosides were simultaneously measured to further understand the
      downstream metabolic pathway. The experiments were divided into six parallel
      groups for drug administration: (1) normal saline vehicle, (2) adenosine, (3)
      cordycepin, (4) normal saline + erythro-9-(2-hydroxy-3-nonyl)adenine (EHNA; a
      potent adenosine deaminase inhibitor), (5) adenosine + EHNA, and (6) cordycepin +
      EHNA. The pharmacokinetic results suggest that the levels of both adenosine and
      cordycepin decreased rapidly in blood around 30 min after drug administration.
      When adenosine was given, the concentrations of adenosine metabolites,
      hypoxanthinosine and hypoxanthine, increased in rat blood. This phenomenon was
      inhibited by EHNA pretreatment. An unidentified peak was observed in the blood
      and liver samples after cordycepin administration. The decline of this
      unidentified peak paralleled the decreased of the concentration of cordycepin,
      and it was not observed in the presence of the adenosine deaminase inhibitor. It
      is concluded that adenosine and cordycepin had short elimination half-lives and
      high rates of clearance and their biotransformation was suppressed by EHNA.

PMID- 20302372
TI  - Fractionation of alkali-solubilized hemicelluloses from delignified Populus
      gansuensis: structure and properties.
AB  - The dewaxed cell walls of Populus gansuensis were delignified with NaClO(2) and
      then sequentially extracted with 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 M KOH under a solid to liquid
      ratio of 1: 25 (g mL(-1)) at 25 degrees C for 10 h. The successive treatments
      together resulted in the dissolution of 83.7% of original hemicelluloses. The
      solubilized hemicellulosic fractions were further fractionated into six
      hemicellulosic subfractions by an iodine-complex precipitation technique. Their
      chemical and physical characteristics were determined by HPAEC, GPC, FT-IR, and
      (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy. Neutral sugar composition and molecular weight
      analysis showed that, for each extract, the hemicellulosic subfractions that
      precipitated with aqueous potassium iodide-iodine had lower overall uronic
      acid/xylose (Uro/Xyl) ratios and higher molecular weights (M(w)) than those
      remaining in the solution. FT-IR, (1)H, and (13)C NMR spectroscopy analysis
      indicated that the alkali-soluble hemicelluloses of Populus gansuensis had a
      structure composed of the (1 --> 4)-linked beta-D-xylopyranosyl backbone with 4-O
      methyl-alpha-D-glucuronic acid attached to O-2 of the xylose residues.

PMID- 20302373
TI  - Neurotrophic and cytoprotective action of luteolin in PC12 cells through ERK
      dependent induction of Nrf2-driven HO-1 expression.
AB  - Luteolin (3',4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone), a food-derived flavonoid, has been
      reported to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities. In
      this work, we assessed whether luteolin has neurotrophic activity, namely, the
      ability to induce neurite outgrowth and to attenuate serum withdrawal-induced
      cytotoxicity in PC12 cells. Our results show that luteolin significantly induced
      neurite outgrowth along with increased expression of the differentiation marker,
      growth-associated protein-43 (GAP-43), in PC12 cells dose-dependently. Incubation
      of serum-deprived PC12 cells with luteolin prevented apoptosis, increased the
      expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) mRNA and protein levels, and enhanced the
      binding of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) to antioxidant response
      element (ARE), which works as an enhancer sequence in the HO-1 promoter. Addition
      of zinc protoporphyrin (Znpp), a selective HO-1 competitive inhibitor,
      significantly reduced the cytoprotective ability of luteolin, indicating the
      vital role of HO-1. Luteolin also persistently activated extracellular signal
      regulated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2); while the addition of U0126, a
      pharmacological MEK/ERK inhibitor, attenuated luteolin-induced Nrf2 binding
      activity, HO-1 expression, cytoprotective effect, and neurite outgrowth. Taken
      together, the above findings suggest that luteolin induces neurite outgrowth and
      augments cellular antioxidant defense capacity, at least in part, through the
      activation of the ERK signaling pathway.

PMID- 20302374
TI  - Effects of management factors on the concentration of a high molecular weight
      polysaccharide fraction from log-grown shiitake mushrooms (Lentinula edodes
      (Berk.) Pegler).
AB  - Shiitake mushrooms have a reputation as a healthy food. Growers may be able to
      use the presence of health-promoting constituents as a marketing tool to promote
      sales of their products for premium prices. There are few reports on the effects
      of management protocols for log-grown shiitakes on the concentrations of
      constituents to guide growers. This paper summarizes several studies that
      examined the effects of shiitake strains, mushroom cap development, and length of
      saprophytic association on the concentrations of a high molecular weight
      polysaccharide fraction that includes lentinan (HMWP). Concentrations of HMWP in
      mushrooms varied as much as 8-fold during fruiting among the 12 strains tested in
      these studies. Results also indicate that the concentrations of HMWP in shiitake
      mushrooms are influenced by the fungal phenotype and the characteristics of the
      environment. General trends showed that (1) mushrooms harvested at more immature
      stages of development (during bud break or before veil break) tended to have
      higher concentrations of HMWP and (2) the initial harvests of mushrooms from an
      inoculated log tend to have higher concentrations of HMWP than subsequent
      harvests. Results suggest that growers interested in maximizing the HMWP content
      of their mushrooms should use shiitake strains NN-430 and 569-430.

PMID- 20302375
TI  - The impact of genotype and salinity on physiological function, secondary
      metabolite accumulation, and antioxidative responses in lettuce.
AB  - Salinity inhibits plant growth due to osmotic and ionic effects. However, little
      is known about the impact of genotype and salinity on biochemical and molecular
      processes in the leafy vegetable lettuce. We report here evaluations of two
      lettuce types, Verte (NaCl tolerant) and Romaine (NaCl sensitive), under iso
      osmotic 100 mM NaCl and 77 mM Na(2)SO(4) treatments. As compared to Romaine, NaCl
      treated Verte displayed better growth, contained lower levels of inorganic
      cations in leaves, and possessed superior antioxidative capacity due to enhanced
      carotenoid and phenolics biosynthesis and more active antioxidative enzymes
      resulting in reduced membrane damage. Both genotypes had relatively similar
      growth patterns under Na(2)SO(4) treatment, but Romaine showed enhanced root
      lignification, greater malondialdehyde formation, and suppressed Fe-superoxide
      dismutase expression in roots as compared with Verte.

PMID- 20302377
TI  - Lipoic acid: an immunomodulator that attenuates glycinin-induced anaphylactic
      reactions in a rat model.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to evaluate the attenuation effects of consuming a
      small dose of lipoic acid on soybean glycinin-induced hypersensitivity using a
      rat model. Sensitized by gavage with glycinin, weaned rats were orally
      supplemented with the diet containing 12.5 mug of lipoic acid/g (per diet).
      Results showed that untreated, sensitized rats demonstrated an increase in the
      level of serum IgE, the level of histamine release, and incidence of diarrhea and
      reduced growth performance compared with the controls (P < 0.05). Lipoic acid
      significantly (P < 0.05) improved growth performance while reducing mast cell
      numbers, the level of serum IgE, and the level of histamine release. Lipoic acid
      supplementation altered the balance of cytokines, attenuated the Th2-type immune
      response, and amended the ratio of CD4(+) to CD8(+) T cells (P < 0.05). Our
      results suggest that a small dose of lipoic acid has the potential to be an
      immunomodulator to prevent soybean-induced allergies.

PMID- 20302378
TI  - Comparison of different strategies for soybean antioxidant extraction.
AB  - Three extraction strategies including Soxhlet extraction, conventional solid
      liquid extraction, and ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) were compared for
      their efficiency to extract phenolic antioxidants from Virginia-grown soybean
      seeds. Five extraction solvents were evaluated in UAE and the conventional
      extraction. The soybean extracts were compared for their total phenolic contents
      (TPC), oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), and 2,2-diphenyl-1
      picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH(*)) scavenging activities. The results showed that
      UAE improved the extraction of soybean phenolic compounds by >54% compared to the
      conventional and Soxhlet extractions. Among the tested solvents, 50% acetone was
      the most efficient for extracting soybean phenolic compounds. There was no
      significant correlation between the TPC and antioxidant activities of the soybean
      extracts. The extracts prepared by 70% ethanol had the highest ORAC values.
      Overall, UAE with 50% acetone or 70% ethanol is recommended for extracting
      soybean antioxidants on the basis of the TPC and ORAC results.

PMID- 20302376
TI  - First principles insight into the alpha-glucan structures of starch: their
      synthesis, conformation, and hydration.

PMID- 20302379
TI  - Direct chiral resolution of metalaxyl and metabolite metalaxyl acid in aged
      mobile phases: the role of trace water.
AB  - The separation of chiral transformation products greatly complements the
      understanding of the stereochemistry of chiral pollutants. In this study, direct
      enantiomeric resolution of metalaxyl and its main degradation product metalaxyl
      acid, often co-occurring in the environment, was carried out in normal-phase high
      performance liquid chromatography with a Chiralcel OJ-H column. (R)-Metalaxyl
      acid and (S)-metalaxyl, which were almost parallel bonding to the chiral
      stationary phase, tended to separate, started to overlap, coeluted, and separated
      again with subtle changes of the mobile phase consisting of n-hexane, 2-propanol,
      acetic acid, and trace water. Their competition above hampered an acceptable
      direct separation in fresh mobile phases. Aged mobile phases with a storage
      period of 3-5 days, however, significantly improved their separation, in which
      trace water from moisture air diffusion was found to play a major role. Trace
      water differentially affected peak width and retention times and then induced
      enhanced peak separation, confirmed by deliberate addition of water to fresh
      mobile phases. Furthermore, none of the studied factors, involving temperature,
      concomitant analytes, and trace water, could cause changes of the configuration
      of the chiral stationary phase. Simultaneous enantiomeric separation of both
      compounds was achieved in aged or fresh mobile phases with adventitious or added
      water and gave satisfactory peak separation, all with Rs values of more than 1.20
      in environmental samples.

PMID- 20302380
TI  - Contribution of chlorogenic acids to the inhibition of human hepatic glucose-6
      phosphatase activity in vitro by Svetol, a standardized decaffeinated green
      coffee extract.
AB  - Glucose-6-phosphatase (Glc-6-Pase) is a multicomponent system that exists
      primarily in the liver and catalyzes the terminal step in gluconeogenesis and
      glycogenolysis. Several studies have attempted to identify synthetic or natural
      compounds that inhibit this enzyme complex for therapeutic use in regulating
      blood glucose and type 2 diabetes. For this paper an in vitro structure-activity
      relationship study of several natural chlorogenic acids was conducted, and the
      active components of the natural decaffeinated green coffee extract Svetol were
      identified. Glucose-6-phosphate (Glc-6-P) hydrolysis was measured in the presence
      of Svetol or chlorogenic acids in intact human liver microsomes. Svetol
      significantly inhibited Glc-6-P hydrolysis in intact human liver microsomes in a
      competitive manner, and it was determined that chlorogenic acids (caffeoylquinic
      acids and dicaffeoylquinic acids) were the chief compounds mediating this
      activity. In addition, the structure-activity analysis showed that variation in
      the position of the caffeoyl residue is an important determinant of inhibition of
      Glc-6-P hydrolysis. This inhibition by Svetol contributes to its antidiabetic,
      glucose-lowering effects by reducing hepatic glucose production.

PMID- 20302381
TI  - Total synthesis of proposed auranthine.
AB  - Starting from CBz-protected glutamic anhydride and Boc-protected o-aminobenzyl
      amine, the first total synthesis of proposed structure of auranthine has been
      reported. An intramolecular aza-Wittig reaction involving a lactam carbonyl group
      that delivered the diazepine core unit was the key step in the synthesis.

PMID- 20302382
TI  - Facile synthesis of 3-nitro-2-substituted thiophenes.
AB  - A new approach to 3-nitro-2-substituted thiophenes has been developed. Exposure
      of commercially available 1,4-dithane-2,5-diol to nitroalkenes in the presence of
      20% triethylamine results in a tandem Michael-intramolecular Henry reaction to
      form the corresponding tetrahydrothiophene. Subsequent microwave irradiation on
      acidic alumina in the presence of chloranil effects the solvent free dehydration
      and aromatization to form 3-nitro-2-substituted thiophenes cleanly and rapidly. A
      simple workup procedure removes the requirement for purification by
      chromatography in most cases.

PMID- 20302383
TI  - Effect of solvent and temperature on the lithium-bromine exchange of vinyl
      bromides: reactions of n-butyllithium and t-butyllithium with (E)-5-bromo-5
      decene.
AB  - The outcome of reactions of (E)-5-bromo-5-decene (1), a representative vinyl
      bromide, with t-BuLi or n-BuLi at 0 degrees C and room temperature, respectively,
      in a variety of solvent systems has been investigated. Vinyl bromide 1 does not
      react with t-BuLi in pure heptane; however, the presence of even small quantities
      of an ether in a predominantly heptane medium resulted in virtually complete
      consumption of 1 at 0 degrees C, resulting in nearly the same distribution of
      products, including 60-80% of (Z)-5-decenyllithium, regardless of the solvent
      composition. Vinyl bromide 1 reacts slowly with n-BuLi at room temperature in a
      variety of ether and heptane-ether mixtures to afford a mixture of products
      including significant quantities of recovered starting material. The results of
      these experiments demonstrate that lithium-bromine exchange between a vinyl
      bromide and either t-BuLi or n-BuLi at temperatures significantly above -78
      degrees C is not an efficient method for the generation of a vinyllithium.

PMID- 20302384
TI  - Self-assembly behavior of colistin and its prodrug colistin methanesulfonate:
      implications for solution stability and solubilization.
AB  - Colistin is an amphiphilic antibiotic that has re-emerged into clinical use due
      to the increasing prevalence of difficult-to-treat Gram-negative infections. The
      existence of self-assembling colloids in solutions of colistin and its derivative
      prodrug, colistin methanesulfonate (CMS), was investigated. Colistin and CMS
      reduced the air-water interfacial tension, and dynamic light scattering (DLS)
      studies showed the existence of 2.07 +/- 0.3 nm aggregates above 1.5 mM for
      colistin and of 1.98 +/- 0.36 nm aggregates for CMS above 3.5 mM (mean +/- SD).
      Above the respective critical micelle concentrations (CMC) the solubility of
      azithromycin, a hydrophobic antibiotic, increased approximately linearly with
      increasing surfactant concentration (5:1 mol ratio colistin:azithromycin),
      suggestive of hydrophobic domains within the micellar cores. Rapid conversion of
      CMS to colistin occurred below the CMC (60% over 48 h), while conversion above
      the CMC was less than 1%. The formation of colistin and CMS micelles demonstrated
      in this study is the proposed mechanism for solubilization of azithromycin and
      the concentration-dependent stability of CMS.

PMID- 20302385
TI  - The impact of telemedicine on quality of life in rural areas: the Extremadura
      model of specialized care delivery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Referrals from rural health centers to urban hospitals join waiting
      lists as outpatients for hospital admission and hospital treatment. This
      influences quality of life (QoL) of the rural population and retired people who
      require medical attention without traveling, provided no risks are involved. For
      this reason, a rural region of Spain has adopted a strategy to deliver
      telemedicine (TM) specialized care (Extremadura model) as a political decision.
      OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed at objectively assessing QoL on aspects of
      health and well-being for citizens benefiting from this system. METHODS: We
      performed a randomized study of 800 primary care patients referred for
      specialized care: 420 regular face-to-face hospital referrals and 380 referred to
      a hospital specialist at a distance by TM. The study used two questionnaires: a
      modified version of the classical SF-12v2 short form questionnaire for health and
      well-being and a specific author-elaborated questionnaire. The latter focused on
      major patient concerns such as (1) discomfort and pain relief, (2) swift
      diagnosis, (3) swift treatment, (4) swift decision on hospital admission or not,
      (5) avoidance of traveling, (6) avoidance of red tape, and (7) personal
      attention. QoL was assessed twice: before referral to a hospital specialist and 6
      months after referral to the same. The results were statistically compared.
      RESULTS: Both groups showed comparable health status with added advantages for TM
      referrals such as (1) less traveling (p = 0.0001) and (2) faster diagnosis,
      health examination, and treatment (p = 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Telemedicine care by
      a hospital specialist through videoconferencing was comparable to hospital
      referral for face-to-face medicine. Teleconsultations managed by nurses had a
      positive impact on the QoL of rural patients. They did not have to travel and
      thus diagnoses and examinations to start treatment were initiated faster.

PMID- 20302387
TI  - Refractory cytopenia with unilineage dysplasia: analysis of prognostic factors
      and survival in 126 patients.
AB  - According to the revised WHO classification of 2008, dysplasia in > or = 10% of
      one bone marrow lineage and one cytopenia constitutes the low-risk category of
      unilineage cytopenia and unilineage dysplasia (UCUD). We retrospectively
      reclassified, according to WHO, low-risk MDS from our database and found 126
      subjects with these features at diagnosis: 79 patients were categorized as
      refractory anemia (RA), 23 patients as refractory neutropenia (RN), and 24 as
      refractory thrombocytopenia (RT). We did not find differences between the three
      subgroups as regards sex, median age, and cytogenetic aberrations. Lower PMN
      count (0.8 x 10(9)/L) was observed in the RN category, as well as lower platelet
      count in the RT category (51 x 10(9)/L). Moreover, we found a lower rate of
      patients requiring RBC transfusions, during the disease course, in the RT
      category (45.8%) as compared to RA (62%) and RN (69%) groups (p = 0.05); a lower
      incidence of infections at diagnosis in the RT category (20.8%) compared to RA
      (32%) and RN (43%) categories (p = 0.03); and a higher incidence of hemorrhagic
      symptoms at diagnosis in the RT category (41.6%) and RN category (26%) as
      compared to the RA group (5%) (p = 0.001). Application of different scoring
      systems (Bournemouth and Spanish scores, WPSS) revealed a low OS in high-risk
      patients within the RT category, compared to RA and RN categories, although
      unlikely to reflect the consequences of low OS found in the former category.
      Statistically significant differences were also evidenced in the incidence of
      acute myeloid leukemia (AML) evolution and overall survival: 7/79 (8%) patients
      with the RA category evolved to AML in a median time of 89 months, whereas 4/23
      (17%) of the RN category and 1/24 (4%) of the RT category experienced disease
      progression, in a median time of 33.8 and 12.8 months, respectively (p = 0.03).
      The RT category had a lower overall survival (15.9 months) as compared to RA
      (48.2 months) and RN (35.9 months) categories (p < 0.001). In conclusion, in our
      study, application of the revised 2008 WHO classification confirmed the
      importance of separating patients with unilineage dysplasia for prognostic
      disease assessment; from our results it seems that the RT category has a worse
      outcome.

PMID- 20302386
TI  - Treatment of autoimmune cytopenia complicating progressive chronic lymphocytic
      leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma with rituximab, cyclophosphamide,
      vincristine, and prednisone.
AB  - Treatment of autoimmune cytopenia complicating progressive chronic lymphocytic
      leukemia (CLL) is constrained by intolerance of myelosuppression and the risk of
      exacerbation of autoimmune cytopenia by purine analogs particularly when used as
      single agents. We report on 20 such patients treated with rituximab,
      cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CVP). Autoimmune cytopenia
      responded in 19 patients (14 complete remissions (CR), five partial remissions
      (PR)) with a median time to next treatment (TTT) for autoimmune cytopenia of 21.7
      months. Progressive CLL responded in 17 patients (nine CR/complete clinical
      response, eight PR) with a median TTT of 27.7 months. Five patients have not
      required any re-treatment at 15-30 months. Grade 3-4 toxicities were infections
      (n = 3) and drug-induced pneumonitis (n = 1). No patient required blood cell
      transfusions after cycle 1 of therapy. We conclude that R-CVP is effective and
      tolerable therapy for autoimmune cytopenia complicating progressive CLL, but the
      duration of response is suboptimal.

PMID- 20302388
TI  - Dasatinib and nilotinib in imatinib-resistant Philadelphia-positive chronic
      myelogenous leukemia: a 'head-to-head comparison'.
AB  - Imatinib has revolutionized the treatment of patients with chronic myeloid
      leukemia (CML). However, some patients may experience resistance or intolerance
      to imatinib over time. For these patients, two excellent therapeutic options are
      available. Dasatinib, approved in 2006 for the treatment of patients with CML in
      all phases who experience imatinib resistance or intolerance, has displayed
      significant efficacy, with a 2-year follow-up showing durable hematologic and
      cytogenetic responses, as well as prolonged progression-free and overall
      survival. Nilotinib was approved in 2007 for the treatment of patients with CML
      in chronic phase or CML in accelerated phase, resistant or intolerant to prior
      therapy including imatinib, based on strong efficacy as well as a favorable
      safety profile. Several factors, including mutation status, patient history, and
      existing comorbidities can impact the decision to use dasatinib or nilotinib, or
      pursue other options such as allogeneic stem cell transplant. The purpose of this
      review article is to shed light on a further consideration when deciding which
      agent to use, based on the efficacy and safety of dasatinib and nilotinib. This
      consideration involves the differences in both the imatinib-resistant and 
      intolerant patients enrolled in the pivotal studies for each agent, as well as
      other trial criteria.

PMID- 20302389
TI  - Editorial. Brainstem cavernomas.

PMID- 20302390
TI  - Factors predicting language lateralization in patients with perisylvian vascular
      malformations. Clinical article.
AB  - OBJECT: The authors conducted a study to determine the factors associated with
      right-sided language dominance in patients with cerebrovascular malformations.
      METHODS: Twenty-two patients with either arteriovenous malformations (AVMs [15
      cases]) or cavernous malformations (7 cases) underwent functional MR (fMR)
      imaging studies of language function; a 3.0-T head-only unit was used.
      Lateralization indices were calculated separately for Broca and Wernicke areas.
      Lesion size, Spetzler-Martin grade, and the distance between the lesion and
      anatomically defined language cortex were calculated for each patient. RESULTS:
      Right-sided language dominance occurred in 5 patients, all of whom had AVMs
      within 10 mm of canonical language areas. Three patients had right-sided language
      dominance in the Wernicke area alone whereas 2 had right-sided language dominance
      in both Broca and Wernicke areas. Wada testing and intraoperative electrocortical
      stimulation were performed as clinically indicated to corroborate fMR imaging
      findings. CONCLUSIONS: The primary factor associated with right-sided language
      dominance was the AVM being within 10 mm of anatomically defined language areas.
      The lesion size and the Spetzler-Martin grade were not significant factors.
      Anomalous fMR imaging laterality was typically confined to the language area
      proximate to the lesion, with the distal language area remaining in the left
      hemisphere dominant. This study emphasizes the need to map each case individually
      in patients with left perisylvian AVMs. Assumptions about eloquent cortex based
      on anatomical landmarks (a key component of Spetzler-Martin grading) may have to
      be reconsidered.

PMID- 20302391
TI  - Prognostic significance of contrast-enhancing anaplastic astrocytomas in adults.
AB  - OBJECT: Patients harboring anaplastic astrocytomas (AAs) typically have a poor
      prognosis, with median survival times of approximately 3 years following
      resection. However, a significant variability in individual outcomes remains,
      with some patients surviving for a few months and others for several years. The
      ability to predict patient outcomes based on preoperative variables would help
      prognosticate survival and may also guide treatment strategies. The prognostic
      implications of a preoperative contrast-enhancing AA remain poorly understood.
      METHODS: The medical records of all patients who underwent a craniotomy for a
      hemispheric AA from 1996 to 2006 at a single institution were retrospectively
      reviewed. Multivariate proportional hazards regression analysis was used to
      identify independent associations with recurrence and survival. The Kaplan-Meier
      method and log-rank analysis were used to plot and compare outcomes for patients
      with and without preoperative contrast enhancement. RESULTS: One hundred sixty
      five patients were available for analysis. The AAs were contrast enhancing in 102
      patients (62%), and nonenhancing in 63 patients (38%). There were no significant
      differences in clinical and treatment-related variables between patients with and
      without contrast enhancement. After multivariate analysis, contrast enhancement
      was independently associated with decreased survival (p = 0.02) and increased
      recurrence (p = 0.04). The 5-year overall survival rates for patients with
      contrast-enhancing versus nonenhancing tumors were 31 and 38.5%, respectively.
      The 3-year rates of progression-free survival for patients with contrast
      enhancing versus nonenhancing tumors were 32 and 56%, respectively.
      Interestingly, heterogeneously enhancing tumors appear to result in poorer
      outcomes as compared with other types of enhancement (such as ring enhancing,
      nodular, and others). Among patients with contrast-enhancing AAs, gross-total
      resection significantly delayed recurrence (p = 0.05) but did not significantly
      prolong survival (p = 0.52). CONCLUSIONS: This study may provide insights into
      risk-stratifying patients with AAs, and most specifically those with AAs that
      enhance with contrast administration.

PMID- 20302392
TI  - Regional vascular relationships to the foramen ovale: an anatomical study with
      application to approaches to the external skull base with an emphasis on
      transcutaneous procedures for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia.
AB  - OBJECT: The foramen ovale and its neighboring vascular structures may be seen via
      external approaches to the skull base. More commonly, however, transcutaneous
      approaches to the foramen ovale are performed. Although complications with this
      latter technique are uncommon, studies of the distances to the surrounding
      extracranial vascular structures are lacking in the literature. The present study
      aimed to elucidate such anatomical relationships. METHODS: Twenty adult cadavers
      (40 sides) underwent dissection of the region surrounding the foramen ovale at
      the external skull base. Measurements between the external surface of the foramen
      ovale and surrounding vascular structures were made. RESULTS: From the nearest
      aspect of the undersurface of the foramen ovale, the authors found that the mean
      distances to the middle meningeal artery, maxillary artery, superior bulb of the
      internal jugular vein, and internal carotid artery at its entrance to and exit
      from the carotid canal were 3, 19, 20, 9, and 12 mm, respectively. Distances
      tended to be shorter in females, but this did not reach statistical significance.
      On the basis of these data, the authors also determined a safe zone while
      approaching the undersurface of the foramen ovale. CONCLUSIONS: Additional
      knowledge of the neurovascular relationships surrounding the foramen ovale may be
      useful to the neurosurgeon and may help decrease the potential for complications.

PMID- 20302393
TI  - Quality of life in neurooncology--age matters.
AB  - OBJECT: Due partly to therapeutic improvements and prolonged patient survival,
      the field of neurooncology is gradually undergoing a philosophical shift,
      progressively moving toward a more functional approach to patient welfare. This
      shift includes, as one of its defining objectives, the promotion of elevated
      levels of quality of life (QOL) and quality of health (QOH) for patients of all
      ages. Unfortunately, an adult life-stage perspective has never been used to study
      the long-lasting impact of age on well-being in neurooncology patients. METHODS:
      In this study, the authors assessed and compared the QOL and QOH scores of 42
      younger adults (< or = 40 years of age) and 88 older adults (> 40 years of age)
      presenting with a primary supratentorial tumor. RESULTS: After having controlled
      for biomedical and treatment-related factors, the authors discovered that older
      adults reported lower functional well-being and poorer neurocognitive functioning
      than younger adults. This age difference appeared earlier than expected
      (developing as early as middle age), suggesting an accelerated effect of disease
      on the aging process. Importantly, it was also found that the variables that
      predict QOL and QOH differed depending on patient age. For example, support from
      friends was a significant predictor of QOL for younger adults, whereas the
      capacity to continue enjoying life was a significant predictor for older adults.
      Moreover, the presence of a high-grade tumor and increased physical pain had a
      negative impact on the QOH of younger adults, whereas increased difficulty with
      concentration negatively impacted the QOH of older adults. CONCLUSIONS: These age
      differences clearly warn against consolidating the QOL or QOH scores of younger
      and older adults, and instead suggest that age at diagnosis is essential when
      considering patient perspective, and when establishing tailored support programs.

PMID- 20302394
TI  - The presigmoid approach to anterolateral pontine cavernomas. Clinical article.
AB  - OBJECT: Anterolateral cavernomas of the pons have been surgically removed via a
      variety of approaches, commonly retrosigmoid or transventricular. The goal in
      this study was to evaluate the presigmoid approach as an alternative. METHODS:
      Clinical data were reviewed in 9 patients presenting with anterolateral pontine
      cavernomas between 1999 and 2007. RESULTS: All patients were treated via a
      presigmoid approach, which provided a nearly perpendicular trajectory to the
      anterolateral pons. The brainstem was entered through a "safe zone" between the
      trigeminal nerve and the facial/vestibulocochlear nerve complex. Complete
      resection was achieved in all cases. No patient experienced recurrent events
      during follow-up (1-24 months). The patients' modified Rankin Scale score
      improved within 1 year of surgery (1.7 +/- 0.4) compared with baseline (2.6 +/-
      0.2; p < 0.05). Only one patient experienced a new deficit (decreased hearing),
      which was corrected with a hearing aid. CONCLUSIONS: The presigmoid approach is
      recommended for the resection of anterolateral pontine cavernomas. With this
      approach, the need for cerebellar retraction is nearly eliminated. The lateral
      "presigmoid" entry point creates a trajectory that allows complete resection of
      even deep lesions at this level, or anterior to the internal acoustic meatus.

PMID- 20302395
TI  - Skin-derived precursors differentiating into dopaminergic neuronal cells in the
      brains of Parkinson disease model rats.
AB  - OBJECT: In the authors' previous study, they observed that amino acids 157-171 of
      von Hippel-Lindau protein (VHL peptide) induced neuronal differentiation of skin
      derived precursors. They also noted that transplantation of these differentiated
      cells into the striata of a Parkinson disease (PD) rat model reduced apomorphine
      induced rotations. In the present study, they investigated if these cells produce
      dopamine in the striatum. METHODS: Skin-derived precursors were differentiated
      into neurons using VHL peptide and transplanted into the striata of a PD model of
      rats. Four weeks after transplantation, a probe was inserted into rat striata and
      extracellular dopamine was extracted by microdialysis. Dopamine levels were
      measured by high-pressure liquid chromatography. Brain sections were assessed by
      immunohistochemical analysis for the presence of tyrosine hydroxylase and
      dopamine transporter. RESULTS: Increased dopamine levels in the striata of the
      rats were observed after transplantation (p < 0.01), and these were correlated
      with a reduction in the number of apomorphine-induced rotations (p < 0.05). Skin
      derived precursors observed along the tract of transplantation were positive for
      tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine transporter. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests
      that transplantation of skin-derived precursors, differentiated into neuronal
      cells using VHL peptide, can improve PD-like symptoms by enabling production of
      dopamine in the striata in a PD model of rats.

PMID- 20302396
TI  - Methylated N-(4-N,N-dimethylaminocinnamyl) chitosan enhances paracellular
      permeability across Caco-2 cells.
AB  - The effect of methylated N-(4-N,N-dimethylaminocinnamyl) chitosan (TM-CM-CS) was
      investigated on paracellular permeability and its toxicity towards Caco-2 cells.
      Fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran 4,400 (FD-4) was used as the model compound
      for paracellular transport. The factors, i.e. the degree of quaternization (DQ)
      and the extent of N-substitution (ES) of the derivatives, were studied for the
      effect on transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and permeability. The
      results revealed that at pH 7.4, TM-CM-CS appeared to increase cell permeability
      in a dose-dependent manner, and the effect was relatively reversible at lower
      doses of 0.05-0.5 mM. The difference of the DQ and the ES of TM-CM-CS slightly
      affected the decrease of TEER values and the FD-4 permeability. The cytotoxicity
      of TM-CM-CS was concentration-dependent and did not cause an acute cytotoxic
      effect as analyzed by the MTT assay. These studies demonstrated that this novel
      modified chitosan has the potential to be used as an intestinal absorption
      enhancer of therapeutic macromolecules.

PMID- 20302399
TI  - Measurement of coronary flow response to cold pressor stress in asymptomatic
      women with cardiovascular risk factors using spiral velocity-encoded cine MRI at
      3 Tesla.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Coronary sinus (CS) flow in response to a provocative stress has been
      used as a surrogate measure of coronary flow reserve, and velocity-encoded cine
      (VEC) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an established technique for measuring
      CS flow. In this study, the cold pressor test (CPT) was used to measure CS flow
      response because it elicits an endothelium-dependent coronary vasodilation that
      may afford greater sensitivity for detecting early changes in coronary
      endothelial function. PURPOSE: To investigate the feasibility and reproducibility
      of CS flow reactivity (CSFR) to CPT using spiral VEC MRI at 3 Tesla in a sample
      of asymptomatic women with cardiovascular risk factors. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      Fourteen asymptomatic women (age 38 years +/- 10) with cardiovascular risk
      factors were studied using 3D spiral VEC MRI of the CS at 3 T. The CPT was
      utilized as a provocative stress to measure changes in CS flow. CSFR to CPT was
      calculated from the ratio of CS flow during peak stress to baseline CS flow.
      RESULTS: CPT induced a significant hemodynamic response as measured by a 45%
      increase in rate-pressure product (P<0.01). A significant increase in CS volume
      flow was also observed (baseline, 116 +/- 26 ml/min; peak stress, 152 +/- 34
      ml/min, P=0.01). CSFR to CPT was 1.31 +/- 0.20. Test-retest variability of CS
      volume flow was 5% at baseline and 6% during peak stress. CONCLUSION: Spiral CS
      VEC MRI at 3 T is a feasible and reproducible technique for measuring CS flow in
      asymptomatic women at risk for cardiovascular disease. Significant changes in
      CSFR to CPT are detectable, without demanding pharmacologic stress.

PMID- 20302402
TI  - The "mini tarsal strip" lateral canthopexy for lower eyelid laser-assisted
      blepharoplasty-indications, technique and complications in 614 cases.
AB  - The aim of this article is to describe the "mini tarsal strip procedure", a form
      of lateral canthal tendon plication to tighten the lower lid and give a better
      apposition of the lower eyelid to the globe. We describe this procedure in the
      context of transconjunctival lower lid blepharoplasty.

PMID- 20302401
TI  - The use of pericranial flaps for reconstruction and elevation of the lower
      eyelid.
AB  - PURPOSE: We present the novel approach of using pericranial flaps to reconstruct
      posterior lamellar eyelid defects or to achieve lower eyelid elevation. This
      technique has been employed in patients where standard tarso-conjunctival flaps
      are not an option and free posterior lamellar grafts cannot be supported due to
      the lack of viable anterior lamellar flaps. METHODS: Pericranial flap, comprising
      inferiorly based forehead periosteum and the overlying loose areolar tissue, is
      constructed using a vertical paramedian forehead incision. Flaps are tunnelled
      subcutaneously to emerge at the proximal aspect of the eyelid defect and extend
      to the lateral orbital rim. They are secured with absorbable sutures. An
      overlying full-thickness free skin-graft or flap is used for the anterior
      lamella. RESULTS: Eight patients underwent reconstruction or lower lid elevation.
      All patients achieved the predicted lower eyelid height with good cosmesis.
      Median follow-up 7.5 months (6-24 months). Indications were lower lid
      scarring/retraction (4), facial palsy (1), post BCC reconstruction (2), and
      exposed keratoprosthesis (1). In 2 (of 5) patients who had free skin-grafting,
      the overlying free skin-graft did not survive but acted as a biological dressing.
      All such patients still had good outcomes after epithelialisation of the flap.
      The posterior aspect of the pericranial flaps seems to act as an ideal substrate
      for conjunctivalisation, with little detrimental effect on the cornea. The
      robustness of the flap prevents the development of lid laxity over time.
      CONCLUSION: The pericranial flap is a versatile and robust flap that yields good
      cosmetic and functional outcomes when used in the reconstruction of posterior
      lamellar eyelid deficits. It is likely that, even when not viable, overlying free
      skin-grafts act as an excellent biological dressing until epithelialisation
      occurs.

PMID- 20302404
TI  - Age-based comparison of successful probing in Nepalese children with nasolacrimal
      duct obstruction.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the success rates of probing in Nepalese children younger
      than 2 years versus children older than 2 years with nasolacrimal duct
      obstruction (NLDO), and to identify factors associated with successful probing.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data was collected and analyzed retrospectively on
      children who underwent probing under general anesthesia for NLDO at Tilganga Eye
      Centre, Nepal, from May 2004 to October 2008. We compared successful probing
      rates in children less than or equal to 2 years old (group 1) versus children
      greater than 2 years old (group 2), and analyzed whether various clinical factors
      were associated with successful probing. Successful probing was defined as
      complete resolution of all clinical signs (discharge, epiphora or increased tear
      lake) at the outcome visit one month following surgery. RESULTS: Data on 84
      children (109 eyes) was reviewed. The mean age of children in group 1 and group 2
      was 15.3 months and 37.3 months, respectively. The success rate of probing for
      the overall sample was 82.6% (90/109 eyes). The success rate in group 1 was 90.2%
      (55/61 eyes), and 72.9% (35/48 eyes) in group 2 (p=0.018). Increased age at time
      of probing (p=0.031) and duration of symptoms (p=0.027) were associated with
      decreased probing success. CONCLUSION: Early treatment of NLDO with probing,
      ideally prior to 2 years, is associated with better outcomes. Age appropriate
      intervention may reduce the incidence of complications from NLDO, which is highly
      prevalent in the low-lying areas of Nepal, including Kathmandu.

PMID- 20302403
TI  - Pathogenesis of primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the factors assumed to be contributed in pathogenesis of
      primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction (PANDO). METHODS: In a
      prospective, controlled, interventional case series, 87 patients with symptomatic
      PANDO (case), 7 with traumatic nasolacrimal duct obstruction (NLDO) (control), 2
      with congenital NLDO (control), and 70 asymptomatic females (control) were
      enrolled. Frequency of putting eye make-up (PANDO versus normal females), level
      of sexual hormones consisting of follicular stimulating hormone (FSH), luteal
      hormone (LH), estradiol, progesterone and testosterone (standard laboratory
      level), lacrimal sac biopsy for inflammation and fibrosis and
      immunohistochemistry for herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 and 2, and human
      papilloma virus were recorded. RESULTS: Severity of inflammation and fibrosis
      were not significantly different between case and control groups (P = 0.69), and
      between smokers and nonsmokers with PANDO (P = 0.15). Patients with severe
      preoperative symptoms showed significantly more lacrimal sac fibrosis (P =
      0.018). No lacrimal sac pathology was found. Frequency of putting eye make-up was
      not significantly different between case and control group (0.596).
      Immunohistochemistry was negative for the viruses in all cases. There was no
      abnormal sexual hormone level in any case in this series. CONCLUSION: This study
      did not find any evidence in favor of the role of viral infection (HSV1, HSV2,
      HPV), eye make-up, and sex hormones in pathogenesis of PANDO. No abnormal
      pathology was found in lacrimal sac biopsy of patients with PANDO.

PMID- 20302405
TI  - Myocutaneous pedicle flap combined with a free skin graft for upper eyelid
      reconstruction.
AB  - PURPOSE: Repair of large upper eyelid defects can be accomplished by both 1-stage
      and 2-stage techniques some of which are complicated and time consuming. I here
      present a simple 1-stage technique for upper eyelid reconstruction. METHODS: The
      records and the peroperative and postoperative photographs of two patients who
      underwent reconstruction of large full-thickness upper eyelid defects after tumor
      removal were reviewed. The posterior lamella was reconstructed with lip mucosa in
      one patient and with a hard palate graft in the other. The anterior lamella was
      reconstructed with a myocutaneous pedicle flap from the remaining upper eyelid
      with its base medially or laterally. The resulting skin defect under the eyebrow
      was covered by a free skin graft from the contra lateral upper eyelid. RESULTS:
      In both patients the flap healed without necrosis or any other complications. In
      the case where the posterior lamella was reconstructed with lip mucosa the
      cosmetic appearance was excellent, and the cornea remained unaffected throughout
      the postoperative period. In the case where a hard palate graft was used the
      cosmetic appearance was good, but the corneal epithelium developed an edema and a
      soft contact lens was needed. The visual acuity was 20/20 and 20/40,
      respectively, 3 months postoperatively. CONCLUSION: Large upper eyelid defects
      can successfully be reconstructed by a pedicle flap from the infra brow area,
      which subsequently is covered by a free skin graft.

PMID- 20302406
TI  - Outcomes of 9 mm balloon-assisted endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy: retrospective
      review of 97 cases.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively analyze the success rate of endoscopic
      dacryocystorhinostomy procedures performed by a single surgeon utilizing a novel
      9mm endonasal balloon. METHODS: A retrospective clinical study was performed on
      78 adult patients, 97 cases in total. All patients presented with nasolacrimal
      duct obstruction and underwent an endoscopic dacryocycstorhinostomy utilizing a 9
      mm endonasal ballon. All patients completed follow-up from February 2003 to
      February 2009. Surgical success was defined as relief of epiphora and a patent
      surgical ostium demonstrated by free irrigation of saline through the
      nasolacrimal system 1 month after tube removal. RESULTS: Surgical success was
      achieved in 89 of the 97 cases (92%) following the primary surgery. Only 3 cases
      had revision surgery following the primary procedure. One of the 3 was
      successful. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy utilizing a 9mm
      endonasal balloon has several advantages: it requires minimal instrumentation,
      does not require power drills or burrs, is quick with minimal bleeding, has a low
      complication rate, and a high success rate. Endoscopic balloon
      dacryocystorhinostomy offers a simpler endoscopic approach for the treatment of
      nasolacrimal duct obstruction, and is easily mastered by the Ophthalmic surgeon.

PMID- 20302408
TI  - Review of orbital exenteration from an eye care centre in Western India.
AB  - PURPOSE: Indications for orbital exenteration performed over a 10-year period
      from a tertiary eye care center in Western India. METHOD: Retrospective review of
      medical records of all patients who underwent exenteration of orbit over a period
      from January 1999 to April 2009, at a tertiary eye care center in western India.
      RESULT: Out of total 236 major orbital surgeries performed, 15 (6%) underwent
      orbital exenteration. Age ranged from 19 years to 75 years. Of these 9 were male
      and 6 female. Except for one case all exenteration were for malignant neoplasm.
      Lesions originated from eyelid in 8 (54%) cases, orbit in 5 (33%) cases and
      bulbar conjunctiva in 2 (13%) cases. Histopathological classification of the
      neoplasm were sebaceous carcinoma (4 cases), basal cell carcinoma (3 cases),
      squamous cell carcinoma (3 cases), adenoid cystic carcinoma (1 case),
      transitional cell carcinoma (1 case), malignant fibrous histiocytoma (1 case),
      lymphoma (1 case) and mucormycosis (1 case). CONCLUSION: Majority of
      exenterations performed were for neglected ocular or adnexal malignant lesions
      that could have been avoided provided patients reported earlier for treatment.
      Exenterations can be reduced by aggressive patient education about eye
      malignancy.

PMID- 20302407
TI  - Levator plication versus resection in congenital ptosis - a prospective
      comparative study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare levator plication with resection in congenital ptosis.
      METHODS: Prospective comparative randomized trial involving 20 eyes of 20
      patients with age > 4 yrs, simple mild-to-moderate congenital ptosis with good-to
      fair amount of levator action were included. Patients were randomized to either
      levator resection or plication. Outcome was compared in terms of eyelid height
      and course of postoperative events. Data was compared using the paired and
      unpaired t-test. RESULTS: The mean M.R.D. 1 at the end of 3 months in Group A was
      2.8 +/- 1.23 mm and in Group B was 1.12 +/- 0.83 mm (p value = 0.001). Plication
      did not improve levator action much. Resection lead to more alterations in
      Bell's, lid lag, lagophthalmos and persisting edema (3 cases). CONCLUSION: In 70%
      cases of congenital ptosis, good cosmetic outcome can be achieved with levator
      resection. With levator plication there are greater chances of drooping from
      fourth week onwards. The technique of plication, though simpler in approach
      failed to correct dystrophic muscle in congenital ptosis.

PMID- 20302409
TI  - Penetrating ocular trauma from trampoline spring.
AB  - The case is presented of a 12-year old boy who sustained severe penetrating
      ocular trauma while playing on a domestic trampoline. A main spring broke under
      tension and the hook had struck the eye at high velocity and penetrated the
      sclera. Primary repair was undertaken but on review it became apparent the eye
      could not be salvaged. Evisceration was carried out and an orbital implant was
      placed. Post-operative cosmesis is acceptable. This type of injury has not been
      reported before. Adult supervision of children on trampolines is recommended to
      minimise the chance of serious injury.

PMID- 20302410
TI  - Orbital apex syndrome from blunt ocular trauma.
AB  - Orbital apex syndrome (OAS) is a rare condition due to a range of pathological
      processes around the optic nerve foramen and the superior orbital fissure causing
      characteristic functional loss. It is a rare complication of trauma and results
      from penetrating injuries as well as those involving bony fractures. We present a
      case of OAS from non-penetrating ocular trauma without bony involvement.

PMID- 20302411
TI  - Orbital cavitary rhabdomyosarcoma: a diagnostic dilemma.
AB  - The authors present a rare form of orbital cavitary rhabdomyosarcoma in which
      lymphangioma was mistakenly diagnosed on the basis of echography and MRI.
      Rhabdomyosarcoma can usually be differentiated from lymphangioma by echographic
      and MR imaging, because cavitation is very rare in orbital rhabdomyosarcoma, but
      rhabdomyosarcoma should be suspected whenever the clinical presentation of a
      rapidly progressive unilateral exophthalmos is observed in a child.

PMID- 20302412
TI  - The challenge of orbital decompression in a patient with multiple autoimmune
      diseases and graves' orbitopathy: a case report and review of literature.
AB  - The association between multiple autoimmune diseases can make management of the
      ocular proptosis very difficult and challenging for the orbit surgeon. We report
      an interesting case of a patient affected by Stiff person syndrome, type-1
      diabetes and Graves' disease with Graves' orbitopathy, who underwent orbital
      decompression. Anaesthesiologic problems, as well as factors affecting the post
      operative result, are discussed in detail; pertinent literature review was
      performed and discussed.

PMID- 20302413
TI  - Two different presentations of orbital echinococcosis: a report of two cases and
      review of the literature.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report two patients with different presentations of orbital
      echinococcosis, namely hydatid and alveolar cysts and to compare their clinical,
      imaging and histopathologic findings and treatment. METHODS: This retrospective
      study includes two young rural children who were referred because of progressive
      proptosis. RESULTS: Orbital imaging in both cases revealed cystic intraorbital
      lesions. With a clinical suspicion of hydatid and alveolar cysts, both patients
      underwent intact surgical excision. Histopathologic evaluation confirmed the
      diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical findings and imaging can help in the
      preoperative diagnosis of patients with orbital echinococcosis. Knowledge of the
      nature of cystic orbital lesions is important in preventing complications.
      Alveolar cysts are more invasive than hydatid cysts and their treatment is more
      complicated.

PMID- 20302414
TI  - Mid line craniofacial defects and morning glory disc anomaly with clinical
      anophthalmos-a distinct clinical entity.
AB  - Morning glory syndrome (MGS) is a congenital optic disc dysplasia often
      associated with craniofacial anomalies, especially basal encephalocele. We report
      a case of a 4-month-old male baby, who was referred to our institute with the
      complaints of decreased vision. This is the first report from Northeastern part
      of India as per our knowledge.

PMID- 20302415
TI  - Optic nerve compression by an intraorbital megadolichoectatic ophtalmic artery.
AB  - A 47-year-old woman, physically active, presented with a history of progressive
      isolated right eye visual loss (20/200). Ophtalmological examination with
      Goldmann's perimetry showed a Marcus Gunn pupil, an optic disc temporal pallor
      and a central scotoma on the affected eye. CT scan and cerebral angiography
      demonstrated an abnormally wide and elongated (megadolichoectatic) intraorbital
      ophthalmic artery responsible for optic nerve compression in the optic canal.
      Pulse steroid therapy was chosen and allowed recuperation of right eye visual
      acuity to 20/20. A 3-months' follow-up was decided and to date, 1 year later, she
      fell back to 20/40 with a normal right eye visual field. The authors compare
      these clinical and radiological findings with intraorbital aneurysms and discuss
      the therapeutic options for this extremely rare form of vascular disease.

PMID- 20302416
TI  - Bilateral necrotising fasciitis of the ocular adnexa secondary to Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa septicaemia in a HIV-positive child.

PMID- 20302417
TI  - Real-time elderly activity monitoring system based on a tri-axial accelerometer.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to develop an automatic human movement
      classification system for the elderly using single waist-mounted tri-axial
      accelerometer. METHODS: Real-time movement classification algorithm was developed
      using a hierarchical binary tree, which can classify activities of daily living
      into four general states: (1) resting state such as sitting, lying, and standing;
      (2) locomotion state such as walking and running; (3) emergency state such as
      fall and (4) transition state such as sit to stand, stand to sit, stand to lie,
      lie to stand, sit to lie, and lie to sit. To evaluate the proposed algorithm,
      experiments were performed on five healthy young subjects with several
      activities, such as falls, walking, running, etc. RESULTS: The results of
      experiment showed that successful detection rate of the system for all activities
      were about 96%. To evaluate long-term monitoring, 3 h experiment in home
      environment was performed on one healthy subject and 98% of the movement was
      successfully classified. CONCLUSIONS: The results of experiment showed a possible
      use of this system which can monitor and classify the activities of daily living.
      For further improvement of the system, it is necessary to include more detailed
      classification algorithm to distinguish several daily activities.

PMID- 20302418
TI  - Perceptions of health care workers prescribing augmentative and alternative
      communication devices to children.
AB  - PURPOSE: Access to assistive devices is critical for most children with
      disabilities to function in society. Despite this, there remain high levels of
      unmet needs and an underutilisation of augmentative and alternative communication
      (AAC) devices. Yet, relatively little is known about the challenges that
      clinicians encounter in prescribing AAC devices. METHOD: In-depth qualitative
      semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 speech language pathologists
      and occupational therapists who are current authorisers for AAC devices. RESULTS:
      The findings suggest that there are several barriers (technical, social and
      political) influencing clinicians' decision to prescribe AAC devices. Technical
      challenges include the complexity of devices and viewing technology as a cure.
      Social barriers involve socio-demographic differences, readiness to use a device,
      social acceptance, attitudes, family's view of technology, and the priority of
      communication. Finally, several political barriers such as a shortage of speech
      pathologists, a complex prescription review process, inconsistent follow-up
      procedures, limitations of the consultative model, and gaps in funding and policy
      influenced clinicians' ability to prescribe AAC devices. Differences in
      philosophy of technology also influenced health providers' decision to prescribe
      AAC devices. CONCLUSIONS: Service providers and policy makers should be cognizant
      of the contextual factors influencing health provider's decision to prescribe AAC
      devices.

PMID- 20302419
TI  - An affordable, computerised, table-based exercise system for stroke survivors.
AB  - PURPOSE: Loss of hand function as a result of upper limb paresis after a stroke
      leads to reduced independence. Robotic-assisted therapy with virtual reality
      leads to improvements in motor function, but there is a need to improve the cost
      benefit ratio of these therapies. This case series study investigated augmented
      reality computer games which provided a rewarded, goal-directed task to upper
      limb rehabilitation via a gravity supported reaching task. METHODS: A computer
      game was developed to motivate chronic stroke survivors to undertake gravity
      supported reaching tasks performed on a table, and a focus group study
      investigated the application of this device for rehabilitation. From the focus
      group, a simple device was developed to improve the quality of the exercise and a
      further focus group study investigated a variety of computer games to determine
      motivations for undertaking rehabilitation exercises. RESULTS: Of the four
      participants in the case study, two showed improvement in ability to play the
      game and in arm function. Participants enjoyed playing a range of computer games
      and felt that the system provided a worthwhile exercise. Motivation for
      undertaking exercise with the system included: intellectual stimulation during
      game play, feedback such as game score, gaining physical benefits from the
      exercise, the system tolerating varying levels of disability, ability to relate
      to the game and ability to use the system in social groups. CONCLUSIONS: A low
      cost device has been developed which increases the exercise of gravity supported
      reaching movements, provides goal-directed tasks with rewards and motivates the
      user to undertake extended rehabilitation.

PMID- 20302420
TI  - Leveraging retained physical capabilities to improve quality of life as assessed
      by persons with severe motor impairments.
AB  - PURPOSE: The main objective of this article is to present an alternative method
      of interacting with a computer which empowers persons with very severe motor
      impairments to leverage retained capabilities in order to independently control
      parts of their daily lives. The input strategy is based on tiny intentional
      contractions of a single muscle of choice (requiring a minimum of physical
      contribution only) which are used as selection markers in the context of
      scanning. METHOD: To demonstrate the usefulness of the idea, two applications
      (combined in a single software system) have been implemented (initially): a
      module turning the PC into a Universal Remote Control and a Text-To-Speech
      module. The system has finally been supplemented by a third application offering
      to effortlessly make telephone calls. RESULTS: A simple experiment requesting the
      speed of the scanning scheme shows that the theoretical concept really works.
      Furthermore, the usability by novice users from the target population is proven
      in a user study focusing on the telephony application. CONCLUSIONS: It is
      concluded that the approach has a large potential for persons with severe
      physical disabilities, meaning that the resulting system is indeed able to
      improve its users' quality of life.

PMID- 20302421
TI  - Cannibals in space: the coevolution of cannibalism and dispersal in spatially
      structured populations.
AB  - The propensity for cannibalism varies considerably both within and between
      species. Currently we have little understanding of both the causes of this
      variation and its evolutionary consequences for other life-history traits. We
      examine how different levels of spatial structure affect the evolution of
      cannibalism and how cannibalism in turn drives the evolution of dispersal. Using
      pair approximations and simulations, we show that cannibalism can easily evolve
      in spatially structured populations as long as some dispersal exists.
      Furthermore, for a wide range of intermediate levels of spatial structure, we
      find the possibility of evolutionary branching leading to polymorphism in
      cannibalism. We also show that cannibalism itself can have important evolutionary
      consequences and select for increased dispersal rates, thus helping to determine
      the spatial structure of populations. The coevolution of cannibalism and
      dispersal results in the evolution of various alternative life-history strategies
      with different dispersal and cannibalism regimes. Which strategy evolves depends
      on the environmental conditions that determine initial cannibalism rates. Our
      results therefore suggest that differences in spatial structure could explain
      variation in the propensity for cannibalism and cannibalistic polyphenism.
      Furthermore, results emphasize that cannibalism can drive the evolution of other
      life-history traits and determine the spatial structure of natural populations.

PMID- 20302423
TI  - Temporal variation in the carrying capacity of a perennial grass population.
AB  - Density dependence and, therefore, K (carrying capacity, equilibrium population
      size) are central to understanding and predicting changes in population size (N).
      Although resource levels certainly fluctuate, K has almost always been treated as
      constant in both theoretical and empirical studies. We quantified temporal
      variation in K by fitting extensions of standard population dynamic models to 16
      annual censuses of a population of the perennial bunchgrass Bouteloua rigidiseta.
      Variable-K models provided substantially better fits to the data than did models
      that varied the potential rate of population increase. The distribution of
      estimated values of K was skewed, with a long right tail (i.e., a few "jackpot"
      years). The population did not track K closely. Relatively slow responses to
      changes in K combined with large, rapid changes in K sometimes caused N to be far
      from K. In 13%-20% of annual intervals, K was so much larger than N that the
      population's dynamics were best described by geometric growth and the population
      was, in effect, unregulated. Explicitly incorporating temporal variation in K
      substantially improved the realism of models with little increase in model
      complexity and provided novel information about this population's dynamics.
      Similar methods would be applicable to many other data sets.

PMID- 20302422
TI  - Animals that randomly reorient at cues left by correlated random walkers do the
      Levy walk.
AB  - For many years, correlated random walks have been the dominant conceptual models
      used in describing nonoriented animal movements. Here it is shown that Levy walk
      movement patterns will arise from animals that randomly reorient on detection of
      odor trails and/or scent marks left by correlated random walkers. The emergent
      Levy walk movement patterns are advantageous when one is randomly searching for
      sparsely distributed resources. Consequently, there will be strong selection
      pressures for the aforementioned reorientation process when resources are
      sparsely distributed within unpredictable environments inhabited by correlated
      random walkers. This selection pressure may drive the evolution of Levy walk
      strategies in these landscapes. The mechanism may account for the Levy walk
      movement patterns of microzooplankton in the presence of mobile phytoplankton and
      those of a species of African jackal that scavenges within landscapes inhabited
      by other animal species. These findings show that Levy walks and fractal scaling
      do not exist outside of the correlated random-walk paradigm, as is widely
      thought, but are instead natural consequences of it.

PMID- 20302424
TI  - The condition dependence and heritability of signaling and nonsignaling color
      traits in paper wasps.
AB  - Research on quality signal development typically focuses on signals with
      production costs; less is known about signals that lack production costs
      (conventional signals). Here, I test the condition dependence and heritability of
      the facial patterns that function as a conventional signal of quality in Polistes
      dominulus wasps. Two aspects of facial patterns are compared: (1) amount of black
      pigment (no signal value) and (2) disruption in the black pigment's distribution
      (quality signal). When colonies received the same diet, they produced offspring
      with similar facial patterns and both traits were heritable. However,
      experimental diet manipulation substantially influenced quality signal
      development. Wasps fed unlimited caterpillars developed more disrupted facial
      patterns than wasps fed a restricted diet. Further, signal heritability was
      obscured following the diet treatment. In contrast, the nonsignaling trait was
      not influenced by the diet treatment and remained heritable. Overall, the quality
      signal in P. dominulus is condition dependent and heritable, but its heritability
      may be obscured by environmental variance. The nonsignaling aspect of wasp facial
      patterns is not condition dependent and is more consistently heritable across
      environments. Therefore, the information a signal conveys may be influenced by
      its developmental properties rather than its honesty-ensuring cost or the
      pigments that constitute it.

PMID- 20302425
TI  - When and why do territorial coalitions occur? Experimental evidence from a
      fiddler crab.
AB  - Neighboring territory owners are often less aggressive toward each other than to
      strangers ("dear enemy" effect). There is, however, little evidence for
      territorial defense coalitions whereby a neighbor will temporarily leave his/her
      own territory, enter that of a neighbor, and cooperate in repelling a conspecific
      intruder. This is surprising, as theoreticians have long posited the existence of
      such coalitions and the circumstances under which they should evolve. Here we
      document territorial defense coalitions in the African fiddler crab Uca
      annulipes, which lives in large colonies wherein each male defends a burrow and
      its surrounding area against neighbors and "floaters" (burrowless males). Fights
      between a resident and a floater sometimes involve another male who has left his
      territory to fight the floater challenging his neighbor. Using simple
      experiments, we provide the first evidence of the rules determining when
      territorial coalitions form. Our results support recent models that suggest that
      these coalitions arise from by-product mutualism.

PMID- 20302426
TI  - Differential response to circularly polarized light by the jewel scarab beetle
      Chrysina gloriosa.
AB  - Circularly polarized light is rare in the terrestrial environment, and cuticular
      reflections from scarab beetles are one of the few natural sources. Chrysina
      gloriosa LeConte 1854, a scarab beetle found in montane juniper forests of the
      extreme southwestern United States and northern Mexico, are camouflaged in
      juniper foliage; however, when viewed with right circularly polarizing filters,
      the beetles exhibit a stark black contrast. Given the polarization-specific
      changes in the appearance of C. gloriosa, we hypothesized that C. gloriosa can
      detect circularly polarized light. We tested for phototactic response and
      differential flight orientation of C. gloriosa toward different light stimuli.
      Chrysina gloriosa exhibited (a) positive phototaxis, (b) differential flight
      orientation between linear and circularly polarized light stimuli of equal
      intensities, and (c) discrimination between circularly polarized and unpolarized
      lights of different intensities consistent with a model of circular polarization
      sensitivity based on a quarter-wave plate. These results demonstrate that C.
      gloriosa beetles respond differentially to circularly polarized light. In
      contrast, Chrysina woodi Horn 1885, a close relative with reduced circularly
      polarized reflection, exhibited no phototactic discrimination between linear and
      circularly polarized light. Circularly polarized sensitivity may allow C.
      gloriosa to perceive and communicate with conspecifics that remain cryptic to
      predators, reducing indirect costs of communication.

PMID- 20302427
TI  - The effects of temporal resolution on species turnover and on testing
      metacommunity models.
AB  - Patterns of low temporal turnover in species composition found within
      paleoecological time series contrast with the high turnover predicted by neutral
      metacommunity models and thus have been used to support nonneutral models.
      However, these predictions assume temporal resolution on the scale of a season or
      year, whereas individual fossil assemblages are typically time averaged to
      decadal or centennial timescales. We simulate the effects of time averaging by
      building time-averaged assemblages from local dispersal-limited, nonaveraged
      assemblages and compare the predicted turnover with observed patterns in mollusk
      and ostracod fossil records. Time averaging substantially reduces temporal
      turnover such that neutral predictions converge with those of trade-off and
      density-dependent models, and it tends to decrease species dominance and increase
      the proportion of rare species. Observed turnover rates are comparable to an
      appropriately scaled neutral model: patterns of high community stability can be
      produced or reinforced by time averaging alone. The community attributes of local
      time-averaged assemblages approach those of the metacommunity. Time-averaged
      assemblages are thus unlikely to capture attributes arising from processes
      operating at small spatial scales, but they should do well at capturing the
      turnover and diversity of metacommunities and thus will be a valuable basis for
      analyzing the large-scale processes that determine metacommunity evolution.

PMID- 20302428
TI  - Economic burden of ventilator-associated pneumonia based on total resource
      utilization.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To characterize the current economic burden of ventilator-associated
      pneumonia (VAP) and to determine which services increase the cost of VAP in North
      American hospitals. DESIGN AND SETTING: We performed a retrospective, matched
      cohort analysis of mechanically ventilated patients enrolled in the North
      American Silver-Coated Endotracheal Tube (NASCENT) study, a prospective,
      randomized study conducted from 2002 to 2006 in 54 medical centers, including 45
      teaching institutions (83.3%). METHODS: Case patients with microbiologically
      confirmed VAP (n = 30)were identified from 542 study participants with claims
      data and were matched by use of a primary diagnostic code, and subsequently by
      the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, to control patients
      without VAP (n = 90). Costs were estimated by applying hospital-specific cost-to
      charge ratios based on all-payer inpatient costs associated with VAP diagnosis
      related groups. RESULTS: Median total charges per patient were $198,200 for case
      patients and $96,540 for matched control patients (P < .001); corresponding
      median hospital costs were $76,730 for case patients and $41,250 for control
      patients (P = .001). After adjusting for diagnosis-related group payments, median
      losses to hospitals were $32,140 for case patients and $19,360 for control
      patients (P = .151). The median duration of intubation was longer for case
      patients than for control patients (10.1 days vs 4.7 days; P < .001), as were the
      median duration of intensive care unit stay (18.5 days vs 8.0 days; P < .001) and
      the median duration of hospitalization (26.5 days vs 14.0 days; P < .001).
      Examples of services likely to be directly related to VAP and having higher
      median costs for case patients were hospital care (P < .05) and respiratory
      therapy (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: VAP was associated with increased hospital costs,
      longer duration of hospital stay, and a higher number of hospital services being
      affected, which underscores the need for bundled measures to prevent VAP. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: NASCENT study ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00148642.

PMID- 20302429
TI  - Cataract surgery rates in latin america: a four-year longitudinal study of 19
      countries.
AB  - PURPOSE: To collect cataract surgery rates data in 19 Latin American countries
      over a 4-year period as data published to date have been limited. METHODS:
      Cataract surgery rates were obtained from National Society of Ophthalmology,
      National VISION 2020/Prevention of Blindness Committee and Ministry of Health
      representatives for each country for 2005 to 2008. Economic (gross national
      income per capita) and other data were collected from publicly available
      databases. Linear and power correlations between gross national incomes and
      cataract surgery rates were calculated. RESULTS: Over the study period, most
      countries increased their cataract surgery rates, with the largest increases
      observed for Venezuela (186%), Nicaragua (183%), Costa Rica (100%), Uruguay
      (97%), and Peru (88%). Mean cataract surgery rates for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008
      for the ensemble of countries were 1545, 1684, 1660, and 1822 per million
      population, respectively, with a growth over the study period of 17.9%,
      concurrent with an increase of 57 million (11.5%) in the population. A good
      correlation between cataract surgery rate and gross national income per capita
      was found (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Although progress is being made in the region,
      the cataract surgery rates represent only one parameter. When they are examined
      in the context of cataract surgical coverage it is clear that substantial
      proportions of bilaterally blind persons are still not receiving surgery.

PMID- 20302430
TI  - The prevalence of blindness and cataract surgery in rautahat district, Nepal.
AB  - PURPOSE: The Gaur Eye Hospital, which provides eye care services to the people in
      Rautahat and adjacent districts, completed 9 years of operation in 2006. Over
      14,000 cataract surgeries were performed during this period. This study aimed to
      ascertain the impact of the hospital services by estimating the prevalence of
      blindness, visual impairment and cataract surgical coverage among the older adult
      population of the Rautahat district. METHODS: People aged 50 years and older were
      enrolled in this study that used a stratified cluster design. Subjects in 32
      randomly selected clusters were identified through door-to-door visits,
      presenting and corrected visual acuities measurement, and clinical examination by
      ophthalmologists were conducted at a centrally located site. RESULTS: Of the
      5,533 identified subjects, 85.3% were examined. Blindness was defined as
      presenting with visual acuity < 6/60 in both eyes. Blindness was found in 17.4%
      (95% Confidence Interval: 15.1 to 19.7); however, 55.6% of individuals examined
      had vision < 6/18 in one or both eyes. Cataracts were the principal cause of
      blindness in 82.1%, and were associated with elder age, illiteracy and female
      gender. Surgical coverage was found to be 37.3%. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest
      that despite 9 years of hospital and community eye care services the prevalence
      of blindness in this area is still challengingly high and the cataract surgical
      coverage unacceptably low. Community outreach awareness programs and
      accessibility for the Nepali cataract blind to the hospital need to be upgraded.

PMID- 20302431
TI  - Prevalence and causes of severe visual impairment and blindness among children in
      the lorestan province of iran, using the key informant method.
AB  - PURPOSE: To estimate the prevalence and causes of severe visual impairment and
      blindness among children in Lorestan province of Iran, and to assess the
      feasibility of the Key Informant Method in this setting. METHODS: Potential cases
      were identified using the Key Informant Method, in 3 counties of Lorestan
      province during June through August 2008, and referred for examination. Causes of
      severe visual impairment/blindness were determined and categorized using standard
      World Health Organization methods. RESULTS: Of 123 children referred for
      examination, 27 children were confirmed to have severe visual
      impairment/blindness or blindness. The median age was11 years (interquartile
      range 6-13), and 59% were girls. After adjusting for non-attenders, the estimated
      prevalence of severe visual impairment/blindness was 0.04% (0.03-0.05). The main
      site of abnormality was retina (44%), followed by disorders of the whole eye
      (33%). The majority of causes had a hereditary etiology (70%), which was
      associated with a family history of blindness (P = 0.002). Potentially avoidable
      causes of severe visual impairment/blindness were found in 14 children (52%).
      Almost all children with severe visual impairment/blindness had a history of
      parental consanguinity (93%). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest a moderate
      prevalence of childhood blindness in the Lorestan province of Iran, a high
      proportion of which may be avoidable, given improved access to ophthalmic and
      genetic counselling services in rural areas. The Key Informant Method is feasible
      in Iran; future research is discussed.

PMID- 20302432
TI  - Travel and implications for the elimination of trachoma in ethiopia.
AB  - PURPOSE: Trachoma is the leading infectious cause of blindness. The World Health
      Organization has set a goal of reducing the trachoma disease burden to a level
      where it is no longer a public health concern by the year 2020. Some
      investigators feel that local elimination of ocular chlamydia infection is
      possible, but little has been done to study the likelihood of reintroduction of
      infection from neighboring areas. Mass administration of azithromycin has been
      shown to dramatically reduce the prevalence of infection in many villages in
      central Ethiopia. However, after treatment is discontinued, infection returns.
      Reintroduction of infection could occur from the few remaining infected cases in
      a treated community or from outside the community. People traveling between
      villages might be responsible thus complicating the elimination of trachoma.
      METHODS: We conducted a survey to assess the travel pattern of the Gurage zone
      residents in Ethiopia. Seven hundred and seventeen households with at least one
      child aged 1-5 years in 48 villages were surveyed to collect the details of
      travel in 1 month prior to the survey. RESULTS: Seventy-eight percent of the
      surveyed households had at least one traveler, with the majority being women. Pre
      school children, the main reservoir of clinically active infection, rarely
      traveled. Most travel was to the market or to school, and most for less than 1
      day. CONCLUSIONS: Travel routinely takes place in these villages. Trachoma
      control programs in this area might consider treating areas with the same markets
      and schools in the same period to increase the efficacy of mass treatment.

PMID- 20302433
TI  - Prevalence of pseudoexfoliation syndrome among adult Spanish in the Salnes eye
      Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To estimate the prevalence of Pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PXF) and to
      investigate its relationship with systemic and ocular diseases and lifestyle
      factors in a general adult population in north-western Spain. METHODS: An age
      stratified random sample of 1155 subjects was drawn from the population aged 40
      years and over of O Salnes (Spain). From 937 eligible subjects, 619 (66.1%)
      participated (mean age (Standard Deviation [SD]): 63.4 (14.5) years, range: 40
      96, 37.0% males). An interview to collect past history of ocular and systemic
      diseases and lifestyle details, and a comprehensive ophthalmic evaluation were
      performed. Study subjects with typical pseudoexfoliative material on the anterior
      capsule or in the pupil margin were labelled as having PXF. A design based
      analysis was performed and all calculations were weighted to give unbiased
      estimates. RESULTS: The prevalence of PXF was 6.5% (95% confidence interval
      [CI]:4.9-8.1). PXF rates increased significantly with age (P = 0.000). No cases
      of PXF were detected in subjects between 40 and 60 years. Prevalence of PXF was
      8.0% (95% C I5.4-11.6) in men and 5.4% (95% CI 3.8-7.6) in women (P = ns). The
      prevalence of glaucoma in subjects with PXF was 19.6% (95% CI 8.2-40.0). After
      controlling for age and sex, glaucoma, cataract surgery, rose bengal staining and
      diabetes were associated with PXF but only glaucoma and rose bengal staining
      associations remained significant in a multivariate model. CONCLUSIONS: PXF is
      common among older individuals in north-western Spain. Subjects with
      pseudoexfoliation have a significantly higher prevalence of glaucoma than
      subjects without. An abnormal ocular surface detected by rose bengal staining is
      highly prevalent among subjects with pseudoexfoliation.

PMID- 20302434
TI  - Geographical distribution of ophthalmologists before and after the new
      postgraduate training program in Japan.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the geographical distribution of ophthalmologists in Japan
      before and after the start of a new postgraduate training program, which was
      suggested to exacerbate the uneven distribution of physicians. METHODS: The
      number of physician per million population was calculated for ophthalmologists by
      using adjusted municipal boundaries and the data from physician censuses
      performed in 1996 and 2006, as well as the population censuses performed in 1995
      and 2005, respectively. The Gini coefficients, income inequality measure that
      ranges from 0 (perfect equality) to 1 (perfect inequality), and 95% confidence
      intervals (95%CIs) were computed from the Lorenz curves for the 2 periods.
      RESULTS: The total number of ophthalmologists increased from 10,982 to 12,362
      over the last decade. The Gini coefficient (95%CI) for ophthalmologists was 0.405
      (0.314-0.496) and 0.353 (0.272-0.434) in 1996 and 2006, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: The geographical distribution of ophthalmologists in 2006 was better
      than that in 1996, although there was no statistically significant change. There
      is no evidence that the new postgraduate training program encouraged an imbalance
      in the geographical distribution of ophthalmologists.

PMID- 20302435
TI  - Selecting healthcare information systems provided by third-party vendors: a mind
      map beyond the manuals.
AB  - The selection of a new healthcare information system (HIS) has always been a
      daunting process for clinicians, health care providers and policy makers. The
      objective of this study is to present the lessons learned and the main findings
      from several relevant case studies to support this process. Data were collected
      by retrospectively reviewing the summative results of three well-established
      systems, acquiring feedback from two E.U. projects, and conducting semi
      structured interviews with a number of collaborators involved in electronic
      healthcare interventions. Selection issues were identified and classified into
      the following five categories: (i) data creation, (ii) data management, (iii)
      data sharing, (iv) data presentation and (v) modules management. A mind map was
      also structured to provide a more manageable list of issues concerning the most
      common electronic clinical technologies (e-CT). The vendor manual is intended as
      an overview of the merchandise e-CT and therefore has limited potential in
      supporting effectively the selection process of a new HIS. The present
      classification and the mind map - based on lessons learned - provide a ready-to
      use toolkit for supporting the HIS selection process when healthcare
      organisations are unable to employ research development groups to lay the
      groundwork for building a new HIS from scratch.

PMID- 20302436
TI  - Measuring the impact of the computer on the consultation: an open source
      application to combine multiple observational outputs.
AB  - A diverse range of tools and techniques can be used to observe the clinical
      consultation and the use of information technology. These technologies range from
      transcripts; to video observation with one or more cameras; to voice and pattern
      recognition applications. Currently, these have to be observed separately and
      there is limited capacity to combine them. Consequently, when multiple methods
      are used to analyse the consultation a significant proportion of time is spent
      linking events in one log file (e.g. mouse movements and keyboard use when
      prescribing alerts appear) with what was happening in the consultation at that
      time. The objective of this study was to develop an application capable of
      combining and comparing activity log-files and with facilities to view
      simultaneously all data relating to any time point or activity. Interviews,
      observations and design prototypes were used to develop a specification. Class
      diagram of the application design was used to make further development decisions.
      The application development used object-orientated design principles. We used
      open source tools; Java as the programming language and JDeveloper as the
      development environment. The final output is log file aggregation (LFA) tool
      which forms part of the wider aggregation of log files for analysis (ALFA) open
      source toolkit ( www.biomedicalinformatics.info/alfa/ ). Testing was done using
      sample log files and reviewed the application's utility for analysis of the
      consultation activities. Separation of the presentation and functionality in the
      design stage enabled us to develop a modular and extensible application. The
      application is capable of converting and aggregating several log files of
      different formats and displays them in different presentation layouts. We used
      the Java Media Framework to aggregate video channels. Java extensible mark-up
      language (XML) package facilitated the conversion of aggregated output into XML
      format. Analysts can now move easily between observation tools and find all the
      data related to an activity. The LFA application makes new analysis tasks
      feasible and established tasks much more efficient. Researchers can now store
      multiple log file data as a single file isolate and investigate different doctor
      computer-patient interaction.

PMID- 20302437
TI  - Determinants of the frequency of online health information seeking: results of a
      web-based survey conducted in France in 2007.
AB  - In the general population, social disparities in Internet practices have been
      less described than disparities in health information access. Aim is to determine
      whether there are differences in the frequency of Internet use for health
      information among health seekers. We conducted an Internet-based survey from
      November 2006 to March 2007. We considered the 3720 residents of France who had
      searched for health information during the previous 12 months. This study reveals
      different uses of the Internet for health information seeking (HIS) between men
      and women and between the general population and people who work in the health
      sector. Health status, taking care of somebody who is sick, and active Internet
      use were associated with higher frequencies of online HIS to varying degrees. The
      effects of age and level of education were not clear or were not significant.
      Greater health concerns and some issues in the physician-patient relationship
      were associated with higher frequencies of Internet use for HIS in the general
      population. Considering that this increasing use of online tools for HIS is
      consistent with current public health policies that promote the development of
      the 'informed patient', one should remain cautious about these social disparities
      in online HIS practices.

PMID- 20302438
TI  - Use of the LIFE-H in stroke rehabilitation: a structured review of its
      psychometric properties.
AB  - PURPOSE: To perform a structured review of the psychometric properties specific
      to the stroke population of the Assessment of Life Habits (LIFE-H). This tool
      measures quality of social participation, an important but under-evaluated aspect
      of stroke recovery. METHOD: A structured review of publications at MEDLINE;
      Embase, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library using the following terms: LIFE-H, life
      habits, psychometric properties, measurement properties, reliability,
      repeatability, validity, responsiveness, appropriateness, ceiling effects, and
      floor effects. RESULTS: Eleven studies were identified specific to stroke. Test
      retest reliability was excellent (Intraclass correlation coefficients [ICCs]
      ranging from 0.80 to 0.95). Inter-rater reliability ranged from adequate to
      excellent (r = 0.64-0.91) as well as agreement between responses of clients with
      stroke and their proxies (ICC ranging from 0.73 to 0.82). Convergent validity was
      adequate to excellent (r = 0.57-0.91) between the LIFE-H and two measures of
      functional independence. Two studies, one using patients and one using
      caregivers, suggest the LIFE-H is able to detect change over time. CONCLUSIONS:
      The LIFE-H is a psychometrically sound measure of quality of social participation
      for use in post-stroke assessment and is responsive to change.

PMID- 20302439
TI  - Lung transplant recipients' views on the integration of their new organs.
AB  - AIM: Although donorship issues and the integration of the new organs are the most
      distinguishing aspects of lung transplantation (LTx) compared to other kinds of
      'high-tech' medicine, there is a paucity of papers on that matter. Therefore, we
      aimed to evaluate these aspects in young adult LTx recipients with at least 1
      year survival. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews; content analysis of specific
      parts of the interviews; frequency distributions of resulting categories. SAMPLE:
      Forty-five adults aged 18-42 years (mean: 32 +/- 5.5 years). Post-transplant
      survival ranged from 1 to 11 years. RESULTS: The majority of recipients (60%)
      fulfilled criteria of denial towards the foreign organ and/or the donor. However,
      they were rather sensitive towards the ethical and psychological impact of the
      upcoming option of living donorship in LTx. Also, the majority of recipients
      (79%) understood that there might as well be good reason not to opt for a LTx.
      CONCLUSIONS: LTx recipients appeared at first sight 'pragmatic' towards the gift
      of life, but they remained sensitive to its ethical and psychological challenges.

PMID- 20302440
TI  - Pain prevalence and its impact on the quality of life in a sample of Turkish
      children with cerebral palsy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the measurement properties of the Pain Evaluation Scale
      (PES), to estimate the prevalence of pain based on the PES data, and to evaluate
      the impact of pain on the quality of life (QoL) in a sample of Turkish children
      with CP. METHOD: A total of 346 children with CP participated in a cross
      sectional study. The Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), PES,
      Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale, and the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ-PF50)
      were used as the assessment tools. RESULTS: The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was
      0.90 for the PES. The PES score was moderately correlated with the bodily pain
      subscale score, and very weekly with the mental health subscale score of the CHQ
      PF50. For the threshold value of 2 on the PES, sensitivity and specificity were
      91.1% and 100%, respectively. Overall, apparent prevalence and true prevalence of
      pain were 69.1% and 75.9%, respectively. There was a significant negative effect
      of pain on the QoL of subjects. The pain also negatively affected parent's
      personal time and caused limitations in family activities. CONCLUSIONS: The PES
      is valid and reliable pain assessment tool for children with CP. Pain is a
      frequent health problem and has severe consequences both on the cerebral palsied
      children's QoL and their family.

PMID- 20302441
TI  - Experiences of psychosocial adjustment within 18 months of amputation: an
      interpretative phenomenological analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To explore participants' experiences of psychosocial adjustment within
      18-months following amputation in a manner that can inform further research and
      clinical practice. METHOD: Transcript data from eight semi-structured interviews
      were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. RESULTS: Three
      super-ordinate themes emerged from the analysis: (1) pre-amputation decision
      making process and control, (2) renegotiation of self-identity and the struggle
      to accept a new 'disabled' identity, and (3) adjustment as a social process.
      CONCLUSION: This research furthers understanding of pre-acute, acute and post
      acute adjustment processes from the insider-perspective of individuals who have
      experienced amputation. A picture emerged in which individuals adjusted to
      amputation and its sequelae through a process of renegotiation of self-identity
      that was mediated through a wide range of decisional, informational and social
      factors. Suggestions for clinical practice and further research are discussed.

PMID- 20302442
TI  - Project Shake-It-Up: using health promotion, capacity building and a disability
      studies framework to increase self efficacy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Project Shake-It-Up provided a health promotion and capacity building
      program for individuals with spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, and related
      neurological impairments. Major research aims were to evaluate changes in
      participants' self-efficacy, ability to set/achieve goals, and perceived
      independent-living status. METHODS: Participants completed self-efficacy measures
      at baseline, program completion, 6- and 12-month follow-up, and set health and/or
      independent living goals. Progress toward goal attainment was monitored
      periodically and assessed qualitatively. RESULTS: There was a statistically
      significant difference in the change in self-efficacy scores for intervention
      participants compared to non-participants. Participants gained independent-living
      skills and confidence in their abilities to set and achieve a variety of goals,
      in the areas of education, employment, housing, transportation, accessing
      community resources and activities, participation in sports and leisure, and
      health promotion. CONCLUSIONS: Researchers evaluated results using a disability
      studies framework of empowerment which recognizes the role of environment,
      gender, race/ethnicity, and social status in the experience of disability.
      Participants reported increased independence, community access, and
      participation. They took action in multiple arenas with changes observed and
      reported in areas of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and behavioral functioning
      that indicated greater personal empowerment.

PMID- 20302443
TI  - Exploring older peoples' experiences of nocturia: a poorly recognised urinary
      condition that limits participation.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study sought to understand the experience of living and coping with
      nocturia, from the perspective of community-living older men and women. METHOD:
      Individual semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 32 older people with
      self-reported nocturia of twice nightly or more. RESULTS: Four key
      characteristics of nocturia were identified. Nocturia was described as
      simultaneously debilitating, frustrating, distressing and puzzling. It impacted
      on sleep patterns and quality, personal relationships and increased the fear of
      falling among older people when rising to use the toilet at night. Previously
      unrecognised variability and unpredictability in the condition were highlighted
      features. Nocturia was not prioritised for health intervention. There were gender
      differences in initial help-seeking however once prostate disease was eliminated,
      self-management strategies to cope with the effects of nocturia were the norm.
      CONCLUSIONS: . This study indicates that nocturia has a widespread and profound
      influence on older people's quality of life and participation, despite being
      regarded as a relatively benign condition by both older people and health
      professionals. Several features of the condition, which have the potential for
      great impact, are poorly recognised in particular its variability and
      unpredictability.

PMID- 20302444
TI  - Perceived spasticity in chronic spinal cord injured patients: associations with
      psychological factors.
AB  - PURPOSE: To explore the association between perceived spasticity and
      psychological factors (pain sensations, coping strategies, and illness
      cognitions) in chronic spinal cord injured (SCI) patients. METHODS: Cross
      sectional study using a set of questionnaires was designed for chronic complete
      patients with SCI and with self-reported leg spasticity. Outcome measures were
      Visual Analogue Scale for average perceived leg spasticity (VAS(Spasticity)),
      VAS(Pain) for average perceived pain sensations in the leg, Utrecht Coping List
      (UCL) including its seven subscales, and Illness Cognition Questionnaire (ICQ)
      with its three subscales. Psychological factors with a bivariate correlation with
      VAS(Spasticity) of p < 0.2 were selected for regression analyses. RESULTS:
      Nineteen patients with SCI (response rate 86%) participated. Bivariate
      correlations of p < 0.2 were found between VAS(Spasticity) and VAS(Pain),
      UCL(Active approach), UCL(Seeking social support), UCL(Reassuring thoughts),
      ICQ(Acceptation), and ICQ(Helplessness). Only UCL(Reassuring) (thoughts) (Beta 
      0.59, p = 0.01) and ICQ(Helplessness) (Beta 0.50, p = 0.02) were retained in the
      multivariate model, explaining 44% of the variance in VAS(Spasticity)
      (R(2)(adjusted)). CONCLUSIONS: Perceived spasticity appeared associated with
      psychological factors in complete patients with SCI: Those with higher levels of
      reassuring thoughts and lower levels of helplessness reported relatively lower
      levels of perceived spasticity. Large prospective cohort studies are recommended.

PMID- 20302445
TI  - A description and evaluation of an innovative rural rehabilitation programme in
      South Eastern Australia.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe and evaluate the effectiveness of an innovative model of
      rehabilitation designed to meet the needs of a sparsely populated rural area in
      South Eastern Australia. METHOD: Five rural health services collaborated to
      establish a rehabilitation programme. Evaluation included comparing length of
      stay (LOS) and improvement in the Modified Barthel Index (BI) with the Victorian
      State average for Level 2 (non-specialist) rehabilitation. Surveys were conducted
      with staff, clients and carers in the programme. RESULTS: An inpatient
      rehabilitation programme was successfully established through cooperation between
      five health services. Clients admitted to the programme improved functionally at
      least as well as the Victorian State average for similar client groups (BI change
      26.5 compared with 22.3 points, p < 0.001), with a shorter LOS (13.8 compared
      with 22.3 days) but more were discharged to residential aged care (16.1% compared
      with 6%). CONCLUSIONS: The programme was successful in meeting its stated aims.
      The model described could be adopted in rural areas sharing similar
      characteristics. Key enablers to the success of the programme included:
      collaboration between hospitals; a skilled and enthusiastic leader; recruitment
      of allied health staff; consistent medical leadership; access to training and
      support from a major regional rehabilitation centre; and access to funding to
      enable the programme to establish itself and demonstrate outcomes for clients.

PMID- 20302446
TI  - Enhanced production of red blood cells in suspension by electrostatic
      interactions with culture plates.
AB  - Enucleation of erythroblasts, a critical step in the generation of red blood
      cells (RBCs), occurs at a low rate without cocultured stromal cells. Previously,
      the surface properties of the cell culture plate were not considered in the
      enucleation process, because the cells exist in suspension. Here, we show that a
      significantly higher rate of enucleation of erythroblasts occurred on the
      positively charged plates than on the negatively charged surfaces or the both
      negatively and positively charged plates. Also, the negatively and positively
      charged plate group showed a significantly higher enucleation than did the
      hydrophobic plates. Therefore, the plates fully coated with amine groups
      generated 1.88 times more enucleated RBCs than did the hydrophobic plates. This
      study suggests an important insight into the effect of surface characteristics of
      cell culture plates on suspension cell culture. Further, this simple and
      inexpensive procedure could contribute to a more efficient RBC production system,
      eliminating the need for robust and expensive coculture procedures.

PMID- 20302447
TI  - Modern bone regeneration instead of bone transplantation: a combination of
      recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 and platelet-rich plasma for the
      vertical augmentation of the maxillary bone-a single case report.
AB  - This publication describes the clinical case of a 75-year-old woman. She suffered
      from total alveolar ridge atrophy due to 20 years of wearing dentures. Bone
      transplantation, including harvesting of the iliac crest, was rejected by another
      clinic due to various existing diseases and risk of blood loss on donor side.
      Moreover, the minimal residual alveolar ridge did not allow bone fixation using
      screws nor did it allow osteodistraction. Before deciding which bone tissue
      engineering techniques should best be employed in this surgical treatment,
      cardiological and internistic consultations and treatments were carried out. In
      addition, anesthetic preparations were made. The surgical treatment was performed
      implementing special bridge flap techniques to preserve the periosteum.
      Tricalcium phosphate blocks soaked with recombinant human bone morphogenetic
      protein-2 and platelet-rich plasma were implanted on the narrow alveolar ridge.
      They were attached by tightening the soft tissue, including the periosteum. Four
      months later, after complication-free wound healing and bone regeneration, six
      dental implants were inserted into the new alveolar ridge. The histology of all
      bone samples showed vital lamellar bone. Three months after implantation, a new
      dental structure was fixed on the implants. The patient's quality of life
      improved significantly with this new situation.

PMID- 20302448
TI  - Relationship between competency in activities, injury severity, and post
      concussion symptoms after traumatic brain injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine to what extent injury severity and post-concussion
      symptoms after 3 months predict ability in activities 12 months after traumatic
      brain injury (TBI) and assess the frequency of problems in daily activities.
      METHODS: A one-year cohort of 63 persons with mild to severe TBI was assessed on
      admission, after three and 12 months. Injury severity was assessed using the
      Glasgow Coma Scale, Abbreviated Injury Scale for the head and Injury Severity
      Score. Post-concussion symptoms were reported using the Rivermead Post Concussion
      Symptoms Questionnaire after three months. The Patient Competency Rating Scale
      (PCRS), a self-rating scale of ability in activities, was applied 12 months post
      injury. The PCRS consists of the domains interpersonal/emotional and cognitive
      competency, and instrumental ADL. Multiple backward regression models were
      performed with the three subscales of PCRS as dependent variables. RESULTS:
      Activity problems at 12 months were related to perceived cognitive and
      interpersonal/emotional competency. Post-concussion symptoms reported at three
      month follow-up were main predictors of cognitive and interpersonal/emotional
      competency at 12 months. Injury severity predicted only cognitive competency.
      CONCLUSION: Symptoms evolving after the trauma seem to be the strongest predictor
      of perceived ability in activities in this population. This underlines the need
      for follow-up after TBI to identify persons at risk of developing long-term
      activity limitations.

PMID- 20302449
TI  - Judicial developments in the US Hatch-Waxman infringement safe harbor.
AB  - Life science companies often seek guidance on whether certain current or proposed
      activities fall within the Hatch-Waxman safe harbor, which exempts from
      infringement the making, using, offering to sell or sale within the US, or the
      importation into the US, of "a patented invention ... solely for uses reasonably
      related to the development and submission of information under a Federal law
      which regulates the manufacture, use, or sale of drugs ...". In 2005, the US
      Supreme Court provided some clarity as to the scope of this safe harbor. In Merck
      KGaA v. Integra Lifesciences I, Ltd, the Court held that the exemption from
      infringement can reach certain preclinical experiments, outlining one test by
      which such preclinical experiments can be shown to be sufficiently 'reasonably
      related' to FDA submission as to qualify for the safe harbor. On remand of the
      case from the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals added further explanatory
      detail. In late 2008, however, much of that hard-won clarity was lost when the
      Court of Appeals, in Proveris Scientific Corp. v. Innovasystems, Inc., addressed
      the 'patented invention' language of the statutory exemption, and articulated a
      two part test that is, in the opinion of the authors, unnecessary, unwarranted
      and unworkable.

PMID- 20302450
TI  - Estrogen receptor beta selective nonsteroidal estrogens: seeking clinical
      indications.
AB  - IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD: Nonsteroidal estrogens have been known since the 1930s.
      However, the relatively recent (1996) discovery of estrogen receptor subtype beta
      (ERbeta) suggested a possible paradigm shift away from SERM-like selectivity.
      Selective ERbeta agonism would potentially allow expansion of estrogenic
      targeting into new indications (discussed herein) currently precluded by the
      thrombogenic and hyperproliferative effects of nonselective estrogens. AREAS
      COVERED IN THIS REVIEW: ERbeta agonist design has been very successful.
      Pharmacophores for ERbeta selective nonsteroidal estrogens are generally
      diphenolic compounds that achieve an inter-phenolic distance and geometry similar
      to 17beta-estradiol with few restraints on the nature of the element linking the
      phenols (or phenol mimetics). The tremendously chemodiverse ERbeta agonist patent
      literature is reviewed, segregating the agonists into structurally similar
      compounds based on their interphenolic linking elements. WHAT THE READER WILL
      GAIN: A comprehensive understanding of the chemotype landscape of this field and
      an assessment of its maturation. TAKE HOME MESSAGE: Subtype selective ERbeta
      agonist therapy seems very promising. However, more clinical testing is needed to
      firmly establish its therapeutic potential. At this point, ERbeta is a promising
      target in search of an indication.

PMID- 20302451
TI  - Liver X receptor modulators: a review of recently patented compounds (2007 -
      2009).
AB  - IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD: Liver X receptors (LXRs) are ligand activated
      transcription factors involved in cholesterol metabolism, glucose homeostasis,
      inflammation and lipogenesis. With the important physiological role of LXRs in
      reverse cholesterol transport (RCT), atherosclerosis is the best investigated
      therapeutic indication. While atherosclerosis is not yet clinically validated,
      Wyeth's LXRalpha/beta agonist LXR-623 indicated the key LXR target genes involved
      in RCT (ABCA1 and ABCG1) are upregulated in peripheral blood cells in a dose
      dependent manner. While discontinued for CNS safety concerns, investigation of
      LXR-623 supports atherosclerosis as a clinical indication, and the possibility of
      identifying LXR agonists with profiles that avoid the strong lipogenic effects of
      full LXRalpha/beta agonists. AREAS COVERED IN THIS REVIEW: Patents for LXR
      agonists from late 2006 up to August 2009 with emphasis on chemical matters and
      relationship to earlier disclosures, the biological data associated with selected
      analogues and therapeutic indications. WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN: An overview of
      the majority of LXR scaffolds with representative structure activity
      relationships as well as the companies that are the chief players in the field.
      TAKE HOME MESSAGE: The future application of LXR agonists depends upon the
      discovery of LXR agents without lipogenic effects. Limiting activation of
      LXRalpha is a popular strategy.

PMID- 20302452
TI  - Small molecules for bone diseases.
AB  - IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD: Bones play many roles in the body, providing structure,
      protecting organs, anchoring muscles and storing calcium. Over 100 million people
      worldwide suffer from bone diseases, mainly osteoporosis, cancer-related bone
      loss, osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis. Osteoporosis itself has no
      specific symptoms, and the main consequence is the increased risk of bone
      fractures. Therefore, the prevention of bone diseases is important to maintain
      the quality of life in the human society. However, treatment options are still
      insufficient. AREAS COVERED IN THIS REVIEW: This review article gives a summary
      of the low molecular mass modulators of bone diseases targets disclosed in patent
      applications and articles, mainly during the last 5 years. WHAT THE READER WILL
      GAIN: Readers will rapidly gain an overview of these modulators not only for
      historical targets, but also of emerging and re-visited targets. Readers will
      also be able to see the current research trend and the main players in this
      field. TAKE HOME MESSAGE: Drug discovery for bone diseases has made progress in
      the last years. The research area has dynamically shifted from historical targets
      (bisphosphonate, parathyroid hormone and calcitonin) to newly confirmed targets
      or targets re-visited which were biologically validated in the past. Cathepsin K
      inhibitors should be very close to launching in the market.

PMID- 20302454
TI  - Cytomegalovirus vaccines and methods of production (WO20009049138): the emerging
      recognition of the importance of virus neutralization at the
      epithelial/endothelial interface.
AB  - Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common cause of congenital viral
      infection in the developed world. Approximately 40,000 congenitally infected
      infants are born in the US each year. Congenital CMV infection is responsible for
      a wide range of neurodevelopmental disabilities and is the most common infectious
      cause of hearing loss in children. The significant public health impact of
      congenital CMV has led the Institute of Medicine to rank development of a CMV
      vaccine as a top priority. Vaccine development has been ongoing; however, there
      is no licensed CMV vaccine currently available. Before vaccines can be optimized,
      a better understanding of how CMV infects the host is required. Recently, it has
      been demonstrated that CMV enters epithelial and endothelial cells by different
      pathways than those used for entry into fibroblasts, and that a recently
      described complex of CMV proteins, the gH/gL/UL128/130/131 complex, is essential
      for this process to occur. This discovery has allowed identification of a novel,
      heretofore unexplored, potential CMV vaccine targets, and provides the basis for
      the patent, 'Cytomegalovirus Vaccines and Methods of Production - WO2009049138.'
      In this patent evaluation, the basis for this patent is reviewed. The potential
      application of this discovery for future CMV vaccine design is discussed.

PMID- 20302455
TI  - Effect of plant structure on searching strategy and searching efficiency of
      Trichogramma turkestanica.
AB  - When searching for hosts on a plant, female parasitoids use strategies to
      maximize efficiency. Searching strategies include the expressed behaviors, the
      time budget associated with each behavior, the time allocated to the different
      plant parts and the exploration sequence of plant parts. Searching efficiency
      refers to the time taken to find the first egg, the number of eggs found per
      foraging time unit and the re-encountering frequency of eggs during a foraging
      period. This study examines the effect of artificial simple (few leaves and
      connections) and complex plant structures (more leaves and connections) on
      searching strategy and searching efficiency of the egg parasitoid Trichogramma
      turkestanica Meyer (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae). Analyses of frequency and
      duration of behaviors associated with searching on artificial plants of different
      complexities were performed. Plant structure had no effect on time associated
      with locomotion behaviors such as walking, standing and flying. However, it had
      an impact on the area searched, which was significantly greater on simple plant
      structure. Also, time spent on a leaf without encountering an egg was greater on
      complex plant structure compared to simple one. No significant differences were
      found between simple and complex plant structures regarding time spent walking on
      the different plant parts such as twigs, limbs, leaf perimeters, and limbs of
      inferior and superior leaf sides. Results showed that female parasitoids spent
      less time actively exploring complex than simple plants. Encountering and re
      encountering frequencies of eggs were significantly greater on simple than on
      complex plant structure. Plant structure had no effect on handling time of eggs.
      This study demonstrates that plant structure can modulate activities inherent to
      searching and ovipositing, which in turn affects area searched per foraging time
      unit and therefore host finding success.

PMID- 20302456
TI  - The effects of hydration on growth of the house cricket, Acheta domesticus.
AB  - Maintenance of biochemical gradients, membrane fluidity, and sustained periods of
      activity are key physiological and behavioral functions of water for animals
      living in desiccating environments. Water stress may reduce the organism's
      ability to maintain these functions and as such, may reduce an organism's growth.
      However, few studies have examined this potential effect. The effects of altered
      hydration state of the house cricket, Acheta domesticus L. (Orthoptera:
      Gryllidae) on individual growth were studied under laboratory conditions.
      Crickets were permitted access to water for three different durations each day,
      resulting in significant differences in hydration state (32% greater hydration
      for maximum than minimum duration of water availability). Growth was 59% and 72%
      greater in dry mass and length, respectively, between the lowest and highest
      hydration state treatments. These findings may be representative for a variety of
      animal species and environments and could have important ecological implications.

PMID- 20302457
TI  - Army ants as research and collection tools.
AB  - Ants that fall prey to the raids of army ants commonly respond by evacuating
      their nests. This documented behavior has been underexploited by researchers as
      an efficient research tool. This study focuses on the evacuation response of the
      southwestern desert ant Aphaenogaster cockerelli Andre (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
      to the army ant Newamyrmex nigrescens Cresson. It is shown that army ants can be
      used to collect mature colonies of ants. The applicability of this tool to
      ecologically meaningful areas of research is discussed.

PMID- 20302458
TI  - Host plant record for the fruit flies, Anastrepha fumipennis and A. nascimentoi
      (Diptera, Tephritidae).
AB  - The first host plant record for Anastrepha fumipennis Lima (Diptera: Tephritidae)
      in Geissospermum laeve (Vell.) Baill (Apocynaceae) and for A. nascimentoi Zucchi
      found in Cathedra bahiensis Sleumer (Olacaceae) was determined in a host plant
      survey of fruit flies undertaken at the "Reserva Natural da Companhia Vale do Rio
      Doce". This reserve is located in an Atlantic Rain Forest remnant area, in
      Linhares county, state of Espirito Santo, Brazil. The phylogenetic relationships
      of Anastrepha species and their hosts are discussed. The occurrence of these
      fruit fly species in relation to the distribution range of their host plants is
      also discussed.

PMID- 20302459
TI  - Critical feeding periods for last instar nymphal and pharate adults of the
      whiteflies, Trialeurodes vaporariorum and Bemisia tabaci.
AB  - A critical feeding period is the time after which 50% of a given species of
      insect can be removed from its food source and complete development by undergoing
      adult eclosion. The critical feeding period was determined for the greenhouse
      white fly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum, and the sweet potato whitefly, Bemisia
      tabaci (Biotype B) (Homptera/Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). Fourth (last) instar and
      pharate adult whiteflies were removed from green bean leaves, staged, placed on
      filter paper in small Petri dishes containing drops of water, and observed daily
      for eclosion. For T. vaporariorum reared at 25 degrees C and L:D 16:8, 55 and 80%
      adult eclosion were observed when whiteflies were removed at stages 4 (0.23-0.26
      mm in body depth) and 5 (> or = 0.27 mm in body depth), respectively, so that at
      least 50% eclosion was only achieved in this species of whitefly when adult eye
      development had already been initiated (in Stage 4), and 80% eclosion when adult
      wing development had been initiated (Stage 5). In contrast, 63% of B. tabaci
      emerged as adults if removed from the leaf at Stage 3 (0.18-0.22 mm in body
      depth), and 80% emerged if removed at Stage 4/5, stages in which adult formation
      had not yet been initiated. The mean number of eggs laid by experimental (those
      removed at Stages 4-5, 6-7 or 8-9) and control (those that remained on the leaf
      prior to eclosion) whiteflies, and the mean percent hatch of these eggs were not
      significantly different in experimental and control groups. Stages 7, 8 and 9 are
      characterized by a light red adult eye, medium red bipartite adult eye and dark
      red or red-black bipartite adult eye, respectively. Mean adult longevity also was
      not significantly different between experimental and control groups. However, for
      all groups of T. vaporariorum, adult female longevity was significantly (at least
      2 times) greater than male longevity. Our results identify the critical feeding
      periods for last instar/pharate adults of two important pest species of whitefly.
      Since in both species of whitefly the critical feeding period is achieved when
      weight gain reaches a plateau, it appears that the critical feeding period is
      more closely correlated with the attainment of a critical weight than with either
      the time that ecdsyteroid titers first peak or the time when adult development is
      initiated.

PMID- 20302460
TI  - Humidity detection and hygropreference behavior in larvae of the tobacco
      hornworm, Manduca sexta.
AB  - Water is a critical resource for any terrestrial animal, especially for a soft
      bodied insect such as larvae of the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta L.
      (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae). Strategies for coping with a dry environment might
      include seeking out regions of high relative humidity that reduce desiccative
      stress, or to find and imbibe liquid water. Desiccated larvae placed in a linear
      arena with a humidity gradient preferred the humid end, whereas un-desiccated
      larvae did not. This behavior was not affected by temperature. Ablation or
      occlusion of the antennae showed that they are required to mediate this behavior.
      A series of experiments showed that control larvae oriented towards and imbibed
      liquid water whereas those whose antennae had been occluded with wax did not.
      Electrophysiological recordings from the lateral basiconic sensillum of the
      second antennal segment revealed the presence of at least one hygroreceptive unit
      that greatly increased its firing rate in response to moist air, decreased firing
      rates in response to dry air, and showed mild post-stimulatory inhibition.

PMID- 20302461
TI  - The basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor family in the honey bee, Apis
      mellifera.
AB  - The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors play important roles in a
      wide range of developmental processes in higher organisms. bHLH family members
      have been identified in a dozen of organisms including fruit fly, mouse and
      human. In this study, we identified 51 bHLH sequences in silico in the honey bee,
      Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), genome. Phylogenetic analyses revealed
      that they belong to 38 bHLH families with 21, 11, 9, 1, 8 and 1 members in high
      order groups A, B, C, D, E and F, respectively. Using phylogenetic analyses, all
      of the 51 bHLH sequences were assigned to their corresponding families. Genes
      that encode ASCb, NeuroD, Oligo, Delilah, MyoRb, Figa and Mad were not found in
      the honey bee genome. The present study provides useful background information
      for future studies using the honey bee as a model system for insect development.

PMID- 20302462
TI  - Distribution of neuropeptide F-like immunoreactivity in the Eastern Subterranean
      termite, Reticulitermes flavipes.
AB  - The nervous system and gut of worker, soldier and alate castes of the eastern
      subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes Kollar (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)
      were examined for immunoreactivity to an antiserum to Helicoverpa zea (Boddie)
      (Leipidoptera: Noctuidae) MP-I (QAARPRF-NH(2)), a truncated form of neuropeptide
      F. More than 145 immunostained axons and cell bodies were seen in the brain and
      all ganglia of the ventral nerve cord. Immunoreactive axons exiting the brain
      projected anteriorly to the frontal ganglion and posteriorly to the corpora
      cardiaca and corpora allata. In the stomatogastric nervous system, immunoreactive
      axons were observed over the surface of the foregut, salivary glands, midgut and
      rectum. These axons originated in the brain and from 15-25 neurosecretory cells
      on the foregut. Staining patterns were consistent between castes, with the
      exception of immunostaining observed in the optic lobes of alates. At least 600
      immunoreactive endocrine cells were evenly distributed in the midguts of all
      castes with higher numbers present in the worker caste. Immunostaining of cells
      in the nervous system and midgut was blocked by preabsorption of the antiserum
      with Hez MP-I but not by a peptide having only the RF-NH(2) in common. This
      distribution suggests NPF-like peptides coordinate feeding and digestion in all
      castes of this termite species.

PMID- 20302463
TI  - Anthropogenic impacts on aquatic insects in six streams of South Western ghats.
AB  - Diversity patterns of aquatic insects among sampling sites lying with!c the
      unprotected and protected areas of Western Ghats were studied. This study
      primarily emphasizes whether anthropogenic influence is the prime cause for the
      presence of aquatic insects especially of pollution-sensitive organisms belonging
      to the orders Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera, or to factors such as
      the physico-chemical features of the water, or sampling methods. Six streams were
      sampled quantitatively, of which three streams (Abbifalls, Monkey falls and
      Silver Cascade) were within protected areas and the remaining three streams
      (Kumbakarai, Shenbagadevi and Manimutharu falls) were in unprotected areas. A
      total of 3,209 individual aquatic insects belonging to 25 genera, 18 families and
      7 orders were collected. The highest species richness and abundance was observed
      in Monkey falls followed by Kumbakkarai falls. Large numbers of more habitat
      sensitive organisms such as Ecdyonurus sp., Epeorus sp., Thalerosphyrus sp.,
      Euthraulus sp., and Nathanella sp., were found in Monkey falls. Though the
      species assemblage was somewhat different, pollution-sensitive taxa were also
      observed in Kumbakkarai falls. Shenbagadevi and Manimutharu falls had a lower
      diversity of aquatic insects. The likely causes of these differences are
      discussed.

PMID- 20302464
TI  - Rearing the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera, on a tapioca-based artificial
      diet.
AB  - The impact of a tapioca-based artificial diet on the developmental rate, life
      history parameters, and fertility was examined over five consecutive generations
      for the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera Hubner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), a
      highly polyphagous pest of many agricultural crops. The study showed that when
      fed the tapioca-based artificial diet during larval stage, larval and pupal
      developmental period, percent pupating, pupal weight, emergence rate of male and
      female, longevity, fecundity and hatching were non-significantly different than
      that of the control agar-based artificial diet. Moreover, the cost to rear on
      tapioca-based diet approached 2.13 times less than the cost of rearing on the
      agar-based artificial diet. These results demonstrate the effectiveness and
      potential cost savings of the tapioca-based artificial diet for rearing H.
      armigera.

PMID- 20302511
TI  - Plasminogen hydrolysis by cathepsin S and identification of derived peptides as
      selective substrate for cathepsin V and cathepsin L inhibitor.
AB  - Plasminogen is a glycoprotein implicated in angiogenesis and fibrin clot
      degradation associated with the release of angiostatin and plasmin activation,
      respectively. We have recently reported that cathepsin V, but not cathepsins L,
      B, and K, can release angiostatin-like fragments from plasminogen. Here, we
      extended the investigation to cathepsin S which has been implicated in
      angiogenesis and tumor cell proliferation. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide
      gel electrophoresis analysis of plasminogen hydrolysis by cathepsin S revealed
      generation of two fragments (60 and 38 kDa). Amino-terminal sequencing indicated
      that cleavage occurs at the Leu469-Leu470 peptide bond. In contrast to cathepsin
      V, which possesses antiangiogenic activity, cathepsin S plasminogen cleavage
      products were not capable of inhibiting angiogenesis on endothelial cells.
      Moreover, we explored the different selectivities presented by cathepsins V and S
      towards plasminogen and synthesized fluorescence resonance energy transfer
      peptides encompassing the hydrolyzed peptide bonds by both enzymes. The peptide
      Abz-VLFEKKQ-EDDnp (Abz=ortho-aminobenzoic acid; EDDnp= N-[2,4
      dinitrophenyl]ethylenediamine), hydrolyzed by cath-epsin V at the Phe-Glu bond,
      is a selective substrate for the enzyme when compared with cathepsins B, L, and
      S, whereas Abz-VLFEKKVYLQ-EDDnp is an efficient cathepsin L inhibitor. The
      demonstrated importance of the S(3)'-P(3)' interaction indicates the significance
      of the extended subsites for enzyme specificity and affinity.

PMID- 20302512
TI  - Differential role of cathepsins B and L in autophagy-associated cell death
      induced by arsenic trioxide in U87 human glioblastoma cells.
AB  - Arsenic trioxide (arsenite) was the first chemotherapeutic drug to be described
      and is now being rediscovered in cancer treatment, including glioblastoma
      multiforme. Arsenite toxicity triggers autophagy in cancer cells, although final
      stages of the process involve executive caspases, suggesting an interplay between
      autophagic and apoptotic pathways that awaits to be explained at a molecular
      level. We evaluated the contribution of the lysosomal cathepsins (Cat) L and B,
      which are upregulated in glioblastomas, in the mechanism of arsenite toxicity in
      human glioblastoma cells. Arsenite treatment induced autophagosome formation and
      permeabilization of mitochondria, followed by caspase 3/7-mediated apoptosis. The
      autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine protected from arsenite toxicity, whereas
      bafilomycin A1 did not. Furthermore, arsenite significantly decreased CatB levels
      and selectively inhibited its cellular and recombinant protein activity, while
      not affecting CatL. However, downregulation of CatL greatly enhanced apoptosis by
      arsenite. Our results show that arsenite toxicity involves a complex interplay
      between autophagy and apoptosis in human glioblastoma cells and is associated
      with inhibition of CatB, and that this toxicity is highly exacerbated by
      simultaneous CatL inhibition. The latter points to a synergy that could be used
      in clinical treatment to lower the therapeutic dose, thus avoiding the toxic side
      effects of arsenite in glioblastoma management.

PMID- 20302513
TI  - Detection and in-cell selectivity profiling of the full-length West Nile virus
      NS2B/NS3 serine protease using membrane-anchored fluorescent substrates.
AB  - Flaviviral NS2B/NS3 heterocomplex serine proteases are a primary target for anti
      flavivirus drug discovery. To gain insights into the enzymatic properties and
      molecular determinants of flaviviral NS2B/NS3 protease substrate specificity in
      host cells, we developed and applied a novel series of membrane-anchored red
      shifted fluorescent protein substrates to detect West Nile virus (WNV) NS2B/NS3
      endoproteolytic activity in human cells. The substrate consists of a fluorescent
      reporter group (DsRed) tethered to the endoplasmic reticulum membrane by a
      membrane-anchoring domain. Between the two domains is a specific peptide linker
      that corresponds to the NS2A/NS2B, NS2B/NS3, NS3/NS4A, and NS4B/NS5 protein
      junctions within the WNV polyprotein precursor. When the protease cleaves the
      peptide linker, the DsRed reporter group is released, changing its localization
      in the cell from membrane-bound punctate perinuclear to diffuse cytoplasmic. This
      change in protein location can be monitored by fluorescent microscopy, and
      cleavage products can be quantified by Western blotting. Our data demonstrate the
      robustness of our trans-cleavage fluorescence assay to capture single-cell
      imaging of membrane-associated WNV NS2B/NS3 endoproteolytic activity and to
      perform in-cell selectivity profiling of the NS2B/NS3 protease. Our study is the
      first to provide cellular insights into the biological and enzymatic properties
      of a prime target for inhibitors of WNV replication.

PMID- 20302514
TI  - Zinc supplement greatly improves the condition of parkin mutant Drosophila.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder in which
      oxidative stress is implicated as a major causative factor. Mutations in the gene
      encoding Parkin, a ubiquitin ligase, are responsible for a familial form of PD.
      In a Drosophila disease model lacking Parkin (park(25) null mutant), we tested
      the effect of zinc supplementation. Zinc is an essential trace metal and a
      component of many enzymes and transcriptional regulators. Unlike copper and iron,
      zinc is not redox-active and under most conditions serves as an antioxidant. We
      find that the condition of parkin mutants raised on zinc-supplemented food is
      greatly improved. At zinc concentrations where controls begin to show adverse
      effects as a result of the metal supplement, parkin mutants perform best, as
      manifested in a higher frequency of reaching adulthood, extended lifespan and
      improved motoric abilities.

PMID- 20302515
TI  - The molecular biology of moenomycins: towards novel antibiotics based on
      inhibition of bacterial peptidoglycan glycosyltransferases.
AB  - Moenomycins are phosphoglycolipid antibiotics and the only known natural product
      inhibitors of peptidoglycan glycosytransferases (PGTs). Techniques that would
      allow facile diversification of the moenomycin structure would facilitate the
      development of novel antibiotics, which are urgently needed in the wake of
      multidrug resistant bacterial infections. The cloning and initial
      characterization of the moenomycin biosynthetic genes has already redefined the
      minimal moenomycin pharmacophore and now opens the door for the biocombinatorial
      generation of bioactive moenomycin fragments. Here, we highlight the importance
      of research on the genetic mechanisms that regulate moenomycin biosynthesis and
      that confer moenomycin resistance to bacteria in the development of novel anti
      infectives based on PGT inhibition.

PMID- 20302516
TI  - Role of N-acetyl-N-nitroso-tryptophan as nitric oxide donor in the modulation of
      HIF-1-dependent signaling.
AB  - N-Acetyl-N-nitroso-tryptophan (NANT) is well known for its capacity to generate
      nitric oxide (NO)-releasing compounds. It is unknown, however, whether NANT can
      be successfully applied as a precursor of NO in a complex biological environment
      such as a cell culture system. NO donors can be useful to induce the
      transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) that coordinates the
      protection of cells and tissues from the lack of oxygen, termed hypoxia. HIF-1
      degradation is controlled by prolyl hydroxylase 2 (PHD2) which needs to be
      inhibited for HIF-1 accumulation. Here, the effects of NANT in inhibiting
      recombinant PHD2 and up-regulating of HIF-1 and HIF-1-mediated carboanhydrase-9
      (CA9) mRNA expression were compared in living cells with the NO donors N
      nitrosomelatonin (NOMela) and S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) under normoxic and
      hypoxic conditions. In contrast to GSNO, NANT was similar to NOMela being highly
      effective in inhibiting recombinant PHD2. NANT-mediated activation of HIF-1 in
      oxygenated cells was comparable to hypoxic activation of HIF-1 in all cases. In
      contrast, under hypoxia NANT was able to boost hypoxic cellular HIF-1 levels by
      further reducing the activity of cellular PHD2. The strong increase of HIF
      dependent CA9 mRNA expression demonstrated that NANT-induced HIF-1 was
      transcriptionally active. Finally, the efficacy of NANT to increase both HIF-1
      and CA9 mRNA did not depend on the absolute conformation of the tryptophan
      moiety. In conclusion, NANT appears to be an excellent NO donor for cells in
      culture and l-NANT should be useful for in vivo animal studies.

PMID- 20302517
TI  - Interdependence of kallikrein-related peptidases in proteolytic networks.
AB  - Human kallikrein-related peptidases (KLKs) are 15 homologous serine proteases
      involved in several (patho)physiological processes, including cancer. Secreted as
      precursors, they are activated upon proteolytic release of a short pro-peptide.
      We searched for interconnection of KLKs within extracellular proteolytic networks
      leading to activation of protease zymogens and found that (i) pro-KLK activation
      by other KLKs is scarce, with the exception of pro-KLK11, which is efficiently
      activated by KLK4 and 5; (ii) pro-KLK4 is activated by matrix metalloproteinase
      3; and (iii) trypsin-like KLKs efficiently activate the serine protease
      urokinase. Our observations provide new insights into the regulation of these
      important tumor-associated proteases.

PMID- 20302518
TI  - Kallikrein-related peptidase genes as promising biomarkers for prognosis and
      monitoring of human malignancies.
AB  - Tissue kallikrein (KLK1) and the kallikrein-related peptidase (KLK2-15) genes
      encode for a subgroup of 15 homologous secreted serine proteases possessing
      numerous physiological roles, such as the regulation of blood pressure, hormone
      processing and tissue remodeling. The expression of KLKs is detected in a broad
      spectrum of human tissues where it has been found to be regulated mainly by
      steroids hormones. The aberrant expression of KLKs, presented in many human
      malignancies, highlights the significance of this gene family for early
      diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring of cancer patients, as it is strongly
      emphasized by the routine use of PSA (KLK3) for prostate cancer management. Here,
      we review the presently known data regarding the role of KLKs as cancer
      biomarkers, giving emphasis on novel information about the subject.

PMID- 20302519
TI  - The role of salivary histatin and the human cathelicidin LL-37 in wound healing
      and innate immunity.
AB  - Antimicrobial peptides are multifunctional in innate immunity and wound repair of
      multicellular organisms. We were the first to discover that histatins, a family
      of salivary antimicrobial peptides, enhance epithelial cell migration, suggesting
      a role in oral wound healing. It is unknown whether histatins display innate
      immunity activities, similar to other antimicrobial peptides such as LL-37.
      Therefore, we compared the effect of Histatin-2 and LL-37 on several activities
      within the context of wound healing and innate immunity. We found that Histatin-2
      enhances fibroblast migration, but only weakly induces proliferation. LL-37
      enhances both fibroblast migration and proliferation, but only at a narrow
      concentration optimum (approximately 1 microm). At higher concentrations LL-37
      causes cell death, whereas Histatin-2 is not cytotoxic. Both peptides do not
      alter fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation. Histatin-2 does not alter
      interleukin-8 (IL-8) expression and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-elevated cytokine
      and chemokine expression. In contrast, LL-37 induces IL-8 expression, but dampens
      the LPS-induced immune response. Neither Histatin-2 nor LL-37 affects human
      neutrophil migration. Histatins are, unlike other antimicrobial peptides, not
      cytotoxic or proinflammatory. It seems that they are important for the initial
      stage of wound healing in which fast wound coverage is important for healing
      without infection, inflammation, or fibrosis development. Interestingly, these
      characteristics are more typical for the mouth than for skin.

PMID- 20302520
TI  - Chaperone-assisted degradation: multiple paths to destruction.
AB  - Molecular chaperones are well known as facilitators of protein folding and
      assembly. However, in recent years multiple chaperone-assisted degradation
      pathways have also emerged, including CAP (chaperone-assisted proteasomal
      degradation), CASA (chaperone-assisted selective autophagy), and CMA (chaperone
      mediated autophagy). Within these pathways chaperones facilitate the sorting of
      non-native proteins to the proteasome and the lysosomal compartment for disposal.
      Impairment of these pathways contributes to the development of cancer,
      myopathies, and neurodegenerative diseases. Chaperone-assisted degradation thus
      represents an essential aspect of cellular proteostasis, and its pharmacological
      modulation holds the promise to ameliorate some of the most devastating diseases
      of our time. Here, we discuss recent insights into molecular mechanisms
      underlying chaperone-assisted degradation in mammalian cells and highlight its
      biomedical relevance.

PMID- 20302521
TI  - Performance of host-races of the fruit fly, Tephritis conura on a derived host
      plant, the cabbage thistle Cirsium oleraceum: implications for the original host
      shift.
AB  - The thistle-infesting fruit fly Tephritis conura Loew (Diptera: Tephritidae)
      forms host races on the melancholy thistle, Cirsium hetewphyllum (L.) Hill
      (Asterales: Asteraceae) and the cabbage thistle, Cirsium olemceum (L.). Scop.
      Previous research indicates that the host shift occurred from C. hetewphyllum to
      C. oleraceum. In this paper we address whether the host shift involved
      physiological adaptations by studying oviposition acceptance and survival of the
      two host races on the derived host C. oleraceum. Performance differed
      significantly between host races. T. conura originating from C. oleraceum
      produced adults in 75% of all egg-laying trials in contrast to only 6.6% in T.
      conura originating from C. hetewphyllum. Population fitness components measured
      as a function of life-stage was linear decreasing for T. conura on C. oleraceum
      but stepwise for T. conura on C. heterophyllum. Low performance of T. conura on
      C. hetewphyllum was determined by low plant acceptance and high mortality during
      the larval stage, whereas hatching (at least one larva per batch) and pupae
      survival were not affected.

PMID- 20302522
TI  - Heat treatment of the Adzuki bean borer, Ostrinia scapulalis infected with
      wolbachia gives rise to sexually mosaic offspring.
AB  - A maternally inherited intracellular bacterium, Wolbachia, causes reproductive
      alterations in its arthropod hosts. In the adzuki bean borer, Ostrinia scapulalis
      (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), naturally-occurring Wolbachia selectively
      kills male progeny. This Wolbachia strain appears to have a feminizing effect,
      since antibiotic treatment of infected female moths gives rise to male progeny
      with sexually mosaic phenotypes. It is proposed that male-specific death occurs
      through the feminizing effect, and sexual mosaics are produced when this effect
      is incompletely exerted. Here we examined whether the treatment of infected
      female moths with high temperatures (34 degrees C, 36 degrees C, or 38 degrees
      C), which is likely to suppress the activity of Wolbachia, induces sexually
      mosaic progeny. It was found that eggs laid within 24 h after treatment of
      Wolbachia-infected mothers at 36 degrees C gave rise to seven sexual mosaics
      along with 54 normal females. The time lag between treatment and the appearance
      of mosaic progeny was much shorter with heat treatment than antibiotic treatment,
      suggesting that heat treatment is more useful for spotting developmental timing
      when Wolbachia exerts its feminizing effect on O. scapulalis embryos.

PMID- 20302523
TI  - FMRFamide-like immunoreactivity in the central nervous system and alimentary
      tract of the non-hematophagous blow fly, Phormia regina, and the hematophagous
      horse fly, Tabanus nigrovittatus.
AB  - FMRFamide-related peptides (FaRPs) are a diverse and physiologically important
      class of neuropepeptides in the metazoa. In insects, FaRPs function as brain-gut
      neuropeptides and have been immunolocalized throughout the nervous system and
      alimentary tract where they have been shown to affect feeding behavior. The
      occurrence of FMRFamide-like immunoreactivity (FLI) was examined in the central
      nervous system and alimentary tract of non-hematophagous blow fly, Phormia regina
      Meigen (Diptera: Calliphoridae), and the hematophagous horse fly, Tabanus
      nigrovittatus Macquart (Diptera:Tabanidae). Although the central nervous system
      and alimentary anatomy differ between these two dipteran species, many aspects of
      FLI remain similar. FLI was observed throughout the central and stomatogastric
      nervous systems, foregut, and midgut in both flies. In the central nervous
      system, cells and processes with FLI occurred in the brain, subesophageal
      ganglion, and ventral nerve cord. FLI was associated with neurohemal areas of the
      brain and ventral nerve cord. A neurohemal plexus of fibers with FLI was present
      on the dorsal region of the thoracic central nervous system in both species. In
      the gut, processes with FLI innervated the crop duct, crop and anterior midgut.
      Endocrine cells with FLI were present in the posterior midgut. The distribution
      of FLI in these two flies, in spite of their different feeding habits, further
      supports the role of FaRPs as important components of the braingut neurochemical
      axis in these insects and implicates FaRPs as regulators of insect feeding
      physiology among divergent insect taxa.

PMID- 20302524
TI  - Cloning and phylogenetic analysis of sid-1-like genes from aphids.
AB  - Abstract The sid-1 (systemic interference defective) gene encodes a transmembrane
      protein that is an important participator in the systemic RNAi pathway and has
      been reported in several organisms. In insects, sid-1-like genes were described
      from Tribolium castaneum, Apis mellifera, Bombyx mori and Schistocerca americana,
      but were not found in Drosophila melanogaster and Anopheles gambiae. To
      investigate whether this gene occurs in aphid species, RT-PCRs were performed
      using degenerate primers designed using the conserved motif of sid-1-like genes.
      An sid-1-like full-length transcript was amplified from the cotton/melon aphid,
      Aphis gossypii Glover (Homopera: Aphididae), and a fragment was amplified from
      the grain aphid, Sitobion avenae (F.). The transcript from A. gossypii was 3067
      bp long, with an open reading frame encoding 766 amino acids. Sequence analysis
      indicated that this transcript shares highest similarity with the reported sid-1
      like gene in Schistocerca americana (53%, fragment), followed by A. mellifera
      (44%), T. castaneum (32-44%), B. mori (38-42%) and Caenorhabditis elegans (25%).
      Analysis of the transmembrane protein topological structure indicated that the
      protein encoded by this gene has a similar structure to SID-1 of C. elegans. A
      phylogenetic tree with all available sid-1-like genes suggests that sid-1-like
      genes may have had a long evolutionary history. Considering its importance in the
      RNAi pathway, the absence of a sid-1-like gene in D. melanogaster and A. gambiae
      is worthy of further investigation.

PMID- 20302525
TI  - Habitat preferences of butterflies in the Bumbuna Forest, Northern Sierra Leone.
AB  - The habitat preferences of the butterfly fauna were studied in the Bumbuna Forest
      Reserve in northern Sierra Leone. The intact forest reserve and a secondary
      forest regrowth, disturbed as a result of slash-and-burn agriculture, were
      compared to savanna habitats. Of the 290 specimens collected, 195 butterfly
      species were included, of which significant proportion were Nymphalidae. Of the
      147 forest species, 111 (75.5%) showed preferences for the forest habitats, while
      70 (47.6%) and 34 (23.1%) preferred disturbed and savannah habitats,
      respectively. Numerically, a comparable proportion of savannah species were
      recorded in the 18 disturbed (73.9%) and 16 savannah habitats (63.2%).
      Accumulated species richness and diversity indices were lower in the disturbed
      habitats compared to the forest reserve, but lowest in the savanna habitats.
      However, a large proportion of forest species, especially those with either a
      more restricted geographic range or species for which no information on
      geographic distribution was available, were exclusively captured in the forest
      patches. The survey indicated the presence of a rich butterfly fauna, which
      should be systematically collected for further research and study in order to
      build a good taxonomic database for Sierra Leone.

PMID- 20302526
TI  - Trophic interactions between two herbivorous insects, Galerucella calmariensis
      and Myzus lythri, feeding on purple loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria, and two
      insect predators, Harmonia axyridis and Chrysoperla carnea.
AB  - The effects of two herbivorous insects, Galerucella calmariensis Duftschmid and
      Myzus lythri L. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), feeding on purple loosestrife,
      Lythrum salicaria L. (Myrtiflorae: Lythraceae), were measured in the presence of
      two insect predators, Harmonia axyridis Pallas (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) and
      Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae). A greenhouse cage
      experiment examined the direct effects of these predators on these herbivores,
      and indirect effects of predation on aboveground biomass, defoliation, number of
      leaves, and internode length. Eight treatment combinations with G. calmariensis,
      M. lythri, H. axyridis and C. carnea were applied to caged L. salicaria. The
      experiment ended when G. calmariensis adults were observed, 11 to 13 days after
      release of first instar G. calmariensis. G. calmariensis larvae alone removed
      significant amounts of leaf tissue and reduced the number of L. salicaria leaves.
      Predators did not reduce levels of defoliation by G. calmariensis. C. carnea had
      no effect on G. calmariensis survival, but H. axyridis reduced G. calmariensis
      survival in the presence of M. lythri. Both predators reduced the survival of M.
      lythri. This short duration greenhouse study did not demonstrate that predator
      prey interactions altered herbivore effects on L. salicaria.

PMID- 20302527
TI  - 7th International Workshop on the Molecular Biology and Genetics of the
      Lepidoptera August 20-26, 2006, Orthodox Academy of Crete, Kolympari, Crete,
      Greece.

PMID- 20302528
TI  - Phylogenetic relationships of tribes within Harpalinae (Coleoptera: Carabidae) as
      inferred from 28S ribosomal DNA and the wingless gene.
AB  - Harpalinae is a large, monophyletic subfamily of carabid ground beetles
      containing more than 19,000 species in approximately 40 tribes. The higher level
      phylogenetic relationships within harpalines were investigated based on
      nucleotide data from two nuclear genes, wingless and 28S rDNA. Phylogenetic
      analyses of combined data indicate that many harpaline tribes are monophyletic,
      however the reconstructed trees showed little support for deeper nodes. In
      addition, our results suggest that the Lebiomorph Assemblage (tribes Lebiini,
      Cyclosomini, Graphipterini, Perigonini, Odacanthini, Lachnophorini,
      Pentagonicini, Catapiesini and Calophaenini), which is united by a morphological
      synapomorphy, is not monophyletic, and the tribe Lebiini is paraphyletic with
      respect to members of Cyclosomini. Two unexpected clades of tribes were
      supported: the Zuphiitae, comprised of Anthiini, Zuphiini, Helluonini, Dryptini,
      Galeritini, and Physocrotaphini; and a clade comprised of Orthogoniini,
      Pseudomorphini, and Graphipterini. The data presented in this study represent a
      dense sample of taxa to examine the molecular phylogeny of Harpalinae and provide
      a useful framework to examine the origin and evolution of morphological and
      ecological diversity in this group.

PMID- 20302530
TI  - Screwworms, Cochliomyia hominivorax, reared for mass release do not carry and
      spread foot-and-mouth disease virus and classical swine fever virus.
AB  - Experiments were done to determine if transporting live screwworms Cochliomyia
      hominivorax Coquerel (Diptera: Calliphoridae) for developing new strains from
      countries where foot-and-mouth disease and classical swine fever are endemic, to
      the mass rearing facilities in Mexico and Panama, may introduce these exotic
      diseases into these countries. Are screwworms capable of harboring and spreading
      foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) and classical swine fever virus (CSFV) when
      they are grown in virus-inoculated larval rearing medium? In one experiment,
      screwworm larvae were reared in a FMDV-inoculated artificial medium containing
      either 0.1 % formaldehyde or antibiotics as an antimicrobial agent. In another
      experiment, larvae were similarly reared in a CSFV-inoculated artificial medium
      containing 0.1% formaldehyde. In each experiment, samples of larvae and the
      rearing media were collected daily until pupation occurred. The presence of FMDV
      was assayed by observing cytopathic effects on cell cultures and a conventional
      reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR); CSFV was assayed using
      an avidin-biotin complex assay and a conventional RT-PCR. For media containing
      antibiotics, FMDV was detected in a larval sample collected on day 1 and in media
      samples on days 1, 2 and 3. No FMDV was detected from larval and media samples
      collected on all other days. For media containing formaldehyde, FMDV and CSFV
      were not detectable in larval or media samples collected on all sampling days.
      These results indicate that FMDV and CSFV cannot survive in rearing medium
      containing formaldehyde as an antimicrobial agent. Therefore, insects collected
      in endemic regions and reared using formaldehyde-containing medium for at least
      one generation at the collection site should be free of FMDV and CSFV and can be
      transported safely to a strain development/mass rearing facility.

PMID- 20302531
TI  - Short-term dynamics of behavioral thermoregulation by adults of the grasshopper
      Melanoplus sanguinipes.
AB  - The short-term behavioral responses of adult grasshoppers, Melanoplus sanguinipes
      (F.) (Orthoptera: Acrididae), were examined after they experienced changes in
      microclimate when beingforced to change positions in their habitat. It was also
      determined if and when behavioral tactics allowed adults to achieve body
      temperatures within their preferred range. The preferred or set-point range, here
      taken as the interquartile range of temperatures selected on a laboratory thermal
      gradient, was estimated to be 37.4-40.5 degrees C. In the field, adults
      progressed through a relatively consistent daily sequence of behaviors, basking
      on the soil early in the day, but moving onto vegetation as temperatures
      increased. Although basking allowed grasshoppers to maximize body temperature
      within the available range, as much as 7 degrees C in excess of air temperature,
      they could not attain preferred body temperatures until soil surface temperatures
      reach about 35 degrees C. Basking was more effective in grazed than ungrazed
      pastures due to a lower degree of shading of the soil surface. As soil surface
      temperatures exceeded 35 degrees C, grasshoppers could achieve body temperatures
      within the preferred range by moving to the appropriate height on vegetation.
      These results illustrate the advantage of assessing behavior in the field in
      relation to preferred body temperatures determined in the laboratory.

PMID- 20302532
TI  - Gender perspective on quality of life, comparisons between groups 4-5.5 years
      after unsuccessful or successful IVF treatment.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe and compare quality of life in men and women who had in
      vitro fertilization (IVF) within the Swedish public health system 4-5.5 years
      previously, either unsuccessfully and were subsequently living without children,
      or successfully, having children aged 4-5.5 years. These groups were compared to
      a control group of men and women with children born at the same time as in the
      successful group. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Reproductive Unit,
      Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden. SAMPLE: Twenty-six men and
      37 women in the unsuccessful group, 135 men and 154 women in the successful group
      and 93 men and 118 women in the control group. METHODS: Questionnaire study. The
      respective gender differences were studied in the control and study groups. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Psychological general well-being (PGWB), sense of coherence
      (SOC), experience of infertility, demographic-socio-economic, and health
      characteristics. RESULTS: Men in the unsuccessful IVF group scored lower in total
      PGWB and SOC indices than the successful group men. They reported more
      depression, lower PGWB and lower SOC than the control group men. Women in the
      unsuccessful IVF group reported more anxiety, depression, and lower SOC than the
      successful group women and more depression and lower SOC indices than control
      group women. Men and women in the unsuccessful IVF group did not differ in any of
      the parameters. Men in the successful IVF group had higher PGWB, less signs of
      depression and more self-confidence than women in that group. CONCLUSION: Quality
      of life in men seems more negatively affected by involuntary infertility than
      reported in earlier studies.

PMID- 20302533
TI  - The effectiveness of adapted, best practice guidelines for smoking cessation
      counseling with disadvantaged, pregnant smokers attending public sector antenatal
      clinics in Cape Town, South Africa.
AB  - AIM AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of a smoking cessation intervention,
      based on best practice guidelines on the quit rates of disadvantaged, pregnant
      women in Cape Town, South Africa. DESIGN: Quasi-experimental using a natural
      history cohort as a control group, consisting of women attending antenatal care
      in 2006 and an intervention cohort, attending the same clinics a year later.
      SETTING: Four, public sector antenatal clinics in Cape Town staffed and managed
      by midwives. POPULATION: Pregnant women of low socio-economic status. METHODS:
      The natural history cohort received usual care, whilst the intervention cohort
      was offered self-help quit materials in the context of brief counseling by
      midwives and peer counselors. Smoking behavior was measured in early, mid and
      late pregnancy. The equivalence of the groups in terms of smoking profile, self
      reported smoking and demographic variables was assessed at baseline. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: Quit rates measured by urinary cotinine towards the end of pregnancy
      (36-39 weeks gestation). RESULTS: The two cohorts were comparable at baseline.
      The difference in quit rates between the two cohorts in late pregnancy was 5.3%
      (95% CI: 3.2-7.4%, p < 0.0001) in an intention to treat analysis. There was also
      a significant difference in reduction of smoking of 11.8% (95% CI: 5.0-18.4%, p =
      0.0006). CONCLUSION: A smoking cessation intervention based on best practice
      guidelines was effective among high risk, pregnant smokers in South Africa.

PMID- 20302534
TI  - Rebound acid hypersecretion.

PMID- 20302535
TI  - Terlipressin-induced hyponatremic seizure.
AB  - Terlipressin is a splanchnic constrictor that is used to control variceal
      bleeding and is considered to have a very good safety profile compared to
      vasopressin. However, side effects such as hyponatremia and seizure, although
      very rare, can occur. Recently, the authors have experienced a case of
      hyponatremia induced by infusion of terlipressin which resulted in generalized
      seizure. On admission, the patient's sodium level was 141 mmol/l but, 4 days
      after the initiation of terlipressin, it plummeted to 114 mmol/l, with serum
      osmolality also having fallen to 243 mOsm/kg. Hyponatremia could not be corrected
      despite correction with hypertonic saline but, after withdrawal of terlipressin,
      the serum sodium level showed a dramatic increase almost to the normal range the
      following day. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully monitor patients'
      electrolyte levels during the course of terlipressin therapy.

PMID- 20302536
TI  - The life cycle of the root borer, Oryctes agamemnon, under laboratory conditions.
AB  - The root borer, Oryctes agamemnon Burmeister (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), has
      become a serious pest of date palm trees in southwest Tunisia. Under natural
      conditions, mated females lay eggs in different parts of palm tree: between the
      hairy roots, all along the stem at the leaf axils and at the base of cut
      branches. Larvae bore into targeted places of the plant and were never seen
      outside. Pupation takes place in the plant and emergence of the adults begins in
      June. Larval feeding causes extensive damage to the respiratory roots. To examine
      the life cycle more closely, the O. agamemnon life cycle was studied under
      laboratory conditions. Different larval stages were collected from infested oases
      in Tozeur and placed in plastic boxes with natural food that was collected from
      the oases. After emergence, adults were paired in opaque plastic boxes for mating
      with the same food substrate which also served as an oviposition site. Eggs were
      collected daily and isolated in new boxes. Hatched eggs were recorded. The number
      of larval instars was determined by measuring the width of cephalic capsules.
      Under laboratory conditions (23 +/- 2'C and 55 +/- 6% RH)embryogenesis took 14.3
      +/- 1.42 days and the first, second and third larval instars were 33.1 +/- 2.69,
      63.88 +/- 6.6 and 118.3 +/- 13.38 days respectively. The pupal period lasted 24.1
      +/- 3.02 days and the adult 65.27 +/- 9.48 days. These facts indicated that O.
      agamemnon is univoltine.

PMID- 20302537
TI  - Toxicity of thiamethoxam against Philippine subterranean termites.
AB  - Thiamethoxam (ACTARA 25WG) was evaluated for its termiticidal properties against
      three species of economically important subterranean termites (Isoptera:
      Termitidae) in the Philippines: Nasutitermes luzonicus Oshima, Macrotermes gilvus
      Hagen, and Microcerotermes losbanosensis Oshima. Results of the study indicated
      that exposure to soil or ingestion of paper treated with thiamethoxam at
      concentration above 0.41 ppm may provide an adequate chemical barrier or induce
      high mortality against N. luzonicus, M. gilvus and M. losbanosensis after 5-9
      days. Feeding bioassays showed that thiamethoxam was not repellent to M. gilvus
      and M. losbanosensis but had an anti-feeding effect on N. luzonicus.

PMID- 20302538
TI  - Influence of temperature and humidity on the efficacy of spinosad against four
      stored-grain beetle species.
AB  - In the present work, we examined the insecticidal effect of spinosad, against
      adults of the lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) (Coleoptera:
      Bostrychidae), the rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L.) (Coleoptera:
      Curculionidae), the confused flour beetle, Tribolium confusum Jacquelin du Val
      (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) on wheat and the larger grain borer, Prostephanus
      truncatus (Horn) (Coleoptera: Bostrychidae) on maize. The dose rates used were
      0.01, 0.1, 0.5 and 1 ppm. The bioassays were carried out at three temperatures,
      20, 25 and 30 degrees C and two relative humidity levels, 55 and 75%. Mortality
      of R. dominica and S. oryzae was high even at 0.01 ppm of spinosad, reaching 100%
      at 55% relative humidity and 30 degrees after 21 days of exposure. Generally,
      mortality of R. dominica, increased with temperature while for S. oryzae
      mortality increased with temperature and with the decrease of relative humidity.
      Moreover, for S. oryzae, mortality was low at 20 degrees C. In the case of T.
      confusum, mortality was low at doses between 0.01 and 0.5 ppm even after 21 days
      of exposure. At 1 ppm, mortality exceeded 90% only at 30 degrees C and only after
      21 days of exposure. Mortality of P. truncatus was low on maize treated with 0.01
      ppm, but increasing the dose to 0.1 ppm resulted in > 87% mortality after 14 days
      of exposure. In several combinations tested, spinosad efficacy notably varied
      according to the temperature and humidity regimes. Of the species tested, R.
      dominica and P. truncatus were very susceptible to spinosad, followed by S.
      oryzae, while T. confusum was the least susceptible.

PMID- 20302539
TI  - Transmission of two viruses that cause Barley Yellow Dwarf is controlled by
      different loci in the aphid, Schizaphis graminum.
AB  - Clonal populations of the aphid, Schizaphis graminum, have been separated into
      biotypes based on host preference and their ability to overcome resistance genes
      in wheat. Recently, several biotypes were found to differ in their ability to
      transmit one or more of the viruses that cause barley yellow dwarf disease in
      grain crops, and vector competence was linked to host preference. The genetics of
      host preference has been studied in S. graminum, but how this may relate to the
      transmission of plant viruses is unknown. Sexual morphs of a vector and nonvector
      S. graminum genotype were induced from parthenogenetic females and reciprocal
      crosses made. Eighty-nine hybrids were generated and maintained by
      parthenogenesis. Each hybrid was evaluated for its ability to transmit Barley
      yellow dwarf virus-PAV and Cereal yellow dwarf virus-RPV, and for its ability to
      colonize two wheat genotypes each expressing a different gene that confers
      resistance to S. graminum. The F1 genotypes were genetically variable for their
      ability to transmit virus and to colonize the aphid resistant wheat, but these
      traits were not genetically correlated. Individual F1 genotypes ranged in
      transmission efficiency from 0-100% for both viruses, although the overall mean
      transmission efficiency was similar to the transmission competent parent,
      indicating directional dominance. The direction of the cross did not
      significantly affect the vector competency for either virus, suggesting that
      maternally inherited cytoplasmic factors, or bacterial endosymbionts, did not
      contribute significantly to the inheritance of vector competency in S. graminum.
      Importantly, there was no genetic correlation between the ability to transmit
      Barley yellow dwarf virus and Cereal yellow dwarf virus-RPV in the F1 genotypes.
      These results taken together indicate that multiple loci are involved in the
      circulative transmission, and that the successful transmission of these closely
      related viruses is regulated by different sets of aphid genes.

PMID- 20302540
TI  - Occurrence of treehoppers (Hemiptera: Membracidae: Smiliinae) on oaks in delaware
      water gap national recreation area, 2004-2006.
AB  - A total of 870 treehoppers and 24 species from the tribe Smiliini (Hemiptera:
      Membracidae: Smiliinae) were collected from various oaks in the Delaware Water
      Gap National Recreation Area in 2006 using yellow sticky cards. Combining all
      years and collecting methods, 27 species were found in the park. A majority of
      the specimens collected in 2006 were males of Cyrtolobus vau and Ophiderma
      pubescens, as in previous years. Most of the treehoppers were caught in mid to
      late June, comparable to 2004 and 2005. It appears that many species are
      segregated either temporally or by oak group; some treehopper species show
      preference for either the red or white oak group rather than for one species of
      oak. Color photographs for 27 treehopper species (many including both sexes) are
      included.

PMID- 20302541
TI  - A new species and new synonym in Heptagenia walsh (Ephemeroptera: Heptageniidae:
      Heptageniinae) based on molecular and morphological evidence.
AB  - A new mayfly species, Heptagenia whitingi Webb & McCafferty n.sp. is described
      from larvae, a male subimago, a female adult, and eggs collected from large
      rivers in the west-central portion of North America. Larvae are differentiated
      from other North American Heptagenia Walsh by a pair of large, rectangular pale
      markings on abdominal tergum 4, and the combination of having the posterior
      margin of the abdominal terga with bluntly pointed spines less than half the
      length of the fine setae, small blunt spines on the posterior margin of the
      caudal filaments, and numerous rows of setae laterally on the ventral surface of
      the labrum. A 630 bp partial sequence of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome
      oxidase 1 (COI) from three specimens of H. whitingi n.sp. was compared with those
      of 12 specimens representing eight other North American species of Heptagenia.
      Intraspecific sequence divergences based on Kimura-2-parameter (K2P) distance
      ranged from 0-1.1%. Interspecific sequence divergence based on K2P distance
      ranged from 8.9-20.0%. Heptagenia whitingi n.sp. differed from its sister taxon
      H. flavescens (Walsh) by 11.7%. Heptagenia diabasia Burks and H. elegantula
      (Eaton) differed from each other by only 1.1%; these two alleged species show a
      clinal pattern in larval abdominal coloration and there are no structural
      differences between the semaphorants. On this basis, H. diabasia is placed as a
      junior subjective synonym of H. elegantula, n.syn.

PMID- 20302542
TI  - Porphobilinogen synthase from the butterfly, Pieris brassicae: purification and
      comparative characterization.
AB  - Porphobilinogen represents a key building block of tetrapyrroles serving as
      functional ligands of many vitally important proteins. Here we report the first
      purification of porphobilinogen synthase (PBGS) from whole insects by
      sequentially employing two modes of native electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gels
      subsequent to more conventional procedures. Using adults of Pieris brassicae L.
      (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) we achieved approximately 10,000-fold purification with
      final yields of up to 25% of electrophoretically pure PBGS with a specific
      activity of approximately 160 micromol PBG h(-1) mg(-1) at 37 degrees C and an
      affinity of 0.36 mM to its substrate 5-aminolevulinic acid. Enzyme activity was
      inhibited by the substrate mimics, levulinic acid and succinylacetone, and by
      chelating agents. PBGS behaved as a relatively heat-stable octameric complex of
      292.3 kDa composed of 36.5 kDa subunits. Most general features of this insect
      PBGS were comparable to those published for other animal PBGS enzymes, while
      remarkable differences were found to the reported recombinant Drosophila enzyme.
      Moreover, rabbit antiserum directed against purified Pieris PBGS revealed
      significant immunological differences among insect PBGS enzymes from a wide range
      of orders contrasting to the overall evolutionary conserved features of this
      enzyme.

PMID- 20302543
TI  - Potentially hygroreceptive sensilla on the anal stylus of the glassy-winged
      sharpshooter, Homalodisca vitripennis.
AB  - Abstract This study begins to elucidate the cues and mechanisms by which the
      glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar) (Hemiptera:
      Cicadellidae), select host plants for feeding and oviposition. The
      electrophysiological response of the anal styli of male and female H. vitripennis
      to water vapor was examined using a modified electroantennography (EAG) device
      (stylogram). A strong electrophysiological response of the anal stylus to water
      vapor was found. Scanning electron microscopic examination of the anal stylus
      revealed the presence of long mechanosensory hairs, many small coeloconic-type
      sensilla, and masses of secretory granules termed brochosomes. Each coeloconic
      sensillum is located in a pit from which protrude finger-like projections. The
      pit is often blocked by masses of brochosomes and an unidentified dense material.
      Based on the electrophysiological response of the anal stylus to water vapor, we
      hypothesize that the coeloconic sensilla on the stylus may be hygroreceptors. H.
      vitripennis are xylem feeders and may use the sensilla to assist in host
      selection for the purpose of feeding or oviposition based on detected plant water
      status. Furthermore, H. vitripennis oviposit into the leaf epidermis, and may use
      these sensilla to evaluate moisture content to determine host suitability for
      both oviposition and subsequent feeding of emerged progeny. Understanding the
      cues and underlying mechanisms of host selection is an important consideration
      for predicting the movement of H. vitripennis between crops and disease
      epidemiology.

PMID- 20302544
TI  - Reproductive tactics of sexes and fitness in the dragonfly, Diastatops obscura.
AB  - The sexual selection strategies of territorial Odonata that do not present
      courtship behavior is still not completely understood, especially the role of the
      females. Diastatops obscura Fabricius (Odonata: Libellulidae) females participate
      in mate selection in a passive manner, allowing copulation with the first male
      that captures them and afterwards choosing whether to oviposit or not. This study
      introduces the idea of female passive choice as an adaptative tactic in
      intersexual selection. Also discussed is the adaptative value of this tactic and
      its flexibility according to environmental conditions and reproductive strategies
      adopted by the males. A natural population of Diastatops obscura was observed in
      the Pitimbu River of northeast Brazil. Focal continuous and ad libitum techniques
      were used to record attempted copulation, copulation, and oviposition behavior,
      in addition to registering male territoriality. An estimate of individual
      reproductive success (IRS) was obtained by recording 187 reproductive events.
      Territorial males, mainly occupying areas near the river margin, achieved greater
      copulation and oviposition success (IRS = 0.371) than did satellite males (IRS =
      0.028). Females that copulated with territorial males experienced, for the most
      part, only one copulation and oviposition event, while those that copulated with
      satellite males fled or performed a second copulation with a territorial male.
      Thus, the best tactic adopted by the D. obscura males was to occupy a territory
      providing the greatest access to females, while the females used passive choice
      for fitness optimization.

PMID- 20302545
TI  - Descriptive study of damage caused by the rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes agamemnon,
      and its influence on date palm oases of Rjim Maatoug, Tunisia.
AB  - Oryctes agamemnon (Burmeister 1847) (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) was accidentally
      introduced in the southwestern oases of Tunisia (Tozeur) around 1980 and spread
      to the Rjim Maatoug region. In these areas O. agamemnon was specific to date palm
      trees causing severe damage that can result in potential danger due to collapse
      of the tree. This study was conducted from April 2004 to March 2006 in 4 sites in
      the region of Rjim Maatoug. Different levels of palm tree attack were determined,
      ovioposition sites were identified, and pest damage was described in detail to
      specify their relative importance and to indicate factors governing palm tree
      attack. Eggs were individually oviposited in the attacked parts. Dead parts of
      palm trees were the main target of O. agamemnon including the respiratory roots,
      tough, trunk bark, dry petiole and the periphery of the crown. The crown itself
      was not attacked. Feeding by larvae caused significant damage. The biggest danger
      occurred when heavy attacks of larvae invaded the respiratory roots at the level
      of the soil, and secondarily on the periphery of the crown, which can result in
      fungal diseases. Several cases of Deglet Nour date palm tree collapse were caused
      by this pest in Rjim Maatoug. Attacks on other parts of the tree were without
      danger for the palm tree. In the absence of pest management, application of a
      quarantine program combined with field cultivation techniques could help farmers
      significantly decrease attack of O. agamemnon on palm trees.

PMID- 20302546
TI  - Gynomorphic mandible morphology in the dobsonfly, Corydalus cornutus.
AB  - Two aberrant males of Corydalus cornutus (L.) (Insecta: Megaloptera), which
      exhibit unusually short mandibles with discrete dentition, are recorded from a
      locality in Missouri. Morphological details of the specimens, as well as
      implications for the overall morphological variation of the genus and species are
      discussed. The term gynomorphic is suggested as the best descriptor of this case,
      given that little explanatory information is available to classify these
      specimens as true gynandromorphs.

PMID- 20302547
TI  - Rapid diagnosis of tuberculous pericarditis by ELISPOT assay.
AB  - We describe a case in which the rapid diagnosis of tuberculous pericarditis was
      made using the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB)-specific enzyme-linked immunospot
      (ELISPOT) assay on pericardial effusion mononuclear cells (PEMCs). The analysis
      of MTB-specific T-cells in PEMCs by ELISPOT may be useful for rapid decision
      making in anti-tuberculous treatment.

PMID- 20302548
TI  - Prognostic value of germ cells in the ejaculate: a case study.
AB  - The first approach to assessing male fertility is to study a spermiogram, where
      special attention is given to sperm count, motility and morphology, while less
      attention is given to other cells in the ejaculate. Normal spermatogenesis
      requires a balance between cell death and proliferation; therefore, the number of
      germ cells (GC) in the ejaculate is less than the number of sperm. We propose a
      new index for altered spermatogenesis, i.e., the rate GC/sperm. We investigated a
      patient with oligozoospermia and a GC/sperm ratio greater than one, which
      indicated that spermatogenesis had been damaged. Complementary cytological tests
      were employed to characterized GC status: Papanicolaou stain, transmission
      electronic microscopy (TEM), vitality test, AgNOR and TUNEL assay. We also
      correlated cell morphology with ultrastructure studies that showed apoptosis.
      Nuclear apoptosis is characterized by vacuolization, misshapen nuclei, and "half
      moon," dispersed, uncondensed, disrupted and smudged chromatin. Cytoplasmic
      apoptosis is characterized by vacuolization, cytoplasmic protrusions, lamellar
      bodies, and swollen endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. To date, only
      testicular biopsy has been used to diagnose complete or incomplete testicular
      arrest. Our investigation is the first to determine a cytological feature in
      semen samples that could be used as a biological marker for abnormal
      spermatogenesis and for predicting the transition from oligospermia to
      azoospermia.

PMID- 20302549
TI  - Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii genes preferentially expressed
      during rat macrophage infection.
AB  - Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii are encapsulated yeast agents of
      cryptococcosis and facultative intracellular pathogens. The interaction of these
      yeasts with macrophages is essential for containing the infection. However,
      Cryptococcus spp. overcome this initial host defense barrier using a unique
      pathogenic strategy involving intracellular replication and cytoplasmic
      accumulation of polysaccharide-containing vesicles. Here, we employed
      representational difference analysis (RDA) to identify C. neoformans and C.
      gattii genes differentially expressed during intracellular growth in rat
      peritoneal macrophages. The upregulated transcripts of C. neoformans during
      macrophage interaction were related to ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters,
      intra-golgi transport, chaperone activity, ribosomal maintenance, NAD metabolism,
      histone methylation, stress response, and monosaccharide metabolism. In contrast,
      with C. gattii, upregulated genes were associated with cell growth, aerobic
      respiration, protein binding, microtubule nucleation, monosaccharides and
      nitrogen metabolism, inositol or phosphatidylinositol phosphatase activity,
      cellular signaling, and stress response. Our findings reveal new genes that may
      be necessary for the intracellular parasitism of C. neoformans and C. gattii.

PMID- 20302550
TI  - Fonsecaea nubica sp. nov, a new agent of human chromoblastomycosis revealed using
      molecular data.
AB  - A new species of Fonsecaea, Fonsecaea nubica, morphologically similar to F.
      pedrosoi and F. monophora, is described using multilocus molecular data including
      AFLP profiles, sequences of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacers (ITS), and
      partial sequences of the cell division cycle (cdc42), beta-tubulin (tub1) and
      actin (act1) genes. A phylogenetic approach was used to evaluate species
      delimitation. Topologies of the trees were concordant. Fonsecaea strains could be
      classified into three major entities, i.e., one representing Fonsecaea pedrosoi
      isolates, another consisting of strains of F. monophora, and a third, unnamed
      group comprising isolates mostly recovered from cases of chromoblastomycosis in
      South America and China. F. nubica is part of this latter group. Based on strains
      analyzed thus far, we have found that the pathologies of these three Fonsecaea
      species are somewhat different in that F. pedrosoi and F. nubica are
      preponderantly associated with chromoblastomycosis, while F. monophora may also
      act as a systemic opportunist in cases involving brain infections. The latter
      species is also the most frequently recovered of the three from environmental
      samples.

PMID- 20302551
TI  - Efficacy of vitamin D3 supplementation in preventing fractures in elderly women:
      a meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The efficacy of vitamin D(3) in preventing fractures and falls has
      been explored in a number of clinical trials. However, recent evidence revealed
      new questions about the adequate doses of vitamin D(3) supplementation and its
      efficacy in fracture prevention independent of calcium supplements for various
      types of fractures. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a meta-analysis to estimate the
      effectiveness of 800 IU daily vitamin D(3) supplementation for increasing bone
      mineral density (BMD) and preventing fractures in postmenopausal women. METHODS:
      Medline and EMBASE were searched for controlled trials comparing the
      effectiveness of cholecalciferol (vitamin D(3)) against placebo with or without
      background calcium supplementation in the treatment of postmenopausal women.
      RESULTS: Eight controlled trials evaluating the effect of vitamin D(3)
      supplementation with or without calcium were assessed. Of 12 658 women included
      in a Bayesian meta-analysis, 6089 received vitamin D(3) (with or without calcium)
      and 6569 received placebo (with or without calcium). Compared to placebo, vitamin
      D(3) with calcium supplementation showed beneficial effects on the incidence of
      non-vertebral (odds ratio [OR] 0.77, 95% credibility limit [CL] 0.6-0.93) and hip
      (OR 0.70, 95% CL 0.53-0.90) fractures, while the effects on non-vertebral-non-hip
      fractures (OR 0.84, 95% CL 0.67-1.04) % point increase) were associated with more
      uncertainty. Vitamin D(3) supplementation showed a 70% probability of being a
      better treatment than placebo for the prevention of non-vertebral fractures, hip
      fractures, and non-vertebral, non-hip fractures. Compared to calcium
      supplementation, vitamin D(3) plus calcium reduced non-vertebral fractures (OR
      0.68, 95% CL 0.43-1.01) and non-vertebral, non-hip fractures (OR 0.64, 95% CL
      0.38-0.99), but did not reduce hip fractures (OR 1.03, 95% CL 0.39-2.25). Key
      limitations to this analysis include a small number of studies and heterogeneity
      in the study populations. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis supports the use of
      vitamin D3 of 800 IU daily to reduce the incidence of osteoporotic non-vertebral,
      hip, and non-vertebral-non-hip fractures in elderly women. Vitamin D(3) with
      calcium appears to achieve benefits above those attained with calcium
      supplementation alone for non-vertebral and non-vertebral-non-hip fractures.

PMID- 20302552
TI  - Evidence for the efficacy of ARBs across the cardiovascular continuum.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) are antihypertensive agents
      with considerable evidence of efficacy and safety for the reduction of
      cardiovascular (CV) disease risk in numerous patient populations from one end of
      the CV continuum (i.e., primary prevention among patients with CV risk factors)
      to the other (i.e., secondary prevention in the post-MI setting). There are
      several agents within the ARB class, all of which have contributed to various
      degrees to this evidence base. SCOPE: This review presents the design and main
      results of large, well designed studies examining the CV risk-reducing properties
      of ARBs. The authors searched major literature databases (Embase, Medline,
      PubMed) for randomized, controlled studies published between January, 1995 and
      October, 2009 that compared ARBs with placebo or active controls and reported
      major CV outcomes (e.g., myocardial infarction, stroke) and/or mortality as the
      primary study endpoint(s). LIMITATIONS: Although many trials evaluating similar
      agents are presented, between-trial comparisons are inappropriate. The results of
      each study stand on their own merits and weaknesses, but do not provide any
      additional insight into the results of the other studies. RESULTS: Agents in the
      ARB class have demonstrated efficacy in reducing CV events and/or mortality in a
      number of different patient populations, from primary prevention studies in
      patients with pre-specified risk factors (e.g., hypertension and left-ventricular
      hypertrophy in the LIFE study) to secondary prevention (i.e., post-MI patients in
      the VALIANT study). Some studies have also demonstrated the statistical
      equivalence of ARBs to ACE inhibitors in certain populations (e.g., among post-MI
      patients in VALIANT and among a broad population of patients with vascular
      disease or diabetes in the ONTARGET). There are several major studies currently
      underway that will provide further information on the risk-reducing properties of
      ARBs in additional populations (e.g., patients with impaired glucose tolerance in
      the NAVIGATOR study). CONCLUSIONS: ARBs have demonstrated efficacy in reducing CV
      morbidity and mortality in a broad spectrum of CV disease states across the CV
      continuum. Ongoing research continues to provide additional evidence, with
      ongoing trials investigating their role in additional patient populations.

PMID- 20302553
TI  - Biosimilars: controversies as illustrated by rhGH.
AB  - Abstract Background and scope: Similar biological medicinal products, also called
      'biosimilars', are copies of biopharmaceutical products whose patent has expired.
      Whether biosimilars are truly comparable and interchangeable with their reference
      biopharmaceutical products in terms of quality, efficacy and tolerability, is
      still a matter of debate. This review discusses the controversies related to the
      criteria for regulatory approval of biosimilars. These concerns are illustrated
      using recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) biosimilars as an example. METHODS:
      Publications on the regulatory approval of biosimilars in general and rhGH
      biosimilars in particular were searched in MEDLINE by exploding and combining the
      medical subject heading terms 'human growth hormone', 'efficacy' or 'safety' and
      the free-text words 'biosimilar', 'biopharmaceutical', 'similar biological
      medicinal product', 'follow-up biologic' or 'biogeneric'. Searches were limited
      to full-text English-language articles. The websites from the European Medicines
      Agency (EMA) and from the American Food and Drug Administration were also
      consulted. Regulatory status: To obtain regulatory approval of a biosimilar
      product by EMA, demonstration of comparability with an approved reference
      biopharmaceutical product in terms of quality, efficacy and tolerability is
      needed. Thus, comparative quality studies, non-clinical and clinical efficacy and
      tolerability studies are required. However, in contrast to the reference product,
      comparative non-clinical pharmacokinetics, safety pharmacology, reproduction
      toxicology, mutagenicity and carcinogenicity studies are not mandatory to obtain
      approval of a biosimilar. In addition, comparable efficacy and tolerability only
      needs to be established by one study in a single population during a limited time
      interval (12 months) and often allows extrapolation to all other approved
      indications of the reference product. Consequently, for the currently approved
      rhGH biosimilars, long-term efficacy and tolerability in all indications has not
      been proven to the same degree as for the reference products. CONCLUSIONS: The
      validity of the current criteria for comparability and interchangeability of
      biosimilars and their reference products remains controversial. The authors
      conclude that long-term clinical investigations and systematic monitoring of the
      efficacy and tolerability of rhGH biosimilars in all indications are needed. In
      addition, the medico-economical environment should allow physicians to take a
      free and informed decision about the type of rhGH to be prescribed.

PMID- 20302554
TI  - Can we obtain hyaline cartilage with currently available techniques?

PMID- 20302555
TI  - Is osteoarthritis a disease involving only cartilage or other articular tissues?
AB  - Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive and disabling disease resulting from a
      combination of risk factors, including advancing age, genetics, trauma, knee
      malalignment, increased biomechanical loading of joints through obesity,
      augmented bone density and an imbalance in physiological processes resulting in
      catabolic cascades on a molecular level. This review will highlight the
      involvement early in the disease process of not only the cartilage but also the
      synovial membrane and subchondral bone and the pathophysiological mechanisms of
      each of these tissues that lead to joint degeneration. We will summarize the
      current pathological mechanisms that occur in the abovementioned articular
      tissues, and briefly discuss their interconnections during OA.

PMID- 20302556
TI  - Intermediate-term results after uncemented total hip arthroplasty for the
      treatment of developmental dysplasia of the hip.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We aim to evaluate the restoration of the hip and limb length in
      patients with osteoarthritis secondary to developmental dysplasia of the hip
      (DDH) using total hip arthroplasty (THA). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between February
      1996 and September 2001, 65 hips in 55 patients (2 males, 53 females; mean age
      48.6 years; range 37 to 60 years) with advanced osteoarthritis secondary to DDH
      underwent uncemented THA. According to the Hartofilakidis classification, 20, 27,
      and 18 hips were evaluated types I (dysplasia), II (subluxation), and III
      (dislocation), respectively. All of the acetabular cups were reconstructed in the
      original anatomic location. Structural autografts were used in seven hips to
      supplement the acetabular coverage. We evaluated all patients clinically and
      radiographically. RESULTS: All of the patients were followed up for 7-12 years.
      Preoperatively, the Harris score averaged 52.5, 48.41, and 45.28 in types I to
      III, respectively. At the final follow-up, the Harris score averaged 89.65,
      87.44, and 83.28, respectively. The difference between the pre- and postoperative
      scores was significant (p=0.0001). Preoperatively, 26 patients (47.27%) had
      slight limps (length difference <1 cm), eight (14.55%) had moderate limps (length
      difference 1-3 cm), and 21 (38.18%) had severe limps (length difference >3 cm).
      At their final follow-up, four (7.27%) had severe limps. The limps of all of the
      patients improved significantly (McNemar's test p=0.0001). We observed aseptic
      loosening and subsidence in six hips. In seven hips, we used a femoral head
      autograft for the superior acetabular defect. We performed femoral shortening
      osteotomies only for two (3.07%) type III hips. CONCLUSION: In addition to the
      standard procedure, structural bone autografting, medialization of the cup, and
      placing the acetabular component in the true acetabulum are important factors for
      successful intermediate-term results.

PMID- 20302557
TI  - [Parallelism of vibration sense with proprioception sense in patients with
      patellofemoral pain syndrome: a pilot study].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the utility of vibration
      sense as a proprioceptive test in patients with a clinical diagnosis of
      patellofemoral pain syndrome. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Nineteen patients with a
      clinical diagnosis of patellofemoral pain syndrome and 10 healthy volunteers were
      included in the study. Patients and volunteers underwent a joint position sense
      test and a vibration sense test. A digital goniometer and 128 Hz frequency tuning
      fork were used for the measurements. The results of the pathologic knees were
      compared with the results of both their contralateral knees and the normal knees
      of the volunteers. T-test, Mann Whitney U and Pearson correlation tests were used
      for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The amount of time to perceive the vibration
      was 7.2+/-1.3 sec for the symptomatic knees, whereas it was 9.1+/-1.5 sec for the
      contralateral knees (p<0.05), each in the extended position. Joint position sense
      testing also showed deterioration of proprioception in accordance with the
      vibration testing. Similar differences were obtained between the symptomatic
      knees and the normal knees of volunteers (p<0.05). No differences were found in
      vibration sense measurements done at a 90 degrees flexion position of the knee
      (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of the study show that the amount of time a
      vibration could be perceived is diminished in the symptomatic knees of the
      patients as compared to symptomatic knees. It is possible to extrapolate from
      these findings that vibration perception may be used for proprioceptive
      measurement.

PMID- 20302558
TI  - [Unicondylar knee arthroplasty in medial unicompartmental osteoarthritis:
      technical faults and difficulties].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to evaluate both the technical problems of
      surgery and the clinical and radiologic outcomes of patients treated with
      unicondylar knee arthroplasty. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-one unicondylar knee
      prosthesis were performed in 40 patients (3 males, 37 females; mean age 58.2
      years; range 44 to 76 years) diagnosed with unicompartmental knee osteoarthritis.
      Technical problems encountered during surgery were noted. For evaluation of
      clinical outcomes, the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) knee score and WOMAC
      score were used. Radiologic evaluations were performed using the Oxford Knee
      Group criteria. RESULTS: The radiologic evaluation determined there was more than
      10 degrees varus-valgus malposition in eight patients, more than 2 mm medial
      tibial overhang in seven patients, the insertion of a femoral component in
      extension in one patient, and joint distraction in one patient. The patient with
      joint distraction underwent a total knee replacement after six months because of
      progressive pain. The mean HSS knee score improved 21 points; perfect results
      were obtained in 33 patients and good results in seven patients. The mean
      postoperative WOMAC score was reduced by 18 points, with perfect results in 33
      patients, good results in six patients and a moderate result in one patient. The
      mean follow-up was 19 months (range 9-42). CONCLUSION: Unicondylar knee
      arthroplasty is a surgical treatment method with a long-term recovery and high
      frequency of technical faults. Minor errors diagnosed on radiographs do not have
      an effect on early clinical results. Unicondylar knee arthroplasty is a good
      alternative surgical technique for appropriately selected patients with medial
      unicompartmental knee osteoarthritis.

PMID- 20302559
TI  - The three portal (including transpatellar tendon portal) versus two portal
      technique in the arthroscopic menisectomy procedure for isolated medial bucket
      handle type meniscal tears.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the central
      (transpatellar tendon) portal technique for the treatment of isolated medial
      bucket-handle type meniscal tears with the arthroscopic menisectomy procedure.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this study, fifty patients with isolated medial bucket
      handle type meniscal tears were evaluated. They were divided into two groups with
      25 patients in each group. In the first group, the three portal (including
      central portal) technique was used and in the second group, the two portal
      technique was used. The results of the two groups were compared in terms of (i)
      operation times; (ii) changes in Insall-Salvati ratios postoperatively; (iii)
      postoperative Cincinatti scores; (iv) quadriceps muscle strengths; (v) the
      presence of anterior knee pain and; (vi) complication rates, in order to
      determine the significance of adding a central portal to the standard
      anterolateral and anteromedial portals in the menisectomy procedure. RESULTS:
      There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of Cincinnati
      clinical scores, quadriceps muscle strenghts and complication rates. However, the
      operation time values of the first group were significantly shorter than the
      second group (p<0.001). The postoperative changes in Insall-Salvati ratio values
      were significantly higher in the first group than the second group (p<0.002).
      This results show us that the first group had a significant decrease in patellar
      tendon length whereas the second group had no change in size postoperatively.
      CONCLUSION: We suggest that the use of the central portal for viewing and
      instrumentation is a safe and quick technique in the menisectomy procedure for
      medial bucket-handle type meniscal tears, due to its unexpected lower
      complication rates and shorter operation times. While it causes patellar tendon
      shortening, this does not effect the clinical outcomes.

PMID- 20302560
TI  - Double plate osteosynthesis provides better biomechanical stabilization than
      double tension band technique in distal humerus fractures.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In this study we evaluated the stability and effectiveness of the
      double tension band osteosynthesis technique compared to the double plate
      osteosynthesis technique used for fixation of distal humerus fractures. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: The study was performed on two groups, and in each group eight
      cadaveric, elderly (mean age 70-80) human humeri was used. An osteotomy was
      performed in the supracondylar region using a manual saw. The first group (group
      1) was fixed with double 3.5 mm reconstruction plates, while the second group
      (group 2) was fixed with the double tension band technique, using crossing
      Kirschner wires. The osteotomy was designed so that the distal fragment would
      allow only a single screw per plate. The constructs were evaluated using a
      material testing machine. A linear non-cyclic load was applied until the failure
      of the constructs. The force which produced a 3 mm gap (3 mm gap strength), as
      detected visually with the aid of operating loupes, and the maximum load prior to
      failure of the fixation (maximum force) were measured from all tests. RESULTS:
      The mean value for the 3 mm gap strength was 1356.29+/-226.97 N for group 1 and
      882.63+/-305.21 N for group 2. The mean value of the maximum load strength was
      1487.13+/-298 N for group 1 and 1232+/-107.62 N for group 2. There were
      significant differences in 3 mm gap strengths of the two groups (p=0.005). There
      was also a significant difference in the maximum load between the two groups
      (p=0.016). CONCLUSION: Double plate osteosynthesis technique is superior to
      double tension band osteosynthesis for the fixation of distal humerus fractures.

PMID- 20302561
TI  - [Age-related changes in light microscopy with Sirius red technique in rat
      Achilles tendon].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In this study, age-related morphological changes in intact rat
      Achilles tendon was investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty Wistar albino
      rats of 2-3 weeks, six months and 12 months old groups 10 animal in each group
      were examined with Sirius red light microscobic staining. RESULTS: The Sirius red
      light microscobic staining revealed that red stained collagen fibers have a
      decreased waviness with more rounded appearence of tenocyte nuclei, extracellular
      matrix along a increased vascularity and the number of tenocytes decreased with
      age was statistically meaningfull. CONCLUSION: The possible causes of the
      spontaneously Achilles tendon rupture in adult ages group was investigated with
      Sirius red light microscopic technique. In this age group, initiation of the
      degenerative changes are decreasing the elasticity thus function of this tendon.

PMID- 20302562
TI  - Insufficiency femoral fractures in patients undergoing prolonged alendronate
      therapy.
AB  - A 76-year-old woman complaining of pain and swelling in her right thigh was
      admitted to our clinic. She had been undergoing alendronate therapy for more than
      10 years. Physical examination revealed a mild swelling, pathologic motion and
      pain in her right thigh. Radiograms showed a transverse fracture with a medial
      spike in the area of thickened cortices of femoral diaphysis. She received
      surgical stabilization. The patient is now pain-free and she has walked with full
      weight bearing without any complications since the first postoperative day. Dual
      energy X-ray absorptiometry revealed a T-score for the lumbal spine of -2.89 and
      for the hip of -3.55. We stopped alendronate treatment. However the patient is
      receiving only calcium and vitamin D.

PMID- 20302563
TI  - Between bench and bed side: PI3K inhibitors.
AB  - The PI3K pathway constitutes an important pathway for regulating the signaling of
      multiple essential biological processes for which deregulation might contribute
      to cancer. As such, the PI3K pathway is one of the most frequently altered
      pathways in human tumors, providing constitutive pathway activation. The evidence
      indicates that the PI3K pathway is a potential target for cancer chemotherapy.
      Indeed, many companies and academic laboratories have initiated a variety of
      approaches to inhibit the pathway at different points. These proteins are
      kinases, which are very "druggable" targets a priori and, according to the
      "addiction hypothesis," cancer cells with this pathway activated will be more
      dependent upon this pathway for their survival. In this work, we will focus on
      PI3K protein as a major target for therapeutic intervention. We thoroughly review
      the clinical achievements and major concerns raised by the pharmacological
      intervention of PI3Ks.

PMID- 20302564
TI  - Activation of sphingosine kinase-1 in cancer: implications for therapeutic
      targeting.
AB  - Sphingolipid metabolites are critical to the regulation of a number of
      fundamental biological processes including cancer. Whereas ceramide and
      sphingosine mediate and trigger apoptosis or cell growth arrest, sphingosine 1
      phosphate promotes proliferation, cell survival and angiogenesis. The delicate
      equilibrium between the intracellular levels of each of these sphingolipids is
      controlled by the enzymes that either produce or degrade these metabolites.
      Sphingosine kinase-1 is a crucial regulator of this two-pan balance, because its
      produces the pro-survival and pro-angiogenic sphingosine 1-phosphate and
      decreases the amount of both ceramide and sphingosine, the pro-apoptotic
      sphingolipids. Moreover, its gene is oncogenic, its mRNA is overproduced in
      several solid tumors, its overexpression protects cells from apoptosis, and its
      activity is down-regulated by anti-cancer treatments. Therefore, the sphingosine
      kinase-1/sphingosine 1-phosphate signaling pathway appears to be a target of
      interest for therapeutic manipulation.

PMID- 20302565
TI  - Potential role of acrolein in neurodegeneration and in Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - Lipid peroxidation leads to the formation of a number of aldehydes by-products,
      including acrolein. The most abundant aldehydes are 4-hydroxy-nonenal (4-HNE) and
      malondialdehyde (MDA) while acrolein is the most reactive. In Alzheimer's brain,
      acrolein was found to be elevated in hippocampus and temporal cortex where
      oxidative stress is high. In late onset Alzheimer's disease (AD), a 2-fold
      increase in levels of acrolein/guanosine adducts in nDNA were isolated from the
      hippocampus of AD as compared to age-matched control. These adducts are
      biologically relevant in that they may promote DNA-DNA and DNA-protein cross
      linking while 4-HNE/guanosine adduct in nDNA was not elevated in AD. In AD, the
      activity of the glutathione-S-transferase, the main enzyme responsible for the
      detoxification of acrolein is significantly decreased in hippocampus. On neuronal
      primary culture from hippocampus, acrolein caused cell death and its toxicity is
      higher than 4-hydroxynonenal. Acrolein could modulate tau phosphorylation through
      different pathways. Acrolein has been shown to inhibit the mitochondrial
      activity. Due to its high reactivity, acrolein is not only a marker of lipid
      peroxidation but also an initiator of oxidative stress by adducting cellular
      nucleophilic groups found on proteins, lipids, and nucleic acid. As a strong
      electrophile molecule, acrolein can react about 110-150 times faster with the
      thiol group of cysteine than with 4-hydroxynonenal and decrease the level of the
      antioxidant glutathione. Taken together, these reactions suggest that acrolein
      could play a role in the pathophysiology of AD. In this review, we will summarize
      some mechanisms implicated in the toxicity of this by-product of lipid
      peroxidation in brain and their implication in AD.

PMID- 20302567
TI  - Oxidative biotransformation of fatty acids by cytochromes P450: predicted key
      structural elements orchestrating substrate specificity, regioselectivity and
      catalytic efficiency.
AB  - In view of the pivotal role played by the diversity of fatty acid-derived oxy
      products in a vast array of physiological processes, precise knowledge about the
      molecular principles dictating substrate specificity and regioselectivity in P450
      catalyzed oxidative attack on the distinctly structured carbon chains of the
      monocarboxylic acids is of paramount importance. Based on a general, CYP102A1
      related construct, the majority of prospective key determinants participating in
      fatty acid recognition/binding were found to cluster near the distal heme face
      made up by the helical B', F, G and I tetrad as well as the B'-C interhelical
      loop and certain beta-sheet segments. Most of the contact sites examined show a
      frequency of conservation <10%, hinting at the requirement of some degree of
      conformational flexibility. Some decisive elements may also have a function in
      maintaining active-site integrity, governing substrate access to the catalytic
      centre, and steering the redox machinery to efficiently promote fatty acid
      oxidations. Physico-chemical factors imposing constraints on orientation of the
      fatty acid molecules towards the iron-oxene core focus on the variably expressed
      polarity profile of the diverse docking regions and bulkiness of critical amino
      acid side chains, acting as selectivity filters for the substrate homologues.
      Also, dynamic fluctuations of certain contact sites located in the distal
      backbone of P450s may impact fatty acid positioning. Genetic engineering to
      introduce versatile properties into fatty acid hydroxylases may give an impetus
      to biotechnological exploitation of the tailored enzymes in the production of
      fine chemicals and therapeutic agents.

PMID- 20302568
TI  - An integrated metabolomics and pharmacokinetics strategy for multi-component
      drugs evaluation.
AB  - The treatment of common multi-factorial, system-wide diseases using multi
      component therapeutics, such as herbal medicines, can be regarded as a "system to
      system" therapeutic approach. The pharmacokinetics (PK) of multi-component
      therapeutics is a great technical challenge, which has led to significant
      limitations in understanding the efficacies and toxicities of combination drugs
      and herbal medicines. Metabolomics has clearly demonstrated its value in
      elucidating the interaction of the biological system's genome with its
      environments, and recently been used in the PK analysis of drugs, xenobiotics and
      several nutrients. The metabolomics strategy can also be used in pharmacokinetic
      study of plant derived agents to demonstrate their biological fates, thereby
      linking the plant metabolome to human/animal metabolome, and bridging the gap
      between multi-component agents and molecular pharmacology. This paper reviews the
      current progress of metabolomics based PK studies, presents the potentials and
      challenges of such a strategy for herbal medicines, as well as looks into the
      future of the role of metabolomics in the relationship between PK, PD and TOX of
      herbal medicines.

PMID- 20302569
TI  - Pharmacogenetics of target genes across doxorubicin disposition pathway: a
      review.
AB  - Increased understanding of the molecular mechanisms of tumor heterogeneity
      combined with rapid advances in the field of pharmacogenetics and
      pharmacogenomics have fuelled studies on individualizing anticancer therapy.
      Doxorubicin (Adriamycin), is an anthracycline glycoside antibiotic originally
      produced by Streptomyces peucetius var. caesius, and is widely used either as a
      single agent or in combination with other chemotherapeutic regimens for curative,
      adjuvant, and palliative treatment in cancer patients. The pharmacogenetics of
      doxorubicin has not been well characterized. The polygenic influence of
      functional candidate gene variants across doxorubicin biochemical pathway is
      hypothesized to contribute to its heterogeneity in disposition, influencing the
      efficacy of treatment and occurrence of adverse effects like cardiomyopathy in
      patients undergoing doxorubicin based adjuvant and neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. The
      pharmacogenetics of Asian population differs from that of other ethnic groups,
      particularly from Caucasian and African populations, and indicates an important
      role of ethnicity in determining predictive end points during chemotherapy and in
      individualizing treatment. This review comprehensively examines the
      pharmacogenetics of the regulatory nuclear receptor Pregnane-X Receptor (PXR),
      influx (SLC22A16) and efflux drug transporters (ABCB1, ABCG2, ABCC5, ABCB5 and
      RLIP76) and drug metabolizing enzymes (CBR1, CBR3) across the biochemical pathway
      of doxorubicin in Asian breast cancer patients receiving doxorubicin based
      adjuvant chemotherapy. The influence of functional genetic variants on the inter
      individual variability in pharmacokinetics of doxorubicin and its major
      metabolite are also discussed. The incorporation of non-genetic factors and
      subsequent validation of these findings in different patient and population
      groups will be valuable in tailoring doxorubicin dosage regimens to an individual
      to maximize therapeutic efficacy and minimize adverse reactions, leading to
      improved clinical outcomes.

PMID- 20302570
TI  - Iron-binding activity of human iron-sulfur cluster assembly protein hIscA1.
AB  - A human homologue of the iron-sulfur cluster assembly protein IscA (hIscA1) has
      been cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli cells. The UV-visible absorption
      and EPR (electron paramagnetic resonance) measurements reveal that hIscA1
      purified from E. coli cells contains a mononuclear iron centre and that the iron
      binding in hIscA1 expressed in E. coli cells can be further modulated by the iron
      content in the cell growth medium. Additional studies show that purified hIscA1
      binds iron with an iron association constant of approx. 2x1019 M-1, and that the
      iron-bound hIscA1 is able to provide the iron for the iron-sulfur cluster
      assembly in a proposed scaffold protein, IscU of E. coli, in vitro. The
      complementation experiments indicate that hIscA1 can partially substitute for
      IscA in restoring the cell growth of E. coli in the M9 minimal medium under
      aerobic conditions. The results suggest that hIscA1, like E. coli IscA, is an
      iron-binding protein that may act as an iron chaperone for biogenesis of iron
      sulfur clusters.

PMID- 20302571
TI  - Langerhans cell histiocytosis: a case study suggesting a reactive aetiology.

PMID- 20302566
TI  - Update information on drug metabolism systems--2009, part II: summary of
      information on the effects of diseases and environmental factors on human
      cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes and transporters.
AB  - The present paper is an update of the data on the effects of diseases and
      environmental factors on the expression and/or activity of human cytochrome P450
      (CYP) enzymes and transporters. The data are presented in tabular form (Tables 1
      and 2) and are a continuation of previously published summaries on the effects of
      drugs and other chemicals on CYP enzymes (Rendic, S.; Di Carlo, F. Drug Metab.
      Rev., 1997, 29(1-2), 413-580., Rendic, S. Drug Metab. Rev., 2002, 34(1-2), 83
      448.). The collected information presented here is as stated by the cited
      author(s), and in cases when several references are cited the latest published
      information is included. Inconsistent results and conclusions obtained by
      different authors are highlighted, followed by discussion of the major findings.
      The searchable database is available as an Excel file, for information about file
      availability contact the corresponding author.

PMID- 20302572
TI  - Frequency of aquagenic palmoplantar keratoderma in cystic fibrosis: a new sign of
      cystic fibrosis?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aquagenic palmoplantar keratoderma (APPK), also known as aquagenic
      wrinkling of the palms, is characterized by oedema of palms and/or soles, whitish
      papules, hyperwrinkling and sometimes pruritus or pain after water immersion. Its
      frequency in the general population is unknown. About 40 cases have been reported
      to date, including some among patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) or CF
      heterozygotes. OBJECTIVES: To determine the frequency of APPK among patients with
      CF. METHODS: Twenty-seven patients from the Centre of Competence on Cystic
      Fibrosis of Roscoff were examined by a dermatologist after immersion of the palms
      in water for 2-3 min. RESULTS: The frequency of APPK was 41% (11 of 27 patients).
      Some patients had not previously noticed the lesions. The frequency was higher
      among inpatients than outpatients. We suspect that occlusion (caused by the
      gloves worn by inpatients) can explain this difference. The number of patients
      included in this study is not sufficient to draw any conclusions concerning the
      type of CF mutation and its impact on the frequency of APPK. CONCLUSIONS: APPK is
      frequent among patients with CF and, thus, should be considered a sign of CF.
      APPK is underdiagnosed because physicians usually do not look for it. CF
      screening should be considered for any patient presenting with these symptoms,
      followed by genetic counselling if necessary.

PMID- 20302573
TI  - Targeted phototherapy of plaque-type psoriasis using ultraviolet B-light-emitting
      diodes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: One of the major technological breakthroughs in the last decade is
      represented by the diversified medical applications of light-emitting diodes
      (LEDs). LEDs emitting in the ultraviolet (UV) B spectrum might serve as a more
      convenient alternative for targeted delivery of phototherapy in inflammatory skin
      diseases such as psoriasis. OBJECTIVES: We investigated the efficacy and safety
      of a new UVB-LED phototherapeutic device in chronic plaque-type psoriasis.
      METHODS: Twenty patients with stable plaque-type psoriasis were enrolled into a
      prospective, right-left comparative, open study. Symmetrical lesions located on
      extremities or trunk were chosen; one lesion was treated with the study device,
      whereas the other lesion served as an untreated control. Two treatment regimens
      were used in the study, one with an aggressive dose escalation similar to those
      used for outpatient treatment and one with slow increase in dose, similar to
      those used for treatment at home. RESULTS: Patients in both groups responded
      rapidly to the UVB-LED therapy. Early disease resolution was observed in 11
      patients (seven in the first group and four in the second group). Overall
      improvement at end of therapy was 93% in the high-dose group and 84% in the low
      dose group. Four patients from the high-dose group and five from the low-dose
      group were still in remission at the 6-month follow-up visit. CONCLUSIONS: These
      results suggest that this innovative UVB-LED device is effective in the treatment
      of localized psoriasis and may be useful in other UV-responsive skin diseases.

PMID- 20302575
TI  - The effect of visible light and near-infrared radiation on constitutive pigment
      of patients with vitiligo.

PMID- 20302576
TI  - Thyrotropin-releasing hormone and oestrogen differentially regulate prolactin and
      prolactin receptor expression in female human skin and hair follicles in vitro.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Human skin and scalp hair follicles are both a nonclassical target
      and an extrapituitary source of prolactin (PRL), which is a potent hair growth
      modulator. However, how the expression of PRL and PRL receptor (PRLR) is
      regulated in human skin is unknown. OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether two key
      stimulators of pituitary PRL secretion, thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and
      oestrogen, also regulate cutaneous PRL and PRLR expression. METHODS: Female scalp
      skin and/or microdissected hair follicles were treated for 6 days in serum-free
      organ culture with oestrogen (100 nmol L(-1)), TRH (1-10 ng mL(-1), 3-30 nm) or
      vehicle control. Quantitative immunohistomorphometry of skin and hair follicle
      sections was complemented with quantitative polymerase chain reaction for PRL and
      PRLR in cultured hair follicles and/or female human outer root sheath (ORS)
      keratinocytes. RESULTS: Oestrogen treatment significantly upregulated PRL and
      PRLR immunoreactivity in selected skin and hair follicle compartments, at the
      gene and protein level (P < 0.05). TRH significantly increased PRL
      immunoreactivity and transcription in hair follicles (P < 0.05); however, while
      it also increased PRLR transcription in hair follicles, it downregulated PRLR
      immunoreactivity in the hair follicle ORS (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our pilot
      study shows that two key endocrine controls of pituitary PRL secretion, oestrogen
      and TRH, also regulate PRL and PRLR expression in human skin. This provides novel
      insights into the regulation of extrapituitary PRL and PRLR expression, and
      invites exploration of oestrogen and TRH as novel therapeutic agents in the
      management of skin and hair diseases characterized by aberrant PRLR-mediated
      signalling.

PMID- 20302577
TI  - No clinical benefit of preoperative fluorescence diagnosis of basal cell
      carcinoma localized in the H-zone of the face.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common malignant skin
      carcinoma. Fluorescence diagnosis (FD) has been suggested as a promising method
      for noninvasive detection of subclinical tumour cell dissemination in BCC.
      OBJECTIVES: In this prospective study, we evaluated the clinical performance of a
      preoperative definition of the lateral borders of BCC by FD in comparison with
      its definition by purely clinical diagnosis (CD). The fluorescence intensity on
      the skin was recorded using a digital light-emitting diode-based fluorescence
      imaging system. METHODS: Twenty-six patients with BCC (22 with nodular subtype)
      of the H-zone were included. The tumour area was determined 3 h after application
      of methyl aminolaevulinate by inspection and photographic documentation (CD) and
      FD. Subsequently, BCCs were excised according to the complete area defined by CD
      and FD with a security margin of 3 mm; surgical specimens were sectioned
      horizontally and subjected to meticulous histological mapping. The tumour areas
      as determined by FD, CD and histology were superimposed to map the entire lateral
      tumour margin. RESULTS: The tumour area could be visualized by FD in 24 of 26
      patients. The mean tumour area as determined by FD was significantly smaller than
      the tumour area as determined by CD [80 mm(2) , 95% confidence interval (CI) 50
      110 mm(2) vs. 101 mm(2) , 95% CI 76-125 mm(2) ; P < 0.012]. The superimposition
      of FD and histology showed in 10 of 26 patients a complete detection of the
      tumour margin by FD; thus sensitivity of FD was calculated as 38.5%. In only
      three of 26 patients FD revealed a tumour extent greater than determined by CD.
      Specificity of FD was calculated as 88.4%. CONCLUSIONS: On aggregate, this study
      suggests that preoperative FD of nodular BCC localized in the H-zone offers no
      additional benefit to define subclinical tumour infiltration compared with CD
      alone.

PMID- 20302578
TI  - Lethal acantholytic epidermolysis bullosa due to a novel homozygous deletion in
      DSP: expanding the phenotype and implications for desmoplakin function in skin
      and heart.
AB  - Desmoplakin is the major linker in desmosomes in epithelia and myocardium,
      anchoring intermediate filaments by the C-terminus to plakoglobin and plakophilin
      in the desmosomal plaque. Mutations in the gene DSP encoding desmoplakin have
      been associated with various phenotypes affecting skin and/or heart. One of these
      phenotypes, lethal acantholytic epidermolysis bullosa (LAEB), is characterized by
      extensive postnatal shedding of epidermis leading to early demise and is caused
      by recessive mutations in the gene DSP resulting in truncation of the desmoplakin
      C-terminus. Here we describe two infants born to the same consanguinous parents
      who suffered extensive epidermal dislodgment and died shortly after birth. In
      addition, universal alopecia, anonychia, malformed ears and cardiomyopathy were
      observed. As the clinical diagnosis was LAEB, DSP mutation analysis was
      performed. A homozygous deletion (c.2874del5) abrogating the donor splice site of
      exon 20 was found. The deletion is predicted to cause read-through in intron 20
      with subsequent recognition of a premature termination codon, resulting in
      desmoplakin lacking its rod domain and C-terminus (p.Lys959MetfsX5). Electron
      microscopic analysis of skin biopsies showed absence of the desmosomal inner
      dense plaque and lack of tonofilament insertion. This is the second report of
      LAEB. These findings suggest DSP mutations as the aetiology of LAEB and
      cardiomyopathy as part of the phenotype. Furthermore, they indicate that in
      addition to the desmoplakin C-terminus, the rod domain is dispensable for
      intrauterine development but is essential for the inner dense plaque of
      desmosomes.

PMID- 20302579
TI  - Lethal autosomal recessive epidermolytic ichthyosis due to a novel donor splice
      site mutation in KRT10.
AB  - Epidermolytic ichthyosis (EI; MIM 113800), previously named bullous congenital
      ichthyosiform erythroderma or epidermolytic hyperkeratosis, is a rare and
      clinically variable defect of cornification characterized by generalized
      erythema, erosions, scaling and easily breaking blisters that become less
      frequent later in life while hyperkeratosis increases. EI is caused by dominant
      mutations in either KRT1 or KRT10, encoding keratin 1 (K1) and keratin 10 (K10),
      respectively. Usually, mutations are missense substitutions into the highly
      conserved alpha-helical rod domains of the proteins. However, three inbred
      pedigrees in which EI is transmitted as a recessive trait due to KRT10 null
      mutations have been described.

PMID- 20302580
TI  - Topical calcitriol restores the impairment of epidermal permeability and
      antimicrobial barriers induced by corticosteroids.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The active form of vitamin D(3) , calcitriol, is widely used for the
      treatment of psoriasis, with or without topical corticosteroids. Topical
      corticosteroids are known to disrupt permeability and antimicrobial barriers,
      even with short-term use. Yet, the effect of topical calcitriol on epidermal
      permeability and antimicrobial barriers disrupted by topical corticosteroids has
      not been determined. OBJECTIVES: To examine the effect of calcitriol on epidermal
      permeability and antimicrobial barrier function that has been impaired by
      corticosteroids, as well as to elucidate the mechanism of improvement. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: Topical calcitriol or the control vehicle was applied to each flank
      of hairless mice 20 min after treatment with topical clobetasol propionate and
      repeated every 12 h for 3.5 days. Barrier function assessment, Nile red staining,
      electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, and real-time
      reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction studies were performed 24 h after
      the last application. RESULTS: Epidermis co-treated with topical calcitriol
      showed an improvement of stratum corneum integrity and barrier recovery, more
      intense fluorescence staining with Nile red, and an increase in lamellar body
      (LB) maturation and density, as well as upregulation of major epidermal lipid
      synthesis-related enzymes (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA, serine-palmitoyl
      transferase and fatty acid synthase), mouse beta-defensin 3, cathelin-related
      antimicrobial peptide and vitamin D receptor. CONCLUSIONS: We found that topical
      calcitriol restored both the epidermal permeability and antimicrobial barrier
      that had been impaired by corticosteroids. This restoration was mediated by both
      an activation of the cutaneous vitamin D pathway and an increase of epidermal
      lipids and antimicrobial peptides, promoted by the formation of the LB and the
      activity of epidermal lipid synthesis-related enzymes.

PMID- 20302581
TI  - Treatment of so-called idiopathic follicular mucinosis with hydroxychloroquine.
AB  - There exists no treatment of choice for follicular mucinosis (FM). Historically
      two distinct entities of FM have been proposed: FM of children and young adults
      not associated with other diseases ('idiopathic' FM), and FM in elderly patients
      associated with mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome ('lymphoma-associated' FM).
      Nowadays it is suggested that 'idiopathic' FM might represent a localized form of
      cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Six patients with 'idiopathic' FM were treated with
      hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) at a dose of 200 mg three times daily for 10 days
      followed by a dose adjusted to the ideal body weight, usually 200 mg twice daily.
      All patients showed an improvement of 'idiopathic' FM already after 6 weeks and a
      complete remission with full hair regrowth after 2-5 months of HCQ therapy. In
      all patients no relapse occurred during follow up of between 3 and 23 years and
      no patient developed lymphoma. We conclude that HCQ is a highly effective therapy
      without significant side-effects in the treatment of so-called 'idiopathic' FM.

PMID- 20302582
TI  - High-concentration (20 MUg g-1 ) tacalcitol ointment in the treatment of facial
      psoriasis: an 8-week open-label clinical trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Facial psoriasis gives rise to considerable concern because of
      associated cosmetic problems and psychosocial distress. It requires a treatment
      approach other than topical corticosteroids, which bear a risk of cutaneous
      adverse reactions. Recently, topical tacalcitol has been shown to be effective in
      psoriasis. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this open-label single-centre study is to
      investigate the efficacy and safety of high-concentration (20 MUg g-1) )
      tacalcitol ointment (Bonalfa-high((r)) , Teijin Pharma, Tokyo, Japan) in patients
      with facial psoriasis and to evaluate clinical response according to the
      distribution of facial psoriatic lesions. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-seven
      patients were enrolled to this clinical trial. Tacalcitol 20 MUg g-1 ointment was
      applied once daily to psoriatic lesions of the face over an 8-week period.
      Patients were also categorized into three subtypes according to facial lesion
      distribution. Efficacy was evaluated by the facial Psoriasis Area and Severity
      Index (facial PASI) and the Physician's Global Assessment (PGA) score at weeks 2,
      4 and 8. The Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) was also determined at the end of
      the study. RESULTS: Thirty-three patients completed the clinical trial. Mean
      facial PASI of 33 patients at baseline was 9.58 and after 8 weeks of treatment
      the mean facial PASI decreased significantly to 3.88. By using PGA, patients
      showed the following responses to treatment: clearance (n = 1); excellent (6);
      good (16); fair (4); slight (5); no change (1). The response rate among the three
      facial psoriasis types showed no difference. Using the SGA, 27 (82%) of the
      patients presented excellent (15%) or good (67%) effect with tacalcitol 20 MUg g
      1 ointment. No serious adverse reactions were observed. CONCLUSIONS: This is the
      first clinical study reporting a relevant therapeutic effect and favourable
      safety profile of tacalcitol 20 MUg g-1 ointment in facial psoriasis. These
      results suggest that tacalcitol 20 MUg g-1 ointment can be used as the first-line
      treatment in patients with facial psoriasis.

PMID- 20302583
TI  - Mechanisms of the sensory effects of tacrolimus on the skin.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tacrolimus is an immunosuppressant drug currently used for the
      treatment of atopic dermatitis and pruritus. This topical therapy is effective
      and safe, but transient burning, stinging and itch are frequently reported.
      OBJECTIVES: To understand the mechanisms underlying these burning sensations.
      METHODS: We examined the impact of tacrolimus on substance P (SP) release in an
      in vitro model of cutaneous neurogenic inflammation. Because phosphorylation of
      TRPV1 (transient receptor potential subtype vanilloid 1) plays a role in the
      induction of pain, we investigated whether tacrolimus regulates the
      phosphorylation state of TRPV1. Finally, we used a macropatch to evaluate the
      impact of tacrolimus on voltage-gated calcium currents of sensory neurons.
      RESULTS: Tacrolimus was able to induce initial SP release by extracellular
      calcium influx and inhibited SP release induced by capsaicin after 1, 24 and 72 h
      of pretreatment. Analysis of TRPV1 phosphorylation by Western blot confirmed the
      capacity of tacrolimus to favour phosphorylation. An electrophysiological study
      showed inhibitory effects on calcium currents. CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy of
      tacrolimus in pruritus, as well as the sensory side-effects, could be explained
      by a direct effect on neurons through an effect on calcineurin, possibly by a
      desensitization of TRPV1 and calcium currents through the PIP(2) regulation
      pathway.

PMID- 20302585
TI  - Guidelines for the management of Helicobacter pylori infection in Japan: 2009
      revised edition.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Over the past few years, the profile of Helicobacter pylori infection
      has changed in Japan. In particular, the relationship between H. pylori and
      gastric cancer has been demonstrated more clearly. Accordingly, the committee of
      the Japanese Society for Helicobacter Research has revised the guidelines for
      diagnosis and treatment of H. pylori infection in Japan. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Four meetings of guidelines preparation committee were held from July 2007 to
      December 2008. In the new guidelines, recommendations for treatment have been
      classified into five grades according to the Minds Recommendation Grades, while
      the level of evidence has been classified into six grades. The Japanese national
      health insurance system was not taken into consideration when preparing these
      guidelines. RESULTS: Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy achieved a Grade A
      recommendation, being useful for the treatment of gastric or duodenal ulcer, for
      the treatment and prevention of H. pylori-associated diseases such as gastric
      cancer, and for inhibiting the spread of H. pylori infection. Levels of evidence
      were determined for each disease associated with H. pylori infection. For the
      diagnosis of H. pylori infection, measurement of H. pylori antigen in the feces
      was added to the tests not requiring biopsy. One week of proton-pump inhibitor
      based triple therapy (including amoxicillin and metronidazole) was recommended as
      second-line therapy after failure of first-line eradication therapy. CONCLUSION:
      The revised Japanese guidelines for H. pylori are based on scientific evidence
      and avoid the administrative restraints that applied to earlier versions.

PMID- 20302584
TI  - Immunosuppressive effect of prolactin-induced protein: a new insight into its
      local and systemic role in chronic allergic contact dermatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prolactin-induced protein (PIP) has been shown to bind to CD4 and is
      speculated to block CD4-HLA-DR interaction. However, the immunomodulatory effect
      of PIP on chronic allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) remains to be elucidated.
      OBJECTIVES: To define the role of PIP during the immunoresponse. METHODS: Using a
      low-dose oxazolone-induced mouse chronic ACD model, expression of PIP was
      examined immunohistologically. Furthermore, effects of continued exposure to a
      peptide mimicking the major binding site of PIP (amino acids 106-132) for CD4 was
      examined in a mouse chronic ACD model. RESULTS: We clarified that keratinocytes,
      dermal infiltrating cells and spleen infiltrating mononuclear cells are
      positively stained with anti-PIP antibody. The PIP peptide significantly
      downregulated oxazolone-induced mouse ACD compared with controls. We also found
      that inflammation of the control ear, to which the PIP peptide had not been
      applied, was also suppressed in a synchronized manner in the late phase of ACD.
      CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that PIP might have a local and systemic
      immunosuppressive effect in mouse chronic ACD.

PMID- 20302586
TI  - High level of antimicrobial resistance in French Helicobacter pylori isolates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori is a human pathogen responsible for serious
      diseases including peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer. The recommended
      triple therapy included clarithromycin but increasing resistance has undermined
      its effectiveness. It is therefore important to be aware of the local prevalence
      of antimicrobial resistance to adjust treatment strategy. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Overall, 530 biopsies were collected between 2004 and 2007. The antimicrobial
      susceptibility of H. pylori was determined by E-test and molecular methods.
      RESULTS: Among these, 138/530 (26%) strains were resistant to clarithromycin,
      324/530 (61%) to metronidazole and 70/530 (13.2%) to ciprofloxacin. Whereas no
      resistance against amoxicillin and tetracycline was observed, only one strain was
      resistant to rifampicin. Compared to the patients never treated for H. pylori
      infection, the prevalence of resistance was significantly higher in patients
      previously treated (19.1% vs 68% for clarithromycin; 13.2% vs 53.3% for both
      clarithromycin and metronidazole). The trend analysis revealed an increase of
      primary resistance to ciprofloxacin between 2004 and 2005 (7.3%) vs 2006-2007
      (14.1%) (p = .04) and the secondary resistance reached 22.7% in 2007.
      Interestingly, 27 biopsies (19.6%) contained a double population of
      clarithromycin-susceptible and -resistant strains. CONCLUSIONS: The reported high
      prevalence of clarithromycin and multiple resistances of H. pylori suggest that
      the empiric therapy with clarithromycin should be abandoned as no longer
      pretreatment susceptibility testing has assessed the susceptibility of the
      strain. As culture and antibiogram are not routinely performable in most clinical
      laboratories, the use of molecular test should be developed to allow a wide
      availability of pretreatment susceptibility testing.

PMID- 20302587
TI  - A "screen-and-treat" approach for Helicobacter pylori infection: a population
      based study in Vammala, Finland.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To accelerate the decline of Helicobacter pylori infection, and to
      study the significance of the possible risk factors for H. pylori infection in
      Finland, we started a voluntary H. pylori"screen-treat-retest-and-retreat"
      program for all young adults at primary health care in Vammala, Finland after a
      pilot study in 1994 including 504 subjects aged 15-75. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      total of 3326 aged 15-40 in 1996, and 716 aged 15 and 584 aged 45 in 1997-2000
      were screened for H. pylori using serology. Helicobacter pylori positive were
      treated, cure was verified by serology. RESULTS: The eradication rates were
      93.8%, 82.2%, and 77.6% per protocol in pilot study in 1994, in subjects invited
      in 1996 and 1997-2000, respectively. Helicobacter pylori seroprevalence rates
      were calculated to have decreased from 36% to 14% in pilot study, from 12% to 4%
      among subjects invited in 1996, from 3% to 2% among subjects aged 15 and from 27%
      to 12% among subjects aged 45 in 1997-2000. An epidemiologic questionnaire in
      1996 revealed that crowding in the childhood household, low education of the
      mother, current smoking and alcohol consumption, unfavorable housing conditions,
      and sick leaves due to dyspepsia were independently associated with H. pylori
      infection. CONCLUSIONS: This intervention with high participation rates resulted
      in a significant decline in calculated H. pylori seroprevalence rates. Although
      the low prevalence of H. pylori infection may limit the cost efficiency of the
      program, the intervention is expected to reduce the burden of H. pylori
      associated diseases.

PMID- 20302588
TI  - Bismuth-containing quadruple therapy as second-line treatment for Helicobacter
      pylori infection: effect of treatment duration and antibiotic resistance on the
      eradication rate in Korea.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The eradication rate of first-line Helicobacter pylori treatment is
      only 70-85% and has been decreasing due to the increase in antibiotic resistance.
      The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of bismuth-containing
      quadruple therapy as second-line treatment for H. pylori infection based on
      treatment duration. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 227 patients that were
      found to have persistent H. pylori infection after first-line proton-pump
      inhibitor-clarithromycin-amoxicillin triple therapy. Patients were randomized to
      1-week (112 patients) and 2-week (115 patients) quadruple therapy with
      tripotassium dicitrate bismuthate 300 mg q.i.d., metronidazole 500 mg t.i.d., and
      tetracycline 500 mg q.i.d. and esomeprazole 20 mg b.i.d. The eradication rate,
      drug compliance, and adverse events were compared based on treatment duration.
      RESULTS: The eradication rates were 72/112 (64.3%, 95% CI: 0.504-0.830) and 71/92
      (77.2%, 0.440-0.749) with 1-week group, and 95/115 (82.6%, 1.165-2.449) an 88/94
      (93.6%, 1.213-5.113) with 2-week group by intention-to-treat therapy (p = .002)
      and per-protocol analysis (p = .001), respectively. The adverse events increased
      as the treatment durations increased from 7 to 14 days (20.0 and 42.5%,
      respectively, p < .001). However, there was no significant difference in the
      patient compliance or the rate of major adverse events between the 1- and 2-week
      groups (6.3 and 12.5%, respectively, p = .133). CONCLUSION: Two-week bismuth
      containing quadruple therapy was more effective than the 1-week treatment, and
      should be considered for second-line treatment in Korea.

PMID- 20302589
TI  - Helicobacter pylori reinfection in Brazilian patients with peptic ulcer disease:
      a 5-year follow-up.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Helicobacter pylori reinfection seems to be higher in developing
      countries, than in developed ones. The aim of the study was to determine the
      annual recurrence rate of H. pylori, in Brazilian patients with peptic ulcer
      disease, in a 5-year follow-up. METHODS: Patients, with peptic ulcer disease
      diagnosed by upper digestive endoscopy (UDE) and H. pylori infection verified by
      histological analysis, rapid urease test, polymerase chain reaction, and urea
      breath test (UBT), were treated for bacterial eradication. The cure of the
      infection was verified using the same tests, 3 months after. Clinical evaluation
      and UBT were performed after sixth and ninth month. After 1 year of follow-up,
      UBT and UDE were repeated. Up to the fifth year, patients were assessed twice a
      year and an UBT was performed annually. The patients included and all the
      reinfected were tested for 15 different genes of the H. pylori. RESULTS: One
      hundred and forty-seven patients were followed: 19 for 1 year, eight for 2 years,
      four for 3 years, five for 4 years, and 98 for 5 years, totaling 557
      patients/years. Recurrence did not occur in the first year. In the second year,
      two patients were reinfected; in the third, four patients; in the fourth, three
      patients; and in the fifth, one patient. The total of reinfected patients was 10.
      The annual reinfection rate was 1.8%. CONCLUSION: Brazil presents a low
      prevalence of H. pylori reinfection, similar to the developed countries.

PMID- 20302590
TI  - Helicobacter pylori cagA gene polymorphism affects the total antioxidant capacity
      of human saliva.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We aimed to evaluate the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of saliva
      in healthy Helicobacter pylori-positive and negative saliva individuals.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 102 human saliva samples were checked for the
      presence of H. pylori DNA (ureA and cagA gene fragments). TAC of saliva was
      estimated by ABTS radical cation (ABTS( +)) decolorization assay. RESULTS: PCR
      analysis revealed that 36 subjects were ureA-/cagA-, 24 were ureA+/cagA- and 42
      were ureA+/cagA+. Smoking habits had no evident effect on H. pylori infection. We
      found that TAC of the ureA-/cagA- material, after 10 seconds reaction reflecting
      fast-reacting antioxidants, was significantly higher than of ureA+/cagA- and
      ureA+/cagA+ samples (p < .01 and p < .001, respectively). Similar results were
      obtained for reaction time of 3 minutes measuring slow-reacting antioxidants (p <
      .001). We also estimated ureA+/cagA- and ureA+/cagA+ samples alone and reported a
      statistically significant decrease in the TAC(3 min) value of ureA+/cagA+
      compared with ureA+/cagA- samples (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrated
      that altered redox equilibrium may be associated with more frequent occurrence of
      H. pylori in the saliva samples.

PMID- 20302591
TI  - Characterization of multiple Helicobacter bizzozeronii isolates from a Finnish
      patient with severe dyspeptic symptoms and chronic active gastritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori is the primary cause of gastritis and peptic
      ulceration in humans. In a minority of patients with upper gastrointestinal
      symptoms, long tightly coiled spiral bacteria, provisionally named "Helicobacter
      heilmannii," are observed in gastric biopsies. These bacteria are extremely
      fastidious and only one previous study has succeeded in obtaining an isolate in
      vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used two different selective media to isolate
      "H. heilmannii" from the gastric mucosa of a Finnish patient presenting with
      severe dyspeptic symptoms. The isolates were characterized by testing for urease
      and catalase activity, by using light and electron microscopy, and by sequencing
      of the partial 16S rRNA and ureAB genes. Single-enzyme amplified fragment length
      polymorphism (sAFLP) was used to analyze the genetic diversity among the
      isolates. RESULTS: We obtained 15 isolates from different gastric biopsies prior
      and three after unsuccessful treatment of the patient. The isolates were
      identified as Helicobacter bizzozeronii. Eradication therapy was unsuccessful
      most probably due to high level of resistance to metronidazole. Persistent
      colonization by the same H. bizzozeronii clone was confirmed by sAFLP, however,
      small differences between the profiles suggested long-term colonization of the
      patient. CONCLUSIONS: Helicobacter bizzozeronii remains the only "H. heilmannii"
      species isolated from human gastric mucosa although it has been an infrequent
      observation among "H. heilmannii"-infected patients in PCR-based screening
      studies. The relevance of H. bizzozeronii and other potentially zoonotic gastric
      Helicobacter spp. in human disease remains to be determined.

PMID- 20302592
TI  - Gastric Infection with Kazachstania heterogenica influences the outcome of a
      Helicobacter suis infection in Mongolian gerbils.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Mongolian gerbil model is often used to investigate the
      interactions between different gastric Helicobacter species and the gastric
      tissue. A preliminary screening of a gerbil population intended for use in
      Helicobacter suis infection studies revealed a natural yeast infection in the
      stomach of these animals. After identification, we have investigated the effect
      of the gastric yeast infection on the outcome of an experimental H. suis
      infection in Mongolian gerbils. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Yeast cells were isolated
      from the stomachs of Mongolian gerbils. Identification was done by Internally
      Transcribed rRNA Spacer 2 Region PCR fragment length analysis. To investigate a
      possible pathologic role of this yeast, Mongolian gerbils were infected
      experimentally with this yeast. Co-infection with the newly isolated H. suis was
      performed to investigate possible interactions between both micro-organisms.
      RESULTS: Kazachstania heterogenica was found colonizing the stomach of Mongolian
      gerbils, mainly in the antrum. Few pathologic changes were seen in the stomachs
      of infected animals. Experimental co-infection of gerbils with this yeast and the
      newly isolated H. suis showed a significant increase in inflammation in animals
      infected with both micro-organisms compared to animals infected only with H.
      suis. CONCLUSIONS: K. heterogenica colonizes the stomach of Mongolian gerbils in
      exactly the same regions as gastric Helicobacter species. The uncontrolled
      presence of this yeast in the gerbil stomach can lead to an overestimation of the
      inflammation caused by Helicobacter in this animal model.

PMID- 20302593
TI  - Molecular alterations in fibroblasts exposed to Helicobacter pylori broth culture
      filtrate: a potential trigger of autoimmunity?

PMID- 20302595
TI  - Splenectomy improves survival by increasing arterial blood supply in a rat model
      of reduced-size liver.
AB  - Prevention of acute portal hyperperfusion in small-for-size livers by inflow
      modulation results in beneficial postoperative outcome. The objective of this
      study was to unravel the underlying mechanism, emphasizing the intimate
      relationship between portal venous (PV) and hepatic arterial (HA) blood flow
      (BF). Rats underwent partial hepatectomy (pHx), splenectomy before pHx or
      splenectomy and ligation of the A. hepatica before pHx. Portal venous blood flow
      (PVBF), hepatic arterial blood flow (HABF), and tissue pO2 were assessed during
      stepwise resection from 30% to 90%. Hepatic regeneration and hypoxia-responsive
      gene expression were analyzed in each group after nonlethal 85% pHx. 90% pHx
      caused a fourfold rise in PVBF, a slight decrease in HABF with a 50% reduction in
      pO2, and high mortality. Splenectomy before pHx reduced the PVBF and caused a
      rise in HABF with doubling in tissue pO2. An attenuation of hypoxia-responsive
      gene expression turned into enhanced hepatocellular regeneration and improved
      survival. A. hepatica ligation abolished the beneficial effect of splenectomy on
      tissue oxygenation, proliferation, and outcome. In conclusion, the beneficial
      effect of splenectomy in small-for-size livers can be attributed to a rise in
      HABF with sufficient oxygen supply rather than to a reduced portal venous
      hyperperfusion to the remnant liver.

PMID- 20302596
TI  - Comparison between VDR analogs and current immunosuppressive drugs in relation to
      CXCL10 secretion by human renal tubular cells.
AB  - During kidney allograft rejection, CXC chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10)-CXC chemokine
      receptor 3 (CXCR3) trafficking between peripheral blood and tissues initiates
      alloresponse and perpetuates a self-inflammatory loop; thus, CXCL10-CXCR3 axis
      could represent a pharmacologic target. In this perspective, immunosuppressors
      targeting graft-resident cells, beside immune cells, could be very advantageous.
      Vitamin D receptor (VDR) agonists exhibit considerable immunomodulatory
      properties. This study aimed to investigate whether elocalcitol and BXL-01-0029
      could decrease the expression of CXCL10 in activated renal tubular cells in vitro
      and thus be useful in kidney allograft rejection treatment. Experiments were
      performed in human tubular renal cells stimulated with interferon-gamma + tumor
      necrosis factor-alpha with and without VDR agonists, tacrolimus, sirolimus,
      hydrocortisone, methylprednisolone, cyclosporin A and mycophenolate mofetil.
      CXCL10 protein secretion and gene expression were measured by ELISA and by
      quantitative PCR. Specific inhibitors were used to investigate intracellular
      pathways involved in tubular cells activation. For IC(50) determination and
      comparison, dose-response curves with VDR agonists, tacrolimus and mycophenolic
      acid were performed. Elocalcitol and BXL-01-0029 inhibited CXCL10 secretion by
      renal cells, without affecting cell viability, while almost all the
      immunosuppressors were found to be ineffective, except for tacrolimus and
      mycophenolate mofetil. BXL-01-0029 was the most potent drug and, notably, it was
      found to be capable of allowing reduction in tacrolimus-inhibitory doses. Our
      data suggest that BXL-01-0029 could potentially be a dose-reducing agent for
      conventional immunosuppressors in kidney rejection management.

PMID- 20302597
TI  - A method for release and multiple strand amplification of small quantities of DNA
      from endospores of the fastidious bacterium Pasteuria penetrans.
AB  - AIMS: To establish a reliable protocol to extract DNA from Pasteuria penetrans
      endospores for use as template in multiple strand amplification, thus providing
      sufficient material for genetic analyses. To develop a highly sensitive PCR-based
      diagnostic tool for P. penetrans. METHODS AND RESULTS: An optimized method to
      decontaminate endospores, release and purify DNA enabled multiple strand
      amplification. DNA purity was assessed by cloning and sequencing gyrB and 16S
      rRNA gene fragments obtained from PCR using generic primers. Samples indicated to
      be 100%P. penetrans by the gyrB assay were estimated at 46% using the 16S rRNA
      gene. No bias was detected on cloning and sequencing 12 housekeeping and
      sporulation gene fragments from amplified DNA. The detection limit by PCR with
      Pasteuria-specific 16S rRNA gene primers following multiple strand amplification
      of DNA extracted using the method was a single endospore. CONCLUSIONS: Generation
      of large quantities DNA will facilitate genomic sequencing of P. penetrans.
      Apparent differences in sample purity are explained by variations in 16S rRNA
      gene copy number in Eubacteria leading to exaggerated estimations of sample
      contamination. Detection of single endospores will facilitate investigations of
      P. penetrans molecular ecology. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: These
      methods will advance studies on P. penetrans and facilitate research on other
      obligate and fastidious micro-organisms where it is currently impractical to
      obtain DNA in sufficient quantity and quality.

PMID- 20302598
TI  - Mechanism of killing of spores of Bacillus cereus and Bacillus megaterium by wet
      heat.
AB  - AIMS: To determine the mechanism of wet heat killing of spores of Bacillus cereus
      and Bacillus megaterium. METHODS AND RESULTS: Bacillus cereus and B. megaterium
      spores wet heat-killed 82-99% gave two bands on equilibrium density gradient
      centrifugation. The lighter band was absent from spores that were not heat
      treated and increased in intensity upon increased heating times. These spores
      lacked dipicolinic acid (DPA) were not viable, germinated minimally and had much
      denatured protein. The spores in the denser band had viabilities as low as 2% of
      starting spores but retained normal DPA levels and most germinated, albeit
      slowly. However, these largely dead spores outgrew poorly if at all and
      synthesized little or no ATP following germination. CONCLUSIONS: Wet heat
      treatment appears to kill spores of B. cereus and B. megaterium by denaturing one
      or more key proteins, as has been suggested for wet heat killing of Bacillus
      subtilis spores. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This work provides further
      information on the mechanisms of killing of spores of Bacillus species by wet
      heat, the most common method for spore inactivation.

PMID- 20302599
TI  - Inhibition of Orientia tsutsugamushi infection by a truncated recombinant 56-kDa
      outer membrane protein.
AB  - AIMS: The objective of this study was to evaluate recombinant 56-kDa outer
      membrane protein as a potential inhibitor to infection from Orientia
      tsutsugamushi. METHODS AND RESULTS: The 56-kDa protein was cloned and expressed
      in an Escherichia coli system, and the degree of target cell attachment to
      immobilized 56-kDa protein was measured in a cell adhesion assay. The results
      showed that the 56-kDa protein has an ability to attach HeLa cells. Furthermore,
      treatment of target cells with a truncated 56-kDa 1-418 (amino acid residues)
      protein inhibited target cell infection by O. tsutsugamushi, demonstrated with an
      indirect immunofluorescence antibody assay. CONCLUSIONS: The truncated 56-kDa
      protein (a.a. 1-418) plays an important role in O. tsutsugamushi infection, and
      the 56-kDa protein could be useful and effective in the inhibition of O.
      tsutsugamushi attachment and infection. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The
      attachment of the 56-kDa protein to target cells was directly determined by in
      vitro adherence test, and the invasion of target cells by O. tsutsugamushi was
      inhibited by treating the target cells with a truncated 56-kDa protein.

PMID- 20302600
TI  - Differences in Rubisco content and its synthesis in leaves at different positions
      in Eucalyptus globulus seedlings.
AB  - The dynamics of ribulose 1.5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) content
      and turnover during leaf development are not well understood in woody plants.
      Rubisco synthesis, N influx and the mRNA levels of Rubisco-encoding genes were
      determined as a function of leaf position in 4.5-month-old Eucalyptus globulus
      seedlings. Rubisco concentration was slightly higher in the top leaves as leaf
      expansion progressed and was almost maximal in the uppermost fully expanded
      leaves. Rubisco concentration remained almost constant in the fully expanded
      leaves at the top and middle positions and then became slightly low at the lowest
      positions. Rubisco synthesis was active only in the top leaves. These results
      suggest that Rubisco turnover rate is low in the middle leaves, leading to the
      maintenance of Rubisco contents, and that Rubisco degradation primarily occurs in
      the lowest leaves. Changes in the RBCS and rbcL mRNA levels were roughly parallel
      with Rubisco synthesis, but N influx was more closely correlated with Rubisco
      synthesis. These results suggest that N influx rather than the transcript
      abundance of Rubisco-encoding genes is of primary importance in regulating the
      rate of Rubisco synthesis. Additionally, expression of RBCS multigene family in
      E. globulus leaves was discussed.

PMID- 20302601
TI  - Changes in diurnal patterns within the Populus transcriptome and metabolome in
      response to photoperiod variation.
AB  - Changes in seasonal photoperiod provides an important environmental signal that
      affects the timing of winter dormancy in perennial, deciduous, temperate tree
      species, such as hybrid aspen (Populus tremula x Populus tremuloides). In this
      species, growth cessation, cold acclimation and dormancy are induced in the
      autumn by the detection of day-length shortening that occurs at a given critical
      day length. Important components in the detection of such day-length changes are
      photoreceptors and the circadian clock, and many plant responses at both the gene
      regulation and metabolite levels are expected to be diurnal. To directly examine
      this expectation and study components in these events, here we report
      transcriptomic and metabolomic responses to a change in photoperiod from long to
      short days in hybrid aspen. We found about 16% of genes represented on the arrays
      to be diurnally regulated, as assessed by our pre-defined criteria. Furthermore,
      several of these genes were involved in circadian-associated processes, including
      photosynthesis and primary and secondary metabolism. Metabolites affected by the
      change in photoperiod were mostly involved in carbon metabolism. Taken together,
      we have thus established a molecular catalog of events that precede a response to
      winter.

PMID- 20302602
TI  - Patterns of PIP gene expression in Populus trichocarpa during recovery from xylem
      embolism suggest a major role for the PIP1 aquaporin subfamily as moderators of
      refilling process.
AB  - Embolism and the refilling of xylem vessels are intrinsic to the ability of
      plants to handle the transport of water under tension. Although the formation of
      an embolized vessel is an abiotic process, refilling against the pressure
      gradient requires biological activity to provide both the energy and the water
      needed to restore xylem transport capacity. Here, we present an analysis of the
      dynamics of embolism and refilling in Populus trichocarpa and follow temporal
      dynamics of co-occurring changes in expression level of aquaporins. Under mesic
      conditions, we found that the percent loss of conductance (PLC) varied diurnally
      by as much as 20%, suggesting a continuous embolism/refilling cycle. An increase
      in water stress tilted the balance between the two processes and increased the
      PLC to as much as 80%. Subsequent re-watering resulted in the reversal of water
      stress and recovery of PLC to pre-stress levels. Stem parenchyma cells responded
      to drought stress with considerable up-regulation of the PIP1 subfamily of water
      channels but not the PIP2 subfamily. Even more significant was the finding that
      PoptrPIP1.1 and PoptrPIP1.3 genes were up-regulated in response to embolism, but
      not to water stress, and were down-regulated after embolism removal, suggesting a
      local ability of plants to sense an embolism presence.

PMID- 20302603
TI  - Exploring genetic and expression differences between physiologically extreme
      ecotypes: comparative genomic hybridization and gene expression studies of Kas-1
      and Tsu-1 accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - Recent studies have documented remarkable genetic variation among Arabidopsis
      thaliana accessions collected from diverse habitats. Of particular interest are
      accessions with putatively locally adapted phenotypes - that is, accessions with
      attributes that are likely adaptive at their sites of origin. These genotypes may
      provide insight into the genetic basis of adaptive evolution as well as allow the
      discovery of genes of ecological importance. We studied the physiology, genome
      content and gene expression of two physiologically extreme accessions (Tsu-1 from
      Tsushima, Japan and Kas-1 from Kashmir, India). Our study was conducted under two
      levels of soil moisture and accompanied by physiological measurements to
      characterize early responses to soil drying. Genomic hybridizations identified
      42,503 single feature polymorphisms (SFP) between accessions, providing an
      initial screen for genetic differences. Transcript profiling identified a large
      number (5996) of genes exhibiting constitutive differences in expression
      including genes involved in many biological pathways. Mild soil drying resulted
      in only subtle physiological responses but resulted in gene expression changes in
      hundreds of transcripts, including 352 genes exhibiting differential responses
      between accessions. Our results highlight the value of genomic studies of natural
      accessions as well as identify a number of candidate genes underlying
      physiological differences between Tsu-1 and Kas-1.

PMID- 20302604
TI  - Rice leaf growth and water potential are resilient to evaporative demand and soil
      water deficit once the effects of root system are neutralized.
AB  - Rice is known to be sensitive to soil water deficit and evaporative demand, with
      a greatest sensitivity of lowland-adapted genotypes. We have analysed the
      responses of plant water relations and of leaf elongation rate (LER) to soil
      water status and evaporative demand in seven rice genotypes belonging to
      different species, subspecies, either upland- or lowland-adapted. In the
      considered range of soil water potential (0 to -0.6 MPa), stomatal conductance
      was controlled in such a way that the daytime leaf water potential was similar in
      well-watered, droughted or flooded conditions (isohydric behaviour). A low
      sensitivity of LER to evaporative demand was observed in the same three
      conditions, with small differences between genotypes and lower sensitivity than
      in maize. The sensitivity of LER to soil water deficit was similar to that of
      maize. A tendency towards lower sensitivities was observed in upland than lowland
      genotypes but with smaller differences than expected. We conclude that leaf water
      status and leaf elongation of rice are not particularly sensitive to water
      deficit. The main origin of drought sensitivity in rice may be its poor root
      system, whose effect was alleviated in the study presented here by growing plants
      in pots whose soil was entirely colonized by roots of all genotypes.

PMID- 20302605
TI  - Root herbivores and detritivores shape above-ground multitrophic assemblage
      through plant-mediated effects.
AB  - 1. Indirect effects mediated by changes in plant traits are the main mechanism by
      which above- and below-ground herbivores affect each other and their enemies.
      Only recently the role of decomposers in the regulation of such plant-based
      systems has been considered. We hypothesized that: (i) below-ground organisms,
      both herbivores (negative effect on plants) and detritivores (positive effect on
      plants), will have a profound effect on the interactions among above-ground
      arthropods; (ii) floral herbivores will negatively affect other above-ground
      herbivores associated with the plant; and (iii) not only above- and below-ground
      herbivores, but also detritivores will affect the production of secondary
      metabolites, i.e. glucosinolates, in the plants. 2. We manipulated the presence
      of above-ground herbivores, below-ground herbivores and below-ground detritivores
      on the Brassicaceae Moricandia moricandioides in the field to disentangle their
      individual and combined effects on other organism groups. We also investigated
      their effects on the plant's chemical defence to evaluate potential mechanisms.
      3. Our results show that not only above- and below-ground herbivores, but also
      detritivores affected other herbivores and parasitoids associated with the host
      plant. Most effects were not additive because their strength changed when other
      organisms belonging to different functional groups or food web compartments were
      present. Moreover, below-ground herbivore and detritivore effects on above-ground
      fauna were related to changes in glucosinolate concentrations and in quantity of
      resources. 4. This study indicates that multitrophic interactions in plant-based
      food webs can dramatically change by the action of below-ground organisms. One of
      the most important and novel results is that detritivores induced changes in
      plant metabolites, modifying the quality and attractiveness of plants to
      herbivores and parasitoids under field conditions.

PMID- 20302606
TI  - Expression, regulation and clinical significance of soluble and membrane CD14
      receptors in pediatric inflammatory lung diseases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inflammatory lung diseases are a major morbidity factor in children.
      Therefore, novel strategies for early detection of inflammatory lung diseases are
      of high interest. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is recognized via Toll-like
      receptors and CD14. CD14 exists as a soluble (sCD14) and membrane-associated
      (mCD14) protein, present on the surface of leukocytes. Previous studies suggest
      sCD14 as potential marker for inflammatory diseases, but their potential role in
      pediatric lung diseases remained elusive. Therefore, we examined the expression,
      regulation and significance of sCD14 and mCD14 in pediatric lung diseases.
      METHODS: sCD14 levels were quantified in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid
      (BALF) of children with infective (pneumonia, cystic fibrosis, CF) and non
      infective (asthma) inflammatory lung diseases and healthy control subjects by
      ELISA. Membrane CD14 expression levels on monocytes in peripheral blood and on
      alveolar macrophages in BALF were quantified by flow cytometry. In vitro studies
      were performed to investigate which factors regulate sCD14 release and mCD14
      expression. RESULTS: sCD14 serum levels were specifically increased in serum of
      children with pneumonia compared to CF, asthma and control subjects. In vitro,
      CpG induced the release of sCD14 levels in a protease-independent manner, whereas
      LPS-mediated mCD14 shedding was prevented by serine protease inhibition.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates for the first time the expression,
      regulation and clinical significance of soluble and membrane CD14 receptors in
      pediatric inflammatory lung diseases and suggests sCD14 as potential marker for
      pneumonia in children.

PMID- 20302608
TI  - Control of disseminated intravascular coagulation in Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber
      syndrome using enoxaparin and recombinant activated factor VIIa: a case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Vascular malformation is associated with coagulopathies, especially
      when hemostasis is challenged. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of an 11
      year-old Hispanic girl with Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome that developed
      disseminated intravascular coagulation after minor surgery, which was controlled
      by blood product transfusions and enoxaparin to address an ongoing consumptive
      coagulopathy. The patient, however, developed bacteremia and liver trauma that
      resulted in severe bleeding. To the best of our knowledge, we report here the
      first known instance of administering recombinant coagulation factor VIIa to
      control acute bleeding in a patient with Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome.
      CONCLUSIONS: This case illustrates the concept of enoxaparin maintenance to
      suppress an ongoing consumptive coagulopathy and the use of recombinant
      coagulation factor VIIa to control its potentially fatal severe bleeding
      episodes.

PMID- 20302607
TI  - Cortico-cerebral histogenesis in the opossum Monodelphis domestica: generation of
      a hexalaminar neocortex in the absence of a basal proliferative compartment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The metatherian Monodelphis domestica, commonly known as the South
      American short-tailed opossum, is an appealing animal model for developmental
      studies on cortico-cerebral development. Given its phylogenetic position, it can
      help in tracing evolutionary origins of key traits peculiar to the eutherian
      central nervous system. The capability of its pup to regenerate damaged cortico
      spinal connections makes it an ideal substrate for regenerative studies. Recent
      sequencing of its genome and the ex utero accessibility of its developing
      cerebral cortex further enhance its experimental interest. However, at the
      moment, a comprehensive cellular and molecular characterization of its cortical
      development is missing. RESULTS: A systematic analysis of opossum cortico
      cerebral development was performed, including: origin of cortical neurons;
      migration of these neurons from their birthplaces to their final layer
      destinations; and molecular differentiation of distinct neocortical laminae. We
      observed that opossum projection neurons and interneurons are generated by
      pallial and subpallial precursors, respectively, similar to rodents. A six
      layered cortex with a eutherian-like molecular profile is laid down, according to
      the inside-out rule. However, neocortical projection neurons are generated by
      apical neural precursors and almost no basal progenitors may be found in the
      neuronogenic neopallial primordium. In the opossum neocortex, Tbr2, the hallmark
      of eutherian basal progenitors, is transiently expressed by postmitotic progenies
      of apical precursors prior to the activation of more mature neuronal markers.
      CONCLUSIONS: The neocortical developmental program predates Eutheria-Methatheria
      branching. However, in metatherians, unlike eutherians, a basal proliferative
      compartment is not needed for the formation of a six-layered neuronal blueprint.

PMID- 20302609
TI  - Acute mercury poisoning: a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mercury poisoning can occur as a result of occupational hazard or
      suicide attempt. This article presents a 36-year-old case admitted to emergency
      department (ED) due to exposure to metallic mercury. CASE PRESENTATION: A 36-year
      old woman presented to the ED with a three-day history of abdominal pain,
      diarrhea and fever. One week ago her daughter had brought mercury in the liquid
      form from the school. She had put it on the heating stove. One day later, her 14
      month old sister baby got fever and died before admission to the hospital. Her
      blood pressure was 134/87 mmHg; temperature, 40.2 degrees C; heart rate 105 bpm
      and regular; respiration, 18 bpm; O2 saturation, 96%. Nothing was remarkable on
      examination and routine laboratory tests. As serine or urinary mercury levels
      could not be tested in the city, symptomatic chelation treatment with N-acetyl
      cysteine (NAC) was instituted with regard to presumptive diagnosis and history.
      At the 7th day of admission she was discharged without any sequelae or complaint.
      At the discharge day blood was drawn and sent for mercury levels which turned out
      to be 30 microg/dL (normal range: 0-10 microg/dL). CONCLUSION: Public education
      on poisoning and the potential hazards of mercury are of vital importance for
      community health.

PMID- 20302611
TI  - A case of high-grade leiomyosarcoma of the bladder with delayed onset and very
      poor prognosis.
AB  - Mesenchymal tumors represent a small number of bladder cancer cases.
      Leiomyosarcoma is the most common histology with over 100 cases reported in the
      whole literature. This tumor is been historically considered as highly aggressive
      and showing a poor prognosis. Despite very low survival rates showed in older
      reports, some authors indicate that some patients could have a better outcome. We
      report a review of the literature and a case of high-grade LMS of the bladder in
      a 68 years old woman. Diagnosis was delayed and disease was locally advanced.
      Symptoms and imaging of our case first oriented to a gynecologic condition with
      an adnexal or uterine origin of the mass, and, a genitourinary origin could be
      unveiled only intra-operatively.

PMID- 20302610
TI  - Differential effects of Paclitaxel on dendritic cell function.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The potential utility of dendritic cells (DC) as cancer vaccines has
      been established in early trials in human cancers. The concomitant administration
      of cytotoxic agents and DC vaccines has been previously avoided due to potential
      immune suppression by chemotherapeutics. Recent studies show that common
      chemotherapy agents positively influence adaptive and innate anti-tumour immune
      responses. RESULTS: We investigated the effects of paclitaxel on human DC biology
      in vitro. DCs appear to sustain a significant level of resistance to paclitaxel
      and maintain normal viability at concentrations of up to 100 micromol. In some
      cases this resistance against paclitaxel is significantly better than the level
      seen in tumour cell lines. Paclitaxel exposure led to a dose dependent increase
      in HLA class II expression equivalent to exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS),
      and a corresponding increase in proliferation of allogeneic T cells at the
      clinically relevant doses of paclitaxel. Increase in HLA-Class II expression
      induced by paclitaxel was not blocked by anti TLR-4 antibody. However, paclitaxel
      exposure reduced the endocytic capacity of DC but reduced the expression of key
      pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-12 and TNFalpha. Key morphological changes
      occurred when immature DC were cultured with 100 micromol paclitaxel. They became
      small rounded cells with stable microtubules, whereas there were little effects
      on LPS-matured DC. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of paclitaxel on human monocyte
      derived DC is complex, but in the clinical context of patients receiving
      preloaded and matured DC vaccines, its immunostimulatory potential and resistance
      to direct cytotoxicity by paclitaxel would indicate potential advantages to co
      administration with vaccines.

PMID- 20302612
TI  - DNIC-mediated analgesia produced by a supramaximal electrical or a high-dose
      formalin conditioning stimulus: roles of opioid and alpha2-adrenergic receptors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diffuse noxious inhibitory controls (DNIC) can be produced by
      different types of conditioning stimuli, but the analgesic properties and
      underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The aim of this study was to differentiate
      the induction of DNIC analgesia between noxious electrical and inflammatory
      conditioning stimuli. METHODS: First, rats subjected to either a supramaximal
      electrical stimulation or an injection of high-dose formalin in the hind limb
      were identified to have pain responses with behavioral evidence and spinal Fos
      immunoreactive profiles. Second, suppression of tail-flick latencies by the two
      noxious stimuli was assessed to confirm the presence of DNIC. Third, an opioid
      receptor antagonist (naloxone) and an alpha2-adrenoreceptor antagonist
      (yohimbine) were injected, intraperitoneally and intrathecally respectively,
      before conditioning noxious stimuli to test the involvement of descending
      inhibitory pathways in DNIC-mediated analgesia. RESULTS: An intramuscular
      injection of 100 microl of 5% formalin produced noxious behaviors with cumulative
      pain scores similar to those of 50 microl of 2% formalin in the paw. Both
      electrical and chemical stimulation significantly increased Fos expression in the
      superficial dorsal horns, but possessed characteristic distribution patterns
      individually. Both conditioning stimuli prolonged the tail-flick latencies
      indicating a DNIC response. However, the electrical stimulation-induced DNIC was
      reversed by yohimbine, but not by naloxone; whereas noxious formalin-induced
      analgesia was both naloxone- and yohimbine-reversible. CONCLUSIONS: It is
      demonstrated that DNIC produced by different types of conditioning stimuli can be
      mediated by different descending inhibitory controls, indicating the organization
      within the central nervous circuit is complex and possibly exhibits particular
      clinical manifestations.

PMID- 20302613
TI  - Physicochemical property distributions for accurate and rapid pairwise protein
      homology detection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The challenge of remote homology detection is that many
      evolutionarily related sequences have very little similarity at the amino acid
      level. Kernel-based discriminative methods, such as support vector machines
      (SVMs), that use vector representations of sequences derived from sequence
      properties have been shown to have superior accuracy when compared to traditional
      approaches for the task of remote homology detection. RESULTS: We introduce a new
      method for feature vector representation based on the physicochemical properties
      of the primary protein sequence. A distribution of physicochemical property
      scores are assembled from 4-mers of the sequence and normalized based on the null
      distribution of the property over all possible 4-mers. With this approach there
      is little computational cost associated with the transformation of the protein
      into feature space, and overall performance in terms of remote homology detection
      is comparable with current state-of-the-art methods. We demonstrate that the
      features can be used for the task of pairwise remote homology detection with
      improved accuracy versus sequence-based methods such as BLAST and other feature
      based methods of similar computational cost. CONCLUSIONS: A protein feature
      method based on physicochemical properties is a viable approach for extracting
      features in a computationally inexpensive manner while retaining the sensitivity
      of SVM protein homology detection. Furthermore, identifying features that can be
      used for generic pairwise homology detection in lieu of family-based homology
      detection is important for applications such as large database searches and
      comparative genomics.

PMID- 20302614
TI  - Breast and cervical cancer screening among women in metropolitan areas of the
      United States by county-level commuting time to work and use of public
      transportation, 2004 and 2006.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Commuting times and behaviors have been associated with a variety of
      chronic disease outcomes and health behaviors. We examined the relationships
      between ecologic measures of commuting time and use of public transportation in
      relation to breast and cervical cancer screening among women in U.S. metropolitan
      areas who participated in the 2004 and 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance
      System (BRFSS) surveys. METHODS: Self-reported county of residence was used to
      classify respondents as residents of metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). Only
      BRFSS respondents who resided in the 39 MSAs with a population of > or = 1.5
      million in 2007--representing a total of 337 counties--were included in this
      analysis. A total of 76,453 women aged > or = 40 years were included in analyses
      on mammography. Analyses on Pap testing were limited to women aged > or =18 years
      with no history of hysterectomy (n = 80,959). Area-based measures of socio
      economic status (SES) were obtained by utilizing county-level information from
      the 2000 U.S. Census. RESULTS: With adjustment for age, no important associations
      were observed between receipt of a recent mammogram and either a county-level
      measure of commute time or residence in an area where more residents had access
      to a car. Similarly, women living in counties where at least four percent of the
      residents used public transportation were as likely to have had a recent
      mammogram or Pap test compared with women in areas where less than four percent
      of residents used public transportation. However, women living in counties where
      < 2% of residents had no access to a car were somewhat more likely to have had a
      Pap test in the past 3 years than women in areas where > or = 3% of the residents
      had no access to a car (87.3% versus 84.5%; p-value for test for trend < 0.01).
      In multivariate analysis, living in a county with a median commute time of at
      least 30 minutes was not significantly associated with having had a Pap test in
      the past 3 years (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.1, 95% CI 0.9-1.2, p = .50), or
      with having had a mammogram in the past 2 years (adjusted OR = 0.9, 95% CI 0.9
      1.1, p = .28). A weak positive association was observed between residence in a
      county with less use of public transportation and having had a Pap test in the
      past 3 years, which was of borderline significance (adjusted OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0
      1.4, p = .05). CONCLUSIONS: In large U.S. metropolitan areas, transportation
      issues may play a role in whether a woman obtains cancer screening along with
      other factors (e.g., Hispanic ethnicity, low income, and no physician visit in
      the past year). In this contextual analysis, a longer commute time was not
      associated with breast and cervical cancer screening.

PMID- 20302616
TI  - Genetic heterogeneity of residual variance - estimation of variance components
      using double hierarchical generalized linear models.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The sensitivity to microenvironmental changes varies among animals
      and may be under genetic control. It is essential to take this element into
      account when aiming at breeding robust farm animals. Here, linear mixed models
      with genetic effects in the residual variance part of the model can be used. Such
      models have previously been fitted using EM and MCMC algorithms. RESULTS: We
      propose the use of double hierarchical generalized linear models (DHGLM), where
      the squared residuals are assumed to be gamma distributed and the residual
      variance is fitted using a generalized linear model. The algorithm iterates
      between two sets of mixed model equations, one on the level of observations and
      one on the level of variances. The method was validated using simulations and
      also by re-analyzing a data set on pig litter size that was previously analyzed
      using a Bayesian approach. The pig litter size data contained 10,060 records from
      4,149 sows. The DHGLM was implemented using the ASReml software and the algorithm
      converged within three minutes on a Linux server. The estimates were similar to
      those previously obtained using Bayesian methodology, especially the variance
      components in the residual variance part of the model. CONCLUSIONS: We have shown
      that variance components in the residual variance part of a linear mixed model
      can be estimated using a DHGLM approach. The method enables analyses of animal
      models with large numbers of observations. An important future development of the
      DHGLM methodology is to include the genetic correlation between the random
      effects in the mean and residual variance parts of the model as a parameter of
      the DHGLM.

PMID- 20302615
TI  - Staying well after depression: trial design and protocol.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Depression is often a chronic relapsing condition, with relapse rates
      of 50-80% in those who have been depressed before. This is particularly
      problematic for those who become suicidal when depressed since habitual
      recurrence of suicidal thoughts increases likelihood of further acute suicidal
      episodes. Therefore the question how to prevent relapse is of particular urgency
      in this group. METHODS/DESIGN: This trial compares Mindfulness-Based Cognitive
      Therapy (MBCT), a novel form of treatment combining mindfulness meditation and
      cognitive therapy for depression, with both Cognitive Psycho-Education (CPE), an
      equally plausible cognitive treatment but without meditation, and treatment as
      usual (TAU). It will test whether MBCT reduces the risk of relapse in recurrently
      depressed patients and the incidence of suicidal symptoms in those with a history
      of suicidality who do relapse. It recruits participants, screens them by
      telephone for main inclusion and exclusion criteria and, if they are eligible,
      invites them to a pre-treatment session to assess eligibility in more detail.
      This trial allocates eligible participants at random between MBCT and TAU, CPE
      and TAU, and TAU alone in a ratio of 2:2:1, stratified by presence of suicidal
      ideation or behaviour and current anti-depressant use. We aim to recruit
      sufficient participants to allow for retention of 300 following attrition. We
      deliver both active treatments in groups meeting for two hours every week for
      eight weeks. We shall estimate effects on rates of relapse and suicidal symptoms
      over 12 months following treatment and assess clinical status immediately after
      treatment, and three, six, nine and twelve months thereafter. DISCUSSION: This
      will be the first trial of MBCT to investigate whether MCBT is effective in
      preventing relapse to depression when compared with a control psychological
      treatment of equal plausibility; and to explore the use of MBCT for the most
      severe recurrent depression--that in people who become suicidal when depressed.

PMID- 20302617
TI  - Local impact of temperature and precipitation on West Nile virus infection in
      Culex species mosquitoes in northeast Illinois, USA.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Models of the effects of environmental factors on West Nile virus
      disease risk have yielded conflicting outcomes. The role of precipitation has
      been especially difficult to discern from existing studies, due in part to
      habitat and behavior characteristics of specific vector species and because of
      differences in the temporal and spatial scales of the published studies. We used
      spatial and statistical modeling techniques to analyze and forecast fine scale
      spatial (2000 m grid) and temporal (weekly) patterns of West Nile virus mosquito
      infection relative to changing weather conditions in the urban landscape of the
      greater Chicago, Illinois, region for the years from 2004 to 2008. RESULTS:
      Increased air temperature was the strongest temporal predictor of increased
      infection in Culex pipiens and Culex restuans mosquitoes, with cumulative high
      temperature differences being a key factor distinguishing years with higher
      mosquito infection and higher human illness rates from those with lower rates.
      Drier conditions in the spring followed by wetter conditions just prior to an
      increase in infection were factors in some but not all years. Overall, 80% of the
      weekly variation in mosquito infection was explained by prior weather conditions.
      Spatially, lower precipitation was the most important variable predicting
      stronger mosquito infection; precipitation and temperature alone could explain
      the pattern of spatial variability better than could other environmental
      variables (79% explained in the best model). Variables related to impervious
      surfaces and elevation differences were of modest importance in the spatial
      model. CONCLUSION: Finely grained temporal and spatial patterns of precipitation
      and air temperature have a consistent and significant impact on the timing and
      location of increased mosquito infection in the northeastern Illinois study area.
      The use of local weather data at multiple monitoring locations and the
      integration of mosquito infection data from numerous sources across several years
      are important to the strength of the models presented. The other spatial
      environmental factors that tended to be important, including impervious surfaces
      and elevation measures, would mediate the effect of rainfall on soils and in
      urban catch basins. Changes in weather patterns with global climate change make
      it especially important to improve our ability to predict how inter-related local
      weather and environmental factors affect vectors and vector-borne disease
      risk.Local impact of temperature and precipitation on West Nile virus infection
      in Culex species mosquitoes in northeast Illinois, USA.

PMID- 20302619
TI  - Efficacy of osteopathic manipulation as an adjunctive treatment for hospitalized
      patients with pneumonia: a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Multicenter Osteopathic Pneumonia Study in the Elderly (MOPSE) is
      a registered, double-blinded, randomized, controlled trial designed to assess the
      efficacy of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) as an adjunctive treatment
      in elderly patients with pneumonia. METHODS: 406 subjects aged >/= 50 years
      hospitalized with pneumonia at 7 community hospitals were randomized using
      concealed allocation to conventional care only (CCO), light-touch treatment (LT),
      or OMT groups. All subjects received conventional treatment for pneumonia. OMT
      and LT groups received group-specific protocols for 15 minutes, twice daily until
      discharge, cessation of antibiotics, respiratory failure, death, or withdrawal
      from the study. The primary outcomes were hospital length of stay (LOS), time to
      clinical stability, and a symptomatic and functional recovery score. RESULTS:
      Intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis (n = 387) found no significant differences
      between groups. Per-protocol (PP) analysis (n = 318) found a significant
      difference between groups (P = 0.01) in LOS. Multiple comparisons indicated a
      reduction in median LOS (95% confidence interval) for the OMT group (3.5 [3.2
      4.0] days) versus the CCO group (4.5 [3.9-4.9] days), but not versus the LT group
      (3.9 [3.5-4.8] days). Secondary outcomes of duration of intravenous antibiotics
      and treatment endpoint were also significantly different between groups (P = 0.05
      and 0.006, respectively). Duration of intravenous antibiotics and death or
      respiratory failure were lower for the OMT group versus the CCO group, but not
      versus the LT group. CONCLUSIONS: ITT analysis found no differences between
      groups. PP analysis found significant reductions in LOS, duration of intravenous
      antibiotics, and respiratory failure or death when OMT was compared to CCO. Given
      the prevalence of pneumonia, adjunctive OMT merits further study.

PMID- 20302618
TI  - Review of Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance 2009.
AB  - There were 56 articles published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic
      Resonance in 2009. The editors were impressed with the high quality of the
      submissions, of which our acceptance rate was about 40%. In accordance with open
      access publishing, the articles go on-line as they are accepted with no collating
      of the articles into sections or special thematic issues. We have therefore
      chosen to briefly summarise the papers in this article for quick reference for
      our readers in broad areas of interest, which we feel will be useful to
      practitioners of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). In some cases where it
      is considered useful, the articles are also put into the wider context with a
      short narrative and recent CMR references. It has been a privilege to serve as
      the Editor of the JCMR this past year. I hope that you find the open-access
      system increases wider reading and citation of your papers, and that you will
      continue to send your quality manuscripts to JCMR for publication.

PMID- 20302620
TI  - Osteopathic manipulative treatment for pneumonia.
AB  - The pneumonias due to infection continue to be a meaningful threat to the health
      and viability of persons, particularly those in high risk groups: children, the
      aged and the debilitated. Noll and colleagues provide us with the results of a
      well-designed and well-executed multi-institutional controlled clinical trial to
      evaluate the efficacy of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) in the
      treatment of pneumonia. The data obtained indicate that by intention-to-treat
      analysis, the addition of OMT to conventional care did not improve the designated
      outcomes when compared to conventional care only. A disappointing but important
      finding. However, by per-protocol analysis, the addition of OMT or of light touch
      decreased length of hospital stay, the duration of intravenous antibiotics and
      the incidence of respiratory failure and death relative to conventional care
      only. Further study is called for to explain these surprising results.Meeting the
      need for randomized clinical trials of the role and efficacy of OMT is a
      responsibility of high priority for the osteopathic profession in this age of
      evidence-based medicine. The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) needs to
      consider reinstating a dues-generated financial set-aside both to increase its
      support of osteopathic research and to initiate a program of physician
      investigator career development awards to recruit and help establish osteopathic
      clinical investigators in a career in translational and clinical research.

PMID- 20302621
TI  - Ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1) S18Y polymorphism in Alzheimer's
      disease.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by protein aggregates, i.e. senile
      plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. The ubiquitin-proteasome system has been
      proposed a role in proteolytic removal of these protein aggregates. Ubiquitin
      carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1) is a de-ubiquitinating enzyme with
      important functions in recycling of ubiquitin. The S18Y polymorphism of the UCHL1
      gene confers protection against Parkinson's disease. In this study, the genotype
      and allele frequencies of the UCHL1 S18Y polymorphism were investigated in 452 AD
      patients and 234 control subjects, recruited from four memory clinics in Sweden.
      Using a binary logistic regression model including UCHL1 allele A and APOE
      epsilon4 allele positivity, age and sex as covariates with AD diagnosis as
      dependent variable, an adjusted OR of 0.82 ([95% CI 0.55-1.24], P = 0.35) was
      obtained for a positive UCHL1 allele A carrier status. The present study thus do
      not support a protective effect of the UCHL1 S18Y polymorphism against AD.

PMID- 20302623
TI  - Swimming suppresses hepatic vitellogenesis in European female silver eels as
      shown by expression of the estrogen receptor 1, vitellogenin1 and vitellogenin2
      in the liver.
AB  - BACKGROUND: When European silver eels (Anguilla anguilla) venture into the
      Atlantic Ocean for their 6,000 km semelparous spawning run to the Sargasso Sea,
      they are still in a prepubertal stage. Further sexual development appears to be
      blocked by dopaminergic inhibition of hypothalamus and pituitary activity.
      Recently, we found that swimming for several weeks in freshwater stimulated the
      incorporation of fat droplets in the oocytes. So, it was hypothesized that long
      term swimming in seawater would release the inhibition further and would also
      stimulate the production of vitellogenin by the liver. METHODS: For this study a
      swim-flume was constructed to allow simulated migration of migratory female
      silver eels for 3 months (1,420 km) in natural seawater at 20 degrees C. Primers
      were designed for polymerase chain reactions to measure the mRNA expression of
      estrogen receptor 1 (esr1), vitellogenin1 (vtg1) and vitellogenin2 (vtg2) genes
      in the liver of European female silver eels. RESULTS: In comparison to resting
      eels, swimming eels showed a diminished expression of esr1, vtg1 and vtg2 in the
      liver. They also had lower plasma calcium (Ca; indicative of vitellogenin) levels
      in their blood. This showed that vitellogenesis is more strongly suppressed in
      swimming than in resting eels. However, when eels were subsequently stimulated by
      3 weekly carp pituitary extract injections, the expression of the same genes and
      plasma levels of Ca strongly increased in both groups to similar levels, thus
      equalizing the initial differences between resting and swimming. CONCLUSIONS: It
      is concluded that vitellogenesis remains suppressed during resting and even more
      during swimming. The fact that swimming stimulates fat deposition in the oocytes
      but suppresses vitellogenesis indicates that these events are separated in nature
      and occur sequentially. Swimming-suppressed vitellogenesis may imply that in
      nature eels undergo vitellogenesis and final maturation near or at the spawning
      grounds.

PMID- 20302622
TI  - Genetic evidence supports linguistic affinity of Mlabri--a hunter-gatherer group
      in Thailand.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Mlabri are a group of nomadic hunter-gatherers inhabiting the
      rural highlands of Thailand. Little is known about the origins of the Mlabri and
      linguistic evidence suggests that the present-day Mlabri language most likely
      arose from Tin, a Khmuic language in the Austro-Asiatic language family. This
      study aims to examine whether the genetic affinity of the Mlabri is consistent
      with this linguistic relationship, and to further explore the origins of this
      enigmatic population. RESULTS: We conducted a genome-wide analysis of genetic
      variation using more than fifty thousand single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)
      typed in thirteen population samples from Thailand, including the Mlabri, Htin
      and neighboring populations of the Northern Highlands, speaking Austro-Asiatic,
      Tai-Kadai and Hmong-Mien languages. The Mlabri population showed higher LD and
      lower haplotype diversity when compared with its neighboring populations. Both
      model-free and Bayesian model-based clustering analyses indicated a close genetic
      relationship between the Mlabri and the Htin, a group speaking a Tin language.
      CONCLUSION: Our results strongly suggested that the Mlabri share more recent
      common ancestry with the Htin. We thus provided, to our knowledge, the first
      genetic evidence that supports the linguistic affinity of Mlabri, and this
      association between linguistic and genetic classifications could reflect the same
      past population processes.

PMID- 20302624
TI  - Quality of life measurement in women with cervical cancer: implications for
      Chinese cervical cancer survivors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Women with cervical cancer now have relatively good 5-year survival
      rates. Better survival rates have driven the paradigm in cancer care from a
      medical illness model to a wellness model, which is concerned with the quality of
      women's lives as well as the length of survival. Thus, the assessment of quality
      of life among cervical cancer survivors is increasingly paramount for healthcare
      professionals. The purposes of this review were to describe existing validated
      quality of life instruments used in cervical cancer survivors, and to reveal the
      implications of quality of life measurement for Chinese cervical cancer
      survivors. METHODS: A literature search of five electronic databases was
      conducted using the terms cervical/cervix cancer, quality of life, survivors,
      survivorship, measurement, and instruments. Articles published in either English
      or Chinese from January 2000 to June 2009 were searched. Only those adopting an
      established quality of life instrument for use in cervical cancer survivors were
      included. RESULTS: A total of 11 validated multidimensional quality of life
      instruments were identified from 41 articles. These instruments could be
      classified into four categories: generic, cancer-specific, cancer site-specific
      and cancer survivor-specific instruments. With internal consistency varying from
      0.68-0.99, the test-retest reliability ranged from 0.60-0.95 based on the test of
      the Pearson coefficient. One or more types of validity supported the construct
      validity. Although all these instruments met the minimum requirements of
      reliability and validity, the original versions of these instruments were mainly
      in English. CONCLUSION: Selection of an instrument should consider the purpose of
      investigation, take its psychometric properties into account, and consider the
      instrument's origin and comprehensiveness. As quality of life can be affected by
      culture, studies assessing the quality of life of cervical cancer survivors in
      China or other non-English speaking countries should choose or develop
      instruments relevant to their own cultural context. There is a need to develop a
      comprehensive quality of life instrument for Chinese cervical cancer survivors
      across the whole survivorship, including immediately after diagnosis and for
      short- (less than 5 years) and long-term (more than 5 years) survivorship.

PMID- 20302625
TI  - High ANC coverage and low skilled attendance in a rural Tanzanian district: a
      case for implementing a birth plan intervention.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Tanzania, more than 90% of all pregnant women attend antenatal
      care at least once and approximately 62% four times or more, yet less than five
      in ten receive skilled delivery care at available health units. We conducted a
      qualitative study in Ngorongoro district, Northern Tanzania, in order to gain an
      understanding of the health systems and socio-cultural factors underlying this
      divergent pattern of high use of antenatal services and low use of skilled
      delivery care. Specifically, the study examined beliefs and behaviors related to
      antenatal, labor, delivery and postnatal care among the Maasai and Watemi ethnic
      groups. The perspectives of health care providers and traditional birth
      attendants on childbirth and the factors determining where women deliver were
      also investigated. METHODS: Twelve key informant interviews and fifteen focus
      group discussions were held with Maasai and Watemi women, traditional birth
      attendants, health care providers, and community members. Principles of the
      grounded theory approach were used to elicit and assess the various perspectives
      of each group of participants interviewed. RESULTS: The Maasai and Watemi women's
      preferences for a home birth and lack of planning for delivery are reinforced by
      the failure of health care providers to consistently communicate the importance
      of skilled delivery and immediate post-partum care for all women during routine
      antenatal visits. Husbands typically serve as gatekeepers of women's reproductive
      health in the two groups - including decisions about where they will deliver- yet
      they are rarely encouraged to attend antenatal sessions. While husbands are
      encouraged to participate in programs to prevent maternal-to-child transmission
      of HIV, messages about the importance of skilled delivery care for all women are
      not given emphasis. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing coverage of skilled delivery care and
      achieving the full implementation of Tanzania's Focused Antenatal Care Package in
      Ngorongoro depends upon improved training and monitoring of health care
      providers, and greater family participation in antenatal care visits.

PMID- 20302626
TI  - ASB9 interacts with ubiquitous mitochondrial creatine kinase and inhibits
      mitochondrial function.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The ankyrin repeat and suppressor of cytokine signalling (SOCS) box
      proteins (Asbs) are a large protein family implicated in diverse biological
      processes including regulation of proliferation and differentiation. The SOCS box
      of Asb proteins is important in a ubiquitination-mediated proteolysis pathway.
      Here, we aimed to evaluate expression and function of human Asb-9 (ASB9).
      RESULTS: We found that a variant of ASB9 that lacks the SOCS box (ASB9DeltaSOCS)
      was naturally detected in human cell lines but not in peripheral blood
      mononuclear cells or normal hepatocytes. We also identified ubiquitous
      mitochondrial creatine kinase (uMtCK) as a new target of ASB9 in human embryonic
      kidney 293 (HEK293) cells. The ankyrin repeat domains of ASB9 can associate with
      the substrate binding site of uMtCK in a SOCS box-independent manner. The
      overexpression of ASB9, but not ASB9DeltaSOCS, induces ubiquitination of uMtCK.
      ASB9 and ASB9DeltaSOCS can interact and colocalise with uMtCK in the
      mitochondria. However, only expression of ASB9 induced abnormal mitochondrial
      structure and a decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential. Furthermore, the
      creatine kinase activities and cell growth were significantly reduced by ASB9 but
      not by ASB9DeltaSOCS. CONCLUSIONS: ASB9 interacts with the creatine kinase system
      and negatively regulates cell growth. The differential expression and function of
      ASB9 and ASB9DeltaSOCS may be a key factor in the growth of human cell lines and
      primary cells.

PMID- 20302627
TI  - A novel approach to investigate tissue-specific trinucleotide repeat instability.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Huntington's disease (HD), an expanded CAG repeat produces
      characteristic striatal neurodegeneration. Interestingly, the HD CAG repeat,
      whose length determines age at onset, undergoes tissue-specific somatic
      instability, predominant in the striatum, suggesting that tissue-specific CAG
      length changes could modify the disease process. Therefore, understanding the
      mechanisms underlying the tissue specificity of somatic instability may provide
      novel routes to therapies. However progress in this area has been hampered by the
      lack of sensitive high-throughput instability quantification methods and global
      approaches to identify the underlying factors. RESULTS: Here we describe a novel
      approach to gain insight into the factors responsible for the tissue specificity
      of somatic instability. Using accurate genetic knock-in mouse models of HD, we
      developed a reliable, high-throughput method to quantify tissue HD CAG repeat
      instability and integrated this with genome-wide bioinformatic approaches. Using
      tissue instability quantified in 16 tissues as a phenotype and tissue microarray
      gene expression as a predictor, we built a mathematical model and identified a
      gene expression signature that accurately predicted tissue instability. Using the
      predictive ability of this signature we found that somatic instability was not a
      consequence of pathogenesis. In support of this, genetic crosses with models of
      accelerated neuropathology failed to induce somatic instability. In addition, we
      searched for genes and pathways that correlated with tissue instability. We found
      that expression levels of DNA repair genes did not explain the tissue specificity
      of somatic instability. Instead, our data implicate other pathways, particularly
      cell cycle, metabolism and neurotransmitter pathways, acting in combination to
      generate tissue-specific patterns of instability. CONCLUSION: Our study clearly
      demonstrates that multiple tissue factors reflect the level of somatic
      instability in different tissues. In addition, our quantitative, genome-wide
      approach is readily applicable to high-throughput assays and opens the door to
      widespread applications with the potential to accelerate the discovery of drugs
      that alter tissue instability.

PMID- 20302629
TI  - Identification of a deep intronic mutation in the COL6A2 gene by a novel custom
      oligonucleotide CGH array designed to explore allelic and genetic heterogeneity
      in collagen VI-related myopathies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Molecular characterization of collagen-VI related myopathies
      currently relies on standard sequencing, which yields a detection rate
      approximating 75-79% in Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy (UCMD) and 60-65%
      in Bethlem myopathy (BM) patients as PCR-based techniques tend to miss gross
      genomic rearrangements as well as copy number variations (CNVs) in both the
      coding sequence and intronic regions. METHODS: We have designed a custom
      oligonucleotide CGH array in order to investigate the presence of CNVs in the
      coding and non-coding regions of COL6A1, A2, A3, A5 and A6 genes and a group of
      genes functionally related to collagen VI. A cohort of 12 patients with UCMD/BM
      negative at sequencing analysis and 2 subjects carrying a single COL6 mutation
      whose clinical phenotype was not explicable by inheritance were selected and the
      occurrence of allelic and genetic heterogeneity explored. RESULTS: A deletion
      within intron 1A of the COL6A2 gene, occurring in compound heterozygosity with a
      small deletion in exon 28, previously detected by routine sequencing, was
      identified in a BM patient. RNA studies showed monoallelic transcription of the
      COL6A2 gene, thus elucidating the functional effect of the intronic deletion. No
      pathogenic mutations were identified in the remaining analyzed patients, either
      within COL6A genes, or in genes functionally related to collagen VI. CONCLUSIONS:
      Our custom CGH array may represent a useful complementary diagnostic tool,
      especially in recessive forms of the disease, when only one mutant allele is
      detected by standard sequencing. The intronic deletion we identified represents
      the first example of a pure intronic mutation in COL6A genes.

PMID- 20302630
TI  - Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori vacA, cagA, iceA and oipA genotypes in Tunisian
      patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Distinct virulence factors of H. pylori have been described: the
      vaculating cytotoxin (vacA), the cytotoxin associated gene (cagA), the induced by
      contact with epithelium factor Antigen (iceA gene) and the outer membrane protein
      oipA. In Tunisia, there are no data regarding the pattern of H. pylori genotypes;
      therefore, this prospective and multicentre study was the first to be done in
      Tunisia and aimed to investigate the prevalence of the vacA, cagA, iceA and oipA
      genotypes of H. pylori isolates from Tunisian patients with peptic ulceration,
      gastric cancer, MALT lymphoma and gastritis. METHODS: H. pylori was cultured from
      endoscopic biopsies obtained from 281 Tunisian patients. The vacA alleles, cagA,
      iceA and oipA genotypes were determined by PCR. RESULTS: The vacA s1m1, s1m2 and
      s2m2 were respectively found in 10.7%, 12.5% and 45.6% of strains. The s2m1
      genotype was not detected in our study. The cagA was found in 61.6% of isolates.
      The iceA1 and the iceA2 genotypes were respectively isolated in 60.2% and in 16%
      of strains. The oipA genotype was detected in 90.8% of strains. Considering the
      vacA and iceA genotypes, the presence of multiple H. pylori strains in a single
      biopsy specimen was found respectively in 31.4% and 23.8%. The comparison between
      strains isolated from antrum and fundus showed that Tunisian patients were
      infected with two or more strains of different cagA, vacA, iceA and oipA
      genotypes and the discordance was respectively in 9.6%, 4.6%, 8.9% and 8.5% of
      strains. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that in 46% (131 strains among 281), the
      H. pylori strains were highly virulent in relation of the three or four virulent
      factors they could carry. These finding were described before in the literature.
      Tunisian patients were colonized by one or multiple strains of H. pylori in the
      same time in relation of presence of vacA m1/m2 and iceA1/iceA2 in the same
      biopsy. The discordance between strains isolated from antrum and fundus was high,
      and it is in favour of multicolonization.

PMID- 20302631
TI  - Analysing time course microarray data using Bioconductor: a case study using
      yeast2 Affymetrix arrays.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Large scale microarray experiments are becoming increasingly routine,
      particularly those which track a number of different cell lines through time.
      This time-course information provides valuable insight into the dynamic
      mechanisms underlying the biological processes being observed. However, proper
      statistical analysis of time-course data requires the use of more sophisticated
      tools and complex statistical models. FINDINGS: Using the open source CRAN and
      Bioconductor repositories for R, we provide example analysis and protocol which
      illustrate a variety of methods that can be used to analyse time-course
      microarray data. In particular, we highlight how to construct appropriate
      contrasts to detect differentially expressed genes and how to generate plausible
      pathways from the data. A maintained version of the R commands can be found at
      http://www.mas.ncl.ac.uk/~ncsg3/microarray/. CONCLUSIONS: CRAN and Bioconductor
      are stable repositories that provide a wide variety of appropriate statistical
      tools to analyse time course microarray data.

PMID- 20302628
TI  - A focus on intra-abdominal infections.
AB  - Complicated intra-abdominal infections are an important cause of morbidity and
      are frequently associated with poor prognosis, particularly in higher risk
      patients.Well defined evidence-based recommendations for intra-abdominal
      infections treatment are partially lacking because of the limited number of
      randomized-controlled trials.Factors consistently associated with poor outcomes
      in patients with intra-abdominal infections include increased illness severity,
      failed source control, inadequate empiric antimicrobial therapy and healthcare
      acquired infection.Early prognostic evaluation of complicated intra-abdominal
      infections is important to select high-risk patients for more aggressive
      therapeutic procedures.The cornerstones in the management of complicated intra
      abdominal infections are both source control and antibiotic therapy.The timing
      and the adequacy of source control are the most important issues in the
      management of intra-abdominal infections, because inadequate and late control of
      septic source may have a negative effect on the outcomes.Recent advances in
      interventional and more aggressive techniques could significantly decrease the
      morbidity and mortality of physiologically severe complicated intra-abdominal
      infections, even if these are still being debated and are yet not validated by
      limited prospective trials.Empiric antimicrobial therapy is nevertheless
      important in the overall management of intra-abdominal infections. Inappropriate
      antibiotic therapy may result in poor patient outcomes and in the appearance of
      bacterial resistance.Antimicrobial management is generally standardised and many
      regimens, either with monotherapy or combination therapy, have proven their
      efficacy. Routine coverage especially against Enterococci and candida spp is not
      always recommended, but can be useful in particular clinical conditions. A de
      escalation approach may be recommended in patients with specific risk factors for
      multidrug resistant infections such as immunodeficiency and prolonged
      antibacterial exposure.Therapy should focus on the obtainment of adequate source
      control and adequate use of antimicrobial therapy dictated by individual patient
      risk factors. Other critical issues remain debated and more controversies are
      still open mainly because of the limited number of randomized controlled trials.

PMID- 20302632
TI  - Dynamics of serum antibodies to and load of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) in
      pigs in three finishing herds, affected or not by postweaning multisystemic
      wasting syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite that PMWS commonly affects pigs aged eight to sixteen weeks;
      most studies of PMWS have been conducted during the period before transfer to
      finishing herds. This study focused on PCV2 load and antibody dynamics in
      finishing herds with different PMWS status. METHODS: Sequentially collected blood
      samples from 40 pigs in each of two Swedish (A and B) and one Norwegian (C)
      finishing herds were analysed for serum PCV2-load and -antibodies and saliva
      cortisol. The two Swedish herds differed in PMWS status, despite receiving
      animals from the same sow pool (multi-site production). However, the PMWS-deemed
      herd (A) had previously also received pigs from the spot market. RESULTS: The
      initial serum PCV2 load was similar in the two Swedish herds. In herd A, it
      peaked after two weeks in the finishing herd and a high number of the pigs had
      serum PCV2 levels above 107 per ml. The antibody titres increased continually
      with exception for the pigs that developed PMWS, that had initially low and then
      declining antibody levels. Pigs in the healthy herd B also expressed high titres
      of antibodies to PCV2 on arrival but remained at that level throughout the study
      whereas the viral load steadily decreased. No PCV2 antibodies and only low
      amounts of PCV2 DNA were detected in serum collected during the first five weeks
      in the PMWS-free herd C. Thereafter a peak in serum PCV2 load accompanied by an
      antibody response was recorded. PCV2 from the two Swedish herds grouped into
      genotype PCV2b whereas the Norwegian isolate grouped into PCV2a. Cortisol levels
      were lower in herd C than in herds A and B. CONCLUSIONS: The most obvious
      difference between the Swedish finishing herds and the Norwegian herd was the
      time of infection with PCV2 in relation to the time of allocation, as well as the
      genotype of PCV2. Clinical PMWS was preceded by low levels of serum antibodies
      and a high load of PCV2 but did not develop in all such animals. It is notable
      that herd A became affected by PMWS after errors in management routine,
      emphasising the importance of proper hygiene and general disease-preventing
      measures.

PMID- 20302633
TI  - Effect of hyperbaric oxygen on mesenchymal stem cells for lumbar fusion in vivo.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy has been proved in improving bone
      healing, but its effects on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in vivo is not clear.
      The aims of this study are to clarify whether the HBO therapy has the same
      enhancing effect on MSCs with regard to bone formation and maturation and to
      ascertain whether the transplanted MSCs survive in the grafted area and
      contribute to new bone formation. METHODS: Twenty-three adult rabbits underwent
      posterolateral fusion at L4-L5 level. The animals were divided into three groups
      according to the material implanted and subsequent treatment: (1) Alginate
      carrier (n = 6); (2) Alginate-MSCs composite (n = 11); and (3) Alginate-MSCs
      composite with HBO therapy (n = 6). After 12 weeks, spine fusion was examined
      using radiographic examination, manual testing, and histological examination.
      Using a PKH fluorescence labeling system, whether the transplanted MSCs survived
      and contributed to new bone formation in the grafted area after HBO therapy was
      also examined. RESULTS: The bilateral fusion areas in each animal were evaluated
      independently. By radiographic examination and manual palpation, union for the
      Alginate, Alginate-MSCs, and Alginate-MSCs-HBO groups was 0 of 12, 10 of 22, and
      6 of 12 respectively. The difference between the Alginate-MSCs and Alginate-MSCs
      HBO groups was not significant (P = 0.7997). The fluorescence microscopy
      histological analysis indicated that the transplanted PKH67-labeled MSCs survived
      and partly contributed to new bone formation in the grafted area. CONCLUSIONS:
      This study demonstrated that the preconditioned MSCs could survive and yield bone
      formation in the grafted area. HBO therapy did not enhance the osteogenic ability
      of MSCs and improve the success of spine fusion in the rabbit model. Although
      there was no significant effect of HBO therapy on MSCs for spine fusion, the
      study encourages us to research a more basic approach for determining the optimal
      oxygen tension and pressure that are required to maintain and enhance the
      osteogenic ability of preconditioned MSCs. Further controlled in vivo and in
      vitro studies are required for achieving a better understanding of the effect of
      HBO treatment on MSCs.

PMID- 20302634
TI  - A Canadian naturalistic study of a community-based cohort treated for bipolar
      disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bipolar illness is associated with significant psychosocial morbidity
      and health resource utilization. Second generation antipsychotics, used alone or
      in combination with mood stabilizers are effective in treating acute mania in
      community settings. This study was designed to compare the change in clinical
      parameters and resource utilization at one month in a group of patients who
      required treatment intervention for exacerbation of mania. The clinical response
      at one year was also evaluated. METHODS: 496 patients were enrolled at 75
      psychiatric practices across Canada. The Olanzapine cohort (n = 287) included
      patients who had olanzapine added to their medication regimen or the dose of
      olanzapine increased. The Other cohort (n = 209) had a medication other than
      olanzapine added or the dose adjusted. Changes from baseline in the Young Mania
      Rating Scale (YMRS), Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale, Beck Anxiety
      Inventory and SF-12 Health Survey were compared at one month using ANCOVA.
      Categorical variables at one month for health resource utilization, employment
      status, abuse/dependency, and the number of suicide attempts were compared using
      Fisher's Exact test. Patients were followed for one year and a subgroup was
      evaluated. RESULTS: At one month, patients in the Olanzapine cohort recorded a
      mean reduction in the YMRS of 11.5, significantly greater than the mean reduction
      in the Other cohort of 9.7 (ANCOVA P = 0.002). The Olanzapine cohort was
      significantly improved compared to the Other cohort on the scales for depression
      and anxiety and did not experience the deterioration in physical functioning seen
      in the Other cohort. No significant differences were detected in health-related
      quality-of-life measures, employment status, drug abuse/dependency, number of
      suicide attempts, mental functioning, emergency room visits or inpatient
      psychiatric hospitalizations. In a subgroup treated for 12 months with a single
      second generation antipsychotic, improvements in illness severity measures were
      maintained with no evidence of significant differences among the antipsychotics.
      CONCLUSIONS: Patients with bipolar disorder requiring treatment intervention for
      exacerbation of mania in the community setting responded to olanzapine at one
      month. In a subset analysis, second generation antipsychotic treatment continued
      to be beneficial in reducing bipolar symptoms at one year.

PMID- 20302635
TI  - Microrna profiling analysis of differences between the melanoma of young adults
      and older adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study represents the first attempt to perform a profiling
      analysis of the intergenerational differences in the microRNAs (miRNAs) of
      primary cutaneous melanocytic neoplasms in young adult and older age groups. The
      data emphasize the importance of these master regulators in the transcriptional
      machinery of melanocytic neoplasms and suggest that differential levels of
      expressions of these miRs may contribute to differences in phenotypic and
      pathologic presentation of melanocytic neoplasms at different ages. METHODS: An
      exploratory miRNA analysis of 666 miRs by low density microRNA arrays was
      conducted on formalin fixed and paraffin embedded tissues (FFPE) from 10 older
      adults and 10 young adults including conventional melanoma and melanocytic
      neoplasms of uncertain biological significance. Age-matched benign melanocytic
      nevi were used as controls. RESULTS: Primary melanoma in patients greater than 60
      years old was characterized by the increased expression of miRs regulating TLR
      MyD88-NF-kappaB pathway (hsa-miR-199a), RAS/RAB22A pathway (hsa-miR-204); growth
      differentiation and migration (hsa-miR337), epithelial mesenchymal transition
      (EMT) (let-7b, hsa-miR-10b/10b*), invasion and metastasis (hsa-miR-10b/10b*), hsa
      miR-30a/e*, hsa-miR-29c*; cellular matrix components (hsa-miR-29c*); invasion
      cytokinesis (hsa-miR-99b*) compared to melanoma of younger patients. MiR-211 was
      dramatically downregulated compared to nevi controls, decreased with increasing
      age and was among the miRs linked to metastatic processes. Melanoma in young
      adult patients had increased expression of hsa-miR-449a and decreased expression
      of hsa-miR-146b, hsa-miR-214*. MiR-30a* in clinical stages I-II adult and
      pediatric melanoma could predict classification of melanoma tissue in the two
      extremes of age groups. Although the number of cases is small, positive lymph
      node status in the two age groups was characterized by the statistically
      significant expression of hsa-miR-30a* and hsa-miR-204 (F-test, p-value < 0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our findings, although preliminary, support the notion that the
      differential biology of melanoma at the extremes of age is driven, in part, by
      deregulation of microRNA expression and by fine tuning of miRs that are already
      known to regulate cell cycle, inflammation, Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
      (EMT)/stroma and more specifically genes known to be altered in melanoma. Our
      analysis reveals that miR expression differences create unique patterns of
      frequently affected biological processes that clearly distinguish old age from
      young age melanomas. This is a novel characterization of the miRnomes of
      melanocytic neoplasms at two extremes of age and identifies potential diagnostic
      and clinico-pathologic biomarkers that may serve as novel miR-based targeted
      modalities in melanoma diagnosis and treatment.

PMID- 20302636
TI  - Genotype networks in metabolic reaction spaces.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A metabolic genotype comprises all chemical reactions an organism can
      catalyze via enzymes encoded in its genome. A genotype is viable in a given
      environment if it is capable of producing all biomass components the organism
      needs to survive and reproduce. Previous work has focused on the properties of
      individual genotypes while little is known about how genome-scale metabolic
      networks with a given function can vary in their reaction content. RESULTS: We
      here characterize spaces of such genotypes. Specifically, we study metabolic
      genotypes whose phenotype is viability in minimal chemical environments that
      differ in their sole carbon sources. We show that regardless of the number of
      reactions in a metabolic genotype, the genotypes of a given phenotype typically
      form vast, connected, and unstructured sets -- genotype networks -- that nearly
      span the whole of genotype space. The robustness of metabolic phenotypes to
      random reaction removal in such spaces has a narrow distribution with a high
      mean. Different carbon sources differ in the number of metabolic genotypes in
      their genotype network; this number decreases as a genotype is required to be
      viable on increasing numbers of carbon sources, but much less than if metabolic
      reactions were used independently across different chemical environments.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our work shows that phenotype-preserving genotype networks have
      generic organizational properties and that these properties are insensitive to
      the number of reactions in metabolic genotypes.

PMID- 20302638
TI  - Assisted injection in outdoor venues: an observational study of risks and
      implications for service delivery and harm reduction programming.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Assisted injection and public injection have both been associated
      with a variety of individual harms including an increased risk of HIV infection.
      As a means of informing local IDU-driven interventions that target or seek to
      address assisted injection, we examined the correlates of receiving assistance
      with injecting in outdoor settings among a cohort of persons who inject drugs
      (IDU). METHODS: Using data from the Vancouver Injection Drug Users Study (VIDUS),
      an observational cohort study of IDU, generalized estimating equations (GEE) were
      performed to examine socio-demographic and behavioural factors associated with
      reports of receiving assistance with injecting in outdoor settings. RESULTS: From
      January 2004 to December 2005, a total of 620 participants were eligible for the
      present analysis. Our study included 251 (40.5%) women and 203 (32.7%) self
      identified Aboriginal participants. The proportion of participants who reported
      assisted injection outdoors ranged over time between 8% and 15%. Assisted
      injection outdoors was independently and positively associated with being female
      (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 1.74, 95% Confidence Intervals (CI): 1.21-2.50),
      daily cocaine injection (AOR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.29-2.24), and sex trade
      involvement (AOR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.00-2.06) and was negatively associated with
      Aboriginal ethnicity (AOR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.41-0.82). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings
      indicate that a substantial proportion of local IDU engage in assisted injecting
      in outdoor settings and that the practice is associated with other markers of
      drug-related harm, including being female, daily cocaine injecting and sex trade
      involvement. These findings suggest that novel interventions are needed to
      address the needs of this subpopulation of IDU.

PMID- 20302637
TI  - Antimicrobial peptide-like genes in Nasonia vitripennis: a genomic perspective.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are an essential component of innate
      immunity which can rapidly respond to diverse microbial pathogens. Insects, as a
      rich source of AMPs, attract great attention of scientists in both understanding
      of the basic biology of the immune system and searching molecular templates for
      anti-infective drug design. Despite a large number of AMPs have been identified
      from different insect species, little information in terms of these peptides is
      available from parasitic insects. RESULTS: By using integrated computational
      approaches to systemically mining the Hymenopteran parasitic wasp Nasonia
      vitripennis genome, we establish the first AMP repertoire whose members exhibit
      extensive sequence and structural diversity and can be distinguished into
      multiple molecular types, including insect and fungal defensin-like peptides
      (DLPs) with the cysteine-stabilized alpha-helical and beta-sheet (CSalphabeta)
      fold; Pro- or Gly-rich abaecins and hymenoptaecins; horseshoe crab tachystatin
      type AMPs with the inhibitor cystine knot (ICK) fold; and a linear alpha-helical
      peptide. Inducible expression pattern of seven N. vitripennis AMP genes were
      verified, and two representative peptides were synthesized and functionally
      identified to be antibacterial. In comparison with Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera)
      and several non-Hymenopteran model insects, N. vitripennis has evolved a complex
      antimicrobial immune system with more genes and larger protein precursors. Three
      classical strategies that are likely responsible for the complexity increase have
      been recognized: 1) Gene duplication; 2) Exon duplication; and 3) Exon-shuffling.
      CONCLUSION: The present study established the N. vitripennis peptidome associated
      with antimicrobial immunity by using a combined computational and experimental
      strategy. As the first AMP repertoire of a parasitic wasp, our results offer a
      basic platform for further studying the immunological and evolutionary
      significances of these newly discovered AMP-like genes in this class of insects.

PMID- 20302639
TI  - Anticentromere antibody positive Sjogren's Syndrome: a retrospective descriptive
      analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A subgroup of patients with primary Sjogren's Syndrome (SS) and
      positive anticentromere antibodies (ACA) were recognized as having features
      intermediate between SS and systemic sclerosis (SSc). Our goal was to describe
      this group clinically and serologically and define its tendency to evolve to full
      blown SSc. METHODS: Among 535 patients with primary SS we identified 20 ACA
      positive (ACA+/SS). We compared them to 61 randomly selected ACA negative SS
      patients (ACA-/SS), 31 ACA positive SSc patients with sicca manifestations
      [SSc/(+) sicca] and 20 ACA positive SSc patients without sicca manifestations
      [SSc/(-) sicca]. RESULTS: Prevalence of ACA among SS patients was 3.7%. Cases and
      controls did not differ in sex ratio and age at disease onset. ACA+/SS patients
      had a lower prevalence of dry eyes, hypergammaglobulinaemia, anti-Ro and anti-La
      antibodies and a higher prevalence of Raynaud's phenomenon and dysphagia compared
      to ACA-/SS patients. They also had lower prevalence of telangiectasias, puffy
      fingers, sclerodactyly, Raynaud's phenomenon, digital ulcers and gastroesophageal
      reflux in comparison to both of the SSc subgroups and a lower prevalence of
      dyspnoea and lung fibrosis compared to the SSc/(+) sicca subgroup. Two patients
      originally having ACA+/SS evolved to full blown SSc. Four deaths occurred, all
      among SSc patients. Kaplan Meier analysis showed a significant difference between
      cases and controls in time from disease onset to development of gastroesophageal
      reflux, telangiectasias, digital ulcers, arthritis, puffy fingers, xerostomia,
      hypergammaglobulinaemia and dysphagia. CONCLUSIONS: ACA+/SS has a clinical
      phenotype intermediate between ACA-/SS and SSc and shows little tendency to
      evolve to SSc.

PMID- 20302640
TI  - Early limited nitrosamine exposures exacerbate high fat diet-mediated type 2
      diabetes and neurodegeneration.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and several types of
      neurodegeneration, including Alzheimer's, are linked to insulin-resistance, and
      chronic high dietary fat intake causes T2DM with mild neurodegeneration. Intra
      cerebral Streptozotocin, a nitrosamine-related compound, causes
      neurodegeneration, whereas peripheral treatment causes DM. HYPOTHESIS: Limited
      early exposures to nitrosamines that are widely present in the environment,
      enhance the deleterious effects of high fat intake in promoting T2DM and
      neurodegeneration. METHODS: Long Evans rat pups were treated with N
      nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) by i.p. injection, and upon weaning, they were fed
      with high fat (60%; HFD) or low fat (5%; LFD) chow for 8 weeks. Cerebella were
      harvested to assess gene expression, and insulin and insulin-like growth factor
      (IGF) deficiency and resistance in the context of neurodegeneration. RESULTS: HFD
      +/- NDEA caused T2DM, neurodegeneration with impairments in brain insulin,
      insulin receptor, IGF-2 receptor, or insulin receptor substrate gene expression,
      and reduced expression of tau and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), which are
      regulated by insulin and IGF-1. In addition, increased levels of 4-hydroxynonenal
      and nitrotyrosine were measured in cerebella of HFD +/- NDEA treated rats, and
      overall, NDEA+HFD treatment reduced brain levels of Tau, phospho-GSK-3beta
      (reflecting increased GSK-3beta activity), glial fibrillary acidic protein, and
      ChAT to greater degrees than either treatment alone. Finally, pro-ceramide genes,
      examined because ceramides cause insulin resistance, oxidative stress, and
      neurodegeneration, were significantly up-regulated by HFD and/or NDEA exposure,
      but the highest levels were generally present in brains of HFD+NDEA treated rats.
      CONCLUSIONS: Early limited exposure to nitrosamines exacerbates the adverse
      effects of later chronic high dietary fat intake in promoting T2DM and
      neurodegeneration. The mechanism involves increased generation of ceramides and
      probably other toxic lipids in brain.

PMID- 20302641
TI  - B-lymphocyte stimulator/a proliferation-inducing ligand heterotrimers are
      elevated in the sera of patients with autoimmune disease and are neutralized by
      atacicept and B-cell maturation antigen-immunoglobulin.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: B-lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) and a proliferation-inducing ligand
      (APRIL) are members of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family that regulate B
      cell maturation, survival, and function. They are overexpressed in a variety of
      autoimmune diseases and reportedly exist in vivo not only as homotrimers, but
      also as BLyS/APRIL heterotrimers. METHODS: A proprietary N-terminal trimerization
      domain was used to produce recombinant BLyS/APRIL heterotrimers. Heterotrimer
      biologic activity was compared with that of BLyS and APRIL in a 4-hour signaling
      assay by using transmembrane activator and CAML interactor (TACI)-transfected
      Jurkat cells and in a 4-day primary human B-cell proliferation assay. A bead
      based immunoassay was developed to quantify native heterotrimers in human sera
      from healthy donors (n = 89) and patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE;
      n = 89) or rheumatoid arthritis (RA; n = 30). Heterotrimer levels were compared
      with BLyS and APRIL homotrimer levels in a subset of these samples. RESULTS: The
      recombinant heterotrimers consisted mostly of one BLyS and two APRIL molecules.
      Heterotrimer signaling did not show any significant difference compared with
      APRIL in the TACI-Jurkat assay. Heterotrimers were less-potent inducers of B-cell
      proliferation than were homotrimeric BLyS or APRIL (EC(50), nMol/L: BLyS, 0.02;
      APRIL, 0.17; heterotrimers, 4.06). The soluble receptor fusion proteins atacicept
      and B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-immunoglobulin (Ig) neutralized the activity
      of BLyS, APRIL, and heterotrimers in both cellular assays, whereas B-cell
      activating factor belonging to the TNF family receptor (BAFF-R)-Ig neutralized
      only the activity of BLyS. In human sera, significantly more patients with SLE
      had detectable BLyS (67% versus 18%; P < 0.0001), APRIL (38% versus 3%; P <
      0.0002), and heterotrimer (27% versus 8%; P = 0.0013) levels compared with
      healthy donors. Significantly more patients with RA had detectable APRIL, but not
      BLyS or heterotrimer, levels compared with healthy donors (83% versus 3%; P <
      0.0001). Heterotrimer levels weakly correlated with BLyS, but not APRIL, levels.
      CONCLUSIONS: Recombinant BLyS/APRIL heterotrimers have biologic activity and are
      inhibited by atacicept and BCMA-Ig, but not by BAFF-R-Ig. A novel immunoassay
      demonstrated that native BLyS/APRIL heterotrimers, as well as BLyS and APRIL
      homotrimers, are elevated in patients with autoimmune diseases.

PMID- 20302642
TI  - Uses, traditional management, perception of variation and preferences in ackee
      (Blighia sapida K.D. Koenig) fruit traits in Benin: implications for
      domestication and conservation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Blighia sapida is a woody perennial multipurpose fruit tree species
      native to the Guinean forests of West Africa. The fleshy arils of the ripened
      fruits are edible. Seeds and capsules of the fruits are used for soap-making and
      all parts of the tree have medicinal properties. Although so far overlooked by
      researchers in the region, the tree is highly valued by farmers and is an
      important component of traditional agroforestry systems in Benin. Fresh arils,
      dried arils and soap are traded in local and regional markets in Benin providing
      substantial revenues for farmers, especially women. Recently, ackee has emerged
      as high-priority species for domestication in Benin but information necessary to
      elaborate a clear domestication strategy is still very sketchy. This study
      addresses farmers' indigenous knowledge on uses, management and perception of
      variation of the species among different ethnic groups taking into account also
      gender differences. METHODS: 240 randomly selected persons (50% women) belonging
      to five different ethnic groups, 5 women active in the processing of ackee fruits
      and 6 traditional healers were surveyed with semi-structured interviews.
      Information collected refer mainly to the motivation of the respondents to
      conserve ackee trees in their land, the local uses, the perception of variation,
      the preference in fruits traits, the management practices to improve the
      production and regenerate ackee. RESULTS: People have different interests on
      using ackee, variable knowledge on uses and management practices, and have
      reported nine differentiation criteria mainly related to the fruits. Ackee
      phenotypes with preferred fruit traits are perceived by local people to be more
      abundant in managed in-situ and cultivated stands than in unmanaged wild stands,
      suggesting that traditional management has initiated a domestication process. As
      many as 22 diseases have been reported to be healed with ackee. In general,
      indigenous knowledge about ackee varies among ethnic and gender groups.
      CONCLUSIONS: With the variation observed among ethnic groups and gender groups
      for indigenous knowledge and preference in fruits traits, a multiple breeding
      sampling strategy is recommended during germplasm collection and multiplication.
      This approach will promote sustainable use and conservation of ackee genetic
      resources.

PMID- 20302644
TI  - Steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1) gene mutation as a frequent cause of primary
      amenorrhea in 46,XY female adolescents with low testosterone concentration.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary amenorrhea due to 46,XY disorders of sex differentiation
      (DSD) is a frequent reason for consultation in endocrine and gynecology clinics.
      Among the genetic causes of low-testosterone primary amenorrhea due to 46,XY DSD,
      SRY gene is reported to be frequently involved, but other genes, such as SF1 and
      WT1, have never been studied for their prevalence. METHODS: We directly sequenced
      SRY, SF1 and WT1 genes in 15 adolescent girls with primary amenorrhea, low
      testosterone concentration, and XY karyotype, to determine the prevalence of
      mutations. We also analyzed the LH receptor gene in patients with high LH and
      normal FSH concentrations. RESULTS: Among the 15 adolescents with primary
      amenorrhea and low testosterone concentration, we identified two new SRY
      mutations, five new SF1 mutations and one new LH receptor gene mutation. Our
      study confirms the 10-15% prevalence of SRY mutations and shows the high
      prevalence (33%) of SF1 abnormalities in primary amenorrhea due to 46,XY DSD with
      low plasma testosterone concentration. CONCLUSIONS: The genetic analysis of low
      testosterone primary amenorrhea is complex as several factors may be involved.
      This work underlines the need to systematically analyze the SF1 sequence in girls
      with primary amenorrhea due to 46,XY DSD and low testosterone, as well as in
      newborns with 46,XY DSD.

PMID- 20302643
TI  - Adhesion of monocytes to type I collagen stimulates an APP-dependent
      proinflammatory signaling response and release of Abeta1-40.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a ubiquitously expressed cell
      surface protein reported to be involved in mediating cell-cell or cell-matrix
      interactions. Prior work has demonstrated that APP co-localizes with beta1
      integrin in different cell types. METHODS: In an effort to determine the function
      of APP on monocytic lineage cells, in particular, the human monocyte cell line,
      THP-1, was used to assess the role of APP during adhesion to the extracelluar
      matrix component type I collagen. RESULTS: Pull-down assays demonstrated that THP
      1 adhesion to collagen stimulated a tyrosine kinase-associated signaling response
      which included subsequent phosphorylation of p38 MAP kinase and increased
      association of APP with alpha2beta1 integrin, specifically. In addition, cell
      adhesion was dependent upon APP expression since APP siRNA knockdown attenuated
      THP-1 adhesion to collagen compared to mock transfected controls. One consequence
      of the tyrosine kinase-dependent signaling response was increased secretion of
      interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and Abeta1-40 but not the Abeta1-42 fragment of APP.
      Increased secretion of IL-1beta was dependent upon p38 MAP kinase activity while
      Abeta1-40 secretion required Src family kinase activity since the specific p38
      inhibitor, SB202190, and the Src family kinase inhibitor, PP2, attenuated IL
      1beta and Abeta1-40 secretion, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate
      that APP is involved in classic integrin-dependent tyrosine kinase-associated
      adhesion and activation of peripheral monocytic cells. Moreover, divergent APP
      dependent signaling is required for increased secretion of both IL-1beta and
      Abeta1-40 as a component of the adhesion-dependent change in phenotype. This
      suggests that APP may have a broad role in not only mediating cell-matrix
      adhesion but also in the function of peripheral immune cells.

PMID- 20302645
TI  - Probing the folding of mini-protein Beta3s by two-dimensional infrared
      spectroscopy; simulation study.
AB  - We propose to use infrared coherent two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy
      (2DCS) to characterize the folding mechanism of the mini-protein Beta3s. In this
      study Beta3s was folded by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and intermediate
      conformational ensembles were identified. The one and two-dimensional correlation
      spectrum was calculated for the intermediate and native states of the mini
      protein. A direct structure-spectra relationship was determined by analysis of
      conformational properties and specific residue contributions. We identified the
      structural origin of diagonal and off-diagonal peaks in the 2DCS spectra for the
      native and intermediate conformational ensembles in the folding mechanism. This
      work supports the implementation of computational techniques in conjunction with
      experimental 2DCS to study the folding mechanism of proteins. In addition to
      exploring the folding mechanism the work presented here can be applied in
      combination with experiment to refine and validate current molecular dynamics
      force fields.PACS Codes: 87.15.Cc, 87.15.hm, 87.15.hp.

PMID- 20302646
TI  - No effect of 14 day consumption of whole grain diet compared to refined grain
      diet on antioxidant measures in healthy, young subjects: a pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Epidemiological evidence supports that a diet high in whole grains is
      associated with lowered risk of chronic diseases included coronary heart disease,
      obesity, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer. One potential mechanism for
      the protective properties of whole grains is their antioxidant content. The aim
      of this study was to compare differences in antioxidant measures when subjects
      consumed either refined or whole grain diets. METHODS: Twenty healthy subjects
      took part in a randomized, crossover dietary intervention study. Subjects
      consumed either a refined grain or whole grain diet for 14 days and then the
      other diet for the next 14 days. Male subjects consumed 8 servings of grains per
      day and female subjects consumed 6 servings of grains per day. Blood and urine
      samples were collected at the end of each diet. Antioxidant measures included
      oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) in blood, and isoprostanes and
      thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in urine. RESULTS: The whole
      grain diet was significantly higher in dietary fiber, vitamin B6, folate,
      selenium, copper, zinc, iron, magnesium and cystine compared to the refined grain
      diet. Despite high intakes of whole grains, no significant differences were seen
      in any of the antioxidant measures between the refined and whole grain diets.
      CONCLUSIONS: No differences in antioxidant measures were found when subjects
      consumed whole grain diets compared to refined grain diets.

PMID- 20302647
TI  - OST-HTH: a novel predicted RNA-binding domain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The mechanism by which the arthropod Oskar and vertebrate TDRD5/TDRD7
      proteins nucleate or organize structurally related ribonucleoprotein (RNP)
      complexes, the polar granule and nuage, is poorly understood. Using sequence
      profile searches we identify a novel domain in these proteins that is widely
      conserved across eukaryotes and bacteria. RESULTS: Using contextual information
      from domain architectures, sequence-structure superpositions and available
      functional information we predict that this domain is likely to adopt the winged
      helix-turn-helix fold and bind RNA with a potential specificity for dsRNA. We
      show that in eukaryotes this domain is often combined in the same polypeptide
      with protein-protein- or lipid- interaction domains that might play a role in
      anchoring these proteins to specific cytoskeletal structures. CONCLUSIONS: Thus,
      proteins with this domain might have a key role in the recognition and
      localization of dsRNA, including miRNAs, rasiRNAs and piRNAs hybridized to their
      targets. In other cases, this domain is fused to ubiquitin-binding, E3 ligase and
      ubiquitin-like domains indicating a previously under-appreciated role for
      ubiquitination in regulating the assembly and stability of nuage-like RNP
      complexes. Both bacteria and eukaryotes encode a conserved family of proteins
      that combines this predicted RNA-binding domain with a previously uncharacterized
      domain (DUF88). We present evidence that it is an RNAse belonging to the
      superfamily that includes the 5'->3' nucleases, PIN and NYN domains and might be
      recruited to degrade certain RNAs.

PMID- 20302648
TI  - A community-based study of hypertension and cardio-metabolic syndrome in semi
      urban and rural communities in Nigeria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prevalence of cardio-metabolic syndrome (CMS) is increasing
      worldwide. In people of African descent, there is higher prevalence of
      hypertension and complications than other races. Bearing in mind these facts, we
      looked at the CMS in the general population and the population with hypertension.
      Using the new International Diabetes Federation (IDF) definitions of CMS, we
      studied its prevalence in semi-urban and rural communities in South-east Nigeria
      in relation to hypertension. METHOD: This is a cross sectional population based
      study involving 1458 adults aged from 25 to 64 years. Diagnosis of CMS was based
      on the new IDF criteria using the anthropometric measurements for Europids as
      there is none yet for blacks. Hypertension was defined according to the WHO/ISH
      criteria. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of CMS was 18.0% in the semi-urban
      community as against 10.0% in the rural community increasing to 34.7% and 24.7%
      respectively in the population with hypertension. The prevalence of co
      morbidities - hyperglycaemia, abdominal obesity, and hypertriglceridaemia were
      13.9%, 41.1% and 23.9% while in the hypertensive populations they were 21.2%,
      55.0% and 31.3% in the general population in both communities combined. Except
      for low HDL cholesterol, every other co-morbidity was higher in hypertensive
      population than the general population. CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of CMS in
      the semi-urban population especially for the population with hypertension
      underscores the double burden of disease in developing countries. The lesson is
      while infections and infestations are being tackled in these countries the non
      communicable diseases should not be neglected.

PMID- 20302649
TI  - Clients of sex workers in Switzerland: it makes sense to counsel and propose
      rapid test for HIV on the street, a preliminary report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clients of street sex workers may be at higher risk for HIV infection
      than the general population. Furthermore, there is a lack of knowledge regarding
      HIV testing of clients of sex workers in developed countries. METHOD: This pilot
      study assessed the feasibility and acceptance of rapid HIV testing by the clients
      of street-based sex workers in Lausanne, Switzerland. For 5 evenings, clients in
      cars were stopped by trained field staff for face-to-face interviews focusing on
      sex-related HIV risk behaviors and HIV testing history. The clients were then
      offered a free anonymous rapid HIV test in a bus parked nearby. Rapid HIV testing
      and counselling were performed by experienced nurse practitioners. Clients with
      reactive tests were offered confirmatory testing, medical evaluation, and care in
      our HIV clinic. RESULT: We intercepted 144 men, 112 (77.8%) agreed to be
      interviewed. Among them, 50 (46.6%) had never been tested for HIV. A total of 31
      (27.7%) rapid HIV tests were performed, 16 (51.6%) in clients who had not
      previously been tested. None were reactive. Initially, 19 (16.9%) additional
      clients agreed to HIV testing but later declined due to the 40-minute queue for
      testing. CONCLUSION: This pilot study showed that rapid HIV testing in the red
      light district of Lausanne was feasible, and that the clients of sex workers
      accepted testing at an unexpectedly high rate. This setting seems particularly
      appropriate for targeted HIV screening, since more than 40% of the clients had
      not previously been tested for HIV even though they engaged in sex-related HIV
      risk behaviour.

PMID- 20302650
TI  - Prenatal exposure to serotonin reuptake inhibitors: a case report.
AB  - Two premature twins (33 weeks gestation) were born to a woman who had used
      paroxetine during pregnancy for an anxiety-depression disorder. They were
      admitted to the NICU, where they showed prolonged RDS, cardiovascular
      malformations, and facial dysmorphisms. Soon after birth, they also presented
      abnormal neurobehavioral and motor signs, which partially disappeared during the
      following weeks, although alterations of tone persisted even at discharge.
      Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants are considered the
      primary treatments for depression and anxiety in pregnancy. Since intrauterine
      exposure to these drugs has been associated with poor neonatal adaptation, low
      birth weight, RDS, neurobehavioural symptoms, and potential teratogenic effects,
      further studies are needed to assess risks and mechanism of action of SSRIs.
      Meanwhile, it is advisable to evaluate for each patient the real risk/benefit
      ratio of continuing or suspending treatment during pregnancy.

PMID- 20302651
TI  - Prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease in two districts of Sri Lanka: a
      hospital based survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is being increasingly diagnosed in
      Asia. However there are few epidemiological data from the region. METHODS: To
      determine prevalence and clinical characteristics of IBD, a hospital-based survey
      was performed in the Colombo and Gampaha districts (combined population 4.5
      million) in Sri Lanka. Patients with established ulcerative colitis (UC) and
      Crohn's disease (CD), who were permanent residents of these adjoining districts,
      were recruited from hospital registries and out-patient clinics. Clinical
      information was obtained from medical records and patient interviews. RESULTS:
      There were 295 cases of IBD (UC = 240, CD = 55), of which 34 (UC = 30, CD = 4)
      were newly diagnosed during the study year. The prevalence rate for UC was
      5.3/100,000 (95% CI 5.0-5.6/100,000), and CD was 1.2/100,000 (95% CI 1.0
      1.4/100,000). The incidence rates were 0.69/100,000 (95% CI 0.44-0.94/100,000)
      for UC and 0.09/100,000 (95% CI 0.002-0.18/100,000) for CD. Female:male ratios
      were 1.5 for UC and 1.0 for CD. Mean age at diagnosis was (males and females)
      36.6 and 38.1y for UC and 33.4 and 36.2y for CD. Among UC patients, 51.1% had
      proctitis and at presentation 58.4% had mild disease. 80% of CD patients had only
      large bowel involvement. Few patients had undergone surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The
      prevalence of IBD in this population was low compared to Western populations, but
      similar to some in Asia. There was a female preponderance for UC. UC was mainly
      mild, distal or left-sided, while CD mainly involved the large bowel.

PMID- 20302652
TI  - Effects of external irradiation of the neck region on intima media thickness of
      the common carotid artery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several studies have shown that common carotid intima-media thickness
      (IMT) is increased after radiotherapy (RT) to the head and neck. However, further
      studies are needed to define the exact mechanism of radiation-induced injury in
      large vessels, investigate the relationship between radiation dose and large
      vessel injury and evaluate the rate of progress of atherosclerosis in irradiated
      vessels. OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether external irradiation to the carotid
      area has any effect on IMT of the common carotid artery in a group of patients
      who received RT vs control group matched for age, gender and race. METHODS: We
      studied 19 patients (10 male; 47.8 +/- 17.4 years) during a 5-month period
      (January 2009-July 2009); they had completed RT with a mean of 2.9 years before
      (range: 1 month-6 years) The mean radiation dose to the neck in the irradiated
      patients was 41.2 +/- 15.6 Gy (range: 25-70 Gy). Common carotid IMT was measured
      with echo-color Doppler. Nineteen healthy adult patients (10 male; 47.8 +/- 17.6)
      were recruited as a control group. RESULTS: IMT was not significantly higher in
      patients when compared to the control group (0.59 +/- 0.16 vs 0.56 +/- 0.16 mm, p
      = 0.4). There was no significant difference between the two groups in relation to
      the absence (p = 0.7) or presence (p = 0.6) of vascular risk factors. Although
      the difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.1), the irradiated
      young patients (age < or = 52 years) had IMT measurements higher (0.54 +/- 0.08
      mm) than the non-irradiated young patients (0.49 +/- 0.14 mm). The mean carotid
      IMT increased with increasing doses of radiation to the neck (p = 0.04).
      CONCLUSION: This study shows that increased IMT of the common carotid artery
      after RT is radiation-dose-related. Therefore it is important to monitor IMT,
      which can be used as an imaging biomarker for early diagnosis of cerebrovascular
      disease in patients who have had radiotherapy for treatment of cancer of the head
      and neck and who are at increased risk for accelerated atherosclerosis in carotid
      arteries.

PMID- 20302653
TI  - Donor-host mitochondrial compatibility improves efficiency of bovine somatic cell
      nuclear transfer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The interaction between the karyoplast and cytoplast plays an
      important role in the efficiency of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), but the
      underlying mechanism remains unclear. It is generally accepted that in nuclear
      transfer embryos, the reprogramming of gene expression is induced by epigenetic
      mechanisms and does not involve modifications of DNA sequences. In cattle,
      oocytes with various mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes usually have different
      ATP content and can further affect the efficiency of in vitro production of
      embryos. As mtDNA comes from the recipient oocyte during SCNT and is regulated by
      genes in the donor nucleus, it is a perfect model to investigate the interaction
      between donor nuclei and host oocytes in SCNT. RESULTS: We investigated whether
      the in vitro development of reconstructed bovine embryos produced by SCNT would
      be influenced by mtDNA haplotype compatibility between the oocytes and donor
      cells. Embryos from homotype A-A or B-B showed significantly higher developmental
      ability at blastocyst stages than the heterotype A-B or B-A combinations. Post
      implantation development ability, pregnancy rate up to day 90 of gestation, as
      well as percent of term births were higher in the homotype SCNT groups than in
      the heterotype groups. In addition, homotype and heterotype SCNT embryos showed
      different methylation patterns of histone 3-lysine 9 (H3K9) genome-wide and at
      pluripotency-related genes (Oct-4, Sox-2, Nanog). CONCLUSION: Both histone and
      DNA methylation show that homotype SCNT blastocysts have a more successful
      epigenetic asymmetry pattern than heterotype SCNT blastocysts, which indicates
      more complete nuclear reprogramming. This may result from variability in their
      epigenetic patterns and responses to nuclear reprogramming. This suggests that
      the compatibility of mtDNA haplotypes between donor cells and host oocytes can
      significantly affect the developmental competence of reconstructed embryos in
      SCNT, and may include an epigenetic mechanism.

PMID- 20302654
TI  - Genotypes and haplotypes in the insulin-like growth factors, their receptors and
      binding proteins in relation to plasma metabolic levels and mammographic density.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increased mammographic density is one of the strongest independent
      risk factors for breast cancer. It is believed that one third of breast cancers
      are derived from breasts with more than 50% density. Mammographic density is
      affected by age, BMI, parity, and genetic predisposition. It is also greatly
      influenced by hormonal and growth factor changes in a woman's life cycle,
      spanning from puberty through adult to menopause. Genetic variations in genes
      coding for hormones and growth factors involved in development of the breast are
      therefore of great interest. The associations between genetic polymorphisms in
      genes from the IGF pathway on mammographic density and circulating levels of
      IGF1, its binding protein IGFBP3, and their ratio in postmenopausal women are
      reported here. METHODS: Samples from 964 postmenopausal Norwegian women aged 55
      71 years were collected as a part of the Tromso Mammography and Breast Cancer
      Study. All samples were genotyped for 25 SNPs in IGF1, IGF2, IGF1R, IGF2R, IGFALS
      and IGFBP3 using Taqman (ABI). The main statistical analyses were conducted with
      the PROC HAPLOTYPE procedure within SAS/GENETICS (SAS 9.1.3). RESULTS: The
      haplotype analysis revealed six haploblocks within the studied genes. Of those,
      four had significant associations with circulating levels of IGF1 or IGFBP3
      and/or mammographic density. One haplotype variant in the IGF1 gene was found to
      be associated with mammographic density. Within the IGF2 gene one haplotype
      variant was associated with levels of both IGF1 and IGFBP3. Two haplotype
      variants in the IGF2R were associated with the level of IGF1. Both variants of
      the IGFBP3 haplotype were associated with the IGFBP3 level and indicate
      regulation in cis. CONCLUSION: Polymorphisms within the IGF1 gene and related
      genes were associated with plasma levels of IGF1, IGFBP3 and mammographic density
      in this study of postmenopausal women.

PMID- 20302655
TI  - Epidermal growth factor receptor regulates beta-catenin location, stability, and
      transcriptional activity in oral cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many cancerous cells accumulate beta-catenin in the nucleus. We
      examined the role of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling in the
      accumulation of beta-catenin in the nuclei of oral cancer cells. RESULTS: We used
      two strains of cultured oral cancer cells, one with reduced EGFR expression
      (OECM1 cells) and one with elevated EGFR expression (SAS cells), and measured
      downstream effects, such as phosphorylation of beta-catenin and GSK-3beta,
      association of beta-catenin with E-cadherin, and target gene regulation. We also
      studied the expression of EGFR, beta-catenin, and cyclin D1 in 112 samples of
      oral cancer by immunostaining. Activation of EGFR signaling increased the amount
      of beta-catenin in the nucleus and decreased the amount in the membranes. EGF
      treatment increased phosphorylation of beta-catenin (tyrosine) and GSK-3beta(Ser
      (9), resulting in a loss of beta-catenin association with E-cadherin. TOP-FLASH
      and FOP-FLASH reporter assays demonstrated that the EGFR signal regulates beta
      catenin transcriptional activity and mediates cyclin D1 expression. Chromatin
      immunoprecipitation experiments indicated that the EGFR signal affects chromatin
      architecture at the regulatory element of cyclin D1, and that the CBP, HDAC1, and
      Suv39h1 histone/chromatin remodeling complex is involved in this process.
      Immunostaining showed a significant association between EGFR expression and
      aberrant accumulation of beta-catenin in oral cancer. CONCLUSIONS: EGFR signaling
      regulates beta-catenin localization and stability, target gene expression, and
      tumor progression in oral cancer. Moreover, our data suggest that aberrant
      accumulation of beta-catenin under EGFR activation is a malignancy marker of oral
      cancer.

PMID- 20302656
TI  - Histone deacetylase inhibitor, butyrate, attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced
      acute lung injury in mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, developed as promising anti
      tumor drugs, exhibit their anti-inflammatory properties due to their effects on
      reduction of inflammatory cytokines. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the protective
      effect of butyrate, a HDAC inhibitor, on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute
      lung injury (ALI) in mice. METHODS: ALI was induced in Balb/c mice by
      intratracheally instillation of LPS (1 mg/kg). Before 1 hour of LPS
      administration, the mice received butyrate (10 mg/kg) orally. The animals in each
      group were sacrificed at different time point after LPS administration. Pulmonary
      histological changes were evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin stain and lung wet/dry
      weight ratios were observed. Concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1beta and tumor
      necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and
      concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in lung
      tissue homogenates were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
      Expression of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB p65 in cytoplasm and nucleus was
      determined by Western blot analysis respectively. RESULTS: Pretreatment with
      butyrate led to significant attenuation of LPS induced evident lung
      histopathological changes, alveolar hemorrhage, and neutrophils infiltration with
      evidence of reduced MPO activity. The lung wet/dry weight ratios, as an index of
      lung edema, were reduced by butyrate administration. Butyrate also repressed the
      production of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and NO. Furthermore, the expression of NF
      kappaB p65 in nucleus was markedly suppressed by butyrate pretreatment.
      CONCLUSIONS: Butyrate had a protective effect on LPS-induced ALI, which may be
      related to its effect on suppression of inflammatory cytokines production and NF
      kappaB activation.

PMID- 20302657
TI  - Role of interferon-gamma release assays in the diagnosis of pulmonary
      tuberculosis in patients with advanced HIV infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: T-cell interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) may have a role in the
      diagnosis of active tuberculosis when evaluating patients for whom standard
      microbiology has limited sensitivity. Our objective was to examine the accuracy
      of a commercial IGRA for diagnosis of active tuberculosis in HIV-infected
      persons. METHODS: We enrolled HIV-infected patients admitted to Mulago Hospital
      in Kampala, Uganda with cough > or = 2 weeks. All patients underwent standard
      medical evaluation. We collected peripheral blood specimens at enrollment and
      performed a commercial, ELISPOT-based IGRA according to the manufacturer's
      recommendations. IGRA sensitivity and specificity were determined using
      mycobacterial culture results as the reference standard. RESULTS: Overall, 236
      patients were enrolled. The median CD4+ T-lymphocyte count was 49 cells/microl
      and 126 (53%) patients were diagnosed with active pulmonary tuberculosis. IGRAs
      were not performed in 24 (10%) patients due to insufficient mononuclear cell
      counts. In the remaining 212 patients, results were indeterminate in 54 (25%).
      IGRAs were positive in 95 of 158 (60%) patients with interpretable results. The
      proportion of positive test results was similar across CD4+ count strata. IGRA
      sensitivity was 73% and specificity 54%. IGRA results did not meaningfully alter
      the probability of active tuberculosis in patients with negative sputum smears.
      CONCLUSIONS: An ELISPOT-based IGRA detected a high prevalence of latent
      tuberculosis infection in a hospitalized population of tuberculosis suspects with
      advanced HIV/AIDS but had limited utility for diagnosis of active tuberculosis in
      a high prevalence setting. Further research is needed to identify stronger and
      more specific immune responses in patients with active tuberculosis.

PMID- 20302658
TI  - Nitroprusside modulates pulmonary vein arrhythmogenic activity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pulmonary veins (PVs) are the most important sources of ectopic beats
      with the initiation of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, or the foci of ectopic
      atrial tachycardia and focal atrial fibrillation. Elimination of nitric oxide
      (NO) enhances cardiac triggered activity, and NO can decrease PV arrhythmogenesis
      through mechano-electrical feedback. However, it is not clear whether NO may have
      direct electrophysiological effects on PV cardiomyocytes. This study is aimed to
      study the effects of nitroprusside (NO donor), on the ionic currents and
      arrhythmogenic activity of single cardiomyocytes from the PVs. METHODS: Single PV
      cardiomyocytes were isolated from the canine PVs. The action potential and ionic
      currents were investigated in isolated single canine PV cardiomyocytes before and
      after sodium nitroprusside (80 muM,) using the whole-cell patch clamp technique.
      RESULTS: Nitroprusside decreased PV cardiomyocytes spontaneous beating rates from
      1.7 +/- 0.3 Hz to 0.5 +/- 0.4 Hz in 9 cells (P < 0.05); suppressed delayed after
      depolarization in 4 (80%) of 5 PV cardiomyocytes. Nitroprusside inhibited L-type
      calcium currents, transient outward currents and transient inward current, but
      increased delayed rectified potassium currents. CONCLUSION: Nitroprusside
      regulates the electrical activity of PV cardiomyocytes, which suggests that NO
      may play a role in PV arrhythmogenesis.

PMID- 20302659
TI  - Yeast functional screen to identify genetic determinants capable of conferring
      abiotic stress tolerance in Jatropha curcas.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Environmentally inflicted stresses such as salinity and drought limit
      the plant productivity both in natural and agricultural system. Increasing
      emphasis has been directed to molecular breeding strategies to enhance the
      intrinsic ability of plant to survive stress conditions. Functional screens in
      microorganisms with heterologous genes are a rapid, effective and powerful tool
      to identify stress tolerant genes in plants. Jatropha curcas (Physic nut) has
      been identified as a potential source of biodiesel plant. In order to improve its
      productivity under stress conditions to benefit commercial plantations, we
      initiated prospecting of novel genes expressed during stress in J. curcas that
      can be utilized to enhance stress tolerance ability of plant. RESULTS: To
      identify genes expressed during salt tolerance, cDNA expression libraries were
      constructed from salt-stressed roots of J. curcas, regulated under the control of
      the yeast GAL1 system. Using a replica based screening, twenty thousand yeast
      transformants were screened to identify transformants expressing heterologous
      gene sequences from J. curcas with enhanced ability to tolerate stress. From the
      screen we obtained 32 full length genes from J. curcas [GenBank accession numbers
      FJ489601-FJ489611, FJ619041-FJ619057 and FJ623457-FJ623460] that can confer
      abiotic stress tolerance. As a part of this screen, we optimized conditions for
      salt stress in J. curcas, defined parameters for salt stress in yeast, as well as
      isolated three salt hypersensitive yeast strains shs-2, shs-6 and shs-8 generated
      through a process of random mutagenesis, and exhibited growth retardation beyond
      750 mM NaCl. Further, we demonstrated complementation of the salt sensitive
      phenotypes in the shs mutants, and analyzed the expression patterns for selected
      J. curcas genes obtained from the screen in both leaf and root tissues after salt
      stress treatments. CONCLUSIONS: The approach described in this report provides a
      rapid and universal assay system for large scale screening of genes for varied
      abiotic stress tolerance within a short span of time. Using this screening
      strategy we could isolate both genes with previously known function in stress
      tolerance as well as novel sequences with yet unknown function in salt stress
      tolerance from J. curcas. The isolated genes could be over-expressed using plant
      expression system to generate and evaluate transgenic plants for stress tolerance
      as well as be used as markers for breeding salt stress tolerance in plants.

PMID- 20302660
TI  - Single feature polymorphism (SFP)-based selective sweep identification and
      association mapping of growth-related metabolic traits in Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Natural accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana are characterized by a
      high level of phenotypic variation that can be used to investigate the extent and
      mode of selection on the primary metabolic traits. A collection of 54 A. thaliana
      natural accession-derived lines were subjected to deep genotyping through Single
      Feature Polymorphism (SFP) detection via genomic DNA hybridization to Arabidopsis
      Tiling 1.0 Arrays for the detection of selective sweeps, and identification of
      associations between sweep regions and growth-related metabolic traits. RESULTS:
      A total of 1,072,557 high-quality SFPs were detected and indications for 3,943
      deletions and 1,007 duplications were obtained. A significantly lower than
      expected SFP frequency was observed in protein-, rRNA-, and tRNA-coding regions
      and in non-repetitive intergenic regions, while pseudogenes, transposons, and non
      coding RNA genes are enriched with SFPs. Gene families involved in plant defence
      or in signalling were identified as highly polymorphic, while several other
      families including transcription factors are depleted of SFPs. 198 significant
      associations between metabolic genes and 9 metabolic and growth-related
      phenotypic traits were detected with annotation hinting at the nature of the
      relationship. Five significant selective sweep regions were also detected of
      which one associated significantly with a metabolic trait. CONCLUSIONS: We
      generated a high density polymorphism map for 54 A. thaliana accessions that
      highlights the variability of resistance genes across geographic ranges and used
      it to identify selective sweeps and associations between metabolic genes and
      metabolic phenotypes. Several associations show a clear biological relationship,
      while many remain requiring further investigation.

PMID- 20302661
TI  - Exploring cross-sectional associations between common childhood illness, housing
      and social conditions in remote Australian Aboriginal communities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is limited epidemiological research that provides insight into
      the complex web of causative and moderating factors that links housing conditions
      to a variety of poor health outcomes. This study explores the relationship
      between housing conditions (with a primary focus on the functional state of
      infrastructure) and common childhood illness in remote Australian Aboriginal
      communities for the purpose of informing development of housing interventions to
      improve child health. METHODS: Hierarchical multi-level analysis of association
      between carer report of common childhood illnesses and functional and hygienic
      state of housing infrastructure, socio-economic, psychosocial and health related
      behaviours using baseline survey data from a housing intervention study. RESULTS:
      Multivariate analysis showed a strong independent association between report of
      respiratory infection and overall functional condition of the house (Odds Ratio
      (OR) 3.00; 95%CI 1.36-6.63), but no significant association between report of
      other illnesses and the overall functional condition or the functional condition
      of infrastructure required for specific healthy living practices. Associations
      between report of child illness and secondary explanatory variables which showed
      an OR of 2 or more included: for skin infection--evidence of poor temperature
      control in the house (OR 3.25; 95%CI 1.06-9.94), evidence of pests and vermin in
      the house (OR 2.88; 95%CI 1.25-6.60); for respiratory infection--breastfeeding in
      infancy (OR 0.27; 95%CI 0.14-0.49); for diarrhoea/vomiting--hygienic state of
      food preparation and storage areas (OR 2.10; 95%CI 1.10-4.00); for ear infection-
      child care attendance (OR 2.25; 95%CI 1.26-3.99). CONCLUSION: These findings add
      to other evidence that building programs need to be supported by a range of other
      social and behavioural interventions for potential health gains to be more fully
      realised.

PMID- 20302662
TI  - Psychometric evaluation of a radio electric auricular treatment for stress
      related disorders: a double-blinded, placebo-controlled controlled pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this double-blind randomized study is to test the efficacy
      of a radio electric stimulator device using an auricular reflex therapy protocol
      for stress-related symptoms. METHODS: The study has been carried out on 200
      subjects (138 females, 62 males) that voluntarily came to our Institute declaring
      to "feel stressed".The participants were randomly allocated with a computerized
      procedure: 150 were treated with auricular therapeutic protocol with radio
      electric stimulator device (REAC) and 50 were treated with an inactivated,
      placebo REAC. Psychological stress was evaluated trough the self-administered
      questionnaire Psychological Stress Measure (PSM). Assessment data were collected
      at 2 time points: before the treatment (T0) and immediately after the therapy
      cycle of 18 sessions about 4 weeks later (T1). RESULTS: In the group treated with
      REAC, the psychometric evaluation after the therapy's cycle showed a significant
      reduction of PSM total scores, from 107.8 +/- 23,13 at T0 to 87.1 +/- 16,21 at T1
      (p < 0.5), while in the control group no significant variation in decreasing
      stress-related symptomatology has been noted (107.86 +/- 25,80 at T0 and 106.32
      +/- 25,88 at T1 (p = NS). CONCLUSIONS: The protocol of the auricular treatment
      with REAC seems to reduce the subjective perception of stress, as
      "psychometrically" demonstrated by the significant reduction in PSM test total
      score. This therapeutical procedure also provides a non invasive, not painful and
      very simple innovative approach to treat the widely diffused stress related
      disorders. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial has been registered in the Australian
      New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) with the number:
      ACTRN12607000529448.

PMID- 20302664
TI  - LCP external fixation--external application of an internal fixator: two cases and
      a review of the literature.
AB  - The locking compression plate (LCP) is an angle-stable fixator intended for
      intracorporeal application. In selected cases, it can be applied externally in an
      extracorporeal location to function as a monolateral external fixator. We
      describe one patient with Schatzker V tibial plateau fracture and one patient
      with Gustillo IIIB open tibia shaft fracture treated initially with traditional
      external fixation for whom exchange fixation with externally applied LCPs was
      performed. The first case went on to bony union while the second case required
      bone grafting for delayed union. Both patients found that the LCP external
      fixators facilitated mobilization and were more manageable and aesthetically
      acceptable than traditional bar-Schanz pin fixators.

PMID- 20302663
TI  - A prostacyclin analogue, iloprost, protects from bleomycin-induced pulmonary
      fibrosis in mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Metabolites of arachidonic acid such as prostacyclin (PGI2) have been
      shown to participate in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis by inhibiting the
      expression of pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic mediators. In this investigation,
      we examined whether iloprost, a stable PGI2 analogue, could prevent bleomycin
      induced pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis in a mouse model. METHODS: Mice
      received a single intratracheal injection of bleomycin with or without
      intraperitoneal iloprost. Pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis were analysed by
      histological evaluation, cellular composition of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)
      fluid, and hydroxyproline content. Lung mechanics were measured. We also analysed
      the expression of inflammatory mediators in BAL fluid and lung tissue. RESULTS:
      Administration of iloprost significantly improved survival rate and reduced
      weight loss in the mice induced by bleomycin. The severe inflammatory response
      and fibrotic changes were significantly attenuated in the mice treated with
      iloprost as shown by reduction in infiltration of inflammatory cells into the
      airways and pulmonary parenchyma, diminution in interstitial collagen deposition,
      and lung hydroxyproline content. Iloprost significantly improved lung static
      compliance and tissue elastance. It increased the expression of IFNgamma and
      CXCL10 in lung tissue measured by RT-PCR and their levels in BAL fluid as
      measured by ELISA. Levels of TNFalpha, IL-6 and TGFbeta1 were lowered by
      iloprost. CONCLUSIONS: Iloprost prevents bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis,
      possibly by upregulating antifibrotic mediators (IFNgamma and CXCL10) and
      downregulating pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic cytokines (TNFalpha, IL-6, and
      TGFbeta1). Prostacyclin may represent a novel pharmacological agent for treating
      pulmonary fibrotic diseases.

PMID- 20302665
TI  - Distinguishing between hot-spots and melting-pots of genetic diversity using
      haplotype connectivity.
AB  - We introduce a method to help identify how the genetic diversity of a species
      within a geographic region might have arisen. This problem appears, for example,
      in the context of identifying refugia in phylogeography, and in the conservation
      of biodiversity where it is a factor in nature reserve selection. Complementing
      current methods for measuring genetic diversity, we analyze pairwise distances
      between the haplotypes of a species found in a geographic region and derive a
      quantity, called haplotype connectivity, that aims to capture how divergent the
      haplotypes are relative to one another. We propose using haplotype connectivity
      to indicate whether, for geographic regions that harbor a highly diverse
      collection of haplotypes, diversity evolved inside a region over a long period of
      time (a "hot-spot") or is the result of a more recent mixture (a "melting-pot").
      We describe how the haplotype connectivity for a collection of haplotypes can be
      computed efficiently and briefly discuss some related optimization problems that
      arise in this context. We illustrate the applicability of our method using two
      previously published data sets of a species of beetle from the genus Brachyderes
      and a species of tree from the genus Pinus.

PMID- 20302666
TI  - Library of molecular associations: curating the complex molecular basis of liver
      diseases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Systems biology approaches offer novel insights into the development
      of chronic liver diseases. Current genomic databases supporting systems biology
      analyses are mostly based on microarray data. Although these data often cover
      genome wide expression, the validity of single microarray experiments remains
      questionable. However, for systems biology approaches addressing the interactions
      of molecular networks comprehensive but also highly validated data are necessary.
      RESULTS: We have therefore generated the first comprehensive database for
      published molecular associations in human liver diseases. It is based on PubMed
      published abstracts and aimed to close the gap between genome wide coverage of
      low validity from microarray data and individual highly validated data from
      PubMed. After an initial text mining process, the extracted abstracts were all
      manually validated to confirm content and potential genetic associations and may
      therefore be highly trusted. All data were stored in a publicly available
      database, Library of Molecular Associations
      http://www.medicalgenomics.org/databases/loma/news, currently holding
      approximately 1260 confirmed molecular associations for chronic liver diseases
      such as HCC, CCC, liver fibrosis, NASH/fatty liver disease, AIH, PBC, and PSC. We
      furthermore transformed these data into a powerful resource for molecular liver
      research by connecting them to multiple biomedical information resources.
      CONCLUSION: Together, this database is the first available database providing a
      comprehensive view and analysis options for published molecular associations on
      multiple liver diseases.

PMID- 20302667
TI  - Management of giant pseudomeningoceles after spinal surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pseudomeningoceles are a rare complication after spinal surgery, and
      studies on these complex formations are few. METHODS: Between October 2000 and
      March 2008, 11 patients who developed symptomatic pseudomeningoceles after spinal
      surgery were recruited. In this retrospective study, we reported our experiences
      in the management of these complex, symptomatic pseudomeningoceles after spinal
      surgery. A giant pseudomeningocele was defined as a pseudomeningocele >8 cm in
      length. We also evaluated the risk factors for the formation of giant
      pseudomeningoceles. RESULTS: All patients were treated successfully with a
      combined treatment protocol of open revision surgery for extirpation of the
      pseudomeningoceles, repair of dural tears, and implantation of a subarachnoid
      catheter for drainage. Surgery-related complications were not observed.
      Recurrence of pseudomeningocele was not observed for any patient at a mean follow
      up of 16.5 months. This result was confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging.
      CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that a combined treatment protocol involving open
      revision surgery for extirpation of pseudomeningoceles, repair of dural tears,
      and implantation of a subarachnoid catheter for drainage is safe and effective to
      treat giant pseudomeningoceles.

PMID- 20302668
TI  - Measuring physical activity among pregnant women using a structured one-week
      recall questionnaire: evidence for validity and reliability.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Accurate measurement of the components of physical activity during
      pregnancy can aid in our understanding of the dose response relationships between
      physical activity and corresponding perinatal outcomes. The aim of this study was
      to develop and evaluate a one-week recall questionnaire to assess moderate to
      vigorous physical activity during pregnancy. METHODS: To assess concurrent
      related validity, 177 pregnant women (median 18 weeks' gestation, interquartile
      range (IQR) 15 -23) kept a structured diary and wore an accelerometer (Actigraph)
      for one week. At the conclusion of the week, they completed the Pregnancy
      Infection and Nutrition 3 (PIN3) physical activity questionnaire over the
      telephone. To assess evidence for test-retest reliability, 109 pregnant women
      (median 19 weeks' gestation, IQR 18-27) completed the questionnaire twice over
      the telephone, within 48 hours apart, recalling the same two time periods.
      Spearman correlation coefficients (SCC) and intraclass correlation coefficients
      (ICC) were used to assess evidence for validity and reliability, respectively.
      RESULTS: Comparison of the questionnaire to the structured diary was moderate to
      substantial (SCC 0.47 to 0.69) for several measures of moderate or vigorous
      physical activity using either perceived or absolute intensity. Comparison of
      moderate to vigorous physical activity from the questionnaire (absolute intensity
      using MET-hours/week) to the accelerometer ranged from 0.12 to 0.23 using SCC for
      absolute intensity (MET-hours/week) and 0.28 to 0.34 using relative intensity
      (hours/week) (n = 177). Test-retest reliability was moderate to almost perfect
      for moderate to vigorous physical activity, with the ICC ranging from 0.56 to
      0.82 for both perceived and absolute intensities. CONCLUSIONS: The PIN3 one-week
      recall questionnaire assessed moderate to vigorous physical activity in the past
      week with evidence for reliability and validity.

PMID- 20302669
TI  - Patients' knowledge and perception on optic neuritis management before and after
      an information session.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients' understanding of their condition affect the choice of
      treatment. The aim of this study is to evaluate patients' understanding and
      treatment preferences before and after an information session on the treatment of
      acute optic neuritis. METHODS: Participants were asked to complete a
      questionnaire consisting of 14 questions before and after an information session
      presented by a neuro-ophthalmologist. The information session highlighted the
      treatment options and the treatment effects based on the Optic Neuritis Treatment
      Trial in plain patient language. The information session stressed the finding
      that high dose intravenous steroid therapy accelerated visual recovery but does
      not change final vision and that treatment with oral prednisone alone resulted in
      a higher incidence of recurrent optic neuritis. RESULTS: Before the information
      session, 23 (85%) participants knew that there was treatment available for ON and
      this increased to 27 (100%) after the information session. There were no
      significantly change in patients knowledge of symptoms of ON and purpose of
      treatment before and after the information session. Before the information
      session, 4 (14%) respondents reported they would like to be treated by oral
      steroid alone in the event of an optic neuritis and 5 (19%) did not respond.
      After the education session, only 1 patient (4%) indicated they would undergo
      treatment with oral steroid alone but 25 (92%) indicated they would undergo
      treatment with intravenous steroid treatment, alone or in combination with oral
      treatment. Results indicated that there were significant differences in the
      numbers of participants selecting that they would undergo treatment with a
      steroid injection (n = 22, p = 0.016). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, patients have
      shown good understanding of the symptoms and signs of optic neuritis. The finding
      that significant increases in the likelihood of patients engaging in best
      practice can be achieved with an information session is very important. This
      suggests that patient knowledge of available treatments and outcomes can play an
      important role in implementing and adopting guideline recommendations.

PMID- 20302670
TI  - Identification and evaluation of new reference genes in Gossypium hirsutum for
      accurate normalization of real-time quantitative RT-PCR data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Normalizing through reference genes, or housekeeping genes, can make
      more accurate and reliable results from reverse transcription real-time
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Recent studies have shown that no
      single housekeeping gene is universal for all experiments. Thus, suitable
      reference genes should be the first step of any qPCR analysis. Only a few studies
      on the identification of housekeeping gene have been carried on plants. Therefore
      qPCR studies on important crops such as cotton has been hampered by the lack of
      suitable reference genes. RESULTS: By the use of two distinct algorithms,
      implemented by geNorm and NormFinder, we have assessed the gene expression of
      nine candidate reference genes in cotton: GhACT4, GhEF1alpha5, GhFBX6, GhPP2A1,
      GhMZA, GhPTB, GhGAPC2, GhbetaTUB3 and GhUBQ14. The candidate reference genes were
      evaluated in 23 experimental samples consisting of six distinct plant organs,
      eight stages of flower development, four stages of fruit development and in
      flower verticils. The expression of GhPP2A1 and GhUBQ14 genes were the most
      stable across all samples and also when distinct plants organs are examined.
      GhACT4 and GhUBQ14 present more stable expression during flower development,
      GhACT4 and GhFBX6 in the floral verticils and GhMZA and GhPTB during fruit
      development. Our analysis provided the most suitable combination of reference
      genes for each experimental set tested as internal control for reliable qPCR data
      normalization. In addition, to illustrate the use of cotton reference genes we
      checked the expression of two cotton MADS-box genes in distinct plant and floral
      organs and also during flower development. CONCLUSION: We have tested the
      expression stabilities of nine candidate genes in a set of 23 tissue samples from
      cotton plants divided into five different experimental sets. As a result of this
      evaluation, we recommend the use of GhUBQ14 and GhPP2A1 housekeeping genes as
      superior references for normalization of gene expression measures in different
      cotton plant organs; GhACT4 and GhUBQ14 for flower development, GhACT4 and GhFBX6
      for the floral organs and GhMZA and GhPTB for fruit development. We also provide
      the primer sequences whose performance in qPCR experiments is demonstrated. These
      genes will enable more accurate and reliable normalization of qPCR results for
      gene expression studies in this important crop, the major source of natural fiber
      and also an important source of edible oil. The use of bona fide reference genes
      allowed a detailed and accurate characterization of the temporal and spatial
      expression pattern of two MADS-box genes in cotton.

PMID- 20302672
TI  - High survival and treatment success sustained after two and three years of first
      line ART for children in Cambodia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Long-term outcomes of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in children remain
      poorly documented in resource-limited settings. The objective of this study was
      to assess two-and three-year survival, CD4 evolution and virological response
      among children on ART in a programmatic setting in Cambodia. METHODS: Children
      treated with first-line ART for at least 24 months were assessed with viral load
      testing and genotyping. We used Kaplan-Meier analysis for survival and Cox
      regression to identify risk factors associated with treatment failure. RESULTS:
      Of 1168 registered HIV-positive children, 670 (57%) started ART between January
      2003 and December 2007. Survival probability was 0.93 (95% CI: 0.91-0.95) and
      0.91 (95% CI: 0.88-0.93) at 24 and 36 months after ART initiation, respectively.
      Median CD4 gain for children aged over five years was 704 cells/mm3 at 24 months
      and 737 at 36 months. Median CD4 percentage gain for children under five years
      old was 15.2% at 24 months and 15% at 36 months. One hundred and thirty children
      completed at least 24 months of ART, and 138 completed 36 months: 128 out of 268
      (48%) were female. Median age at ART initiation was six years.Overall, 22
      children had viral loads of >1000 copies/ml (success ratio = 86% on intention-to
      treat-analysis) and 21 of 21 presented mutations conferring resistance mostly to
      lamivudine and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Risk factors for
      failure after 24 and 36 months were CD4 counts below the threshold for severe
      immunosupression at those months respectively. Only two out of 22 children with
      viral loads of >1000 copies/ml met the World Health Organization immunological
      criteria for failure (sensitivity = 0.1). CONCLUSIONS: Good survival,
      immunological restoration and viral suppression can be sustained after two to
      three years of ART among children in resource-constrained settings. Increased
      access to routine virological measurements is needed for timely diagnosis of
      treatment failure.

PMID- 20302671
TI  - Obstacles to researching the researchers: a case study of the ethical challenges
      of undertaking methodological research investigating the reporting of randomised
      controlled trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent cohort studies of randomised controlled trials have provided
      evidence of within-study selective reporting bias; where statistically
      significant outcomes are more likely to be more completely reported compared to
      non-significant outcomes. Bias resulting from selective reporting can impact on
      meta-analyses, influencing the conclusions of systematic reviews, and in turn,
      evidence based clinical practice guidelines.In 2006 we received funding to
      investigate if there was evidence of within-study selective reporting in a cohort
      of RCTs submitted to New Zealand Regional Ethics Committees in 1998/99. This
      research involved accessing ethics applications, their amendments and annual
      reports, and comparing these with corresponding publications. We did not plan to
      obtain informed consent from trialists to view their ethics applications for
      practical and scientific reasons. In November 2006 we sought ethical approval to
      undertake the research from our institutional ethics committee. The Committee
      declined our application on the grounds that we were not obtaining informed
      consent from the trialists to view their ethics application. This initiated a
      seventeen month process to obtain ethical approval. This publication outlines
      what we planned to do, the issues we encountered, discusses the legal and ethical
      issues, and presents some potential solutions. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION:
      Methodological research such as this has the potential for public benefit and
      there is little or no harm for the participants (trialists) in undertaking it.
      Further, in New Zealand, there is freedom of information legislation, which in
      this circumstance, unambiguously provided rights of access and use of the
      information in the ethics applications. The decision of our institutional ethics
      committee defeated this right and did not recognise the nature of this
      observational research. Methodological research, such as this, can be used to
      develop processes to improve quality in research reporting. Recognition of the
      potential benefit of this research in the broader research community, and those
      who sit on ethics committees, is perhaps needed. In addition, changes to the
      ethical review process which involve separation between those who review
      proposals to undertake methodological research using ethics applications, and
      those with responsibility for reviewing ethics applications for trials, should be
      considered. Finally, we contend that the research community could benefit from
      quality improvement approaches used in allied sectors.

PMID- 20302674
TI  - Mapping malaria incidence distribution that accounts for environmental factors in
      Maputo Province--Mozambique.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective was to study if an association exists between the
      incidence of malaria and some weather parameters in tropical Maputo province,
      Mozambique. METHODS: A Bayesian hierarchical model to malaria count data
      aggregated at district level over a two years period is formulated. This model
      made it possible to account for spatial area variations. The model was extended
      to include environmental covariates temperature and rainfall. Study period was
      then divided into two climate conditions: rainy and dry seasons. The incidences
      of malaria between the two seasons were compared. Parameter estimation and
      inference were carried out using MCMC simulation techniques based on Poisson
      variation. Model comparisons are made using DIC. RESULTS: For winter season, in
      2001 the temperature covariate with estimated value of -8.88 shows no association
      to malaria incidence. In year 2002, the parameter estimation of the same
      covariate resulted in 5.498 of positive level of association. In both years
      rainfall covariate determines no dependency to malaria incidence. Malaria
      transmission is higher in wet season with both covariates positively related to
      malaria with posterior means 1.99 and 2.83 in year 2001. For 2002 only
      temperature is associated to malaria incidence with estimated value 2.23.
      CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of malaria in year 2001, presents an independent
      spatial pattern for temperature in summer and for rainfall in winter seasons
      respectively. In year 2002 temperature determines the spatial pattern of malaria
      incidence in the region. Temperature influences the model in cases where both
      covariates are introduced in winter and summer season. Its influence is extended
      to the summer model with temperature covariate only. It is reasonable to state
      that with the occurrence of high temperatures, malaria incidence had certainly
      escalated in this year.

PMID- 20302673
TI  - Anterior cervical discectomy with fusion in patients with cervical disc
      degeneration: a prospective outcome study of 258 patients (181 fused with
      autologous bone graft and 77 fused with a PEEK cage).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anterior cervical discectomy with fusion (ACDF) is challenging with
      respect to both patient selection and choice of surgical procedure. The aim of
      this study was to evaluate the clinical outcome of ACDF, with respect to both
      patient selection and choice of surgical procedure: fusion with an autologous
      iliac crest graft (AICG) versus fusion with an artificial cage made of
      polyetheretherketone (PEEK). METHODS: This was a non-randomized prospective
      single-center outcome study of 258 patients who underwent ACDF for cervical disc
      degeneration (CDD). Fusion was attained with either tricortical AICG or PEEK
      cages without additional anterior plating, with treatment selected at surgeon's
      discretion. Radicular pain, neck-pain, headache and patient satisfaction with the
      treatment were scored using the visual analogue scale (VAS). RESULTS: The median
      age was 47.5 (28.3-82.8) years, and 44% of patients were female. 59% had single
      level ACDF, 40% had two level ACDF and 1% had three-level ACDF. Of the patients,
      181 were fused with AICG and 77 with a PEEK-cage. After surgery, the patients
      showed a significant reduction in radicular pain (DeltaVAS = 3.05), neck pain
      (DeltaVAS = 2.30) and headache (DeltaVAS = 0.55). Six months after surgery, 48%
      of patients had returned to work: however 24% were still receiving workers'
      compensation.Using univariate and multivariate analyses we found that high
      preoperative pain intensity was significantly associated with a decrease in pain
      intensity after surgery, for all three pain categories. There were no significant
      correlations between pain relief and the following patient characteristics:
      fusion method (AICG or PEEK-cage), sex, age, number of levels fused, disc level
      fused, previous neck surgery (except for neck pain), previous neck trauma, or
      preoperative symptom duration. Two hundred out of the 256 (78%) patients
      evaluated the surgical result as successful. Only 27/256 (11%) classified the
      surgical result as a failure. Patient satisfaction was significantly associated
      with pain relief after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: ACDF is an effective treatment for
      radicular pain in selected patients with CDD after six months follow up. Because
      of similar clinical outcomes and lack of donor site morbidity when using PEEK, we
      now prefer fusion with PEEK cage to AICG. Lengthy symptom duration was not a
      negative prognostic marker in our patient population. The number of patients who
      returned to work 6 months after surgery was lower than expected.

PMID- 20302675
TI  - Case of a sigmoid colon cancer with metachronous metastases to the mesorectum and
      the abdominal wall.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sigmoid colon cancer metachronous metastases commonly occur in the
      liver and lungs with sporadic reports also to the spleen, stomach, thyroid gland,
      abdominal wall and upper urinary tract. This is a rare case of metachronous
      metastases invading the mesorectum and the abdominal wall. CASE PRESENTATION: A
      72-year-old female underwent sigmoidectomy for stage I (T2N0 M0) sigmoid colon
      cancer in May 2008. In June 2009, an abdominal computed tomography scan revealed
      a tumor 2 cm in size at the lower anterior mesorectum and a second mass 2 cm in
      size at the anterior abdominal wall midline. Total colonoscopy showed no mucosal
      lesion. The serum carcinoembryonic antigen level was normal. A biopsy of the
      mesorectum tumor showed similar histologic characteristics with the primary
      tumor. Since no other site of recurrence was identified, an abdominoperineal
      resection was attempted. During the operation and after the removal of the
      incision recurrence, sinus bradycardia and signs of myocardial ischemia were
      noticed. A loop transverse colostomy was immediately perfomed and the operation
      was terminated. Postoperative cardiologic examination revealed an acute
      myocardium infract. Chemo-radiation of the mesorectum tumor and re-evaluation for
      surgical excision was decided. CONCLUSION: Metachronous metastasis of the
      mesorectum from sigmoid colon cancer is extremely rare. Although patterns of
      lymphatic spread from rectal cancer to sigmoid colon have recently been
      demonstrated, there is no evidence of metachronous mesorectum invasion from
      sigmoid colon cancer. This could be the issue for future trials.

PMID- 20302676
TI  - An R2R3 MYB transcription factor associated with regulation of the anthocyanin
      biosynthetic pathway in Rosaceae.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The control of plant anthocyanin accumulation is via transcriptional
      regulation of the genes encoding the biosynthetic enzymes. A key activator
      appears to be an R2R3 MYB transcription factor. In apple fruit, skin anthocyanin
      levels are controlled by a gene called MYBA or MYB1, while the gene determining
      fruit flesh and foliage anthocyanin has been termed MYB10. In order to further
      understand tissue-specific anthocyanin regulation we have isolated orthologous
      MYB genes from all the commercially important rosaceous species. RESULTS: We use
      gene specific primers to show that the three MYB activators of apple anthocyanin
      (MYB10/MYB1/MYBA) are likely alleles of each other. MYB transcription factors,
      with high sequence identity to the apple gene were isolated from across the
      rosaceous family (e.g. apples, pears, plums, cherries, peaches, raspberries,
      rose, strawberry). Key identifying amino acid residues were found in both the DNA
      binding and C-terminal domains of these MYBs. The expression of these MYB10 genes
      correlates with fruit and flower anthocyanin levels. Their function was tested in
      tobacco and strawberry. In tobacco, these MYBs were shown to induce the
      anthocyanin pathway when co-expressed with bHLHs, while over-expression of
      strawberry and apple genes in the crop of origin elevates anthocyanins.
      CONCLUSIONS: This family-wide study of rosaceous R2R3 MYBs provides insight into
      the evolution of this plant trait. It has implications for the development of new
      coloured fruit and flowers, as well as aiding the understanding of temporal
      spatial colour change.

PMID- 20302678
TI  - Protocol for a randomised controlled trial investigating the effectiveness of an
      online e health application for the prevention of Generalised Anxiety Disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a highly prevalent psychiatric
      disorder. Effective prevention in young adulthood has the potential to reduce the
      prevalence of the disorder, to reduce disability and lower the costs of the
      disorder to the community. The present trial (the WebGAD trial) aims to evaluate
      the effectiveness of an evidence-based online prevention website for GAD.
      METHODS/DESIGN: The principal clinical question under investigation is the
      effectiveness of an online GAD intervention (E-couch) using a community-based
      sample. We examine whether the effect of the intervention can be maximised by
      either human support, in the form of telephone calls, or by automated support
      through emails. The primary outcome will be a reduction in symptoms on the GAD-7
      in the active arms relative to the non active intervention arms. DISCUSSION: The
      WebGAD trial will be the first to evaluate the use of an internet-based cognitive
      behavioural therapy (CBT) program contrasted with a credible control condition
      for the prevention of GAD and the first formal RCT evaluation of a web-based
      program for GAD using community recruitment. In general, internet-based CBT
      programs have been shown to be effective for the treatment of other anxiety
      disorders such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Social Phobia, Panic Disorder
      and stress in clinical trials; however there is no evidence for the use of
      internet CBT in the prevention of GAD. Given the severe shortage of therapists
      identified in Australia and overseas, and the low rates of treatment seeking in
      those with a mental illness, the successful implementation of this protocol has
      important practical outcomes. If found to be effective, WebGAD will provide those
      experiencing GAD with an easily accessible, free, evidence-based prevention tool
      which can be promoted and disseminated immediately.

PMID- 20302677
TI  - A plant natriuretic peptide-like molecule of the pathogen Xanthomonas axonopodis
      pv. citri causes rapid changes in the proteome of its citrus host.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Plant natriuretic peptides (PNPs) belong to a novel class of peptidic
      signaling molecules that share some structural similarity to the N-terminal
      domain of expansins and affect physiological processes such as water and ion
      homeostasis at nano-molar concentrations. The citrus pathogen Xanthomonas
      axonopodis pv. citri possesses a PNP-like peptide (XacPNP) uniquely present in
      this bacteria. Previously we observed that the expression of XacPNP is induced
      upon infection and that lesions produced in leaves infected with a XacPNP
      deletion mutant were more necrotic and lead to earlier bacterial cell death,
      suggesting that the plant-like bacterial PNP enables the plant pathogen to modify
      host responses in order to create conditions favorable to its own survival.
      RESULTS: Here we measured chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and water potential
      of citrus leaves infiltrated with recombinant purified XacPNP and demonstrate
      that the peptide improves the physiological conditions of the tissue.
      Importantly, the proteomic analysis revealed that these responses are mirrored by
      rapid changes in the host proteome that include the up-regulation of Rubisco
      activase, ATP synthase CF1 alpha subunit, maturase K, and alpha- and beta
      tubulin. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that XacPNP induces changes in host
      photosynthesis at the level of protein expression and in photosynthetic
      efficiency in particular. Our findings suggest that the biotrophic pathogen can
      use the plant-like hormone to modulate the host cellular environment and in
      particular host metabolism and that such modulations weaken host defence.

PMID- 20302679
TI  - Renal cell cancer without a renal primary.
AB  - Renal cell carcinoma has been increasing in incidence over the past two decades.
      Men are affected more than women and metastatic disease at presentation occurs in
      up to one third of patients. Metastasis can occur to virtually any organ, and
      involvement of multiple organs is not uncommon. To date, no reports have been
      found of metastatic disease without a renal primary. We present a case of renal
      cell cancer initially presenting as a subcutaneous mass with subsequent
      pancreatic and parotid gland metastases in absence of a primary renal source.

PMID- 20302680
TI  - Prevalence of various human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes among women who
      subjected to routine Pap smear test in Bushehr city (south west of Iran) 2008
      2009.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Some genotypes of human papillomaviruses can infect the genital tract
      and they are important infectious agents which their oncogenicity is regardable.
      Thus the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of various genital
      human papillomaviruses (HPV) among women being subjected to routine pap smear
      test in Bushehr city of Iran. RESULTS: Based on the collected data, 11(5.5%)
      samples were detected positive for HPV DNA and 189(94.5%) samples out of 200
      samples were detected negative for HPV DNA. Meanwhile 4(2%) samples detected
      positive for HPV DNA by PCR were detected positive for HPV by pap smear test as
      well. On the other hand 5 samples which were detected positive for HPV by pap
      smear test didn't have HPV DNA after being tested by PCR method. Among the 11
      positive samples 7 samples were identified as HPV-16, 3 samples were HPV-18 and
      one was HPV-53. CONCLUSION: Regarding the prevalence of highly carcinogen
      genotypes of HPV in our study determination of genital HPV prevalence among the
      normal population of women of Bushehr city is recommended.

PMID- 20302681
TI  - Sensitivity of methods for estimating breeding values using genetic markers to
      the number of QTL and distribution of QTL variance.
AB  - The objective of this simulation study was to compare the effect of the number of
      QTL and distribution of QTL variance on the accuracy of breeding values estimated
      with genomewide markers (MEBV). Three distinct methods were used to calculate
      MEBV: a Bayesian Method (BM), Least Angle Regression (LARS) and Partial Least
      Square Regression (PLSR). The accuracy of MEBV calculated with BM and LARS
      decreased when the number of simulated QTL increased. The accuracy decreased more
      when QTL had different variance values than when all QTL had an equal variance.
      The accuracy of MEBV calculated with PLSR was affected neither by the number of
      QTL nor by the distribution of QTL variance. Additional simulations and analyses
      showed that these conclusions were not affected by the number of individuals in
      the training population, by the number of markers and by the heritability of the
      trait. Results of this study show that the effect of the number of QTL and
      distribution of QTL variance on the accuracy of MEBV depends on the method that
      is used to calculate MEBV.

PMID- 20302682
TI  - Quercetin, the active phenolic component in kiwifruit, prevents hydrogen peroxide
      induced inhibition of gap-junction intercellular communication.
AB  - We evaluated the effects of the two main kiwifruit cultivars (gold kiwifruit
      (GOK) and green kiwifruit (GRK)) and their active phenolic compound, quercetin,
      on H2O2-induced inhibition of gap-junction intercellular communication (GJIC) in
      WB-F344 rat liver epithelial cells. We found that both GOK and GRK protect WB
      F344 cells from H2O2-induced inhibition of GJIC. The extracellular signal
      regulated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2)-connexin 43 (Cx43) signalling pathway is
      crucial for the regulation of GJIC, and both GOK and GRK blocked the H2O2-induced
      phosphorylation of Cx43 and ERK1/2 in WB-F344 cells. Quercetin alone attenuated
      the H2O2-mediated ERK1/2-Cx43 signalling pathway and consequently reversed H2O2
      mediated inhibition of GJIC in WB-F344 cells. A free radical-scavenging assay
      using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl showed that the scavenging activity of
      quercetin was higher than that of a synthetic antioxidant, butylated
      hydroxytoluene, per mol, suggesting that the chemopreventive effect of quercetin
      on H2O2-mediated inhibition of ERK1/2-Cx43 signalling and GJIC may be mediated
      through its free radical-scavenging activity. Since the carcinogenicity of
      reactive oxygen species such as H2O2 is attributable to the inhibition of GJIC,
      GOK, GRK and quercetin may have chemopreventive potential by preventing the
      inhibition of GJIC.

PMID- 20302683
TI  - Evaluation of olopatadine hydrochloride nasal spray, 0.6%, used in combination
      with an intranasal corticosteroid in seasonal allergic rhinitis.
AB  - The combination of intranasal antihistamines and intranasal corticosteroids
      results in superior relief of seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) symptoms compared
      with monotherapy. This study was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of
      olopatadine hydrochloride nasal spray, 0.6% (OLO), administered in combination
      with fluticasone nasal spray, 50 micrograms (FNS), relative to azelastine nasal
      spray, 0.1% (AZE), administered in combination with FNS in the treatment of SAR.
      This was a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, parallel-group comparison of
      OLO + FNS versus AZE + FNS administered for 14 days to patients > or =12 years of
      age with histories of SAR. Efficacy assessments recorded by patients in a daily
      diary included nasal symptom scores. Safety was evaluated based on adverse events
      (AEs). Pretreatment values for reflective total nasal symptoms scores (rTNSS)
      were similar for both treatment groups. The mean (SD) 2-week average rTNSS was
      4.28 (2.63) for OLO + FNS and 4.15 (2.63) for AZE + FNS; these scores were not
      statistically different between treatment groups. No significant differences (p >
      0.05) between OLO + FNS and AZE + FNS were observed for the average 2-week
      percent changes from baseline in rTNSS or in the individual nasal symptoms (nasal
      congestion, rhinorrhea, itchy nose, and sneezing). Compared with baseline, both
      groups had statistically significant improvement in rTNSS (p < 0.05). No serious
      AEs were reported in either group during the study period. Overall, 19 AEs were
      reported in the OLO + FNS group and 29 AEs were reported in the AZE + FNS group.
      OLO, when administered adjunctively with FNS, is effective, safe, and well
      tolerated in patients with SAR.

PMID- 20302684
TI  - Alberta Aboriginal Head Start in Urban and Northern Communities: longitudinal
      study pilot phase.
AB  - Aboriginal Head Start in Urban and Northern Communities (AHSUNC) is a federally
      funded, national, early childhood intervention strategy that addresses the needs
      of Aboriginal preschool children and their families. A pilot study, based on
      principles of community-based research, evaluated an Alberta Aboriginal Head
      Start (AHS) program offered off-reserve in Alberta. Overall, the results
      pertaining to children having followed an AHS program are positive. This phase 1
      of a broader longitudinal evaluation study of all AHS sites in Alberta has led to
      the creation of several recommendations, which reinforce this type of evaluation
      and look to mitigate the limitations encountered in phase 1 (around available
      data, tools and context).

PMID- 20302685
TI  - The comorbidity burden of the treated asthma patient population in British
      Columbia.
AB  - To date there has been little investigation of the prevalence of comorbid
      conditions in asthma patients. Using 1996/97 cross-sectional health services
      administrative data for British Columbia, we compared the prevalence of comorbid
      conditions in treated adult asthma patients with the general adult population
      using a standardized comorbidity identification methodology, the Adjusted
      Clinical Group (ACG) Case-Mix System. We also profiled the comorbidity burden of
      pediatric asthma patients. Adults with asthma were significantly more likely to
      have a range of comorbidities, including respiratory infections, allergic
      rhinitis and 8 high impact/high prevalence chronic conditions (HIHPCCs). One in 4
      adults with asthma had depression, the most prevalent HIHPCC. Children with
      asthma had a lower comorbidity burden than adults, but 12.6% had a stable or
      unstable chronic medical condition, with the most prevalent HIHPCC also
      depression. Adults with asthma had a high and complex comorbidity burden,
      particularly in terms of multiple chronic conditions. We discuss the implications
      for services planning and delivery.

PMID- 20302686
TI  - Gender, social relationships and depressive disorders in adults aged 65 and over
      in Quebec.
AB  - The objective of this study was to examine if social relationships have a
      differential association with the presence of depression in men and women aged 65
      and over. Data came from a survey of a representative sample of 2670 community
      dwelling older adults in Quebec. Depressive disorders were measured using DSM-IV
      criteria. The prevalence of depression was 17.8% for women and 7.6% for men. Men
      reported a greater diversity of ties but less support than women. Having a
      confidant and/or being engaged in a good marital relationship was negatively
      associated with depression in both men and women. Compared with married people in
      general, widowhood was associated with a considerably higher risk of depression
      in men than in women. Compared with non-volunteers in general, men who volunteer
      were at considerably lower risk of depression than women who volunteer. This
      exploratory study could serve as a basis for future longitudinal studies on the
      impact of community activities and volunteering on the incidence and remission of
      depression in older men and women in Canada.

PMID- 20302687
TI  - [Hypertension Control in Communities (HCC): evaluation result of blood pressure
      management among hypertensive].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects related to community-based standardized blood
      pressure management programs on the control of hypertension. METHODS: A protocol
      of community-based standardized blood pressure management was developed based on
      the current Chinese guideline for prevention, treatment of hypertension. Grass
      roots caretakers from community health service centers across China were trained
      using this protocol and required to manage hypertensive patients according to the
      protocol. Patients were treated on therapeutic life style change or/and
      medication, and followed up based on the criteria of risk stratification. The
      control rate of hypertension was evaluated after 1 year. Effect of intervention
      (EI) was estimated as '1 year rate (mean)' minus the number showed at the
      baseline. RESULTS: By the end of 2008, a total of 29 411 hypertensive patients
      (47.2% for male, mean age 61.4 +/- 10.9 years) with full information had been
      under management for one year according to the protocol. Among all patients, 8.9%
      were classified as under low risk, 50.8% as moderate risk and 40.3% as high and
      very high risk showed in baseline data. After standardized management, the EI of
      smoking, drinking and systolic/diastolic blood pressure were -7.1% (P < 0.05), 
      7.3% (P < 0.05), and -14.8-8.3 mm Hg (P < 0.05), respectively. However, EI of
      overweight/obesity was 0.3% (P > 0.05). For all patients, the control rate rose
      to 74.7%, with EI as 53.1%, and all of the sub-groups, including age, risk
      stratification, had significant increases. The longer the management was under,
      the higher the control rate was seen. Results from the multivariate logistic
      regression showed that older age, male and having higher blood level were adverse
      factors for the undertaking the control and management programs of hypertension.
      CONCLUSION: Results from our study showed that standardized management could
      significantly improve the program on the control of hypertension at the community
      level, in China.

PMID- 20302688
TI  - [A prospective study on the association between lipid accumulation product or
      body mass index and diabetes].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To measure the association between lipid accumulation product (LAP) or
      body mass index (BMI) and diabetes. METHODS: In this prospective study, subjects
      were recruited and followed up for more than five years from the program
      "Prevention of Multiple Metabolic Disorders and MS in Jiangsu Province" (PMMJS).
      A total number of 3598 people participating in the follow-up program, with
      complete information. Incidence rates of diabetes and relative risk in different
      levels of LAP and BMI were compared and analyzed. Areas under the receiver
      operation characteristic curve for obesity indicators such as LAP, BMI, waist
      circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) in predicting diabetes of cohort
      population were calculated. RESULTS: The number and the cumulative incidence of
      diabetes increased with the LAP levels in both men and women. After adjusting for
      age and other traditional risk factors on diabetes, the adjusted risk ratios
      (aRR) value of diabetes were 4.33 (1.34 - 14.01) for men and 5.04 (2.06 - 12.34)
      for women, between the highest and the lowest level of LAP groups. When further
      adjusted for BMI, the aRR value decreased to 3.15 (1.13 - 8.80) for men and 4.84
      (2.16 - 10.84) for women. The number and the cumulative incidence of diabetes
      also increased with the BMI levels in both men and women but not significantly as
      the LAP showed, and the aRR values were 1.34 (0.61 - 2.93) for men and 1.69 (0.91
      - 3.06) for women in the highest level of BMI group, when compared with the
      lowest level group. Again, when further adjusted for LAP, the aRR values
      decreased to 1.23 (0.59 - 2.69) for men and 1.39 (0.74 - 2.60) for women. The
      area under the ROC curve (AUC) for the four kinds of obesity indicators in
      predicting diabetes in the descending order were LAP, WHR, WC, BMI in both men
      and women. CONCLUSION: LAP seemed more associated to diabetes than to BMI. When
      comparing with weight gain, diabetes might be more closely associated with the
      lipid accumulation product.

PMID- 20302689
TI  - [Impact of psychosocial factors on suicide attempts in high school and college
      students, data from eight cities of China].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This paper aimed to report the rate of suicide attempts among
      adolescent and young students of eight cities in China, and to examine the impact
      of related psychosocial factors on suicide attempts. METHODS: The investigation
      was obtained in senior and junior high school and college students in eight
      cities of China. All of the 17 622 participants were recruited to complete
      anonymous questionnaires regarding their experiences of suicide attempts and
      related psychosocial factors. RESULTS: Overall, 2.2 percent of the respondents
      reported that they had experienced attempted suicide during the previous year.
      Scores on high anxiety (OR = 2.61, 95%CI: 1.64 - 4.16), high depression (OR =
      2.05, 95%CI: 1.35 - 3.10), suicide idea (OR = 14.21, 95%CI: 9.88 - 20.43),
      suicide plan (OR = 3.50, 95%CI: 2.59 - 4.73) were revealed as common risk factors
      while the whole time span being accompanied by mothers during juvenile years (OR
      = 0.38, 95%CI: 0.20 - 0.74) seemed to be protective factor for suicide attempts
      through multivariate logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSION: Our results showed
      that emotional symptom, idea and plans for suicide were statistically associated
      with suicide attempted in high school and college students.

PMID- 20302690
TI  - [Status of 'internet addiction disorder' (IAD) and its risk factors among first
      grade junior students in Wuhan].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To understand the epidemiological characteristics and influential
      factors on internet addiction disorder (IAD) among first-grade junior students in
      Wuhan city. METHODS: An anonymous questionnaire survey was carried out on 1219
      first-grade junior students through stratified cluster sampling in 4 middle
      schools in Wuhan city. RESULTS: The internet use rate (IUR) of first-grade junior
      students was 96.43%, with the average of primary surfer age as 8.93 +/- 1.95. The
      internet addiction tendency (IAT) rate and the IAD rate were 10.87% and 7.71%
      respectively. The IAT and the IAD detection rates among male students were
      significantly higher than in female students (chi(2) = 13.04, P < 0.01). By
      ordinal logistic regression analysis, the relative factors mainly involved 6
      aspects in IAD, including sex, poor academic performance, the surfer number of
      times, the surfer time, the surfer place and the surfer expense. CONCLUSION: The
      prevalence rates of IAT and IAD were quite high in the first-grade junior
      students in Wuhan. School authorities, teachers and guardians should
      collaboratively working together to guide the students in using the network
      correctly, and to carry out effective interventions to reduce the incidence of
      internet addiction.

PMID- 20302691
TI  - [Study on the relationship between childhood non-intentional injury and socio
      economic status in Jiangxi province].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To understand the relationship between childhood non-intentional
      injury and socio-economic status (SES) in Jiangxi province. METHODS: Nearly 100
      000 households were selected by PPS sampling method, in Jiangxi province. All
      children aged 0 - 17 years in selected households were surveyed using an 'injury
      questionnaire'. SES was calculated under the World Bank method. RESULTS: 98 335
      children were surveyed and the identified number of non-intentional injury cases
      was 5429 and with 52 fatal cases. The morbidity was 5.52% and mortality was
      52.88/100 000. The mortality of children with higher SES was lower than that of
      other groups but without statistical significance. The morbidity of moderate
      injury increased with the increasing SES, also without statistical significance.
      However, the morbidity of severe injury in male children decreased with the
      increasing SES. Rates of moderate injury morbidities of fall and road traffic
      injury also increased with the increasing SES. Moderate injury morbidity caused
      by animals decreased with the increasing SES. Severe injury morbidity of fall
      decreased with the increasing SES. CONCLUSION: The morbidity of injury in
      children was affected by the SES and the relationship between injury and SES
      varied along with the results of different types of injuries.

PMID- 20302692
TI  - [Evaluation on the health education program regarding prevention of non-fatal
      drowning among school-aged children in Lianping county, Guangdong province].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcome of health education program on drowning
      prevention among primary and secondary school children in rural areas. METHODS: A
      township was selected and all the students from grade 3 to 5, grade 7 to 8, and
      grade 10 to 11 were selected to take part in the program. Twelve intervention
      measures on natural water safety and drowning prevention were carried out for one
      year. Information was collected using the same questionnaire before and after the
      intervention program. RESULTS: One year after the intervention was carried out,
      children's knowledge on drowning prevention improved significantly (13.21, 95%CI:
      12.51 - 13.90), and a positive effect was also noticed among boys (12.77, 95%CI:
      11.77 - 13.77), girls (13.80, 95%CI: 12.82 - 14.78), and among primary school
      children(15.51, 95%CI: 14.30 - 16.72), senior high school children (10.78, 95%CI:
      9.50 - 12.05) and junior high school children (12.77, 95%CI: 11.84 - 13.71).
      Overall rates on risk behaviors dropped from 41.4% to 32.2% (by 22.2%) including
      15.6% for boys, 35.2% for girls and 13.8%, 29.3%, 26.3% for primary school
      children, senior high school children, junior high school children, respectively.
      The incidence rates for non-fatal drowning decreased by 58.9% (from 5.6% to
      2.3%). The person-times for treatment on sight, in emergency settings, in
      outpatient clinic or in the hospitals had a reduction from 399, 78, 36 to 175,
      32, 14, respectively. CONCLUSION: Health education program could improve
      children's perception on water safety, and reduce their risk behaviors as well as
      on the incidence of non-fatal drowning in the rural areas.

PMID- 20302693
TI  - [A matched case-control study on risk factors related to sports injuries in
      primary and secondary school students in Guangzhou].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the risk factors and to provide evidence for prevention
      and reduction of sports injuries in primary and secondary school students in
      Guangzhou. METHODS: 1:1 case-control study was conducted on both 349 cases and
      controls under the same distribution of sex, age and grade. Conditional
      univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to explore the
      relationships between risk factors and injuries. RESULTS: Severe soles wear (OR =
      7.20, 95%CI: 2.37 - 21.84), tiredness (OR = 14.34, 95%CI: 2.29 - 89.66) or
      sickness (OR = 1.96, 95%CI: 1.29 - 3.06) when participating in sports at a high
      frequency and history of previous injuries (OR = 2.11, 95%CI: 1.41 - 3.96) were
      risk factors related to sports injury while guidance by teachers and physical
      education provided by teachers during training (OR = 0.46, 95%CI: 0.26 - 0.79),
      appropriate protection (OR = 0.36, 95%CI: 0.20 - 0.64) as well as warming-up
      exercise (OR = 0.31, 95%CI: 0.14 - 0.67) at a high frequency were protective
      factors for sports injury. CONCLUSION: Prevention and control on sports injury
      need to improve the awareness on sports safety for students and teachers in order
      to develop positive behavior on sports safety.

PMID- 20302695
TI  - [Body vitamin D content and its relationship with body composition of children in
      Huairou district of Beijing].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze vitamin D concentration and its association with body
      composition of children in Huairou district of Beijing, to provide evidence for
      evaluation and improvement of nutritional status of vitamin D in children.
      METHODS: Totally, 381 children aged 7 - 11 years were recruited in Huairou
      district of Beijing (40.3 degrees N). Samples of overnight fasting venous blood
      (drawn between 0630 and 0900) were obtained in late March. Serum 25
      hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D]concentration was determined by ELISA kits (IDS Ltd,
      UK). Body composition indices of the whole body, the distal and proximal forearm
      were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA, Norland, USA).
      RESULTS: The average serum 25(OH)D concentration of all subjects was (44.4 +/-
      12.5) nmol/L. The percentage of vitamin D insufficient [serum 25(OH)D < / = 50
      nmol/L] reached as high as 68.5% (261 people). The 25(OH)D concentration of boys
      (46.3 nmol/L +/- 13.3 nmol/L)was significantly higher than that of girls (42.0
      nmol/L +/- 11.1 nmol/L), (t = 3.38, P < 0.01). Between the serum 25(OH)D
      concentration and lean body mass of proximal forearm, distal forearm, whole body,
      and four limbs, significant positive correlations (r = 0.13 - 0.19, P < 0.05)were
      observed. After age, gender, height and weight were under controlled for,
      correlations between the serum 25(OH)D concentration and lean body mass at
      proximal forearm, and the two lower limbs still existed (r = 0.12-0.14, P <
      0.05). The serum 25(OH)D concentration, the percentage of body fat at proximal
      forearm, and distal forearm were negatively correlated (r = -0.14, P < 0.05; r = 
      0.11, P < 0.05). However, after adjusting for confounding effects, this
      correlation disappeared. No significant correlation between the serum 25(OH)D
      concentration and body fat was observed at any position. CONCLUSION: Vitamin D
      deficiency was common in children of suburb area of Beijing. Vitamin D status was
      positively associated with the lean body mass.

PMID- 20302694
TI  - [A prospective study on the current status of repeated injuries and its risk
      factors in middle school and college students].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the epidemiological features and relative risk factors of
      repeated injuries among middle, high and college students in Ma'anshan city of
      Anhui province. METHODS: A prospective study on repeated injuries for 1-year
      follow-up period was carried out among 1494 students from 3 middle schools or
      colleges. Risk factors for repeated injuries were analyzed with multivariate
      logistic regression model. RESULTS: 799 students suffered 1639 episodes of
      injuries, with an incidence rate of 53.48%. The repeated group consisted of 200
      students who suffered 854 injuries, accounted for 52.10% among the total
      injuries. RESULTS: from Multi-normal logistic regression analysis showed that
      male, number of family members of 4 or over, extraversion of character trait, and
      upper quartile of self-rating anxiety symptoms were the risk factors for the
      occurrence of repeated injuries. Moderate or well-of family income, mothers with
      senior high school education, and upper quartile of self-rating depression
      symptoms were protective factors for repeated injuries. CONCLUSION: Socio
      demographic factors and emotional status may predict the occurrence of repeated
      injuries that called for further study.

PMID- 20302696
TI  - [Tracing the sources of newly reported HIV infections in Dehong prefecture of
      Yunnan province].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To trace and provide HIV-testing among those having contacts with HIV
      infected individuals at various levels in Dehong prefecture, Yunnan province and
      to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of such investigation as a
      supplemental strategy for HIV testing and control. METHODS: Newly reported HIV
      infections from August throughout October in Dehong prefecture, in 2008 were
      asked to provide contact information of persons whom they had high risk contacts
      with. Persons having had risk contacts with HIV-infected cases were here of
      interviewed and their blood tested on the sero-status of HIV. RESULTS: A total of
      335 HIV cases were newly reported during this three-month period. A total of 309
      cases of them and 148 HIV infections identified thereafter from their risk
      contacts were under informed consent, to participate in this study. A total
      number of 3395 risk contacts were reported, of whom only 20.7% (704/3395) had
      'contact information' and 51.3% (361/704) were successfully located and
      interviewed, including 117 previously confirmed HIV infections and 244 people
      with unknown HIV status. The majority of them (203 or 83.2% of 244) were then
      tested for HIV and 56 (27.6% of 203) were tested positive for HIV. The proportion
      of having detailed contact information and the proportion of being traced or
      followed among reported risk contacts of HIV infections were 68.8% and 68.2% for
      spouses of HIV patients, respectively, which were much higher than those among
      commercial sex partners (1.2% and 16.7%), casual sex partners (37.3% and 22.3%)
      and peers who sharing needles (34.1% and 56.4%). CONCLUSION: Newly reported HIV
      infections reported a large number of risk contacts and new HIV infections were
      identified among them. It was extremely difficult to trace commercial sex
      partners or casual sex partners on their HIV infection status. Nevertheless,
      tracing the risk contacts of newly reported HIV infections seemed to be helpful
      in identifying new HIV infections and in understanding the nature of transmission
      towards controlling the HIV epidemics.

PMID- 20302697
TI  - [An epidemiological study on the norovirus detected in the field environment
      after an outbreak of norovirus gastroenteritis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the status of norovirus in environment of the patient's
      residence and water samples after a norovirus gastroenteritis outbreak, to
      provide evidences for the development of strategies for prevention and control of
      the disease. METHODS: After a norovirus gastroenteritis outbreak, anus swabs from
      the patient, swabs from the household environment and the water samples were
      collected to detect the norovirus by RT-PCR methods. Sequencing analysis was
      conducted on those positive specimens. RESULTS: Three specimens of the anus swabs
      from 9 patients and 2 samples of the 46 house environment swabs were positive to
      the virus. The latter were from the surface of water-closets of two families that
      the illness were asymptomatic. Among 5 water samples, only one was positive,
      which was the rivulet water that the feces of the villagers evacuated directly.
      RESULTS: showed that the sequences of the virus detected from the anus swabs of
      the patients, the swabs from the household environment and the samples of the
      rivulet water belonged to the same species. CONCLUSION: It is necessary to
      strengthen activities as supervision and disinfection to the feces of the
      patients, especially on monitoring the feces that might have contaminated the
      water during the norovirus gastroenteritis outbreak.

PMID- 20302699
TI  - [Etiologic and molecular characteristics of Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains
      isolated from diarrheal patients in Shenzhen, in 2007 - 2008].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the infection status and the molecular characteristics of
      Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolated from diarrheal patients in Shenzhen, in 2007 to
      2008 and to provide evidence for the prevention and control of diarrheal diseases
      caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus. METHODS: More than 80 fecal specimens from
      four sentinel surveillance hospitals were collected and cultured each month. A
      total of 361 isolates of Vibrio parahaemolyticus were sero-typed and examined by
      real-time PCR for the presence of two major virulence genes, tdh and trh. Of 361
      strains, 60 O3: K6 strains isolated from six suspected outbreaks in August, 2007
      and in September, 2008 were typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE).
      RESULTS: 4384 stool samples were detected in four sentinel surveillance hospitals
      and with 361 Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains isolated that belonged to 28
      serotypes. Serotype O3:K6, O4:K8 and O1:KUT accounted for 67.90%, 7.50% and
      6.10%, respectively. Of 361 strains, 337 strains belonged to tdh+trh-, 11 strains
      were tdh-trh- and 13 strains were tdh+trh+. The most prevalent serotype which
      caused diarrheal diseases was tdh+trh in Shenzhen. The 60 isolates were
      discriminated into twenty different PFGE patterns, which belonged to three
      clones. Among the 60 isolates, most of the PFGE patterns of isolates from the
      suspected outbreak locations were identical and some strains isolated from
      different year were different. CONCLUSION: Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates in
      Shenzhen were dominated by O3:K6 strains. Most of these isolates carried tdh gene
      and few carried trh gene. Meanwhile, the identical patterns of isolates from 6
      suspected outbreaks locations demonstrated that Vibrio parahaemolyticus outbreaks
      occurred in July 2007 and in September 2008 in Shenzhen. However, the dominated
      strains' PFGE patterns were different each year, indicating that the sources of
      Vibrio parahaemolyticus had a multiplex nature and the multiplex sources such as
      water, sea food and pickled products should be integrated monitored. Laboratory
      based surveillance of diarrheal diseases could contribute in establishing early
      warning system for the better prevention and control of diarrheal diseases.

PMID- 20302698
TI  - [Hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotype and the prevalence of anti-HEV in 8 species of
      animals in the suburbs of Beijing].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of anti-hepatitis E virus (HEV) and
      genotypes of hepatitis E virus in 8 species of animals including swine, cattle,
      sheep, horse, donkey, dog, chicken and duck in the suburb of Beijing. METHODS:
      Serum samples were collected from the 8 species of animals, and fecal samples of
      younger swine were collected from 2 stock farms. Anti-HEV was detected by Double
      Antigen Sandwich Assay. HEV RNA from fecal samples was detected by a reverse
      transcription nested polymerase chain reaction (RT-nPCR). Parts of the PCR
      products were cloned and sequenced. The swine HEV sequences were analyzed
      genetically. RESULTS: The positive rates of anti-HEV in serum specimens of swine,
      cattle, horse, donkey, sheep, dog, duck and chicken were 80.43% (481/598), 15.02%
      (52/346), 14.29% (40/280), 0 (0/26), 9.88% (33/334), 0 (0/21), 3.03% (7/231) and
      2.53% (8/316), respectively. The anti-HEV prevalence of adult swine (>/= 6
      months) and younger swine ( < / = 3 months) were 87.86% (369/420) and 62.92%
      (112/178) respectively. 74 of 111 (66.67%) pig faces were positive for HEV RNA.
      Sequence analysis on these positive samples showed that there were 6 groups of
      HEV designated as bjsw1, bjsw2, bjsw3, bjsw4, bjsw5 and bjsw6. The 6 strains of
      HEV shared 94.5% - 99.6% sequence identity of partial HEV ORF2 nucleotide with
      each other. The identities of HEV ORF2 nucleotide sequences between the 6 strains
      and genotype 1, 2, 3 and 4 were 75.6% - 78.6%, 75.6% - 76.2%, 77.1% - 80.7% and
      83.7% - 94.5%, respectively. The sequence identity between the 6 strains and
      human HEV genotype 4d was 90.0% - 94.5%. CONCLUSION: HEV infection was seen in
      swine, cattle, horse, sheep, duck and chicken in the suburbs of Beijing. The anti
      HEV positive rate appeared the highest in swine and the lowest in dog and donkey.
      The six strains of HEV isolated from younger swine belonged to genotype 4d.

PMID- 20302700
TI  - [Study on the characteristics of major mosquito-borne infectious diseases in
      Three Gorges Reservoir Area from 1997 to 2008].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Characteristics and tendency of mosquito and major mosquito-borne
      diseases (including epidemic encephalitis B and malaria) were analyzed in the
      Three Gorges Reservoir Area from 1997 to 2008. METHODS: Information on
      surveillance data related to mosquito-borne infectious diseases and on mosquito
      density and category, from 1997 to 2008 was collected from Health Surveillance
      System in Three Gorges Reservoir Area. Data regarding meteorological factors and
      construction of Three Gorges Reservoir was also collected. Pearson and Poisson
      models were used. RESULTS: From 1997 to 2008, in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area,
      the incidence rates of epidemic encephalitis B and malaria were decreasing.
      Positive correlations were shown between indoor and outdoor mosquito density as
      well with temperature with coefficient as 0.281 and 0.355 respectively.
      Correlations of mosquito-borne diseases with indoor and outdoor mosquito density
      were positive, with correlation coefficient as 0.340 and 0.328 respectively.
      CONCLUSION: There seemed lack of evidence to prove that negative influences had
      occurred on the incidence of mosquito-borne infectious diseases or the mosquito
      density after the Three Gorges Reservoir water storage came into being in 2003,
      however, long-time surveillance program needs to be carried out to gather
      information on this issue.

PMID- 20302701
TI  - [Comparative analysis of three diarrhea-household-surveys in Guangxi].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the epidemiological characteristics and the effects of
      control measurements in Guangxi by comparing the results from diarrhea-household
      surveys conducted in the three different periods of time and to develop control
      strategies. METHODS: Data on the incidence, health care seeking and treatment of
      diarrhea from three household surveys conducted in 1988, 1995 and 2007 was
      analyzed using SPSS (version 13.0). RESULTS: The incidence rates of diarrhea over
      the three periods of time were 0.562, 0.456 and 0.221 per person-year,
      respectively (P < 0.001). No significant difference was found in the incidence
      between males and females. The disease mainly attacked young age groups and those
      with lower educational levels. In recent years, longer durations of disease but
      less severe were observed in patients with diarrhea. The patients mainly visited
      first line health services with a health care seeking rate of 28.3%. Antibiotics
      were used by most of the patients (49.8% - 90.2%), while the rate of using oral
      rehydration salts (ORS) was only 1.4% - 11.5% but the use of traditional Chinese
      medicines has increased. Intake of untreated water, contaminated foods and
      contact with patients were important risk factors on diarrhea. CONCLUSION: The
      prevalence of diarrhea in Guangxi had declined and the health seeking rate was
      low in the past two decades. It is necessary to further regulate the treatment,
      in order to strengthen the health education programs to the general population,
      in order to improve the accessibility of health services and to increase both the
      health care seeking rate and effective diagnosis rate.

PMID- 20302702
TI  - [Identification and phylogenic analysis of Coxsackie-virus B5 during an outbreak
      of aseptic meningitis in Shandong].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify the pathogen that caused an outbreak of aseptic meningitis
      in Shandong province in 2005. Phylogenic analysis was carried out on Coxsackie
      virus B5 (CVB5) which was isolated during this outbreak. METHODS: 78 stool and 58
      cerebrospinal fluids (CSF) specimens were collected from some inpatients during
      this outbreak. Virus isolation and reverse transcription-polymerase chain
      reaction (RT-PCR) was then performed. Phylo-genetic trees based on entire and
      partial VP1 sequences were constructed among CVB5 isolates and others published
      in GenBank. RESULTS: The isolation rates of stool and CSF specimens were 38.5%
      (30/78) and 48.3% (28/58) respectively. Among the results of serotype
      identification and molecular typing of 58 positive isolates, 54 were identified
      as CVB5, 2 as ECHO24, 1 as CVB3 and 1 as CVA9. Results from viral investigation
      showed that CVB5 was the main pathogen causing this outbreak. Data from
      homological comparisons indicated that Shandong strains had the highest
      nucleotide acid identity with the Zhejiang/12/02 strain (97.5% - 97.8%), and
      lower identity (78.3% - 78.6%) with the prototype strain (Faulkner strain).
      Phylogenic tree in VP1 region showed that CVB5 could be separated into four
      genotypes. Isolates of this outbreak belonged to genotype D. CONCLUSION: CVB5 was
      the major etiological agent correlated with this outbreak. The shift of
      predominant genotype might serve as one of the causes that associated with the
      outbreaks of aseptic meningitis.

PMID- 20302703
TI  - [Clone expression of the caf1 gene of Yersinia pestis and immunological
      evaluation on recombinant F1 antigen].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To get recombinant F1 antigen (rF1) and to construct the detection
      dipstick of plague antibody. METHODS: The caf1 gene removing the signal peptide
      coding sequence was cloned into plasmid pET32a(+) by double-digested sites of
      BamHI and Not I. Recombinant plasmid caf1-pET32a(+) was transformed into BL21
      (DE3) and the rF1 was expressed. Expression products were purified by affinity
      chromatography. Dual detection dipstick of plague antibody was constructed with
      purified rF1 and natural F1, and evaluated with 528 human serum samples of
      Zhejiang province. RESULTS: The fusion protein rF1 of 35.5 KD was expressed by
      BL21 strains containing caf1-pET32a(+). The sensitivity of rF1 showed equivalent
      to or higher than the natural F1 antigen in detecting plague antibody. It seemed
      that there was a better consistency of 97.9% (kappa = 0.466) when 528 human sera
      was detected by rF1 and natural F1. CONCLUSION: We successfully extracted the rF1
      with good immunological activity that might be used to detecting Yersinia pestis.

PMID- 20302704
TI  - [Sequencing and analyses on glycoprotein gene of rabies viruses isolated in
      Zhejiang province, China].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Based on sequencing the genomes of glycoprotein (GP) gene of rabies
      viruses isolated in Zhejiang, we analyzed the properties of rabies viruses
      genetic variation in molecular level, and to compare with those of other
      representative vaccine strains and street virus strains, get the information
      about rabies viruses variation. METHODS: Suckling mice against rabies virus were
      selected. Overlapped fragments were amplified by RT-PCR and full-length genomes
      were assembled to analyze the nucleotide and deduced protein similarities and
      phylogenetic analyses of the GP genes. RESULTS: The fourteen full-length genomes
      were completely sequenced and they had the same genetic structure with 1575 nts
      and deduced protein with 524 aa. Genetic analysis revealed that the nucleotide
      and amino acid homologies of GP gene from Zhejiang strains and other vaccine
      strains or street virus strains were 82.3% - 99.9% and 85.1% - 99.8%. The
      fourteen strains were genotype 1 according to the phylogenetic analyses. The GP
      amino acids of Zhejiang strains rabies virus strains without any recombination
      occurred in GP and no larger variation appeared in the major antigenic sites.
      CONCLUSION: The comprehensive analysis based on the first-level structure of GP
      demonstrated that it was possible that some advantageous antigenic epitopes
      existed in certain areas and potential antigenic determinants. It was evident
      that the GP gene of Zhejiang strains appear to be stable and their sequence
      similarity with the representative strains of street virus in China were higher
      than those of other vaccine strains. Some differences showed in the genetic
      structure and evolution relationship among Zhejiang strains, other street strains
      in other regions and vaccine strains.

PMID- 20302705
TI  - [Detection of circulating antigen of Angiostrongylus cantonensis by 12D5 and 21B7
      monoclonal antibodies].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To detect the rate of Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection and to
      study the effects of treatment so as to prepare monoclonal antibodies (McAbs),
      and gold immunochromatography assay (GICA) with 12D5 and 21B7 McAbs could be
      prepared in advance. METHODS: Two McAbs (12D5 and 21B7) were applied to detect
      the circulating antigen (CAg) in the sera of rats infected with A. cantonensis
      and angiostrongyliasis patients respectively by double antibody sandwich ELISA.
      Either 12D5 or 21B7 McAbs was used as antibody and protein A was conjugated with
      colloid gold as the detection marker. A special pad for GICA was designed
      according to the reaction procedure, and CAg were detected by GICA in the sera of
      rats infected with A. cantonensis and angiostrongyliasis patients respectively.
      RESULTS: 12D5 McAb was identified as IgG1 and 21B7 McAb was IgM. Results from
      Western blotting showed that two McAbs could be used to identified 55 KD protein
      of adult worms of A. cantonensis. The detection rates of CAg in the sera of
      infected rats was 100% (48/48) and the detection rates of CAg in the sera of
      angiostrongyliasis patients was 100% (32/32). No cross-reaction to sera of
      patients with other infection of parasites, such as clonorchiasis,
      fasciolopsiasis, ancylostomiasis, ancylostomiasis, anisakiasis as well as
      schistosomiasis wee seen and normal sera did not react with 12D5 and 21B7 McAbs.
      CONCLUSION: Results from sandwich ELISA and GICA with 12D5 and 21B7 McAbs showed
      high specificity and acting as detecting CAg of A. cantonensis in sera of
      infected animals and patients. We noticed that GICA with 12D5 and 21B7 was not
      only rapid and simple that without requirement of special instrument, but also
      rather sensitive and specific for the detection of current infection with A.
      cantonensis.

PMID- 20302706
TI  - [Association between methylthioadenosine phosphorylase gene single nucleotide
      polymorphisms and myocardial infarction in Chinese Han ethnicity].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between methylthioadenosine
      phosphorylase (MTAP) gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and myocardial
      infarction (MI) in the Chinese Han ethnicity. METHODS: 432 patients suffered from
      myocardial infarction and 430 controls were involved for case and control groups,
      respectively. Nine tag SNPs in MTAP gene were selected and genotyped. RESULTS: We
      found no significant association of selected tag SNPs with MI in all of the
      samples. However, in stratified analysis, significant association was observed at
      rs7027989 in male subjects. The risk of MI increased by 26% (P = 0.005) for male
      subjects of minor allele carriers in a dominant model. The increased risk of MI
      at rs7027989 remained significant after adjusting for confounding factors.
      CONCLUSION: MTAP gene might be involved in the etiology of MI in Chinese Han
      ethnicity.

PMID- 20302707
TI  - [Covariance analysis on the change of quality of life affected by percutaneous
      coronary intervention for patients with coronary heart disease].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare changes of quality of life at 3 months from baseline among
      patients who underwent and did not undergo percutaneous coronary intervention
      (PCI). METHODS: Sixty one patients with coronary artery disease, who were
      hospitalized in Cardiology Department in March 2008, were followed-up for 3
      months after being discharged. SF-36 and QOL-35 were administered before PCI and
      at 3 months. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to whether they
      underwent PCI. Changes of quality of life scores between PCI and non-PCI groups
      were compared using analysis of covariance. RESULTS: There were 24 cases in non
      PCI group and 37 in PCI group. Baseline characteristics were well balanced
      between PCI and non-PCI groups except gender (67.6% vs. 28.6% for male, P =
      0.005), history of angina (56.8% vs. 23.8%, P = 0.015), smoking history (51.4%
      vs.23.8%, P = 0.037) and Judkins classification of coronary artery (P = 0.001).
      Multivariate analysis of covariance showed that the change of life quality
      between non-PCI group and PCI group in 3-months after discharge had statistical
      differences in total scores (P = 0.044) and mental health scores (P = 0.003) of
      SF-36, total scores (P = 0.039) and social function scores (P = 0.007) of QOL-35.
      CONCLUSION: PCI can improve life quality in patients with coronary artery
      disease.

PMID- 20302708
TI  - [Retrospective seroepidemiology study of Toxoplasma gondii infection in the
      population of recruits].

PMID- 20302709
TI  - [Application of 'stepped-wedge design' methodology in randomized controlled
      trials].
AB  - In this article, two research cases are employed to show the rationale of the
      stepped-wedge design, under what situations that such a design is desirable, and
      how it can be implemented. Stepped-wedge design seems to suit to randomized
      controlled trials in which the entire study population will receive intervention
      programs as they would "provide more advantages than harm". When intervention can
      not be given to all the targets simultaneously due to limited resources, this
      design is particularly useful. The stepped-wedge design is also relevant when
      there is a hope to detect or control the time trend effect on the effectiveness
      of the intervention strategy. On the other hand, however, this design requires
      longer trial duration and presents a number of statistical challenges. Hence,
      careful planning and monitoring are essential to ensure that a robust evaluation
      is undertaken.

PMID- 20302710
TI  - [Application of flexible matching strategy to detect gene-environment
      interactions for increasing the study power].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Flexible matching has recently been proposed as a method of
      improving interactions efficiency. In this study, the concept of flexible
      matching has been introduced, and the applicability of this strategy has also
      been described based on the power calculation of interaction between HER-2
      polymorphism and smoking with breast cancer. A large-sample approximation method
      is used to estimate the power and efficiency of gene-environment interactions. In
      the basic scenario, power of interaction between HER-2 polymorphism and smoking
      of unmatched case-control study appears to be 30% while in the frequency matching
      case-control study it is 56%. However, when increasing the smoking prevalence in
      controls, greater power can be obtained (power = 74%). CONCLUSIONS: Flexible
      matching strategies can increase the power and efficiency of case-control studies
      to detect and estimate the gene-environment interactions when compared with
      traditional frequency matching and it is especially useful under those scenarios
      when low environmental exposure of population, adverse gene-environment
      interactions or less paired controls are seen. Optimal matching design should be
      made available by weighing the benefits and loss due to flexible matching.

PMID- 20302711
TI  - [The epidemiological characteristics and risk factors of child pedestrian
      injury.].

PMID- 20302712
TI  - [Molecular epidemiology of rotavirus in children with acute diarrhea in Shanghai
      port area].

PMID- 20302713
TI  - [Analysis on the hemagglutinin genetic characteristics of 2009 novel influenza A
      (H1N1) virus in Changsha, Hunan province].

PMID- 20302714
TI  - [Sequence analysis of 3 virulence factors from Streptococcus suis serotype 2
      isolates in Zhejiang province].

PMID- 20302715
TI  - [Analysis of human coronavirus NL63 in 690 children with acute respiratory
      infection in Shanton].

PMID- 20302716
TI  - [Study on the prevalence and genotype of commensal Escherichia coli producing
      AmpC beta-lactamase isolated from health chicken].

PMID- 20302717
TI  - [A strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae harboring four kinds of beta-lactamases].

PMID- 20302718
TI  - [Comparison of AIDS related high risk behavior between college students and the
      same age non-college students in men who have sex with men].

PMID- 20302719
TI  - [Association between hemoglobin levels before pregnancy and during pregnancy].

PMID- 20302720
TI  - [Epidemiological study on injuries among primary and secondary school students in
      Guangzhou].

PMID- 20302722
TI  - [The retrospective study of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt with
      covered or uncovered stents in patients with portal hypertension].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively compare the clinical outcome in patients with
      portal hypertension treated with transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt
      (TIPS) using Fluency stent-graft (PTFE-covered stents) or bare stents. METHODS:
      Approval of study and treatment protocol and waiver of informed consent for the
      retrospective study were obtained from institutional review board. Informed
      consent was obtained from each patient before procedure. Sixty consecutive
      patients with portal hypertension treated with TIPS from April 2007 to April 2009
      were included. TIPS creation was performed with Fluency stent-graft in 30
      patients (group A) and with bare stents in 30 patients (group B). Liver function,
      TIPS patency and clinical outcome were evaluated every 3 months. RESULTS: During
      hospitalization, there was no hepatic encephalopathy and recurrency of variceal
      bleeding.Acute shunt occlusion was observed in one patient with group A and
      another patient with group B.Follow-up was performed with average time of (6.2 +/
      3.9) months in group A and (8.3 +/- 4.4) months in group B. The rates of
      recurrent bleeding, acute shunt occlusion, hepatic encephalopathy and death were
      3.3% and 20.0%, 0 and 30.0%, 16.7% and 20.0%, 0 and 13.3% in group A and B. The
      rates of recurrent bleeding, acute shunt occlusion and death in group A was lower
      than those in group B. There was no difference of hepatic encephalopathy between
      group A and B. The decrease of portal pressure and portosystemic pressure
      gradient, and the increase of portal flow and shunt flow in group A were higher
      than those in group B. There were no difference of liver function, ammonia and
      MELD between group A and B. CONCLUSIONS: Fluency stent-graft is safe and
      effective in TIPS creation, with high patency rate. Covered-stent can improve the
      clinical outcome of portal hypertension.

PMID- 20302723
TI  - [Impact of diabetes mellitus on clinicopathological factors and prognosis of
      patients with colorectal cancer.].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the impact of diabetes mellitus on the clinicopathological
      factors and prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer. METHODS: A total of 599
      patients with colorectal cancer treated between January 2000 and June 2007 were
      collected retrospectively. The patients were divided into diabetes mellitus (DM)
      group and non-diabetes mellitus (NDM) group. The pathologic factors data was
      compared between the two groups, and the Logistic multivariable analysis was
      performed. The Cox regression model analysis of prognosis data was applied in 402
      patients who underwent radical surgery without preoperative neoadjuvant therapy.
      RESULTS: A total of 58 cases (9.7%) developed diabetes mellitus. Significant
      differences was found in the body-weight, age, hypertension between the two
      groups (P < 0.05), while no significant differences in the pathologic factors,
      such as tumor differentiation, invasion depth, lymph node involvement, TNM stage
      and lymphovascular invasion was found between the two groups (P > 0.05). There
      was no significant correlation between diabetes mellitus and the pathologic
      factors on the Logistic analysis (P > 0.05). Among the patients underwent radical
      surgery directly, neither disease progression curve (P = 0.521) nor overall
      survival curve (P = 0.909) presented significant differences between the two
      groups. It's not shown that diabetes mellitus was significantly associated with
      the prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer by using Cox regression analysis
      (P = 0.991). CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes mellitus does not significantly influence the
      clinicopathological factors and the prognosis of colorectal cancer in patients
      receiving radical surgery, and it requires more investigation.

PMID- 20302724
TI  - [Efficacy of anticoagulation on patency post-permanent inferior vena caval filter
      placements].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To discuss the efficacy of anticoagulation on patency post-permanent
      inferior vena caval filter (IVCF) placements. METHODS: The patients with deep
      vein thrombosis (DVT) of the lower extremity who were accepted permanent IVCF
      placement from December 2001 to December 2007 were reviewed retrospectively. Data
      on vital status, filter thromboembolism, anticoagulation time, and so on were
      obtained through follow-up. One hundred and thirty eight patients (75 male and 63
      female) with a mean age of 65 years were enrolled in the study. All the patients
      were divided into non-anticoagulation group, anticoagulation group A with taking
      warfarin less than 6 months, or anticoagulation group B with taking warfarin more
      than 6 months. chi(2) test, t test, Kaplan-Meier survival curve, Log-rank test
      were used for statistics analysis. RESULTS: Sixteen patients died, and 1 of them
      died of pulmonary embolism. Including the 1 patient mentioned before, there were
      19 patients (13.8%) suffered from filter thromboembolism. Upon chi(2) test, there
      were no significant differences (P = 0.288) on the patency rates between non
      anticoagulation, anticoagulation group A and anticoagulation group B (87.8%,
      75.0%, and 88.3% respectively). Upon Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, there were
      still no significant differences (P = 0.227) on the mean patency time and the
      cumulate rates of patency at the 1st or 3rd year between the 3 groups (87.1%,
      80.0%, 94.8% and 87.1%, 74.3%, 85.4% respectively). CONCLUSION: Anticoagulation
      has no efficacy on patency post-permanent IVCF placements.

PMID- 20302725
TI  - [Clinical features and surgical treatment of thoracic Castleman's disease].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical features and surgical treatment of thoracic
      Castleman's disease. METHODS: The clinical symptoms, pathological, laboratory, CT
      findings and results of surgery in 32 patients with Castleman's disease from June
      1996 to November 2008 were evaluated. Among the 32 patients, there were 14 male
      and 18 female, aged from 16 to 48 years old with a mean age of 34.2 years old.
      Thirteen cases had symptoms including short of breath, irritable cough, or chest
      pain, while 14 cases had no symptoms. Mediastinal or hilar tumors were found by
      CT examination. RESULTS: Tumor was surgically removed in all the 32 patients
      except one died with anesthetic accident. Castleman's disease was conformed by
      pathology. Five cases were diagnosed as with paraneoplastic pemphigus, 3 of them
      were attacked by bronchiolitis obliterans. All 5 cases were failed by the use of
      prednisone. The signs of PNP were dissolved after operation, but pulmonary
      lesions failed to improve. There was no recurrence in all cases. CONCLUSIONS: PNP
      and lung abnormalities are the rare and severe complications of thoracic
      Castleman's disease. Surgical resection of the tumor is the first choice for
      treatment.

PMID- 20302726
TI  - [Positron emission tomography with special tracers in pulmonary abnormalities].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the value of positron emission tomography (PET) with (11)C
      choline (CH), (11)C-methionine (MET), (18)F-fluorothymidine (FLT), and (11)C
      acetate (AC) in diagnosis of pulmonary abnormalities and the features of
      pulmonary abnormalities in PET. METHODS: From June 2002 to June 2007, 100
      patients with pulmonary nodules or masses confirmed by CT scans received PET with
      special tracers. Fifty-eight patients received CH-PET, 16 patients received MET
      PET, 22 patients received FLT-PET, 4 patients received AC-PET. PET data was
      analyzed by visual method and semiquantitative method with standard uptake value
      (SUV). Diagnoses were compared with pathology and follow-up survey. RESULTS: For
      identification of pulmonary neoplasms with CH-PET, the sensitivity, specificity
      and accuracy were 84.2% (32/38), 57.9% (11/19) and 75.4% (43/57). In cancer
      cases, SUV had no correlation with tumor size or age. For identification of
      pulmonary neoplasms with MET-PET, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were
      6/7, 6/9 and 75.0% (12/16). In cancer cases, SUV had not correlation with tumor
      size or age. For identification of pulmonary neoplasms with FLT-PET, the
      sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 85.7% (12/14), 2/8 and 63.6% (14/22).
      In cancer cases, SUV had not correlation with tumor size or age. In AC-PET, only
      1 case of pulmonary metastasis of kidney clear cell carcinoma showed acetate
      avid. Two squamous cell carcinoma and 1 adenocarcinoma didn't appear abnormal in
      AC-PET. CONCLUSION: CH, MET, FLT, AC are valuable in diagnosing but also lead to
      false positive and false negative.

PMID- 20302727
TI  - [Risk factors of recurrence after transurethral resection of the prostate due to
      benign prostate hyperplasia].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To review the clinic data of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) cases,
      and to find the risk factors of recurrence in post transurethral resection of the
      prostate (TURP) patients. METHODS: From November 2002 to November 2007, 1471
      cases were reviewed, including 41 patients of recurrence after TURP. Record the
      data include onset age, course of disease, age of surgery, LUTS, PSA, blood serum
      creatinine, size of the prostate in transabdomen ultrasonography, data of
      urodynamic examination, weight of resected tissue, persistence time of the
      resection, length of stay, score of inflammation of the pathologic sample,
      experience of the operator, routine blood examination, routine urine examination
      and so on. Statistical analysis was performed using univariate and multivariate
      unconditional Logistic regression analysis for evaluation of the data. RESULTS:
      In the univariate analysis, onset age (t = 2.292, P = 0.086), PVR (t = 2.181, P =
      0.03), size of the prostate in transabdomen ultrasonography (t = -1.987, P =
      0.047), experience of the operator (Z = 10.13, P = 0.0015) and the symptom that
      bladder does not feel completely empty right after urinating (chi(2) = 9.240, P =
      0.002) had statistical significance. In the multivariate unconditional Logistic
      regression analysis, Odds ratio (OR) of the factors were investigated, the
      symptom that bladder does not feel completely empty right after urinating (OR =
      0.557), the score for inflammation (OR = 0.905) and experience of the operator
      (OR = 0.393) had statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: The risk factors for
      elevating the incidence of post-TURP recurrence are the lower score for
      inflammation, younger onset age, having the symptom that bladder does not feel
      completely empty right after urinating, bigger size of prostate in transabdomen
      ultrasonography, lower post void residual urine volume and poor experience of the
      operator.

PMID- 20302728
TI  - [The effect of preoperative factors on the function of the cervical spine after
      cervical artificial disc replacement: a minimal 3 years follow-up].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of preoperative factors on the function of the
      cervical spine after Bryan artificial disc replacement. METHODS: Fifty patients
      who underwent cervical disc replacement from December 2003 to January 2006 were
      investigated. The preoperative factors such as long course of disease, lose of
      motion or disc height at the operation level were evaluated for their effects on
      the motion of the operated disc and clinical results at the time of final follow
      up. There were 35 males and 15 females. Thirty-nine patients received one-level
      disc replacement, 11 patients received two-level disc replacement. The age of
      patients was from 25 to 73 years, average was 49 years. RESULTS: Until January
      2009, 50 cases of all the 53 patient who got operation for more than 3 years were
      followed up. The follow up period was from 36.0 to 55.6 months, which showed a
      skewed distribution, with a median of 41.9 months. The patients, who got neural
      syndrome for more than 3 years, would have worse JOA recovery rate through the
      surgery compared with the patients who got neural syndrome less than 3 month. As
      for radiographic results, the preoperative range of movement (ROM) at the
      implanted disc spaces was 10.4 degrees +/- 5.0 degrees which had significant
      correlation with the most recent follow-up ROM which was 8.6 degrees +/- 4.8
      degrees (r = 0.325, P < 0.05). The group which height ratio of the operative disc
      and the adjacent discs was less than 0.87 would have worse JOA recovery rate and
      range of motion at operated level at the most recent follow-up than the group
      more than 0.87 with statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: For the patients with
      cervical spondylosis or cervical disc herniation who get nervous syndrome for
      more than 3 years, will have worse JOA recovery rate through the surgery, so the
      patient should get the operation in time to achieve better improvement. When the
      operated level is severe degenerated, the motion of the replaced disc and the
      clinical results is dissatisfied at the time of final follow-up, so it is the
      relative contraindications for the cervical disc replacement.

PMID- 20302729
TI  - [Exploratory development of titanium mesh with bone allograft in treatment of
      cervical spinal tuberculosis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the exploratory development of bone graft by titanium mesh
      with bone allograft in treatment of cervical spinal tuberculosis. METHODS: Thirty
      two cases of cervical spinal tuberculosis treated with anterior radical
      debridement, decompression and inter fixation from January 2002 to January 2007
      were included (at least two years follow-up). 18 male and 14 female, age from 18
      to 72, mean 41.3 years old. 0.5 - 15.0 months before visit, mean 6.9 months.
      There were 13 cases in initial treatment group and 19 cases in retreatment group.
      All cases were divided into two groups (group A and group B) by resource of bone
      graft. Group A, titanium mesh with bone allograft, 17 cases. Group B, autograft
      with ilium, 15 cases. Operation time, blood loss, curing conditions, cervical
      curvature (absolute rotation angle, ARA), function of spinal cord and the rate
      for bone graft fusions in two groups were compared. The mean follow-up was 3.5
      years (range 2 - 5 years). RESULTS: The primary healing rate of incisions was
      93.8% (30/32), and total healing rate was 96.9% (31/32). There were no
      significant differences in operation time or in blood loss between two groups (P
      > 0.05). Operation time and blood loss, 72 min/121 ml in group A and 90 min/198
      ml in group B, there were significant differences between two groups (P < 0.05).
      In each group, there were significant differences in the function of spinal cord
      between preoperative and immediately post operative, between preoperative and
      follow-up, and between immediately post operative and follow-up (P < 0.05), and
      there were significant differences in ARA between preoperative and immediately
      post operative, and between preoperative and follow-up (P < 0.05), and there were
      no significant differences between immediately post operative and follow-up (P >
      0.05). On preoperative, immediately post operative and follow-up, there were no
      significant differences in the function of spinal cord or in ARA between two
      groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: For cervical spinal tuberculosis followed by
      effective individual chemotherapy, a good effect can be obtained by treated with
      radical debridement and bone allograft with titanium mesh.

PMID- 20302730
TI  - [Analysis of middle-term outcome of the imaging characteristics after the
      percutaneous laser disc decompression].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the imaging findings outcome of the percutaneous laser disc
      decompression (PLDD) and evaluate the middle-term safety and efficacy of PLDD.
      METHODS: The imaging data of 22 cases suffered cervical spondylosis or lumbar
      spondylosis and treated by PLDD more than 3 years were retrospectively reviewed.
      To observe the intervertebral space of the invasive disc and the intervertebral
      disc hernia before and after the operation on the lateral projection of X-ray and
      the axial view of the MRI. To make a statistical analysis of the data. RESULTS:
      There was no obvious change of disc height involving the anterior disc height,
      the intermediate disc height and the posterior disc height after the PLDD at the
      final follow-up (P > 0.05). At last time follow-up, the Sagittal Index (SI) are
      0.10 - 0.54 and 0.06 - 0.39 before and after the PLDD in the treatment of
      cervical vertebra. The statistical difference were significant (P < 0.05). In
      lumbar vertebra, the SI is 0 - 0.71 and 0 - 0.48 disc before and after the PLDD.
      The statistical difference were very significant (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The
      PLDD will not destroy the intervertebral space of the cervical and lumbar
      vertebra obviously; moreover, it can effectively reduce the disk hernia. The PLDD
      is a safe and effective Mini-invasive surgery for cervical vertebra and lumbar
      vertebra diseases.

PMID- 20302731
TI  - [One-stage total en bloc spondylectomy by anterior and posterior approaches for
      lumbar vertebral tumors].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the surgical results of one stage total en bloc
      spondylectomy (TES) by anterior and posterior approaches for lumbar vertebral
      tumors and evaluate its benefit for these tumors. METHODS: A total of 21 patients
      with the lumbar vertebral tumor treated with on stage TES by posterior and
      anterior approaches from April 2003 to August 2007 were reviewed, which included
      14 males and 7 females with an average age of 47.6 years. Thirteen patients were
      suffered with the primary lumbar vertebral tumors and 8 patients were diagnosed
      for the lumbar vertebral metastasis tumors. There were 8 of S3, 3 of I A and 2 of
      II according to Ennekinng stage system. And there were 1 of Grade B, 4 of Grade
      C, 8 of Grade D, and 6 of Grade E according to Frankel grade system. The spinal
      reconstruction was obtained by titanium mesh filled with autograft for benign and
      low-grade malignant tumors and methylmethacrylate-filled titanium mesh for
      malignant tumors. The spinal stability was enhanced by posterior internal
      fixation with rod-screw system. RESULTS: The operation time was 250 min and bleed
      loss was 2100 ml on average. The follow-up period lasted from 1.0 to 5.5 years.
      All cases had pain before operation, among which 14 cases obtained complete
      relief and 7 cases obtained partly relief after operation. In all cases with
      neurological deficit, they improved neurologically by more than one grade using
      the Frankel grading system. Up to now, 1 patient had be local recurrence after
      operation and 4 patients were dead on the following time. The others still are
      alive and no local recurrence. CONCLUSION: One-stage TES by anterior and
      posterior approaches for lumbar vertebral tumor is feasible, safe and effective
      to lumbar vertebral tumor resection and stability reconstruction, which has many
      advantages such as controlling local recurrence, spinal cord decompression
      thoroughly, relieving the pain, improving the life quality and prolonging the
      lifetime.

PMID- 20302732
TI  - [A preliminary study of melatonin signaling transduction pathway in BMSCs from
      adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the melatonin signaling transduction pathway in BMSCs
      from adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients. METHODS: Twenty-four volunteers
      aged 12 - 18 years were divided into two groups: AIS group was 15 and control
      group was 9. The human bone marrow anticoagulated by heparin was obtained from
      anterior superior iliac spine, and the BMSCs were isolated by density gradient
      centrifuge from the mononuclear cells, and then were cultivated and serial
      subcultivated in vitro. P3 cultures were analyzed by the flow cytometry to
      determine the surface antigens. P3 BMSCs were used to detect the melatonin
      signaling transduction pathway. The cellular cAMP was elevated using forskolin,
      and then the BMSCs were treated with melatonin to inhibit the cellular cAMP
      levels. RESULTS: Mononuclear cells were cultivated and subcultivated to P3
      culture in vitro, which were analyzed by the flow cytometry, and demonstrated
      that the expanded mononuclear cells expressed mesenchymal cell markers. The basal
      cAMP levels of the two groups were very low, after the stimulation of forskolin,
      cellular cAMP levels increased rapidly in all the patients, but after the
      stimulation of melatonin at physiological dose or even at pharmacological dose,
      there was no statistical difference of the inhibition of cAMP between AIS group
      and control (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Melatonin signaling transduction pathway may
      be normal in BMSCs from AIS patients.

PMID- 20302733
TI  - [An experimental study of gemcitabine inducing pancreatic cancer cell apoptosis
      potentiated by nuclear factor-kappa B P65 siRNA].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect and mechanism of NF-kappaB P65 gene
      silencing by small interference RNA on the apoptosis of human pancreatic cancer
      cells induced by gemcitabine in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: Human pancreatic
      cancer cells (BxPC-3 and PANC-1) were cultured and respectively divided into five
      groups: blank control group, negative control siRNA group, gemcitabine group, NF
      kappaB P65 siRNA group and gemcitabine + P65 siRNA group. The ability of cell
      proliferation was analyzed by MTT; the expression of NF-kappaB P65 and the
      apoptosis related proteins were examined by Western blot assay; the apoptosis was
      evaluated by the flow cytometry and laser scanning confocal microscopy analysis
      stained with Annexin V-FITC/PI; the DNA binding activity of NF-kappaB was
      examined by electrophoretic mobility shift assay. BxPC-3 cells were injected
      subcutaneously into nude mice to establish pancreatic xenograft tumors. The tumor
      volume was monitored and TUNEL assay was used to assess the apoptosis index in
      tumor tissue after treatment. RESULTS: At 72 h after transfection, the
      combination with gemcitabine and p65 siRNA significantly decreased the cell
      viability index (P < 0.05), and down-regulated the expression of Bcl-2 and
      procaspase-3 and up-regulated the expression of Bax compared with other groups.
      The combined treatment significantly increased the rate of apoptosis compared
      with other groups (P < 0.05). EMSA assay indicated that the DNA binding activity
      of NF-kappaB significantly decreased in NF-kappaB P65 siRNA group and
      gemcitabine+P65 siRNA group compared with Control group. The combined therapy
      inhibited the growth of pancreatic xenograft tumors by apoptosis induction in
      nude mice (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The effect of gemcitabine inducing cell
      apoptosis may be potentiated through inhibiting the DNA binding activity of NF
      kappaB and regulating the expression of apoptosis related proteins by NF-kappaB
      P65 siRNA, which can activate the mitochondria apoptosis pathway in pancreatic
      cancer in vitro and in vivo.

PMID- 20302734
TI  - [Expression and its significance of retinoic acid receptor-beta in colorectal
      cancer].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression and its significance of retinoic acid
      receptor-beta (RAR-beta) in colorectal cancer. METHODS: RAR-beta was detected by
      immunohistochemistry methods and carcino-embryonic antigen (CEA) was tested by
      chemiluminescence immunoassay methods in normal tissues, paracancerous tissues
      and colorectal cancer tissues of 60 patients with colorectal cancer treated from
      January 2006 to January 2007. Above-mentioned data, together with the
      clinicopathological data of these 60 patients, were analyzed to figure out the
      expression and its significance of RAR-beta in colorectal cancer. RESULTS: The
      expression rate of RAR-beta in tumor tissues (48%) was significantly lower than
      those in both normal tissues (87%) and paracancerous tissues (87%) (P < 0.05).
      And its expression was also significant lower in patients with lymph node
      metastasis (32%) and patients with advanced cancer (TNM stage III and IV) (29%)
      than in those without lymph nodes metastasis (60%) and those with early stage
      cancer (stage I and II) (69%). There was no significant differences among well,
      mildly and poorly differentiated cancer tissues. The CEA level rose in 20
      patients, and its rising rate was remarkably higher in patients with lymph node
      metastasis (48%) and in patients with advanced cancer (52%) than those without
      lymph node metastasis (23%) and in early stage(14%). CONCLUSIONS: The expression
      of RAR-beta decreases significantly in cancer tissues in patients with colorectal
      cancer, which may be related to the carcinogenesis of colorectal cancer; and its
      decreasing degree is correlated negatively with the lymph node metastasis and
      advanced clinicopathological stage. The expression level of RAR-beta may be a new
      prognostic indication of patients with colorectal cancer.

PMID- 20302735
TI  - [The effects of the autologous venous external stents on intimal hyperplasia of
      the vein grafts in rabbits].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of the autologous venous external stents on
      intimal hyperplasia of the vein grafts in rabbits. METHODS: Thirty-six male New
      Zealand white rabbits, aged 5 months and weighing 2.8 to 3.0 kg, were randomly
      divided into 3 groups: group A, group B and group C, with 12 rabbits in each
      group. First, a section about 6 cm long of vein was cut from the right external
      jugular vein of each rabbit and severed to have 3 equal-length segments. Next,
      each distal segment prepared for anastomosis. The proximal segment invaginating
      middle segment in group A and only middle segment in group B were used for the
      external stent. Later, the left common carotid artery was separated from
      surrounding tissue, from it a section about 0.5 cm long was cut away. Finally,
      the vein graft was inverted and end-to-end anastomosed to the two ends of the
      artery with a 9-0 suture. After bloodstream re-established, the diameter of each
      vein graft was measured. At 2 and 4 weeks postoperative, the graft veins were cut
      off and histologically examined by the means of HE staining and Masson staining.
      The smooth muscle cells (SMC) proliferation was studied by the
      immunohistochemical detection of proliferating cell nuclear antigen. RESULTS:
      After bloodstream re-established, the diameters of vein graft of group A and
      group B and group C were (1.6 +/- 0.3) mm, (2.2 +/- 0.4) mm and (2.6 +/- 0.6) mm
      respectively (P < 0.05). At 4 weeks postoperative, the data of the ratio of
      intima to media thickness and the index of the proliferating cells of the intima
      were as follow: group A (1.01 +/- 0.07 and 6.84 +/- 1.98), group B (1.32 +/- 0.08
      and 11.01 +/- 2.61), group C (1.55 +/- 0.03 and 14.96 +/- 4.14). Both the data of
      group A were obviously less than that in group B, and that of group B was less
      than group C (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The autologous venous two-layer external
      stents inhibit intimal hyperplasia of the vein grafts.

PMID- 20302736
TI  - [Effect of diazoxide on oxygen free radicals and cell apoptosis in brain tissue
      after deep hypothermia cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury in young rats].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of diazoxide on oxygen free radicals and cell
      apoptosis in brain tissue after deep hypothermia cerebral ischemia reperfusion
      injury in young rats. METHODS: Fifty-four 3-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats were
      randomly and equitably divided into sham-operated group, model group and
      diazoxide group respectively (n = 18). The model of hypothermia cerebral ischemia
      reperfusion injury was made. After 24 hours of operation, the brains of rats were
      removed and preserved. The content of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and
      malonaldehyde (MDA) in brain tissue were detected. Cytosolic C release of
      cytochrome was confirmed by Western Blot. The protein expression of Caspase-3 was
      determined by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: In the model group, the content of
      SOD was (198 +/- 41) U/mg, lower than the sham-operated group's (321 +/- 36) U/mg
      (P < 0.01). The content of MDA was (212 +/- 21) nmol/mg, was higher than the sham
      operated group's (100 +/- 23) nmol/mg (P < 0.01), and the expressions of
      cytochrome C (0.72 +/- 0.09) and Caspase-3 (83 +/- 10) were all significantly
      higher than those in the sham-operated group (0.17 +/- 0.02 and 115 +/- 9) (P <
      0.01). Compared with the model group, the content of SOD in the diazoxide group
      [(264 +/- 34) U/mg] was markedly increased (P < 0.05). In addition, diazoxide
      provided significant reductions in the content of MDA [(174 +/- 19) nmol/mg] and
      the expressions of cytochrome C (0.41 +/- 0.05) and Caspase-3 (99 +/- 11) (P <
      0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The neuroprotective effects of diazoxide against brain injury
      induced by deep hypothermia cerebral ischemia reperfusion through inhibiting
      oxygen free radicals and cell apoptosis. Diazoxide may become a new
      neuroprotective drug after infant complicated congenital cardiac operation.

PMID- 20302745
TI  - [Clinical analysis of 45 cases with pulmonary thromboembolism after surgical
      procedures].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the occurrence of pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) after
      surgical procedures to attract more attention to the prevention, diagnosis and
      treatment of this disease. METHODS: Retrospectively analyze the clinical data of
      the hospitalized patients with post-surgical PTE from June 2004 to February 2009.
      The average age of the 45 cases was (60 +/- 16) years old, 35 cases received
      anticoagulant therapy and 6 cases received thrombolytic therapy, the other 4
      cases only received emergency medical treatment. Analyze the data about the
      surgery category, duration, anaesthetic way, risk factors, clinical symptoms,
      auxiliary examinations, diagnosis, treatment and turnover of these patients.
      RESULTS: Among the total 45 cases of post-surgical PTE, 37 cases (82.2%) occurred
      within 2 weeks, it accounted for 13.2% (45/341) of the hospitalized PTE patients
      during that period. PTE was often seen in patients after major surgical operation
      such as general (35.6%), gynecological (13.3%), orthopedic (13.3%) and chest
      surgery, especially the surgery related to malignant tumor (57.8%). The average
      surgical duration was (220 +/- 124) min, 37 cases (82.2%) was given general
      anaesthesia. The clinical manifestations and auxiliary examinations results of
      post-surgical PTE were not typical. Thirty-six cases improved after treatment, 9
      cases died and the case fatality ratio was 20.0% (9/45). CONCLUSIONS: Surgical
      procedure is an important risk factor of PTE. The prevention diagnosis and
      treatment of post-surgical PTE should be paid more attention to.

PMID- 20302746
TI  - [Diagnosis and treatment of 193 cases under 45 years old with peripheral arterial
      disease].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the etiology, characteristics, and treatment outcomes of
      peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in patients under 45 years old. METHODS: One
      hundred and ninety-three cases under 45 years old with PAD were included from
      January 1999 to January 2009. The demography, etiology, surgical data, treatment
      outcomes of these patients were evaluated and analyzed. Among these patients,
      males are 171 cases. The age was 13 to 44 years old (average age 35 years old)
      and the average time between onsets of PAD to admission was 3.6 months. In the
      138 patients who underwent surgical interventions, 30 patients had serologically
      proven thrombophilia, 50 patients without thrombophilia had other definite
      reasons but not Burger's disease. A total of 116 cases underwent open operations,
      17 cases were received endovascular interventions and 5 cases underwent
      combinative treatments. RESULTS: Among the 193 patients, 140 cases (72.5%) had
      definite reasons. Forty patients (28.6%) were diagnosed with congenital or
      acquired hypercoagulability in the 140 cases. The thrombophilia group had poorer
      primary patency (70.0% vs. 92.0%, P = 0.010) and secondary patency (83.3% vs.
      98.0%, P = 0.016) than non-thrombophilia group and more likely to underwent
      second revascularization because of recurrent thrombosis within 30 days after
      operations. After 16 months follow-up, the patients with thrombophilia had lower
      primary patency (65.0% vs. 75.7%, P = 0.392) and secondary patency (80.0% vs.
      91.9%, P = 0.192) than the ones without thrombophilia and the rate of amputation
      was higher in thrombophilia group (15.0% vs. 5.4%, P = 0.222) but, these didn't
      achieve statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence rate of
      thrombophilia is found in patients less than 45 years old with PAD requiring
      revascularization. Thrombophilia may have contributed to early postoperative
      thrombosis of the vascular procedure. So the screening and medical therapy to
      thrombophilia in young adults with PAD should be reinforced before surgical
      treatment.

PMID- 20302747
TI  - [Single-stage replacement of total aorta for type I dissection with renal
      failure].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility of one-stage replacement of total aorta
      for patient with renal failure. METHODS: The patient was male, 43 years old. The
      type I aortic dissection was secondary to type III aortic dissection 4 months
      after endovascular treatment of descending aorta using stented graft 1 year ago.
      All important branches from aorta were irrigated by false lumen of dissection
      except left renal artery. The patient has been dialyzed because of renal failure
      before 5 months with low platelets. Single-stage replacement of total aorta from
      ascending aorta to iliac artery was successful under deep hypothermia and
      cardiopulmonary bypass. The operation lasted 12 h. Blood loss during operation
      was 9000 ml and infusion of blood and blood plasma 7300 ml (including 1500 ml of
      blood retrieval) and blood platelet 800 ml. RESULTS: Autonomic activity of four
      limbs was recovered 2 d after operation, and mind recovered 4 d after surgery.
      The intubation of trachea was extracted 1 week after operation. Re-check through
      CT showed all vascular prostheses and reconstructed visceral arteries and
      intercostal arteries were patent though no recovery of renal function.
      CONCLUSION: One-stage replacement of total aorta for patient with renal failure
      is feasible.

PMID- 20302748
TI  - [Influence of preoperative thoracic kyphosis on the sagittal profile of the
      lumbar spine in idiopathic thoracic scoliosis following selective thoracic
      fusion].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the influence of thoracic kyphosis on the sagittal
      compensatory mode of the spine in idiopathic thoracic scoliosis after the
      selective thoracic fusion. METHODS: Ninety AIS patients (mean age 14.5 years old)
      who received selective thoracic fusion from February 1999 to December 2005 in one
      institution with at least 24-month follow-up were evaluated. Forty-one patients
      underwent anterior spinal fusion and forty-nine patients underwent posterior
      spinal fusion. And then the patients were divided into two subgroups according to
      the magnitude of preoperative thoracic kyphosis (TK): Group A, TK less than 10
      degrees ; and Group B, TK more than 10 degrees . The radiological parameters were
      measured including: thoracic and lumbar curve magnitude, TK, lumbar lordosis
      (LL), thoracolumbar junction kyphosis (T(10)-L(2), TJK), distal junctional
      kyphosis (DJK), sagittal vertical axis (SVA). RESULTS: At final follow-up, TK,
      TJK and DJK increased significantly compared with preoperative Cobb angle in
      subgroup A patients who underwent anterior spinal fusion (P < 0.05). Generally,
      there was a lordosis loss of TJK and DJK during follow-up. While in subgroup B,
      TJK at final follow-up increased apparently compared with preoperative Cobb angle
      (P < 0.05). And there was a increased trend of DJK in spite of no significant
      difference, however, there was no obvious change of TK in subgroup B. At the
      final follow-up, TK and TJK increased significantly in subgroup A patients who
      underwent posterior spinal fusion (P < 0.05). And there was a increased tendency
      of DJK during follow-up, although there was no significant difference. And there
      was no obvious change of TK, TJK and DJK in subgroup B. There was a increased
      trend of LL in spite of no significant difference in group A patients who
      underwent anterior or posterior spinal fusion. The sagittal balance maintained
      well during follow-up in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: For AIS patients with thoracic
      hypokyphosis, normal TK and LL could be achieved during follow-up with selective
      thoracic instrumentation. However, the increase of DJK and TJK may occur during
      the follow-up, and the risk factors may be the anterior short segmental fusion
      and the reconstruction of the sagittal profile in the hypokyphosis patients.

PMID- 20302749
TI  - [Surgical treatment of multilevel lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To discuss the surgical treatment of multilevel lumbar degenerative
      spondylolisthesis. METHODS: From March 2005 to September 2008, 25 cases of
      multilevel lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis were treated with total
      laminectomy, reduction of spondylolisthesis and 360 degrees circumferential
      fusion through interbody (PLIF), transverse process (PLF) and pedicle screw
      fixation. All cases were followed up for 0.5 - 4 years. The Lenke grading system
      was used to assess the spinal fusion and Henderson grading system was used to
      assess the clinical outcomes. RESULTS: Complete reduction of spondylolisthesis
      was achieved in all cases. The bone fusion was grade A in 23 cases, grade B in 2
      cases. The clinical outcome was excellent in 16 cases, good in 6 cases and poor
      in 3 cases. CONCLUSIONS: The pathogenesis of lumbar degenerative multilevel
      spondylolisthesis is different from that of single-level spondylolisthesis.
      Complete decompression, reduction of spondylolisthesis sufficient fusion and
      reliable pedicle screw fixation can provide successful interbody fusion and
      satisfactory clinical results.It's crucial to reduce multilevel spondylolisthesis
      by proper techniques based on different types of listhesis.

PMID- 20302750
TI  - [Indication of fusion for degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis treated by "windows
      technique" laminoforaminotomy].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the indications of fusion for degenerative lumbar spinal
      stenosis treated by "windows technique". METHODS: From December 1999 to December
      2005, 145 consecutive patients who were treated by primary decompression with
      "windows technique" laminoforaminotomy for degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis, a
      retrospective study, were divided into 3 groups (A and B and C) by preoperative
      lumbar conditions and surgical methods. In group A, 39 patients with spinal
      instability or degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis or scoliosis underwent
      decompression and fusion; in group B, 31 patients with spinal instability or
      degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis or scoliosis underwent decompression alone;
      In group C, 75 patients without spinal instability or degenerative lumbar
      spondylolisthesis or scoliosis were treated by decompression without fusion. On
      hospital medical records to review, they were followed up by telephone and out
      patient referral. Statistics the duration of hospitalization, operative time,
      estimated blood loss; Observed recrudescence and reoperation and complication;
      and using Oswestry Disability Index and Visual Analog Scale and satisfaction rate
      for efficacy assessment, application SPSS 13.0 software. RESULTS: All 145
      patients had at least a 3-year follow-up (ranging 37 to 108 months). In the group
      C, the duration of hospitalization less than in the group A or B (P < 0.05); In
      the group A, the operative time and estimated blood loss greater than in the
      group B or C (P < 0.05); The group B treated by decompression alone in the
      presence of instability or spondylolisthesis or scoliosis showed the worst
      results by the Oswestry Disability Index or Visual Analog Scale or ate of
      satisfaction (P < 0.05). The same good results can be obtained in the group A and
      C. There were not different about recrudescence or reoperation or complication in
      the three groups. CONCLUSIONS: Fusion should be performed on patients with
      instability or degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis or scoliosis after primary
      decompression with "windows technique" laminoforaminotomy. The patient with
      simple lumbar spinal stenosis undergone primary surgery does not require fusion.

PMID- 20302751
TI  - [The clinical study of reconstruction of traumatic brachial plexus root avulsion
      injury in children].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the primary result of finger flexion reconstruction in the
      procedure of direct anastomosis of contralateral C(7) transferred through the
      prespinal route with lower trunk in children suffered traumatic brachial plexus
      root avulsion injury. METHODS: On the healthy side, the C(7) nerve root was
      identified anatomically and transected at the level of division by dissecting its
      anterior and posterior division as far distal as possible up to the level where
      the nerve fibers interweaving with other division, then the contralateral C(7)
      nerve root was dissected proximally up to the neuroforamina. The contralateral
      C(7) nerve root was transferred to contralateral side through the prespinal
      route. The entire brachial plexus of suffered side was exposed through the union
      incision superior and inferior to the clavicle, The lower trunk was identified
      and dissected proximally to the C(8) and T(1) nerve root which were severed at
      the lateral margin of anterior scalenus, and then the dorsal division and
      anterior medial pectoral nerve of lower trunk were severed. The median nerve,
      ulnar nerve and medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve were identified from the
      origin and dissected distally continue to the midpoint of upper arm, and lateral
      head of the median nerve was severed so that the lower trunk, medial cord and
      median nerve, ulnar nerve and medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve can be fully
      mobilized. Anteriorly flexion and adduction of the should at 0 degrees and
      flexion elbow at 90 degrees , this could allow considerable length to be gained
      when pulling the lower trunk proximally, direct anastomosis of contralateral C(7)
      with lower trunk was performed. If there was any tension exist, the appropriate
      humerus shorten osteotomy should be performed. From August 2004 to December 2008,
      20 children including 13 cases with total brachial plexus nerve root avulsion
      injury and 7 cases with middle and lower trunk avulsion injury were repaired by
      this procedure. Twenty cases including 16 males and 4 females, the average age
      was 13 years with a range of 5 to 18 years. The interval from injury to operation
      ranged 1 to 11 months with a mean of 4.6 months. Eleven patients were performed
      the humeral shorten osteotomy, the length of the humeral shorten was 2.0 - 4.5
      cm, with the mean of (3.1 +/- 0.7) cm. RESULTS: The follow up period was 12 to 51
      months, with the average of 26 months. The muscle strength of finger flexion
      attained M 4 in 18 cases, M 2 in 2 cases. The motor function of thumb flexion
      gained M 4 in 10 cases, M 3 in 8 cases, M2 in 2 cases. Of the 2 cases achieved
      motor function of intrinsic muscles of the hand of M3. CONCLUSIONS: The direct
      anastomosis of contralateral C(7) with lower trunk in children with traumatic
      brachial plexus avulsion injury can improve the effect of reconstructing the
      function of finger flexion because it reduces one never anastomosis site and
      decreases the distance of nerve regeneration compared with the traditional
      method. With this modified procedure, the functional recovery of intrinsic
      muscles of the hand in children with traumatic brachial plexus avulsion injury is
      becoming possible.

PMID- 20302752
TI  - [Estimated glomerular filtration rate as a risk factor for long-term survival in
      Chinese renal insufficiency patients after isolated coronary artery bypass graft
      surgery].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the eGFR as a risk factor for long-term (4-year)
      outcome in Chinese renal insufficiency patients after isolated coronary artery
      bypass grafting (CABG) at our institution. METHODS: From January 1999 to
      September 2003, 3371 consecutive patients who underwent isolated CABG were
      retrospectively reviewed. Of these patients, 549 (16.29%) patients were female,
      1979 (58.71%) patients with hypertension, 866 (25.69%) patients with diabetes,
      1130 (33.52%) patients with hyperlipidemia, 1011 (29.99%) patients with left main
      stenosis > 50%, and 1150 (34.11%) patients undergoing off-pump procedures. The
      mean age was (60 +/- 9) years old. Estimated GFR was calculated using the
      Cockcroft-Gault formula. The main outcomes were in-hospital mortality, in
      hospital morbidity and long-term mortality. COX analysis was used in this study.
      RESULTS: There were 649 patients with glomerular filtration rate estimates < 60
      ml/(min.1.73 m(2)) and 2722 patients with glomerular filtration rate estimates >
      60 ml/(min.1.73 m(2)). The in-hospital mortality and follow-up mortality was
      higher in the estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 ml/(min.1.73 m(2)) group
      (2.77% vs. 0.77%, P < 0.01), (6.81% vs. 2.63%, P < 0.01). The COX analysis result
      confirmed eGFR < 60 ml/(min.1.73 m(2)), derived using the Cockcroft-Gault formula
      (HR: 1.948, 95%CI: 1.357 to 2.797, P < 0.01) was an independent risk factor for
      long-term mortality in patients after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery.
      CONCLUSIONS: The estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 ml/(min.1.73 m(2))
      derived using the Cockcroft-Gault formula is an independent risk factor for long
      term mortality in patients after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery.

PMID- 20302753
TI  - [An ex vivo study on the vaporization ratio of the prostatic tissue lased by the
      2 micron laser].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To observe the vaporesection efficiency of the 2 micron laser to the
      prostatic gland in benign prostatic hyperplasia, and investigate the method of
      estimating the amount of the vaporesected prostatic tissues during transurethral
      vaporesection of the prostate using the 2 micron laser system in the treatment of
      benign prostatic hyperplasia. METHODS: Total 9 fresh prostatic gland specimens
      were obtained from patients with BPH under open surgical procedures, and
      vaporesected under a simulated transurethral environment with the 2 micron laser
      system immediately after weighted. Energies and time consumptions were noted,
      collections of vaporesected tissue specimens and the remnants of the prostatic
      glands were weighted after the procedures. The ratios of the vaporized tissues
      and the collected tissues to the whole vaporesected tissues were calculated
      respectively. The vaporesection efficiency of the 2 micron laser to the prostatic
      tissues was also calculated. RESULTS: Among the total lost tissues, about (65.6
      +/- 1.5) percent of which were that of vaporized, and nearly (34.5 +/- 1.5)
      percent were resected. Linear correlation between the weight of collected
      prostatic tissue(x) and the weight of prostatic gland specimens(y) could be
      defined as a formula of [y = 3.245x - 6.475 (t = 15.097, P = 0.000)]. CONCLUSION:
      The amounts of the whole prostatic tissues removed by the 2 micron laser could be
      calculated from the collected resected prostatic specimens under a simulated
      transurethral surgical procedure.

PMID- 20302754
TI  - [Experience of the diagnosis and treatment of primary small intestine lymphoma].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To report the experiences of the diagnosis and treatment of primary
      lymphoma of the small intestine (PSIL). METHODS: The clinical data of 15 patients
      with PSIL treated from January 2003 to July 2007 was investigated
      retrospectively. Of the 15 cases, 9 patients were male and 6 were female, the
      average age was 51.6 years (range, 18 - 73 years). Data of gender, age, clinical
      manifestation, laboratory examination, imageology examination, diagnosis and
      treatment of the patients was reviewed. RESULTS: The most common clinical
      manifestations were as follow: abdominal pain, abdominal lump, bowel obstruction,
      gastrointestinal hemorrhage and athrepsy. Serum tumor markers were checked
      normal. All the 15 cases were found with tumor by spiral CT, and 12 cases were
      diagnosed as PSIL. Eleven cases were given Ba-meal examinations, and positive
      results was found in 4 cases, and only 1 case was considered to be PSIL. All the
      15 patients received operation. All the patients were diagnosed as non-Hodgkin
      lymphoma (NHL) by postoperative pathology (8 patients as diffuse large B-cell
      lymphoma, 5 as mucosa associated lymphoid tissue type B cell lymphoma and 2 as
      enteropathy-type intestinal T cell lymphoma). No perioperative death occurred.
      Ten patients received adjuvant chemotherapy with the regimen of CHOP
      (cyclophosphamide + epirubicin + vincristine + prednisone) after the operation.
      Fourteen cases were followed-up for a mean time of 30 months (range, 6 - 52
      months). The 1- and 3-years survival rate was 85.7% and 57.1%, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: PSIL has no specific clinical manifestations, the diagnostic rate
      with barium study is low, spiral CT scan is a promising diagnostic method for
      PSIL. Operation combined with chemotherapy is important for PSIL.

PMID- 20302755
TI  - [Morphologic and functional characteristics of the immortalized human liver
      sinusoidal endothelial cell line].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the morphologic and functional characteristics of the
      immortalized human liver sinusoidal endothelial cell line (LSEC line). METHODS:
      Immunofluorescence staining and fluorescence microscopy were used to detect the
      classic endothelial cell markers in LSEC line, and flow cytometry was used to
      analyze the purity of the human LSEC line. The morphology (including W-P bodies
      and surface fenestrations) and phagocytotic capacity of the human LSEC line were
      observed by transmission and scanning electron microscope. The proliferation
      curve of the human LSEC line was analyzed by MTT assay. The functional
      differences between the human LSEC line and human primary LSEC in expression of
      ELAM-1 and ICAM-1, activities of fibrinolysis (PAI-1, t-PA, u-PA), releasing of
      IL-6 and IL-8 were compared respectively by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.
      Comparison of the susceptibility to hypoxia-reoxygenation induced apoptosis
      between the human LSEC line and human primary LSEC were investigated by TUNEL.
      RESULTS: The established human LSEC line maintained a high proliferative ability
      and has been passaged for more than 80 times in the absence of any growth
      factors. Immunofluorescence staining showed that the human LSEC line could
      express classic endothelial cell marks including von Willebrand Factor (vWF), and
      could take up acetylated low-density lipoproteins (Ac-LDL). The purity of the
      human LSEC line was confirmed over 95% by flow cytometric analysis. The W-P
      bodies and the phagocytosis of Dynabeads was demonstrated by transmission
      electron microscope. And fenestrations could be found cellular surface with
      scanning electron microscopy. When compared with human primary LSEC, the human
      LSEC line has an equivalent responsiveness to tumor necrosis factor in up
      regulation of ELAM-1 and ICAM-1. The human LSEC line can also release PAI-1, t
      PA, u-PA but can not release IL-6 and IL-8 to TNF-alpha. In contrast, human
      primary LSEC could release IL-6. The human LSEC line showed higher susceptibility
      to hypoxia-reoxygenation-induced apoptosis, and the percentage of apoptotic cells
      was as high as (38.4 +/- 6.7)%, while (28.6 +/- 4.5)% and (7.8 +/- 1.2)%
      respectively in primary LSEC and in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.
      CONCLUSIONS: The established human LSEC line maintains the special phenotypes and
      the major functional characteristics, and especially maintains the high
      susceptibility to hypoxia-reoxygenation-induced apoptosis. Therefore it is
      feasible to use this cell line for the study of liver ischemia-reperfusion
      injury.

PMID- 20302756
TI  - [Expression of EphA7 protein in primary hepatocellular carcinoma and its clinical
      significance].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression and clinical significance of EphA7
      protein in primary hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry and
      Western blot were used to detect the expression of EphA7 protein in 40 cases of
      primary hepatocellular carcinoma, their corresponding adjacent liver tissues and
      10 cases of normal liver tissues. The relations with its clinical pathological
      parameters were analyzed too. RESULTS: Expression of EphA7 protein was mainly
      located in the cytoplasm and the blood vessels of the septa, which was found in
      hepatocellular carcinoma tissues, their corresponding adjacent liver tissues and
      normal liver tissues. Western blot analysis showed that the expression level of
      EphA7 protein in hepatocellular carcinoma (0.58 +/- 0.26) was greater than that
      in corresponding adjacent liver tissues (0.40 +/- 0.22, P < 0.05) and normal
      liver tissues (0.32 +/- 0.16, P < 0.05). But it had no significant difference
      between corresponding adjacent liver tissues and normal liver tissues (P > 0.05).
      EphA7 protein expression was correlated with histological differentiation, tumor
      thrombi in portal vein, lymph node metastasis and high AFP level (P < 0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: EphA7 protein expression is significantly correlated with the
      biological behavior of primary hepatocellular carcinoma. The high expression of
      EphA7 protein may play an important role in the malignancy transformation,
      invasion progression and metastasis of primary hepatocellular carcinoma.

PMID- 20302758
TI  - [Protective role of MMP-9 inhibitor batimastat in acute lung injury after
      cardiopulmonary bypass].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the protective effect of exogenous inhibitor of matrix
      metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9), batimastat, in the lung injury induced by
      cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in dogs. METHODS: Thirty healthy mongrel puppies
      were randomly divided into 3 groups: control group, low-dose group [batimastat 10
      mg/(kg.d) for 3 days before operation] and high-dose group [batimastat 30
      mg/(kg.d) for 3 days before operation]. The off-pump puppies' model of acute lung
      injury was established, and hemodynamic and respiratory parameters were
      monitored. The preoperative and postoperative alveolar-arterial oxygen difference
      (A-aDO(2)) and respiratory index (RI) were calculated. From the beginning of
      surgery, blood samples were taken at the time 0, 60, 120, and 270 min. Plasma
      concentrations of MMP-9 were measured by ELISA, and blood MMP-9 mRNA expressions
      were determined by RT-PCR. The myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity of centrifugal
      bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were measured by Colorimetry. And MMP-9 activity was
      determined by Gelatin zymography. Light and electronic microscope were used to
      observe the morphological changes of lung tissue. A small piece of left lung
      tissue was taken, weighed and baked to calculate the wet weight (W/D) index.
      RESULTS: After cardiopulmonary bypass, the concentrations of MMP-9 and mRNA
      expressions of the control group were increased significantly, and lung injury
      was apparent. At 270 min, the MMP-9 plasma concentration of high-dose group
      (17.36 +/- 1.18) microg/L was significant reducing than control group (30.47 +/-
      2.22) microg/L (P < 0.05). After operation, A-aDO(2) and RI of high-dose group
      were significantly improved than control group (P < 0.05). The W/D index of the
      high-dose group (2.8 +/- 0.48) was significantly lower than that of control group
      (4.7 +/- 0.6) (P < 0.05). And the pathological changes of lung tissue were
      significantly improved in the high-dose group. However, there was no significant
      difference in the MMP-9 mRNA expression in three groups. CONCLUSIONS: Batimastat
      plays a role in the protection of the lung injury of CBP by reducing the
      concentration and activity of MMP-9, the degradation of the cell membrane and
      pulmonary neutrophil infiltration and reduction of pulmonary edema.

PMID- 20302759
TI  - [Study on the effect of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cell adoptive transfusion on
      humoral immune function in rat composite tissue allotransplantation model].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To approach the effect of the donor antigenic specificity CD4+CD25+
      regulatory T cell (Treg) on cellular immune tolerance function in rat composite
      tissue allotransplantation (CTA). METHODS: Use the method of immunomagnetic beads
      to separate CD4+CD25+ Treg, (1 x 10(6))CD4+CD25+ Treg was transfused to rat CTA
      model. Collected peripheral blood 30 days after operation, and used nylon wool
      column to separate B cell and T cell. With the stimulation of IgM, detected B
      cell proliferation and the level of IgG and IgA in serum. Observed the effect of
      CD4+CD25+ Treg on B cell and T cell function and the survival of allotransplants,
      and analyzed the data by statistics. RESULTS: The purity of separated CD4+CD25+
      Treg was 95.6%. The CPM of T cell of normal control group, topical intervention
      group, systemic intervention group and non-intervention group were (2436 +/-
      358), (2273 +/- 136), (2338 +/- 228) and (3749 +/- 245). The CPM of B cells of
      normal control group, topical intervention group, systemic intervention group and
      non-intervention group were (2418 +/- 348), (2252 +/- 127), (2315 +/- 218) and
      (3720 +/- 224), there was a significant difference in these groups (P < 0.01).
      The serum level of IgG and IgA of topical intervention group and systemic
      intervention group were (12.56 +/- 1.30), (2.38 +/- 0.21), (13.48 +/- 1.23) and
      (2.86 +/- 0.24) g/L, and of normal control group was (12.35 +/- 1.28), (2.36 +/-
      0.12) g/L, had no significant difference (P > 0.05). But Treg of non-intervention
      group was (16.58 +/- 1.12), (3.75 +/- 0.37) g/L, there was a significant
      difference in the non-intervention group and the three above groups (P < 0.01).
      The survival time of CTA in intervention of local and systemic groups were (97 +/
      13) and (63 +/- 10) d, which were significant longer than the non-intervention
      group [(22 +/- 8) d, P < 0.01]. CONCLUSIONS: Donor antigen specific CD4+CD25+
      Treg has significantly inhibited B cell and T cell function. It can induce immune
      tolerance and extend the survival time of CTA; as well local application is
      better than systemic.

PMID- 20302766
TI  - [FLT3 gene mutation and its prognostic implication in patients with acute
      leukemia.].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of FLT3 mutation in different subtypes of
      acute leukemia (AL) patients diagnosed by WHO criteria and its significance in
      prognosis. METHODS: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect internal
      tandem duplication of FLT3 gene (FLT3-ITD) and D835 mutation in 468 firstly
      diagnosed AL patients and analyzed their prognosis by Kaplan-Meier and log-rank
      test. RESULTS: In 468 AL patients, there were 374 acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
      cases (79.9%) and 83 acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cases (17.7%). In AML
      patients, FLT3-ITD mutation was present in 59 cases (15.9%) while D835 mutation
      in 15 cases (4.0%); and in ALL patients, none for FLT3-ITD while D835 mutation in
      2 cases (2.4%). FLT3-ITD mutation might adversely affect clinical outcome in AML
      patients (excluding APL) with a lower CR rate (52.3% vs 71.2%) and a shorter
      median survival (9 months vs 18 months). For APL FLT3-ITD mutation had no effect
      on CR rate, but with a shorter DFS and OS. There was no evidence that FLT3-D835
      affected the prognosis. CONCLUSION: FLT3 mutation is more frequently present in
      AML and FLT3-ITD is associated with lower CR rate and shorter median survival
      time while FLT3-D835 has no such effect.

PMID- 20302767
TI  - [Clinical features and prognosis of acute myeloid leukemia-M(4).].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate factors that affect survival and prognosis of acute
      myeloid leukemia (AML)-M(4). METHODS: Seventy AML-M(4) patients were divided into
      three groups, neither eosinophilia nor inv(16)?[Eos(-)?], eosinophilia with inv
      (16)?[Eos(+) inv(16)(+)?], and eosinophilia with no inv(16)?[Eos(+) inv(16)(-)?].
      Clinical features, immunophenotype, chromosome karyotype, overall survival (OS)
      and relapse-free survival (RFS) were analyzed. RESULTS: The total complete
      remssion (CR) rate was 85.7%, CR rate after the first course of induction therapy
      was 71.4%. The median OS was 20 (1.2 - 162.4) months, and median RFS 78.0 (1.2 -
      129.5) months. The 3 and 5 year OS rates were 42% and 42%, and 3 and 5 year RFS
      rates were 59% and 54%, respectively. The CR rate, CR after the first course of
      induction therapy and the median OS for the Eos(-) group were 76.9%, 61.5% and
      11.2 (1.2 - 162.4) months; for the Eos(+) group were 96.8%, 89.6% and did not
      reach; for the Eos(+)inv16(+) group were 100%, 94.4% and did not reach; and for
      the Eos(+) inv(16)(-) group were 91.7%,69.2% and 14.3 months respectively. The
      statistical assay showed significant difference between Eos(+)inv(16)(-) and
      Eos(+)inv(16)(+) groups in OS. The Eos(+) patients present with early onset and
      low count of platelets. CONCLUSION: Eosinophilia emerged as a favorable
      prognostic factor, and the concomitant presence of both eosinophilia and inv(16)
      is associated with a significantly favorlable prognosis.

PMID- 20302769
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 20302768
TI  - [Nilotinib treatment for imatinib resistant or intolerant chronic myelogenous
      leukemia.].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of nilotinib in chronic
      myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients with resistance or intolerance to imatinib.
      METHODS: Thirty-five CML patients after imatinib failure or intolerance received
      oral administration of 400 mg nilotinib twice daily. The overall survival,
      hematologic and cytogenetic responses, as well as adverse events were evaluated.
      RESULTS: The median duration of nilotinib therapy was 11 (1 - 23) months, with a
      median follow-up of 19 months. Nonhematologic adverse events were mostly of grade
      1-2. The most common ones possibly related to nilotinib were increase of
      bilirubin (76%) and rash (46%). Grade 3-4 hematologic adverse events includes
      thrombocytopenia (37%), neutropenia (26%) and anemia (26%). Nilotinib was proved
      to be well-tolerated in this study. Grade 3-4 hematologic adverse events happened
      more frequently in advanced phase CML. The rate of major cytogenetic response in
      chronic phase (CP) CML was much higher than those in advanced CML (38.5% vs
      22.2%). The median time to major cytogenetic response was 3 months. The estimated
      overall survival at 18 months was (93.5 +/- 1.0)%. CONCLUSION: Nilotinib is a
      more effective and safe treatment option for imatinib-resistant or -intolerant
      CML-CP patients.

PMID- 20302770
TI  - [A clinical and laboratory study of TCF3-PBX1 positive adult acute lymphoblastic
      leukemia.].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the morphology, immunophenotype, cytogenetics and clinical
      features of TCF3-PBX1 fusion gene positive adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia
      (ALL). METHODS: R banding was used to analyze conventional cytogenetics (CC),
      interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (iFISH) and RT-PCR to detect the
      TCF3-PBX1 fusion gene, and flow cytometry to immunophenotype. The clinical and
      laboratory features and long-term follow-up of the patients were analyzed.
      RESULTS: The incidence of 19 TCF3-PBX1-positive adult ALL was 3.13% of total ALL
      patients. Of them, 12 and 7 cases were diagnosed as L(1) and L(2) morphology
      respectively; 7 cases with balanced translocation of chromosome 1 and 19; 10 with
      der(19) t(1;19) formed from unbalanced translocation and 2 with normal
      karyotypes. TCF3-PBX1 fusion gene was detected by RT-PCR in 9 cases, and by iFISH
      in 17. 16 cases were B-phenotype and the other 2 T-phenotype; 17 cases had lymph
      node, spleen or liver infiltration. Of 18 patients received chemotherapy, 17
      (94.7%) achieved complete remission (CR); the median relapse-free survival (RFS)
      and median overall survival was 3.2 months and 7.2 months, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: TCF3-PBX1-positive adult ALL had unique clinical and pathological
      features with high remission rate, high relapse rate and short survival time and
      should be considered to receive intensified treatment strategies. iFISH combined
      with CC and RT-PCR can increase the detection rate of t(1;19)/TCF3-PBX1 fusion
      gene.

PMID- 20302771
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 20302772
TI  - [An epidemiological survey of acute lymphocytic leukemia from 2002 to 2006 in
      Shanghai.].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyse the epidemiological data of acute lymphoblastic leukemia
      (ALL) in Shanghai. METHODS: ALL cases in Shanghai from 2002 to 2006 were
      retrospectively investigated. RESULTS: All together there were 544 newly
      diagnozed ALL cases. The yearly incidence of ALL was 0.81/10(5), which was
      slightly higher in men (0.86/10(5)) than in women (0.75/10(5)). The age
      stratified incidence showed 2.31/10(5) in patients (pts) </= 17y, 0.54/10(5) in
      18 - 34 y, 0.46/10(5) in 35 - 59 y, and 0.94/10(5) in pts > 60 y. The incidences
      in Chongming County was 0.60/10(5), being the lowest in all districts. The
      morphological types of ALL was L(1) (26.2%), L(2) (57.4%) and L(3) (16.4%); the
      immunophenotype was B (80.1%) and T (19.5%). The incidence of ALL with myeloid
      antigen expression was 20.2%. Genetic examination revealed that chromosome
      aberration of t(9;22) was the most common one. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of ALL
      in Shanghai is 0.81/10(5). Compared with the national standard (1986 - 1998), the
      incidence in adolescents is obviously increased. Chongming County has the lowest
      incidence, indicating a role of environment factor in ALL incidence.

PMID- 20302774
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 20302773
TI  - [Unexplained multiple effusions as a manifestation of chronic graft-versus-host
      disease after allogeneic hematopoietic transplantation.].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the presentations and treatments of unexplained multiple
      effusions after allogeneic hematopoietic transplantation (allo-HSCT) and their
      relationships with chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD). METHODS: The data
      of 1385 allo-HSCT patients from Jan.1999 to Nov. 2008 in our institute were
      reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: cGVHD occurred in 911 patients, including 327
      (35.8%) limited cGVHD, and 198 (21.7%) extensive cGVHD. Effusions were identified
      in 28 patients. Nine cases were from infections and two tumor relapses. Cirrhosis
      and hypoproteinemia caused ascites in 6 patients. The small amount pericardial
      effusions occurred in 7 patients, which were related to the toxicity of drugs.
      The remaining 4 patients had large and recurrent sterile effusions involving
      peritoneal, pericardial, pleural cavities and/or testicular sheath cavity. These
      4 cases were all middle aged men and received transplantation from HLA identical
      siblings. The effusions had an insidious onset and were or were proved to be
      transudate. Examinations of the effusions for bacteria, virus and yeast were
      negative. The only diagnoses of the patients were cGVHD. All of the patiants
      responded to low dose steroid and alive, but only one achieved complete
      remission. CONCLUSION: The unexplained recurrent multiple effusions after allo
      HSCT might be a rare manifestation of chronic GVHD.

PMID- 20302776
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 20302775
TI  - [Expression and function of TRAF1 in Hodgkin's lymphoma cells.].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the function of tumor necrosis factor receptor
      associated factor 1 (TRAF1) and CD30-TRAF1 signaling in Hodgkin's lymphoma.
      METHODS: Endogenous and CD30 ligand-induced TRAF1 expression at mRNA and protein
      levels were examined by quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot analyses,
      respectively. RNA interference was performed to silence the expression of TRAF1
      in L428 cells and examine its effect on cell survival. ELISA-based NF-kappaB
      family transcription factor activity assay was performed to quantify the kappaB
      DNA-binding activity in nuclear extracts. The expression of JunB was measured by
      Western blot. RESULTS: TRAF1 expression was detected at both mRNA and protein
      levels in B cell-derived lymphoma cell lines (L428 and KM-H2). CD30 activation
      via binding to CD30 ligand induced the TRAF1 expression, the relative mRNA
      expression was increased to 7.26 +/- 0.23 from 3.50 +/- 0.20, the relative
      protein expression was increased to 4.53 +/- 0.55 from 2.31 +/- 0.35. The
      apoptosis rate was increased to (27.7 +/- 5.8)% in TRAF1-silenced L428 cells
      compared to (5.7 +/- 1.2)% in control cells. The p50 and RelA DNA-binding
      activity were decreased in TRAF1-silenced L428 cells. The expression of JunB upon
      CD30 ligand stimulation was not changed in TRAF1-silenced L428 cells.
      CONCLUSIONS: TRAF1 is overexpressed in B cell-derived Hodgkin's lymphoma cells,
      which is regulated by CD30 signaling pathway. TRAF1 is a crucial molecule
      mediating the activation of the classical NF-kappaB activity, which further
      facilitates the anti-apoptosis.

PMID- 20302777
TI  - [Correlation of Bcl-2 with immunological subtype and prognosis in diffuse large B
      cell lymphoma.].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the Bcl-2 protein and gene expression in diffuse large
      B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and analyze its correlation with immunosubtype and
      prognosis. METHODS: Seventy-three cases of DLBCL were performed
      immunohistochemistry analysis with a panel of antibodies CD3, CD10, CD20, Bcl-6,
      Bcl-2 and MUM-1, and classified into germinal center B-cell (GCB) type and non
      GCB type. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was employed to detect bcl-2
      gene expression in 57 cases with chromosome translocation t (14;18). RESULTS: The
      percentages of tumor cells expressed CD10, Bcl-6, MUM-1 and Bcl-2 were 15.1%,
      38.4%, 71.2% and 79.2%, respectively. 16 cases (21.9%) were GCB type and the rest
      (78.1%) were non-GCB type. 16 of 57 cases (28.1%) were t (14; 18), including 5 of
      GCB type (31.2%) and 11 of non-GCB type (68.2%). The expression of Bcl-2 protein
      was correlated with immunological subtype (P = 0.035), but not with survival time
      (P = 0.253). Between the t(14;18) positive and negtive groupes, there was
      significant difference for survival time (P = 0.022), but no difference for
      immunological subtype (P = 0.340). There was no correlation between Bcl-2 protein
      and t(14;18). CONCLUSIONS: GCB type DBLBCL with expression of Bcl-2 protein had a
      poor prognosis. t(14; 18) positive BLBCL had poor prognosis. The expression of
      Bcl-2 protein and t(14; 18) are usually discordant.

PMID- 20302778
TI  - [microRNA-21 and microRNA-30b expression in multiple myeloma.].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of miR-21 and miR-30b in multiple
      myeloma (MM). METHODS: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with MM
      were cultured at 2.5 x 10(6) cells/ml in alpha-MEM supplemented with 10% of fetal
      bovine serum, antibiotics, RANKL (50 ng/ml), and macrophage colony-stimulating
      factor (25 ng/ml) for 10 to 14 days to obtain osteoclasts with bone-resorbing
      activity. Primary myeloma cells were purified from 12 MM patients. Of them, 8
      samples were cocultured with osteoclasts and 4 as noncocultured control. The
      expression of miR-21 and miR-30b was detected by real-time PCR. RESULTS: The
      viability of MM cells recovered from cocultures was higher than those of
      noncocultured control. After cocultured with osteoclasts, primary myeloma cells
      from eight patients exhibited a 1.3- 5.9-fold increase in miR-21 expression and
      1.38- 4.32-fold decrease in miR-30b expression compared with controls. In highly
      purified plasma cells from 3 healthy subjects, 12 MM patients and 11 MM cell
      lines, the expression of miR-21 was 1.9 +/- 0.8, 6.5 +/- 4.9 and 35.1 +/- 36.2,
      respectively; the expression of miR-30b was 13.6 +/- 1.8, 7.2 +/- 6.3 and 4.5 +/-
      1.9, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: miR-21 acts as an oncogene and miR-30b a tumor
      suppressor gene in MM.

PMID- 20302780
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 20302779
TI  - [Effect of bortezomib and arabinoside on proliferation and apoptosis of K562
      cell.].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of bortezomib (Bor) alone and in combination
      with arabinoside (Ara-C) on proliferation and apoptosis of leukemia cell line
      K562. METHODS: K562 cells were treated with 20 nmol/L Bor and 0.2 microg/ml Ara-C
      alone and in combination for 48 h. MTT was used to study the inhibitory effects
      on cell growth and the apoptosis rate was analysed by flow cytometry. After K562
      cells treated with 20 nmol/L Bor or 0.2 microg/ml Ara-C for 6 h, the activity of
      NF-kappaB was analyzed by SP immunohistochemistry and cell cycle by flow
      cytometry. RESULTS: The inhibition and apoptosis rates of K562 cells in
      combination groups were higher than those in the two single treatment groups (P <
      0.01), especially in the combined treatment group in which K562 cells were
      treated first with Ara-C for 6 h then with Bor combined,the inhibition and
      apoptosis rates were the highest [(81.5 +/- 4.0)% and (29.2 +/- 3.1)%,
      respectively] (P < 0.01). In the other two combined groups in which the cells
      were treated with Bor for 6 h then with Ara-C combined, or treated with the two
      drugs simultaneously, the inhibition and apoptosis rates were (54.1 +/- 4.2)% and
      (18.7 +/- 3.5)%, and (66.2 +/- 2.8)% and (21.1 +/- 2.2)%, respectively. Treatment
      of K562 cells with 20 nmol/L Bor for 6 h, the activity of NF-kappaB was decreased
      significantly, and the cells were apparently arrested in G(2)/M phase, and
      treatment with 0.2 microg/ml Ara-C in the same manner, the activity of NF-kappaB
      was increased significantly, and the cells were apparently arrested in G(1)
      phase. CONCLUSIONS: Bor can effectively inhibit K562 cell proliferation, and
      induced its apoptosis. This effect was enhanced significantly when in combination
      with Ara-C. Pretreatment of K562 cells with Ara-C lead to the increased activity
      of NF-kappaB and the fraction of G(1) phase cells.

PMID- 20302781
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 20302782
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 20302784
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 20302783
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 20302785
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 20302786
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 20302788
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 20302787
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 20302790
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 20302789
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 20302791
TI  - [Quantitative monitoring of mononucleated cell Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-DNA for
      predicting EBV associated lymphoproliferative disorders after stem cell
      transplantation.].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To monitor blood cells EBV-DNA copies by quantitative Epstein-Barr
      virus (EBV) polymerase chain reaction after hematopoietic stem cell
      transplantation (HSCT) and to evaluate its implication. METHODS: EBV-DNA copies
      of peripheral blood mononucleated cells (PBMNCs) were detected by fluorescence
      quantitative PCR once a week since conditioning regimen from fifty one patients
      received HSCT. Correlation between development of lymphoproliferative disorders
      (LPD) and EBV-DNA copies and influence factors of EBV reactivation were analyzed.
      RESULTS: The cumulative incidence of EBV viremia was 58.8%. EBV reactivation
      occurred (39.6 +/- 23.5) days after HSCT, later than that of cytomegalovirus
      (CMV) reactivation (25.0 +/- 15.1) days (P < 0.01). HLA mismatch (P < 0.01), use
      of antithymocyte globulin (ATG) (P < 0.01), age less than twenty (P < 0.001) were
      factors for EBV reactivation, (93.3% vs 48.1%, 92.3% vs 18.7%, and 100% vs 53.1%,
      respectively). EBV related post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (EBV
      PTLD) occurred only in 4 out of 30 (13.3%) EBV reactivation patients, whose EBV
      DNA load maintained over 10(6) copies/ml for at least two weeks (4 out of 13
      cases). The median survival time of EBV-PTLD patients was 19.5 (11 - 75) days.
      CONCLUSIONS: EBV reactivation occurs frequently after HSCT, especially in those
      received HLA mismatch grafts, used antithymocyte globulin or aged under twenty.
      Patients with EBV loads over 10(6) copies/ml, especially lasting over two weeks,
      appear to have an increased risk for PTLD, and pre-emptive therapy may be of
      clinical useful.

PMID- 20302792
TI  - [Reduced intensity conditioning regimen for related and unrelated allogeneic
      peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in chronic myeloid
      leukemia.].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the overall efficacy and transplant-related mortality
      (TRM) of related and unrelated allogeneic peripheral blood hematopoietic stem
      cell transplantation (allo-PBSCT) in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients
      conditioned with fludarabine-busulfan (FB) reduced intensity regimen. METHODS:
      Forty-four patients received FB (Flud 30 mgxm(-2)xd(-1) x 5 d, BU 4 mgxkg(-1)xd(
      1) x 3 d) conditioning followed by allo-PBSCT. Of them, 29 patients were
      transplanted with related donor and 15 unrelated donor (URD). All patients
      received mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), CsA and MTX for acute GVHD (aGVHD)
      prophylaxis. 5 mg/kg rabbit-antithymocyte globulin (ATG-Fresenius) was
      incorporated in 15 URD recipients. RESULTS: All patients were successfully
      engrafted. The median times to ANC above 0.5 x 10(9)/L in related (RG) and
      unrelated groups (URG) were 13.7 (9 - 18) d and 13.6 (12 - 17) d, and PLT above
      20 x 10(9)/L were 15.3 (9 - 20) d and 14.7 (10 - 26) d, respectively. Two
      patients in RG. 1 in URG developed graft rejection 5 - 8 months after
      transplantation. One of the two patients in RG received second transplantation
      and engrafted. The cumulative incidence of aGVHD and cGVHD were 13.8% (4/29) and
      46.4% (13/28) in RG, and were 33.3% (5/15) and 57.1% (8/14) in URG respectively.
      Two patients in RG relapsed after transplantation, and obtained CR again after
      donor stem cell infusion (DSI). Median time of follow-up was 34.7 (2 - 73)
      months. Thirty-four patients were alive and 10 died. The main causes of death
      were IP, GVHD, graft rejection and infection. The 5-year overall survival (OS)
      probability was 77.0%, and the disease-free-survival (DFS) was 73.9%, of which,
      79.0% and 74.1% were in RG, and 73.3% and 73.3% in URG, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: Fludarabine-busulfan based reduced intensity conditioning for allo
      PBSCT with either related or unrelated donors is a safe, less toxic and curative
      approach to CML.

PMID- 20302793
TI  - [Establishment of murine allogeneic umbilical cord blood cell transplantation
      model and study on the mechanism of keratinocyte growth factor enhancing immune
      reconstitution after transplantation.].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the impact and mechanism of keratinocyte growth factor
      (KGF) on immune reconstitution post murine allogeneic umbilical cord blood
      transplantation (UCBT). METHODS: Perpheral blood (PB) from 19.5-day embryos post
      conception (E 19.5 d) mice was used as umbilical cord blood (UCB) graft. Thirty
      two BALB/c mice were randomly assigned to 4 groups with 8 mice each in the first
      cohort UCBT. Mice were infused with PBS (control group) or 1 x 10(6) (group 1A),
      2 x 10(6) (group 1B), 3 x 10(6) UCB mononuclear cells (MNCs) (group 1C),
      respectively. Twenty-four BALB/c mice were randomly assigned to 3 groups with 8
      mice each in the second cohort UCBT. Mice were injected with 1 x 10(6) (group
      2A), 2 x 10(6) (group 1B) or 3 x 10(6) (UCB) MNCs (group 2C). All mice received
      platelet transfusion on +8d. Sixteen BALB/c mice were randomly assigned to 2
      groups with 8 mice each in the third cohort UCBT. Mice were injected s.c. with
      KGF (group 3) or PBS (control group) before TBI. All mice were injected with 2 x
      10(6) UCB MNCs and were supported with platelet transfusion on +8 d. The survival
      time, splenic lymphoid cell subsets, sjTREC assay were observed after UCBT.
      RESULTS: The 100-day survival of mice were 2, 3 and 3 in group 1A, 1B, 1C and 7,
      8, 8 in group 2A, 2B, 2C, respectively. The splenic T, NKT, NK and B cell counts
      on +35 d were (9.57 +/- 0.74) x 10(6), (0.64 +/- 0.06) x 10(6), (1.43 +/- 0.10) x
      10(6) and (19.13 +/- 1.50) x 10(6) in control group, respectively; while were
      (13.47 +/- 0.74) x 10(6), (0.89 +/- 0.03) x 10(6), (1.79 +/- 0.04) x 10(6) and
      (20.50 +/- 0.91) x 10(6) in group 3, respectively, being significantly higher
      than in control group. The sjTREC level was 182.2 +/- 10.7copies per 10(5) cells
      in control group; while was 224.2 +/- 9.6 copied per 10(5) cells in group 3,
      being significantly higher than in control group (P = 0.019). CONCLUSIONS:
      Peripheral blood from E19.5d is rich in hematopoietic stem cells. A murine
      allogeneic UCBT model with platelet support on +8 d is established. KGF treatment
      can enhance thymic output and improve T cell immune reconstitution after UCBT.

PMID- 20302794
TI  - [Effects of HMGB1 on human cord blood CD34(+) hematopoietic stem cells
      proliferation and differentiation in vitro.].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study both the release of HMGB1 from irradiation-treated
      mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and the effects of HMGB1 on human cord blood
      CD34(+) hematopoietic progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation. METHODS:
      MSCs were obtained from human bone marrow. HMGB1 released by the MSCs after
      treatment with 12 Gy gamma-ray irradiation was determined by enzyme linked
      immunosorbent assay (ELISA). CD34(+) cells were positively selected with a MACS
      CD34 isolation kit. The freshly isolated CD34(+) cells were cultured in the
      presence of HMGB1 for 6 days. Phenotype of cultured cells surface molecules
      (CD13, CD14, CD11c, CD41 and CD71) were analyzed by flow cytometry. The
      proliferation and differentiation capacities of cord blood HSCs were assayed by
      colony forming cell assay. The receptors of HMGB1 (RAGE, TLR2 and TLR4) on cord
      blood CD34(+) cells were detected by flow cytometry. RESULTS: HMGB1 level in the
      supernatant ?[(4.3 +/- 0.9) ng/ml?] of the irradiated MSC was significantly
      higher than that in control ?[(0.4 +/- 0.2) ng/ml?] (P < 0.01). Human cord blood
      CD34(+) cells expressed the HMGB1 receptors RAGE, TLR2 and TLR4. The HMGB1
      treated CD34(+) cells contained higher proportions of CD13(+) ?[(32.6 +/- 5.9)%
      vs (18.4 +/- 3.8)%?], CD14(+)?[(25.4 +/- 4.4)% vs (12.6 +/- 2.7)%?], CD11c(+)
      ?[(20.3 +/- 3.9)% vs (9.8 +/- 2.1)%?], CD71(+) ?[(47.1 +/- 7.4)% vs (26.6 +/-
      4.6)%?] cells compared with control group did. But HMGB1 did not induce the
      generation of CD41(+) cells ?[(1.3 +/- 0.5)% vs (1.1 +/- 0.4)%?]. Furthermore,
      HMGB1 profoundly induced the growth of BFU-E, CFU-GM and total CFU in a dose
      dependent manner, and this effect was partially inhibited by TLR2 and TLR4
      antibodies. CONCLUSION: Human MSC treated with gamma-ray irradiation can release
      HMGB1, which can induce the proliferation and differentiation of human cord
      CD34(+) cells.

PMID- 20302795
TI  - [A novel single nucleotide polymorphism-based method for quantitative assessment
      of chimerism after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To develop a novel single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-PCR based
      method for quantitative detection of chimerism after allogeneic haemopoietic stem
      cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), and to explore its feasibility, accuracy and
      superiority. METHODS: 18 SNP loci were sereened to identify informative markers
      for detecting chimerism in each donor/recipient pair before transplantation. Then
      the chimerism rate of each informative marker was analyzed by real-time
      quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR). The accuracy and sensitivity were verified by multiple
      proportion dilution and analogy chimerism compared with quantitative detection of
      short tandem repeat (STR)-PCR, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and
      fusion gene. RESULTS: (1) The average slope of the 17 time amplications of the
      internal control plasmid was -3.39, the average intercept was 39.97, correlation
      coefficients were more than 0.995, which was close to the theoretical level. The
      intra- and interassay variability was 0.50% and 1.1%, respectively, which were
      both in the allowed ranges. A linear correlation with artificial mixed chimerism
      is above 0.99 and a sensitivity of 0.01% proved reproducible. (2) At least one
      informative marker could be found in over 95% of 40 donor/recipient pairs. The
      results of the chimerisms derived from SNP-PCR were consistent with that from STR
      PCR (96.7%), FISH and fusion gene analasis (P > 0.05); the quantitative results
      of special fusion gene transcripts were negtive in complete chimerism samples,
      and positive in mixed chimerism samples. CONCLUSIONS: This new assay which
      overcome the PCR competition and plateau biases of STR-PCR provides an accurate,
      reliable and rapid quantitative assessment of mixed chimerism after allo
      transplantation. It is highly promising for of clinical application and may take
      the place of STR-PCR in the conventional chimerisim assessment.

PMID- 20302796
TI  - [Evaluation of polymorphic post-allotransplant lymphoproliferative disorder by
      flow cytometry.].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the role of flow cytometry (FCM) in detection of polymorphic
      post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD). METHODS AND RESULTS: Two
      patients presented with fever and multiple lymphadenopathy on day 46 and day 50
      respectively after successful allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
      (allo-HSCT). The symptoms couldn't be controlled by antibiotics. The polymorphic
      PTLD was diagnosed based on the elevation of bone marrow EB virus DNA and
      detection of subsets of light chain restricted B cells and/or plasma cells in
      peripheral blood (PB) samples. The lymphocyte immunophenotypes from PB and/or
      bone marrow (BM) samples were serially tested by FCM after lowering the dose of
      immunosupressive agents and treating with antivirus drugs, anti-CD20 antibodies,
      and cytotoxic T cell infusion. B cells were undetable in two patient, but
      monoclonal plasma cells appeared or maintained. One patient died after two weeks.
      Another patient was still on treatment. B cells and plasms cells couldn't be
      detected in her PB, but there were monoclonal plasma cells in her BM. FCM have a
      prominent advantage in detect polymorphic PTLD, since it can effectively
      recognize different cell groups in blood and identify monoclonal subsets.
      Besides, the immunophenotype of plasma cells in polymorphic PTLD might be
      different from that in typical plasma cell myeloma. CONCLUSION: Polymorphic PTLD
      can be detected and followed up by FCM. BM is more suitable than PB for monitoing
      the disease. Besides lymph node biopsy, B cell abnormaliity could be detected in
      PB in allo-HSCT patients.

PMID- 20302797
TI  - [Distribution of WHO subtypes, initial treatment outcomes and prognosis study of
      623 unselected adult patients with acute myeloid leukaemia in Shanghai.].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the current status of acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
      treatment in Shanghai. METHODS: From 2003 to 2007, a total of successive 623
      patients with adult AML were diagnosed and classified according to WHO criteria.
      Survival rate or median survival was analysed by Kaplan-Meier curve and COX
      regression model and to compare the differences in treatment effectiveness with
      those reported in developed countries and in Shanghai from 1984 to 1994. RESULTS:
      Total CR rate was 66.5%, median survival time was 18 months and estimated
      survival at 3 year was 30.8%. The 3-year relapse rate was 55.1%. The CR rate was
      similar to that in developed countries, but long-term survival was worse. The CR
      rate and survival were increased markedly compared with data collected from 1984
      to 1994 in Shanghai. Induction regimens based on idarubicin, daunorubicin or
      homoharringtonine had similar CR rates and survivals. Karyotype was the most
      important prognostic factor. The CR rate was 87.3% (68/79), 61.8% (189/306) and
      42.9% (48/112) in favorable (excluding APL), intermediate and adverse cytogenetic
      risk groups, respectively. The CR rate of APL was 91.3%. Multilineage dysplasia
      in de novo AML was not an independent prognostic factor after adjusted by
      cytogenetics, age and WBC count. Poor karyotype, old age and high WBC count were
      the most important prognostic factors. CONCLUSIONS: The CR rate and survival of
      AML were improved in the past 20 years. The short-term treatment outcome of AML
      was comparable to that in developed countries, while the long-term one was worse.
      Improvement in the long-term treatment outcome in China is an important
      challenge.

PMID- 20302799
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 20302798
TI  - [The role of marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells in the prevention and
      treatment of acute graft-versus-host in mice.].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the prevention and treatment of acute graft-versus-host
      disease (aGVHD) by murine marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in vivo. METHODS:
      Allogeneic aGVHD model was established with lethally irradiated BALB/c recipients
      receiving allogeneic BM (BMC) and spleen cells (SP) from C57BL/6 with or without
      mMSCs at different dose and different time posttransplantation. Six groups were
      set up, group 1 (irradiation control group); group 2 (i.v. BMC only); group 3
      (i.v. SP+ BMC); group 4 (i.v. SP + BMC + 1 x 10(5) mMSC at day 0); group 5 (i.v.
      SP + BMC +5 x 10(5) mMSC at day 0); group 6 (i.v. SP + BMC +1 x 10(5) mMSC at day
      7). The survival was monitored daily. mMSCs infected with adenoviral vector (Ad
      GFP) were injected into aGVHD model to observe the distribution of MSCs in vivo.
      RESULTS: (1) Addition of donor mMSCs significantly controlled the lethal GVHD.
      The survival time (day) in group 1 was 13.5 +/- 2.6, group 3 11.1 +/- 4.0, group
      4 26.4 +/- 7.7, group 5 22.7 +/- 9.2, group 6 22.9 +/- 8.2, respectively. The
      difference between groups 4-6 and group 3 was statistically significant (P <
      0.01), but there was no difference among groups 4-6 (P = 0.28); There was less
      lymphocyte infiltration and architectural disruption in the intestine and spleen
      of groups 4-6 than that of group 3; (2) mMSCs significantly reduced IFN-gamma and
      TNF-alpha in the serum of recipient mouse; the levels of IFN-gamma in groups 3,
      4, 5, 6 were (607.9 +/- 157.1), (143.6 +/- 37.5), (117.0 +/- 77.8), (131.4 +/-
      63.4) ng/L, respectively. And of TNF-alpha were (52.31 +/- 17.95), (6.02 +/-
      3.99), (5.21 +/- 0.28), (22.39 +/- 18.21) ng/L, respectively. mMSCs had no effect
      on allogeneic T cell proliferation in GVHD model but increased apoptosis of
      allogeneic T cells. The percentage of CD3(+) Annexin V(+)PI(-) in each group were
      (10.3 +/- 6.6)%, (13.5 +/- 13.8)%, (19.7 +/- 6.0)%, (16.6 +/- 7.3)%,
      respectively. (3) After intravenous infusion, large numbers of GFP-MSCs lodged in
      lungs and intestines while small numbers in the liver, spleen and kidney.
      CONCLUSIONS: MSCs has no effect on proliferation but induce apoptosis of allo
      reactive T cells; MSCs can inhibit the second activation of allogeneic T cells,
      significantly reduce the secretion of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha; MSCs might be able
      to repair GVHD target tissues by extensive distribution to lungs, intestines, and
      liver of the animals.

PMID- 20302800
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 20302801
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 20302803
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 20302802
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 20302804
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 20302805
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 20302807
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 20302806
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 20302809
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 20302808
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 20302810
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 20302811
TI  - North of England and Scotland Study of Tonsillectomy and Adeno-tonsillectomy in
      Children(NESSTAC): a pragmatic randomised controlled trial with a parallel non
      randomised preference study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of
      tonsillectomy/adeno-tonsillectomy in children aged 4-15 years with recurrent sore
      throats in comparison with standard non-surgical management. DESIGN: A pragmatic
      randomised controlled trial with economic analysis comparing surgical
      intervention with conventional medical treatment in children with recurrent sore
      throats (trial) and a parallel non-randomised cohort study (cohort study).
      SETTING: Five secondary care otolaryngology departments located in the north of
      England or west of Scotland. PARTICIPANTS: 268 (trial: 131 allocated to surgical
      management; 137 allocated to medical management) and 461 (cohort study: 387
      elected to have surgical management; 74 elected to have medical management)
      children aged between 4 and 15 years on their last birthday with recurrent sore
      throats. Participants were stratified by age (4-7 years, 8-11 years, 12-15
      years). INTERVENTIONS: Treatment was tonsillectomy and adeno-tonsillectomy with
      adenoid curettage and tonsillectomy by dissection or bipolar diathermy according
      to surgical preference within 12 weeks of randomisation. The control was non
      surgical conventional medical treatment only. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary
      clinical outcome was the reported number of episodes of sore throat in the 2
      years after entry into the study. Secondary clinical outcomes included: the
      reported number of episodes of sore throat; number of sore throat-related GP
      consultations; reported number of symptom-free days; reported severity of sore
      throats; and surgical and anaesthetic morbidity. In addition to the measurement
      of these clinical outcomes, the impact of the treatment on costs and quality of
      life was assessed. RESULTS: Of the 1546 children assessed for eligibility, 817
      were excluded (531 not meeting inclusion criteria, 286 refused) and 729 enrolled
      to the trial (268) or cohort study (461). The mean (standard deviation) episode
      of sore throats per month was in year 1 - cohort medical 0.59 (0.44), cohort
      surgical 0.71 (0.50), trial medical 0.64 (0.49), trial surgical 0.50 (0.43); and
      in year 2 - cohort medical 0.38 (0.34), cohort surgical 0.19 (0.36), trial
      medical 0.33 (0.43), trial surgical 0.13 (0.21). During both years of follow-up,
      children randomised to surgical management were less likely to record episodes of
      sore throat than those randomised to medical management; the incidence rate
      ratios in years 1 and 2 were 0.70 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.61 to 0.80] and
      0.54 (95% CI 0.42 to 0.70) respectively. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio
      was estimated as 261 pounds per sore throat avoided (95% confidence interval 161
      pounds to 586 pounds). Parents were willing to pay for the successful treatment
      of their child's recurrent sore throat (mean 8059 pounds). The estimated
      incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) ranged from 3129 pounds to
      6904 pounds per QALY gained. CONCLUSIONS: Children and parents exhibited strong
      preferences for the surgical management of recurrent sore throats. The health of
      all children with recurrent sore throat improves over time, but trial
      participants randomised to surgical management tended to experience better
      outcomes than those randomised to medical management. The limitations of the
      study due to poor response at follow-up support the continuing careful use of
      'watchful waiting' and medical management in both primary and secondary care in
      line with current clinical guidelines until clear-cut evidence of clinical
      effectiveness and cost-effectiveness is available. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current
      Controlled Trials ISRCTN47891548.

PMID- 20302812
TI  - Genetic animal models for schizophrenia: advantages and limitations of genetic
      manipulation in drosophila, zebrafish, rodents, and primates.
AB  - Schizophrenia is a debilitating mental illness in which major initial risks of
      the disease during neurodevelopment may disturb postnatal brain maturation, which
      results in onset after puberty. Family, twin, and adoption studies have suggested
      an important role for genetic factors in the etiology of schizophrenia. To
      address the etiology-associated mechanisms and disease course, use of genetic
      models, that is, manipulation of genetic susceptibility factors, is currently
      considered to be a powerful tool for biological studies. In this manuscript,
      advantages and possible limitations in manipulating genetic susceptibility
      factors for schizophrenia toward modeling the disease are discussed. In addition
      to mouse models, the potential to use drosophila, zebrafish, and primates is
      underscored.

PMID- 20302813
TI  - Animal models for schizophrenia via in utero gene transfer: understanding roles
      for genetic susceptibility factors in brain development.
AB  - Genetic disturbances of brain development may underlie the pathophysiology of
      schizophrenia. Recent advances in molecular neurobiology suggest that some
      genetic risk factors for schizophrenia have multiple roles in various brain
      regions depending on the developmental stage. Furthermore, these factors are
      likely to act synergistically or epistatically in common molecular pathways,
      possibly contributing to disease pathology. Thus, a technique that can manipulate
      the expression of more than one gene simultaneously in animal models is necessary
      to address such molecular pathways. To produce such animal models, in utero gene
      transfer technique is one useful method. Given that plasmid-based cell-type
      specific and inducible gene expression systems are now available, combining these
      technologies and in utero gene transfer opens a new window to examine the
      functional role of genetic risk factors for schizophrenia by conducting multiple
      gene targeting in a spatial and temporal manner. The utility of animal models
      produced by in utero gene transfer will also be expected to be evaluated in terms
      of functional and behavioral outcomes after puberty, which may be associated with
      schizophrenia pathology.

PMID- 20302814
TI  - Gene manipulation with stereotaxic viral infection for psychiatric research:
      spatiotemporal components for schizophrenia.
AB  - Schizophrenia (SZ) is a highly polygenic disease with strong genetic
      predisposition. Although genetic susceptibility factors for SZ are likely to have
      an influence in some brain regions and related neural circuits during
      neurodevelopment, direct proof for spatiotemporal causality in the development of
      SZ, and the alteration of what gene function at what brain region during what
      developmental stage, remains to be elucidated. Gene manipulation by viral vector
      stereotaxically injected into a specific brain region is now becoming available
      for psychiatric research. This technique has several advantages, e.g., the
      exceptional spatiotemporal control, simultaneous manipulation of multiple genes,
      and its simple protocol. These properties can make this technique one of the most
      valuable approaches for research in SZ, which is a complex brain disorder with
      multifactorial, genetic, and developmental features. This review summarizes the
      benefits and actual use of this technique together with discussion of
      spatiotemporal aspect for SZ.

PMID- 20302815
TI  - ENU-induced mutant mice for a next-generation gene-targeting system.
AB  - By the N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU)-based gene-driven mutagenesis, it is now
      possible to obtain allelic series of mutant mouse strains, each of which carries
      a different base substitution in any target gene. This new reverse genetic tool
      has become available based on the ENU mutant mouse library. The ENU mutant mouse
      library consists of dual archives of frozen sperm and corresponding genomic DNA
      derived from Generation-1 (G1) male mice, each of which carries thousands of ENU
      induced base substitutions. Firstly, ENU-induced mutations in the target gene are
      screened from the genomic DNA archive by using one of the high-throughput
      mutation discovery systems. The identified mutations are then revived as live
      mice by the in vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer (ET) technology.
      Just like the knockout (KO) mouse system, the revived mutant strains are finally
      subjected to the three-generation scheme to reveal the gene function(s) of the
      target gene. This new reverse genetics or "next-generation gene-targeting system"
      allows us to elucidate the biological roles of the mouse genome in terms of
      single base-pair effects not only for the protein-coding sequences but also for
      any genomic sequences.

PMID- 20302816
TI  - Inducible and conditional transgenic mouse models of schizophrenia.
AB  - Schizophrenia is a devastating disorder. Despite the advance in research
      techniques in the last couple of decades, the pathogenesis of the disorder still
      remains poorly understood. Given the lack of pathognomonic feature of the disease
      and difficulty to analyze molecular pathways in patients, animal models have been
      instrumental in advancing our understanding of the disease. Recent progress in
      genetics has identified candidate susceptibility genes for schizophrenia, and
      generation of new genetic animal models has begun to provide valuable insights
      into the disease development. However, the complex neurodevelopmental and
      heterogeneous nature of schizophrenia still poses tremendous challenges for
      creating credible mouse models. In this review, we will discuss how current
      genetic systems of temporal and conditional regulation of gene expression have
      shed lights on the functions of the candidate genes in mouse models of
      schizophrenia. We also consider the strength and weaknesses of each model. We
      will argue that further development of more sophisticated genetic animal models
      is crucial for clarifying the unknowns of schizophrenia.

PMID- 20302817
TI  - NR1 knockdown mice as a representative model of the glutamate hypothesis of
      schizophrenia.
AB  - N-methyl d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunit NR1 knockdown (NR1-KD) mice have a
      global reduction of NMDA receptors, enabling their use as a genetic model to
      study the role of NMDA receptors in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. This
      targeted mutation results in a spectrum of altered behaviors that are similar to
      those induced by NMDA receptor antagonists, which have long been used to model
      schizophrenia in animals. NR1-KD mice serve as a complementary tool to
      pharmacological models, providing insight into the consequences of sustained NMDA
      receptor dysfunction in early brain development and throughout the life of the
      animal. Though in many respects the phenotype of NR1-KD mice mimics that of acute
      NMDA receptor antagonism, there are also notable differences. In this chapter we
      highlight some of the molecular, behavioral, and neurophysiological phenotypes of
      NR1-KD mice and compare these to pharmacological models of NMDA receptor
      dysfunction. Through the study of these models, our improved understanding of how
      the brain adapts to persistent NMDA receptor hypofunction may eventually suggest
      new therapeutic strategies for schizophrenia.

PMID- 20302818
TI  - Modeling excess striatal D2 receptors in mice.
AB  - Dopaminergic hyperactivity in the striatum has been one of the most replicated
      physiological findings in patients with schizophrenia. To study the consequences
      of increased D2 receptor density in the striatum, as it has been observed in
      patients with schizophrenia, D2 receptors have been selectively over-expressed in
      the mouse striatum. Here, the analysis of this mouse model is summarized and
      discussed in the context of the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia.

PMID- 20302819
TI  - Differential function of phosphodiesterase families in the brain: gaining
      insights through the use of genetically modified animals.
AB  - Phosphodiesterases (PDEs) are the only known enzymes to degrade cAMP and cGMP,
      intracellular signaling molecules key to numerous cellular functions. There are
      11 PDE families identified to date, and each is expressed in a unique pattern
      across brain regions. Here, we review genetic mouse models in which PDEs are
      either directly manipulated (e.g., genetically deleted) or are changed in a
      compensatory manner due to the manipulation of another target. We believe these
      genetic mouse models have contributed to our understanding of how the PDE1, PDE4,
      and PDE10 families contribute uniquely to overall brain function.

PMID- 20302820
TI  - Gene models of schizophrenia: DISC1 mouse models.
AB  - Disrupted in Schizophrenia-1 (DISC1) is one of the most likely susceptibility
      genes for schizophrenia (SZ). DISC1 is being established as a hub protein with
      various functions in the pre- and postnatal development of the nervous system.
      Since generation of a knockout (KO) mouse has proved challenging, various
      alternative approaches have been taken. Seven DISC1 mouse models have been
      described to date. All of them display neuroanatomical and behavioral
      abnormalities relevant to SZ, although most of them have not been fully
      characterized yet, requiring further analysis. NRG1 and ErbB4, also highly
      promising susceptibility genes for SZ, share many features with DISC1. They are
      involved in various aspects of pre- and postnatal neurodevelopment. The NRG1 and
      ErbB4 mouse models also display neuroanatomical and behavioral abnormalities
      similar to the DISC1 mouse models. In the future, four main directions need
      further study. First, further characterization of the seven DISC1 mouse models,
      especially in light of basic research findings. Second, more extensive employment
      of the inducible models. Third, generation of a DISC1 KO. Fourth, combination of
      the DISC1 mouse models with other risk factors: crossing with other genetic
      models such as NRG1/ErbB4 mutants and exposure to environmental risk factors.

PMID- 20302822
TI  - Zebrafish: a model system to examine the neurodevelopmental basis of
      schizophrenia.
AB  - Schizophrenia is a devastating disorder caused by both genetic and environmental
      factors that disrupt brain development and function. It is distinguished as a
      neurodevelopmental disorder in part due to early cognitive impairments,
      behavioral dysfunction in childhood and adolescence, and abnormalities in central
      nervous system development. Zebrafish are recognized as an important vertebrate
      model for human development and disease. There are many advantages of using
      zebrafish as a model, such as low cost to maintain, rapid life cycle, optical
      clarity and rapid external embryonic development. Furthermore, multiple molecular
      genetic techniques have been developed to readily study gene function during
      development. In this review, we will discuss the advantages of using the
      zebrafish model system to study schizophrenia.

PMID- 20302821
TI  - The sandy (sdy) mouse: a dysbindin-1 mutant relevant to schizophrenia research.
AB  - Dysbindin-1 reductions appear to be common in dysfunctional brain areas of
      schizophrenia cases. In the absence of a dysbindin-1 knockout, sandy (sdy) mice
      provide our only means of studying the potential contribution of this protein to
      clinical features of schizophrenia in live animals. Our knowledge of sandy mice
      is reviewed here. These mice have a deletion mutation that arose spontaneously in
      DBA/2J mice in the gene encoding dysbindin-1 (Dtnbp1). This null protein mutation
      (Dtnbp1(sdy)) leads to an absence of dysbindin-1 in homozygotes, as well as
      reductions in several direct and indirect binding partners of dysbindin-1 that
      contribute to the protein assembly known as BLOC-1. Studies of sdy mice on the
      original DBA/2J background and on a C57BL/6J background indicate that the
      Dtnbp1(sdy) mutation does not affect viability, basic sensory or motor functions,
      or measures of anxiety and motivation. Such studies do indicate, however, that
      the mutation affects several biological functions, including adrenal
      neurosecretion and pre- and postsynaptic aspects of dopaminergic, glutamatergic,
      and GABAergic transmission. These effects and those on prepulse inhibition,
      social interaction, and diverse aspects of spatial memory suggest that homozygous
      sdy mice may model various features of schizophrenia.

PMID- 20302823
TI  - Modeling schizophrenia in flies.
AB  - Schizophrenia is a debilitating mental illness that affects 1% of the population
      worldwide. Although its molecular etiology remains unclear, recent advances in
      human psychiatric genetics have identified a large number of candidate genetic
      risk factors involved in schizophrenia. Modeling the disease in genetically
      tractable animals is thus a challenging but increasingly important task. In this
      review, I discuss the potential problems and perspectives associated with
      modeling schizophrenia in fruit flies, and briefly review the recent studies
      analyzing the molecular and cellular functions of Disrupted-In-Schizophrenia-1
      (DISC1) in transgenic flies.

PMID- 20302825
TI  - Preface.

PMID- 20302824
TI  - Primate models of schizophrenia: future possibilities.
AB  - Schizophrenia is a disorder of the association cortices, with especially
      prominent structural and functional deficiencies in the dorsolateral prefrontal
      cortex (PFC). True dorsolateral PFC is found only in higher primates, and is
      characterized by highly elaborate pyramidal cells with extensive recurrent
      connections. The development of the primate PFC also involves distinct
      developmental and genetic pathways. Thus, primate models may be particularly
      important in determining the functional impact of genetic changes in patients
      with schizophrenia. Genes involved with pyramidal cell network connectivity may
      be especially important to study in primates, as their effects may be magnified
      in the extensively connected primate neurons. Adeno-associated virus technology
      appears particularly promising for studying the impact of genetic insults on the
      structure and function of the primate association cortex.

PMID- 20302826
TI  - Chapter 1 - Drug delivery to the brain using colloidal carriers.
AB  - Many neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and infections of the brain become more
      prevalent as populations become older. Despite major advances in neuroscience,
      the blood-brain barrier (BBB) ensures that many potential therapeutics cannot
      reach the central nervous system (CNS). The BBB is formed by the complex tight
      junctions between the endothelial cells of the brain capillaries and their low
      endocytic activity. It results in the capillary wall that behaves as a continuous
      lipid bilayer and prevents the passage of polar substances. Drug delivery to the
      brain has remained one of the most vexing problems in translational neuroscience
      research, because of the difficulties posed by the BBB. Several strategies for
      delivering drugs to the CNS have been developed. This review rationalizes the
      strategies to target drugs to the brain by using different colloids.

PMID- 20302827
TI  - Chapter 2 - Quantum dot nanotechnologies for neuroimaging.
AB  - Functionalized quantum dot nanocrystals provide an opportunity for high signal-to
      noise ratio specific labeling of cells with micron-scale spatial resolution, and
      extend the cellular imaging toolbox available to the cellular neurobiologist. In
      this review we discuss previous work from our group aimed at optimizing quantum
      dot labeling protocols specific to neurons and neural glial cells, labeling and
      imaging of intact neural retinal tissue sections in a rat model of retinal
      degeneration focused on the formation of the glial scar following focal reactive
      gliosis, and on the characterization and estimation of the number of functionally
      available antibodies for biological binding conjugated to quantum dots following
      two popular conjugation schemes.

PMID- 20302828
TI  - Chapter 3 - Colloidal systems for CNS drug delivery.
AB  - The pharmaceutical treatment of central nervous system (CNS) disorders is the
      second largest area of therapy, following cardiovascular diseases. Nowadays,
      noninvasive drug delivery systems for CNS are actively studied. The development
      of these new delivery systems started with the discovery that properly surface
      engineered colloidal vectors, and in particular liposomes and polymeric
      nanoparticles, with a diameter approximately 200nm, were shown to be able to
      cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) without apparent damage, and to deliver drugs
      or genetic materials into the brain. However, even if this ability was confirmed
      by confocal microscopy and measured by biodistribution experiments or by means of
      the pharmacological effect exerted by the embedded drugs, a clear understanding
      of the main characteristics of the colloidal systems that are important for BBB
      crossing is still lacking. It is also shown that the presence of the drug is able
      to modify the surface of these systems, with unpredictable results on the
      colloidal systems biodistribution; thus, the results obtained in the absence of
      the loaded drug have to be taken cautiously. Moreover, since the loaded drug is
      only a fraction of the colloidal system that is administered, the presence of the
      carrier in the body and into CNS, especially in the case of long-term therapies,
      might cause adverse effects not yet fully understood. Thus, even if promising
      results have been obtained, and some colloidal systems loaded with a drug are the
      US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for human use (but not for brain
      targeting), a long way of research has to be done in order to use these drug
      delivery systems for the treatment of CNS pathologies.

PMID- 20302829
TI  - Chapter 4 - Applications of nanotechnology in molecular imaging of the brain.
AB  - Rapid advances in the field of nanotechnology promise revolutionary improvements
      in the diagnosis and therapy of neuroinflammatory disorders. An array of iron
      oxide nano- and microparticle agents have been developed for in vivo molecular
      magnetic resonance imaging (mMRI) of cerebrovascular endothelial targets, such as
      vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), E-selectin, and the glycoprotein
      receptor GP IIb/IIIa expressed on activated platelets. Molecular markers of
      glioma cells, such as matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), and markers for brain
      tumor angiogenesis, such as alpha (v) beta (3) integrin (alpha(v)beta(3)), have
      also been successfully targeted using nanoparticle imaging probes. This chapter
      provides an overview of targeted, iron oxide nano- and microparticles that have
      been applied for in vivo mMRI of the brain in experimental models of multiple
      sclerosis (MS), brain ischemia, cerebral malaria (CM), brain cancer, and
      Alzheimer's disease. The potential of targeted nanoparticle agents for
      application in clinical imaging is also discussed, including multimodal and
      therapeutic approaches.

PMID- 20302830
TI  - Chapter 5 - Development of iron chelator-nanoparticle conjugates as potential
      therapeutic agents for Alzheimer disease.
AB  - Oxidative stress is known to play a key role in the initiation and promotion of
      the neurodegeneration that characterizes the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease
      (AD). An accumulation of redox active transition metals, including iron and
      copper, is likely a major generator of reactive oxidative species and other free
      radicals and is thought to induce a detrimental cycle of oxidative stress,
      amyloid-beta aggregation, and neurodegeneration. As such, metal chelators may
      provide an alternative therapeutic approach to sequester redox active metals and
      prevent the onslaught of oxidative damage. Unfortunately, however, metal
      chelation approaches are currently limited in their potential, since many cannot
      readily pass the blood-brain barrier (BBB), due to their hydrophilicity, and many
      are neurotoxic at high concentrations. To circumvent such issues, here we
      describe the development of iron chelator-nanoparticle conjugation that allows
      delivery of target chelator to the brain in the absence of neurotoxicity. Such
      nanoparticle delivery of iron chelators will likely provide a highly advantageous
      mode of attack on the oxidative stress that plagues AD as well as other
      conditions characterized by excess metal accumulation.

PMID- 20302831
TI  - Chapter 6 - Carbon nanotubes as substrates/scaffolds for neural cell growth.
AB  - Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) due to their unique properties have sparked interest for
      their use in biomedical applications in recent years. In particular, the use of
      CNTs as substrates/scaffolds for neural cell growth has been an area of active
      research over the past decade. CNTs, either native or functionalized with various
      chemical groups, are biocompatible with neuronal cell adhesion and growth.
      Functionalized CNTs can modulate the neuronal growth in graded manner; positively
      charged CNTs promoted neurite outgrowth of hippocampal neurons in culture to a
      greater extent than when these cells were grown on neutral or negatively charged
      CNTs. Conductivity and mechanical properties of CNTs have been shown to affect
      neuronal morphology as well. Other neural cells, such as stem and glial cells,
      can also be successfully grown on CNT substrates. While currently the acute
      toxicity of CNTs is considered comparable to that of other forms of carbon, the
      long-term exposures limits need to be established in order to use these materials
      as neural prosthesis. Nonetheless, accumulating data support the use of CNTs as a
      biocompatible and permissive substrate/scaffold for neural cells and such
      application holds great potential in biomedicine.

PMID- 20302832
TI  - Chapter 7 - Neuromodulation: Deep brain stimulation, sensory neuroprostheses, and
      the neural-electrical interface.
AB  - Although neuromodulation with implanted brain electrodes (deep brain stimulation,
      DBS) has been increasingly effective in treating many patients with movement
      disorders (e.g., advanced Parkinson's disease) over the past 20 years, the
      techniques have changed little for more than 50 years. After summarizing the
      current state of DBS, this chapter considers (1) the advances being offered by
      computational analysis techniques as well as (2) the benefits of monitoring and
      modulating brain chemical activity in addition to brain electrical activity. A
      review of the current state of sensory neuroprostheses follows, with
      consideration of emerging data on the optimal configuration of micron-sized
      retinal prostheses as well as on the optimal site for stimulation of cells in the
      retina. Very recent findings on nanotechniques to enhance charge transfer from
      prosthesis to cell (neuronal or glial), that is, enhancement of the neural
      electrical interface, are then reviewed. The final section summarizes areas of
      potential cross-fertilization between those centers developing sensory
      neuroprostheses and those centers developing nanotechniques for DBS.

PMID- 20302833
TI  - Chapter 8 - Nanoparticles: Transport across the olfactory epithelium and
      application to the assessment of brain function in health and disease.
AB  - The exciting advances within nanotechnology are beginning to be harnessed by the
      medical field. Nanoparticles have been used for drug delivery into the brain and
      have been explored for imaging, sensing, and analytical purposes. The science of
      nanoparticles encompasses a vast array of biological, chemical, physical, and
      engineering research, different aspects of which are specifically addressed in
      each of the chapters of this volume. Nanomaterials such as nanospheres,
      nanotubes, nanowires, fullerene derivatives (buckyballs), and quantum dots
      (Qdots) are at the forefront of scientific attention, as they provide new
      consumer products and advance the scientific development of novel analytical
      tools in medicine and in the physical sciences. This chapter will briefly survey
      some aspects of nanoparticle biology focusing on the following: (1) the role of
      olfactory nanoparticle transport into the central nervous system (CNS), both as a
      potential route for effective drug delivery and as a route for the passage of
      noxious substances into the brain proper; (2) nanoparticles as sensors of cell
      function and toxicity; and (3) some adverse effects of nanoparticles on the
      dysregulation of brain redox status.

PMID- 20302834
TI  - Chapter 9 - Nanoparticles influence pathophysiology of spinal cord injury and
      repair.
AB  - Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious clinical problem for which no suitable
      therapeutic strategies have been worked out so far. Recent studies suggest that
      the SCI and its pathophysiological responses could be altered by systemic
      exposure to nanoparticles. Thus, SCI when made in animals intoxicated with
      engineered nanoparticles from metals or silica dust worsened the outcome. On the
      other hand, drugs tagged with titanium (TiO(2)) nanoparticles or encapsulated in
      liposomes could enhance their neuroprotective efficacy following SCI. Thus, to
      expand our knowledge on nanoparticle-induced alterations in the spinal cord
      pathophysiology further research is needed. These investigations will help to
      develop new strategies to achieve neuroprotection in SCI, for example, using
      nanodrug delivery. New results from our laboratory showed that nanoparticle
      induced exacerbation of cord pathology following trauma can be reduced when the
      suitable drugs tagged with TiO(2) nanowires were administered into the spinal
      cord as compared to those drugs given alone. This indicates that nanoparticles
      depending on the exposure and its usage could induce both neurotoxicity and
      neuroprotection. This review discusses the potential adverse or therapeutic
      utilities of nanoparticles in SCI largely based on our own investigations. In
      addition, possible mechanisms of nanoparticle-induced exacerbation of cord
      pathology or enhanced neuroprotection following nanodrug delivery is described in
      light of recently available data in this rapidly emerging field of
      nanoneurosciences.

PMID- 20302835
TI  - Chapter 10 - Solid lipid nanoparticles and microemulsions for drug delivery The
      CNS.
AB  - The chapter examined solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and microemulsions, chosen
      as carriers of drugs, administered in vivo to be transported to the central
      nervous system. Drugs of different structures and for different therapies have
      been studied such as doxorubicin SLN stealth and nonstealth administered in rats
      by intravenous route, apomorphine SLN administered in rats by duodenal route,
      melatonin SLN administered by transdermal and oral routes in humans, and
      apomorphine microemulsion administered by transdermal route in Parkinson's
      patients. The pharmacokinetics of the drug, followed in most studies, put in
      evidence that the many important pharmacokinetic parameters were notably improved
      versus the drug alone or in a commercial formulation.

PMID- 20302836
TI  - Chapter 11 - Solid lipid nanoparticles for brain tumors therapy: State of the art
      and novel challenges.
AB  - Malignant gliomas, despite aggressive multimodal therapies and adequate
      supportive care, still maintain poor prognosis. Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN)
      are colloidal carriers that could be regarded as a highly flexible platform for
      brain tumor imaging and therapeutical purposes. In this chapter we will first
      describe brain tumors characteristics and conventional therapeutical approaches.
      In the subsequent sections, we will analyze SLN properties, effectiveness, and
      future perspectives in both imaging and targeted treatment of malignant gliomas.

PMID- 20302838
TI  - Trinucleotide repeat system for sequence specificity analysis of RNA structure
      probing reagents.
AB  - Chemical and enzymatic structural probes have been used for decades to obtain
      rapid and comprehensive information regarding the molecular architecture of
      various RNAs. Despite their widespread use, the sequence specificity of these RNA
      structural probing reagents has not yet been thoroughly characterized. In this
      study, we revisited the properties of commonly used structural probes such as
      Pb(II) ions, ribonuclease V1, ribonuclease T2, and the S1 and mung bean nucleases
      by testing them on highly regular triplet repeat sequences representing
      phosphodiester bonds with every possible combination of 3' and 5' adjacent
      nucleotides. We show that Pb(II) ions preferentially cleave after pyrimidines and
      that S1 nuclease possesses a previously overlooked specificity toward
      phosphodiester bonds following G residues. We also observed that mung bean
      nuclease shows a preference for cleaving ApN bonds and that RNase V1 mainly
      recognizes U residues in both single- and double-stranded RNAs. These data are
      important for accurate interpretation of the results of structure probing
      experiments and for assignment of the correct structure to individual RNA
      molecules. The triplet repeat transcript system described here may be considered
      as a reliable platform for determining the sequence specificity of other reagents
      used to probe RNA structure.

PMID- 20302837
TI  - Chapter 12- Brain as an HIV sequestered site: Use of nanoparticles as a
      therapeutic option.
AB  - Patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are at increased risk
      to develop neurocognitive problems. HIV crosses the blood-brain barrier (BBB)
      through a variety of means. Once within the brain tissue, HIV stimulates
      immunoactivation and inflammation that lead to neuronal loss. This review
      discusses the pathophysiology of HIV within the brain and the treatment
      modalities used to prevent neurocognitive problems from developing. Modalities
      that prevent antiretroviral drugs from crossing into the central nervous system
      and reducing viral load are also discussed. Finally, since drug penetration
      across the BBB is reduced, the use of nanoparticles as a treatment modality to
      increase BBB penetration may be an option worth further exploration.

PMID- 20302839
TI  - Fluorescence anisotropy assay for pharmacological characterization of ligand
      binding dynamics to melanocortin 4 receptors.
AB  - Fluorescence anisotropy assay was implemented for characterization of ligand
      binding dynamics to melanocortin 4 (MC(4)) receptors. This approach enables on
      line monitoring of reactions that is essential for estimation of more correct
      binding parameters, understanding of ligand binding and its regulation
      mechanisms, and design of new drugs with desirable properties. Two different red
      shifted fluorophore-labeled peptide ligands, Cy3B-NDP-alpha-MSH and TAMRA-NDP
      alpha-MSH, were used and compared in assays that monitored their binding to MC(4)
      receptors in membranes of Sf9 insect cells. The Cy3B dye-labeled ligand exhibited
      improved performance in assays when compared with the TAMRA-labeled ligand,
      having higher photostability, insensitivity to buffer properties, and better
      signal/noise ratio. The binding of both ligands to membranes of Sf9 cells
      expressing MC(4) receptors was saturable and with high affinity. All studied
      MC(4) receptor-specific nonlabeled ligands displaced fluoroligands' binding in a
      concentration-dependent manner with potencies in agreement with their
      pharmacological activities. On-line monitoring of the reactions revealed that
      equilibrium of peptide binding was not reached even after 3h. Real-time
      monitoring of ligand binding dynamics enabled us to find optimal experimental
      conditions for each particular ligand and an improved estimate of their binding
      parameters.

PMID- 20302840
TI  - Lipid clustering by three homologous arginine-rich antimicrobial peptides is
      insensitive to amino acid arrangement and induced secondary structure.
AB  - Three Arg-rich nonapeptides, containing the same amino acid composition but
      different sequences, PFWRIRIRR-amide (PR-9), RRPFWIIRR-amide (RR-9) and PRFRWRIRI
      amide (PI-9), are able to induce segregation of anionic lipids from zwitterionic
      lipids, as shown by changes in the phase transition properties of lipid mixtures
      detected by differential scanning calorimetry and freeze fracture electron
      microscopy. The relative Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of these three
      peptides against several strains of Gram positive bacteria correlated well with
      the extent to which the lipid composition of the bacterial membrane facilitated
      peptide-induced clustering of anionic lipids. The lower activity of these three
      peptides against Gram negative bacteria could be explained by the retention of
      these peptides in the LPS layer. The membrane morphologies produced by PR-9 as
      well as by a cathelicidin fragment, KR-12 that had previously been shown to
      induce anionic lipid clustering, was directly visualized using freeze fracture
      electron microscopy. This work shows the insensitivity of phase segregation to
      the specific arrangement of the cationic charges in the peptide sequence as well
      as to their tendency to form different secondary structures. It also establishes
      the role of anionic lipid clustering in the presence of zwitterionic lipids in
      determining antimicrobial selectivity.

PMID- 20302841
TI  - GUV preparation and imaging: minimizing artifacts.
AB  - The components of biological membranes are present in a physical mixture. The
      nonrandom ways that the molecules of lipids and proteins mix together can
      strongly influence the association of proteins with each other, and the chemical
      reactions that occur in the membrane, or that are mediated by the membrane. A
      particular type of nonrandom mixing is the separation of compositionally distinct
      phases. Any such phase separation would result in preferential partition of some
      proteins and lipids between the coexisting phases, and thus would influence which
      proteins could be in contact, and whether a protein could find its target. Phase
      separation in a plasma membrane would also influence the binding of molecules
      from outside the cell to the membrane, including recognition proteins on viruses,
      bacteria, and other cells. The concept of these and other events associated with
      membrane phase separation are sometimes grouped together as the "raft model" of
      biological membranes. Several types of experiments are aimed at detecting and
      characterizing membrane phase separation. Visualizing phase separation has
      special value, both because the immiscibility is so decisively determined, and
      also because the type of phase can often be identified. The fluorescence
      microscope has proven uniquely useful for yielding images of separated phases,
      both in certain cell preparations, and especially in models of cell membranes.
      Here we discuss ways to prepare useful model membranes for image studies, and how
      to avoid some of the artifacts that can plague these studies.

PMID- 20302842
TI  - Crystal structure and functional insight of HP0420-homolog from Helicobacter
      felis.
AB  - Helicobacter pylori infect more than half of the world's population and are
      considered a cause of peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer. Recently,
      hypothetical gene HP0421 was identified in H. pylori as a cholesterol alpha
      glucosyltransferase, which is required to synthesize cholesteryl glucosides,
      essential cell wall components of the bacteria. In the same gene-cluster, HP0420
      was co-identified, whose function remains unknown. Here we report the crystal
      structure of HP0420-homolog of H. felis (HF0420) to gain insight into the
      function of HP0420. The crystal structure, combined with size-exclusion
      chromatography, reveals that HF0420 adopts a homodimeric hot-dog fold. The
      crystal structure suggests that HF0420 has enzymatic activity that involves a
      conserved histidine residue at the end of the central alpha-helix. Subsequent
      biochemical studies provide clues to the function of HP0420 and HF0420.

PMID- 20302843
TI  - The role of oxidized low-density lipoprotein in breaking peripheral Th17/Treg
      balance in patients with acute coronary syndrome.
AB  - Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) is an instrumental factor in
      atherogenesis, however, the effects of ox-LDL on the balance of Th17/Treg in
      acute coronary syndrome [ACS, including unstable angina (UA) and acute myocardial
      infarction (AMI)] is still unclear. CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T (Treg) cells and
      Th17 cells, subsets of T-helper cells, play important roles in peripheral
      immunity and their imbalance leads to the development of tissue inflammation and
      autoimmune diseases. However, few studies have explored the effect of Th17/Treg
      balance in plaque destabilization and the onset of ACS. To explore the shift of
      Th17/Treg balance in ACS patients and the effect of ox-LDL on the balance, we
      examined the frequencies of Th17 and Treg cells, key transcription factors and
      relevant cytokines in patients with AMI, UA, stable angina (SA) and controls. We
      analysed the correlations of serum ox-LDL to Th17/Treg frequency, and the effects
      of ox-LDL on Th17/Treg cells in vitro. Our study demonstrated that ACS patients
      have shown a significant increase of Th17 frequency, RORgammat expression and
      serum Interleukin 17 (IL-17), and a obvious decline of Treg frequency, Foxp3
      expression, suppressive function, and serum IL-10. Serum ox-LDL positively
      correlated with the frequency of Th17 cells and negatively correlated with the
      frequency of Treg cells. In vitro incubation of peripheral blood mononuclear
      cells from controls with ox-LDL resulted in a significant reduction of Treg cells
      and a significant elevation of Th17 cells in a dose- and time-dependant manner.
      Treg and Th17 cells from ACS patients were significantly more susceptible to ox
      LDL-mediated alterations. Th17/Treg numerical and functional imbalance exists in
      ACS patients, and ox-LDL has a direct effect on Th17/Treg imbalance which may
      contribute to the occurrence of ACS.

PMID- 20302844
TI  - Flow cytometric analysis of the contributing factors for antimicrobial activity
      enhancement of cell-penetrating type peptides: case study on engineered
      apidaecins.
AB  - Contributing factors for the antimicrobial activity enhancement of N-terminally
      engineered mutants of cell-penetrating apidaecins were analyzed based on their
      cell-penetration efficiency. The flow cytometric analysis of the engineered
      apidaecins labeled with carboxyfluorescein (FAM) revealed their enhanced cell
      penetrating efficiencies into Escherichia coli that should be one of key factors
      causing the enhanced antimicrobial activity. It is noteworthy that, for one
      mutant, the enhancement in antimicrobial activity (18-fold higher than wild type)
      was greater than that of cell penetration (5.9-fold), suggesting that the N
      terminal mutation may reinforce both interaction with unidentified intracellular
      target(s) and cell-penetration efficiency.

PMID- 20302845
TI  - Isolated tumor endothelial cells maintain specific character during long-term
      culture.
AB  - Tumor angiogenesis is necessary for solid tumor progression and metastasis.
      Increasing evidence indicates that tumor endothelial cells (TECs) are more
      relevant to the study of tumor angiogenesis than normal endothelial cells (NECs)
      because their morphologies and gene expression are different from NECs. However,
      it is challenging to isolate and culture large numbers of pure ECs from tumor
      tissue since the percentage of ECs is only about 1-2% and tumor cells and
      fibroblasts easily overgrow them. In addition, there has been concern that
      isolated TECs may lose their special phenotype once they are dissociated from
      tumor cells. In this study, we have successfully purified murine TECs from four
      different human tumor xenografts and NECs from murine dermal tissue. Isolated ECs
      expressed endothelial markers, such as CD31, VE-cadherin (CD144), and endoglin
      (CD105), for more than 3 months after isolation. TECs maintained tumor
      endothelial-specific markers, such as tumor endothelial marker 8 (TEM8) and
      aminopeptidase N (APN), as in tumor blood vessels in vivo. In addition, TECs were
      more proliferative and motile than NECs. TECs showed a higher response to VEGF
      and higher expression of VEGF receptors-1 and -2 than NECs did. Stem cell antigen
      1 was up-regulated in all four TECs, suggesting that they have a kind of
      stemness. Cultured TECs maintain distinct biological differences from NECs as in
      vivo. In conclusion, it was suggested that TECs are relevant material for tumor
      angiogenesis research.

PMID- 20302846
TI  - Development of small-molecule inhibitors of the group I p21-activated kinases,
      emerging therapeutic targets in cancer.
AB  - The p21-activated kinases (PAKs), immediate downstream effectors of the small G
      proteins of the Rac/cdc42 family, are critical mediators of signaling pathways
      regulating cellular behaviors and as such, have been implicated in pathological
      conditions including cancer. Recent studies have validated the requirement for
      PAKs in promoting tumorigenesis in breast carcinoma and neurofibromatosis. Thus,
      there has been considerable interest in the development of inhibitors to the
      PAKs, as biological markers and leads for the development of therapeutics. While
      initial approaches were based on screening for competitive organic inhibitors,
      more recent efforts have focused on the identification of allosteric inhibitors,
      organometallic ATP-competitive inhibitors and the use of PAK1/inhibitor crystal
      structures for inhibitor optimization. This has led to the identification of
      highly selective and potent inhibitors, which will serve as a basis for further
      development of inhibitors for therapeutic applications.

PMID- 20302847
TI  - HMBA depolymerizes microtubules, activates mitotic checkpoints and induces
      mitotic block in MCF-7 cells by binding at the colchicine site in tubulin.
AB  - 10-[(3-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzylidene)]-9(10H)-anthracenone (HMBA), a synthetic
      compound, has been reported to have a potent antitumor activity. In this study,
      we found that HMBA depolymerized microtubules in MCF-7 cells and produced
      aberrant spindles in the MCF-7 cells. It also reduced the distance between the
      centrosomes and activated the mitotic checkpoint proteins BubR1 and Mad2.
      Further, HMBA inhibited the progression of MCF-7 cells in mitosis and induced
      apoptotic cell death involving p53 pathway. In vitro, HMBA bound to purified
      brain tubulin with a dissociation constant of 4.1+/-0.9 microM. It inhibited
      microtubule assembly and increased the GTP hydrolysis rate of microtubule
      assembly. The compound did not alter the binding of 2'(or 3')-O-(trinitrophenyl)
      guanosine 5'-triphosphate (TNP-GTP), a fluorescent analogue of GTP, to tubulin
      suggesting that it did not inhibit the binding of GTP to tubulin. However, we
      obtained evidence indicating that HMBA perturbed the conformation of the GTP
      binding site in tubulin. In addition, an analysis of the modified Dixon plot
      suggested that HMBA competitively inhibited the binding of colchicine to tubulin.
      A computational analysis of the binding of HMBA to tubulin supported the finding
      that HMBA shared its binding site with colchicine in tubulin and indicated that
      the binding of HMBA to tubulin was primarily stabilized through hydrogen bonding.

PMID- 20302848
TI  - Exploring death receptor pathways as selective targets in cancer therapy.
AB  - A recent and innovative strategy in cancer therapy is the activation of apoptosis
      in tumour cells specifically expressing death receptors (DR) belonging to the
      tumour necrosis factor (TNF) receptor superfamily and including several members
      known since the early '90. Among these, those largely studied for clinical
      purpose are TNF, CD95, and TRAIL receptors. Promising results are expecting from
      ongoing phases I/II clinical trials proving the therapeutic efficacy of DR
      agonistic antibodies and/or recombinant proteins alone or in association to
      classic and novel chemotherapeutic drugs. However, two key issues need extensive
      studies, before clinical and safe applications of DRs as effective anticancer
      drugs can be accepted: i. DR-based cancer therapy must be selective and effective
      against a broad range of cancers and reduce excessive systemic toxicity toward
      normal cells and tumour resistance after recurrent treatments; ii. an improved
      knowledge of mechanisms of alternative signalling triggered by DR ligands and
      leading to cell survival and apoptotic resistance. Activation of survival
      pathways regulated by key factors, such as NF-kappaB, JNK, p38, ERK and PI(3)K
      are the focus of several studies revealing the dark side of DR signalling. The
      present review focuses on new insights in the signalling and clinical application
      of TNF, CD95 and TRAIL receptors.

PMID- 20302849
TI  - Role of midbrain periaqueductal gray P2X3 receptors in electroacupuncture
      mediated endogenous pain modulatory systems.
AB  - Extracellular ATP facilitates pain transmission at peripheral and spinal sites
      via the P2X receptors and the P2X3 subtype is an important candidate for this
      effect. Electroacupuncture (EA) has been clinically utilized to manage chronic
      pain. In this study, with neuropathic pain model of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, the
      P2X3 receptor protein level and expression location in the midbrain
      periaqueductal gray (PAG), a crucial site in endogenous pain modulatory system,
      were evaluated by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. The results showed
      (1) pain thresholds were decreased while P2X3 receptor expression was up
      regulated in the lateral PAG (lPAG) when neuropathic pain occurred. When the lPAG
      was pretreated with P2X3 receptors, antagonist A-317491 attenuated the
      antinociceptive effect produced by intra-lPAG injection of alpha,beta-methylene
      ATP (alpha, beta-meATP), an agonist for P2X3 receptor. (2) Multiple EA treatments
      begot enhanced pain thresholds and increased P2X3 receptor immunoreactivity in
      the lPAG in neuropathic pain rats. Conversely, the down-regulated P2X3 receptor
      expression in the lPAG with antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) for P2X3 gene
      significantly attenuated the antinociceptive effect of EA treatment. These
      results suggest that P2X3 receptors in the lPAG play an inhibitory role in pain
      modulation and EA exerts a marked therapeutic effect in relieving neuropathic
      pain in CCI rats, which may be related to its regulative effect on the expression
      of P2X3 receptors in the lPAG. In conclusion, P2X3 receptors in the lPAG are
      involved in the supraspinal antiociception effect of EA treatment.

PMID- 20302850
TI  - Hippocampal expression and distribution of CB1 receptors in the Amazonian rodent
      Proechimys: an animal model of resistance to epilepsy.
AB  - Proechimys, a rodent living in the Amazon region, has shown resistance to
      developing chronic epilepsy when submitted to different experimental models.
      Recently, many studies have attributed a potent anticonvulsant action to
      cannabinoid receptor CB1. This study investigated the distribution and expression
      of the CB1 receptor in the hippocampal formation of Proechimys using
      immunohistochemistry and Western blotting techniques. Results were compared with
      values obtained from adult Wistar rats. The immunoreactivity for CB1 was evident
      throughout the Ammon's horn and in the hilar region of both animal species.
      However, the distribution of these receptors was higher in the stratum lucidum of
      CA3 and in the hilar region of Proechimys. In addition, higher expression of CB1
      receptors was observed in the Proechimys hippocampus. These data could explain,
      at least partially, the natural resistance of this animal species to developing
      spontaneous seizures following epileptogenic precipitating events.

PMID- 20302851
TI  - Tumor promotion by copper-overloading and its enhancement by excess iron
      accumulation involving oxidative stress responses in the early stage of a rat two
      stage hepatocarcinogenesis model.
AB  - To investigate liver tumor promotion mechanisms of copper (Cu)- and iron (Fe)
      overloading, immunolocalization of metal-related biomolecules and lipid
      peroxidation end products was examined in preneoplastic liver cell foci that
      expressed glutathione S-transferase placental form (GST-P) in early-stage tumor
      promotion over 6 weeks in a rat two-stage hepatocarcinogenesis model. Gene
      expression and concentrations of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS)
      in the liver were also analyzed. Cu-overloading alone exerted a weak promoting
      activity, which was enhanced by Fe-overloading. By Cu-overloading, GST-P(+) foci
      that co-expressed transferrin receptors or downregulated ceruloplasmin increased,
      suggesting preneoplastic lesion-specific enhancement of oxidative cellular
      stress. Cu-overloading also increased transcripts of antioxidant enzymes (Gstm3
      and Gst Yc2 subunit), cell proliferation, and numbers of single liver cells
      expressing GST-P or heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in the liver, suggesting that
      oxidative stress induces single-cell toxicity, with the ensuing regeneration
      contributing to tumor promotion. Fe-overloading increased liver TBARS and HO-1
      expressing Kupffer cells, the latter suggesting protection against inflammatory
      stimuli causing fluctuating proinflammatory cytokine mRNA levels. By co
      overloading of Cu and Fe, Cu-overload-related single liver cell toxicity and
      regeneration increased, as did cytokine imbalances involving increased
      cyclooxygenase-2-producing Kupffer cells and accumulation of malondialdehyde
      within GST-P(+) foci. These results suggest an involvement of oxidative stress
      responses in Cu-induced tumor promotion and Fe-induced enhancement by increasing
      cytokine imbalances and GST-P(+) foci-specific lipid peroxidation.

PMID- 20302852
TI  - Melatonin protects the cytochrome P450 system through a novel antioxidant
      mechanism.
AB  - Melatonin, an endogenous hormone, is used as an antioxidant drug in doses quite
      higher than the endogenous circulating levels of this hormone. Hepatic
      endoplasmic reticulum contains the cytochrome P450 (CYP450) system, which
      catalyzes one biotransformation pathway of melatonin; this organelle is also one
      of the main sources of reactive oxygen species in cells. Therefore, we proposed
      that the antioxidant activity of this hormone may have a biological relevance in
      the organelle where it is biotransformed. To evaluate this postulate, we used
      Fe(3+)/ascorbate, an oxygen free radical generating system that leads to lipid
      peroxidation, loss of protein-thiol content, and activation of UDP
      glucuronyltransferase in rat liver microsomes. We found that mM concentrations of
      melatonin prevented all these oxidative phenomena. We also found that
      Fe(3+)/ascorbate leads to structural alterations in the CYP450 monooxygenase, the
      enzyme that binds the substrate in the CYP450 system catalytic cycle, probably
      through direct oxidation of the protein, and also inhibited p-nitroanisole O
      demethylation, a reaction catalyzed by the CYP450 system. Notably, melatonin
      prevented both phenomena at microM concentrations. We provide evidence suggesting
      that melatonin may be oxidized by oxygen free radicals. Thus, we postulate that
      melatonin may be acting as an oxygen free radical scavenger, and Fe(3+)/ascorbate
      modified melatonin would be directly protecting the CYP450 system through an
      additional specific mechanism. Pharmacological relevance of this phenomenon is
      discussed.

PMID- 20302853
TI  - Redox status of the liver and kidney of 2,2-dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate
      (DDVP) treated rats.
AB  - The effect of 2,2-dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate on redox homeostasis in male
      rats was investigated. Rats were grouped into four: A, B, C and D where A (the
      control) received orally 1 ml of distilled water; B, C and D (test groups)
      received orally 2.5, 5 and 10mg/kg body weight of DDVP respectively for 28 days.
      DDVP administration significantly reduced (P<0.05) the alkaline phosphatase
      activity in the liver and kidney with corresponding increases in the serum. Acid
      phosphatase activity increased significantly (P<0.05) in liver and kidney, while
      there was no significant change (P>0.05) in the serum acid phosphatase activity.
      There was also a significant decrease (P<0.05) in the activities of superoxide
      dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase in the
      liver and kidney. Liver and kidney levels of GSH, vitamins C and E were also
      significantly reduced (P<0.05). Serum malonidialdehyde and lipid hydroperoxide
      also increased significantly (P<0.05) in all DDVP treated groups. The available
      data from this study revealed that DDVP brings about its toxicity through
      depletion of the antioxidant systems and thus exposing the cells and cellular
      macromolecules to oxidative attacks by reactive oxygen species generated either
      from its metabolites or other in vivo means.

PMID- 20302854
TI  - Mycophenolic acid inhibits the phosphorylation of NF-kappaB and JNKs and causes a
      decrease in IL-8 release in H2O2-treated human renal proximal tubular cells.
AB  - Ischaemia-reperfusion injury is a common occurrence in renal transplantation and
      may affect the long-term survival of the allograft. Oxidative stress may play a
      crucial role in this, with reactive oxygen species formed during reperfusion
      causing direct cellular damage as well as activating pro-inflammatory pathways. A
      human proximal tubule cell line (HK-2) was subjected to hydrogen peroxide
      (H(2)O(2)) stress that resulted in phosphorylation of c-jun N-terminal kinases
      (JNKs) and the transcription factor NF-kappaB at Ser276, both of which have been
      associated with inflammation. Interleukin (IL)-8 production also increased upon
      H(2)O(2) stimulation. Pre-incubation of the cells with mycophenolic acid (MPA)
      resulted in reduced phosphorylation of both JNKs and NF-kappaB, and reduced IL-8
      release in H(2)O(2)-stimulated HK-2 cells. MPA also reduced the H(2)O(2)-induced
      phosphorylation of p38 MAP (mitogen-activated protein) kinase, the extracellular
      signal regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), Akt kinase and the transcription factor
      CREB (cyclic AMP response element binding protein). In rat kidneys subjected to
      ischaemia-reperfusion, an increase in both pJNK1/2 and pNF-kappaB was observed,
      which was reduced in kidneys obtained from mycophenolate mofetil (MMF)-treated
      rats. These results suggest that MPA may inhibit pro-inflammatory responses in
      the kidney by inhibiting activation of pro-inflammatory molecules in both the
      kidney and human renal proximal tubular cells subjected to oxidative stress.

PMID- 20302855
TI  - Ubiquitin specific proteases USP24 and USP40 and ubiquitin thiolesterase UCHL1
      polymorphisms have synergic effect on the risk of Parkinson's disease among
      Taiwanese.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Impaired ubiquitin-proteasome system function may contribute to the
      pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). METHODS: We conducted a case-control
      study in a cohort of 517 PD cases and 518 ethnically matched controls to
      investigate the association of ubiquitin specific proteases USP24 rs487230 C>T,
      USP40 rs1048603 C>T, and ubiquitin thiolesterase UCHL1 rs5030732 A>C
      polymorphisms with the risk of PD. RESULTS: No significant difference in the
      genotype or allele distribution was found between PD and controls. After
      stratification by age, the genotype and allele frequencies of USP24 rs487230 are
      significantly different between PD and controls >or=60 years of age (P=0.035 and
      0.013, respectively). Multivariable logistic regression with adjusting for onset
      age and sex showed that, in a dominant model, USP24 T-carrying genotype was
      associated with risk reduction in developing PD in individuals >or=60 years of
      age (OR=0.61; 95% CI=0.41-0.90, P=0.010). This is also true for T allele
      (OR=0.64; 95% CI=0.44-0.91, P=0.023). When examining the interaction between
      genes on PD risk without age stratification, the protective effect of USP24 CT/TT
      genotype on PD risks was strengthened by the USP40 T-carrying genotype (OR=0.42;
      95% CI=0.22-0.81, P=0.009) and UCHL1 C-carrying genotype (OR=0.67; 95% CI=0.47
      0.97, P=0.032). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that USP24 alone plays a role in
      PD susceptibility among Taiwanese people >or=60 years of age, or acting
      synergistically with USP40 and UCHL1 in the total subjects.

PMID- 20302856
TI  - Endocannabinoids and pregnancy.
AB  - Acylethanolamides such as anandamide (AEA), and monoacylglycerols like 2
      arachidonoylglycerol are endocannabinoids that bind to cannabinoid, vanilloid and
      peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors. These compounds, their various
      receptors, the purported membrane transporter(s), and related enzymes that
      synthesize and degrade them are collectively referred to as the "endocannabinoid
      system (ECS)". Poorly defined cellular and molecular mechanisms control the
      biological actions of the ECS. Over the last decade evidence has been emerging to
      suggest that the ECS plays a significant role in various aspects of human
      reproduction. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of this role
      especially the involvement of AEA and related ECS elements in regulating
      oogenesis, embryo oviductal transport, blastocyst implantation, placental
      development and pregnancy outcomes, and sperm survival, motility, capacitation
      and acrosome reaction. Additionally, the possibility that plasma and tissue AEA
      and other cannabinoids may represent reliable diagnostic markers of natural and
      assisted reproduction and pregnancy outcomes in women will be discussed.

PMID- 20302858
TI  - Characterization of various promoter regions of the human DNA helicase-encoding
      genes and identification of duplicated ets (GGAA) motifs as an essential
      transcription regulatory element.
AB  - DNA helicases are important in the regulation of DNA transaction and thereby
      various cellular functions. In this study, we developed a cost-effective multiple
      DNA transfection assay with DEAE-dextran reagent and analyzed the promoter
      activities of the human DNA helicases. The 5'-flanking regions of the human DNA
      helicase-encoding genes were isolated and subcloned into luciferase (Luc)
      expression plasmids. They were coated onto 96-well plate and used for co
      transfection with a renilla-Luc expression vector into various cells, and dual
      Luc assays were performed. The profiles of promoter activities were dependent on
      cell lines used. Among these human DNA helicase genes, XPB, RecQL5, and RTEL
      promoters were activated during TPA-induced HL-60 cell differentiation.
      Interestingly, duplicated ets (GGAA) elements are commonly located around the
      transcription start sites of these genes. The duplicated GGAA motifs are also
      found in the promoters of DNA replication/repair synthesis factor genes including
      PARG, ATR, TERC, and Rb1. Mutation analyses suggested that the duplicated GGAA
      motifs are necessary for the basal promoter activity in various cells and some of
      them positively respond to TPA in HL-60 cells. TPA-induced response of 44-bp in
      the RTEL promoter was attenuated by co-transfection of the PU.1 expression
      vector. These findings suggest that the duplicated ets motifs regulate DNA-repair
      associated gene expressions during macrophage-like differentiation of HL-60
      cells.

PMID- 20302857
TI  - Regulation of EGFR and Notch signaling by distinct isoforms of D-cbl during
      Drosophila development.
AB  - Cells receive and interpret extracellular signals to regulate cellular responses
      such as proliferation, cell survival and differentiation. However, proper
      inactivation of these signals is critical for appropriate homeostasis. Cbl
      proteins are E3-ubiquitin ligases that restrict receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK)
      signaling, most notably EGFR (Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor), via the
      endocytic pathway. Consistently, many mutant phenotypes of Drosophila cbl (D-cbl)
      are due to inappropriate activation of EGFR signaling. However, not all D-cbl
      phenotypes can be explained by increased EGFR activity. Here, we report that D
      Cbl also negatively regulates Notch activity during eye and wing development. D
      cbl produces two isoforms by alternative splicing. The long isoform, D-CblL,
      regulates the EGFR. We found that the short isoform, D-CblS, preferentially
      restricts Notch signaling. Specifically, our data imply that D-CblS controls the
      activity of the Notch ligand Delta. Taken together, these data suggest that D-Cbl
      controls the EGFR and Notch/Delta signaling pathways through production of two
      alternatively spliced isoforms during development in Drosophila.

PMID- 20302859
TI  - Remodeling of nuclear architecture by the thiodioxoxpiperazine metabolite
      chaetocin.
AB  - Extensive changes of higher order chromatin arrangements can be observed during
      prometaphase, terminal cell differentiation and cellular senescence. Experimental
      systems where major reorganization of nuclear architecture can be induced under
      defined conditions, may help to better understand the functional implications of
      such changes. Here, we report on profound chromatin reorganization in fibroblast
      nuclei by chaetocin, a thiodioxopiperazine metabolite. Chaetocin induces strong
      condensation of chromosome territories separated by a wide interchromatin space
      largely void of DNA. Cell viability is maintained irrespective of this peculiar
      chromatin phenotype. Cell cycle markers, histone signatures, and tests for
      cellular senescence and for oxidative stress indicate that chaetocin induced
      chromatin condensation/clustering (CICC) represents a distinct entity among
      nuclear phenotypes associated with condensed chromatin. The territorial
      organization of entire chromosomes is maintained in CICC nuclei; however, the
      conventional nuclear architecture harboring gene-dense chromatin in the nuclear
      interior and gene-poor chromatin at the nuclear periphery is lost. Instead gene
      dense and transcriptionally active chromatin is shifted to the periphery of
      individual condensed chromosome territories where nascent RNA becomes highly
      enriched around their outer surface. This chromatin reorganization makes CICC
      nuclei an attractive model system to study this border zone as a distinct
      compartment for transcription. Induction of CICC is fully inhibited by thiol
      dependent antioxidants, but is not related to the production of reactive oxygen
      species. Our results suggest that chaetocin functionally impairs the thioredoxin
      (Trx) system, which is essential for deoxynucleotide synthesis, but in addition
      involved in a wide range of cellular functions. The mechanisms involved in CICC
      formation remain to be fully explored.

PMID- 20302860
TI  - Heparin II domain of fibronectin mediates contractility through an alpha4beta1 co
      signaling pathway.
AB  - In the trabecular meshwork (TM) of the eye, regulation of tissue contractility by
      the PPRARI sequence within the Heparin II (HepII) domain of fibronectin is
      believed to control the movement of aqueous humor and dictate the level of
      intraocular pressure. This study shows that the HepII domain utilizes activated
      alpha4beta1 integrin and collagen to mediate a co-signaling pathway that down
      regulates contractility in TM cells. siRNA silencing of alpha4beta1 integrin
      blocked the actin disrupting effects of both PPRARI and the HepII domain. The
      down-regulation of the actin cytoskeleton and contractility did not involve
      syndecan-4 or other heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) since siRNA silencing
      of syndecan-4 expression or heparitinase removal of cell surface HSPGs did not
      prevent the HepII-mediated disruption of the actin cytoskeleton. HepII-mediated
      disruption of the cytoskeleton depended upon the presence of collagen in the
      extracellular matrix, and cell binding studies indicated that HepII signaling
      involved cross-talk between alpha4beta1 and alpha1/alpha2beta1 integrins. This is
      the first time that the PPRARI sequence in the HepII domain has been shown to
      serve as a physiological alpha4beta1 ligand, suggesting that alpha4beta1 integrin
      may be a key regulator of tissue contractility.

PMID- 20302861
TI  - Choroidal blood flow compensation in rats for arterial blood pressure decreases
      is neuronal nitric oxide-dependent but compensation for arterial blood pressure
      increases is not.
AB  - Choroidal blood flow (ChBF) compensates for changes in arterial blood pressure
      (ABP) and thereby remains relatively stable within a +/-40 mmHg range of basal
      ABP in rabbits, humans and pigeons. In the present study, we investigated if ChBF
      can compensate for increases and decreases in ABP in rats. ChBF was continuously
      monitored using laser Doppler flowmetry in anesthetized rats, and ABP measured
      via the femoral artery. At multiple intervals over a 2-4 h period during which
      ABP varied freely, ChBF and ABP were sampled and the results compiled across
      rats. We found that ChBF remained near baseline over an ABP range from 40 mmHg
      above basal ABP (90-100 mmHg) to 40 mmHg below basal ABP, but largely followed
      ABP linearly below 60 mmHg. Choroidal vascular resistance increased linearly as
      BP increased above 100 mmHg, and decreased linearly as BP declined from basal to
      60 mmHg, but resistance declined no further below 60 mmHg. Inhibition of nitric
      oxide (NO) formation by either a selective inhibitor of neuronal nitric oxide
      synthase (NOS) (N(omega)-propyl-L-arginine) or a nonselective inhibitor of both
      neuronal NOS and endothelial NOS (N(omega)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester) did not
      affect compensation above 100 mmHg ABP, but did cause ChBF to linearly follow
      declines in BP below 90 mmHg. In NOS-inhibited rats, vascular resistance
      increased linearly with BP above 100 mmHg, but remained at baseline below 90
      mmHg. These findings reveal that ChBF in rats, as in rabbits, humans and pigeons,
      compensates for rises and/or declines in arterial blood pressure so as to remain
      relatively stable within a physiological range of ABPs. The ChBF compensation for
      low ABP in rats is dependent on choroidal vasodilation caused by neuronal NO
      formation but not the compensation for elevated BP, implicating parasympathetic
      nervous system vasodilation in the ChBF compensation to low ABP.

PMID- 20302863
TI  - Confocal microscopy of giant vesicles supports the absence of HIV-1 neutralizing
      2F5 antibody reactivity to plasma membrane phospholipids.
AB  - The broadly neutralizing anti-HIV-1 2F5 monoclonal antibody recognizes a gp41
      epitope proximal to the viral membrane. Potential phospholipid autoreactivity at
      cell surfaces has raised concerns about the use of this antibody for development
      of vaccines or immunotherapy. In this study, confocal microscopy of giant
      unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) was used to assess 2F5 reactivity with phospholipids
      assembled into bilayers with surface charge and curvature stress approximating
      those of the eukaryotic plasma membranes. Antibody partitioning into lipid
      bilayers required the specific recognition of membrane-inserted epitope,
      indicating that 2F5 was unable to directly react with GUV phospholipids, even
      under fluid phase segregation conditions. Our results thus support the
      feasibility of raising 2F5-like neutralizing responses through vaccination, and
      the medical safety of mAb infusions.

PMID- 20302864
TI  - Phospholipid scramblase: an update.
AB  - The best understood consequence of the collapse of lipid asymmetry is exposure of
      phosphatidylserine (PS) in the external leaflet of the plasma membrane bilayer,
      where it is known to serve at least two major functions: providing a platform for
      development of the blood coagulation cascade and presenting the signal that
      induces phagocytosis of apoptotic cells. Lipid asymmetry is collapsed by
      activation of phospholipid scramblase(s) that catalyze bidirectional transbilayer
      movement of the major classes of phospholipid. The protein corresponding to this
      activity is not yet known. Observations on cells from patients with Scott
      syndrome, a rare hereditary bleeding disorder resulting from impaired lipid
      scrambling, have shown that there are multiple activation pathways that converge
      on scramblase activity.

PMID- 20302862
TI  - Task-specificity vs. ceiling effect: step-training in shallow water after spinal
      cord injury.
AB  - While activity-based rehabilitation is one of the most promising therapeutic
      approaches for spinal cord injury, the necessary components for optimal locomotor
      retraining have not yet been determined. Currently, a number of different
      activity-based approaches are being investigated including body weight-supported
      treadmill training (with and without manual assistance), robotically-assisted
      treadmill training, bicycling and swimming, among others. We recently showed, in
      the adult rat, that intensive rehabilitation based on swimming brought about
      significant improvements in hindlimb performance during swimming but did not
      alter the normal course of recovery of over-ground walking (Smith et al.,
      2006a,b, 2009). However, swimming lacks the phasic limb-loading and plantar
      cutaneous feedback thought to be important for weight-supported step training.
      So, we are investigating an innovative approach based on walking in shallow water
      where buoyancy provides some body weight support and balance while still allowing
      for limb-loading and appropriate cutaneous afferent feedback during retraining.
      Thus, the aim of this study is to determine if spinal cord injured animals show
      improved overground locomotion following intensive body weight-supported
      locomotor training in shallow water. The results show that training in shallow
      water successfully improved stepping in shallow water, but was not able to bring
      about significant improvements in overground locomotion despite the fact that the
      shallow water provides sufficient body weight support to allow acutely injured
      rats to generate frequent plantar stepping. These observations support previous
      suggestions that incompletely injured animals retrain themselves while moving
      about in their cages and that daily training regimes are not able to improve upon
      this already substantial functional improvement due to a ceiling effect, rather
      than task-specificity, per se. These results also support the concept that
      moderately-severe thoracic contusion injuries decrease the capacity for body
      weight support, but do not decrease the capacity for pattern generation. In
      contrast, animals with severe contusion injuries could not support their body
      weight nor could they generate a locomotor pattern when provided with body weight
      support via buoyancy.

PMID- 20302866
TI  - Genome-wide association studies: present status and future directions.

PMID- 20302867
TI  - Understanding differences in the guidelines for colorectal cancer screening.
AB  - In this issue of Gastroenterology, the editors present 2 expert perspectives on
      the colorectal screening guidelines published in the May 2008 issue of the
      journal.

PMID- 20302871
TI  - Characterization of a novel octopamine receptor expressed in the surf clam
      Spisula solidissima.
AB  - We have cloned and sequenced a cDNA from the surf clam (Spisula solidissima, a
      pelecypod mollusc) that encodes an octopamine receptor which we have named Spi
      OAR. The sequence of Spi-OAR shares many similarities with two Aplysia and three
      Drosophila octopamine receptors belonging to a sub-group of beta-adrenergic-like
      octopamine receptors. Using an expression vector and transient transfections of
      Spi-OAR into HEK 293 cells, we observed an increase of cAMP upon addition of
      octopamine and, to a lesser extent, of tyramine, but not after addition of
      dopamine, serotonin, or histamine. Using a battery of known agonists and
      antagonists for octopamine receptors, we observed a rather unique pharmacological
      profile for Spi-OAR through measurements of cAMP. Spi-OAR exhibited some
      constitutive activity in HEK 293 cells and no Ca(2+) responses could be detected
      following addition of octopamine to Spi-OAR-transfected cells. RT-PCR analysis
      revealed ubiquitous expression of Spi-OAR mRNA in all adult tissues, oocytes and
      early embryos examined. While addition of serotonin to isolated clam oocytes
      resulted in meiotic activation, similar additions of octopamine had no effect,
      suggesting that its potential role in clam reproductive physiology differs
      significantly from that of serotonin. This work identifies Spi-OAR as a novel
      mollusc octopamine receptor closely related to other invertebrate beta-adrenergic
      like octopamine receptors, with possible reproductive and other physiological
      functions. This initial characterization of Spi-OAR makes possible further
      investigations and comparisons with more studied and familiar insect or gastropod
      mollusc octopamine receptors.

PMID- 20302872
TI  - Psychopathic personality traits and cortisol response to stress: the role of sex,
      type of stressor, and menstrual phase.
AB  - Previous research indicates that psychopathic personality traits are associated
      with lower cortisol secretion in response to stress in men but not in women. The
      current study explored whether prior null results for women were related to the
      latency of the cortisol stress response to two different types of stressors.
      Additionally, accuracy of self-reported menstrual phase was explored via salivary
      progesterone levels. A mixed-sex sample of 145 participants characterized by high
      (36 men, 37 women) and low (34 men, 38 women) scores on a screening measure of
      psychopathic personality traits were randomly assigned to either a performance
      based stressor task or a social rejection stressor task. Salivary hormone samples
      were taken just prior to task onset (baseline) and at 0, 20, 40, and 60 min post
      stressor. Results indicated that both men and women characterized by psychopathic
      personality traits exhibited lower stress-induced cortisol levels to the
      performance-based task in comparison with controls at 20 min post-stressor. The
      social rejection task produced a cortisol response 20 min post-stressor in the
      male controls only. Removal of women with low progesterone from the analyses
      strengthened the psychopathy group differences. Results could suggest that
      deficient cortisol production in response to stress might be another important
      neurobiological feature associated with psychopathic traits, and that biological
      verification of menstrual phase is an important aspect to obtaining accurate
      cortisol results in women.

PMID- 20302873
TI  - A new ELISA plate based microtiter well assay for mycobacterial topoisomerase I
      for the direct screening of enzyme inhibitory monoclonal antibody supernatants.
AB  - Antigen specific monoclonal antibodies present in crude hybridoma supernatants
      are normally screened by ELISA on plates coated with the relevant antigen.
      Screening for inhibitory monoclonals to enzymes would require the evaluation of
      purified antibodies or antibody containing supernatants for their inhibition of
      enzyme activity in a separate assay. However, screening for inhibitory antibodies
      against DNA transacting enzymes such as topoisomerase I (topo I) cannot be done
      using hybridoma supernatants due to the presence of nucleases in tissue culture
      media containing foetal calf serum which degrade the DNA substrates upon
      addition. We have developed a simple and rapid screening procedure for the
      identification of clones that secrete inhibitory antibodies against mycobacterial
      topo I using 96 well ELISA microtiter plates. The principle of the method is the
      selective capture of monoclonal antibodies from crude hybridoma supernatants by
      topo I that is tethered to the plate through the use of plate-bound polyclonal
      anti-topo I antibodies. This step allows the nucleases present in the medium to
      be washed off leaving the inhibitor bound to the tethered enzyme. The inhibitory
      activity of the captured antibody is assessed by performing an in situ DNA
      relaxation assay by the addition of supercoiled DNA substrate directly to the
      microtiter well followed by the analysis of the reaction products by agarose gel
      electrophoresis. The validity of this method was confirmed by purification of the
      identified inhibitory antibody and its evaluation in a DNA relaxation assay.
      Elimination of all enzyme-inhibitory constituents of the culture medium from the
      well in which the inhibitory antibody is bound to the tethered enzyme may make
      this method broadly applicable to enzymes such as DNA gyrases, restriction
      enzymes and other DNA transaction enzymes. Further, the method is simple and
      avoids the need of prior antibody purification for testing its inhibitory
      activity.

PMID- 20302874
TI  - An optimized assay for the enumeration of antigen-specific memory B cells in
      different compartments of the human body.
AB  - OBJECT: In the framework of our current study we set out to develop an optimized
      assay for the quantification of antigen-specific B cells in different
      compartments of the human body. METHODS: Mononuclear cells (MNC) derived from the
      peripheral blood, bone marrow (BM), or human tonsils were incubated with
      different combinations of stimuli. The stimulated cells and culture supernatants
      were then applied to IgG-ELISPOT and ELISA read-out assays and tetanus toxoid
      (TT)-specific B cell responses were quantified. RESULTS: We found that a
      combination of CD40L, CpG, and IL21 was optimal for the induction of TT-specific
      IgG-producing cells from memory B cell (mBc) precursors. This cocktail of stimuli
      led to a proliferation-dependent induction of
      CD19(intermediate)CD38(high)CD138(high)IgD(negative) terminally differentiated
      plasma cells. Applying our optimized methodology we were also able to quantify
      mBc specific for cytomegalovirus and influenza virus A. Most importantly, the
      same method proved useful for the comparison of mBc frequencies between different
      compartments of the body and, accordingly, we were able to demonstrate that TT
      specific mBc preferably reside within tonsillar tissue. CONCLUSION: Here, we
      optimized an assay for the quantification of antigen-specific B cells in
      different human tissues demonstrating, for example, that TT-specific mBc
      preferably reside in human tonsils but not in the BM or the peripheral blood. We
      suggest that our approach can be used for the enumeration of mBc specific for a
      wide variety of Ag (microbial, tumor-related, auto-antigens), which will lead to
      significant improvements regarding our knowledge about the biology of humoral
      immunity.

PMID- 20302875
TI  - The human CASQ2 mutation K206N is associated with hyperglycosylation and altered
      cellular calcium handling.
AB  - Mutations in the human cardiac calsequestrin gene (CASQ2) are linked to
      catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT-2). This inherited
      disorder is characterized by life-threatening arrhythmias induced by physical and
      emotional stress in young patients. Here we identified a novel heterozygous
      missense mutation (K206N) in the CASQ2 gene in a symptomatic family in which one
      member died of cardiac arrest. The functional properties of CSQ(K206N) were
      investigated in comparison to the wild-type form of CASQ2 (CSQ(WT)) by expression
      in eukaryotic cell lines and neonatal mouse myocytes. The mutation created an
      additional N-glycosylation site resulting in a higher molecular weight form of
      the recombinant protein on immunoblots. The mutation reduced the Ca(2+) binding
      capacity of the protein and exhibited an altered aggregation state. Consistently,
      CSQ(K206N)-expressing myocytes exhibited an impaired response to caffeine
      administration, suggesting a lower Ca(2+) load of the sarcoplasmic reticulum
      (SR). The interaction of the mutated CSQ with triadin and the protein levels of
      the ryanodine receptor were unchanged but the maximal specific [(3)H]ryanodine
      binding was increased in CSQ(K206N)-expressing myocytes, suggesting a higher
      opening state of the SR Ca(2+) release channel. Myocytes with expression of
      CSQ(K206N) showed a higher rate of spontaneous SR Ca(2+) releases under basal
      conditions and after beta-adrenergic stimulation. We conclude that CSQ(K206N)
      caused a reduced Ca(2+) binding leading to an abnormal regulation of
      intracellular Ca(2+) in myocytes. This may then contribute to the increased
      propensity to trigger spontaneous Ca(2+) transients in CSQ(K206N)-expressing
      myocytes.

PMID- 20302876
TI  - Differential regulation of TNF receptors by vagal nerve stimulation protects
      heart against acute ischemic injury.
AB  - Vagal nerve stimulation (VS) has been reported to improve the survival after both
      acute and chronic myocardial infarction through the release of neurotransmitter
      ACh. However, the precise mechanism behind its beneficial effect is still
      unknown. In this study, we demonstrate the upregulation of tumor necrosis factor
      alpha (TNF-alpha) and its cell survival TNF receptor-2 (TNFR2) as the mechanism
      behind VS induced myocardial protection. We investigated the effects of efferent
      VS on myocardial ischemic injury with in vivo and in vitro mouse models. In in
      vivo hearts VS significantly increased the expression of TNF-alpha both at the
      messenger and protein level after 3-hours of myocardial ischemia. In the in vitro
      studies ACh treatment before hypoxia, induced a significant upregulation of TNF
      alpha compared to the untreated cardiomyocytes. Immunofluorescence analysis
      confirmed the synthesis of TNF-alpha by cardiomyocytes both in vivo and in vitro.
      VS also significantly reduced the myocardial infarct size (23.9+/-5.7% vs. 56+/
      1.9%) and activated the cell survival Akt cascade system. Further, ACh
      upregulated the cell survival TNFR2 expression, while downregulating the cell
      destructive TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) expression. These results were confirmed using
      the TNF receptors deficient mice, where the VS mediated protection was lost both
      in vivo and in vitro in TNFR2 (TNFR2(-/-)) and TNF receptors double knock out
      (TNFR1(-/-)2(-/-)) mice. VS and ACh protects the heart against acute ischemia or
      hypoxic injury by differentially regulating the TNF receptor subtypes.

PMID- 20302877
TI  - NMR solution structure and DNA-binding model of the DNA-binding domain of
      competence protein A.
AB  - Competence protein A (ComA) is a response regulator protein involved in the
      development of genetic competence in the Gram-positive spore-forming bacterium
      Bacillus subtilis, as well as the regulation of the production of degradative
      enzymes and antibiotic synthesis. ComA belongs to the NarL family of proteins,
      which are characterized by a C-terminal transcriptional activator domain that
      consists of a bundle of four helices, where the second and third helices (alpha 8
      and alpha 9) form a helix-turn-helix DNA-binding domain. Using NMR spectroscopy,
      the high-resolution 3D solution structure of the C-terminal DNA-binding domain of
      ComA (ComAC) has been determined. In addition, surface plasmon resonance and NMR
      protein-DNA titration experiments allowed for the analysis of the interaction of
      ComAC with its target DNA sequences. Combining the solution structure and
      biochemical data, a model of ComAC bound to the ComA recognition sequences on the
      srfA promoter has been developed. The model shows that for DNA binding, ComA uses
      the conserved helix-turn-helix motif present in other NarL family members.
      However, the model reveals also that ComA might use a slightly different part of
      the helix-turn-helix motif and there appears to be some associated domain re
      orientation. These observations suggest a basis for DNA binding specificity
      within the NarL family.

PMID- 20302878
TI  - Structural and functional analysis of the engineered type I DNA methyltransferase
      EcoR124I(NT).
AB  - The Type I R-M system EcoR124I is encoded by three genes. HsdM is responsible for
      modification (DNA methylation), HsdS for DNA sequence specificity and HsdR for
      restriction endonuclease activity. The trimeric methyltransferase (M(2)S)
      recognises the asymmetric sequence (GAAN(6)RTCG). An engineered R-M system,
      denoted EcoR124I(NT), has two copies of the N-terminal domain of the HsdS subunit
      of EcoR124I, instead of a single S subunit with two domains, and recognises the
      symmetrical sequence GAAN(7)TTC. We investigate the methyltransferase activity of
      EcoR124I(NT), characterise the enzyme and its subunits by analytical
      ultracentrifugation and obtain low-resolution structural models from small-angle
      neutron scattering experiments using contrast variation and selective deuteration
      of subunits.

PMID- 20302879
TI  - Key amino acid residues involved in multi-point binding interactions between
      brazzein, a sweet protein, and the T1R2-T1R3 human sweet receptor.
AB  - The sweet protein brazzein [recombinant protein with sequence identical with the
      native protein lacking the N-terminal pyroglutamate (the numbering system used
      has Asp2 as the N-terminal residue)] activates the human sweet receptor, a
      heterodimeric G-protein-coupled receptor composed of subunits Taste type 1
      Receptor 2 (T1R2) and Taste type 1 Receptor 3 (T1R3). In order to elucidate the
      key amino acid(s) responsible for this interaction, we mutated residues in
      brazzein and each of the two subunits of the receptor. The effects of brazzein
      mutations were assayed by a human taste panel and by an in vitro assay involving
      receptor subunits expressed recombinantly in human embryonic kidney cells; the
      effects of the receptor mutations were assayed by in vitro assay. We mutated
      surface residues of brazzein at three putative interaction sites: site 1
      (Loop43), site 2 (N- and C-termini and adjacent Glu36, Loop33), and site 3 (Loop9
      19). Basic residues in site 1 and acidic residues in site 2 were essential for
      positive responses from each assay. Mutation of Y39A (site 1) greatly reduced
      positive responses. A bulky side chain at position 54 (site 2), rather than a
      side chain with hydrogen-bonding potential, was required for positive responses,
      as was the presence of the native disulfide bond in Loop9-19 (site 3). Results
      from mutagenesis and chimeras of the receptor indicated that brazzein interacts
      with both T1R2 and T1R3 and that the Venus flytrap module of T1R2 is important
      for brazzein agonism. With one exception, all mutations of receptor residues at
      putative interaction sites predicted by wedge models failed to yield the expected
      decrease in brazzein response. The exception, hT1R2 (human T1R2 subunit of the
      sweet receptor):R217A/hT1R3 (human T1R3 subunit of the sweet receptor), which
      contained a substitution in lobe 2 at the interface between the two subunits,
      exhibited a small selective decrease in brazzein activity. However, because the
      mutation was found to increase the positive cooperativity of binding by multiple
      ligands proposed to bind both T1R subunits (brazzein, monellin, and sucralose)
      but not those that bind to a single subunit (neotame and cyclamate), we suggest
      that this site is involved in subunit-subunit interaction rather than in direct
      brazzein binding. Results from this study support a multi-point interaction
      between brazzein and the sweet receptor by some mechanism other than the proposed
      wedge models.

PMID- 20302880
TI  - Aging-related hyperinflammation in endotoxemia is mediated by the alpha2A
      adrenoceptor and CD14/TLR4 pathways.
AB  - AIMS: Sepsis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly
      population. In prior studies, we have shown that in vivo, the inflammatory
      response in aged animals is exaggerated as compared to young animals and that
      this response likely accounts for the increased morbidity and mortality. Part of
      this uncontrolled inflammatory response in sepsis is due to the innate immune
      response. However, recent studies have shown that the pathogenesis of sepsis is
      much more complex. The adrenergic autonomic nervous system is now thought to play
      a key role in modulating the inflammatory response in sepsis. In this study, we
      hypothesize that not only is the innate immune response enhanced in response to
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in aged animals, but that the adrenergic nervous system
      also plays a role in the release of excess inflammatory cytokines. MAIN METHODS:
      Male Fischer-344 rats (young: 3 months; aged: 24 months) were used. Endotoxemia
      was induced by intravenous injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 15 mg/kg BW).
      Splenic tissues were harvested and mRNA and protein were extracted. The protein
      expression of CD14 and TLR4, key mediators of LPS in the innate response, as well
      as alpha-2A adrenergic receptor (alpha(2A)-AR) and phosphodiesterase 4D (PDE4D),
      as the means by which the autonomic nervous system exerts its effects were
      analyzed. KEY FINDINGS: Splenic tissue concentrations of alpha(2A)-AR, PDE4D,
      CD14, and TLR4 were significantly increased in septic aged rats as compared to
      aged sham rats and septic young rats. The increased expression of alpha(2A)-AR in
      septic aged rats was further confirmed by immunohistochemical staining of splenic
      tissues. SIGNIFICANCE: These data support the hypothesis that not only is the
      innate immune response increased in aged animals during sepsis, but that there is
      also an upregulated response of the adrenergic autonomic nervous system that
      contributes to excess proinflammatory cytokine release.

PMID- 20302881
TI  - Hyperglycemia attenuates acute permeability response to advanced glycation end
      products in retinal microvasculature.
AB  - Increased microvascular permeability contributes to the development of diabetic
      retinopathy and is associated with hyperglycemia and accumulation of advanced
      glycation end products (AGEs). The isolated perfused retina preparation was used
      to investigate the effects of hyperglycemia (HG) on the permeability response to
      AGEs. Retinae were dissected from rats, and the vasculature perfused with
      sulforhodamine B fluorescent dye and permeability of venular capillaries was
      determined from the rate of decrease of fluorescence gradient across a vessel
      during stasis. The resting permeability was very high in streptozotocin treated
      and some obese Zucker fatty diabetic rats, but low in others. The permeability
      response to glycated albumin (which is free radical-dependent) in these animals
      was reduced for a range of concentrations compared to the lean controls. The
      effects of 15 min 25 mM glucose (HG) superfusion on the retinal microvascular
      permeability response to 5 microM AGE-BSA was studied in non-diabetic Wistar
      rats. HG itself had no effect on permeability, but reduced the response to AGE
      BSA from 1.02+/-0.08x10(-6) cm s(-1) to 0.31+/-0.07x10(-6) cm s(-1). The response
      to bradykinin (also free radical-dependent) was not affected by HG. This suggests
      that chronic exposure to HG down-regulates the signalling pathways activated in
      response to RAGE stimulation.

PMID- 20302882
TI  - Extinction with varenicline and nornicotine, but not ABT-418, weakens conditioned
      responding evoked by the interoceptive stimulus effects of nicotine.
AB  - The interoceptive stimulus effects of nicotine acquire control over behavior.
      This observation, among others, suggests that the stimulus effects of nicotine
      are important in the development and tenacity of tobacco dependence. Despite this
      importance, there has been little research examining whether non-reinforced
      presentations (extinction) of a ligand that share stimulus effects of nicotine
      will weaken responding controlled by nicotine. Rats were trained to discriminate
      nicotine (0.4 mg/kg) from saline using a discriminated goal-tracking task in
      which nicotine signaled intermittent access to sucrose; sucrose was withheld on
      saline sessions. Experiment 1 examined substitution for nicotine by ABT-418,
      nornicotine, epibatidine, varenicline, or cytisine in 4-min extinction tests.
      Experiments 2-5 [low-dose nicotine (0.05 mg/kg), ABT-418, nornicotine, or
      varenicline, respectively] examined whether substitution for nicotine would
      persist if extinction tests were increased to 20 min and repeated daily for 6
      days. Finally, generalization of this extinction back to the nicotine training
      stimulus was assessed. Full substitution in brief 4-min extinction tests was seen
      for ABT-418, nornicotine, epibatidine, varenicline, and cytisine. Low-dose
      nicotine, ABT-418, nornicotine, and varenicline, evoked only a partial 'nicotine
      like' response in the first 20-min extinction test. With repeated extinction,
      only low-dose nicotine, nornicotine, and varenicline continued to substitute.
      Extinction with nornicotine and varenicline transferred back to nicotine as
      indicated by a partial conditioned response to the training stimulus.
      Interpretations regarding 'nicotine-like' effects of a ligand depend on the
      nature of the test. Understanding the processes mediating transfer of extinction
      learning with potential pharmacotherapies may reveal new treatment targets.

PMID- 20302883
TI  - Synthesis of 17 alpha-substituted ethynylestradiols: potential ligands for drug
      vectors.
AB  - 17alpha-substituted ethynylestradiols, derived from estrone, were converted to
      their corresponding 17 alpha-(bromo- or iodo-propargyl)estrone intermediates.
      Nucleophilic substitution onto these moieties with malonate diester followed by
      hydrolysis and complexation with cis-Pt(Me(2)en)I(2) (Me(2)en=N,N
      dimethylethylenediamine) gave cis-Pt(Me(2)en)(2-(3-(17beta-estradiol-17 alpha-yl)
      prop-2-ynyl)malonato) 7, thus demonstrating that these estrogen-derived compounds
      can be used to synthesize stable Pt(II) complexes. The 3-(17beta-estradiol-17
      alpha-yl)-prop-2-ynyl-1-sulfanylethylthiol 23 was also prepared.

PMID- 20302884
TI  - 2nd German-French DNA repair meeting - DNA damage and repair in ageing and
      degenerative diseases, Konstanz, Germany, September 20-23, 2009.
AB  - In September 2009, the French Society of Genetic Toxicology and the German
      Society for Research on DNA Repair jointly organized the '2nd German-French DNA
      repair meeting - DNA damage and repair in ageing and degenerative diseases',
      which was held in Konstanz, Germany. Here we summarize the content of the oral
      presentations given in the various scientific sessions and of prize-winning
      posters.

PMID- 20302885
TI  - Single particle reconstruction of membrane proteins: a tool for understanding the
      3D structure of disease-related macromolecules.
AB  - Membrane proteins play important roles in cell functions such as
      neurotransmission, muscle contraction, and hormone secretion, but their
      structures are mostly undetermined. Several techniques have been developed to
      elucidate the structure of macromolecules; X-ray or electron crystallography,
      nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and high-resolution electron microscopy.
      Electron microscopy-based single particle reconstruction, a computer-aided
      structure determination method, reconstructs a three-dimensional (3D) structure
      from projections of monodispersed protein. A large number of particle images are
      picked up from EM films, aligned and classified to generate two-dimensional (2D)
      averages, and, using the Euler angle of each 2D average, reconstructed into a 3D
      structure. This method is challenging due to the necessity for close
      collaboration between classical biochemistry and innovative information
      technology, including parallel computing. However, recent progress in electron
      microscopy, mathematical algorithms, and computational ability has greatly
      increased the subjects that are considered to be primarily addressable using
      single particle reconstruction. Membrane proteins are one of these targets to
      which the single particle reconstruction is successfully applied for
      understanding of their structures. In this paper, we will introduce recently
      reconstructed channel-related proteins and discuss the applicability of this
      technique in understanding molecular structures and their roles in pathology.

PMID- 20302886
TI  - 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin induces apoptosis in neural growth factor
      (NGF)-differentiated pheochromocytoma PC12 cells.
AB  - 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is a potent toxicant that alters
      normal brain development and produces cognitive disability and motor dysfunction.
      However, after decades of intense study, the molecular mechanisms of TCDD-induced
      neurotoxicity, the signaling pathways involved and its molecular targets in
      neurons still remain unknown. TCDD acts as an exogenous ligand of the aryl
      hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) that becomes a key signaling molecule in the
      regulation of the toxic and carcinogenic properties of TCDD. We have used NGF
      differentiated pheochromocytoma (dPC12) cells to determine the type of cell death
      that takes place by TCDD toxicity. TCDD induced cell death in dPC12 cultures with
      an EC(50) of 218+/-24 nM, similar to that obtained in undifferentiated PC12
      cells, 171+/-31 nM. Nuclear fragmentation was observed after TCDD incubation in
      parallel to an increase in caspase-3 activity. Staurosporine, which readily
      induced apoptosis in dPC12 cells, showed a similar increase in caspase-3 activity
      and the characteristic pattern of nuclear fragmentation. Flow cytometry
      measurements showed that dPC12 cells in the presence of TCDD were positive for
      annexin V labeling but negative for propidium iodide staining. In addition, TCDD
      increased the area of the peak corresponding to hypodiploid (apoptotic) DNA
      content. All together these results support the hypothesis that TCDD toxicity in
      dPC12 cells takes place mainly through an apoptotic process.

PMID- 20302887
TI  - The antiretroviral potency of emtricitabine is approximately 3-fold higher
      compared to lamivudine in dual human immunodeficiency virus type 1
      infection/competition experiments in vitro.
AB  - The increasing number of antiretroviral drugs leads to mounting possibilities of
      combinations for the antiretroviral therapy (ART) of HIV-1 infected patients.
      Thus, it is of interest to determine the most potent combination of
      antiretroviral drugs for the first ART to delay the development of drug
      resistance. We have investigated the differences in the inhibitory potencies of
      the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) lamivudine (3TC) and
      emtricitabine (FTC) using an in vitro model based on simultaneous infection of T
      cells with drug-sensitive and drug-resistant viruses. Changes of frequencies in
      these virus populations have been measured by allele-specific real-time PCR
      allowing simultaneous quantification of different HIV-1 variants in the same
      sample. We show that the suppression of drug-sensitive viruses is significantly
      enhanced by FTC compared to 3TC. Mathematical modeling of the distinct rates of
      suppression of drug-sensitive viruses revealed an approximately 3-fold higher
      antiretroviral potency for FTC compared to 3TC.

PMID- 20302888
TI  - Biochemical and immunopathological changes in experimental neurotoxocariasis.
AB  - Toxocariasis is a widespread soil-transmitted parasitic disease. Toxocara canis
      larvae migrate through the tissues with a special predilection for the central
      nervous system. Recently, neurotoxocariasis is being diagnosed in humans with
      increasing frequency due to improved diagnostic tools. The present study aimed at
      exploring the biochemical and immunopathological alterations in the brain in
      experimental T. canis infection. For this purpose, 75 Toxocara-infected mice were
      sacrificed at 2, 5, and 16 weeks post-infection. The brains were removed and
      assayed for total larval count, pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-6), and
      central neurotransmitters (gamma-aminobutyric acid, glutamate, dopamine,
      norepinephrine, and serotonin). Brain sections were also stained for
      histopathological study, and for assessment of the expression of inducible nitric
      oxide synthase (iNOS), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) by
      immunohistochemical methods. We found that larval recovery showed progressive
      increase over the course of infection. Furthermore, the infected mice displayed
      increased expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and iNOS, as well as
      significant disturbances in neurotransmitter profile. Astrocytic activation,
      evidenced by enhanced expression of GFAP, was also manifest in infected animals.
      These changes were maximal in the chronic stage of infection or intensified over
      time. In conclusion, experimental neurotoxocariasis is associated with
      significant biochemical, immunological, and pathological changes.

PMID- 20302889
TI  - Selection of reference genes for mRNA quantification in Trypanosoma brucei.
AB  - Internal normalization is an established procedure that is necessary for accurate
      and reliable quantification of differentially regulated mRNAs. The profound
      changes of gene expression in parasitic life cycles pose a particular challenge
      on selection of appropriate reference genes for normalization, most importantly
      when using quantitative real time PCR (qPCR). Here we use the ranking algorithm
      implemented in the geNorm application to identify suitable Trypanosoma brucei
      reference genes for comparisons between the bloodstream and procyclic
      developmental stages and for analysis of mRNA induction by environmental
      conditions. For these conditions, the TERT gene is a good choice for valid
      normalization of qPCR and is clearly superior to some other reference genes
      reported in the literature. For comparison of other conditions, the ranking
      algorithm is recommended to verify a reliable and valid normalization that is
      instrumental to quantitative analysis of gene expression.

PMID- 20302890
TI  - Identification and profiling of volatile metabolites of the biocontrol fungus
      Trichoderma atroviride by HS-SPME-GC-MS.
AB  - In the present study we describe a method, which is based on solid phase
      microextraction (SPME) coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)
      and which can be used for the profiling of microbial volatile organic compounds
      (MVOCs) in the headspace (HS) of cultures of filamentous fungi. The method
      comprises the following successive steps: 1. growth of the fungus on a solid
      culture medium directly in headspace vials, 2. measurement of volatiles by HS
      SPME-GC-MS, 3. deconvolution of mass spectra, 4. identification of volatiles by
      comparison of measured, deconvoluted mass spectra and linear temperature
      programmed retention indices (LTPRI) on two stationary GC phases with database
      entries and LTPRI published in the literature, and 5. profiling of the identified
      MVOCs. The developed method was successfully applied to cultures of the
      biocontrol fungus Trichoderma atroviride. An in-house library consisting of mass
      spectra and LTPRI values of fungal VOCs was established and used to study the
      profiles of MVOCs of this fungus. In total, 25 different MVOCs were identified by
      applying strict criteria (spectral match factor at least 90% and a maximum
      relative deviation of LTPRI of +/-2% from literature values). The MVOCs were
      assigned to the compound classes of alcohols, ketones, alkanes, furanes, pyrones
      (mainly the bioactive 6-pentyl-alpha-pyrone), mono- and sesquiterpenes, 13 of
      which have never been reported to be produced by Trichoderma spp. before. Eleven
      of these volatiles have been additionally confirmed using authentic standards.
      Finally, time course experiments and cultivation of T. atroviride in the presence
      of the mycotoxin fusaric acid demonstrated the potential of the method to study
      the dynamics of MVOC profiles as well as the effect of different
      environmental/biological conditions on the expression of MVOCs of filamentous
      fungi.

PMID- 20302891
TI  - Physical training and the dynamics of the cardiac baroreflex: a comparison when
      blood pressure rises and falls.
AB  - In the analysis of baroreceptor reflex sensitivity (BRS) through the sequence
      method, spontaneous cardiac sequences are sought in which systolic blood pressure
      (SBP) increases are accompanied by an increase in inter-beat interval (IBI) ("up"
      sequences), or in which a decrease in SBP is accompanied by a decrease in IBI
      ("down" sequences). The regression line between the SBP and the IBI values
      produces an estimate of BRS in ms/mm Hg. The "up" sequences are mainly associated
      with vagal activation and the "down" sequences with vagal inhibition. This study
      evaluated the effect of regular exercise on BRS assessed differentially for the
      "up" and "down" sequences. Thirty two regular exercisers and 27 sedentary
      students performed a serial arithmetic task after a baseline period. Results show
      that BRS in the "up" sequences was greater for the physically active group than
      for the sedentary group. For the physically active group, BRS in the "up"
      sequences was higher than BRS in the "down" sequences. The arithmetic task
      produced a significant BRS decrease in the "up" sequences for the physically
      active group but not for the sedentary group. These results show that regular
      exercise modulates the dynamics of the cardiac baroreflex. The differences
      between the "up" and "down" sequences suggest that the physically active group
      displays high parasympathetic cardiac control and autonomic cardiac adjustment to
      stressful conditions in which vagal withdrawal plays a key role in the cardiac
      response.

PMID- 20302892
TI  - Binding of dopamine and 3-methoxytyramine as l-DOPA metabolites to human alpha(2)
      adrenergic and dopaminergic receptors.
AB  - The ability of l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA), l-DOPA-methyl ester and
      their major metabolites, dopamine, dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC),
      homovanillic (HVA), 3-O-methyldopa and 3-methoxytyramine (3-MT) to bind to
      alpha(2) adrenergic and D1 and D2 dopamine receptors was assessed by radioligand
      binding to cloned human receptors expressed in cell lines. As anticipated,
      dopamine bound with high affinity to D1 (IC(50) 1.1 + or - 0.16 microM) and D2
      (IC(50) 0.7 + or - 0.3 microM) dopamine receptors. However, dopamine also bound
      with high affinity to alpha(2A) (IC(50) was 2.6 + or - 0.5 microM), alpha(2C)
      (IC(50) 3.2 + or - 0.7 microM). 3-MT bound to alpha(2A) with high affinity
      (IC(50), 3.6 + or - 0.2 microM) though moderate affinity to alpha(2)c, D1 and D2
      receptors (values of IC(50) were 55 + or - 14, 121 + or - 43, 36 + or - 14
      microM, respectively). l-DOPA-methyl ester bound with high affinity to alpha(2)
      (IC(50) 17-36 microM) but not dopamine receptors (IC(50) 0.9-2.5 mM). l-DOPA, 3-O
      methyldopa and DOPAC had no observable effect on binding to any of the receptors
      tested. These data suggest that the effects of l-DOPA in Parkinson's disease may
      result from actions of its metabolites dopamine and 3-MT on both dopaminergic and
      non-dopaminergic receptors. These findings may provide explanations for the
      differences between l-DOPA and dopamine receptor agonists in mediating anti
      parkinsonian effects and propensity to be associated with dyskinesia and motor
      complications such as wearing-off and on-off.

PMID- 20302893
TI  - Orosensory deprivation alters taste-elicited c-Fos expression in the parabrachial
      nucleus of neonatal rats.
AB  - In the present study we examined the effects of neonatal orosensory deprivation
      on taste-elicited gustatory activity in the rat parabrachial nucleus (PBN) using
      the functional anatomical marker c-Fos. Animals in three groups (GG, GO and GM)
      received gastric cannula implantation surgery on postnatal day 9 (P9). Animals in
      the fourth group (MR) did not receive any surgery. GG rats were fed by infusion
      of artificial milk directly into the stomach. GO rats were fed by intraoral
      infusion of artificial milk. GM and MR rats were reared by their mother with free
      access to mother's milk, water and rat chow. Rats from all groups were similar in
      body weight and length by P21. On P21 rats in all groups were intraorally
      presented with 0.5M sucrose solution and the brains were extracted and processed
      for c-Fos immunohistochemistry. Taste-elicited c-Fos expression in both the
      gustatory waist area, and the external lateral subnucleus of the PBN in rats in
      the GG group was significantly more robust than in the other three groups. These
      findings suggest a substantial alteration in orosensory-evoked neuronal response
      in this nucleus, due to sensory or motor deprivation during a critical
      developmental stage.

PMID- 20302894
TI  - Ca(2+)-dependent activator protein for secretion 2 and autistic-like phenotypes.
AB  - Ca(2+)-dependent activator protein for secretion 2 (CAPS2 or CADPS2) regulates
      dense-core vesicle (DCV) exocytosis. We found that CAPS2 is involved in the
      secretion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3)
      and that CAPS2 KO mice not only have deficits in neuronal development and
      survival but also exhibit abnormal behaviors, including impaired social
      interaction, hyperactivity, an abnormal sleep-wake rhythm and increased anxiety
      in unfamiliar environments. Moreover, we identified increased expression of a
      rare CAPS2 splice variant in autism patients that specifically lacks exon 3 and
      that is not transported to axons when exogenously expressed in mouse cortical
      neurons. Moreover, non-synonymous SNPs have been identified in some autistic
      patients. These results implicate CAPS2 in autism susceptibility. Therefore,
      CAPS2 KO mice will be a useful animal model to study the aspects of the
      neuropathology and behavior characteristics of neurodevelopmental disorders.

PMID- 20302895
TI  - Purification and characterization of a viral chitinase active against plant
      pathogens and herbivores from transgenic tobacco.
AB  - The Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus chitinase A (AcMNPV ChiA) is a
      chitinolytic enzyme with fungicidal and insecticidal properties. Its expression
      in transgenic plants enhances resistance against pests and fungal pathogens. We
      exploited tobacco for the production of a biologically active recombinant AcMNPV
      ChiA (rChiA), as such species is an alternative to traditional biological systems
      for large-scale enzyme production. The protein was purified from leaves using
      ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by anion exchange and gel-filtration
      chromatography. Transgenic plants produced an estimated 14 mg kg(-1) fresh leaf
      weight, which represents 0.2% of total soluble proteins. The yield of the
      purification was about 14% (2 mg kg(-1) fresh leaf weight). The comparison
      between the biochemical and kinetic properties of the rChiA with those of a
      commercial Serratia marcescens chitinase A indicated that the rChiA was
      thermostable and more resistant at basic pH, two positive features for
      agricultural and industrial applications. Finally, we showed that the purified
      rChiA enhanced the permeability of the peritrophic membrane of larvae of two
      Lepidoptera (Bombyx mori and Heliothis virescens) and inhibited spore germination
      and growth of the phytopatogenic fungus Alternaria alternata. The data indicated
      that tobacco represents a suitable platform for the production of rChiA, an
      enzyme with interesting features for future applications as "eco-friendly"
      control agent in agriculture.

PMID- 20302896
TI  - Protein A33 responsible for antibody-resistant spread of Vaccinia virus is
      homologous to C-type lectin-like proteins.
AB  - Protein A33 is a type II membrane protein present in the outer envelope of
      extracellular as well as cell-associated Vaccinia virus particles. A33 has been
      implicated in mediating cell-to-cell virus spread in an antibody-resistant
      manner. Here, using state-of-the-art structure prediction methods and structural
      modeling, we show that A33 has most likely evolved from a C-type lectin-like
      protein. Comparison of the three-dimensional A33 model to the X-ray structures of
      distant cellular homologues revealed that A33 retained the key residues required
      for adopting the C-type lectin-like fold. Our results provide insights into the
      structure and origin of protein A33.

PMID- 20302897
TI  - Patterns of gene expression in swine macrophages infected with classical swine
      fever virus detected by microarray.
AB  - Infection of domestic swine with highly virulent, classical swine fever virus
      (CSFV) strain Brescia, causes lethal disease in all infected animals. However,
      the molecular mechanisms involved in modulating the host cellular processes and
      evasion of the immune response have not been clearly established. To gain insight
      into, the early host response to CSFV, we analyzed the pattern of gene expression
      in infected swine macrophages, using custom designed swine microarrays.
      Macrophages, the target cell for CSFV infection, were isolated from primary
      cultures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, allowing us to utilize identical
      uninfected macrophages at the same time points as CSFV-infected macrophages,
      allowing only genes induced by CSFV to be identified. First, microarray probes
      were optimized by screening 244,000 probes for hybridization with RNA from
      infected and uninfected macrophages. Probes that hybridized and passed quality
      control standards were used to design a 44,000 probe microarray for this study.
      Changes in expression levels of 79 genes (48 up- and 31 down-regulated) during
      the first 48h post-infection were observed. As expected many of the genes with an
      altered pattern of expression are involved in the development of an innate immune
      response. Several of these genes had differential expression in an attenuated
      strain NS4B.VGIv, suggesting that some of these differences are responsible for
      virulence. The observed gene expression profile might help to explain the
      immunological and pathological changes associated with infection of pigs with
      CSFV Brescia.

PMID- 20302898
TI  - Inactivation of avian influenza virus H1N1 by photocatalyst under visible light
      irradiation.
AB  - A novel photocatalyst - ILUMIO (platinum-loaded tungsten oxide) - was evaluated
      for its anti-influenza virus activity with the avian isolate A/northern
      pintail/Miyagi/1472/08 (H1N1). Under a fluorescent lamp of 1000lx in the absence
      of ultraviolet light, the virus was inactivated to below the detection limit i.e.
      >5.3log inactivation within 2h. This photocatalyst can be used for coating walls,
      tables, and other surfaces to decrease virus infectivity associated with
      surfaces. This would be desirable to reduce transmission of infection due to
      indirect contact, because self-inoculation of the nasal mucosa by contaminated
      hands is a major transmission mode of influenza viruses from human to human,
      alongside with transmissions via aerosols and droplets.

PMID- 20302899
TI  - Efficient delivery of VEGF via heparin-functionalized nanoparticle-fibrin
      complex.

PMID- 20302900
TI  - Glial cells as sources and targets of natriuretic peptides.
AB  - Natriuretic peptides and their receptors are widely expressed in mammalian CNS
      and increasing evidence implicates them in the regulation of neural development,
      synaptic transmission and processing of information, and neuroprotection.
      Although the peptides have been mainly localized in neuronal populations they are
      also produced in glial cells. Astroglia and microglia also express functional
      natriuretic peptide receptors that can regulate important physiological
      responses. In this article we review evidence on the localization of natriuretic
      peptides and their receptors in astroglial and microglial cells and summarize
      data supporting the participation of this signalling system in neuron-glia and
      glia-brain blood vessel communication relevant to CNS function.

PMID- 20302901
TI  - Impaired MMN/P3a complex in first-episode psychosis: cognitive and psychosocial
      associations.
AB  - Mismatch negativity (MMN) is a neurophysiological indicator of the brain's
      ability to extract relevant information from an irrelevant background. The P3a
      orienting response often accompanies MMN in deviance detection paradigms. Both
      MMN and P3a have been described as reliable biomarkers of schizophrenia. MMN/P3a
      impairments are associated with deficits in verbal memory and attentional
      switching, reflecting dysfunctions in the temporal and frontal systems,
      respectively. It remains unresolved whether MMN/P3a are robust biomarkers of
      psychosis in first-episode patients. Thirty-four young people (18 to 30years)
      were assessed in this study; 17 first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients were
      compared to 17 healthy controls. To elicit MMN/P3a, a two-tone passive auditory
      oddball paradigm with 8% duration deviants was used; event-related potentials
      were recorded at frontal, central and temporal (mastoid) sites.
      Neuropsychological assessments included processing speed, attentional switching,
      simple attention, and verbal learning and memory. Social functioning and quality
      of life measures were also obtained. The FEP group showed significantly reduced
      MMN amplitudes compared to controls. The FEP group also showed significantly
      reduced P3a amplitudes at frontal and central sites compared with controls. As
      expected, the FEP group also showed significant deficits in attention and verbal
      learning/memory. Correlational analyses found strong associations between fronto
      central MMN/P3a peak amplitude and cognitive/psychosocial functioning. This study
      provides evidence of early neurobiological markers in young people with FEP.
      These findings suggest that MMN/P3a impairments are present at early stages of
      psychosis and that fundamental pre-attentive/deviance detection deficits may mark
      the beginning of progressive underlying changes with illness onset. Such deficits
      in FEP appear to have important links with higher-order cognitive and
      psychosocial functioning.

PMID- 20302902
TI  - Increased serum levels of high mobility group box 1 protein in patients with
      autistic disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a highly conserved, ubiquitous
      protein that functions as an activator for inducing the immune response and can
      be released from neurons after glutamate excitotoxicity. The objective of the
      present study was to measure serum levels of HMGB1 in patients with autistic
      disorder and to study their relationship with clinical characteristics. METHODS:
      We enrolled 22 adult patients with autistic disorder (mean age: 28.1+/-7.7 years)
      and 28 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (mean age: 28.7+/-8.1 years).
      Serum levels of HMGB1 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
      RESULTS: Compared with healthy subjects, serum levels of HMGB1 were significantly
      higher in patients with autistic disorder (10.8+/-2.6 ng/mL versus 5.6+/-2.5
      ng/mL, respectively, P<0.001). After adjustment for potential confounders, serum
      HMGB1 levels were independently associated with their domain A scores in the
      Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised, which reflects their impairments in social
      interaction. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that HMGB1 levels may be affected
      in autistic disorder. Increased HMGB1 may be a biological correlate of the
      impaired reciprocal social interactions in this neurodevelopmental disorder.

PMID- 20302903
TI  - Development of experimental HEMA-free three-step adhesive system.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of Bis-EMA 30 on the resin-to-dentin
      microtensile bond strength (microTBS) and structural reliability of the
      experimental three-step etch-and-rinse adhesive systems. METHODS: Five
      experimental primers containing different dimethacrylate monomer concentrations
      (0, 10, 20, 40, 60 wt% of the Bis-EMA 30, P0.P60) added to acid monomer and
      solvents (ethanol/water), and a resin bond (Bis-GMA/TEGDMA, 50/50 wt%) were
      formulated. The adhesive system Scotchbond MultiPurpose (SBMP, 3M ESPE) was
      tested as commercial reference. Sixty bovine incisors were randomly separated
      into six groups, and their superficial coronal dentin was exposed. After acid
      etching and rinsing, the excess water was removed from the surface with absorbent
      paper. Each experimental primer was actively applied (30 s), followed by a mild
      air stream (10 s). The experimental adhesive resin was applied and light
      activated for 20 s. Resin composite restorations were incrementally built up. The
      restored teeth were stored in distilled water at 37 degrees C for 24 h, and then
      sectioned to obtain sticks with a cross-sectional area of approximately 0.5
      mm(2), after which 24 specimens per group were subjected to the microTBS test.
      Data (MPa) were analyzed by One-way ANOVA, Tukey test (alpha=0.05) and Weibull
      analysis. RESULTS: The P40 group showed microTBS means similar to those of the
      control (SBMP), whereas both had statistically higher values when compared with
      the other groups (p<0.001). Moreover, P40 showed higher structural reliability,
      represented by the high Weibull modulus and characteristic strength values. The
      lowest microTBS was observed in the P0, P10 and P20 groups, which also had low
      structural reliability. SIGNIFICANCE: Bis-EMA 30 is a promising monomer to be
      considered as a substitute for HEMA in adhesive system compositions.

PMID- 20302904
TI  - Extrinsic energy sources affect hardness through depth during set of a glass
      ionomer cement.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of various energy sources on the upper and
      lower surface hardness of a setting glass ionomer with various thicknesses.
      METHOD: Cylindrical specimens (4 mm diameter by 1, 2 or 4 mm thickness) of a
      glass-ionomer cement were prepared with no applied energy source (control), by
      preheating GIC capsules in a waterbath prior to mixing, application of light with
      high irradiance or ultrasonic excitation with a scaler tip. The upper and lower
      surface hardness was measured 0.5 h, 4 h and 1 week following material mixing.
      The increase in temperature towards the lower surface of each specimen was
      monitored throughout the first 5 min of setting. RESULTS: No significant
      differences in hardness between upper and lower surfaces or varying thicknesses
      were identified for control and preheated samples at any post-mix time (p>0.05).
      At 0.5 h post-mix, the upper surface hardness of preheated, light and ultrasonic
      treatments was significantly increased compared with that of the control groups.
      Following 4 h post-mix, the overall hardness of preheated samples was
      significantly greater (p<0.001) than other sample groups, which were not
      statistically different (p=0.684). No significant differences in hardness between
      test groups were identified following 1 week (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Preheating
      GIC capsules prior to mixing resulted in superior hardness values through depth
      up to and including 4 h post-mix compared with specimen surfaces treated with
      light irradiation or with an ultrasonic scaler tip.

PMID- 20302905
TI  - Glutathione reductase plays an anti-apoptotic role against oxidative stress in
      human hepatoma cells.
AB  - The cellular roles of glutathione reductase (GR) in the reactive oxygen species
      (ROS)-induced apoptosis were studied using the HepG2 cells transfected with GR.
      The overexpression of GR caused a marked enhancement in reduced and oxidized
      glutathione (GSH/GSSG) ratio, and significantly decreased ROS levels in the
      stable transfectants. Hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), under the optimal condition
      for apoptosis, significantly decreased cellular viability and total GSH content,
      and rather increased ROS level, apoptotic percentage and caspase-3 activity in
      the mock-transfected cells. However, hydrogen peroxide could not largely generate
      these apoptotic changes in cellular viability, ROS level, apoptotic percentage,
      caspase-3 activity and total GSH content in the cells overexpressing GR. Taken
      together, GR may play a protective role against oxidative stress.

PMID- 20302906
TI  - Cortisol response to the Trier Social Stress Test in obese and reduced obese
      individuals.
AB  - Impact of body weight loss, body fat distribution and the nutritional status on
      the cortisol response to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) was investigated in
      this study. Fifty-one men (17 non-obese, 20 abdominally obese and 14 reduced
      obese) and 28 women (12 non-obese, 10 peripherally obese and 6 reduced obese)
      were subjected to the TSST in fed and fasted states. The TSST response was
      determined using salivary cortisol measurements. The nutritional status (being
      fed or fasted) had no effect on the cortisol levels during and following the
      TSST. Reduced obese men exhibited lower cortisol levels than non-obese men.
      Cortisol levels in obese men were not different from those of non-obese and
      reduced obese subjects. In women, there was no significant difference between
      groups. These finding suggest that weight status in men influences cortisol
      reactivity to a psychological stress and the different responses seen among
      genders could be linked to the different fat distributions that characterize men
      and women.

PMID- 20302907
TI  - Hodgkin-Huxley type modelling and parameter estimation of GnRH neurons.
AB  - In this paper a simple one compartment Hodgkin-Huxley type electrophysiological
      model of GnRH neurons is presented, that is able to reasonably reproduce the most
      important qualitative features of the firing pattern, such as baseline potential,
      depolarization amplitudes, sub-baseline hyperpolarization phenomenon and average
      firing frequency in response to excitatory current. In addition, the same model
      provides an acceptable numerical fit of voltage clamp (VC) measurement results.
      The parameters of the model have been estimated using averaged VC traces, and
      characteristic values of measured current clamp traces originating from GnRH
      neurons in hypothalamic slices. The resulting parameter values show a good
      agreement with literature data in most of the cases. Applying parametric changes,
      which lead to the increase of baseline potential and enhance cell excitability,
      the model becomes capable of bursting. The effects of various parameters to burst
      length have been analyzed by simulation.

PMID- 20302908
TI  - 6 Iodo-delta-lactone reproduces many but not all the effects of iodide.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Iodide has direct effects on thyroid function. Several iodinated
      lipids are biosynthesized by the thyroid and they were postulated as
      intermediaries in the action of iodide. Among them 6 iodo-delta-lactone (IL
      delta) has been identified and proposed to play a role in thyroid autoregulation.
      The aim of this study was to compare the effect of iodide and IL-delta on several
      thyroid parameters. METHODS: Thyroid bovine follicles were incubated with the
      different compounds during three days. RESULTS: KI and IL-delta inhibited iodide
      uptake, total protein and Tg synthesis but only KI had an effect on NIS and Tg
      mRNAs levels. Both compounds inhibited Na+/K+ ATPase and deoxy-glucose uptake. As
      PAX 8, FOXE 1 and TITF1 are involved in the regulation of thyroid specific genes
      their mRNA levels were measured. While iodide inhibited the expression of the
      first two, the expression of TITF1 was stimulated by iodide and IL-delta had no
      effect on these parameters. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that IL-delta
      reproduces some but not all the effects of excess iodide. These observations
      apply for higher micromolar concentrations of iodide while no such effects could
      be demonstrated at nanomolar iodide concentrations.

PMID- 20302910
TI  - Genetics and phenomics of hypothyroidism and thyroid dys- and agenesis due to
      PAX8 and TTF1 mutations.
AB  - Thyroid dysgenesis (TD) is the most common cause of congenital hypothyroidism
      (CH), a relatively frequent endocrine disease in newborns (1 in 3000-4000 live
      births). TD is a defect in the organogenesis of the gland resulting in
      hypoplastic, ectopic or absent-thyroid gland. TD is usually sporadic but
      mutations in transcription factors (PAX8, TTF1, FOXE1 and NKX2-5) involved in
      thyroid development have been shown to cause a minority of cases transmitted as
      Mendelian diseases. This review focuses on the genetics and phenomics of
      hypothyroidism and TD due to PAX8 and TTF1 mutations.

PMID- 20302909
TI  - Estrogen receptor alpha 46 is reduced in tamoxifen resistant breast cancer cells
      and re-expression inhibits cell proliferation and estrogen receptor alpha 66
      regulated target gene transcription.
AB  - Resistance to endocrine therapy is a major clinical problem in breast cancer. The
      role of ERalpha splice variants in endocrine resistance is largely unknown. We
      observed reduced protein expression of an N-terminally truncated ERalpha46 in
      endocrine-resistant LCC2, LCC9, and LY2 compared to MCF-7 breast cancer cells.
      Transfection of LCC9 and LY2 cells with hERalpha46 partially restored growth
      inhibition by TAM. Overexpression of hERalpha46 in MCF-7 cells reduced estradiol
      (E(2))-stimulated endogenous pS2, cyclin D1, nuclear respiratory factor-1 (NRF
      1), and progesterone receptor transcription. Expression of oncomiR miR-21 was
      lower in TAM-resistant LCC9 and LY2 cells compared to MCF-7 cells. Transfection
      with ERalpha46 altered the pharmacology of E(2) regulation of miR-21 expression
      from inhibition to stimulation, consistent with the hypothesis that hERalpha46
      inhibits ERalpha activity. Established miR-21 targets PTEN and PDCD4 were reduced
      in ERalpha46-transfected, E(2)-treated MCF-7 cells. In conclusion, ERalpha46
      appears to enhance endocrine responses by inhibiting selected ERalpha66
      responses.

PMID- 20302911
TI  - Auditory-evoked masseter inhibitory reflex.
AB  - We aimed to investigate auditory-evoked masseter inhibitory reflex and discuss
      possible auditory-trigeminal pathways in brainstem. Our study population
      consisted of 21 healthy volunteers (age-matched 7 males and 14 females).
      Bilateral electrical blink reflex (BR), auditory blink reflexes (ABR) and
      electrical MIR (MIR) were studied. After obtaining normal potentials, auditory
      MIR (AMIR) was studied. Electrical blink reflexes had two components as R1 and
      R2, and ABR had one evoked potential in all volunteers. There was no significant
      difference between gender, nor between right- and left-sided BR and ABR. The mean
      latency of ABR responses were shorter than latencies of R2 phase of BR (p=0.013
      for left-sided responses, p=0.035 for right-sided responses). Electrical
      stimulation revealed two suppression periods (SP1 and SP2) in MIR responses
      bilaterally in all volunteers. Auditory stimulation evoked typical two
      suppression periods only in 11 subjects (5 males, 6 females). The mean latency of
      SP1 component of AMIR was significantly longer than those of MIR bilaterally in
      both males and females, while the SP2 component had a shorter onset. The
      durations of SP1, SP2 and total SP were always shorter than those obtained in MIR
      with smaller degree of suppressions. None of the MIR or AMIR responses showed
      significance difference between sexes. We assume that auditory-evoked MIR might
      share the similar interneurons as with other electrical or nociceptive
      stimulation, which connects cochlear-trigeminal neurons via pontine reticular
      system to premotor area for masseter muscle.

PMID- 20302912
TI  - Combining spatial and temporal information to explore resting-state networks
      changes in abstinent heroin-dependent individuals.
AB  - Majority of previous heroin fMRI studies focused on abnormal brain function in
      heroin-dependent individuals. However, few fMRI studies focused on the resting
      state abnormalities in heroin-dependent individuals and assessed the relationship
      between the resting-state functional connectivity changes and duration of heroin
      use. In the present study, discrete cosine transform (DCT) was employed to
      explore spatial distribution of low frequency BOLD oscillations in heroin
      dependent individuals and healthy subjects during resting-state; meanwhile
      resting-state functional connectivity analysis was used to investigate the
      temporal signatures of overlapping brain regions obtained in DCT analysis among
      these two groups. Main finding of the present study is that the default mode
      network (DMN) and rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) network of heroin
      dependent individuals were changed compared with healthy subjects. More
      importantly, these changes negatively correlated with duration of heroin use.
      These resting-state functional abnormalities in heroin-dependent individuals
      provided evidence for abnormal functional organization in heroin-dependent
      individuals, such as functional impairments in decision-making and inhibitory
      control.

PMID- 20302913
TI  - Individual differences in cocaine-induced locomotor activity of male Sprague
      Dawley rats are not explained by plasma corticosterone levels.
AB  - Humans differ in their initial response to, and subsequent abuse of, addictive
      drugs like cocaine. Rodents also exhibit marked individual differences in
      responsiveness to cocaine. Previously, we classified male Sprague-Dawley rats as
      either low or high cocaine responders (LCRs or HCRs, respectively), based on
      their acute low-dose cocaine-induced locomotor activity, and found that with
      repeated drug exposure LCRs exhibit greater cocaine locomotor sensitization,
      reward and reinforcement than HCRs. Differential cocaine-induced increases in
      striatal dopamine help to explain the LCR/HCR phenotypes. Differential levels of
      stress and/or anxiety could also contribute but have not been explored. Here we
      measured open-field activity and plasma corticosterone levels both pre- and post
      cocaine treatment in LCRs, HCRs, and saline-treated controls. The three groups
      did not differ in baseline locomotor activity or corticosterone levels.
      Importantly, LCR/HCR differences in corticosterone levels were also not observed
      following acute cocaine (10mg/kg, i.p.), when cocaine induced approximately 3.5
      fold greater locomotor activity in HCRs than LCRs. Additionally, there were no
      LCR/HCR differences in plasma corticosterone levels following 5 days of once
      daily cocaine, during which time LCRs developed locomotor sensitization such that
      their cocaine-induced locomotor activity no longer differed from that of HCRs.
      Likewise, there were no group activity differences in any of four concentric
      zones within the open-field chamber. In summary, neither plasma corticosterone
      levels nor thigmotaxis-type anxiety appears to be a factor that contributes to
      the observed cocaine-induced LCR/HCR behavioral differences.

PMID- 20302914
TI  - Functional connectivity in fronto-subcortical circuitry during the resting state
      in obsessive-compulsive disorder.
AB  - Obsessions and compulsions mediated by cognitive inflexibility might be
      associated with abnormal resting state functional connectivity in the default
      mode network (DMN) that represents intrinsically generated neuronal activity. It
      was hypothesized that decreased functional connectivity in the DMN would occur in
      components of fronto-subcortical circuits in patients with obsessive-compulsive
      disorder (OCD). Twenty-two unmedicated OCD patients and 22 age- and sex-matched
      healthy controls received resting state functional scanning runs. The posterior
      cingulate cortex (PCC) region was chosen as the seed region for the connectivity
      analysis. Correlations between temporal connectivity with the seed region and
      scores on clinical measures and obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions were also
      assessed. OCD patients demonstrated less functional connectivity within the DMN
      in the anterior cingulate cortex, middle frontal gyrus, and putamen compared to
      controls. The functional connectivity to the PCC seed region in OCD patients was
      in the direction opposite to that in the prefrontal areas with regard to scores
      on cleaning and obsessions/checking dimensions of OCD. These data provide
      evidence for fronto-subcortical dysfunction in OCD. Results from this study also
      support the notion that OCD is a heterogeneous disorder mediated by distinct
      circuits.

PMID- 20302915
TI  - Assessing the role of the medial preoptic area in ethanol-induced hypothermia.
AB  - Administration of ethanol produces hypothermia. The preoptic area/anterior
      hypothalamus (POA/AH) contains warm- and cold-sensitive neurons that are
      important for temperature regulation. The present study evaluated the effect of
      ethanol on Fos immunoreactivity (Fos-ir) in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) and
      the effect of lesions to the MPOA on ethanol-induced hypothermia. Rats receiving
      1.5-g/kg ethanol showed an increase in Fos-ir in the MPOA. However, lesions to
      the MPOA did not affect core body temperature. These findings indicate that
      ethanol increases neural activity in the MPOA, but this increased activity does
      not influence ethanol-induced changes in core body temperature.

PMID- 20302916
TI  - The potential role of ubiquitin c-terminal hydrolases in oncogenesis.
AB  - Deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs), capable of removing ubiquitin (Ub) from protein
      substrates, are involved in numerous biological processes. The ubiquitin C
      terminal hydrolases (UCHs) subfamily of DUBs consists of four members: UCH-L1,
      UCH-L3, UCH37 and BRCA1-associated protein-1 (BAP1). UCH-L1 possesses
      deubiquitinating activity and dimerization-dependent ubiquitin ligase activity,
      and functions as a mono-ubiquitin stabilizer; UCH-L3 does both deubiquitinating
      and deneddylating activity, except dimerization or ligase activity, and unlike
      UCH-L1, can interact with Lys48-linked Ub dimers to protect it from degradation
      and in the meanwhile to inhibit its hydrolase activity; UCH37 is responsible for
      the deubiquitinating activity in the 19S proteasome regulatory complex, and as
      indicated by the recent study, UCH37 is also associated with the human Ino80
      chromatin-remodeling complex (hINO80) in the nucleus and can be activated via
      transient association of 19S regulatory particle- or proteasome-bound hRpn13 with
      hINO80; BAP1, binding to the wild-type BRCA1 RING finger domain, is regarded as a
      tumor suppressor, but for such suppressing activity, as demonstrated otherwise,
      both deubiquitinating activity and nucleus localization are required. There is
      growing evidence that UCH enzymes and human malignancies are closely correlated.
      Previous studies have shown that UCH enzymes play a crucial role in some
      signalings and cell-cycle regulation. In this review, we provided an insight into
      the relation between UCH enzymes and oncogenesis.

PMID- 20302917
TI  - Bursts and hyperexcitability in non-myelinated axons of the rat hippocampus.
AB  - Strict control over the initiation of action potentials is the primary task of a
      neuron. One way to lose proper spike control is to create several spikes, a
      burst, when only one should be initiated. We describe a new site for burst
      initiation in rat hippocampal CA3 neurons: the Schaffer collateral axons. These
      axons lack myelin, are long, extremely thin, and form synapses along their entire
      paths, features typical for many, if not most cortical axons in the mammalian
      brain. We used hippocampal slices and recorded from individual Schaffer
      collateral axons. We found that single action potentials were converted into
      bursts of two to six action potentials after blocking 4-aminopyridine (4-AP)
      sensitive K(+) channels. The CA3 somata and initial part of their axons were
      surgically removed in these experiments, leading to the conclusion that the
      bursts were initiated far out in the axons. This conclusion was supported by two
      additional kinds of experiments. First, local application of 4-AP to one out of
      two stimulated axonal branches of the same neuron showed bursting only at the 4
      AP exposed branch. Second, intracellular recordings from CA3 somata showed that
      some spontaneously occurring bursts were resistant to somatic hyperpolarization.
      We then investigated a hyperexcitable period that follows individual spikes in
      the Schaffer collaterals. With extracellular excitability testing, we showed that
      the time course of this hyperexcitability was compatible with that of the bursts,
      so this hyperexcitability could be the underlying cause of the bursts.
      Furthermore, the hyperexcitability was enhanced by low doses of 4-AP (20 microM),
      alpha-dendrotoxin (alpha-DTX) or margatoxin (MgTX). Kv1.2 containing channels may
      therefore dampen the hyperexcitability, but because bursting was observed only at
      high 4-AP concentration (1 mM), other channels may be needed to prevent axonal
      bursting.

PMID- 20302919
TI  - Acetyl-L-carnitine increases artemin level and prevents neurotrophic factor
      alterations during neuropathy.
AB  - Damages to the nervous system are the primarily cause of neuropathy and chronic
      pain. Current pharmacological treatments for neuropathic pain are not able to
      prevent or revert morphological and molecular consequences of tissue injury. On
      the other hand, many neurotrophins, like nerve growth factor (NGF), paired off
      restorative effects with hyperalgesia. Interestingly, the glial cell line-derived
      neurotrophic factors GDNF and Artemin (ARTN) seem to support neuron survival and
      to normalize abnormal pain behaviour. In the present research protein levels of
      NGF, GDNF and ARTN were evaluated in a rat model of peripheral neuropathy, the
      chronic constriction injury (CCI). NGF was increased by CCI in the ipsilateral
      dorsal root ganglia (DRG), in the spinal cord and in the periaqueductal grey
      matter (PAG). On the contrary, ARTN was decreased bilaterally in DRG, spinal cord
      and PAG. GDNF levels decreased in ipsilateral DRG, whereas the constriction did
      not modify its expression in the central nervous system districts. Repeated
      treatments with the antihyperalgesic and neuroregenerative compound acetyl-l
      carnitine (ALCAR; 100 mgkg(-1) i.p. twice daily for 15 days) was able to prevent
      the increase of NGF levels. In conditions of pain relief ALCAR normalized
      peripheral and central alterations of GDNF and ARTN levels. Characteristically,
      sham animals that underwent the same ALCAR treatment, showed increased levels of
      ARTN both in the DRG and in the spinal cord. These data offer a new point of view
      on the mechanism of the antihyperalgesic as well as the neuroprotective effect of
      ALCAR.

PMID- 20302918
TI  - Effects of age on axon terminals forming axosomatic and axodendritic inhibitory
      synapses in prefrontal cortex.
AB  - Much of the cognitive decline shown by aging primates can be attributed to
      dysfunction of prefrontal cortex and, as shown previously, about 30% of
      asymmetric (excitatory) and symmetric (inhibitory) axodendritic synapses are lost
      from the neuropil of layer 2/3 in prefrontal area 46 with age [Peters A, Sethares
      C, Luebke JI (2008) Neuroscience 152:970-981]. Whether there is a similar loss of
      inhibitory axosomatic synapses from this cortex has not been determined, but a
      study in primate motor cortex suggests that axosomatic synapses are not lost with
      age [Tigges J, Herndon JG, Peters A (1992) Anat Rec 232:305-315]. The present
      study is focused upon whether the remaining axon terminals forming inhibitory
      synapses in old monkeys hypertrophy to compensate for any age-related loss.
      Analysis of electron micrographs show that in layer 2/3 of area 46 in both young
      and old monkeys, axon terminals forming axosomatic synapses are significantly
      larger and contain more mitochondria than those forming axodendritic synapses and
      both axodendritic and axosomatic terminals become larger with age. However, while
      mitochondria in axodendritic terminals do not change in either size or amount
      with age, the mitochondria in axosomatic terminals become larger. Similarly, in
      terminals forming axodendritic synapses, the mean numbers of synaptic vesicle
      profiles is the same in young and old monkeys, whereas in terminals forming
      axosomatic synapses there is an increase in the numbers of synaptic vesicles with
      age. We also show that among these age-related changes, only the numbers of
      synaptic vesicles in axosomatic synapses are significantly correlated with the
      cognitive impairment indices displayed by the same monkeys. In summary, the data
      provide original evidence that axosomatic axon terminals increase in size and in
      their content of mitochondria and synaptic vesicles. Furthermore, based on our
      and previously published results, we speculate that these changes are linked to
      age-related cognitive decline.

PMID- 20302920
TI  - The essential oil of Eucalyptus tereticornis, and its constituents alpha- and
      beta-pinene, potentiate acetylcholine-induced contractions in isolated rat
      trachea.
AB  - The effects of the essential oil of Eucalyptus tereticornis (EOET), especially
      the effects of its constituents alpha- and beta-pinene, were studied on rat
      trachea in vitro. In tracheal rings, EOET, alpha- or beta-pinene potentiated the
      contractions induced by acetylcholine (ACh). Contractions induced by K(+) (60mM)
      were also potentiated by alpha- and beta-pinene, but were reduced by EOET. Our
      findings show that EOET has myorelaxant effects on rat airways, but potentiates
      ACh-induced contractions. Monoterpenes alpha- and beta-pinene are involved in its
      potentiating actions, but are not responsible for its myorelaxant effects. A
      putative inhibition of the acetylcholinesterase enzyme is involved.

PMID- 20302921
TI  - Chemical constituents of the Vietnamese liverwort Porella densifolia.
AB  - From the ether extract of Porella densifolia, the first liverwort collected and
      chemically investigated in Vietnam, a kaurane diterpenoid, ent-kauren-15-one (1)
      and two sesquiterpene norpinguisone (2) and norpinguisone methyl ester (3) have
      been purified. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis. In
      addition, an X-ray crystal structure of norpinguisone was obtained, allowing to
      determine its stereochemistry. Furthermore, the inhibitory activity of nitric
      oxide (NO) production in RAW 264.7 cells stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)
      of compounds 1-3 was examined with their IC(50) values of 69.4, 45.5 and 1.68
      microM, respectively.

PMID- 20302922
TI  - A new 7-oxygenated coumarin from Clausena suffruticosa.
AB  - A new coumarin, 7-[(2'E,6'E)-7'-carboxy-5'(zeta)-hydroxy-3'-methylocta-2',6'
      dienyloxy]-coumarin, was isolated from the leaf of Clausena suffruticosa. Its
      structure was established by means of spectroscopic data analyses, including mass
      spectrometry and both 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy.

PMID- 20302923
TI  - Chitin disaccharide (GlcNAc)2 induces natural competence in Vibrio cholerae
      through transcriptional and translational activation of a positive regulatory
      gene tfoXVC.
AB  - A pathogenic marine bacterium Vibrio cholerae shows natural competence for
      genetic transformation in the presence of chitin, a polymer of N
      acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc). In this study, we extensively analyzed the regulatory
      mechanisms of tfoX(VC), encoding an activator protein for the chitin-induced
      competence. Using a chromosomal tfoX(VC)-lacZ reporter system, we showed that a
      disaccharide of chitin, (GlcNAc)(2), at least was needed to activate both the
      transcription and translation of tfoX(VC). This activation was moderate at the
      transcriptional level but was strong at the translational level. We also
      identified two sequence elements, one for transcription and another for
      translation. The transcriptional control element (TCE) included a 34-bp potential
      transcriptional operator overlapped by the tfoX(VC) promoter, while the
      translational control element (TLE) consisted of a 42-bp sequence located within
      the 5'-untranslated region. Deletion of either TCE or TLE still resulted in
      (GlcNAc)(2)-dependent competence for exogenous DNA. However, the deletion in both
      elements induced competence for transformation at high efficiency regardless of
      the presence or absence of (GlcNAc)(2). These results suggested the dual
      activation of tfoX(VC) expression to be essential to induce competence. The
      highly transformable strain created here should aid the study of natural
      competence in V. cholerae.

PMID- 20302924
TI  - Preliminary assessment of COSII gene diversity in lulo and a relative species:
      initial identification of genes potentially associated with domestication.
AB  - Among the Solanum genus, Solanum quitoense Lam. (lulo) is a promising species of
      Neotropical Solanaceae to become a premium crop in international markets. Wild
      relatives of S. quitoense are a source of desirable characteristics to be
      exploited for genetic improvement. To enhance the understanding of and access to
      the genetic diversity in landrace and wild relatives of lulo, we estimated the
      relative sequence diversity among them and their wild relative Solanum hirtum.
      With the use of COSII markers, we established that diversity of cultivated lulo
      (S. quitoense) is significantly lower than that of its wild relative S. hirtum.
      In the same way, we found that diversity of lulo is similar to that previously
      reported for tomato, while the diversity of S. hirtum is comparable to that of
      other wild relatives of cultivated plants. Our results suggest that high
      variability of some genes associated to abiotic stress response and pathogen
      resistance has been favored in wild and cultivated lulo plants.

PMID- 20302925
TI  - The advantages of a novel CoQ10 delivery system in skin photo-protection.
AB  - Skin photo-ageing induced by ultraviolet (UV) radiation is mainly ascribed to
      oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) has been
      reported as a powerful antioxidant in plasma. However, CoQ10 was barely
      satisfactory in topical drug delivery because of its lipid solubility. To improve
      the anti-oxidative efficiency of CoQ10 in skin photo-ageing, the present research
      prepared a novel CoQ10 nano-structured lipid carrier (CoQ10-NLC) and
      characterised it by size and freeze-fracture transmission electron microscopy (FF
      TEM). In UVA-irradiated fibroblasts, the protection of CoQ10-NLC was more
      effective than the CoQ10-emulsion as demonstrated by cell viability and
      morphological changes of the cell body and nucleus. In addition, malondialdehyde
      (MDA, the product of lipid peroxidation) concentration decreased by 61.5% in the
      group treated with CoQ10-NLC compared to the group subjected to general CoQ10
      emulsion. In the presence of CoQ10-NLC, the activities of the anti-oxidative
      enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px) were
      reinstated to 81% and 75%, respectively, of the control group. In vivo, the CoQ10
      NLC displayed a stronger capability to penetrate the stratum corneum and permeate
      the dermis after a topical skin application. These results reveal that CoQ10-NLC
      has greater antioxidant properties and topical skin penetration than the CoQ10
      emulsion.

PMID- 20302926
TI  - Preparation and cytotoxic activity of hydroxycamptothecin nanosuspensions.
AB  - Hydroxycamptothecin is a promising anticancer agent that possesses the ability to
      inhibit the growth of a wide range of human tumors. Owing to its poor solubility
      and instability, the pharmaceutical development and clinical utilization of
      hydroxycamptothecin have been limited. In the present study, a novel
      precipitation-combined high-pressure homogenization (PCH) technique was used to
      prepare hydroxycamptothecin nanosuspensions. Based on the homogenization pressure
      and number of cycles, the process with 10 cycles at 18,000 psi of homogenization
      pressure was found to be the most efficient method to achieve consistent particle
      size reduction. It was used to prepare nanosuspensions for characterization and
      evaluation of the formulation performance. Lyophilization of hydroxycamptothecin
      nanosuspensions, the shape and crystal form of the drug, and antiproliferative
      activity were also studied. The mean particle size (z-ave) of the reconstituted
      freeze-dried powder was small and uniform. The freeze-dried powder might be a
      good choice for intravenously administrating poorly soluble hydroxycamptothecin,
      which proved to have higher cytotoxicity against the cancer cells than
      hydroxycamptothecin injections (p<0.001). Overall, these studies have
      demonstrated that the PCH technique can be used successfully to prepare
      hydroxycamptothecin nanosuspensions.

PMID- 20302928
TI  - Importance of lactobacilli in food and feed biotechnology.
AB  - The genus Lactobacillus is a heterogeneous group of lactic acid bacteria (LAB)
      with important implications in food fermentation. The ability to colonize a
      variety of habitats is a direct consequence of the wide metabolic versatility of
      this group of LAB. Consequently, lactobacilli have been used for decades in food
      preservation, as starters for dairy products, fermented vegetables, fish and
      sausages as well as silage inoculants. Lactobacilli have also been proposed as
      probiotics and microbial cell factories for the production of nutraceuticals.
      However, a wide range of applications of lactobacilli in food biotechnology
      remains potential, whereas a number of important strains still need to be
      discovered and characterized. This article provides an overview of the taxonomy
      of lactobacilli and describes four of the most significant case studies on the
      application of this group of LAB in food and feed biotechnology, including their
      use as probiotics, dairy starters, silage inoculants, and microbial cell
      factories. The importance of access to and exchange of biological material within
      and between different strain collections as a crucial step in expanding the range
      of different biotechnological applications of lactobacilli is also emphasized.

PMID- 20302927
TI  - Oxidative stress modulates PPAR gamma in vascular endothelial cells.
AB  - The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma) plays an
      important role in vascular regulation. However, the impact of oxidative stress on
      PPAR gamma expression and activity has not been clearly defined. Human umbilical
      vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were exposed to graded concentrations of H(2)O(2)
      for 0.5-72h, or bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) were exposed to
      alterations in extracellular thiol/disulfide redox potential (E(h)) of the
      cysteine/cystine couple. Within 2h, H(2)O(2) reduced HUVEC PPAR gamma mRNA and
      activity and reduced the expression of two PPAR gamma-regulated genes without
      altering PPAR gamma protein levels. After 4h H(2)O(2) exposure, mRNA levels
      remained reduced, whereas PPAR gamma activity returned to control levels. PPAR
      gamma mRNA levels remained depressed for up to 72 h after exposure to H(2)O(2),
      without any change in PPAR gamma activity. Catalase prevented H(2)O(2)-induced
      reductions in PPAR gamma mRNA and activity. H(2)O(2) (1) reduced luciferase
      expression in HUVECs transiently transfected with a human PPAR gamma promoter
      reporter, (2) failed to alter PPAR gamma mRNA half-life, and (3) transiently
      increased expression and activity of c-Fos and phospho-c-Jun. Treatment with the
      AP1 inhibitor curcumin prevented H(2)O(2)-mediated reductions in PPAR gamma
      expression. In addition, medium having an oxidized E(h) reduced BAEC PPAR gamma
      mRNA and activity. These findings demonstrate that oxidative stress, potentially
      through activation of inhibitory redox-regulated transcription factors,
      attenuates PPAR gamma expression and activity in vascular endothelial cells
      through suppression of PPAR gamma transcription.

PMID- 20302929
TI  - Glutaric aciduria type I and methylmalonic aciduria: simulation of cerebral
      import and export of accumulating neurotoxic dicarboxylic acids in in vitro
      models of the blood-brain barrier and the choroid plexus.
AB  - Intracerebral accumulation of neurotoxic dicarboxylic acids (DCAs) plays an
      important pathophysiological role in glutaric aciduria type I and methylmalonic
      aciduria. Therefore, we investigated the transport characteristics of
      accumulating DCAs - glutaric (GA), 3-hydroxyglutaric (3-OH-GA) and methylmalonic
      acid (MMA) - across porcine brain capillary endothelial cells (pBCEC) and human
      choroid plexus epithelial cells (hCPEC) representing in vitro models of the blood
      brain barrier (BBB) and the choroid plexus respectively. We identified expression
      of organic acid transporters 1 (OAT1) and 3 (OAT3) in pBCEC on mRNA and protein
      level. For DCAs tested, transport from the basolateral to the apical site (i.e.
      efflux) was higher than influx. Efflux transport of GA, 3-OH-GA, and MMA across
      pBCEC was Na(+)-dependent, ATP-independent, and was inhibited by the OAT
      substrates para-aminohippuric acid (PAH), estrone sulfate, and taurocholate, and
      the OAT inhibitor probenecid. Members of the ATP-binding cassette transporter
      family or the organic anion transporting polypeptide family, namely MRP2, P-gp,
      BCRP, and OATP1B3, did not mediate transport of GA, 3-OH-GA or MMA confirming the
      specificity of efflux transport via OATs. In hCPEC, cellular import of GA was
      dependent on Na(+)-gradient, inhibited by NaCN, and unaffected by probenecid
      suggesting a Na(+)-dependent DCA transporter. Specific transport of GA across
      hCPEC, however, was not found. In conclusion, our results indicate a low but
      specific efflux transport for GA, 3-OH-GA, and MMA across pBCEC, an in vitro
      model of the BBB, via OAT1 and OAT3 but not across hCPEC, an in vitro model of
      the choroid plexus.

PMID- 20302930
TI  - Menage a trois: aldosterone, sodium and nitric oxide in vascular endothelium.
AB  - Aldosterone, a mineralocorticoid hormone mainly synthesized in the adrenal
      cortex, has been recognized to be a regulator of cell mechanics. Recent data from
      a number of laboratories implicate that, besides kidney, the cardiovascular
      system is an important target for aldosterone. In the endothelium, it promotes
      the expression of epithelial sodium channels (ENaC) and modifies the morphology
      of cells in terms of mechanical stiffness, surface area and volume. Additionally,
      it renders the cells highly sensitive to small changes in extracellular sodium
      and potassium. In this context, the time course of aldosterone action is pivotal.
      In the fast (seconds to minutes), non-genomic signalling pathway vascular
      endothelial cells respond to aldosterone with transient swelling, softening and
      insertion of ENaC in the apical plasma membrane. In parallel, nitric oxide (NO)
      is released from the cells. In the long-term (hours), aldosterone has opposite
      effects: The mechanical stiffness increases, the cells shrink and NO production
      decreases. This leads to the conclusion that both the physiology and
      pathophysiology of aldosterone action in the vascular endothelium are closely
      related. Aldosterone, at concentrations in the physiological range and over
      limited time periods can stabilize blood pressure and regulate tissue perfusion
      while chronically high concentrations of this hormone over extended time periods
      impair sodium homeostasis promoting endothelial dysfunction and the development
      of tissue fibrosis.

PMID- 20302931
TI  - Vitamin D as an inducer of cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide expression: past,
      present and future.
AB  - Vitamin D was discovered as the preventive agent of nutritional rickets, a defect
      in bone development due to inadequate uptake of dietary calcium. However, a
      variety of studies over the last several years has revealed that vitamin D
      controls much more than calcium homeostasis. For example, recent research has
      underlined the key role of vitamin D signaling in regulation of innate immunity
      in humans. Vitamin D is converted to 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25D), its major
      circulating form, and then to hormonal 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25D) in target
      cells. We now know that when cells of the immune system such a macrophages sense
      a bacterial infection they acquire the capacity to convert circulating 25D into
      1,25D. Moreover, 1,25D thus produced is a direct inducer of expression of genes
      encoding antimicrobial peptides, in particular cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide
      (CAMP). Antimicrobial peptides such as CAMP are vanguards of innate immune
      responses to bacterial infection and can act as signaling molecules to regulate
      immune system function. This review covers what we have learned in the past few
      years about the expression and function of CAMP under physiological and
      pathophysiological conditions, and addresses the potential future applications of
      vitamin D analogues to therapeutic regulation of CAMP expression.

PMID- 20302932
TI  - Human T lymphocytes are direct targets of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in the immune
      system.
AB  - Besides its actions on minerals and bone, the bioactive vitamin D metabolite,
      1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3), has important immunomodulatory
      properties. Within the immune system, dendritic cells represent key targets for
      this hormone and 1,25(OH)2D3-induced changes in their phenotype and function
      ultimately affects T lymphocytes. However, the presence of vitamin D receptors
      (VDR) in activated T cells proposes additional mechanisms for 1,25(OH)2D3 to
      directly regulate T cell responses. Here, we investigated the expression and
      kinetics of vitamin D-related genes in human activated T lymphocytes. Different
      activation stimuli elicited increased VDR- and 1-alpha-hydroxylase expression,
      with a highly similar kinetic pattern. Addition of 1,25(OH)2D3 effectively
      triggered VDR signaling, as evidenced by 24-hydroxylase induction, but only when
      introduced to T lymphocytes expressing high levels of VDR. This enhanced degree
      of VDR signaling correlated with a stronger inhibition of cytokines (IFN-gamma,
      IL-10) and modulation of homing receptor expression (CCR10, CLA) in long-term T
      cell cultures. Importantly, chronic 1,25(OH)2D3-exposure further amplified VDR
      signaling and the concomitant T cell modulating effects. In conclusion, we
      validate T cells as direct targets for 1,25(OH)2D3 and provide this optimized in
      vitro model to improve our understanding of the role of vitamin D as a direct
      regulator of T cell responses.

PMID- 20302934
TI  - A new marker for early diagnosis of 21-hydroxylase deficiency:
      3beta,16alpha,17alpha-trihydroxy-5alpha-pregnane-7,20-dione.
AB  - In neonates with 21-hydroxylase deficiency the specific marker 11-oxo
      pregnanetriol is at low levels in the first days of life and this drives the
      search for alternatives. We describe the structural characterisation of a new
      early marker, 3beta,16alpha,17alpha-trihydroxy-5alpha-pregnane-7,20-dione. Urine
      samples from 87 untreated and 11 recently treated newborns with 21-hydroxylase
      deficiency (42 males and 56 females) between birth and 40 days of age and control
      samples from 7 healthy neonates (4 males, 3 females) were compared. Steroids were
      analyzed as methyloxime-trimethylsilyl ether derivatives by GC-MS and GC-MS/MS,
      after extraction and enzymatic conjugate hydrolysis. Microchemical methods and
      deuterated derivatives were used. The new steroid was identified by comparison
      with 3beta,16alpha,17alpha-trihydroxy-preg-5-en-20-one and 3beta-hydroxy-5alpha
      pregnane-7,20-dione standards. It was present for the first 4 weeks after birth
      (with a maximum around day 4) and showed a marked inter-individual variability.
      No effect of treatment was evident and levels were much higher than for 11-oxo
      pregnanetriol in the first days of life. Only traces were found in controls. The
      likely involvement of oxysterol 7alpha-hydroxylase (CYP7B1) from the 'acidic'
      pathway of bile acid synthesis and 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-1 in the
      generation of the 7-oxo group is discussed. We conclude that this steroid is a
      useful early marker of 21-hydroxylase deficiency.

PMID- 20302933
TI  - Seasonal 25-hydroxyvitamin D changes in British postmenopausal women at 57
      degrees N and 51 degrees N: a longitudinal study.
AB  - The UK has insufficient intensity of sunlight at wavelengths 290-315 nm to enable
      cutaneous synthesis of vitamin D from October to April. There are regional
      differences in UVB strength throughout the UK but whether this translates to
      differences in vitamin D status is not known. We have reported seasonal
      variations in a cross-sectional study of over 3000 Scottish women in Aberdeen.
      The aim of this longitudinal study was to compare the seasonal variation of serum
      25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] in postmenopausal women residing in Aberdeen (57
      degrees N) and Surrey (51 degrees N). Women attended 3-monthly visits over 12
      months, starting summer 2006. In Aberdeen, 338 Caucasian women (mean age+/-SD,
      61.7+/-1.5 years); and at Surrey, 138 Caucasian women (61.4+/-4.5 years) and 35
      Asian women (59.9+/-6.4 years) had serum 25(OH)D measured by IDS enzyme
      immunoassay. In winter/spring none of the Caucasian women living in Surrey had
      25(OH)D<20 nmol/L, but nearly a quarter of women in Aberdeen were vitamin D
      deficient. This number decreased to 4.2% in summer/autumn. For the Asian women
      17.1% were vitamin D-deficient in summer, increasing to 58.1% in winter. Using
      higher 25(OH)D deficiency cut-offs, the percentage of women affected was much
      higher. These longitudinal data show clear differences in vitamin D status
      between the north and south of the UK, and marked ethnic differences. They are
      consistent with our previous data and with cross-sectional data from the 1958
      birth cohort. The low vitamin D status may have implications for bone health and
      other health outcomes, which is currently being investigated in this publication
      group. The extent of vitamin D deficiency in Asian women residing in the South of
      England is of concern.

PMID- 20302935
TI  - Standardization of testosterone measurements in humans.
AB  - Testosterone levels are used primarily for the diagnosis of hypogonadism in men
      and androgen excess in women. Current studies suggest that serum testosterone
      measurements may be indicated in a wide range of diseases and conditions.
      Translation of testosterone levels outside of the reference ranges into clinical
      treatment, appropriate cut offs for clinical guidelines and epidemiological
      studies with public health impact pose challenges due to the measurement
      variability among assays and in assay sensitivity. While introducing mass
      spectrometry technology can overcome some of these challenges and help to improve
      measurements, it faces variability issues similar to those observed with
      immunoassays that need to be addressed. To overcome these problems in
      testosterone testing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National
      Center for Environmental Health, Division of Laboratory Sciences (CDC/NCEH/DLS)
      started a steroid hormone standardization project. Their objective was to create
      testosterone measurement results that are traceable to one accuracy basis, thus
      allowing measurements to be comparable across methods, time, and location.
      CDC/NCEH/DLS conducts activities to standardize and improve testosterone assays
      and laboratory measurements by establishing metrological traceability to a higher
      order reference method and material. In addition, the standardization effort
      includes pre- and post-analytical challenges, such as test selection,
      interpretation, and establishing reference ranges to improve the translation of
      standardized results into clinical guidelines and public health assessments. CDC
      is conducting these standardization activities in collaboration with the
      clinical, laboratory, and research communities.

PMID- 20302936
TI  - Highly sensitive and specific analysis of sterol profiles in biological samples
      by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS.
AB  - High-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) is a
      powerful method for the microanalysis of compounds in biological samples.
      Compared with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), this method is more
      broadly applicable to various compounds and usually does not require a
      derivatization step before analysis. However, when neutral sterols are analyzed,
      the sensitivities of usual HPLC-MS/MS method are not superior to those of GC-MS
      because the sterols are relatively resistant to ionization. In this review, we
      introduce the recent development of HPLC-MS/MS analysis for the quantification of
      non-cholesterol sterols. By adding an effective derivatization step to the
      conventional procedure, sterol analysis by HPLC-MS/MS surpassed that obtained by
      GC-MS in sensitivity. In addition, sufficient specificity of this method was
      achieved by selected reaction monitoring (SRM) and thorough chromatographic
      separation of each sterol.

PMID- 20302937
TI  - Preclinical challenges in steroid analysis of human samples.
AB  - Preclinical challenges in the analysis of steroid hormones are primarily
      determined by biological factors involved in the physiology and pathophysiology
      of hormone secretion. Major biologically influencing factors like age, sex,
      pubertal stage, pregnancy, phase of the menstruation, and diurnal rhythm have to
      be considered in the definition of reference ranges for steroids and their
      clinical interpretation. Hitherto, in clinical routine laboratories steroids were
      mainly determined by direct immunoassays applied on automated platforms, which
      are simple, rapid and cheap if a high number of samples are measured. However,
      technical factors like cross-reactivity of related steroid metabolites or limited
      analytical ranges have to be taken in account and may impair accuracy and
      precision of these direct methods. The actual development of mass spectrometry
      based analytical platforms for the determination of single steroid or steroid
      patterns seems to be an alternative analytical approach combining multi
      parametric analysis, high sensitivity and specificity as well simple sample pre
      treatment, robustness and low running costs for steroid analysis. This short
      review will give an overview about biological influencing factors and technical
      disturbing factors of routinely used immunoassay for the analysis of steroids.
      The application of LC-MS/MS as an alternative routine high-throughput platform
      for steroid analysis and its perspective role in the standardization and
      harmonisation of steroid measurements in clinical routine application will be
      discussed.

PMID- 20302938
TI  - Proficiency testing of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) assays.
AB  - The Vitamin D External Quality Assessment Scheme (DEQAS) has been monitoring 25
      OHD assay performance since 1989. The scheme has expanded rapidly in recent years
      and has 670 participants in 35 countries (July 2009). Five samples of human serum
      are distributed quarterly and the results analyzed to give an All-Laboratory
      Trimmed Mean (ALTM) and SD. Each participant has internet access to a preliminary
      report after submission of results and, following the results deadline, a final
      report is e-mailed to designated staff in each laboratory. The last 15 years has
      seen an improvement in mean inter-laboratory imprecision (CV), from 32.0% (1994)
      to 15.3% (2009) and most major methods are now giving results within plus or
      minus 7.4% of the ALTM (2009). DEQAS has regularly conducted and reported on a
      number of investigations into the performance of 25-OHD methods. A gas
      chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) reference method for 25-OHD is under
      development and will be used to assess whether the ALTM remains the most
      appropriate target for DEQAS samples.

PMID- 20302939
TI  - Alzheimer's disease and tauopathy studies in flies and worms.
AB  - Progressive dementias like Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and other tauopathies are an
      increasing threat to human health worldwide. Although significant progress has
      been made in understanding the pathogenesis of these diseases using cell culture
      and mouse models, the complexity of these diseases has still prevented a
      comprehensive understanding of their underlying causes. As with other
      neurological diseases, invertebrate models have provided novel genetic approaches
      for investigating the molecular pathways that are affected in tauopathies,
      including AD. This review focuses on transgenic models that have been established
      in Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans to investigate these
      diseases, and the insights that have been gained from these studies. Also
      included are a brief description of the endogenous versions of human "disease
      genes" (like tau and the Amyloid Precursor Protein) that are expressed in
      invertebrates, and an overview of results that have been obtained from animals
      lacking or overexpressing these genes. These diverse models can be used to
      advance our knowledge about how these proteins acquire a pathogenic function and
      how disrupting their normal functions may contribute to neurological pathologies.
      They also provide powerful assays for identifying molecular and genetic
      interactions that are important in developing or preventing the deleterious
      effects.

PMID- 20302941
TI  - A novel TWO-STEP renaturation procedure for efficient production of recombinant
      BMP-2.
AB  - Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) stimulate bone formation and thus constitute
      important protein therapeutics. Here, a novel procedure is presented which allows
      fast and efficient production of biologically active BMP-2 via a TWO-STEP
      procedure: the conditions are designed such that the first step favors formation
      of monomeric species with the correct intramolecular disulfide bridges, the
      conditions of the second folding reaction stimulate the formation of the
      intermolecular disulfide bridge. The short processing times and increased yields
      compared to previously published procedures allow low-cost production of this
      important protein drug.

PMID- 20302942
TI  - High-yield expression of human vascular endothelial growth factor VEGF(165) in
      Escherichia coli and purification for therapeutic applications.
AB  - Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF(165)) is a potent mitogen that induces
      angiogenesis and vascular permeability in vivo and has demonstrated potential in
      therapeutic applications for accelerating wound healing. An industrial production
      method that provides high yield as well as high purity, quality, and potency is
      needed. The process described in this report involves a bacterial expression
      system capable of producing approximately 9g of rhVEGF per liter of broth and a
      downstream purification process consisting of protein refolding and three
      chromatography steps prior to formulation of the drug substance. A high cell
      density (HCD) fed-batch fermentation process was used to produce rhVEGF in
      periplasmic inclusion bodies. The inclusion bodies are harvested from the cell
      lysate and subjected to a single-step protein solubilization and refolding
      operation to extract the rhVEGF for purification. Overall recovery yields
      observed during development, including refolding and chromatography, were 30+/
      6%. Host cell impurities are consistently cleared below target levels at both
      laboratory and large-scale demonstrating process robustness. The structure of the
      refolded and purified rhVEGF was confirmed by mass spectrometry, N-terminal
      sequencing, and tryptic peptide mapping while product variants were analyzed by
      multiple HPLC assays. Biological activity was verified by the proliferation of
      human umbilical vein derived endothelial cells.

PMID- 20302943
TI  - Synthesis of human renalase1 in Escherichia coli and its purification as a FAD
      containing holoprotein.
AB  - Renalase is a protein ubiquitous in vertebrates, which has been proposed to
      modulate blood pressure and heart rate, and whose downregulation might result in
      hypertension. Despite its potential relevance for human health, the biochemical
      characterization of renalase is still lacking, possibly due to difficulties in
      obtaining it in recombinant form. By expressing two different gene constructs, we
      found that the major isoform of human renalase, renalase1, is mainly produced in
      Escherichia coli in inclusion bodies. However, by optimizing the expression
      conditions, significant amounts of soluble products were obtained. Both soluble
      renalase forms have been purified to homogeneity exploiting their N-terminal His
      tag. Linking of the protein of interest to the SUMO protein did not improve
      solubility, but yielded untagged renalase1 after proteolytic processing of the
      fusion product. The two recombinant renalase forms displayed the same molecular
      properties. They bind equimolar amounts of FAD and appear to be correctly folded
      by various criteria. The procedures for the production and isolation of
      recombinant renalase1 here reported are expected to boost the much awaited
      biochemical studies on this remarkable protein.

PMID- 20302940
TI  - Molecular insights and therapeutic targets for blood-brain barrier disruption in
      ischemic stroke: critical role of matrix metalloproteinases and tissue-type
      plasminogen activator.
AB  - Blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption, mediated through matrix metalloproteinases
      (MMPs) and other mechanisms, is a critical event during ischemic stroke. Tissue
      plasminogen activator (tPA) is the only FDA-approved thrombolytic therapy for
      acute ischemic stroke, but the efficacy and safety of its therapeutic application
      are limited by narrow treatment time windows and side effects. Thus, there is a
      pressing need to develop combinational therapy that could offset tPA side effects
      and improve efficacy in clinical practice. Recent experimental studies indicate
      that tPA has previously unidentified functions in the brain beyond its well
      established thrombolytic activity, which might contribute to tPA-related side
      effects through MMPs (mainly MMP-9) and several signaling pathways involved in
      LDL receptor-related protein (LRP), activated protein C (APC) and protease
      activated receptor 1 (PAR-1), platelet-derived growth factor C (PDGF-C), and N
      methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. Therapeutic targeting of MMPs and/or tPA
      related signaling pathways might offer promising new approaches to combination
      therapies for ischemic stroke. This review provides an overview of the
      relationship between structural components and function of the BBB/neurovascular
      unit with respect to ischemic stroke. We discuss how MMPs and tPA contribute to
      BBB disruption during ischemic stroke and highlight recent findings of molecular
      signaling pathways involved in neurotoxicity of tPA therapy.

PMID- 20302945
TI  - Neural basis of extraordinary empathy and altruistic motivation.
AB  - A central evolutionary challenge for social groups is uniting a heterogeneous set
      of individuals towards common goals. One means by which social groups form and
      endure is by endowing group members with extraordinary prosocial proclivities,
      such as ingroup love, towards other group members. Here we examined the neural
      basis of extraordinary empathy and altruistic motivation in African-American and
      Caucasian-American individuals using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Our
      results indicate that empathy for ingroup members is neurally distinct from
      empathy for humankind, more generally. People showed greater response within
      anterior cingulate cortex and bilateral insula when observing the suffering of
      others, but African-American individuals additionally recruit medial prefrontal
      cortex when observing the suffering of members of their own social group.
      Moreover, neural activity within medial prefrontal cortex in response to pain
      expressed by ingroup relative to outgroup members predicted greater empathy and
      altruistic motivation for one's ingroup, suggesting that neurocognitive processes
      associated with self identity underlie extraordinary empathy and altruistic
      motivation for members of one's own social group. Taken together, our findings
      reveal distinct neural mechanisms of empathy and altruistic motivation in an
      intergroup context and may serve as a foundation for future research
      investigating the neural bases of intergroup prosociality, more broadly
      construed.

PMID- 20302946
TI  - Decreased activation of lateral orbitofrontal cortex during risky choices under
      uncertainty is associated with disadvantageous decision-making and suicidal
      behavior.
AB  - Decision-making impairment has been linked to orbitofrontal cortex lesions and to
      different disorders including substance abuse, aggression and suicidal behavior.
      Understanding the neurocognitive mechanisms of these impairments could facilitate
      the development of effective treatments. In the current study, we aimed to
      explore the neural and cognitive basis of poor decision-making ability associated
      with the vulnerability to suicidal behavior, a public health issue in most
      western countries. Twenty-five not currently depressed male patients, 13 of whom
      had a history of suicidal acts (suicide attempters) and 12 of whom had none
      (affective controls), performed an adapted version of the Iowa Gambling Task
      during functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Task-related functional Regions-of
      Interest were independently defined in 15 male healthy controls performing the
      same task (Lawrence et al., 2009). In comparison to affective controls, suicide
      attempters showed 1) poorer performance on the gambling task 2) decreased
      activation during risky relative to safe choices in left lateral orbitofrontal
      and occipital cortices 3) no difference for the contrast between wins and losses.
      Altered processing of risk under conditions of uncertainty, associated with left
      lateral orbitofrontal cortex dysfunction, could explain the decision-making
      deficits observed in suicide attempters. These impaired cognitive and neural
      processes may represent future predictive markers and therapeutic targets in a
      field where identification of those at risk is poor and specific treatments are
      lacking. These results also add to our growing understanding of the role of the
      orbitofrontal cortex in decision-making and psychopathology.

PMID- 20302944
TI  - Phonetically irregular word pronunciation and cortical thickness in the adult
      brain.
AB  - Accurate pronunciation of phonetically irregular words (exception words) requires
      prior exposure to unique relationships between orthographic and phonemic
      features. Whether such word knowledge is accompanied by structural variation in
      areas associated with orthographic-to-phonemic transformations has not been
      investigated. We used high-resolution MRI to determine whether performance on a
      visual word-reading test composed of phonetically irregular words, the Wechsler
      Test of Adult Reading (WTAR), is associated with regional variations in cortical
      structure. A sample of 60 right-handed, neurologically intact individuals were
      administered the WTAR and underwent 3T volumetric MRI. Using quantitative,
      surface-based image analysis, cortical thickness was estimated at each vertex on
      the cortical mantle and correlated with WTAR scores while controlling for age.
      Higher scores on the WTAR were associated with thicker cortex in bilateral
      anterior superior temporal gyrus, bilateral angular gyrus/posterior superior
      temporal gyrus, and left hemisphere intraparietal sulcus. Higher scores were also
      associated with thinner cortex in left hemisphere posterior fusiform gyrus and
      central sulcus, bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, and right hemisphere lingual
      gyrus and supramarginal gyrus. These results suggest that the ability to
      correctly pronounce phonetically irregular words is associated with structural
      variations in cortical areas that are commonly activated in functional
      neuroimaging studies of word reading, including areas associated with grapheme-to
      phonemic conversion.

PMID- 20302948
TI  - Purely endogenous capture of attention by task-defining features proceeds
      independently from spatial attention.
AB  - Attention can be focused voluntarily and effectively on spatial locations in
      order to enhance the processing of task-relevant events. However, work on
      'attentional capture' has demonstrated that spatial biases can be temporarily
      reset by transient and salient stimuli, especially if they share defining
      characteristics with the targets of a task goal. In the current study, we
      investigated whether the appearance of stimuli containing task-defining features
      at an unattended location was sufficient to capture attention, even when these
      were not perceptually salient. We used event-related-potential (ERP) markers to
      test whether the selection of task-defining features was modulated by top-down
      spatial attention, and to test whether the appearance of 'unattended targets'
      transiently disrupted the spatial bias. Surprisingly, the results revealed that
      ERP markers of selection of task-defining features were equivalent for stimuli
      appearing at spatially attended and unattended locations. In addition, the
      presentation of task-defining stimuli at the spatially unattended location
      induced a short-lived redistribution of the pre-established spatial attention
      bias toward the 'capture' side. These findings show that task-defining features
      of a stimulus are automatically processed independently from spatial attention,
      and suggest the co-existence of multiple sources of top-down biasing signals,
      which might in part sustain the capture mechanism.

PMID- 20302947
TI  - Brain activity during bladder filling is related to white matter structural
      changes in older women with urinary incontinence.
AB  - Evidence from longitudinal studies in community-dwelling elderly links complaints
      of urgency and urinary incontinence with structural white matter changes known as
      white matter hyperintensities (WMH). How WMH might lead to incontinence remains
      unknown, since information about how they relate to neural circuits involved in
      continence control is lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the role
      of WMH in altered brain activity in older women with urgency incontinence. In a
      cross-sectional study, we measured WMH, globally and in specific white matter
      tracts, and correlated them with regional brain activity measured by fMRI
      (combined with simultaneous urodynamic monitoring) during bladder filling and
      reported 'urgency'. We postulated that increase in global WMH burden would be
      associated with changes (either attenuation or reinforcement) in responses to
      bladder filling in brain regions involved in bladder control. Secondly, we
      proposed that such apparent effects of global WMH burden might be specifically
      related to the burden in a few critical white matter pathways. The results showed
      that regional activations (e.g. medial/superior frontal gyrus adjacent to dorsal
      ACG) and deactivations (e.g. perigenual ACG adjacent to ventromedial prefrontal
      cortex) became more prominent with increased global WMH burden, suggesting that
      activity aimed at suppressing urgency was augmented. Secondary analyses confirmed
      that the apparent effect of global WMH burden might reflect the presence of WMH
      in specific pathways (anterior thalamic radiation and superior longitudinal
      fasciculus), thus affecting connections between key regions and suggesting
      possible mechanisms involved in continence control.

PMID- 20302949
TI  - Predicting variations of perceptual performance across individuals from neural
      activity using pattern classifiers.
AB  - Within the past decade computational approaches adopted from the field of machine
      learning have provided neuroscientists with powerful new tools for analyzing
      neural data. For instance, previous studies have applied pattern classification
      algorithms to electroencephalography data to predict the category of presented
      visual stimuli, human observer decision choices and task difficulty. Here, we
      quantitatively compare the ability of pattern classifiers and three ERP metrics
      (peak amplitude, mean amplitude, and onset latency of the face-selective N170) to
      predict variations across individuals' behavioral performance in a difficult
      perceptual task identifying images of faces and cars embedded in noise. We
      investigate three different pattern classifiers (Classwise Principal Component
      Analysis, CPCA; Linear Discriminant Analysis, LDA; and Support Vector Machine,
      SVM), five training methods differing in the selection of training data sets and
      three analyses procedures for the ERP measures. We show that all three pattern
      classifier algorithms surpass traditional ERP measurements in their ability to
      predict individual differences in performance. Although the differences across
      pattern classifiers were not large, the CPCA method with training data sets
      restricted to EEG activity for trials in which observers expressed high
      confidence about their decisions performed the highest at predicting perceptual
      performance of observers. We also show that the neural activity predicting the
      performance across individuals was distributed through time starting at 120ms,
      and unlike the face-selective ERP response, sustained for more than 400ms after
      stimulus presentation, indicating that both early and late components contain
      information correlated with observers' behavioral performance. Together, our
      results further demonstrate the potential of pattern classifiers compared to more
      traditional ERP techniques as an analysis tool for modeling spatiotemporal
      dynamics of the human brain and relating neural activity to behavior.

PMID- 20302950
TI  - Size and probability of rewards modulate the feedback error-related negativity
      associated with wins but not losses in a monetarily rewarded gambling task.
AB  - Feedback error-related negativity (fERN) has been referred to as a negative
      deflection in the event related potential (ERP), which distinguishes between wins
      and losses in terms of expected and unexpected outcomes. Some studies refer to
      the "expected outcome" as the probability to win vs. to lose, and others as
      expected size of rewards. We still do not know much about whether these
      alternative interpretations of "expected outcome" affect the fERN in a different
      manner, nor do we know the effect of their interaction in an expected value
      fashion. We set a gambling task with four game categories; two had the same
      expected value, while the other two categories were equivalent to the first ones,
      but alternatively in the size or probability of the offered rewards. Results show
      that fERN preceded by a P200, and followed by a Pe-like wave differentiates
      between losing in the category with a higher expected value and the rest of the
      experimental conditions. fERN differentiates between wins and losses, but changes
      in the size and probability of rewards impact the fERN amplitude only in win
      conditions. Results also show greater positivity following win feedback when the
      size and/or probability of the outcome rewards were higher, so that the higher
      the expected value the greater the positivity following win feedback. Our
      findings support the notion that both the probability and size of the offered
      rewards modulate the motivational value for the win feedback, this being also
      true for their interaction in an expected value fashion.

PMID- 20302951
TI  - Recomposing a fragmented literature: how conditional and relational arguments
      engage different neural systems for deductive reasoning.
AB  - Deductive reasoning is traditionally viewed as a unitary process involving either
      rule-based or visuo-spatial mechanisms. However, there is a disagreement in the
      neuroimaging literature on whether the data support one alternative over the
      other. Here we test the hypothesis that discrepancies in the literature result
      from the reasoning materials themselves. Using functional magnetic resonance
      imaging, we measure brain activity of participants while they integrate the
      premises of conditional arguments (primarily Modus Tollens: If P then Q; not-Q)
      and Relational Syllogisms (i.e., linear arguments of the sort P is to the left of
      Q; Q is to the left of R). We find that reasoning with Modus Tollens activates
      the left inferior frontal gyrus to a greater extent than the Relational
      Syllogisms. In contrast, the Relational Syllogisms engage the right temporo
      parieto-occipital junction more than conditional arguments. This suggests that
      conditional reasoning relies more on so-called syntactic processes than
      relational reasoning, while relational reasoning may rely on visuo-spatial
      processes and mental imagery more than conditional reasoning. This investigative
      approach, together with its results, clarifies some apparently inconsistent
      findings in this literature by showing that the nature of the logical argument,
      whether it is relational or conditional, determines which neural system is
      engaged.

PMID- 20302952
TI  - Identification of new molecular markers for assembling the eukaryotic tree of
      life.
AB  - Six eukaryotic supergroups have been proposed based on both morphological and
      molecular data. However, some of these supergroups are contentious and the deep
      relationships among them are poorly resolved. This is due to a limited number of
      morphological characters and few molecular markers in current use. The lack of
      resolution in most multigene analyses, including phylogenomic analyses,
      necessitates a search for additional, appropriate molecular markers to enable
      targeted sampling of taxa in key phylogenetic positions. We evaluated the
      phylogenetic signal of 860 proteins obtained from the Clusters of Orthologous
      Groups of proteins (COGs) database. We report a total of 17 markers that resulted
      in well-resolved topologies that are congruent with well-established components
      of the eukaryotic tree. To establish their utility, we designed universal
      degenerate primers for six markers, some of which showed promising results in
      unicellular eukaryotes. Finally, we present phylogenetic informativeness profiles
      for seven selected markers, revealing that the markers contain phylogenetic
      signal that spans the whole tree including the deeper branches.

PMID- 20302953
TI  - Erosion of phylogenetic signal in tunicate mitochondrial genomes on different
      levels of analysis.
AB  - The molecular phylogenetic position of Tunicata and internal interrelationship of
      higher tunicate taxa is controversial. High substitution rates and extreme gene
      order variability hamper phylogenetic analyses. We describe the sequence and
      organization of the mitochondrial genome of the aplousobranch ascidian Clavelina
      lepadiformis and use mitochondrial genomes to investigate phylogenetic
      information content on different molecular levels of comparison. Despite
      agreement in phylogenetic analyses of nucleotide and amino acid sequences, split
      analyses revealed little phylogenetic signal. Split analyses on molecular data
      sets deemed increasingly conservative, demonstrated that the lack of signal
      pervades all levels and that it is Tunicata the taxon of interest that introduces
      noise in the data sets. The strongest signal present in our molecular data sets
      as revealed by split analyses is not present in the optimal cladograms and
      supports a sister group relationship between cephalochordates and craniates.
      Phylogenetic analysis of gene order using common interval algorithms shows that
      phylogenetic signal is also eroded in respect of gene positions. Even functional
      constraints, such as partial gene overlap as exemplified in the case of the
      commonly observed adjacency between cox2 and cytb are subjected to homoplasy.
      However, rare phylogenetic events like this hold some promise to retain
      phylogenetic information even in such cases of extreme variability. We therefore
      caution to rely on sequence analysis alone and recommend investigation into the
      signal content of molecular data sets in order to assess the strength of
      phylogenetic signal.

PMID- 20302954
TI  - Towards an assessment of character interdependence in avian RNA phylogenetics: a
      general secondary structure model for the avian mitochondrial 16S rRNA.

PMID- 20302955
TI  - Phylogeographic analysis and environmental niche modeling of the plain-bellied
      watersnake (Nerodia erythrogaster) reveals low levels of genetic and ecological
      differentiation.
AB  - Species that exhibit geographically defined phenotypic variation traditionally
      have been divided into subspecies. Subspecies based on phenotypic features may
      not comprise monophyletic groups due to selection, gene flow, and/or convergent
      evolution. In many taxonomic groups the number of species once designated as
      widespread is dwindling rapidly, and many workers reject the concept of
      subspecies altogether. We tested whether currently recognized subspecies in the
      plain-bellied watersnake Nerodia erythrogaster are concordant with relationships
      based on mitochondrial markers, and whether it represents a single widespread
      species. The range of this taxon spans multiple potential biogeographic barriers
      (especially the Mississippi and Apalachicola Rivers) that correspond with lineage
      breaks in many species, including other snakes. We sequenced three mitochondrial
      genes (NADH-II, Cyt-b, Cox-I) from 156 geo-referenced specimens and developed
      ecological niche models using Maxent and spatially explicit climate data to
      examine historical and ecological factors affecting variation in N. erythrogaster
      across its range. Overall, we found little support for the recognized subspecies
      as either independent evolutionary lineages or geographically circumscribed units
      and conclude that although some genetic and niche differentiation has occurred,
      most populations assigned to N. erythrogaster appear to represent a single,
      widespread species. However, additional sampling and application of nuclear
      markers are necessary to clarify the status of the easternmost populations.

PMID- 20302956
TI  - Mitochondrial phylogeography of the Bedriaga's rock lizard, Archaeolacerta
      bedriagae (Reptilia: Lacertidae) endemic to Corsica and Sardinia.
AB  - Archaeolacerta bedriagae is a rock-dwelling lizard endemic to the Corso-Sardinian
      insular system. We investigated the phylogeography of the species by using the
      mitochondrial ND4 and flanking tRNAs genes from 94 specimens belonging to 19
      populations. Phylogenetic, Barrier, and SAMOVA analyses revealed a highly
      structured pattern characterized by two levels of discontinuities in the
      geographical distribution of mtDNA diversity: (i) a deep phylogeographic break in
      Northern Corsica between Lineage A, restricted to northernmost Corsica, and
      Lineage B widespread all over the remaining range of the species, and (ii) some
      minor phylogeographic discontinuities within lineage B, which is sub-structured
      into six closely related haplotype clades with remarkable concordance with
      geography. The first evolutionary event concerning the split between the two main
      lineages from an ancestral population occurred in the Upper Pliocene (5.87-3.68
      mya), while the divergence within lineage B would have started from the Upper
      Pleistocene (2.5-1.6 mya), between Corsican and Sardinian populations. Somewhat
      later (1.7-1.1 mya), the Sardinian ancestral population underwent fragmentation
      into population groups inhabiting North, Central, and South Sardinia. As inferred
      from previous allozyme surveys, the divergence among population groups would be
      driven by allopatric fragmentation, while the discrepancy concerning the major
      partition into two lineages inferred from mtDNA but not apparent in analysis of
      allozymes needs further investigation.

PMID- 20302957
TI  - Phylogenetic relationships of megophryid frogs of the genus Leptobrachium
      (Amphibia, Anura) as revealed by mtDNA gene sequences.
AB  - By investigating genealogical relationships, we estimated the phylogenetic
      history and biogeography in the megophryid genus Leptobrachium (sensu lato,
      including Vibrissaphora) from southern China, Indochina, Thailand and the
      Sundaland. The genealogical relationships among the 30 named and unnamed taxa
      were estimated using 2009 bp of sequences from the mitochondrial DNA genes 12S
      rRNA, tRNA(val), and 16S rRNA using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and
      Bayesian inference methods. The genus Leptobrachium was a well-supported
      monophyletic group that contained two major clades. One clade had three subclades
      primarily from disjunct regions including Borneo, Peninsular Malaysia and Java,
      and Thailand. The Bornean subclade included one species each from the Philippines
      and Sumatra. The other major clade consisted of two subclades, one from Indochina
      and the other from southern China (Vibrissaphora). Divergence times estimated an
      old evolutionary history of each subclade, one that could not be explained by the
      geohistory of Southeast Asian major landmasses.

PMID- 20302958
TI  - Donor KIR Genes 2DL5A, 2DS1 and 3DS1 are associated with a reduced rate of
      leukemia relapse after HLA-identical sibling stem cell transplantation for acute
      myeloid leukemia but not other hematologic malignancies.
AB  - Stem cell transplantation (SCT) from a healthy donor can be curative for patients
      with hematologic malignancies resistant to other treatments. Elimination of
      malignant cells through a graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect involves donor T and
      natural killer (NK) cells, but their relative contribution to this process is
      poorly defined. NK cell alloreactivity and GVL effects are controlled by the
      nature of the interaction of NK activation receptors and killer-immunoglobulin
      like-receptors (KIR) with major histocompatibility locus class I antigens on the
      target cell. We performed KIR-genotyping of HLA-identical sibling donors in 246 T
      cell-depleted SCTs to identify genetic factors affecting transplant outcome
      (treatment-related mortality [TRM], leukemic relapse, and survival). Univariate
      and multivariate analysis of transplant-related risk factors and KIR genotyping
      was performed to identify independent variables predictive of outcome for
      different forms of leukemia. Further to confirming known predictive factors for
      TRM and survival (CD34 cell dose, patient age, disease stage), statistical
      analysis revealed that 3 donor B haplotype KIR genes, 2DL5A, 2DS1, and 3DS1, were
      associated with significantly less relapse in patients with acute myelogenous
      leukemia (AML) (13% versus 57%) but not in patients with other myelogenous or
      lymphoid malignancies. AML patients receiving SCT from donors with these KIR
      genes relapsed 4 times less frequently than patients transplanted from donors
      with other KIR genotypes. These findings suggest specific, genetically
      determined, interactions between NK cells and AML cells that facilitate the GVL
      effect, and have implications for donor selection for AML patients.

PMID- 20302959
TI  - Favorable outcomes in patients surviving 5 or more years after allogeneic
      hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for hematologic malignancies.
AB  - Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a curative treatment
      for some hematologic malignancies. As the overall number of survivors continues
      to increase, studies systematically examining outcomes in long-term survivors are
      needed. We studied the clinical and quality-of-life outcomes in HSCT recipients
      surviving 5 or more years from HSCT. Since 1993, 262 patients with hematologic
      malignancies received a T cell-depleted myeloablative HSCT from an HLA-identical
      sibling at a single center. Ninety-two survived beyond 5 years from HSCT (median
      follow-up 9.4 years, range: 5.1-15.3). Median age at transplantation was 35 years
      (range: 10-56). Twenty-two (24%) received a bone marrow transplant, and 70 (76%)
      received a peripheral blood HSCT. Of the 92 survivors, 60 completed quality-of
      life measures. The main outcomes examined were chronic graft-versus-host-disease,
      disease relapse, survival, health-related quality-of-life (HRQL) (Functional
      Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General), physical and mental health (SF-36), and
      symptom experience (Rotterdam Symptom Checklist). Seventy-five (82%) of 92
      survivors no longer required systemic immunosuppressive treatment. Four (4.3%)
      relapsed with leukemia at a median of 8.5 years (range: 6.2-14.0) after HSCT.
      Four (4.3%) died between 7.4 and 13.4 years post-HSCT (1 relapse, 1 lung cancer,
      1 pneumonia, 1 brain hemorrhage). Most survivors beyond 5 years had an excellent
      performance status with no difference in physical and mental health and higher
      HRQL scores (P = .02) compared with population norms. Although physical and
      psychologic symptom distress was low, those with higher symptom distress
      experienced inferior HRQL. These results show that 5 or more years after T cell
      depleted HSCT for hematologic malignancy most individuals survive disease free
      with an excellent performance status, preserved physical and psychological
      health, and excellent HRQL.

PMID- 20302960
TI  - Reduced-intensity conditioning regimens for allogeneic transplantation in
      children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
AB  - Reduced-intensity conditioning regimens have been used extensively in adults with
      hematologic malignancies. To address whether this is a feasible approach for
      children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, we evaluated transplant outcomes in
      38 recipients transplanted from 1995-2005 for whom this was their first
      transplant. The median age at transplant was 12 years, and 47% had performance
      scores <90%. Disease status was first complete remission (CR) in 13%, > or =CR2
      in 60% of patients, and 22% had active disease at transplantation. Matched
      related donors were available for a third of patients, about half of whom
      received bone marrow (BM) and the others, peripheral blood progenitor cells.
      Sixty percent of unrelated donor transplant recipients received peripheral blood
      progenitor cells. The day-100 probability of grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host
      disease was 37% and the 3-year probability of chronic graft-versus-host disease,
      26%. At 3 years, the probability of treatment-related mortality was 40%, relapse
      37%, and disease-free survival 30%. These data indicate long-term DFS can be
      achieved using reduced-intensity conditioning regimens in children with acute
      lymphoblastic leukemia. Given the relatively small cohort, these findings must be
      validated in a larger population.

PMID- 20302961
TI  - Unmanipulated HLA-mismatched/haploidentical blood and marrow hematopoietic stem
      cell transplantation.
AB  - Extensive ex vivo T cell-depleted or unmanipulated haploidentical transplantation
      provides benefits of rapid and near universal donor availability for patients
      without HLA-identical sibling donors or those who urgently need transplant.
      However, CD34 selected haplotype mismatched transplantation was limited by
      delayed immune reconstitution (IR), although this protocol has now been an
      acceptable approach. Recently, Peking University researchers developed a novel
      approach to HLA-mismatched/haploidentical blood and marrow transplantation
      without in vitro T cell depletion (GIAC protocol). This review summarizes
      transplant outcomes, and factors correlating with transplant outcomes following
      the GIAC protocol. Moreover, future challenges in improving posttransplant IR and
      finding the best approach reducing the incidence and severity of GVHD, whereas
      preserving graft-versus-leukemia effect to prevent the recurrence of underlying
      malignancy, are also discussed.

PMID- 20302962
TI  - Time to consider HPV vaccination after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.
AB  - Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is among the most common secondary cancers after
      allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT). Several types of human
      papillomavirus (HPV) are causally linked with SCC of the genital tract and head
      and neck, and the incidence of these cancers is higher among immunosuppressed
      patients compared to immunocompetent patients. In June 2006, a quadrivalent HPV
      vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for females aged 9
      to 26 years to prevent cervical warts and vulvar, vaginal, and cervical cancer.
      FDA approval was granted in October 2009 for males aged 9 to 26 years to prevent
      genital warts. The quadrivalent HPV vaccine is now available for off-label use,
      and may be beneficial to patients after allo-SCT. It is time to evaluate the
      immunogenicity and efficacy in preventing HPV-related squamous cell carcinoma in
      this population.

PMID- 20302963
TI  - Corticosteroid dose as a risk factor for avascular necrosis of the bone after
      hematopoietic cell transplantation.
AB  - Exposure to corticosteroids increases the risks of avascular necrosis (AVN) of
      the bone after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). However, whether this
      effect is dependent on the dose of corticosteroids is not well known. We
      conducted a case-controlled study, which included 74 recipients of autologous or
      allogeneic HCT with AVN and 147 controls without AVN that were matched by age,
      sex, and year of HCT to cases. Cases with AVN included 8 autologous HCT
      recipients, 58 myeloablative allogeneic HCT recipients, and 8 recipients of non
      myeloablative allogeneic HCT. Corticosteroid exposure was expressed as cumulative
      doses of prednisone. Cases received higher cumulative doses of prednisone than
      controls, and among allogeneic HCT recipients, cases were more likely to have
      developed acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD, cGVHD). Cumulative
      dose of prednisone was an independent risk factor for AVN. Compared to no
      corticosteroid exposure, exposure to <3870 mg cumulative dose of prednisone was
      associated with 4.0 (95% confidence intervals, 1.5-11.2) times higher risk, 3870
      9735 mg with 5.6 (2.1-15.2) times higher risk and >9735 with 8.6 (3.2-23.5) times
      higher risk of AVN. Exposure to higher doses of corticosteroids increases the
      risk of AVN in HCT recipients.

PMID- 20302964
TI  - Frequency of CD4(+)CD25(hi)FOXP3(+) regulatory T cells has diagnostic and
      prognostic value as a biomarker for acute graft-versus-host-disease.
AB  - The relationship between regulatory T cells (Tregs) and acute graft-versus-host
      disease (aGVHD) in clinical allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT)
      recipients is not well established. We conducted a prospective analysis of
      peripheral blood Tregs as determined by the frequency of CD4(+)CD25(hi)FOXP3(+)
      lymphocytes in 215 BMT patients. Autologous BMT patients (N = 90) and allogeneic
      BMT patients without GVHD (N = 65) had similar Treg frequencies, whereas
      allogeneic patients with GVHD (N = 60) had Treg frequencies that were 40% less
      than those without GVHD. Treg frequencies decreased linearly with increasing
      grades of GVHD at onset, and correlated with eventual maximum grade of GVHD (P <
      .001). In addition, frequency of Tregs at onset of GVHD predicted the response to
      GVHD treatment (P = .003). Patients with Treg frequencies less than the median
      had higher nonrelapse mortality (NRM) than patients with Tregs greater than the
      median, but experienced equivalent relapse mortality, resulting in an inferior
      survival at 2 years (38% versus 63%, P = .03). Treg frequency may therefore have
      important prognostic value as a biomarker of aGVHD.

PMID- 20302965
TI  - Visualization of F-actin localization and dynamics with live cell markers in
      Neurospora crassa.
AB  - Filamentous actin (F-actin) plays essential roles in filamentous fungi, as in all
      other eukaryotes, in a wide variety of cellular processes including cell growth,
      intracellular motility, and cytokinesis. We visualized F-actin organization and
      dynamics in living Neurospora crassa cells via confocal microscopy of growing
      hyphae expressing GFP fusions with homologues of the actin-binding proteins
      fimbrin (FIM) and tropomyosin (TPM-1), a subunit of the Arp2/3 complex (ARP-3)
      and a recently developed live cell F-actin marker, Lifeact (ABP140 of
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae). FIM-GFP, ARP-3-GFP, and Lifeact-GFP associated with
      small patches in the cortical cytoplasm that were concentrated in a subapical
      ring, which appeared similar for all three markers but was broadest in hyphae
      expressing Lifeact-GFP. These cortical patches were short-lived, and a subset was
      mobile throughout the hypha, exhibiting both anterograde and retrograde motility.
      TPM-1-GFP and Lifeact-GFP co-localized within the Spitzenkorper (Spk) core at the
      hyphal apex, and were also observed in actin cables throughout the hypha. All GFP
      fusion proteins studied were also transiently localized at septa: Lifeact-GFP
      first appeared as a broad ring during early stages of contractile ring formation
      and later coalesced into a sharper ring, TPM-1-GFP was observed in maturing
      septa, and FIM-GFP/ARP3-GFP-labeled cortical patches formed a double ring
      flanking the septa. Our observations suggest that each of the N. crassa F-actin
      binding proteins analyzed associates with a different subset of F-actin
      structures, presumably reflecting distinct roles in F-actin organization and
      dynamics. Moreover, Lifeact-GFP marked the broadest spectrum of F-actin
      structures; it may serve as a global live cell marker for F-actin in filamentous
      fungi.

PMID- 20302966
TI  - Acute effects of 2-methoxyestradiol on endothelial aortic No release in male and
      ovariectomized female rats.
AB  - The endogenous metabolites of 17beta-estradiol are thought to have protective
      vascular effects, especially in males and estrogen-deprived females. The present
      study evaluated the acute in vitro effects of the active metabolite 2
      methoxyestradiol on endothelial NO release from ovariectomized female and intact
      male and female rat aortas. NO was measured electrochemically by differential
      normal pulse amperometry using carbon fiber microsensors, and also by
      fluorescence microscopy using 4,5-diaminofluorescein diacetate. 2
      Methoxyestradiol alone induced a maintained increase in endothelial NO release in
      male and ovariectomized rats that was reduced by pretreatment with L-NAME. NO
      release induced by calcium ionophore alone (A23187) was lower in aortas from
      ovariectomized rats than from intact females, indicating that estrogen
      deprivation induces endothelial dysfunction. Pretreatment of aortas with 2
      methoxyestradiol potentiated significantly the A23187-induced-NO release in
      ovariectomized as well as in males, but not in intact females. This potentiation
      was reduced or abolished by L-NAME. 2-Methoxyestradiol potentiated the
      vasodilatory effect of A23187 on intestinal arterioles, and also increased
      intestinal tissular laser-Doppler blood flow signal. These results demonstrate
      that 17beta-estradiol and its active metabolite 2-methoxyestradiol increase basal
      aortic endothelial NO production and also cause a potentiation of the calcium
      ionophore-stimulated NO release in male and ovariectomized, while it has no
      effects on intact females. 2-Methoxyestradiol appears to be a promising
      pharmacological agent capable of improving endothelial function in men and
      postmenopausal women.

PMID- 20302967
TI  - Inhibition by ethyl pyruvate of the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor
      kappaB in cultured lung epithelial cells.
AB  - Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) is a cytokine inducing inflammatory
      responses. It has been reported that ethyl pyruvate has anti-inflammatory actions
      through inhibition of the transcription mediated by nuclear factor-kappa B (NF
      kappaB). By reporter gene assay, we first confirmed that TNFalpha activated the
      NF-kappaB pathway in cultured alveolar epithelial cells, A549 cells. This
      activation was strongly inhibited by ethyl pyruvate in a concentration-dependent
      manner. Treatment of the cells with TNFalpha-induced phosphorylation and
      degradation of IkappaBalpha within 15 min. The level of IkappaBalpha protein was
      increased from 30 min, suggesting an increase in the NF-kappaB-mediated
      transcription of IkappaBalpha. Ethyl pyruvate did not affect the changes in
      IkappaBalpha within 15 min, but strongly inhibited the increase in the
      IkappaBalpha protein level from 30 min. An immunoblot analysis revealed that
      ethyl pyruvate inhibited the nuclear translocation of RelA from 5 min of the
      treatment with TNFalpha. These results strongly suggested that ethyl pyruvate
      inhibited the NF-kappaB pathway through inhibition of the nuclear translocation
      of RelA. Ethyl pyruvate may be a good therapeutic drug for inflammation in which
      activation of the NF-kappaB pathway is involved.

PMID- 20302968
TI  - Identification of flux control in metabolic networks using non-equilibrium
      thermodynamics.
AB  - A method is presented to identify flux controlling reactions in metabolic
      networks using experimentally determined flux distributions. The method is based
      on the application of Ziegler's principle for the maximization of entropy
      production. According to this principle a metabolic network tends to maximize the
      entropy production rate while satisfying mass balances and maximal rate
      constraints. Experimental flux data corresponding to four different metabolic
      states of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were used to identify the corresponding flux
      controlling reactions. The bottleneck nature of several of the identified
      reactions was confirmed by earlier studies on over-expression of the identified
      target genes. The method also explains the failure of all the previous trials of
      increasing the glycolysis rate by direct over-expression of several glycolytic
      enzymes. These findings point to a wider use of the method for identification of
      novel targets for metabolic engineering of microorganisms used for sustainable
      production of fuels and chemicals.

PMID- 20302969
TI  - Preservatives in eyedrops: the good, the bad and the ugly.
AB  - There is a large body of evidence from experimental and clinical studies showing
      that the long-term use of topical drugs may induce ocular surface changes,
      causing ocular discomfort, tear film instability, conjunctival inflammation,
      subconjunctival fibrosis, epithelial apoptosis, corneal surface impairment, and
      the potential risk of failure for further glaucoma surgery. Subclinical
      inflammation has also been described in patients receiving antiglaucoma
      treatments for long periods of time. However, the mechanisms involved, i.e.,
      allergic, toxic, or inflammatory, as well as the respective roles of the active
      compound and the preservative in inducing the toxic and/or proinflammatory
      effects of ophthalmic solutions, is still being debated. The most frequently used
      preservative, benzalkonium chloride (BAK), has consistently demonstrated its
      toxic effects in laboratory, experimental, and clinical studies. As a quaternary
      ammonium, this compound has been shown to cause tear film instability, loss of
      goblet cells, conjunctival squamous metaplasia and apoptosis, disruption of the
      corneal epithelium barrier, and damage to deeper ocular tissues. The mechanisms
      causing these effects have not been fully elucidated, although the involvement of
      immunoinflammatory reactions with the release of proinflammatory cytokines,
      apoptosis, oxidative stress, as well as direct interactions with the lipid
      components of the tear film and cell membranes have been well established.
      Preservative-induced adverse effects are therefore far from being restricted to
      only allergic reactions, and side effects are often very difficult to identify
      because they mostly occur in a delayed or poorly specific manner. Care should
      therefore be taken to avoid the long-term use of preservatives, otherwise a less
      toxic alternative to BAK should be developed, as this weakly allergenic but
      highly toxic compound exerts dose- and time-dependent effects. On the basis of
      all these experimental and clinical reports, it would be advisable to use
      benzalkonium-free solutions whenever possible, especially in patients with the
      greatest exposure to high doses or prolonged treatments, in those suffering from
      preexisting or concomitant ocular surface diseases, and those experiencing side
      effects related to the ocular surface. Indeed, mild symptoms should not be
      underestimated, neglected, or denied, because they may very well be the apparent
      manifestations of more severe, potentially threatening subclinical reactions that
      may later cause major concerns.

PMID- 20302970
TI  - Regulation of angiogenesis by a small GTPase Rap1.
AB  - Small GTPase Rap1 has been extensively studied in vitro and shown to regulate
      multiple basic cellular processes. Until recently, the best studied aspect of
      Rap1 function in endothelial cells involved its role in regulation of cell-cell
      junction formation and remodeling. These in vitro studies have increased
      understanding of the molecular players regulating Rap1 activity, including
      mechanisms through which Rap1 regulates endothelial permeability. Several recent
      reports provide emerging evidence that Rap1 function in endothelial cells is not
      limited to promoting barrier but that it also regulates basic endothelial
      responses to angiogenic stimulation and that Rap1 may act as a positive regulator
      of angiogenesis in vivo. This article provides an overview of these findings in
      the context of the existing knowledge of the function of the two Rap1 isoforms,
      followed by speculation regarding potential mechanisms through which Rap1
      proteins may be regulating angiogenesis.

PMID- 20302971
TI  - Cell adhesion glycoprotein vitronectin during Xenopus laevis embryogenesis.
AB  - Vitronectin (vn) is a cell-adhesive glycoprotein present in blood and
      extracellular matrix of all vertebrates. In the present study we reported the
      cDNA cloning of Xenopus laevisvitronectin and its spatial and temporal expression
      pattern during the embryonic development of this important model organism. The
      deduced amino acid sequence of Xenopus laevis vn showed 49%, 47% and 43% identity
      with human, chicken and zebrafish orthologs, respectively, whereas the comparison
      with Xenopus tropicalis vn presented 85% identity. The structural organization
      consisting of a somatomedin B domain and two hemopexin-like domains was similar
      to higher vertebrate vitronectins. The vn transcripts were detected from stage 28
      onward. At tadpole stages, vn is expressed in heart, gut derivatives and in the
      notochord. The protein was detected in heart, liver, foregut, pronephros and
      notochord at stages 43 and 47 of Xenopus embryos. Our results suggest that
      vitronectin is developmentally regulated and could participate in embryo
      organogenesis.

PMID- 20302972
TI  - Conserved sequence of the TgsGP gene in Group 1 Trypanosoma brucei gambiense.
AB  - The trypanosome responsible for the majority of cases of human trypanosomiasis in
      Africa is Group 1 Trypanosoma brucei gambiense. Currently the most reliable test
      for the parasite is based on a single gene, which encodes a 47kDa receptor-like
      T. b. gambiense-specific glycoprotein, TgsGP, expressed in the flagellar pocket
      of bloodstream forms. Although TgsGP has been demonstrated in T. b. gambiense
      throughout its geographic range, similar genes have been demonstrated in other T.
      brucei sspp. isolates, and there are no data on the extent of sequence variation
      in TgsGP. Here we have carried out a comparison of TgsGP sequences in a range of
      Group 1 T. b. gambiense isolates and compared the gene to homologues in other T.
      brucei sspp. in order to provide information to support the use of this gene as
      the key identification target for Group 1 T. b. gambiense. We demonstrate that
      the sequence of TgsGP is well conserved in Group 1 T. b. gambiense across the
      endemic range of gambian human trypanosomiasis and confirm that this gene is a
      suitable target for specific detection of this parasite. The TgsGp-like genes in
      some isolates of T. b. brucei, T. b. rhodesiense and Group 2 T. b. gambiense are
      closely similar to VSG Tb10.v4.0178, which may be the ancestral gene from which
      TgsGP was derived.

PMID- 20302973
TI  - Genetic characterization of Indian type O FMD virus 3A region in context with
      host cell preference.
AB  - The 3A region of foot-and-mouth disease virus has been implicated in host range
      and virulence. For example, amino acid deletions in the porcinophilic strain
      (O/TAW/97) at 93-102aa of the 153 codons long 3A protein have been recognized as
      the determinant of species specificity. In the present study, 18 type O FMDV
      isolates from India were adapted in different cell culture systems and the 3A
      sequence was analyzed. These isolates had complete 3A coding sequence (153aa) and
      did not exhibit growth restriction in cells based on species of origin. The 3A
      region was found to be highly conserved at N-terminal half (1-75aa) but exhibited
      variability or substitutions towards C-terminal region (80-153). Moreover the
      amino acid substitutions were more frequent in recent Indian buffalo isolates but
      none of the Indian isolates showed deletion in 3A protein, which may be the
      reason for the absence of host specificity in vitro. Further inclusive analysis
      of 3A region will reveal interesting facts about the variability of FMD virus 3A
      region in an endemic environment.

PMID- 20302974
TI  - Should patients be screened for 12S rRNA mutations before treatment with
      aminoglycosides?

PMID- 20302975
TI  - Structure of a premicellar complex of alkyl sulfates with the interfacial binding
      surfaces of four subunits of phospholipase A2.
AB  - The properties of three discrete premicellar complexes (E1#, E2#, E3#) of pig
      pancreatic group-IB secreted phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) with monodisperse alkyl
      sulfates have been characterized [Berg, O. G. et al., Biochemistry 43, 7999-8013,
      2004]. Here we have solved the 2.7 A crystal structure of group-IB sPLA2
      complexed with 12 molecules of octyl sulfate (C8S) in a form consistent with a
      tetrameric oligomeric that exists during the E1# phase of premicellar complexes.
      The alkyl tails of the C8S molecules are centered in the middle of the tetrameric
      cluster of sPLA2 subunits. Three of the four sPLA2 subunits also contain a C8S
      molecule in the active site pocket. The sulfate oxygen of a C8S ligand is
      complexed to the active site calcium in three of the four protein active sites.
      The interactions of the alkyl sulfate head group with Arg-6 and Lys-10, as well
      as the backbone amide of Met-20, are analogous to those observed in the
      previously solved sPLA2 crystal structures with bound phosphate and sulfate
      anions. The cluster of three anions found in the present structure is postulated
      to be the site for nucleating the binding of anionic amphiphiles to the
      interfacial surface of the protein, and therefore this binding interaction has
      implications for interfacial activation of the enzyme.

PMID- 20302976
TI  - Vascular differentiation of bone marrow stem cells is directed by a tunable three
      dimensional matrix.
AB  - Microenvironmental cues are critical in regulating cell behavior and fate. The
      roles that matrix mechanical signals play in regulating cell behavior have
      recently been elucidated. An artificial matrix that can maintain the appropriate
      characteristics for transplanted stem cells is therefore needed to achieve a
      desired cell phenotype. The objective of this study was to develop a three
      dimensional (3-D) matrix with tunable physical and mechanical properties and
      investigate their effects on mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) differentiation towards
      vascular cell types. In this study we developed an extracellular microenvironment
      by modifying fibrinogen with various polyethylene glycol (PEG) derivatives. We
      hypothesized that adjusting the type of PEG derivative to modify the resultant
      physical and mechanical characteristics of fibrin would allow us to create a
      tunable system for use in culture or in vivo in conjunction with a regenerative
      medicine strategy. Human MSC (hMSC) were entrapped into PEGylated fibrin matrices
      at a density of 50,000 cells ml(-1). Cell phenotypes were confirmed by
      immunofluorescent staining as well as the use of oligonucleotide arrays. Vascular
      phenotypes were correlated with measured mechanical properties and fiber
      diameters of the PEGylated fibrin matrices. Blocking studies were performed to
      identify mechanistic factors controlling MSC differentiation through selected
      blocking of matrix degradation or cell contraction. Cell-matrix interactions were
      also examined in vivo. Our results demonstrate that transdifferentiation of MSC
      towards an endothelial cell phenotype is profoundly affected by the 3-D matrix
      microenvironment. Our work provides a predictive road map for the creation of
      fibrin-based matrices that support robust endothelial cell gene expression and
      tubulogenesis.

PMID- 20302977
TI  - Effects of a surface topography composite with puerariae radix on human STRO-1
      positive stem cells.
AB  - Human skeletal stem cells (STRO-1 positive/STRO-1+) respond to different
      topographical features in various ways. On a flat surface these cells spread and
      tend to develop a fibroblast-like morphology. On a microgrooved surface enriched
      skeletal stem cell populations prefer to stretch along the grooves, which affects
      their cellular structure and differentiation, a phenomenon known as contact
      guidance. Growth factors, hormones and chemicals can also stimulate cell
      differentiation. A traditional Chinese medicine, puerariae radix, has previously
      been observed to stimulate bone formation. The active ingredients have been
      identified as isoflavones with estrogen-like bioactivity. This study combined the
      effects of microgrooved topology and hormone-like isoflavones in the
      biodegradable polymer polycaprolactone (PCL). Human osteogenic cells (STRO-1+)
      were cultured on flat PCL, grooved PCL and puerariae powder-impregnated grooved
      PCL for 5 weeks. Coomassie staining indicated that cell growth and survival was
      similar on flat PCL, grooved PCL and grooved PCL impregnated with 1 wt.% or 2
      wt.% puerariae powder. Grooved PCL impregnated with 2 wt.% puerariae powder was
      observed to have an influence on protein expression, as observed by positive
      osteocalcin staining. Protein expression profiles were analyzed by difference gel
      electrophoresis to identify proteins that showed modulation of expression in
      response to these different environments. Overall, our results suggest that
      puerariae powder has an additive effect, along with microgrooved topographical
      stimulation, to promote changes in the STRO-1+ proteome that affect cell
      phenotype.

PMID- 20302978
TI  - Pain after surgery: can protective analgesia reduce pain? A randomised clinical
      trial.
AB  - AIM: To improve the patients postoperative pain experience using protective
      analgesia for patients undergoing third molar surgery under day case general
      anaesthesia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients were randomly allocated to a
      protective analgesia (1.6g modified release ibuprofen) or conventional analgesia
      (400mg conventional ibuprofen) orally 2h preoperatively. Surgical model was third
      molar surgery. Postoperative outcomes of interest were pain intensity at 30 min,
      1, 6, 24 and 48 h. The time to rescue analgesia, overall assessment of pain
      control, safety and tolerability profiles were also recorded. RESULTS: 122
      patients entered the study providing 98 evaluable patients for analysis. Patients
      in the protective analgesia group reported more pain than those in the
      conventional group at 30 min, 1, 6 and 48 h following surgery, although this
      difference was only statistically significant at the 30 min time point. 62.2% of
      patients required rescue analgesia within 6h after surgery. The median time for
      patients who had to take rescue analgesia was 3.1h. Patients in the protective
      analgesia group reported a longer time to rescue analgesia compared with those in
      conventional analgesia group. Overall, 91.7% of patients were at least satisfied
      with their pain control. CONCLUSION: There was no difference in the protective
      analgesia group compared with conventional analgesia group in improving
      postoperative pain experience. A different protective analgesia regime may be
      necessary, which employs a more aggressive and multimodal strategy for
      postoperative pain management.

PMID- 20302979
TI  - Investigation of gene dosage imbalances in patients with Noonan syndrome using
      multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification analysis.
AB  - The RAS-MAPK syndromes are a group of clinically and genetically related
      disorders caused by dysregulation of the RAS-MAPK pathway. A member of this group
      of disorders, Noonan syndrome (NS), is associated with several different genes
      within the RAS-MAPK pathway. To date, mutations in PTPN11, SOS1, KRAS, RAF1 and
      SHOC2 are known to cause NS and a small group of patients harbour mutations in
      BRAF, MEK1 or NRAS. The majority of the mutations are predicted to cause an up
      regulation of the pathway; hence they are gain-of-function mutations. Despite
      recent advances in gene identification in NS, the genetic aetiology is still
      unknown in about 1/4 of patients. To investigate the contribution of gene dosage
      imbalances of RAS-MAPK-related genes to the pathogenesis of NS, a multiplex
      ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) assay was developed. Two probe sets
      were designed for seven RAS-MAPK-syndrome-related candidate genes: PTPN11, SOS1,
      RAF1, KRAS, BRAF, MEK1 and MEK2. The probe sets were validated in 15 healthy
      control individuals and in glioma tumour cell lines. Subsequently, 44 NS patients
      negative for mutations in known NS-associated genes were screened using the two
      probe sets. The MLPA results for the patients revealed no gene dosage imbalances.
      In conclusion, the present results exclude copy number variation of PTPN11, SOS1,
      RAF1, KRAS, BRAF, MEK1 and MEK2 as a common pathogenic mechanism of NS. The
      validated and optimised RAS-MAPK probe sets presented here enable rapid high
      throughput screening of further patients with RAS-MAPK syndromes.

PMID- 20302980
TI  - Sperm FISH analysis in two healthy infertile brothers with t(15;18) unbalanced
      translocation: Implications for genetic counselling and reproductive management.
AB  - Numerous studies have shown that balanced reciprocal or Robertsonian
      translocations and inversions are associated with reduced or absent sperm
      production. In contrast, a similar association has been rarely reported for
      unbalanced translocations. An unbalanced translocation, 45,XY,
      15,der(18)t(15;18)(q11.2;q23), was found in two healthy infertile brothers who
      were referred to our hospital together with their partners for infertility. At
      least two routine semen analyses and karyotyping were done for each of the
      brothers. Sperm meiotic segregation was studied for both with a three-color FISH
      assay using locus-specific probes. Semen analyses showed a severe oligo-astheno
      teratozoospermia with remarkably similar profiles in the two brothers. The
      unbalanced translocation had a deletion of 15pter-15q11.2 as well as a deletion
      of 18q23-18qter. The meiotic segregation was similar in the two brothers with a
      prevalence of alternate segregation mode. However, no phenotypic effect in the
      offspring can be expected only if the normal chromosomes 15 and 18 are
      transmitted to progeny. According to the sperm FISH results, the theoretical
      probability of this happening is about 25%. Based on the overall results, genetic
      and reproductive counselling was offered to both couples. Finally, both couples
      chose the alternative of donor insemination rather than preimplantation genetic
      diagnosis. The present study helps delineating a phenotypically silent CNV at the
      distal part of chromosome 18 long arm and illustrates the advantages of an
      integrated multidisciplinary genetic, reproductive and psychological approach to
      give the best possible assistance to couples who are faced with a complex and
      distressing genetic cause of infertility.

PMID- 20302981
TI  - Arterial steal in brachiocephalic arteriovenous fistula: could it be prevented?

PMID- 20302982
TI  - Depression in hospitalized and stable heart failure patients in an urban Nigerian
      teaching hospital: a cautionary comment.

PMID- 20302983
TI  - Psychiatric manifestations in systemic lupus erythematosus mimic psychotic
      prodrome: a case report.

PMID- 20302985
TI  - Correlates of symptoms of depression and anxiety in chronic hemodialysis
      patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Little is known about the demographic, clinical and laboratory
      variables which may be correlated with symptoms of depression and anxiety in
      hemodialysis (HD) patients. The present study aimed at evaluating such
      correlation in HD patients treated at a single HD center in a Mediterranean
      country. METHODS: Eighty HD patients were assessed for depression and anxiety
      with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale
      (HARS). The scores of BDI and HARS were correlated with demographic, clinical and
      laboratory variables. RESULTS: Based on the Beck Depression Inventory, 38
      patients had no symptoms of depression and 42 had symptoms of depression. Based
      on the HARS, three patients had no symptoms of anxiety and 38 had mild symptoms
      of anxiety, whereas moderate or severe symptoms of anxiety were present in 39
      patients. In univariate analysis, BDI score correlated significantly with age,
      the Charlson Comorbidity Index, SF-36 Vitality Subscale, Mini-Mental Status
      Examination, creatinine, albumin, plasma 25-hydroxy vitamin D and interleukin-6
      (IL-6) levels. HARS score correlated significantly with age, Charlson Comorbidity
      Index, SF-36 Vitality Subscale and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels. In the
      multivariate analysis, a direct and an inverse correlation between BDI and IL-6
      [P=.042, OR=1.31 (95% CI=1.01-1.71)] and creatinine [P=.050, OR=0.73 (95% CI=0.54
      1.00)] was observed. With regard to HARS, only a direct correlation with Charlson
      Comorbidity Index [P<.001, OR=1.55 (95% CI=1.22-1.96)] was found. CONCLUSION:
      Although numerous demographic, clinical and laboratory variables correlated with
      BDI and HARS in univariate analysis, the multivariate regression analysis showed
      only a direct correlation between BDI and IL-6 [P=.042, OR=1.31 (95% CI=1.01
      1.71)] and an inverse correlation between BDI and creatinine [P=.050, OR=0.73
      (95% CI=0.54-1.00)] and a direct correlation between HARS and the Charlson
      Comorbidity Index [P<.001, OR=1.55 (95% CI=1.22-1.96)].

PMID- 20302986
TI  - Do mental disorders and eating patterns affect long-term weight loss maintenance?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the impact of mental disorders on weight
      loss maintenance among initially successful weight losers who participated in a
      very-low-calorie diet program. METHOD: A total of 251 obese individuals were
      assessed in a prospective longitudinal study over a period of 4 years. Mental
      disorders and eating patterns were assessed by structured interviews at baseline
      and by standardized questionnaires at baseline (T(1)), after 1 year (T(2)) and on
      3-year follow-up (T(3)). Analyses were performed with an intention-to-treat
      method. RESULTS: Based on the intention-to-treat sample, 166 successful weight
      losers at T(2) (weight loss > or = 10%) were identified. Of those, 47 (28.3%)
      maintained a weight loss of > or = 5% of their pretreatment weight, whereas 119
      (71.7%) maintained a loss of less than 5% of their pretreatment weight at T(3).
      History of substance abuse/dependence disorder and grazing prior to treatment
      increased the likelihood of successful weight loss maintenance. High levels of
      cognitive control, low levels of disinhibition on 3-year follow-up and initial
      body mass index also were associated with successful weight loss maintenance.
      CONCLUSION: Strategies that helped individuals overcome earlier mental disorders
      might help to establish better self-regulation and maintain high cognitive
      control of eating and subsequently increase the possibility of maintaining weight
      loss in the long run.

PMID- 20302984
TI  - Association of major depression and mortality in Stage 5 diabetic chronic kidney
      disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder in patients with
      chronic kidney disease (CKD). We sought to determine the association of major
      depression with mortality among diabetic patients with late stage CKD. METHOD:
      The Pathways Study is a longitudinal, prospective cohort study initiated to
      determine the impact of depression on outcomes among primary care diabetic
      patients. Subjects were followed from 2001 until 2007 for a mean duration of 4.4
      years. Major depression, identified by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, was
      the primary exposure of interest. Stage 5 CKD was determined by dialysis codes
      and estimated glomerular filtration rate (<15 ml/min). An adjusted Cox
      proportional hazards multivariable model was used to determine the association of
      baseline major depression with mortality. RESULTS: Of the 4128 enrolled subjects,
      110 were identified with stage 5 CKD at baseline. Of those, 34 (22.1%) had major
      depression. Over a period of 5 years, major depression was associated with 2.95
      fold greater risk of death (95% CI=1.24-7.02) compared to those with no or few
      depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: Major depression at baseline was associated with
      a 2.95-fold greater risk of mortality among stage 5 CKD diabetic patients. Given
      the high mortality risk, further testing of targeted depression interventions
      should be considered in this population.

PMID- 20302987
TI  - Quality of end-of-life care for dementia patients during acute hospital
      admission: a retrospective study in Ireland.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine the quality of end-of-life care received by patients with
      and without dementia on acute medical wards during their final hospitalization.
      METHODS: A retrospective clinical case note review of patients aged over 65 who
      had died on acute medical wards within a 6-month period in a general hospital in
      Dublin was conducted. Seventy-five multidisciplinary clinical notes were
      available for scrutiny in order to identify cognitive status, measure the
      frequency of invasive procedures undertaken and examine the quality of palliative
      care as benchmarked with the Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient (LCP)
      program. Comparison between patients with and without dementia was made. RESULTS:
      Eighteen (24.0%) subjects had dementia, 32 (42.7%) subjects were described as
      "cognitively intact" and 25 subjects did not have reference to cognitive status.
      Of the 50 patients with known cognitive status, 27 (54.0%) had had a Mini Mental
      State Examination (MMSE) conducted (10 dementia vs. 17 nondementia). Patients
      were equally subjected to invasive interventions regardless of their cognitive
      status. However, dementia patients were significantly less likely to be referred
      to palliative care interventions (P=.007), to be prescribed palliative drugs
      (P=.017) and to have carers involved in decision making (P=.006). CONCLUSION:
      Individuals with dementia may be receiving different end-of-life care from those
      without. The effective delivery of robust multidisciplinary frameworks for the
      palliation of symptoms of hospitalized dementia patients remains an important
      clinical goal.

PMID- 20302988
TI  - Risk factors for depression and anxiety in survivors of acute respiratory
      distress syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Depression and anxiety are common morbidities of critical illness. We
      assessed risk factors of depression and anxiety in Acute Respiratory Distress
      Syndrome (ARDS) survivors at 1 and 2 years post-hospital discharge. METHOD: Risk
      factors for depression and anxiety at 1 and 2 years were assessed using stepwise
      multiple regression analyses, with and without 1-year outcomes. RESULTS: ARDS
      survivors had depression (16% and 23%) and anxiety (24% and 23%) at 1 and 2
      years, respectively. Predictors of depression at 1 year were alcohol dependence,
      female gender and younger age (P=.006). Predictors of anxiety were ratio of
      arterial oxygen tension to inspired oxygen fraction and duration of mechanical
      ventilation (P<.005). Predictors of depression at 2 years were depression at 1
      year and the presence of cognitive sequelae (P<.0001). Predictors of anxiety at 2
      years was anxiety at 1 year (P<.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Medical variables that
      predicted depression or anxiety at 1 year no longer predicted depression and
      anxiety at 2 years. Medical variables appear to have a short-term effect on
      psychiatric outcomes. At 2 years lifestyle behaviors including history of smoking
      along with cognitive sequelae, depression and anxiety at 1 year predict
      depression and anxiety.

PMID- 20302989
TI  - Hospital admissions due to physical disease in people with schizophrenia: a
      national population-based study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine nonpsychiatric hospitalizations in people with
      schizophrenia and to describe the epidemiological features of these admissions.
      METHODS: We analyzed the 2000-2004 Spanish National Hospital Discharge Registry,
      identified records coded for schizophrenia (295.xx), selected admissions due to
      non-psychiatric causes and characterized the physical diseases using the
      International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification
      (ICD-9-CM) system and the Deyo-Charlson Index. RESULTS: From all 2000-2004
      hospitalizations in subjects with schizophrenia, 21 484 records (34%) were
      eligible for analysis. The mean age was 53 years, 61% were men. The mean number
      of ICD-9-CM codes was 2.3. The main diagnoses at discharge were injury-poisoning
      (19%) and respiratory (15%), digestive (14%) and circulatory diseases (12%), but
      there were significant age and gender-related differences. Inhospital mortality
      was 6.9% and the mean age of death was 63 years. Circulatory, respiratory
      diseases and neoplasms accounted for 21%, 18% and 17% of deaths, respectively.
      Inhospital mortality significantly correlated with age, the Deyo-Charlson Index
      and some specific processes. CONCLUSIONS: Hospitalizations due to physical
      disease are frequent among people with schizophrenia and associated with a
      substantial burden and in-hospital mortality in Spain. This information may prove
      useful for the design and application of preventive and therapeutic programs in
      the early and silent phases of the most prevalent physical diseases.

PMID- 20302990
TI  - Prevalence of idiopathic and secondary restless legs syndrome in Korean Women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of idiopathic and
      secondary restless legs syndrome (RLS) and to compare them among Korean women.
      METHODS: A total of 1000 women aged 40-69 years from the general population were
      included in the study. The questionnaire used to gather data included modified
      International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group (IRLSSG) criteria, and questions
      related to RLS. RESULTS: Of the entire cohort, 65 subjects were diagnosed as
      having RLS according to IRLSSG criteria. The overall prevalence of RLS was thus
      6.5%. Of those subjects with symptoms of RLS, 81.5% complained of insomnia. The
      age at the onset of RLS was 38.9 +/- 8.6 years. RLS symptoms were experienced
      every day by 18.5% of affected subjects. None of the RLS subjects revealed in
      this study had previously been diagnosed or treated for their RLS problems.
      CONCLUSION: The prevalence of RLS reported herein is low compared with that
      reported for Western countries. Our study provides further evidence for low
      prevalence of RLS in Asian populations and supports the view that RLS is poorly
      recognized by both physicians and the general population, resulting in suboptimal
      management of the disorder.

PMID- 20302991
TI  - Increased fear of progression in cancer patients with recurrence.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the fear of progression (FoP) in cancer
      patients and the discriminant ability of the Fear of Progression Questionnaire
      (FoP-Q) against the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), while also
      examining relationships between FoP, satisfaction outcomes and supportive needs.
      METHOD: The FoP-Q and HADS were administered to 112 cancer patients in Korea
      during June and July 2006. The FoP-Q totals and subscales, and the HADS scores
      were compared across three groups (patients with recurrence, patients with
      metastases and controls experiencing neither). RESULTS: Comparison of the FoP-Q
      total score to HADS anxiety (HADS-A) and depression (HADS-D) scores showed higher
      FoP in the recurrence group compared to the control group (P=.009). Subscale
      score comparisons revealed a heightened "affective reaction" (P=.003) to cancer
      progression and fear of "loss of autonomy" (P=.011) in recurrence patients. FoP-Q
      score showed a moderate association with HADS-A (r=.54, P=.000) and a significant
      association with treatment satisfaction (r=-.26, P=.007), medical staff and
      communication (r=-.31, P=.001), and supportive needs (r=.41, P=.000). CONCLUSION:
      The importance of providing supportive interventions tailored to the specific
      emotional concerns of cancer patients, assessed via appropriate, disease-specific
      instruments, and the need to pay special attention to the concerns of recurrence
      patients are suggested.

PMID- 20302992
TI  - Incidence and correlates of delirium in a West African mental health clinic.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of delirium in those patients presenting to
      a psychiatric clinic in Nigeria and to examine if any demographic or clinical
      variables were correlated with this diagnosis. METHOD: A prospective survey
      design; 264 consecutive new referrals to a psychiatric clinic in Nigeria were
      assessed for the presence of delirium using a standardised diagnostic scale. Data
      was analysed for normality and appropriate statistical test employed to examine
      the relationships between the presence of delirium and demographic and clinical
      variables. RESULTS: Of individuals presenting to the mental health clinics, 18.2%
      had delirium. No demographic variable was significant regarding the presence or
      absence of delirium. With regard to clinical variables duration of current
      symptoms, referral source and the presence of comorbid physical illness were
      significantly associated with the presence of delirium. Most delirium was due to
      infections. Nearly all patients with delirium were prescribed psychotropic
      medication (95.2%), and most attributed their symptoms to a spiritual cause.
      CONCLUSION(S): Delirium presents more commonly to psychiatry services in the less
      developed world compared to the West. Development efforts should focus on
      recognition and management of delirium to improve outcomes and maximise
      resources.

PMID- 20302993
TI  - Addressing stigma of depression in Latino primary care patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To develop a validated stigma checklist to assist physicians in
      addressing depression in Latino patients. METHOD: Two hundred low-income, Spanish
      speaking, Latino patients in primary care clinics were screened for depression
      using Patient Health Questionnaires (PHQ-2 and PHQ-9), and medical records were
      reviewed. With the use of a wide pool of stigma items, empirical methods were
      used to develop a stigma checklist from this primary care sample and patient
      information was used to demonstrate construct validity. RESULTS: Patients
      reporting higher levels of perceived stigma using the stigma checklist were less
      likely to disclose their depression diagnosis to their family and friends (P<.05)
      and also less likely to be taking depression medication (OR=.78; 95% CI, .62
      .99). Patients with stigma were less likely to be able to manage their depression
      (OR=.79; 95% CI, .65-.96) and more likely to have missed scheduled appointment
      visits (OR=1.44; 95% CI, 1.03-2.02). CONCLUSION: Given the strong relationship
      between stigma and care of depression, primary care clinicians should be aware of
      and address stigma among their depressed Latino patients. The stigma checklist
      presented for treating Spanish-speaking Latino patients in primary care may be
      used to assess depressed patients for stigma to help inform clinical management
      of patients.

PMID- 20302994
TI  - Prevalence and rates of recognition of anxiety disorders in internal medicine
      outpatient departments of 23 general hospitals in Shenyang, China.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Assess the prevalence, risk factors and treating clinicians' rates of
      recognition of anxiety disorders in internal medicine departments of different
      types of general hospitals in Shenyang, China. METHOD: A two-stage screening
      process using an expanded Chinese version of the 12-item General Health
      Questionnaire (GHQ) and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Axis I
      Disorders (SCID) identified 457 persons 15 years of age or older with current
      anxiety disorders from among 5312 consecutive attendees at the outpatient
      internal medicine departments of 23 randomly selected general hospitals. Clinical
      charts were reviewed to determine whether or not the treating internist had made
      a diagnosis of anxiety or prescribed anxiolytic medications. RESULTS: The 1-month
      prevalence of any type of anxiety disorder was 9.8% (95% CI=9.0-10.8%). The
      prevalences of the three most common disorders: anxiety disorder not otherwise
      specified, generalized anxiety disorder and anxiety disorder due to a general
      medical condition, were 6.3% (5.6-7.1%), 2.4% (2.0-2.9%), and 0.6% (0.4-0.8%),
      respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified the following
      independent predictors of having a current anxiety disorder: every being married
      (OR=3.5, 95% CI=2.3-5.4), prior treatment for psychological problems (3.3, 1.8
      6.0), having religious beliefs (1.9, 1.3-2.9), low family income (1.5, 1.2-1.9)
      and never having attended college (1.3, 1.02-1.8). Among the 402 patients with
      anxiety disorders for whom the clinical chart was reviewed only 16 (4.0%, CI=2.3
      6.3%) were diagnosed with an anxiety condition or treated with anxiolytic
      medications. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of anxiety in internal medicine
      outpatients in urban China is lower than that reported in most western countries
      and the profile of risk factors is somewhat different. The very low rate of
      recognition of these disorders by internists is related both to the low rates of
      care-seeking for psychological problems in the general population and to the high
      volume collective model of care delivery in the outpatient departments of Chinese
      general hospitals. Steps to increase the recognition and treatment of anxiety
      disorders in Chinese general hospitals must focus both on changing attitudes of
      patients and clinicians and, more importantly, on altering the structure of care
      delivery.

PMID- 20302995
TI  - Is major depression adequately diagnosed and treated by general practitioners?
      Results from an epidemiological study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to (1) to explore the validity of the
      depression diagnosis made by the general practitioner (GP) and factors associated
      with it, (2) to estimate rates of treatment adequacy for depression and factors
      associated with it and (3) to study how rates of treatment adequacy vary when
      using different assessment methods and criteria. METHODS: Epidemiological survey
      carried out in 77 primary care centres representative of Catalonia. A total of
      3815 patients were assessed. RESULTS: GPs identified 69 out of the 339
      individuals who were diagnosed with a major depressive episode according to the
      Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I) (sensitivity
      0.22; kappa value: 0.16). The presence of emotional problems as the patients'
      primary complaint was associated with an increased probability of recognition.
      Rates of adequacy differed according to criteria: in the cases detected with the
      SCID-I interview, adequacy was 39.35% when using only patient self-reported data
      and 54.91% when taking into account data from the clinical chart. Rates of
      adequacy were higher when assessing adequacy among those considered depressed by
      the GP. CONCLUSION: GPs adequately treat most of those whom they consider to be
      depressed. However, they fail to recognise depressed patients when compared to a
      psychiatric gold standard. Rates of treatment adequacy varied widely depending on
      the method used to assess them.

PMID- 20302996
TI  - Iatrogenic delusional parasitosis: a case of physician-patient folie a deux.
AB  - This report presents a patient incorrectly diagnosed first with parasitic
      infestation and then with primary delusional parasitosis (DP). Neither diagnosis
      was correct. As she traveled from doctor to doctor, however, the primary DP label
      gained credibility via repetition, with her ongoing symptoms seen as proof of its
      truth.

PMID- 20302997
TI  - Is pregnancy associated with mood and anxiety disorders? A cross-sectional study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare current prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders in
      pregnant and nonpregnant women. METHOD: The study sample included 309 pregnant
      women and 107 control subjects. Mood and anxiety disorders were determined by
      structured clinical interviews. RESULTS: The rate of any mood or anxiety disorder
      was 19.4% in the pregnant women. Major depression (5.5%) and obsessive-compulsive
      disorder (5.2%) were the most common diagnoses in the pregnant women. There was
      no significant difference between pregnant and nonpregnant women with respect to
      the prevalence rate of mood and anxiety disorders. CONCLUSION: The results
      suggest that pregnancy is not a risk factor for the development of mood and
      anxiety disorders.

PMID- 20302998
TI  - Bupropion, a brief history of seizure risk.

PMID- 20302999
TI  - Screening for suicidality in cancer patients using Item 9 of the nine-item
      patient health questionnaire; does the item score predict who requires further
      assessment?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a higher score on Item 9 of the Patient Health
      Questionnaire-9 (range zero to three) was more likely to indicate suicidality as
      determined at subsequent clinical interview in cancer outpatients. METHOD:
      Analysis of anonymized data (with ethical approval) obtained from the routine
      clinical administration of self-report questionnaires and telephone interviews to
      patients attending a cancer centre in the UK. RESULTS: Complete data were
      available on 330 patients. Those with higher scores on the item were more likely
      to be suicidal at interview. However, a substantial number of those (54/235; 23%)
      who scored only one on the item were also found to be suicidal. CONCLUSIONS: A
      higher score on Item 9 of the PHQ-9 indicates a greater likelihood that the
      patient is suicidal. However, even patients who score only 1 may be suicidal and
      consequently also require further assessment.

PMID- 20303000
TI  - The successful treatment of disinhibition due to a possible case of non-human
      immunodeficiency virus neurosyphilis: a proposed pathophysiological explanation
      of the symptoms and treatment.
AB  - The psychiatric presentation of advanced neurosyphilis is well documented, yet
      there is no set protocol to treat these occurrences. This report indexes a 61
      year-old African-American male with no known psychiatric history but with a
      pertinent medical history of neurosyphilis (non-human immunodeficiency virus). He
      developed an acute episode of disinhibition involving violence and poor executive
      judgment. The authors' propose that this patient's symptoms of disinhibition may
      have resulted from syphilitic invasion of frontal-subcortical structures,
      resulting in either top-down or bottom-up dysregulation and deterioration of
      social behavior. His episode resolved with administration of monotherapy
      carbamazepine.

PMID- 20303001
TI  - Psychiatric manifestations preceding fetal death in antiphospholipid syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Antiphosholipid syndrome (APS) is a systemic autoimmune disorder
      characterized by a combination of thrombotic events, pregnancy morbidity and
      antiphospholipid antibodies. The objective of this report is to sensitize mental
      health professionals to the psychiatric manifestations of APS during pregnancy.
      To our knowledge, this is the first report on this matter. CASE SUMMARY: A 34
      year-old pregnant woman, with no previous medical, obstetrical or psychiatric
      history, at the 18th week of pregnancy, acutely developed depressed mood,
      feelings of anxiety and insomnia with a strong premonition that "the fetus would
      die." Actual fetal loss ensued a few days later. During induced labor, the
      patient had an agitated delirium. Symptoms of depression, slowed mentation and
      apprehension persisted for at least 2 months after fetal demise and required
      pharmacological treatment. APS diagnosis was established based on clinical events
      and persistent findings of antiphosholipid antibodies as well as multiple high
      density foci in the subcortical white matter of the frontal lobes in brain
      magnetic resonance imaging. CONCLUSIONS: Psychiatric symptomatology, as well as a
      premonitory sense of upcoming loss of pregnancy, preceded actual fetal loss and
      APS diagnosis in the presented case, indicating that psychiatric symptoms may
      present during pregnancy, perhaps as an early sign.

PMID- 20303002
TI  - Restless legs syndrome with carbamazepine-induced osteomalacia: causal or casual
      association.
AB  - Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sensorimotor sleep-related disorder which can
      be idiopathic or secondary. Secondary RLS is associated with a variety of
      conditions. Here we report a 16-year-old girl with RLS secondary to vitamin D
      deficiency (VDD) caused by chronic administration of carbamazepine. We also
      speculate on the possible mechanisms for the development of RLS in patient with
      VDD.

PMID- 20303003
TI  - A presumed case of phantom limb pain treated successfully with duloxetine and
      pregabalin.
AB  - Phantom limb pain (PLP) may occur in nearly 80% of amputation patients. Current
      research has highlighted several changes that occur in the nociception pathway
      post amputation. With this knowledge, novel therapies were found that could
      decrease PLP. Two such drugs are duloxetine and pregabalin, each effecting unique
      steps in the nociception pathway. We also review the neurobiology and efficacy of
      this treatment strategy.

PMID- 20303004
TI  - Marfan syndrome and schizophrenia: a case report and literature review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Marfan Syndrome (MFS), a disease of microfibril dysfunction, has
      been associated with schizophrenia in multiple case reports. CASE REPORT: We
      present one case and review the literature that suggests these conditions may
      share a common etiologic pathway. DISCUSSION: A possible underlying mechanism of
      both schizophrenia and MFS is the abnormal expression of growth factors and
      signaling cascades. CONCLUSION: MFS patients should be monitored for psychiatric
      symptoms and patients with signs of MFS should be referred for appropriate
      medical care. Also, by understanding shared mechanisms, we may develop better
      understanding and treatments.

PMID- 20303006
TI  - "Hospital length of stay for children and adolescents diagnosed with depression:
      is primary payer an influencing factor?" by Sclar et al.

PMID- 20303008
TI  - VEGFA +936C>T polymorphism and cancer risk: a meta-analysis.
AB  - Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), a major driver of physiological
      and pathological angiogenesis, plays important roles in the etiology and
      metastasis of cancers. The +936C>T polymorphism in the 3'-untranslated region of
      the VEGFA gene has been implicated in cancer risk and is related to VEGF-A
      protein production; however, published data have been conflicting. To derive a
      more precise estimation of the relationship, a meta-analysis was performed of
      13,293 cancer cases and 12,308 control subjects from 29 published case-control
      studies. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated to
      assess the association between +936C>T polymorphism and cancer risk. The meta
      analysis indicated that individuals with the +936 T had increased risk of oral
      cancer (OR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.03-1.88), although no association was found in the
      contrast of T versus C (OR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.91-1.10) in the pooled analyses.
      This meta-analysis supports the idea that VEGFA + 936 T is associated with
      increased risk of oral cancer. To draw comprehensive and true conclusions,
      further prospective studies with larger numbers of participants worldwide are
      needed to examine associations between VEGFA + 936C>T polymorphism and cancer
      risk.

PMID- 20303007
TI  - Oligonucleotide array outperforms SNP array on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded
      clinical samples.
AB  - Compromised quality of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE)-derived DNA has
      compounded the use of archival specimens for array-based genomic studies. Recent
      technological advances have led to first successes in this field; however, there
      is currently no general agreement on the most suitable platform for the array
      based analysis of FFPE DNA. In this study, FFPE and matched fresh-frozen (FF)
      specimens were separately analyzed with Affymetrix single nucleotide polymorphism
      (SNP) 6.0 and Agilent 4x44K oligonucleotide arrays to compare the genomic
      profiles from the two tissue sources and to assess the relative performance of
      the two platforms on FFPE material. Genomic DNA was extracted from matched FFPE
      FF pairs of normal intestinal epithelium from four patients and were applied to
      the SNP and oligonucleotide platforms according to the manufacturer-recommended
      protocols. On the Affymetrix platform, a substantial increase in apparent copy
      number alterations was observed in all FFPE tissues relative to their matched FF
      counterparts. In contrast, FFPE and matched FF genomic profiles obtained via the
      Agilent platform were very similar. Both the SNP and the oligonucleotide platform
      performed comparably on FF material. This study demonstrates that Agilent
      oligonucleotide array comparative genomic hybridization generates reliable
      results from FFPE extracted DNA, whereas the Affymetrix SNP-based array seems
      less suitable for the analysis of FFPE material.

PMID- 20303009
TI  - The A61G EGF polymorphism is associated with development of extraaxial nervous
      system tumors but not with overall survival.
AB  - Epidermal growth factor can activate several signaling pathways, leading to
      proliferation, differentiation, and tumorigenesis of epithelial tissues by
      binding with its receptor. The EGF protein is involved in nervous system
      development, and polymorphisms in the EGF gene on chromosome band 4q25 are
      associated with brain cancers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the
      association between the single-nucleotide polymorphism of EGF+61G/A and
      extraaxial brain tumors in a population of the southeast of Brazil. We analyzed
      the genotype distribution of this polymorphism in 90 patients and 100 healthy
      subjects, using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length
      polymorphism technique. Comparison of genotype distribution revealed a
      significant difference between patients and control subjects (P < 0.001). The
      variant genotypes of A/G and G/G were associated with a significant increase of
      the risk of tumor development, compared with the homozygote A/A (P < 0.0001).
      When the analyses were stratified, we observed that the genotype G/G was more
      frequent in female patients (P=0.021). The same genotype was observed more
      frequently in patients with low-grade tumors (P=0.001). Overall survival rates
      did not show statistically significant differences. Our data suggest that the EGF
      A61G polymorphism can be associated with susceptibility to development of these
      tumors.

PMID- 20303010
TI  - Association of angiotensin converting enzyme gene insertion/deletion polymorphism
      with lung cancer in Turkey.
AB  - Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) plays an important role in the physiological
      control of blood pressure and inflammation. We investigated an insertion/deletion
      (I/D) polymorphism of the gene for ACE in relation to cardiovascular,
      cerebrovascular, neurodegenerative, and inflammatory diseases. The purpose of the
      present study was to investigate a possible association between lung cancer and
      insertion/deletion polymorphism of the ACE gene. A total of 125 patients with
      lung cancer and 165 control subjects were enrolled in the present study. ACE I/D
      genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction. Allelic frequencies and
      genotype distribution of the ACE I/D polymorphism in the patient group were
      significantly different from control subjects (ACE II genotype 29.6 vs. 17.6%, P
      = 0.011; ACE I allele 49.6 vs. 39.4%, P =0.009). Our data suggest that the ACE
      I/D polymorphism could be a risk factor for patients with lung cancer.

PMID- 20303011
TI  - Genomic alterations of chromosome region 11p as predictive marker by array
      comparative genomic hybridization in lung adenocarcinoma patients.
AB  - Array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) provides a method to
      quantitatively measure the changes of DNA copy number with an extremely high
      resolution and to map them directly onto the complete linear genome sequences. In
      this study, we used aCGH to compare genomic alterations in fresh-frozen lung
      cancer tissues of 21 adenocarcinomas (AdCCs) (11 early relapse and 10 nonrelapse)
      and identified genomic alterations that showed significant by different frequency
      between early relapse and nonrelapse AdCCs. Twelve clones were identified by the
      false discovery rate (FDR) test, and Kaplan-Meier analyses were selected as
      predictive markers. The significant gain clones were found in 11p (11p15.4,
      11p15.1, and 11p13). When the cutoff value was 2, study of the association
      between candidate clones and relapse prediction revealed that early relapse and
      nonrelapse groups were most effectively separated. To further validate the gain
      of chromosome 11p region that was identified by array CGH, fluorescence in situ
      hybridization (FISH) was performed. To further confirm the results of aCGH, copy
      number changes of cancer-related candidate genes in AdCC patients were compared
      by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Array CGH and real-time
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction data were found to correspond to
      delineated DNA copy number changes. Genomic alterations of chromosome 11p region
      in AdCC patients were observed with aCGH, and a relapsable marker was identified
      in the nonrelapse group. This marker could be useful in stratifying patient
      groups according to likelihood of relapse for adjuvant treatment after surgical
      resection.

PMID- 20303012
TI  - KRAS and BRAF mutations in prostate carcinomas of Chinese patients.
AB  - Aberrance in the RAS/RAF/MEK/MAPK pathway is reportedly important in many tumor
      types, including prostate carcinoma. Continuous activation of the pathway can be
      caused by mutations of upstream targets such as KRAS and BRAF. However, rates of
      KRAS and BRAF mutations in prostate carcinoma are reported to vary in different
      populations. To date, there has been no such report in Chinese patients. In this
      study, we examined 121 samples of prostate carcinoma in Chinese subjects for
      mutations at codons 12 and 13 of KRAS and codon 600 of BRAF by means of the
      mutant-enriched polymerase chain reaction-coupled sequencing method. The
      identified KRAS and BRAF mutations were analyzed for association with tumor
      differentiation and clinical stage. The result showed that KRAS mutations were
      detected in 9.1% (11 of 121) of prostate carcinomas, while no BRAF mutation was
      found in any case studied. No association was found between KRAS mutation and
      clinicopathological characteristics of the tumors. Our study suggests that
      mutations of KRAS, not BRAF, may play a role in the pathogenesis of prostate
      carcinoma in Chinese patients.

PMID- 20303013
TI  - Glutathione-S-transferase genotypes influence the risk of chemotherapy-related
      toxicities and prognosis in Korean patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
AB  - Polymorphisms in detoxification enzymes of the glutathione S-transferase (GST)
      family are associated with treatment response, resistance, and drug-related
      toxicity, all of which affect final clinical outcome. In this study, we
      investigated the influence of the genetic polymorphisms GSTM1, GSTT1, and GSTP1
      on treatment response in 94 Korean patients with de novo diffuse large B-cell
      lymphoma, who had received rituximab plus
      cyclophosphamide/doxorubicin/vincristine/prednisone (R-CHOP) as a front-line
      regimen. Deletions of the GSTM1 and GSTT1 genes were detected using a multiplex
      polymerase chain reaction technique, and the functional GSTP1 polymorphism,
      Ile(105)Val, was genotyped using the TaqMan assay. The treatment response rate
      did not differ according to GST polymorphisms. Patients with the GSTT1-null
      genotype, however, showed more frequent grade III-IV chemotherapy-related
      toxicities, including leukocytopenia [odds ratio (OR)=3.1; 95% confidence
      interval (95%CI), 1.2-8.0; P=0.025], fever (OR=5.3; 95% CI, 1.4-19.7; P=0.009),
      and mucositis (OR=4.6; 95% CI, 1.4-15.1; P=0.012). Patients with the GSTM1/T1
      double-null genotype had more grade III-IV thrombocytopenia (OR=7.8; 95% CI, 1.5
      41.1; P=0.002) compared to those with other genotypes. In male patients, the
      GSTM1/T1 double-null genotype was associated with a shorter event-free survival
      period (P=0.02). This study suggests that GSTT1 deletion may significantly
      increase the risk of drug-related toxicity after R-CHOP chemotherapy in patients
      with DLBCL, and is associated with worse prognosis in males.

PMID- 20303014
TI  - High chromosomal instability in brain metastases of colorectal carcinoma.
AB  - Information on structural chromosomal changes in brain metastases (BM) of
      colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is very limited. Therapeutic and diagnostic strategies
      to reduce the risk of BM have potential impact on cancer mortality. By using
      comparative genomic hybridization, the primary CRC of 11 patients and their
      corresponding 13 BM were analyzed. BM showed significantly more mean chromosomal
      aberrations than the primary CRC (13.6+/-2.1 vs. 7.9+/-1.9, P=0.03),
      significantly more chromosomal gains (7.2+/-0.9 vs. 3.5+/-0.9, P=0.01), and
      tended to have also more losses (6.1+/-1.4 vs. 4.0+/-1.1, P=0.29). Changes that
      occurred significantly more often in BM than in primary CRC were gains of 8q,
      12p, 12q, and 20p, as well as losses of 5q. BM of CRC show a significantly higher
      chromosomal instability in comparison to primary tumors. The prevalently altered
      genomic regions in the metastases of this study are likely to harbor genes that
      play an important role in the genesis of brain-specific metastasis.

PMID- 20303015
TI  - Prognostic and predictive value of 16p12.1 and 16q22.1 copy number changes in
      human breast cancer.
AB  - The present study investigated DNA copy number changes mapping to the p and q
      arms of chromosome 16 in breast cancer with the goal to determine their potential
      in identifying breast cancer patients with poor prognosis. We identified the
      minimal overlapping regions on chromosome 16 that are commonly deleted and
      amplified in breast tumors. Fluorescence in situ hybridization was used to screen
      a custom-made breast carcinoma tissue microarray representing all tumor grades,
      in order to detect DNA copy number changes mapping to 16p12.1 and 16q22.1. We
      generated 16q/16p ratios for each patient and examined the correlation between
      DNA copy number alterations and the patients' clinical and pathological
      parameters. We observed lower q/p ratios in grade I invasive carcinomas, compared
      with grade III carcinomas, which consistently showed high q/p ratios (P < 0.0091
      and 0.0075). In addition, age adjusted for grade analysis revealed that tumors
      from younger patients (<45 yr) had significantly higher q/p ratios, suggesting
      that in younger individuals those tumors might be more aggressive (P < 0.0001).
      The finding that higher q/p ratios occur in younger patients offers a tool to
      identify high-risk individuals most likely to proceed to high grade.

PMID- 20303016
TI  - Segmental amplification of MLL gene associated with high expression of AURKA and
      AURKB genes in a case of acute monoblastic leukemia with complex karyotype.
AB  - We report a case of acute monoblastic leukemia showing a jumping translocation
      with the MLL gene in a 17-year-old male. Classic cytogenetic and spectral
      karyotyping revealed a complex karyotype, and fluorescence in situ hybridization
      (FISH) demonstrated amplification of the MLL gene followed by translocation to
      chromosomes 15q, 17q, and 19q. In addition, molecular analyses showed a high
      expression of AURKA and AURKB genes. It is already known that overexpression of
      Aurora kinases is associated with chromosomal instability and poor prognosis. The
      formation of jumping translocations is a rare cytogenetic event and there is
      evidence pointing toward preferential involvement of the heterochromatin region
      of donor chromosomes and the telomere ends of recipient chromosomes. Jumping
      translocation with the MLL gene rearrangement is an uncommon phenomenon reported
      in leukemia cytogenetics.

PMID- 20303017
TI  - Translocation (6;13)(p21;q14.1) as a rare nonrandom cytogenetic abnormality in
      chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
AB  - Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is associated with recurrent cytogenetic
      abnormalities that are important prognostic indicators and may influence
      treatment choices. Nonetheless, several chromosome abnormalities have not yet
      been completely determined, because of the low mitotic in vitro activity of B-CLL
      cells. Now, novel technologies such as stimulation of CLL cells with new B-cell
      mitogens have helped to overcome this problem. We present here a novel
      conventional and molecular cytogenetic study of a CLL patient with
      t(6;13)(p21;q14.1), a rare chromosomal aberration. The findings contribute to the
      identification of rare recurrent aberrations and of any prognostic effect in CLL
      that could be used for prognostic and therapeutic purposes. The present study
      demonstrates that t(6;13)(p21;q14.1) as a secondary event to the interstitial
      deletion in 13q14 region, resulting in the loss of RB1, is a rare but nonrandom
      abnormality in CLL, resistant to the current treatment CLL protocols with a
      rather favorable or intermediate prognosis but definitely not an adverse
      prognosis. Further studies in more CLL patients are required to delineate the
      prognostic value of t(6;13)(p21;q14.1) and to identify any candidate genes with
      potential role in the pathogenesis of the disease.

PMID- 20303018
TI  - Detection of cryptic and variant IGH-MYC rearrangements in high-grade non
      Hodgkin's lymphoma by fluorescence in situ hybridization: implications for
      cytogenetic testing.
AB  - In recent years it has become increasingly evident that MYC rearrangements are
      not confined to classical Burkitt lymphoma (BL), but also occur in diffuse large
      B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and in the new subtype, "B-cell lymphoma, unclassifiable,
      with features intermediate between DLBCL and BL" (BCLU), which was recently
      described in the 2008 revision of the World Health Organization classification.
      The accurate identification of MYC rearrangements in these three subtypes of high
      grade lymphoma is becoming increasingly critical both in terms of diagnosis of
      classical BL and in light of the prognostic implications in cases of DLBCL and
      BCLU. We describe three cases of high-grade lymphoma in which cryptic insertion
      events, resulting in clinically significant IGH-MYC rearrangements, were
      detectable using an IGH/MYC three-color, dual-fusion fluorescence in situ
      hybridization (FISH) probe set, but were not detected using break-apart MYC FISH
      probes, thus highlighting the limitations of using break-apart probes as a stand
      alone test, particularly with the increased use of interphase FISH analysis of
      formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections in the diagnostic work-up of
      these patients.

PMID- 20303019
TI  - Training standards and imaging: will these have any impact on turf wars affecting
      radiologists?

PMID- 20303020
TI  - Cardiac computed tomography: a team approach?

PMID- 20303021
TI  - Canadian Association of Radiologists / Canadian Cardiovascular Society consensus
      training standards for cardiac computed tomography.

PMID- 20303022
TI  - Answer to case of the month #161. Internal hernia through the foramen of Winslow.

PMID- 20303023
TI  - Answer to case of the month #162. Emphysematous infection of the liver
      parenchyma.

PMID- 20303024
TI  - An objection to the New England Journal of Medicine vertebroplasty articles.

PMID- 20303025
TI  - Impact of pain and symptom burden on the health-related quality of life of
      hemodialysis patients.
AB  - CONTEXT: Dialysis patients experience tremendous symptom burden and substantial
      impaired health-related quality of life (HRQL). OBJECTIVES: We determined the
      association between symptom burden and HRQL in 591 hemodialysis patients.
      METHODS: Patients completed the modified Edmonton Symptom Assessment System and
      the Kidney Dialysis Quality of Life Short Form at baseline and after six months.
      RESULTS: There were no demographic, serological, or dialysis-related predictors
      for either HRQL or symptom burden. Pain, tiredness, lack of well-being, and
      depression were the only independent predictors of mental HRQL, accounting for
      42.5% of the variation in the baseline mental health composite (MHC). Pain,
      fatigue, lack of well-being, and shortness of breath were the only independent
      predictors of physical HRQL, accounting for 38.5% of the variation in the
      baseline physical health composite (PHC). After follow-up, only changes in
      depression, anxiety, tiredness, and lack of appetite were independently
      associated with a change in MHC score, accounting for 48.7% of the variability.
      Only changes in pain, tiredness, and lack of appetite were independently
      associated with a change in PHC, accounting for 44.6% of the variability in the
      final multivariate regression model. No change in biochemical parameters
      predicted a change in either the MHC or the PHC. CONCLUSION: Symptom burden in
      end-stage renal disease was substantial and had a tremendous negative impact on
      all aspects of hemodialysis patients' HRQL. These patients, therefore, would
      likely benefit from the institution of programs to reduce symptom burden.

PMID- 20303026
TI  - Reducing patient barriers to pain and fatigue management.
AB  - CONTEXT: Pain and fatigue are recognized as critical symptoms that impact the
      quality of life of cancer patients. The barriers to pain and fatigue relief have
      been classified into three categories: patient, professional, and system
      barriers. OBJECTIVES: The overall objective of this trial as to test the effects
      of the "Passport to Comfort" intervention on reducing barriers to pain and
      fatigue management for ambulatory care cancer patients. METHODS: This quasi
      experimental, comparative study uses a Phase 1 control group of usual care
      followed sequentially by a Phase 2 intervention group in which educational and
      system-change efforts were directed toward improved pain and fatigue management.
      A sample of 187 cancer patients with breast, lung, colon, or prostate cancers,
      and a pain and/or fatigue rating of 4 or more (moderate to severe), were
      recruited. Patients in the intervention group received four educational sessions
      on pain/fatigue assessment and management, whereas patients in the control group
      received usual care. Pain and fatigue barriers and patient knowledge were
      measured at baseline, one month, and three months post-accrual. RESULTS: Patients
      in the intervention group experienced significant improvements in pain and
      fatigue measures immediately postintervention, and these improvements were
      sustained over time. CONCLUSION: The "Passport to Comfort" intervention was
      effective in reducing patient barriers to pain and fatigue management as well as
      in increasing patient knowledge regarding pain and fatigue. This intervention
      demonstrates innovation by translating the evidence-based guidelines for pain and
      fatigue as developed by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network into practice.

PMID- 20303027
TI  - Got volunteers? Association of hospice use of volunteers with bereaved family
      members' overall rating of the quality of end-of-life care.
AB  - CONTEXT: Volunteers are a key component of hospice, and they are required by
      Medicare conditions of participation in the United States. Yet, little is known
      about the impact of volunteers in hospice. OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was
      to characterize whether bereaved family members in hospice programs with
      increased use of volunteer hours per patient day report higher overall
      satisfaction with hospice services. METHODS: A secondary analysis of the 2006
      Family Evaluation of Hospice Care data repository with hospice organization data
      regarding the number of volunteer hours in direct patient care and the total
      number of patient days served. A multivariate model examined the association of
      institutional rate of bereaved family members stating end-of-life care was
      excellent with that of hospices' rate of volunteer hours per patient day,
      controlling for other organizational characteristics. RESULTS: Three hundred five
      hospice programs (67% freestanding and 20.7% for profit) submitted 57,353 surveys
      in 2006 (54.2% female decedents and 47.4% with cancer). Hospice programs reported
      on average 0.71 hours per patient week (25th percentile: 0.245 hours per patient
      week; 75th percentile: 0.91 volunteer hours per patient week; and 99 th
      percentile: 3.3 hours per patient week). Those hospice programs in the highest
      quartile of volunteer usage had higher overall satisfaction compared with those
      in the lowest-quartile usage of volunteers (75.8% reported excellent overall
      quality of care compared with 67.8% reporting excellent in the lowest quartile.
      After adjustment for hospice program characteristics, hospice programs in the
      highest quartile had highest overall rating of the quality of care
      (coefficient=0.06, 95% confidence interval=0.04, 0.09). CONCLUSION: In this cross
      sectional study, hospice programs with higher use of volunteers per patient day
      were associated with bereaved family member reports that the hospice program
      quality of care was excellent.

PMID- 20303029
TI  - The experience of breathlessness: the social course of chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease.
AB  - CONTEXT: There is a trend toward extending palliative care to nonmalignant
      diseases. There is no evidence that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
      requires its own model. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate how
      the experience of breathlessness in COPD influences patients' attitudes toward
      the end of life and their quality of life. METHODS: Eighteen patients were
      purposively sampled. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and
      participant observation during outpatient consultations. Narrative methods were
      used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Treatment-seeking in COPD deviated from
      prototypical trajectories. Contact with health care was postponed to crisis
      point. Treatment did not follow diagnosis because of how the diagnosis was given.
      Help was sought when the symptom had acquired meaning in a person's life. The
      future did not feature in the interviews. CONCLUSION: Good communication
      practices are fundamental in the care for COPD patients. Particularly, diagnosis
      and prognosis need to be rethought in a model to suit the condition of COPD.

PMID- 20303028
TI  - A comparison of two spirituality instruments and their relationship with
      depression and quality of life in chronic heart failure.
AB  - Spirituality is a multifaceted construct related to health outcomes that remains
      ill defined and difficult to measure. Spirituality in patients with advanced
      chronic illnesses, such as chronic heart failure, has received limited attention.
      We compared two widely used spirituality instruments, the Functional Assessment
      of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being (FACIT-Sp) and the Ironson-Woods
      Spirituality/Religiousness Index (IW), to better understand what they measure in
      60 outpatients with chronic heart failure. We examined how these instruments
      related to each other and to measures of depression and quality of life using
      correlations and principal component analyses. The FACIT-Sp measured aspects of
      spirituality related to feelings of peace and coping, whereas the IW measured
      beliefs, coping, and relational aspects of spirituality. Only the FACIT-Sp
      Meaning/Peace subscale consistently correlated with depression (r=-0.50,
      P<0.0001) and quality of life (r=0.41, P=0.001). Three items from the depression
      measure loaded onto the same factor as the FACIT-Sp Meaning/Peace subscale
      (r=0.43, -0.43, and 0.71), whereas the remaining 12 items formed a separate
      factor (Cronbach's alpha=0.82) when combined with the spirituality instruments in
      a principal component analysis. The results demonstrate several clinically useful
      constructs of spirituality in patients with heart failure and suggest that
      psychological and spiritual well-being, despite some overlap, remain distinct
      phenomena.

PMID- 20303030
TI  - Single- vs. multiple-item instruments in the assessment of quality of life in
      patients with advanced cancer.
AB  - Although multidimensional instruments are usually used to measure quality of life
      in advanced cancer patients, recent research suggests that single-item
      assessments can provide a reliable measure. Using the Functional Assessment of
      Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) instrument as a gold standard, we assessed the
      performance of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System "feeling of well-being"
      (ESAS WB) item. We reviewed the data from 213 patients enrolled in six clinical
      trials. We determined the association between baseline ESAS WB and FACT-G total
      and subscale domain scores (Physical Well-being [PWB], Social/Family Well-being
      [SWB], Emotional Well-being [EWB], and Functional Well-being [FWB]. We also
      calculated the association between baseline (T1) and second (T2) observations of
      ESAS WB and of FACT-G total score. In addition, we predicted the change in FACT-G
      predicted by the ESAS WB score using regression analysis. Mean age was 60 (SD 12)
      years and 48% were female. The Spearman correlation coefficient of ESAS WB and
      FACT-G was -0.48 (P<0.0001). Correlations with FACT-G subscale domains were also
      highly significant, except for the SWB domain (P=0.08). The Pearson correlation
      coefficient for T1-T2 in ESAS WB and FACT-G for 146 patients was -0.36
      (P<0.0001). The change in ESAS WB corresponding to FACT-G published minimally
      important difference was -0.24 for 3, -1.55 for 5, and -2.87 for 7, respectively.
      These results suggest that the single-item measure ESAS WB best reflects the
      total score on the FACT-G and PWB, EWB, and FWB domains but not on the SWB
      domain.

PMID- 20303032
TI  - Parent pain responses as predictors of daily activities and mood in children with
      juvenile idiopathic arthritis: the utility of electronic diaries.
AB  - The present study used electronic diaries to examine how parent responses to
      their child's pain predict daily adjustment of children with juvenile idiopathic
      arthritis (JIA). Nine school-aged children with JIA along with one of their
      parents completed thrice-daily assessments of pain-related variables, activity
      participation, and mood using handheld computers (Palm pilots) for 14 days,
      yielding a potential of 42 child and parent assessments for each dyad. Children
      provided information on current pain level, mood, and participation in social,
      physical, and school activities. Parents independently rated their own mood as
      well as their behavioral responses to their child's pain at the same time points
      using a separate handheld computer. Results of multilevel modeling analyses
      demonstrated that use of "protective" pain responses by parents significantly
      predicted decreases in child activity and positive mood, with an even stronger
      inverse relationship between protective pain response and positive mood observed
      in children with higher than average disease severity. Protective pain responses
      were not found to be significantly predictive of daily negative mood in children.
      The use of "distracting" responses by parents significantly predicted less child
      activity restrictions but only in children having higher disease severity. There
      also was an unexpected trend in which parent use of more distracting pain
      responses tended to be associated with lower child positive mood. These
      preliminary findings suggest the importance of the parent in influencing
      adjustment in children with JIA and lend support to the incorporation of parents
      into comprehensive pain management approaches. The potential benefits of using
      electronic daily diaries as a strategy to examine pain and adjustment in children
      with JIA pain are discussed.

PMID- 20303031
TI  - Psychometric and clinical assessment of the 10-item reduced version of the
      Fatigue Scale-Child instrument.
AB  - Fatigue is one of the most debilitating conditions associated with cancer and
      anticancer therapy. The lack of reliable and valid self-report instruments has
      prevented accurate assessment of fatigue in pediatric oncology patients. The
      purpose of this study was to identify the most sensitive and specific score, that
      is, the "cut score," on the Fatigue Scale-Child (FS-C) to identify those children
      with high cancer-related fatigue in need of clinical intervention. We first used
      Rasch methods to identify the items on the FS-C that distinguished children with
      high cancer-related fatigue from other children; our findings indicated that the
      FS-C needed to be reduced from 14 items to 10 items. We then assessed the 10-item
      FS-C for its psychometric properties and applied the receiver operating
      characteristics curve analysis to the FS-C responses from 221 children (aged 7-12
      years) receiving anticancer treatment. The cut score identified with 75%
      sensitivity and 73.5% specificity was 12; 73 (33%) patients scored 12 or higher.
      Findings from this validated instrument provide a needed guide for clinicians to
      interpret fatigue scores and provide clinical interventions for this debilitating
      condition to their pediatric patients with cancer.

PMID- 20303033
TI  - Dying tax free: the modern advance directive and patients' financial values.
AB  - Advance directives are often used to help patients articulate their end-of-life
      treatment preferences and guide proxy decision makers in making health care
      decisions when patients cannot. This case study and commentary puts forth a
      situation in which a palliative care consultation team encountered a patient with
      an advance directive that instructed her proxy decision maker to consider estate
      tax implications when making end-of-life decisions. Following presentation of the
      case, the authors focus on two ethical issues: 1) the appropriateness of
      considering patients' financial goals and values in medical decision making and
      2) whether certain kinds of patient values should be considered more or less
      relevant than others as reasons for expressed treatment preferences. Clinicians
      are encouraged to accept a wide range of patient values as relevant to the
      clinical decision-making process and to balance the influence of those values
      with more traditional notions of clinical harm and benefit.

PMID- 20303034
TI  - Blood still kills: six strategies to further reduce allogeneic blood transfusion
      related mortality.
AB  - After reviewing the relative frequency of the causes of allogeneic blood
      transfusion-related mortality in the United States today, we present 6 possible
      strategies for further reducing such transfusion-related mortality. These are (1)
      avoidance of unnecessary transfusions through the use of evidence-based
      transfusion guidelines, to reduce potentially fatal (infectious as well as
      noninfectious) transfusion complications; (2) reduction in the risk of
      transfusion-related acute lung injury in recipients of platelet transfusions
      through the use of single-donor platelets collected from male donors, or female
      donors without a history of pregnancy or who have been shown not to have white
      blood cell (WBC) antibodies; (3) prevention of hemolytic transfusion reactions
      through the augmentation of patient identification procedures by the addition of
      information technologies, as well as through the prevention of additional red
      blood cell alloantibody formation in patients who are likely to need multiple
      transfusions in the future; (4) avoidance of pooled blood products (such as
      pooled whole blood-derived platelets) to reduce the risk of transmission of
      emerging transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs) and the residual risk from
      known TTIs (especially transfusion-associated sepsis [TAS]); (5) WBC reduction of
      cellular blood components administered in cardiac surgery to prevent the poorly
      understood increased mortality seen in cardiac surgery patients in association
      with the receipt of non-WBC-reduced (compared with WBC-reduced) transfusion; and
      (6) pathogen reduction of platelet and plasma components to prevent the
      transfusion transmission of most emerging, potentially fatal TTIs and the
      residual risk of known TTIs (especially TAS).

PMID- 20303035
TI  - Is there a role for autologous/placental red blood cell transfusions in the
      anemia of prematurity?
AB  - Because most extremely preterm infants with birth weight less than 1000 g need
      red blood cell transfusions, many attempts have been made to collect, process,
      and store placental blood (ie, umbilical cord blood) for autologous transfusions.
      Although it is feasible to do this, multiple problems in doing so including
      insufficient volumes collected, clotting, hemolysis, bacterial contamination,
      failure to significantly supplant need for allogeneic transfusions, and high
      costs have led many to question whether, on balance, autologous/placental red
      blood cell transfusion offers clinically significant benefits.

PMID- 20303036
TI  - Optimization of leukocyte collection and monocyte isolation for dendritic cell
      culture.
AB  - Leukapheresis is the method of choice to collect monocytes for dendritic cell
      (DC) culture. Improvement of cell separators and cell collection software have
      enabled the collection of 10(9) monocytes for the generation of monocyte-derived
      DCs, which is sufficient to prepare a DC vaccine series. However, leukapheresis
      works with the technique of differential centrifugation which is not applicable
      to selectively collect mononuclear cells of similar density. After leukapheresis,
      thus, additional preparation steps are required to isolate and enrich the desired
      monocyte population. The cell isolation and cultivation techniques depend on the
      quality of the original leukocyte harvest due to the monocyte yield and the
      content of residual erythrocytes and platelets. Monocyte elutriation from the
      leukapheresis product shows a high monocyte recovery of 80%. However, only 30% of
      the isolated monocytes can be developed into mature DCs. The factors responsible
      for DC maturation and the development of different DC subsets are the subject of
      current research.

PMID- 20303037
TI  - A strategic approach to the problems of providing rhesus D-negative blood
      transfusion in geographic areas with low RhD negativity: a Nigerian perspective.
AB  - In contrast to the white prevalence, the frequency of rhesus D (RhD) negativity
      in the Nigerian population ranges from less than 1% to about 6% in the different
      ethnic population groups across the country. Consequently, there is often a
      severe scarcity of RhD-negative blood in Nigeria, leading to undue delay in
      transfusing RhD-negative patients. This situation has led to the prolongation of
      hospital stays as well as increased morbidity and mortality in affected patients.
      The problem is compounded by the general unavailability of donor RhD-negative
      blood, which is partially related to a suboptimal national blood transfusion
      service. This situation has thus relegated the responsibilities of donor
      recruitment and blood collection to individual hospital blood banks. This has led
      to the necessity of finding a variety of ways to mitigate the daunting problem of
      the provision of RhD-negative donor blood in Nigeria. In this article, we review
      the roles, advantages, and disadvantages of various methods including the use of
      autologous donations, D(u) testing, inter-blood bank transfers, voluntary RhD
      negative donor recall, family donations, and cryopreservation to ameliorate the
      problem. The real need is nonetheless to optimize the functional capacity of the
      Nigerian National Blood Transfusion Service.

PMID- 20303038
TI  - Arnault Tzanck, MD (1886-1954).
AB  - Arnault Tzanck's name is attached to an apparatus he invented that was widely
      used for transfusing blood in France between the wars, as well a simple test he
      devised using the microscopic analysis of scrapings from skin cancer lesions,
      different ganglia, and some forms of dermatitis especially pemphigus. The Tzanck
      smear is still widely used as a test for herpes, among other diseases. He also
      experimented with different methods of preserving blood and blood substitutes.
      Tzanck's most lasting contribution was in the organization of blood transfusion
      in France that eventually resulted in the creation of the Centre National de
      Transfusion Sanguine (National Blood Transfusion Center), which was established
      in 1949 with Tzanck as its first director. In the process, Tzanck educated a
      whole generation of serologists and immunologists, including Jean Dausset, Marcel
      Bessis, and Jean Pierre Soulier.

PMID- 20303039
TI  - The usefulness of pathogen inactivation during an outbreak of the new strain of
      influenza (H1N1).

PMID- 20303040
TI  - Clinical and radiographic outcomes of implants immediately placed in fresh
      extraction sockets.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the clinical and
      radiographic results of implants placed in fresh extraction sockets for 2 years
      of function. STUDY DESIGN: Ten patients were presented a treatment protocol
      involving the extraction of their remaining mandibular teeth and immediate
      placement of 4 implants (2 in fresh extraction sockets; test group (TG, n = 20),
      2 in mature bone; control group (CG, n = 20). Descriptive statistics for the
      differences between baseline and follow-up values were assessed by chi-square
      test. RESULTS: None of the implants lost osseointegration. The MPI Score 0 was
      80.3% in SG, 82.7% in CG, and MPI Score 1 was 13.4% in SG and 14.9% in CG at the
      end of 1 year, and remained stable after 2 years. No significant difference in
      MPI, MBI, KMW, and PPD were observed between the baseline examination and
      controls. Chances in MBL in CG were slightly higher in SG. CONCLUSION: Placement
      of implants in fresh extraction sockets is a reliable treatment alternative.

PMID- 20303041
TI  - Long-term treatment of Langerhans cell histiocytosis of the mandibular condyle
      with indomethacin.
AB  - Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) most commonly occurs as a localized solitary
      bone lesion and appears predominantly in pediatric patients. LCH is characterized
      by the proliferation and accumulation of Langerhans cells which may cause pain
      and adjacent soft-tissue swelling. This disease is of clinical importance to
      dental professionals because LCH commonly involves the oral and maxillofacial
      region and early symptoms can be manifested in the jaw and, when overlooked, may
      result in extensive destruction of the involved structures. Considering the fact
      that this is a relatively rare entity, close investigation of the cases that are
      encountered are warranted. Herein we report a case of LCH occurring in the left
      condyle of an 11-year-old boy that initially showed clinical symptoms mimicking
      an abscess of the temporomandibular joint. The clinical and radiographic
      features, differential diagnosis, treatment, and long-term follow-up of this
      patient with indomethacin are presented.

PMID- 20303042
TI  - Metastatic renal cell carcinoma to the oral cavity and clear cell mucoepidermoid
      carcinoma: comparative clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC) should be
      considered in differential diagnosis of intraoral clear cell tumors, including
      mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC). OBJECTIVE AND STUDY DESIGN: We compared the
      clinical, histologic, histochemical, and immunohistochemical characteristics of 9
      oral metastatic CCRCCs and 8 intraoral clear cell MECs. RESULTS: Oral metastatic
      CCRCC affected salivary-gland containing tissues in 7 cases (78%).
      Microscopically, oral metastasis revealed a proliferation of neoplastic clear
      cells arranged in an alveolar pattern with central blood vessels, features that
      were not seen in any intraoral clear cell MEC. Mucicarmine staining was positive
      only in clear cell MEC. Immunohistochemistry showed similarities in cytokeratin
      expression; vimentin and CD10 were expressed in all oral metastatic CCRCCs but in
      only 1 clear cell MEC each. CONCLUSIONS: Besides clinical history, the alveolar
      pattern, vessel distribution, absence of mucicarmine staining, and vimentin and
      CD10 immunoexpression are useful in histologic differential diagnosis of CCRCC
      and clear cell MEC.

PMID- 20303043
TI  - A salivary gland adenocarcinoma mimicking a microcystic adnexal carcinoma.
AB  - The microcystic adnexal carcinoma (MAC) is a rare, slow-growing but locally
      aggressive neoplasm arising in the midface and lips of middle-aged adults. The
      MAC is histologically characterized by deeply infiltrating nests and islands of
      basaloid or squamous cells forming cysts and ductal structures, proliferating in
      a dense sclerotic stroma and occasionally exhibiting perineural invasion. We
      describe a salivary gland adenocarcinoma arising in the lower lip, characterized
      by ductal structures and cords, 3-5 cell layers in thickness, set in a dense
      fibrous stroma and also invading nerves, thus mimicking a MAC in both its
      clinical and its histopathologic appearance. The diagnostic dilemma presented by
      this lesion is discussed, along with a differential diagnosis and brief review of
      the literature.

PMID- 20303044
TI  - A case of primary combined neuroendocrine carcinoma with squamous cell carcinoma
      in the upper gingiva.
AB  - Neuroendocrine carcinoma is a rare neoplasm that occurs widely in various organs
      and tissues. The biological behavior of this tumor in the oral region remains
      poorly understood. We encountered an extremely rare case of combined
      neuroendocrine carcinoma with squamous cell carcinoma, occurring at the buccal
      gingiva in a 62-year-old woman. Left partial maxillectomy was performed.
      Histological examinations revealed solid nests with extensive necrosis and
      nuclear palisading at the periphery. The tumor also showed areas of stratified
      neoplastic squamous differentiation. Immunohistochemically, tumor nests stained
      positive for synaptophysin, chromogranin, N-CAM (CD56), and neuron-specific
      enolase. Strong positivity was seen for K14 and K17 in the squamous component and
      for K7 in the neuroendocrine component. Both components showed K19 staining.
      Cells with squamous differentiation and K14 staining occasionally expressed p63.
      The patient showed no evidence of disease as of 23 months postoperatively. Given
      the aggressive characteristics of neuroendocrine carcinoma, strict follow-up has
      been performed.

PMID- 20303045
TI  - Calcifying odontogenic cyst with odontogenic keratocyst: a case report and review
      of the literature.
AB  - The calcifying odontogenic cyst (COC), first identified as a separate and
      distinct lesion by Gorlin et al. in 1962, is an uncommon benign lesion,
      consisting of a proliferation of odontogenic epithelium and scattered nests of
      ghost cells and calcifications that may form the lining of a cyst or present as a
      solid mass. The COC occurs alone or occasionally with odontomas or other
      odontogenic tumors, and it is this variable histology and clinical behavior that
      has raised the question of whether or not it is a cyst or a true neoplasm. The
      odontogenic keratocyst (OKC) is a locally aggressive odontogenic cyst lined by
      parakeratinizing epithelium that also exhibits characteristics of a neoplasm,
      including rapid growth, a high rate of recurrence when treated conservatively,
      and the presence of a gene mutation. We describe a patient diagnosed with an OKC
      of the mandible that arose simultaneously with a COC of the anterior maxilla. The
      occurrence of 2 "cystic neoplasms" in the same patient is an occurrence which to
      our knowledge has not been previously reported. We discuss the significance of
      the case and review the current literature regarding these lesions.

PMID- 20303046
TI  - Canine transmigration: comprehensive literature review and report of 4 new
      Australian cases.
AB  - Canine transmigration is a rare dental anomaly unique to the mandibular arch,
      involving intraosseous migration of the unerupted tooth across the midline.
      Currently, there is a lack of consensus on the definition of transmigration. This
      report suggests a unified definition of transmigration, that being when a canine
      has crossed the midline by more than half its length. Numerous publications
      reporting mandibular canine transmigration therefore cannot be considered as
      being truly transmigrated. Here we undertake a comprehensive review of the
      literature, and report 4 new cases of transmigrated mandibular canines, 2 of
      which present with unique features. One case shows a vertically positioned
      transmigrated canine, whereas the other shows a horizontally transmigrated canine
      underlying an impacted canine. Furthermore, this cohort is the first to be
      reported in an Australian population.

PMID- 20303047
TI  - Carotid body paraganglioma manifesting as a malignant solitary mass on imaging: a
      case report.
AB  - A 58-year-old woman presented with a lump on the left side of the neck.
      Investigations by ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration, magnetic resonance
      imaging, and positron emission tomography were all indicative of a diagnosis of a
      solitary malignant mass with no primary lesion identified. The patient underwent
      a level I-V leftside selective neck dissection. The histology results reported
      the mass as a carotid body paraganglioma. These are highly vascular lesions.
      Paragangliomas have characteristic features on the different imaging modalities;
      in this case they were atypical. This article reviews the main imaging modalities
      of paragangliomas and cytologic findings of the fine needle aspiration, which is
      not often performed for these cases owing to their high vascularity.

PMID- 20303049
TI  - Barodontalgia: what have we learned in the past decade?
AB  - This article reviews the current knowledge regarding barodontalgia, a barometric
      pressure-related oral (dental and other) pain. Contemporary classification,
      prevalence, and incidence, features, etiology, and diagnosis of this entity are
      presented regarding flight and diving conditions. Summarizing the past decade
      data, three-fourths of episodes were described as severe, sharp, and localized
      pain. Barodontalgia affects 11.9% of divers and 11.0% of military aircrews with a
      rate of 5 episodes/1,000 flight-years. Upper and lower dentitions were affected
      equally in flight, but more upper than lower dentition were affected in diving.
      The most prevalent etiologic pathologies for in-flight dental pain were faulty
      dental restorations (including dental barotrauma) and dental caries without pulp
      involvement (29.2%), necrotic pulp/periapical inflammation (27.8%), vital pulp
      pathology (13.9%), recent dental treatment (11.1%), and barosinusitis (9.7%).
      This review refutes 3 generally accepted conventions: According to the results,
      the current in-flight barodontalgia incidence is similar to the incidence in the
      first half of the 20th century, the weighted incidence of barodontalgia among
      aircrews are similar to the weighted incidence among divers, and the role of
      facial barotrauma in the etiology of in-flight barodontalgia is minor.

PMID- 20303048
TI  - Human pulp responses to in-office tooth bleaching.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate and compare the responses of human incisor and premolar
      pulps after bleaching. STUDY DESIGN: A bleaching agent with 38% hydrogen peroxide
      (H(2)O(2)) was applied on the buccal surface of 10 sound lower teeth (G1: 6
      premolars; G2: 4 incisors) for 45 minutes. Three premolars and 3 incisors that
      received only rubber/pumice prophylaxis were used as control groups G3 and G4,
      respectively. Two days after the bleaching procedure, the teeth were extracted
      and processed for histologic evaluation. RESULTS: Only in G2 (4 incisors) were
      any changes in the pulp detected. In the coronal pulp there was a large zone of
      coagulation necrosis. The radicular pulp showed mild inflammatory changes
      manifested as an accumulation of mononuclear cells around congested and dilated
      blood vessels. No pulpal damage was seen in either of the control groups (G3 and
      G4) or in group G1. CONCLUSION: Bleaching with 38% H(2)O(2) for 45 minutes causes
      irreversible pulp damage in lower incisors but not in premolars.

PMID- 20303050
TI  - Transdentinal protective role of sodium ascorbate against the cytopathic effects
      of H2O2 released from bleaching agents.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the transdentinal
      cytotoxicity of 10% and 16% carbamide peroxide gel (CP), as well as the ability
      of the antioxidant, 10% sodium ascorbate (SA), to protect the odontoblasts in
      culture. STUDY DESIGN: Human dentin discs of 0.5-mm thickness were obtained and
      were placed into artificial pulp chambers. MDPC-23 odontoblastlike cells were
      seeded on pulp surface of the discs and the following groups were established: G1
      No Treatment (control), G2-10% SA/6hs, G3-10%/CP6hs, G4-10%SA/6hs+10%CP/6hs, G5
      16%CP/6hs, and G6-10%SA/6hs+16%CP/6hs. The cell viability was measured by the MTT
      assay. RESULTS: In groups where 16% CP was used, decreased cell viability was
      observed. Conversely, the application of 10% SA on the dentin discs, before the
      use of the CP, reduced the cytotoxic effects of these products on cells.
      CONCLUSIONS: The 16% CP cause a significant decrease in MDPC-23 cell viability
      and 10% SA was able to partially prevent the toxic effects of CP.

PMID- 20303051
TI  - Morphological assessment of dentine and cementum following apicectomy with Zekrya
      burs and Er:YAG laser associated with direct and indirect Nd:YAG laser
      irradiation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the apical surface morphology of maxillary
      central incisors resected 3.0 mm from the tooth apex using Zekrya burs or Er:YAG
      laser, with or without subsequent direct Nd:YAG laser irradiation (apical and
      buccal surfaces) and indirect irradiation (palatal surface). STUDY DESIGN: Forty
      maxillary central incisors were instrumented and obturated. The roots were
      divided into 4 groups according to the root resection method (Zekrya bur or
      Er:YAG laser - 1.8 W, 450 mJ, 4 Hz, 113 J/cm(2)) and further surface treatment
      (none or Nd:YAG laser - 2.0 W, 100 mJ, 20 Hz, 124 J/cm(2)). The teeth were
      prepared for SEM analysis. Scores ranging from 1 to 4 were attributed to cut
      quality and morphological changes. The data were analyzed by the Kruskal-Wallis
      test and by Dunn's test. RESULTS: SEM images showed irregular surfaces on the
      apical portions resected with Zekrya burs, with smear layer and grooves in the
      resected dentine and slight gutta-percha displacement and plasticization. On the
      other hand, apicectomies carried out with Er:YAG laser showed morphological
      changes compatible with ablated dentine, with rough surfaces and craters. In
      spite of the presence of plasticized gutta-percha, with the presence of bubbles,
      an irregular adaptation of the filling material to the root walls was also
      observed. Direct Nd:YAG laser irradiation of the apical and buccal surfaces of
      the resected roots resulted in areas of resolidification and fusion in the
      dentine and cementum, with a vitrified aspect; indirect Nd:YAG laser irradiation
      of the palatal surfaces yielded a lower number of changes in the cementum, with
      irregular resolidification areas. CONCLUSIONS: There were no differences in terms
      of cut quality between the use of burs and Er:YAG laser or between the 2 surfaces
      (apical and buccal) treated with Nd:YAG laser with direct irradiation. However,
      morphological changes were significantly less frequent on surfaces submitted to
      indirect irradiation (palatal) when compared with those directly irradiated.

PMID- 20303052
TI  - Neuropathic orofacial pain after dental implant placement: review of the
      literature and case report.
AB  - Persistent and chronic pain is more common in the head and neck region than in
      any other part of the body; therefore, dentists are more likely to encounter
      these rather complex cases in their practices. In this report, we present a brief
      review of neuropathic orofacial pain (NOP) that can begin after deafferentation
      of trigeminal nerve fibers after root canal treatment, apicoectomy, tooth
      extraction, or implant placement or idiopathically. A case of NOP occurring after
      a surgical implant procedure in a 62-year-old woman is presented. Continuous pain
      started 6 months after the placement of 8 dental implants in the maxilla, at the
      time of positioning the prosthesis on her implants. After being subjected to a
      physical examination and relevant complementary radiologic imaging, the patient
      was diagnosed with an NOP secondary to nerve impingement due to dental implant
      placement as well as myofascial head and neck pain.

PMID- 20303054
TI  - Cystic lymphoid hyperplasia of the parotid gland in HIV-positive and HIV-negative
      patients: quantitative immunopathology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Benign lymphoepithelial lesions of the parotid include a spectrum of
      disorders ranging from lymphoepithelial sialadenitis (LESA) of Sjogren syndrome
      to lymphoepithelial cysts (LEC) and both human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
      related and -unrelated cystic lymphoid hyperplasia (CLH). They share a common
      microscopic appearance characterized by epimyoepithelial islands and/or
      epithelial lined cysts in a lymphoid stroma. However, they differ greatly
      regarding their etiology, clinical presentation, and management. OBJECTIVE: The
      purpose of this study was to establish specific immunophenotypic profiles for
      these diverse disease entities. STUDY DESIGN: Four cases of HIV+ CLH, 5 cases of
      HIV- CLH, 3 cases of LESA of Sjogren syndrome, and 3 cases of sporadic LEC were
      quantitatively analyzed for distribution of lymphoreticular cell subpopulations,
      using antibodies against CD20, CD45RO, CD4, CD8, CD57, and CD68. RESULTS: The
      cystic lesions in both the HIV+ and HIV- cases were microscopically analogous.
      However, a marked decrease in the interfollicular CD4:CD8 ratio was observed in
      all HIV+ CLH cases, which was statistically significant when compared with the
      HIV- cases (P = .02) and cases of LESA of Sjogren syndrome (P = .03). No
      significant differences regarding the distribution of CD20+ B lymphocytes in
      epithelial cyst lining or the interfollicular or follicular distribution of
      CD20+, CD45RO+, CD57+, and CD68+ cells were present among the different groups.
      CONCLUSION: Analysis of the interfollicular CD4:CD8 ratio may offer a simple
      immunophenotypic approach in the distinction of HIV+ from other lymphoepithelial
      lesions of the parotid gland, when HIV status is unknown and p24
      immunohistochemistry is not readily available.

PMID- 20303053
TI  - Molecular methodology to assess the impact of cancer chemotherapy on the oral
      bacterial flora: a pilot study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This pilot study determined the profile of the oral bacterial flora in
      an outpatient cancer population before and after chemotherapy using molecular
      techniques. STUDY DESIGN: We recruited 9 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients
      scheduled for induction chemotherapy. All were seen immediately before
      chemotherapy, and 7 to 14 days later. At both visits, we performed oral
      evaluations and obtained mucositis grading (with the World Health Organization
      [WHO] scale), absolute neutrophil counts (ANC), and bacterial samples from the
      buccal mucosa. Bacterial DNA was isolated, and 16S ribosomal RNA gene clonal
      libraries were constructed. Sequences of genes in the library were used to
      determine species identity by comparison to known sequences. RESULTS: After
      chemotherapy, WHO scores of 0 and 1 were in 3 and 6 patients, respectively, and
      mean ANC (+/-SD) dropped from 3326 +/- 463 to 1091 +/- 1082 cells/mm(3). From pre
      and post-chemotherapy samples, 41 species were detected, with a predominance of
      Gemella haemolysans and Streptococcus mitis. More than 85% of species have not
      been previously identified in chemotherapy patients. Seven species appeared
      exclusively before chemotherapy and 25 after chemotherapy. After chemotherapy,
      the number of species per patient increased by a mean of 2.6 (SD = 4.7, P =
      .052). CONCLUSION: We identified species not previously identified in
      chemotherapy patients. Our results suggest a shift to a more complex oral
      bacterial profile in patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy.

PMID- 20303055
TI  - Survivin as a potential early marker in the carcinogenesis of oral submucous
      fibrosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a chronic precancerous condition.
      Survivin is one of the inhibitors of apoptosis protein, and is focused on owing
      to its unique therapeutic and prognostic potential. STUDY DESIGN: To determine
      the potential involvement of survivin in the carcinogenesis of OSF, we analyzed
      the relationship between the survivin and clinical characteristic. RESULTS:
      Immunohistochemistry was used to show that survivin expression levels were
      significantly higher in the oral squamous cell carcinoma transformed from OSF
      group compared with normal group (P < .01) and OSF group (P < .01). In the
      different stages of OSF, survivin expression exhibited difference as well.
      Furthermore, Western blotting and reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction
      analysis confirmed the increased expression of survivin in the carcinogenesis of
      OSF. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that survivin plays an important role
      during the malignant transformation of OSF and may provide an indication to early
      prevention and diagnosis in the progression of OSF.

PMID- 20303056
TI  - Metastases in odontogenic cysts: literature review and case presentation.
AB  - Malignant tumors in the oral cavity are relatively rare. About 5% of all
      malignant growths in the body are localized in the oral cavity. The vast majority
      of oral malignancies are primary tumors with squamous cell carcinoma being the
      most frequent and sarcomas occurring very seldom. Secondary tumors caused by
      hematogenous spread arising from a tumor localized elsewhere in the body are
      extremely rare. About 1% of all oral cancers are metastases to the jawbones and
      the surrounding soft tissues. Metastases to the jaws are mainly caused by
      malignant tumors of the breast, lung, kidney, bone, and colon. They occur in the
      late state of the disease and are regularly detected by staging examinations
      including scintigraphy. Even more rare are metastases into odontogenic cysts.
      Odontogenic cysts include dentigerous cysts, periapical or radicular cysts, and
      the keratocysts-nowadays declared as keratocystic odontogenic tumor. The
      incidence of odontogenic cysts is about 10% to 15% of all oral biopsies and
      therefore general dentists are frequently faced with these types of lesions. The
      aim of this study was to review the literature regarding metastasis into
      odontogenic cysts and to further highlight this rare entity with the help of a
      clinical case.

PMID- 20303057
TI  - Oral metastasis of alveolar soft-part sarcoma: a case report and review of
      literature.
AB  - Alveolar soft-part sarcoma (ASPS) is a rare malignant neoplasm with uncertain
      histogenesis and with a distinctive morphology. It has been described in the oral
      cavity, but this is the first report of ASPS metastasizing to the maxillary tuber
      region. A 27-year-old male patient, who was under chemotherapy treatment for ASPS
      of the thigh, presented in our dental clinic with a painless and pedunculated
      nodule on the right tuber maxillae. The nodule was erythematous with smooth and
      lobular surface, measuring 3 cm in maximum diameter. An incisional biopsy was
      performed and the diagnosis of metastatic ASPS was made. Histologically, the
      tumor was characterized by a proliferation of polyhedral cells in pseudoalveolar
      pattern. Tumor cells were large, showing granular cytoplasm, periodic acid-Schiff
      positive diastase-resistant intracytoplasmic material, and vesicular nuclei with
      prominent nucleoli. Unfortunately, the patient died 2 months after the diagnosis
      of the oral metastasis. Metastases of ASPS to the mouth are very rare and
      indicate a poor prognosis.

PMID- 20303058
TI  - A comparison of nickel-titanium rotary instruments manufactured using different
      methods and cross-sectional areas: ability to resist cyclic fatigue.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effect of the manufacturing methods (ground,
      electropolished, and twisted) and the cross-sectional area (CSA) of nickel
      titanium (NiTi) rotary instruments on their cyclic fatigue resistance. STUDY
      DESIGN: A total of 80 NiTi rotary instruments (ISO 25/.06 taper) from 4 brands
      (K3, ProFile, RaCe, and TF) were rotated in a simulated root canal with pecking
      motion until fracture. The number of cycles to failure (NCF) was calculated. The
      CSA at 3 mm from the tip of new instruments of each brand was calculated. The
      correlation between the CSA and NCF was evaluated. All fractured surfaces were
      analyzed using a scanning electron microscope to determine the fracture mode.
      RESULTS: The TF instruments were the most resistant to fatigue failure. The
      resistance to cyclic failure increased with decreasing CSA. All fractured
      surfaces showed the coexistence of ductile and brittle properties. CONCLUSION:
      The CSA had a significant effect on the fatigue resistance of NiTi rotary
      instruments.

PMID- 20303059
TI  - Use of computerized tomography for diagnosis and follow-up after endodontic
      surgery: clinical case report with 8 years of follow-up.
AB  - Computerized tomography (CT) is a valuable tool for diagnosis and planning in
      conventional and surgical endodontic therapy. This case report describes the use
      of CT in the diagnosis of a periapical lesion undetected by periapical
      radiography in the mandibular molar area. The CT also showed a possible mesial
      root perforation associated with the lesion. Following CT, surgical planning,
      periradicular curettage, and sealing of the root perforation were performed.
      Eight years after surgery, cone beam CT revealed periapical bone repair.
      Computerized tomography can be an important resource for diagnosis and planning
      in conventional and surgical endodontic therapy, as well as for evaluation of
      post-treatment bone repair.

PMID- 20303060
TI  - Endodontic photoactivated disinfection using a conventional light source: an in
      vitro and ex vivo study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The antimicrobial effect of photoactivated disinfection (PAD) using
      toluidine blue and an LED lamp was tested on endodontic pathogens in planktonic
      suspension and after inoculation into extracted teeth. Irradiation time was
      limited to 30 seconds. STUDY DESIGN: The effect of PAD on planktonic suspensions
      of Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, Enterococcus faecalis, Fusobacterium
      nucleatum, and Streptococcus intermedius was analyzed using Poisson regression.
      Moreover, cultures of S. intermedius were inoculated into prepared root canals of
      extracted molars. The effect of PAD performed immediately after inoculation or
      after overnight bacterial incubation was determined by a 2-sample t test.
      RESULTS: Photoactivated disinfection yielded significant reductions (P < .001) in
      the viable counts of all organisms in planktonic suspension. The PAD treatment of
      S. intermedius in root canals yielded a mean log10 reduction of 2.60 (P < .001)
      immediately after inoculation and of 1.38 (P < .001) after overnight incubation.
      CONCLUSION: Photoactivated disinfection using a conventional light source
      strongly reduces the number of viable endodontic pathogens in planktonic
      suspension and in root canals.

PMID- 20303061
TI  - Analysis of heavy metal contents in gray and white MTA and 2 kinds of Portland
      cement: a preliminary study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The levels of 10 heavy metals (arsenic, bismuth, cadmium, chromium,
      copper, iron, lead, manganese, nickel, and zinc) in gray Portland cement (GPC),
      white Portland cement (WPC), gray MTA (GMTA), and white MTA (WMTA) were analyzed
      by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). STUDY
      DESIGN: One gram of each material was digested with 80 degrees C "aqua-regia" (7
      mL of 60% HNO3 and 21 mL of 35% HCl), filtered, and analyzed by ICP-AES. The
      analysis was performed 6 times and the data were analyzed statistically. RESULTS:
      Arsenic and lead concentrations were the highest in GPC (P < .05). GPC had much
      more of 7 heavy metals than the other 3 cements (P < .05). GMTA and WMTA had
      higher purity than GPC and WPC (P < .05), particularly when arsenic content was
      considered. CONCLUSION: If a clinician is considering using Portland cement
      versus MTA, the differences in purity may be considered.

PMID- 20303062
TI  - A variant in LIN28B is associated with 2D:4D finger-length ratio, a putative
      retrospective biomarker of prenatal testosterone exposure.
AB  - The ratio of the lengths of an individual's second to fourth digit (2D:4D) is
      commonly used as a noninvasive retrospective biomarker for prenatal androgen
      exposure. In order to identify the genetic determinants of 2D:4D, we applied a
      genome-wide association approach to 1507 11-year-old children from the Avon
      Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) in whom 2D:4D ratio had been
      measured, as well as a sample of 1382 12- to 16-year-olds from the Brisbane
      Adolescent Twin Study. A meta-analysis of the two scans identified a single
      variant in the LIN28B gene that was strongly associated with 2D:4D (rs314277: p =
      4.1 x 10(-8)) and was subsequently independently replicated in an additional 3659
      children from the ALSPAC cohort (p = 1.53 x 10(-6)). The minor allele of the
      rs314277 variant has previously been linked to increased height and delayed age
      at menarche, but in our study it was associated with increased 2D:4D in the
      direction opposite to that of previous reports on the correlation between 2D:4D
      and age at menarche. Our findings call into question the validity of 2D:4D as a
      simplistic retrospective biomarker for prenatal testosterone exposure.

PMID- 20303063
TI  - High-resolution detection of identity by descent in unrelated individuals.
AB  - Detection of recent identity by descent (IBD) in population samples is important
      for population-based linkage mapping and for highly accurate genotype imputation
      and haplotype-phase inference. We present a method for detection of recent IBD in
      population samples. Our method accounts for linkage disequilibrium between SNPs
      to enable full use of high-density SNP data. We find that our method can detect
      segments of a length of 2 cM with moderate power and negligible false discovery
      rate in Illumina 550K data in Northwestern Europeans. We compare our method with
      GERMLINE and PLINK, and we show that our method has a level of resolution that is
      significantly better than these existing methods, thus extending the usefulness
      of recent IBD in analysis of high-density SNP data. We survey four genomic
      regions in a sample of UK individuals of European descent and find that on
      average, at a given location, our method detects IBD in 2.7 per 10,000 pairs of
      individuals in Illumina 550K data. We also present methodology and results for
      detection of homozygosity by descent (HBD) and survey the whole genome in a
      sample of 1373 UK individuals of European descent. We detect HBD in 4.7
      individuals per 10,000 on average at a given location. Our methodology is
      implemented in the freely available BEAGLE software package.

PMID- 20303064
TI  - Common variants of large effect in F12, KNG1, and HRG are associated with
      activated partial thromboplastin time.
AB  - Activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) is associated with risk of
      thrombosis and coagulation disorders. We conducted a genome-wide association
      study for aPTT and identified significant associations with SNPs in three
      coagulation cascade genes, F12 (rs2731672, combined p = 2.16 x 10(-30)), KNG1
      (rs710446, combined p = 9.52 x 10(-22)), and HRG (rs9898, combined p = 1.34 x 10(
      11)). These three SNPs explain approximately 18% of phenotypic variance in aPTT
      in the Lothian Birth Cohorts.

PMID- 20303065
TI  - Development of deciduous and permanent dentitions in the upper jaw of the house
      shrew (Suncus murinus).
AB  - The diphyodont tooth replacement in mammals is characterized by a single
      replacement of a deciduous dentition by a permanent dentition. Despite its
      significance in mammalian biology and paleontology, little is known about the
      developmental mechanisms regulating the diphyodont replacement. Because the mouse
      never replaces its teeth, this study used the house shrew, Suncus murinus, as a
      model to investigate the control of the diphyodont replacement of a deciduous
      dentition by successions and additions of permanent teeth. Using morphological
      and gene expression analyses of serial sections, we have demonstrated the
      development of the upper dentition of the house shrew. In this species, the
      deciduous tooth germs are formed but soon become vestigial, whereas the
      successional and accessional (molar) germs are subsequently formed and developed.
      There are distinct Shh expression domains in the deciduous, successional, and
      accessional tooth germs, and those of the latter two germs are identified from
      the appearance of their primary enamel knots. The developmental sequence of tooth
      germs in the house shrew indicates that two adjacent primary enamel knots of the
      successional and accessional germs do not develop simultaneously, but with a
      constant time lag. We suggest that this mode of tooth succession and accession
      can be explained by a sequential inhibitory cascade model in which the timing of
      initiation and the spacing of tooth development are determined by the inhibition
      from the primary enamel knots of developmentally preceding adjacent tooth germs.

PMID- 20303066
TI  - Voxelwise meta-analysis of gray matter abnormalities in bipolar disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We conducted a meta-analysis of gray matter abnormalities in bipolar
      disorder (BD) using voxel-based morphometry studies to help clarify the
      structural abnormalities underpinning this condition. METHODS: A systematic
      review was conducted for voxel-based morphometry studies of patients with BD.
      Meta-analyses of gray matter differences between BD and control subjects were
      undertaken using "signed differential mapping," a novel method that, in contrast
      to previously used techniques, allows inclusion of negative findings and ensures
      that single studies do not exert undue influence on the results. Meta-regression
      and subgroup analyses were used to examine the effect of moderator variables on
      gray matter abnormalities. RESULTS: A total of 21 studies comparing gray matter
      volumes of 660 BD patients and 770 healthy control subjects were included. Gray
      matter reduction in left rostral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and right fronto
      insular cortex was associated with BD. Fronto-insular cortex abnormality was not
      evident in early phases of the illness. In chronic patients, longer duration of
      illness was associated with increased gray matter in a cluster that included
      basal ganglia, subgenual ACC, and amygdala. Lithium treatment was associated with
      enlargement of ACC gray matter volumes, which overlapped with the region where
      gray matter was reduced in BD. CONCLUSIONS: The most robust gray matter
      reductions in BD occur in anterior limbic regions, which may be related to the
      executive control and emotional processing abnormalities seen in this patient
      population. Clinical factors such as illness duration and lithium treatment also
      impact on case-control comparisons of gray matter volume.

PMID- 20303067
TI  - Reward and punishment processing in depression.
AB  - Depression is a complex and heterogeneous disorder whose cause is poorly
      understood. Theories on the mechanisms of the disease have often focused on
      either its neurobiology or its cognitive and behavioral manifestations. Recently,
      studies exploring how depressed patients process reward and punishment have
      linked these two facets together. It has been suggested that individuals with a
      dysfunction in a specialized network of brain regions are unable to exploit
      affective information to guide behavior. Deficits in this ability might
      predispose such individuals to develop depression, whereas subsequent restoration
      of this ability--whether through pharmacological or behavioral treatments--might
      enable recovery from the disorder. Here we review behavioral, neuroimaging, and
      computational findings relevant to this hypothesis. There is good evidence that
      depressed patients exhibit abnormal behavioral responses to rewards and
      punishments and that these tendencies correspond to aberrant function in
      frontostriatal systems modulated by the monoamine systems. Furthermore,
      computational studies have generated testable predictions for how these neural
      signaling and neurochemical abnormalities might contribute to the symptoms of
      depression. Combining these approaches--as well as molecular and behavioral work
      in animals--provides great promise for furthering our understanding of this
      common and debilitating disease.

PMID- 20303068
TI  - A novel transgenic mouse for gene-targeting within cells that express
      corticotropin-releasing factor.
AB  - Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) orchestrates the mammalian endocrine,
      autonomic, and behavioral stress response and has been implicated in the
      pathophysiology of illnesses ranging from irritable bowel syndrome to mood and
      anxiety disorders. CRF is produced and released from a variety of cell types,
      making it difficult to distinguish the specific role of CRF from other
      neurotransmitters with which it colocalizes. To clarify the basic biology of the
      CRF neuron, we must be able to manipulate selectively CRFergic cells. Here we
      describe a novel transgenic mouse using 3.0 kb of the CRF promoter to drive
      expression of Cre-recombinase (CRFp3.0Cre). Crossing CRFp3.0Cre with a
      fluorescent reporter strain results in Cre-dependent green fluorescent protein
      expression within CRF-producing cells. Thus, CRF cells can be identified for
      single-cell polymerase chain reaction and electrophysiological procedures.
      Furthermore, the CRFp3.0Cre transgenic can be combined with other available mouse
      strains containing a "floxed" gene of interest to allow unparalleled detailed
      analysis of the CRF system.

PMID- 20303069
TI  - Induction of depressed mood disrupts emotion regulation neurocircuitry and
      enhances pain unpleasantness.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Depressed mood alters the pain experience. Yet, despite its clear
      clinical relevance, little is known about the cognitive and neural mechanisms
      underlying this phenomenon. We tested an experimental manipulation to unravel the
      interaction between depressed mood and pain. We hypothesized that dysregulation
      of the neural circuitry underlying emotion regulation is the mechanism whereby
      pain processing is affected during depressed mood. METHODS: Using functional
      magnetic resonance imaging, we compared the effects of sad and neutral cognitive
      mood inductions on affective pain ratings, pain-specific cognitions, and central
      pain processing of a tonic noxious heat stimulus in 20 healthy volunteers.
      RESULTS: The increase in negative pain-specific cognitions during depressed mood
      predicted the perceived increase in pain unpleasantness. Following depressed mood
      induction, brain responses to noxious thermal stimuli were characterized by
      increased activity in a broad network including prefrontal areas, subgenual
      anterior cingulate cortex, and hippocampus, as well as significantly less
      deactivation when compared with pain responses in a neutral mood. The
      participants who reported the largest increase in pain unpleasantness after the
      sad mood induction showed greater inferior frontal gyrus and amygdala activation,
      linking changes in emotion regulation mechanisms with enhancement of pain affect.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our results inform how depressed mood and chronic pain co-occur
      clinically and may serve to develop and translate effective interventions using
      pharmacological or psychological treatment.

PMID- 20303070
TI  - No neural evidence of statistical learning during exposure to artificial
      languages in children with autism spectrum disorders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Language delay is a hallmark feature of autism spectrum disorders
      (ASD). The identification of word boundaries in continuous speech is a critical
      first step in language acquisition that can be accomplished via statistical
      learning and reliance on speech cues. Importantly, early word segmentation skills
      have been shown to predict later language development in typically developing
      (TD) children. METHODS: Here we investigated the neural correlates of online word
      segmentation in children with and without ASD with a well-established behavioral
      paradigm previously validated for functional magnetic resonance imaging. Eighteen
      high-functioning boys with ASD and 18 age- and IQ-matched TD boys underwent
      functional magnetic resonance imaging while listening to two artificial languages
      (containing statistical or statistical + prosodic cues to word boundaries) and a
      random speech stream. RESULTS: Consistent with prior findings, in TD control
      subjects, activity in fronto-temporal-parietal networks decreased as the number
      of cues to word boundaries increased. The ASD children, however, did not show
      this facilitatory effect. Furthermore, statistical contrasts modeling changes in
      activity over time identified significant learning-related signal increases for
      both artificial languages in basal ganglia and left temporo-parietal cortex only
      in TD children. Finally, the level of communicative impairment in ASD children
      was inversely correlated with signal increases in these same regions during
      exposure to the artificial languages. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to
      demonstrate significant abnormalities in the neural architecture subserving
      language-related learning in ASD children and to link the communicative
      impairments observed in this population to decreased sensitivity to the
      statistical and speech cues available in the language input.

PMID- 20303071
TI  - Structure of calcium and zinc pectinate films investigated by FTIR spectroscopy.
AB  - Calcium and zinc pectinate gels were prepared using a method which allowed
      calcium or zinc to diffuse from the cross-linking solution through a dialysis
      membrane to form a gel with amidated low-methoxyl pectin. The gel thus obtained
      was then dried, and the film structure was studied using FTIR spectroscopy as a
      function of the cation content (0%, 5%, 10%, and 15% w/v). Important
      consideration was given to the three functional groups (amide, carboxyl ester,
      and carboxylate groups) present in the pectin. When the zinc content was
      increased, the three wavenumber values corresponding to these three functional
      groups did not change significantly, while for calcium pectinate, the three
      wavenumber values were shifted profoundly when the amount of calcium ions
      changed. These results confirm that calcium ions could form stable interactions
      with carboxylate groups as described by the eggbox model [Grant, G.T.; Morris,
      E.R.; Rees, D.A.; Smith, P.J.C.; Tho, D. FEBS Lett.1973, 32, 195-198] while the
      lower coordination number of zinc does not permit a structured gel to develop.

PMID- 20303072
TI  - Synthetic UDP-furanoses inhibit the growth of the parasite Leishmania.
AB  - The chemical synthesis of UDP-6-NHAc-6-deoxy-Galf was performed and it led to the
      isolation of both pure anomers. They were then evaluated together with the
      previously prepared UDP-furanoses for their anti-parasitic properties against
      Leishmania donovani promastigotes, one of the agents responsible for visceral
      leishmaniasis. Amongst them, the unnatural 1,2-trans UDP-6-NHAc-Galf demonstrated
      a high potency in inhibiting the growth of the parasite.

PMID- 20303073
TI  - Effect of a serine-to-aspartate replacement on the recognition of chitin
      oligosaccharides by truncated hevein. A 3D view by using NMR.
AB  - The interaction of a synthetically prepared mutant peptide of hevein (a well
      known chitin-binding lectin) Hev32S19D with chitin oligosaccharides (and chitosan
      analogues) has allowed us to estimate their affinity constants and associated
      thermodynamic data. The mutant peptide is able to bind chitin oligomers, but with
      significant decreases in the association constants with chito-oligosaccharides.
      The determination of the three-dimensional structure of the peptide mutant, by
      using NMR, has permitted us to deduce that the topology of the backbone is very
      similar to that of the parent Hev32 peptide. The same is true regarding the
      orientations of the key aromatic residues Trp21, Trp23, and Tyr30. The decrease
      in the association constants can be attributed to the different topological
      orientation of key side chains and to the importance of protein-sugar
      intermolecular essential hydrogen bonds and CH-pi stacking interactions. The
      analysis has permitted us to infer the free energy of binding associated with
      these interactions as well as to estimate the corresponding binding enthalpy.

PMID- 20303074
TI  - IL-1beta and TNF-alpha alter the glycophenotype of primary human chondrocytes in
      vitro.
AB  - Despite the significance of glycoproteins for extracellular matrix assembly in
      cartilage tissue, little is known about the regulation of the chondrocyte
      glycophenotype under inflammatory conditions. The present study aimed to assess
      the effect of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha on specific features of the glycophenotype
      of primary human chondrocytes in vitro. Using LC-MS, we found that both cytokines
      increased overall sialylation of N- and O-glycans and induced a shift towards
      alpha-(2-->3)-linked sialic acid residues in chondrocyte glycoproteins. These
      results were supported by quantitative PCR showing increased expression of alpha
      (2-->3) sialyltransferases in treated cells. Moreover, we found that both IL
      1beta and TNF-alpha induced a considerable shift from oligomannosidic glycans
      towards complex-type N-glycans. In contrast, core alpha-(1-->6)-fucosylation of
      chondrocyte N-glycans was found to be reduced particularly by TNF-alpha. In
      summary, inflammatory conditions induce specific alterations of the chondrocyte
      glycophenotype which might affect cell-matrix interactions or the function of
      endogenous lectins.

PMID- 20303075
TI  - Concentration-dependent effect of fibrinogen on IgG-specific antigen binding and
      phagocytosis.
AB  - In this paper, we aim to characterize fibrinogen-IgG interactions, and explore
      how fibrinogen alters IgG-mediated phagocytosis. Using enzyme-linked binding
      assays, we found that fibrinogen binding to IgG is optimized for surfaces coated
      with high levels of IgG. Using a similar method, we have shown that for an
      antigen unable to specifically bind fibrinogen, fibrinogen enhances binding of
      antibodies towards that antigen. For binding of IgG antibodies to cells
      expressing Fc receptors, we found a bimodal binding response, where low levels of
      fibrinogen enhance binding of antibody to Fc receptors and high levels reduce it.
      This corresponds to a bimodal effect on phagocytosis of IgG-coated particles,
      which is inhibited in the presence of excess IgG during coating of the particles
      with antibodies and fibrinogen. We conclude that fibrinogen can modulate
      phagocytosis of IgG-coated particles in vitro by changing IgG binding behavior,
      and that high fibrinogen levels could negatively affect phagocytosis.

PMID- 20303076
TI  - Implementation of a novel interpolating method to epicardial potential mapping
      for atrial fibrillation study.
AB  - Epicardial potential mapping is an efficient way to visualize the potential
      distribution on the epicardial surface. We found in our previous study, that the
      traditional linear interpolation used for the epicardial mapping may cause errors
      and distortions in reconstruction of the electric activities on the epicardial
      surface especially during the atrial fibrillation. In this study, we devoted on
      the implementation of a 3D interpolating method, and verified it in comparison
      with another interpolating method as well as studying of the mechanism of vagal
      atrial fibrillation (AF). In case studying, we analyzed the epicardial data from
      seven canine cardiac models using this method and found the macro-re-entry during
      the sustainable AF is more likely due to the dispersion of refractoriness in the
      myocardium and does not demonstrated the focal patterns at the beginning of AF.
      This indicated that the electrophysiological characteristics of myocardium might
      have been changed during the paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF).

PMID- 20303077
TI  - Sewage sludge and liquid pig manure as possible sources of antibiotic resistant
      bacteria.
AB  - Within the last decades, the environmental spread of antibiotic resistant
      bacteria has become a topic of concern. In this study, liquid pig manure (n=305)
      and sewage sludge (n=111) - used as agricultural fertilizers between 2002 and
      2005 - were investigated for the presence of Escherichia coli, Enterococcus
      faecalis and Enterococcus faecium. Bacteria were tested for their resistance
      against 40 chemotherapeutics including several "reserve drugs". E. coli (n=613)
      from pig manure were at a significantly higher degree resistant to streptomycin,
      doxycycline, spectinomycin, cotrimoxazole, and chloramphenicol than E. coli
      (n=116) from sewage sludge. Enterococci (Ent. faecalis, n=387, and Ent. faecium,
      n=183) from pig manure were significantly more often resistant to high levels of
      doxycycline, rifampicin, erythromycin, and streptomycin than Ent. faecalis (n=44)
      and Ent. faecium (n=125) from sewage sludge. Significant differences in
      enterococcal resistance were also seen for tylosin, chloramphenicol, gentamicin
      high level, fosfomycin, clindamicin, enrofloxacin, moxifloxacin, nitrofurantoin,
      and quinupristin/dalfopristin. By contrast, aminopenicillins were more effective
      in enterococci from pig manure, and mean MIC-values of piperacillin+tazobactam
      and third generation cefalosporines were significantly lower in E. coli from pig
      manure than in E. coli from sewage sludge. 13.4% (E. coli) to 25.3% (Ent.
      faecium) of pig manure isolates were high-level multiresistant to substances from
      more than three different classes of antimicrobial agents. In sewage sludge, high
      level-multiresistance reached from 0% (Ent. faecalis) to 16% (Ent. faecium). High
      rates of (multi-) resistant bacteria in pig manure emphasize the need for a
      prudent - cautious - use of antibiotics in farm animals.

PMID- 20303078
TI  - Robust stabilizing first-order controllers for a class of time delay systems.
AB  - In this paper, stabilizing regions of a first-order controller for an all poles
      system with time delay are computed via parametric methods. First, the admissible
      ranges of one of the controller's parameters are obtained. Then, for a fixed
      value of this parameter, stabilizing regions in the remaining two parameters are
      determined using the D-decomposition method. Phase and gain margin specifications
      are then included in the design. Finally, robust stabilizing first-order
      controllers are determined for uncertain plants with an interval type uncertainty
      in the coefficients. Examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the
      proposed method.

PMID- 20303079
TI  - Pronation and supination after forearm fractures in children: Reliability of
      visual estimation and conventional goniometry measurement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Forearm fractures are common amongst children and often result in
      limited rotational function. In daily practice, pronation and supination of the
      arm are often visually estimated or measured using a conventional goniometer. The
      aim of this study was to compare the reliability of these two methods in
      paediatric patients who had previously sustained a forearm fracture. METHODS:
      Intra- and interrater reliability of visual estimation and conventional
      goniometry were determined in 47 children who had previously sustained a forearm
      fracture. RESULTS: Intra- and interrater reliability of visual estimation and
      conventional goniometry was fair to excellent, with intraclass correlation
      coefficients (ICCs) ranging between 0.75 and 0.94. In addition, the overall
      goniometer data consistently showed lower smallest detectable differences (SDDs)
      compared to the visual estimation data, also indicating better reliability for
      the goniometer method. CONCLUSIONS: A conventional goniometer is an easy, fast
      and reliable method to determine the pronation and supination in a child who had
      sustained a forearm fracture. If an uncooperative child hinders the measurement,
      visual estimation is a good second choice. Measurements are more reliable when
      repeated by the same professional.

PMID- 20303080
TI  - Patient perceptions of nurse-delivered cardiovascular prevention: cross-sectional
      survey within a randomised trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that in general patients are positive about
      cardiovascular prevention delivered by general practitioners. Further, it has
      been found that care by nurses for the chronically ill leads to even greater
      patient satisfaction. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this survey was to answer the
      following questions: How do patients perceive cardiovascular prevention delivered
      by the practice nurse? Are patient characteristics and personal health status
      associated with experiences of received nurse-led care? DESIGN: A cross-sectional
      survey after completion of a randomised trial. SETTING: Six primary health care
      centres in the Netherlands (25 general practitioners, 6 practice nurses, 30,000
      patients). PARTICIPANTS: Included in the randomised trial were 701 patients with
      at least a 10% risk of fatal cardiovascular disease within 10 years. Patients who
      visited a cardiovascular specialist more often than once a year and patients with
      diabetes were excluded from the study. In 90% of the patients it concerned
      secondary prevention. Half of the patients received nurse-delivered care and half
      received care by the general practitioner. METHOD: A questionnaire was sent by
      post to all patients after having received one year of cardiovascular prevention.
      A dual moderator focus group study was held for the development of the
      questionnaire. FINDINGS: The response rate was 69%. Patients were more satisfied
      with nurse-delivered cardiovascular prevention compared to standard care by
      general practitioners. The majority of patients agreed with positive statements
      regarding received nurse-led care. Patient characteristics such as age,
      educational level and gender were significantly associated with patients
      experiences. Furthermore, a significant association between experiences and
      personal health status was found. In comparison with patients who did not smoke,
      smokers would recommend the practice nurse less to others (X(2)=4.0, p=0.047),
      felt more 'rapped on their knuckles' (X(2)=11.5, p=0.003), found the consultation
      more 'awkward' (X(2)=8.3, p=0.016) and thought the nurse less understanding of
      their personal situation (X(2)=6.4, p=0.041) and less able to explain clearly
      (X(2)=6.5, p=0.039). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of patients responded positively
      to nurse-delivered cardiovascular prevention. Further improvement could be gained
      by paying more attention to motivational interviewing. Nurses should approach
      high risk patients more specifically according to the type of risk factor to be
      treated.

PMID- 20303081
TI  - Relationship of job satisfaction with perceived organizational support and
      quality of care among South Korean nurses: a questionnaire survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The International Hospital Outcomes Study found that
      organizational/managerial support for nursing has a pronounced effect on nurses'
      job dissatisfaction, burnout and quality of care. However, these findings have
      not been validated in non-Western countries using the same study method and
      instrument. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to: (a) examine
      associations between job satisfaction and burnout, organizational support and
      quality of care reported by South Korean nurses, (b) identify the best predictors
      of job satisfaction among South Korean nurses through multivariate modeling and
      (c) compare findings of this study with those from the International Hospital
      Outcomes Study. RESEARCH METHOD: This replication study used a cross-sectional
      survey design. The Pennsylvania Registered Nurse Survey used in the International
      Hospital Outcomes Study (IHOS) was administered to 496 registered nurses working
      at 23 acute hospitals in South Korea. A statistical model of job satisfaction was
      developed using logistic regression. RESULTS: Job dissatisfaction was positively
      correlated to total burnout scores (r=.42, p<.001) and lack of organizational
      support (r=.36, p<.001). Multivariate analysis found that job satisfaction was
      significantly associated at the level of 0.05 with total burnout scores, amount
      of organizational support and satisfaction with nurse identity, with odds ratios
      of .92 (p<.001), 1.04 (p<.01) and 11.93 (p<.001), respectively. Korean nurses
      reported low quality of care in their practice setting and were less confident in
      their patients' ability of self-management after discharge. Yet despite a high
      patient-to-nurse ratio (22 patients per nurse), Korean nurses had a higher job
      satisfaction rate (68.8%) and lower burnout scores (35.7) than their counterparts
      in the International Hospital Outcomes Study. CONCLUSION: The high patient-to
      nurse ratio allows South Korean nurses to focus on more technical tasks that give
      less stress and have higher job satisfaction because of it. However, this also
      leads to the South Korean nurses having less confidence in their patient's
      ability to take care of themselves upon discharge. South Korean nurses should
      also be given opportunity to advance themselves professionally and be recognized
      for their abilities while being given more responsibility for the clinical
      decision making in their patient's care.

PMID- 20303084
TI  - Transdifferentiation of bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells into the
      smooth muscle cell lineage mediated by tansforming growth factor-beta1.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the transdifferentiation of
      bone marrow (BM)-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) into the smooth
      muscle cell (SMC) lineage in vitro and in vivo. METHODS AND RESULTS: EPCs were
      obtained from BM of rats and cultured on fibronectin-coated dishes for 15 days.
      Treatment of EPCs with transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 for 7 days changed
      morphology of EPCs, reduced the expression of endothelial markers in EPCs,
      induced the expression of SMC markers, and enhanced their proliferation. EPCs
      expressed TGF-beta receptor type II (TGF-beta RII) and TGF-beta1 induced the
      phosphorylation of Smad 2 in EPCs. TGF-beta1-induced transdifferentiation was
      specifically inhibited by neutralizing antibody against TGF-beta and gene
      silencing of TGF-beta RII. Local transplantation of autologous EPCs enhanced
      intimal hyperplasia of the balloon-injured artery on day 28. Transplanted EPCs
      were localized near the endothelial layer on day 14 but widely distributed within
      the hypertrophic neointima on day 28 differentiating toward SMC lineage. Neither
      expression of growth factors such as TGF-beta1 nor early inflammatory reactions
      within the denuded arteries were promoted by transplantation of EPCs.
      CONCLUSIONS: TGF-beta1 induced the transdifferentiation of BM-derived EPCs toward
      SMC lineage mediated by TGF-beta RII. The augmentation of intimal hyperplasia by
      transplantation of EPCs was probably due to the transdifferentiation and
      proliferation of EPCs induced by TGF-beta1.

PMID- 20303085
TI  - The sensitivity of endpoint forces produced by the extrinsic muscles of the thumb
      to posture.
AB  - This study utilizes a biomechanical model of the thumb to estimate the force
      produced at the thumb-tip by each of the four extrinsic muscles. We used the
      principle of virtual work to relate joint torques produced by a given muscle
      force to the resulting endpoint force and compared the results to two separate
      cadaveric studies. When we calculated thumb-tip forces using the muscle forces
      and thumb postures described in the experimental studies, we observed large
      errors. When relatively small deviations from experimentally reported thumb joint
      angles were allowed, errors in force direction decreased substantially. For
      example, when thumb posture was constrained to fall within +/-15 degrees of
      reported joint angles, simulated force directions fell within experimental
      variability in the proximal-palmar plane for all four muscles. Increasing the
      solution space from +/-1 degrees to an unbounded space produced a sigmoidal
      decrease in error in force direction. Changes in thumb posture remained
      consistent with a lateral pinch posture, and were generally consistent with each
      muscle's function. Altering thumb posture alters both the components of the
      Jacobian and muscle moment arms in a nonlinear fashion, yielding a nonlinear
      change in thumb-tip force relative to muscle force. These results explain
      experimental data that suggest endpoint force is a nonlinear function of muscle
      force for the thumb, support the continued use of methods that implement linear
      transformations between muscle force and thumb-tip force for a specific posture,
      and suggest the feasibility of accurate prediction of lateral pinch force in
      situations where joint angles can be measured accurately.

PMID- 20303086
TI  - Determination of pharmaceuticals in environmental and biological matrices using
      pressurised liquid extraction--are we developing sound extraction methods?
AB  - Pressurised liquid extraction (PLE) is now a well established and extensively
      applied extraction technique in environmental analysis for pollutants such as
      persistent organic pollutants (POPs). During the past decade, an emerging group
      of environmentally interesting analytes are pharmaceuticals that are continuingly
      released into the environment. This class is comprised with compounds of various
      properties. As the field of the analysis of these compounds grows, an increasing
      number of PLE methods for pharmaceuticals of varying quality are developed and
      published. This review summarises the critical PLE parameters during PLE method
      development and highlight them with examples from recently published papers
      utilising pressurised liquid extraction for the determination of pharmaceuticals
      in environmental and biological matrices. These recent methods are summarised and
      critically discussed with the aim to provide important reflections to alleviate
      in future PLE development for pharmaceuticals in environmental matrices.

PMID- 20303087
TI  - Separation of alkanes and aromatic compounds by packed column gas chromatography
      using functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes as stationary phases.
AB  - In the present work, we show a novel application of pristine and functionalized
      Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) as stationary phase in low-cost packed
      columns for the gas chromatographic separation of alkanes and aromatic
      hydrocarbons. The MWCNTs were deeply investigated by means of physical and
      chemical methods, like thermal analysis, IR and atomic force microscopy, and
      Inverse Gas Chromatography (IGC) in order to correlate the adsorption process and
      surface properties with the material purity level and functionalization degree.
      The derivatization process of the pristine nanotubes was a key factor to achieve
      a successful separation of both the light n-alkanes (C3-C5) and the related
      isomers (C4-C5 branched alkanes). Satisfactory results were similarly obtained in
      the case of separation of aromatic hydrocarbons (BTX).

PMID- 20303088
TI  - Weak anion-exchange hypercrosslinked sorbent in on-line solid-phase extraction
      liquid chromatography coupling to achieve automated determination with an
      effective clean-up.
AB  - A mixed-mode polymeric sorbent was on-line coupled to liquid chromatography (LC)
      for the first time and applied to the selective solid-phase extract a group of
      pharmaceuticals in complex environmental water samples. The mixed-mode polymeric
      sorbent is a high-specific surface area hypercrosslinked polymer resin (HXLPP) in
      the form of monodisperse microspheres further modified with 1,2-ethylenediamine
      (EDA) moieties. These properties allow its application as a weak anion-exchange
      (WAX) sorbent in the on-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupling. The on-line
      SPE-LC method developed using the HXLPP-WAX sorbent was successfully applied to
      percolate a large volume of ultrapure (500 ml), river (250 ml) and effluent
      sewage (100 ml) water samples. In all the cases, the HXLPP-WAX resin provided
      near total recoveries of the most acidic compounds studied and clean
      chromatograms. This is because the ion-exchange interactions enable a washing
      step to be added to the SPE protocol that removes the compounds with weak acidic,
      neutral and basic properties from the sample matrix.

PMID- 20303089
TI  - Application of high performance liquid chromatography coupled to on-line solid
      phase extraction-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for the analysis of
      degradation products of V-class nerve agents and nitrogen mustard.
AB  - The detection and identification of the degradation products of nitrogen mustard
      and nerve agent VX by high performance liquid chromatography coupled to on-line
      solid-phase extraction-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (HPLC-UV-SPE-NMR)
      were demonstrated. The analytes selected for the study were N,N
      dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE), N,N-diethylaminoethanol (DEAE), N,N
      diisopropylaminoethanol (DIAE) and triethanolamine (TEA). Offline solid-phase
      extraction (SPE) followed by derivatization was applied to eliminate the
      interferents and make the analytes amenable for UV detection. Thereafter,
      chromatographically separated derivatives were trapped on on-line SPE cartridges.
      They were subsequently eluted and 1H NMR and COSY spectra were obtained. The
      overall detection limits of the LC-UV-SPE-NMR method for the mentioned analytes
      were found to be 18, 23, 25, and 32 mg/L respectively. Applicability of the
      method to real samples was demonstrated by the analysis of samples provided
      during the 22nd OPCW official proficiency test. The method gave reproducible NMR
      spectra devoid of intense background signals.

PMID- 20303090
TI  - Basic rules for the interpretation of atmospheric pressure ionization mass
      spectra of small molecules.
AB  - This review summarizes the basic rules for the interpretation of atmospheric
      pressure ionization (API) mass spectra of small molecules written with the style
      primarily intended for beginners and low-experienced researchers with the mass
      spectra interpretation. The first and basic step in any interpretation of mass
      spectra is always the determination of molecular weight, which is relatively easy
      in case of soft ionization techniques due to the limited extend of fragmentation
      and the prevailing presence of (de)protonated molecules in the full scan mass
      spectra. These [M+H](+) and [M-H](-) ions are often accompanied by low abundant
      molecular adducts, which can be used as the supplementary information for the
      unambiguous determination of molecular weights. In certain cases, adduct ions may
      dominate the spectra. The subsequent interpretation of full scan and tandem mass
      spectra is more complicated due to a high number of possible functional groups,
      structural subunits and their combinations resulting in numerous competitive
      fragmentation pathways. Typical neutral losses and the effect of individual
      functional groups on the fragmentation are discussed in detail and illustrated
      with selected examples. Modern mass analyzers have powerful features for the
      structural elucidation, for example high resolving power, high mass accuracy,
      multistage tandem mass spectrometry, dedicated softwares for the interpretation
      of mass spectra and prediction of their fragmentation. Background information on
      differences among individual ionization techniques suitable for the HPLC-MS
      coupling and basic types of mass analyzers with consequences for the data
      interpretation is briefly discussed as well. Selected examples illustrate that
      the right optimization of chromatographic separation and the use of other than
      mass spectrometric detectors can bring valuable complementary information.

PMID- 20303091
TI  - Separation of structurally similar nocathiacin analogues by reversed phase
      chromatography.
AB  - The complete separation of structurally similar compounds has been a challenge
      due mainly to their similarity on physical and chemical properties. In the
      present study, a simple and effective chromatographic method to separate and
      purify nocathiacin acid from its structural analogue nocathiacin I was developed.
      After evaluating mobile phase compositions on the retention characteristics by
      reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), the elution order
      of nocathiacin I and nocathiacin acid was completely reversed, and the resolution
      value between the two analogues was improved, by varying pH value and ionic
      strength, to greater than 10 from merged peaks under initial conditions. In
      addition, a preparative isolation of nocathiacin acid was performed by reversed
      phase column chromatography under the guidance of the HPLC study. This
      chromatographic method resulted in an efficient process to obtain pure
      nocathiacin acid with a recovery rate of 83%. The present approach offers a new
      methodology for the separation of structurally closely related secondary
      metabolites.

PMID- 20303092
TI  - Development of a simple extraction and clean-up procedure for determination of
      organochlorine pesticides in soil using gas chromatography-tandem mass
      spectrometry.
AB  - A procedure based on QuEChERS extraction and a simultaneous liquid-liquid
      partition clean-up was developed. The procedure involved extraction of hydrated
      soil samples using acetonitrile and clean-up by liquid-liquid partition into n
      hexane. The hexane extracts produced were clean and suitable for determination
      using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The method was
      validated by analysis of soil samples, spiked at five levels between 1 and 200
      microg kg(-1). The recovery values were generally between 70 and 100% and the
      relative standard deviation values (%RSDs) were at or below 20%. The procedure
      was validated for determination of 19 organochlorine (OC) pesticides. These were
      hexachlorobenzene (HCB), alpha-HCH, beta-HCH, gamma-HCH, heptachlor, heptachlor
      epoxide (trans), aldrin, dieldrin, chlordane (trans), chlordane (cis),
      oxychlordane, alpha-endosulfan, beta-endosulfan, endosulfan sulfate, endrin, p,p'
      DDT, o,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDD and p,p'-DDE. The method achieved low limits of detection
      (LOD; typically 0.3 microg kg(-1)) and low limits of quantification (LOQ;
      typically 1.0 microg kg(-1)). The method performance was also assessed using five
      fortified soil samples with different physico-chemical properties and the method
      performance was consistent for the different types of soil samples. The proposed
      method was compared with an established procedure based on Soxtec extraction.
      This comparison was carried out using six soil samples collected from regions of
      Pakistan with a history of intensive pesticide use. The results of this
      comparison showed that the two procedures produced results with good agreement.
      The proposed method produced cleaner extracts and therefore led to lower limits
      of quantification. The proposed method was less time consuming and safer to use.
      The six samples tested during this comparison showed that soils from cotton
      growing regions contained a number of persistent OC residues at relatively low
      levels (<10 microg kg(-1)). These residues were alpha-HCH, gamma-HCH, heptachlor,
      chlordane (trans), p,p'-DDT, o,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDD, p,p'-DDE, beta-endosulfan and
      endosulfan sulfate.

PMID- 20303093
TI  - Determination of pesticides in seaweeds by pressurized liquid extraction and
      programmed temperature vaporization-based large volume injection-gas
      chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
AB  - A rapid method for the simultaneous identification and quantification of
      pesticide residues in edible seaweed has been developed. Target analytes were
      three pyrethroid, a carbamate and two organophosphorus pesticides. The procedure
      consists of a pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) with integrated clean-up,
      followed by gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Five PLE
      parameters were investigated using a screening design: temperature, static
      extraction time, number of cycles, percent of flush volume and quantitative
      composition of the n-hexane/ethyl acetate extraction solvent. The effect of the
      in-cell clean-up with Florisil and graphitized carbon black adsorbents was
      investigated using a Doehlert response surface design. Large volumes of sample
      extracts were injected using a programmed-temperature vaporizer (PTV-LVI) to
      improve both sensitivity and selectivity of measurements. Quantification was
      carried by the internal standard method with surrogate deuterated standards. The
      method showed excellent linearity (R2>0.999) and precision (relative standard
      deviation, RSD < or = 8%) for all compounds, with detection limits ranging from
      0.3 pg g(-1) for chlorpyrifos-ethyl, to 3.0 pg g(-1) for carbaryl (23.1 pg g(-1)
      for deltamethrin). Recoveries in real seaweed samples were within the range 82
      108%. The method was satisfactory validated for the analysis of wild and
      cultivated edible seaweeds. The presence of pyrethroid and organophosphorus
      pesticides in some of the samples was evidenced.

PMID- 20303094
TI  - Deformation of a long elastic particle undergoing electrophoresis.
AB  - The motion and deformation of a long elastic particle undergoing electrophoresis
      has been studied numerically and analytically. The particle is elliptical in
      shape and is initially aligned with its major axis perpendicular to the direction
      of a uniformly applied electric field. The particle tends to curl up at its ends
      and arches in the middle as it moves. The deformation of the particle is due to
      the viscous stress acting on the particle surface. The results from the
      simulation are explained by evaluating the surface force distribution on a long
      thin object under similar conditions. The pressure due to the inertia of the flow
      has a negligible effect on this deformation.

PMID- 20303095
TI  - Central nervous system findings on functional magnetic resonance imaging in
      patients before and after treatment with anticholinergic medication.
AB  - PURPOSE: Anticholinergic medications are commonly used to treat urinary urgency
      and frequency. Muscarinic receptors are located in areas beyond the detrusor
      muscle. In this study we measured changes in central nervous system activity in
      patients with lower urinary tract symptoms treated with tolterodine or a placebo.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 20 female patients with urinary frequency were
      randomized to 4 weeks of treatment with tolterodine or a placebo. Functional
      magnetic resonance imaging based on blood oxygenation level dependant imaging of
      the brain during bladder filling was performed before and after treatment. For
      each patient the bladder was filled by a urethral catheter and emptied 5 times.
      RESULTS: Multiple brain areas showed significant activation with bladder filling
      compared to the empty state and many areas also showed deactivation. Overall
      brain activation with bladder filling was decreased after treatment in both
      groups. After treatment 2 areas of the parietal cortex (precuneus and postcentral
      gyrus) showed significantly greater activity in patients treated with tolterodine
      vs placebo. Two areas of the cerebellum (anterior lobe and culmen) showed
      significantly greater activity in the placebo group, and these were also areas of
      significant deactivation in the tolterodine group. CONCLUSIONS: Brain activity
      changes as well as the areas of activation after treatment of lower urinary tract
      symptoms in patients with an anticholinergic medication or placebo are different
      in the 2 groups. Whether this finding represents action at the central nervous
      system or the bladder level is not known.

PMID- 20303096
TI  - The inadequacy of urinary dipstick and microscopy as surrogate markers of urinary
      tract infection in urological outpatients with lower urinary tract symptoms
      without acute frequency and dysuria.
AB  - PURPOSE: Diagnosing urinary infection in patients with chronic lower urinary
      tract symptoms without dysuria is a critical step. In this study we scrutinize
      the sensitivity and specificity of dipstick urinalysis and microscopic pyuria (10
      or more white blood cells per microl) to identify infection in such patients.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective, blinded, observational cohort
      study of urological outpatients with painless lower urinary tract symptoms.
      Midstream and catheter urine samples were analyzed. A total of 508 midstream
      urine samples were used to compare leukocyte esterase, nitrite dipstick and urine
      microscopy with cultures seeking 10(5) cfu/ml. Similarly 470 catheter urine
      samples were used to compare the same surrogates with 10(5) cfu/ml and with an
      enhanced culture method seeking 10(2) cfu/ml. A comparison of leukocyte esterase
      against microscopic pyuria was made using the 508 midstream and 470 catheter
      specimens of urine. Midstream urine specimens were provided by 42 normal
      volunteers for comparison. RESULTS: For a midstream urine culture at 10(5) cfu/ml
      leukocyte esterase was 56% sensitive, nitrite was 10% sensitive and microscopic
      pyuria was 56% sensitive. Specificities were 66%, 99% and 72%, respectively. For
      a catheter specimen of urine culture at 10(5) cfu/ml leukocyte esterase was 59%
      sensitive, nitrite was 20% sensitive and microscopic pyuria was 66% sensitive.
      Specificities were 84%, 97% and 73%, respectively. The enhanced culture of
      catheter specimen of urine at 10(2) cfu/ml was positive in 29% of patients vs 15%
      at 10(5) cfu/ml. CONCLUSIONS: Despite official guidelines and widespread use
      these tests cannot be considered appropriate for diagnosing urinary tract
      infection in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms, and should be abandoned
      in this context.

PMID- 20303097
TI  - The relationship between children with voiding problems and their parents.
AB  - PURPOSE: We determined whether parents of children with overactive bladder and
      dysfunctional voiding had had similar symptoms in childhood. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A case-control study was done in parents with and without children with
      overactive bladder or dysfunctional voiding. All were recruited from an
      outpatient clinic. Diagnoses in children were made according to the International
      Children's Continence Society standardization report. Childhood symptoms in
      parents were assessed by a 19-item questionnaire and current urogenital symptoms
      were assessed by the Urogenital Distress Inventory. Comparisons between groups
      were made with categorical and interval statistics. RESULTS: A total of 173 cases
      and 98 controls were entered in the study. Statistically significantly more
      mothers of children with overactive bladder or dysfunctional voiding reported
      having had similar symptoms in childhood than mothers of children without lower
      urinary tract symptoms. Overactive bladder symptoms of childhood persisted into
      adulthood. No association between childhood dysfunctional voiding symptoms and
      adult emptying disorders was noted. Fathers of children with overactive bladder
      reported to have stopped bed-wetting at a significantly later age than control
      fathers. CONCLUSIONS: Results reveal an association between overactive bladder
      symptoms in children and their parents. To a lesser extent this finding also
      holds true for dysfunctional voiding symptoms.

PMID- 20303098
TI  - Urethroplasty with abdominal skin grafts for long segment urethral strictures.
AB  - PURPOSE: Buccal derived graft tissue has been proven to be useful in urethral
      reconstruction. However, nonbuccal sources are often needed for long segment
      strictures or for those with prior buccal harvest. We describe a technique using
      full-thickness abdominal skin grafts for long segment urethroplasty and present
      the short-term outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 21 men underwent
      urethroplasty for strictures of an average of 11 cm (range 4 to 24) using
      abdominal wall skin. Prior urethroplasty was performed in 52% of patients and
      multistage repair was conducted in 48%. RESULTS: The recurrence rate following
      urethroplasty was 19%, with 9.5% requiring revision after first stage
      urethroplasty. Complications included hair from the skin graft during the early
      part of the series (14.5%), glans dehiscence (9.5%), urethrocutaneous fistula
      (9.5%) and periurethral abscess (1 patient). Histological evaluation at 6 months
      demonstrated excellent uptake of grafts with minimal keratinization. CONCLUSIONS:
      In men with significant penile scarring, lichen sclerosis and long segment
      urethral strictures the use of abdominal skin limits donor site morbidity, and
      provides a useful alternative graft source for urethroplasty when buccal mucosa
      or genital skin are not available or sufficient. Grafts should be harvested from
      nonhair bearing areas to minimize the risk of urethral hair development.

PMID- 20303099
TI  - Development, validation and testing of an epidemiological case definition of
      interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome.
AB  - PURPOSE: No standard case definition exists for interstitial cystitis/painful
      bladder syndrome for patient screening or epidemiological studies. As part of the
      RAND Interstitial Cystitis Epidemiology study, we developed a case definition for
      interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome with known sensitivity and
      specificity. We compared this definition with others used in interstitial
      cystitis/painful bladder syndrome epidemiological studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      We reviewed the literature and performed a structured, expert panel process to
      arrive at an interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome case definition. We
      developed a questionnaire to assess interstitial cystitis/painful bladder
      syndrome symptoms using this case definition and others used in the literature.
      We administered the questionnaire to 599 women with interstitial cystitis/painful
      bladder syndrome, overactive bladder, endometriosis or vulvodynia. The
      sensitivity and specificity of each definition was calculated using physician
      assigned diagnoses as the reference standard. RESULTS: No single epidemiological
      definition had high sensitivity and high specificity. Thus, 2 definitions were
      developed. One had high sensitivity (81%) and low specificity (54%), and the
      other had the converse (48% sensitivity and 83% specificity). These values were
      comparable or superior to those of other epidemiological definitions used in
      interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome prevalence studies. CONCLUSIONS:
      No single case definition of interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome
      provides high sensitivity and high specificity to identify the condition. For
      prevalence studies of interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome the best
      approach may be to use 2 definitions that would yield a prevalence range. The
      RAND Interstitial Cystitis Epidemiology interstitial cystitis/painful bladder
      syndrome case definitions, developed through structured consensus and validation,
      can be used for this purpose.

PMID- 20303100
TI  - Quality of life after open or robotic prostatectomy, cryoablation or
      brachytherapy for localized prostate cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Health related quality of life concerns factor prominently in prostate
      cancer management. We describe health related quality of life impact and recovery
      profiles of 4 commonly used operative treatments for localized prostate cancer.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Beginning in February 2000 all patients treated with open
      radical prostatectomy, robot assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy, brachytherapy
      or cryotherapy were asked to complete the UCLA-PCI questionnaire before
      treatment, and at 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30 and 36 months after treatment. Outcomes
      were compared across treatment types with statistical analysis using univariate
      and multivariate models. RESULTS: A total of 785 patients treated between
      February 2000 and December 2008 were included in the analysis with a mean
      followup of 24 months. All health related quality of life domains were adversely
      affected by all treatments and recovery profiles varied significantly by
      treatment type. Overall urinary function and bother outcomes scored significantly
      higher after brachytherapy and cryotherapy compared to open radical prostatectomy
      and robotic assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. Brachytherapy and
      cryotherapy had a 3-fold higher rate of return to baseline urinary function
      compared to open radical prostatectomy and robotic assisted laparoscopic radical
      prostatectomy. Sexual function and bother scores were highest after
      brachytherapy, with a 5-fold higher rate of return to baseline function compared
      to cryotherapy, open radical prostatectomy and robotic assisted laparoscopic
      radical prostatectomy. All 4 treatments were associated with relatively transient
      and less pronounced impact on bowel function and bother. CONCLUSIONS: In a study
      of sequential health related quality of life assessments brachytherapy and
      cryotherapy were associated with higher urinary function and bother scores
      compared to open radical prostatectomy and da Vinci prostatectomy. Brachytherapy
      was associated with higher sexual function and bother scores compared to open
      radical prostatectomy, robotic assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy and
      cryotherapy.

PMID- 20303101
TI  - Progression of lower urinary tract symptoms in older men: a community based
      study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Lower urinary tract symptom progression in community dwelling older men
      is not well described. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated 5,697 participants in
      Osteoporotic Fractures in Men, a prospective cohort study of community dwelling
      men 65 years old or older. We characterized lower urinary tract symptoms using
      the American Urological Association symptom index at 2 time points, including at
      study entry and at 2-year followup. Progression was examined in the overall
      cohort and within baseline symptom strata (symptom index 7 or less and 8 or
      greater) using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: At baseline mean +/- SD age was
      73.5 +/- 5.8 years and mean symptom index score was 8.3 +/- 6.3 points. Mean and
      median total symptom index increased during followup by 1.1 +/- 5.0 and 1.0
      points, respectively. Of the 3,092 men with a symptom index of 7 points or less
      at baseline 883 (29%) reported lower urinary tract symptoms progression (8 points
      or greater) at followup. The incidence of lower urinary tract symptom progression
      increased with advancing baseline age. Of the 2,605 men with a symptom index of 8
      points or greater at baseline 622 (24%) reported progression of at least 4 points
      at followup. Of the 2,200 men with a baseline symptom index of 7 points or less
      and no history of benign prostatic hyperplasia or lower urinary tract symptom
      treatment 94% remained untreated, 2% reported benign prostatic hyperplasia
      surgery and 4% reported medication use at followup. CONCLUSIONS: Up to 29% of
      community dwelling older men with no or mild lower urinary tract symptoms will
      have clinically significant lower urinary tract symptoms within 2 years. These
      data help elucidate the natural history of lower urinary tract symptoms in the
      community and provide useful data to design clinical trials of lower urinary
      tract symptom prevention.

PMID- 20303103
TI  - Tumor volume in radical prostatectomy specimens assessed by digital image
      analysis software correlates with other prognostic factors.
AB  - PURPOSE: Digital image analysis software to review histopathology specimens is
      advancing uropathology by objectivity and reproducibility. Subjective pathologist
      assessed prostate tumor volume calculations correlate with known prognostic
      factors at radical prostatectomy. We ascertained whether image analysis software
      calculations of prostate tumor volume correlate with such prognostic factors,
      particularly positive surgical margins. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prostate tumor
      volume was calculated using digital image analysis software in 851 sequential
      radical prostatectomy specimens. Results were correlated with clinicopathological
      data by logistic regression. RESULTS: Median prostate tumor volume was 2.2 cc
      (IQR 0.9-3.8). Median peripheral and transition zone tumor volume was 1.9 and 0.6
      cc, respectively. Transition zone tumors were noted in 236 specimens (27.8%) and
      positive surgical margins occurred in 244 (28.7%). Tumors with extensive positive
      surgical margins had larger image analysis software assessed prostate tumor
      volume (p = 0.029) and peripheral zone volume (p = 0.007) than those with only
      focal positive surgical margins. On univariate analysis positive surgical margin
      tumors were larger and had seminal vesicle invasion, extraprostatic extension,
      perineural invasion and higher preoperative prostate specific antigen than those
      without positive surgical margins (each p <0.001). A linear relationship existed
      between image analysis software determined prostate tumor volume, and increasing
      tumor stage, Gleason score and prostate specific antigen (p for trend <0.001). On
      multivariate analysis tumor volume and tumor volume as a percent of prostate
      volume predicted positive surgical margins. CONCLUSIONS: Prostate tumor volume
      determined objectively by image analysis software correlates with positive
      surgical margins, as do prognostic variables such as extraprostatic extension,
      seminal vesicle invasion, perineural invasion, peripheral zone volume and Gleason
      score greater than 7. Objective digital image analysis software assessment
      appears to be a valid form to determine prostate tumor volume at radical
      prostatectomy. It is a useful adjunct to other histopathological analyses.

PMID- 20303102
TI  - Update of AUA guideline on the surgical management of female stress urinary
      incontinence.
AB  - PURPOSE: We updated the 1997 American Urological Association guideline on female
      stress incontinence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MEDLINE searches of English language
      publications from 1994 and new searches of the literature published between
      December 2002 and June 2005 were performed using identified MeSH terms. Articles
      were selected for the index patient defined as the otherwise healthy woman who
      elected to undergo surgery to correct stress urinary incontinence or the
      otherwise healthy woman with incontinence and prolapse who elected to undergo
      treatment for both conditions. RESULTS: A total of 436 articles were identified
      as suitable for inclusion in the meta-analysis, and an additional 155 articles
      were suitable for complications data only due to insufficient followup of
      efficacy outcomes in the latter reports. Surgical efficacy was defined using
      outcomes pre-specified in the primary evidence articles. Urgency (resolution and
      de novo) was included as an efficacy outcome due to its significant impact on
      quality of life. The primary efficacy outcome was resolution of stress
      incontinence measured as completely dry (cured/dry) or improved (cured/improved).
      Complications were analyzed similarly to the efficacy outcomes. Subjective
      complications (pain, sexual dysfunction and voiding dysfunction) were also
      included as a separate category. CONCLUSIONS: The surgical management of stress
      urinary incontinence with or without combined prolapse treatment continues to
      evolve. New technologies have emerged which have impacted surgical treatment
      algorithms. Cystoscopy has been added as a standard component of the procedure
      during surgical implantation of slings.

PMID- 20303105
TI  - Editorial comment.

PMID- 20303104
TI  - Preoperative prostate specific antigen doubling time is not a useful predictor of
      biochemical progression after radical prostatectomy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Postoperative prostate specific antigen doubling time may be used as a
      surrogate for prostate cancer specific mortality in patients with biochemical
      recurrence after radical prostatectomy. Less is known about the usefulness of
      preoperative prostate specific antigen doubling time for the initial prediction
      of prostatectomy outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Preoperative prostate specific
      antigen doubling time was calculated in 1,208 men from a large prostate cancer
      screening study who were treated with radical prostatectomy. We examined the
      relationship of prostate specific antigen doubling time with tumor features and
      biochemical progression-free survival. RESULTS: Overall prostate specific antigen
      doubling time was associated with nonorgan confined disease (OR 0.996, 95% CI
      0.992-0.999, p = 0.013) but not with biochemical progression (HR 1.000, 95% CI
      0.998-1.001, p = 0.66). Using previously published 18 and 36-month thresholds for
      prostate specific antigen doubling time there was no significant relationship
      between doubling time and specific adverse pathological features or biochemical
      progression. Using the concordance index prostate specific antigen doubling time
      did not enhance the prediction of biochemical progression beyond that achieved by
      a model with prostate specific antigen, clinical stage and biopsy Gleason score.
      CONCLUSIONS: In our series of men with newly diagnosed, clinically localized
      prostate cancer shorter preoperative prostate specific antigen doubling time was
      associated with nonorgan confined disease but not with biochemical progression
      after radical prostatectomy. All calculations of prostate specific antigen
      kinetics may not be equivalent. Caution should be exercised when using prostate
      specific antigen doubling time in the pretreatment setting.

PMID- 20303106
TI  - Editorial comment.

PMID- 20303107
TI  - Advanced penile verrucous carcinoma treated with intra-aortic infusion
      chemotherapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Traditional treatment for advanced penile verrucous carcinoma is
      penectomy. This mostly leads to remarkable psychosexual problems and greatly
      affects quality of life, especially in young patients. To preserve the penis we
      used intra-aortic infusion chemotherapy for advanced verrucous carcinoma.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 1991 to 2009 we treated 6 men with penile verrucous
      carcinoma with continuous intra-aortic infusion of 50 mg methotrexate every 24
      hours (average 550 mg, range 400 to 800). Citrovorum factor (6 mg) was given
      intramuscularly every 6 hours during methotrexate infusion. After continuous
      methotrexate infusion no further anticancer drug was given to complete
      responders. Partial responders subsequently received long-term, intermittent,
      intra-aortic infusion of 50 mg methotrexate or 2 mg mitomycin C plus 250 mg 5
      fluorouracil every 1 to 2 weeks until tumors disappeared and all wounds healed.
      RESULTS: After treatment 4 patients achieved a complete response and were disease
      free 3 years 9 months to 17 years 10 months (median 11 years 3 months) after
      therapy. Two patients had a partial response. The patient with a shaft tumor
      subsequently underwent total penectomy due to unbearable penile pain 4 years
      after infusion with various drugs without an appreciable response. He has
      survived 12 years 5 months after initial treatment. The other patient with glans
      and prepuce tumors had progression with bilateral inguinal metastases despite 1
      1/2 years of infusion therapy. Total penectomy was done. Histological examination
      of the glans mass revealed moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma.
      Patient condition progressed rapidly and he died 11 months after penectomy.
      CONCLUSIONS: Intra-aortic infusion chemotherapy is a simple, effective method to
      treat penile verrucous carcinoma with the uniqueness of preserving the anatomical
      structure and sexual function in complete responders. For penile verrucous
      carcinoma, especially in younger patients, intra-aortic infusion chemotherapy may
      be considered organ sparing treatment before penectomy.

PMID- 20303108
TI  - Initial experience with 50 laparoendoscopic single site surgeries using a
      homemade, single port device at a single center.
AB  - PURPOSE: We report our technique of and initial experience with 50 patients who
      underwent laparoendoscopic single site surgery using a homemade single port
      device at a single institution. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between December 2008 and
      August 2009 we performed 50 laparoendoscopic single site surgeries using the
      Alexis wound retractor, which was inserted at the umbilical incision. A homemade
      single port device was made by fixing a size 7 1/2 surgical glove to the
      retractor outer ring and securing the glove fingers to the end of 3 or 4 trocars
      with a tie and a rubber band. A prospective study was performed in 50 patients to
      evaluate outcomes. RESULTS: Of 50 patients 34 underwent conventional
      laparoendoscopic single site surgery, including radical and simple nephrectomy,
      and cyst decortication in 8 each, nephroureterectomy in 3, partial nephrectomy
      and adrenalectomy in 2 each, and partial cystectomy, ureterectomy and
      ureterolithotomy in 1 each, while 16 underwent robotic laparoendoscopic single
      site surgery, including partial nephrectomy in 11, nephroureterectomy in 3, and
      simple and radical nephrectomy in 1 each. Mean patient age was 52 years, mean
      body mass index was 23.4 kg/m(2), mean operative time was 201 minutes and mean
      estimated blood loss was 201 ml. Four intraoperative complications occurred,
      including 2 bowel serosal tears, diaphragm partial tearing and conversion to open
      radical nephrectomy. One case of postoperative bleeding was managed by
      transfusion. Surgical margins were negative in the 13 patients who underwent
      partial nephrectomy. Mean hospital stay was 4.5 days (range 1 to 16).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our homemade single port device is cost-effective, provides adequate
      range of motion and is more flexible in port placement for laparoendoscopic
      single site surgery than the current multichannel port.

PMID- 20303109
TI  - Editorial comment.

PMID- 20303110
TI  - Urethrotomy has a much lower success rate than previously reported.
AB  - PURPOSE: We evaluated the success rate of direct vision internal urethrotomy as a
      treatment for simple male urethral strictures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      retrospective chart review was performed on 136 patients who underwent
      urethrotomy from January 1994 through March 2009. The Kaplan-Meier method was
      used to analyze stricture-free probability after the first, second, third, fourth
      and fifth urethrotomy. Patients with complex strictures (36) were excluded from
      the study for reasons including previous urethroplasty, neophallus or previous
      radiation, and 24 patients were lost to followup. RESULTS: Data were available
      for 76 patients. The stricture-free rate after the first urethrotomy was 8% with
      a median time to recurrence of 7 months. For the second urethrotomy stricture
      free rate was 6% with a median time to recurrence of 9 months. For the third
      urethrotomy stricture-free rate was 9% with a median time to recurrence of 3
      months. For procedures 4 and 5 stricture-free rate was 0% with a median time to
      recurrence of 20 and 8 months, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Urethrotomy is a
      popular treatment for male urethral strictures. However, the performance
      characteristics are poor. Success rates were no higher than 9% in this series for
      first or subsequent urethrotomy during the observation period. Most of the
      patients in this series will be expected to experience failure with longer
      followup and the expected long-term success rate from any (1 through 5)
      urethrotomy approach is 0%. Urethrotomy should be considered a temporizing
      measure until definitive curative reconstruction can be planned.

PMID- 20303111
TI  - Editorial comment.

PMID- 20303112
TI  - Editorial comment.

PMID- 20303114
TI  - Experience with 750 consecutive laparoscopic donor nephrectomies--is it time to
      use a standardized classification of complications?
AB  - PURPOSE: Laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy offers patients the benefits of
      decreased morbidity and improved cosmesis, while maintaining equivalent graft
      outcomes and complication rates similar to those of open donor surgery. With
      expressed concern for donor safety, using a standardized complication scale would
      allow combining data in a donor registry so potential donors could be adequately
      followed and counseled. We present the largest series to our knowledge of
      laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy by a single surgeon. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      The institution's initial 750 laparoscopic living donor nephrectomies were
      included in the study, and a retrospective and prospective chart and database
      analysis was performed. RESULTS: Mean donor age was 40.5 years and average body
      mass index was 25.7 kg/m(2). There were 175 patients (23%) with 2 or more renal
      arteries while 161 (21.5%) had early arterial bifurcations. There were 3 open
      conversions (0.4%) and the overall complication rate was 5.46%. Median hospital
      stay was 1 day and the readmission rate was 1.2%. There were 5 reoperations
      (0.67%), none of which was for the control of bleeding. No patients required a
      blood transfusion and there were no mortalities. Using a modified Clavien
      classification of complications for living donor nephrectomy 65.8% were grade 1,
      31.7% grade 2 (12.2% grade 2a, 14.6% grade 2b, 4.9% grade 2c) and 2.4% grade 3.
      There were no grade 4 complications. CONCLUSIONS: With appropriate patient
      selection and operative experience, laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy is a
      safe procedure associated with low morbidity. The use of a standardized
      complication system specific for this procedure is encouraged and could aid in
      counseling potential donors in the future.

PMID- 20303116
TI  - Spiral multidetector computerized tomography evaluation of adjustable continence
      therapy implants.
AB  - PURPOSE: ProACT is an adjustable continence therapy implant for post
      prostatectomy incontinence. We evaluated the exact device location in clinical
      success and failed implant cases using spiral multidetector computerized
      tomography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated 18 consecutive patients
      postoperatively using pelvic spiral multidetector computerized tomography. Of the
      patients 11 (61%) were dry or improved and 7 (39%) had not improved despite
      multiple balloon adjustments. Thin pelvic collimated scans with bone algorithm
      were obtained, completed by multiplanar reformatting and a volume rendering
      technique. The computerized tomography technique is described. RESULTS:
      Multidetector computerized tomography showed device sites compared to local
      anatomical structures. In 64% of dry or improved patients the devices were above
      the urogenital diaphragm and adjacent to the urethral wall (the correct position)
      while in the remaining 36% of cured patients only 1 device was positioned
      correctly. Of nonimproved patients 86% had balloons that were not adjacent to the
      urethra. The scout view did not show malpositioning in any of these cases. Only
      multiplanar reformatting with the volume rendering technique revealed
      misplacement. CONCLUSIONS: Multidetector computerized tomography data shows that
      a poor outcome in most failed cases results from poor device positioning. In a
      few failed cases an unsuccessful result is probably caused by excessive tissue
      sclerosis. To our knowledge we report for the first time how continence can be
      determined by the action of only 1 device.

PMID- 20303117
TI  - Editorial comment.

PMID- 20303115
TI  - Effect of amitriptyline on symptoms in treatment naive patients with interstitial
      cystitis/painful bladder syndrome.
AB  - PURPOSE: Amitriptyline is frequently used to treat patients with interstitial
      cystitis/painful bladder syndrome. The evidence to support this practice is
      derived mainly from a small, single site clinical trial and case reports.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, randomized, double-blind,
      placebo controlled clinical trial of amitriptyline in subjects with interstitial
      cystitis/painful bladder syndrome who were naive to therapy. Study participants
      in both treatment arms received a standardized education and behavioral
      modification program. The drug dose was increased during a 6-week period from 10
      up to 75 mg once daily. The primary outcome was a patient reported global
      response assessment of symptom improvement evaluated after 12 weeks of treatment.
      RESULTS: A total of 271 subjects were randomized and 231 (85%) provided a global
      response assessment at 12 weeks of followup. Study participants were primarily
      women (83%) and white (74%), with a median age of 38 years. In an intent to treat
      analysis (271) the rate of response of subjects reporting moderate or marked
      improvement from baseline in the amitriptyline and placebo groups was 55% and
      45%, respectively (p = 0.12). Of the subgroup of subjects (207) who achieved a
      drug dose of at least 50 mg, a significantly higher response rate was observed in
      the amitriptyline group (66%) compared to placebo (47%) (p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS:
      When all randomized subjects were considered, amitriptyline plus an education and
      behavioral modification program did not significantly improve symptoms in
      treatment naive patients with interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome.
      However, amitriptyline may be beneficial in persons who can achieve a daily dose
      of 50 mg or greater, although this subgroup comparison was not specified in
      advance.

PMID- 20303119
TI  - Tolerability of 5 mg solifenacin once daily versus 5 mg oxybutynin immediate
      release 3 times daily: results of the VECTOR trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: Although antimuscarinic treatment is indicated for overactive bladder,
      many patients discontinue it because of dry mouth. Of available antimuscarinics
      oxybutynin is associated with the highest dry mouth rate. We compared the safety
      and tolerability of 5 mg solifenacin vs 15 mg oxybutynin immediate release.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: At 12 Canadian centers a total of 132 patients with
      overactive bladder symptoms (greater than 1 urgency episode per 24 hours, and 8
      or greater micturitions per 24 hours) were randomized to 5 mg solifenacin once
      daily or 5 mg oxybutynin 3 times daily for 8 weeks. The primary end point was the
      incidence and severity of dry mouth reported after direct questioning. Efficacy
      end points (3-day diary documented changes in urgency, frequency, incontinence,
      nocturia and voided volume), and changes on the Patient Perception of Bladder
      Condition scale and the Overactive Bladder Questionnaire were evaluated
      secondarily. RESULTS: Of patients on solifenacin vs oxybutynin immediate release
      35% vs 83% reported dry mouth (p <0.0001). Of patients reporting dry mouth
      severity was graded moderate by 13% and 42% of those on solifenacin and
      oxybutynin immediate release, and severe by 13% and 28%, respectively (p =
      0.001). Patients in each group showed improvements in efficacy end points, and
      Patient Perception of Bladder Condition scale and Overactive Bladder
      Questionnaire scores from baseline to treatment end. CONCLUSIONS: Significantly
      fewer patients on 5 mg solifenacin once daily reported dry mouth vs those
      receiving 5 mg oxybutynin immediate release 3 times daily. Significantly fewer
      patients on solifenacin reported moderate/severe dry mouth. Significantly fewer
      patients on solifenacin withdrew from study due to dry mouth and there were
      significantly fewer overall adverse events. Solifenacin and oxybutynin immediate
      release were efficacious in decreasing efficacy end points, and improved Patient
      Perception of Bladder Condition scale and Overactive Bladder Questionnaire
      results from baseline to treatment end.

PMID- 20303120
TI  - Editorial comment.

PMID- 20303121
TI  - [Asymptomatic Brugada syndrome unmasked by influenza virus subtype H1N1
      infection].

PMID- 20303122
TI  - [Comorbidity and multimorbidity indexes in the elderly patients].
AB  - This article was written to reflect the importance of a correct quantification of
      the complexity of the elderly patient and its potential possibilities in clinical
      practice. From the decision to perform a laboratory test to the decision of the
      benefits of a determinate surgery through adjusting pathologies in several
      studies, most of our decisions depend on the complexity of our patients. Our
      decisions should be based on objective criteria that categorize the patients who
      may benefit from our decisions. One way is with comorbidity indexes. Another
      objective of this article was to review available methods to measure comorbidity
      and to assess its validity in the elderly. A search was made, with the keywords
      comorbidity, multi-morbidity and complexity associated with the elderly patient.
      The different methods were compared and different indexes are offered depending
      on our study's patients.

PMID- 20303123
TI  - [Harlequin syndrome].

PMID- 20303124
TI  - The anorexigenic effects of metformin involve increases in hypothalamic leptin
      receptor expression.
AB  - Metformin demonstrates anorectic effects in vivo and inhibits neuropeptide Y
      expression in cultured hypothalamic neurons. Here we investigated the mechanisms
      implicated in the modulation of feeding by metformin in animals rendered obese by
      long-term high-fat diet (diet-induced obesity [DIO]) and in animals resistant to
      obesity (diet resistant [DR]). Male Long-Evans rats were kept on normal chow
      feeding (controls) or on high-fat diet (DIO, DR) for 6 months. Afterward, rats
      were treated 14 days with metformin (75 mg/kg) or isotonic sodium chloride
      solution and killed. Energy efficiency, metabolic parameters, and gene expression
      were analyzed at the end of the high-fat diet period and after 14 days of
      metformin treatment. At the end of the high-fat diet period, despite higher
      leptin levels, DIO rats had higher levels of hypothalamic neuropeptide Y
      expression than DR or control rats, suggesting a central leptin resistance. In
      DIO but also in DR rats, metformin treatment induced significant reductions of
      food intake accompanied by decreases in body weight. Interestingly, the weight
      loss achieved by metformin was correlated with pretreatment plasma leptin levels.
      This effect was paralleled by a stimulation of the expression of the leptin
      receptor gene (ObRb) in the arcuate nucleus. These data identify the hypothalamic
      ObRb as a gene modulated after metformin treatment and suggest that the anorectic
      effects of the drug are potentially mediated via an increase in the central
      sensitivity to leptin. Thus, they provide a rationale for novel therapeutic
      approaches associating leptin and metformin in the treatment of obesity.

PMID- 20303125
TI  - Insulin resistance and lower plasma adiponectin increase malignancy risk in
      nondiabetic continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients.
AB  - End-stage renal disease patients have a higher risk for developing cancer.
      Although several causes for this increased risk have been proposed, the risk
      factors for cancer development in this population have not been elucidated. The
      aim of this study was to determine whether metabolic derangements, including
      insulin resistance and altered adipokines, increase the risk of developing
      malignancies in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients, who are vulnerable to
      metabolic disorders because of excessive glucose absorbed from the dialysate.
      Study subjects comprised 106 nondiabetic PD patients who had been on PD for a
      minimum of 3 months with no overt malignancy. Baseline anthropometry, fasting
      glucose, insulin, and adiponectin were measured. The development of malignancy
      was evaluated during the follow-up period. During the mean follow-up of 47.0 +/-
      23.7 months, malignancy occurred in 15 patients (14.2%). The most common site of
      cancer was the kidney (26.7%), followed by thyroid (13.3%) and stomach (13.3%).
      Baseline insulin levels and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance
      were significantly higher, whereas plasma adiponectin levels were significantly
      lower, in patients who developed malignancy. Cox proportional hazards analysis
      revealed that insulin levels, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance,
      and lower adiponectin were independent predictors of malignancy. These findings
      demonstrate that insulin resistance and lower adiponectin levels could be risk
      factors for malignancy in nondiabetic PD patients.

PMID- 20303126
TI  - Dietary glycemic index, glycemic load, and intake of carbohydrate and rice in
      relation to risk of mortality from stroke and its subtypes in Japanese men and
      women.
AB  - We assessed the relationship of the dietary glycemic index (GI), glycemic load
      (GL), and intake of carbohydrate and rice, and risk of mortality from stroke and
      its subtypes. The cohort consisted of 12,561 men and 15,301 women residing in
      Takayama, Japan, in 1992. At the baseline, a food frequency questionnaire was
      administered; and the dietary GI, GL, and intake of carbohydrates and rice were
      estimated. Deaths from stroke occurring in the cohort were prospectively noted
      until 1999 with data from the office of the National Vital Statistics. The risk
      of mortality from stroke was assessed with a Cox proportional hazard model after
      adjusting for age; body mass index; smoking status; physical activity; history of
      hypertension; education; and intake of total energy, alcohol, dietary fiber,
      salt, and total fat. The risk of stroke subtypes was assessed in the age-adjusted
      model. The hazard ratios of total stroke comparing the highest vs the lowest
      quartiles of the dietary GI were 0.78 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.41-1.47)
      with P(trend) = .50 in men and 2.09 (95% CI, 1.01-4.31) with P(trend) = .10 in
      women. Among women, the association was also significant with the risk of
      ischemic stroke (hazard ratio = 2.45; 95% CI, 1.01-5.92; P(trend) = .03); and a
      significant positive trend was also observed between dietary GL and mortality
      from hemorrhagic stroke (P(trend) = .05). The current study implies that diets
      with a high dietary GI increase the risk of mortality from stroke among Japanese
      women.

PMID- 20303127
TI  - Effect of niacin on prebeta-1 high-density lipoprotein levels in diabetes.
AB  - Prebeta-1 high-density lipoprotein (HDL) is an acceptor of peripheral free
      cholesterol and thus a participant in reverse cholesterol transport. Because
      patients with diabetes may have defects in reverse cholesterol transport, we
      hypothesized that (1) prebeta-1 HDL might be decreased in diabetes and (2)
      because niacin improves reverse cholesterol transport and may stimulate prebeta-1
      HDL maturation, niacin would further decrease steady-state levels of prebeta-1
      HDL in diabetes. Absolute levels of prebeta-1 HDL mass were measured using an
      isotopic dilution-ultrafiltration assay that measures apolipoprotein (apo) A-I
      after physically isolating prebeta-1. Plasma apo A-I concentration and routine
      lipids were also evaluated in 11 diabetic patients. Diabetic subjects have a
      nearly 50% reduction of circulating levels of prebeta-1 HDL to 36 +/- 22 (1 SD)
      MUg/mL compared with our previously published values of 73 +/- 44 MUg/mL in 136
      healthy subjects. After niacin therapy, there was a further 17% reduction of
      prebeta-1 HDL levels to 30 +/- 26 MUg/mL (P < .026) compared with baseline. The
      percentage of prebeta-1 HDL in diabetic patients, as a percentage of total apo A
      I, was about half of the normal value of 6.1% +/- 3.6%; after niacin in diabetic
      patients, the percentage further decreased from 3.3% +/- 2.1% to 2.3% +/- 1.9% (P
      < .003). Absolute levels of apo A-I were similar in diabetic patients (1.14 +/-
      0.29) and healthy subjects (1.24 +/- 0.24), and were unchanged by niacin in
      diabetic patients. We conclude with the novel observations that diabetes is
      associated with significantly reduced levels of prebeta-1 HDL and that, after
      niacin treatment, a further lowering of prebeta-1 HDL levels occur. Several
      altered mechanisms of RCT in diabetes are consistent with low levels of prebeta-1
      HDL both before and after niacin treatment.

PMID- 20303129
TI  - Contribution of APOA5-1131C allele to the increased susceptibility of diabetes
      mellitus in association with higher triglyceride in Korean women.
AB  - Apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) -1131C allele is associated with higher triglyceride,
      an independent cardiovascular risk factor and a commonly recognized lipid
      abnormality in diabetes mellitus (DM). We investigated the association of APOA5 
      1131T>C or S19W with DM. Study subjects were all women and categorized into
      metabolically healthy controls (n = 2033) and DM subjects (n = 304). Association
      of APOA5 -1131T>C with DM was calculated by odds ratio (OR). Anthropometric
      parameters, fasting glucose, and lipid profiles were measured. C carriers,
      particularly those with CC homozygote, had higher triglyceride and lower high
      density lipoprotein cholesterol in both healthy controls (P < .001 and P < .001)
      and DM patients (P = .002 and P = .006) after the adjustment for age, body mass
      index, menopause, smoking, and drinking. APOA5 -1131C allele was associated with
      an increased risk of DM (OR, 1.61 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.23-2.10]; P <
      .001) after adjustment for the above confounders. Further adjustment for fasting
      triglyceride or/and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol attenuated a little bit,
      but still significantly increased the risk of DM in C carriers (OR(2), 1.36 [95%
      CI, 1.02-1.80]; P = .035 and OR(3), 1.36 [95% CI, 1.032-1.79]; P = .029,
      respectively). Interestingly, C allele carriers in DM patients showed a positive
      correlation between fasting glucose and triglyceride after the adjustment (r =
      0.172, P = .035). On the other hand, this significant correlation was not
      observed in healthy women. Regarding S19W, minor allele was not found in our
      study population from prescreening test. In conclusion, APOA5 -1131C allele may
      contribute to the increased susceptibility of DM in Korean women. In addition,
      positive correlation between fasting glucose and triglyceride in C carriers of DM
      patients suggested that C allele in hyperglycemic states may be more susceptible
      to the risk of cardiovascular disease.

PMID- 20303130
TI  - [Lacrimal gland epithelial tumors].
AB  - Epithelial tumors of the lacrimal gland account for 50% of the expansive lesions
      of the lacrimal fossa. Pleomorphic adenomas have a good prognosis if surgery
      achieves en bloc removal distant from the tumoral capsule. Nevertheless, despite
      more severe treatment, the average survival remains limited for adenocarcinomas
      and cylindromas.

PMID- 20303128
TI  - Widespread effects of nicotinic acid on gene expression in insulin-sensitive
      tissues: implications for unwanted effects of nicotinic acid treatment.
AB  - Nicotinic acid (NA; or niacin) has been used as a hypolipidemic agent for more
      than 4 decades. However, the mechanisms underlying the effects of NA treatment
      (wanted and unwanted) are still poorly understood. In the present study, we
      discovered that NA infusion in rats resulted in dephosphorylation (ie,
      activation) of the forkhead transcription factor FOXO1 in insulin-sensitive
      tissues such as skeletal and cardiac muscles, liver, and adipose tissue. These NA
      effects were opposite to the effects of insulin to increase FOXO1
      phosphorylation. To test whether NA alters gene expression in these tissues, rats
      were infused for 7 hours with NA (30 MUmol/h) and/or insulin (5 mU/[kg min]); and
      gene expression was evaluated using a microarray analysis. Nicotinic acid had
      widespread effects on gene expression in all of the tissues studied, and the
      number of genes affected by NA greatly exceeded that of genes affected by
      insulin. A systematic (or strategic) analysis of the microarray data revealed
      that there were numerous genes whose expression was regulated inversely by
      insulin and NA in correlation with FOXO1 phosphorylation, representing potential
      FOXO1 target genes. We also identified a group of genes whose expression was
      altered by NA exclusively in adipose tissue, presumably because of stimulation of
      the NA receptor in this tissue. Finally, there were genes whose expression was
      altered by both NA and insulin, likely via lowering plasma free fatty acid
      levels, including lipoprotein lipase and adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette
      A1, which play a major role in the regulation of circulating lipids. Thus, our
      data suggest that NA alters gene expression in insulin-sensitive tissues by
      various mechanisms. Some of the NA-induced changes in gene expression are
      discussed as potential mechanisms underlying wanted and unwanted effects of NA
      treatment.

PMID- 20303131
TI  - [Orbitotemporal facial involvement in type 1 neurofibromatosis (NF1)].
AB  - Plexiform neurofibromas of the orbit, sometimes extending to the temporal region
      and the face, are considered to be a rare but devastating and disfiguring
      complication of neurofibromatosis type 1. The first symptoms appear in infancy
      and the involvement of the orbit and the face is present in nearly all children
      after the age of 5. The disease is unilateral in most cases but can exceptionally
      involve both sides of the face. Progressive deformation of the orbital frame due
      to the expanding plexiform neurofibroma and buphthalmos occurs in a large
      proportion of cases. The associated sphenoidal dysplasia, which is thought to be,
      according to the most recent hypothesis, genetically determined, will inescapably
      increase the burden to the orbital content, cause pulsating proptosis and will
      endanger noble structures, finally resulting in loss of vision. Using the Jackson
      classification, the authors report their personal series of 22 cases (19
      operated). Until now, there has been no effective medical treatment for plexiform
      neurofibroma and surgery remains the standard care for these patients.
      Controversies remain about the timing of the first operation and today most
      multidisciplinary teams involving plastic, maxillofacial, ophthalmologic, and
      neurosurgeons favor early intervention to try to minimize the secondary
      deformation of the orbital and facial skeleton. A number of cases of plexiform
      neurofibromas are illustrated within the three Jackson groups and treatment
      results of the rare elephantiasis neuromatosa cases are presented. Special
      techniques such as preoperative embolization of heavily vascularized plexiform
      neurofibroma are also discussed.

PMID- 20303132
TI  - Analysis of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate synthase activity in Grey poplar
      leaves using isotope ratio mass spectrometry.
AB  - Deoxy-xylulose phosphate synthase (DXS) catalyzes the first step of the
      methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway and it might regulate the metabolic flux
      in plastidic isoprenoid biosynthesis. We developed a sensitive assay suitable for
      plant extracts that is based on the decarboxylation of labeled pyruvate (1-(13)C)
      PYR and detection of (13)CO(2) by isotope ratio mass spectrometry. We tested our
      method investigating the DXS activity in poplar leaves. Apparent DXS activity
      showed Michaelis constants of 111 and 158 microM for glyceraldehyde phosphate and
      pyruvate, respectively; pH and temperature optima were found at pH 8.6 and 45
      degrees C. DXS activity was inhibited when the competitive inhibitor beta
      fluoropyruvate was added to the reaction mixture. DXS activity strongly depended
      on leaf development with higher activity in young leaves and correlated fairly
      well with leaf isoprene emission potential. In mature poplar leaves, isoprene
      emission is the main metabolic sink of plastidic isoprenoid intermediates.
      Consequently, we found lower DXS activity in non-isoprene-emitting lines of
      poplar than in emitting plants as indicator of a lower demand of metabolic flux
      within the MEP pathway.

PMID- 20303133
TI  - Identification of JAK-STAT pathways as important for the anti-inflammatory
      activity of a Hypericum perforatum fraction and bioactive constituents in RAW
      264.7 mouse macrophages.
AB  - Hypericum perforatum extracts have been used to treat diseases, including mild-to
      moderate depression and inflammatory conditions. It is particularly important to
      identify which constituents present in the H. perforatum extracts are responsible
      for its anti-inflammatory activity since consumers are taking H. perforatum
      preparations to treat inflammation. We used a combination of four putative
      bioactive constituents, called the 4-component-system that interacted
      synergistically to explain the light-activated anti-inflammatory activity of an
      H. perforatum fraction in RAW 264.7 mouse macrophages. We also combined the
      constituents at concentrations detected in the fraction to identify key molecular
      targets. LPS was used to model an inflammatory response, and the 4-component
      system and H. perforatum fraction were used as treatments that inhibited LPS
      induced prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) production in RAW 264.7 mouse macrophages in
      the studies of gene expression profiles. We used Affymetrix genechips,
      statistical analysis, and quantitative real-time PCR to identify key gene targets
      of the 4-component-system and the sub-fraction from an H. perforatum ethanol
      extract. The H. perforatum sub-fraction, with or without LPS stimulation,
      affected far more genes than the 4-component-system with and without LPS. Genes
      involved in Janus kinase, as well as a signal transducer and activator of
      transcription (JAK-STAT) and eicosanoid pathways were identified that could
      account for the reduction in PGE(2) observed with both treatments in LPS
      stimulated macrophages. Ten genes may be particularly important targets for
      activity of the 4-component-system and the fraction with LPS stimulation and
      these genes were involved in inflammatory signaling pathways, namely the JAK-STAT
      and eicosanoid pathways.

PMID- 20303134
TI  - Factors affecting the occurrence, duration of hospitalization and final outcome
      in canine parvovirus infection.
AB  - The objectives of this matched case-control study in a veterinary teaching
      hospital were to investigate the influence of signalment and historical data on
      the odds of occurrence of canine parvovirus (CPV) enteritis and the potential
      usefulness of the clinical signs and clinicopathologic abnormalities recorded on
      admission as prognostic indicators of mean duration of hospitalization (DOH) and
      outcome of the disease. Ninety-four puppies with natural CPV enteritis and 188
      age-matched controls were studied. The odds to develop CPV enteritis were higher
      in purebreds compared to mixed-breed puppies. Vomiting and depression at the time
      of admission were associated with a prolongation of DOH by 2 and 1.75 days,
      respectively. The lymphopenic and hypoalbuminemic dogs were hospitalized for 1.9
      and 2.5 more days, respectively, compared to those without these abnormalities.
      The odds of non-survival were higher in those puppies with evidence of systemic
      inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) at the time of admission.

PMID- 20303136
TI  - Simultaneous nitrification, denitrification and carbon removal in microbial fuel
      cells.
AB  - Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) can use nitrate as a cathodic electron acceptor,
      allowing for simultaneous removal of carbon (at the anode) and nitrogen (at the
      cathode). In this study, we supplemented the cathodic process with in situ
      nitrification through specific aeration, and thus obtained simultaneous
      nitrification and denitrification (SND) in the one half-cell. Synthetic
      wastewater containing acetate and ammonium was supplied to the anode; the
      effluent was subsequently directed to the cathode. The influence of oxygen levels
      and carbon/nitrogen concentrations and ratios on the system performances was
      investigated. Denitrification occurred simultaneously with nitrification at the
      cathode, producing an effluent with levels of nitrate and ammonium as low as
      1.0+/-0.5 mg N L(-1) and 2.13+/-0.05 mg N L(-1), respectively, resulting in a
      nitrogen removal efficiency of 94.1+/-0.9%. The integration of the nitrification
      process into the cathode solves the drawback of ammonium losses due to diffusion
      between compartments in the MFC, as previously reported in a system operating
      with external nitrification stage. This work represents the first successful
      attempt to combine SND and organics oxidation while producing electricity in an
      MFC.

PMID- 20303135
TI  - Lambda and alpha interferons inhibit hepatitis B virus replication through a
      common molecular mechanism but with different in vivo activities.
AB  - The type III interferons (IFN-lambda1, 2, and 3) induce an antiviral response
      similar to IFN-alpha/beta, but mediate their activity through a unique receptor.
      We found that like IFN-alpha/beta, IFN-lambda prevents the assembly of HBV
      capsids, demonstrating convergence of the two signaling pathways through a single
      antiviral mechanism. In contrast to IFN-lambda, the structurally related cytokine
      interleukin (IL)-22 only minimally reduced HBV replication. The transcriptional
      program activated by IL-22 displayed little similarity to that induced by IFN
      lambda, but instead resembled the response elicited by IL-6. We also found that
      murine IFN-lambda2 had only weak antiviral activity against HBV in the liver of
      transgenic mice, and that human IFN-lambda2 activity in serum correlated with the
      sensitivity of the cytokine to proteases. These results demonstrate that the IFN
      alpha/beta and IFN-lambda anti-HBV responses operate through a single molecular
      mechanism, and support the notion that IFN-lambda plays a local, rather than
      systemic, role in antiviral immunity.

PMID- 20303137
TI  - Electrical field: a historical review of its application and contributions in
      wastewater sludge dewatering.
AB  - Electric field-assisted dewatering, also called electro-dewatering, is a
      technology in which a conventional dewatering mechanism such a pressure
      dewatering is combined with electrokinetic effects to realize an improved
      liquid/solids separation, to increase the final dry solids content and to
      accelerate the dewatering process with low energy consumption compared to thermal
      drying. Electro-dewatering is not a new idea, but the practical industrial
      applications have been limited to niche areas in soil mechanics, civil
      engineering, and the ceramics industry. Recently, it has received great
      attention, specially, in the fields of fine-particle sludge, gelatinous sludge,
      sewage sludge, pharmaceutical industries, food waste and bull kelp, which could
      not be successfully dewatered with conventional mechanical methods. This review
      focuses on the scientific and practical aspects of the application of an
      electrical field in laboratory/industrial dewatering, and discusses this in
      relation to conventional dewatering techniques. A comprehensive bibliography of
      research in the electro-dewatering of wastewater sludges is included. As the fine
      particle suspensions possess a surface charge, usually negative, they are
      surrounded by a layer with a higher density of positive charges, the electric
      double layer. When an electric field is applied, the usually negative charged
      particles move towards the electrode of the opposite charge. The water, commonly
      with cations, is driven towards the negative electrode. Electro-dewatering thus
      involves the well-known phenomena of electrophoresis, electro-osmosis, and
      electromigration. Following a detailed outline of the role of the electric double
      layer and electrokinetic phenomena, an analysis of the components of applied
      voltage and their significance is presented from an electrochemical viewpoint.
      The aim of this elementary analysis is to provide a fundamental understanding of
      the different process variables and configurations in order to identify potential
      improvements. Also discussed herein is the investigation of the electrical
      behaviour of a porous medium, with particular emphasis on porous medium
      conductivity determination.

PMID- 20303138
TI  - Removal of sulfadiazine, sulfamethizole, sulfamethoxazole, and sulfathiazole from
      aqueous solution by ozonation.
AB  - The removal of sulfadiazine, sulfamethizole, sulfamethoxazole, and sulfathiazole
      from aqueous solution by ozonation was studied. The study was conducted
      experimentally in a semi-batch reactor under different experimental conditions,
      i.e., varying influent ozone gas concentration, bicarbonate ion concentration,
      and pH. The results of the study indicated that ozonation could be used to
      effectively remove the sulfonamides from water. The sulfonamides exhibited
      moderate reactivity towards aqueous ozone, k(O)(3) >2 x 10(4) M(-1)s(-1) at pH of
      2 and 22 degrees C. The mol of ozone absorbed by the solution per mol of
      sulfonamides removed varied in the range of 5.5-12.0 with lower ranges
      representing ozone absorption by the solution at the beginning of the ozonation
      process whereas higher ratios correspond to >99.9% removal of the target
      sulfonamides. The removal rate of the sulfonamides improved with bicarbonate ion
      concentration up to 8mM but further increase in bicarbonate ion decreased removal
      efficiency. It was also observed that increasing the pH from 2.0 to 10.0 resulted
      in enhanced removal of the sulfonamides.

PMID- 20303139
TI  - Detection of Dechlorane Plus in fish from urban-industrial rivers.
AB  - A highly chlorinated flame retardant, Dechlorane Plus (DP), was measured in five
      fish species collected in 2008 from 22 river sites across South Korea. The sites
      consisted of 15 urban-industrial areas, three rural-industrial areas, and four
      rural rivers. Both syn- and anti-DP isomer were consistently detected in all fish
      samples regardless of sampling sites and fish species. DP has become a widespread
      environmental pollutant in South Korea. Concentrations of summation operatorDP
      isomers ranged from 0.61 to 126ngg(-1) lipid, with a mean concentration of
      24.5ngg(-1) lipid. The mean summation operatorDP concentrations in the 15 urban
      sites (36.1+/-35.3ngg(-1) lipid) were approximately 25 times greater than those
      measured in the rural sites (1.4+/-1.0ngg(-1) lipid). The summation operatorDP
      concentrations in this study exceeded those determined in fish from the Great
      Lakes. DP exposure to fish is related to urbanization activity. Specific urban
      areas could be significant source areas of DP exposure, even in the absence of a
      local DP manufacturing facility. Concentrations of syn- and anti-DP isomer ranged
      from 0.17 to 30ngg(-1) lipid and 0.44 to 97ngg(-1) lipid, respectively. The anti
      DP isomer was dominant in all samples. However, the mean f(anti) value for urban
      industrial samples (0.67+/-0.060) was significantly lower than that of the
      technical DP standard (f(anti)=0.75; p=0.032). This observation supports that DP
      isomers exhibit different bioaccumulation behaviors and that syn-DP isomer more
      easily accumulates in biota samples than anti-DP isomer does.

PMID- 20303140
TI  - Epidermal growth factor receptor in glioblastomas: correlation between gene copy
      number and protein expression.
AB  - Epidermal growth factor receptor is a transmembrane receptor involved in
      oncogenesis, including the development of glioblastoma. We studied the prognostic
      significance of epidermal growth factor receptor amplification as determined by
      fluorescence in situ hybridization, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and
      protein expression by immunohistochemistry. Ninety-nine patients exhibiting
      glioblastoma were included. Immunohistochemistry was performed on microarray
      blocks with clone 25, which recognizes both epidermal growth factor receptor wild
      type and vIII, and scored using a semiquantitative approach. Quantitative
      polymerase chain reaction and fluorescence in situ hybridization techniques were
      performed on frozen section: 29.3% of cases had a high epidermal growth factor
      receptor immunohistochemistry score (score >/=200); and of these cases, 96.5% had
      gene amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridization and quantitative
      polymerase chain reaction. Conversely, of cases with a low immunohistochemistry
      score, 72.9% had normal karyotype or polysomy 7 by fluorescence in situ
      hybridization technique; but around 25% had gene amplification by fluorescence in
      situ hybridization and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. In the case of
      protein overexpression, quantitative polymerase chain reaction and fluorescence
      in situ hybridization could be avoided in first intention because their positive
      predictive value for amplification is 97%. In multivariate analysis, there was a
      trend toward an association between shorter overall survival time and epidermal
      growth factor receptor amplification as determined by fluorescence in situ
      hybridization analysis. However, cases with an immunohistochemistry score less
      200 require further testing by fluorescence in situ hybridization or quantitative
      polymerase chain reaction.

PMID- 20303141
TI  - Mitogenic cardiomyopathy: a lethal neonatal familial dilated cardiomyopathy
      characterized by myocyte hyperplasia and proliferation.
AB  - Pediatric cardiomyopathies are a heterogenous group of conditions of which
      dilated cardiomyopathies are the most common clinicomorphologic subtype. However,
      the etiology and pathogenesis of many cases of dilated cardiomyopathies remain
      unknown. We describe a series of 5 cases of a rare but clinically and
      histologically distinctive dilated cardiomyopathy that was uniformly lethal in
      early infancy. The 5 cases include 2 pairs of siblings. There was parental
      consanguinity in 1 of the 2 pairs of siblings. Death occurred in early infancy
      (range, 22-67 days; mean, 42 days) after a short history of general lethargy,
      decreased feeding, respiratory distress, or cyanosis. There was no specific birth
      or early neonatal problems. Autopsy revealed congestive cardiac failure and
      enlarged, dilated hearts with ventricular dilatation more pronounced than atrial
      dilatation, and endocardial fibroelastosis. Histology showed prominent
      hypertrophic nuclear changes of cardiac myofibers and markedly increased myocyte
      mitotic activity including occasional atypical mitoses. Immunohistochemical
      staining for Mib1 showed a markedly increased proliferative index of 10% to 20%.
      Ancillary investigations, including molecular studies, did not reveal a primary
      cause for the cardiomyopathies. This distinctive dilated cardiomyopathy
      characterized by unusual histologic features of myocyte nuclear hypertrophy and
      marked mitotic activity is lethal in early infancy. Its occurrence in 2 pairs of
      siblings suggests familial inheritance. Although the underlying molecular
      pathogenesis remains to be elucidated, it is important to recognize this
      distinctive entity for purposes of genetic counseling.

PMID- 20303142
TI  - Morphometrics and phylogenetics: principal components of shape from cranial
      modules are neither appropriate nor effective cladistic characters.

PMID- 20303143
TI  - Cultural conservatism and variability in the Acheulian sequence of Gesher Benot
      Ya'aqov.
AB  - The Acheulian Technocomplex exhibits two phenomena: variability and conservatism.
      Variability is expressed in the composition and frequencies of tool types,
      particularly in the varying frequencies of bifaces (handaxes and cleavers).
      Conservatism is expressed in the continuous presence of bifaces along an immense
      time trajectory. The site of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov (GBY) offers a unique
      opportunity to study aspects of variability and conservatism as a result of its
      long cultural-stratigraphic sequence containing superimposed lithic assemblages.
      This study explores aspects of variability and conservatism within the Acheulian
      lithic assemblages of GBY, with emphasis placed on the bifacial tools. While
      variability has been studied through a comparison of typological frequencies in a
      series of assemblages from the site, evidence for conservatism was examined in
      the production modes expressed by the reduction sequence of the bifaces. We
      demonstrate that while pronounced typological variability is observed among the
      GBY assemblages, they were all manufactured by the same technology. The
      technology, size, and morphology of the bifaces throughout the entire
      stratigraphic sequence of GBY reflect the strong conservatism of their makers. We
      conclude that the biface frequency cannot be considered as a chrono/cultural
      marker that might otherwise allow us to distinguish between different phases
      within the Acheulian. The variability observed within the assemblages is
      explained as a result of different activities, tasks, and functions, which were
      carried out at specific localities along the shores of the paleo-Hula Lake in the
      early Middle Pleistocene.

PMID- 20303144
TI  - Lower Paleolithic hominin ecology at the fringe of the desert: Faunal remains
      from Bizat Ruhama and Nahal Hesi, Northern Negev, Israel.
AB  - The Southern Levant is a pivotal area for the study of hominin paleoecology
      during the Lower Paleolithic, because of its location on the out-of-Africa
      dispersal route and its significant ecological diversity. Important information
      has been gained by archaeofaunal studies, which usually reveal that exploitation
      of diverse Mediterranean environments with woodlands, marshes and lake margins,
      represents a dominant subsistence strategy for Lower Paleolithic hominins. Here,
      we present new taxonomic and taphonomic data from two sites in the southern
      coastal plain of the Southern Levant, at the fringe of the Negev Desert: Bizat
      Ruhama (Early Pleistocene) and Nahal Hesi (Middle Pleistocene). The sites
      preserve anthropogenic faunas, with the former signaling a marrow-exploitation
      strategy, perhaps related to scavenging from carnivore kills, and the latter
      showing evidence for primary access to fleshed ungulate carcasses. The species
      composition of these Northern Negev sites is unique for the Levantine Lower
      Paleolithic in that these sites lack typical woodland and riparian species,
      probably indicating an open, relatively uniform environment with patchy water
      sources and trees, much like this semiarid region today. Bizat Ruhama and Nahal
      Hesi are among the only Levantine Lower Paleolithic faunas associated with such a
      setting, thereby widening the known spectrum of environments exploited by
      hominins in the region. It is suggested that the two sites, coupled with the
      nearby Late Pleistocene evidence, reflect a largely stable semiarid environment
      on the northwestern fringe of the Negev Desert throughout much of the
      Pleistocene.

PMID- 20303145
TI  - Bioaccumulation of silver in ectomycorrhizal and saprobic macrofungi from
      pristine and polluted areas.
AB  - Macrofungi are effective accumulators of Ag. This study provides a comprehensive
      review of this phenomenon supported by original data on the Ag concentrations of
      macrofungi from pristine and Ag-polluted areas. In pristine areas, the median Ag
      concentrations of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) and saprobic (SAP) macrofungi were 0.79
      and 2.94 mg kg(-1), respectively. In these areas, hyperaccumulation thresholds
      for Ag in ECM and SAP macrofungi are proposed as 100 and 300 mg kg(-1),
      respectively. In a Ag-polluted area, the Ag concentrations in macrofungi (ECM and
      SAP) were significantly elevated with the median value of 24.7 mg kg(-1) and the
      highest concentrations in Amanita spp. of the section Vaginatae (304-692 mg kg(
      1)). The intracellular speciation of Ag in fruit-bodies of the Ag-accumulator
      Amanita submembranacea was inspected by size exclusion chromatography followed by
      sulfhydryl-specific fluorimetric assays of ligands using reverse phase high
      performance liquid chromatography and improved polyacrylamide gel
      electrophoresis. Virtually all Ag was found to be intracellular and sequestered
      in the major 7 kDa and minor 3.3 kDa complexes. The lack of glutathione and
      phytochelatins and the presence of a single 3 kDa sulfhydryl-containing peptide
      in the isolated Ag-complexes suggest that detoxification of Ag in A.
      submembranacea may rely on metallothionein. Vertical distribution of Ag in a
      polluted forest soil profile has shown substantial enrichment in organic
      horizons; in polluted technosol, the highest Ag concentrations were found in
      surface layers. Standardized EDTA extraction of Ag in both the investigated soil
      profiles showed relatively low Ag extractibility, generally within the range of
      2.2-7.7% of total Ag content.

PMID- 20303146
TI  - Presence and fate of priority substances in domestic greywater treatment and
      reuse systems.
AB  - A wide range of household sources may potentially contribute to contaminant loads
      in domestic greywater. The ability of greywater treatment systems to act as
      emission control barriers for household micropollutants, thereby providing
      environmental benefits in addition to potable water savings, have not been fully
      explored. This paper investigates the sources, presence and potential fate of a
      selection of xenobiotic micropollutants in on-site greywater treatment systems.
      All of the investigated compounds are listed under the European Water Framework
      Directive as either "Priority Substances" (PS) or "Priority Hazardous Substances"
      (PHS). Significant knowledge gaps are identified. A wide range of potential
      treatment trains are available for greywater treatment and reuse but treatment
      efficiency data for priority substances and other micropollutants is very
      limited. Geochemical modelling indicates that PS/PHS removal during treatment is
      likely to be predominantly due to sludge/solid phase adsorption, with only minor
      contributions to the water phase. Many PS/PHS are resistant to biodegradation and
      as the majority of automated greywater treatment plants periodically discharge
      sludge to the municipal sewerage system, greywater treatment is unlikely to act
      as a comprehensive PS/PHS emission barrier. Hence, it is important to ensure that
      other source control options (e.g. eco-labeling, substance substitution, and
      regulatory controls) for household items continue to be pursued, in order that
      PS/PHS emissions from these sources are effectively reduced and/or phased out as
      required under the demands of the European Water Framework Directive.

PMID- 20303147
TI  - Radical retropubic prostatectomy and robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy:
      likelihood of positive surgical margin(s).
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate whether the surgical approach influenced the likelihood
      of a positive surgical margin (PSM) adjusting for known preoperative predictors
      of PSM, year of radical prostatectomy, body mass index, use of nerve sparing, and
      patient age at radical prostatectomy. METHODS: The study cohort comprised 950
      consecutively treated men with clinically localized prostate cancer who underwent
      open radical retropubic (RRP, n = 346) or robotic-assisted (RALP, N = 604)
      prostatectomy by a single surgeon (J.P.R., J.C.H.) at the Brigham and Women's
      Hospital from 2005 to 2008 and had complete information on baseline patient and
      tumor characteristics. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses
      were performed to identify clinical factors significantly associated with the
      likelihood of a PSM. RESULTS: Men undergoing RALP compared with RRP were more
      likely to have a PSM (adjusted odds ratio 1.9; 95% confidence interval: 1.2-3.1,
      P = .0095). Significant interaction (P = .0085) was noted between the type of
      surgical approach and whether nerve sparing was performed on the likelihood of a
      PSM. Specifically, a significantly lower PSM rate was observed for men undergoing
      nerve sparing and RRP compared with nerve sparing and RALP (7.6% vs 13.5%, P =
      .007), whereas opposite trend was noted (P = .09) for men undergoing a non-nerve
      sparing approach. CONCLUSIONS: Men undergoing RALP compared with RRP seem to have
      a greater likelihood of a PSM. Further study is needed to delineate whether this
      increase is due to an intrinsic limitation of RALP or unknown confounders.

PMID- 20303148
TI  - Benign lesions after partial nephrectomy for presumed renal cell carcinoma in
      masses 4 cm or less: prevalence and predictors in Korean patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence and predictors associated with benign
      lesions in Korean patients after partial nephrectomy for presumed renal cell
      carcinoma (RCC) for lesions measuring <= 4 cm. METHODS: We retrospectively
      investigated the medical records of 376 patients who underwent partial
      nephrectomy for presumed RCC with renal masses of size <= 4 cm between June 1997
      and December 2008. Demographic and clinicopathologic parameters were compared
      between benign lesions and RCC. Logistic regression was done to identify
      parameters associated with benign lesions. RESULTS: In the 376 patients, 81
      tumors (21.5%) were benign, including 35 angiomyolipomas (9.3%), 26 complicated
      cysts (6.9%), 11 oncocytomas (2.9%), and 9 others (2.4%). Univariate analysis
      showed that time of surgery, female sex, younger age, and normal body mass index
      (body mass index (BMI) < 23 kg/m(2)) were associated with benign pathologic
      findings. On multiple logistic regression analysis, female sex (OR, 4.91; 95% CI,
      2.76-08.75; P < .001), age (OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.95-0.99; P = .009), and time of
      surgery (OR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.11-0.95; P = .040) were independent predictors of
      benign histologic features. Tumor size, incidental diagnosis, and BMI were not
      significant predictors (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Our study with a large cohort of
      Asian patients showed that the prevalence of benign lesions was similar to
      previously reported Western studies. However, the most common benign lesion was
      angiomyolipoma, compared with oncocytoma in Western countries. The results of
      this study may help clinicians counsel female and younger patients recently
      diagnosed with small renal masses and decide the most appropriate treatment,
      including renal biopsies and close observation.

PMID- 20303149
TI  - Single-site laparoscopic orchidopexy in an infant.
AB  - We describe a laparoscopic orchidopexy performed on an 18-month-old child through
      a single infraumbilical site.

PMID- 20303150
TI  - A review: the application of minimally invasive surgery to pediatric urology:
      lower urinary tract reconstructive procedures.
AB  - This paper is one-half of a 2 part review on minimally-invasive procedures in
      pediatric urology. This article focuses on lower tract procedures, including
      ureteroureterostomy, anti-reflux surgeries, creation of continent catheterizable
      channels, and augmentation cystoplasty. We note important articles on pure
      laparoscopic as well as robotic-assisted laparoscopic lower urinary tract
      surgeries, concentrating on their techniques and outcomes.

PMID- 20303151
TI  - A review: the application of minimally invasive surgery to pediatric urology:
      upper urinary tract procedures.
AB  - This paper is one-half of a 2 part review on minimally-invasive procedures in
      pediatric urology. This article focuses on upper tract procedures, including
      complete nephrectomy, partial nephrectomy, pyeloplasty, and ureterocalicostomy.
      We note important articles on pure laparoscopic as well as robotic-assisted
      laparoscopic upper urinary tract surgeries, concentrating on their techniques and
      outcomes.

PMID- 20303152
TI  - Detection rates of nonpalpable prostate cancer in Korean men with prostate
      specific antigen levels between 2.5 and 4.0 ng/mL.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the detection rate and pathology of cancer in Korean men
      with low levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), 2.5-4.0 ng/mL. METHODS: We
      examined 1097 patients with PSA level of 2.5-10.0 ng/mL, who underwent
      transrectal ultrasonography-guided prostate needle biopsies between January 2008
      and March 2009. Of the 1097 biopsy patients, 815 met our criteria of benign
      findings by digital rectal examination and the absence of cancerous lesions by
      TRUS. Clinical characteristics and detection rates of prostate cancer, as well as
      the pathology of specimens obtained by needle biopsies and prostatectomies, were
      evaluated in these patients. RESULTS: Of the 815 patients, 349 had group 1 (PSA
      level, 2.5-4.0 ng/mL) and 466 had group 2 (PSA level, 4.0-10.0 ng/mL). The
      percentage of patients diagnosed with prostate cancer was not statistically
      different between the 2 groups (21.8% in group 1, and 20.2% in group 2). In group
      1, 70.7% of patients had a pathologic Gleason score of 7 or higher and 91.4% had
      organ-confined tumors (pT2). The pathologic characteristics, including Gleason
      score, pathologic stage, and percentage of insignificant cancer were similar in
      prostatectomy specimens between group 1 and group 2. CONCLUSIONS: Detection rates
      of nonpalpable prostate cancer in Korean men were 21.8% in group 1 and 20.2% in
      group 2 without statistically significant difference. Pathologic characteristics
      of prostatectomy specimens also were similar between group 1 and group 2. These
      results suggest that a lower PSA level might be considered as an indication for
      prostate biopsy.

PMID- 20303153
TI  - How do young residents practice laparoscopic surgical skills?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether a training system using a dry box is feasible
      for training young urologists. Despite laparoscopic surgery being widely
      indicated for several urological diseases, a laparoscopic training system for
      young urologists has not been fully established yet. However, the learning curve
      for laparoscopic surgery has not yet been ascertained. METHODS: We continued to
      test 11 sixth-year residents (postgraduate year: PGY6) and third-year residents
      (PGY3) in our department in terms of surgical skills using a dry box. We gave
      them several tasks (cutting and suturing) and let them practice until task
      completion. We continued to test all participants by these tasks for 16 weeks.
      RESULTS: At the beginning of the present study, the PGY6 residents achieved
      significantly better scores than the PGY3 residents. However, the difference
      between the 2 groups became insignificant over time. Furthermore, statistical
      analysis revealed that a practice time of 100 minutes per week was the only
      significant factor affecting the last test score. For the final test, the mean
      practice time for all participants was 79.1 minutes per week. CONCLUSIONS: These
      results suggest that laparoscopic surgical skills can definitely be polished by
      adequate voluntary practice.

PMID- 20303154
TI  - Extracellular matrix degradation and reduced neural density in children with
      intrinsic ureteropelvic junction obstruction.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the extracellular matrix microenvironment and nerve
      supply of ureteropelvic junctions (UPJs) in children with intrinsic UPJ
      obstruction. Congenital UPJ obstruction is the most common cause of neonatal
      hydronephrosis. Although many studies investigating the molecular changes within
      this segment have been performed, the underlying mechanisms of UPJ obstruction
      are still unclear. METHODS: Specimens were obtained from 21 children with a mean
      age of 103.2 months undergoing dismembered pyeloplasty. Control samples included
      9 archival specimens from age-matched children without any history of urologic
      disease. Paraffin-embedded sections were immunostained to detect matrix
      metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2), tenascin C (TN-C), and S-100 (for the neuronal
      supply). Expression patterns were investigated using semiquantitative high-power
      field magnification analyses, and the MMP-2 and TN-C immunoreactivity were
      scored. Differences between the 2 groups were examined statistically. RESULTS:
      All UPJ specimens displayed a resolved muscular coat and replacement of smooth
      muscle cells by connective tissue. The degree of MMP-2 expression representing
      matrix turnover was statistically significantly elevated. Similarly, TN-C
      expression was found to be higher in obstructed specimens. Additionally, the mean
      S-100 staining was lower than in controls. Although S-100-positive nerve-fibers
      were more predominant in the adventitia with minimal submucosal and absent
      intramuscular staining in patient specimens, they were abundant in both
      adventitia and submucosa with minimal intramuscular staining in the controls.
      CONCLUSIONS: In intrinsic UPJ obstruction samples, a dissolved smooth muscular
      coat and an overexpression of extracellular matrix proteins, together with
      depleted nerve supply, was demonstrable.

PMID- 20303155
TI  - Salvage therapy with bicalutamide 150 mg in nonmetastatic castration-resistant
      prostate cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the rate and duration of prostate-specific antigen (PSA)
      response to high-dose bicalutamide (150 mg) in nonmetastatic castration-resistant
      prostate cancer patients and its impact on metastasis-free survival. METHODS:
      This single center, prospective study included 38 prostate cancer patients
      surgically or medically castrated who had PSA increases above their nadir after
      previous antiandrogen manipulation and in absence of bone metastases. Patients
      were given daily dose of bicalutamide 150 mg. Clinical evaluations and serum PSA
      testing were performed every 3 months. Response was defined according to PSA
      decline from baseline as if >= 50% or >= 85%. The duration of response was the
      time from entering into study until PSA increased >= 25% or >= 2 ng/ml from the
      nadir. Bone scintigraphy was repeated at PSA increase or at symptom appearance.
      RESULTS: The mean follow-up was 34.5 months (range, 3-75.2). A PSA decline was
      observed in 17 of 38 patients (44.7%): 7 (18.4%) >= 85% and 10 (26.3%) >= 50 but
      < 85% responders. The median duration of response was 18.5 months for partial and
      37.4 months for complete responders. The median time to metastasis was 52.5
      months for responders and 15.7 months for nonresponders (Log-Rank test 9.3, P =
      .002). CONCLUSIONS: High-dose bicalutamide can induce a second response in almost
      half of castration-resistant prostate cancer patients without metastasis. The
      duration of response is more than 1.5 years on average and responders have
      prolonged metastasis-free survival.

PMID- 20303156
TI  - Overcoming the barriers to HPV vaccination in high-risk populations in the US.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To review populations of women in the United States at high risk for
      cervical cancer, assess known reasons for existing outcome disparities, and
      discuss potential strategies to reduce barriers to HPV vaccination and current
      strategies for cervical cancer prevention. METHODS: An expert forum conducted
      September 12-13, 2008, by the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists including 56
      experts in cervical cancer and titled "Future strategies of cervical cancer
      prevention: what do we need to do now to prepare?" RESULTS: Although
      epidemiological data is useful and necessary to identify populations at high risk
      for cervical cancer, an understanding of the knowledge and attitudes regarding
      HPV and cervical cancer prevention of racial/ethnic groups and sub-groups within
      racial/ethnic categories is critical for the implementation of effective targeted
      and effective educational efforts. Inequities in cervical cancer screening,
      diagnosis and treatment and HPV vaccination may arise from a number of barriers
      including access to healthcare, cultural beliefs, and limited awareness of
      options. CONCLUSIONS: Initiatives to promote uptake of prophylactic HPV
      vaccination that target high-risk women need to be implemented before existing
      disparities widen. Although acceptability of HPV vaccination is promising, uptake
      is still low among low-income populations and specific racial/ethnic minorities.
      To address limited vaccine uptake it may be beneficial to establish
      national/state guidelines as well as culturally relevant interventions at the
      individual and community levels. The successful implementation of multiple
      integrated initiatives on HPV awareness, knowledge, and vaccination will diminish
      existing disparities in cervical cancer incidence and mortality.

PMID- 20303158
TI  - Second messenger-mediated adjustment of bacterial swimming velocity.
AB  - Bacteria swim by means of rotating flagella that are powered by ion influx
      through membrane-spanning motor complexes. Escherichia coli and related species
      harness a chemosensory and signal transduction machinery that governs the
      direction of flagellar rotation and allows them to navigate in chemical
      gradients. Here, we show that Escherichia coli can also fine-tune its swimming
      speed with the help of a molecular brake (YcgR) that, upon binding of the
      nucleotide second messenger cyclic di-GMP, interacts with the motor protein MotA
      to curb flagellar motor output. Swimming velocity is controlled by the
      synergistic action of at least five signaling proteins that adjust the cellular
      concentration of cyclic di-GMP. Activation of this network and the resulting
      deceleration coincide with nutrient depletion and might represent an adaptation
      to starvation. These experiments demonstrate that bacteria can modulate flagellar
      motor output and thus swimming velocity in response to environmental cues.

PMID- 20303157
TI  - Molecular and cellular approaches for diversifying and extending optogenetics.
AB  - Optogenetic technologies employ light to control biological processes within
      targeted cells in vivo with high temporal precision. Here, we show that
      application of molecular trafficking principles can expand the optogenetic
      repertoire along several long-sought dimensions. Subcellular and transcellular
      trafficking strategies now permit (1) optical regulation at the far-red/infrared
      border and extension of optogenetic control across the entire visible spectrum,
      (2) increased potency of optical inhibition without increased light power
      requirement (nanoampere-scale chloride-mediated photocurrents that maintain the
      light sensitivity and reversible, step-like kinetic stability of earlier tools),
      and (3) generalizable strategies for targeting cells based not only on genetic
      identity, but also on morphology and tissue topology, to allow versatile
      targeting when promoters are not known or in genetically intractable organisms.
      Together, these results illustrate use of cell-biological principles to enable
      expansion of the versatile fast optogenetic technologies suitable for intact
      systems biology and behavior.

PMID- 20303159
TI  - Interactive effect of indenter size and specimen thickness in Hertzian
      indentation test.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of indenter size on the failure mode of
      amalgam and its interaction with thickness. METHODS: Dental silver amalgam
      (Lojic+, SDI) discs, 10 mm diameter, thickness h=0.4-8.0 mm, were stored in air
      at 37 degrees C for 7 days before testing in 'Hertzian contact', resting freely
      on a 30% glass fibre-reinforced nylon 6,6 substrate (E: 10GPa) at 23 degrees C in
      air at a crosshead speed of 0.2 mm/min. The load at the first crack, detected
      acoustically, was recorded. Two series of tests were conducted. In the first, a 3
      or 20 mm diameter hard steel ball was used to apply the load to discs with h=0.4
      8.0 mm. The second was performed on discs with h=2.0 and 5.0 mm with indenter
      diameters D=2-40 mm. RESULTS: The failure loads for these two groups were
      substantially different, with most values for D=3 mm being lower than those for
      D=20 mm. The transitions of the main failure mode with increasing thickness were
      similar, i.e., from RC-dominant for h small to CC-dominant for h large, except
      that this occurred over a greater range for the larger indenter. For h=2 mm,
      failure load was constant for D=2-40 mm; all specimens consistently failed from
      bottom RC. For h=5 mm, failure load increased with D with a quadratic
      relationship up to about 10 mm (r(2)=0.85), after that, values were near
      constant; the failure mode gradually changed with D from PD- or CC-prevailing for
      D small (< or =5 mm) to RC-prevailing for D very large (30 and 40 mm).
      SIGNIFICANCE: The failure mode of amalgam is dependent on the indenter size;
      indenter size and coating thickness have reciprocal effects.

PMID- 20303160
TI  - Mechanical strength and subcritical crack growth under wet cyclic loading of
      glass-infiltrated dental ceramics.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the flexural strength (sigma) and subcritical crack growth
      (SCG) under cyclic loading of glass-infiltrated alumina-based (IA, In-Ceram
      Alumina) and zirconia-reinforced (IZ, In-Ceram Zirconia) ceramics, testing the
      hypothesis that wet environment influences the SCG of both ceramics when
      submitted to cyclic loading. METHODS: Bar-shaped specimens of IA (n=45) and IZ
      (n=45) were fabricated and loaded in three-point bending (3P) in 37 degrees C
      artificial saliva (IA(3P) and IZ(3P)) and cyclic fatigued (F) in dry (D) and wet
      (W) conditions (IA(FD), IA(FW), IZ(FD), IZ(FW)). The initial sigma and the number
      of cycles to fracture were obtained from 3P and F tests, respectively. Data was
      examined using Weibull statistics. The SCG behavior was described in terms of
      crack velocity as a function of maximum stress intensity factor (K(Imax)).
      RESULTS: The Weibull moduli (m=8) were similar for both ceramics. The
      characteristic strength (sigma(0)) of IA and IZ was and 466MPa 550MPa,
      respectively. The wet environment significantly increased the SCG of IZ, whereas
      a less evident effect was observed for IA. In general, both ceramics were prone
      to SCG, with crack propagation occurring at K(I) as low as 43-48% of their
      critical K(I). The highest sigma of IZ should lead to longer lifetimes for
      similar loading conditions. SIGNIFICANCE: Water combined with cyclic loading
      causes pronounced SCG in IZ and IA materials. The lifetime of dental restorations
      based on these ceramics is expected to increase by reducing their direct exposure
      to wet conditions and/or by using high content zirconia ceramics with higher
      strength.

PMID- 20303161
TI  - Brief report: the number of sexual partners and race-related stress in African
      American adolescents: preliminary findings.
AB  - The current study examined the association between the number of lifetime sexual
      partners and race-related stress among African American 201 high school juniors
      and seniors at two urban high schools in the Southeastern region of the country.
      Students completed the Index of Race-Related Stress-Brief (IRRS-B) and the Youth
      Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). African American male adolescents reported higher
      race-related stress and a higher number of sexual partners compared to African
      American females. Controlling for gender and age of first intercourse, race
      related stress significantly predicted the number of sexual partners for African
      American adolescents. Preliminary findings indicate that the role of race-related
      stress may prove critical in decreasing risky sexual behavior among African
      American adolescents.

PMID- 20303162
TI  - The psychological impact of peer victimization: exploring social-cognitive
      mediators of depression.
AB  - Although the association between peer victimization and depression is well
      established (Hawker & Boulton, 2000; Nansel et al., 2001), little research has
      examined the processes whereby victimization may lead to depression. This study
      examined the social-cognitive processes that mediate the relationship between
      peer victimization and depression. A questionnaire measuring peer victimization,
      depression, depression rumination, self efficacy to enlist support, and
      collective school efficacy to stop peer aggression at two time points during one
      school year was completed by 1167 secondary school children. Rumination,
      collective school efficacy and self efficacy to enlist support from a friend
      partially mediated the relationship between victimization and depression.
      Children who were victimized ruminated more, which lead to increased levels of
      depression. Victims were also less likely to believe that students and teachers
      could work together to stop peer aggression, which impacted their propensity to
      access the support of friends leading to higher depression.

PMID- 20303163
TI  - Glycyrrhetinic acid-modified chitosan/poly(ethylene glycol) nanoparticles for
      liver-targeted delivery.
AB  - A liver-targeted drug delivery carrier, composed of chitosan/poly(ethylene
      glycol)-glycyrrhetinic acid (CTS/PEG-GA) nanoparticles, was prepared by an ionic
      gelation process, in which glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) acted as the targeting
      ligand. The formation and characterization of these nanoparticles were confirmed
      by FT-IR, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential measurements. The
      biodistribution of the nanoparticles was assessed by single-photon emission
      computed tomography (SPECT), and the cellular uptake was evaluated using human
      hepatic carcinoma cells (QGY-7703 cells). The anti-neoplastic effect of the
      doxorubicin.HCl-loaded nanoparticles (DOX-loaded nanoparticles) was also
      investigated in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that the CTS/PEG-GA
      nanoparticles were remarkably targeted to the liver, and keep at a high level
      during the experiment. The accumulation in the liver was 51.3% at 3 h after
      injection; this was nearly 2.6 times that obtained with the CTS/PEG
      nanoparticles. The DOX-loaded nanoparticles were greatly cytotoxic to QGY-7703
      cells, and the IC(50) (50% inhibitory concentration) for the free doxorubicin.HCl
      (DOX.HCl) and the DOX-loaded CTS/PEG-GA nanoparticles were 47 and 79 ng/mL,
      respectively. Moreover, the DOX-loaded CTS/PEG-GA nanoparticles could effectively
      inhibit tumor growth in H22 cell-bearing mice.

PMID- 20303164
TI  - Effects of cleavable PEG-cholesterol derivatives on the accelerated blood
      clearance of PEGylated liposomes.
AB  - The "accelerated blood clearance" (ABC) phenomenon describes a syndrome whereby
      the circulation time of a second dose of injected liposomes is substantially
      reduced, while the hepatic and splenic accumulations increase. To avoid this
      unexpected immune response, we have modified liposomes with cleavable PEG-lipid
      derivatives (PEG-CHEMS and PEG-CHMC). The ABC phenomenon was induced by repeated
      injection of conventional PEG-DSPE-liposomes in rat body and was accompanied by a
      greatly increased uptake in the liver. In contrast, only a slight ABC phenomenon
      was induced by repeated injection of PEG-CHMC-liposomes and was accompanied by
      increased uptake in the liver. Repeated injection of PEG-CHEMS-liposomes did not
      induce either an ABC phenomenon or an increase in liver accumulation. Repeated
      injection of the cleavable PEG-lipid modified vesicles (tris (hydroxymethyl)
      aminomethane salt of cholesteryl hemisuccinate(CHST)) showed similar results to
      those found with the cleavable PEG-lipid modified liposomes. These cleavable PEG
      lipid derivatives could lessen or eliminate the ABC phenomenon produced by
      repeated injection of PEGylated liposomes or vesicles. Consequently, these two
      cleavable PEG-lipid derivatives may not only prolong the circulation time of
      nanoparticles, but may also represent a solution to the ABC phenomenon.

PMID- 20303165
TI  - Imaging and inhibition of multi-drug resistance in cancer cells via specific
      association with negatively charged CdTe quantum dots.
AB  - Photoluminescent semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) have received significant
      attention in biological and biomedical fields because of their attractive
      properties. In this contribution, we have explored and evaluated the utilization
      of water-soluble nanocrystal CdTe quantum dots (QDs) capped with negatively
      charged 3-mercapitalpropionic acid (MPA)-QDs to enhance the drug uptake into the
      target cancer cells and the efficiency of the biomarker and cancer treatments, by
      using the cytotoxicity evaluation, total internal reflection fluorescence
      microscopy, electrochemistry and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. Our results
      illustrate that the MPA-CdTe QDs could effectively facilitate the interaction of
      anticancer agent daunorubicin (DNR) with leukemia cells and the efficiency of
      biolabeling in cancer cells. Therefore, the present study affords a new potential
      method for simultaneous cellular inhibition and imaging of cancer cells.

PMID- 20303166
TI  - Nucleic acid transfer with hemifluorinated polycationic lipids.
AB  - In this study, the ability of synthetic fluorinated lipospermines to bind DNA and
      siRNA was investigated and the transfection efficiency and toxicity of the
      resulting lipoplexes in cell lines were evaluated. Three lipopolyamines
      displaying fluorous tags close to their cationic polar head ("HFP" polyamines)
      were synthesized. Their ability to condense pDNA and siRNA, and to form
      nanoparticles were characterized. Lipoplex stability was investigated in the
      presence of different surface active compounds and was shown to be significantly
      improved due to the presence of the fluorous tags. Transfection efficiencies were
      studied in HepG2 and 911 cell lines, and compared to that of DOGS, DOTAP, and
      Lipofectamine 2000. Also, the ability of these compounds to deliver nucleic acids
      into cells in the presence of high concentration of serum was quantified. By
      incorporating two fluorous tags in the direct vicinity of the polycationic head
      group of the lipospermines, we show efficient pDNA and siRNA formulation, and
      delivery to cultured cells. Fluorinated lipoplexes exhibit improved stability in
      the presence of amphiphilic compounds and retain high transfection efficiency in
      the presence of 50-75% serum. These results demonstrate that lipospermines
      displaying fluorous tags close to their cationic polar head bind to and deliver
      pDNA and siRNA with high cell viability in different cell lines. They are
      efficient non-viral vectors that exhibit remarkable serum compatibility.

PMID- 20303167
TI  - Mesoporous carbide-derived carbon for cytokine removal from blood plasma.
AB  - Porous carbons can be used for purification of bio-fluids due to their excellent
      biocompatibility with blood. Since the ability to adsorb a range of inflammatory
      cytokines within the shortest possible time is crucial to stop the progression of
      sepsis, the improvement of the adsorption rate is a key factor to achieving
      efficient removal of cytokines. Here, we demonstrate the effect of synthesis
      temperatures (from 600 degrees C to 1200 degrees C), carbon particle sizes (from
      below 35 microm to 300 microm), and annealing conditions (Ar, NH(3), H(2), Cl(2),
      and vacuum annealing) that determine the surface chemistry, on the ability of
      carbide-derived carbons (CDCs) to remove cytokines TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IL-1 beta
      from blood plasma. Optimization of CDC processing and structure leads to up to
      two orders of magnitude increase in the adsorption rate. Mesoporous CDCs that
      were produced at 800 degrees C from Ti(2)AlC with the precursor particle size of
      <35 microm and annealed in NH(3), displayed complete removal of large molecules
      of TNF-alpha in less than an hour, with >85% and >95% TNF-alpha removal in 5 and
      30 min, respectively. This is a very significant improvement compared to the
      previously published results for CDC (90% TNF-alpha removal after 1h) and
      activated carbons. Smaller interleukin IL-6 and IL-1 beta molecules can be
      completely removed within 5 min. These differences in adsorption rates show that
      carbons with controlled porosity can also be used for separation of protein
      molecules.

PMID- 20303168
TI  - The role of cyclic AMP in normalizing the function of engineered human blood
      microvessels in microfluidic collagen gels.
AB  - Nearly all engineered tissues must eventually be vascularized to survive. To this
      end, we and others have recently developed methods to synthesize extracellular
      matrix-based scaffolds that contain open microfluidic networks. These scaffolds
      serve as templates for the formation of endothelial tubes that can be perfused;
      whether such microvascular structures are stable and/or functional is largely
      unknown. Here, we show that compounds that elevate intracellular concentrations
      of the second messenger cyclic AMP (cAMP) strongly normalize the phenotype of
      engineered human microvessels in microfluidic type I collagen gels. Cyclic AMP
      elevating agents promoted vascular stability and barrier function, and reduced
      cellular turnover. Under conditions that induced the highest levels of cAMP, the
      physiology of engineered microvessels in vitro quantitatively mirrored that of
      native vessels in vivo. Computational analysis indicated that cAMP stabilized
      vessels partly via its enhancement of barrier function.

PMID- 20303170
TI  - In vivo study of an injectable poly(acrylonitrile)-based hydrogel paste as a
      bulking agent for the treatment of urinary incontinence.
AB  - Urinary incontinence can be treated by endoscopic injection of bulking agents,
      however, no optimal therapeutic effect has been achieved upon this treatment yet.
      In the present study, the development of a injectable poly(acrylonitrile)
      hydrogel paste is described, and its efficacy and histological behavior, once
      injected into the submucosal space of the minipig bladder, are evaluated. A
      device was developed to mix poly(acrylonitrile) hydrogel powder with glycerin,
      used as carrier, prior to injection into the submucosal space of the bladder.
      Several paste deposits, depending on the size of the bladder, were injected per
      animal. The implants were harvested at days 7, 14, 21, 28, 84 and 168 and
      analyzed morphologically and by histology. The persistence of the implants was
      demonstrated. However, at later time points the implants were split up and
      surrounded by granulomatous tissue, which was gradually replaced by histiocytes
      and adipocytes. Transitory focal urothelial metaplasia was observed only at day 7
      and moderate foreign body reaction was detected predominantly between the second
      and fifth week. This study demonstrated the feasibility to develop an injectable
      paste of poly(acrylonitrile) hydrogel thought to provide the expected bulking
      effect, necessary for the treatment of urinary incontinence.

PMID- 20303171
TI  - Egr-1-A Ca(2+)-regulated transcription factor.
AB  - The biosynthesis of the zinc finger transcription factor Egr-1 is stimulated by
      many extracellular signaling molecules including hormones, neurotransmitters,
      growth and differentiation factors. The Egr-1 gene represents a convergence point
      for many intracellular signaling cascades. An increase of the intracellular
      Ca(2+) concentration, by activating ionotropic or Galpha(q/11)-coupled receptors
      or voltage-gated L-type Ca(2+) channels, is often the prerequisite for enhanced
      Egr-1 gene transcription. This increase has been observed following stimulation
      with extracellular signaling molecules including ATP, glutamate, thrombin,
      carbachol, gonadotropin-releasing hormone, or glucose. Egr-1 is thus a Ca(2+)
      regulated transcription factor - similar to CREB, NFAT, NF-kappaB and others.
      This review also discusses the importance of the cytoplasmic and nuclear Ca(2+)
      concentration in transcriptional regulation of the Egr-1 gene.

PMID- 20303172
TI  - Successful treatment of imatinib-resistant hypereosinophilic syndrome with
      nilotinib.

PMID- 20303173
TI  - A distinct expression of various gene subsets in CD34+ cells from patients with
      early and advanced myelodysplastic syndrome.
AB  - Gene expression profiles of CD34+ cells were compared between 51 MDS patients and
      7 controls. The most up-regulated genes in patients included HBG2, HBG1, CYBRD1,
      HSPA1B, ANGPT, and MYC, while 13 genes related to B-lymphopoiesis showed down
      regulation. We observed in advanced MDS patients decreased expression of genes
      involved in cell cycle control, DNA repair and increased expression of proto
      oncogenes, angiogenic and anti-apoptic genes. The results suggest that increased
      cell proliferation and resistance to apoptosis together with a loss of cell cycle
      control, damaged DNA repair and altered immune response may play an important
      role in malignant clone expansion in MDS.

PMID- 20303169
TI  - Bioactive modification of poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels for tissue engineering.
AB  - In this review, we explore different approaches for introducing bioactivity into
      poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels. Hydrogels are excellent scaffolding
      materials for repairing and regenerating a variety of tissues because they can
      provide a highly swollen three-dimensional (3D) environment similar to soft
      tissues. Synthetic hydrogels like PEG-based hydrogels have advantages over
      natural hydrogels, such as the ability for photopolymerization, adjustable
      mechanical properties, and easy control of scaffold architecture and chemical
      compositions. However, PEG hydrogels alone cannot provide an ideal environment to
      support cell adhesion and tissue formation due to their bio-inert nature. The
      natural extracellular matrix (ECM) has been an attractive model for the design
      and fabrication of bioactive scaffolds for tissue engineering. ECM-mimetic
      modification of PEG hydrogels has emerged as an important strategy to modulate
      specific cellular responses. To tether ECM-derived bioactive molecules (BMs) to
      PEG hydrogels, various strategies have been developed for the incorporation of
      key ECM biofunctions, such as specific cell adhesion, proteolytic degradation,
      and signal molecule-binding. A number of cell types have been immobilized on
      bioactive PEG hydrogels to provide fundamental knowledge of cell/scaffold
      interactions. This review addresses the recent progress in material designs and
      fabrication approaches leading to the development of bioactive hydrogels as
      tissue engineering scaffolds.

PMID- 20303174
TI  - The role of trauma symptoms in the development of behavioral problems in
      maltreated preschoolers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the mediating role of trauma symptoms in the
      relation between child maltreatment and behavioral problems. It is based on the
      postulate that child maltreatment is a severe form of chronic relational trauma
      that has damaging consequences on the development of children's behavioral
      regulation. METHOD: Participants were 34 maltreated and 64 non-maltreated
      children (mean age=60 months; range: 46 to 72 months), all from economically
      disadvantaged families. Maltreated children were recruited from the Child
      Protection Agencies. Behavioral problems and trauma symptoms were evaluated by
      the preschool teacher with the Internalizing and the Externalizing scales of the
      Child Behavior Checklist-Teacher Report Form (CBCL-TRF) and the posttraumatic
      stress score of the Trauma Symptoms Checklist for Young Children respectively
      (TSCYC). RESULTS: Baron and Kenny's mediational procedure was conducted using
      structural equation modeling. Mediational analyses revealed that trauma symptoms
      fully mediated the association between maltreatment and both internalizing and
      externalizing behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Results were consistent with the literature
      on developmental trauma research and provide empirical support to the idea that
      trauma-related symptoms resulting from early maltreatment may constitute a
      mechanism in the development of psychosocial problems in preschoolers. PRACTICE
      IMPLICATIONS: These findings underline the importance of understanding
      psychosocial maladjustment of maltreated children not only from the perspective
      of problematic behavior, but also by taking into account the traumatic reactions
      that might develop in response to chronic and intense stress associated with
      abuse and neglect.

PMID- 20303175
TI  - Beneficial effect of pine honey on trichlorfon induced some biochemical
      alterations in mice.
AB  - Forty-eight male BALB/c mice, weighing 30-35 g, were used in the study, and were
      divided into groups of 12 each. The four groups established in the study included
      one control group and three experimental groups. The first group served as the
      control group, while Groups 2, 3 and 4 were administered 1g/kg bw/day pine honey,
      180 mg/kg bw/day trichlorfon ( approximately 1/5LD(50)) and 1g/kg bw/day pine
      honey plus 180 mg/kg bw/day trichlorfon, respectively, by the oral route using a
      catheter for 21 days. At the end of 21 days post-administration, blood and tissue
      (liver, kidney, brain and heart) samples were collected. Serum levels/activities
      of total protein, albumin, glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, BUN, creatine,
      uric acid, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride, total bilirubin, GGT, LDH,
      AST, ALT and ALP were determined. Furthermore, tissue MDA levels and CAT, SOD and
      GSH-Px activities were analyzed. According to the data obtained, when
      administered at the indicated dose and for the indicated time period, trichlorfon
      was determined to lead to negative alterations in most of the biochemical
      parameters investigated. The administration of pine honey was determined to
      alleviate this effect.

PMID- 20303176
TI  - Challenges and strategies in applying performance measurement to federal public
      health programs.
AB  - Performance measurement is widely accepted in public health as an important
      management tool supporting program improvement and accountability. However,
      several challenges impede developing and implementing performance measurement
      systems at the federal level, including the complexity of public health problems
      that reflect multiple determinants and involve outcomes that may take years to
      achieve, the decentralized and networked nature of public health program
      implementation, and the lack of reliable and consistent data sources and other
      issues related to measurement. All three of these challenges hinder the ability
      to attribute program results to specific public health program efforts. The
      purpose of this paper is to explore these issues in detail and offer potential
      solutions that support the development of robust and practical performance
      measures to meet the needs for program improvement and accountability. Adapting
      performance measurement to public health programs is both an evolving science and
      art. Through the strategies presented here, appropriate systems can be developed
      and monitored to support the production of meaningful data that will inform
      effective decision making at multiple levels.

PMID- 20303177
TI  - Decision-makers' perspectives on the use of bioaccessibility for risk-based
      regulation of contaminated land.
AB  - Information on contaminant bioaccessibility has been recognized by researchers,
      legislators and regulators as a decision-support tool for contaminated land
      assessment and has been subject to interest and discussion at both national and
      international levels. A sustainable, proportionate and risk-based approach to
      contaminated land management has been adopted by contaminated land regimes
      throughout the world. While this approach guides national and international
      priorities, its practical implementation in many countries, including the United
      Kingdom, is reliant upon local authorities. Here, we present an investigation
      into the views of local authorities in England and Wales regarding the practical
      application of bioaccessibility and constraints associated with its
      implementation. The research involved an online survey followed by semi
      structured interviews with selected respondents. A majority of survey respondents
      (70%) perceived bioaccessibility to be a useful tool that facilitates
      contaminated land management. However, 76% of participants indicated a need for
      more information regarding bioaccessibility as well as emphasising a need for
      more research into polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Lack of statutory guidance
      was indicated by 78% of respondents as the main factor hampering the use of
      bioaccessibility data in regulatory decision-making. Divergence of policy-maker
      and local regulator perceptions of bioaccessibility was also indicated by the
      respondents. This research brings the voice of front-line regulators for
      contaminated land into the on-going discussion between policy-makers and
      scientists on the uses of bioaccessibility. This study concludes by proposing
      action priorities both for the research community and for policy-makers, which
      are transferable to risk-based regimes elsewhere.

PMID- 20303178
TI  - Uranium isotopes in the Balkan's environment and foods following the use of
      depleted uranium in the war.
AB  - Immediately after the Balkan's war in 1999, there has been widespread
      international concern about the environmental contamination with depleted uranium
      (DU) from ammunitions used in the conflict. Exposure of military staff and local
      populations to uranium metal and to its ionizing radiation were feared as
      potential causes for leukemia and other diseases in that region. In January 2001
      a scientific mission was carried out by Portugal to evaluate those issues. A
      large number of environmental and food samples collected in Kosovo and Bosnia
      Herzegovina, such as soils, water, aerosols, vegetables, bread, and meat were
      analyzed by radiochemistry and alpha spectrometry. Results of the analyses for
      total uranium and individual uranium isotopes are presented. Uranium in
      agriculture soils in Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina averaged 1.8+/-0.8mgkg(-)(1)
      and 3+/-1mgkg(-)(1), while concentrations in drinking water from public supplies
      averaged 0.5+/-0.2microgL(-)(1) and 0.4+/-0.3microgL(-)(1), respectively. Results
      on soils indicated also that environmental contamination by DU was much localized
      and confined to the areas of ammunition impact. Concentrations of uranium in most
      of the environmental and food samples were comparable to concentrations of
      uranium measured in other European regions, such as Portugal and United Kingdom,
      and uranium isotopic ratios were in general compatible with isotopic ratios
      typical of natural uranium. However, a few samples displayed modified uranium
      isotopic ratios and could have been contaminated by DU. Implications of DU in
      radiation exposure of the population and in environmental contamination are
      discussed.

PMID- 20303179
TI  - TCR gene-engineered T cell: limited T cell activation and combined use of IL-15
      and IL-21 ensure minimal differentiation and maximal antigen-specificity.
AB  - Clinical TCR gene therapy of melanoma represents a feasible and promising
      treatment rationale yet is currently challenged by objective response rates that
      stay behind those observed with conventional adoptive T cell therapy. Here, the
      phenotype and function of TCR-transduced T cells, considered to determine the
      efficacy of TCR gene therapy, were studied in relation to T cell activation and
      cytokine treatments. We observed that the lectin Concanavalin A (ConA), and to a
      lesser extent anti-CD3 and CD28 mAbs (soluble CD3/CD28), resulted in functional
      surface expression of the TCRalphabeta transgenes and enhanced fractions of
      CD62L(hi), CD44(lo) naive T cells. T cell functions and limited T cell
      differentiation were most significant when T cells were treated with a
      combination of IL-15 and IL-21 rather than IL-2. In comparison, anti-CD3 and CD28
      mAbs coated to either latex or polystyrene beads (polystyrene or latex CD3/CD28)
      resulted in improved TCR expression levels and enhanced T cell differentiation
      irrespective of cytokine treatment, with effects most pronounced for polystyrene
      CD3/CD28. T cells demonstrated enhanced cytotoxic activity and IFNgamma
      production when activated with CD3/CD28 beads and treated with IL-15 and IL-21,
      but at the same time displayed non-specific T cell responses. In contrast, ConA
      and soluble CD3/CD28 activations resulted in antigen-specific T cell responses.
      In short, we show that retroviral TCR engineering of primary T cells benefits
      from activation with ConA or soluble CD3/CD28 rather than immobilized anti-CD3
      and CD28 mAbs with respect to T cell differentiation and antigen-specificity of T
      cell responses.

PMID- 20303180
TI  - Alexithymia is associated with anxiety among adolescents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to explore the possible association between
      alexithymia and anxiety in a non-clinical sample of late adolescents. METHODS:
      The questionnaire was sent to 935 adolescents of whom 729 (78%) responded, thus
      forming the final sample. The mean age of the subjects was 19 years (range 17-21
      years). The Finnish versions of the following scales were used: the 20-item
      Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) was used to assess alexithymia, and anxiety
      symptoms were measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Alcohol
      consumption was assessed using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test
      (AUDIT), and depression symptoms were evaluated using the short form of the Beck
      Depression Inventory, as modified by Raitasalo (RBDI). RESULTS: The prevalence of
      alexithymia in the sample was 8.2%, with no statistically significant gender
      difference. The alexithymic subjects had significantly (p<0.001) higher mean STAI
      scores than the non-alexithymic subjects. A vast majority of the alexithymic
      subjects were highly anxious, in contrast to the low proportion among the non
      alexithymic subjects. The highly anxious alexithymic subjects differed
      statistically and significantly from the highly anxious non-alexithymic subjects,
      with higher scores both in the AUDIT and the RBDI. LIMITATIONS: The results are
      based on self-reported material alone and the cross-sectional design used in this
      study precludes the assessment of causal links. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest
      that anxiety symptoms are independently associated with alexithymia among late
      adolescents in general population.

PMID- 20303181
TI  - Depression in Asian-American and Caucasian undergraduate students.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Depression is a serious and often under-diagnosed and undertreated
      mental health problem in college students which may have fatal consequences.
      Little is known about ethnic differences in prevalence of depression in US
      college campuses. This study compares depression severity in Asian-American and
      Caucasian undergraduate students at the University of California San Diego
      (UCSD). METHODS: Participants completed the nine item Patient Health
      Questionnaire and key demographic information via an anonymous online
      questionnaire. RESULTS: Compared to Caucasians, Asian-Americans exhibited
      significantly elevated levels of depression. Furthermore, Korean-American
      students were significantly more depressed than Chinese-American, other minority
      Asian-American, and Caucasian students. In general, females were significantly
      more depressed than males. Results were upheld when level of acculturation was
      considered. LIMITATIONS: The demographic breakdown of the student population at
      UCSD is not representative to that of the nation. CONCLUSIONS: These findings
      suggest that outreach to female and Asian-American undergraduate students is
      important and attention to Korean-American undergraduates may be especially
      worthwhile.

PMID- 20303182
TI  - Expression of the avian-specific toll-like receptor 15 in chicken heterophils is
      mediated by gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, but not TLR agonists.
AB  - Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are a critical component of the innate immune response
      of mammalian and avian species. While most mammalian TLRs have been well
      characterized, the chicken-specific TLR15 has not been extensively studied. We
      recently demonstrated that TLR15 is differentially expressed between Salmonella
      susceptible-and-resistant chickens, indicating a potential role in the innate
      immune response to infection with Salmonella. The aim of the present study was to
      gain better insight into the nature of the ligand for TLR15 by characterizing
      gene expression patterns of TLR15 by heterophils in response to numerous
      bacterial-derived TLR agonists LPS, flagellin, CpG oligodeoxynucleotides,
      lipotechoic acid (LTA), peptidoglycan (PGN), and Pam3CSK4 (PAM), stimulation with
      live Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (SE-used as a positive control),
      chicken isolates of Escherichia coli (EC) and Enterococcus gallinarum (EG), the
      equine-specific pathogen Rhodococcus equi, and stimulation with heat-killed, and
      formalin-killed SE, EC, and EG. TLR15 expression increased significantly in
      response to stimulation with live, heat-killed and formalin-killed SE, EC, and
      EG, but was unaffected by stimulation with known TLR agonists and R. equi.
      Overall, these observations demonstrate that the individual TLR agonists are not
      the ligand for TLR15, and that TLR15 recognizes a unique, non-secreted, heat
      stabile component of both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria commonly found
      in and/or capable of causing disease in chickens.

PMID- 20303184
TI  - Changes in serum IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 levels and growth in children following
      adenoidectomy, tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to determine the effect of adenoidectomy,
      tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy on growth. For this purpose, we prospectively
      reviewed the postoperative changes in serum levels of insulin-like growth factor
      1 (IGF-1) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), weight and
      height in children that underwent adenoidectomy, tonsillectomy or
      adenotonsillectomy. METHODS: Ninety-six children with symptoms of sleep
      disordered breathing (SDB) or recurrent adenotonsillitis were enrolled to study.
      Blood samples were taken preoperatively and repeated at 6 months following
      operation to determine the changes in serum IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 levels, pre- and
      postoperative values of weight and height were recorded for each operation.
      RESULTS: Thirty-six patients underwent adenoidectomy, 52 patients underwent
      adenotonsillectomy and 8 patients underwent tonsillectomy. Seventy of the
      operations were performed for SDB and 26 were performed for recurrent
      adenotonsillitis. The mean serum levels of IGF-1 increased by 26%, from 126.74+/
      112.13 ng/ml to 159.82+/-122.91 ng/ml (p<0.001) and IGFBP-3 levels increased by
      7%, from 3.34+/-1.17 microg/l to 3.57+/-1.16 microg/l (p<0.05) 6 months after
      operation. The increase was independent from the preoperative diagnosis. There
      was a significant increase both in patients with SDB and in children with
      recurrent infections (p<0.001 for IGF-1, p<0.05 for IGFBP-3). Their Z scores
      (standard deviation scores) for body weights (mean Z score from -0.06+/-0.98 to
      0.118+/-1.18, p<0.001) and heights (mean Z score from 0.30+/-0.98 to 0.42+/-0.88,
      p<0.001) were significantly higher 6 months after the operation compared to
      preoperative period. CONCLUSIONS: We found a significant increase in weight,
      height, and IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 levels of children with SDB or recurrent infections
      postoperatively. These results suggest that upper airway obstruction may not be
      the only mechanism that causes retardation on growth in children.

PMID- 20303183
TI  - Absence of PI3Kgamma leads to increased leukocyte apoptosis and diminished
      severity of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.
AB  - Phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase gamma (PI3Kgamma) plays an important role in the
      motility of leukocytes in several models of inflammation. In this work, the role
      of PI3Kgamma in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) was investigated.
      EAE was induced in wild-type and PI3Kgamma deficient mice (PI3Kgamma(-)(/)(-)).
      WT animals had a peak of clinical symptoms around day 14 post-induction (p.i.).
      PI3Kgamma(-)(/)(-) animals developed milder EAE signs and peak of disease was
      noticed only on day 21 p.i. Better clinical outcome correlated with the absence
      of perivascular cuffs on day 14 p.i. and with decreased levels of CCL2 and CCL5
      in brain of PI3Kgamma(-)(/)(-) mice. There was increased leukocyte rolling and
      adhesion in pial vessels, as assessed by intravital microscopy, at day 14 after
      EAE induction in WT mice. The latter parameters were unaltered in PI3Kgamma(
      )(/)(-) mice subjected to EAE. Moreover, the PI3Kgamma inhibitor AS-605240 given
      just before the intravital microscopy failed to affect leukocyte rolling or
      adhesion. Finally, there was a significant increase in the number of apoptotic
      cells in the CNS of EAE-induced PI3Kgamma(-/-) mice. Our results suggest that
      PI3Kgamma is involved in EAE and plays a more important role in mediating
      leukocyte survival than leukocyte adhesion in this experimental model of multiple
      sclerosis.

PMID- 20303185
TI  - Threshold prediction in children with sensorioneural hearing loss using the
      auditory steady-state responses and tone-evoked auditory brain stem response.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare ASSRs to tone-evoked ABR and
      to behavioral thresholds obtained on follow-up audiometry at 500, 1000, 2000, and
      4000 Hz in infants and young children. METHODS: The study included 17 infants and
      young children ages between 2 months and 3 years old, with sensorineural hearing
      loss. The ASSRs thresholds were compared with the tone-evoked ABR thresholds, and
      with the behavioral thresholds obtained on follow-up audiometry. RESULTS: The
      correlation of tone-evoked ABR and ASSRs thresholds at 500, 1000, 2000 and 4000
      Hz was 0.91, 0.76, 0.81, 0.89, respectively. ASSRs and behavioral hearing
      thresholds obtained on follow-up were highly correlated, with Pearson r values
      exceeding 0.94 at each of the test frequencies. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple ASSRs have
      strong correlations to tone-evoked ABR and to behavioral thresholds obtained
      during follow-up in hearing impaired infants and young children. These results
      might be useful in order to provide further evidence for the use of multiple
      ASSRs, as an alternative tool to tone-evoked ABR, although further data are still
      required.

PMID- 20303186
TI  - Signaling by internalized G-protein-coupled receptors.
AB  - G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are cell surface receptors and are generally
      assumed to signal to second messengers such as cyclic AMP (cAMP) exclusively from
      the plasma membrane. However, recent studies indicate that GPCRs can continue
      signaling to cAMP after internalization together with their agonists. Signaling
      from inside the cell is persistent and appears to trigger specific downstream
      effects. Here, we will review these recent data, which form the basis for a novel
      concept of intracellular GPCR signaling and suggest new and intriguing scenarios
      for the functions of GPCRs in the endocytic compartment. We propose that current
      models of GPCR signaling should be revised to accommodate the ability of
      receptors to change their signaling properties depending on their subcellular
      localization.

PMID- 20303188
TI  - Assessment of uptake and toxicity of fluorescent silica nanoparticles in
      zebrafish (Danio rerio) early life stages.
AB  - In this study, we determined uptake and toxicity of fluorescent core-shell silica
      nanoparticles (FSNP) in early life stages of zebrafish. For this purpose
      fluorescent Ru@SiO2 nanoparticles with average size of ~200 nm encapsulating
      [Ru(bpy)3](2+)Cl2 dye (excitation wavelength lambda(exci)=488 nm), and Cy5.5@SiO2
      with average size of ~60 nm (lambda(exci)=700 nm) were synthesized. The FSNP were
      highly luminescent. Field emission SEM analysis showed monodispersed dual-shell
      Ru@SiO2 nanoparticles of ~200 nm size. Zebrafish embryos were exposed less than
      6h post-fertilization (hpf) to the ~60 and ~200 nm FSNP at concentrations between
      0.0025 and 200mg/L in 24-well plates for up to 96 hpf. The concentrations were
      analysed using an Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) technique. Uptake of FSNP by
      embryos was monitored using transmission and confocal fluorescence microscopy.
      Toxicity was assessed by mortality, hatching time and success, and by
      morphological alterations. The ~60 and ~200 nm-sized FSNP and/or aggregates were
      adsorbed on the chorion of eggs. Uptake and translocation in embryos was not
      observed, but nanoparticle uptake not detectable by confocal microscopy may have
      occurred. Hatching time and hatching success were not affected. No mortality or
      deformities occurred. These nanoparticles and/or aggregates mainly accumulate on
      the chorion of embryos and exhibit no overt embryotoxicity.

PMID- 20303189
TI  - Percutaneous aortic valve in severe valvular regurgitation caused by infective
      endocarditis.
AB  - Recently, the feasibility and safety of percutaneous aortic valve replacement
      (PAVR) have been reported in the treatment of degenerative aortic valve stenosis
      in patients at high-risk for surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR). However, so
      far this therapy has been limited to patients with severe stenosis of the native
      valve. We report the case of an 84 year old patient with severe aortic
      regurgitation caused by infective endocarditis who was successfully treated by
      implantation of a CoreValve (CoreValve Inc, Irvine. Calif) prosthesis with a
      totally percutaneous approach.

PMID- 20303187
TI  - Spatially restricting gene expression by local translation at synapses.
AB  - mRNA localization and regulated translation provide a means of spatially
      restricting gene expression within each of the thousands of subcellular
      compartments made by a neuron, thereby vastly increasing the computational
      capacity of the brain. Recent studies reveal that local translation is regulated
      by stimuli that trigger neurite outgrowth and/or collapse, axon guidance, synapse
      formation, pruning, activity-dependent synaptic plasticity, and injury-induced
      axonal regeneration. Impairments in the local regulation of translation result in
      aberrant signaling, physiology and morphology of neurons, and are linked to
      neurological disorders. This review highlights current advances in understanding
      how mRNA translation is repressed during transport and how local translation is
      activated by stimuli. We address the function of local translation in the context
      of fragile X mental retardation.

PMID- 20303191
TI  - Diagnostic sampling strategies for virulent ovine footrot: simulating detection
      of Dichelobacter nodosus serogroups for bivalent vaccine formulation.
AB  - Dichelobacter nodosus is a slow-growing anaerobic bacterium that is the causative
      agent of virulent ovine footrot. Vaccination targeted at up to two specific
      serogroups can eliminate those serogroups from infected flocks, but requires
      identification of serogroups present in infected flocks. Serogroups can be
      identified using slide agglutination or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods.
      The objectives of this project were to use stochastic simulation modeling to
      estimate the efficacy of sampling strategies encompassing 5-40 sheep per flock
      and 2-4 colonies per sheep, and to compare efficacies based on slide
      agglutination or multiplex PCR test results. Foot swabs collected from sheep in
      12 flocks were used as the basis for a sampling strategy simulation model. None
      of the evaluated sampling strategies identified the two most common serogroups in
      the flock, or all serogroups present in the flock, in 95% of iterations. However,
      a simulated sample of 22 sheep/flock and 2 colonies/sheep resulted in a simulated
      vaccine that protected 95% of the sheep that could be protected by a single
      bivalent vaccine, while a sample of 24 sheep/flock and 2 colonies/sheep resulted
      in a series of simulated bivalent vaccines that protected 95% of diseased
      infected sheep. The difference in outcome was due to the distribution and
      frequency of serogroups within certain flocks where some serogroups were uncommon
      and others dominant. A sampling strategy (>40 sheep/flock, 4 colonies/sheep) that
      will identify the two most common serogroups in a flock 95% of the time may not
      be cost effective. Evaluating efficacy based on the expected effect on the flock
      may be more useful than one which seeks to determine the most common serogroups.
      These findings are broadly applicable to diseases where more than one strain or
      type of pathogen may be present and must be represented in a vaccine.

PMID- 20303190
TI  - Lipoprotein(a) is strongly associated with coronary artery calcification in type
      2 diabetic women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lp(a), implicated in both atherogenesis and thrombosis pathways,
      varies significantly by demographic and metabolic factors, providing challenges
      for its use in Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) risk. The purpose of this study was
      to investigate whether type-2 diabetic subjects, relative to non-diabetics, might
      benefit more from Lp(a) measurement in the prediction of CHD risk, as measured by
      coronary artery calcium (CAC). METHODS: We performed cross sectional analyses in
      two community-based studies: the Penn Diabetes Heart Study [N = 1299 with type-2
      diabetes] and the Study of Inherited Risk of Coronary Atherosclerosis [N = 860
      without diabetes]. RESULTS: Blacks had 2-3 fold higher Lp(a) levels than whites
      in diabetic and non-diabetic samples. There was significant difference by gender
      (interaction p<0.001), but not race, in the association of Lp(a) with CAC in type
      2 diabetic subjects. In age and race adjusted analysis of diabetic women, Lp(a)
      was associated with CAC [Tobit regression ratio 2.76 (95% CI 1.73-4.40),
      p<0.001]. Adjustment for exercise, medications, Framingham risk score, metabolic
      syndrome, BMI, CRP and hemoglobin A1c attenuated this effect, but the association
      of Lp(a) with CAC remained significant [2.25, (1.34-3.79), p = 0.002]. This
      relationship was further maintained in women stratified by race, or by the use of
      HRT or lipid lowering drugs. In contrast, Lp(a) was not associated with CAC in
      diabetic men, nor in non-diabetic men and women. CONCLUSIONS: Lp(a) is a strong
      independent predictor of CAC in type-2 diabetic women, regardless of race, but
      not in men. Lp(a) does not relate to CAC in men or women without type-2 diabetes.

PMID- 20303192
TI  - Evaluation of suspension array analysis for detection of egg yolk antibodies
      against Salmonella Enteritidis.
AB  - Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (SE) is an important source of food
      related diarrhoea in humans, and table eggs are considered the primordial source
      of contamination of the human food chain. Using eggs collected at egg-packing
      stations as samples could be a convenient strategy to detect colonization of
      layer flocks. The aim of this study was to evaluate egg yolk anti-Salmonella
      antibody detection using suspension array analysis. An egg yolk panel from
      contact-infected and non-colonized laying hens was used for the evaluation.
      Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were generated to define a cut-off
      value and to assess the overall accuracy of the assay. The diagnostic sensitivity
      and specificity were estimated by maximum likelihood. Sensitivity was quantified
      on hen level and on sample level, and also quantified as a function of time since
      colonization. The area under the ROC curve was estimated at 0.984 (se 0.006,
      P<0.001). Of all colonized contact-infected hens, 67.6% [95% CI: 46.8, 100]
      developed an antibody response, which was detectable 17.4 days [14.3, 26.9] after
      colonization. In total, 98% [95.4, 99.4] of the 'immunopositive' hens had test
      positive eggs. The overall sensitivity of the immunological test was 66.7% [45.9,
      98.7] and the specificity was 98.5% [97.8, 99.1]. This study provided essential
      parameters for optimizing surveillance programs based on detection of antibodies,
      and indicates that immunology based on examination of egg yolk gives important
      information about the Salmonella status of the flock.

PMID- 20303193
TI  - Rectal dose variation during the course of image-guided radiation therapy of
      prostate cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To investigate the change in rectal dose during the
      treatment course for intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) of prostate cancer
      with image-guidance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty prostate cancer patients were
      recruited for this retrospective study. All patients have been treated with IMRT.
      For each patient, MR and CT images were fused for target and critical structure
      delineation. IMRT treatment planning was performed on the simulation CT images.
      Inter-fractional motion during the course of treatment was corrected using a CT
      on-rails system. The rectum was outlined on both the original treatment plan and
      the subsequent daily CT images from the CT-on-rails by the same investigator.
      Dose distributions on these daily CT images were recalculated with the isocenter
      shifts relative to the simulation CT images using the leaf sequences/MUs based on
      the original treatment plan. The rectal doses from the subsequent daily CTs were
      compared with the original doses planned on the simulation CT using our clinical
      acceptance criteria. RESULTS: Based on 20 patients with 139 daily CT sets, 28% of
      the subsequent treatment dose distributions did not meet our criterion of V(40) <
      35%, and 27% did not meet our criterion of V(65) < 17%. The inter-fractional
      rectal volume variation is significant for some patients. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the
      large inter-fractional variation of the rectal volume, it is more favorable to
      plan prostate IMRT based on an empty rectum and deliver treatment to patients
      with an empty rectum. Over 70% of actual treatments showed better rectal doses
      than our clinical acceptance criteria. A significant fraction (27%) of the actual
      treatments would benefit from adaptive image-guided radiotherapy based on daily
      CT images.

PMID- 20303194
TI  - Differentiation between probiotic and wild-type Bacillus cereus isolates by
      antibiotic susceptibility test and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT
      IR).
AB  - Animal feed often contains probiotic Bacillus strains used as feed additives.
      Spores of the non-pathogenic B. cereus var. toyoi (product name Toyocerin) are
      used. Distinguishing between toxic wild-type Bacillus cereus strains and this
      probiotic strain is essential for evaluating the quality and risk of feed.
      Bacillus cereus CIP 5832 (product name Paciflor was used as probiotic strain
      until 2001. The properties of the two probiotic strains are quite similar.
      Differentiating between probiotic strains and wild-type B. cereus strains is not
      easy. ss-lactam antibiotics such as penicillin and cefamandole exhibit an
      inhibition zone in the agar diffusion test of probiotic B. cereus strains which
      are not seen for wild-type strains. Therefore, performing the agar diffusion test
      first may make sense before FT-IR testing. When randomly checking these strains
      by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), the probiotic B. cereus
      strains were separated from wild-type B. cereus/B. thuringiensis/B. mycoides/B.
      weihenstephanensis strains by means of hierarchical cluster analysis. The
      discriminatory information was contained in the spectral windows 3000-2800 cm(-1)
      ("fatty acid region"), 1200-900 cm(-1) ("carbohydrate region") and 900-700 cm(-1)
      ("fingerprint region"). It is concluded that FT-IR spectroscopy can be used for
      the rapid quality control and risk analysis of animal feed containing probiotic
      B. cereus strains.

PMID- 20303195
TI  - Genetic analysis of the plantaricin EFI locus of Lactobacillus plantarum PCS20
      reveals an unusual plantaricin E gene sequence as a result of mutation.
AB  - Lactobacillus plantarum strains produce a variety of chromosomally encoded
      bacteriocins and often multiple bacteriocins are encoded by a single strain. In
      this study, the genetic loci for bacteriocin production of L. plantarum strains
      BFE 5092 and PCS20 were studied. These strains were investigated for their
      possible application as protective cultures in food preservation. The bacteriocin
      locus of strain BFE 5092 showed remarkable similarity to the plantaricin loci
      previously described for L. plantarum strains C11 and WCFS1. However, the locus
      of the L. plantarum PCS20 strain was unusual in that it showed an interesting
      mutation as a result of deletions within the plnE gene. These deletions led to a
      hypothetically produced peptide which is 2 amino acids shorter than plantaricin
      E. Furthermore, it differs by 24 amino acids, while it shares 30 identical amino
      acids i.e., 15 at the amino end and 15 at the carboxyl end of the hypothetical
      peptide. As a consequence, the amino acid sequence is changed such that a double
      glycine-type leader peptide would not be encoded. This raises the question
      whether a functional peptide is being produced, even though RT-PCR studies showed
      that the plnE gene is obviously expressed. Furthermore, a transposase gene was
      located upstream of the plnEFI gene cluster and was inserted into a bacteriocin
      regulatory gene, the histidine protein kinase gene. Taken together, these facts
      indicate a loss of plantaricin gene function in L. plantarum PCS20 as a result of
      transposition and mutation.

PMID- 20303196
TI  - Attitudes towards mandatory national premarital screening for hereditary
      hemolytic disorders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A compulsory national premarital screening (PMS) program for
      hereditary hemoglobinopathies was established in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
      (KSA) in February 2004. Termination of pregnancy of affected fetuses is not
      widely acceptable. Many couples decide to get married regardless of the result. A
      trend towards coercive interference with this decision is emerging. OBJECTIVES:
      To examine the attitude of young educated individuals regarding the national PMS
      program and its implementation. METHODS: Eight hundred university students (aged
      18-29) filled in a self-administered structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed
      using the EPI Info Statistical Package version 6. A P-value <0.05 was considered
      significant. RESULTS: Most students favor the PMS program but there were concerns
      regarding mandating the testing and interference with individual decision making.
      Significantly more women favored testing and coercive interference with the
      decision to marry. CONCLUSIONS: Further public education and wide spread genetic
      counseling prior to testing is essential for the success of the program.
      Screening singles on admission to university prior to any commitment may be
      preferable than screening immediately before the marriage certificate is issued.

PMID- 20303197
TI  - Transcriptome profile analysis of floral sex determination in cucumber.
AB  - Cucumber has been widely studied as a model for floral sex determination. In this
      investigation, we performed genome-wide transcriptional profiling of apical
      tissue of a gynoecious mutant (Csg-G) and the monoecious wild-type (Csg-M) of
      cucumber in an attempt to isolate genes involved in sex determination, using the
      Solexa technology. The profiling analysis revealed numerous changes in gene
      expression attributable to the mutation, which resulted in the down-regulation of
      600 genes and the up-regulation of 143 genes. The Solexa data were confirmed by
      reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and real-time
      quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). Gene ontology (GO) analysis revealed that the
      differentially expressed genes were mainly involved in biogenesis, transport and
      organization of cellular component, macromolecular and cellular biosynthesis,
      localization, establishment of localization, translation and other processes.
      Furthermore, the expression of some of these genes depended upon the tissue and
      the developmental stage of the flowers of gynoecious mutant. The results of this
      study suggest two important concepts, which govern sex determination in cucumber.
      First, the differential expression of genes involved in plant hormone signaling
      pathways, such as ACS, Asr1, CsIAA2, CS-AUX1 and TLP, indicate that phytohormones
      and their crosstalk might play a critical role in the sex determination. Second,
      the regulation of some transcription factors, including EREBP-9, may also be
      involved in this developmental process.

PMID- 20303198
TI  - Treating headache recurrence after emergency department discharge: a randomized
      controlled trial of naproxen versus sumatriptan.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: Multiple parenteral medications are used to treat migraine and
      other acute primary headaches in the emergency department (ED). Regardless of
      specific headache diagnosis, no medication eliminates the frequent recurrence of
      primary headache after ED discharge. It is uncertain which medication primary
      headache patients should be given on discharge from an ED. The aim of this study
      is to compare the efficacy of oral sumatriptan with naproxen for treatment of
      post-ED recurrent primary headache. METHODS: This was a randomized, double-blind
      efficacy trial. We randomized patients to either naproxen 500 mg or sumatriptan
      100 mg for headache recurrence after ED discharge. Patients were eligible if they
      received parenteral therapy for an acute exacerbation of a primary headache in
      the ED. Patients who met established criteria for migraine without aura were
      designated a priori as a homogenous subgroup of interest. We followed all
      patients by telephone 48 hours after ED discharge. The primary endpoint was the
      between-group difference in change in pain intensity during the 2-hour period
      after ingestion of either 500 mg naproxen or 100 mg sumatriptan. This difference
      was measured on a validated 11-point (0 to 10) verbal numeric rating scale (NRS).
      Satisfaction with the medication and adverse effects were also assessed. Patients
      who met criteria for migraine without aura were analyzed twice according to a
      priori design: once as a homogenous subgroup and then again combined with all
      other primary headaches. RESULTS: Of 410 patients randomized, 383 (93%) had
      outcome data available for analysis. Two hundred eighty (73%; 95% confidence
      interval [CI] 68% to 77%) reported headache post-ED discharge and 196 (51%; 95%
      CI 44% to 58%), including 88 with migraine, took the investigational medication
      provided to them. The naproxen group improved by a mean of 4.3 NRS points,
      whereas the sumatriptan group improved by 4.1 points (95% CI for difference of
      0.2 points: -0.7 to 1.1 points). Findings were virtually identical among the
      migraine subset (4.3 versus 4.2 NRS points; 95% CI for difference of 0.1 points: 
      1.3 to 1.5 points). Seventy-one percent (95% CI 62% to 80%) of naproxen patients
      and 75% (95% CI 66% to 84%) of sumatriptan patients would want to take the same
      medication the next time. Adverse effect profiles were also comparable.
      CONCLUSION: In this trial, nearly three quarters of patients reported headache
      recurrence within 48 hours of ED discharge. Naproxen 500 mg and sumatriptan 100
      mg taken orally relieve post-ED recurrent primary headache and migraine
      comparably. Clinicians should be guided by medication costs, contraindications,
      and a patient's previous experience with the medication.

PMID- 20303199
TI  - Identifying the minimum clinically significant difference in acute pain in the
      elderly.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To identify the minimum clinically significant difference in
      pain in elderly emergency department (ED) patients. METHODS: This was an
      observational, prospective study of a convenience sample of patients aged 65
      years or older with acute pain. Patients rated their pain on an 11-point numeric
      rating scale (NRS) on entering the study and every 30 minutes for 2 hours. The
      arithmetic minimum clinically significant difference was defined as the mean
      difference between current and preceding NRS scores when the subject described
      his or her pain as "a little less pain" or "a little more pain." The proportional
      minimum clinically significant difference was change in NRS in a 30-minute
      interval divided by the NRS at the beginning of the interval. We used generalized
      estimating equations to adjust for nonindependence of pain scores and to test
      trend over time. RESULTS: One hundred ninety-five patients were enrolled (mean
      age 74 years; 73% women; 51% Hispanic; 33% black). The arithmetic minimum
      clinically significant difference averaged over all periods was 1.5 (95%
      confidence interval 1.3 to 1.6), the proportional minimum clinically significant
      difference was 25% (95% confidence interval 20% to 29%). The arithmetic minimum
      clinically significant difference unexpectedly decreased over time: 2.1 from
      baseline to 30 minutes, 1.4 from 30 to 60 minutes, 1.3 from 60 to 90 minutes, and
      1.0 from 90 to 120 minutes (P<.001). In contrast, the proportional differences
      were more stable: 27% from baseline to 30 minutes, 22% from 30 to 60 minutes, 22%
      from 60 to 90 minutes, and 28% from 90 to 120 minutes (P=.89). CONCLUSION: The
      arithmetic minimum clinically significant difference in older ED patients was 1.5
      NRS units and decreased over time, whereas the proportional change was 25% and
      more stable.

PMID- 20303200
TI  - The recidivism characteristics of an emergency department observation unit.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: We describe the recidivism characteristics of an adult emergency
      department (ED) observation unit population and determine whether rates differ
      according to demographic or clinical features. METHODS: This prospective
      observational cohort study of a protocol-driven ED observation unit reviewed all
      discharged ED observation unit patients who returned within 14 days of discharge
      for an unscheduled ED visit or direct inpatient admission to the study hospital,
      or a proximate affiliated hospital, during 6 consecutive months. Age, sex,
      initial ED observation unit diagnosis, ED observation unit length of stay, and
      return visit disposition were determined from hospital databases and confirmed by
      chart review. All return visits were classified as related or unrelated to the
      index visit. RESULTS: There were 55,727 ED visits, with 4,348 patients admitted
      to the ED observation unit, of whom 80.7% (3,509) were discharged. Patients with
      or without a return visit were similar in terms of age (56.9 years [standard
      deviation (SD) 19.5 years]), percentage of male patients (40.0%), or initial ED
      observation unit length of stay (15.0 hours [SD 6.0 hours]). Of discharged ED
      observation unit patients, 375 (10.8%) had a return visit, of which 277 (7.9%)
      were related. Of return visits, 86.3% of patients had only 1 return visit, 11.6%
      had 2, and 2.1% had 3 or more; 4.2% of returns occurred at an affiliated
      hospital. Time to first return visit was clustered within the first week for
      related visits, with a mean time to return of 4.5 days (SD 3.9 days). On return
      visit, 40.2% of patients were treated and discharged from the ED, 36.2% were
      treated in the ED and admitted, 14.4% were treated in the ED and then the ED
      observation unit and discharged home, 12.3% were directly admitted to the
      hospital, and 2.5% were treated in the ED and then the ED observation unit and
      admitted. Among common conditions, related return visit rates were highest for
      headache (16.1%), back pain (13.8%), and abdominal pain (12.7%) and lowest for
      chest pain (3.6%). As a group, therapeutic protocols, and specifically painful
      conditions, had significantly higher related return visit rates than diagnostic
      protocols (10.8% versus 5.1%). CONCLUSION: Patients who return after an ED
      observation unit visit are similar to patients who do not return in terms of age,
      sex, or initial length of stay. However, ED observation unit recidivism rates do
      differ according to observation category, with painful conditions showing the
      highest recidivism rates.

PMID- 20303201
TI  - Impact of Modernising Medical Careers on basic surgical training and experience
      of oral and maxillofacial higher surgical trainees.
AB  - Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) is a programme for change that aims to improve
      the quality of patients' care through improvement in postgraduate medical
      education and training. Its introduction had far reaching affects and many
      shortcoming due to its failure to take into account the craft specialties. The
      aim of this paper is to illustrate the impact of MMC on oral and maxillofacial
      surgical (OMFS) training. An online questionnaire was distributed to OMFS
      trainees, and data were gathered about current position, year of training,
      duration and specialties worked during basic surgical training, stage of
      completion of examinations and courses, and overall satisfaction with training.
      Comparisons were made between those who had been trained before and after MMC was
      introduced. Ninety-five trainees (68%) responded. Of these 66 (69%) had basic
      surgical training before the introduction of MMC and 29 (31%) afterwards. MMC
      shortened overall time spent on basic surgical training of OMFS trainees by half,
      to only 1 year. There were similarities between the two groups in terms of the
      range of specialties experienced. MMC also resulted in more trainees starting
      higher surgical training without their Membership of the Royal College of
      Surgeons. There was greater satisfaction with BST for the pre-MMC group than the
      post-MMC group. It is hoped that the recent changes to training that were
      implemented after this study will address some of the shortcomings that we have
      identified.

PMID- 20303203
TI  - Do disability pensioners have a higher mortality rate than non-pensioners?
      Adjusting for potential confounding: a commentary on Hult, Stattin, Janlert and
      Jarvholm.

PMID- 20303204
TI  - Resisting blame and managing emotion in general practice: the case of patient
      suicide.
AB  - UK Governing bodies are imposing increased forms of regulation on General
      Practitioners (GPs). This paper explores one example of such governance - the
      audit of GP practice through Critical Incident Reviews (CIRs) following patient
      suicide. Drawing on interviews with 16 GPs about their involvement in a CIR of a
      patient's suicide, we found that the review process initially provoked strong
      emotions of sadness and guilt as well as fear of blame. Ultimately, however, most
      GPs felt comforted by the CIRs because their findings confirmed that they were
      not responsible for the suicide. At the same time, the GPs indicated that such
      comfort was tenuous due to the broader blame culture and because they foresaw
      many future audits as part of an inflationary spiral of surveillance and risk
      management. While the GPs adopted strategies to manage and resist surveillance,
      the effects of CIRs on patient care may be mixed, with the potential both to
      improve clinical practice and contribute to adverse outcomes. We argue that CIRs
      paradoxically contain and create anxieties about suicide among GPs and society
      more broadly.

PMID- 20303205
TI  - The impact of subjective and objective social status on psychological distress
      among men and women in Japan.
AB  - From around 1990s, social disparity issues and their effects on mental health
      have been gaining increasing attention in Japanese society. Findings from
      previous studies on socioeconomic status (SES) and mental health in Japan are
      inconsistent. Subjective Social Status (SSS) has been proposed and tested as a
      stronger predictor of mental health than measures such as education, income and
      occupation in the UK and US, but this has not been tested enough in countries
      with a different social and cultural background such as Japan. In the present
      study, a cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted in 2006 among a
      nationally representative community-based random sample of residents in Japan
      aged 20-74 years. A total of 1237 participants completed the questionnaire, with
      the overall response rate of 61.9%. After excluding 42 respondents, data from
      1195 respondents (574 men and 621 women) were analyzed. SSS, household income,
      and education level of respondents were measured using single-item questions.
      Those with a K6 score of 5 or greater were defined as having psychological
      distress. A multiple logistic regression model was used to examine the effects of
      SSS, household income, and education on psychological distress. Among men, the
      prevalence of psychological distress, after adjusting for age and marital status,
      differed significantly across groups classified based on SSS, household income,
      and education. Among women, only SSS was significantly associated with
      psychological distress after adjusting for age and marital status. However, when
      all three variables were simultaneously entered into the model, SSS and household
      income were significantly associated with psychological distress, with the low
      SSS group having a higher odds ratio of psychological distress. In summary, SSS
      seems to be a stronger predictor of psychological distress among both men and
      women in the Japanese community than traditional measures of SES.

PMID- 20303206
TI  - Transverse reduction genioplasty to reduce width of the chin: indications,
      technique, and results.

PMID- 20303207
TI  - Oral function after oncological intervention in the oral cavity: a retrospective
      study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess self-perceived oral function of patients with oral cavity
      cancer at different stages of treatment, ie, before oncologic intervention, 5
      weeks after intervention, and 5 years after intervention. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A
      cohort of 158 patients with malignancy in the oral cavity treated by surgery in
      1999 or 2000 was included. From this cohort we interviewed 69 patients by
      telephone in 2005 and collected data on dental status, disorders of chewing and
      swallowing, xerostomia, preference of food consistency, tube nutrition, weight
      loss, and speech for different stages of treatment. RESULTS: For patients treated
      in the maxilla region we observed a significant (P < .05) recovery of perceived
      chewing ability after 5 years to the level experienced before oncologic
      intervention. Patients treated in the mandible region reported a deteriorated
      dental state, chewing ability, lip competence, and xerostomia after 5 years.
      Patients treated in the tongue and mouth-floor region experienced deterioration
      for dental state, chewing ability, and xerostomia after 5 years compared with the
      level before the oncologic intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Our telephone interview on
      oral function provided supplementary information on how patients experienced
      their problems with oral function during various phases of oncologic treatment. A
      retrospective interview may thus help to add information to incomplete
      retrospective data.

PMID- 20303208
TI  - Management of in-flight medical emergencies.

PMID- 20303209
TI  - Open versus closed treatment of unilateral subcondylar and condylar neck
      fractures: a prospective, randomized clinical study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study was to compare closed treatment with
      open reduction and internal fixation for displaced unilateral subcondylar and
      condylar neck fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 32 patients with
      displaced unilateral condylar fractures were included in the present study. Of
      the 32 patients, 27 were men and 5 were women. The patients were divided into 2
      groups. The group I patients were treated with closed treatment and rigid
      maxillomandibular fixation, and group II patients were treated with open
      reduction and internal fixation. The patients were assessed for maximal
      interincisal opening, protrusive movements, lateral excursion movements on the
      fractured and nonfractured sides, anatomic reduction of the condyle on
      radiography, pain in the temporomandibular joint, and malocclusion. Parameters
      such as the maximal interincisal opening, protrusive movements, and lateral
      excursion movements on the fractured and nonfractured sides between the 2 groups
      were compared statistically using an independent t test. Parameters such as
      anatomic reduction of the condyle, pain in the temporomandibular joint, and
      malocclusion between the 2 groups were compared statistically using the chi(2)
      test. RESULTS: No significant difference was found between the 2 groups in the
      maximal interincisal opening, protrusion, lateral excursion movement,
      malocclusion, and temporomandibular joint pain; however, a statistically
      significant difference was seen in the anatomic reduction of the condyle.
      CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study have shown that no significant
      clinical difference exists between patients undergoing closed treatment and rigid
      maxillomandibular fixation or open reduction and internal fixation. However, a
      radiographically better anatomic reduction of the condylar process was seen in
      the patients treated with open reduction and internal fixation.

PMID- 20303210
TI  - Prevalence and risk factors for early postpartum anemia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence and evaluate the most important risk factors
      for early postpartum anemia. STUDY DESIGN: The perinatal process data of 43,807
      women delivering between 1993 and 2008 (90.1% of all deliveries) in the largest
      university obstetric department in Germany were analyzed, and the associations of
      Hb<8 g/dl with maternal characteristics, pregnancy risks, delivery mode and
      estimated delivery blood loss were calculated. Multivariable logistic regression
      models were applied to compute odds ratios. Additionally, the impact of these
      risk factors for delivery blood loss was estimated with multivariable linear
      regression analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-two percent of mothers had Hb<10 g/dl, and
      3% had Hb<8 g/dl. The adjusted odds ratios (OR) for Hb<8 g/dl were 4.8 (p=0.001)
      for placenta previa, 2.9 (p<0.001) for mothers of African origin, 2.7 (p<0.001)
      for diagnosed anemia in pregnancy, 2.2 (p<0.001) for multiple pregnancy, and 2.1
      (p=0.021) for bleeding in late pregnancy. However, the delivery blood loss was
      the most important risk factor for postpartum anemia. The adjusted OR for an
      estimated blood loss of 500-1000 ml was 15.3 (p<0.001), and for a loss of >1000
      ml was 74.7 (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The estimated obstetric blood loss is the most
      important risk factor for severe postpartum anemia, and the volume of blood lost
      is especially high in cesarean deliveries, which should be considered when
      electing delivery procedures. Also, measures to boost iron stores in pregnancy
      should be established.

PMID- 20303211
TI  - Prevalence of cysts in epithelial ovarian cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Ovarian carcinomas mostly appear as large cystic masses. However, the
      exact prevalence of cysts in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) has never been
      documented as well as the tumor factors that are related to the presence of
      cysts. Demonstrating the prevalence of cysts in EOC is essential for research
      focused on predictive and prognostic biomarkers in ovarian cyst fluid. STUDY
      DESIGN: From 233 patients with primary EOC who underwent surgery, pathological
      data were collected from pathology reports. Univariate and multivariate logistic
      regression were used to analyze the relationship between the presence of cysts
      and other tumor characteristics. RESULTS: Cysts in EOC were present in 83.7% of
      the patients and were mostly (61%) multilocular. The most common histological
      subtypes (serous, mucinous, endometrioid, clear cell) contained cysts in more
      than 85% of the cases. In univariate regression analysis, early FIGO stage, low
      tumor grade and a large tumor size were significantly associated with the
      presence of cysts (OR (95% CI)=5.312 (1.81-15.57), 6.906 (2.31-20.66) and 1.169
      (1.08-1.27), respectively). In multivariate regression analysis, apart from tumor
      size, only tumor grade was independently associated with the presence of cysts
      (adjusted OR (95% CI)=4.234 (1.36-13.22)). CONCLUSIONS: The large majority of all
      EOCs contained cysts. Histological subtype, FIGO stage, tumor necrosis and age
      were not associated with the presence of cystic EOC. In contrast, tumor grade and
      tumor size were independently related to the presence of cystic EOC. This means
      that cystic EOCs represent a subgroup of larger and more well-differentiated
      tumors. The evident relationship between the presence of cysts and
      differentiation grade is interesting from a clinical point of view as grading is
      especially important for the prognosis and treatment of patients with stage I
      EOC.

PMID- 20303213
TI  - Laryngeal plexiform schwannoma as first symptom in a patient with
      neurofibromatosis type 2.
AB  - Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by
      bilateral vestibular schwannomas. The initial symptoms of NF2 are usually hearing
      loss and tinnitus caused by vestibular schwannomas. Although other intracranial,
      spinal, or skin tumors also occur in NF2, laryngeal lesions are very rare. We
      report a rare case of NF2 with laryngeal plexiform schwannoma as first symptom. A
      38-year-old man presented with a smooth-surfaced submucosal supraglottic mass.
      Two round masses in the left chest wall and left supraclavicular fossa were noted
      incidentally during investigation of the laryngeal mass. Magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) findings for these masses were identical to those of the laryngeal
      mass. No typical symptoms related to NF2 were identified. Histologically, the
      laryngeal tumor represented plexiform schwannoma. We thus considered that the two
      round masses in the left chest wall and left supraclavicular fossa might also
      represent plexiform schwannomas. NF2 was suspected, as a high incidence of
      multiple plexiform schwannomas has been suggested for patients with NF2. MRI of
      brain lesions demonstrated bilateral vestibular schwannomas and multiple
      meningiomas. Finally, NF2 with laryngeal plexiform schwannoma was diagnosed.
      Recognizing that multiple plexiform schwannomas could be associated with NF2 is
      important.

PMID- 20303214
TI  - Application of modified nano-alumina as a solid phase extraction sorbent for the
      preconcentration of Cd and Pb in water and herbal samples prior to flame atomic
      absorption spectrometry determination.
AB  - The first study on the high efficiency of nanometer-sized gamma-alumina coated
      with sodium dodecyl sulfate-1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (SDS-PAN) as a new
      sorbent solid phase extraction (SPE) has been reported. A microcolumn packed with
      modified nanometer-sized alumina was used to preconcentrate and separate Cd and
      Pb in water and herbal samples. The metals were eluted with 2 mL HNO(3) directly
      and detected with the detection system flame atomic absorption spectrometry
      (FAAS). Various influencing parameters on the separation and preconcentration of
      trace metals, such as pH, flow rate, sample volume, amount of sorbent, and
      concentration of eluent, were studied. Under the optimized operating conditions,
      the sorption capacities of the modified nano-gamma-alumina for Cd and Pb were
      11.1 and 16.4 mg g(-1) respectively. With 500.0 mL sample an enrichment factor of
      250 was obtained. The detection limits of this method for Cd and Pb were 0.15 and
      0.17 microg L(-1) and the R.S.D.s were 2.8 and 3.2% (n=10), respectively. The
      proposed method has been applied to the determination of these metal ions at
      trace levels in certified reference materials and real samples with satisfactory
      results.

PMID- 20303215
TI  - Three-channel false colour AFM images for improved interpretation of complex
      surfaces: a study of filamentous cyanobacteria.
AB  - Imaging signals derived from the atomic force microscope (AFM) are typically
      presented as separate adjacent images with greyscale or pseudo-colour palettes.
      We propose that information-rich false-colour composites are a useful means of
      presenting three-channel AFM image data. This method can aid the interpretation
      of complex surfaces and facilitate the perception of information that is
      convoluted across data channels. We illustrate this approach with images of
      filamentous cyanobacteria imaged in air and under aqueous buffer, using both
      deflection-modulation (contact) mode and amplitude-modulation (tapping) mode.
      Topography-dependent contrast in the error and tertiary signals aids the
      interpretation of the topography signal by contributing additional data,
      resulting in a more detailed image, and by showing variations in the probe
      surface interaction. Moreover, topography-independent contrast and topography
      dependent contrast in the tertiary data image (phase or friction) can be
      distinguished more easily as a consequence of the three dimensional colour-space.

PMID- 20303216
TI  - Detection of human serum albumin on protein array using scanning tunneling
      microscopy.
AB  - Electrical detection of biological binding events, such as protein-protein
      interaction and DNA hybridization, has emerged as an alternative method to
      conventional colorimetric and fluorescence based methods. In this study, we
      demonstrate an electrical detection technique of protein array which can be
      simply extended for multifunctional measurements and detection of biological
      binding events on micro-scale array. Micro-contact technique was used for the
      fabrication of protein chip. The fabricated protein array on Au substrate was
      characterized by fluorescence microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM).
      The chip was designed to investigate immunocomplexes comprised of our model
      protein, human serum albumin (HSA), corresponding antibody fragments, and Au
      nanoparticle-antibody conjugates. The peak-like pulse obtained by electrical
      tunneling current between these complexes and the STM tip varies on the surface
      density of the bound complexes. Using the electrical detection technique based on
      STM, 100fg/mL of HSA could be successfully detected by STM. Importantly, the
      proposed concept of measurement could allow multiple analyses of analytes at nano
      scale array, which is difficult to be analyzed by conventional fluorescence based
      method.

PMID- 20303217
TI  - The cost-effectiveness of particle therapy in non-small cell lung cancer:
      exploring decision uncertainty and areas for future research.
AB  - PURPOSE: To review and synthesize all available evidence in order to explore the
      cost-effectiveness of particle therapy (carbon-ions, protons) compared to the
      best current treatments for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and the value of
      additional research. The present study focuses on stage I NSCLC, as no data is
      available for more advanced stages. METHODS: A probabilistic decision-analytic
      Markov model was constructed to synthesize all available evidence. Comparative
      treatments were carbon-ions, protons, conventional radiotherapy (CRT) and
      stereotactic radiotherapy (SBRT) for inoperable stage I NSCLC; and carbon-ions
      and SBRT for operable stage I NSCLC. The expected value of perfect information
      (EVPI) was calculated to support research decisions. RESULTS: For inoperable
      stage I NSCLC, carbon-ion therapy costed euro 67.257 per quality-adjusted-life
      year gained compared to SBRT. Both treatments dominated protons and CRT.
      Considerable uncertainty surrounded these results, resulting in a high EVPI. For
      operable stage I NSCLC SBRT dominated carbon-ion therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the
      considerable uncertainty in stage I NSCLC, and the lack of data on more advanced
      stages, it is recommended not to adopt particle therapy as standard treatment in
      NSCLC yet. More evidence is needed to reduce the decision uncertainty and to
      support evidence-based treatment decisions. It might be worthwhile to invest in a
      particle facility for clinical research. Future research should also weigh the
      investment risk, value of information and costs of delay.

PMID- 20303218
TI  - To be, or not to be obese - that's the challenge: a hypothesis on the cortical
      inhibition of the hypothalamus and its therapeutical consequences.
AB  - Today, obesity is the most urgent unsolved medical problem, with the threat of a
      decreased life expectancy rate for the first time in medical history. Many obese
      subjects try to lose weight by dieting and exercising, without success on a long
      term basis. The only therapy with some effect is bariatric surgery with the
      impact of sustainable adverse effects only suitable in morbid obesity. Why are
      the therapies to treat obesity not working? Within the last years, we have become
      more aware of the role of the brain in energy homeostasis. The three main players
      within the brain controlling our weight are the cortex for cognition,
      hypothalamus for vital body functions and limbic-reward system for emotions. One
      hypothesizes that the failure of the cortex to inhibit the hypothalamus is the
      main cause of obesity. The evolutionary old hypothalamus constantly seeks for a
      positive energy balance, always in endeavor to avoid any energy shortage in the
      future. The hypothalamus is executing its tasks in a parallel mode. It can
      coordinate a set of vital routines independently, yet simultaneously. For e.g.,
      energy balance, salt balance, body temperature and sleep are executed even in a
      coma. The hypothalamus is primitive but stable. The cortex in humans is, compared
      to rodents, much bigger and more complex, while the hypothalamus bears more
      similarities between these two species. The cortex in humans is evolutionary
      younger and represents higher cognition, an unique human feature. In contrast to
      the hypothalamus, the cortex focuses on one problem at a time, thus functioning
      on an attention-based manner. Due to this serial mode, the cortex uses a large
      part of its capacity for one problem at a time. Therefore, it can solve more
      complex calculations than the hypothalamus by thinking about one problem after
      another. It is even strong enough to veto the hypothalamus, if necessary. If the
      concentration on weight loss is distorted, the hypothalamus is free of inhibition
      by the cortex, and the subject will gain weight again. It is suggested that this
      is why diets do not work in the long term. In anorexic patients, the cortex is
      fully occupied to control the hypothalamus resulting in extreme weight loss. In
      obese subjects, the cortex is less disciplined and the hypothalamus will take
      control again to stimulate positive energy balance. From this viewpoint, the
      limbic-reward system interacts both with the hypothalamus and the cortex to
      achieve demands by emotional motivation. The last part of this paper describes a
      therapeutic strategy based on this hypothesis. We propose a dual approach to
      fight obesity. First, interventions should be implemented that remind the cortex
      to control the hypothalamus and second, to stimulate physiological feedback to
      the hypothalamus.

PMID- 20303219
TI  - Lymphangiogenesis may explain adrenal selectivity in lung cancer metastases.
AB  - The 'seed and soil' hypothesis of organ selectivity in cancer metastasis dated
      back to the 1870s. A century later, a review of significant selectivity data
      revealed that the adrenals featured in 11 of 12 classes of it, thus promoting
      these two organs for research. Fortunately, two discoveries have also occurred,
      namely, (a) that cancer stimulates lymph vessel formation, i.e.,
      lymphangiogenesis, and (b) that lymph and blood vessels are differentially
      stainable. Accordingly, these interesting ideas should be exploited with a
      hypothesis. Therefore, it is proposed that, at autopsy in lung cancer cases, the
      tissues between the primary lung tumor and the adrenal secondary should be
      meticulously serially sectioned and disjunctively stained because they must
      reveal what naturally occurs in this zone during life. It is predicted that this
      maneuver will identify lymphangiogenesis as the phenomenon responsible for the
      age-old puzzle of adrenal selectivity. Indeed, it may explain other puzzles such
      as intracranial lymphatic connectivity.

PMID- 20303220
TI  - Cerebellar neurocognition and Korsakoff's syndrome: an hypothesis.
AB  - In literature, the cerebellum is given a substantial role in cognitive processes,
      in addition to traditional views on cerebellar function of regulating motor
      behaviour. The phenomenon of cerebellar damage causing impairments in memory and
      executive functioning was observed in various cerebellar disorders. Cerebellar
      cognitive dysfunction can be interpreted as a disturbance of cerebello-cerebral
      connections to areas of the cerebral cortex involved in cognitive processing, but
      the exact nature of the cognitive dysregulation is not known. Memory and
      executive dysfunction are important clinical features of Korsakoff's syndrome. We
      hypothesize that the Korsakoff syndrome might be an example of cerebellar
      neurocognitive dysfunctioning, caused by cerebello-cerebral pathways being
      disconnected in brain areas that are classically affected in Wernicke's
      encephalopathy. Further research is needed to support the possibility of
      cerebellar neurocognitive disturbances in Korsakoff's syndrome. If correct, this
      hypothesis may contribute to a better understanding of the clinical and
      neuropsychological profile of Korsakoff's syndrome.

PMID- 20303221
TI  - Predictors of crack cocaine initiation among Montreal street youth: a first look
      at the phenomenon.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Crack cocaine use is increasing in Montreal. However, initiation risk
      factors among street youth are unknown. The goal of this project is to estimate
      the incidence of first crack cocaine use among these youth and to identify the
      associated risk factors. METHODS: A prospective cohort study of HIV and hepatitis
      C incidence was conducted among street youth from 2001 to 2005. A questionnaire
      on sexual and drug use behaviours was administered every 6 months. Incidence was
      estimated (a) for youth who had never used crack cocaine at recruitment (n=203)
      and, among them, (b) for those who had snorted cocaine before (n=122). The risk
      factors for initiation of crack use as well for initiation into a new route of
      cocaine administration among youth who had snorted cocaine before were determined
      using Cox regression. RESULTS: Incidence rates for crack cocaine use were (a)
      136.6/1000 person-years (p-y) (95% confidence interval [CI]: 104.5-175.5) and (b)
      205.8/1000 p-y (95% CI: 150.2-275.3). The number of substance types used recently
      increased the risk of initiating crack use (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR]=1.84 per
      substance type, 95% CI: 1.55-2.18), whereas having a parent with a substance
      abuse problem decreased that risk (AHR=0.48, 95% CI: 0.26-0.89). The risk factors
      were identical among youth who had snorted cocaine before. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      analyses show a high incidence of crack use among street youth. It is important
      to delve more deeply into the phenomenon of initiation if we wish to develop
      effective prevention measures for these young people.

PMID- 20303222
TI  - Sexuality and intimacy after gynecological cancer.
AB  - Matters of sexuality and intimacy greatly impact quality of life of patients with
      gynecologic cancers. Vast amount of evidence exists showing that cancer
      dramatically impacts woman's sexuality, sexual functioning, intimate
      relationships and sense of self. Sexual functioning can be affected by illness,
      pain, anxiety, anger, stressful circumstances and medications. There is a growing
      acknowledgement that these needs are not being appropriately addressed by
      providers. With improvements in early detection, surgery and adjuvant therapy for
      gynecologic cancer, long term survival and cure are becoming possible. Quality of
      life is thus becoming a major issue for patients. Patients suffer from hot
      flashes, difficulty sleeping, loss of libido and intimacy, all resulting in
      significant morbidity and loss of quality of life. Using hormone replacement
      therapy in gynecologic cancer survivors is a topic a great debate. While limited
      studies are available to date, retrospective cohort reviews show no reported
      differences in overall or disease-free survival in patients using hormone
      replacements vs. controls in patients with ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer,
      cervical, vaginal or vulva cancer. Since safety of using HRT remains
      controversial and prospective studies are lacking, providers need to be able to
      provide alternatives to HRT. Centrally acting agents such as antiseizure agent
      gabapentin and selective serotonine re-uptake inhibitors, such as venlafaxine and
      fluoxitine have been demonstrated to show effectiveness in treating vasomotor
      symptoms and are easily tolerated. To address cardiovascular and osteoporosis
      risks of post-menopausal status, exercise, healthy diet, bisphosphonates,
      raloxifen and statins have been found to be effective. Psychotherapy plays an
      essential part in management of these issues. Review of the literature reveals
      recent trends among health psychologists to utilize psychoeducational
      interventions that include combined elements of cognitive and behavioral therapy
      with education and mindfulness training. Intervention studies have found positive
      effects from this approach, particularly within the areas of arousal, orgasm,
      satisfaction, overall well-being, and decreased depression. Many of patients'
      issues are easy to address with either hormonal, non-hormonal or psychotherapy
      modifications. The essential part of success is the providers appreciation of
      this serous problem and willingness and comfort in addressing it.

PMID- 20303223
TI  - INTERPOL DVI best-practice standards--An overview.
AB  - A description of the International Criminal Police Organization and its role in
      disaster victim identification is provided along with a summary of the standards
      developed and circulated to responders in INTERPOL member countries (188
      throughout the world) to insure evidence-based DVI practices. Following the
      INTERPOL-mediated DVI response in 2005 to the SE Asia tsunami, many lessons
      learned have been recorded. Based on these current standards, INTERPOL's approach
      to DVI reflects a modern approach and philosophy.

PMID- 20303224
TI  - Sequential neuroradiological and neurophysiological studies in a Japanese girl
      with merosin-deficient congenital muscular dystrophy.
AB  - We describe the early manifestation and sequential assessment of the central and
      peripheral nervous system in a Japanese girl with merosin-deficient congenital
      muscular dystrophy. She showed severe hypotonia (''floppy infant") and suffered
      mild respiratory failure postnatally. Serum creatine kinase was elevated to
      11,487 IU/L. The muscle biopsy showed dystrophic changes with negative expression
      of merosin (laminin alpha2), thereby confirming merosin-deficient congenital
      muscular dystrophy. Her motor milestones were severely delayed, but she could sit
      without support at the age of 3 years. After 3 years, her motor ability
      deteriorated and by the age of 5 years, she could not sit and control her neck.
      Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 2 months of age revealed patterns that were
      appropriate for her age. At 1 year of age, the T2 weighted images showed diffuse
      high signal intensities throughout the centrum semiovale, and periventricular and
      subcortical white matter of the frontal and occipital lobes, while the U fibers,
      the corpus callosum and the internal capsule were spared. At the age of 7 years,
      these white matter abnormalities decreased. MR spectroscopy (MRS) revealed normal
      values of N-acetylaspartate (NAA)/creatine (Cr) and choline (Cho)/Cr metabolite
      ratios as well as slightly increased myoinositol (mI)/Cr metabolite ratios.
      Neurophysiological motor nerve conduction velocity (MCV) and compound muscle
      action potential (CMAP) of the median nerve were in the normal range at the age
      of 2 months. After the child reached 1 year of age, the MCV and CMAP lagged
      behind those of healthy controlled children. The sensory nerve conduction
      velocity of the median nerve demonstrated a mild delay at the age of 15 months.
      It improved to normal range at the age of 6 years but decreased at 7 years of
      age. These sequential findings suggest not only that muscular degeneration and
      dysmyelination had occurred but also that various other factors, including
      demyelination and the vasogenic system, may influence the pathology of MDC1A.

PMID- 20303225
TI  - Treatments for pediatric achalasia: Heller myotomy or pneumatic dilatation?
AB  - AIM: The treatment of achalasia consists of reducing distal esophageal
      obstruction by either Heller myotomy surgery or endoscopic pneumatic dilatation.
      The aim of the present study was to evaluate the short- and middle-term results
      of these procedures in children. METHODOLOGY: For technical reasons, children
      under six years old (n=8) were treated by surgery only, whereas patients over six
      years old (n=14) were treated by either Heller myotomy or pneumatic dilatation.
      RESULTS: Of the children aged under six years, 75% were symptom-free at six
      months and 83% at 24 months of follow-up. Of the patients aged over six years,
      complete remission was achieved by Heller myotomy in 44.5% vs. 55.5% by pneumatic
      dilatation after six months, and in 40% vs. 65%, respectively, after 24 months.
      Both pneumatic dilatation and Heller myotomy showed significant rates of failure.
      CONCLUSION: These results suggest that pneumatic dilatation may be considered a
      primary treatment in children over six years old. Also, where necessary, Heller
      myotomy and pneumatic dilatation may be used as complementary treatments.

PMID- 20303226
TI  - Intracranial solitary fibrous tumor: imaging findings.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the neuroimaging features of intracranial solitary fibrous
      tumors (ISFTs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective study of neuroimaging
      features of 9 consecutive histopathologically proven ISFT cases. Location, size,
      shape, density, signal intensity and gadolinium uptake were studied at CT and
      MRI. Data collected from diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) (3 patients), perfusion
      imaging and MR spectroscopy (2 patients), and DSA (4 patients) were also
      analyzed. RESULTS: The tumors most frequently arose from the intracranial
      meninges (7/9), while the other lesions were intraventricular. Tumor size ranged
      from 2.5 to 10 cm (mean=6.6 cm). They presented multilobular shape in 6/9
      patients. Most ISFTs were heterogeneous (7/9) with areas of low T2 signal
      intensity that strongly enhanced after gadolinium administration (6/8). Erosion
      of the skull was present in about half of the cases (4/9). Components with
      decreased apparent diffusion coefficient were seen in 2/3 ISFTs on DWI.
      Spectroscopy revealed elevated peaks of choline and myo-inositol. MR perfusion
      showed features of hyperperfusion. CONCLUSION: ISFT should be considered in cases
      of extra-axial, supratentorial, heterogeneous, hypervascular tumor. Areas of low
      T2 signal intensity that strongly enhance after gadolinium injection are
      suggestive of this diagnosis. Restricted diffusion and elevated peak of myo
      inositol may be additional valuable features.

PMID- 20303227
TI  - Imaging the olfactory tract (cranial nerve #1).
AB  - This review paper browses pros and cons of the different radiological modalities
      for imaging the olfactory tract and highlights the potential benefits and
      limitation of more recent advances in MR and CT technology. A systematic
      pictorial overview of pathological conditions affecting olfactory sense is given.
      Techniques for collecting quantitative data on olfactory bulb volume and on
      olfactory sulcus depth are described. At last, insights into functional imaging
      of olfactory sense are shown.

PMID- 20303228
TI  - Fast healthcare: brief communication, traps and opportunities.
AB  - Resource considerations have meant that brevity in health care interventions is a
      high priority, and have led to a constant striving after ever more impressive
      time efficiency. The UK's National Health Service may be described as a kind of
      'fast healthcare', where everyone is task busy, time is money, bed spaces are
      frenetically shuffled so as to accommodate the most needy and there appears to be
      'no time to talk'. Indeed, a great many health care encounters are taking place
      in short 'blips' often of 5min or less across a range of sites and involving a
      vast number of practitioners. In this paper we explore how brief communication
      can both alienate and be therapeutic for patients. We theorise brief interactions
      by considering a number of traditions of work in anthropology, linguistics and
      sociology and conclude that health care providers need to invest much more in the
      skills and strategies for how best to communicate briefly if it to retain its
      core tradition of caring for others.

PMID- 20303229
TI  - Optimizing patient education for people with obesity: possible use of the
      autobiographical approach.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To review recent results of the current approaches to the education of
      obese people, focusing on the motivation for healthy behaviors, and to present
      the narrative-autobiographical approach as a possible tool in the education of
      obese people. METHODS: Our overview will necessarily be partial, and limited to
      some studies that succeeded in improving the motivation for healthy lifestyles in
      people with overweight or obesity. We will also describe the use of the
      autobiographical approach in the "Io-muovo-la-mia-vita" project. RESULTS: Many
      studies have induced relevant behavioral changes, mainly by using intensive
      interventions. Weight loss maintenance has been difficult and usually has
      required pro-active follow-up interventions. The use of self-writing may allow
      overweight and obese people to reveal their inner feelings to themselves and to
      peers, and may reinforce their motivation for self-care. CONCLUSIONS: The
      association of weight loss with intensive interventions, and the need for follow
      up pro-active interventions to maintain results make one wonder whether the inner
      motivation of participants is usually fostered as recommended. PRACTICE
      IMPLICATIONS: The narrative-autobiographical approach appears to be a proper way
      to patient centered care, but for an effective practice, the human and relational
      attitudes of healthcare professionals should be integrated with specific
      educational skills.

PMID- 20303230
TI  - A course for nurses to handle difficult communication situations. A randomized
      controlled trial of impact on self-efficacy and performance.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the impact of a communication skills course for nurses on
      how to handle difficult communication situations in their daily work. METHODS: a
      7-h course was developed using a construct of "Awareness, Feelings, Listen,
      Solve" (AFLS). A pedagogy of experiential, learner-centered learning was adopted.
      The course evaluation used a randomized controlled design with pre- and post
      measures of self-efficacy and performance. RESULTS: forty-one nurses volunteered
      and thirty-three nurses completed all assigned parts of the study. On self
      assessment, there was significant improvement for self-efficacy (F=24.43,
      p<0.001), but not for emotional awareness. On performance, there was no
      significant improvement between intervention and control groups (F=3.46,
      p=0.073). CONCLUSION: a short course for nurses on handling difficult
      communication situations achieved significant improvements in self-efficacy but
      not in performance. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: teaching communication skills in
      community-based settings is important for the safety and effectiveness of patient
      care. Sponsoring organizations should weigh trade-offs between feasibility and
      achievement of measurable improvements in performance. One possible approach is
      to focus on specific communication skills rather than a full suite of skills.

PMID- 20303231
TI  - Treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), a
      multisystem disease, should target the pathophysiological aberrations
      (inflammatory and oxidative and nitrosative stress pathways), not the
      psychosocial "barriers" for a new equilibrium.

PMID- 20303232
TI  - Barriers and enablers in the implementation of a provider-based intervention to
      stimulate culturally appropriate hypertension education.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to identify barriers and enablers influencing the implementation of an
      intervention to stimulate culturally appropriate hypertension education (CAHE)
      among health care providers in primary care. METHODS: the intervention was
      piloted in three Dutch health centers. It consists of a toolkit for CAHE,
      training, and feedback meetings for hypertension educators. Data were collected
      from 16 hypertension educators (nurse practitioners and general practice
      assistants) during feedback meetings and analyzed using qualitative content
      analysis. RESULTS: perceived barriers to the implementation of the intervention
      fell into three main categories: political context (health care system
      financing); organizational factors (ongoing organizational changes, work
      environment, time constraints and staffing) and care provider-related factors
      (routines, attitudes, computer and educational skills, and cultural background).
      Few barriers were specifically related to the delivery of CAHE (e.g. resistance
      to registering ethnicity). Enabling strategies addressing these barriers
      consisted of reorganizing practice procedures, team coordination, and providing
      reminders and additional instructions to hypertension educators. CONCLUSION AND
      PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: the adoption of a tool for CAHE by care providers can be
      accomplished if barriers are identified and addressed. The majority of these
      barriers are commonly associated with the implementation of health care
      innovations in general and do not indicate resistance to providing culturally
      appropriate care.

PMID- 20303234
TI  - [Periostitis in systemic necrotizing vasculitides: Study of the 4 cases
      identified among the 1762 patients of the FVSG database and review of the
      literature].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Periostitis (periosteal new bone formation) is a rare manifestation
      of systemic necrotizing vasculitis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We searched the French
      Vasculitis Study Group (FVSG) database, established in 1980 and containing the
      data on 1762 patients with a systemic necrotizing vasculitis, i.e., polyarteritis
      nodosa (PAN), microscopic polyangiitis, Churg-Strauss syndrome or Wegener's
      granulomatosis, for those with periostitis. Herein, we describe their
      characteristics and outcomes. RESULTS: Only 4 patients with periostitis were
      identified. All had limited and localized PAN-like vasculitis, without poor
      prognosis factors. Periostitis was painful and localized to the lower limbs in
      all of them and associated with local myositis in 2. Pain and inflammation
      resolved under corticosteroids in all, but relapses or corticosteroid-dependence
      ultimately required the adjunction of an immunosuppressant for 3. With a median
      follow-up of 10 [range: 4-11] years, only 1 developed peripheral neuropathy and
      none progressed to a more systemic form of vasculitis, i.e., with severe visceral
      involvement. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Physicians should be aware that
      periostitis, usually localized, is a potential manifestation of systemic
      necrotizing vasculitis, especially polyarteritis nodosa. The overall long-term
      outcome of these patients is good, but relapses or corticosteroid-dependence is
      frequent.

PMID- 20303236
TI  - Fat-free milk as a therapeutic approach for constipation and the effect on serum
      motilin and ghrelin levels.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study explores the effects of fat-free milk supplementation on
      individuals with chronic constipation with regard to levels of motilin and
      acylated and des-acylated ghrelin (which affect intestinal motility) and compares
      them with data from control subjects given whole milk supplementation. METHODS:
      The investigation was designed according to the constipation severity test of
      individuals whose ages and body mass indexes were comparable. Individuals with
      mild constipation (n=10) were supplemented with 400 mL of fat-free milk daily;
      moderate constipation cases (n=10) were supplemented with 600 mL, and severe
      constipation cases (n=10) were supplemented with 800 mL of fat-free milk daily.
      Healthy control subjects were administered 400 mL of fat-free milk (group 1),
      which was followed a month later by administration of 400 mL of whole milk for 3
      days (group 2). Blood samples were collected from the subjects before and after
      milk supplementation for hormone analyses. Motilin and acylated and des-acylated
      ghrelin were quantified with ELISA assay. RESULTS: Supplementation of fat-free
      milk significantly increased levels of circulating motilin and ghrelin in all
      groups, including the control subjects, but whole milk supplementation led to a
      decrease in these hormone levels in the control subjects. CONCLUSION: Drinking
      fat-free milk might be a new way of solving constipation.

PMID- 20303237
TI  - Early secondary closure of alveolar clefts with mandibular symphyseal bone grafts
      and beta-tri calcium phosphate (beta-TCP).
AB  - Alveolar reconstruction of bony defects in cleft lip and palate patients is a
      widely accepted treatment regimen for which multiple donor sites can be used. For
      25 years, autogeneous bicortical mandibular symphyseal bone grafts have been used
      at the authors' centre. In cases in which the alveolar defect was too large to
      match the volume of the mandibular symphyseal bone transplant, beta-TCP granules
      were packed against the bone transplant to fill the defect completely. In a
      retrospective study, 18 patients, who were treated with mandibular symphyseal
      bone wrapped in beta-TCP granules, were compared with 29 patients, who were
      treated with mandibular symphyseal bone only. To assess alveolar height, occlusal
      radiographs were taken directly postoperatively and 1 year later. Mean alveolar
      bone loss was calculated and compared between groups using Student's t-test and
      linear regression analysis. No statistically significant difference in alveolar
      height was found between the two groups. It was concluded that mandibular
      symphyseal bone grafts enriched with beta-TCP granules can be used successfully
      in cases in which the alveolar cleft is too large to be grafted with mandibular
      symphyseal bone alone.

PMID- 20303238
TI  - Cystic change in alveolar bone graft.
AB  - The authors report a cystic lesion within a previous unilateral cleft lip and
      alveolus bone graft site in a 15-year-old girl, 5 years after the secondary bone
      graft. The cyst comprised respiratory epithelial lining, which is thought to be a
      remnant of the nasal mucosal lining of the primary cleft.

PMID- 20303239
TI  - Syndromic micrognathia and peri-natal management with the ex-utero intra-partum
      treatment (EXIT) procedure.
AB  - Many advances in healthcare are built on advances in technology. In the case of
      fetal medicine, technology has availed an entirely new patient population. The
      authors report a case of severe micrognathia and Pierre Robin Sequence that was
      diagnosed prenatally. Antenatal planning and treatment were instituted via the
      Fetal Diagnosis/Treatment Team to avoid loss of the neonate's airway. An EXIT
      procedure was utilized to ensure a secure airway. The benefits of team care for
      these types of deformities are highlighted including the importance of
      craniomaxillofacial specialists.

PMID- 20303240
TI  - The impact of a family history of psychosis on age-at-onset and positive and
      negative symptoms of schizophrenia: a meta-analysis.
AB  - The results of research on the relation of family history (FH) of psychosis with
      clinical presentation in schizophrenia have been mixed. To date, there have been
      no comprehensive reviews that have examined this body of research. The current
      review quantitatively evaluates research on the relation of FH with two aspects
      of schizophrenia, age-at-onset and symptom presentation. Studies investigating
      the influence of a FH on age-at-onset (N=15 studies), age-at-onset and sex (N=12
      studies), and/or positive (N=11 studies) and negative symptoms (N=12 studies) in
      patients with schizophrenia were included in the meta-analyses. Results showed
      that FH has a small but significant impact on age-at-onset as well as negative
      symptoms. Of most interest was the finding that sex differences in age-at-onset
      are not observed in samples with a FH. Furthermore, there was a significant
      interaction between FH and sex with respect to negative symptoms. The findings of
      the current review are discussed in light of the diathesis-stress model.
      Theoretical assumptions and empirical research are reviewed to support the notion
      that FH influences susceptibility and presentation through similar mechanisms.
      Implications of the current findings, limitations of the review, and directions
      for future research are highlighted.

PMID- 20303241
TI  - Reduced NGF serum levels and abnormal P300 event-related potential in first
      episode schizophrenia.
AB  - Nerve growth factor (NGF) plays a crucial role in central nervous system neuron
      plasticity. Low levels of serum NGF in schizophrenic patients suggest that the
      neurotrophin contributes to the pathogenesis of the disease. NGF is also thought
      to alter characteristics of event-related brain potential (ERP) components. The
      auditory-evoked P300 ERP component, considered an index of brain activity, has
      reduced amplitude in acute and chronic schizophrenia. This study evaluated the
      relationship among serum NGF levels, P300 characteristics, and Positive and
      Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) scores in first episode, neuroleptic naive
      schizophrenic patients (N=30) and healthy controls (N=28). Serum NGF was measured
      by ELISA and P300 elicited using auditory oddball paradigm. Compared to control
      subjects, schizophrenic patients had significantly reduced serum NGF (p<0.001)
      and lower P300 amplitudes at Fz (p=0.003). Additionally, there was a positive
      correlation between serum NGF serum and P300 amplitude at Fz. No correlation was
      found between serum NGF or P300 characteristics and PANSS scores. These results
      suggest that the effects of NGF in schizophrenia are related not only to
      regulation of neurodevelopment, but also to the electrophysiological
      characteristics of nerve growth factor.

PMID- 20303242
TI  - Antagonists of retinoic acid and BMP4 affect fetal mouse osteogenesis and
      odontoblast differentiation.
AB  - Retinoic acid and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP4) are endogenous factors
      indispensable for the physiological development of vertebrates. The proximate aim
      of the present study was to investigate whether the natural compound citral (a
      retinoic acid synthesis inhibitor) and a monoclonal, anti-BMP4 antibody,
      administered to pregnant mice affect in the fetuses cranial osteogenesis and
      odontoblast differentiation. The present investigation was motivated by the fact
      that, retinoic acid inhibitors and BMP4 neutralizers may frequently contact human
      tissues (both intentional and unintentional, and/or unconsciously) inducing
      unanticipated effects. Our ultimate goal is the prevention of side effects and,
      future clinical implementation of the results. To this end, pregnant, white mice
      (balb-c Mus musculus) were intra-abdominally injected with either citral or anti
      BMP4 antibody at the 9th gestational day. Newborns were processed within 5h,
      postnatal. Results were evaluated (a) macroscopically, (b) stereoscopically,
      following histochemical double staining of cartilage and osseous tissues and, (c)
      microscopically after (c(1)) histological staining of paraffin sections, and,
      (c(2)) immunohistochemical detection of apoptosis. Data indicate that in vivo
      administration of citral (biomimicking hypovitaminosis A) caused
      restriction/retardation of cranial chondrogenesis and osteogenesis. Apoptosis was
      not detected in teeth tissues. In vivo administration of anti-BMP4 antibody
      resulted in a transitory interference with the normal course of odontoblast
      differentiation and the production of pre-dentin, whereas, delay in the
      ossification also included the alveoli. Animals inspected in adulthood displayed
      a fairly normal phenotype. It is concluded that those two substances, under their
      concentrations experienced, are quite safe for the public.

PMID- 20303243
TI  - [Palliative care in the neonatal period].

PMID- 20303244
TI  - [Cholelithiasis associated with portal cavernoma in children: 2 case reports].
AB  - The association of cholelithiasis and portal cavernoma is rarely described in
      adult or pediatric patients. We report 2 cases of gallstone associated with
      portal cavernoma in 2 girls. The first one suffered from Evans syndrome
      associated with congenital immune deficiency. The portal cavernoma was discovered
      with gallstone after splenectomy indicated because of high steroid dependence. In
      the second case, the cavernoma complicated neonatal umbilical catheterism. The
      gallstone was asymptomatic and discovered on annual ultrasonography. Septicemia,
      profound thrombocytopenia, and acute anaemia led to rapid death in the first
      case. However, the progression was favourable under celioscopic treatment in the
      second one. Our original observations suggest systematically searching for
      gallstone in children with portal cavernoma.

PMID- 20303245
TI  - Intelligent visualization and exploration of time-oriented data of multiple
      patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Clinicians and medical researchers alike require useful, intuitive,
      and intelligent tools to process large amounts of time-oriented multiple-patient
      data from multiple sources. For analyzing the results of clinical trials or for
      quality assessment purposes, an aggregated view of a group of patients is often
      required. To meet this need, we designed and developed the VISualizatIon of Time
      Oriented RecordS (VISITORS) system, which combines intelligent temporal analysis
      and information visualization techniques. The VISITORS system includes tools for
      intelligent retrieval, visualization, exploration, and analysis of raw time
      oriented data and derived (abstracted) concepts for multiple patient records. To
      derive meaningful interpretations from raw time-oriented data (known as temporal
      abstractions), we used the knowledge-based temporal-abstraction method. METHODS:
      The main module of the VISITORS system is an interactive, ontology-based
      exploration module, which enables the user to visualize raw data and abstract
      (derived) concepts for multiple patient records, at several levels of temporal
      granularity; to explore these concepts; and to display associations among raw and
      abstract concepts. A knowledge-based delegate function is used to convert
      multiple data points into one delegate value representing each temporal granule.
      To select the population of patients to explore, the VISITORS system includes an
      ontology-based temporal-aggregation specification language and a graphical
      expression-specification module. The expressions, applied by an external temporal
      mediator, retrieve a list of patients, a list of relevant time intervals, and a
      list of time-oriented patients' data sets, by using an expressive set of time and
      value constraints. RESULTS: Functionality and usability evaluation of the
      interactive exploration module was performed on a database of more than 1000
      oncology patients by a group of 10 users-five clinicians and five medical
      informaticians. Both types of users were able in a short time (mean of 2.5+/
      0.2min per question) to answer a set of clinical questions, including questions
      that require the use of specialized operators for finding associations among
      derived temporal abstractions, with high accuracy (mean of 98.7+/-2.4 on a
      predefined scale from 0 to 100). There were no significant differences between
      the response times and between accuracy levels of the exploration of the data
      using different time lines, i.e., absolute (i.e., calendrical) versus relative
      (referring to some clinical key event). A system usability scale (SUS)
      questionnaire filled out by the users demonstrated the VISITORS system to be
      usable (mean score for the overall group: 69.3), but the clinicians' usability
      assessment was significantly lower than that of the medical informaticians.
      CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that intelligent visualization and exploration of
      longitudinal data of multiple patients with the VISITORS system is feasible,
      functional, and usable.

PMID- 20303246
TI  - Practical aspects of implementation of helical tomotherapy for intensity
      modulated and image-guided radiotherapy.
AB  - AIMS: Image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) and intensity-modulated radiotherapy
      (IMRT) represent two important technical developments that will probably improve
      patient outcome. Helical tomotherapy, provided by the TomoTherapy HiArt system,
      provides an elegant integrated solution providing both technologies, although
      others are available. Here we report our experience of clinical implementation of
      daily online IGRT and IMRT using helical tomotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Methods were needed to select patients who would probably benefit. Machine
      specific commissioning, a quality assurance programme and patient-specific
      delivery quality assurance were also needed. The planning target volume dose was
      prescribed as the median dose, with the added criterion that the 95% isodose
      should cover 99% of the target volume. Although back-up plans, for delivery on
      conventional linear accelerators, were initially prepared, this practice was
      abandoned because they were used very rarely. RESULTS: In the first 12 months,
      114 patients were accepted for treatment, and 3343 fractions delivered. New
      starts averaged 2.6 per week, with an average of 17.5 fractions treated per day,
      and the total number capped at 22. This has subsequently been raised to 24. Of
      the first 100 patients, 96 were treated with radical intent. Five were considered
      to have been untreatable on our standard equipment. IGRT is radiographer led and
      all patients were imaged daily, with positional correction made before treatment,
      using an action level of 1mm. A formal training programme was developed and
      implemented before installation. The in-room time fell significantly during the
      year, reflecting increasing experience and a software upgrade. More recently,
      after a couch upgrade in April 2009, the mean in-room time fell to 18.6 min.
      CONCLUSIONS: Successful implementation of tomotherapy was the result of careful
      planning and effective teamwork. Treatment, including daily image guidance,
      positional correction and intensity-modulated delivery, is fast and efficient,
      and can be integrated into routine service. This should encourage the adoption of
      these technologies.

PMID- 20303247
TI  - Combining tiotropium and salmeterol in COPD: Effects on airflow obstruction and
      symptoms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clinical information on 24-h spirometric efficacy of combining
      tiotropium and salmeterol compared to single-agent therapy is lacking in patients
      with COPD. METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, four-way crossover study of 6
      week treatment periods comparing combination therapy of tiotropium 18 microg plus
      qd or bid salmeterol 50 microg versus single-agent therapy. Serial 24-h
      spirometry (FEV(1), FVC), effects on dyspnea (TDI focal score) and rescue
      salbutamol use were evaluated in 95 patients. RESULTS: Tiotropium plus qd
      salmeterol was superior to tiotropium or salmeterol alone in average FEV(1) (0
      24h) by 72 mL and 97 mL (p<0.0001), respectively. Compared to this qd regimen,
      combination therapy including bid salmeterol provided comparable daytime (0-12h:
      12 mL, p=0.38) bronchodilator effects, but significantly more bronchodilation
      during the night-time (12-24h: 73 mL, p<0.0001). Clinically relevant improvements
      in TDI focal score were achieved with bronchodilator combinations including
      salmeterol qd or bid (2.56 and 2.71; p<0.005 versus components). Symptom benefit
      of combination therapies was also reflected in less need for reliever medication.
      All treatments were well tolerated. CONCLUSION: Compared to single-agent therapy,
      combination therapy of tiotropium plus salmeterol in COPD provided clinically
      meaningful improvements in airflow obstruction and dyspnea as well as a reduction
      in reliever medication.

PMID- 20303248
TI  - Cardiovascular risk factors in men and women with obstructive sleep apnoea
      syndrome.
AB  - We wished to evaluate the prevalence of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors in
      patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) before initiation of
      continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), and without any declared or diagnosed
      pre-existing CV disorder. We wanted to compare the prevalence of these CV risk
      factors between men and women in an observational study. A questionnaire
      concerning CV risk factors was submitted to the patients, by a respiratory home
      care technician at the time of installation of the CPAP treatment. PATIENTS: The
      study population consisted of 1117 patients; 834 men, 283 women. RESULTS: The
      prevalence of arterial hypertension (HT), diabetes, obesity, active smoking,
      hyperlipidemia and family history of coronary heart disease was 54.1%, 22.8%,
      65.8%, 18.3%, 33.8% and 20%, respectively. Women had significantly more HT (62.1
      vs 51.4%), diabetes (29.9 vs 20.4%), obesity (77 vs 62%) and family history of
      coronary disease (25.1 vs 18.2%). The prevalence of active smoking was
      significantly higher in men (20.4 vs 12%). The prevalence of hyperlipidemia was
      not different between men and women (34.5 vs 31.8%). Stepwise logistic regression
      showed that HT and diabetes were both independently associated with BMI and age,
      while diabetes and not HT was independently associated with female gender. The
      prevalence of classical CV risk factors was very high in this population with
      OSAS requiring CPAP, especially in women. There is thus a very elevated CV risk
      level independent of that directly related to OSAS. It is important to screen for
      and treat classical CV risk factors in this population.

PMID- 20303249
TI  - Actin-related proteins in the nucleus: life beyond chromatin remodelers.
AB  - Since their discovery in the mid-1990s, nuclear actin-related proteins (ARPs)
      have gained attention for their roles as structural components of ATP-dependent
      chromatin-remodeling complexes. These remodelers can move nucleosomes along the
      DNA, evict them from chromatin, and exchange histone variants to alter chromatin
      states locally. Chromatin-remodeling facilitates DNA-templated processes such as
      transcription regulation, DNA replication, and repair. Consistent with a role for
      ARPs in shaping chromatin structure, recent genetic studies show that they affect
      developmental and cell-type specific transcriptional programming. Here, we focus
      on recent results that suggest a specific contribution of ARPs to long-range
      interactions in the nucleus, and review evidence indicating that some ARPs may
      act independently of chromatin-remodeling machines.

PMID- 20303250
TI  - Abiotic hydrogen production in fresh and altered MSWI-residues: texture and
      microstructure investigation.
AB  - Long-term hydrogen generation was observed in a Bavarian mono-landfill for
      municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) residues. Hydration reactions of non
      noble metals, especially aluminum, predominantly produce hydrogen at alkaline
      reaction conditions. Microscopic investigations show that aluminum metal may
      occur in different forms: as larger single grains, as small particles embedded in
      a vitrified matrix or less frequently in blowholes together with metallic silica.
      Four types of corrosion texture were observed, indicating different reaction
      mechanisms: aluminum hydroxide rims caused by hydration reactions at alkaline
      reaction conditions (reaction type 1) and multiphase rims with ettringite and
      hydrocalumite due to the reaction of aluminum hydroxide with sulfate and chloride
      ions which are solved in the pore water (reaction type 2). Galvanic corrosion
      textures due to the electric potential difference between aluminum and embedded
      intermetallic Fe- or Cu-rich exsolution phases lead to two further corrosion
      textures: Strong hydration effects of aluminum except a border of aluminum
      remnant directly beside the Fe- or Cu-rich segregations were only observed in
      fresh samples (reaction type 3). The reaction type 4 shows a network of Al
      hydroxide veins occurring along the embedded intermetallic Fe- or Cu-rich
      exsolution segregation pattern within the metallic aluminum grain. Metal
      particles enclosed in vitrified particles offers the potential for future
      corrosion processes. The occurrence of corrosion types 1, 2 and 3 in fresh bottom
      ashes indicates that these reaction mechanisms predominate during the first
      reaction period in the presence of chlorine in an alkaline solution. Corrosion
      type 4, however, was additionally observed in aged samples. Here aluminum acts as
      sacrificed anode implying electrochemical reaction due to electrolytic pore
      water. Chloride in the system keeps the reaction alive as Al-hydroxide is solved
      which normally builds a protection shield around the aluminum metal particles.
      Due to field observations and experimental results we have reasonable indications
      that after an initial strong formation of hydrogen the reaction time for hydrogen
      production in the landfill is lengthened for several decades by the presence of
      chloride in the alkaline pore water.

PMID- 20303251
TI  - Changes in enzymatic activities and microbial properties in vermicompost of water
      hyacinth as affected by pre-composting and fungal inoculation: a comparative
      study of ergosterol and chitin for estimating fungal biomass.
AB  - In this experiment, three different fungal species, viz. Trichoderma viridae,
      Aspergillus niger and Phanerochaete chrysosporium, were inoculated in 7 day and
      15 day partially decomposed water hyacinth to study their effect on enzymatic
      activities, microbial respiration and fungal biomass of the final stabilized
      product. The results suggested that increasing the duration of pre-composting
      from 7 days to 15 days did not show any significant effect on the activities of
      hydrolytic enzymes. Inoculation of fungi significantly (P < or = 0.05) increased
      cellulase, protease and acid and alkaline phosphatase activities. The highest
      value of ergosterol was recorded in A. niger-inoculated vermicomposts.
      Inoculation of P. chrysosporium in initial organic waste registered the highest
      chitin content in vermicompost. A comparison of fungal biomass and chitin content
      revealed a conversion factor of 2.628 with a standard deviation of 0.318. Due to
      significant correlation (r = 0.864), this conversion factor allows for the
      calculation of fungal biomass from chitin, which is comparatively more stable
      than ergosterol.

PMID- 20303252
TI  - Exploitation of olive mill wastewater and liquid cow manure for biogas
      production.
AB  - Co-digestion of organic waste streams is an innovative technology for the
      reduction of methane/greenhouse gas emissions. Different organic substrates are
      combined to generate a homogeneous mixture as input to the anaerobic reactor in
      order to increase process performance, realize a more efficient use of equipment
      and cost-sharing by processing multiple waste streams in a single facility. In
      this study, the potential of anaerobic digestion for the treatment of a mixture
      containing olive mill wastewater (OMW) and liquid cow manure (LCM) using a two
      stage process has been evaluated by using two continuously stirred tank reactors
      (CSTRs) under mesophilic conditions (35 degrees C) in order to separately monitor
      and control the processes of acidogenesis and methanogenesis. The overall process
      was studied with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 19 days. The digester was
      continuously fed with an influent composed (v/v) of 20% OMW and 80% LCM. The
      average removal of dissolved and total COD was 63.2% and 50%, respectively. The
      volatile solids (VS) removal was 34.2% for the examined mixture of feedstocks
      operating the system at an overall OLR of 3.63 g CODL(reactor)(-1)d(-1). Methane
      production rate at the steady state reached 0.91 L CH(4)L(reactor)(-1)d(-1) or
      250.9L CH(4) at standard temperature and pressure conditions (STP) per kg COD fed
      to the system.

PMID- 20303253
TI  - Functionalised ZnO-nanorod-based selective electrochemical sensor for
      intracellular glucose.
AB  - In this article, we report a functionalised ZnO-nanorod-based selective
      electrochemical sensor for intracellular glucose. To adjust the sensor for
      intracellular glucose measurements, we grew hexagonal ZnO nanorods on the tip of
      a silver-covered borosilicate glass capillary (0.7 microm diameter) and coated
      them with the enzyme glucose oxidase. The enzyme-coated ZnO nanorods exhibited a
      glucose-dependent electrochemical potential difference versus an Ag/AgCl
      reference microelectrode. The potential difference was linear over the
      concentration range of interest (0.5-1000 microM). The measured glucose
      concentration in human adipocytes or frog oocytes using our ZnO-nanorod sensor
      was consistent with values of glucose concentration reported in the literature;
      furthermore, the sensor was able to show that insulin increased the intracellular
      glucose concentration. This nanoelectrode device demonstrates a simple technique
      to measure intracellular glucose concentration.

PMID- 20303254
TI  - Prefrontal control of fear: more than just extinction.
AB  - Although fear research has largely focused on the amygdala, recent findings
      highlight cortical control of the amygdala in the service of fear regulation. In
      rodent models, it is becoming well established that the infralimbic (IL)
      prefrontal cortex plays a key role in extinction learning, and recent findings
      are uncovering molecular mechanisms involved in extinction-related plasticity.
      Furthermore, mounting evidence implicates the prelimbic (PL) prefrontal cortex in
      the production of fear responses. Both IL and PL integrate inputs from the
      amygdala, as well as other structures to gate the expression of fear via
      projections to inhibitory or excitatory circuits within the amygdala. We suggest
      that dual control of the amygdala by separate prefrontal modules increases the
      flexibility of an organism's response to danger cues.

PMID- 20303255
TI  - Synchronous neural activity and memory formation.
AB  - Accumulating evidence suggests that the synchronization of neuronal activity
      plays an important role in memory formation. In particular, several recent
      studies have demonstrated that enhanced synchronous activity within and among
      medial temporal lobe structures is correlated with increased memory performance
      in humans and animals. Modulations in rhythmic synchronization in the gamma
      frequency (30-100 Hz) and theta-frequency (4-8 Hz) bands have been related to
      memory performance, and interesting relationships have been described between
      these oscillations that suggest a mechanism for inter-areal coupling. Neuronal
      synchronization has also been linked to spike timing-dependent plasticity, a
      cellular mechanism thought to underlie learning and memory. The available
      evidence suggests that neuronal synchronization modulates memory performance as
      well as potential cellular mechanisms of memory storage.

PMID- 20303256
TI  - Top-down control of visual attention.
AB  - Top-down visual attention improves perception of selected stimuli and that
      improvement is reflected in the neural activity at many stages throughout the
      visual system. Recent studies of top-down attention have elaborated on the
      signatures of its effects within visual cortex and have begun identifying its
      causal basis. Evidence from these studies suggests that the correlates of spatial
      attention exhibited by neurons within the visual system originate from a
      distributed network of structures involved in the programming of saccadic eye
      movements. We summarize this evidence and discuss its relationship to the neural
      mechanisms of spatial working memory.

PMID- 20303257
TI  - Translational research in brain metastasis is identifying molecular pathways that
      may lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies.
AB  - Central nervous system (CNS) or brain metastasis is an emerging area of interest
      in organ-specific metastasis research. Lung and breast cancers are the most
      common types of primary tumors to develop brain metastases. This disease
      complication contributes significantly to the morbidity and mortality of both of
      these common cancers; as such, brain metastasis is designated an unmet medical
      need by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Recently, an increase in
      incidence of CNS disease has been noted in the literature for breast cancer,
      while it has been an ongoing major complication from lung cancer. Progress in
      treating brain metastases has been hampered by a lack of model systems, a lack of
      human tissue samples, and the exclusion of brain metastatic patients from many
      clinical trials. While each of those is significant, the major impediment to
      effectively treating brain metastatic disease is the blood-brain barrier (BBB).
      This barrier excludes most chemotherapeutics from the brain and creates a
      sanctuary site for metastatic tumors. Recent findings on the biology of this
      disease and translational leads identified by molecular studies are discussed in
      this article.

PMID- 20303258
TI  - The KISS1 metastasis suppressor: a good night kiss for disseminated cancer cells.
AB  - Re-expression of KISS1 in tumor cell lines allows all antecedent steps of
      metastasis, but prevents colonization of secondary sites. Because tumor cells
      have already disseminated by the time of cancer diagnosis, KISS1 may represent a
      new opportunity for therapeutic intervention. Moreover, numerous clinical reports
      demonstrate that a loss or reduction of KISS1 expression in different human
      cancers inversely correlates with tumor progression, metastasis, and survival.
      Taken together, these observations compel the hypothesis that KISS1 could be of
      tremendous utility in controlling metastasis in a therapeutic context. In this
      review, we highlight some key findings from preclinical and clinical studies and
      discuss strategies whereby KISS1 may be exploited clinically to treat metastases.

PMID- 20303259
TI  - Cancer stemness and metastasis: therapeutic consequences and perspectives.
AB  - The transient and dynamic nature of cancer cells that underlie metastasis cannot
      only be explained by the progressive accumulation of irreversible genetic changes
      occurring in the primary tumour. The capacity of cells to switch between
      different cellular identities, as in epithelial to mesenchymal (EMT) and
      mesenchymal to epithelial transitions (MET), allows them to respond to different
      cellular environments, thus efficiently disseminating from the primary mass to
      eventually colonise distant organs. These more dynamic stem-like cancer cells are
      earmarked by the ability to self-renew and de-/re-differentiate, and eventually
      recapitulate the heterogeneous composition of the primary tumour in a distant
      organ site. This dynamic concept of metastasis has profound consequences and
      implications for cancer diagnostics, prognostics and therapy. Many of the
      characteristics that define stem cells, like dormancy, active DNA repair, the
      expression of several drug transporters, and resistance to apoptosis may underlie
      the capacity of migrating cancer cells to survive conventional therapeutic
      protocols based on genotoxic agents targeting active proliferating cells.
      Accordingly, signal transduction pathways that regulate the balance between self
      renewal and differentiation are likely to represent future targets in the
      development of tailor-made intervention strategies. Also, specific stem cell
      features, such as the capacity to migrate to diseased areas (pathotropism), open
      novel avenues towards the development of cell vehicles capable of tracking and
      delivering anti-cancer compounds to disseminated metastatic lesions.

PMID- 20303260
TI  - A novel microtubule-modulating agent induces mitochondrially driven caspase
      dependent apoptosis via mitotic checkpoint activation in human prostate cancer
      cells.
AB  - Hormone-refractory prostate cancer, its skeletal metastasis and complications
      remain a therapeutic challenge. Here we show that treatment with (S)-3-((R)-9
      bromo-4-methoxy-6-methyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-[1,3]dioxolo[4,5-g]isoquinolin-5-yl)
      6,7-dimethoxyiso-benzofuran-1(3H)-one (EM011), the brominated analogue of a plant
      derived non-toxic antitussive alkaloid, noscapine, achieved significant
      inhibition of hormone-refractory human prostate cancer implanted intratibially in
      the bone as shown by non-invasive, real-time bioluminescent imaging of tumour
      growth in nude mice. Mechanistically, in vitro data suggested that the
      antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects of EM011 in human prostate cancer cell
      lines were through blockade of cell-cycle progression by impairing the formation
      of a bipolar spindle apparatus. The G2/M arrest was accompanied by activation of
      the mitotic checkpoint, a pre-requisite for induction of optimal apoptosis.
      Attenuation of mitotic checkpoint by siRNA duplexes led to a reduction in mitotic
      arrest and subsequent apoptosis. Our results further demonstrated participation
      of an intrinsic mitochondrially mediated apoptotic pathway that ultimately
      triggered caspase-driven EM011-induced apoptosis. EM011 did not exert any
      detectable toxicity in normal tissues with frequently dividing cells such as the
      gut and bone marrow. Thus, these data warrant further evaluation of EM011 for the
      management of prostate cancer.

PMID- 20303262
TI  - Optimization of volatile fatty acid production with co-substrate of food wastes
      and dewatered excess sludge using response surface methodology.
AB  - Central-composite design (CCD) and response surface methodology (RSM) were used
      to optimize the parameters of volatile fatty acid (VFA) production from food
      wastes and dewatered excess sludge in a semi-continuous process. The effects of
      four variables (food wastes composition in the co-substrate of food wastes and
      excess sludge, hydraulic retention time (HRT), organic loading rate (OLR), and
      pH) on acidogenesis were evaluated individually and interactively. The optimum
      condition derived via RSM was food wastes composition, 88.03%; HRT, 8.92 days;
      OLR, 8.31 g VSS/ld; and pH 6.99. The experimental VFA concentration was 29,099
      mg/l under this optimum condition, which was well in agreement with the predicted
      value of 28,000 mg/l.

PMID- 20303261
TI  - Experimental treatment of oestrogen receptor (ER) positive breast cancer with
      tamoxifen and brivanib alaninate, a VEGFR-2/FGFR-1 kinase inhibitor: a potential
      clinical application of angiogenesis inhibitors.
AB  - PURPOSE: Tamoxifen, a selective oestrogen receptor modulator (SERM), and brivanib
      alaninate, a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2) inhibitor,
      are two target specific agents that result in a substantial decrease in tumour
      growth when given alone. Tamoxifen activates SERM stimulated breast and
      endometrial tumour growth. Tamoxifen and brivanib alaninate have side-effects
      that can affect therapeutic outcomes. The primary goal of the current study was
      to evaluate the therapeutic effects of lower doses of both agents when given in
      combination to mice with SERM sensitive, oestrogen stimulated tumour xenografts
      (MCF-7 E2 tumours). Experiments were conducted to evaluate the response of SERM
      stimulated breast (MCF-7 Tam, MCF-7 Ral) and endometrial tumours (EnCa 101) to
      demonstrate the activity of brivanib alaninate in SERM resistant models.
      EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: In the current study, tumour xenografts were minced and bi
      transplanted into the mammary fat pads of athymic, ovariectomised mice.
      Preliminary experiments were conducted to determine an effective oral dose of
      tamoxifen and brivanib alaninate that had minimal effect on tumour growth. Doses
      of 125 microg of tamoxifen and 0.05 mg/g of brivanib alaninate were evaluated. An
      experiment was designed to evaluate the effect of the two agents together when
      started at the time of tumour implantation. An additional experiment was done in
      which tumours were already established and then treated, to obtain enough tumour
      tissue for molecular analysis. RESULTS: Brivanib alaninate was effective at
      inhibiting tumour growth in SERM sensitive (MCF-7 E2) and SERM stimulated (EnCa
      101, MCF-7 Ral, MCF-7 Tam) models. The effect of the low dose drug combination as
      an anti-tumour strategy for SERM sensitive (MCF-7 E2) in early treatment was as
      effective as higher doses of either drug used alone. In established tumours, the
      combination is successful at decreasing tumour growth, while neither agent alone
      is effective. Molecular analysis revealed a decreased phosphorylation of VEGFR-2
      in tumours that were treated with brivanib alaninate and an increase in VEGFA
      transcription to compensate for the blockade of VEGFR-2 by increasing the
      transcription of VEGFA. Tamoxifen increases the phosphorylation of VEGFR-2 and
      this effect is abrogated by brivanib alaninate. There was also increased necrosis
      in tumours treated with brivanib alaninate. CONCLUSION: Historically, tamoxifen
      has a role in blocking angiogenesis as well as the blockade of the ER. Tamoxifen
      and a low dose of an angiogenesis inhibitor, brivanib alaninate, can potentially
      be combined not only to maximise therapeutic efficacy but also to retard SERM
      resistant tumour growth.

PMID- 20303263
TI  - Novel benzofuran-3-one indole inhibitors of PI3 kinase-alpha and the mammalian
      target of rapamycin: hit to lead studies.
AB  - A series of benzofuran-3-one indole phosphatidylinositol-3-kinases (PI3K)
      inhibitors identified via HTS has been prepared. The optimized inhibitors possess
      single digit nanomolar activity against p110alpha (PI3K-alpha), good
      pharmaceutical properties, selectivity versus p110gamma (PI3K-gamma), and tunable
      selectivity versus the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). Modeling of
      compounds 9 and 32 in homology models of PI3K-alpha and mTOR supports the
      proposed rationale for selectivity. Compounds show activity in multiple cellular
      proliferation assays with signaling through the PI3K pathway confirmed via
      phospho-Akt inhibition in PC-3 cells.

PMID- 20303264
TI  - Heterocyclic fused pyridone carboxylic acid M(1) positive allosteric modulators.
AB  - The phenyl ring in a series of quinolone carboxylic acid M(1) positive allosteric
      modulators was replaced with a variety of heterocycles in order to reduce protein
      plasma binding and enhance CNS exposure.

PMID- 20303266
TI  - Theta-coupled periodic replay in working memory.
AB  - Working memory allows information from transient events to persist as active
      neural representations that can be used for goal-directed behaviors such as
      decision making and learning. Computational modeling based on neuronal firing
      patterns in animals suggests that one putative mechanism enabling working memory
      is periodic reactivation (henceforth termed "replay") of the maintained
      information coordinated by neural oscillations at theta (4-8 Hz) and gamma (30-80
      Hz) frequency. To investigate this possibility, we trained multivariate pattern
      classifier decoding algorithms on oscillatory brain responses to images depicting
      natural scenes, recorded with high temporal resolution via
      magnetoencephalography. These classifiers were applied to brain activity recorded
      during the subsequent five second maintenance of the scenes. This decoding
      revealed replay during the entire maintenance interval. Replay was specific to
      whether an indoor or an outdoor scene was maintained and whether maintenance
      centered on configural associations of scene elements or just single scene
      elements. Replay was coordinated by the phase of theta and the amount of theta
      coordination was correlated with working memory performance. By confirming the
      predictions of a mechanistic model and linking these to behavioral performance in
      humans, these findings identify theta-coupled replay as a mechanism of working
      memory maintenance.

PMID- 20303267
TI  - Human-monkey gaze correlations reveal convergent and divergent patterns of movie
      viewing.
AB  - The neuroanatomical organization of the visual system is largely similar across
      primate species, predicting similar visual behaviors and perceptions. Although
      responses to trial-by-trial presentation of static images suggest that primates
      share visual orienting strategies, these reduced stimuli fail to capture key
      elements of the naturalistic, dynamic visual world in which we evolved. Here, we
      compared the gaze behavior of humans and macaques when they viewed three
      different 3-minute movie clips. We found significant intersubject and
      interspecies gaze correlations, suggesting that both species attend a common set
      of events in each scene. Comparing human and monkey gaze behavior with a
      computational saliency model revealed that interspecies gaze correlations were
      driven by biologically relevant social stimuli overlooked by low-level saliency
      models. Additionally, humans, but not monkeys, tended to gaze toward the targets
      of viewed individual's actions or gaze. Together, these data suggest that human
      and monkey gaze behavior comprises converging and diverging informational
      strategies, driven by both scene content and context; they are not fully
      described by simple low-level visual models.

PMID- 20303268
TI  - Membrane targeting of Bazooka/PAR-3 is mediated by direct binding to
      phosphoinositide lipids.
AB  - Cell polarity in higher animals is controlled by evolutionarily conserved protein
      complexes, which localize to the cytocortex in a polarized manner. The PAR-3/PAR
      6/atypical protein kinase C (aPKC) complex is the first to become asymmetrically
      localized, and it controls the localization of additional complexes functioning
      further downstream in the regulation of cell polarity. The first component of the
      PAR-3/PAR-6/aPKC complex that is localized to the cortex is Bazooka/PAR-3 (Baz),
      a large scaffolding protein. In most cell types analyzed, loss of Baz function
      leads to loss of cell polarity. Here we present a structure-function analysis of
      Baz focusing on its subcellular localization and function in four different
      polarized Drosophila cell types: the embryonic ectodermal epidermis, the
      follicular epithelium, embryonic neuroblasts, and the oocyte. We show that the
      PDZ domains of Baz are dispensable for its correct localization, whereas a
      conserved region in the C-terminal part of Baz to which no function had been
      assigned so far is required and sufficient for membrane localization. This region
      binds to phosphoinositide membrane lipids and thus mediates cortical localization
      of Baz by direct interaction with the plasma membrane. Our findings reveal a
      mechanism for the coupling of plasma membrane polarity and cortical polarity.

PMID- 20303269
TI  - Ajuba LIM proteins are negative regulators of the Hippo signaling pathway.
AB  - The mammalian Ajuba LIM proteins (Ajuba, LIMD1, and WTIP) are adaptor proteins
      that exhibit the potential to communicate cell adhesive events with nuclear
      responses to remodel epithelia. Determining their role in vivo, however, has been
      challenging due to overlapping tissue expression and functional redundancy. Thus,
      we turned to Drosophila, where a single gene, CG11063 or djub, exists. Drosophila
      lacking the djub gene or depleted of dJub by RNA interference identify djub as an
      essential gene for development and a novel regulator of epithelial organ size as
      a component of the conserved Hippo (Hpo) pathway, which has been implicated in
      both tissue size control and cancer development. djub-deficient tissues were
      small and had decreased cell numbers as a result of increased apoptosis and
      decreased proliferation, due to downregulation of DIAP1 and cyclin E. This
      phenocopies tissues deficient for Yorkie (Yki), the downstream target of the
      Hippo pathway. djub genetically interacts with the Hippo pathway, and epistasis
      suggests that djub lies downstream of hpo. In mammalian and Drosophila cells,
      Ajuba LIM proteins/dJub interact with LATS/Warts (Wts) and WW45/Sav to inhibit
      phosphorylation of YAP/Yki. This work describes a novel role for the Ajuba LIM
      proteins as negative regulators of the Hippo signaling pathway.

PMID- 20303265
TI  - The role of recently derived FT paralogs in sunflower domestication.
AB  - Gene duplication provides an important source of genetic raw material for
      phenotypic diversification, but few studies have detailed the mechanisms through
      which duplications produce evolutionary novelty within species. Here, we
      investigate how a set of recently duplicated homologs of the floral inducer
      FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) has contributed to sunflower domestication. We find that
      changes in expression of these duplicates are associated with differences in
      flowering behavior between wild and domesticated sunflower. In addition, we
      present genetic and functional evidence demonstrating that a frameshift mutation
      in one paralog, Helianthus annuus FT 1 (HaFT1), underlies a major QTL for
      flowering time and experienced a selective sweep during early domestication.
      Notably, this dominant-negative allele delays flowering through interference with
      action of another paralog, HaFT4. Together, these data reveal that changes
      affecting the expression, sequence, and gene interactions of HaFT paralogs have
      played key roles during sunflower domestication. Our findings also illustrate the
      important role that evolving interactions between new gene family members may
      play in fostering phenotypic change.

PMID- 20303270
TI  - Sensor fusion in identified visual interneurons.
AB  - Animal locomotion often depends upon stabilization reflexes that use sensory
      feedback to maintain trajectories and orientation. Such stabilizing reflexes are
      critically important for the blowfly, whose aerodynamic instability permits
      outstanding maneuverability but increases the demands placed on flight control.
      Flies use several sensory systems to drive reflex responses, and recent studies
      have provided access to the circuitry responsible for combining and employing
      these sensory inputs. We report that lobula plate VS neurons combine inputs from
      two optical sensors, the ocelli and the compound eyes. Both systems deliver
      essential information on in-flight rotations, but our neuronal recordings reveal
      that the ocelli encode this information in three axes, whereas the compound eyes
      encode in nine. The difference in dimensionality is reconciled by tuning each VS
      neuron to the ocellar axis closest to its compound eye axis. We suggest that this
      simple projection combines the speed of the ocelli with the accuracy of the
      compound eyes without compromising either. Our findings also support the
      suggestion that the coordinates of sensory information processing are aligned
      with axes controlling the natural modes of the fly's flight to improve the
      efficiency with which sensory signals are transformed into appropriate motor
      commands.

PMID- 20303272
TI  - A new formulation of the coefficient of multiple correlation to assess the
      similarity of waveforms measured synchronously by different motion analysis
      protocols.
AB  - Different 3D motion analysis protocols are currently available, but little is
      known regarding the level of similarity of their outcomes, e.g. whether a joint
      angle waveform from one protocol can be interchanged with that measured by
      another protocol. Similarity assessments are therefore urgent to ease the
      comparison of results. In this context, a major issue is how to quantify the
      similarity between waveforms measured synchronously through different protocols,
      within each of many movement-cycles (e.g. gait-cycle), when the effect of
      protocols on waveforms similarity is the only of interest. For this purpose we
      developed a new formulation of the statistical index called coefficient of
      multiple correlation (CMC). The CMC measures the overall similarity of waveforms
      taking into account the concurrent effects of differences in offset, correlation,
      and gain. The within-day CMC originally proposed by Kadaba et al. [7], was
      firstly reinterpreted in terms of "excluded factors". Then, the new formulation
      was set to assess the inter-protocol similarity, removing the between-gait-cycle
      variability. An example showing the effectiveness of the new formulation is
      presented regarding the pelvis-trunk and ankle kinematics.

PMID- 20303273
TI  - The association between personality, pain threshold and a single nucleotide
      polymorphism (rs3813034) in the 3'-untranslated region of the serotonin
      transporter gene (SLC6A4).
AB  - In 181 healthy Japanese volunteers we examined the relationship between
      personality, sensitivity to pain and a single nucleotide polymorphism (rs3813034)
      in the 3' untranslated region (3' UTR) of the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene
      (SLC6A4). Pain sensitivity was assessed by using cold and pressure thresholds.
      Personality was assessed by the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Males
      without the T allele (G/G) showed a significantly higher spiritual acceptance
      (ST3) score than those who had the T allele (T/T and T/G). Females with the T
      allele (T/T and T/G) showed significantly higher transpersonal identification
      (ST2) and self-transcendence (ST) scores than those without the T allele (G/G).
      As for pain sensitivity and its relationship with TCI, we found a low negative
      correlation between cold water stimulation, disorderliness (NS4) and novelty
      seeking (NS) in males, whereas in females we found a low positive correlation
      between cold water stimulation, self-acceptance (SD4) and pure-hearted principles
      (C5), as well as pressure stimulation and SD4. It is possible that the 5-HTT 3'
      UTR gene polymorphism affects the character dimensions of Cloniger's theory, and
      that there might be a low correlation between pain and a part of the personality.

PMID- 20303271
TI  - Acidic calcium stores open for business: expanding the potential for
      intracellular Ca2+ signaling.
AB  - Changes in cytosolic calcium concentration are crucial for a variety of cellular
      processes in all cells. It has long been appreciated that calcium is stored and
      released from intracellular calcium stores such as the endoplasmic reticulum.
      However, emerging evidence indicates that calcium is also dynamically regulated
      by a seemingly disparate collection of acidic organelles. In this paper, we
      review the defining features of these 'acidic calcium stores' and highlight
      recent progress in understanding the mechanisms of uptake and release of calcium
      from these stores. We also examine the nature of calcium buffering within the
      stores, and summarize the physiological and pathophysiological significance of
      these ubiquitous organelles in calcium signaling.

PMID- 20303274
TI  - Outcomes of gamma knife treatment for solid intracranial hemangioblastomas.
AB  - The aim of this study was to examine the results of gamma knife radiosurgery for
      13 patients with residual/recurrent or newly diagnosed solid hemangioblastomas.
      The 13 patients had 34 solid hemangioblastomas, and all patients underwent gamma
      knife radiosurgery. Seven patients had von Hippel-Lindau disease and six had
      sporadic disease. When individual lesions were considered, the overall mean dose
      at the tumor periphery was 15.8 Gy (range: 12-25 Gy) and the average maximum
      tumor dose was 31.6 Gy (range: 24-50 Gy). The mean duration of follow-up with MRI
      was 50.2 months. At the last follow-up evaluation, growth control was achieved
      for all tumors (partial remission in three tumors [8.8%] and no change in 31
      tumors [91.2%]). No radiation-related complications were encountered. Our
      findings reinforce the view that gamma knife radiosurgery is effective and safe
      for the management of solid hemangioblastomas with a diameter less than 3 cm,
      whether they are sporadic or associated with von Hippel-Lindau disease. The high
      response rate and lack of any radiation-induced side-effects confirms the
      suitability of the doses used in the present study.

PMID- 20303276
TI  - Effect of knee flexion angle on ground reaction forces, knee moments and muscle
      co-contraction during an impact-like deceleration landing: implications for the
      non-contact mechanism of ACL injury.
AB  - Investigating landing kinetics and neuromuscular control strategies during rapid
      deceleration movements is a prerequisite to understanding the non-contact
      mechanism of ACL injury. The purpose of this study was to quantify the effect of
      knee flexion angle on ground reaction forces, net knee joint moments, muscle co
      contraction and lower extremity muscles during an impact-like, deceleration task.
      Ground reaction forces and knee joint moments were determined from video and
      force plate records of 10 healthy male subjects performing rapid deceleration
      single leg landings from a 10.5 cm height with different degrees of knee flexion
      at landing. Muscle co-contraction was based on muscle moments calculated from an
      EMG-to-moment processing model. Ground reaction forces and co-contraction indices
      decreased while knee extensor moments increased significantly with increased
      degrees of knee flexion at landing (all p<0.005). Higher ground reaction forces
      when landing in an extended knee position suggests they are a contributing factor
      in non-contact ACL injuries. Increased knee extensor moments and less co
      contraction with flexed knee landings suggest that quadriceps overload may not be
      the primary cause of non-contact ACL injuries. The results bring into question
      the counterbalancing role of the hamstrings during dynamic movements. The soleus
      may be a valuable synergist stabilizing the tibia against anterior translation at
      landing. Movement strategies that lessen the propagation of reaction forces up
      the kinetic chain may help prevent non-contact ACL injuries. The relative
      interaction of all involved thigh and lower leg muscles, not just the quadriceps
      and hamstrings should be considered when interpreting non-contact ACL injury
      mechanisms.

PMID- 20303275
TI  - Quadriceps strength is not related to gait impact loading in knee osteoarthritis.
AB  - Joint loading has been implicated in the pathogenesis of knee osteoarthritis
      (OA). While compartment-specific measures such as the knee adduction moment have
      received much attention in the literature, less is known about other measures of
      dynamic loading in this patient population. This cross-sectional study assessed
      strength and walking patterns of 204 individuals with radiographically confirmed
      medial tibiofemoral OA and varus malalignment. Pearson product moment
      correlations and regression analyses were used to determine the bivariate and
      multivariate relationships amongst measures of impact loading (rate of loading
      and heelstrike transient occurrence) with demographic, clinical (in particular,
      radiographic disease severity, lower limb alignment, and self-reported pain and
      function), and biomechanical variables (maximum voluntary isometric quadriceps
      strength and gait kinematics). While maximum voluntary isometric quadriceps
      strength was significantly correlated with rate of loading (r>0.27) when walking
      at a freely chosen speed, multiple regression analyses indicated that rate of
      loading was primarily dictated by walking speed (p<0.001), and the effect of
      quadriceps strength was insignificant when accounting for all other included
      variables. Individuals who exhibited a heelstrike transient in their vertical
      ground reaction force profile were significantly more varus malaligned and were
      more likely to demonstrate severe radiographic degeneration than those who did
      not exhibit heelstrike transients. These results demonstrate higher impact
      loading during walking in those with knee OA with faster self-selected walking
      speeds, though the relationship with quadriceps strength is less clear.
      Importantly a potential association between disease characteristics, such as
      malalignment and disease severity, and higher impact loading was also observed.

PMID- 20303277
TI  - Discovery of inhibitors of brassinin oxidase based on the scaffolds of the
      phytoalexins brassilexin and wasalexin.
AB  - Inhibitors of brassinin oxidase (BOLm), a unique phytoalexin detoxifying enzyme
      produced by the plant pathogenic fungus Leptosphaeria maculans (asexual stage
      Phoma lingam), were designed based on scaffolds of the phytoalexins brassilexin
      and wasalexin. Evaluation of these compounds using purified BOLm established that
      the inhibitory effect of brassilexin and derivatives decreased as follows: 6
      chlorobrassilexin approximately 6-bromobrassilexin>5-bromobrassilexin
      approximately 5-chlorobrassilexin approximately 6-fluorobrassilexin>8
      methylbrassilexin>brassilexin approximately 5-fluorobrassilexin. 6
      Chlorobrassilexin was determined to be the best competitive inhibitor of BOLm
      discovered to date, with a K(i)=31microM. Importantly, brassilexin and
      derivatives did not appear to induce BOLm in fungal cultures. Overall, these
      results suggest that the brassilexin scaffold is a good lead for further
      development of paldoxins against L. maculans, as it inhibits competitively BOLm
      without apparent induction.

PMID- 20303278
TI  - Synthesis and anticancer activity evaluation of 2(4-alkoxyphenyl)cyclopropyl
      hydrazides and triazolo phthalazines.
AB  - A series of new 2(4-alkoxyphenyl)cyclopropyl hydrazide- and triazolo-derivatives
      were synthesized starting from 4-hydroxycinnamic acid (1) in a clean, mild,
      efficient and straightforward synthetic protocol. These compounds consisting of
      different alkoxy substitution, phenylcyclopropyl backbone and different
      heterocyclic groups were evaluated for in vitro anticancer activity against 4
      cell lines displaying certain levels of resistance to pro-apoptotic stimuli and 2
      cell lines sensitive to pro-apoptotic compounds. Compounds 7f and 8e were most
      active and displaying moderate in vitro cytostatic effect through different
      mechanisms. Significantly, chemically modified derivatives could be obtained in
      order to develop novel types of compounds aiming to combat apoptosis-resistant
      cancers, for example, those cancers associated with dismal prognoses.

PMID- 20303279
TI  - Cranial trauma in ancient Greece: from Homer to classical authors.
AB  - This article presents literary evidence on traumatic cranio-cerebral injuries in
      ancient Greece from about 900 B.C. to 100 B.C. The main sources of information
      are epic and classic Greek texts of that period. Homer provides the first
      literary source of head trauma, which he portrayed in his epic poems The Iliad
      and The Odyssey. He describes 41 injuries of the head, face and cervical spine,
      of which all but two were fatal. Subsequently, other classical authors like
      Plato, Plutarch and others illustrate cases of cranial trauma that occurred
      mainly in the battlefields, during athletic games or in unusual accidents. They
      describe some interesting cases of head trauma in prominent men, such as the poet
      Aeschylos, the kings Pyrrhos and Kyros and Alexander the Great. Most of these
      descriptions show that the ancient Greeks possessed very good knowledge of the
      anatomy of the head and neck region and also of the pathophysiological
      consequences of trauma in the region.

PMID- 20303280
TI  - Traumatic arteriovenous fistula of the upper lip: a case report.
AB  - Traumatic arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is often challenging to diagnose and
      manage. Those involving the external carotid artery or its branches occur
      relatively rarely. We present a case of a vascular mass of the upper lip at the
      right side with a previous history of blunt trauma. AVF of the upper lip can be
      successfully managed with the preservation of lip function and the cosmetic
      appearance through surgical excision without embolisation if there is good local
      access to the lesion.

PMID- 20303281
TI  - Internal carotid dissection after Le Fort III distraction in Apert syndrome: a
      case report.
AB  - A 10-year-old girl with Apert syndrome underwent a Le Fort III osteotomy with the
      positioning of internal and external distraction devices. The operation was
      straightforward with no intraoperative complications. Very soon after completion
      of surgery an anisocoria (unilateral dilation of a pupil) was noticed. This was
      followed by intracranial oedema which was fatal. The aetiology was dissection of
      the right internal carotid artery is reported. The complications of Le Fort
      osteotomies are discussed regarding patients with complex syndromal
      craniosynostosis and midface hypoplasia, such as Apert syndrome.

PMID- 20303282
TI  - Virtual dental surgery as a new educational tool in dental school.
AB  - PURPOSE: The virtual environment of the Voxel-Man simulator that was originally
      designed for virtual surgical procedures of the middle ear has been adapted to
      intraoral procedures. To assess application of the simulator to dentistry,
      virtual apicectomies were chosen as the pilot-test model. METHODS: A group of 53
      dental students provided their impressions after virtual simulation of
      apicectomies in the Voxel-Man simulator. RESULTS: Fifty-one of the 53 students
      recommended the virtual simulation as an additional modality in dental education.
      The students indicated that the force feedback (e.g. simulation of haptic
      pressure), spatial 3D perception, and image resolution of the simulator were
      sufficient for virtual training of dental surgical procedures. CONCLUSION: The
      feedback from dental students involved in this pilot-test has encouraged our
      interdisciplinary group to continue further development of the simulator with the
      goal of creating new training strategies in dental and medical education.

PMID- 20303283
TI  - A classification and construction of congenital lateral facial clefts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The repair of the lateral or transverse facial cleft is a surgical
      challenge on the account of the abnormal positioning and appearance of the cleft.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Over a twenty-seven year period, 22 lateral facial cleft
      cases were evaluated at a cleft lip (CL) and palate clinic and seven children
      underwent reconstruction of the lateral CL. RESULTS: Twenty-two of 3187 (0.69%)
      cases presented with a lateral CL. Five of these 22 cases (23%) had a bilateral,
      eight (36%) had a right-sided and nine (41%) had a left-sided cleft. The
      evaluation of these cases resulted in a new classification (namely an extension
      of the Tessier 7 cleft) classification for the cutaneous and muscle involvement:
      a superior (T7.1), middle (T7.2), inferior (T7.3) and agenetic (T7.4) lateral CL.
      The altered surgical construction: an internal mucosal straight-line closure, a
      curved cutaneous-mucosal red-lip/vermilion-lined flap for the lip commissure,
      muscle reconstruction at the modiolus and a positional cutaneous z-plasty for the
      rare lateral cutaneous cleft. CONCLUSION: The paper introduced a new
      classification for the lateral CL, as well as an altered surgical reconstructive
      technique for the most natural functioning of the lateral part of the face.

PMID- 20303284
TI  - Association of proinflammatory cytokines with end stage renal disease.
AB  - CONTEXT: Cytokines play an important role in the pathogenesis of kidney disease
      and its progression to ESRD. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a
      proinflammatory cytokine that is released by macrophages and lymphocytes and
      interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) plays an important pathogenetic role in several
      inflammatory diseases. OBJECTIVES: We have explored the role of MIF -173 G/C, INF
      gamma +874 A/T and INF-gamma CA repeat microsatellite gene polymorphisms as a
      susceptibility for ESRD. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: We genotyped MIF and IFN-gamma
      gene polymorphisms in 258 patients with ESRD and 569 healthy controls free of any
      renal disease using PCR-RFLP, gene sequencing and gene scanning methods. RESULTS:
      The frequency of high producer MIF -173 CC genotype was higher (10.1%) in ESRD
      than in controls (1.2%) (p=0.0001, OR=8.9; 95%CI=3.8-21.0). It was observed that
      there was significant differences in the genotype frequencies of the IFN-gamma
      +874 A/T at genotypic as well as at allelic level (p=0.0023 and p=0.001) among
      patients and controls. A significant difference was found in the frequency
      distribution between the two groups at IFN-gamma CA microsatellite polymorphism
      (p=0.0001) (CA(17))/(CA(17)). Combined analysis revealed a higher risk (
      approximately 9-fold) in ESRD patients with high MIF -173 G/C and high INF-gamma
      +874 A/T protein producing phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight the
      role of MIF and IFN-gamma in ESRD disease.

PMID- 20303286
TI  - Automatic detection of surface EMG activation timing using a wavelet transform
      based method.
AB  - The problem of the identification of the muscle contraction timing by using
      surface electromyographic signal is addressed. The timing detection of the
      muscular activation in dynamic conditions has a real clinical diagnostic impact.
      Widely used single threshold methods still rely on the experience of the operator
      in manually setting that threshold. A new approach to detect the muscular
      activation intervals, that is based on discontinuities detection in the wavelet
      domain, is proposed. Accuracy and precision of the algorithm were assessed by
      using a set of simulated signals obtaining values lower than 11.0 and 8.7 ms for
      biases and standard deviations of the estimation, respectively. Moreover an
      experimental application of the algorithm was carried out recruiting a population
      of 10 able-bodied subjects and processing the myoelectric signals recorded from
      the lower limb during an isokinetic exercise. The algorithm was able to reveal
      correctly the timing of muscular activation with performance comparable to the
      state-of-the-art methods. The detection algorithm is automatic and user
      independent, it manages the detection of both onset and offset activation, it can
      be fruitfully applied even in presence of noise and, therefore, it can be used
      also by unskilled operators.

PMID- 20303285
TI  - Structural characterization of intact proteins is enhanced by prevalent
      fragmentation pathways rarely observed for peptides.
AB  - While collisionally activated dissociation (CAD) pathways for peptides are well
      characterized, those of intact proteins are not. We systematically assigned CAD
      product ions of ubiquitin, myoglobin, and bovine serum albumin generated using
      high-yield, in-source fragmentation. Assignment of >98% of hundreds of product
      ions implies that the fragmentation pathways described are representative of the
      major pathways. Protein dissociation mechanisms were found to be modulated by
      both source declustering potential and precursor ion charge state. Like peptides,
      higher charge states of proteins fragmented at lower energies next to Pro, via
      mobile protons, while lower charge states fragmented at higher energies after Asp
      and Glu, via localized protons. Unlike peptides, however, predominant
      fragmentation channels of proteins occurred at intermediate charge states via non
      canonical mechanisms and produced extensive internal fragmentation. The non
      canonical mechanisms include prominent cleavages C-terminal to Pro and Asn, and N
      terminal to Ile, Leu, and Ser; these cleavages, along with internal fragments,
      led to a 45% increase in sequence coverage, improving the specificity of top-down
      protein identification. Three applications take advantage of the different
      mechanisms of protein fragmentation. First, modulation of declustering potential
      selectively fragments different charge states, allowing the source region to be
      used as the first stage of a low-resolution tandem mass spectrometer,
      facilitating pseudo-MS(3) of product ions with known parent charge states.
      Second, development and integration of automated modulation of ion funnel
      declustering potential allows users access to a particular fragmentation
      mechanism, yielding facile cleavage on a liquid chromatography timescale. Third,
      augmentation of a top-down search engine improved protein characterization.

PMID- 20303287
TI  - Single-row versus double-row arthroscopic rotator cuff repair in small- to medium
      sized tears.
AB  - HYPOTHESIS: Double-row rotator cuff repair leads to superior cuff integrity and
      clinical results compared with single-row repair. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      study enrolled 68 patients with a full-thickness rotator cuff tear who were
      divided into 2 groups of 34 patients according to repair technique. The patients
      were followed-up for at least 2 years. The results were evaluated by Constant
      score. DISCUSSION: Despite the biomechanical studies and cadaver studies that
      proved the superiority of double-row fixation over single-row fixation, our
      clinical results show no difference in functional outcome between the two
      methods. It is evident that double-row repair is more technically demanding,
      expensive, and time-consuming than single-row repair, without providing a
      significant improvement in clinical results. RESULTS: Comparison between groups
      did not show significant differences. At the final follow-up, the Constant score
      was 82.2 in the single-row group and 78.8 in the double-row group. Functional
      outcome was improved in both groups after surgery, but the difference between the
      2 groups was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: At long-term follow-up, arthroscopic
      rotator cuff repair with the double-row technique showed no significant
      difference in clinical outcome compared with single-row repair in small to medium
      tears.

PMID- 20303288
TI  - Quality of life and functional outcome after a 2-part proximal humeral fracture:
      a prospective cohort study on 50 patients treated with a locking plate.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to report the 2-year outcome after a
      displaced 2-part fracture of the proximal humerus in elderly patients treated
      with a locking plate, including an assessment of the health-related quality of
      life (HRQoL). MATERIAL AND METHODS: We included 50 patients, mean age 75 (range,
      55-93) years with 80% women. The fracture inclusion criteria were a displacement
      of the shaft of >50% of its width and/or >45 degrees of angulation. Follow-up
      examinations were performed at 4, 12, and 24 months. The main outcome measures
      were the Constant and DASH scores and HRQoL according to the EQ-5D. RESULTS:
      Eight patients (16%) were re-operated upon during the study period. At the final
      follow-up the mean Constant score was 61 and the mean DASH score 32. The EQ-5D
      (index) score decreased from 0.86 before the fracture to 0.62 at 4 months. At 12
      months the EQ-5D (index) score was 0.65 and at 24 months 0.68. The values at all
      follow-ups were significantly lower than before the fracture (P < .001 in all 3
      comparisons). CONCLUSION: Locking plates appear to be a good treatment
      alternative in elderly patients with a displaced 2-part fracture of the surgical
      neck of the proximal humerus with an acceptable complication rate and an
      acceptable functional outcome; however, rigorous attention has to be paid to
      avoid screw penetration. Despite the overall acceptable functional outcome, the
      patients reported a substantial negative effect upon their HRQoL.

PMID- 20303289
TI  - The effect of medical comorbidity on self-reported shoulder-specific health
      related quality of life in patients with shoulder disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate further the effect of
      medical comorbidity on a patient reported shoulder specific health related
      quality of life (HRQoL) measure. We investigated which types of comorbidities
      have a detrimental effect upon shoulder specific HRQoL. We hypothesized that
      general medical comorbidity would not negatively affect shoulder specific HRQoL
      questionnaires, but that comorbidities specific to the chest region would, when
      properly controlling for other patient factors. METHODS: A cohort of 173
      consecutive patients who underwent shoulder surgery for osteoarthritis and/or
      rotator cuff repair was extracted from a clinical outcomes database. Their health
      related quality of life (HRQoL) was evaluated with the University of Pennsylvania
      (PENN) shoulder score and the Short Form-36 (SF-36). Nonadjusted and multivariate
      risk-adjusted models were built to investigate the effect of medial comorbidity
      on shoulder specific HRQoL and were tested using linear modeling. RESULTS:
      Nonadjusted models showed patients with more total comorbidities (P=.01) and more
      chest-related comorbidities (P=.006) had lower PENN scores. But, when risk
      adjusting for other patient factors, the PENN scores decreased with an increase
      in the number of chest comorbidities (P=.008), but not the number of total
      comorbidites (P=.391) or other (nonchest) comorbidities (P=.163). CONCLUSION:
      Shoulder specific HRQoL measures are joint specific, but they are influenced by
      disease or conditions that affect the chest region. This may be important in
      understanding why patients with certain comorbid diseases report worse shoulder
      pain and function and may respond differently to treatment over time.

PMID- 20303290
TI  - Posterior sternoclavicular fracture-dislocation: a case report and novel
      treatment method.

PMID- 20303291
TI  - Optimization of glenoid fixation in reverse shoulder arthroplasty using 3
      dimensional modeling.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Reverse shoulder fixation complications may be related to how much
      glenoid bone is removed and how the fixation screws are located in the glenoid.
      The purpose of this study was to determine how much bone volume and surface area
      are lost with incremental reaming and to evaluate screw fixation. METHODS: A
      contemporary reverse shoulder implant was virtually implanted into models of 6
      different shoulders following initial and then after additional incremental
      reaming was performed. Changes in the glenoid bone surface area and volume
      available for fixation were statistically evaluated using repeated measures
      ANOVAs. RESULTS: The total bone volume, the amount of reamed glenoid surface area
      available for an implant baseplate, and the actual amount of the glenoid in
      contact with a baseplate decreased with increasing amounts of reaming. With 5 mm
      of reaming, the total volume decreased by 2810 mm(3), the reamed glenoid surface
      area decreased by 28%, and the amount of the glenoid in contact with the
      baseplate decreased by 27%. The amount of engagement of anterior and posterior
      screws was much less than that of the superior and inferior screws. CONCLUSION:
      Careful reaming of the glenoid surface is critical, because as little as 1 extra
      millimeter of bone removal decreases the amount of bone available for implant
      fixation. After reaming there may not be enough bone to accommodate anterior and
      posterior screws with the design used in this study.

PMID- 20303292
TI  - Contact between the coracoacromial arch and the rotator cuff tendons in
      nonpathologic situations: a cadaveric study.
AB  - HYPOTHESIS: A recent ultrasound study has shown that impingement phenomenon was
      observed in healthy shoulders. We hypothesized that nonpathologic contact beneath
      the coracoacromial arch occurs in normal shoulders. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seven
      fresh-frozen cadaveric shoulders were studied. Each specimen was attached to a
      custom-designed shoulder-positioning device. A 22-N force was applied to the
      humeral head to keep it centered in the glenoid fossa. Contact pressure beneath
      the coracoacromial arch was measured by a flexible force sensor during flexion,
      abduction, internal and external rotation, extension, and horizontal abduction
      motions. Bending deformation of the coracoacromial ligament was measured by a
      linear variable differential transducer sensor. Data were recorded with the arm
      from 0 degrees to maximum range of motion with 10 degrees increments. RESULTS:
      Contact pressure with the coracoacromial ligament and acromion was not zero in
      the neutral position and increased during particular motions, such as flexion,
      abduction, horizontal abduction, and extension, whereas it was almost constant
      during internal and external rotation. Bending deformation of the coracoacromial
      ligament during flexion, abduction, and horizontal abduction motions was also
      shown to be greater than that during internal and external rotation. DISCUSSION:
      It is possible that repetitive contact of the coracoacromial ligament may cause
      degenerative changes, and a ridge of proliferative acromial spurs may be the
      result of nonpathologic contact. CONCLUSIONS: Contact phenomenon of the
      coracoacromial arch was observed during all motions. Nonpathologic contact
      beneath the coracoacromial arch may be present in normal shoulders.

PMID- 20303293
TI  - Diabetes mellitus impairs tendon-bone healing after rotator cuff repair.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Studies have demonstrated a significant decrease in skeletal mass,
      bone mineral density, and impaired fracture healing in the diabetic population.
      However, the effect of sustained hyperglycemia on tendon-to-bone healing is
      unknown. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-eight male, Lewis rats underwent unilateral
      detachment of the supraspinatus tendon followed by immediate anatomic repair with
      transosseous fixation. In the experimental group (n = 24), diabetes was induced
      preoperatively via intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ, 65 mg/kg)
      and confirmed with both pre- and post-STZ injection intraperitoneal glucose
      tolerance tests (IPGTT). Animals were sacrificed at 1 and 2 weeks postoperatively
      for biomechanical, histomorphometric, and immunohistochemical analysis. Serum
      hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels were measured at 2 weeks postoperatively.
      Statistical comparisons were performed using Student t tests with significance
      set at P < .05. RESULTS: IPGTT analysis demonstrated a significant impairment of
      glycemic control in the diabetic compared to control animals (P < .05). Mean
      HbA1c level at 2 weeks postoperatively was 10.6 +/- 2.7% and 6.0 +/- 1.0% for the
      diabetic and control groups, respectively (P < .05). Diabetic animals
      demonstrated significantly less fibrocartilage and organized collagen, and
      increased AGE deposition at the tendon-bone interface (P < .05). The healing
      enthesis of diabetic animals demonstrated a significantly reduced ultimate load
      to-failure (4.79 +/- 1.33 N vs 1.60 +/- 1.67 N and 13.63 +/- 2.33 N vs 6.0 +/-
      3.24 N for control versus diabetic animals at 1 and 2 weeks, respectively) and
      stiffness compared to control animals (P < .05). DISCUSSION: Sustained
      hyperglycemia impairs tendon-bone healing after rotator cuff repair in this
      rodent model. These findings have significant clinical implications for the
      expected outcomes of soft tissue repair or reconstructive procedures in diabetic
      patients with poor glycemic control.

PMID- 20303294
TI  - Acromion osteolysis and fracture after hook plate fixation for acromioclavicular
      joint dislocation: a case report.

PMID- 20303295
TI  - Astrocyte-restricted ablation of interleukin-17-induced Act1-mediated signaling
      ameliorates autoimmune encephalomyelitis.
AB  - Interleukin-17 (IL-17) secreted by T helper 17 (Th17) cells is essential in the
      development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). However, it
      remains unclear how IL-17-mediated signaling in different cellular compartments
      participates in the central nervous system (CNS) inflammatory process. We
      examined CNS inflammation in mice with specific deletion of Act1, a critical
      component required for IL-17 signaling, in endothelial cells, macrophages and
      microglia, and neuroectoderm (neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes). In Act1
      deficient mice, Th17 cells showed normal infiltration into the CNS but failed to
      recruit lymphocytes, neutrophils, and macrophages. Act1 deficiency in endothelial
      cells or in macrophages and microglia did not substantially impact the
      development of EAE. However, targeted Act1 deficiency in neuroectoderm-derived
      CNS-resident cells resulted in markedly reduced severity in EAE. Specifically,
      Act1-deficient astrocytes showed impaired IL-17-mediated inflammatory gene
      induction. Thus, astroctyes are critical in IL-17-Act1-mediated leukocyte
      recruitment during autoimmune-induced inflammation of the CNS.

PMID- 20303297
TI  - Fate mapping reveals separate origins of T cells and myeloid lineages in the
      thymus.
AB  - The cellular differentiation pathway originating from the bone marrow leading to
      early T lymphocytes remains poorly understood. The view that T cells branch off
      from a lymphoid-restricted pathway has recently been challenged by a model
      proposing a common progenitor for T cell and myeloid lineages. We generated
      interleukin-7 receptor alpha (Il7r) Cre recombinase knockin mice and traced
      lymphocyte development by visualizing the history of Il7r expression. Il7r fate
      mapping labeled all T cells but few myeloid cells. More than 85% of T cell
      progenitors were Il7r reporter(+) and, hence, had arisen from an Il7r-expressing
      pathway. In contrast, the overwhelming majority of myeloid cells in the thymus
      were derived from Il7r reporter(-) cells. Thus, lymphoid-restricted progenitors
      are the major route to T cells, and distinct origins of lymphoid and myeloid
      lineages represent a fundamental hallmark of hematopoiesis.

PMID- 20303296
TI  - The NLRP3 inflammasome protects against loss of epithelial integrity and
      mortality during experimental colitis.
AB  - Decreased expression of the Nlrp3 protein is associated with susceptibility to
      Crohn's disease. However, the role of Nlrp3 in colitis has not been
      characterized. Nlrp3 interacts with the adaptor protein ASC to activate caspase-1
      in inflammasomes, which are protein complexes responsible for the maturation and
      secretion of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and IL-18. Here, we showed that mice
      deficient for Nlrp3 or ASC and caspase-1 were highly susceptible to dextran
      sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis. Defective inflammasome activation led to
      loss of epithelial integrity, resulting in systemic dispersion of commensal
      bacteria, massive leukocyte infiltration, and increased chemokine production in
      the colon. This process was a consequence of a decrease in IL-18 in mice lacking
      components of the Nlrp3 inflammasome, resulting in higher mortality rates. Thus,
      the Nlrp3 inflammasome is critically involved in the maintenance of intestinal
      homeostasis and protection against colitis.

PMID- 20303299
TI  - Predictive value of group I oral lesions for HIV infection.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Attendees presenting for treatment of acute illness at primary health
      care facilities in South Africa were assessed to determine the prevalence of
      human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and the predictability of group I
      oral lesions (GOLs) for HIV infection. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional
      analytical study. Patients >18 years of age were recruited and underwent an oral
      examination and a HIV test. RESULTS: A total of 522 attendees were examined and
      the HIV prevalence was 40%. None of them were taking antiretroviral drugs. GOLs
      were diagnosed in 53% of HIV patients, with pseudomembranous and erythematous
      candidiasis being the most common (38% and 24%, respectively). The average odds
      and likelihood ratios for multiple lesions were high (32 and 30, respectively)
      and showed a strong correlation between GOLs and a positive HIV status.
      CONCLUSION: The prevalence of HIV (40%) and GOLs (53%) was high. GOLs were useful
      markers of HIV infection, with multiple lesions being highly predictive of HIV
      infection.

PMID- 20303298
TI  - Interferon-gamma regulates intestinal epithelial homeostasis through converging
      beta-catenin signaling pathways.
AB  - Inflammatory cytokines have been proposed to regulate epithelial homeostasis
      during intestinal inflammation. We report here that interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)
      regulates the crucial homeostatic functions of cell proliferation and apoptosis
      through serine-threonine protein kinase AKT-beta-catenin and Wingless-Int (Wnt)
      beta-catenin signaling pathways. Short-term exposure of intestinal epithelial
      cells to IFN-gamma resulted in activation of beta-catenin through AKT, followed
      by induction of the secreted Wnt inhibitor Dkk1. Consequently, we observed an
      increase in Dkk1-mediated apoptosis upon extended IFN-gamma treatment and reduced
      proliferation through depletion of the Wnt coreceptor LRP6. These effects were
      enhanced by tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), suggesting synergism between
      the two cytokines. Consistent with these results, colitis in vivo was associated
      with decreased beta-catenin-T cell factor (TCF) signaling, loss of plasma
      membrane-associated LRP6, and reduced epithelial cell proliferation.
      Proliferation was partially restored in IFN-gamma-deficient mice. Thus, we
      propose that IFN-gamma regulates intestinal epithelial homeostasis by sequential
      regulation of converging beta-catenin signaling pathways.

PMID- 20303300
TI  - Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, particularly the balance between CD8(+) T cells
      and CCR4(+) regulatory T cells, affect the survival of patients with oral
      squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to clarify the prognostic significance
      of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC);
      the present study analyzed various TIL-related parameters. STUDY DESIGN:
      Immunohistochemistry was performed in 87 patients with OSCC for the following TIL
      related parameters: nest-CD8(+) T cells, stromal CD8(+) T cells, CD4(+) T cells,
      total regulatory T cells (Tregs), CCR4(+) Tregs, ratio of nest CD8(+) T
      cells/CCR4(+) Tregs, and ratio of stromal CD8(+) T cells/CCR4(+) Tregs. RESULTS:
      In univariate analyses, the following parameters were associated with decreased
      survival: few nest- and stromal CD8(+) T cells and more stromal CCR4(+) Tregs,
      but not total Tregs. Low ratios of nest and stromal CD8(+) T cell/CCR4(+) Treg
      were associated with worse survival. In multivariate analysis, the stromal CD8(+)
      T cell/CCR4(+) Treg ratio was an independent prognostic factor. CONCLUSION: Host
      immune responses in the stroma of OSCC affect the survival of the patients. The
      in situ balance between effector T cells and regulatory T cells is the most
      important factor predicting survival.

PMID- 20303301
TI  - Use of cone-beam computerized tomography for evaluation of bisphosphonate
      associated osteonecrosis of the jaws.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis of the jaws
      (BONJ) is characterized by exposed nonvital maxillary or mandibular bone. Cone
      beam computerized tomography (CBCT) is an attractive modality for 3-dimensional
      imaging of the jaws. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical and
      radiographic features of a series of 7 subjects with BONJ who were evaluated by
      both CBCT and digital panoramic radiography. STUDY DESIGN: Seven subjects with
      BONJ were evaluated by clinical examination, CBCT, and digital panoramic
      radiography. RESULTS: Radiographic findings included sclerosis, cortical
      irregularity, lucency, mottling, fragmentation/sequestra formation, sinus
      communication, and persistent sockets. There was high correlation between the
      anatomic location of clinical and radiographic findings. In nearly all cases,
      CBCT demonstrated a greater extent and quality of changes compared with panoramic
      radiography. CONCLUSIONS: Cone-beam CT is superior to panoramic radiography in
      its ability to characterize the nature and extent of radiographic changes in
      BONJ. Use of CBCT should be strongly considered when radiographic evaluations are
      included in prospective research investigations of BONJ. However, in the majority
      of cases of BONJ the clinical significance of improved imaging remains unclear,
      and therefore specific guidelines for routine clinical care cannot be recommended
      at this time.

PMID- 20303303
TI  - Emergency patients: who has the ultimate duty to provide care?

PMID- 20303302
TI  - Effects of mandibular advancement on upper airway dimension and collapsibility in
      patients with obstructive sleep apnea using dynamic upper airway imaging during
      sleep.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of mandibular
      advancement on oropharyngeal dimension and collapsibility and reveal the
      predominate site of change produced by mandibular advancement in patients with
      obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). STUDY DESIGN: Sixteen adults (13 males and 3
      females) with symptomatic mild to severe OSA participated. Custom-made silicone
      mandibular positioners were used to keep the mandible at 67% of maximum
      advancement. Changes in the oropharyngeal size and collapsibility with mandibular
      advancement were evaluated using ultrafast computed tomography taken during
      wakefulness and midazolam-induced sleep. Cross-sectional areas were assessed
      using electron beam tomography at 4 levels: high retropalatal (HRP), low
      retropalatal (LRP), high retroglossal (HRG), and low retroglossal (LRG). RESULTS:
      During sleep, the minimum cross-sectional areas decreased 36.5%, 67.8%, 75.5%,
      and 65.8% at each level of HRP, LRP, HRG, and LRG respectively, as compared with
      those measured during wakefulness. Mandibular advancement during sleep increased
      75.7%, 141.3%, 128.1%, and 119.9% at each level. The oropharynx showed 70.3%,
      110.4%, 140.3%, and 156.9% increase in the Collapsibility Indices during sleep at
      each level of HRP, LRP, HRG, and LRG, respectively, compared with wakefulness.
      However, collapsibility indices decreased 29.1%, 23.2%, 21.4%, and 34.1% at each
      level with mandibular advancement. CONCLUSION: Mandibular advancement increases
      oropharyngeal diameter and decreases oropharyngeal collapsibility during
      midazolam-induced sleep respiration at the retropalatal as well as the
      retroglossal region in most patients with OSA.

PMID- 20303304
TI  - G244E in the canine factor IX gene leads to severe haemophilia B in Rhodesian
      Ridgebacks.
AB  - Haemophilia B in Rhodesian Ridgebacks is currently the most important canine
      haemophilia in Germany. The aim of this study was to define the underlying
      genetic defect. Genetic studies were performed including six phenotypically
      affected male dogs (factor IX activity: approximately 1%), four suspected
      carriers (factor IX activity 48-69%, one confirmed by affected offspring), and 12
      healthy dogs. Comparison of the entire coding region of the canine factor IX DNA
      sequences and exon-intron junctions from affected dogs with the wild type canine
      factor IX DNA revealed a G-A missense mutation in exon 7. This mutation results
      in a glycine (GGA) to glutamic acid (GAA) exchange in the catalytic domain of the
      haemophilic factor IX. All affected dogs were hemizygous for the detected
      mutation and carriers were heterozygous, whereas none of the Rhodesian Ridgebacks
      with normal factor IX activity showed the mutation. No further alterations in the
      sequences between affected dogs and the healthy control group could be observed.
      None of the Rhodesian Ridgebacks with undefined haemophilia B status (n=30) and
      no individual of three other dog breeds (Doberman Pinscher: n=20; German Wire
      haired Pointer: n=20; Labrador: n=25) showed the presence of the mutation. Amino
      acid sequence alignment and protein structural modelling analysis indicate that
      the detected mutation causes a relevant functional defect. The results of this
      study suggest that the detected mutation is responsible for a severe form of
      haemophilia B in Rhodesian Ridgebacks.

PMID- 20303305
TI  - Validation of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) as an
      overall indicator of population mental health and well-being in the UK veterinary
      profession.
AB  - The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) was evaluated as an
      indicator of mental health and well-being within the veterinary profession in a
      cross-sectional study among a representative sample of 3200 veterinary surgeons
      practising in the UK. The WEMWBS mean score for the sample was 48.85 (95%
      confidence interval 48.43-49.28). The score showed a negative correlation with
      anxiety and depressive symptoms and a positive correlation with favourable
      psychosocial working conditions. A 1 unit increase in score was associated with
      reduced odds of reporting having experienced suicidal thoughts in the previous 12
      months, and reduced odds of reporting depressive or anxiety symptoms of clinical
      significance. The results support the validity of the scale as an overall
      indicator of population mental health and well-being for this occupational group.

PMID- 20303306
TI  - Gentle mechanical skin stimulation inhibits the somatocardiac sympathetic C
      reflex elicited by excitation of unmyelinated C-afferent fibers.
AB  - The effects of gentle mechanical skin stimulation on reflex discharges in cardiac
      sympathetic nerve evoked by somatic afferent stimulation were studied in
      anesthetized rats. Mass discharges were recorded from cardiac sympathetic
      efferent nerve while somatocardiac sympathetic A- and C-reflexes were elicited by
      single electrical stimuli to myelinated A- and unmyelinated C-afferent fibers of
      the tibial nerve. Continuous touch was applied to inner thigh skin with a force
      of 0.12 N for 10 min periods by a soft elastomer "brush" (1.1cm in diameter with
      417 microcones). When touch was applied ipsilateral to the stimulated tibial
      nerve, the C-reflex was inhibited by up to 40% of its pre-touch amplitude,
      whereas the A-reflex was unaffected. Inhibition of the C-reflex started during
      the touch period and lasted for 15 min after cessation of touching. Contralateral
      touch did not inhibit the C-reflex. The opioid receptor antagonist naloxone
      attenuated the C-reflex inhibition, but did not abolish it. The C-reflex
      inhibition was abolished after severing cutaneous nerves innervating inner thigh.
      We recorded unitary afferent activity from thigh branches of the saphenous nerve
      and found fibers excited by touch were low-threshold mechanoreceptive Abeta,
      Adelta and C fibers that have rapidly or slowly adapting properties. In all units
      tested, average discharge rates during touch period were less than 4 Hz. The
      results suggest that touch-induced excitation of low threshold cutaneous
      mechanoreceptive fibers inhibits nociceptive transmission conveyed by C-primary
      afferents, via the release of both opioid and non-opioid inhibitory mediators.

PMID- 20303307
TI  - Enhanced sensitivity current density imaging.
AB  - One of the major weaknesses of current density imaging (CDI) is its poor
      sensitivity and therefore a need for the use of high voltage in CDI. In this
      work, a new CDI technique with enhanced sensitivity (ES-CDI) is presented. The ES
      CDI sequence overcomes the sensitivity problem in samples with a long T(2)
      relaxation time that allows the use of a long current encoding period. As
      successful CDI detection is conditioned by a sufficiently large product of
      current and its application time a longer current encoding period enables the use
      of lower current and also lower voltage therefore significantly reducing any
      sample damage. In addition, the ES-CDI sequence also uses fast image signal
      acquisition and so enables heavy signal averaging and with it associated
      additional CDI sensitivity increase within the experiment time of the
      conventional CDI experiment. The feasibility of the ES-CDI sequence was tested on
      a model sample filled with physiological solution. Voltage of just 1 V and
      current application time of 800 ms were sufficient to detect current density of
      20A/m(2) with a detection limit of 0.7A/m(2).

PMID- 20303310
TI  - [Use of the pedicled superficial temporoparietal fascial flap for reconstructing
      soft tissue defects of oral cavity].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The temporoparietal fascial flap is rarely described for the
      treatment of oral cavity loss of substances. In our experience, it is can a good
      alternative for the reconstruction of the lateral part of the oral cavity. The
      aim of this study is to describe the anatomical basis of this technique and to
      report our recent experience of this flap in this indication. MATERIAL AND
      PATIENTS: Three fresh cadavers have been dissected in order to determine the
      maximal length of the flap and the best technique to pass the flap in the oral
      cavity. Two patients have been operated after surgical resection of an oral
      epidermoid carcinoma. In one case, the flap has been used to cover a loss of
      substance of the retromolar and internal cheek areas and in the second case to
      cover a lateral floor of the mouth loss of substance. RESULTS: The anatomical
      study showed that the feasibility of the flap was good, the surface of the flap
      was 12 x 12 centimetres, and the temporal ramus of the facial nerve was easy to
      preserve if the dissection was prudent in the anterior part of the flap. The
      clinical results were good, no necrosis of the flap and no facial paralysis were
      observed. DISCUSSION: In our opinion, this flap can be proposed to cover the
      lateral loss of substance of the oral cavity. The main advantages of this flap
      are the absence of visible scar of the donor site, this is a regional flap
      possible to harvest in the same surgical field, it is independent from the
      movements of the head and it can be a sensitive flap when the auriculo-temporalis
      nerve is harvested.

PMID- 20303309
TI  - (99m)Tc-DTPA diuretic renal scintigraphy in cats with nephroureterolithiasis.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to evaluate results of diuretic renal scintigraphy
      in 32 feline kidneys with nephroureterolithiasis and variable degrees of renal
      pelvis/ureteral dilation. Six kidneys showed a non-obstructive scintigraphic
      pattern, with a downward slope of time-activity curves (TAC) and a median
      excretion half-time of radiopharmaceutical (T((1/2))) of 6.09 (5.08-8.43) min.
      Eight kidneys showed an obstructive pattern, with a continuous rise of TAC and
      median T((1/2)) of -7.91 (-43.13-0.00) min. In one kidney with presumptive
      partial obstruction scintigraphic results were equivocal. Seventeen kidneys, most
      of which had an individual kidney glomerular filtration rate below 0.5ml/min/kg,
      had non-diagnostic studies. Diuretic renal scintigraphy may be a useful adjunct
      modality in the diagnosis of ureteral obstruction in some cats if renal function
      is maintained. However, the large number of non-diagnostic studies in animals
      with decreased renal function represents a clear limitation of the technique.

PMID- 20303311
TI  - [Anatomic study and CT angiography with 3D reconstructions of the pulmonary
      arterial tree].
AB  - AIM OF THE STUDY: To prove in vivo and on cadaveric lungs, the constancy of the
      collateral type of distribution for the right and left pulmonary arteries as
      described in classical books and modern studies; to estimate the frequency of the
      main branches observed and define an arterial tree of reference set up with the
      most common branches for reading the CT pulmonary angiographies. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Sixty three-dimensional reconstructions of pulmonary arterial trees
      (right: 30; left: 30) using the Volume Rendering Technique (VRT) performed from
      CT angiographic studies of 30 patients without bronchial, arterial or pulmonary
      pathology. Dissection of 16 pulmonary arteries from eight fresh cadavers injected
      with latex. Finally, 76 pulmonary arteries (right: 38; left: 38) were examined.
      RESULTS: The most common division of the pulmonary artery is a collateral
      distribution but in seven cases from 38 (18.4%) at right and one case from 38
      (2.6%) at left the artery ended in two or three terminal lobar trunks which
      provided the segmental arteries. The mediastinal artery for the upper right lobe
      was always found, with a complementary scissural artery in 89.5% of cases; a
      middle lobar trunk was observed in 22 of the 38 right lungs (57.9%). On the left
      tree, four different but usually not coexisting mediastinal arteries were
      identified for the upper lobe, three for the culmen and one for the lingula; six
      various scissural arteries were noted, three for the culmen and three for the
      lingula; the segment 6 received one or two segmental arteries, exceptionally
      three. An arterial tree of reference could be defined for both sides. CONCLUSION:
      The division in terminal lobar trunks of the pulmonary arteries is a variation
      demonstrated for the first time. The data obtained from 3D reconstruction imaging
      in vivo are in conformity with the results of studies performed on injected
      cadaveric lungs for this point and to define the arterial tree of reference.

PMID- 20303308
TI  - Gonadal mosaicism of a TAZ (G4.5) mutation in a Japanese family with Barth
      syndrome and left ventricular noncompaction.
AB  - TAZ (G4.5) was initially identified as the gene associated with Barth syndrome
      and left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC). The purpose of this study was to
      investigate patients with LVNC for disease-causing mutations in TAZ. In 124
      Japanese patients, including 50 families, mutation analysis of TAZ was performed
      using DNA sequencing. A splice donor mutation was identified in two brothers with
      Barth syndrome and LVNC, and a sister who was asymptomatic. However, the variant
      was not identified in either parent or the maternal grandparents, all of whom
      were asymptomatic. Due to the recurrent inheritance of this variant by each of
      the children we concluded that this was evidence of gonadal mosaicism in the
      obligate carrier mother, the first reported occurrence of this in Barth syndrome.

PMID- 20303312
TI  - [Michel Latarjet (1913-1999), surgeon explorer!].
AB  - In 1954, Michel Latarjet, anatomist and surgeon of Lyon, developed an original
      surgical technique to treat the unstable shoulder . This technique since kept his
      name: "Latarjet". He was a character in 1000 facets: highly skilled anatomist,
      skillful surgeon, talented sportsman, accomplished musician, big traveler, and
      many others... An eclectic life, symbol of an abundant XXth century.

PMID- 20303313
TI  - [Non-vascularized fibular graft as salvage technique for forearm reconstruction].
AB  - Authors report a case of a reconstruction of a large bone defect in the forearm
      with a free fibular graft occurring a good incorporation of the graft. Authors
      discuss the interest of fibula graft in reconstruction of large bone defect of
      the forearm.

PMID- 20303314
TI  - Synthesis of biodiesel from waste cooking oil using sonochemical reactors.
AB  - Investigation into newer routes of biodiesel synthesis is a key research area
      especially due to the fluctuations in the conventional fuel prices and the
      environmental advantages of biodiesel. The present work illustrates the use of
      sonochemical reactors for the synthesis of biodiesel from waste cooking oil.
      Transesterification of used frying oil with methanol, in the presence of
      potassium hydroxide as a catalyst has been investigated using low frequency
      ultrasonic reactor (20 kHz). Effect of different operating parameters such as
      alcohol-oil molar ratio, catalyst concentration, temperature, power, pulse and
      horn position on the extent of conversion of oil have been investigated. The
      optimum conditions for the transesterification process have been obtained as
      molar ratio of alcohol to oil as 6:1, catalyst concentration of 1 wt.%,
      temperature as 45 degrees C and ultrasound power as 200 W with an irradiation
      time of 40 min. The efficacy of using ultrasound has been compared with the
      conventional stirring approach based on the use of a six blade turbine with
      diameter of 1.5 cm operating at 1000 rpm. Also the purification aspects of the
      final product have been investigated.

PMID- 20303315
TI  - Finite element model creation and stability considerations of complex biological
      articulation: The human wrist joint.
AB  - The finite element method has been used with considerable success to simulate the
      behaviour of various joints such as the hip, knee and shoulder. It has had less
      impact on more complicated joints such as the wrist and the ankle. Previously
      published finite element studies on these multi-bone joints have needed to
      introduce un-physiological boundary conditions in order to establish numerical
      convergence of the model simulation. That is necessary since the stabilizing soft
      tissue mechanism of these joints is usually too elaborate in order to be fully
      included both anatomically and with regard to material properties. This paper
      looks at the methodology of creating a finite element model of such a joint
      focussing on the wrist and the effects additional constraining has on the
      solution of the model. The study shows that by investigating the effects each of
      the constraints, a better understanding on the nature of the stabilizing
      mechanisms of these joints can be achieved.

PMID- 20303316
TI  - Environmental justice in the therapeutic inner city.
AB  - Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (DTES) has long been characterized as Canada's skid
      row within public narratives that raise concerns about communicable diseases,
      open drug use, survival sex work, and homelessness. This stigmatizing gaze has
      bolstered a deficit-oriented philosophy that emphasizes measures to mitigate
      these threats, ostensibly by erasing the moral and environmental depravity from
      the landscape. However, such measures threaten to further marginalize DTES
      residents by perpetuating public sentiments of fear and disgust toward the inner
      city. In this paper, we challenge this orientation by reporting the results of a
      research process in which DTES residents chronicled their impressions of the
      neighbourhood. Our findings reveal a paradoxical therapeutic response to
      environmental injustice in the inner city, one that enables society's most
      marginalized people to find support, solidarity, and acceptance in their everyday
      struggles to survive, even thrive, amidst the structural and physical violence of
      the urban margins.

PMID- 20303317
TI  - The importance of being parsimonious: reliability of a brief community
      walkability assessment instrument.
AB  - This research presents the Leyden Walkability Instrument (LWI), a brief survey
      checklist designed to measure the perceived walkability of a neighborhood or
      community where a respondent lives. The reliability of this instrument was tested
      using the intra-class correlation and found to be moderately substantially
      reliable (Landis-Koch rating) in every survey item (ranging from .54 to .76 and
      ranging in observed agreement from 72.8% to 93.9% with an overall instrument
      score of .71 and an observed agreement of 81.6%). The LWI is discussed in the
      context of other survey instruments designed to measure perceived walkability and
      found to be a useful addition because of its brevity and ease of use.

PMID- 20303318
TI  - Automatic cerebral and cerebellar hemisphere segmentation in 3D MRI: adaptive
      disconnection algorithm.
AB  - This paper describes the automatic Adaptive Disconnection method to segment
      cerebral and cerebellar hemispheres of human brain in three-dimensional magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI). Using the partial differential equations based shape
      bottlenecks algorithm cooperating with an information potential value clustering
      process, it detects and cuts, first, the compartmental connections between the
      cerebrum, the cerebellum and the brainstem in the white matter domain, and then,
      the interhemispheric connections of the extracted cerebrum and cerebellum
      volumes. As long as the subject orientation in the scanner is given, the
      variations in subject location and normal brain morphology in different images
      are accommodated automatically, thus no stereotaxic image registration is
      required. The modeling of partial volume effect is used to locate cerebrum,
      cerebellum and brainstem boundaries, and make the interhemispheric connections
      detectable. The Adaptive Disconnection method was tested with 10 simulated images
      from the BrainWeb database and 39 clinical images from the LONI Probabilistic
      Brain Atlas database. It obtained lower error rates than a traditional shape
      bottlenecks algorithm based segmentation technique (BrainVisa) and linear and
      nonlinear registration based brain hemisphere segmentation methods. Segmentation
      accuracies were evaluated against manual segmentations. The Adaptive
      Disconnection method was also confirmed not to be sensitive to the noise and
      intensity non-uniformity in the images. We also applied the Adaptive
      Disconnection method to clinical images of 22 healthy controls and 18 patients
      with schizophrenia. A preliminary cerebral volumetric asymmetry analysis based on
      these images demonstrated that the Adaptive Disconnection method is applicable to
      study abnormal brain asymmetry in schizophrenia.

PMID- 20303319
TI  - Musculoskeletal MRI segmentation using multi-resolution simplex meshes with
      medial representations.
AB  - The automatic segmentation of the musculoskeletal system from medical images is a
      particularly challenging task, due to its morphological complexity, its large
      variability in the population and its potentially large deformations. In this
      paper we propose a novel approach for musculoskeletal segmentation and
      registration based on simplex meshes. Such discrete models have already proven to
      be efficient and versatile for medical image segmentation. We extend the current
      framework by introducing a multi-resolution approach and a reversible medial
      representation, in order to reduce the complexity of geometric and non
      penetration constraints computation. Our framework allows both inter and intra
      patient registration (involving both rigid and elastic matching). We also show
      that the introduced representations facilitate morphological analysis. As a case
      study, we demonstrate that muscles, bones, ligaments and cartilages of the hip
      and the thigh can be registered at an interactive frame rate, in a time-efficient
      way (<30min), with a satisfactory accuracy ( approximately 1.5mm), and with a
      minimal amount of manual tasks.

PMID- 20303321
TI  - Sucrose transporters of higher plants.
AB  - Recent advances have provided new insights into how sucrose is moved from sites
      of synthesis to sites of utilisation or storage in sink organs. Sucrose
      transporters play a central role, as they orchestrate sucrose allocation both
      intracellularly and at the whole plant level. Sucrose produced in mesophyll cells
      of leaves may be effluxed into the apoplasm of mesophyll or phloem parenchyma
      cells by a mechanism that remains elusive, but experimentally consistent with
      facilitated transport or energy-dependent sucrose/H(+) antiport. From the
      apoplasm, sucrose/H(+) symporters transport sucrose across the plasma membrane of
      cells making up the sieve element/companion cell (SE/CC) complex, the long
      distance conduits of the phloem. Phloem unloading of sucrose in key sinks such as
      developing seeds involves two sequential transport steps, sucrose efflux followed
      by sucrose influx. Besides plasma membrane specific sucrose transporters, sucrose
      transporters on the tonoplast contribute to the capacity for elevated sucrose
      accumulation in storage organs such as sugar beet roots or sugarcane culms.
      Except for several sucrose facilitators from seed coats of some leguminous plants
      all sucrose transporters cloned to date, including recently identified vacuolar
      sucrose transporters, have been characterised as sucrose/H(+) symporters.
      Transporters functioning to efflux sucrose into source or sink apoplasms as well
      as those supporting sucrose/H(+) antiport on tonoplasts, remain to be identified.
      Sucrose transporter expression and activity is tightly regulated at the
      transcriptional, post-transcriptional as well as post-translational levels. Light
      quality and phytohormones play essential regulatory roles and the sucrose
      molecule itself functions as a signal.

PMID- 20303320
TI  - Privileged scaffolds for library design and drug discovery.
AB  - This review explores the concept of using privileged scaffolds to identify
      biologically active compounds through building chemical libraries. We hope to
      accomplish three main objectives: to provide one of the most comprehensive
      listings of privileged scaffolds; to reveal through four selected examples the
      present state of the art in privileged scaffold library synthesis (in hopes of
      inspiring new and even more creative approaches); and also to offer some thoughts
      on how new privileged scaffolds might be identified and exploited.

PMID- 20303322
TI  - A fully resolved phylogeny of the social amoebas (Dictyostelia) based on combined
      SSU and ITS rDNA sequences.
AB  - The dictyostelids possess a complex life cycle including aggregative and
      multicellular stages. They also include one of the most widely studied protistan
      model organisms, Dictyostelium discoideum. The current molecular phylogeny of
      dictyostelids is based largely on SSU (18S) rDNA sequences and shows a deep taxon
      consisting of four major groups, none of which correspond to the three
      traditional morphologically-defined genera. However, due to the generally slowly
      evolving nature of SSU rDNA, these data fail to resolve the majority of branches
      within the four groups. Given the highly morphologically mixed nature of the
      dictyostelid groups, it is important to resolve relationships within them. We
      have determined sequences for the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of rDNA for
      nearly all species in the original dictyostelid global phylogeny. Phylogenetic
      analyses of these data, in combination with the previously determined SSU rDNA
      sequences, confidently resolve nearly all branches in the tree. This now fully
      resolved phylogeny confirms the utility of ITS for dictyostelid systematics and
      lays the ground work for further evolutionary study of the group.

PMID- 20303323
TI  - Prospective investigation of serum anti-Mullerian hormone concentration in
      ovulatory intrauterine insemination patients: a preliminary study.
AB  - This preliminary prospective study investigated serum anti-Mullerian hormone
      (AMH) through correlations to other basal parameters (123 patients) and according
      to ovarian response to 75 IU recombinant follicle-stimulating hormone (rFSH)/day
      (62 patients) in ovulatory patients' first rFSH treatment cycle before
      intrauterine insemination. Mean age of the patients was 33 years. Serum AMH
      significantly correlated to age (r=-0.38), antral follicle count (AFC) (r=0.68),
      ovarian volume (r=0.40), FSH (r=-0.31), (P<0.001) and cycle length (r=0.26,
      P=0.004). Serum AMH median (interquartile range; IQR) was 8.5 pmol/l (1.9-15.1)
      in hyporesponders (one mature follicle) versus 10.7 (7.3-17.3) in normal
      responders (2-3 follicles, with a maximum of two follicles 18 mm and no need for
      dose reduction) and 13.4 (4.4-24.2) in hyperresponders (>2-3 mature follicles or
      dose reduction). There was a significant trend over response groups for body
      weight (P=0.005), body mass index (P=0.035), AFC (P=0.031) and FSH (P=0.001).
      Serum AMH median (IQR) was 10.6 pmol/l (6.9-18.2) in the 23 patients who achieved
      an ongoing pregnancy versus 10.5 (5.9-17.2) in the 100 non-pregnant women. Serum
      AMH may not be the best marker of the ovarian response in these patients.

PMID- 20303324
TI  - Analysis of factors associated with durable remission of diabetes after Roux-en-Y
      gastric bypass.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Data on the durability of remission of type 2 diabetes mellitus
      (T2DM) after gastric bypass are limited. Our purpose was to identify the rate of
      long-term remission of T2DM and the factors associated with durable remission.
      METHODS: A total of 177 patients with T2DM who had undergone Roux-en-Y gastric
      bypass from 1993 to 2003 had 5-year follow-up data available. T2DM status was
      determined by interview and evaluation of the diabetic medications. Patients with
      complete remission or recurrence of T2DM were identified. RESULTS: Follow-up
      ranged from 5 to 16 years. Of the 177 patients, 157 (89%) had complete remission
      of T2DM with a decrease in their mean body mass index from baseline (50.2 +/- 8.2
      kg/m(2)) to 31.3 +/- 7.2 kg/m(2) postoperatively (mean percentage of excess
      weight loss 70.0% +/- 18.6%). However, 20 patients (11.3%) did not have T2DM
      remission despite a mean percentage of excess weight loss of 58.2% +/- 12.3% (P
      <.0009). Of the 157 patients with initial remission of their T2DM, 68 (43%)
      subsequently developed T2DM recurrence. Remission of T2DM was durable in 56.9%.
      Durable (>5-year) resolution of T2DM was greatest in the patients who originally
      had either controlled their T2DM with diet (76%) or oral hypoglycemic agents
      (66%). The rate of T2DM remission was more likely to be durable in men (P =
      .00381). Weight regain was a statistically significant, but weak predictor, of
      T2DM recurrence. CONCLUSION: Early remission of T2DM occurred in 89% of patients
      after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. T2DM recurred in 43.1%. Durable remission
      correlated most closely with an early disease stage at gastric bypass.

PMID- 20303325
TI  - Simplified method for the chemical diagnosis of organic aciduria using GC/MS.
AB  - GC/MS is widely used for the analysis of urinary organic acids for the chemical
      diagnosis of organic acidurias such as methylmalonic acidemia, propionic
      acidemia, isovaleric acidemia, glutaric aciduria type I, and multiple carboxylase
      deficiency. In this study, a rapid and simple preparation method for this
      analysis was developed in order to improve the laboratory productivity and the
      working environment. The solvent extraction and trimethylsilyl derivatization
      steps of the conventional method were improved by reducing the volume of urine
      sample and extraction solvent and by applying the flash-heater derivatization,
      respectively. The new method was successfully applied to the chemical diagnoses
      of five organic acidurias.

PMID- 20303326
TI  - Determination of the quaternary ammonium compound trospium in human plasma by LC
      MS/MS: application to a pharmacokinetic study.
AB  - A highly sensitive, specific and evaporation free SPE extraction, LC-MS/MS method
      has been developed for the estimation of trospium in human plasma using trospium
      d8 as an internal standard (IS). The analyte was separated using isocratic mobile
      phase on reverse phase column and analyzed by MS/MS in the multiple reaction
      monitoring mode using the respective [M(+)] cations, m/z 392-164 for trospium and
      m/z 400-172 for the IS. The total run time was 3.50 min and the elution of
      trospium and trospium-d8 (IS) occurred at 2.8 min. The developed method was
      validated in human plasma with a lower limit of quantification of 0.05 ng/mL. A
      linear response function was established for the range of concentrations 0.05-10
      ng/mL (r>0.998) for trospium in human plasma. The intra- and inter-day precision
      values for trospium met the acceptance as per FDA guidelines. Trospium was stable
      in the battery of stability studies viz., bench-top, auto-sampler, dry extracts
      and freeze/thaw cycles. The developed assay method was applied to an oral
      pharmacokinetic study in humans.

PMID- 20303327
TI  - Characterization of ecdysteroids in Drosophila melanogaster by enzyme immunoassay
      and nano-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
AB  - Ecdysteroids are polyhydroxylated steroids that function as molting hormones in
      insects. 20-Hydroxyecdysone (a 27C-ecdysteroid) is classically considered as the
      major steroid hormone of Drosophilamelanogaster, but this insect also contains
      28C-ecdysteroids. This arises from both the use of several dietary sterols as
      precursors for the synthesis of its steroid hormones, and its inability to
      dealkylate the 28C-phytosterols to produce cholesterol. The nature of Drosophila
      ecdysteroids has been re-investigated using both high-performance liquid
      chromatography coupled to enzyme immunoassay and a particularly sensitive nano
      liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry methodology, while taking advantage of
      recently available ecdysteroid standards isolated from plants. In vitro
      incubations of the larval steroidogenic organ, the ring-gland, reveals the
      synthesis of ecdysone, 20-deoxy-makisterone A and a third less polar compound
      identified as the 24-epimer of the latter, while wandering larvae contain the
      three corresponding 20-hydroxylated ecdysteroids. This pattern results from the
      simultaneous use of higher plant sterols (from maize) and fungal sterols (from
      yeast). The physiological relevance of all these ecdysteroids, which display
      different affinities to the ecdysteroid receptors, is still a matter of debate.

PMID- 20303328
TI  - Are we still publishing our presented abstracts from the British Association of
      Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (BAPRAS)?

PMID- 20303329
TI  - Aesthetic aspects of reconstructive clitoroplasty in females with bladder
      exstrophy-epispadias complex.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Genital anomalies in females born with classic bladder exstrophy
      epispadias complex (EEC) include a bifid clitoris and anterior displacement of
      vagina. The aesthetic aspects of the genitals acquire greater significance with
      age and may affect self-esteem. We review our experience with clitoral
      reconstruction in an EEC population with an emphasis on aesthetic outcomes.
      METHODS: The study group had 26 female patients; three patients with isolated
      epispadias and 23 with bladder exstrophy. The patients were separated into four
      separate groups based on reconstructive technique. Group 1 (n=3) had
      tubularisation of skin between clitoral bodies for urethral reconstruction; group
      2 (n=12) underwent staged exstrophy reconstruction; group 3 (n=8) had initial
      surgery elsewhere and were referred for secondary reconstructive surgery with
      clitoroplasty accompanied by puboplasty to reconstruct the fourchette; and group
      4 (n=3) had total urogenital sinus mobilisation. The aesthetic outcome was
      assessed subjectively by the surgeon, parent and age-appropriate patient during
      follow-up. RESULTS: A total of 33 clitoroplasties were performed. Primary
      clitoroplasty was performed in 18 patients, while a secondary clitoroplasty was
      done in 15. The follow-up ranged from 3 months to 31 years. Three patients had
      partial clitoral atrophy and in one patient the gap between clitoral bodies was
      widely separated and incapable of being joined. Twenty-three of the26 patients
      (88%) had a satisfactory or excellent aesthetic outcome following clitoroplasty.
      CONCLUSIONS: Excellent aesthetic outcomes can be achieved by clitoroplasty in EEC
      patients by using a variety of surgical techniques. We recommend a 'second look'
      reassessment near puberty to identify poor cosmesis and offer secondary
      clitoroplasty to improve aesthetic outcome.

PMID- 20303330
TI  - Maxillomandibular distraction osteogenesis for Marshall-Smith syndrome.
AB  - The Marshall-Smith syndrome is a very rare disorder with early overgrowth and was
      first reported by Marshall et al. in 1971. Patients with the Marshall-Smith
      syndrome have characteristic facial features and systemic congenital
      abnormalities. In many cases, patients die early in the postnatal period due to
      respiratory disorders. We treated a male child with this syndrome with plastic
      surgery to improve facial features - the first effort of its kind in the world.
      We report good results from the surgery. The treatment included bilateral
      mandibular distraction osteogenesis for micrognathia and tracheostomy weaning.
      Six months later, LeFort III maxillary distraction osteogenesis was performed for
      maxillary hypoplasia. The clinical course was uneventful after both surgeries. At
      the time of this report, facial appearance and occlusal conditions have improved
      markedly, although the tracheal stoma could not be closed. The patient is a long
      term survivor of this condition. After considering quality-of-life issues for the
      patient, surgical treatment was offered for facial dysmorphism. This type of
      effort has not yet been reported in the literature. For patients with the
      Marshall-Smith syndrome who are expected to survive long, surgical treatment
      should be strongly considered to improve the quality of life of the affected
      child.

PMID- 20303331
TI  - Impact of medical discipline and observer gender on cosmetic outcome evaluation
      in breast reconstruction using transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (TRAM)
      flap and radiotherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite the complication rate, the majority of studies report a
      satisfactory cosmetic outcome in patients undergoing transverse rectus abdominis
      myocutaneous (TRAM) flap breast reconstruction both before and after radiotherapy
      (RT). The lack of a universal agreement on the use of a validated scale for
      cosmetic assessment in clinical practise leads to subjective criteria of
      evaluation and causes a great deal of interobserver variability. This study
      investigates whether there is any difference in the evaluation of cosmesis
      according to gender and specialisation of the observer. METHODS: Fifty-two
      photographs of the patients who had undergone TRAM reconstruction for breast
      cancer, divided into three groups according to the treatment (TRAM only, TRAM
      >RT, RT->TRAM), were evaluated by 21 specialists, 10 male and 11 female from
      radiotherapy, breast surgery and plastic reconstructive surgery. Cosmetic outcome
      was classified using the four-category Harvard scale: a score of excellent/good
      was considered acceptable. RESULTS: The overall rate of good/excellent ratings
      was 66.6%, which was lower than the score reported in the literature. A
      significantly worse score was registered in the TRAM->RT group compared with the
      other groups. The probability for male physicians to award a positive judgement
      is 24% higher than that of female ones. In general, there is a decent agreement
      among the judgement raters. CONCLUSIONS: No statistically significant difference
      in cosmetic evaluation was noted overall between male physicians and female ones.
      However, within each specialisation, the difference between the two genders was
      great. Breast surgeons gave the worst opinion, and among them female surgeons
      judged most severely, whereas plastic surgeons gave the best opinion, and among
      them females provided the highest favourable judgement.

PMID- 20303332
TI  - Quantified proarrhythmic potential of selected human embryonic stem cell-derived
      cardiomyocytes.
AB  - To improve proarrhythmic predictability of preclinical models, we assessed
      whether human ventricular-like embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hESC
      CMs) can be selected following a standardized protocol. Also, we quantified their
      arrhythmogenic response and compared this to a contemporary used rabbit Purkinje
      fiber (PF) model. Multiple transmembrane action potentials (AP) were recorded
      from 164 hESC-CM clusters (9 different batches), and 12 isolated PFs from New
      Zealand White rabbits. AP duration (APD), early afterdepolarizations (EADs),
      triangulation (T), and short-term variability of repolarization (STV) were
      determined on application of the I(Kr) blocker E-4031 (0.03/0.1/0.3/1 muM).
      Isoproterenol (0.1 muM) was used to assess adrenergic response. To validate the
      phenotype, RNA isolated from atrial- and ventricular-like clusters (n=8) was
      analyzed using low-density Taqman arrays. Based on initial experiments, slow
      beating rate (<50 bpm) and long APD (>200 ms) were used to select 31 ventricular
      like clusters. E-4031 (1 muM) prolonged APD (31/31) and induced EADs only in
      clusters with APD90>300 ms (11/16). EADs were associated with increased T (1.6+/
      0.2 vs 2.0+/-0.3) and STV (2.7+/-1.5 vs 6.9+/-1.9). Rabbit PF reacted in a
      similar way with regards to EADs (5/12), increased T (1.3+/-0.1 vs 1.9+/-0.4),
      and STV (1.2+/-0.9 vs 7.1+/-5.6). According to ROC values, hESC-CMs (STV 0.91)
      could predict EADs at least equivalent to PF (STV 0.69). Isoproterenol shortened
      APD and completely suppressed EADs. Gene expression analysis revealed that
      HCN1/2, KCNA5, and GJA5 were higher in atrial/nodal-like cells, whereas KCNJ2 and
      SCN1B were higher in ventricular-like cells (P<0.05). Selection of hESC-CM
      clusters with a ventricular-like phenotype can be standardized. The proarrhythmic
      results are qualitatively and quantitatively comparable between hESC-CMs and
      rabbit PF. Our results indicate that additional validation of this new safety
      pharmacology model is warranted.

PMID- 20303333
TI  - Conditional deletion of Stat3 promotes neurogenesis and inhibits astrogliogenesis
      in neural stem cells.
AB  - Although signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3) plays crucial
      roles in the determination of neural stem cell (NSC) fate, Stat3 has multiple
      roles in NSC function. Moreover, Stat3 plays important roles in neuronal survival
      and tumorigenesis. To investigate the overall effects of Stat3 on NSC fate, NSC
      were isolated from Stat3(flox/flox) mouse embryos (E14-15d), in which both Stat3
      alleles are flanked by LoxP sites. Isolated NSC was inoculated with an adenovirus
      vector expressing Cre recombinase (Ad.nCre) or a control adenovirus vector
      expressing beta-galactosidase (Ad.nLz). Three days later, quantitative real-time
      PCR (qPCR) analysis revealed that treatment with Ad.nCre eliminated stat3 mRNA
      expression in NSC. Promoter assay confirmed that overexpression of nCre inhibited
      transactivation of acute responsive element (APRE) and blocked Stat3 function in
      NSC. Moreover, Western blot analysis and immunocytochemical analysis revealed
      that elimination of Stat3 in NSC promoted neurogenesis and inhibited
      astrogliogenesis. In addition, we investigated the effects of Stat3 elimination
      in NSC on the mRNA expression of Notch family members and bHLH factors.
      Consequently, qPCR analysis showed that elimination of Stat3 in NSC promoted
      neurogenesis and inhibited astrogliogenesis through down-regulation of notch1,
      notch2 and hes5, but not hes1 mRNA expression.

PMID- 20303334
TI  - DNA-PK/Ku complex binds to latency-associated nuclear antigen and negatively
      regulates Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus latent replication.
AB  - During latent infection, latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANA) of Kaposi's
      sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) plays important roles in episomal
      persistence and replication. Several host factors are associated with KSHV latent
      replication. Here, we show that the catalytic subunit of DNA protein kinase (DNA
      PKcs), Ku70, and Ku86 bind the N-terminal region of LANA. LANA was phosphorylated
      by DNA-PK and overexpression of Ku70, but not Ku86, impaired transient
      replication. The efficiency of transient replication was significantly increased
      in the HCT116 (Ku86 +/-) cell line, compared to the HCT116 (Ku86 +/+) cell line,
      suggesting that the DNA-PK/Ku complex negatively regulates KSHV latent
      replication.

PMID- 20303335
TI  - Biochemical characterization of the binding of cyclic RGDyK to hepatic stellate
      cells.
AB  - Activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) play a crucial role in the development of
      liver fibrosis. Noninvasive monitoring of the activation of HSCs has been
      challenging due to the lack of specific receptors or motifs on the cells. The
      present study provides the evidence that integrin alpha v beta 3 expressed on
      HSCs is a biomarker reflecting the activation of HSCs. Solid-phase synthesis of
      cRGDyK (Arg-Gly-Asp-(D)Tyr-Lys) peptide and FAM-conjugated peptide were employed
      for binding to integrin alpha v beta 3. The increased expression of integrin
      alpha v and beta 3 at mRNA and protein levels was detected during HSC activation.
      The affinity of cRGDyK to integrin alpha v beta 3 was examined by both
      radioligand binding assay and FAM-conjugated peptide binding measurements.
      Quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting showed a less dramatic, but significant
      increase in alpha v and beta 3 integrin mRNA and protein expression following
      activation of rat HSCs. Radioiodinated cRGDyK binds to both purified and membrane
      bound integrin alpha v beta 3 with high affinity in a dissociable manner. FAM
      conjugated cRGDyK was coupled to activated HSCs in a time- and dose-dependent,
      receptor-mediated manner. Activated HSCs express sufficient number of integrin
      alpha v beta 3 receptor. cRGDyK peptide binds to both purified and membrane-bound
      integrin alpha v beta 3 with high affinity in a reversible fashion. Thus, the
      cRGDyK peptide represented a new agent potentially useful for the diagnosis of
      liver fibrosis.

PMID- 20303336
TI  - The signalling role of action potential depolarization in insulin secretion:
      metabolism-dependent dissociation between action potential increase and secretion
      increase by TEA.
AB  - The K(+) channel blocker, TEA is known to increase action potential amplitude and
      insulin secretion of mouse beta-cells when added to a nutrient secretagogue. In
      the presence of a maximally effective sulfonylurea concentration (2.7 microM
      glipizide) the nutrient secretagogue alpha-ketoisocaproic acid (KIC, 10mM)
      strongly increased insulin secretion (about elevenfold). Instead of enhancing the
      effect of KIC, TEA reduced the KIC-induced secretion by more than 50%. Also, the
      secretion rate produced by 2.7 microM glipizide alone was significantly reduced
      by TEA. In contrast, TEA enhanced the insulinotropic effect of glipizide when a
      basal glucose concentration (5mM) was present. In the presence as well as in the
      absence of glucose glipizide produced a plateau depolarization with superimposed
      action potentials. Under both conditions, TEA increased the glipizide-induced
      action potential amplitude and further elevated the cytosolic free calcium
      concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) with an oscillatory characteristic. These effects
      depended on the activity of L-type Ca(2+) channels, even though the effect of TEA
      differed from that of 1 microM of the Ca(2+) channel opener, Bay K8644, which
      primarily increased action potential duration. TEA did not negatively affect
      parameters of beta-cell energy metabolism (NAD(P)H fluorescence and ATP/ADP
      ratio), rather, it slightly increased NAD(P)H fluorescence. Apparently, TEA
      inhibits insulin secretion in the absence of glucose in spite of a persistent
      ability to block K(+) ion conductance. Thus, the signalling role of action
      potential depolarization in insulin secretion may require reconsideration and ion
      conductance-independent actions of K(+) channels may be involved in this paradox
      effect of TEA.

PMID- 20303337
TI  - Glycine transporter 1 (GlyT1) inhibitors exhibit anticonvulsant properties in the
      rat maximal electroshock threshold (MEST) test.
AB  - Glycine can act as either an inhibitory neurotransmitter or as a potentiator of
      NMDA-dependent excitatory neurotransmission. There is some evidence that glycine
      can have both pro- and anticonvulsant properties in various rodent models of
      epilepsy. In the present study we tested several glycine transporter 1 (GlyT1)
      inhibitors including NFPS, SSR 504734, Lu AA21279, Org 25935, SB-710622,
      GSK931145, as well as the glycine agonist d-serine, in the maximal electroshock
      threshold (MEST) test in the rat. In a series of experiments, male Sprague-Dawley
      rats (n=12/group) were pre-treated with a compound of interest and then received
      an electric shock delivered via corneal electrodes. A cohort of satellite animals
      (n=3/group) was also used to measure blood and brain levels of Org 25935. All
      GlyT1 inhibitors increased seizure thresholds dose-dependently, indicative of
      anticonvulsant activity. SB-710622 and GSK931145 had lower minimum effective
      doses (MEDs) in the MEST test than other GlyT1 inhibitors. At estimated t(max),
      increases in dose administered were paralleled by increases in blood and brain
      concentrations of Org 25935. Thus, increasing extracellular concentration of
      glycine via inhibition of its uptake protects from electroshock-induced seizures
      in the rat. Whether strychnine-sensitive or strychnine-insensitive glycine
      binding sites are involved in this effect remains to be determined.

PMID- 20303338
TI  - Effects of quercetin on the sleep-wake cycle in rats: involvement of gamma
      aminobutyric acid receptor type A in regulation of rapid eye movement sleep.
AB  - The bioflavonoid quercetin is widely found in plants and exerts a large number of
      biological activities such as anti-hypertensive and anti-inflammatory properties.
      However, the effect of quercetin on the sleep-wake cycle has not been
      investigated. In the present study, we investigated the effect of quercetin on
      sleep-wake regulation. Intraperitoneal administration of quercetin (200mg/kg)
      significantly increased non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep during dark period
      in rats, while it significantly decreased REM sleep. The decrease in REM sleep
      induced by quercetin was blocked by intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of
      bicuculline, a GABA(A) receptor antagonist. In contrast, the increase in non-REM
      sleep induced by quercetin was not affected by i.c.v. injection of bicuculline.
      Therefore, the present results suggest that quercetin alters the sleep-wake cycle
      partly through activation of GABA(A) receptors.

PMID- 20303339
TI  - Characterizing iron deposition in Parkinson's disease using susceptibility
      weighted imaging: an in vivo MR study.
AB  - Brain-iron deposition has been proposed to play an important role in the
      pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD). The aim of this study was to
      evaluate the feasibility of characterizing iron deposition in PD using
      susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI), and to investigate the correlation of
      brain-iron accumulation with the clinical status in patients with PD. Forty
      patients with PD without dementia and 26 age- and sex-matched healthy controls
      underwent high-resolution susceptibility-weighted magnetic resonance (MR)
      imaging. The phase shift values of the bilateral red nucleus (RN), substantia
      nigra (SN), caudate nucleus (CA), globus pallidus (GP), putamen (PU), thalamus
      (TH) and frontal white matter (FWM) were examined for their relationship with the
      clinical status. The iron concentrations of the regions involved in PD, such as
      the SN, increased more significantly, while those in other regions of interest
      (ROI) did not elevate significantly. No correlation between the increase of the
      iron concentrations of the SN and duration of PD was observed. PD, however, was
      closely associated with the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor score
      (UPDRS-III). No significant differences were found between earlier-onset and
      later-onset PD patients in terms of the iron concentrations of the SN. Brain-iron
      concentration can be evaluated by SWI. Also, the brain-iron concentration in the
      SN correlated with UPDRS motor score, indicating that iron concentration can
      function as an in vivo biomarker to objectively evaluate the status of PD.

PMID- 20303340
TI  - Interhemispheric difference in susceptibility to epileptogenesis: evidence from
      the audiogenic kindling model in Wistar rats.
AB  - Audiogenic kindling (AK) represents a model of naturally occurring
      epileptogenesis in which intensification of repeatedly induced audiogenic
      seizures results from propagation of epileptic activity from the brainstem to
      forebrain. Previously it has been shown that unilateral cortical spreading
      depression (SD) is a reliable earliest manifestation of mild AK produced by
      repetition of minimal audiogenic seizures (running) in Wistar rats. The
      unilateral triggering SD suggests the existence of asymmetry in the forebrain
      recruitment during the kindling and the present study examined whether
      epileptogenesis produced by this mild AK paradigm is a lateralized process.
      Twenty five running episodes were induced by brief sound stimulation in Wistar
      rats susceptible to audiogenic seizures. Behavioral and EEG correlates of AK
      development were assessed. Running behavior elicited by brief sound stimulation
      had an asymmetrical pattern with profound preference for one direction. Most rats
      expressing leftward running displayed full kindling development whereas the
      majority of rats with rightward running were resistant to AK. The EEG marker of
      AK, a cortical epileptiform discharge, was recorded only in rats with leftward
      running and the first discharge appeared in the left cortex. Cortical SD was
      recorded after repeated running seizures in all rats with reproducible audiogenic
      response irrespective of the running lateralization and propensity to kindling.
      Until the late kindling stages, SD was triggered unilaterally in the cortex
      ipsilateral to the running direction. These findings indicate intrinsically
      determined lateralization of epileptogenic process in the mild AK model and
      enhanced vulnerability of the left hemisphere to epileptogenesis.

PMID- 20303341
TI  - Characterizing the persistent CA3 interneuronal spiking activity in elevated
      extracellular potassium in the young rat hippocampus.
AB  - Seizures coincide with an increase in extracellular potassium concentrations
      [K(+)](e) yet little information is available regarding this phenomenon on the
      firing pattern, frequency and neuronal properties of inhibitory neurons
      responsible for modulating network excitability. Therefore, we investigated the
      effects of elevating [K(+)](e) from 2.5 to 12.5mM on CA3 rat hippocampal
      interneurons in vitro using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings. We found that the
      majority of interneurons (21/25) in artificial cerebral spinal fluid (aCSF)
      exhibited spontaneous tonic spiking activity. As the [K(+)](e) increased to
      12.5mM, interneurons exhibited a tonic, irregular, burst firing activity, or a
      combination of these. The input resistance decreased significantly to 59+/-18% at
      7.5mM K(+) and did not further change at higher [K(+)](e) while the amount of
      K(+)-induced depolarization significantly increased from 5 to 12.5mM K(+)
      perfusion; a depolarization block occurred in 4 of the 12 interneurons at 12.5mM.
      Also, as [K(+)](e) increased, a transition from lower (1.3+/-0.6Hz) to higher
      dominant peak frequency (15.0+/-5.0Hz) was observed. We found that non-fast
      spiking (NFS) interneurons represented the majority of cells recorded and
      exhibited mostly tonic firing activity in raised K(+). Fast spiking (FS)
      interneurons predominately had a tonic firing pattern with very few exhibiting
      bursting activity in elevated K(+). In conclusion, we report that raised
      [K(+)](e) in amounts observed during seizures increases hippocampal CA3
      interneuronal activity and suggests that a loss or impairment of inhibitory
      function may be present during these events.

PMID- 20303344
TI  - Diagnostic accuracy of sTREM-1 to identify infection in critically ill patients
      with systemic inflammatory response syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the accuracy of plasma levels of soluble Triggering
      Receptor Expressed on Myeloid cells (sTREM)-1 to diagnose infection in critical
      patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). DESIGN AND METHODS:
      We prospectively studied 114 patients with SIRS criteria. The patients' plasma
      levels of sTREM-1 were measured within 24h of admission to the intensive care
      unit. The final diagnosis of infection was made independently by two
      investigators, who were blinded to the levels of sTREM-1. RESULTS: The area under
      the ROC curve of sTREM-1 for the diagnosis of sepsis was 0.62 (95% confidence
      interval [95% CI] 0.51-0.72). The diagnostic odds ratio of sTREM-1 after
      adjusting for the Infection Probability Score and procalcitonin plasma levels was
      1.81 (95% CI 0.66-4.98; p=0.2508). CONCLUSIONS: In critical patients admitted
      with SIRS, sTREM-1 has poor discriminative power to identify patients with
      infection, and sTREM-1 levels do not add diagnostic information to that provided
      by other routinely available clinical tests.

PMID- 20303343
TI  - The relationship between transient zinc ion fluctuations and redox signaling in
      the pathways of secondary cellular injury: relevance to traumatic brain injury.
AB  - A major obstacle that hampers the design of drug therapy for traumatic brain
      injury is the incomplete understanding of the biochemical pathways that lead to
      secondary cellular injury and contribute to cell death. One such pathway involves
      reactive species that generate potentially cytotoxic zinc ion fluctuations as a
      major executor of neuronal, and possibly glial, cell death. Whether zinc ions
      released during traumatic brain injury are toxic or protective is controversial
      but can be approached by investigating the exact concentrations of free zinc
      ions, the thresholds of compromised zinc buffering capacity, and the mechanism of
      cellular homeostatic control of zinc. Rapidly stretch-injured rat
      pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells express cellular zinc ion fluctuations that depend
      on the production of nitric oxide. Chelation of cellular zinc ions after rapid
      stretch injury, however, increases cellular reactive oxygen species. In a rat
      model of traumatic brain injury, parasagittal fluid percussion, analysis of the
      metal load of metallothionein was used as an indicator of changes in cellular
      zinc ion concentrations. The combined results from the cellular and in vivo
      investigations caution against interpreting zinc ion fluctuations in the early
      phase (24h) after injury as a primarily cytotoxic event.

PMID- 20303342
TI  - MicroRNA dysregulation in psychiatric disease.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small regulatory RNAs that individually regulate up to
      several hundred genes, and collectively may regulate as much as two-thirds of the
      transcriptome. Recent evidence supports a role for miRNA dysregulation in
      psychiatric and neurological disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar
      disorder, and autism. Small changes in miRNA expression can fine-tune the
      expression of multiple genes within a biological network, suggesting that miRNA
      dysregulation may underlie many of the molecular changes observed in psychiatric
      disease, and that therapeutic regulation of miRNA levels may represent a novel
      treatment option.

PMID- 20303345
TI  - Additive and global functions of HoxA cluster genes in mesoderm derivatives.
AB  - Hox genes encode transcription factors that play a central role in the
      specification of regional identities along the anterior to posterior body axis.
      In the developing mouse embryo, Hox genes from all four genomic clusters are
      involved in range of developmental processes, including the patterning of
      skeletal structures and the formation of several organs. However, the functional
      redundancy observed either between paralogous genes, or among neighboring genes
      from the same cluster, has hampered functional analyses, in particular when
      synergistic, cluster-specific functions are considered. Here, we report that
      mutant mice lacking the entire HoxA cluster in mesodermal lineages display the
      expected spectrum of postnatal respiratory, cardiac and urogenital defects,
      previously reported for single gene mutations. Likewise, mild phenotypes are
      observed in both appendicular and axial skeleton. However, a striking effect was
      uncovered in the hematopoietic system, much stronger than that seen for Hoxa9
      inactivation alone, which involves stem cells (HSCs) as well as the erythroid
      lineage, indicating that several Hoxa genes are necessary for normal
      hematopoiesis to occur. Finally, the combined deletions of Hoxa and Hoxd genes
      reveal abnormalities in axial elongation as well as skin morphogenesis that are
      likely the results of defects in epithelial-mesenchymal interactions.

PMID- 20303346
TI  - The cyclic pattern of blood alcohol levels during continuous ethanol feeding in
      rats: the effect of feeding S-adenosylmethionine.
AB  - S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe), the major methyl donor for DNA and histone
      methylation was fed with ethanol for 1month in order to modify the effects of
      ethanol on rat liver. The following parameters were studied to determine the
      effects of SAMe; liver histology, the blood alcohol cycle (BAL), changes in gene
      expression mined from microarray analysis, changes in histone methylation,
      changes in liver SAMe levels and its metabolites and ADH. SAMe changed the type
      of fatty liver, reduced liver ALT levels and prevented the BAL cycle caused by
      intragastric ethanol feeding. Microarray analysis showed that SAMe feeding
      prevented most of the changes in gene expression induced by ethanol feeding,
      presumably by inducing H3K27me3 and gene silencing. H3K27me3 was significantly
      increased by SAMe with or without ethanol feeding. It is concluded that SAMe
      feeding stabilized global gene expression so that the changes in gene expression
      involved in the blood alcohol cycle were prevented.

PMID- 20303347
TI  - Acute intrastriatal administration of quinolinic acid provokes
      hyperphosphorylation of cytoskeletal intermediate filament proteins in astrocytes
      and neurons of rats.
AB  - In the present study we investigated the effect of in vivo intrastriatal
      injection of quinolinic acid (QA) on cytoskeletal proteins in astrocytes and
      neurons of young rats at early stage (30 min) after infusion. QA (150 nmoles/0.5
      microL) significantly increased the in vitro phosphorylation of the low molecular
      weight neurofilament subunit (NFL) and the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)
      of neurons and astrocytes, respectively. This effect was mediated by cAMP
      dependent protein kinase A (PKA), protein kinase C (PKC) and Ca(2+)/calmodulin
      dependent protein kinase II (PKCaMII). In contrast, mitogen activated protein
      kinases were not activated by QA infusion. Furthermore, the specific N-methyl-D
      aspartate (NMDA) antagonist MK-801 (0.25 mg/kg i.p), the antioxidant L-NAME (60
      mg?kg?day), and diphenyldisselenide (PheSe)(2) (0.625 mg?kg?day) injected prior
      to QA infusion totally prevented QA-induced cytoskeletal hyperphosphorylation. We
      also observed that QA-induced hyperphosphorylation was targeted at the Ser55
      phosphorylating site on NFL head domain, described as a regulatory site for NF
      assembly in vivo. This effect was fully prevented by MK801, by the PKA inhibitor
      H89 and by (PheSe)(2), whereas staurosporine (PKC inhibitor) only partially
      prevented Ser55 phosphorylation. The PKCaMII inhibitor (KN93) and the antioxidant
      L-NAME failed to prevent the hyperphosphorylation of Ser55 by QA infusion.
      Therefore, we presume that QA-elicited hyperphosphorylation of the neural
      cytoskeleton, and specially of NFLSer55, achieved by intrastriatal QA injection
      could represent an early step in the pathophysiological cascade of deleterious
      events exerted by QA in rat striatum. Our observations also indicate that NMDA
      mediated Ca(2+) events and oxidative stress may be related to the altered protein
      cytoskeleton hyperphosphorylation observed with important implications for brain
      function.

PMID- 20303348
TI  - Hyperammonemia induces neuroinflammation that contributes to cognitive impairment
      in rats with hepatic encephalopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Hyperammonemia and inflammation cooperate to induce
      neurological alterations in hepatic encephalopathy. Recent studies in animal
      models suggest that chronic hyperammonemia and neuroinflammation impair learning
      ability by the same mechanism. Chronic hyperammonemia might induce inflammatory
      factors in the brain that impair cognitive function. We sought to determine
      whether hyperammonemia itself induces neuroinflammation, whether ammonia-induced
      neuroinflammation mediates cognitive impairment, and whether neuroinflammation
      also occurs in rats with bile duct ligation (BDL rats)-a model of chronic liver
      injury that results in hyperammonemia and hepatic encephalopathy. METHODS:
      Chronic moderate hyperammonemia was induced by feeding male Wistar rats an
      ammonium-containing diet or performing BDL. Rats that received a standard diet or
      a sham operation were used as controls. Neuroinflammation was assessed by
      measuring activation of microglia and inflammatory factors. Brain samples were
      collected from hyperammonemic and BDL rats; microglial activation was determined
      by immunohistochemistry and quantification of inflammatory markers (ie, inducible
      nitric oxide synthase, interleukin-1beta, and prostaglandin E2). Learning ability
      and motor activity were assessed in hyperammonemic and BDL rats given ibuprofen
      as an anti-inflammatory agent. RESULTS: Chronic moderate hyperammonemia or BDL
      activated the microglia, especially in cerebellum; increased inducible nitric
      oxide synthase, interleukin-1beta, and prostaglandin E2 levels; and impaired
      cognitive and motor function, compared with controls. Ibuprofen reduced
      microglial activation and restored cognitive and motor functions in the
      hyperammonemic and BDL rats. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic hyperammonemia is sufficient to
      induce microglial activation and neuroinflammation; these contribute to the
      cognitive and motor alterations that occur during hepatic encephalopathy.

PMID- 20303349
TI  - A novel role for the dioxin receptor in fatty acid metabolism and hepatic
      steatosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) also known as the dioxin
      receptor or xenobiotic receptor is a member of the basic helix-loop-helix/period
      AhR nuclear translocator single minded family. The goal of this study was to
      determine the endobiotic role of AhR in hepatic steatosis. METHODS: Wild-type,
      constitutively activated AhR transgenic, AhR null and CD36/fatty acid translocase
      null mice were used to investigate the role of AhR in steatosis and the
      involvement of CD36 in the steatotic effect of AhR. The promoters of the mouse
      and human CD36 genes were cloned and their regulation by AhR was analyzed.
      RESULTS: Activation of AhR induced spontaneous hepatic steatosis characterized by
      the accumulation of triglycerides. The steatotic effect of AhR likely is owing to
      the combined up-regulation of CD36 and fatty acid transport proteins, suppression
      of fatty acid oxidation, inhibition of hepatic export of triglycerides, increase
      in peripheral fat mobilization, and increased hepatic oxidative stress. Promoter
      analysis established CD36 as a novel transcriptional target of AhR. Activation of
      AhR in liver cells induced CD36 gene expression and enhanced fatty acid uptake.
      The steatotic effect of an AhR agonist was inhibited in CD36-/- mice.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our study reveals a novel link between AhR-induced steatosis and the
      expression of CD36. Industrial or military exposures to dioxin and related
      compounds have been linked to increased prevalence of fatty liver in human
      beings. Results from this study may help to establish AhR and its target CD36 as
      novel therapeutic and preventive targets for fatty liver disease.

PMID- 20303350
TI  - Dasatinib inhibits the development of metastases in a mouse model of pancreatic
      ductal adenocarcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly invasive
      and metastatic disease for which conventional treatments are of limited efficacy.
      A number of agents in development are potential anti-invasive and antimetastatic
      agents, including the Src kinase inhibitor dasatinib. The aim of this study was
      to assess the importance of Src in human PDAC and to use a genetically engineered
      mouse model of PDAC to determine the effects of dasatinib on PDAC progression.
      METHODS: Src expression and activity was measured by immunohistochemistry in 114
      human PDACs. Targeting expression of Trp53(R172H) and Kras(G12D) to the mouse
      pancreas results in the formation of invasive and metastatic PDAC. These mice
      were treated with dasatinib, and disease progression monitored. Cell lines were
      derived from mouse PDACs, and in vitro effects of dasatinib assessed. RESULTS:
      Src expression and activity were up-regulated in human PDAC and this correlated
      with reduced survival. Dasatinib inhibited the migration and invasion of PDAC
      cell lines, although no effects on proliferation were seen at concentrations that
      inhibited Src kinase activity. In addition, dasatinib significantly inhibited the
      development of metastases in Pdx1-Cre, Z/EGFP, LSL-Kras(G12D/+), LSL
      Trp53(R172H/+) mice. However, there was no survival advantage in the dasatinib
      treated animals owing to continued growth of the primary tumor. CONCLUSIONS: This
      study confirms the importance of Src in human PDAC and shows the usefulness of a
      genetically engineered mouse model of PDAC for assessing the activity of
      potential antimetastatic agents and suggests that dasatinib should be evaluated
      further as monotherapy after resection of localized invasive PDAC.

PMID- 20303351
TI  - Dissociation between intrahepatic triglyceride content and insulin resistance in
      familial hypobetalipoproteinemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Hepatic steatosis is associated with insulin resistance, but
      it is not clear whether increased intrahepatic triglyceride (IHTG) content causes
      the resistance or is a marker. Subjects with familial hypobetalipoproteinemia
      (FHBL) have high levels of IHTG because of a genetic defect in hepatic export of
      triglycerides, and provide a unique cohort to study the relationship between
      steatosis and insulin sensitivity. METHODS: One group of lean subjects with
      normal IHTG content (2.2% +/- 0.6% of liver volume) (n = 6), and 3 groups of
      overweight and obese subjects matched for body mass index, were studied: (1)
      normal IHTG content (3.3% +/- 0.5%; n = 6), (2) high IHTG content (21.4% +/-
      2.6%) due to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD; n = 6), and (3) high IHTG
      content (18.1% +/- 2.2%) due to FHBL (n = 3). A hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp
      procedure, in conjunction with glucose tracer infusion, was used to determine
      multiorgan insulin sensitivity. RESULTS: Hepatic insulin sensitivity (reciprocal
      of glucose rate of appearance [micromol x kg fat-free mass(-1) x min(-1)] x
      insulin [mU/L]) was greatest in the Lean group (2.0 +/- 0.4); it was the same
      among subjects with FHBL (0.8 +/- 0.1) and the group with normal IHTG content,
      matched for body mass index (0.7 +/- 0.1), but greater than the NAFLD group (0.3
      +/- 0.1) (P < .01). Muscle insulin sensitivity (percent increase in glucose
      uptake during insulin infusion) was greatest in the Lean group (576% +/- 70%).
      Muscle insulin sensitivity was similar in subjects with FHBL and those with
      normal IHTG (319% +/- 77%, 326% +/- 27%, respectively), but greater than the
      NAFLD group (145% +/- 18%) (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Steatosis is dissociated from
      insulin resistance in FHBL, which suggests that increased IHTG content is a
      marker, not a cause, of metabolic dysfunction.

PMID- 20303352
TI  - Ribavirin improves early responses to peginterferon through improved interferon
      signaling.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: The therapeutic mechanisms of ribavirin for hepatitis C are
      unclear. Microarray analyses have shown that ribavirin increases induction of
      interferon-stimulated genes. We evaluated viral kinetics, serum cytokine
      expression, and viral mutagenesis during early stages of peginterferon therapy
      with and without ribavirin. METHODS: Fifty patients with chronic hepatitis C
      virus (HCV) infection genotype 1 were randomly assigned to groups that were given
      peginterferon alpha-2a, with or without ribavirin, for 4 weeks; all patients then
      received an additional 44 weeks of combination therapy. First- and second-phase
      viral kinetics were evaluated. Serum levels of interferon-gamma-inducible protein
      10 (IP10), monokine induced by interferon-gamma, and monocyte chemoattractant
      protein 1 were quantified as measures of the interferon-stimulated genes
      response. NS5A and NS5B were partially sequenced, and mutation rates were
      calculated. RESULTS: The first-phase decrease in HCV RNA was similar between
      groups. Patients who received ribavirin had a more rapid second-phase decrease,
      compared with patients who did not receive ribavirin-particularly those with an
      adequate first-phase decrease (0.61 vs 0.35 log10 IU/mL/week; P = .018). At 12
      hours, fold induction of serum IP10 was higher in patients given the combination
      therapy than those given peginterferon only (7.6- vs 3.8-fold; P = .01); however,
      the difference was greatest in patients with an adequate first-phase decrease in
      HCV RNA. IP10-induction correlated with first- and second-phase kinetics and with
      ribavirin serum concentrations on day 3. HCV mutation rates were similar between
      groups. CONCLUSIONS: Ribavirin improves the kinetics of the early response to
      therapy in patients with an adequate initial response to peginterferon. Induction
      of interferon-stimulated cytokines correlates with viral kinetics following
      ribavirin therapy, suggesting that ribavirin promotes interferon signaling.

PMID- 20303353
TI  - Helicobacter pylori CagL activates ADAM17 to induce repression of the gastric H,
      K-ATPase alpha subunit.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Infection with Helicobacter pylori represses expression of the
      gastric H, K-adenosine triphosphatase alpha-subunit (HKalpha), which could
      contribute to transient hypochlorhydria. CagL, a pilus protein component of the H
      pylori type IV secretion system, binds to the integrin alpha(5)beta1 to mediate
      translocation of virulence factors into the host cell and initiate signaling.
      alpha(5)beta1 binds a disintegrin and metalloprotease (ADAM) 17, a metalloenzyme
      that catalyzes ectodomain shedding of receptor tyrosine kinase ligands. We
      investigated whether H pylori-induced repression of HKalpha is mediated by CagL
      activation of ADAM17 and release of heparin-binding epidermal growth factor (HB
      EGF). METHODS: HKalpha promoter and ADAM17 activity were measured in AGS gastric
      epithelial cells transfected with HKalpha promoter-reporter constructs or ADAM17
      specific small interfering RNAs and infected with H pylori. HB-EGF secretion was
      measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analysis, and ADAM17 interaction
      with integrins was investigated by coimmunoprecipitation analyses. RESULTS:
      Infection of AGS cells with wild-type H pylori or an H pylori cagL-deficient
      isogenic mutant that also contained a wild-type version of cagL
      (P12DeltacagL/cagL) repressed HKalpha promoter-Luc reporter activity and
      stimulated ADAM17 activity. Both responses were inhibited by point mutations in
      the nuclear factor-kappaB binding site of HKalpha or by infection with
      P12DeltacagL. Small interfering RNA-mediated silencing of ADAM17 in AGS cells
      inhibited the repression of wild-type HKalpha promoter and reduced ADAM17
      activity and HB-EGF production, compared to controls. Coimmunoprecipitation
      studies of AGS lysates showed that wild-type H pylori disrupted ADAM17
      alpha5beta1 complexes. CONCLUSIONS: During acute H pylori infection, CagL
      dissociates ADAM17 from the integrin alpha(5)beta1 and activates ADAM17
      dependent, nuclear factor-kappaB-mediated repression of HKalpha. This might
      contribute to transient hypochlorhydria in patients with H pylori infection.

PMID- 20303354
TI  - Acid and bile salt-induced CDX2 expression differs in esophageal squamous cells
      from patients with and without Barrett's esophagus.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: It is not clear why only a minority of patients with
      gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) develop Barrett's esophagus. We
      hypothesized that differences among individuals in molecular pathways activated
      when esophageal squamous epithelium is exposed to reflux underlie the development
      of Barrett's metaplasia. METHODS: We used esophageal squamous cell lines from
      patients who had GERD with Barrett's esophagus (normal esophageal squamous [NES]
      B3T and NES-B10T) and without Barrett's esophagus (NES-G2T and NES-G4T) to study
      effects of acid and bile salts on expression of the CDX2 gene. Bay 11-705, Ad5
      inhibitor kappaB(IkappaB)alpha-SR, and site-directed mutagenesis were used to
      explore effects of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) inhibition on CDX2 promoter
      activity; DNA binding of the NF-kappaB subunits p50 and p65 was assessed by
      chromatin immune-precipitation. RESULTS: Acid and bile salts increased CDX2
      messenger RNA (mRNA), protein, and promoter activity in NES-B3T and NES-B10T
      cells, but not in NES-G2T or NES-G4T cells. Inhibition of NF-kappaB abolished the
      increase in CDX2 promoter activity. Increased CDX2 promoter activity was
      associated with nuclear translocation of p50, which bound to the promoter. We
      found CDX2 mRNA in 7 of 10 esophageal squamous biopsy specimens from patients
      with Barrett's esophagus, but in only 1 of 10 such specimens from patients who
      had GERD without Barrett's esophagus. CONCLUSIONS: Acid and bile salts induce
      CDX2 mRNA and protein expression in esophageal squamous cells from patients with
      Barrett's esophagus, but not from GERD patients without Barrett's esophagus. We
      speculate that these differences in acid- and bile salt-induced activation of
      molecular pathways may underlie the development of Barrett's metaplasia.

PMID- 20303355
TI  - Serotonin signaling is altered in irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea but not
      in functional dyspepsia in pediatric age patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: In adults, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional
      dyspepsia (FD) are chronic conditions that often start during childhood. We
      investigated mucosal serotonin (5-HT) signaling in children with the idea that
      data from subjects with a shorter history may improve our understanding of
      underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. METHODS: Ninety-eight children
      undergoing gastroscopy or colonoscopy were studied prospectively. Biopsy
      specimens were evaluated for inflammation, enterochromaffin cell numbers, 5-HT
      content, and messenger RNA (mRNA) levels for the synthetic enzyme, tryptophan
      hydroxylase 1, and the serotonin transporter (SERT) were assessed by quantitative
      real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Data from 12
      children with IBS and 17 with FD were compared with age-matched controls (12 with
      rectal biopsies and 12 with gastric biopsies) and with subjects with organic
      disorders. In patients with FD, a small number of immune cells were observed in
      the gastric mucosa in half of the patients, but no abnormalities with respect to
      the 5-HT pathway were identified. In patients with IBS, no differences were
      detected between patients and controls regarding intraepithelial lymphocytes and
      CD3+ cells in the lamina propria although all patients showed at least a slight
      inflammatory infiltrate. In the IBS samples, higher 5-HT content (P < .01) and
      lower SERT mRNA (P < .05) were detected as compared with controls. Severe
      inflammation in the colonic mucosa had a high impact on 5-HT signaling with a
      significant decrease in enterochromaffin cells (P < .01) and 5-HT content (P <
      .01) and a high SERT mRNA expression (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: These results
      confirm the role of 5-HT signaling in IBS in children and argue against such a
      role in FD.

PMID- 20303356
TI  - Human risk allele HLA-DRB1*0405 predisposes class II transgenic Ab0 NOD mice to
      autoimmune pancreatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) underlies 5%-11% of cases of
      chronic pancreatitis. An association between AIP and the human leukocyte antigen
      (HLA)-DRB1*0405/DQB1*0401 haplotype has been reported, but linkage disequilibrium
      has precluded the identification of predisposing HLA gene(s). We studied the role
      of single HLA genes in the development of AIP in transgenic mice. METHODS: CD4(+)
      T-cell-negative I-Abeta chain(-/-) (Ab0) mice develop AIP spontaneously, likely
      due to dysregulation of CD8(+) T- cell responses. We generated Ab0 nonobese
      diabetic (NOD) mice transgenic for HLA-DR*0405, leading to rescue of CD4(+) T
      cells; we compared their susceptibility to AIP with HLA-DQ8 or HLA-DR*0401
      (single) transgenic, or HLA-DR*0405/DQ8 (double) transgenic mice. RESULTS: CD4(+)
      T-cell-competent HLA-DR*0405 transgenic Ab0 NOD mice develop AIP with high
      prevalence after sublethal irradiation and adoptive transfer of CD90(+) T cells,
      leading to complete pancreatic atrophy. HLA-DR*0405 transgenic mice can also
      develop unprovoked AIP, whereas HLA-DR*0401, HLA-DQ8, and HLA-DR*0405/DQ8
      transgenic Ab0 NOD controls all remained normal, even after irradiation and
      adoptive transfer of CD90(+) T cells. Pancreas histology in HLA-DR*0405
      transgenic mice was characterized by destructive infiltration of the exocrine
      tissue with CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells, B cells, and macrophages. Mice with
      complete pancreatic atrophy lost weight, developed fat stools, and had reduced
      levels of serum lipase activity. CONCLUSIONS: Because HLA-DR*0405 expression
      fails to protect mice from AIP, the HLA-DRB1*0405 allele appears to be an
      important risk factor for AIP on the HLA-DRB1*0405/DQB1*0401 haplotype. This
      humanized mouse model should be useful for studying immunopathogenesis,
      diagnostic markers, and therapy of human AIP.

PMID- 20303357
TI  - Behavioral and physiological plasticity: rapid changes during social ascent in an
      African cichlid fish.
AB  - In many vertebrates, reproduction is regulated by social interactions in which
      dominant males control access to females and food. Subordinate males that
      displace dominant individuals must rapidly adopt behavioral and physiological
      traits of the higher rank to gain reproductive success. To understand the process
      of phenotypic plasticity during social ascent, we analyzed the temporal
      expression pattern of dominance behaviors and circulating androgen levels when
      socially-suppressed males of an African cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni
      ascended in status. These experiments tested a prediction of the 'challenge
      hypothesis' that, during periods of social instability, male androgen levels are
      higher than during socially stable times. We found that socially and
      reproductively suppressed males perform territorial and reproductive behaviors
      within minutes of an opportunity to ascend in status, and that animals switch
      from initial expression of territorial behaviors to more reproductive behaviors
      during territory establishment. Following this rapid response, social stability
      may be achieved within 1-3 days of social ascent. Consistent with predictions of
      the 'challenge hypothesis', circulating 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) levels were
      elevated within 30 min following social opportunity, coincident with increased
      aggressive behavior. However, territorial behaviors and serum 11-KT levels were
      then dissociated by 72h after social ascent, suggesting either rapid social
      stability and/or increased physiological potential for androgen production. This
      behavioral and physiological plasticity in male A. burtoni suggests that
      perception of social opportunity triggers a suite of quick changes to facilitate
      rapid transition towards reproductive success, and reveals important features of
      social ascent not previously recognized.

PMID- 20303358
TI  - Innovation in gene regulation: the case of chromatin computation.
AB  - Chromatin regulation is understood to be one of the fundamental modes of gene
      regulation in eukaryotic cells. We argue that the basic proteins that determine
      the chromatin architecture constitute an evolutionary ancient layer of
      transcriptional regulation common to all three domains of life. We explore
      phylogenetically, sources of innovation in chromatin regulation, focusing on
      protein domains related to chromatin structure and function, demonstrating a step
      wise increase of complexity in chromatin regulation. Building upon the highly
      conserved use of variants of chromosomal architectural proteins to distinguish
      chromosomal states, Eukarya secondarily acquired mechanisms for "writing"
      chemical modifications onto chromatin that constitute persistent signals. The
      acquisition of reader domains enabled decoding of these complex, signal
      combinations and a decoupling of the signal from immediate biochemical effects.
      We show how the coupling of reading and writing, which is most prevalent in crown
      group Eukarya, could have converted chromatin into a powerful computational
      device capable of storing and processing more information than pure cis
      regulatory networks.

PMID- 20303359
TI  - Pharmacology of the human skin microcirculation.

PMID- 20303360
TI  - Effect of metallothionein core promoter region polymorphism on cadmium, zinc and
      copper levels in autopsy kidney tissues from a Turkish population.
AB  - Metallothioneins (MTs) are metal-binding, low molecular weight proteins and are
      involved in pathophysiological processes like metabolism of essential metals,
      metal ion homeostasis and detoxification of heavy metals. Metallothionein
      expression is induced by various heavy metals especially cadmium, mercury and
      zinc; MTs suppress toxicity of heavy metals by binding themselves to these
      metals. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the -5
      A/G metallothionein 2A (MT2A) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and Cd, Zn and
      Cu levels in the renal cortex from autopsy cases. MT2A core promoter region -5
      A/G SNP was analyzed by PCR-RFLP method using 114 autopsy kidney tissues and the
      genotype frequencies of this polymorphism were found as 87.7% homozygote typical
      (AA), 11.4% heterozygote (AG) and 0.9% homozygote atypical (GG). In order to
      assess the Cd, Zn and Cu levels in the same autopsy kidney tissues, a dual atomic
      absorption spectrophotometer system was used and the average levels of Cd, Zn and
      Cu were measured as 95.54+/-65.58 microg/g, 181.20+/-87.72 microg/g and 17.14+/
      16.28 microg/g, respectively. As a result, no statistical association was found
      between the -5 A/G SNP in the MT2A gene and the Zn and Cu levels in the renal
      cortex (p>0.05), but considerably high accumulation of Cd was monitored for
      individuals having AG (151.24+/-60.21 microg/g) and GG genotypes (153.09
      microg/g) compared with individuals having AA genotype (87.72+/-62.98 microg/g)
      (p<0.05). These results show that the core promoter region polymorphism of
      metallothionein 2A increases the accumulation of Cd in human renal cortex.

PMID- 20303361
TI  - Cardiac cell modelling: observations from the heart of the cardiac physiome
      project.
AB  - In this manuscript we review the state of cardiac cell modelling in the context
      of international initiatives such as the IUPS Physiome and Virtual Physiological
      Human Projects, which aim to integrate computational models across scales and
      physics. In particular we focus on the relationship between experimental data and
      model parameterisation across a range of model types and cellular physiological
      systems. Finally, in the context of parameter identification and model reuse
      within the Cardiac Physiome, we suggest some future priority areas for this
      field.

PMID- 20303363
TI  - Mechanism-based approaches to treating fragile X.
AB  - Fragile X is the leading inherited cause of mental retardation and autism. Recent
      advances in our mechanistic understanding of the disease have led to the
      identification of the metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) as a therapeutic
      target for the disease. These studies have revealed that core defects in multiple
      animal models can be corrected by down regulation of mGluR5 signaling. Although
      it remains to be seen if mGluR5 antagonists or related approaches will succeed in
      humans with fragile X, the progress in fragile X stands as a strong testament to
      the power of applying knowledge of basic neurobiology to understand
      pathophysiology in a genetically validated model of human psychiatric disease.
      These breakthroughs and several of the resulting drug development efforts are
      reviewed.

PMID- 20303362
TI  - Predictors of reported influenza vaccination in HIV-infected women in the United
      States, 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 seasons.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate the cumulative incidence of self-reported influenza
      vaccination ("vaccination coverage") and investigate predictors in HIV-infected
      women. METHODS: In an ongoing cohort study of HIV-infected women in five US
      cities, data from two influenza seasons (2006-2007 n=1209 and 2007-2008 n=1161)
      were used to estimate crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) and 95%
      confidence intervals ([,]) from Poisson regression with robust variance models
      using generalized estimating equations (GEE). RESULTS: In our study, 55% and 57%
      of HIV-infected women reported vaccination during the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008
      seasons, respectively. Using data from both seasons, older age, non-smoking
      status, CD4 T-lymphocyte (CD4) count > or =200 cells/mm(3), and reporting at
      least one recent healthcare visit was associated with increased vaccination
      coverage. In the 2007-2008 season, a belief in the protection of the vaccine
      (aPR=1.38 [1.18, 1.61]) and influenza vaccination in the previous season
      (aPR=1.66 [1.44, 1.91]) most strongly predicted vaccination status. CONCLUSION:
      Interventions to reach unvaccinated HIV-infected women should focus on changing
      beliefs about the effectiveness of influenza vaccination and target younger
      women, current smokers, those without recent healthcare visits, or a CD4 count
      <200 cells/mm(3).

PMID- 20303364
TI  - Morphological correlates of MAO A VNTR polymorphism: new evidence from cortical
      thickness measurement.
AB  - A functional variant in the mono-amine oxidase A (MAO A) gene has been shown to
      impact neural function related to cognitive and affective processing and increase
      risk for conduct disorders. However, whether MAO A could be a candidate gene for
      structural variation in the human brain remains to be clarified. This study is
      the first to investigate the effect of this genotype on brain morphology by
      measuring cortical thickness. We genotyped 59 healthy male subjects (36 carrying
      the MAO A High-activity allele and 23 the MAO A Low-activity allele) who
      underwent structural MRI at 3T. Models of the grey-white and pial surfaces were
      generated for each individual's cortices, and the distance between these two
      surfaces was used to compute cortical thickness within a priori regions of
      interest of the orbitofrontal and cingulate cortices. Surface-based analysis of
      the cortical mantle showed that the MAO A genotype was associated with structural
      differences in the orbitofrontal cortex bilaterally, where the MAO A High
      activity group showed the highest cortical thickness value and the MAO A Low
      activity group the lowest. Otherwise, no significant difference was detected
      within the cingulate cortex. Thus, we confirm the hypothesis that the MAO A
      genotype has a specific impact on human brain morphology. In particular,
      thickness measurement of the orbitofrontal cortex provides new evidence about the
      biological impact of the MAO A genotype on neural systems relevant to the
      pathophysiology of behavioural disorders.

PMID- 20303365
TI  - Herpesviruses: hijacking the Ras signaling pathway.
AB  - Cancer is the final result of the accumulation of several genetic alterations
      occurring in a cell. Several herpesviruses and especially gamma-herpesviruses
      have played an important role in Cancer Biology, contributing significantly to
      our comprehension of cell signaling and growth control pathways which lead to
      malignancy. Unlike other infectious agents, herpesviruses persist in the host by
      establishing a latent infection, so that they can reactivate periodically.
      Interestingly, some herpesviruses are able to either deliver or induce the
      expression of cellular oncogenes. Such alterations can result in the derailment
      of the normal cell cycle and ultimately shift the balance between continuous
      proliferation and programmed cell death. Herpesvirus infection employs key
      molecules of cellular signaling cascades mostly to enhance viral replication.
      However, most of these molecules are also involved in essential cellular
      functions, such as proliferation, cellular differentiation and migration, as well
      as in DNA repair mechanisms. Ras proteins are key molecules that regulate a wide
      range of cellular functions, including differentiation, proliferation and cell
      survival. A broad field of medical research is currently focused on elucidating
      the role of ras oncogenes in human tumor initiation as well as tumor progression
      and metastasis. Upon activation, Ras proteins employ several downstream effector
      molecules such as phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K) and Raf and Ral guanine
      nucleotide-dissociation stimulators (RALGDS) to regulate a cascade of events
      ranging from cell proliferation and survival to apoptosis and cellular death. In
      this review, we give an overview of the impact that herpesvirus infection has on
      the host-cell Ras signaling pathway, providing an outline of their interactions
      with the key cascade molecules with which they associate. Several of these
      interactions of viral proteins with member of the Ras signaling pathway may be
      crucial in determining herpesviruses' oncogenic potential or their oncomodulatory
      behavior. The questions that emerge concern the potential role of these molecules
      as therapeutic targets both for viral infections and cancer. Understanding the
      means by which viruses may cause oncogenesis would therefore provide a deeper
      knowledge of the overall oncogenic process.

PMID- 20303367
TI  - A simple but accurate method for histological reconstruction of the large-sized
      brain tissue of the human that is applicable to construction of digitized brain
      database.
AB  - Research on the human brain has undoubted significance, but our knowledge on its
      detailed morphology is still limited. We have developed a simple method for
      reconstruction of large-sized brain tissues of the human. Fixed brains were cut
      into blocks (maximum size 7 cm x 7 cm x 1 cm), embedded and postfixed in gelatin
      just one overnight before obtaining complete serial sections with a vibrating
      microtome. Quality of stained materials was sufficient to create three
      dimensional histological maps, where digital reconstructions from adjoining
      blocks could be accurately combined. The present method will facilitate both
      direct examination of the human brain and construction of its histological
      database.

PMID- 20303366
TI  - ErbB4 regulates the timely progression of late fetal lung development.
AB  - The ErbB4 receptor has an important function in fetal lung maturation. Deletion
      of ErbB4 leads to alveolar hypoplasia and hyperreactive airways similar to the
      changes in bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). BPD is a chronic pulmonary disorder
      affecting premature infants as a consequence of lung immaturity, lung damage, and
      abnormal repair. We hypothesized that proper ErbB4 function is needed for the
      timely progression of fetal lung development. An ErbB4 transgenic cardiac rescue
      mouse model was used to study the effect of ErbB4 deletion on fetal lung
      structure, surfactant protein (SP) expression, and synthesis, and inflammation.
      Morphometric analyses revealed a delayed structural development with a
      significant decrease in saccular size at E18 and more pronounced changes at E17,
      keeping these lungs in the canalicular stage. SP-B mRNA expression was
      significantly down regulated at E17 with a subsequent decrease in SP-B protein
      expression at E18. SP-D protein expression was significantly decreased at E18.
      Surfactant phospholipid synthesis was significantly decreased on both days, and
      secretion was down regulated at E18. We conclude that pulmonary ErbB4 deletion
      results in a structural and functional delay in fetal lung development,
      indicating a crucial regulatory role of ErbB4 in the timely progression of fetal
      lung development.

PMID- 20303368
TI  - Beta-alanyl peptide synthesis by Streptomyces S9 aminopeptidase.
AB  - Synthesis of beta-alanine (beta-Ala) containing dipeptide using S9 aminopeptidase
      from Streptomyces thermocyaneoviolaceus NBRC14271 (S9AP-St) was demonstrated with
      beta-Ala-benzyl ester (-OBzl) and various L-aminoacyl derivatives. For synthesis
      of beta-Ala-containing dipeptide, beta-Ala-OBzl was used preferentially as the
      acyl donor for S9AP-St, producing synthesized dipeptides having beta-Ala-Xaa
      structure. In contrast, engineering of S9AP-St into "transaminopeptidase" by
      substitution of catalytic Ser with Cys--designated as aminolysin-S--produced only
      dipeptides having Xaa-beta-Ala structure. Investigation of the specificity of
      S9AP-St toward acyl acceptors showed that S9AP has a broad substrate specificity
      toward various aminoacyl derivatives. Furthermore, S9AP-St produced carnosine
      methyl ester (-OMe) with a conversion ratio of beta-Ala-OBzl to carnosine-OMe
      that was greater than 30%.

PMID- 20303369
TI  - CASOP: a computational approach for strain optimization aiming at high
      productivity.
AB  - The identification of suitable intervention strategies increasing the
      productivity of microorganisms is a central issue in metabolic engineering. Here,
      we introduce a computational framework for strain optimization based on reaction
      importance measures derived from weighted elementary modes. The objective is to
      shift the natural flux distribution to synthesis of the desired product with high
      production rates thereby retaining the ability of the host organism to produce
      biomass precursors. The stoichiometric approach allows consideration of
      regulatory/operational constraints and takes product yield and network capacity-
      the two major determinants of (specific) productivity--explicitly into account.
      The relative contribution of each reaction to yield and network capacity and thus
      productivity is estimated by analyzing the spectrum of available conversion
      routes (elementary modes). A result of our procedure is a reaction ranking
      suggesting knockout and overexpression candidates. Moreover, we show that the
      methodology allows for the evaluation of cofactor and co-metabolite requirements
      in conjunction with product synthesis. We illustrate the proposed method by
      studying the overproduction of succinate and lactate by Escherichia coli. The
      metabolic engineering strategies identified in silico resemble existing mutant
      strains designed for the synthesis of the respective products. Additionally, some
      non-intuitive intervention strategies are revealed.

PMID- 20303370
TI  - Inhibition of hepatitis B virus replication by the internal fragment of hepatitis
      B core protein.
AB  - The nucleocapsids formation is a pivotal step of hepatitis B virus (HBV) life
      cycle. The inhibition of HBV nucleocapsids assembly is a promising strategy for
      the anti-HBV treatment. HBc78-117 is an internal fragment of hepatitis B core
      protein (HBc). In this study, we used lentiviral vector to deliver HBc78-117 cDNA
      sequence into HepG2.2.15 cells and examined the effect of HBc78-117 on HBV
      replication. We confirmed by immunoprecipitation analysis that HBc78-117
      interacted with full-length HBc in HepG2.2.15 cells. The nucleocapsids and HBV
      DNA replication intermediates were markedly reduced in the cells expressing HBc78
      117, although HBV pregenome RNA was not affected. The level of HBV DNA was also
      significantly reduced in culture supernatant. These suggest that HBc78-117 can
      inhibit HBV DNA replication by interfering with nucleocapsids assembly.

PMID- 20303371
TI  - Effects of stevia, aspartame, and sucrose on food intake, satiety, and
      postprandial glucose and insulin levels.
AB  - Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages may be one of the dietary causes of
      metabolic disorders, such as obesity. Therefore, substituting sugar with low
      calorie sweeteners may be an efficacious weight management strategy. We tested
      the effect of preloads containing stevia, aspartame, or sucrose on food intake,
      satiety, and postprandial glucose and insulin levels. DESIGN: 19 healthy lean
      (BMI=20.0-24.9) and 12 obese (BMI=30.0-39.9) individuals 18-50 years old
      completed three separate food test days during which they received preloads
      containing stevia (290kcal), aspartame (290kcal), or sucrose (493kcal) before the
      lunch and dinner meal. The preload order was balanced, and food intake (kcal) was
      directly calculated. Hunger and satiety levels were reported before and after
      meals, and every hour throughout the afternoon. Participants provided blood
      samples immediately before and 20min after the lunch preload. Despite the caloric
      difference in preloads (290kcal vs. 493kcal), participants did not compensate by
      eating more at their lunch and dinner meals when they consumed stevia and
      aspartame versus sucrose in preloads (mean differences in food intake over entire
      day between sucrose and stevia=301kcal, p<.01; aspartame=330kcal, p<.01). Self
      reported hunger and satiety levels did not differ by condition. Stevia preloads
      significantly reduced postprandial glucose levels compared to sucrose preloads
      (p<.01), and postprandial insulin levels compared to both aspartame and sucrose
      preloads (p<.05). When consuming stevia and aspartame preloads, participants did
      not compensate by eating more at either their lunch or dinner meal and reported
      similar levels of satiety compared to when they consumed the higher calorie
      sucrose preload.

PMID- 20303372
TI  - Matrix metalloproteinase-9 activity increased by two different types of epileptic
      seizures that do not induce neuronal death: a possible role in homeostatic
      synaptic plasticity.
AB  - Matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) degrade or modify extracellular matrix or membrane
      bound proteins in the brain. MMP-2 and MMP-9 are activated by treatments that
      result in a sustained neuronal depolarization and are thought to contribute to
      neuronal death and structural remodeling. At the synapse, MMP actions on
      extracellular proteins contribute to changes in synaptic efficacy during learning
      paradigms. They are also activated during epileptic seizures, and MMP-9 has been
      associated with the establishment of aberrant synaptic connections after neuronal
      death induced by kainate treatment. It remains unclear whether MMPs are activated
      by epileptic activities that do not induce cell death. Here we examine this point
      in two animal models of epilepsy that do not involve extensive cell damage. We
      detected an elevation of MMP-9 enzymatic activity in cortical regions of
      secondary generalization after focal seizures induced by 4-aminopyridine (4-AP)
      application in rats. Pro-MMP-9 levels were also higher in Wistar Glaxo Rijswijk
      (WAG/Rij) rats, a genetic model of generalized absence epilepsy, than they were
      in Sprague-Dawley rats, and this elevation was correlated with diurnally
      occurring spike-wave-discharges in WAG/Rij rats. The increased enzymatic activity
      of MMP-9 in these two different epilepsy models is associated with synchronized
      neuronal activity that does not induce widespread cell death. In these epilepsy
      models MMP-9 induction may therefore be associated with functions such as
      homeostatic synaptic plasticity rather than neuronal death.

PMID- 20303373
TI  - Association analysis of myosin IXB and type 1 diabetes.
AB  - To date, seven studies have provided evidence for an association between the gene
      encoding for myosin IXB (MYO9B) and celiac disease (CD), and inflammatory bowel
      diseases, including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs2305767, rs1457092,
      and rs2305764. We investigated whether MYO9B is associated with T1D. The three
      SNPs were genotyped in Dutch samples from 288 T1D patients and 1615 controls. The
      A allele of SNP rs2305767A>G showed some evidence of association with T1D
      (nominal p for genotype = 0.06; OR carrier = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.04-2.19), but not
      in British samples from 4301 case patients and 4706 controls (p = 0.53), or when
      the Dutch and UK data were pooled (N patients = 4582, N controls= 6224; Mantel
      Hansel p = 0.83). Furthermore, the nonsynonymous rs1545620 C>A SNP that has been
      associated with the inflammatory bowel disease, showed no association with T1D in
      British case-control set (p = 0.57). We conclude that MYO9B might not be a strong
      determinant of T1D, although there was some association in our initial Dutch
      study. Further studies are needed to evaluate the role of MYO9B in T1D.

PMID- 20303374
TI  - Estimation of nicotine and tar yields from human-smoked cigarettes before and
      after the implementation of the cigarette ignition propensity regulations in
      Canada.
AB  - In 2005, Human-Smoked (HS) tar and nicotine yields from commercial Canadian
      cigarettes were determined using a part filter analysis method to obtain
      estimates representative of human smoking behavior. In 2006, new cigarette
      designs were introduced to ensure compliance with the Canadian Low Ignition
      Propensity (LIP) regulations. It was not known how the changes in product design
      would affect HS yields. To assess the impact of the cigarette design
      modifications on HS yields, a further group of Canadian smokers was recruited for
      smoking the modified version of 10 products previously assessed. No differences
      in estimated HS tar yields were found between products following product
      modification. The HS nicotine yield was different for one product. In general, HS
      yields were higher than ISO machine yields while Canadian intense machine yields
      were more representative of the maximum HS yields. The same product ranking order
      was obtained for HS yields and the two machine yields but differences between the
      mean HS yields and ISO yields were smaller as the product ISO yields increased.
      Higher HS yields were measured when products were smoked by male smokers. The
      methodology used in this study showed the wide range of HS yields obtained by
      smokers as well as a good degree of stability in average HS yields just before
      and after the introduction of LIP regulations.

PMID- 20303376
TI  - Derivation of a reference dose and drinking water equivalent level for 1,2,3
      trichloropropane.
AB  - In some US potable water supplies, 1,2,3-trichloropropane (TCP) has been present
      at ranges of non-detect to less than 100 ppb, resulting from past uses. In
      subchronic oral studies, TCP produced toxicity in kidneys, liver, and other
      tissues. TCP administered by corn oil gavage in chronic studies produced tumors
      at multiple sites in rats and mice; however, interpretation of these studies was
      impeded by substantial premature mortality. Drinking water equivalent levels
      (DWELs) were estimated for a lifetime of consumption by applying biologically
      based safety/risk assessment approaches, including Monte Carlo techniques, and
      with consideration of kinetics and modes of action, to possibly replace default
      assumptions. Internationally recognized Frameworks for human relevance of animal
      data were employed to interpret the findings. Calculated were a reference dose
      (=39 microg/kg d) for non-cancer and Cancer Values (CV) (=10-14 microg/kg d)
      based on non-linear dose-response relationships for mutagenicity as a precursor
      of cancer. Lifetime Average Daily Intakes (LADI) are 3130 and 790-1120
      microg/person-d for non-cancer and cancer, respectively. DWELs, estimated by
      applying a relative source contribution (RSC) of 50% to the LADIs, are 780 and
      200-280 microg/L for non-cancer and cancer, respectively. These DWELs may inform
      establishment of formal/informal guidelines and standards to protect public
      health.

PMID- 20303375
TI  - Food allergy: stakeholder perspectives on acceptable risk.
AB  - We have reached a point where it is difficult to improve food allergy risk
      management without an agreement on levels of acceptable risk. This paper presents
      and discusses the perspectives of the different stakeholders (allergic consumers,
      health professionals, public authorities and the food industry) on acceptable
      risk in food allergy. Understanding where these perspectives diverge and even
      conflict may help develop an approach to define what is acceptable. Uncertainty
      about food allergy, its consequences and how to manage them is the common
      denominator of the stakeholders' views. In patients, uncertainty is caused by the
      unpredictability of reactions and the concern about whether avoidance strategies
      will be effective enough. Variability of symptoms and the lack of markers do not
      allow stratification of patients according to their reactivity, and force health
      professionals to give the same advice to all patients despite the fact that the
      risk to each is not identical. Regulators and the food industry struggle with the
      fact that the lack of management thresholds forces them to make case-by-case
      decisions in an area of uncertainty with penalties for under- or over-prediction.
      As zero risk is not a realistic possibility, consensus on acceptable risk will be
      needed.

PMID- 20303377
TI  - Genotoxic and antimutagenic activities of extracts from pseudocereals in the
      Salmonella mutagenicity assay.
AB  - Extracts of amaranth (Amaranthus L.), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) and Japanese
      millet (Echinochloa frumentacea L.) were evaluated for mutagenicity in Salmonella
      typhimurium strains TA98, TA100 and TA102. All three pseudocereal extracts were
      also assessed for their antimutagenic properties against the direct mutagens 2
      nitrofluorene (2NF) for strain TA98, 3-(5-nitro-2-furyl)acrylic acid (5NFAA) for
      TA100 and H(2)O(2) for TA102 strain and against the indirect mutagen aflatoxin
      B(1) (AFB(1)). No mutagenicity was induced by any of the pseudocereal extracts
      when tested at concentrations as high as 50mg/ml. All three extracts showed
      similar antimutagenicity against 5NFAA and no antimutagenicity against 2NF. The
      number of revertants induced by H(2)O(2) extract was inhibited in order
      amaranth>Japanese milet>sorghum. All extracts were effective in the inhibition of
      mutagenic activity of aflatoxin B(1). The total polyphenol content as well as the
      amount of the flavonoids and phenolic acids as main component of polyphenolics
      were also determined.

PMID- 20303378
TI  - Humor attenuates the cortisol awakening response in healthy older men.
AB  - This study examined the impact of an important factor contributing to successful
      aging, humor, on post-awakening cortisol levels among a group of 45 older men
      whose ages ranged from 64 years to 86 years (mean=73.6 years). Four saliva
      samples were collected from the participants for 2 days immediately after waking
      and every 15 min thereafter for three times. Cortisol data of the 2 days were
      aggregated for analysis. Two separate indices of cortisol awakening response
      reflecting the mean level of secretion and the rise from immediately to 45 min
      post-awakening, AUC(G) and AUC(I), were computed using the trapezoid formula. The
      relation of these two indices to humor (operationalized as coping) was examined
      in a multiple regression analysis while controlling for the effect of age,
      socioeconomic status, and self-esteem. Results indicated that higher humor scores
      were associated with lower AUC(G) but had no relation with AUC(I). Findings of
      the present study suggest that the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis is
      the major pathway whereby positive psychological dispositions, such as humor,
      exert their health effects in the aging population. Moreover, cortisol levels in
      the awakening period may be particularly sensitive to the influences of
      psychosocial factors.

PMID- 20303379
TI  - Platelet-activating factor and acute myelogenous leukemia.

PMID- 20303380
TI  - Dynamic regulation of Gata1 expression during the maturation of conventional
      dendritic cells.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To identify the regulatory sequences driving Gata1 expression in
      conventional dendritic cells (cDC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The number and
      expression levels of Gata1, Gata1-target genes and hypersensitive site (HS) 2
      (the eosinophil-specific enhancer)-driven green fluorescent protein (GFP)
      reporter of cDCs from mice lacking HS1 (the erythroid/megakaryocytic-specific
      enhancer, Gata1(low) mutation) and wild-type littermates, as well as the response
      to lipopolysaccharide of ex vivo-generated wild-type and Gata1(low) DCs were
      investigated. RESULTS: cDC maturation was associated with bell-shaped changes in
      Gata1 expression that peaked in cDCs precursors from blood. The Gata1(low)
      mutation did not affect Gata1 expression in cDC precursors and these cells
      expressed the HS2-driven reporter, indicating that Gata1 expression is HS2-driven
      in these cells. By contrast, the Gata1(low) mutation reduced Gata1 expression in
      mature cDCs and these cells did not express GFP, indicating that mature cDCs
      express Gata1 driven by HS1. In blood, the number of cDC precursors expressing
      CD40/CD80 was reduced in Gata1(low) mice, while CD40(pos)/CD80(pos) cDC
      precursors from wild-type mice expressed the HS2-GFP reporter, suggesting that
      Gata1 expression in these cells is both HS1- and HS2-driven. In addition, the
      antigen and accessory molecules presentation process induced by
      lipopolysaccharide in ex vivo-generated wild-type DC was associated with
      increased acetylated histone 4 occupancy of HS1, while ex vivo-generated
      Gata1(low) cDCs failed to respond to lipopolysaccharide, suggesting that HS1
      activation is required for cDC maturation. CONCLUSION: These results identify a
      dynamic pattern of Gata1 regulation that switches from an HS1 to an HS2-dependent
      phase during the maturation of cDCs associated with the antigen-presentation
      process in the blood.

PMID- 20303382
TI  - Fibrocytes in health and disease.
AB  - Fibrocytes are circulating mesenchymal progenitor cells that participate in
      tissue responses to injury and invasion. Accumulating knowledge from animal
      models regarding the differentiation, trafficking, and function of these cells
      implicates them in the development of diseases characterized by chronic
      inflammation and excessive collagen deposition. Recent data obtained from the
      clinical setting suggests that the enumeration of circulating fibrocytes may be a
      biomarker for disease progression in chronic lung diseases including asthma and
      pulmonary fibrosis. A greater understanding of the immunologic mediators that
      influence fibrocyte biology suggests new opportunities for therapeutic
      manipulation of these cells in fibrogenesis. This review integrates new
      developments in the cellular and molecular biology of fibrocytes with current
      concepts regarding the etiopathogenesis of fibrosing disorders.

PMID- 20303383
TI  - Design of Ad5F35 vectors for coordinated dual gene expression in candidate human
      hematopoietic stem cells.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Adenoviral vector-mediated gene expression is an attractive approach
      to manipulate or report gene expression in human hematopoietic stem cells (HSC)
      when transient gene expression is preferred. Previous studies have demonstrated
      that fiber-retargeted Ad5F35 vectors can mediate efficient gene transfer into
      human HSCs. In this study, we investigated the potential of bi-directional
      promoter-controlled Ad5F35 vector for coordinated dual gene expression in
      candidate HSCs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We have engineered Ad5F35-DeltaLNGFR-BiDp
      encoding kinase domain deleted low-affinity NGF receptor (DeltaLNGFR) and green
      fluorescent protein (GFP) expression cassette controlled by a synthetic bi
      directional promoter, which is composed of human phosphoglycerate kinase promoter
      and minimal core promoter from human cytomegalovirus. The expression pattern of
      DeltaLNGFR and GFP following Ad5F35-DeltaLNGFR-BiDp gene transfer in various cell
      types, including candidate HSCs, was compared to Ad5F35-DeltaLNGFR-IRES vector
      encoding phosphoglycerate kinase promoter-controlled bicistronic expression
      cassette for DeltaLNGFR and GFP. RESULTS: Using Ad5F35-DeltaLNGFR-BiDp, we
      demonstrated a coordinated, high-level dual gene expression in leukemic cells and
      cord blood CD34(+) cells. However, the ability of Ad5F35-DeltaLNGFR-BiDp-GFP for
      coordinated dual gene expression varied significantly between repopulating
      progenitor cells. In nonobese diabetic severe combined immune deficient mice bone
      marrow transplantation assay, sorted CD34(+)/DeltaLNGFR(+)/GFP(+) cells following
      infection with Ad5F35-DeltaLNGFR-BiDp showed predominantly myeloid lineage
      reconstitution with limited lymphoid lineage differentiation capacity, whereas
      the CD34(+)/DeltaLNGFR(+)/GFP(-) cells exhibited both myeloid and lymphoid
      reconstitution. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that bi-directional promoter
      controlled Ad5F35 vector, such as Ad5F35-DeltaLNGFR-BiDp, can be particularly
      useful for manipulation of myeloid progenitor cells and potentially in myeloid
      lineage leukemic cells as well.

PMID- 20303385
TI  - DNA-based random number generation in security circuitry.
AB  - DNA-based circuit design is an area of research in which traditional silicon
      based technologies are replaced by naturally occurring phenomena taken from
      biochemistry and molecular biology. This research focuses on further developing
      DNA-based methodologies to mimic digital data manipulation. While exhibiting
      fundamental principles, this work was done in conjunction with the vision that
      DNA-based circuitry, when the technology matures, will form the basis for a
      tamper-proof security module, revolutionizing the meaning and concept of tamper
      proofing and possibly preventing it altogether based on accurate scientific
      observations. A paramount part of such a solution would be self-generation of
      random numbers. A novel prototype schema employs solid phase synthesis of
      oligonucleotides for random construction of DNA sequences; temporary storage and
      retrieval is achieved through plasmid vectors. A discussion of how to evaluate
      sequence randomness is included, as well as how these techniques are applied to a
      simulation of the random number generation circuitry. Simulation results show
      generated sequences successfully pass three selected NIST random number
      generation tests specified for security applications.

PMID- 20303384
TI  - Interferon-alpha targets JAK2V617F-positive hematopoietic progenitor cells and
      acts through the p38 MAPK pathway.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Interferon-alpha (IFNalpha) therapy leads to hematological remissions
      and a reduction of the JAK2V617F allele burden in patients with polycythemia vera
      (PV). In this study, the cellular target by which IFNalpha affects hematopoiesis
      in PV patients was evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CD34(+) cells were isolated
      from normal bone marrow and the peripheral blood of patients with PV and were
      treated in vitro with each of the three commercially available forms of IFNalpha:
      IFNalpha 2b, pegylated IFNalpha 2a (Peg-IFNalpha 2a), and pegylated IFNalpha 2b
      (Peg-IFNalpha 2b). RESULTS: Each form of IFNalpha was equally potent in
      suppressing hematopoietic colony formation by normal CD34(+) cells, but Peg
      IFNalpha 2a and IFNalpha 2b were more effective than Peg-IFNalpha 2b in
      inhibiting burst-forming unit erythroid-derived colony formation by PV CD34(+)
      cells. In addition, exposure of PV CD34(+) cells to equal doses of Peg-IFNalpha
      2a and IFNalpha 2b resulted in a 38% to 40% reduction in the proportion of
      JAK2V617F-positive hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC), while equivalent doses
      of Peg-IFNalpha 2b did not reduce the number of malignant HPC. Further studies
      explored the mechanism by which IFNalpha induced PV HPC growth inhibition.
      Treatment of Peg-IFNalpha 2a increased the rate of apoptosis of PV CD34(+) cells
      and the phosphorylation/activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase in PV
      CD34(+) cells, while the p38-specific inhibitor SB203580 reversed the growth
      inhibition and apoptosis induced by Peg-IFNalpha 2a. CONCLUSION: These data
      suggest that low doses of IFNalpha selectively and directly suppress PV JAK2V617F
      HPC and that these agents act through the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase
      pathway.

PMID- 20303386
TI  - Kupffer-cell activity is essential for thyroid hormone rat liver preconditioning.
AB  - We studied the role of Kupffer cell functioning in T3 liver preconditioning
      against ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury using the macrophage inactivator
      gadolinium chloride (GdCl3) previous to T3 treatment. Male Sprague-Dawley rats
      given a single i.p. dose of 0.1 mg T3/kg were subjected to 1 h ischemia followed
      by 20 h reperfusion, in groups of animals pretreated with 10 mg GdCl3/kg i.v. 72
      h before T(3) or with the respective vehicles. IR resulted in significant
      enhancement of serum aspartate aminotransferase (3.3-fold increase) and tumor
      necrosis factor-alpha (93% increase) levels, development of liver damage, and
      diminished nuclear factor-kappaB DNA binding over control values. These changes,
      which were suppressed by the T3 administration prior to IR, persisted in animals
      given GdCl3 before T3 treatment, under conditions of complete elimination of ED2+
      Kupffer cells achieved in a time window of 72 h. It is concluded that Kupffer
      cell functioning is essential for T3 liver preconditioning, assessed in a warm IR
      injury model by hepatic macrophage inactivation.

PMID- 20303387
TI  - Clinical application and consequences of molecular genetics of thyroid diseases.

PMID- 20303388
TI  - Oxytocin receptor (OXTR) does not play a major role in the aetiology of autism:
      genetic and molecular studies.
AB  - Oxytocin (OXT) has been hypothesized to play a role in aetiology of autism based
      on a demonstrated involvement in the regulation of social behaviours. It is
      postulated that OXT reduces activation of the amygdala, inhibiting social
      anxiety, indicating a neural mechanism for the effects of OXT in social
      cognition. Genetic variation at the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) has been
      reported to be associated with autism. We examined 18 SNPs at the OXTR gene for
      association in three independent autism samples from Ireland, Portugal and the
      United Kingdom. We investigated cis-acting genetic effects on OXTR expression in
      lymphocytes and amygdala region of the brain using an allelic expression
      imbalance (AEI) assay and by investigating the correlation between RNA levels and
      genotype in the amygdala region. No marker survived multiple correction for
      association with autism in any sample or in a combined sample (n=436). Results
      from the AEI assay performed in the lymphoblast cell lines highlighted two SNPs
      associated with relative allelic abundance in OXTR (rs237897 and rs237895). Two
      SNPs were found to be effecting cis-acting variation through AEI in the amygdala.
      One was weakly correlated with total gene expression (rs13316193) and the other
      was highlighted in the lymphoblast cell lines (rs237895). Data presented here
      does not support the role of common genetic variation in OXTR in the aetiology of
      autism spectrum disorders in Caucasian samples.

PMID- 20303389
TI  - Effects of moderate exercise on cigarette smoke exposure-induced hippocampal
      oxidative stress values and neurological behaviors in mice.
AB  - The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of exercise
      training on behavior and neurochemical parameters in mice exposed to cigarette
      smoke. To this aim, mice (C57 BL6) male (30-35 g) were exposed to cigarette smoke
      60 consecutive days three times a day and they were subjected to treadmill
      training 8 weeks for 5 days/week. For behavior assessment, mice were tested in
      the open-field and forced to a swim test. The superoxide anion, thiobarbituric
      acid reactive substances and protein carbonyl formation were measured as markers
      of oxidative stress in hippocampus of mice. In addition, the brain-derived
      neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels were measured in the hippocampus samples.
      Cigarette smoke group and cigarette smoke plus exercise group, increased
      immobility time in forced swimming test in rats compared to the control group,
      without affecting spontaneous locomotor activity. There was an increase in the
      levels of superoxide, TBARS and of protein carbonyl and a decreased in BDNF
      levels in the hippocampus of rats exposed to cigarette smoke and cigarette smoke
      plus exercise. Exercise alone did not change any of the parameters evaluated in
      this study. In conclusion, we observed that physical training improves the
      oxidative stress parameters, but does not alter depressive-like behavior neither
      prevent the decreases in BDNF levels in hippocampus induced by cigarette smoke.

PMID- 20303390
TI  - Electrophysiological characteristics of identified kidney-related neurons in
      adult rat spinal cord slices.
AB  - Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings were made from kidney-related neurons in the
      intermediolateral cell column (IML) in horizontal slices of thoracolumbar spinal
      cord from adult rats. Kidney-related neurons were identified in vitro subsequent
      to inoculation of the kidney with a fluorescent, retrograde, transynaptic
      pseudorabies viral label (i.e., PRV-152). Kidney-related neurons detected in the
      IML expressed choline acetyltransferase, characteristic of spinal preganglionic
      motor neurons. Their mean resting potential was -51+/-4 mV and input resistance
      was 448+/-39 MOmega. Both spontaneous inhibitory and excitatory post-synaptic
      currents (i.e., sIPSCs and sEPSCs) were observed in all neurons. The mean
      frequency for sEPSCs (3.1+/-1 Hz) was approximately 2.5 times that for sIPSCs
      (1.4+/-0.3 Hz). Application of the glycine and GABA(A) receptor-linked Cl(-)
      channel blocker, picrotoxin (100 microM) blocked sIPSCs, while the ionotropic
      glutamate receptor antagonist, kynurenic acid (1 mM) blocked all sEPSCs,
      indicating they were mediated by GABA/glycine and glutamate receptors,
      respectively. Thus, using PRV-152 labeling allowed whole-cell patch-clamp
      recording of neurons in the adult spinal cord, which were kidney-related.
      Excitatory glutamatergic input dominated synaptic responses in these cells, the
      membrane characteristics of which resembled those of immature IML neurons.
      Combined PRV-152 pre-labeling and whole-cell patch-clamp recordings may allow
      more effective analysis of synaptic plasticity seen in adult models of injury or
      chronic disease.

PMID- 20303391
TI  - Changes of AMPA receptors in MPTP monkeys with levodopa-induced dyskinesias.
AB  - Overactivity of glutamate neurotransmission is suspected to be implicated in
      Parkinson's disease and levodopa-induced dyskinesia. The fast glutamatergic
      transmission in the striatum from the cortex is mediated mainly by non-n-methyl-d
      aspartate (non-NMDA) receptors. Animal models of Parkinson's disease reveal
      conflicting data concerning striatal glutamate AMPA receptors. The present study
      thus sought to shed light on the relationship of striatal AMPA receptors to the
      development of levodopa-induced dyskinesia. [(3)H]Ro 48-8587, a highly potent and
      selective-specific antagonist ligand for AMPA receptors, was used to investigate,
      by autoradiography, striatal AMPA receptors in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6
      tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-lesioned monkeys treated for 1 month with levodopa
      alone, levodopa+CI-1041 (NMDA receptor antagonist) or levodopa+cabergoline (D2
      receptor agonist). Levodopa-treated MPTP monkeys developed dyskinesias while
      those that received levodopa+CI-1041 or levodopa+cabergoline did not. In the
      anterior caudate nucleus and putamen, specific binding of [(3)H]Ro 48-8587 was
      reduced in all MPTP-treated monkeys compared to control monkeys, but no
      significant effect of MPTP was measured in the posterior striatum. In dyskinetic
      monkeys, specific binding of [(3)H]Ro 48-8587 was elevated in subregions of the
      posterior caudate nucleus and putamen as compared to saline-treated MPTP monkeys.
      Levodopa+CI-1041 treatment left unchanged specific binding of [(3)H]Ro 48-8587
      whereas levodopa+cabergoline treatment reduced it in subregions of the posterior
      caudate nucleus and putamen compared to control and levodopa-treated MPTP
      monkeys. Specific binding of [(3)H]Ro 48-8587 was low in the globus pallidus and
      remained unchanged following both lesion and treatments. In conclusion, the
      elevated values of AMPA receptors in dyskinetic monkeys (and their prevention
      through treatments) were only observed in subregions of the striatum.

PMID- 20303392
TI  - Verbal memory retrieval engages visual cortex in musicians.
AB  - As one major line of research on brain plasticity, many imaging studies have been
      conducted to identify the functional and structural reorganization associated
      with musical expertise. Based on previous behavioral research, the present study
      used functional magnetic resonance imaging to identify the neural correlates of
      superior verbal memory performance in musicians. Participants with and without
      musical training performed a verbal memory task to first encode a list of words
      auditorily delivered and then silently recall as many words as possible. They
      performed in separate blocks a control task involving pure tone pitch judgment.
      Post-scan recognition test showed better memory performance in musicians than non
      musicians. During memory retrieval, the musicians showed significantly greater
      activations in bilateral though left-lateralized visual cortex relative to the
      pitch judgment baseline. In comparison, no such visual cortical activations were
      found in the non-musicians. No group differences were observed during the
      encoding stage. The results echo a previous report of visual cortical activation
      during verbal memory retrieval in the absence of any visual sensory stimulation
      in the blind population, who are also known to possess superior verbal memory. It
      is suggested that the visual cortex can be recruited to serve as extra memory
      resources and contributes to the superior verbal memory in special situations.
      While in the blind population, such cross-modal functional reorganization may be
      induced by sensory deprivation; in the musicians it may be induced by the long
      term and demanding nature of musical training to use as much available neural
      resources as possible.

PMID- 20303393
TI  - Distribution of optokinetic sensitivity across the retina of mice in relation to
      eye orientation.
AB  - We examined the effects of stimulus size and location on the mouse optokinetic
      response (OKR). To this end, we recorded initial OKRs elicited by a brief
      presentation of horizontally moving grating patterns of different vertical widths
      and locations in the visual field. Large-field stimuli generated large sustained
      OKRs, whereas visual stimuli of narrower vertical widths elicited weaker
      sustained responses at the later period (400-500 ms after the onset of stimulus
      motion). However, even stimuli of only 5 degrees vertical width elicited
      detectable transient responses at the initial open-loop period (100-200 ms after
      the onset of stimulus motion). Presenting 5 degrees -width stimuli at different
      vertical locations (-10 degrees to +35 degrees relative to the horizon) revealed
      the spatial distribution of optokinetic sensitivity across the retina. The most
      sensitive part of the visual field was located at +25 degrees . In addition, we
      examined the vertical orientation of the eye under our stereotaxic set-up. We
      observed the optic disc using a hand-held fundus camera and determined the ocular
      orientation. All eye orientations were distributed in the range of +20-30 degrees
      relative to the horizon (25.2+/-2.5 degrees ). Thus, the direction of the most
      sensitive visual field matched the angle of eye orientation. These findings
      indicate that the spatial distribution of visual field sensitivity to optokinetic
      stimuli coincides with the distribution of retinal ganglion cell density.

PMID- 20303395
TI  - Expressions of 5-HT/5-HT(2A) receptors and phospho-protein kinase C theta in the
      pre-Botzinger complex in normal and chronic intermittent hypoxic rats.
AB  - The pre-Botzinger complex (pre-BotC), a functionally defined subregion in the
      ventrolateral medulla oblongata, is a presumed kernel of normal respiratory
      rhythmogenesis. However, less is known about the pre-BotC's contribution to
      respiratory neuroplasticity. The most frequently studied model for respiratory
      neuroplasticity is episodic hypoxia-induced phrenic long-term facilitation, which
      is 5-HT(2A) receptors (5-HT(2A)R)-dependent. We hypothesized that preconditioning
      with chronic intermittent hypoxic (CIH) would activate the 5-HT/5-HT(2A)R system
      and the downstream protein kinase C (PKC) pathway in the pre-BotC. Animals were
      exposed to alternating 5 min of hypobaric hypoxia and 5 min of normoxia for 10
      h/day for 7 days. Hypobaric hypoxia was achieved by continuous air evacuation to
      reach a pressure of 210-220 mm Hg, corresponding to an altitude of 9000-10000 m.
      In contrast to the CIH model, a group of animals were pretreated with chronic
      sustaining hypoxia (CSH), a protocol of continuous hypobaric hypoxia at 360 mm
      Hg, corresponding to an altitude of about 6000 m, for 10 h/day for 7 days.
      Immunoreactivity of 5-HT and 5-HT(2A)R was examined in the pre-BotC, identified
      by the presence of neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1R). We found that 15.5% of 5-HT
      immunoreactive (ir) terminals were in contact with NK1R-ir neurons. Asymmetric
      synapses could be identified between them. 38.7% of NK1R-ir dendrites were also
      immunoreactive for 5-HT(2A)R, which was distributed along the inner surface of
      the plasma membrane in control animals. CIH challenge increased the expressions
      of 5-HT and 5-HT(2A)R in the pre-BotC, an increase in the expressed 5-HT(2A)R
      that was not detected in this region in CSH animals. Specifically, 5-HT(2A)R was
      distributed not only along the inner surface, but also along the outer surface,
      or directly on the plasma membrane, a pattern not detectable in control animals.
      5-HT(2A)R was also detectable in the invaginations of the plasma membrane, where
      receptor endocytosis or exocytosis might occur, indicating CIH-induced higher
      trafficking of 5-HT(2A)R. Concurrently, there was an up-regulation of phospho-PKC
      theta (P-PKCtheta) in the pre-BotC, suggesting a 5-HT/5-HT(2A)R-activated PKC
      mechanism that may contribute to hypoxia-induced respiratory neuroplasticity in
      the pre-BotC. The close association of P-PKCtheta with the postsynaptic density
      implicates a postsynaptic mechanism mediating respiratory neuroplasticity in the
      pre-BotC.

PMID- 20303394
TI  - Differential effects of exercise and dietary docosahexaenoic acid on molecular
      systems associated with control of allostasis in the hypothalamus and
      hippocampus.
AB  - Given the robust influence of diet and exercise on brain plasticity and disease,
      we conducted studies to determine their effects on molecular systems important
      for control of brain homeostasis. Studies were centered on a battery of proteins
      implicated in metabolic homeostasis that have the potential to modulate brain
      plasticity and cognitive function, in rat hypothalamus and hippocampus. Adult
      male rats were exposed to a docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) enriched diet (1.25% DHA)
      with or without voluntary exercise for 14 days. Here we report that the DHA diet
      and exercise influence protein levels of molecular systems important for the
      control of energy metabolism (primarily phospho-AMPK, silent information
      regulator type 1), food intake (primarily leptin and ghrelin receptors), stress
      (primarily glucocorticoid receptors), and 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1
      (11betaHSD1). Exercise or DHA dietary supplementation had differential effects on
      several of these class proteins, and the concurrent application of both altered
      the pattern of response elicited by the single applications of diet or exercise.
      For example, exercise elevated levels of glucocorticoids receptors in the
      hypothalamus and the DHA diet had opposite effects, while the concurrent
      application of diet and exercise suppressed the single effects of diet or
      exercise. In most of the cases, the hypothalamus and the hippocampus had a
      distinctive pattern of response to the diet or exercise. The results harmonize
      with the concept that exercise and dietary DHA exert specific actions on the
      hypothalamus and hippocampus, with implications for the regulations of brain
      plasticity and cognitive function.

PMID- 20303397
TI  - Group-movement 'initiation' and state-dependent decision-making.

PMID- 20303396
TI  - Two populations of neurokinin 1 receptor-expressing projection neurons in lamina
      I of the rat spinal cord that differ in AMPA receptor subunit composition and
      density of excitatory synaptic input.
AB  - Lamina I of the spinal cord contains many projection neurons that express the
      neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1r). It has been reported that these cells can undergo
      long-term potentiation (LTP), which may result from insertion of AMPA-type
      glutamate receptors (AMPArs) containing GluA1 or GluA4 subunits. We therefore
      investigated synaptic AMPAr expression on these cells with immunocytochemistry
      following antigen-retrieval. We also examined their density of glutamatergic
      input (by analysing AMPAr synaptic puncta and contacts from glutamatergic
      boutons), and phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (pERKs)
      following noxious stimulation. Our results indicate that there are two
      populations of NK1r-expressing projection neurons: large GluA4(+)/GluA1(-) cells
      with a high density of glutamatergic input and small GluA1(+)/GluA4(-) cells with
      a much lower input density. Results from pERK experiments suggested that the two
      groups may not differ in the types of noxious stimulus that activate them.
      Glutamatergic synapses on distal dendrites of the large cells were significantly
      longer than those on proximal dendrites, which presumably compensates for the
      greater attenuation of distally-generated excitatory postsynaptic currents
      (EPSCs). Both types of cell received contacts from peptidergic primary afferents,
      however, on the large cells these appeared to constitute over half of the
      glutamatergic synapses, and were often associated with elongated AMPAr puncta.
      This suggests that these afferents, which probably contain substance P, provide a
      powerful, secure synaptic input to large NK1r-expressing projection neurons.
      These results demonstrate the importance of GluA4-containing AMPArs in
      nociceptive transmission and raise the possibility that different forms of LTP in
      lamina I projection neurons may be related to differential expression of
      GluA1/GluA4.

PMID- 20303398
TI  - NG peptides: a novel family of neurophysin-associated neuropeptides.
AB  - Neurophysins are prohormone-derived polypeptides that are required for
      biosynthesis of the neurohypophyseal hormones vasopressin and oxytocin.
      Accordingly, mutations in the neurophysin domain of the human vasopressin gene
      can cause diabetes insipidus. The association of neurophysins with
      vasopressin/oxytocin-type peptides dates back to the common ancestor of
      bilaterian animals and until recently it was thought to be unique. This textbook
      perspective on neurophysins changed with the discovery of a gene in the sea
      urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus (phylum Echinodermata) encoding a precursor
      protein comprising a neurophysin domain in association with NGFFFamide, a
      myoactive neuropeptide that is structurally unrelated to vasopressin/oxytocin
      type neuropeptides (Elphick, M.R., Rowe, M.L., 2009. NGFFFamide and echinotocin:
      structurally unrelated myoactive neuropeptides derived from neurophysin
      containing precursors in sea urchins. J. Exp. Biol. 212, 1067-1077). What is not
      known, however, is when and how the association of neurophysin with NGFFFamide
      like neuropeptides originated. Here I report the discovery of genes encoding
      proteins comprising a neurophysin domain in association with putative NGFFFamide
      like peptides in the hemichordate Saccoglossus kowalevskii (NGFWNamide and
      NGFYNamide) and in the cephalochordate Branchiostoma floridae (SFRNGVamide).
      Together with NGFFFamide, these peptides constitute a novel family of
      neuropeptides in invertebrate deuterostomes that are derived from neurophysin
      containing precursors and that have the sequence motif NG - "NG peptides". Genes
      encoding NG peptides in association with neurophysin were not found in
      protostomes, urochordates or vertebrates. Interestingly, however, SFRNGVamide is
      identical to the N-terminal region of neuropeptide S, a peptide that modulates
      arousal and anxiety in mammals, whilst NGFFFamide shares sequence similarity with
      SIFamide (AYRKPPFNGSIFamide), a neuropeptide that regulates sexual behaviour in
      Drosophila. Collectively, these data indicate that in an ancestor of extant
      deuterostomes a remarkable and unique event in the evolution of neuropeptide
      signalling systems occurred when a neurophysin-encoding exon(s) derived from a
      vasopressin/oxytocin-type neuropeptide gene became transcriptionally linked with
      another family of neuropeptides - NG peptides.

PMID- 20303399
TI  - Intra-myocardial delivery of mesenchymal stem cells ameliorates left ventricular
      and cardiomyocyte contractile dysfunction following myocardial infarction.
AB  - Although mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) transplantation may improve the overall
      heart function, the heterogeneity of myocardial cells makes it difficult to
      determine the nature of cells benefited from transplantation. This study
      evaluated the effect of intra-myocardial MSC transplantation on myocardial
      function following MI. Enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-expressing donor
      MSCs from C57BL/6-Tg (UBC-GFP) 30Scha/J mice were transplanted into LV free wall
      in the region bordering an infarct in C57 recipient mice following ligation of
      left main coronary artery (MI+MSC group). Ten days after MI, LV function was
      assessed using echocardiography. Cardiomyocyte contractility and intracellular
      Ca(2+) transients were measured in cells from the area-at-risk surrounding the
      infarct scar. The EGFP donor cells were traced in the MSC recipient mice using
      fluorescence microscopy. TUNEL, H&E and Masson trichrome staining were used to
      assess apoptosis, angiogenesis and myocardial fibrosis, respectively. MI dilated
      LV as evidenced by increased end-diastolic and end-systolic diameters. MI
      significantly reduced fractional shortening, cardiomyocyte peak shortening, and
      maximal velocity of shortening and relengthening, all of which were attenuated or
      abrogated by MSC therapy. MI also reduced resting intracellular Ca(2+),
      intracellular Ca(2+) rise and decay rate, which were reconciled by MSC. MSC
      therapy attenuated MI-induced apoptosis and decreased angiogenesis but not
      myocardial fibrosis in the peri-infarct area. Taken together, our results
      demonstrated that MSC therapy significantly improved both LV and cardiomyocyte
      function possibly associated with its beneficial role in apoptosis and
      angiogenesis, indicating a key role for cardiomyocytes in stem cell tissue
      engineering.

PMID- 20303400
TI  - Round window delivery of dexamethasone ameliorates local and remote hearing loss
      produced by cochlear implantation into the second turn of the guinea pig cochlea.
AB  - Application of dexamethasone to the round window has been shown to ameliorate
      high frequency hearing loss resulting from the trauma of cochlear implantation in
      experimental animals, but elucidation of the factors influencing protection of
      the high frequencies has been confounded by the local trauma from electrode array
      insertion. In this experiment, a second turn cochleostomy and implantation was
      performed on guinea pigs, to examine protection in the basal turn without the
      confounding effect of local trauma, as well as to test the efficacy of hearing
      protection in the second cochlear turn. The implantation resulted in an increase
      in hearing thresholds across all frequencies examined (2-32 kHz). Local delivery
      of dexamethasone to the round window prior to implantation protected hearing
      across frequencies from 2 to 32 kHz. Auditory thresholds improved over the first
      week after surgery, and then remained stable for the month of the experiment. The
      protection of hearing in the basal turn increased with longer periods of drug
      application prior to implantation. The level of hearing protection in the second
      turn was similar irrespective of the time that the drug was applied, but was
      greater when a higher steroid concentration was used. It was concluded that
      steroids protect hearing in the basal turn of the cochlea even when there was no
      local trauma. The level of hearing protection in the second turn exceeded that
      expected from models of steroid diffusion through the cochlea, suggesting that
      inner ear surgery alters the distribution of dexamethasone within the cochlea.

PMID- 20303401
TI  - Heritability of audiometric shape parameters and familial aggregation of
      presbycusis in an elderly Flemish population.
AB  - This study describes the heritability of audiometric shape parameters and the
      familial aggregation of different types of presbycusis in a healthy, otologically
      screened population between 50 and 75 years old. About 342 siblings of 64
      families (average family-size: 5.3) were recruited through population registries.
      Audiometric shape was mathematically quantified by objective parameters developed
      to measure size, slope, concavity, percentage of frequency-dependent and
      frequency-independent hearing loss and Bulge Depth. The heritability of each
      parameter was calculated using a variance components model. Logistic regression
      models were used to estimate the odds ratios (ORs). Estimates of sibling
      recurrence risk ratios (lambda(s)) are also provided. Heritability estimates were
      generally higher compared to previous studies. ORs and lambda(s) for the
      parameters Total Hearing Loss (size), Uniform Hearing Loss (percentage of
      frequency-dependent hearing loss) and Bulge Depth suggest a higher heredity for
      severe types of presbycusis compared to moderate or mild types. Our results
      suggest that the separation of the parameter 'Total Hearing Loss' into the two
      parameters 'Uniform Hearing Loss' and 'Non-uniform Hearing Loss' could lead to
      the discovery of different genetic subtypes of presbycusis. The parameter 'Bulge
      Depth', instead of 'Concavity', seemed to be an important parameter for
      classifying subjects into 'susceptible' or 'resistant' to societal or intensive
      environmental exposure.

PMID- 20303402
TI  - Timing is everything: temporal processing deficits in the aged auditory
      brainstem.
AB  - This summary article reviews the literature on neural correlates of age-related
      changes in temporal processing in the auditory brainstem. Two types of temporal
      processing dimensions are considered, (i) static, which can be measured using a
      gap detection or forward masking paradigms, and (ii) dynamic, which can be
      measured using amplitude and frequency modulation. Corresponding data from
      physiological studies comparing neural responses from young and old animals using
      acoustic stimuli as silent gaps-in-noise, amplitude modulation, and frequency
      modulation are considered in relation to speech perception. Evidence from
      numerous investigations indicates an age-related decline in encoding of temporal
      sound features which may be a contributing factor to the deficits observed in
      speech recognition in many elderly listeners.

PMID- 20303403
TI  - Effect of an overground walking training on gait performance in healthy 65- to 80
      year-olds.
AB  - The aim of this study was to examine the effect of an individualized overground
      walking interval training on gait performance [i.e., speed and energy cost
      (C(w))] in healthy elderly individuals. Twenty-two older adults were assigned to
      either a training group (TG; n=12, 73.4+/-3.9yr) or a non-training control group
      (CG; n=10, 70.9+/-9.6yr). TG participated in a 7-week individualized walking
      interval training at intensities progressing from 50 to 100% of ventilatory
      threshold (T (VE)). Aerobic fitness [maximal oxygen uptake (V O(2max)) and T
      (VE)], preferred walking speed (PWS), gross and net C(w) (GC(w) and NC(w),
      respectively) and relative effort (%V O(2max)) at PWS measured before training
      (PWS(1)) were assessed prior and following the intervention. All outcomes were
      measured on a treadmill. Significant improvements in GC(w) (-8%; P=0.007), NC(w)
      (-12%; P=0.003), relative effort (%V O(2max): -12%; P<0.001) and PWS (+12%;
      P<0.001) were observed in TG but not in CG (P>0.71). V O(2max) and T (VE)
      remained unchanged in both groups (P>0.57). Changes in GC(w) at PWS(1)
      (difference between GC(w) at PWS(1) measured pre and post intervention) were
      inversely correlated with changes in PWS (difference between pre and post PWS; r=
      0.67; P=0.02). The decreased C(w) at PWS(1), with no concomitant improvement in
      aerobic fitness, represents the main contributing factor for the reduction of the
      relative effort at this speed. This also allows elderly people to increase their
      PWS post training. Therefore, the present walking training may be an effective
      way to improve walking performance and delay mobility impairment in older adults.

PMID- 20303404
TI  - Preservation of eccentric strength in older adults: Evidence, mechanisms and
      implications for training and rehabilitation.
AB  - Overall reductions in muscle strength typically accompany the aging process.
      However, older adults show a relatively preserved capacity of producing eccentric
      strength. The preservation of eccentric strength in older adults is a well
      established phenomenon, occurring indiscriminately across different muscle
      groups, independent of age-related architectural changes in muscle structure and
      velocity of movement. The mechanisms for the preservation of eccentric strength
      appear to be mechanical and cellular in origin and include both passive and
      active elements regulating muscle stiffness. The age-related accumulation of non
      contractile material in the muscle-tendon unit increases passive stiffness, which
      might offer mechanical advantage during eccentric contractions. In addition, the
      preserved muscle tension and increased instantaneous stiffness of old muscle
      fibers during stretch increase active stiffness, which might enhance eccentric
      strength. The fact that the preservation of eccentric strength is present in
      people with chronic conditions when compared to age-matched healthy controls
      indicates that the aging process per se does not exclusively mediate the
      preservation of eccentric strength. Physical inactivity, which is common in
      elderly and people with chronic conditions, is a potential factor regulating the
      preservation of eccentric strength. When compared to concentric strength, the
      magnitude of preservation of eccentric strength in older adults ranges from 2% to
      48% with a mean value of 21.6% from all studies. This functional reserve of
      eccentric strength might be clinically relevant, especially to initiate
      resistance training and rehabilitation programs in individuals with low levels of
      strength.

PMID- 20303406
TI  - Gene and protein expression of Drosophila Starvin during cold stress and recovery
      from chill coma.
AB  - In Drosophila melanogaster, the sole member of the Bcl-2-associated anthanogene
      (BAG)-family proteins, called Starvin (Stv), has only been recently described.
      BAG proteins regulate a large range of physiological processes including
      life/death cell balance and stress response. The role of Stv has been poorly
      studied in the context of abiotic stress and particularly during and after cold
      stress. In this study we investigated the temporal expression of Stv gene and
      protein in adult flies during both the cold stress (up to 9 h at 0 degrees C) and
      the subsequent recovery phase (up to 8 h at 25 degrees C). Because BAG proteins
      can regulate positively and negatively the function of Hsp70/Hsc70, we also
      checked whether Stv expression was related to Hsp70 and Hsc70. Stv mRNA and Stv
      protein both showed a similar expression pattern: no modulation during the cold
      period followed by a significant up-regulation during the recovery period. A
      coordinated response of Stv and Hsp70 mRNA was observed, but not for Hsc70. Our
      findings indicate that Stv expression is part of a stress-induced program in D.
      melanogaster. It probably acts as a co-chaperone modulating the activity of Hsp70
      chaperone machinery during recovery from cold stress. Finally our results support
      the suggestion that Stv and human BAG3 may be functional homologs.

PMID- 20303405
TI  - Sex-specific social regulation of inflammatory responses and sickness behaviors.
AB  - In many mammals, the availability of familiar conspecifics in the home
      environment can affect immune function and morbidity. Numerous sex differences
      exist in immune responses, but whether the social environment impacts the immune
      system differently in males and females is not fully understood. This study
      examined behavioral and physiological responses to simulated bacterial infection
      in adult male and female Wistar rats housed either with three same-sex non
      siblings (Group) or alone (Isolate). Rats were injected with bacterial
      lipopolysaccharide (Escherichia coli LPS; 150 microg/kg, i.p.), and behavioral
      (orectic, locomotor, and social) and physiological (thermoregulatory, cytokine,
      and corticosterone) inflammatory responses were measured. Among males, LPS
      induced fever, suppressed locomotor activity, and inhibited feeding behavior and
      the magnitude of these responses were greater in Isolate relative to Group housed
      individuals. In contrast, among females group housing exacerbated behavioral and
      physiological symptoms of simulated infection. LPS treatments elicited IL-1beta
      production in all groups, but plasma IL-1beta concentrations were higher and
      peaked earlier in Isolate relative to Group males, and in Group relative to
      Isolate females. Furthermore, plasma concentrations of TNFalpha and IL-2 were
      higher in Group relative to Isolate males. Plasma corticosterone concentrations
      did not vary as a function of social housing conditions. Together, the data
      indicate that the social environment markedly influences innate immune responses.
      Group housing exacerbates inflammatory responses and sickness behaviors in
      females, but attenuates these responses in males. These sex differences are
      mediated in part by differential effects of the social environment on pro- and
      anti-inflammatory cytokine production.

PMID- 20303407
TI  - Co-expression of ferrochelatase allows for complete heme incorporation into
      recombinant proteins produced in E. coli.
AB  - Over-expression of heme binding proteins in Escherichia coli often results in sub
      optimal heme incorporation and the amount of heme-bound protein produced usually
      varies with the protein of interest. Complete heme incorporation is important for
      biochemical characterization, spectroscopy, structural studies, and for the
      production of homogeneous commercial proteins with high activity. We have
      determined that recombinant proteins expressed in E. coli often contain less than
      a full complement of heme because they rather are partially incorporated with
      free-base porphyrin. Porphyrin-incorporated proteins have similar spectral
      characteristics as the desired heme-loaded targets, and thus are difficult to
      detect, even in purified samples. We present a straightforward and inexpensive
      solution to this problem that involves the co-expression of native ferrochelatase
      with the protein of interest. The method is shown to be effective for proteins
      that contain either Cys- or His-ligated hemes.

PMID- 20303409
TI  - Neurophysiological predictor of SMR-based BCI performance.
AB  - Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) allow a user to control a computer application
      by brain activity as measured, e.g., by electroencephalography (EEG). After about
      30years of BCI research, the success of control that is achieved by means of a
      BCI system still greatly varies between subjects. For about 20% of potential
      users the obtained accuracy does not reach the level criterion, meaning that BCI
      control is not accurate enough to control an application. The determination of
      factors that may serve to predict BCI performance, and the development of methods
      to quantify a predictor value from psychological and/or physiological data serve
      two purposes: a better understanding of the 'BCI-illiteracy phenomenon', and
      avoidance of a costly and eventually frustrating training procedure for
      participants who might not obtain BCI control. Furthermore, such predictors may
      lead to approaches to antagonize BCI illiteracy. Here, we propose a
      neurophysiological predictor of BCI performance which can be determined from a
      two minute recording of a 'relax with eyes open' condition using two Laplacian
      EEG channels. A correlation of r=0.53 between the proposed predictor and BCI
      feedback performance was obtained on a large data base with N=80 BCI-naive
      participants in their first session with the Berlin brain-computer interface
      (BBCI) system which operates on modulations of sensory motor rhythms (SMRs).

PMID- 20303408
TI  - Dissociable responses to punishment in distinct striatal regions during reversal
      learning.
AB  - Adaptive behavior depends on the ability to flexibly alter our choices in
      response to changes in reward and punishment contingencies. One brain region
      frequently implicated in such behavior is the striatum. However, this region is
      functionally diverse and there are a number of apparent inconsistencies across
      previous studies. For instance, how can significant BOLD responses in the ventral
      striatum during punishment-based reversal learning be reconciled with the
      frequently demonstrated role of the ventral striatum in reward processing? Here
      we attempt to address this question by separately examining BOLD responses during
      reversal learning driven by reward and during reversal learning driven by
      punishment. We demonstrate simultaneous valence-specific and valence-nonspecific
      signals in the striatum, with the posterior dorsal striatum responding only to
      unexpected reward, and the anterior ventral striatum responding to both
      unexpected punishment as well as unexpected reward. These data help to reconcile
      conflicting findings from previous studies by showing that distinct regions of
      the striatum exhibit dissociable responses to punishment during reversal
      learning.

PMID- 20303410
TI  - Comparative mouse brain tractography of diffusion magnetic resonance imaging.
AB  - Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) tractography can be employed to
      simultaneously analyze three-dimensional white matter tracts in the brain.
      Numerous methods have been proposed to model diffusion-weighted magnetic
      resonance data for tractography, and we have explored the functionality of some
      of these for studying white and grey matter pathways in ex vivo mouse brain.
      Using various deterministic and probabilistic algorithms across a range of
      regions of interest we found that probabilistic tractography provides a more
      robust means of visualizing both white and grey matter pathways than
      deterministic tractography. Importantly, we demonstrate the sensitivity of
      probabilistic tractography profiles to streamline number, step size, curvature,
      fiber orientation distribution threshold, and wholebrain versus region of
      interest seeding. Using anatomically well-defined corticothalamic pathways, we
      show how projection maps can permit the topographical assessment of probabilistic
      tractography. Finally, we show how different tractography approaches can impact
      on dMRI assessment of tract changes in a mouse deficient for the frontal cortex
      morphogen, fibroblast growth factor 17. In conclusion, probabilistic tractography
      can elucidate the phenotypes of mice with neurodegenerative or neurodevelopmental
      disorders in a quantitative manner.

PMID- 20303411
TI  - The role of multi-area interactions for the computation of apparent motion.
AB  - Apparent motion (AM) is a robust visual illusion, in which fast displays of
      static objects in successively different positions elicit the perception of
      object motion. Neurons in higher order areas 21 and 19 compute object motion
      under such conditions and send feedback to early visual areas 18 and 17, which is
      instrumental in eliciting computation of motion in those very areas. To explore
      the computational dynamics of AM, we made a neural field model consisting of two
      one-dimensional rings of simple neurons expressing firing rates, one for areas
      17/18 and one for areas 19/21. The model neurons, without any orientation or
      direction selectivity, computed apparent motion for the range of space-timings of
      stimuli associated with short- and long-range AM in humans. The computation of
      long-range AM in 17/18 required two model areas and the presence of feedback and
      conduction/computation delays between those areas. As in the in vivo experiments
      of long-range AM, the stationary stimuli were initially mapped as stationary in
      model area 17/18, but after the feedback also these lower areas computed AM. The
      dynamics of the two-area network produces short-range and long-range apparent
      motion for a large range of feedback strengths and a small range of lateral
      excitation near the bifurcation to an amplitude instability. The computation of
      AM in higher order areas was due to the neurons in these areas having large
      receptive fields as a consequence of divergent feed-forward connectivity. This
      implies that these areas compute long-range AM when early areas 17 and 18 do not,
      and therefore higher order areas must enslave lower order areas to compute the
      same, if the whole network is to arrive at a coherent perceptual solution.

PMID- 20303412
TI  - NO synthase: structures and mechanisms.
AB  - Production of NO from arginine and molecular oxygen is a complex chemical
      reaction unique to biology. Our understanding of the chemical and regulation
      mechanisms of the NO synthases has developed over the past two decades,
      uncovering some extraordinary features. This article reviews recent progress and
      highlights current issues and controversies. The structure of the enzyme has now
      been determined almost in entirety, although it is as a selection of fragments,
      which are difficult to assemble unambiguously. NO synthesis is driven by electron
      transfer through FAD and FMN cofactors, which is controlled by calmodulin binding
      in the constitutive mammalian enzymes. Many of the unique structural features
      involved have been characterised, but the mechanics of calmodulin-dependent
      activation are largely unresolved. Ultimately, NO is produced in the active site
      by the reaction of arginine with activated heme-bound oxygen in two distinct
      cycles. The unique role of the tetrahydrobiopterin cofactor as an electron donor
      in this process has now been established, but the subsequent chemical events are
      currently a matter of intense speculation and debate.

PMID- 20303413
TI  - Tumor necrosis factor-alpha converting enzyme: Implications for ocular
      inflammatory diseases.
AB  - Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) converting enzyme (TACE), a member of the
      family of metalloproteinase disintegrin proteins, is responsible for the
      conversion of inactive TNF-alpha precursor form to active mature form. TNF-alpha
      is a pleiotropic cytokine that contributes to cellular immunity and inflammatory
      response in wide range of inflammatory pathologies. Although a large number of
      studies indicate the use of TACE inhibitors, which prevents processing of TNF
      alpha as potential therapeutic drugs for the treatment of inflammatory diseases
      including rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease and cancer, very few studies
      indicate its use in ocular pathologies. It is still not clearly understood how
      the TACE-mediated shedding of cytokines and growth factors in various ocular
      tissues plays a critical role in the cytotoxic signals causing tissue dysfunction
      and damage leading to blindness. Regulation of TACE activity is likely to have
      wide implications for ocular immunology and inflammatory diseases. Specifically,
      since anti-TNF-alpha therapies have been used to prevent ocular inflammatory
      complications, the use of TACE inhibitors could be a novel therapeutic approach
      for ocular inflammatory diseases especially uveitis.

PMID- 20303414
TI  - Malaria: could its unusual epigenome be the weak spot?
AB  - The epigenetic contribution to the regulation and maintenance of gene expression
      patterns by histone modifications is well established in eukaryotes. In
      Plasmodium falciparum, the mechanisms and factors regulating gene expression
      during progression through its infected red blood cell cycle (iRBC) and
      underlying mutually exclusive expression of antigenic variation genes involved in
      immune evasion are far from understood. Recently, the first comprehensive
      analyses of the P. falciparum chromatin landscape at different iRBC stages have
      been performed. These studies uncovered the existence of well-defined
      heterochromatic regions within a generally euchromatic epigenome. Notably,
      silencing of genes encoding for virulence determinants such as var genes, appears
      to be orchestrated by the concerted action of the Sir2 and HP1 orthologs and the
      presence of the histone mark, H3K9me3. Epigenetic speciation could make the
      parasite exquisitely vulnerable to epigenetic drug treatment, unless this deadly
      parasite still has a number of tricks up his sleeves.

PMID- 20303416
TI  - Underdiagnosis of Lynch syndrome involves more than family history criteria.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Physicians' cancer-related family history assessment for Lynch
      syndrome is often inadequate. Furthermore, the extent to which clinicians
      recognize non-family history-related clues for Lynch syndrome is unclear. We
      reviewed an integrated electronic health record (EHR) to determine diagnostic
      evaluation for Lynch syndrome in patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC).
      METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients with
      CRC, newly diagnosed at a tertiary care Veterans Affairs facility, between 1999
      and 2007. A detailed review of the EHR was conducted to evaluate the presence of
      family history-related and non-family history-related criteria of the Bethesda
      guidelines. Patient outcomes (identification in clinical practice and referral
      for genetic testing) were also determined. RESULTS: We identified a total of 499
      patients (mean age, 65.4 years; 98.6% male; 51.1% non-Hispanic white). At least 1
      of the Bethesda criteria was met for 57 patients (11.4%), none was met for 198
      (39.7%), and there was uncertainty for 244 (48.9%) because of inadequate family
      history documentation and/or the patient was unsure about their family history.
      Forty-nine patients met criteria unrelated to family history. Only 4 of 57
      patients (7%) who met the Bethesda guidelines had documentation of counseling.
      Among 244 patients with uncertainty, a suspicion for Lynch syndrome was
      documented in the EHR of 6 patients (2.5%); 3 received counseling. CONCLUSIONS:
      Lynch syndrome is under-recognized, even when patients have clear criteria
      unrelated to family history. Multifaceted strategies focused on reducing
      providers' cognitive errors and harnessing EHR capabilities to improve
      recognition of Lynch syndrome are needed.

PMID- 20303415
TI  - Membrane rafts in Alzheimer's disease beta-amyloid production.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common age-associated dementing disorder, is
      pathologically manifested by progressive cognitive dysfunction concomitant with
      the accumulation of senile plaques consisting of amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptide
      aggregates in the brain of affected individuals. Abeta is derived from a type I
      transmembrane protein, amyloid precursor protein (APP), by the sequential
      proteolytic events mediated by beta-site APP cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) and gamma
      secretase. Multiple lines of evidence have implicated cholesterol and cholesterol
      rich membrane microdomains, termed lipid rafts in the amyloidogenic processing of
      APP. In this review, we summarize the cell biology of APP, beta- and gamma
      secretases and the data on their association with lipid rafts. Then, we will
      discuss potential raft targeting signals identified in the secretases and their
      importance on amyloidogenic processing of APP.

PMID- 20303417
TI  - Rabeprazole is effective in treating laryngopharyngeal reflux in a randomized
      placebo-controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: There is controversy about the efficacy of treating patients
      with laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) using proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). We
      assessed the effects of high doses of the PPI rabeprazole in patients with LPR.
      METHODS: Patients with LPR symptoms were assigned randomly to receive rabeprazole
      (20 mg, twice daily, n = 42) or placebo (n = 40) for 12 weeks. All patients
      completed symptom questionnaires; these provided demographic information and the
      reflux symptom index before, during, and 6 weeks after cessation of treatment.
      Videolaryngostroboscopy was used to document the laryngeal findings and determine
      the reflux finding score. RESULTS: Twenty-four patients (57.1%) in the
      rabeprazole group and 27 patients (67.5%) in the placebo group had pH-documented
      LPR. The total reflux symptom index score decreased significantly in the group
      given rabeprazole, compared with patients given placebo, at weeks 6 and 12, but
      not at week 18. However, there were no significant differences in reflux finding
      scores between the rabeprazole and placebo groups at any of the time points.
      CONCLUSIONS: Twelve weeks of treatment with rabeprazole (20 mg, twice daily)
      significantly improved reflux symptoms, compared with placebo, in patients with
      LPR. Relapse of symptoms was observed 6 weeks after stopping PPI therapy,
      indicating the requirement for longer treatment duration in patients with LPR.

PMID- 20303418
TI  - Differential pacing for confirming mitral isthmus block: is the mitral isthmus
      completely blocked?

PMID- 20303419
TI  - Chemosensitivity recovery in Ondine's curse syndrome under treatment with
      desogestrel.
AB  - Congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS), or Ondine's curse syndrome,
      is a rare genetic disorder associated with mutations of the PHOX2B gene. It is
      characterized by sleep-related life-threatening hypoventilation that requires
      mechanical ventilation. The ventilatory response to hypercapnia and hypoxia is
      absent or dramatically reduced. Spontaneous or pharmacologically induced recovery
      has never been reported. We have fortuitously observed a case of CO(2)
      chemosensitivity recovery in a woman with CCHS who took a progestin contraceptive
      - desogestrel. We hypothesized that the desogestrel could be responsible for this
      effect. We tested this hypothesis in a second adult patient. Her lack of CO(2)
      chemosensitivity was documented 5 months before she was prescribed desogestrel.
      Three weeks after initiation of the treatment she exhibited a ventilatory and
      sensory response to hypercapnia. This response persisted 3 weeks later. This is
      the first documented case of pharmacologically restored chemosensitivity in CCHS.
      It suggests that a very potent progestin such as desogestrel could unveil latent
      chemosensitive neural circuits.

PMID- 20303420
TI  - Apatite content of collagen materials dose-dependently increases pre-osteoblastic
      cell deposition of a cement line-like matrix.
AB  - Bone matrix, mainly composed of type I collagen and apatite, is constantly
      modified during the bone remodeling process, which exposes bone cells to various
      proportions of mineralized collagen within bone structural units. Collagen
      mineralized substrates have been shown to increase osteoblast activities. We
      hypothesized that such effects may be explained by a rapid secretion of specific
      growth factors and/or deposition of specific matrix proteins. Using MC3T3-E1
      seeded for 32h on collagen substrates complexed with various apatite contents, we
      found that pre-osteoblasts in contact with mineralized collagen gave rise to a
      dose-dependent deposit of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-A (VEGF-A) and RGD
      containing proteins such as osteopontin (OPN) and fibronectin (FN). This RGD
      matrix deposition reinforced the cell adhesion to collagen-mineralized
      substrates. It was also observed that, on these substrates, this matrix was
      elaborated concomitantly to an increased cell migration, allowing a homogeneous
      coverage of the sample. This particular surface activation was probably done
      firstly to reinforce cell survival (VEGF-A) and adhesion (OPN, FN) and secondly
      to recruit and prepare surfaces for subsequent bone cell activity.

PMID- 20303421
TI  - The effects of axial displacement on fracture callus morphology and MSC homing
      depend on the timing of application.
AB  - The local mechanical environment and the availability of mesenchymal stem cells
      (MSC) have both been shown to be important factors in bone fracture healing. This
      study was designed to investigate how the timing of an applied axial displacement
      across a healing fracture affects callus properties as well as the migration of
      systemically introduced MSC. Bilateral osteotomies were created in male, Sprague
      Dawley rats. Exogenous MSC were injected via the tail vein, and a controlled
      micro-motion was applied to one defect starting 0, 3, 10, or 24 days after
      surgery. The results showed that fractures stimulated 10 days after surgery had
      more mineral, less cartilage, and greater mechanical properties at 48 days than
      other groups. Populations of MSC were found in osteotomies 48 days after surgery,
      with the exception of the group that was stimulated 10 days after surgery. These
      results demonstrate that the timing of mechanical stimulation affects the
      physical properties of the callus and the migration of MSC to the fracture site.

PMID- 20303422
TI  - Potential cost-effectiveness of denosumab for the treatment of postmenopausal
      osteoporotic women.
AB  - Denosumab has recently been shown to be safe and to significantly reduce the risk
      of vertebral, hip and non-vertebral fractures in the "Fracture REduction
      Evaluation of Denosumab in Osteoporosis every 6Months" (FREEDOM) Trial. Besides
      the clinical profile of a new drug, it becomes increasingly important to assess
      whether the drug represents good value for money. This study aims to examine the
      potential cost-effectiveness of denosumab in the treatment of postmenopausal
      osteoporotic women. An updated version of a validated Markov microsimulation
      model was used to estimate the cost (euro2009) per quality-adjusted life-year
      (QALY) gained of a 3-year denosumab treatment compared with no treatment. The
      model was populated with cost and epidemiological data for Belgium from a health
      care perspective and the base-case population was defined from the FREEDOM Trial.
      The effect of denosumab after treatment cessation was conservatively assumed to
      decline linearly over 1year. Uncertainty was investigated using one-way and
      probabilistic sensitivity analyses. In particular, additional analyses were
      performed in populations (over 60 years) where osteoporosis medications are
      currently reimbursed in many European countries, i.e. with bone mineral density
      (BMD) T-score < or = -2.5 or prevalent vertebral fracture. In the base-case
      analysis, the cost per QALY gained of denosumab compared with no treatment was
      estimated at euro28,441. This value decreased to euro15,532 and to euro11,603 for
      women with a BMD T-score of -2.5 or prevalent vertebral fracture, respectively.
      Additional analyses showed that the cost-effectiveness of denosumab fall below
      commonly accepted threshold of euro 30,000per QALY gained for women with a BMD T
      score < or = -2.5 or prevalent vertebral fracture, over the entire age range
      examined (60-80 years). The results were robust under a wide range of plausible
      assumptions. In conclusion, this study suggests, on the basis of currently
      available data, that denosumab is cost-effective compared with no treatment for
      postmenopausal Belgian women with low bone mass and who are similar to patients
      included in the FREEDOM Trial. In addition, denosumab was found to be cost
      effective in population currently reimbursed in Europe with T-score < or = -2.5
      or prevalent vertebral fracture, aged 60 years and above. Additional data are
      needed on the relative cost-effectiveness compared with other anti-osteoporotic
      agents and on the long-term safety of denosumab.

PMID- 20303423
TI  - Correspondence to Sand et Al. "Critical reappraisal of a catechol-o
      methyltransferase transversion variant in schizophrenia".

PMID- 20303425
TI  - Disambiguating inhibitory dysfunction in attention-deficit/hyperactivity
      disorder: toward the decomposition of developmental brain phenotypes.

PMID- 20303435
TI  - The global pediatrician: is there such a person, or can there be?

PMID- 20303436
TI  - Central nervous system connectivity after extreme prematurity: understanding
      autistic spectrum disorder.

PMID- 20303437
TI  - If your placenta doesn't have it, chances are your lungs don't have it either:
      the "vascular hypothesis" of bronchopulmonary dysplasia starts in utero.

PMID- 20303443
TI  - A young girl with weather-beaten, waxy knuckles.

PMID- 20303444
TI  - Booster vaccination after neonatal priming with acellular pertussis vaccine.
AB  - After a birth dose of acellular pertussis (aP) and diphtheria (DT)aP-hepatitis B
      virus (HBV)-inactivated polio vaccine (IPV)/Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib) at
      2, 4, and 6 months, a booster dose of DTaP-HBV-IPV/Hib at 12 to 23 months induced
      strong anti-pertussis booster responses. Thus, neonatal aP priming did not lead
      to immune tolerance to pertussis antigens. However, it elicited bystander
      interference on HBV, Hib, and diphtheria responses.

PMID- 20303445
TI  - Bifidobacterium septicemia associated with postoperative probiotic therapy in a
      neonate with omphalocele.
AB  - We report the one case of sepsis caused by Bifidobacterium breve administered as
      probiotic therapy. Probiotics can be a potential cause of an invasive disease and
      should be used with care in vulnerable patients.

PMID- 20303447
TI  - Self-neglect: a challenge and a dilemma.

PMID- 20303448
TI  - Challenges and struggles: lived experiences of individuals with co-occurring
      disorders.
AB  - Approximately 20 million people have substance abuse disorder in a given year,
      and approximately 7-10 million of them will have co-occurring disorders (CODs) of
      both mental illness and substance abuse. Individuals with COD have higher rates
      of other chronic health problems (i.e., diabetes) and multiple rehospitalizations
      and overutilize emergent services. Despite their elevated risk for physical
      morbidities, there is a dearth of literature that focuses on the impact for those
      with COD of having multiple physical health disorders. The purpose of this
      interpretive study was to understand, describe, and illustrate the social and
      structural barriers that individuals with COD of mental illness, substance abuse,
      and general medical conditions encounter in regard to their health care. A
      purposive sampling of 20 individuals with COD (11 men and 9 women; 65% African
      American) were recruited from community treatment centers and supportive housing
      sites. Social and structural barriers to managing medical health conditions while
      living with COD were identified in three realms: (a) in having interpersonal
      relationships with health care providers, (b) in negotiating an arduous health
      care "system," and (c) in trying to manage health conditions while living in
      unstable shelter.

PMID- 20303449
TI  - Predictors of mental health, subjective burden, and rewards in family caregivers
      of patients with chronic liver disease.
AB  - Patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) often experience severe symptoms that
      cause functional impairment and necessitate assistance from a family caregiver.
      Few studies investigate family caregivers of patients with CLD. This descriptive
      correlation study described demographic characteristics, depressive and anxiety
      symptom levels, and prevalence of hazardous drinking, rewards, and subjective
      burden and explicated predictors of subjective burden and mental health status
      for a convenience sample of 73 family caregivers of persons with CLD.
      Interventions are needed to offset decreased income reported by caregivers and to
      treat depressive symptoms; clinically significant levels were present, and
      clinical referrals were warranted in this study sample.

PMID- 20303450
TI  - A naturalistic inquiry of registered nurses' perspectives and expectations of
      psychodynamic therapeutic care in acute psychiatric inpatient facilities.
AB  - Within contemporary inpatient mental health nursing practice, the psychodynamic
      model of care considered previously to be central to the nurse-patient
      relationship now seems a radical concept. It appears to exist only within primary
      care facilities and public health care practice settings. This naturalistic
      inquiry aimed to explicate mental health nurses' perspectives and expectations of
      providing psychodynamic therapeutic care in acute inpatient psychiatric
      facilities. Ten registered nurses working in acute inpatient mental health
      facilities were interviewed. Five themes emerged: a career for life, relating in
      a psychodynamic manner, swimming against the current, adopting a position of
      difference, and hopeful expectancy.

PMID- 20303451
TI  - Challenging normative orthodoxies in depression: Huxley's Utopia or Dante's
      Inferno?
AB  - Although there appears to be a widespread consensus that depression is a
      ubiquitous human experience, definitions of depression, its prevalence, and how
      mental health services respond to it have changed significantly over time,
      particularly during recent decades. Epistemological limitations notwithstanding,
      it is now estimated that approximately 121 million people experience depression.
      At the same time, it should be acknowledged that the last two decades have seen
      the widespread acceptance of depression as a chemical imbalance and a massive
      corresponding increase in the prescription of antidepressants, most notably of
      selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). However, questions have been
      raised about the effectiveness and iatrogenic side effects of antidepressants;
      related questions have also been asked about whose interests are served by the
      marketing and sales of these drugs. Accordingly, this article attempts to
      problematize the normative orthodoxy concerning depression and creates a "space"
      in which an alternative can be articulated and enacted. In so doing, the article
      finds that the search for a world where the automatic response to depression is a
      pharmacological intervention not only ignores the use of alternative efficacious
      treatment options but may also inhibit the persons' chance to explore the meaning
      of their experience and thus prevent people from individual growth and personal
      development. Interestingly, in worlds analogous to this pharmacologically induced
      depression-free state, such as utopias like that in Huxley's Brave New World, no
      "properly conditioned citizen" is depressed or suicidal. Yet, in the same Brave
      New World, no one is free to suffer, to be different, or crucially, to be
      independent.

PMID- 20303452
TI  - Health-training intervention for community-dwelling elderly in the SeniorWISE
      Study.
AB  - This article describes the outcomes of a psychosocial intervention that tested
      whether health training could improve health and functional ability in a group of
      community-residing elderly persons. The health-training intervention consisted of
      eight 90-minute lecture and discussion classes conducted twice a week for 1
      month. In 3 months following the posttest, an additional four booster sessions
      were delivered once per week for 1 month. Participants received a total of 20
      hours of health training. The National Institutes of Health-funded SeniorWISE
      (Wisdom is Simply Exploration) study was advertised in the community as a program
      to learn strategies for successful aging. We describe the health curriculum and
      the health and functional outcomes for a 6-month period at preintervention,
      postintervention, and postbooster sessions. Complete data were available for 110
      individuals. There was a statistically significant change on the Direct
      Assessment of Functional Status, F(2, 107) = 4.69, P < .012. Health variables
      remained stable over time. This intervention demonstrated that health training
      has the potential for noticeable improvement in Instrumental Activities of Daily
      Living function.

PMID- 20303453
TI  - Recovery paradigm: confession of the unenlightened.

PMID- 20303454
TI  - Looking in, looking out-increasing awareness of intentional self-harm in
      community populations.

PMID- 20303455
TI  - Updated principles and clinical caveats in the management of infection in renal
      transplant recipients.
AB  - Renal transplantation is now considered the treatment of choice for patients with
      end-stage renal disease. In transplant recipients, infection and rejection are
      entwined and are unavoidable tribulations unless clinical tolerance becomes a
      reality. Although rejection rates have significantly decreased with the
      introduction of newer immunosuppressive agents, infections remain a major cause
      of morbidity and mortality, and the magnitude of the problem is on the rise.
      Newer infections are emerging and patterns of known infections are changing. The
      continuous evolution of donor and recipient characteristics also alters the
      landscape of infections. In clinical practice, establishing a definite diagnosis
      of infection in a timely manner remains a challenge in transplant recipients as
      compared to immunocompetent individuals. Hence a comprehensive knowledge of the
      principles of management of infections in renal transplant recipients is very
      essential. In this review, we would like to provide an overview of some of the
      key principles that we believe are essential in the management of infectious
      complications in renal transplant recipients with no focus on any individual
      infection.

PMID- 20303456
TI  - Treatment with calcimimetics in kidney transplantation.
AB  - Graft and patient survival in renal transplantation has increased with better
      immune suppression treatment, leading to the appearance of new complications such
      as posttransplant bone disease. After renal transplantation and the recovery of
      renal function, mineral metabolism disorders secondary to renal failure could be
      expected to normalize. However, both immediately after transplantation and later,
      and even with good renal graft function, we see bone disorders associated to
      renal osteodystrophy, a high incidence of osteopenia, persistent
      hyperparathyroidism, hypercalcemia, hypophosphoremia, and less commonly, aseptic
      bone necrosis. The causes potentially responsible for these disorders have
      basically been identified as different degrees of renal insufficiency in the
      graft, persistent posttransplant secondary hyperparathyroidism, and negative
      impact of immunosuppression treatment, particularly corticosteroids. The most
      important factor in the evolution of metabolic and bone disorders after renal
      transplantation, however, is pretransplant bone status. Special attention should
      be paid to other osteoarticular complications such as loss of bone mass and
      fractures, leading to significant morbidity. In the therapeutic approach to these
      patients, as well as encouraging physical exercise and advice about diet or other
      habits, the use of drugs such as calcium and vitamin D supplements,
      bisphosphonates, and more recently, calcimimetics have made significant
      improvements in the prevention and treatment of bone-mineral metabolism. It has
      been shown that calcimimetic agents can control the parathyroid hormone, reduce
      episodes of hypercalcemia, and improve hypophosphatemia. Their properties have to
      be assessed in broader studies to establish the basis for their widespread use
      among renal transplant recipients.

PMID- 20303457
TI  - Posttransplant anemia in solid organ recipients.
AB  - Posttransplantation anemia (PTA) is a prevalent sequela of solid organ
      transplantation and a potential independent risk factor for cardiovascular
      morbidity and mortality in kidney transplant recipients. There are multiple
      causes of PTA, some of which are associated with early phase anemia (<6 months),
      whereas others more often induce anemia in the late posttransplant phase (>6
      months). Although impaired kidney function contributes to PTA, it is only one of
      many factors that result in anemia in transplant recipients. Other causes include
      iron deficiency, medications, infections, acute rejection, inflammation, and
      erythropoietin deficiency. Unlike in the predialysis chronic kidney disease
      population, the impact of anemia after kidney transplantation outcomes is
      unknown. This is in large part due to the absence of controlled trials that
      address whether correction of anemia improves allograft function or patient
      morbidity and mortality. Current guidelines recommend evaluation for hemoglobin
      level of less than 12 g/dL and treatment when the value falls less than 11 g/dL
      and a target of 11 to 12 g/dL. Additional treatments may entail removing the
      cause of the anemia, nutritional supplementation, and/or an erythrocyte
      stimulating agent.

PMID- 20303459
TI  - Cost effectiveness analysis of hemiarthroplasty and total shoulder arthroplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) and hemiarthroplasty (HA) are two
      viable surgical treatment options for glenohumeral osteoarthritis. Recent
      systematic reviews and randomized trials suggest that TSA, while more costly
      initially, may have superior outcomes with regard to pain, function and quality
      of life with lower revision rates. This study compared the cost-effectiveness of
      TSA with HA. METHODS: A Markov decision model was constructed for a cost-utility
      analysis of TSA compared to HA in a cohort of 64-year-old patients. Outcome
      probabilities and effectiveness were derived from the literature. Costs were
      estimated from the societal perspective using the national average Medicare
      reimbursement for the procedures in 2008 US dollars. Effectiveness was expressed
      in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained. Principal outcome measures were
      average incremental costs, incremental effectiveness, incremental QALYs, and net
      health benefits. RESULTS: In the base case, HA resulted in a lower number of
      average QALYs gained at a higher average cost to society and was, therefore,
      dominated by the TSA strategy for the treatment of glenohumeral osteoarthritis.
      The cost effectiveness ratio for TSA and HA were $957/QALY and $1,194/QALY
      respectively. Sensitivity analysis revealed that if the utility of TSA is equal
      to, or revision rate lower than HA, TSA continues to be a dominant strategy.
      CONCLUSION: Total shoulder arthroplasty with a cemented glenoid is a cost
      effective procedure, resulting in greater utility for the patient at a lower
      overall cost to the payer. These findings suggest that TSA is the preferred
      treatment for certain populations from both a patient and payer perspective.

PMID- 20303460
TI  - The Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand questionnaire in intercollegiate
      athletes: validity limited by ceiling effect.
AB  - HYPOTHESIS: The Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) questionnaire
      has been validated as an effective upper extremity specific outcome measure.
      Normative scores have not been established for young athletes. This study was
      conducted to establish normative DASH scores for intercollegiate athletes. We
      hypothesized that DASH scores in intercollegiate athletes differ from published
      values obtained from the general population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The DASH
      questionnaire was administered to 321 athletes cleared for full participation in
      intercollegiate sports. Their scores were compared with normative values in the
      general population and 2 other age-matched cohorts. RESULTS: Intercollegiate
      athletes had significantly better upper extremity function compared with the
      general population (1.37 +/- 2.96 vs 10.10 +/- 14.68, P < .001) and an age
      matched cohort of employed adults (1.37 +/- 2.96 vs 5.40 +/- 7.57, P < .0001).
      The DASH was 0 for 65.1%. Within this cohort, men reported better upper extremity
      function than women (0.98 vs 1.82, P = .010). Athletes participating in overhead
      sports reported worse upper extremity function than nonoverhead athletes (1.81 vs
      0.98, P = .042). DISCUSSION: We report normative DASH values for a group of
      intercollegiate athletes and show a significant difference between the scores of
      these athletes and the general population. Within our cohort of competitive
      athletes, overhead sports and female gender are associated with significantly
      lower DASH scores and sports module scores. The utility of using these results
      are limited by a substantial ceiling effect in this population of competitive
      athletes. Differences within our cohort and differences between our cohort and
      other populations are minimized by this ceiling effect. Various upper extremity
      outcome measures may be similarly limited by a ceiling effect and should be
      examined for appropriateness before use. CONCLUSION: Intercollegiate athletes
      report significantly greater upper extremity function than the general
      population; however, validity of the DASH in these athletes is limited and
      population differences may be minimized by a substantial ceiling effect.

PMID- 20303461
TI  - Failure of the hinge mechanism in total elbow arthroplasty.
AB  - HYPOTHESIS: Total elbow arthroplasty (TEA) has become an accepted means of
      dealing with intractable elbow arthritis. The Coonrad-Morrey elbow prosthesis has
      become the workhorse for management of elbow arthropathy. Its successful initial
      use in rheumatoid patients has evolved, as has its design, to allow use in
      osteoarthritic patients and patients with posttraumatic arthritis. More active
      patients with elbow arthropathy are also treated using TEA. Prior design flaws
      led to central bushing failure and resulted in a redesign of the implant.
      However, the newer design has been noted to demonstrate a new mode of failure
      that appears to be more prevalent in active patients with osteoarthritis and
      posttraumatic arthritis. The authors hypothesize that the mechanical properties
      of the second generation hinge mechanism are inadequate to resist the high
      stresses placed upon it by some active patients treated for osteo- and post
      traumatic arthritis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Since 2000, 2 senior surgeons at
      Cleveland Clinic performed 82 TEAs, 64 in osteoarthritic or posttraumatic
      patients. Outcomes are reviewed. RESULTS: Five patients demonstrated failure of
      the central locking and bushing components, with instability and dissociation
      requiring revision surgery. Two of these patients had secondary failure and
      required repeat revision using a more substantial central axis with lock washer
      and set screw. DISCUSSION: The mode of failure and radiographic and clinical
      findings demonstrate that younger patients with a more active lifestyle are at
      risk for central axis and bushing failure. It is recommended that younger, more
      active patients be monitored indefinitely at 6-month intervals and counseled
      about the risk of potential failure and the need to limit forces across the
      reconstructed elbow. RESULTS: These failures indicate the need for alternative
      designs in younger, active patients.

PMID- 20303462
TI  - Health-related quality of life in Hispanics with chronic kidney disease.
AB  - Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important patient-reported outcome
      that has gained attention in research and clinical practice. In recent years,
      reports of chronic kidney disease (CKD) have increased. However, not much
      information is available for Hispanics with CKD, a group whose rates of incidents
      are on the rise. This review discusses the measurement of HRQOL in CKD, with a
      particular focus on issues pertaining to Hispanics. Future research directions
      also are discussed.

PMID- 20303463
TI  - Telomeres and type 2 diabetes.

PMID- 20303464
TI  - Mean leukocyte telomere length shortening and type 2 diabetes mellitus: a case
      control study.
AB  - Recent data have implicated leukocyte telomere length shortening as a potential
      risk predictor for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its associated phenotypes.
      However, to date, epidemiologic data are scarce. Using a case-control study from
      a community-based population sample of the Boston metropolitan area (all whites:
      424 controls and 432 cases), we examined the relationship of mean leukocyte
      telomere repeat copy number to single gene copy number (TSR) and T2DM.
      Associations of log(e)-transformed TSR with age, race, sex, body mass index
      (BMI), current smoking status, fasting insulin levels, fasting glucose levels,
      and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) were examined by multivariable linear regression
      analysis. A logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the
      association of log(e)-transformed TSR with T2DM with or without adjustment for
      potential confounders. The log(e)-transformed TSR was significantly shorter in
      the white cases than the white controls (P=0.003). In a multivariable linear
      regression analysis, an inverse association of log(e)-transformed TSR with BMI
      was observed (P=0.04). Furthermore, in a multivariable logistic regression
      analysis, decreased log(e)-transformed TSR was significantly associated with T2DM
      (adjusted odds ratio=1.748; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.015-3.012; P=0.044).
      In summary, the current investigation has shown an association of mean leukocyte
      telomere length shortening with T2DM in white subjects. If corroborated in other
      studies, our findings suggest the potential importance of telomere biology in
      T2DM.

PMID- 20303466
TI  - Cholesterol in pleural exudates depends mainly on increased capillary
      permeability.
AB  - Pleural fluid (PF) cholesterol is a useful parameter to differentiate between
      pleural transudates and exudates, although the pathophysiologic mechanisms for
      its increase in exudates are not fully understood. We aim to elucidate the cause
      of this increase by analyzing the levels of cholesterol-high-density lipoproteins
      (HDLs), low-density lipoproteins (LDLs), apolipoprotein A (ApoA), and
      apolipoprotein B (ApoB)-in PF and blood as well as the number of leucocytes and
      red cells in the PF. We studied 259 patients with pleural effusion (57
      transudates and 202 exudates). The correlations of the pleural and serum (S)
      levels of these parameters were analyzed, with the pleural cholesterol fractions
      as the dependent variables and their levels in blood and the pleural/serum
      protein ratio (P/S prot ratio) as the independent variables. The pleural fluid
      cholesterol levels (PFCHOL) correlated with their blood levels and the capillary
      permeability (r=0.885). No significant differences were found between the
      percentage of LDL, with regard to total cholesterol in the serum [SCHOL], and the
      same percentage in the exudates, between the PF/S LDL ratio (0.46) and the PF/S
      CHOL ratio (0.48), or between the PF/S ApoB ratio and the PF/S LDL ratio. The
      percentage of PF cholesterol bound to HDL and LDL was significantly higher
      (91.9%) than in the blood (90%). No significant correlations were found between
      any of the lipids studied and the number of erythrocytes and leucocytes. In
      conclusion, the PFCHOL may be predicted from the SCHOL, and the capillary
      permeability may be reflected by the PF/S prot ratio.

PMID- 20303465
TI  - Nuclear factor-kappa B (NFkappaB) component p50 in blood mononuclear cells
      regulates endothelial tissue factor expression in sickle transgenic mice:
      implications for the coagulopathy of sickle cell disease.
AB  - Sickle cell anemia is accompanied by the activation of coagulation and
      thrombosis. We have studied the abnormal expression of tissue factor (TF) by the
      pulmonary vein endothelium of the mild-phenotype NY1DD sickle transgenic. As
      detected by immunofluorescence microscopy, this occurs only after the NY1DD mouse
      is exposed to hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R), which actually causes
      ischemia/reperfusion in the sickle cell disease-but not the normal-mouse model.
      We tested the hypothesis that the nuclear factor-kappa B (NFkappaB)-activating
      inflammation that develops in post-H/R NY1DD mice is responsible for this
      phenotype switch. Various NFkappaB inhibitors (including p50-specific
      andrographolide) demonstrated that endothelial TF positivity is NFkappaB
      dependent. Several systemic inflammatory stimulators (tumor necrosis factor
      [TNFalpha], lipopolysaccharide, thioglycollate, and carageenan) given to control
      mice showed that the inflammatory promotion of TF expression by only pulmonary
      vein endothelium is not specific to the sickle cell disease model. We bred the
      NFkappaB(p50)-/- state into the NY1DD mouse. Combined with marrow
      transplantation, this allowed the creation of NY1DD mice that were NFkappaB(p50)
      /- only in peripheral blood cells (and marrow) versus only in vessel walls (and
      tissues). This process revealed that endothelial TF expression in the NY1DD mouse
      is highly dependent on NFkappaB(p50) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells-but
      not in the vessel wall. In confirmation, the infusion of post-H/R sickle mouse
      blood mononuclear cells into naive NY1DD mice stimulated endothelial TF
      expression; the infusion of such cells from unstimulated sickle cell disease mice
      at ambient air did not stimulate TF expression. We conclude that peripheral blood
      mononuclear cells indirectly promote endothelial TF expression via a
      NFkappaB(p50)-dependent mechanism. This approach may be relevant to the role of
      coagulopathy in clinical sickle cell disease.

PMID- 20303467
TI  - The role of ATP-binding-cassette-transporter-A1 (ABCA1) gene polymorphism on
      coronary artery disease risk.
AB  - ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) plays a pivotal role in intracellular
      cholesterol removal and exerts a protective effect against atherosclerosis. The
      role of genetic factors in susceptibility to coronary artery disease (CAD) is not
      clear. The aim of this study was to evaluate for the first time the possible
      association between R219K gene polymorphism and coronary artery disease in an
      Iranian adult population. A total of 207 consecutive patients with CAD (group A)
      and 94 patients without CAD (group B) were studied. We determined the presence of
      the R219K variant in the ABCA1 gene by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and
      restriction analysis in 301 patients with and without CAD. The distribution of
      genotypes among the 2 groups was significantly different (P=0.009). In univariate
      analysis (with genotype AA as reference), the GG genotype was associated with a
      significantly increased risk of CAD (P=0.002; odds ratio [OR]=2.761; 95%
      confidence interval [CI]=1.418-5.374), but the GA genotype did not show a
      significant association (P=0.234) (data not shown). A multivariate logistic
      regression analysis (using sex as clinically significant variable, and using age,
      diabetes mellitus, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C], high-density
      lipoprotein [HDL], smoking, body mass index [BMI], and genotype as statistically
      significant variables) was used to determine independent associations and
      adjusted ORs. The GG genotype (compared with the AA genotype) was an independent
      predictor of CAD (OR=2.856, 95% CI=1.307-6.241; P=0.009), followed by BMI
      (P=0.034; OR=1.100; 95% CI=1.007-1.200). The GG genotype in the ABCA1 gene is
      independently associated with CAD in Iranian patients.

PMID- 20303468
TI  - Foreign body-induced granulation tissue is a source of adult stem cells.
AB  - In the current study, we have cultured and propagated the cells obtained from the
      granulation tissue that forms around perforated polyvinyl tubes placed in the
      subcutaneous space of normal rats. We found that these cells (called granulation
      tissue-derived stem cells [GTSCs]) expressed markers of embryonic pluripotent
      cells (Oct-4 and Nanog) and of adult stem cells (CXCR4 and Thy1.1) as well as
      produced high levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) for up to 10
      passages. By fluorescence-activated cell-sorting (FACS) analysis, GTSCs were
      positive for stem-cell surface markers CD90, CD59, and CD44 and were negative for
      CD45, which suggests that they were of mesenchymal origin and not of
      hematopoietic lineage. When incubated in specific differentiation medium, these
      cells transformed into adipogenic, osteogenic, and chondrogenic lineages, which
      shows that they were multipotent. Furthermore, after systemic injection, these
      cells were found in the vicinity of an injured site created in the liver but not
      in normal areas of the liver, which indicates their propensity to seek and
      engraft to an injured area in the body. We conclude that granulation tissue
      induced by a large foreign body is a convenient source of adult stem cells that
      can be maintained in culture and can be used to repair and regenerate injured
      tissue.

PMID- 20303469
TI  - Type 1 von Willebrand disease due to reduced von Willebrand factor synthesis
      and/or survival: observations from a case series.
AB  - It may be difficult to diagnose type 1 von Willebrand disease (VWD) because of
      its heterogeneous and sometimes elusive nature. To evaluate the contribution of a
      shorter von Willebrand factor (VWF) survival in modulating VWD phenotype, the VWF
      half-life was assessed in 45 type 1 VWD patients using a 24-h 1-desamino-8-d
      arginine vasopressin (DDAVP) test. A shorter VWF survival was observed in
      patients with C1130F mutations (T(1/2) elimination [T(1/2)el]=4.6+/-1.0h vs
      normal=15.8+/-2.3h, P<0.0001), in those with other missense mutations
      investigated (T(1/2)el=9.5+/-0.9h, P<0.02), and in patients not carrying VWF
      mutations (T(1/2)el=7.0+/-0.7h, P<0.001); the decrease mainly depended on a
      greater VWF clearance. VWF survival and clearance were normal in patients who
      carried nonsense mutations. The VWF-propeptide-to-VWF-antigen (VWF:Ag) ratio
      (VWFpp ratio) was higher in patients with a shorter VWF survival, and the values
      were inversely correlated with the VWF half-life (P<0.01). The response of VWF to
      DDAVP administration, which is useful to explore the synthesis and storage of
      VWF, was normal in patients with no mutations, whereas it decreased in patients
      with missense and nonsense mutations. Three scenarios, thus, are recognizable in
      type 1 VWD; one is associated mainly with a shorter survival of VWF, another is
      associated with its reduced synthesis and release, and a third is characterized
      by a combination of the two. The shorter VWF half-life found in patients with no
      VWF mutations suggests that mechanisms other than VWF might be involved in the
      pathogenesis of type 1 VWD.

PMID- 20303471
TI  - Laboratory stressors in clinically anxious and non-anxious individuals: the
      moderating role of mindfulness.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Mindfulness forms the basis for multiple clinical interventions and
      has been induced in laboratory settings. However, few studies have examined the
      effects of dispositional or trait mindfulness. The purpose of this study was to
      investigate the relationship of trait mindfulness to laboratory stressor
      responding across fear-based anxiety disorder and non-anxious samples. We
      hypothesized that trait mindfulness would be associated with diminished stressor
      responding above and beyond the contribution of anxiety and depression-related
      variables, and to a greater extent in high anxiety than low anxiety individuals.
      METHODS: 90 participants, including 46 with anxiety disorders and 44 non-anxious
      controls, were assessed on hyperventilation and relaxation stressors. The
      relationship of trait mindfulness to stressor-related anxiety, negative affect,
      and duration was investigated in a hierarchical multiple regression model.
      RESULTS: Trait mindfulness predicted stressor responding in over 80% of measured
      outcomes, and predicted to a greater extent among high anxiety individuals in 50%
      of outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Trait mindfulness was associated with diminished
      responses to laboratory stressors in clinically anxious and non-anxious samples.
      Implications for emotion regulation and clinical interventions are discussed.

PMID- 20303470
TI  - The lipid triad, or how to reduce residual cardiovascular risk?
AB  - Since the first interventional studies on cholesterol, many large prospective
      trials have demonstrated that the statins can reduce the risk of a major
      cardiovascular event by 25 to 35%. But, in spite of the overall decrease in LDL
      cholesterol in the general population over the last 20 years and treatments with
      statins, the persistence of a high residual vascular risk is observed in some
      patients. This residual risk is observed mainly in patients with atherogenic
      dyslipidaemia with low HDL-cholesterol, elevated triglycerides and a
      preponderance of small and dense LDL-cholesterol particles, a profile frequently
      found in patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), obesity
      or metabolic syndrome and which has been called the "lipid triad". The frank
      increase in the prevalence of these metabolic abnormalities in populations
      worldwide casts doubt on the benefits acquired over the last few years in
      cardiovascular prevention. Not only does it appear essential to improve the
      treatment of all risk factors (hypertension, smoking, etc.), but it now seems
      necessary to manage all lipid parameters by decreasing LDL and also triglycerides
      and by increasing HDL. The development of new pathways of research and the
      introduction of novel compounds, which have demonstrated their clinical
      effectiveness, with regard to HDL in particular, are awaited.

PMID- 20303472
TI  - Child abuse and negative explicit and automatic self-associations: the cognitive
      scars of emotional maltreatment.
AB  - Individuals reporting Childhood Abuse (CA) (i.e., emotional neglect, emotional-,
      physical- and sexual-abuse) are marked by increased explicit (i.e. self-reported)
      negative self-associations, and an increased risk to develop depression or
      anxiety disorders. Automatic self-associations might play an important role in
      the development and maintenance of affective disorders after exposure to CA,
      since automatic associations are assumed to be involved in uncontrolled
      (spontaneous) affective behavior. This study examined whether individuals
      reporting a history of CA show stronger automatic (and explicit) self-depression
      and/or self-anxiety associations than individuals who report no CA in a large
      cohort study (Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA), n = 2981). The
      Implicit Association Test (IAT) was utilized to assess automatic self-depression
      and self-anxiety associations. We found that CA was associated with enhanced
      automatic (and explicit) self-depression and self-anxiety associations.
      Additionally, when compared to physical- and sexual-abuse, Childhood Emotional
      Maltreatment (CEM; emotional abuse and emotional neglect) had the strongest link
      with enhanced automatic (and explicit) self-depression and self-anxiety
      associations. In addition, automatic and explicit negative self-associations
      partially mediated the association between CEM and depressive or anxious
      symptomatology. Implications regarding the importance of CA, and CEM in
      particular will be discussed.

PMID- 20303473
TI  - Are obsessive-compulsive tendencies related to reliance on external proxies for
      internal states? Evidence from biofeedback-aided relaxation studies.
AB  - This article presents two studies that examine the hypothesis that obsessive
      compulsive (OC) tendencies are associated with a general deficiency in subjective
      conviction, which leads to seeking and reliance on external proxies to compensate
      for that deficiency. We examined this hypothesis using a biofeedback-aided
      relaxation procedure. In Study 1 low OC participants performed better on a
      relaxation task than high OC participants. More importantly, viewing the
      biofeedback monitor (an external proxy for the internal state of relaxation) had
      a different effect on the two groups: Whereas high OC participants performed
      better, low OC participants did not. In addition, when given the opportunity,
      high OC participants requested the biofeedback monitor more than did the low OC
      participants. In Study 2 high OC participants were more affected by false
      biofeedback when judging their level of relaxation compared to low OC
      participants. Real relaxation level differences between the two false biofeedback
      phases among the two groups were not found. These results provide preliminary
      support for the hypothesis that obsessive-compulsive disorder is associated with
      deficient subjective conviction in internal states and increased reliance on
      external proxies. Implications for the understanding of OCD-related rules and
      rituals as well as for cognitive therapy for OCD are discussed.

PMID- 20303474
TI  - The N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor co-agonist D-cycloserine facilitates
      declarative learning and hippocampal activity in humans.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) is critical for learning
      related synaptic plasticity in amygdala and hippocampus. As a consequence, there
      is considerable interest in drugs targeting this receptor to help enhance
      amygdala- and hippocampus-dependent learning. A promising candidate in this
      respect is the NMDAR glycine-binding site partial agonist D-cycloserine (DCS).
      Accumulating clinical evidence indicates the efficacy of DCS in the facilitation
      of amygdala-dependent fear extinction learning in patients with phobic, social
      anxiety, panic, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. An important unresolved
      question though is whether the use of DCS can also facilitate hippocampus
      dependent declarative learning in healthy people as opposed to being restricted
      to the fear memory domain. METHODS: In the present study, we investigated whether
      or not DCS can facilitate hippocampus-dependent declarative learning. We have
      therefore combined functional magnetic resonance imaging with two different
      declarative learning tasks and cytoarchitectonic probabilistic mapping of the
      hippocampus and its major subdivisions in 40 healthy volunteers administered
      either a 250 mg single oral dose of DCS or a placebo. RESULTS: We found that DCS
      facilitates declarative learning as well as blood-oxygen level dependent activity
      levels in the probabilistically defined cornu ammonis region of the hippocampus.
      The absence of activity changes in visual control areas underscores the specific
      action of DCS in the hippocampal cornu ammonis region. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings
      highlight NMDAR glycine-binding site partial agonism as a promising
      pharmacological mechanism for facilitating declarative learning in healthy
      people.

PMID- 20303475
TI  - Epileptic feeling of multiple presences in the frontal space.
AB  - We describe the case of a patient who during a simple focal epileptic seizure due
      to vascular cerebral sequelae, reported the paroxysmal convincing feeling of the
      presence of several familiar persons in her peripersonal and extrapersonal space.
      Because the patient reported sensing multiple presences and recognizing them as
      family members, her case appears to contradict the hypothesis that the feeling of
      a non-existent human presence is an autoscopic phenomenon involving the neural
      "reduplication of the body". As an alternative hypothesis, I propose that the
      feeling of a non-existent presence may be only a hallucination of an ordinary
      "perception of the presence of another". Otherwise, the closest presence was felt
      in front of the patient, without lateralization in one hemispace, suggesting the
      importance to take into account other spatial dimensions than the left/right
      dimension, such as the front/back dimension, in the feeling of a presence.
      Illusory perceptive phenomena could participate in future in better understanding
      brain regions involved in the front/back dimension of the space perceptive
      representation.

PMID- 20303476
TI  - Testicular microlithiasis and neoplastic lesions in wild eland (Tragelaphus
      oryx): possible effects of exposure to environmental pollutants?
AB  - The purpose of the study was to compare wildlife in the proximity and away from
      the sources of known industrial pollution. Macroscopic, focal, gritty areas that
      appeared white were observed in the testes of all 24 South African eland
      (Tragelaphus oryx) culled in the Rietvlei Nature Reserve (RNR; n=17) between 2001
      and 2003 and Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve (SNR; n=7) in 2004. Histopathological
      evaluation of testes showed multiple intratubular dystrophic calcifications,
      focal areas of sperm stasis and interstitial chronic cell infiltrates with
      fibrosis. Spermatogenesis was generally impaired; a few atypical germ cells were
      also encountered. Sertoli cell vacuolization and sloughing of the seminiferous
      epithelium were evident. Adenomatous changes of the rete testis, reflective of
      possible chronic estrogenic exposure, were found. In testes collected from three
      reference eland in 2007 from the Molopo Nature Reserve (MNR) in the
      Kalahari/Kgalagadi Desert, except for one focal area of sperm stasis and another
      with microcalcification, the seminiferous epithelium as well as collecting/rete
      tubules were normal. Analyses of fat tissue for environmental pollutants showed
      that 11 out of 17 RNR eland contained a detectable estrogenic chemical p
      nonylphenol (mean+/-SD: 184.8+/-24.6 microg/kg fat); no organochlorine chemicals
      or polychlorinated biphenyls were detected. Of the 7 SNR eland, 5 had detectable
      octylphenol residues (50.2+/-30.9 microg/kg fat), 3 had detectable p-nonylphenol
      (137.8+/-77.9 microg/kg fat), 3 had o-p'-DDT (114.9+/-31.1 microg/kg fat), 3 had
      p-p'-DDT (127.3+/-49.9 microg/kg(79.5+/-30.4 microg/kg fat) and 5 contained o-p'
      DDE (27.7+/-9.9 microg/kg fat). One eland from the MNR contained one 70.6 microg
      o-p'-DDT/kg fat and another p-p'-DDE 61.3 microg/kg fat. Therefore, in eland with
      testicular abnormalities, significant amounts of various estrogenic chemicals
      were bioaccumulated in fat samples. It therefore seems likely that the lesions
      found in RNR and SNR were associated with the relatively high body-burden of
      environmental pollutants (phenols), although the possibility of systemic
      infections cannot be ruled out. No testicular abnormalities were found in
      reference eland. These findings are the first indication of mammalian wildlife
      being affected by environmental pollution of endocrine disrupting chemicals in
      South Africa.

PMID- 20303477
TI  - Endocannabinoid system regulates migration of endometrial stromal cells via
      cannabinoid receptor 1 through the activation of PI3K and ERK1/2 pathways.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of the cannabinoid system on the regulation of
      endometrial stromal cell (ESCs) dynamic behavior. DESIGN: ESC migration,
      electrical signal generated by K(+) channels, and cytoskeletal-actin dynamics
      were evaluated in response to treatment with the synthetic endocannabinoid
      methanandamide. Selective agonists and antagonists were used to identify both the
      receptor and the biochemical pathways involved. SETTING: Molecular research
      institution. PATIENT(S): Endometrial tissues were obtained from 40 reproductive
      age women undergoing laparoscopy for benign pathologies. INTERVENTIONS: ESCs were
      treated with methanadamide and with selective agonist (ACEA) and antagonist
      (AM251) of the cannabinoid receptor 1. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cellular migration
      was evaluated by means of chemotaxis experiments in a Boyden chamber. Electric
      signal generated by K(+) channels was evaluated by patch clamp experiments
      Cellular morphology and cytoskeletal-actin dynamics were evaluated by
      immunofluorescence. RESULT(S): Methanandamide enhanced ESC migration via
      cannabinoid receptor I (CNR1) through the activation of PI3K/Akt and ERK1/2
      pathways. The increased ESC migration was associated with cytoskeleton
      reorganization identified by the dissolution of F-actin stress fibers and the
      presence of stress fiber arcs and with increased electrical signal generated by
      K(+) channels. CONCLUSION(S): In physiologic conditions, the cannabinoid system
      has a central role in regulating endometrial cell migration. The involvement of
      ERK1/2 and PI3-K/Akt pathways points to a potential role of endocannabinoids in
      some pathologic conditions characterized by enhanced endometrial cell
      invasiveness.

PMID- 20303479
TI  - Microdose flare versus antagonist for poor responders.

PMID- 20303480
TI  - Effect of vitrification and beta-mercaptoethanol on reactive oxygen species
      activity and in vitro development of oocytes vitrified before or after in vitro
      fertilization.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of vitrification and beta-mercaptoethanol
      (beta-ME) on reactive oxygen species (ROS) activity and in vitro development of
      oocytes vitrified before or after in vitro fertilization (IVF). DESIGN:
      Randomized prospective study. SETTING: University-based assisted reproductive
      technology laboratory. ANIMALS(S): Abattoir-derived porcine ovaries.
      INTERVENTIONS(S): Oocytes were vitrified either before or 4 hours after the end
      of IVF by solid surface vitrification (SSV) without centrifugation and/or
      delipation procedure. beta-ME was used to inhibit ROS activity. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES(S): Viability was evaluated by membrane integrity and esterase enzyme
      activity using fluorescein diacetate staining while ROS activity was assessed by
      2',7'-dichlorofluorescein assay. RESULT(S): Vitrification increased the ROS
      activity and decreased the viability and in vitro development of vitrified
      oocytes. Addition of beta-ME to vitrification and culture medium partially
      annihilated the ROS activity but did not improve the viability of vitrified
      warmed oocytes. Furthermore, beta-ME had no effect on improving the fertilization
      ability of oocytes vitrified at metaphase II stage but significantly increased
      their ability to cleave. beta-ME also increased the rate of cleavage and
      blastocyst formation ability of oocytes vitrified 4 hours after the end IVF.
      CONCLUSION(S): Vitrification increases ROS activity in oocytes that can be
      partially annihilated by beta-ME to obtain enhanced embryonic development.

PMID- 20303481
TI  - Mechanism underlying transient gestational-onset hypothyroidism-induced
      impairment of posttesticular sperm maturation in adult rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To understand the mechanism underlying gestational-onset
      hypothyroidism-induced male infertility. DESIGN: Controlled laboratory study.
      SETTING: Research laboratory in a university department of endocrinology.
      ANIMAL(S): Wistar rat. INTERVENTION(S): Pregnant rats were exposed to methimazole
      from embryonic days 9 to 14, 18, and 21, covering specific fetal periods of
      differentiation and development of male reproductive tract organs. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURE(S): Fertility of male rats was assessed by testing sperm count, forward
      motility, and in vivo fertilizing ability. Secretory activity of the epididymis
      was evaluated by quantifying sialic acid, carnitine, and
      glycerylphosphorylcholine. Bioavailability of androgens was assessed by
      quantifying testosterone in serum and testicular interstitial fluid and
      epididymal 5alpha-reductase activity/mRNA expression. Androgen receptor (AR)
      status in the epididymis was tested by detecting the expression levels of its
      mRNA and protein, as well as ligand binding activity. Data were analyzed
      statistically by one-way analysis of variance. RESULT(S): Gestational exposure to
      methimazole decreased sperm forward motility, in vivo fertilizing ability,
      bioavailability of androgens, AR status, and secretory activity of the epididymis
      in adult rats. CONCLUSION(S): Transient gestational-onset hypothyroidism affects
      male fertility by impairing posttesticular sperm maturation process in the
      epididymis, owing to subnormal androgen(s) bioavailability, AR expression, and AR
      functional activity.

PMID- 20303482
TI  - Aberrant DNA methylation of imprinted H19 gene in human preimplantation embryos.
AB  - DNA methylation patterns of the H19 differentially methylated region were
      successfully determined in 32 of 50 human day 3 embryos produced and discarded
      after assisted reproductive technology procedures. We found methylation patterns
      similar to those of somatic cells in 81.3% of embryos and demethylation or
      hypomethylation patterns in 18.7% of embryos.

PMID- 20303483
TI  - Live babies born per oocyte retrieved in a subpopulation of oocyte donors with
      repetitive reproductive success.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the oocyte-to-baby rate when controlled ovarian
      stimulation was performed on a highly successful donor population and to evaluate
      whether they produce a higher proportion of reproductively competent oocytes
      compared with standard donors. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of clinical and
      embryological database. SETTING: University center. PATIENT(S): A total of 191
      oocyte donation cycles were analyzed from 53 donors (28 best-prognosis donors and
      23 standard donors). INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Total number
      of oocytes collected, the number of embryos transferable (fresh and frozen). and
      corresponding oocyte to live baby born (LBB) rates. In patients with remaining
      frozen embryos, the final LBB rate was estimated according to our reported rates.
      RESULT(S): A total of 130 oocyte retrievals from the best-prognosis donors
      yielded 2,470 oocytes. The total LBB per oocyte retrieved and LBB per embryo
      transferred was 7.3% and 24.6%, respectively. A total of 61 oocyte retrievals
      from the standard donors yielded 1,044 oocytes. The total LBB per oocyte and LBB
      per embryo transferred was 5.0% and 16.6%, respectively. This is significantly
      different from the best-prognosis donor group. Success rates were also analyzed
      after grouping donors based on the number of oocytes retrieved per cycle. In the
      best-prognosis group, the oocyte use rate increased significantly when fewer
      oocytes were retrieved, whereas the oocyte-to-baby rate was similar regardless of
      the number of oocytes for the standard donor group. CONCLUSION(S): This
      retrospective analysis revealed the existence of a subset of good-prognosis
      donors who produce a higher oocyte-to-baby rate that is indicative of a more
      biologically efficient reproductive system. Their identification, albeit a
      posteriori, has clinical implications for safety, by reducing ovarian
      hyperstimulation syndrome and multiple pregnancies, as well as for assisted
      reproductive technology success.

PMID- 20303484
TI  - Amenorrhea and "man hands".
AB  - A 36-year-old multiparous woman presented with amenorrhea and hyperhidrosis of 6
      months' duration. Physical examination revealed large, stubby fingers and toes
      with soft tissue thickening. Serum growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor
      1 (IGF-1) levels were elevated and a pituitary macroadenoma was found on
      computerized tomography (CT).

PMID- 20303485
TI  - Clinical and endocrine characteristics of the main polycystic ovary syndrome
      phenotypes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical and endocrine differences between main
      polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) phenotypes. DESIGN: To evaluate clinical and
      hormone parameters in a large group of consecutive women with PCOS diagnosed
      according Rotterdam criteria and divided according their phenotype. SETTING:
      University department of medicine. PATIENT(S): Three hundred eighty-two
      consecutive women with PCOS and 85 ovulatory controls. INTERVENTION(S):
      Evaluation of clinical and hormone parameters. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Blood
      levels of gonadotropins, testosterone, sex-hormone-binding globulin,
      dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone, progesterone,
      glucose, and insulin, and calculation of the free androgen index and insulin
      sensitivity. RESULT(S): The severe PCOS phenotype (hyperandrogenism, chronic
      anovulation, and polycystic ovaries: type I classic PCOS) was the most common
      phenotype in 53.9% of the patients. The phenotype of 8.9% of patients was
      characterized by hyperandrogenism and chronic anovulation but normal ovaries
      (type II classic PCOS). The two phenotypes of classic PCOS had similar clinical
      and endocrine characteristics, but the patients with polycystic ovaries had a
      higher luteinizing hormone/follicle-stimulating hormone (LH/FSH) ratio. Ovulatory
      PCOS was relatively common (28.8% of PCOS patients) and presented milder clinical
      and endocrine alterations than the classic PCOS phenotypes. The normoandrogenic
      phenotype was relatively uncommon. These patients had a normal body mass index,
      insulin sensitivity, and free androgen index but showed increased levels of LH
      and LH/FSH ratio. CONCLUSION(S): Ovulatory PCOS represents the mild form of
      classic PCOS, but the normoandrogenic phenotype, although part of the spectrum,
      may represent a different disorder or have a different pathogenetic pathway.

PMID- 20303486
TI  - Long-term outcomes of transvestibular vaginoplasty with pelvic peritoneum in 182
      patients with Rokitansky's syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the technical feasibility and anatomical and functional
      outcomes of one-stage transvestibular vaginoplasty with pelvic peritoneum for the
      patients with Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome. DESIGN: A
      retrospective review of prospectively collected data. SETTING: A university
      hospital. PATIENT(S): A total of 182 women with MRKH syndrome. INTERVENTION(S):
      Undergoing transvestibular vaginoplasty with pelvic peritoneum. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURE(S): The perioperative results, complications, and anatomical and
      functional outcomes of transvestibular vaginoplasty with pelvic peritoneum.
      RESULT(S): The mean operative time was 72.2 minutes (range 55-150 minutes).
      Average blood loss was 78.5 mL (range 40-170 mL). The only perioperative
      complication was one case of rectal-vaginal fistula. Thirty-four patients had
      vault granulation at the neovagina, which healed after trimming and the mean
      length of the neovagina was 9 cm (range 7-12 cm) without any shrinkage at the
      follow-up of 3 months after operation. The neovaginal introitus admitted two
      fingers in width in all patients. Good functional outcomes were found in the
      patients at follow-up 15 years after surgery with 80% of the cumulative
      proportion of sexual satisfactory activity. CONCLUSION(S): Transvestibular
      vaginoplasty with pelvic peritoneum is an effective and feasible approach for
      women with MRKH syndrome. The procedure has satisfactory long-term anatomical and
      functional results.

PMID- 20303487
TI  - Septic shock due to Klebsiella pneumoniae after medical abortion with misoprostol
      only regimen.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To report a case of a healthy woman who was admitted to the hospital
      with septic shock caused by a common uropathogen after self-administration of
      misoprostol for pregnancy termination. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: Tertiary
      hospital. PATIENT(S): A 38-year-old woman, gravida 5, para 3, who developed
      septic shock after medical termination of pregnancy. INTERVENTION(S): Suction
      curettage, antibiotic treatment, plasma and platelet transfusions. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURE(S): Klebsiella pneumoniae was isolated from blood samples. RESULT: Ten
      days after her admission she was discharged home in good condition on oral
      antibiotics. CONCLUSION(S): Severe infections leading to septic shock from common
      pathogen bacteria can occur after medical termination of pregnancy, independently
      of the regimen used.

PMID- 20303488
TI  - Duodenal squamous cell carcinoma derived from the hypopharynx:
      immunohistochemical assessment of metastatic mechanisms.

PMID- 20303489
TI  - Therapeutic EUS-assisted endoscopic retrograde pancreatography after failed
      pancreatic duct cannulation at ERCP.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cannulation of the pancreatic duct (PD) during endoscopic retrograde
      pancreatography (ERP) can fail even in experienced hands. A technique for
      therapeutic EUS-assisted rendezvous ERP has been described in a few case reports.
      OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of therapeutic EUS-assisted
      ERP. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Tertiary-care medical center.
      PATIENTS: This study involved 21 patients after failed ERP. INTERVENTION: EUS
      guided transgastric pancreatography by using a mixture of contrast media and
      methylene blue was attempted. If that was successful, ERP was attempted by using
      methylene blue flow as an indicator of the PD orifice or by a rendezvous
      technique using a wire passed into the PD and the small bowel through the EUS
      needle. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Technical success rate and complications.
      RESULTS: The PD was of a normal diameter in 7 patients and was dilated in 14
      patients. EUS-guided pancreatography was successfully done in all patients with a
      dilated PD but only in 4 of 7 patients (57%) with normal-diameter PDs. In 6
      patients, ERP was successfully performed by using methylene blue flow as an
      indicator of the PD orifice. The rendezvous technique was successful in 4 of 12
      cases (33%), and reasons for failure were either a tight stricture (n = 5) or a
      suboptimal angle of EUS needle insertion (n = 3). Overall, EUS-assisted ERP was
      successful in 10 of 21 patients (48%). Complications included peripancreatic
      abscess in 1 patient and mild pancreatitis in 1 patient. LIMITATIONS:
      Retrospective study, small sample size. CONCLUSION: EUS-assisted ERP is a complex
      procedure that can provide access to the PD in selected cases after failed
      standard ERP.

PMID- 20303490
TI  - Post-traumatic stress disorder among Chinese women survivors of intimate partner
      violence: a review of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Post-traumatic stress disorder is one of the most prevalent mental
      health sequelae of intimate partner violence, and as a result, it has been
      extensively documented in Western literature. However, whether abused women from
      non-Western cultures experience similar post-traumatic responses to intimate
      partner violence is less documented. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this paper
      were (1) to review the literature for information about post-traumatic stress
      disorder among Chinese women survivors of intimate partner violence; (2) to
      provide a synthesis of the literature on post-traumatic stress disorder among
      abused Chinese women; and (3) to identify implications for practice and to
      suggest directions for research relating to post-traumatic stress disorder among
      abused Chinese women. DESIGN: A systematic review of the literature. DATA
      SOURCES: Following a systematic search for relevant literature in computerized
      databases and manual searches of English and Chinese language publications, five
      papers reporting on four studies conducted in China, Taiwan, Malaysia, and the
      United States were included in the review. REVIEW METHODS: Abstracts meeting the
      inclusion criteria were reviewed independently by two of the authors and any
      discrepancies were resolved by discussion. Full papers for selected abstracts
      were then retrieved and assessed independently by the same reviewers. RESULTS:
      The present literature review revealed a paucity of information relating to post
      traumatic stress disorder symptoms or diagnoses in abused Chinese women.
      Nevertheless, a link between post-traumatic stress disorder and intimate partner
      violence was demonstrated by the reviewed papers. CONCLUSIONS: Caution should be
      exercised when making comparison of the findings across the four studies because
      of the inherent methodological differences. Also, as the assessment tools have
      not been validated for culture-bound interpretation of trauma and symptom
      manifestation, comparisons of findings for Chinese women to women in Western
      literature should be undertaken with due consideration. Implications for practice
      and recommendations for future research are discussed.

PMID- 20303491
TI  - Soluble TWEAK is markedly upregulated in patients with ST-elevation myocardial
      infarction and related to an adverse short-term outcome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Soluble TWEAK has recently been introduced as a potential mediator of
      cardiovascular disease. In this retrospective pilot study we thus sought to
      evaluate serum levels of soluble TWEAK (sTWEAK) patients with acute ST-elevation
      myocardial infarction (STEMI). METHODS: Blood samples of 173 patients admitted to
      our hospital with acute STEMI (<24 h after symptom onset) were evaluated for
      their sTWEAK serum levels immediately at the time of admission and compared to
      those of patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) and healthy controls.
      Moreover, patients with STEMI were analyzed for their 30-day short-term outcome
      after acute STEMI. Adverse events were defined as the combined endpoint of
      cardiovascular death, resuscitation>24 h after reperfusion, cardiogenic shock or
      need for vasopressor therapy, repeated target vessel revascularization/myocardial
      infarction and stroke/TIA. RESULTS: Patients with STEMI showed significantly
      higher levels of sTWEAK on admission compared to control patients or patients
      with chronic stable coronary artery disease (p<0.0001). Moreover, sTWEAK levels
      were higher in female patients. Additionally, sTWEAK levels were related to C
      reactive protein levels and inversely correlated with the time between symptom
      onset and admission. Soluble TWEAK levels above the ROC-defined cutoff (>1286
      pg/ml) significantly predicted an adverse short-term outcome in patients with
      STEMI after 30 days (p=0.0032). In this pilot study there was no significant
      relation between serum levels of sTWEAK and common risk factors like diabetes,
      hypertension, active smoking and age, white blood count or indices of myocardial
      function and damage like ejection fraction and infarct size in STEMI patients.
      Moreover, no significant relation was found between peak troponin T levels and
      sTWEAK on admission. CONCLUSION: Our retrospective pilot study shows for the
      first time that sTWEAK is significantly elevated in patients with acute
      myocardial infarction compared to healthy controls and patients with stable
      coronary artery disease. Moreover, in our study sTWEAK levels on admission were
      associated with an adverse short-term outcome in STEMI patients. Further work is
      needed to precisely define the potential role of sTWEAK as a prognostic marker in
      myocardial infarction.

PMID- 20303492
TI  - The impact of postadmission glycemia on stroke outcome: Glucose normalisation is
      associated with better survival.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hyperglycemia on admission increases the risk of death in patients
      with acute stroke. It remains unclear whether glucose normalisation after
      admission is associated with improved survival. The goal of the study was to
      determine the relationship between postadmission glucose levels and mortality in
      stroke patients with and without admission hyperglycemia. METHODS: 302 patients
      with first-ever ischemic stroke and without prior diagnosis of diabetes mellitus
      were enrolled. Random plasma glucose level was measured on admission and fasting
      glucose on day 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7. Hyperglycemia on admission was defined as
      glucose level > or = 7.8 mmol/L. Postadmission hyperglycemia was diagnosed if
      mean postadmission fasting glucose level was > or = 6.1 mmol/L. RESULTS: After
      multivariable adjustment, postadmission hyperglycemia was associated with higher
      risk of death regardless of admission glucose levels (HR: 1.80, 95%CI: 1.39-2.86,
      P<0.01). Postadmission hyperglycemia increases risk of death in both patients
      with admission hyperglycemia (HR: 4.83, 95%CI: 1.93-12.06, P<0.01) and those with
      admission normoglycemia (HR: 1.64, 95%CI: 1.06-2.54, P=0.03). In patients with
      admission hyperglycemia glucose normalisation after admission was associated with
      reduced risk of death compared to those with persistent hyperglycemia (HR: 0.21,
      95%CI: 0.08-0.52). The patients who were normoglycemic on day 1 and developed
      hyperglycemia on next days had increased risk of death compared to persistent
      normoglycemic patients (HR: 1.55, 95%CI: 1.01-2.39, P=0.04). CONCLUSIONS:
      Postadmission, but not admission, hyperglycemia is associated with increased risk
      of death. Glucose normalisation after admission is associated with better
      survival.

PMID- 20303493
TI  - Mutation of the protein kinase A phosphorylation site influences the anti
      proliferative activity of mitofusin 2.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Mitofusin 2 (Mfn2) is an important suppressor of vascular smooth
      muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation. It contains a protein kinase A (PKA)
      phosphorylation site at serine 442 (S442) and can be phosphorylated by PKA. This
      study examined the role of phosphorylating specific sites on the regulation of
      Mfn2 protein activity in vitro and in vivo. METHODS AND RESULTS: We introduced
      two mutations at S442 in rat Mfn2, and investigated their effects using cultured
      rat VSMCs and the balloon injury model. Our results indicated that, in VSMCs,
      Mfn2 expression and mitochondrial morphology are affected by adenoviral-mediated
      overexpression of the two Mfn2 mutant proteins in the same way as the wild-type
      Mfn2 protein. Specifically, overexpression of the protein harboring the phospho
      deficient mutation Mfn2-S442A (serine replaced by alanine at residue 442)
      increased the inhibitory effects of Mfn2 on proliferation of VSMCs in culture,
      and neointimal hyperplasia and restenosis in the rat carotid artery balloon
      injury model at days 14 after injury. On the other hand, the phospho-mimetic
      mutation Mfn2-S442D (serine replaced by aspartic acid at residue 442) led to loss
      of growth suppressor activity. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that this
      specific PKA phosphorylation site plays a key role in Mfn2-mediated suppression
      of VSMC growth, which is independent of its effects on modulation of
      mitochondrial morphology.

PMID- 20303494
TI  - Apolipoprotein CIII bound to apoB-containing lipoproteins is associated with
      small, dense LDL independent of plasma triglyceride levels in healthy men.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Plasma levels of both apolipoprotein CIII (apoCIII) and small, dense
      LDL particles are associated with plasma triglyceride (TG) concentrations, and
      are markers for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. We tested whether there is an
      association of apoCIII with small, dense LDL levels that is independent of plasma
      TG level. METHODS: For study I, concentrations of blood lipids, apolipoproteins,
      and LDL subfractions (analytical ultracentrifugation, AnUC) were measured in 141
      healthy middle-aged males. In study II (n=14), density gradient
      ultracentrifugation of plasma was performed, and 3 fractions in the LDL density
      range (1.019-1.063 g/ml) were collected. RESULTS: In study I, plasma levels of
      apoCIII in apoB-containing lipoproteins (LpB:CIII) were associated positively
      with concentrations of LDL3 (p<0.001) and LDL4 (p<0.001) and negatively with LDL
      peak particle size (p<0.05) with adjustment for plasma TG. Stepwise multiple
      regression analysis showed that LpB:CIII was significantly associated with small,
      dense LDL (LDL3+LDL4) levels after adjusting for age, BMI, plasma levels of TG,
      apoB, and HDL-cholesterol. In study II, the molar ratio of apoCIII to apoB in the
      LDL fraction of highest density (1.049-1.064 g/ml) was found to be significantly
      greater (p<0.001) than that in each of two LDL fractions of lower density (1.033
      1.038 g/ml; p<0.001 and 1.038-1.049 g/ml; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Increased
      apoCIII content may contribute to metabolic and pathologic properties of small,
      dense LDL particles.

PMID- 20303495
TI  - Fast determination of synthetic polycyclic musks in sewage sludge and sediments
      by microwave-assisted headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas
      chromatography-mass spectrometry.
AB  - One-step in situ microwave-assisted headspace solid-phase microextraction (MA-HS
      SPME) followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis is
      presented as a fast and solvent-free technique to determine synthetic polycyclic
      musks in sewage sludge and sediment samples. Six synthetic polycyclic musks
      (galaxolide (HHCB), tonalide (AHTN), celestolide (ADBI), traseolide (ATII),
      cashmeran (DPMI) and phantolide (AHMI)) were selected in the method development
      and validation. The effects of extraction parameters for the quantitative
      extraction of these analytes by one-step MA-HS-SPME were systematically
      investigated. The dewatered solid sample mixed with 20-mL deionized water
      (containing 3 g of NaCl in a 40-mL sample-vial) was efficiently extracted by a
      polydimethylsiloxane-divinylbenzene (PDMS-DVB) fiber placed in the headspace when
      the extraction slurry was microwave irradiated at 80 W for 5 min. The limits of
      detection (LODs) ranged from 0.04 to 0.1 ng/g, and the limits of quantification
      (LOQs) ranged from 0.1 to 0.3 ng/g (fresh weight). A preliminary analysis of
      sludge and sediment samples revealed that HHCB and AHTN were the two most
      commonly detected synthetic polycyclic musks; using a standard addition method,
      their total concentrations were determined to range from 0.3 to 10.9 ng/g (fresh
      weight) with relative standard deviation (RSD) ranging from 4% to 10%.

PMID- 20303496
TI  - Sensitive determination of rhodamine 110-labeled monosaccharides in glycoprotein
      by capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection.
AB  - Rhodamine 110 (Rho110) has been used in the highly sensitive analysis of
      monosaccharides, as it reacts with the reducing carbonyl group of the
      saccharides. The monosaccharide derivatives were investigated by capillary
      electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection. The derivatization was
      performed at 90 degrees C for 30 min for all monosaccharides. The derivatized
      monosaccharides were separated using 200 mM borate (pH 10.5) as running buffer
      within 20 min. The fluorescence intensities of Rho110-derivatives were
      significantly decreased by the presence of excess reducing agent, but were
      greatly increased by the addition of potassium hexacyanoferrate(III). The
      concentration and mass detection limits for monosaccharides were in the range of
      1.4-2.8 nM and 36-70 amol, respectively. We have applied this derivatization
      method to the analysis of the composition of monosaccharides in glycoproteins
      (ribonuclease B, fetuin, and erythropoietin) following their subjection to strong
      acid hydrolysis. The results from these analyses were in good agreements with the
      reported values established previously.

PMID- 20303497
TI  - Separation of alpha-cyclohexylmandelic acid enantiomers using biphasic chiral
      recognition high-speed counter-current chromatography.
AB  - This work concentrates on a chiral separation technology named biphasic
      recognition applied to resolution of alpha-cyclohexylmandelic acid enantiomers by
      high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC). The biphasic chiral
      recognition HSCCC was performed by adding lipophilic (-)-2-ethylhexyl tartrate in
      the organic stationary phase and hydrophilic hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin in
      the aqueous mobile phase, which preferentially recognized the (-)-enantiomer and
      (+)-enantiomer, respectively. The two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane
      methyl tert-butyl ether-water (9:1:10, v/v/v) with the above chiral selectors was
      selected according to the partition coefficient and separation factor of the
      target enantiomers. Important parameters involved in the chiral separation were
      investigated, namely the types of the chiral selectors (CS); the concentration of
      each chiral selector; pH of the mobile phase and the separation temperature. The
      mechanism involved in this biphasic recognition chiral separation by HSCCC was
      discussed. Langmuirian isotherm was employed to estimate the loading limits for a
      given value of chiral selectors. Under optimum separation conditions, 3.5-22.0 mg
      of alpha-cyclohexylmandelic acid racemate were separated using the analytical
      apparatus and 440 mg of racemate was separated using the preparative one. The
      purities of both of the fractions including (+)-enantiomer and (-)-enantiomer
      from the preparative CCC separation were over 99.5% determined by HPLC and
      enantiomeric excess reached 100% for the (+/-)-enantiomers. Recovery for the
      target compounds from the CCC fractions reached 85-88% yielding 186 mg of (+)
      enantiomer and 190 mg of (-)-enantiomer. The overall experimental results show
      that the HSCCC separation of enantiomer based on biphasic recognition, in which
      only if the CSs involved will show affinity for opposite enantiomers of the
      analyte, is much more efficient than the traditional monophasic recognition
      chiral separation, since it utilizes the cooperation of both of lipophilic and
      hydrophilic chiral selectors.

PMID- 20303498
TI  - The rheology of concentrated suspensions of arbitrarily-shaped particles.
AB  - We propose an improved effective-medium theory to obtain the concentration
      dependence of the viscosity of particle suspensions at arbitrary volume
      fractions. Our methodology can be applied, in principle, to any particle shape as
      long as the intrinsic viscosity is known in the dilute limit and the particles
      are not too elongated. The procedure allows to construct a continuum-medium model
      in which correlations between the particles are introduced through an effective
      volume fraction. We have tested the procedure using spheres, ellipsoids,
      cylinders, dumbells, and other complex shapes. In the case of hard spherical
      particles, our expression improves considerably previous models like the widely
      used Krieger-Dougherty relation. The final expressions obtained for the viscosity
      scale with the effective volume fraction and show remarkable agreement with
      experiments and numerical simulations at a large variety of situations.

PMID- 20303499
TI  - Effect of annealing on the phase structure and the properties of the film formed
      from P(St-co-BA)/P(MMA-co-BA) composite latex.
AB  - Composite latex of P(St-co-BA)/P(MMA-co-BA) was prepared by two-step semi
      continuous emulsion polymerization under starved conditions. Optical properties,
      water resistance and heat aging process of the film formed by the composite latex
      were examined. It was revealed that annealing temperature played an important
      role on the structure of the composite latex film. The surface of the film
      prepared at room temperature was very rough. Many micro-cracks were observed both
      on the surface and inside of the film. Increase of annealing temperature assisted
      film formation. There was a critical temperature at which the film properties,
      such as water resistance and transparency, were significantly improved. However,
      it was worth to note that phase rearrangement had occurred when the annealing
      temperature was higher than critical temperature. Micro-pinholes and micro-cracks
      were detected on the surface of the film. Meanwhile, the properties of the film,
      such as transparency and water adsorption, became remarkable deteriorated.

PMID- 20303501
TI  - Structure of the SDS/1-dodecanol surfactant mixture on a graphite surface: a
      computer simulation study.
AB  - Molecular dynamics simulations of mixtures of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and 1
      dodecanol molecules on a graphite surface were carried out at low and high
      concentration to investigate the formation of aggregates on the solid plate. The
      simulations showed that at low concentration the surfactants were well adsorbed
      on the surface by forming layers structures or a hemicylinder aggregate for a
      slightly higher surfactant concentration whereas at the highest concentration the
      surfactants formed monolayer-like structures localized away from the graphite
      surface with a water bin between the monolayer and the graphite plate. Therefore,
      we obtained different arrays of those observed in recent simulations of pure SDS
      adsorbed on graphite at the same concentration reported in the literature. The
      unexpected water layer between the 1-dodecanol and the graphite surface, at the
      highest concentration, was explained in terms of the Hamaker constants. The
      present results suggest that the formation of aggregates on solid surfaces is a
      combined effect not only of the surfactant-surfactant and the surfactant-wall
      interactions but also of the surfactant concentration.

PMID- 20303500
TI  - Direct electrochemistry and electrocatalysis of myoglobin immobilized on Fe2O3
      nanoparticle-sodium alginate-ionic liquid composite-modified electrode.
AB  - A biocomposite material composed of sodium alginate (SA), Fe(2)O(3)
      nanoparticles, and ionic liquid 1-decyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ([DMIM]Br)
      was fabricated and used for the immobilization of myoglobin (Mb) on the surface
      of a carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE). The CILE was fabricated by mixing
      graphite powder with ionic liquid N-butylpyridinium hexafluorophosphate (BPPF(6))
      together. UV-Vis absorption and FTIR spectroscopic results indicated that Mb
      retained its native structure in the composite material. A pair of well-defined
      redox peaks appeared on the cyclic voltammogram in pH 7.0 phosphate buffer
      solution (PBS) with the formal peak potential (E(0')) at -0.256 V (versus SCE),
      which was the typical electrochemical behavior of Mb heme Fe(III)/Fe(II) redox
      couples. The Mb-modified electrode showed good electrocatalytic activity to the
      reduction of trichloroacetic acid (TCA) and NaNO(2) with wide linear range, good
      sensitivity, and reproducibility. The calibration range for TCA detection was
      between 0.6 and 12.0 mmol L(-1) with the linear regression equation as Iss
      (MUA)=42.44C (mmol L(-1))+50.57 and a detection limit of 0.4 mmol L(-1) (3sigma).
      The Mb-modified electrode also applied to NaNO(2) determination in the
      concentration range from 4.0 to 100.0 mmol L(-1) with a detection limit of 1.3
      mmol L(-1) (3sigma). So the proposed electrode has potential applications as
      third-generation biosensors.

PMID- 20303502
TI  - SAXS exploration of the synthesis of ultra monodisperse silica nanoparticles and
      quantitative nucleation growth modeling.
AB  - The production of highly monodisperse nanoparticles of precisely controlled size
      is a very important research field. It has important applications notably for the
      optical properties of nanoparticles (e.g. quantum dot) or nanoparticle assemblies
      (e.g. photonic band gap crystals) and for electromagnetic properties (e.g.
      information storage). Understanding monodisperse nanoparticle synthesis mechanism
      is based mostly on the Classical Nucleation Theory (CNT). It has been shown in
      the literature and in this work that CNT is able to predict the nanoparticle
      concentration and average size correctly. However, until recently only a few
      models based on CNT were able to predict the size distribution of the synthesized
      objects. In this work, we show that a CNT based model is not able to predict the
      size distribution of silica nanoparticles formed in a pure La Mer like nucleation
      growth process. Reasons for this discrepancy are discussed and should be taken
      into account to develop more complete models able to predict the size
      distribution especially if it is desired to use them as tools to optimize
      monodispersity.

PMID- 20303503
TI  - Charging of silver bromide aqueous interface: evaluation of interfacial
      equilibrium constants from surface potential data.
AB  - A single crystal silver bromide electrode (SCr-AgBr) was used to measure the
      inner surface potential (Psi(0)) at the silver bromide aqueous electrolyte
      interface as a function of the activities of Br(-) and Ag(+). Absolute values of
      the surface potential were calculated from electrode potentials of SCr-AgBr using
      the value of point of zero charge (pBr(pzc)=6.9 [H.A. Hoyen, R.M. Cole, J.
      Colloid Interface Sci. 41 (1972) 93.]) as the value of point of zero potential.
      Measurements were performed in potassium nitrate aqueous solutions. The
      Psi(0)(pBr) function was linear and slightly dependent on the ionic strength. The
      reduction values of the slope with respect to the Nernst equation, expressed by
      the alpha coefficient, were 0.880,0.935, and 0.950 at ionic strengths of 10(-4),
      10(-3), and 10(-2) mol dm(-3), respectively. The results were successfully
      interpreted by employing the surface complexation model, developed originally for
      metal oxides and adapted for silver halides. The thermodynamic ("intrinsic")
      equilibrium constants for binding of bromide (K(n)(?)) and silver (K(p)(?)) ions
      on the corresponding sites at the silver bromide surface were evaluated as
      lgK(n)(?)=3.98; lgK(p)(?)=2.48. Symmetrical counterion surface association was
      assumed and equilibrium constants were obtained as lgK(NO(3)(
      ))(?)=lgK(K(+))(?)=4.30.

PMID- 20303504
TI  - Prevalence of Proteus mirabilis in skin abscesses of the axilla.
AB  - Gram-positive organisms are the most common infectious etiologic agents in skin
      abscesses. Empiric antimicrobial treatment choices are influenced by this
      knowledge. In this report, we describe a high prevalence of Proteus mirabilis, a
      Gram-negative bacillus, in skin abscesses of the axilla, which has potential
      implications for selection of antimicrobial therapy.

PMID- 20303505
TI  - Qualitative analysis of beliefs and perceptions about sudden infant death
      syndrome in African-American mothers: implications for safe sleep
      recommendations.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate, by using qualitative methods, perceptions about sudden
      infant death syndrome (SIDS) in African-American parents and how these influence
      decisions. STUDY DESIGN: Eighty-three mothers participated in focus groups or
      individual interviews. Interviews probed reasons for decisions about infant sleep
      environment and influences affecting these decisions. Data were coded, and themes
      were developed and revised in an iterative manner as patterns became more
      apparent. RESULTS: Themes included lack of plausibility, randomness, and
      vigilance. Many mothers believed that the link between SIDS and sleep position
      was implausible. Because the cause of SIDS was unknown, they did not understand
      how certain behaviors could be defined as risk factors. This confusion was
      reinforced by perceived inconsistency in the recommendations. Most mothers
      believed that SIDS occurred randomly ("God's will") and that the only way to
      prevent it was vigilance. CONCLUSIONS: Many African-American mothers may not
      understand the connection between SIDS and sleep behaviors or believe that
      behavior (other than vigilance) cannot affect risk. These beliefs, if acted on,
      may affect rates of safe sleep practices. Efforts to explain a plausible link
      between SIDS and safe sleep recommendations and to improve consistency of the
      message may result in increased adherence to these recommendations.

PMID- 20303507
TI  - Anticoagulation management during cardiopulmonary bypass: a survey of 54 North
      American institutions.

PMID- 20303506
TI  - Prevalence of extreme obesity in a multiethnic cohort of children and
      adolescents.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of extreme obesity in a large, multiethnic
      contemporary cohort of children and adolescents. STUDY DESIGN: In a cross
      sectional study, measured weight and height were extracted from electronic
      medical records of 710,949 patients aged 2 to 19 years (87.8% of eligible
      patients) who were enrolled in an integrated prepaid health plan in 2007 and
      2008. Prevalence of extreme obesity was defined as body mass index (BMI)-for
      age>or=1.2 times 95th percentile or BMI>or=35 kg/m2. RESULTS: Extreme obesity was
      observed in 7.3% of boys and 5.5% of girls. The prevalence peaked at 10 years of
      age in boys and at 12 years of age with a bimodal distribution in girls (second
      peak at 18 years; P value for sex x age interaction=.036). The prevalence of
      extreme obesity varied in ethnic/racial and age groups, with the highest
      prevalence in Hispanic boys (as high as 11.2%) and African-American girls (as
      high as 11.9%). CONCLUSION: Extreme obesity in Southern California youth is
      frequently observed at relatively young ages. The shift toward extreme body
      weights is likely to cause an enormous burden of adverse health outcomes once
      these children and adolescents grow older.

PMID- 20303508
TI  - Is early antithrombotic therapy necessary in patients with bioprosthetic aortic
      valves in normal sinus rhythm?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Current American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology
      guidelines recommend anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapy during the first 90
      postoperative days; however, there is wide variability in the administration of
      antithrombotic therapy after bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement. We sought to
      determine whether early antithrombotic therapy was necessary in patients
      undergoing isolated bioprosthetic aortic valve implantation and who were
      discharged in normal sinus rhythm. METHODS: From December 2001 to October 2008,
      1131 patients underwent isolated bioprosthetic aortic valve implantation at
      Brigham and Women's Hospital. After exclusion of patients who underwent
      concomitant operations (n = 138, 12%), patients who were anticoagulated
      preoperatively (n = 4, 0.4%), and patients who experienced postoperative
      refractory atrial fibrillation requiring anticoagulation at discharge (n = 128,
      11%), our study base consisted of 861 patients. Patients were followed for 90
      days postoperatively for the occurrence of thromboembolism, including stroke,
      transient ischemic attack, or peripheral thromboembolic events and bleeding
      complications. RESULTS: Of the 861 patients included in this study, 133 (15%)
      were anticoagulated with warfarin sodium (AC+) postoperatively and 728 (85%) were
      not (AC-). Patients who received postoperative anticoagulation were older; had a
      higher incidence of hypertension, cerebrovascular accident, and pulmonary
      vascular disease; and were more symptomatic at presentation. The 90-day risk of
      thromboembolism (cerebrovascular accident, transient ischemic attack, or
      peripheral thromboembolism) after surgery was 5% (n = 6) in those who were
      anticoagulated and 5% (n = 39) in those who were not (P = .67). Independent
      predictors of thromboembolism were found to be increasing age (odds ratio, 1.03;
      P = .03), female gender (odds ratio, 2.23; P = .005), short stature (odds ratio,
      0.97; P = .002), smoking status (P = .05), New York Heart Association III/IV
      (odds ratio 1.77, P = .04), and a 19-mm bioprosthetic aortic valve prosthesis
      (odds ratio, 2.22; P = .03). Evaluation of each predictor with postoperative
      acetylsalicylic acid+ and AC+ interaction terms revealed that female patients
      (odds ratio, 0.75; P = .03 AC+; odds ratio, 0.66; P = .02 acetylsalicylic acid+)
      and patients with a 19-mm bioprosthetic aortic valve (odds ratio, 0.65; P = .02
      AC+; odds ratio, 0.36; P = .01 acetylsalicylic acid+) had a reduction in the
      incidence of thromboembolism when administered acetylsalicylic acid or warfarin
      sodium. Patients who were in New York Heart Association III/IV also had a
      reduction of thromboembolism when given vitamin K antagonist (odds ratio, 0.73; P
      = .04); a similar trend was observed in patients given acetylsalicylic acid (odds
      ratio, 0.34; P = .06). CONCLUSION: Early anticoagulation after isolated
      bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement in patients in normal sinus rhythm does
      not seem to reduce the risk of thromboembolism except in high-risk groups.
      Current recommendations should be revisited, because the only patients who may
      benefit from anticoagulation are female, those who are highly symptomatic, and
      those with a small aortic prosthesis.

PMID- 20303510
TI  - Squamous cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis.

PMID- 20303512
TI  - Optical coherence tomography of human kidney.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine histopathological status of living human kidneys in real
      time and a noninvasive fashion would be a significant advancement in renal
      disease diagnosis. Recently we reported that optical coherence tomography has the
      requisite high spatial resolution to noninvasively determine histopathological
      changes in rodent kidneys with microm scale resolution. We established whether
      optical coherence tomography could 1) effectively penetrate the connective tissue
      capsule surrounding human kidneys, 2) provide a global survey of the human renal
      surface and 3) determine histopathological changes in human renal microstructure.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using a high speed optical coherence tomography system
      equipped with a frequency swept laser light source (1.3 microm wavelength) we
      obtained cross-sectional images of 4 ex vivo human kidneys. All scanned sections
      underwent subsequent conventional light microscopic histological analysis,
      allowing direct comparisons. RESULTS: Optical coherence tomography enabled
      characterization of the tubules, glomeruli and cortical vessels with a
      penetration depth of up to 2 mm and 10 microm spatial resolution. We surveyed and
      imaged an entire human kidney within minutes in a noninvasive fashion. Acquired
      optical coherence tomography images documented histopathological changes in the
      tubules, glomeruli and interstitium that closely matched the conventional
      histological observations. CONCLUSIONS: Optical coherence tomography resolution
      and low cost, and the versatility of the probes required for imaging acquisition
      make this optical technology a promising modality to diagnose renal pathology.

PMID- 20303514
TI  - Re: Radical prostatectomy findings in patients in whom active surveillance of
      prostate cancer fails. A. S. Duffield, T. K. Lee, H. Miyamoto, H. B. Carter and
      J. I. Epstein. J Urol 2009; 182: 2274-2278.

PMID- 20303515
TI  - Cost-benefit analysis of scrotal ultrasound in treatment of adolescents with
      varicocele.
AB  - PURPOSE: Varicoceles are a major cause of male factor infertility, although
      management of adolescent varicoceles is controversial. Most clinicians advocate
      repair if there is a persistent testicular size discrepancy of greater than 20%.
      Using previously published data, we performed a cost-benefit analysis of
      testicular ultrasound vs orchidometry to evaluate for this size difference.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a PubMed search using the terms "adolescent
      varicocele," "ultrasound and varicocele," and "testis size and varicocele." Using
      the data from the relevant studies and Medicare reimbursement data from our
      region, we determined the cost of missing a persistent testicular size difference
      of greater than 20%. RESULTS: Approximately 25% of adolescents with varicocele
      have a persistent size discrepancy of greater than 20%. Approximately 40% of this
      group would be identified as having a size discrepancy with conventional
      orchidometry. The annual cost of ultrasound for every adolescent male with a
      varicocele would be $364 million if the imaging were done in an office based
      setting. If the testing were done at a hospital, the annual cost would be $795
      million. The cost per case of missed persistent size discrepancy spanning 3 years
      is approximately $5,597 for office ultrasound and $12,226 for hospital
      ultrasound. CONCLUSIONS: There is limited evidence that adolescent varicocele
      repair improves paternity in adulthood. In an era of increasing health care costs
      the expense of ultrasound to evaluate for size discrepancy is significant and
      should be thoughtfully evaluated.

PMID- 20303516
TI  - Editorial comment.

PMID- 20303517
TI  - Urinary neutrophil-gelatinase associated lipocalin is a potential noninvasive
      marker for renal scarring in patients with vesicoureteral reflux.
AB  - PURPOSE: Renal scarring is a serious complication that often occurs with chronic
      pyelonephritis in the presence of vesicoureteral reflux. In a previous study we
      established a rat model of renal scarring in which we found the up-regulation of
      neutrophil-gelatinase associated lipocalin at the mRNA and protein levels. In
      this study we evaluated urinary neutrophil-gelatinase associated lipocalin as a
      potential biomarker for progression of renal scarring in patients with
      vesicoureteral reflux. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 34 patients diagnosed
      with vesicoureteral reflux without evidence of current urinary tract infection
      and 28 normal healthy children were enrolled in this study. Renal scars were
      evaluated by (99m)technetium dimercapto-succinic acid renal scan in 24 of the
      reflux cases. Urinary neutrophil-gelatinase associated lipocalin levels were
      monitored by ELISA. RESULTS: In normal subjects urinary neutrophil-gelatinase
      associated lipocalin was high during infancy, decreased rapidly within the
      following year and reached a low stable level from age 3 years onward. Urinary
      neutrophil-gelatinase associated lipocalin levels, normalized to age matched
      standards, were significantly increased in patients with vesicoureteral reflux
      compared to controls. These levels did not correlate with reflux grade, but were
      significantly higher in patients with radiological evidence of renal scarring
      irrespective of reflux grade. CONCLUSIONS: Estimation of urinary neutrophil
      gelatinase associated lipocalin may be useful as a noninvasive diagnostic or
      prognostic biomarker for renal scarring.

PMID- 20303518
TI  - Outcome of transcatheter arterial embolization for bladder and prostate
      hemorrhage.
AB  - PURPOSE: We evaluated the efficacy and outcomes of transcatheter arterial
      embolization for intractable bladder or prostate bleeding after failed
      conservative treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively studied the
      records of 2 women and 18 men with a mean +/- SD age of 73 +/- 17.2 years
      referred between 1999 and 2008 for selective pelvic angiography after failed
      conventional therapy. Embolization was feasible in 18 patients, including
      bilateral and unilateral embolization in 13 and 5, respectively. It consisted of
      superselective distal particulate or glue embolization of the vesical or
      prostatic arteries in 11 patients, selective proximal coil or gelatin sponge
      particle occlusion of the anterior division of the internal iliac artery in 2,
      the 2 techniques in 3 and coil blockade in 2. Clinical bleeding control and post
      embolization angiography findings were used to assess outcomes. RESULTS: The
      technical success rate was 90% (18 of 20 cases). Bleeding was controlled after
      the first procedure in 15 of 18 patients (83.3%) and after a repeat procedure in
      the remaining 3. The periprocedural mortality rate was 20% (4 of 20 patients) and
      all deaths were related to underlying conditions. No major complications related
      to catheterization occurred. Late bleeding recurrence was reported in 4 of the 14
      survivors (28.6%). Mean post-embolization followup was 16 months (range 15 days
      to 56 months). During followup 6 more patients died, including 2 of repeat
      bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: Selective angiographic embolization is safe and effective
      to control refractory, life threatening bladder or prostate bleeding. This
      procedure should be considered the treatment of choice since it usually obviates
      the need for emergency surgery in these severely ill patients.

PMID- 20303519
TI  - Readability of health related quality of life instruments in urology.
AB  - PURPOSE: The average American adult reads at a fifth to eighth-grade level, with
      wide variability, presenting challenges for the assessment of self-reported
      health related quality of life. We identified the health related quality of life
      instruments used in patients with urological diseases and evaluated their
      readability. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We focused on the most burdensome urological
      diseases, based on total expenditures in the United States. We then identified
      disease specific instruments by systematically searching PubMed, the Cochrane
      Database of Systematic Reviews, Google, Google Scholar, the Patient Reported
      Outcome and Quality of Life Instruments Database (Mapi Research Institute, Lyon,
      France) and Yahoo! for health related quality of life studies in patients with
      these urological conditions. Where disease specific instruments were lacking, we
      noted the general health related quality of life measures most commonly used. For
      each instrument, we calculated the median Flesch-Kincaid grade level, the
      proportion of questionnaire items below an eighth-grade reading level, the mean
      Flesch Reading Ease, and the mean number of words per sentence and characters per
      word, all of which are validated measures of readability. RESULTS: The average +/
      SD of the median Flesh-Kincaid reading levels was 6.5 +/- 2.1 (range 1.0 to
      12.0). Of the 76 instruments 61 (80%) were at or below an eighth-grade reading
      level. The mean reading ease was greater than 30 for each of the 76
      questionnaires and greater than 60 for 66 (87%). Urinary tract infection, the
      costliest urological disease, has only 1 disease specific health related quality
      of life measure. Urolithiasis, the second costliest, has none. CONCLUSIONS: The
      reading level of health related quality of life questionnaires in urology is
      appropriate for the reading ability of most adults in the United States. However,
      the most burdensome urological diseases lack disease specific health related
      quality of life instruments.

PMID- 20303520
TI  - The EGFR polymorphism rs884419 is associated with freedom from recurrence in
      patients with resected prostate cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Prognostic biomarkers are needed to optimize treatment decisions for
      prostate cancer. Single nucleotide polymorphisms participate in the individual
      genetic background modulating risk and clinical outcomes of cancer. We tested
      whether EGFR polymorphisms are associated with prostate cancer clinical outcomes.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population consisted of 212 patients with
      clinically localized prostate cancer treated with radical prostatectomy from 1997
      to 1999. Resected prostatic tissues were genotyped with allele specific probes
      for 9 haplotype tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms, which were located in
      intronic, exonic and flanking regions of linkage disequilibrium in the EGFR gene.
      Correlations between alleles, and recurrence and survival data were investigated
      using univariate and multivariate genetic analysis models. RESULTS: There was a
      statistically significant association between the single nucleotide polymorphism
      rs884419 and prostate cancer recurrence, as defined in the study by at least
      prostate specific antigen biochemical recurrence (log rank test p <0.001). The
      incidence of the recurrence risk enhancing genotype A/A was 3.1% vs 17.4% and 80%
      for the risk decreasing genotypes A/G G/G, respectively. Based on Cox
      proportional hazard regression modeling patients carrying G/G and A/G genotypes
      were associated with a decreased risk of prostate cancer recurrence compared to
      those with the A/A genotype (HR 0.10, 95% CI 0.02-0.41 and 0.13, 95% CI 0.04
      0.46, respectively, p <0.002). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that a
      polymorphism flanking the EGFR gene is an independent prognostic genetic
      biomarker that predicts prostate cancer biochemical recurrence after radical
      prostatectomy.

PMID- 20303521
TI  - High incidence of vesicoureteral reflux in mice with Fgfr2 deletion in kidney
      mesenchyma.
AB  - PURPOSE: Mice with Fgfr2 conditional deletion in metanephric mesenchyma
      (Fgfr2(Mes-/-)) have ureteral bud induction abnormalities. We determined whether
      Fgfr2(Mes-/-) mutants developed abnormally positioned ureters predisposing to
      vesicoureteral reflux. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We measured common nephric duct
      length and assayed for apoptosis in embryonic day 11.5 mice. We performed 3
      dimensional reconstruction of, and real-time polymerase chain reaction and whole
      mount in situ hybridization for Fgfr2 in urinary tracts in embryonic day 15.5
      embryos. We also performed cystograms followed by 3-dimensional reconstruction in
      postnatal animals. RESULTS: Compared with controls Fgfr2(Mes-/-) embryos had
      increased common nephric duct length with no difference in apoptosis, indicating
      cranially displaced ureteral buds. Three-dimensional reconstruction at embryonic
      day 15.5 showed low ureteral insertion into the bladder near the bladder neck in
      Fgfr2(Mes-/-) mice. Postnatal Fgfr2(Mes-/-) mutants had a high rate of
      vesicoureteral reflux compared with controls (47.4% vs 4.0%, p = 0.00006). In
      postnatal mutants with unilateral reflux the refluxing ureters inserted closer to
      the bladder neck than nonrefluxing ureters. External ureteral insertional angles
      at the outer bladder wall formed by the ureteral insertion points and the bladder
      neck were greater in mutant refluxing ureters than in contralateral nonrefluxing
      ureters or control ureters. At embryonic day 15.5 Fgfr2 was decreased in
      Fgfr2(Mes-/-) kidneys compared with that in controls but not statistically
      different in ureters or bladders. CONCLUSIONS: Fgfr2(Mes-/-) mice have ureteral
      induction abnormalities associated with abnormal ureteral insertion in the
      bladder and subsequent vesicoureteral reflux, consistent with the Mackie and
      Stephens hypothesis.

PMID- 20303522
TI  - TRPA1 receptor induced relaxation of the human urethra involves TRPV1 and
      cannabinoid receptor mediated signals, and cyclooxygenase activation.
AB  - PURPOSE: We studied whether TRPA1 agonists interact with sensory and inflammatory
      signals to relax human urethral smooth muscle. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Urethral
      specimens were obtained perioperatively from 19 patients, and prepared for
      immunohistochemistry and functional experiments. The effects of allyl
      isothiocyanate, cinnamaldehyde and NaHS were studied in phenylephrine activated
      preparations combined with capsaicin, capsazepine, N omega-nitro-L-arginine,
      indomethacin or CP55940. RESULTS: TRPA1, cannabinoid 1 and cannabinoid 2
      immunoreactivity was colocalized in nerve fibers of the human urethra. All TRPA1
      agonists produced relaxation of phenylephrine contracted urethral preparations.
      Capsaicin increased relaxant responses to all TRPA1 agonists. It increased the
      mean +/- SEM -logIC50 of cinnamaldehyde and NaHS from 4.91 +/- 0.26 to 5.15 +/-
      0.22 and 3.27 +/- 0.14 to 3.79 +/- 0.35, and the -logIC30 of allyl isothiocyanate
      from 3.11 +/- 0.24 to 3.41 +/- 0.26 (each p <0.05). Capsazepine in 5
      preparations, indomethacin in 6 and CP55940 in 5 decreased cinnamaldehyde
      mediated relaxation by up to 39%, 88% and 89%, respectively. Nomega-nitro-L
      arginine and urothelial removal had no effect on relaxation by cinnamaldehyde in
      5 preparations. CONCLUSIONS: Relaxation to TRPA1 agonists in human urethral
      preparations seem to work in cooperation with TRPV1 mediated signals, are
      negatively coupled via cannabinoid receptor activation and involve cyclooxygenase
      products. Urothelial TRPA1 signals may not be important to regulate normal human
      urethral smooth muscle tone. This does not exclude a role in the initiation of
      afferent activity normally and in disease states.

PMID- 20303523
TI  - Establishment and characterization of transplantable, luminescence labeled rat
      renal cell carcinoma cell lines.
AB  - PURPOSE: Since renal cell carcinoma is considered an immunogenic tumor, testing
      therapeutic strategies has been impeded by the lack of relevant tumor models in
      immunocompetent animals. Recent advances in bioluminescence imaging permit
      sensitive in vivo detection and quantification of cells emitting light. Thus, we
      established bioluminescent rat renal cell carcinoma cell lines for
      immunocompetent rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The rat renal cell carcinoma cell
      line ACI-RCC stemming from chemically induced renal cell carcinoma in syngeneic
      ACI rats was stably transfected with a recombinant retroviral vector encoding
      luciferase genes derived from fireflies (ACI-RCC-ffLuc) or click beetles (ACI-RCC
      cbLuc). Cell line growth patterns were characterized by bioluminescence imaging.
      RESULTS: Linear correlations noted observed between cell number and photon counts
      in each cell type. ACI-RCC-cbLuc emitted light about 500-fold higher than ACI-RCC
      ffLuc. When transplanted subcutaneously, only ACI-RCC-ffLuc grew, possibly
      because of less antigenicity. ACI-RCC-ffLuc photon emission correlated
      significantly with subcutaneous tumor size. Orthotopic tumor growth and
      subsequent metastatic spread were monitored with time by increased photon
      intensity on bioluminescence imaging. Based on ACI-RCC-cbLuc bioluminescent
      intensity the in vitro screening test allowed the identification of several
      anticancer agents, including molecules related to human renal cell carcinoma
      progression. CONCLUSIONS: The new in vivo rat renal cell carcinoma model with
      luciferase labeled tumor cells allowed us to monitor tumor growth noninvasively
      and semiquantitatively by bioluminescence imaging. This model system coupled with
      in vitro screening permits precise evaluation of tumor behavior in intact animals
      and determination of the therapeutic efficacy of anticancer agents for renal cell
      carcinoma.

PMID- 20303525
TI  - Emphysematous prostatitis in a diabetic patient.

PMID- 20303526
TI  - Compliance with antibiotic prophylaxis in children with vesicoureteral reflux:
      results from a national pharmacy claims database.
AB  - PURPOSE: Antibiotic prophylaxis is commonly used for medical management of
      vesicoureteral reflux. Little information exists on compliance with antibiotic
      prophylaxis in patients with vesicoureteral reflux. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      queried the i3 Innovus (Ingenix) pharmacy claims 2002 to 2007 database for
      patients 18 years old or younger with vesicoureteral reflux (ICD-9 code 593.7
      plus claim for cystogram) and analyzed those with at least 1 year of followup
      data. Criteria for management with antibiotic prophylaxis were 2 or more 30-day
      supplies of antibiotic prescriptions, or 4 or more 14-day supplies of
      prescriptions if the antibiotic was a penicillin or cephalosporin. Antibiotic
      prophylaxis compliance was determined using a medication possession ratio, an
      estimate of the proportion of time that patients have a prescribed drug available
      for use. Compliance was established as a medication possession ratio of 80% or
      greater, meaning coverage with antibiotic prophylaxis for 80% of the year or
      more. RESULTS: Of 9,496 patients with vesicoureteral reflux 5,342 (56.3%) were
      treated with antibiotic prophylaxis. Most patients were female (81%) and 5 years
      old or younger (79%). Trimethoprims/sulfonamides were most commonly prescribed
      (62%) and antiseptics were next (24%). Of patients prescribed antibiotic
      prophylaxis 40% were compliant. Compliance was lower for 6 to 10-year-olds (OR
      0.71, 95% CI 0.61-0.83) and 11 to 18-year-olds (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.41-0.79)
      compared to younger children (5 years or less). Increased compliance was
      associated with 1 or more hospitalizations (OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.48-1.97) and 1 or
      more urologist visits (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.25-1.58). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients
      with vesicoureteral reflux who are prescribed prophylactic antibiotics 40% are
      compliant with treatment. Young age, frequent hospitalization and specialist
      visits are associated with compliance. This knowledge may help to develop
      effective interventions to improve compliance and underscores the importance of
      reporting compliance in clinical studies evaluating the usefulness of antibiotic
      prophylaxis in vesicoureteral reflux management.

PMID- 20303527
TI  - Is staging beneficial for Fowler-Stephens orchiopexy? A systematic review.
AB  - PURPOSE: Fowler and Stephens showed that by dividing the spermatic vessels a high
      intra-abdominal testis could be placed in the scrotum. Testicular atrophy is a
      potential complication of this technique. We conducted a systematic review to
      determine whether single or 2-stage Fowler-Stephens orchiopexy results in better
      testicular viability. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched electronic databases,
      clinical trial registries and gray literature. We included reports describing
      boys younger than 18 years with a primary outcome of "testicular viability and
      position." We performed a meta-analysis using random effects models.
      Heterogeneity was assessed using forest plot and I(2) statistic. RESULTS: We
      identified 1,807 citations and included 61 articles. Single stage Fowler-Stephens
      orchiopexy was discussed in 9 articles, a 2-stage procedure in 36 and both
      approaches in 16. There were no randomized controlled trials, and most studies
      were cohort or case series. The pooled estimate of success rates was 80% for
      single stage Fowler-Stephens orchiopexy (95% CI 75 to 86) and 85% for 2-stage
      Fowler-Stephens orchiopexy (95% CI 81 to 90). The pooled odds ratio of single
      stage vs 2-stage Fowler-Stephens orchiopexy was 2.0 (95% CI 1.1 to 3.9) favoring
      the 2-stage procedure. There was no difference in the success rate between
      laparoscopic and open techniques in either single or 2-stage Fowler-Stephens
      orchiopexy. There was no evidence of asymmetry on the funnel plot. There were no
      complications reported with single stage, while ileus, hematoma and infection
      were the most common complications with 2-stage Fowler-Stephens orchiopexy.
      CONCLUSIONS: Both techniques have a fairly high success rate but 2-stage Fowler
      Stephens orchiopexy appears to carry a higher rate of success than the single
      stage approach (85% vs 80%, OR 2 in favor of 2-stage). Laparoscopic and open
      techniques had the same success rate. However, the level of evidence of the
      studies was low, and a study of a more robust design, such as a randomized
      controlled trial, should be performed.

PMID- 20303528
TI  - Editorial comment.

PMID- 20303529
TI  - Investigating contamination of phytotherapy products for benign prostatic
      hyperplasia with alpha-blockers and 5alpha-reductase inhibitors.
AB  - PURPOSE: Complementary and alternative medicine, including phytotherapeutic
      agents, or those derived from plant or herb extracts to treat symptoms, is widely
      accepted in the community. Men with bothersome lower urinary tract symptoms due
      to benign prostatic hyperplasia increasingly use such preparations.
      Phytotherapeutic agent quality is unregulated and in most instances the contents
      are unknown while erectile dysfunction and prostate cancer treatments have shown
      contamination with standard pharmaceuticals. Since trial results for benign
      prostatic hyperplasia phytotherapeutic agents are inconsistent, they may also be
      contaminated. Thus, we determined whether pharmacological doses of alpha-blockers
      and/or 5alpha-reductase inhibitors were present in a sample of phytotherapeutic
      agents for benign prostatic hyperplasia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed 15
      phytotherapeutic products marketed for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Only oral
      tablets or capsules were considered with teas, tonics and foods excluded from
      study. We made random purchases from shop front health stores and Internet
      retailers. All batches of commercial phytotherapy were analyzed by high
      performance liquid chromatography. Analysis was semiquantitative using extracts
      from alfuzosin, doxazosin, terazosin, tamsulosin, dutasteride and finasteride.
      RESULTS: In the 15 batches of different phytotherapeutic agents tested no
      interference secondary to contamination with alpha-blockers or 5alpha-reductase
      inhibitors was observed. CONCLUSIONS: All phytotherapeutic agents for benign
      prostatic hyperplasia in this study tested negative for alpha-blockers and 5alpha
      reductase inhibitors. Inconsistent results in trials using phytotherapeutic
      agents are probably not explained by the presence of standard pharmaceuticals.

PMID- 20303531
TI  - Medical malpractice claims risk in urology: an empirical analysis of patient
      complaint data.
AB  - PURPOSE: Patient complaints are associated with physician risk management
      experience, including medical malpractice claims risk, and small proportions of
      physicians account for disproportionate shares of claims. We investigated whether
      patient complaint experience differs among urologists, and whether urological
      subspecialists generate distinct quantities and types of complaints. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: This retrospective study examined 1,516 unsolicited patient
      complaints filed against 268 urologists. Patient complaint and urological
      subspecialty data were collected from January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2007
      for 15 geographically diverse health systems. The cohort urologists were assigned
      medical malpractice claims risk scores and complaint type profiles. A weighted
      sum algorithm produced risk scores from 4 consecutive years of complaint data and
      complaint type profiles were generated using a standardized coding system.
      Statistical analyses tested the associations among risk score, complaint type
      profile and urological subspecialty. Complaint type profile and subspecialty
      distribution were assessed for urologists in the cohort top decile for risk
      scores. RESULTS: Overall 125 (47%) urologists were associated with 0 patient
      complaints, while 30 (11%) urologists were associated with 758 (50%) of the
      patient complaints. Subspecialty and distribution of risk scores were
      significantly associated (p <0.001). Calculi and oncology subspecialist
      distributions suggest greater overall risk. Complaint types also varied among
      subspecialists (p = 0.02). There was no association between top decile urologists
      and complaint type profile (p = 0.19). CONCLUSIONS: Unsolicited patient
      complaints were nonrandomly distributed among urologists and urological
      subspecialties. Monitoring patient complaints may allow for early identification
      of and intervention with high risk urologists before malpractice claims
      accumulate.

PMID- 20303530
TI  - Expression of pluripotent stem cell reprogramming factors by prostate tumor
      initiating cells.
AB  - PURPOSE: We identified a discrete population of stem cell-like tumor cells
      expressing 5 essential transcription factors required to reprogram pluripotency
      in prostate tumor cell lines and primary prostate cancer tissue. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: DU145 and PC3 human prostate cancer cell lines (ATCC), tumor tissue from
      patients with prostate cancer and normal prostate tissue were evaluated for the
      reprogramming factors OCT3/4 (Cell Signaling Technology), SOX2, Klf4 (Santa Cruz
      Biotechnology, Santa Cruz, California), Nanog (BioLegend) and c-Myc (Cell
      Signaling) by semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction,
      histological and immunohistochemical analysis. Stem cell-like tumor cells were
      enriched by flow cytometric cell sorting using E-cadherin (R&D Systems) as a
      surface marker, and soft agar, spheroid and tumorigenicity assays to confirm
      cancer stem cell-like characteristics. RESULTS: mRNA expression of transcription
      factors OCT3/4 and SOX2 highly correlated in primary prostate tumor tissue
      samples. The number of OCT3/4 or SOX2 expressing cells was significantly
      increased in prostate cancer tissue compared to that in normal prostate or benign
      prostate hyperplasia tissue (p <0.05). When isolated from the DU145 and PC3
      prostate cancer cell lines by flow cytometry, stem cell-like tumor cells
      expressing high OCT3/4 and SOX2 levels showed high tumorigenicity in
      immunodeficient mice. In vivo growth of the parental DU145 and PC3 prostate
      cancer cell lines was inhibited by short hairpin RNA knockdown of OCT3/4 or SOX2.
      CONCLUSIONS: Data suggest that prostate tumor cells expressing pluripotent stem
      cell transcription factors are highly tumorigenic. Identifying such cells and
      their importance in prostate cancer growth could provide opportunities for novel
      targeting strategies for prostate cancer therapy.

PMID- 20303532
TI  - Six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of the prostate as an immunotherapeutic
      target for renal cell and bladder cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: T-cell based immunotherapy for renal cell and bladder cancer is one of
      the most promising therapeutic approaches. STEAP is a novel cell surface protein
      that is over expressed in various cancers, including renal cell and bladder
      cancer. Recently we induced STEAP specific helper T lymphocytes that recognize
      the naturally processed STEAP peptide epitopes STEAP(102-116) and STEAP(192-206)
      arising from STEAP expressing tumor cells. Thus, STEAP may be a useful tumor
      associated antigen for designing T-cell based immunotherapy. We determined
      whether STEAP could induce anti-cellular immune responses to urological cancer.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: We selected 2 previously described STEAP derived epitope
      peptides, STEAP(102-116) and STEAP(192-206), and examined their ability to elicit
      helper T-lymphocyte responses by in vitro vaccination of CD4 T lymphocytes from
      healthy individuals and patients with cancer. RESULTS: STEAP peptides induced
      helper T-lymphocyte responses using lymphocytes from healthy individuals that
      directly recognized STEAP expressing, DR positive renal cell and bladder cancer
      cells, and autologous dendritic cells pulsed with STEAP expressing tumor cell
      lysates in a major histocompatibility complex class II restricted manner. These
      peptides also stimulated T-cell responses in patients with renal cell or bladder
      cancer. Each STEAP peptides behaved as a promiscuous T-cell epitope, in that they
      stimulated T cells in the context of multiple major histocompatibility complex
      class II alleles. CONCLUSIONS: Results show that STEAP helper T-lymphocyte
      epitopes could be used to optimize T-cell based immunotherapy against STEAP
      expressing renal cell and bladder cancer.

PMID- 20303534
TI  - Percutaneous cystolithotomy for calculi in reconstructed bladders: initial UCLA
      experience.
AB  - PURPOSE: Following bladder augmentation, patients are at significant risk for
      bladder calculi. We present our experience with a minimally invasive treatment
      approach using endoscopically assisted percutaneous cystolithotomy. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A retrospective chart review identified 74 patients who underwent
      percutaneous cystolithotomy following bladder augmentation between 2002 and 2009.
      Cystogram was performed to determine the ideal location for percutaneous bladder
      access and a guidewire was inserted in the bladder through a bile needle. A
      balloon dilator was used to place a 30Fr sheath. Rigid cystoscopy with a 26Fr
      nephroscope allowed stone treatment by basketing and ultrasonic lithotripsy. A
      suprapubic 22Fr catheter was then placed. Patients were seen on postoperative day
      14 and abdominal ultrasound was performed. If no significant residual calculi
      were visualized, the suprapubic tube was removed. RESULTS: Mean +/- SD patient
      age at operation was 20 +/- 10.7 months (range 4 to 40). Mean +/- SD time between
      bladder augmentation and percutaneous cystolithotomy was 4.8 +/- 2.05 years. Of
      the patients 38 (51%) were male and 36 (49%) were female. Mean +/- SD number of
      stones per patient was 4.6 +/- 7.8 (range 1 to 60). Ultrasonic lithotripsy was
      performed in 49 cases (66%). In 25 cases (34%) only stone basketing was
      performed. A total of 70 patients (95%) were stone-free on abdominal plain film
      at 14 days. Of the procedures 24 (32%) were performed on an outpatient basis and
      50 were performed on an inpatient basis with a mean +/- SD hospital stay of 1.3
      +/- 2.7 days (range 1 to 21). There were 9 minor complications noted (12%).
      CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic percutaneous cystolithotomy offers a safe and effective
      treatment option for bladder calculi in reconstructed bladders and is the
      preferred method at our institution.

PMID- 20303535
TI  - Editorial comment.

PMID- 20303536
TI  - Minimizing pain during vasectomy: the mini-needle anesthetic technique.
AB  - PURPOSE: We describe pain scores for a modified anesthesia technique for no
      scalpel vasectomy using a 1-inch 30 gauge mini-needle. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      prospective study was performed in 277 patients who received anesthesia using a 3
      cc syringe filled with approximately 2 cc 2% lidocaine without epinephrine and a
      1-inch 30 gauge needle. Local anesthesia was given directly to the vas at the
      expected surgical site on each side. RESULTS: Mean +/- SD pain intensity score on
      the 10 cm visual analog scale was 1.5 +/- 1.6 (95% CI 1.3-1.7) during the
      anesthesia and 0.6 +/- 1.0 (95% CI 0.5-0.7) during the procedure. Patients
      experienced less pain during anesthesia and the procedure than they expected
      before vasectomy (average 3.1 +/- 1.8, 95% CI 2.8-3.3). CONCLUSIONS: The mini
      needle technique provides excellent anesthesia for no-scalpel vasectomy. It
      compares favorably to the standard vasal block and other anesthetic alternatives
      with the additional benefit of minimal equipment and less anesthesia.

PMID- 20303537
TI  - Value of ultrasound in evaluation of infants with first urinary tract infection.
AB  - PURPOSE: We evaluated the role of ultrasound in diagnosing and treating infants
      with a first urinary tract infection with a focus on important structural
      abnormalities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a setting of limited prenatal ultrasound
      screening this population based, prospective, 3-year study included 161 male and
      129 female infants. Ultrasound and dimercapto-succinic acid scintigraphy were
      performed as initial investigations and voiding cystourethrography was conducted
      within 2 months. RESULTS: Ultrasound revealed dilatation in 15% of patients and
      increased kidney length in 28%. Sensitivity for detecting scintigraphic
      abnormality was 48%. Renal length was significantly correlated to inflammatory
      parameters, including scintigraphic abnormalities. Important structural
      abnormalities were detected in 40 cases, with 30 on ultrasound, while 10 of 27
      cases of dilating reflux (mostly grade III) were missed. Outside the study there
      were 28 additional cases of structural abnormality, of which 15 were detected
      prenatally. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound detected most structural abnormalities except
      grade III reflux. Since it is noninvasive, ultrasound has a place in the
      evaluation of infants with urinary tract infection, especially in the absence of
      prenatal ultrasound during late pregnancy. Kidney length in infants with acute
      infection correlated with inflammatory parameters, and the clinical importance of
      this finding needs to be studied further.

PMID- 20303538
TI  - Clinical implications of TMPRSS2-ERG gene fusion expression in patients with
      prostate cancer treated with radical prostatectomy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Molecular prognostic factors may be useful tools for prostate cancer
      that complement classic clinicopathological factors. Genetic rearrangements
      between TMPRSS2 and ETS have been described for prostate cancer but their
      clinical significance is still unclear. We analyzed the association of the
      TMPRSS2-ERG fusion gene with prostate cancer outcome in patients treated with
      radical prostatectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analyzed prostate cancer samples
      from 226 patients treated with radical prostatectomy from 1996 to 2002 with a
      median followup of 84 months (range 9 to 153). TMPRSS2-ERG fusion gene expression
      was determined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction.
      Clinicopathological and molecular variables were related to biochemical and
      clinical progression-free survival by the Kaplan-Meier proportional risk log rank
      test. A Cox proportional hazards model using stepwise selection was used to
      identify independent predictors of poor outcome. RESULTS: TMPRSS2-ERG fusion was
      detected in 114 cases (50.4%). We noted no association between fusion gene status
      and prostate cancer clinicopathological characteristics. However, when patients
      were grouped by TMPRSS2-ERG fusion gene status, different clinicopathological
      prognostic factors defined each group for biochemical and clinical progression
      free survival. Prostate specific antigen, specimen Gleason score and margin
      status were independent prognostic factors in patients with prostate cancer
      expressing the fusion gene. In the nonexpressing TMPRSS2-ERG group the prognostic
      factors were cT, Gleason score and margins. CONCLUSIONS: TMPRSS2-ERG fusion gene
      status classifies patients with prostate cancer treated with radical
      prostatectomy into groups defined by different prognostic factors. This could be
      the basis for designing more refined treatment strategies.

PMID- 20303539
TI  - Hypertrophic lagoon management by sediment disturbance.
AB  - Experimental control of eutrophication in a small coastal lagoon was attempted by
      means of sediment disturbance. A specially designed boat was used to resuspend
      the top 3 cm of sediment by a jets of air-water directed towards the bottom. This
      disturbance was carried out for 3 months in each of two areas with a surface area
      of 24 and 20 hectares respectively. In a total of 80 stations in these two areas
      and in two undisturbed areas of 16 and 20 ha, organic matter, porosity, density
      and redox potential were monitored in sediment bimonthly and free sulphides were
      monitored in water close to the bottom. Before, during and after disturbance, the
      impact of daily sediment resuspension on the water column was monitored monthly,
      as ammonium nitrogen (N-NH4), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), dissolved oxygen
      (DO) and pH. In the whole lagoon, sediment texture was determined at the start
      and at the end of the experiment in 120 stations, and seaweed (mainly
      Chaetomorpha linum and Lophosiphonia subadunca) and seagrass (Ruppia cirrhosa)
      biomasses were estimated in 42 stations every month. The results showed a stable
      organic matter content in disturbed areas and an increase in undisturbed areas,
      as well as an increase in seaweed in areas distant from disturbed areas. No
      significant effect of sediment resuspension on water column N-NH4, SRP, DO or pH
      was found.

PMID- 20303540
TI  - Does ecological energetics lead to trophic competition in juvenile fish? A case
      study from the Vistula Lagoon (southern Baltic Sea).
AB  - Production, respiration, egestion of faeces and excretion of ammonia were
      measured in competing early developmental stages of fish species (herring, smelt,
      perch and stickleback) to calculate their daily energy (food) requirements in the
      Vistula Lagoon, southern Baltic Sea. The highest consumption (per capita and per
      unit body mass) was found in perch and European smelt, and the lowest in herring.
      However, young herring had the highest contribution to the exploitation of food
      resources because of their dominance in the Lagoon. The coefficient of
      assimilation efficiency U(-1) and coefficient of the utilization of assimilated
      energy for growth K2 also had the highest values in this species.

PMID- 20303541
TI  - [Multiple chemical sensitivity: epidemiological, clinical and prognostic
      differences between occupational and non-occupational cases].
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The progressive increase in cases of multiple chemical
      sensitivity (MCS) syndrome and the lack of studies which associate the syndrome
      with possible occupational origins means that further research in this field is
      required. The objective of this study was to compare the epidemiological,
      clinical and prognostic aspects of cases of MCS of occupational and non
      occupational origin. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Observational study of patients
      diagnosed with MCS by the toxicology outpatients clinic of the Hospital Clinic of
      Barcelona between 2002 and 2007. The occupational and non-occupational origin of
      MCS was considered as an independent variable. The dependant variables were
      occupational activity, triggering agents of MCS, chemical agents associated with
      the development of clinical manifestations, severity of the symptoms,
      comorbidities and work disability. Percentages were compared between groups.
      RESULTS: A total of 165 patients were included: The mean age was 47.7 years and
      90.9% were women. There were significant differences between patients of
      occupational and non-occupational origin with respect to comorbidities such as
      chronic fatigue syndrome (68.1% versus 88.5%; p=0.002) and fibromyalgia (49.3%
      versus 73.9%; p=0.002), temporary disability (60.9% versus 39.6%; p=0.006) and
      permanent disability (8.7% versus 22.9%; p=0.006). CONCLUSIONS: Cases of MCS
      attributed to an occupational origin had fewer comorbidities and less permanent
      disability than those of non-occupational origin.

PMID- 20303542
TI  - [Quality of the antiretrovirals drug interactions database].
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To identify antiretrovirals drug interaction databases
      (ADID) and evaluate its structural quality. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A literature
      search in Medline and a grey literature search were conducted. The identified
      ADID underwent scrutiny based on exclusion criteria and structural quality (4
      minimum quality criteria: stratification by level of severity, classification by
      level of evidence, bibliographic data, description of the clinical management)
      and 11 criteria that provide the relative importance (specific weight). We
      analyzed the degree of compliance of the criteria in each ADID and the degree of
      compliance of each criterion in all ADID. RESULTS: We identified 81 databases but
      only 8 of them were included for the analysis. Only 3 of them reached the minimum
      criteria: HIV-Drug interactions, Clinical Care Options HIV (The Drug-Drug
      Interactions Tool) and InteraccionesHIV.com. All the databases included are
      presented on computerized support, organized by active drug and describe clinical
      management; 7 of them inform about the interaction mechanism of action and have
      multicheck structure that speeds up the search; 4 declare they have no conflict
      of interest and stratifies by level of severity; 5 contain bibliographic
      reference; none of them classifies by level of evidence. CONCLUSIONS: There are
      many antiretroviral interaction databases available. The knowledge about their
      quality structure will help provide appropriate information.

PMID- 20303543
TI  - [Black hairy tongue].

PMID- 20303544
TI  - [New human retrovirus].

PMID- 20303545
TI  - [Treatment guidelines for hyperglycaemia in type 2 diabetes patients with stable
      chronic heart failure or ischemic cardiomyopathy without heart failure].

PMID- 20303546
TI  - [Analysis of the implementation of a Joint Accreditation Committee of the
      International Society for Cellular Therapy and European Group for Blood and
      Marrow Transplantation acreditation in a clinical program of hematopoietic
      progenitor cell transplantation].

PMID- 20303547
TI  - [Butterfly cutaneous lesion].

PMID- 20303548
TI  - [Descriptive anatomy of the orbit].
AB  - Anatomical description of the orbit is essential for an accurate understanding of
      its related tumoral pathologies. Numerous cadaveric pictures illustrate this
      chapter, which contains the description of the bony walls of the orbit and its
      muscular nerve, and vascular structures.

PMID- 20303549
TI  - [Conclusion].

PMID- 20303550
TI  - [Malignant extraconal tumors of the orbit in childhood].
AB  - Malignant extraconal orbital tumors are very rare during childhood and must be
      referred as soon as possible to a highly specialized center to be managed by a
      multidisciplinary team. They are often referred on an emergency basis. Both
      diagnosis and treatment must be undertaken as soon as possible. The course of
      these malignant tumors can be acute and can jeopardize the function of the eye or
      be life-threatening, especially in the event of metastatic locations. Extra-axial
      proptosis is by far the most frequent revealing symptom. Local and general
      examinations are of utmost importance. Sometimes diagnosis should be clear with
      the association of an orbital tumor and deterioration of the general health
      status favoring metastatic disease. Most metastatic neuroblastomas present such
      clinical symptoms in young children. Today both CT and MRI are highly valuable in
      assessing the diagnosis and starting the management of these tumors. Biopsy is
      mandatory to confirm the diagnosis. It can be reinforced by molecular biology.
      Among the primitive tumors, soft tissue sarcomas, especially rhabdomyosarcomas,
      are the most frequent. The diagnosis is suggested when the onset of the disease
      is acute and the course is rapid. Most respond to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. In
      the event of a residual tumor, local treatment is indicated so that surgery
      and/or radiotherapy are used as second-line treatment. Prognosis is closely
      related to histology. It can be satisfactory (Langerhans' cell histiocytosis,
      lymphoma, meningioma, infantile fibrosarcoma) or poor (metastatic tumor, rhabdoid
      tumor).

PMID- 20303551
TI  - [Congenital orbital tumors in adults (dermoid cysts)].
AB  - The most frequent intraorbital congenital tumors are dermoid cysts, which account
      for 2-9% of all orbital tumors. Teratomas are also congenital tumors but occur
      only in children. The revealing clinical sign is a subcutaneous mass along the
      superior orbital rim if the cyst is superficial or proptosis if the cyst is deep.
      Neuroradiological work-up provides the preoperative diagnosis. The treatment is
      solely surgical.

PMID- 20303552
TI  - [Primary bone tumors of the orbit].
AB  - Primary orbital bone tumors account for 0.6-2% of all orbital tumors. This is a
      heterogeneous group of tumors arising from osseous, cartilaginous, fibrous, and
      vascular tissues. The two most commonly encountered lesions are fibrous dysplasia
      and osteoma. Treatment of the primitive orbital bone tumors is generally
      surgical.

PMID- 20303553
TI  - [Optic nerve glioma in children].
AB  - Optic pathway gliomas are rare tumors accounting for 3-5% of brain tumors in
      children; 90% are observed in children. They account for 4% of orbital tumors in
      children. Association with NF 1 is classical and the incidence of NF 1 in
      patients with optic pathway gliomas is estimated at 30-58%. Usually these tumors
      are pilocytic astrocytomas and their regression, particularly in patients with NF
      1, has been described. Exophthalmos and loss of visual acuity or blindness are
      the usualpresentation in progressive disease. CT and above all MRI study of the
      orbit and the brain are necessary to make a complete evaluation of the disease.
      Gross total removal of the tumor provides 100% cure, but surgery can be proposed
      only for growing tumor with severe exophthalmos and no useful field of view or
      blindness. Chemotherapy must be proposed as first-line treatment for growing
      tumor with moderate exophthalmos and useful vision when the tumor is strictly
      confined in the orbit. The place of radiotherapy for pure intraorbital gliomas
      has not been defined and proton beam therapy has to be evaluated.

PMID- 20303554
TI  - [Vascular tumors of the orbit].
AB  - Vascular tumors of the orbit include capillary hemangioma, cavernous hemangioma,
      hemolymphangioma, hemangiopericytoma and a few rare tumors. Capillary hemangioma
      and hemolymphangioma, occurring mainly in children, are covered in the chapter
      devoted to childhood tumors. In this chapter, cavernous hemangioma and
      hemangiopericytoma are discussed as well as rare vascular tumors. Although
      orbital varix is not a tumor, it is also considered because of the diagnostic
      problems and the close correlation of orbital varix with a true tumor:
      hemolymphangioma.

PMID- 20303555
TI  - [Orbital tumors in children: clinical examination, imaging, specific
      progression].
AB  - "Orbital tumors (OT) are neoplasms of the bony orbit and contents except for the
      eyeball." Given this definition, we exclude the retinoblastomas, which are the
      most frequent tumors of this anatomical area in the pediatric population.
      Although these tumors are rare, there is a great variety of etiologies. Among
      them, the most frequent OTs in childhood are rhabdomyosarcomas and metastatic
      tumors: metastatic neuroblastomas and leukemias (chloromas). Moreover, adult and
      pediatric varieties of OT are made up of two clusters of distinctive histological
      entities. Examination must be careful: measurement, direction of proptosis,
      impairment of ocular motility, compressive optic neuropathy, strabismus, etc. Age
      at onset as well as unilateral or bilateral proptosis are important features.
      Benign tumors such as dermoid cysts or hemangiomas grow slowly, whereas rapid
      growth suggests a malignant tumor. Fundi and visual acuity should be checked. The
      general examination focuses especially on cutaneous abnormalities such as cafe au
      lait spots and subcutaneous nodules in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a
      hemangioma that often involves the cutaneous portion of the eyelid. When a
      metastatic tumor is suspected, abdominal palpation and ultrasonography must be
      performed. Ultrasonography leaves the posterior third of the orbit inaccessible
      to exploration. The depth to which it can penetrate the orbit is limited (20mm).
      Most of the time, standard x-rays, CT, and MR imaging allow for an adequate
      assessment and usually provide a diagnosis. In children, CT and MRI sometimes
      require anesthesia to be properly performed.

PMID- 20303556
TI  - [Neurosurgical approaches to the orbit].
AB  - Surgical approaches to the orbit differ depending on the surgical specialty.
      Neurosurgical approaches consider the posterior two-thirds of the orbit and can
      be summed up as the superior, lateral, and superolateral approaches. Orbital rim
      removal enlarges the exposure when necessary. Each neurosurgical approach is
      described in this chapter. Schematically, subfrontal approaches are used to reach
      the inner quadrant orbital tumors and the others to access external quadrant
      tumors. Nevertheless, the choice of the approach is discussed regarding to the
      presumed pathologic preoperative diagnosis.

PMID- 20303557
TI  - [Sphenoorbital meningiomas].
AB  - Sphenoorbital meningiomas account for 20% of all orbital tumors treated by
      neurosurgeons. Proptosis is the main clinical sign but this can be reduced with
      accurate surgical management. Complete tumor removal is often difficult
      considering the frequent extensions of the meningioma to the superior orbital
      fissure, the cavernous sinus, and the periorbita.

PMID- 20303558
TI  - [Orbital tumors: the ophthalmologist's point of view (biopsies - approaches -
      exenteration)].
AB  - This publication details the indications and contraindications of orbital tumor
      biopsies and surgical removal. Until now biopsies of pleomorphic adenomas were
      contraindicated. This management is now being reconsidered. Contrary to past
      convention, for suspected malignant tumors, a biopsy is essential. Great caution
      is required in surgery of inflammatory pseudotumors. Surgery is not recommended
      in lymphomas.

PMID- 20303559
TI  - [Diagnostic imaging of liposclerosing myxofibrous tumor of bone].
AB  - Liposclerosing myxofibrous tumor of bone is a benign lesion with a complex
      histologic structure. Its origin is uncertain, although it seems to be related to
      intraosseous lipomas and fibrous dysplasia, and it is sometimes impossible to
      distinguish from these two entities. It is usually located in the
      intertrochanteric region of the femur. Radiologically, it is a well-defined lytic
      lesion with sclerotic margins and high signal intensity in T2- weighted MR
      images. We present two cases with radiologic characteristics and location
      compatible with liposclerosing myxofibrous tumor of bone. In one case, PET
      studies suggested a malignant lesion. The diagnosis can be established on the
      basis of the radiological characteristics and location of the lesion: PET and
      histologic examination can sometimes lead to the wrong diagnosis.

PMID- 20303560
TI  - Chagas' disease and HIV co-infection in patients without effective antiretroviral
      therapy: prevalence, clinical presentation and natural history.
AB  - The objectives of this study were to establish the prevalence of Chagas' disease
      among HIV seropositive patients and to define the clinical profile of co-infected
      cases. Cross-sectional study: the prevalence of co-infected subjects was 1.3% and
      there was no significant difference between co-infected and non co-infected
      patients relative to race, birthplace, home address and CD4 T cells. The co
      infected group comprised predominantly women and mean age and median viral load
      were higher. Longitudinal study: included 20 patients (12 women) and described
      the clinical presentation and natural history of concomitant infections. The mean
      follow-up time was 35.8 months, mean age was 43+/-8.7 years and 60% of patients
      were white. During the follow-up, a total of 113 serological tests for Chagas'
      disease were performed: 89 (78.8%) were reactive/positive, 21 (18.6%) were
      doubtful and three (2.6%) were non-reactive/negative. Positive results for
      xenodiagnosis were high (81%). At the baseline evaluation, thirteen patients had
      the indeterminate form of Chagas' disease and seven cardiopathy. One patient
      developed from indeterminate to digestive form, three had a reactivation of
      Chagas' disease in the central nervous system, all had parasitological
      confirmation and received specific treatment. There were 11 deaths. Thus, HIV
      infected patients should be tested for Chagas' disease when epidemiologically
      relevant.

PMID- 20303561
TI  - Identification of light and dark hypertrophic chondrocytes in mouse and rat
      chondrocyte pellet cultures.
AB  - Hypertrophic "light" and "dark" chondrocytes have been reported as
      morphologically distinct cell types in growth cartilage during endochondral
      ossification in many species, but functional differences between the two cell
      types have not been described. The aim of the current study was to develop a
      pellet culture system using chondrocytes isolated from epiphyseal cartilage of
      neonatal mice and rats, for the study of functional differences between these two
      cell types. Hypertrophic chondrocytes resembling those described in vivo were
      observed by light and electron microscopy in sections of pellets treated with
      triiodothyronine, 1% fetal calf or mouse serum, 10% fetal calf serum or 1.7MPa
      centrifugal pressure at day 14, and in pellets cultured with insulin or 0.1%
      fetal calf or mouse serum at day 21. A mixed population of light and dark
      chondrocytes was found in all conditions leading to induction of chondrocyte
      hypertrophy. This rodent culture system allows the differentiation of light and
      dark chondrocytes under various conditions in vitro and will be useful for future
      studies on tissue engineering and mechanisms of chondrocyte hypertrophy.

PMID- 20303564
TI  - Modelling reactive CAH transport using batch experiment degradation kinetics.
AB  - Models describing transport of degradable organic substances in a porous medium
      require parameters of the biodegradation kinetics that can be obtained from batch
      degradation assays. It is rarely assessed if liquid batch biodegradation rates
      allow extrapolation to reactive transport in a porous medium, i.e. if the cell
      specific activity in a porous medium with flow-through is identical to that of
      pelagic cells in liquid cultures. Failure of model predictions can be used to
      identify the rate-limiting processes in the reactive transport. Column data of
      anaerobic trichloroethene (TCE) transport and degradation at three flow rates
      were predicted with a model using biodegradation kinetics derived from a liquid
      culture. The extent of dechlorination at the column outlet was very well
      predicted within a factor 1.4 if the specific microbial biomass in the columns
      was used as an input parameter. This suggests that potential mass transfer
      limitations in biofilms or differences in microbial ecology between batch and
      column had minor effects on dechlorination. The model was subsequently extended
      with Monod kinetics to predict both biomass growth and chlorinated aliphatic
      hydrocarbon (CAH) degradation in the columns using liquid batch data. These
      models largely overestimated CAH dechlorination unless microbial transport with
      cell elution was included and unless a slight batch to column adjustment was made
      to better predict microbial biomass. With 4 adjustable parameters the model
      succeeded in predicting the microbial numbers within a factor 4.3 and the extent
      of dechlorination within a factor 1.2. Our analysis validates the batch to column
      extrapolation for this dedicated set-up provided that the microbial biomass in
      columns is well predicted. The sensitivity analysis shows that the extent of
      dechlorination in the reactive transport is most sensitive to the parameters of
      TCE degradation kinetics, including microbial growth followed by the residence
      time.

PMID- 20303562
TI  - Correction of a carboxyl terminal simian immunodeficiency virus Nef frameshift
      mutation restores virus replication in macaques.
AB  - Previous studies demonstrated that the nef gene is a critical determinant of the
      pathogenicity of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) in macaques. In the present
      study, we evaluated the effect of a spontaneous frameshift mutation in the C
      terminus of the nef gene of the minimally pathogenic SIVsmH4i clone. This clone
      exhibited a single nucleotide deletion in the nef gene relative to pathogenic SIV
      clones that resulted in a frameshift and addition of 46 amino acids to the C
      terminus of Nef. We generated a corrected version of this clone, SIVsmH4i Nef+
      that restored Nef protein expression. Inoculation of macaques with SIVsmH4i
      resulted in delayed and low levels of peak viremia. This contrasted with improved
      kinetics and robust peak viremia in macaques inoculated with the corrected
      version. Despite the restoration of in vivo replication ability, neither clone
      resulted in memory CD4+ T cell loss or disease in a period of two years.

PMID- 20303563
TI  - Substitution of lysine at 627 position in PB2 protein does not change virulence
      of the 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus in mice.
AB  - A lysine at the 627 position (627K) of PB2 protein of influenza virus has been
      recognized as a determinant for host adaptation and a virulent element for some
      influenza viruses. While seasonal influenza viruses exclusively contained 627K,
      the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 possessed a glutamic acid (627E), even after circulation
      in humans for more than 6months. To explore the potential role of E627K
      substitution in PB2 in the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus, we compared pathogenicity
      and growth properties between a recombinant virus containing 627K PB2 gene and
      the parental A/California/4/2009 strain containing 627E. Our results showed that
      substitution of 627K in PB2 gene does not confer higher virulence and growth rate
      for the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus in mice and cell culture respectively,
      suggesting 627K is not required for human adaptation of the pandemic (H1N1) 2009
      virus.

PMID- 20303565
TI  - Combined (alkaline+ultrasonic) pretreatment effect on sewage sludge
      disintegration.
AB  - The individual effects of alkaline (pH 8-13) and ultrasonic (3750-45,000kJ/kg TS)
      pretreatments on the disintegration of sewage sludge were separately tested, and
      then the effect of combining these two methods at different intensity levels was
      investigated using response surface methodology (RSM). In the combined
      pretreatment, ultrasonic treatment was applied to the alkali-pretreated sludge.
      While the solubilization (SCOD/TCOD) increase was limited to 50% in individual
      pretreatments, it reached 70% in combined pretreatment, and the results clearly
      showed that preconditioning of sludge at high pH levels played a crucial role in
      enhancing the disintegration efficiency of the subsequent ultrasonic
      pretreatment. By applying regression analysis, the disintegration degree (DD) was
      fitted based on the actual value to a second order polynomial equation: Y=
      172.44+29.82X(1)+5.30x10(-3)X(2)-7.53x10(-5)X(1)X(2)-1.10X(1)(2)-1.043x10(
      7)X(2)(2), where X(1), X(2), and Y are pH, specific energy input (kJ/kg TS), and
      DD, respectively. In a 2D contour plot describing the tendency of DD with respect
      to pH and specific energy input, it was clear that DD increased as pH increased,
      but it seemed that DD decreased when the specific energy input exceeded about
      20,000kJ/kg TS. This phenomenon tells us that there exists a certain point where
      additional energy input is ineffective in achieving further disintegration. A
      synergetic disintegration effect was also found in the combined pretreatment,
      with lower specific energy input in ultrasonic pretreatment yielding higher
      synergetic effect. Finally, in order to see the combined pretreatment effect in
      continuous operation, the sludge pretreated with low intensity alkaline (pH
      9)/ultrasonic (7500kJ/kg TS) treatment was fed to a 3 L of anaerobic sequencing
      batch reactor after 70 days of control operation. CH(4) production yield
      significantly increased from 81.9+/-4.5mL CH(4)/g COD(added) to 127.3+/-5.0mL
      CH(4)/g COD(added) by pretreatment, and this enhanced performance was closely
      related to the solubilization increase of the sludge by pretreatment. However,
      enhanced anaerobic digestion resulted in 20% higher soluble N concentration in
      the reactor, which would be an additional burden in the subsequent nitrogen
      removal system.

PMID- 20303566
TI  - Total and methyl mercury transformations and mass loadings within a wastewater
      treatment plant and the impact of the effluent discharge to an alkaline
      hypereutrophic lake.
AB  - Concerns over the fate and bioaccumulation of mercury (Hg) inputs to Onondaga
      Lake, a hypereutrophic lake in central New York, prompted an investigation into
      the concentrations and fluxes of Hg discharge from the Onondaga County
      Metropolitan Wastewater Treatment Plant (METRO WWTP). Discharge of methyl Hg
      (MeHg) is of concern because it is the form of Hg that readily bioaccumulates
      along the aquatic food chain. This study incorporated clean protocols for
      sampling and Hg analysis to evaluate: seasonal patterns in the concentrations of
      total Hg (THg) and MeHg in the WWTP unit processes; the production of MeHg within
      the unit processes of the WWTP; the overall fate of THg and MeHg within the WWTP;
      and the relative impact of the Hg discharged from the WWTP to Onondaga Lake.
      Concentrations of THg (range: 80-860 ng/L) and MeHg (0.7-17 ng/L) in raw sewage
      were highly variable, with higher concentrations observed in the summer months.
      The dynamics of THg though the WWTP were correlated with total suspended solids
      (TSS). As a result, the majority of the THg removal (55%) occurred during primary
      treatment. Overall, about 92% of the THg entering the plant was removed as
      sludge, with volatilization likely a minor component of the overall Hg budget.
      The transformation of MeHg through the plant differed from THg in that MeHg was
      not correlated with TSS, and displayed strong seasonal differences between winter
      (November to April) and summer (May-October) months. During the summer months,
      substantial net methylation occurred in the activated sludge secondary treatment,
      resulting in higher MeHg concentrations in secondary effluent. Net demethylation
      was the dominant mechanism during tertiary treatment, resulting in removal of
      substantial MeHg from the secondary effluent. The overall MeHg removal efficiency
      through the plant was about 70% with more efficient removal during summer months.
      Sediment trap collections made below the epilimnion of Onondaga Lake indicated
      average deposition rates of 12 microg/m(2)-day for THg and 0.33 microg/m(2)-day
      for MeHg. These deposition rates are more than an order of magnitude higher than
      the thermocline area normalized external loads from METRO effluent (0.85
      microg/m(2)-day for THg, 0.05 microg/m(2)-day for MeHg). Our findings indicate
      that the impact of the discharge from METRO is relatively small, contributing
      about 10-15% of Hg to the total gross Hg input to the hypolimnion of the lake.

PMID- 20303567
TI  - In situ remediation of metal-contaminated soils with organic amendments: role of
      humic acids in copper bioavailability.
AB  - The purposes of this study were to determine the Cu(II) binding behavior of humic
      acids (HAs) isolated from biosolid compost (BI), leonardite (LE), a metal
      contaminated soil, and the soil remediated with either BI or LE in relation to
      their structural properties, and to explore the role exerted by the HA fractions
      in controlling soil Cu(II) bioavailability. Potentiometric titrations at pH 5 and
      ionic strength 0.1M and the Langmuir model were used to obtain the Cu(II)
      complexing capacity of the HAs examined and the conditional stability constant of
      the Cu(II)-HA complexes. The Cu(II) complexing capacity increased as the content
      of acidic ligands, especially COOH groups, aromaticity, and humification degree
      increased, following the order BI-HA<BI-amended soil HAs<unamended soil HA<LE
      amended soil HAs<LE-HA. In contrast, the conditional stability constant of Cu(II)
      HA complexes increased in the opposite order, probably due to an increased
      chelating effect. Compared to LE, amendment with BI was slightly more effective
      in decreasing soil CaCl(2)-extractable Cu content. The results obtained suggested
      that the pH of the soil-amendment system is the most important chemical property
      governing Cu(II) solubility and bioavailability in metal-contaminated soils
      remediated with BI and LE, although soil organic matter and the HA fraction may
      also be important factors. In particular, binding sites formed by N-, S-, and O
      containing acidic functional moieties in HAs may play an important role in the
      Cu(II) behavior.

PMID- 20303568
TI  - Application of zerovalent iron (Fe(0)) to enhance degradation of HCHs and DDX in
      soil from a former organochlorine pesticides manufacturing plant.
AB  - Remediation of pesticide-polluted soil is particularly challenging when
      pesticides in soil are aged and a mixture of pesticides is present. Application
      of zerovalent iron (Fe(0)) was investigated to accelerate the degradation of HCHs
      (alpha-, beta-, gamma- and delta-hexachlorocyclohexane) and DDX (DDT, DDE and
      DDD) in the soil from a former organochlorine pesticide manufacturing plant.
      Ultrasonic extraction was used extract the organochlorine pesticides from soil.
      The identification and quantification of organochlorine pesticides in the
      extracts were accomplished by gas chromatograph. The addition of Fe(0)
      facilitated the degradation of the beta-HCH isomer, but had little effect on the
      degradation of alpha-HCH, gamma-HCH and delta-HCH. Zerovalent iron significantly
      increased the degradation of p,p'-DDT and o,p'-DDT in soil, and the percentage
      degradation of p,p'-DDT and o,p'-DDT increased with increased Fe(0) concentration
      during the first period of incubation. However, the amount of p,p'-DDD, the main
      dechlorinated product of p,p'-DDT, basically kept increased except in the
      unamended soil. The addition of Fe(0) therefore did not increased the percent
      degradation of summation SigmaDDT (p,p'-DDT+p,p'-DDD+p,p'-DDE) markedly.

PMID- 20303569
TI  - Long-term leaching of rimsulfuron degradation products through sandy agricultural
      soils.
AB  - The objective was to quantify leaching of the widely used low-dosage sulfonylurea
      herbicides rimsulfuron and its primary degradation products IN70941 ([N-(4,6
      dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yl)-N-((3-ethylsulfonyl)-2-pyridinyl)urea]) and IN70942 ([N
      ((3-ethylsulfonyl)-2-pyridinyl)-4,6-dimethoxy-2-pyrimidineamine]) at two sandy
      research fields in Denmark. Water was sampled monthly from the vadose and
      groundwater zones at the two sites (Tylstrup and Jyndevad) over a 4-6-year period
      following application of rimsulfuron. No rimsulfuron was detected in the water
      samples. At the Jyndevad site, IN70941 was detected in the vadose zone at a depth
      of 1m for as long as three years in annual average concentrations exceeding the
      EU limit value for drinking water of 0.1microgL(-1). At the Tylstrup site,
      IN70941 was detected at a depth of 2m in concentrations just below 0.1microgL(
      1). The groundwater concentration of IN70941 occasionally exceeded 0.1microgL(-1)
      at the Jyndevad site, but is only detected on one occasion (and at a low
      concentration) at the Tylstrup site. At both sites IN70941 was relatively stable
      and persisted in the soil water for several years, with relatively little
      degrading further to IN70942. Thus, the concentration of IN7092 was much lower
      and apart from four samples from the Jyndevad site, never exceeded 0.1microgL(
      1). Nevertheless, our findings show that degradation products of rimsulfuron can
      leach through sandy soils in relatively high concentrations and could potentially
      contaminate vulnerable aquatic environments. In view of this risk, IN70941 and
      IN70942 should be included in pesticide monitoring programmes, and their long
      term ecotoxicological effects should be investigated further.

PMID- 20303570
TI  - Increased urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine excretion in long-distance bus
      drivers in Taiwan.
AB  - Professional bus drivers are exposed to environments containing air pollution and
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can induce cellular oxidative stress and DNA
      damage. This study investigated environmental factors associated with oxidative
      DNA damage in a cohort of long-distance bus drivers. In a comparison study,
      urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), a biomarker of DNA oxidative damage,
      was examined in 120 male long-distance bus drivers and 58 male office workers in
      Taiwan. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze association between
      urinary 8-OHdG levels and environmental factors. Bus drivers had higher urinary 8
      OHdG levels (adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=9.4, 95% confidence interval (CI)=3.5
      28.2) compared with office workers. Increased urinary 8-OHdG level was
      significantly related to cigarette smoking (aOR=18.0, 95% CI=7.1-52.1),
      consumption of energy drinks (aOR=5.0, 95% CI=2.1-12.6), and regular exercise
      (aOR=3.8, 95% CI=1.5-10.2). A strong exposure-response relationship was found
      between urinary 8-OHdG and urinary cotinine (p<0.0001). Among nonsmokers, bus
      drivers (aOR=3.9, 95% CI=1.0-17.7) had higher urinary 8-OHdG than office workers.
      Among both bus drivers and office workers, those who drank energy drinks
      (aOR=3.7, 95% CI=1.2-12.2) had higher 8-OHdG levels than those who did not drink
      energy drinks. Adjusted for smoking, levels of 8-OHdG were increased in long
      distance bus drivers exposed to traffic exhaust and ingested energy drinks.
      Future studies should explore what aspects of energy drinks may contribute to
      increased urinary 8-OHdG.

PMID- 20303571
TI  - Concentrations of organotin compounds in various fish species in the Finnish lake
      waters and Finnish coast of the Baltic Sea.
AB  - Organotin compounds (OTCs) leaching from the antifouling paints used in boats and
      ships have contaminated many water areas worldwide. The purpose of this study was
      to obtain a general view of the organotin contamination in fish in Finnish lake
      areas and Finnish coast of the Baltic Sea using perch as the main indicator
      species. Perch sampling covered areas presumed as less contaminated and areas
      suspected as more contaminated. Besides perch, 12 other species were sampled from
      sites presumed as less contaminated. OTCs measured were mono-, di- and
      tributyltin, mono-, di-, and triphenyltin and dioctyltin. The sum concentration
      of OTCs (SigmaOTCs) in perch in the least contaminated areas of the Baltic Sea
      were around 20 ng/g fresh weight (fw) and less than 10 ng/g fw in lake areas. In
      heavily contaminated areas of the Baltic Sea 150-500 ng/g fw in perch were
      detected. In lake areas the maximum SigmaOTCs in perch was only 30 ng/g fw. With
      regard to the other species in the Baltic Sea, salmon, sprat, flounder,
      whitefish, vendace and lamprey contained low concentrations (SigmaOTCs mainly
      less than 20 ng/g fw), whereas in pike, pike-perch, burbot and bream
      concentrations were higher. SigmaOTCs in lake fish were generally lower than in
      the Baltic Sea. In a distance gradient study, SigmaOTCs in perch decreased
      quickly from nearly 200 ng/g fw at a contaminated harbor area to 35 ng/g fw
      during a distance of 5 km. Further decrease was slower and reached 15 ng/g fw at
      100 km. In a size dependence study triphenyltin showed better correlation with
      the fish length than tributyltin for all species studied, i.e. for perch (0.16 vs
      0.26), pike-perch (0.13 vs 0.24) and roach (0.46 vs 0.80). High correlation for
      roach may be partly explained by smaller number of samples collected and small
      length range.

PMID- 20303572
TI  - A decision support system for water quality issues in the Manzanares River
      (Madrid, Spain).
AB  - The Manzanares River, located in Madrid (Spain), is the main water supplier of a
      highly populated region, and it also receives wastewater from the same area. The
      effluents of eight Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTPs) downstream of the river,
      which represent 90% of the flow in the middle and lower parts of the river, are
      the primary sources of water pollution. Although the situation has improved
      slightly in the last two years, the water in the river is highly polluted, making
      it uninhabitable for aquatic life. Water quality modelling is typically used to
      assess the effect of treatment improvements in water bodies. In this work, the
      GESCAL module of the Aquatool Decision Support System Shell was used to simulate
      water quality in the Manzanares River. GESCAL is appropriate for modelling in an
      integrated way water quality for whole water resources systems, including
      reservoirs and rivers. A model was built that simulates conductivity,
      phosphorous, carbonaceous organic matter, dissolved oxygen, organic nitrogen,
      ammonia, and nitrates. The period from October 2006 to September 2008 was
      selected for calibration due to the many treatment modifications that occurred
      during this time. An earlier and longer period, from October 2000 to September
      2006, was used for validation. In addition, a daily model was used to analyse the
      robustness of the GESCAL model. Once the GESCAL model was validated, different
      scenarios were considered and simulated. First, different combinations of
      nutrient elimination among the different WWTPs were simulated, leading to the
      conclusion that investments have to focus on three of the proposed WWTPs.
      Moreover, these treatments will not be sufficient to maintain fish habitat
      conditions at all times. Additional measures, such as the increment of the flow
      in the river or oxygen injection, were simulated. Incrementing the flow of the
      Manzanares River has been shown to be an efficient means of increasing water
      quality, but this implies an increment in the risk of water scarcity situations
      in the Madrid water supply system.

PMID- 20303573
TI  - Estrogenic and AhR activities in dissolved phase and suspended solids from
      wastewater treatment plants.
AB  - The distribution of estrogen receptor (ERalpha) and Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor
      (AhR) activities between the dissolved phase and suspended solids were
      investigated during wastewater treatment. Three wastewater treatment plants with
      different treatment technologies (waste stabilization ponds (WSPs), trickling
      filters (TFs) and activated sludge supplemented with a biofilter system (ASB))
      were sampled. Estrogenic and AhR activities were detected in both phases in
      influents and effluents. Estrogenic and AhR activities in wastewater influents
      ranged from 41.8 to 79 ng/L E(2) Eq. and from 37.9 to 115.5 ng/L TCDD Eq. in the
      dissolved phase and from 5.5 to 88.6 ng/g E(2) Eq. and from 15 to 700 ng/g TCDD
      Eq. in the suspended solids. For both activities, WSP showed greater or similar
      removal efficiency than ASB and both were much more efficient than TF which had
      the lowest removal efficiency. Moreover, our data indicate that the efficiency of
      removal of ER and AhR activities from the suspended solid phase was mainly due to
      removal of suspended solids. Indeed, ER and AhR activities were detected in the
      effluent suspended solid phase indicating that suspended solids, which are
      usually not considered in these types of studies, contribute to environmental
      contamination by endocrine disrupting compounds and should therefore be routinely
      assessed for a better estimation of the ER and AhR activities released in the
      environment.

PMID- 20303574
TI  - The use of zoledronic acid in men receiving androgen deprivation therapy for
      prostate cancer with severe osteopenia or osteoporosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To study the effect of zoledronic acid on patients with pre-existing
      osteoporosis on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), who are at highest risk for
      fracture. Zoledronic acid is a potent bisphosphonate that can prevent
      osteoporosis in patients with nonmetastatic (M0), prostate cancer (CaP) who are
      initiating ADT. The effect of zoledronic acid on patients with pre-existing
      osteoporosis on ADT, who are highest risk for fracture, has not been adequately
      studied. METHODS: We enrolled 28 patients with M0 CaP on ADT with severe
      osteopenia or osteoporosis (baseline bone-mineral density (BMD) T score < -2.0)
      in this open-label, single-arm trial to assess the effect of zoledronic acid on
      BMD. All patients also received supplemental calcium and vitamin D, and were
      counseled about lifestyle modifications. Patients received zoledronic acid (4 mg)
      intravenously every 3 months for 4 treatments. BMD was measured by dual energy X
      ray absorptiometry scan at enrollment, 6 and 12 months. Primary endpoint was
      percent change in lumbar spine BMD. RESULTS: This was a high-risk patient
      population-primarily older Caucasians (mean age, 73 years), former smokers, and
      moderate users of alcohol. Mean duration of ADT was 2.4 years. Pre-existing
      osteopenia or osteoporosis was observed in a single site in 9 patients and
      multiple sites in 19 (68%). After 12 months of zoledronic acid, lumbar spine BMD
      increased 4.17% (P < .0001), and BMD increased significantly (P < .05) in both
      hips and the right femoral neck. Seven patients (25%) experienced improved BMD
      into the nonosteoporotic range (T score > -2.0). Zoledronic acid infusion was
      well tolerated and without substantial renal toxicity. CONCLUSIONS: Zoledronic
      acid improves BMD in men with M0 CaP on ADT with severe osteopenia or
      osteoporosis (T scores < 2.0). This novel finding identifies a high-risk patient
      population that can potentially benefit from bisphosphonate therapy.

PMID- 20303575
TI  - A survey of primary care physician practices in the diagnosis and management of
      women with interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe the practice patterns among primary care physicians'
      (PCPs) managing patients with symptoms suggestive of interstitial
      cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS). METHODS: We developed a clinical
      vignette describing a woman with typical IC/PBS symptoms to elicit questions
      about etiology, management strategies, and familiarity with this syndrome. We
      mailed the questionnaire to 556 PCPs, including academicians and community
      physicians, in Boston, Los Angeles, and Chicago. RESULTS: We received 290
      completed questionnaires (response rate, 52%). Nineteen percent of respondents
      reported they had "never" seen a patient like the one described in the vignette.
      Two-thirds of respondents correctly identified the hallmark symptom of IC/PBS
      (bladder pain/pressure). Regarding etiology, 90% correctly indicated that IC/PBS
      was a noninfectious disease, 76% correctly reported that it was not caused by a
      sexually transmitted infection, and 61% correctly indicated that it was not
      caused by a psychiatric illness. Common treatments included antibiotics and
      nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents. Referrals were often made to a specialist.
      CONCLUSIONS: Although most PCPs indicate familiarity with IC/PBS, they manage the
      condition infrequently. They also appear to have significant knowledge deficits
      about the clinical characteristics of IC/PBS, and they indicate variable practice
      patterns in the diagnosis and treatment of the condition. Educational efforts
      directed at PCPs will likely improve the care of patients with IC/PBS.

PMID- 20303576
TI  - Surgical reconstruction of the male urethral diverticulum.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe the outcomes and reconstructive techniques used for men
      with symptomatic urethral diverticula in an attempt to standardize treatment
      based on the length of the urethral defect after diverticulum excision and the
      type of repair used. Urethral diverticula are rare in men and may be either
      congenital or acquired. METHODS: Between 2003 and 2008, 13 men were treated
      surgically for symptomatic urethral diverticula at a single institution by a
      single surgeon (C.M.G.). A total of 6 (46.2%) patients had urethral defects of <
      4 cm and underwent excision of the diverticulum with primary anastomosis.
      Substitution urethroplasty using either penile skin or buccal mucosa was used in
      7 (53.8%) patients with urethral defects of >or= 4 cm. Demographic and
      preoperative characteristics were compared among patients according to the length
      of the urethral defect. RESULTS: The mean age of men at the time of surgery was
      38.4 years (+/- 13.0; range, 20.4-63.7), with a median follow-up time of 21.7 (+/
      29.0; range, 0.9-84.0) months. Neither age at the time of surgery, length of
      follow-up, or diverticulum volume was significantly different between men who
      underwent primary repair vs substitution urethroplasty. The overall success rate
      was 92% (12/13) with an overall complication rate of 42% at intermediate follow
      up. CONCLUSIONS: Outcomes after excision and primary anastomosis for diverticula
      associated with defects of < 4 cm were similar to outcomes after diverticulum
      excision and substitution urethroplasty for defect of >or= 4 cm.

PMID- 20303577
TI  - The role of uroflowmetry biofeedback and biofeedback training of the pelvic floor
      muscles in the treatment of recurrent urinary tract infections in women with
      dysfunctional voiding: a randomized controlled prospective study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of a training program with uroflowmetry
      biofeedback and pelvic floor relaxation biofeedback on urodynamic and voiding
      parameters in women with dysfunctional voiding. METHODS: Eighty-six women with
      recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) and dysfunctional voiding were randomly
      assigned to receive a treatment schedule as follows: uroflowmetry biofeedback
      (group 1), biofeedback training of the pelvic floor muscles (group 2),
      uroflowmetry biofeedback combined to biofeedback training of the pelvic floor
      muscles (group 3), no treatment (group 4). Patients were regularly evaluated by
      American Urological Association Symptom Index and urodynamics during the study
      period. All the patients were followed up for 1 year with monthly urine cultures.
      A further evaluation was done at month 24 by American Urological Association
      Symptom Index and free uroflowmetry with measurement of residual urine. RESULTS:
      The prevalence of storage and emptying symptoms decreased significantly at 3, 6,
      and 12 months in the groups 1, 2, and 3, and remained stable during the study
      period. Mean flow rate, flow time, voiding volume increased significantly,
      whereas postvoid residual urine decreased. The prevalence of UTI decreased
      significantly in groups 1, 2, and 3. At month 24, storage and emptying symptoms
      and voiding patterns were similar to the baseline values in all the patients. The
      incidence of UTIs was similar to baseline values in groups 1, 2, and 3.
      CONCLUSIONS: Training the voluntary control of the pelvic floor seems essential
      in obtaining control over the bladder function. These results reinforce the
      importance of pelvic floor therapy in the resolution of UTIs.

PMID- 20303578
TI  - Sentence context affects the brain response to masked words.
AB  - Historically, language researchers have assumed that lexical, or word-level
      processing is fast and automatic, while slower, more controlled post-lexical
      processes are sensitive to contextual information from higher levels of
      linguistic analysis. Here we demonstrate the impact of sentence context on the
      processing of words not available for conscious report by recording ERPs as
      sentences ended congruously or incongruously. Sentence final words were either
      masked to prevent their conscious identification, or were unmasked. For both
      masked and unmasked words, congruous completions elicited less negative ERPs than
      incongruous ones between 300 and 500ms after word onset (N400). Relative to the
      unmasked words, congruity effects in masked words were much smaller, began
      slightly later, and displayed a more anterior distribution. Results suggest
      contextual priming effects indexed by the N400 component reflect both automatic
      and controlled processes. Data are interpreted as suggesting a link between the
      neural generators of the N400 and conceptual short-term memory, a dynamic process
      for conceptual activation and structuring that is triggered by perceptual input.

PMID- 20303579
TI  - A review of heat transfer in human tooth--experimental characterization and
      mathematical modeling.
AB  - With rapid advances in modern dentistry, high-energy output instruments (e.g.,
      dental lasers and light polymerizing units) are increasingly employed in dental
      surgery for applications such as laser assisted tooth ablation, bleaching,
      hypersensitivity treatment and polymerization of dental restorative materials.
      Extreme high temperature occurs within the tooth during these treatments, which
      may induce tooth thermal pain (TTP) sensation. Despite the wide application of
      these dental treatments, the underlying mechanisms are far from clear. Therefore,
      there is an urgent need to better understand heat transfer (HT) process in tooth,
      thermally induced damage of tooth, and the corresponding TTP. This will enhance
      the design and optimization of clinical treatment strategies. This paper presents
      the state-of-the-art of the current understanding on HT in tooth, with both
      experimental study and mathematical modeling reviewed. Limitations of the current
      experimental and mathematical methodologies are discussed and potential solutions
      are suggested. Interpretation of TTP in terms of thermally stimulated dentinal
      fluid flow is also discussed.

PMID- 20303580
TI  - Internet use and video gaming predict problem behavior in early adolescence.
AB  - In early adolescence, the time spent using the Internet and video games is higher
      than in any other present-day age group. Due to age-inappropriate web and gaming
      content, the impact of new media use on teenagers is a matter of public and
      scientific concern. Based on current theories on inappropriate media use, a study
      was conducted that comprised 205 adolescents aged 10-14 years (Md = 13).
      Individuals were identified who showed clinically relevant problem behavior
      according to the problem scales of the Youth Self Report (YSR). Online gaming,
      communicational Internet use, and playing first-person shooters were predictive
      of externalizing behavior problems (aggression, delinquency). Playing online role
      playing games was predictive of internalizing problem behavior (including
      withdrawal and anxiety). Parent-child communication about Internet activities was
      negatively related to problem behavior.

PMID- 20303581
TI  - Brief report: behaviorally induced insufficient sleep syndrome in older
      adolescents: prevalence and correlates.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of "behaviorally
      induced insufficient sleep syndrome (BIISS)" which is a newly defined
      hypersomnia, among adolescents. BIISS is characterized by excessive daytime
      sleepiness, short habitual sleep duration and sleeping considerably longer than
      usual during weekend/vacations. The study was conducted in the Hordaland County,
      Norway using a cluster sampling procedure. In all, 1285 high school students
      (aged 16-19 years) participated by completing self-report questionnaires on a
      computer. The estimated prevalence of BIISS was 10.4%. The results from logistic
      regression analyses showed that use of alcohol and living in an urban area were
      positively related to BIISS, whereas a high level of education in mothers was
      negatively related to BIISS. BIISS was associated with poor grades and symptoms
      of anxiety and depression.

PMID- 20303582
TI  - Hydroxyapatite nucleation and growth mechanism on electrospun fibers
      functionalized with different chemical groups and their combinations.
AB  - Controlled nucleation and growth of hydroxyapatite (HA) crystals on electrospun
      fibers should play important roles in fabrication of composite scaffolds for bone
      tissue engineering, but no attempt has been made to clarify the effects of
      chemical group densities and the cooperation of two and more groups on the
      biomineralization process. The aim of the current study was to investigate into
      HA nucleation and growth on electrospun poly(dl-lactide) fibers functionalized
      with carboxyl, hydroxyl and amino groups and their combinations. Electrospun
      fibers with higher densities of carboxyl groups, combination of hydroxyl and
      carboxyl groups with the ratio of 3/7, and combination of amino, hydroxyl and
      carboxyl groups with the ratio of 2/3/5 were favorable for HA nucleation and
      growth, resulting in higher content and lower crystal size of formed HA. Carboxyl
      groups were initially combined with calcium ions through electrostatic
      attraction, and the introduction of hydroxyl groups could modulate the distance
      between carboxyl groups. The introduction of amino groups may lead to the inner
      ionic bonding with carboxyl groups, but can accelerate phosphate ions to form HA
      through a chelate ring with the calcium ion and carbonyl oxygen. The biological
      evaluation indicated that the mineralized scaffolds acted as an excellent cell
      support to maintain desirable cell-substrate interactions, to provide favorable
      conditions for cell proliferation and to stimulate the osteogenic
      differentiation.

PMID- 20303583
TI  - The effect of a laminin-5-derived peptide coated onto chitin microfibers on re
      epithelialization in early-stage wound healing.
AB  - Considerable effort has been directed towards regenerating defective tissues
      using tissue-engineering methods. Recently, peptides have been recognized as a
      valuable scientific tool in the field of tissue-engineering. The PPFLMLLKGSTR
      motif of the human laminin-5 alpha3 chain has been previously reported to promote
      keratinocyte survival; however, the in vivo effects of the PPFLMLLKGSTR motif
      have not yet been studied. These studies raised the hypothesis that a laminin-5
      derived peptide can promote wound healing by accelerating re-epithelialization in
      vivo. To examine this hypothesis, we applied chitin microfibrous matrices coated
      with the PPFLMLLKGSTR motif in both rat and rabbit full-thickness cutaneous wound
      models. Compared with vehicle-treated and peptide-treated cutaneous wounds, the
      application significantly promoted early-stage wound healing by accelerating re
      epithelialization, notably reduced inflammatory cell infiltration, and
      prominently enhanced fibroblast proliferation. These findings support our
      hypothesis that the PPFLMLLKGSTR motif acts as a very effective wound healing
      accelerator by enhancing re-epithelialization.

PMID- 20303584
TI  - The synergistic effects of 3-D porous silk fibroin matrix scaffold properties and
      hydrodynamic environment in cartilage tissue regeneration.
AB  - Autologous cell-based tissue engineering using three-dimensional porous scaffolds
      has provided a good option for the repair of cartilage defects. Silk fibroin
      based scaffolds are naturally degradable materials with excellent
      biocompatibility and robust mechanical properties, indicating potential
      applications in cartilage tissue engineering. In this study, silk fibroin
      scaffolds prepared by freeze-drying (FD) and salt-leaching (SL300 and SL500) were
      fully characterized and used to study the effects of silk fibroin scaffold
      properties on chondrocyte attachment, proliferation and differentiation. The
      synergistic effects of scaffold properties and hydrodynamic environment generated
      by in vitro rocking culture were also investigated using static cultures as
      control. FD scaffolds with small pore size and lower porosity increased cell
      attachment but inhibited cell penetration and limited cell proliferation and
      differentiation. In contrast, SL scaffolds displaying a bigger pore size, higher
      porosity and crystallinity resulted in homogenous cell distribution, increasing
      cell proliferation and advanced chondrocyte differentiation in terms of their
      spherical morphology, predominant chondrogenic gene expression and abundant
      cartilaginous extracellular matrix production. A hydrodynamic environment was
      beneficial to chondrocyte proliferation, differentiation, and integrin gene
      expression in a pore size dependent manner with superior cartilage matrix
      production but limited hypertrophic differentiation obtained using chondrocyte
      seeded SL500 scaffolds. Integrin alpha5beta1 might mediate these effects.
      Chondrocyte/SL500 silk fibroin constructs obtained under in vitro rocking culture
      might serve as an excellent implant for in vivo cartilage defect reparation.

PMID- 20303585
TI  - Injectable PLGA based colloidal gels for zero-order dexamethasone release in
      cranial defects.
AB  - Bone fillers have emerged as an alternative to the invasive surgery often
      required to repair skeletal defects. Achieving controlled release from these
      materials is desired for accelerating healing. Here, oppositely-charged Poly (D,L
      lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles were used to create a cohesive
      colloidal gel as an injectable drug-loaded filler to promote healing in bone
      defects. The colloid self-assembled through electrostatic forces resulting in a
      stable 3-D network that may be extruded or molded to the desired shape. The
      colloidal gel demonstrated shear-thinning behavior due to the disruption of
      interparticle interactions as the applied shear force was increased. Once the
      external force was removed, the cohesive property of the colloidal gel was
      recovered. Similar reversibility and shear-thinning behavior were also observed
      in colloidal gels loaded with dexamethasone. Near zero-order dexamethasone
      release was observed over two months when the drug was encapsulated in PLGA
      nanoparticles and simply blending the drug with the colloidal gel showed similar
      kinetics for one month. Surgical placement was facilitated by the pseudoplastic
      material properties and in vivo observations demonstrated that the PLGA colloidal
      gels stimulated osteoconductive bone formation in rat cranial bone defects.

PMID- 20303586
TI  - Mesenchymal stem cell seeded knitted silk sling for the treatment of stress
      urinary incontinence.
AB  - Stress urinary incontinence remains a worldwide problem affecting patients of all
      ages. Implantation of suburethral sling is the cornerstone treatment. Current
      slings have inherent disadvantages. This study aims to develop a tissue
      engineered sling with bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cell seeded degradable
      silk scaffold. The mesenchymal stem cells were obtained from Sprague-Dawley rats
      and were characterized in vitro. Layered cell sheets were formed after two weeks
      of culture and were labeled with carboxyfluorescein diacetate. Forty female rats
      were divided into four groups: Group A (n=5) had sham operation; other three
      groups underwent bilateral proximal sciatic nerve transection and were confirmed
      with stress urinary incontinence by the leak-point pressure measurement at 4
      weeks after operation. Then, Group B (n=5) had no sling placed; Group C (n=15)
      was treated with a silk sling; and Group D (n=15) was treated with the tissue
      engineered sling. Histology and the leak-point pressure measurements were done at
      4 and 12 weeks after the sling implantation while collagen content and mechanical
      testing were done at 12 weeks. The results showed that Group B had a
      significantly lower leak-point pressure (24.0+/-4.2 cmH(2)O) at 4 weeks (P<0.05),
      while Group C (38.0+/-3.3 cmH(2)O) and Group D (36.3+/-3.1 cmH(2)O) almost
      reached to the normal level shown by Group A (41.6+/-3.8 cmH(2)O) (p>0.05). At 12
      weeks, tissue engineered sling of group D has higher collagen content (70.84+/
      14.49 microg/mg) and failure force (2.436+/-0.192 N) when compared those of Group
      C (38.94+/-7.05 microg/mg and 1.521+/-0.087 N) (p<0.05). Both the silk sling and
      tissue engineered sling showed convincing functional effects for the treatment of
      stress urinary incontinence in a rat model. And the better ligament-like tissue
      formation in the tissue engineered sling suggested potential long-term function.

PMID- 20303587
TI  - Differential expression and distribution of placental glutathione peroxidases 1,
      3 and 4 in normal and preeclamptic pregnancy.
AB  - Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific condition affecting 2-7% of women and a
      leading cause of perinatal and maternal morbidity and mortality; it may also
      predispose the mother and fetus to increased risks of adult cardiovascular
      disease. The selenoprotein glutathione peroxidases (GPxs) have critical roles in
      regulating antioxidant status. OBJECTIVES, STUDY DESIGN AND MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: Immunohistochemical measurements of GPx1, GPx3 and GPx4 protein
      expression were performed on samples taken from three standardised sampling sites
      between the cord insertion and the periphery of the placenta from 12
      normotensive, and 12 preeclamptic women to establish if their expression differed
      between sampling sites. Total GPx activities were also examined from the three
      sampling sites of these placentae. RESULTS: There were highly significant
      reductions in overall immunohistochemical staining of all 3 GPxs in the
      preeclampsia compared to normotensive placentae (GPx1: P=0.016; GPx3: P=0.003;
      GPx4: P<0.001). Furthermore, graded differences in expression between the
      standardised placental sampling sites were also found for GPx3 (higher in the
      inner region, P=0.05) and GPx4 (higher in the periphery, P=0.02) but not GPx1.
      Placental GPx enzyme activity was also significantly reduced in tissue from
      preeclamptic women as compared to normotensive women (P=0.007; the difference was
      more pronounced nearest the cord insertion). CONCLUSIONS: We have shown highly
      significant reductions in expression of all three major classes of GPx in
      placentae from women with preeclampsia, and distribution gradients in activity,
      which may relate to the differential oxygenation of regions of the placenta.

PMID- 20303588
TI  - Placental characteristics of selective birth weight discordance in diamniotic
      monochorionic twin gestations.
AB  - Up to 21% of diamniotic-monochorionic twin pregnancies are complicated by severe
      birth weight discordance in the absence of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, a
      serious condition termed 'selective' birth weight discordance. While its
      pathogenesis remains incompletely understood, the development of selective
      intertwin growth discordance, related to fetal growth restriction of one twin, is
      generally attributed to aberrant placental characteristics. The aim of this study
      was to characterize the placental markers of selective birth weight discordance,
      with special emphasis on the choriovascular architecture. A prospective cohort of
      319 consecutive diamniotic/monochorionic twin placentas was examined at Women and
      Infants Hospital between 2001 and 2009. After exclusion of placentas from
      pregnancies complicated by twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS),
      monoamniotic, multiple and disrupted placentas, 216 placentas (36 birth weight
      (BW)-discordant and 180 BW-concordant) formed the subject of this study.
      Following dye injection, the anatomic characteristics and choriovascular
      anastomotic patterns of BW-discordant and BW-concordant placentas were compared.
      The BW-discordant placentas showed significantly higher frequencies of
      velamentous cord insertion (22% versus 8%, P < 0.001) and uneven placental
      sharing (56% versus 19%, P < 0.0001) compared with BW-concordant placentas. The
      frequencies of intertwin AA, VV and AV anastomoses, the net number of AV
      anastomoses, and the net cross-sectional area of AV anastomoses were similar in
      both groups. There was no correlation between the frequency of velamentous cord
      insertion and degree of placental sharing or patterns of choriovascular
      anastomoses in either group. In conclusion, velamentous cord insertion and uneven
      placental sharing are the two major placental determinants of selective birth
      weight discordance in diamniotic-monochorionic twins. The role of the intertwin
      anastomoses, even when unbalanced, is likely negligible. Elucidation of the
      mechanisms whereby velamentous cord insertion affects fetal growth may lead to
      more focused and effective therapeutic strategies for twin and singleton
      pregnancies complicated by dysregulated fetal growth.

PMID- 20303590
TI  - Prognostic classification of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia by using
      gene copy number profiles identified from array-based comparative genomic
      hybridization data.
AB  - The development of risk-adapted therapy has improved the treatment results of
      acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) especially in children. However, more accurate
      risk classifiers are warranted. In this study we aimed at defining a prognostic
      classifier based on DNA copy number alterations of adolescent and young adult
      (AYA) (10-25 yrs) ALL patients (n=60) determined by microarray CGH and the
      relapse status of the patients. As a result of prognostic model identification
      procedure, we got a model of four genes: BAK1, CDKN2C, GSTM1, and MT1F, the copy
      number profile combinations of which differentiated AYA ALL patients at diagnosis
      depending on their risk of relapse. The performance of the model was poorer on
      other age groups. We suggest that this kind of approach produces models simple
      and accurate enough for potential use in ALL routine classification.

PMID- 20303589
TI  - Effect of genetic deletion of the vanilloid receptor TRPV1 on the expression of
      Substance P in sensory neurons of mice with adjuvant-induced arthritis.
AB  - The neuropeptide Substance P (SP), expressed by nociceptive sensory afferents in
      joints, plays an important role in the pathogenesis of arthritis. Capsaicin
      causes neurons in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) to release SP from their central
      and peripheral axons, suggesting a functional link between SP and the capsaicin
      receptor, the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1). The expression of
      both TRPV1 and SP have been reported to increase in several models of arthritis
      but the specific involvement of TRPV1-expressing articular afferents that can
      release SP is not completely understood. We here wanted to ascertain whether the
      increase in the number of SP-positive primary afferents in arthritis may be
      affected by genetic deletion of TRPV1. For this, we used immunohistochemistry to
      quantify the expression of SP in primary afferent neurons in wild-type mice (WT)
      vs. TRPV1-knockout (KO) mice with adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA). We found that
      the expression of SP in DRG (1) increased significantly over naive level in both
      WT and KO mice 3 weeks after AIA, (2) was significantly higher in KO mice than in
      WT mice in naive mice and 2-3 weeks after AIA, (3) was significantly higher on
      the side of AIA than on the contralateral, vehicle-injected side at all time
      points in WT mice, but not in KO mice, and (4) increased predominantly in small
      size neurons in KO mice and in small- and medium-size neurons in WT mice. Since
      the size distribution of SP-positive DRG neurons in arthritic TRPV1-KO mice was
      not significantly different from that in naive mice, we speculate that the
      increased expression of SP is unlikely to reflect recruitment of A-fiber primary
      afferents and that the higher expression of SP in KO mice may represent a plastic
      change to compensate for the missing receptor in a major sensory circuit.

PMID- 20303591
TI  - Results of a multifaceted Intimate Partner Violence training program for
      pediatric residents.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of a multifaceted Intimate Partner Violence
      (IPV) intervention on knowledge, attitudes, and screening practices of pediatric
      residents. METHODS: The intervention included: an on-site IPV counselor, IPV
      training for attending physicians, residents and social workers, and screening
      prompts. Evaluation included baseline and post-training surveys of residents,
      assessing their knowledge, attitudes, and comfort with IPV screening, patient
      chart reviews at baseline, 3 months, and 8 months for documentation of IPV
      screening, and review of the IPV counselor's client charts. RESULTS: Baseline
      chart review showed screening rates of less than 1%. Screening rates were 36.2%
      at 3 months and 33.1% at 8 months. After training, residents were more likely to
      know: IPV screening questions (47.1% vs. 100%); referral sources (34.3% vs.
      82.9%); and the relationship between child abuse and IPV (52.9% vs. 97.1%). At
      baseline, barriers to IPV screening included time (50%), lack of knowledge of how
      to screen (26.5%) and where to refer (23.5%). Post-training, barriers were time
      (44%), presence of children (25.9%) or other adults (18.5%) in the room, and
      inappropriate location (18.5%). Post-training, none of the residents listed "lack
      of knowledge" or "lack of referral sources" as barriers to IPV screening. After
      12 months, 107 victims of IPV were identified; most referred from inpatient units
      and subspecialty clinics. CONCLUSION: A multifaceted IPV intervention increased
      identification of IPV victims and markedly improved attitudes, comfort, and IPV
      screening practices of pediatric residents. IPV screening rates were sustainable
      with minimal ongoing training. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Consideration should be
      given to the training and practice supports necessary to encourage IPV screening
      in the pediatric setting. Educational efforts that familiarize pediatricians with
      the content surrounding the risk and potential impact of IPV to children and
      families along with practice supports that make incorporating screening for IPV
      as easy as possible have the potential to increase the identification of this
      problem and promote referrals to IPV agencies for follow-up and intervention
      where needed.

PMID- 20303592
TI  - Stabilizing group treatment for Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder related to
      childhood abuse based on psycho-education and cognitive behavioral therapy: a
      pilot study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study tests a Stabilizing Group Treatment protocol, designed for
      the management of the long-term sequelae of child abuse, that is, Complex
      Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (Complex PTSD). Evidence-based treatment for this
      subgroup of PTSD patients is largely lacking. This stabilizing treatment aims at
      improving Complex PTSD using psycho-education and cognitive behavioral
      interventions. METHOD: Thirty-six patients with a history of childhood abuse,
      Complex PTSD and severe co-morbidity entered a 20-week treatment with pre-, post
      , and follow-up-assessments. RESULTS: Improvement was found for PTSD and
      borderline symptoms. Post-treatment 64% and after 6 months 78% of patients no
      longer met criteria for Complex PTSD. CONCLUSIONS: This open study indicates both
      the feasibility of investigating treatment outcome and the initial efficacy of
      stabilizing group treatment in severely ill patients with Complex PTSD related to
      childhood abuse.

PMID- 20303593
TI  - Metal embryotoxicity from urban particles in Sao Paulo city: an experimental
      study in chicken embryos.
AB  - Chicken eggs were inoculated with suspensions of ambient air particles (<or=10
      microm, PM10) from Sao Paulo city in 3, 0.3 or 0.03 microg doses on one of the
      four early days of embryo development. On the eleventh day of development
      alterations were observed on embryos inoculated with PM10 3 microg on the third
      day. Particles analysis showed high content of metals. Hence, embryos were also
      inoculated with PM10 (3 microg) combined with metal chelating EDTA. PM10 (3
      microg) embryos presented underdevelopment (stage 29.44+/-11.4) compared to
      vehicle and positive controls (stage 36.44+/-0.51 Saline and stage 31.20+/-9.7
      Cyclophosphamide, p<or=0.05); higher (47%) mortality rate (23% Saline and 42%
      Cyclophosphamide) and low (68%) viability (100% Saline and 70% Cyclophosphamide,
      p=0.04). Effects were attenuated when embryos received PM10+EDTA (stage 33.63+/
      0.94, 18.9% mortality rate and 82% viability). PM10 from Sao Paulo city is
      embryotoxic and metal may be implicated in the toxic mechanism.

PMID- 20303594
TI  - Parachordoma of skull.

PMID- 20303595
TI  - Secretion of a fungal protease represents a complement evasion mechanism in
      cerebral aspergillosis.
AB  - Complement represents a central immune weapon in the brain, but the high
      lethality of cerebral aspergillosis indicates a low efficacy of the antifungal
      complement attack. Studies with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples derived from a
      patient with cerebral aspergillosis showed a degradation of complement proteins,
      implying that Aspergillus might produce proteases to evade their antimicrobial
      potency. Further investigations of this hypothesis showed that Aspergillus, when
      cultured in CSF to simulate growth conditions in the brain, secreted a protease
      that can cleave various complement proteins. Aspergillus fumigatus, the most
      frequent cause of cerebral aspergillosis, destroyed complement activity more
      efficiently than other Aspergillus species. The degradation of complement in CSF
      resulted in a drastic reduction of the capacity to opsonize fungal hyphae.
      Furthermore, the Aspergillus-derived protease could diminish the amount of
      complement receptor CR3, a surface molecule to mediate eradication of opsonized
      pathogens, on granulocytes and microglia. The lack of these prerequisites caused
      a significant decrease in phagocytosis of primary microglia. Additional studies
      implied that the complement-degrading activity shares many characteristics with
      the previously described alkaline protease Alp1. To improve the current therapy
      for cerebral aspergillosis, we tried to regain the antifungal effects of
      complement by repressing the secretion of this degrading activity.
      Supplementation of CSF with nitrogen sources rescued the complement proteins and
      abolished any cleavage. Glutamine or arginine are of special interest for this
      purpose since they represent endogenous substances in the CNS and might be
      included in a future supportive therapy to reduce the high lethality of cerebral
      aspergillosis.

PMID- 20303596
TI  - Role of CREB in modulation of TNFalpha and IL-10 expression in LPS-stimulated
      RAW264.7 macrophages.
AB  - The role of CREB in LPS signaling is controversial. The objective of this study
      was to evaluate the effect of LPS on phosphorylation and transcriptional
      activation of CREB, in comparison to isoproterenol, a beta-adrenergic receptor
      agonist. We show here that LPS elevates intra-cellular cAMP level in RAW264.7
      macrophages, with slower kinetics and lower magnitude than isoproterenol. The two
      agents stimulated CREB phosphorylation on Ser-133 to a similar extent, but with a
      different mechanism; rapid and mostly PKA-mediated for isoproterenol; slow and
      MSK1-mediated for LPS. Interestingly, LPS-stimulated phosphorylation of CREB did
      not result in transcriptional activation of a CRE-regulated luciferase reporter,
      in contrast to stimulation by isoproterenol. Furthermore, inhibitors of p38 and
      MSK1, but not PKA, completely blocked the production of IL-10 and TNFalpha in LPS
      stimulated macrophages. Distinctively, the PKA inhibitor H89 blocked the
      suppressive effect of isoproterenol on TNFalpha production, as well as its
      stimulatory effect on IL-10 induction, in LPS-stimulated macrophages. Likewise,
      while over-expression of dominant negative CREB had no effect on LPS-stimulated
      TNFalpha production, it blocked the suppressive effect of isoproterenol on
      TNFalpha production in the LPS-stimulated macrophages. Our results thus indicate
      that PKA-mediated phosphorylation of CREB promotes TNFalpha suppression and IL-10
      induction, whereas the same phosphorylation event initiated by LPS and mediated
      by MSK1 is non-functional for transcriptional modulation.

PMID- 20303597
TI  - Vibration-assisted anesthesia in eyelid surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate whether a vibrating device applied in a circular motion
      to the forehead reduces the pain of local anesthetic injection in upper eyelid
      surgery. DESIGN: Prospective, interventional, cross-over, randomized, controlled
      clinical trial. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty patients undergoing bilateral upper eyelid
      surgery under local anesthesia. INTERVENTION: A vibrating device was applied in a
      circular motion to participants' foreheads while local anesthetic was injected
      into 1 eyelid. During injection of anesthetic on the contralateral lid, the
      device was applied to the forehead in static fashion with the vibration switched
      off (placebo). The order of intervention was randomized. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
      After both injections had been given, participants were asked to specify their
      pain ratings for each injection on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 representing no
      pain and 10 indicating the worst pain imaginable. Participants were also asked to
      qualitatively compare the 2 sides. RESULTS: The mean pain scores were 3.3 for the
      vibration-assisted side and 4.5 for the placebo. This difference was
      statistically significant (P=0.0003); 73% of participants found the vibrated side
      to be better than the placebo, with 35% finding it a lot or quite a bit better.
      CONCLUSIONS: Vibration-assisted anesthesia during upper eyelid surgery has a
      beneficial effect that is highly statistically significant and is clinically
      significant in terms of patients' qualitative assessment of pain. Further
      research is needed to determine whether this constitutes a quantitatively
      clinically significant improvement in pain management. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE(S):
      The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials
      discussed in this article.

PMID- 20303598
TI  - A FRET-based biosensor for NO detection.
AB  - In this paper we explore the use of fluorescently labeled cytochrome c peroxidase
      (CcP) from baker's yeast for monitoring nitric oxide (NO) down to the sub
      micromolar level, by means of a FRET (Forster Resonance Energy Transfer)
      mechanism. The binding affinity constant (K(d)) for the NO binding to CcP was
      determined to be 10+/-1.5 microM. The rate of NO dissociation from the CcP
      (k(off)) and the second order rate constant for the NO association (k(on)) were
      found to be 0.22+/-0.08 min(-1) and 0.024+/-0.002 microM(-1) min(-1)
      respectively. The immobilization of fluorescently labeled CcP into a polymeric
      matrix for use in a solid state NO sensing device was also explored. The results
      provide proof-of-principle that labeled CcP can be successfully implemented in a
      fast, simple, quantitative and sensitive NO sensing device.

PMID- 20303599
TI  - Prenatal exposure to antidepressant medications and neurodevelopmental outcomes:
      a systematic review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In weighing the risk and benefits of pharmacological treatment of
      depression during pregnancy it is important to consider risks of long-term as
      well as short-term implications for children from exposure. Hence, this article
      examines the evidence to date of studies which have examined longer-term
      neurodevelopment teratogenic effects on child outcomes (including cognitive,
      motor and behavioral outcome measures) following in utero exposure to
      antidepressants. METHOD: A systematic review of published literature between
      January, 1973 and February, 2010 was conducted using the following key-words:
      pregnancy, child/infant development/neurodevelopment, antidepressants. All
      studies (N = 12) that reported primary data on neurodevelopmental outcome of
      infants exposed prenatally to antidepressants were assessed and analyzed.
      RESULTS: The identified studies varied considerably in their own methodology,
      including the age of the children studied, the scales and assessments used, and
      the different aspects of neurodevelopment (such as cognitive, motor and
      behavioral outcomes) that were examined. Despite these limitations, the majority
      of studies found no difference between those exposed and controls on the various
      neurodevelopmental outcome measures, whereas only two studies identified
      statistically significant differences in motor function. CONCLUSIONS: These
      preliminary reassuring results must be confirmed by larger studies with longer
      period of follow-up and providing more robust measures of neurodevelopmental
      outcome, in order to definitively exclude any potential risk of
      neurodevelopmental teratogenicity associated with antidepressant exposure in
      utero.

PMID- 20303600
TI  - Onset of remission and relapse in depression: testing operational criteria
      through course description in a second Dublin cohort of first-admission
      participants.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This paper extends previous work describing course in depression
      using a recommended operational model that defines remission onset and relapse.
      We test whether a similar course pattern would emerge using this model in a new
      cohort of depressed participants. METHODS: We recruited a cohort of 86
      participants, first-time inpatients, with DSM-IV major depression. Outcome was
      assessed prospectively over a 13-month minimum follow-up period. Remission onset
      was defined as a Ham-D score <8 for two consecutive weeks; relapse as a Ham-D
      score >16 for two consecutive weeks and meeting DSM-IV criteria for major
      depressive disorder. RESULTS: The cumulative probability of remission onset was
      0.62 (SE=0.05) and 0.80 (SE=0.05) at 3 and 6 months following study entry. The
      relapse risk was 0.28 (SE=0.05) at 6 months post remission onset; 53% of those
      relapsing did so in the first 2 months post remission onset. Predictors of longer
      times to remission onset included: longer illness length, higher anxiety scores
      and unemployment; higher anxiety scores predicted relapse. The course pattern is
      similar to that reported previously. LIMITATIONS: These findings apply to
      inpatients only. Course was not rated blind to all of the participants' baseline
      data. CONCLUSIONS: Defining remission onset and relapse using this model is
      associated with a replicable course pattern. A singular clinical advantage of the
      model is the identification of those participants at highest risk of relapse 2
      months post remission onset.

PMID- 20303601
TI  - Influence of age on the efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy in major
      depression: a retrospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several variables have been studied as possible predictors for the
      efficacy of ECT, results from the few studies assessing the influence of age on
      the efficacy of ECT were inconsistent. In older patients suffering from severe
      depression, ECT is often the treatment of choice, therefore, investigating the
      influence of age on ECT response is considered relevant. METHOD: At two
      depression units, 141 patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for major depression and
      scores of at least 18 on the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D)
      were treated with bilateral ECT, twice weekly. Clinical evaluation of depressive
      symptoms was performed each week; scores on the HAM-D were obtained 1-3 days
      prior to ECT and 1-3 days after termination of the ECT course. The primary
      outcome criterion was defined a priori as the mean change on the HAM-D score. The
      influence of age on mean change on the HAM-D score was analyzed with multiple
      linear regression analysis, adjusted for three covariables: center, duration of
      the index episode and presence of psychotic features. RESULTS: Age as a
      continuous variable had no significant effect on the efficacy of ECT as measured
      by mean change on the HAM-D score (SE 0.057, p=0.84). LIMITATIONS: The
      disproportionate distribution of patients among the three age groups appears to
      be the major limitation of the present study. CONCLUSION: This study suggests
      that the efficacy of ECT in elderly depressed patients is at least equal to that
      in younger depressed patients.

PMID- 20303602
TI  - CD40 is a regulator for vascular endothelial growth factor in the tumor
      microenvironment of glioma.
AB  - CD40 is expressed in many tumor cells, however, its role in tumor biology is yet
      to be demonstrated. In the present study, we investigated the role of CD40 in
      gliomas. In vivo, we evaluated CD40 expression in 95 glioma tissues and 10 non
      tumorous brain tissues and investigated the relationship between
      histopathological parameters, vascular density, and vascular endothelial growth
      factor (VEGF) expressions. In vitro, we aimed to understand the biological
      relevance of CD40 and VEGF in glioma cell lines. The results clearly demonstrated
      that CD40 expression, including membranous and cytoplasmic staining, was
      significantly higher in poorly differentiated and well differentiated gliomas
      than in the non-tumorous brain tissues (P=0.045 and P=0.043, respectively). In
      gliomas, the expression of CD40 was significantly correlated with tumor size,
      VEGF expressions and microvessel density (MVD) (P=0.022, P=0.023 and P=0.0316,
      respectively). In the in vitro study, stimulation of human glioma cells by CD40
      ligation induced the expression and secretion of VEGF and was blocked by anti
      CD40 monoclonal antibody. These observations provide evidence that CD40 ligation
      supports the expression and secretion of VEGF and may be involved in
      neovascularization of gliomas, they also suggest that CD40 and VEGF may be useful
      biomarkers for evaluating the risk of developing gliomas, and may also be used as
      a target for therapy.

PMID- 20303603
TI  - Endoscopic treatment of pharyngo-esophageal diverticulum in child.
AB  - Pharyngo-esophageal diverticula are extremely rare among children. Treatment in
      adults usually consists of endoscopic resection of the crico-pharyngeal muscle
      but application of this surgical procedure in children has not been reported
      before. We report the case of a 5-year-old boy whose recurrent pulmonary
      infection and chronic low weight led to diagnosis of a pharyngeal diverticulum.
      The diverticulum was removed by endoscopic CO(2) laser surgery. No relapse
      occurred during the 4-year follow-up period after surgery.

PMID- 20303605
TI  - The impact of novel exercise criteria and indices for the diagnostic and
      prognostic ability of exercise testing.
AB  - Exercise testing (ET) stands as one of the most easy, affordable, cost effective,
      non invasive methods for diagnosing coronary heart disease. Its sensitivity,
      specificity and prognostic value, especially in the prime era of its
      implementation in the cardiac diagnostic procedure, is relatively limited. Novel
      exercise criteria and indices based either on ST segment changes or ST segment
      independent parameters, such as "Athens QRS score", have greatly improved the
      diagnostic ability and accuracy of ET. Complex ECG-derived indices linked to ST
      changes along with the use of right-sided precordial leads have also enhanced the
      diagnostic accuracy of ET with respect to the extent of ischemic heart disease
      and the detection of specific culprit vessels. ET contains also a prognostic
      value, since several ET-derived parameters have been associated with adverse
      outcome, including ST changes, blood pressure and heart rate response to exercise
      and duration of exercise.

PMID- 20303604
TI  - The universal newborn hearing screening in Brazil: from identification to
      intervention.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study is to investigate the results of the
      newborn hearing screening program carried out in a Public Hospital in Brazil, in
      the first 3 years regarding: (1) the prevalence of hearing impairment; (2) the
      influence of the universal hearing screening program on the age at which the
      diagnosis of hearing loss is defined; (3) the cost effectiveness of the program;
      (4) the outcomes, in terms of the age in which the hearing rehabilitation
      started. METHODS: A descriptive study of the first 3 years after starting the
      universal newborn hearing screening in a Public Hospital of Bauru, Sao Paulo
      state, Brazil. The screening method consists of a two-stage screening approach
      with transient otoacoustic emissions (TOAE), conducted by an audiologist. If the
      outcome in the second-stage screening is REFER, the infant is submitted to
      diagnostic follow-up testing and intervention at the Audiology and Speech
      Pathology Clinic at the University of Sao Paulo, campus of Bauru. The evaluation
      of the costs of the universal newborn hearing screening program per each screened
      newborn (around 4000/year) was done based on a proposal by the National Center
      for Hearing Assessment and Management, of the Utah State University, United
      States of America. RESULTS: 11,466 newborns were submitted to hearing screening,
      corresponding to 90.52% of the living newborns. The prevalence of sensorineural
      hearing loss was 0.96:1000. Of the 11 children with sensorineural hearing loss,
      eight children received hearing aids and five started the therapeutic process
      before the age of 1. Currently, four children between the ages of 11 months and 2
      years old were submitted to cochlear implant surgery. The cost of hearing
      screening was US$7.00 and the annual cost of the universal newborn hearing
      screening program was US$26,940.47. CONCLUSION: The hospital-based universal
      newborn hearing screening carried out through the Brazilian National Health
      System is viable, with promising results. However, in a country such as Brazil,
      which presents large socio-economic differences, the same type of analyses should
      be performed in several regions, so as to take into account specific aspects, to
      implement the newborn hearing screening along with the Public System.

PMID- 20303606
TI  - Low energy biphasic cardioversion of atrial flutter: results from a pilot trial.
AB  - A pilot study was performed to determine the efficacy of low energy biphasic
      external cardioversion in common type atrial flutter. In the majority of patients
      (70%) successful cardioversion was achieved with low energy levels of 20 or 30 J;
      however a considerable number of patients (15%) were initially cardioverted to
      atrial fibrillation, needing an additional cardioversion with an even higher
      energy level.

PMID- 20303607
TI  - Increased serum neopterin in patients with nonrheumatic aortic valve stenosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inflammation and immunity play an intrinsic role in the pathogenesis
      of NR-AS. Neopterin is mainly produced by activated macrophages. METHODS: We
      examined serum neopterin levels in 51 patients undergoing valve replacement
      surgery [37 NR-AS and 14 aortic regurgitation (AR)]. RESULTS: Serum neopterin
      levels were significantly higher in patients with NR-AS than in those with AR and
      age matched controls, whereas serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP)
      levels did not differ among three groups. Moreover, serum neopterin levels were
      not different between NR-AS patients with and without coronary artery disease.
      CONCLUSIONS: Serum neopterin levels appear to be a useful maker in patients with
      NR-AS.

PMID- 20303608
TI  - Development of stress resistance in Staphylococcus aureus after exposure to
      sublethal environmental conditions.
AB  - The ability of Staphylococcus aureus to develop stress resistance responses was
      investigated. Exponential growth phase cells of S. aureus CECT 4459 were exposed
      to sublethal conditions (acid and alkaline pH, hydrogen peroxide, and heat) and
      then the acquisition of resistance to acid (pH 2.5), alkali (pH 12.0), hydrogen
      peroxide (50mM), and heat (58 degrees C) was determined. Conditions resulting in
      the maximum development of homologous resistance (tolerance to the same stress),
      while preventing lethal effects in the population, were pH 4.5 (2h), pH 9.5 (30
      min), 0.05 mM H(2)O(2) (30 min), and 45 degrees C (2h). Under these adaptation
      conditions, times for the first decimal reduction (TFDC) to a lethal treatment at
      acid pH, alkaline pH, hydrogen peroxide, and heat were increased by a factor of
      1.6, 2, 2, and 6, respectively. The presence of chloramphenicol or rifampicin in
      the adaptation medium completely abolished the increase in homologous resistance
      to acid pH and to hydrogen peroxide. By contrast, the development of homologous
      resistance to alkaline pH resulted independently of the presence of either
      chloramphenicol or rifampicin. S. aureus heat resistance increased in the
      presence of the inhibitors during the heat shock, but only partially. In some
      cases, the exposure to a given stress induced cross-protection against other
      agents. Protective combinations of sublethal stress and lethal agents were: acid
      pH-heat, acid pH-hydrogen peroxide, alkaline pH-hydrogen peroxide, heat-acid pH,
      and heat-hydrogen peroxide. These combinations of agents applied sequentially
      should be avoided in food-processing environments.

PMID- 20303609
TI  - Carotenoid production in Lactobacillus plantarum.
AB  - Eighteen strains of Lactobacillus plantarum from different origins were screened
      for carotenoid production, as many of them exhibited a deep yellow pigmentation
      when cultured as isolated colonies on MRS-agar plates. We found that most of them
      produced significative amounts of the yellow C(30) carotenoid 4,4'
      diaponeurosporene in the range 1.8 to 54 mg/kg of dry cell weight. Although some
      of the strains produced just trace amounts of this carotenoid, PCR studies showed
      that all of them harbored the genes crtM and crtN which, inferred from homology,
      had been predicted in the three L. plantarum complete genome sequences currently
      available. Our results suggest the full functionality of a C(30) carotenoid
      biosynthesis pathway in this species, driven by the operon crtNM. DNA sequencing
      of the entire crtNM operon in the maximum carotenoid-producing strain found in
      this study, i.e. L. plantarum CECT7531, was accomplished. Genes crtM and crtN
      were annotated as dehydrosqualene synthase and dehydrosqualene desaturase,
      respectively, in this strain.

PMID- 20303610
TI  - Inhibition of multifunctional dipeptidyl peptidase-IV: is there a risk of
      oncological and immunological adverse effects?
AB  - Inhibitors of dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) are a novel class of anti-diabetes
      drugs; inhibiting the breakdown of incretins, they increase their biological
      availability and decrease thus blood glucose levels. However, in addition to
      regulating glucose homeostasis, DPP-IV has many diverse functions, such as
      modulating cell growth, differentiation and transformation and immune function.
      Within the immune system, DPP-IV exerts mainly stimulating effects, while its
      relation to malignancies is highly variable. Therefore, long-term inhibition of
      this enzyme could have serious side effects including immune dysregulation or
      increased risk of cancer. Although the data on the effects of DPP-IV inhibitors
      in humans are scarce, the increased risk of infections and the tendency towards a
      higher incidence of some tumours fall in line with experimental evidence
      suggesting the possibility of their adverse immunological and oncological
      effects. Further research is obviously needed to clarify the effector mechanisms
      of DPP-IV inhibitors on immune function and tumour biology. Most important,
      however, is obtaining reassuring safety data from adequately powered, long-term
      trials of DPP-IV inhibitors in humans. In the meantime, all the potential risks
      of DPP-IV inhibitors should be kept in mind, and this class of drugs needs to be
      regarded with some degree of caution.

PMID- 20303611
TI  - Extracellular production of reactive oxygen species during seed germination and
      early seedling growth in Pisum sativum.
AB  - Extracellularly produced reactive oxygen species (ROS) play key roles in plant
      development, but their significance for seed germination and seedling
      establishment is poorly understood. Here we report on the characteristics of
      extracellular ROS production during seed germination and early seedling
      development in Pisum sativum. Extracellular superoxide (O2(.-)) and hydrogen
      peroxide (H2O2) production and the activity of extracellular peroxidases (ECPOX)
      were determined spectrophotometrically, and O2(.-) was identified by electron
      paramagnetic resonance. Cell wall fractionation of cotyledons, seed coats and
      radicles was used in conjunction with polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to
      investigate substrate specificity and molecular masses of O2(.-)-producing
      enzymes, and the forces that bind them to the cell wall. Seed imbibition was
      accompanied by an immediate, transient burst of redox activity that involved O2(.
      ) and other substances capable of oxidizing epinephrine, and also H2O2. At the
      final stages of germination, coinciding with radicle elongation, a second
      increase in O2(.-) but not H2O2 production occurred and was correlated with an
      increase in extracellular ECPOX activity. Electrophoretic analyses of cell wall
      fractions demonstrated the presence of enzymes capable of O2(.-) production. The
      significance of extracellular ROS production during seed germination and early
      seedling development, and also during seed aging, is discussed.

PMID- 20303612
TI  - Discordance in the histopathologic diagnosis of melanoma at a melanoma referral
      center.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Histopathologic analysis remains the gold standard for the pathologic
      diagnosis of melanoma. Numerous histologic criteria are used to diagnose
      melanoma, but none alone are sufficient to establish this diagnosis. Therefore,
      differentiating between benign pigmented lesions and melanoma may be
      controversial. Although several studies have examined the interobserver
      variability in the pathological diagnosis of melanoma, the prevalence of
      discordant diagnoses of melanocytic neoplasms is unknown. OBJECTIVE: We sought to
      examine the discordance rate of melanoma diagnoses referred to our pigmented
      lesion clinic, a subset of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
      Department of Dermatology and Comprehensive Cancer Center Melanoma Center during
      a 2-year period. METHODS: A total of 392 new patients given a diagnosis of thin
      melanoma (melanoma in situ, stage IA, stage IB) or benign nevus were referred in
      2006 and 2007, with initial diagnoses rendered by an outside dermatopathologist
      or surgical pathologist. Subsequently, these specimens were re-evaluated by
      routine histopathologic examination at the UCSF Dermatopathology Service and a
      distinct diagnosis was rendered. The two available diagnoses were compared, and
      discordance was defined as the lack of agreement between two pathologists when
      rendering a benign versus malignant versus ambiguous diagnosis. RESULTS: The
      discordance rate of melanomas and nevi between the referring centers and UCSF was
      14.3%. LIMITATIONS: This review was limited in that there were few patients with
      benign pigmented lesions referred to the pigmented lesion clinic at UCSF.
      CONCLUSION: The level of discordance in the routine histopathologic
      interpretation of melanocytic neoplasms can be high.

PMID- 20303613
TI  - New World cutaneous leishmaniasis: updated review of current and future diagnosis
      and treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) has traditionally been underrecognized
      and underreported. Improved awareness is warranted as the number of cases has
      increased as a result of increased travel to endemic countries, the HIV/AIDS
      pandemic, and the larger number of military and contract workers deployed
      overseas. OBJECTIVE: We sought to present a systematic review of evidence from a
      gamut of research trials on the treatment efficacy of different regimens and
      aggregate this knowledge for use as a guide for clinical practice decisions.
      METHODS: We performed a comprehensive search of print and electronic sources to
      identify the accumulated research information on New World CL. RESULTS: Topical
      treatment of New World CL lesions is generally not recommended. Findings support
      the systemic administration of pentavalent antimonials as first-line treatment.
      Exception to this is infection with L guyanensis in French Guiana where systemic
      pentamidine is suggested as first-line treatment. LIMITATIONS: The reliability of
      the findings of this review of research evidence is dependent on the individual
      quality and potential bias in its component principal trials. There was a
      conscious attempt to only include evidence derived from randomized controlled
      studies, with adequate randomization, adequate patient numbers, and complete
      follow-up information. However, because of the relatively small number of such
      studies on New World CL, evidence from nonrandomized studies and case series
      studies was also considered. CONCLUSIONS: The pentavalent antimony compounds
      remain the first-line treatment choice for the treatment of New World CL.
      Concerns with cost, availability, poor compliance, and systemic toxicity,
      however, may compel clinicians to opt for alternative treatment modalities. Some
      advances in the development of an antileishmanial vaccine have been made but none
      is yet available for clinic use. The increase, over recent years, in the
      incidence of CL warrants an enhanced effort to increase awareness of the disease,
      assure timely diagnosis, and implement effective management and treatment
      strategies.

PMID- 20303614
TI  - Application of a fluorescent dual stain to assess decontamination of tissue
      protein and prion amyloid from surgical stainless steel during simulated washer
      disinfector cycles.
AB  - Current World Health Organization guidelines pertaining to the reprocessing of
      surgical instruments in the face of potential iatrogenic transmission of
      Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (iCJD) are incompatible for the vast majority of
      devices. This has led to the advent of a range of new decontamination measures.
      Even without the implementation of these new procedures, the incidence of proven
      iCJD through surgery remains low. In this study, existing decontamination
      processes in sterile service departments have been evaluated using simulated
      washer-disinfector cycles on surgical grade stainless steel wires inoculated with
      ME7 scrapie homogenate. The consequence of varying the soil drying times and
      choice of cycle pre-treatment on prion removal were evaluated. Assessment of
      residual contamination at each cycle phase was carried out with the application
      of a sensitive fluorescent staining procedure to identify both total protein and
      prion-associated amyloid. The study confirmed that immediate reprocessing
      following contamination was beneficial during the pre-treatment phase with either
      an enzymatic or pre-soak wetting agent. Final total protein levels at the end of
      the cycles, were not significantly different from those where the soil was
      allowed to dry. In addition, cycles involving a pre-treatment with either an
      enzymatic cleaner or pre-soak, whether the soil was allowed to dry or not, showed
      complete removal of detectable prion amyloid. The results suggest that current
      decontamination procedures, combined with immediate processing of surgical
      instruments, have the potential to be highly effective alone at reducing the risk
      of surgical transmission of CJD.

PMID- 20303615
TI  - Patterns of resolution of infectious parameters in multidrug-resistant
      Acinetobacter baumannii ventilator-associated pneumonia.

PMID- 20303616
TI  - European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control swine flu guidelines: 'cough
      hygienically' into your sleeve?

PMID- 20303617
TI  - Emergence of an extreme-drug-resistant (XDR) Acinetobacter baumannii carrying
      blaOXA-23 in a patient with acute necrohaemorrhagic pancreatitis.

PMID- 20303618
TI  - Assessment of peripheral arterial catheters as a source of sepsis in the
      critically ill: a narrative review.
AB  - Intravascular devices (IVDs) are essential in the management of critically ill
      patients; however, IVD-related sepsis remains a major complication. Arterial
      catheters (ACs) are one of the most manipulated IVDs in critically ill patients.
      When bloodstream infection (BSI) is suspected in a patient with an IVD in situ,
      clinicians have focused their attention on the central venous catheter (CVC)
      while largely ignoring the AC. Although it would be routine for the CVC to be
      cultured and replaced if necessary for suspected IVD or catheter-related sepsis,
      the AC may not be treated in the same manner. The reasons for this may in part
      relate to the patient groups studied. In lower acuity patients with short dwell
      times, AC sepsis rates are indeed low. In the higher acuity patient, earlier
      studies suggested that ACs had an infective potential at least equal to short
      term CVCs, a finding that has translated poorly into clinical practice. It has
      been estimated that there may be up to 48,000 BSIs per year arising from ACs in
      the USA alone, suggesting a significant clinical problem. Recent evidence now
      shows that the infective potential of the AC is comparable with that in short
      term CVCs regarding both colonisation (which precedes BSI) and BSI, consolidating
      earlier studies. In critically ill patients suspected of catheter-related
      bloodsteam infection it is suggested that both the AC and CVC must now be
      assessed together.

PMID- 20303619
TI  - Working awareness of healthcare workers regarding sterilisation, disinfection,
      and transmission of bloodborne infections and device-related infections at a
      tertiary care referral centre in north India.

PMID- 20303620
TI  - Olfactory and gustatory hallucinations presenting as partial status epilepticus
      because of glioblastoma multiforme.
AB  - Olfactory and gustatory hallucinations are not often encountered in the acute
      care setting but may represent the subtle presenting features of a significant
      underlying disease process. We describe a patient whose most striking presenting
      symptoms were of olfactory and gustatory hallucinations and in whom the diagnosis
      and treatment of a new brain tumor and partial status epilepticus occurred
      entirely in the emergency department. The lesion was subsequently identified as
      glioblastoma multiforme involving the hippocampus and amygdala.

PMID- 20303621
TI  - Reducing error in the emergency department: a call for standardization of the
      sign-out process.

PMID- 20303622
TI  - [Barium aspiration pneumonitis in an elderly patient under investigation for
      progressive dysphagia].

PMID- 20303623
TI  - [The dawn of a pandemic. Description of an influenza A outbreak seen in a Health
      Centre in Leganes (Madrid) during the months of May to July 2009].

PMID- 20303624
TI  - [Urgent urinary incontinence due to taking troxerutine sachets].

PMID- 20303625
TI  - Synthesis, X-ray structures and cytotoxic activity of platinum(II), palladium(II)
      and copper(II) complexes with chelating ligands.
AB  - Here we present the synthesis of the new chelating ligands 1-benzothiazol-2-yl-5
      (2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-methyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid methyl ester (2a) and 1
      (6-chloropyridazin-3-yl)-5-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-methyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylic
      acid methyl ester (2b), obtained in the reaction of 2-methyl-4-oxo-4H-chromene-3
      carboxylic acid methyl ester (1) with hydrazine derivatives. These ligands 2a and
      2b create solid complexes with Pt(II) (4a, 4b), Pd(II) (5a, 5b) and Cu(II) (6a,
      7a, 8a, 8b and 9b) metal ions or can be cyclized to 1-benzothiazol-2-yl-3-methyl
      1H-chromeno[4,3-c]pyrazol-4-one (3a) or 1-(6-chloropyridazin-3-yl)-3-methyl-1H
      chromeno[4,3-c]pyrazol-4-one (3b). The crystal and molecular structures of ligand
      2a, its Cu(II) complexes 6a and 7a were determined by X-ray diffraction method.
      Cytotoxic activity of the ligands 2a and 2b and their complexes 4a, 4b, 5a, 5a,
      6a, 8a, 8b and 9b, and modulation of expression of BAX and P53 genes are also
      shown.

PMID- 20303626
TI  - Design and synthesis of 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives as BACE-1 inhibitors.
AB  - BACE-1 has been shown to be an attractive therapeutic target in Alzheimer's
      disease (AD). Using a 1,4-dihydropyridine (DHP) scaffold, we synthesized new
      inhibitors of BACE-1 by modifying the known BACE inhibitor 2 containing a
      hydroxyethylamine (HEA) motif. Using structure-based drug design based on
      computer-aided molecular docking, the isophthalamide ring of 2 was replaced with
      a 1,4-dihydropyridine ring as a brain-targeting strategy. Several of the new
      dihydropyridine derivatives were synthesized and their BACE-1-inhibitory
      activities were evaluated using a cell-based, reporter gene assay system that
      measures the cleavage of alkaline phosphatase (AP)-APP fusion protein by BACE-1.
      Most of the 1,4-DHP analogs showed BACE-1-inhibitory activities with IC50 values
      in the range 8-30 microM, suggesting that the 1,4-DHP skeleton may be utilized to
      develop brain-targeting BACE-1 inhibitors.

PMID- 20303627
TI  - [Hypereosinophilic syndromes: pathogenic and therapeutic up-to-date].
AB  - The hypereosinophilic syndromes (HES), defined by an unexplained and sustained
      hypereosinophilia, can be associated with heterogeneous hematological conditions.
      Several molecular mechanisms underlying the eosinophilia, which remained
      indeterminate for a long time, have been recently identified. These recent
      advances allowed a better classification of the various forms of HES and the
      development of targeted therapies. The role of tyrosine kinases, especially
      PDGFRA, and the efficacy of tyrosine kinases inhibitors dramatically improved the
      diagnosis and the treatment of myeloproliferative variant of HES. On the other
      side, eosinophilia can be driven by IL-5 secreting abnormal and often clonal T
      cell subsets (lymphocytic variant of HES). The crucial role of this cytokine in
      eosinophil development, activation and survival leads to the assessment of anti
      IL-5 monoclonal antibodies which have recently shown to provide a significant
      corticosteroid sparing effect in FIP1L1-PDGFRA negative HES patients. Despite
      these major advances, half of HES remains unexplained (idiopathic HES). Some
      FIPL1-PDGFRA negative patients respond to imatinib, suggesting the role of other
      tyrosine kinases (or other partners than FIP1L1 in a fusion gene implicating
      PDGFRA). Development of new biomarkers is needed to help physicians in the
      diagnosis, classification of HES and in the choice of a targeted therapy.

PMID- 20303628
TI  - Radon mapping by retrospective measurements - an approach based on CDs/DVDs.
AB  - This article points out the ability to map retrospective (222)Rn concentrations
      by home stored CDs/DVDs. The method employs the high radon absorption ability of
      the polycarbonate material of CDs and DVDs and their track-etch properties. The
      principle steps for the application of the method are addressed. The possibility
      for individual a posteriori calibration is studied, demonstrating that better
      than 10% accuracy in retrospective measurements is potentially achievable.
      Results from retrospective measurements in three different regions are shown,
      demonstrating the potential of the method for large-scale radon mapping.
      Comparison with independently evaluated retrospective (222)Rn concentrations in
      places with known radon history was made and very good correspondence was
      observed. The experience indicates that the method can be used for large scale
      retrospective radon mapping and its applications can be expanded towards mapping
      of radon concentrations in water and soil gas.

PMID- 20303629
TI  - Recent 137Cs deposition in sediments of Admiralty Bay, Antarctica.
AB  - Cesium-137, radium-226 and lead-210 profiles of a 25 cm sediment core give an
      indication of recent changes in land-ocean interactions at a polar coastal
      environment (Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica). The linear
      sedimentation accumulation rate at the study site calculated from the unsupported
      (210)Pb profile was 6.7 mm/year from 1965 to 2005. A 3.5-fold increase in (137)Cs
      concentrations was observed in the top layer of this sediment core. This sharp
      increase seems to indicate a recent redistribution of fallout radionuclides
      previously deposited on soil, vegetation and snow. These results imply enhanced
      land-ocean interactions at this site likely as a result of climate change.
      Because our results are based on a single core, additional investigations are
      needed to confirm our observations.

PMID- 20303630
TI  - Natural radionuclide concentrations in two phosphate ores of east Algeria.
AB  - Ore is considered as an important source of many elements such as the iron,
      phosphorus, and uranium. Concerning the natural radionuclides, their
      concentrations vary from an ore to other depending on the chemical composition of
      each site. In this work, two phosphate ores found in East of Algeria have been
      chosen to assess the activity concentration of natural radionuclides represented
      mainly by three natural radioactive series (238)U, (235)U and (232)Th, and the
      primordial radionuclide (40)K where they were determined using ultra-low
      background, high-resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy. The measured activity
      concentrations of radioactive series ranged from 6.2 +/- 0.4 to 733 +/- 33 Bq.kg(
      1) for the (232)Th series, from 249 +/- 16 to 547 +/- 39 Bq.kg(-1) for the (238)U
      series, around 24.2 +/- 2.5 Bq.kg(-1) for the (235)U series, and from 1.4 +/- 0.2
      to 6.7 +/- 0.7 Bq.kg(-1) for (40)K. To assess exposure to gamma radiation in the
      two ores, from specific activities of (232)Th, (40)K and (226)Ra, three indexes
      were determined: Radium equivalent (Ra(eq)), external and internal hazard indexes
      (H(ex) and H(in)), their values ranged from 831 +/- 8 to 1298 +/- 14 Bq.kg(-1)
      for Ra(eq), from 2.2 +/- 0.4 to 3.5 +/- 0.7 Bq.kg(-1) for H(ex), and from 4.2 +/-
      0.7 to 4.5 +/- 0.7 Bq.kg(-1) for H(in).

PMID- 20303632
TI  - Lowering postdialysis plasma sodium (conductivity) to increase sodium removal in
      volume-expanded hemodialysis patients: a pilot study using a biofeedback software
      system.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Extracellular fluid expansion is common in hemodialysis patients.
      Aggressive fluid removal may lead to intradialytic complications. High dialysate
      sodium concentrations may lessen complications, but may increase extracellular
      volume. We hypothesized that decreasing plasma sodium concentration during
      dialysis will increase sodium removal and decrease extracellular volume. STUDY
      DESIGN: Pilot clinical trial. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: 16 patients with end-stage
      kidney disease treated using thrice-weekly hemodialysis at a university teaching
      hospital hemodialysis unit. INTERVENTION: Stepwise decrease in postdialysis
      plasma sodium level (calculated as end-of-session plasma conductivity) over 4
      phases effected by dialysate conductivity measurement cells and a biofeedback
      software system (Diacontrol; Hospal, www.hospal.it) that allowed alteration of
      dialysate inlet conductivity and calculation of plasma conductivity. OUTCOMES:
      Decrease in postdialysis plasma sodium (conductivity) levels, sodium removal,
      redistribution of body water, and effect of these on interdialytic weight gain
      and blood pressure. MEASUREMENTS: Plasma sodium and conductivity values (the
      latter measured in millisiemens per centimeter); ionic mass balance (sodium
      removal); bioelectrical impedance analysis measurements of body-water
      compartments and phase angle; interdialytic weight gain; and blood pressure.
      RESULTS: Plasma sodium concentrations at the end of dialysis were decreased from
      137.8 (phase 1) to 135.6 mmol/L (phase 4) and end-of-session plasma conductivity
      values were decreased from 14.0 (phase 1) to 13.5 mS/cm (phase 4; all mean
      values). Ionic mass balance increased from 383 to 480 mmol. Extracellular water
      was significantly decreased, phase angle was increased, and blood pressure and
      interdialytic weight gain were decreased. Plasma sodium levels correlated
      significantly with plasma conductivity; thus, changes in postdialysis plasma
      sodium levels can be inferred from changes in end-of-session plasma conductivity
      values. LIMITATIONS: Small number of patients. No information for dietary sodium
      intake. CONCLUSION: To decrease extracellular volume, it may be necessary to add
      diffusive to convective sodium losses.

PMID- 20303631
TI  - Cementless fixation of radial head implants is affected by implant stem geometry:
      an in vitro study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Metal radial head implants are widely used for the management of
      unreconstructible fractures. However, the effect of implant stem design on
      initial fixation and stability is unknown. This study determined the effects of
      radial head stem geometry on the initial stability of the uncemented implant. It
      was hypothesized that cortical contact and hence increased fixation would be
      achieved with an increased stem diameter, stem length and a tapered shape.
      METHODS: Eleven radii received five implants with differing stem geometries:
      short and long undersized, short and long optimally sized and short tapered.
      Inferiorly-directed compressive loads were applied successively to the anterior,
      posterior, medial and lateral edges of the implants. Maximum contralateral radial
      head "lift-off" was quantified by the distance between bone and implant surface
      markers. FINDINGS: The short and long undersized implants experienced greater
      micromotion with approximately 100 microm and 160 microm more lift-off
      respectively (P<0.02). The remaining optimally sized and tapered implants
      averaged 50 microm. There was greater motion for the undersized implants loaded
      at the lateral position (P0.005). INTERPRETATION: This study shows that filling
      the diameter of the medullary canal is more important than filling the length of
      the canal. The taper did not offer any additional advantages compared to the
      straight stem, suggesting that reaming of bone to accept the taper did not
      produce enhanced initial purchase. If rigid initial implant fixation is desired
      with an uncemented radial head implant, a canal-filling stem reduces initial
      implant micromotion to less than 50 microm which may enhance bone ingrowth.

PMID- 20303633
TI  - Acute kidney injury in critically ill patients infected with 2009 pandemic
      influenza A(H1N1): report from a Canadian Province.
AB  - BACKGROUND: 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) has led to a global increase in
      severe respiratory illness. Little is known about kidney outcomes and dialytic
      requirements in critically ill patients infected with pandemic H1N1. STUDY
      DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: 50 patients with
      pandemic H1N1 admitted to any of 7 intensive care units in Manitoba, Canada, were
      prospectively followed. OUTCOME & MEASUREMENTS: Outcomes were kidney injury and
      kidney failure defined using RIFLE (risk, injury, failure, loss, end-stage
      disease) criteria or need for dialysis therapy. RESULTS: The pandemic H1N1 group
      was composed of 50 critically ill patients with pandemic H1N1 with severe
      respiratory syndrome (47 confirmed cases, 3 probable). Kidney injury, kidney
      failure, and need for dialysis occurred in 66.7%, 66%, and 11% of patients,
      respectively. Mortality was 16%. Kidney failure was associated with increased
      death (OR, 11.29; 95% CI, 1.29-98.9), whereas the need for dialysis was
      associated with an increase in length of stay (RR, 2.38; 95% CI, 2.13-25.75).
      LIMITATIONS: Small population studied from single Canadian province; thus,
      limited generalizability. CONCLUSIONS: In critically ill patients with pandemic
      H1N1, kidney injury, kidney failure, and the need for dialysis are common and
      associated with an increase in mortality and length of intensive care unit stay.

PMID- 20303634
TI  - Decreased kidney function and crystal deposition in the tubules after kidney
      transplant.
AB  - Adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT) deficiency is an autosomal recessive
      purine enzyme defect that results in the inability to utilize adenine, which
      consequently is oxidized by xanthine dehydrogenase to 2,8-dihydroxyadenine (2,8
      DHA), an extremely insoluble substance eventually leading to crystalluria,
      nephrolithiasis, and kidney injury. We describe a case of APRT deficiency not
      diagnosed until the evaluation of a poorly functioning kidney transplant in a 67
      year-old white woman. After the transplant, there was delayed transplant
      function, urine specimens showed crystals with unusual appearance, and the
      transplant biopsy specimen showed intratubular obstruction by crystals identified
      as 2,8-DHA using infrared spectroscopy. APRT enzymatic activity was undetectable
      in red blood cell lysates, and analysis of the APRT gene showed 1 heterozygous
      sequence variant, a duplication of T at position 1832. The patient was treated
      with allopurinol, 300 mg/d, and transplant function progressively normalized.
      Because patients with undiagnosed APRT deficiency who undergo kidney transplant
      may risk losing the transplant because of an otherwise treatable disease,
      increased physician awareness may hasten the diagnosis and limit the morbidity
      associated with this disease.

PMID- 20303635
TI  - Predicting violence in romantic relationships during adolescence and emerging
      adulthood: a critical review of the mechanisms by which familial and peer
      influences operate.
AB  - For three decades, researchers have sought to gain a greater understanding of the
      developmental antecedents to later perpetration or victimization of violence in
      romantic relationships. Whereas the majority of early studies focused on family
      of-origin factors, attention in recent years has turned to additional ecologies
      such as peer relationships. This review highlights accomplishments of both family
      and peer studies that focus on violent romantic relationships in an effort to
      summarize the current state of knowledge. Attention is given to epidemiology and
      developmental family and peer factors, with special attention given to mechanisms
      that mediate and/or moderate the relation between family and peer factors and
      later participation in violent relationships. A critical approach is taken
      throughout the review in order to identify limitations of previous studies, and
      to highlight key findings. A case is made for viewing these developmental
      antecedents as a result of multiple developmental ecologies that is perhaps best
      summarized as a culture of violence.

PMID- 20303636
TI  - Is flanker-based inhibition related to age? Identifying specific influences of
      individual differences on neurocognitive variables.
AB  - Researchers frequently attempt to identify the specific neurocognitive processes
      that might be responsible for differences in performance associated with
      neurological status or other individual difference characteristics by
      administering two or more conditions of an experimental task to different groups
      of participants, and focusing on the group-by-condition interaction as the
      primary outcome of interest. Three limitations of this approach are discussed,
      and an alternative analytical method is proposed to overcome the limitations. The
      method is demonstrated in analyses of data from 10 cognitive tasks in two
      independent studies, including two flanker tasks which are often used to assess
      aspects of inhibition.

PMID- 20303637
TI  - [The Archivos archive, 2009].

PMID- 20303638
TI  - [Permissive and non-permissive hypercapnia: mechanisms of action and consequences
      of high carbon dioxide levels].
AB  - Acute lung injury is a disease with high incidence of mortality and its treatment
      is still controversial. Increasing the levels of CO2 beyond the physiological
      range has been proposed as a potential protective strategy for patients on
      mechanical ventilation, as it could moderate the inflammatory response. In this
      article we review the published evidence on the role of CO2 during acute lung
      injury. We conclude that although there are reports suggesting benefits from
      hypercapnia, more recent evidence suggests that hypercapnia could be deleterious,
      contributing to worsening of the lung injury.

PMID- 20303639
TI  - Cardiac arrest centres make sense.

PMID- 20303640
TI  - Impact of transport to critical care medical centers on outcomes after out-of
      hospital cardiac arrest.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Post-resuscitation care has emerged as an important predictor of
      survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). In Japan, selected hospitals
      are certified as Critical Care Medical Centers (CCMCs) based on their ability and
      expertise. HYPOTHESIS: Outcome after OHCA is better in patients transported to a
      CCMC compared a non-critical care hospital (NCCH). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Adults
      with OHCA of presumed cardiac etiology, treated by emergency medical services
      systems, and transported in Osaka from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2007 were
      registered using a prospective Utstein style population cohort database. Primary
      outcome measure was 1 month neurologically favorable survival (CPC< or =2).
      Outcomes of patients transported to CCMC were compared with patients transported
      to NCCH using multiple logistic regressions and stratified on the basis of
      stratified field ROSC. RESULTS: 10,383 cases were transported. Of these, 2881
      were transported to CCMC and 7502 to NCCH. Neurologically favorable 1-month
      survival was greater in the CCMC group [6.7% versus 2.8%, P<0.001]. Among
      patients who were transported to hospital without field ROSC, neurologically
      favorable outcome was greater in the CCMC group than the NCCH group [1.7% versus
      0.5%; adjusted odds ratio (OR), 3.39; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.17-5.29;
      P<0.001]. In the presence of field ROSC, survival was similar between the groups
      [43% versus 41%; adjusted OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.82-1.45; P=0.554]. CONCLUSIONS:
      Survival after OHCA of presumed cardiac etiology transported to CCMCs was better
      than those transported to NCCHs. For OHCA patients without field ROSC, transport
      to a CCMC was an independent predictor for a good neurological outcome.

PMID- 20303641
TI  - A pilot study comparing efficacy of a cervical intraepithelial neoplasia Excisor
      with loop electrosurgical excision procedure.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the proportion of incomplete resection of
      cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN 1-3) may be reduced by CIN Excisor
      compared with loop excision of the transformation zone (LLETZ). STUDY DESIGN: A
      prospective trial during a 2-year period at a district general hospital in
      London, United Kingdom, including 420 women scheduled for treatment due to CIN,
      after colposcopy guided biopsy results. This study was expected to demonstrate a
      statistically significant difference (p<0.05) in the proportion of women with
      clear histopathological resection margins after treatment with CIN Excisor
      compared with LLETZ. Chi-square or Fisher's exact test were used to compare
      histopathological resection margins in the CIN Excisor and LLETZ groups. RESULTS:
      Overall, there is strong evidence of a difference in the proportion of
      histopathological specimens with clear resection margins for the CIN Excisor
      group, compared with the LLETZ group (201/210, 95.7% versus 180/210, 85.7%:
      p<0.001). Sub-analysis within the two groups, of the proportion of
      histopathological specimens with clear resection margins in relation to CIN
      grades, revealed a statistically significant difference in favour of the CIN
      Excisor group for CIN 1 (99/103, 96.1% versus 82/95, 86.3%: p=0.01), and CIN 2
      (73/77, 94.8% versus 68/80, 85%: p=0.04). There is a numerical difference in the
      proportion of clear resection margins in favour of the CIN Excisor for CIN 3
      (29/30, 96.7% versus 30/35, 85.7%), but this difference was not statistically
      significant (p=0.21). Perioperative complications were similar between the two
      groups. CONCLUSION: CIN Excisor achieved better results than LLETZ for treatment
      of CIN 1-3 with respect to clear histopathological resection margins. However,
      further studies including a larger number of women treated for CIN 3 are needed
      before firm conclusions are drawn.

PMID- 20303642
TI  - Coagulation versus excision of primary superficial endometriosis: a 2-year follow
      up.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Even the common mild forms of endometriosis can strongly affect
      quality of life due to dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, dyschezia, or subfertility. We
      compared the effectiveness of the two laparoscopic methods, coagulation versus
      excision, for intraperitoneal superficial endometriosis with regard to recurrence
      and symptom control. STUDY DESIGN: In a retrospective analysis we evaluated the
      postoperative follow-up of 79 patients, aged 16-42, with superficial
      manifestation of endometriosis (median rASRM score 9.2) operated on in the
      Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at the Jena University Hospital. Forty
      three patients were treated by electrocoagulation and 36 underwent sharp
      excision. Therapy success was evaluated by using a questionnaire after a mean
      follow-up of 29 months. Patients were interviewed about pain associated with
      endometriosis such as dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, dyschezia and possible medical
      treatment after surgery. We evaluated the number of surgically proven relapses
      and questionnaire results using a pain score on an ordinal scale (1-5) for the
      three categories dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and dyschezia. RESULTS: Both
      treatment methods resulted in a low number of endometriosis-related symptoms
      after surgical intervention and in recurrences of 2.8% in the coagulation group
      and 18.6% in the excision group. The recurrence rate in the coagulation group was
      lower (p=0.001). The coagulation group was also presented with a significantly
      lower postoperative pain score at our long-term follow-up (p=0.0067). CONCLUSION:
      In cases of superficial endometriosis, laparoscopic surgery achieved low
      recurrence rates and good symptom control. Compared to sharp excision the use of
      bipolar electrocoagulation might result in fewer endometriosis-related symptoms
      as well as fewer relapses with need for surgical re-intervention after a more
      than 2-year interval. Due to the retrospective, non-randomized character of this
      study the results should be interpreted carefully. Further prospective studies
      are needed to assess the value of both surgical approaches in the treatment of
      endometriosis.

PMID- 20303643
TI  - Isolated torsion of the fallopian tube in a patient with polycystic ovarian
      syndrome (PCOS).

PMID- 20303644
TI  - Signal relay from sensory rhodopsin I to the cognate transducer HtrI: assessing
      the critical change in hydrogen-bonding between Tyr-210 and Asn-53.
AB  - Sensory rhodopsin I (SRI) from Halobacterium salinarum mediates both positive and
      negative phototaxis in a light-dependent manner. SRI photoactivation elicits
      extensive structural changes which are transmitted to the cognate transducer
      (HtrI). The atomic structure of the SRI-HtrI complex has not been solved yet and,
      therefore, details on the interaction which define the binding site between
      receptor and transducer are missing. The related complex SRII-HtrII from
      Natronobacterium pharaonis exhibits a hydrogen bond between the receptor Y199 and
      transducer N54. This bond has been suggested to mediate signal relay in the SRII
      HtrII system. Our previous results on the SRI-HtrI complex indicated that HtrI
      N53 forms a hydrogen bond at the cytoplasm-proximity of the membrane. Here, based
      on kinetic and spectroscopic data, we demonstrate that Y210 of SRI is
      functionally significant for the signal relay in the SRI-HtrI complex. Each of
      the tyrosine residues Y197, Y208, Y210 and Y213 were conservatively exchanged for
      phenylalanine but only the Y210F mutation led to the disappearance of the
      infrared band of the terminal amide C=O of N53. From this FT-IR spectroscopic
      result, we conclude that Y210 of SRI and N53 of HtrI interact via a hydrogen bond
      which is crucial for the signal transfer from the light receptor to the
      transducer.

PMID- 20303645
TI  - Progenitor cells harvested from bovine follicles become endothelial cells.
AB  - Hematopoietic-like colonies develop in post-confluent granulosa cell cultures
      derived from bovine antral follicles. Previously, we had shown that these
      colonies gave rise to macrophages. In the present study, we validated the
      presence of somatic KIT-positive (KIT(+)) progenitor cells in colony-containing
      granulosa cell cultures. The cultures expressed the progenitor cell markers Sox
      2, Oct 3/4, KIT, and alkaline phosphatase in western blot analysis. The
      successful double immunofluorescence localization of KIT and CD14, CD45, CD133,
      or VEGF-R2 revealed a specific subpopulation of progenitor cells. Flow cytometry
      showed that cells doubly positive for KIT and CD14 or CD45 comprised less than
      10% of the population. The KIT(+) cells were purified by magnetic selection and
      differentiated with the hanging drop technique using haematopoietic
      differentiation medium. Pure cultures of either granulosa cells or endothelial
      cells were obtained. The spindle-shaped and epithelioid phenotypes indicated
      endothelial cell heterogeneity of microvascular source. We conclude that
      progenitor cells are obtained from the follicle harvest, which differentiate into
      endothelial cells. The cells are relevant for findings to angiogenesis and
      luteinization of the corpus luteum.

PMID- 20303646
TI  - Impact of routine second transurethral resection on the long-term outcome of
      patients with newly diagnosed pT1 urothelial carcinoma with respect to
      recurrence, progression rate, and disease-specific survival: a prospective
      randomised clinical trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transurethral resection (TUR) of bladder tumours is not only
      mandatory for adequate staging but also crucial in delaying or preventing tumour
      recurrence and progression. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of routine second
      TUR on the long-term outcome of patients with newly diagnosed pT1 urothelial
      carcinoma. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred ten newly diagnosed T1
      bladder cancer patients were prospectively randomised to two groups between
      January 2001 and January 2005. Second TUR was performed within 2-6 wk after the
      initial resection for the patients of group 1. Second TUR was not done in group
      2. All patients (groups 1 and 2) received the first instillation of intravesical
      chemotherapy within 24h after the initial resection. Urine cytology and follow-up
      cystoscopy were performed at 3-mo intervals for the first year, biannually for
      the second year, and annually thereafter. All patients were followed until death
      or a minimum of 54 mo. MEASUREMENTS: This study recorded recurrence, progression
      rate, and disease-specific survival. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: The mean follow-up
      period was 66.1 mo without a significant difference between the groups. Residual
      tumour was detected histopathologically in 35 of 105 patients in group 1. Of
      these patients, eight had upper-stage (pT2) disease. Recurrence was observed in
      37 of the 93 patients in group 1 and 70 of the 98 patients in group 2. Median
      recurrence-free survival was 47 mo for group 1 compared with 12 mo for group 2.
      Progression was observed in 6.5% of patients for group 1 compared to 23.5% of
      patients for group 2 (p=0.001). Median progress-free survival was 73 mo for group
      1 compared to 53.5 mo for group 2. The overall survival rate was 67.7% and 64.3%
      in groups 1 and 2, respectively (log-rank test result: 0.363). Only 5 of the 30
      patients in group 1 died of cancer compared to 11 of the 35 patients in group 2
      (p=0.038). CONCLUSIONS: We have clearly shown that second TUR, which is performed
      only after complete first TUR, has significantly decreased the recurrence and
      progression rates in patients with newly diagnosed T1 disease compared to
      patients with T1 disease but with no second TUR. This study once more underscores
      the effect of TUR, which is usually underappreciated.

PMID- 20303647
TI  - The relationship between actigraphically defined sleep disturbance and REM sleep
      behaviour disorder in Parkinson's Disease.
AB  - AIM: In this study, we sought to evaluate the utility of actigraphy for examining
      symptoms of rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (RSBD). METHODS: Twenty
      two patients with idiopathic Parkinson's Disease (mean age=63.4 years, SD=7.5)
      underwent neurological assessment and completed sleep diaries, self-report sleep
      questionnaires and 2-weeks of actigraphy. They also completed the rapid eye
      movement sleep behavior disorder questionnaire and were classified as screening
      negative (RSBD-, n=9) or positive (RSBD+, n=13) for RSBD according to published
      criteria. Key outcome data were the number of wake bouts and duration of arousals
      during the sleep interval as determined by actigraphy. RESULTS: Patients
      classified as RSBD+ demonstrated a higher number of wake bouts than those who
      were RSBD- (p=0.011). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that actigraphy may be a
      viable tool to assist in the early identification of RSBD. In turn, this could
      guide early intervention approaches.

PMID- 20303648
TI  - Downregulation of RhoB GTPase confers resistance to cisplatin in human laryngeal
      carcinoma cells.
AB  - Acquired resistance to cisplatin represents a major obstacle to an efficient
      chemotherapy. We found downregulation of RhoB expression in cisplatin-resistant
      tumor cell lines from different origin. In cisplatin-resistant laryngeal
      carcinoma subline overexpression of farnesylated or geranylgeranylated RhoB
      increased cisplatin-induced cell death, while silencing of RhoB expression
      diminished sensitivity of parental HEp-2 cells via decreased cellular
      accumulation of cisplatin. However, since RhoB silencing in additional tumor cell
      lines did not alter their sensitivity to cisplatin, we can assume that RhoB
      downregulation does not provide general protective role in cell response to
      cisplatin. Nevertheless, gene therapy involving restoration of RhoB expression
      might improve the efficiency of cisplatin treatment, especially in patients with
      laryngeal carcinoma that acquired resistance to this chemotherapeutic drug.

PMID- 20303650
TI  - A tandem scFv-based fusion protein and its enediyne-energized analogue show
      intensified therapeutic efficacy against lung carcinoma xenograft in athymic
      mice.
AB  - Gelatinases play important roles in tumor progression and are abundantly
      expressed in a variety of malignant tumors. Antibody targeting gelatinases is a
      possible avenue to fight against cancer. However, antibody alone can not achieve
      curative efficacy. Herein, we demonstrated the intensified targeting therapy of a
      tandem scFv-based fusion protein and its enediyne-energized analogue against
      gelatinases-overexpressed tumor. A fusion protein dFv-LDP, comprising a tandem
      scFv of anti-gelatinases linked to the apoprotein (LDP) of lidamycin, was
      generated and showed strong tumor targeting capability in three different tumor
      xenografts. In PG-BE1 lung carcinoma xenograft, the tumor inhibition rate was
      77.5% by dFv-LDP versus 94.2% by dFv-LDP-AE, the product of dFv-LDP assembled
      with the active enediyne chromophore (AE) of lidamycin. Moreover, the combination
      of dFv-LDP with dFv-LDP-AE further augmented the therapeutic efficacy, producing
      initial tumor shrinkage in five of six mice. The microvessel density (P<0.05) and
      proliferation index (P<0.05) were also stepwise decreased in groups of dFv-LDP,
      dFv-LDP-AE and the combination. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that the
      antibody-based therapy against gelatinases was stepwise intensified in use of dFv
      LDP, dFv-LDP-AE and dFv-LDP plus dFv-LDP-AE, and indicated that the combination
      of an antibody with its drug-armed analogue might be of interest as a new
      approach to augment antitumor efficacy.

PMID- 20303651
TI  - Occurrence and risks of triclosan and triclocarban in the Pearl River system,
      South China: from source to the receiving environment.
AB  - We investigated two commonly used antimicrobial agents triclosan (TCS) and
      triclocarban (TCC) in the Pearl River system in China (i.e., Liuxi, Zhujiang and
      Shijing Rivers) and four sewage effluents during dry and wet seasons. The median
      values for TCS and TCC were the highest in the surface water and sediments of the
      Shijing River, followed by the Zhujiang River and Liuxi River. Screening level
      risk assessment using the risk quotient (RQ) method showed that TCS and TCC in
      surface water posed median risks in the Zhujiang and Liuxi Rivers (RQs: 0.28-0.62
      for TCS, and 0.15-0.80 for TCC) and high risks in the Shijing River (RQs: 5.15
      9.55 for TCS, and 3.32-5.83 for TCC). Higher risks (RQs: 3.63-28.47 for TCS, and
      3.13-24.54 for TCC) were found in the sediments than in surface water of the
      Pearl River system. The four sewage effluents and Shijing River as well as other
      urban streams in Guangzhou metropolitan area were identified as the sources of
      the two compounds in the main river Zhujiang River. The mass inventories of TCS
      and TCC in the Pearl River system indicate that the sediments are not only an
      important sink but also a potential source for the two compounds in surface
      water.

PMID- 20303649
TI  - MUC4 down-regulation reverses chemoresistance of pancreatic cancer
      stem/progenitor cells and their progenies.
AB  - The present study was undertaken to estimate the therapeutic benefit to down
      regulate the MUC4 mucin for reversing chemoresistance of pancreatic cancer (PC)
      stem/progenitor cells and their progenies. The results have revealed that MUC4
      mucin is overexpressed in CD133(+) and CD133(-) pancreatic cells (PCs) detected
      in patient's adenocarcinoma tissues while no significant expression was seen in
      normal pancreatic tissues. The gain- and loss-of-function analyses have indicated
      that the overexpression of MUC4 in PC lines is associated with a higher
      resistance to the anti-proliferative, anti-invasive and apoptotic effects induced
      by gemcitabine. Importantly, the treatment of the MUC4-overexpressing CD18/HPAF
      Src cells with gemcitabine resulted in an enrichment of the side population (SP)
      cells expressing CD133 while the total PC cells including non-SP cells detected
      in MUC4 knockdown CD18/HPAF-shMUC4 cells were responsive to the cytotoxic effects
      induced by gemcitabine. These data suggest that the MUC4 down-regulation may
      constitute a potential therapeutic strategy for improving the efficacy of
      gemcitabine to eradicate the total PC cell mass, and thereby preventing disease
      relapse.

PMID- 20303652
TI  - Study of organic matter during coagulation and electrocoagulation processes:
      application to a stabilized landfill leachate.
AB  - Organic matter contained in leachates appears to be a relevant indicator of waste
      evolution. Among the physico-chemical treatments applied to stabilize leachates,
      coagulation-flocculation is considered a classical process and electrocoagulation
      can be developed. Electrocoagulation tests were carried out in a laboratory pilot
      using aluminium plates and compared to classical coagulation-flocculation with
      aluminium ions and to electrolysis alone. The leachate used in this study came
      from the landfill of Crezin (Limoges, France) and it presented low
      biodegradability and high concentration of macromolecules. To assess the
      efficiency of the chemical and electrochemical processes, we specifically studied
      Organic Matter (OM) by using two protocols: adsorption on XAD resins and
      fractionation by ultrafiltration. Biodegradable Dissolved Organic Carbon (BDOC)
      measurements were applied to the fractions extracted by XAD resins and were also
      used as an indicator of the efficiency of the treatments. Residual organic matter
      concentration was the same for the two processes but its composition appeared
      different after electrocoagulation: a higher percentage of small hydrophilic
      organic molecules which seemed to be less biodegradable than the initial organic
      matter was observed.

PMID- 20303653
TI  - Experimental design approach applied to the elimination of crystal violet in
      water by electrocoagulation with Fe or Al electrodes.
AB  - An experimental design methodology was applied to evaluate the decolourization of
      crystal violet (CV) dye by electrocoagulation using iron or aluminium electrodes.
      The effects and interactions of four parameters, initial pH (3-9), current
      density (6-28 A m(-2)), substrate concentration (50-200 mg L(-1)) and supporting
      electrolyte concentration (284-1420 mg L(-1) of Na(2)SO(4)), were optimized and
      evaluated. Although the results using iron anodes were better than for aluminium,
      the effects and interactions of the studied parameters were quite similar. With a
      confidence level of 95%, initial pH and supporting electrolyte concentration
      showed limited effects on the removal rate of CV, whereas current density,
      pollutant concentration and the interaction of both were significant. Reduced
      models taking into account significant variables and interactions between
      variables have shown good correlations with the experimental results. Under
      optimal conditions, almost complete removal of CV and chemical oxygen demand were
      obtained after electrocoagulation for 5 and 30 min, using iron and aluminium
      electrodes, respectively. These results indicate that electrocoagulation with
      iron anodes is a rapid, economical and effective alternative to the complete
      removal of CV in waters. Evolutions of pH and residual iron or aluminium
      concentrations in solution are also discussed.

PMID- 20303655
TI  - Removal of Cd(II) from aqueous solution with activated Firmiana Simplex Leaf:
      behaviors and affecting factors.
AB  - Cadmium pollution is known to cause severe public health problems. This study is
      intended to examine the effect of an activated Firmiana Simplex Leaf (FSL) on the
      removal of Cd(II) from aqueous solution. Results showed that the active Firmiana
      Simplex Leaf could efficiently remove Cd(II) from wastewater due to the
      preservation of beneficial groups (amine, carboxyl, and phosphate) at a
      temperature of 250 degrees C. The adsorbent component, dosage, concentration of
      the initial solute, and the pH of the solution were all found to have significant
      effects on Cd(II) adsorption. The kinetic constants were predicted by pseudo
      first-order kinetics, and the thermodynamic analysis revealed the endothermic and
      spontaneous nature of the adsorption. FT-IR and XRD analyses confirmed the strong
      adsorption between beneficial groups and cadmium ions, and the adsorption
      capacity was calculated to be 117.786 mg g(-1) according to the Langmuir
      isotherm.

PMID- 20303654
TI  - Removal of malachite green from aqueous solution by activated carbon prepared
      from the epicarp of Ricinus communis by adsorption.
AB  - The use of low-cost, locally available, highly efficient and eco-friendly
      adsorbents has been investigated as an ideal alternative to the current expensive
      methods of removing dyes from wastewater. This study investigates the potential
      use of activated carbon prepared from the epicarp of Ricinus communis for the
      removal of malachite green (MG) dye from simulated wastewater. The effects of
      different system variables, adsorbent dosage, initial dye concentration, pH and
      contact time were investigated and optimal experimental conditions were
      ascertained. The results showed that as the amount of the adsorbent increased,
      the percentage of dye removal increased accordingly. Optimum pH value for dye
      adsorption was 7.0. Maximum dye was sequestered within 50 min of the start of
      every experiment. The adsorption of malachite green followed the pseudo-second
      order rate equation and fits the Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R)
      and Tempkin equations well. The maximum removal of MG was obtained at pH 7 as
      99.04% for adsorbent dose of 1 g 50 mL(-1) and 25 mg L(-1) initial dye
      concentration at room temperature. Activated carbon developed from R. communis
      can be an attractive option for dye removal from diluted industrial effluents
      since test reaction made on simulated dyeing wastewater showed better removal
      percentage of MG.

PMID- 20303656
TI  - Genotoxicity effect of nitrobenzene on soybean (Glycine max) root tip cells.
AB  - Nitrobenzene is a synthetic compound widely used in industry which can lead to
      environmental pollution. While the toxicity and carcinogenicity of nitrobenzene
      on humans and animals have been studied, less is known about its genotoxicity to
      plants. In this study, the genotoxic effects of nitrobenzene were investigated
      with growing soybean seedlings in solution culture. Compared with the control,
      the growth of soybean seedlings (taproot length, longest lateral root length and
      lateral roots number) decreased and showed statistics difference at nitrobenzene
      test concentration of 50 and 100mg/L. Micronucleus, chromosomal bridge and others
      chromosomal aberrations were observed in soybean root tip cells exposed to
      nitrobenzene. Frequency of chromosomal aberrations increased linearly with
      nitrobenzene test concentration between 5 and 50mg/L and decreased at 100mg/L
      which showed significant difference between control and 25mg/L or higher test
      concentration. Results of the present study suggest that nitrobenzene has
      genotoxicity on soybean root tip cells. The mechanism of genotoxicity of NB needs
      further study. It is concluded that high environmental levels of nitrobenzene in
      rivers, lakes and dam waters are hazardous to aquatic species and to irrigated
      plants.

PMID- 20303657
TI  - Biosorption of Cr(VI) by coconut coir: spectroscopic investigation on the
      reaction mechanism of Cr(VI) with lignocellulosic material.
AB  - In this study, the removal mechanism of Cr(VI) from water by coconut coir (CC)
      was investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Cr K-edge X-ray
      absorption near edge structure (XANES) and FTIR spectroscopy. The results showed
      that, upon reaction with CC at pH 3, Cr(VI) was reduced to Cr(III), which was
      either bound to CC or released back into solution. As revealed by the FTIR
      spectra of CC before and after reacting with Cr(VI), the phenolic methoxyl and
      hydroxyl groups of lignin in CC are the dominant drivers of Cr(VI) reduction,
      giving rise to carbonyl and carboxyl groups on CC. These functional groups can
      subsequently provide binding sites for Cr(III) resulting from Cr(VI) reduction.
      In conjunction with forming complexes with carbonyl and carboxyl groups, the
      formation of Cr(III) hydroxide precipitate could also readily occur as revealed
      by the linear combination fitting of the Cr K-edge XANES spectrum using a set of
      reference compounds. The phenolic groups in lignin are responsible for initiating
      Cr(VI) reduction, so lignocellulosic materials containing a higher amount of
      phenolic groups are expected to be more effective scavengers for removal of
      Cr(VI) from the environment.

PMID- 20303658
TI  - Removal of arsenate from water by using an Fe-Ce oxide adsorbent: effects of
      coexistent fluoride and phosphate.
AB  - The Langmuir two-site equation, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and extended X
      ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy have been employed to study the
      competitive behaviors of fluoride (F) and phosphate (P) in relation to arsenate
      adsorption on an Fe-Ce adsorbent as well as the mechanisms involved. The two-site
      isotherm revealed the presence of two kinds of adsorption sites with different
      binding affinities for arsenate. Both the total and low-binding-energy maximum
      adsorption capacities (Q and Q(1)) of arsenate decreased significantly even at a
      molar ratio of As/P=1:0.1. The coexistence of F, only influenced the total Q of
      arsenate at high simultaneous F concentrations. The fact that Fe-Ce released 0.15
      0.24 mmol sulfate for every mmol arsenate adsorbed suggested that, while sulfate
      groups might have played a role for adsorption, surface hydroxyl groups should be
      the major active sites. The XPS results indicated that arsenate and P are mainly
      adsorbed through the substitution of Fe surface active sites, while F is mainly
      adsorbed through substitution of Ce surface active sites. The As k-edge EXAFS
      data show that the second peak of Fe-Ce after arsenate adsorption is As-Fe shell,
      which further supported that arsenate adsorption occurs mainly at the Fe surface
      active sites.

PMID- 20303659
TI  - Bioadsorption of methyl violet from aqueous solution onto Pu-erh tea powder.
AB  - Chinese unique Pu-erh tea powder (PTP), with leached active ingredients, was used
      here to adsorb methyl violet (MV), a cationic dye. The effects of several
      variables on the removal of methyl violet were studied at 25 degrees C, including
      pH value, contact time, quantity of the adsorbent, initial concentration, and
      particle size of the adsorbent. The results showed that the particle size of the
      adsorbent significantly affected the adsorption process, and the nano-sized PTP
      particles had the best adsorption efficiency. The equilibrium data was analyzed
      using Langmuir, Freundlich, and Tempkin isotherms models. The pseudo-second-order
      kinetics model best explained the MV adsorption by PTP of any particle size. The
      intra-particle diffusion model was also used to analyze the adsorption process,
      and it was found that smaller adsorbent particles had a bigger boundary layer
      effect.

PMID- 20303660
TI  - Electron-accepting potential of solvents determines photolysis rates of
      polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: experimental and density functional theory
      study.
AB  - Photochemical behaviour of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is strongly
      dependent on the physical and chemical nature of the media in/on which they
      exist. To understand the media effects, the photolysis of phenanthrene (PHE) and
      benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in several solvents was investigated. Distinct photolysis
      rate constants for PHE and BaP in the different solvents were observed. Some
      theoretical parameters reflecting the solvent properties were computed and
      employed to explain the solvent effects. Acetone competitively absorbed light
      with PHE and BaP, and the excited acetone molecules played different roles for
      the photodegradation of PHE and BaP. The photolysis rate constants of PHE and BaP
      in hexane, isopropanol, ethanol, methanol, acetonitrile and dichloromethane were
      observed to correlate with the electron-accepting potential of the solvent
      molecules. Absolute electronegativity of the solvents linearly correlated with
      the photolytic activity (log k) of the PAHs significantly. The results are
      important for better understanding the photodegradation mechanism of PAHs in
      different media.

PMID- 20303661
TI  - Pretreatment of petrochemical wastewater by coagulation and flocculation and the
      sludge characteristics.
AB  - In the present study, coagulation-flocculation was investigated as a pretreatment
      process for the treatment of purified terephthalic acid (PTA) wastewater. The
      effect of various inorganic and organic coagulants on the treatment of wastewater
      collected from flow equalization tank of an effluent treatment plant was studied.
      The settling and filtration characteristics of the sludge were also studied. The
      jar tests revealed that the wastewater was best treated when 3000 mg l(-1) of
      ferric chloride was dosed at pH 5.6. At optimum conditions, COD of the wastewater
      was reduced by 75.5%. The results of the gravity filtration of the treated
      wastewater showed that the addition of cationic polyacrylamide (175 mg l(-1)) to
      ferric chloride coagulation improved the filtration characteristics and reduced
      the specific cake resistance. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive
      spectroscopy studies were also conducted to know the sludge structure and
      composition, respectively. Thermal analysis of the sludge showed that the
      oxidation of the sludges in the present study is a three step process. However,
      with the addition of C-PAA to ferric chloride coagulation system, the oxidation
      was found to be a two step process.

PMID- 20303662
TI  - Adsorption property and mechanism of composite adsorbent PMAA/SiO2 for aniline.
AB  - In this paper, functional monomer methacrylic acid (MAA) was grafted onto the
      surface of silica gel particles using 3-methacryloxypropyl trimethoxysilane (MPS)
      as intermedia, and grafting particles PMAA/SiO(2) were prepared. The adsorption
      properties and mechanism of PMAA/SiO(2) towards aniline were researched through
      batch and column adsorption methods. The experimental results showed that
      PMAA/SiO(2) possesses strong adsorption ability for aniline with interaction of
      hydrogen bond. The saturated adsorption amount could reach up to 140 mg g(-1).
      The empirical Langmuir isotherm was found to agree well with the equilibrium
      adsorption data. pH and temperature were found to have great influence on the
      adsorption amount. Finally, PMAA/SiO(2) was observed to possess excellent
      reusability properties as well.

PMID- 20303663
TI  - Enhancing the sorption capacity of CTMA-bentonite by simultaneous intercalation
      of cationic polyacrylamide.
AB  - The saturated level of cationic exchange capacity (CEC) of bentonite by organic
      cations can significantly influence the sorption capacity of the resulting
      organobentonites. In this work cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) was applied to
      saturate part of the CEC of the cetyltrimethylammonium (CTMA) modified bentonite,
      with the aim to enhance their sorption capacity. XRD was applied to investigate
      the basal spacings of the organobentonites with and without CPAM, and the
      sorption characteristics of the organobentonites towards phenol and nitrobenzene
      to CTMA-bentonite was also studied. The XRD characterization results showed that
      the resulting organobentonites (C/P-Bt) had larger basal spacings than the CTMA
      modified bentonite (C-Bt), which indicated that both CPAM and CTMA could
      intercalate into the interlayer spaces of C/P-Bt. The saturated CEC of C/P-Bt
      increased with the intercalated amounts of CPAM. The sorption coefficients (K(d))
      of phenol and nitrobenzene on C/P-Bt were shown to first increase with the
      saturated CEC until the maximum, and then began to decrease as the saturated CEC
      further increased. The maximum increase of K(d) reached 41% and 23% for phenol
      and nitrobenzene, respectively, which could be ascribed to the enhanced affinity
      of the adsorbed CTMA aggregates towards the sorbates. Results of this work showed
      that the simultaneous intercalation of CPAM could be a novel method to enhance
      the sorption capacity of the traditional organobentonites.

PMID- 20303664
TI  - Influence of ZrO2 properties on catalytic hydrodechlorination of chlorobenzene
      over Pd/ZrO2 catalysts.
AB  - Pd/ZrO(2) catalysts using different ZrO(2) as supports were prepared using the
      deposition-precipitation method and were characterized by X-ray diffraction,
      transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, N(2)
      adsorption, temperature programmed reduction, H(2) chemisorption and measurement
      of surface hydroxyl group. Catalytic hydrodechlorination (HDC) of chlorobenzene
      was used to evaluate the activity and stability of the catalyst. The results
      showed that ZrO(2) support calcined at 300 degrees C was amorphous in nature,
      whereas ZrO(2) supports calcined at 500 and 600 degrees C consisted of both
      monoclinic and tetragonal phases. In addition, increasing calcination temperature
      led to the decrease of specific surface area and surface hydroxyl group content
      of the ZrO(2) support. For temperature programmed reduction of PdO/ZrO(2)
      samples, two H(2) consumption peaks with varied reduction temperature were
      distinctly observed, implying the existence of different Pd species in Pd/ZrO(2)
      catalysts. In addition, Pd/ZrO(2) catalyst with ZrO(2) calcined at 500 degrees C
      had a relatively higher content of Pd species with strong metal-support
      interaction than other catalysts. For catalytic HDC of chlorobenzene, Pd/ZrO(2)
      catalyst with ZrO(2) support calcined at 500 degrees C exhibited a higher initial
      activity and stability as compared to other catalysts, indicative of a strong
      dependence of the catalytic behavior of the Pd/ZrO(2) catalyst on the support
      properties for catalytic HDC of chlorobenzene.

PMID- 20303666
TI  - Identification of magnetic properties of few nm sized FePt crystalline particles
      by characterizing the intrinsic atom order using aberration corrected S/TEM.
AB  - Hard-magnetic nanomaterials like nanoparticles of FePt are of great interest
      because of their promising potential for data storage applications. The magnetic
      properties of FePt structures strongly differ whether the crystal phases are face
      centered cubic (fcc) or face centered tetragonal (fct). We evaluated aberration
      corrected HRTEM, electron diffraction and aberration corrected HAADF-STEM as
      methods to measure the chemical degree of order S that describes the ordering of
      Pt and Fe atoms within the crystals unit cells. S/TEM experiments are accompanied
      by image calculations. The findings are compared with results obtained from X-ray
      diffraction on a FePt film. Our results show that STEM is a reasonable fast
      approach over HRTEM and electron diffraction to locally determine the chemical
      degree of order S.

PMID- 20303665
TI  - How do changes in pain severity levels correspond to changes in health status and
      function in patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy?
AB  - The current analysis compares changes in pain with changes in function and health
      status in individuals with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). The post
      hoc analysis is based on a 12week, multinational, placebo-controlled trial of
      pregabalin in which 401 patients were randomized to treatment. Study measures
      included the Brief Pain Inventory short-form (BPI-sf), EQ-5D and other patient
      reported outcomes. Cutpoints were derived on the BPI-sf 0-10 average pain numeric
      rating scale [NRS] to classify pain grades of "mild" (1-3), moderate (4-6) and
      severe (7-10), adjusting for geographical regions where data were collected. Two
      different metrics were used to classify the importance of change in pain severity
      from baseline to 12weeks: changes in pain severity grades (defined by cutpoint
      categories) and percent reduction in the NRS (categories ranging from 0-9% to
      50%). An improvement in one pain grade or a 30% reduction in the NRS served as
      determinants of a clinically important difference. Patients with a one-grade
      reduction in pain severity, either from "severe-to-moderate" or "moderate-to
      mild," had a 3-point improvement the BPI-sf Pain Interference Index (PII; a
      composite measure of function); a reduction from "severe-to-mild" pain
      corresponded to a 6-point improvement in the PII. Similarly, a reduction in the
      NRS of 30% and 50% corresponded to a 3-point and a 5-point improvement in the
      PII, respectively. Changes in pain were also associated with changes in health
      status. Results suggest that patients whose pain is not reduced to a mild level
      of severity can still experience clinically important changes in function and
      health status.

PMID- 20303667
TI  - Acaricidal activity of Satureja thymbra L. essential oil and its major
      components, carvacrol and gamma-terpinene against adult Hyalomma marginatum
      (Acari: Ixodidae).
AB  - The acaricidal activity of a volatile essential oil hydrodistillate of Satureja
      thymbra L. (Lamiaceae) and its major constituents, carvacrol and gamma-terpinene,
      were evaluated against field-collected unfed adult Hyalomma marginatum. The
      distillate was tested against this tick species at 5, 10, 20, and 40 microL/L
      while the two major components were each tested at 10 microL/L. Generally, tick
      mortality to the S. thymbra distillate increased with concentration and exposure
      time. Ticks exposed to vapors from cotton wicks containing at least 40 microL/L
      resulted in complete (100%) mortality at 3h. The lower concentrations provided
      >or=90% mortality at 3h post treatment with complete mortality at 24h. Knockdown
      was observed only in the carvacrol and gamma-terpinene treatments. Ticks exposed
      to carvacrol-treated wicks produced >93% knockdown at 3h but at 24h approximately
      57% were dead. The gamma-terpinene treatment produced >or=90% knockdown at 105
      min through 3h but at 24h only about 87% of the ticks were dead.

PMID- 20303668
TI  - An intraoral neurocranial vertical distractor appliance provides unique treatment
      for Tourette's syndrome and resolves comorbid neurobehavioral problems of
      obsessive compulsive disorder.
AB  - Evidence has existed for many years that individuals with Tourette's syndrome
      (T.S.) have associated neurobehavioral comorbid disorders. Though these disorders
      are not necessary to give a definitive diagnosis for Tourette's syndrome, many
      patients present with clinical signs of additional problems. Many believe that
      Tourette's is a neuropsychiatric disorder with symptoms originating from the
      brain or basal ganglia. Some of these coexisting conditions include attention
      deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD),
      depression, sleep disorders, and enuresis. We hypothesize that an intraoral
      device can be utilized to eliminate these associated comorbid neurobehavioral
      signs and symptoms. Use of this device, called a neurocranial vertical distractor
      (NCVD), results in the elimination of unwanted neurobehavioral disorders via
      normally existing trigeminoreticular fibers and tracts (Fig. 1).

PMID- 20303669
TI  - Gene-environment mismatch in decompression sickness and air embolism.
AB  - Decompression sickness causes injury and death in SCUBA divers when air bubbles
      obstruct the flow of blood. Platelets aggregate in response to gas and promote
      inflammation. Inflammation in decompression sickness may have its origin in the
      innate immune system's response to pathogens. Bubbles are often found in tissues
      during gas-forming infections and in infection-prone states. In these diseases,
      intravascular gas offers a signal of infection to immune cells. Platelet
      activation by gas may often accompany a beneficial immune response to pathogens.
      Pathologic bubble-platelet interaction in decompression illness may be an example
      of gene-environment mismatch.

PMID- 20303670
TI  - Role of radiation dose in the risk of secondary leukemia after a solid tumor in
      childhood treated between 1980 and 1999.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to estimate the risk of secondary leukemia
      as a function of radiation dose, taking into account heterogeneous radiation dose
      distribution. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We analyzed a case-control study that
      investigated the risk of secondary leukemia and myelodysplasia after a solid
      tumor in childhood; it included 61 patients with leukemia matched with 196
      controls. Complete clinical, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy histories were
      recorded for each patient in the study. Average radiation dose to each of seven
      bone marrow components for each patient was incorporated into the models, and
      corresponding risks were summed up. Conditional maximum likelihood methods were
      used to estimate risk parameters. RESULTS: Whatever the model, we failed to
      evidence a role for the radiation dose to active bone marrow in the risk of later
      leukemia, myelodysplasia, or myeloproliferative syndrome, when adjusting for
      epipodophyllotoxin and anthracycline doses. This result was confirmed when
      fitting models that included total dose of radiation delivered during
      radiotherapy, when fitting models taking into account dose per fraction, and when
      restricting the analysis to acute myeloid leukemia. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to
      results found in similar studies that included children treated before the use of
      epipodophyllotoxins, this study failed to show a role for radiotherapy in the
      risk of secondary leukemia after childhood cancer in children treated between
      1980 and 1999. This discrepancy was probably due to a competitive mechanism
      between these two carcinogens.

PMID- 20303671
TI  - Keeping the memory of influenza viruses.
AB  - Protection against pathogens is mediated by both humoral responses (neutralizing
      antibodies) and cellular immunity, both CD4+ and CD8+ cells. In the case of
      influenza viruses, circulating strains contain both variable and conserved T and
      B cell epitopes that are challenged after vaccination and/or infection. During
      infection, the role of T cells is to prevent viral dissemination in the organism
      by killing the infected cells and helping B cell antibody production to
      neutralize the virus. The threat of influenza virus increases the preparedness of
      protective immunity to pandemic and seasonal infection by vaccination. Several
      questions remain that need to be further addressed for the future development of
      innovative and rapidly efficient vaccines strategies. Firstly, what are the
      correlates of long-term protection (antibodies and/or T cells) against variant
      strains of influenza? How does the individual factors (age, natural immunity,
      vaccination and/or infection history) influence the generation and maintenance of
      memory cells? What are the factors allowing the maintenance of immune memory
      (regular contact with the pathogen or re-vaccination)? Secondly, what is the
      nature and quality (function / phenotype / location) of memory B and T cells?
      Finally, is it necessary to induce and maintain immunological memory against
      conserved proteins and/or to re-vaccinate against viral variants? What would be
      the consequences of repeated vaccination? These questions remain a subject of
      debate that will be further discussed. Since immunological memory is the
      cornerstone of vaccination, it is essential that we have a better understanding
      of its generation and maintenance over time as well as its contribution to recall
      responses during pandemics or after vaccination.

PMID- 20303672
TI  - Predictive factors of severe disease secondary to falciparum malaria among
      travelers.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To identify independent risk factors of severe falciparum malaria
      among travelers to endemic regions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study
      on imported malaria into metropolitan France. The World's Health Organization
      severity criteria were used to classify malarial episodes. RESULTS: Nine hundred
      and twenty-one malarial cases were studied; 81 were severe. Independent risk
      factors of severe malaria were aged above 40 years, high level of parasitized
      erythrocytes (more than 4%), parasite acquisition in the south-eastern asian
      region, infection with a chloroquine resistant Plasmodium falciparum (P.
      falciparum) phenotype and a self administered antimalarial treatment. CONCLUSION:
      This study points out two particularly interesting results: severe malaria is
      significantly associated with the infection by a chloroquine resistant P.
      falciparum phenotype and with the parasite's acquisition in the south-eastern
      asian region.

PMID- 20303673
TI  - [Influenza viruses: short symposium].

PMID- 20303674
TI  - A 2010 update on occult hepatitis B infection.
AB  - Occult hepatitis B virus infection is a challenging issue whose virological and
      clinical relevance has been a source of long-lasting debate. By definition, OBI
      is characterized by the persistence of HBV-DNA in the liver tissue (and in some
      cases also in the serum) in absence of HBsAg. According to the HBV serological
      profile, OBI may be antibody (anti-HBc alone or together with anti-HBs) positive
      (seropositive OBI) or antibody negative (seronegative OBI). OBI is a complex
      biological entity with possible relevant clinical implications, mainly related to
      the intrahepatic persistence of viral cccDNA and to a strong suppression of viral
      replication and gene expression. Clinical observations suggest that OBI carriers
      may be a source of HBV transmission through blood transfusion or orthotopic liver
      transplantation (OLT). The state of suppression of viral replication and gene
      expression may be discontinued when an immunosuppressive status occurs, leading
      to typical hepatitis B with severe - and some times - fulminant course. The long
      lasting persistence of the virus in the liver may provoke a very mild but
      continuing necro-inflammation that (if other causes of liver damage cohexist) may
      contribute over time to the progression of the chronic liver damage towards
      cirrhosis. In addition, OBI is supposed to be an important risk factor to HCC
      development since it maintains the pro-oncogenic properties typical of the overt
      infection.

PMID- 20303675
TI  - [Interspecies transmission, adaptation to humans and pathogenicity of animal
      influenza viruses].
AB  - The emergence in 2009 of a novel A(H1N1)v influenza virus of swine origin and the
      regular occurrence since 2003 of human cases of infection with A(H5N1) avian
      influenza viruses underline the zoonotic and pandemic potential of type A
      influenza viruses. Influenza viruses from the wild aquatic birds reservoir
      usually do not replicate efficiently in humans. Domestic poultry and swine can
      act as intermediate hosts for the acquisition of determinants that increase the
      potential of transmission and adaptation to humans, through the accumulation of
      mutations or by genetic reassortment. The rapid evolution of influenza viruses
      following interspecies transmission probably results from the selection of
      genetic variations that favor optimal interactions between viral proteins and
      cellular factors, leading to an increased multiplication potential and a better
      escape to the host antiviral response. Whereas influenza viruses usually cause
      asymptomatic infections in wild aquatic birds, they may be highly pathogenic in
      other species. Molecular determinants of host-specificity and pathogenesis have
      been identified in most viral genes, notably in genes that encode viral surface
      glycoproteins, proteins involved in the viral genome replication, and proteins
      that counteract the host immune response. However, our knowledge of these
      numerous and interdependant determinants remains incomplete, and the molecular
      mechanisms involved are still to be understood.

PMID- 20303676
TI  - [Seasonal flu].
AB  - Seasonal flu is caused by influenza viruses A and B. These enveloped viruses have
      a genome made up of seven or eight RNA fragments. The different subtypes are
      determined by the nature of the two surface glycoproteins HA and NA. Seasonal flu
      is an epidemic wintertime illness occurring in temperate climate zones. Its
      epidemiology is linked to the great variability of the virus in time,
      necessitating an alert system that detects dominating circulating variants each
      year and that determines the vaccination composition. Clinical flu symptoms are
      not sufficiently specific to allow for diagnosis with virological tests. This is
      especially true during non-epidemic periods as well as in subjects older than 65
      and younger than five. Children are especially vulnerable to influenza virus
      infections. Hospitalization occurs more frequently, the younger the child. In
      children younger than two years, the infection can be pauci-symptomatic and is
      sometimes detected from non-respiratory symptoms such as lethargy, convulsions,
      and dizziness. In all cases of respiratory syndrome compatible with influenza
      virus infection in hospitalized subjects, virological flu diagnosis is of utmost
      interest. Several tools are available to allow for direct viral detection in
      respiratory specimens: cell culture isolation, antigenic detection, RNA molecular
      detection. Choice of method is based on the characteristics of the test:
      sensibility, specificity, speed and ease of realization, and cost.

PMID- 20303677
TI  - [Role of neuraminidase inhibitors for the treatment of influenza A virus
      infections].
AB  - Oseltamivir and zanamivir are two neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) active on A and
      B influenza viruses. These analogues have been developed from the structure of
      sialic acid, the neuraminidase (NA) substrate. Resistance to NAIs have been
      detected. They are mainly associated to mutations located on the NA gene. The use
      of these antiviral drugs remains low in the context of seasonal flu, even the
      duration of symptoms can be reduced of one day if an antiviral treatment is
      started within 48 hours after disease onset. NAIs also present a significant
      effect when used in postexposition prophylaxis. Resistance, mainly to
      oseltamivir, have been detected but remained rare until the spontaneous emergence
      in 2007-2008 winter of a seasonal A(H1N1) variant resistant to this drug. NAIs
      are also interesting for the treatment of severe flu infections, specially those
      associated to A(H5N1). Finally, because of the pandemic A(H1N1)2009 virus, NAIs
      use has largely increased for prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of severe
      and non severe infections. This large use may be associated to an increased risk
      of selection of resistant viruses. Up to now, this phenomenon remains fortunately
      limited but has to be closely monitored.

PMID- 20303678
TI  - Pituitary gland volume among heroin users stabilised on substitution
      pharmacotherapy.
AB  - While long-term heroin addiction is associated with hypothalamus-pituitary
      adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation, few studies have used in vivo brain imaging to
      examine the impact on pituitary gland volume (PGV) or its relationship with
      substitution pharmacotherapy. We examined 28 heroin users stable on methadone or
      buprenorphine and 28 healthy controls. Heroin users exhibited larger PGVs than
      healthy controls, and this was particularly evident among the buprenorphine
      treated group. These findings indicate that substitution pharmacotherapy may have
      differential effects on normalising HPA axis activity.

PMID- 20303679
TI  - Acceptability of a safer injection facility among injection drug users in San
      Francisco.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Research has shown that safer injection facilities (SIFs) are
      successful at reducing public nuisance and enhancing public health. Since 2007
      support for implementation of a SIF in San Francisco has been building. The
      objective of this study is to assess the acceptability of a SIF among injection
      drug users (IDUs) in San Francisco. METHODS: IDUs were recruited in San Francisco
      using targeted sampling and interviewed using a quantitative survey (N=602). We
      assessed the prevalence of willingness to use a SIF as well as correlates of
      willingness among this group. RESULTS: Eighty-five percent of IDUs reported that
      they would use a SIF, three quarters of whom would use it at least 3 days per
      week. In multivariate analysis, having injected in public and having injected
      speedballs were associated with intent to use a SIF. The majority of IDUs
      reported acceptability of many potential rules and regulations of a pilot SIF,
      except video surveillance, and being required to show identification.
      CONCLUSIONS: Building on the success of SIFs in various international settings,
      IDUs in San Francisco appear interested in using a SIF should one be implemented.

PMID- 20303680
TI  - Localization of avian bornavirus RNA by in situ hybridization in tissues of
      psittacine birds with proventricular dilatation disease.
AB  - Proventricular dilatation disease (PDD) of psittacine birds is caused by a number
      of different genotypes of a novel viral species, avian bornavirus (ABV). Here we
      present an in situ hybridization (ISH) procedure using digoxigenin-labeled RNA
      probes for localizing viral genomic and mRNA of ABV-2 and ABV-4 in tissues of
      affected birds. Out of eleven immunohistochemically positive birds ISH signals
      were only found in seven. Partial sequencing of the viral genome had shown that
      four of them were infected with ABV-2, two with ABV-4 and one had a mixed
      infection with ABV-2 and ABV-4. ISH signals were present in the brain, in the
      vegetative nerve system, glandular epithelia and smooth muscle cells of the
      intestinal tract and in cardiomyocytes. Hybridization signals for viral genome
      were more abundant than signals for mRNA. As the probes were not strictly
      genotype-specific, four of the birds had hybridization signals with both, the ABV
      2 and ABV-4 probes. The signals achieved with the homologous probes were more
      intense and more abundant than those resulting from heterologous probes. Taken
      together, the results of this study show that ISH can be used as a tool for
      localizing ABV sequences in tissues of birds with PDD and confirm the causative
      role of ABVs by showing viral replication in affected tissues.

PMID- 20303681
TI  - Herpesviruses and immunity: the art of evasion.
AB  - Herpesviruses have evolved several effective strategies to counter the host
      immune response. Chief among these is inhibition of the host MHC class I antigen
      processing and presentation pathway, thereby reducing the presentation of virus
      derived epitopes on the surface of the infected cell. This review summarizes the
      mechanisms used by herpesviruses to achieve this goal, including shut-down of MHC
      class I molecule synthesis, blockage of proteasome-mediated peptide generation
      and prevention of TAP-mediated peptide transport. Furthermore, herpesvirus
      proteins can retain MHC class I molecules in the endoplasmic reticulum, or direct
      their retrograde translocation from the endoplasmic reticulum or endocytosis from
      the plasma membrane, with subsequent degradation. The resulting down-regulation
      of cell surface MHC class I peptide complexes thwarts the ability of cytotoxic T
      lymphocytes to recognize and eliminate virus-infected cells. The subversion of
      the natural killer cell response by herpesvirus proteins and microRNAs is also
      discussed.

PMID- 20303682
TI  - Viral protein expression and phenotyping of inflammatory responses in the central
      nervous system of phocine distemper virus-infected harbor seals (Phoca vitulina).
AB  - The central nervous system (CNS) represents an important target organ of the
      phocine distemper virus (PDV). The aim of the present study was to characterize
      pathological changes in the CNS of harbor seals suffering from natural PDV
      infection. The distribution of virus protein and mRNA was investigated by
      immunohistochemistry (IHC) and in situ hybridization, respectively. In addition,
      inflammatory and glial cells were characterized by IHC. Polioencephalitis with
      glial activation, neuronal death and perivascular mononuclear infiltrations in
      the cerebral cortex was the main histopathological finding. Inflammatory
      responses, dominated by CD3(+) T-cells and activated microglia/macrophages were
      associated with a prominent MHC-II upregulation within the CNS. Viral protein was
      found predominantly in neurofilament-expressing neurons within inflamed areas as
      demonstrated by immunohistochemical double-labeling. Morbillivirus nucleo-,
      phospho-, matrix-, fusion- and hemagglutinin-proteins were found in CNS-lesions.
      The expressions of viral matrix- and fusion-proteins were reduced in severely
      inflamed plaques. Comparison of viral protein and mRNA expression revealed a
      diminished amount of viral phosphoprotein preferentially associated with
      perivascular inflammation. In summary, CNS-lesions in PDV-infected seals are
      similar to canine distemper virus-induced acute polioencephalitis in dogs and
      measles virus inclusion body polioencephalitis in men, respectively.

PMID- 20303683
TI  - Differential expression of mRNAs encoding BMP/Smad pathway molecules in antral
      follicles of high- and low-fecundity Hu sheep.
AB  - The Hu sheep is world-famous for its hyper-prolificacy and the bone morphogenetic
      protein (BMP)/Smad pathway and several other closely related molecules (GDF9, TGF
      betaRI) have been shown to have a close relationship with reproduction in sheep.
      In order to investigate the mechanism of high fecundity in Hu sheep and its
      relationship with the BMP/Smad pathway, 147 Hu sheep were blood sampled for
      detection of the FecB mutation (A746G) in the BMPRIB gene by PCR-SSCP, and
      sixteen adult Hu ewes classified as either high-fecundity (HF) or low-fecundity
      (LF) animals were sacrificed for tissue and antral follicle sampling. The tissue
      distribution patterns of mRNAs encoding BMP/Smad pathway molecules including BMPs
      (BMP2, BMP4, BMP6, BMP7 and BMP15), BMP receptors (BMPRIA, BMPRIB and BMPRII),
      intracellular transducers (Smad1, Smad5 and Smad4) and closely related molecules
      (GDF9 and TGF-betaRI) were detected by RT-PCR and the gene expression levels in
      antral follicles were investigated by real-time PCR. The results showed that all
      experimental animals were homozygous for the BMPRIB (A746G) mutation, and all
      detected genes related to the BMP/Smad pathway and GDF9 and TGF-betaRI were
      expressed in the ovary. In addition, BMP4, BMPRIB, BMPRII, Smad4, GDF9 and TGF
      betaRI mRNAs were more abundant in the antral follicles of HF animals than those
      of LF animals (P<0.05), but BMP15 mRNA was less abundant (P<0.01). This suggests
      that there could be an unidentified genetic mutation in BMPRIB, or other
      unidentified genes and unknown factors, which controls ovarian number by changing
      the expression patterns of genes known to regulate ovulation rate via the
      BMP/Smad pathway and closely related molecules (GDF9 and TGF-betaRI).

PMID- 20303684
TI  - Caution! All data are not created equal: The hazards of using National Weather
      Service data for calculating accumulated degree days.
AB  - An increasing number of anthropological decomposition studies are utilizing
      accumulated degree days (ADD) to quantify and estimate the post-mortem interval
      (PMI) at given decompositional stages, or the number of ADD required for certain
      events, such as tooth exfoliation, to occur. This study addresses the utility of
      retroactively applying temperature data from the closest National Weather Service
      (NWS) station to these calculations as prescribed in the past. Hourly temperature
      readings were collected for 154 days at a research site in Farmington, AR between
      June 30 and December 25, 2008. These were converted to average daily temperatures
      by calculating the mean of the 24 hourly values, following the NWS reporting
      procedure. These data were compared to comparable data from the Owl Creek and
      Drake Field NWS stations, the two closest to the research site, located 5.7 and
      9.9km away, respectively. Paired samples t-tests between the research site and
      each of the NWS stations show significant differences between the average daily
      temperature data collected at the research station, and both Owl Creek (2.0
      degrees C, p<0.001) and Drake Field (0.6 degrees C, p<0.001). When applied to a
      simulated recovery effort, the further NWS station also proved to represent the
      better model for the recovery site. Using a published equation for estimating
      post-mortem interval using ADD and total body decomposition scores (Megyesi et
      al., 2005 [1]), the Drake Field data produced estimates of PMI more closely
      mirroring those of the research site than did Owl Creek. This demonstrates that
      instead of automatically choosing the nearest NWS station, care must be taken
      when choosing an NWS station for retroactively gathering temperature data for
      application of PMI estimation techniques using accumulated degree days to ensure
      the station adequately reflects temperature conditions at the recovery site.

PMID- 20303686
TI  - Risk factors for recurrence of small hepatocellular carcinoma after long-term
      follow-up of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation.
AB  - Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) as a local therapy for liver cancer is widely used.
      The study is to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of RFA on hepatocellular
      carcinoma (HCC) and identify the risk factors for recurrence. Clinical records of
      124 patients with 135 small HCC with percutaneous RFA as a first-line treatment
      modality were evaluated in Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital from
      October 2001 to December 2006. With a median follow-up period of 46 months after
      RFA therapy, the 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-year cumulative survival rates and disease
      free survival rates were 91, 70, 61, 48 and 40% and 64, 44, 31, 24 and 24%,
      respectively. The total recurrence and metastasis rates were 50 and 6.5%,
      respectively. Independent risk factors for recurrence after RFA included tumor
      with diameter more than 3 cm, located near the intrahepatic blood vessels,
      subcapsular locations and PT prolonged more than 3s. Severe complications
      occurred in 2 cases (1.6%), including biliary tract hemorrhage and subphrenic
      effusion. RFA appears to be a safe and effective treatment for HCC. It will
      benefit the efficacy of RFA therapy if those risk factors are considered during
      the clinical practice.

PMID- 20303685
TI  - Recommendations for bone and joint prosthetic device infections in clinical
      practice (prosthesis, implants, osteosynthesis). Societe de Pathologie
      Infectieuse de Langue Francaise.

PMID- 20303687
TI  - Breast surgical specimen radiographs: how reliable are they?
AB  - Radiography of the excised surgical specimen following wire guided localisation
      of impalpable breast lesions is standard surgical practice. The aims of the study
      were to establish the reliability of the breast specimen radiograph (SR) in
      determining lesion excision and to determine whether the radiographic margin
      correlated with the histological margin. The clinical, imaging, SR and
      pathological details of 106 patients with a pre-operative diagnosis of breast
      cancer were retrospectively reviewed. The reliability of orientation was
      estimated and the appearance and distance from the mammographic abnormality to
      each radial margin were measured and correlated with surgical histological
      findings. The overall accuracy of the specimen radiograph in determining whether
      the mammographic lesion was present was 99%. The SR could be orientated "very
      reliably" or "reliably" in 80% of patients however in only 48% of patients did
      the closest margin on the SR correspond with the same nearest margin at final
      histology. A maximum measurement of 11 mm or more from the lesion to the specimen
      edge was associated with a 77% likelihood of having a clear final histological
      margin (taken as 5mm or more) and if <11 mm a 58% chance of having involved final
      histological margins. There was however a wide overlap in the results with
      patients having an apparently wide SR margin but histologically involved margins
      and vice versa. The SR is reliable at determining whether the target lesion has
      been removed. The correlation of SR margin orientation and measurement with final
      histological measurement is however far less reliable.

PMID- 20303688
TI  - Arsenic-resistant bacteria associated with roots of the wild Cirsium arvense (L.)
      plant from an arsenic polluted soil, and screening of potential plant growth
      promoting characteristics.
AB  - A rhizobacterial community, associated with the roots of wild thistle Cirsium
      arvense (L.) growing in an arsenic polluted soil, was studied by fluorescence in
      situ hybridization (FISH) analysis in conjunction with cultivation-based methods.
      In the bulk, rhizosphere, and rhizoplane fractions of the soil, the qualitative
      picture obtained by FISH analysis of the main phylogenetic bacterial groups was
      similar and was predominantly comprised of Alphaproteobacteria,
      Betaproteobacteria, and Gammaproteobacteria. The arsenic-resistant isolates
      belonged to 13 genera, the most abundant being those of Bacillus, Achromobacter,
      Brevundimonas, Microbacterium, and Ochrobactrum. Most bacteria grew in the
      presence of high arsenic concentrations (over 100mM arsenate and 10mM arsenite).
      Most strains possessed the ArsC, ArsB and ACR3 genes homologous to arsenate
      reductase and to the two classes of arsenite efflux pumps, respectively, peculiar
      to the ars operon of the arsenic detoxification system. ArsB and ACR3 were
      present simultaneously in highly resistant strains. An inconsistency between 16S
      rRNA phylogenetic affiliations and the arsenate reductase sequences of the
      strains was observed, indicating possible horizontal transfer of arsenic
      resistance genes in the soil bacterial community. Several isolates were able to
      reduce arsenate and to oxidise arsenite. In particular, Ancylobacter
      dichloromethanicum strain As3-1b possessed both characteristics, and arsenite
      oxidation occurred in the strain also under chemoautotrophic conditions. Some
      rhizobacteria produced siderophores, indole acetic acid and 1-amino-cyclopropane
      1-carboxylic acid deaminase, thus possessing potential plant growth-promoting
      traits.

PMID- 20303689
TI  - Development and validation of a GC/IT-MS method for simultaneous quantitation of
      para and meta-synephrine in biological samples.
AB  - After the FDA's ban of ephedrine-containing supplements, Citrus aurantium
      appeared as an alternative to ephedra in herbal weight loss products. Synephrine,
      the most abundant active component of C. aurantium, exists in three different
      structural or positional isomeric forms (ortho-o-, meta-m-, and para-p-). Dietary
      supplements contain m- and p-synephrine, both alpha-adrenergic agonists,while the
      m-isoform is the most potent at alpha(1)-adrenoreceptors. In spite of the
      pharmacokinetic and toxicological interest in the study of these compounds,
      adequate methods for their quantification in biological samples are yet to be
      developed. Thus, in the present study, a sensitive gas chromatography-ion trap
      mass spectrometry (GC/IT-MS) method was developed and validated for the
      simultaneous quantitation of m- and p-synephrine in a cellular matrix after solid
      phase extraction (SPE). The validation of the method was performed through the
      evaluation of the following parameters: selectivity, linearity, specificity,
      precision, accuracy, limit of detection, limit of quantification, and recovery.
      The method's applicability was studied in two different biological matrices by
      evaluating p- and m-synephrine uptake in Caco-2 cells and also in freshly
      isolated cardiomyocytes from adult rat. The developed GC/IT-MS method was shown
      to be selective, accurate, precise, and valid for simultaneous determination of p
      and m-synephrine in biological samples.

PMID- 20303690
TI  - Quantitative determination of potent alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, salacinol and
      kotalanol, in Salacia species using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.
AB  - A practical HPLC-MS method for the quantitative determination of salacinol (1)
      and kotalanol (2), potent alpha-glucosidase inhibitors from Salacia species
      (Hippocrateaceae) as a specific remedy for diabetes in Ayurvedic system, was
      developed. The optimum conditions of separation and detection of these two
      constituents were achieved on a Asahipak NH2P-50 column (5 mcirom particle size,
      2.0 mm i.d. x 150 mm) with a CH(3)CN-H(2)O mobile phase, associated with MS using
      electrospray ionization source. The overall recoveries of 1 (85.8-112.6%) and 2
      (99.7-106.1%), and relative standard deviation values of intra- and inter-day
      precision were lower than 6.8 and 8.5%, respectively. The detection (S/N=3) and
      quantitation limits (S/N=10) were established to be 0.015 and 0.050 ng for 1, and
      0.030 and 0.10 ng for 2, respectively. The correlation coefficients of all the
      calibration curves showed good linearity within test ranges. The extraction
      process was also optimized as 2 h immersion in water under reflux. The method was
      applied to evaluate extracts of three kinds of Salacia species, i.e. S.
      reticulata, S. oblonga, and S. chinensis, and those of four different parts, i.e.
      roots, stems, leaves and fruits of the same material, revealing that the extract
      from the roots of S. reticulata had the highest contents of these compounds. The
      results indicated that the assay was reproducible and precise and could be
      readily utilized for the evaluation of Salacia species.

PMID- 20303691
TI  - Physician practice patterns of obesity diagnosis and weight-related counseling.
AB  - METHODS: we analyzed cross-sectional clinical encounter data. Obese adults were
      obtained from the 2005 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (N=2458). RESULTS:
      a third of obese adults received an obesity diagnosis (28.9%) and approximately a
      fifth received counseling for weight reduction (17.6%), diet (25.2%), or exercise
      (20.5%). Women (OR=1.54; 95% CI: 1.14, 2.09), young adults ages 18-29 (OR=2.61;
      95% CI: 1.37, 4.97), and severely/morbidly obese individuals (class II: OR 2.08;
      95% CI: 1.53, 2.83; class III: OR 4.36; 95% CI: 3.09, 6.16) were significantly
      more likely to receive an obesity diagnosis. One of the biggest predictors of
      weight-related counseling was an obesity diagnosis (weight reduction: OR=5.72;
      95% CI: 4.01, 8.17; diet: OR=2.89; 95% CI: 2.05, 4.06; exercise: OR=2.54; 95% CI:
      1.67, 3.85). Other predictors of weight-related counseling included seeing a
      cardiologist/other internal medicine specialist, a preventive visit, or spending
      more time with the doctor (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: most obese patients do not
      receive an obesity diagnosis or weight-related counseling. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS:
      preventive visits may provide a key opportunity for obese patients to receive
      weight-related counseling from their physician.

PMID- 20303692
TI  - Primary suture-anastomosis of the Viabahn endoprosthesis to a native artery.
AB  - We describe the case of a ruptured woven polyester common femoral-to-popliteal
      artery bypass graft, in which the lack of a suitable proximal landing zone
      precluded a totally endovascular approach to revascularization. The patient was
      treated with Viabahn endoprostheses (W. L. Gore & Associates, Flagstaff, Ariz),
      with the proximal end of the proximal Viabahn emerging from a graft arteriotomy
      and sutured directly end-to-side to the native common femoral artery. We believe
      this is the first reported case of a sutured anastomosis of the Viabahn
      endoprosthesis to a native vessel. The surgical technique is illustrated, and
      potential indications are discussed.

PMID- 20303693
TI  - Treatment of complex coarctation and coarctation with cardiac lesions using extra
      anatomic aortic bypass.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Coarctation of the aorta with cardiac lesions or complex coarctation
      is a formidable challenge for cardiac surgeons. Extra-anatomic bypass allows
      simultaneous intracardiac repair or an alternative approach for patients with
      complex coarctation. METHODS: Between July 1997 and March 2008, 43 patients with
      coarctation of the aorta underwent extra-anatomic bypass grafting, including 10
      ascending-to-descending aorta bypasses and 33 ascending aorta-to-infrarenal
      abdominal aorta bypasses. Forty patients had additional cardiovascular disorders
      and concomitant procedures performed including aortic valve replacement, mitral
      valve replacement, coronary artery bypass grafting, closure of ventricular septal
      defect and patent ductus arteriosus, ascending aorta repair, and the Bentall
      procedure. The other three patients had complex coarctation of the aorta,
      including a long-segment coarctation in two cases, and descending aortic aneurysm
      in one. RESULTS: Two patients died perioperatively: one due to air embolism
      during the cardiopulmonary bypass; one due to septic shock. There were no late
      deaths. Complications included laparotomy for mechanical ileus in one and re
      exploration for bleeding in one case. There were no strokes or paraplegia and no
      grafted-related complication during follow-up period. Systolic blood pressure
      dropped from 160 +/- 27 mm Hg before surgery to 114 +/- 16 mm Hg postoperatively.
      Only two patients with mild hypertension postoperatively needed oral medicine.
      CONCLUSIONS: Extra-anatomic aortic bypass via median sternotomy or median
      sternotomy-laparotomy can be performed with low morbidity and mortality. It is a
      preferable single-stage approach for patients with concomitant complex
      coarctation and cardiovascular disorders.

PMID- 20303694
TI  - Open surgery remains a valid option for the treatment of recurrent carotid
      stenosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The choice between open surgery (OS) and transluminal carotid
      angioplasty with stenting (CAS) for the treatment of primary carotid stenosis
      remains controversial. However, CAS is considered a valid option for selected
      cases, such as recurrent carotid stenosis (RCS). Tertiary RCS seems to be a
      concerning issue after CAS but few large reports focused on the durability of CAS
      and OS. We report our early and long-term results with OS for RCS. METHODS: From
      1989 to 2006, perioperative data regarding 4245 consecutive surgical carotid
      reconstructions was prospectively collected. Patients whose indication was RCS
      were subjected to further analysis. Indications for surgery were symptomatic RCS
      >50% or asymptomatic RCS >80%. Freedom from neurologic event was defined as the
      absence of any ipsilateral symptom at any time after the procedure. Kaplan-Meier
      analysis was used to estimate freedom from reintervention, freedom from
      restenosis >50% and occlusion, freedom from neurologic event and survival.
      RESULTS: A total of 119 patients (2.8%) with RCS underwent OS. The average time
      from the primary OS was 59.4 +/- 54.5 months (range, 2-204). Forty-nine patients
      (41%) were symptomatic. In 103 patients (87%), the technique did not differ from
      a primary approach. Postoperative (<30 days) combined stroke and death rate was
      3.3%. Cranial nerve injury occurred in 5 cases (4.2%). With a mean follow-up of
      53 +/- 48 months (range, 1-204), 3 patients had an ipsilateral stroke (including
      one hemorrhagic stroke) and 7 were diagnosed with a tertiary RCS >50%. At 5
      years, Kaplan-Meier estimates of freedom from reintervention, freedom from
      restenosis and occlusion, freedom from neurologic event, and survival were 99%,
      91%, 89%, and 91%, respectively. CONCLUSION: OS for RCS is not a high-risk
      procedure and provides excellent long-term results, with low rates of tertiary
      RCS and reinterventions. The comparison between OS and CAS in this indication
      suffers from the absence of standardized follow-up paradigms after primary OS and
      the lack of prospective randomized trial comparing the two techniques. Despite
      these limitations in the available data, we conclude that OS should remain the
      first line therapy when treatment of RCS is indicated.

PMID- 20303695
TI  - Outcomes of the endovascular management of aortic arch aneurysm: implications for
      management of the left subclavian artery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to define the outcomes of treating aortic
      aneurysms involving the arch vessels with a hybrid approach using extra-anatomic
      reconstruction and endovascular repair with nonfenestrated stents. METHODS: A
      single-center review was done of arch aneurysm endovascular repairs during an 8
      year period. Data were collected for patient demographics and aneurysm pathology.
      Any revascularization procedures performed were analyzed to detect differences
      between groups and through fitting a logistic regression model. The outcome
      measures were postoperative death, stroke, and paraplegia. RESULTS: Between 2001
      and 2009, 78 patients (65% men; mean age, 65 years) underwent endovascular repair
      of aortic arch aneurysms. Coverage of the left subclavian artery (LSA) was
      necessary in all patients to access an adequate proximal landing zone. An
      Ishimaru zone 0 proximal landing zone was present in 9 patients, 17 had zone 1,
      and 52 had zone 2. Fifty patients (64%) underwent elective endografting with an
      in-hospital mortality rate of 4%, and 28 patients (36%) underwent emergency
      procedures with a mortality rate of 14.3%. The LSA was revascularized in 31
      elective (62%) and 4 emergency patients (14%). LSA revascularization was
      associated with significantly better outcomes for the combined measure of death,
      stroke, and paraplegia (odds ratio [OR], 15.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.83
      142; P = .012). Patients with an atherosclerotic aneurysm had worse outcomes than
      those with aortic dissection (OR, 5.52; 95% CI 1.26-24.4; P = .024), with
      dissections having preponderance toward emergency procedures (OR, 2.92; 95% CI,
      1.12-7.58; P = .035). CONCLUSION: Aneurysms involving the aortic arch vessels can
      be effectively treated by staged endovascular-surgical hybrid procedures with
      good outcomes that can be further improved through prior revascularization of the
      LSA.

PMID- 20303697
TI  - [Classification of new medical students and their outcome at the National Ranking
      Examination].

PMID- 20303699
TI  - Penile and scrotal skin necrosis after injection of crushed buprenorphine
      tablets.

PMID- 20303700
TI  - [Restless legs syndrome: a genetic disease?].
AB  - Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is characterized by an unpleasant sensation in the
      lower limbs and an urge to move, occurring during periods of rest, in the evening
      and during the night and improved by movement. There are two different phenotypes
      of RLS: an early-onset form, starting before 36 years old with mostly a familial
      history, being mostly severe and highly genetically determined, with a high
      dependence to iron brain levels; a delayed-onset form, starting after 36 years
      old, mostly secondary, without familial history, with a rapid evolution in two or
      three years, and with frequent low ferritine serum levels. The primary form of
      RLS is associated with a familial history in 40 to 92 % of the patients.
      Monozygotic twins have a 54 to 83 % concordance rate for RLS phenotype. Linkage
      association studies have identified eight loci involved in the familial
      transmission of the disease. Genetic association studies have identified allelic
      variants responsible for a 50 % increased risk to develop RLS in the general
      population. Proteins coded by some implicated genes are involved in the
      development of spinal motor neurons and spinal dorsal horns, and in brain iron
      homeostasis.

PMID- 20303703
TI  - Thrombosis in acquired hyposplenism associated with Crohn disease.

PMID- 20303704
TI  - [Management of restless legs syndrome].
AB  - The first step in the management of restless legs syndrome (RLS) is to identify,
      and if possible to treat any condition which might cause or worsen RLS, such as
      iron deficiency or some drug treatments. The patients suffering from RLS should
      be prompted to keep a healthy sleep schedule. Drug treatment should be restricted
      to patients with a clear clinical diagnosis, decided on an individual basis, when
      the clinical impact is serious. Four drug classes are central to the treatment of
      RLS: dopaminergic agents, some antiepileptics, opioids, and benzodiazepines.
      Dopaminergic agonists are the treatment of choice, especially when daily
      treatment is indicated, or if the symptoms are severe. Two dopaminergic agonists
      are licensed in France for the treatment of RLS: ropinirole (Adartrel) and
      pramipexole (Sifrol). After initiation of treatment, the patients should benefit
      from a regular follow-up in order to evaluate the efficacy of treatment and to
      identify possible side-effects. Special care should be given to the detection of
      augmentation, a phenomenon characterized by a paradoxical worsening of the
      symptoms with treatment. Some particular conditions, such as RLS comorbid with
      renal insufficiency, during pregnancy, and in the child are discussed.

PMID- 20303706
TI  - [Placenta accreta: Frequency, prenatal diagnosis and management].
AB  - In the last 30 years, incidence of placenta accreta has dramatically increased to
      reach an alarming rate of more than one in 2500 deliveries. The rate of placenta
      accreta increased in conjunction with cesarean deliveries. 2D-ultrasonography is
      an useful tool to diagnose placenta accreta. The most reliable sign is the
      presence of abnormal placental lacunae. The lack of visualization of the
      echolucent area between the placenta and the myometrium with no other ultrasound
      finding has a poor sensitivity and positive predictive value. 3D power Doppler is
      useful to increase the diagnostic performance of 2D-ultrasonography. The presence
      of at least two ultrasound findings decreases the number of false-positive
      diagnosis and increases the performance of both 2D-ultrasonography and 3D power
      Doppler. Magnetic resonance imaging in cases with inconclusive ultrasound
      features optimizes diagnostic accuracy. In cases of prenatal diagnosis of
      placenta accreta, extirpative method should be to date abandoned. Advantages and
      disadvantages of both cesarean-hysterectomy and conservative treatment should be
      clearly explained to the patient and her partner, who have to be involved in the
      decision process. Currently, it seems to be reasonable to propose a cesarean
      hysterectomy to multiparous patients with no desire of future pregnancy. In young
      women who want the option of future pregnancy and who agree to close follow-up
      monitoring, conservative treatment should be preferred. When placenta accreta is
      diagnosed during the delivery, the two options remain possible only if attempts
      of removal of the placenta are stopped before the occurrence of a severe
      postpartum hemorrhage. In cases of placenta percreta with bladder involvement,
      conservative treatment may be the optimal management.

PMID- 20303708
TI  - Visual feedback and weight reduction of a grip strength dynamometer do not
      increase reliability in healthy children.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Test-retest reliability study on grip strength in children.
      INTRODUCTION: Measuring grip strength in children is difficult because of the
      weight and size of the instrument, brief attention span, and possible lack of
      task understanding. Therefore, adaptations to the measurement protocols to
      improve reliability would be very important for research and clinical evaluation.
      PURPOSE: In this study, we compared the reliability of a grip strength
      dynamometer (Lode dynamometer, Lode BV, Groningen, The Netherlands) using three
      different protocols. METHODS: Test-retest reliability of the American Society of
      Hand Therapists protocol in 104 healthy children (4-12 years) was compared with
      the reliability in 63 healthy children of a visual feedback protocol and a
      suspension protocol reducing weight of the instrument. RESULTS: For the total
      group, intraclass correlation coefficients for the dominant and nondominant hands
      were 0.95-0.97 for all protocols, indicating that all three protocols were
      reliable. CONCLUSION: No statistically significant difference was found among the
      reliability of the different protocols, but the suspension protocol produced
      small but significantly higher force levels. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Not applicable.

PMID- 20303709
TI  - A prospective global measure, the Punum Ladder, provides more valid assessments
      of quality of life than a retrospective transition measure.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We assessed the reliability and validity of two measures of change,
      one retrospective (the Global Rating of Change Scale [GRCS]) and one prospective
      (the Punum Ladder), and the relative utility of the two methods of assessing
      change and establishing the minimal important difference (MID) of the Cough
      Quality of Life Questionnaire (CQLQ), a reliable and valid cough-specific quality
      of-life (QoL) instrument. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: A prospective, longitudinal
      study assessing the change in cough-related QoL over 6 months in participants
      with chronic cough was carried out in a tertiary care cough clinic. Before seeing
      a physician, subjects completed eight Punum Ladders and the CQLQ. At 1 and 6
      months, eight Punum Ladders, the CQLQ, and seven GRCSs were completed. Punum
      Ladders and GRCSs were psychometrically tested, and MIDs were calculated.
      RESULTS: Reliability and validity of GRCSs and Punum Ladders were acceptable.
      However, closer analysis of the relation between change scores and CQLQ pretest
      and posttest scores showed that the GRCS was only related to patient's present
      state, whereas the Punum Ladder was associated with both initial and present
      states. This compromises the validity of the GRCS. Crosstab comparisons revealed
      that GRCS ratings made more liberal estimates of change in the CQLQ than the
      Punum Ladder; this is reflected in their respective MIDs (10.58+/-10.63 vs.
      21.89+/-15.38). CONCLUSION: The prospective Punum Ladder is likely to be more
      useful, because it reflects the actual change in QoL over time in a less biased
      and more accurate way than the retrospective GRCS.

PMID- 20303710
TI  - Community controls were preferred to hospital controls in a case-control study
      where the cases are derived from the hospital.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Cases and controls should be chosen from the same base population to
      reduce selection bias in case-control studies. For hospital cases, we examined
      how inferences drawn from a case-control study can differ by choice of hospital-
      vs. community-based controls. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTINGS: We used data from a case
      control study that assessed risk factors for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP)
      hospitalization in Hamilton, Ontario, and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Multiple
      logistic regression was used to identify risk factors for hospitalization with
      CAP by simultaneously fitting two regression models. Binary logistic regression
      was used to directly compare the distributions of such risk factors in hospital
      and community controls. RESULTS: The use of hospital controls did not identify
      any additional risk factors for hospitalization that were not identified using
      community-based controls. Distributions of potential risk factors differed
      significantly between hospital and community control groups. We observed weaker
      or null estimates of associations with hospital controls compared with community
      controls. CONCLUSION: Inferences differed depending on the source of control
      groups. The use of hospital controls tended to produce no or weaker associations
      than those using community controls. If a high response rate can be attained, the
      best choice of controls may be from the community.

PMID- 20303711
TI  - The likelihood of participation in clinical trials can be measured: the Clinical
      Research Involvement Scales.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We developed the Clinical Research Involvement Scales (CRIS) to assess
      the willingness to participate in a clinical trial. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING:
      Diverse populations (N=919) aged 18 years or older from Atlanta, Georgia, were
      included in comprehensive testing of the 41-item CRIS instrument. The formative
      phase focused on item content for the new measures (n=54). Questionnaires from
      potential vaccine trial participants (n=865), collected at multiple time points,
      resulted in the evaluation of scale reliability and validity (i.e., attitudes,
      behavioral and normative beliefs, perceived social support for clinical research
      participation, social norm compliance, perceptions of the clinical research
      organization, and perceived relevance of the research endeavor). RESULTS:
      Qualitative testing revealed adequate comprehension and content validity of the
      initial item set. The subjective norms domain (n=3) initially exhibited poor
      internal consistency in pilot testing (Cronbach's alpha=0.525); yet, rewording of
      the items resulted in consistently stable measurement improvement (Cronbach's
      alpha=0.850). Each of the CRIS subscales demonstrated extremely high reliability,
      ranging from 0.734 to 0.918. Confirmatory factor analysis verified item-factor
      relationships and determined construct and convergent validity (root mean square
      error of approximation=0.068; comparative fit index=0.835). CONCLUSIONS: CRIS is
      a reliable instrument for measuring community attitudes toward participation in
      biomedical research studies. Results of this study support the use of these
      scales to recruit diverse populations to clinical trials.

PMID- 20303713
TI  - Dysfunctional gamma-band activity during face structural processing in
      schizophrenia patients.
AB  - This study investigated gamma-band activity (GBA) and its phase synchrony in
      schizophrenia patients viewing human faces. Twenty-five schizophrenia patients
      were compared with 25 normal controls. Event-related potentials were recorded
      from all participants while they were viewing emotionally neutral faces. The
      spectral power and phase synchrony in the frequency band from 30 to 55 Hz were
      analyzed in midline electrodes (FCz, Cz, CPz, Pz, and POz). Three windows of
      interest, which showed discernable GBA differences between schizophrenia patients
      and normal controls, were selected by visual inspection: 0-100 ms (30-33 Hz), 250
      300 ms (34-38 Hz), and 700-800 ms (40-45 Hz). And the phase synchrony of gamma
      band was analyzed. Repeated-measures ANOVA revealed that the GBA was lower in
      schizophrenia patients than in normal controls. Also there were significant
      location and time differences in GBA. GBA was significantly lower in the
      schizophrenia patients than in the normal controls at around 700-800 ms at the
      FCz electrode. The frontal (FCz) and central (Cz) GBA were significantly
      correlated with the number of hospitalization, and the negative symptoms of
      schizophrenia, respectively. The phase synchronization was significantly lower at
      200-300 ms in the schizophrenia patients than in the normal controls. These
      findings suggest that the schizophrenia patients have impaired GBA and gamma-band
      synchronization during face perception. Furthermore, our results also suggest
      that the decreased GBA observed at the midline cortex of schizophrenia patients
      is closely related to their negative symptoms and disease progress.

PMID- 20303712
TI  - Tg.2098 is a major human thyroglobulin T-cell epitope.
AB  - An HLA-DR variant containing Arginine at position 74 of the DRbeta1 chain confers
      a strong genetic susceptibility to autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD), Graves'
      disease (GD) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), while Glutamine at position
      DRbeta1-74 is protective. We hypothesized that the DRbeta1-Arg74 variant is able
      to present pathogenic thyroglobulin (Tg) peptides to T-cells more efficiently,
      thereby triggering thyroid autoimmunity. Indeed, we have previously identified 4
      human Tg (hTg) peptides that bind specifically to DRbeta1-Arg74 with much weaker
      binding to the protective variant DRbeta1-Gln74. The aim of our study was to
      examine in vivo whether an hTg peptide that binds strongly and specifically to
      DRbeta1-Arg74 is capable of stimulating T-cells during the induction of
      thyroiditis in a "humanized" mouse expressing human DR3, and in patients positive
      for Tg antibodies. Sequencing of exon 2 of the DR transgene in the DR3 mice, null
      for endogenous MHC II molecules, confirmed that they expressed the disease
      associated DRbeta1-Arg74 variant, thus making them an ideal in vivo model to test
      the presentation of hTg peptides by DRbeta1-Arg74 HLA-DR. Induction of EAT in the
      DR3 mice lead to T-cell stimulation and proliferation to Tg.2098, a strong and
      specific DRbeta1-Arg74 binder, while a non-binding control peptide, Tg.2766 did
      not induce this response. Moreover, Tg.2098 stimulated T-cells from 4 individuals
      who were positive for thyroglobulin antibodies, demonstrating that Tg.2098 is an
      immunogenic peptide capable of being presented in vivo and activating T-cells in
      EAT and AITD. Energetic analysis of the complex formed by Tg.2098 and DRbeta
      Arg74 has shown that the origin of the affinity was determined by residues 1, 7
      and 9 in the peptide, while the selectivity of the peptide for the MHC was
      determined by the Asp in position 4. The disease-protective substitution R74Q,
      leads to reduction in affinity due to changes in local interaction with D4 as
      well as non-local interaction with other residues. The electrostatic potential on
      the surface of the DRbeta-Arg74-Tg.2098 complex has a unique signature which may
      be recognized by T-cell receptors leading to autoimmune thyroiditis. Taken
      together these findings suggest that Tg.2098, a strong and specific binder to the
      disease-associated HLA-DRbeta-Arg74, is a major human T-cell epitope and
      participant in the pathoetiology of AITD.

PMID- 20303714
TI  - Substance use disorder comorbidity with schizophrenia in families of Mexican and
      Central American ancestry.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to estimate the frequency and course of
      substances use disorders in Latino patients with schizophrenia and to ascertain
      risk factors associated with substance use disorders in this population. METHOD:
      We studied 518 subjects with schizophrenia recruited for a genetic study from the
      Southwest United States, Mexico, and Central America (Costa Rica and Guatemala).
      Subjects were assessed using structured interviews and a best estimate consensus
      process. Logistic regression, chi(2), t test, Fisher's exact test, and Yates'
      correction, as appropriate, were performed to assess the sociodemographic
      variables associated with dual diagnosis. We defined substance use disorder as
      either alcohol or substance abuse or dependence. RESULTS: Out of 518 patients
      with schizophrenia, 121 (23.4%) had substance use disorders. Comorbid substance
      use disorders were associated with male gender, residence in the United States,
      immigration of Mexican men to the United States, history of depressive syndrome
      or episode, and being unemployed. The most frequent substance use disorder was
      alcohol abuse/dependence, followed by marijuana abuse/dependence, and solvent
      abuse/dependence. CONCLUSION: This study provides data suggesting that depressive
      episode or syndrome, unemployment, male gender, and immigration of Mexican men to
      the United States were factors associated with substance use disorder comorbidity
      in schizophrenia. Binary logistic regression showed that country of residence was
      associated with substance use disorder in schizophrenic patients. The percentage
      of subjects with comorbid substance use disorders was higher in the Latinos
      living in the United States compared with subjects living in Central America and
      Mexico.

PMID- 20303715
TI  - Subjective rating of working memory is associated with frontal lobe volume in
      schizophrenia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with schizophrenia commonly show deficits in working memory
      on objective neuropsychological measures, and brain imaging studies have
      documented neural abnormalities during performance of working memory tasks. It
      remains unclear to what extent such patients are able to accurately gauge the
      integrity of their working memory in their daily lives. AIMS: We evaluated the
      relationship between subjective rating of working memory integrity in daily life
      and volumes of the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes in patients with
      schizophrenia. METHODS: Participants included 29 patients with schizophrenia and
      26 healthy comparison subjects. Participants completed a structural magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) scan, the Self Report form of the Behavioral Rating
      Inventory of Executive Function - Adult version (BRIEF-A), and Digit Span
      Backwards as an objective measure of working memory. Lobar volumes were obtained
      using an automated processing package and adjusted for total intracranial volume.
      RESULTS: The patient group reported worse working memory in daily life, and
      performed worse on Digit Span Backwards, than the comparison group. Within the
      patient group, poorer working memory in daily life was associated with smaller
      left and right frontal lobe volumes. Shorter backwards digit span was associated
      with smaller left frontal and left and right temporal lobe volumes. CONCLUSIONS:
      The significant relationship between frontal lobe volumes and subjective working
      memory in daily life provides some support for the validity of self report
      measures of cognitive functioning in patients with schizophrenia, and provides
      further evidence for a contribution of frontal lobe abnormality to executive
      dysfunction in the illness.

PMID- 20303716
TI  - Comparative efficacy of novobiocin and amoxicillin in experimental sepsis caused
      by beta-lactam-susceptible and highly resistant pneumococci.
AB  - Therapeutic alternatives are needed against infections caused by highly multidrug
      resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae. Novobiocin, an old antibiotic, was tested in
      vitro and in a murine sepsis model against one amoxicillin-susceptible and three
      amoxicillin-resistant strains [minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) 8-64
      mg/L]. Novobiocin MICs for all strains were 0.25-0.5 mg/L. In sepsis, novobiocin
      and amoxicillin were evaluated at 25, 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg given at 1, 5, 24 and
      48 h post bacterial challenge. The most effective regimens in animals infected
      with the amoxicillin-susceptible strain were 200 mg/kg novobiocin and 25 mg/kg
      amoxicillin, achieving 100% survival and undetectable organisms in the
      peritoneum. Among mice infected with amoxicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae, 200
      mg/kg novobiocin gave the highest protection (90-100% survivors), followed by
      200mg/kg amoxicillin (60-100%), 100 mg/kg novobiocin (50-87.5%) and 50 mg/kg
      amoxicillin (14.3-25%). The killing effect of antibiotics in the peritoneum (mean
      Deltalog(10) colony-forming units/mL between treated and control mice) was as
      follows: 200 mg/kg novobiocin (-6.6)>200 mg/kg amoxicillin (-5.6)>100 mg/kg
      novobiocin (-3.7) > 50 mg/kg amoxicillin (-0.7). Total plasma and ultrafiltrate
      pharmacokinetics of novobiocin (200 mg/kg, single dose) in non-infected mice
      showed, respectively, half-lives of 151 min and 215 min, area under the
      concentration-time curves (AUCs) of 945.0 mgh/L and 136.6 mgh/L and maximal
      concentrations of 147 mg/L and 18 mg/L. Novobiocin may be a promising agent for
      therapy of highly beta-lactam-resistant pneumococcal infections.

PMID- 20303717
TI  - Morphological and molecular characterization of Aspidisca hongkongensis spec.
      nov. (Ciliophora, Euplotida) from the South China Sea.
AB  - The morphology and infraciliature of a new ciliate, Aspidisca hongkongensis spec.
      nov., a large marine form isolated from the coastal waters near Hong Kong, were
      investigated. It differs from the congeners by the combination of cell size
      (about 90 x 60 microm in vivo), 9-11 conspicuous dorsal ridges, one fine and
      seven strong frontoventral cirri, six membranelles in anterior portion of adoral
      zone, and 17-23 membranelles in posterior portion of adoral zone. The comparison
      with similar congeners clearly supports the distinction of this new species based
      on morphological and small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene sequence studies. The SSU rRNA
      gene sequence similarity within the genus is about 75.3-92.1% which indicates
      that this is a distinct form. Phylogenetic trees based on SSU rRNA gene
      information show that A. hongkongensis groups with A. leptaspis.

PMID- 20303718
TI  - Adjuvant radiotherapy with 50 Gy after limb-sparing surgery for soft-tissue
      sarcoma--West of Scotland experience.

PMID- 20303719
TI  - Sub-clinical organ damage in hypertension and obesity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The development of sub-clinical organ damage precedes and predicts
      the occurrence of cardiovascular (CV) events in hypertensive as well as in obese
      patients. AIM AND METHODS: We investigated the prevalence and clinical correlates
      of organ damage (OD), namely carotid atherosclerosis (US scan) and urine albumin
      to creatinine ratio (three non-consecutive first morning samples) in a group of
      164 obese patients and in an age- and gender-matched group of non-obese
      hypertensive patients. RESULTS: There was a significantly greater prevalence and
      severity of OD in obese patients as compared to non-obese hypertensive patients.
      In particular obese patients more frequently had microalbuminuria (16 vs 7%,
      chi(2) 5.8, P=0.0157) and carotid abnormalities (53 vs 10%, chi(2) 69.5,
      P<0.0001) as well as higher urinary albumin excretion rate (-0.05 +/- 0.52 vs 
      0.28 +/- 0.43log ACR, P<0.0001) and carotid intima-media thickness (0.955 +/-
      0.224 vs 0.681 +/- 0.171, <0.0001). Notably, the coexistence of hypertension and
      obesity did not entail a greater prevalence and severity of OD. Moreover, after
      adjusting for potentially confounding factors including blood pressure levels,
      diagnosis of diabetes, and lipid profile, morbidly obese patients showed a 5
      fold, and 22-fold higher risk of having microalbuminuria, and carotid
      atherosclerosis, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Sub-clinical OD is highly prevalent
      in obese patients, even in the absence of high blood pressure. Hypertension and
      obesity seem to exert an independent, possibly non-additive role on the
      occurrence of organ damage.

PMID- 20303720
TI  - Olive oil and health: summary of the II international conference on olive oil and
      health consensus report, Jaen and Cordoba (Spain) 2008.
AB  - Olive oil (OO) is the most representative food of the traditional Mediterranean
      Diet (MedDiet). Increasing evidence suggests that monounsaturated fatty acids
      (MUFA) as a nutrient, OO as a food, and the MedDiet as a food pattern are
      associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, metabolic
      syndrome, type 2 diabetes and hypertension. A MedDiet rich in OO and OO per se
      has been shown to improve cardiovascular risk factors, such as lipid profiles,
      blood pressure, postprandial hyperlipidemia, endothelial dysfunction, oxidative
      stress, and antithrombotic profiles. Some of these beneficial effects can be
      attributed to the OO minor components. Therefore, the definition of the MedDiet
      should include OO. Phenolic compounds in OO have shown antioxidant and anti
      inflammatory properties, prevent lipoperoxidation, induce favorable changes of
      lipid profile, improve endothelial function, and disclose antithrombotic
      properties. Observational studies from Mediterranean cohorts have suggested that
      dietary MUFA may be protective against age-related cognitive decline and
      Alzheimer's disease. Recent studies consistently support the concept that the OO
      rich MedDiet is compatible with healthier aging and increased longevity. In
      countries where the population adheres to the MedDiet, such as Spain, Greece and
      Italy, and OO is the principal source of fat, rates of cancer incidence are lower
      than in northern European countries. Experimental and human cellular studies have
      provided new evidence on the potential protective effect of OO on cancer.
      Furthermore, results of case-control and cohort studies suggest that MUFA intake
      including OO is associated with a reduction in cancer risk (mainly breast,
      colorectal and prostate cancers).

PMID- 20303721
TI  - Cardioprotective effect of Sida rhomboidea. Roxb extract against isoproterenol
      induced myocardial necrosis in rats.
AB  - The present study investigates cardioprotective effect of Sida rhomboidea. Roxb
      (SR) extract on heart weight, plasma lipid profile, plasma marker enzymes, lipid
      peroxidation, endogenous enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants and membrane
      bound ATPases against isoproterenol (IP) induced myocardial necrosis (MN) in
      rats. Rats treated with IP (85 mg/kg, s.c.) recorded significant (p<0.05)
      increment in heart weight, plasma lipid profile, plasma marker enzymes of cardiac
      damage, cardiac lipid peroxidation (LPO) and activity levels of Ca(+2) ATPase
      whereas there was significant (p<0.05) decrease in plasma HDL, cardiac endogenous
      enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, Na(+)-K(+) ATPase and Mg(+2) ATPase.
      Pre-treatment with SR extract (400 mg/kg per day, p.o.) for 30 consecutive days
      followed by IP injections on days 29th and 30th, showed significant (p<0.05)
      decrease in heart weight, plasma lipid profile, plasma marker enzymes of cardiac
      damage, cardiac lipid peroxidation, Ca(+2) ATPase and significant increase in
      plasma HDL, cardiac endogenous enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, Na(+)
      K(+) ATPase and Mg(+2) ATPase compared to IP treated group. Hence, this study is
      the first scientific report on cardioprotective effect of SR against IP induced
      MN in rats.

PMID- 20303722
TI  - Current Opinion in Immunology. Editorial overview.

PMID- 20303723
TI  - Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To review the topic of alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency. METHOD:
      Narrative literature review. RESULTS: Much work has been carried out on this
      condition with many questions being answered but still further questions remain.
      DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: AAT deficiency is an autosomal co-dominantly
      inherited disease which affects the lungs and liver predominantly. The clinical
      manifestations, prevalence, genetics, molecular pathophysiology, screening and
      treatment recommendations are summarised in this review.

PMID- 20303724
TI  - Do obstructive and restrictive lung diseases share common underlying mechanisms
      of breathlessness?
AB  - This review tries to answer two main questions: (i) What are the
      neurophysiological underpinnings of the most commonly selected cluster
      descriptors which define the qualitative dimension of dyspnea in patients? (ii)
      How do mechanical constraints affect dyspnea? (iii) Do obstructive and
      restrictive lung diseases share some common underlying mechanisms? Qualitative
      dimensions of dyspnea, which allude to increased respiratory work/effort
      breathing, reflect a harmonious coupling between increased respiratory motor
      output and lung volume displacement in healthy subjects. Descriptors that allude
      to unsatisfied inspiration are the dominant qualitative descriptors in patients
      with a variety of respiratory diseases. It is possible that sensory feedback from
      a multitude of mechanoreceptors throughout the respiratory system (in the muscle,
      chest wall, airways and lung parenchyma) collectively convey information to the
      consciousness that volume/flow or chest wall displacement is inadequate for the
      prevailing respiratory drive. The data would lend support to the idea that: (i)
      an altered afferent proprioceptive peripheral feedback signals that ventilatory
      response is inadequate to the prevailing motor drive, reflecting neuromechanical
      uncoupling (NMU), (ii) mechanical constraints on volume expansion (dynamic
      restriction) play a pivotal role in dyspnea causation in patients with a variety
      of either obstructive or restrictive respiratory disorders, and (iii) all of the
      physiological adaptations that optimize neuromechanical coupling in obstructive
      and restrictive disorders are seriously disrupted so that an NMU underpins
      cluster descriptors of dyspnea which are similar in obstructed and in restricted
      patients.

PMID- 20303725
TI  - Trends in bronchiectasis mortality in England and Wales.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To provide information on the burden of bronchiectasis in England and
      Wales, we have examined trends in mortality using death certificate data
      available from the Office of National Statistics. METHODS: We extracted data on
      deaths due to non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis for 2001-2007 inclusive and
      stratified deaths by sex and age group. We used Poisson regression to compare
      mortality rates. RESULTS: Between 2001 and 2007, 5745 bronchiectasis related
      deaths were registered in England and Wales. When standardized to the 2007
      population, this showed a rise in absolute numbers from 797 (2001) to 908 (2007).
      Statistical analyses suggested that the mortality rate is currently increasing at
      3%/year (p < 0.001). Mortality rates were similar between men and women but there
      was a strong statistical interaction between age group and year (p < 0.001) Rates
      were increasing in the two oldest age groups but falling in the three youngest
      groups. DISCUSSION: Currently just under 1000 people die from bronchiectasis each
      year in England and Wales. We found the number of deaths to be increasing at 3%
      per year. Although overall mortality was increasing, rates were increasing in
      older groups but falling in the younger groups. These mortality rates may
      underestimate the burden of disease from bronchiectasis as lack of knowledge
      about the disease may lead to underreporting. These are also mortality rather
      than incidence data and may reflect improvements in treatment. Bronchiectasis
      therefore remains a significant concern. Clinical provision will potentially need
      to increase in order to care for this patient group.

PMID- 20303727
TI  - Involvement of nucleophosmin/B23 in the cellular response to curcumin.
AB  - Nucleophosmin (NPM/B23) is a nucleolar phosphoprotein involved in cellular
      response to many different stimuli. Herein, we studied the molecular mechanism of
      NPM/B23 induction by curcumin, a natural AP-1 inhibitor with antitumor
      properties. Exposure to 5-30 MUM curcumin significantly and dose-dependently
      increased the level of NPM/B23 in non-transformed NIH 3T3 cells but not HeLa
      cells and F9 cells. Besides, the transformed F9 and HeLa cells are more sensitive
      to curcumin-induced cell death and growth inhibition than NIH 3T3 cells.
      Overexpression of c-Jun, but not c-Fos, decreased ~40% of NPM/B23 and enhanced
      the sensitivity of NIH 3T3 cells to 30 MUM curcumin. Furthermore, down-regulation
      of NPM/B23 by transfection with NPM/B23 antisense plasmid enhanced the
      sensitivity to curcumin-induced cell death and growth inhibition. These results
      indicated that NPM/B23 expression regulates cellular sensitivity to curcumin.
      Besides, NPM/B23 knockdown may facilitate as a novel strategy to promote the
      sensitivity of cancer cells to curcumin.

PMID- 20303726
TI  - Down the rabbit hole of centromere assembly and dynamics.
AB  - The centromere is perhaps the most iconic feature on a eukaryotic chromosome. An
      amateur enthusiast equipped with a light microscope can easily identify the
      center of each metacentric chromosome, marking the spot responsible for accurate
      genome segregation. This review will highlight findings that provide novel
      insights into how centromeres are assembled and disassembled, the role
      centromeric proteins play in repair, epigenetic features uniquely found at the
      centromere, and the three dimensional organization of centromeres caught in the
      act of mitosis. These advances have unveiled a veritable wonderland of non
      canonical features that drive centromere function.

PMID- 20303728
TI  - Integrated hepatic transcriptome and proteome analysis of mice with high-fat diet
      induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
AB  - Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common form of liver disease
      in the US and refers to a wide spectrum of liver damage, including simple
      steatosis, steatohepatitis, fibrosis and cirrhosis. The goal of the present study
      was to achieve a more detailed understanding of the molecular changes in response
      to high fat-induced liver steatosis through the identification of a
      differentially expressed liver transcriptome and proteome. Male C57/BL6 mice fed
      a high-fat lard diet for 8 weeks developed visceral obesity and hepatic steatosis
      characterized by significantly increased liver and plasma free fatty acid and
      triglyceride levels and plasma alanine aminotransferase activities. Transcriptome
      analysis demonstrated that, compared to the control diet (CD), high-fat diet
      changed the expression of 309 genes (132 up- and 177 down-regulated; by a twofold
      change and more, P<.05). Multiple genes encoding proteins involved in lipogenesis
      were down-regulated, whereas genes involved in fatty acid oxidation were up
      regulated. Proteomic analysis revealed 12 proteins which were differentially
      expressed. Of these, glutathione S-transferases mu1 and pi1 and selenium-binding
      protein 2 were decreased at both the gene and protein levels. This is the first
      study to perform a parallel transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of diet-induced
      hepatic steatosis. Several key pathways involving xenobiotic and lipid
      metabolism, the inflammatory response and cell-cycle control were identified.
      These pathways provide targets for future mechanistic and therapeutic studies as
      related to the development and prevention of NAFLD.

PMID- 20303729
TI  - Emulsified lipids increase endotoxemia: possible role in early postprandial low
      grade inflammation.
AB  - Low-grade inflammation is a risk factor for the onset of atherosclerosis. Little
      is known about the involvement of endotoxin absorption from the gut during the
      digestion of lipids. In the present study, we first investigated in humans the
      impact of a mixed meal containing dispersed lipids on postprandial endotoxemia
      and inflammation. We then investigated the effect of (i) oil emulsification in
      vivo in rats and (ii) fatty acid amounts in vitro using Caco-2 cells on
      postprandial endotoxemia. In humans, postprandial endotoxemia increased early
      after the meal. Moreover, we evidenced that the endotoxin receptor sCD14
      increased during digestion and that chylomicrons could contribute to absorbed
      endotoxin transport. This could explain the significant peak of inflammatory
      cytokine IL-6 that we observed 2 h after the mixed meal. Interestingly, in rats,
      the emulsion led to both higher endotoxemia and hypertriglyceridemia than oil and
      compared to a control saline load. In vitro, incubation of Caco-2 cells with
      increasing fatty acid concentrations enhanced epithelial absorption of endotoxin.
      To our knowledge, this is the first study evidencing in healthy humans that,
      following a mixed meal containing lipids, increased endotoxemia is associated
      with raised sCD14 and a peak of IL-6. On a repeated basis, this may thus be a
      triggering cascade for the onset of atherosclerosis. In this respect, optimizing
      both dietary fat amount and structure could be a possible strategy to limit such
      low-grade endotoxemia and inflammation by the control of postprandial lipemia.

PMID- 20303730
TI  - mRNA transcripts as molecular biomarkers in medicine and nutrition.
AB  - In medicine, mRNA transcripts are being developed as molecular biomarkers for the
      diagnosis and treatment of a number of diseases. These biomarkers offer early and
      more accurate prediction and diagnosis of disease and disease progression, and
      ability to identify individuals at risk. Use of microarrays also offers
      opportunity to identify orthogonal (uncorrelated) biomarkers not known to be
      linked with conventional biomarkers. Investigators are increasingly using blood
      as a surrogate tissue for biopsy and analysis; total RNA isolated from whole
      blood is predominantly from erythroid cells, and whole blood mRNA shares more
      than 80% of the transcriptome with major tissues. Thus blood mRNA biomarkers for
      individualized disease prediction and diagnosis are an exciting area in medicine;
      mRNA biomarkers in nutrition have potential application that parallels these
      opportunities. Assessment of selenium (Se) status and requirements is one area
      where tissue mRNA levels have been used successfully. Selenoprotein-H and
      selenoprotein-W as well as glutathione peroxidase-1 (Gpx1) mRNAs are highly down
      regulated in Se deficiency in rat liver, and the minimum dietary Se requirement
      is 0.06-0.07 microg Se/g based on these biomarkers, similar to requirements
      determined using conventional biomarkers. Blood Gpx1 mRNA can also be used to
      determine Se requirements in rats, showing that blood mRNA has potential for
      assessment of nutrient status. Future research is needed to develop mRNA
      biomarker panels for all nutrients that will discriminate between deficient,
      marginal, adequate and supernutritional individuals and populations, and
      differentiate between individuals who will benefit vs. be adversely affected by
      nutrient supplementation.

PMID- 20303731
TI  - Postnatal early overfeeding induces hypothalamic higher SOCS3 expression and
      lower STAT3 activity in adult rats.
AB  - Postnatal early overnutrition (EO) is a risk factor for future obesity and
      metabolic disorders. Rats raised in small litters (SLs) develop overweight,
      hyperphagia, hyperleptinemia, hyperinsulinemia and hypertension when adults. As
      obesity is related to hyperleptinemia, leptin resistance and metabolic syndrome,
      we aimed to investigate body composition, plasma hormone levels, glucose
      tolerance and the leptin signaling pathway in hypothalamus from early overfed
      animals at weaning and adulthood. To induce postnatal EO, we reduced litter size
      to three pups/litter (SL), and the groups with normal litter size (10
      pups/litter) were used as control. Rats had free access to standard diet and
      water postweaning. Body weight and food intake were monitored daily, and
      offspring were killed at 21 (weaning) and 180 days old (adulthood). Postnatal EO
      group had higher body weight and total and visceral fat mass at both periods.
      Lean mass and serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were higher at
      21 days and lower at 180 days. Small litter rats presented higher levels of
      globulins at both periods, while albumin levels were higher at weaning and lower
      at adulthood. There was higher leptin, insulin and glucose serum concentrations
      at 21 days old, while no glucose intolerance was observed in adulthood. Leptin
      signaling pathway was unaffected at weaning. However, postnatal EO induced lower
      JAK2 and p-STAT3, and higher SOCS3 expression in adult animals, indicating
      central leptin resistance in adulthood. In conclusion, postnatal EO induces
      obesity, higher total and visceral fat mass, lower HDL-C and central leptin
      resistance in adult life.

PMID- 20303732
TI  - Modelling of slaughterhouse solid waste anaerobic digestion: determination of
      parameters and continuous reactor simulation.
AB  - A model based on the work of Angelidaki et al. (1993) was applied to simulate the
      anaerobic biodegradation of ruminal contents. In this study, two fractions of
      solids with different biodegradation rates were considered. A first-order kinetic
      was used for the easily biodegradable fraction and a kinetic expression that is
      function of the extracellular enzyme concentration was used for the slowly
      biodegradable fraction. Batch experiments were performed to obtain an accumulated
      methane curve that was then used to obtain the model parameters. For this
      determination, a methodology derived from the "multiple-shooting" method was
      successfully used. Monte Carlo simulations allowed a confidence range to be
      obtained for each parameter. Simulations of a continuous reactor were performed
      using the optimal set of model parameters. The final steady-states were
      determined as functions of the operational conditions (solids load and residence
      time). The simulations showed that methane flow peaked at a flow rate of 0.5-0.8
      Nm(3)/d/m(reactor)(3) at a residence time of 10-20 days. Simulations allow the
      adequate selection of operating conditions of a continuous reactor.

PMID- 20303733
TI  - Fuzzy multicriteria disposal method and site selection for municipal solid waste.
AB  - The use of fuzzy multiple criteria analysis (MCA) in solid waste management has
      the advantage of rendering subjective and implicit decision making more objective
      and analytical, with its ability to accommodate both quantitative and qualitative
      data. In this paper a modified fuzzy TOPSIS methodology is proposed for the
      selection of appropriate disposal method and site for municipal solid waste
      (MSW). Our method is superior to existing methods since it has capability of
      representing vague qualitative data and presenting all possible results with
      different degrees of membership. In the first stage of the proposed methodology,
      a set of criteria of cost, reliability, feasibility, pollution and emission
      levels, waste and energy recovery is optimized to determine the best MSW disposal
      method. Landfilling, composting, conventional incineration, and refuse-derived
      fuel (RDF) combustion are the alternatives considered. The weights of the
      selection criteria are determined by fuzzy pairwise comparison matrices of
      Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). It is found that RDF combustion is the best
      disposal method alternative for Istanbul. In the second stage, the same
      methodology is used to determine the optimum RDF combustion plant location using
      adjacent land use, climate, road access and cost as the criteria. The results of
      this study illustrate the importance of the weights on the various factors in
      deciding the optimized location, with the best site located in Catalca. A
      sensitivity analysis is also conducted to monitor how sensitive our model is to
      changes in the various criteria weights.

PMID- 20303735
TI  - Detection of hybridization of single-strand DNA PCR products in temperature
      change process by a novel metal-clamping piezoelectric sensor.
AB  - Oligonucleotide probes on the sensor surface can be hybridized with single-strand
      DNA (ssDNA) that is formed from PCR products in ice bath after degeneration.
      Thus, detection of PCR products by piezoelectric sensors requires the
      participation of ssDNA PCR products in ice bath. When PCR products in ice bath
      are added into the buffer of the sensor well at room temperature, there will be a
      temperature change process during mixing. However, it still remains unclear
      whether the temperature change affects the frequency baseline stability of the
      sensor and the result judgment, which is the basic condition for detecting
      hybridization of nucleic acid. In this study, we detected the hybridization of
      HPV PCR products during temperature change process by a self-designed adjustable
      metal-clamping piezoelectric sensor. The study mainly involves sensor adjustment,
      probe immobilization and ice bath sample addition (at different concentrations
      and different volumes). The response curve of basic frequency in temperature
      change process showed three stages, i.e., increase, decrease to baseline, and
      continuous decrease to stability. The early increase of frequency and duration of
      the time can reach 55+/-7.4 Hz and 39 min when 40 microL sample (0-1 degrees C)
      was added into 110 microL buffer (25 degrees C). The frequency increase effect
      caused by temperature difference at early stage depends on the volume ratio of
      two liquids and on the temperature difference. The results indicate that we
      should pay more attention to possibly small volume of PCR products in ice bath
      and minor temperature difference of two liquids in operation.

PMID- 20303736
TI  - Ternary mixed monolayers for simultaneous DNA orientation control and surface
      passivation for label free DNA hybridization electrochemical sensing.
AB  - Target recognizing ternary mixed monolayer is constructed by simple sequential
      adsorption of thiol caped single stranded DNA (HS-ssDNA), 6-mercapto-1-hexanol
      (MCH) and 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) diluents (abbreviated as HS
      ssDNA/MPA/MCH) and applied for detection of DNA hybridization sequence by
      electrochemical method. The method is more reliable and reproducible on both
      conventional wire electrode and 100 nm scale gold-coated silicon chips. Detection
      limit of 10 pM is observed constantly on all types of electrodes. This ternary
      layer approach provides 60-80% discrimination effect between the hybridized and
      un-hybridized surfaces compared to the binary mixed monolayers HS-ssDNA/MCH and
      HS-ssDNA/MPA that showed 20-30% only. Characterization by impedance spectroscopy,
      X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and surface Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR)
      techniques reveals 'head-to-head' anisotropic hydrogen bonding between MPA and
      MCH diluents that controls the HS-ssDNA orientation and enhancing the
      electrostatic blockade for K3[Fe(CN)6]. This is the first report characterizing
      the ternary layer for DNA molecular affinity sensing. Results provided
      unprecedented insight onto the label free electrochemical sensing and
      understanding of the complex sensing mechanism to develop sensors that is more
      reliable.

PMID- 20303737
TI  - Photobiological production of hydrogen gas as a biofuel.
AB  - Solar energy can be converted into chemical energy in the form of hydrogen gas
      using oxygenic and anoxygenic photosynthetic microbes. Laboratory-scale
      measurements suggest that photobiological hydrogen production rates could yield
      more energy than current crop-based biofuel productivities. Major challenges,
      such as inhibitory amounts of oxygen produced during oxygenic photosynthesis and
      inhibition of H(2)-producing nitrogenase by ammonia, are being overcome through
      genetic engineering. Further advances are expected as the metabolic and
      regulatory aspects behind photobiological hydrogen production are revealed.
      Genetic engineering, coculturing, and bioreactor designs making use of
      immobilized cells have the potential to increase conversion efficiencies of light
      energy to H(2) and to decrease the land area needed for photobiological H(2)
      production.

PMID- 20303738
TI  - Predisposition alleles for Testicular Germ Cell Tumour.
AB  - For some time, it has been known that there is a substantial genetic component to
      testicular germ cell tumour susceptibility, supported by several pieces of
      evidence, including the significantly increased familial risk and differential
      risk among races. However, despite extensive linkage searches on available
      families, no high penetrance genes have been identified. Recently genome-wide
      association studies have revealed three candidate loci, which confer up to a four
      fold risk of developing TGCT. The genome-wide association studies for this cancer
      are noteworthy, because of the high effect sizes demonstrated at each loci and
      the biological plausibility of the genes at or near the associated SNPs,
      particularly KITLG.

PMID- 20303740
TI  - Designing ensembles in conformational and sequence space to characterize and
      engineer proteins.
AB  - Computational protein design - the search for amino acids that adopt defined
      structures and functions - has achieved significant successes in recent years.
      Design is often approached from the perspective of targeting the design objective
      one structure-sequence pair at a time. Here we summarize studies that take an
      alternate approach, considering design solutions from the perspective of
      conformational and sequence ensembles. We argue that this strategy both more
      closely mimics the properties of naturally occurring proteins and drives progress
      in engineering. We discuss benchmarks for evaluating design methods, highlight
      recent advances, and project how the evolving capabilities of gene sequencing,
      gene synthesis, and genome editing may change the design field.

PMID- 20303739
TI  - Heterogeneous reward signals in prefrontal cortex.
AB  - Neurons encode upcoming rewards throughout frontal cortex. Recent papers have
      helped to determine that these signals play different roles in different frontal
      regions. Neurons in orbitofrontal cortex (PFo) appear to be responsible for
      calculating the specific value of an expected reward, information that can help
      efficiently guide decision-making. Similar signals are also present in the
      cingulate sulcus (PFcs). By contrast, reward signals in lateral prefrontal cortex
      (PFl) are consistent with a role in using reward to guide other cognitive
      processes, such as the allocation of attentional resources and using value
      information to guide learning other relationships in the environment such as
      arbitrary stimulus-response mappings. A remaining issue for future work is to
      specify the precise roles of PFo and PFcs. These two areas show very different
      patterns of connectivity with other brain areas, and it is currently unclear how
      this effects their contribution to decision-making.

PMID- 20303742
TI  - CD44, a therapeutic target for metastasising tumours.
AB  - Members of the CD44 family of transmembrane glycoproteins, in particular CD44v6
      isoforms, were shown to be metastatic determinants of rat pancreatic tumour cells
      back in the early 1990s. Furthermore, the expression of several CD44 proteins
      correlates with aggressive stages of various human cancers. Because of the
      frequent and homogeneous expression of CD44v6 isoforms in squamous cell
      carcinoma, antibodies recognising these proteins were used in clinical trials for
      patients suffering from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Although
      the phase I clinical trials looked promising, the studies were abruptly ended
      after the death of a patient. Despite the termination of the trials, CD44
      certainly remains a valid target for anti-cancer therapy. In this review,
      alternative strategies targeting CD44 functions are presented. These functions
      include the binding to hyaluronan (HA), the collaboration with osteopontin and
      the contribution of CD44 isoforms to receptor tyrosine kinase (RTKs) activation.
      These new attempts led to the development of peptides that interfere for example
      with HA binding and that might be used to induce apoptosis in mammary carcinoma
      or to prevent homing of leukaemia stem cells. Other peptides block RTK activation
      and thereby inhibit tumour angiogenesis and metastatic spread.

PMID- 20303741
TI  - Targeting the HGF/Met signalling pathway in cancer.
AB  - Under normal conditions, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)-induced Met tyrosine
      kinase (TK) activation is tightly regulated by paracrine ligand delivery, ligand
      activation at the target cell surface, and ligand activated receptor
      internalisation and degradation. Despite these controls, HGF/Met signalling
      contributes to oncogenesis and tumour progression in several cancers and promotes
      aggressive cellular invasiveness that is strongly linked to tumour metastasis.
      The prevalence of HGF/Met pathway activation in human malignancies has driven
      rapid growth in cancer drug development programmes. Pathway inhibitors can be
      divided broadly into biologicals and low molecular weight synthetic TK
      inhibitors; of these, the latter now outnumber all other inhibitor types. We
      review here the basic properties of HGF/Met pathway antagonists now in
      preclinical and clinical development as well as the latest clinical trial
      results. The main challenges facing the effective use of HGF/Met-targeted
      antagonists for cancer treatment include optimal patient selection, diagnostic
      and pharmacodynamic biomarker development, and the identification and testing of
      optimal therapy combinations. The wealth of basic information, analytical
      reagents and model systems available concerning HGF/Met oncogenic signalling will
      continue to be invaluable in meeting these challenges and moving expeditiously
      toward more effective disease control.

PMID- 20303743
TI  - Doubling time of serum CA125 is an independent prognostic factor for survival in
      patients with ovarian cancer relapsing after first-line chemotherapy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Confirmed doubling of CA125 value is one definition of progression
      in ovarian cancer patients. If asymptomatic, the management of these patients is
      unclear. To provide information which may assist in therapeutic decision making,
      we set out to determine the independent prognostic significance for the rate of
      rise in CA125 during surveillance in ovarian cancer patients as measured by CA125
      doubling time. PATIENT AND METHODS: Clinical information was obtained through a 2
      staged chart review of ovarian cancer patients treated in our department from
      1994 to 2003. We searched for patients who met criteria for CA125 progression and
      doubling during surveillance following first-line therapy. RESULTS: A total of
      296 patients were initially identified. During surveillance, the median doubling
      time of CA125 was 40 d and the median survival for patients with a CA125 doubling
      time of 40 d was 10.6 months compared to 22.1 months for those with doubling
      time>40 d. In a univariate analysis, age, high-grade, suboptimal cytoreduction,
      short CA125 doubling time, short time to progression and high CA125 at
      progression were significantly associated with poor survival, but in a
      multivariate analysis, a short CA125 doubling time of <or=40 d and a short time
      to disease progression (<or=180 d) were the only independent adverse prognostic
      factors (p=0.001). Second stage review identified 28 new patients who provided a
      confirmatory set that supported the adverse survival trend for patients with
      short CA125 doubling time. DISCUSSION: The rate of rise of CA125 during
      surveillance carries independent prognostic significance, and should be
      considered when making therapeutic decisions.

PMID- 20303744
TI  - Isolation and characterization of two new lipopeptide biosurfactants produced by
      Pseudomonas fluorescens BD5 isolated from water from the Arctic Archipelago of
      Svalbard.
AB  - The arctic freshwater bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens BD5 produces
      biosurfactants when grown on 2% glucose. Crude biosurfactants were extracted from
      a cell-free culture supernatant with ethyl acetate and purified by preparative
      reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The chemical
      structure of the purified biosurfactants, pseudofactin I and II, was analyzed by
      matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight (MALDI TOF) mass
      spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Both compounds are novel
      cyclic lipopeptides with a palmitic acid connected to the terminal amino group of
      eighth amino acid in peptide moiety. The C-terminal carboxylic group of the last
      amino acid (Val or Leu) forms a lactone with the hydroxyl of Thr3. Pseudofactin
      II reduced the surface tension of water from 72 mN/m to 31.5 mN/m at a
      concentration of 72 mg/l. Its emulsification activity and stability was greater
      than that of the synthetic surfactants Tween 20 and Triton X-100; pseudofactins
      thus have a great potential for application in industrial fields such as
      bioremediation or biomedicine.

PMID- 20303745
TI  - Preparation of high surface area activated carbon from coconut shells using
      microwave heating.
AB  - The present study attempts to utilize coconut shell to prepare activated carbon
      using agents such as steam, CO(2) and a mixture of steam-CO(2) with microwave
      heating. Experimental results show that the BET surface area of activated carbons
      irrespective of the activation agent resulted in surface area in excess of 2000
      m(2)/g. The activation time using microwave heating is very much shorter, while
      the yield of the activated carbon compares well with the conventional heating
      methods. The activated carbon prepared using CO(2) activation has the largest BET
      surface area, however the activation time is approximately 2.5 times higher than
      the activation using steam or mixture of steam-CO(2). The chemical structure of
      activated carbons examined using Fourier transformed infra-red spectra (FTIR) did
      not show any variation in the surface functional groups of the activated carbon
      prepared using different activation agents.

PMID- 20303746
TI  - Oil phytoremediation potential of hypersaline coasts of the Arabian Gulf using
      rhizosphere technology.
AB  - The rhizosphere and phyllosphere of the halophyte Halonemum strobilaceum
      naturally inhabiting hypersaline coastal areas of the Arabian Gulf harbor up to
      8.1 x 10(4)g(-1) and 3 x 10(2)g(-1), respectively, of extremely halophilic oil
      utilizing microorganisms. Such organisms were 14- to 38-fold more frequent in the
      rhizosphere than in the plant-free soil. Frequent genera in the rhizosphere were
      affiliated to the archaea Halobacterium sp. and Halococcus sp., the firmicute
      Brevibacillus borstenlensis, and the proteobacteria Pseudoalteromonas ruthenica
      and Halomonas sinaensis. The phyllospheric microflora consisted of the dimorphic
      yeast Candida utilis and the two proteobacteria Ochrobactrum sp. and
      Desulfovibrio sp. Individual strains grew on a range of pure aliphatic and
      aromatic hydrocarbons, as sole sources of carbon and energy. All the strains,
      except C. utilis which could not tolerate salinities >2M NaCl, grew also in media
      with salinities ranging between 1 and 4M NaCl, with optimum growth between 1 and
      2M NaCl. With the exception of the two archaeal genera, all isolates could grow
      in a nitrogen-free medium. The total rhizospheric and phyllospheric microbial
      consortia could attenuate crude oil in complete (nitrogen-containing) medium, but
      also equally well in a nitrogen-free medium. It was concluded that H.
      strobilaceum could be a valuable halophyte for phytoremediation of oil-polluted
      hypersaline environments via rhizosphere technology.

PMID- 20303748
TI  - Field scale molecular analysis for the monitoring of bacterial community
      structures during on-site diesel bioremediation.
AB  - A diesel contaminated groundwater site was surveyed using 16S rRNA gene based
      analyses to investigate the effect of bioaugmentation on the bacterial
      communities present. The analyses included the use of denaturing gradient gel
      electrophoresis (DGGE) to profile microbial community structure and the
      construction and sequencing of clone libraries in order to identify the organisms
      present. Community analyses revealed a high degree of similarity in the
      inoculated compartments during bioaugmentation, not observed once inoculation had
      ceased. However, it was also shown that there was very little community
      similarity between the inoculum and the inoculated samples. Instead, the
      similarity seen during the application of the bioaugmentation treatment was
      thought to be due to nutrient addition applied along with the inoculum.
      Furthermore, once the bioaugmentation treatment had ceased the communities around
      the site became more diverse, suggesting that the hierarchical structure seen
      during treatment was due to the stimulation of a group of opportunistic
      indigenous organisms by the nutrients added. The findings not only highlight the
      importance of monitoring the fate of inocula used in bioaugmentation but also how
      crucial the process of the selection of species and the culture conditions used
      in the construction of these consortia.

PMID- 20303747
TI  - Competitive biosorption of Yellow 2G and Reactive Brilliant Red K-2G onto
      inactive aerobic granules: simultaneous determination of two dyes by first-order
      derivative spectrophotometry and isotherm studies.
AB  - This study focused on the competitive biosorption of Yellow 2G (Y2G) and Reactive
      Brilliant Red K-2G (RBR) by inactive aerobic granules in binary solutions. A
      first-order derivative spectrophotometric method for the simultaneous
      determination of Y2G and RBR in binary solutions was developed. Dubinin
      Raduskevich (D-R) isotherm successfully predicted the biosorption of Y2G and RBR
      in both single and binary solutions. However, none of the tested binary
      adsorption isotherms could realistically represent the biosorption equilibrium
      data. Maximum biosorption capacity calculated from D-R isotherm for Y2G and RBR
      in single solution was 58.50 and 66.18 mg g(-1), respectively; in binary
      solutions, for Y2G it decreased to 40.38 mg g(-1), but for RBR it increased to
      171.21 mg g(-1), showing their synergism and antagonistic interactions. The FTIR
      results indicated the main functional groups on aerobic granules for biosorption
      of Y2G and RBR would be amine, hydroxyl, carboxyl and either.

PMID- 20303749
TI  - Lignocellulosic bioethanol: current status and perspectives.

PMID- 20303750
TI  - Agro-industrial residues as low-price feedstock for diesel-like fuel production
      by thermal cracking.
AB  - Pyrolysis of industrial fatty wastes (soybean soapstock, beef tallow, and poultry
      industry waste) was carried out in the absence of catalysts. In all cases,
      organic mixtures of hydrocarbons and oxygenated compounds were obtained. These
      mixtures were distilled and diesel-like fractions were isolated and characterized
      by GC-FID, GC-MS and FT-IR, showing the formation of olefins, paraffins, and some
      oxygenated compounds such as carboxylic acids and esters. The main physical
      chemical properties of those isolated diesel-like fuels (density, viscosity,
      distillation curve, carbon residue, copper corrosion test, cetane index, cold
      finger plugging point, acid index and heating value) were determined using ASTM
      standard methods and matched the Brazilian specification for diesel fuel.

PMID- 20303751
TI  - Conformationally-restricted amino acid analogues bearing a distal sulfonic acid
      show selective inhibition of system x(c)(-) over the vesicular glutamate
      transporter.
AB  - A panel of amino acid analogs and conformationally-restricted amino acids bearing
      a sulfonic acid were synthesized and tested for their ability to preferentially
      inhibit the obligate cysteine-glutamate transporter system x(c)(-) versus the
      vesicular glutamate transporter (VGLUT). Several promising candidate molecules
      were identified: R/S-4-[4'-carboxyphenyl]-phenylglycine, a biphenyl substituted
      analog of 4-carboxyphenylglycine and 2-thiopheneglycine-5-sulfonic acid both of
      which reduced glutamate uptake at system x(c)(-) by 70-75% while having modest to
      no effect on glutamate uptake at VGLUT.

PMID- 20303752
TI  - 1,7-Disubstituted oxyindoles are potent and selective EP(3) receptor antagonists.
AB  - A series of novel 1,7-disubstituted oxyindoles were shown to be potent and
      selective EP(3) receptor antagonists. Variation of substitution pattern at the C
      3 position of indole enhanced in vitro metabolic stability of the resulting
      derivatives. Series 27a-c showed >1000-fold selectivity over a panel of
      prostanoid receptors including IP, FP, EP(1), EP(2) and EP(4). These agents also
      featured low CYP inhibition and good activity in the functional rat platelet
      aggregation assay.

PMID- 20303753
TI  - A novel D-glucose derivative radiolabeled with technetium-99m: synthesis,
      biodistribution studies and scintigraphic images in an experimental model of
      Ehrlich tumor.
AB  - A d-glucose-MAG(3) derivative was successfully synthesized and radiolabeled in
      high labeling yield. Biodistribution studies and scintigraphic images in Ehrlich
      tumor-bearing mice were performed. This compound showed high accumulation in
      tumor tissue with high tumor-to-muscle ratio. Thus, d-glucose-MAG(3) could be
      considered as agent for tumor diagnosis.

PMID- 20303754
TI  - Praziquantel analogs with activity against juvenile Schistosoma mansoni.
AB  - Six amide and four urea derivatives of praziquantel were synthesized and tested
      for antischistosomal activity against juvenile and adults stages of Schistosoma
      mansoni in infected mice. Only one of these had significant activity against
      adult worms, but, unlike praziquantel, six of these had low to modest activity
      against juvenile worms. A praziquantel ketone derivative had the best combination
      of activity against juveniles and adults, but it had no effect on the motility of
      adult S. mansoni in ex vivo culture. Cytochrome P450 metabolic stability data
      support the hypothesis that the major trans-cyclohexanol metabolite of
      praziquantel plays an important role in the antischistosomal activity of this
      drug.

PMID- 20303755
TI  - Synthesis, cytotoxic activity and structure-activity relationships of hedychenone
      analogues.
AB  - Hedychenone, a plant-derived labdane diterpenoid, showed potent in vitro
      cytotoxic activity against cancerous cells. In the present study, a series of
      analogues have been synthesized by modification of the furanoid ring, double bond
      and the vinylic methyl functionality of this natural product lead and evaluated
      for their cytotoxic activities against human cancer cell lines. The structures of
      the target compounds were established by IR, (1)H NMR and mass spectral analysis.
      Majority of the analogues displayed potent activity than the parent compound,
      hedychenone. Preliminary structure-activity relationship studies indicated that
      furanoid ring has a greater impact on cytotoxicity than that of the decalone
      nucleus. However, dimerization through C-8 significantly enhanced the cytotoxic
      activity of the hedychenone.

PMID- 20303756
TI  - The introduction of P4 substituted 1-methylcyclohexyl groups into Boceprevir: a
      change in direction in the search for a second generation HCV NS3 protease
      inhibitor.
AB  - In the search for a second generation HCV protease inhibitor, molecular modeling
      studies of the X-ray crystal structure of Boceprevir1 bound to the NS3 protein
      suggest that expansion into the S4 pocket could provide additional hydrophobic
      Van der Waals interactions. Effective replacement of the P4 tert-butyl with a
      cyclohexylmethyl ligand led to inhibitor 2 with improved enzyme and replicon
      activities. Subsequent modeling and SAR studies led to the pyridine 38 and
      sulfone analogues 52 and 53 with vastly improved PK parameters in monkeys,
      forming a new foundation for further exploration.

PMID- 20303757
TI  - Cap myopathy caused by a mutation of the skeletal alpha-actin gene ACTA1.
AB  - Cap myopathy is a congenital myopathy with cap-like structures under the
      sarcolemma. Mutations in TPM2 and TPM3 genes have been reported in cap myopathy
      so far. We report a newborn boy with persistent profound weakness who required
      gastro-jejunal tube feeding, tracheostomy and life-long ventilation until he died
      at 5 years of age. Muscle biopsy at 5 weeks of age was uninformative. Repeat
      biopsy at 4.5 years revealed subsarcolemmally located caps that were
      immunopositive for alpha-actinin, actin and to some extent, desmin. EM confirmed
      loosely arranged thin filaments and paucity of thick filaments. Molecular
      analysis of ACTA1 gene identified a novel de novo Met49Val [corrected] mutation.
      In addition to a new ACTA1 gene mutation, our case emphasizes the genetic
      heterogeneity of cap myopathy and its association with ACTA1 gene as well as the
      importance of repeat muscle biopsy in patients with undiagnosed muscle weakness.

PMID- 20303759
TI  - Bilateral balance impairments after lateral ankle trauma: a systematic review and
      meta-analysis.
AB  - Research indicates that balance is impaired in the involved limb following an
      ankle injury. However, bilateral balance impairments are a viable reason for
      previous non-significant findings between involved and uninvolved limbs. The
      purpose of this investigation was to conduct a meta-analysis on studies reporting
      the effects of lateral ankle trauma on balance of the involved and uninvolved
      limb after acute ankle injury and chronic ankle instability. Twelve studies
      qualified for inclusion and assessed static balance for both the involved and
      uninvolved limbs post-injury and a control group. Meta-analyses calculated
      standardized mean difference effects and explored moderating variables for the
      involved and uninvolved limbs relative to controls. A significant cumulative
      effect size (ES=0.448, p<0.00001) indicated that balance of the involved limb is
      impaired after a history of ankle injury. Moderator variable analysis revealed
      that both acute (ES=0.529, p<0.0002) and chronic (ES=0.338, p<0.001) lateral
      ankle trauma negatively affected balance. Analysis of the uninvolved limb also
      revealed postural stability impairments (ES=0.275, p<0.003). Additional,
      moderator analysis showed a significant acute effect (ES=0.564, p<0.0001), but
      failed to find significance for individuals with chronic ankle instability
      (ES=0.070, p=0.552). These findings provide strong evidence that balance is
      bilaterally impaired after an acute lateral ankle sprain. However, these findings
      suggest that bilateral balance deficits are not present in patients with chronic
      ankle instability. Based on these findings, the uninvolved limb should not be
      used as a reference for "normal balance" following an acute lateral ankle sprain.
      Further, patients with acute lateral ankle sprains should undergo balance
      training on both limbs.

PMID- 20303760
TI  - Treatment of symptomatic interhemispheric arachnoid cysts by cystoperitoneal
      shunting.
AB  - Arachnoid cysts (AC) located within the interhemispheric fissure are rare,
      frequently associated with agenesis or hypogenesis of the corpus callosum. The
      optimal method for surgical treatment is under debate. In this study, we
      retrospectively reviewed the clinical results of seven infants (five males, two
      females; mean age, 5.1 months) with large interhemispheric AC who underwent
      cystoperitoneal shunting (CP) and evaluated the long-term efficacy in terms of
      clinical data, psychomotor development and neuroimaging. All patients were
      symptomatic and operated on before they reached 1 year of age. In three patients,
      additional ventricular catheters were inserted due to concomitant hydrocephalus.
      The additional catheters were joined with the cyst catheters and the peritoneal
      catheters with Y-shaped connectors in the same session. The patients were
      followed up for an average of 57 months (range 24-120 months). The clinical and
      developmental outcome was good in most patients with complete resolution of
      symptoms and signs. The developmental outcome scale, which included cognitive and
      psychomotor development, was "good" (normal) or "fair" (near normal) for six of
      seven patients. Radiologically, the cyst was completely or nearly totally
      resolved in five patients, and partially resolved in two. In these symptomatic
      patients with interhemispheric AC, CP shunting provided favorable treatment
      outcomes with complete or near-total resolution of symptoms and reduction in cyst
      size or disappearance of the cyst.

PMID- 20303758
TI  - p53 and ARF: unexpected players in autophagy.
AB  - p53 and ARF are well-established tumor-suppressor proteins that function together
      in the negative regulation of cancer. Recently, both proteins were found to play
      surprising roles in autophagy. Autophagy ('self-eating') is a crucial response of
      eukaryotic cells to metabolic and other stress. During this process, portions of
      the cytosol are sequestered into characteristic double-membrane vesicles that are
      delivered to the lysosome for degradation, leading to the release of free amino
      acids and promoting cell survival. The mechanisms whereby p53 and ARF control
      autophagy are only now becoming elucidated. An emerging question is whether we
      can develop metabolic poisons that preferentially destroy tumor cells depending
      on their reliance on autophagy for survival, and on their p53 and ARF status.

PMID- 20303761
TI  - Primary angiitis of the central nervous system with diffuse cerebral mass effect
      and giant cells.
AB  - Primary angiitis of the central nervous system (PACNS), also called primary CNS
      vasculitis, is an idiopathic inflammatory condition affecting only intracranial
      and spinal cord vessels, particularly medium-sized and smaller arteries and
      arterioles. Angiography and histopathology typically do not reveal evidence of
      systemic vasculitis.(1,2) Histopathology usually reveals granulomatous
      inflammation affecting arterioles and small arteries of the parenchyma and/or
      leptomeninges, similar to that seen in Takayasu's or giant cell arteritis.(1-3)
      We report a patient with biopsy-proven PACNS with giant cells and cerebral mass
      effect on MRI. Magnetic resonance angiography and cerebral angiography appeared
      normal and there was no evidence of extracranial vasculitis.

PMID- 20303762
TI  - Treatment of delayed-onset post-stroke monochorea with stereotactic pallidotomy.
AB  - Chorea that occurs as a result of a stroke is rare. We report a patient who
      developed hemiplegia following an acute hemorrhagic stroke in the left cerebral
      peduncle and subthalamus; although he had recovered gradually from the severe
      limb weakness, monochorea occurred 6 months later. Pallidotomy eliminated this
      symptom and we found it is a safe treatment for medically intractable post-stroke
      chorea after hemiplegia has resolved.

PMID- 20303763
TI  - Cardiovascular autonomic function tests to provide normative data from a healthy
      older population.
AB  - We aimed to derive normative data for cardiovascular autonomic function tests
      (AFT) in an older population using new measures. The AFT were performed in 48
      healthy control subjects. The average heart rate (HR) response to deep breathing
      (DB) (HR(DB)), Valsalva ratio (VR), magnitude of the HR and blood pressure (BP)
      response of different phases of the Valsalva maneuver, BP recovery times (PRT 100
      and PRT 50) and HR and BP changes on head-up tilting were calculated. The mean
      age (+/-standard deviation) of study participants was 58+/-14.5 years (range 20
      82 years), of whom 29 (60%) were men. The systolic blood pressure (SBP) early
      phase 2 amplitude showed an inverse relationship with age (p=0.03). There was a
      trend for progressive attenuation of SBP late phase 2 amplitude with age
      (p=0.09). The systolic BP recovery time was not affected by age, gender or body
      mass index. We concluded that age has a significant effect on most AFT variables.
      Age and gender did not influence the systolic BP recovery time; hence, systolic
      BP recovery time could be useful in the evaluation of adrenergic failure.

PMID- 20303764
TI  - Longstanding knee joint preserved functional outcome following medial femoral
      condyle resection. A case report.
AB  - Giant cell tumor of the bone (GCT) is a relatively uncommon benign aggressive
      tumor that occurs near the articular surface of major joints. Standard treatment
      of GCT is comprised of local resection followed by local adjuvant therapy.
      Unicondylar osteoarticular resection is usually followed by a reconstructive
      procedure to restore the biomechanical demands of the joint. The present report
      describes a patient with satisfactory knee stability and functional outcome 32
      years following medial femoral condyle resection with no reconstructive
      arthroplasty.

PMID- 20303765
TI  - The Bi-Surface total knee arthroplasty: minimum 10-year follow-up study.
AB  - The Bi-Surface Knee System (Japan Medical Material, Kyoto, Japan), which has a
      unique ball-and-socket joint and whose femoral component is made from alumina
      ceramic, was designed to improve deep knee flexion and long-term durability after
      total knee arthroplasty. The purpose of this study was to review the clinical
      results of a minimum 10-year follow-up. Between 1989 and 1997, 507 total knee
      arthroplasties were carried out in 371 patients. Forty three patients (56 knees)
      were lost to follow-up. The mean age of the patients at operation was 68.5 years,
      and the patients were followed up for a mean of 11.7 years. The knees were
      evaluated on the basis of Knee Society knee score and functional score,
      radiographs, and Kaplan-Meier survivorship analysis. The knee score was improved
      from 38.9+/-17.4 points preoperatively to 93.3+/-7.8 points at the latest follow
      up (p<0.001). The functional score was improved from 34.9+/-19.3 points to 52.7+/
      24.1 points (p<0.001). The mean range of flexion was improved from 118.7+/-21.7
      degrees to 124.2+/-20.8 degrees (p<0.001). The critical angle, which means the
      border to gain more range of flexion postoperatively, was 130.1 degrees. Kaplan
      Meier survivorship at 10-year was 95.9% with any operation or radiographic
      failure as the end point. The corresponding rate was 97.4% with revision of any
      component as the end point. No ceramic component fracture occurred. The present
      study demonstrates that good range of flexion was maintained for a long time
      after total knee arthroplasty with excellent durability. The Bi-Surface Knee
      System appears to have achieved its design objectives.

PMID- 20303766
TI  - Post-traumatic chylous knee effusion.
AB  - Chylous joint effusion is a rare condition in which synovial fluids containing
      large amounts of lipids take on a milky appearance as a result. We report on a 19
      year-old male patient with posttraumatic chylous knee effusion. Several days
      after striking his knee against the ground because of a traffic accident, his
      left knee showed obvious swelling. Aspiration of his knee was performed, yielding
      70ml of purulent-appearing fluid. To distinguish this condition from purulent or
      tuberculosis arthritis, arthroscopic biopsy and debridement were performed.
      Arthroscopic examination visualized distinctive yellow-white soft lesions
      covering much of the joint capsule, resembling a cobweb. Tissue cultures for
      bacteria were negative. Pathologically, we identified clusters of xanthoma cells
      with fibrin exudation due to disruption of the synovium and intra-articular fat
      pad necrosis. Centrifuging the aspiration fluid yielded a thick creamy lipid
      layer as the supernatant. A fresh drop preparation showed that the specimen
      contained innumerable fat globules, which stained red with oil red O stain. The
      patient was able to walk without difficulty or further swelling of his knee at
      the end of the second postoperative week. Posttraumatic chylous effusion is self
      limited. Purulent arthritis or tuberculosis arthritis, however, should still be
      the presumptive diagnosis in such cases. Arthroscopic irrigation and debridement
      should be considered for these traumatic cases to confirm diagnosis and to speed
      up recovery.

PMID- 20303767
TI  - Assessing the trypanocidal potential of natural and semi-synthetic
      diketopiperazines from two deep water marine-derived fungi.
AB  - Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT, commonly known as African sleeping sickness)
      is categorized as a neglected disease, as it afflicts >50,000 people annually in
      sub-saharan Africa, and there are few formal programs in the world focused on
      drug discovery approaches for this disease. In this study, we examined the crude
      extracts of two fungal strains (Aspergillus fumigatus and Nectria inventa)
      isolated from deep water sediment which provided >99% growth inhibition at
      1microg/mL of Trypanosoma brucei, the causative parasite of HAT. A collection of
      fifteen natural products was supplemented with six semi-synthetic derivatives and
      one commercially available compound. Twelve of the compounds, each containing a
      diketopiperazine core, showed excellent activity against T. brucei (IC(50)=0.002
      40microM), with selectivity over mammalian cells as great as 20-fold. The
      trypanocidal diketopiperazines were also tested against two cysteine protease
      targets Rhodesain and TbCatB, where five compounds showed inhibition activity at
      concentrations less than 20microM. A preliminary activity pattern is described
      and analyzed.

PMID- 20303768
TI  - Investigating the anti-proliferative activity of styrylazanaphthalenes and
      azanaphthalenediones.
AB  - A group of styrylazanaphthalenes and azanaphthalenediones were synthesized and
      tested for their anti-proliferative activity. Most of the compounds were obtained
      with the use of microwave-assisted synthesis. The lipophilicity of the compounds
      was measured by RP-HPLC and their anti-proliferative activity was assayed against
      the human SK-N-MC neuroepithelioma and HCT116 human colon carcinoma cell lines.
      Active compounds were also tested in clonogenity and comet assays. Several
      quinazolinone and styrylquinazoline analogues were found to have markedly greater
      anti-proliferative activity than desferoxamine and cis-platin.

PMID- 20303769
TI  - (18)F Labeled benzimidazole derivatives as potential radiotracer for positron
      emission tomography (PET) tumor imaging.
AB  - This article reported the synthesis and bioevaluation of two [(18)F] labeled
      benzimidazole derivatives, 4-(5-(2-[(18)F] fluoro-4-nitrobenzamido)-1-methyl-1H
      benzimidazol-2-yl) butanoic acid ([(18)F] FNBMBBA, [(18)F]a1) and 3-(2
      fluoroethyl)-7-methyl-2-propyl-3H-benzimidazole-5-carboxylic acid ([(18)F]
      FEMPBBA, [(18)F]b1) for PET tumor imaging. The preparation [(18)F] FEMPBBA was
      completed in 1h with overall radiochemical yield of 50-60% (without decay
      corrected). Biodistribution assay in S180 tumor bearing mice of both compounds
      were carried out, and the results are both meaningful. [(18)F] FEMPBBA which can
      be taken as a revision of [(18)F] FNBMBBA got an excellent result, and has
      significant advantages in some aspects compared with L-[(18)F] FET and [(18)F]
      FDG in the same animal model, especially in tumor/brain uptake ratio. The
      tumor/brain uptake ratio of [(18)F] FEMPBBA gets to 4.81, 7.15, and 9.8 at 30min,
      60min and 120min, and is much higher than that of L-[(18)F] FET (2.54, 2.92 and
      2.95) and [(18)F]-FDG (0.61, 1.02, 1.33) at the same time point. The tumor/muscle
      and tumor/blood uptake ratio of [(18)F] FEMPBBA is also higher than that of L
      [(18)F] FET at 30min and 60min. This result indicates compound [(18)F] FEMPBBA is
      a promising radiotracer for PET tumor imaging.

PMID- 20303770
TI  - Synthesis of 26-hydroxy-22-oxocholestanic frameworks from diosgenin and hecogenin
      and their in vitro antiproliferative and apoptotic activity on human cervical
      cancer CaSki cells.
AB  - Certain steroidal compounds have demonstrated an antiproliferative effect against
      several tumor cell lines; however, their complete role on cancer cells is not
      currently established. Herein, we report the synthesis and evaluation of two new
      26-hydroxy-22-oxocholestanic steroids on cervical cancer CaSki cells. The title
      compounds were prepared from diosgenin and hecogenin in excellent yields. We
      determined their effect on cell proliferation, cell cycle, and cell death. The
      cytotoxic effect of the title compounds on CaSki and human lymphocytes was also
      evaluated, indicating that the main cell death process is not necrosis; the null
      effect on lymphocytes implies that they are not cytotoxic. The observation of
      apoptotic bodies as well as the increase in the expression of active caspase-3
      along with the fragmentation of DNA confirmed that such new cholestanic
      frameworks induced apoptosis in tumor cells. Significantly, their
      antiproliferative activity on tumor cells did not affect the proliferative
      potential of normal fibroblasts from cervix and peripheral blood lymphocytes. The
      title compounds show selective antitumor activity and therefore serve as
      promising lead candidates for further optimization.

PMID- 20303771
TI  - Novel 8-(furan-2-yl)-3-substituted thiazolo [5,4-e][1,2,4] triazolo[1,5-c]
      pyrimidine-2(3H)-thione derivatives as potential adenosine A(2A) receptor
      antagonists.
AB  - Novel thiazolotriazolopyrimidine derivatives (23-33) designed as potential
      adenosine A(2A) receptor (A(2A)R) antagonists were synthesized. Molecular docking
      studies revealed that all compounds (23-33) exhibited strong interaction with
      A(2A)R. The strong interaction of the compounds (23-33) with A(2A)R in silico was
      confirmed by their high binding affinity with human A(2A)R stably expressed in
      HEK293 cells using radioligand-binding assay. The compounds 24-26 demonstrated
      substantial binding affinity and selectivity for A(2A)R as compared to SCH58261,
      a standard A(2A)R antagonist. Decrease in A(2A)R-coupled release of endogenous
      cAMP in treated HEK293 cells demonstrated in vitro A(2A)R antagonist potential of
      the compounds 24-26. Attenuation in haloperidol-induced motor impairments
      (catalepsy and akinesia) in Swiss albino male mice pre-treated with compounds 24
      26 further supports their role in the alleviation of PD symptoms.

PMID- 20303772
TI  - Structural development studies of anti-hepatitis C virus agents with a
      phenanthridinone skeleton.
AB  - A phenanthridinone skeleton was derived from our previous researches on
      thalidomide and retinoids as a multi-template for generation of anti-viral lead
      compounds. Structural development studies focusing on anti-hepatitis C virus
      activity afforded 5-butyl-2-(1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-hydroxypropan-2
      yl)phenanthridin-6(5H)-one (10) and 5-butylbenzo[b]phenanthridin-6(5H)-one (39),
      which showed EC(50) values of approximately 3.7 and 3.2microM, respectively.

PMID- 20303773
TI  - Intrinsic error of the point-source and the LS-curve approximations in treatment
      of true coincidence summing.
AB  - Apart from an experimental determination of the relevant correction factors or a
      full Monte Carlo simulation, the most popular computational approach to the
      problem of true coincidence summing effects is the point-source approximation. An
      improvement of this method is based on the so-called linear-to-square or "Third
      curve" of gamma-ray spectrometry. Both of these computational methods carry with
      them an intrinsic error, the magnitude of which we investigate for the case of
      environmental measurements with p-type HPGe detectors.

PMID- 20303774
TI  - Nitrate uptake and utilization is modulated by exogenous gamma-aminobutyric acid
      in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings.
AB  - Exogenously applied GABA modulates root growth by inhibition of root elongation
      when seedlings were grown in vitro on full-strength Murashige and Skoog (MS)
      salts, but root elongation was stimulated when seedlings were grown on 1/8
      strength MS salts. When the concentration of single ions in MS salts was
      individually varied, the control of growth between inhibition and stimulation was
      found to be related to the level of nitrate (NO(3)(-)) in the growth medium. At
      NO(3)(-) concentrations below 40 mM (full-strength MS salts level), root growth
      was stimulated by the addition of GABA to the growth medium; whereas at
      concentrations above 40 mM NO(3)(-), the addition of GABA to the growth medium
      inhibited root elongation. GABA promoted NO(3)(-) uptake at low NO(3)(-), while
      GABA inhibited NO(3)(-) uptake at high NO(3)(-). Activities of several enzymes
      involved in nitrogen and carbon metabolism including nitrate reductase (NR),
      glutamine synthetase (GS), glutamate synthase (NADH-GOGAT), NADP-dependent
      isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP-ICDH), and phosphoenol pyruvate carboxylase
      (PEPCase) were regulated by GABA in the growth medium. Supplementing 1/8 strength
      MS medium with 50 mM GABA enhanced the activities of all of the above enzymes
      except ICDH activities in root tissues. However, at full-strength MS, GABA showed
      no inhibitory effect on the activities of these enzymes, except on GS in both
      root and shoot tissues, and PEPCase activity in shoot tissues. Exogenous GABA
      increased the amount of NR protein rather than its activation status in the
      tissues. This study shows that GABA affects the growth of Arabidopsis, possibly
      by acting as a signaling molecule, modulating the activity of enzymes involved in
      primary nitrogen metabolism and nitrate uptake.

PMID- 20303775
TI  - Oxidative metabolism, ROS and NO under oxygen deprivation.
AB  - Oxygen deprivation, in line with other stress conditions, is accompanied by
      reactive oxygen (ROS) and nitrogen species (RNS) formation and is characterised
      by a set of metabolic changes collectively named as the 'oxidative stress
      response'. The controversial induction of oxidative metabolism under the lack of
      oxygen is necessitated by ROS and RNS signaling in the induction of adaptive
      responses, and inevitably results in oxidative damage. To prevent detrimental
      effects of oxidative stress, the levels of ROS and NO are tightly controlled on
      transcriptional, translational and metabolic levels. Hypoxia triggers the
      induction of genes responsible for ROS and NO handling and utilization
      (respiratory burst oxidase, non-symbiotic hemoglobins, several cytochromes P450,
      mitochondrial dehydrogenases, and antioxidant-related transcripts). The level of
      oxygen in the tissue is also under metabolic control via multiple mechanisms:
      Regulation of glycolytic and fermentation pathways to manage pyruvate
      availability for respiration, and adjustment of mitochondrial electron flow
      through NO and ROS balance. Both adaptive strategies are controlled by energy
      status and aim to decrease the respiratory capacity and to postpone complete
      anoxia. Besides local oxygen concentration, ROS and RNS formation is controlled
      by an array of antioxidants. Hypoxic treatment leads to the upregulation of
      multiple transcripts associated with ascorbate, glutathione and thioredoxin
      metabolism. The production of ROS and NO is an integral part of the response to
      oxygen deprivation which encompasses several levels of metabolic regulation to
      sustain redox signaling and to prevent oxidative damage.

PMID- 20303776
TI  - Tissue engineering and biotechnology in general thoracic surgery.
AB  - Public interest in the recent progress of tissue engineering, a special line of
      biotechnology, makes the current review on thoracic surgery highly relevant. In
      this article, techniques, materials and cellular processes are discussed
      alongside their potential applications in tissue repair. Different applications
      of tissue engineering in tracheo-bronchial replacement, lung tissue cultures and
      chest-wall reconstruction are also summarised in the article. Potential tissue
      engineering-based solutions for destructive, chronic lung-injury-related
      conditions and replacement of tubular structures in the central airways are also
      examined.

PMID- 20303777
TI  - Long-term results of the frozen elephant trunk technique for extended aortic arch
      disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study describes the long-term safety and effectiveness of
      extended aortic arch replacement with the frozen elephant trunk technique from
      our 12 years of experience. METHODS: Between September 1997 and September 2008,
      156 patients (mean age 67.9 years) with different pathologies from the aortic
      arch to the extended descending aorta in 100 dissections (acute A/acute B/chronic
      B=66/26/8) and 56 thoracic arteriosclerotic aneurysms (TAAs) had the frozen
      elephant technique performed upon them. During moderate hypothermic circulation
      with selective cerebral perfusion, the stent graft was inserted through the
      transected proximal aortic arch with trans-oesophageal echo guidance. RESULTS:
      Six patients (3.2%) (acute A/acute B/chronic B/TAA=3/2/0/1) died in hospital.
      Postoperative morbidity induced four (2.6%) strokes (acute A/acute B/chronic
      B/TAA=2/0/0/2) and three (2.0%) spinal injuries (paraplegia in two and transient
      paraparesis in one) (acute A/acute B/chronic B/TAA=0/0/1/2). In the long-term
      follow-up (mean 63.3 + or - 39.2 months, maximum 144 months) 16 patients died.
      The survival rate was 99.3%, 86.5% and 74.9% at 1, 5 and 10 years, respectively.
      An additional operation was performed in 15 (9.4%) (ascending aorta/aortic
      root/descending aorta/abdominal aorta=1/2/5/7) including three stent-graft
      related events (2.1%), and the additional repair proved successful. A follow-up
      computed tomography (CT) image was available for 96.0% (143/149) of patients who
      survived longer than 12 months. The size of false lumen or aneurysm increased in
      four patients, was unchanged in 20 patients (14.0%), shrank in 66 (46.2%) and was
      completely obliterated in 55 (37.1%). CONCLUSIONS: The frozen elephant technique
      could be an attractive treatment for extended aortic arch disease to the extended
      descending aorta for acute aortic dissection as well as arteriosclerotic
      aneurysm.

PMID- 20303778
TI  - Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in the older.
AB  - The incidence of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLCL) in the older is growing to
      the point of becoming a health priority in the next decades. Prognostic factors
      and the biology of the tumor are not very different between younger and older
      populations. Furthermore, it seems that the response rate is basically similar in
      both populations, provided an appropriate dose of chemotherapy is administered.
      However, there seem to be differences with regard to a lower tolerance to
      treatment and a higher relapse rate in responsive older patients. To analyze
      these problems we review the most important differences between young and older
      DLCL patients in terms of immunologic status, treatment toxicity and the presence
      of other concomitant diseases or organ dysfunctions. We also consider the most
      relevant clinical studies that may allow us to make the appropriate decisions
      regarding DLCL therapy in this older population.

PMID- 20303779
TI  - The hypothalamic clock and its control of glucose homeostasis.
AB  - The everyday life of mammals, including humans, exhibits many behavioral,
      physiological and endocrine oscillations. The major timekeeping mechanism for
      these rhythms is contained in the central nervous system (CNS). The output of the
      CNS clock not only controls daily rhythms in sleep/wake (or feeding/fasting)
      behavior but also exerts a direct control over glucose metabolism. Here, we show
      how the biological clock plays an important role in determining early morning
      (fasting) plasma glucose concentrations by affecting hepatic glucose production
      and glucose uptake, as well as glucose tolerance, by determining feeding-induced
      insulin responses. Recently, large-scale genetic studies in humans provided the
      first evidence for the involvement of disrupted (clock gene) rhythms in the
      pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes.

PMID- 20303780
TI  - Interferon-alpha and interleukin-6 in SLE serum induce the differentiation and
      maturation of dendritic cells derived from CD34+ hematopoietic precursor cells.
AB  - The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of the cytokines IFN
      alpha, IL-6 and IL-10 present in the serum of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
      patients on the differentiation and maturation of DCs derived from CD34(+)
      hematopoietic precursor cells (HPCs). CD34(+) HPCs cultured in SLE serum
      containing elevated levels of IFN-alpha or IL-6 differentiated into DCs showing
      an increased expression of HLA-DR, CD80 and CD86, decreased IL-12 secretion along
      with increased IL-10 production, and an increased ability to stimulate allogenic
      T-cell proliferation, compared with DCs cultured in normal serum. DCs cultured
      with high levels of IFN-alpha increased the proportion of both CD3(+)CD8(-)IFN
      gamma(+) and CD3(+)CD8(+)IFN-gamma(+) T-cell subsets, and increased the
      production of IFN-gamma in the allogenic MLR. DCs cultured with high levels of IL
      6 decreased the proportion of both IFN-gamma(+) T-cell subsets, and decreased the
      secretion of IFN-gamma, but increased the production of IL-10. The IL-10 present
      in SLE serum did not significantly alter the phenotype or function of the DCs.
      IFN-alpha and IL-6 present in SLE serum induce CD34(+) HPCs to differentiate into
      DCs with different regulatory effects on T-cell differentiation, which might be
      involved in the initiation and maintenance of SLE.

PMID- 20303781
TI  - TNFSF9 expression in primary biliary cirrhosis and its clinical significance.
AB  - Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a TH1/Th17 biased autoimmune disease of the
      medium and small bile ducts. The role of the costimulatory TNFSF9 (4-1BBL) in PBC
      progress was investigated by comparing its cell surface expression in peripheral
      blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) by flow cytometry, its mRNA expression in PBMCs by
      QRT-PCR and its serum concentrations in PBC patients vs. healthy controls. The
      TNFSF9 expression levels were compared with Mayo risk scores, PBC stages, IL-18
      serum levels, total bilirubin (TBIL), and gamma glutamyltransferase (gamma-GT).
      The PBC patients expressed significantly greater levels of membrane bound TNFSF9,
      mRNA on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), and soluble TNFSF9 (P<0.05)
      than healthy controls. Stage III and IV PBC subjects showed significantly reduced
      TNFSF9 mRNA than stage I and II. The TBIL, gamma-GT, and IL-18 were greatly
      increased in PBC patients compared with healthy controls. Stage II, III, and IV
      patients exhibited significantly higher IL-18 levels than stage I subjects.
      TNFSF9 mRNA significantly correlated with serum TBIL, gamma-GT, and IL-18
      (P<0.05, P<0.01, P<0.01). Thus, TNFSF9 mRNA levels in PBMC may be associated with
      PBC progression, provide new clues for monitoring its condition and pathogenesis.

PMID- 20303782
TI  - Interleukin-6 produced in subcutaneous adipose tissue is linked to blood pressure
      control in septic patients.
AB  - Cytokines are inflammatory mediators of major relevance during sepsis. Recent
      evidence shows that adipose tissue can produce many distinct cytokines under
      physiological and pathological conditions, but the role of cytokines produced in
      adipose tissue was not addressed in sepsis. In the present study the open-flow
      microperfusion (OFM) technique was used to investigate whether the cytokines
      produced in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) of patients with severe sepsis
      correlate with clinical variables. Interstitial fluid effluent samples were
      collected using an OFM catheter inserted in the abdominal SAT of nine patients
      with severe sepsis. Blood samples were withdrawn concomitantly and interleukin
      1beta (IL-1beta), IL-8, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) were
      measured both in SAT effluent and serum samples. Different time profiles were
      registered for each cytokine. IL-1beta increased in a time-dependent manner,
      indicating a localized response against the catheter insertion. Interleukin
      1beta, 6 and 8 were higher in SAT than in serum suggesting they were locally
      produced. Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) negatively correlated with IL-1beta, IL
      6 and IL-8 in SAT indicating a possible interaction between adipose tissue
      inflammation and vascular tone regulation. A multiple regression analysis
      disclosed that mean DBP was significantly related to IL-6 concentrations in SAT
      (B=-43.9; R-square=0.82; P=0.002).

PMID- 20303783
TI  - Prolonged stability of the plantibody HB-01 directed against the hepatitis B
      surface antigen in cryo-preserved tobacco leaves.
AB  - Since 1983, several recombinant antibodies have been expressed in important
      agronomic plant species. However, to date no evaluation has been published about
      prolonged antibody stability within plant tissues under cryo-preservation
      conditions. This current report presents an approach to the KDEL-plantibody HB-01
      (PHB-01) stability in frozen tobacco leaves by presenting scientific evidence
      about the stability of a plantibody to a prolonged low temperature exposure in
      this biological source. Results clearly show that the PHB-01 amount is maintained
      during the storage of tobacco leaves at -20 degrees C for 90 days. The PHB-01
      recovery was not affected by any irreversible physical and/or chemical change
      produced in tobacco leaves after this cryo-preservation time. The amount of total
      soluble proteins in the clarified extract decreased in proportion with the
      storage time and the PHB-01 molecules isolated from frozen leaf extracts were
      highly pure, >95%, according to an SDS-PAGE assessment under reducing conditions.
      Low temperature exposure of tobacco leaves did not reveal visible changes in
      frozen leaves, which is essential for the further extractability of proteins. The
      PHB-01 is stable in tobacco leaves at -20 degrees C during 90 days, which offers
      the possibility to overcome problems associated with detrimental climate
      conditions and optimize purification capabilities.

PMID- 20303784
TI  - Application of singular spectrum-based change-point analysis to EMG-onset
      detection.
AB  - While many approaches have been proposed to identify the signal onset in EMG
      recordings, there is no standardized method for performing this task. Here, we
      propose to use a change-point detection procedure based on singular spectrum
      analysis to determine the onset of EMG signals. This method is suitable for
      automated real-time implementation, can be applied directly to the raw signal,
      and does not require any prior knowledge of the EMG signal's properties. The
      algorithm proposed by Moskvina and Zhigljavsky (2003) was applied to EMG segments
      recorded from wrist and trunk muscles. Wrist EMG data was collected from 9
      Parkinson's disease patients with and without tremor, while trunk EMG data was
      collected from 13 healthy able-bodied individuals. Along with the change-point
      detection analysis, two threshold-based onset detection methods were applied, as
      well as visual estimates of the EMG onset by trained practitioners. In the case
      of wrist EMG data without tremor, the change-point analysis showed comparable or
      superior frequency and quality of detection results, as compared to other
      automatic detection methods. In the case of wrist EMG data with tremor and trunk
      EMG data, performance suffered because other changes occurring in these signals
      caused larger changes in the detection statistic than the changes caused by the
      initial muscle activation, suggesting that additional criteria are needed to
      identify the onset from the detection statistic other than its magnitude alone.
      Once this issue is resolved, change-point detection should provide an effective
      EMG-onset detection method suitable for automated real-time implementation.

PMID- 20303785
TI  - Artificial nutritional support in chronic hemodialysis patients: a narrative
      review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Malnutrition is common in hemodialysis (HD) patients and is a powerful
      predictor of morbidity and mortality. While much progress has been made in
      identifying the causes and pathogenesis of malnutrition in patients on HD, no
      consensus has been reached on its management. Nutritional counseling, appetite
      stimulants, growth hormone, androgenic anabolic steroids, and anti-inflammatory
      drugs have been tested with contradictory and nonconclusive results. Oral
      nutritional supplements (ONSs) and intradialytic parenteral nutrition (IDPN) also
      have been studied. DESIGN/SETTING/PATIENTS: We searched the MEDLINE and PubMed
      databases for randomized clinical trials, comparative nonrandomized clinical
      trials, studies with patients who were controls for themselves, and single-arm
      studies on ONS and IDPN. Thirty-four studies (3223 patients) have been identified
      and analyzed. Seventeen studies were on ONS (778 patients) and 17 were on IDPN
      (2475 patients). RESULTS: ONS may improve serum albumin levels and/or other
      nutritional parameters, whereas there are insufficient data on clinical outcome.
      IDPN improves serum albumin and body weight. CONCLUSION: Data on survival are
      conflicting but the only study with an adequate population sample shows that IDPN
      does not influence survival. Randomized, controlled studies are needed to clarify
      the role of ONS and IDPN in the treatment of malnutrition in HD.

PMID- 20303786
TI  - Roles of calcium-sensing receptor and vitamin d receptor in the pathophysiology
      of secondary hyperparathyroidism.
AB  - The calcium-sensing receptor (CaR) and the vitamin D receptor (VDR) play key
      roles in calcium homeostasis. The CaR regulates the release of parathyroid
      hormone (PTH) in response to changes in extracellular calcium, whereas the VDR
      mediates the effects of calcitriol, the active metabolite of vitamin D. The
      development of secondary hyperparathyroidism (HPT) is a common complication of
      chronic kidney disease. Secondary HPT is characterized by disturbances in mineral
      metabolism, elevated serum PTH, and parathyroid gland hyperplasia. Alterations in
      CaR and VDR expression and activation play central roles in the development of
      secondary HPT. The impact of any nutritional and pharmacologic intervention on
      these two receptors should be carefully considered, to optimize patient outcomes.
      The important roles of CaR and VDR in the pathogenesis of secondary HPT are
      demonstrated by the complex interactions between their respective signaling
      pathways.

PMID- 20303787
TI  - Adherence to fish oil intervention in patients with chronic kidney disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: With growing recognition of the role of inflammation in the
      development of chronic and acute disease, fish oil is increasingly used as a
      therapeutic agent, but the nature of the intervention may pose barriers to
      adherence in clinical populations. Our objective was to investigate the
      feasibility of using a fish oil supplement in hemodialysis patients. DESIGN: This
      was a nonrandomized intervention study. SETTING: Eligible patients were recruited
      at the Hemodialysis Unit of Wesley Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
      PATIENTS: The sample included 28 maintenance hemodialysis patients out of 43
      eligible patients in the unit. Exclusion criteria included patients regularly
      taking a fish oil supplement at baseline, receiving hemodialysis for less than 3
      months, or being unable to give informed consent. INTERVENTION: Eicosapentaenoic
      acid (EPA) was administered at 2000 mg/day (4 capsules) for 12 weeks. Adherence
      was measured at baseline and weekly throughout the study according to changes in
      plasma EPA, and was further measured subjectively by self-report. RESULTS: Twenty
      patients (74%) adhered to the prescription based on changes in plasma EPA,
      whereas an additional two patients self-reported good adherence. There was a
      positive relationship between fish oil intake and change in plasma EPA. Most
      patients did not report problems with taking the fish oil. Using the baseline
      data, it was not possible to characterize adherent patients. CONCLUSIONS: Despite
      potential barriers, including the need to take a large number of prescribed
      medications already, 74% of hemodialysis patients adhered to the intervention.
      This study demonstrated the feasibility of using fish oil in a clinical
      population.

PMID- 20303788
TI  - Effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty-acid supplementation on redox status in
      chronic renal failure patients with dyslipidemia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate the effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty
      acid (PUFA) supplementation on dyslipidemia, lipid and protein peroxidation, and
      antioxidant defense in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF). DESIGN: Eighty
      patients with CRF were diagnosed in the hospital of Oran between January 2008 and
      April 2008. Forty patients (male/female, 22/18; aged 61 +/- 14 years, S.D.) were
      available for the study. They presented with dyslipidemia and
      hypertriglyceridemia (triacylglycerols, >1.7 mmol/L) and/or hypercholesterolemia
      (total cholesterol, >5 mmol/L). INTERVENTION: All patients received nutritional
      counsel adapted to CRF, i.e., energy intake of .12 megajoule x kg(-1) x body
      weight x day(-1), protein intake of .8 g x kg(-1) x body weight x day(-1), and
      lipid intake of 35% of total energy intake with 28% PUFAs, 37% monounsaturated
      fatty acids, and 35% saturated fatty acids. Patients were randomized into two
      groups: 20 received supplementation with omega-3 fish oil (2.1 g . day(-1)) for
      90 days, and 20 were used as controls. To control the counsel monitoring, a
      nutritional survey was performed at baseline and at 12 weeks. Blood samples were
      drawn at the beginning (T0), at 30 days (T1), at 60 days (T2), and at 90 days
      (T3) after initiating treatment. RESULTS: In the omega-3 group, a reduction in
      triacylglycerol levels was evident at T1 (-43%), T2, and T3 (-48%).
      Thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances were at lower levels at T1 and T3. There
      was no significant difference in carbonyl values, whereas serum superoxide
      dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities were increased at T1, T2, and T3.
      High catalase activity was evident at T2 and T3. CONCLUSION: Omega-3
      supplementation improves hypertriglyceridemia and oxidative stress in patients
      with CRF, and may lead to decreased rates of cardiovascular complications.

PMID- 20303790
TI  - The phase angle and mass body cell as markers of nutritional status in
      hemodialysis patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is a fast, noninvasive method
      for assessing body composition, and its role in the evaluation of nutritional
      status in haemodialysis (HD) has been studied. This study aimed to compare BIA
      parameters to clinical, biochemical, and anthropometric markers of nutrition in
      HD patients, such as subjective global assessment modified for renal disease (SGA
      1), serum albumin, body mass index (BMI), percent of standard body weight (%SBW),
      deviation of triceps skinfold thickness (TSF), mid-arm circumference (MAC), mid
      arm muscle circumference (MAMC) from the standard value (50th percentile),
      anthropometry-derived fat (FM-A), and fat-free mass (FFM-A). METHODS: BIA was
      performed 30 minutes after a HD session and the reactance (Xc), resistance (R),
      phase angle (PA), body cell mass (BCM), fat mass (FM-BIA), and fat-free mass (FFM
      BIA) values were recorded. The prevalence of malnutrition was estimated according
      to PA and percent of BCM. The correlation between methods was assessed through
      Pearson's correlation coefficient and Bland and Altman analysis. RESULTS: A total
      of 58 patients were studied (30 women and 28 men; mean age of 49.2 +/- 14.8
      years). The mean PA was 6.19 +/- 1.33 degrees and the mean percent of BCM was
      33.75 +/- 5.91%. The prevalence of malnutrition was 17.5% and 43.9% according to
      the PA and percent of BCM, respectively. PA had a negative correlation with age
      and SGA-1 score and a positive correlation with percent SBW, MAC, MAMC, FFM-A,
      and albumin. Percent of BCM had a negative correlation with age, MAC, MAMC and FM
      A and a positive correlation with FFM-A and albumin. A significant correlation
      between FFM-A and FFM-BIA was observed, as well as between FM-A and FM-BIA.
      CONCLUSIONS: BIA indexes reflected nutritional state. PA and BCM seem to be less
      influenced by changes in volume and can be used for nutritional assessments of
      dialysis patients.

PMID- 20303789
TI  - Folic acid supplementation and cardiac and stroke mortality among hemodialysis
      patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We sought to assess whether the use of folic acid vitamin supplements
      reduced cardiac and stroke mortality in hemodialysis patients. Further, we
      examined whether the consumption of folic acid from vitamin supplements >1000
      microg compared with the standard 1000 microg, and 1000 microg compared with
      either a lower dose or no consumption, were associated with reduced cardiac and
      stroke mortality risk. DESIGN: We performed a secondary analysis of data from the
      Hemodialysis Study, a randomized clinical trial examining dialysis treatment
      regimens over a 3-year follow-up. PARTICIPANTS: Participants included 1846
      hemodialysis patients previously participating in the Hemodialysis Study.
      INTERVENTIONS: There were no interventions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Cardiac and
      stroke mortality were our main outcome measures. RESULTS: Based on time-dependent
      Cox proportional hazard regression models, folic acid consumption from vitamin
      supplements, above or below the standard 1000-microg dose, was not associated
      with a decrease or increase in cardiac mortality (P = .53, above vs. standard
      dose; P = .46, below vs. standard dose). There was also no association between
      folic acid consumption and mortality from stroke (P = .27, above vs. standard
      dose; P = .64, below vs. standard dose). CONCLUSION: The consumption of higher
      than the standard 1000-microg prescribed dose of folic acid was not beneficial in
      reducing cardiac or stroke mortality in hemodialysis patients. Similarly, the
      consumption of less than the standard dose was not associated with an increase in
      either cardiac or stroke mortality.

PMID- 20303791
TI  - Effect of intensified diet education on serum phosphorus and knowledge of
      pediatric peritoneal dialysis patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of intensive diet education on the knowledge
      and serum phosphorus levels of pediatric peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients and
      their parents. DESIGN: Interventional study using a pre-post design and
      convenience sample. SETTING: The study was performed in a pediatric PD clinic.
      PATIENTS: Sixteen patients ranging in age from 9 to 21 years and their parents.
      INTERVENTION: Patients routinely receive a review of laboratory results and a
      review of foods to limit. For the study, two additional education sessions were
      conducted. The additional phosphorus education to participants included a
      computer-based jeopardy game, handouts, education magnets and a hands-on learning
      activity. A 20 question before-and-after knowledge test was administered to the
      patients and parents separately. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Change in serum
      phosphorus levels and the difference in pre and post knowledge test scores for
      both patients and parents. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in parent
      (p=0.003) and patient knowledge (p<0.001). There was a decrease in serum
      phosphorus from 2.3+/-0.68mmol/L to 2.16+/-0.58mmol/L (7.13+/-2.1mg/dL to 6.68+/
      1.8mg/dL), but this change was not statistically significant (p=0.256).
      CONCLUSION: Intensive education regarding phosphorus led to improved patient and
      family knowledge in pediatric PD patients. Although increased knowledge did not
      result in a significant decrease in serum phosphorus, there was a slight decrease
      indicating some clinical relevance. Therefore, pediatric PD patients may benefit
      from intensive on-going diet education sessions.

PMID- 20303792
TI  - Influence of purple grape juice in cyclosporine bioavailability.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The present study was designed to investigate the effect of a single
      purple grape juice administration on cyclosporin A (CyA) oral bioavailability in
      healthy volunteers. DESIGN: The study followed a two-period crossover design,
      where the volunteers were randomly assigned to receive 200-mg CyA soft-gelatin
      capsules with 200 mL of either purple grape juice or water in the first day of
      the experiment. SETTING AND PATIENTS: Volunteers were kept at the clinical
      research unit during the blood sampling period and fasted from 10 p.m. until 4
      hours after dosing. A washout period of 1 week was observed before the second
      treatment was administered. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Blood samples were taken before
      and at 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 hours after CyA dosing. All
      meals received during the study day were standardized. Whole blood was assayed to
      determined CyA concentration using the Emit 2000 Cyclosporine specific
      immunoassay (Dade Behring Limited, Syva Company, Dade Behring Inc. Cupertino,
      CA). Pharmacokinetic parameters were determined by noncompartmental analysis from
      the individual whole blood concentration-time curves after each treatment using
      Excel 2003 software. Statistical analysis was performed using paired Student t
      test (a 5 .05) with the aid of SAS software. RESULTS: Twelve healthy male
      volunteers were enrolled in the study, with a mean age of 20.6 years (range 19 
      23 years). Purple grape juice significantly decreased cyclosporine AUC by 30% and
      Cmax by 28%. The time to peak blood level and elimination half-life of the drug,
      however, were not affected. The clearance determined increased around 50%, with
      purple grape juice. CyA half-life was not affected, indicating that the change
      observed in clearance (CL/F) was probably due to a change in the absorption
      (bioavailability) rather than in the elimination process after administration
      with purple grape juice. CONCLUSION: Purple grape juice decreased AUC and Cmax,
      whereas half-life was not changed, suggesting that juice affects the absorption
      and not drug elimination. The above findings are similar to previous data on the
      effects on CyA pharmacokinetics caused by the ingestion of red wine. Our findings
      are potentially relevant in the clinic. The intake of CyA with purple grape juice
      should be discouraged, as drug bioavailability can be decrease by 30%, leading to
      blood levels below the drug therapeutic window. A free interval of at least 2
      hours between CyA intake and purple juice drinking is recommended.

PMID- 20303793
TI  - Gender, sexual orientation, and adolescent HIV testing: a qualitative analysis.
AB  - Using qualitative data, this article explored the circumstances leading to HIV
      testing among 59 HIV-infected adolescents recruited from New York City HIV
      clinics. Results showed differences between the heterosexual women and the gay
      and bisexual men. Most of the young women were tested during routine health care
      or self-initiated tests, and most were asymptomatic when they tested positive.
      Their testing decisions were sometimes based on assessments of their boyfriends'
      risk behaviors rather than their own. Many young men were experiencing symptoms
      of illness when they tested positive, and about half of them recognized their
      symptoms as related to HIV and sought tests. Some young men expressed fear of
      learning about positive test results, which delayed their testing, and some
      providers did not initially recommend HIV testing for young men who presented
      with symptoms. The article concludes that consideration of these gender and
      sexual orientation-related concerns can facilitate HIV testing among adolescents.

PMID- 20303794
TI  - Evaluation and pharmacologic management of the HIV-infected patient with
      dyslipidemia.
AB  - Dyslipidemia is common in persons living with HIV infection. Nurse clinicians
      must be able to recognize lipid abnormalities so that treatment plans can be
      developed. Managing dyslipidemia must be considered early in the HIV treatment
      process because certain antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens, particularly those
      containing ritonavir, may exacerbate dyslipidemia risk. Statins are the most
      common medications used to treat dyslipidemia; however, because of drug-drug
      interactions, some are contraindicated with certain ART drugs. Other statins can
      be used but require dose adjustments when used with certain ART medications. Non
      statin medications such as fibrates, niacin, and omega-3 fatty acid (fish oil)
      can be used to manage lipids and are discussed. Nurse clinicians should be
      prepared to discuss with the health care team potential alternative drug regimens
      for concurrent treatment of HIV infection and dyslipidemia.

PMID- 20303796
TI  - Strengthening nurses' capacity to provide HIV care in China.

PMID- 20303795
TI  - Integrated care of an aging HIV-infected male-to-female transgender patient.

PMID- 20303797
TI  - A community-based program evaluation of community competency trainings.
AB  - Transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals encounter a multitude of
      barriers to accessing clinically and culturally competent health care. One
      strategy to increase the quality and competence of care delivery is workplace
      trainings. This study describes a community-based program for the evaluation of
      this type of training. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research team assessed
      the effectiveness of three competency trainings administered by a local nonprofit
      organization in the Northwest United States. Quantitative data indicated a
      significant shift in self-assessed knowledge associated with completion of the
      training. Qualitative data confirmed this result and revealed a number of
      important themes about the effect of the trainings on providers and their ability
      to implement knowledge and skills in practice. Clinical considerations are
      proposed for providers who seek similar trainings and who aim to increase
      clinical and cultural competency in delivering care to transgender and gender
      nonconforming patients and clients.

PMID- 20303798
TI  - Antiretroviral treatment and follow-up of HIV-infected patients by health care
      providers in South African public primary health care.
AB  - Antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV became available in the South African public
      health sector in 2004. Medical treatment in public primary health care (PHC)
      clinics is dependent on nurses and auxiliary staff. The aim of this descriptive
      study was to describe practice patterns and perceptions of health care providers
      (HCPs) regarding treatment of HIV-infected patients on ART, drug adherence, and
      patient education in a public PHC setting in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
      Personal interviews, using a structured questionnaire, were conducted with all
      HCPs (N=43) working with the ART program at 7 PHC clinics. Insufficient training
      was expressed as a major concern. Medication adherence was believed to be the
      most important aspect of care to discuss with HIV-infected patients. HCPs
      perceived that patients had few side effects. HCPs faced challenges with heavy
      workloads, lack of sufficient human resources and training, and time constraints.

PMID- 20303799
TI  - Results of a new stemless shoulder prosthesis: radiologic proof of maintained
      fixation and stability after a minimum of three years' follow-up.
AB  - HYPOTHESIS: In total shoulder arthroplasty, the humeral component, particularly
      the stem, can be involved in some of the complications and technical difficulties
      increase in posttraumatic arthritis with proximal humeral malunion. To decrease
      the intraoperative complications related to the stem, the TESS (Biomet Inc,
      Warsaw, IN) humeral implant, was designed in 2004 hypothesis that we can obtain a
      good fixation with a stemless prosthesis. This investigation reports the
      preliminary results of this prosthesis with more than 3 years of follow-up.
      METHODS: Between March 2004 and June 2005, 70 patients underwent 72 shoulder
      replacements with the TESS humeral prosthesis. Sixty-three patients were reviewed
      with a follow-up of more than 36 months (average, 45.2 months; range, 36-51
      months). The mean preoperative Constant score was 29.6. RESULTS: Gain in active
      mobility was 49 degrees for forward flexion and 20 degrees for external rotation.
      The postoperative Constant score was 75. Radiographic analysis showed no
      radiolucencies or implant migration. Functional results are comparable with
      previous reports on prosthetic glenohumeral replacement. DISCUSSION: Our clinical
      results are similar to this with classical prosthesis. The humeral head removal
      facilitates the glenoid exposure and implantation. After the initial cases any
      specific complication was seen. CONCLUSIONS: Owing to the automatic central
      positioning of the implant, an anatomic reconstruction was achieved. In
      malunions, no tuberosity osteotomy was required. At 3 years of follow-up, there
      is radiologic evidence of maintained implant stability. These encouraging
      preliminary results confirm our belief that a stemless prosthesis can be used to
      obtain an anatomic reconstruction of the proximal humerus. A longer-term follow
      up study is needed to validate these results.

PMID- 20303800
TI  - Electroencephalographic generalized features in idiopathic childhood focal
      epilepsies.
AB  - PURPOSE: Idiopathic focal epilepsies in childhood including benign childhood
      epilepsy with occipital paroxysms (BEOP) or benign childhood epilepsy with centro
      temporal spikes (BCECTS) are characterized by specific focal electrographic
      patterns as the name indicates. Generalized spike-wave discharges in children
      with idiopathic focal epilepsy can suggest a neurobiological continuum with the
      idiopathic generalized epilepsies. We assessed the prevalence of generalized
      epileptiform discharges and generalized seizures in BEOP/BCECTS patients.
      METHODS: Between August 2005 and November 2008, we identified 220 cases with
      electroclinical features typical of idiopathic focal epilepsies, 172 patients
      with BCECTS and 48 patients with BEOP, excluding patients whose neurological
      examinations or brain MRI were abnormal. We analyzed gender, age at onset,
      manifestation of generalized seizures, and serial EEG records to detect
      generalized abnormalities. RESULTS: Of our population, 42 patients (19.1%, 22
      boys), 30 (17.4%) of 172 BCECTS patients and 12 (25.0%) of 48 BEOP patients,
      showed generalized spike-wave discharges once or more during follow-up. The
      typical 3-Hz generalized spike wave discharge was noticed in 7 patients and
      concurrence with clinical generalized seizure was observed in 11. CONCLUSION: A
      relatively high incidence of generalized spike-wave discharge and concurrence
      with generalized seizure were observed in patients with BEOP/BCECTS, with the
      incidence being higher in BEOP patients than in those with BCECTS. It may be
      inferred that idiopathic focal epilepsy is not a fixed syndrome but is a part of
      a broad, age-related, benign, seizure susceptibility syndrome.

PMID- 20303801
TI  - Prospective assessment of dorsal cheilectomy for hallux rigidus using a patient
      reported outcome score.
AB  - Compared with other surgical procedures for hallux rigidus, dorsal cheilectomy
      involves relatively less bone removal, maintains joint motion, and leaves the
      potential for further salvage surgery. The Manchester-Oxford Foot and Ankle
      Questionnaire (MOXFQ) has a maximum score of 64 (worst foot health) and has been
      endorsed by the British Foot and Ankle Society to measure surgical outcome. We
      prospectively assessed patient-reported outcomes after dorsal cheilectomy for
      hallux rigidus using the MOXFQ. Patients were deemed suitable for dorsal
      cheilectomy if they had painful restriction of terminal dorsiflexion, with
      absence of pain in the mid-range of passive movement, and radiographic evidence
      of dorsal osteophytosis. Twenty-five patients with a mean age of 62 years (range,
      39-80 years), including 17 (68%) women, underwent dorsal cheilectomy for hallux
      rigidus. The mean preoperative MOXFQ score was 33.0 (95% confidence interval =
      27.4-38.6), and, at a mean of 17 months (range, 9-27 months) follow-up, the mean
      postoperative score was 9.6 (95% confidence interval = 6.0-13.2). Eighty-four
      percent of patients experienced clinically significantly improved walking domain,
      68% in the social domain, and 59% in the pain domain of the MOXFQ. Four patients
      failed cheilectomy, including 3 who subsequently underwent arthrodesis for
      persistent pain and 1 who experienced no improvement in any domain of the MOXFQ.
      This prospective study provided further evidence of the success of dorsal
      cheilectomy as a treatment for hallux rigidus and demonstrated the potential
      usefulness of the MOXFQ in assessing surgical outcomes in foot surgery.

PMID- 20303802
TI  - Evaluation of medical student experience using medical student created
      StudentPACS flash based PACS simulator tutorials for learning radiological
      topics.
AB  - RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: With studies regularly containing hundreds of images,
      the authors believe that the ability to efficiently review numerous images and
      identify findings is an important skill to teach medical students. Using the
      StudentPACS Adobe Flash extension, created within their department, the authors
      created StudentPACS modules that provide users with a virtual picture archiving
      and communication system environment, in which findings can be selected by mouse,
      triggering questions with referenced answers. The aim was to assess medical
      students' impressions of how learning from these modules compared to their
      personal experiences learning radiology from textbooks or static images.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: StudentPACS modules were created by medical students on
      elective under the supervision of resident and attending radiologists. MS I to IV
      students were then asked to complete StudentPACS modules that tied in with their
      current coursework, followed by an anonymous survey. Approximately 293 students
      participated. RESULTS: The majority of students reported that StudentPACS modules
      were either equivalent to or better than learning from static images or textbooks
      (90 +/- 3% [257 of 285], P < .00002), were not difficult to use (85 +/- 4% [248
      of 293], P < .00002), presented them with clinical content that tied in well with
      the depicted imaging (90 +/- 3% [263 of 293], P < .00002), and taught them new
      information (69 +/- 5% [202 of 293], P < .00002). Most respondents felt the
      StudentPACS modules presented information they would find useful in clinical
      practice (91 +/- 3% [266 of 293], P < .00002), reported satisfactory experiences
      using StudentPACS modules as a source of self-directed learning material (79 +/-
      5% [232 of 293], P < .00002), and stated that they would use StudentPACS modules
      for learning different topics in the future (85.6 +/- 4% [244 of 285], P <
      .00002). CONCLUSION: Medical students found using StudentPACS modules at least
      equivalent to, if not better than, using static books or annotated images.

PMID- 20303803
TI  - Inflammatory response to aortic aneurysm intraluminal thrombus may cause
      increased 18F-FDG uptake at sites not associated with high wall stress: comment
      on "high levels of 18F-FDG uptake in aortic aneurysm wall are associated with
      high wall stress".

PMID- 20303804
TI  - Characteristics and outcome of patients hospitalised for lower extremity
      peripheral artery disease in France: the COPART Registry.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the current 'real-world' management of hospitalised
      patients with lower-extremity peripheral artery disease (LE-PAD) and to assess
      the 1-year outcome. DESIGN, MATERIALS AND METHODS: The prospective and
      multicentre registry COhorte des Patients ARTeriopathes (COPART) recruited
      consecutive patients from the departments of vascular medicine of three academic
      hospitals in Southwestern France. RESULTS: Among the 940 patients, 27.4% had
      intermittent claudication (IC), 9.3% ischaemic rest pain, 54.3% ulceration or
      gangrene and 9.3% acute limb ischaemia (ALI). Patients with IC were younger and
      more likely to be men, with a history of smoking (89.5%) and chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease (17%). Among those with IC, 8.9% had bypass surgery and 41.5%
      were treated with percutaneous angioplasty. Those with tissue loss had higher
      rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and co-morbidities. At entry
      to the study, the level of control of the CVD risk factors was poor. The 1-year
      mortality rate was of 5.7% in patients with IC, 23.1% in patients with ischaemic
      rest pain, 28.7% in patients with tissue loss and 23% in those with ALI.
      Compliance with evidence-based medicine and pharmacological treatment was sub
      optimal. CONCLUSION: This registry underscores the differences in patient
      profiles in the daily clinical setting, compared to those enrolled in several
      trials.

PMID- 20303805
TI  - Review of direct anatomical open surgical management of atherosclerotic aorto
      iliac occlusive disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aortofemoral bypass(AFB), iliofemoral bypass(IFB), and aortoiliac
      endarterectomy(AIE) are the three most common techniques for anatomical open
      surgical revascularisation for patients with aorto-iliac occlusive disease(AIOD),
      but the optimal method of reconstruction is unknown. AIMS: To review and compare
      mortality, morbidity and short- and long-term patency rates for AFB, IFB and AIE
      in patients with AIOD reported in the English language literature METHODS: A
      MEDLINE(1970-2007) and Cochrane Library search for articles relating to AFB, IFB,
      AIE and AIOD was undertaken. Studies were included if: a) patency rates based on
      life-tables were available, and b) patient/study characteristics were reported.
      RESULTS: 29 studies(5738 patients) for AFB, 11 studies(778 patients) for IFB and
      11 studies(1490 patients) for AIE were included. Operative mortality was 4.1% for
      AFB, 2.7% for IFB and 2.7% for AIE (p<0.0001). Systemic morbidity was 16.0% for
      AFB, 18.9% for IFB and 12.5% for AIE (p<0.05). Overall 5-year primary patency
      rates were 86.3%, 85.3% and 88.3% for AFB, IFB and AIE, respectively (p=NS).
      CONCLUSION: Aorto-iliac endarterectomy was associated with significantly lower
      peri-operative morbidity and mortality rates compared with bypass grafting. All
      three techniques were equally effective in terms of long-term patency.

PMID- 20303806
TI  - A prospective evaluation of cerebral infarction following transcervical carotid
      stenting with carotid flow reversal.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Cerebral embolisation constitutes the main source of complications
      during transfemoral carotid artery stenting (CAS) and is associated with a high
      incidence of silent brain infarction. The goal of this study is to evaluate the
      incidence of new ischaemic cerebral lesions following transcervical CAS with
      carotid flow reversal for neuroprotection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-one
      consecutive patients underwent transcervical CAS with carotid flow reversal. A
      stroke scale and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) were
      performed within 24 h before and after the procedure. DW-MRI studies were
      compared blindly by two independent neuroradiologists. New hyper-intense DW
      signals were interpreted as ischaemic infarcts. The progress of all patients was
      followed for at least 30 days following intervention. RESULTS: All procedures
      were technically successful. Nineteen (61%) patients were symptomatic Mean
      carotid flow reversal time was 22 min. There were no major adverse events at 30
      days. All patients remained neurologically intact without increase in the stroke
      scale. Thirty subjects had paired DW-MRI studies. Post-procedural DW-MRI
      ischaemic infarcts were found in four (12.5%) patients, all ipsilateral to the
      treated hemisphere and asymptomatic. During follow-up, all stents remained patent
      and all patients remained stroke-free. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that
      transcervical carotid stenting with carotid flow reversal carries a low incidence
      of new ischaemic infarcts, significantly lower than that reported with
      transfemoral CAS. The transcervical approach with carotid flow reversal may
      improve the safety of CAS and has the potential to produce results comparable to
      those of carotid endarterectomy.

PMID- 20303807
TI  - Cardinal series to filter oversampled truncated magnetic resonance signals.
AB  - Digital low pass filters are routinely used to improve the signal-to-noise ratio
      of NMR signals, e.g. FID or echoes, when pass band widths of the available
      analogue filters do not correspond to the spectral width of the signals. Applying
      digital filters will always necessitate an oversampling of the signal to filter.
      The digital filters with which the commercial spectrometers are nowadays equipped
      and most of those known to date from literature were designed to be applied to
      signals in the time domain. Nevertheless, most of them are aimed at optimising
      the filtering of signals in the frequency domain and tend to distort them in the
      time domain, especially when applied to truncated signals. Herein we propose a
      low pass filter that preserves all the features of the signal in both domains.
      The method consists in fitting raw NMR data with a finite sum of truncated
      cardinal sine functions and requires nothing but the signal being a band-limited
      function. We devised sensible and, in practice, hardly restrictive rules for
      setting parameters of the filter and applied it to various computer-simulated and
      experimentally measured truncated data sets to demonstrate its success in
      filtering both FID and echo signals.

PMID- 20303808
TI  - Application of mixed spin iMQCs for temperature and chemical-selective imaging.
AB  - The development of accurate and non-invasive temperature imaging techniques has a
      wide variety of applications in fields such as medicine, chemistry and materials
      science. Accurate detection of temperature both in phantoms and in vivo can be
      obtained using iMQCs (intermolecular multiple quantum coherences), as
      demonstrated in a recent paper. This paper describes the underlying theory of
      iMQC temperature detection, as well as extensions of that work allowing not only
      for imaging of absolute temperature but also for imaging of analyte
      concentrations through chemically-selective spin density imaging.

PMID- 20303809
TI  - Use of amplitude integrated electroencephalography (aEEG) in patients with inborn
      errors of metabolism - a new tool for the metabolic geneticist.
AB  - Patients with metabolic disorders often, especially as newborns, present with
      encephalopathy and seizures, frequently requiring intensive care during metabolic
      crises. Cerebral function monitoring using amplitude integrated
      electroencephalography (aEEG) can be utilized to supplement clinical assessment
      and other monitoring already in use in the intensive care setting. In this
      technique, a one or two-channel EEG tracing is obtained, processed, compressed
      and displayed. Use of aEEG is well established in evaluation and treatment of
      newborns with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. The basis of aEEG interpretation
      is the recognition of patterns which have been defined for different degrees of
      encephalopathy. Seizures are identified on the compressed tracing in combination
      with analysis of the corresponding raw EEG tracing. This review discusses the
      experience, although limited at this time, with use of aEEG in infants with
      inborn errors of metabolism. Through an international collaborative, the
      International Registry for Cerebral Function Monitoring in Patients with Genetics
      Disorders and Brain Malformations, aEEG tracings of patients with inborn errors
      of metabolism were collected. The features of 25 traces are included in this
      review. This collection includes patients with hyperammonemia (HA, n=4),
      disorders of energy metabolism (DEM, n=9), disorders of amino and organic acid
      metabolism (DAOAM, n=7), and peroxisomal disorders (PD, n=5). Fifteen of 25
      patients demonstrated encephalopathic changes, including patients with HA, DEM
      and DAOAM, but not PD. In 15 of 25 patients seizure potentials were identified.
      In HA, DEM, and DAOAM both encephalopathy and seizures may coincide, while in
      peroxisomal disorders seizures were seen without background patterns indicating
      encephalopathy, likely due to neuronal migration defects as the underlying cause.
      The current experience with the use of aEEG in these patients, while limited,
      indicates that cerebral function monitoring techniques have a role in treatment
      of patients with metabolic disorders, especially during metabolic crises. Use of
      aEEG in this patient group is encouraged if locally available, and collaborative
      efforts to collect data on aEEG use in patients with metabolic disorders are
      encouraged to further define the scope and utility of this procedure.

PMID- 20303811
TI  - Silicone in HIV-1-infected patients: a cause of misdiagnosed granulomatous
      disease.
AB  - Granulomatous diseases are common in HIV-infected patients and are usually
      related to opportunistic infectious or tumoral conditions. We report three cases
      of uncommon granulomatous disease in HIV-infected patients who had previously
      received silicone and for which diagnostic investigations remained negative.

PMID- 20303810
TI  - N-acetylglutamate synthase: structure, function and defects.
AB  - N-acetylglutamate (NAG) is a unique enzyme cofactor, essential for liver
      ureagenesis in mammals while it is the first committed substrate for de novo
      arginine biosynthesis in microorganisms and plants. The enzyme that produces NAG
      from glutamate and CoA, NAG synthase (NAGS), is allosterically inhibited by
      arginine in microorganisms and plants and activated in mammals. This transition
      of the allosteric effect occurred when tetrapods moved from sea to land. The
      first mammalian NAGS gene (from mouse) was cloned in 2002 and revealed
      significant differences from the NAGS ortholog in microorganisms. Almost all NAGS
      genes possess a C-terminus transferase domain in which the catalytic activity
      resides and an N-terminus kinase domain where arginine binds. The three
      dimensional structure of NAGS shows two distinctly folded domains. The kinase
      domain binds arginine while the acetyltransferase domain contains the catalytic
      site. NAGS deficiency in humans leads to hyperammonemia and can be primary, due
      to mutations in the NAGS gene or secondary due to other mitochondrial aberrations
      that interfere with the normal function of the same enzyme. For either condition,
      N-carbamylglutamate (NCG), a stable functional analog of NAG, was found to either
      restore or improve the deficient urea-cycle function.

PMID- 20303812
TI  - Lipogenesis in arterial wall and vascular smooth muscle cells of Psammomys
      obesus: its regulation and abnormalities in diabetes.
AB  - AIM: Lipogenesis is expressed in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), and such
      in situ lipogenesis could be providing the fatty acids for triglyceride synthesis
      and cholesterol esterification, and contributing to lipid accumulation in the
      arterial wall. This study investigated both the expression and regulation of
      lipogenesis in VSMCs to determine if they are modified in Psammomys obesus
      gerbils fed a high-fat diet as a model of insulin resistance and diabetes.
      METHODS: Aortas were collected from diabetic and non-diabetic P. obesus for
      histological examination, measurement of lipogenic gene expression and VSMC
      culture. RESULTS: The aortas of diabetic animals exhibited lipid deposits and
      foam cells as well as disorganization of elastic fibres. However, lipogenic gene
      expression was not modified. VSMCs in vitro from the aortas of diabetic animals
      had, compared with cells from non-diabetic animals, lower mRNA levels of SREBP-1c
      and ChREBP. An adipogenic medium stimulated moderate FAS and ACC1 expression in
      cells from both diabetic and non-diabetic animals, but glucose and insulin on
      their own had no such stimulatory action. Also, triiodothyronine (T3) had a clear
      stimulatory action, while angiotensin II had a moderate effect, in cells from non
      diabetic P. obesus, but not from diabetic animals, whereas LXR agonists
      stimulated lipogenesis in cells from both animal groups. CONCLUSION: Lipogenesis
      is expressed in the arterial walls and VSMCs of P. obesus. However, its
      expression was not increased in diabetes, and did not respond to either T3 or
      angiotensin II. Therefore, lipogenesis in situ is unlikely to contribute to the
      accumulation of lipids in the arterial walls of diabetic P. obesus gerbils.

PMID- 20303813
TI  - Reproducibility of HOMA and QUICKI among individuals with variable glucose
      tolerance.

PMID- 20303814
TI  - Sexual activity in diabetic patients treated by continuous subcutaneous insulin
      infusion therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: As concerns over interference with sexual activity may be an
      obstacle to initiating pump therapy in diabetic patients, the aim of the study
      was to assess the impact of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII)
      therapy on sexual activity. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients filled out a
      questionnaire on their demographic data, diabetes history, pump-treatment
      history, metabolic control, inconvenience/convenience of the pump and catheter,
      and information on sexual activity. RESULTS: A total of 271 diabetic patients
      (aged 44+/-17 years, 51% women, 22% single), treated with CSII for 4.2+/-5.9
      years and with a diabetes duration of 19+/-11 years, filled out the
      questionnaire. Their HbA(1c) was 7.7+/-1.1%, with 2.4+/-2.1 mild hypoglycaemic
      episodes over the past week, and their frequency of sexual activity was: never
      29.9%; <1/month 12.3%; >1/month and <1/week 18.2%; and >1/week 39.6%. Age and
      cohabitation were independently correlated with frequency of sexual activity
      (P<0.0001 and P<0.0003, respectively), but not diabetes duration or
      complications. To the question "Does the pump have an influence on your sexual
      activity?", The answer was "no" in 90% and "yes" in 10%. However, intercourse
      frequency was significantly decreased in the latter (P=0.04). On multivariate
      analyses, this negative influence of CSII was correlated with HbA(1c) (P<0.05),
      discomfort with the pump (P<0.05) and the number of mild hypoglycaemic episodes
      (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Frequency of sexual activity appears to be unaffected by
      pump therapy or diabetes, but is decreased by the expected characteristics
      namely, age and being single. Also, only 10% of patients believe that CSII is an
      obstacle during sexual activity and, in particular, because of the catheter.

PMID- 20303815
TI  - Glucose flux in controlled hyperglycaemia before and after oral glucose ingestion
      in men with mild type 2 diabetes.
AB  - AIMS: This study aimed to determine how insufficiently suppressed endogenous
      glucose production vs. reduced peripheral glucose uptake contribute to
      postprandial hyperglycaemia in type 2 diabetes (T2D). METHODS: Eight men with T2D
      (age: 52+/-7 years; BMI: 26.6+/-2.3 kg/m(2); fasting glycaemia: 7.1+/-1.5 mmol/L)
      were compared with eight non-diabetic controls (age: 51+/-5 years; BMI: 24.6+/
      2.9 kg/m(2); fasting glycaemia: 4.9+/-0.4 mmol/L). Their glucose turnover rates
      and hepatic glucose cycles were measured by monitoring [2H7]glucose infusion,
      with m+7 and m+6 enrichment, 3 h before and 4 h after the ingestion of [6,6-2H2]
      labelled glucose, while maintaining glycaemia at 10 mmol/L using the pancreatic
      clamp technique. RESULTS: Of the 700 mg/kg oral glucose load, 71% appeared in the
      systemic circulation of the T2D patients vs. 63% in the controls (NS). Endogenous
      glucose production and hepatic glucose cycles did not differ from normal either
      before or after oral glucose ingestion, while peripheral glucose uptake was
      reduced by 40% in the T2D group both before (P<0.01) and after (P<0.05) ingestion
      of oral glucose. CONCLUSION: When T2D patients were compared with non-diabetic
      subjects with similarly controlled levels of hyperglycaemia after oral glucose
      ingestion, they essentially differed only in peripheral glucose uptake, whereas
      endogenous glucose production was apparently unaltered.

PMID- 20303816
TI  - [Joseph-Guichard Duverney (1648-1730). Doctor, teacher and researcher in the 17th
      and 18th centuries].
AB  - Duverney was a leader in the field of research and education, because he worked
      as a physician, as a surgeon and he led many scientific works. To Peltier, he was
      the first academic professor of surgery. His wonderful career was explained by
      his heavy interest in knowledge. He became one of the main actors of the
      scientific revolution of the 17th century, especially concerning the methods of
      investigation in the medical science. He had so much fear for imperfect purposes,
      that many scientists of his century called him the Master. The only work he
      published about the anatomy and physiology of the ear and audition, was a world
      success, and is still amazing today. During about 50 years, Duverney allowed many
      advances in the field of osteology, otology, embryology, respiratory and
      circulatory physiology, but also provided competent pupils as Winslow, Senac,
      Petit, Dionis, Valsalva. Duverney is still frequently cited by veterinary and
      dentists for many descriptions in animal anatomy. He died at the age of 82 years,
      and worked for the service of science until his death. His legacy consists of
      many works, some have been used by his pupils to highlight all the benefits he
      gave to the scientific community.

PMID- 20303817
TI  - Genetic variation analysis of 15 autosomal STR loci of AmpFlSTR Sinofiler PCR
      Amplification Kit in Henan (central China) Han population.
AB  - AmpFlSTR Sinofiler PCR Amplification Kit is specially developed for Chinese
      forensic laboratories, but there are little population-genetic indices about this
      kit as a whole. This kit contains 15 STR loci: D8S1179, D21S11, D7S820, CSF1PO,
      D3S1358, D13S317, D16S539, D2S1338, D19S433, vWA, D18S51, D6S1043, D12S391,
      D5S818 and FGA. In order to evaluate this kit and to get basic population-genetic
      indices for its use in forensic practice in Chinese Han population, the DNA of
      231 unrelated Han individuals from Henan (central China) were typed using the
      Kit. The most discriminating locus was D6S1043 while the least was D3S1358. The
      combined match probability was 9.81x10(-19) and the combined power of exclusion
      was 0.99999974. Statistical analysis of the generated data indicated no departure
      from expectation of Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE) in all loci but D6S1043 and
      no linkage disequilibrium in all pairs of loci. The observed and expected
      heterozygosity, power of discrimination, polymorphic information content, the
      other population-genetic indices were calculated.

PMID- 20303818
TI  - Death due to blood transfusion-induced anaphylactic shock: A case report.
AB  - In medical practice, many clinical accidents due to blood transfusion reactions
      have been reported, among which, nonhemolytic transfusion reactions (NHTRs) have
      been mainly reported in recent years. NHTRs induce reactions such as anaphylactic
      shock and transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI); however, few forensic
      autopsy case reports with blood transfusion reactions including anaphylactic
      shock have been published. A marker for anaphylactic shock is serum tryptase,
      which indicates systematic mast cell activation in living patients. In forensic
      medicine, serum tryptase has been used in the postmortem diagnosis of
      anaphylactic shock. In this autopsy case report, the blood tryptase level was
      elevated to 49.0 ng/mL (reference standard level <13.5 ng/mL). When considered
      comprehensively with autopsy findings and blood typing, we concluded that this
      patient was suspected to have suffered from anaphylactic shock as a result of
      blood transfusion.

PMID- 20303819
TI  - Sonolytic degradation of parathion and the formation of byproducts.
AB  - Ultrasonic degradation of parathion has been investigated in this study. At a
      neutral condition, 99.7% of 2.9 microM parathion could be decomposed within 30
      min under 600 kHz ultrasonic irradiation at ultrasonic intensity of 0.69 W/cm(2).
      The degradation rate increased proportionally with the increasing ultrasonic
      intensity from 0.10 to 0.69 W/cm(2). The parathion degradation was enhanced in
      the presence of dissolved oxygen due to formation of more ()OH, but was inhibited
      in the presence of nitrogen gas owning to the free radical scavenging effect in
      vapor phase within the cavitational bubbles. CO(3)(2-), HCO(3)(-), and Cl(-)
      exhibited the inhibiting effects on parathion degradation, and their inhibition
      degrees followed the order of CO(3)(2-)>HCO(3)(-)>Cl(-). But Br(-) had a
      promoting effect on parathion degradation, and the effect increased with the
      increasing Br(-) level. Moreover, both the hydrophobic and hydrophilic natural
      organic matters (NOM) could slow the parathion degradation, but the inhibiting
      effect caused by hydrophobic component was greater, especially the strongly
      hydrophobic NOM. The three reaction pathways of parathion sonolysis were
      proposed, including formation of paraoxon, formation of 4-nitrophenol, and
      unknown species products. The kinetics tests showed that anyone of these pathways
      could not be overlooked, and the fractions of the parathion decomposed in the
      three pathways were 28.19%, 32.92% and 38.89%, respectively. In addition, 66.61%
      of paraoxon produced was degraded into 4-nitrophenol. Finally, kinetics models
      were established to adequately predict the concentrations of parathion, paraoxon
      and 4-nitrophenol as a function of time.

PMID- 20303820
TI  - Source to sink: regulation of carotenoid biosynthesis in plants.
AB  - Carotenoids are a diverse group of colourful pigments naturally found in plants,
      algae, fungi and bacteria. They play essential roles in development,
      photosynthesis, root-mycorrhizal interactions and the production of
      phytohormones, such as abscisic acid and strigolactone. Carotenoid biosynthesis
      is regulated throughout the life cycle of a plant with dynamic changes in
      composition matched to prevailing developmental requirements and in response to
      external environmental stimuli. There are key regulatory nodes in the pathway
      that control the flux of metabolites into the pathway and alter flux through the
      pathway. The molecular nature of the mechanisms regulating carotenoid
      biosynthesis, including evidence for metabolite feedback, transcription and
      epigenetic control as well as their accumulation, storage and degradation will be
      the focus of this review.

PMID- 20303821
TI  - Biosynthesis of glucosinolates--gene discovery and beyond.
AB  - Glucosinolates are sulfur-rich secondary metabolites characteristic of the
      Brassicales order with important biological and economic roles in plant defense
      and human nutrition. Application of systems biology tools continues to identify
      genes involved in the biosynthesis of glucosinolates. Recent progress includes
      genes in all three phases of the pathway, i.e. side-chain elongation of precursor
      amino acids, formation of the core glucosinolate structure and side-chain
      decoration. Major breakthroughs include the ability to produce glucosinolates in
      Nicotiana benthamiana, the finding that specific glucosinolates play a key role
      in Arabidopsis innate immune response, and a better understanding of the link
      between primary sulfur metabolism and glucosinolate biosynthesis.

PMID- 20303822
TI  - Future turnovers in enzyme catalysis.

PMID- 20303823
TI  - Engineering of regulatory cascades and networks controlling antibiotic
      biosynthesis in Streptomyces.
AB  - Engineering of regulatory mechanisms that control the biosynthesis of bioactive
      secondary metabolites is an approach to increase the production of valuable
      fermentation products. Two types of regulatory mechanisms have been studied in
      Streptomyces species: (1) pyramidal cascades of regulation that usually involve a
      butyrolactone and its receptor protein triggering the formation of pathway
      associated regulatory proteins (SARP), and (2) global regulators that transduce
      protein phosphorylation signals responding to stress factors. Global regulators
      are frequently two-component systems; for example, the PhoR-PhoP system, the
      AsbA1-AsbA2, the orphan response regulator GlnR and the STAND-family regulator
      AfsR. Several strategies have been used to obtain overproducer strains,
      including: (i) obtention of phosphate-deregulated mutants by alteration of phoP,
      (ii) amplification and/or overexpression of pathway-associated positive
      regulators, and (iii) modification of butyrolactone receptor proteins. The
      success of these strategies is hampered by the poor knowledge of interactions
      between regulatory mechanisms.

PMID- 20303824
TI  - Effect of temperature and quencher on the fluorescence of 4-(5-methyl-3-furan-2
      yl-benzofuran-2-yl)-7-methyl-chromen-2-one in different solvents.
AB  - The effect of temperature on the fluorescence intensity of 4-(5-methyl-3-furan-2
      yl-benzofuran-2-yl)-7-methyl-chromen-2-one (MFBMC) in different solvents, has
      been studied in the temperature range 293-333K. A mechanism of fluorescence
      quenching with increase in temperature is discussed in terms of the relative
      location of lowest (1)(pipi*) and (3)(npi*) states, and the energy difference
      between them. The non-radiative deactivation of excited state in the absence of
      quencher is temperature-dependent; its activation energy has been found to be
      9.453-27.893kJmole(-1). Further, the fluorescence quenching by aniline was
      investigated by both steady-state and time-resolved measurement (at 296K). The
      quenching is found to be appreciable and shows positive deviation in the Stern
      Volmer plots. This could be explained by static-dynamic quenching models. Various
      rate constants of the bimolecular quenching reaction have been determined by
      using ground-state complex formation and sphere of action static quenching model.
      The magnitude of these constants suggests that sphere of action static quenching
      model agrees very well with experimental results. Further, with the use of finite
      sink approximation model, it is concluded that the quenching mechanism is
      diffusion-limited.

PMID- 20303825
TI  - Characterisation of multidrug-resistant Salmonella Typhimurium 4,[5],12:i:- DT193
      strains carrying a novel genomic island adjacent to the thrW tRNA locus.
AB  - In 2006, monophasic, multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica spp. enterica
      serovar 4,[5],12:i:- strains appeared as a novel serotype in Germany, associated
      with large diffuse outbreaks and increased need for hospitalisation. The emerging
      4,[5],12:i:- strains isolated from patients in Germany belong mainly to phage
      type DT193 according to the Anderson phage typing scheme for S. Typhimurium (STM)
      and exhibit at least a tetra-drug resistance. The strains have been shown to
      harbour STM-specific Gifsy-1, Gifsy-2, and ST64B prophages. Furthermore, the
      extensive sequence similarity of the tRNA regions between one characterised
      4,[5],12:i:- phage type DT193 and the S. Typhimurium LT2 strain as well as the
      STM-specific position of an IS200 element within the fliA-fliB intergenic region
      (Echeita et al., 2001) prompted us to classify them as a monophasic variant of S.
      Typhimurium. In 2008, the monophasic variant represented 42.2% of all S.
      Typhimurium isolates from human analysed at the National Reference Centre.
      Searching for insertions in tRNA sites resulted in the detection of an 18.4-kb
      fragment adjacent to the thrW tRNA locus, exhibiting a lower G+C content compared
      to the LT2 genome. Sequence analysis identified 17 potential ORFs. Some of them
      showed high similarity to enterobacterial phage sequences and sequences from
      Shigella boydii, Sh. dysenteriae, avian pathogenic Escherichia coli and other
      Escherichia spp. The biological function of this novel island with respect to
      virulence properties and metabolic functions is under investigation.

PMID- 20303827
TI  - Overweight among low-income Texas preschoolers aged 2 to 4 years.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Determine child/maternal factors associated with overweight among 2-
      to 4-year-olds enrolled in the Texas Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for
      Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). DESIGN: Matched child and maternal data
      collected by self-report of the mother during WIC certification. These data were
      extracted from existing statewide WIC databases and merged. SETTING: Texas WIC
      children aged 2 to 4 years in April 2006. PARTICIPANTS: Final sample was 22,837
      mother-child dyads. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Dependent variable--child overweight;
      independent variables: Child-related--gender, age, race/ethnicity, Medicaid
      status, living area, and dental problems; Maternal-related--certification status,
      age, times certified, overweight, high maternal weight gain, and gestational
      diabetes. ANALYSIS: Bivariate relationships at P < .05 were included in the
      logistic regression. RESULTS: Living in a nonborder urban area associated with
      greater odds of overweight compared to living in a border area. Mother's
      overweight, high gestational weight gain, and gestational diabetes associated
      with greater odds of child overweight. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Several
      child- and maternal-related factors were found to be associated with overweight
      in Texas WIC preschoolers. Health interventions should target 4-year-old Hispanic
      children living in nonborder urban areas and mothers who are overweight, have
      high gestational weight gain, or have gestational diabetes.

PMID- 20303826
TI  - Regenerative medicine for retinal diseases: activating endogenous repair
      mechanisms.
AB  - The retina is subject to degenerative diseases that often lead to significant
      visual impairment. Non-mammalian vertebrates have the remarkable ability to
      replace neurons lost through damage. Fish, and to a limited extent birds, replace
      lost neurons by the dedifferentiation of Muller glia to a progenitor state
      followed by the replication of these neuronal progenitor cells. Over the past
      five years, studies have investigated whether regeneration can be stimulated in
      the mouse and rat retina. Several groups have reported that at least some types
      of neurons can be regenerated in the mammalian retina in vivo or in vitro, and
      that the regeneration of neurons can be stimulated using growth factors,
      transcription factors or subtoxic levels of excitatory amino acids. These recent
      results suggest that some part of the regenerative program that occurs in non
      mammalian vertebrates remains in the mammalian retina, and could provide a basis
      to develop new strategies for retinal repair in patients with retinal
      degenerations.

PMID- 20303828
TI  - Perceptions of the environment for eating and exercise in a rural community.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To understand how members of a rural community perceive the effect of
      the built, natural, and social environments on their food choice and physical
      activity behaviors. METHODS: A constructivist community environmental assessment
      was conducted including 17 individual qualitative interviews, 2 focus groups, and
      photo elicitation (n = 27) in a rural northeastern community where over 60% of
      the adult population is overweight or obese. RESULTS: Participants described
      social, natural, and physical environmental factors that influenced their food
      choice and physical activity behaviors. Overweight and obesity were variably
      presented as an individual and/or a collective problem. Participants described
      conflicting goals for food choice and physical activity in the community, and an
      interrelationship between the social and physical environments. CONCLUSIONS AND
      IMPLICATIONS: A community environmental assessment provides a view of the
      physical and social environments from the perspective of community residents that
      can serve as a foundation for locally tailored, community-based approaches to
      obesity prevention.

PMID- 20303829
TI  - Abortion among young women and subsequent life outcomes.
AB  - This article will discuss the nature of the association between abortion and
      mental health problems. Studies arguing about both sides of the debate as to
      whether abortion per se is responsible will be presented. The prevalence of
      various psychiatric disorders will be outlined and where there is dispute between
      studies, these will be highlighted. The impact of abortion on other areas such as
      education, partner relationships and sexual function will also be considered. The
      absence of specific interventions will be highlighted. Suggestions for early
      identification of illness will be made.

PMID- 20303830
TI  - Abortion and human rights.
AB  - Abortion has been a reality in women's lives since the beginning of recorded
      history, typically with a high risk of fatal consequences, until the last century
      when evolutions in the field of medicine, including techniques of safe abortion
      and effective methods of family planning, could have ended the need to seek
      unsafe abortion. The context of women's lives globally is an important but often
      ignored variable, increasingly recognised in evolving human rights especially
      related to gender and reproduction. International and regional human rights
      instruments are being invoked where national laws result in violations of human
      rights such as health and life. The individual right to conscientious objection
      must be respected and better understood, and is not absolute. Health professional
      organisations have a role to play in clarifying responsibilities consistent with
      national laws and respecting reproductive rights. Seeking common ground using
      evidence rather than polarised opinion can assist the future focus.

PMID- 20303831
TI  - Induced abortion and psychological sequelae.
AB  - The decision to seek an abortion is never easy. Women have different reasons for
      choosing an abortion and their social, economic and religious background may
      influence how they cope. Furthermore, once pregnant, the alternatives of
      childbirth and adoption or keeping the baby may not be psychologically neutral.
      Research studies in this area have been hampered by methodological problems, but
      most of the better-quality studies have shown no increased risk of mental health
      problems in women having an abortion. A consistent finding has been that of pre
      existing mental illness and subsequent mental health problems after either
      abortion or childbirth. Furthermore, studies have shown that only a minority of
      women experience any lasting sadness or regret. Risk factors for this include
      ambivalence about the decision, level of social support and whether or not the
      pregnancy was originally intended. More robust, definitive research studies are
      required on mental health after abortion and alternative outcomes such as
      childbirth.

PMID- 20303832
TI  - Strategy for laparoscopic cervical myomectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Myoma of the uterine cervix is rare, accounting for about 5% of all
      myomas. Compared with myomas that occur in the uterine corpus, cervical myomas
      are closer to other organs such as the bladder, ureter, and rectum, and the
      approach needs to be modified because the organs that have to be considered
      differ depending on the location of the myoma. We divided cervical myomas into 2
      types according to location, comprising an intracervical type and extracervical
      types. A clear outline of surgical treatment for cervical myoma has not described
      in previous papers. We then investigated the surgical strategy for these types.
      PATIENTS: Subjects comprised 16 patients who were diagnosed with cervical myoma
      in our hospital between January 2005 and April 2009, and who underwent
      laparoscopic myomectomy. RESULT: Mean operative time was 105.8 + or - 43.2 (82.8
      128.8) min, mean blood loss was 105 + or - 117 (42.6-167.4) ml, and mean specimen
      weight was 208.3 + or - 195.4 (99.3-306.2) g. Histopathological examination
      showed atypical myoma in 1 case and leiomyoma in others. CONCLUSIONS: 16 cases of
      cervical myomectomy were performed safely by developing a uniform strategy that
      uses a fixed operative procedure, even with laparotomy, if sufficient attention
      is paid to the following 6 points: 1) attempting to reduce the size of the myoma
      with the use of preoperative GnRH; 2) determining the positional relationship
      between the myoma and surrounding organs; 3) temporarily blocking uterine artery
      blood flow with the use of vessel clips; 4) suppressing bleeding during
      myomectomy with the use of vasopressin; 5) minimizing the risk of damaging
      surrounding organs by positioning the incision in the myometrium somewhat lateral
      to the uterine corpus; and 6) the bottom of the wound after enculation should be
      pulled up by the forceps for suturing to avoid making dead space.

PMID- 20303833
TI  - Pressure-controlled vs volume-controlled ventilation during laparoscopic
      gynecologic surgery.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To quantify and compare the effects of conventional volume
      controlled ventilation (VCV) with the alternative mode, pressure-controlled
      ventilation (PCV), on respiratory mechanics and noninvasive hemodynamic
      parameters in patients undergoing laparoscopic gynecologic surgery. DESIGN:
      Randomized controlled trial (Canadian Task Force classification I). SETTING:
      Respiratory mechanics and hemodynamic parameters were recorded for each patient
      at time T1, 10 minutes after induction, in the supine position; T2, 15 minutes
      after pneumoperitoneum, in the Trendelenburg position; and T3, 10 minutes after
      pneumoperitoneum withdrawal, in the supine position. PATIENTS: Sixty women, aged
      20 to 50 years, undergoing laparoscopic gynecologic surgery, with American
      Society of Anesthesiologists classes I and II disease. INTERVENTIONS: Patients
      were randomly allocated to 1 of 2 groups. In the VCV group (n = 30), ventilation
      mode was maintained, whereas in the PCV group (n = 30), ventilation mode was
      changed to PVC. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Both groups were comparable
      insofar as patient characteristics, operating time, pneumoperitoneum time,
      anesthesia time, and mean operative time. VCV was associated with a significant
      increase in peak airway pressure, plateau pressure, and airway resistance at T2
      (p < .05). Compliance was significantly higher in the PCV group at T2 (p < .05).
      No other statistically significant differences were found between the groups.
      CONCLUSIONS: Both VCV and PCV seem to be equally suited for use in patients
      undergoing laparoscopic gynecologic surgery. However, lower peak airway pressure,
      plateau pressure, and airway resistance, and higher compliance are observed with
      PCV in laparoscopic gynecologic surgery.

PMID- 20303834
TI  - Robot-assisted laparoscopic myomectomy is an improvement over laparotomy in women
      with a limited number of myomas.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To compare surgical and immediate postoperative results of robot
      assisted laparoscopic myomectomy vs myomectomy via laparotomy in patients with 3
      myomas or fewer. DESIGN: Case-control (Canadian Task Force classification II-2).
      SETTING: University hospital. PATIENTS: Seventy-five women who had undergone
      robotic-assisted laparoscopic myomectomy were compared with patients who had
      undergone myomectomy via laparotomy. INTERVENTIONS: Medical records were reviewed
      for surgical and postoperative variables. Both groups had 3 myomas or fewer
      confirmed at preoperative magnetic resonance imaging or final pathology report.
      MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: No significant differences were observed between
      patients insofar as preoperative demographic data. There was a significant
      increase in mean duration of surgery for robotic-assisted myomectomy. There was a
      significant decrease in blood loss, change in hematocrit concentration on
      postoperative day 1, length of stay, number of days to regular diet, and febrile
      morbidity in robotic-assisted myomectomies. There were no significant differences
      in operative or postoperative complications. CONCLUSION: Although robotic
      assisted myomectomy took substantially longer, most of the other variables
      improved in comparison with similar procedures performed via laparotomy.

PMID- 20303835
TI  - p21CDKN1A participates in base excision repair by regulating the activity of
      poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1.
AB  - The cell cycle inhibitor p21(CDKN1A) has been shown to participate in nucleotide
      excision repair by interacting with PCNA. Here we have investigated whether p21
      plays a role in base excision repair (BER), by analyzing p21 interactions with
      BER factors, and by assessing the response of p21(-/-) human fibroblasts to DNA
      damage induced by alkylating agents. Absence of p21 protein resulted in a higher
      sensitivity to alkylation-induced DNA damage, as indicated by reduced clonogenic
      efficiency, defective DNA repair (assessed by the comet test), and by persistence
      of histone H2AX phosphorylation. To elucidate the mechanisms at the basis of the
      function of p21 in BER, we focused on its interaction with poly(ADP-ribose)
      polymerase-1 (PARP-1), an important player in this repair process. p21 was found
      to bind the automodification/DNA binding domain of PARP-1, although some
      interaction occurred also with the catalytic domain after DNA damage. This
      association was necessary to regulate PARP-1 activity since poly(ADP
      ribosylation) induced by DNA damage was higher in p21(-/-) human fibroblasts than
      in parental p21(+/+) cells, and in primary fibroblasts after p21 knock-down by
      RNA interference. Concomitantly, recruitment of PARP-1 and PCNA to damaged DNA
      was greater in p21(-/-) than in p21(+/+) fibroblasts. This accumulation resulted
      in persistent interaction of PARP-1 with BER factors, such as XRCC1 and DNA
      polymerase beta, suggesting that prolonged association reduced the DNA repair
      efficiency. These results indicate that p21 regulates the interaction between
      PARP-1 and BER factors, to promote efficient DNA repair.

PMID- 20303836
TI  - Online solid phase extraction with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry
      to analyze remoxipride in small plasma-, brain homogenate-, and brain
      microdialysate samples.
AB  - Remoxipride is a selective dopamine D(2) receptor antagonist, and useful as a
      model compound in mechanism-based pharmacological investigations. To that end,
      studies in small animals with serial sampling over time are needed. For these
      small volume samples currently no suitable analytical methods are available. We
      propose analytical methods for the detection of low concentrations remoxipride in
      small sample volumes of plasma, brain homogenate, and brain microdialysate, using
      online solid phase extraction with liquid chromatography-tandem mass
      spectrometry. Method development, optimization and validation are described in
      terms of calibration curves, extraction yield, lower limit of quantification
      (LLOQ), precision, accuracy, inter-day- and intra-day variability. The 20 microl
      plasma samples showed an extraction yield of 76%, with a LLOQ of 0.5 ng/ml. For
      0.6 ml brain homogenate samples the extraction yield was 45%, with a LLOQ of 1.8
      ng/ml. The 20 microl brain microdialysate samples, without pre-treatment, had a
      LLOQ of 0.25 ng/ml. The precision and accuracy were well within the acceptable
      15% range. Considering the small sample volumes, the high sensitivity and good
      reproducibility, the analytical methods are suitable for analyzing small sample
      volumes with low remoxipride concentrations.

PMID- 20303837
TI  - [Soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and C reactive protein after bariatric
      surgery].
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Obesity is associated with a state of chronic low
      grade inflammation. A causal association between inflammatory processes and
      atherogenesis has been proposed. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in
      the proinflammatory profile of morbidly obese patients who underwent bariatric
      surgery. Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and soluble intercellular adhesion
      molecule-1 (sICAM-1) concentrations were measured before and after massive weight
      loss due to gastric bypass. METHODS: In this prospective study we measured CRP
      and sICAM-1 concentrations in 50 morbidly obese patients (19 men and 31 women) at
      baseline and 3, 6 and 12 months after gastric bypass. RESULTS: Body mass index
      (BMI), CRP, and sICAM-1 decreased significantly. BMI correlated with CRP but not
      with sICAM-1. CONCLUSIONS: The improvement in vascular risk profile after weight
      loss in morbidly obese patients could be partially explained by changes in
      inflammatory status.

PMID- 20303839
TI  - Colorectal cancer screening: dying en route?

PMID- 20303838
TI  - Taurocholic acid prevents biliary damage induced by hepatic artery ligation in
      cholestatic rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ischemic injury by hepatic artery ligation (HAL) during obstructive
      cholestasis induced by bile duct ligation (BDL) results in bile duct damage,
      which can be prevented by administration of VEGF-A. The potential regulation of
      VEGF and VEGF receptor expression and secretion by bile acids in BDL with HAL is
      unknown. AIMS: We evaluated whether taurocholic acid (TC) can prevent HAL-induced
      cholangiocyte damage via the alteration of VEGFR-2 and/or VEGF-A expression.
      METHODS: Utilizing BDL, BDL+TC, BDL+HAL, BDL+HAL+TC, and BDL+HAL+wortmannin+TC
      treated rats, we evaluated cholangiocyte apoptosis, proliferation, and secretion
      as well VEGF-A and VEGFR-2 expression by immunohistochemistry. In vitro, we
      evaluated the effects of TC on cholangiocyte secretion of VEGF-A and the
      dependence of TC-induced proliferation on the activity of VEGFR-2. RESULTS: In
      BDL rats with HAL, chronic feeding of TC prevented HAL-induced loss of bile ducts
      and HAL-induced decreased cholangiocyte secretion. TC also prevented HAL
      inhibited VEGF-A and VEGFR-2 expression in liver sections and HAL-induced
      circulating VEGF-A levels, which were blocked by wortmannin administration. In
      vitro, TC stimulated increased VEGF-A secretion by cholangiocytes, which was
      blocked by wortmannin and stimulated cholangiocyte proliferation that was blocked
      by VEGFR-2 kinase inhibitor. CONCLUSION: TC prevented HAL-induced biliary damage
      by upregulation of VEGF-A expression.

PMID- 20303840
TI  - Sustained virological response following extremely short antiviral treatment in
      selected HCV carriers with persistently normal ALT.

PMID- 20303841
TI  - Cerebral consequences of dynamic immobilisation after primary digital flexor
      tendon repair.
AB  - Current treatment protocols for flexor tendon injuries of the hand generally
      result in an acceptable function, which can be quantified by objective parameters
      such as range of motion. The latter does not always match the patients'
      subjective experiences of persisting dysfunction. This raises the question
      whether changes in the cerebral control of movement might contribute to the
      perceived deficit. The main objective of the present positron emission tomography
      (PET) study was to characterise the cerebral responses in movement-associated
      areas during simple finger flexion immediately after dynamic immobilisation and
      after a subsequent 6-week period of active training. Ten subjects with flexor
      tendon injury participated in the PET study. Electromyography (EMG) recordings
      were made during finger flexion and extension in an additional subject. The main
      finding was that the (ventral) putamen contralateral to flexor movement was not
      activated immediately after release from splinting, while such activation
      reappeared after a period of training. This indicates a temporary loss of
      efficient motor control of over-learnt movements. The increase of unwanted co
      contractions during flexion in a first EMG session, and not during extension,
      supports a concept of lost skills.

PMID- 20303842
TI  - Delay of denervation atrophy by sensory protection in an end-to-side neurorrhaphy
      model: a pilot study.
AB  - OBJECT: Temporary sensory innervation delays the atrophy process. A major
      disadvantage of most experimental models is that sensory-protected muscles must
      be denervated a second time to allow reinnervation by the affected nerve. The aim
      of this study was to assess the effect of sensory protection on denervated
      gastrocnemius muscle in an end-to-side neurorrhaphy model, in which denervated
      muscles may be preserved until axons of the native nerve reach their target
      without the necessity for a second operation. METHODS: The tibial nerve of 24
      female Lewis rats was transected. Twelve animals acted as the controls. In the
      other 12 animals, the end of the sural nerve was connected to the side of the
      distal tibial nerve stump (sensory protection group). At 5 and 10 weeks, wet
      gastrocnemius muscle weight was reported as a ratio of the operated to the
      unoperated side. For histological analysis, muscle samples were rapidly frozen
      and sections were stained with haematoxylin and eosin, Oil Red O stain and
      modified Gomori trichrome stain. RESULTS: The difference between the sensory
      protection group and the control group was statistically significant at 5 (0.36+/
      0.01 and 0.29+/-0.01, respectively; p<0.001) and 10 weeks postoperatively (0.28+/
      0.01 and 0.19+/-0.00, respectively; p<0.001). Histological observations revealed
      that sensory-protected muscles underwent less atrophy. CONCLUSION: Sensory
      protection delays atrophy in an end-to-side neurorrhaphy model.

PMID- 20303843
TI  - Efficacy of transesophageal and transgastric cardiac pacing in the dog.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Determine if temporary artificial cardiac pacing can be accomplished
      from transesophageal or transgastric pacing sites. ANIMALS, MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Nine purpose bred Beagle dogs had a multipolar electrophysiology pacing
      catheter inserted transnasally and advanced into the distal esophagus or stomach
      under general anesthesia. Artificial atrial pacing was attempted using a bipolar
      configuration from the distal esophagus with the dogs in left lateral recumbency.
      Artificial ventricular pacing was attempted from the distal esophagus and stomach
      using unipolar and bipolar configurations with the dogs in multiple positions.
      RESULTS: Transesophageal atrial pacing was accomplished in all dogs with a mean
      threshold of 10.5 mA (+ or - 3.9) and a 15 mm polar separation with no skeletal
      muscle stimulation. All attempts at transgastric and transesophageal ventricular
      pacing were unsuccessful. CONCLUSIONS: Transesophageal atrial pacing using
      standard cardiac pacing equipment is simple to perform and is a viable
      alternative to temporary transvenous or transthoracic pacing for supraventricular
      bradyarrhythmias without atrioventricular conduction disturbances.
      Transesophageal and transgastric ventricular pacing does not appear possible
      using the pacing configurations in this study.

PMID- 20303844
TI  - Prevalence and correlates of recent and repeat mammography among California women
      ages 55-79.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Data on repeat mammography rates are less available than for recent
      screening. Two large, population-based state surveys provide the opportunity to
      investigate repeat and recent mammography prevalence and correlates among
      California's diverse population. METHODS: Data were from women aged 55-79, using
      the 2001 and 2005 California Health Interview Surveys. The study assessed the
      prevalence and correlates of recent mammography (within the past two years) and
      repeat mammography (mammogram within the past two years and 3-11 mammograms
      within the past six years). RESULTS: Prevalence was 82.4% (recent) and 73.8%
      (repeat) in 2001, and 87.1% (recent) and 77.5% (repeat) in 2005. Correlates of
      lower rates were insurance status, no usual source of care, being a smoker, age
      65-79, being Asian with no English proficiency, being never married, and lower
      absolute risk for breast cancer. Especially low ratios of repeat-to-recent
      mammography existed for the uninsured, and those using the emergency room or with
      no source of care. Unexpected findings in which unadjusted results were
      inconsistent with multivariable adjusted results occurred for Latinas with no
      English proficiency and women at 200-299% of poverty level. CONCLUSIONS: Several
      groups of women in California remain at-risk of lower mammography utilization.
      However, investigators should also be alert for instances where multivariable
      analyses seem particularly discrepant with crude rates.

PMID- 20303845
TI  - Proteolytic scanning calorimetry: a novel methodology that probes the fundamental
      features of protein kinetic stability.
AB  - We introduce proteolytic scanning calorimetry, a modification of the differential
      scanning calorimetry approach to the determination of protein stability in which
      a proteolytic enzyme (thermolysin) is used to mimic a harsh environment. This
      methodology allows the straightforward calculation of the rate of irreversible
      denaturation as a function of temperature and concentration of proteolytic enzyme
      and, as a result, has the potential to probe efficiently the fundamental
      biophysical features of protein kinetic stability. In the particular case of
      Escherichia coli thioredoxin (used as an illustrative example in this article),
      we find that the rate of irreversible denaturation is determined by 1), the
      global unfolding mechanism at low thermolysin concentrations, indicating that
      thermodynamic stability may contribute directly to the kinetic stability of
      thioredoxin under moderately harsh conditions and 2), the rate of unfolding at
      high thermolysin concentrations, indicating that the free-energy barrier for
      unfolding may act as a safety mechanism that ensures significant kinetic
      stability, even in very harsh environments. This thioredoxin picture, however, is
      by no means expected to be general and different proteins may show different
      patterns of kinetic stabilization. Proteolytic scanning calorimetry is
      particularly well-suited to probe this diversity at a fundamental biophysical
      level.

PMID- 20303846
TI  - From induced fit to conformational selection: a continuum of binding mechanism
      controlled by the timescale of conformational transitions.
AB  - In receptor-ligand binding, a question that generated considerable interest is
      whether the mechanism is induced fit or conformational selection. This question
      is addressed here by a solvable model, in which a receptor undergoes transitions
      between active and inactive forms. The inactive form is favored while unbound but
      the active form is favored while a ligand is loosely bound. As the active
      inactive transition rates increase, the binding mechanism gradually shifts from
      conformational selection to induced fit. The timescale of conformational
      transitions thus plays a crucial role in controlling binding mechanisms.

PMID- 20303847
TI  - Increased sensitivity and extended range of distance measurements in spin-labeled
      membrane proteins: Q-band double electron-electron resonance and nanoscale
      bilayers.
AB  - We report a significant methodological advance in the application of double
      electron-electron resonance (DEER) spectroscopy to measure long-range distances
      in spin-labeled membrane proteins. In the pseudo two-dimensional environment of
      proteoliposomes, a steep intermolecular background shapes DEER signals leading to
      long accumulation times, complicating data analysis and reducing the maximal
      measurable distances from 70 A down to approximately 40-50 A. To eliminate these
      limitations, we took advantage of the homogeneity and monodispersity of a class
      of discoidal nanoscale phospholipid bilayers in conjunction with the micromolar
      DEER sensitivity at Q-band (34 GHz) microwave frequency. Spin-labeled mutants of
      the ABC transporter MsbA were functionally reconstituted at a ratio of one
      functional dimer per nanoscale apolipoprotein-bound bilayer (NABB). DEER echo
      intensities from NABB-reconstituted MsbA have linear baselines reflecting a three
      dimensional spatial distribution. This results in an order-of-magnitude higher
      sensitivity at Q-band relative to proteoliposomes and restores the maximal
      observable distance effectively increasing experimental throughput. The advances
      described here set the stage for the use of DEER spectroscopy to analyze
      conformational dynamics of sample-limited eukaryotic membrane proteins.

PMID- 20303848
TI  - Line active hybrid lipids determine domain size in phase separation of saturated
      and unsaturated lipids.
AB  - A simple model of the line activity of a hybrid lipid (e.g., POPC) with one fully
      saturated chain and one partially unsaturated chain demonstrates that these
      lipids preferentially pack at curved interfaces between phase-separated saturated
      and unsaturated domains. We predict that the domain sizes typically range from
      tens to hundreds of nm, depending on molecular interactions and parameters such
      as molecular volume and area per headgroup in the bulk fluid phase. The role of
      cholesterol is taken into account by an effective change in the headgroup areas
      and the domain sizes are predicted to increase with cholesterol concentration.

PMID- 20303849
TI  - Interpreting membrane scattering experiments at the mesoscale: the contribution
      of dissipation within the bilayer.
AB  - Neutron spin-echo spectroscopy provides a means to study membrane undulation
      dynamics over length scales roughly spanning 10-100 nanometers. Modern
      interpretation of these measurements relies on the theoretical predictions of
      Zilman and Granek; however, it is necessary to introduce an anomalously large
      solvent viscosity within this theory to obtain quantitative agreement with
      experiment. An extended theoretical treatment is presented that includes the
      effects of internal dissipation within the bilayer. Within the length and time
      regimes appropriate to neutron spin-echo experiments, the results of Zilman and
      Granek are largely recovered, except that the bilayer curvature modulus kappa
      appearing in their theory must be replaced with an effective dynamic curvature
      modulus kappa =kappa+2d(2)k(m), where d is a distance comparable to the monolayer
      thickness (the height of the neutral surface from bilayer midplane) and k(m) is
      the monolayer compressibility modulus. Direct comparison between theory and
      experiment becomes possible without any rescaling of physical parameters.

PMID- 20303850
TI  - Bipedal locomotion in crawling cells.
AB  - Many complex cellular processes from mitosis to cell motility depend on the
      ability of the cytoskeleton to generate force. Force-generating systems that act
      on elastic cytoskeletal elements are prone to oscillating instabilities. In this
      work, we have measured spontaneous shape and movement oscillations in motile fish
      epithelial keratocytes. In persistently polarized, fan-shaped cells, retraction
      of the trailing edge on one side of the cell body is out of phase with retraction
      on the other side, resulting in periodic lateral oscillation of the cell body. We
      present a physical description of keratocyte oscillation in which periodic
      retraction of the trailing edge is the result of elastic coupling with the
      leading edge. Consistent with the predictions of this model, the observed
      frequency of oscillation correlates with cell speed. In addition, decreasing the
      strength of adhesion to the substrate reduces the elastic force required for
      retraction, causing cells to oscillate with higher frequency at relatively lower
      speeds. These results demonstrate that simple elastic coupling between movement
      at the front of the cell and movement at the rear can generate large-scale
      mechanical integration of cell behavior.

PMID- 20303851
TI  - A Wnt oscillator model for somitogenesis.
AB  - We propose a model for the segmentation clock in vertebrate somitogenesis, based
      on the Wnt signaling pathway. The core of the model is a negative feedback loop
      centered around the Axin2 protein. Axin2 is activated by beta-catenin, which in
      turn is degraded by a complex of GSK3beta and Axin2. The model produces
      oscillatory states of the involved constituents with typical time periods of a
      few hours (ultradian oscillations). The oscillations are robust to changes in
      parameter values and are often spiky, where low concentration values of beta
      catenin are interrupted by sharp peaks. Necessary for the oscillations is the
      saturated degradation of Axin2. Somite formation in chick and mouse embryos is
      controlled by a spatial Wnt gradient which we introduce in the model through a
      time-dependent decrease in Wnt3a ligand level. We find that the oscillations
      disappear as the ligand concentration decreases, in agreement with observations
      on embryos.

PMID- 20303852
TI  - Crowding effects on association reactions at membranes.
AB  - The effect of macromolecular crowding on the binding of ligands to a receptor
      near membranes is studied using Brownian dynamics simulations. The receptor is
      modeled as a reactive patch on a hard surface and the ligands and crowding agents
      are modeled as spheres that interact via a steep repulsive interaction potential.
      When a ligand collides with the patch, it reacts with probability p(rxn). The
      association rate constant (k(infinity)) can be decomposed into contributions from
      diffusion-limited (k(D)) and reaction-limited (k(R)) rates, i.e., 1/k(infinity) =
      1/k(D) + 1/k(R). The simulations show that k(D) is a nonmonotonic function of the
      volume fraction of crowding agents for receptors of small sizes. k(R) is always
      an increasing function of the volume fraction of crowding agents, and the
      association rate constant k(infinity) determined from both contributions has a
      qualitatively different dependence on the macromolecular crowding for high and
      low values of the reaction probability p(rxn). The simulation results are used to
      predict the velocity of the membrane protrusion driven by actin filament
      elongation. Based on the simple model where the protrusive force on the membrane
      is generated by the intercalation of actin monomers between the membrane and
      actin filament ends, we predict that crowding increases the local concentration
      of actin monomers near the filament ends and hence accelerates the membrane
      protrusion.

PMID- 20303853
TI  - Monte Carlo simulation of buffered diffusion into and out of a model synapse.
AB  - Buffered diffusion occurs when ligands enter or leave a restricted space, such as
      a chemical synapse, containing a high density of binding sites. This study used
      Monte Carlo simulations to determine the time and spatial dependences of buffered
      diffusion without a priori assumptions about kinetics. The synapse was modeled as
      a box with receptors on one inner face. The exterior was clamped to some ligand
      concentration and ligands diffused through two sides. Onset and recovery
      simulations were carried out and the effects of receptor density, ligand
      properties and synapse geometry were investigated. This study determined
      equilibration times for binding and the spatial gradient of unliganded receptors.
      Onset was characterized by a high spatial gradient; equilibration was limited by
      the time needed for sufficient ligands to enter the synapse. Recovery showed a
      low spatial gradient with receptor equilibration limited by ligand rebinding.
      Decreasing ligand association rate or increasing ligand diffusion coefficient
      reduced the role of buffered diffusion and decreased the spatial gradient.
      Simulations with irreversible ligands showed larger, persistent spatial
      gradients. These simulations identify characteristics that can be used to test
      whether a synaptic process is governed by buffered diffusion. They also indicate
      that fundamental differences in synapse function may occur with irreversible
      ligands.

PMID- 20303854
TI  - Synaptotagmin IV modulation of vesicle size and fusion pores in PC12 cells.
AB  - Many synaptotagmins are Ca(2+)-binding membrane proteins with functions in Ca(2+)
      triggered exocytosis. Synaptotagmin IV (syt IV) has no Ca(2+) binding activity,
      but nevertheless modulates exocytosis. Here, cell-attached capacitance recording
      was used to study single vesicle fusion and fission in control and syt IV
      overexpressing PC12 cells. Unitary capacitance steps varied widely in size,
      indicating that both microvesicles (MVs) and dense-core vesicles (DCVs) undergo
      fusion. Syt IV overexpression reduced the size of DCVs and endocytotic vesicles
      but not MVs. Syt IV also reduced the basal rate of Ca(2+)-induced fusion. During
      kiss-and-run, syt IV increased the conductance and duration of DCV fusion pores
      but not MV fusion pores. During full-fusion of DCVs syt IV increased the fusion
      pore conductance but not the duration. Syt IV overexpression increased the
      duration but not the conductance of fission pores during endocytosis. The effects
      of syt IV on fusion pores in PC12 cells resembled the effects on fusion pores in
      peptidergic nerve terminals. However, differences between these and results
      obtained with amperometry may indicate that amperometry and capacitance detect
      the fusion of different populations of vesicles. The effects of syt IV on fusion
      pores are discussed in terms of structural models and kinetic mechanisms.

PMID- 20303856
TI  - Cations mediate interactions between the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and
      anionic lipids.
AB  - Interactions between the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) and
      phosphatidic acid (PA) are bidirectional in that membranes containing PA are
      effective at stabilizing an agonist-responsive nAChR, whereas incorporation of
      the nAChR into the same membranes leads to a substantial increase in lipid
      lateral packing density. A previous study suggested that the ability of PA to
      adopt a dianionic ionization state is key. We monitored the ionization state of
      PA in both reconstituted and protein-free membranes. In model membranes composed
      of PA and 3:2 (mol/mol) phosphatidylcholine (PC)/PA, the monoanionic-to-dianionic
      transition of PA was detected with a pKa of 8.7 and 6.5, respectively. In the
      reconstituted 3:2 PC/PA membranes, however, PA was stabilized in a monoanionic
      state at pH values up to 10. Although dianionic PA does not play a role in nAChR
      function, we found that both the stabilization of monoanionic PA and the
      concentration of other cations at the bilayer surface can account for changes in
      bilayer physical properties that are observed upon incorporation of the nAChR
      into 3:2 PC/PA membranes. A nAChR-induced concentration of cations at the bilayer
      surface likely mediates interactions between the nAChR and the anionic lipids in
      its membrane environment.

PMID- 20303855
TI  - Force generation in lamellipodia is a probabilistic process with fast growth and
      retraction events.
AB  - Polymerization of actin filaments is the primary source of motility in
      lamellipodia and it is controlled by a variety of regulatory proteins. The
      underlying molecular mechanisms are only partially understood and a precise
      determination of dynamical properties of force generation is necessary. Using
      optical tweezers, we have measured with millisecond (ms) temporal resolution and
      picoNewton (pN) sensitivity the force-velocity (Fv) relationship and the power
      dissipated by lamellipodia of dorsal root ganglia neurons. When force and
      velocity are averaged over 3-5 s, the Fv relationships can be flat. On a finer
      timescale, random occurrence of fast growth and subsecond retractions become
      predominant. The maximal power dissipated by lamellipodia over a silica bead with
      a diameter of 1 microm is 10(-16) W. Our results clarify the dynamical properties
      of force generation: i), force generation is a probabilistic process; ii),
      underlying biological events have a bandwidth up to at least 10 Hz; and iii),
      fast growth of lamellipodia leading edge alternates with local retractions.

PMID- 20303857
TI  - Antiport mechanism for Cl(-)/H(+) in ClC-ec1 from normal-mode analysis.
AB  - ClC chloride channels and transporters play major roles in cellular excitability,
      epithelial salt transport, volume, pH, and blood pressure regulation. One family
      member, ClC-ec1 from Escherichia coli, has been structurally resolved
      crystallographically and subjected to intensive mutagenetic, crystallographic,
      and electrophysiological studies. It functions as a Cl(-)/H(+) antiporter, not a
      Cl(-) channel; however, the molecular mechanism for Cl(-)/H(+) exchange is
      largely unknown. Using all-atom normal-mode analysis to explore possible
      mechanisms for this antiport, we propose that Cl(-)/H(+) exchange involves a
      conformational cycle of alternating exposure of Cl(-) and H(+) binding sites of
      both ClC pores to the two sides of the membrane. Both pores switch simultaneously
      from facing outward to facing inward, reminiscent of the standard alternating
      access mechanism, which may have direct implications for eukaryotic Cl(-)/H(+)
      transporters and Cl(-) channels.

PMID- 20303858
TI  - Molecular dynamics simulations of the rotary motor F(0) under external electric
      fields across the membrane.
AB  - The membrane-bound component F(0), which is a major component of the F(0)F(1)-ATP
      synthase, works as a rotary motor and plays a central role in driving the F(1)
      component to transform chemiosmotic energy into ATP synthesis. We conducted
      molecular dynamics simulations of b(2)-free F(0) in a 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl
      phosphatidylcholine lipid bilayer for tens of nanoseconds with two different
      protonation states of the cAsp-61 residue at the interface of the a-c complex in
      the absence of electric fields and under electric fields of +/-0.03 V/nm across
      the membrane. To our surprise, we observed that the upper half of the N-terminal
      helix of the c(1) subunit rotated about its axis clockwise by 30 degrees . An
      energetic analysis revealed that the electrostatic repulsion between this N
      terminal helix and subunit c(12) was a major contributor to the observed
      rotation. A correlation map analysis indicated that the correlated motions of
      residues in the interface of the a-c complex were significantly reduced by
      external electric fields. The deuterium order parameter (S(CD)) profile
      calculated by averaging all the lipids in the F(0)-bound bilayer was not very
      different from that of the pure bilayer system, in agreement with recent (2)H
      solid-state NMR experiments. However, by delineating the lipid properties
      according to their vicinity to F(0), we found that the S(CD) profiles of
      different lipid shells were prominently different. Lipids close to F(0) formed a
      more ordered structure. Similarly, the lateral diffusion of lipids on the
      membrane surface also followed a shell-dependent behavior. The lipids in the
      proximity of F(0) exhibited very significantly reduced diffusional motion. The
      numerical value of S(CD) was anticorrelated with that of the diffusion
      coefficient, i.e., the more ordered lipid structures led to slower lipid
      diffusion. Our findings will help elucidate the dynamics of F(0) depending on the
      protonation state and electric field, and may also shed some light on the
      interactions between the motor F(0) and its surrounding lipids under
      physiological conditions, which could help to rationalize its extraordinary
      energy conversion efficiency.

PMID- 20303859
TI  - Gadolinium ions block mechanosensitive channels by altering the packing and
      lateral pressure of anionic lipids.
AB  - Effects of polyvalent ions on the lateral packing of phospholipids have been
      known for decades, but the physiological consequences have not been
      systematically studied. Gd(3+) is a relatively nonspecific agent that blocks
      mechano-gated channels with a variable affinity. In this study, we show that the
      large mechanosensitive channel MscL of Escherichia coli is effectively blocked by
      Gd(3+) only when reconstituted with negatively charged phospholipids (e.g., PS).
      Taking this lead, we studied effects of Gd(3+) on monolayers and unilamellar
      vesicles made of natural brain PS, DMPS, and its mixtures with DMPC. In monolayer
      experiments, we found that muM Gd(3+) present in the subphase leads to
      approximately 8% lateral compaction of brain PS (at 35 mN/m). Gd(3+) more
      strongly shrinks and rigidifies DMPS films causing a spontaneous liquid expanded
      to-compact transition to the limiting 40 A(2)/mol. Pressure-area isotherms of
      uncharged DMPC were unaffected by Gd(3+), and neutralization of DMPS surface by
      low pH did not produce strong compaction. Upshifts of surface potential isotherms
      of DMPS monolayers reflected changes in the diffuse double layer due to
      neutralization of headgroup charges by Gd(3+), whereas the increased packing
      density produced up to a 200 mV change in the interfacial dipole potential. The
      slopes of surface potential versus reciprocal area predicted that Gd(3+) induced
      a modest ( approximately 18%) increase in the magnitude of the individual lipid
      dipoles in DMPS. Isothermal titration calorimetry indicated that binding of
      Gd(3+) to DMPS liposomes in the gel state is endothermic, whereas binding to
      liquid crystalline liposomes produces heat consistent with the isothermal liquid
      to-gel phase transition induced by the ion. Both titration curves suggested a
      K(b) of approximately 10(6) M(-1). We conclude that anionic phospholipids serve
      as high-affinity receptors for Gd(3+) ions, and the ion-induced compaction
      generates a lateral pressure increase estimated as tens of mN/m. This pressure
      can "squeeze" the channel and shift the equilibrium toward the closed state.

PMID- 20303860
TI  - Exploring the conformational space of chromatin fibers and their stability by
      numerical dynamic phase diagrams.
AB  - The three-dimensional structure of chromatin affects DNA accessibility and is
      therefore a key regulator of gene expression. However, the path of the DNA
      between consecutive nucleosomes, and the resulting chromatin fiber organization
      remain controversial. The conformational space available for the folding of the
      nucleosome chain has been analytically described by phase diagrams with a two
      angle model, which describes the chain trajectory by a DNA entry-exit angle at
      the nucleosome and a torsion angle between consecutive nucleosomes. Here, a novel
      type of numerical phase diagrams is introduced that relates the geometric phase
      space to the energy associated with a given chromatin conformation. The resulting
      phase diagrams revealed differences in the energy landscape that reflect the
      probability of a given conformation to form in thermal equilibrium. Furthermore,
      we investigated the effects of entropy and additional degrees of freedom in the
      dynamic phase diagrams by performing Monte Carlo simulations of the initial chain
      trajectories. Using our approach, we were able to demonstrate that conformations
      that initially were geometrically impossible could evolve into energetically
      favorable states in thermal equilibrium due to DNA bending and torsion. In
      addition, dynamic phase diagrams were applied to identify chromatin fibers that
      reflect certain experimentally determined features.

PMID- 20303861
TI  - GNNQQNY--investigation of early steps during amyloid formation.
AB  - Protein aggregation has been implicated in the pathology of several
      neurodegenerative diseases, and a better understanding of how it proceeds is
      essential for the development of therapeutic strategies. Recently, the
      amyloidogenic heptapeptide GNNQQNY has emerged as a molecule of choice for
      fundamental studies of protein aggregation. A number of experimental and
      computational studies have examined the structure of the GNNQQNY aggregate. Less
      work, however, has been aimed at understanding its aggregation pathway. In this
      study, we present a detailed computational analysis of such a pathway. To that
      end, transition path sampling Monte Carlo simulations are used to examine the
      dimerization process. A statistical analysis of the reaction pathways shows that
      the dimerization reaction proceeds via a zipping mechanism, initiated with the
      formation of distinct contacts at the third residue (N). Asparagine residues are
      found to play a key role in the early stages of aggregation. And, contrary to
      previous belief, it is also shown that the tyrosine terminal group is not
      required to stabilize the dimer. In fact, an asparagine residue leads to faster
      aggregation of the peptide.

PMID- 20303862
TI  - Union of geometric constraint-based simulations with molecular dynamics for
      protein structure prediction.
AB  - Although proteins are a fundamental unit in biology, the mechanism by which
      proteins fold into their native state is not well understood. In this work, we
      explore the assembly of secondary structure units via geometric constraint-based
      simulations and the effect of refinement of assembled structures using reservoir
      replica exchange molecular dynamics. Our approach uses two crucial features of
      these methods: i), geometric simulations speed up the search for nativelike
      topologies as there are no energy barriers to overcome; and ii), molecular
      dynamics identifies the low free energy structures and further refines these
      structures toward the actual native conformation. We use eight alpha-, beta-, and
      alpha/beta-proteins to test our method. The geometric simulations of our test set
      result in an average RMSD from native of 3.7 A and this further reduces to 2.7 A
      after refinement. We also explore the question of robustness of assembly for
      inaccurate (shifted and shortened) secondary structure. We find that the RMSD
      from native is highly dependent on the accuracy of secondary structure input, and
      even slightly shifting the location of secondary structure along the amino acid
      sequence can lead to a rapid decrease in RMSD to native due to incorrect packing.

PMID- 20303863
TI  - Conformational analysis of the partially disordered measles virus N(TAIL)-XD
      complex by SDSL EPR spectroscopy.
AB  - To characterize the structure of dynamic protein systems, such as partly
      disordered protein complexes, we propose a novel approach that relies on a
      combination of site-directed spin-labeled electron paramagnetic resonance
      spectroscopy and modeling of local rotation conformational spaces. We applied
      this approach to the intrinsically disordered C-terminal domain of the measles
      virus nucleoprotein (N(TAIL)) both free and in complex with the X domain (XD, aa
      459-507) of the viral phosphoprotein. By comparing measured and modeled
      temperature-dependent restrictions of the side-chain conformational spaces of 12
      SL cysteine-substituted N(TAIL) variants, we showed that the 490-500 region of
      N(TAIL) is prestructured in the absence of the partner, and were able to
      quantitatively estimate, for the first time to our knowledge, the extent of the
      alpha-helical sampling of the free form. In addition, we showed that the 505-525
      region of N(TAIL) conserves a significant degree of freedom even in the bound
      form. The latter two findings provide a mechanistic explanation for the reported
      rather high affinity of the N(TAIL)-XD binding reaction. Due to the nanosecond
      timescale of X-band EPR spectroscopy, we were also able to monitor the
      disordering in the 488-525 region of N(TAIL), in particular the unfolding of the
      alpha-helical region when the temperature was increased from 281 K to 310 K.

PMID- 20303864
TI  - Understanding the concentration dependence of viral capsid assembly kinetics--the
      origin of the lag time and identifying the critical nucleus size.
AB  - The kinetics for the assembly of viral proteins into a population of capsids can
      be measured in vitro with size exclusion chromatography or dynamic light
      scattering, but extracting mechanistic information from these studies is
      challenging. For example, it is not straightforward to determine the critical
      nucleus size or the elongation time (the time required for a nucleus to grow to
      completion). In this work, we study theoretical and computational models for
      capsid assembly to show that the critical nucleus size can be determined from the
      concentration dependence of the assembly half-life and that the elongation time
      is revealed by the length of the lag phase. Furthermore, we find that the system
      becomes kinetically trapped when nucleation becomes fast compared to elongation.
      Implications of this constraint for determining elongation mechanisms from
      experimental assembly data are discussed.

PMID- 20303865
TI  - Hydration potential of lysozyme: protein dehydration using a single microparticle
      technique.
AB  - For biological molecules in aqueous solution, the hydration pressure as a
      function of distance from the molecular surface represents a very short-range
      repulsive pressure that limits atom-atom contact, opposing the attractive van der
      Waals pressure. Whereas the separation distance for molecules that easily arrange
      into ordered arrays (e.g., lipids, DNA, collagen fibers) can be determined from x
      ray diffraction, many globular proteins are not as easily structured. Using a new
      micropipette technique, spherical, glassified protein microbeads can be made that
      allow determination of protein hydration as a function of the water activity
      (a(w)) in a surrounding medium (decanol). By adjusting a(w) of the dehydration
      medium, the final protein concentration of the solid microbead is controlled, and
      ranges from 700 to 1150 mg/mL. By controlling a(w) (and thus the osmotic
      pressure) around lysozyme, the repulsive pressure was determined as a function of
      distance between each globular, ellipsoid protein. For separation distances, d,
      between 2.5 and 9 A, the repulsive decay length was 1.7 A and the pressure
      extrapolated to d = 0 was 2.2 x 10(8) N/m(2), indicating that the hydration
      pressure for lysozyme is similar to other biological interfaces such as
      phospholipid bilayers.

PMID- 20303867
TI  - Inflammation 2010: new adventures of an old flame.
AB  - Inflammation is an essential immune response that enables survival during
      infection or injury and maintains tissue homeostasis under a variety of noxious
      conditions. Inflammation comes at the cost of a transient decline in tissue
      function, which can in turn contribute to the pathogenesis of diseases of altered
      homeostasis.

PMID- 20303866
TI  - Tertiary and secondary structure elasticity of a six-Ig titin chain.
AB  - The protein titin functions as a mechanical spring conferring passive elasticity
      to muscle. Force spectroscopy studies have shown that titin exhibits several
      regimes of elasticity. Disordered segments bring about a soft, entropic spring
      type elasticity; secondary structures of titin's immunoglobulin-like (Ig-) and
      fibronectin type III-like (FN-III) domains provide a stiff elasticity. In this
      study, we demonstrate a third type of elasticity due to tertiary structure and
      involving domain-domain interaction and reorganization along the titin chain.
      Through 870 ns of molecular dynamics simulations involving 29,000-635,000 atom
      systems, the mechanical properties of a six-Ig domain segment of titin (I65-I70),
      for which a crystallographic structure is available, are probed. The results
      reveal a soft tertiary structure elasticity. A remarkably accurate statistical
      mechanical description for this elasticity is derived and applied. Simulations
      also studied the stiff, secondary structure elasticity of the I65-I70 chain due
      to the unraveling of its domains and revealed how force propagates along the
      chain during the secondary structure elasticity response.

PMID- 20303868
TI  - Asthma and allergic inflammation.
AB  - Studies of the initiation and maintenance of asthma and allergic inflammation
      implicate dysregulated interactions between mucosal epithelia and innate immune
      cells as the underlying cause of these disorders. The similarities of these
      responses with mucosal responses to parasitic intestinal worms may reveal
      pathways relevant to the perplexing rise of these chronic inflammatory disorders.

PMID- 20303869
TI  - Autoinflammatory disease reloaded: a clinical perspective.
AB  - Our understanding of the etiology of autoinflammatory disease is growing rapidly.
      Recent advances offer new opportunities for therapeutic intervention and suggest
      that the definition of what constitutes an autoinflammatory disease should be
      reassessed.

PMID- 20303870
TI  - Unraveling the genetics of autoimmunity.
AB  - The chronic autoimmune diseases include multiple complex genetic disorders.
      Recently, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified a large number
      of major loci, with many associations shared between various autoimmune diseases.
      These associations highlight key roles for lymphocyte activation and prioritize
      specific cytokine pathways and mechanisms of host-microbe recognition. Despite
      success in identifying loci, comprehensive models of disease pathogenesis are
      currently lacking. Future efforts comparing association patterns between
      autoimmune diseases may be particularly illustrative. New genomic technologies
      applied to classic genetic studies involving twins, early onset cases, and
      phenotypic extremes may provide key insights into developmental and gene
      environment interactions in autoimmunity.

PMID- 20303871
TI  - Decoding cell death signals in inflammation and immunity.
AB  - Dying cells release and expose at their surface molecules that signal to the
      immune system. We speculate that combinations of these molecules determine the
      route by which dying cells are engulfed and the nature of the immune response
      that their death elicits.

PMID- 20303872
TI  - Pattern recognition receptors and inflammation.
AB  - Infection of cells by microorganisms activates the inflammatory response. The
      initial sensing of infection is mediated by innate pattern recognition receptors
      (PRRs), which include Toll-like receptors, RIG-I-like receptors, NOD-like
      receptors, and C-type lectin receptors. The intracellular signaling cascades
      triggered by these PRRs lead to transcriptional expression of inflammatory
      mediators that coordinate the elimination of pathogens and infected cells.
      However, aberrant activation of this system leads to immunodeficiency, septic
      shock, or induction of autoimmunity. In this Review, we discuss the role of PRRs,
      their signaling pathways, and how they control inflammatory responses.

PMID- 20303873
TI  - The inflammasomes.
AB  - Inflammasomes are molecular platforms activated upon cellular infection or stress
      that trigger the maturation of proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin
      1beta to engage innate immune defenses. Strong associations between dysregulated
      inflammasome activity and human heritable and acquired inflammatory diseases
      highlight the importance this pathway in tailoring immune responses. Here, we
      comprehensively review mechanisms directing normal inflammasome function and its
      dysregulation in disease. Agonists and activation mechanisms of the NLRP1, NLRP3,
      IPAF, and AIM2 inflammasomes are discussed. Regulatory mechanisms that potentiate
      or limit inflammasome activation are examined, as well as emerging links between
      the inflammasome and pyroptosis and autophagy.

PMID- 20303874
TI  - Selective transcription in response to an inflammatory stimulus.
AB  - An inflammatory response is initiated by the temporally controlled activation of
      genes encoding a broad range of regulatory and effector proteins. A central goal
      is to devise strategies for the selective modulation of proinflammatory gene
      transcription, to allow the suppression of genes responsible for inflammation
      associated pathologies while maintaining a robust host response to microbial
      infection. Toward this goal, recent studies have revealed an unexpected level of
      diversity in the mechanisms by which chromatin structure and individual
      transcription factors contribute to the selective regulation of inflammatory
      genes.

PMID- 20303875
TI  - Th17 and regulatory T cells in mediating and restraining inflammation.
AB  - The vertebrate immune system is poised in a state of equilibrium that permits
      accurate and rapid protective responses against pathogens but curtails potential
      for causing harm to the host through targeting of "self" and provoking
      overexuberant inflammatory processes. In this Review we discuss this balance
      achieved in large part by interactions of different classes of T lymphocytes that
      have potent pro- or anti-inflammatory activity in the context of genetic and
      environmental factors, particularly the commensal microbiota.

PMID- 20303876
TI  - Homeostasis and inflammation in the intestine.
AB  - The gut is home to our largest collection of microbes. The ability of the immune
      system to coevolve with the microbiota during postnatal life allows the host and
      microbiota to coexist in a mutually beneficial relationship. Failure to achieve
      or maintain equilibrium between a host and its microbiota has negative
      consequences for both intestinal and systemic health. In this Review, we consider
      the many cellular and molecular methods by which inflammatory responses are
      regulated to maintain intestinal homeostasis and the disease states that can
      ensue when this balance is lost.

PMID- 20303877
TI  - Nonresolving inflammation.
AB  - Nonresolving inflammation is a major driver of disease. Perpetuation of
      inflammation is an inherent risk because inflammation can damage tissue and
      necrosis can provoke inflammation. Nonetheless, multiple mechanisms normally
      ensure resolution. Cells like macrophages switch phenotypes, secreted molecules
      like reactive oxygen intermediates switch impact from pro- to anti-inflammatory,
      and additional mediators of resolution arise, including proteins, lipids, and
      gasses. Aside from persistence of initiating stimuli, nonresolution may result
      from deficiencies in these mechanisms when an inflammatory response begins either
      excessively or subnormally. This greatly complicates the development of anti
      inflammatory therapies. The problem calls for conceptual, organizational, and
      statistical innovations.

PMID- 20303878
TI  - Immunity, inflammation, and cancer.
AB  - Inflammatory responses play decisive roles at different stages of tumor
      development, including initiation, promotion, malignant conversion, invasion, and
      metastasis. Inflammation also affects immune surveillance and responses to
      therapy. Immune cells that infiltrate tumors engage in an extensive and dynamic
      crosstalk with cancer cells, and some of the molecular events that mediate this
      dialog have been revealed. This review outlines the principal mechanisms that
      govern the effects of inflammation and immunity on tumor development and
      discusses attractive new targets for cancer therapy and prevention.

PMID- 20303879
TI  - Endoplasmic reticulum stress and the inflammatory basis of metabolic disease.
AB  - The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the major site in the cell for protein folding
      and trafficking and is central to many cellular functions. Failure of the ER's
      adaptive capacity results in activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR),
      which intersects with many different inflammatory and stress signaling pathways.
      These pathways are also critical in chronic metabolic diseases such as obesity,
      insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes. The ER and related signaling networks
      are emerging as a potential site for the intersection of inflammation and
      metabolic disease.

PMID- 20303880
TI  - Mechanisms underlying inflammation in neurodegeneration.
AB  - Inflammation is associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, including
      Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and
      multiple sclerosis. In this Review, we discuss inducers, sensors, transducers,
      and effectors of neuroinflammation that contribute to neuronal dysfunction and
      death. Although inducers of inflammation may be generated in a disease-specific
      manner, there is evidence for a remarkable convergence in the mechanisms
      responsible for the sensing, transduction, and amplification of inflammatory
      processes that result in the production of neurotoxic mediators. A major
      unanswered question is whether pharmacological inhibition of inflammation
      pathways will be able to safely reverse or slow the course of disease.

PMID- 20303882
TI  - SnapShot: Reactive Oxygen Intermediates (ROI).

PMID- 20303881
TI  - Anti-inflammatory Agents: Present and Future.
AB  - Inflammation involving the innate and adaptive immune systems is a normal
      response to infection. However, when allowed to continue unchecked, inflammation
      may result in autoimmune or autoinflammatory disorders, neurodegenerative
      disease, or cancer. A variety of safe and effective anti-inflammatory agents are
      available, including aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, with
      many more drugs under development. In particular, the new era of anti
      inflammatory agents includes "biologicals" such as anticytokine therapies and
      small molecules that block the activity of kinases. Other anti-inflammatories
      currently in use or under development include statins, histone deacetylase
      inhibitors, PPAR agonists, and small RNAs. This Review discusses the current
      status of anti-inflammatory drug research and the development of new anti
      inflammatory therapeutics.

PMID- 20303883
TI  - Shortages of general and specialist surgeons.

PMID- 20303884
TI  - Spontaneous pneumomediastinum (Hamman's syndrome).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is defined as the presence of free
      air in the mediastium in the absence of any obvious precipitating cause. The
      purpose of this study was to review our experience with this condition, discuss
      mechanisms and provide a management algorithm. METHODS: A retrospective audit of
      patients admitted with spontaneous pneumomediastinum between 2003 and 2008 was
      performed. A total of 17 patients were identified. RESULTS: Common predisposing
      factors for spontaneous pneumomediastinum were alcohol excess, asthma and illicit
      drug use. Vomiting and coughing were common precipitating factors. There was no
      morbidity, mortality or recurrence. Patients were admitted under a number of
      different specialties. DISCUSSION: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is a benign self
      limiting condition that requires early differentiation from more serious causes,
      in particular Boerhaave's syndrome.

PMID- 20303885
TI  - Bilo-enteric fistula (BEF) at laparoscopic cholecystectomy: review of ten year's
      experience.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: BEF is a rare complication of gallstone disease with reported
      incidence of up to 4.8%. Most are diagnosed intra-operatively and often requires
      conversion to open surgery. This review assesses the feasibility of laparoscopic
      management of BEF found at the time of laparoscopic cholecystectomy over ten-year
      period. METHOD: All patients undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy by
      a single surgeon (PK) between 1996 and 2006 were prospectively entered in a
      database and analysed. RESULTS: Out of 824 laparoscopic cholecystectomy, ten
      cases of BEF were identified at operation (1.2%, age 14-88 years, median=62).
      These were cholecysto-duodenal (7), cholecysto-colonic (1), cholecysto-choledocho
      duodenal (1) and choledocho-duodenal (1). Two out of ten were converted to open
      surgery (20%) compared to overall conversion rate of 2.8% (23/824). Eight cases
      were successfully completed laparoscopically; endostapler was used in six
      patients to transect the fistula and two patients had the defect repaired by
      intra-corporeal sutures. No major complications were seen. One patient had a
      prolonged hospital stay for social reason. CONCLUSION: BEF is often detected
      intra-operatively and most can be managed laparoscopically successfully.
      Endostapling avoids peritoneal contamination and reduces operative time.

PMID- 20303886
TI  - Effect of deferred treatment of supracondylar humeral fractures.
AB  - PURPOSE: Timing of surgery remains a controversial topic in the treatment of the
      supracondylar humeral fracture. In our institution, patients are not brought to
      theatre after midnight, except in the 'life or limb' situation. We hypothesised
      that time to surgery has no significant influence on complication rate with
      supracondylar fracture of the humerus. METHODS: A retrospective review was
      performed of all patients who required operative intervention for supracondylar
      fractures of humerus between 2004 and 2006. Patients' charts were assessed for
      demographic details, fracture type, time to theatre and complications.
      Statistical comparisons were performed between different fracture grades.
      RESULTS: We identified 124 supracondylar fractures of humerus that required
      operative intervention between 2004 and 2006. Fractures were mainly treated with
      operative manipulation with medial and lateral crossed K-wire fixation. Gartland
      III and flexion type fractures had a significantly shorter time to surgery than
      Gartland II (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in complication rate
      between fractures operated after midnight or deferred until the morning (p=0.68).
      Most common complications identified were ulnar nerve palsy and AIN palsy.
      CONCLUSIONS: We have found no difference in complication rates when treatment of
      supracondylar fractures is delayed. Supracondylar fractures which are not grossly
      displaced, have no neurovascular deficit or risk of skin compromise, can be
      safely deferred without an increased risk of complication. Operative treatment of
      supracondylar fractures can be delayed until the next morning, except in the
      'life or limb' situation.

PMID- 20303887
TI  - Failed laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery and indications for revision. A
      retrospective study.
AB  - Revisional anti-reflux surgery is required in certain patients for either early
      post-operative complications or recurrence of their original symptoms. The aim of
      this study is to review our revisional surgeries, learn the lessons and to
      highlight the treatment options for recurrent gastrooesophageal symptoms.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three hundred and fifty one patients underwent
      laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery through January 2000 to March 2006 at our
      minimal access unit. Thirty-seven patients were diagnosed with failure of anti
      reflux surgery. Patient's data and follow up were retrieved from medical records.
      All recurrences were investigated for underlying cause and their managements were
      planned accordingly. RESULTS: Thirty-seven (10.54%) patients who developed early
      post-operative complications or recurrence of gastroesophageal symptoms were 25
      women and 12 men. Heartburn was the commonest recurrent symptom. The majority of
      failures occurred in the first two years. Fourteen patients underwent revisional
      surgery while 23 patients were treated with acid reducing medications and showed
      a good response. The re-operation rate is 3.98%. There was no mortality and the
      total morbidity rate for revisional surgery is 7.14%. CONCLUSION: Early surgical
      complications of the initial procedures are managed by revisional surgery and the
      results were satisfactory provided these complications are detected early.
      Chronic failure of anti-reflux surgery can be managed by revisional surgery or
      medications depending on clinical symptoms and patients preference.

PMID- 20303888
TI  - Known knowns, known unknowns and unknown unknowns: a 2010 update on carotid
      artery disease.
AB  - The management of carotid artery disease never ceases to attract controversy. The
      last 12 months has seen publication of a number of important studies which have
      informed debate and 2010 holds the prospect of much more. This update offers a
      personal review of a number of contemporary issues including; (i) guidelines for
      non-invasive imaging in rapid access clinics, (ii) whether improvements in best
      medical therapy have rendered many of the conclusions from ACAS and ACST
      obsolete, (iii) is carotid disease really just a marker for increased stroke risk
      following cardiac surgery (rather than being an important cause), (iv) what is
      the current status of endarterectomy and stenting in patients with symptomatic
      carotid disease and (v) why we must offer expedited interventions to TIA/minor
      stroke patients. The available evidence suggests that while most 'known knowns'
      will endure, quite a few may be returning to the category of 'known unknowns'
      once again. Who knows what 'unknown unknowns' await us in 2010 and beyond.

PMID- 20303889
TI  - Surgical fires, a clear and present danger.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A surgical fire is potentially devastating for a patient. Fire has
      been recognised as a potential complication of surgery for many years. Surgical
      fires continue to happen with alarming frequency. We present a review of the
      literature and an examination of possible solutions to this problem. METHODS: The
      PubMed and Medline databases from 1948 onwards were searched using the subject
      headings "operating rooms", "fire", "safety" and "safety management". "Surgical
      fire" was also searched as a keyword. Relevant references from articles were
      obtained. RESULTS: Fire occurs when the three elements of the fire triad, fuel,
      oxidiser and ignition coincide. Surgical fires are unusual in the absence of an
      oxygen-enriched atmosphere. The ignition source is most commonly diathermy but
      lasers carry a relatively greater risk. The majority of fires occur during head
      and neck surgery. This is due to the presence of oxygen and the extensive use of
      lasers. The risk of fire can be reduced with an awareness of the risk and good
      communication. CONCLUSIONS: Surgery will always carry a risk of fire. Reducing
      this risk requires a concerted effort from all team members.

PMID- 20303890
TI  - Safe surgery, the human factors approach.
AB  - Studies estimate that a degree of error occurs in 5-15% of all hospital
      admissions, with 45% of errors occurring in the operating theatre. Staffing
      limitations, high turnover rates, site and side-specific surgical procedures,
      make operating theatres a high-risk environment. Valuable lessons may be learned
      from the aviation experience with error management. With over 70% of air-crashes
      occurring due to human rather than technical error, the Human Factors Approach to
      error recognises the potential for errors occurring due to human limitations,
      such as stress and fatigue. It encourages error reporting in a non-punitive
      environment, where it is seen as a valuable source of information, facilitating
      education and future error prevention. Errors in healthcare and surgery however,
      have been traditionally associated with secrecy and embarrassment, often reaching
      an unsatisfactory endpoint with no resultant education. Application of the Human
      Factors Approach to error management in healthcare, can only serve to improve
      safety standards in our hospitals and satisfy ever-increasing public
      expectations.

PMID- 20303891
TI  - Preventing healthcare-associated infection through education: have surgeons been
      overlooked?
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Some 20-30% of HCAI are considered to be preventable through an
      extensive infection prevention and control programme. Through an extensive
      literature review we aim to critically appraise studies which have utilised
      education initiatives to decrease HCAI. METHODS: An extensive review of the
      literature was carried out in both online medical journals and through the Royal
      College of Surgeons in Ireland library. FINDINGS: Many studies over the last 10
      years have demonstrated success in educating nursing staff, critical care
      healthcare workers as well as medical students and junior doctors in the
      infection prevention and control of infection. Comparatively few have focussed on
      surgical trainees. A blended learning approach, with particular focus on the
      small group format is important. Interventions involving web-based learning in
      combination with established education formats are proving successful in changing
      behaviour. CONCLUSIONS: The development of an educational strategy for surgical
      trainees focussing on infection prevention and control is overdue. Such a
      programme would have far reaching benefits for individual patients, contribute to
      significant economic savings within health services and enhance the quality and
      safety of patient care.

PMID- 20303892
TI  - Emergency pre-hospital care of burn patients.
AB  - Intensive care and the surgical therapy of burn injuries have made significant
      advancements. The immediate care on the scene of the accident, however, is not
      uniform. There is no 'golden hour' which will decide the further clinical
      process. The acute estimate of the percentage of the extent of the burns is of
      little relevance and does not facilitate the admission to a burn unit. The
      emergency calculation of the volume of intravenous infusion is not advisable. The
      choice of transport has no discernible impact on the prognosis of the patient.
      Avoiding hypothermia and perceiving associated trauma can be of crucial
      prognostic importance in the pre-hospital care of burn patients. Detailed
      knowledge about the circumstances of the injury is of exceeding importance.

PMID- 20303893
TI  - Nutritional strategies in severe acute pancreatitis: a systematic review of the
      evidence.
AB  - Nutrition in severe acute pancreatitis is a critical aspect in the management of
      this condition. This review aims to systematically review the evidence available
      to inform the use of nutritional support in severe acute pancreatitis. High
      quality (level 1) evidence supports naso-jejunal enteral nutrition (NJ-EN) over
      parenteral nutrition (PN) reducing infectious morbidity and showing a trend
      towards reduced organ failure although there is no detectable difference in
      mortality. Trial data may underestimate benefit as patients are often recruited
      with predicted rather than proven severe disease. NJ-EN is safe when started
      immediately (level 3 evidence). NJ-EN is often impractical and naso-gastric (NG)
      feeding seems to be equivalent in terms of safety and outcomes whilst being more
      practical (level 2 evidence). Regarding feed supplementation, probiotic feed
      supplementation is not beneficial (level 1 evidence) the and may cause harm with
      excess mortality (level 2 evidence). No evidence exists to confirm benefit of the
      addition of prokinetics in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) although their use is
      proven in other critically ill patients. Level 2 evidence does not currently
      support the use of combination immuno-nutrition though further work on individual
      agents may provide differing results. Level 2 evidence does not support
      intravenous supplementation of anti-oxidants and has demonstrated that these too
      may cause harm.

PMID- 20303894
TI  - The effects of smoking on fracture healing.
AB  - Tobacco smoking is the single most avoidable cause of premature death worldwide.
      In fracture healing, it has been found to be a contributory factor to delayed
      union, and smokers are significantly disadvantaged, as healing times are often
      prolonged. The orthopaedic surgeon is likely to be knowledgeable about the
      detrimental effects of smoking on healing bones, as the problem has been known
      for some time. Smoking adversely affects bone mineral density, lumbar disc
      degeneration, the incidences of hip fractures and the dynamics of bone and wound
      healing. Clinical trials and demographic studies have been more widespread than
      biochemical analyses, and have reported poor prognosis for fracture patients who
      smoke. Scientific research has elucidated some of the negative impacts of tobacco
      use and investigations involving several animal models in cellular and humoral
      analyses have shown damage caused by various toxicological processes. Cessation
      of the habit perioperatively, therefore, is routinely advised to improve outcomes
      for patients. The current review describes some of the consequences of tobacco
      smoking in fracture healing.

PMID- 20303895
TI  - Perforation of an ileal duplication presenting as an acute abdomen.

PMID- 20303896
TI  - A simple intraoperative technique to avoid limb length discrepancy in total hip
      arthroplasty.

PMID- 20303898
TI  - Re: recurrence after inguinal hernia repair at ten years by open darn, open mesh
      and TEP - no advantage with mesh.

PMID- 20303899
TI  - [Light forces and orthodontic displacement: a critical review].
AB  - Light or optimal forces are currently the focus of many clinical studies. In the
      literature, a positive correlation between light forces and speed of displacement
      is often acknowledged. Now, the consensus is neither total nor scientific and the
      existence of an optimum force level is still the center of discussion, as
      witnessed by numerous publications. With the new scientific analysis techniques
      and the advances made in biological and genetic research, we need to rethink
      these viewpoints from both the biological and mechanical standpoints since
      cellular and molecular transformations account for the series of events leading
      up to damage-free orthodontic displacement. The aim of this paper is to report on
      recent data regarding the bio-adaptability of teeth and periodontium to
      orthodontic forces systems in order to enhance our understanding of the
      physiology and physiopathology involved. Such understanding is a must if we are
      to optimize our treatment arsenal and achieve greater control of treatment times
      which are frequently judged excessive.

PMID- 20303900
TI  - [Measurement of mesiodistal root angulation for panoramic images and the effect
      of buccolingual root angulation].
AB  - Panoramic images were taken from an anatomically correct phantom with three
      different buccolingual angulations for each tooth (Original, 10 degrees buccal
      root torque, and 10 degrees lingual root torque). The true mesiodistal angulation
      of each tooth was determined with a three-dimensional coordinate measurement
      machine. Each tooth had at least one angle measurement that was statistically
      different from the other mesiodistal angles with different buccolingual
      orientations. Roots with buccal root orientations were projected more distally
      than they were in reality; and the roots lingually positioned were projected more
      mesially. The canine and premolars in both arches were most affected and the
      phenomenon was more pronounced in the maxilla than the mandible. Buccolingual
      orientation changes did not affect the root angulation expression on the incisor
      area.

PMID- 20303901
TI  - [The impact of extractions on profile esthetics: a statistical study].
AB  - This study assesses and compares the impact of orthodontic treatment with
      premolar extractions on the profile of the soft tissues in hyper- and
      normodivergent patients from our Moroccan population which is characterized by a
      high rate of hyperdivergency. This retrospective study was performed on a sample
      of 60 adults (30 hyperdivergents and 30 normodivergents). Pre-treatment and end
      of-treatment headfilms were used to take sagittal and vertical measurements of
      soft tissue using the Frapier method which takes the Bjork-Nielsen implant line
      as superimposition landmark. The results of this study show marked improvements
      on the soft tissues, even though the mean differences are occasionally non-or
      only slightly significant. In contrast, the vertical dimension has little
      incidence on the results obtained. The response to treatment of hyperdivergent
      patients, even when displaying a greater initial esthetic deficit, is similar to
      that of normodivergents. In certain areas, the improvement was occasionally
      greater, notably at the soft-tissue pogonion, the mento-labial angle and the naso
      labial angle.

PMID- 20303902
TI  - [Diastemas: is retention necessary].
AB  - The proposed article is extracted from the author's book entitled "Common Sense
      Mechanics in Everyday Orthodontics II", published by CSM. In this chapter, the
      author addresses the biomechanics and treatment of inter-incisal diastemas. The
      long-term stability of these results is based more on the control of the
      divergence of the incisal axis and vertical effects of occlusal forces than on
      the efficiency of the retainer.

PMID- 20303903
TI  - Incisor position control in lingual orthodontics.
AB  - The patient requirement for tailor-made individualized orthodontic treatment is
      met by cutting edge, state-of-the art computer-aided design and manufacturing
      technology (CAD/CAM), in order to efficiently and smoothly merge the two normally
      separate processes of bracket fabrication and bracket positioning. Also, the
      specific approach of the lingual orthodontic specialist using an innovative and
      effective tool to manage almost every incisor positioning is an absolute key to
      satisfying the patients' demand. Four clinical cases are shown below with a view
      to illustrating the precise incisor positioning, as requested by the patients.

PMID- 20303904
TI  - European College of Orthodontics. Commission on Membership and Tenure.

PMID- 20303905
TI  - [A novel protocol for hyperdivergent Class II surgery: innovation or breaking a
      taboo?].
AB  - The widespread distribution via Internet of images and even videos showing facial
      surgery has considerably contributed to our knowledge of orthodontic-surgical
      treatment. The never-ending increase in the number of patients receiving surgery
      has given us food for thought and statistics. If we are to progress further, we
      need to innovative in the area of surgical technique as well as in our clinical
      and psychological approach to patients. We have endeavoured to move forward from
      the idea of "straightforward" malocclusion repair to that of "morphofunctional
      surgery of the face" by emphasizing the esthetic and occlusal outcome.

PMID- 20303906
TI  - [Impact of the vertical dimension on the occlusal plane inclination in a Moroccan
      population].
AB  - This study was performed in order to investigate the influence of the vertical
      dimension on the occlusal plane angle. Cephalometric tracing were made from
      sideview headfilms from a sample of 150 patients consulting at the consultation
      and treatment center in Rabat, Morocco. This sample group included 60 males and
      90 females. The aims of our research were to study statistically the impact of
      the vertical dimension on the occlusal plane angle and to check the validity of
      the Wits (Ao-Bo) by evaluating the impact of the vertical dimension on the Wits
      and by comparing it with the AF-BF value (Ao-Bo/Frankfurt) proposed by Chang.

PMID- 20303907
TI  - [Miniscrews in orthodontics].
AB  - In recent years, miniscrews have come to occupy an ever greater place in
      orthodontic treatment plans. Today, we now know how to successfully deploy these
      particularly adaptable anchorage devices. The benefits of miniscrews have led
      orthodontists to adopt them, all the more so as they do no damage in the event of
      failure. We present the indications which are more and more evidence-based
      although these anchorage devices are suitable for use in any situation. We also
      describe the different surgical and orthodontic stages designed to facilitate the
      insertion of miniscrews and ensure their success. Several treated clinical cases
      will illustrate the principles underpinning their use in a variety of clinical
      settings.

PMID- 20303908
TI  - [Craniomandibular dysfunction and malocclusions].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: For many years, the literature reported the key role of occlusal
      factors in the development of craniomandibular dysfunctions (CMD). In our study,
      we investigated the connections between the functional and morphological features
      of dental occlusion and CMDs in a population of students at the Casablanca
      Faculty of Dental Medicine, Morocco. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Our study comprised a
      sample of 142 students from the Casablanca Faculty of Dental Medicine aged
      between 18 and 30 years. An information card was filled in providing general
      details, medical history, the clinical examination and an assessment of the
      orofacial functions. We looked for possible links between CMDs and the various
      malocclusions. The statistical test used was the Khi2 test under Epi-info 6.0
      under MS Dos. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: There is no connection between
      craniomandibular dysfunctions and certain malocclusions in the student population
      at the Casablanca Faculty of Dental Medicine.

PMID- 20303909
TI  - [Orthodontic partial disimpaction of mandibular third molars prior to surgical
      extraction].
AB  - Odontodysplasia of the third molars is a relatively common anomaly. The frequent
      complications associated with this disorder very often constitute an indication
      for extraction of the third molar. This surgical treatment can damage the lower
      alveolar nerve and/or trigger distal bone loss of the second molar, thus
      jeopardizing the future status of the periodontium. The author presents two case
      studies treated exclusively with miniscrews with no dental anchorage in order to
      achieve partial eruption of the third molar moving it away from the lower
      alveolar nerve and to avoid unwanted impact on other teeth. Following this
      procedure, the third molar was extracted without complications. In conclusion,
      this approach can offer an alternative to surgical treatment alone in cases where
      the proximity of tooth and nerve poses a significant risk.

PMID- 20303910
TI  - [Comparison of the effect of paracetamol and ibuprofen on orthodontic pain].
AB  - Patients undergoing orthodontic treatment can experience an unpleasant painful
      sensation. This has been proven by several studies. Controling pain during
      orthodontic treatment is in the interest of both practitioner and patient. The
      aim of this study was to compare the effect of ibuprofen and paracetamol on
      orthodontic pain. To this end, a sample of 56 patients was divided into two
      groups: Pain levels were assessed using the visual analog scale at 2h, 6h, 24h,
      day 2, day 3 and day 7 after insertion of the first archwire. Results show that
      there is no significant difference between ibuprofen and paracetamol regarding
      control of orthodontic pain except during the first two hours after archwire
      insertion when paracetamol was observed to be slightly more effective than
      ibuprofen. Comparison by age and gender revealed no significant differences.
      Thus, we can conclude that paracetamol and ibuprofen are painkillers of choice in
      the relief of orthodontically-related pain.

PMID- 20303911
TI  - [Occlusal plane control in hyperdivergents: regarding one case].
AB  - Management of occlusal plane inclination in the sagittal dimension is one of the
      main concerns of practitioners. Inclination maintenance or correction can
      condition the success and stability of treatment. By means of a clinical case, we
      will attempt to discuss the different aspects of management from diagnosis to
      treatment, bearing in mind the local and regional context. The adopted treatment
      plan takes into consideration the functional and esthetic issues specific to
      Moroccan patients without neglecting soft tissue harmony.

PMID- 20303912
TI  - [French Board of Orthodontics].

PMID- 20303913
TI  - The tongue: deglutition, orofacial functions and craniofacial growth.
AB  - So-called "primary" or "infantile" forms of deglutition, also termed lingual
      dyspraxia, are treated in different ways by orthodontists using various
      appliances to correct the condition and are also managed by speech-therapists and
      physiotherapists. The results obtained are often unstable. We have developed a
      more holistic approach to this disorder by attempting to grasp the underlying
      mechanisms in order to achieve more satisfactory correction. By establishing
      normal salivary deglutition more rapidly, this manual osteopathic technique
      complements the methods which use voluntary rehabilitation to impress upon the
      body's physical reflexes the "motor image" of the act to be accomplished. In
      order to render this article more lively and accessible, we have chosen to let
      the tongue speak in the first person--which, after all, is only normal!

PMID- 20303914
TI  - Surgical-orthodontic management of dental impaction.
AB  - The aim of this study was to assess the management of impacted teeth using
      surgical-orthodontic techniques at a dental treatment centre in Casablanca and to
      suggest strategies designed to enhance treatment of dental impaction. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: The sample comprised 30 patients represented by their clinical files
      (mean age: 17 years; standard deviation: 8.141). RESULTS: Impaction most often
      involved a single tooth (56.7%), generally the upper canine (66%). The location
      was buccal in 43.3% of cases and generally high (63.3%). Presurgical orthodontic
      treatment was required in 80 of these cases. A closed eruption technique is
      reported in 93.1% of cases. Mean treatment duration was 11.4 months. The success
      rate of the surgical technical technique was 70%. DISCUSSION: A similarity exists
      between most of the variables studied and findings of other studies published on
      the same topic.

PMID- 20303915
TI  - The status of proof in orthodontics.
AB  - Current orthodontic practice cannot be considered to constitute a discipline
      entirely based on scientific evidence. Unacceptable methodological flaws tarnish
      diagnosis and treatment in the majority of medical disciplines. The history and
      philosophy of medicine give abundant food for thought. At a time when European
      community bodies are calling for evidence-based medicine, this article issues an
      invitation to reflect about the facts and conventions in our specialty which are
      generally acknowledged to be well-founded. This article transposes what
      contemporary philosophy has to say about medicine in general to the more limited
      field of orthodontics and reiterates the reservations expressed in the
      orthodontic literature regarding the methods used to address diagnosis and
      treatment.

PMID- 20303916
TI  - Study of the dimensions of the lateral incisors and their involvement in anterior
      tooth-size discrepancy.
AB  - Tooth-size discrepancy (TSD), i.e. the disproportion between the size of the
      maxillary teeth and that of the mandibular teeth, impacts the quality of esthetic
      and occlusal results in orthodontic treatment. Various studies have shown that,
      in anterior TSDs, the deficit is most often maxillary and the small size of the
      upper lateral incisor is incriminated. The present study was performed on a
      sample of 30 moulds from Moroccan patients displaying an anterior TSD. The
      differences in the sizes of the upper and lower lateral incisors were compared
      with a control sample with normal occlusion. The aim of the study was to check
      the validity of similarity of size between the upper and the lower lateral
      incisors as a clinical sign of possible anterior TSD. Our results confirmed the
      efficacy of this rapidly detectable clinical sign in the diagnosis of anterior
      TSDs.

PMID- 20303917
TI  - Treatment of the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in adults by mandibular
      advancement device: the state of the art.
AB  - The obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) constitutes a non-negligible risk
      which requires management by specialists of the upper airways. When OSAS is
      diagnosed, it needs to be treated and different resources are listed. Different
      forms of treatment can be envisaged: positive pressure ventilation (VCPP),
      mandibular advancement devices (MAD), and surgery (soft and hard tissues). The
      authors focus especially the treatments for MAD, outlining their positive and
      negative impact on ventilation, TMJ, the bony base and interarch relationships.

PMID- 20303918
TI  - A comparative analysis of angular cephalometric values between CBCT generated
      lateral cephalograms versus digitized conventional lateral cephalograms.
AB  - This study compared angular cephalometric values from scanned traditional lateral
      cephalograms versus CBCT generated slices. Traditional lateral cephalograms
      (using Orthoceph OC100) and volumetric CBCT imaging (using NewTom 3G Volume
      Scanner) were taken from 36 patients. Lateral cephalometric analysis using
      Dolphin 3D was performed on the respective imported radiographic data and ten
      angular measurements were evaluated. The reliability of measurements was
      evaluated with an intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Paired MANOVA was
      used to compare differences in measurements between the two image modalities.
      Inter-rater reliability demonstrated high reliability in 90% of the measurements
      (ICC >0.8). A high intra-rater reproducibility (ICC >0.8) was demonstrated in all
      angles. No significant difference in the angular measurements was detected
      between the two image modalities (paired MANOVA p >0.1, alpha =0.05). A lateral
      slice from CBCT imaging can be used to perform traditional cephalometric analysis
      with levels of precision and accuracy comparable to traditional lateral
      cephalometrics.

PMID- 20303919
TI  - Corrosion resistance of NiTi in fluoride and acid environments.
AB  - The aim of our study was to assess in the laboratory the electrochemical behavior
      of nickel-titanium alloy (NiTi) by simulating the aggressive conditions found in
      the mouth (notably fluoride and acidity) in order to determine its
      biocompatibility. The impact of fluoride and pH acid on the corrosion resistance
      of orthodontic NiTi was studied using classic electrochemical measurement
      techniques including follow-up over time of the corrosion potential, polarization
      measurements and impedance spectroscopy. In addition, scanning electron
      microscopy was used to evaluate the status of the alloy surface before and after
      immersion in the different media. The results demonstrated the particularly low
      corrosion resistance of NiTi alloy in the presence of fluorides. In an acidic
      environment, the alloy showed greater resistance thanks to the passivation
      phenomenon. The synergistic action of fluoride and ph Acid on NiTi corrosion was
      not clearly demonstrated.

PMID- 20303920
TI  - Lingual straight wire method.
AB  - The mushroom arch-wire is mainly used in lingual orthodontic treatment but the
      complicated wire bending it requires affects both the treatment results and the
      time spent at the chair. The author proposes a new lingual straight wire method
      (LSW) in order to facilitate arch coordination and simplify the mechanics. The
      attention paid to the set-up model and bracket positioning and bonding plus the
      use of the new LSW method will also improve patient comfort.

PMID- 20303921
TI  - Posterior growth and forecasting the development of mandibular third molars.
AB  - The inter-dependence of overall orthodontic treatment and the development of the
      third molars requires the entire dentition to be taken into consideration ab
      initio and for the patient to be fully informed as to the extractions involved.
      The anatomical conditions in which the development of the wisdom teeth can occur
      are studied using comparative samples, with and without third molar retention,
      followed up to the age of 20 years. Posterior growth observed between the
      beginning of multiband treatment and adulthood amounted to 11/16mm (girls/boys).
      The initial difference in forecasting the space between the groups with retained
      third molars and without was slight (5.5mm). However, this difference was
      maintained throughout the growth period and was sufficient to guide the final
      choice whether to extract these teeth or allow them to erupt.

PMID- 20303922
TI  - Lingual orthodontics in the new era treatment according to criteria for occlusion
      and aesthetics.
AB  - There has been remarkable progress in the field of orthodontics with the advent
      of CAD/CAM technology since the beginning of the 21st century. In lingual
      orthodontics, brackets designed and manufactured with a CAD/CAM system [1] are
      now available to produce more efficient tooth movement with reduced frictional
      resistance. The use of implant anchors for absolute anchorage has eliminated the
      need for excessive tipping of the molars with anchorage bends, which compromises
      periodontal health, as well as the need for application of heavy extraoral
      forces, thus providing more reasonable treatment options for both the patient and
      orthodontist.

PMID- 20303923
TI  - European College of Orthodontics. Commission on Membership and Tenure.

PMID- 20303924
TI  - Genetic analyses of Trypanosoma cruzi isolates from naturally infected
      triatomines and humans in northeastern Brazil.
AB  - Trypanosoma cruzi genetic diversity was investigated in 25 isolates (vectors and
      humans) from the semiarid zone of the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
      Molecular markers (3' region of the 24Salpha rRNA; mitochondrial cytochrome
      oxidase subunit 2 (COII) gene; spliced leader intergenic region (SL-IR) gene;
      allelic size microsatellite polymorphism) identified 56% TcIII (100%
      Panstrongyluslutzi; 50% Triatomabrasiliensis); 40% TcII (91.7% humans; 50% T.
      brasiliensis) and 4% TcI (human). Microsatellite analysis revealed monoclonal and
      heterozygous patterns on one or more microsatellite loci in 64% of T. cruzi
      isolates (92.3% triatomines; 33.3% humans) and 36% putative polyclonal
      populations (66.7% humans; 7.7% triatomines) by loci SCLE10, SCLE11, TcTAT20,
      TcAAAT6, all belonging to TcII. Identical T. cruzi polyclonal profiles (88.9%)
      were detected, mostly from humans. The adaptative natural plasticity of TcII and
      TcIII and their potential for maintaining human infection in T. brasiliensis were
      confirmed. Intraspecific and phylogenetic T. cruzi diversity in the sylvatic and
      domestic transmission cycles in this specific region will provide exclusive
      control strategies.

PMID- 20303925
TI  - Schistosomiasis in infants and preschool-aged children: Infection in a single
      Schistosoma haematobium and a mixed S. haematobium-S. mansoni foci of Niger.
AB  - The burden of schistosomiasis in infants and preschool-aged children and their
      mothers is poorly known. We carried out a cross-sectional epidemiological survey
      in two villages in Niger: Falmado is endemic for Schistosoma haematobium only,
      whereas a mixed S. haematobium-S. mansoni focus has been reported from Diambala.
      The survey examined 282 children (149 girls, 133 boys, average age: 2.6 years)
      and 224 mothers (average age: 30.1 years). For S. haematobium diagnosis, two
      urine samples obtained on consecutive days were subjected to the standard urine
      filtration method. Additionally, macro- and microhaematuria were determined. The
      diagnosis of S. mansoni was based on a single stool sample with duplicate Kato
      Katz thick smears. In Diambala, a standardised, pre-tested questionnaire was
      administered to mothers, which recorded demographic data, treatment history with
      anthelminthic drugs, household sanitation and water supply, and bathing practices
      for their children. Prevalence of egg-patent S. haematobium infections among
      young children and their mothers was respectively 50.5% and 55.6%, in Falmado,
      and 60.5% and 72.2% in Diambala. The prevalence of S. mansoni infection in
      Diambala was 43.8% among children and 52.1% in mothers. Mixed egg-patent
      infections of S. haematobium and S. mansoni were revealed in 28.6% of the
      children and 37.3% of the mothers. Questionnaire data showed that 69.8% of the
      children were accompanied by their mothers to schistosomiasis transmission sites
      before they were 1 year of age, and that three-quarter of the mothers used water
      directly drawn from the irrigation canals to wash their children. To conclude, a
      substantive proportion of children below the age of 5 years had egg-patent
      schistosomiasis, inclusive of co-infection with S. haematobium and S. mansoni. In
      the context of schistosomiasis control, more attention should be paid on
      preschool-aged children and women of childbearing age, so that they can benefit
      from preventive chemotherapy, which in turn might increase effective coverage of
      those infected.

PMID- 20303926
TI  - Synthesis of fatty acids de novo is required for photosynthetic acclimation of
      Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 to high temperature.
AB  - The role of fatty acid synthesis in the acclimation of the photosynthetic
      machinery to high temperature was investigated in a mutant of the cyanobacterium
      Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 that had a lower than wild-type level of enoyl-(acyl
      carrier-protein) reductase FabI, a key component of the type-II fatty acid
      synthase system. The mutant exhibited marked impairment in the tolerance and
      acclimation of cells to high temperature: photoautotrophic growth of the mutant
      was severely inhibited at 40 degrees C. Moreover, mutant cells were unable to
      achieve wild-type enhancement of the thermal stability of photosystem II (PSII)
      when the growth temperature was raised from 25 degrees C to 38 degrees C.
      Enhancement of the thermal stability of PSII was abolished when wild-type cells
      were treated with triclosan, a specific inhibitor of FabI, and the enhancement of
      thermal stability was also blocked in darkness and in the presence of
      chloramphenicol. Analysis of fatty acids in thylakoid membranes revealed that
      levels of unsaturated fatty acids did not differ between mutant and wild-type
      cells, indicating that the saturation of fatty acids in membrane lipids might not
      be responsible for the enhancement of thermal stability at elevated temperatures.
      Our observations suggest that the synthesis de novo of fatty acids, as well as
      proteins, is required for the enhancement of the thermal stability of PSII during
      the acclimation of Synechocystis cells to high temperature.

PMID- 20303927
TI  - cAMP-dependent protein kinase regulates post-translational processing and
      expression of complex I subunits in mammalian cells.
AB  - Work is presented on the role of cAMP-dependent protein phosphorylation in post
      translational processing and biosynthesis of complex I subunits in mammalian cell
      cultures. PKA-mediated phosphorylation of the NDUFS4 subunit of complex I
      promotes in cell cultures in vivo import/maturation in mitochondria of the
      precursor of this protein. The import promotion appears to be associated with the
      observed cAMP-dependent stimulation of the catalytic activity of complex I. These
      effects of PKA are counteracted by activation of protein phosphatase(s). PKA and
      the transcription factor CREB play a critical role in the biosynthesis of complex
      I subunits. CREB phosphorylation, by PKA and/or CaMKs, activates at nuclear and
      mitochondrial level a transcriptional regulatory cascade which promotes the
      concerted expression of nuclear and mitochondrial encoded subunits of complex I
      and other respiratory chain proteins.

PMID- 20303928
TI  - Interaction of 18-methoxycoronaridine with nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in
      different conformational states.
AB  - The interaction of 18-methoxycoronaridine (18-MC) with nicotinic acetylcholine
      receptors (AChRs) was compared with that for ibogaine and phencyclidine (PCP).
      The results established that 18-MC: (a) is more potent than ibogaine and PCP
      inhibiting (+/-)-epibatidine-induced AChR Ca(2+) influx. The potency of 18-MC is
      increased after longer pre-incubation periods, which is in agreement with the
      enhancement of [(3)H]cytisine binding to resting but activatable Torpedo AChRs,
      (b) binds to a single site in the Torpedo AChR with high affinity and inhibits
      [(3)H]TCP binding to desensitized AChRs in a steric fashion, suggesting the
      existence of overlapping sites. This is supported by our docking results
      indicating that 18-MC interacts with a domain located between the serine
      (position 6') and valine (position 13') rings, and (c) inhibits [(3)H]TCP,
      [(3)H]ibogaine, and [(3)H]18-MC binding to desensitized AChRs with higher
      affinity compared to resting AChRs. This can be partially attributed to a slower
      dissociation rate from the desensitized AChR compared to that from the resting
      AChR. The enthalpic contribution is more important than the entropic contribution
      when 18-MC binds to the desensitized AChR compared to that for the resting AChR,
      and vice versa. Ibogaine analogs inhibit the AChR by interacting with a luminal
      domain that is shared with PCP, and by inducing desensitization.

PMID- 20303929
TI  - Analysis of microRNAs induced by Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus infection
      in mouse brain.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNA) are small RNA (approximately 22nts) molecules that are
      expressed endogenously in cells and play an important role in regulating gene
      expression. Recent studies have shown that cellular miRNA plays a very important
      role in the pathogenesis of viral infection. Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus
      (VEEV) is an RNA virus and is a member of the genus Alphavirus in the family
      Togaviridae. VEEV is infectious in aerosol form and is a potential biothreat
      agent. In this study, we report for the first time that VEEV infection in mice
      brain causes modulation of miRNA expression. Pathway analyses showed that
      majority of these miRNAs are involved in the neuronal development and function.
      Target gene prediction of the modulated miRNAs correlates with our recently
      reported mRNA expression in VEEV infected mice brain.

PMID- 20303930
TI  - Stereo-specific synthesis of analogs of nerve agents and their utilization for
      selection and characterization of paraoxonase (PON1) catalytic scavengers.
AB  - Fluorogenic organophosphate inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) homologous
      in structure to nerve agents provide useful probes for high throughput screening
      of mammalian paraoxonase (PON1) libraries generated by directed evolution of an
      engineered PON1 variant with wild-type like specificity (rePON1). Wt PON1 and
      rePON1 hydrolyze preferentially the less-toxic R(P) enantiomers of nerve agents
      and of their fluorogenic surrogates containing the fluorescent leaving group, 3
      cyano-7-hydroxy-4-methylcoumarin (CHMC). To increase the sensitivity and
      reliability of the screening protocol so as to directly select rePON1 clones
      displaying stereo-preference towards the toxic S(P) enantiomer, and to determine
      accurately K(m) and k(cat) values for the individual isomers, two approaches were
      used to obtain the corresponding S(P) and R(P) isomers: (a) stereo-specific
      synthesis of the O-ethyl, O-n-propyl, and O-i-propyl analogs and (b) enzymic
      resolution of a racemic mixture of O-cyclohexyl methylphosphonylated CHMC. The
      configurational assignments of the S(P) and R(P) isomers, as well as their
      optical purity, were established by X-ray diffraction, reaction with sodium
      fluoride, hydrolysis by selected rePON1 variants, and inhibition of AChE. The
      S(P) configuration of the tested surrogates was established for the enantiomer
      with the more potent anti-AChE activity, with S(P)/R(P) inhibition ratios of 10
      100, whereas the R(P) isomers of the O-ethyl and O-n-propyl were hydrolyzed by wt
      rePON1 about 600- and 70-fold faster, respectively, than the S(P) counterpart. Wt
      rePON1-induced R(P)/S(P) hydrolysis ratios for the O-cyclohexyl and O-i-propyl
      analogs are estimated to be >>1000. The various S(P) enantiomers of O-alkyl
      methylphosphonyl esters of CHMC provide suitable ligands for screening rePON1
      libraries, and can expedite identification of variants with enhanced catalytic
      proficiency towards the toxic nerve agents.

PMID- 20303931
TI  - Comparison of the Farr radioimmunoassay, 3 commercial enzyme immunoassays and
      Crithidia luciliae immunofluorescence test for diagnosis and activity assessment
      of systemic lupus erythematosus.
AB  - BACKGROUNDS: Among anti-double-strand (ds)DNA antibody assays, Farr
      radioimmunoassay is decreasingly used because it requires radioactive material
      and is labor intensive. We evaluated the performance of Farr, three commercial
      enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) and the Crithidia luciliae immunofluorescence test
      (CLIFT) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: Anti-dsDNA antibodies
      were determined in 99 SLE patients, 101 healthy subjects, and 53 patients with
      autoimmune rheumatic diseases. RESULTS: Farr performed better than the 3 EIAs and
      CLIFT for the diagnosis of SLE at the manufacturer's cut off and at the cut off
      set to achieve a specificity of 95%. To achieve a similar level of specificity,
      some EIAs had a decrease in sensitivity which was dramatic for some tests. Farr
      was also the best at distinguishing patients with quiescent to mildly active
      disease from patients with more active disease at the cut off value of 93 IU/ml.
      Using manufacturer's cut off did not allow distinguishing between patients with
      quiescent and active SLE. CONCLUSIONS: Farr was the best global test to assess
      the level of anti-dsDNA antibodies for both diagnosis and disease activity
      evaluation in SLE with adequately determined cut off values. Some EIA had low
      performances limiting their use in decision-making regarding diagnosis and/or
      treatment.

PMID- 20303932
TI  - Maintenance of esterase activity and immunoreactivity after colloidal silver
      staining of non-denaturing proteins.

PMID- 20303933
TI  - Thermal degradation of polyethylene glycol 6000 and its effect on the assay of
      macroprolactin.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To study the effectiveness of partially degraded polyethylene glycol
      6000 (PEG) as a precipitant for macroprolactin. DESIGN AND METHODS: PEG was
      heated to 63 degrees C in air for up to 20 days and its effectiveness assessed as
      a precipitant for sera containing normal prolactin or macroprolactin.
      Decomposition was studied chemically and with NMR spectroscopy. RESULTS: Thermal
      degradation was similar to what had occurred over several years of natural
      degradation. Initially PEG degraded 2-5 days caused excess precipitation of
      monomeric prolactin (false-positive macroprolactinemia). Samples degraded 18-20
      days failed to precipitate macroprolactin, giving false negative results. Two 1H
      NMR peaks at 4-4.5 ppm were not detectable in undegraded PEG but were after 1
      day. Their relative integral increased to 20 days. CONCLUSIONS: Aging of PEG can
      be accelerated by heating. The suitability of PEG for use in macroprolactin
      assays can be assessed by the absence of peaks at 4-4.5 ppm by 1H NMR.

PMID- 20303934
TI  - Presynaptic kainate receptors increase GABAergic neurotransmission in rat
      periaqueductal gray neurons.
AB  - Neurons within the periaqueductal gray (PAG) have been implicated in the central
      regulation of pain signals by affecting the descending inhibitory pathway. Here
      we report on the functional role of presynaptic kainate receptors within the PAG.
      Using a conventional whole-cell patch clamp technique, we recorded GABAergic
      spontaneous miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mIPSCs) from mechanically
      isolated rat PAG neurons in the presence of 300nM tetrodotoxin and 20microM DL-2
      amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid under voltage-clamp conditions. Kainic acid at a
      10microM concentration significantly increased the frequency of GABAergic mIPSCs
      without affecting their amplitude, suggesting that kainic acid acts
      presynaptically to enhance spontaneous GABA release. The kainic acid-induced
      increase in mIPSC frequency was completely blocked by CNQX, a selective
      AMPA/kainate receptor antagonist. While neither AMPA nor NMDA affected GABAergic
      mIPSC frequency, ATPA, a selective agonist of GluR5-containing kainate receptors,
      increased GABAergic mIPSC frequency in a concentration-dependent manner. The
      kainic acid-induced increase in mIPSC frequency was completely suppressed either
      in the presence of 100microM Cd(2+), a general voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channel
      (VDCC) blocker, or in the Na(+)-free external solution. These results suggest
      that presynaptic kainate receptors have a low permeability to Ca(2+), and that
      their activation elicits a presynaptic depolarization large enough to activate
      presynaptic VDCCs. Presynaptic kainate receptors on GABAergic nerve terminals
      appear to modulate GABAergic transmission, and in doing so may play an important
      role in the regulation of PAG neuron excitability.

PMID- 20303935
TI  - Mangiferin, a naturally occurring glucoxilxanthone improves long-term object
      recognition memory in rats.
AB  - Mangiferin (2-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-1,3,6,7-tetrahydroxyxanthone) is a xanthone
      widely distributed in higher plants showing antioxidative, antiviral, anticancer,
      antidiabetic, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, and analgesic effects. In the
      present study, we have investigated the effects of systemic administration of
      mangiferin on behavioral outcomes of neurological function in normal rats. A
      single intraperitoneal injection of mangiferin (10, 50, or 100mg/kg body weight)
      enhanced novel object recognition (NOR) memory when given immediately post
      training. The administration of mangiferin 6h post-training did not affect NOR
      memory. There were no significant differences between groups in the total time
      exploring both objects, indicating that mangiferin did not affect locomotion or
      motivation. Mangiferin stimulated cell proliferation and induced a significant
      increase in the supernatant levels of nerve growth factor (NGF) and tumor
      necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha in vitro in human U138-MG glioblastoma cells. The
      results indicate that mangiferin enhances recognition memory through a mechanism
      that might involve an increase in neurotrophin and cytokine levels.

PMID- 20303936
TI  - The plasma carnitine concentration regulates renal OCTN2 expression and carnitine
      transport in rats.
AB  - Previous findings in rats and in human vegetarians suggest that the plasma
      carnitine concentration and/or carnitine ingestion may influence the renal
      reabsorption of carnitine. We tested this hypothesis in rats with secondary
      carnitine deficiency following treatment with N-trimethyl-hydrazine-3-propionate
      (THP) for 2 weeks and rats treated with excess L-carnitine for 2 weeks. Compared
      to untreated control rats, treatment with THP was associated with an
      approximately 70% decrease in plasma carnitine and with a 74% decrease in the
      skeletal muscle carnitine content. In contrast, treatment with L-carnitine
      increased plasma carnitine levels by 80% and the skeletal muscle carnitine
      content by 50%. Treatment with L-carnitine affected neither the activity of
      carnitine transport into isolated renal brush border membrane vesicles, nor renal
      mRNA expression of the carnitine transporter OCTN2. In contrast, in carnitine
      deficient rats, carnitine transport into isolated brush border membrane vesicles
      was increased 1.9-fold compared to untreated control rats. Similarly, renal mRNA
      expression of OCTN2 increased by a factor of 1.7 in carnitine deficient rats,
      whereas OCTN2 mRNA expression remained unchanged in gut, liver or skeletal
      muscle. Our study supports the hypothesis that a decrease in the carnitine plasma
      and/or glomerular filtrate concentration increases renal expression and activity
      of OCTN2.

PMID- 20303937
TI  - Hypercholesterolemia modifies angiotensin II desensitisation and cross talk
      between alpha(1)-adrenoceptor and angiotensin AT(1) receptor in rabbit aorta.
AB  - This study characterised the effect of a hypercholesterolemic diet on the
      interactions of hormone receptors in the rabbit aorta, both in homologous
      desensitisation to angiotensin II and cross talk between alpha(1)-adrenoceptors
      and angiotensin AT(1) receptors. Rabbits were fed either a normal chow or a diet
      containing 1% cholesterol for 6-7-weeks. Isometric contractions were measured in
      endothelium-intact or endothelium-removed aortic rings from control and
      hypercholesterolemic rabbits. Concentration response curves to angiotensin II or
      noradrenaline incubated with or without prazosin or losartan were performed. In
      another group, the resting potential was recorded at baseline and following
      angiotensin II or noradrenaline stimulation. Rabbits fed a hypercholesterolemic
      diet showed higher plasma levels of total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol and
      impaired relaxation to acetylcholine. Homologous desensitisation to angiotensin
      II was found in endothelium-intact but not in endothelium-removed arteries. Cross
      talk between alpha(1)-adrenoceptors and angiotensin AT(1) receptors was modified
      with respect to physiological conditions. In control rabbits, angiotensin II
      desensitised the noradrenaline response but noradrenaline did not modify the
      angiotensin II-response. However, in hypercholesterolemic rabbits, angiotensin II
      sensitised the noradrenaline-response and noradrenaline desensitised the
      angiotensin II-response. Furthermore, the resting potential remains
      hyperpolarised after noradrenaline stimulation in hypercholesterolemic rabbits.
      Modifications in homologous desensitisation to angiotensin II and cross talk
      between alpha(1)-adrenoceptors and angiotensin AT(1) receptors suggest that
      hypercholesterolemia induces early tissue dysfunction by altering endothelial and
      smooth muscle cell regulatory properties. This may be one of the mechanisms by
      which hypercholesterolemia could be involved in the onset and progression of
      chronic vascular diseases such as hypertension and arteriosclerosis.

PMID- 20303938
TI  - Genipin protects lipopolysaccharide-induced apoptotic liver damage in D
      galactosamine-sensitized mice.
AB  - This study examined the effects of genipin, isolated from Gardenia jasminoides
      Ellis, on d-galactosamine (GalN) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced hepatic
      apoptosis and liver failure. Mice were given an intraperitoneal injection of
      genipin (25, 50, 100 and 200mg/kg) 1h before GalN (700mg/kg)/LPS (10microg/kg)
      administration. The survival rate of the genipin group was significantly higher
      than that of the control. Genipin markedly reduced the increases in serum
      aminotransferase activities and lipid peroxidation. The glutathione content
      decreased in GalN/LPS group, and this decrease was attenuated by genipin.
      Increases in serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), which were observed
      in GalN/LPS-treated mice, were significantly reduced by genipin. Genipin
      attenuated the GalN/LPS-induced apoptosis of hepatocytes, as estimated by the
      caspase-3 and -8 activity assay, TNF-R1 associated death domain (TRADD) protein
      measurement and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end
      labeling (TUNEL) method. Moreover, increased cytosolic cytochrome c protein was
      reduced by genipin. After 3h of GalN/LPS injection, nuclear phosphorylated c-Jun
      (p-c-Jun) level was significantly increased, whereas it was attenuated by
      genipin. Also, the increased nuclear level of nuclear factor-kappaB and the
      decreased cytosolic level of IkappaB-alpha protein were significantly attenuated
      by genipin. Our results suggest that genipin offers marked hepatoprotection
      against damage induced by GalN/LPS related with its antioxidative, anti-apoptotic
      activities, and inhibition of NF-kappaB nuclear translocation and nuclear p-c-Jun
      expression.

PMID- 20303939
TI  - Effect of cyclic AMP-elevating agents on airway ciliary beat frequency in central
      and lateral airways in rat precision-cut lung slices.
AB  - In patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), mucociliary
      clearance of the respiratory tract is impaired due to enhanced mucus secretion
      and deterioration of normal ciliary activity. We investigated the effects of
      cyclic AMP-elevating agents with a different mode of action on ciliary beat
      frequency (CBF) in rat large central and small lateral airways by comparing the
      phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) inhibitors rolipram and roflumilast to the beta(2)
      adrenoceptor agonist terbutaline and the adenylyl cyclase activator forskolin.
      Rat precision-cut lung slices were prepared and effects of cyclic AMP-elevating
      agents on CBF were assessed for up to 4h. In central airways a time- and
      concentration-dependent increase in CBF was seen for roflumilast (59+/-4%,
      1microM, 60min), rolipram (55+/-4%, 1microM, 60min), terbutaline (64+/-8%,
      10microM, 60min) and forskolin (55+/-8%, 100microM, 60min). Only roflumilast and
      rolipram increased CBF in lateral airways, with a similar time course and maximum
      efficacy (roflumilast 48+/-5%, rolipram 54+/-2%). Incubation of lateral airways
      with terbutaline (10microM, +11%) or forskolin (100microM, +1%) had negligible
      effects. As a major novel finding this study reveals that PDE4 inhibitors
      increased CBF in central as well as in lateral airways, while terbutaline and
      forskolin affected CBF in proximal airways only.

PMID- 20303940
TI  - The role of ATP-sensitive potassium channel on acute urinary retention and
      subsequent catheterization in the rat.
AB  - We investigated the role of K(ATP) channel on acute urinary retention (AUR)
      induced bladder dysfunction. Eight-week-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were
      divided into seven groups: a sham-operated control group, an AUR group, and five
      AUR groups treated with: two different K(ATP) channel openers namely nicorandil
      (3 or 10mg/kg), or cromakalim (100 or 300microg/kg), or one K(ATP) channel
      inhibitor namely glibenclamide (5mg/kg). The drugs were administered 30min before
      induction of AUR. After the urethra was obstructed with a clip, AUR was induced
      by intravesical infusion of 2.5ml of saline via cystostomy. Following a 30min
      obstruction the bladder was allowed to drain with a catheter in place for 60min
      with real-time monitoring of intravesical pressure and blood flow. After the
      experimental period, the bladder function was assessed, using organ bath
      techniques (carbachol and 100mM KCl). AUR increased the intravesical pressure and
      decreased the blood flow. The subsequent catheterization decreased the
      intravesical pressure and increased the blood flow. AUR group reduced
      significantly the contractile responses to both carbachol and KCl compared with
      the control group. Nicorandil and cromakalim but not glibenclamide prevented the
      bladder dysfunction after AUR suggesting that K(ATP) channel openers may prevent
      the bladder dysfunction caused by AUR and subsequent catheterization.

PMID- 20303941
TI  - Repression of beta-catenin signaling by PPAR gamma ligands.
AB  - Aberrant activation of the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway plays a crucial
      role in oncogenesis of various human malignancies. It has been demonstrated that
      there is a direct interaction between beta-catenin and PPAR gamma. Here we
      examined the effects of fifteen reported PPAR ligands in a reporter gene assay
      that is dependent on beta-catenin activation of TCF/LEF transcription factors;
      only the thiazolidinedione PPAR gamma agonists troglitazone, rosiglitazone and
      pioglitazone, and a non-thiazolidinedione PPAR gamma activator GW1929 inhibited
      beta-catenin-induced transcription in a PPAR gamma dependent fashion. The results
      from mammalian one-hybrid experiments showed that functional PPAR gamma was
      necessary for ligand-dependent inhibition of beta-catenin transactivation.
      However, a PPAR gamma activator Fmoc-Leu could not repress beta-catenin-mediated
      signaling and its transactivation activity. These results indicate that
      activation of PPAR gamma is necessary, but not sufficient, for the beta-catenin
      antagonistic activity of a PPAR gamma agonist, and that the inhibitory compounds
      interfere directly with beta-catenin transactivation activity.

PMID- 20303942
TI  - The point mutation gamma 2F77I changes the potency and efficacy of benzodiazepine
      site ligands in different GABAA receptor subtypes.
AB  - Benzodiazepine site agonists or inverse agonists enhance or reduce gamma
      aminobutyric acid(A) (GABA(A)) receptor-mediated inhibition of neurons,
      respectively. Recently, it was demonstrated that the point mutation gamma 2F77I
      causes a drastic change in the affinity of a variety of benzodiazepine agonists
      or inverse agonists in receptor binding studies. Here we investigated the potency
      and efficacy of 10 benzodiazepine site ligands from 6 structural classes in wild
      type and gamma 2F77I point mutated recombinant GABA(A) receptors composed of
      alpha 1 beta 3 gamma 2, alpha 2 beta 3 gamma 2, alpha 3 beta 3 gamma 2, alpha 4
      beta 3 gamma 2, alpha 5 beta 3 gamma 2, and alpha 6 beta 3 gamma 2 subunits.
      Results indicate that the effects of the benzodiazepine site ligands zolpidem,
      zopiclone, Cl218872, L-655,708 and DMCM were nearly completely eliminated in all
      mutated receptors up to a 1 microM concentration. The effects of bretazenil, Ro15
      1788 or abecarnil were eliminated in some, but not all mutated receptors,
      suggesting that the gamma 2F77I mutation differentially influences the actions of
      these ligands in different receptor subtypes. In addition, this point mutation
      also influences the efficacy of diazepam for enhancing GABA-induced chloride
      flux, suggesting that the amino acid residue gamma 2F77 might also be involved in
      the transduction of the effect of benzodiazepines from binding to gating. The
      application of these drugs in a novel mouse model is discussed.

PMID- 20303943
TI  - Effects of chronic systemic administration of the GABA(B) receptor agonist
      baclofen on food intake and body weight in rats.
AB  - The effects of daily administration of physiological saline of baclofen (1 and
      4mg/kg, i.p.) for 27 days were investigated on food intake and body weight in non
      deprived rats in Experiment 1. Baclofen (1 and 4mg/kg) significantly increased
      daily short-term food intake when measured at 30min (F((2,15))=11.011, P<0.01)
      and 90min (F((2,15))=7.3801, P<0.01) over the 27 day experimental period..
      Tolerance did not develop to the short-term hyperphagic effects of baclofen.
      Baclofen (1mg/kg) had no significant effects on body weight gain of the rats
      compared with controls. By contrast, baclofen (4mg/kg) significantly (P<0.05)
      decreased the body weight gain of the animals. In Experiment 2, the effect of
      daily administration of baclofen (4mg/kg, i.p.) for 24 days was investigated on
      24h food intake in rats measured after the first, eight, fifteenth and twenty
      second injections. The 24h food intake of the animals was not significantly
      different from those of control rats on any of the measurement days
      (F((1,14))=1.602, ns). However, the body weight gain of the rats chronically
      treated with baclofen (4mg/kg) was significantly reduced. (F((1,14))=14.011,
      P<0.01). The observations that chronic administration of baclofen (4mg/kg)
      stimulates short-term food intake without affecting long term (24h) feeding, but
      decreases body weight gain, suggest that baclofen may act through different
      mechanisms to influence food intake and body weight.

PMID- 20303944
TI  - Effect of endothelin-A receptor antagonist on mu, delta and kappa opioid receptor
      mediated antinociception in mice.
AB  - We have previously shown the involvement of central endothelin (ET) mechanisms in
      morphine analgesia and tolerance. Here we investigated the interaction of
      centrally administered endothelin ET(A) receptor antagonist, BMS182874, with
      DAMGO (micro opioid receptor agonist), SNC80 (delta opioid receptor agonist),
      U50,488H (kappa opioid receptor agonist), and oxycodone (micro and kappa opioid
      receptor agonist) towards antinociception, tolerance to antinociception and body
      temperature. Antinociception was determined using tail-flick latency method.
      BMS182874 (50microg, i.c.v.) treatment alone did not produce analgesia or change
      in body temperature. However, BMS182874 significantly enhanced antinociception
      response of DAMGO (66.75%), SNC80 (62.40%), U50,488H (55.38%), and oxycodone
      (61.72%). Chronic treatment with DAMGO, SNC80, U50,488H or oxycodone, induced
      tolerance to antinociception. Treatment with BMS182874 restored antinociceptive
      effect in mice that were tolerant to DAMGO, SNC80, U50,488H as well as oxycodone.
      Antinociceptive response of DAMGO, SNC80, U50,488H, and oxycodone in tolerant
      mice treated with BMS182874 was significantly higher (44.55%, 37.48%, 43.02%, and
      56.08%, respectively) compared to tolerant mice treated with vehicle. Body
      temperature decreased with DAMGO, SNC80, U50,488H, and oxycodone; tolerance did
      not develop to hypothermic effect and BMS182874 did not affect DAMGO, SNC80,
      U50,488H, or oxycodone induced changes in body temperature. Opioid-antagonist
      naloxone, completely blocked antinociceptive effect of DAMGO, SNC80, U50,488H or
      oxycodone and potentiation of antinociception by BMS182874. It is concluded that
      BMS182874 potentiated antinociception and restored antinociceptive effect in mice
      tolerant to micro, delta and kappa selective, as well as a non-selective opioid
      receptor agonist. Therefore, endothelin ET(A) receptor antagonists could be
      useful in the restoration of antinociceptive effect during tolerance to opiates.

PMID- 20303945
TI  - Resveratrol, obesity and diabetes.
AB  - Resveratrol belongs to the large group of biologically active substances found in
      plants. This compound is classified as phytoestrogen because of its ability to
      interact with estrogen receptor. Numerous beneficial effects of resveratrol
      described in the literature involve cardioprotective, anti-cancer, anti
      inflammatory and antioxidant action. Recently, this broad spectrum of effects is
      enlarged by new data demonstrating a great potency of this compound in relation
      to obesity and diabetes. It is well established that resveratrol exerts
      beneficial effects in rodents fed a high-calorie diet. In some studies,
      resveratrol was reported to reduce body weight and adiposity in obese animals.
      The action of this compound involves favourable changes in gene expressions and
      in enzyme activities. The accumulating evidence also indicates the benefits of
      resveratrol in diabetes and diabetic complications. It is known that resveratrol
      affects insulin secretion and blood insulin concentration. In animals with
      hyperinsulinemia, resveratrol was found to reduce blood insulin. Moreover,
      numerous data indicate that in diabetic rats, resveratrol is able to reduce
      hyperglycemia. The mechanism of resveratrol's action is complex and is
      demonstrated to involve both insulin-dependent and insulin-independent effects.
      These data point to the potential possibility of use of resveratrol in preventing
      and/or treating both obesity and diabetes.

PMID- 20303946
TI  - Protective effect of all-trans retinoic acid on NMDA-induced neuronal cell death
      in rat retina.
AB  - We histologically examined the effects of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) on
      neuronal injury induced by intravitreous injection of N-methyl-d-aspartic acid
      (NMDA) (200nmol/eye). Treatment with ATRA for 7 days (15mg/kg for the first two
      days and 10mg/kg for the following five days, p.o.) reduced the decrease of cell
      number in the ganglion cell layer and the inner nuclear layer 7 days after NMDA
      injection. TUNEL staining 6h after NMDA injection showed that treatment with ATRA
      (15mg/kg, p.o.) 1h prior to NMDA injection reduced the number of apoptotic cells
      in the ganglion cell layer and inner nuclear layer. The anti-apoptotic effect of
      ATRA was vanished by intravitreous injection of U0126, an extracellular signal
      regulated kinase/mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inhibitor (1nmol/eye).
      These results suggest that ATRA has a protective effect, which is medicated by
      extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway, on NMDA-induced apoptosis in the
      rat retina. ATRA may be useful as a therapeutic drug against retinal diseases
      that cause glutamate neurotoxicity.

PMID- 20303947
TI  - Heme oxygenase-1 and carbon monoxide promote neovascularization after myocardial
      infarction by modulating the expression of HIF-1alpha, SDF-1alpha and VEGF-B.
AB  - Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), a known cytoprotective enzyme implicated also in the
      cell cycle regulation and angiogenesis, exerts many of its beneficial effects
      through carbon monoxide (CO). We studied the roles of HO-1 and CO in cardiac
      regeneration after myocardial infarction. Prior to coronary artery ligation, male
      Wistar rats were given either cobolt protoporphyrin IX to induce HO-1 or CO-donor
      methylene chloride. Cardiac regeneration was assessed by immunohistochemistry and
      confocal microscopy. CO significantly increased the accumulation of c-kit+
      stem/progenitor cells into the infarct area and induced formation of new coronary
      arteries by promoting a substantial differentiation of c-kit+ cells into vascular
      smooth muscle cells (c-kit+/GATA6+ cells). Furthermore, CO increased
      proliferation of cardiomyocytes in the infarct border area at 4weeks post
      infarction. This suggests proliferation of newly formed cardiomyocytes derived
      from c-kit+ cells as 10% of c-kit+ cells expressed early cardiac marker Nkx2.5.
      Increased expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha), stromal
      cell derived factor-1alpha (SDF-1alpha) and vascular endothelial growth factor-B
      (VEGF-B) were found in the infarct areas of CO-donor pretreated hearts suggesting
      that these factors potentially promoted the migration of c-kit+ cells into the
      infarct area and subsequent vasculogenesis and myocardial regeneration by CO. HO
      1 increased both capillary and vascular densities, while only a small increase of
      c-kit+ cells was found. HO-1 upregulated SDF-1alpha, but did not have effect on
      HIF-1alpha and VEGF-B. In conclusion, HO-1 and CO have differential roles and
      mechanisms of action in cardiac regeneration. Modulation of the HO-1/CO axis may
      provide a novel tool for the repair of cardiac injury.

PMID- 20303948
TI  - The timing of administration, dose dependence and efficacy of dopa decarboxylase
      inhibitors on the reversal of motor disability produced by L-DOPA in the MPTP
      treated common marmoset.
AB  - Dopa decarboxylase inhibitors are routinely used to potentiate the effects of L
      DOPA in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. However, neither in clinical use
      nor in experimental models of Parkinson's disease have the timing and dose of
      dopa decarboxylase inhibitors been thoroughly explored. We now report on the
      choice of dopa decarboxylase inhibitors, dose and the time of dosing
      relationships of carbidopa, benserazide and L-alpha-methyl dopa (L-AMD) in
      potentiating the effects of L-DOPA in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6
      tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated common marmoset. Pre-treatment with benserazide
      for up to 3h did not alter the motor response to L-DOPA compared to simultaneous
      administration with L-DOPA. There was some evidence of a relationship between
      carbidopa and benserazide dose and increased locomotor activity and the reversal
      of motor disability. But in general, commonly used dose levels of dopa
      decarboxylase inhibitors appeared to produce a maximal motor response to L-DOPA.
      In contrast, dyskinesia intensity and duration continued to increase with both
      carbidopa and benserazide dose. The novel dopa decarboxylase inhibitor, L-AMD,
      increased locomotor activity and improved motor disability to the same extent as
      carbidopa or benserazide but importantly this was accompanied by significantly
      less dyskinesia. This study shows that currently, dopa decarboxylase inhibitors
      may be routinely employed in the MPTP-treated primate at doses which are higher
      than those necessary to produce a maximal potentiation of the anti-parkinsonian
      effect of L-DOPA. This may lead to excessive expression of dyskinesia in this
      model of Parkinson's disease and attention should be given to the dose regimens
      currently employed.

PMID- 20303949
TI  - Oral administration of ethanol with aspirin increases the concentration of
      salicylic acid in plasma and organs, especially the brain, in mice.
AB  - Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) has been widely used as an over-the-counter drug
      to relieve pain throughout the world. In suicide attempts, aspirin is one of the
      most common drugs taken in large quantities. The concentration of salicylic acid
      shows a low-level distribution in the mouse brain, a site that may be critical
      regarding the expression of symptoms (e.g. hyperpnea, coma, convulsion and
      tremor) during acute aspirin toxicity. Therefore, it was suggested that
      sensitivity to salicylic acid concerning acute toxicity was higher in the brain
      than in other organs. Moreover, it is thought that it is common for aspirin and
      ethanol to be ingested at the same time. Therefore, the present study was
      designed to investigate the influence of ethanol on the distribution of salicylic
      acid, which is a primary metabolite of aspirin, and its related metabolite,
      salicyluric acid. The oral co-administration of aspirin (0.5g/kg) and ethanol
      (2.5g/kg; 10ml/kg of 25% (w/v)) enhanced the concentrations of salicylic acid in
      the plasma and organs, especially in the brain, compared with the aspirin alone
      treated group. On the other hand, ethanol did not influence the concentrations of
      salicyluric acid in the plasma and kidney compared with the aspirin alone-treated
      group. These results suggest that ethanol enhances aspirin absorption from the
      gastrointestinal tract but has no influence on its metabolism. Thus, it is
      dangerous to ingest the alcohol and aspirin at the same time, as this may
      exacerbate the acute toxicity of aspirin.

PMID- 20303950
TI  - 12-Lipoxygenase and the regulation of hypoxia-inducible factor in prostate cancer
      cells.
AB  - 12-Lipoxygenase, an arachidonic acid metabolizing enzyme of the lipoxygenase
      pathway, has been implicated as a major factor in promoting prostate cancer
      progression and metastasis. The ability of 12-LOX to aggravate the disease was
      linked to its proangiogenic role. Recent studies clearly demonstrated that 12-LOX
      enhances the expression and secretion of the angiogenic factor, vascular
      endothelial growth factor (VEGF) thus providing a direct link between this enzyme
      and its angiogenic properties. In the present study we have investigated the
      relationship between 12-LOX and hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha), a
      transcription factor involved in the regulation of VEGF expression under hypoxic
      conditions in solid tumors. Our findings have revealed that HIF-1 is one of the
      target transcription factors regulated by 12-LOX and 12(S)-HETE, in hypoxic tumor
      cells of the prostate. Regulation of HIF-1alpha by 12-LOX adds to the complexity
      of pathways mediated by this enzyme in promoting prostate cancer angiogenesis and
      metastasis. We have evidence that 12-LOX increases the protein level, mRNA, and
      functional activity of HIF-1alpha under hypoxic conditions, one of the mechanisms
      by which it upregulates VEGF secretion and activity.

PMID- 20303951
TI  - Kaiso regulates Znf131-mediated transcriptional activation.
AB  - Kaiso is a dual-specificity POZ-ZF transcription factor that regulates gene
      expression by binding to sequence-specific Kaiso binding sites (KBS) or methyl
      CpG dinucleotide pairs. Kaiso was first identified as a binding partner for the
      epithelial cell adhesion regulator p120(ctn). The p120(ctn)/Kaiso interaction is
      reminiscent of the beta-catenin/TCF interaction and several studies have
      suggested that Kaiso is a negative regulator of the Wnt/beta-catenin TCF
      signaling pathway. To gain further insight into Kaiso's function, we performed a
      yeast two-hybrid screen using the Kaiso POZ domain as bait. This screen
      identified the POZ-ZF protein, Znf131, as a Kaiso-specific binding partner. GST
      pull-down assays confirmed that the interaction is mediated via the POZ domain of
      each protein, and co-immunoprecipitation experiments further supported an in vivo
      Kaiso-Znf131 interaction. Using a Cyclic Amplification and Selection of Targets
      (CAST) approach, we identified the 12-base pair DNA palindrome sequence GTCGCR
      (X)(n)-YGCGAC as a potential Znf131 binding element (ZBE). In vitro studies using
      electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) demonstrated that Znf131 binds the
      ZBE via its zinc finger domain. Znf131 DNA-binding specificity was confirmed
      using competition assays and ZBE mutational analyses. An artificial promoter
      reporter construct containing four tandem copies of the ZBE was constructed and
      used to assess Znf131 transcriptional properties. We observed dose-dependent
      transcriptional activation of this artificial promoter-reporter by Znf131 in both
      epithelial and fibroblast cells, suggesting that Znf131 is a transcriptional
      activator. Kaiso overexpression significantly decreased the Znf131-mediated
      transcriptional activation, and interestingly, co-expression of the Kaiso
      specific interaction partner p120(ctn) relieved Kaiso's inhibition of Znf131
      mediated transcriptional activation. These findings indicate that Znf131 is a
      transcriptional activator, a less common function of POZ-ZF proteins, that is
      negatively regulated by its heterodimerization partner Kaiso.

PMID- 20303953
TI  - Leishmania donovani s.l.: evaluation of the proliferation potential of
      promastigotes using CFSE staining and flow cytometry.
AB  - Leishmania infantum causes visceral leishmaniasis in all countries in the
      Mediterranean basin. It uses Phlebotomine sandflies as vectors where the
      promastigote stage develops, reproduces and becomes infective. Therefore the
      reproductive power of the promastigotes determines the inoculum size of the
      isolate. Ten Leishmania strains from Cyprus: two Leishmania donovani and eight L.
      infantum were used to study the proliferation capacity of the promastigotes.
      Population increase during a 6-day culture period was assessed quantitatively, by
      haematocytometer enumeration, and qualitatively by following the division history
      of each population during the same period by CFSE staining and flow cytometry.
      The strains exhibited different proliferation rates with L. infantum showing
      higher multiplication rates than L. donovani. These differences may represent
      their fitness capabilities and their ability to synchronize the multiplication
      activity of individual members in the population for the production of a sizeable
      inoculum in time for the vector's blood meal.

PMID- 20303952
TI  - Estrogen effects on pain sensitivity and neuropeptide expression in rat sensory
      neurons.
AB  - While a number of chronic pain conditions are much more prevalent in women than
      men, the role of estrogen in regulating nociception remains unclear. Estrogen
      receptors (ER) are known to be expressed in various parts of the nociceptive
      pathway, including in the small-sized primary sensory neurons of the dorsal root
      ganglion (DRG). This study evaluated the effects of long term estrogen
      replacement on pain sensitivity and neuropeptide expression in the DRG of female
      Sprague Dawley rats. The goal was to evaluate whether estrogen modulates
      nociceptive neuropeptides in the DRG in a manner consistent with its effects on
      pain sensitivity. Our results show that long term (28 days) ovariectomy (ovx) of
      adult rats induces a profound thermal and mechanical hyperalgesia of the hindpaw
      and tail compared to ovariectomized animals that were continuously estrogen
      treated (ovx+E). Significant changes in the expression of two neuropeptides,
      substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), were observed using
      immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridization (ISH) in the small lumbar DRG
      neurons which contain ER. CGRP and SP were differentially regulated by estrogen,
      with SP showing a significant downregulation at both the peptide and mRNA levels
      while CGRP and its mRNA were increased in the DRG of estrogen-treated animals. We
      also evaluated the development of mechanical allodynia after partial sciatic
      nerve injury and found that both ovx and ovx+E animals developed significant
      allodynia within a week of the partial nerve injury, which continued for at least
      one month. The estrogen-treated animals showed a partial amelioration of the
      extent of the allodynia at 2 weeks post injury. Overall, the results suggest that
      estrogen has significant anti-nociceptive actions that can be directly correlated
      with changes in expression of two peptides in the small nociceptive ERalpha
      expressing neurons of the DRG.

PMID- 20303954
TI  - Protection against murine intestinal amoebiasis induced by oral immunization with
      the 29 kDa antigen of Entamoeba histolytica and cholera toxin.
AB  - Entamoeba histolytica antigens recognized by salivary IgA from infected patients
      include the 29 kDa antigen (Eh29), an alkyl hydroperoxide reductase. Here, we
      investigate the potential of recombinant Eh29 and an Eh29-cholera toxin subunit B
      (CTxB) fusion protein to confer protection against intestinal amoebiasis after
      oral immunization. The purified Eh29-CTxB fusion retained the critical ability to
      bind ganglioside GM(1), as determined by ELISA. Oral immunization of C3H/HeJ mice
      with Eh29 administered in combination with a subclinical dose of whole cholera
      toxin, but not as an Eh29-CTxB fusion, induced elevated levels of intestinal IgA
      and serum IgG anti-Eh29 antibodies that inhibited trophozoites adherence to MDCK
      cell monolayers. The 80% of immunized mice seen to develop IgA and IgG immune
      responses showed no evidence of infection in tissue sections harvested following
      intracecal challenge with virulent E. histolytica trophozoites. These results
      suggest that Eh29 is capable of inducing protective anti-amoebic immune responses
      in mice following oral immunization and could be used in the development of oral
      vaccines against amoebiasis.

PMID- 20303955
TI  - The immunopathogenesis of Entamoeba histolytica.
AB  - Amebiasis is the disease caused by the enteric dwelling protozoan parasite
      Entamoeba histolytica. The WHO considers amebiasis as one of the major health
      problems in developing countries; it is surpassed by only malaria and
      schistosomiasis for death caused by parasitic infection. E. histolytica primarily
      lives in the colon as a harmless commensal, but is capable of causing devastating
      dysentery, colitis and liver abscess. What triggers the switch to a pathogenic
      phenotype and the onset of disease is unknown. We are becoming increasingly aware
      of the complexity of the host-parasite interaction. During chronic stages of
      amebiasis, the host develops an immune response that is incapable of eliminating
      tissue resident parasites, while the parasite actively immunosuppresses the host.
      However, most individuals with symptomatic infections succumb only to an episode
      of dysentery. Why most halt invasion and a minority progress to chronic disease
      remains poorly understood. This review presents a current understanding of the
      immune processes that shape the outcome of E. histolytica infections during its
      different stages.

PMID- 20303956
TI  - Folded-unfolded cross-predictions and protein evolution: the case study of coiled
      coils.
AB  - Here we report a thorough analysis of cross-predictions between coiled-coil and
      disordered protein segments using various prediction algorithms for both sequence
      classes. Coiled-coils are often predicted to be unstructured, consistent with
      their obligate multimeric nature, whereas reverse cross-predictions are rare due
      to the regularity of coiled-coil sequences. We propose the simultaneous use of
      the programs Coils and IUPred to achieve acceptable prediction accuracy and
      minimize the extent of cross-predictions. The relevance of observed cross
      predictions might be that disordered sequences can adopt coiled-coil conformation
      relatively easily during protein evolution.

PMID- 20303957
TI  - The FHA domain of OdhI interacts with the carboxyterminal 2-oxoglutarate
      dehydrogenase domain of OdhA in Corynebacterium glutamicum.
AB  - In Corynebacterium glutamicum, the unphosphorylated 15-kDa OdhI protein inhibits
      the activity of the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (ODHc) by binding to
      OdhA, which in corynebacteria and mycobacteria is a large fusion protein with two
      major domains exhibiting structural features of E1o and E2 proteins. Using
      copurification and surface plasmon resonance experiments with different OdhI and
      OdhA length variants it was shown that the entire forkhead-associated (FHA)
      domain of OdhI and the C-terminal dehydrogenase domain of OdhA are required for
      interaction. The FHA domain was also sufficient for inhibition of ODHc activity.
      Phosphorylated OdhI was binding-incompetent and did not inhibit ODHc activity.

PMID- 20303958
TI  - Imaging of organelles by electron microscopy reveals protein-protein interactions
      in mitochondria and chloroplasts.
AB  - Ongoing progress in electron microscopy (EM) offers now an opening to visualize
      cells at the nanoscale by cryo-electron tomography (ET). Large protein complexes
      can be resolved at near-atomic resolution by single particle averaging. Some
      examples from mitochondria and chloroplasts illustrate the possibilities with an
      emphasis on the membrane organization. Cryo-ET performed on non-chemically fixed,
      unstained, ice-embedded material can visualize specific large membrane protein
      complexes. In combination with averaging methods, 3D structures were calculated
      of mitochondrial ATP synthase at 6 nm resolution and of chloroplast photosystem
      II at 3.5 nm.

PMID- 20303959
TI  - Decreased GLT-1 and increased SOD1 and HO-1 expression in astrocytes contribute
      to lumbar spinal cord vulnerability of SOD1-G93A transgenic mice.
AB  - The SOD1-G93A transgenic mouse is a widely used ALS model, but the death of lower
      motor neurons is the hallmark. Here, we show that the SOD1-G93A transgene and HO
      1 are preferentially over-expressed in the lumbar spinal cord, particularly in
      the activated astrocytes of the transgenic mice. We also show down-regulation of
      GLT-1 in spite of the proliferating astrocytes. However, GLT-1, SOD1-G93A
      transgene and HO-1 expression were not obviously changed in the motor cortex. Our
      data link spinal cord vulnerability to relatively decreased expression of GLT-1,
      and high expression of the transgene and HO-1 in astrocytes in SOD1-G93A
      transgenic mice.

PMID- 20303960
TI  - Lipid droplets: a dynamic organelle moves into focus.
AB  - Lipid droplets (LDs) were perceived as static storage deposits, which passively
      participate in the energy homeostasis of both cells and entire organisms.
      However, this view has changed recently after the realization of a complex and
      highly dynamic LD proteome. The proteome contains key components of the fat
      mobilization system and proteins that suggest LD interactions with a variety of
      cell organelles, including the endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria and
      peroxisomes. The study of LD cell biology, including cross-talk with other
      organelles, the trafficking of LDs in the cell and regulatory events involving
      the LD coat proteins is now on the verge of leaving its infancy and unfolds that
      LDs are highly dynamic cellular organelles.

PMID- 20303961
TI  - Separation of heteromeric potassium channel Kcv towards probing subunit
      composition-regulated ion permeation and gating.
AB  - The chlorella virus-encoded Kcv can form a homo-tetrameric potassium channel in
      lipid membranes. This miniature peptide can be synthesized in vitro, and the
      tetramer purified from the SDS-polyacrylamide gel retains the K(+) channel
      functionality. Combining this capability with the mass-tagging method, we propose
      a simple, straightforward approach that can generically manipulate individual
      subunits in the tetramer, thereby enabling the detection of contribution from
      individual subunits to the channel functions. Using this approach, we showed that
      the structural change in the selectivity filter from only one subunit is
      sufficient to cause permanent channel inactivation ("all-or-none" mechanism),
      whereas the mutation near the extracellular entrance additively modifies the ion
      permeation with the number of mutant subunits in the tetramer ("additive"
      mechanism).

PMID- 20303962
TI  - Site-directed mutagenesis and structural modeling of Coq10p indicate the presence
      of a tunnel for coenzyme Q6 binding.
AB  - Coq10p is a protein required for coenzyme Q function, but its specific role is
      still unknown. It is a member of the START domain superfamily that contains a
      hydrophobic tunnel implicated in the binding of lipophilic molecules. We used
      site-directed mutagenesis, statistical coupling analysis and molecular modeling
      to probe structural determinants in the Coq10p putative tunnel. Four point
      mutations were generated (coq10-K50E, coq10-L96S, coq10-E105K and coq10-K162D)
      and their biochemical properties analysed, as well as structural consequences.
      Our results show that all mutations impaired Coq10p function and together with
      molecular modeling indicate an important role for the Coq10p putative tunnel.

PMID- 20303964
TI  - Defective interleukin-10 signaling in human inflammatory bowel disease.

PMID- 20303965
TI  - Do side-by-side anastomoses decrease the risk of recurrence in Crohn's disease?

PMID- 20303966
TI  - Optimizing care of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.

PMID- 20303967
TI  - Aspirin use and survival following colorectal cancer diagnosis: another favorable
      and promising meta-effect of an old drug.

PMID- 20303968
TI  - Cytochrome P450 aromatases: Impact on gonadal development, recrudescence and
      effect of hCG in the catfish, Clarias gariepinus.
AB  - Present study analyzed the importance of two forms of aromatases during ovarian
      development and recrudescence of north African/air-breathing catfish. We cloned
      both CYP19A1 (1941bp; ovarian form) and CYP19A2 (1786bp; brain form), which
      showed 47% homology between the two forms. Characterization of encoded proteins
      in non-steroidogenic COS-7 cells illustrated that both isoforms efficiently
      catalyzed the aromatization reaction by producing estradiol-17beta (E(2)) from
      testosterone. Tissue distribution pattern revealed preferential expression of
      CYP19A2 in brain while CYP19A1 predominated in ovary with trace amounts detected
      in other tissues including brain. Relative real-time PCR analysis revealed high
      transcript levels of both isoforms in the prespawning phase of ovarian cycle,
      which is in accordance with serum E(2) level. Aromatase activity in brain was
      comparatively lower than ovary, indicating the predominant requirement of
      aromatase in ovary. Ontogeny studies displayed sexual dimorphism, with early
      expression of CYP19A1 and CYP19A2 in ovary and brain, respectively. Phase
      dependent rise of expression and enzyme activity of aromatase after hCG treatment
      revealed the stimulatory role of gonadotropin during preparatory and prespawning
      phases, preferentially to promote vitellogenesis. Lack of influence of hCG
      treatment during spawning phase endorses it further. A good correlation of
      expression, enzyme activity and serum E(2) levels suggests a crucial role of
      CYP19A1 during ovarian differentiation and ovarian cycle of catfish. Likewise,
      CYP19A2 might also be involved in these processes either indirectly or directly.

PMID- 20303969
TI  - Insulin down-regulates the Na+/K+ ATPase in enterocytes but increases intestinal
      glucose absorption.
AB  - The effect of insulin on [(14)C] 3-O-methyl-d-glucose (3OMG) absorption in the
      rat jejunum was studied using an in situ perfusion technique. Insulin increased
      apical glucose entry into the cells and decreased intestinal retention suggesting
      that serosal glucose transport was enhanced by the hormone. This enhanced uptake
      was ascribed to an increase in the expression of glucose transporters as
      confirmed by Western blot analysis and not to a higher sodium gradient, since
      insulin reduced the activity and protein expression of the Na(+)/K(+) ATPase. To
      separate the glycemic from the insulinemic effect on glucose transport, the
      effect of the hormone was investigated in vitro using cultured Caco-2 cells. The
      cells also showed an increase in [(14)C] 3OMG uptake and intracellular glucose
      levels when treated with insulin and a lower Na(+)/K(+) ATPase activity.
      Phloretin, an inhibitor of GLUT2 was used to determine if these transporters are
      targeted by the hormone. The results showed that the effect of insulin on glucose
      uptake and intracellular glucose was still enhanced in presence of phloretin.
      Considering the inhibitory effect of the hormone on the Na(+)/K(+) ATPase, it was
      concluded that insulin acts by increasing the number of glucose transporters, a
      hypothesis that was confirmed by Western blot analysis.

PMID- 20303970
TI  - The many facets of sex and drugs.

PMID- 20303971
TI  - Detection and quantification of Panton-Valentine leukocidin in Staphylococcus
      aureus cultures by ELISA and Western blotting: diethylpyrocarbonate inhibits
      binding of protein A to IgG.
AB  - Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blotting are common
      techniques used to detect and quantify proteins in Staphylococcus aureus culture
      supernatants, such as Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL). However, protein A (Spa)
      secreted by most S. aureus strains may interfere with these assays by binding to
      the capturing and detecting antibodies. Here, we have shown that the addition of
      diethylpyrocarbonate (DEPC) inhibits the binding of Spa to rabbit anti-PVL used
      as the capturing antibody in ELISA. In Western blotting, the presence of DEPC
      prevented the binding of detecting antibody to Spa. These modified ELISA and
      Western blot techniques should prove useful for detecting and quantifying
      proteins in S. aureus culture supernatants.

PMID- 20303972
TI  - Rhythmic behaviour and pattern-generating circuits in the locust: key concepts
      and recent updates.
AB  - There is growing recognition that rhythmic activity patterns are widespread in
      our brain and play an important role in all aspects of the functioning of our
      nervous system, from sensory integration to central processing and motor control.
      The study of the unique properties that enable central circuits to generate their
      rhythmic output in the absence of any patterned, sensory or descending, inputs,
      has been very rewarding in the relatively simple invertebrate preparations. The
      locust, specifically, is a remarkable example of an organism in which central
      pattern generator (CPG) networks have been suggested and studied in practically
      all aspects of their behaviour. Here we present an updated overview of the
      various rhythmic behaviours in the locust and aspects of their neural control. We
      focus on the fundamental concepts of multifunctional neuronal circuits, neural
      centre interactions and neuromodulation of CPG networks. We are certain that the
      very broad and solid knowledge base of locust rhythmic behaviour and pattern
      generating circuits will continue to expand and further contribute to our
      understanding of the principles behind the functioning of the nervous system and,
      indeed, the brain.

PMID- 20303973
TI  - Ecdysone and the cell cycle: investigations in a mosquito cell line.
AB  - Cell lines provide a tool for investigating basic biological processes that
      underlie the complex interactions among the tissues and organs of an intact
      organism. We compare the evolution of insect and mammalian populations as they
      progress from diploid cell strains to continuous cell lines, and review the
      history of the well-characterized Aedes albopictus mosquito cell line, C7-10.
      Like Kc and S3 cells from Drosophila melanogaster, C7-10 cells are sensitive to
      the insect steroid hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), and express 20E-inducible
      proteins as well as the EcR and USP components of the ecdysteroid receptor. The
      decrease in growth associated with 20E treatment results in an accumulation of
      cells in the G1 phase of the cycle, and a concomitant decrease in levels of
      cyclin A. In contrast, 20E induces a G2 arrest in a well-studied imaginal disc
      cell line from the moth, Plodia interpunctella. We hypothesize that 20E-mediated
      events associated with molting and metamorphosis include effects on regulatory
      proteins that modulate the mitotic cell cycle and that differences between the
      20E response in diverse insect cell lines reflect an interplay between classical
      receptor-mediated effects on gene expression and non-classical effects on
      signaling pathways similar to those recently described for the vertebrate steroid
      hormone, estrogen.

PMID- 20303974
TI  - Dopamine enhances locomotor activity for mating in male honeybees (Apis mellifera
      L.).
AB  - Dopamine plays multiple roles in the regulation of reproduction in female
      honeybees where it appears to act independently of juvenile hormone (JH). In
      males the role of dopamine and its relationship to JH control have not been
      elucidated. In the present study we determined hemolymph levels of dopamine and
      its metabolite (N-acetyldopamine) in males at post-emergence days 0-16. The
      development of locomotor and flight activities were recorded over the same
      period. Hemolymph levels of dopamine and N-acetyldopamine were found to increase
      at the time of onset of mating flight activity and those of dopamine decreased
      thereafter. Both locomotor and flight activities increased in parallel with
      hemolymph dopamine levels but the increased activity levels were maintained
      following decline of dopamine levels. Brain and meso-metathoracic ganglia levels
      of dopamine showed a similar developmental profile to hemolymph dopamine levels.
      Locomotor activities were temporarily inhibited by injection of a dopamine
      receptor antagonist (cis(Z)-flupenthixol) into the thorax, and were enhanced by
      injection of a dopamine-receptor agonist (6,7-ADTN). These results suggest that
      dopamine regulates locomotor activities for mating and plays a role downstream of
      JH in premature males in honeybees.

PMID- 20303975
TI  - Dopamine down-regulates activity of alkaline phosphatase in Drosophila: the role
      of D2-like receptors.
AB  - The effect of a rise in dopamine (DA) level as a result of a mutation, stress or
      pharmacological treatment on the activity of the enzyme of its synthesis,
      alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in females of Drosophila virilis and Drosophila
      melanogaster has been studied. It has been found that regardless of its nature, a
      rise in DA level has a negative effect on ALP activity, which indicates that DA
      down-regulates activity of the enzyme. The effects of bromocriptine (an agonist
      of Drosophila dopamine 2-like receptor (DD2R)) on ALP activity have been studied.
      ALP activity was found to drop in response to bromocriptine in flies. Conversely
      ALP activity was increased in flies with reduced DD2R expression (i.e. Actin5C
      Gal4>UAS-ds-DD2R RNA-interference flies) vs. corresponding controls (i.e. Actin5C
      Gal4>w1118 flies). Bromocriptine treatment of RNAi flies rescues ALP activity to
      the level typical of Actin5C-Gal4>w1118 flies. A change in DD2R number or
      availability was found not to prevent the response of ALP to heat stress, but to
      change the intensity of its response to the stress exposure. The role of D2-like
      receptors in down-regulation of ALP activity by DA and in ALP response to
      stressor in Drosophila is discussed.

PMID- 20303977
TI  - The effects of phosphomimetic lid mutation on the thermostability of the N
      terminal domain of MDM2.
AB  - The multidomain E3 ubiquitin ligase MDM2 catalyzes p53 ubiquitination by a "dual
      site" docking mechanism whereby MDM2 binding to at least two distinct peptide
      motifs on p53 promotes ubiquitination. One protein-protein interaction occurs
      between the N-terminal hydrophobic pocket of MDM2 and the transactivation motif
      of p53, and the second interaction occurs between the acidic domain of MDM2 and a
      motif in the DNA-binding domain of p53. A flexible N-terminal pseudo-substrate or
      "lid" adjacent to the N-terminal hydrophobic pocket of MDM2 has a phosphorylation
      site, and there are distinct models proposed on how the phosphorylated lid could
      affect MDM2 function. Biochemical studies have predicted that phosphomimetic
      mutation will stabilize the lid on the surface of MDM2 and will "open" the
      hydrophobic pocket and stabilize the MDM2-p53 complex, while NMR studies proposed
      that phosphomimetic mutation "closes" the lid over the MDM2 pocket and inhibits
      MDM2-p53 complex formation. To resolve these discrepancies, we utilized a
      quantitative fluorescence-based dye binding assay to measure the thermal
      unfolding of wild-type (wt), DeltaLid, and S17D N-terminal domains of MDM2 as a
      function of increasing ligand concentration. Our data reveal that S17D lid
      mutation increases, rather than decreases, the thermostability of the N-terminal
      domain of MDM2 in the absence or in the presence of ligand. DeltaLid mutation, by
      contrast, increases MDM2 thermoinstability. This is consistent with biochemical
      data, using full-length MDM2, showing that the S17D mutation stabilizes the MDM2
      p53 complex and increases the specific activity of the E3 ubiquitin ligase
      function of MDM2. These data indicate that phosphomimetic lid mutation results in
      an "opening," rather than a "closing," of the pocket of MDM2 and highlight the
      ability of small intrinsically disordered or unstructured peptide motifs to
      regulate the specific activity of a protein.

PMID- 20303976
TI  - Reduced vascular responsiveness to adiponectin in hyperlipidemic rats--mechanisms
      and significance.
AB  - Deficiency of adiponectin (APN), an adipocyte-derived vascular protective
      molecule, contributes to diabetic vascular injury. The current study determined
      whether obesity/hyperlipidemia may alter the vascular response to APN, and
      investigated the involved mechanisms and pathologic significance. Adult male
      Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a regular or high-fat diet (HF) for 4-16 weeks.
      Circulating APN levels, aortic pAMPK/AMPK, peNOS/eNOS, and APN receptor
      expression levels were determined. Compared to time-matched animals fed control
      diet, plasma APN levels in HF-diet animals were significantly increased at 8
      weeks, and rapidly declined thereafter. Despite unchanged or elevated circulating
      APN levels, phosphorylated AMPK and eNOS in vascular tissue were significantly
      reduced at all observed time points. Recombinant full-length APN (rAPN)-induced
      AMPK/eNOS phosphorylation and vasodilatation were significantly reduced in 16
      week obese/hyperlipidemic aortic segments. Vascular APN receptor 1 (AdipoR1) and
      receptor 2 (AdipoR2) expression were significantly reduced 16 weeks after HF
      diet. Pre-incubation of rAPN with obese/hyperlipidemic plasma, but not with
      normal plasma, significantly reduced its AMPK and eNOS activation effect, and
      blunted its protective effect against TNFalpha-induced HUVEC apoptosis. This
      study demonstrated for the first time that obesity/hyperlipidemia reduces
      vascular responsiveness to APN. Modification/inactivation of APN by unidentified
      factors present in obese/hyperlipidemic plasma, decreased vascular AdipoR1/R2
      expression, and reduced circulating APN levels contribute to reduced vascular
      responsiveness to APN at different stages of the obese condition. Reduced APN
      bioactivity allows unmitigated TNFalpha pro-apoptotic and pro-inflammatory
      actions, contributing to vascular injury in obesity/hyperlipidemia.

PMID- 20303978
TI  - Structure and conformational dynamics of the metalloregulator MerR upon binding
      of Hg(II).
AB  - The bacterial metalloregulator MerR is the index case of an eponymous family of
      regulatory proteins, which controls the transcription of a set of genes (the mer
      operon) conferring mercury resistance in many bacteria. Homodimeric MerR
      represses transcription in the absence of mercury and activates transcription
      upon Hg(II) binding. Here, the average structures of the apo and Hg(II)-bound
      forms of MerR in aqueous solution are examined using small-angle X-ray
      scattering, indicating an extended conformation of the metal-bound protein and
      revealing the existence of a novel compact conformation in the absence of Hg(II).
      Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed to characterize the
      conformational dynamics of the Hg(II)-bound form. In both small-angle X-ray
      scattering and MD, the average torsional angle between DNA-binding domains is
      approximately 65 degrees. Furthermore, in MD, interdomain motions on a timescale
      of approximately 10 ns involving large-amplitude (approximately 20 A) domain
      opening-and-closing, coupled to approximately 40 degrees variations of
      interdomain torsional angle, are revealed. This correlated domain motion may
      propagate allosteric changes from the metal-binding site to the DNA-binding site
      while maintaining DNA contacts required to initiate DNA underwinding.

PMID- 20303979
TI  - Crystal structure of sulfide:quinone oxidoreductase from Acidithiobacillus
      ferrooxidans: insights into sulfidotrophic respiration and detoxification.
AB  - Sulfide:quinone oxidoreductase from the acidophilic and chemolithotrophic
      bacterium Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans was expressed in Escherichia coli and
      crystallized, and its X-ray molecular structure was determined to 2.3 A
      resolution for native unbound protein in space group P4(2)2(1)2 . The
      decylubiquinone-bound structure and the Cys160Ala variant structure were
      subsequently determined to 2.3 A and 2.05 A resolutions, respectively, in space
      group P6(2)22 . The enzymatic reaction catalyzed by sulfide:quinone
      oxidoreductase includes the oxidation of sulfide compounds H(2)S, HS(-), and S(2
      ) to soluble polysulfide chains or to elemental sulfur in the form of octasulfur
      rings; these oxidations are coupled to the reduction of ubiquinone or
      menaquinone. The enzyme comprises two tandem Rossmann fold domains and a flexible
      C-terminal domain encompassing two amphipathic helices that are thought to
      provide for membrane anchoring. The second amphipathic helix unwinds and changes
      its orientation in the hexagonal crystal form. The protein forms a dimer that
      could be inserted into the membrane to a depth of approximately 20 A. It has an
      endogenous flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) cofactor that is noncovalently bound
      in the N-terminal domain. Several wide channels connect the FAD cofactor to the
      exterior of the protein molecule; some of the channels would provide access to
      the membrane. The ubiquinone molecule is bound in one of these channels; its
      benzoquinone ring is stacked between the aromatic rings of two conserved Phe
      residues, and it closely approaches the isoalloxazine moiety of the FAD cofactor.
      Two active-site cysteine residues situated on the re side of the FAD cofactor
      form a branched polysulfide bridge. Cys356 disulfide acts as a nucleophile that
      attacks the C4A atom of the FAD cofactor in electron transfer reaction. The third
      essential cysteine Cys128 is not modified in these structures; its role is likely
      confined to the release of the polysulfur product.

PMID- 20303980
TI  - Structure of the minimal interface between ApoE and LRP.
AB  - Clusters of complement-type ligand-binding repeats (CRs) in the low-density
      lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) family are thought to mediate the interactions with
      their various ligands. Apolipoprotein E (ApoE), a key ligand for cholesterol
      homeostasis, has been shown to interact with LDLR-related protein 1 (LRP) through
      these clusters. The segment comprising the receptor-binding portion of ApoE
      (residues 130-149) has been found to have a weak affinity for isolated CRs. We
      have fused this region of ApoE to a high-affinity CR from LRP (CR17) for
      structural elucidation of the complex. The interface reveals a motif that has
      previously been observed in CR domains with other binding partners, but with
      several novel features. Comparison to free CR17 reveals that very few structural
      changes result from this binding event, but significant changes in intrinsic
      dynamics are observed upon binding. NMR perturbation experiments suggest that
      this interface may be similar to several other ligand interactions with LDLRs.

PMID- 20303981
TI  - Crystal structures of the CBS and DRTGG domains of the regulatory region of
      Clostridiumperfringens pyrophosphatase complexed with the inhibitor, AMP, and
      activator, diadenosine tetraphosphate.
AB  - Nucleotide-binding cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) domains serve as regulatory
      units in numerous proteins distributed in all kingdoms of life. However, the
      underlying regulatory mechanisms remain to be established. Recently, we described
      a subfamily of CBS domain-containing pyrophosphatases (PPases) within family II
      PPases. Here, we express a novel CBS-PPase from Clostridium perfringens (CPE2055)
      and show that the enzyme is inhibited by AMP and activated by a novel effector,
      diadenosine 5',5-P1,P4-tetraphosphate (AP(4)A). The structures of the AMP and
      AP(4)A complexes of the regulatory region of C. perfringens PPase (cpCBS),
      comprising a pair of CBS domains interlinked by a DRTGG domain, were determined
      at 2.3 A resolution using X-ray crystallography. The structures obtained are the
      first structures of a DRTGG domain as part of a larger protein structure. The AMP
      complex contains two AMP molecules per cpCBS dimer, each bound to a single
      monomer, whereas in the activator-bound complex, one AP(4)A molecule bridges two
      monomers. In the nucleotide-bound structures, activator binding induces
      significant opening of the CBS domain interface, compared with the inhibitor
      complex. These results provide structural insight into the mechanism of CBS-PPase
      regulation by nucleotides.

PMID- 20303983
TI  - Negative feedback of extracellular ADP on ATP release in goldfish hepatocytes: a
      theoretical study.
AB  - A mathematical model was built to account for the kinetic of extracellular ATP
      (ATPe) and extracellular ADP (ADPe) concentrations from goldfish hepatocytes
      exposed to hypotonicity. The model was based on previous experimental results on
      the time course of ATPe accumulation, ectoATPase activity, and cell viability
      [Pafundo et al., 2008]. The kinetic of ATPe is controlled by a lytic ATP flux, a
      non-lytic ATP flux, and ecto-ATPase activity, whereas ADPe kinetic is governed by
      a lytic ADP flux and both ecto-ATPase and ecto-ADPase activities. Non-lytic ATPe
      efflux was included as a diffusion equation modulated by ATPe activation
      (positive feedback) and ADPe inhibition (negative feedback). The model yielded
      physically meaningful and stable steady-state solutions, was able to fit the
      experimental time evolution of ATPe and simulated the concomitant kinetic of
      ADPe. According to the model during the first minute of hypotonicity the
      concentration of ATPe is mainly governed by both lytic and non-lytic ATP efflux,
      with almost no contribution from ecto-ATPase activity. Later on, ecto-ATPase
      activity becomes important in defining the time dependent decay of ATPe levels.
      ADPe inhibition of the non-lytic ATP efflux was strong, whereas ATPe activation
      was minimal. Finally, the model was able to predict the consequences of partial
      inhibition of ecto-ATPase activity on the ATPe kinetic, thus emulating the
      exposure of goldfish cells to hypotonic medium in the presence of the ATP analog
      AMP-PCP. The model predicts this analog to both inhibit ectoATPase activity and
      increase non-lytic ATP release.

PMID- 20303984
TI  - A mathematical model for cell size control in fission yeast.
AB  - Experimental investigations of cell size control in fission yeast
      Schizosaccharomyces pombe have illustrated that the cell cycle features 'sizer'
      and 'timer' phases which are distinguished by a growth rate changing point. Based
      on current biological knowledge of fission yeast size control, we propose here a
      model of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) for a possible explanation of the
      facts and control mechanism which is coupled with the cell cycle. Simulation
      results of the ODE model are demonstrated to agree with experimental data for the
      wild type and the cdc2-33 mutant. We show that the coupling of cell growth to
      cell division by translational control may account for observed properties of
      size control in fission yeast. As the translational control in the expression of
      cycle proteins Cdc13 and Cdc25 constructs positive feedback loops, the dynamical
      activities of the key components undergoes a rapid rising after a preliminary
      stage of slow increase. The coupling of this dynamical behavior to the elongation
      of the cell naturally gives rise to a rate change point and to 'sizer' and
      'timer' phases, which characterize the cell cycle of fission yeast.

PMID- 20303985
TI  - Higher order Boolean networks as models of cell state dynamics.
AB  - The regulation of the cell state is a complex process involving several
      components. These complex dynamics can be modeled using Boolean networks,
      allowing us to explain the existence of different cell states and the transition
      between them. Boolean models have been introduced both as specific examples and
      as ensemble or distribution network models. However, current ensemble Boolean
      network models do not make a systematic distinction between different cell
      components such as epigenetic factors, gene and transcription factors.
      Consequently, we still do not understand their relative contributions in
      controlling the cell fate. In this work we introduce and study higher order
      Boolean networks, which feature an explicit distinction between the different
      cell components and the types of interactions between them. We show that the
      stability of the cell state dynamics can be determined solving the eigenvalue
      problem of a matrix representing the regulatory interactions and their strengths.
      The qualitative analysis of this problem indicates that, in addition to the
      classification into stable and chaotic regimes, the cell state can be simple or
      complex depending on whether it can be deduced from the independent study of its
      components or not. Finally, we illustrate how the model can be expanded
      considering higher levels and higher order dynamics.

PMID- 20303982
TI  - Three-dimensional multispecies nonlinear tumor growth-II: Tumor invasion and
      angiogenesis.
AB  - We extend the diffuse interface model developed in Wise et al. (2008) to study
      nonlinear tumor growth in 3-D. Extensions include the tracking of multiple viable
      cell species populations through a continuum diffuse-interface method, onset and
      aging of discrete tumor vessels through angiogenesis, and incorporation of
      individual cell movement using a hybrid continuum-discrete approach. We
      investigate disease progression as a function of cellular-scale parameters such
      as proliferation and oxygen/nutrient uptake rates. We find that heterogeneity in
      the physiologically complex tumor microenvironment, caused by non-uniform
      distribution of oxygen, cell nutrients, and metabolites, as well as phenotypic
      changes affecting cellular-scale parameters, can be quantitatively linked to the
      tumor macro-scale as a mechanism that promotes morphological instability. This
      instability leads to invasion through tumor infiltration of surrounding healthy
      tissue. Models that employ a biologically founded, multiscale approach, as
      illustrated in this work, could help to quantitatively link the critical effect
      of heterogeneity in the tumor microenvironment with clinically observed tumor
      growth and invasion. Using patient tumor-specific parameter values, this may
      provide a predictive tool to characterize the complex in vivo tumor physiological
      characteristics and clinical response, and thus lead to improved treatment
      modalities and prognosis.

PMID- 20303986
TI  - A model for cyst lumen expansion and size regulation via fluid secretion.
AB  - Many internal epithelial organs derive from cysts, which are tissues comprised of
      bent epithelial cell layers enclosing a lumen. Ion accumulation in the lumen
      drives water influx and consequently water accumulation and cyst expansion. Lumen
      size recognition is important for the regulation of organ size. When lumen size
      and cyst size are not controlled, diseases can result; for instance, renal
      failure of the kidney. We develop a mechanistic mathematical model of lumen
      expansion in order to investigate the mechanisms for saturation of cyst growth.
      We include fluid accumulation in the lumen, osmotic and elastic pressure, ion
      transport and stretch-induced cell division. We find that the lumen volume
      increases in two phases: first, due to fluid accumulation stretching the cells,
      then in the second phase, the volume increase follows the increase in cell number
      until proliferation ceases as stretch forces relax. The model is quantitatively
      fitted to published data of in vitro cyst growth and predicts steady state lumen
      size as a function of the model parameters.

PMID- 20303987
TI  - Scaling behaviors of weighted food webs as energy transportation networks.
AB  - Food webs can be regarded as energy transporting networks in which the weight of
      each edge denotes the energy flux between two species. By investigating 21
      empirical weighted food webs as energy flow networks, we found several ubiquitous
      scaling behaviors. Two random variables A(i) and C(i) defined for each vertex i,
      representing the total flux (also called vertex intensity) and total indirect
      effect or energy store of i, were found to follow power law distributions with
      the exponents alpha approximately 1.32 and beta approximately 1.33, respectively.
      Another scaling behavior is the power law relationship, C(i) approximately
      A(i)(eta), where eta approximately 1.02. This is known as the allometric scaling
      power law relationship because A(i) can be treated as metabolism and C(i) as the
      body mass of the sub-network rooted from the vertex i, according to the algorithm
      presented in this paper. Finally, a simple relationship among these power law
      exponents, eta=(alpha-1)/(beta-1), was mathematically derived and tested by the
      empirical food webs.

PMID- 20303988
TI  - The Arabidopsis thaliana flower organ specification gene regulatory network
      determines a robust differentiation process.
AB  - The Arabidopsis thaliana flower organ specification gene regulatory network (FOS
      GRN) has been modeled previously as a discrete dynamical system, recovering as
      steady states configurations that match the genetic profiles described in
      primordial cells of inflorescence, sepals, petals, stamens and carpels during
      early flower development. In this study, we first update the FOS-GRN by adding
      interactions and modifying some rules according to new experimental data. A
      discrete model of this updated version of the network has a dynamical behavior
      identical to previous versions, under both wild type and mutant conditions, thus
      confirming its robustness. Then, we develop a continuous version of the FOS-GRN
      using a new methodology that builds upon previous proposals. The fixed point
      attractors of the discrete system are all observed in the continuous model, but
      the latter also contains new steady states that might correspond to genetic
      activation states present briefly during the early phases of flower development.
      We show that both the discrete and the continuous models recover the observed
      stable gene configurations observed in the inflorescence meristem, as well as the
      primordial cells of sepals, petals, stamens and carpels. Additionally, both
      models are subjected to perturbations in order to establish the nature of
      additional signals that may suffice to determine the experimentally observed
      order of appearance of floral organs. Our results thus describe a possible
      mechanism by which the network canalizes molecular signals and/or noise, thus
      conferring robustness to the differentiation process.

PMID- 20303989
TI  - KMUP-1 ameliorates monocrotaline-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension through
      the modulation of Ca2+ sensitization and K+-channel.
AB  - AIMS: This study investigates the actions of KMUP-1 on RhoA/Rho-kinase (ROCK)
      dependent Ca(2+) sensitization and the K(+)-channel in chronic pulmonary arterial
      hypertension (PAH) rats. MAIN METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into
      control, monocrotaline (MCT), and MCT+KMUP-1 groups. PAH was induced by a single
      intraperitoneal injection (i.p.) of MCT (60 mg/kg). KMUP-1 (5 mg/kg, i.p.) was
      administered once daily for 21 days to prevent MCT-induced PAH. All rats were
      sacrificed on day 22. KEY FINDINGS: MCT-induced increased right ventricular
      systolic pressure (RVSP) and right ventricular hypertrophy were prevented by KMUP
      1. In myograph experiments, KCl (80 mM), phenylephrine (10 microM) and K(+)
      channel inhibitors (TEA, 10 mM; paxilline, 10 microM; 4-AP, 5 mM) induced weak PA
      contractions in MCT-treated rats compared to controls, but the PA reactivity was
      restored in MCT+KMUP-1-treated rats. By contrast, in beta-escin- or alpha-toxin
      permeabilized PAs, CaCl(2)-induced (1.25 mM, pCa 5.1) contractions were stronger
      in MCT-treated rats, and this action was suppressed in MCT+KMUP-1-treated rats.
      PA relaxation in response to the ROCK inhibitor Y27632 (0.1 microM) was much
      higher in MCT-treated rats than in control rats. In Western blot analysis, the
      expression of Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (BK(Ca)) and voltage-gated K(+) channels
      (Kv2.1 and Kv1.5), and ROCK II proteins was elevated in MCT-treated rats and
      suppressed in MCT+KMUP-1-treated rats. We suggest that MCT-treated rats
      upregulate K(+)-channel proteins to adapt to chronic PAH. SIGNIFICANCE: KMUP-1
      protects against PAH and restores PA vessel tone in MCT-treated rats, attributed
      to alteration of Ca(2+) sensitivity and K(+)-channel function.

PMID- 20303990
TI  - Evaluating treatment of hepatitis C for hemolytic anemia management.
AB  - The combination therapy of antiviral peg-interferon and ribavirin has evolved as
      one of the better treatments for hepatitis C. In spite of its success in
      controlling hepatitis C infection, it has also been associated with treatment
      related adverse side effects. The most common and life threatening among them is
      hemolytic anemia, necessitating dose reduction or therapy cessation. The presence
      of this side effect leads to a trade-off between continuing the treatment and
      exacerbating the side effects versus decreasing dosage to relieve severe side
      effects while allowing the disease to progress. The drug epoietin (epoetin) is
      often administered to stimulate the production of red blood cells (RBC) in the
      bone marrow, in order to allow treatment without anemia. This paper uses
      mathematical models to study the effect of combination therapy in light of
      anemia. In order to achieve this we introduce RBC concentration and amount of
      drug in the body as state variables in the usual immunological virus infection
      model. Analysis of this model provides a quantification of the amount of drug a
      body can tolerate without succumbing to hemolytic anemia. Indirect estimation of
      parameters allow us to calculate the necessary increment in RBC production to be
      > or =2.3 times the patient's original RBC production rate to sustain the entire
      course of treatment without encountering anemia in a sensitive patient.

PMID- 20303991
TI  - Exploring voltage-dependent ion channels in silico by hysteretic conductance.
AB  - Kinetic models of voltage-dependent ion channels are normally inferred from time
      records of macroscopic current relaxation or microscopic single channel data. A
      complementary explorative approach is outlined. Hysteretic conductance refers to
      conductance delays in response to voltage changes, delays at either macroscopic
      or microscopic levels of observation. It enables complementary assessments of
      model assumptions and gating schemes of voltage-dependent channels, e.g.
      independent versus cooperative gating, and multiple gating modes. Under the
      Hodgkin-Huxley condition of independent gating, and under ideal measurement
      conditions, hysteretic conductance makes it also possible to estimate voltage
      dependent rate functions. The argument is mainly theoretical, based on
      experimental observations, and illustrated by simulations of Markov kinetic
      models.

PMID- 20303992
TI  - Theoretical modeling of fluid flow in cellular biological media: an overview.
AB  - Fluid-structure interactions strongly affect, in multiple ways, the structure and
      function of cellular biological media, such as tissues, biofilms, and cell
      entrapping gels. Mathematical models and computer simulation are important tools
      in advancing our understanding of these interactions, interpreting experimental
      observations, and designing novel processes and biomaterials. In this paper, we
      present a comprehensive survey and highlight promising directions of future
      research on theoretical modeling of momentum transport in cellular biological
      media with focus on the formulation of governing equations and the calculation of
      material properties both theoretically and experimentally. With regard to the
      governing equations, significant work has been done with single-scale approaches
      (e.g. mixture theory), whereas traditional upscaling methods (e.g.
      homogenization, volume averaging) or multiscale equation-free approaches have
      received limited attention. The underlying concepts, strengths, and limitations
      of each approach, as well as examples of use in the field of biomaterials are
      presented. The current status of knowledge regarding the dependence of
      macroscopic material properties on the volume fractions, geometry, and intrinsic
      material properties of the constituent phases (cells, extracellular matrix and
      fluid) is also presented. The observation of conformational changes that occur at
      finer levels of the structural hierarchy during momentum transport, the
      correlation of macro-properties with geometrical and topological features of
      materials with heterogeneous and anisotropic microstructure, as well as the
      determination of dynamic material properties are among important challenges for
      future research.

PMID- 20303993
TI  - The dynamic behavior of chemically "stiffened" red blood cells in microchannel
      flows.
AB  - The rigidity of red blood cells (RBCs) plays an important role in whole blood
      viscosity and is correlated with several cardiovascular diseases. Two chemical
      agents that are commonly used to study cell deformation are diamide and
      glutaraldehyde. Despite diamide's common usage, there are discrepancies in the
      literature surrounding diamide's effect on the deformation of RBCs in shear and
      pressure-driven flows; in particular, shear flow experiments have shown that
      diamide stiffens cells, while pressure-driven flow in capillaries did not give
      this result. We performed pressure-driven flow experiments with RBCs in a
      microfluidic constriction and quantified the cell dynamics using high-speed
      imaging. Diamide, which affects RBCs by cross-linking spectrin skeletal membrane
      proteins, did not reduce deformation and showed an unchanged effective strain
      rate when compared to healthy cells. In contrast, glutaraldehyde, which is a non
      specific fixative that acts on all components of the cell, did reduce deformation
      and showed increased instances of tumbling, both of which are characteristic
      features of stiffened, or rigidified, cells. Because glutaraldehyde increases the
      effective viscosity of the cytoplasm and lipid membrane while diamide does not,
      one possible explanation for our results is that viscous effects in the cytoplasm
      and/or lipid membrane are a dominant factor in dictating dynamic responses of
      RBCs in pressure-driven flows. Finally, literature on the use of diamide as a
      stiffening agent is summarized, and provides supporting evidence for our
      conclusions.

PMID- 20303994
TI  - Impaired digital vascular function mimicking Raynaud's phenomenon as a
      complication of argon laser therapy in tuberous sclerosis.

PMID- 20303995
TI  - Three-dimensional analysis of tumour vascular corrosion casts using stereoimaging
      and micro-computed tomography.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In order to perform effective translational research for cancer
      therapy, we need to employ pre-clinical models which reflect the clinical
      situation. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively compare the vascular
      architecture of human colorectal cancer and experimental tumour models to
      determine the suitability of animal models for vascular studies and antivascular
      therapy. METHODS: In this study we investigated the three-dimensional properties
      of colonic tumour vasculature in both human clinical tissues (normal mucosa
      control [n=20], carcinoma [n=20] and adenoma [n=6]) and murine colorectal
      xenografts (LS147T [n=6] and SW1222 [n=6]). Scanning Electron Microscope
      Stereoimaging (SEM) and X-ray Micro-Computed Tomography (Micro-CT) methods were
      employed for 3D analyses of the vascular corrosion casts from these tissues.
      RESULTS: Morphological measurements showed that there were significant
      differences in the underlying morphology in the different tissues. Of the studied
      xenografts, LS147T is more consistently similar to the vascular architecture of
      the human carcinoma than SW1222. The only reversal of this is for the inter
      vessel distance. CONCLUSION: While SEM stereoimaging provided better surface
      detailed resolution of the corrosion casts, it was complimented by the fully 3D
      micro-CT method. Comparison made between the xenografts and clinical tumours
      showed that the LS147T xenografts shared many similarities with the clinical
      tumour vasculature. This study provides insight into how to select the most
      suitable pre-clinical models for translational studies of clinical cancer
      therapy.

PMID- 20303996
TI  - Pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging of muscarinic acetylcholine receptor
      activation in rat brain.
AB  - The central cholinergic system is involved in several cognitive functions such as
      attention, consciousness, learning and memory. Functional imaging of this
      neurotransmitter system may provide novel opportunities in the diagnosis and
      evaluation of cognitive disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the
      spatial and temporal activation patterns of muscarinic acetylcholine receptor
      (mAChR) stimulation in rat brain with pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging
      (phMRI). We performed blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) MRI and contrast
      enhanced cerebral blood volume (CBV)-weighted MRI combined with injection of
      pilocarpine, a non-selective mAChR agonist. BOLD and CBV responses were assessed
      after pretreatment with methyl-scopolamine in order to block peripheral
      muscarinic effects. Region-of-interest analysis in individual animals and group
      level independent component analysis failed to show significant BOLD signal
      changes following pilocarpine injection. However, with contrast-enhanced CBV
      weighted MRI, positive CBV responses were detected in the cerebral cortex,
      thalamus, and hippocampus whereas a negative CBV response was observed in the
      striatum. Thus, pilocarpine-induced significant activation responses in brain
      regions that are known to have a high density of muscarinic receptors. Our study
      demonstrates that phMRI of mAChR stimulation in rats allows functional assessment
      of the cholinergic system in vivo.

PMID- 20303998
TI  - Executive impairment in Parkinson's disease: response automaticity and task
      switching.
AB  - Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) show slowed movement initiation and can
      have deficits in executive function, leading to impairments in controlling
      involuntary behavior. This results in difficulties performing an antisaccade,
      which requires one to suppress an automatic eye movement (a prosaccade) to a
      visual stimulus, and execute a voluntary eye movement in the opposite direction.
      Antisaccade deficits are similar to those seen in task switching, whereby one is
      required to change a response after performing a different behavior. Both
      antisaccade (Hood et al., 2007) and task switching (Cools, Barker, Sahakian, &
      Robbins, 2001) deficits in PD have been attributed to fronto-basal ganglia (BG)
      dysfunction. Previously, we demonstrated with functional magnetic resonance
      imaging that BG circuitry is important to both task switching and voluntary
      saccade generation, as greater caudate activation was seen when healthy young
      adults first prepared a prosaccade, but then switched to an antisaccade (Cameron,
      Coe, et al., 2009). Therefore, we hypothesized that PD patients would have
      difficulty switching from one saccade response to the other, with particular
      impairment in switching from a pro to an antisaccade. Here, we not only confirmed
      this prediction, but also showed that PD patients performed better than controls
      in switching from an anti to a prosaccade. This suggests that task switching
      deficits in PD are particularly pronounced when more automatic behavior needs to
      be overridden with alternative behavior. We suggest that this occurs primarily at
      the level of establishing the appropriate task set, which is an internalized rule
      that governs how to respond.

PMID- 20303997
TI  - Genistein directly inhibits native and recombinant NMDA receptors.
AB  - The protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) inhibitor genistein has been widely used to
      examine potential effects of tyrosine phosphorylation on neurotransmitter
      function. We report here that genistein inhibits N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA)
      receptors through a direct effect. Whole-cell NMDA-activated current was recorded
      in native receptors from mouse hippocampal slice culture and rat recombinant
      NR1aNR2A and NR1aNR2B receptors transiently expressed in HEK293 cells.
      Extracellular application of genistein and NMDA reversibly inhibited NMDA
      activated current. The inhibition of NMDA-activated current by genistein applied
      externally was not affected when genistein was also pre-equilibrated in the
      intracellular solution. Daidzein, an analog of genistein that does not block PTK,
      also inhibited NMDA-activated current. Coapplication of lavendustin A, a specific
      inhibitor of PTK, had no effect on the NMDA response. Moreover, genistein-induced
      inhibition of NMDA-activated current displayed concentration- and voltage
      dependence. Our results demonstrate that genistein has a direct inhibitory effect
      on NMDA receptors that is not mediated via inhibition of tyrosine kinase. Thus,
      other PTK inhibitors may be more suitable for studying involvement of PTKs in
      NMDA receptor-mediated events.

PMID- 20303999
TI  - The development of satiation in bulimia nervosa.
AB  - Bulimia nervosa (BN) is characterized by the recurrent consumption of excessive
      amounts of food (binge eating) followed by inappropriate compensatory behaviors.
      A leading hypothesis is that the persistence of BN may be due, in part, to a
      disturbance in the development of satiation. Because patients with BN consume
      larger meals than controls, previous studies have not been able to directly
      compare the development of satiation. In order to address this problem, subjects
      consumed large meals of predetermined size without knowing when they would be
      stopped. Twenty-one women with BN and 13 control women participated in a study in
      which they rated hunger and fullness during the course of a 975 g liquid meal
      eaten from an opaque reservoir. Subjects' ratings were obtained after each 75 g
      increment of consumption. There were no statistically significant differences
      between the two groups in the mean ratings of hunger or of fullness before,
      after, or during the meal. Individuals with BN consumed the meal more rapidly
      than control participants. These results suggest that, when individuals with BN
      are not instructed to binge eat and do not control meal size, they do not
      manifest a disturbance in reported satiation over the course of a large liquid
      meal.

PMID- 20304000
TI  - Modeling toxoplasmosis spread in cat populations under vaccination.
AB  - In this paper we present an epidemiological model to study the transmission
      dynamics of toxoplasmosis in a cat population under a continuous vaccination
      schedule. We explore the dynamics of toxoplasmosis at the population level using
      a mathematical model that includes the effect of oocyst, since the probability of
      acquisition of Toxoplasma Gondii infection depends on the environmental load of
      the parasite. This model considers indirectly the infection of prey through the
      oocyst shedding by cats. We prove that the basic reproduction number R(0) is a
      threshold value that completely determines the global dynamics and the outcome of
      the disease. Numerical computer simulations are presented to investigate
      different scenarios. These simulations show the effectiveness of a constant
      vaccination program.

PMID- 20304001
TI  - Morphological differences between the eyeballs of nocturnal and diurnal amniotes
      revisited from optical perspectives of visual environments.
AB  - Eyes are expected to be adapted to the physical characteristics of the visual
      environment, yet previous analyses failed to corroborate this observation. We
      demonstrate that nocturnal, crepuscular/cathemeral, and diurnal activity patterns
      occupy distinct areas in morphospace and are identified with high accuracies
      based on a discriminant analysis of visual performance features. Not only
      nocturnal and diurnal diel activity patterns are reflected in macroscopic
      morphology of the eyeball, but also the crepuscular/cathemeral patterns. The
      eyeball morphology of the latter was believed to be undistinguishable between
      diurnal and nocturnal types. We show that all three categories can be delineated
      with high accuracies.

PMID- 20304002
TI  - The detection of moving objects by moving observers.
AB  - When an observer moves through the world, he or she must detect moving objects in
      order to avoid or intercept them. Accomplishing this task presents a problem for
      the visual system, because the motion of the observer causes the images of nearly
      all objects in the scene to move across the retina. We tested observers'
      abilities to detect a moving object when its angle of motion deviated from the
      radial optic flow pattern generated by observer motion in a straight line. To
      test whether global information is important for this task, we compared the
      results for a radial pattern with those for a deformation pattern. The results
      show that observer accuracy depends on the global pattern of the optic flow. In
      addition, we tested the effects of the duration of the trial, the number of
      objects, the eccentricity of the moving object and the speed of the observer.

PMID- 20304003
TI  - Changes in dynamics of accommodation after accommodative facility training in
      myopes and emmetropes.
AB  - This study evaluates the effect of accommodative facility training in myopes and
      emmetropes. Monocular accommodative facility was measured in nine myopes and nine
      emmetropes for distance and near. Subjective facility was recorded with automated
      flippers and objective measurements were simultaneously taken with a
      PowerRefractor. Accommodative facility training (a sequence of 5 min monocular
      right eye, 5 min monocular left eye, 5 min binocular) was given on three
      consecutive days and facility was re-assessed on the fifth day. The results
      showed that training improved the facility rate in both groups. The improvement
      in facility rates were linked to the time constants and peak velocity of
      accommodation. Some changes in amplitude seen in emmetropes indicate an
      improvement in facility rate at the expense of an accurate accommodation
      response.

PMID- 20304004
TI  - A novel functional rabbit IL-7 isoform.
AB  - IL-7 is required for B cell development in mouse and is a key regulator of T cell
      development and peripheral T cell homeostasis in mouse and human. Recently, we
      found that IL-7 is expressed in rabbit bone marrow and in vitro, is required for
      differentiation of lymphoid progenitors to B and T lineage cells. Herein, we
      report the identification of a novel rabbit IL-7 isoform, IL-7II. Recombinant IL
      7II (rIL-7II) binds lymphocytes via the IL-7R and induces phosphorylation of
      STAT5. Further, rIL-7II supports proliferation and differentiation of BM
      progenitor cells into B and T lineage cells. IL7-II is generated by alternative
      splicing, with an 11 amino acid insertion encoded by a separate exon, exon 2b.
      Exon 2b is conserved in other lagomorphs, in Perissodactyla, Artiodactyla, and
      Carnivora, but is absent in mouse and human.

PMID- 20304006
TI  - Expression and purification of ataxin-1 protein.
AB  - Ataxin-1 is part of a larger family of polyglutamine-containing proteins that is
      linked to nine distinct neurodegenerative disorders. There are no known effective
      therapies for any of these expanded polyglutamine tract disorders. One possible
      reason for this is the lack of sufficient amounts of pure polyglutamine
      containing proteins suitable for biochemical and conformational studies. Here, we
      show that we were able to successfully purify a non-pathological, wild-type human
      ataxin-1 protein containing a 30-glutamine repeat sequence. This ataxin-1 protein
      was expressed in Escherichia coli as a fusion protein with a GST tag at the N
      terminus and a double (His)(6) tag at the C-terminus. The devised dual affinity
      tag strategy allowed successful purification of the full-length ataxin-1 fusion
      protein to 90% homogeneity as confirmed by Western blot analysis using the two
      monoclonal ataxin-1 antibodies developed in our laboratory. In addition, the GST
      tag was successfully removed from the purified ataxin-1 fusion protein by
      treatment with Tobacco etch virus (TEV) protease. Since polyglutamine-containing
      proteins tend to aggregate, solvents/buffers that minimize aggregation have been
      used in the purification process. This dual affinity purification protocol could
      serve as a useful basis for purifying aggregation-prone proteins that are
      involved in other neurodegenerative diseases.

PMID- 20304007
TI  - Using a rate-frequency curve method to assess the rewarding properties of
      morphine in the intracranial self-stimulation paradigm in rats.
AB  - Intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) is a sophisticated paradigm that can be used
      to assess the rewarding properties of drugs of abuse such as cocaine and
      amphetamine. Initial studies using this method to assess brain stimulation reward
      (BSR) examined the enhancement of response rates after drug administration. In
      the mid to late 1980s several groups began implementing paradigms to assess the
      direct rewarding effects of drugs of abuse that, for the most part, are
      independent of rate (i.e., progressive-ratio, auto-titration, rate-frequency
      curve), providing a representative assessment of a drugs rewarding effects.
      However, some drugs such as morphine and ethanol, which are known to have abuse
      potential, have sedative effects that may impede the ability to accurately
      quantify rewarding effects, even in these rate-independent paradigms. Few studies
      to date report effects of morphine in the ICSS paradigm and those that do appear
      to be inconsistent, lack robustness, have not been reproducible by other groups,
      or require inconvenient experimental designs. Here, we demonstrate a reliable and
      robust method to assess the rewarding effects of morphine using the rate
      frequency curve paradigm.

PMID- 20304005
TI  - Granger causality relationships between local field potentials in an animal model
      of temporal lobe epilepsy.
AB  - An understanding of the in vivo spatial emergence of abnormal brain activity
      during spontaneous seizure onset is critical to future early seizure detection
      and closed-loop seizure prevention therapies. In this study, we use Granger
      causality (GC) to determine the strength and direction of relationships between
      local field potentials (LFPs) recorded from bilateral microelectrode arrays in an
      intermittent spontaneous seizure model of chronic temporal lobe epilepsy before,
      during, and after Racine grade partial onset generalized seizures. Our results
      indicate distinct patterns of directional GC relationships within the
      hippocampus, specifically from the CA1 subfield to the dentate gyrus, prior to
      and during seizure onset. Our results suggest sequential and hierarchical
      temporal relationships between the CA1 and dentate gyrus within and across
      hippocampal hemispheres during seizure. Additionally, our analysis suggests a
      reversal in the direction of GC relationships during seizure, from an abnormal
      pattern to more anatomically expected pattern. This reversal correlates well with
      the observed behavioral transition from tonic to clonic seizure in time-locked
      video. These findings highlight the utility of GC to reveal dynamic directional
      temporal relationships between multichannel LFP recordings from multiple brain
      regions during unprovoked spontaneous seizures.

PMID- 20304008
TI  - Intrinsic optical imaging of directional selectivity in rat barrel cortex:
      application of a multidirectional magnetic whisker stimulator.
AB  - Using intrinsic optical imaging methods, somatosensory-evoked neural activity was
      visualized in the rat barrel cortex at high spatial resolution in order to obtain
      cortical maps of the directional selectivity of whisker deflection. For this
      task, a special multidirectional mechanical stimulator was developed in our
      laboratory. The vibrissae were covered with magnetic paint and deflection was
      performed using a custom-built deflecting device with four small crosswise
      electromagnets; the whisker was placed at the intersection of the magnet axes.
      The results show that differences between responses to directional deflection
      were indicated by a change in the intrinsic optical signal of incident light at
      546 nm corresponding to an increase in blood volume. Our results provide a
      preliminary indication that the different regions of the barrel have different
      directional preference, supporting recent electrophysiological studies suggesting
      that the barrel might have a fine, directionally-sensitive anatomical structure.

PMID- 20304009
TI  - Expression plasmids are only useful for the investigation of co-receptor tropism
      and fusion capacity of short HIV-1 envelope domains.
AB  - Expression vectors have been used widely to identify functionally important
      domains in HIV-1 glycoproteins. Env domains such as the V3 loop were amplified by
      polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and inserted into plasmids carrying the backbone
      of an HIV-1 reference strain like NL4-3. The hypothesis of the present approach
      was that cloning large domains of wild type envelopes yields constructs that are
      non-functional in co-receptor-expressing HeLaCD4 cells, in contrast to laboratory
      adapted HIV-1 strains. The background for this assumption was that primary HIV-1
      virions are frequently less infectious and lack fusion capacity in HeLaCD4 cells
      compared to laboratory-adapted (LA) viruses. To address this hypothesis, env
      domains of different length were amplified from a panel of X4-tropic HIV-1
      clinical isolates cultured in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) and cloned into
      the backbone of NL4-3 env. Constructs bearing either the V3 loops or 312
      nucleotides of the intracellular trunk (ICT) of gp41 led to a similar fusion
      capacity as NL4-3. In contrast, none of the plasmids carrying the 2322 N-terminal
      nucleotides of primary isolates led to similar syncytium formation. These results
      have an effect on studies that investigate pathogenic effects of Env regions with
      chimeric constructs in the backbone of HIV reference envelopes.

PMID- 20304010
TI  - Validation of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for visualised
      detection of wild-type classical swine fever virus.
AB  - Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a nucleic acid amplification
      method applied and adapted to the detection of a number of pathogens. A LAMP
      assay was developed for the specific detection of wild-type classical swine fever
      virus (CSFV). Based on an alignment of genomic sequences of pestiviruses
      available in GenBank, four primers were selected targeting six positions in the
      NS5B gene region of the viral genome. The assay was performed in a simple water
      bath at a constant temperature of 62 degrees C, and after adding SYBR Green I,
      the results were visualised by the naked eye. This assay allowed easy
      applicability in a laboratory that is equipped simply, or even on site, close to
      the outbreaks and under field conditions. For confirmation, the results could
      also be visualised under UV light or by separation of the amplified products on
      2% agarose gels. The detection limit of the assay was 2.5 medium tissue culture
      infectious dose (TCID(50)). The assay was validated with 116 clinical samples
      from vaccinated swineherds and 53 blood samples from experimental infections, and
      the results were comparable to a real-time RT-PCR assay. In summary, the LAMP
      assay provides a simple, rapid, and sensitive tool for the detection of wild-type
      CSFV under field conditions.

PMID- 20304012
TI  - Inhibition of replication of classical swine fever virus in a stable cell line by
      the viral capsid and Staphylococcus aureus nuclease fusion protein.
AB  - Classical swine fever (CSF) is one of the major diseases causing serious economic
      losses to the swine industry. To explore the feasibility of using capsid-targeted
      viral inactivation (CTVI) as an antiviral strategy against CSF infection, a
      plasmid pcDNA-Cap-SNase was constructed for expressing a fusion protein of CSFV
      capsid (Cap) and Staphylococcus aureus nuclease (SNase). Under G418 selection, a
      mammalian cell line PK-15 expressing stably the fusion protein Cap-SNase(PK
      15/Cap-SNase) could be detected by rabbit antiserum against CSFV capsid protein
      and had good nuclease activity in cleaving linearized plasmid DNA. The CSFV titer
      produced from infection of this PK-15/Cap-SNase stable cell line was reduced by
      an order of 10(2)-10(3.5) or 70.8% compared to that produced in control PK-15
      cells. Detection of the virus by ELISA indicated that CSFV propagation was
      inhibited in the PK-15/Cap-SNase cell line. It was demonstrated clearly that the
      fusion protein Cap-SNase could inhibit effectively the production of CSFV,
      resulting in a reduction in infectious titers. Therefore, CTVI may be valuable
      therapeutic approach against CSFV.

PMID- 20304011
TI  - Influenza virus-like particles as an antigen-carrier platform for the ESAT-6
      epitope of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
AB  - Various virus-like particles (VLPs) have been shown to induce cytotoxic T-cell
      immune response as well as B-cell immune response. This makes VLPs promising
      candidates for antigen-carrier platforms for various epitopes. Influenza A VLPs
      were produced displaying a 20 amino acid sequence from Mycobacterium tuberculosis
      early secretory antigenic target 6 protein (ESAT-6). As this sequence is known to
      comprise a potent T-cell epitope it was chosen as a model for a foreign epitope
      to be presented on an influenza VLP scaffold. The ESAT-6 epitope was engineered
      into the antigenic region B of the influenza hemagglutinin (HA) from strain A/New
      Caledonia/20/99. VLPs were expressed in insect cells and subjected to
      immunization studies in mice. High serum antibody titers detected against
      recombinant ESAT-6 demonstrated the feasibility of influenza A VLPs serving as an
      efficient platform for epitope presentation.

PMID- 20304013
TI  - Oligonucleotide microarray with a minimal number of probes for the detection and
      identification of thirteen genera of plant viruses.
AB  - A major challenge facing agriculture at present is the development of techniques
      that can screen field samples and other plant materials simultaneously for the
      presence of many viruses. Microarray techniques show promise in this regard, as
      their high throughput nature can potentially detect a range of viruses using a
      single test. In this paper we present an array that can detect a wide spectrum of
      169 plant virus species from 13 different genera. The array was constructed using
      an automated probe design protocol which generated a minimal number of probes to
      detect viruses at the genus level. The designed arrays showed a high specificity
      and sensitivity when tested with a set of standard virus samples. Field samples
      collected from a severe disease outbreak of Panax notoginseng farms in Yunnan,
      China, in 2001 were screened, where a potyvirus infection was identified
      associated with the disease.

PMID- 20304014
TI  - Single-chain fragment variable antibody against the capsid protein of bovine
      immunodeficiency virus and its use in ELISA.
AB  - Recombinant antibody specific for the capsid (CA) protein of bovine
      immunodeficiency virus (BIV) was generated in the form of single-chain fragment
      variable (ScFv) using the phage display technique for affinity selection. The
      variable heavy (V(H)) and variable light (V(L)) chain gene fragments were
      recovered from cells of CA-specific hybridoma (9G10) described previously. The
      V(H) and V(L) DNA fragments were assembled through a flexible linker DNA to
      generate ScFv fragment which was cloned in a phagemid expression vector to
      express ScFv protein. The specific reactivity of the expressed ScFv to the CA
      antigen was confirmed by Western blot, and the ScFv fragment was used to develop
      a competitive inhibition ELISA for detection of antibodies to BIV in cattle and
      buffalo. The recombinant antibody was shown to be more than four times sensitive
      than its parent monoclonal antibody (MAb, 9G10) by testing of spiked samples of
      reference positive sera. The improved sensitivity of the recombinant antibody
      based ELISA was confirmed by the detection of a larger proportion of animals with
      BIV antibody by it than by the MAb-based ELISA.

PMID- 20304015
TI  - Development and optimisation of a duplex real-time reverse transcription
      quantitative PCR assay targeting the VP7 and NS2 genes of African horse sickness
      virus.
AB  - Nucleotide sequences of 52 South African isolates of African horse sickness virus
      (AHSV) collected during 2004-2005 and including viruses of all nine AHSV
      serotypes, were used to design and develop a duplex real-time reverse
      transcription quantitative PCR (RT-PCR) assay targeting the VP7 (S8) and NS2 (S9)
      genes of AHSV. The assay was optimized for detection of AHSV in fresh and frozen
      blood of naturally infected horses. Assay performance was enhanced using random
      hexamers rather than gene-specific primers for RT, and with denaturation of
      double-stranded RNA in the presence of random hexamers. The assay was efficient
      with a linear range of at least five orders of magnitude. The analytical
      sensitivity of the assay was 132 copies of the target genes (4125 copies per ml
      of blood), and the assay was at least 10-fold more sensitive than virus isolation
      on BHK-21 cells. The assay was also highly specific because it did not detect
      related orbiviruses, such as bluetongue and equine encephalosis viruses.

PMID- 20304016
TI  - Development of a rapid and comprehensive proteomics-based arboviruses detection
      system.
AB  - A rapid and comprehensive protocol, which combines simple purification and liquid
      chromatography-electrospray ionisation-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI/MS/MS),
      was developed for identification of arboviruses in infected culture fluid. Using
      this protocol, various arboviruses were detected including uncommon viruses that
      were described previously as Banna virus and Yunnan orbivirus. This approach is
      useful for the rapid screening of viral samples that cannot be identified by
      conventional gene amplification or immunological methods.

PMID- 20304017
TI  - Simultaneous typing and HA/NA subtyping of influenza A and B viruses including
      the pandemic influenza A/H1N1 2009 by multiplex real-time RT-PCR.
AB  - Pandemic influenza A/H1N1 2009 and seasonal influenza viruses are currently co
      circulating worldwide. A rapid, sensitive, and specific assay for distinguishing
      pandemic influenza A/H1N1 2009 from seasonal influenza viruses and for subtyping
      seasonal influenza A viruses could aid in the surveillance and control of these
      viral infections. Here, such a multiplex real-time RT-PCR (rRT-PCR) assay for
      typing influenza A and B viruses and the pandemic influenza A/H1N1 2009 is
      developed. This assay can also subtype seasonal influenza A viruses
      simultaneously. The analytical sensitivity is 10-10(4) copies/reaction. The
      coefficients of variation of inter-assay and intra-assay are 0.04-0.45% and 0.08
      0.97%, respectively. The new multiplex rRT-PCR assay is more sensitive in
      subtyping seasonal influenza viruses than the conventional PCR techniques.
      Results obtained with this assay for the detection of pandemic influenza A/H1N1
      2009 are highly consistent (96.88%) with those achieved using the US CDC's rRT
      PCR protocol. A sample identified as "pandemic influenza A/H1N1 2009 positive" by
      the US CDC's rRT-PCR was reclassified correctly as subtype H3N2 using this assay.
      Taken together, this new multiplex rRT-PCR protocol could be an important tool
      for improving diagnosis and management of the pandemic influenza A/H1N1 2009 and
      seasonal influenza viruses.

PMID- 20304019
TI  - Tumor delivery of macromolecular drugs based on the EPR effect.
AB  - Enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect is the physiology-based
      principal mechanism of tumor accumulation of large molecules and small particles.
      This specific issue of Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews is summing up multiple data
      on the EPR effect-based drug design and clinical outcome. In this commentary, the
      role of the EPR effect in the intratumoral delivery of protein and peptide drugs,
      macromolecular drugs and drug-loaded long-circulating pharmaceutical nanocarriers
      is briefly discussed together with some additional opportunities for drug
      delivery arising from the initial EPR effect-mediated accumulation of drug
      containing macromolecular systems in tumors.

PMID- 20304018
TI  - Genetically engineered mannosylated-human serum albumin as a versatile carrier
      for liver-selective therapeutics.
AB  - Human serum albumin (HSA), a non-glycosylated protein, is widely employed as
      carrier for drug delivery systems. A series of recombinant, mannosylated-HSA
      mutants (Man-rHSAs: D63N, A320T and D494N) and their triple mutant (TM-rHSA:
      D63N/A320T/D494N) were prepared, that can be selectively delivered to the liver
      via mannose receptor (MR) on the liver non-parenchymal cells. A pharmacokinetic
      analysis of (111)In-Man-rHSAs in mice showed that they were rapidly cleared from
      the blood circulation, and were largely taken up by the liver rapidly in the
      order: TM-rHSA>D494N>>A320T=D63N, consistent with their degree of mannosylation.
      In vivo competition experiments with an excess amount of chemically modified Man
      BSA or mannan suggested that the hepatic uptake of TM-rHSA was selectively
      mediated by MR on Kupffer cells. Lastly, a TM-rHSA-NO conjugate, S-nitrosylated
      TM-rHSA, effectively delivered NO to the liver and then exhibited a significant
      inhibitory effect against hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury model rats,
      accompanied by the induction of heme oxygenase-1.

PMID- 20304020
TI  - Differential effect of platelet activating factor on 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium
      induced cell death through regulation of apoptosis-related protein activation.
AB  - Platelet activating factor (PAF) has been suggested to play a critical role in
      the pathogenesis of neurological disorders. We assessed the effect of PAF against
      the toxicity of 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP(+)), a parkinsonian toxin, in
      relation to apoptotic process. PAF exhibited differential effect against the
      MPP(+) toxicity in differentiated PC12 cells depending on concentration.
      Treatment with 0.75 microM PAF significantly attenuated the MPP(+)-induced
      increase in Bax levels, decrease in Bid and Bcl-2 levels, and mitochondrial
      membrane potential loss that lead to the release of cytochrome c and subsequent
      caspase-3 activation. The inhibitory effect of PAF was not associated with
      nuclear factor-kappaB activation. In contrast, PAF at the concentrations greater
      than 2.5 microM exhibited a toxicity and additive effect on the MPP(+) toxicity.
      The results show that PAF at low concentrations, which does not induce a
      significant toxicity, may prevent the MPP(+) toxicity by suppressing the
      apoptosis-related protein activation and mitochondrial membrane permeability
      change that lead to the cytochrome c release and caspase-3 activation. The
      preventive effect seems to be associated with the inhibitory effect on the
      formation of reactive oxygen species and depletion of GSH. In contrast, PAF at
      higher concentrations may exhibit an additive toxic effect against the MPP(+)
      toxicity by increasing apoptosis-related protein activation.

PMID- 20304022
TI  - Auditory and visual P300 reflecting cognitive improvement in patients with
      schizophrenia with quetiapine: a pilot study.
AB  - We recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) in patients with schizophrenia before
      and after treatment with quetiapine, to investigate this drug's effects on
      cognitive function. Auditory and visual oddball stimulus discrimination paradigms
      were presented to patients with schizophrenia (N=20) before and after 3months'
      treatment with quetiapine. The 2-stimulus auditory oddball paradigm used a
      standard tone (1000Hz, 75dB, 80%) and a target tone (2000Hz, 75dB, 20%). The 2
      stimulus visual oddball paradigm used a standard stimulus (small circle, 80%) and
      a target stimulus (large circle, 20%). Patients' severity of psychopathology was
      initially evaluated with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and was
      likewise re-evaluated after treatment. After treatment with quetiapine, patients'
      P300 amplitudes increased over baseline for both tasks (auditory stimuli, P<0.01;
      visual stimuli, P<0.01) and their P300 latencies for both target stimuli
      decreased significantly (auditory stimuli, P<0.001; visual stimuli, P<0.01).
      Visual P300 amplitude was negatively correlated with the severity of positive
      symptoms at the Fz electrode before the treatment (r=-0.45, P<0.05). After
      treatment with quetiapine, there were no significant correlations between
      severity of positive or negative symptoms and visual P300 amplitudes for midline
      electrodes. These findings suggest that the reduced and delayed P300 may be a
      state marker for schizophrenia, which may in turn be modulated by positive
      symptoms, and also suggest that the amplitude and latency for both auditory and
      visual tasks may be decreased by quetiapine treatment. Based on these results, we
      suggest that the atypical antipsychotic quetiapine may improve some aspects of
      cognitive domains in patients with schizophrenia.

PMID- 20304021
TI  - Haplotype analysis of the interleukin-18 gene in Czech patients with allergic
      disorders.
AB  - The interleukin-18 (IL-18) gene on chromosome 11q22 has been suggested as a
      susceptibility factor for allergies. To test for a possible role of IL-18
      polymorphisms in Czech population, case-control study including 958 subjects (633
      allergic patients and 325 healthy controls) was performed. An allele-specific
      polymerase chain reaction was used to analyze variants at positions -607 C/A
      (rs1946518) and -137 G/C (rs187238) in the promoter region together with the
      polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method for the
      detection of polymorphism at position -140 C/G (previously -133 C/G, rs360721) in
      intron 1 of the IL-18 gene. The -1297 C/T (rs360719) polymorphism was genotyped
      by real-time-polymerase chain reaction, using a predevelopment TaqMan allele
      discrimination assay. There were no significant differences in distribution of
      alleles or genotypes in any of four single nucleotide polymorphisms in the IL-18
      gene between controls and patients. However, subsequent analysis revealed a
      significant difference in haplotype frequencies between the allergic patients and
      healthy subjects (p < 0.01). Haplotype formed by -1297 C/-607 A/-137 C/-140 C
      alleles occurred significantly more frequently in patients than controls (0.0433
      vs 0.0129; p < 0.0003; p(corr)< 0.01, OR = 3.37; 95% CI = 1.59-7.14). In
      contrast, there was no relationship among the IL-18 variants and total serum IgE
      level. Our results indicate that promoter polymorphisms in the IL-18 gene act in
      interaction and could play a role in allergic disorders.

PMID- 20304023
TI  - Changes of metabolic profiles in urine after oral administration of quercetin in
      rats.
AB  - Quercetin has been studied extensively. However, its actions in vivo are not well
      understood. We investigated the overall metabolic changes in urine after oral
      quercetin administration in rats and try to provide useful information on the
      actions of quercetin in vivo. Rats were orally administered a single dose of
      quercetin aglycon (40 mg/kg body weight). Urine samples were collected and
      subjected to (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomic analysis and
      high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Significant
      changes of metabolic profiles were observed in urine after quercetin
      administration. Relative increase in the concentrations of choline, creatinine,
      dimethylglycine, hippurate, taurine, trimethylamine N-oxide and reduction in
      acetate, alanine, lactate were observed. The concentrations of citrate, 2
      oxoglutarate and succinate increased in the 0-24h period after treatment and
      decreased thereafter. Some peaks assignable to quercetin metabolites were found
      in the aromatic regions of (1)H NMR spectra. HPLC-MS analysis identified
      quercetin, methyl quercetin, quercetin sulfate, quercetin monoglucuronide, and
      methyl quercetin monoglucuronide in urine after administration of quercetin. Our
      current findings indicate that quercetin behaves not only as an antioxidant, but
      also a modulator for some metabolic processes in vivo. The active forms of
      quercetin present in the biofluids must be investigated further.

PMID- 20304024
TI  - Chromium and iron determinations in food and herbal plant samples by atomic
      absorption spectrometry after solid phase extraction on single-walled carbon
      nanotubes (SWCNTs) disk.
AB  - A preconcentration-separation procedure has been established based on solid phase
      extraction of Fe(III) and Cr(III) on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs)
      disk. The analyte ions were quantitatively recovered at pH 8.0 on single-walled
      carbon nanotubes disk that contains 30 mg of nanotube. The influences of matrix
      components were tolerable. The detection limits for iron and chromium were
      calculated as 2.12 and 4.08 microg/l, respectively. The presented method was
      validated by the analysis of lichen (IAEA-336), CRM025-050 Metals on soil and BCR
      032 Moroccan Phosphate rock certified reference materials. The method was
      successfully applied to the preconcentration and separation of iron and chromium
      in some food and herbal plant samples from Turkey.

PMID- 20304025
TI  - Prevention of lipopolysaccharide-induced mouse lethality by resveratrol.
AB  - The present study was undertaken to determine whether subacute treatment with
      resveratrol (RVT) protects mice against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced
      oxidative stress and mortality as well as the mechanism involved in such
      protection. Mice were divided into three groups: control, LPS and LPS+RVT.
      Animals were pre-treated with RVT during 7 days. The survival rate was monitored
      over 48 h after LPS administration. Survival animals were sacrificed, their
      kidney, liver and brain homogenized for malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT)
      activity, free iron and nitric oxide (NO) determination. Plasma was also
      processed for transaminases, creatinine, urea, NO and iron measurement. Pre
      treatment with resveratrol greatly improved the survival rate of LPS-treated
      mice. Resveratrol counteracted LPS-induced tissue lipoperoxidation and catalase
      activity depletion. The polyphenol abrogated LPS-induced liver and kidney
      dysfunction as increased creatinine and urea as well as transaminases activities.
      In addition, pre-treatment with resveratrol abrogated LPS-induced tissues and
      plasma NO elevation and iron sequestration from plasma to tissue compartment.
      These data suggest that resveratrol prevents LPS-induced lethality and that its
      mode of action may involve differential iron deposition via iron shuttling
      proteins.

PMID- 20304026
TI  - Alaternin attenuates delayed neuronal cell death induced by transient cerebral
      hypoperfusion in mice.
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine whether alaternin exhibits neuroprotective
      activity after transient cerebral hypoperfusion induced by bilateral common
      carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO). Mice were subjected to BCCAO, and circulation
      was restored after 20 min. Alaternin (10 mg/kg, p.o) treatment significantly
      prevented nitrotyrosine and lipid peroxidation, as well as BCCAO induced
      inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression. Alaternin also significantly
      reduced microglial activation (a marker of inflammation). The number of viable
      neurons detected by Nissl staining increased with alaternin (10 mg/kg, p.o)
      treatment at 7 days post-BCCAO. In the passive avoidance task, alaternin
      significantly ameliorated BCCAO-induced cognitive impairments (P<0.05). These
      results suggest that the neuroprotective effects of alaternin are mediated by its
      anti-inflammatory and radical scavenging activities.

PMID- 20304027
TI  - Determination of total mercury in chicken feed, its translocation to different
      tissues of chicken and their manure using cold vapour atomic absorption
      spectrometer.
AB  - In this study, the contents of total mercury (Hg) present in poultry feed,
      tissues of broiler chicken and manure were assessed. For this purpose, chicken
      feeds (five brands), different tissues of broiler chicken of two age groups (1-3
      and 4-6 week) and manure samples were collected from five commercial poultry
      farms of Hyderabad, Pakistan. The Hg concentrations in feeds, chicken tissues
      (leg, muscle, liver and heart) and manure samples were determined by CVAAS, prior
      to microwave assisted acid digestion in closed vessels. For validation, a
      certified reference material, DORM-2 was used. The limit of detection and
      quantitation were 0.117 and 0.382 microg/kg, respectively The Hg concentration in
      different chicken feed were found in the range of 8.57-16.5 microg/kg. The
      concentration of Hg in chicken tissues were found in the range of 2.54-5.54
      microg/kg (liver), 1.27-3.86 microg/kg (muscles) and 2.13-3.27 microg/kg (heart).
      The bioaccumulation factors (BAF) for Hg in different tissues were found in the
      range of 0.092-0.269. The obtained data shows the high correlation coefficient
      between feed and manure, while low r-values were obtained between Hg levels in
      feed and tissues of broiler chicken of two age groups.

PMID- 20304028
TI  - Antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of Moltkia petraea (Tratt.) Griseb.
      flower, leaf and stem infusions.
AB  - Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities as well as the quantity of phenolic
      substances (total phenol, flavonoid and phenolic acid contents) were determined
      in aqueous extracts of leaves, stems and flowers of Moltkia petraea (Tratt.)
      Griseb. from two mountainous localities (Sveti Jure and Snijeznica) in Croatia.
      In addition, the profile of phenolic acids was analyzed by UPLC-MS/MS.
      Antioxidant activities of all extracts in different test systems, namely the DPPH
      radical scavenging, reducing power assay and chelating activity, increased with
      extract concentration. Activity of the extracts from Snijeznica in beta-carotene
      linoleic acid assay did not differ from the activity of standard, BHA. The leaf
      extracts from Snijeznica demonstrated superior antioxidant activity in most of
      the assays, while the stem extract from the same locality was the most effective
      Fe(2+) ion chelator. In general, the extracts from Snijeznica were more effective
      antioxidants than the corresponding extracts from Sveti Jure. The aqueous
      extracts of M. petraea did not show antimicrobial activity against bacteria and
      fungi tested in the diffusion and dilution assays.

PMID- 20304029
TI  - Tyrosine phosphorylation of SHIP promotes its proteasomal degradation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The activity of the SH2-containing-phosphatidylinositol-5'-phosphatase
      (SHIP, also known as SHIP1), a critical hematopoietic-restricted negative
      regulator of the PI3 kinase (PI3K) pathway, is regulated in large part via its
      protein levels. We sought to determine the mechanism(s) involved in its
      downregulation by BCR-ABL and by interleukin (IL)-4. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      used Ba/F3(p210-tetOFF) cells to study the downregulation of SHIP by BCR-ABL and
      bone marrow-derived macrophages to study SHIP's downregulation by IL-4. RESULTS:
      We show herein that BCR-ABL downregulates SHIP, but not SHIP2 or PTEN, and this
      can be blocked with the Src kinase inhibitor PP2, which inhibits the tyrosine
      phosphorylation of SHIP, or with the proteasomal inhibitor MG-132. We also show,
      using anti-SHIP immunoprecipitates, that c-Cbl and Cbl-b are associated with SHIP
      and that BCR-ABL induces SHIP's polyubiquitination. This ubiquitination can be
      blocked with PP2, consistent with the tyrosine phosphorylation of SHIP acting as
      a signal for its ubiquitination. In bone marrow-derived macrophages, IL-4 also
      leads to the proteasomal degradation of SHIP but, unlike in Ba/F3(p210-tetOFF)
      cells, SHIP2 is also proteasomally degraded and the degradation of both inositol
      phosphatases can be prevented with PP2 or MG-132. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest
      that SHIP protein levels can be reduced via BCR-ABL and/or Src family member
      induced tyrosine phosphorylation of SHIP because this triggers its
      polyubiquitination and degradation within the proteasome.

PMID- 20304030
TI  - MAP1B binds to the NMDA receptor subunit NR3A and affects NR3A protein
      concentrations.
AB  - Incorporation of the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) subunit NR3A into
      functional NMDARs results in reduced channel conductance and Ca(2+) permeability.
      To further investigate the function of NR3A, we have set out to characterize its
      intracellular binding partners. Here, we report a novel protein interaction
      between NR3A and microtubule associated-protein (MAP) 1B, which both are
      localized to dendritic shafts and filopodia. NR3A protein levels were increased
      in MAP1B deficient (-/-) mice, with a corresponding decrease in NR1 levels, but
      the fraction of filopodia immunoreactive for NR3A was equal in cells from -/- and
      wild type (WT) mice. NR3A has previously been shown to interact with another
      member of the MAP1 family, MAP1S. We showed that MAP1S binds to microtubules in a
      similar manner as MAP1B, and suggest that MAP1S and MAP1B both are involved in
      regulating trafficking of NR3A-containing NMDAR.

PMID- 20304031
TI  - Early event-related potentials changes during simple mental calculation in
      Chinese older adults with mild cognitive impairment: A case-control study.
AB  - The aim was to examine early event-related potential (ERP) changes during mental
      arithmetic calculation task in mild cognitive impairment patients compared to
      healthy elderly. 16 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) subjects and 16 healthy
      Chinese older adults were studied. Event-related potentials were elicited using a
      simple mental calculation task. Performance on arithmetic calculation task, and
      the latency and amplitude of early event-related potential components (N1, P1,
      N170, and P2) were compared between the two groups. The reaction time of MCI
      group was significantly longer than that of control group (1691.03+/-94.59 vs.
      1539.55+/-27.76, P<0.01). The correct rate of MCI group (0.9463+/-0.04) was
      significantly lower than that of control group (0.9776+/-0.02, P<0.01). The
      latency of temporal-occipital N170 and central-prefrontal P2 of MCI group were
      significantly prolonged compared to controls. MCI subjects presented
      significantly higher P2 amplitude. Compared with healthy controls, N170 was
      significantly lower at left temporal-occipital region and higher at right
      temporal-occipital region in mild cognitive impairment. Mild cognitive impairment
      patients had deficit on simple calculation. The early arithmetic calculation
      processing mechanism of mild cognitive impairment patients may be different from
      normal people.

PMID- 20304032
TI  - Acute hypoxia promote the phosphorylation of tau via ERK pathway.
AB  - Tau phosphorylation and hypoxia are both linked to the pathology of Alzheimer's
      disease. To find out the possible connection between hypoxia and tau
      phosphorylation, we performed this study to evaluate the level of phosphorylated
      tau under hypoxic or normal condition. We found in our study that hypoxia
      promoted the phosphorylation of tau protein via ERK pathway, which suggest
      hypoxia might be involved in the process of tau pathology.

PMID- 20304034
TI  - Galactose specific adhesin of enteroaggregative E. coli induces IL-8 secretion
      via activation of MAPK and STAT-3 in INT-407 cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) is one of the most common
      bacterial pathogens associated with the etiology of persistent diarrhea. A
      characteristic feature of EAEC-pathogenesis is the induction of profound
      inflammatory response in the intestinal epithelium. The present study was
      designed to investigate the underlying mechanism of inflammatory responses
      induced by a novel galactose specific adhesin of T7 strain of EAEC (EAEC-T7) in
      human intestinal epithelial cell line (INT-407). METHODS: INT-407 cells were
      stimulated with the adhesin in the absence and presence of anti-adhesin
      (IgG(AD))/d-galactose/H7/staurosporin (inhibitor of PKC)/PD098059 (inhibitor of
      MEK)/SB203580 (inhibitor of p38-MAPkinase)/AG490 (inhibitor of JAK (-2,-3)/STAT-3
      pathway). The expression of activated Raf-1, MEK-1, ERK1/2, JNK, p38-MAPK and
      STAT-3 was analyzed by Western immunoblot. Release of interleukin-8 (IL-8) was
      measured by ELISA. RESULTS: The adhesin was found to induce activation of Raf-1,
      MEK-1, ERK1/2, p38-MAPK and STAT-3, which was reduced in the presence of
      IgG(AD)/d-galactose. The activation of Raf-1 was found to be attenuated in the
      presence of H7/staurosporin. The expression of phosphorylated STAT-3 was
      downregulated in the presence of AG490 and PD098059. Further, the adhesin induced
      IL-8 secretion was reduced in the presence of the inhibitors of MEK (PD098059),
      p38-MAPK (SB203580) and JAK (-2,-3)/STAT-3 pathway (AG490). CONCLUSIONS: We
      propose that STAT-3 activation is quintessential for the galactose specific
      adhesin induced IL-8 secretion by INT-407 cells and must occur in concert with
      the activation of ERK1/2. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: Our contribution regarding the
      galactose specific adhesin mediated signaling leads to an improved understanding
      of the EAEC-pathogenesis and may provide novel therapeutic approaches to combat
      EAEC infection.

PMID- 20304035
TI  - Structure-function relationships in the context of reinforcement-related
      learning: a combined diffusion tensor imaging-functional magnetic resonance
      imaging study.
AB  - In the context of probabilistic learning, previous functional magnetic resonance
      imaging studies have shown decreasing uncertainty accompanying decreasing
      neuronal activation in task-relevant networks. Moreover, initial evidence points
      to a relationship between white matter structure and cognitive performance.
      Little is known, however, about the structural correlates underlying individual
      differences in activation and performance in the context of probabilistic
      learning. This combined functional magnetic resonance imaging-diffusion tensor
      imaging study aimed at investigating the individual ability to reduce processing
      resources with decreasing uncertainty in direct relation to individual
      characteristics in white matter brain structure. Results showed that more
      successful learners, as compared with less successful learners, exhibited
      stronger activation decreases with decreasing uncertainty. An increased mean and
      axial diffusivity in, among others, the inferior and superior longitudinal
      fasciculus, the posterior part of the cingulum bundle, and the corpus callosum
      were detectable in less successful learners compared with more successful
      learners. Most importantly, there was a negative correlation between uncertainty
      related activation and diffusivity in a fronto-parieto-striatal network in less
      successful learners only, indicating a direct relation between diffusivity and
      the ability to reduce processing resources with decreasing uncertainty. These
      findings indicate that interindividual variations in white matter characteristics
      within the normal population might be linked to neuronal activation and
      critically influence individual learning performance.

PMID- 20304036
TI  - Natriuretic peptide receptors are expressed in rat retinal ganglion cells.
AB  - Natriuretic peptides (NPs) exert their actions through three membrane-bound
      receptors, which are known as NP receptors (NPRs: NPR-A, NPR-B and NPR-C). In
      this work we examined the expression of three NPRs in rat retinal ganglion cells
      (GCs), retrogradely labeled and intracellularly dye-injected, by double
      immunofluorescence labeling. In vertical sections, almost all GCs, retrogradely
      labeled by cholera toxin B, were stained by antibodies against the three NPRs.
      The labeling for three NPRs was observed mainly on the membranes of the somata of
      GCs, whereas the staining for NPR-A was also seen in the cytoplasm. Moreover,
      with tangential sections, almost all cells located in the ganglion cell layer
      were NPR-A, B, C immunoreactive. By combining with intracellular injection of
      Neurobiotin into GCs in whole mount retinas that enables to identify ON-, OFF-
      and ON-OFF-types of GCs according to arborization of their dendrites in the inner
      plexiform layer, we further demonstrated that NPRs were expressed in these major
      types of GCs.

PMID- 20304033
TI  - Serum ferritin: Past, present and future.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Serum ferritin was discovered in the 1930s, and was developed as a
      clinical test in the 1970s. Many diseases are associated with iron overload or
      iron deficiency. Serum ferritin is widely used in diagnosing and monitoring these
      diseases. SCOPE OF REVIEW: In this chapter, we discuss the role of serum ferritin
      in physiological and pathological processes and its use as a clinical tool. MAJOR
      CONCLUSIONS: Although many aspects of the fundamental biology of serum ferritin
      remain surprisingly unclear, a growing number of roles have been attributed to
      extracellular ferritin, including newly described roles in iron delivery,
      angiogenesis, inflammation, immunity, signaling and cancer. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE:
      Serum ferritin remains a clinically useful tool. Further studies on the biology
      of this protein may provide new biological insights.

PMID- 20304037
TI  - IFN-gamma-mediated upmodulation of MHC class I expression activates tumor
      specific immune response in a mouse model of prostate cancer.
AB  - De novo expression of B7-1 impaired tumorigenicity of TRAMP-C2 mouse prostate
      adenocarcinoma (TRAMP-C2/B7), but it did not elicit a protective response against
      TRAMP-C2 parental tumor, unless after in vitro treatment with IFN-gamma. TRAMP-C2
      cells secrete TGF-beta and show low MHC-I expression. Treatment with IFN-gamma
      increased MHC-I expression by induction of some APM components and antagonizing
      the immunosuppressant activity of TGF-beta. Thus, immunization with TRAMP-C2/B7
      conferred protection against TRAMP-C2-derived tumors in function of the IFN-gamma
      mediated fine-tuned modulation of either APM expression or TGF-beta signaling. To
      explore possible clinical translation, we delivered IFN-gamma to TRAMP-C2 tumor
      site by means of genetically engineered MSCs secreting IFN-gamma.

PMID- 20304038
TI  - EV71: an emerging infectious disease vaccine target in the Far East?
AB  - Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common viral illness in infants and
      children caused by viruses that belong to the enterovirus genus of the
      picornavirus family. Although most HFMD do not result in serious complications,
      outbreaks of HFMD caused by enterovirus 71 (EV71) can present with a high rate of
      neurological complications, including meningoencephalitis, pulmonary
      complications, and possibly death. HFMD caused by EV71 has become a major
      emerging infectious disease in Asia and the highly pathogenic potential of EV71
      clearly requires the attention of world medical community. Although vaccine
      development for EV71 is active and ongoing in Asian countries, a greater joint
      effort is needed for vaccine researchers and developers in both developed and
      developing countries to produce a safe and effective EV71 vaccine.

PMID- 20304039
TI  - Estrogenic and serotonergic butenolides from the leaves of Piper hispidum Swingle
      (Piperaceae).
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Our previous work has demonstrated that several
      plants in the Piperaceae family are commonly used by the Q'eqchi Maya of
      Livingston, Guatemala to treat amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, and pain. Extracts of
      Piper hispidum Swingle (Piperaceae), bound to the estrogen (ER) and serotonin (5
      HT7) receptors. AIM OF THE STUDY: To investigate the estrogenic and serotonergic
      activities of Piper hispidum extracts in functionalized assays, identify the
      active chemical constituents in the leaf extract, and test these compounds as
      agonists or antagonists of ER and 5-HT7. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The effects of
      the Piper hispidum leaf extracts were investigated in estrogen reporter gene and
      endogenous gene assays in MCF-7 cells to determine if the extracts acted as an
      estrogen agonist or antagonist. In addition, the active compounds were isolated
      using ER- and 5-HT7 receptor bioassay-guided fractionation. The structures of the
      purified compounds were identified using high-resolution LC-MS and NMR
      spectroscopic methods. The ER- and 5-HT7-agonist effects of the purified chemical
      constituents were tested in a 2ERE-reporter gene assay in MCF-7 cells and in
      serotonin binding and functionalized assays. RESULTS: Three butenolides including
      one new compound (1) were isolated from the leaves of Piper hispidum, and their
      structures were determined. Compound 1 bound to the serotonin receptor 5-HT(7)
      with IC(50) values of 16.1 and 8.3 microM, respectively, and using GTP shift
      assays, Compound 1 was found to be a partial agonist of the 5-HT(7) receptor. The
      Piper hispidum leaf extracts, as well as Compounds 2 and 3 enhanced the
      expression of estrogen responsive reporter and endogenous genes in MCF-7 cells,
      demonstrating estrogen agonist effects. CONCLUSIONS: Extracts of Piper hispidum
      act as agonists of the ER and 5-HT(7) receptors. Compound 1, a new natural
      product, identified as 9,10-methylenedioxy-5,6-Z-fadyenolide, was isolated as the
      5-HT(7) agonist. Compounds 2 and 3 are reported for the first time in Piper
      hispidum, and identified as the estrogen agonists. No inhibition of CYP450 was
      observed for any of these compounds in concentrations up to 1 microM. These
      activities are consistent with the Q'eqchi traditional use of the plant for the
      treatment of disorders associated with the female reproductive cycle.

PMID- 20304040
TI  - Antinociceptive effect of Zanthoxylum rhoifolium Lam. (Rutaceae) in models of
      acute pain in rodents.
AB  - AIM OF THE STUDY: Zanthoxylum rhoifolium Lam. (Rutaceae) is locally known as
      "mamica de cadela", and its bark is popularly used for toothache and earache. The
      objective of this study was to investigate the antinociceptive effect of the
      ethanolic extract from this species' stem bark (EtOH), its fractions of partition
      (hexane-HEX, ethyl acetate-AcOEt, aqueous-AQ) and lupeol (a triterpene obtained
      from HEX) in models of acute pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male and female Swiss
      mice (25-35 g, n=6-12 animals/group) were used to assess acute toxicity and
      nociception (Animal Ethics Committee/UFPI, No. 09/2008). Acute toxicity was
      studied up to 2 g/kg p.o. of EtOH. In the formalin test (2%, 20 microL/paw), the
      licking time of the stimulated paw was quantified during the first 5 min (first
      phase) and at 15-30 min (second phase), 1h after oral treatment with EtOH, HEX,
      AcOEt or saline, and 30 min after use of morphine-MOR (5 mg/kg i.p.). The same
      response evoked by capsaicin (2 microg/20 microL/paw) was quantified during 5
      min, after administration of EtOH, HEX, AcOEt, AQ, saline and MOR. The licking
      time of the paw that was stimulated with glutamate (10 micromol/20 microL) was
      measured (15 min) after treatment with EtOH, HEX, AcOEt, AQ, lupeol, saline or
      MK801 (0.03 mg/kg, i.p.). Mice were submitted to the rota-rod task and open-field
      test in order to assess any non-specific muscle-relaxant or sedative effects of
      EtOH (250 mg/kg p.o.) and HEX (500 mg/kg p.o.). RESULTS: The animals did not
      exhibit any acute toxicity to EtOH (up to 2 g/kg p.o.), so it was not possible to
      calculate the LD50. EtOH, HEX and AcOEt (62.5-250 mg/kg) produced a significant
      antinociceptive effect in the formalin and capsaicin tests. However, AQ was
      ineffective. EtOH, HEX, AcOEt and lupeol reduced the glutamate-evoked nociceptive
      response, but AQ had no effect. EtOH and HEX did not alter the locomotion of
      animals in the open-field or rota-rod tests, which suggest a lack of a central
      depressant effect. CONCLUSION: The results confirm the popular use of Zanthoxylum
      rhoifolium as an analgesic, and contribute to the pharmacological knowledge of
      this species because it was shown that EtOH and its less polar partition
      fractions (HEX, AcOEt) have an antinociceptive effect in models of chemical
      nociception, and that lupeol appears to be one of the constituents responsible
      for this effect.

PMID- 20304041
TI  - Ovarian status influenced the rate of body-weight change but not the total amount
      of body-weight gained or lost in female CBA/J mice.
AB  - Previously we reported that prepubertally ovariectomized mice that received
      young, transplanted ovaries at a postreproductive age displayed a 40% increase in
      life expectancy. To study this increase in life expectancy in greater detail,
      prepubertally ovariectomized and ovary-intact CBA/J mice underwent ovarian
      transplantation at 11 months with 60-day-old ovaries or a sham surgery. Life span
      was significantly increased in transplant recipients. Body-weight changes of mice
      in each group were measured from the time of surgery (11 months) to death.
      Neither ovariectomy nor ovarian transplantation influenced the amount of peak
      body-weight attained or body-weight retained at death. However, the time (days)
      to peak body-weight was decreased by ovariectomy and ovarian transplant
      recipients displayed a trend toward an increase in time to peak weight. In
      addition, ovarian transplantation decreased the rate of weight loss to death.
      These results demonstrate that ovarian status, examined by means of ovariectomy
      and ovarian transplantation, clearly influenced the rate of weight change, but
      not the total amount of weight gain or loss in female mice.

PMID- 20304042
TI  - Development of a rapid screening and surveillance for estrogenic chemicals in
      environment based on recombinant yEGFP yeast cell.
AB  - A recombinant yEGFP gene yeast strain necessary for the routine screening of
      estrogen activity in the chemical product of the environment was described. Two
      plasmids, one containing human estrogen receptor (hER) cDNA fused to the GPD gene
      promoter and another yEGFP inserted under the control of ERE, were constructed.
      The use of hER cDNA and the yEGFP reporter in the yeast cell sensor resulted in
      estrogenic chemical product-dependent light emission of yEGFP without additions
      owing its advantages: a simple and reagent-free measurement of GFP, and a non
      toxic protein characteristic. The time needed for the optimal induction of light
      emission was 4h. The maximal fold induction of 8.80 over uninduced levels at the
      concentration of 10(-5)M of bisphenol A and 0.1 nM sensitivities for four
      different estrogenic chemicals tested were obtained. Five different chemicals
      which could not bind to hER did not cause an induction of yEGFP. This bioassay
      can be performed completely in 96-well plates. Thus, this test system can be used
      as a rapid screening system for the surveillance of estrogenic chemical products
      in the environment. The yEGFP assay is sensitive, reproducible, and cheap, which
      makes it highly suitable to be used as a high throughput system.

PMID- 20304043
TI  - Prolyl endopeptidase mRNA expression in the central nervous system during rat
      development.
AB  - Prolyl endopeptidase (PEP) is a serine protease that cleaves small peptides at
      the carboxyl side of L-proline. PEP has been reported to have important functions
      in the brain being implicated in learning and memory processes, psychological
      disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. Several PEP substrates have been shown
      to play a role during brain development and this observation led us to
      investigate the expression of PEP mRNA in the rat brain and spinal cord, from
      embryo to adult stages. In situ hybridization revealed that PEP mRNA is expressed
      early, from embryonic day 15, notably in germinative areas including the
      neocortical, hippocampal, pallidal, thalamic, anterior hypothalamic, tectal,
      cerebellar, pontine and medullary neuroepithelia. PEP mRNA was also found in the
      differentiating fields of the olfactory bulb, the orbital and cingulate cortex,
      the hippocampal formation, the cortical plate and the subventricular zone of the
      cortex. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis in various brain areas and the spinal cord
      showed that PEP mRNA levels are more abundant during the perinatal stages,
      coinciding with a period of neuronal migration and differentiation. From then on,
      PEP mRNA expression decreased, reaching its lowest levels at adulthood. Overall,
      the present data support the possibility that PEP exerts specific functions
      related to neurodevelopment besides those proposed to date.

PMID- 20304044
TI  - Detection of nitric oxide by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy.
AB  - Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy has been used in a number of
      ways to study nitric oxide chemistry and biology. As an intrinsically stable and
      relatively unreactive diatomic free radical, the challenges of detecting this
      species by EPR are somewhat different from those of transient radical species.
      This review gives a basic introduction to EPR spectroscopy and discusses its uses
      to assess and quantify nitric oxide formation in biological systems.

PMID- 20304045
TI  - Pro-oxidant activity of apocynin radical.
AB  - Apocynin has been widely used as an NADPH oxidase inhibitor in many experimental
      models. However, concern regarding the efficacy, selectivity, and oxidative side
      effects of the inhibitor is increasing. In this study, our aim was to
      characterize the pro-oxidant properties of apocynin and the structurally-related
      compounds vanillin and vanillic acid. Glutathione (GSH), cysteine, ovalbumin, and
      the coenzyme NADPH were chosen as potential target biomolecules that could be
      affected by transient free radicals from apocynin, vanillin and vanillic acid.
      Additionally, trolox and rifampicin were used as models of hydroquinone moieties,
      which are particularly susceptible to oxidation. Transient radicals were
      generated by horseradish peroxidase/hydrogen peroxide-mediated oxidation. In the
      presence of apocynin, oxidation of GSH was increased seven-fold, and the product
      of this reaction was identified as GSSG. Similar results were obtained for
      oxidation of cysteine and ovalbumin. Oxidation of the coenzyme NADPH increased
      more than 100-fold in the presence of apocynin. Apocynin also caused rapid
      oxidation of trolox and rifampicin to their quinone derivatives. In conclusion,
      the pro-oxidant activity of apocynin is related to its previous oxidation leading
      to transient free radicals. This characteristic may underlie some of the recent
      findings regarding beneficial or deleterious effects of the phytochemical.

PMID- 20304046
TI  - Regeneration capability of Lin-/c-Kit+/Sca-1+ cells with or without radiation
      exposure for repopulation of peripheral blood in lethally irradiated mice
      monitored using Ly5.1 isotype on days 35, 90, and 270 after transplantation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Hematopoietic stem cells are supposed to repopulate and maintain long
      term regeneration of the recipient's bone marrow and peripheral blood. In this
      study, we evaluated the regeneration capability of Lin(-)/c-Kit(+)/Sca-1(+) (LKS)
      cells, the putative hematopoietic stem cells, after radiation exposure at graded
      doses, for long-term regeneration of peripheral blood in lethally irradiated
      recipients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: LKS primitive progenitor cells, collected from
      the bone marrow of Ly5.1 mice that had been irradiated at graded increased doses
      (0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 Gy) were transfused into lethally irradiated (9.5 Gy) Ly5.2
      mice. Then, the Ly5.1 chimeric ratio in repopulated peripheral blood cells in the
      recipients was monitored. A reactive oxygen species (ROS)-reacting CM-H(2)DCFDA
      dye was used to evaluate the amount of ROS in LKS primitive progenitor cells
      with/without irradiation. Moreover, the amount of intracytoplasmic ROS generated
      after irradiation was estimated in terms of percent attenuation of cellular
      increase in number by the treatment with 100 microM N-acetyl-L-cysteine before
      irradiation. RESULTS: Differential regeneration capability of LKS cells
      irradiated at graded increased doses showed a dose-dependent suppression of
      regeneration of peripheral blood in the recipient mice as compared with LKS cells
      without radiation exposure. The amount of intracytoplasmic ROS in LKS cells was
      much smaller than that in mature bone marrow cells, and that of ROS in LKS
      increased slightly after radiation exposure, as evaluated by CM-H(2)DCFDA dye
      fluorescence analysis. The estimated amount of ROS generated in LKS cells after
      radiation exposure was different between progenitor cells for early regeneration
      and those for late regeneration; namely, the amount of ROS in progenitors on day
      270 were estimated to be smaller than that in progenitors for day 35 or day 90.
      CONCLUSIONS: Because of the small amount of generated radiation-induced ROS
      calculated in terms of attenuation rate after N-acetyl-L-cysteine treatment,
      progenitor cells regenerating peripheral blood cells 270 days after transfusion
      were assumed to be anaerobic and more immature and radioresistant than those on
      day 35 or day 90. However, limited long-term regeneration capability (up to 270
      days) of steady-state LKS cells than that of unfractionated rescue bone marrow
      cells suggests that LKS cells do not seem to be true hematopoietic stem cells.

PMID- 20304047
TI  - Prenatal MDMA exposure delays postnatal development in the rat: a preliminary
      study.
AB  - 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDMA (ecstasy) is a synthetic illicit drug
      which is widely consumed throughout the world. Drug abuse during pregnancy may
      have an impairing effect on the progeny of drug-abusing mothers. The purpose of
      the present study was to assess the effect of prenatal MDMA exposure on the
      progeny development, using a rat model. Pregnant animals were injected daily with
      MDMA (10 mg/kg) between the 13th and 20th days of gestation. Male and female pups
      were then tested throughout the lactation period on the appearance and
      improvement of physical and sensory motor parameters. Appearance of some physical
      features (eyes opening and incisor eruption) and neurological reflexes as well as
      improving performances in negative geotaxis, gait and inclined board tests were
      delayed in pups prenatally exposed to MDMA compared to saline-treated pups. In
      contrast, functions that are necessary for survival such as forelimb reflex (that
      enables suckling) were present in both groups. At four weeks of age, MDMA animals
      recovered to normal level in all studied parameters. The delay in physical and
      neurological reflex development could be interpreted as alterations in maturation
      of some neuronal circuitries induced by prenatal MDMA exposure.

PMID- 20304048
TI  - Microemulsion formulations for the transdermal delivery of testosterone.
AB  - The objective was to develop a microemulsion formulation for the transdermal
      delivery of testosterone. Microemulsion formulations were prepared using oleic
      acid as the oil phase, Tween20 as a surfactant, Transcutol as cosurfactant, and
      water. The microemulsions were characterized visually, with the polarizing
      microscope, and by dynamic light scattering. In addition, the pH, conductivity
      (sigma) and viscosity (eta) of the formulations were measured. Moreover,
      differential scanning calorimetry and diffusion-ordered nuclear magnetic
      resonance spectroscopy were used to study the formulations investigated.
      Conductivity measurements revealed, as a function of the weight fraction of the
      aqueous phase, the point at which the microemulsion made the transition from
      water-in-oil to bicontinuous. Alterations in the microstructure of the
      microemulsions, following incorporation of testosterone, have been evaluated
      using the same physical parameters (pH, sigma and eta) and via Fourier-transform
      infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), (1)H NMR and (13)C NMR. These methods were also
      used to determine the location of the drug in the colloidal formulation. Finally,
      testosterone delivery from selected formulations was assessed across porcine skin
      in vitro in Franz diffusion cells. The physical parameter determinations,
      combined with the spectroscopic studies, demonstrated that the drug was
      principally located in the oily domains of the microemulsions. Testosterone was
      delivered successfully across the skin from the microemulsions examined, with the
      highest flux achieved (4.6+/-0.6microgcm(-2)h(-1)) from a formulation containing
      3% (w/v) of the active drug and the composition (w/w) of 16% oleic acid, 32%
      Tween20, 32% Transcutol and 20% water. The microemulsions considered offer
      potentially useful vehicles for the transdermal delivery of testosterone.

PMID- 20304049
TI  - Delivery of DNA-based cancer vaccine with polyethylenimine.
AB  - DNA-based vaccine directed to tumor-specific antigens is an attractive strategy
      in cancer prevention and therapy. In view of the poor immunogenicity of most
      tumor-associated antigens, studies were carried out here to examine the adjuvant
      effect of polyethylenimine (PEI), a cationic polymer widely used in non-viral
      gene delivery, on the efficacy of cancer vaccine strategy. Treatment of animals
      with the DNA/PEI complexes resulted in antigen-specific cell lysis and activation
      of B3Z cells, an ovalbumin/K(b)-specific cytotoxic clone that recognizes the
      target cells through the class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC)
      molecules. Immunohistochemical examination showed that PEI-mediated DNA
      vaccination induced cell death and significant lymphocyte infiltration at the
      injection sites. Immunization of C57BL/6J mice with the DNA/PEI complexes either
      preceded or after tumor cell inoculation suppressed tumor growth and prolonged
      the survival rate of the animals. Results obtained in this study illustrated the
      potential use of PEI as an adjuvant in DNA-based cancer vaccination for induction
      of protective and therapeutic immunity.

PMID- 20304050
TI  - Active packaging for topical cosmetic/drug products: a hot-melt extruded
      preservative delivery device.
AB  - A delivery device intended for the prolonged release of antimicrobial agents,
      able to enhance the stability profile of liquid/semi-solid
      cosmetic/pharmaceutical products for topical application, was proposed in the
      present study. With the aid of a simulation program based on compartment models,
      the relevant kinetic and formulation parameters were defined using dehydroacetic
      acid sodium salt (DHA.Na, Prevan) as the model preservative. Indeed, the overall
      DHA.Na degradation rate is increased in the presence of formaldehyde releasers
      that are often employed as co-preservatives. Inert matrices (3 g weight and 18 mm
      diameter) based on high-density polyethylene (HDPE), possibly consistent with the
      design of an active packaging meant for preservative delivery, were prepared by
      hot-melt extrusion. Units with satisfactory physical-technological properties
      could be obtained up to 50%w/w loads of antimicrobial agent. In an attempt to
      modify the relevant Fickian release profiles by varying the area exposed to the
      medium, matrix systems coated with an impermeable film except for one base (CMs)
      or for the inner surface of a central drilled hole (PCMs) were investigated. On
      the basis of the n exponent of power equation and the outcome of linear fitting,
      PCMs were proven able to yield the zero-order release behaviour needed to ensure
      constant DHA.Na levels over a predetermined time period, as indicated by the
      simulation process.

PMID- 20304051
TI  - Vitamin D supplementation suppresses age-induced bone turnover in older women who
      are vitamin D deficient.
AB  - There is a lack of evidence that improving vitamin D status, without changing
      calcium intake, has a positive effect on bone turnover as indicated by bone
      marker changes. The objective was to measure the effect of vitamin D
      supplementation, in vitamin D deficient women (25(OH)D concentration<50 nmol/L),
      on osteocalcin (OC) and C-telopeptide (CTX). The study design was a randomised
      controlled intervention administering 4000 IU vitamin D3 or placebo daily for 6
      months to South Asian women, aged>20 years. Subjects were stratified by age and
      menopausal status. Median (25th, 75th percentile) serum 25(OH)D increased
      significantly from 21 (11, 40) to 75 (55, 84) nmol/L with supplementation. In
      women>49 years or postmenopausal (n=26), who were not supplemented (n=13), CTX
      and OC levels increased (P=0.001, P=0.004 respectively), indicating an increased
      rate of bone turnover. With supplementation CTX decreased (P=0.012) and there was
      no significant change in OC. In women who were under 49 years and premenopausal
      (n=55; 29 supplemented), there was no significant response to supplementation in
      either CTX or OC. We conclude that correcting vitamin D deficiency in older women
      suppresses the age-induced increase in bone turnover and reduces bone resorption
      which would normally be exacerbated in conditions of low serum 25(OH)D.

PMID- 20304052
TI  - Gemini vitamin D analog suppresses ErbB2-positive mammary tumor growth via
      inhibition of ErbB2/AKT/ERK signaling.
AB  - Numerous synthetic vitamin D analogs have been studied for their effects on the
      prevention and treatment of breast cancer. However, the inhibitory effects of
      naturally occurring 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 or its synthetic analogs on
      ErbB2 overexpressing mammary tumorigenesis have not been reported. Gemini vitamin
      D analogs are novel synthetic vitamin D derivatives with a unique structure of
      two six-carbon chains at C-20. We have previously shown that Gemini vitamin D
      analogs significantly inhibited carcinogen-induced estrogen receptor (ER)
      positive mammary tumorigenesis and reduced ER-negative MCF10DCIS.com xenograft
      tumor growth without hypercalcemic toxicity. In the present study, we have
      determined the inhibitory effect of a potent Gemini vitamin D analog BXL0124
      (1alpha,25-dihydroxy-20R-21(3-hydroxy-3-deuteromethyl-4,4,4-trideuterobutyl)-23
      yne-26,27-hexafluoro-cholecalciferol) on the ErbB2/Her-2/neu overexpressing
      mammary tumorigenesis. The Gemini BXL0124 inhibits ErbB2-positive mammary tumor
      growth and down-regulates the phosphorylation of ErbB2, ERK and AKT in tumors of
      MMTV-ErbB2/neu transgenic mice. These effects of Gemini BXL0124 in vivo were
      confirmed by using the ErbB2 overexpressing tumor cells derived from the mammary
      tumors of MMTV-ErbB2/neu mice. In conclusion, the Gemini vitamin D analog BXL0124
      inhibits the growth of ErbB2 overexpressing mammary tumors through regulating the
      ErbB2/AKT/ERK signaling pathways, suggesting that Gemini vitamin D analog may be
      considered for translational studies.

PMID- 20304053
TI  - Expression of vitamin D receptor (VDR), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and 15
      hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH) in benign and malignant ovarian
      tissue and 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25(OH2)D3) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2)
      serum level in ovarian cancer patients.
AB  - Ovarian carcinomas are associated with increased inflammation which is based upon
      an up-regulation of inducible cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Moreover, based on our
      previous published data, the extra-renal vitamin D metabolism seems to be
      dysregulated in comparison to healthy tissue. In order to gain further insight
      into the prostaglandin (PG)- and vitamin D-metabolism in ovarian carcinomas, the
      study aimed to evaluate the expression of the PG metabolising enzymes COX-2 and
      15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH) compared to the vitamin D
      receptor (VDR) in benign and malignant ovarian tissues. Additionally, we
      determined the 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25(OH2)D3) serum levels. Expression of
      VDR, COX-2 and 15-PGDH was determined by Western blot analysis. Serum levels of
      25(OH2)D3 and PGE2 were measured by chemiluminescence-based and colorimetric
      immunoassay. We detected significantly higher expressions of the PG metabolising
      enzymes 15-PGDH and COX-2 in malignant tissue and PGE2 serum levels were 2-fold
      higher in tumour patients. Furthermore, we found an inverse correlation to the
      VDR-expression which was 62.1% lower in malignant tissues compared to that in
      benign tissues. Surprisingly, we could not detect any differences between the
      25(OH2)D3 serum levels in either group (n=20). These data suggest a correlation
      between PG- and vitamin D-metabolism in ovarian carcinomas.

PMID- 20304054
TI  - Developmental vitamin D3 deficiency induces alterations in immune organ
      morphology and function in adult offspring.
AB  - Vitamin D3 deficiency and insufficiency are common in women of child-bearing age.
      This may be cause for concern because vitamin D3 is a well known regulator of
      immune function and epidemiological evidence has suggested that immune disorders,
      including autoimmune diseases, could have developmental origins. However, it is
      not known whether a developmental deficiency in vitamin D3 could lead to
      persistent changes in the immune system in adult offspring. Given the prominence
      of receptors for vitamin D3 within immune cells we hypothesised that the
      developmental absence of vitamin D3 may alter thymic development and thus produce
      associated functional changes in T cells. We have developed a model of
      developmental vitamin D3 (DVD) deficiency in Sprague-Dawley rats, in which the
      vitamin D3 deficiency is transient and restricted to gestation. First we
      demonstrate that DVD deficiency induced an increase in central but not peripheral
      immune organ size. Second when stimulated, lymphocytes from DVD-deficient rats
      exhibit a pro-inflammatory phenotype. This is the first study to show that a
      transient vitamin D3 deficiency restricted to gestation can persistently alter
      aspects of immune phenotype and function in the adult offspring. Given an
      increased incidence of vitamin D3 deficiency in women of child-bearing age these
      findings may be highly relevant for autoimmune disorders with a developmental
      basis.

PMID- 20304055
TI  - The metabolism of 25-(OH)vitamin D3 by osteoclasts and their precursors regulates
      the differentiation of osteoclasts.
AB  - Current evidence suggests that levels of 25-(OH)vitamin D3 (25D), rather than
      1alpha,25-(OH)2vitamin D3 (1,25D), directly affect bone mineralization and that
      the skeleton is a site of extra-renal synthesis of 1,25D. Since cells of the
      monocyte lineage can also metabolise 25D, it is possible that osteoclasts
      participate in local production of, and the response to, 1,25D. In this study, we
      investigated the effects of vitamin D metabolism on osteoclastogenesis using both
      the murine RAW 264.7 cell line and the human peripheral blood mononuclear cell
      (PBMC) models. PBMC-derived osteoclasts expressed cytoplasmic cyp27b1 and nuclear
      vdr proteins. PBMC expressed CYP27B1 mRNA, levels of which increased during RANKL
      induced differentiation into osteoclasts in both cell types. While 1,25D elicited
      a robust CYP24 transcriptional response in PBMC, the response to 25D was
      approximately 100-fold less at the concentrations used. Using media devoid of pre
      existing vitamin D metabolites, we found that 25D was metabolised by RAW 264.7
      cells to 1,25D and resulted in significant elevation in the numbers of TRAP
      positive, multinucleated osteoclasts when present in the cultures for the first 3
      5 days. These results suggest that vitamin D metabolism by osteoclast lineage
      cells is an important regulator of osteoclast formation.

PMID- 20304056
TI  - Epigenetic regulation of vitamin D converting enzymes.
AB  - While 25-OH-D3 serum levels in humans undergo a large seasonal variation, 1,25
      (OH)2-D3 is regulated within a narrow range. We speculate that in addition to the
      known genomic and nongenomic regulation there could be further epigenetic
      mechanisms involved. We annotated the human CYP27B1 (alpha-1-hydroxylase) and
      CYP24A1 (24-hydroxylase) genes for CpG islands and sequenced these in bisulfite
      treated DNA extracted of peripheral blood lymphocytes from 384 individuals. 40
      CpG sites could be analyzed, of these 15 in CYP27B1 and 25 in CYP24A1. The
      average methylation ratio (MR) in CYP27B1 was 11% (s.d. 5%) with the highest
      ratio observed in exon 1 (38%). CYP24A1 showed only a 6.5% MR (s.d. 5%). Neither
      CYP24A1 nor CYP27B1 MR correlated with season of examination date nor with
      current 25-OH-D3 and 1,25-(OH)2-D3 serum levels except of a weak association of
      three consecutive CYP27B1 CpG sites and 25-OH-D3 levels. In summary, human PBLs
      showed only weak methylation in the upstream region of CYP27B1 and none in
      CYP24A1. As PBLs represent an heterogeneous pool of cells, a further analysis of
      the seasonal methylation pattern in B or T cell subsets (or other tissues like
      liver or kidney) is warranted including an extended coverage of the CYP27B1
      promotor.

PMID- 20304057
TI  - Interaction between vitamin D receptor with caveolin-3 and regulation by 1,25
      dihydroxyvitamin D3 in adult rat cardiomyocytes.
AB  - We show that 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) and a synthetic non
      genotropic vitamin D analog agonist, 1a,25(OH)2-lumisterol (JN), exhibit similar
      rapid effects on sarcomere shortening (contraction) of isolated adult
      cardiomyocyte. We also report that the vitamin D receptor (VDR) specifically
      interacts with caveolin-3 in the t-tubules and sarcolemma of isolated adult rat
      cardiac myocytes. Confocal immunofluorescence microscopy analysis showed co
      localization of VDR and caveolin-3 in the t-tubules and sarcolemma of
      cardiomyocytes. Co-immunoprecipitation studies using VDR antibodies revealed that
      caveolin-3 specifically co-precipitates with the VDR and similarly the VDR is co
      precipitated with caveolin-3 antibody. VDR is also in association with Serca-2,
      the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase, as demonstrated by co
      immunoprecipitation, suggesting a role of VDR in regulating cardiac contractility
      by direct interaction with Serca-2. Treatment of isolated adult rat
      cardiomyocytes with 10 nM 1,25(OH)2D3 for 1 h caused decreased association
      between VDR and caveolin-3. These discoveries of the association between VDR and
      caveolin-3 and the regulation of this interaction by 1,25(OH)2D3 are
      fundamentally important in understanding 1,25(OH)2D3 signal transduction in heart
      cells and suggest a novel mechanism for VDR in the regulation of heart structure
      and function.

PMID- 20304058
TI  - Synthesis and preliminary biological evaluation of 20-epi-eldecalcitol [20-epi
      1alpha,25-dihydroxy-2beta-(3-hydroxypropoxy)vitamin D3: 20-epi-ED-71].
AB  - Eldecalcitol [1alpha,25-dihydroxy-2beta-(3-hydroxypropoxy)vitamin D3, developing
      code: ED-71] is an analog of active vitamin D3, 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3
      [1,25(OH)2D3] that possesses a hydroxypropoxy substituent at the 2beta-position
      of 1,25(OH)2D3. Eldecalcitol has potent biological effects on bone and is now in
      preparation for approval as a promising medicine for the treatment of
      osteoporosis in Japan. To explore chemical structure-biological activity
      relationships between eldecalcitol and related analogs, we have already
      synthesized 1-epi-eldecalcitol, 3-epi-eldecalcitol, and 1,3-diepi-eldecalcitol
      with inherent biological interests of each targeted analog and evaluated their
      biological responses. It has been reported that 20-epi-1,25(OH)2D3, a
      diastereomer of 1,25(OH)2D3 that possesses an inverted methyl substituent at the
      20-position of the side chain, shows remarkably enhanced biological activities
      compared to parental compound, 1,25(OH)2D3. As a continuation of our modification
      studies on eldecalcitol, we took great interest in 20-epi-eldecalcitol and its
      biological responses. In this paper, the synthesis of 20-epi-eldecalcitol by the
      Trost coupling reaction between the A-ring fragment and the C/D-ring fragment as
      well as in vitro preliminary biological evaluation of 20-epi-eldecalcitol are
      described. In the induction of human myeloid leukemia cell (HL-60)
      differentiation, inhibition of the human histiocytic lymphoma cell (U937)
      proliferation, and increase in osteocalcin concentration in the human
      osteosarcoma cell (MG-63), 20-epi-eldecalcitol showed significantly enhanced
      activity compared to eldecalcitol.

PMID- 20304060
TI  - WITHDRAWN: Epigenetic modifications involved in the opposing regulation of
      CYP27B1 expression by the vitamin D receptor and parathyroid hormone.
AB  - This article has been withdrawn at the request of the author(s) and/or editor.
      The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. The full Elsevier
      Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at
      http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy.

PMID- 20304059
TI  - Epigenetic silencing of CYP24 in the tumor microenvironment.
AB  - Calcitriol (1,25 dihydroxycholecalciferol) has significant anti-tumor activity in
      vitro and in vivo in a number of tumor model systems. We developed a system for
      isolation of fresh endothelial cells from tumors and Matrigel environments which
      demonstrate that CYP24, the catabolic enzyme involved in vitamin D signaling, is
      epigenetically silenced selectively in tumor-derived endothelial cells (TDEC).
      TDEC maintain phenotypic characteristics which are distinct from endothelial
      cells isolated from normal tissues and from Matrigel plugs (MDEC). In TDEC,
      calcitriol induces G(0)/G(1) arrest, modulates p27 and p21, and induces apoptotic
      cell death and decreases P-Erk and P-Akt. In contrast, endothelial cells isolated
      from normal tissues and MDEC are unresponsive to calcitriol-mediated anti
      proliferative effects despite intact signaling through the vitamin D receptor
      (VDR). In TDEC, which are sensitive to calcitriol, the CYP24 promoter is
      hypermethylated in two CpG island regions located at the 5'end; this
      hypermethylation may contribute to gene silencing of CYP24. The extent of
      methylation in these two regions is significantly less in MDEC. Lastly, treatment
      of TDEC with a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor restores calcitriol-mediated
      induction of CYP24 and resistance to calcitriol. These data suggest that
      epigenetic silencing of CYP24 modulates cellular responses to calcitriol.

PMID- 20304061
TI  - Vitamin D and diabetes.
AB  - On the basis of evidence from animal and human studies, vitamin D has emerged as
      a potential risk modifier for type 1 and type 2 diabetes (type 1 diabetes and
      type 2 diabetes). Vitamin D is thought to have both direct (through activation of
      the vitamin D receptor) and indirect (via regulation of calcium homeostasis)
      effects on various mechanisms related to the pathophysiology of both types of
      diabetes, including pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction, impaired insulin action and
      systemic inflammation. Observational case-control studies have shown that vitamin
      D supplementation in pregnancy or early childhood is associated with reduced risk
      of incident type 1 diabetes. There are no trials on the effect of vitamin D
      (ergocalciferol or cholecalciferol) on type 1 diabetes. An association between
      vitamin D insufficiency and incident type 2 diabetes has been reported in
      longitudinal observational studies, but the association is not consistent.
      Results from small underpowered trials and post-hoc analyses of data from larger
      trials designed for bone-specific outcomes show no effect of vitamin D
      supplementation on glycemia in healthy adults but vitamin D may retard the
      progression to diabetes in adults with glucose intolerance. Because vitamin D is
      an excellent marker of general health status, the positive results reported in
      some observational studies might reflect unmeasured and unaccounted confounding.
      Therefore, the hypothesis that vitamin D may modify diabetes risk needs to be
      confirmed in trials specifically designed for that purpose.

PMID- 20304062
TI  - A novel nonsecosteroidal VDR agonist (CH5036249) exhibits efficacy in a
      spontaneous benign prostatic hyperplasia beagle model.
AB  - To date, there have been no reports showing the efficacy of nonsecosteroidal
      vitamin D receptor (VDR) agonists in a benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) animal
      model. To examine the efficacy of CH5036249, a novel nonsecosteroidal VDR
      agonist, we orally administered the compound at 0.03 microg/kg to a beagle model
      with spontaneous BPH. Prostate volume was checked by rectal ultrasonic probe
      periodically during 11 months of administration and the prostate tissues
      histologically examined. CH5036249 inhibited prostate growth in two out of three
      dogs compared with vehicle-treated dogs. In the prostate specimens, substantial
      atrophy of the epithelium was observed in all dogs administered CH5036249. At the
      dose given, serum calcium levels slightly increased in the CH5036249-treated dogs
      but stayed within a normal range. We next examined the cell growth inhibition of
      CH5036249 using human prostate stromal cells and found the cell growth inhibitory
      activity of CH5036249 to be comparable to that of 1alpha,25(OH)2D3. The
      bioavailability from oral administration in rats was 95.1% with a t1/2 of 17.6 h.
      Both micro-AMES and micronucleus tests were negative. Although the results are
      still preliminary, we consider the novel nonsecosteroidal VDR agonist CH5036249
      to be a possible new drug candidate for the treatment of BPH in humans.

PMID- 20304063
TI  - Involvement of ganglionic cholinergic receptors on the steroidogenesis in the
      luteal phase in rat.
AB  - The ovarian nervous plexus (ONP) is one of the principal extrinsic innervation
      pathways reaching the ovary from the superior mesenteric ganglion (SMG). The aims
      of this work were: (a) to determine if acetylcholine (Ach) in the SMG modifies
      the release of steroids and ovarian nitrites in an ex vivo SMG-ONP-ovary system
      on dioestrus (D) I and II, and (b) to demonstrate if the activities and gene
      expression of the steroidogenic enzymes 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3beta
      HSD) and 20alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (20alpha-HSD) are modified by
      cholinergic stimulus. The system was incubated in Krebs-Ringer buffer bicarbonate
      at 37 degrees C in metabolic bath. Ach (10(-6)M) was used as cholinergic agonist.
      Ach in SMG increased progesterone release at all the incubation times on DI and
      DII (*p<0.001). Androstenedione increased at 15 and 30min on DI, and at 30min on
      DII whereas nitric oxide (NO) increased at 30min on DI, and at 15 and 30min on
      DII. The activity of 3beta-HSD increased whereas the activity of 20alpha-HSD
      decreased (*p<0.001) on DI and DII. The gene expression of 3beta-HSD showed a
      significant increase at 120min on DI and DII ((o)p<0.01) and 20alpha-HSD
      diminished only on DII. The results show the importance of the SMG via the
      ovarian nervous plexus on the regulation of the steroid secretory activity and on
      the ovarian release of NO in the luteal phase. The complex synaptic connections
      in the prevertebral ganglia and the sympathetic ganglionic chain participate in
      the neuroendocrinological mechanisms that take place during the luteal
      steroidogenesis.

PMID- 20304064
TI  - Increased migratory properties of aortal smooth muscle cells exposed to
      calcitriol in culture.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of 1,25(OH)2D3
      (calcitriol) on SMC (smooth muscle cell) migration, especially in the context to
      atherogenesis. SMCs were obtained from the aortas of newborn Wistar rats by
      enzymatic digestion. Different aspects of cell behavior during migration in
      culture were examined by phase contrast, fluorescence and electron microscopy
      (TEM, SEM) and supported by flow cytometric and biochemical analyses.
      Morphological studies revealed that supra-physiological (1-100 nmol/l)
      concentrations of calcitriol inhibit SMC differentiation, therefore these cells
      display several hallmarks of the synthetic state. Dynamic changes in actin
      cytoskeleton organization were a critical event in SMC shape, adhesion and
      spreading. Calcitriol diminished stress fibers assembly and focal adhesions
      formation. Reduced expression of beta1-integrin receptors on SMC surface after
      exposition to calcitriol coincided with increased proliferative and migratory
      activities of these cells. Moreover, after calcitriol stimulation, the ability of
      SMCs to the production of proinflamatory cytokines IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha and IL-6
      was inhibited. The results from these comparative investigations indicate that
      1,25(OH)2D3 inhibit differentiation and facilitate SMC migration in culture. It
      has been also suggested that such responses of SMCs to calcitriol play a
      beneficial role in fibrous cap formation during atherosclerotic process.

PMID- 20304065
TI  - Subtypes of immunoglobulin (Ig)-G antibodies against donor class II HLA and cross
      match results in three kidney transplant candidates.
AB  - Preexisting donor-specific antibodies (DSA) play a critical role in the success
      of solid-organ transplantation. Cross-match (CM) between donor lymphocytes and
      recipient serum is a pivotal methodology for detecting these antibodies. Luminex
      platform based solid-phase methodology for anti-human leukocyte antigen (HLA)
      antibody analysis has revolutionized the approach to antibody detection and HLA
      specificity identification. In this study, we have reported three cases of
      successful living donor kidney transplantations performed against strongly
      positive B lymphocyte flow cytometry (FC) CM owing to highly reactive DSA
      directed to HLA class II. IgG solid-phase subtype analysis showed that more than
      50% of these antibodies were represented by non-complement binding IgG2/IgG4
      subtypes. These findings account for antibody mediated rejection (AMR) free long
      term post-transplant course in these patients despite, the high level of DSA.
      Thus, we conclude that routine application of single HLA-coated beads (SAB) IgG
      subtype assay may provide new insights regarding transplantation or
      desensitization of patients presenting with negative B-cell complement dependent
      cytotoxic (CDC) and positive FC CM.

PMID- 20304066
TI  - Progression of dopaminergic depletion in a model of MPTP-induced Parkinsonism in
      non-human primates. An (18)F-DOPA and (11)C-DTBZ PET study.
AB  - Dopaminergic depletion in the nigrostriatal system is the neurochemical hallmark
      of Parkinson's disease (PD). Although numerous efforts have been made to
      determine the evolution of dopaminergic depletion in PD, "in vivo" data
      concerning the stages of this process are still scarce. We evaluated 6-[18F]
      fluoro-l-DOPA ((18)F-DOPA) and 11C-(+)-alpha-dihydrotetrabenazine ((11)C-DTBZ)
      using PET in a model of chronically MPTP-induced parkinsonism in non-human
      primates. METHODS: Sixty-seven cynomolgus monkeys (Macacafascicularis) were
      included in the study. Progressive parkinsonism was induced by repeated
      administration of small doses of MPTP (iv) over several months. Animals were
      classified as controls, asymptomatic, recovered (having exhibited parkinsonian
      features transiently) and stable parkinsonian, according to their motor status.
      Analysis of striatal dopaminergic activity was conducted by regions of interest
      (ROI) and statistical parametric mapping (SPM) over normalized parametric images.
      RESULTS: A progressive loss of striatal uptake was evident among groups for both
      radiotracers, which correlated significantly with the clinical motor status.
      Changes occurred earlier, i.e. in the less affected stages, with (11)C-DTBZ.
      Similar results were achieved by ROI and SPM analysis. Uptake was similar with
      both radiotracers for the asymptomatic and recovered groups. CONCLUSIONS: Serial
      assessment with (18)F-DOPA and (11)C-DTBZ PETs provides an effective approach to
      evaluate evolution of dopaminergic depletion in monkeys with MPTP-induced
      parkinsonism. This approach could be useful to perform studies aiming to test the
      effect of early therapeutic intervention and putative neuroprotective treatments.

PMID- 20304067
TI  - Neurodevelopmental disorders involving genomic imprinting at human chromosome
      15q11-q13.
AB  - Human chromosome 15q11-q13 is subject to regulation by genomic imprinting, an
      epigenetic process by which genes are expressed in a parent-of-origin specific
      manner. Three neurodevelopmental disorders, Prader-Willi syndrome, Angelman
      syndrome, and 15q duplication syndrome, result from aberrant expression of
      imprinted genes in this region. Here, we review the current literature pertaining
      to mouse models and recently identified patients with atypical deletions, which
      shed light on the epigenetic regulation of the chromosome 15q11-q13 subregion and
      the genes that are responsible for the phenotypic outcomes of these disorders.

PMID- 20304068
TI  - Disruption of the epigenetic code: an emerging mechanism in mental retardation.
AB  - Mental retardation (MR) is a highly diverse group of cognitive disorders. Gene
      defects account for about half of all patients and mutations causative for
      impaired cognition have been identified in more than 400 genes. While there are
      numerous genetic defects underlying MR, a more limited number of pathways is
      emerging whose disruption appears to be shared by groups of MR genes. One of
      these common pathways is composed of MR genes that encode regulators of chromatin
      structure and of chromatin-mediated transcription regulation. Already more than
      20 "epigenetic MR genes" have been identified and this number is likely to
      increase in the coming years when deep sequencing of exomes and genomes will
      become commonplace. Prominent examples of epigenetic MR genes include the methyl
      CpG-binding protein MECP2 and the CREB binding protein, CBP. Interestingly,
      several epigenetic MR proteins have been found to interact directly with one
      another or act together in complexes that regulate the local chromatin structure
      at target genes. Thus, it appears that the functions of individual epigenetic MR
      proteins converge onto similar biological processes that are crucial to neuronal
      processes. The next challenge will be to gain more insight into patterns of
      altered DNA methylation and histone modifications that are caused by epigenetic
      gene mutations and how these will disrupt the brain-specific expression of target
      genes. Such research may reveal that a wide variety of mutations in the genetic
      code result in a more limited number of disruptions to the epigenetic code. If
      so, this will provide a rationale for therapeutic strategies.

PMID- 20304069
TI  - Increase of GABAA receptor-mediated tonic inhibition in dentate granule cells
      after traumatic brain injury.
AB  - Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can result in altered inhibitory neurotransmission,
      hippocampal dysfunction, and cognitive impairments. GABAergic spontaneous and
      miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs and mIPSCs) and tonic
      (extrasynaptic) whole cell currents were recorded in control rat hippocampal
      dentate granule cells (DGCs) and at 90days after controlled cortical impact
      (CCI). At 34 degrees C, in CCI DGCs, sIPSC frequency and amplitude were
      unchanged, whereas mIPSC frequency was decreased (3.10+/-0.84Hz, n=16, and 2.44+/
      0.67Hz, n=7, p<0.05). At 23 degrees C, 300nM diazepam increased peak amplitude of
      mIPSCs in control and CCI DGCs, but the increase was 20% higher in control
      (26.81+/-2.2pA and 42.60+/-1.22pA, n=9, p=0.031) compared to CCI DGCs (33.46+/
      2.98pA and 46.13+/-1.09pA, n=10, p=0.047). At 34 degrees C, diazepam did not
      prolong decay time constants (6.59+/-0.12ms and 6.62+/-0.98ms, n=9, p=0.12), the
      latter suggesting that CCI resulted in benzodiazepine-insensitive pharmacology in
      synaptic GABA(A) receptors (GABA(A)Rs). In CCI DGCs, peak amplitude of mIPSCs was
      inhibited by 100microM furosemide (51.30+/-0.80pA at baseline and 43.50+/-5.30pA
      after furosemide, n=5, p<0.001), a noncompetitive antagonist of GABA(A)Rs with an
      enhanced affinity to alpha4 subunit-containing receptors. Potentiation of tonic
      current by the GABA(A)R delta subunit-preferring competitive agonist THIP (1 and
      3microM) was increased in CCI DGCs (47% and 198%) compared to control DGCs (13%
      and 162%), suggesting the presence of larger tonic current in CCI DGCs; THIP
      (1microM) had no effect on mIPSCs. Taken together, these results demonstrate
      alterations in synaptic and extrasynaptic GABA(A)Rs in DGCs following CCI.

PMID- 20304070
TI  - Mechanisms underlying the losartan treatment-induced improvement in the
      endothelial dysfunction seen in mesenteric arteries from type 2 diabetic rats.
AB  - It is well known that type 2 diabetes mellitus is frequently associated with
      vascular dysfunction and an elevated systemic blood pressure, yet the underlying
      mechanisms are not completely understood. We previously reported that in
      mesenteric arteries from established type 2 diabetic Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima
      fatty (OLETF) rats, which exhibit endothelial dysfunction, there is an imbalance
      between endothelium-derived vasodilators [namely, nitric oxide (NO) and
      hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF)] and vasoconstrictors [contracting factors (EDCFs)
      such as cyclooxygenase (COX)-derived prostanoids]. Here, we investigated whether
      the angiotensin II receptor antagonist losartan might improve endothelial
      dysfunction in OLETF rats at the established stage of diabetes. In mesenteric
      arteries isolated from OLETF rats [vs. those from age-matched control Long-Evans
      Tokushima Otsuka (LETO) rats]: (1) the acetylcholine (ACh)-induced relaxation was
      impaired, (2) the NO- and EDHF-mediated relaxations were reduced, (3) the ACh
      induced EDCF-mediated contraction and the production of prostanoids were
      increased, and (4) superoxide generation was increased. After such OLETF rats had
      received losartan (25 mg/kg/day p.o. for 4 weeks), their isolated mesenteric
      arteries exhibited: (1) improvements in ACh-induced NO- and EDHF-mediated
      relaxations, (2) reduced EDCF- and arachidonic acid-induced contractions, (3)
      suppressed production of prostanoids, (4) reduced PGE(2)-mediated contraction,
      and (5) reduced superoxide generation. Within the timescale studied here,
      losartan did not change the protein expressions of endothelial NO synthase, COX1,
      or COX2 in mesenteric arteries from either OLETF or LETO rats. Losartan thus
      normalizes vascular dysfunction in this type 2 diabetic model, and the above
      effects may contribute to the reduction of adverse cardiovascular events seen in
      diabetic patients treated with angiotensin II receptor blockers.

PMID- 20304072
TI  - DNA methylation profiling using the methylated-CpG island recovery assay (MIRA).
AB  - The methylated-CpG island recovery assay (MIRA) exploits the intrinsic
      specificity and the high affinity of a methylated-CpG-binding protein complex
      (MBD2B and MBD3L1) to methylated CpG dinucleotides in genomic DNA. The MIRA
      approach works on double-stranded DNA and does not depend on the application of
      methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes. It can be performed on a few hundred
      nanograms of genomic DNA. Recently, the MIRA technique has been used to profile
      DNA methylation patterns at a resolution of 100 base pairs along the entire
      genome of normal human B-lymphocytes. The MIRA method is compatible with
      microarray and next generation DNA sequencing approaches. We describe the
      principles and details of this method applied for methylation profiling of
      genomes containing methylated CpG sequences.

PMID- 20304071
TI  - The expression of ELK transcription factors in adult DRG: Novel isoforms,
      antisense transcripts and upregulation by nerve damage.
AB  - ELK transcription factors are known to be expressed in a number of regions in the
      nervous system. We show by RT-PCR that the previously described Elk1,
      Elk3/Elk3b/Elk3c and Elk4 mRNAs are expressed in adult dorsal root ganglia (DRG),
      together with the novel alternatively spliced isoforms Elk1b, Elk3d and
      Elk4c/Elk4d/Elk4e. These isoforms are also expressed in brain, heart, kidney and
      testis. In contrast to Elk3 protein, the novel Elk3d isoform is cytoplasmic,
      fails to bind ETS binding sites and yet can activate transcription by an indirect
      mechanism. The Elk3 and Elk4 genes are overlapped by co-expressed Pctk2 (Cdk17)
      and Mfsd4 genes, respectively, with the potential formation of Elk3/Pctaire2 and
      Elk4/Mfsd4 sense-antisense mRNA heteroduplexes. After peripheral nerve injury the
      Elk3 mRNA isoforms are each upregulated approximately 2.3-fold in DRG (P<0.005),
      whereas the natural antisense Pctaire2 isoforms show only a small increase (21%,
      P<0.01) and Elk1 and Elk4 mRNAs are unchanged.

PMID- 20304073
TI  - Control of translational initiation in the wheat-embryo cell-free protein
      expression system for producing homogenous products.
AB  - Wheat-embryo cell-free protein expression system allows efficient production of a
      wide variety of proteins. Homogeneity of the end products is an important
      characteristic of an advanced cell-free system that will be used in a field of
      protein science such as structural biology. A translation enhancer such as the
      omega sequence derived from tobacco mosaic virus, that allows cap-independent
      translation of the mRNA in the cell-free system, is required for low-cost
      preparation of template mRNAs in the cell-free translation system. However, the
      use of translational enhancers often leads to unexpected byproducts. Several AUU
      codons in the omega sequence can potentially function as translation initiators.
      We confirmed that the in-frame AUU in the omega sequence functions as a non
      canonical start codon and results in the extension of the N-terminus of the
      target protein in some cases. Investigation of the selectivity of non-canonical
      initiation codon under the control of omega sequence in the wheat-embryo cell
      free system revealed that seven non-AUG codons, CUG, AUA, AUU, GUG, ACG, AUC, and
      UUG, are recognized as translation initiators. We found that the introduction of
      an in-frame stop codon just upstream of the target open reading frame is an
      efficient way to avoid unexpected byproducts. This minor but effective
      modification facilitates production of homogeneous proteins within the wheat
      embryo cell-free protein expression system at the preparative scale.

PMID- 20304074
TI  - Anatomical phenotyping in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome with magnetic
      resonance imaging.
AB  - Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is the most common single gene cause of inherited mental
      impairment, and cognitive deficits can range from simple learning disabilities to
      mental retardation. Human FXS is caused by a loss of the Fragile X Mental
      Retardation Protein (FMRP). The fragile X knockout (FX KO) mouse also shows a
      loss of FMRP, as well as many of the physical and behavioural characteristics of
      human FXS. This work aims to characterize the anatomical changes between the FX
      KO and a corresponding wild type mouse. Significant volume decreases were found
      in two regions within the deep cerebellar nuclei, namely the nucleus interpositus
      and the fastigial nucleus, which may be caused by a loss of neurons as indicated
      by histological analysis. Well-known links between these nuclei and previously
      established behavioural and physical characteristics of FXS are discussed. The
      loss of FMRP has a significant effect on these two nuclei, and future studies of
      FXS should evaluate the biochemical, physiological, and behavioral consequences
      of alterations in these key nuclei.

PMID- 20304075
TI  - Propofol allows precise quantitative arterial spin labelling functional magnetic
      resonance imaging in the rat.
AB  - Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques highlight cerebral
      vascular responses which are coupled to changes in neural activation. However,
      two major difficulties arise when employing these techniques in animal studies.
      First is the disturbance of cerebral blood flow due to anaesthesia and second is
      the difficulty of precise reproducible quantitative measurements. These
      difficulties were surmounted in the current study by using propofol and
      quantitative arterial spin labelling (QASL) to measure relative cerebral blood
      volume of labelled water (rCBV(lw),) mean transit time (MTT) and capillary
      transit time (CTT). The ASL method was applied to measure the haemodynamic
      response in the primary somatosensory cortex following forepaw stimulation in the
      rat. Following stimulation an increase in signal intensity and rCBV(lw) was
      recorded, this was accompanied by a significant decrease in MTT (1.97+/-0.06s to
      1.44+/-0.04s) and CTT (1.76+/-0.06s to 1.39+/-0.07s). Two animals were scanned
      repeatedly on two different experimental days. Stimulation in the first animal
      was applied to the same forepaw during the initial and repeat scan. In the second
      animal stimulation was applied to different forepaws on the first and second
      days. The control and activated ASL signal intensities, rCBVlw on both days were
      almost identical in both animals. The basal MTT and CTT during the second scan
      were also very similar to the values obtained during the first scan. The MTT
      recorded from the animal that underwent stimulation to the same paw during both
      scanning sessions was very similar on the first and second days. In conclusion,
      propofol induces little physiological disturbance and holds potential for
      longitudinal QASL fMRI studies.

PMID- 20304077
TI  - An expanded phylogeny of treefrogs (Hylidae) based on nuclear and mitochondrial
      sequence data.
AB  - The treefrogs (Hylidae) make up one of the most species-rich families of
      amphibians. With 885 species currently described, they contain >13% of all
      amphibian species. In recent years, there has been considerable progress in
      resolving hylid phylogeny. However, the most comprehensive phylogeny to date
      (Wiens et al., 2006) included only 292 species, was based only on parsimony,
      provided only poor support for most higher-level relationships, and conflicted
      with previous hypotheses in several parts (including the monophyly and
      relationships of major clades of Hylinae). Here, we present an expanded phylogeny
      for hylid frogs, including data for 362 hylid taxa for up to 11 genes (4
      mitochondrial, 7 nuclear), including 70 additional taxa and >270 sequences not
      included in the previously most comprehensive analysis. The new tree from maximum
      likelihood analysis is more well-resolved, strongly supported, and concordant
      with previous hypotheses, and provides a framework for future systematic,
      biogeographic, ecological, and evolutionary studies.

PMID- 20304076
TI  - Identifying robust and sensitive frequency bands for interrogating neural
      oscillations.
AB  - Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in using neural oscillations to
      characterize the mechanisms supporting cognition and emotion. Oftentimes,
      oscillatory activity is indexed by mean power density in predefined frequency
      bands. Some investigators use broad bands originally defined by prominent surface
      features of the spectrum. Others rely on narrower bands originally defined by
      spectral factor analysis (SFA). Presently, the robustness and sensitivity of
      these competing band definitions remains unclear. Here, a Monte Carlo-based SFA
      strategy was used to decompose the tonic ("resting" or "spontaneous")
      electroencephalogram (EEG) into five bands: delta (1-5Hz), alpha-low (6-9Hz),
      alpha-high (10-11Hz), beta (12-19Hz), and gamma (>21Hz). This pattern was
      consistent across SFA methods, artifact correction/rejection procedures, scalp
      regions, and samples. Subsequent analyses revealed that SFA failed to deliver
      enhanced sensitivity; narrow alpha sub-bands proved no more sensitive than the
      classical broadband to individual differences in temperament or mean differences
      in task-induced activation. Other analyses suggested that residual ocular and
      muscular artifact was the dominant source of activity during quiescence in the
      delta and gamma bands. This was observed following threshold-based artifact
      rejection or independent component analysis (ICA)-based artifact correction,
      indicating that such procedures do not necessarily confer adequate protection.
      Collectively, these findings highlight the limitations of several commonly used
      EEG procedures and underscore the necessity of routinely performing exploratory
      data analyses, particularly data visualization, prior to hypothesis testing. They
      also suggest the potential benefits of using techniques other than SFA for
      interrogating high-dimensional EEG datasets in the frequency or time-frequency
      (event-related spectral perturbation, event-related
      synchronization/desynchronization) domains.

PMID- 20304079
TI  - Effect of apple intake on fecal microbiota and metabolites in humans.
AB  - The effects of apple intake on the fecal flora, water content, pH, and metabolic
      activities in eight healthy volunteers and the utilization of apple pectin in
      vitro were investigated. Although several isolates of Bifidobacterium,
      Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, and the Bacteroides fragilis group utilized apple
      pectin, most isolates of Escherichia coli, Collinsela aerofaciense, Eubacterium
      limosum, and Clostridium perfringens could not. When fecal samples from healthy
      adults were incubated in liquid broth with apple pectin present or absent, the
      numbers of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus in the former were higher than those
      in the later. After the intake of apples (2 apples a day for 2 weeks) by eight
      healthy adult humans, the number of bifidobacteria in feces increased (p < 0.05
      on day 7 and p < 0.01 on day 14 of the intake period), and the numbers of
      Lactobacillus and Streptococcus including Enterococcus tended to increase.
      However, lecithinase-positive clostridia, including C. perfringens, decreased (p
      < 0.05), and Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas tended to decrease. Moreover, the
      concentrations of fecal acetic acid tended to increase on apple intake. The fecal
      ammonia concentration showed a tendency to reduce and fecal sulfide decreased (p
      < 0.05) on apple intake. These findings indicate that apple consumption is
      related to an improved intestinal environment, and apple pectin is one of the
      effective apple components improving the fecal environment.

PMID- 20304078
TI  - Interactions between declarative and procedural-learning categorization systems.
AB  - Two experiments tested whether declarative and procedural memory systems operate
      independently or inhibit each other during perceptual categorization. Both
      experiments used a hybrid category-learning task in which perfect accuracy could
      be achieved if a declarative strategy is used on some trials and a procedural
      strategy is used on others. In the two experiments, only 2 of 53 participants
      learned a strategy of this type. In Experiment 1, most participants appeared to
      use simple explicit rules, even though control participants reliably learned the
      procedural component of the hybrid task. In Experiment 2, participants pre
      trained either with the declarative or procedural component and then transferred
      to the hybrid categories. Despite this extra training, no participants in either
      group learned to categorize the hybrid stimuli with a strategy of the optimal
      type. These results are inconsistent with the most prominent single- and multiple
      system accounts of category learning. They also cannot be explained by knowledge
      partitioning, or by the hypothesis that the failure to learn was due to high
      switch costs. Instead, these results support the hypothesis that declarative and
      procedural memory systems interact during category learning.

PMID- 20304080
TI  - An indirect ELISA for serodiagnosis of cattle footrot caused by Fusobacterium
      necrophorum.
AB  - A serodiagnostic ELISA (rL-ELISA) using recombinant truncated leukotoxin protein
      PL2 (aa 311-644) of Fusobacterium necrophorum as antigen was developed for
      detection of antibodies against F. necrophorum from cattle footrot. In rL-ELISA,
      the recombinant diagnostic antigen showed no cross-reaction with antisera against
      bovine foot and mouth disease virus, bovine rhinotracheitis virus, bovine viral
      diarrhea virus, bovine rotavirus type A, bovine Escherichia coli, and bovine
      Salmonella. The rL-ELISA could confirm the existence of antibodies against F.
      necrophorum at day 7 after infection. Detection of the field samples indicated
      relative sensitivity of rL-ELISA to nL-ELISA using the purified native leukotoxin
      A as antigen was 96.43%, and relative specificity of rL-ELISA to nL-ELISA was
      94.26%. These data demonstrated the rL-ELISA would have a potential use for early
      diagnosis of cattle footrot caused by F. necrophorum.

PMID- 20304081
TI  - Screening lactic acid bacteria from swine origins for multistrain probiotics
      based on in vitro functional properties.
AB  - Lactic acid bacteria originated from swine feces and intestines were selected for
      potential probiotics based on their bile-salt resistance, low pH tolerance,
      potential adhesion to epithelial cells and especially functional properties,
      including production of antimicrobial substances, bile-salt hydrolase (BSH) and
      amylolytic activity. Results showed 7 isolates with antimicrobial activity, 5
      with BSH activity and 3 with amylolytic activity were preliminarily selected from
      485 lactic acid bacteria based on their highest potential with functional
      properties in vitro. The 15 isolates were further assayed on the essential
      characteristics as potential probiotics. All isolates were fully tolerant to 0.3%
      bile salts and 11 of them were able to resist pH 3 for 3 h without loss of viable
      cells. The eleven isolates were then evaluated on their adhesion capability. Wide
      variation in the hydrophobic character and specific adhesion efficiency was
      observed and three isolates G1-1, G22-2 and G8-5, with respective antimicrobial,
      BSH and amylolytic activities were finally selected. In addition, the three
      isolates were compatible in the coexistence assay. Isolate G1-1 was identified as
      Lactobacillus salivarius by API system and a 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis.
      Both G8-5 and G22-2 showed the closest homology to Lactobacillus reuteri
      according to their 16S rRNA gene sequences (99%). From the study, the three
      Lactobacilli strains were shown to share the functional properties necessary for
      probiotics use in animal additives. Their compatibility with respective in vitro
      activities was expected to show enhanced in vivo efficacy after combination for
      multistrain probiotics use.

PMID- 20304082
TI  - Detection and control of a nosocomial respiratory syncytial virus outbreak in a
      stem cell transplantation unit: the role of palivizumab.
AB  - Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common community-acquired virus that
      causes upper and lower respiratory tract infections in children, hematologic
      malignancy patients, and hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients.
      Nosocomial transmission of RSV in immunocompromised patients can significantly
      affect morbidity, mortality, and duration of hospitalization. Stringent infection
      control measurements are needed to control further hospital transmission.
      Prophylactic palivizumab was found to result in a significant reduction in
      hospitalization rates in high-risk children. In this article, we report a
      nosocomial outbreak of RSV in an adult HSCT unit (4 pods) from January 16 to
      February 4, 2004, including the infection control interventions used and the
      prophylactic administration of palivizumab in high-risk patients. Active
      surveillance identified 5 cases, a substantial increase from previous seasons (2
      or 3 cases per season). All infected patients were isolated to 1 nursing pod and
      placed on contact isolation. All patients on the HSCT unit underwent rapid RSV
      antigen screening using nasal washes; this was repeated 1 week later, and 1
      additional RSV case was identified. Patients identified to be at increased risk
      for RSV infection received prophylactic palivizumab. Routine screenings of the
      staff and visitors were undertaken. All patient and visitor areas were thoroughly
      cleaned with bleach. We educated health care workers about RSV transmission,
      highlighting proper hand hygiene and contact precautions. Four of 6 patients with
      RSV infection developed RSV pneumonia, and 2 of these patients died. Staff and
      visitors with upper respiratory symptoms were screened, and all were negative for
      RSV. Prophylactic palivizumab was administered in 16 patients who tested negative
      for RSV, but were considered to be at increased risk for RSV infection. None of
      these patients developed RSV infections. An RSV outbreak was controlled using
      prompt preventive measures, including cohorting patients, with a dedicated health
      care staff; contact isolation of patients; strict adherence to hand hygiene; and
      screening of visitors, family members, and health care staff for upper
      respiratory infection symptoms. Immunoprophylaxis with palivizumab, administered
      to high-risk patients, complemented strict infection control intervention. Thus,
      the role of palivizumab in the control of RSV hospital outbreaks merits further
      investigation.

PMID- 20304083
TI  - Cyclosporine dose intensity and risk of acute graft-versus-host disease: trough
      versus area under the curve.

PMID- 20304084
TI  - Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for multiple sclerosis: collaboration of
      the CIBMTR and EBMT to facilitate international clinical studies.
AB  - Clinical investigation of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
      (HSCT) as therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) has been ongoing for over a decade.
      While several phase II studies have been finalized or are in progress, no
      definitive prospective randomized studies comparing HSCT versus alternative
      therapies for MS have been completed. In this conference report of North American
      and European experts who are involved in the care of MS patients, including
      neurologists and HSCT physicians, and representatives of the Center for
      International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) and European Group
      for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT), we (1) critically review progress to
      date in HSCT for MS; (2) describe current registry based projects including long
      term follow-up studies in HSCT for MS and harmonization of the MS disease
      specific research forms that will be used in future by both databases; (3)
      discuss challenges in study design for a prospective randomized clinical trial of
      HSCT versus alternative therapy for MS such as feasibility, and the importance of
      multidisciplinary clinical teams, need for a large sample size and duration of
      observation required for outcomes assessment; and (4) address future directions
      in HSCT therapy for MS. To undertake a definitive multicenter clinical trial in
      autologous HSCT for MS, it will be important to begin well in advance to assemble
      the team, evaluate proposals for study design, and consider options for the
      infrastructure and logistical support that will be needed. International
      collaboration, including partnership with the CIBMTR and EBMT, may be desirable
      and may in fact be critical for successful completion of a definitive comparative
      study.

PMID- 20304085
TI  - A preclinical model of double- versus single-unit unrelated cord blood
      transplantation.
AB  - Cord blood transplantation (CBT) with units containing total nucleated cell (TNC)
      dose >2.5 x 10(7)/kg is associated with improved engraftment and decreased
      transplant-related mortality. For many adults no single cord blood units are
      available that meet the cell dose requirements. We developed a dog model of CBT
      to evaluate approaches to overcome the problem of low cell dose cord blood units.
      This study primarily compared double- versus single-unit CBT. Unrelated dogs were
      bred and cord blood units were harvested. We identified unrelated recipients that
      were dog leukocyte antigen (DLA)-88 (class I) and DLA-DRB1 (class II) allele
      matched with cryopreserved units. Each unit contained <or=1.7 x 10(7) TNC/kg.
      Recipients were given 9.2 Gy total-body irradiation (TBI) and DLA-matched
      unrelated cord blood with postgrafting cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil.
      After double-unit CBT, 5 dogs engrafted and 4 survived long term with 1 dominant
      engrafting unit and prompt immune reconstitution. In contrast, 0 of 5 dogs given
      single-unit CBT survived beyond 105 days (P = .03, log-rank test); neutrophil and
      platelet recovery was delayed (both P = .005) and recipients developed fatal
      infections. This new large animal model showed that outcomes were improved after
      double-unit compared to single-unit CBT. After double-unit CBT, the nonengrafted
      unit facilitates engraftment of the dominant unit.

PMID- 20304087
TI  - Quality control in the endoplasmic reticulum.

PMID- 20304088
TI  - Molecular cloning and characterization of KIFC1-like kinesin gene (ot-kifc1) from
      Octopus tankahkeei.
AB  - Spermiogenesis in Octopus tankahkeei involves striking cellular reorganization to
      generate a mature spermatozoon. This process may require spermatid-specific
      adaptation of cytoskeleton and associated molecular motor proteins. KIFC1 is a C
      terminal kinesin motor with important roles in acrosome biogenesis and nuclear
      reshaping during spermiogenesis in rat. Here, we have cloned and characterized
      the gene encoding a homologue of rat KIFC1, termed as ot-kifc1, from the testis
      of O. tankahkeei. The 2229 bp complete cDNA contains a 75 bp 5'-untranslated
      region, a 1992 bp open reading frame and a 162 bp 3'-untranslated region. The
      deduced protein shares an overall identity of 40%, 41%, 39% and 41% with its
      counterpart from human, rat, mouse and African clawed frog, respectively. Tissue
      expression analysis revealed ot-kifc1 was expressed in testis, gill and
      hepatopancreas, but not in other tissues examined. In situ hybridization result
      showed the ot-kifc1 message was hardly detectable in early spermatid,
      concentrated at the tail region of intermediate spermatid, abundant in spermatid
      undergoing dramatic elongation and compression, enriched at one end in late
      spermatids and disappeared in mature sperm. In conclusion, the expression of ot
      kifc1 at specific stages of spermiogenesis suggests a role for this motor in
      major cytological transformations.

PMID- 20304086
TI  - Antitransgene rejection responses contribute to attenuated persistence of
      adoptively transferred CD20/CD19-specific chimeric antigen receptor redirected T
      cells in humans.
AB  - Immunotherapeutic ablation of lymphoma is a conceptually attractive treatment
      strategy that is the subject of intense translational research. Cytotoxic T
      lymphocytes (CTLs) that are genetically modified to express CD19- or CD20
      specific, single-chain antibody-derived chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) display
      HLA-independent antigen-specific recognition/killing of lymphoma targets. Here,
      we describe our initial experience in applying CAR-redirected autologous CTL
      adoptive therapy to patients with recurrent lymphoma. Using plasmid vector
      electrotransfer/drug selection systems, cloned and polyclonal CAR(+) CTLs were
      generated from autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells and expanded in
      vitro to cell numbers sufficient for clinical use. In 2 FDA-authorized trials,
      patients with recurrent diffuse large cell lymphoma were treated with cloned
      CD8(+) CTLs expressing a CD20-specific CAR (along with NeoR) after autologous
      hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and patients with refractory follicular
      lymphoma were treated with polyclonal T cell preparations expressing a CD19
      specific CAR (along with HyTK, a fusion of hygromycin resistance and HSV-1
      thymidine kinase suicide genes) and low-dose s.c. recombinant human interleukin
      2. A total of 15 infusions were administered (5 at 10(8)cells/m(2), 7 at
      10(9)cells/m(2), and 3 at 2 x 10(9)cells/m(2)) to 4 patients. Overt toxicities
      attributable to CTL administration were not observed; however, detection of
      transferred CTLs in the circulation, as measured by quantitative polymerase chain
      reaction, was short (24 hours to 7 days), and cellular antitransgene immune
      rejection responses were noted in 2 patients. These studies reveal the primary
      barrier to therapeutic efficacy is limited persistence, and provide the rationale
      to prospectively define T cell populations intrinsically programmed for survival
      after adoptive transfer and to modulate the immune status of recipients to
      prevent/delay antitransgene rejection responses.

PMID- 20304089
TI  - Production of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) from unrelated carbon
      sources by metabolically engineered Escherichia coli.
AB  - A metabolically engineered Escherichia coli has been constructed for the
      production of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB-co-4HB)] from
      unrelated carbon sources. Genes involved in succinate degradation in Clostridium
      kluyveri and P(3HB) accumulation pathway of Ralstonia eutropha were co-expressed
      for the synthesis of the above copolyester. E. coli native succinate semialdehyde
      dehydrogenase genes sad and gabD were both deleted for eliminating succinate
      formation from succinate semialdehyde, which functioned to enhance the carbon
      flux to 4HB biosynthesis. The metabolically engineered E. coli produced 9.4 gl(
      1) cell dry weight containing 65.5% P(3HB-co-11.1 mol% 4HB) using glucose as
      carbon source in a 48 h shake flask growth. The presence of 1.5-2 gl(-1) alpha
      ketoglutarate or 1.0 gl(-1) citrate enhanced the 4HB monomer content from 11.1%
      to more than 20%. In a 6l fermentor study, a 23.5 gl(-1) cell dry weight
      containing 62.7% P(3HB-co-12.5 mol% 4HB) was obtained after 29 h of cultivation.
      To the best of our knowledge, this study reports the highest 4HB monomer content
      in P(3HB-co-4HB) produced from unrelated carbon sources.

PMID- 20304091
TI  - Endocannabinoid biosynthesis and inactivation, from simple to complex.
AB  - Cannabinoid receptors, the primary molecular targets of the endocannabinoid
      system, are activated by specific bioactive lipids termed 'endocannabinoids'.
      These lipid transmitters are synthesized from cell membrane phospholipids through
      multiple pathways and are inactivated by enzymatic hydrolysis, and their levels
      are the major parameter driving the endocannabinoid system activity. An in-depth
      understanding of their metabolic pathways is essential to unravel the
      endocannabinoid system's role in physiological and pathological situations and to
      devise new therapeutic strategies based on the endocannabinoid system. Major
      advances both in the characterization of anandamide's and 2
      arachidonoylglycerol's biosynthesis and inactivation pathways and in the
      discovery of pharmacological tools used to interfere with their metabolism have
      been made and are discussed in this review.

PMID- 20304090
TI  - Membrane-binding and enzymatic properties of RPE65.
AB  - Regeneration of visual pigments is essential for sustained visual function.
      Although the requirement for non-photochemical regeneration of the visual
      chromophore, 11-cis-retinal, was recognized early on, it was only recently that
      the trans to cis retinoid isomerase activity required for this process was
      assigned to a specific protein, a microsomal membrane enzyme called RPE65. In
      this review, we outline progress that has been made in the functional
      characterization of RPE65. We then discuss general concepts related to protein
      membrane interactions and the mechanism of the retinoid isomerization reaction
      and describe some of the important biochemical and structural features of RPE65
      with respect to its membrane-binding and enzymatic properties.

PMID- 20304092
TI  - Babesia bovis expresses a neutralization-sensitive antigen that contains a
      microneme adhesive repeat (MAR) domain.
AB  - A gene coding for a protein with sequence similarity to the Toxoplasma gondii
      micronemal 1 (MIC1) protein that contains a copy of a domain described as a
      sialic acid-binding micronemal adhesive repeat (MAR) was identified in the
      Babesia bovis genome. The single copy gene, located in chromosome 3, contains an
      open reading frame encoding a putative 181 amino acid protein, which is highly
      conserved among distinct B. bovis strains. Antibodies against both recombinant
      protein and synthetic peptides mimicking putative antigenic regions in the B.
      bovis-MIC1 (Bbo-MIC1) protein bind to the parasite in immunofluorescence assays
      and significantly inhibit erythrocyte invasion in in vitro B. bovis cultures. Bbo
      MIC1 is recognized by antibodies in serum from B. bovis infected cattle,
      demonstrating expression and immunogenicity during infection. Overall, the
      results suggest that Bbo-MIC1 protein is a viable candidate for development of
      subunit vaccines.

PMID- 20304093
TI  - Mitochondrial DNA data reveal cryptic species within Taenia krabbei.
AB  - Cysticerci of Taenia sp. from two elks (Alces alces) in Finland were
      characterized using morphological criteria and sequences of two mitochondrial DNA
      regions. The host species, size, structure and location of the cysticerci
      indicated that they might belong to Taenia krabbei, a circumpolar species
      occurring in a sylvatic life cycle in wild canids and cervids. Based on the
      number, length and shape of the rostellar hooks, the specimens could not be
      unambiguously defined as belonging to T. krabbei, T. cervi, T. ovis or T. solium.
      In the phylogenetic analysis, based on mitochondrial nucleotide sequence data,
      Taenia sp. was placed as a sister species of T. solium, distant from T. krabbei
      isolates previously characterized from Svalbard. This indicates that the Finnish
      and the Svalbard isolates, resembling T. krabbei, cannot represent a single
      species. The results suggest that careful morphological and genetic analyses of
      further isolates from intermediate and definitive hosts are required to define
      the taxonomic status of these two cryptic species.

PMID- 20304094
TI  - Intracellular cholesterol homeostasis and amyloid precursor protein processing.
AB  - Many preclinical and clinical studies have implied a role for cholesterol in the
      pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this review we will discuss the
      movement of intracellular cholesterol and how normal distribution, transport, and
      export of cholesterol are vital for regulation of the AD related protein, Abeta.
      We focus on cholesterol distribution in the plasma membrane, transport through
      the endosomal/lysosomal system, control of cholesterol intracellular signaling at
      the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi, the HMG-CoA reductase pathway and finally
      export of cholesterol from the cell.

PMID- 20304096
TI  - Proton pump inhibitors, irritable bowel syndrome, and small intestinal bacterial
      overgrowth: coincidence or Newton's third law revisited?

PMID- 20304095
TI  - Direct binding of cholesterol to the amyloid precursor protein: An important
      interaction in lipid-Alzheimer's disease relationships?
AB  - It is generally believed that cholesterol homoeostasis in the brain is both
      linked to and impacted by Alzheimer's disease (AD). For example, elevated levels
      of cholesterol in neuronal plasma and endosome membranes appear to be a pro
      amyloidogenic factor. The recent observation that the C-terminal transmembrane
      domain (C99, also known as the beta-C-terminal fragment, or beta-CTF) of the
      amyloid precursor protein (APP) specifically binds cholesterol helps to tie
      together previously loose ends in the web of our understanding of Alzheimer's
      cholesterol relationships. In particular, binding of cholesterol to C99 appears
      to favor the amyloidogenic pathway in cells by promoting localization of C99 in
      lipid rafts. In turn, the products of this pathway-amyloid-beta and the
      intracellular domain of the APP (AICD)-may down-regulate ApoE-mediated
      cholesterol uptake and cholesterol biosynthesis. If confirmed, this negative
      feedback loop for membrane cholesterol levels has implications for understanding
      the function of the APP and for devising anti-amyloidogenic preventive strategies
      for AD.

PMID- 20304097
TI  - Low rates of cancer or high-grade dysplasia in colorectal polyps collected from
      computed tomography colonography screening.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: In patients with polyps detected at computed tomography
      colonography (CTC) screening, management decisions are influenced by the
      likelihood of important polyp histology. We assess the rates of cancer and high
      grade dysplasia among patients found to have small (6-9 mm) and large (>or=10 mm)
      colorectal polyps at CTC. METHODS: We reviewed results from 5124 consecutive
      adults (mean age, 56.9 y; 2792 women) who received CTC screening at 1 institution
      over a 52-month period. All nondiminutive lesions confirmed at subsequent
      colonoscopy were grouped by size and histology features. Rates of cancer and high
      grade dysplasia were calculated for various sizes. Adenomas were classified as
      advanced if they were 10 mm or greater and/or contained high-grade dysplasia or a
      prominent villous component. RESULTS: A total of 755 polyps 6 mm or greater were
      identified during colonoscopy examinations in 479 patients. The rate of
      malignancy, according to polyp size, was 0% (0 of 464) for polyps 6 to 9 mm, 0.9%
      (2 of 216) for polyps 10 to 19 mm, 6.1% (2 of 33) for polyps 20 to 29 mm, and
      38.1% (16 of 42) for polyps 30 mm or greater. High-grade dysplasia was observed
      in 0.4% (2 of 464) of 6- to 9-mm polyps and 7.9% (23 of 291) of lesions 10 mm or
      greater. A prominent villous component was seen in 3.4% (16 of 464) of 6- to 9-mm
      polyps. The overall rate of advanced histology in small polyps was 3.9% (18 of
      464). CONCLUSIONS: Small (6-9 mm) polyps rarely contained high-grade dysplasia
      (0.4%); none was malignant. The malignancy rate for large (1-2 cm) colorectal
      polyps was less than 1%. These findings indicate the potential for less
      aggressive management of lesions detected by CTC.

PMID- 20304098
TI  - Paris criteria are effective in diagnosis of primary biliary cirrhosis and
      autoimmune hepatitis overlap syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and autoimmune hepatitis (AIH)
      differ in clinical, laboratory, and histologic features as well as in response to
      therapy. A small subgroup of patients have an overlap syndrome with features of
      both diseases, although there is no consensus on its definition or diagnostic
      criteria. We evaluated the significance of the criteria used to diagnose PBC-AIH
      overlap syndrome. METHODS: This retrospective, single-center study included all
      patients diagnosed with PBC, AIH, or PBC-AIH overlap syndrome, based on the Paris
      criteria, since January 1990 (n = 134); patients were followed up for 9.7 +/- 3.7
      years. The 3 groups were compared for their clinical, laboratory, and histologic
      features. Patients with overlap syndrome or PBC were graded by the revised and
      simplified AIH scoring systems to assess the ability of this system to identify
      AIH cases properly. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of the Paris
      criteria for diagnosing the overlap syndrome were 92% and 97%, respectively. The
      sensitivity and specificity of the AIH scoring systems were considerably lower.
      Among patients with the overlap syndrome, the 10-year, transplantation-free
      survival rate was 92%. CONCLUSIONS: The Paris diagnostic criteria detect overlap
      syndrome (PBC and AIH) with high levels of sensitivity and specificity. The
      clinical value of the revised and simplified AIH scoring system is not as
      reliable. Patients with PBC-AIH overlap syndrome have a 92% rate of 10-year,
      transplantation-free survival.

PMID- 20304099
TI  - Level of hepatitis B virus DNA in inactive carriers with persistently normal
      levels of alanine aminotransferase.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Little is known about the level of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA
      in individuals with chronic, inactive HBV infections. Patients who test positive
      for the antibody to hepatitis B e antigen (anti-HBe) and have normal levels of
      alanine aminotransferase for more than 10 years have a low risk of HBV
      reactivation and are considered to be inactive carriers. We investigated HBV DNA
      levels in inactive carriers and identified factors that correlated with this
      state among anti-HBe-positive carriers with HBV DNA levels of 10(4) copies/mL or
      greater (5.26 copies/mL = 1 IU/mL). METHODS: HBV DNA levels were assayed in 250
      inactive carriers with persistently normal alanine aminotransferase levels for
      more than 10 years. Clinical and virologic features were compared between
      inactive carriers (with HBV DNA levels > or =10(4) copies/mL) and age-matched
      patients with HBe antigen-negative chronic hepatitis (controls, n = 90). RESULTS:
      The median level of HBV DNA among inactive carriers was 3.70 log(10) copies/mL
      (range, undetectable to 5.98 log(10) copies/mL). Ninety (36%) had levels of 10(4)
      copies/mL or greater. Compared with control patients, significant differences of
      inactive carriers included sex (more female patients), lower HBV DNA levels, and
      lower prevalence of genotype C virus and the basal core promoter mutation
      T1762/A1764. The prevalence of the precore mutation A1896 was similar between
      groups. Multiple logistic regression analyses identified male sex, HBV DNA levels
      greater than 10(5) copies/mL, and the basal core promoter mutation as independent
      factors that correlated with active disease. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly 40% of inactive
      carriers had HBV DNA levels of 10(4) copies/mL or greater. Female sex, HBV DNA
      levels of 10(4) to 10(5) copies/mL, and wild-type basal core promoter correlated
      with inactive carrier state.

PMID- 20304100
TI  - Descending inhibitory pain modulation is impaired in patients with chronic
      pancreatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Pain is a prominent symptom in chronic pancreatitis (CP), but
      the underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. We investigated the role
      of descending pain modulation from supraspinal structures as well as central
      nervous system sensitization in patients with pain from CP. METHODS: Twenty-five
      patients with CP and 15 healthy volunteers were included. Descending pain
      modulation was investigated by diffuse noxious inhibitory control (a descending
      inhibitory response after conditioning stimulation). Central pain processing was
      investigated as the perceptual responses to multimodal (electrical, thermal, and
      mechanical) stimulations of the rectosigmoid and evoked brain potentials after
      electrical stimulation of the rectosigmoid. RESULTS: Compared with healthy
      volunteers, the efficacy of diffuse noxious inhibitory control was reduced in
      patients with CP (13% +/- 21% vs 39% +/- 22%, respectively; F = 3.8; P = .01);
      central sensitization was indicated by remote hyperalgesia in the rectosigmoid to
      electrical stimulation (21 +/- 15 mA vs 27 +/- 15 mA; F = 6.2; P = .02) and heat
      stimulation (51 degrees C +/- 5 degrees C vs 53 degrees C +/- 4 degrees C; F =
      5.9; P = .02). Compared with controls, patients with CP had increased latency of
      the early P1 peak to rectosigmoid stimulation (85 +/- 21 ms vs 108 +/- 28 ms,
      respectively; P = .02), possibly reflecting reorganization of central pain
      pathways. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with CP have impairments in inhibitory pain
      modulation and evidence of central sensitization. Treatment of their pain
      therefore should focus not only on the pancreas, but also on descending pain
      modulation from supraspinal structures and central nervous system sensitization.

PMID- 20304101
TI  - Health-related quality of life in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: a
      systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: This systematic review was conducted to identify the
      following: (1) generic and disease-specific measures used to assess health
      related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC);
      (2) HRQOL in patients with HCC compared with those with chronic liver disease and
      the general population; (3) effects of treatment (liver surgery, hepatic artery
      transcatheter treatment, and radiotherapy) on HRQOL; (4) relationships between
      physical variables, symptoms, and HRQOL; (5) relationships between demographic
      characteristics, psychological variables, and HRQOL; and (6) effects of
      psychological interventions on HRQOL. METHODS: Computerized databases including
      British Nursing Index, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature,
      Cochrane library, PsychoINFO, and Pubmed were searched. RESULTS: Thirty-six
      articles were identified. The results suggested the following. Four original
      articles described the development of standardized measures to assess liver
      cancer-specific HRQOL. Patients with HCC reported worse physical, emotional, and
      functional HRQOL, but better social/family HRQOL compared with the general
      population. HRQOL improved after liver surgery, hepatic artery transcatheter
      treatment, and radiotherapy. Better liver function, early stage of disease, and
      no recurrence were correlated positively with better HRQOL; and pain, fatigue,
      nausea, and performance status were associated with worse HRQOL. HRQOL was
      correlated negatively with depression, uncertainty, chance health locus of
      control, and positively with satisfaction with medical services. Psychosocial
      interventions may reduce negative feelings and enhance HRQOL. CONCLUSIONS: Future
      work should explore the effects of psychological variables on HRQOL and the
      interaction between physical and psychological variables in relation to HRQOL.

PMID- 20304102
TI  - Functional dyspepsia impacts absenteeism and direct and indirect costs.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a common morbid condition but
      data are limited on the direct and indirect costs for employees with FD or on its
      impact on productivity. Few data on absenteeism and no objective information are
      available. This study aimed to assess the impact of FD on costs and effects on
      absenteeism and work output (productivity). METHODS: We performed a retrospective
      analysis of payroll data and adjudicated health insurance medical and
      prescription claims collected over a 4-year study period (January 1, 2001 to
      December 31, 2004) from more than 300,000 employees. Data from employees with and
      without (controls) FD were compared using 2-part regression techniques. Outcome
      measures included medical (total and by place of service) and prescription costs,
      absenteeism, and objectively measured productivity output. RESULTS: Employees
      with FD (N = 1669) had greater average annual medical and prescription drug costs
      and indirect costs (owing to sick leave and short- and long-term disability
      absences) than controls (N = 274,206). Compared with controls, the FD employees
      incurred costs that were $5138 greater and had greater costs for each place of
      service (all P < .0001). The employees with FD had an additional 0.83 absence
      days per year and produced 12% fewer units per hour than controls (both P < .05).
      CONCLUSIONS: Employees with FD have greater costs at all places of service and
      lower productivity than employees without FD.

PMID- 20304103
TI  - Does hepatitis C virus really form quasispecies?

PMID- 20304104
TI  - Effect of 5-aminosalicylate on allergic rhinitis model in mice.
AB  - Previous studies have shown that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma
      (PPARgamma) is involved in allergic rhinitis. It has been reported that 5
      aminosalicylate (5-ASA) has an affinity for PPARgamma, but the effects of 5-ASA
      on the nasal symptoms of allergic rhinitis are unclear. This study aimed to
      clarify the effects of 5-ASA on nasal symptoms in an allergic rhinitis model in
      mice. Female BALB/c mice were sensitized by intraperitoneal injection of
      ovalbumin (OVA) and aluminium hydroxide hydrate gel (alum) on days 0, 5, 14 and
      21. Seven days later, mice were sensitized by the intranasal application of OVA
      thrice a week. 5-ASA was also administered orally after instillation of the
      antigen from day 28. The severity of allergic rhinitis was assessed by
      determining the extent of 2 nasal allergic symptoms-sneezing and nasal rubbing.
      In addition, serum OVA-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody, interleukin (IL)
      4, and IL-10 levels in nasal lavage fluid and histamine sensitivity were
      determined. Repeated oral administration of 5-ASA attenuated the progression of
      nasal symptoms in sensitized mice in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, 5-ASA
      prevented an increase in histamine sensitivity. Finally, 5-ASA inhibited both OVA
      specific IgE antibody and IL-4 production; however, it had no effect on IL-10
      levels. These results indicate that 5-ASA has a prophylactic effect on allergic
      rhinitis.

PMID- 20304105
TI  - Natural isoprenoids inhibit LPS-induced-production of cytokines and nitric oxide
      in aminobisphosphonate-treated monocytes.
AB  - The inhibition of mevalonate pathway through genetic defects (mevalonate kinase
      deficiency, MKD) or pharmacologic drugs (aminobisphosphonates) causes a shortage
      of intermediate compounds and, in particular, of geranylgeranyl-pyrophosphate
      (GGPP) associated to the activation of caspase-1 and IL-1beta release. Geraniol
      (GOH), farnesol (FOH), geranylgeraniol (GGOH) and menthol (MOH), due to their
      isoprenoid structure, are supposed to enter the mevalonate pathway and to by-pass
      the biochemical block, reconstituting the pathway. Considering the already known
      side effects of aminobisphosphonates, and the lack of a specific treatment for
      MKD, we evaluated the impact of these natural isoprenoids compounds in a RAW cell
      lines chemically treated with the aminobisphosphonate alendronate, and in
      monocytes isolated from 2 patients affected by MKD. GOH, FOH, GGOH and MOH were
      all capable to diminish inflammatory marker levels induced by LPS. These natural
      isoprenoids could be proposed as novel therapeutic approach for the still orphan
      drug MKD, but also considered for the evaluation of possible inflammatory side
      effects of aminobisphosphonates.

PMID- 20304106
TI  - WITHDRAWN: Transdermal potential and anti-inflammatory effects of nanocurcumin
      from nanogel systems.
AB  - This article has been withdrawn at the request of the author(s) and/or editor.
      The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. The full Elsevier
      Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at
      http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy.

PMID- 20304107
TI  - Restricted domain mobility in the Candida albicans Ess1 prolyl isomerase.
AB  - Ess1 is a peptidyl prolyl cis/trans isomerase that is required for virulence of
      the pathogenic fungi Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans. The enzyme
      isomerizes the phospho-Ser-Pro linkages in the C-terminal domain of RNA
      polymerase II. Its human homolog, Pin1, has been implicated in a wide range of
      human diseases, including cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Crystallographic and
      NMR studies have demonstrated that the sequence linking the catalytic isomerase
      domain and the substrate binding WW domain of Pin1 is unstructured and that the
      two domains are only loosely associated in the absence of the substrate. In
      contrast, the crystal structure of C. albicans Ess1 revealed a highly ordered
      linker that contains a three turn alpha-helix and extensive association between
      the two tightly juxtaposed domains. In part to address the concern that the
      marked differences in the domain interactions for the human and fungal structures
      might reflect crystal lattice effects, NMR chemical shift analysis and 15N
      relaxation measurements have been employed to confirm that the linker of the
      fungal protein is highly ordered in solution. With the exception of two loops
      within the active site of the isomerase domain, the local backbone geometry
      observed in the crystal structure appears to be well preserved throughout the
      protein chain. The marked differences in interdomain interactions and linker
      flexibility between the human and fungal enzymes provide a structural basis for
      therapeutic targeting of the fungal enzymes.

PMID- 20304108
TI  - A solution NMR investigation into the murine amelogenin splice-variant LRAP
      (Leucine-Rich Amelogenin Protein).
AB  - Amelogenins are the dominant proteins present in ameloblasts during the early
      stages of enamel biomineralization, making up >90% of the matrix protein. Along
      with the full-length protein there are several splice-variant isoforms of
      amelogenin present including LRAP (Leucine-Rich Amelogenin Protein), a protein
      that consists of the first 33 and the last 26 residues of full-length amelogenin.
      Using solution-state NMR spectroscopy we have assigned the (1)H-(15)N HSQC
      spectrum of murine LRAP (rp(H)LRAP) in 2% acetic acid at pH 3.0 by making
      extensive use of previous chemical shift assignments for full-length murine
      amelogenin (rp(H)M180). This correlation was possible because LRAP, like the full
      length protein, is intrinsically disordered under these solution conditions. The
      major difference between the (1)H-(15)N HSQC spectra of rp(H)M180 and rp(H)LRAP
      was an additional set of amide resonances for each of the seven non-proline
      residues between S12 and Y12 near the N-terminus of rp(H)LRAP indicating that the
      N-terminal region of LRAP exists in two different conformations. Analysis of the
      proline carbon chemical shifts suggests that the molecular basis for the two
      states is not a cis-trans isomerization of one or more of the proline residues in
      the N-terminal region. Starting from 2% acetic acid, where rp(H)LRAP was
      monomeric in solution, NaCl addition effected residue specific changes in
      molecular dynamics manifested by the reduction in intensity and disappearance of
      (1)H-(15)N HSQC cross peaks. As observed for the full-length protein, these
      perturbations may signal early events governing supramolecular self-assembly of
      rp(H)LRAP into nanospheres. However, the different patterns of (1)H-(15)N HSQC
      cross peak perturbation between rp(H)LRAP and rp(H)M180 in high salt suggest that
      the termini may behave differently in their respective nanospheres, and perhaps,
      these differences contribute to the cell signaling properties attributable to
      LRAP but not to the full-length protein.

PMID- 20304109
TI  - Sustained plasmid DNA release from dissolving mineral coatings.
AB  - Calcium phosphate (CaP) minerals such as hydroxyapatite are able to bind a
      diverse range of biological molecules due to the presence of anions and cations
      in their crystal structure. The well-characterized ability of CaP minerals to
      bind and release plasmid DNA, coupled with the ability of biodegradable CaP
      coatings to form on the surface of common biomaterials, provides a potential
      mechanism for controlled release of plasmid DNA from various biomaterials. In
      this study we hypothesized that the release of plasmid DNA from CaP coatings
      formed on poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLG) substrates would be dependent on both
      the intrinsic properties of the CaP mineral coating and the surrounding solution
      conditions. Experiments were designed to consider two general parameters: (i) the
      stability of various CaP mineral coatings in solution environments that are
      relevant to physiological conditions; (ii) the relationship between mineral
      stability and sustained plasmid DNA release. Our results corroborate previous
      studies that have demonstrated a direct relationship between intrinsic mineral
      composition and mineral stability. In addition, we further demonstrate that ion
      composition and pH of the surrounding solution environment can significantly
      influence mineral stability. In turn, mineral stability significantly influenced
      release of plasmid DNA from mineral coatings in vitro, and the DNA release
      efficiency could be tuned by controlling the mineral properties in various
      solution environments. These CaP mineral coatings may be a useful platform for
      plasmid DNA delivery applications using various biomaterial platforms.

PMID- 20304110
TI  - Biomimetic remineralization as a progressive dehydration mechanism of collagen
      matrices--implications in the aging of resin-dentin bonds.
AB  - Biomineralization is a dehydration process in which water from the intrafibrillar
      compartments of collagen fibrils are progressively replaced by apatites. As water
      is an important element that induces a lack of durability of resin-dentin bonds,
      this study has examined the use of a biomimetic remineralization strategy as a
      progressive dehydration mechanism to preserve joint integrity and maintain
      adhesive strength after ageing. Human dentin surfaces were bonded with dentin
      adhesives, restored with resin composites and sectioned into sticks containing
      the adhesive joint. Experimental specimens were aged in a biomimetic analog
      containing remineralizing medium and control specimens in simulated body fluid
      for up to 12 months. Specimens retrieved after the designated periods were
      examined by transmission electron microscopy for the presence of water-rich
      regions using a silver tracer and for collagen degradation within the adhesive
      joints. Tensile testing was performed to determine the potential loss of bond
      integrity after ageing. Control specimens exhibited severe collagen degradation
      within the adhesive joint after ageing. Remineralized specimens exhibited
      progressive dehydration, as manifested by silver tracer reduction and partial
      remineralization of water-filled microchannels within the adhesive joint, as well
      as intrafibrillar remineralization of collagen fibrils that were demineralized
      initially as part of the bonding procedure. Biomimetic remineralization as a
      progressive dehydration mechanism of water-rich, resin-sparse collagen matrices
      enables these adhesive joints to resist degradation over a 12-month ageing
      period, as verified by the conservation of their tensile bond strength. The
      ability of the proof of concept biomimetic remineralization strategy to prevent
      bond degradation warrants further development of clinically relevant delivery
      systems.

PMID- 20304111
TI  - Nanostructured poly(epsilon-caprolactone)-silica xerogel fibrous membrane for
      guided bone regeneration.
AB  - A novel fibrous membrane was developed for guided bone regeneration (GBR) through
      electrospinning a uniform poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL)-silica hybrid sol. The
      membrane was composed of fibers with a mean diameter of approximately 400 nm. The
      hybrid fibers were nano-sized with uniform patterns throughout the fibers, in
      contrast to the homogeneous structure of pure PCL fibers. The tensile strengths
      and elastic moduli of the membranes were significantly enhanced with increasing
      silica content up to 40%. The surfaces of the hybrid membranes were highly
      hydrophilic with a water contact angle of almost zero. The hybrid membranes
      possessed excellent in vitro cellular responses in terms of proliferation and
      differentiation of pre-osteoblast cells. The in vivo animal tests not only
      confirmed excellent biocompatibility but also revealed bioresorbability of the
      membranes. These mechanical and biomedical properties make the hybrid membranes
      very attractive as GBR applications.

PMID- 20304112
TI  - Evaluation of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy on weight loss and co-morbidity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The sleeve gastrectomy is a surgical technique to treat morbid
      obesity by both restrictive and probably hormonal action. Originally developed as
      a first stage to gastric bypass, it is more and more performed as a sole
      procedure. Therefore it is important to report results on weight loss and
      reduction in co-morbidity. METHODS: A consecutive series of 74 morbid obese
      patients were evaluated. Parameters were operative variables, complications,
      weight loss and the need for medication for co-morbidity at least six months
      postoperatively. RESULTS: Six procedures included the removal of a band and twice
      a vertical banded gastroplasty was performed previously. Median operating time
      diminished over time to 71 min. Three procedures were converted into open
      approach. Major complications were rhabdomyolysis (2), bleeding (2) and leakage
      (4). Four days was the mean hospital stay. The median follow-up was 12 months
      (range 6-33). The median percentage of excess weight loss was 49.6% (range 22
      96%EWL). The median loss in BMI points was 23.1% (range 9-50%BMIL). Three
      quarters of the patients were able to diminish or stop their medication for
      diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipedemia. CONCLUSION: The laparoscopic gastric
      sleeve is effective in reduction of both weight and co-morbidity and has
      potential as a sole procedure. Patient's selection is, however, recommendable for
      initial surgical experience and longer follow-up will be necessary.

PMID- 20304127
TI  - Absidia corymbifera endocarditis: survival after treatment of disseminated
      mucormycosis with radical resection of tricuspid valve and right ventricular free
      wall.

PMID- 20304128
TI  - Ascending aortitis and aortic valve endocarditis in an infant.

PMID- 20304129
TI  - An unusual tumor of the esophagus.

PMID- 20304130
TI  - The seventh edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer/International Union
      Against Cancer Staging Manuals: the new era of data-driven revisions.

PMID- 20304131
TI  - Live surgery should not be outlawed at national and regional cardiothoracic
      meetings.

PMID- 20304132
TI  - A cancer staging primer: lung.

PMID- 20304133
TI  - The Cardiothoracic Surgery Network: randomized clinical trials in the operating
      room.

PMID- 20304134
TI  - Where does atrial fibrillation surgery fail? Implications for increasing
      effectiveness of ablation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation is generally safe and
      effective, but atrial fibrillation redevelops in approximately 20% of patients.
      We sought to determine anatomic factors, technology factors, or both that
      contribute to these failures. METHODS: Four hundred eight patients underwent 5
      types of atrial fibrillation ablation depending on their atrial fibrillation
      history and need for concomitant surgical intervention: the classic maze
      procedure, high-intensity focused ultrasound, the left atrial maze procedure, the
      biatrial maze procedure, and pulmonary vein isolation. Ninety-five percent of
      patients with preoperative atrial fibrillation underwent surgical ablation.
      RESULTS: Patients undergoing high-intensity focused ultrasound had a high rate of
      late postoperative percutaneous ablation (37.5%) after surgical intervention (P <
      .001 vs the other groups). At last follow-up, freedom from atrial fibrillation
      and need for ablation was as follows: classic maze procedure, 90%; high-intensity
      focused ultrasound, 43%; left atrial maze procedure, 79%; biatrial maze
      procedure, 79%; and pulmonary vein isolation, 69% (P < .001 between groups). For
      those with atrial fibrillation, mapping and ablation were performed in 23.6% (n =
      27), and all patients with high-intensity focused ultrasound had failure of the
      box lesion around the pulmonary veins. Of those with just the left atrial maze
      procedure or pulmonary vein isolation, the right atrium was the source for
      failure in 75% (6/8). CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing high-intensity focused
      ultrasound had a high need for postoperative ablation and low freedom from atrial
      fibrillation. The classic maze procedure had the best results. Left atrial
      ablation might allow failure from right atrial foci. Matching the technology and
      lesion set to the patient yields good results and can be applied in 95% of
      patients. We suggest others obtain late catheter ablation to correct remaining
      atrial fibrillation, and add to the paucity of late data regarding failure mode.

PMID- 20304136
TI  - Moderate chronic kidney disease and left ventricular hypertrophy after aortic
      valve replacement for aortic valve stenosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Left ventricular hypertrophy regression is assumed to be one of the
      most important goals after aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis. A
      moderate decrease in the glomerular filtration rate is associated with a
      significantly increased risk of left ventricular hypertrophy in hypertensive
      patients. The effect of moderate kidney disease on left ventricular hypertrophic
      remodeling in other conditions of chronic left ventricular pressure overload,
      such as aortic stenosis, remains unknown. Therefore we tested the hypothesis that
      moderate chronic kidney disease affects left ventricular mass regression in
      patients undergoing isolated aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis.
      METHODS: In 157 patients with aortic stenosis, left ventricular mass regression
      was assessed at 18 months after aortic valve replacement. Among them, 73 (46%)
      had a moderate chronic kidney disease (glomerular filtration rate between 60 and
      30 mL/min per 1.73 m(2)). Patients with severely impaired kidney function
      (glomerular filtration rate of <30 mL/min per 1.73 m(2)) were excluded. RESULTS:
      After surgical intervention, left ventricular mass was significantly lower from
      baseline value in both groups, but patients with moderate chronic kidney disease
      continued to show an increased left ventricular mass (61 +/- 18 vs 50 +/- 16
      g/m(2.7), P = .0001). The baseline glomerular filtration rate was significantly
      related to left ventricular mass at 18 months after surgical intervention (beta =
      -0.17, r(2) = 0.45, P = .01) and left ventricular mass absolute (beta = 0.18,
      r(2) = 0.19, P = .03) and relative (beta = 0.20, r(2) = 0.21, P = .02)
      regression. These associations persisted after adjusting for confounding factors,
      including hypertension and patient-prosthesis mismatch. After a mean time of 34
      +/- 12 months from surgical intervention, congestive heart failure symptoms
      developed mainly in subjects with moderate chronic kidney disease (adjusted
      hazard ratio, 1.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.2-3.9; P = .035). CONCLUSIONS:
      Patients with aortic stenosis with concomitant moderate chronic kidney disease
      present a less evident left ventricular mass regression after aortic valve
      replacement. Moreover, this condition is related to an increased occurrence of
      congestive heart failure after surgical intervention.

PMID- 20304137
TI  - Aortic cusp extension valvuloplasty with or without tricuspidization in children
      and adolescents: long-term results and freedom from aortic valve replacement.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Aortic cusp extension valvuloplasty is increasingly used in the
      management of children and adolescents with aortic stenosis or regurgitation. The
      durability of this approach and the freedom from valve replacement are not well
      defined. A study was undertaken to investigate outcomes. METHODS: From July 1987
      to November 2008, 142 patients aged less than 19 years underwent aortic cusp
      extension valvuloplasty in the form of pericardial cusp extension and
      tricuspidization (when needed). Three patients with truncus arteriosus and severe
      truncal valve insufficiency were excluded. From the available follow-up data of
      139 patients, 50 had bicuspid aortic valves, 40 had congenital aortic valve
      stenosis, 41 had combined congenital aortic valve stenosis/insufficiency, and 8
      had other diagnoses. Median follow-up was 14.4 years (0.1-21.4). Long-term
      mortality and freedom from aortic valve replacement were studied. RESULTS: There
      were no early, intermediate, or late deaths. Z-values of left ventricular end
      diastolic dimension, aortic annulus, aortic sinus diameter, and sinotubular
      junction diameter before aortic valve replacement were 4.2 +/- 3.11, 2.3 +/-
      1.25, 4.4 +/- 1.23, and 1.84 +/- 1.28, respectively. During the follow-up period,
      64 patients underwent aortic valve reinterventions. The Ross procedure was
      performed in 32 of 139 patients (23%) undergoing aortic cusp extension
      valvuloplasty. Other aortic valve replacements were undertaken after 16 aortic
      cusp extension valvuloplasties (11.5%). Freedom from a second aortic cusp
      extension valvuloplasty or aortic valve replacement at 18 years was 82.1% +/-
      4.2% and 60.0% +/- 7.2%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Aortic cusp extension
      valvuloplasty is a safe and effective surgical option with excellent survival and
      good long-term outcomes in children and adolescents. The procedure provides
      acceptable durability and satisfactory freedom from aortic valve replacement.

PMID- 20304139
TI  - Twenty-three years of single-stage end-to-side anastomosis repair of interrupted
      aortic arches.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study defined long-term results of a policy of single-stage
      repair of interrupted aortic arch with end-to-side anastomosis. METHODS: Records
      of 112 consecutive patients undergoing interrupted aortic arch repair between
      1985 and 2007 were reviewed. Single-stage repair was performed in 95 patients,
      with 90 having end-to-side repair. RESULTS: There were 11 in-hospital deaths
      (10%). Twelve patients needed arch reintervention during the same hospital stay:
      7 for residual arch obstruction and 5 for left main bronchus obstruction. Nine
      patients were unavailable for follow-up. After a mean of 10 +/- 7 years, 6 late
      deaths occurred, for 18-year survival of 92% (95% confidence interval [CI], 84%
      97%). Patients with end-to-side anastomoses had better 18-year survival (97%, 95%
      CI, 87%-99%, vs 74%, 95% CI, 44%-89%, P < .01). After discharge, 19 patients
      underwent further aortic arch intervention. The only factors predictive of late
      arch reintervention were technique other than end-to-side (P < .001) and
      reoperation for left outflow tract obstruction. Freedom from arch reintervention
      after end-to-side repair was 78% at 18 years (95% CI, 59%-89%). Another 16
      patients had significant residual obstruction. The 18-year freedom from
      hypertension was 88% (95% CI, 72%-95%). CONCLUSIONS: Single-stage repair with end
      to-side anastomosis seems the best approach for most neonates with interrupted
      aortic arch, because it provides relief of the arch obstruction with low early
      mortality. After 2 decades of experience with this approach, incidence of late
      hypertension seems minimal. The need for further arch reintervention warrants
      close follow-up of these patients.

PMID- 20304141
TI  - Esophagectomy after anti-reflux surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: There are few data on whether prior fundoplication has an impact on
      subsequent esophageal resection and reconstruction. The aim of this study is to
      review our experience with patients undergoing esophagectomy after previous
      fundoplication. METHODS: Medical records were reviewed of all patients undergoing
      esophageal resection from 1988 to 2008 at the Mayo Clinic. Patients with a
      fundoplication before esophagectomy were compared with a matched control group
      who had esophagectomy alone. RESULTS: There were 2313 esophageal resections, and
      80 patients had undergone at least 1 previous anti-reflux surgery. Indications
      for esophagectomy were benign stricture/perforation in 41 patients, cancer in 28
      patients, and dysplasia in 11 patients. The surgical approach was Ivor Lewis in
      38 patients, left thoracoabdominal in 29 patients, transhiatal in 10 patients,
      and McKeown in 3 patients. The conduit used was stomach in 70 patients, jejunum
      in 6 patients, and colon in 3 patients; 1 patient had a diversion and cervical
      esophagostomy only. Operative mortality occurred in 3 patients (3.7%).
      Postoperative complications occurred in 50 patients (62.5%), including
      anastomotic leak in 17 (21.5%). Sixteen patients (20%) required reoperation for
      complications. Complication, anastomotic leak, and reoperation rates were
      significantly higher in patients with anti-reflux surgery before esophagectomy
      compared with matched controls. CONCLUSION: Esophagectomy after prior anti-reflux
      surgery is challenging, but the stomach is usually a suitable conduit for
      esophageal replacement. Patients with a history of anti-reflux surgery who
      undergo esophagectomy are at significantly increased risk for postoperative
      complications, anastomotic leak, and need for reoperation.

PMID- 20304144
TI  - The impact of induction therapy on morbidity and operative mortality after
      resection of primary lung cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Use and operative results of neoadjuvant therapy before major elective
      resection for primary lung cancer were examined in the Society of Thoracic
      Surgeons General Thoracic Surgical Database. METHODS: Lobectomy and pneumonectomy
      for primary lung cancer were identified in 12,201 patients between January 2002
      and June 2008. After excluding procedures for missing clinical staging or end
      points; institutions with more than 10% missing data for clinical stage,
      discharge mortality, or length of stay; and patients treated with chemotherapy or
      radiation for unrelated disease, there remained 5376 resections. Study end points
      were discharge mortality, length of stay more than 14 days, and major morbidity.
      Multivariate analysis using propensity scores stratified into quintiles measured
      the effect of induction therapy. RESULTS: In 525 of 5376 procedures (9.8%),
      chemotherapy (n = 153), radiotherapy (23), or chemoradiotherapy (349) preceded
      resection. Compared with resection only, patients receiving induction therapy
      were younger and had fewer comorbidities, more reoperative surgery, and higher
      rates of pneumonectomy. Clinical IIIA-N2 disease was treated with induction
      therapy in only 203 of 397 patients (51.1%). Propensity-adjusted rates detected
      no difference in discharge mortality, prolonged length of stay, or a composite of
      major morbidity for patients receiving induction therapy. Similar results were
      obtained in a logistic regression model (discharge mortality P = .9883; prolonged
      hospital stay P = .9710; major morbidity P = .9678). CONCLUSION: Less than 10% of
      all major lung resections for primary carcinoma and just more than half of all
      resections for clinical stage IIIA-N2 disease are preceded by neoadjuvant
      chemotherapy or radiation. This study does not support concerns over excessive
      operative risk of induction therapy.

PMID- 20304142
TI  - Differential matrix metalloproteinase levels in adenocarcinoma and squamous cell
      carcinoma of the lung.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have been implicated in the
      aggressive course of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, there are a
      large number of MMP subtypes with diverse proteolytic substrates and different
      induction pathways. This study tested the hypothesis that a differential MMP
      profile would exist between NSCLC and normal lung and that MMP patterns would
      differ between NSCLC histologic types. METHODS: NSCLC samples and remote normal
      samples were obtained from patients with stage I or II NSCLC with either squamous
      cell (n = 22) or adenocarcinoma (n = 19) histologic characteristics. Absolute
      concentrations for each of the MMP subclasses were determined by a calibrated and
      validated multiplex suspension array: collagenases (MMP-1, -8, and -13),
      gelatinases (MMP-2 and -9), lysins (MMP-2 and -7), and elastase (MMP-12).
      RESULTS: Overall, MMP levels were significantly increased in NSCLC compared with
      normal. For example, MMP-1 and MMP-7 increased by approximately 10-fold in NSCLC
      (P < .05). Moreover, a different MMP portfolio was observed between NSCLC
      histologic types. For example MMP-1, -8, -9, and -12 increased by more than 4
      fold in squamous cell versus adenocarcinoma (P < .05). In those patients who had
      recurrence within 3 years of resection, 3-fold higher levels of MMP-8 and -9 were
      observed (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Increased levels of a number of MMP types occur
      with NSCLC, but the MMP profile was distinctly different between histologic types
      and in those patients with recurrence. These different MMP profiles may be
      important in the mechanistic basis for the natural history of different NSCLC
      types, as well as identifying potential prognostic and therapeutic targets.

PMID- 20304145
TI  - Ventricular restraint therapy for heart failure: the right ventricle is different
      from the left ventricle.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Effects of ventricular restraint on the left ventricle are well
      documented, but effects on the right ventricle are not. We hypothesized that
      restraint affects the right and left ventricles differently. METHODS: We studied
      acute effects of restraint on left and right ventricular mechanics in healthy
      sheep (n = 14) with our previously described technique of adjustable and
      measurable restraint. Transmural pressure, myocardial oxygen consumption indices,
      diastolic compliance, and end-systolic elastance were assessed at 4 restraint
      levels for both ventricles. We then studied long-term effects of restraint for 4
      months in an ovine model of ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (n = 6). Heart
      failure was induced by coronary artery ligation, and polypropylene mesh was
      wrapped around the heart to simulate clinical restraint therapy. All subjects
      were followed up with serial cardiac magnetic resonance imaging to assess left
      and right ventricular volumes and function. RESULTS: Restraint decreased left
      ventricular transmural pressure (P < .03) and myocardial oxygen consumption
      indices (P < .05) but not left ventricular diastolic compliance (P = .52).
      Restraint had no effect on right ventricular transmural pressure (P = .82) or
      myocardial oxygen consumption indices (P = .72) but reduced right ventricular
      diastolic compliance (P < .01). In long-term studies, restraint led to reverse
      left ventricular remodeling with decreased left ventricular end-diastolic volume
      (P < .006) but did not affect right ventricular end-diastolic volume (P = .82).
      CONCLUSIONS: Ventricular restraint affects the left and right ventricles
      differently. Benefits of restraint for right ventricular function are unclear.
      The left ventricle can tolerate more restraint than the right ventricle. With
      current devices, the right ventricle may limit overall therapeutic efficacy.

PMID- 20304146
TI  - Heat shock protein 27: induction by gastroduodenal reflux in vivo and
      augmentation of human esophageal mucosal cell growth in vitro.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Acid exposure to esophageal epithelium leads to hyperplasia and
      mucosal thickening. This is associated with upregulation of antiapoptotic genes.
      Recently, heat shock proteins have been implicated in esophageal mucosal response
      to stress. We sought to determine the influence of gastroduodenal reflux on
      esophageal mucosal heat shock protein 27 gene (murine analog Hspb1, human HSPB1)
      expression in vivo and the effect of HSPB1 overexpression on proliferation of
      esophageal mucosal cells in vitro. METHODS: Balb/c mice underwent either
      anastomosis of gastroesophageal junction and first portion of duodenum to induce
      continuous gastroduodenal reflux (n = 14) or sham procedure (n = 12).
      Quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction was used to
      determine the influence of gastroduodenal reflux on Hspb1 expression.
      Immunofluorescent microscopy and immunoblotting were used to quantify changes in
      heat shock protein 27 protein expression. Lentiviral infection techniques were
      used to overexpress HSPB1 in human esophageal epithelial cells. Both 3-(4,5
      dimethylthiazole-2-yl) 2,5,-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide and 5-bromo-2
      deoxyuridine incorporation assays were used to assess cell proliferation.
      RESULTS: Expressions of Hspb1 and its protein product were increased in
      esophageal tissue after 12 weeks' reflux relative to sham control group.
      Expression was located mainly in hyperplastic epithelial cells. Overexpression of
      HSPB1 in human esophageal epithelial cells resulted in increased proliferation.
      CONCLUSIONS: Heat shock protein 27 is upregulated in response to gastroduodenal
      reflux and is a mediator of human esophageal epithelial cell proliferation and
      growth. This novel finding illustrates the importance of its expression in the
      development of inflammation and mucosal thickening associated with esophageal
      reflux.

PMID- 20304147
TI  - Prolonged donor heart preservation with pinacidil: the role of mitochondria and
      the mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium channel.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Prolonged donor heart preservation is important in cardiovascular
      surgery. This study examined the effect of pinacidil, a nonselective adenosine
      triphosphate-sensitive potassium channel opener, on donor heart preservation when
      added to histidine tryptophan ketoglutarate solution and the role of mitochondria
      in this protection. METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rat hearts received one of 5
      preservation solutions in the Langendorff perfusion apparatus (24 per group): (1)
      histidine tryptophan ketoglutarate solution; (2) histidine tryptophan
      ketoglutarate solution containing pinacidil; (3) histidine tryptophan
      ketoglutarate solution containing pinacidil and 5-hydroxydecanote, a
      mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium channel blocker; (4)
      histidine tryptophan ketoglutarate solution containing pinacidil and Hoechst
      Marion-Roussel 1098, a sarcolemmal adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium
      channel blocker; and (5) histidine tryptophan ketoglutarate solution containing
      pinacidil, 5-hydroxydecanote, and Hoechst-Marion-Roussel 1098. After a 10-minute
      equilibration period, all the hearts in the different preservation solutions were
      placed in cold storage for 8 hours, followed by 60 minutes of reperfusion.
      Hemodynamics, mitochondrial respiratory function, adenosine triphosphate level,
      cardiac troponin I release, and ultrastructure were examined. RESULTS: Histidine
      tryptophan ketoglutarate solution containing 0.5 mmol/L pinicidal significantly
      improved heart function, coronary flow, myocardial ultrastructure, and cardiac
      troponin I release after reperfusion (P < .01 or P < .05). In the pinacidil group
      at the end of storage and the end of reperfusion, mitochondrial respiratory
      function and myocardial adenosine triphosphate levels were superior when compared
      with other groups (P < .01 or P < .05). These beneficial effects of pinacidil
      were blocked by 100 mumol/L 5-hydroxydecanote. CONCLUSION: Histidine tryptophan
      ketoglutarate solution containing pinacidil provides better cardioprotection with
      preservation of mitochondrial energy. This effect of pinacidil appears to depend
      on both mitochondrial and sarcolemmal adenosine triphosphate sensitive potassium
      channel.

PMID- 20304148
TI  - Aortic decision making in Loeys-Dietz syndrome.

PMID- 20304151
TI  - Organ transplantation in numbers: Brazil reaches its goals. Preface.

PMID- 20304152
TI  - Survival on waiting list for liver transplantation before and after introduction
      of the model for end-stage liver disease score.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Since July 2006, the Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) score
      has served as the national basis for allocation of donor livers for
      transplantation in Brazil. Patients with higher MELD scores receive greater
      priority for allocation regardless of the time on the waiting list. PURPOSE: To
      investigate the impact of MELD score implementation on the survival of waiting
      list patients. METHODS: A retrospective study of patients registered at the
      national Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) for the liver transplantation
      waiting list between January 2004 and June 2006 (pre-MELD) and between July 2006
      and December 2008 (post-MELD). RESULTS: We included listed patients awaiting
      liver transplantation in the pre-MELD era (n = 250, 48.4%) and in the post-MELD
      era (n = 266, 51.6%). The times awaiting transplant prior to and after the MELD
      system were 487.2 +/- 384.8 days and 183.9 +/- 157.2 days, respectively. Prior to
      the MELD score, waiting list survivals were greater when compared to rates in the
      current system. Early posttransplant patient survival rates were significantly
      reduced in the post-MELD era (83.4%) compared to the period before MELD
      implementation (93.2%). CONCLUSIONS: MELD score provides a transparent, objective
      system to drive allocation policy; however, it presents several important
      limitations. Constant need of changes and reevaluation are needed as an
      evolutionary process. Future changes in the present system may be addressed by
      adjusting the MELD system.

PMID- 20304153
TI  - Survival before and after model for end-stage liver disease score introduction on
      the Brazilian liver transplant waiting list.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: To examine whether the official adoption of Model for End-Stage
      Liver Disease (MELD) as a criterion for organ allocation was effective, we
      studied risk factors for patient deaths and the accuracy of the MELD score to
      predict mortality. METHODS: Patients on the waiting list for liver
      transplantation were divided into two periods depending on whether they were on
      the waiting list before (period 1) or after (period 2) the MELD introduction in
      Brazil. The Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank tests were used to study patient
      survivals. Predictive factors were identified using the Cox regression method. A
      receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze Child-Turcotte
      Pugh (CTP) and MELD accuracy. RESULTS: We analyzed 295 patients in period 1 and
      240 in period 2. The survivals after 3, 6, 9, and 12 months in periods 1 and 2,
      were 95.6%, 90.5%, 84.9%, and 69.6% vs 95.7%, 92.1%, 85.3%, and 83.3%,
      respectively (P = NS). Multivariate analysis showed CTP, MELD-Na, and albumin
      levels, besides spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP), to be independent
      factors related to survival in period 1. In period 2, CTP, creatinine levels,
      international normalized ratio, besides spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, were
      the independent factors. The ROC curve for CTP was 0.676 and for MELD, 0.644 (P =
      .4) in period 1. In period 2, the ROC curve for CTP was 0.680 and for MELD, 0.718
      (P = .4). CONCLUSION: Patient survival on the waiting list for liver
      transplantation did not change at 1 year after the introduction of the MELD.

PMID- 20304154
TI  - Why not to use kidney grafts from elderly donors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Kidney transplantation is widely recognized as the best treatment in
      patients who require renal replacement therapy. Although considered a clinical
      and surgical triumph, it is also a source of frustration because of lack of donor
      organs and the growth of waiting lists. Strategies need to be developed to
      increase the supply of organs. One measure is use of expanded criteria for
      donation. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of donor age on cadaver graft
      survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the medical records for 454 patients
      who underwent kidney transplantation with cadaver donors from April 1987 to
      December 2003. RESULTS: Donor age had a significant effect on kidney transplant
      survival. Survival of grafts from donors aged 16 to 40 years (mean, 143.30
      months) was significantly greater compared with that of grafts from donors older
      than 40 years (66.46 months) (P = .005). The HLA matching and cold ischemia time
      did not significantly affect transplant survival (P = .98 and P = .16,
      respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Kidneys from cadaver donors older than 40 years
      significantly compromised graft survival, generating a negative effect via early
      return of recipients to waiting lists and increasing the rate of repeat
      transplantation, risk of death, and unnecessary costs.

PMID- 20304155
TI  - Surgical complications in 100 donor hepatectomies for living donor liver
      transplantation in a single Brazilian center.
AB  - The rising demand for liver transplantation has continued to outspace the
      availability of deceased donor organs, leading to the need for other treatment
      options including living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). A precise evaluation
      of surgical complications is the most important issue in this setting. There are
      controversies about donor morbidity with reports ranging from 13%-75%. The aim of
      this study was to retrospectively analyze 100 LDLTs performed in a single
      Brazilian center from December 2002 to August 2008, stratifying the complications
      according to Clavien's scoring system. None of the donors experienced life
      threatening complications or died. The majority of donors (n = 74) did not suffer
      any complication. Twenty-eight complications were observed in 26 patients. Fifty
      seven hepatectomies were performed for adult and 43 for pediatric
      transplantations. According to the Brisbane classifications, we performed 49
      right and 2 left hepatectomies as well as 49 left lateral segmentectomies.
      According to Clavien, the complications were as follows: grade I (n = 11; 39.2%);
      grade II (n = 8; 28.5%); and grade III (n = 9; 32.3%). No patient presented with
      grade IV or V. The most common problem a biliary tract injury, similar to other
      series. In this Brazilian series, hepatectomy for LDLT was a safe procedure with
      low morbidity, regardless of the type of liver resection. This practice will
      probably continue to grow to alleviate the pressure of growing waiting lists.

PMID- 20304156
TI  - Evaluation of living donor liver transplantation: causes for exclusion.
AB  - The decision to perform organ donation surgery involves a series of risks for the
      live donor including death. The aim of this study was to evaluate exclusion
      criteria for living donor liver transplantation, as well as to identify the rate
      of exclusion in each of the 3 process phases according to the Live Donor
      Evaluation Protocol for adult and child recipients. From December 2001 to
      December 2007, we evaluated 223 donors among whom 142 were excluded in various
      phases. The data were statistically evaluated. Among the 142 excluded donors, 113
      (79.6%) had an adult recipient. The elimination rates for adult recipients were
      as follows: 68 cases in phase I, 41 cases in phase II, and 4 cases in phase III.
      Concerning child recipients, 29 (20.4%) donors were excluded: 17 in phase I, and
      12 in phase II. Concerning adult recipients, sons and daughters were the largest
      part of the excluded donors, with withdrawal as the principal reason for
      exclusion followed by recipient death. Regarding child recipients the parents
      represented the largest number of excluded donors due to withdrawal followed by
      abnormal blood test results. Thus, 36.5% of potential donors were effective
      donors.

PMID- 20304157
TI  - Liver transplantation using University of Wisconsin or Celsior preserving
      solutions in the portal vein and Euro-Collins in the aorta.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is today the gold standard
      treatment of the end-stage liver disease. Different solutions are used for graft
      preservation. Our objective was to compare the results of cadaveric donor OLT,
      preserved with the University of Wisconsin (UW) or Celsior solutions in the
      portal vein and Euro-Collins in the aorta. METHODS: We evaluated retrospectively
      72 OLT recipients, including 36 with UW solution (group UW) and 36 with Celsior
      (group CS). Donors were perfused in situ with 1000 mL UW or Celsior in the portal
      vein of and 3000 mL of Euro-Collins in the aortia and on the back table managed
      with 500 mL UW or Celsior in the portal vein, 250 mL in the hepatic artery, and
      250 mL in the biliary duct. We evaluated the following variables: donor
      characteristics, recipient features, intraoperative details, reperfusion injury,
      and steatosis via a biopsy after reperfusion. We noted grafts with primary
      nonfunction (PNF), initial poor function (IPF), rejection episodes, biliary duct
      complications, hepatic artery complications, re-OLT, and recipient death in the
      first year after OLT. RESULTS: The average age was 33.6 years in the UW group
      versus 41 years in the CS group (P = .048). There was a longer duration of
      surgery in the UW group (P = .001). The other recipient characteristics, ischemia
      reperfusion injury, steatosis, PNF, IPF, rejection, re-OLT, and recipient
      survival were not different. Stenosis of the biliary duct occured in 3 (8.3%)
      cases in the UW group and 8 (22.2%) in the CS (P = .19) with hepatic artery
      thrombosis in 4 (11.1%) CS versus none in the UW group (P = .11). CONCLUSION:
      Cadaveric donor OLT showed similar results with organs preserved with UW or
      Celsior in the portal vein and Euro-Collins in the aorta.

PMID- 20304158
TI  - Analysis of the liver effluent as a marker of preservation injury and early graft
      performance.
AB  - In liver transplantation, the effluent solution, which represents the washout of
      residual preservation solution, can be collected before reperfusion to determine
      the release of the markers of endothelial cell injury and damage to the liver.
      The enzyme activities detected in the washout solution may allow the development
      of an index that could be clinically valuable for the prediction of early
      posttransplant graft function. In the present study, we collected liver effluents
      from 47 livers at the time of graft rinsing to measure liver enzymes
      (aminotransferases and lactate dehydrogenase) as well as the serum enzyme levels
      of the recipients for correlation with early postoperative graft viability (1
      month survival). The patients were divided into two groups: death (D) and
      survival (S). Nonparametric statistical analysis was used with the level of
      significance set at P < .05. Aminotransferases and lactate dehydrogenase levels
      higher among the D group (P < .05 for all measurements), leading us to conclude
      that the effluent represents a good marker of preservation injury and early graft
      performance.

PMID- 20304159
TI  - Ex vivo lung perfusion: early report of Brazilian experience.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Only about 15% of the potential candidates for lung donation are
      considered suitable for transplantation. A new method for ex vivo lung perfusion
      (EVLP) can be used to evaluate and recondition "marginal," nonacceptable lungs.
      We have herein described an initial experience with ex vivo perfusion of 8 donor
      lungs deemed nonacceptable. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After harvesting, the lungs
      were perfused ex vivo with Steen Solution, an extracellular matrix with high
      colloid osmotic pressure. A membrane oxygenator connected to the circuit received
      gas from a mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide, maintaining a normal mixed
      venous blood gas level in the perfusate. The lungs were gradually rewarmed,
      reperfused, and ventilated for evaluation through analyses of oxygenation
      capacity, pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), lung compliance (LC), and biopsy.
      RESULTS: The arterial oxygen pressure (with inspired oxygen fraction of 100%)
      increased from a mean of 206 mm Hg in the organ donor at the referring hospital
      to a mean of 498 mm Hg during the ex vivo evaluation. After 1 hour of EVLP, PVR
      varied from 440-1454 dynes/sec/cm(5); LC was in the range of 26-90 mL/cmH(2)O.
      There was no histological deterioration after 10 hours of cold ischemia and 1
      hour of EVLP. CONCLUSIONS: The ex vivo evaluation model can improve oxygenation
      capacity of "marginal" lungs rejected for transplantation. It has great potential
      to increase lung donor availability and, possibly, reduce time on the waiting
      list.

PMID- 20304160
TI  - Experimental model of isolated lung perfusion in rats: first Brazilian experience
      using the IL-2 isolated perfused rat or guinea pig lung system.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Lung transplantation has become the mainstay therapy for patients
      with end-stage lung disease refractory to medical management. However, the number
      of patients listed for lung transplantation largely exceeds available donors. The
      study of lung preservation requires accurate, cost-effective small animal models.
      We have described a model of ex vivo rat lung perfusion using a commercially
      available system. METHODS: Male Wistar rats weighing 250 g-300 g were
      anesthetized with intraperitoneal sodium thiopental (50 mg/kg body weight). The
      surgical technique included heart-lung block extraction, assembly, and
      preparation for perfusion and data collection. We used an IL-2 Isolated Perfused
      Rat or Guinea Pig Lung System (Harvard Apparatus, Holliston, Mass, United States;
      Hugo Sachs Elektronik, Alemanha). RESULTS: Preliminary results included
      hemodynamic and pulmonary mechanics data gathered in the experiments. CONCLUSION:
      The isolated rat lung perfusion system is a reliable method to assess lung
      preservation.

PMID- 20304161
TI  - Role of L-arginine, a substrate of nitric oxide biosynthesis, on intestinal
      ischemia-reperfusion in rabbits.
AB  - To study whether treatment with L-arginine (ARG), a substrate of nitric oxide
      biosynthesis, attenuates intestinal dysfunction caused by ischemia (I) and
      reperfusion (R), rabbits treated with ARG (100 mgxkg(-1), intravenously) or
      saline solution (SS) prior to I (60 minutes) by occlusion of superior mesenteric
      artery and/or during R (120 minutes). After I or I/R, 2-cm jejunal segments were
      isolated and mounted in an organ bath to study of neurogenic contractions
      stimulated by electrical pulses or KCl using a digital recording system. Thin
      jejunal slices were stained (hematoxylin and eosin) for analysis by optical
      microscopy. Compared to the sham group, jejunal contractions were similar in I +
      ARG, but reduced in I + SS, I/R + SS, and I/R + ARG groups. The jejunal enteric
      nerves were damaged in I + SS, I/R + SS, and I/R + ARG, but not in I + ARG group,
      suggesting that ARG can attenuate intestinal dysfunctions due to I, but not to R.

PMID- 20304162
TI  - Intestinal ischemia-reperfusion is attenuated by treatment with atenolol in
      rabbits.
AB  - To study whether treatment with the beta-blocker atenolol (AT) attenuates
      intestinal dysfunction caused by ischemia (I) and reperfusion (R), rabbits were
      treated with AT (1 mg.kg(-1), introvenously) or saline solution (SS) prior to I
      (60 minutes), which was produced by occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery,
      and/or R (120 minutes). After I or I/R, 2-cm jejunal segments were mounted in an
      organ bath to study neurogenic contractions stimulated by electrical pulses or
      KCl using a digital recording system. Thin jejunal slices were stained
      hematoxylin and eosin for analysis by optical microscopy. Compared to the sham
      group, the jejunal contractions were similar in the I + AT and the I/R + AT
      groups, but reduced in the I + SS and the I/R + SS groups. The jejunal enteric
      nerves were damaged in the I + SS and the I/R + SS groups, but not in the I + AT
      and the I/R + AT. These results suggest that AT may attenuate intestinal
      dysfunction caused by I and I/R.

PMID- 20304163
TI  - Role of adenosine on intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury in rabbits.
AB  - To study if the treatment with adenosine (ADO), an agonist of adenosine
      receptors, attenuates intestinal dysfunction caused by ischemia (I) and
      reperfusion (R), we treated rabbits with ADO (15 mg x kg(-1), intravenously) or
      saline solution (SS) to I (60 minutes) before occlusion of superior mesenteric
      artery and/or R (120 min). After I or I/R, isolated jejunal segments (2 cm) were
      mounted in an organ bath to study nerve-mediated contractions stimulated by
      electrical pulses or KCl using a digital recording system. Thin jejunal slices
      were stained (hematoxylin and eosin) for analysis by optical microscopy. Compared
      to the sham group, the jejunal contractions were similar in I + ADO, but reduced
      in I + SS, I/R + SS, and I/R + ADO groups. We concluded that the jejunal enteric
      nerves were damaged in I + SS, I/R + SS, and I/R + ADO, but not in I + ADO group.
      These results suggested that ADO attenuated intestinal dysfunction due to I, but
      not to R.

PMID- 20304164
TI  - Effects of L-nitro-arginine methyl ester, an inhibitor of nitric oxide
      biosynthesis, on intestinal ischemia/reperfusion injury in rabbits.
AB  - To study whether treatment with L-nitro-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), an
      inhibitor of nitric oxide biosynthesis, attenuates intestinal dysfunction caused
      by ischemia (I) and/or reperfusion (R), rabbits were treated with L-NAME (15
      mgxkg(-1), intervenously) or saline olution (SS) prior to I (60 minutes) induced
      by occlusion of superior mesenteric artery and/or R (120 minutes). After I or
      I/R, isolated jejunal segments (2 cm) were mounted in an organ bath to study
      nerve-mediated contractions stimulated by electrical pulses or KCI using a
      digital recording system. Thin jejunal slices were stained (hematoxylin and
      eosin) for analysis by optical microscopy. Compared with a sham group, the
      jejunal contractions were similar in the I/R + L-NAME, but reduced in I + SS, I/R
      + SS, and I + L-NAME groups. The jejunal enteric nerves were damaged in the I +
      SS, I/R + SS, and I + L-NAME cohorts, but not among the I/R + L-NAME cohort.
      These results suggested that L-NAME attenuated intestinal dysfunction caused by R
      but not by I.

PMID- 20304165
TI  - Effects of 5'-adenosine triphosphate on intestinal ischemia-reperfusion in
      rabbits.
AB  - To study whether treatment with 5'-adenosine triphosphate (ATP), an agonist of P2
      purine receptors, attenuated intestinal dysfunction caused by ischemia (I) and/or
      reperfusion (R), rabbits were treated with ATP (15 mgxkg(-1), intravenously) or
      saline solution (SS) 60 minutes before I by occlusion of the superior mesenteric
      artery and/or R (120 minutes). After I or I/R isolated 2-cm jejunal segments were
      mounted in an organ bath to study nerve-mediated contractions stimulated by
      electrical pulses or KCl using a digital recording system. Thin jejunal slices
      were stained (hematoxylin and eosin) for optical microscopy. Compared to a sham
      group, the jejunal contractions were similar to sham hosts among I + ATP, but
      reduced in I + SS, I/R + SS, and I/R + ATP groups. The jejunal-enteric nerves
      were damaged in I + SS, I/R + SS, and I/R + ATP, but not the I + ATP group. These
      results suggested that ATP attenuated intestinal dysfunction produced by I, but
      not that caused by R.

PMID- 20304166
TI  - Induction with basiliximab in renal transplantation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The use of monoclonal antibodies in renal transplantation for
      induction therapy has been associated with a marked reduction in acute rejection
      rates with an impact on graft and patient survivals. OBJECTIVE: We sought to
      evaluate the efficacy of renal transplant induction protocols using Basiliximab
      based on the rates of acute rejection episodes (ARE) and delayed graft function
      (DGF) of infectious complications in the first 6 months posttransplant, as well
      as patient and graft survivals. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated all renal
      transplants performed between 2000 and 2008 that were primary grafts from
      cadaveric heart-beating donors, into recipients with a panel reactive antibody
      titer <5% and who were treated with an immunosuppression scheme based on
      cyclosporine, mycophenolate mofetil/mycophenolic acid plus corticosteroids, with
      (group 1) or without basiliximab (group 2). RESULTS: We enrolled 52 recipients in
      group 1 (induction with basiliximab) and 189 in group 2 (without basiliximab).
      The baseline characteristics were similar among the groups, except for time on
      dialysis which was longer in group 1 and the number of HLA matches, which was
      lower in group 1. The ARE rate was lower among group 1 (7.8% vs 27.8%; P = .001);
      rates of DGF and infectious complications were similar. There was no significant
      difference in graft and patient survivals. CONCLUSION: In this study, induction
      with basiliximab was associated with a reduced rate rate of ARE, despite a lower
      number of HLA matches and a longer previous time on dialysis. The use of this
      induction modality was not associated with a greater rate of infectious
      complications.

PMID- 20304167
TI  - Application of artificial neural networks in renal transplantation:
      classification of nephrotoxicity and acute cellular rejection episodes.
AB  - Complications associated with kidney transplantation and immunosuppression can be
      prevented or treated effectively if diagnosed in the early stages by
      posttransplant monitoring. One of the major problems is diseases that occur
      during the first year after kidney transplantation. For this purpose, we used
      different classifiers to predict events of nephrotoxicity versus acute cellular
      rejection episodes. The classifiers were evaluated according to values of
      sensitivity, specificity and area under ROC curves (RCA). The classifier with
      better accuracy rate for nephrotoxicity achieved the value of 75.68% and RCA
      classifier reached the accuracy of 80.89%. These results are encouraging, with
      rates of accuracy and error consistent with work purpose.

PMID- 20304168
TI  - Quantitative analyses of kidney injury molecule-1 messenger RNA in kidney
      transplant recipients with graft dysfunction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), a type I transmembrane protein that
      is not expressed in normal renal tissue, shows increased expression in
      dedifferentiated cells within damaged regions of the proximal tubule. We
      evaluated mRNA transcription of the KIM-1 gene in renal tissue of kidney
      transplant patients who were experiencing graft dysfunction searching for an
      accurate biomarker of kidney graft injury. PATIENTS AND METHODS: mRNA analysis
      was performed on 59 biopsies from kidney transplant patients who had been
      classified according to the Banff 1997 scheme. Biopsies were categorized in 5
      diagnostic groups: acute tubular necrosis (ATN) with superimposed acute rejection
      episode (ARE), ATN; ARE; calcineurin inhibitor nephrotoxicity (CIN); or
      interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IFTA). Amplified tissue RNA was
      quantified by real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Renal tissue
      evaluations showed significantly increased KIM-1 mRNA expression as shown by
      median values, 25-75 percentiles, and averages of the logarithmic transformation:
      namely, CIN group (50.6; 1.8-285, 1; 1.24) and IFTA group (7.5; 1.26-14.6; 0.62),
      displayed significant differences (P > .05). In contrast, expression was lower
      among the ATN (0.47; 0.28-1.06; -0.13); ARE (0.21; 0.11-0.78; -0.45), and ATN+ARE
      (0.46; 0.06-3.27; -0.25) cohorts. CONCLUSION: These preliminary data suggested
      that KIM-1 mRNA might be useful biomarker of tubular damage associated with CIN
      and IFTA.

PMID- 20304169
TI  - Use of tacrolimus and the development of posttransplant diabetes mellitus: a
      Brazilian single-center, observational study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Posttransplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM) is considered to be a
      serious complication of kidney transplantation that may reduce patient and graft
      survival. The immunosuppressant tacrolimus (TAC) increases the risk of developing
      PTDM. PURPOSE: We sought to estimate the risk of PTDM among renal transplant
      recipients treated with TAC, to identify other risk factors for PTDM, and to
      describe its consequences. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 413 recipients of
      ages >or=18 years who were free of diabetes before kidney transplantation. They
      were treated with TAC, cyclosporine (CyA), or sirolimus (SIR) plus steroid
      therapy with a minimum follow-up posttransplant of 6 months. PTDM was diagnosed
      according to American Diabetes Association guidelines. RESULTS: The mean age was
      42.3 years and 230 (55.7%) were male. The initial immunosuppression for 171
      (41.4%) patients was TAC; 221 (53.5%), CyA; and 21 (5.1%), SIR. PTDM occurred in
      85/413 (20.6%) of patients. The median time to PTDM development was 54 days
      posttransplant. The cumulative incidence of PTDM was 24.6% and 17.2% for TAC and
      CyA treatment groups, respectively. In the intention-to-treat analysis, the
      proportion of patients receiving TAC who developed PTDM was significantly higher
      than that of CyA (HR = 1.6 [1.01-2.42]; P = .04). The Kaplan-Meier method showed
      that 78.5% patients taking TAC were free of PTDM at 6 months compared with 88.8%
      taking CyA (P = .003). The other independent risk factors were body mass index
      (BMI; P < .0001); recipient age (P < .0001) and acute rejection episodes (AE; P =
      .01). Three-year actuarial graft survivals were 85.5% for PTDM patients compared
      with 93.3% for those without diabetes (P = .021); patient survivals, 88.9% and
      96.7%, respectively (P = .017). CONCLUSION: The incidence of PTDM is associated
      with TAC use, recipient age, BMI, and ARE. Therefore, PTDM is an important risk
      factor for graft loss and mortality.

PMID- 20304170
TI  - Therapeutic option for infected urinary tract fistulas in renal transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Approximately 20% of urinary tract fistulas after renal allografting
      are complicated by urinary tract infection, which presents a therapeutic
      challenge. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate an option for treatment of urinary tract
      fistulas associated with urinary tract infection and unsuitable for minimally
      invasive or primary surgical urinary tract repair. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The
      study included 650 recipients who underwent transplantation over 17 years.
      Urinary leakage was initially treated with indwelling bladder catheterization.
      Patients with fistulas refractory to treatment underwent surgical intervention to
      repair the urinary tract. In patients who were not candidates for primary repair
      of the urinary tract, temporary urinary diversion was performed, rather than
      classic percutaneous or open nephrostomy, using a ureteral stent (ie, a 6F or 8F
      Foley catheter with the balloon placed inside the renal pelvis). RESULTS:
      Overall, urinary leakage occurred in 36 patients (5.5%). Conservative management
      was successful in 14 vesical fistulas (42.4%) and no ureteral fistulas (0%).
      Three patients died of sepsis during conservative treatment, before the new
      surgical approach. Five of 36 urinary leaks (13.9%) were managed using ureteral
      intubation with an 8F Foley catheter, with a success rate of 80%. CONCLUSION:
      Ureteral catheterization with an 8F Foley catheter is a feasible therapeutic
      option to treat complicated urinary tract fistulas unsuitable for primary
      surgical repair of the urinary tract.

PMID- 20304171
TI  - Urinary tract infections in renal transplant recipients: virulence traits of
      uropathogenic Escherichia coli.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the most common infectious
      complication after renal transplantation. Most infections are caused by
      uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). There are limited data on the prevalence
      of virulence traits among UPEC isolated from renal transplant recipients. This
      study compared the phenotypic and genotypic profiles of UPEC strains isolated
      from recipients with those from control patients. METHODS: E coli isolates that
      caused UTI in recipients versus nonimmunosuppressed control patients were
      characterized according to phylogenetic group and the presence of urovirulence
      genes pap1/pap2; sfa1/sfa2; afa1/afa2; aer1/aer2; and cnf1/cnf2. RESULTS: Thirty
      six UPEC isolates from recipients and another 27 from control individuals were
      included in the study. The proportion of episodes of pyelonephritis in recipients
      (50%) versus control subjects (41%) was similar (P = .46). However, secondary
      bacteremia was observed only among recipients (n = 8; P < .001). There was no
      significant difference in the distribution of phylogenetic groups or the
      prevalence of analyzed virulence traits between UPEC isolated from the 2 groups.
      Nevertheless, strains associated with secondary bacteremia in recipients showed a
      higher prevalence of mannose-resistant hemagglutination (P = .013). CONCLUSION:
      The phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of UPEC isolated from recipients
      were similar to those from control patients at a tertiary care center. Secondary
      bacteremia in recipients was associated with a higher prevalence of mannose
      resistant hemagglutination.

PMID- 20304172
TI  - Urinary tract infection caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing
      bacteria in kidney transplant patients.
AB  - Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common complication among kidney transplant
      patients. UTI caused by multi-resistant extended-spectrum beta-lactamase
      producing bacteria (ESBL) have largely increased among the hospitalized patient
      population and especially kidney transplant recipients. We retrospectively
      studied 83 kidney transplant patients to evaluate the incidence and possible
      causative conditions of ESBL-related UTI over the last 6 years. ESBL production
      was determined by the antibiotic susceptibility profile of urine cultures. We
      compared the incidence in two 3-year periods, 2003-2005 (period 1) and 2006-2008
      (period 2). An high incidence of ESBL-related UTI (16.8%) was observed in the
      posttransplant period performing 31% of the overall UTI incidence, with an
      increase over the last 3 years from 23.8% to 37.5%. ESBL-related UTI was related
      to previous episodes of UTI (78.6% vs 29.0%; P < .01) and reoperations (50.0% vs
      12.9%; P < .05). We observed a progressively increasing incidence of 13%, 38%,
      and 45% of ESBL-related UTI among first, second, and third episodes,
      respectively. Age, gender, HLA mismatches, etiology of chronic kidney disease,
      diabetes mellitus, acute rejection, induction treatment, and type/level of
      immunosuppressants were similiar between the groups with or without ESBL-related
      UTI. We observed a high increased incidence of ESBL-related UTI among kidney
      transplant recipients, and particularly patients with recurrent UTI.

PMID- 20304173
TI  - Serological profile of pretransplantation liver patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A liver transplantation is the first choice of treatment for
      patients with hepatic insufficiency due to chronic diseases. Infections in the
      postoperative period represent one of the main causes of mortality in these
      cases. However, few articles have evaluated the predominance of certain
      infectious diseases and their influence on postoperative mortality. METHODS: We
      retrospectively evaluated the medical records of 236 patients who underwent liver
      transplantation from January 1997 to January 2007. In these records we checked
      the serological profiles for these diseases: toxoplasmosis, syphilis, human T
      lymphotropic virus (HTLV) I and II infection, Chagas disease, hepatitis A,
      hepatitis B, hepatitis C, paracoccidioidomycosis, tuberculosis, acquired
      immunodeficiency syndrome, cytomegalovirus (CMV), and mononucleosis (Epstein-Barr
      virus [EBV]). The statistical analysis was performed by table frequencies.
      RESULTS: CMV showed positivity (CMV-IgG) in 94.7% of patients, 95.8% for EBV,
      33.3% for toxoplasmosis, 47.9% for hepatitis C, and 5% for hepatitis B.
      CONCLUSION: Our analysis showed the importance of serological investigations and
      diagnostic examinations before the transplantation procedure, seeking to minimize
      possible reactivation of the disease after the use of immunosuppression drugs,
      particularly in the first 6 months after transplantation, or even to avoid a
      primary infection.

PMID- 20304174
TI  - Red blood cell antigen alloimmunization in liver transplant recipients.
AB  - Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is a life-saving procedure for patients
      with end-stage liver disease. Transfusion support is an important part of OLT.
      Intraoperative transfusion of large volumes of blood products is recognized to be
      a poor prognostic factor, probably due to the negative effects of blood
      transfusions, such as transfusion reactions, infectious contamination of blood
      products, or immune modulation of the transfused patient. The aim of this study
      was to evaluate the frequency of alloimmunization and its specificity to red
      blood cell (RBC) antigens among patients undergoing OLT. We identified 74 RBC
      alloantibodies in 70 (23%) patients when the indirect antiglobulin test (IAT) was
      performed. The most common RBC alloantibodies were against Rh system antigens.
      The majority (41.9%) were directed against the E antigen. Despite the ethnic
      heterogeneity of our population there were no cases of intravascular hemolysis.
      The incidence of alloimmunization (23%) was slightly higher among patients than
      in the literature, most probably as a consequence of our ethnic heterogeneity.

PMID- 20304176
TI  - Portal vein thrombosis and liver transplantation: long term.
AB  - Obstruction of the portal vein may be related to constriction by malignant tumors
      or thrombosis associated with liver disease. We herein have reported our
      experience with patients undergoing liver transplantation with portal vein
      thrombosis (PVT) whose diagnosis was made intraoperatively. From September 1991
      to May 2009, we studied 27/419 (6.4%) patients with PVT who were evaluated
      according to the presence of esophagogastric varices, underlying disease,
      malignancy, and if there was previous surgery, review of medical records on data
      collected prospectively. We observed 24 (88.9%) patients with PVT grade 1, 2
      (7.4%) with grade 2, and 1 (3.7%) with grade 3. The average age of the PVT
      patients was 47.5 years; the average model for End-Stage Liver Discase score was
      18.3, and the predominant diagnosis, hepatitis C cirrhosis. Eighteen underwent a
      sclerotherapy/ligature. The sensitivity of ultrasound for grade 1 thrombosis was
      39.1%; for grade 2, 50%; and for grade 3, 100%. Portal vein thrombectomy was
      performed in 24 patients. In other patients (grade 2), we performed an
      anastomosis of the donor portal vein to the recipient gastric vein or to a
      greater splanchnic collateral vein. In only 1 patient was the graft performed
      using the donor portal vein-donor iliac vein-recipient superior mesenteric vein.
      None of the patients displayed PVT in the immediate postoperative period.
      Actuarial survivals at the years 1, 3, and 5 were 85%, 74%, and 63%,
      respectively. We concluded that PVT cannot be considered to be a contraindication
      for liver transplantation.

PMID- 20304175
TI  - Liver transplantation in bearers of hepatitis B associated or not with delta
      hepatitis in the age of the new antiviral drugs: is hyperimmune globulin still
      necessary?
AB  - Hepatitis B (HBV) is a public health problem worldwide; one-third of the
      population has already been in contact with HBV, and 350 million people are
      chronic carriers of virus. The appearance of hyperimmune gamma globulin and
      antiviral drugs has allowed that group to undergone hepatic transplantation,
      achieving satisfactory results to prevent a relapse. But the use of hyperimmune
      gamma globulin has an extremely high cost, and combined therapies with new
      antiviral drugs seem to be a therapeutic alternative. We analyzed 21 patients
      with hepatitis B associated or not with Delta hepatitis over a mean follow-up
      period of 19.5 months, concluding that use of only nucleotide analogues has
      sufficient to achieve satisfactory results.

PMID- 20304177
TI  - Treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma with liver transplantation: a single-center
      experience from Brazil.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is the treatment of choice
      of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) for patients with cirrhosis, mainly those with
      early HCC. Herein we have present the clinical characteristics and outcomes of
      cirrhotic patients with HCC who underwent OLT from cadaveric donors in our
      institution. METHODS: From May 2001 to May 2009, we performed 121 OLT including
      24 patients (19.8%) with cirrhosis and HCC within the Milan criteria. In 4 cases,
      HCC was an incidental finding in the explants. RESULTS: The patients' average age
      was 55 +/- 10 years, including 82% men. Fifty percent of patients were Child
      class B or C. The average Model for End Stage Liver Disease for Child A, B, and C
      categories were 11, 15, and 18, respectively. The HCC diagnosis was made by 2
      dynamic images in 16 cases; 1 dynamic image plus alphafetoprotein >400 ng/mL in
      4; and 4 by histologic confirmation. Twenty patients received a locoregional
      treatment before OLT: 6 percutaneous ethanol injection, 9 transarterial
      chemoembolization, 1 transarterial embolization, and 4 a combination of these
      modalities. The median follow-up after OLT was 19.7 months (range, 1-51). A
      vascular invasion was observed in the explant of 1 patient, who developed an HCC
      recurrence and succumbed at 8 months after OLT. Two further patients, without
      vascular invasion or satellite tumor displayed tumor recurrences at 7 and 3
      months after OLT, and death at 2 and 1 month after the diagnosis. The remaining
      25 patients have not shown a tumor recurrence. CONCLUSION: In the present
      evaluation, OLT patients with early HCC and no vascular invasion showed
      satisfactory results and good disease-free survival. Strictly following the Milan
      criteria for liver transplantation in patients with HCC greatly reduces but does
      not completely avoid, the chances of tumor recurrence.

PMID- 20304178
TI  - Histopathologic characteristics of incidental hepatocellular carcinoma after
      liver transplantation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Liver transplantation for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma
      (HCC) is an accepted therapeutic modality, depending on the size and number of
      nodules. Since a high incidence of incidental HCC at transplantation has been
      reported, our aim was to evaluate the histopathologic characteristics of these
      patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective analysis from March 1998 to
      June 2009 included liver transplantation patients without increased alpha
      fetoprotein or nodules on imaging methods. We included patients with HCC on
      anatomopathologic exam, excluding those presenting with HCC on the presurgery
      evaluation through clinical, laboratory and imaging methods. RESULTS: Among the
      277 transplanted subjects, 27 showed incidental HCC. The alpha-fetoprotein
      average level was 8.52 mg/dL (1.6-28.2). One patient presented with adenomatosis
      and focus of HCC. Histopathologic analyses showed: mean tumor size was 0.9 cm
      (range = 0.4-3.5); average number of tumors in each explanted liver 1.85 (range =
      1-7) nodules; and three (11.1%), microvascular invasion (11.1%). The TNM staging
      showed 17 (63%) stage I and 6 (22%) stage II. The Edmondson and Steiner
      classification showed 19 (70%) subjects in degree II. CONCLUSION: The
      histopathologic presentation of incidental HCC after liver transplantation showed
      tumors in early stage with microvascular invasion in some cases.

PMID- 20304179
TI  - Impact of liver ex situ transection on pediatric liver transplantation.
AB  - Ex situ hepatic transection (ESHT) has allowed transplantation of younger and
      smaller patients than whole liver grafts. Liver transection is a technical
      challenge due to the prolonged back table time, possible graft lesions, and
      increased surgical bleeding from the cut surface. We compare the outcomes of
      whole versus transected liver grafts in pediatric liver transplantation. METHODS:
      We retrospectively studied 41 pediatric patients who underwent 42 consecutive
      liver transplants (1 retransplant) from cadaveric donors. The study included all
      patients <18 years old who were transplanted at our institution from December
      2001 to September 2009. Patients were distributed into 2 groups: whole organ (WO;
      n = 20) and transected liver grafts (TLG; n = 21). The ESHT grafts included 17
      splits and 5 reduced size livers. We evaluated the age, weight, blood component
      transfusions, 1-year survival, laboratory tests at 2nd and 7th days
      postoperatively, surgical complications, reoperations, rejection episodes, cold
      ischemia time, biliary reconstruction type, and donor laboratory tests. Data were
      analyzed using Fisher and Student's t-tests. RESULTS: The mean age was 115 months
      (range, 7 months to 17.6 years) in the WO group and 43.3 months (range, 5 months
      to 16.25 years) in the TLG group (P = .0003). Mean weight was 19.8 kg (range, 5.8
      67) and 9.7 Kg (range, 5.2-57) in the WO and TLG groups, respectively (P =
      .0079). Red blood cell transfusion was higher in the TLG group (P = .0479).
      Laboratory tests showed no difference between the 2 groups considering hepatic
      lesions or function markers. One-year patient survivals were 90% and 85.8% among
      the WO and LTG, respectively (P = .588). The overall 1-year survival rate was
      88.8%. CONCLUSION: ESHT allowed smaller and younger children to be transplanted.
      There was an increased necessity of red blood cell transfusions after hepatic
      transection. There was no impact on liver function or 1-year patient or graft
      survival after ESHT.

PMID- 20304180
TI  - Analysis of survival after primary liver transplantation: multivariate analysis
      of 155 cases in a single center.
AB  - Liver transplantation is known as a highly complex procedure. Several variables
      can affect the outcome. The present study is a retrospective multivariate
      analysis of the outcomes of primary liver transplant recipients from deceased
      donors. From November 2006 through January 2009, 155 patients received first
      liver transplants from deceased donors. The data included the following: age of
      the recipient, gender of the recipient, ABO type, indication for the
      transplantation, model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, operative time,
      donor age, gender of the donor, cold ischemia time, and quantity of transfused
      blood products-red blood cells (PRBC), red blood cells recovered during the
      operation (cell saver), platelets, and fresh frozen plasma. Statistical analysis
      was done using SPSS 17 software. Cox regression analysis was performed to
      identify significant variables. ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curve was
      applied for those significant factors. Among all variables, only PRBC transfusion
      and MELD score showed statistical significance. For PRBC the increment of death
      risk was 17.08%, and for MELD score it was 3.83%. Patients that had to use PRBC
      and higher MELD scores had worse survivals. We concluded that the requirement for
      red blood cell transfusions and MELD showed the most significant influences on
      the outcomes of adult liver transplantations from deceased donors.

PMID- 20304181
TI  - Anxiety levels observed in candidates for liver transplantation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Anxiety can be considered an emotional state that does not present
      itself at the same intensity in all patients, and can be classified into 3
      levels: mild, moderate, and severe. The patient, upon entering the waiting list
      for transplantation, reflects on the decision taken, which leaves him constantly
      anxious about the idea of possible death. OBJECTIVE: This study had the aim of
      evaluating the degree of anxiety observed in orthotopic liver transplantation
      (OLT) candidates and whether there was a correlation between anxiety and
      etiologic diagnosis. METHODS: This study was a prospective study where the
      patients underwent psychological evaluation by Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). The
      anxiety level was minimal, mild, moderate, or severe. The Model for End-Stage
      Liver Disease (MELD) score and etiology were recorded. RESULTS: The level of
      anxiety found were as follows: 55% minimal, 27% mild, 12% moderate, and 7%
      severe. The correlation between level of anxiety and etiologic diagnosis showed
      that 71% of patients with alcoholic cirrhosis and 60% of those with liver cancer
      showed a minimal degree of anxiety and 27% of patients with autoimmune cirrhosis
      had severe anxiety. CONCLUSION: We found that in patients with autoimmune
      hepatitis, the degree of anxiety was more pronounced. It is believed that the
      absence of physical symptoms is an important factor when observing anxiety in OLT
      candidates.

PMID- 20304182
TI  - Biliary complications following deceased and living donor liver transplantation:
      a review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Biliary complications are the most important source of
      complications after liver transplantation, and an important cause of morbidity
      and mortality. With the evolution of surgical transplantation techniques,
      including living donor and split-liver transplants, the complexity of these
      problems is increasing. Many studies have shown a higher incidence of biliary
      tract complications in living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) compared with
      deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT). This article reviews biliary
      complications after liver transplantation and correlations with LDLT and DDLT.
      OBJECTIVE: Provide an overview of biliary complications among LDLT and DDLT.
      RESULTS: The incidence of biliary complications is higher among LDLT (28.7%) when
      compared with DDLT (15.5%). Bile leaks were the most common complication due to
      LDLT (17.1%); however, stricture was the most common complication due to DDLT
      (7.5%).

PMID- 20304183
TI  - Prevalence of posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disease in pediatric liver
      transplant recipients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to identify the incidence of
      posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) among children within 1
      year after liver transplantation. METHODS: This retrospective review analyzed
      information in medical charts of pediatric (younger than 18 years of age)
      recipients of liver transplants between September 2000 and December 2007.
      RESULTS: Seventy-one patients underwent a liver transplantation and 7 (9.85%)
      developed PTLD. Among this group, 6 children were girls and 1 was a boy. The
      median age at transplantation was 35.14 months. Indications that led the children
      to have their transplantation were 1 case of hemangioendothelioma, 1 case of
      autoimmune hepatic cirrhosis, 1 case of alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, and 4
      cases of biliary atresia. The most frequent symptoms were splenomegaly, diarrhea,
      and fever. The median time from the first symptoms to the initial treatment was
      9.7 days. The standard treatment was withdrawal of immunosuppression and close
      observation of tacrolimus levels and liver function tests associated with
      antiviral drugs and chemotherapy. Four among 7 children died; 3 children
      recovered. All 3 children who recovered has presented at the transplantation
      center within 5 days of initiation of symptoms (P = .033896). CONCLUSION: Despite
      its rarity, when it occurs, PTLD shows a high mortality rate. Therefore, it is
      necessary to have interdisciplinary work between the medical team that performs
      the transplantation and those promoting the primary care to diagnose the disease
      early and treat it effectively.

PMID- 20304184
TI  - Impact of cytomegalovirus infection in lung transplant patients under universal
      prophylaxis: single-center experience in Brazil.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, a common complication in lung
      transplant (LT) patients, is associated with worse outcomes. Therefore,
      prophylaxis and surveillance with preemptive treatment is recommended.
      OBJECTIVES: Describe the epidemiology and impact on mortality of CMV infection in
      LT patients receiving CMV prophylaxis. METHODS: Single-center retrospective
      cohort of LT recipients from August 2003 to March 2008. We excluded patients with
      survival or follow-up shorter than 30 days. We reviewed medical charts and all
      CMV pp65 antigen results. RESULTS: Forty-seven patients met the inclusion
      criteria and 19 (40%) developed a CMV event: eight CMV infections, seven CMV
      syndromes, and 15 CMV diseases. The mean number of CMV events for each patient
      was 1.68 +/- 0.88. Twelve patients developed CMV events during prophylaxis (5/12
      had CMV serology D+/R-). Forty-six of the 47 patients had at least one episode of
      acute rejection (mean 2.23 +/- 1.1). Median follow-up was 22 months (range = 3
      50). There were seven deaths. Upon univariate analysis, CMV events were related
      to greater mortality (P = .04), especially if the patient experienced more than
      two events (P = .013) and if the first event occurred during the first 3 months
      after LT (P = .003). Nevertheless, a marginally significant relationship between
      CMV event during the first 3 months after LT and mortality was observed in the
      multivariate analysis (hazards ratio: 7.46; 95% confidence interval: 0.98-56.63;
      P = .052). Patients with CMV events more than 3 months post-LT showed the same
      survival as those who remained CMV-free. CONCLUSION: Prophylaxis and preemptive
      treatment are safe and effective; however, the patients who develop CMV events
      during prophylaxis experience a worse prognosis.

PMID- 20304185
TI  - Cytokine profile in pleural fluid and serum after lung transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lung transplantation is the procedure of choice in several end-stage
      lung diseases. Despite improvements in surgical techniques and immunosuppression,
      early postoperative complications occur frequently. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the
      pleural inflammatory response after surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty
      patients aged 18 to 63 years underwent unilateral or bilateral lung
      transplantation between August 2006 and March 2008. Proinflammatory cytokines
      interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6, and IL-8 and vascular endothelial growth factor in
      pleural fluid and serum were analyzed. For cytokine evaluation, 20-mL samples of
      pleural fluid and blood (right, left, or both chest cavities) were obtained at 6
      hours after surgery and daily until removal of the chest tube or for a maximum of
      10 days. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance followed by the Holm-Sidak
      test. RESULTS: All effusions were exudates according to Light's criteria. Pleural
      fluid cytokine concentrations were highest at 6 hours after surgery. Serum
      concentrations were lower than those in pleural fluid, and IL-1beta, IL-6, and IL
      8 were undetectable at all time points. CONCLUSIONS: There is a peak
      concentration of inflammatory cytokines in the first 6 hours after
      transplantation, probably reflecting the effects of surgical manipulation. The
      decrease observed from postoperative day 1 and thereafter suggests the action of
      the immunosuppression agents and a temporal reduction in pleural inflammation.

PMID- 20304186
TI  - Validation of a cutoff value on echo Doppler analysis to replace right heart
      catheterization during pulmonary hypertension evaluation in heart transplant
      candidates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heart transplantation (OHT) has traditionally been contraindicated in
      the presence of severe pulmonary hypertension (PH), as detected by right heart
      catheterization. Noninvasive methods are still not reliably accurate to make this
      evaluation. OBJECTIVES: Determine the efficacy of echo Doppler analysis for the
      diagnosis of severe PH. METHODS: One hundred thirty patients (mean age = 42 +/-
      15 years, 82 men) showed severe left ventricular dysfunction (mean ejection
      fraction = 29 +/- 12%; functional class III-IV). We excluded patients with atrial
      fibrillation, heart failure secondary to congenital disease, and valvulopathy.
      The pulmonary parameters defined as severe PH were: systolic pulmonary artery
      pressure (sPAP) >or= 60 mm Hg; a mean transpulmonary gradient >or= 15; or
      pulmonary vascular resistance >or= 5 Wood units. Patients underwent a right heart
      catheterization using a Swan-Ganz catheter to measure hemodynamic parameters and
      to noninvasively estimate right-sided pressures from spectral Doppler recordings
      of tricuspid regurgitation velocity (right ventricular systolic pressure [RVsP]).
      A Pearson correlation of sPAP was obtained with RVsP by; the sensitivity of RVsP
      for the diagnosis of PH was determined by a receiver operating characteristic
      (ROC) curve. RESULTS: A good correlation between sPAP and RVsP was obtained by
      Pearson correlation analysis (r = 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.50-0.75; P
      < .001). The ROC curve analysis showed a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of
      37.2%, (95% CI 0.69-0.83, P < .0001) of a RVsP < 45 mm Hg (cutoff) on the
      exclusion of severe PH. CONCLUSIONS: The cutoff of RVsP < 45 mm Hg, on
      noninvasive echo Doppler evaluation of PH is an efficient method to replace
      invasive heart catheterization in OHT candidates.

PMID- 20304187
TI  - Dobutamine stress echocardiography in heart transplant recipients' evaluation:
      the role of reinnervation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Orthotopic heart transplantation renders the recipient denervated.
      This remodeling of the intrinsic cardiac nervous system should be taken in
      account during functional evaluation for allograft coronary artery disease.
      Dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) has been used to detect patients at
      greater risk. The aim of this study was to determine whether patients with
      various autonomic response levels, and supposed reinnervation patterns, show the
      same response to DSE. METHODS: We studied 20 patients who had survived more than
      5 years after orthotopic heart transplantation. All patients underwent a Holter
      evaluation. We considered patients with low variability to be those with less
      than a 40-bpm variation from the lowest to highest heart rate, so-called
      "noninnenervated" (group NI). Patients who had 40-bpm or more variation were
      considered to show high variability and called "reinnervated" (group RI). After
      that, all patients performed an ergometric test and DSE. RESULTS: Groups were
      defined as NI (n = 9) and RI (n = 11). Ergometric tests confirmed this response
      with NI patients showing less variability when compared to RI patients (P =
      .0401). During DSE, patients showed similar median heart rate responses according
      to the dobutamine dose. Spearmen correlation showed r = 1.0 (P = .016).
      CONCLUSIONS: DES was effective to reach higher heart rates, probably related to
      catecholamine infusion. These findings may justify a better response when
      evaluating cardiac allograft vasculopathy in heart transplant patients.

PMID- 20304188
TI  - Recovery of renal function in heart transplantation patients after conversion
      from a calcineurin inhibitor-based therapy to sirolimus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Renal failure is the most important comorbidity in patients with
      heart transplantation, it is associated with increased mortality. The major cause
      of renal dysfunction is the toxic effects of calcineurin inhibitors (CNI).
      Sirolimus, a proliferation signal inhibitor, is an imunossupressant recently
      introduced in cardiac transplantation. Its nonnephrotoxic properties make it an
      attractive immunosuppressive agent for patients with renal dysfunction. In this
      study, we evaluated the improvement in renal function after switching the CNI to
      sirolimus among patients with new-onset kidney dysfunction after heart
      transplantation. METHODS: The study included orthotopic cardiac transplant (OHT)
      patients who required discontinuation of CNI due to worsening renal function
      (creatinine clearance < 50 mL/min). We excluded subjects who had another
      indication for initiation of sirolimus, that is, rejection, malignancy, or
      allograft vasculopathy. The patients were followed for 6 months. The creatinine
      clearance (CrCl) was estimated according to the Cockcroft-Gault equation using
      the baseline weight and the serum creatinine at the time of introduction of
      sirolimus and 6 months there after. Nine patients were included, 7 (78%) were
      males and the overall mean age was 60.1 +/- 12.3 years and time since
      transplantation 8.7 +/- 6.1 years. The allograft was beyond 1 year in all
      patients. There was a significant improvement in the serum creatinine (2.98 +/-
      0.9 to 1.69 +/- 0.5 mg/dL, P = .01) and CrCl (24.9 +/- 6.5 to 45.7 +/- 17.2
      mL/min, P = .005) at 6 months follow-up. CONCLUSION: The replacement of CNI by
      sirolimus for imunosuppressive therapy for patients with renal failure after OHT
      was associated with a significant improvement in renal function after 6 months.

PMID- 20304190
TI  - Pancreas-kidney transplantation: complications and readmissions in 9-years of
      follow-up.
AB  - Over 9 years, we have performed 93 simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplants
      (SPKT). The morbidity of this procedure is high compared with kidney
      transplantation alone; readmissions are frequent and costs are higher. Herein we
      have presented the complications during follow-up of these 93 patients. Their
      mean age was 34 +/- 6 years and prior dialysis time was 32 +/- 25 months. The
      median hospital stay on the first admission for the transplant procedure was 22
      days, including 2 days in the intensive care unit. Bleeding, thrombosis, and
      infection were the most frequent reasons for prolonged hospitalization. Thirty
      patients underwent >or=1 surgical reinterventions. Incidence of acute rejection
      episodes was 11.8%. After discharge, 74.2% of the patients had 197 readmission
      episodes with infection being the main cause, urinary tract infections, the most
      frequent; however, systemic viral and fungal infections required the longest
      readmission periods. The need for surgical interventions, graft dysfunction, and
      vascular problems were the remaining causes of readmission. At the end of follow
      up, 87 patients were alive, 86 with well-functioning kidneys and 74 with normal
      functioning pancreata. Global survival rates for patient, kidney, and pancreas
      were 96%, 95%, and 81% at 1-year; 93%, 90%, and 79% at 5-years; and 93%, 90% and
      79% at 9-years. Although pancreas-kidney transplant patients are complex
      presenting many management difficulties, our overall results represent a positive
      stimulus for diabetic patients.

PMID- 20304189
TI  - Multivariate analysis of risk factors for early loss of pancreas grafts among
      simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplants.
AB  - To evaluate the risk factors for pancreas graft loss within 3 months
      postoperatively among 170 simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation (SPKT) we
      examined 38 variables. METHODS: Twenty-two variables were related to recipients;
      12 to donors and 4 to the surgical procedure. In addition the latest follow-up
      dates as well as the transplant and/or death dates. Independent variables were
      examined with reference to the dependent pancreatic loss variable, excluding
      losses owing to deaths. Variables with statistical significance were analyzed to
      predict early graft loss. RESULTS: Univariate analyses determined the following
      significant variables: kidney cold ischemia time, older donors, non-white donors,
      death cause related to vascular disease, wound infection, and length of extended
      hospitalization. However, multivariate analysis showed that only donor age and
      kidney cold ischemia time were significant predictors for early pancreatic graft
      loss. CONCLUSION: Donor age and kidney cold ischemia time were independently
      related to pancreatic loss after SPKT within 3 months posttransplantation.

PMID- 20304191
TI  - Bone mineral density after simultaneous kidney-pancreas transplantation: four
      years follow-up of 57 recipients.
AB  - Bone disease and an high risk of fractures are major problems in transplantation.
      Among diabetic patients undergoing simultaneous kidney-pancreas (SKP)
      transplantation, there are few studies assessing long-term effects on bone mass.
      The aim of this study was to evaluate bone mineral density (BMD) over 4 years
      follow-up after SKP transplantation. Fifty-seven patients had 22.8 +/- 5.3 years
      of prior diabetes, 65% were female, and the overall mean age was 24.3 +/- 5.93
      years. At the time of transplantation, the lumbar spine and femoral neck T-scores
      were -1.75 +/- 1.05 and -1.95 +/- 0.73, respectively; 28% of subjects had
      evidence of osteoporosis. One year after transplantation, 77.6% of patients
      displayed improved lumbar T-scores to -1.33 +/- 0.94 (P = .044) with stable
      femoral neck T-scores. Bone densitometry enhanced gradually through the 4 years
      follow-up: lumbar T-score to -1.04 +/- 0.67 (P = .004) and femoral neck T-score
      to -1.69 +/- 0.49 (P = .12). At year 4, no osteoporosis cases were detected but
      86.7% of patients did not receive steroids in the immunosuppressive regimen. The
      graft function remained stable (serum creatinine, 1.2 mg/dL; fasting glucose,
      87.7 mg/dL). During the follow-up, BMD improved more significantly at cortical
      sites. Our study reports a reduced prevalence of fractures (8.7%) compared with
      the literature, which could be related to a steroid-sparing protocol and/or
      aggressively treatment of osteoporosis.

PMID- 20304192
TI  - Analysis of reoperations and their impact on the results of pancreas
      transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many factors, including the advances in surgical techniques and
      immunosuppression, have been brought significant improvement to graft and patient
      survivals of patients undergoing pancreatic transplantations. However, one third
      of these patients require reoperations (ReOps). PURPOSE: We sought to evaluate
      the distribution of ReOps in the early or late postoperative period and analyze
      their impact on patient and graft survivals. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This
      unicenter, retrospective study was performed using data from 182 patient charts
      after pancreas transplantation from January 2000 through December 2007. RESULTS:
      We performed 88 ReOps on 73 patients; 43 early and 41 late operations. The
      simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation group showed a greater incidence of
      premature ReOps. The group undergoing early ReOp showed a lower survival rate
      (87.2%) compared with the nonoperated group, but a similar survival rate (97.5%)
      to the late ReOp group. In relation to the survival of pancreatic grafts after 1
      year, the early ReOp group showed inferior survival to the late ReOp group, both
      of which were significantly worse results then those of the group without ReOp.
      CONCLUSION: ReOps were related to the success of the procedure. When they were
      performed in the first 3 months they had a negative impact on patient and graft
      survival.

PMID- 20304193
TI  - Expression of pancreatic endocrine markers by mesenchymal stem cells from human
      umbilical cord vein.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from human umbilical cord vein have
      great potential for use in cell therapy because of their ease of isolation,
      expansion, and differentiation, in addition to their relative acceptance from the
      ethical point of view. Obtaining the umbilical cord at birth does not present any
      risk to either mother or child. OBJECTIVE: To isolate and promote in vitro
      expansion and differentiation of MSCs from human umbilical cord vein into cells
      with a pancreatic endocrine phenotype. METHODS: Mesenchymal stem cells obtained
      from human umbilical cord vein via collagenase digestion were characterized at
      cytochemistry and fluorescent-activated cell sorting, and expanded in vitro.
      Differentiation of MSCs into an endocrine phenotype was induced using high
      glucose (23 mmol/L) medium containing nicotinamide, exendin-4, and 2
      mercaptoethanol. Expression of insulin, somatostatin, glucagon, and pancreatic
      and duodenal homeobox 1 was analyzed using immunofluorescence. RESULTS: Cells
      isolated from the umbilical cord vein were MSCs as confirmed at cytochemistry and
      fluorescent-activated cell sorting. Expression of somatostatin, glucagon, and
      pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1 by differentiated cells was demonstrated using
      immunofluorescence. Insulin was not expressed. CONCLUSIONS: The MSC
      differentiation protocol used in the present study induced expression of some
      endocrine markers. Insulin was not produced by these cells, probably because of
      incomplete induction of differentiation.

PMID- 20304194
TI  - Expression of pancreatic endocrine markers by prolactin-treated rat bone marrow
      mesenchymal stem cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are an attractive source for generation
      of cells with beta-cell properties. Previous studies have demonstrated the
      ability of prolactin to induce an increase in beta-cell mass and maturation,
      which suggests beneficial effects of its use in MSC differentiation protocols.
      OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the expression of endocrine differentiation markers in rat
      MSCs treated in vitro with prolactin. METHODS: Mesenchymal stem cells from bone
      marrow of Wistar rats were isolated, expanded, and characterized. Differentiation
      of MSCs was induced in medium containing 23 mmol/L of glucose, and nicotinamide,
      2-mercaptoethanol, and exendin-4, in the presence or absence of 500 ng/mL of rat
      recombinant prolactin. Expression of endocrine markers and prolactin receptor
      genes was evaluated using real-time polymerase chain reaction, and compared
      between culture stages and presence vs absence of prolactin in the culture
      medium. Expression of insulin, somatostatin, glucagon, and pancreatic and
      duodenal homeobox 1 was also evaluated at immunofluorescence microscopy. RESULTS:
      Isolated cells were mostly MSCs, as confirmed at fluorescent-activated cell
      sorting and cytochemistry. Pax6, Ngn-3, Isl1, NeuroD1, Nkx2.2, and Nkx6.1
      exhibited varied expression during culture stages. The long form of the prolactin
      receptor messenger RNA was induced in prolactin-treated cultures (P < .05). The
      somatostatin gene was induced in early stages of differentiation (P < .05), and
      its expression was induced by prolactin, as confirmed using immunofluorescence.
      CONCLUSION: Culture of rat bone marrow MSCs in differentiation medium induces
      expression of pancreatic endocrine-specific genes, and somatostatin and prolactin
      receptor expression was also induced by prolactin.

PMID- 20304195
TI  - Cell phenotype evaluation at various sites after skin transplantation and FTY720
      plus sirolimus therapy.
AB  - Cell phenotype evaluation enables better understanding of the rejection process
      in experimental transplantation. We studied allograft survival and the mechanisms
      associated with rejection in a murine model of skin transplantation in the
      absence of immunosuppression or after FTY720 or sirolimus (SRL) administration
      for 21 days. Leukocyte phenotype was evaluated in the peripheral blood, spleen,
      axillary lymph nodes, thymus gland, and skin graft using flow cytometry at 5 days
      posttransplantation. Treatment with FTY720 plus SRL increased skin allograft
      survival in association with lymphopenia, reduced CD11b+ and CD3+CD4+ cell
      percentages in the graft, decreased CD3+CD4+, CD3+CD8+, and CD11b+ cell counts in
      lymphoid organs, and decreased CD4+CD8+ cell count in the thymus. These results
      suggest that increased allograft survival in animals treated with FTY720 plus SRL
      is due to possible impairment of antigen presentation or recognition in the graft
      and secondary lymphoid organs, and decreased emigration of mature thymocytes to
      the periphery.

PMID- 20304196
TI  - Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis infection in mice treated with FTY720.
AB  - In transplantation, parasite diseases are transmitted from the donor, or appear
      as de novo infections, or activate from a dormant insource as a consequence of
      immunosuppression. Clinical findings have shown that an intact immune system is
      crucial to prevent recurrence of Leishmania infection. We used BALB/c and C57BL/6
      mice to evaluate the role of FTY720 in leishmaniasis. Mice inoculated with
      Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis were followed over 7 weeks for foot thickness
      measurements after initiation of FTY720 treatment. After 10 days of treatment,
      spleen, blood, and the foot were harvested for evaluation. BALB/c showed greater
      evident foot thickness than C57BL/6 mice. Oral treatment with FTY720 (1 mg/kg/d)
      over 10 days produced the same outcome. Increases in CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells
      were observed after infection; FTY720 treatment was associated with a decrease in
      CD4(+) T cells only in BALB/c mice, whereas CD8(+) T cells were decreased in both
      mice strains. CD11b(+) expression decreased after infection with a discrete
      increase after FTY720 treatment. Lymphopenia was observed among all FTY720
      treated mice. In conclusion, we observed that FTY720 produced no worse an outcome
      as monotherapy in established infections with L (L) amazonensis.

PMID- 20304197
TI  - Sirolimus in combination with FTY720: analysis of urinary and serum parameters.
AB  - The goal in transplantation is to obtain immunosuppressant combinations that
      decrease the incidence of acute and chronic rejection but cause fewer side
      effects. FTY720 is a new immunomodulator that prevents experimental allograft
      rejection without inhibiting T-cell activation. It is currently under clinical
      investigation for multiple sclerosis. We investigated whether FTY720 in
      combination with sirolimus (SRL) could cause renal toxicity in C57BL/6 mice when
      administered for 21 days. Serum creatinine and 24-hour urinary creatinine
      concentrations were assessed by enzymatic colorimetric assays. Urinary protein
      concentration was measured by the Bradford protein assay. Whereas serum
      creatinine levels were increased in FTY720 + SRL-treated animals, there were no
      changes in urinary volume, urinary protein levels, serum urea concentration,
      creatinine clearance, and kidney structure. Our findings suggested that FTY720
      monotherapy for multiple sclerosis and other diseases could play an important
      immunomodulatory role without causing the side effects frequently observed with
      other transplantation regimens.

PMID- 20304198
TI  - Effectiveness of thalidomide and tamoxifen in preventing neointimal hyperplasia
      in experimental vascular injury in rats.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chronic allograft vasculopathy is an important cause of graft loss.
      Considering the inflammatory response in the development of chronic vascular
      lesions, therapeutic approaches to target the inflammatory process may be useful.
      We sought to investigate the possible protective effects on balloon catheter
      induced vascular injury of thalidomide and tamoxifen, 2 drugs with powerful anti
      inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and antifibrotic effects, using an animal model
      that mimics the morphologic features of chronic allograft vasculopathy. METHODS:
      Male Wistar rats subjected to balloon catheter carotid injury (INJ) were treated
      with thalidomide (100 mg/kg), or tamoxifen (10 mg/kg), or vehicle. Contralateral
      right carotid arteries were used as uninjured controls. Morphometric and
      immunohistochemical analyses were performed at 14 days postinjury. RESULTS:
      Injured carotid arteries showed marked neointimal hyperplasia, which was
      significantly inhibited among animals treated with thalidomide or tamoxifen:
      neointimal/media ratios of 1.4 +/- 0.4 versus 0.2 +/- 0.1 versus 0.4 +/- 0.2, for
      INJ, INJ + Thalid, and INJ + Tamox; respectively (P < .001). The endothelial cell
      loss was significantly less pronounced among animals subjected to carotid balloon
      injury that were treated with thalidomide (24 +/- 14 vs 1 +/- 1 cells per section
      in INJ, respectively (P < .05). Therapy with either thalidomide or tamoxifen
      effectively maintained alpha-smooth muscle actin expression in the media, similar
      to uninjured arteries. In this setting, tamoxifen was additionally effective to
      prevent the migration of myofibroblasts in to the intima. CONCLUSION: Thalidomide
      and tamoxifen were effective to reduce neointimal hyperplasia secondary to
      vascular damage. The vasculoprotective effects of thalidomide were more
      pronounced to preserve endothelial cells, whereas tamoxifen inhibited smooth
      muscle cell migration and proliferation. A possible beneficial effect of combined
      therapy with thalidomide plus tamoxifen should be addressed in future studies.

PMID- 20304199
TI  - Simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation in a human immunodeficiency virus
      positive recipient: a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: After the development of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)
      for patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), there has been increased
      interest in organ transplantation for this selected population. There is a lack
      of reports about pancreas transplant in HIV+ recipients. CASE REPORT: We report
      the case of a 43-year-old HIV+ man who presented with type 1 diabetes for 25
      years and end-stage-renal disease. He underwent dialysis therapy for the prior 3
      years. His CD4 count was 830 cells/mL and a negative viral load was achieved
      after 3 months of antiretroviral therapy. His nutritional status was favorable;
      no opportunistic infections had occurred. A simultaneous pancreas-kidney
      transplantation (SPKT) was performed from a 19-year-old deceased trauma victim.
      Pancreas implantation was enteric-portal drainage. No induction immunosuppression
      was used, but rather tacrolimus, sodium mycophenolate, and steroids. In the
      postoperative period, there was a delayed kidney graft function requiring
      hemodialysis for 14 days. On postoperative day 11, a kidney biopsy specimen
      showed mild rejection, which was successfully treated with steroids. The patient
      was discharged after 22 days; he was normoglycemic and insulin-independent with a
      serum creatinine value of 1.9 mg/dL. Currently, his outcome has been uneventful,
      without a readmission or opportunistic infections. After 5 months postoperation,
      the viral load is negative and the CD4 count is 460 cells/mL. The current serum
      creatinine level is 1.1 mg/dL; no insulin has been required. COMMENT: HIV has
      been considered to be an absolute contraindication to organ transplantation,
      because of the infection risk due to severe immunosuppression, to interactions
      between antiretroviral and immunosuppressive drugs, and to reluctance to offer an
      organ to a terminal patient. However, transplants in HIV+ patients have shown
      good results, when a patient has an acceptable CD4 level, a low viral load, and
      minimal antiretroviral therapy.

PMID- 20304200
TI  - Cephalic duodenopancreatectomy in the treatment of a bleeding duodenal ulcer in a
      pancreas recipient: a case report.
AB  - Pancreas transplantation is currently the only known therapy to restore glycemic
      metabolism in type 1 diabetic patients. Its most prevalent indication is in
      association with kidney transplantation (simultaneous pancreas and kidney
      transplantation SPK) for patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) and
      nephropathy, who are under dialysis treatment. Surgical reinterventions,
      especially those resulting from complications of bladder exocrine pancreatic
      drainage, are associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. In this
      report, we present a clinical case of a 31-year-old Caucasian man with DM1 from
      12 years of age and hemodialysis for 2 years before undergoing SPK 2 years prior.
      He then developed massive hematuria owing to a bleeding duodenal graft ulcer. The
      use of a segmental pancreatic technique with pancreaticocystostomy for exocrine
      pancreatic drainage allowed the maintenance of the graft and an euglycemic state
      in the patient, free of exogenous insulin.

PMID- 20304201
TI  - Ectopic placement of Sengstaken-Blakemore device to correct outflow obstruction
      in liver transplantation: case reports.
AB  - Liver transplantation is a complex procedure that has become the treatment for
      some end-stage liver diseases. Some technical features are important for the
      success of the transplantation, including the patency of the vascular
      anastomoses. In cadaveric whole organ liver transplantation, a large right
      subphrenic space may contribute to a twist of the inferior vena cava, leading to
      outflow obstruction, simulating an acute Budd-Chiari syndrome. Some devices can
      be used to correct this drainage problem. Herein, we have described 2 cases in
      which the Sengstaken-Blakemore balloon was safely used, in an ectopic position,
      to fix drainage complications in whole liver orthotopic transplantation.

PMID- 20304202
TI  - Cellulitis and nodular skin lesions due to Fusarium spp in liver transplant: case
      report.
AB  - Fusariosis is one of the emerging invasive fungal infections over the last
      decade. However, its recent rise has been in its ability to produce disseminated
      infection in severely immunosuppressed patients with neutropenia. In solid organ
      transplantation, fusariosis remains an uncommon picture mainly with nodules,
      subcutaneous abscesses, ulcers, or necrotic skin lesions resembling erthyma
      gangrenosum. Herein, we have reported a case of cellulitis, subcutaneous nodules,
      and abscesses due to Fusarium spp in a liver transplantation patient who was
      successfully treated with polyenes and surgical resection.

PMID- 20304203
TI  - Methylene blue used as a bridge to liver transplantation postoperative recovery:
      a case report.
AB  - Hepatopulmonary syndrome is defined as a triad of liver disease, arterial
      hypoxemia, and intrapulmonary vascular dilatation. The clinical hallmark of this
      disorder is the impairment of pulmonary gas exchange, not necessarily correlated
      with the severity of the underlying liver disease. Liver transplantation (OLT) is
      the only definitive treatment for this syndrome. However, patients with
      preoperative partial pressure of arterial oxygen (PaO(2)) under 50 mm Hg are
      exposed to an unacceptably high postoperative mortality and morbidity. Herein we
      have described a case of a 15-year-old female patient who underwent OLT and was
      treated with methylene blue in the early postoperative period to improve
      hypoxemia. We suggest that the use of methylene blue after liver transplantation
      can decrease postoperative complications and mortality rates in these patients.

PMID- 20304204
TI  - The 21st Congress of the Spanish Liver Transplantation Society (SETH). Preface.

PMID- 20304205
TI  - Liver transplantation: where we are and where we are heading.
AB  - Outcomes after liver transplantation are outstanding; however, the limiting
      factor is the shortage of organs. Recently, the utilization of donors after
      cardiac death has been encouraged; however, such transplants are associated with
      a high complication rate, mainly a high incidence of biliary complications,
      particularly ischemic cholangiopahty, a serious complication that often leads to
      retransplantation. The second problem is the morbidity associated with the use of
      immunosuppressive drugs. In this manuscript, the current status of clinical
      protocols for induction of tolerance is briefly discussed. Furthermore, the
      future of research in transplantation will involve basic scientists and clinical
      scholars working in concert as has been developed at Stanford School of Medicine
      with the creation of the Institute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection.

PMID- 20304206
TI  - The future of liver transplantation.
AB  - Liver transplantation has been a positive impact on both the survival and the
      quality of life of patients with advanced liver diseases. Progressive,
      spectacular improvements in the results of liver transplantation have been
      observed since the preliminary studies by Thomas Starzl in the United States and
      Roy Calne in Europe. This improvement is related to better knowledge of the
      natural history of liver diseases, allowing more adequate recipient selection,
      improvement of surgical techniques, progress in postoperative management,
      availability of potent antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal drugs, as well as
      introduction of new immunosuppressive agents and protocols. These advances have
      occurred in the short interval of 45 years, suggesting future improvements in the
      liver transplantation field. The main investigative efforts in liver
      transplantation have been directed as follows: First attenuation of
      disproprortion between the numbers of available liver grafts versus waiting list
      recipients, by increasing the donor pool applying bioartificial support systems,
      or rendering grafts compatible by the use of stem cells. Second, improved
      knowledge about the biology of primary liver tumors establishes indications for
      and optimal moments of transplantation. Third, application of individualized
      immunosuppressive protocols, adapted to clinical status of the recipient, as well
      as the development of more selective, less toxic new immunosuppressive agents.

PMID- 20304207
TI  - Liver transplantation for acute liver failure: a Spanish perspective.
AB  - The Spanish characteristics of organ donation (high accessibility to a
      transplant) and the different proportion in the etiologies of acute liver failure
      (ALF), namely, the very low incidence of paracetamol overdose causing this
      syndrome in contrast with other Western countries, are the causes of some
      specific features of emergency liver transplantation for ALF. The most relevant
      are the short time between the need for a graft and effective urgent liver
      transplant, and the high proportion of patients who undergo this therapy. This
      paper analyzes these characteristics and provides information about the use of
      biological and nonbiological extracorporeal liver support devices in acute liver
      failure, suggesting that these systems should be tested in countries with a long
      waiting times for urgent liver transplantation, or in patients with ALF and
      contraindications for transplantation.

PMID- 20304208
TI  - Exclusions and deaths on the liver transplant waiting list.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the characteristiscs, evolution and survival of patients
      included on the waiting list (WL) for liver transplantation (OLT). PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Between February 2002 and April 2009, 254 patients were included on WL
      to receive a first graft. Two hundred twenty-two patients (87.4%) were
      transplanted (group T); 7 (2.8%) died on the WL and 25 (9.8%) were excluded,
      namely, 13 (52%) due to improvement (group IE) and 12, for other reasons (group
      OE). Data collected prospectively were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS:
      Indications for transplant were cirrhosis (58%), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC;
      29%) and other etiologies (13%.) Average time on the WL was 60.3 +/- 62.9 days.
      Significant differences were not observed among the groups with respect to age,
      gender, or indication for OLT. The probability for exclusion due to progression
      and/or death was not significantly greater among patients included for HCC than
      for other reasons (P = .6). Survivals at 1, 3, and 5 years after WL inclusion
      were 81.2%, 73.3%, and 68.6%, respectively, in the whole series; and 85,4%,
      76,9%, and 71.7% in group T. All group OE patients died before the first year,
      while group IE showed a survival of 100%, 91.7% and 91.7% at 1, 3, and 5 years,
      respectively. Survival was not different between groups T and IE (P = .03), but
      was lower in group OE than in groups T or IE (P < .001). CONCLUSION: The list
      mortality rate in our series was low, probably in relation to the short waiting
      time. The rate of exclusion from WL was 10%. Patient with hepatocellular
      carcinoma were not at an increased risk of WL exclusion. Patients excluded due to
      improvement displayed excellent survivals during the 5 years following exclusion.

PMID- 20304209
TI  - Improving the waiting list by using 75-year-old donors for recipients with
      hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - The best treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) associated with liver
      cirrhosis is liver transplantation and the best results are obtained when the
      tumors fulfill the Milan criteria. However, although the number of transplants is
      increasing, the organ deficit is growing, which lengthens time on the waiting
      list, increasing the risk of tumor progression of and exclusion from the list.
      The use of elderly donors is a valid option for patients on the transplant
      waiting list with HCC, reducing time on the waiting list. We report our
      experience with patients transplanted for HCC associated with hepatic cirrhosis
      using livers from donors >75 years of age. Our preliminary results supported the
      use of elderly suboptimal donors making it possible to give priority to these
      patients. All patients in the series achieved good graft function after a follow
      up of 2 years with a 100% disease-free survival rate. More extensive long-term
      studies are needed to confirm these findings.

PMID- 20304210
TI  - Early graft dysfunction after liver transplantation.
AB  - Liver transplantation has become the treatment of choice for fulminant hepatic
      failure and end-stage liver diseases. Several factors have been described to be
      predictors of graft function. Since early graft dysfunction dramatically
      influences graft and patient outcomes after liver transplantation, prevention of
      this event is mandatory. Donor-, procurement-, operative- and recipient-related
      factors influence the development of graft dysfunction. We have presented herein
      a review of the impact of these factors on graft dysfunction.

PMID- 20304211
TI  - Indications for and survival after liver retransplantation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Orthotopic liver retransplantation (re-OLT) is the therapeutic
      option for hepatic graft failures. Survival after re-OLT is poorer than after
      primary OLT. Given that there is an organ shortage, it is essential that we
      optimize our use of this scarce resource. We evaluated the results of re-OLT
      among 58 consecutive Re-OLT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using registry data from our
      Liver Transplantation Unit, we performed a retrospective cohort study of adult
      urgent versus elective re-OLT between 1991 and 2008. We recorded the indications
      for the initial OLT, and the intervals from OLT to re-OLT as well as age and
      gender. Using the Rosen model to stratify patients into low-intermediate-, and
      high-risk groups we calculated survivals. RESULTS: Among 661 adult liver
      transplantations, 56 patients (8.4%) underwent late re-OLT at a median of 654.4
      days post-OLT. There were 17 (29%) urgent re-OLT and 41 elective cases (71%).
      Vascular complications were the most common cause of urgent re-OLT (64%);
      elective re-OLT was primarily due to chronic rejection (56.1%). Overall survival
      for retransplanted patients was significantly lower among urgent procedures
      (82.4% vs 48.8%), as well as for overall survival after re-OLT for patients with
      hepatitis C virus (HCV) versus other etiologies. CONCLUSION: These data confirmed
      the utility of retransplantation in elective and emergency situations. Liver re
      transplantation has a high morbidity and mortality. It requires multidisciplinary
      experience to decide inclusion and prioritization criteria for re-OLT, especially
      among patients with HCV.

PMID- 20304212
TI  - Rescue immunosuppression with mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor drugs in
      liver transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors behave as potent
      immunosuppressants, which have the advantages, with respect to calcineurin
      inhibitors (CNI; cyclosporine or tacrolimus), of no nephrotoxicity but inhibition
      of cell proliferation. They are particularly suitable for patients with renal
      insufficiency or neoplasias. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-eight liver transplant
      patients were immunosuppressed with everolimus or sirolimus as rescue therapy
      after CNI treatment: 8 hepatocellular carcinomas; 7 de novo malignancies; 6 renal
      insufficiencies; 3 chronic rejections; 3 acute rejection episodes; and 1
      epilepsy. RESULTS: There were 0% tumor recurrences, 50% improvements in 33% no
      change, and 17% worsening of renal function among cases of renal insufficiency;
      0% improvement in cases of chronic rejection, and 33% improvement in acute
      rejection episodes. There was a 7% incidence of acute rejection episodes, but no
      kidney failure, gastrointestinal intolerance, hydrocarbon intolerance,
      hypertension, or arterial or venous thrombosis. Diarrhea occurred in 7%;
      hypercholesterolemi in 46% hypertriglyceridemia in 50% thrombocytopenia in 14%,
      leukopenia in 14%, and anemia in 39%. The 12% intercurrent infection rate
      included oral thrush in 11%. Lower limb edema occurred in 21%; 1 case displayed
      facial edema and 1, alopecia. CONCLUSIONS: mTOR inhibitors were safe
      immunosuppressive drugs whose side effects were controlled and easily managed.
      They have advantages with respect to CNI due to their slight effects on kidney
      function and lack of promotion of diabetes mellitus. Although their long-term
      effectiveness for control of neoplastic diseases is yet to be seen, they can be
      used safely in these patients with a low incidence of rejection. Their
      effectiveness to control steroid-resistant acute rejection episodes or renal
      insufficiency seems significant, but they are of doubtful benefit for chronic
      rejection.

PMID- 20304213
TI  - Outcomes of domino liver transplantation: a single institution's experience.
AB  - AIMS: Domino liver transplantation (DLT) is a strategy to increase the donor
      pool. Explanted liver from patients with familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy
      (FAP) are often used as domino grafts, because the liver is normal apart from the
      production of the mutated transthyretin variant. We present the outcomes for both
      donors and recipients of DLT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of
      initial DLT for 16 consecutive adult patients performed between July 2004 and
      July 2009. All cases of FAP donor to grafts were removed preserving the cava vein
      with reconstruction of the hepatic veins, except the first and seventh cases,
      where in we removed the retrohepatic vena cava with the liver without venovenous
      bypass. The postoperative follow-up period for surviving DLT recipients at the
      end of September 2009 was 2-62 months (mean, 26). RESULTS: Two patients out of 8
      FAP donors died due to pulmonary thromboembolism on the 31st postransplant day,
      or sepsis at 35 days namely, an overall survival of 75%. One patient out of 8
      recipients died namely, an early portal thrombosis on the 22nd postransplant day)
      with a crude survival of 87.5% in the recipient group (P = no significant [NS]).
      Four grafts from 8 FAP donors were lost-2 deaths and 2 retransplants due to
      thrombotic events on the first and second postransplant day-with a crude survival
      of 50%. Two of 8 recipients lost their grafts: 1 death and 1 retransplantation
      for an acute Budd-Chiari syndrome on the first postransplant day with a crude
      survival of 75% in the recipient group (P = not significant [NS]). CONCLUSION: We
      believe that the FAP liver graft is an excellent option for selected patients.
      Special care must be taken with thrombotic events.

PMID- 20304214
TI  - Is liver transplantation without abdominal drainage safe?
AB  - This observational, analytical cohort consisted of 35 consecutive liver
      transplant (OLT) patients with no intra-abdominal drain and a control cohort of
      35 subjects operated immediately before the former who had placement of an intra
      abdominal drain. We sought to assess the impact of abdominal drainage on the
      diagnosis and prevention of early postoperative complications: hemoperitoneum,
      reinterventions, biliary leaks, or percutaneous drainage. We assessed variables
      related to the recipient (age, indication, pretransplant ascites, body mass
      index, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score and rejection), the donor (age,
      steatosis, ischemia time) and intra- and postoperative factors (surgery time,
      blood product use, and coagulopathy). The end point was defined as the need for a
      reintervention, paracentesis, appearance, and drainage of collections as well as
      lengths of hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) stays. The postoperative ICU
      and in-hospital stays were similar between groups (3.7 vs 3.9 days and 12 vs 14
      days, respectively). Two patients in the group with drainage were reoperated due
      to hemoperitoneum, whereas we did not reoperate any patients in the group without
      drainage. No patient from either group developed a biliary fistula or required
      drainage of an intra-abdominal collections. The need for paracentesis was greater
      among the group without drainage (23% vs 5.7%; P < .04) and among those with a
      prior history of severe ascites. Patients with drainage displayed a greater
      incidence of perihepatic hematomas by ultrasound (53% vs 21%; P < .08) and
      required more postoperative blood products, especially platelets (P > .04) and
      plasma (P < .01). CONCLUSION: OLT without intra-abdominal drainage is safe, not
      increasing morbidity. It seems likely that drainage may be responsible for intra
      abdominal hematomas and greater consumption of blood products.

PMID- 20304215
TI  - Influence of mycophenolate mofetil on preservation of kidney function in liver
      transplant patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are numerous studies on the effect of immunosuppressive therapy
      with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) on preservation of kidney function in liver
      transplant (OLT) patients with chronic kidney damage. However, we have noted few
      studies that evaluate the role of this drug prescribed from induction on kidney
      function. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This prospective observational multicenter study
      included 296 OLT performed from 2005 to 2007. The collected variables were;
      gender, and age, Child-Pugh stage, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD)
      score, transplant indication, induction immunosuppressive therapy, and baseline
      and 1 year posttransplant values of creatinine and glomerular filtration rate.
      Patients were classified into 4 groups: group 1 received MMF from induction;
      group 2 was never treated with MMF; group 3 started MMF in the first month
      posttransplant, and group 4 started MMF therapy in the third month
      posttransplant. We used Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney U statistical tests. RESULTS:
      There was a difference of 0.18 mg/dL in baseline creatinine values between groups
      1 and 2 (P < .01). However, although patients who consistently had MMF in their
      treatment started with worse creatinine values, they were able to maintain them
      within normal ranges at 12 months. In contrast, patients in group 2 showed a
      significant worsening of 0.28 mg/dL in the first month that persisted throughout
      the study. Group 3 displayed worse baseline creatinine values than group 2 (P <
      .05), and also suffered an increase of 0.29 mg/dL (P < .01) versus baseline at 1
      month. When MMF was added to their immunosuppressive therapy, the creatinine
      values reduced versus 1 month by 0.18 mg/dL (P < .05). Creatinine values remained
      stable at the other study assessments. Group 4 showed a normal creatinine value
      at baseline, but were altered at 1 and 3 months (P < .01), with increases versus
      baseline of 0.46 and 0.35 mg/dL, respectively. However, when MMF was introduced
      kidney function was restored and maintained over the study. CONCLUSION: Early
      introduction of MMF improved creatinine values among patients with impaired
      kidney function, maintaining them at stable levels. Furthermore, patients with
      altered creatinine values at baseline did not worsen their kidney function if
      they receive MMF from induction.

PMID- 20304216
TI  - Improvement of renal function after conversion to mycophenolate mofetil combined
      with low-level calcineurin inhibitor in liver transplant recipients with chronic
      renal dysfunction.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) are the main pathogenic factors for
      renal dysfunction in solid organ transplant recipients. Introduction of non
      nephrotoxic immunosuppressive drugs, such as mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), may
      allow discontinuation or reduction of CNI treatment, thereby improving renal
      function. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility, efficacy and
      safety of MMF introduction and CNI dosage reduction in the maintenance
      immunosuppressive protocol to improve renal function in liver transplant
      recipients with chronic renal dysfunction. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We prospectively
      included 88 liver transplant recipients including 74 men and an overall mean age
      of 58.8 +/- 10.3 years who all displayed chronic renal dysfunction (creatinine
      >1.4 mg/dL) and proteinuria <1 g/d. They were subdivided into 3 groups according
      to the basal creatinine value 1.4-1.7 mg/dL (group I; n = 41); 1.8-2.0 mg/dL
      (group II; n = 28); and >2 mg/dL (group III; n = 19). MMF was initiated at 1.5
      2.0 g/d. Reduction of tacrolimus or cyclosporine dosage was performed to achieve
      respective target trough levels of <5 ng/mL or <50 ng/mL. We performed periodic
      determinations of arterial pressure, liver function tests, serum creatinine,
      blood cells count, CNI levels, and proteinuria. RESULTS: Creatinine values after
      conversion were 1.4 +/- 0.5 mg/dL in the overall group. Improvement of renal
      function was more frequent among groups I (80.4%) and II (92.8%) versus III
      (73.6%). Normalization of creatinine values was more frequent in group I (68.2%)
      with respect to cohorts II (21.4%) and III (10.5%). Rejection was not detected.
      CONCLUSION: Application of an immunosuppressive protocol with MMF and low-level
      CNI in liver transplant recipients with chronic renal dysfunction was associated
      with improvement or normalization of creatinine, without an increased risk of
      rejection. Early conversion is needed to achieve the best results.

PMID- 20304217
TI  - Management of hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after liver transplantation.
AB  - Management of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence after liver
      transplantation (OLT) is not well established. We conducted a retrospective
      analysis of our results in the treatment of HCC recurrence after OLT Patients.
      The 23 HCC recurrences developed after 182 OLT performed for HCC within Milan
      criteria, had an average follow-up of 60 months. RESULTS: The median time to
      recurrence was 23.4 months. Surgical resection of the recurrence was possible in
      11 patients, but an R-0 resection was obtained in 8 patients. Four of these 8
      patients developed another recurrence, with 3 succumbing due to tumor recurrence
      and 1 alive at 12 months with recurrence. The other 4 patients without
      recurrences, include 3 who are alive at 19, 31, and 86 months and 1 who died at
      32.6 months due to hepatitis C recurrence. The 3 patients with palliative
      resections developed recurrences. Twelve patients were rejected for surgery: 8
      were treated symptomatically, 2 with systemic chemotherapy, and 2 with everolimus
      and sorafenib. This last treatment was also prescribed for 2 patients after R-0
      surgery who are alive at 19 and 31 months and for 1 patient after R-1 surgery who
      is alive at 19 months. Of 15 patients who died, 13 succumbed to HCC recurrence.
      The average survival from transplantation was 61.7 +/- 37.5 and 48 +/- 34.3
      months for patients without and with recurrence, respectively (P < .001). The
      survival from the recurrence was significantly higher among patients with R-0
      surgery: 32.3 +/- 21.5 versus 11.9 +/- 6.9 months (P = .006). CONCLUSIONS: HCC
      recurrence after OLT of patients within Milan criteria was low but had a great
      impact on survival. Few cases are amenable to R-0 resection, but when possible it
      was associated with a significantly increased survival, although with an high
      incidence of a new recurrence. There is a rationale for the use of sorafenib and
      mammalian target of rapamycin based immunosuppression, which warrants randomized
      studies.

PMID- 20304218
TI  - Risk of development of the metabolic syndrome after orthotopic liver
      transplantation.
AB  - Longer survival for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) patients over the last
      decade has focused emphasis on the metabolic complications that contribute to
      patient morbidity and mortality. The aim of our study was to analyze the
      prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (MS) and other risk factors after OLT among
      our patients at 1 year follow-up. From 2001 to 2008, we performed OLT in 210
      patients with 62 exclusions leaving 148 patients for the study. We recorded age,
      gender, liver disease, smoking status, pre- and post-OLT body mass index, pre-
      and post-OLT arterial blood pressure, pre- and post-OLT fasting blood glucose,
      pre- and post-OLT high-density lipoproteins and triglycerides, family history of
      diabetes, hepatitis B and C virus status, immunosuppressive therapy, and
      corticosteroid bolus for rejection episodes. The MS was defined according to
      modified ATP III criteria. At month 12 after OLT, 29/148 patients (19.6%)
      developed the MS. The associated factors were obesity and hyperlipidemia pre-OLT,
      familial and personal history of diabetes as well as alcoholic cirrhosis. By
      multivariate analysis, pre-OLT body mass index (odds ratio, 3.7 [1.3-10.5]) and
      pre-OLT diabetes (odds ratio, 2.9 [1.1-7.9]) were independent risk factors.

PMID- 20304219
TI  - Hepatitis C virus recurrence after liver transplantation: analysis of factors
      related to sustained viral response.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the efficacy and safety of pegylated interferon (peg
      IFN) plus ribavirin to treat hepatitis C virus (HCV) recurrence, analyzing
      possible factors associated with sustained viral responses (SVR). PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Forty-one patients (25 men and 16 women) of overall mean age of 50 years
      (range, 33-60) with recurrent HCV were treated with peg-IFN plus ribavirin
      including 33 (80%) subjects displayed genotype 1. The following variables were
      analyzed: gender, donor and recipient ages, immunosuppressant, genotype,
      treatment duration, early viral response (EVR), pretreatment viral load, degree
      of fibrosis, levels of alanine aminotransferase and gamma-glutamyltransferase
      (IU/L), time since liver transplantation (OLT), use of stimulating factors
      (epoetin and granulocyte colony stimulating factor [G-CSF]) and side effects, and
      their association with SVR. The time from OLT to the start of treatment was 29
      months (range, 6-90). Seventy-one percent of patients received cyclosporine and
      29% tacrolimus. RESULTS: The mean treatment duration was 31 (range, 4-72) months
      with an EVR achieved in 12/38 (31.5%) of patients and a SVR in 16/41 (39%).
      Treatment was discontinued in 23 patients due to side effects. Epoetin was
      necessary in 29% and G-CSF in 10%. There were 3 cases of rejection (1 mild and 2
      severe culminating in death). On univariate analysis genotype non-1B (P < .02),
      pretherapy RNA (P < .02), complete treatment, and EVR (P < .005) were the only
      variables associated with SVR. The mean donor age of 43 years showed no
      statistical significance. CONCLUSION: Therapy with peg-IFN plus ribavirin
      achieves an acceptable SVR, although not entirely free from severe side effects.
      Ensuring completion of the full treatment course is fundamental to achieve SVR.

PMID- 20304220
TI  - In vitro evaluation of new possible cell engraftment enhancers for cell
      transplantation.
AB  - Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is the best treatment to restore liver
      function in liver failure. The low availability of organs has focused interest on
      the use of cell transplantation to restore liver function. However, this
      technique is limited because cells can not bind to liver parenchyma and die soon
      after perfusion. Pretransplant treatment with engraftment enhancers (EE) to
      increase vascular permeability may increase cell attachment. Using an endothelial
      cell culture to measure the loss of intercellular endothelial adhesion as a
      screening test, we evaluated the capacity of 15 monoclonal antibodies against
      adhesion molecules expressed on endothelial cells to act as EE showing that 3
      antibodies (anti-CD54, efalizumab, and abciximab) act as EE by producing
      disruptions in the cell layer.

PMID- 20304221
TI  - Pathology and epidemiology of HPV infection in females.
AB  - Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are a large family of small double-stranded DNA
      viruses that infect squamous epithelia. It has been established that infection
      with specific HPV types is a contributing factor to different types of anogenital
      cancer, including vulval, vaginal, anal, penile, and head and neck cancers.
      Approximately 4% of all cancers are associated with HPV. HPV infection is the
      major cause of cervical cancer and genital warts. Genital HPV infections are very
      common, are sexually transmitted, and have a peak prevalence between ages 18 and
      30. Most of these infections clear spontaneously, but in 10-20% of women, these
      infections remain persistent and are at risk of progression to grade 2/3 cervical
      intraepithelial neoplasm (CIN) and eventually to invasive cancer of the cervix
      (ICC). CINs are genetically unstable lesions with a 30-40% risk of progression to
      ICC. If left untreated, they form a spectrum of increasing cytological atypia,
      ranging from low-grade CIN1 to high-grade CIN3; the latter are caused almost
      exclusively by high-risk HPVs, HPV 16 and 18. Infection with HPV requires a
      microabrasion in the genital epithelium. The oncogenic properties of high-risk
      HPV reside in the E6 and E7 genes, which if inappropriately expressed in dividing
      cells deregulate cell division and differentiation. HPV DNA testing has been
      shown consistently to be superior to cytology in terms of sensitivity and
      positive predictive value and will become a major tool in cervical cancer
      screening, at least in the developed countries.

PMID- 20304222
TI  - DFID: a report card and a reappraisal.

PMID- 20304223
TI  - Caesarean section-the first cut isn't the deepest.

PMID- 20304224
TI  - Another step towards preventing artemisinin resistance.

PMID- 20304225
TI  - Carotid stenting: more risky than endarterectomy and often no better than medical
      treatment alone.

PMID- 20304226
TI  - Gardasil: from bench, to bedside, to blunder.

PMID- 20304227
TI  - A tale of two-component generalised HIV epidemics.

PMID- 20304230
TI  - Offline: Life in the senior common room.

PMID- 20304232
TI  - Degeneration.

PMID- 20304233
TI  - DART and laboratory monitoring of HIV treatment.

PMID- 20304235
TI  - DART and laboratory monitoring of HIV treatment.

PMID- 20304236
TI  - Mexico's conditional cash transfer programme.

PMID- 20304238
TI  - Diabetes in Asia.

PMID- 20304239
TI  - Registering observational research: second thoughts.

PMID- 20304240
TI  - Health-care needs of people affected by conflict.

PMID- 20304241
TI  - Diabetes in Asia.

PMID- 20304242
TI  - Adjustment of dosing of antimicrobial agents for bodyweight in adults.

PMID- 20304243
TI  - Scaling up financing for health.

PMID- 20304244
TI  - Online journals: paying or delaying?

PMID- 20304245
TI  - Comparative demographics of the European cystic fibrosis population: a cross
      sectional database analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Country-specific patients' registries are rarely used to make
      international comparisons because of protocol discrepancies in data collation. We
      present data from a European cystic fibrosis registry that is dedicated to
      collection of demographic data, and assess whether the resources available in
      countries with and without European Union (EU) membership affects care and
      survival of patients. METHODS: Data for demographic indicators-age, age at
      diagnosis, sex, and genotype-for patients with cystic fibrosis from 35 European
      countries were combined, and used to establish the differences in demographic
      indicators between EU and non-EU countries. EU membership status in 2003 was used
      to divide countries. We modelled demographic indicators of EU countries on non-EU
      countries to estimate the size of the cystic fibrosis population if non-EU
      countries had had the same resources available for patients as did EU countries.
      FINDINGS: Data were gathered for 29 025 patients, who had a median age of 16.3
      years (IQR 8.9-24.8), with a difference of 4.9 years (95% CI 4.4-5.1; p<0.0001)
      between EU (median 17.0 years, IQR 9.5-25.6) and non-EU countries (12.1 years,
      6.0-19.2). The proportion of patients older than 40 years was higher in EU
      countries (1205 [5%]) than in non-EU countries (76 [2%]), with an odds ratio of
      2.4 (95% CI 1.9-3.0, p<0.0001). We estimated that the cystic fibrosis population
      in non-EU countries would increase by 84% if patients had a demographic profile
      comparable to that of patients in EU countries. INTERPRETATION: Future studies
      need to establish the reasons for the lower proportion of patients with cystic
      fibrosis in non-EU countries than in EU countries, such as underdiagnosis and
      premature childhood mortality. FUNDING: European Community's Sixth Framework
      Programme for Research, and Czech Ministry of Health.

PMID- 20304246
TI  - A retrocaval ureter.

PMID- 20304247
TI  - Colorectal cancer.
AB  - Substantial progress has been made in colorectal cancer in the past decade.
      Screening, used to identify individuals at an early stage, has improved outcome.
      There is greater understanding of the genetic basis of inherited colorectal
      cancer and identification of patients at risk. Optimisation of surgery for
      patients with localised disease has had a major effect on survival at 5 years and
      10 years. For rectal cancer, identification of patients at greatest risk of local
      failure is important in the selection of patients for preoperative
      chemoradiation, a strategy proven to improve outcomes in these patients.
      Stringent postoperative follow-up helps the early identification of potentially
      radically treatable oligometastatic disease and improves long-term survival.
      Treatment with adjuvant fluoropyrimidine for colon and rectal cancers further
      improves survival, more so in stage III than in stage II disease, and oxaliplatin
      based combination chemotherapy is now routinely used for stage III disease,
      although efficacy must be carefully balanced against toxicity. In stage II
      disease, molecular markers such as microsatellite instability might help select
      patients for treatment. The integration of targeted treatments with conventional
      cytotoxic drugs has expanded the treatment of metastatic disease resulting in
      incremental survival gains. However, biomarker development is essential to aid
      selection of patients likely to respond to therapy, thereby rationalising
      treatments and improving outcomes.

PMID- 20304248
TI  - Wiring a nation: putting knowledge into action.

PMID- 20304249
TI  - Nosocomial transmission of necrotising fasciitis.

PMID- 20304250
TI  - The perennial threat of influenza pandemics.

PMID- 20304251
TI  - Molecular anatomy of 2009 influenza virus A (H1N1).
AB  - Influenza A viruses are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and
      affect large segments of the population every year. The nature of their genome,
      formed by eight segments of single-stranded RNA, favors the constant evolution of
      the virus by two main mechanisms: the accumulation of single nucleotide mutations
      in the viral genes introduced by an error-prone viral RNA polymerase and the
      reassortment of genes between two strains of different origin. The viral genome
      encodes 11 proteins. Most have been shown to play a role in shaping the virulence
      scenario of influenza A viruses, including the adaptation of infection and
      transmission into new host species, the ability to modulate the host immune
      response, and the capacity to replicate efficiently at low temperature. On the
      surface of the virus particles there are two principal polypeptides, the
      hemagglutinin (HA) and the neuraminidase (NA), which are the target for the
      neutralizing antibodies immune response. There are 16 HA and 9 NA different
      subtypes in the influenza A virus that circulate in humans and animals. When a
      virus strain with a new HA or NA subtype appears in the human population by
      genetic reassortment, it usually causes a pandemic because there is no
      preexisting immunity against the new virus. This was the case for the three
      pandemics that occurred during the last century (1918, 1957, and 1968) and also
      for the first pandemic of the 21(st) century, caused by the currently circulating
      A (H1N1) 2009 virus, which was generated by gene reassortment between a virus
      present in pigs of North America and a virus that circulates in the swine
      population of Euroasia.

PMID- 20304252
TI  - Comparison of the pathology caused by H1N1, H5N1, and H3N2 influenza viruses.
AB  - The spectrum of morbidity and mortality of H1N1, H5N1, and H3N2 influenza A
      viruses relates to the pathology they produce. In this review, we describe and
      compare the pathology of these viruses in human cases and animal models. The 1918
      H1N1, the novel 2009 H1N1 pandemic virus, and H5N1 show inflammation, congestion,
      and epithelial necrosis of the larger airways (trachea, bronchi and bronchioles)
      with extension into the alveoli causing diffuse alveolar damage. Seasonal
      influenza A viruses (H3N2 and H1N1) have primarily caused inflammation,
      congestion and epithelial necrosis of the larger airways with lesser extension of
      the inflammatory process to alveoli. Localization of the inflammation and
      cellular damage relate to the presence of virus in different cell types.
      Infections with 1918 H1N1, the novel 2009 H1N1 pandemic virus, and H5N1 show
      virus in mucosal epithelial cells of the airways (from the nasopharynx to the
      bronchioles), alveolar macrophages, and pneumocytes, whereas infections with
      seasonal influenza viruses show viral antigens primarily in mucosal epithelial
      cells of the larger airways. The increased morbidity that has been encountered
      with the 2009 H1N1 virus is related to infection of cells in the upper and lower
      airways. The 2009 H1N1 virus shows similar pathology to that encountered with
      other highly virulent influenza A viruses such as the 1918 H1N1 and H5N1 viruses.

PMID- 20304253
TI  - Critical analysis of deaths due to atypical pneumonia during the onset of the
      influenza A (H1N1) virus epidemic.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The ongoing influenza A (H1N1) pandemic stroked Mexico and posed a
      huge challenge to the medical care and public health systems. This report
      analyzes the clinical course and process of care of patients who died due to
      atypical pneumonia and fulfilled the clinical criteria of suspected case of novel
      influenza A (H1N1) virus infection. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective
      analysis of a series of 38 patients who died between April 7 and April 28, 2009
      at Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS) hospitals due to severe pneumonia
      and respiratory distress. These cases coincided with the beginning of the
      outbreak, so patients did not undergo laboratory testing to diagnose influenza.
      According to IMSS and CDC criteria, post-hoc analysis allowed considering the
      presumptive diagnosis of S-OIV infection. A multidisciplinary group analyzed the
      information from the clinical charts, laboratory tests, radiographic studies and
      death certificates, using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Most cases were middle
      aged (mean 33 years, range: 4-62 years) and previously healthy; 18.4% had an
      underlying chronic disease, 23.7% were obese and 7.9% were current smokers. None
      had received the seasonal influenza vaccine; they had cough (92%), fever (86.8%),
      and malaise (73.7%). The median time from disease onset to hospital admission was
      6 days (range 0-8 days). All were admitted to the intensive care unit with
      pneumonia and/or respiratory distress. Average time from disease onset to death
      was 8 days (range 4-18 days). CONCLUSIONS: An increased number of severe cases of
      atypical pneumonia in previously healthy adults highlight the importance of the
      availability of a timely surveillance system able to identify sudden increases in
      the number of cases or presentation of apparently known diseases.

PMID- 20304254
TI  - H1N1 influenza pandemics: comparing the events of 2009 in Mexico with those of
      1976 and 1918-1919.
AB  - Outbreaks of influenza A (H1N1) of avian- or swine-related origin have
      substantially impacted human populations. The most dramatic pandemic of influenza
      H1N1 occurred during 1918-1919 producing significant morbidity and mortality
      worldwide. In the 20th century, two other major pandemics took place but they
      were the H2N2 and H3N2 reassorted influenza strains. In 1976, a small outbreak of
      swine-related H1N1 in the U.S. led to a national scare but without any
      significant public health impact. More recently, in April 2009, in Mexico, and
      subsequently worldwide, an influenza (H1N1) triple reassortant strain produced
      >200,000 laboratory-confirmed cases and resulted in >2000 deaths. In August 2009,
      WHO declared this outbreak as the first influenza pandemic of the 21(st) century.
      It is critical to apply lessons learned during previous pandemics to mitigate the
      public health impact of the ongoing influenza pandemic in 2009. In particular, it
      is useful to compare the events in Mexico in 2009 to those during the Spanish
      influenza pandemic of 1918-1919.

PMID- 20304255
TI  - What have we learned from the novel influenza A (H1N1) pandemic in 2009 for
      strengthening pandemic influenza preparedness?
AB  - We need to apply lessons learned from previous influenza pandemics to
      continuously update preparedness and response plans. It has become evident that
      strengthening networks of international referral laboratories coupled with
      scaling-up efforts to expand epidemiological surveillance networks is critical
      for responding and mitigating the impact of influenza pandemics. The current
      swine-related influenza A (H1N1) pandemic has also shown that international
      collaboration remains a critical component to effectively respond to influenza
      pandemics in the current globalized world.

PMID- 20304256
TI  - Lessons from previous influenza pandemics and from the Mexican response to the
      current influenza pandemic.
AB  - Better understanding of the events occurring during prior influenza pandemics,
      particularly the 1918 pandemic, and the realization that another pandemic was
      inevitable and likely to occur early in the 21(st) century, have helped in
      preparedness planning. In Mexico, pandemic flu preparedness was critical and
      undoubtedly paid off once a new influenza pandemic was identified in April 2009,
      but it also became apparent that these plans required flexibility and significant
      adjustments as the epidemic evolved. We review here the lessons learned in Mexico
      from the current influenza pandemic. In addition, we highlight various issues
      that should be addressed among countries and by the international community
      before the next influenza pandemic occurs. There have been many lessons learned
      but the one we cannot forget is that complacency is dangerous and not acceptable
      when confronting the threat of an influenza pandemic.

PMID- 20304257
TI  - Organization of a third-level care hospital in Mexico City during the 2009
      influenza epidemic.
AB  - An outbreak caused by the novel swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus was
      identified in Mexico in late March 2009. The objective of this report is to
      describe the organization of a tertiary care center in Mexico City during the
      contingency. We describe the education program, the hospital organization and
      triaging, and unforeseen overwhelming circumstances. Educational plans were
      directed to follow standard, contact, and droplet precautions and to condition
      behavior to avoid touching the eyes, nose, or mouth. N95 respirators were
      distributed only to perform respiratory procedures. By the fifth month into the
      epidemic, four patients with hospital-acquired influenza, 467 workers with
      respiratory symptoms suggestive of influenza (16% of our staff), and 96 workers
      with confirmed novel influenza A (3% of our staff) were identified. During the
      first 2 months of the epidemic, 44,225 people went through the triages and only
      1503 (3.3%) reached the emergency room. By the fifth month into the epidemic,
      four small institutional influenza outbreaks (<10 workers each) had been
      identified, two of them in areas with no patient contact. Molecular testing for
      influenza was used mainly for epidemiological purposes. Even though we had a
      supply, we had difficulties in meeting the demand of masks, N-95 respirators, and
      hand sanitizers. Due to absenteeism, the nursing administration experienced
      difficulties in covering shifts. Preparation is mandatory for facing an influenza
      epidemic. The correct use of precautions is an economic measure to limit
      institutional transmission. Adequate triaging is essential to meet unusual
      attention demands.

PMID- 20304258
TI  - Identification of seasonal vaccine hemagglutinin subtype 1 (H1) epitopes in
      Mexican isolates of the new influenza A (H1N1) 2009 virus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pre-existing immunity in individuals is a determinant condition for
      epidemic dynamics. During the current influenza A (H1N1) virus pandemic, cross
      reactivity of seasonal vaccines from the last years and previous contact with
      seasonal influenza viruses was suggested as the cause of low severity and low
      incidence of the disease in persons aged 50-65 years and with history of seasonal
      influenza vaccination. METHODS: We performed a detailed search and analysis of 74
      previously reported H1 epitopes present in influenza A virus contained in
      seasonal vaccines applied in Mexico from 2004 to date and in sequences from
      Mexican isolates from 2003, as well as in the recent influenza A (H1N1) 2009, and
      calculated the epitope conservation among vaccine, seasonal and pandemic
      influenza A (H1N1) virus. RESULTS: H1 epitope sequence identity ranged from 61.53
      100 %. Of the 74 epitopes previously reported, 31 (41.9%) were completely
      conserved among all sequences analyzed in this study, whereas 43 (58.1%) had
      changes in one or more amino acids. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings contribute to the
      estimatation of the degree of epitope conservation among H1 from vaccine virus
      strains as well as in the different viruses that circulate in the Mexican
      population. These results may provide new elements to consider for analysis of
      cross-immunity to influenza viruses including the novel influenza A (H1N1) 2009
      pandemic virus.

PMID- 20304259
TI  - Vaccines against influenza A (H1N1) pandemic.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported, as of
      September 2009, that the influenza A (H1N1) influenza pandemic has originated
      >300,000 laboratory-confirmed cases and 3917 deaths in 191 countries. It is
      recognized that pandemic vaccines have their greatest impact as a preventive
      strategy when administered before or near the peak incidence of cases in an
      outbreak. Therefore, vaccination campaigns should be in place when influenza A
      (H1N1) 2009 vaccines are available. We undertook this study to provide updated
      information on clinical evaluation of influenza A (H1N1) vaccines and review
      recommendations for influenza A (H1N1) vaccination campaigns and public health
      policy. METHODS: The following methods were used: 1) review of registry at
      ClinicalTrials.gov. 2) search of PubMed Central (PMC) for influenza A (H1N1)
      vaccine. 3) review of recommendations of WHO, Mexican Health Secretariat (SSA)
      and Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on influenza A (H1N1)
      vaccination campaigns. RESULTS: Until October 1, 2009 there were 11 available
      influenza A (H1N1) candidate strains provided by WHO Global Influenza
      Surveillance Network. ClinicalTrials.gov registers 45 phase I and II clinical
      trials evaluating immunogenicity and safety of influenza A (H1N1) vaccines.
      Preliminary results support administration of a single dose and use of adjuvants.
      Main recommendations of WHO, SSA and ACIP include epidemiologic considerations,
      objectives, definition of target groups and reinforcement of other mitigation
      measures. CONCLUSIONS: The present pandemic of influenza A (H1N1) has shown mild
      to moderate severity. Vaccination strategies in Mexico will have the objective of
      decreasing severe outcomes, slowing transmission, protecting groups at increased
      risk of infection, complications, or death, and preventing overload of health
      services. Control of the pandemic should include reinforcement of other non
      pharmacologic measures of mitigation and, importantly, an adequate strategy of
      social communication.

PMID- 20304262
TI  - Cases.

PMID- 20304260
TI  - Acceptance of a vaccine against novel influenza A (H1N1) virus among health care
      workers in two major cities in Mexico.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Further cases of novel influenza A (H1N1) outbreak are
      expected in the coming months. Vaccination has been proven to be essential to
      control a pandemic of influenza; therefore, considerable efforts and resources
      have been devoted to develop a vaccine against the influenza A (H1N1) virus. With
      the current availability of the vaccine, it will be important to immunize as many
      people as possible. However, previous data with seasonal influenza vaccines have
      shown that there are multiple barriers related to perceptions and attitudes of
      the population that influence vaccine use. The aim of the study was to evaluate
      the acceptance of a newly developed vaccine against pandemic (H1N1) 2009
      influenza A among healthcare workers (HCW) in Mexico. METHODS: We conducted a
      cross-sectional study among HCW in three hospitals in the two largest cities in
      Mexico-Mexico City and Guadalajara-between June and September 2009. RESULTS: A
      total of 1097 HCW participated in the survey. Overall, 80% (n = 880) intended to
      accept the H1N1 pandemic vaccine and 71.6% (n = 786) reported they would
      recommend the vaccine to their patients. Doctors were more likely to accept and
      recommend the vaccine than nurses. HCWs who intend to be immunized will be more
      likely to do so if they know that the vaccine is safe and effective. CONCLUSIONS:
      Knowledge of the willingness to accept the vaccine can be used to plan strategies
      that will effectively respond to the needs of the population studied, reducing
      the health and economic impact of novel influenza A (H1N1) virus.

PMID- 20304263
TI  - Extracts from The Cochrane Library: Scopolamine (hyoscine) for preventing and
      treating motion sickness.

PMID- 20304264
TI  - How to review journal manuscripts.
AB  - Reviewing manuscripts is central to editorial peer review, which arose in the
      early 1900s in response to the editor's need for expert advice to help select
      quality articles from numerous submissions. Most reviewers learn by trial and
      error, often giving up along the way because the process is far from intuitive.
      This primer will help minimize errors and maximize enjoyment in reviewing. Topics
      covered include responding to a review invitation, crafting comments to editors
      and authors, offering a recommended disposition, dealing with revised
      manuscripts, and understanding roles and responsibilities. The target audience is
      primarily novice reviewers, but seasoned reviewers should also find useful pearls
      to assist their efforts.

PMID- 20304265
TI  - Mentoring in otolaryngology training programs.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's focus on
      outcome-based training has made the mentoring process critical for resident
      education. It is unknown how otolaryngology training programs mentor residents.
      Our objective was to determine the current state of mentoring in otolaryngology
      training programs and describe resident perceptions of mentoring. STUDY DESIGN:
      Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Accredited U.S. otolaryngology training
      programs. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: All U.S. otolaryngology residents and program
      directors were contacted via e-mail with a link to an online survey. RESULTS: Of
      the 1411 residents contacted, 27.7 percent responded, representing 71 of the 103
      accredited otolaryngology programs. Of the 103 program directors contacted, 37.9
      percent responded. Of these programs, 26 had formal mentoring programs, 45 did
      not have formal mentoring programs, and 12 programs were listed in both
      categories. Fifty-one percent of male residents and 49 percent of female
      residents had mentors. The most important mentor characteristics were personality
      match, good clinical role model, and similar subspecialty interests. Least
      important characteristics were race, gender, and age. Twenty-six percent of
      residents felt that mentoring was critical to their training, while 63 percent of
      residents listed mentoring as important but not critical. Programs with fewer
      faculty and residents were less likely to offer formal mentoring (P = 0.007 and
      0.054, respectively). Of residents who did not have mentors, 80 percent lacked a
      mentor because their residency had no formal mentoring program. CONCLUSION:
      Residents perceive mentoring as important, and formal mentoring programs should
      be incorporated into otolaryngology training programs.

PMID- 20304266
TI  - Validation of a clinical practice ability instrument for surgical training.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate an instrument to measure the progression of
      clinical practice ability among surgical trainees. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective
      validation study. SETTING: Three academic training institutions: Massachusetts
      Eye and Ear Infirmary, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard School of Public
      Health. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A clinical practice instrument (CPI) was created
      and prospectively validated in otolaryngology trainees at three institutional
      sites. The instrument is completed during an oral examination of a trainee who is
      presented with a patient scenario; the scenario yields one clinical diagnosis,
      one therapeutic intervention, and one interventional complication. On the basis
      of the trainee's responses, 21 item scores are calculated focusing on key areas
      within the diagnostic and management paradigm. Internal consistency,
      reproducibility, inter-rater reliability, discriminant and criterion validity,
      and responsiveness to change over time were evaluated. RESULTS: There were 87
      administrations of the instrument over a period of 22 months. The subjects (n =
      32) spanned the range of training from medical student to clinical fellow. There
      was strong internal consistency within each domain (Cronbach's alpha 0.85-0.94,
      one-sided 95% confidence interval > 0.81). Inter-rater reliability was high
      (kappa 0.66, absolute agreement 72%). Reproducibility of item scores was
      excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] final summary score 0.78,
      global item score 0.83). Discriminant validity (P < 0.0001), criterion validity
      (P = 0.03), and responsiveness to change (P = 0.0055) were also established.
      CONCLUSION: The CPI serves as a reliable, reproducible, and valid means to
      measure the progression of clinical practice ability in trainees as they
      transition from "novice" to "attending equivalent" surgeons.

PMID- 20304267
TI  - Complications of esophagoscopy in an academic training program.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of flexible versus rigid
      esophagoscopy in an academic training setting. STUDY DESIGN: Case series with
      chart review. SETTING: Tertiary academic training center. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A
      retrospective medical record review was performed on all adult patients
      undergoing esophagoscopy from 2002 to 2007. RESULTS: A total of 546 procedures
      were performed with flexible (n = 276) or rigid (n = 270) endoscopes. Seven
      esophageal perforations (2.6%) occurred, all in association with rigid endoscopy
      and all in patients with a history of head and neck cancer. Esophageal
      perforation rates were associated with attending level of experience. There were
      no deaths. No synchronous esophageal cancers were found in any patient undergoing
      panendoscopy for the evaluation of a head and neck cancer. CONCLUSION: The 2.6
      percent esophageal perforation rate observed in this study is higher than that
      typically reported for rigid esophagoscopy. When performed as part of routine
      panendoscopy, no synchronous esophageal tumors were found, questioning the value
      of esophagoscopy in this setting. All perforations occurred in patients with a
      history of head and neck cancer and were associated with the level of the
      surgeon's experience in performing rigid endoscopy.

PMID- 20304268
TI  - Effects of traditional Chinese acupuncture in post-viral olfactory dysfunction.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To date, recovery of olfactory function after viral infection of the
      upper airway cannot be achieved reliably with pharmacotherapy. The aim of this
      study was to evaluate the effects of traditional Chinese acupuncture (TCA) on
      olfactory function in patients with persistent post-viral olfactory dysfunction
      (PVOD). STUDY DESIGN: Historical cohort study. SETTING: University Medical
      Center, Department of Otorhinolaryngology. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 15
      patients presenting to the outpatient clinic with PVOD were treated by TCA in 10
      weekly, 30-minute sessions. Subjective olfactometry was performed with the
      Sniffin' Sticks test set. Treatment success was defined as an increase in
      Sniffin' Sticks test scores of at least six points. The effects of TCA, obtained
      with the chi(2) test, were compared with those of matched pairs suffering from
      PVOD who had been treated with vitamin B complex over 12 weeks. RESULTS: Eight
      patients treated with TCA had improved olfactory function compared with two
      treated with vitamin B complex. chi(2) test revealed a significantly better
      outcome in olfactory function in patients undergoing acupuncture compared with
      patients receiving vitamin B complex (P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: TCA possibly offers
      a new therapeutic regimen for post-viral dysosmia. More research in a larger case
      series is needed before a clearer picture will emerge.

PMID- 20304269
TI  - Matrix metalloproteinase inhibition causes luminal narrowing and ring thickening
      in the cricoid cartilage.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Luminal expansion of the cricoid cartilage appears to be stunted by
      loss of luminal epithelium (LE) and can be enhanced by transforming growth factor
      beta3 (TGF-beta3). When both the LE and perichondrium are disrupted, matrix
      metalloproteinase (MMP) levels within adjacent chondrocytes are diminished but
      can be restored by exogenous TGF-beta3. Cricoid growth stunting and luminal
      expansion that occur in the absence and presence of MMP activity, respectively,
      suggest that MMPs play an important role in normal subglottal development. The
      study objective was to determine if MMP inhibition affects cricoid expansion and
      by what mechanism, which will in turn help to define the mechanism of action of
      TGF-beta3-induced luminal expansion. STUDY DESIGN: Ex vivo, in vitro whole organ
      culture of subglottises grown with and without the presence of an MMP inhibitor.
      SETTING: Tertiary care facility. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Subglottises from 20
      neonatal mice were divided into 10 grown with an MMP inhibitor, GM6001, and 10
      grown in basic medium alone. The luminal cross-sectional area, apoptosis levels,
      cell proliferation rates, and presence or absence of cleaved aggrecan fragments
      were determined. RESULTS: Subglottises that were exposed to the MMP inhibitor
      displayed statistically significant luminal narrowing, accompanied by apparent
      circumferential thickening of the cricoid ring, relatively decreased apoptosis,
      increased chondrocyte proliferation, and decreased amounts of aggrecan cleavage
      fragments in the extracellular matrix. CONCLUSION: Matrix metalloproteinases
      likely play a significant role in growth of the cricoid cartilage such that their
      inhibition leads to marked changes in the shape of the ring.

PMID- 20304270
TI  - Palatine tonsil size in obese, overweight, and normal-weight children with sleep
      disordered breathing.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess palatine tonsil size relative to degree of obesity in
      children with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). STUDY DESIGN: Case-control study.
      SETTING: Tertiary care rhinology clinic. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We compared the
      subjective and objective tonsil size, including tonsil height (TH), tonsil width
      (TW), tonsil thickness (TT), tonsil weight (TWt), and tonsil volume (TV), in 26
      obese children and 26 age- and gender-matched control children with SDB, and in
      29 overweight children and 29 matched controls with SDB. RESULTS: Despite similar
      subjective tonsil size in obese and control children, the objective tonsil size,
      including TH, TW, TT, and TWt, was larger in obese than in control children, and
      the mean TV was significantly greater in obese than in control children with SDB
      (8.53 +/- 3.30 mL vs 6.90 +/- 2.05 mL; 95% confidence interval [CI] of the
      difference 0.03-3.25; P = 0.019). In contrast, mean TV (7.38 +/- 3.43 mL vs 7.65
      +/- 1.97 mL; 95% CI -1.92 to 1.37; P = 0.320) as well as the other parameters of
      objective palatine tonsil size, including TH, TW, TT, and TWt, did not differ
      significantly between overweight children and controls. CONCLUSION: Obese
      children with SDB had larger palatine tonsils than did normal-weight children
      with SDB. This finding suggests that larger palatine tonsils may have a greater
      effect on upper airway obstruction in obese than in normal-weight children with
      SDB.

PMID- 20304271
TI  - Measurements of adult lingual tonsil tissue in health and disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To report computed tomography (CT) measurements of lingual tonsil
      tissue (LTT) in patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), obstructive sleep
      apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS), both LPR and OSAHS, or neither disease. STUDY
      DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. SETTING: Tertiary care center. SUBJECTS AND
      METHODS: Ninety-eight patients with CT scans including the tongue base and
      complete historical data regarding the presence or absence of symptoms, signs,
      and laboratory confirmation of LPR and/or OSAHS were included. LTT was measured
      on CT. Charts of patients meeting inclusion criteria were subsequently reviewed
      and patients were divided into four groups: 1) those without LPR or OSAHS, 2)
      those with LPR only, 3) those with OSAHS only, and 4) those with both LPR and
      OSAHS. Statistical analysis focused on correlating LTT thickness with the
      presence or absence of LPR and/or OSAHS. RESULTS: The mean LTT thickness for
      group 1 (21 patients without reflux or OSAHS) was 0.937 mm (range 0-2.67 mm). The
      mean for group 2 (29 patients with LPR only) was 3.35 mm (range 0-7.4 mm). The
      mean for group 3 (16 patients with OSAHS only) was 4.29 mm (range 0-9 mm). The
      mean for group 4 (32 patients with LPR and OSAHS) was 4.00 mm (range 0-19.2 mm).
      The mean for group 1 was lower than the other 3 groups (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION:
      CT images including the tongue base allow precise measurement of LTT thickness.
      LTT > 2.7 mm was not identified in patients without OSAHS or LPR. The mean LTT
      for patients with LPR and/or OSAHS was significantly greater than for patients
      without either disease.

PMID- 20304272
TI  - Reliability of airway obstruction analyses from Sleep MRI sequences.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: A real-time MRI "movie" during natural sleep ("Sleep MRI") allows
      observation of dynamic airway obstructions in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome
      (OSAS) patients. The purpose of this article was to determine the reliability of
      assessing these obstructions. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional diagnostic test
      evaluation. SETTING: Academic referral center. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of
      23 Sleep MRI sequences randomly selected from 20 consecutive OSAS patients were
      analyzed by two experienced sleep surgeons on two separate occasions separated by
      at least two weeks. Five dimensions were assessed: presence or absence of any
      obstruction, presence or absence of a retropalatal obstruction, presence or
      absence of a retroglossal obstruction, presence or absence of a swallow, and
      duration of an obstructive event. RESULTS: For all dimensions measured, intra
      rater reliability coefficients ranged from a low of 0.95 to a high of 1.0 for
      each rater. Inter-rater reliability coefficients ranged from a low of 0.85 to a
      high of 1.0. On two separate evaluations separated by at least two weeks, rater 1
      identified a retropalatal obstruction in 100 percent of sequences, whereas rater
      2 did so in 91 percent and 96 percent of the sequences, respectively.
      Retroglossal obstruction was identified in 57 percent (rater 1) and 65 percent
      (rater 2) of sequences. CONCLUSION: Intra-rater and inter-rater reliability
      coefficients are very high for determination of presence or absence of any
      obstruction, presence or absence of a retropalatal obstruction, presence or
      absence of a retroglossal obstruction, presence or absence of a swallow, and
      duration of obstruction from Sleep MRI sequences in OSAS patients.

PMID- 20304273
TI  - Screening for obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome: subjective and objective
      factors.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of the Berlin
      Questionnaire and the Obstructive Sleep Apnea/Hypopnea Syndrome (OSAHS) score for
      individually predicting a diagnosis of OSAHS, and to propose a method for OSAHS
      screening incorporating objective and subjective factors. STUDY DESIGN: Cross
      sectional survey. SETTING: Tertiary care center. METHODS: Charts were reviewed
      from 223 consecutive patients for whom complete data regarding the Berlin
      questionnaire, OSAHS score (Friedman tongue position + tonsil size + body mass
      index grade), Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and visual analog scale for snoring were
      obtained prior to polysomnography (PSG). Sensitivity and specificity were
      determined for the Berlin questionnaire and OSAHS score for predicting an apnea
      hypopnea index (AHI) >or= 5. Patient data were subjected to multivariate stepwise
      discriminant analysis and used to construct a screening system based on the
      Fisher's linear classification equation. Results were cross-validated by PSG
      findings. RESULTS: In predicting an AHI >or= 5, the sensitivity and specificity,
      respectively, were 0.615 and 0.226 for the Berlin questionnaire, 0.863 and 0.468
      for OSAHS score, and 0.82 and 0.834 for our predictive equation. When applied
      case-wise to the study population, this equation correctly predicted 82.5 percent
      of diagnoses. Accuracy was highest for severe OSAHS (87.4%) and lowest for mild
      disease (77.0%). Sensitivity was lowest for mild OSAHS (0.50). CONCLUSIONS:
      Neither the Berlin questionnaire nor the OSAHS score alone was both highly
      sensitive and specific for diagnosing OSAHS. By incorporating subjective and
      objective metrics into a single predictive equation, sensitivity and specificity
      were maximized, and 82.5 percent of diagnoses were accurately predicted.

PMID- 20304274
TI  - Gore-Tex medialization laryngoplasty for treatment of dysphagia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Gore-Tex medialization laryngoplasty is a well described procedure for
      the management of glottal incompetence with associated phonatory disturbance.
      Limited literature exists describing the use of this procedure in the management
      of dysphagia. We describe our experience with Gore-Tex medialization
      laryngoplasty and the treatment of dysphagia. STUDY DESIGN: Case series with
      chart review. SETTING: Tertiary referral center. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Between
      April 2000 and September 2008, 189 Gore-Tex medialization laryngoplasties were
      performed on 180 patients by the senior author. Complete records and analysis
      were available for and performed on 121 procedures for 113 patients. The main
      outcome measures were discontinuation of gastrostomy tube (g-tube) use or
      avoidance of g-tube, as well as clinical subjective improvement in swallowing
      function. RESULTS: Fifty-seven of 113 (50%) patients had complaints of dysphagia
      at presentation, with 47 of 57 (82%) having an objective swallowing evaluation.
      Thirty-two of 47 (68%) had documented penetration and/or aspiration. Twenty of 57
      (35%) patients with dysphagia required g-tubes for alimentation. Eleven of 20
      (55%) patients were able to discontinue g-tube use after Gore-Tex medialization
      laryngoplasty, and an additional five patients with aspiration were able to avoid
      need for g-tubes with Gore-Tex medialization laryngoplasty and swallowing
      therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Gore-Tex medialization laryngoplasty is a well tolerated
      and well described treatment for the management of glottal incompetence. The
      procedure is an appropriate adjunct in dysphagia management for the appropriate
      patient population.

PMID- 20304275
TI  - Effects of type II thyroplasty on adductor spasmodic dysphonia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Type II thyroplasty, or laryngeal framework surgery, is based on the
      hypothesis that the effect of adductor spasmodic dysphonia (AdSD) on the voice is
      due to excessively tight closure of the glottis, hampering phonation. Most of the
      previous, partially effective treatments have aimed to relieve this tight
      closure, including recurrent laryngeal nerve section or avulsion, extirpation of
      the adductor muscle, and botulinum toxin injection, which is currently the most
      popular. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of type II thyroplasty
      on aerodynamic and acoustic findings in patients with AdSD. STUDY DESIGN: Case
      series. SETTING: University hospital. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Ten patients with
      AdSD underwent type II thyroplasty between August 2006 and December 2008.
      Aerodynamic and acoustic analyses were performed prior to and six months after
      surgery. Mean flow rates (MFRs) and voice efficiency were evaluated with a
      phonation analyzer. Jitter, shimmer, the harmonics-to-noise ratio (HNR), standard
      deviation of the fundamental frequency (SDF0), and degree of voice breaks (DVB)
      were measured from each subject's longest sustained phonation sample of the vowel
      /a/. RESULTS: Voice efficiency improved significantly after surgery. No
      significant difference was found in the MFRs between before and after surgery.
      Jitter, shimmer, HNR, SDF0, and DVB improved significantly after surgery.
      CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of AdSD with type II thyroplasty significantly improved
      aerodynamic and acoustic findings. The results of this study suggest that type II
      thyroplasty provides relief from voice strangulation in patients with AdSD.

PMID- 20304276
TI  - Auto-crosslinked hyaluronan gel injections in phonosurgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the clinical performance of an auto-crosslinked gel
      obtained from hyaluronic acid (ACP-based gel) as an anti-adhesive agent and/or
      augmentative agent in vocal cord surgery for the treatment of vocal fold (VF)
      atrophy, sulcus vocalis, and postsurgery scarring as well as its tolerability at
      short- and long-term follow-up. STUDY DESIGN: This was a prospective multicenter
      trial conducted between 2007 and 2009. SETTING: Academic center. SUBJECTS AND
      METHODS: Inclusion criteria were patients with glottic gap due to previous
      endoscopic phonosurgery, VF scars, vocal cord atrophy, and sulcus vocalis. Forty
      patients who underwent endoscopic injection of hyaluronic acid under general
      anesthesia were enrolled. Two different injections sites were used: the
      thyroarytenoid muscle in cases of glottic gap for augmentative purposes, and the
      lamina propria for treatment of scars and sulcus vocalis. A voice-evaluation
      protocol was performed before surgery, at the first follow-up visit (3 mo), and
      at the final follow-up (12 mo). RESULTS: Follow-up data at three months were
      available for 38 patients, while data at 12 months follow-up were available for
      27 patients. No side effects, hematoma, or infection and allergic reactions were
      reported in either the perioperative or postoperative period. Patients had
      statistically significant improvement in voice parameters compared with the
      baseline data at the first follow-up visit and at the 12-month follow-up.
      CONCLUSION: ACP-based gel seems to be a new tool in the challenging treatment of
      VF scarring, functioning as both an anti-adhesive product and an augmentation
      agent. Improvements in all glottal parameters and in both objective and
      subjective evaluation of voice performance were observed.

PMID- 20304277
TI  - The Baha system in patients with single-sided deafness and contralateral hearing
      loss.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of the Baha system in cases of single
      sided deafness (SSD) and mild to moderate hearing loss in the better-hearing ear.
      STUDY DESIGN: Prospective trial. SETTING: Tertiary otologic referral center.
      SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Twenty-one patients with SSD and mild to moderate hearing
      loss in the contralateral ear implanted with the Baha system between June 2006
      and March 2008 were evaluated following Baha implantation and fitting with the
      Divino and Intenso processors. Pure-tone air and bone conduction thresholds,
      sound-field testing (aided and unaided in quiet and noise) of consonant nucleus
      consonant words (Northwestern University Auditory Test No. 6 words), and Hearing
      in Noise Test sentences were obtained. Patient satisfaction questionnaires were
      administered pre- and post-intervention for either device. RESULTS: Patients with
      SSD and mild to moderate hearing loss in the contralateral ear showed a
      statistically significant improvement in all measures with the use of the Divino
      or Intenso processors compared with the unaided situation. Change in hearing, as
      measured in noise testing word recognition scores, revealed a statistically
      significant difference between the two aided conditions favoring the Intenso (P <
      0.05). The Glasgow Benefit Inventory revealed that 91 percent of the patients
      reported improvement in their quality of life and would recommend the procedure
      to others. CONCLUSION: The Baha system is effective in the rehabilitation of
      patients with SSD and mild to moderate hearing loss in the only hearing ear.
      Results of the current study suggest that either the Divino or Intenso processor
      was successful in reestablishing hearing from the deafened side.

PMID- 20304278
TI  - TriVerse versus molecular resonance-harvested grafts in single-stage Baha
      surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess complications occurring in patients with a bone-anchored
      cochlear stimulator (Baha) following split-thickness skin graft harvested with
      two surgical modalities: the TriVerse (TV) system and the molecular resonance
      generator (MR). STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, two-group (TV and MR)
      study of 24 patients who underwent Baha surgery. SETTING: Tertiary care
      institution. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: All patients (5 children, age range 6-14 yrs,
      median 8.3 yrs, and 16 adults, age range 30-73 yrs, median 60 yrs) underwent the
      one-stage procedure. The skin flap was harvested by use of the TV in 12 cases (2
      children, 10 adults) and the MR generator in 12 (3 children, 9 adults). The main
      outcome measures were wound healing time, number of follow-up visits, degree of
      soft tissue reactions around the abutment, and need for revision surgery were
      examined. RESULTS: There was a clear difference between the TV- and MR-harvested
      skin graft groups in relation to severity of skin reactions and complete healing
      time. The TV group required from three to seven (median 4) visits as outpatients
      during the initial observation period until healing was complete. The MR group
      required only one to three (median 2) visits. Complete healing time was
      significantly lower in the MR group (range 7-12 days, median 10 days) compared to
      the TV group (range 15-28 days, median 16 days). In the TV group, two patients
      required in-office revision of the skin graft because of partial necrosis.
      CONCLUSIONS: In our experience, the MR-harvested split-thickness skin graft is
      superior to the TV technique.

PMID- 20304279
TI  - Long-term prognosis of low-frequency hearing loss and predictive factors for the
      10-year outcome.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the long-term prognosis of low-frequency hearing loss
      and predictive factors for the 10-year outcome of low-frequency hearing loss.
      STUDY DESIGN: Case series with chart review. SETTING: Tertiary referral center.
      SUBJECTS AND METHODS: From 1979 to 1998, 466 consecutive patients with low
      frequency hearing loss received initial treatment at the Hearing and Tinnitus
      Clinic of Keio University Hospital. Of the 49 eligible patients, pure-tone
      threshold data obtained over a period of 10 years after onset of low-frequency
      hearing loss were available for analysis. To determine the progression of hearing
      loss, we analyzed audiometric pattern changes. We also examined how the following
      factors affected 10-year prognosis: sex, age, side of hearing loss, accompanying
      dizziness, pre-therapeutic hearing thresholds at low frequencies, initial therapy
      results, and fluctuation of hearing during the first year after onset. RESULTS:
      High- and pan-frequency hearing loss increased as time progressed. About half of
      the cases developed high- or pan-frequency hearing loss within 10 years of onset.
      Audiometric patterns measured at 10 years significantly correlated with those
      measured at one (r = 0.57), three (r = 0.73), and five years (r = 0.85). The 10
      year prognosis significantly correlated with only two factors: initial therapy
      results (r = 0.49) and fluctuation of hearing during the first year (r = 0.43).
      CONCLUSIONS: About half of the cases in our study developed high- or pan
      frequency hearing loss within 10 years of onset of low-frequency hearing loss.
      The initial therapy results and fluctuation of hearing during the first year may
      indicate the long-term prognosis of patients presenting with low-frequency
      hearing loss.

PMID- 20304280
TI  - Intratympanic gentamicin treatment of patients with Meniere's disease with normal
      hearing.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Understand the safety and outcomes of intratympanic gentamicin
      treatment in patients with Meniere's disease with normal hearing. STUDY DESIGN:
      Case series with chart review. SETTING: Tertiary referral center. SUBJECTS AND
      METHODS: A total of 224 patients with disabling Meniere's disease treated between
      May 1996 and June 2007 were grouped according to the American Academy of
      Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) 1995 Committee on Hearing and
      Equilibrium staging guidelines: stage 1 (<25 dB pure-tone average [PTA]); stage 2
      through 4 (>25 dB PTA). Patients underwent self-treatment with intratympanic
      gentamicin (10 mg/mL) three times daily for one to eight weeks. Outcome measures
      included pre- and post-treatment speech discrimination score (SDS), PTA,
      electronystagmography, vertigo relief, and statistical analysis utilizing the
      Pearson chi(2) test. RESULTS: Twenty-two (88%) of 24 patients with stage 1
      Meniere's disease showed unchanged or improved SDS. All 24 patients showed a mean
      PTA loss of 8 dB. Seventeen (71%) patients reported complete or improved vertigo
      control. One hundred sixteen (59%) of 200 patients with stage 2 through 4
      Meniere's disease showed unchanged or improved SDS. All 200 patients showed a
      mean PTA loss of 11 dB. One hundred forty-eight (74%) patients reported complete
      or improved vertigo control. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with stage 1 Meniere's disease
      appear to have similar vertigo control with better hearing preservation than
      patients with advanced disease when treated with low-dose intratympanic
      gentamicin (10 mg/mL).

PMID- 20304281
TI  - A novel surgical technique for management of tinnitus due to high dehiscent
      jugular bulb.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of middle ear floor reconstruction in
      management of vascular tinnitus due to high jugular bulb with dehiscent middle
      ear floor. STUDY DESIGN: Case series with chart review. SETTING: Tertiary
      academic medical center. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of
      seven patients with high dehiscent jugular bulb, presenting with incapacitating
      pulsatile roaring tinnitus that was abolished by digital compression of the
      ipsilateral jugular vein, from January 2002 to December 2006. The diagnosis was
      confirmed by CT scan of the temporal bone (bone window, coronal views). The seven
      patients were surgically explored, five under local anesthesia (to monitor the
      results with possible intraoperative revision) and two under general endotracheal
      anesthesia, for middle ear floor reconstruction that was done using bone dust,
      perichondrium, and tragal cartilage (mean follow-up 28 months). RESULTS: Of the
      seven patients, tinnitus disappeared in four (57%) and decreased in one. The
      overall improvement was five of seven (71%). One patient had postoperative
      increased intracranial pressure. CONCLUSION: The preliminary results suggest that
      surgical reconstruction of the middle ear floor under local anesthesia offers
      valuable treatment for patients with incapacitating tinnitus due to dehiscent
      middle ear floor. However, the risk of sigmoid sinus thrombosis should be
      considered. To our knowledge, this is the first trial of multilayer
      reconstruction of the middle ear floor dehiscence to manage high jugular bulb
      causing tinnitus.

PMID- 20304282
TI  - Postoperative management following sphincter pharyngoplasty.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate postoperative airway-associated outcomes following
      sphincter pharyngoplasty. STUDY DESIGN: Case series with chart review. SETTING:
      Academic tertiary care medical center. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Postoperative
      management of sphincter pharyngoplasty (SP) conventionally includes overnight
      observation to monitor for upper airway obstruction. To evaluate for
      postoperative airway-related outcomes, 36 patients who underwent SP between April
      2003 and January 2009 were evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: Mean patient age
      was 8.1 (SD 4.3) years. Mean follow-up was 6.5 (SD 10.7) months. Cleft palate
      (36.1%), velo-cardio-facial syndrome (22.2%), and post-adenoidectomy (16.7%) were
      the most common causes of velopharyngeal insufficiency. All patients underwent
      overnight observation postoperatively. Mean hospital stay was 1.2 (SD 0.5) days.
      Five patients remained inpatient two or three days owing to fever (2 patients),
      bleeding ear after concurrent otoplasty (1 patient), minimal oropharyngeal
      bleeding with spontaneous resolution (1 patient), and medication allergy (1
      patient). No patient had a documented apneic event or desaturation below 95
      percent. Although no desaturations were documented, four patients received
      supplemental oxygen: three for less than two hours, and one for 12 hours. All
      patients had adequate oral intake and pain control on oral medications prior to
      discharge; nine patients required one to three doses of intravenous narcotic
      medication for pain on postoperative day zero. CONCLUSION: Upper airway
      obstruction requiring overnight observation following SP is uncommon. In
      otherwise healthy patients, performing SP in an outpatient setting, given
      appropriate recovery room evaluation for airway concerns, oral intake, and pain
      control, should be considered.

PMID- 20304283
TI  - Disease relapse after segmental resection and free flap reconstruction for
      mandibular osteoradionecrosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the outcomes, complications,
      and incidence of disease recurrence of mandibular osteoradionecrosis (ORN) after
      resection and microvascular free flap reconstruction. STUDY DESIGN: Case series
      with chart review. SETTING: Academic medical center. SUBJECTS AND METHODS:
      Retrospective patient data review of 40 patients with mandibular ORN who were
      treated by segmental mandibulectomy and microvascular reconstruction between 1995
      and 2009. All patients received radiation therapy for previous head and neck
      cancer, and 12 of 40 patients received concurrent chemotherapy. All patients
      failed to respond to conservative management. There were 26 males and 14 females,
      with a median age of 62 years. Median follow-up was 17.4 months. RESULTS: There
      were no free flap failures. The incidence of wound-related complications was 55
      percent. Median time to complication was 10.6 months. Ten (25%) patients
      developed symptoms of residual or recurrent ORN, with 70 percent of the
      recurrences arising in unresected condyles that were adjacent to the segmental
      mandibulectomy. Statistical analysis revealed that current smokers were at
      reduced risk to develop residual or recurrent ORN. CONCLUSION: This present study
      confirms that microvascular free flaps are reliable for treatment of advanced
      mandibular ORN. Nevertheless, there remains a 55 percent incidence of wound
      healing complications. The lack of objective clinical criteria to judge the
      appropriate amount of mandible resection in patients with ORN remains an
      unresolved issue that resulted in the development of recurrent ORN in 25 percent
      of patients. Further investigations are needed to better understand the
      pathophysiology of ORN to prevent postoperative wound complications and disease
      recurrence.

PMID- 20304284
TI  - Neck restaging with sentinel node biopsy in T1-T2N0 oral and oropharyngeal
      cancer: Why and how?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the lack of accuracy in neck staging with the classical
      technique (i.e., neck dissection and routine histopathology) with the sentinel
      node (SN) biopsy in oral and oropharyngeal T1-T2N0 cancer. STUDY DESIGN: Cross
      sectional study with planned data collection. SETTING: Tertiary center care.
      SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In 50 consecutive patients, the pathological stage of
      sentinel node (pSN) was established after analyzing SN biopsies (n = 148) using
      serial sectioning and immunohistochemistry. Systematic selective neck dissection
      was performed. The pN stage was established with routine histopathologic analysis
      of both the non-SN (n = 1075) and the 148 SN biopsies. RESULTS: The sensitivity
      and negative predictive value of pSN staging were 100 percent. Conversely, if one
      considers pSN staging procedure as the reference test for micro- and macro
      metastasis diagnosis, the sensitivity of the classical pN staging procedure was
      50 percent (9/1; 95% CI 26.9-73.1) and its negative predictive value was 78
      percent (95% CI 61.9-88.8). Fifteen patients (30%) were upstaged, including nine
      cases from pN0 to pSN >or= 1 and six cases from pN1 to pSN2. Two of the pN0-pSN1
      upstaged patients died with relapsed neck disease. CONCLUSION: The SN biopsy
      technique appeared to be the best staging method in cN0 patients and provided
      evidence that routinely undiagnosed lymph node invasion may have clinical
      significance.

PMID- 20304285
TI  - High-speed digital imaging of the neoglottis after supracricoid laryngectomy with
      cricohyoidoepiglottopexy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the utility of high-speed digital imaging (HSDI) in
      evaluating vocal kinetics of the neoglottis after supracricoid laryngectomy with
      cricohyoidoepiglottopexy (SCL-CHEP). STUDY DESIGN: Case series. SETTING: The
      University of Tokyo Hospital. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: High-speed digital recordings
      of laryngeal images were obtained from six patients after SCL-CHEP to clarify the
      vocal kinetics of the postoperative neoglottis. Simultaneous recording of
      electroglottograms (EGGs) were obtained and multiline kymograms were generated on
      the basis of the recorded images. The distribution of frequency, amplitude, and
      phase in the neoglottis were visualized by using gradients of colors superimposed
      onto the glottal and supraglottal areas of laryngeal images to produce laryngeal
      topograms. Furthermore, waveforms of estimated laryngeal sound source (ELSS) were
      obtained on the basis of glottal inverse filtering of the vocal signal to reflect
      vibratory motions in the neoglottis. The vibratory part of the neoglottis was
      determined as a possible sound source when the frequencies of the ELSS, EGG, and
      laryngeal topograms, as well as the waveforms of ELSS, EGG, and kymograms, were
      consistent with each other. RESULTS: Spaces between the arytenoid(s) and
      epiglottis (5 patients) or pyriform sinus mucosa (1 patient) were estimated as
      the major source of sound during postoperative vocalization. The possible sound
      source could be determined by HSDI, even in the neoglottis, with more than one
      vibratory position. CONCLUSION: HSDI could be useful for evaluating the vocal
      kinetics of the neoglottis after SCL-CHEP.

PMID- 20304286
TI  - Bax, cytochrome c, and caspase-8 staining in parotid cancer patients: markers of
      susceptibility in radiotherapy?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Negative bcl-2 and HLA-DR protein expression have been associated with
      responsiveness to adjuvant radiotherapy in surgically treated parotid cancer
      patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of
      bax, cytochrome c, and caspase-8 protein expression in a group of surgically
      treated patients to determine whether they also suggest markers of responsiveness
      to adjuvant radiotherapy. STUDY DESIGN: Historical cohort study. SETTING:
      Otolaryngology department in a university hospital. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The
      immunohistochemical expression of bax, cytochrome c, and caspase-8 were studied
      in paraffin-embedded tissue specimens originating from 27 surgically treated
      parotid cancer patients and nine patients with Warthin parotid tumors (control
      group) and correlated with the patients' clinicopathological characteristics and
      clinical outcome. RESULTS: Caspase-8 negative staining was more frequently
      observed in higher TNM stages and in tumors measuring more than 4 cm (P = 0.009
      and P = 0.018, respectively). Caspase-8 (-)/cytochrome c (-) patients carried low
      grade lesions without nodal involvement (P = 0.01 and P = 0.05, respectively).
      Caspase-8 (-) patients who received postoperative radiotherapy presented a
      significantly increased disease-free survival compared to those who did not (P =
      0.04). Patients bearing bax (-) tumors who received postoperative radiotherapy
      presented an improved four-year disease-free survival compared to bax (-)
      patients who did not receive any type of adjuvant radiotherapy (P = 0.017).
      CONCLUSION: Bax, cytochrome c, and caspase-8 protein expression failed to
      independently predict survival in parotid cancer patients. However, patients with
      bax (-) or caspase-8 (-) tumors should be considered as candidates for adjuvant
      radiotherapy in order to achieve better local disease control.

PMID- 20304287
TI  - H1N1 influenza A presenting as bacterial tracheitis.
AB  - Six cases of bacterial tracheitis (BT) occurring early in the 2009 flu season
      have been isolated in conjunction with the H1N1 strain of influenza A (H1N1). No
      previous H1N1 cases have presented as BT in the literature to date. We would like
      to discuss viral coinfection in BT patients and how this new strain may affect
      the rate and type of presentation encountered. The life-threatening potential of
      BT and the pandemic proportion of H1N1 highlight a possibly dangerous combination
      that should be recognized by the otolaryngology community. In hospitalized
      patients with presumed BT, consideration should be given to routine H1N1 testing
      and the addition of antiviral medication when indicated as this entity is further
      investigated.

PMID- 20304288
TI  - Acoustic recordings in human ear canals to sounds at different locations.
AB  - The head and pinna shape the sound reaching the tympanum. We explored this signal
      transformation in humans and a mini basketball for different sound locations in
      an anechoic chamber. For humans, we embedded microphones in ear molds that were
      custom fitted to the subject's ear canal. For the ball, the microphones were
      flush with the surface at +/- 90 degrees azimuths on the equator. Sounds were
      generated with a custom point source. In the ball, the signal level was nearly
      flat across frequency, with no gains. In contrast, in the ears, signal level
      changed in a complex way across frequency, with considerable gains. For
      frequencies < 2 kHz, the interaural level difference (ILD) increased with
      decreasing distance similarly in the human ears and ball. For frequencies > 4
      kHz, ILDs in the human ears were larger and more complex than those in the ball
      such that the human ILDs were nonmonotonic with distance whereas the ball ILDs
      were monotonic with distance.

PMID- 20304289
TI  - Awake extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for management of critical distal
      tracheal obstruction.

PMID- 20304290
TI  - Seal it and reveal it: postoperative otoplasty care using a silicone-based
      occlusive dressing.

PMID- 20304291
TI  - Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the external auditory canal.

PMID- 20304292
TI  - Retained tracheotomy suture: nine years of morbidity.

PMID- 20304293
TI  - Life-threatening tension subcutaneous emphysema as a complication of open
      tracheostomy.

PMID- 20304294
TI  - Isolating Candida epiglottitis.

PMID- 20304295
TI  - Guillain-Barre syndrome presenting as epiglottitis in a child.

PMID- 20304296
TI  - The relationship between the air-bone gap and the size of superior semicircular
      canal dehiscence.

PMID- 20304298
TI  - [Management of Gaucher disease in France].

PMID- 20304299
TI  - [Central nervous system involvement in Gaucher disease].

PMID- 20304300
TI  - [Gaucher disease and pregnancy].

PMID- 20304301
TI  - [Gaucher disease in children].

PMID- 20304302
TI  - [Biomarkers in Gaucher disease: up-to-date].

PMID- 20304303
TI  - [Skeletal manifestations in Gaucher disease: imaging findings and follow up].

PMID- 20304304
TI  - [Osteoarticular manifestations of Gaucher's Disease and imiglucerase efficacy on
      bone mineral density in adults. Review of literature].

PMID- 20304305
TI  - [Management of bone loss in patients with Gaucher disease].

PMID- 20304306
TI  - [Home therapy in Gaucher disease].

PMID- 20304307
TI  - [Gaucher disease diagnosed in pediatrics: an early bone involvement].

PMID- 20304308
TI  - [Persistent anemia in a patient with Gaucher disease and heterozygous
      drepanocytosis].

PMID- 20304309
TI  - [Major hyperferritinemia, autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura and lymphocytic
      lymphoma in Gaucher disease].

PMID- 20304310
TI  - [Type 1 Gaucher disease and pregnancy].

PMID- 20304311
TI  - [Hematological aspects of Gaucher disease].

PMID- 20304312
TI  - [Diagnosis of type 1 Gaucher disease: follow-up in internal medicine, disease
      course aspects in 17 years].

PMID- 20304313
TI  - [Benefits of early enzyme replacement therapy in two children with type 1 Gaucher
      disease].

PMID- 20304314
TI  - [Treatment of bone involvement in Gaucher diseases with imiglucerase combined
      with miglustat].

PMID- 20304315
TI  - Ultrasound, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance: the "central nervous
      system" of every radiology practice.

PMID- 20304316
TI  - Improving patient safety in radiology: concepts for a comprehensive patient
      safety program.
AB  - A comprehensive safety program can have a positive influence on safety
      performance and safety culture within a department of radiology. The program
      should include both vertical interventions aimed at specific areas of potential
      safety errors as well as horizontal interventions aimed at improving safety
      culture and decreasing the baseline rate of human error. In our opinion, the key
      cultural transformations that must occur to improve safety culture include
      recognition that safety is an issue, emphasis that everyone is accountable for
      patient safety, and creating a culture where people are expected and encouraged
      to speak up in the face of uncertainty. The article describes the horizontal
      interventions to improve patient safety used in our department.

PMID- 20304317
TI  - Infant craniospinal ultrasonography: beyond hemorrhage and hydrocephalus.
AB  - Ultrasonography is widely used for screening for neonatal intracranial
      hemorrhage, hydrocephalus, and cord tethering in young infants. Proper
      interpretation of infant cranial and spinal ultrasound examinations requires not
      only familiarity with the appearances of these disorders, but also recognition of
      imaging artifacts capable of mimicking pathology and awareness of developmental
      variants and conditions that occupy a borderline position along the spectrum from
      normal to abnormal. This article will review the current understanding of the
      ultrasonographic characteristics and clinical relevance of these imaging
      artifacts, developmental variants, and quasi-pathologic conditions to avoid
      diagnostic pitfalls and guide appropriate patient management.

PMID- 20304318
TI  - State-of-the-art in pediatric body and musculoskeletal magnetic resonance
      imaging.
AB  - Pediatric body and musculoskeletal MRI has seen tremendous advances over the past
      few years. These advances have enabled high-quality imaging in even the smallest
      children and expanded the range of clinical problems amenable to MRI. In this
      review, we highlight some advances: transition to 3 Tesla, parallel imaging,
      motion compensation, and new contrast agents. Given the increasing saliency of
      concerns regarding ionizing radiation from computed tomography, these advances
      could not be more welcome.

PMID- 20304319
TI  - Imaging approach to acute hematogenous osteomyelitis in children: an update.
AB  - Acute hematogenous osteomyelitis (AHOM) is primarily a disease in infants and
      children. Early diagnosis of AHOM in children is essential to prevent
      complications and long-term morbidity. The diagnosis of AHOM could be challenging
      as presentation varies with the child's age and type of pathogen. It is the role
      of the radiologist to suggest the appropriate imaging modality for the diagnosis
      of AHOM and evaluation of complications. This article discusses the current
      multimodality imaging approach for early diagnosis of AHOM, and evaluation of
      complications to guide treatment.

PMID- 20304320
TI  - Magnetic resonance sleep studies in the evaluation of children with obstructive
      sleep apnea.
AB  - Magnetic resonance (MR) sleep studies have been shown to be a useful tool in the
      evaluation and surgical planning of children with persistent obstructive sleep
      apnea. MR sleep studies include sequences to evaluate both static anatomic and
      well as dynamic motion information about the airway. The combination of the
      information about anatomic abnormalties and patterns of collapse can help in
      surgical decision making. The most common identified entities include recurrent
      enlargement of the adenoid tonsils, enlargement of the lingual tonsils, abnormal
      soft palate, glossoptosis, and hypopharyngeal collapse. This review discusses
      multiple aspects of MR sleep studies including indications, patient preparation,
      MR protocols, and commonly made diagnoses.

PMID- 20304322
TI  - Current imaging of prenatally diagnosed congenital lung lesions.
AB  - Congenital lung lesions refer to a spectrum of pulmonary developmental anomalies
      including, but not limited to, bronchial atresia, congenital pulmonary airway
      malformation (formerly known as congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation) and
      bronchopulmonary sequestration. These anomalies comprise about 90% of the
      anomalies seen in clinical practice. The advent of prenatal sonography and, more
      recently, fetal magnetic resonance imaging has changed our understanding and
      practice in the evaluation of congenital lung lesions. Postnatal imaging using
      low-dose computed tomography angiography (CTA) is extremely useful as it may
      provide information essential for differential diagnosis by allowing multiplanar
      reconstructions of the airway, lung parenchyma, and vasculature. The use of
      iodine in CTA permits the application of low-dose radiation protocols in these
      young patients. The purpose of this article is to emphasize the technical factors
      that may optimize low-dose CTA evaluation of these lesions. We also provide a
      description of prenatal imaging findings and helpful diagnostic clues that may be
      useful for the characterization of the most commonly encountered prenatally
      diagnosed pulmonary developmental anomalies.

PMID- 20304321
TI  - Contemporary pediatric gynecologic imaging.
AB  - Ultrasound is the primary screening modality for the evaluation of pediatric
      gynecologic maladies. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used progressively more
      in this field, particularly for the evaluation of complex pelvic masses and
      congenital anomalies. However, ultrasound remains the preferred modality due to
      the excellent visualization, the dynamic nature of the examination modality, lack
      of ionizing radiation and sedation risks, and comparatively lower cost. MRI is
      generally a second-line examination and is preferred over computed tomography as
      it does not involve the use of ionizing radiation. Additionally, visualization of
      the female reproductive system anatomy with MRI is superior to computed
      tomography, the latter being reserved generally for tumor staging. Fluoroscopic
      examinations and abdominal radiographs can provide additional information that
      may support a diagnosis.

PMID- 20304323
TI  - Left pulmonary artery sling--anatomy and imaging.
AB  - Distinctive imaging findings are present when the left pulmonary artery (LPA)
      arises from the right pulmonary artery and forms a sling around the airway
      passing between airway and esophagus to reach the left lung. It is important to
      recognize the 2 distinct types of pulmonary sling. The less complex type I is
      associated with tracheobronchomalacia and is often managed successfully by LPA
      reimplantation. The more common and more complex type II is strongly associated
      with long segment tracheal stenosis. Appropriate management needs to address the
      airway abnormality in addition to the aberrant LPA. Both types, especially type
      II, are associated with cardiovascular, pulmonary, and other abnormalities that
      also need to be considered in therapeutic decisions. The role of imaging is to
      identify, define, and display the relevant anatomic relationships to facilitate
      appropriate management. Recent surgical advances have increased the likelihood of
      success of surgical correction of long segment airway stenosis.

PMID- 20304324
TI  - Pediatric advanced imaging and informatics: state of the art.
AB  - Pediatric imaging has been at the forefront of radiology innovation since the
      days of Roentgen. In the past 2 decades, evolving computer technology and
      sophisticated software algorithms have rapidly advanced how pediatric radiologic
      examinations are acquired and displayed, interpreted and communicated, and stored
      and retrieved. Cost-effective use of this state of the art technology requires
      fundamental knowledge of the modalities, workstations, and informatics that guide
      advanced pediatric imaging in the current digital era. Equally important is an
      understanding of the advanced clinical applications and evidence supporting this
      use. In the first part of this review article, after a brief introduction and
      historical overview, technical principles are discussed. This is followed by a
      review of advanced clinical applications for fetal, cardiovascular, central
      nervous system, neck, thoracic, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, musculoskeletal,
      and virtual-autopsy imaging.

PMID- 20304325
TI  - Axonal damage in leukodystrophies.
AB  - Recent advances in radioimaging and immunocytological techniques have enhanced
      investigations of neurometabolites and axons, giving rise to renewed interest in
      human white-matter disorders. A strong correlation between axonal loss and
      disability in some demyelination diseases (e.g., multiple sclerosis) led to
      several studies examining the mechanisms of axonal damage. We review the
      relationship between demyelination, axon loss, and neurologic progression, and
      the role of advanced neuroimaging in children with different types of
      leukodystrophies, i.e., X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy, metachromatic
      leukodysrtophy, Krabbe's disease, Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease, and Alexander's
      disease.

PMID- 20304326
TI  - The prevalence of neuropsychiatric disorders in Sydenham's chorea.
AB  - Sydenham's chorea is a rare movement disorder associated with streptococcal
      infection. The co-occurrence of neuropsychiatric symptoms has raised the question
      of whether streptococcal infection could trigger these symptoms without chorea.
      This study evaluated the prevalence of behavioral diagnoses before, during, and
      after the onset of chorea in a cohort of children with a history of Sydenham's
      chorea for whom demographic and clinical data were available. In all, 28
      Sydenham's chorea patients were evaluated, with a mean age of 10.3 years.
      Retrospective analysis was performed for subject demographics, streptococcal
      titers, and presence of arthritis and carditis. Structured diagnostic interviews
      were performed on 14 available patients and parents. Streptococcal titers and
      duration of treatment for chorea were compared between groups. The prevalence of
      attention deficit hyperactivity disorder before and after chorea was 30 and 37%,
      respectively. The proportion of children meeting combined, subthreshold, and
      suprathreshold criteria before, during, and after Sydenham's chorea was 71, 79,
      and 79% for anxiety and 19, 69, and 44% for depression. Streptococcal antibody
      titers and duration of treatment did not correlate with attention deficit
      hyperactivity disorder, depression, or anxiety disorders. During and after the
      diagnosis of Sydenham's chorea, clinicians should be vigilant for signs and
      symptoms of anxiety, depression, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

PMID- 20304327
TI  - Melatonin and sleep-related problems in children with intractable epilepsy.
AB  - Children with epilepsy have high rates of sleep problems. Melatonin has been
      advocated in treatment of sleep disorders, and its beneficial effect has been
      confirmed in insomnia. The aim of this study was to assess melatonin levels in
      children with intractable epilepsy and its relation to pattern of sleep and
      characteristics of seizure disorder, as well as the effect of melatonin therapy
      on those parameters. The study was conducted on 23 children with intractable
      epilepsy and 14 children with controlled seizures. Patients were evaluated by
      psychometric sleep assessment and assay of diurnal and nocturnal melatonin
      levels. Children with intractable epilepsy received oral melatonin before
      bedtime. They were reassessed after 3 months. Children with intractable epilepsy
      had higher scores for each category of sleep walking, forcible teeth grinding,
      and sleep apnea. At the end of therapeutic trial, patients with intractable
      epilepsy exhibited significant improvement in bedtime resistance, sleep duration,
      sleep latency, frequent nocturnal arousals, sleep walking, excessive daytime
      sleepiness, nocturnal enuresis, forcible teeth grinding, sleep apnea, and Epworth
      sleepiness scores. There was also significant reduction in seizure severity.
      Thus, use of melatonin in patients with intractable seizures was associated with
      improvement of both many sleep-related phenomena and the severity of seizures.

PMID- 20304328
TI  - Neuropathology in succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency.
AB  - Reported here is the novel finding of neuropathology in a patient with succinic
      semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency, an inherited disorder of gamma
      aminobutyric acid metabolism characterized by intellectual deficiency, hypotonia,
      and epilepsy, with 4-hydroxybutyric aciduria and abnormalities of the globus
      pallidus on neuroimaging. A 19-year-old woman of European origin with a
      neurodevelopmental disorder and epilepsy died unexpectedly in 1998. A postmortem
      examination was performed, with a final diagnosis of sudden unexpected death in
      epilepsy patients. Eight years later, her sister with a neurodevelopmental
      disorder presented at 13 years of age with seizures and was diagnosed with
      succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency. In the decedent, succinic
      semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency was established at the molecular level, 10
      years after her death, using genomic DNA from brain tissue specimens. The
      neuropathologic findings revealed striking discoloration of the globi pallidi,
      leptomeningeal congestion, and a scar in the frontal cortex. After detection of
      the pathogenic homozygous mutation c.1226G>A, p.Gly409Asp in the living sister,
      it was confirmed in the decedent. An underlying metabolic disease may be an
      additional risk factor for sudden unexpected death in epilepsy patients.

PMID- 20304329
TI  - Cerebellar mutism in pediatric acute disseminated encephalomyelitis.
AB  - Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis is a demyelinating process affecting
      multiple areas of the central nervous system, frequently including the
      cerebellum. Cerebellar insult may lead to absence of speech or cerebellar mutism.
      Cerebellar mutism often occurs in young children after posterior fossa tumor
      resection, and generally appears as part of a larger subset of neurobehavioral
      signs and personality changes known as posterior fossa syndrome. Information on
      the impact of widespread cerebellar involvement on speech production, behavior,
      and long-term outcomes in acute disseminated encephalomyelitis is limited. We
      describe cases of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis with predominantly
      cerebellar involvement, with specific attention to cerebellar mutism. We
      conducted a retrospective chart review of children diagnosed with acute
      disseminated encephalomyelitis between 2005-2009 at a pediatric multiple
      sclerosis and demyelinating disorders clinic. Of 19 patients diagnosed with acute
      disseminated encephalomyelitis, six (32%) manifested primary cerebellar
      involvement. Of these six, four (67%) exhibited acute language disturbance, with
      three (50%) exhibiting mutism. The three patients with cerebellar mutism
      experienced protracted speech and language deficits after follow-ups from 6
      months to 4 years. Widespread cerebellar involvement in acute disseminated
      encephalomyelitis may result in cerebellar mutism, in addition to persistent
      neurocognitive and behavioral problems.

PMID- 20304330
TI  - Cryptococcosis in nonhuman immunodeficiency virus-infected children.
AB  - Between 1991-2006, nine patients below age 18 years, with a microbiologic
      documentation of Cryptococcus neoformans infection and no evidence of human
      immunodeficiency virus infection, were identified and treated at Chang Gung
      Children's Hospital. All exhibited central nervous system involvement. Seven
      patients were female (age range, 9-16 years; mean age, 13.7 years). Five patients
      (56%) manifested underlying diseases and were receiving either steroid or
      immunosuppressant treatment at time of disease onset. Eight patients presented
      with meningitis. Headache, vomiting, and focal neurologic signs were the most
      common presentations. Protein and sugar levels in cerebrospinal fluid were within
      normal range in seven cases, whereas India ink smear and cryptococcal antigen
      testing were positive in 87% (7/8) and 78% (7/9) of patients, respectively. With
      prompt antifungal therapy, all survived, but one presented the sequel of
      blindness. Cryptococcosis is uncommon in the nonhuman immunodeficiency virus
      infected pediatric population. Clinicians should take into account a diagnosis of
      central nervous system cryptococcosis when children present with prolonged
      headache, vomiting, and focal neurologic signs. Indian ink stain and cryptococcal
      antigen testing of cerebrospinal fluid should be performed.

PMID- 20304331
TI  - Caregiver's burden and quality of life in mitochondrial disease.
AB  - A child's health inevitably affects the parents' psychologic health and quality
      of life, especially for mothers of disabled children. Caregiver burden and health
      related quality of life were investigated in mothers of children with
      mitochondrial disease, compared with mothers of children with intractable
      epilepsy. Mothers of children with mitochondrial disease (n = 33) and intractable
      epilepsy (n = 32) were recruited. The Zarit Burden Inventory, the Medical
      Outcomes Short Form 36, short version of the World Health Organization Quality of
      Life, Beck Depression Inventory, and Beck Anxiety Inventory were administered to
      all participants. Except for duration of illness and number of previous
      hospitalizations, there was no significant difference in recorded variables
      between the two groups. Mothers of children with mitochondrial disease had
      significantly higher caregiver burden and poorer health-related quality of life,
      particularly related to role limitations, vitality, and mental health. They also
      had greater levels of depression and anxiety. After adjustment for all
      covariates, caregiver anxiety was the most important factor affecting overall
      caregiver burden. With mitochondrial disease, the possibility of maternal
      inheritance and scarcity of information about the disease might increase anxiety
      and thus eventually also the caregiver burden. Accurate information about rare
      diseases provided to caregivers could be helpful in reducing their anxiety.

PMID- 20304332
TI  - Seizure susceptibility due to antihistamines in febrile seizures.
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine whether seizure susceptibility due to
      antihistamines is provoked in patients with febrile seizures. The study
      population comprised 14 patients with simple febrile seizures and 35 patients
      with complex febrile seizures. Detailed clinical manifestations were compared
      between patients with and without administration of antihistamine. The time from
      fever detection to the seizure onset was significantly shorter in the
      antihistamine group than that in the nonantihistamine group, and the duration of
      seizures was significantly longer in the antihistamine group than that in
      nonantihistamine group. Interleukin-1beta is thought to be associated with
      causing febrile seizures via its dual role as a pyrogen and convulsant substance.
      Moreover, interleukin-1beta may activate the turnover of hypothalamic neural
      histamine. These considerations, along with the present results, suggest that the
      depletion of hypothalamic neuronal histamine induced by antihistamines may
      increase neuronal excitability, thereby increasing seizure susceptibility in
      patients with febrile seizures.

PMID- 20304333
TI  - Alien hand syndrome in Parry-Romberg syndrome.
AB  - A pediatric patient with diagnosis of Parry-Romberg syndrome, or progressive
      hemifacial atrophy, presented with new-onset unilateral alien hand syndrome,
      which was attributed to focal progressive atrophy and gliosis in the
      contralateral thalamus observed on serial neuroimaging. This case illustrates not
      only the clinical-radiographic correlation between alien hand syndrome and
      contralateral thalamic lesion, but also involvement of deep gray structure in
      Parry-Romberg syndrome causing a rare movement disorder.

PMID- 20304334
TI  - Severe cerebral vaso-occlusive disease in macrophage activation syndrome.
AB  - A 14-year-old girl was diagnosed with macrophage activation syndrome, based on
      clinical presentation, laboratory tests, and bone marrow aspirate findings. She
      developed severe central nervous system involvement in the form of seizure
      disorder and severe diffuse occlusive cerebral vasculopathy, with extensive
      collateral circulation consistent with moyamoya disease. To our knowledge, this
      description is the first of these findings in association with macrophage
      activation syndrome.

PMID- 20304335
TI  - Fanconi syndrome caused by valproic acid.
AB  - Two severely disabled children with epilepsy, a 6-year-old boy and a 15-year-old
      girl, had been treated with valproic acid from the ages of 5 and 6 months,
      respectively, and developed Fanconi syndrome. Both patients were bedridden and
      fed by means of a nasogastric or gastrostomy tube. Because their Fanconi syndrome
      appeared to be caused by valproic acid, that treatment was stopped; for both
      patients, the Fanconi syndrome then resolved, in 6 months and 3 months,
      respectively. Severely handicapped children may be at risk for valproic acid
      induced renal involvement. Although renal involvement is an uncommon adverse
      effect of valproic acid, Fanconi syndrome due to valproic acid therapy has rarely
      been reported. In the few previous cases, the patients, who were bedridden and
      fed through a nasogastric or a gastrostomy tube, had taken valproic acid for an
      average of approximately 7 years. Nonetheless, their valproic acid blood levels
      were normal. Urinary abnormalities disappeared in an average of 4 months, as also
      in the present two cases. The potential for Fanconi syndrome must be considered
      in children with epilepsy who are treated with valproic acid, especially in
      severely disabled children.

PMID- 20304336
TI  - Endovascular therapy in pediatric intracranial carotid artery dissection.
AB  - Intracranial carotid dissection is an underrecognized cause of childhood stroke,
      and, in the face of limited therapeutic experience, its management is
      controversial. Reported here is the case of a 12-year-old girl who experienced an
      intracranial carotid artery dissection with progressive and symptomatic occlusion
      of the middle cerebral artery. Endovascular treatment with intra-arterial
      thrombolysis and stent reconstruction was successfully performed to recanalize
      the occluded arterial segment. Current management of intracranial carotid
      dissection in children is reviewed, with discussion of the reasons for aggressive
      endovascular intervention.

PMID- 20304337
TI  - Brainstem dysgenesis in an infant prenatally exposed to cocaine.
AB  - Many authors described the effects on the fetus of maternal cocaine abuse during
      pregnancy. Vasoconstriction appears to be the common mechanism of action leading
      to a wide range of fetal anomalies. We report on an infant with multiple cranial
      nerve involvement attributable to brainstem dysgenesis, born to a cocaine
      addicted mother.

PMID- 20304338
TI  - Convalescence disguising disease progression in neonatal herpes encephalitis.
AB  - Herpes encephalitis in neonates or young infants entails significant risk of
      mortality or morbidity. Prompt and aggressive treatment may lessen the chronic
      toll of herpes encephalitis. Unfortunately, an apparent uneventful recovery from
      herpes encephalitis may disguise evolving cerebral devastation. The discordance
      between evolving cerebral injury revealed by imaging and a patient's clinical
      improvement is illustrated by two patients, treated a decade apart.

PMID- 20304339
TI  - Acute motor and sensory axonal neuropathy in LEOPARD syndrome.
AB  - A case of acute predominantly axonal motor and sensory neuropathy (AMSAN) is
      reported in a 16-year-old boy with LEOPARD syndrome (the acronym represents
      lentigines, ECG conduction abnormalities, ocular hypertelorism, pulmonic
      stenosis, abnormal genitalia, retardation of growth, and sensorineural deafness).
      The presentation was atypical for acute motor and sensory axonal neuropathy, in
      that this patient had progression of symptoms of more than 4 weeks and there were
      signs of reinnervation in the acute phase. Treatment response to intravenous
      immunoglobulins was excellent. In patients with LEOPARD syndrome and acute
      neuropathies, treatment with intravenous immunoglobulins should be considered.

PMID- 20304340
TI  - Therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest: another confounding factor in brain
      death testing.

PMID- 20304342
TI  - Are brain death findings reversible?

PMID- 20304344
TI  - [Hepatitis B remains a public health problem in France].

PMID- 20304345
TI  - [Mobilize parents to vaccinate their children against hepatitis B: the role of
      the pediatrician].

PMID- 20304346
TI  - Statin therapy: the new perioperative "magic bullet" for all surgical procedures?

PMID- 20304347
TI  - Perioperative chronic use of statins and the risk of muscle complaints in
      patients undergoing knee and hip endoprosthesis surgery.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To assess whether regular statin therapy enhances muscular and
      hepatic deterioration and muscle complaints in patients undergoing elective
      arthroplasty. DESIGN: Prospective, case-controlled, observational study. SETTING:
      Tertiary-level university teaching hospital in Eastern Finland. PATIENTS: 48 ASA
      physical status I, II, and III patients, aged 51 to 84 years, 24 of whom were
      scheduled for hip arthroplasty (12 pts with and 12 without statin therapy) and 24
      patients who were to undergo knee arthroplasty (12 pts with and 12 without statin
      therapy). INTERVENTIONS: Before and after surgery, all patients were interviewed
      for muscular and hepatic symptoms and signs. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: S-creatine
      kinase, S-alanine aminotransferase, P-creatinine, S-lactate dehydrogenase, P
      potassium, S-myoglobin, and U-myoglobin were measured at baseline and at 6, 24,
      and 72 hours after surgery. MAIN RESULTS: S-creatine kinase and S-myoglobin
      increased in all study groups at 6 hours after surgery and remained elevated for
      72 hours, with no differences noted in patients treated with or without statins.
      There was no increase in the amount of muscular or hepatic complaints after
      surgery. CONCLUSION: Long-term statin therapy does not appear to increase the
      risk of muscular adverse effects in patients receiving major endoprosthesis
      surgery.

PMID- 20304348
TI  - Effect of parecoxib pretreatment and venous occlusion on propofol injection pain:
      a prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of parecoxib pretreatment with venous
      occlusion on propofol injection pain. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, double
      blinded, placebo-controlled study. SETTING: Operating room of a tertiary-care
      medical center. PATIENTS: 150 ASA physical status I patients scheduled for
      elective surgery. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomized to three groups of 50
      patients each to receive pretreatment with normal saline (Group NS), parecoxib 20
      mg (Group P20), or parecoxib 40 mg (Group P40). All groups underwent venous
      occlusion for two minutes before propofol was injected. All pretreatment drugs
      were prepared in 5 mL doses. MEASUREMENTS: Pain scores were obtained by a study
      blinded observer during propofol injection following the different pretreatment
      solutions. MAIN RESULTS: Pain scores among the three groups were significantly
      different (P < or = 0.001). In Group NS, 29 (58%) patients had pain during
      propofol injection compared with 22 (40%) Group P20 and 13 (26%) Group P40
      patients (P < or = 0.005). Pain was significantly reduced in Group P40 (P < or =
      0.001) compared with the control group. Moderate to severe pain was experienced
      by 18 (36%) Group NS and 4 (8%) Group P20 patients, whereas no Group P40 patient
      experienced moderate or severe pain (P < 0.001). Reduction in pain severity was
      statistically significant after pretreatment with either parecoxib 20 mg (P =
      0.002) or parecoxib 40 mg (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Parecoxib 40 mg with venous
      occlusion is effective in reducing the frequency and severity of pain with
      propofol injection. Pretreatment with 20 mg of parecoxib reduces the severity of
      propofol injection pain significantly but does not reduce frequency compared with
      the control group.

PMID- 20304349
TI  - Wire-guided catheter exchange after failed direct laryngoscopy in critically ill
      adults.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To describe a technique for tracheal intubation after failed
      direct laryngoscopy using a Laryngeal Mask Airway (LMA) to secure the airway and
      to establish ventilation, and as a conduit for fiberoptic intubation utilizing a
      pre-packaged, convenient, and commercially available wire-guided catheter
      exchange kit. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. SETTING: University hospital.
      MEASUREMENTS: The cases of 5 critically ill adult patients who required
      intubation for respiratory failure, and in whom direct laryngoscopy was
      unsuccessful and unanticipated, were reviewed. Difficult intubation was defined
      as > or = two attempts by direct laryngoscopy and use of an airway
      adjunct/alternate airway device, or > or = three attempts by direct laryngoscopy.
      Occurrence of hypotension, hypoxemia, and the time required to accomplish the
      intubation were recorded. MAIN RESULTS: Patients' tracheas were intubated in the
      emergency department (n = 2), the intensive care unit (n = 2), and the radiology
      department (n = 1). An Eschmann endotracheal tube (ETT) introducer was used in 4
      of the 5 patients, and a GlideScope was used in the fifth patient. After failed
      direct laryngoscopy, an LMA Classic was inserted to gain an airway, after which a
      fiberoptic bronchoscope and wire-guided catheter exchange set was used to change
      the LMA to a conventional ETT. Ventilation was maintained via the LMA with an
      attached bronchoscope adapter throughout the procedure. CONCLUSIONS: In all 5
      patients, the trachea was successfully intubated within three minutes on the
      first attempt, using a wire-guided exchange, without hypoxemia or hypotension.

PMID- 20304350
TI  - Comparison of cardiac output as assessed by transesophageal echo-Doppler and
      transpulmonary thermodilution in patients undergoing thoracic surgery.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy of cardiac index (CI) as measured by
      echo-transesophageal Doppler monitoring (echo-TDM) with CI measured by the
      transpulmonary thermodilution technique. DESIGN: Prospective, observational
      study. SETTING: University hospital. PATIENTS: 16 patients scheduled for elective
      lung cancer resection. INTERVENTIONS: Patients underwent two-lung ventilation
      (TLV) and one-lung ventilation (OLV). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: CI
      measurements were analyzed using Bland-Altman plots. Absolute values of CI as
      measured by both devices were highly correlated (r(2) ranging from 0.72 to 0.77),
      as were relative changes in CI after the start of OLV (r(2) = 0.48, P = 0.006).
      Before, during, and after OLV, TDM-CI biases were 0.46 +/- 0.28 L/min/m(2), 0.25
      +/- 0.18 L/min/m(2), and 0.35 +/- 0.29 L/min/m(2), respectively. Limits of
      agreement remained stable throughout the three measurement periods (range -1.08
      to 0.21 L/min/m(2)). The mean percentage error of CI measurements was 21.9%
      compared with the thermodilution technique. Although no adverse events were
      reported, 11% of measurement sets were incomplete due to poor signal detection.
      CONCLUSIONS: Echo-TDM is a safe technique, allowing continuous semi-invasive
      assessment of hemodynamic changes in most patients undergoing open-chest surgery.
      Doppler-derived CI values showed significant biases and moderate clinical
      agreement with transpulmonary thermodilution during TLV and OLV.

PMID- 20304351
TI  - How far can we go with positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) in liver
      transplant patients?
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP)
      up to 15 cm H(2)O on blood flow throughput of the liver and its effects on
      systemic hemodynamics in patients following liver transplantation. DESIGN:
      Prospective, interventional study. SETTING: Intensive care unit (ICU) of a
      university hospital. PATIENTS: 74 consecutive liver transplant recipients with a
      regular allocated cadaveric graft. INTERVENTION: The lungs of all study patients
      were postoperatively mechanically ventilated with biphasic positive airway
      pressure. Three different PEEP levels (5, 10, and 15 cm H(2)O) were randomly set
      within 4 hours of admission to the ICU. Systemic hemodynamic parameters were
      recorded using a pulmonary artery catheter and flow velocities were measured of
      the hepatic artery, portal vein, and right hepatic vein using a Doppler.
      MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: PEEP of 15 cm H(2)O induced a significant increase
      in central venous pressure and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure versus PEEP 5
      cm H(2)O. Flow velocities of the right hepatic vein, portal vein, and hepatic
      artery were not influenced by PEEP. There also was no impact of increased PEEP on
      mean arterial pressure or cardiac index. CONCLUSION: PEEP up to 15 cm H(2)O does
      not impair liver outflow or systemic hemodynamics in liver transplant patients.

PMID- 20304352
TI  - The effect of warmed ropivacaine to body temperature on epidural sensory block
      characteristics.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine whether warmed (body temperature) ropivacaine
      increases the speed of onset of sensory block of epidural anesthesia. STUDY
      DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, double-blind study. SETTING: University
      hospital. PATIENTS: 180 ASA physical status I and II patients, aged 18 to 64
      years, undergoing elective anal surgery. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomly
      divided into 6 groups defined by ropivacaine temperature [room temperature (RT)
      or body temperature (BT)] and concentration (0.5%, 0.75%, or 1.0%). MEASUREMENTS:
      Sensory block was evaluated by pinprick at the T10, T12, L3, and the perianal
      region (S4, S5) dermatomes. pH values and adverse events were also recorded. MAIN
      RESULTS: There were no differences in baseline demographics, pH, or upper sensory
      level between groups. Mean onset time of T12 and L3 sensory block was
      significantly faster for each BT than RT ropivacaine concentration. Anal region
      (S4, S5) sensory block was significantly faster after BT 0.75% versus RT 0.75%
      ropivacaine. CONCLUSIONS: Warmed ropivacaine shortens the onset of sensory block
      of epidural anesthesia.

PMID- 20304353
TI  - Factors impacting on-time transfer to the operating room in patients undergoing
      peripheral nerve blocks in the preoperative area.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVES: To assess the on-time transfer to the operating room (OR) when
      peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) are performed prior to surgery. DESIGN:
      Prospective time motion study. SETTING: Preoperative area of a university medical
      center. PATIENTS: 650 candidates for PNBs for postoperative analgesia.
      INTERVENTION: Patients were allocated to two groups: a control group (no PNB
      performed) and a PNB group (PNBs performed). MEASUREMENT TIME: The time required
      to perform each of the steps leading to transfer to the OR was recorded. MAIN
      RESULTS: On-time transfer was achieved in 40% and 49% in the blocked (n = 549)
      and control groups (n = 101), respectively (P = 0.067, one-sided). Surgery
      related delays represented the most important causes of delays (51.9% in the
      control group and 53.8% in the PNB group). The average time required to perform
      the blocks was 21 minutes (20-22 min). This time varied with the type and number
      of blocks performed (12-30 min). Performing PNBs accounted for 15.1% of delays.
      CONCLUSIONS: Performing PNBs prior to surgery in the preoperative area takes
      additional time. This time needs to be considered in optimizing on-time transfer
      to the OR.

PMID- 20304354
TI  - Study of the anatomical position of the femoral nerve by magnetic resonance
      imaging in patients with fractured neck of femur: relevance to femoral nerve
      block.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine the anatomical location of the femoral nerve in
      patients who have sustained fracture of the neck of femur, and its relevance to
      femoral nerve block technique. DESIGN: Prospective, observational clinical study.
      SETTING: Orthopedic and Radiology departments of a regional hospital. SUBJECTS:
      10 consecutive adult ASA physical status II and III patients (mean age, 78.5 yrs)
      and 4 adult healthy volunteers. INTERVENTIONS: A T1 magnetic resonance imaging
      scan was performed of both upper thighs in patients and healthy volunteers
      successfully. MEASUREMENTS: The distance (mm) between the midpoint of the femoral
      artery and the midpoint of the femoral nerve, and the distance of the femoral
      nerve from the skin was measured at the mid-inguinal ligament, the pubic
      tubercle, and at the mid-inguinal crease. Data are shown as means (SD).
      Differences between both sides were compared using paired Student's t-tests. P <
      0.05 was significant. MAIN RESULTS: In patients the mean distance (mm) between
      the midpoint of the femoral nerve from the midpoint of femoral artery at the mid
      inguinal crease on the fractured and non-fractured sides was 10.7 and 11.0,
      respectively (P = 0.87). The mean distance (mm) between the midpoint of the
      femoral nerve from the midpoint of the femoral artery at the mid-inguinal
      ligament on the fractured and non-fractured sides was 9.64 and 12.5, respectively
      (P = 0.03). The mean distance (mm) between the midpoint of the femoral nerve from
      the midpoint of the femoral artery at the pubic tubercle on the fractured and non
      fractured sides was 8.74 and 10.49, respectively (P = 0.18). CONCLUSIONS:
      Blockade of the femoral nerve may be easier to perform at the mid-inguinal crease
      in patients with fractured neck of femur.

PMID- 20304355
TI  - Dexmedetomidine and magnesium sulfate in the perioperative management of a child
      undergoing laparoscopic resection of bilateral pheochromocytomas.
AB  - The case of an 8 year-old boy undergoing resection of pheochromocytoma, who
      received a combination of dexmedetomidine and magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) for
      hemodynamic control, is reported. He was prepared for surgery with
      phenoxybenzamine and atenolol. Dexmedetomidine was started in the preoperative
      holding area and, with MgSO4, continuously infused for most of the case. Good
      cardiovascular stability was achieved, but low-dose esmolol and nicardipine
      infusions were required during tumor manipulation. There was minimal post
      resection hypotension, the neuromuscular block was easily antagonized, and the
      child's trachea was quickly extubated.

PMID- 20304356
TI  - Treating stridor with opioids: a challenging case of paradoxical vocal cord
      movement.
AB  - A 61 year-old patient with a history of anxiety disorder presented with stridor
      after an uneventful laparotomy with a general anesthetic. Postoperative analgesia
      was withheld secondary to intermittent oxygen desaturation. She was unresponsive
      to standard therapies, including racemic epinephrine and albuterol nebulizers. An
      otolaryngology consultant performed fiberoptic laryngoscopy and paradoxical vocal
      cord movement was diagnosed. When fentanyl was subsequently administered to treat
      her pain, the stridor resolved.

PMID- 20304357
TI  - Severe hypotension after interscalene block for outpatient shoulder surgery: a
      case report.
AB  - The case of a 43 year-old woman who underwent successful right interscalene
      brachial plexus block for arthroscopic shoulder surgery is presented. During the
      surgery, she subsequently exhibited signs of neuraxial spread of local
      anesthetic. Bilateral motor block was noted postoperatively. Spontaneous
      ventilation was maintained throughout the case, and she was successfully
      discharged home several hours after the procedure with no residual symptoms.

PMID- 20304358
TI  - Continuous cervical paravertebral catheter knot.
AB  - The case of a 67 year-old woman who underwent left rotator cuff repair with
      subacromial decompression and acromioplasty with general anesthesia and a
      posterior cervical paravertebral catheter for postoperative pain control is
      presented. The catheter was placed without apparent incident and appropriate
      neural block and analgesia were achieved. On attempted removal of the catheter,
      resistance was encountered and a knot in the catheter was identified. Imaging
      showed no entanglement of nerve or vascular structures. Using a small skin
      incision, the catheter was successfully removed.

PMID- 20304359
TI  - Accidental cross-clamping of the superior vena cava: management and BIS
      evolution.
AB  - The case of a 38-year old man with recurrent adenocarcinoma of the right lung and
      infiltration of the thoracic wall, who underwent a right pneumonectomy with
      thoracic wall resection, is described. Dissection of the right pulmonary hilous
      was extremely difficult due to the previous operations. The superior vena cava
      (SVC) was accidentally ligated, resulting in profound hypotension and increased
      venous pressure in the internal jugular vein. Immediate blood aspiration through
      a 8.5-French introducer sheath lowered the venous congestion. After the SVC was
      cross-clamped, the Bispectral Index (BIS) acutely decreased to 0 and remained low
      during the resuscitation. Over the next 5 hours, BIS was directly affected by
      mean arterial pressure. Four days postoperatively, the patient was neurologically
      intact.

PMID- 20304360
TI  - A strategy to prevent substance abuse in an academic anesthesiology department.
AB  - Substance abuse is the most serious occupational safety issue associated with the
      practice of anesthesiology, with an incidence as high as 1% per year of training.
      The Cleveland Clinic's Anesthesiology Institute approached the process from the
      perspective of active prevention, including specific mandatory education programs
      for all department personnel on a recurring basis, strengthened procedures for
      the detection and prevention of diversion of controlled substances, enhanced
      skill building for detection of impairment, and implemented a multi-faceted drug
      testing program, including random and "for cause" urine screens, for prevention
      and early detection of abused anesthetic drugs and other substances of abuse.
      After 18 months of preparation, a Substance Abuse Prevention Protocol was
      created, which has been fully implemented as of September 1, 2007.

PMID- 20304361
TI  - Interscalene block should be a block for shoulder and proximal humerus surgery,
      and nothing else.

PMID- 20304363
TI  - Maneuvers to prevent oropharyngeal injury during orotracheal intubation with the
      GlideScope video laryngoscope.

PMID- 20304364
TI  - Anesthesia with the ProSeal Laryngeal Mask Airway for a patient with Mounier-Kuhn
      syndrome.

PMID- 20304365
TI  - The value of the P-value.

PMID- 20304366
TI  - [Analysis of the selection process for new drugs in a tertiary hospital 2004
      2007].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to describe the structure of the CFyT,
      the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, and a tertiary hospital's selection
      process for new drugs. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All annals of the P&TC and the New
      Drug Incorporation Guides (GINF) to incorporate new drugs received at Hospital
      Virgen del Rocio between 2004 and 2007 were reviewed. We carried out a
      descriptive study which collected variables having to do with the drug (drug
      type, type of register, route of administration and legal category), the
      petitioner (responsible division, professional category and request type) and the
      result of the evaluation (final decision, elapsed time between the request and
      the decision). RESULTS: Of the 72 requested drugs, 45 (62.5%) were approved: six
      as equivalent treatments, 36 (80%) with specific recommendations, and three
      (4.2%) with no restrictions. Twelve drugs (81.1%) were not included due to
      insufficient evidence of their effectiveness compared with the current treatment.
      The most frequently-requested drug type was the antineoplastics, most commonly
      requested by Oncology and Haematology divisions. We highlight the fact that many
      of the petitioners included clinical trials (97.2%) and data referring to costs
      (84.7%). CONCLUSIONS: There is a high level of compliance with the GINF guide in
      our centre, which guarantees that the P&TC's final decision is based on
      scientific evidence.

PMID- 20304367
TI  - [Optimisation of a high-efficiency liquid chromatography technique for measuring
      lamotrigine in human plasma].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to optimise the HPLC-UV bio-analytical
      method currently used by the Salamanca University Clinical Hospital for
      determining lamotrigine plasma levels. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The developed HPLC
      UV analytic technique currently in use was shown to be linear, exact and precise,
      and suitable for use in routine monitoring of lamotrigine levels. The drawback of
      this method has always been the time required for analysing samples, so our aim
      was to improve on that elapsed time. That improvement involved using a different
      chromatographic column from the one used up until now. We replaced the column
      that was normally used (Kromasil-100C18-5 microm-15*0.4 cm with a LiChroCART
      RP18e-3 microm-5.5*0.4 cm); in both cases, a liquid-liquid extraction was
      performed and the same sample extraction protocol was followed. RESULTS: Both
      validation methods showed that the two column types are valid for routine
      lamotrigine monitoring. CONCLUSION: The decrease in retention time, in addition
      to a lower quantification limit and better precision and accuracy parameters
      obtained with the LiChorCART column, suggest that this unit is ideal for use in
      clinical practice because it enables a large number of determinations to be
      performed in less time and the greater precision of LTG measurements.

PMID- 20304368
TI  - [Protocol for inducing infliximab tolerance in a patient with psoriatic
      spondylarthritis].

PMID- 20304369
TI  - [Preventing potential medication errors in mobile emergency units].

PMID- 20304370
TI  - [Effectiveness and safety of rituximab in pemphigus vulgaris].

PMID- 20304371
TI  - [Rhabdomyolysis and metabolic acidosis associated with propofol use].

PMID- 20304372
TI  - [Dabigatran in the treatment of a morbidly obese patient with recurring venous
      thrombosis].

PMID- 20304373
TI  - Improving the education of the nursing workforce: a landmark study from the
      Carnegie foundation.

PMID- 20304374
TI  - A necessary sea change for nurse faculty development: spotlight on quality and
      safety.
AB  - More than 10 years have passed since the publication of the Institute of
      Medicine's report, To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health Care System, yet
      recent reports indicate that significant strides toward transformational
      improvement in quality and patient safety are still necessary. Real progress
      toward superior health care quality requires foundational enhancements in health
      care education. An urgent need exists for undergraduate nursing programs to
      strengthen quality and safety knowledge in their curricula. A first step in
      attaining this goal is to equip baccalaureate nursing faculty with the knowledge,
      skills, and abilities needed to teach these concepts. The first part of this
      article provides a compelling case for new graduate nurses to have a
      comprehensive understanding of how quality and safety issues affect patient
      outcomes. The second part highlights the specific faculty competencies required
      to teach quality and safety to undergraduate nursing students and offers a
      framework that faculty can use for professional development in this area. This
      article is by no means exhaustive but provides a starting point for providing
      undergraduate nursing faculty with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary
      to assist students to achieve quality and safety competencies in their curricula.

PMID- 20304375
TI  - How do future nursing educators perceive informatics? Advancing the nursing
      informatics agenda through dialogue.
AB  - Informatics is a popular topic in literature, in media, and in education.
      However, nursing professionals and even nursing faculty may not have a clear
      understanding of informatics. The authors conducted a small simulation study to
      examine how nursing students enrolled in a doctor of philosophy program-future
      nursing educators-perceived informatics and its core elements. Using an online
      collaboration tool, the students were asked to create a plan for integrating
      informatics into a simulated undergraduate nursing program. The results of the
      study provide lessons for nursing professionals and educators. Students
      identified only a handful of competencies believed important by informatics
      initiatives led by the American Nurses Association and the Technology Informatics
      Guiding Education Reform. Although most students believed an undergraduate
      curriculum should teach computer skills, only a few participants identified
      information literacy skills, such as privacy and security of health information,
      as important for beginning nurses. Although limited, findings articulate the need
      for a universally accepted definition of informatics and a shared understanding
      of an informatics core curriculum.

PMID- 20304376
TI  - Making time: moving the faculty dossier to an electronic format.
AB  - With the shortage of nursing faculty comes the challenge of an increasing
      workload and the competing demands for time required for teaching, service, and
      scholarship. Faculty must demonstrate their excellence in each of these areas as
      they prepare dossiers for annual reviews, tenure, and promotion. This article
      explores how technology can help faculty find additional time to achieve the
      expectations of higher education and establish an ongoing repository of faculty
      data and documentation. To accomplish this, the authors designed a faculty
      electronic dossier (e-dossier), using Blackboard technology to replace the
      traditional paper dossier. This article describes the process of designing the
      faculty e-dossier and presenting it to the faculty and administrators and
      discussing the acceptance of this innovative change. The authors use Rogers'
      (Rogers E. (1983). Diffusion of innovation (3rd ed.) (rev.ed.) London: The Free
      Press.) diffusion of innovation theory to understand why faculty were more
      accepting of this innovation than were administrators and how to address this
      difference.

PMID- 20304377
TI  - Factors related to progression and graduation rates for RN-to-bachelor of science
      in nursing programs: searching for realistic benchmarks.
AB  - Measurement and analysis of progression and graduation rates is a well
      established activity in schools of nursing. Such rates are indices of program
      effectiveness and student success. The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
      (2008), in its recently revised Standards for Accreditation of Baccalaureate and
      Graduate Degree Nursing Programs, specifically dictated that graduation rates
      (including discussion of entry points, timeframes) be calculated for each degree
      program. This context affects what is considered timely progression to
      graduation. If progression and graduation rates are critical outcomes, then
      schools must fully understand their measurement as well as interpretation of
      results. Because no national benchmarks for nursing student
      progression/graduation rates exist, schools try to set expectations that are
      realistic yet academically sound. RN-to-bachelor of science in nursing (BSN)
      students are a unique cohort of baccalaureate learners who need to be understood
      within their own learning context. The purposes of this study were to explore
      issues and processes of measuring progression and graduation rates in an RN-to
      BSN population and to identify factors that facilitate/hinder their successful
      progression to work toward establishing benchmarks for success. Using data
      collected from 14 California schools of nursing with RN-to-BSN programs, RN-to
      BSN students were identified as generally older, married, and going to school
      part-time while working and juggling family responsibilities. The study found
      much program variation in definition of terms and measures used to report
      progression and graduation rates. A literature review supported the use of terms
      such as attrition, retention, persistence, graduation, completion, and success
      rates, in an overlapping and sometimes synonymous fashion. Conceptual clarity and
      standardization of measurements are needed to allow comparisons and setting of
      realistic benchmarks. One of the most important factors identified in this study
      is the potentially prolonged RN-to-BSN timeline to graduation. This underlines
      the need to look beyond standardized educational norms for graduation rates and
      consider the realities of "persistence" by which these students are successful in
      completing their studies. It also raises the question of whether student success
      and program success/effectiveness are two separate measures or two separate
      events on one progression timeline. While clarifying our thinking about success
      in this population of students, the study raised many questions that warrant
      further research and debate.

PMID- 20304378
TI  - Influence of work role and perceptions of climate on faculty organizational
      commitment.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to examine how organizational commitment is
      influenced by organizational climate and nurse faculty work role in
      departments/colleges of nursing. The research was based on Meyer and Allen's
      Multidimensional Model of Organizational Commitment. The sample was comprised of
      full-time tenure track, doctorally prepared nurse faculty. Descriptive analyses
      were used to summarize institutional and nursing program data. ANOVA and t-tests
      were performed to determine differences between faculty information and study
      variables. A significant difference was found between teaching work role, and
      role ambiguity, role conflict and organizational climate. Pearson correlation
      analyses examined relationships between nurse faculty work role balance, role
      ambiguity, role conflict, and affective, continuance, and normative
      organizational commitment. A moderately strong negative relationship was present
      between role ambiguity and role conflict, and affective and continuance
      organizational commitment. Significant relationships were observed between
      subscales of organizational climate and role ambiguity and role conflict. The
      study's findings offer interesting insights into the dynamic relationships
      between organizational commitment and climate, work role balance, role ambiguity,
      and role conflict.

PMID- 20304379
TI  - Adjunct faculty development: reported needs and innovative solutions.
AB  - One strategy for solving the nursing shortage is to increase the enrollment in
      undergraduate programs in schools of nursing. However, the shortage of full time
      faculty may prohibit larger enrollments. Employing adjunct faculty is one way to
      meet the teaching demands of increasing enrollment. Hiring and retaining
      qualified adjunct faculty is a challenge faced by many schools of nursing. To
      maintain quality, schools must meet the development needs of this unique group of
      faculty. Job satisfaction of adjunct faculty influences retention. Limited
      published research addresses the development needs of adjunct nursing faculty.
      This article describes the findings from a survey designed to identify the
      overall needs of our adjunct faculty. Based on the survey's findings, several new
      initiatives were implemented with the ultimate aim of retaining a cadre of
      qualified teachers.

PMID- 20304380
TI  - Dying with dignity in America: the transformational leadership of Florence Wald.
AB  - The aims of this study are to examine the constructs of transformational
      leadership as they played out for one nurse who steered significant change in the
      care of the dying in the United States and to provide deeper insights into how
      nursing leaders can design and direct meaningful changes in the delivery of
      health care in turbulent times. A significant problem was identified in how the
      terminally ill were treated in this country post World War II. The introduction
      of hospice care in the United States represented a paradigm shift in how the
      health care community viewed and treated dying patients. Critical to this
      transformation was the work of Florence Wald, who organized with community
      leaders, clergy, and other health care providers to create a vision and synergy
      around palliative care. She was instrumental in opening the first American
      hospice in 1971 in Connecticut. Within 15 years, there were more than 1,000
      hospices in the United States. A single case study design was chosen for this
      qualitative research grounded in the theory of transformational leadership (J.M.
      Burns, 1978). The study used narrative inquiry to conduct an in-depth exploration
      of Florence Wald's transformational leadership and the perceptions of the group
      of founders she organized to conceptualize, build, and open the first hospice in
      the United States. The participants chosen for interview were involved directly
      in the designing, planning, and beginning of the first American hospice. In
      addition to the seven in-depth interviews conducted in 2007 in Connecticut, this
      research examined three groups of documents from The Florence and Henry Wald
      Archives in the Yale University Library. The findings from both interviews and
      the Yale Archives showed that Florence Wald based her leadership on the strong
      values of reverence for life and social justice for all. To direct meaningful
      change, Florence Wald elevated the consciousness of her hospice team by
      conducting a 2-year research study on the needs of dying patients to ensure
      interventions were based on evidence. To encourage a high level of participation,
      Florence Wald demonstrated a caring component in her leadership with a strong
      commitment to mentoring. Wald worked to transform the quality of end-of-life care
      by assessing the readiness for change prior to acting and by working to provide
      supports for success. Finally, the findings showed that Florence Wald built
      consensus on vision before executing purposeful change by collaborating with the
      Founders and asking the hard questions to examine standards of care. Florence
      Wald provided transformational leadership in creating a value-driven culture of
      inquiry among the Founders where decision making was evidence-based and
      significantly improved the quality of palliative care in the United States.
      Nursing leaders who build upon the shared values to provide direction and promote
      momentum critical to the change will have more success in reaching strategic
      outcomes of transformational efforts. Transformational nursing leaders who build
      consensus on vision before executing purposeful change by collaborating with a
      wide group of stakeholders will encourage a broader ownership of the change. When
      nursing leaders work to elevate the consciousness of their work groups to direct
      meaningful change by developing and sustaining value-driven cultures of inquire,
      decisions will more directly align with evidence and support successful outcomes.

PMID- 20304381
TI  - [The return to life with insulin].
AB  - The Canadian Frederick Banting (1891-1941), in discovering the existence of
      insulin, was able to treat, for the first time, with efficiency, diabetic
      patients. This discovery and its application did not happen easily, in particular
      within his own team. In 1922, the Nobel Prize would reward this researcher, who
      died two decades later in an airplane crash.

PMID- 20304382
TI  - Influence of saliva substitute films on the initial adhesion of Candida albicans
      to dental substrata prior to and after artificial ageing.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this in vitro study was to investigate whether saliva
      substitute films influence the adhesion of Candida albicans to different dental
      substrata prior to and after artificial ageing. DESIGN: Specimens of a denture
      base resin (DB) and a veneering composite (VC) were polished and subjected to an
      artificial ageing protocol (thermal cycling, 2 x 3000 cycles 5/55 degrees C).
      Bovine enamel (BE) and glass were used as reference materials. After
      determination of surface free energy, specimens were rinsed with commercial
      saliva substitutes (Aldiamed, Saliva natura, Saliva Orthana, Salinum), a positive
      control (protein mixture), or a negative control (Phosphate Buffered Saline, PBS)
      for 2h at 37 degrees C in a flow chamber. Specimens were then exposed to a C.
      albicans ATCC 10231 suspension for 4h at 37 degrees C. Adherent, viable Candida
      cells were quantified using a luminometric ATP-based assay. Statistical analysis
      was performed using 1- and 2-way ANOVA, and post-hocs were analysed using the
      Tukey-Kramer test (alpha<.05). RESULTS: Our data indicated that VC (31.1 mJ/m2)
      and DB (33.9 mJ/m2) yielded the lowest surface free energy prior to artificial
      ageing, and BE (43.6 mJ/m2) yielded the highest surface free energy. For C.
      albicans adhesion, both the materials as well as the saliva substitutes
      influenced relative luminescence intensities, indicating significant differences
      in C. albicans adhesion between the various materials and after treatment with
      the saliva substitutes. CONCLUSIONS: Saliva substitutes may have a decisive
      influence on C. albicans adhesion, but their impact appears to be dependent on
      the properties of the underlying substratum material.

PMID- 20304383
TI  - Trained interpretive bias survives mood change.
AB  - Evidence is accumulating that interpretations can be trained using Cognitive Bias
      Modification procedures (CBM). The effects are replicable, stable over time and
      there is some evidence of generalizability. As a next step in determining the
      boundaries of the CBM model, the present experiment was designed to test whether
      modified interpretive style endures fluctuations in mood. Participants were
      trained to interpret ambiguous scenarios in either a positive (n = 42) or
      negative (n = 40) way. Then, participants were exposed to either a positive (n =
      41) or negative (n = 41) mood induction procedure to change their current mood
      state. Results showed that the modified interpretive bias did not change in
      reaction to a mood change. That is, differences in interpretation of new
      ambiguous information were related to the interpretive bias modification
      procedure and not to the current mood state.

PMID- 20304384
TI  - Factor structure of the Dutch version of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire.
AB  - The Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) is a 16-item self-report scale for
      measuring the excessiveness and uncontrollability of worry. The current study
      examined the factor structure of the PSWQ in (1) a large community sample (N =
      455), and (2) a clinical sample of patients with generalized anxiety disorder
      (GAD; N = 102), the disorder for which worry is the key feature. Confirmatory
      factor analysis was employed to test three models: (1) a one-factor model in
      which all items loaded on one and the same dimension, (2) a two-factor model in
      which positively and negatively worded items loaded on two separate but
      correlated factors, and (3) a one-factor model, that included the reverse items
      as a method factor. In the community sample the one-factor/method factor model
      provided the best fit for the data. This was also true in the clinical GAD
      sample, but only after error covariances between a number of items were allowed
      to correlate.

PMID- 20304386
TI  - Direct chemical glycosylation with pentenyl- and thioglycoside donors of N
      acetylglucosamine.
AB  - The use of pentenyl and thiophenyl glycosides of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) as
      glycosyl donors for the direct preparation of O-glycosides of GlcNAc promoted by
      N-iodosuccinimide (NIS) and metal triflates in dichloromethane has been
      investigated. Both glycosyl acceptors 1-octanol and (-)-menthol resulted in good
      glycosylation yields for both types of donors with pentenyl glycosides being
      somewhat superior in terms of yield. Carbohydrate-based acceptors were reacted
      with a benzylated GlcNAc-pentenyl donor but only provided disaccharides in poor
      to moderate yields. The results show that a variety of metal triflates are
      capable of acting as an activator for both NIS and the intermediate oxazoline.

PMID- 20304385
TI  - A preliminary investigation of sudden gains in exposure therapy for PTSD.
AB  - The purpose of the current study was to examine sudden gains in those receiving
      treatment for PTSD and whether these rapid changes were related to overall
      symptom reduction in a small sample of female assault survivors with PTSD
      undergoing prolonged exposure (PE) therapy. Sudden gains were found to occur in
      52% of the sample. Among those who experienced a sudden gain, the average
      magnitude (12.4 points) accounted for 61% of overall symptom reduction.
      Importantly, treatment outcome was better for those who experienced sudden gains
      than those who did not. The experience of a sudden gain may result in patients
      becoming more fully engaged with treatment, and recognition of them may result in
      identifying potential process-related predictors of treatment response.

PMID- 20304387
TI  - Iodine-hexamethyldisilane (HMDS)-mediated anomerization of peracetylated 1,2
      trans-linked alkyl and aryl glycosides.
AB  - Treatment of peracetylated alkyl and aryl 1,2-trans-glycosides with iodine in the
      presence of HMDS has been found to result in the anomerization leading to the
      formation of the respective 1,2-cis-glycosides. In the case of alkyl glycosides
      with aglycons of short alkyl chain length complete anomerization to the alpha
      glycosides was observed while with those of longer chain length the process was
      found to be incomplete. The observations have been interpreted mechanistically.

PMID- 20304388
TI  - Anti-human very late antigen-alpha4 (CD49d) monoclonal antibody (BU49) cross
      reacts with the canine B-cell leukemia cell line GL-1, resulting in the induction
      of homotypic cell aggregation.
AB  - We have found that the anti-human very late antigen-alpha4 (VLA-alpha4) (CD49d)
      monoclonal antibody (mAb) BU49 cross-reacts with the canine B-cell leukemia cell
      line GL-1. Interestingly, the BU49 mAb specifically induced the homotypic cell
      aggregation of GL-1 cells accompanied by morphological changes. Homotypic cell
      aggregates induced by BU49 mAb were blocked by the presence of a protein kinase C
      inhibitor, a protein kinase A inhibitor, an actin filament formation inhibitor,
      and an EDTA. On the other hand, a protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor, a DNA
      synthesis inhibitor, and an anti-canine CD45 mAb did not affect the GL-1
      homotypic cell aggregation induced by BU49 mAb. The BU49 mAb immunoprecipitated
      at a molecular weight of about 150kDa in the GL-1 cells, similar to the results
      in the human monocyte-like cell line U937. Taken together, our results provide
      the first evidence that human CD49d recognized by BU49 mAb has unique
      immunological functions against canine cells.

PMID- 20304389
TI  - [Pain in right iliac fossa].

PMID- 20304390
TI  - A new method to evaluate the elastic modulus of cortical bone by using a combined
      computed tomography and finite element approach.
AB  - This study attempted to estimate the elastic modulus of cortical specimens
      directly from the computed tomography (CT) number (CT). Cubic specimens of fresh
      bovine femora were tested under compressive loading. The corresponding three
      dimensional mesh models of these specimens were established with the aid of CT
      images. The elastic modulus of each element was determined using the following
      transfer formula: E=Ax(CT)(B). The A and B were determined by matching the
      simulation results with the experimental force-displacement curves. An
      optimization approach was used to match the entire specimen sets between
      simulations and experiments. The results indicated that the elastic modulus of
      cortical bone can be effectively estimated using a power relationship (E=1.26 x
      10(-3) x (CT)(1.93)) directly from the CT number. This procedure eliminates the
      need to determine the bone density, and therefore reduces the computational time
      required to define mechanical properties in finite element methods.

PMID- 20304391
TI  - [Prognostic value of occult renal failure in the acute coronary syndrome].

PMID- 20304392
TI  - Negative capsule endoscopy without subsequent enteroscopy does not predict lower
      long-term rebleeding rates in patients with obscure GI bleeding.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Capsule endoscopy (CE) is now widely accepted as a first-line
      diagnostic modality for obscure GI bleeding (OGIB). However, the clinical
      implications of negative results of CE studies remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: To
      investigate long-term (>1 year) outcomes for patients undergoing CE for OGIB and
      to identify risk factors associated with rebleeding. DESIGN AND SETTING:
      Retrospective study in a tertiary care hospital. METHODS: A total of 57
      consecutive patients who had undergone CE for OGIB were enrolled and their pre-
      and post-CE clinical data were collected. Specific treatments were defined as
      treatments directly aimed at presumed bleeding causes including hemostasis and
      disease-specific medical therapy, whereas nonspecific treatments were defined as
      symptomatic treatments for anemia. RESULTS: Of the 57 patients, the indication
      for CE was obscure-overt bleeding in 46 patients and obscure-occult bleeding in
      11 patients. Among 51 patients for whom long-term data were available,
      significant (P2) lesions were found in 23 (45.1%) patients. The overall
      rebleeding rate was 35.3% during a median follow-up duration of 31.7 months
      (range 12.8-58.0 months). There was no statistically significant difference in
      the cumulative rebleeding rate between patients with positive and negative CE
      results (34.8% vs 35.7%, respectively; P = .989). However, specific treatments
      after CE (hazard ratio, 0.111; 95% CI, 0.013-0.980; P = .043) significantly
      decreased rebleeding. LIMITATIONS: Small number of patients, retrospective study
      design. CONCLUSIONS: The rebleeding rate for patients with OGIB and negative CE
      results was substantial, indicating that these patients should be closely
      observed. However, specific treatment after CE significantly reduced the
      incidence of recurrent bleeding.

PMID- 20304393
TI  - Endoscopic treatment of a recalcitrant esophageal fistula with new tools: stents,
      Surgisis, and nitinol staples (with video).

PMID- 20304394
TI  - IgG4 immunostaining of duodenal papillary biopsy specimens may be useful for
      supporting a diagnosis of autoimmune pancreatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is now considered to be part of an
      immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)-related systemic fibroinflammatory disease. OBJECTIVE:
      We evaluated whether IgG4 immunostaining of duodenal papillary biopsy specimens
      is useful for supporting a diagnosis of AIP. DESIGN: A prospective study.
      SETTING: A tertiary academic center. PATIENTS/INTERVENTIONS: We obtained 2
      forceps biopsy specimens from the major duodenal papilla (MDP) of 19 symptomatic
      AIP patients during ERCP before steroid administration. As a control, biopsy
      specimens were obtained from the MDP of patients with pancreatic cancer (n = 35),
      cholangiocarcinoma (n = 20), ampullary cancer (n = 11), ordinary chronic
      pancreatitis (n = 18), and AIP in remission (n = 16) and immunohistochemically
      examined. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Specimens were considered positive for IgG4
      immunostaining if there were more than 10 IgG4-positive plasma cells per high
      power field. RESULTS: Positive IgG4 immunostaining of the MDP was found in 10
      (53%) of 19 symptomatic AIP patients, but was absent in the control groups. Among
      symptomatic AIP patients (n = 19), 5 (83%) of 6 AIP patients with elevated serum
      IgG4 levels exhibited positive IgG4 staining of the MDP, whereas 5 (38%) of 13
      AIP patients with normal serum IgG4 levels showed positive IgG4 staining of the
      MDP. Nine of 19 symptomatic AIP patients also underwent pancreatic biopsy, and
      positive IgG4 immunostaining of the MDP was observed in patients with positive
      pancreas IgG4 staining (4/6, 67%), but not in patients with negative pancreas
      IgG4 staining (0/3). LIMITATIONS: Small symptomatic AIP patient population.
      CONCLUSIONS: Positive IgG4 immunostaining of the MDP was an extremely specific
      and moderately sensitive tool for the diagnosis of AIP. IgG4 immunostaining of
      the MDP may be useful for supporting a diagnosis of AIP, especially when AIP is
      suspected clinically but serum IgG4 levels are normal or pancreatic tissue is not
      available.

PMID- 20304395
TI  - Optical coherence tomography for the staging of tumor infiltration in superficial
      esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a noninvasive technology that
      can produce high-resolution cross-sectional images in real-time without acoustic
      coupling, enabling precise assessment of tumor invasion in superficial esophageal
      squamous cell carcinomas (SESCCs). OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the usefulness of in
      vivo OCT for the staging of SESCCs. DESIGN: A single-center, prospective study in
      2 phases: phase I to establish the OCT criteria classified into 3 categories
      (epithelium or lamina propria mucosa [EP/LPM], muscularis mucosa [MM], submucosa
      [SM]) and phase II to evaluate these criteria. SETTING: An academic medical
      center. PATIENTS: Sixty-two patients with a histological diagnosis of SESCC by
      routine endoscopy. In the phase I study, 35 images from 16 patients were used. In
      the phase II study, 109 images from 46 subsequent consecutive patients enrolled
      from January 2007 to May 2009 were used. INTERVENTIONS: We performed OCT for
      preoperative staging followed by endoscopic submucosal dissection or a surgical
      procedure and compared precisely the visualized OCT sites with the corresponding
      tissue sections. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: The accuracy of OCT for the staging.
      RESULTS: The overall accuracy rate was 92.7% (EP/LPM, 94.9%; MM, 85.0%; SM,
      90.9%). The OCT signal penetration depth was sufficient to depict the boundary of
      the deepest region of cancer, the thickness of which was less than 1.5 mm.
      LIMITATIONS: The small number of patients. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is
      the first study demonstrating that OCT might be useful for the preoperative
      staging of SESCCs with a high degree of accuracy.

PMID- 20304396
TI  - Open-label, sham-controlled trial of an endoscopic duodenojejunal bypass liner
      for preoperative weight loss in bariatric surgery candidates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The duodenojejunal bypass liner (DJBL) (EndoBarrier Gastrointestinal
      Liner) is an endoscopically placed and removable intestinal liner that creates a
      duodenojejunal bypass resulting in weight loss and improvement in type 2 diabetes
      mellitus. OBJECTIVE: Weight loss before bariatric surgery to decrease
      perioperative complications. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, sham-controlled
      trial. SETTING: Multicenter, tertiary care, teaching hospitals. PATIENTS: Twenty
      one obese subjects in the DJBL arm and 26 obese subjects in the sham arm composed
      the intent-to-treat population. INTERVENTIONS: The subjects in the sham arm
      underwent an EGD and mock implantation. Both groups received identical
      nutritional counseling. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: The primary endpoint was the
      difference in the percentage of excess weight loss (EWL) at week 12 between the 2
      groups. Secondary endpoints were the percentage of subjects achieving 10% EWL,
      total weight change, and device safety. RESULTS: Thirteen DJBL arm subjects and
      24 sham arm subjects completed the 12-week study. EWL was 11.9% +/- 1.4% and 2.7%
      +/- 2.0% for the DJBL and sham arms, respectively (P < .05). In the DJBL arm, 62%
      achieved 10% or more EWL compared with 17% of the subjects in the sham arm (P <
      .05). Total weight change in the DJBL arm was -8.2 +/- 1.3 kg compared with -2.1
      +/- 1.1 kg in the sham arm (P < .05). Eight DJBL subjects terminated early
      because of GI bleeding (n = 3), abdominal pain (n = 2), nausea and vomiting (n =
      2), and an unrelated preexisting illness (n = 1). None had further clinical
      symptoms after DJBL explantation. LIMITATIONS: Study personnel were not blinded.
      There was a lack of data on caloric intake. CONCLUSIONS: The DJBL achieved
      endoscopic duodenal exclusion and promoted significant weight loss beyond a
      minimal sham effect in candidates for bariatric surgery. ( CLINICAL TRIAL
      REGISTRATION NUMBER: NPT00469391.).

PMID- 20304397
TI  - Endoscopic capsule placement improves the completion rate of small-bowel capsule
      endoscopy and increases diagnostic yield.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The methods for increasing the rate of complete small-bowel
      examinations by capsule endoscopy (CE) demonstrate conflicting results, and it is
      unknown whether improving the completion rate of CE transit is correlated with
      improvement in diagnostic yield. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to
      determine whether a higher rate of complete small-bowel examinations results in a
      higher diagnostic yield of CE. DESIGN: Case-control comparison. SETTING: Tertiary
      care university hospital. PATIENTS: A total of 273 patients underwent
      conventional CE (group A), and 261 patients underwent real-time CE (group B).
      Furthermore, the patients in groups A and B were divided into 2 subgroups by
      pyloric transit time (A1, A2 and B1, B2, respectively). INTERVENTIONS: After
      swallowing the capsule, each patient was monitored with a real-time viewer in
      group B, and the patients underwent endoscopic placement if the capsule was
      delayed in the esophagus or stomach. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Pyloric transit
      time, small-bowel transit time, the rate of complete small-bowel examinations,
      and the diagnostic yield. RESULTS: The rate of complete small-bowel examinations
      was significantly higher in group B than in group A (87.4% vs 78.0%,
      respectively; P = .004). The diagnostic yield was significantly higher in group
      B2 than in group A2 (60.0% vs 41.7%, respectively; P = .019). LIMITATIONS:
      Nonrandomized study. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic placement improves the rate of
      complete small-bowel examinations, resulting in a higher diagnostic yield of CE.

PMID- 20304398
TI  - Persistent snoring under conscious sedation during colonoscopy is a predictor of
      obstructive sleep apnea.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by cessation of
      breathing during sleep. Conscious sedation (CS) induces sleep and may uncover
      sleep-related breathing disorders. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether snoring during
      CS is a sensitive predictor of OSA. DESIGN: Matched cohort study. SETTING:
      University-based ambulatory endoscopy center. PATIENTS: Consecutive patients
      undergoing colonoscopy completed a detailed sleep questionnaire and physical
      examination geared toward detecting OSA (body mass index [BMI], neck
      circumference, and the presence of craniofacial abnormalities). The endoscopist
      was blinded to the information. INTERVENTIONS: Portable nocturnal
      polysomnography. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Patients who snored during CS in the
      left lateral decubitus position for 10 seconds or longer were referred for
      polysomnography. Sex- and BMI-matched patients who did not snore served as
      control subjects. RESULTS: A total of 131 patients were enrolled, and 24 (18.3%)
      of them snored. These patients (22 men, 2 women) had a predominance of Mallampati
      grade III/IV, higher Stanford and Epworth scale scores, and greater BMI and neck
      circumference and were more likely to report daytime sleepiness, decreased
      vigilance, and personality and mood changes (all P values <.05). All investigated
      patients who snored during CS had evidence of OSA versus 4 of 18 control subjects
      (mean apnea-hypopnea index: 40 events vs 5 events; P < .0001) (100% positive
      predictive value; 77.8% negative predictive value). Moderate or severe OSA was
      detected in 14 of 20 patients versus 1 of 18 control subjects (P < .001; 70%
      positive predictive value; 94.4% negative predictive value, 93% sensitivity, 74%
      specificity). Data obtained from sleep questionnaires and physical examination
      failed to accurately predict OSA. LIMITATIONS: Single-center nature and
      relatively small number of patients developing the outcome variable. CONCLUSIONS:
      Snoring during CS is a strong predictor of OSA. Given the medical and financial
      burden of undiagnosed OSA, these patients should be carefully identified and
      referred for sleep medication evaluation.

PMID- 20304399
TI  - Endosonographic radial tumor thickness after neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy
      to predict response and survival in patients with locally advanced esophageal
      cancer: a prospective multicenter phase ll study by the Swiss Group for Clinical
      Cancer Research (SAKK 75/02).
AB  - BACKGROUND: EUS response assessment in patients with locally advanced esophageal
      cancer undergoing neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (CRT) is limited by
      disintegration of the involved anatomic structures. OBJECTIVE: Predictive and
      prognostic values of a prospectively defined maximum tumor thickness (MTT).
      DESIGN: Prospective open-label phase ll study (SAKK 75/02). SETTING: Multicenter,
      nationwide. PATIENTS: Of 66 patients with primary CRT, 56 underwent en bloc
      esophagectomy. INTERVENTIONS: EUS-measured MTT before and 2-5 weeks after CRT
      (yMTT). MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Cutoffs: (1) absolute thickness (yMTT) after
      CRT < or = 6 mm; (2) relative reduction compared with baseline (ratio yMTT/MTT) <
      or = 50%. Correlation between EUS measurements and histopathologic tumor
      regression grade (TRG) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Sixteen of 56 patients
      were not included for EUS evaluation (10 severe stenosis, 5 MTT not measured, 1
      intolerance to second EUS). Characteristics (n = 40) were as follow: median age,
      60 years; squamous cell carcinoma, 42%; and adenocarcinoma (AC), 58%. Initial
      stage was: 10 T2N1, 3 T3N0, 26 T3N1, 1 T3Nx; 14 of 23 AC Siewert type 1. Wilcoxon
      rank sum test showed significant correlation of TRG1 with yMTT < or = 6 mm (P =
      .008) and yMTT/MTT < or = 50% (P = .003). The effect of yMTT on TRG1 was
      significant (P = .0193; odds ratio, 0.687 [95% CI, 0.502-0.941]). The predefined
      cutoff of < or = 6 mm for yMTT was predictive for TRG1 (P = .0037; Fisher exact
      test). After a median follow-up of 28.6 months, there was a clear trend for
      benefit in OS with yMTT < or = 6 mm and yMTT/MTT < or = 50%. LIMITATIONS: Small
      sample size. CONCLUSION: In a multicenter setting, MTT measured by EUS after CRT
      was highly predictive for response and showed a clear trend for predicting
      survival.

PMID- 20304400
TI  - Mature teratoma of the rectum.

PMID- 20304401
TI  - EUS for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: a single-center, 11-year experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNTs) are rare tumors with
      malignant potential. EUS and EUS-guided FNA (EUS-FNA) have been shown to be
      superior to other imaging methods in the preoperative localization and diagnosis
      of PNTs. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the clinical presentation, EUS morphology, and
      sensitivity of EUS-FNA cytology in a large consecutive cohort with histologically
      and/or cytologically confirmed PNTs. DESIGN: Retrospective study of all
      consecutive patients from July 1995 to November 2006 who underwent EUS for a
      known or suspected PNT and had a subsequently histologically confirmed PNT.
      SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: Ninety-two patients with suspected
      PNT. INTERVENTIONS: EUS evaluation with or without EUS-FNA of PNTs. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASUREMENTS: Clinical and EUS features of PNTs and sensitivity of EUS-FNA for
      the diagnosis of PNTs. RESULTS: Ninety-two patients underwent EUS; 76 patients
      had confirmed histopathology, of whom 69 (91%) were symptomatic. Patients with
      functional PNTs presented with diarrhea, peptic ulcer disease, and hypoglycemia.
      Tumor locations and echogenic features were similar except that nonfunctional
      PNTs tended to be larger and have cystic features. Patients with malignant PNTs
      were older (P = .03), presented with abdominal pain, and had larger tumors (P =
      .0006) with irregular margins. Eighty-nine percent of patients underwent EUS-FNA.
      Sensitivity of EUS-FNA for the diagnosis of a PNT was 87%. Sensitivity of EUS-FNA
      was similar in functional and nonfunctional PNTs. The sensitivity of EUS-FNA was
      higher for malignant PNTs (P = .008). LIMITATIONS: Retrospective single tertiary
      center. CONCLUSIONS: EUS and EUS-FNA are sensitive tools, especially in cases of
      suspected symptomatic PNTs in which other imaging modalities have failed.

PMID- 20304402
TI  - Endoscopic closure of a large ERCP-related lateral duodenal perforation by using
      endoloops and endoclips.

PMID- 20304403
TI  - Acute reversible gastroparesis and megaduodenum after botulinum toxin injection
      for achalasia.

PMID- 20304404
TI  - MIMO model of an interacting series process for Robust MPC via System
      Identification.
AB  - This paper discusses the empirical modeling using system identification technique
      with a focus on an interacting series process. The study is carried out
      experimentally using a gaseous pilot plant as the process, in which the dynamic
      of such a plant exhibits the typical dynamic of an interacting series process.
      Three practical approaches are investigated and their performances are evaluated.
      The models developed are also examined in real-time implementation of a linear
      model predictive control. The selected model is able to reproduce the main
      dynamic characteristics of the plant in open-loop and produces zero steady-state
      errors in closed-loop control system. Several issues concerning the
      identification process and the construction of a MIMO state space model for a
      series interacting process are deliberated.

PMID- 20304405
TI  - Multiclass, multiresidue method for the detection of antibiotic residues in
      distillers grains by liquid chromatography and ion trap tandem mass spectrometry.
AB  - The increased production of ethanol in the US has resulted in large amounts of
      distillers grains (DG) which is an excellent feed supplement for livestock.
      However, the use of antimicrobials during ethanol fermentation has led to a
      growing concern over the possibility of their residues remaining in DG. To enable
      the detection of antimicrobial residues, a robust LC-MS/MS method was developed
      that included 13 antibiotics of diverse chemistries, ampicillin, penicillin G,
      tetracycline, oxytetracycline, chlortetracycline, bacitracin A, virginiamycin M1,
      chloramphenicol, erythromycin A, clarithromycin, tylosin A, monensin A and
      streptomycin. The residues were extracted with an aqueous solution of EDTA and
      trichloroacetic acid followed by methanol. The combined extract was subjected to
      a two-track cleanup and concentration on either hydrophilic polymeric or weak
      cation exchange solid phase extraction cartridges. The extracts are analyzed by
      LC/ion trap tandem mass spectrometry. The method was validated in dry DG matrix.
      Absolute recoveries of the analytes ranged from 50 to 100%. Accuracy ranged from
      89 to 111% based on calibration by processed standards. The limits of detection
      and relative standard deviation are satisfactory to support future surveillance
      studies. The method was subsequently tested in three different end-products of
      DG: distillers dry grains, distillers wet grains and distillers grains solubles.

PMID- 20304406
TI  - Off-line coupling of microcolumn separations to desorption mass spectrometry.
AB  - The presented review provides comprehensive and detailed characteristics on
      microcolumn separation techniques off-line coupled to mass spectrometry. Major
      attention is paid to the classification of junctions between the separation
      column and the deposition needle and to the process by which the liquid is
      transferred onto the target. Both contact and non-contact deposition techniques
      are covered. In order to emphasize the significance of the topic of off-line
      separations, current commercially available devices have been compared in terms
      of their potential utilization in analytical chemistry with a summarization of
      applications used over the past few years.

PMID- 20304407
TI  - Analysis of sucralose and other sweeteners in water and beverage samples by
      liquid chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry.
AB  - A methodology for the chromatographic separation and analysis of three of the
      most popular artificial sweeteners (aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose) in water
      and beverage samples was developed using liquid chromatography/time-of-flight
      mass spectrometry (LC/TOF-MS). The sweeteners were extracted from water samples
      using solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridges. Furthermore, several beverages
      were analyzed by a rapid and simple method without SPE, and the presence of the
      sweeteners was confirmed by accurate mass measurements below 2-ppm error. The
      unambiguous confirmation of the compounds was based on accurate mass measurements
      of the protonated molecules [M+H](+), their sodium adducts and their main
      fragment ions. Quantitation was carried out using matrix-matched standard
      calibration and linearity of response over 2 orders of magnitude was demonstrated
      (r>0.99). A detailed fragmentation study for sucralose was carried out by time-of
      flight and a characteristic spectrum fingerprint pattern was obtained for the
      presence of this compound in water samples. Finally, the analysis of several
      wastewater, surface water and groundwater samples from the US showed that
      sucralose can be found in the aquatic environment at concentrations up to
      2.4microg/L, thus providing a good indication of wastewater input from beverage
      sources.

PMID- 20304408
TI  - A chromatochemometric approach for evaluating and selecting the perfume
      maceration time.
AB  - A chemometric treatment of the data obtained by gas chromatography (GC) with
      flame ionization detector (FID) has been proposed to study the maceration time
      involved in perfumes manufacture with the final purpose of reducing this time but
      preserving the organoleptic characteristics of the perfume that is being
      elaborated. In this sense, GC-FID chromatograms were used as a fingerprint of
      perfume samples subjected to different maceration times, and data were treated by
      linear discriminant analysis (LDA), by comparing to a set of samples known to be
      macerated or not, which were used as calibration objects. The GC-FID methodology
      combined with the treatment of data by LDA has been applied successfully to seven
      different perfumes. The constructed LDA models exhibited excellent Wilks' lambdas
      (0.013-0.118, depending on the perfume), and up to a reduction of 57% has been
      achieved with respect to the maceration time initially established.

PMID- 20304409
TI  - Investigation of internal microstructure and thermo-responsive properties of
      composite PNIPAM/silica microcapsules.
AB  - Composite microcapsules consisting of a thermo-responsive hydrogel poly-N
      isopropylacrylamide (PNIPAM) and coated by silica (SiO(2)) nanoparticles have
      been synthesized by the inverse Pickering emulsion polymerization method. The
      composite capsules, whose mean diameter is in the 25-86 microm range in the
      expanded state, were characterized by static light scattering, atomic force
      microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and laser scanning confocal
      microscopy (LSCM). It is reported that the hydrogel surface is uniformly covered
      by a monolayer of silica nanoparticles and that depending on the capsule size and
      degree of polymer cross-linking, either hollow-core or partially-filled hydrogel
      core microcapsules can be created. Equilibrium thermo-responsive behavior of the
      composite microcapsules is investigated and it is found that after heating the
      particles above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of PNIPAM, the
      shrinkage ratio V/V(max) varies from 0.8 to 0.4 for a cross-linking ratio from
      0.6% to 9% on a mass basis. Dynamic temperature cycling studies reveal no
      hysteresis in the shrinking and recovery phases, but a small measurable
      dependence of the asymptotic shrinkage ratio V/V(max) on the rate of temperature
      change exists. The composite capsules are stable under long-term storage in both
      dried and hydrated states and easily re-dispersible in water.

PMID- 20304410
TI  - Growth modification of seeded calcite using carboxylic acids: atomistic
      simulations.
AB  - Molecular dynamics simulations were used to investigate possible explanations for
      experimentally observed differences in the growth modification of calcite
      particles by two organic additives, polyacrylic acid (PAA) and polyaspartic acid
      (p-ASP). The more rigid backbone of p-ASP was found to inhibit the formation of
      stable complexes with counter-ions in solution, resulting in a higher
      availability of p-ASP compared to PAA for surface adsorption. Furthermore the
      presence of nitrogen on the p-ASP backbone yields favorable electrostatic
      interactions with the surface, resulting in negative adsorption energies, in an
      upright (brush conformation). This leads to a more rapid binding and longer
      residence times at calcite surfaces compared to PAA, which adsorbed in a flat
      (pancake) configuration with positive adsorption energies. The PAA adsorption
      occurring despite this positive energy difference can be attributed to the
      disruption of the ordered water layer seen in the simulations and hence a
      significant entropic contribution to the adsorption free energy. These findings
      help explain the stronger inhibiting effect on calcite growth observed by p-ASP
      compared to PAA and can be used as guidelines in the design of additives leading
      to even more marked growth modifying effects.

PMID- 20304411
TI  - Assessment of English language learners: using parent report on first language
      development.
AB  - PURPOSE: Obtaining information on both languages of English language learners for
      assessment can be a challenge in a multilingual context. It is often difficult or
      impossible to observe a child's first language directly due to the absence of
      resources available in every language spoken. The objectives of this study were
      (1) to develop a parent questionnaire on the first language development of
      English language learners that is not specific to a particular language/cultural
      group: the Alberta Language and Development Questionnaire (ALDeQ), and (2) to
      test how well scores on the ALDeQ differentiated between English language
      learners with typical development and those with language impairment. METHOD:
      Participants were 139 typically developing children and 29 children with language
      impairment, aged 69 months with 18 months of exposure to English through
      preschool or school, on average. The ALDeQ consists of four sections: early
      milestones, current first language abilities, behaviour patterns and activity
      preferences, and family history. ALDeQ total scores are proportions calculated
      across all sections. RESULTS: t-test analyses revealed robust between-group
      differences for ALDeQ total scores, and for each section score, with medium to
      very large effect sizes. Linear discriminant function analysis showed the ALDeQ
      total scores to be a significant and moderate discriminator between the typically
      developing and language impaired group, but with better specificity than
      sensitivity. The early milestones section scores emerged as the strongest
      discriminator among the four section scores. Parent responses showed that both
      the typically developing and language-impaired groups included children
      experiencing first language loss, but nevertheless, the current first language
      abilities section was the second strongest between-group discriminator.
      CONCLUSION: The ALDeQ would be useful to speech-language pathologists for
      obtaining information on English language learners' first language development,
      in particular where the first language cannot be examined directly. The
      information provided by the ALDeQ could be used in conjunction with other
      measures in order to identify children with language impairment among English
      language learners. The complete ALDeQ and score interpretation information are
      given in Appendix A. LEARNING OUTCOMES: Readers will (1) have a general
      understanding of how parent report could be useful for assessment in a
      multilingual context; (2) be aware of how first language loss in minority
      language children could impact assessment, and (3) have specific knowledge of a
      particular parent questionnaire and how it can be used to assist in identifying
      English language learners with language delay/impairment.

PMID- 20304412
TI  - The first report of disease in a basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus).
AB  - Few diseases have been reported in any species of shark and none in the basking
      shark (Cetorhinus maximus) despite the latter being the subject of targeted
      hunting for over two centuries. This is the first report to describe the clinical
      signs and gross and microscopical pathology in a diseased basking shark that was
      live-stranded on the east coast of Scotland. Pyogranulomatous meningoencephalitis
      was present together with multifocal, predominantly non-suppurative, myocarditis
      with myocyte necrosis, oedema and haemorrhage. Additionally, there was full
      thickness ulcerative and fibrinonecrotizing dermatitis with underlying
      granulomatous inflammation. The aetiology could not be determined, but the
      lesions were suggestive of an infectious process, possibly bacterial.

PMID- 20304414
TI  - Percutaneous coronary intervention versus coronary artery bypass grafting for
      stenotic lesions after Kawasaki disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the long-term efficacy of percutaneous coronary
      intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for stenotic
      lesions after Kawasaki disease. STUDY DESIGN: Questionnaires were sent to
      pediatricians in Japan in hospitals with 100 or more beds. A total of 1637
      questionnaires were sent, and 1347 (82%) were returned. The primary endpoints of
      the study were the composite of deaths from any cause and the Q-wave myocardial
      infarction. The secondary endpoints were the repeat-revascularization for the
      target vessel. RESULTS: A total of 67 patients underwent PCI and 81 patients
      underwent CABG. Although the rates of the primary endpoints did not differ
      between the groups (hazard ratio 1.35 [95% confidence interval 0.29 to 6.32],
      P=.7), the rate of the secondary endpoints in the PCI group was significantly
      higher than that in the CABG group (hazard ratio 2.23 [95% confidence interval
      1.04 to 4.76], P=.04). The benefit with CABG for the secondary endpoints was
      notable in patients younger than 12 years old, and who had ischemic change.
      CONCLUSIONS: PCI after Kawasaki disease resulted in a lower efficacy in
      comparison to CABG because of increased repeat-revascularization procedures.

PMID- 20304413
TI  - Efficacy and safety of a high protein, low carbohydrate diet for weight loss in
      severely obese adolescents.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a carbohydrate restricted
      versus a low fat diet on weight loss, metabolic markers, body composition, and
      cardiac function tests in severely obese adolescents. STUDY DESIGN: Subjects were
      randomly assigned to 1 of 2 diets: a high protein, low carbohydrate (20 g/d) diet
      (high protein, low carbohydrate, HPLC) or low fat (30% of calories) regimen for
      13 weeks; close monitoring was maintained to evaluate safety. After the
      intervention, no clinical contact was made until follow-up measurements were
      obtained at 24 and 36 weeks from baseline. The primary outcome was change in body
      mass index Z-score for age and sex (BMI-Z) at 13, 24, and 36 weeks. RESULTS:
      Forty-six subjects (24 HPLC, 22 in low fat) initiated and 33 subjects completed
      the intervention; follow-up data were available on approximately half of the
      subjects. Significant reduction in (BMI-Z) was achieved in both groups during
      intervention and was significantly greater for the HPLC group (P = .03). Both
      groups maintained significant BMI-Z reduction at follow-up; changes were not
      significantly different between groups. Loss of lean body mass was not spared in
      the HPLC group. No serious adverse effects were observed related to metabolic
      profiles, cardiac function, or subjective complaints. CONCLUSIONS: The HPLC diet
      is a safe and effective option for medically supervised weight loss in severely
      obese adolescents.

PMID- 20304415
TI  - Physical activity and sedentary behavior among schoolchildren: a 34-country
      comparison.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe and compare levels of physical activity and sedentary
      behavior in schoolchildren from 34 countries across 5 WHO Regions. STUDY DESIGN:
      The analysis included 72,845 schoolchildren from 34 countries that participated
      in the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) and conducted data
      collection between 2003 and 2007. The questionnaire included questions on overall
      physical activity, walking, or biking to school, and on time spent sitting.
      RESULTS: Very few students engaged in sufficient physical activity. Across all
      countries, 23.8% of boys and 15.4% of girls met recommendations, with the lowest
      prevalence in Philippines and Zambia (both 8.8%) and the highest in India
      (37.5%). The prevalence of walking or riding a bicycle to school ranged from
      18.6% in United Arab Emirates to 84.8% in China. In more than half of the
      countries, more than one third of the students spent 3 or more hours per day on
      sedentary activities, excluding the hours spent sitting at school and doing
      homework. CONCLUSIONS: The great majority of students did not meet physical
      activity recommendations. Additionally, levels of sedentariness were high. These
      findings require immediate action, and efforts should be made worldwide to
      increase levels of physical activity among schoolchildren.

PMID- 20304417
TI  - A higher incidence of intermittent hypoxemic episodes is associated with severe
      retinopathy of prematurity.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a vasoproliferative disorder of the
      retina in preterm infants, is associated with multiple factors, including
      oxygenation level. We explored whether the common intermittent hypoxemic events
      in preterm infants are associated with the development of ROP. STUDY DESIGN:
      Oxygen desaturation events were quantified in 79 preterm infants (gestational
      age, 24 to 27-6/7 weeks) during the first 8 weeks of life. Infants were
      classified as requiring laser treatment for ROP versus having less severe or no
      ROP. A linear mixed model was used to study the association between the incidence
      of intermittent hypoxia and laser treatment of ROP, controlling for gestational
      age, sex, race, multiple births, and initial severity of illness. RESULTS: For
      all infants, hypoxemic events increased with postnatal age (P<.001). Controlling
      for all covariates, a higher incidence of oxygen desaturation events was found in
      the infants undergoing laser therapy for ROP (P<.001), males (P<.02), and infants
      of younger gestational age (P<.003). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of hypoxemic
      events was higher in infants with ROP requiring laser therapy. Therapeutic
      strategies to optimize oxygenation in preterm infants should include minimization
      of desaturation episodes, which may in turn decrease serious morbidity in this
      high-risk population.

PMID- 20304418
TI  - A national survey of pediatric residents and delivery room training experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate current delivery room training experience in US
      pediatric residency programs and the relationship between volume of delivery room
      training and confidence in neonatal resuscitation skills. STUDY DESIGN: Links to
      a web-based survey were sent to pediatric residency programs and distributed to
      residents. The survey concerned delivery room attendance during training and
      comfort level in leading neonatal resuscitation for various scenarios. Comfort
      level was rated on a 1 to 9 scale. Mixed models accounted for residency programs
      as random effects. RESULTS: For PL-3s, the mean number of deliveries attended was
      60 (standard deviation, 43), ranging from 13 to 143 deliveries for individual
      residency programs. Residents' confidence level in leading neonatal resuscitation
      was higher when attending more deliveries, with 90.3% of those attending>48
      deliveries having average score 5 or greater vs 51.5% of those attending<21
      deliveries. Higher attendance also correlated with confidence in endotracheal
      intubation and umbilical line placement. CONCLUSIONS: Wide variability existed
      within and among residency programs in number of deliveries attended. Volume of
      experience correlated with confidence in leading neonatal resuscitation and
      related procedural skills.

PMID- 20304419
TI  - Research initiatives in neonatal hypoglycemia.

PMID- 20304420
TI  - Non-immune goiter and hypothyroidism in a 19-week fetus: a plea for conservative
      treatment.
AB  - Hypothyroidism was documented by cordocentesis at 19 weeks in a fetus with non
      immune goiter. Intra-amniotic thyroxine was injected at 25 weeks when amniotic
      fluid volume increased. Psychomotor outcome was normal. We argue that intra
      amniotic thyroxine should not be used to treat the hypothyroidism but only to
      correct the development of polyhydramnios.

PMID- 20304421
TI  - State-level child health system performance and the likelihood of readmission to
      children's hospitals.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the relationship between children's hospital readmission
      and the performance of child health systems in the states in which hospitals are
      located. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 197,744
      patients 2 to 18 years old from 39 children's hospitals located in 24 states in
      the United States in 2005. Subjects were observed for a year after discharge for
      readmission to the same hospital. The odds of readmission were modeled on the
      basis of patient-level characteristics and state child health system performance
      as ranked by the Commonwealth Fund. RESULTS: A total of 1.8% of patients were
      readmitted within a week, 4.8% within a month, and 16.3% within 365 days. After
      adjustment for patient-level characteristics, the probability of readmission
      varied significantly between states (P=.001), and the likelihood of readmission
      during the ensuing year increased as the states' health system performance
      ranking improved. States in the best ranking quartile had a 2.03% higher
      readmission rate than states in the lowest quartile (P=.02); the same directional
      relationship was observed for readmission intervals from 1 to 365 days after
      discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Hospital readmission rates are significantly related to
      the performance of the surrounding health care system.

PMID- 20304422
TI  - Is there a role for primary care physicians' screening of excessive weight and
      eating concerns in adolescence?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the extent to which adolescents with excessive weight
      concerns and eating concerns are in contact with primary care physicians and
      could thus be identified in primary care. STUDY DESIGN: A representative sample
      of 7548 (16 to 20 years old) students completed a self-administered questionnaire
      on health-related topics (2002 Swiss Multicenter Adolescent Health Survey).
      Adolescents with excessive weight and eating concerns were compared with control
      subjects for frequency of somatic complaints and primary care visits in the past
      year. Analyses were stratified by sex. Logistic regression was used to adjust for
      confounders. RESULTS: Excessive weight and eating concerns were frequent in
      adolescents, particularly in girls (girls, 13.9%; boys, 1.6%). Adolescents with
      these concerns reported more frequent somatic complaints compared with their
      peers. Nearly 80% of them were in contact with a primary care physician at least
      once a year. CONCLUSION: Primary care physicians are in contact with adolescents
      who have excessive weight and eating concerns. Identification of these concerns
      should be encouraged for appropriate management.

PMID- 20304423
TI  - Fatal familial lung disease caused by ABCA3 deficiency without identified ABCA3
      mutations.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that some functionally significant variants in
      the gene encoding member A3 of the ATP Binding Cassette family (ABCA3) are not
      detected using exon-based sequencing approaches. STUDY DESIGN: The first of 2
      female siblings who died from neonatal respiratory failure was examined for
      mutations with sequence analysis of all ABCA3 exons and known regulatory elements
      within the 5' untranslated region. Lung tissue from both siblings was
      immunostained for ABCA3 and examined with electron microscopy. Segregation of
      ABCA3 alleles was determined with analysis of polymorphisms in the parents and
      all children. RESULTS: No mutations were identified with ABCA3 sequence analysis
      in the first affected infant. Affected siblings were concordant for their ABCA3
      alleles, but discordant from those of their unaffected siblings. ABCA3 protein
      was not detectable with immunostaining in lung tissue samples from both affected
      infants. Electron microscopy demonstrated small, dense lamellar bodies,
      characteristically seen with ABCA3 mutations. CONCLUSIONS: The segregation of
      ABCA3 alleles, absence of ABCA3 immunostaining, lung pathology, and
      ultrastructural findings support genetic ABCA3 deficiency as the cause of lung
      disease in these 2 infants, despite the lack of an identified genetic variant.

PMID- 20304424
TI  - Seasonality of child homicide.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether there is seasonal variation (by season and month
      of year) in homicides among young children. STUDY DESIGN: Homicide deaths in
      children<or=5 years (n=797), as identified in death certificates from 5 states
      (Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Washington), were analyzed for a
      seasonality effect in the years 1999-2006. Season and month of calendar year were
      used as categorical variables. A chi2 goodness of fit test was used to compare
      observed and expected proportions of homicides for the entire population.
      Stratified analyses of children dying before age 2 years and those dying between
      2 and 5 years of age were also conducted. RESULTS: The occurrence of homicide was
      proportional to the time interval in each category (P=.05). For the total
      population, there was no statistically significant variation between the expected
      and observed percentage of homicides by either season or month of calendar year
      (P=.46 and P=.74, respectively). For the stratified analyses, there was no
      statistically significant variation between expected and observed percentages of
      homicides by either season or month of calendar year for either population.
      CONCLUSION: There is no seasonality to child homicides by month of year or season
      of year among young children in the examined population.

PMID- 20304425
TI  - United States head circumference growth reference charts: birth to 21 years.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To produce a more reliable, continuous set of occipitofrontal head
      circumference (OFC) growth reference charts for males and females from birth to
      adulthood in the United States. STUDY DESIGN: After investigating the strengths
      and shortcomings of previous reports, we combined the most recent statistically
      reliable reports of OFC growth reference data into a locally weighted regression
      analysis to estimate percentile curves. We used cross-sectional prospective local
      pediatric data to validate our results. RESULTS: We present new age- and sex
      appropriate US OFC growth charts from birth to adulthood that include 3rd and
      97th percentile cutoff values. Our local pediatric data validate that our new
      proposed OFC growth charts' assessment of attained OFC growth is comparable with
      previous references. CONCLUSIONS: We have eliminated disagreements between
      multiple current references by unifying previously reported US OFC data into a
      single set of smoothed male and female growth reference charts from birth to
      adulthood. This will reduce confusion or errors in interpretation of normal
      versus abnormal measurements currently encountered by primary care clinicians and
      subspecialists when using OFC growth charts for the US pediatric population.

PMID- 20304426
TI  - The role of European genetic admixture in the etiology of the insulin resistance
      syndrome in children: are the effects mediated by fat accumulation?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the contribution of European genetic admixture (EUADM) to
      insulin resistance syndrome (IRS) in a multiethnic sample of children age 7-12
      years, and to explore whether body fat affects this relationship. STUDY DESIGN:
      Anthropometric measurements and blood pressure were assessed in 243 children.
      After an overnight fast, an intravenous glucose tolerance test was conducted, and
      measures of fasting insulin/glucose, lipids, insulin sensitivity (SI), and acute
      insulin response to glucose (AIRg) were obtained. The proportion of EUADM was
      determined by maximum likelihood estimation using 140 ancestry informative
      markers. Subjects were stratified into tertiles according to the proportion of
      EUADM for analyses. Subjects were categorized as lean or obese using body fat
      percentage cutpoints (25% in boys, 30% in girls). RESULTS: Among lean subjects
      (72%), the tertile representing the greatest proportion of EUADM was associated
      with higher SI (P<.001) and serum glucose (P<.05) and lower insulin (P<.05), AIRg
      (P<.001), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P=.05), and blood pressure
      (P<.05). However, among obese subjects, EUADM was associated only with SI
      (P<.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that population differences in IRS
      likely have a genetic component, but that the influence of genetic background may
      be masked by obesity.

PMID- 20304427
TI  - We do not have to sacrifice children's health to achieve academic goals.

PMID- 20304430
TI  - Surgical management of intrapericardial teratoma in the fetus.
AB  - Intrapericardial teratomas often present as life-threatening problems when
      diagnosed during fetal life. They are large lesions that compress the heart and
      lungs and can result in tamponade if not treated expeditiously. We present a case
      of a large teratoma that was managed by prenatal pericardiocentesis followed by
      surgical resection.

PMID- 20304431
TI  - In search of the best peritoneal adhesion model: comparison of different
      techniques in a rat model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adhesion-related complications after abdominal surgery result in
      significant morbidity and costs. Results from animal studies investigating
      prevention or treatment of adhesions are limited due to lack of consistency in
      existing animal models. The aim of this study was to compare quality and quantity
      of adhesions in four different models and to find the best model. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This study was approved by the University of Missouri Animal Care and
      Use Committee (ACUC). Forty female rats were randomly assigned to four different
      groups of 10 animals each. Adhesion created was performed utilizing the four
      techniques: Group 1 - parietal peritoneum excision (PPE), Group 2 - parietal
      peritoneum abrasion (PPA), Group 3 - peritoneal button creation (PBC), and Group
      4 - cecal abrasion (CA). Rats were allowed to recover and necropsy was performed
      on postoperative d 14. Adhesions were scored by an established quantitative and
      qualitative scoring systems. The midline incision served as the control in each
      animal. RESULTS: The four groups were not equal with respect to both quantity
      score (P<0.001) and quality score (P=0.042). The PBC group had the highest
      quantity of adhesions. The highest quality of adhesion was seen in the PPE group.
      A multivariate analysis carried out to quantify the performance of each model
      clearly demonstrated that PBC exhibited the best results in terms of both
      quantity and quality. CONCLUSIONS: The button technique (PBC) is most consistent
      and reproducible technique for an intra-abdominal adhesion model. This model can
      help in the study and development of substances to prevent adhesion formation in
      the future.

PMID- 20304429
TI  - Incidence and remission of sleep-disordered breathing and related symptoms in 6-
      to 17-year old children--the Tucson Children's Assessment of Sleep Apnea Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence and remission of sleep-disordered breathing
      in adolescent children. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 319 children completed 2 home
      polysomnograms approximately 5 years apart. Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) was
      determined to be present if a child had a respiratory disturbance index>or=1
      event per hour associated with >or=3% oxygen desaturation. Subjective symptoms
      such as witnessed apnea, excessive daytime sleepiness, difficulty initiating and
      maintaining sleep, and habitual loud snoring were considered present if they
      occurred frequently or almost always. Body mass index percentiles were calculated
      with childhood growth charts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
      adjusted for sex and age. RESULTS: The mean age at assessment was 8.5 years at
      baseline and 13.7 years at follow-up, respectively. Incident SDB was more common
      in boys (odds ratio [OR]=3.93, P=.008, confidence interval [CI]=1.41-10.90).
      Children with prevalent SDB were more likely to be boys (OR=2.48, P=.006) and had
      a greater increase in body mass index percentile change (OR 1.01, P=.034).
      Children with prevalent SDB also had 3.41 greater odds for development of obesity
      from baseline to follow-up in comparison with children with prevalent NoSDB.
      CONCLUSIONS: Adolescent boys are more likely to have persistent and incident SDB
      than girls. Children with prevalent SDB are more likely to have development of
      obesity. These risks are similar to those observed in adults.

PMID- 20304432
TI  - Lymhomatosis cerebri--a rare cause of leukoencephalopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lymphomatosis cerebri is a rare variant of primary central nervous
      system lymphoma. Clinically it presents usually as rapidly progressive dementia
      and is accompanied by extensive white matter changes in magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI). CASE DESCRIPTION: A 49-year-old immuno-competent male who
      complained of dull diffuse headache, rapidly deteriorated in higher functions
      over a 6 month period. On examination he was globally declined in cognitive
      functions and had papilledema. MRI showed extensive white matter lesions. He
      became temporarily alert, and attentive after a course of parenteral steroids.
      However within three weeks he relapsed and a wedge biopsy of the brain revealed
      histopathology consistent with lymphomatosis cerebri. CONCLUSION: The
      differential diagnosis of diffuse white matter diseases is constantly expanding.
      In the background of a rapidly progressing subcortical dementia and extensive
      white matter disease, neoplastic disorders of the brain especially lymphomatosis
      cerebri should be considered. Early tissue diagnosis is important for specific
      treatment and interventions.

PMID- 20304433
TI  - Risk stratification of men choosing surveillance for low risk prostate cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: We sought to predict biopsy progression in men on prostate cancer
      surveillance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 376 men with a median age of 65.5
      years (range 45.8 to 79.5) with low risk prostate cancer on surveillance
      underwent at least 1 followup biopsy after diagnosis. Progression was defined at
      surveillance biopsy as Gleason pattern 4 or 5, greater than 2 biopsy cores with
      cancer or greater than 50% involvement of any core with cancer. Proportional
      hazards analysis was used to evaluate the association between covariates and
      progression at surveillance biopsy. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate
      the probability of disease progression. RESULTS: Of the 376 men 123 (32.7%) had
      progression a median of 5.6 years (range 0.3 to 8.5) after diagnosis. Percent
      free PSA and maximum percent core involvement at diagnosis were associated with
      progression, allowing stratification of the progression risk at initial
      surveillance biopsy. Cancer presence and PSA density at initial surveillance
      biopsy were associated with subsequent progression, allowing stratification of
      the cumulative incidence of progression 3 years after initial surveillance biopsy
      (cumulative incidence 11.1%, 95% CI 4.7 to 25.2 for negative biopsy and PSAD less
      than 0.08 ng/ml/cm(3) vs 53.6%, 95% CI 38.6 to 70.0 for positive biopsy and PSAD
      0.08 ng/ml/cm(3) or greater, log rank test p <0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical
      variables at diagnosis and at first surveillance biopsy during followup in an
      active surveillance program can be used to inform men about the likelihood of an
      unfavorable prostate biopsy. This information could improve patient and physician
      acceptance of active surveillance in carefully selected men.

PMID- 20304434
TI  - Re: Low annual caseloads of United States surgeons conducting radical
      prostatectomy. C. J. Savage and A. J. Vickers. J Urol 2009; 182: 2677-2681.

PMID- 20304435
TI  - Re: Female epispadias management: perineal urethrocervicoplasty versus classical
      Young-Dees procedure. A. Cheikhelard, Y. Aigrain, H. Lottmann and S. Lortat
      Jacob. J Urol, suppl, 2009; 182: 1807-1812.

PMID- 20304436
TI  - Stable Pb isotope ratios in aerosols, precipitation, and size-fractionated
      particulate matter in the Gulf of Maine, Scotian Shelf, and Labrador Sea.
AB  - Measurements of Pb isotopes in aerosols, precipitation, and size-fractionated
      particulate matter from the Gulf of Maine, Scotian Shelf and Labrador Sea are
      used to investigate the source of Pb. The (206)Pb/(207)Pb ratio in aerosols and
      precipitation collected at New Castle, NH suggests that anthropogenic Pb is a
      mixture of US and Canadian sources. (206)Pb/(207)Pb ratios in >53 microm
      particulate matter from the Gulf of Maine and Scotian Shelf slope waters are
      consistent with contaminant Pb inputs predominantly from US and Canadian sources,
      while in shelf waters (206)Pb/(207)Pb ratios in >0.4 microm and >53 microm
      particles are consistent with a mixture of US and Canadian sources, as well as Pb
      associated with resuspended surface sediment. (206)Pb/(207)Pb ratios in
      particulate matter (>0.4 microm, 10-53 microm, and >53 microm) from Labrador Sea
      surface waters range from 1.165 to 1.211 and are a mixture of Pb derived from ore
      compositions consistent with Broken Hill, Australia and southeast Missouri, US
      sources.

PMID- 20304437
TI  - Principal processes within the estuarine salinity gradient: a review.
AB  - The salinity gradient is one of the main features characteristic of any estuarine
      ecosystem. Within this gradient in a critical salinity range of 5-8 PSU the major
      biotic and abiotic processes demonstrate non-linear dynamics of change in rates
      and directions. In estuaries, this salinity range acts as both external
      ecological factor and physiological characteristics of internal environment of
      aquatic organisms; it divides living conditions appropriate for freshwater and
      marine faunas, separates invertebrate communities with different osmotic
      regulation types, and defines the distribution range of high taxa. In this paper,
      the non-linearity of biotic processes within the estuarine salinity gradient is
      illustrated by the data on zooplankton from the Baltic estuaries. The non-tidal
      Baltic Sea provides a good demonstration of the above phenomena due to gradual
      changes of environmental factors and relatively stable isohalines. The non
      linearity concept coupled with the ecosystem approach served the basis for a new
      definition of an estuary proposed by the authors.

PMID- 20304438
TI  - The influence of Spartina maritima on carbon retention capacity in salt marshes
      from warm-temperate estuaries.
AB  - Salt marshes constitute highly productive systems playing an important role on
      ecosystem functions. The aim of this study is to compare the role of Spartina
      maritima salt marshes on carbon cycling. Thus, four salt marshes located in two
      mesotidal estuarine systems (Tagus and Mondego, two salt marshes per estuary)
      were studied. The S. maritima above- and belowground biomass, carbon production,
      decomposition rates (through a litterbag experiment) and carbon content in the
      sediment were estimated for a one year period in both systems and compared. In
      Corroios (located at the Tagus estuary) S. maritima salt marsh had the highest
      belowground production (1008 gC m(-2) y(-1)), slower decomposition rate (k=0.0024
      d(-1)), and the highest carbon content in sediments (750 gC m(-2) y(-1)); and
      thus, the highest carbon retention capacity. The other three salt marshes had
      comparatively higher aboveground productions, higher decomposition rates and
      lower carbon retention capacity. Therefore, Corroios had the most important
      carbon cycling characteristics. As a whole, results show that differences in
      carbon cycling in salt marshes depend mostly on its own characteristics and
      maturity, rather than the system itself. The intrinsic characteristics of the
      salt marshes, namely the physicochemical conditions determined by the maturity of
      the system, are more important factors affecting the role of warm-temperate
      mesotidal salt marshes as carbon sinks.

PMID- 20304439
TI  - The oxygen fluxes of sandy littoral areas: quantifying primary and secondary
      producers in the Baltic Sea.
AB  - The study aimed to estimate the total oxygen flow through the shallow littoral of
      the Gulf of Gdansk (southern Baltic Sea). Daily primary production and daily
      oxygen consumption by meso- and macroplankton and meio- and macrobenthos were
      measured, as well as the remaining (abiotic/microbial) oxygen consumption of the
      water column and bottom sediment. The daily gross primary production was 5.0 l of
      oxygen m(-2), oxygen consumption was 9.2 l m(-2), of which 16% were used by the
      water column and 84% by the bottom sediment. Abiotic oxygen consumption in water
      column contributed to less than 5% of the total oxygen consumption, and in the
      bottom sediment to 67%. Mesoplankton in the water column and meiobenthos in the
      bottom sediments were the major oxygen consumers in the littoral (67% and 26%,
      respectively).

PMID- 20304440
TI  - [Non-interventional post-authorisation studies in Spain: justification and basis
      of a new regulation].

PMID- 20304441
TI  - [Psychoactive drugs use and related visits of adolescents to the emergency
      department].
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To describe psychoactive substances (PS)-related
      visits of adolescents to the emergency department and to explore possible
      differential features in patients according to the kind of PS consumed. PATIENTS
      AND METHODS: Observational and analytic study. PS-related visits of adolescents
      to the emergency department during 30 months were studied. Patients were divided
      in two groups: those with alcohol intoxication only (Group_1) and those with
      other PS (Group_2) and they were compared. RESULTS: 333 consults were included,
      corresponding to 321 patients. Their mean age was 16,1 years (SD:1,1 years). Two
      hundred sixty-two(78,7%) were alcohol-related visits, and 110(33%) were related
      with another PS consumption. Of the 262 alcohol-related visits, 223 were only
      related with alcohol(Group_1), while the other 110 visits made up Group_2.
      Group_2 was composed of more males, more adolescents placed in Institutional Care
      and more adolescents with psychiatric records than Group_1. Likewise,
      distribution of Group_2 visits was less predictable than distribution of Group_1.
      CONCLUSIONS: PS consumption is a frequent major complaint in an Emergency
      Department. There are more poly-intoxications in males with psycho-social
      problems. In those cases, consumption seems to happen regardless of the time in
      the day or the day of the week.

PMID- 20304442
TI  - Peripheral signals of energy homeostasis as possible markers of training stress
      in athletes: a review.
AB  - The importance of physical exercise in regulating energy balance and ultimately
      body mass is widely recognized. There have been several investigative efforts in
      describing the regulation of the energy homeostasis. Important in this regulatory
      system is the existence of several peripheral signals that communicate the status
      of body energy stores to the hypothalamus including leptin, adiponectin, ghrelin,
      interleukin-6, interleukin-1beta, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha--different
      cytokines and other peptides that affect energy homeostasis. In certain
      circumstances, all these peripheral signals may be used to reveal the condition
      of the athlete as the result of several months of prolonged exercise training.
      These hormone and cytokine concentrations characterize a physical stress
      condition in which different hormone and cytokine responses are apparently linked
      to changes in physical performance. The possibility to use these peripheral
      signals as markers of training stress (and possible overreaching/overtraining) in
      elite athletes should be considered. These measured hormone and cytokine levels
      could also be used to characterize the physical stress of single exercise
      session, as the hormone and cytokine response to exercise may actually be a
      response to the concurrent energy deficit. In summary, different peripheral
      signals of energy homeostasis may be sensitive to changes in specific training
      stress and may be useful for predicting the onset of possible
      overreaching/overtraining in athletes.

PMID- 20304443
TI  - Hypoglycemic and insulin-sensitizing effects of berberine in high-fat diet- and
      streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.
AB  - Hypoglycemic effects of berberine (BBR) have been reported in several studies in
      cell and animal models. However, the mechanisms of action are not fully
      understood. The present study was therefore aimed at determining the effect and
      underlying mechanisms of action of BBR on diabetes in a high-fat diet- and
      streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat model. Ninety male Sprague-Dawley rats, 150
      to 170 g, were housed individually in cages. Two groups (n = 12 each) were fed
      the AIN-93G diet (normal control) and the same diet modified to contain 33% fat
      and 2% cholesterol (high-fat control), respectively. The third group (n = 66) was
      fed the high-fat diet and injected intraperitoneally 2 weeks later with 35 mg/kg
      body weight of streptozotocin in citrate buffer (pH 4.5). The rats in both
      control groups were injected with the vehicle. After 12 days, rats with
      semifasting (5 hours) blood glucose levels between 14 and 25 mmol/L were divided
      into 4 groups (n = 12 each) and treated with 0 (diabetic control), 50, 100, and
      150 mg/kg/d of BBR for 6 weeks while continuing on the high-fat diet.
      Hypoglycemic effects of BBR were consistently demonstrated by semifasting and
      fasting blood glucose levels, and insulin-sensitizing effects were seen during
      oral glucose tolerance testing. Berberine also reduced food intake while having
      no effect on body weight in diabetic rats. No effect of BBR was observed on
      plasma levels of insulin, adipokines (leptin and adiponectin), or inflammatory
      cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-alpha and C-reactive protein). Berberine did not
      affect the state of oxidative stress as assessed by the activity of superoxide
      dismutase and the concentrations of malondialdehyde and reduced and oxidized
      glutathione in the liver. These findings demonstrated the hypoglycemic and
      insulin-sensitizing capabilities of BBR, with the underlying mechanisms awaiting
      further investigation.

PMID- 20304444
TI  - [Orbital tumors arising from paranasal sinuses].
AB  - Orbital tumors arising from paranasal sinuses comprise mucoceles and malignant
      ethmoidal tumors. Most often, anamnestic, clinical, and radiological data as well
      as endoscopic biopsy performed by an ENT surgeon provide the preoperative
      diagnosis. If the tumor is benign, surgery can cure the patient. It is associated
      with chemotherapy and radiotherapy if the tumor is malignant.

PMID- 20304445
TI  - [History of orbital surgery].

PMID- 20304446
TI  - [Orbital metastasis].
AB  - Orbital metastases are uncommon, accounting for 4% of all adult orbital tumors.
      The mean age at time of presentation is 60 years. The primary tumor is most often
      a carcinoma involving the breast (40%), lung (11%), or prostate (8%). Proptosis
      is the main clinical sign at diagnosis and is often associated with visual
      impairment, pain or ptosis. Imaging features are not specific; nevertheless, an
      enhanced extraconal tumor with osteolysis suggests the diagnosis. From a
      pathological point of view, there are no differences between the metastasis and
      the primary tumor. Regarding the average survival, the gold standard treatment
      remains radiotherapy.

PMID- 20304447
TI  - Quiet heroes after the quake.

PMID- 20304448
TI  - [Functional imaging of tumors. Part 2].
AB  - Most advances in conventional diagnostic imaging techniques have focused on
      improving the spatial resolution and speed of acquisition of images or on new
      contrast agents. However, tumors are extremely complex biological models with a
      series of characteristics like hypoxia, metabolism, cellularity, angiogenesis,
      and functionality of the lymph nodes that are very important in oncology but
      cannot be adequately studied with these diagnostic imaging methods. In this
      article, we discuss the possible contributions of different functional imaging
      techniques based on computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, or positron
      emission tomography to obtain information about different biological processes
      and characteristics that are very important for diagnosing, staging, planning
      treatment, evaluating the response to treatment, and monitoring the evolution of
      cancer patients, as well as for the development of new drugs.

PMID- 20304449
TI  - [Aneurysmatic bone cyst coexisting with osteosarcoma. Radiopathologic
      discussion].
AB  - Aneurysmatic bone cysts are benign lesions of unknown origin. It has been
      postulated that they might occur in reaction to trauma or to a primary benign
      (giant cell tumor, chondroblastoma, etc.) or malignant (osteosarcoma) bone tumor
      that results in local hemodynamic changes. Their malignant transformation is
      controversial. We present a case of low grade osteosarcoma with a radiologic
      progression that was indistinguishable from that of an aneurysmatic bone cyst.

PMID- 20304450
TI  - Molecular and virological studies on contagious pustular dermatitis isolates from
      Egyptian sheep and goats.
AB  - Orf virus was clinically diagnosed from different field cases of sheep and goat
      in Hawamdia, Giza, Egypt during the summer 2006. Skin scabs were collected and
      used for virus isolation, electron microscopy, PCR and sequencing for
      confirmation, and differential diagnosis. The aetiological virus was fruitfully
      isolated on the chorio-allantoic membrane of SPF embryonated chicken eggs
      indicated by expressing the characteristic pock lesions of Poxviridae family.
      Electron microscopy examination exposed negatively stained oval-shape virus
      particles trait for members of the genus Parapoxvirus. A 392 bp fragment of the
      late transcription factor (VLTF-1) gene of orf virus was amplified by PCR from
      the DNA extracted from the isolates. Phylogenetic analysis revealed 99% identity
      with other orf virus strains reported worldwide. Selection and processing of
      clinical specimens and PCR assay applied in this endeavor, presented a reliable
      laboratory diagnostic tool for orf infections and first molecular
      characterization of Egyptian orf isolates.

PMID- 20304451
TI  - First report on Parafilaria bovicola (Nematoda: Filaroidea) in Germany.
AB  - From September 2008 to April 2009 several cases of spontaneous bleeding and
      nodules from the back and withers area of cattle otherwise considered as healthy
      have been reported from several farms in south-western and southern Germany.
      Successive investigation of these cases gave strong evidence of Parafilaria (P.)
      bovicola infections due to their seasonal occurrence and specific pathological
      lesions. There was no history of animal import from endemic countries for the
      affected cattle herds. In one case, a nodule containing nematode fragments and an
      intact female nematode were recovered from a slaughtered White Galloway bull.
      This sample was identified as P. bovicola and is the first report of bovine
      parafilariosis in Germany.

PMID- 20304452
TI  - Incisional ventral hernias: review of the literature and recommendations
      regarding the grading and technique of repair.
AB  - Despite advances in surgical technique and prosthetic technologies, the risks for
      recurrence and infection are high following the repair of incisional ventral
      hernias. High-quality data suggest that all ventral hernia repairs should be
      reinforced with prosthetic repair materials. The current standard for reinforced
      hernia repair is synthetic mesh, which can reduce the risk for recurrence in many
      patients. However, permanent synthetic mesh can pose a serious clinical problem
      in the setting of infection. Assessing patients' risk for wound infection and
      other surgical-site occurrences, therefore, is an outstanding need. To our
      knowledge, there currently exists no consensus in the literature regarding the
      accurate assessment of risk of surgical-site occurrences in association with or
      the appropriate techniques for the repair of incisional ventral hernias. This
      article proposes a novel hernia grading system based on risk factor
      characteristics of the patient and the wound. Using this system, surgeons may
      better assess each patient's risk for surgical-site occurrences and thereby
      select the appropriate surgical technique, repair material, and overall clinical
      approach for the patient. A generalized approach and technical considerations for
      the repair of incisional ventral hernias are outlined, including the appropriate
      use of component separation and the growing role of biologic repair materials.

PMID- 20304453
TI  - Evaluation of a pediatric protocol of intrapleural urokinase for pleural empyema:
      a prospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intrapleural urokinase has been shown to be effective in the
      treatment of pleural effusions in children. However, optimal dosing in children
      is debated. The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate a specific
      pediatric protocol of intrapleural urokinase. METHODS: All children admitted to a
      single institution over a 6-year period with a diagnosis of pleural empyema were
      managed with chest tube and fibrinolytics. Clinical data were collected
      prospectively. Urokinase (56,000 IU in 56 mL saline/m(2) body surface) was
      administered twice daily, and was continued until resolution of the effusion.
      Further operative treatment was considered if urokinase treatment was
      unsuccessful after >/=3 days. Results are shown as median values (interquartile
      range). RESULTS: Forty-one consecutive children aged 4.4 (3.2-6.9) years were
      included in the study, and received 420,000 (280,000-750,000) IU of urokinase
      over 7 (4-8) days. Suction through the chest drain was applied for 8 (6-10) days,
      and IV antibiotics were discontinued after 12 (10-15) days from the start of
      intrapleural fibrinolytics. Four children (9.8%) required 5 additional operative
      procedures (3 thoracoscopic debridements and 2 minithoracotomic debridements).
      Patients were discharged after 13 (11-16) days from the beginning of intrapleural
      urokinase. No major side effects attributable to urokinase were observed.
      CONCLUSION: Intrapleural instillation of urokinase according to a specific
      pediatric protocol results in a high success rate when applied as a primary
      treatment in children with pleural empyema. Administration of a size-adjusted
      dose of urokinase proved to be safe and could optimize drug utilization.

PMID- 20304454
TI  - Single administration of di(n-butyl) phthalate delays spermatogenesis in
      prepubertal rats.
AB  - Morphological alterations in seminiferous tubules caused by single administration
      of di(n-butyl) phthalate (DBP) in 3-week-old rats were investigated throughout
      the first wave of spermatogenesis. Single administration of DBP (500 mg/kg)
      showed progressive detachment and displacement of spermatogenic cells and
      disappearance of tubular lumen at 3h after treatment, and then showed thin
      seminiferous epithelia and wide tubular lumen at day 1 (D1). At D1, quite
      significant numbers of apoptotic spermatogenic cells were detected, and then they
      gradually decreased in accordance with the passage of time. In contrast, the
      testes revealed lower weight gain, even after completion of first wave of
      spermatogenesis in the DBP-treated group, compared to the control. In order to
      clarify whether spermatogenic cells differentiate into mature spermatids in the
      DBP-treated rats, immunohistochemical staining for Hsc 70t, a specific marker for
      elongate spermatids, was carried out. As a result, the decrease in mature
      spermatids in the DBP-treated testes, compared to the control, was demonstrated.
      For example, at D20 (41-day-old) after treatment, the most advanced spermatids in
      the tubules from rats in the DBP-treated groups were steps 2-4, while those of
      the control were steps 12-13. Moreover, in some tubules, pachytene spermatocytes
      were the most advanced spermatogenic cell. At D30 (51-day-old) after treatment,
      maturation of spermatogenic cells in the DBP-treated rats proceeded further, and
      the most advanced spermatids in tubules were steps 8-9, while those of the
      control were steps 15-19. These results lead us to the postulation that a single
      administration of DBP to prepubertal rats delays maturation of spermatogenic
      cells, even after completion of first wave of spermatogenesis.

PMID- 20304455
TI  - Complete genomic sequence and an infectious BAC clone of feline herpesvirus-1
      (FHV-1).
AB  - Infection with feline herpesvirus-1 (FHV-1) is a major cause of upper respiratory
      and ocular diseases in Felidae. We report the first complete genomic sequence of
      FHV-1, as well as the construction and characterization of a bacterial artificial
      chromosome (BAC) clone of FHV-1, which contains the entire FHV-1 genome and has
      the BAC vector inserted at the left end of U(L). Complete genomic sequences were
      derived from both the FHV-1 BAC clone and purified virion DNA. The FHV-1 genome
      is 135,797bp in size with an overall G+C content of 45%. A total of 78 open
      reading frames were predicted, encoding 74 distinct proteins. The gene
      arrangement is collinear with that of most sequenced varicelloviruses. The virus
      regenerated from the BAC was very similar to the parental C-27 strain in vitro in
      terms of plaque morphology and growth characteristics and highly virulent in cats
      in a preliminary in vivo study.

PMID- 20304456
TI  - Antibody-mediated neutralization of Ebola virus can occur by two distinct
      mechanisms.
AB  - Human Ebola virus causes severe hemorrhagic fever disease with high mortality and
      there is no vaccine or treatment. Antibodies in survivors occur early, are
      sustained, and can delay infection when transferred into nonhuman primates.
      Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) from survivors exhibit potent neutralizing activity
      in vitro and are protective in rodents. To better understand targets and
      mechanisms of neutralization, we investigated a panel of mAbs shown previously to
      react with the envelope glycoprotein (GP). While one non-neutralizing mAb
      recognized a GP epitope in the nonessential mucin-like domain, the rest were
      specific for GP1, were neutralizing, and could be further distinguished by
      reactivity with secreted GP. We show that survivor antibodies, human KZ52 and
      monkey JP3K11, were specific for conformation-dependent epitopes comprising
      residues in GP1 and GP2 and that neutralization occurred by two distinct
      mechanisms; KZ52 inhibited cathepsin cleavage of GP whereas JP3K11 recognized the
      cleaved, fusion-active form of GP.

PMID- 20304458
TI  - Electro-oxidation of reverse osmosis concentrates generated in tertiary water
      treatment.
AB  - This work investigates the application of the electro-oxidation technology
      provided with boron doped diamond (BDD), an electrode material which has shown
      outstanding properties in oxidation of organic and inorganic compounds, for the
      treatment of reverse osmosis (RO) concentrates generated in tertiary wastewater
      treatment plants (WWTP). Chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonium and several
      anions were measured during the electro-oxidation process, and the influence of
      the applied current density (20-200A/m(2)) was analysed on process kinetics.
      Analytical assessment showed that several emerging pollutants (pharmaceuticals,
      personal care products, stimulants, etc.) were presented both in the effluent of
      the secondary WWTP as well as in the RO concentrate. For this reason, a group of
      10 emerging pollutants, those found with higher concentrations, was selected in
      order to test whether electro-oxidation can be also applied for their mitigation.
      In the removal of emerging pollutants the electrical current density in the range
      20-100A/m(2) did not show influence likely due to the mass transfer resistance
      developed in the process when the oxidized solutes are present in such low
      concentrations. Their removal rates were fitted to first order expressions, and
      the apparent kinetic constants for the anodic oxidation of each compound were
      calculated. Finally, the formation of trihalomethanes (THMs) has been checked;
      concluding that after selecting the appropriate operational conditions the
      attained concentration is lower than the standards for drinking water established
      in European and EPA regulations.

PMID- 20304457
TI  - Lack of complex N-glycans on HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins preserves protein
      conformation and entry function.
AB  - The HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein complex (Env) is the focus of vaccine development
      aimed at eliciting humoral immunity. Env's extensive and heterogeneous N-linked
      glycosylation affects folding, binding to lectin receptors, antigenicity and
      immunogenicity. We characterized recombinant Env proteins and virus particles
      produced in mammalian cells that lack N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I (GnTI),
      an enzyme necessary for the conversion of oligomannose N-glycans to complex N
      glycans. Carbohydrate analyses revealed that trimeric Env produced in GnTI(-/-)
      cells contained exclusively oligomannose N-glycans, with incompletely trimmed
      oligomannose glycans predominating. The folding and conformation of Env proteins
      was little affected by the manipulation of the glycosylation. Viruses produced in
      GnTI(-/-) cells were infectious, indicating that the conversion to complex
      glycans is not necessary for Env entry function, although virus binding to the C
      type lectin DC-SIGN was enhanced. Manipulating Env's N-glycosylation may be
      useful for structural and functional studies and for vaccine design.

PMID- 20304459
TI  - Molecular effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on the Chironomus riparius
      estrogen-related receptor gene.
AB  - Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) mimic the action of endogenous estrogen
      hormones; consequently, they can interfere with the endocrine systems of a
      variety of organisms. There is global concern regarding the potential impacts of
      EDCs on the aquatic environment. To evaluate the effects of EDCs on the estrogen
      related receptors (ERR) of Chironomus, we characterized full-length cDNA
      sequences of the ERR gene from Chironomus riparius. The complete cDNA sequence of
      the ERR gene was found to be 1332bp in length. The results of our phylogenetic
      analysis demonstrated that C. riparius ERR was most closely related to that of
      mosquitoes. The basal level of ERR mRNA was expressed abundantly during different
      life-history stages, with the exception of adult males. Additionally, ERR gene
      expression was upregulated significantly in C. riparius exposed to bisphenol A
      (BPA) and 4-nonylphenol (NP) at all concentrations assayed after 24h of exposure.
      The ERR gene was significantly upregulated following short periods of exposure to
      di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) concentrations of only 50mgL(-1). However, under
      long-term exposure conditions, ERR expression was induced to a significant degree
      after BPA, NP, and DEHP exposure at all concentrations assayed. Furthermore, the
      luciferase reporter gene assay revealed increased ERR expression following
      exposure to these compounds. Collectively, these findings indicate that EDCs
      influence the expression of ERR in Chironomus species.

PMID- 20304460
TI  - Indoor measurements of the sum of the nitrate radical, NO3, and nitrogen
      pentoxide, N2O5 in Denmark.
AB  - There is a need for indoor measurements of nitrate radicals (NO(3)) and nitrogen
      pentoxide (N(2)O(5)) to better understand removal and transformation of volatile
      organic compounds in indoor environments, and to evaluate the possible health
      effects from exposure to nitrated reaction products. NO(3) and NO(2) react to
      form N(2)O(5) in the presence of a third molecule, and the fast equilibrium
      necessitates measurements of both NO(3) and N(2)O(5) in the evaluation of indoor
      NO(3) chemistry. The sum of these two species, NO(3)( *), was quantified in an
      office building in Denmark by measuring an oxidation product of the
      cyclohexene/NO(3) reaction in a flow-tube set-up. NO(3)( *) concentrations ranged
      from 1 to 58ppt, where N(2)O(5) was estimated to account for more than 68%. The
      concentrations of the precursors, NO(2) and O(3), and the photolysis of NO(3)
      were parameters, which clearly influenced NO(3)( *) apparent from the different
      precursor concentrations, lighting and daylight versus dark samples in this
      study. Also indoor air pollutants, in particular alkenes such as limonene and
      alpha-pinene, can significantly reduce NO(3)( *). These first indoor measurements
      of NO(3)( *), warrant further high time resolution measurements of NO(3),
      N(2)O(5), and organic nitrates indoors.

PMID- 20304461
TI  - The effects of alkaline dosage and Si/Al ratio on the immobilization of heavy
      metals in municipal solid waste incineration fly ash-based geopolymer.
AB  - The present research explored the application of geopolymerization for the
      immobilization and solidification of municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI)
      fly ash. The influence of alkaline activator dosage and Si/Al molar ratio on the
      compressive strength and microstructure of MSWI fly ash-based geopolymer was
      investigated. A geopolymer with the highest strength was identified to occur at
      an intermediate alkaline activator dosage and Si/Al ratio, and the optimal
      Na/MSWI fly ash and Si/Al molar ratio was close to 2.8 mol kg(-1) and 2.0,
      respectively. IR spectra showed that higher alkaline activator dosage enhanced
      the structural disruption of the original aluminosilicate phases and a higher
      degree of polymerization of the geopolymer networks. At low Si/Al ratio, there
      was an increasing number of tetrahedral Al incorporating into the silicate
      backbone. As the Na/MSWI fly ash ratio increased, the microstructure changed from
      containing large macropores to more mesopores and micropores, indicating that
      more geopolymers are formed. Furthermore, the pore volume distribution of
      geopolymers was observed to shift to larger pores as the Si/Al ratio increased,
      which suggests that the soluble silicon content serves to reduce the amount of
      geopolymers. Heavy metal leaching was successfully elucidated using the first
      order reaction/reaction-diffusion model. Combining the results from the
      microstructure of samples with the kinetic analysis, the immobilization mechanism
      of Cr, Cu, and Zn was inferred in this study. The methodologies described could
      provide a powerful set of tools for the systematic evaluation of element release
      from geopolymers.

PMID- 20304462
TI  - Comparison of dynamic mobilization of Co, Cd and Pb in sediments using DGT and
      metal mobility assessed by sequential extraction.
AB  - Management of metal-contaminated sediments requires an accurate knowledge of
      metal distribution and metal exchanges between the solid and solution phase. The
      DGT technique (diffusive gradients in thin films) provides information about the
      characteristics of metal release from the particles to the porewaters. However,
      the species of metals that participate in the exchange are not well documented.
      The aim of this paper was to explore the DGT response of Co, Cd and Pb, to a
      range of reservoir sediments exhibiting gradients of physico-chemical parameters.
      We also characterized the chemical partitioning of the three metals by sequential
      extraction to determine the nature of the sediment-bound metals species that
      could participate to the metal resupply to the porewaters. Results from DGT
      experiments and sequential extraction show that specific geochemical phases are
      key factors for the mobilization of individual metals towards DGT: dissolved
      organic matter and manganese oxides for Co, acid-volatile sulfides for Cd and
      particulate organic matter for Pb. Moreover, the masses of metals trapped in DGT
      are mainly correlated with the concentrations of metals that are easily
      exchangeable, specifically sorbed or weakly bound to labile organic matter.

PMID- 20304463
TI  - Archaeological horizons and fluvial processes at the Lower Paleolithic open-air
      site of Revadim (Israel).
AB  - In this paper we present new data pertaining to the paleo-landscape
      characteristics at the Acheulian site of Revadim, on the southern coastal plain
      of Israel. Sedimentological, isotopic, granulometric and micromorphological
      studies showed that the archaeological remains accumulated in an active fluvial
      environment where channel action, overbank flooding and episodic inundation
      occurred. Measurements of total organic matter and its carbon isotopic
      composition indicate that the hominin activity at the site started at a period of
      relatively drier conditions, which coincided with erosion of the preceding soil
      sequence. This process led to the formation of a gently-undulating topography, as
      reconstructed by a GIS model. Later deposition documents relatively wetter
      conditions, as indicated by carbon isotopic composition. Formation processes
      identified at the site include fluvial processes, inundation episodes that
      resulted in anaerobic conditions and formation of oxide nodules, as well as small
      scale bioturbation and later infiltration of carbonate-rich solutions that
      resulted in the formation of calcite nodules and crusts. The combination of micro
      habitats created favorable conditions that repeatedly drew hominins to the area,
      as seen by a series of super-imposed archaeological horizons. This study shows
      that site-specific paleo-landscape reconstructions should play an important role
      in understanding regional variation among hominin occupations and in
      extrapolating long-term behavioral patterns during the Middle Pleistocene.

PMID- 20304464
TI  - Studying post depositional damage on Acheulian bifaces using 3-D scanning.
AB  - In this study, we explore post-depositional damage observed on Acheulian bifacial
      tools by comparing two assemblages: a collection of archaeological handaxes which
      shows pronounced damage marks associated with high energy water accumulation
      system, and an experimental assemblage that was rolled and battered in a
      controlled simulation experiment. Scanning the two assemblages with a precise 3-D
      optical scanner and subjecting the measured surfaces to the same mathematical
      analysis enabled the development of quantitative measures assessing and comparing
      the degree of damage observed on archaeological and experimental tools. The
      method presented here enables the definition of morphological patterns typically
      resulting from battering and different from intentional controlled knapping. The
      most important kinds of damage included the formation of deep, random 'notch
      like' scars on the lateral edges and substantial degrees of damage to the tip of
      the tools, but minimal damage to the artifact's butt. Quantifying the degree of
      damage and its location and morphological characters allows us to present a
      method by which post depositional damage on archaeological tools can be measured.

PMID- 20304465
TI  - Integrating water and agricultural management under climate change.

PMID- 20304466
TI  - Aerosol chemical composition over Istanbul.
AB  - This study examines the chemical composition of aerosols over the Greater
      Istanbul Area. To achieve this 325 (PM(10)) aerosol samples were collected over
      Bosphorus from November 2007 to June 2009 and were analysed for the main ions,
      trace metals, water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), organic (OC) and elemental
      carbon (EC). PM(10) levels were found to be in good agreement with those measured
      by the Istanbul Municipality air quality network, indicating that the sampling
      site is representative of the Greater Istanbul Area. The main ions measured in
      the PM(10) samples were Na(+), Ca(2+) and non-sea-salt sulphates (nss-SO(4)(2-)).
      On average, 31% of Ca(2+) was found to be associated with carbonates. Trace
      elements related to human activities (as Pb, V, Cd and Ni) obtained peak values
      during winter due to domestic heating, whereas natural origin elements like Al,
      Fe and Mn peaked during the spring period due to dust transport from Northern
      Africa. Organic carbon was found to be mostly primary and elemental carbon was
      strongly linked to fuel oil combustion and traffic. Both OC and EC concentrations
      increased during winter due to domestic heating, while the higher WSOC to OC
      ratio during summer can be mostly attributed to the presence of secondary,
      oxidised and more soluble organics. Factor analysis identified six
      components/sources for aerosol species in PM(10), namely traffic/industrial,
      crustal, sea-salt, fuel-oil combustion, secondary and ammonium sulfate.

PMID- 20304467
TI  - A novel mutation (g2172-->c) in the factor V gene in a Chinese family with
      hereditary activated protein C resistance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Activated protein C resistance (APC-R) was a major risk factor for
      venous thromboembolism(VTE) in Caucasians, and at least 90% of APC-R were
      associated with the point mutation of factor V (FV) gene (Arg506-->Gln, FV
      Leiden). However, this genetic defect was extremely rare in Asian population.
      OBJECTIVE: To identify the genetic defect of FV in a Chinese family with APC-R
      associated with VTE. METHODS: We describe a Chinese family with a history of
      venous thrombosis. Blood samples were obtained from five family members
      (including the proband) for screening APC-R by coagulation assay and the genetic
      defect of FV using direct sequencing. RESULTS: Four out of five members had APC
      R. We identified a novel mutation (G2172-->C) in exon 13 of the FV gene, which
      was present in all the individuals with APC-R but was absent in the individual
      without APC-R. This mutation is predicted to result in the replacement of
      glutamate by aspartate at position 666, close to one of the APC cleavage sites.
      CONCLUSIONS: We have identified, for the first time, a novel mutation (G2172-->C)
      of FV that was associated with APC-R in a Chinese family with VTE. We speculate
      that this mutation interferes with cleavage at Arg679 by APC. The incomplete
      penetrance of thrombotic phenotype in this family, similar to that conferred by
      FV Leiden, suggests that it might be a weak risk factor for VTE.

PMID- 20304468
TI  - Serum tetranectin as a preoperative indicator for postoperative complications in
      Danish ovarian cancer patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The association between tetranectin (TN) and selected lifestyle
      factors (smoking and alcohol) and the postoperative complication rate for ovarian
      cancer (OC) patients undergoing primary cytoreductive surgery has not yet been
      characterized. The aim of the study was to examine the value of TN, smoking and
      alcohol as indicators of postoperative complications in OC patients. METHODS:
      Serum TN was measured for 374 OC patients undergoing primary cytoreductive
      surgery. In addition, they reported their smoking and alcohol status. The
      prognostic value of variables was found with univariate and multivariate analyses
      using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: In univariate analysis TN was the
      only one out of 8 variables that significantly predicted postoperative
      complications (OR=0.55 (95% CI: 0.34-0.87), P=0.01). High preoperative serum TN
      was associated with a low risk of postoperative complications. Stepwise reduction
      of the multivariate model demonstrated that TN and histology were the only
      significant co-variables (TN, OR=0.51 (95% CI: 0.32-0.83), P=0.006; histology,
      OR=1.70 (95% CI: 1.02-2.82), P=0.041). TN was the only indicator, which was
      statistical significant in both univariate and multivariate analyses. CONCLUSION:
      Preoperative serum TN is a significant indicator of postoperative complications
      in Danish OC patients and deserves to be validated in larger future studies.

PMID- 20304469
TI  - Profile of eicosanoid generation in aspirin-intolerant asthma and anaphylaxis
      assessed by new biomarkers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has recently demonstrated that a free radical-mediated pathway
      generates prostaglandins (PGs) and the corresponding prostaglandin enantiomers
      (ent-PGs). Aspirin-intolerant asthma and anaphylaxis accompany PGD(2)
      overproduction, possibly associated with mast cell activation via the COX
      pathway. However, free radical-mediated PG generation in the pathophysiology of
      these diseases, which can be demonstrated by measuring urinary ent-PGF(2)alpha,
      has not been reported. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the characteristic profile of
      eicosanoid generation via the COX and/or free radical-mediated pathway underlying
      aspirin-intolerant asthma and anaphylaxis. METHODS: A comparative group analysis
      consisted of asthma (n = 17) and anaphylaxis (n = 8, none with aspirin-induced
      anaphylaxis) cases. Urinary eicosanoid concentrations were quantified as follows:
      2,3-dinor-9alpha,11beta-PGF(2) by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry;
      leukotriene E(4), 9alpha,11beta-PGF(2), and PGs by enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS:
      2,3-Dinor-9alpha,11beta-PGF(2) is a more predominant PGD(2) metabolite in urine
      than 9alpha,11beta-PGF(2). At baseline, the aspirin-intolerant asthma group (n =
      10) had significantly higher leukotriene E(4) and lower PGE(2) concentrations in
      urine than the aspirin-tolerant asthma group. During the reaction, the urinary
      concentrations of leukotriene E(4) and PGD(2) metabolites correlatively
      increased, but with markedly different patterns of the mediator release, in the
      aspirin-intolerant asthma group and the anaphylaxis group, respectively. The
      urinary PGD(2) metabolites and primary PGs were significantly decreased in the
      aspirin-tolerant asthma group. Urinary ent-PGF(2)alpha concentrations were
      significantly increased in the anaphylaxis group but not the aspirin-intolerant
      asthma group. CONCLUSIONS: When assessed by urinary 2,3-dinor-9alpha,11beta
      PGF(2), PGD(2) overproduction during aspirin-intolerant bronchoconstriction was
      clearly identified, regardless of COX inhibition. It is evident that free radical
      mediated PG generation is involved in the pathophysiology of anaphylaxis.

PMID- 20304470
TI  - A novel method for assessing unchallenged levels of mediators in nasal epithelial
      lining fluid.

PMID- 20304471
TI  - Anti-IgE therapy results in decreased myeloid dendritic cells in asthmatic
      airways.

PMID- 20304472
TI  - Is the detection of IgE to multiple Bet v 1-homologous food allergens by means of
      allergen microarray clinically useful?

PMID- 20304473
TI  - Regulatory B cells prevent and reverse allergic airway inflammation via FoxP3
      positive T regulatory cells in a murine model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Parasitic helminth infections of humans have been shown to suppress
      the immune response to allergens. Experimentally, infection of mice with the
      helminth Schistosoma mansoni prevents allergic airway inflammation and
      anaphylaxis via IL-10 and B cells. OBJECTIVE: To identify and characterize the
      specific helminth-induced regulatory B-cell subpopulation and determine the
      mechanism by which these regulatory B cells suppress allergic airway
      inflammation. METHODS: IL-10-producing B cells from the spleens of helminth
      infected mice were phenotyped, isolated, and transferred to ovalbumin-sensitized
      mice, and their ability to modulate allergic airway inflammation was analyzed.
      RESULTS: S mansoni infection induced IL-10-producing CD1d(high) regulatory B
      cells that could prevent ovalbumin-induced allergic airway inflammation following
      passive transfer to ovalbumin-sensitized recipients. The capacity of regulatory B
      cells to suppress allergic airway inflammation was dependent on the expression of
      CD1d, and they functioned via an IL-10-mediated mechanism. Regulatory B cells
      induced pulmonary infiltration of CD4(+)CD25(+) forkhead box protein 3(+)
      regulatory T cells, independent of TGF-beta, thereby suppressing allergic airway
      inflammation. Regulatory B cells that were generated ex vivo also suppressed the
      development of allergic airway inflammation. Furthermore, the transfer of
      regulatory B cells reversed established airway inflammation in ovalbumin
      sensitized mice. CONCLUSION: We have generated in vivo and ex vivo a regulatory B
      cell that can prevent or reverse allergen-induced airway inflammation via
      regulatory T cells.

PMID- 20304474
TI  - Utility of peanut-specific IgE levels in predicting the outcome of double-blind,
      placebo-controlled food challenges.

PMID- 20304475
TI  - Natural killer T cells are not the predominant T cell in asthma and likely
      modulate, not cause, asthma.
AB  - Asthma is a multifactorial disease of the airways characterized by airway
      inflammation, mucus hypersecretion, and airway hyperresponsiveness. Conventional
      MHC class II-restricted CD4(+) T cells are considered a key cell in asthma
      pathogenesis because they have a broad T-cell receptor repertoire, providing
      specificity and reactivity to diverse protein allergens. This notion was
      challenged when a study found that invariant Natural Killer (NK) T cells were the
      predominant T cells in the lung and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of all asthmatic
      subjects studied. This finding was provocative because invariant NKT cells have a
      very limited T-cell receptor repertoire and are specific for a restricted set of
      lipid antigens that bind to CD1d, a nonpolymorphic MHC-like molecule. However,
      multiple subsequent studies failed to replicate the initial study and instead
      found that invariant NKT cells are present as a small fraction of the total T
      cells in the asthmatic lung. Thus, we believe that although CD1d-restricted NKT
      cells might play a role in modulating the asthmatic phenotype, they are not the
      critical drivers of the asthmatic response, a role we believe is still held by
      conventional MHC class II-restricted CD4(+) T cells.

PMID- 20304476
TI  - Do early-life viral infections cause asthma?
AB  - Epidemiologic associations between viral lower respiratory infections (LRIs) and
      asthma in later childhood are well known. However, the question of whether such
      infections cause asthma or unmask asthma in a susceptible host has still not been
      settled. Most early evidence centered on the role of the respiratory syncytial
      virus; however, recent studies highlight a potential role for human rhinovirus as
      a risk factor for asthma. The links between early-life viral LRI and subsequent
      asthma are generally via wheeze; however, the presence of wheeze does not give
      any information about why the child is wheezing. Wheeze in early life is, at
      best, a fuzzy phenotype and not specific for subsequent asthma. The risk of
      asthma after viral LRI is increased in the presence of allergic sensitization in
      early life and if the infection is more severe. Atopy-associated mechanisms also
      appear to be involved in viral-induced acute exacerbations of asthma, especially
      in prolonging symptomatology after the virus has been cleared from the lungs.
      Breaking the nexus between viral respiratory infections and asthma may be
      possible with interventions designed to inhibit atopy-related effectors
      mechanisms from participating in the host response to respiratory viral
      infections.

PMID- 20304477
TI  - The effect of semantic relatedness on syntactic analysis: An fMRI study.
AB  - The sentences we process in normal conversation tend to refer to information that
      we are familiar with rather than abstract, unrelated information. This allows for
      the use of knowledge stores to help facilitate comprehension processes. In many
      sentence comprehension studies, the stimuli are designed such that the use of
      world knowledge is limited. Here, we investigated how the semantic relatedness of
      sentence constituents influences sentence processing. A three factor design was
      employed in which processing phase (sentence vs. probe), syntactic complexity
      (object-relative vs. conjoined active) and the semantic relatedness of the nouns
      within the sentence was examined. We found a differential effect in two sub
      regions of the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG). BA 44 revealed an effect of
      syntactic complexity while inferior portions of the LIFG (BA 47) revealed an
      effect of relatedness as well as an interaction between complexity and
      relatedness during the probe phase. In addition, significant differences in
      activation were observed when comparing the sentence processing and probe phases
      with the sentence phase eliciting stronger semantic related activation while the
      probe phase elicited stronger working memory related activation.

PMID- 20304478
TI  - Material properties and fractography of an indirect dental resin composite.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Determination of material and fractographic properties of a dental
      indirect resin composite material. METHODS: A resin composite (Paradigm, 3M-ESPE,
      MN) was characterized by strength, static elastic modulus, Knoop hardness,
      fracture toughness and edge toughness. Fractographic analyses of the broken bar
      surfaces was accomplished with a combination of optical and SEM techniques, and
      included determination of the type and size of the failure origins, and fracture
      mirror and branching constants. RESULTS: The flexure test mean strength+/
      standard deviation was 145+/-17 MPa, and edge toughness, T(e), was 172+/-12N/mm.
      Knoop hardness was load dependent, with a plateau at 0.99+/-0.02 GPa. Mirrors in
      the bar specimens were measured with difficulty, resulting in a mirror constant
      of approximately 2.6 MPa m(1/2). Fracture in the bar specimens initiated at
      equiaxed material flaws that had different filler concentrations that sometimes
      were accompanied by partial microcracks. Using the measured flaw sizes, which
      ranged from 35 to 100 microm in size, and using estimates of the stress intensity
      shape factors, fracture toughness was estimated to be 1.1+/-0.2 MPa m(1/2).
      SIGNIFICANCE: Coupling the flexure tests with fractographic examination enabled
      identification of the intrinsic strength limiting flaws. The same techniques
      could be useful in determining if clinical restorations of similar materials fail
      from the same causes. The existence of a strong load-dependence of the Knoop
      hardness of the resin composite is not generally mentioned in the literature, and
      is important for material comparisons and wear evaluation studies. Finally, the
      edge toughness test was found promising as a quantitative measure of resistance
      to edge chipping, an important failure mode in this class of materials.

PMID- 20304479
TI  - Effect of a new desensitizing material on human dentin permeability.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Resin-modified glass ionomers (RMGI) have demonstrated clinical
      success providing immediate and long-term relief from root sensitivity. RMGIs
      have been recently introduced as paste-liquid systems for convenience of clinical
      usage. The objective of this study was to measure the ability of a new paste
      liquid RMGI to reduce fluid flow through human dentin, compared to an established
      single-bottle nanofilled total etch resin adhesive indicated for root
      desensitization. METHODS: Dentin permeability was measured on human crown
      sections on etched dentin, presenting a model for the exposed tubules typical of
      root sensitivity, and permitting measurement of the maximum permeability. In the
      first two groups, the etched dentin was coated with either the RMGI or adhesive,
      and permeability measured on the coated dentin. In a third group, a smear layer
      was created on the dentin with sandpaper, then the specimens were coated with the
      RMGI; permeability was measured on the smeared and coated dentin. Specimens from
      each group were sectioned and examined via scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
      RESULTS: Both the resin adhesive and the new paste-liquid RMGI protective
      material significantly reduced fluid flow through dentin, and exhibited excellent
      seal on dentin with either open tubules or smear-layer occluded tubules. The RMGI
      infiltrated the smear layer with resin during placement, penetrated dentin
      tubules, and formed resin tags. SIGNIFICANCE: The RMGI was equivalent to the
      adhesive in its ability to reduce fluid flow and seal dentin. It is therefore
      concluded that the new RMGI and the adhesive show the potential to offer
      excellent sensitivity relief on exposed root dentin.

PMID- 20304481
TI  - The use of decellularized adipose tissue to provide an inductive microenvironment
      for the adipogenic differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells.
AB  - The development of an engineered adipose tissue substitute, capable of supporting
      reliable, predictable, and complete fat tissue formation, would be of significant
      value in the fields of plastic and reconstructive surgery. Towards the goal of
      engineering an optimized microenvironment for adipogenesis, a decellularization
      strategy was developed for adipose tissue, which yielded 3-D scaffolds with
      preserved extracellular matrix architecture. A significant volume of scaffolding
      material could be obtained from a human tissue source that is commonly discarded.
      Histology, immunohistochemistry, and scanning electron microscopy confirmed the
      efficacy and reproducibility of the approach, and also indicated that the
      basement membrane was conserved in the processed matrix, including laminin and
      collagen type IV. Seeding experiments with human adipose-derived stem cells
      indicated that the decellularized adipose tissue (DAT) provided an inductive
      microenvironment for adipogenesis, supporting the expression of the master
      regulators PPARgamma and CEBPalpha, without the need for exogenous
      differentiation factors. High levels of adipogenic gene expression and glycerol-3
      phosphate dehydrogenase activity were observed in the induced DAT scaffolds, as
      compared to cells grown in monolayer or cell aggregate culture. The protein data
      emphasized the importance of the cell donor source in the development of tissue
      engineering strategies for large-volume soft tissue regeneration.

PMID- 20304480
TI  - Synergistic effects of tethered growth factors and adhesion ligands on DNA
      synthesis and function of primary hepatocytes cultured on soft synthetic
      hydrogels.
AB  - The composition, presentation, and spatial orientation of extracellular matrix
      molecules and growth factors are key regulators of cell behavior. Here, we used
      self-assembling peptide nanofiber gels as a modular scaffold to investigate how
      fibronectin-derived adhesion ligands and different modes of epidermal growth
      factor (EGF) presentation synergistically regulate multiple facets of primary rat
      hepatocyte behavior in the context of a soft gel. In the presence of soluble EGF,
      inclusion of dimeric RGD and the heparin binding domain from fibronectin (HB)
      increased hepatocyte aggregation, spreading, and metabolic function compared to
      unmodified gels or gels modified with a single motif, but unlike rigid
      substrates, gels failed to induce DNA synthesis. Tethered EGF dramatically
      stimulated cell aggregation and spreading under all adhesive ligand conditions
      and also preserved metabolic function. Surprisingly, tethered EGF elicited DNA
      synthesis on gels with RGD and HB. Phenotypic differences between soluble and
      tethered EGF stimulation of cells on peptide gels are correlated with differences
      in expression and phosphorylation the EGF receptor and its heterodimerization
      partner ErbB2, and activation of the downstream signaling node ERK1/2. These
      modular matrices reveal new facets of hepatocellular biology in culture and may
      be more broadly useful in culture of other soft tissues.

PMID- 20304482
TI  - Modulation of gene expression and collagen production of anterior cruciate
      ligament cells through cell shape changes on polycaprolactone/chitosan blends.
AB  - Our previous study has illustrated that chitosan could enhance human anterior
      cruciate ligament (ACL) cells to exhibit a dramatic effect on increasing the gene
      expression of transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1), which is a specific
      gene for wound healing and collagen synthesis. However, human ACL cells could not
      adhere and proliferate well on chitosan. In order to overcome this drawback, we
      introduced polycaprolactone (PCL) into chitosan by the method of blending in this
      study. It was found that the morphology, viability and gene expression of human
      ACL cells on the chitosan/PCL blends could be effectively regulated. With the
      increase of PCL content in blends, human ACL cells presented more flatten shape,
      well-organized cytoskeleton, and higher proliferated ability. Compared to flatten
      shape, human ACL cells with round shape exhibited higher levels of mRNA
      expression of TGF-beta1 and collagen type III through 3-day culture period.
      Furthermore, these blended materials could upregulate protein synthesis of human
      ACL cells, which corresponded to their gene expressions. Therefore, it is
      possible to combine the advantages of chitosan and PCL to create a new blended
      material, which could control cellular morphologies specifically, and further to
      regulate the gene expression and protein production of cells for specific
      applications. We expected this concept, controlling the cell shape through
      biomaterial to modulate the behavior of cells, could provide a new vision for the
      material selection of ligament tissue engineering.

PMID- 20304483
TI  - Enhanced transfection with silica-coated polyplexes loading plasmid DNA.
AB  - Silica-coating of positively charged polyplexes was demonstrated through silicic
      acid condensation to improve the polyplexes for enhanced complex stability and
      transfection efficiency. Silicic acid was efficiently condensed by polycations to
      form a silica network in the polyplex through electrostatic interaction and
      hydrogen bonding. The silica-coated (SC) polyplexes had an anionic surface charge
      of -20 mV and were 10-20 nm larger in size compared to the non-silica-coated
      control (+33.4 mV, 106 nm). Silica-coating significantly improved the polyplex
      stability against both dissociations by counter polyanion exchange and
      aggregation by salt. The silica network was dissolved to form silicic acid by
      removing free silicic acid based on the equilibrium, SiO(2) + 2H(2)O right arrow
      over left arrow Si(OH)(4). Indeed, dialysis of the SC polyplex solution against
      excess silica-free buffer permitted plasmid DNA release from the silica-coated
      polyplex, indicating the reversible nature of the silica-layer. The SC polyplex
      achieved significantly higher transfection efficiency without serious
      cytotoxicity compared to the polyplex without silica-coating. Detailed
      examinations of transfection using SC polyplexes revealed that the enhanced
      transfection efficiency was because of facilitated endosomal escape, possibly due
      to the protonation of the silica in acidic endosomal compartments. These findings
      demonstrate the utility of the silica-coating technique for polyplex-mediated
      gene delivery.

PMID- 20304484
TI  - Fibrin-polylactide-based tissue-engineered vascular graft in the arterial
      circulation.
AB  - There is a clear clinical requirement for the design and development of living,
      functional, small-calibre arterial grafts. Here, we investigate the potential use
      of a small diameter, tissue-engineered artery in a pre-clinical study in the
      carotid artery position of sheep. Small-calibre ( approximately 5 mm) vascular
      composite grafts were molded using a fibrin scaffold supported by a
      poly(L/D)lactide 96/4 (P(L/D)LA 96/4) mesh, and seeded with autologous arterial
      derived cells prior to 28 days of dynamic conditioning. Conditioned grafts were
      subsequently implanted for up to 6 months as interposed carotid artery grafts in
      the same animals from which the cells were harvested. Explanted grafts (n = 6)
      were patent in each of the study groups (1 month, 3 months, 6 months), with a
      significant stenosis in one explant (3 months). There was a complete absence of
      thrombus formation on the luminal surface of grafts, with no evidence for
      aneurysm formation or calcification after 6 months in vivo. Histological analyses
      revealed remodeling of the fibrin scaffold with mature autologous proteins, and
      excellent cell distribution within the graft wall. Positive vWf and eNOS
      staining, in addition to scanning electron microscopy, revealed a confluent
      monolayer of endothelial cells lining the luminal surface of the grafts. The
      present study demonstrates the successful production and mid-term application of
      an autologous, fibrin-based small-calibre vascular graft in the arterial
      circulation, and highlights the potential for the creation of autologous
      implantable arterial grafts in a number of settings.

PMID- 20304485
TI  - Neuronal polarity selection by topography-induced focal adhesion control.
AB  - Interaction between differentiating neurons and the extracellular environment
      guides the establishment of cell polarity during nervous system development.
      Developing neurons read the physical properties of the local substrate in a
      contact-dependent manner and retrieve essential guidance cues. In previous works
      we demonstrated that PC12 cell interaction with nanogratings (alternating lines
      of ridges and grooves of submicron size) promotes bipolarity and alignment to the
      substrate topography. Here, we investigate the role of focal adhesions, cell
      contractility, and actin dynamics in this process. Exploiting nanoimprint
      lithography techniques and a cyclic olefin copolymer, we engineered biocompatible
      nanostructured substrates designed for high-resolution live-cell microscopy. Our
      results reveal that neuronal polarization and contact guidance are based on a
      geometrical constraint of focal adhesions resulting in an angular modulation of
      their maturation and persistence. We report on ROCK1/2-myosin-II pathway activity
      and demonstrate that ROCK-mediated contractility contributes to polarity
      selection during neuronal differentiation. Importantly, the selection process
      confined the generation of actin-supported membrane protrusions and the
      initiation of new neurites at the poles. Maintenance of the established polarity
      was independent from NGF stimulation. Altogether our results imply that focal
      adhesions and cell contractility stably link the topographical configuration of
      the extracellular environment to a corresponding neuronal polarity state.

PMID- 20304486
TI  - Expression of AT1R, AT2R and AT4R and their roles in extravillous trophoblast
      invasion in the human.
AB  - The placental renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is active from early pregnancy and
      may have a role in placentation. Angiotensin II (AngII) acts via binding to
      receptor types AT1R and AT2R. Recently smaller peptide members of the angiotensin
      family have been recognised as having biological relevance. Angiotensin (3-8)
      (AngIV) has a specific receptor (AT4R) and evokes hypertrophy, vasodilatation and
      vascular inflammatory response. The aim of this study was to characterise
      placental expression of AT1R, AT2R and AT4R, and to determine whether AngII and
      AngIV regulate extravillous trophoblast (EVT) invasion, apoptosis and
      proliferation. Placental samples were obtained from women undergoing elective
      surgical termination of pregnancy (TOP) at 8-10 weeks gestation (early TOP), 12
      14 weeks gestation (mid TOP) or at delivery following normal pregnancy or with
      pre-eclampsia (PE). Immunohistochemistry and qRT-PCR were performed to determine
      placental mRNA and protein expression of AT1R, AT2R and AT4R at all gestational
      ages. EVT invasion following culture with AngII or AngIV was assessed in early
      placental tissue using Matrigel invasion assays. Invasion was assessed on day 6
      of culture and placental explants were harvested for immunohistochemical analysis
      of apoptosis and proliferation. The results from qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry
      showed placental AT1R expression which did not vary with gestation. The highest
      levels of expression of AT2R were found in early and mid TOP placentae compared
      to term pregnancy. Expression of AT4R was increased in term placentae, with a
      significant reduction in PE placentae. Moreover, culture with AngIV or AngII
      increased EVT invasion from placental explants, which showed increased
      trophoblast proliferation and reduced apoptosis. This study has characterised
      expression of AT4R and AT1R and AT2R in human placenta throughout normal
      pregnancy and in PE. Both AngIV and AngII may play an important role in normal
      pregnancy.

PMID- 20304487
TI  - Intrinsic calcium dynamics control botulinum toxin A susceptibility in distinct
      neuronal populations.
AB  - SNAP-25 is a SNARE protein implicated in exocytosis and in the negative
      modulation of voltage-gated calcium channels. We have previously shown that
      GABAergic synapses, which express SNAP-25 at much lower levels relative to
      glutamatergic ones, are characterized by a higher calcium responsiveness to
      depolarization and are largely resistant to botulinum toxin A. We show here that
      silencing of SNAP-25 in glutamatergic neurons, a procedure which increases KCl
      induced calcium elevations, confers these synapses with toxin resistance. Since
      it is known that calcium reverts the efficacy of botulinum A, we investigated
      whether the lower effectiveness of the toxin in inhibiting GABAergic vesicle
      cycling might be attributable to higher evoked calcium transients of inhibitory
      neurons. We demonstrate that either expression of SNAP-25(1-197) or BAPTA/AM
      treatment, both inhibiting calcium dynamics, facilitate block of GABAergic
      vesicle exocytosis upon toxin treatment. These data indicate that intrinsic
      calcium dynamics control botulinum A susceptibility in distinct neuronal
      populations.

PMID- 20304488
TI  - Mutational analysis of K-ras codon 12 in blood samples of patients with acute
      myeloid leukemia.
AB  - Mutations in K-ras are frequent in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The association
      of these mutations to clinical features and their prognostic value are unclear.
      We used quantitative PCR with peptide nucleic acid mediated PCR clamping to
      specifically analyze 257 blood samples of 31 AML patients for K-ras codon 12
      alterations. A total of 20 samples of nine patients harbored a K-ras mutation.
      The most frequent mutation was the GTT variant which causes an amino acid
      exchange from glycine to valine. Correlation with clinical data suggests K-ras
      mutations to be associated with higher age and a better response to anti-leukemic
      chemotherapy.

PMID- 20304489
TI  - Trauma focused CBT for children with co-occurring trauma and behavior problems.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Childhood trauma impacts multiple domains of functioning including
      behavior. Traumatized children commonly have behavioral problems that therapists
      must effectively evaluate and manage in the context of providing trauma-focused
      treatment. This manuscript describes practical strategies for managing behavior
      problems in the context of trauma-focused evidence-based treatment (EBT) using a
      commonly implemented EBT for traumatized children. METHODS: The empirical
      literature is reviewed and practical strategies are described for conducting
      trauma- and behavioral-focused assessments; engaging families in trauma- and
      behavioral-focused treatment; treatment-planning that includes a balance of both
      trauma and behavioral foci; managing ongoing behavioral problems in the context
      of providing trauma-focused treatment; managing behavioral crises ("crises of the
      week"); addressing overwhelming family or social problems; and steps for
      knowledge transfer. RESULTS: Trauma-focused EBT that integrate behavioral
      management strategies can effectively manage the behavioral regulation problems
      that commonly occur in traumatized children. CONCLUSIONS: Addressing trauma
      related behavioral problems is an important part of trauma-focused treatment and
      is feasible to do in the context of using common trauma-focused EBT. PRACTICE
      IMPLICATIONS: Integrating effective behavioral interventions into trauma-focused
      EBT is essential due to the common nature of behavioral regulation difficulties
      in traumatized children.

PMID- 20304490
TI  - Peer victimization and internalizing problems in children: a meta-analysis of
      longitudinal studies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: A recent meta-analytic review of cross-sectional studies examining
      correlations between peer victimization and indices of internalizing problems
      indicates that victims of bullying are highly distressed. However, the reliance
      on cross-sectional studies precludes interpretation of the direction of effects.
      The present study was designed to investigate if internalizing problems are
      antecedents of victimization, consequences of victimization, or both. METHOD:
      This paper provides a meta-analysis of 18 longitudinal studies examining
      prospective linkages between peer victimization and internalizing problems
      (n=13,978). Two prospective paths were examined: the extent to which peer
      victimization at baseline predicts changes in internalizing problems, as well as
      the extent to which internalizing problems at baseline predict changes in peer
      victimization. RESULTS: Results revealed significant associations between peer
      victimization and subsequent changes in internalizing problems, as well as
      significant associations between internalizing problems and subsequent changes in
      peer victimization. Several moderator effects were observed. CONCLUSIONS:
      Internalizing problems function as both antecedents and consequences of peer
      victimization. These reciprocal influences suggest a vicious cycle that
      contributes to the high stability of peer victimization. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS:
      This study should further encourage steps to reduce bullying at schools.

PMID- 20304491
TI  - Child maltreatment fatalities in children under 5: Findings from the National
      Violence Death Reporting System.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the distribution of child maltreatment fatalities of
      children under 5 by age, sex, race/ethnicity, type of maltreatment, and
      relationship to alleged perpetrator using data from the National Violent Death
      Reporting System (NVDRS). STUDY DESIGN: Two independent coders reviewed
      information from death certificates, medical examiner and police reports
      corresponding to all deaths in children less than 5 years of age reported to
      NVDRS in 16 states. RESULTS: Of the 1,374 deaths for children under 5 reported to
      NVDRS, 600 were considered attributable to child maltreatment. Over a half of the
      600 victims of child maltreatment in this age group were under 1 year old, 59%
      were male, 42% non-Hispanic Whites, and 38% were non-Hispanic Blacks. Two thirds
      of child maltreatment fatalities in children under 5 were classified as being due
      to abusive head trauma (AHT), 27.5% as other types of physical abuse, and 10% as
      neglect. Based on these data, fathers or their substitutes were significantly
      more likely than mothers to be identified as alleged perpetrators for AHT and
      other types of physical abuse, while mothers were more likely to be assigned
      responsibility for neglect. CONCLUSIONS: Among children under 5 years, children
      under 1 are the main age group contributing to child maltreatment fatalities in
      the NVDRS. AHT is the main cause of death in these data. These findings are
      limited by underascertainment of cases and fair inter-rater reliability of
      coding. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The findings suggest the need to develop and
      evaluate interventions targeting AHT to reduce the overall number of child
      maltreatment deaths in young children. These interventions should make special
      efforts to include fathers and their substitutes.

PMID- 20304492
TI  - Psychological distress as a risk factor for re-victimization in children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study is to examine the role of psychological
      distress in predicting child re-victimization across various forms including
      conventional crime, peer/sibling violence, maltreatment, sexual violence, and
      witnessed violence. METHODS: Longitudinal data from the Developmental
      Victimization Survey, which surveyed children between the ages of 2 and 17 using
      random digit dial (RDD) methodology, was used to ask about child victimization
      and psychological distress. The sample for this analysis was 1,025 children who
      had experienced at least one form of victimization in the first wave of data
      collection. RESULTS: Results show that psychological distress (defined as a
      composite score of the depression, anger, and anxiety scales) was a unique
      significant predictor of subsequent overall victimization, as well as
      victimization across the different categories of victimization (conventional
      crime, maltreatment, peer and sibling victimization, sexual victimization, and
      witnessed/indirect victimization), while controlling for demographic variables
      and prior year victimization. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the
      psychological consequences of victimization may also serve as precipitants for re
      victimization. We discuss the implications this may have on the understanding of
      the psychological sequelae of victimization and its role in the risk of future
      victimization. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: This research suggests that practitioners
      should expand the forms of victimization that are assessed when working with
      victimized children. Treatment should not only focus on alleviating psychological
      distress, but also on the role it may play in raising the risk for re
      victimization. Treatment providers should be attentive to bolstering protective
      qualities when treating victimized children.

PMID- 20304493
TI  - The impact of childhood abuse history and domestic violence on the mental health
      of women in Japan.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To understand the independent and interactive effects of childhood
      abuse history (CAH) and domestic violence (DV) on the mental health status of
      women in Japan. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted
      among a sample of 340 women staying in 83 Mother-Child Homes in Japan to assess
      the women's CAH and DV experiences, along with their current mental health
      problems, including dissociated, depressed, and traumatic symptoms. RESULTS:
      Independent from DV, CAH, especially psychological abuse, had a significant
      impact on all of the women's mental health symptoms. DV was found to have an
      independent effect on traumatic symptoms. Weak interactive effects of CAH and DV
      were found on dissociated and traumatic symptoms. Among those women without CAH,
      DV was significantly associated with dissociated and traumatic symptoms; however,
      DV had no impact on dissociated and traumatic symptoms if CAH was present.
      CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest the significant impact of CAH on women's mental
      health problems, independent from DV. CAH and DV weakly interact on women's
      mental health. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: In psychological therapy for battered women
      with mental health problems, if the cases were abused during childhood, it is
      recommended that therapy be focused on childhood abuse, especially if the client
      was psychologically abused. In addition, mental health care and welfare providers
      should be aware that the mental health problems of mothers without CAH might be
      exacerbated by DV; thus, appropriate resource allocation should be considered.

PMID- 20304494
TI  - Bioaccessibility of trace metals in boat paint particles.
AB  - A ground composite of paint fragments collected from a leisure boatyard has been
      analysed for total and bioaccessible trace metal concentrations. The sample
      contained concentrations of Cu and Zn of about 1% due to their use in antifouling
      formulations, and significant quantities of Ba, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, Sb and Sn. In a
      simulated stomach phase (pH 2.5), bioaccessible concentrations relative to
      respective total concentrations ranged from <or=10% for Ba, Cr, Ni and Sn to 80
      90% for Cu and Zn. Under subsequently simulated intestinal conditions (pH 7),
      metal accessibility was either reduced or maintained. Increasing pH of the
      stomach phase from 1 to 4.5 resulted in a reduction in bioaccessibility, an
      effect that was propagated, in most cases, into the intestinal phase. These
      results are critical to the formulation of risk assessments for individuals
      exposed to paint particles during vessel maintenance or in home environments
      subjected to particulate track-in.

PMID- 20304495
TI  - The relevance of temporal and organ specific factors on metals accumulation and
      biochemical effects in feral fish (Liza aurata) under a moderate contamination
      scenario.
AB  - Moderate contamination scenarios are nowadays challenging ecotoxicologists. An
      investigative biomonitoring study was performed under those environmental
      conditions (Obidos lagoon, Portugal) focused on oxidative stress and accumulated
      metals in Liza aurata liver and kidney, also examining winter-summer variations
      and organ-specificities. Three sites were surveyed: Barrosa; Bom-Sucesso; Middle
      lagoon. The higher metal availability at Barrosa (in water and sediment) was
      reflected in both organ burdens, though liver was more responsive. Oxidative
      stress (both organs) pointed to a pro-oxidant challenge at Barrosa (both
      seasons), reinforced by a general stress index. In winter, oxidative stress at
      Barrosa was related with accumulated metals in both organs, while in summer this
      cause-effect relationship was only established for kidney since changes in liver
      were linked with non-contaminant related variables. Winter-summer variations were
      outstanding in liver and kidney oxidative stress endpoints, pointing to the
      relevance of considering distinct seasons and organs in the assessment of
      moderately contaminated systems.

PMID- 20304496
TI  - [Vertebroplasty: 10 years clinical and radiological follow-up].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Ten years follow-up of the first patients treated with percutaneous
      vertebroplasty. PATIENT AND METHODS: Eighteen patients were retrospectively
      reviewed having undergone vertebroplasty in our centre between 1989 and 1998.
      Eight were treated for angioma, eight for osteoporotic compression and two
      followed for myeloma. They all underwent clinical and radiological evaluation in
      2007 (standard X-rays, CT scan and MRI). These examinations were compared to
      prior baseline pre- and post-therapeutic images. RESULTS: Radiological
      characteristic of cement remained unchanged in the long term and there was no
      modification of anatomical structures in contact with it. Even if the
      distribution of cement was asymmetrical there was no fracture of the treated
      vertebras at distance. Degenerative changes of discs facing the vertebroplasty
      were not more pronounced than for distant discs. We found no significant signal
      or density anomaly of disc in contact direct with cement. 38.8 % of the patients
      presented new fractures (n=30). Seventy percent of the fractures were multiple
      and contiguous. In the long term, all patients reported improvement of pain after
      the procedure. CONCLUSION: In our series, we found a good stability of treatment
      over time. This study shows the long-term safety of percutaneous acrylic
      vertebroplasty, in particular harmlessness of cement for bone and discs in
      contact.

PMID- 20304497
TI  - Impact of compound heterozygous complement factor H mutations on development of
      atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome-A pedigree revisited.
AB  - Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is associated with mutations in the
      gene CFH encoding the complement regulator factor H (CFH). We previously reported
      a family, in which three individuals had partial CFH deficiency but only one was
      affected by aHUS. We have investigated this family further to show that the
      partial CFH deficiency is associated with a heterozygous CFH mutation (c.2768T>G,
      p.Tyr899Asp). We used the polymorphic CFH variant p.His402Tyr to track expression
      of p.Tyr899Asp, and found that this mutant was expressed in minimal quantities in
      serum. In the one affected individual we found a second CFH mutation (c.3581G>A,
      p.Gly1194Asp) on the other allele which was expressed normally. We showed that
      this mutant, which has been described previously in aHUS, has impaired regulation
      of cell surface complement activation. The affected individual in this family is
      therefore a compound heterozygote for two functionally significant CFH mutations.
      Two individuals (mother and male sib) in the pedigree carried only c.2768T>G,
      p.Tyr899Asp and one (father) carried only c.3581G>A, p.Gly1194Asp, and all three
      were asymptomatic. Thus, further investigation of this family has enabled us to
      clarify the genotype-phenotype correlation.

PMID- 20304498
TI  - Peptidoglycan, not endotoxin, is the key mediator of cytokine gene expression
      induced in rainbow trout macrophages by crude LPS.
AB  - In rainbow trout macrophages, phenol-extracted lipopolysaccharide (LPS)
      preparations stimulate proinflammatory cytokine gene expression but ultrapure
      preparations of LPS are inactive. Crude LPS preparations could potentially have a
      number of contaminants including peptidoglycans (PGNs), nucleic acids and
      lipoproteins. Thus, in the current study we individually tested potentially
      contaminating pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) on rainbow trout
      (Oncorhynchus mykiss) macrophages to determine which ones could induce
      proinflammatory cytokine expression. We found that PGNs derived from Gram
      negative bacteria (Escherichia coli 0111:B4 and K12), are potent inducers of IL
      1beta and IL-6 gene expression and were equal to, or more potent than, crude LPS.
      On the other hand, PGNs of Gram-positive bacteria, DNA, RNA and lipoteichoic acid
      were weak stimulators, and lipid A, lipoprotein (Pam3CSK4) and ultrapure LPS were
      nonstimulatory. More importantly, crude LPS treated with lysozyme to degrade
      PGNs, exhibited greatly reduced activity in stimulating IL-1beta and IL-6 gene
      expression, indicating that PGNs in the crude LPS are responsible for a
      significant amount of the proinflammatory activity. Finally, we showed that PGN
      treatment induces expression of COX-2 and the subsequent synthesis and release of
      prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), an important mediator of inflammatory processes. The
      strong stimulatory effect of E. coli PGNs by themselves on trout macrophages
      suggests that the recognition of Gram-negative bacteria in trout is through PGNs
      in the bacterial wall, and indicates that the systems responsible for bacterial
      recognition in invertebrates (e.g., Drosophila) may also be conserved in some
      vertebrates.

PMID- 20304499
TI  - Treatment of dry eye syndrome with orally administered CF101: data from a phase 2
      clinical trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the safety and efficacy of CF101, an A(3) adenosine
      receptor agonist, in patients with moderate to severe dry eye syndrome. DESIGN:
      Phase 2, multicenter, randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled, parallel
      group study. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-eight patients completed the study, 35 patients
      in the placebo group and 33 patients in the CF101 group. INTERVENTION: Patients
      were treated orally with either 1 mg CF101 pills or matching vehicle-filled
      placebo pills, given twice daily for 12 weeks, followed by a 2-week posttreatment
      observation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: An improvement of more than 25% over baseline
      at week 12 in one of the following parameters: (1) tear break-up time (BUT); (2)
      superficial punctate keratitis assessed by fluorescein staining results; and (3)
      Schirmer tear test 1 results. Clinical laboratory safety tests, ophthalmic
      examinations, intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements, electrocardiographic
      evaluations, vital sign measurements, and monitoring of adverse events. RESULTS:
      A statistically significant increase in the proportion of patients who achieved
      more than 25% improvement in the corneal staining and in the clearance of corneal
      staining was noted between the CF101-treated group and the placebo group.
      Treatment with CF101 resulted in a statistically significant improvement in the
      mean change from baseline at week 12 of the corneal staining, BUT, and tear
      meniscus (TM) height in the CF101-treated group. CF101 was well tolerated and
      exhibited an excellent safety profile with no serious adverse events. A
      statistically significant decrease from baseline was observed in the IOP of the
      CF101-treated group in comparison with the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS: CF101,
      given orally, induced a statistically significant improvement in the corneal
      staining and an improvement in the BUT and TM in patients with moderate to severe
      dry eye syndrome. The drug was very well tolerated. These data and the anti
      inflammatory characteristic of CF101 support further study of the drug as a
      potential treatment for the signs and symptoms of dry eye syndrome. FINANCIAL
      DISCLOSURE(S): Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found after the
      references.

PMID- 20304500
TI  - Platinum(II) oxalato complexes with adenine-based carrier ligands showing
      significant in vitro antitumor activity.
AB  - [Pt(L)(2)(ox)] (1), [Pt(2-OMeL)(2)(ox)] (2), [Pt(3-OMeL)(2)(ox)] (3), [Pt(2,3
      diOMeL)(2)(ox)] (4), [Pt(2,4-diOMeL)(2)(ox)] (5), [Pt(3,4-diOMeL)(2)(ox)] (6) and
      [Pt(3,5-diOMeL)(2)(ox)].4H(2)O (7) platinum(II) oxalato (ox) complexes were
      synthesized using the reaction of potassium bis(oxalato)platinate(II) dihydrate
      with 2-chloro-N6-(benzyl)-9-isopropyladenine or its benzyl-substituted analogues
      (nL). The complexes 1-7, which represent the first platinum(II) oxalato complexes
      involving adenine-based ligands, were fully characterized by various physical
      methods including multinuclear and two dimensional NMR spectroscopy. A single
      crystal X-ray analysis of [Pt(2,4-diOMeL)(2)(ox)].2DMF (5.2DMF; DMF=N,N'
      dimethylformamide), proved the slightly distorted square-planar geometry in the
      vicinity of the Pt(II) ion with one bidentate-coordinated oxalate dianion and two
      adenine derivatives (nL) coordinated to the Pt(II) centre through the N7 atom of
      an adenine moiety, thereby giving a PtN(2)O(2) donor set. In vitro cytotoxicity
      of the prepared complexes was tested by an MTT assay against osteosarcoma (HOS)
      and breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7) human cancer cell lines. The best results were
      achieved for the complexes 2 and 5 in the case of both cell lines, whose IC(50)
      values equalled 3.6+/-1.0, and 4.3+/-2.1microM (for 2), and 5.4+/-3.8, and 3.6+/
      2.1microM (for 5), respectively. The IC(50) equals 9.2+/-1.5microM against MCF7
      cells in the case of 1. The in vitro cytotoxicity of the mentioned complexes
      significantly exceeded commercially used platinum-based anticancer drugs
      cisplatin (34.2+/-6.4microM and 19.6+/-4.3microM) and oxaliplatin (>50.0microM
      for both cancer cell lines).

PMID- 20304501
TI  - The specificity of childhood adversities and negative life events across the life
      span to anxiety and depressive disorders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although several studies have shown that life adversities play an
      important role in the etiology and maintenance of both depressive and anxiety
      disorders, little is known about the relative specificity of several types of
      life adversities to different forms of depressive and anxiety disorder and the
      concurrent role of neuroticism. Few studies have investigated whether clustering
      of life adversities or comorbidity of psychiatric disorders critically influence
      these relationships. METHODS: Using data from the Netherlands Study of Depression
      and Anxiety (NESDA), we analyzed the association of childhood adversities and
      negative life experiences across the lifespan with lifetime DSM-IV-based
      diagnoses of depression or anxiety among 2288 participants with at least one
      affective disorder. RESULTS: Controlling for comorbidity and clustering of
      adversities the association of childhood adversity with affective disorders was
      greater than that of negative life events across the life span with affective
      disorders. Among childhood adversities, emotional neglect was specifically
      associated with depressive disorder, dysthymia, and social phobia. Persons with a
      history of emotional neglect and sexual abuse were more likely to develop more
      than one lifetime affective disorder. Neuroticism and current affective disorder
      did not affect the adversity-disorder relationships found. LIMITATIONS: Using a
      retrospective study design, causal interpretations of the relationships found are
      not warranted. CONCLUSIONS: Emotional neglect seems to be differentially related
      to depression, dysthymia and social phobia. This knowledge may help to reduce
      underestimation of the impact of emotional abuse and lead to better recognition
      and treatment to prevent long-term disorders.

PMID- 20304502
TI  - Low dose lignocaine added to propofol does not attenuate the response to
      electroconvulsive therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The addition of small amounts of lignocaine (50 mg) to propofol (200
      mg) has been previously shown to reduce pain in injection, a common problem with
      this particular anaesthetic agent. The aim of this study was to investigate
      whether using the mixture of propofol plus lignocaine had any adverse effects on
      ECT seizure expression (duration, and ictal quality). METHOD: Ictal EEG records
      were retrospectively examined in 29 patients who underwent 80 pairs of ECT
      treatments, one given with propofol alone and one with propofol plus lignocaine.
      Ictal quality was manually rated for the transition from the polyspike phase to
      the slow wave phase, amplitude of the mid-ictal spike-and-wave phase, regularity
      of morphology of the predominant pattern of the slow wave phase, stereotypy,
      variability of the morphology and amplitude of the slow wave phase and post-ictal
      suppression. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in seizure duration
      between the two groups (33.4+/-13.0 s (propofol) vs. 33.6+/-11.2 s (propofol plus
      lignocaine). Furthermore although the addition of lignocaine delayed the onset of
      the slow wave phase by about 1s, it resulted in an improvement in three of four
      of the other measures of ictal quality. CONCLUSION: The addition of a small dose
      of lignocaine to propofol during ECT treatment enhanced rather than reduced the
      quality of the seizures produced.

PMID- 20304503
TI  - Correlation between patient and clinician assessments of depression severity in
      the PREVENT study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The degree of agreement between patient- and clinician-rated scales
      of depressive severity varies widely. This study analyzed agreement between
      commonly used depression rating scales in the Prevention of Recurrent Episodes of
      Depression with Venlafaxine Extended Release (ER) for Two Years (PREVENT) trial.
      METHODS: The PREVENT trial was a multiphase, randomized, double-blind study of
      patients with recurrent major depressive disorder. This secondary analysis
      evaluated acute (10weeks) and continuation phase (6months) data. Pearson
      correlation coefficients at each acute-phase (weekly) and continuation-phase
      (monthly) visit were calculated for patient-rated (30-item Inventory of
      Depressive Symptomatology-Self-Rated [IDS-SR30] and clinician-rated (17-item
      Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression [HAM-D17] and Clinical Global Impressions
      Severity [CGI-S]) measures and for response and remission. RESULTS: Data from
      1,047 patients were analyzed. The respective correlation coefficients at
      baseline, week 10, and month 6 were: IDS-SR30: HAM-D17: 0.46, 0.75, 0.70; and for
      IDS-SR30: CGI-S 0.28, 0.67, 0.65. Agreement between IDS-SR30- and HAM-D17-defined
      remission and response was relatively poor: week 10, 0.52 and 0.34, respectively;
      month 6, 0.45 and 0.32, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that
      patient-rated measures of depression severity do not correspond strongly with
      clinician ratings, and are particularly poor prior to the initiation of
      treatment.

PMID- 20304504
TI  - Psychotic symptoms with sexual content in the "ultra high risk" for psychosis
      population: frequency and association with sexual trauma.
AB  - Individuals at "ultra high risk" (UHR) for psychosis have been found to
      experience high rates of sexual trauma. An aetiological role for sexual trauma
      has been proposed for psychotic disorders and may influence psychotic symptom
      content. We aimed to investigate the relationship between previous sexual trauma
      and reported psychotic-like experiences, in particular psychotic symptoms with a
      sexual content in a UHR sample. We investigated the prevalence of "attenuated" or
      "subthreshold" psychotic symptoms with a sexual content in a consecutive series
      of patients recruited to a specialist UHR clinic. Patient's experience of general
      and sexual trauma was rated separately using a trauma questionnaire based on the
      list of events qualifying as traumas under DSM IV. The sample consisted of 92
      patients, 14 (15.2%) had experienced an attenuated psychotic symptom with sexual
      content. The most common symptom was overvalued ideas/delusions of being watched
      in the shower/toilet or undressing. A considerable proportion of the sample
      (36.2%) had experienced sexual trauma (sexually molested or raped). Presence of
      attenuated psychotic symptoms with sexual content was related to history of
      previous sexual trauma (OR 7.17, P<0.01). This relationship remained significant
      when other traumatic experiences, PTSD diagnosis, age and sex were adjusted for.
      Further research into this relationship with regard to outcome and treatment is
      warranted.

PMID- 20304505
TI  - A functional polymorphism (Ser326Cys) of the human 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase
      (hOGG1) gene and schizophrenia.

PMID- 20304506
TI  - Haloperidol induces higher Homer1a expression than risperidone, olanzapine and
      sulpiride in striatal sub-regions.
AB  - Homer1a and Yotiao are two post-synaptic density proteins at the crossroad of
      dopamine-glutamate neurotransmission. Homer1a has been implicated in the
      pathophysiology of schizophrenia and is differentially induced by typical and
      atypical antipsychotics, perhaps according to their dopaminergic profile. Yotiao
      has been involved in glutamate and dopamine post-synaptic signalling. Here, we
      seek to determine whether Homer1a and Yotiao might be implicated in post-synaptic
      response to antipsychotics with affinity to different dopamine D(2) receptors:
      haloperidol (0.8mg kg(-1)), risperidone (3mg kg(-1)), olanzapine (2.5mg kg(-1))
      and (-)-sulpiride (50mg kg(-1)). Homer1a expression was significantly induced by
      haloperidol compared to vehicle and to atypical antipsychotics in almost all
      striatal sub-regions. Atypical antipsychotics induced the gene in the lateral
      putamen and in the core of the accumbens only. All antipsychotics, with the
      exclusion of sulpiride, elicited a dorsolateral-to-ventromedial distribution
      pattern of Homer1a expression. No significant induction was detected for Yotiao.
      These results suggest that the quantitative and topographical pattern of Homer1a
      expression may putatively be related to antipsychotics affinity and/or occupancy
      at dopamine D(2) receptors.

PMID- 20304507
TI  - Quality of life and functional capacity can be improved in patients with
      Eisenmenger syndrome with oral sildenafil therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with Eisenmenger syndrome (ES) have a decreased exercise
      capacity and poor quality of life (QoL). While patients may survive to middle
      adulthood, the burden of disease is disabling. Sildenafil seems to improve
      exercise tolerance and hemodynamics, but there is no data to date on its impact
      on QoL. METHODS: Eisenmenger patients in New York Heart Association (NYHA) class
      III were recruited in a prospective study of efficacy and safety of oral
      sildenafil. The QoL endpoint was assessed using a disease-specific questionnaire
      (CAMPHOR). Exercise capacity was assessed by means of six minute walk test
      (6MWT). All patients underwent comprehensive assessment at baseline and after
      3months of treatment. RESULTS: Twelve patients (mean age was 34.3+/-10.2, 83%
      female) with various cardiac anatomies were recruited. No major adverse events
      during the follow-up or significant drop in resting oxygen saturation were
      recorded. After 3months of oral sildenafil therapy, all patients improved to NYHA
      II with a concomitant improvement in 6MWT distance (347.3+/-80.7 to 392.5+/
      82.0m, p=0.002). All components of the CAMPHOR score, relating to symptoms,
      activity and QoL, improved significantly resulting in substantial improvement in
      the total CAMPHOR score (27.6+/-10.5 to 15.8+/-10.4, p=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Three
      months of sildenafil therapy in adults with ES was well tolerated and associated
      with significant improvement in the QoL CAMPHOR questionnaire and in NYHA class
      and exercise capacity. Larger studies are warranted to assess long term efficacy
      of oral sildenafil and potential impact on survival.

PMID- 20304508
TI  - A stochastic risk-analysis model for the spread of bovine viral diarrhea virus
      after introduction to naive cow-calf herds.
AB  - A stochastic SIR model was developed to simulate the spread of bovine viral
      diarrhea virus (BVDV) through a cow-calf herd and estimate the effect of the
      virus on the herd, including abortions, calf morbidity, and calf mortality. The
      model was applied with three herd sizes (400, 100, and 50 head) and four control
      strategies (no intervention, vaccination of breeding stock, testing all calves
      pre-breeding and culling of persistently infected calves, and both vaccination of
      adults and testing and culling of calves). When no control strategy was
      implemented the BVDV reproductive rate (R(E-PI)) of persistently infected calves
      (PI's), vertical transmission rate from cows to calves and the mortality rate of
      PI's were influential in the number of PI's produced in the herd. When a
      vaccination program alone was implemented the vaccine efficacy was influential in
      the number of PI's produced in the herd. All control strategies decreased the
      effects of BVDV on the herd at both 1 and 10 years compared to no control. In
      most cases the combination of adult vaccination and calf testing and culling
      resulted in the largest decrease in the both the median and 95% prediction
      interval for the range of effects from BVDV. The effect of control strategies was
      most apparent in the 400 head herds. All control strategies increased the
      probability of early clearance of PI's from the herd for all herd sizes. Fifty
      and 100 head herds cleared infection by 4 and 9 years respectively even without a
      control program but 400 head herds did not always clear infection after 10 years
      unless a testing program was implemented. The model presented is valuable in
      assessing the effect of control strategies and the effects of disease parameters
      on BVDV spread in beef herds.

PMID- 20304510
TI  - A limited-sample benchmark approach to assess and improve the performance of risk
      equalization models.
AB  - A new method is proposed to assess and improve the performance of risk
      equalization models in competitive markets for individual health insurance, where
      compensation is intended for variation in observed expenditures due to so-called
      S(ubsidy)-type risk factors but not for variation due to other, so-called N(on
      subsidy)-type risk factors. Given the availability of a rich subsample of
      individuals for which normative expenditures, Y(NORM), can be accurately
      determined, we make two contributions: (a) any risk equalization scheme applied
      to the entire population, Y(REF), should be evaluated through its performance in
      the subsample, by comparing Y(REF) with Y(NORM) (not by comparing Y(REF) with
      observed expenditures, Y, in the entire population, as commonly done); (b)
      conventional risk equalization schemes can be improved by the subsample
      regression of Y(NORM), rather than Y, on the risk adjusters that are observable
      in the entire population. This new method is illustrated by an application to the
      2004 Dutch risk equalization model.

PMID- 20304509
TI  - The control of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection in sheep flocks: a
      mathematical model of the impact of vaccination, serological testing, clinical
      examination and lancing of abscesses.
AB  - A mathematical model of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection in sheep
      flocks was used to evaluate strategies for control and elimination of caseous
      lymphadenitis (CLA). Control strategies tested were vaccination, serological
      testing and removal of seropositives, clinical examination and removal of sheep
      with abscesses, lancing abscesses, and appropriate combinations. Three different
      infection rates with and without replacement of culled ewes were used to evaluate
      the control options. Controls were either implemented immediately after infection
      was detected in a flock or once CLA was at endemic equilibrium, and with
      different frequencies of examination or testing. Elimination of infection was
      defined as 99% confidence that no sheep were infected with C. pseudotuberculosis.
      The control strategies were evaluated by estimating the reduction in infection or
      probability of elimination and the number of ewes culled from the flock. Lancing
      abscesses reduced the prevalence of infection when the initial prevalence was
      <0.60, but elimination was unlikely. A vaccine efficacy of 0.79 or more led to
      elimination of infection from the flock, provided that the endemic prevalence of
      infection was <0.60. A combination of vaccination and clinical examination
      reduced the prevalence of infection at a faster rate than using clinical
      examination or vaccination alone where five rounds of clinical examination were
      done. Serological testing led to elimination of infection after five tests, but
      was highly dependent upon the diagnostic test sensitivity and specificity and
      management options used: a test sensitivity of 0.90 always resulted in
      elimination. A test specificity greater than 0.90 prevented removal of many false
      positive ewes and consequently prevented a large reduction in lamb production.
      Elimination was most likely using a serological test with sensitivity and
      specificity >0.90, but vaccination combined with clinical examination reduced
      infection rapidly with little impact on lamb productivity. Further research is
      required to develop a diagnostic test with at least 0.90 specificity and
      sensitivity under field conditions before any methods of control can be
      recommended with confidence.

PMID- 20304511
TI  - Recent advances in large-scale production of monoclonal antibodies and related
      proteins.
AB  - The rapid development of high-yielding and robust manufacturing processes for
      monoclonal antibodies is an area of significant focus in the biopharmaceutical
      landscape. Advances in mammalian cell culture have taken titers to beyond the 5
      g/l mark. Platform approaches to downstream process development have become
      widely established. Continuous evolution of these platforms is occurring as
      experience with a wider range of products is accrued. The increased cell culture
      productivity has shifted the attention of bioprocess development to operations
      downstream of the production bioreactor. This has rejuvenated interest in the use
      of non-chromatographic separation processes. Here, we review the current state-of
      the-art industrial production processes, focusing on downstream technologies, for
      antibodies and antibody-related products and discuss future avenues for
      evolution.

PMID- 20304512
TI  - Comparison of optimized single and multifield irradiation plans of antiproton,
      proton and carbon ion beams.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Antiprotons have been suggested as a possibly superior
      modality for radiotherapy, due to the energy released when antiprotons
      annihilate, which enhances the Bragg peak and introduces a high-LET component to
      the dose. However, concerns are expressed about the inferior lateral dose
      distribution caused by the annihilation products. METHODS: We use the Monte Carlo
      code FLUKA to generate depth-dose kernels for protons, antiprotons, and carbon
      ions. Using these we then build virtual treatment plans optimized according to
      ICRU recommendations for the different beam modalities, which then are
      recalculated with FLUKA. Dose-volume histograms generated from these plans can be
      used to compare the different irradiations. RESULTS: The enhancement in physical
      and possibly biological dose from annihilating antiprotons can significantly
      lower the dose in the entrance channel; but only at the expense of a diffuse low
      dose background from long-range secondary particles. Lateral dose distributions
      are improved using active beam delivery methods, instead of flat fields.
      CONCLUSIONS: Dose-volume histograms for different treatment scenarios show that
      antiprotons have the potential to reduce the volume of normal tissue receiving
      medium to high dose, however, in the low dose region antiprotons are inferior to
      both protons and carbon ions. This limits the potential usage to situations where
      dose to normal tissue must be reduced as much as possible.

PMID- 20304513
TI  - Is (18)F-FDG a surrogate tracer to measure tumor hypoxia? Comparison with the
      hypoxic tracer (14)C-EF3 in animal tumor models.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) has been reported as a surrogate tracer to
      measure tumor hypoxia with positron emission tomography (PET). The hypothesis is
      that there is an increased uptake of FDG under hypoxic conditions secondary to
      enhanced glycolysis, compensating the hypoxia-induced loss of cellular energy
      production. Several studies have already addressed this issue, some with
      conflicting results. This study aimed to compare the tracers (14)C-EF3 and (18)F
      FDG to detect hypoxia in mouse tumor models. MATERIALS AND METHODS: C3H, tumor
      bearing mice (FSAII and SCCVII tumors) were injected iv with (14)C-EF3, and 1h
      later with (18)F-FDG. Using a specifically designed immobilization device with
      fiducial markers, PET (Mosaic(r), Philips) images were acquired 1h after the FDG
      injection. After imaging, the device containing mouse was frozen, transversally
      sliced and imaged with autoradiography (AR) (FLA-5100, Fujifilm) to obtain high
      resolution images of the (18)F-FDG distribution within the tumor area. After a 48
      h delay allowing for (18)F decay a second AR was performed to image (14)C-EF3
      distribution. AR images were aligned to reconstruct the full 3D tumor volume, and
      were compared with the PET images. Image segmentation with threshold-based
      methods was applied on both AR and PET images to derive various tracer activity
      volumes. The matching index DSI (dice similarity index) was then computed. The
      comparison was performed under normoxic (ambient air, FSAII: n=4, SCCVII, n=5)
      and under hypoxic conditions (10% O(2) breathing, SCCVII: n=4). RESULTS: On AR,
      under both ambient air and hypoxic conditions, there was a decreasing similarity
      between (14)C-EF3 and FDG with higher activity sub-volumes. Under normoxic
      conditions, when comparing the 10% of tumor voxels with the highest (18)F-FDG or
      (14)C-EF3 activity, a DSI of 0.24 and 0.20 was found for FSAII and SCCVII,
      respectively. Under hypoxic conditions, a DSI of 0.36 was observed for SCCVII
      tumors. When comparing the (14)C-EF3 distribution in AR with the corresponding
      (18)F-FDG-PET images, the DSI reached values of 0.26, 0.22 and 0.21 for FSAII and
      SCCVII under normoxia and SCCVII under hypoxia, respectively. CONCLUSION: This
      study showed that FDG is not a good surrogate tracer for tumor hypoxia under
      either ambient or hypoxic conditions. Only specific hypoxia tracers should be
      used to measure tumor hypoxia.

PMID- 20304514
TI  - High-dose radiotherapy exposure to cardiac pacemakers may be safe in selected
      patients.

PMID- 20304515
TI  - Response preparation with static and moving hands: differential effects of
      unimanual and bimanual movements.
AB  - This study investigated the effects of uni- and bimanual hand movements on the
      efficiency of within- and between-hands response preparation in a spatial cuing
      task. Predictions were derived from the Grouping Model of finger preparation,
      inspired by insights from neurophysiology (i.e., the concepts of transcollosal
      facilitation and cognitive overruling of basic neural coordination patterns).
      Sixteen participants performed the finger cuing task with one, two, or no hand(s)
      moving. Reaction time results revealed that unimanual and bimanual hand movements
      had similar effects on within-hand preparation but differential effects on
      between-hands preparation. This finding demonstrates a strong dissociation
      between within- and across-hands finger preparation, suggesting distinct
      underlying mechanisms as hypothesized by the Grouping Model.

PMID- 20304516
TI  - Running on uneven ground: leg adjustments by muscle pre-activation control.
AB  - In locomotion, humans have to deal with irregularities of the ground, i.e.,
      pathways covered with stones, grass, or roots. When they encounter ground with
      changes in terrain height they seem to use spring-mass dynamics to help passively
      stabilize their locomotory trajectory. With increasing step heights humans reduce
      their leg stiffness, but it is as of yet unclear whether these leg adjustments
      are purely passively achieved or actively in a feed-forward manner. For this, we
      investigated the stiffness regulation in the ankle and knee joint and analyzed
      the correlation between EMG, kinematic, and dynamic parameters. Nine healthy
      participants were running along a 17m runway with a force plate of adjustable
      height (steps of 0, +5, +10, and +15cm). Whole body kinematics was monitored
      along with surface electromyography of three selected bilateral lower limb
      muscles. We found that the stiffness of the ankle joint is adjusted to the
      vertical height of a step, in a manner similar to global leg stiffness.
      Furthermore, the integrated 100ms pre-activation of the m. gastrocnemius medialis
      (GM) depends on the vertical height of a step and correlates highly significantly
      with the activation of the GM but also with kinematics and dynamics.
      Consequently, we identified the pre-activation control as a key for altering the
      leg posture in preparation for altered ground properties (e.g., the height of a
      step or an obstacle). During the stance phase the control of activation plays a
      minor role since geometry and the initial conditions (e.g., leg length, landing
      angle, and landing velocity) ensure an adequate adjustment of joint stiffness as
      well as leg stiffness.

PMID- 20304517
TI  - Mechanisms for visuomotor adaptation to left-right reversed vision.
AB  - Behavioral studies suggest that the adaptation of planar arm movements to rotated
      visual feedback is achieved by the interplay of a gradual process which slowly
      rotates participants' responses by up to +/-90 degrees , and a discrete process
      which changes the responses by means of axis inversion. The processes for
      adaptation to left-right reversed visual feedback are far less well understood.
      To clarify this issue, 12 healthy participants performed pointing movements to
      targets presented in eight different directions, before and during exposure to
      left-right reversed visual feedback. We quantified the direction of each response
      150ms after movement onset and analyzed the time-course of those directions
      throughout the adaptation phase, separately for different targets. For targets
      along the axis of inversion, we only found an increase of response variability,
      for targets perpendicular to that axis, we observed a discrete 180 degrees change
      of response direction, and for diagonal targets, we found a discrete 180 degrees
      change followed by a gradual "backward" shift of 90 degrees . The present
      findings confirm that sensorimotor adaptation is based on discrete and gradual
      processes, that both types of processes can occur concurrently, and suggests that
      those processes can contribute to adaptation in a target-specific fashion.

PMID- 20304518
TI  - Reduction of hexavalent chromium by carboxymethyl cellulose-stabilized zero
      valent iron nanoparticles.
AB  - The reduction of hexavalent chromium or Cr(VI) by zero-valent iron (Fe(0))
      nanoparticles has received increasing attention in recent years. However, Fe(0)
      nanoparticles prepared using conventional methods suffered several drawbacks due
      to their high reactivity towards surrounding media, which led to the formation of
      much larger flocs and significant loss in reactivity. To overcome these problems,
      we synthesized Fe(0) nanoparticles by applying water-soluble carboxymethyl
      cellulose (CMC) as a stabilizer. CMC-stabilized Fe(0) nanoparticles displayed
      much less agglomeration but greater Cr(VI) reduced power than those prepared
      without a stabilizer. At a dose of 0.15 g L(-)(1), CMC-stabilized Fe(0)
      nanoparticles were able to reduce 100% of 10 mg L(-)(1) Cr(VI) in minutes.
      Several factors that may affect the efficiency of Cr(VI) removal were
      investigated. These included the concentration of CMC, the concentration of Fe(0)
      nanoparticles, the initial Cr(VI) concentration, the pH value, the reaction
      temperature and the concentration of the calcium cation in the reaction mixture.
      Our study suggested that the introduction of an innocuous stabilizer such as CMC
      could significantly improve the performance of Fe(0) nanoparticles for
      environmental remediation applications.

PMID- 20304519
TI  - [Papillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness measurement using optical
      coherence tomography in children with ocular hypertension and juvenile glaucoma].
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) measurements taken with OCT
      in normal, ocular hypertensive, and glaucomatous eyes of children 4-18 years old.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 181 eyes: 106 normal, 37 with ocular
      hypertension, and 38 with juvenile glaucoma. Diagnostic groups were classified
      based on intraocular pressure, optic nerve head appearance, visual field
      examination, and central corneal thickness measurement. RNFL measurements were
      taken using the Zeiss Stratus OCT. RESULTS: The RNLF average thickness was 94.2 +
      or -13.2 microm in glaucomatous eyes, 105.4 + or - 6.8 microm in ocular
      hypertensive eyes, and 104.8 + or - 10.3 microm in normal eyes. RNFL average
      thickness, inferior thickness, and superior thickness showed statistically
      significant differences between normal and glaucomatous eyes (p<0.01) and between
      glaucomatous [corrected] and ocular hypertensive eyes (p<0.01). There was no
      difference found between normal and ocular hypertensive eye. CONCLUSION: OCT has
      already shown its diagnostic efficiency in adult glaucoma. This study shows that
      OCT is useful in childhood glaucoma diagnosis, helping to differentiate between
      ocular hypertension and beginning juvenile glaucoma.

PMID- 20304520
TI  - [Adherence to glaucoma therapy].
AB  - Adherence to glaucoma therapy is a major factor of therapeutic efficacy. It
      reflects the patient's perception of the glaucoma disease and its treatment.
      Evaluation of adherence, often underestimated, is simple with a four-step
      strategy underscoring the importance of informing and educating the patient. The
      quality of the physician-patient relationship is essential for a good adapted
      assessment with every patient and at all stages of the disease so as to enhance
      adherence to glaucoma treatment and help patients.

PMID- 20304521
TI  - [Treatment of glaucoma in patients with dry eye syndrome].
AB  - The treatments of glaucoma or ocular hypertension are associated with numerous
      ocular surface changes. Similarly, these ocular surface modifications directly
      impact the effectiveness of these therapies. The management of patients with
      glaucoma or ocular hypertension also suffering from dry eye syndrome needs to
      reduce eye drop-induced toxicity as well as a specific treatment for the ocular
      surface.

PMID- 20304522
TI  - Oral mucous squamous cell carcinoma-an anticipated consequence of autoimmune
      polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED).
AB  - Autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED) is a rare
      autosomal recessive disease caused by mutations in the AIRE gene. We report the
      case of a female patient with a 967-979del13 mutation in the AIRE gene. Her
      medical history included autoimmune hypoparathyroidism, Addison disease, and
      chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis. At the age of 40, she developed multiple white
      verrucous plaques on the oral mucosa. Histologically, the lesions appeared as
      moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinomas. The patient subsequently
      developed multiple local recurrences and therefore required repeated surgery.
      Notably, a higher incidence rate of oral and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
      has been observed in this syndrome. However, the critical pathogenetic pathways
      implicated in squamous cell carcinoma development in APECED are far from being
      well understood.

PMID- 20304523
TI  - Cocaine-associated retiform purpura and neutropenia: is levamisole the culprit?

PMID- 20304524
TI  - Duration of norovirus excretion and the longitudinal course of viral load in
      norovirus-infected elderly patients.
AB  - To prevent dissemination of norovirus in semiclosed environments such as aged
      care facilities, it is important to know the period of infectivity in norovirus
      infected individuals. We recruited 13 elderly patients aged 60-98 years with
      norovirus gastroenteritis (11 residents in aged-care facilities and two healthy
      adults) for this study, and measured the viral loads for norovirus in a total of
      63 follow-up faecal samples using a real-time quantitative polymerase chain
      reaction assay. The average period of norovirus excretion was 14.3 days (range: 9
      32 days; median: 13 days). All of the follow-up samples collected between 7 and
      10 days after the onset of symptoms tested positive. Viral loads in samples
      collected between 14 and 18 days after the onset of symptoms were divided into
      three groups: those testing negative, those with <10(4) copies/g stool, and those
      with >10(4) copies/g stool. Stools from the group with <10(4) copies/g stool were
      found to be negative for norovirus up to 21-24 days after the onset of symptoms;
      however, the group with >10(4) copies/g stool showed prolonged norovirus
      excretion (up to 32 days) in stools. Although the period of infectivity of
      excreted viruses has not yet been clarified, these results suggest that careful
      attention should be taken for at least 14 days after the onset of symptoms and
      that the measurement of viral load in stools around 16 days after onset might be
      a useful method for following the course of viral shedding for each patient
      infected with norovirus.

PMID- 20304525
TI  - Audit of hand hygiene at Broadmoor, a high secure psychiatric hospital.
AB  - Increased security measures at high secure psychiatric hospitals can complicate
      hand hygiene. This audit assessed the availability of appropriate hand hygiene
      equipment and the practice of good hand hygiene at Broadmoor Hospital using the
      local hand hygiene policy as the standard for comparison. A data collection tool
      used to audit the hand hygiene equipment on 23 wards in the hospital showed that
      there were significant deficits in the supply of hand hygiene equipment on the
      wards. In addition, a staff survey was conducted using a questionnaire designed
      to assess awareness, training and hand decontamination practice among nursing
      staff. This survey identified a need to increase awareness of the hand hygiene
      policy and the appropriate timing of hand decontamination procedures. As a result
      of the audit, appropriate equipment was ordered and the duties of infection
      prevention link nurses on each ward were made more explicit; namely, to check and
      order equipment for hand hygiene as necessary, to conduct regular reminder
      sessions of the hand decontamination procedure and to raise awareness of hand
      hygiene policy. Posters were also placed on wards in patient areas to increase
      awareness of hand hygiene among patients, and alcohol gel dispensers were
      introduced into nursing stations. Similar audits may prove beneficial at other
      psychiatric hospitals.

PMID- 20304526
TI  - [Family doctor. A classic title].

PMID- 20304527
TI  - [Crisis in family medicine: A bioethical perspective from the routine practice].
AB  - From the beginning, family medicine (FM) has brought health care nearer to the
      population. A crisis in FM is a good time to look at the social expectations and
      to reformulate and to strengthen the principles that guide the specialty. An
      ethical reflection is presented on what to do from the microcosm of daily
      practice. Bureaucracy and trivialities cause a moral decline which prevents FM
      from offering the specific service that it should. Its visualisation as doorman
      to the system, a mere filter of banalities, an administration area or as a
      handkerchief for the system to cry on, draws a socially unacceptable caricature.
      It is vital for FM to reach an effective compromise preferably directed at the
      most vulnerable groups or individuals. But it also urgently needs a sense of
      recovery as an area of human promotion, in which the professionals do not lose
      their moral capacity to have something to desire, want, achieve and enjoy.

PMID- 20304528
TI  - [An evaluation of the quality of health web pages using a validated
      questionnaire].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present study was to evaluate the quality of
      general health information in Spanish language web pages, and the official
      Regional Services web pages from the different Autonomous Regions. DESIGN: It is
      a cross-sectional study. We have used a previously validated questionnaire to
      study the present state of the health information on Internet for a lay-user
      point of view. PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTIONS: By mean of PageRank (Google(r)),
      we obtained a group of webs, including a total of 65 health web pages. We applied
      some exclusion criteria, and finally obtained a total of 36 webs. We also
      analyzed the official web pages from the different Health Services in Spain (19
      webs), making a total of 54 health web pages. RESULTS: In the light of our data,
      we observed that, the quality of the general information health web pages was
      generally rather low, especially regarding the information quality. Not one page
      reached the maximum score (19 points). The mean score of the web pages was of
      9.8+/-2.8. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, to avoid the problems arising from the
      lack of quality, health professionals should design advertising campaigns and
      other media to teach the lay-user how to evaluate the information quality.

PMID- 20304529
TI  - [Development and validation of a generic questionnaire for evaluating
      satisfaction in patients with chronic disease: the SAT-Q Questionnaire].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To develop and validate a brief general questionnaire to assess
      satisfaction in patients with chronic disease. DESIGN: epidemiological,
      observational, multicentre cross-sectional study. LOCATION: 4 Primary Health Care
      Centers from the IV Health Area in the Principality of Asturias. SUBJECTS: A
      total of 202 patients diagnosed with chronic illness who were following a
      pharmacological regimen for at least one year. METHODS: An extensive literature
      review was conducted to create an initial item pool of 61 questions regarding
      patient satisfaction. Then, a forward-backward translation into Spanish was
      carried out. Next, both the expert (n=8) and patient (n=30) panels led to a new
      version of 34 items (concerning satisfaction with medication and satisfaction
      with health service). Finally, scale item reduction (item-total correlation and
      exploratory factorial analysis -EFA-) and psychometrical validation (feasibility,
      reliability and criterion validity) of the SAT-Q- were evaluated. Both the SAT-Q
      and the SF-12 (to assess patient health related quality of life) were applied.
      RESULTS: Item reduction analysis resulted in 18 items: general satisfaction with
      medication (3), adverse-events (3), oversights (2), effectiveness (3),
      convenience (4) and Health services (3). Internal consistency (Cronbach alpha)
      and Intraclass Correlation Coefficients were moderate-high. Moreover, significant
      positive correlations between SAT-Q scores and SF-12 Physical and Mental Summary
      Components were found (with the exception of oversights). CONCLUSIONS: A brief
      questionnaire for measuring satisfaction in chronic patients has been developed
      and preliminary validated.

PMID- 20304530
TI  - [Non-compliance of dyslipaemic patients with electronic prescriptions].

PMID- 20304531
TI  - [Analysis of the effects of pharmacotherapeutic follow-up in hypothyroid patients
      seen in community pharmacy].

PMID- 20304532
TI  - [Acceptance of the HPV vaccination by parents of 10-year old primary schoolgirls.
      One year later].

PMID- 20304533
TI  - [Living will declarations: Qualitative study of the elderly and primary care
      general practitioners].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: First, to assess knowledge and attitudes of people aged 65 and over
      to the Advance Directives Document (ADD) and know the role that, in their
      opinion, a family doctor should play in the early planning of death. Second, to
      assess the level of knowledge and attitude of primary care physicians to that
      document, as well as to know the role played by these professionals. DESIGN:
      Qualitative, using discussion groups. Between March and May 2009 4 groups, 2 of
      physicians and 2 of older people, were formed. SETTING: Castile-La Mancha Primary
      Care Setting, Albacete and Guadalajara health areas. SUBJECTS: 15 people in the
      groups formed by older people and 13 in the groups of doctors. METHOD: The
      Krueger recommendations (1991) were followed both for the selection of subjects,
      conducting of the discussion groups and analysis of data. RESULTS: Doctors and
      patients have a positive attitude towards the ADD, but lack sufficient
      information to make more widespread use of it. Ignorance makes it impossible for
      patients to get information about the document and the lack of time makes it
      difficult for physicians to raise the issue in the consultation. CONCLUSIONS:
      Neither physicians nor the elderly have enough information regarding ADD,
      allowing us to recommend carrying out information campaigns and/or specific
      educational activities. According to physicians, alternatives to primary care
      consultations should be sought for patients to be informed.

PMID- 20304534
TI  - [Evaluation and improvement in the prescribing of anti-platelet drugs in diabetic
      patients].

PMID- 20304535
TI  - Synthesis and antiproliferative activity of indolizine derivatives incorporating
      a cyclopropylcarbonyl group against Hep-G2 cancer cell line.
AB  - Indolizine and annulated indolizine derivatives incorporating a
      cyclopropylcarbonyl group were synthesized in a one pot procedure by the tanden
      reactions of [3+2] cycloaddition of the corresponding N-ylide with electron
      deficient alkene. Seventeen indolizine derivatives were reported for the first
      time. All the compounds were examined for their antiproliferative activity
      against the human hepatocellular liver carcinoma (Hep-G2) cell line by MTT
      method. Among the compounds tested, 5a, 5d, 5 g and 5 j showed the most favorable
      activities with IC(50) values of 0.39, 0.48, 0.29 and 0.20 microg/mL. Especially,
      compound 5 j displayed potent antiproliferative activities with IC(50) value of
      0.20 microg/mL, and showed significant EGFR kinase inhibitory activity with
      IC(50) value of 0.085 microM. Docking simulations of 5 j were carried out to
      illustrate the binding mode of the molecular into the EGFR active site.

PMID- 20304536
TI  - Design, synthesis and 3D-QSAR of beta-carboline derivatives as potent antitumor
      agents.
AB  - In a continuing effort to develop novel beta-carbolines endowed with better
      pharmacological profiles, a series of beta-carboline derivatives were designed
      and synthesized based on the previously developed SARs. Cytotoxicities in vitro
      of these compounds against a panel of human tumor cell lines were also
      investigated. The results demonstrated that the N2-benzylated beta-carbolinium
      bromides 56-60 represented the most potent compounds with IC50 values lower than
      10 microM. The application of 3D-QSAR to these compounds explored the structural
      basis for their biological activities. CoMFA (q2=0.513, r2=0.862) and CoMSIA
      (q2=0.503, r2=0.831) models were developed for a set of 47 beta-carbolines. The
      results indicated that the antitumor pharmacophore of these molecules were marked
      at position-1, -2, -3, -7 and -9 of beta-carboline ring.

PMID- 20304537
TI  - Synthesis and preliminary biological evaluation of novel taspine derivatives as
      anticancer agents.
AB  - Antiangiogenic therapy might represent a new promising anticancer therapeutic
      strategy. Taspine can significantly inhibit cell proliferation of human umbilical
      vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) induced by vascular endothelial growth factor
      165, which is crucial for angiogenesis. In this study, a series of novel taspine
      derivatives were synthesized and screened for in vitro anticancer and
      antiangiogenesis activities. The majority of the derivatives demonstrated a
      moderate degree of cytotoxicity against human cancer cell lines. One of them (14)
      exhibited much better antiproliferative activity against CACO-2
      (IC(50)=52.5microM) and ECV304 (IC(50)=2.67microM) cells than taspine did. Some
      of them were also effective in antiproliferative assays against HUVECs. The in
      silico estimate of solubility of title compounds were higher than that of
      taspine.

PMID- 20304538
TI  - Trifluoromethyl-promoted homocamptothecins: synthesis and biological activity.
AB  - The homocamptothecin (hCPT) represents a new class of topoisomerase inhibitor
      which combines enhanced plasma stability and strong antitumor activity. Fluorine
      imparts desirable characteristics to drugs by modulating both the
      pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic properties of a drug. Therefore, in an
      attempt to improve the antitumor activity of homocamptothecins, seven new 7
      trifluoromethylated homocamptothecin derivatives were prepared by proline
      catalyzed Friedlander annulation. The antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo on
      cancer cell lines, and inhibitory properties of topoisomerase I-mediated DNA
      cleavage of compounds 6c and 8b were evaluated. Several of these
      trifluoromethylated hCPT derivatives (such as 6a, 6b and 6c) possessed higher in
      vitro antitumor activity than topotecan (TPT). Especially, the compound 6c showed
      effective in vivo antitumor activity comparable to that of TPT.

PMID- 20304540
TI  - n-3 LC-PUFA-enriched dairy products are able to reduce cardiovascular risk
      factors: a double-blind, cross-over study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: & AIMS: The effects of n-3 LC-PUFA-supplemented dairy products on
      cardiovascular risk factors in mildly hypertriacylglycerolemic patients (TAG:
      >=1.5 mmol/L) were determined. METHODS: Fifty-one patients (25 f, 26 m) were
      included in the double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over study and were
      randomly divided into two groups. Both groups received intervention (3g n-3 LC
      PUFA/d) and control dairy products consecutively for fifteen weeks with a ten
      week wash-out phase between the two treatments. Blood samples and 24-h urine were
      obtained at the beginning and at the end of each period. The blood lipids were
      determined by enzymatic methods and using the autoanalyser Synchron LX systems
      (Beckman Coulter). 7,8-Dihydro-8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine and fatty acids were
      analysed with HPLC and GC. RESULTS: Generally, the consumption of the
      intervention products resulted in a significant improvement of cardiovascular
      risk factors, e.g., n-3 FA index, AA/EPA ratio, total cholesterol, and TAG. The
      TAG and LDL/HDL ratio were lower at the end of the intervention period in
      comparison with the control period, whereas HDL cholesterol was higher at the end
      of the intervention period. Further, n-3 LC-PUFA-enriched products did not cause
      additional oxidative DNA damage as shown by the 7,8-dihydro-8-oxo-2'
      deoxyguanosine excretion. CONCLUSIONS: The consumption of n-3 LC-PUFA
      supplemented dairy products decreases cardiovascular risk factors.

PMID- 20304539
TI  - Nursing and midwife students' willingness to provide care to patients with
      HIV/AIDS--a comparative study in Finland, Estonia and Lithuania.
AB  - This article presents results on nursing and midwife students' willingness to
      care for patients with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency
      syndrome (HIV/AIDS). An international cross-sectional survey design was used and
      the data were collected from educational institutions in Finland (N=169), Estonia
      (N=132) and Lithuania (N=170) between autumn 2005 and spring 2006. Participants
      (N=471) were nursing and midwife students training to be RN, public health nurses
      or midwives. A modified version of a scale developed by Duppert et al. (1994) was
      applied to measure willingness to care for patients with HIV/AIDS. The study
      found a general willingness on the part of students to provide care for patients
      with HIV/AIDS. However, nursing and midwife students willingness varied between
      countries and was also related to specific nursing interventions. Factors
      associated with students willingness also varied within each country, depending
      on nurses' age, nursing experience (Finland), positive attitudes to treating
      patients with HIV/AIDS in general (Finland, Estonia), and previous experience in
      taking care of a patient with HIV/AIDS (Lithuania). It is important to develop
      strategies for nursing vulnerable patient populations and international nursing
      curricula to identify prejudicial thinking and intolerance towards patients with
      HIV/AIDS.

PMID- 20304541
TI  - Use of the alar base cinch suture in Le Fort I osteotomy: is it effective?
AB  - The alar base cinch suture is often used to mitigate the unfavourable increase in
      nasal width after Le Fort I impaction or advancement of the maxilla. Recently a
      number of studies have looked at the stability and clinical outcome of this
      intervention. We investigated the effect of an alar base cinch suture on the
      change in width of the alar base after Le Fort I osteotomy using a three
      dimensional imaging system. Twenty-eight patients were prospectively randomised
      into an intervention group where a cinch suture was used, and a control group.
      The width of the alar base was measured before operation, and then at one, and
      six months. At six months it had increased from baseline by a median of 2mm in
      all patients. The median increase was greater in the control group than in the
      cinch placement group, but the difference was small. The range in both groups was
      large, indicating great individual variability. There was an overall reduction in
      the width of the alar base between one and six months after operation, which
      indicated some resolution of soft tissue oedema associated with the operation,
      but the median reduction was small and unlikely to be clinically significant. The
      preliminary findings suggest that the suture confers little benefit in
      controlling the width of the alar base of the nose after Le Fort I osteotomy.
      More recently it has been suggested that procedures using a modified cinch suture
      may result in greater stability.

PMID- 20304542
TI  - The role of therapist training in the implementation of psychosocial treatments:
      a review and critique with recommendations.
AB  - Evidence-based treatments (EBT) are underutilized in community settings, where
      consumers are often seen for treatment. Underutilization of EBTs may be related
      to a lack of empirically informed and supported training strategies. The goals of
      this review are to understand the state of the literature for training therapists
      in psychotherapy skills and to offer recommendations to improve research in this
      area. Results of this review of 55 studies evaluating six training methods
      indicate that multi-component trainings have been studied most often and have
      most consistently demonstrated positive training outcomes relative to other
      training methods. Studies evaluating utility of reading, self-directed trainings,
      and workshops have documented that these methods do not routinely produce
      positive outcomes. Workshop follow-ups help to sustain outcomes. Little is known
      about the impact of train-the-trainer methods. Methodological flaws and factors
      that may influence training outcome and future directions are also reviewed.

PMID- 20304543
TI  - Efficacy of temporomandibular joint ankylosis surgical treatment.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study was to answer the following clinical
      question: of the patients with temporomandibular joint ankylosis, do those
      treated with ankylosis resection and ramus-condyle unit reconstruction with a
      prosthetic total joint (total joint replacement [TJR]) have improved jaw function
      and decreased pain compared with those treated with ankylosis resection and
      interpositional arthroplasty (IA)? MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using a retrospective
      study design, the investigators enrolled a sample derived from the population of
      patients presenting to the Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston, MA) and the
      University of Oslo Faculty of Dentistry from 1998 to 2008 for the evaluation and
      management of temporomandibular joint ankylosis. The primary predictor variable
      was treatment (ie, TJR or IA). The outcome variables were the maximal
      interincisal opening and pain. Data analyses were performed using bivariate and
      multiple regression methods. RESULTS: The final study sample included 36 subjects
      with a mean age of 40 +/- 13.1 years, and 25 were women (69%). Of the 36
      patients, 14 (39%) and 22 (61%) were in the TJR and IA groups, respectively. The
      changes in the maximal interincisal opening in the TJR and IA groups were 9.4 +/-
      6.7 and 18 +/- 9.7 mm (P = .02). After adjusting for institutional location,
      number of previous operations, laterality (unilateral versus bilateral
      operation), age, and etiology, the difference in the maximal interincisal opening
      between the 2 treatment groups was not significant (P = .06). The changes between
      preoperative and postoperative pain scores were insignificant between the groups
      (P = .16). CONCLUSION: Ankylosis resection and ramus-condyle unit reconstruction
      with a prosthetic total joint and IA produced comparable outcomes in terms of
      mandibular range of motion and pain.

PMID- 20304544
TI  - Retrospective review of 99 patients with secondary alveolar cleft repair.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of the present review was to evaluate the protocol and
      technique used in a large population of patients with cleft lip and palate when
      secondary grafting is performed during the early mixed dentition stage, as
      determined by eruption of the central incisor. In the United States, most
      investigators have recommended alveolar grafting at the 9- to 11-year age range
      or before eruption of the permanent canines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An
      institutional review board-approved chart review of 99 patients undergoing
      alveolar cleft bone grafting during a 7-year period at a single institution was
      performed. Data were collected regarding demographics, operative time, length of
      hospitalization, follow-up time, complications, and additional procedures
      performed. The cases were divided by patient age into 2 groups: group 1, aged 6
      to 8 years (n = 61); and group 2, aged 9 years and older (n = 38). Statistical
      analysis was performed for various comparisons in the study. RESULTS: The average
      operative time for groups 1 and 2 was 86 and 103 minutes, respectively. The
      complication rate, length of stay, and follow-up time between the 2 groups was
      not statistically significant at the P = .05 significance level. CONCLUSIONS: We
      recommend earlier bone grafting at or before the eruption of the central incisor,
      rather than delaying until the cuspid tooth root is 25% formed. We believe this
      will provide better bone support for the dentition, a decreased burden of
      treatment for the patient, and improved quality of life. Performing the procedure
      at this time can lead to decreased operative times, with comparable postoperative
      outcomes.

PMID- 20304545
TI  - [Validation of the Spanish version of the Revised Cystic Fibrosis Quality of Life
      Questionnaire in adolescents and adults (CFQR 14+ Spain)].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of
      the Spanish version of the revised disease-specific health related quality of
      life questionnaire for adolescents and adults with cystic fibrosis (CFQR 14+
      Spain). METHODS: A total of 43 cystic fibrosis (CF) patients completed the CFQR
      14+ Spain. Forced expiratory volume in 1 second, in percentage of predicted -
      FEV(1) (%)-, number of respiratory exacerbations, 6-minute walk test, Bhalla
      score (based on computerized tomography of the chest), fat-free mass index, body
      mass index (BMI), faecal fat and St George's Respiratory Questionnaire were
      included as measurements of health status. RESULTS: Ten out of the twelve scales
      had alpha coefficients above 0.70. Test-retest correlations (Spearman) ranged
      from 0.49 to 0.95 and they were significant in all scales. Intraclass
      correlations ranged from 0.47 to 0.95 (ten out of the twelve scales were >0.70)
      forty out of the fifty items have correlations between items and scale above
      0.70. All the CFQR+14 scales, except the digestive symptoms scale, discriminated
      significantly between patients with mild, moderate and severe disease (according
      to FEV(1) (%)). Other respiratory parameters also discriminated significantly
      between patients with mild-moderate and severe disease. Only some scales
      discriminated significantly between nourished and malnourished patients. All of
      the scales met standards for floor effects (<15% of the responders with the
      lowest score) but not for ceiling effects (only five out of the twelve).
      CONCLUSION: The Spanish CFQR14+ (Spain) is a reliable and valid instrument for
      measuring the health-related quality of life in Spanish adolescents and adults
      with CF, though with the exception of a few of its subscales.

PMID- 20304547
TI  - Identifying non-technical skills and barriers for improvement of teamwork in
      cardiac arrest teams.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The application of non-technical skills (NTSs) in health care has
      previously been described in other health-care educational programmes. NTSs are
      behavioural principles such as leadership, task distribution and communication.
      The aim of this study was to identify NTSs suitable for improving team
      performance in multi-professional cardiac arrest teams, and to describe barriers
      to the use and implementation of such NTSs by using a qualitative method.
      METHODS: Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 Danish
      Advanced Life Support instructors during the period April 2006 to November 2006.
      Interviews were focussed on barriers and recommendations for teamwork in the
      cardiac arrest team, optimal policy for improvement of resuscitation training and
      clinical practice, use of cognitive aids and adoption of European Resuscitation
      Council (ERC) Guidelines 2005. Interviews and data analysis were supported by a
      template describing 25 NTSs derived from other educational programmes in health
      care. RESULTS: A framework with five categories relating to NTSs was identified:
      leadership, communication, mutual performance monitoring, maintenance of
      standards and guidelines and task management. Important barriers that were
      identified were inexperienced team leaders, task overload and hierarchic
      structure in the teams' inability to maintain focus on chest compressions.
      CONCLUSION: Interview participants pointed out that NTSs of teams could improve
      the treatment of cardiac arrest, but several barriers to this exist. Improving
      resuscitation training should include considerations regarding team leader
      experience, structured communication, mandatory use of cognitive aids, avoidance
      of task overload and mutual performance monitoring to avoid unnecessary
      interruptions in chest compressions.

PMID- 20304548
TI  - Compression range for pediatric CPR training mannequin should match physiological
      parameters.

PMID- 20304549
TI  - Immunophenotypic abnormalities of CD8+ T-cell subsets in a patient with unusual
      Good's Syndrome.

PMID- 20304551
TI  - Occurrence of endometrial cancer six years after treatment with thermal balloon
      ablation (Thermachoice): first case report.

PMID- 20304552
TI  - Validity and legacy of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and PSA-based parameters
      and isoforms in the new millennium.

PMID- 20304553
TI  - Resveratrol induces DNA double-strand breaks through human topoisomerase II
      interaction.
AB  - Resveratrol, a stilbene found in grapes and wine, is one of the most interesting
      natural compound due to its role exerted in cancer prevention and therapy. In
      particular, resveratrol is able to delay cell cycle progression and to induce
      apoptotic death in several cell lines. Here we report that resveratrol treatment
      of human glioblastoma cells induces a delay in cell cycle progression during S
      phase associated with an increase in histone H2AX phosphorylation. Furthermore,
      with an in vitro assay of topoisomerase IIalpha catalytic activity we show that
      resveratrol is able to inhibit the ability of recombinant human TOPO IIalpha to
      decatenate kDNA, so that it could be considered a TOPO II poison.

PMID- 20304554
TI  - Performance and thermal behavior of wood plastic composite produced by nonmetals
      of pulverized waste printed circuit boards.
AB  - A new kind of wood plastic composite (WPC) was produced by compounding nonmetals
      from waste printed circuit boards (PCBs), recycled high-density polyethylene
      (HDPE), wood flour and other additives. The blended granules were then extruded
      to profile WPC products by a conical counter-rotating twin-screw extruder. The
      results showed that the addition of nonmetals in WPC improved the flexural
      strength and tensile strength and reduced screw withdrawal strength. When the
      added content of nonmetals was 40%, the flexural strength of WPC was 23.4 MPa,
      tensile strength was 9.6 MPa, impact strength was 3.03 J/m(2) and screw
      withdrawal strength was 1755 N. Dimensional stability and fourier transform
      infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) of WPC panels were also investigated. Furthermore,
      thermogravimetric analysis showed that thermal degradation of WPC mainly included
      two steps. The first step was the decomposition of wood flour and nonmetals from
      260 to 380 degrees C, and the second step was the decomposition of HDPE from 440
      to 500 degrees C. The performance and thermal behavior of WPC produced by
      nonmetals from PCBs achieves the standard of WPC. It offers a novel method to
      treat nonmetals from PCBs.

PMID- 20304555
TI  - Bisphenol A removal by the Dracaena plant and the role of plant-associating
      bacteria.
AB  - Dracaena sanderiana and Dracaena fragrans plants, as representatives of native,
      tropical, evergreen plants with fibrous root systems, were evaluated for
      bisphenol A (BPA) tolerance and uptake capability. D. sanderiana demonstrated
      significantly higher BPA removal capability than D. fragrans. Therefore, it was
      chosen for further study. D. sanderiana tolerated BPA toxicity levels up to 80
      microM, while higher BPA concentrations damaged the plant. In the sterile
      hydroponic system with an initial BPA concentration of 20 microM, the plant could
      uptake approximately 50% of the BPA. The plant's ability to translocate BPA was
      confirmed by the detection of BPA that accumulated at the roots and stems, but
      not at the leaves of the plant. Upon BPA exposure, the D. sanderiana secreted
      extracellular plant mucilage as a protective barrier to the toxic compound. In
      the non-sterile treatment, the BPA dissipation was contributed not only by the D.
      sanderiana plant, but also by the co-existing microbes. The BPA reached 85% of
      the initial concentration at 20 microM. Among the six plant-associating bacterial
      isolates, Bacillus cereus strain BPW4 and Enterobacter sp. strain BPW5 colonized
      the D. sanderiana root surface and facilitated BPA dissipation in the hydroponic
      treatment system. In addition, the success of the BPA treatment in the hazardous
      waste landfill leachate demonstrated the potential application of D. sanderiana
      plant in the phytoremediation of BPA contaminated wastewater or industrial
      leachate.

PMID- 20304556
TI  - Risk factors for onset of chronic oro-facial pain--results of the North Cheshire
      oro-facial pain prospective population study.
AB  - Due to the cross-sectional nature of previous studies, whether mechanical factors
      predict the onset of Chronic oro-facial pain remains unclear. Aims of the current
      study were to test the hypotheses that self-reported mechanical factors would
      predict onset of Chronic oro-facial pain and that any observed relationship would
      be independent of the confounding effects of psychosocial factors and reporting
      of other unexplained symptoms. About 1735 subjects who had completed a baseline
      questionnaire were assessed at 2year follow-up for the presence of Chronic oro
      facial pain, psychosocial factors (anxiety and depression, illness behaviour,
      life stressors and reporting of somatic symptoms), mechanical dysfunction (facial
      trauma, grinding, phantom bite and missing teeth) and reporting of other
      unexplained symptoms (chronic widespread pain, irritable bowel syndrome and
      chronic fatigue). About 1329 subjects returned completed questionnaires (adjusted
      response rate 87%). About 56 (5%) reported new episodes of Chronic oro-facial
      pain at follow-up. Univariate analyses showed that age, gender, reporting of
      other unexplained symptoms, psychosocial factors and two self-report mechanical
      factors predicted the onset of Chronic oro-facial pain. However multivariate
      analysis showed that mechanical factors did not independently predict onset. The
      strongest predictors were health anxiety (Relative Risk (RR) 2.8, 95% CI 1.3
      6.2), chronic widespread pain (RR 4.0 95% C.I. 2.2-7.4) and age (RR 0.2, 95% CI
      0.1-0.7). The findings from this prospective study support the hypothesis that
      psychosocial factors are markers for onset of Chronic oro-facial pain. The
      efficacy of early psychological management of Chronic oro-facial pain to address
      these factors should be a priority for future investigations.

PMID- 20304557
TI  - The effect of the menstrual cycle on affective modulation of pain and nociception
      in healthy women.
AB  - Research indicates pain may be influenced by the menstrual cycle. While the
      mechanisms underlying these effects are unclear, it is possible that menstrual
      phase-related changes in endogenous pain modulation contribute. The present study
      used well-validated methods to study affective modulation of pain and the
      nociceptive flexion reflex (NFR) in healthy women during two menstrual phases
      (mid-follicular vs. late-luteal). Women (N=41) tracked their menstrual phases for
      three complete cycles and were asked to attend two laboratory testing sessions in
      the second and third cycles to assess affective modulation of pain and
      nociception (testing order counterbalanced). Menstrual phase was assessed from
      daily diaries, luteinizing hormone tests, and basal body temperature. At each
      session, emotionally charged pictures were presented and suprathreshold
      electrocutaneous stimulations were delivered during and in between pictures.
      Subjective and physiological emotional reactions were recorded in response to
      each picture and pain ratings and NFRs were recorded in response to each
      suprathreshold stimulus. Results suggested pictures effectively manipulated
      emotion in both menstrual phases. Moreover, arousing unpleasant pictures enhanced
      pain and NFR, whereas arousing pleasant pictures inhibited pain and NFR. These
      modulatory effects were similar in both menstrual phases. Together, these
      findings suggest that affective engagement of corticospinal mechanisms does not
      differ across these phases of the menstrual cycle. However, future research is
      needed to directly assess the relationship between affective modulation of
      pain/nociception and inter- and intra-individual differences in ovarian hormones
      and to extend these findings to women who suffer from menstrual cycle-related
      pain (e.g., premenstrual dysphoric disorder, fibromyalgia).

PMID- 20304558
TI  - Chronic low back pain analgesic studies--a methodological minefield.

PMID- 20304559
TI  - Scanning probe lithography for fabrication of Ti metal nanodot arrays.
AB  - We report fabrication of Ti metal nanodot arrays by scanning probe microscopic
      indentation. A thin poly-methylmethacrylate (PMMA) layer was spin-coated on Si
      substrates with thickness of 70nm. Nanometer-size pore arrays were formed by
      indenting the PMMA layer using a cantilever of a scanning probe microscope.
      Protuberances with irregular boundaries appeared during the indentation process.
      Control of approach and pulling-out speed during indentation was able to dispose
      of the protrusions. Ti metal films were deposited on the patterned PMMA layers by
      a radio-frequency sputtering method and subsequently lifted off to obtain metal
      nanodot arrays. The fabricated metal nanodot arrays have 200nm of diameter and
      500nm of interdistance, which corresponds to a density of 4x10(8)/cm(2). Scanning
      probe-based measurement of current-voltage (I-V) behaviors for a single Ti metal
      nanodot showed asymmetric characteristics. Applying external bias is likely to
      induce oxidation of Ti metal, since the conductance decreased and volume change
      of the dots was observed. I-V behaviors of Ti metal nanodots by conventional e
      beam lithography were also characterized for comparison.

PMID- 20304560
TI  - Tick reservoirs for piroplasms in central and northern Italy.
AB  - Ticks, collected in central and northern Italy from pets, livestock, wild animals
      and the environment (n=2107), were identified by microscopy and processed by
      molecular diagnostics to determine the species that act as a reservoir for
      piroplasms. A total of 11 ixodid tick species were identified, with five of them
      proving to be piroplasm positive. Molecular diagnostics identified Theileria equi
      and eight Babesia species in 52 adult specimens, mostly (n=50) removed from
      piroplasm-free vertebrate hosts. Ixodes ricinus hosted the highest number of
      species, although the highest infection rate was recorded in Hyalomma marginatum
      (9.1%), followed by I. ricinus (5.1%), Dermacentor marginatus (5%), Rhipicephalus
      turanicus (3.1%) and R. sanguineus (1.2%). Novel tick/pathogen associations were
      detected, suggesting that certain tick species (such as Hy. marginatum, R.
      sanguineus and I. ricinus) are vector of more piroplasm species than previously
      thought. Trans-stadial maintenance of the piroplasms was observed in each
      positive tick species; vertical transmission of B. canis canis was demonstrated
      in R. sanguineus. Finally, the detection of Babesia sp., B. microti-like species
      and B. rodhaini, phylogenetically related to zoonotic species, suggests that the
      human population could be at risk of infection in the studied area.

PMID- 20304561
TI  - The preparation of neem oil microemulsion (Azadirachta indica) and the comparison
      of acaricidal time between neem oil microemulsion and other formulations in
      vitro.
AB  - The preparation of neem oil microemulsion and its acaricidal activity in vitro
      was developed in this study. In these systems, the mixture of Tween-80 and the
      sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) (4:1, by weight) was used as compound
      surfactant; the mixture of compound surfactant and hexyl alcohol (4:1, by weight)
      was used as emulsifier system; the mixture of neem oil, emulsifier system and
      water (1:3.5:5.5, by weight) was used as neem oil microemulsion. All the mixtures
      were stired in 800 rpm for 15 min at 40 degrees C. The acaricidal activity was
      measured by the speed of kill. The whole lethal time value of 10% neem oil
      microemulsion was 192.50 min against Sarcoptes scabiei var. cuniculi larvae in
      vitro. The median lethal time value was 81.7463 min with the toxicity regression
      equations of Y=-6.0269+3.1514X. These results demonstrated that neem oil
      microemulsion was effective against Sarcoptes scabie var. cuniculi larvae in
      vitro.

PMID- 20304562
TI  - Timing of adjuvant systemic therapy and radiotherapy after breast-conserving
      surgery and mastectomy.
AB  - In the last two decades, systemic adjuvant treatment for breast cancer, in
      association with radiotherapy, has been shown to prolong disease-free survival
      and overall survival in patients with operable breast tumors. So far, the optimal
      sequence of systemic therapy and radiotherapy for breast cancer patients after
      conservative surgery or mastectomy is unclear. Several retrospective analyses
      showed a possible detrimental effect on local regional recurrence rates when
      radiation therapy is delayed after chemotherapy. On the other hand, delaying
      chemotherapy after radiotherapy may increase the risk of distant failure and
      affect the survival. Concurrent administration of targeted treatment (e.g. non
      anthracycline/taxane containing chemotherapy, trastuzumab, endocrine therapy)
      with radiotherapy is considered a valid option. A "tailored" approach on
      sequencing of chemotherapy and radiotherapy which takes into account various
      variables, such as histological and biological features of the tumor, as well as
      the patient status and the treatment modality is required in order to optimize
      the delivery of adjuvant treatments. This review focuses on the effects of timing
      of chemotherapy-radiotherapy and risks of relapse, in terms of locoregional and
      distant recurrence in patients with operable breast cancer.

PMID- 20304563
TI  - Giving birth to a new brain: hormone exposures of pregnancy influence human
      memory.
AB  - Mammalian pregnancy produces alterations in maternal physiology that are
      necessary for maintaining gestation, fetal development and parturition. These
      changes also may prepare the maternal brain for the unique demands of motherhood.
      Parous rodents exhibit long-term changes in neurological structure and function
      and human work suggests that other landmark events in the reproductive cycle,
      such as menarche and menopause, influence cognition. However, the influence of
      pregnancy on the human brain remains to be elucidated. This study indicates that
      verbal recall memory (but not recognition or working memory) diminishes during
      human pregnancy and that these decrements persist after parturition. Further,
      prenatal glucocorticoids and estrogen are associated with these alterations. To
      meet the challenges of motherhood, the female brain may be remodeled, a process
      that appears to be initiated prenatally. However, it is not often that adaptation
      is achieved without an associated cost. For the human, in the case of the new
      maternal brain, diminished memory performance may reflect such a cost.

PMID- 20304564
TI  - Primary gastric inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor: a clinicopathologic and
      immunohistochemical study of 5 cases.
AB  - Primary gastric inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors are rare. Here we report on 5
      such cases (4 males and 1 female, age range 36-45 years). Their presenting
      symptoms included abdominal mass (5 patients), abdominal pain (4 patients), and
      upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage (1 patient). Tumor size ranged from 4.5 to 8 cm
      in the greatest dimension. Histologically, these tumors showed three patterns:
      myxoid hypocellular, fascicular, and hyalinized. A lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate
      was present in all 5 tumors. One to two mitotic figures were recognized in 10
      high power fields (HPFs) in 4 patients and focally up to 5 in 10HPFs in 1
      patient. No prominent nuclear atypia or necrosis was observed. ALK, smooth muscle
      actin, and vimentin staining were observed in all tumors. One tumor focally
      expressed desmin. S-100, CD21, CD34, CD35, CD68, and CD117 were negative in all
      IMTs. The patients were followed up for 2-5 years (mean 3.4 years), and none of
      them had tumor metastasis or died. Only one patient developed local recurrence
      and is now alive with no evidence of disease after the second surgery (11 months
      after the second surgery). Our results indicate that primary gastric IMTs have an
      intermediate behavior as seen at other sites.

PMID- 20304565
TI  - Improvement in interobserver accuracy in delineation of the lumpectomy cavity
      using fiducial markers.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine, whether the presence of gold fiducial markers would
      improve the inter- and intraphysician accuracy in the delineation of the surgical
      cavity compared with a matched group of patients who did not receive gold
      fiducial markers in the setting of accelerated partial-breast irradiation (APBI).
      METHODS AND MATERIALS: Planning CT images of 22 lumpectomy cavities were reviewed
      in a cohort of 22 patients; 11 patients received four to six gold fiducial
      markers placed at the time of surgery. Three physicians categorized the seroma
      cavity according to cavity visualization score criteria and delineated each of
      the 22 seroma cavities and the clinical target volume. Distance between centers
      of mass, percentage overlap, and average surface distance for all patients were
      assessed. RESULTS: The mean seroma volume was 36.9 cm(3) and 34.2 cm(3) for
      fiducial patients and non-fiducial patients, respectively (p = ns). Fiducial
      markers improved the mean cavity visualization score, to 3.6 +/- 1.0 from 2.5 +/-
      1.3 (p < 0.05). The mean distance between centers of mass, average surface
      distance, and percentage overlap for the seroma and clinical target volume were
      significantly improved in the fiducial marker patients as compared with the non
      fiducial marker patients (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The placement of gold fiducial
      markers placed at the time of lumpectomy improves interphysician identification
      and delineation of the seroma cavity and clinical target volume. This has
      implications in radiotherapy treatment planning for accelerated partial-breast
      irradiation and for boost after whole-breast irradiation.

PMID- 20304566
TI  - Local response and impact on survival after local ablation of liver metastases
      from colorectal carcinoma by computed tomography-guided high-dose-rate
      brachytherapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine local tumor control after CT-guided brachytherapy at
      various dose levels and the prognostic impact of extensive cytoreduction in
      colorectal liver metastases. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Seventy-three patients were
      treated on a single-center prospective trial that was initially designed to be
      randomized to three dose levels of 15 Gy, 20 Gy, or 25 Gy per lesion, delivered
      in a single fraction. However, because there was a high rate of cross-over of
      subjects from higher to lower dose levels, this study is better understood as a
      prospective trial with three dose levels. No upper size limit for the metastases
      was applied. We assessed time to local progression, progression-free survival,
      and overall survival. RESULTS: According to safety constraints cross-over was
      performed. The final assignment was n = 98, n = 68, and n = 33 in the 15-Gy, 20
      Gy, and 25-Gy groups, respectively. Median diameter of the largest tumor lesion
      in each patient was 5 cm (range, 1-13.5 cm). Estimated mean local recurrence-free
      survival for all lesions was 34 months (median not reached). The group assigned
      to 15 Gy after cross-over displayed 34 local recurrences out of 98 lesions; 20
      Gy, 15 out of 68 lesions; 25 Gy, 1 out of 33 lesions. The difference between the
      25-Gy and the 20-Gy or 15-Gy group was significant (p < 0.05). Repeated local
      tumor ablations were the most prominent factor for increased survival and
      dominated additional systemic antitumor treatments. CONCLUSIONS: Local tumor
      control after CT-guided brachytherapy of colorectal liver metastases demonstrated
      a strong dose dependency. The role of extensive minimally invasive tumor ablation
      in metastatic colorectal cancer needs to be further established.

PMID- 20304567
TI  - Cholesterol-loaded cyclodextrin enhances osmotic tolerance and inhibits the
      acrosome reaction in rabbit spermatozoa.
AB  - The effects of cholesterol-loaded cyclodextrin (CLC) treatment on the osmotic
      tolerance and ability to undergo the acrosome reaction of rabbit spermatozoa,
      with an unusually high cholesterol/phospholipid ratio in plasma membranes, were
      examined in two successive experiments. In the first experiment, CLC-pretreated
      and untreated sperm cells were exposed for 15min to one of five fructose
      solutions, adjusted to 20, 80, 290, 500 or 1500mOsm/L. After the anisoosmotic
      challenge, the integrity of sperm membranes in the CLC-supplemented (at a dose
      level of 3mg/120x10(6)spermatozoa) and control groups was estimated by a modified
      hypoosmotic swelling test (HOST) associated with a supravital eosin staining test
      (HE-test). In the second part of the study, the influence of cholesterol
      supplementation on the acrosome reaction of sperm cells stimulated by either
      calcium ionophore A23187 (CI) or lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) was evaluated. CLC
      pretreatment increased viable and live-HOST-responsive sperm rates (P<0.01) after
      incubation in anisoosmotic solutions varying from 80 to 1500mOsm/L. However, CLC
      supplementation did not influence the percentage of HOST-responsive sperm cells
      (P>0.05). A significant interaction was determined between CLC pretreatment and
      the level of osmotic pressure in maintaining the functional and physical
      integrities of sperm membranes undergoing osmotic challenges. Both CI and LPC
      successfully induced the acrosome reaction in rabbit spermatozoa (P<0.001).
      Compared with CI, LPC was more effective (P<0.0001). CLC pretreatment resulted in
      a significant reduction (P<0.01) in the percentage of acrosome reacted sperm
      cells irrespective of the inducing agent, either CI or LPC. In conclusion, CLC
      treatment enhanced the anisoosmotic tolerance of rabbit spermatozoa and reduced
      their ability to undergo the acrosome reaction after stimulation by CI or LPC.

PMID- 20304568
TI  - Levels of selected T lymphocyte subpopulations in peripheral blood of mares which
      experienced early embryonic death.
AB  - The objective of the present study was to analyse the immune status of mares in
      the early stages of pregnancy and mares which experienced early embryonic death
      (EED). Forty-eight fertile purebred Arabian mares were used for the study. The
      mares were divided into two groups. Group I was the control group composed of 32
      mares in the early stages of a normal pregnancy. Group II was composed of 12
      mares which had experienced EED. In both groups, subpopulations of T lymphocytes
      containing CD2(+), CD4(+) and CD8(+) were characterized using flow cytometry. The
      percentages of CD3(+) lymphocytes (adding up the cells with CD4(+) and CD8(+)
      phenotypes) and of NK cells (subtracting CD3(+) cells from CD2(+) lymphocytes)
      calculated. Due to its suppressive effects on T lymphocytes during pregnancy, TGF
      beta1 was determined using ELISA. The findings revealed that in mares with EED,
      the percentages of lymphocytes TCD2(+), TCD4(+), NK cells at EED, i.e. between
      days 14 and 21, were significantly higher compared to mares without EED. The
      changes in the CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio were similar. In the EED group, this ratio
      significantly increased between the 96th hour and the 30th day after ovulation
      compared to mares without EED. Otherwise, serum levels of TGF-beta1 in the EED
      group were significantly lower than in the control group. The results show that
      mares which experienced an EED develop inflammatory reactions which activate Th1
      cell immune responses.

PMID- 20304569
TI  - Evidence-based survey of the elimination rates of ethanol from blood with
      applications in forensic casework.
AB  - Reliable information about the elimination rate of alcohol (ethanol) from blood
      is often needed in forensic science and legal medicine when alcohol-related
      crimes, such as drunken driving or drug-related sexual assault are investigated.
      A blood sample for forensic analysis might not be taken until several hours after
      an offence was committed. The courts usually want to know the suspect's blood
      alcohol concentration (BAC) at some earlier time, such as the time of driving.
      Making these back calculations or retrograde extrapolations of BAC in criminal
      cases has many proponents and critics. Ethanol is eliminated from the body mainly
      by oxidative metabolism in the liver by Class I isoenzymes of alcohol
      dehydrogenase (ADH). Ethanol is an example of a drug for which the Michaelis
      Menten pharmacokinetic model applies and the Michaelis constant (k(m)) for Class
      I ADH is at a BAC of 2-10mg/100mL. This means that the enzyme is saturated with
      substrate after the first few drinks and that zero-order kinetics is adequate to
      describe the declining phase of the BAC profile in most forensic situations
      (BAC>20mg/100mL). After drinking on an empty stomach, the elimination rate of
      ethanol from blood falls within the range 10-15 mg/100mL/h. In non-fasted
      subjects the rate of elimination tends to be in the range 15-20mg/100mL/h. In
      alcoholics during detoxification, because activity of microsomal enzyme (CYP2E1)
      is boosted, the ethanol elimination rate might be 25-35 mg/100mL/h. The slope of
      the BAC declining phase is slightly steeper in women compared with men, which
      seems to be related to gender differences in liver weight in relation to lean
      body mass. The present evidence-based review suggests that the physiological
      range of ethanol elimination rates from blood is from 10 to 35 mg/100mL/h. In
      moderate drinkers 15 mg/100mL/h remains a good average value for the population,
      whereas in apprehended drivers 19 mg/100mL/h is more appropriate, since many of
      these individuals are binge drinkers or alcoholics. In preparing this article, a
      large number of peer-reviewed publications were scrutinized. Only those meeting
      certain standards in experimental design, dose of alcohol and blood-sampling
      protocol were used. The results presented can hopefully serve as best-practice
      guidelines when questions arise in criminal and civil litigation about the
      elimination rate of ethanol from blood in humans.

PMID- 20304570
TI  - Forensic dental identification.
AB  - Identification of deceased persons is the most common role of the forensic
      dentist. Forensic physical comparison of antemortem and postmortem dental data is
      used to establish that a found body and a missing person are one and the same to
      a high degree of certainty. An overview of this role is presented as a review of
      dental identification.

PMID- 20304571
TI  - Interpreting group differences using Demirjian's dental maturity method.
AB  - Although Demirjian's method is designed to assess dental maturity at the
      individual level, significant differences between average dental age and real age
      for groups have been interpreted as population differences. The aim of this study
      was to describe the variation in maturity score for age and age for maturity
      score from a large collaborative database of children and discuss methods adapted
      for groups in light of this. Tooth stages from radiographs of 4710 males and 4661
      females (age 2-18) were used and dental maturity scores calculated using
      Demirjian and Goldstein. The mean, standard deviation, standard error and 95%
      confidence intervals of maturity score by age group (6 and 12 months groups) and
      age by maturity score (5 points) groups were calculated. Adapted maturity curves
      from 13 published studies of boys from Europe, Middle East, Africa, India, China
      and South America were compared to the database. Most adapted curves at the 50th
      percentile from world regions fell within the 95% confidence intervals. Those
      that did not, were hampered by small sample size or poorly fitting curves. This
      is complicates by the inclusion of mature individuals. Few studies adapting
      Demirjian's method provide sufficient or appropriate statistics to compare
      maturation of individual teeth. The wide 95% confidence intervals for maturity
      score by age, age by maturity score, age of individual tooth stages and large
      number of sequences suggest that the significant differences in dental maturity
      score do not reflect any biological difference in the timing of tooth formation
      stages at the population level. Demirjian's dental maturity method is
      inappropriate to assess population differences in dental maturity and adapting
      scores for age or age for scores for different groups of children is probably
      unnecessary.

PMID- 20304572
TI  - Sexual dimorphism in deciduous crown traits of a European derived Australian
      sample.
AB  - Sex determination of juvenile skeletal remains is a problematic area affecting
      physical anthropology, forensic science and archaeology. Sexual dimorphism in the
      morphometric crown traits of the deciduous dentition may be used to help resolve
      this issue. Dental stone casts from a European derived Australian sample (n=151)
      were used to investigate variation within crown traits of the deciduous canine
      and molars. The metric traits investigated were crown size, trigonid size and
      talonid size. The morphological features included Carabelli's trait and molar
      cusp number. Metric crown traits were significantly larger in males (p<0.05). The
      morphological crown traits were not significantly different between the sexes.
      The largest degree of sexual dimorphism was 11.11% in the trigonid mesiodistal
      diameter of the first deciduous molar. This is the first recording of the
      measurement in a European derived sample. Two multivariate statistics, linear
      functional discriminant analysis and binary logistic regression, were used to
      determine the success rate of sex classification from the crown traits. The most
      suitable was linear functional discriminant analysis, however similar results
      were found when using binary logistic regression. When using all variables
      investigated in this study, sex could be classified with accuracy of 70.2% from
      linear functional discriminant analysis (cross validated). The mandibular teeth
      had greater sexual dimorphism, classifying sex correctly 74.8% of the time
      compared to maxillary variables that had a success rate of 55.6%. Our results
      have shown that morphometric crown traits in the deciduous dentition can be used
      to classify sex of juvenile skeletons (11 months to 12 years) of European descent
      from linear functional discriminant analysis with accuracy between 70.2% and
      74.8%.

PMID- 20304573
TI  - Indoors forensic entomology: colonization of human remains in closed environments
      by specific species of sarcosaprophagous flies.
AB  - Fly species that are commonly recovered on human corpses concealed in houses or
      other dwellings are often dependent on human created environments and might have
      special features in their biology that allow them to colonize indoor cadavers. In
      this study we describe nine typical cases involving forensically relevant flies
      on human remains found indoors in southern Finland. Eggs, larvae and puparia were
      reared to adult stage and determined to species. Of the five species found the
      most common were Lucilia sericata Meigen, Calliphora vicina Robineau-Desvoidy and
      Protophormia terraenovae Robineau-Desvoidy. The flesh fly Sarcophaga caerulescens
      Zetterstedt is reported for the first time to colonize human cadavers inside
      houses and a COI gene sequence based DNA barcode is provided for it to help
      facilitate identification in the future. Fly biology, colonization speed and the
      significance of indoors forensic entomological evidence are discussed.

PMID- 20304574
TI  - Odontology as a forensic science, the North American experience.
AB  - This chapter discusses the North American situation, primarily that of the United
      States judicial system. The United States was established as neither a monarchy
      nor a theocracy. An unofficial motto of the country has always been - the rule of
      laws, not of men (or deities). The primary source of law in the United States is
      the US Constitution. However, each of the 50 states has as its primary source of
      law a state constitution. In order to become a state, that constitution must
      conform to US Constitution. In the United States the US Congress, consisting of
      duly elected Representatives and Senators from the 50 states draft and pass Acts
      that establish (or direct to be established by officers of the Executive Branch
      following prescribed administrative procedures) federal law. Each state too, has
      its own legislative bodies and process for making law. Each state also has its
      own system of courts. In order to discuss the role of the odontologist within
      these systems, a primer on how these systems function and interact is crucial.
      This article discusses the functioning of those systems in relation to the
      practice of forensic odontology.

PMID- 20304575
TI  - [Late complication of surgical repair of aortic coarctation: ruptured
      pseudoaneurysm of the aorta treated by thoracic endovascular aortic repair].
AB  - Aortic coarctation is a frequent congenital defect requiring early surgical
      treatment. Late complications of these surgical procedures can be fatal as in the
      case of a ruptured anastomotic pseudoaneurysm. We present a case of a 49-year-old
      man presenting with hemorrhagic shock due to this complication who was
      successfully treated by endovascular techniques with implantation of two stent
      grafts. This case illustrates the fact that endovascular aortic repair is
      feasible, certainly less invasive and very efficient for this type of
      complication when used in an experienced center.

PMID- 20304576
TI  - [Hospital information system and epidemiology. Abstracts of Adelf-Emois
      Colloquium. April 22-23, 2010. Bordeaux, France].

PMID- 20304577
TI  - Use of total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) for the evaluation of heavy
      metal poisoning due to the improper use of a traditional ayurvedic drug.
AB  - An Indian patient referred to Clinica del Lavoro 'L.Devoto' of Milano showed
      clinical signs of heavy metal poisoning, possibly related to a sustained 6-month
      use of approx. 3 g/day of a traditional preparation (a whitish powder with a
      'mineral' appearance) to treat urological problems. To confirm the causal
      relationship between the disease and the use of such product, metal testing was
      performed on the patient's hair and the ayurvedic remedy samples by total
      reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF). For TXRF analysis 1-cm cut of the patient's
      hair was directly deposited onto the quartz glass sample carrier, then 10 microl
      of nitric acid 65% were added and dried in air. TXRF showed high versatility,
      rapid and simultaneous element detection, and short analysis time, thus
      supporting a wider use in emergency medicine and in forensic analyses.

PMID- 20304578
TI  - A comprehensive review of Paget-Schroetter syndrome.
AB  - Venous thoracic outlet syndrome progressing to the point of axilosubclavian vein
      thrombosis, variously referred to as Paget-Schroetter syndrome or effort
      thrombosis, is a classic example of an entity which if treated correctly has
      minimal long-term sequelae but if ignored is associated with significant long
      term morbidity. The subclavian vein is highly vulnerable to injury as it passes
      by the junction of the first rib and clavicle in the anterior-most part of the
      thoracic outlet. In addition to extrinsic compression, repetitive forces in this
      area frequently lead to fixed intrinsic damage and extrinsic scar tissue
      formation. Once primary thrombosis is recognized, catheter-directed thrombolytic
      therapy is usually successful if initiated within ten to 14 days of clot
      formation, but often unmasks an underlying lesion. The vast majority of
      investigators believe that decompression of the venous thoracic outlet, usually
      by means of first rib excision, partial anterior scalenectomy, resection of the
      costoclavicular ligament, and thorough external venolysis, is necessary, although
      opinion is less uniform as to the need for and method of treatment of the venous
      lesion itself. Using this algorithm, long-term success rates of 95 to 100% have
      been reported by many investigators. This review, in addition to discussing the
      overall treatment algorithm in more detail, attempts to point out controversies
      that still exist and research directions, both clinical and basic, that need to
      be pursued. Prospective randomized trials addressing this entity are surprisingly
      lacking, and although there is consensus based on experience, it may be necessary
      to step back and rigorously explore several aspects of this entity.

PMID- 20304579
TI  - Endovascular treatment of aortoesophageal and aortobronchial fistulae.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Even when promptly recognized and treated, aortoesophageal (AEF) and
      aortobronchial (ABF) fistulae are highly lethal conditions. Open surgical repair
      also carries a high risk of mortality and morbidity. Several alternative
      strategies have been recently reported in the literature including thoracic
      endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). However, relatively little is known about
      results of TEVAR for AEF and ABF due to their rarity and the lack of large
      surveys. METHODS: A voluntary national survey was conducted among Italian
      universities and hospital centers with an endovascular program. Questionnaires
      were distributed by e-mail to participating centers and aimed to evaluate the
      results of endovascular repair of established AEF or ABF. RESULTS: Seventeen
      centers agreed to participate and provided data on their patients. Between 1998
      and 2008, a total of 1138 patients were treated with TEVAR. In 25 patients
      (2.2%), the indication to treatment was an AEF and/or an ABF. In 10 of these
      cases (40%), an associated open surgical procedure was also performed. Thirty-day
      mortality rate of AEF/ABF endovascular repair was 28% (7 cases). No cases of
      paraplegia or stroke were observed. Mean follow-up was 22.6 months (range, 1-62).
      Actuarial survival at 2 years was 55%. Among the 18 initial survivors, five
      patients (28%) underwent reintervention due to late TEVAR failure. CONCLUSIONS:
      Stent grafting for AEF and ABF represents a viable option in emergent and urgent
      settings. However, further esophageal or bronchial repair is necessary in most
      cases. Despite less invasive attempts, mortality associated with these conditions
      remains very high.

PMID- 20304580
TI  - National trends in venous disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The national burden of venous disease and use of ultrasound (US) in
      the outpatient and emergency department (ED) settings has not been well
      described. The objective of this study is to describe venous disease in the
      outpatient and ED settings nationally as well as to characterize the use of US
      for diagnosis of venous disease, including phlebitis. METHODS: Data from the 1997
      to 2006 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) and National Hospital
      Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) were compiled, and complex sampling
      methods were used to describe the number of outpatient and ED visits for adults
      given a diagnosis of venous disease or phlebitis by ICD-9 coding. Logistic
      regression analysis with calculated odds ratios are used to examined patient
      visit characteristics and use of US. RESULTS: During the 10 years studied, an
      office or ED visit for venous disease occurred over 46 million times, for an
      average of 4.6 million visits per year, with this rate increasing from 4.03
      million to 5.71 million per year (odds ratio [OR] 1.01, confidence interval [CI]
      1.00-1.01). The majority of these patients were seen by specialists, such as
      surgeons or cardiologists, but a significant number were also seen by primary
      care providers (PCP). There were 2 million office visits (PCP and specialists) on
      average per year with no significant increase. There were approximately 236,000
      ED visits for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) on average per year, which showed a
      small increase (OR 1.01, CI 1.00-1.01). Visits for DVT and phlebitis were as
      likely to be seen by PCPs as ED physicians. Non-DVT venous disease is much more
      likely to be seen by a surgeon (OR 4.88, CI 3.53-6.74) than a PCP. DVT is much
      less likely to be diagnosed by a specialist (OR 0.27, CI 0.18-0.29) than a PCP.
      Insurance status and geographic region were not associated with DVT or non-DVT
      venous disease diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Nationally, a significant and growing
      number of patients with venous disease are being seen in the outpatient setting
      by PCPs and specialists. A significant number of patients with DVT are being seen
      in the outpatient setting, but without a trend away from care in the ED over the
      10-year study period. Additionally, the majority of patients with DVT diagnosis
      do not seem to be getting ultrasounds at the same visit. Many of these patients
      are being seen by PCPs who may require additional training and infrastructure for
      appropriate patient care.

PMID- 20304581
TI  - Insulin use is associated with poor limb salvage and survival in diabetic
      patients with chronic limb ischemia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The goal was to compare the outcomes in patients with disabling
      claudication (DC) or critical limb ischemia (CLI) to determine if diabetics (DM)
      have poorer patency, limb salvage (LS), and survival rates than nondiabetic
      patients and if the diabetic regimen affects these outcomes. METHODS: All
      patients who presented with DC or CLI between June 2001 and September 2008 were
      included. Non-DM patients were compared with those with DM who are currently
      managed by diet only or oral medications (D-OM), oral medications plus insulin
      (OM+INS), or insulin alone (INS). RESULTS: Of the 746 patients (886 limbs), there
      were 406 patients (464 limbs) in non-DM, 96 patients (135 limbs) in D-OM, 98
      patients (118 limbs) in OM+INS, and 146 patients (185 limbs) in INS groups. There
      were more patients with coronary artery disease, hypertension, and renal
      insufficiency in the DM group than non-DM, with the INS group having the highest
      incidence of renal insufficiency/dialysis (46%/20%). Gangrene and foot sepsis
      were significantly more frequent in patients in OM+INS (45%/3%) and INS (50%/6%)
      than non-DM (15%/0.2%) and D-OM groups (25%/1%; P < .001). More patients in the
      INS group (14%) and OM+INS (9%) had primary amputation than non-DM (4%) and D-OM
      (4%; P < .01). Mean follow-up was 26.3 +/- 20.7 months. Overall survival
      following revascularization was similar in D-OM and non-DM and OM+INS and INS,
      the latter being significantly worse (P < .001). The LS rate in D-OM and non-DM
      was also identical, whereas OM-INS and INS had significantly worse LS, with OM
      INS marginally better than INS (P = .094). Primary patency (PP) was worse in
      endovascular-treated patients on insulin than non-DM and D-OM patients (P <
      .001), whereas PP was similar between groups in open-treated patients.
      Multivariate analysis showed that coronary artery disease, renal insufficiency,
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, indication for intervention, insulin use,
      nonambulatory status, and statin drug non-use were independently associated with
      decreased survival, whereas insulin use, presence of gangrene, need for
      infrapopliteal interventions, and nonambulatory status were independently
      associated with limb loss. TransAtlantic Inter-Society Consensus (TASC)
      classification of the treated lesions being C or D, infrapopliteal interventions,
      and indication of intervention (DC vs CLI) were independently associated with
      primary patency, whereas insulin use was not. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetic patients who
      present with limb ischemia can be subdivided into three distinct subgroups based
      on their diabetic regimen. The survival and LS rates of those controlled with
      diet or OM are nearly identical to nondiabetics, both of which are significantly
      better than OM+INS or INS. The PP rate in endovascular-treated patients is worse
      in patients who are on insulin. Being on insulin is independently associated with
      decreased survival and limb loss but not PP.

PMID- 20304582
TI  - Endovascular management of multiple arteriovenous fistulae following failed laser
      assisted pacemaker lead extraction.
AB  - A woman presented for evaluation of new-onset left arm edema after failed laser
      assisted pacemaker lead extraction. Initial workup demonstrated a left subclavian
      artery to vein arteriovenous fistula (AVF). She underwent repair of the AVF with
      placement of a covered stent in the subclavian artery, however, her symptoms did
      not completely resolve. Investigation revealed a left common carotid artery to
      left innominate vein AVF, which was repaired by deploying a covered stent
      retrograde into the left common carotid artery. Her symptoms subsequently
      resolved. Multiple iatrogenic AVF can be repaired endovascularly, however, a high
      degree of suspicion for multiple injuries should be maintained.

PMID- 20304583
TI  - Trends in vena caval interruption.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study examined the national use of vena cava filters (VCFs) from
      1998 to 2005. METHODS: Methods for complex surveys were used to examine hospital
      discharge data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) to determine the use of
      VCFs for the years 1998 to 2005. VCF placement in the absence of deep venous
      thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolus (PE) was categorized as prophylactic.
      RESULTS: During the study period, the estimated rate of hospitalizations per year
      with a diagnosis of DVT (odds ratio [OR], 1.025; 95% confidence interval [CI],
      1.019-1.032; P < .01) or PE (OR, 1.076; 95% CI, 1.069-1.083; P < .01) rose
      significantly. The estimated weighted frequency of VCF placement increased from
      52,860 procedures in 1998 to 104,114 procedures in 2005 (0.15% and 0.27% of all
      discharges, respectively), representing an 80% increase. VCF placement
      significantly increased during hospitalizations with any diagnosis of DVT or PE,
      or both, and no DVT or PE (P < .01 for each). Logistic regression models revealed
      that the rate of prophylactic VCF placement increased at a significantly higher
      rate than VCF placement associated with DVT or PE (157% vs 42%; P < .01), after
      adjusting for age, gender, and hospital characteristics. Prophylactic VCF
      placement in the setting of morbid obesity (P < .01) and head injury (P = .03)
      rose significantly over time. CONCLUSIONS: From 1998 to 2005, the estimated rates
      of prophylactic VCF placement increased at a significantly higher rate than VCF
      placement in the setting of DVT or PE. Significant increases in the use of
      prophylactic VCFs were seen in the setting of morbid obesity and head injury.

PMID- 20304584
TI  - Ferritin levels, inflammatory biomarkers, and mortality in peripheral arterial
      disease: a substudy of the Iron (Fe) and Atherosclerosis Study (FeAST) Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study delineated correlations between ferritin, inflammatory
      biomarkers, and mortality in a cohort of 100 cancer-free patients with peripheral
      arterial disease (PAD) participating in the Veterans Affairs (VA) Cooperative
      Study #410, the Iron (Fe) and Atherosclerosis Study (FeAST). FeAST, a
      prospective, randomized, single-blind clinical trial, tested the hypothesis that
      reduction of iron stores using phlebotomy would influence clinical outcomes in
      1227 PAD patients randomized to iron reduction or control groups. The effects of
      statin administration were also examined in the Sierra Nevada Health Care (SNHC)
      cohort by measuring serum ferritin levels at entry and during the 6-year study
      period. No difference was documented between treatment groups in all-cause
      mortality and secondary outcomes of death plus nonfatal myocardial infarction and
      stroke. Iron reduction in the main study caused a significant age-related
      improvement in cardiovascular disease outcomes, new cancer diagnoses, and cancer
      specific death. METHODS: Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, TNF-alpha receptors 1
      and 2, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, IL-10, and high-sensitivity C reactive protein
      (hs-CRP) were measured at entry and at 6-month intervals for 6 years. Average
      levels of ferritin and lipids at entry and at the end of the study were compared.
      The clinical course and ferritin levels of 23 participants who died during the
      study were reviewed. RESULTS: At entry, mean age of entry was 67 +/- 9 years for
      the SNHCS cohort, comparable to FeAST and clinical and laboratory parameters were
      equivalent in substudy participants randomized to iron reduction (n = 51) or
      control (n = 49). At baseline, 53 participants on statins had slightly lower mean
      entry-level ferritin values (114.06 ng/mL; 95% confidence interval [CI] 93.43
      134.69) vs the 47 off statins (127.62 ng/mL; 95% CI, 103.21-152.02). Longitudinal
      analysis of follow-up data, after adjusting for the phlebotomy treatment effect,
      showed that statin use was associated with significantly lower ferritin levels (
      29.78 ng/mL; Cohen effect size, -0.47 [t(df, 134) = 2.33, P = .02]). Mean follow
      up average ferritin levels were higher in 23 participants who died (132.5 ng/mL;
      95% CI, 79.36-185.66) vs 77 survivors (83.6 ng/mL; 95% CI, 70.34-96.90; Wilcoxon
      P = .05). Mean follow-up IL-6 levels were higher in dead participants (21.68
      ng/mL; 95% CI, 13.71-29.66) vs survivors (12.61 ng/mL; 95% CI, 10.72-14.50;
      Wilcoxon P = .018). Ferritin levels correlated (Pearson) with average IL-6 levels
      (r = 0.1845; P = .002) and hsCRP levels (r = .1175; P = .04) during the study.
      CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate statistical correlations between levels of
      ferritin, inflammatory biomarkers, and mortality in this subset of patients with
      PAD.

PMID- 20304585
TI  - Combined endovascular and open operative approach for mycotic carotid aneurysm.
AB  - Mycotic aneurysms of the extracranial carotid artery are rare and warrant
      surgical intervention. Management involves open and endovascular approaches. We
      report the case of a 67-year-old woman with an Escherichia coli soft-tissue
      infection of the right retropharyngeal space and subsequent mycotic carotid
      aneurysm and thrombosis of the internal jugular vein. The patient presented with
      a pulsatile mass and right middle cerebral artery stroke. Our surgical management
      involved coil embolization of the aneurysm to provide for vascular control, with
      resection of the common carotid artery, internal carotid artery, and extracranial
      carotid artery branches, along with the internal jugular vein.

PMID- 20304586
TI  - Open or percutaneous revascularization for chronic splanchnic syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Treatment of chronic splanchnic syndrome remains controversial. In
      the past 10 years, endovascular repair (ER) has replaced open repair (OR) to some
      extent. This evidence summary reviews the available evidence for ER or OR of
      chronic splanchnic syndrome. METHODS: A systematic literature search of MEDLINE
      database was performed to identify all studies that evaluated treatment of
      chronic splanchnic syndrome between 1988 and 2009. RESULTS: The best available
      evidence consists of prospectively accumulated but retrospectively analyzed data
      with a high risk for confounding. Only a few of these studies incorporated
      functional tests to assess splanchnic ischemia before or after treatment. ER has
      the advantage of low short-term morbidity but the disadvantage of decreased long
      term primary patency compared with OR. ER and OR have similar rates of secondary
      patency, although the reintervention rate after ER is higher. CONCLUSION: ER
      appears to be preferential in the treatment of elderly patients and in patients
      with comorbidity, severe cachexia, or hostile abdomen. Long-term results after OR
      are excellent. OR can still be proposed as the preferred option for relatively
      young and fit patients.

PMID- 20304587
TI  - Persistence of intra-aortic air after circulatory arrest.

PMID- 20304588
TI  - Process of care for carotid endarterectomy: perioperative medical management.
AB  - Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) has been repeatedly described as a safe and
      efficacious procedure to provide a stroke-risk reduction benefit in both
      symptomatic and asymptomatic cases. Contemporary outcomes are acceptable using
      the large-scale randomized trials as a metric of success. Class I and II data can
      be applied to improve the care process of patients undergoing CEA. Myocardial
      infarction remains the most significant nonstroke complication; however, there is
      no significant benefit to noninvasive stress testing in patients with clinically
      stable disease. Perioperative beta-blockade may offer up to a 10-fold reduction
      in the rate of perioperative myocardial infarction, but deleterious effects are
      attributable to high-dose regimens. Angiotensin blockade has been shown to reduce
      cardiovascular mortality in patients with atherosclerosis by up to 25%, although
      few studies have examined these agents directly in carotid surgery patients.
      Statins are beneficial to patients undergoing CEA with trials demonstrating up to
      a 3% absolute reduction in the incidence of stroke following CEA. Aspirin therapy
      is associated with an up to 7% absolute reduction in early stroke following CEA;
      however, the efficacy of combination or high-dose antiplatelet therapy remains
      ill-defined. A treatment strategy that involves perioperative medical
      optimization is likely to improve surgical outcomes and long-term cardiovascular
      risk for patients undergoing CEA.

PMID- 20304589
TI  - Endovascular repair compared with surveillance for patients with small abdominal
      aortic aneurysms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although repair of large abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) is well
      accepted, randomized clinical trials have failed to demonstrate benefit for early
      surgical repair of small aneurysms compared with surveillance. Endovascular
      repair has been shown to be safer than open surgical repair in patients with
      large aneurysms, prompting a randomized trial of early endovascular repair vs
      surveillance in patients with small aneurysms. METHODS: We randomly assigned 728
      patients (13.3% women; mean age, 71 +/- 8 years) with 4 to 5 cm AAAs to early
      endovascular repair (366 patients) or ultrasound surveillance (362 patients).
      Rupture or aneurysm-related death and overall mortality in the two groups were
      compared during a mean follow-up of 20 +/- 12 months. RESULTS: Among patients
      randomized to treatment, 89% underwent aneurysm repair. Among patients randomized
      to surveillance, 31% underwent aneurysm repair during the course of the study.
      After a mean follow-up of 20 +/- 12 months (range, 0-41 months), 15 deaths had
      occurred in each group (4.1%). The unadjusted hazard ratio (95% confidence
      interval) for mortality after early endovascular repair was 1.01 (0.49-2.07, P =
      .98). Aneurysm rupture or aneurysm-related death occurred in two patients in each
      group (0.6%). The unadjusted hazard ratio was 0.99 (0.14-7.06, P = .99) for early
      endovascular repair. CONCLUSIONS: Early treatment with endovascular repair and
      rigorous surveillance with selective aneurysm treatment as indicated both appear
      to be safe alternatives for patients with small AAAs, protecting the patient from
      rupture or aneurysm-related death for at least 3 years.

PMID- 20304590
TI  - Aortic customize: a new alternative endovascular approach to aortic aneurysm
      repair using injectable biocompatible elastomer. An in vitro study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Aortic Customize is a new concept for endovascular aortic aneurysm
      repair in which a non polymerized elastomer is injected to fill the aneurysm sac
      around a balloon catheter. The aim of this in vitro study was to investigate the
      extent of aneurysm wall stress reduction by the presence of a noncompliant
      elastomer cuff. METHODS: A thin-walled latex aneurysm (inner radius sac 18 mm,
      inner radius neck 8 mm), equipped with 12 tantalum markers, was attached to an in
      vitro circulation model. Fluoroscopic roentgenographic stereo photogrammetric
      analysis (FRSA) was used to measure marker movement during six cardiac cycles.
      The radius of three circles drawn through the markers was measured before and
      after sac filling. Wall movement was measured at different systemic pressures.
      Wall stress was calculated from the measured radius (sigma = pr/2t). RESULTS: The
      calculated wall stress was 7.5-15.6 N/cm(2) before sac filling and was diminished
      to 0.43-1.1 N/cm(2) after sac filling. Before sac filling, there was a clear
      increase (P < .001) in radius of the proximal (range, 7.9%-33.5%), middle (range,
      3.3%-25.2%), and distal (range, 10.5%-184.3%) rings with increasing systemic
      pressure. After sac filling with the elastomer, there remained a small,
      significant (P < .001) increase in the radius of the circles (ranges: 6.8%-8.8%;
      0.7%-1.1%; 5.3%-6.7%). The sac filling reduced the extent of radius increase. The
      treated aneurysm withstood systemic pressures up to 220/140 mm Hg without
      noticeable wall movement. After the sac filling, there was no pulsation visible
      in the aneurysm wall. CONCLUSIONS: Filling the aneurysm sac of a simplified in
      vitro latex model with a biocompatible elastomer leads to successful exclusion of
      the aneurysm sac from the circulation. Wall movement and calculated wall stress
      are diminished noticeably by the injection of biocompatible elastomer.

PMID- 20304592
TI  - Retrospective evaluation of the need of a redo surgery at the groin for the
      surgical treatment of varicose vein.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical treatment for varicose recurrence (STVR) involves removing
      all sources of reflux from the deep venous network to the superficial venous
      network. STVR is usually more complex and aggressive than first-line treatment by
      stripping, particularly for redo surgery at the groin (RSG). This retrospective
      study compared traditional STVR and a less aggressive surgical approach focusing
      on treatment of the varicose reservoir and avoiding RSG if possible. METHOD: Two
      successive periods of STVR after great saphenous vein stripping were compared:
      traditional STVR (T1) and STVR focusing on the varicose reservoir (T2). We
      reviewed postoperative complications and studied the hemodynamic and clinical
      results. RESULTS: During T1 and T2, we operated 473 legs in 288 patients (236
      women, 52 men) to treat varicose recurrence after great saphenous vein stripping.
      Mean age was 60.83 years (range, 28-88 years). We operated on 137 patients during
      T1 and 151 during T2. Patients had similar demographic data, CEAP classification,
      and Venous Disability Score. Inguinal reflux occurred in 73.9% of T1 patients and
      in 74.4% of T2 patients. We performed RSG in 66.0% of T1 patients and in 2.2% of
      T2 patients (P < .05). We did not use echo-guided sclerotherapy in addition to
      primary STVR. Tumescent local anesthesia was used in 96.2% of STVR in T2 vs 4.0%
      in T1 (P < .05), and 95.3% of T2 procedures were outpatient vs 13.7% of T1 (P <
      .05). Outcomes of limbs presenting an inguinal reflux treated with RSG during T1
      (group 1) and without RSG during T2 (group 2) were compared. Postoperative
      complications occurred in 6.7% in group 1 vs 0.5% in group 2 (P < .05), with
      inguinal complications predominating. The mean cost of the procedure per limb was
      euro1,195.88 in group 1 vs euro863.08 in group 2 (P < .0001). After 3 years of
      follow-up, Kaplan-Meier life-table analysis showed group 1 and 2 patients had
      similar rates of freedom from inguinal reflux (90.8% vs 92.9% survival rate) and
      from varicose repeat-recurrence (90.8% vs 91.9% survival rate). Group 1 had
      better results for the Venous Disability Score (0.38 vs 0.58, P = .02) and
      cosmetic improvement (94.2% vs 84.2%; P = .00032). CONCLUSION: STVR focusing on
      the varicose reservoir and avoiding RSG led to a minimally invasive procedure and
      a reduction in postoperative complications, with good medium-term clinical and
      hemodynamic results, particularly for symptoms improvement and cosmetic
      appearance, with a lower cost vs traditional STVR with RSG.

PMID- 20304593
TI  - Endoscopic basilic vein transposition for hemodialysis access.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hemodialysis access by autogenous arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) is
      generally recommended due to lower mortality, morbidity, and cost vs graft and
      catheter use. Many dialysis patients lack the common superficial veins used for
      standard AVF options and require transposition of a deep vein for autogenous
      dialysis access through a long open incision (open/AVF-T). These operations may
      require prolonged time for healing, thus extending catheter-based dialysis. We
      report our experience with minimally invasive techniques for creating AVF-Ts
      using an endoscopic procedure (endo/AVF-T). METHODS: We reviewed our vascular
      access database of consecutive access operations to identify consecutive patients
      with endo/AVF-Ts. For comparison, we also reviewed the immediate preceding
      traditional open/AVF-T operations that we previously reported. We evaluated
      demographics, time to access use, and primary, assisted, and cumulative patency.
      RESULTS: We identified 100 consecutive endo/AVF-T operations attempted, and 98
      were technically successful. The analysis excluded two conversions to successful
      open/AVF-T. The mean age of the 98 patients in the endo/AVF-T study group was 60
      years (range, 22-94 years), 59 (60.2%) were women, 48 (49.0%) were diabetic, 20
      (20.4%) were obese, and 52 (53.1%) had had previous access surgery. Mean time to
      initial use of the access for endo/AVF-Ts was 6 weeks for primary and 12 weeks
      for staged transpositions. Mean follow-up was 14 months (range, 1-30 months). The
      12- and 24-month cumulative patencies were 95.5% and 88.6%. The 78 traditional
      open/AVF-T operations from our previous report were reviewed for comparison. The
      mean age was 62 years (range, 18-83 years), 57 (73.1%) were women, 44 (56.4%)
      were diabetic, 15 (19.2%) were obese, and 46 (59.0%) had previous access surgery.
      Mean time to initial use of the access for open/AVF-Ts was 8 weeks for primary
      and 16 weeks for staged operations. Mean follow-up was 18 months (range, 3-48
      months). The 12- and 24-month cumulative patencies were 96.0 and 88.9%. No grafts
      were used in any patient during the study period. CONCLUSION: Time to access use
      was less with endoscopic AVF-T (P < .01) for both primary and staged operations.
      Primary, assisted, and cumulative patency rates were the same for open and
      technically successful endoscopic transpositions. Endoscopic AVF-Ts offer a
      viable alternative to open AVF-Ts.

PMID- 20304594
TI  - Eight-year institutional review of carotid artery stenting.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Vascular surgeons have increasingly become proficient in carotid
      artery stenting (CAS) as an alternative treatment modality for cervical carotid
      artery occlusive disease. We analyzed our early and late outcomes of CAS over the
      last 8 years. METHODS: We report a single-center retrospective review of 388
      carotid bifurcation lesions treated with CAS using cerebral embolic protection
      from May 2001 to July 2009. Data analysis includes demographics, procedural
      records, duplex exams, arteriograms, and two-view plain radiographs over a mean
      follow-up time of 23.0 months (interquartile range, 10.9-35.4). RESULTS: At the
      time of treatment, the mean age of the entire cohort (76% men and 24% women) is
      71 years; 13% were >/=80 years of age, and 31% had a prior history of either
      carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and/or external beam neck irradiation (XRT). The
      mean carotid stenosis is 80%, and asymptomatic lesions represent 69% of the
      group. Overall 30-day rates of death, stroke, and myocardial infarction are 0.5%,
      1.8%, and 0.8%, respectively. The combined death/stroke rate at 30 days is 2.3%.
      The 30-day major/minor stroke rates for analyzed subgroups are statistically
      significant only for XRT/recurrent stenosis vs de novo lesions, 0% and 2.6% (P =
      .03), but not for asymptomatic vs symptomatic patients, 1.9% and 1.7% (P = .91)
      and age <80 vs >/=80, 2.0% and 1.8% (P = .52), respectively. At long-term, the
      freedom from all strokes at 12, 24, 36, and 48 months was 99.2%, 97.6%, 96.7%,
      and 96.7%, respectively. At late follow-up, the restenosis rate is 3.5%.
      Restenosis rates for recurrent stenosis/XRT vs de novo lesions are 2.7% and 3.4%
      (P = .39). Among the restenotic lesions were two associated type III stent
      fractures in de novo lesions, both of which were closed-cell stents. An
      additional two other type I fractures have been identified, yielding a stent
      fracture rate of 5.5%. The late death rate for the entire group is 16.8%, with
      one stent-related death secondary to ipsilateral stroke at 20 months (0.3% death
      rate). CONCLUSIONS: Vascular surgeons performing CAS with embolic protection can
      achieve good early and late outcomes that are comparable to CEA benchmarks. Late
      stent failures (stroke, restenosis, and/or stent fatigue), while uncommon, are a
      recognized delayed problem.

PMID- 20304596
TI  - [Gestational hypertensions: definitions and consequences in outcome of
      pregnancy].
AB  - Hypertensive pathologies during pregnancy lack definition. Meanwhile, we can
      offer the following definitions: - Gestational hypertension (GHT): Systolic HT
      >or= 140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure 90 mmHg. Which occur beyond the
      20th week of amenorrhea and fading before the 42nd day postpartum. -
      Preeclampsia: Systemic HT associated with a proteinuria (> 0,3 g/24 h) also
      arising beyond the 20th week of amenorrhea and resolving by the 6th week
      postpartum. However, in the setting of a GHT associated with a number of abnormal
      signs & symptoms (i.e. hyper-reflexia, epigastric pain, etc.) and/or abnormal
      biological values (i.e. raised transaminase levels, thrombocytopenia,
      hyperuricaemia, haemolysis) and/or IUGR, PE must be considered until proven
      otherwise. - HELLP syndrome: Association of haemolysis, elevated liver enzymes
      (transaminases & LDH) and thrombocytopenia. However, HELLP syndrome can exist
      without haemolysis. - Eclampsia is defined as the occurrence of tonic-clonic
      seizures in a setting of GHT. Assessing the morbidity and mortality of both the
      mother and the foetus, in the setting of GHT, is a challenge because of the
      absence of registry, and because of the high amount of bias (gestational age,
      birth weight, presence or absence of risk factors in the studied population,
      belonging to a developed or a developing nation, etc.) which all account for the
      large discrepancies in the results to such an extent that the relative risk to
      the mother can vary from simple to the double, and the foetal risks are highly
      variable from one study to the next.

PMID- 20304597
TI  - [Superficial venous malformations].
AB  - Superficial venous malformations are part of a larger group now called
      superficial vascular anomalies and previously known as angiomas. These include
      vascular tumors or infantile hemangioma, low-flow vascular malformations
      (capillary, lymphatic, and superficial venous malformations) and high-flow
      vascular malformations (arteriovenous malformations). Some of these lesions are
      complex. This classification facilitates their multidisciplinary therapeutic
      management. Embolization is an effective curative treatment for malformations of
      small and intermediate size. The objective for large or complex malformations is
      to restore anatomic function and improve cosmetic results.

PMID- 20304599
TI  - [Meningitis and loss of visual acuity].

PMID- 20304600
TI  - [Letter on the article "First steps towards a comparative evaluation of the
      French medical schools"].

PMID- 20304601
TI  - Incision infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis after total hip arthroplasty
      without any primary tuberculosis focus.
AB  - We describe a case of a tuberculous abscess unassociated with other clinical
      features of tuberculosis in a 46-year-old woman with a history of 4 hip surgeries
      plus total hip arthroplasty (THA) due to developmental hip dislocation. Four
      months after THA, she developed a collection at the incision site for which
      specimens produced positive culture findings for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We
      could not detect any primary focus of tuberculosis anywhere in the patient's
      body. We performed soft-tissue debridement and drainage completely above the
      fascia lata to remove pus. The infection recurred twice despite chemotherapy and
      the earlier treatment. At a 6-year follow-up examination, there was no sign of
      either tuberculosis or prosthetic loosening. To our knowledge, this is the first
      report of localized tuberculous abscess within a THA incision.

PMID- 20304602
TI  - Mindfulness and experiential avoidance as predictors of posttraumatic stress
      disorder avoidance symptom severity.
AB  - Mindfulness reflects an awareness of present moment experiences through an
      attitude of acceptance and openness (Bishop et al., 2004; Cardaciotto, Herbert,
      Forman, Moitra, & Farrow, 2008). Experiential avoidance, by contrast, refers to
      attempts to change, alter, or avoid private experiences (e.g., thoughts,
      feelings, sensations), and it is believed to underlie a number of
      psychopathologies, including PTSD (Hayes, Wilson, Gifford, Follette, & Strosahl,
      1996). We were interested in the ability of mindfulness to predict the variance
      of PTSD avoidance symptom severity above and beyond experiential avoidance. 378
      introductory psychology students were administered self-report measures of PTSD,
      mindfulness, experiential avoidance, thought suppression, alexithymia, and
      avoidant coping. Mindfulness, specifically nonjudgment of experiences, accounted
      for a unique portion of the variance in PTSD avoidance symptoms.

PMID- 20304603
TI  - Risk factors of children who exited from an early intervention program without an
      identified disability and returned with a developmental disability.
AB  - A retrospective cohort study was undertaken to identify risk factors for children
      at greatest risk of delayed diagnosis of developmental disability. Two thousand
      four hundred and thirty-nine children were selected for this study due to their
      participation in the California Early Start (ES) Program in 1998. Comparisons
      were made among children that had no break in services offered through the ES
      Program versus children that returned with a disability after exiting the ES
      Program. Factors examined include child's condition and qualifying risk factors,
      mother's demographic characteristics, family's risk factors, and risk scores
      developed for each county in which the family resided. Children with a delay in
      diagnosis of a disability have characteristics that fall outside the norm for the
      identification of a disability. It is not clear if this is related to age
      specific manifestation to the appearance of a disability or to conditions
      difficult to diagnose.

PMID- 20304604
TI  - Identification of common nail and skin disorders.
AB  - NARRATIVE REVIEW: The following review discusses the more common disorders of the
      perionychium and skin likely to be observed by the hand therapist. To assist the
      therapist in recognition of abnormalities, the anatomy, physiology, and basic
      function of the normal nail unit are described. Indications of when disorders of
      the nail, resulting from trauma, infections, and neoplasms, require referral to
      another practitioner are discussed. Characteristics of abnormal skin conditions
      are described with an emphasis on differentiating benign from malignant lesions.
      By knowing the suspicious characteristics of nail and skin disorders, the upper
      extremity therapist can positively impact the well-being of his or her patients
      through quick referral, leading to early diagnosis and treatment of potentially
      serious disease. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 5.

PMID- 20304605
TI  - Screening and evaluation of the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems in patients
      presenting with upper extremity impairments.
AB  - NARRATIVE REVIEW: Given the prevalence of cardiovascular and pulmonary (CV-P)
      disease, it is likely that a substantial portion of patients seeking services
      from hand therapists have diagnosed or yet to be diagnosed disease in one or both
      of these systems. Pain originating from these systems is more common in the
      chest, shoulder, and scapular regions, but both systems can refer pain into the
      medial aspect of the forearm and hand. Pancoast's tumors of the lung, myocardial
      ischemia, and myocardial infarction are examples of specific pathologies capable
      of referring pain into these upper extremity regions. Another concern for the
      hand therapist is that upper extremity exercise is more stressful on the
      cardiovascular system than lower extremity exercise. Because of this, hand
      therapists need to be able to recognize when to discontinue or modify exercise
      interventions based on inappropriate cardiovascular system responses. Thus, the
      purpose of this review is to present 1) screening for potential pathology in the
      CV-P systems, 2) methods typically available to hand therapists for monitoring
      these systems, 3) criteria that indicate the need for therapy modification or
      medical referral, and 4) symptomatology of some common cardiac and pulmonary
      pathologic conditions the hand therapist may encounter. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 5.

PMID- 20304606
TI  - Studywise minimization: a treatment allocation method that improves balance among
      treatment groups and makes allocation unpredictable.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In randomized controlled trials with many potential prognostic
      factors, serious imbalance among treatment groups regarding these factors can
      occur. Minimization methods can improve balance but increase the possibility of
      selection bias. We described and evaluated the performance of a new method of
      treatment allocation, called studywise minimization, that can avoid imbalance by
      chance and reduce selection bias. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: The studywise
      minimization algorithm consists of three steps: (1) calculate the imbalance for
      all possible allocations, (2) list all allocations with minimum imbalance, and
      (3) randomly select one of the allocations with minimum imbalance. We carried out
      a simulation study to compare the performance of studywise minimization with
      three other allocation methods: randomization, biased-coin minimization, and
      deterministic minimization. Performance was measured, calculating maximal and
      average imbalance as a percentage of the group size. RESULTS: Independent of
      trial size and number of prognostic factors, the risk of serious imbalance was
      the highest in randomization and absent in studywise minimization. The largest
      differences among the allocation methods regarding the risk of imbalance were
      found in small trials. CONCLUSION: Studywise minimization is particularly useful
      in small trials, where it eliminates the risk of serious imbalances without
      generating the occurrence of selection bias.

PMID- 20304607
TI  - Sampling and ethical issues in a multicenter study on health of people with
      intellectual disabilities.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To study health inequalities in persons with intellectual
      disabilities, representative and unbiased samples are needed. Little is known
      about sample recruitment in this vulnerable group. This study aimed to determine
      differences in ethical procedures and sample recruitment in a multicenter
      research on health of persons with intellectual disabilities. Study questions
      regarded the practical sampling procedure, how ethical consent was obtained in
      each country, and which person gave informed consent for each study participant.
      STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Exploratory, as part of a multicenter study, in 14
      European countries. After developing identical guidelines for all countries,
      partners collected data on health indicators by orally interviewing 1,269 persons
      with intellectual disabilities. Subsequently, semistructured interviews were
      carried out with partners and researchers. RESULTS: Identification of sufficient
      study participants proved feasible. Sampling frames differed from nationally
      estimated proportions of persons with intellectual disabilities living with
      families or in residential settings. Sometimes, people with intellectual
      disabilities were hard to trace. Consent procedures and legal representation
      varied broadly. Nonresponse data proved unavailable. CONCLUSION: To build
      representative unbiased samples of vulnerable groups with limited academic
      capacities, international consensus on respectful consent procedures and tailored
      patient information is necessary.

PMID- 20304608
TI  - Randomized trial showed that an "embedded" survey strategy optimized
      authorization rates compared with two "after survey" strategies in veterans with
      PTSD.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To test methods to optimize mail survey response and authorization
      rates (i.e., allowing one's survey to be linked to medical records) when the
      survey is sensitive and the targeted population has a mental disorder. STUDY
      DESIGN AND SETTING: Randomized controlled trial of 1,099 veterans treated for
      posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at a Midwestern Veteran Affairs Medical
      Center. Subjects were randomized to one of three groups: (1) Health Insurance
      Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) authorization form embedded in the
      survey (checking "yes" for consent); (2) HIPAA form requiring signature for
      consent sent after the survey; or (3) HIPAA form requiring a signature and social
      security number (SSN) for consent sent after the survey. RESULTS: The "embedded"
      strategy yielded the lowest survey response rate (67.5%) but highest
      authorization rate (59.1%). Requiring respondents' signatures and SSNs after the
      survey was returned generated the highest survey response rate (74.2%) but lowest
      authorization rate (48.7%). However, the response rate difference was not
      statistically significant. Reported emotional upset was low (1.5%) and primarily
      directed to the survey, not the HIPAA form. Older age and greater trustfulness
      were associated with higher authorization rates. CONCLUSION: Even with our most
      optimized strategy, authorization rates were disappointingly low.

PMID- 20304609
TI  - Logistic regression had superior performance compared with regression trees for
      predicting in-hospital mortality in patients hospitalized with heart failure.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the predictive accuracy of regression trees with that of
      logistic regression models for predicting in-hospital mortality in patients
      hospitalized with heart failure. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Models were developed
      in 8,236 patients hospitalized with heart failure between April 1999 and March
      2001. Models included the Enhanced Feedback for Effective Cardiac Treatment and
      Acute Decompensated Heart Failure National Registry (ADHERE) regression models
      and tree. Predictive accuracy was assessed using 7,608 patients hospitalized
      between April 2004 and March 2005. RESULTS: The area under the receiver operating
      characteristic curve for five different logistic regression models ranged from
      0.747 to 0.775, whereas the corresponding values for three different regression
      trees ranged from 0.620 to 0.651. For the regression trees grown in 1,000 random
      samples drawn from the derivation sample, the number of terminal nodes ranged
      from 1 to 6, whereas the number of variables used in specific trees ranged from 0
      to 5. Three different variables (blood urea nitrogen, dementia, and systolic
      blood pressure) were used for defining the first binary split when growing
      regression trees. CONCLUSION: Logistic regression predicted in-hospital mortality
      in patients hospitalized with heart failure more accurately than did the
      regression trees. Regression trees grown in random samples from the same data set
      can differ substantially from one another.

PMID- 20304611
TI  - Prevalence of diabetes and antipsychotic prescription patterns in patients with
      schizophrenia: a nationwide retrospective cohort study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Despite an increasing concern that atypical antipsychotics seem to
      have a stronger diabetogenic risk than conventional antipsychotics, little
      information is available on the prevalence of diabetes among schizophrenia
      patients, and prescription patterns for patients with comorbid schizophrenia and
      diabetes in Japan. OBJECTIVES: To compare the prevalence of diabetes between
      schizophrenia patients and the general population and to investigate whether
      diabetes status correlates the prescription patterns of antipsychotics at
      hospital discharge. METHODS: Schizophrenia patients who were discharged between
      April 2004 and March 2005 and who continued to receive outpatient treatment from
      526 hospitals were included in this retrospective open cohort study. We collected
      information about the doctor diagnosis of diabetes during hospitalization, and
      drug prescriptions for schizophrenia at hospital discharge using medical charts.
      RESULTS: The overall prevalence of diabetes was 8.6% among patients with
      schizophrenia. Compared with the general population, the estimates of diabetes
      prevalence in the schizophrenia population were 2.6-10.8 percentage point higher
      among males aged 30-49 years, and 1.9-9.9 percentage point higher among females
      aged 40-59 years. The odds of being prescribed conventional antipsychotics were
      about 2 times higher among patients with diabetes than without diabetes, relative
      to atypical and combination of conventional and atypical antipsychotics. These
      results were robust across various sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSION: When
      treating schizophrenia patients with preexisting diabetes, psychiatrists need to
      monitor the occurrence of diabetes regularly regardless of antipsychotic class,
      strike a balance, and provide the most efficacious antipsychotic medication.

PMID- 20304610
TI  - Involvement of nitric oxide-cGMP pathway in the anticonvulsant effects of lithium
      chloride on PTZ-induced seizure in mice.
AB  - Lithium is still the mainstay in the treatment of affective disorders as a mood
      stabilizer. Lithium also shows some anticonvulsant properties. While the
      underlying mechanisms of action of lithium are not yet exactly understood, we
      used a model of clonic seizure induced by pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) in male NMRI
      mice to investigate whether the anticonvulsant effect of lithium is mediated via
      NO-cGMP pathway. Injection of a single effective dose of lithium chloride (25
      mg/kg) intraperitoneally (i.p.) increased significantly the seizure threshold
      (P<0.01). The anticonvulsant properties of the effective dose of lithium were
      prevented by pre-treatment with the per se non-effective doses of L-ARG [the
      substrate for nitric oxide synthase; NOS] (30 and 50 mg/kg) or sildenafil [a
      phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor] (10 and 20 mg/kg). L-NAME [a non-specific NOS
      inhibitor] (5, 15 and 30 mg/kg), 7-NI [a specific neural NOS inhibitor] (30 and
      60 mg/kg) or MB [a guanylyl cyclase inhibitor] (0.5 and 1 mg/kg) augmented the
      anticonvulsant effect of a sub-effective dose of lithium (10 mg/kg, i.p.).
      Whereas several doses of aminoguanidine [an inducible NOS inhibitor] (20, 50 and
      100 mg/kg) failed to alter the anticonvulsant effect of lithium. Our findings
      demonstrated that nitric oxide-cyclic GMP pathway could be involved in the
      anticonvulsant properties of the lithium chloride. In addition, the role of
      constitutive NOS versus inducible NOS is prominent in this phenomenon.

PMID- 20304612
TI  - Charged layer with undulated surface: configuration of electrical double layer.
AB  - A charged layer with undulated surface exists commonly in natural entities (for
      example the biological membrane layer and the surface of charged colloid) and in
      artificial fabrications (for example the peripheral surface of ion-exchange
      membrane pores). When the micro- or nano-scale charged layer systems are
      concerned, the effect of undulation of charged layer surface on the electrical
      phenomenon may become great significant. In this work, using the perturbation
      method, the significance of undulated surface on a charged layer in the
      electrical phenomenon is investigated. Under assumptions that the undulation
      amplitude is small and that the Debye-Huckel approximation is applicable, the
      electrical potential field in three regions is solved simultaneously. Based on
      the analytical results it is found that, if compared with that in condition of
      flat surface, the undulation of charged layer surface decreases/increases the
      magnitude of electrical potential field near the wave crest/trough, due to the
      curvature of undulated surface. In addition, the surface potential on the
      undulated surface shows a wavelike distribution. The analytical results also show
      that, the significance of undulated surface is determined by the physical
      parameters, including the geometry of undulated surface, the amplitude and the
      period of undulation, and the fixed charge density in charged layer.

PMID- 20304613
TI  - Use of insulin detemir during pregnancy.

PMID- 20304614
TI  - The influence of the S19W SNP of the APOA5 gene on triglyceride levels in
      southern Brazil: interactions with the APOE gene, sex and menopause status.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Hypertriglyceridemia is an important independent risk factor
      for coronary artery diseases and is determined by a wide range of factors, both
      genetic and exogenous. The A5 apolipoprotein, which is associated with the
      synthesis and removal of triglycerides (TG), is encoded by the APOA5 gene. One of
      the polymorphisms of this gene that has been the focus of a large number of
      studies, and which appears to be associated with increased TG, is S19W (rs
      3135506). In this study, we examined the influence of this single nucleotide
      polymorphism (SNP) on TG levels of a sample of southern Brazilians. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: Samples obtained from 567 people of European descent were genotyped;
      interactions between this variant and anthropometric variables were analyzed, and
      the effects of lifestyle, sex, menopause, and variations of the APOE gene were
      evaluated. We found that the 19W allele is associated with increased TG (p =
      0.025) and that this influence was modulated by sex (p = 0.003), menopause (p =
      0.022) and the presence of the E*4 allele (p = 0.027). CONCLUSION: Our data
      showed, for the first time, the importance and magnitude of the influence of the
      S19W variant in a southern Brazilian population.

PMID- 20304615
TI  - -94 ins/del ATTG NFKB1 gene variant is associated with lower susceptibility to
      myocardial infarction.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: An imbalance of Nuclear Factor Kappa B (NFkB) and Inhibitor
      Kappa B (IkB) is involved in various human diseases including atherogenesis. We
      aimed to evaluate the relationship between NFKB1 and NFKBIA polymorphism and
      susceptibility to myocardial infarction (MI). METHODS AND RESULTS: Genotyping was
      performed for NFKB1 and NFKBIA gene variants in 253 subjects (86 patients
      affected by myocardial infarction and 167 control subjects). In 40 patients,
      biopsy specimens were taken from the left ventricle area of presumed ischemia for
      p50, p65 and IkBalpha quantification. The allele frequency and genotype
      distribution of NFKBIA gene polymorphism did not differ between MI and control
      group while control subjects had a higher D allele frequency of -94 ins/del ATTG
      NFKB1 polymorphism, compared to the MI group (P<0.001; OR=0.304; 95% CI=0.177
      0.522). Subjects carrying the D allele had significantly lower plasma fibrinogen
      and CRP (C-reactive protein) levels compared to no carriers (P<0.05). Fibrinogen
      genotype interaction was found to have a significant effect on susceptibility to
      myocardial infarction. Myocardial p50 (r=0.627; P=0.012) and p65 (r=0.683;
      P=0.005) levels significantly correlated with plasma fibrinogen levels while
      subjects carrying the D allele of the NFkB1 gene variant had lower myocardial p50
      (P=0.007) and p65 (P=0.009) levels compared to no carriers. CONCLUSION: -94
      ins/del ATTG NFKB1 gene variant may contribute to lower MI susceptibility via the
      potential reduction of activated NFkB which in turn is related to plasma
      inflammatory marker reduction.

PMID- 20304616
TI  - The G3057A LEPR polymorphism is associated with obesity in Tunisian women.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the G3057A
      (rs62589000) LEPR polymorphism on obesity risk and plasma leptin, insulin, and
      lipid levels in a sample of the Tunisian population. DESIGN AND METHODS: Three
      hundred and ninety-three obese patients and 317 controls participated in this
      study. The G3057A genotype was determined by polymerase chain reaction
      restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. RESULTS: In the
      entire study sample, no significant differences in genotype frequencies were
      observed between obese patients and controls. However, stratified analysis by
      gender revealed a quantitative increase in the variant allele (33.3% vs. 25.8%;
      chi(2)=4.90, p=0.026) in obese women (but not men) compared to controls. When a
      dominant model of inheritance was assumed, the GA+AA genotypes were more
      prevalent in these obese female patients than in controls (58.3% vs. 47.8%;
      chi(2)=4.08, p=0.044). Unconditional logistic regression showed that in women
      only, obesity risk was significantly higher for homozygotes for the variant
      allele (OR=2.73, 95% CI 1.03-7.21) and for carriers of GA+AA genotypes (OR=1.53,
      95% CI 1.01-2.31) compared with homozygotes for the normal allele. The
      association between the G3057A LEPR variant and obesity remained statistically
      significant even after adjustment for age. No relationship was found between the
      G3057A LEPR polymorphism and leptin and insulin levels. Additionally, this LEPR
      gene variant had no effect on plasma lipid concentrations. CONCLUSION: There is
      evidence in this study that the G3057A LEPR polymorphism is associated with
      obesity in Tunisian women.

PMID- 20304617
TI  - Adiposity indices in the prediction of metabolic abnormalities associated with
      cardiovascular disease in non-diabetic adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The prevalence of insulin resistance and cardiovascular
      disease (CVD) increases with degree of obesity. Whether measurements of
      generalized and abdominal obesity differ in the ability to predict changes
      associated with increased CVD risk is widely debated. We compared the prevalence
      of metabolic abnormalities in 275 women and 204 men stratified by categories of
      body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC), and assessed the ability of
      these adiposity indices in combination with metabolic risk variables to predict
      insulin resistance. METHODS AND RESULTS: Healthy, non-diabetic volunteers
      underwent measurements of BMI, WC, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose (FPG),
      lipoprotein concentrations, and direct quantification of insulin-mediated glucose
      uptake. Insulin resistance was defined as the top tertile of steady-state plasma
      glucose (SSPG) concentrations. BMI and WC were highly correlated (P < 0.001) in
      both women and men. Abnormal SSPG and triglyceride concentrations were associated
      with increasing adiposity by either index in both genders. Among women, abnormal
      FPG and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations were
      associated with increasing BMI and WC. In men, abnormal HDL-C was associated with
      increasing BMI only. Elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP) was associated with
      increasing BMI in both genders. The odds of insulin resistance were greatest in
      women with elevated FPG and triglycerides (4.5-fold). In men, the best predictors
      were BMI and SBP, and WC and HDL-C (3-fold). CONCLUSION: BMI is at least
      comparable to WC in stratifying individuals for prevalence of metabolic
      abnormalities associated with increased CVD risk and predicting insulin
      resistance.

PMID- 20304618
TI  - Differential effects of endothelins on histological and ultrastructural changes
      and trypsinogen activation in the secretagogue-induced acute pancreatitis in
      rats.
AB  - The role of endothelins in acute pancreatitis remains obscure. To assess the
      effects of endothelins (ETs) in early (4 h) caerulein-induced acute pancreatitis
      (AP) in rats, ET-1, ET-2 and ET-3 (0.5 or 1.0 nmol/kg) were applied twice with
      i.p. caerulein (2*40 MUg/kg) at 1h interval. Histological and ultrastructural
      examinations of pancreases and the assay of trypsinogen activation in whole
      homogenate were performed. All ETs, especially ET-1 at the higher dose, decreased
      inflammatory cell infiltration despite an increase in the edema score. The
      vacuolization and necrosis of acinar cells were slightly increased after the
      lower dose of ET-1 and ET-2. Ultrastructural changes were generally improved
      after the higher dose of ETs. Trypsinogen activation increased from 4.8+/-1.3% in
      control to 18.4+/-3.8% in AP (p<0.01). It was attenuated to 6.4+/-1.3% (p<0.01)
      by the higher dose of ET-1 and to 8.8+/-1.5% (p<0.05) by the lower dose of ET-3.
      In summary, ETs, especially ET-1 at the higher dose, were found to have some
      beneficial effects on morphological changes and trypsinogen activation in the
      pancreas in early caerulein-induced AP.

PMID- 20304619
TI  - The involvement of ROS overproduction and mitochondrial dysfunction in PBDE-47
      induced apoptosis on Jurkat cells.
AB  - 2,2',4,4'-Tetrabromodiphenyl ether (PBDE-47), as one of the congeners of
      polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), is widely present and threatens the human
      health in many aspects. This study aims to investigate the toxic effects of PBDE
      47 on cell viability, apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial
      membrane potential (MMP) of Jurkat cells in vitro. The results showed that PBDE
      47 significantly inhibited the viability of Jurkat cells in a dose-dependent
      manner by alamar blue assay. Significant induction of apoptosis was detected in
      Jurkat cells at 25-100 MUM by propidium iodide staining, accompanied with
      overproduction of ROS and downregulation of MMP. Furthermore, N-acetyl-L-cysteine
      (NAC), a widely used ROS scavenger, significantly reduced the PBDE-47-induced
      apoptosis by decreasing ROS level and mediating recovery of the MMP. In
      conclusion, the results of this study suggest that PBDE-47 could induce apoptosis
      in Jurkat cells and ROS and mitochondrial dysfunction play important roles in the
      apoptotic process.

PMID- 20304620
TI  - Effect of fluoride on calcium ion concentration and expression of nuclear
      transcription factor kappa-B rho65 in rat hippocampus.
AB  - The study investigated the neurotoxicity of drinking water fluorosis in rat
      hippocampus. Just weaning male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were given 15, 30, 60
      mg/L NaF solution and tap water for 9 months. The calcium ion concentration
      ([Ca(2+)]) in synaptosomes was measured by double wavelength fluorescence
      spectrophotometer and the expression level of nuclear transcription factor kappa
      B rho65 (NF-kappaB rho65) in hippocampal CA3 region was measured by
      immunohistochemistry. The results showed that [Ca(2+)] significantly increased (F
      = 33.218, P < 0.01) in moderate fluoride group compared with the control group,
      and the expression level of NF-kappaB rho65 in CA3 region presented an increasing
      trend as fluoride concentration increased. These results indicate that increase
      of synaptosomes [Ca(2+)] and NF-kappaB rho65 expression level may be the
      molecular basis of central nervous system damage caused by chronic fluoride
      intoxication. NF-kappaB rho65 in CA3 region is probably a target molecule for
      fluorosis.

PMID- 20304621
TI  - Technical evolution of landfilling.

PMID- 20304622
TI  - Steady-state design of vertical wells for liquids addition at bioreactor
      landfills.
AB  - The rate at which liquids can be added to a vertical well, the lateral zone of
      impact of the well, and the liquids volume needed to wet the waste within the
      zone of impact of the well are the key inputs needed to design a vertical well
      system. This paper presents design charts that can be used to estimate these
      inputs as a function of municipal solid waste properties (porosity, hydraulic
      conductivity, and anisotropy ratio), well dimensions (radius and screen length),
      and injection pressure. SEEP/W modeling was conducted to estimate the key design
      inputs for a range of conditions practically encountered for a vertical well
      installed in landfilled waste. The flow rate, lateral zone of impact of a well,
      liquids volume added, and injection pressure were normalized with the waste
      properties and well dimensions to formulate dimensionless variables. A series of
      design charts were created to present dimensionless steady-state flow rate,
      lateral zone of impact, and the dimensionless liquid volume needed to reach a
      steady-state condition, as a function of dimensionless input variables. By using
      dimensionless variables formulated for this work, these charts permit the user to
      estimate the steady-state design variables described above for a wide range of
      configurations and conditions beyond those simulated without the need for further
      modeling. The results of the study suggest that the lateral extent of the well
      can be estimated using Darcy's equation and assuming saturated unit-gradient
      vertical flow regime below the well bottom. An example problem is presented to
      illustrate the use of the design charts. The scenario described in the example
      problem was also modeled with SEEP/W, and the results were compared with those
      obtained from the design charts to demonstrate the validity of design charts for
      scenarios other than those used for the development of the design charts. The
      methodology presented in this paper should be thought of as a means to provide a
      set of bounds that an engineer can use along with their judgment in the design of
      a system for a specific site.

PMID- 20304623
TI  - A steady-state approach for evaluating the impact of solute transport through
      composite liners on groundwater quality.
AB  - New adaptations of analytical equations for predicting the impact of solute
      transport through composite landfill liners on groundwater quality for steady
      state conditions are presented. Analytical equations are developed for evaluating
      average concentration and mass flow rate in an underlying aquifer resulting from
      diffusion of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) through intact composite liners
      and transport of inorganic constituents through defects in composite liners. The
      equations are applied to evaluate the effectiveness and equivalency of composite
      liners having either a 0.6 m-thick compacted soil liner or a 6.5 mm-thick
      geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) overlying an intermediate attenuation layer and an
      aquifer having horizontal flow. Example analyses for designing composite liners
      meeting particular performance criteria are also provided. The analytical
      equations are relatively simple to apply and can be used for preliminary design
      and analysis, to evaluate experimental results, and to possibly verify more
      complex numerical models for evaluating the impact of landfills on groundwater
      quality if consistency of the assumptions of the analytical equations and the
      more complex numerical models can be specified.

PMID- 20304624
TI  - Real-time electrical impedance detection of cellular activities of oral cancer
      cells.
AB  - In this study, the electric cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) system was
      used to study the cellular activities of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC)
      cells in a real-time and label-free manner. Various cellular activities,
      including cell adhesion, spreading, proliferation, and drug-induced apoptosis and
      inhibition of apoptosis, were monitored. A linear relationship was found between
      the impedance-based cell index and the cell number in the range of 3500 to 35,000
      cells/well. Anti-cancer drug-cisplatin-induced OSCC cell apoptosis at the minimal
      concentration of 5 microM after 20 h of treatment and followed a linear dose
      dependent manner in the concentration range from 10 microM to 25 microM. The
      inhibition of cisplatin-induced apoptosis by the carcinogen, nicotine, at
      concentrations from 0.1 microM to 10 microM was monitored. The most significant
      inhibitory effect of nicotine on cisplatin-induced apoptosis was observed at
      concentrations of 0.5-1 microM. The results obtained with impedance method
      correlated well with microscopic imaging analysis of cellular morphology and cell
      viability analysis. This study demonstrated that the impedance-based method can
      provide real-time information about the cellular activity of viable cells and
      detect drug-induced cellular activities much earlier than commonly used cell
      based image analysis. This impedance-based method has the potential to provide a
      useful analytical approach for cancer research.

PMID- 20304625
TI  - Warburg tumours and the mechanisms of mitochondrial tumour suppressor genes.
      Barking up the right tree?
AB  - The past decade has seen a revival of interest in the metabolic adaptations of
      tumours, named for their original discoverer, Otto Warburg. Warburg reported a
      high rate of glycolysis in tumours, and a concurrent defect in mitochondrial
      respiration. The rediscovery of Warburg's hypothesis coincided with the discovery
      of mitochondrial tumours suppressor genes that may conform to Warburg's
      hypothesis. Succinate dehydrogenase and fumarate hydratase are mitochondrial
      proteins of the TCA cycle and the respiratory chain and when mutated lead to
      tumours of the nervous system known as paragangliomas and pheochromocytomas, and
      in the case of fumarate hydratase, cutaneous and uterine leiomyomas and renal
      cell cancer. Recently a novel mitochondrial protein, SDHAF2 (SDH5), was also
      shown to be a paraganglioma-related tumour suppressor gene. Another mitochondrial
      and TCA cycle-related protein, isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 is, together with IDH1,
      frequently mutated in the brain tumour glioblastoma. There are currently many
      competing hypotheses on the role of these genes in tumourigenesis, but frequent
      themes are the stabilization of hypoxia inducible factor 1 and upregulation of
      genes involved in angiogenesis, glucose transport and glycolysis. Other
      postulated mechanisms include the inhibition of developmental apoptosis, altered
      gene expression due to histone deregulation and the acquisition of novel
      catalytic properties. Here we discuss these diverse hypotheses and highlight very
      recent findings on the possible effects of IDH gene mutations.

PMID- 20304626
TI  - The Nm23-H1 metastasis suppressor as a translational target.
AB  - Nm23 was the first of what has become a field of over 20 known metastasis
      suppressor genes (MSGs). Since the discovery of Nm23 in 1988, a variety of
      mechanisms have been attributed to its activity, including a histidine kinase
      activity, binding of other proteins to regulate metastatic formation, and altered
      gene expression downstream of Nm23. Here, we will review current efforts to
      translate the previous work done on this MSG into the clinic, including high-dose
      medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), which has been shown to upregulate Nm23
      expression. In addition, we will detail a new potential target downstream of
      Nm23. LPA1 is one of a group of known cell surface receptors for lysophosphatidic
      acid (LPA), which has been shown to be inversely correlated with Nm23 expression.
      A specific LPA1 antagonist could conceivably mimic the effects of Nm23 by
      downregulating the activity of the LPA1 pathway, which would be of considerable
      interest for potential clinical use.

PMID- 20304627
TI  - Prognostic value of microsatellite instability (MSI) and PTEN expression in women
      with endometrial cancer: results from studies of the NCIC Clinical Trials Group
      (NCIC CTG).
AB  - AIM: The impact of PTEN status and microsatellite instability (MSI) on the
      prognosis of women with endometrial cancer is controversial. The aim of this
      study was to investigate MSI and PTEN expression in two patient populations using
      data from NCIC CTG studies. METHODS: Archival paraffin embedded tumour from women
      with endometrial cancer enrolled in NCIC CTG studies: EN5 (stage I/II) and IND
      126, 148 and 160 (advanced/recurrent disease) were examined for MSI using
      BAT25/26 and for PTEN expression using immunohistochemistry. PTEN and MSI status
      were correlated with clinicopathologic variables and survival using data from
      NCIC CTG trial databases. RESULTS: PTEN and MSI results were available from 128
      and 163 patients, respectively. MSI+ tumours were more common in women enrolled
      in EN5 compared to the IND studies (p=0.01). PTEN negative tumours were
      associated with improved survival in both univariate (hazard ratio (HR) 0.55, 95%
      confidence interval (CI) 0.32-0.94; p=0.03) and multivariate (adjusted HR 0.54,
      95% CI 0.30-0.96; p=0.03) analyses in women enrolled in IND studies.
      Microsatellite stable tumours were associated with an improved prognosis in
      univariate (HR 0.18, 95% CI 0.06-0.51; p<0.0001) and multivariate (adjusted HR
      0.16, 95% CI 0.05-0.5; p<0.0001) analyses in women enrolled in EN5. There was no
      significant correlation between MSI and PTEN status. CONCLUSIONS: PTEN negative
      tumours in women with advanced disease are associated with improved survival.
      MSI+ tumours are more common in early stage disease and in this group of women
      are associated with a worse prognosis.

PMID- 20304628
TI  - Phase II trial of the histone deacetylase inhibitor belinostat in women with
      platinum resistant epithelial ovarian cancer and micropapillary (LMP) ovarian
      tumours.
AB  - AIM: Micropapillary/borderline (LMP) ovarian tumours are rarely included in
      clinical trials and are intrinsically resistant to radiation and chemotherapy.
      Platinum resistant epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) has a poor prognosis. The
      histone deacetylase inhibitor belinostat demonstrated antitumour activity in pre
      clinical ovarian cancer models. METHODS: A phase II study was performed to
      evaluate the activity of belinostat in two patient populations: women with
      metastatic or recurrent platinum resistant (progression within 6 months) EOC and
      LMP ovarian tumours, both groups had received no more than 3 prior lines of
      chemotherapy. Belinostat 1000 mg/m(2)/d was administered iv days 1-5 of a 21 d
      cycle. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and tumour biopsies, where
      possible, for correlative studies were obtained prior to and following treatment.
      RESULTS: Eighteen patients with EOC and 14 patients with LMP tumours were
      enrolled on study. Belinostat was well tolerated with no grade four toxicity (179
      cycles). Grade 3 toxicity consisted of thrombosis (3 patients), hypersensitivity
      (1) and elevated ALP (1). One patient with LMP tumour had a partial response
      (unconfirmed) and 10 had stable disease (SD), 3 were non-evaluable. Median
      progression-free survival (PFS) was 13.4 months (95% confidence interval (CI),
      5.6--not reached). Best response in patients with EOC was SD (nine patients) and
      median PFS was 2.3 months (95% CI, 1.2-5.7 months). An accumulation of acetylated
      histones H3 and H4 was noted in PBMCs and in tumour tissue. CONCLUSIONS:
      Belinostat is well tolerated in both patient groups and shows some activity in
      patients with micropapillary (LMP) disease.

PMID- 20304629
TI  - Magnetic resonance imaging of the breast: recommendations from the EUSOMA working
      group.
AB  - The use of breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is rapidly increasing. EUSOMA
      organised a workshop in Milan on 20-21st October 2008 to evaluate the evidence
      currently available on clinical value and indications for breast MRI. Twenty
      three experts from the disciplines involved in breast disease management -
      including epidemiologists, geneticists, oncologists, radiologists, radiation
      oncologists, and surgeons - discussed the evidence for the use of this technology
      in plenary and focused sessions. This paper presents the consensus reached by
      this working group. General recommendations, technical requirements, methodology,
      and interpretation were firstly considered. For the following ten indications, an
      overview of the evidence, a list of recommendations, and a number of research
      issues were defined: staging before treatment planning; screening of high-risk
      women; evaluation of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy; patients with breast
      augmentation or reconstruction; occult primary breast cancer; breast cancer
      recurrence; nipple discharge; characterisation of equivocal findings at
      conventional imaging; inflammatory breast cancer; and male breast. The working
      group strongly suggests that all breast cancer specialists cooperate for an
      optimal clinical use of this emerging technology and for future research,
      focusing on patient outcome as primary end-point.

PMID- 20304631
TI  - Effect of heat-shock treatment on the survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and
      Salmonellaenterica Typhimurium in dairy manure co-composted with vegetable wastes
      under field conditions.
AB  - This study investigated the survival of heat-shocked (HS) and non-heat-shocked
      (NHS) Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonellaenterica Typhimurium when co
      composting dairy manure and vegetable wastes in a field setting. In the summer,
      HS E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella survived for 7 and 2 days longer at the surface
      and bottom locations of the compost heaps, respectively, than NHS cultures. Both
      HS and NHS E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella were detectable in all compost samples
      for more than 60 days in the winter. The results indicate that composting dairy
      manure with vegetable wastes under sub-optimal conditions may allow extended
      survival of pathogens in the heap at low ambient temperature. Analysis of
      covariance revealed that the heat-shock treatment may have induced cross
      resistance to desiccation, allowing extended survival of HS E. coli O157:H7 and
      Salmonella at the surface of the compost heaps during the summer.

PMID- 20304630
TI  - Extracellular matrix: a gatekeeper in the transition from dormancy to metastatic
      growth.
AB  - Metastases can develop after apparently successful treatment of a primary tumour,
      sometimes following a period of tumour dormancy that can last for years. However,
      factors that regulate metastatic tumour dormancy remain poorly understood. Here
      we review the potential contribution of interactions between tumour cells and the
      microenvironment in metastatic sites, in regulating tumour dormancy vs.
      metastatic growth. We focus particularly on the potential role of the
      extracellular matrix (ECM) in regulating maintenance and release from dormancy.
      Tumour cells that fail to properly adhere to the ECM may enter a state of
      dormancy. The molecular and physical composition of the ECM can be affected by
      tumour cells themselves, as well as multiple stromal cell types. The roles of
      integrins, fibronectin, and collagen are discussed, as are factors that can
      change the ECM. A better understanding of the molecular details of the crosstalk
      between tumour cells and the ECM in secondary sites, and how these regulate the
      dormant state, may lead to improved therapeutic strategies to induce or maintain
      disseminated tumour cells in a dormant state, or alternatively to successfully
      eradicate dormant cells.

PMID- 20304632
TI  - Biochemical characterization of a maize stover beta-exoglucanase and its use in
      lignocellulose conversion.
AB  - Plant is one of the important resources for glycosyl hydrolase production. A beta
      exoglucanase with molecular weight of 63.1 kDa was purified from fresh maize
      stover and subjected to enzymatic characterization. The optimal temperature and
      pH of the beta-exoglucanase was 40 degrees C and 6.0, respectively. The beta
      exoglucanase was active against p-nitrophenyl-cellobiose (p-NPC), laminarin,
      cellotriose, cellotetraose, cellopentaose, Avicel, filter paper, and cotton
      cellulose. The analysis of hydrolytic mode suggested that the beta-exoglucanase
      removed cellobiose from the ends of beta-glucan. Kinetic parameters of the beta
      exoglucanase for laminarin and p-NPC were determined. The effects of metal ions
      and chemical reagents on the beta-exoglucanase activity were also studied. The
      biochemical characterization of the beta-exoglucanase makes it an appealing
      cellulase additive in converting lignocelluloses to ethanol through simultaneous
      saccharification and fermentation. The synergism of the beta-exoglucanase or
      crude cell wall proteins of fresh maize stover with Trichoderma reesei cellulase
      was observed in ethanol production from lignocellulose.

PMID- 20304633
TI  - Glycerol acetals as anti-freezing additives for biodiesel.
AB  - Glycerol acetals from butanal, pentanal, hexanal, octanal and decanal were
      prepared with the use of Amberlyst-15 acid resin as catalyst. The glycerol
      conversion decreases with the size of the hydrocarbon chain. This fact has been
      associated with formation of micelles and aggregates of the aldehyde to minimize
      the interaction between the polar glycerol molecule with the hydrocarbon chain.
      The Z+E mixture of the acetals with five and six-member rings were produced in
      all cases. The distribution of the acetal isomers varied with the reaction time,
      especially for the long chain aldehydes. Addition of 5 vol.% of the butanal
      glycerol acetal reduced the pour point of animal fat biodiesel (methyl ester)
      from 18 to 13 degrees C. The decrease in the pour point of the glycerol acetals
      biodiesel mixtures were dependent on the size of the hydrocarbon chain and the
      percent blended.

PMID- 20304634
TI  - Separation of ethanol/water azeotrope using compound starch-based adsorbents.
AB  - Comparing breakthrough cures of five starch-based materials experimentally
      prepared for ethanol dehydration, a compound adsorptive agent ZSG-1 was
      formulated with high adsorption capacity, low energy and material cost. The
      selective water adsorption was conducted in a fixed-bed absorber packed with ZSG
      1 to find the optimum conditions yielding 99.7 wt% anhydrous ethanol with high
      efficiency. The adsorption kinetics is well described by Bohart-Adams equation.
      The adsorption heat, Delta H(abs), was calculated to be -3.16 x 10(4)J mol(-1)
      from retention data by inverse gas chromatography. Results suggested that water
      entrapment in ZSG-1 is a exothermic and physisorption process. Also, ZSG-1 is
      recyclable for on-site multiple-use and then adapt for upstream fermentation
      process after saturation, avoiding pollution through disposal.

PMID- 20304635
TI  - Effect of vitamin B12 pulse addition on the performance of cobalt deprived
      anaerobic granular sludge bioreactors.
AB  - The effect of a pulse addition of vitamin B(12) as cobalt source to restore the
      performance of cobalt depleted methanol-fed bioreactors was investigated. One
      upflow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) reactor was supplied with a pulse of vitamin
      B(12), and its operation was compared to that of another cobalt depleted UASB
      reactor to which a pulse of CoCl(2) was given. The addition of cobalt in the form
      of CoCl(2) supplies enough cobalt to restore methanogenesis and maintain full
      methanol degradation coupled to methane production during more than 35 days after
      the CoCl(2) pulse. Similar to CoCl(2), pulse addition of vitamin B(12) supplies
      enough cobalt to maintain full methanol degradation during more than 35 days
      after the pulse. However, the specific methanogenic activities (SMAs) of the
      sludge in the vitamin B(12) supplied reactor were around 3 times higher than the
      SMA of the sludge from the CoCl(2) supplied reactor at the same sampling times.
      An appropriate dosing strategy (repeated pulse dosing) combined with the choice
      of vitamin B(12) as the cobalt species is suggested as a promising dosing
      strategy for methanol-fed anaerobic bioreactors limited by the micronutrient
      cobalt.

PMID- 20304636
TI  - Modeling of reaction kinetics for transesterification of palm-based methyl esters
      with trimethylolpropane.
AB  - A mathematical model describing chemical kinetics of transesterification of palm
      based methyl esters with trimethylolpropane has been developed. The model was
      developed by utilizing nonlinear regression method, which is an efficient and
      powerful way to determine rate constants for both forward and reverse reactions.
      A comparison with previous study which excludes the reverse reactions was made.
      The model was based on the reverse mechanism of transesterification reactions and
      describes concentration changes of trimethylolpropane, monoesters and diesters
      production. The developed model was validated against data from the literature.
      The reaction rate constants were determined using MATLAB version 7.2 and the
      ratios of rate constants obtained were well in agreement with those reported in
      the literature. A good correlation between model simulations and experimental
      data was observed. It was proven that both methods were able to predict the rate
      constants with plausible accuracy.

PMID- 20304637
TI  - Impact of surfactants on pretreatment of corn stover.
AB  - Lignin in pretreated cellulosic biomass can non-productively adsorb cellulase,
      resulting in loss of a significant portion of this expensive protein. In
      addition, lignin interferes with the path for cellulase action, slowing down
      hydrolysis. Thus, the effectiveness of enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated
      lignocellulosic biomass can be significantly enhanced if lignin is removed or
      effectively modified before adding enzymes. In this study, the enzymatic
      digestibilities of solids resulting from using the surfactants Tween-80,
      dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid, and polyethylene glycol 4000 during water-only or
      dilute acid pretreatment of corn stover at 140-220 degrees C were evaluated. All
      of these surfactants increased lignin removal during pretreatment and reduced non
      productive binding of enzymes on the biomass surface, but Tween-80 increased
      enzymatic hydrolysis yields and enhanced total sugar recovery more than the other
      two. Surfactant pretreatment was found to improve lignin solubility, which could
      improve cellulose digestibility by reducing unproductive binding to enzyme, and
      also appeared to enhance performance by modifying the biomass surface.

PMID- 20304638
TI  - Phosphorus and zinc dissolution from thermally gasified piggery waste ash using
      sulphuric acid.
AB  - Ash from thermally gasified piggery waste (GA) was treated with sulphuric acid
      (H(2)SO(4)) using two extraction methods. First different loads (0.39-0.98 kg
      H(2)SO(4)/kg ash) and concentrations (0.2-2M) were used in 3h extraction. Second,
      titration of 1:25 (w/w) ash:water suspension was conducted with 4M H(2)SO(4) to
      determine ash buffer capacity at nine pH steps from 12 to 0.1. Total P and zinc
      (Zn) dissolution was monitored. Optimal acid load and concentration to dissolve
      94% P and 55% Zn from GA was 0.98 kg H(2)SO(4)/kg ash and 0.6M, respectively,
      which corresponds to acid demand of 19.2 kg H(2)SO(4)/kg P recovered. High
      concentrations (2M) did not improve P dissolution, but Zn was easier released.
      Ash buffer capacity was the highest at pH 4 and 0.1, first one due to dissolution
      of Ca, the second one due to autoprotolysis of water. Acid load had stronger
      effect on dissolution than concentration in the first method, however in the
      second; both factors had comparable effect.

PMID- 20304639
TI  - Exploration of amino alcohol derivatives as novel, potent, and highly selective
      sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor subtype-1 agonists.
AB  - In pursuit of a potent and highly selective sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor
      agonists with an improved in vivo conversion of the precursor to the active
      phospho-drug, we have utilized previously reported phenylamide and
      phenylimidazole scaffolds to identify a selectivity enhancing moiety (SEM) and
      selectivity enhancing orientation (SEO) within both pharmacophores. SEM and SEO
      have allowed for over 100 to 500-fold improvement in selectivity for S1P receptor
      subtype 1 over subtype 3. Utility of SEM and SEO and further SAR study allowed
      for discovery of a potent and selective preclinical candidate PPI-4955 (21b) with
      an excellent in vivo potency and dose responsiveness and markedly improved
      overall in vivo pharmacodynamic properties upon oral administration.

PMID- 20304640
TI  - Synthesis and characterization of a Eu-DTPA-PEGO-MSH(4) derivative for evaluation
      of binding of multivalent molecules to melanocortin receptors.
AB  - A labeled variant of MSH(4), a tetrapeptide that binds to the human melanocortin
      4 receptor (hMC4R) with low microM affinity, was prepared by solid-phase
      synthesis methods, purified, and characterized. The labeled ligand, Eu-DTPA-PEGO
      His-dPhe-Arg-Trp-NH(2), exhibited a K(d) for hMC4R of 9.1+/-1.4 microM,
      approximately 10-fold lower affinity than the parental ligand. The labeled MSH(4)
      derivative was employed in a competitive binding assay to characterize the
      interactions of hMC4R with monovalent and divalent MSH(4) constructs derived from
      squalene. The results were compared with results from a similar assay that
      employed a more potent labeled ligand, Eu-DTPA-NDP-alpha-MSH. While results from
      the latter assay reflected only statistical effects, results from the former
      assay reflected a mixture of statistical, proximity, and/or cooperative binding
      effects.

PMID- 20304641
TI  - Eastern extension of azoles as non-nucleoside inhibitors of HIV-1 reverse
      transcriptase; cyano group alternatives.
AB  - Design of non-nucleoside inhibitors of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase is being
      pursued with the assistance of free energy perturbation (FEP) calculations to
      predict relative free energies of binding. Extension of azole-containing
      inhibitors into an 'eastern' channel between Phe227 and Pro236 has led to the
      discovery of potent and structurally novel derivatives.

PMID- 20304642
TI  - Discovery of triarylethanolamine inhibitors of the Kv1.5 potassium channel.
AB  - A series of triarylethanolamine inhibitors of the Kv1.5 potassium channel have
      been prepared and evaluated for their effects in vitro and in vivo. The structure
      activity relationship (SAR) studies described herein led to the development of
      potent, selective and orally active inhibitors of Kv1.5.

PMID- 20304643
TI  - Enhanced Nrf2-dependent induction of glutathione in mouse embryonic fibroblasts
      by isoselenocyanate analog of sulforaphane.
AB  - Epidemiological and laboratory studies have highlighted the potent
      chemopreventive effectiveness of both dietary selenium and cruciferous
      vegetables, particularly broccoli. Sulforaphane (SFN), an isothiocyanate, was
      identified as the major metabolite of broccoli responsible for its anti-cancer
      properties. An important mechanism for SFN chemoprevention is through the
      enhancement of glutathione (GSH), the most abundant antioxidant in animals and an
      important target in chemoprevention. Enhancement of GSH biosynthetic enzymes
      including the rate-limiting glutamate cysteine ligase (GCL), as well as other
      Phase II detoxification enzymes results from SFN-mediated induction of the
      nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/antioxidant response elements
      (ARE) signaling pathway. While isothiocyanate compounds such as SFN are among the
      most potent Nrf2 inducers known, we hypothesized that substitution of sulfur with
      selenium in the isothiocyanate functional group of SFN would result in an
      isoselenocyanate compound (SFN-isoSe) with enhanced Nrf2 induction capability.
      Here we report that SFN-isoSe activated an ARE-luciferase reporter in HepG2 cells
      more potently than SFN. It was also found that SFN-isoSe induced GCL and GSH in
      MEF cells in an Nrf2-dependent manner. Finally, we provide evidence that SFN
      isoSe was more effective in killing HepG2 cancer cells, yet was less toxic to non
      cancer MEF cells, than SFN. These data support our hypothesis, and suggest that
      SFN-isoSe and potentially other isoselenocyanates may be highly effective
      chemoprotective agents in vivo due to their ability to induce Nrf2 with low
      toxicity in normal cells and high efficiency at killing cancer cells.

PMID- 20304644
TI  - N-aryltriazole ribonucleosides with potent antiproliferative activity against
      drug-resistant pancreatic cancer.
AB  - Novel N-aryltriazole nucleosides were synthesized via Cu-mediated C-N cross
      coupling reaction starting with 3-aminotriazole ribonucleoside and various
      boronic acids. Two of them exhibited potent apoptosis-related antiproliferative
      activity against the drug-resistant pancreatic cancer cell line MiaPaCa-2, with
      an increased potency compared to gemcitabine, the reference treatment for
      pancreatic cancer. A preliminary SAR study suggests that the appended N-aryl
      moiety and the substituent at its para-position, as well as the ribose sugar
      component, contribute considerably to the observed antiproliferative activity.

PMID- 20304645
TI  - Substituted hydrazinecarbothioamide as potent antitubercular agents: synthesis
      and quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR).
AB  - A series of novel substituted hydrazinecarbothioamides was synthesized and
      evaluated for anti-TB activity. Three most active compounds viz. 1, 6 and 12 were
      found to exhibit minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.4 microg/mL, whereas
      four compounds viz. 3, 5, 10 and 11 showed comparatively lesser activity with MIC
      value of 0.8 microg/mL against Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain. A highly
      significant QSAR equation explaining 81.8% variance is described.

PMID- 20304646
TI  - WITHDRAWN: Nemaline myopathy presenting as a stiff baby.
AB  - This article has been withdrawn at the request of the author and editor. The
      Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. The full Elsevier
      Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at
      http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy.

PMID- 20304647
TI  - Reverse protein arrays as novel approach for protein quantification in muscular
      dystrophies.
AB  - The definite molecular diagnosis in patients with muscular dystrophies often
      requires the assessment of muscular expression of multiple proteins in small
      amounts of muscle tissue. The sample material obtained in muscle biopsies is
      limited and the measurement of multiple proteins is often restricted to
      conventional, non-quantitative assays, i.e. immunohistochemistry and
      immunoblotting. Here, we demonstrate that reverse protein arrays are a novel and
      excellent material-saving method for the measurement and quantification of
      changes in protein expression between healthy and diseased muscle tissue as well
      as cultured primary myotubes. We evaluated a set of antibodies and found
      reproducible differences between Duchenne muscular dystrophy/limb-girdle muscular
      dystrophy patients and control samples for dystrophin, the sarcoglycans and the
      dystroglycans. As little as 10 mg of tissue is sufficient for the analysis of all
      diagnostically relevant proteins. The average coefficient of variation calculated
      for the sample signals confirmed that the method is highly reproducible. Thus,
      our experiments provide strong evidence that quantitative protein detection from
      very small amounts of muscle tissue is possible using reverse protein arrays.
      This technology may not only be of interest for diagnostic purposes, but also for
      protein quantification of multiple, follow-up biopsies during clinical trials
      when protein expression in muscle is considered an important outcome measure or
      biomarker.

PMID- 20304648
TI  - Improved muscle strength and mobility in the dy(2J)/dy(2J) mouse with merosin
      deficient congenital muscular dystrophy treated with Glatiramer acetate.
AB  - The therapeutic effect of Glatiramer acetate, an immune modulating agent, was
      evaluated in the dy(2J)/dy(2J) mouse with merosin deficient congenital muscular
      dystrophy, which is a milder variant of the dy/dy mouse. The treated mice showed
      significant improvement in hind limb muscle strength measured by electronic grip
      strength meter and in motor performance quantified by video detection software.
      Glatiramer acetate treatment was associated with significantly increased
      expression of regeneration transcription factors MyoD and myogenin, and
      attenuation of the fibrosis markers vimentin and fibronectin. No effective
      treatment is currently available in congenital muscular dystrophy and Glatiramer
      acetate may present a new potential treatment for this disorder.

PMID- 20304649
TI  - Preventing breast cancer in postmenopausal women by achievable diet modification:
      a missed opportunity in public health policy.
AB  - The Diet Modification trial of the Women's Health Initiative studies was reported
      to be inconclusive as the overall risk reduction was not statistically
      significant at the 0.05 level. By our calculation, the trial's demonstrated risk
      reduction at average adherence to a simple diet modification translates into
      avoiding 7.3% invasive breast cancers in post-menopausal women in the USA. The
      trial also demonstrated a clear dose response between diet modification and risk
      reduction, meaning a higher percentage of breast cancers can be avoided among
      women whose diet modification was better than average. Yet, the DM trial findings
      as reported and interpreted in public sent the message to post-menopausal women
      that reducing the fat intake does not reduce the risk of breast cancer. Clearly,
      a valuable opportunity to affect public health policy was missed because the
      contextual significance and policy implications of the findings were ignored.

PMID- 20304650
TI  - Differences in prognostic factors and patterns of failure between invasive
      micropapillary carcinoma and invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast: matched
      case-control study.
AB  - PURPOSE: We designed this study to identify differences in prognostic factors and
      patterns of failure between invasive micropapillary carcinoma (IMPC) and invasive
      ductal carcinoma (IDC) in patients with breast cancer. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We
      identified 72 cases of IMPC who were diagnosed between 1999 and 2007 at the
      Samsung Medical Center. These patients were matched with 144 controls who were
      diagnosed with IDC during the same period. Exact matches were made for age (+/-3
      years), pathologic tumour and node stage, and treatment methods (surgery and
      radiation therapy). RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 45 months (13-116)
      for IMPC and 50 months (16-122) for IDC. Lymphovascular invasion (LVI, p<0.0001),
      axillary lymph node extracapsular extension (ECE, p=0.001) and high nuclear grade
      (p=0.032) were more frequently detected in patients with IMPC. During the follow
      up period, treatment failed in 15 IMPC patients (20.8%) and in 26 IDC patients
      (18.1%). Loco-regional recurrences developed in 11 IMPC patients (15.3%) and
      eight IDC patients (5.6%). Importantly, of 57 IMPC patients who had positive
      axillary nodes, seven patients (12.3%) had axilla and/or supraclavicular
      recurrence. Therefore, at 5 years, the loco-regional recurrence-free survival was
      79.1% in the IMPC patients vs. 93.3% in the IDC patients (p=0.0024). CONCLUSION:
      Our study showed that IMPC is associated with LVI, ECE, high nuclear grade, and a
      greater degree of loco-regional recurrence, especially in the axilla and
      supraclavicular areas. Therefore, axillary and supraclavicular radiation therapy
      should be considered in IMPC patients with axillary node metastasis.

PMID- 20304651
TI  - Sternal/para-sternal resection for parasternal local recurrence in breast cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Locoregional recurrence occurs in a significant number of patients
      with breast cancer. This can result in substantial morbidity and mortality. Chest
      wall resection is well-documented for palliation and local control in chest wall
      relapse; an extension of this surgery is parasternal or sternal resection.
      METHODS: A retrospective review of medical records of eighteen women who
      underwent sternal or parasternal resection with curative intent between 1998 and
      2007 was undertaken. RESULTS: 12 patients had total sternal resection, five
      patients had sub-total sternal resection and one patient had resection of tumour
      and ribs. 17 patients required the insertion of a composite Marlex((r)) methyl
      methacrylate chest wall prosthesis, followed by soft tissue reconstruction with a
      pectoralis major or latissimus dorsi flap, in the majority of cases. In-hospital
      and 30-day mortality was 0%. One and two-year overall survival was 87% and 80%
      respectively. The median recurrence-free survival was 18 months (95% CI 4-31
      months). There was local and distant recurrence in one patient (5%), local
      recurrence in two patients (11%) and distant recurrence in eight patients (44%),
      with 15 out of 18 patients (77%) remaining free from local recurrence at 5 years.
      CONCLUSIONS: En bloc sternal resection for parasternal recurrence in breast
      cancer involves extensive surgery but in our experience can be performed with
      very low mortality and morbidity. In selected patients it provides good long term
      local control, relief of pain and improved cosmesis.

PMID- 20304652
TI  - Age-related changes in mechanical and metabolic energy during typical gait.
AB  - The purpose of the study was to investigate and report age-related changes in
      walking energy expenditure using different methods of energy estimation. For 81
      children and 16 adults (3-35 years) energy expenditure was investigated by using
      the following methods: analysis of energy changes of the centre of body mass
      (external and internal mechanical work), sum of segmental energies, sum of net
      joint work and gross and net metabolic cost, as well as net non-dimensional
      oxygen cost. Different methods of energy estimation not only show different
      outcome results but also different age-related changes. Significant changes were
      found for negative net joint work, external mechanical work and recovery as well
      as sum of segmental energies, until 9, 11 and 19 years respectively. Positive net
      joint work showed no differences between age groups and the differences for
      internal work did not suggest development. Metabolic energy showed significant
      changes until adult age. Gross cost decreases with increasing age in children
      and, although more gradually, still in adolescents. Net and net non-dimensional
      cost shows a more constant decrease with increasing age until adulthood.
      Therefore, the choice of estimation method and the use of age-related reference
      data when evaluating young patients should be carefully considered. For
      interpretation of oxygen consumption in children the use of net is superior to
      gross cost, but even after net non-dimensional normalization, age-related
      reference data should be used.

PMID- 20304653
TI  - Reproducibility and validity of video screen measurements of gait in children
      with spastic cerebral palsy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the reproducibility and validity of video screen
      measurement (VSM) of sagittal plane joint angles during gait. METHODS: 17
      children with spastic cerebral palsy walked on a 10m walkway. Videos were
      recorded and 3d-instrumented gait analysis was performed. Two investigators
      measured six sagittal joint/segment angles (shank, ankle, knee, hip, pelvis, and
      trunk) using a custom-made software package. The intra- and interrater
      reproducibility were expressed by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC),
      standard error of measurements (SEM) and smallest detectable difference (SDD).
      The agreement between VSM and 3d joint angles was illustrated by Bland-Altman
      plots and limits of agreement (LoA). RESULTS: Regarding the intrarater
      reproducibility of VSM, the ICC ranged from 0.99 (shank) to 0.58 (trunk), the SEM
      from 0.81 degrees (shank) to 5.97 degrees (trunk) and the SDD from 1.80 degrees
      (shank) to 16.55 degrees (trunk). Regarding the interrater reproducibility, the
      ICC ranged from 0.99 (shank) to 0.48 (trunk), the SEM from 0.70 degrees (shank)
      to 6.78 degrees (trunk) and the SDD from 1.95 degrees (shank) to 18.8 degrees
      (trunk). The LoA between VSM and 3d data ranged from 0.4+/-13.4 degrees (knee
      extension stance) to 12.0+/-14.6 degrees (ankle dorsiflexion swing). CONCLUSION:
      When performed by the same observer, VSM mostly allows the detection of relevant
      changes after an intervention. However, VSM angles differ from 3d-IGA and do not
      reflect the real sagittal joint position, probably due to the additional
      movements in the other planes.

PMID- 20304654
TI  - Synthesis and pharmacological characterization of a new series of 5,7
      disubstituted-[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a][1,3,5]triazine derivatives as adenosine
      receptor antagonists: A preliminary inspection of ligand-receptor recognition
      process.
AB  - A new series of triazolotriazines variously substituted at the C5 and N7 (5-25)
      positions was synthesized and fully characterized at the four adenosine receptor
      (AR) subtypes. In particular, arylacetyl or arylcarbamoyl moieties were
      introduced at the N7 position, which enhanced affinity at the hA(2B) and hA(3)
      ARs, respectively, when utilized on the pyrazolo-triazolopyrimidine nucleus as we
      reported in the past. In general, compounds with a free amino group at the 7
      position (5, 6), showed good affinity at the rat (r) A(2A) AR (range 18.3
      96.5nM), while the introduction of a phenylcarbamoyl moiety at the N7 position
      (12, 19, 24) slightly increased the affinity at the hA(3) AR (range 311-633nM)
      with respect to the unsubstituted derivatives. The binding profiles of the
      synthesized analogues seemed to correlate with the substitutions at the C5 and N7
      positions. At the hA(2B) AR, derivative 5, which contained a free amino group at
      the 7 position, was the most potent (EC(50) 3.42microM) and could represent a
      starting point for searching new non-xanthine hA(2B) AR antagonists. Molecular
      models of the rA(2A) and hA(3) ARs were constructed by homology to the recently
      reported crystallographic structure of the hA(2A) AR. A preliminary receptor
      driven structure-activity relationship (SAR) based on the analysis of antagonist
      docking has been provided.

PMID- 20304655
TI  - Antiproliferative activity of synthetic naphthoquinones related to lapachol.
      First synthesis of 5-hydroxylapachol.
AB  - A series of 5-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinones analogues was synthesized from juglone
      (6) and their antiproliferative activity against a representative panel of six
      human solid tumor cell lines has been investigated. The 2,5-dihydroxy-3-(3
      methylbut-2-enyl)naphthalene-1,4-dione (4) and 2,3-dihydro-5-hydroxy-2-(prop-1-en
      2-yl)naphtho[2,3-b]furan-4,9-dione (27) were the most potent antiproliferative
      agents with GI(50) values of 0.42-8.1 and 0.80-2.2microM, respectively. The
      results provide insight into the correlation between some structural properties
      of 5-hydroxynaphthoquinones and their antiproliferative activity.

PMID- 20304656
TI  - Chromene-3-carboxamide derivatives discovered from virtual screening as potent
      inhibitors of the tumour maker, AKR1B10.
AB  - A human aldose reductase-like protein, AKR1B10 in the aldo-keto reductase (AKR)
      superfamily, was recently identified as a therapeutic target in the treatment of
      several types of cancer. In order to identify potential leads for new inhibitors
      of AKR1B10, we adopted the virtual screening approach using the automated program
      icm, which resulted in the discovery of several chromene-3-carboxamide
      derivatives as potent competitive inhibitors. The most potent (Z)-2-(4
      methoxyphenylimino)-7-hydroxy-N-(pyridin-2-yl)-2H-chromene-3-carboxamide
      inhibited the reductase activity of AKR1B10 with a K(i) value of 2.7nM, and the
      metabolism of farnesal and 4-hydroxynonenal in the AKR1B10-overexpressed cells
      from 0.1microM with an IC(50) value equal to 0.8microM.

PMID- 20304657
TI  - Synthesis, molecular modeling and biological evaluation of PSB as targeted
      antibiotics.
AB  - We described here the design, synthesis, molecular modeling, and biological
      evaluation of a series of peptide and Schiff bases (PSB) small molecules,
      inhibitors of Escherichia coli beta-Ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthase III
      (ecKAS III). The initial lead compound was reported by us previously, we
      continued to carry out structure-activity relationship studies and optimize the
      lead structure to potent inhibitors in this research. The results demonstrated
      that both N-(2-(3,5-dichloro-2-hydroxybenzylideneamino)propyl)-2-hydroxybenzamide
      (1f) and 2-hydroxy-N-(2-(2-hydroxy-5-iodobenzylideneamino)propyl)-4
      methylbenzamide (3e) posses good ecKAS III inhibitory activity and well binding
      affinities by bonding Gly152/Gly209 of ecKAS III and fit into the mouth of the
      substrate tunnel, and can be as potential antibiotics agent, displaying minimal
      inhibitory concentration values in the range 0.20-3.13microg/mL and 0.39
      3.13microg/mL against various bacteria.

PMID- 20304658
TI  - Total synthesis, antiprotozoal and cytotoxicity activities of rhuschalcone VI and
      analogs.
AB  - The total synthesis of a potent antiplasmodial natural bichalcone, rhuschalcone
      VI, is described starting from simple and available resorcinol and 4
      hydroxybenzaldehyde. Key steps include the solvent-free Aldol syntheses of
      chalcones, and the successful application of the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction
      in the synthesis of bichalcones. The present work constitutes a general method
      for the rapid syntheses of a number of bichalcones related to rhuschalcone VI.
      Some of the bichalcones showed moderate antiprotozoal activities against Bodo
      caudatus, a preliminary screening system for antitrypanosomal activities, most of
      them with little or no cytotoxicity.

PMID- 20304659
TI  - Conjugates of plumbagin and phenyl-2-amino-1-thioglucoside inhibit MshB, a
      deacetylase involved in the biosynthesis of mycothiol.
AB  - N-Acetylglucosaminylinositol (GlcNAc-Ins)-deacetylase (MshB) and mycothiol-S
      conjugate amidase (Mca), structurally related amidases present in mycobacteria
      and other Actinomycetes, are involved in the biosynthesis of mycothiol and in the
      detoxification of xenobiotics as their mycothiol-S-conjugates, respectively. With
      substrate analogs of GlcNAc-Ins, MshB showed a marked preference for inositol as
      the aglycon present in GlcNAc-Ins. The inhibition of MshB and Mca by 10
      thioglycosides, 7 cyclohexyl-2-deoxy-2-C-alkylglucosides, and 4 redox cyclers was
      evaluated. The latter contained plumbagin tethered via 2 to 5 methylene carbons
      and an amide linkage to phenyl-2-deoxy-2-amino-1-thio-alpha-d-glucopyranoside.
      These proved to be the most potent amongst the 21 compounds tested as inhibitors
      of MshB. Their inhibitory potency varied with the length of the spacer, with the
      compound with longest spacer being the most effective.

PMID- 20304660
TI  - Some geological characteristics in a regolith-limey shale rock profile through
      natural radionuclides distribution.
AB  - The objective of this work is to study some geological characteristics in a
      regolith-rock profile by analyzing the distribution of natural radionuclides
      along the profile by high resolution gamma ray spectrometry. The concentrations
      of radionuclides reflect some mineralogical characteristics of the rock matrix
      and also more recent events, such as weathering and erosion. The samples were
      collected in an abandoned limestone mine, in the city of Sapopema, Parana State,
      Brazil. The stratigraphy is represented by an alternation of decimetric limestone
      layers, bituminous shale and some rhythmite layers. The ratios eTh/K obtained for
      all samples of the studied profile have equivalent values, indicating similar
      mineralogical characteristics of their detritic components. The ratio eTh/eU
      corroborates the fact that regolith samples belong to a much more oxidized
      environment, favoring the leaching of uranium. These results show that the
      measurement of radionuclide distribution in rocks and soils may be an important
      tool for the analysis of geological characteristics, such as mineralogy and
      oxidizing conditions.

PMID- 20304661
TI  - Ethical issues in instructions to authors of journals in oral
      craniomaxillofacial/facial plastic surgery and related specialties.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ethical standards of biomedical publications are associated with
      editorial leadership, such as contents of instructions to authors and journal's
      mechanisms for research and publication ethics. OBJECTIVES: To compare ethical
      issues in the guidelines for authors in oral-craniomaxillofacial/facial plastic
      surgery (OCM-FPS) journals with those in plastic surgery and
      otorhinolaryngology/head and neck surgery (ORL-HNS) journals, and to evaluate the
      relationship between journal's impact factor (IF) and ethical issues in the
      instructions to authors. METHODS: This study used a cross-sectional study design.
      The predictor variables were journal's specialty and IF. The outcome variable was
      the presence of seven ethical issues in the online versions of journal's
      instructions to authors in October 2009. We included only journals with
      identifiable IF for 2008, published in English, French, German and Thai.
      Appropriate descriptive and univariate statistics were computed for all study
      variables. The level of statistical significance was set at P<0.05. RESULTS: The
      sample was composed of 48 journals: seven OCM-FPS (14.6%), 14 plastic surgery
      (29.2%) and 27 ORL-HNS (56.2%) journals. Only four journals (8.3%) mentioned all
      ethical issues in their guidelines for authors. Neither journal's specialty nor
      IF was linked to completeness of the ethical requirements. CONCLUSIONS: The
      results of this study suggest that ethical issues in the instructions to authors
      of most IF-indexed journals in OCM-FPS, plastic surgery and ORL-HNS are
      incomplete, regardless of specialty and IF. There is room for substantial
      improvement to uphold scientific integrity of these surgical specialties.

PMID- 20304662
TI  - Integrated cerebral perfusion for hypothermic circulatory arrest during
      transverse aortic arch repairs.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Antegrade cerebral perfusion (ACP) during hypothermic circulatory
      arrest (HCA) for ascending/transverse arch repair is used for cerebral
      protection. This study evaluates ACP in combination with retrograde cerebral
      perfusion (RCP) during extended HCA and compares it to RCP-only. METHODS: Between
      January 2005 and April 2007, we performed 64 consecutive arch repairs requiring
      extended HCA (>40 min). RCP-only was used with 34 patients and ACP with brief RCP
      ('integrated') was used with 30 patients. Mean HCA time was 51 + or - 13 min.
      Mean RCP-only time was 47 + or - 9.6 min; in the integrated group, mean ACP time
      was 42 + or - 14.4 min with an added RCP time of 10.8 + or - 7.6 min. For the
      entire cohort, 95% (61/64) underwent total arch repair, and 67% (43/64) had
      elephant trunk reconstruction. Variables predictive of mortality and neurological
      outcomes were analysed prospectively, but technique selection was non-randomised.
      RESULTS: Preoperative and operative variables did not differ between the RCP-only
      and the integrated groups except for aortic valve replacement, which was more
      frequently performed in the integrated group (33% (10/30) vs 12% (4/34), P=0.05),
      and preoperative renal dysfunction, which was more frequent in the RCP group (26%
      (9/34) vs 7% (2/30), P=0.04). No significant difference was observed in outcomes
      between the groups; however, the integrated group had higher mortality, stroke
      and temporary neurological deficit than RCP-only. CONCLUSIONS: The observed
      trends in actual outcomes were a cause for concern. ACP combined with a short
      period of RCP did not provide better outcomes than RCP-only. The use of RCP
      remains warranted in our experience.

PMID- 20304663
TI  - Is endovascular repair the new gold standard for primary adult coarctation?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Primary adult aortic coarctation (PAAC) is an unusual cause of
      hypertension. The standard of care includes surgical repair, which can be
      associated with considerable morbidity and operative risk. Although balloon
      angioplasty has been successfully used in paediatric and adolescent patients with
      coarctation, little information exists regarding the endovascular repair of PAAC.
      This study examines the procedural safety and efficacy of endovascular repair of
      PAAC along with midterm outcomes. METHODS: Between January 2000 and July 2008, 16
      patients underwent endovascular repair of PAAC. All patients were hypertensive
      with 13 patients (81.3%) receiving medical therapy. Symptoms included chest pain
      (n=11, 69%), progressive fatigue (n=5, 31%), exercise intolerance (n=4, 25%) and
      shortness of breath (n=3, 19%). Associated cardiac concerns included depressed
      ejection fraction (n=6, 38%), pulmonary hypertension (n=5, 31%), ascending aortic
      dilatation (n=5, 31%) and bicuspid aortic valve (n=4, 25%). Endovascular repair
      was achieved using a percutaneous femoral approach. Balloon angioplasty of the
      coarctation was performed prior to treatment using a balloon-expandable uncovered
      stent. Aortic diameters were assessed using intravascular ultrasound. Pre- and
      post-procedure pressure gradients were measured and success was determined as a
      residual pressure gradient across the treated aorta of less than 20 mmHg.
      RESULTS: The male:female (M:F) ratio was 9:7 with a mean age of 39.7 years.
      Procedural success was 100%. Mean pre-procedural aortic diameter was 8.4mm (3-14
      mm) and mean post-procedural aortic diameter was 16.3mm (10-20mm) (p=0.04). The
      mean pre-procedural pressure gradient was 48.3 mmHg (25-100 mmHg) and the mean
      post-procedural pressure gradient was 0.5 mmHg (0-15 mmHg) (p=0.05). Twelve
      patients received one stent, two patients received two stents, one patient
      received three stents and one other patient received a thoracic stent graft. The
      rate of paraplegia was 0% with no blood transfusions, strokes or deaths. Follow
      up ranged from 12 to 72 months (mean=22.8 months). One patient required re
      intervention with an additional stent 14 months following the initial procedure
      and all the patients remain symptom-free. CONCLUSION: Endovascular repair of PAAC
      is safe and effective and compares favourably with open surgical repair. Midterm
      follow-up suggests that the treatment is durable and may be an alternative to
      surgical repair. Although this is the largest endovascular treatment series for
      PAAC reported to date, additional study and follow-up are needed.

PMID- 20304664
TI  - The influence of the 'golden 24-h rule' on the prognosis of oesophageal
      perforation in the modern era.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Rupture of the oesophagus is a surgical emergency with significant
      morbidity and mortality. We present our experience in managing such patients in a
      tertiary care cardiothoracic unit. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective clinical
      review of patients who were admitted following rupture of the oesophagus over a
      period of 6 years (2002-2008). RESULTS: In our unit, there were 27 admissions
      following isolated rupture of the oesophagus, of which 18 were males and nine
      were females. The median age was 65 years (range 22-87). Twenty-four (89%)
      presented with spontaneous perforations (Boerhaave's syndrome) and three (11%)
      were iatrogenic. Primary surgical repair was done in 21 (77%) patients, a two
      stage repair in 8% and conservative management in 16.6%. Mean hospital stay was
      31 days (range 13-80 days). Overall, in-hospital mortality was five out of 27
      patients (18.5%). Time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis of oesophageal
      perforation was early (<24 h) in 17 (63%) patients and late (>24 h) in the
      remaining 10 (37%) patients. In four out of the five non-survivors, there was a
      >24-h delay in diagnosis. The mortality rate among patients with a delayed
      diagnosis was 40% compared to 6.2% among those who were diagnosed in <24 h
      (p=0.047). CONCLUSIONS: Our review confirms that an early diagnosis and
      management ('golden 24 h') are crucial for successful outcome in patients with
      rupture of the oesophagus. We reiterate the importance of critical care support,
      particularly in the early stages of management. For early detection, the primary
      and secondary care sectors need to be better educated.

PMID- 20304665
TI  - Preoperative introduction and maintenance immunosuppression therapy of oral-only
      tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil and steroids reduce acute rejection episodes
      after lung transplantation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Immunosuppression therapy in lung transplantation (LTX) remains
      unsatisfactory due to a high incidence of infection and frequent acute rejection
      (AR), leading to early onset of the bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS). The
      long-term success of LTX is limited by BOS, associated with marked morbidity and
      mortality. The strongest risk factor for BOS is frequent AR. Decreasing frequent
      AR episodes might lead to improved long-term survival following LTX. METHODS:
      Despite the introduction of many novel agents, the basis of currently applied
      protocols remains a calcineurin inhibitor, that is, cyclosporine/tacrolimus
      (TAC). Eighty-two lung recipients received oral-only administered
      immunosuppression with oral TAC, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and intravenous (IV)
      methylprednisolone as introduction 2h prior to skin incision. Intra-operatively,
      patients received additional methylprednisolone prior to unclamping the pulmonary
      arteries. Postoperatively oral TAC/MMF and prednisolone were continued and trough
      levels closely monitored (target 8-12 ng ml(-1)). Pulmonary function tests were
      performed frequently and daily after discharge by means of a self-measuring
      device (daily forced expiratory volume in 1s (FEV(1))) as the major part of a
      close follow-up and monitoring programme. Trans-bronchial biopsies were rarely
      performed. Patient data were collected prospectively and stored in
      transplantation registries. LTX survival was analysed according to the Kaplan
      Meier method. RESULTS: The follow-up of the LTX patients through frequent
      ambulatory care unit visits and close monitoring of the immunosuppressive regimen
      and the medication response was 100% complete. The mean duration of observation
      per patient was 1.8 + or - 1.7 years (median 1.4, range: 0.0-6.4 years) and this
      study included 176.5 patient-related years of follow-up. The 1-, 3- and 5-year
      survival following LTX was 70%, 60% and 55%, respectively. Eight patients (10%)
      underwent high-dose intravenous (IV) bolus methylprednisolone treatment and taper
      for AR. Two additional patients developed BOS more than 4 years following LTX.
      The AR- and BOS-related mortality was 0% within the 7-year interval of LTX.
      Alterations in FEV(1) were associated with significant anastomotic airway and
      infectious complications, requiring frequent bronchoscopic interventions,
      stenting and laser therapy as well as frequent IV antibiotic treatment. The 30
      day and in-hospital mortality of 19.5% was markedly related to primary graft
      failure and viral infection. Long-term survival was limited predominantly by
      cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and sepsis. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that
      a standard immunosuppressive regimen of TAC and MMF orally administered and
      introduced prior to skin incision for LTX surgery and maintained long-term might
      reduce the incidence of acute and chronic rejection. Viral infections and not BOS
      seemed to be the limiting factor of long-term survival.

PMID- 20304666
TI  - Primary isolated aortic valve surgery in octogenarians.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We reviewed our surgery registry, to identify predictive risk factors
      for operative results, and to analyse the long-term survival outcome in
      octogenarians operated for primary isolated aortic valve replacement (AVR).
      METHODS: A total of 124 consecutive octogenarians underwent open AVR from January
      1990 to December 2005. Combined procedures and redo surgery were excluded.
      Selected variables were studied as risk factors for hospital mortality and early
      neurological events. A follow-up (FU; mean FU time: 77 months) was obtained (90%
      complete), and Kaplan-Meier plots were used to determine survival rates. RESULTS:
      The mean age was 82+/-2.2 (range: 80-90 years; 63% females). Of the group, four
      patients (3%) required urgent procedures, 10 (8%) had a previous myocardial
      infarction, six (5%) had a previous coronary angioplasty and stenting, 13
      patients (10%) suffered from angina and 59 (48%) were in the New York Heart
      Association (NYHA) class III-IV. We identified 114 (92%) degenerative stenosis,
      six (5%) post-rheumatic stenosis and four (3%) active endocarditis. The predicted
      mortality calculated by logistic European System for Cardiac Operative Risk
      Evaluation (EuroSCORE) was 12.6+/-5.7%, and the observed hospital mortality was
      5.6%. Causes of death included severe cardiac failure (four patients), multi
      organ failure (two) and sepsis (one). Complications were transitory neurological
      events in three patients (2%), short-term haemodialysis in three (2%), atrial
      fibrillation in 60 (48%) and six patients were re-operated for bleeding. Atrio
      ventricular block, myocardial infarction or permanent stroke was not detected.
      The age at surgery and the postoperative renal failure were predictors for
      hospital mortality (p value <0.05), whereas we did not find predictors for
      neurological events. The mean FU time was 77 months (6.5 years) and the mean age
      of surviving patients was 87+/-4 years (81-95 years). The actuarial survival
      estimates at 5 and 10 years were 88% and 50%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      experience shows good short-term results after primary isolated standard AVR in
      patients more than 80 years of age. The FU suggests that aortic valve surgery in
      octogenarians guarantees satisfactory long-term survival rates and a good quality
      of life, free from cardiac re-operations. In the era of catheter-based aortic
      valve implantation, open-heart surgery for AVR remains the standard of care for
      healthy octogenarians.

PMID- 20304667
TI  - Impact of preoperative atrial fibrillation on the late outcome of off-pump
      coronary artery bypass surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The impact of pre-existing atrial fibrillation on the long-term
      outcome in patients after off-pump coronary revascularisation is not well known.
      This study aims to determine the independent effects of preoperative atrial
      fibrillation on the early and late outcomes of off-pump coronary artery bypass
      surgery. METHODS: A total of 513 patients undergoing isolated coronary artery
      bypass surgery using off-pump approach between 2000 and 2005 were studied. Twenty
      six of them (5.1%) had preoperative atrial fibrillation (15 had paroxysmal atrial
      fibrillation and 11 had persistent or permanent atrial fibrillation) and the
      other 487 patients were in normal sinus rhythm. Early and late outcomes were
      compared retrospectively between patients with preoperative atrial fibrillation
      and patients in sinus rhythm. The median follow-up period for the entire study
      population was 3.3 + or - 2.7 years. RESULTS: The baseline characteristics of the
      patients with preoperative atrial fibrillation were generally similar to those of
      patients in sinus rhythm. However, the patients with atrial fibrillation had a
      significantly lower left ventricular ejection fraction compared with those in
      sinus rhythm (50 + or - 15 vs 56 + or - 12%, p=0.03). The mean age of the atrial
      fibrillation group was almost 3 years more than that of the sinus rhythm group.
      Operative mortality was similar in patients with atrial fibrillation (3.8%) and
      those in sinus rhythm (1.0%). Ten patients developed cerebral infarction within 7
      days after surgery, including one patient (3.8%) from the atrial fibrillation
      group and nine patients (1.8%) from the sinus rhythm group. Long-term survival
      was significantly decreased in the atrial fibrillation group (5-year survival: 70
      + or - 9.6% vs 87 + or - 1.8%; p=0.0018). Freedom from cerebral complications was
      also significantly decreased in the atrial fibrillation group (5-year survival:
      85 + or - 8.3% vs 95 + or - 1.2%; p=0.0009), but there were no differences in
      cardiac death and major cardiac adverse events. On Cox proportional hazards
      regression analysis, preoperative atrial fibrillation was a significant adverse
      predictor for survival (hazard ratio=3.0, 95% confidence intervals (CIs) 1.3-6.9;
      p=0.009) and independent predictor of late cerebral infarction (hazard ratio=6.2,
      95% CIs 2.0-19.3; p=0.0002). CONCLUSIONS: Uncorrected preoperative atrial
      fibrillation is strongly associated with poor long-term survival and increased
      late cerebral complications after off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery.
      Concomitant atrial fibrillation surgery should be considered to improve the long
      term results of surgical revascularisation.

PMID- 20304668
TI  - A patch plasty to inferior pulmonary vein: when more release is needed.

PMID- 20304669
TI  - Targeting immune suppressing myeloid-derived suppressor cells in oncology.
AB  - Emerging data suggests that host immune cells with a suppressive phenotype
      represent a significant hurdle to successful therapy for metastatic cancer. Among
      the suppressor cells, T regulatory cells (Treg) and myeloid-derived suppressor
      cells (MDSC) are significantly increased in hosts with advanced malignancies.
      MDSC mediate the suppression of the tumor antigen-specific T cell response
      through the induction of T cell anergy and the development of Treg in tumor
      bearing mice. These results provide robust evidence of an in vivo
      immunoregulatory function of MDSC in the establishment of tumor antigen-specific
      tolerance and the development of Treg in tumor-bearing hosts. To achieve
      effective anti-tumor immunity, tumor-induced immunosuppression must be reversed.
      Our preliminary results indicate that c-kit ligand (stem cell factor) expressed
      by tumor cells may be required for MDSC accumulation in tumor-bearing mice, and
      that blocking the c-kit ligand/c-kit receptor interaction can prevent the
      development of Treg and reverse immune tolerance induced by MDSC. Since c-kit can
      be readily inhibited by several small molecule inhibitors including imatinib,
      sunitinib and dasatinib, targeting immune suppressing cells can be readily
      accomplished in the clinic.

PMID- 20304670
TI  - Immune surveillance of the maternal/fetal interface: controversies and
      implications.
AB  - How the fetal 'allograft' avoids rejection during pregnancy remains a major
      unresolved immunological paradox. Recent work has suggested that fetomaternal
      tolerance is in fact maintained by a number of redundant mechanisms, but their
      relative importance has remained poorly defined. In this paper, I discuss an
      emerging controversy regarding the ability of maternal T cells to mediate fetal
      rejection at a time when they appear to be ignorant of fetal and placental
      antigens. This paradox within a paradox highlights two major research directions
      in the field of reproductive immunology that, when ultimately reconciled, promise
      to give significant insight into mechanisms of impaired fertility and compromised
      fetal and maternal health.

PMID- 20304671
TI  - Is prolactin the cardinal calciotropic maternal hormone?
AB  - To produce offspring, mothers require a large amount of calcium for fetal growth
      and milk production. Increased calcium demand leads to enhanced intestinal
      calcium absorption and stockpiling of bone calcium in pregnancy prior to
      demineralization in lactation. These coordinated events must be carefully
      organized by calciotropic hormone(s), but the classical hormones, namely 1,25
      dihydroxyvitamin D(3), parathyroid hormone and calcitonin, do not appear to be
      responsible. Plasma prolactin (PRL) levels are elevated during pregnancy and, in
      view of the presence of PRL receptors in gut, bone and mammary glands, as well as
      recent evidence of the stimulatory effects of PRL on intestinal calcium
      transport, bone resorption and mammary calcium secretion, we postulate that PRL
      is the cardinal calciotropic hormone during pregnancy and lactation.

PMID- 20304672
TI  - Separation of isomers L-alanine and sarcosine in urine by electrospray ionization
      and tandem differential mobility analysis-mass spectrometry.
AB  - Sarcosine, an isomer of L-alanine, has been proposed as a prostate cancer
      progression biomarker [1]. Both compounds are detected in urine, where the
      measured sarcosine/alanine ratio has been found to be higher in prostate biopsy
      positive group versus controls. We present here preliminary evidence showing that
      urine samples spiked with sarcosine/alanine can be partially resolved in 3 min
      via tandem differential mobility analysis-mass spectrometry (DMA-MS). Based on
      the calibration curves obtained for two mobility peaks, we finally estimate their
      concentration ratio in urine.

PMID- 20304673
TI  - Scanwave: a new approach to enhancing spectral data on a tandem quadrupole mass
      spectrometer.
AB  - A new type of mass analyzer is described, which allows low-resolution axial ion
      ejection to be obtained from a traveling wave based, stacked ring collision cell.
      Linking this ejection temporally with the scanning of the second quadrupole of a
      tandem quadrupole mass spectrometer provides an improvement in sampling duty
      cycle, which results in significant signal intensity improvements for scanning
      acquisitions such as product ion spectra. A near 100% storage efficiency is
      enabled by a split cell design, which allows ion fragmentation and accumulation
      to be performed in one section of the collision cell whilst previously
      accumulated ions are simultaneously ejected from the rear of the cell. These
      characteristics combine to give an m/z-dependent signal gain of 7-20x over a
      conventional scanning quadrupole for a 1000 Th scan. The ability to swap very
      rapidly from a non-enhanced mode of operation to an enhanced mode whilst
      retaining the existing sensitivity, speed, and functionality of a conventional
      tandem quadrupole mass spectrometer is also described.

PMID- 20304674
TI  - Electron transfer dissociation with supplemental activation to differentiate
      aspartic and isoaspartic residues in doubly charged peptide cations.
AB  - Electron-transfer dissociation (ETD) with supplemental activation of the doubly
      charged deamidated tryptic digested peptide ions allows differentiation of
      isoaspartic acid and aspartic acid residues using the c + 57 or z*-57 peaks. The
      diagnostic peak clearly localizes and characterizes the isoaspartic acid residue.
      Supplemental activation in ETD of the doubly charged peptide ions involves
      resonant excitation of the charge reduced precursor radical cations and leads to
      further dissociation, including extra backbone cleavages and secondary
      fragmentation. Supplemental activation is essential to obtain a high quality ETD
      spectrum (especially for doubly charged peptide ions) with sequence information.
      Unfortunately, the low-resolution of the ion trap mass spectrometer makes
      detection of the diagnostic peak, [M-60], for the aspartic acid residue difficult
      due to interference with side-chain loss from arginine and glutamic acid
      residues.

PMID- 20304675
TI  - Arterial embolization for the management of gastrointestinal hemorrhage from
      metastatic renal cell carcinoma.
AB  - Patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) involving the gastrointestinal (GI)
      tract may present with hemorrhage. Eight arterial embolization procedures were
      performed to treat five upper GI lesions and one ileal metastatic RCC lesion in
      five patients with GI bleeding. Control of GI hemorrhage for at least 30 days was
      achieved following six of the eight embolizations (75%) in four of the five
      patients (80%). Duration of response ranged from 1 to 26 months. Complications
      including GI ischemia and nontarget embolization were not encountered. Arterial
      embolization can be used safely for palliation of hemorrhage from RCC metastases
      to the GI tract.

PMID- 20304676
TI  - Quality improvement guidelines for percutaneous needle biopsy.

PMID- 20304677
TI  - Three-year outcomes after kyphoplasty in patients with osteoporosis with painful
      vertebral fractures.
AB  - PURPOSE: Kyphoplasty immediately improves pain and mobility in patients with
      painful osteoporotic vertebral fractures, but long-term clinical outcomes are
      still unclear. This controlled trial evaluates pain, mobility and fracture
      incidence 3 years after kyphoplasty. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Kyphoplasty was
      performed in 40 patients with painful osteoporotic vertebral fractures; 20
      patients who were selected for kyphoplasty but chose not to undergo the procedure
      served as controls. All patients received pharmacologic antiosteoporosis
      treatment, pain medication, and physiotherapy. Pain (visual analog scale of 0
      100), mobility (European Vertebral Osteoporosis Study questionnaire score of 0
      100), and incident vertebral fractures were assessed at baseline,
      postprocedurally, and after 12 and 36 months. RESULTS: Pain score improved after
      kyphoplasty from 73.8 to 55.9 (immediately after kyphoplasty), 55.6 (12 months),
      and 54.0 (36 months; P < .001). Pain score in the control group changed from 66.4
      to 65.7 at 12 months and 64.0 at 36 months (P = .521). The pain score of the
      kyphoplasty group was significantly improved versus controls after 36 months (P =
      .023). Mobility score improved after kyphoplasty from 43.8 to 54.2 (immediately
      after kyphoplasty), 54.5 (12 months), and 54.8 (36 months; P = .0008) and
      remained increased (P = .308) compared with controls (39.8 immediately after
      kyphoplasty, 44.3 at 12 months, and 43.6 at 36 months). The incidence of new
      vertebral fractures after kyphoplasty was significantly reduced versus controls
      after 3 years (P = .0341). CONCLUSIONS: Kyphoplasty reduces pain and improves
      mobility as long as 3 years after the procedure. The long-term risk of new
      vertebral fractures after kyphoplasty of chronically painful vertebral fractures
      is reduced versus controls.

PMID- 20304678
TI  - Treatment of recurrent carotid cavernous fistula by direct puncture of a
      previously trapped internal carotid artery.
AB  - Treatment of direct carotid cavernous fistulas has evolved from surgical ligation
      and trapping to endovascular techniques. Endovascular therapy allows occlusion of
      the fistula while preserving the parent carotid artery. The present report
      describes a case of direct carotid cavernous fistula that was initially treated
      with the trapping procedure 21 years earlier. The patient had a recurrent direct
      carotid cavernous fistula and was treated successfully with embolization by means
      of direct percutaneous puncture of the carotid artery above the trapped level.
      Direct puncture of the carotid artery is an alternative treatment in patients who
      lack safe access for direct carotid cavernous fistula embolization.

PMID- 20304679
TI  - Hybrid thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair: visceral revascularization
      combined with endovascular abdominal and thoracic aneurysm repair.
AB  - Hybrid approaches for the treatment of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs)
      by using a combination of visceral revascularization followed by thoracic
      endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) have been reported with acceptable results.
      The authors present a case that required the addition of a bifurcated infrarenal
      EVAR to completely exclude a type III TAAA.

PMID- 20304680
TI  - Safety and efficacy of renal artery stenting following suboptimal renal
      angioplasty for de novo and restenotic ostial lesions: results from a
      nonrandomized, prospective multicenter registry.
AB  - PURPOSE: This registry was designed to evaluate the Bridge Extra Support renal
      stent system (Medtronic, Santa Rosa, California) in the treatment of renal artery
      ostial lesions following suboptimal percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty
      (PTRA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This consecutive, nonrandomized, prospective,
      multicenter registry enrolled 188 patients between April 1999 and May 2002 with
      single de novo or restenotic renal artery ostial lesions (>or=70% stenosis) who
      underwent implantation of a balloon-expandable stent immediately following
      unsuccessful PTRA. Primary safety endpoints were major adverse clinical events
      (MACE) at 30 days and 9-12 months. The primary efficacy endpoint was absence of
      binary restenosis at 9-12 months with duplex ultrasonography (US). Secondary
      endpoints were acute success and quality-of-life (QOL) improvements (blood
      pressure, antihypertensive medications, renal function). The long-term effect of
      renal artery stenting on blood pressure and renal function was assessed to 36
      months. RESULTS: The acute procedure and clinical success rates were 92.9%. At 30
      days, the MACE rate was 3.2%, with no instances of target lesion
      revascularization (TLR). At 9-12 months, the MACE rate was 16.5%, with five
      (2.7%) deaths and 14 (7.4%) instances of TLR. The rate of restenosis at 9-12
      months with duplex US was 12.6%, and 94% of patients had QOL improvements. A
      significant reduction in systolic blood pressure occurred following renal artery
      stenting and persisted to 36 months. CONCLUSIONS: Renal artery stenting is safe
      and efficacious in the treatment of single de novo and restenotic renal artery
      ostial lesions following suboptimal PTRA.

PMID- 20304681
TI  - Benefit of early conversion from CNI-based to everolimus-based immunosuppression
      in heart transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Calcineurin inhibitor (CNI)-induced nephrotoxicity is a feared
      adverse effect after heart transplantation (HTx). In patients with advanced renal
      failure we performed an overnight conversion from cyclosporine (CsA) to
      everolimus within the first year after HTx and compared changes in renal function
      to a similar switch performed in a group of long-term HTx survivors with 24-month
      follow up. METHODS: Sixteen HTx recipients (Group 1), including 5 patients
      undergoing dialysis, were switched overnight from CsA to everolimus at 5.5 (range
      1.3 to 8.5) months post-operatively, whereas 15 patients completed 24 months of
      follow-up. Fifteen long-term survivors (Group 2) were recruited at 96 (58 to 148)
      months post-HTx. Due to 3 withdrawals and 2 deaths, 10 of these 15 patients
      remained available for follow-up assessment. RESULTS: In Group 1 patients,
      creatinine level improved from 211 (186 to 263) to 112 (98 to 140) mumol/liter
      and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) from 29 (20 to 35) to 62 (43 to
      69) ml/min/1.73 m(2) (p < 0.001). In Group 2, creatinine decreased from 227 (188
      to 255) to 193 (150 to 250) micromol/liter (p = 0.299), and eGFR increased from
      26 (21 to 31) to 28 (22 to 35) ml/min/1.73 m(2) (p = 0.225). Four cellular
      rejections were treated successfully in Group 1. All together, 24 adverse events
      occurred. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary data are the first to suggest that the
      improvement in renal function after switching to CNI-free everolimus treatment
      has the greatest potential within the first year post-HTx. While we await
      randomized, controlled trials, it appears that conversion can be performed with
      acceptable safety in selected patients.

PMID- 20304682
TI  - Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder in pediatric heart transplant
      recipients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a major
      cause of morbidity and mortality after pediatric heart transplantation. METHODS:
      Heart transplant recipients at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, from 1990
      to May 2008, were reviewed. Competing risk hazard analysis was used to model the
      natural history of the disease. Patients were matched for gender and duration of
      follow-up to identify potential covariates associated with increased risk of
      PTLD. RESULTS: A total of 173 heart transplant recipients (42% <1 year old) were
      reviewed. Twenty-three developed PTLD at a median of 4 years post
      transplantation. After transplantation, PTLD affected 9%, 15% and 28% at 3, 5 and
      10 years, respectively. Freedom from death or PTLD recurrence was 72%, 58% and
      50% at 1, 3 and 5 years, respectively, after PTLD diagnosis. Higher maximum
      Epstein-Barr viral (EBV) load (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.6, p = 0.004) and longer
      duration of induction therapy (HR: 1.7, p = 0.02) were associated with increased
      risks of PTLD. Higher cumulative cyclosporine doses over the first year post
      transplantation were associated with increased risks of PTLD (HR: 1.2 per 1
      mg/kg/day equivalent, p = 0.03), but higher tacrolimus doses were not (p = 0.38).
      Patients on cyclosporine at 6 months post-transplantation were at higher risk of
      PTLD than those on tacrolimus (HR: 5.2, p = 0.003). The use of anti-viral
      prophylaxis in patients with high EBV load may provide some protection (HR: 7.6
      vs 15.4 with no anti-viral, p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: PTLD is a major concern in
      pediatric heart transplant recipients and is associated with high
      morbidity/mortality. Exposure to EBV and higher intensity of immunosuppression
      seems to be associated with increased risk.

PMID- 20304683
TI  - Duplex-guided endovascular repair of popliteal artery aneurysms (PAAs): a new
      approach to avert the use of contrast material and radiation exposure.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our previously reported experience with balloon angioplasties and
      stenting for occlusive infra-inguinal arterial disease using duplex guidance
      encouraged us to expand the indication for this imaging modality to include
      endovascular repair of popliteal artery aneurysms (PAAs). The present study
      evaluated the feasibility of performing this procedure under duplex guidance
      alone. METHODS: Fifteen patients (14 males and one female) underwent duplex
      guided placement of Viabahn stented grafts (7-10mm) for repair of PAAs over the
      last 50 months. The mean of patients' age was 80+/-6 years (range: 66-92 years).
      Fifty-three percent of these patients had chronic renal failure. The mean PAA
      diameter was 22+/-12 mm (range: 12-57 mm). Only two patients (13%) had no direct
      run-off to the foot. Pre-procedure mean PA volume flow (mPAVF) was 73+/-39
      ml/min. None of the patients received contrast material or radiation exposure.
      RESULTS: Fourteen endografts were placed percutaneously under local anaesthesia,
      and the remaining graft was placed during an open repair of an ipsilateral common
      femoral artery aneurysm under regional nerve block. Both the proximal and distal
      ends of the endograft were placed at least 2.5 cm into a non-dilated segment of
      the recipient artery. The post-procedure mPAVF was 137+/-38 ml/min (range: 80-210
      ml/min). There were no local complications. Three patients developed graft
      thrombosis at 2, 5 and 30 months post-procedure. The first two patients had no
      direct flow into the foot and had post-procedure mPAVF <100ml/min. The remaining
      12 endografts are patent from 1 month to 32 months (mean: 12+/-13 months). These
      patients had post-procedure mPAFV >100ml/min. Two patients (13%) died at 1 month
      (respiratory failure) and 3 months (intracranial haemorrhage) post-procedure.
      CONCLUSIONS: Endovascular repair of PAAs with Viabahn stented grafts can be
      performed under duplex guidance alone. This imaging modality appears to be safe
      and reliable and it may be particularly beneficial in patients with renal
      failure. Poor run-off and low mPAVF (<100 ml/min) may be predictors of poor graft
      patency. To our knowledge, this is the first report of duplex-guided endovascular
      repair of PAAs.

PMID- 20304684
TI  - Ready-to-fenestrate stent grafts in the treatment of juxtarenal aortic aneurysms:
      proposal for an off-the-shelf device.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: A prototype ready-to-fenestrate stent graft (RFSG) was designed with a
      fixed scallop, and eight potential fenestrations allowing for variation in the
      position of each renal artery (RA) relative to the superior mesenteric artery
      (SMA). We aimed to determine the proportion of juxtarenal aneurysms treatable
      using this potentially 'off-the-shelf' device. METHODS: A total of 439
      consecutive orders for custom-made devices were analysed, and positions for
      potential fenestrations in the RFSG were determined, based on the most frequent
      anatomical target vessel variations: a fixed SMA scallop 12 mm deep at 12:00, RA
      fenestrations at 9:15, 10:15 (target within the range 8:45-10:45), 2:15 and 3:15
      (target within the range 1:45-3:45), each either 19 or 28 mm from the graft edge
      (GE); (within the range 15-32 mm), and 6 x 8 mm in diameter. Proximal diameters
      of 24, 26, 28, 30, 32 and 36 mm were chosen. RESULTS: Of the 439 plans, 372
      standard juxtarenal (SJR) cases, defined by the inclusion of a scallop and 0, 1
      or 2 small fenestrations (12%, 13% and 75% of the cases, respectively) were
      identified and used to test the applicability of the model. Mean CP (clock
      position) for right RA was 9:30, for the left RA 3:00, being a mean of 21 +/- 5
      and 22 +/- 5 mm, respectively from the GE. RA CP was within the RFSG range in 86%
      (right) and 88% (left) of the cases, with 96% and 98%, respectively, within the
      allowable distance from the GE. A total of 81% of all SJR cases were potentially
      treatable using the RFSG model. CONCLUSIONS: An RFSG device would allow for the
      treatment of the majority of juxtarenal aortic aneurysms, which currently require
      custom-made devices.

PMID- 20304685
TI  - Exercise linked to transient increase in expression and activity of cation
      channels in newly formed hind-limb collaterals.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare arteriogenesis after femoral artery
      occlusion as influenced by exercise or arteriovenous shunt and follow changes in
      collateral transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily V, member 4
      (Trpv4). DESIGN: A prospective, controlled study wherein rats were subjected to
      femoral artery ligation (FAL), or FAL+arteriovenous shunt. Collateral Trpv4 was
      determined 0.5 and 6h post exercise. METHODS: Rats were subjected to exercise for
      15 min, twice daily. The number and diameter of collaterals were assessed after 7
      days. Collateral Trpv4 expression was quantified by reverse transcription
      polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Collateral number and diameter per limb were
      significantly higher in the shunt group (number: 16.0+/-2.4 and diameter: 216.0+/
      34 microm) compared to the ligature (number: 9.4+/-2 and diameter: 144+/-21
      microm) and exercise groups (number: 9.9+/-2.5 and diameter: 151+/-15 microm).
      Trpv4 expression in collaterals harvested 0.5h post exercise was not
      significantly different from expression in shunted rats. It was significantly
      lower in collaterals harvested 6h post exercise (comparable to that in ligated
      rats). CONCLUSION: Collateral formation was greater in the shunt group than in
      the exercise group. Exercise-induced Trpv4 up-regulation, not significantly
      different from that achieved with shunt, returned to control values when
      evaluated 6h post exercise. More frequent exercise to chronically increase fluid
      shear stress, as with a shunt model, may be required for sufficient
      arteriogenesis to compensate for peripheral occlusion.

PMID- 20304686
TI  - Patterns of second-opinion diagnosis in oral and maxillofacial pathology.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Several studies have documented the beneficial effect of second
      opinions in diagnostic pathology. Among disease sites, the head and neck can be a
      particularly problematic area for pathologists, prompting frequent second
      opinions. However, the effect of second opinion requests made by physician
      pathologists (PPs) to oral and maxillofacial pathologists (OMPs) has not been
      well studied and might identify disease and subsites that pose diagnostic
      challenges. The objectives of this study were to study the referral patterns of
      PPs to a referral center for oral and maxillofacial pathology and to assess
      changes in diagnosis following second opinion. STUDY DESIGN: We retrospectively
      reviewed 142 consecutive pathology consultation requests over a 2-year period.
      The submitted report and matched second opinion report were reviewed to extract
      predetermined demographic, clinical, and pathologic data. Each diagnosis was
      reviewed to determine if there was agreement, minor disagreement, or major
      disagreement between the original and the second opinion. RESULTS: The most
      common diagnostic categories sent for second opinion were dysplasia/carcinoma,
      odontogenic cysts, and odontogenic tumors. In the 135 cases where agreement could
      be assessed, there were a total of 46 cases (34.1%) with differences in
      diagnostic opinion. Minor disagreements occurred in 24 cases (17.8%) and major
      disagreements in 22 cases (16.3%). Importantly, major disagreements identified
      here would have resulted in significant differences in patient evaluation and
      management. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports the positive impact of second
      opinion surgical pathology for lesions in the maxillofacial complex and supports
      the role of OMPs in subspecialty diagnostic pathology.

PMID- 20304688
TI  - Transient receptor potential channels: emerging roles in health and disease.

PMID- 20304687
TI  - A histopathologic comparison between synchronous and single primary oral squamous
      cell carcinomas.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study compares synchronous oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs)
      with single primary OSCCs to assess the histopathologic parameters with a known
      prognostic significance. STUDY DESIGN: Twenty-eight cases of synchronous OSCCs
      and a control group of single primary OSCCs were compared for 15 histologic
      prognostic variables. RESULTS: Results showed significantly less amount of
      abnormal mitoses (synchronous-1: P = .002; synchronous-2: P = .006) and tumor
      induced stroma (synchronous-1: P = .011; synchronous-2: P = .001) in synchronous
      OSCCs than in single primary OSCCs. Depth of invasion was considerably lower in
      synchronous OSCCs than in single primary OSCCs (synchronous-1: P = .007;
      synchronous-2: P = .002). Lymph node metastasis (synchronous-1: P = .051;
      synchronous-2: P = .051) was found to be rare in synchronous OSCCs compared with
      single primary OSCCs. CONCLUSION: Synchronous OSCCs show less aggressive
      histopathologic features than single primary OSCCs.

PMID- 20304689
TI  - Expression of muscarinic M1 and M2 receptors in the anterior cingulate cortex
      associated with neuropathic pain.
AB  - The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and muscarinic receptors modulate pain. This
      study investigates changes in the expression of muscarinic-1 and -2 receptors
      (M1R, M2R) in rats' ACC (cg1-rostral- and cg2-caudal) using a model of
      neuropathic pain by denervation, measured as autotomy score (AS) for 8 days.
      Changes were analysed with painful stimuli and with scopolamine into the ACC
      prior to this scheme. We used reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT
      PCR) and immunofluorescence to determine M1R and M2R's mRNA and protein levels,
      respectively. Animals were divided in low, medium and high AS groups. Cg1 showed
      decreased mRNA levels for both M1R and M2R in the low AS group, as opposed to an
      increased expression in the medium and high AS groups. Both receptors correlated
      positively with AS in these groups. In the scopolamine-treated animals there was
      an increase in mRNA levels for both receptors in cg1, whereas in cg2, mRNA levels
      of M1R decreased in all the AS and scopolamine groups. The increased M2R mRNA in
      cg2 correlated with AS in the low, medium and high AS groups whereas all the
      scopolamine groups showed an increase. Immunoreactivity of the M2R in cg1
      decreased in the medium AS group in comparison to controls but scopolamine
      treatment produced an increase in the medium scopolamine AS group compared to the
      medium AS group. The M1R in cg1 and both receptors in cg2 showed no
      immunoreactivity changes. These results highlight the role of the M2R in cg1
      related to the degree of autotomy.

PMID- 20304690
TI  - Bilateral Staphylococcus aureus sub-Tenon's abscess following strabismus surgery
      in a child.
AB  - Infection after strabismus surgery is rare. Here we describe a 5-year-old girl
      who developed bilateral staphylococcal sub-Tenon's abscess resistant to fourth
      generation fluoroquinolones that resolved completely after surgical drainage and
      irrigation with povidone iodine followed by administration of oral amoxicillin
      and clavulanic acid. A lost muscle required exploration and reattachment to the
      sclera.

PMID- 20304691
TI  - Specific monoclonal antibodies and ultrasensitive immunoassays for 20K and 22K
      human growth hormone.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Generation of specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against 20K and
      22K human growth hormone (hGH) and development of ultrasensitive immunoassays to
      quantify 20K and 22K hGH. DESIGN: Mice were immunized with recombinant 20K or 22K
      hGH. Hybridoma cells were screened with biotinylated 20K and 22K hGH
      simultaneously. The specific mAbs were further characterized and used for
      construction of isoform specific assays. The ultrasensitive chemiluminescent
      assays were developed with AMDEX streptavidin-HRP and a sensitive substrate.
      RESULTS: The 20K hGH specific mAb 1G12 and the 22K hGH specific mAb 5E1 showed
      less than 0.1% cross-reactivity to 22K or 20K hGH by competitive binding assay,
      respectively. Western blot analysis also confirmed the specificity of mAb 1G12
      and mAb 5E1. Using mAb 1G12 and mAb 5E1, 20K and 22K specific assays with working
      range of 2-2000 pg/mL were constructed. The 22K hGH concentrations in 103 serum
      samples from different healthy subjects in the basal GH state were 343.7+/-421.5
      pg/mL (18.6-1820 pg/mL). The 20K hGH concentrations were 30.7+/-37.5 pg/mL (2.4
      205pg/mL). The ratios of 20K to 20K plus 22K hGH were 9.8+/-4.4% (3.3-28.3%).
      Both 22K hGH and 20K hGH concentrations in women (465.9+/-476.3 pg/mL and 43.7+/
      46.1 pg/mL, n=47) were significantly higher than those (241.1+/-337.0 pg/mL and
      20K hGH 19.8+/-23.0 pg/mL, n=56, P<0.01) in men. However, there was no difference
      in the proportion of 20K to 20K plus 22K between men and women (P>0.05). The
      strong correlation between 20K and 22K hGH (R=0.914, P<0.01) indicated the
      constant proportion between 20K and 22K hGH in the basal GH state of healthy
      subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Specific monoclonal antibodies and ultrasensitive
      chemiluminescent immunoassays for 20K and 22K hGH were generated. The
      ultrasensitive immunoassays are essential for the determination of 20K and 22K
      hGH in the basal GH state. This universal ultrasensitive immunoassay form can be
      adapted to other immunoassays for broad application.

PMID- 20304692
TI  - Creatine metabolism and the urea cycle.
AB  - Because creatine and creatine phosphate are irreversibly converted to creatinine,
      there is a continuous need for their replacement. This occurs by means of diet
      and de novo synthesis. Dietary creatine is provided in animal products and can
      amount to about half of the required amount. Synthesis provides the remainder.
      Creatine synthesis is a major component of arginine metabolism, amounting to more
      than 20% of the dietary intake of this amino acid. Creatine metabolism is of
      importance to patients with urea cycle disorders in two ways, both related to
      arginine levels. In patients with arginase deficiency, markedly elevated arginine
      levels may result in higher concentrations of guanidinoacetate and higher rates
      of creatine synthesis. This is of concern because it is thought that elevated
      levels of guanidinoacetate may exert neurotoxic effects. In the case of the other
      urea cycle disorders, arginine levels are markedly decreased unless the patients
      are supplemented with this amino acid. Decreased levels of arginine may result in
      decreased rates of creatine synthesis. This may be compounded by the fact that
      such patients, maintained on low protein diets, will also have lower dietary
      creatine intakes. There is some evidence that this may decrease brain creatine
      levels which may contribute to the neurological symptoms exhibited by these
      patients. It is clear that patients with urea cycle disorders also have altered
      creatine metabolism. Whether this contributes in a significant way to their
      neurological symptoms remains an open question.

PMID- 20304693
TI  - [Biomedical research, the market, clinicians, safety and corporate social
      responsibility post-phase III: maintaining confidence].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are the gold standard in the
      western world for decision making, as much for the clinicians as for the agencies
      or managers for community policies. In this powerful deployment of investigative
      effort there are variable degrees of conflict of interests, and the clinicians,
      not foreign to this, are entering a sea of doubts on safety, a dimension that
      emerges like a diacritical, inalienable element. The aim of the study was to
      select and ctically evaluate editorials, clinical trials and/or meta-analyses
      published on physical support, or the more important internationally credited
      websites, which has patient safety as their primary objective. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Evaluative study performed in the Torrecardenas Hospital, of the
      Andalucian Public Health Service (SSPA), in the context of an accredited training
      unit (Mejora_F), so called "transference of the biomedical knowledge from the
      bibliography" from 2008 to 2009. RESULTS: Analyzed articles: 170 (75 % in
      English, with predominance of N Eng J Med >50 %; followed by Journal Of the
      American Medical Association, The Lancet, British Medical Journal, Journal of
      American Geriatrics; Med Clin, Rev Clin Esp.; and Infectologia). From 170
      eligible articles we selected 5 key topoi due to their impact as the most
      representative owing to their citation frequency. They represented, in our
      judgment, "a red flag" of safety: long-acting beta-stimulators or LABS and
      increase in mortality in asthma; neuroleptics in the elderly and extension of the
      QT interval associated with sudden death; thiazolidinediones in type II diabetes
      and negative cardiovascular effects; promotion of statins-ezetimibe and the
      debatable association with major mortality for cancer, and intensive treatment in
      diabetes and probable increase in mortality. CONCLUSIONS: What really maters in
      biomedicine is that it leads to a given strategy in real patients, not the
      intermediate points. Clinicians should not support partial results of designs
      based on intermediate information - undoubtedly less costly and more rapid -
      without adequately knowing the safety of the strategy built to reach them. Only
      in this way we can be real guarantors of safety, and only in this way, and in
      absence of conflicts of interests we will be able to support the given
      confidence.

PMID- 20304694
TI  - Molecular characterization and susceptibility testing of Helicobacter pylori
      strains isolated in western Argentina.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To characterize Helicobacter pylori isolates from western Argentina
      using virulence markers and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns in order to
      assess the association between virulent genotypes, antimicrobial resistance, and
      disease. DNA fingerprinting was also evaluated for the segregation of virulent or
      resistant strain clusters. METHODS: Genotyping of 299 H. pylori isolates was
      performed by PCR using specific primers for the cagA, vacA and iceA genes. Random
      amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR and rep-PCR genetic clustering were
      assessed using five random primers and BOXA1R and ERIC primers, respectively.
      Resistance to clarithromycin (Cla) and metronidazole (Mtz) was assessed by the
      agar dilution method. RESULTS: It was observed that 40.8% of the genotypes were
      cagA-positive; 66.9% were vacA s1m1 genotype and the iceA1 allele was found in
      40.8%. A significant correlation (p=0.0000) was observed between cagA positivity
      and vacA s1m1/iceA1 genotypes. Triple virulent genotypes were statistically
      associated with peptic ulcer (PU) (p=0.0001) and Cla resistance (p=0.0000). RAPD
      fingerprints obtained with AO2 primers identified clusters that were strongly
      associated with PU, virulence markers, and resistance to Cla and Mtz.
      CONCLUSIONS: The H. pylori isolates that harbored two or three virulence markers
      were more resistant to Cla and Mtz. Combined analysis of virulent genotypes and
      resistance patterns may permit identification of high-risk patients to prevent PU
      later in life or to avoid antimicrobial treatment failure.

PMID- 20304695
TI  - Familial 18 centromere variant resulting in difficulties in interpreting prenatal
      interphase FISH.
AB  - We report here on a familial case of centromeric heteromorphism of chromosome 18
      detected by prenatal interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)
      analysis transmitted by the mother to her fetus, and resulting in complete loss
      of one 18 signal. The prenatal diagnosis was performed by interphase FISH
      (AneuVysion probe set, and LSI DiGeorge 22q11.2 kit) because of the presence of
      an isolated fetal cardiac abnormality, and was first difficult to interpret: only
      one centromeric 18 signal was detectable on prenatal interphase nuclei, along
      with one signal for the Y and one for the X chromosome. The LSI DiGeorge 22q11.2
      kit also showed the absence of one TUPLE 1 signal on all examined nuclei. In
      fact, the FISH performed on maternal buccal smear displayed the same absence of
      one chromosome 18 centromeric signal, combined with the presence of two TUPLE1
      signals. All these results led to the diagnosis of an isolated 22q11.2 fetal
      microdeletion that was confirmed on metaphases spreads. This case illustrates
      once again that the locus specific (LSI) probes are more effective than the alpha
      centromeric probes for interphase analysis. The development of high-quality LSI
      probes for chromosomes 18, X and Y could avoid the misinterpretation of prenatal
      interphase FISH leading to numerous additional and expensive investigations.

PMID- 20304696
TI  - Two infant deaths linked to intussusception without peritonitis.
AB  - We report two infant deaths attributable to intussusception, but without clear
      evidence of peritonitis. In the first instance, a 3-year-old girl had presented
      with abdominal pain, vomiting, and melena before her demise. Aspirated vomitus
      was subsequently ascertained as the immediate cause of death, due to
      intussusception-induced ileus. The other infant, a 2-month-old male, showed
      autopsy evidence of intussusception at two sites, with likely aspiration of
      gastric mucus. Since the circumstances surrounding his death were vague, timing
      of the intussusception was difficult to pinpoint. Thus, an inconsequential,
      agonal event could not be discounted. Taken together, however, death from
      intussusception, without peritonitis, is the most viable postmortem
      interpretation for both patients. The causes of death in such cases are
      established by comprehensive delineation of preceding clinical events, plus
      autopsy documentation of coexistent intussusception and vomitus aspiration.

PMID- 20304697
TI  - Sonochemical synthesis of Dy2(CO3)3 nanoparticles, Dy(OH)3 nanotubes and their
      conversion to Dy2O3 nanoparticles.
AB  - Dysprosium carbonates nanoparticles were synthesized by the reaction of
      dysprosium acetate and NaHCO(3) by a sonochemical method. Dysprosium oxide
      nanoparticles with average size about 17 nm were prepared from calcination of
      Dy(2)(CO(3))(3).1.7H(2)O nanoparticles. Dy(OH)(3) nanotubes were synthesized by
      sonication of Dy(OAC)(3).6H(2)O and N(2)H(4). The as-synthesized nanostructures
      were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder
      diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Fourier transform
      infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Photoluminescence measurement shows that the
      nanoparticles have two emission peaks around 17,540 cm(-1) and 20,700 cm(-1),
      which should come from the electron transition from (4)F(9)(/)(2)-
      >(6)H(15)(/)(2) levels and (4)F(9)(/)(2)-->(6)H(13)(/)(2) levels, respectively.
      The effect of calcination temperature and sonication time was investigated on the
      morphology and particle size of the products. The sizes could be controlled by
      the feeding rate of the precipitating agent (NaHCO(3) and N(2)H(4)) and slower
      feeding rate lead to smaller nanoparticles.

PMID- 20304698
TI  - Constitutive formulation and analysis of heel pad tissues mechanics.
AB  - This paper presents a visco-hyperelastic constitutive model developed to describe
      the biomechanical response of heel pad tissues. The model takes into account the
      typical features of the mechanical response such as large displacement, strain
      phenomena, and non-linear elasticity together with time-dependent effects. The
      constitutive model was formulated, starting from the analysis of the complex
      structural and micro-structural configuration of the tissues, to evaluate the
      relationship between tissue histology and mechanical properties. To define the
      constitutive model, experimental data from mechanical tests were analyzed. To
      obtain information about the mechanical response of the tissue so that the
      constitutive parameters could be established, data from both in vitro and in vivo
      tests were investigated. Specifically, the first evaluation of the constitutive
      parameters was performed by a coupled deterministic and stochastic optimization
      method, accounting for data from in vitro tests. The comparison of constitutive
      model results and experimental data confirmed the model's capability to describe
      the compression behaviour of the heel pad tissues, regarding both constant strain
      rate and stress relaxation tests. Based on the data from additional experimental
      tests, some of the constitutive parameters were modified in order to interpret
      the in vivo mechanical response of the heel pad tissues. This approach made it
      possible to interpret the actual mechanical function of the tissues.

PMID- 20304699
TI  - Polymorphisms of caffeine metabolism and estrogen receptor genes and risk of
      Parkinson's disease in men and women.
AB  - Caffeine intake has been associated with a decreased risk of Parkinson's disease
      (PD) in men but the effect in women is less clear, and appears to be modified by
      use of post-menopausal estrogens. In a nested case-control study within the
      Nurses Health Study (NHS) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS), we
      examined associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of caffeine
      metabolizing genes (CYP1A2 and NAT2) and estrogen receptors (ESR1 and ESR2),
      their interaction with caffeine intake and hormone replacement therapy (PMH) use
      (collected prospectively) and risk of PD. We matched 159 female cases to 724
      controls and 139 male cases to 561 controls on birth year, source of DNA (blood
      or buccal smear), age and sex. The CYP1A2 rs762551 polymorphism (lower enzyme
      inducibility) was marginally associated with an increased risk of PD (RR, for
      increasing number of minor alleles=1.34; 95% CI 1.02, 1.78 in women, but not in
      men. None of the NAT2 (classified as slow vs. fast acetylator), ESR1 or ESR2
      polymorphisms were significantly associated with an altered risk of PD.
      Marginally significant interactions were observed between caffeine intake and the
      ESR1 polymorphism rs3798577 (p=0.07) and ESR2 polymorphism rs1255998 (p=0.07).
      The observed increased risk of PD among female but not male carriers of the
      rs762551 polymorphism of CYP1A2 and the interactions of caffeine with ESR1
      rs3798577 and ESR2 rs1255998 may provide clues to explain the relationship
      between gender, caffeine intake, estrogen status and risk of PD and need to be
      replicated.

PMID- 20304700
TI  - Optimizing care of residents with Parkinsonism in supervised facilities.
AB  - People with Parkinsonism (PWP) in residential facilities are usually elderly,
      cognitively impaired, physically disabled with poor quality of life and a high
      mortality rate. This paper aims to determine if the care of PWP in residential
      facilities could be improved by addressing staff knowledge on Parkinson related
      issues. A curriculum based on the Victorian Comprehensive Parkinson Program
      (VCPP) was developed and delivered to 118 staff members in 9 facilities across
      Melbourne. Measures of staff knowledge were undertaken at baseline, 1, 3 and 12
      months. Data from a total of 49 residents were used in the analysis. Measures
      were taken at baseline, 1, 3 and 12 months included dementia screen (MMSE),
      geriatric depression scale (GDS), quality of life (PDQ39), fatigue (PDFS16),
      monthly falls diary, Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (I,II,III) Hoehn &
      Yahr scale (H&Y) and resident/family questionnaire (RFQ) which focused on quality
      of care provision. It was found that the staff knowledge assessment scores (max =
      37) significantly improved post education (P < 0.01) from baseline mean (11.1)
      and were maintained to 12 months mean (29.0). The residents group improved
      significantly for all measures at 1 month and these improvements were maintained
      up to 12 months (except for UPDRS III). This study demonstrated how a simple
      intervention, resulting in improved staff knowledge, produced a significant and
      clinically meaningful improvement in the care of PWP.

PMID- 20304701
TI  - WRKY transcription factors.
AB  - WRKY transcription factors are one of the largest families of transcriptional
      regulators in plants and form integral parts of signalling webs that modulate
      many plant processes. Here, we review recent significant progress in WRKY
      transcription factor research. New findings illustrate that WRKY proteins often
      act as repressors as well as activators, and that members of the family play
      roles in both the repression and de-repression of important plant processes.
      Furthermore, it is becoming clear that a single WRKY transcription factor might
      be involved in regulating several seemingly disparate processes. Mechanisms of
      signalling and transcriptional regulation are being dissected, uncovering WRKY
      protein functions via interactions with a diverse array of protein partners,
      including MAP kinases, MAP kinase kinases, 14-3-3 proteins, calmodulin, histone
      deacetylases, resistance proteins and other WRKY transcription factors. WRKY
      genes exhibit extensive autoregulation and cross-regulation that facilitates
      transcriptional reprogramming in a dynamic web with built-in redundancy.

PMID- 20304702
TI  - Lung cancer in never smokers: a new hot area of research.

PMID- 20304704
TI  - Proteomic approaches in the search for biomarkers of liver fibrosis.
AB  - Chronic liver diseases (CLDs) can cause progressive hepatic fibrosis culminating
      in cirrhosis. Fibrosis staging requires liver biopsy, which is invasive,
      expensive and frequently poorly tolerated by patients. Serum-based panels of
      fibrosis biomarkers have been developed as alternatives to biopsy. Recent
      advances in high-throughput proteomic methods have the potential to optimise
      combinations of biomarkers for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis. Here, we review
      the key recent developments in the field of proteomics and their application to
      this important clinical question. We critically discuss the challenges and
      priorities for future research that are of critical importance to clinical
      hepatology.

PMID- 20304703
TI  - Genetic variants and risk of lung cancer in never smokers: a genome-wide
      association study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lung cancer in individuals who have never smoked tobacco products is
      an increasing medical and public-health issue. We aimed to unravel the genetic
      basis of lung cancer in never smokers. METHODS: We did a four-stage
      investigation. First, a genome-wide association study of single nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs) was done with 754 never smokers (377 matched case-control
      pairs at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA). Second, the top candidate SNPs from
      the first study were validated in two independent studies among 735 (MD Anderson
      Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA) and 253 (Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA)
      never smokers. Third, further replication of the top SNP was done in 530 never
      smokers (UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA). Fourth, expression quantitative trait loci
      (eQTL) and gene-expression differences were analysed to further elucidate the
      causal relation between the validated SNPs and the risk of lung cancer in never
      smokers. FINDINGS: 44 top candidate SNPs were identified that might alter the
      risk of lung cancer in never smokers. rs2352028 at chromosome 13q31.3 was
      subsequently replicated with an additive genetic model in the four independent
      studies, with a combined odds ratio of 1.46 (95% CI 1.26-1.70, p=5.94x10(-6)). A
      cis eQTL analysis showed there was a strong correlation between genotypes of the
      replicated SNPs and the transcription level of the gene GPC5 in normal lung
      tissues (p=1.96x10(-4)), with the high-risk allele linked with lower expression.
      Additionally, the transcription level of GPC5 in normal lung tissue was twice
      that detected in matched lung adenocarcinoma tissue (p=6.75x10(-11)).
      INTERPRETATION: Genetic variants at 13q31.3 alter the expression of GPC5, and are
      associated with susceptibility to lung cancer in never smokers. Downregulation of
      GPC5 might contribute to the development of lung cancer in never smokers.
      FUNDING: US National Institutes of Health; Mayo Foundation.

PMID- 20304705
TI  - Antitumour and immune-adjuvant activities of protein-tyrosine kinase inhibitors.
AB  - The immunologic approach to tumour therapy is hampered by the development of
      direct immune escape mechanisms and the induction of an immunosuppressive tumour
      microenvironment characterised by the expansion of myeloid-derived suppressor
      cells (MDSCs) and tumour-specific regulatory T cells (Tregs). The implementation
      of inhibitors targeting protein tyrosine kinases, which are involved in the
      process of tumour development and angiogenesis, has produced robust clinical
      responses. The consequences of these compounds on the functionality of immune
      effector cells have been investigated. This review summarises recent reports on
      the direct and indirect effects of protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) on
      the immune system and discusses the application of immunotherapeutic strategies
      in combination with these inhibitors to improve the efficacy of immune-based
      therapies.

PMID- 20304706
TI  - Monitoring antimalarial resistance: launching a cooperative effort.
AB  - Current information on efficacy of antimalarials is crucial to provide early
      warning of resistance. A collaborative effort between the Global Malaria Program
      of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance
      Network (WWARN) has recently been launched. The effort is planned as a
      collaboration with the scientific malaria community to create a global,
      comprehensive, and inclusive network that will provide quality-assured
      information on antimalarial drug resistance.

PMID- 20304707
TI  - A changing environment and the epidemiology of tsetse-transmitted livestock
      trypanosomiasis.
AB  - The distribution, prevalence and impact of vector-borne diseases are often
      affected by anthropogenic environmental changes that alter the interactions
      between the host, the parasite and the vector. In the case of tsetse-transmitted
      livestock trypanosomiasis these changes are a result of the encroachment of
      people and their livestock into tsetse-infected wild areas. This has created a
      sequence of new epidemiological settings that is changing the relative importance
      of the domestic or sylvatic trypanosome transmission cycles and is causing
      concomitant changes in the impact of the disease on livestock. These changes in
      the dynamics of the epidemiology have an important impact on the factors that
      need to be considered when developing area-specific strategies for the future
      management of tsetse-transmitted livestock trypanosomiasis.

PMID- 20304708
TI  - Acupuncture and heart rate variability: a systematic review.
AB  - Acupuncture has been reported to affect the autonomic system. Currently, there
      are no systematic reviews examining the effect of acupuncture on HRV available in
      the literature. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to summarize and
      critically assess the effects of acupuncture on heart rate variability. We
      searched the literature using 14 databases for articles published from the
      earliest available publications until October 2009 without language restrictions.
      We included randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing acupuncture and sham
      acupuncture. The risk of bias in each study was assessed using the Cochrane
      criteria. Twelve RCTs met all of the inclusion criteria. One RCT evaluated the
      effects of acupuncture in patients with minor depression or anxiety disorders and
      another RCT examined the effect of acupuncture on migraine patients. Another four
      RCTs tested the effects of acupuncture in healthy subjects who were exposed to
      several conditions, including mental stress, fatigue from driving, and caffeine
      intake. The remaining six RCTs assessed the effects of acupuncture on healthy
      subjects in a normal state without any stressors. Five RCTs found significant
      differences in HRV between patients treated with acupuncture versus those treated
      with sham acupuncture (controls). However, the majority of the other RCTs showed
      inconsistent results or did not identify significant differences in HRV spectral
      parameters among individuals treated with acupuncture as compared to those
      treated with sham acupuncture. In conclusion, sham-controlled RCTs showed
      variable results and no clear evidence that acupuncture has any specific effects
      on HRV. Therefore, more rigorous research appears to be warranted.

PMID- 20304709
TI  - Electrochemistry of interaction of 2-(2-nitrophenyl)-benzimidazole derivatives
      with DNA.
AB  - In this study the interaction between new benzimidazole molecules, 2-(2
      nitrophenyl)-1H-benzimidazole (NB) and N-benzoyl-2-(2-nitrophenyl)-benzimidazole
      (BNB), with dsDNA and ssDNA was assessed at pH 7.4. Using differential pulse
      voltammetry at glassy carbon electrode, both molecules were electrochemically
      reduced due to the presence of a nitro group in their structures. When DNA was
      added to the solution, the electrochemical signal of NB and BNB decreased and
      shifted to more negative potentials. The interaction mode was electrostatic when
      ionic strength was low. Under this condition DNA-nitro complexes were
      characterized and binding constant values of 8.22 x 10(4)M(-1) and 3.08 x 10(6)M(
      1) for NB and BNB with dsDNA were determined. On the other hand, only NB was able
      to interact when a high concentration of NaCl was used. Finally, a glassy carbon
      electrode modified with carbon nanotubes and DNA was tested in order to determine
      the nitrocompound in solution. The electrochemical reduction of the nitrocompound
      adsorbed on GCE/CHIT-CNT/DNA was used as an analytical signal. Using 10 min as
      accumulation time, a linear dependence was observed between 20 and 80 microM
      nitrocompound concentrations and the electrode response. Detection and
      quantification limits in the range of microM were determined.

PMID- 20304710
TI  - [Age of menopause in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer treated with
      radioiodine].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is an increasingly frequent
      endocrinological disease. Radioiodine is a key component of treatment. OBJECTIVE:
      To analyze the effects of I(131) therapy on ovarian and reproductive function.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from 202 women treated
      with radioiodine for DTC in our service from 1985-2008. Data on age at menopause
      in patients and their mothers and sisters, menstrual history, fertility and
      neonatal abnormalities were collected. RESULTS: Menopause occurred in 34 patients
      at follow-up. The mean age at menopause in patients was 49.94+/-3.45 while that
      in their mothers and sisters was 49.20+/-5.37 and 48.73+/-3.74 years,
      respectively. Three patients had transient amenorrhea. No infertility or neonatal
      alterations were found. CONCLUSIONS: In our series, menopause did not occur
      earlier in patients than in their first degree relatives. No significant
      alterations in neonatal health, fertility or menstruation were found.

PMID- 20304711
TI  - Introduction to the Mini-Symposium on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

PMID- 20304712
TI  - Tricophytic or pre-trichophytic closure?

PMID- 20304713
TI  - Innovative treatment for huge nuchal desmoid tumour: a case report with a 2-year
      follow-up.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The desmoid tumour is a monoclonal neoplasm originating from
      musculoaponeurotic tissues. It is benign in histological presentations and yet
      its locally invasive behaviour could lead to dire consequences such as
      disfigurement, functional impairment or even mortality. Surgical resection,
      radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
      drugs and even a wait-and-see policy, either alone or in combination, were
      advocated as treatment modalities. We experienced an extremely difficult case who
      had a huge nuchal desmoid tumour measuring 45x35x20 cm in dimension with
      extension to the anterior neck and thoracic paraspinal area. Its intimacy with
      the carotid artery, jugular vein and brachial plexus made margin-free resection
      infeasible. Moreover, the tumour burden was so immense that the patient was
      plunged into profound hypoproteinaemic, septic and anaemic status, with severe
      pain, bleeding and odour that mandated prompt and daring management. METHODS: In
      an effort to prevent uncontrollable tumour bleeding, we embarked on a series of
      strategic measures, including pre-surgical embolisation, innovative tourniquet
      technique, a novel method of ligature deployment, staged tumour excision and
      adjunct methods, such as ethanol injection and irradiation therapy. RESULTS: The
      huge nuchal desmoid tumour was successfully excised under the planned strategies.
      The patient went through a number of complications such as sepsis, acute
      respiratory distress and renal failure. Fortunately, she eventually survived and
      exhibited no evidences of tumour relapse at 2 years' follow-up. She has resumed
      daily activity independently without noticeable functional deficit. CONCLUSION:
      We believe that multimodality strategies and innovative surgical techniques are
      the key to success in managing such a difficult case.

PMID- 20304714
TI  - A new alternative for reconstruction of soft triangle defects secondary to burn
      injury: superiorly based columellar flap.
AB  - Nasal reconstruction following severe burn injury remains a challenge in plastic
      surgery. In burn patients, the external nares and the soft triangle are commonly
      affected subunits of the nose where local tissue deficit and scar contraction
      during the recovery period contribute to soft triangle deformity and alar
      stenosis. These patients usually have associated facial burns with varying
      severity, which significantly limit the availability of local flaps.
      Reconstruction with skin grafts often yields unsatisfactory results because of
      the mismatch in colour and texture in addition to the primary and secondary
      contraction phenomena. The use of superiorly based columellar flap, which has
      yielded satisfactory results on a female patient, would be a new and reliable
      option for reconstruction of the soft triangle deficit with alar stenosis.

PMID- 20304715
TI  - Print news coverage of cancer: what prevention messages are conveyed when
      screening is newsworthy?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Americans are generally favorable towards cancer screening, but
      fatalistic about cancer prevention. News coverage shapes perceptions of cancer
      control in meaningful ways, but there is little consensus as to the impact of
      news on our understanding of and engagement in cancer screening practices. Our
      analysis of cancer screening-related print news coverage during a four month
      period in 2005 suggests that the newsworthiness of new screening technologies may
      undermine public confidence in currently available and effective secondary
      prevention programs, while promoting tests whose effectiveness is debated or not
      yet established. METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a structured text analysis of
      517 cancer-related news articles from 15 leading daily newspapers and a
      subsequent qualitative analysis of the 79 screening news articles. Screening
      articles were analyzed for content related to criteria for screening
      effectiveness. Content patterns for each type of screening and cancer were also
      noted. News coverage consistently conveyed screening as important and highlighted
      the need to protect and expand access to screening. At the same time, to the
      extent that story content was framed by the newsworthiness of new tests and
      technologies this often indirectly called into question effective and established
      protocols and programs without providing any actionable alternative. CONCLUSION:
      This analysis revealed unexpected messages about screening that are potentially
      problematic for cancer control. The cancer control community should continue
      efforts to understand and shape news coverage of screening in order to promote
      balanced and action-oriented content. Research has shown that Americans hold
      conflicting views regarding cancer-having a favorable opinion of screening while
      simultaneously feeling fatalistic about prevention. Our analysis of print news
      stories on cancer screening suggests that the determination of screening's
      "newsworthiness" is related to newly developed tests and protocols, which may
      create demand for new tests whose effectiveness is unknown and undermine
      confidence in established and effective screening programs.

PMID- 20304716
TI  - ["Dose tolerance" in radiotherapy--development and foundations].

PMID- 20304717
TI  - [A comparison of Monte-Carlo simulated and measured dose distributions in oblique
      electron beams].
AB  - Oblique incidence of electron beams is a rare clinical application which can be
      used e.g. at the irradiation of the internal mammary lymph nodes in the case of
      mamma carcinoma. 3-D treatment planning systems are accepted standard for photon
      beams but not for electron beams. The investment for measuring, implementing and
      testing basic data seems many customers not to be worthwhile when considering the
      well known inaccuracies of conventional algorithms. From Monte-Carlo (MC) based
      algorithms however higher accuracies can be expected. It was the aim of this
      paper to test the MC algorithm of the treatment planning system Oncentra
      Treatment Planning (OTP, Theranostic) in the application for oblique incidence of
      electron beams. Measured and simulated values are compared for electron energies
      from 4 MeV up to 18 MeV. For standard electron applicators, even at extended
      source-surface distances, satisfying results are achieved. However, the agreement
      gets lost with increasing oblique incidence, especially for small individual and
      asymmetrical cut outs. We therefore still use measured values instead of
      simulated dose distributions.

PMID- 20304718
TI  - [Analysis of flow in artificial stenosis models of mid-sized arteries using 3D PC
      MRI].
AB  - Phase contrast MRI allows access to tri-directional encoded velocity information
      and therefore, measurement of flow in the human hemodynamic system. The aim of
      this work was to investigate whether this technology could be applied to support
      the grading of stenosis in mid-size arteries. Using a specially constructed flow
      phantom and a stenosis model with tube diameter of 5mm and 8mm and a stenosis of
      50%, experiments at different flow rates (180-640 ml/min), slice thickness (1-4
      mm), field strength (1.5 and 3.0 T), and multi-slice as well as 3D volume
      acquisition were performed. The observations were assessed visually and evaluated
      by signal-to-noise (SNR) ratios in regions before and after the stenosis. The
      obtained results show that examinations should be performed at high field (3.0 T)
      and at flow rates up to 500 ml/min without hampering the measurements by areas of
      signal loss. In comparison, no detectable differences in the flow patterns of the
      two acquisition schemes could be observed. However, the SNR was higher using the
      3D volume acquisition and thick slices. In summary, 3D PC-MRI of mid-size vessels
      with stenosis is feasible for certain flow rates. The presented results could be
      seen as guidance for in vivo situations to assess if an examination of a patient
      is reasonable in terms of outcome.

PMID- 20304719
TI  - [Quality control in PET/CT systems: experiences and requirements].
AB  - Today, in most cases PET examinations are performed using PET/CT hybrid systems.
      While acceptance testing and routine control of the basic modalities PET and CT,
      respectively, are described by appropriate regulations, corresponding
      instructions with regard to the interface connecting both are still missing. This
      interface includes the adjustment of gantries and patient bed to each other as
      well as the energy scaling of attenuation coefficients from CT energy to 511 keV.
      Measurements checking the mechanical adjustment (determination of off-set
      parameters) are performed following manufacturer's recommendation, with a typical
      frequency twice a year. On a Biograph 16 (Siemens, Inc.), these measurements were
      systematically extended to a weekly frequency over an observation period of 10
      months, supplemented by measurements with additional load to the patient bed (up
      to 135 kg), and different vertical bed positions. The results show, that for the
      construction tested additional off-set measurements for routine control extending
      well beyond manufacturer's recommendation are not necessary. The energy scaling
      of attenuation coefficients is depending on methodological aspects and software
      implementation, and therefore is not part of routine control. On the contrary,
      the development of appropriate methods for acceptance testing to assess and to
      determine the mechanical adjustment in all its degrees of freedom as well as the
      accuracy of attenuation corrected emission data is urgently needed.

PMID- 20304720
TI  - Shortest path refinement for motion estimation from tagged MR images.
AB  - Magnetic resonance tagging makes it possible to measure the motion of tissues
      such as muscles in the heart and tongue. The harmonic phase (HARP) method largely
      automates the process of tracking points within tagged MR images, permitting many
      motion properties to be computed. However, HARP tracking can yield erroneous
      motion estimates due to 1) large deformations between image frames, 2) through
      plane motion, and 3) tissue boundaries. Methods that incorporate the spatial
      continuity of motion--so-called refinement or flood-filling methods--have
      previously been reported to reduce tracking errors. This paper presents a new
      refinement method based on shortest path computations. The method uses a graph
      representation of the image and seeks an optimal tracking order from a specified
      seed to each point in the image by solving a single source shortest path problem.
      This minimizes the potential errors for those path dependent solutions that are
      found in other refinement methods. In addition to this, tracking in the presence
      of through-plane motion is improved by introducing synthetic tags at the
      reference time (when the tissue is not deformed). Experimental results on both
      tongue and cardiac images show that the proposed method can track the whole
      tissue more robustly and is also computationally efficient.

PMID- 20304721
TI  - Generalized q-sampling imaging.
AB  - Based on the Fourier transform relation between diffusion magnetic resonance (MR)
      signals and the underlying diffusion displacement, a new relation is derived to
      estimate the spin distribution function (SDF) directly from diffusion MR signals.
      This relation leads to an imaging method called generalized q-sampling imaging
      (GQI), which can obtain the SDF from the shell sampling scheme used in q-ball
      imaging (QBI) or the grid sampling scheme used in diffusion spectrum imaging
      (DSI). The accuracy of GQI was evaluated by a simulation study and an in vivo
      experiment in comparison with QBI and DSI. The simulation results showed that the
      accuracy of GQI was comparable to that of QBI and DSI. The simulation study of
      GQI also showed that an anisotropy index, named quantitative anisotropy, was
      correlated with the volume fraction of the resolved fiber component. The in vivo
      images of GQI demonstrated that SDF patterns were similar to the ODFs
      reconstructed by QBI or DSI. The tractography generated from GQI was also similar
      to those generated from QBI and DSI. In conclusion, the proposed GQI method can
      be applied to grid or shell sampling schemes and can provide directional and
      quantitative information about the crossing fibers.

PMID- 20304723
TI  - A new optical-CT apparatus for 3-D radiotherapy dosimetry: is free space scanning
      feasible?
AB  - In this paper, we present a new optical computed tomography (Optical-CT) scanner
      for the verification of the radiation dose schemes delivered in modern
      radiotherapy applications. The optical-CT scanner is capable of providing rapid
      relative 3-D dosimetry with high spatial resolution with the use of normoxic N
      Vinylpyrrolidone based polymer gel dosimeter. The scanner employs a diffuse
      uncollimated light illumination beam, a computer controlled motorized rotation
      stage and a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera. Various test experiments were
      performed to determine the performance characteristics of the optical-CT
      apparatus. Attenuation coefficient (micro) versus dose calibration data were
      generated from two calibration experiments using gel containers of two different
      diameters. All irradiations were performed using a 6 MV linear accelerator. A
      comparison of the reconstructed images between optical-CT scans using refractive
      index (RI) matching fluid and corresponding scans performed in free space was
      demonstrated. The dose readout of a test irradiation model was found to be in
      good agreement with independent readout performed by MR imaging. The findings
      presented in this study suggest that polymer dosimeters combined with the new
      optical-CT scanner constitute a potentially feasible method capable of measuring
      complex 3-D dose distributions with high resolution and in a wide dose range.

PMID- 20304722
TI  - Multiplexed analysis of proteins in tissue using multispectral fluorescence
      imaging.
AB  - We present a new application of multispectral analysis for subcellular
      measurement of multiple proteins in formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissue and
      cells. Typically, the targets of interest are present in the same or spatially
      overlapping cellular compartments. Such co-localization can complicate analysis
      and interpretation of the images obtained using traditional fluorescence,
      especially when spectrally overlapping labels are present. The spectral
      properties of currently available fluorescent dyes set an upper limit to the
      number of molecules that can be detected simultaneously with traditional
      fluorescence. By exciting a set of fluorophores at the same wavelength and
      unmixing their emission signals from background autofluorescence, we were able to
      image three targets in a single channel. This parallel imaging approach provides
      significant advantages for multiplexed analysis of tissues and cells.

PMID- 20304724
TI  - Automatic segmentation of pulmonary lobes robust against incomplete fissures.
AB  - A method for automatic segmentation of pulmonary lobes from computed tomography
      (CT) scans is presented that is robust against incomplete fissures. The method is
      based on a multiatlas approach in which existing lobar segmentations are deformed
      to test scans in which the fissures, the lungs, and the bronchial tree have been
      automatically segmented. The key element of our method is a cost function that
      exploits information from fissures, lung borders, and bronchial tree in an
      effective way, such that less reliable information (lungs, airways) is only used
      when the most reliable information (fissures) is missing. To cope with the
      anatomical variation in lobe shape, an atlas selection mechanism is introduced.
      The method is evaluated on two test sets of 120 scans in total. The results show
      that the lobe segmentation closely follows the fissures when they are present. In
      a simulated experiment in which parts of complete fissures are removed, the
      robustness of the method against different levels of incomplete fissures is
      shown. When the fissures are incomplete, an observer study shows agreement of the
      automatically determined lobe borders with a radiologist for 81% of the lobe
      borders on average.

PMID- 20304725
TI  - Fast semi-analytical model-based acoustic inversion for quantitative optoacoustic
      tomography.
AB  - We present a fast model-based inversion algorithm for quantitative 2-D and 3-D
      optoacoustic tomography. The algorithm is based on an accurate and efficient
      forward model, which eliminates the need for regularization in the inversion
      process while providing modeling flexibility essential for quantitative image
      formation. The resulting image-reconstruction method eliminates stability
      problems encountered in previously published model-based techniques and, thus,
      enables performing image reconstruction in real time. Our model-based framework
      offers a generalization of the forward solution to more comprehensive
      optoacoustic propagation models, such as including detector frequency response,
      without changing the inversion procedure. The reconstruction speed and other
      algorithmic performances are demonstrated using numerical simulation studies and
      experimentally on tissue-mimicking optically heterogeneous phantoms and small
      animals. In the experimental examples, the model-based reconstructions manifested
      correctly the effect of light attenuation through the objects and did not suffer
      from the artifacts which usually afflict the commonly used filtered
      backprojection algorithms, such as negative absorption values.

PMID- 20304726
TI  - A statistical framework for optimal design matrix generation with application to
      fMRI.
AB  - The general linear model (GLM) is a well established tool for analyzing
      functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. Most fMRI analyses via GLM
      proceed in a massively univariate fashion where the same design matrix is used
      for analyzing data from each voxel. A major limitation of this approach is the
      locally varying nature of signals of interest as well as associated confounds.
      This local variability results in a potentially large bias and uncontrolled
      increase in variance for the contrast of interest. The main contributions of this
      paper are two fold: 1) we develop a statistical framework that enables estimation
      of an optimal design matrix while explicitly controlling the bias variance
      decomposition over a set of potential design matrices and 2) we develop and
      validate a numerical algorithm for computing optimal design matrices for general
      fMRI data sets. The implications of this framework include the ability to match
      optimally the magnitude of underlying signals to their true magnitudes while also
      matching the "null" signals to zero size thereby optimizing both the sensitivity
      and specificity of signal detection. By enabling the capture of multiple profiles
      of interest using a single contrast (as opposed to an F-test) in a way that
      optimizes for both bias and variance enables the passing of first level parameter
      estimates and their variances to the higher level for group analysis which is not
      possible using F-tests. We demonstrate the application of this approach to in
      vivo pharmacological fMRI data capturing the acute response to a drug infusion,
      to task-evoked, block design fMRI and to the estimation of a haemodynamic
      response function (HRF) in event-related fMRI. Although developed with motivation
      from fMRI, our framework is quite general and has potentially wide applicability
      to a variety of disciplines.

PMID- 20304727
TI  - A Bayesian mixture approach to modeling spatial activation patterns in multisite
      fMRI data.
AB  - We propose a probabilistic model for analyzing spatial activation patterns in
      multiple functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) activation images such as
      repeated observations on an individual or images from different individuals in a
      clinical study. Instead of taking the traditional approach of voxel-by-voxel
      analysis, we directly model the shape of activation patterns by representing each
      activation cluster in an image as a Gaussian-shaped surface. We assume that there
      is an unknown true template pattern and that each observed image is a noisy
      realization of this template. We model an individual image using a mixture of
      experts model with each component representing a spatial activation cluster.
      Taking a nonparametric Bayesian approach, we use a hierarchical Dirichlet process
      to extract common activation clusters from multiple images and estimate the
      number of such clusters automatically. We further extend the model by adding
      random effects to the shape parameters to allow for image-specific variation in
      the activation patterns. Using a Bayesian framework, we learn the shape
      parameters for both image-level activation patterns and the template for the set
      of images by sampling from the posterior distribution of the parameters. We
      demonstrate our model on a dataset collected in a large multisite fMRI study.

PMID- 20304728
TI  - F-TIMER: fast tensor image morphing for elastic registration.
AB  - We propose a novel diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) registration algorithm, called
      fast tensor image morphing for elastic registration (F-TIMER). F-TIMER leverages
      multiscale tensor regional distributions and local boundaries for hierarchically
      driving deformable matching of tensor image volumes. Registration is achieved by
      utilizing a set of automatically determined structural landmarks, via solving a
      soft correspondence problem. Based on the estimated correspondences, thin-plate
      splines are employed to generate a smooth, topology preserving, and dense
      transformation, and to avoid arbitrary mapping of nonlandmark voxels. To mitigate
      the problem of local minima, which is common in the estimation of high
      dimensional transformations, we employ a hierarchical strategy where a small
      subset of voxels with more distinctive attribute vectors are first deployed as
      landmarks to estimate a relatively robust low-degrees-of-freedom transformation.
      As the registration progresses, an increasing number of voxels are permitted to
      participate in refining the correspondence matching. A scheme as such allows less
      conservative progression of the correspondence matching towards the optimal
      solution, and hence results in a faster matching speed. Compared with its
      predecessor TIMER, which has been shown to outperform state-of-the-art
      algorithms, experimental results indicate that F-TIMER is capable of achieving
      comparable accuracy at only a fraction of the computation cost.

PMID- 20304729
TI  - General retinal vessel segmentation using regularization-based multiconcavity
      modeling.
AB  - Detecting blood vessels in retinal images with the presence of bright and dark
      lesions is a challenging unsolved problem. In this paper, a novel multiconcavity
      modeling approach is proposed to handle both healthy and unhealthy retinas
      simultaneously. The differentiable concavity measure is proposed to handle bright
      lesions in a perceptive space. The line-shape concavity measure is proposed to
      remove dark lesions which have an intensity structure different from the line
      shaped vessels in a retina. The locally normalized concavity measure is designed
      to deal with unevenly distributed noise due to the spherical intensity variation
      in a retinal image. These concavity measures are combined together according to
      their statistical distributions to detect vessels in general retinal images. Very
      encouraging experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method
      consistently yields the best performance over existing state-of-the-art methods
      on the abnormal retinas and its accuracy outperforms the human observer, which
      has not been achieved by any of the state-of-the-art benchmark methods. Most
      importantly, unlike existing methods, the proposed method shows very attractive
      performances not only on healthy retinas but also on a mixture of healthy and
      pathological retinas.

PMID- 20304730
TI  - MRI pulse sequence design with first-order gradient moment nulling in arbitrary
      directions by solving a polynomial program.
AB  - We suggest a polynomial program for the calculation of optimized gradient
      waveforms for magnetic resonance tomography pulse sequences. Such non-linear
      mathematical programs can describe gradient system capabilities, meet k-space
      trajectory specifications, and capture sequence timing conditions. Moreover they
      allow the incorporation of gradient moment nulling constraints in one or several
      arbitrary spatial directions, which can reduce flow motion artifacts in the
      images. We report first experiences in solving such automatic pulse sequence
      design programs with the interior point solver Ipopt.

PMID- 20304731
TI  - Basic properties of SS-PARSE parameter estimates.
AB  - Single shot parameter assessment by retrieval from signal encoding (SS-PARSE) is
      a recently introduced method to obtain quantitative parameter maps from a single
      shot (typically 65 ms) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signal. Because it
      explicitly models local magnetization decay and phase evolution occurring during
      the signal 1) it can provide quantitative estimates of local transverse
      magnetization magnitude and phase, frequency, and relaxation rate and 2) it is
      free of geometric distortion or blurring due to field nonuniformities within the
      tissues. These properties promise to be advantageous in functional brain MRI
      (fMRI) and other dynamic imaging applications. In this paper, the basic phenomena
      underlying the performance of SS-PARSE in practice are discussed. Basic sources
      of bias errors in the parameter estimates are discussed, and performance of the
      method is characterized in terms of parameter estimates from simulation,
      experimental phantoms, and in vivo studies. Characteristics of the sum-of-square
      error cost function and the iterative search algorithm are discussed, and their
      relative roles in determining estimation accuracy are described. Practical
      guidelines for use of the method are presented and discussed. In vivo parameter
      maps are also presented.

PMID- 20304732
TI  - Registration of 4D cardiac CT sequences under trajectory constraints with
      multichannel diffeomorphic demons.
AB  - We propose a framework for the nonlinear spatiotemporal registration of 4D time
      series of images based on the Diffeomorphic Demons (DD) algorithm. In this
      framework, the 4D spatiotemporal registration is decoupled into a 4D temporal
      registration, defined as mapping physiological states, and a 4D spatial
      registration, defined as mapping trajectories of physical points. Our
      contribution focuses more specifically on the 4D spatial registration that should
      be consistent over time as opposed to 3D registration that solely aims at mapping
      homologous points at a given time-point. First, we estimate in each sequence the
      motion displacement field, which is a dense representation of the point
      trajectories we want to register. Then, we perform simultaneously 3D
      registrations of corresponding time-points with the constraints to map the same
      physical points over time called the trajectory constraints. Under these
      constraints, we show that the 4D spatial registration can be formulated as a
      multichannel registration of 3D images. To solve it, we propose a novel version
      of the Diffeomorphic Demons (DD) algorithm extended to vector-valued 3D images,
      the Multichannel Diffeomorphic Demons (MDD). For evaluation, this framework is
      applied to the registration of 4D cardiac computed tomography (CT) sequences and
      compared to other standard methods with real patient data and synthetic data
      simulated from a physiologically realistic electromechanical cardiac model.
      Results show that the trajectory constraints act as a temporal regularization
      consistent with motion whereas the multichannel registration acts as a spatial
      regularization. Finally, using these trajectory constraints with multichannel
      registration yields the best compromise between registration accuracy, temporal
      and spatial smoothness, and computation times. A prospective example of
      application is also presented with the spatiotemporal registration of 4D cardiac
      CT sequences of the same patient before and after radiofrequency ablation (RFA)
      in case of atrial fibrillation (AF). The intersequence spatial transformations
      over a cardiac cycle allow to analyze and quantify the regression of left
      ventricular hypertrophy and its impact on the cardiac function.

PMID- 20304733
TI  - Statistics of optical coherence tomography data from human retina.
AB  - Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has recently become one of the primary methods
      for noninvasive probing of the human retina. The pseudoimage formed by OCT (the
      so-called B-scan) varies probabilistically across pixels due to complexities in
      the measurement technique. Hence, sensitive automatic procedures of diagnosis
      using OCT may exploit statistical analysis of the spatial distribution of
      reflectance. In this paper, we perform a statistical study of retinal OCT data.
      We find that the stretched exponential probability density function can model
      well the distribution of intensities in OCT pseudoimages. Moreover, we show a
      small, but significant correlation between neighbor pixels when measuring OCT
      intensities with pixels of about 5 microm. We then develop a simple joint
      probability model for the OCT data consistent with known retinal features. This
      model fits well the stretched exponential distribution of intensities and their
      spatial correlation. In normal retinas, fit parameters of this model are
      relatively constant along retinal layers, but varies across layers. However, in
      retinas with diabetic retinopathy, large spikes of parameter modulation interrupt
      the constancy within layers, exactly where pathologies are visible. We argue that
      these results give hope for improvement in statistical pathology-detection
      methods even when the disease is in its early stages.

PMID- 20304734
TI  - Bayesian k -space-time reconstruction of MR spectroscopic imaging for enhanced
      resolution.
AB  - A k-space-time Bayesian statistical reconstruction method (K-Bayes) is proposed
      for the reconstruction of metabolite images of the brain from proton (1H)
      magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) data. K-Bayes performs full
      spectral fitting of the data while incorporating structural (anatomical) spatial
      information through the prior distribution. K-Bayes provides increased spatial
      resolution over conventional discrete Fourier transform (DFT) based methods by
      incorporating structural information from higher resolution coregistered and
      segmented structural MR images. The structural information is incorporated via a
      Markov random field (MRF) model that allows for differential levels of expected
      smoothness in metabolite levels within homogeneous tissue regions and across
      tissue boundaries. By further combining the structural prior model with a k 
      space-time MRSI signal and noise model (for a specific set of metabolites and
      based on knowledge from prior spectral simulations of metabolite signals), the
      impact of artifacts generated by low-resolution sampling is also reduced. The
      posterior-mode estimates are used to define the metabolite map reconstructions,
      obtained via a generalized expectation-maximization algorithm. K-Bayes was tested
      using simulated and real MRSI datasets consisting of sets of k-space-time-series
      (the recorded free induction decays). The results demonstrated that K-Bayes
      provided qualitative and quantitative improvement over DFT methods.

PMID- 20304745
TI  - [Human herpesvirus 6].
AB  - Human herpesvirus 6 discovered in 1986 is the most ancient human herpesvirus
      shown by molecular characteristics. Variant B infects children under the age of 2
      years by droplets from asymptomatic virus shedding adults occasionally causing
      exanthema subitum. The virus infects CD4+ macrophages and lymphocytes;
      subsequently establishes lifelong latency and persistence with occasional
      shedding through the saliva. This variant frequently reactivates in bone marrow
      and organ transplant recipients with concomitant immunosuppression causing even
      fatal complications. It is a cofactor in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis,
      chronic fatigue syndrome, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas. The direct
      consequences of variant A infection and latency in CD4+ cells are not known. It
      transactivates HIV infection in vitro and in humans, and facilitates tumor
      progression induced by human papilloma viruses. Pathogenic effects of both
      variants are mediated by altered cytokine and chemokine profiles. Serological
      differentiation of the two variants is unreliable; however, it is possible by
      using PCR. Ganciclovir, foscarnet and cidofovir can be used for treatment and
      chemoprophylaxis of severe complications.

PMID- 20304746
TI  - [Type 1 diabetes mellitus: pathogenesis, symptoms and therapy].
AB  - Type 1 diabetes is responsible for approximately 10% of the whole diabetic
      morbidity. The cause of the disease is an autoimmune process directed against the
      B-cells leading to progressive and irreversible destruction of these cells, and,
      consequently, the complete and definitive cessation of endogenous insulin
      production. Accordingly, these patients should be treated with insulin since the
      beginning of the disease. The author describes the pathogenesis, epidemiology and
      symptoms of type 1 diabetes and summarizes the possible ways of therapy and care
      of type 1 diabetic patients.

PMID- 20304747
TI  - [The role of autopsies in 21st century medicine].
AB  - The decline in the autopsy rates has been already well-known for decades, but the
      causes of this trend may be not well characterized and not clearly reflected. The
      causes affect many fields beginning with the graduate courses, the curricular
      changes, the teaching methods, furthermore the attitudes of clinicians and
      pathologists toward autopsy, the greater confidence in diagnostic tests, autopsy
      reporting and regulation. Autopsy will always be the most important teaching
      performance in medical education and also will be a significant control of
      clinical practice. Exploring the affected fields (graduate and postgraduate
      teaching, clinical quality control, health care statistics, money allocation,
      research), we try to demonstrate the versatility of the autopsies. Improving the
      status of the autopsies will help the next generation doctors, as well as and the
      medical system will get better through the evidence-based quality control. The
      aims of the article are to give a comprehensive exploration of the influenced
      medical and non-medical factors by post-mortem examination, suggesting, that
      autopsies will have an important role in the 21st century medicine.

PMID- 20304748
TI  - [Travel of persons needing medical care; tourist travel of people with chronic
      kidney insufficiency].

PMID- 20304749
TI  - [Treatment of lung cancer].

PMID- 20304751
TI  - [Sincere love of human beings and commitment to one's calling--who is the example
      these days?].

PMID- 20304752
TI  - When do first-year college students drink most during the academic year? An
      internet-based study of daily and weekly drinking.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The authors investigated the alcohol consumption trajectories among
      first-year university students. PARTICIPANTS: A sample of 415 students attending
      a large university in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, was recruited. METHODS:
      Students completed a baseline questionnaire and 26 weekly brief Internet surveys
      assessing alcohol consumption from September 2006 to April 2007. RESULTS:
      Findings indicated that alcohol consumption varies considerably as a function of
      time of the academic year. Overall trends indicate that students drink more
      heavily at the beginning of each semester and less during exam periods. Daily
      patterns indicate that most drinking occurs on weekends. The highest drinking
      days in the first academic year included Halloween, New Year's Eve, and St.
      Patrick's Day. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides evidence that periods of
      high and low alcohol consumption are contingent upon specific events and the time
      of the year.

PMID- 20304753
TI  - Extreme ritualistic alcohol consumption among college students on game day.
AB  - Alcohol use and the related consequences associated with college football games
      are a serious public health issue for university communities. OBJECTIVE:
      Examining "Extreme Ritualistic Alcohol Consumption" (ERAC), defined as consuming
      10 or more drinks on game day for a male, and 8 or more drinks for a female, is
      the focus of this study. PARTICIPANTS: In the fall of 2006, college students ages
      18 to 24 were randomly selected to complete the Game Day Survey. METHODS:
      Researchers utilized a cross sectional research design to collect data. RESULTS:
      Sixteen percent of the respondents engaged in ERAC on game day, whereas 36% drank
      5 or more drinks (4 or more for females). Male, Caucasian, Greek (members of a
      social fraternity or sorority), and students of legal drinking age consumed
      alcohol at disproportionately high rates. CONCLUSION: Alcohol use is common on
      game day, with a significant percentage of students placing themselves at risk by
      drinking large amounts of alcohol.

PMID- 20304754
TI  - Positive changes in perceptions and selections of healthful foods by college
      students after a short-term point-of-selection intervention at a dining hall.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Determine the effects of a short-term, multi-faceted, point-of
      selection intervention on college students' perceptions and selection of 10
      targeted healthful foods in a university dining hall and changes in their self
      reported overall eating behaviors. PARTICIPANTS: 104 college students, (age 18
      23) completed pre-I and post-I surveys. METHODS: Pre-survey collected at dining
      hall in April 2007, followed by 3-week intervention then post-survey collected
      via email. Healthy choice indicators, large signs, table tents, flyers and
      colorful photographs with "benefit-based messages" promoted targeted foods.
      Response rate to both surveys was 38%. RESULTS: Significantly more participants
      reported that healthful choices were clearly identified in the dining hall after
      the intervention. Over 20% of participants reported becoming more aware of
      healthful food choices in the dining hall after the intervention. Significant
      increases in self-reported intake were reported for cottage cheese and low-fat
      salad dressing, with a trend toward increased consumption of fresh fruit. Seven
      of the 14 assessed eating behaviors had significant changes in the desired
      direction. Increased awareness of healthful foods was the top reason for self
      reported changes in overall eating behaviors. CONCLUSION: Short-term, multi
      faceted, point-of-selection marketing of healthful foods in university dining
      halls may be beneficial for improving college students' perceptions and
      selections of targeted healthful foods in the dining hall and may improve overall
      eating behaviors of college students.

PMID- 20304755
TI  - Developing mindfulness in college students through movement-based courses:
      effects on self-regulatory self-efficacy, mood, stress, and sleep quality.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study examined whether mindfulness increased through
      participation in movement-based courses and whether changes in self-regulatory
      self-efficacy, mood, and perceived stress mediated the relationship between
      increased mindfulness and better sleep. PARTICIPANTS: 166 college students
      enrolled in the 2007-2008 academic year in 15 week classes in Pilates, Taiji
      quan, or GYROKINESIS. METHODS: At beginning, middle, and end of the semester,
      participants completed measures of mindfulness, self-regulatory self-efficacy,
      mood, perceived stress, and sleep quality. RESULTS: Total mindfulness scores and
      mindfulness subscales increased overall. Greater changes in mindfulness were
      directly related to better sleep quality at the end of the semester after
      adjusting for sleep disturbance at the beginning. Tiredness, Negative Arousal,
      Relaxation, and Perceived Stress mediated the effect of increased mindfulness on
      improved sleep. CONCLUSIONS: Movement-based courses can increase mindfulness.
      Increased mindfulness accounts for changes in mood and perceived stress, which
      explain, in part, improved sleep quality.

PMID- 20304756
TI  - Comparisons of gambling and alcohol use among college students and noncollege
      young people in the United States.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Gambling and alcohol use were compared for college and noncollege
      young adults in the US population. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 1,000
      respondents aged 18 to 21. METHODS: Data were analyzed from a representative
      household sample of US young people aged 14 to 21 years old. Telephone interviews
      were conducted between August 2005 and January 2007. RESULTS: After taking into
      account gender, age, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, college student
      status did not predict gambling, frequent gambling, or problem gambling. In
      contrast, being a college student was associated with higher levels of alcohol
      use and problem drinking. Being male was the strongest predictor of both problem
      gambling and problem drinking. Blacks were less likely than whites to drink
      heavily; yet they were more likely than whites to gamble heavily. CONCLUSION:
      Young males should be targeted for prevention and intervention efforts for both
      problem gambling and problem drinking regardless of college student status.

PMID- 20304757
TI  - Forcible, drug-facilitated, and incapacitated rape and sexual assault among
      undergraduate women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the prevalence of drug-related sexual assaults, identify
      the frequency of assaults that occur following voluntary versus involuntary drug
      or alcohol consumption, and identify contextual correlates of drug-related
      assaults. PARTICIPANTS: College-student females (n = 314). METHODS: Volunteers
      reported experiences with forcible and drug-related sexual assaults in the spring
      semester of 2004. Follow-up queries regarding the most severe drug-related
      assaults determined whether the assaults followed voluntary or involuntary
      alcohol or drug consumption. RESULTS: 29.6% (n = 93) of the respondents reported
      a drug-related sexual assault or rape; 5.4% (n = 17) reported a forcible sexual
      assault or rape. Voluntary incapacitation preceded 84.6% of drug-related assaults
      and involuntary incapacitation preceded 15.4% of drug-related assaults. The
      majority of drug-related assaults (96.1%) involved alcohol consumption prior to
      assault. CONCLUSIONS: Drug-related sexual assaults on college campuses are more
      frequent than are forcible assaults and are most frequently preceded by voluntary
      alcohol consumption.

PMID- 20304759
TI  - No fear, just relax and play: social anxiety, alcohol expectancies, and drinking
      games among college students.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The authors examined the association between social anxiety and
      drinking game (DG) involvement as well as the moderating role of social anxiety
      relevant alcohol outcome expectancies (AOE) in social anxiety and DG involvement
      among college students. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 715 students (74.8%
      women, Mage = 19.46, SD = 1.22) from 8 US colleges. METHODS: Data were collected
      via self-report survey from Fall 2005 to Spring 2007. RESULTS: Tension Reduction
      and Liquid Courage AOE moderated the association between social anxiety and DG
      participation. Tension Reduction AOE and DG participation were positively related
      among those with high social anxiety, but were associated negatively for those
      with low social anxiety. Liquid Courage AOE were associated with increased DG
      participation for those with low social anxiety, but not for those with high
      social anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that social anxiety acts as a
      protective or a risk factor for DG participation among college students,
      depending upon AOE.

PMID- 20304758
TI  - Before the party starts: risk factors and reasons for "pregaming" in college
      students.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: "Pregaming"--drinking alcohol prior to going out-is believed to be
      common, yet empirical examinations are scarce. In this study, we examined who is
      at risk for pregaming, consequences resulting from it, and motives behind it.
      PARTICIPANTS: Participants (N = 159, 52% female) were drinkers, aged 18 to 24,
      recruited from introductory psychology classes. METHODS: In 2005 and 2006,
      interview measures of drinking and pregaming and self-report demographic,
      motivational, and reasons for pregaming measures were administered. RESULTS: Two
      thirds of students pregamed. Younger age, but not Greek affiliation, was
      associated with heavier pregaming drinking. We found minimal support for the
      prediction of pregaming by general drinking motives. Specific reasons for
      pregaming were identified, including saving money and obtaining alcohol when
      under 21. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the risk associated with pregaming, due
      to selection effects and to event characteristics. The unique reasons for
      pregaming must be further understood and addressed in targeted interventions.

PMID- 20304760
TI  - College women's sexual decision making: cognitive mediation of alcohol expectancy
      effects.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Alcohol has been linked to a variety of risky sexual practices,
      including inconsistent condom use. Due to the high rates of alcohol consumption
      among underage college women, greater understanding of the role of alcohol in
      young women's sexual decision making is warranted. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS:
      Female underage (18- to 20-year-old) social drinkers (N = 94) participated in an
      experiment in which they projected themselves into a written hypothetical sexual
      situation with a new partner. One half of the situations portrayed alcohol
      consumption; one half did not involve alcohol consumption. Their appraisals of
      the situation's sexual potential, impelling and inhibiting cognitions, and sexual
      behavior intentions were assessed. RESULTS: Results revealed that alcohol's
      expectancy effects on young women's unprotected sexual intentions were mediated
      by their cognitive appraisals of the situation. CONCLUSIONS: These findings
      indicate that alcohol expectancies and their influence on women's sexual
      decisions should be incorporated into sexual risk reduction efforts.

PMID- 20304761
TI  - Health literacy in college students.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the health literacy levels,
      and the potential importance of healthy literacy, of college students.
      PARTICIPANTS: Courses were randomly selected from all upper level undergraduate
      courses at a large Research I university to obtain a sample size of N = 399.
      METHODS: During the 2007-2008 school year, students were administered the Test of
      Functional Health Literacy (TOFHLA), which assessed both numeracy and reading
      comprehension utilizing real-life health care materials. The numeracy scale (n =
      17) assessed understanding of prescription labels, appointment slips, and glucose
      monitoring using actual hospital forms and labels for prescription vials. Ten
      prompts were given, and participants had to answer quantitatively. The reading
      comprehension scale (n = 50) assessed understanding of health care texts through
      3 reading passages, including instructions for preparation for an upper
      gastrointestinal (GI) series, Medicaid patient rights and responsibilities, and
      hospital informed consent agreement. A modified Cloze procedure was employed;
      every fifth to seventh word in each passage was omitted and the participant
      selected the best word to fill in the blank from a list of 4 possible choices.
      RESULTS: The mean health literacy score was 93.83, which was considered adequate
      functional health literacy. In terms of importance of health literacy to the
      students, it was found that a majority valued its importance (89.3%).
      CONCLUSIONS: Indeed this group of university students would seem to have good
      health literacy levels that would allow them to navigate the health care system.
      However, many students still had problems with individual TOFHLA items,
      particularly the numeracy questions.

PMID- 20304762
TI  - Drinking game participation among undergraduate students attending National
      Alcohol Screening Day.
AB  - OBJECTIVES, PARTICIPANTS, METHODS: Drinking game participation has increased in
      popularity among college students and is associated with increased alcohol
      consumption and alcohol-related problems. The current study investigated drinking
      game participation among 133 undergraduates attending National Alcohol Screening
      Day (NASD) in April of 2007. RESULTS: A large percentage of the sample reported
      lifetime (77%) and recent (52%) drinking game participation. Males were more
      likely to report recent participation and reported higher levels of consumption
      while playing drinking games. Drinking game participants were more likely to
      experience a range of alcohol-related problems, and the relationship between
      drinking game participation and alcohol-related problems was mediated by weekly
      alcohol consumption. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that drinking game
      participation is a risk factor for elevated levels of alcohol consumption and
      alcohol-related problems. Programs should be developed to educate students about
      the risks of drinking game participation, and prevention programs like NASD
      should address drinking games.

PMID- 20304763
TI  - Glucose prevents the fall in ventromedial hypothalamic GABA that is required for
      full activation of glucose counterregulatory responses during hypoglycemia.
AB  - Local delivery of glucose into a critical glucose-sensing region within the
      brain, the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH), can suppress glucose
      counterregulatory responses to systemic hypoglycemia. Here, we investigated
      whether this suppression was accomplished through changes in GABA output in the
      VMH. Sprague-Dawley rats had catheters and guide cannulas implanted. Eight to ten
      days later, microdialysis-microinjection probes were inserted into the VMH, and
      they were dialyzed with varying concentrations of glucose from 0 to 100 mM. Two
      groups of rats were microdialyzed with 100 mM glucose and microinjected with
      either the K(ATP) channel opener diazoxide or a GABA(A) receptor antagonist.
      These animals were then subjected to a hyperinsulinemic-hypoglycemic glucose
      clamp. As expected, perfusion of glucose into the VMH suppressed the
      counterregulatory responses. Extracellular VMH GABA levels positively correlated
      with the concentration of glucose in the perfusate. In turn, extracellular GABA
      concentrations in the VMH were inversely related to the degree of
      counterregulatory hormone release. Of note, microinjection of either diazoxide or
      the GABA(A) receptor antagonist reversed the suppressive effects of VMH glucose
      delivery on counterregulatory responses. Some GABAergic neurons in the VMH
      respond to changes in local glucose concentration. Glucose in the VMH dose
      dependently stimulates GABA release, and this in turn dose-dependently suppresses
      the glucagon and epinephrine responses to hypoglycemia. These data suggest that
      during hypoglycemia a decrease in glucose concentration within the VMH may
      provide an important signal that rapidly inactivates VMH GABAergic neurons,
      reducing inhibitory GABAergic tone, which in turn enhances the counterregulatory
      responses to hypoglycemia.

PMID- 20304765
TI  - Programming of rat adrenal medulla by neonatal hyperleptinemia: adrenal
      morphology, catecholamine secretion, and leptin signaling pathway.
AB  - Leptin serum concentration in early life is an important factor for adequate
      future development of the offspring. Previously, we demonstrated that
      hyperleptinemia on lactation programmed for hyperleptinemia, central leptin
      resistance with lower expression of the long form of leptin receptor at
      hypothalamus, and higher medullary catecholamine levels with cardiovascular
      consequences at adulthood. The central objective of this study was to determine
      the direct effect of leptin on adrenal medullary function of adult rats that were
      leptin treated during lactation. Adrenal morphology was also accessed.
      Recombinant murine leptin was injected in the pups during the first 10 days of
      life (group L, leptin-programmed) or at adulthood during 6 days (group LC). The
      controls of both experiments received saline (groups C and CC). Both treatments
      resulted in hyperleptinemia at 150 days old (+78% and 2-fold increase,
      respectively; P < 0.05). Programmed animals showed hypertrophy of adrenal and
      higher adrenal catecholamine content at 150 days old (3-fold increase, P < 0.05),
      and no changes were observed in the LC group. However, LC rats had lower adrenal
      content of tyrosine hydroxylase (-17%, P < 0.05). Leptin-programmed rats had a
      lower response to leptin in vitro stimulation (-22%, P < 0.05) and lower
      expression of key proteins of the leptin signaling pathway, leptin receptor and
      janus tyrosine kinase 2 in the medullas (-61% and -29%, respectively, P < 0.05).
      However, they presented higher expression of phosphorylated signal transducer and
      activator of transcription 3 (+2-fold, P < 0.05). Leptin treatment at adulthood
      did not affect these parameters. The higher catecholamine synthesis and secretion
      in the leptin-programmed rats observed in our previous study does not seem to be
      a consequence of the direct effect of leptin on the medullas. We suggest that the
      hyperleptinemia of the programmed animals increases adrenal medullary function
      through sympathetic nervous system activation. In conclusion, high leptin levels
      on lactation program the activity of the sympathoadrenal system at adulthood that
      may contribute to the development of adult chronic diseases such as hypertension.

PMID- 20304764
TI  - An increase in essential amino acid availability upregulates amino acid
      transporter expression in human skeletal muscle.
AB  - Essential amino acids (EAA) stimulate skeletal muscle mammalian target of
      rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling and protein synthesis. It has recently
      been reported that an increase in amino acid (AA) transporter expression during
      anabolic conditions is rapamycin-sensitive. The purpose of this study was to
      determine whether an increase in EAA availability increases AA transporter
      expression in human skeletal muscle. Muscle biopsies were obtained from the
      vastus lateralis of seven young adult subjects (3 male, 4 female) before and 1-3
      h after EAA ingestion (10 g). Blood and muscle samples were analyzed for leucine
      kinetics using stable isotopic techniques. Quantitative RT-PCR, and
      immunoblotting were used to determine the mRNA and protein expression,
      respectively, of AA transporters and members of the general AA control pathway
      [general control nonrepressed (GCN2), activating transcription factor (ATF4), and
      eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF2) alpha-subunit (Ser(52))]. EAA ingestion
      increased blood leucine concentration, delivery of leucine to muscle, transport
      of leucine from blood into muscle, intracellular muscle leucine concentration,
      ribosomal protein S6 (Ser(240/244)) phosphorylation, and muscle protein
      synthesis. This was followed with increased L-type AA transporter (LAT1), CD98,
      sodium-coupled neutral AA transporter (SNAT2), and proton-coupled amino acid
      transporter (PAT1) mRNA expression at 1 h (P < 0.05) and modest increases in LAT1
      protein expression (3 h post-EAA) and SNAT2 protein expression (2 and 3 h post
      EAA, P < 0.05). Although there were no changes in GCN2 expression and eIF2 alpha
      phosphorylation, ATF4 protein expression reached significance by 2 h post-EAA (P
      < 0.05). We conclude that an increase in EAA availability upregulates human
      skeletal muscle AA transporter expression, perhaps in an mTORC1-dependent manner,
      which may be an adaptive response necessary for improved AA intracellular
      delivery.

PMID- 20304766
TI  - Photon energy dependence of three fortuitous dosemeters from personal electronic
      devices, measured by optically stimulated luminescence.
AB  - New data are presented with regard to the relative OSL sensitivity of three
      different emergency dosemeters irradiated to various photon energies
      approximately between 48 and 1250 keV using blue excitation light. Investigated
      components extracted from commonly worn objects include those from USB flash
      drives (alumina substrate), mobile phones (Ba-rich silicate) and credit cards
      (chip card module). Several basic properties have been investigated such as the
      overall radiation sensitivity, the shape of the decay curve and fading of the OSL
      signal. An increase of the sensitivity for low energies relative to (60)Co gamma
      rays can be observed for the three dosemeters, the increase being very pronounced
      for the Ba-rich component (factor of 10) and less pronounced for the chip card
      module (factor of 2). It is concluded that proper dose correction factors for
      photon energy have to be applied in order to accurately determine the absorbed
      dose to tissue. The OSL sensitivity to neutron irradiation was investigated as
      well, but this was found to be less than the gamma sensitivity.

PMID- 20304767
TI  - The future of medical imaging.
AB  - The organisers of this conference have kindly provided me with the forum to look
      forward and examine the future of medical imaging. My view of the future is
      informed by my own research directions; thus, I illustrate my vision of the
      future with results from my own research, and from the research that has
      motivated me over the last few years. As such, the results presented are specific
      to the field of breast imaging; however, I believe that the trends presented have
      general applicability, and hope that this discourse will motivate new research.
      My vision of the future can be summarised in accordance with three broad trends:
      (1) increased prevalence of low-dose tomographic X-ray imaging; (2) continuing
      advances in functional and molecular X-ray imaging; and (3) novel image-based
      biomarker discovery.

PMID- 20304768
TI  - Natural radioactivity in roadside soil along Jamshedpur-Musabani road: a
      mineralised and mining region, Jharkhand and associated risk.
AB  - The specific activity and the gamma radiation dose rates due to naturally
      occurring radioactive materials ((238)U, (232)Th and (40)K) were determined in 26
      roadside surface soils along Jamshedpur-Musabani road-a mineralised and mining
      region, using high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometry. The concentrations of
      (238)U, (232)Th and (40)K in the soil samples were found to be in the range of
      16.6 +/- 0.6-390.5 +/- 1.6, 24.1 +/- 0.7-148.2 +/- 2.1 and 85.9 +/- 3.8-881.6 +/-
      22.4 Bq kg(-1), respectively. The annual effective dose equivalent was found to
      be in the range of 0.04-0.32 mSv y(-1) with an average value of 0.13 mSv y(-1).
      The excess cancer risk is in the range of 0.16 x 10(-3)-1.22 x 10(-3) with an
      average value of 0.49 x 10(-3).

PMID- 20304769
TI  - Application of a statistical software package for analysis of large patient dose
      data sets obtained from RIS.
AB  - For the purpose of patient dose audit, clinical audit and radiology workload
      analysis, data from Radiology Information Systems (RIS) at many hospitals are
      collected using a database and the analysis was automated using a statistical
      package and Visual Basic coding. The database is a Structured Query Language
      database, which can be queried using an off-the-shelf statistical package,
      Statistica. Macros were created to automatically format the data to a consistent
      format between different hospitals ready for analysis. These macros can also be
      used to automate further analysis such as detailing mean kV, mAs and entrance
      surface dose per room and per gender. Standard deviation and standard error of
      the mean are also generated. Graphs can also be generated to illustrate the
      trends in doses between different variables such as room and gender.
      Collectively, this information can be used to generate a report. A process that
      once could take up to 1 d to complete now takes around 1 h. A major benefit in
      providing the service to hospital trusts is that less resource is now required to
      report on RIS data, making the possibility of continuous dose audit more likely.
      Time that was spent on sorting through data can now be spent on improving the
      analysis to provide benefit to the customer. Using data sets from RIS is a good
      way to perform dose audits as the huge numbers of data available provide the
      bases for very accurate analysis. Using macros written in Statistica Visual Basic
      has helped sort and consistently analyse these data. Being able to analyse by
      exposure factors has provided a more detailed report to the customer.

PMID- 20304770
TI  - Metformin supplementation and life span in Fischer-344 rats.
AB  - Calorie restriction (CR) has been known for more than 70 years to extend life
      span and delay disease in rodent models. Metformin administration in rodent
      disease models has been shown to delay cancer incidence and progression, reduce
      cardiovascular disease and extend life span. To more directly test the potential
      of metformin supplementation (300 mg/kg/day) as a CR mimetic, life-span studies
      were performed in Fischer-344 rats and compared with ad libitum feeding and CR
      (30%). The CR group had significantly reduced food intake and body weight
      throughout the study. Body weight was significantly reduced in the metformin
      group compared with control during the middle of the study, despite similar
      weekly food intake. Although CR significantly extended early life span (25th
      quantile), metformin supplementation did not significantly increase life span at
      any quantile (25th, 50th, 75th, or 90th), overall or maximum life span (p > .05)
      compared with control.

PMID- 20304772
TI  - Trajectories of adherence to airway clearance therapy for patients with cystic
      fibrosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Although cross-sectional studies have demonstrated poor adherence to
      airway clearance therapy (ACT) for patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), no studies
      have identified longitudinal patterns of adherence. The objective was to
      characterize and identify predictors of ACT adherence trajectories for
      individuals with CF. METHODS: Secondary data analyses were conducted for a
      randomized clinical trial examining differences in three ACTs. Participants (n =
      153; M = 14.3 years, 55% male, 86% Caucasian, baseline FEV(1)% predicted: M =
      86.7)/primary caregivers completed Daily Phone Diaries, an empirically supported
      adherence measure, every 4 months. RESULTS: Group-based trajectory modeling
      revealed the best-fitting solution was a three-group model: low-adherence (14%),
      medium-adherence (49%), and high-adherence (37%) groups. ACT type was the only
      significant predictor of adherence trajectories. DISCUSSION: Three trajectories
      of adherence to ACT for patients with CF were found. With the identification of
      trajectories, adherence interventions can be targeted for the subgroup at highest
      risk in order to prevent poor health outcomes.

PMID- 20304771
TI  - A meta-analysis of four genome-wide association studies of survival to age 90
      years or older: the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology
      Consortium.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) may yield insights into
      longevity. METHODS: We performed a meta-analysis of GWAS in Caucasians from four
      prospective cohort studies: the Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility-Reykjavik
      Study, the Cardiovascular Health Study, the Framingham Heart Study, and the
      Rotterdam Study participating in the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in
      Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) Consortium. Longevity was defined as survival to
      age 90 years or older (n = 1,836); the comparison group comprised cohort members
      who died between the ages of 55 and 80 years (n = 1,955). In a second discovery
      stage, additional genotyping was conducted in the Leiden Longevity Study cohort
      and the Danish 1905 cohort. RESULTS: There were 273 single-nucleotide
      polymorphism (SNP) associations with p < .0001, but none reached the prespecified
      significance level of 5 x 10(-8). Of the most significant SNPs, 24 were
      independent signals, and 16 of these SNPs were successfully genotyped in the
      second discovery stage, with one association for rs9664222, reaching 6.77 x 10(
      7) for the combined meta-analysis of CHARGE and the stage 2 cohorts. The SNP lies
      in a region near MINPP1 (chromosome 10), a well-conserved gene involved in
      regulation of cellular proliferation. The minor allele was associated with lower
      odds of survival past age 90 (odds ratio = 0.82). Associations of interest in a
      homologue of the longevity assurance gene (LASS3) and PAPPA2 were not
      strengthened in the second stage. CONCLUSION: Survival studies of larger size or
      more extreme or specific phenotypes may support or refine these initial findings.

PMID- 20304776
TI  - The glycocalyx of human, bovine and murine microvascular endothelial cells
      cultured in vitro.
AB  - This study investigated the morphology and thickness of the glycocalyx linings of
      microvascular endothelial cells (MVEC). Three distinct cell types were used: the
      human dermal cells (HDMVEC), the murine cardiac cells (MCMVEC) and the bovine
      luteal cells (BLMVEC). Cells were cultivated for 48 h. Glycocalyx was stained
      with ruthenium red and examined under a transmission electron microscope. The
      glycocalyx of HDMVEC was thin and constant (10-22 nm). No glycocalyx was detected
      within intracellular vesicles. Two cell populations of MCMVEC were recorded. The
      minor MCMVEC population was well differentiated and covered with heterogenous
      glycocalyx (2-200 nm). Conglomerates formed above the baseline along the cell
      extensions. The major MCMVEC population was undifferentiated and coated by a
      smooth and thin (12-25 nm) layer of glycocalyx. Intracellular vesicles were also
      coated with glycocalyx. In the BLMVEC population, 10% had 3-170 nm of
      discontinuous glycocalyx. Rough conglomerates were observed along cell sprouts.
      Their intracellular vesicles were coated with glycocalyx. The study found vast
      differences in the morphology and thickness of endothelial glycocalyx among
      different MVEC under in vitro cultivation. The only record of active endocytosis
      was in BLMVEC and MCMVEC. No evidence of active endocytosis was found in HDMVEC.

PMID- 20304778
TI  - Phase II study of combination chemotherapy with biweekly cetuximab and irinotecan
      for pre-treated metastatic colorectal cancer harboring wild-type KRAS.
AB  - Standard weekly cetuximab and irinotecan is an effective regimen in heavily pre
      treated patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. The aim of this study is to
      prospectively evaluate the efficacy of combination chemotherapy with biweekly
      cetuximab and irinotecan in patients with pre-treated metastatic colorectal
      cancer harboring wild-type KRAS. A total of 30 patients will be enrolled at four
      medical institutions. The primary endpoint is response rate. The secondary
      endpoints include adverse events, progression-free survival and overall survival.
      The pharmacokinetics of cetuximab will also be evaluated in five patients.

PMID- 20304777
TI  - The AZFc region of the Y chromosome: at the crossroads between genetic diversity
      and male infertility.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The three azoospermia factor (AZF) regions of the Y chromosome
      represent genomic niches for spermatogenesis genes. Yet, the most distal region,
      AZFc, is a major generator of large-scale variation in the human genome.
      Determining to what extent this variability affects spermatogenesis is a highly
      contentious topic in human reproduction. METHODS: In this review, an extensive
      characterization of the molecular mechanisms responsible for AZFc genotypical
      variation is undertaken. Such data are complemented with the assessment of the
      clinical consequences for male fertility imputable to the different AZFc
      variants. For this, a critical re-evaluation of 23 association studies was
      performed in order to extract unifying conclusions by curtailing methodological
      heterogeneities. RESULTS: Intrachromosomal homologous recombination mechanisms,
      either crossover or non-crossover based, are the main drivers for AZFc genetic
      diversity. In particular, rearrangements affecting gene dosage are the most
      likely to introduce phenotypical disruptions in the spermatogenic profile. In the
      specific cases of partial AZFc deletions, both the actual existence and the
      severity of the spermatogenic defect are dependent on the evolutionary background
      of the Y chromosome. CONCLUSIONS: AZFc is one of the most genetically dynamic
      regions in the human genome. This property may serve as counter against the
      genetic degeneracy associated with the lack of a meiotic partner. However, such
      strategy comes at a price: some rearrangements represent a risk factor or a de
      facto causative agent of spermatogenic disruption. Interestingly, this precarious
      balance is modulated, among other yet unknown factors, by the evolutionary
      history of the Y chromosome.

PMID- 20304779
TI  - Over-expression of neuroepithelial-transforming protein 1 confers poor prognosis
      of patients with gliomas.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Neuroepithelial-transforming protein 1 is a member of the guanine
      nucleotide exchange factor family, a group of proteins which are known to
      activate and thereby regulate Rho family members. Deregulation of neuroepithelial
      transforming protein 1 expression has been found in certain types of human
      tumors. To investigate its prognostic value in human gliomas, which is currently
      unknown, we examined the correlation between neuroepithelial-transforming protein
      1 expression and prognosis in patients with gliomas. METHODS: Immunohistochemical
      staining was performed to detect neuroepithelial-transforming protein 1
      expression patterns in the biopsies from 96 patients with primary gliomas. Kaplan
      Meier survival and Cox's regression analyses were performed to evaluate the
      prognosis of patients. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical analysis with anti
      neuroepithelial-transforming protein 1 antibody revealed that neuroepithelial
      transforming protein 1 was significantly associated with the Karnofsky
      performance scale score and World Health Organization grades of patients with
      gliomas. Especially, the positive expression rates of neuroepithelial
      transforming protein 1 were significantly higher in patients with higher grade (P
      = 0.001) and lower Karnofsky's performance scale score (P = 0.005). The median
      survival of patients with high neuroepithelial-transforming protein 1 expression
      was significantly shorter than that with low expression and without expression
      (316, 892 and 1180 days, respectively). Cox's multifactor analysis showed that
      the Karnofsky performance scale (P = 0.01), World Health Organization grade (P =
      0.008) and neuroepithelial-transforming protein 1 (P = 0.006) were independent
      prognosis factors for human glioma. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our study
      indicates for the first time that neuroepithelial-transforming protein 1 status
      may be a highly sensitive marker for glioma prognosis and suggest that the
      expression patterns of neuroepithelial-transforming protein 1 might be a potent
      tool for predicting the clinical prognosis of glioma patients.

PMID- 20304781
TI  - Ectomycorrhizal identity determines respiration and concentrations of nitrogen
      and non-structural carbohydrates in root tips: a test using Pinus sylvestris and
      Quercus robur saplings.
AB  - Fine roots play a significant role in plant and ecosystem respiration (RS);
      therefore, understanding factors controlling that process is important both to
      advancing understanding and potentially in modelling carbon (C) budgets. However,
      very little is known about the extent to which ectomycorrhizal (ECM) identity may
      influence RS or the underlying chemistry that may determine those rates. In order
      to test these relationships, we examined RS, measured as O(2) consumption, of
      first-order ECM root tips of Pinus sylvestris L. and Quercus robur L. saplings in
      relation to their ECM fungal symbionts and associated nitrogen (N), C and non
      structural carbohydrate concentrations. Roots of P. sylvestris were colonized by
      Rhizopogon roseolus, Tuber sp. 1 and an unknown species of Pezizales. Fungal
      species colonizing Q. robur roots were Hebeloma sp., Tuber sp. 2 and one
      unidentified ECM fungus described as Tuber-like based on ECM morphology. ECM RS
      rates for different host species were significantly different and more than 97%
      of the variation in RS within a host species was explained by ECM root tip N
      concentrations. This may indicate that some of the variability in fine root RS-N
      relationships observed between and within different host species or their
      functional groups may be related to intraspecific host species differences in
      root tip N concentration among ECM fungal associates.

PMID- 20304782
TI  - Proteomics-based study on asthenozoospermia: differential expression of
      proteasome alpha complex.
AB  - With a view to understand the molecular basis of sperm motility, we have tried to
      establish the human sperm proteome by two-dimensional PAGE MALDI MS/MS analysis.
      We report identification of 75 different proteins in the human spermatozoa.
      Comparative proteome analysis was carried out for asthenozoospermic and
      normozoospermic patients to understand the molecular basis of sperm motility.
      Analysis revealed eight proteins (including one unidentified) with altered
      intensity between the groups. Differential proteins distributed into three
      functional groups: 'energy and metabolism' (triose-phosphate isomerase, glycerol
      kinase 2, testis specific isoform and succinyl-CoA:3-ketoacid co-enzyme A
      transferase 1, mitochondrial precursor); 'movement and organization' (tubulin
      beta 2C and tektin 1) and 'protein turnover, folding and stress response'
      (proteasome alpha 3 subunit and heat shock-related 70 kDa protein 2). It was
      interesting to note that although the proteins falling in the functional group of
      'energy and metabolism' are higher in the asthenozoospermic patients, the other
      two functional groups contain proteins, which are higher in the normozoospermic
      samples. Validation of results carried out for proteasome alpha 3 subunit by
      immunoblotting and confocal microscopy, confirmed significant changes in
      intensity of proteasome alpha 3 subunit in asthenozoospermic samples when
      compared with normozoospermic controls. Significant positive correlation too was
      found between proteasome alpha 3 subunit levels and rapid, linear progressive
      motility of the spermatozoa. In our understanding, this data would contribute
      appreciably to the presently limited information available about the proteins
      implicated in human sperm motility.

PMID- 20304780
TI  - Parkinson disease protein DJ-1 converts from a zymogen to a protease by carboxyl
      terminal cleavage.
AB  - Mutations in DJ-1 cause recessively transmitted early-onset Parkinson disease
      (PD), and oxidative damage to DJ-1 has been associated with the pathogenesis of
      late-onset sporadic PD. The precise biochemical function of DJ-1 remains elusive.
      Here, we report that DJ-1 is synthesized as a latent protease zymogen with low
      intrinsic proteolytic activity. DJ-1 protease zymogen is activated by the removal
      of a 15-amino acid peptide at its C terminus. The activated DJ-1 functions as a
      cysteine protease with Cys-106 and His-126 as the catalytic diad. We show that
      endogenous DJ-1 in dopaminergic cells undergoes C-terminal cleavage in response
      to mild oxidative stress, suggesting that DJ-1 protease activation occurs in a
      redox-dependent manner. Moreover, we find that the C-terminally cleaved form of
      DJ-1 with activated protease function exhibits enhanced cytoprotective action
      against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. The cytoprotective action of DJ-1 is
      abolished by the C106A and H126A mutations. Our findings support a role for DJ-1
      protease in cellular defense against oxidative stress and have important
      implications for understanding and treating PD.

PMID- 20304783
TI  - Neonatal outcome associated with singleton birth at 34-41 weeks of gestation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Approximately 75% of preterm births are late-preterm (34(0/7) to
      36(6/7) weeks gestation). This group has usually been considered as a whole in
      studies assessing the outcome of these preterm infants by comparison with term
      infants. However, the respective contribution to prognosis of each week of
      gestation has not been fully clarified. METHODS: A population-based study of 150
      426 live-born singleton neonates with gestational ages ranging from 34 to 41
      weeks of gestation. RESULTS: The rate of severe respiratory disorders (treated by
      mechanical ventilation and/or nasal continuous positive airway pressure) markedly
      declined with gestational age from 19.8% at 34 weeks to 0.28% at 39-41 weeks.
      Between 34 and 38 weeks, each additional week diminished the relative risk (crude
      or adjusted) of severe respiratory disorders by a factor varying from 2 to 3. The
      rate of poor prognosis (death and/or severe neurological condition) significantly
      declined between 34 and 38 weeks and remained stable thereafter. A multivariate
      analysis showed that antepartum haemorrhage and hypertensive disorders during
      pregnancy were significantly associated with severe respiratory disorders and
      poor outcome. Diabetes was an additional factor associated with severe
      respiratory disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Future studies should delineate more
      precisely the respective contribution of gestational age, maternal complication
      and induced delivery in the prognosis of infants born between 33 and 39 weeks
      gestation.

PMID- 20304784
TI  - Right ventricular involvement in anterior myocardial infarction: a translational
      approach.
AB  - AIMS: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the involvement of the right
      ventricle (RV) in reperfused anterior ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).
      METHODS AND RESULTS: Left anterior descending (LAD)-perfused area (using
      thioflavin-S staining after selective infusion in proximal LAD artery, %),
      infarct size (using triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining, %), and salvaged
      myocardium (% of LAD-perfused area) in the right and left ventricle (LV) were
      quantified in a 90-min LAD occlusion 3-day reperfusion model in swine (n = 8).
      Additionally, we studied, using cardiovascular magnetic resonance, 20 patients
      with a first STEMI due to proximal LAD occlusion treated with primary
      angioplasty. Area at risk (T2-weighted sequence, %), infarct size (late
      enhancement imaging, %), and salvaged myocardium (% of area at risk) in the right
      and LV were quantified. In swine, a large LAD-perfused area was detected both in
      the right and LV (30 +/- 5 vs. 62 +/- 15%, P< 0.001) but more salvaged myocardium
      (94 +/- 6 vs. 73 +/- 11%, P< 0.001) resulted in a smaller right ventricular
      infarct size (2 +/- 1 vs. 16 +/- 5%, P< 0.001). Similarly, in patients a large
      area at risk was detected both in the right and LV (34 +/- 13 vs. 43 +/- 12%, P =
      0.02). More salvaged myocardium (94 +/- 10 vs. 33 +/- 26%, P < 0.001) resulted in
      a smaller infarct size (2 +/- 3 vs. 30 +/- 16%, P< 0.001) in the RV. CONCLUSION:
      In reperfused extensive anterior STEMI, a large area of the RV is at risk but the
      resultant infarct size is small.

PMID- 20304785
TI  - Severe dyslipidaemia, atherosclerosis, and sudden cardiac death in mice lacking
      all NO synthases fed a high-fat diet.
AB  - AIMS: The precise role of the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) system in lipid
      metabolism remains to be elucidated. We addressed this point in mice that we have
      recently developed and that lack all three NOS isoforms. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      Wild-type (WT), singly, doubly, and triply NOS(-/-) mice were fed either a
      regular or high-cholesterol diet for 3-5 months. The high-cholesterol diet
      significantly increased serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels in
      all the genotypes when compared with the regular diet. Importantly, when compared
      with the WT genotype, the serum LDL cholesterol levels in the high-cholesterol
      diet were significantly and markedly elevated only in the triply NOS(-/-)
      genotype, but not in any singly or doubly NOS(-/-) genotypes, and this was
      associated with remarkable atherosclerosis and sudden cardiac death, which
      occurred mainly in the 4-5 months after the high-cholesterol diet. Finally,
      hepatic LDL receptor expression was markedly reduced only in the triply NOS(-/-)
      genotype, accounting for the diet-induced dyslipidaemia in the genotype.
      CONCLUSION: These results provide the first direct evidence that complete
      disruption of all NOS genes causes severe dyslipidaemia, atherosclerosis, and
      sudden cardiac death in response to a high-fat diet in mice in vivo through the
      down-regulation of the hepatic LDL receptor, demonstrating the critical role of
      the whole endogenous NOS system in maintaining lipid homeostasis.

PMID- 20304786
TI  - Atlas of rice grain filling-related metabolism under high temperature: joint
      analysis of metabolome and transcriptome demonstrated inhibition of starch
      accumulation and induction of amino acid accumulation.
AB  - High temperature impairs grain filling by inhibiting the deposition of storage
      materials such as starch and protein. To comprehend its impact on grain filling
      metabolism in rice (Oryza sativa), levels of metabolites and transcripts related
      to central pathways of metabolism were simultaneously determined in developing
      caryopses exposed to high temperature (33 degrees C/28 degrees C) and a control
      temperature (25 degrees C/20 degrees C) during the milky stage. A capillary
      electrophoresis-based metabolomic analysis revealed that high temperature
      increased the accumulation of sucrose and pyruvate/ oxaloacetate-derived amino
      acids and decreased levels of sugar phosphates and organic acids involved in
      glycolysis/gluconeogenesis and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, respectively.
      A transcriptomic analysis using a whole genome-covering microarray unraveled the
      possible metabolic steps causing the shortage of storage materials under the
      elevated temperature. Starch deposition might be impaired by down-regulation of
      sucrose import/degradation and starch biosynthesis, and/or up-regulation of
      starch degradation as well as inefficient ATP production by an inhibited
      cytochrome respiration chain, as indicated by the response of gene expression to
      high temperature. Amino acid accumulation might be attributed to the heat-stable
      import of amino acids into the caryopsis and/or repression of protein synthesis
      especially the tRNA charging step under high temperature. An atlas showing the
      effect of high temperature on levels of metabolites and gene expression in the
      central metabolic pathways is presented.

PMID- 20304787
TI  - Effects of AOX1a deficiency on plant growth, gene expression of respiratory
      components and metabolic profile under low-nitrogen stress in Arabidopsis
      thaliana.
AB  - Expression of alternative oxidase (AOX) and cyanide (CN)-resistant respiration
      are often highly enhanced in plants exposed to low-nitrogen (N) stress. Here, we
      examined the effects of AOX deficiency on plant growth, gene expression of
      respiratory components and metabolic profiles under low-N stress, using an aox1a
      knockout transgenic line (aox1a) of Arabidopsis thaliana. We exposed wild-type
      (WT) and aox1a plants to low-N stress for 7 d and analyzed their shoots and
      roots. In WT plants, the AOX1a mRNA levels and AOX capacity increased in
      proportion to low-N stress. Expression of the genes of the components for non
      phosphorylating pathways and antioxidant enzymes was enhanced, but differences
      between WT and aox1a plants were small. Metabolome analyses revealed that AOX
      deficiency altered the levels of certain metabolites, such as sugars and sugar
      phosphates, in the shoots under low-N stress. However, the carbon (C)/N ratios
      and carbohydrate levels in aox1a plants were similar to those in the WT under low
      N stress. Our results indicated that the N-limited stress induced AOX expression
      in A. thaliana plants, but the induced AOX may not play essential roles under
      stress due to low-N alone, and the C/N balance under low-N stress may be tightly
      regulated by systems other than AOX.

PMID- 20304788
TI  - Are articulatory commands automatically and involuntarily activated during speech
      perception?

PMID- 20304790
TI  - An uncorrelated relaxed-clock analysis suggests an earlier origin for flowering
      plants.
AB  - We present molecular dating analyses for land plants that incorporate 33 fossil
      calibrations, permit rates of molecular evolution to be uncorrelated across the
      tree, and take into account uncertainties in phylogenetic relationships and the
      fossil record. We attached a prior probability to each fossil-based minimum age,
      and explored the effects of relying on the first appearance of tricolpate pollen
      grains as a lower bound for the age of eudicots. Many of our divergence-time
      estimates for major clades coincide well with both the known fossil record and
      with previous estimates. However, our estimates for the origin of crown-clade
      angiosperms, which center on the Late Triassic, are considerably older than the
      unequivocal fossil record of flowering plants or than the molecular dates
      presented in recent studies. Nevertheless, we argue that our older estimates
      should be taken into account in studying the causes and consequences of the
      angiosperm radiation in relation to other major events, including the
      diversification of holometabolous insects. Although the methods used here do help
      to correct for lineage-specific heterogeneity in rates of molecular evolution
      (associated, for example, with evolutionary shifts in life history), we remain
      concerned that some such effects (e.g., the early radiation of herbaceous clades
      within angiosperms) may still be biasing our inferences.

PMID- 20304791
TI  - Keeping sphingolipid levels nORMal.

PMID- 20304792
TI  - Temporal dynamics of spontaneous MEG activity in brain networks.
AB  - Functional MRI (fMRI) studies have shown that low-frequency (<0.1 Hz) spontaneous
      fluctuations of the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal during
      restful wakefulness are coherent within distributed large-scale cortical and
      subcortical networks (resting state networks, RSNs). The neuronal mechanisms
      underlying RSNs remain poorly understood. Here, we describe
      magnetoencephalographic correspondents of two well-characterized RSNs: the dorsal
      attention and the default mode networks. Seed-based correlation mapping was
      performed using time-dependent MEG power reconstructed at each voxel within the
      brain. The topography of RSNs computed on the basis of extended (5 min) epochs
      was similar to that observed with fMRI but confined to the same hemisphere as the
      seed region. Analyses taking into account the nonstationarity of MEG activity
      showed transient formation of more complete RSNs, including nodes in the
      contralateral hemisphere. Spectral analysis indicated that RSNs manifest in MEG
      as synchronous modulation of band-limited power primarily within the theta,
      alpha, and beta bands-that is, in frequencies slower than those associated with
      the local electrophysiological correlates of event-related BOLD responses.

PMID- 20304794
TI  - Functional delivery of viral miRNAs via exosomes.
AB  - Noncoding regulatory microRNAs (miRNAs) of cellular and viral origin control gene
      expression by repressing the translation of mRNAs into protein. Interestingly,
      miRNAs are secreted actively through small vesicles called "exosomes" that
      protect them from degradation by RNases, suggesting that these miRNAs may
      function outside the cell in which they were produced. Here we demonstrate that
      miRNAs secreted by EBV-infected cells are transferred to and act in uninfected
      recipient cells. Using a quantitative RT-PCR approach, we demonstrate that mature
      EBV-encoded miRNAs are secreted by EBV-infected B cells through exosomes. These
      EBV-miRNAs are functional because internalization of exosomes by MoDC results in
      a dose-dependent, miRNA-mediated repression of confirmed EBV target genes,
      including CXCL11/ITAC, an immunoregulatory gene down-regulated in primary EBV
      associated lymphomas. We demonstrate that throughout coculture of EBV-infected B
      cells EBV-miRNAs accumulate in noninfected neighboring MoDC and show that this
      accumulation is mediated by transfer of exosomes. Thus, the exogenous EBV-miRNAs
      transferred through exosomes are delivered to subcellular sites of gene
      repression in recipient cells. Finally, we show in peripheral blood mononuclear
      cells from patients with increased EBV load that, although EBV DNA is restricted
      to the circulating B-cell population, EBV BART miRNAs are present in both B-cell
      and non-B-cell fractions, suggestive of miRNA transfer. Taken together our
      findings are consistent with miRNA-mediated gene silencing as a potential
      mechanism of intercellular communication between cells of the immune system that
      may be exploited by the persistent human gamma-herpesvirus EBV.

PMID- 20304793
TI  - Functionally distinct hematopoietic stem cells modulate hematopoietic lineage
      potential during aging by a mechanism of clonal expansion.
AB  - Aging of the hematopoietic stem cell compartment is believed to contribute to the
      onset of a variety of age-dependent blood cell pathophysiologies. Mechanistic
      drivers of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) aging include DNA damage accumulation
      and induction of tumor suppressor pathways that combine to reduce the
      regenerative capacity of aged HSCs. Such mechanisms do not however account for
      the change in lymphoid and myeloid lineage potential characteristic of HSC aging,
      which is believed to be central to the decline of immune competence and
      predisposition to myelogenous diseases in the elderly. Here we have prospectively
      isolated functionally distinct HSC clonal subtypes, based on cell surface
      phenotype, bearing intrinsically different capacities to differentiate toward
      lymphoid and myeloid effector cells mediated by quantitative differences in
      lineage priming. Finally, we present data supporting a model in which clonal
      expansion of a class of intrinsically myeloid-biased HSCs with robust self
      renewal potential is a central component of hematopoietic aging.

PMID- 20304796
TI  - Guest-free monolayer clathrate and its coexistence with two-dimensional high
      density ice.
AB  - Three-dimensional (3D) gas clathrates are ice-like but distinguished from bulk
      ices by containing polyhedral nano-cages to accommodate small gas molecules.
      Without space filling by gas molecules, standalone 3D clathrates have not been
      observed to form in the laboratory, and they appear to be unstable except at
      negative pressure. Thus far, experimental evidence for guest-free clathrates has
      only been found in germanium and silicon, although guest-free hydrate clathrates
      have been found, in recent simulations, able to grow from cold stretched water,
      if first nucleated. Herein, we report simulation evidence of spontaneous
      formation of monolayer clathrate ice, with or without gas molecules, within
      hydrophobic nano-slit at low temperatures. The guest-free monolayer clathrate ice
      is a low-density ice (LDI) whose geometric pattern is identical to Archimedean
      4.8(2)-truncated square tiling, i.e. a mosaic of tetragons and octagons. At large
      positive pressure, a second phase of 2D monolayer ice, i.e. the puckered square
      high-density ice (HDI) can form. The triple point of the LDI/liquid/HDI three
      phase coexistence resembles that of the ice-I(h)/water/ice-III three-phase
      coexistence. More interestingly, when the LDI is under a strong compression at
      200 K, it transforms into the HDI via a liquid intermediate state, the first
      direct evidence of Ostwald's rule of stages at 2D. The tensile limit of the 2D
      LDI and water are close to that of bulk ice-I(h) and laboratory water.

PMID- 20304797
TI  - Raman microscopy and x-ray fluorescence analysis of pigments on medieval and
      Renaissance Italian manuscript cuttings.
AB  - Italian medieval and Renaissance manuscript cuttings and miniatures from the
      Victoria and Albert Museum were analyzed by Raman microscopy to compile a
      database of pigments used in different periods and different Italian regions. The
      palette identified in most manuscripts and cuttings was found to include lead
      white, gypsum, azurite, lazurite, indigo, malachite, vermilion, red lead, lead
      tin yellow (I), goethite, carbon, and iron gall ink. A few of the miniatures,
      such as the historiated capital "M" painted by Gerolamo da Cremona and the
      Petrarca manuscript by Bartolomeo Sanvito, are of exceptional quality and were
      analyzed extensively; some contained unusual materials. The widespread usage of
      iron oxides such as goethite and hematite as minor components of mixtures with
      azurite is particularly notable. The use of a needle-shaped form of iron gall ink
      as a pigment rather than a writing material was established by both Raman
      microscopy and x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy for the Madonna and Child by
      Franco de' Russi.

PMID- 20304795
TI  - Amyloid-like interactions within nucleoporin FG hydrogels.
AB  - The 62 kDa FG repeat domain of the nucleoporin Nsp1p forms a hydrogel-based,
      sieve-like permeability barrier that excludes inert macromolecules but allows
      rapid entry of nuclear transport receptors (NTRs). We found that the N-terminal
      part of this domain, which is characterized by Asn-rich inter-FG spacers, forms a
      tough hydrogel. The C-terminal part comprises charged inter-FG spacers, shows low
      gelation propensity on its own, but binds the N-terminal part and passivates the
      FG hydrogel against nonselective interactions. It was previously shown that a
      hydrophobic collapse involving Phe residues is required for FG hydrogel
      formation. Using solid-state NMR spectroscopy, we now identified two additional
      types of intragel interactions, namely, transient hydrophobic interactions
      between Phe and methyl side chains as well as intermolecular beta-sheets between
      the Asn-rich spacer regions. The latter appear to be the kinetically most stable
      structures within the FG hydrogel. They are also a central feature of neuronal
      inclusions formed by Asn/Gln-rich amyloid and prion proteins. The cohesive
      properties of FG repeats and the Asn/Gln-rich domain from the yeast prion Sup35p
      appear indeed so similar to each other that these two modules interact in trans.
      Our data, therefore, suggest a fully unexpected cellular function of such
      interchain beta-structures in maintaining the permeability barrier of nuclear
      pores. They provide an explanation for how contacts between FG repeats might gain
      the kinetic stability to suppress passive fluxes through nuclear pores and yet
      allow rapid NTR passage.

PMID- 20304798
TI  - Specific estrogen sulfotransferase (SULT1E1) substrates and molecular imaging
      probe candidates.
AB  - This work focuses on the development of specific substrates for estrogen
      sulfotransferase (SULT1E1) to produce molecular imaging probes for this enzyme.
      SULT1E1 is a key enzyme in estrogen homeostasis, playing a central role in the
      prevention and development of human disease. In vitro sulfation assays showed
      alkyl and aryl substitutions to a fused heterocyclic system modeled after beta
      naphthol (betaN), based on compounds that interact with the estrogen receptor,
      rendered several molecules with enhanced specificity for SULT1E1 over SULT1A1*1,
      SULT1A1*2, SULT1A3, and SULT2A1. Several 6-hydroxy-2-arylbenzothiazoles tested
      demonstrated excellent affinity--V(max)/K(m) ratios-and specificity for SULT1E1.
      K(m) values ranged from 0.12-2.36 microM. A strong correlation was observed
      between polarity of the 4'-sustituent on the 2-aryl moiety (Hammett sigma(p)) and
      the log(V(max)/K(m)) (r = 0.964). Substrate sensitivity is influenced by the
      acidity of the 6-phenolic group demonstrated by correlating its (1)H NMR chemical
      shift (delta(OH)) with the log(V(max)/K(m)) (r = 0.963). Acidity is mediated by
      the electron withdrawing capacity of the 4'-substituent outlined by the
      correlation of the C-2 (13)C NMR chemical shift (delta(C2)) with the
      log(V(max)/K(m)) (r = 0.987). 2-[4-(Methylamino)phenyl]-6-hydroxybenzothiazole
      (2b) was radiolabeled with carbon-11 ((11)C-(2b)) and used in vivo for microPET
      scanning and tissue metabolite identification. High PET signal was paralleled
      with the presence of radiolabeled (11)C-(2b)-6-O-sulfate and the SULT1E1 protein
      detected by western blot. Because this and other members of this family
      presenting specificity for SULT1E1 can be labeled with carbon-11 or fluorine-18,
      in vivo assays of SULT1E1 functional activity are now feasible in humans.

PMID- 20304799
TI  - Broad specificity AhpC-like peroxiredoxin and its thioredoxin reductant in the
      sparse antioxidant defense system of Treponema pallidum.
AB  - Little is known about the mechanisms by which Treponema pallidum (Tp), the
      causative agent of syphilis, copes with oxidative stress as it establishes
      persistent infection within its obligate human host. The Tp genomic sequence
      indicates that the bacterium's antioxidant defenses do not include glutathione
      and are limited to just a few proteins, with only one, TP0509, offering direct
      defense against peroxides. Although this Tp peroxiredoxin (Prx) closely resembles
      AhpC-like Prxs, Tp lacks AhpF, the typical reductant for such enzymes.
      Functionally, TpAhpC resembles largely eukaryotic, nonAhpC typical 2-Cys Prx
      proteins in using thioredoxin (Trx, TP0919) as an efficient electron donor and
      exhibiting broad specificity toward hydroperoxide substrates. Unlike many of the
      eukaryotic Prxs, however, TpAhpC is relatively resistant to inactivation during
      turnover with hydroperoxide substrates. As is often observed in typical 2-Cys
      Prxs, TpAhpC undergoes redox-sensitive oligomer formation. Quantitative
      immunoblotting revealed that TpTrx and TpAhpC are present at very high levels
      (over 100 and 300 microM, respectively) in treponemes infecting rabbit testes;
      their redox potentials, at -242 +/- 1 and -192 +/- 2 mV, respectively, are
      consistent with the role of TpTrx as the cellular reductant of TpAhpC.
      Transcriptional analysis of select antioxidant genes confirmed the presence of
      high mRNA levels for ahpC and trx which diminish greatly when spirochetes
      replicate under in vitro growth conditions. Thus, T. pallidum has evolved an
      extraordinarily robust, broad-spectrum AhpC as its sole mechanism for peroxide
      defense to combat this significant threat to treponemal growth and survival
      during infection.

PMID- 20304800
TI  - Metal-insulator quantum critical point beneath the high Tc superconducting dome.
AB  - An enduring question in correlated systems concerns whether superconductivity is
      favored at a quantum critical point (QCP) characterized by a divergent
      quasiparticle effective mass. Despite such a scenario being widely postulated in
      high T(c) cuprates and invoked to explain non-Fermi liquid transport signatures,
      experimental evidence is lacking for a critical divergence under the
      superconducting dome. We use ultrastrong magnetic fields to measure quantum
      oscillations in underdoped YBa(2)Cu(3)O(6+x), revealing a dramatic doping
      dependent upturn in quasiparticle effective mass at a critical metal-insulator
      transition beneath the superconducting dome. Given the location of this QCP under
      a plateau in T(c) in addition to a postulated QCP at optimal doping, we discuss
      the intriguing possibility of two intersecting superconducting subdomes, each
      centered at a critical Fermi surface instability.

PMID- 20304801
TI  - Nanoprobe measurements of materials at megabar pressures.
AB  - The use of nanoscale x-ray probes overcomes several key limitations in the study
      of materials up to multimegabar (> 200) pressures, namely, the spatial resolution
      of measurements of multiple samples, stress gradients, and crystal domains in
      micron to submicron size samples in diamond-anvil cells. Mixtures of Fe, Pt, and
      W were studied up to 282 GPa with 250-600 nm size synchrotron x-ray absorption
      and diffraction probes. The probes readily resolve signals from individual
      materials, between sample and gasket, and peak pressures, in contrast to the 5
      microm-sized x-ray beams that are now becoming routine. The use of nanoscale x
      ray beams also enables single-crystal x-ray diffraction studies in nominally
      polycrystalline samples at ultrahigh pressures, as demonstrated in measurements
      of (Mg,Fe)SiO(3) postperovskite. These capabilities have potential for driving a
      push toward higher maximum pressures and further miniaturization of high-pressure
      devices, in the process advancing studies at extreme conditions.

PMID- 20304802
TI  - Revision of the mtDNA tree and corresponding haplogroup nomenclature.

PMID- 20304803
TI  - Circadian control of XPA and excision repair of cisplatin-DNA damage by
      cryptochrome and HERC2 ubiquitin ligase.
AB  - Cisplatin is one of the most commonly used anticancer drugs. It kills cancer
      cells by damaging their DNA, and hence cellular DNA repair capacity is an
      important determinant of its efficacy. Here, we investigated the repair of
      cisplatin-induced DNA damage in mouse liver and testis tissue extracts prepared
      at regular intervals over the course of a day. We find that the XPA protein,
      which plays an essential role in repair of cisplatin damage by nucleotide
      excision repair, exhibits circadian oscillation in the liver but not in testis.
      Consequently, removal of cisplatin adducts in liver extracts, but not in testis
      extracts, exhibits a circadian pattern with zenith at approximately 5 pm and
      nadir at approximately 5 am. Furthermore, we find that the circadian oscillation
      of XPA is achieved both by regulation of transcription by the core circadian
      clock proteins including cryptochrome and by regulation at the posttranslational
      level by the HERC2 ubiquitin ligase. These findings may be used as a guide for
      timing of cisplatin chemotherapy.

PMID- 20304804
TI  - Particle size and activation threshold: a new dimension of danger signaling.
AB  - Previous studies have shown that single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) mixed with protamine
      forms particles and activates immune cells through Toll-like receptors (TLRs). We
      have found that the size of protamine-RNA particles generated depends on the
      electrolyte content when mixing the 2 components. Moreover, we have evidenced
      that (1) nanometric particles induce production of interferon-alpha, whereas (2)
      micrometric particles mainly induce production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha
      (TNF-alpha) in human immune cells. We found that the mechanisms underlying these
      observations are (1) nanoparticles but not microparticles are selectively
      phagocytosed by plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), which produce interferon
      alpha and (2) monocytes that produce TNF-alpha have a higher activation threshold
      than that of pDCs. Thus, at the same time as sensing pathogen-associated
      molecular patterns such as ssRNA, the immune system distinguishes the size of the
      associated structure in such a way as to trigger the adapted antivirus
      (nanometric) or antibacterial/antifungal (micrometric) immune response. Our
      results introduce a new dimension in danger signaling--how size qualitatively
      affects innate response.

PMID- 20304805
TI  - The JAK2 46/1 haplotype predisposes to MPL-mutated myeloproliferative neoplasms.
AB  - The 46/1 JAK2 haplotype predisposes to V617F-positive myeloproliferative
      neoplasms, but the underlying mechanism is obscure. We analyzed essential
      thrombocythemia patients entered into the PT-1 studies and, as expected, found
      that 46/1 was overrepresented in V617F-positive cases (n = 404) versus controls
      (n = 1492, P = 3.9 x 10(-11)). The 46/1 haplotype was also overrepresented in
      cases without V617F (n = 347, P = .009), with an excess seen for both MPL exon 10
      mutated and V617F, MPL exon 10 nonmutated cases. Analysis of further MPL
      positive, V617F-negative cases confirmed an excess of 46/1 (n = 176, P = .002),
      but no association between MPL mutations and MPL haplotype was seen. An excess of
      46/1 was also seen in JAK2 exon 12 mutated cases (n = 69, P = .002), and these
      mutations preferentially arose on the 46/1 chromosome (P = .029). No association
      between 46/1 and clinical or laboratory features was seen in the PT-1 cohort
      either with or without V617F. The excess of 46/1 in JAK2 exon 12 cases is
      compatible with both the "hypermutability" and "fertile ground" hypotheses, but
      the excess in MPL-mutated cases argues against the former. No difference in
      sequence, splicing, or expression of JAK2 was found on 46/1 compared with other
      haplotypes, suggesting that any functional difference of JAK2 on 46/1, if it
      exists, must be relatively subtle.

PMID- 20304806
TI  - SNP array analysis in hematologic malignancies: avoiding false discoveries.
AB  - Comprehensive analysis of the cancer genome has become a standard approach to
      identifying new disease loci, and ultimately will guide therapeutic decisions. A
      key technology in this effort, single nucleotide polymorphism arrays, has been
      applied in hematologic malignancies to detect deletions, amplifications, and loss
      of heterozygosity (LOH) at high resolution. An inherent challenge of such studies
      lies in correctly distinguishing somatically acquired, cancer-specific lesions
      from patient-specific inherited copy number variations or segments of
      homozygosity. Failure to include appropriate normal DNA reference samples for
      each patient in retrospective or prospective studies makes it difficult to
      identify small somatic deletions not evident by standard cytogenetic analysis. In
      addition, the lack of proper controls can also lead to vastly overestimated
      frequencies of LOH without accompanying loss of DNA copies, so-called copy
      neutral LOH. Here we use examples from patients with myeloid malignancies to
      demonstrate the superiority of matched tumor and normal DNA samples (paired
      studies) over multiple unpaired samples with respect to reducing false discovery
      rates in high-resolution single nucleotide polymorphism array analysis.
      Comparisons between matched tumor and normal samples will continue to be critical
      as the field moves from high resolution array analysis to deep sequencing to
      detect abnormalities in the cancer genome.

PMID- 20304807
TI  - Pain-related behaviors and neurochemical alterations in mice expressing sickle
      hemoglobin: modulation by cannabinoids.
AB  - Sickle cell disease causes severe pain. We examined pain-related behaviors,
      correlative neurochemical changes, and analgesic effects of morphine and
      cannabinoids in transgenic mice expressing human sickle hemoglobin (HbS). Paw
      withdrawal threshold and withdrawal latency (to mechanical and thermal stimuli,
      respectively) and grip force were lower in homozygous and hemizygous Berkley mice
      (BERK and hBERK1, respectively) compared with control mice expressing human
      hemoglobin A (HbA-BERK), indicating deep/musculoskeletal and cutaneous
      hyperalgesia. Peripheral nerves and blood vessels were structurally altered in
      BERK and hBERK1 skin, with decreased expression of mu opioid receptor and
      increased calcitonin gene-related peptide and substance P immunoreactivity.
      Activators of neuropathic and inflammatory pain (p38 mitogen-activated protein
      kinase, STAT3, and mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal
      regulated kinase) showed increased phosphorylation, with accompanying increase in
      COX-2, interleukin-6, and Toll-like receptor 4 in the spinal cord of hBERK1
      compared with HbA-BERK. These neurochemical changes in the periphery and spinal
      cord may contribute to hyperalgesia in mice expressing HbS. In BERK and hBERK1,
      hyperalgesia was markedly attenuated by morphine and cannabinoid receptor agonist
      CP 55940. We show that mice expressing HbS exhibit characteristics of pain
      observed in sickle cell disease patients, and neurochemical changes suggestive of
      nociceptor and glial activation. Importantly, cannabinoids attenuate pain in mice
      expressing HbS.

PMID- 20304808
TI  - Optimizing patient selection for myeloablative allogeneic hematopoietic cell
      transplantation in chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase.
AB  - Outstanding results have been obtained in the treatment of chronic myeloid
      leukemia (CML) with first-line imatinib therapy. However, approximately 35% of
      patients will not obtain long-term benefit with this approach. Allogeneic
      hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) is a valuable second- and third
      line therapy for appropriately selected patients. To identify useful prognostic
      indicators of transplantation outcome in postimatinib therapeutic interventions,
      we investigated the role of the HCT comorbidity index (HCT-CI) together with
      levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) before HCT in 271 patients who underwent
      myeloablative HCT for CML in first chronic phase. Multivariate analysis showed
      both an HCT-CI score higher than 0 and CRP levels higher than 9 mg/L
      independently predict inferior survival and increased nonrelapse mortality at 100
      days after HCT. CML patients without comorbidities (HCT-CI score 0) with normal
      CRP levels (0-9 mg/L) may therefore be candidates for early allogeneic HCT after
      failing imatinib.

PMID- 20304809
TI  - Clinical significance of low levels of minimal residual disease at the end of
      remission induction therapy in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
AB  - Minimal residual disease (MRD) at the end of remission-induction therapy predicts
      relapse in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We examined the clinical
      significance of levels below the usual threshold value for MRD positivity (0.01%)
      in 455 children with B-lineage ALL, using polymerase chain reaction amplification
      of antigen-receptor genes capable of detecting at least 1 leukemic cell per 100
      000 normal mononucleated cells (0.001%). Of the 455 clinical samples studied on
      day 46 of therapy, 139 (30.5%) had MRD 0.001% or more with 63 of these (45.3%)
      showing levels of 0.001% to less than 0.01%, whereas 316 (69.5%) had levels that
      were either less than 0.001% or undetectable. MRD measurements of 0.001% to less
      than 0.01% were not significantly related to presenting characteristics but were
      associated with a poorer leukemia cell clearance on day 19 of remission induction
      therapy. Patients with this low level of MRD had a 12.7% (+/- 5.1%; SE)
      cumulative risk of relapse at 5 years, compared with 5.0% (+/- 1.5%) for those
      with lower or undetectable MRD (P < .047). Thus, low levels of MRD (0.001%-<
      0.01%) at the end of remission induction therapy have prognostic significance in
      childhood ALL, suggesting that patients with this finding should be monitored
      closely for adverse events.

PMID- 20304810
TI  - Cross talk between the bone and immune systems: osteoclasts function as antigen
      presenting cells and activate CD4+ and CD8+ T cells.
AB  - The bone and immune systems are closely related through cellular and molecular
      interactions. Because bone-resorbing osteoclasts (OCs) are derived from the
      monocyte/macrophage lineage, similar to dendritic cells (DCs), we hypothesized
      that OCs could serve as antigen-presenting cells (APCs) to activate T cells. In
      this study, OCs were generated from human monocytes with stimulation by receptor
      activator of nuclear factor kappaB ligand (RANKL) and macrophage colony
      stimulating factor (M-CSF). Results showed that, similar to DCs, OCs express
      major histocompatibility complex (MHC) classes I and II, and CD80, CD86, and
      CD40; and uptake soluble antigens. OCs secrete interleukin-10 (IL-10),
      transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha
      (TNF-alpha), but not IL-12p70. OCs present allogeneic antigens and activate both
      CD4+ and CD8+ alloreactive T cells in an MHC-restricted fashion. OCs also present
      soluble protein tetanus toxoid to activate autologous CD4+ T cells. These
      findings indicate that OCs can function as APCs and activate both CD4+ and CD8+ T
      cells. Thus, our study provides new insight into the effect of OCs on the immune
      system and may help develop novel strategies for treating diseases such as
      rheumatoid arthritis and multiple myeloma, which affect both the bone and immune
      systems.

PMID- 20304811
TI  - Weight loss in obese C57BL/6 mice limits adventitial expansion of established
      angiotensin II-induced abdominal aortic aneurysms.
AB  - Previous studies demonstrated that obesity increases inflammation in periaortic
      adipose tissue and promotes angiotensin II (ANG II)-induced abdominal aortic
      aneurysms (AAAs). We sought to determine whether weight loss of obese C57BL/6
      mice would influence the progression of established AAAs. Male C57BL/6 mice were
      fed a high-fat diet (HF) for 4 mo and then infused with either saline or ANG II
      (1,000 ng x kg(-1) x min(-1)) for 3 mo. Mice with dilated suprarenal aortas at 28
      days of ANG II infusion were designated to groups fed the HF (HF/HF) or a low-fat
      diet (LF; 10% kcal as fat; HF/LF) to induce weight loss for the last 2 mo of
      infusions. Suprarenal aortic lumen diameters of obese mice were increased by ANG
      II infusion at day 28 (day 0: 1.03 + or - 0.02; day 28: 1.86 + or - 0.14 mm; P <
      0.05), but did not progress with continued infusion in HF/HF mice. Moreover,
      aortic lumen diameters were not different between groups (HF/HF: 1.89 + or -
      0.15; HF/LF: 1.79 + or - 0.18 mm). However, maximal diameters of excised AAAs
      were decreased with weight loss (HF/HF: 2.00 + or - 0.11; HF/LF: 1.55 + or - 0.13
      mm; P < 0.05) and had reduced adventitial areas (HF/HF: 1.18 + or - 0.10; HF/LF:
      0.54 + or - 0.02 mm(2); P < 0.05). Neovascularization of aortic adventitias was
      strikingly decreased in HF/LF mice (HF/HF: 43 + or - 5; HF/LF: 12 + or - 2
      endothelial cells/adventitial area; P < 0.05). ANG II-induced elevations in
      adipose mRNA abundance of CD105, an adipose-derived stem cell marker, were
      abolished with weight loss. These results demonstrate that weight loss limits
      adventitial expansion of ANG II-induced AAAs. Reduced neovascularization from
      weight loss may limit progression of AAAs.

PMID- 20304813
TI  - Roles for Nox4 in the contractile response of bovine pulmonary arteries to
      hypoxia.
AB  - Hypoxia appears to promote contraction [hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV)]
      of bovine pulmonary arteries (BPA) through removal of a peroxide-mediated
      relaxation. This study examines the roles of BPA Nox oxidases and mitochondria in
      the HPV response. Inhibitors of Nox2 (0.1 mM apocynin and 50 muM gp91-dstat) and
      mitochondrial electron transport (10 muM antimycin and rotenone) decreased
      superoxide generation in BPA without affecting contraction to 25 mM KCl or the
      HPV response. Transfection of BPA with small inhibitory RNA (siRNA) for Nox2 and
      Nox4 decreased Nox2 and Nox4 protein expression, respectively, associated with an
      attenuation of superoxide detection, without affecting 25 mM KCl contraction.
      However, Nox4 siRNA, but not Nox2, attenuated HPV in BPA. A Nox4 inhibitor
      plumbagin (10 muM) increased basal force, decreased superoxide detection and
      peroxide release, and caused BPA to relax under hypoxia. Although acute removal
      of peroxide with 0.1 mM ebselen increased 25 mM KCl contraction and decreased
      hypoxic contraction, prolonged treatment with ebselen only decreased hypoxic
      contraction without affecting 25 mM KCl contraction, suggesting basal peroxide
      levels also maintain a contractile mechanism not removed by acute hypoxia. Organ
      culture of BPA with transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 (4 nM) increased Nox4
      expression, superoxide, peroxide, and the HPV response. Thus Nox2 and
      mitochondria are sources for superoxide generation in BPA, which do not appear to
      influence the HPV response. However, peroxide derived from superoxide generated
      by Nox4 appears to maintain a basal relaxation in BPA under normoxic conditions,
      which is removed under hypoxia leading to HPV. Peroxide generated by Nox4 may
      also function to maintain a contractile mechanism, which is not reversed by acute
      hypoxia.

PMID- 20304814
TI  - Role of Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II in the regulation of the
      cardiac L-type Ca(2+) current during endothelin-1 stimulation.
AB  - Endothelin-1 (ET-1) shows a positive inotropic effect on cardiac muscle. Although
      the L-type Ca(2+) current (I(Ca)) is one of the important determinants of cardiac
      excitation-contraction coupling, the effect of ET-1 on the I(Ca) is not always
      clear. The controversial results appear to be due to different patch-clamp
      methods. The present study measured the effect of ET-1 on the I(Ca) of rat
      ventricular myocytes using the perforated patch-clamp technique. The holding
      potential was set to -40 mV, and depolarization was applied every 10 s. ET-1 (10
      nM) increased the I(Ca) in a monophasic manner. The current reached a steady
      state 15 min after the application of ET-1, when the measurement was done.
      Endothelin receptor subtype expression was also investigated using Western
      immunoblotting. ET(A)-receptor protein was expressed, but ET(B)-receptor protein
      was not expressed, in the cell membranes of rat ventricular myocytes. The effect
      of ET-1 on the I(Ca) was inhibited by a selective ET(A)-receptor antagonist, BQ
      123, but not by a selective ET(B)-receptor antagonist, BQ-788. The effect was
      inhibited by protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor chelerythrine and Ca(2+)/calmodulin
      dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) inhibitor KN-93, but not by its inactive
      analog KN-92. The effect of ET-1 was also blocked by another CaMKII inhibitor,
      autocamtide-2-related inhibitory peptide. These results suggest that ET-1
      increases the I(Ca) via the ET(A)-receptor-PKC-CaMKII pathway.

PMID- 20304812
TI  - Physical activity maintains aortic endothelium-dependent relaxation in the obese
      type 2 diabetic OLETF rat.
AB  - We tested the hypothesis that physical activity can attenuate the temporal
      decline of ACh-induced endothelium-dependent relaxation during type 2 diabetes
      mellitus progression in the Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima fatty (OLETF) rat.
      Sedentary OLETF rats exhibited decreased ACh-induced abdominal aortic endothelium
      dependent relaxation from 13 to 20 wk of age (20-35%) and from 13 to 40 wk of age
      (35-50%). ACh-induced endothelium-dependent relaxation was maintained in the
      physically active OLETF group and control sedentary Long-Evans Tokushima Otsuka
      (LETO) group from 13 to 40 wk of age. Aortic pretreatment with N(G)-nitro-l
      arginine (l-NNA), indomethacin (Indo), and l-NNA + Indo did not alter the
      temporal decline in ACh-induced endothelium-dependent relaxation. Temporal
      changes in the protein expression of SOD isoforms in the aortic endothelium or
      smooth muscle did not contribute to the temporal decline in ACh-induced
      endothelium-dependent relaxation in sedentary OLETF rats. A significant increase
      in the 40-wk-old sedentary LETO and physically active OLETF rat aortic
      phosphorylated endothelial nitric oxide (p-eNOS)-to-eNOS ratio was observed
      versus 13- and 20-wk-old rats in each group that was not seen in the 40- versus
      13- and 20-wk-old sedentary OLETF rats. These results suggest that temporal
      changes in the antioxidant system, EDHF, and cycloxygenase metabolite production
      in sedentary OLETF rat aortas do not contribute to the temporal decline in
      sedentary OLETF rat aortic ACh-induced endothelium-dependent relaxation seen with
      type 2 diabetes mellitus progression. We also report that physical activity in
      conjunction with aging in the OLETF rat results in a temporal increase in the
      aortic endothelial p-eNOS-to-eNOS ratio that was not seen in sedentary OLETF
      rats. These results suggest that the sustained aortic ACh-induced endothelium
      dependent relaxation in aged physically active OLETF rats may be the result of an
      increase in active aortic eNOS.

PMID- 20304815
TI  - MnSOD protects against COX1-mediated endothelial dysfunction in chronic heart
      failure.
AB  - Endothelial function is impaired by oxidative stress in chronic heart failure
      (HF). Mechanisms that protect against increases in oxidative stress in HF are not
      clear. The goal of this study was to determine whether manganese superoxide
      dismutase (MnSOD) plays a key role in protecting against endothelial dysfunction
      in HF. Endothelial function and gene expression were examined in aorta from wild
      type mice (MnSOD(+/+)) and mice deficient in MnSOD (MnSOD(+/-)) 12 wk after
      ligation of the left coronary artery (LCA). LCA ligation produced similar size
      myocardial infarctions in MnSOD(+/+) and MnSOD(+/-) mice and reduced ejection
      fraction to approximately 20% in both groups. Maximal relaxation in response to
      acetylcholine was 78 +/- 3% (mean +/- SE) and 66 +/- 8% in sham-operated
      MnSOD(+/+) and MnSOD(+/-) mice, respectively. Expression of antioxidant enzymes
      increased in MnSOD(+/+) mice with HF, and maximal relaxation to acetylcholine was
      slightly impaired (68 +/- 4%). Greater endothelial dysfunction was observed in
      MnSOD(+/-) mice with HF (46 +/- 5%, P < 0.05), which was significantly improved
      by polyethylene glycol-catalase but not Tempol. Incubation with the nonspecific
      cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor indomethacin or the COX1 inhibitor valeryl
      salicylate, but not the COX-2 inhibitor NS-398, significantly improved relaxation
      to acetylcholine in HF mice (maximum relaxation = 74 +/- 5, 91 +/- 1, and 58 +/-
      5%). These data suggest that MnSOD plays a key role in protecting against
      endothelial dysfunction in HF. A novel mechanism was identified whereby chronic
      increases in oxidative stress, produced by mitochondrial SOD deficiency, impair
      vascular function via a hydrogen peroxide-dependent, COX1-dependent, endothelium
      derived contracting factor.

PMID- 20304817
TI  - Cardiac oxidative stress is involved in heart failure induced by thiamine
      deprivation in rats.
AB  - Thiamine is an important cofactor of metabolic enzymes, and its deficiency leads
      to cardiovascular dysfunction. First, we characterized the metabolic status
      measuring resting oxygen consumption rate and lactate blood concentration after
      35 days of thiamine deficiency (TD). The results pointed to a decrease in resting
      oxygen consumption and a twofold increase in blood lactate. Confocal microscopy
      showed that intracellular superoxide (approximately 40%) and H(2)O(2) (2.5 times)
      contents had been increased. In addition, biochemical activities and protein
      expression of SOD, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase were evaluated in hearts
      isolated from rats submitted to thiamine deprivation. No difference in SOD
      activity was detected, but protein levels were found to be increased. Catalase
      activity increased 2.1 times in TD hearts. The observed gain in activity was
      attended by an increased catalase protein level. However, a marked decrease in
      glutathione peroxidase activity (control 435.3 + or - 28.6 vs. TD 199.4 + or -
      30.2 nmol NADPH x min(-1) x ml(-1)) was paralleled by a diminution in the protein
      levels. Compared with control hearts, we did observe a greater proportion of
      apoptotic myocytes by TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) and caspase-3
      reactivity techniques. These results indicate that during TD, reactive oxygen
      species (ROS) production may be enhanced as a consequence of the installed
      acidosis. The perturbation in the cardiac myocytes redox balance was responsible
      for the increase in apoptosis.

PMID- 20304816
TI  - Isoform- and tissue-specific regulation of the Ca(2+)-sensitive transcription
      factor NFAT in cardiac myocytes and heart failure.
AB  - Nuclear factors of activated T cells (NFATs) are Ca(2+)-sensitive transcription
      factors that have been implicated in hypertrophy, heart failure (HF), and
      arrhythmias. Cytosolic NFAT is activated by dephosphorylation by the Ca(2+)
      sensitive phosphatase calcineurin, resulting in translocation to the nucleus,
      which is opposed by kinase activity, rephosphorylation, and nuclear export. Four
      different NFAT isoforms are expressed in the heart. The activation and regulation
      of NFAT in adult cardiac myocytes, which may depend on the NFAT isoform and cell
      type, are not fully understood. This study compared basal localization, import,
      and export of NFATc1 and NFATc3 in adult atrial and ventricular myocytes to
      identify isoform- and tissue-specific regulatory mechanisms of NFAT activation
      under physiological conditions and in HF. NFAT-green fluorescent protein fusion
      proteins and NFAT immunocytochemistry were used to analyze NFAT regulation in
      adult cat and rabbit myocytes. NFATc1 displayed basal nuclear localization in
      atrial and ventricular myocytes, an effect that was attenuated by reducing
      intracellular Ca(2+) concentration and inhibiting calcineurin, and enhanced by
      the inhibition of nuclear export. In contrast, NFATc3 was localized to the
      cytoplasm but could be driven to the nucleus by angiotensin II and endothelin-1
      stimulation in atrial, but not ventricular, cells. Inhibition of nuclear export
      (by leptomycin B) facilitated nuclear localization in both cell types.
      Ventricular myocytes from HF rabbits showed increased basal nuclear localization
      of endogenous NFATc3 and reduced responsiveness of NFAT translocation to
      phenylephrine stimulation. In control myocytes, Ca(2+) overload, leading to
      spontaneous Ca(2+) waves, induced substantial translocation of NFATc3 to the
      nucleus. We conclude that the activation of NFAT in adult cardiomyocytes is
      isoform and tissue specific and is tightly controlled by nuclear export. NFAT is
      activated in myocytes from HF animals and may be secondary to Ca(2+) overload.

PMID- 20304818
TI  - Adrenal GRK2 lowering is an underlying mechanism for the beneficial sympathetic
      effects of exercise training in heart failure.
AB  - Exercise training has been reported to exert beneficial effects on cardiac
      function and to reduce morbidity and mortality of chronic heart failure (HF).
      Augmented sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity, leading to elevated
      circulating catecholamine (CA) levels, is a hallmark of chronic HF that
      significantly aggravates this disease. Exercise training has been shown to also
      reduce SNS overactivity in HF, but the underlying molecular mechanism(s) remain
      unidentified. We recently reported that adrenal G protein-coupled receptor kinase
      2 (GRK2), an enzyme that regulates the sympathoinhibitory alpha(2)-adrenoceptors
      (alpha(2)-ARs) present in the CA-producing adrenal medulla, is upregulated in HF,
      contributing to the chronically elevated CA levels and SNS activity of the
      disease. In the present study, we tested whether exercise training can affect the
      adrenal GRK2-alpha(2)-AR-CA production system in the context of HF. For this
      purpose, a 10-wk-long exercise training regimen of adult male Sprague-Dawley rats
      starting at 4 wk postmyocardial infarction (post-MI) was employed, and
      examination at the end of this treatment period revealed significant amelioration
      of beta-AR-stimulated contractility in response to exercise training, accompanied
      by cardiac GRK2 reduction and restoration of circulating plasma CA levels.
      Importantly, adrenal GRK2 expression (72 + or - 5% reduction vs. post-MI
      untrained) and alpha(2)-AR number were also restored after exercise training in
      post-MI animals. These results suggest that exercise training restores the
      adrenal GRK2-alpha(2)-AR-CA production axis, and this might be part of the
      mechanism whereby this therapeutic modality normalizes sympathetic overdrive and
      impedes worsening of the failing heart.

PMID- 20304819
TI  - Developmental aspects of cardiac Ca(2+) signaling: interplay between RyR- and
      IP(3)R-gated Ca(2+) stores.
AB  - The dominant mode of intracellular Ca(2+) release in adult mammalian heart is
      gated by ryanodine receptors (RyRs), but it is less clear whether inositol 1,4,5
      trisphosphate (IP(3))-gated Ca(2+) release channels (IP(3)Rs), which are
      important during embryogenesis, play a significant role during early postnatal
      development. To address this question, we measured confocal two-dimensional
      Ca(2+) dependent fluorescence images in acutely isolated neonatal (days 1 to 2)
      and juvenile (days 8-10) rat cardiomyocytes, either voltage-clamped or
      permeabilized, where rapid exchange of solution could be used to selectively
      activate the two types of Ca(2+) release channel. Targeting RyRs with caffeine
      produced large and rapid Ca(2+) signals throughout the cells. Application of ATP
      and endothelin-1 to voltage-clamped, or IP(3) to permeabilized, cells produced
      smaller and slower Ca(2+) signals that were most prominent in subsarcolemmal
      regions and were suppressed by either the IP(3)R-blocker 2
      aminoethoxydiphenylborate or replacement of the biologically active form of IP(3)
      with its L-stereoisomer. Such IP(3)R-gated Ca(2+) releases were amplified by
      Ca(2+)-induced Ca(2+) release (CICR) via RyRs since they were also reduced by
      compounds that block the RyRs (tetracaine) or deplete the Ca(2+) pools they gate
      (caffeine, ryanodine). Spatial analysis revealed both subsarcolemmal and
      perinuclear origins for the IP(3)-mediated Ca(2+) release events RyR- and IP(3)R
      gated Ca(2+) signals had larger magnitudes in juvenile than in neonatal
      cardiomyocytes. Ca(2+) signaling was generally quite similar in atrial and
      ventricular cardiomyocytes but showed divergent development of IP(3)-mediated
      regulation in juveniles. Our data suggest that an intermediate stage of Ca(2+)
      signaling may be present in developing cardiomyocytes, where, in addition to RyR
      gated Ca(2+) pools, IP(3)-gated Ca(2+) release is sufficiently large in magnitude
      and duration to trigger or contribute to activation of CICR and cardiac
      contraction.

PMID- 20304821
TI  - Measurements of changes in left ventricular volume, strain, and twist during
      isovolumic relaxation using MRI.
AB  - Left ventricular (LV) active relaxation begins before aortic valve closure and is
      largely completed during isovolumic relaxation (IVR), before mitral valve
      opening. During IVR, despite closed mitral and aortic valves, indirect
      assessments of LV volume have suggested volume increases during this period. The
      aim of this study is to measure LV volume throughout IVR and to determine the
      sources of any volume changes. For 10 healthy individuals (26.0 + or - 3.8 yr),
      magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure time courses of LV volume,
      principal myocardial strains (circumferential, longitudinal, radial), and LV
      twist. Mitral leaflet motion was observed using echocardiography. During IVR, LV
      volume measurements showed an apparent increase of 4.6 + or - 1.5 ml (5.0 + or -
      2.0% of the early filling volume change), the LV untwisted by 4.5 + or - 1.9
      degrees (36.6 + or - 18.0% of peak systolic twist), and changes in
      circumferential, longitudinal, and radial strains were +0.87 + or - 0.64%, +0.93
      + or - 0.57%, and -1.46 + or - 1.66% (4.2 + or - 3.3%, 5.9 + or - 3.3%, and 5.3 +
      or - 7.5% of peak systolic strains), respectively. The apparent changes in volume
      correlated (P < 0.01) with changes in circumferential, longitudinal, and radial
      strains (r = 0.86, 0.69, and -0.37, respectively) and untwisting (r = 0.83). The
      closed mitral valve leaflets were observed to descend into the LV throughout IVR
      in all subjects in apical four- and three-chamber and parasternal long-axis views
      by 6.0 + or - 3.3, 5.1 + or - 2.4, and 2.1 + or - 5.0 mm, respectively. In
      conclusion, LV relaxation during IVR is associated with changes in principal
      strains and untwisting, which are all correlated with an apparent increase in LV
      volume. Since closed mitral and aortic valves ensure true isovolumic conditions,
      the apparent volume change likely reflects expansion of the LV myocardium and the
      inward bowing of the closed mitral leaflets toward the LV interior.

PMID- 20304820
TI  - The p75 neurotrophin receptor, semaphorins, and sympathetic traffic in the heart.

PMID- 20304822
TI  - Activating transcription factor 3 is a positive regulator of human IFNG gene
      expression.
AB  - IL-12 and IL-18 are essential for Th1 differentiation, whereas the role of IFN
      alpha in Th1 development is less understood. In this microarray-based study, we
      searched for genes that are regulated by IFN-alpha, IL-12, or the combination of
      IL-12 plus IL-18 during the early differentiation of human umbilical cord blood
      CD4(+) Th cells. Twenty-six genes were similarly regulated in response to
      treatment with IL-12, IFN-alpha, or the combination of IL-12 plus IL-18. These
      genes could therefore play a role in Th1 lineage decision. Transcription factor
      activating transcription factor (ATF) 3 was upregulated by these cytokines and
      selected for further study. Ectopic expression of ATF3 in CD4(+) T cells enhanced
      the production of IFN-gamma, the hallmark cytokine of Th1 cells, whereas small
      interfering RNA knockdown of ATF3 reduced IFN-gamma production. Furthermore, ATF3
      formed an endogenous complex with JUN in CD4(+) T cells induced to Th1. Chromatin
      immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assays showed that both ATF3 and JUN
      are recruited to and transactivate the IFNG promoter during early Th1
      differentiation. Collectively, these data indicate that ATF3 promotes human Th1
      differentiation.

PMID- 20304824
TI  - Soluble IL-7R alpha (sCD127) inhibits IL-7 activity and is increased in HIV
      infection.
AB  - Soluble CD127 (sCD127) appears to play an important role in the
      immunopathogenesis of several chronic infections, multiple sclerosis, and various
      cancers. The function of sCD127 and whether it influences IL-7 bioavailability or
      activity is unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that recombinant and native
      sources of sCD127 significantly inhibited IL-7-mediated STAT5 and Akt
      phosphorylation in CD8(+) T cells. IL-7-mediated proliferation and Bcl-2
      expression were similarly reduced by sCD127. In each case, native sCD127
      inhibited IL-7 activity to a greater degree than rsCD127. Anti-IL-7 activity was
      inherent to human plasma and could be reversed by depletion of CD127, revealing
      for the first time the biological activity of naturally occurring sCD127. Plasma
      sCD127 concentrations were increased in HIV(+) individuals compared with HIV(-)
      controls, correlated with IL-7 levels, and remained unchanged in HIV(+)
      individuals following 1 y of effective antiretroviral therapy. Determining the
      regulation and function of sCD127 may be critical for understanding both the
      pathogenesis of diseases in which IL-7 likely has a role (e.g., HIV infection,
      cancer) and its potential impact on IL-7 as a therapeutic approach.

PMID- 20304823
TI  - IL-4 and TGF-beta 1 counterbalance one another while regulating mast cell
      homeostasis.
AB  - Mast cell responses can be altered by cytokines, including those secreted by Th2
      and regulatory T cells (Treg). Given the important role of mast cells in Th2
      mediated inflammation and recent demonstrations of Treg-mast cell interactions,
      we examined the ability of IL-4 and TGF-beta1 to regulate mast cell homeostasis.
      Using in vitro and in vivo studies of mouse and human mast cells, we demonstrate
      that IL-4 suppresses TGF-beta1 receptor expression and signaling, and vice versa.
      In vitro studies demonstrated that IL-4 and TGF-beta1 had balancing effects on
      mast cell survival, migration, and FcepsilonRI expression, with each cytokine
      cancelling the effects of the other. However, in vivo analysis of peritoneal
      inflammation during Nippostrongylus brasiliensis infection in mice revealed a
      dominant suppressive function for TGF-beta1. These data support the existence of
      a cytokine network involving the Th2 cytokine IL-4 and the Treg cytokine TGF
      beta1 that can regulate mast cell homeostasis. Dysregulation of this balance may
      impact allergic disease and be amenable to targeted therapy.

PMID- 20304825
TI  - Human plasmacytoid dendritic cells phagocytose, process, and present exogenous
      particulate antigen.
AB  - Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) play a major role in shaping both innate and
      adaptive immune responses, mainly via their production of large amounts of type I
      IFNs. pDCs are considered to primarily present endogenous Ags and are thought not
      to participate in the uptake and presentation of Ags from the extracellular
      environment, in contrast to their myeloid counterparts, which efficiently
      endocytose extracellular particulates. In this study, we show that human pDCs are
      able to phagocytose and process particulate forms of Ag entrapped in poly(lactic
      coglycolic acid) microparticles. Furthermore, pDCs were also able to sense TLR
      ligands (TLR-Ls) incorporated in these particles, resulting in rapid pDC
      activation and high IFN-alpha secretion. Combining a tetanus toxoid peptide and
      TLR-Ls (CpG C and R848) in these microparticles resulted in efficient pDC
      activation and concomitant Ag-specific T cell stimulation. Moreover, particulate
      Ag was phagocytosed and presented more efficiently than soluble Ag, indicating
      that microparticles can be exploited to facilitate efficient delivery of
      antigenic cargo and immunostimulatory molecules to pDCs. Together, our results
      show that in addition to their potency to stimulate innate immunity, pDCs can
      polarize adaptive immune responses against exogenous particulate Ag. These
      results may have important consequences for the development of new
      immunotherapeutic strategies exploiting Ag and TLR-Ls encapsulated in
      microparticles to target APC subsets.

PMID- 20304826
TI  - Estradiol and G1 reduce infarct size and improve immunosuppression after
      experimental stroke.
AB  - Reduced risk and severity of stroke in adult females is thought to depend on
      normal endogenous levels of estrogen, a well-known neuroprotectant and
      immunomodulator. In male mice, experimental stroke induces immunosuppression of
      the peripheral immune system, characterized by a reduction in spleen size and
      cell numbers and decreased cytokine and chemokine expression. However, stroke
      induced immunosuppression has not been evaluated in female mice. To test the
      hypothesis that estradiol (E2) deficiency exacerbates immunosuppression after
      focal stroke in females, we evaluated the effect of middle cerebral artery
      occlusion on infarct size and peripheral and CNS immune responses in
      ovariectomized mice with or without sustained, controlled levels of 17-beta-E2
      administered by s.c. implant or the putative membrane estrogen receptor agonist,
      G1. Both E2- and G1-replacement decreased infarct volume and partially restored
      splenocyte numbers. Moreover, E2-replacement increased splenocyte proliferation
      in response to stimulation with anti-CD3/CD28 Abs and normalized aberrant mRNA
      expression for cytokines, chemokines, and chemokine receptors and percentage of
      CD4(+)CD25(+)FoxP3(+) T regulatory cells observed in E2-deficient animals. These
      beneficial changes in peripheral immunity after E2 replacement were accompanied
      by a profound reduction in expression of the chemokine, MIP-2, and a 40-fold
      increased expression of CCR7 in the lesioned brain hemisphere. These results
      demonstrate for the first time that E2 replacement in ovariectomized female mice
      improves stroke-induced peripheral immunosuppression.

PMID- 20304827
TI  - PU.1 positively regulates GATA-1 expression in mast cells.
AB  - Coexpression of PU.1 and GATA-1 is required for proper specification of the mast
      cell lineage; however, in the myeloid and erythroid lineages, PU.1 and GATA-1 are
      functionally antagonistic. In this study, we report a transcriptional network in
      which PU.1 positively regulates GATA-1 expression in mast cell development. We
      isolated a variant mRNA isoform of GATA-1 in murine mast cells that is
      significantly upregulated during mast cell differentiation. This isoform contains
      an alternatively spliced first exon (IB) that is distinct from the first exon
      (IE) incorporated in the major erythroid mRNA transcript. In contrast to
      erythroid and megakaryocyte cells, in mast cells we show that PU.1 and GATA-2
      predominantly occupy potential cis-regulatory elements in the IB exon region in
      vivo. Using reporter assays, we identify an enhancer flanking the IB exon that is
      activated by PU.1. Furthermore, we observe that in PU.1(-/-) fetal liver cells,
      low levels of the IE GATA-1 isoform is expressed, but the variant IB isoform is
      absent. Reintroduction of PU.1 restores variant IB isoform and upregulates total
      GATA-1 protein expression, which is concurrent with mast cell differentiation.
      Our results are consistent with a transcriptional hierarchy in which PU.1,
      possibly in concert with GATA-2, activates GATA-1 expression in mast cells in a
      pathway distinct from that seen in the erythroid and megakaryocytic lineages.

PMID- 20304830
TI  - An alternative path for antigen presentation: group 1 CD1 proteins.

PMID- 20304829
TI  - Naive CD4+ T lymphocytes circulate through lymphoid organs to interact with
      endogenous antigens and upregulate their function.
AB  - Naive T lymphocytes recirculate through the lymph-vascular system and enter and
      exit lymphoid organs. Using mice expressing the photoconvertible fluorescence
      protein Kaede, we demonstrated that naive T cells seek to interact with
      endogenous Ags after migrating to the lymphoid organs. The interaction with
      endogenous Ags transiently induces CD69 expression on T cells, which prolongs
      retention in the lymphoid organs. Cells that fail to express CD69 or lose CD69
      expression migrate to other lymphoid organs. Functionally, CD69(+)-naive CD4(+) T
      cells exhibit faster and greater cytokine production than do CD69(-) naive CD4(+)
      T cells. These results indicate that CD4(+) T cells continuously migrate to
      interact with endogenous Ags, and such an interaction plays an important role in
      the Ag reactivity of naive CD4(+) T cells.

PMID- 20304828
TI  - Role of SMAD and non-SMAD signals in the development of Th17 and regulatory T
      cells.
AB  - Whereas TGF-beta is essential for the development of peripherally induced
      Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells (iTreg cells) and Th17 cells, the intracellular
      signaling mechanism by which TGF-beta regulates development of both cell subsets
      is less understood. In this study, we report that neither Smad2 nor Smad3 gene
      deficiency abrogates TGF-beta-dependent iTreg induction by a deacetylase
      inhibitor trichostatin A in vivo, although the loss of the Smad2 or Smad3 gene
      partially reduces iTreg induction in vitro. Similarly, SMAD2 and SMAD3 have a
      redundant role in development of Th17 in vitro and in experimental autoimmune
      encephalomyelitis. In addition, ERK and/or JNK pathways were shown to be involved
      in regulating iTreg cells, whereas the p38 pathway predominately modulated Th17
      and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis induction. Therefore, selective
      targeting of these intracellular TGF-beta signaling pathways during iTreg and
      Th17 cell development might lead to the development of therapies in treating
      autoimmune and other chronic inflammatory diseases.

PMID- 20304831
TI  - Recognition of Cluster of Differentiation 1 Antigens by Human CD4-CD8- CytolyticT
      Lymphocyte. Nature. 1989. 341: 447-450. 1989.

PMID- 20304833
TI  - Retraction: Activation of human oral epithelial cells by neutrophil proteinase 3
      through protease-activated receptor-2.

PMID- 20304832
TI  - Translation control: a multifaceted regulator of inflammatory response.
AB  - A robust innate immune response is essential to the protection of all vertebrates
      from infection, but it often comes with the price tag of acute inflammation. If
      unchecked, a runaway inflammatory response can cause significant tissue damage,
      resulting in myriad disorders, such as dermatitis, toxic shock, cardiovascular
      disease, acute pelvic and arthritic inflammatory diseases, and various
      infections. To prevent such pathologies, cells have evolved mechanisms to rapidly
      and specifically shut off these beneficial inflammatory activities before they
      become detrimental. Our review of recent literature, including our own work,
      reveals that the most dominant and common mechanism is translational silencing,
      in which specific regulatory proteins or complexes are recruited to cis-acting
      RNA structures in the untranslated regions of single or multiple mRNAs that code
      for the inflammatory protein(s). Enhancement of the silencing function may
      constitute a novel pharmacological approach to prevent immunity-related
      inflammation.

PMID- 20304834
TI  - Retraction: Neutrophil serine proteinases activate human nonepithelial cells to
      produce inflammatory cytokines through protease-activated receptor 2.

PMID- 20304835
TI  - Retraction: Proinflammatory cytokines induce proteinase 3 as membrane-bound and
      secretory forms in human oral epithelial cells and antibodies to proteinase 3
      activate the cells through protease-activated receptor-2.

PMID- 20304836
TI  - Persistence of muscle sympathetic nerve activity during vasovagal syncope.
AB  - AIMS: To determine whether sympathetic nerve firing to skeletal muscle
      vasculature is withdrawn during vasovagal syncope (VVS) precipitated by passive
      graded head-up tilt (HUT) table testing. METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed
      passive graded HUT table testing in 18 patients with a history of recurrent
      postural VVS whom we evaluated during the syncopal event. All patients developed
      typical VVS during testing. Blood pressure was measured continuously via intra
      brachial arterial line. Muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) was measured
      using an electrode in the peroneal nerve. Passive graded HUT was then applied. No
      pharmacological agents were used to provoke syncope. The recording site was
      maintained through the syncopal event in 10 of 18 patients and we were able to
      demonstrate persistence of MSNA during syncope in 9. The predominant haemodynamic
      pattern of syncope in this cohort was mixed--hypotension and bradycardia, with
      heart rate not falling <40 b.p.m. (n = 10). CONCLUSION: Our data challenge the
      established view that the final trigger for human orthostatic vasovagal reactions
      is sympathetic nervous system inhibition. Efferent sympathetic nerve traffic to
      the skeletal muscle vasculature was nearly always maintained through the faint.
      This finding supports an alternative viewpoint, that vasodilator mechanisms
      underlie the blood pressure fall in VVS.

PMID- 20304837
TI  - Gender differences in heart failure: paving the way towards personalized
      medicine?

PMID- 20304838
TI  - Recombinant apolipoprotein A-I Milano rapidly reverses aortic valve stenosis and
      decreases leaflet inflammation in an experimental rabbit model.
AB  - AIMS: Aortic stenosis (AS) is associated with significant morbidity and
      mortality. Recombinant apolipoprotein A-I Milano (rApoA-I(M)) induces
      atherosclerotic plaque regression. The aims of this study were to determine the
      effects of rApoA-I(M) on experimental aortic valve degeneration and its
      mechanisms of action. METHODS AND RESULTS: New Zealand White rabbits (n = 20)
      were fed an atherogenic diet for 9 months and then randomized to either placebo
      or rApoA-I(M). Echocardiography was used to assess the effect of the treatments
      on AS. Porcine aortic valve myofibroblasts (PAVMF) treated with oxidized low
      density lipoprotein served to define the effects of rApoA-I(M) on the expression
      of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB, and
      alkaline phosphatase (AP). Recombinant apolipoprotein A-I Milano increased aortic
      valve area (AVA) by 32% (0.25 +/- 0.05 to 0.34 +/- 0.07 cm(2), P < 0.01); whereas
      AVA remained unchanged in the placebo group (0.24 +/- 0.05 to 0.26 +/- 0.04
      cm(2), P = 0.58). Histopathological examination of aortic valves in the rApoA
      I(M) animals showed significantly less leaflet thickening, inflammation, and
      calcification vs. the placebo group. In vitro, rApoA-I(M) significantly inhibited
      MCP-1, AP, and NF-kappaB and decreased intracellular cholesterol content in
      PAVMF. CONCLUSION: Recombinant apolipoprotein A-I Milano treatment reverses AS in
      this experimental rabbit model. The beneficial effects seem to be mediated by
      enhanced cholesterol removal and by reduced inflammation and calcification.

PMID- 20304839
TI  - Diastolic dysfunction predicts new-onset atrial fibrillation and cardiovascular
      events in patients with acute myocardial infarction and depressed left
      ventricular systolic function: a CARISMA substudy.
AB  - AIMS: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between diastolic
      dysfunction and long-term occurrence of new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) and
      cardiac events in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and left
      ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction. METHODS AND RESULTS: The study was
      performed as a substudy on the CARISMA study population. The CARISMA study
      enrolled 312 patients with an AMI and LV ejection fraction <or=40%. Patients were
      implanted with an implantable loop recorder and followed for 2 years. Sixty-two
      patients had a full echocardiographic assessment of the diastolic function using
      tissue Doppler analysis performed 6 weeks after the AMI. The endpoints were: (i)
      new-onset AF and (ii) major cardiovascular events (MACE) defined as re
      infarction, stroke, or cardiovascular death. Twenty-four patients had diastolic
      dysfunction, whereas 38 patients had normal diastolic function. Diastolic
      dysfunction was associated with an increased risk of new-onset AF [HR = 5.30
      (1.68-16.75), P = 0.005] and MACE [HR = 4.70 (1.25-17.75), P = 0.022] after
      adjustment for age, sex, NYHA class, and hypertension. CONCLUSION: Diastolic
      dysfunction in post-MI patients with LV systolic dysfunction predisposes to new
      onset AF and MACE.

PMID- 20304840
TI  - Functional capacity and right ventricular function in patients with Chagas heart
      disease.
AB  - AIMS: Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction is an important factor on effort
      tolerance in cardiopulmonary diseases. Nevertheless, the role of RV function in
      predicting exercise capacity in patients with Chagas disease has not been
      reported. This study aims to evaluate whether RV function assessed by tissue
      Doppler can predict functional capacity in patients with Chagas heart disease.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: We evaluated 65 patients (48.6 +/- 9.1 years, 60% men) with
      Chagas heart disease. Standard and tissue Doppler echocardiography were performed
      before maximal exercise testing. Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) was used to measure
      RV peak annular systolic and diastolic velocities. Exercise testing was performed
      using a standard Bruce protocol. Linear regression analysis was used to determine
      multivariate peak oxygen consumption (VO(2)) predictors. All patients were in
      NYHA functional class I or II. Mean peak VO(2) was 32.4 +/- 10.2 mL/kg/min and
      mean LV ejection fraction was 43 +/- 11%. There was correlation between TDI RV
      peak systolic velocity and LV ejection fraction (r = 0.5; P < 0.001). In a
      multivariate analysis, after adjustment for age and gender, RV function emerged
      as an independent predictor of functional capacity, as demonstrated in the model:
      peak VO(2) (r = 0.71) was: 42.22-(9.77 x female gender)-(0.29 x age) + (1.54 x RV
      systolic velocity). CONCLUSION: In this cross-sectional study, RV function was an
      important, independent determinant of exercise capacity in patients with Chagas
      heart disease. TDI RV systolic annular velocity was most closely associated with
      peak VO(2), regardless of the influence of age, gender, and other
      echocardiographic parameters.

PMID- 20304841
TI  - Role of antiarrhythmic drugs in patients with implantable cardioverter
      defibrillators.
AB  - The transvenous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) has emerged as the
      primary therapy for patients at high risk of life-threatening ventricular
      arrhythmias. A high number of ICD recipients will require subsequent adjunctive
      treatment with antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs). This review provides an overview of
      potential reasons for AAD initiation, candidates for treatment, current medical
      options, and possible drug-device interactions.

PMID- 20304842
TI  - Incidence of left atrial thrombus prior to atrial fibrillation ablation: is pre
      procedural transoesophageal echocardiography mandatory?
AB  - AIMS: The exact role of transoesphageal echo (TOE) prior to atrial fibrillation
      (AF) ablation remains unclear. This study examines the incidence and predictors
      of left atrial (LA) thrombus in patients undergoing AF ablation. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: Patients were treated with warfarin for at least 4 weeks prior to
      ablation. This was substituted with therapeutic dalteparin 3 days before the
      procedure. All patients underwent TOE to exclude LA thrombus. Six clinical risk
      factors for thrombus were defined, known to be risk factors for stroke in AF:
      age>75, diabetes, hypertension, valve disease, prior stroke, or transient
      ischaemic attack and cardiomyopathy. A total of 635 procedures were performed.
      The incidence of thrombus was 12/635 (1.9%) despite therapeutic anti-coagulation.
      Patients with thrombus had larger LA diameter, mean 50.6+/-6.2 mm vs. 44.2+/-7.6
      (P=0.006). In univariate analysis, persistent AF [odds ratio (OR)=10.4 with 95%
      CI 1.8-19.1], hypertension [OR=11.7 with 95% CI 2.5-54.1], age>75 (OR=4.5 with
      95% CI 1.2-17.2), and cardiomyopathy (OR 5.9 with 95% CI 1.8-19.1) were
      significantly associated with thrombus. In multivariate analysis, hypertension
      (OR=14.2 with 95% CI 2.6-77.5), age>75 (OR=8.1, 95% CI 1.5-44.9), and
      cardiomyopathy (OR=10.5 with 95% CI 2.6-77.5) were independently associated with
      thrombus. There was no thrombus in patients without clinical risk factors.
      CONCLUSION: In patients presenting for AF ablation, LA thrombus is only seen in
      those with clinical risk factors. TOE is indicated in this group but may be
      unnecessary in patients without clinical risk factors.

PMID- 20304843
TI  - Timing of revascularization after acute myocardial infarction.
AB  - The optimal timing of surgical revascularization after acute myocardial
      infarction remains controversial. Higher mortality after emergency coronary
      artery bypass has been documented. We retrospectively reviewed 278 patients who
      underwent coronary artery bypass between 2005 and 2007. The time from onset of
      myocardial infarction to surgical revascularization was the basis for dividing
      patients into 3 groups: surgery was performed within 24 h in group 1, at 24-72 h
      in group 2, and after 14 days in group 3. There was a definite relationship
      between the timing of revascularization and the outcome of surgery. Group 1 had a
      mortality rate of 11.7%, group 2 had 7% mortality, and group 3 had 2.5%
      mortality. Group 1 had the highest incidence of postoperative complications.
      Surgical revascularization within 24 h of acute myocardial infarction was
      associated with significantly higher risks of mortality and morbidity than
      procedures performed after 72 h.

PMID- 20304844
TI  - Door-to-needle times in acute myocardial infarction.
AB  - Thrombolytic therapy is still the fastest and most accessible treatment for
      patients presenting with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction. The time to
      treatment is a pivotal parameter in reperfusion. We examined the effects of
      implementing a better organized team approach to reduce door-to-needle times in
      patients with acute myocardial infarction. Fully trained emergency department
      personnel with special equipment facilitated direct communication between offsite
      cardiologists and pre-hospital emergency personnel, allowing for patient triage
      directly to the coronary care unit. Demographic, laboratory, and time interval
      data were prospectively collected and compared with data from previous years.
      From April to December 2007, 60 patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial
      infarction were triaged to the coronary care unit and enrolled in this study.
      Improvements were seen in mean door-to-needle time (reduced from 80 to 30 min
      during regular hours, and 85 to 33 min outside regular hours) compared with 2005
      2007 data. A better organized team-based approach with specifically trained
      personnel and equipment for early evaluation and triage of patients with
      suspected myocardial infarction decreased intervention times, with the potential
      to be broadly applied in clinical practice and to improve patient survival.

PMID- 20304845
TI  - Autologous ring vs. flexible prosthetic ring for ischemic mitral regurgitation.
AB  - Ring annuloplasty is the most common strategy for correction of ischemic mitral
      regurgitation. When a commercial prosthesis is unavailable or too expensive, an
      autogenous annuloplasty ring can be handmade by the surgeon. The aim of this
      study was to compare short-term results of mitral valve repair with autologous
      annuloplasty rings and the SJM Tailor flexible prosthesis. Between March 2004 and
      April 2006, 100 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting and mitral
      ring annuloplasty for ischemic regurgitation were randomly assigned to either
      type of prosthesis. Transesophageal and transthoracic echocardiography showed no
      significant differences between these techniques in terms of immediate success of
      the repair and its durability at 3, 6, and 9 months postoperatively. Autogenous
      rings are easy to make, cost-effective, and always available. Our short-term
      results suggest that they may be an acceptable alternative to a commercially
      produced prosthesis for patients with ischemic mitral regurgitation.

PMID- 20304846
TI  - Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for children with fulminant myocarditis.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of children requiring
      extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for acute myocarditis. The hospital records
      of 8 patients who underwent membrane oxygenation for myocarditis from January
      2002 to October 2008 were reviewed. Ages ranged from 3 to 12 years (median, 6
      years). Duration of membrane oxygenation ranged from 89-502 h. Two patients who
      collapsed and required cardiac massage prior to membrane oxygenation did not
      survive. Five (62.5%) patients were discharged well, but one developed dilated
      cardiomyopathy and died 18 months later. One child had severe mitral
      regurgitation after weaning from membrane oxygenation, and underwent successful
      mitral valve repair. Another patient had no cardiac contractility for the initial
      2 weeks, but regained good cardiac function after 21 days of support. She was
      weaned off membrane oxygenation and discharged home well. Complications included
      left hemiparesis in one patient and left hemothorax in 2. Recovery of cardiac
      function and a good outcome can be anticipated in children with acute myocarditis
      requiring membrane oxygenation. Initiation of membrane oxygenation before
      cardiovascular collapse increases the likelihood of survival.

PMID- 20304847
TI  - Bidirectional cavopulmonary shunt with additional pulmonary blood flow.
AB  - There are some controversies regarding the usefulness of leaving additional
      pulmonary blood flow when establishing a bidirectional cavopulmonary shunt. From
      April 2002 to September 2008, 13 patients (mean age, 24 +/- 16 months) underwent
      a bidirectional cavopulmonary shunt procedure with fine adjustment of additional
      pulmonary blood flow, as an intermediate step before the Fontan operation. There
      were no hospital deaths. Modified Blalock-Taussig shunts were left during the
      bidirectional cavopulmonary shunt operation in 7 patients, and pulmonary bands
      were tightened in 4. The main pulmonary artery with a previous pulmonary band was
      left open in one case. Oxygen saturation increased from 74.5% +/- 7.4% to 84.6%
      +/- 1.9% after the operation, cardiothoracic ratio decreased from 55.9% +/- 6.1%
      to 53.2% +/- 3.4%, Left ventricular end-diastolic pressure decreased from 11.0 +/
      2.6 to 7.8 +/- 3.0 mm Hg, and mean pulmonary arterial pressure from 14.7 +/- 7.5
      to 10.2 +/- 3.1 mm Hg. Pulmonary artery index did not change significantly. In
      our experience, additional pulmonary blood flow with adjustment in each patient
      at the time of shunt construction was an excellent temporary palliation prior to
      the Fontan operation.

PMID- 20304848
TI  - Survival after surgery following chemotherapy for non-small-cell lung cancer.
AB  - A retrospective study was carried out on 74 patients with advanced non-small-cell
      lung cancer (52 in stage IIIA, 22 in stage IIIB) who received platinum-based
      induction chemotherapy in doublets and triplets, followed by tumor resection.
      Thirty-day postoperative mortality was 5.4% (4 patients); 5 patients in stage
      IIIB and 17 in stage IIIA did not respond, but the other 47 (63.5%) were
      downstaged to < IIIA (26 were downstaged to stage I, 20 to stage II, and 1 had
      complete remission). There was no change in T factor in 22 (30%) patients, nor in
      N factor in 21 (28%). The actuarial 5-year survival rate for patients in
      postoperative stages IIIA and IIIB was 0.496; survival was significantly longer
      in patients who responded to therapy. Parallel improvement in both T and N status
      predicted worse survival than a multistage regression in any single factor. N
      status was found to be a stronger survival indicator than T status. Cell type did
      not influence the response rate or outcome. Induction chemotherapy significantly
      improved survival in patients who responded, despite a poor prognosis.

PMID- 20304849
TI  - Oxygen pulse as a predictor of cardiopulmonary events in lung resection.
AB  - Traditional algorithms suggest a stepwise approach to the functional evaluation
      of candidates for lung resection. A cardiopulmonary exercise test is incorporated
      as a supplementary test for patients with borderline pulmonary predicted values,
      and sometimes as a first screening test for cardiac risk evaluation. To assess
      the predictive weight of exercise tests in noncardiac thoracic surgery, we
      retrospectively analyzed 99 patients (80 males) aged 67.8 +/-8.1 years who
      underwent lung resection after a cardiopulmonary exercise test. During basal
      spirometry, the mean predicted forced expiratory volume in the first second was
      69.9% +/-18.6%, and predicted carbon monoxide diffusing capacity was 71.6% +/
      20.5%. Peak oxygen consumption was 11.1 +/-3.2 mL.kg(-1).min(-1), oxygen pulse
      was 9 +/-2.8 mL.beat(-1), and minute ventilation/CO(2) output was 45.2 +/- 7.7.
      Mean hospital stay was 10.4 days, and intensive care unit stay was 0.3 days.
      Postoperative complications occurred in 20 (20%) patients. On multivariate
      analysis, body mass index, a high level of exercise achieved during the
      cardiopulmonary exercise test, lower heart rate at peak exercise, and oxygen
      pulse correlated significantly with better postoperative outcome. Cardiopulmonary
      exercise tests are helpful for stratifying patients undergoing thoracic surgery.
      Perioperative complications seem to be strongly related to left ventricular
      function and physical performance.

PMID- 20304850
TI  - Mesothelial cells vs. skeletal myoblasts for myocardial infarction.
AB  - Cell transplantation for the regeneration of ischemic myocardium is limited by
      poor graft viability and low cell retention. Omental flaps in association with
      growth factors and cell sheets have recently been used to increase the
      vascularization of ischemic hearts. This experimental study was undertaken to
      evaluate the hemodynamic evolution and histological modifications of infarcted
      myocardium treated with mesothelial cells, and to compare the results with those
      of hearts treated with skeletal myoblasts. Myocardial infarction was created by
      surgical ligature of 2 coronary branches in 34 sheep; 6 died immediately due to
      ventricular fibrillation. Mesothelial cells were isolated from greater omentum,
      and myoblasts from skeletal muscle. After expanding the cells for 3 weeks,
      infarcted areas were treated with culture medium (control group), mesothelial
      cells, or myoblasts. After 3 months, echocardiographic studies showed significant
      limitation of ventricular dilatation and improved ejection fractions in both cell
      treated groups compared to the controls. In the mesothelial cell group,
      histological studies showed significantly more angiogenesis and arteriogenesis
      than in the control and skeletal myoblast groups. Mesothelial cells might be
      useful for biological revascularization in patients with ischemic heart disease.

PMID- 20304851
TI  - Clamp-and-sew technique for traumatic injuries of the aorta: 20-year experience.
AB  - Traumatic aortic injuries are associated with high morbidity and mortality, and
      the ideal operative approach for surgical management is unclear. We analyzed our
      results with the open clamp-and-sew technique over a 20-year period. Twenty
      patients with transected aorta were given interposition grafts; 19 of them had
      multisystem injuries. Mean aortic crossclamp time was 21.7 min (range, 12-30
      min). Postoperative complications included pneumonia in 4 patients, acute renal
      failure in 1, recurrent laryngeal nerve injury in 2, chylothorax in 1, and sepsis
      of unknown etiology in one. There was no incidence of operation-related
      paraplegia. Although there was no 30-day mortality, one patient died after 90
      days from diffuse axonal injuries to the brain. In experienced hands, the clamp
      and-sew technique is effective and safe for the management of traumatic aortic
      transection.

PMID- 20304852
TI  - Lower ministernotomy and fast tracking for atrial septal defect.
AB  - We report our experience with a 3-5-cm lower ministernotomy incision for closure
      of atrial septal defect in 53 patients. Fibrillatory arrest was used in 19
      patients, and crossclamping with cardioplegia in 33. One patient had to be
      converted from fibrillatory arrest to crossclamping with cardioplegic arrest. The
      mean bypass time was 39.6 +/- 13.1 min, arrest time was 9.9 +/- 4.5 min, and
      crossclamp time was 20.7 +/- 8.69 min. All patients recovered without adverse
      events. They were fast tracked to recovery and extubated after 63.4 +/- 9.2 min.
      The mean intensive care unit stay was 1.07 +/- 0.33 days, and hospital stay was
      3.07 +/- 0.38 days. The ministernotomy approach was used successfully in 51
      patients; in the other 2, it had to be converted to a full sternotomy because of
      technical difficulties. Our experience confirms that this technique offers
      satisfactory cosmetic results, stable sternal reconstruction, good surgical
      exposure, minimal interference with respiratory mechanics, and minimal pain,
      allowing extubation in the operating room and a speedy recovery.

PMID- 20304853
TI  - Aprotinin confers neuroprotection by reducing apoptotic cell death.
AB  - Aprotinin has been used in pediatric cardiac surgery for its antiinflammatory and
      hemostatic benefits. We have reported that aprotinin has a direct cellular
      neuroprotective effect through reduction of excitotoxicity. The purpose of this
      study was to investigate whether aprotinin is neuroprotective against apoptotic
      cell death. Near-pure neuronal cultures containing <5% astrocytes were obtained
      from fetal mice. Serum deprivation was initiated at 7 days by transferring the
      cultures, which are dependent on serum for survival, into growth medium lacking
      serum for 24 h. Neuronal cell death was assessed by phase-contrast cell counting
      after staining with 0.4% trypan blue dye. Aprotinin at a clinically relevant
      concentration of 100 KIU.mL(-1) significantly reduced apoptotic neuronal cell
      death from 84.4% to 51.8%. This result suggests that aprotinin has the potential
      to reduce brain injury resulting from apoptotic cell death induced by an ischemic
      insult. Additional studies are needed to evaluate the potential of aprotinin to
      reduce neurological injury in patients at high risk of cerebral injury, including
      those undergoing circulatory arrest.

PMID- 20304854
TI  - Surgery for papillary fibroelastoma with uncommon location in left ventricle.
AB  - Cardiac papillary fibroelastoma is a rare tumor. Its location in the left
      ventricular wall is uncommon. A 59-year-old woman with 2 previous strokes
      presented with a tumor in the left ventricular apex. The patient underwent tumor
      resection through a left ventriculotomy. The histopathologic diagnosis was
      papillary fibroelastoma.

PMID- 20304855
TI  - Coronary artery graft dilatation aided by multidetector computed tomography.
AB  - Coronary angiography is the standard method of follow-up for patients with
      coronary artery bypass grafts, but it is an invasive and costly procedure that is
      not risk-free. Recently, 64-slice multidetector computed tomography has allowed
      reliable visualization of coronary artery grafts and their anastomotic status,
      with high spatial resolution. We describe a successful case of percutaneous
      coronary intervention for occluded coronary artery bypass grafts with the aid of
      multidetector computed tomography.

PMID- 20304856
TI  - Tender inflammatory infrarenal aortic aneurysm simulating acute rupture.
AB  - Even with multislice computed tomography, it may be difficult to differentiate
      contained ruptured or leaking atherosclerotic aneurysm from a tender inflammatory
      aneurysm. The decision for early intervention is based on clinical judgment. We
      describe successful open graft repair of a tender inflammatory infrarenal
      abdominal aortic aneurysm simulating acute rupture in a 63-year-old man.

PMID- 20304857
TI  - Repair of type A aortic dissection in nonagenarian.
AB  - Without emergency surgical management, acute type A aortic dissection carries a
      high risk of death. Controversy exists as to whether extreme age remains a
      contraindication to surgery. We describe successful repair of type A aortic
      dissection with ascending aortic graft replacement, aortic valve repair, hemiarch
      reconstruction, and ablation of atrial fibrillation in a 93-year-old man.

PMID- 20304858
TI  - Repair of ventricular septal perforation after inferior myocardial infarction.
AB  - Various techniques have been used for repair of ventricular septal perforation
      complicating inferior myocardial infarction, but no standard method has been
      established. An effective technique for closing ventricular septal perforation
      using double patches via a right atrial approach is described. In our experience,
      no residual shunt was observed after repair using this procedure.

PMID- 20304859
TI  - 3-dimensional structures to enhance cell therapy and engineer contractile tissue.
AB  - Experimental studies in animals and recent human clinical trials have revealed
      the current limitations of cellular transplantation, which include poor cell
      survival, lack of cell engraftment, and poor differentiation. Evidence in animals
      suggests that use of a 3-dimensional scaffold may enhance cell therapy and
      engineer myocardial tissue by improving initial cell retention, survival,
      differentiation, and integration. Several scaffolds of synthetic or natural
      origin are under development. Until now, contractility has been demonstrated in
      vitro only in biological scaffolds prepared from decellularized organs or tissue,
      or in collagenic porous scaffold obtained by crosslinking collagen fibers. While
      contractility of a cellularized collagen construct is poor, it can be greatly
      enhanced by tumor basement membrane extract. Recent advances in biochemistry have
      shown improved cell-matrix interactions by coupling adhesion molecules to achieve
      an efficient and safe bioartificial myocardium with no tumoral component.
      Fixation of adhesion molecules may also be a way to enhance cell homing and/or
      differentiation to increase local angiogenesis. Whatever the clinically
      successful combination ultimately proves to be, it is likely that cell therapy
      will require providing a supportive biochemical, physical, and spatial
      environment that will allow the cells to optimally differentiate and integrate
      within the target myocardial tissue.

PMID- 20304860
TI  - Unruptured noncoronary sinus of valsalva aneurysm.

PMID- 20304861
TI  - "Hotshot" into the heart.

PMID- 20304862
TI  - Mitral insufficiency 30 years after resection of subvalvular aortic stenosis.

PMID- 20304863
TI  - Partial anomalous pulmonary venous return.

PMID- 20304865
TI  - Association between carotid atherosclerosis and metabolic syndrome: results from
      the ISMIR study.
AB  - The metabolic syndrome (MetS) has previously been associated with an early marker
      of atherosclerosis, the carotid intima-media thickness (IMT). From the ISMIR
      (Ispessimento Medio Intimale e Rischio cardiovascolare [media-intima thickness
      and cardiovascular risk]) study population of 479 asymptomatic participants, we
      identified 80 participants with MetS. Carotid IMT and plaques were evaluated by
      ultrasonography. Blood samples were obtained from all participants. Participants
      with MetS had a significantly higher prevalence of a carotid IMT > 0.80 mm (P =
      .004) and of carotid plaques (P < .001) as compared with participants without
      MetS. Carotid IMT was significantly correlated with fasting triglycerides and
      fibrinogen levels both in participants with MetS and in those without MetS (all P
      < .01). In contrast, IMT correlated with fasting plasma glucose, serum
      creatinine, and uric acid levels only in participants without MetS. Our study
      confirms the association between MetS and carotid atherosclerosis. In MetS, a
      significant correlation between carotid IMT and triglycerides and fibrinogen
      levels was found.

PMID- 20304864
TI  - Differential activation of frontoparietal attention networks by social and
      symbolic spatial cues.
AB  - Perception of both gaze-direction and symbolic directional cues (e.g. arrows)
      orient an observer's attention toward the indicated location. It is unclear,
      however, whether these similar behavioral effects are examples of the same
      attentional phenomenon and, therefore, subserved by the same neural substrate. It
      has been proposed that gaze, given its evolutionary significance, constitutes a
      'special' category of spatial cue. As such, it is predicted that the neural
      systems supporting spatial reorienting will be different for gaze than for non
      biological symbols. We tested this prediction using functional magnetic resonance
      imaging to measure the brain's response during target localization in which
      laterally presented targets were preceded by uninformative gaze or arrow cues.
      Reaction times were faster during valid than invalid trials for both arrow and
      gaze cues. However, differential patterns of activity were evoked in the brain.
      Trials including invalid rather than valid arrow cues resulted in a stronger
      hemodynamic response in the ventral attention network. No such difference was
      seen during trials including valid and invalid gaze cues. This differential
      engagement of the ventral reorienting network is consistent with the notion that
      the facilitation of target detection by gaze cues and arrow cues is subserved by
      different neural substrates.

PMID- 20304866
TI  - Involvement of ERK1/2 kinase in insulin-and thrombin-stimulated vascular smooth
      muscle cell proliferation.
AB  - It is well recognized that the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells
      (VSMCs) is a key event in the pathogenesis of various vascular diseases,
      including atherosclerosis and hypertension. We have previously shown that among
      extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases (ERKs), the 42- and 44-kDa
      isoforms (ERK1/2) participate in the cellular mitogenic machinery triggered by
      several VSMCs activators, including insulin (INS) and thrombin (Thr). However,
      understanding of the intracellular signal transduction pathways involved is
      incomplete. This review considers the recent findings in INS and Thr signaling
      mechanisms that modulate the proliferation of VSMCs with particular emphasis on
      the ERK1/2 signaling pathway, an important mediator of VSMCs hypertrophy and
      vascular disease. Moreover, because the ERK1/2 pathway have been acknowledged as
      an important mediator of VSMCs hypertrophy, ERK1/2 is identified as a key target
      for novel therapeutic interventions to minimize irreversible tissue damage
      associated with hypertension and atherosclerosis.

PMID- 20304867
TI  - Impact of fibrinogen levels on angiographic progression and 12-year survival in
      the armed forces regression study.
AB  - We assessed the role of fibrinogen levels on angiographic progression and long
      term survival among 111 patients with coronary disease enrolled in the Armed
      Forces Regression Study (AFREGS). Baseline fibrinogen levels and quantitative
      coronary angiography were performed initially and at 30 months. Progression or
      nonregression of coronary disease was more prevalent in patients with high
      fibrinogen than patients with normal fibrinogen (66.1% vs 45.5%; P = .022).
      Twelve-year cardiovascular (CV) mortality was substantially higher if fibrinogen
      was elevated (17.9% vs 3.6%, P = .016). Among patients with elevated fibrinogen
      and angiographic progression or nonregression, there were 10 deaths and all were
      CV. Elevated levels of fibrinogen predict the angiographic progression of
      existing coronary disease and likelihood of CV death. Among patients with
      elevated levels of fibrinogen, angiographic progression identifies a
      significantly increased likelihood of a fatal CV event.

PMID- 20304868
TI  - Levels of sCD40 ligand in chronic and acute coronary syndromes and its relation
      to angiographic extent of coronary arterial narrowing.
AB  - We determined the serum levels of soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L) in patients with
      chronic coronary artery disease (CAD) and acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Patients
      with unstable angina (UA) and myocardial infarction (MI) showed significantly
      higher levels (P < .001) of sCD40L compared with patients with stable angina (SA)
      and controls; particularly, high levels occurred in patients with UA (UA: 9.23 +/
      2.92, MI: 7.38 +/- 1.05, SA: 4.42 +/- 1.08; control: 4.01 +/- 0.87 ng/mL). There
      was no significant difference in sCD40L levels between patients with UA and MI or
      between patients with SA and controls. Levels of sCD40L did not show any
      significant correlation with peak creatine kinase (CK), CK-MB isoenzyme activity
      in patients with MI, troponin T serum levels in patients with UA or with culprit
      vessel (CV) complexity score (CVCS), type of CV lesion, or vessel score in
      patients with UA or MI. These results suggest that CD40L plays a pathogenic role
      in triggering ACS.

PMID- 20304870
TI  - Caring to the end?

PMID- 20304869
TI  - Sedentary behaviours and socio-economic status in Spanish adolescents: the AVENA
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed to describe the influence of socio-economic status
      (SES) on the prevalence sedentary behaviours among Spanish adolescents. METHODS:
      Cross-sectional data from Spanish adolescents from the Alimentacion y Valoracion
      del Estado Nutricional de los Adolescentes (AVENA) Study (2002). A national
      representative sample of 1776 adolescents aged 13-18.5 years provided information
      about time spent watching television (TV), playing with computer or videogames
      and studying. Parental education and occupation were assessed as SES.
      Participants were categorized by gender, age, parental education and occupation.
      Logistic regression models were used. RESULTS: No gender differences were found
      for TV viewing. For computer and videogames use (weekdays), more boys played >3
      h/day (P < 0.001), whereas a higher percentage of girls reported studying >3
      h/day (P < 0.001). Among boys, parental education and occupation were inversely
      associated with TV viewing, parental occupation directly associated with study
      and maternal education inversely with computer and videogames use during weekdays
      (all P < 0.05). For girls, parental occupation was inversely associated with TV
      viewing. CONCLUSION: Spanish adolescents presented different sedentary patterns
      according to age, gender and SES. Boys reported more time engaged in electronic
      games, whereas girls reported more time studying. Parental occupation had more
      influence than parental education on the time spent in sedentary behaviours.

PMID- 20304871
TI  - The College of Paramedics (British Paramedic Association) position paper
      regarding the Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee recommendations on
      paramedic intubation.

PMID- 20304872
TI  - Joint Royal College Ambulance Liaison Committee Airway Working Group commentary.

PMID- 20304873
TI  - Prehospital airway management.

PMID- 20304874
TI  - The implications of the NICE guidelines on neurosurgical management for all
      severe head injuries: systematic review.
AB  - Head injury is an important cause of death among young adults in the UK, and a
      significant burden on NHS resources. However, management is inconsistent,
      governed largely by local resources. The latest version of the NICE head injury
      guidelines suggests that more patients with traumatic brain injury should be
      transferred to receive specialist care. However, this raises issues about the
      capacity of regional neurosurgical units, particularly to accommodate patients
      who do not require surgical intervention. OBJECTIVES: To critically evaluate the
      basis of the NICE recommendations about transfer for neurosurgical care, and
      examine the configuration of specialist services to assess the implications of
      increasing the existing number of transfers. METHODS: A systematic literature
      review was conducted of articles discussing the provision of emergency
      neurosurgical care for adult head injuries in the UK. RESULTS: Fifty-eight papers
      met the criteria for inclusion in the literature review, including seven papers
      cited in the NICE guidance. Fifty-one papers related to neurosurgical care,
      including papers on bed occupancy, transfer times and transfer policies.
      CONCLUSIONS: The evidence NICE cited is of variable quality. Much of the research
      was conducted outside the UK, which raises questions about its relevance to the
      NHS. Care of traumatic brain injuries in the UK is already hampered by the
      inadequate capacity of regional neurosurgical units to meet demand, and
      transferring more patients would be likely to exacerbate this. Increasing the
      number of transfers could also worsen inequalities of access for other groups,
      such as elective patients, particularly in areas where facilities are most
      stretched.

PMID- 20304876
TI  - Hostel emergency medicine in Iran.

PMID- 20304877
TI  - Urgent care and the patient.

PMID- 20304878
TI  - Alternative services to deliver urgent care in the community.

PMID- 20304879
TI  - Access to urgent health care.

PMID- 20304880
TI  - Secondary care and changing the face of emergency care.

PMID- 20304881
TI  - Provision of trauma teams in Scotland: a national survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Trauma is still the leading cause of mortality in the first
      four decades of life. Despite numerous reports on how trauma care could be
      improved in the UK, treatment has been shown to be inconsistent and of poor
      quality. Trauma teams have been shown to have a positive effect on outcome. A
      study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of trauma teams in Scotland.
      METHODS: A telephone survey was performed of 24 hospitals with emergency
      departments in which the senior clinician was interviewed regarding the provision
      of trauma teams. RESULTS: Five (21%) of the hospitals questioned had trauma
      teams. The most common reasons for not having one were no problem with the
      current system in eight cases (44%) and an inability to include sufficiently
      senior staff on the team in six cases (24%). CONCLUSIONS: There are few trauma
      teams in Scottish acute hospitals. There was little enthusiasm for introducing
      them for a variety of reasons. Local evidence of benefit is probably needed
      before their adoption becomes widespread.

PMID- 20304882
TI  - A late complication of a traumatic flail segment: colonic herniation.

PMID- 20304883
TI  - Point of care troponin decreases time in the emergency department for patients
      with possible acute coronary syndrome: a randomised controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of cardiac troponin I testing with a point-of
      care (POC) device versus central laboratory on length of stay (LOS) in emergency
      department (ED) patients presenting with possible acute coronary syndromes (ACS).
      METHODS: A 12-week randomised controlled trial at two metropolitan ED in eastern
      Australia with a combined annual census of 80,000. Participants were all patients
      presenting with possible ACS. Exclusions were a diagnosis of ACS before arrival,
      ST elevation and failure to wait for complete assessment. Randomisation was by
      week when POC was made available. Primary outcome was LOS from patient arrival to
      physical departure from the ED. The proportion of patients meeting a government
      target of less than 8 h stay was compared. Analysis was by intention to treat.
      RESULTS: Despite underutilisation of POC, LOS was shorter during weeks when it
      was available. The time savings translates into approximately 48 minutes (95% CI
      12 to 84) per average LOS of almost 7 h, which did not reach statistical
      significance (p=0.063), or an absolute increase of 10% (95% CI 4.3 to 16.6) in
      the number of people discharged from the ED within the target LOS of less than 8
      h, which did reach significance (p=0.007). These savings were more pronounced in
      the setting without 24 h central laboratory availability. CONCLUSIONS: POC
      testing for troponin in the ED tended to reduce the LOS for possible ACS
      patients. The degree of this benefit is likely to be markedly dependent on its
      acceptance and uptake by attending personnel, and on the ED setting in which it
      is used.

PMID- 20304884
TI  - Emergency retinal pallor.

PMID- 20304885
TI  - Alcohol intoxication at a university hospital acute medicine unit--with special
      consideration of young adults: an 8-year observational study from Switzerland.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many media reports suggest an increase in alcohol intoxication,
      particularly among young people. Indeed, several surveys on young people have
      confirmed this fact. These were based on self-declaration of alcohol consumption.
      However, there are few clinical data that show an increase in alcohol
      intoxication in hospitals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the number of
      alcohol intoxications in relation to the total number of patients and to look for
      a statistical trend. METHODS: Using their electronic database, the authors
      identified all patients with alcohol intoxication who were treated in the acute
      medical wing of our ED in the years 2000-2007. In the group aged 16-25 years, the
      authors searched for combined intoxication. RESULTS: The authors found a
      significant increase in alcohol intoxication in all age groups and also in young
      people aged below 25 years. There were more intoxicated males than females (male
      to female ratio 1.5:1). The age distribution of our intoxicated patients showed a
      peak at 35-45 years of age and repeated admissions were frequent in this age
      class. Drugs consumed together with alcohol in the age group 16-25 were mostly
      cannabis and cocaine. CONCLUSION: Episodic drinking is not only a problem in the
      16-25 age group, it also concerns men of 35-45 years. This is a major public
      health problem in industrialised countries. Intoxicated patients are at acute
      risk of injuries and violence following alcohol abuse. Preventive measures should
      not only be limited to younger adults.

PMID- 20304886
TI  - What factors are associated with repeated domestic assault in patients attending
      an emergency department? A cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify what clinical variables are associated with repeat
      attendances at the emergency department (ED) in patients who have experienced
      domestic assault. METHODS: A medical records-based cohort study was conducted in
      a single ED in Cambridge, UK. PARTICIPANTS: 294 adult patients with disclosed
      domestic assault presenting between 2001 and 2004 were followed up by examining
      their medical records until 2004. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Re-presentation at the
      ED with disclosed domestic assault. RESULTS: 45 patients re-presented at the ED
      with further domestic assault. Repeated assault was more likely in patients in
      whom no clear diagnosis was made (odds ratio (OR) 4.6 95%, CI 1.4 to 14.5;
      p<0.001), who had head injuries (OR 4.08, 95% CI 1.94 to 8.59; p<0.001), injuries
      to the upper limb (OR 1.94, 95% CI 1.01 to 3.73; p=0.05), or who had a
      psychiatric diagnosis (OR 3.43, 95% CI 1.34 to 8.76; p=0.1). CONCLUSIONS: There
      are readily measurable clinical features that are associated with repeat ED
      attendance as a result of domestic assault.

PMID- 20304888
TI  - Things that go bump ... bump ... bump: an analysis of injuries from falling down
      stairs in children based at Sheffield Children's Hospital.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Falls down stairs are a common presentation to the paediatric
      emergency department. The pattern of injury associated with this mechanism of
      injury has not been described for the UK population. A retrospective analysis of
      attendances to the Emergency Department of Sheffield Children's Hospital was
      carried out. RESULTS: Overall 90% (216/239) of patients sustained one or more
      injuries; 69% (165/239) sustained minor head and facial injuries; 12% (29/239)
      sustained minor soft tissue injuries of other regions; 10% (23/239) had limb
      fractures, of which 60% (14/23) were of the upper limb (nine clavicle fractures,
      one supracondylar fracture of the elbow and four wrist fractures) and 40% (9/23)
      were of the lower limb (four femoral fractures and five tibial fractures). Two
      per cent (5/239) had skull fractures (all were in the group of children dropped
      while being carried on the stairs). Injuries to more than one body part occurred
      in only 3% (8/239) of cases. DISCUSSION: The results suggest that children who
      fall down the stairs are mainly toddlers and in general sustain only minor
      injuries, the commonest being a minor head injury. Severe truncal and extremity
      injuries or injuries involving multiple body regions should provoke further
      questioning looking for evidence of non-accidental injury. There is no
      correlation between the number of stairs fallen down and the likelihood or
      severity of injury. CONCLUSION: Infants who fall down stairs with their carer or
      are dropped while being carried down stairs require an especially close
      evaluation.

PMID- 20304889
TI  - Elevated serum S100B levels in acute spinal fracture without head injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: S100B is a biomarker that reflects injury to the central nervous
      system. As the spine is an integral part of the spinal cord, a study was
      undertaken to investigate whether serum S100B levels are associated with acute
      spinal fracture without head injury. METHODS: The study population consisted of
      32 consecutive patients aged > or = 18 years in whom the emergency physicians
      suspected spinal fractures. All the patients underwent CT scans to establish the
      diagnosis of spinal fracture. MRI was then performed on all the patients to
      determine the presence of spinal cord injury. RESULTS: Serum S100B levels were
      higher in the spinal fracture group than in the non-spinal fracture group, and 19
      of the 20 patients in the spinal fracture group (95%) had an S100B level >0.12
      microg/l, whereas all 12 of the non-spinal fracture group had an S100B level < or
      = 0.12 microg/l. The S100B level in patients with epidural encroachment of the
      spinal cord was significantly higher (0.22-4.58 microg/l; mean 2.45 microg/l; 95%
      CI 0.95 to 3.94) than in those without epidural encroachment (0.114-2.87
      microg/l; mean 0.80 microg/l; 95% CI 0.24 to 1.37) (p=0.037). Plain radiography
      revealed no definite abnormal findings in half of the patients with spinal
      fracture. CONCLUSIONS: Serum S100B levels are raised in all patients with acute
      spinal fracture without head injury. Spinal fracture may therefore be one of the
      extracerebral sources of S100B. Serum S100B levels may be an effective tool for
      excluding subtle spinal fractures with no clear radiographic findings.

PMID- 20304890
TI  - Tuberculous tension pneumothorax.

PMID- 20304891
TI  - To ED or not to ED: NHS 24 referrals to the emergency department.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to compare the opinions of consultants in
      emergency medicine and general practitioners (GPs) on the appropriateness of NHS
      24 referrals to the emergency department (ED). METHODS: 170 NHS 24 referrals to
      the ED were reviewed by six GPs and six emergency consultants who were asked
      their opinion as to which out-of-hours service would be most appropriate for the
      patient. Modal responses from both groups were calculated for each referral.
      Consensus within groups and levels of agreement were calculated. RESULTS: Modal
      responses agreed with an ED disposal in 59.2% of cases in the emergency
      consultant group with a 90% consensus rate. The GP group agreed with an ED
      disposal in only 47% of cases with a 75.9% consensus rate. A primary care
      referral response was the mode in 20.8% of the emergency consultant group
      compared with 35.7% in the GP group. Consensus was reached in 76.3% of the
      emergency consultant responses and 81.7% of GP responses. The difference in
      opinion between the two study groups was statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS:
      GPs and consultants in emergency medicine both believe a high proportion of NHS
      24 referrals to the ED should be handled by primary care services. This would
      suggest that, compared with previous out-of-hours practice, NHS 24 favours an ED
      outcome. The results indicate a large proportion of primary care patients are
      being handled inappropriately and uneconomically in the ED setting. There is a
      need for ongoing improvement of the telephone triage service provided by NHS 24.

PMID- 20304892
TI  - Temporal and spatial characteristics and treatment strategies of traumatic brain
      injury in Wenchuan earthquake.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyse the temporal and spatial characteristics of traumatic brain
      injury and the distribution of combined injuries in the Wenchuan earthquake, and
      describe the treatment opportunities and preferences for therapy. METHODS: The
      diagnosis and treatment of 92 patients with traumatic brain injury who survived
      the massive earthquake (magnitude 8) in Wenchuan, Sichuan Province, on 12 May
      2008 were systematically analysed. RESULTS: The patients all came from the plains
      northwest of Chengdu city. Seventy-six patients were admitted during the early
      stage (within 12 h) after the earthquake. Ten patients underwent surgery and
      three patients died. CONCLUSION: Patients with traumatic brain injury during the
      early period accounted for a large proportion of the patients wounded in the
      Wenchuan earthquake, and their conditions changed quickly. The patients all came
      from the plain area which has convenient transportation. After admission,
      providing first-aid early had a significant effect on increasing the success of
      treatment for these patients.

PMID- 20304893
TI  - Spontaneous pneumocephalus.

PMID- 20304894
TI  - Surveying young patients.
AB  - The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (the Trust) was keen to engage
      young patients and to encourage them to give feedback about the service they had
      received. The standard Trust satisfaction survey was modified for use with young
      patients, and this had the effect of increasing the response rate from this
      patient group by 8%, and increasing the percentage of young patients aged 5-10
      years completing the survey themselves by 29%. The vast majority of
      parents/guardians were happy for the Trust to survey their child, but the age of
      the child affected to whom they would like the survey sent. The Trust
      subsequently altered patient survey practice to write to parents/guardians of
      patients aged <12 years and directly to all patients aged > or = 12 years.

PMID- 20304895
TI  - Sonographic diagnosis of epiglottal enlargement.
AB  - The case is presented of epiglottal and pre-epiglottal oedema secondary to
      infection of the pharyngolaryngeal area. The purpose of this report was to assess
      the utility of ultrasonography to image epiglottal and pre-epiglottal oedema.
      Bedside emergency department ultrasonography could be a valuable tool to detect
      pathological enlargement of the epiglottis. Ultrasonography may be used in
      unstable patients for diagnosing epiglottitis because it is cheap, rapid, non
      invasive and does not aggravate the patient's symptoms.

PMID- 20304896
TI  - Unusual cause of acute upper airway obstruction.

PMID- 20304897
TI  - A critical reassessment of ambulance service airway management in prehospital
      care: Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee Airway Working Group, June
      2008.
AB  - Paramedic tracheal intubation has been practised in the UK for more than 20 years
      and is currently a core skill for paramedics. Growing evidence suggests that
      tracheal intubation is not the optimal method of airway management by paramedics
      and may be detrimental to patient outcomes. There is also evidence that the
      current initial training of 25 intubations performed in-hospital is inadequate,
      and that the lack of ongoing intubation practice may compound this further.
      Supraglottic airway devices (eg, laryngeal mask airway), which were not available
      when extended training and paramedic intubation was first introduced, are now in
      use in many ambulance services and are a suitable alternative prehospital airway
      device for paramedics.

PMID- 20304898
TI  - Bilateral chronic subdural haematoma misdiagnosed as neuroleptic malignant
      syndrome.

PMID- 20304900
TI  - A congenital abnormality masquerading as encephalitis in an 11-year-old girl.
AB  - Craniopharyngiomas are reported to be the commonest non-glial tumours of
      childhood. The classic presentation is typically progressive, commonly manifested
      as visual field defects, growth abnormalities and/or endocrine disturbance. We
      report a case of an 11-year-old girl presenting in acute confusional state, with
      few historical factors suggestive of an intracranial mass lesion and no objective
      localising signs on examination. Although initially treated as encephalitis,
      neuroimaging revealed a large craniopharyngioma with acute hydrocephalus and
      bilateral frontal lobe compression. She was transferred immediately to the local
      neurosurgical unit and underwent reservoir drainage of the cystic tumour within
      24 h. This resulted in immediate symptomatic resolution. This case highlights the
      importance of early cerebral imaging in the paediatric patient with diagnostic
      uncertainty and suggests a high index of suspicion for space-occupying lesions in
      children, despite perceived duration of symptoms.

PMID- 20304901
TI  - An unusual presentation of congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (Ondine's
      Curse).
AB  - Congenital central hypoventilation syndrome is a rare illness, which classically
      presents in the neonatal period; newborns present with shallow breathing and
      cyanosis, without a physiological rise in breathing rate. Incidence has been
      estimated from 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 200,000 live births. This case report
      describes the case of a young man who was asymptomatic until his presentation in
      acute respiratory failure at the age of 36 years. This case is reported to
      highlight the importance of considering this treatable illness as a potential
      cause of collapse and respiratory failure in adults presenting to emergency
      departments.

PMID- 20304902
TI  - Asymptomatic left-sided pericardial cyst.

PMID- 20304903
TI  - Spotting the complex tachycardia.
AB  - A young man presented to the emergency department with ventricular
      tachyarrhythmia later attributed to varicella zoster myocarditis. Myocarditis has
      an unpredictable clinical sequelae, making it a difficult condition to diagnose
      and manage in the emergency setting. The inconsistent clinical presentations,
      risks and management are demonstrated through a review of the literature.

PMID- 20304904
TI  - Image on spontaneous pneumomediastinum presenting as sore throat.

PMID- 20304905
TI  - Towards evidence based emergency medicine: best BETs from the Manchester Royal
      Infirmary. BET 1: Adding clopidogrel to standard treatment for acute myocardial
      infarction.

PMID- 20304907
TI  - Towards evidence based emergency medicine: best BETs from the Manchester Royal
      Infirmary. BET 2: Rapid influenza testing of febrile children in the emergency
      department.

PMID- 20304908
TI  - Towards evidence based emergency medicine: best BETs from the Manchester Royal
      Infirmary. BET 3: Use of thrombolysis in acute ischaemic stroke.

PMID- 20304909
TI  - Boosting interface medicine.

PMID- 20304910
TI  - Patient satisfaction and healthcare providers.

PMID- 20304912
TI  - Point mutation of a plastidic invertase inhibits development of the
      photosynthetic apparatus and enhances nitrate assimilation in sugar-treated
      Arabidopsis seedlings.
AB  - Because the photosynthetic apparatus contains a massive amount of nitrogen in
      plants, the regulation of its development by sugar signals is important to the
      maintenance of the carbon-nitrogen balance. In this study we isolated an
      Arabidopsis mutant (sicy-192) whose cotyledon greening was inhibited by
      treatments with sugars such as sucrose, glucose, and fructose. In the mutant, the
      gene encoding plastidic alkaline/neutral invertase (INV-E) was point-mutated at
      codon 294, with Tyr substituted for Cys (C294Y). Interestingly, the greening of
      cotyledons in the knock-out INV-E lines was not inhibited by treatment with the
      sugars. In addition, the knock-out INV-E lines expressing an INV-E:C294Y or INV
      E:C294A gene had the same phenotype as sicy-192 mutants, whereas the lines
      expressing a wild-type INV-E gene had the same phenotype as wild-type plants. A
      recombinant INV-E:C294Y protein had the same enzymatic activity as a recombinant
      INV-E protein, suggesting that the Cys-294 residue of INV-E is important for its
      functions in the chloroplasts. On treatment with sucrose, the expression of
      photosynthesis-related genes was weaker in seedlings of mutant plants than wild
      type seedlings, whereas the activity of nitrate reductase was stronger in the
      mutant plants than wild-type plants. These findings suggest that Cys-294 of INV-E
      is associated with the development of the photosynthetic apparatus and the
      assimilation of nitrogen in Arabidopsis seedlings to control the ratio of sucrose
      content to hexose content.

PMID- 20304913
TI  - Metabolic and transcriptional responses of glycerolipid pathways to a
      perturbation of glycerol 3-phosphate metabolism in Arabidopsis.
AB  - Glycerolipid synthesis in plants involves two major metabolic pathways
      compartmentalized in the chloroplasts and cytosol, respectively. Although these
      two parallel pathways are regulated with considerable flexibility, the factors
      mediating this process remain unclear. To investigate the influence of glycerol 3
      phosphate (Gly-3-P) on the interactions of the glycerolipid pathways, we
      generated transgenic Arabidopsis lines with a feedback-resistant Gly-3-P
      dehydrogenase gene (gpsA(FR)) from Escherichia coli. gpsA(FR) was detected in the
      cytosol, but augmented Gly-3-P levels were observed in the cytosol as well as in
      chloroplasts. Glycerolipid composition and fatty acid positional distribution
      analyses revealed an altered fatty acid flux that affected not only the molar
      ratios of glycerolipid species but also their fatty acid composition. To decipher
      this complex pathway, a transgenic line was subjected to lipidomic analysis and a
      global gene-expression survey. The results revealed that changes in Gly-3-P
      metabolism caused altered expression of a broad array of genes. When viewed from
      the perspective of glycerolipid metabolism, coherent networks emerged, revealing
      that many enzymatic components of the glycerolipid pathways operate in a modular
      manner under the influence of Gly-3-P. Transcript levels of the enzymes involved
      in the prokaryotic pathway were mostly induced, whereas genes of the eukaryotic
      pathway enzymes were largely suppressed. Hence, the gene-expression changes were
      consistent with the detected biochemical phenotype. Our results suggest that Gly
      3-P modulates the balance of the two glycerolipid pathways in Arabidopsis by
      influencing both metabolic flux and gene transcription.

PMID- 20304914
TI  - Transcription-dependent activation of ataxia telangiectasia mutated prevents DNA
      dependent protein kinase-mediated cell death in response to topoisomerase I
      poison.
AB  - Camptothecin (CPT) is a topoisomerase I inhibitor, derivatives of which are being
      used for cancer chemotherapy. CPT-induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are
      considered a major cause of its tumoricidal activity, and it has been shown that
      CPT induces DNA damage signaling through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase
      related kinases, including ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated), ATR (ATM and Rad3
      related), and DNA-PK (DNA-dependent protein kinase). In addition, CPT causes DNA
      strand breaks mediated by transcription, although the downstream signaling events
      are less well characterized. In this study, we show that CPT-induced activation
      of ATM requires transcription. Mechanistically, transcription inhibition
      suppressed CPT-dependent activation of ATM and blocked recruitment of the DNA
      damage mediator p53-binding protein 1 (53BP1) to DNA damage sites, whereas ATM
      inhibition abrogated CPT-induced G(1)/S and S phase checkpoints. Functional
      inactivation of ATM resulted in DNA replication-dependent hyperactivation of DNA
      PK in CPT-treated cells and dramatic CPT hypersensitivity. On the other hand,
      simultaneous inhibition of ATM and DNA-PK partially restored CPT resistance,
      suggesting that activation of DNA-PK is proapoptotic in the absence of ATM.
      Correspondingly, comet assay and cell cycle synchronization experiments suggested
      that transcription collapse occurring as the result of CPT treatment are
      converted to frank double-strand breaks when ATM-deficient cells bypass the
      G(1)/S checkpoint. Thus, ATM suppresses DNA-PK-dependent cell death in response
      to topoisomerase poisons, a finding with potential clinical implications.

PMID- 20304915
TI  - Mammalian prions generated from bacterially expressed prion protein in the
      absence of any mammalian cofactors.
AB  - Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are a group of neurodegenerative
      diseases that are associated with the conformational conversion of a normal prion
      protein, PrP(C), to a misfolded aggregated form, PrP(Sc). The protein-only
      hypothesis asserts that PrP(Sc) itself represents the infectious TSE agent.
      Although this model is supported by rapidly growing experimental data,
      unequivocal proof has been elusive. The protein misfolding cyclic amplification
      reactions have been recently shown to propagate prions using brain-derived or
      recombinant prion protein, but only in the presence of additional cofactors such
      as nucleic acids and lipids. Here, using a protein misfolding cyclic
      amplification variation, we show that prions causing transmissible spongiform
      encephalopathy in wild-type hamsters can be generated solely from highly
      purified, bacterially expressed recombinant hamster prion protein without any
      mammalian or synthetic cofactors (other than buffer salts and detergent). These
      findings provide strong support for the protein-only hypothesis of TSE diseases,
      as well as argue that cofactors such as nucleic acids, other polyanions, or
      lipids are non-obligatory for prion protein conversion to the infectious form.

PMID- 20304916
TI  - Distribution and function of macrophage galactose-type C-type lectin 2
      (MGL2/CD301b): efficient uptake and presentation of glycosylated antigens by
      dendritic cells.
AB  - Dendritic cells (DCs) express cell surface lectins that are potentially involved
      in the recognition, uptake, and presentation of glycosylated foreign substances.
      A unique calcium-type (C-type) lectin, the macrophage galactose (Gal)-type C-type
      lectin (MGL/CD301) expressed on DCs, is thought to participate in the recognition
      of molecules from both altered self and pathogens due to its monosaccharide
      specificity for Gal and N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc). Although mice have two
      MGL genes, Mgl1 and Mgl2, their distinct roles have not been previously explored.
      The present report characterizes the properties of MGL2 by examining its
      distribution and its role in antigen presentation by DCs. We generated an MGL2
      specific monoclonal antibody and examined MGL2 expression in tissues by
      immunohistochemistry and in isolated cells by flow cytometry. The cells reactive
      with this antibody were shown to be a portion of MGL1-expressing cells, mostly
      conventional DCs. Internalization of soluble polyacrylamide polymers (PAA) with
      alpha-GalNAc residues (GalNAc-PAA) by bone marrow-derived DCs (BM-DCs) was
      mediated by MGL2, as revealed by a comparison of Mgl1(-/-) and Mgl2(-/-) BM-DCs
      with wild-type BM-DCs. Biotinylated GalNAc-PAA conjugated to streptavidin (SAv)
      was more efficiently presented to SAv-primed T cells by BM-DCs than beta-N
      acetylglucosamine-PAA conjugated to SAv or SAv alone as shown by thymidine uptake
      and cytokine production. This is the first report that demonstrates the
      involvement of GalNAc residues in antigen uptake and presentation by DCs that
      lead to CD4(+) T cell activation.

PMID- 20304918
TI  - TAX1BP1 and A20 inhibit antiviral signaling by targeting TBK1-IKKi kinases.
AB  - Induction of type I interferons by the transcription factor IRF3 is essential in
      the initiation of antiviral innate immunity. Activation of IRF3 requires C
      terminal phosphorylation by the upstream kinases TBK1-IKKi, where IRF3
      phosphorylation promotes dimerization, and subsequent nuclear translocation to
      the IFNbeta promoter. Recent studies have described the ubiquitin-editing enzyme
      A20 as a negative regulator of IRF3 signaling by associating with TBK1-IKKi;
      however, the regulatory mechanism of A20 inhibition remains unclear. Here we
      describe the adaptor protein, TAX1BP1, as a key regulator of A20 function in
      terminating signaling to IRF3. Murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) deficient in
      TAX1BP1 displayed increased amounts of IFNbeta production upon viral challenge
      compared with WT MEFs. TAX1BP1 inhibited virus-mediated activation of IRF3 at the
      level of TBK1-IKKi. TAX1BP1 and A20 blocked antiviral signaling by disrupting
      Lys(63)-linked polyubiquitination of TBK1-IKKi independently of the A20
      deubiquitination domain. Furthermore, TAX1BP1 was required for A20 effector
      function because A20 was defective for the targeting and inactivation of TBK1 and
      IKKi in Tax1bp1(-)(/)(-) MEFs. Additionally, we found the E3 ubiquitin ligase
      TRAF3 to play a critical role in promoting TBK1-IKKi ubiquitination.
      Collectively, our results demonstrate TBK1-IKKi to be novel substrates for A20
      and further identify a novel mechanism whereby A20 and TAX1BP1 restrict antiviral
      signaling by disrupting a TRAF3-TBK1-IKKi signaling complex.

PMID- 20304917
TI  - Structural characterization of apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA1) from Toxoplasma
      gondii.
AB  - Apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA1) is an essential component of the moving junction
      complex used by Apicomplexan parasites to invade host cells. We report the 2.0 A
      resolution x-ray crystal structure of the full ectodomain (domains I, II, and
      III) of AMA1 from the pervasive protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. The
      structure of T. gondii AMA1 (TgAMA1) is the most complete of any AMA1 structure
      to date, with more than 97.5% of the ectodomain unambiguously modeled.
      Comparative sequence analysis reveals discrete segments of divergence in TgAMA1
      that map to areas of established functional importance in AMA1 from Plasmodium
      vivax (PvAMA1) and Plasmodium falciparum (PfAMA1). Inspection of the TgAMA1
      structure reveals a network of apical surface loops, reorganized in both size and
      chemistry relative to PvAMA1/PfAMA1, that appear to serve as structural filters
      restricting access to a central hydrophobic groove. The terminal portion of this
      groove is formed by an extended loop from DII that is 14 residues shorter in
      TgAMA1. A pair of tryptophan residues (Trp(353) and Trp(354)) anchor the DII loop
      in the hydrophobic groove and frame a conserved tyrosine (Tyr(230)), forming a
      contiguous surface that may be critical for moving junction assembly. The
      minimalist DIII structure folds into a cystine knot that probably stabilizes and
      orients the bulk of the ectodmain without providing excess surface area to which
      invasion-inhibitory antibodies can be generated. The detailed structural
      characterization of TgAMA1 provides valuable insight into the mechanism of host
      cell invasion by T. gondii.

PMID- 20304919
TI  - Histidine residue mediates radical-induced hinge cleavage of human IgG1.
AB  - Hydroxyl radicals induce hinge cleavage in a human IgG1 molecule via initial
      radical formation at the first hinge Cys(231) followed by electron transfer to
      the upper hinge residues. To enable engineering of a stable monoclonal antibody
      hinge, we investigated the role of the hinge His(229) residue using structure
      modeling and site-directed mutagenesis. Direct involvement of His(229) in the
      reaction mechanism is suggested by a 75-85% reduction of the hinge cleavage for
      variants in which His(229) was substituted with either Gln, Ser, or Ala. In
      contrast, mutation of Lys(227) to Gln, Ser, or Ala increased hinge cleavage.
      However, the H229S/K227S double mutant shows hinge cleavage levels similar to
      that of the single H229S variant, further revealing the importance of His(229).
      Examination of the hinge structure shows that His(229) is capable of forming
      hydrogen bonds with surrounding residues. These observations led us to
      hypothesize that the imidazole ring of His(229) may function to facilitate the
      cleavage by forming a transient radical center that is capable of extracting a
      proton from neighboring residues. The work presented here suggests the
      feasibility of engineering a new generation of monoclonal antibodies capable of
      resisting hinge cleavage to improve product stability and efficacy.

PMID- 20304920
TI  - Convertase inhibitory properties of Staphylococcal extracellular complement
      binding protein.
AB  - The human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus secretes several complement evasion
      molecules to combat the human immune response. Extracellular complement-binding
      protein (Ecb) binds to the C3d domain of C3 and thereby blocks C3 convertases of
      the alternative pathway and C5 convertases via all complement pathways.
      Inhibition of C5 convertases results in complete inhibition of C5a generation and
      subsequent neutrophil migration. Here, we show that binding of Ecb to the C3d
      domain of C3b is crucial for inhibition of C5 convertases. Ecb does not interfere
      with substrate binding to convertases but prevents formation of an active
      convertase enzyme.

PMID- 20304921
TI  - Regulation of hepatic six transmembrane epithelial antigen of prostate 4 (STEAP4)
      expression by STAT3 and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha.
AB  - STEAP4 is a plasma membrane metalloreductase involved in the transport of iron
      and copper. Recently, STEAP4 was implicated in promoting insulin sensitivity by
      acting in white adipose tissue to control the production of inflammatory
      cytokines such as interleukin 6. Indeed, the loss of STEAP4 expression in mice
      leads to increased production of inflammatory cytokines in visceral white adipose
      tissue and systemic insulin resistance. In this study, we demonstrate that in
      mouse liver STEAP4 is produced at significant levels and that steap4
      transcription is induced by interleukin 6. We further demonstrate that the steap4
      gene is a direct target of phosphorylated STAT3 in mouse liver. In addition,
      hepatic STEAP4 expression is regulated by feeding and fasting, and obesity leads
      to the induction of STEAP4 expression in the liver. Interestingly, the regulation
      of STEAP4 in both feeding and fasting and the obese state appears to require the
      transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha that may act in concert
      with STAT3 as they both bind to the proximal steap4 promoter in vivo. Taken
      together, these data suggest the transcriptional regulation of hepatic STEAP4 may
      play a critical role in the response to nutritional and inflammatory stress and
      contributes to the protective effect of STEAP4 in vivo.

PMID- 20304922
TI  - Post-translational modification of the NKG2D ligand RAET1G leads to cell surface
      expression of a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked isoform.
AB  - NKG2D is an important activating receptor on lymphocytes. In human, it interacts
      with two groups of ligands: the major histocompatibility complex class I chain
      related A/B (MICA/B) family and the UL-16 binding protein (ULBP) family, also
      known as retinoic acid early transcript (RAET1). MIC proteins are membrane
      anchored, but all of the ULBP/RAET1 proteins, except for RAET1E and RAET1G, are
      glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored. To address the reason for these
      differences we studied the association of RAET1G with the membrane. Using epitope
      tagged RAET1G protein in conjunction with antibodies to different parts of the
      molecule and in pulse-chase experiments, we showed that the C terminus of the
      protein was cleaved soon after protein synthesis. Endoglycosidase H and peptide N
      glycosidase treatment and cell surface immunoprecipitation indicated that most of
      the protein stayed in the endoplasmic reticulum, but some of the cleaved form was
      modified in the Golgi and transported to the cell surface. We examined the
      possibility of GPI anchoring of the protein in three ways: (i)
      Phosphatidylinositol (PI)-specific phospholipase C released the PI-linked form of
      the protein. (ii) The surface expression pattern of RAET1G decreased in cells
      defective in GPI anchoring through mutant GPI-amidase. (iii) Site-directed
      mutagenesis, to disrupt residues predicted to facilitate GPI-anchoring, resulted
      in diminished surface expression of RAET1G. Thus, a form of RAET1G is GPI
      anchored, in line with most other ULBP/RAET1 family proteins. The cytoplasmic
      tail and transmembrane domains appear to result from gene duplication and
      frameshift mutation. Together with our previous results, our data suggest that
      RAET1G is regulated post-translationally to produce a GPI-anchored isoform.

PMID- 20304923
TI  - The signal peptide of the IgE receptor alpha-chain prevents surface expression of
      an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif-free receptor pool.
AB  - The high affinity receptor for IgE, Fc epsilon receptor I (FcepsilonRI), is an
      activating immune receptor and key regulator of allergy. Antigen-mediated cross
      linking of IgE-loaded FcepsilonRI alpha-chains induces cell activation via
      immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motifs in associated signaling subunits,
      such as FcepsilonRI gamma-chains. Here we show that the human FcepsilonRI alpha
      chain can efficiently reach the cell surface by itself as an IgE-binding receptor
      in the absence of associated signaling subunits when the endogenous signal
      peptide is swapped for that of murine major histocompatibility complex class-I H2
      K(b). This single-chain isoform of FcepsilonRI exited the endoplasmic reticulum
      (ER), trafficked to the Golgi and, subsequently, trafficked to the cell surface.
      Mutational analysis showed that the signal peptide regulates surface expression
      in concert with other described ER retention signals of FcepsilonRI-alpha. Once
      the FcepsilonRI alpha-chain reached the cell surface by itself, it formed a
      ligand-binding receptor that stabilized upon IgE contact. Independently of the
      FcepsilonRI gamma-chain, this single-chain FcepsilonRI was internalized after
      receptor cross-linking and trafficked into a LAMP-1-positive lysosomal
      compartment like multimeric FcepsilonRI. These data suggest that the single-chain
      isoform is capable of shuttling IgE-antigen complexes into antigen loading
      compartments, which plays an important physiologic role in the initiation of
      immune responses toward allergens. We propose that, in addition to cytosolic and
      transmembrane ER retention signals, the FcepsilonRI alpha-chain signal peptide
      contains a negative regulatory signal that prevents expression of an
      immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif-free IgE receptor pool, which
      would fail to induce cell activation.

PMID- 20304924
TI  - Engineering of single Ig superfamily domain of intercellular adhesion molecule 1
      (ICAM-1) for native fold and function.
AB  - The immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily is one of the largest families in the
      vertebrate genome, found most frequently in cell surface molecules. Intercellular
      adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) contains five extracellular Ig superfamily domains
      (D1-D5) of which the first domain, D1, is the binding site for the integrin
      lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) and human rhinovirus. Despite
      the modular nature of many Ig superfamily domains with respect to domain folding
      and ligand recognition, D1 does not fold on its own due to the loss of its
      interaction with the second domain. The goal of this study was to engineer ICAM-1
      D1 by introducing mutations that would stabilize the Ig superfamily domain fold
      while retaining its ability to bind to LFA-1 and rhinovirus. First, with a
      directed evolution approach, we isolated mutations in D1 that showed binding to
      conformation-specific antibodies and the ligand binding domain of LFA-1 called
      the inserted, or I, domain. Then, with a rational design approach we introduced
      mutations that contributed to the stability of ICAM-1 D1 in solution. The
      mutations that restored native folding of D1 in isolation were those that would
      convert hydrogen bond networks in buried regions into hydrophobic contacts.
      Notably, for most mutations, identical or similar types of substitutions were
      found in ICAM-1 molecules of different species and other ICAM family members. The
      systematic approach demonstrated in this study to engineer a single Ig
      superfamily fold in ICAM-1 can be broadly applicable to the engineering of
      modular Ig superfamily domains in other cell surface molecules.

PMID- 20304925
TI  - Structural analysis of the extracellular entrance to the serotonin transporter
      permeation pathway.
AB  - Neurotransmitter transporters are responsible for removal of biogenic amine
      neurotransmitters after release into the synapse. These transporters are the
      targets for many clinically relevant drugs, such as antidepressants and
      psychostimulants. A high resolution crystal structure for the monoamine
      transporters has yet to be solved. We have developed a homology model for the
      serotonin transporter (SERT) based on the crystal structure of the leucine
      transporter (LeuT(Aa)) from Aquifex aeolicus. The objective of the present
      studies is to identify the structural determinants forming the entrance to the
      substrate permeation pathway based on predictions from the SERT homology model.
      Using the substituted cysteine accessibility method, we identified residues
      predicted to reside at the entrance to the substrate permeation pathway that were
      reactive with methanethiosulfonate (MTS) reagents. Of these residues, Gln(332) in
      transmembrane helix (TMH) VI was protected against MTS inactivation in the
      presence of serotonin. Surprisingly, the reactivity of Gln(332) to MTS reagents
      was enhanced in the presence of cocaine. Bifunctional MTS cross-linkers also were
      used to examine the distances between helices predicted to form the entrance into
      the substrate and ion permeation pathway. Our studies suggest that substrate and
      ligand binding may induce conformational shifts in TMH I and/or VI, providing new
      opportunities to refine existing homology models of SERT and related monoamine
      transporters.

PMID- 20304926
TI  - Huntingtin-associated protein-1 deficiency in orexin-producing neurons impairs
      neuronal process extension and leads to abnormal behavior in mice.
AB  - Huntingtin-associated protein-1 (Hap1) is a neuronal protein that associates with
      huntingtin, the Huntington disease protein. Although Hap1 and huntingtin are
      known to be involved in intracellular trafficking, whether and how the impairment
      of Hap1-associated trafficking leads to neurological pathology and symptoms
      remain to be seen. As Hap1 is enriched in neuronal cells in the brain, addressing
      this issue is important in defining the role of defective intracellular
      trafficking in the selective neuropathology associated with Hap1 dysfunction.
      Here, we find that Hap1 is abundantly expressed in orexin (hypocretin)-producing
      neurons (orexin neurons), which are distinctly distributed in the hypothalamus
      and play an important role in the regulation of feeding and behavior. We created
      conditional Hap1 knock-out mice to selectively deplete Hap1 in orexin neurons via
      the Cre-loxP system. These mice show process fragmentation of orexin neurons and
      reductions in food intake, body weight, and locomotor activity. Sucrose density
      gradient fractionation reveals that loss of Hap1 in the mouse brain also reduces
      the distribution of trafficking protein complexes and cargo proteins in the
      fractions that are enriched in synaptosomes. These results suggest that Hap1 is
      critical for the transport of multiple proteins to the nerve terminals to
      maintain the integrity of neuronal processes and that selective disruption of the
      processes of orexin neurons can cause abnormal feeding and locomotor activity.

PMID- 20304927
TI  - Subunit arrangement in N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors.
AB  - N-Methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, the main mediators of excitatory synaptic
      transmission, are heterotetrameric receptors. Typically, glycine binding NR1
      subunits co-assemble with glutamate binding NR2 subunits to form a functional
      receptor. Here we have used luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET)
      investigations to establish the specific configuration in which these subunits
      assemble to form the functional tetramer and show that the dimer of dimers
      structure is formed by the NR1 subunits assembling diagonally to each other. The
      distances measured by LRET are consistent with the NMDA structure predicted based
      on cross-linking investigations and on the structure of the full-length alpha
      amino-5-methyl-3-hydroxy-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) receptor structure
      (1). Additionally, the LRET distances between the NR1 and NR2A subunits within a
      dimer measured in the desensitized state of the receptor are longer than the
      distances in the previously published crystal structure of the isolated ligand
      binding domain of NR1-NR2A. Because the dimer interface in the isolated ligand
      binding domain crystallizes in the open channel structure, the longer LRET
      distances would be consistent with the decoupling of the dimer interface in the
      desensitized state. This is similar to what has been previously observed for the
      AMPA subtype of the ionotropic glutamate receptors, suggesting a similar
      mechanism for desensitization in the two subtypes of the glutamate receptor.

PMID- 20304928
TI  - Oligomeric size of the m2 muscarinic receptor in live cells as determined by
      quantitative fluorescence resonance energy transfer.
AB  - Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), measured by fluorescence intensity
      based microscopy and fluorescence lifetime imaging, has been used to estimate the
      size of oligomers formed by the M(2) muscarinic cholinergic receptor. The
      approach is based on the relationship between the apparent FRET efficiency within
      an oligomer of specified size (n) and the pairwise FRET efficiency between a
      single donor and a single acceptor (E). The M(2) receptor was fused at the N
      terminus to enhanced green or yellow fluorescent protein and expressed in Chinese
      hamster ovary cells. Emission spectra were analyzed by spectral deconvolution,
      and apparent efficiencies were estimated by donor-dequenching and acceptor
      sensitized emission at different ratios of enhanced yellow fluorescent protein
      M(2) receptor to enhanced green fluorescent protein-M(2) receptor. The data were
      interpreted in terms of a model that considers all combinations of donor and
      acceptor within a specified oligomer to obtain fitted values of E as follows: n =
      2, 0.495 +/- 0.019; n = 4, 0.202 +/- 0.010; n = 6, 0.128 +/- 0.006; n = 8, 0.093
      +/- 0.005. The pairwise FRET efficiency determined independently by fluorescence
      lifetime imaging was 0.20-0.24, identifying the M(2) receptor as a tetramer. The
      strategy described here yields an explicit estimate of oligomeric size on the
      basis of fluorescence properties alone. Its broader application could resolve the
      general question of whether G protein-coupled receptors exist as dimers or larger
      oligomers. The size of an oligomer has functional implications, and such
      information can be expected to contribute to an understanding of the signaling
      process.

PMID- 20304929
TI  - Dominant negative mutations affect oligomerization of human pyruvate kinase M2
      isozyme and promote cellular growth and polyploidy.
AB  - This study was designed to understand the mechanism and functional implication of
      the two heterozygous mutations (H391Y and K422R) of human pyruvate kinase M2
      isozyme (PKM(2)) observed earlier in a Bloom syndrome background. The co
      expression of homotetrameric wild type and mutant PKM(2) in the cellular milieu
      resulting in the interaction between the two at the monomer level was
      substantiated further by in vitro experiments. The cross-monomer interaction
      significantly altered the oligomeric state of PKM(2) by favoring dimerization and
      heterotetramerization. In silico study provided an added support in showing that
      hetero-oligomerization was energetically favorable. The hetero-oligomeric
      populations of PKM(2) showed altered activity and affinity, and their expression
      resulted in an increased growth rate of Escherichia coli as well as mammalian
      cells, along with an increased rate of polyploidy. These features are known to be
      essential to tumor progression. This study provides insight in understanding the
      modulated role of large oligomeric multifunctional proteins such as PKM(2) by
      affecting cellular behavior, which is an essential observation to understand
      tumor sustenance and progression and to design therapeutic intervention in
      future.

PMID- 20304931
TI  - Hidden function of catalytic domain in 6-methylsalicylic acid synthase for
      product release.
AB  - Functional investigation of the proposed dehydratase domain of ATX, a 6
      methylsalicylic acid synthase from Aspergillus terreus, revealed that the domain
      is not involved in dehydration of the beta-hydroxytriketide intermediate tethered
      on the acyl carrier protein but catalyzes thioester hydrolysis to release the
      product from the acyl carrier protein. Thus, we renamed this domain the thioester
      hydrolase (TH) domain. The intermediate bound to the TH domain of mutant H972A
      formed in the presence of NADPH was released as 6-methylsalicylic acid by both
      the intact ATX and by THID (a 541-amino acid region containing TH domain and its
      downstream) protein, in trans. Furthermore, THID showed a catalytic activity to
      hydrolyze a model substrate, 6-methylsalicylic acid-N-acetylcysteamine. The TH
      domain is the first example of a product-releasing domain that is located in the
      middle of a multidomain iterative type I polyketide synthase. Moreover, it is
      functionally different from serine protease-type thioesterase domains of
      iterative type I polyketide synthases.

PMID- 20304930
TI  - Phosphatidic acid is a leukocyte chemoattractant that acts through S6 kinase
      signaling.
AB  - Phosphatidic acid (PA) is a pleiotropic lipid second messenger in mammalian
      cells. We report here that extracellular PA acts as a leukocyte chemoattractant,
      as membrane-soluble dioleoyl-PA (DOPA) elicits actin polymerization and
      chemotaxis of human neutrophils and differentiated proleukemic HL-60 cells. We
      show that the mechanism for this involves the S6 kinase (S6K) signaling enzyme.
      Chemotaxis was inhibited >90% by the S6K inhibitors rapamycin and
      bisindolylmaleimide and by S6K1 silencing using double-stranded RNA. However, it
      was only moderately ( approximately 30%) inhibited by mTOR siRNA, indicating the
      presence of an mTOR-independent mechanism for S6K. Exogenous PA led to robust
      time- and dose-dependent increases in S6K enzymatic activity and
      Thr(421)/Ser(424) phosphorylation, further supporting a PA/S6K connection. We
      also investigated whether intracellular PA production affects cell migration.
      Overexpression of phospholipase D2 (PLD2) and, to a lesser extent, PLD1, resulted
      in elevation of both S6K activity and chemokinesis, whereas PLD silencing was
      inhibitory. Because the lipase-inactive PLD2 mutants K444R and K758R neither
      activated S6K nor induced chemotaxis, intracellular PA is needed for this form of
      cell migration. Lastly, we demonstrated a connection between extracellular and
      intracellular PA. Using an enhanced green fluorescent protein-derived PA sensor
      (pEGFP-Spo20PABD), we showed that exogenous PA or PA generated in situ by
      bacterial (Streptomyces chromofuscus) PLD enters the cell and accumulates in
      vesicle-like cytoplasmic structures. In summary, we report the discovery of PA as
      a leukocyte chemoattractant via cell entry and activation of S6K to mediate the
      cytoskeletal actin polymerization and leukocyte chemotaxis required for the
      immune function of these cells.

PMID- 20304934
TI  - Rethinking pragmatic randomised controlled trials: introducing the "cohort
      multiple randomised controlled trial" design.

PMID- 20304932
TI  - Therapeutic strategies for targeting excessive central sympathetic activation in
      human hypertension.
AB  - The pathogenesis of hypertension and its mode of progression are complex,
      multifactoral and incompletely understood. However, there is accumulating
      evidence from humans and animal models of hypertension indicating that excessive
      central sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) plays a pathogenic role in triggering
      and sustaining the essential hypertensive state (the so-called 'neuroadrenergic
      hypothesis'). Importantly, augmented central sympathetic outflow has also been
      implicated in the initiation and progression of a plethora of pathophysiological
      processes independent of any increase in blood pressure, such as left ventricular
      hypertrophy and cardiac arrhythmias. Thus, the sympathetic nervous system
      constitutes an important putative drug target in hypertension. However,
      traditional pharmacological approaches for the management of essential
      hypertension appear ineffective in reducing central sympathetic outflow.
      Recently, several new and promising therapeutic strategies targeting neurogenic
      hypertension have been developed. The present report will provide a brief update
      of this topic with a particular emphasis on human studies examining the efficacy
      of novel pharmacological approaches (central sympatholytics and statins),
      lifestyle modification (aerobic exercise training, weight loss and stress
      reduction) and surgical intervention (renal denervation, chronic carotid
      baroreflex stimulation and deep brain stimulation) in reducing excessive central
      sympathetic activation in hypertension.

PMID- 20304935
TI  - Subjective memory problems.

PMID- 20304939
TI  - Kinetic analysis of the cooperation of P-glycoprotein (P-gp/Abcb1) and breast
      cancer resistance protein (Bcrp/Abcg2) in limiting the brain and testis
      penetration of erlotinib, flavopiridol, and mitoxantrone.
AB  - A synergistic effect of P-glycoprotein (P-gp)/Abcb1a and breast cancer resistance
      protein (Bcrp)/Abcg2 was reported to limit the brain penetration of their common
      substrates. This study investigated this based on pharmacokinetics using
      Mdr1a/1b(-/-), Bcrp(-/-), and Mdr1a/1b(-/-)/Bcrp(-/-) mice. Comparison of the
      brain- and testis-to-plasma ratios (C(brain)/C(plasma) and C(testis)/C(plasma),
      respectively) of the reference compounds quinidine and dantrolene for P-gp and
      Bcrp, respectively, indicates that impairment of either P-gp and Bcrp did not
      cause any change in the efflux activities of Bcrp or P-gp, respectively, at both
      the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and blood-testis barrier (BTB). The
      C(brain)/C(plasma) and C(testis)/C(plasma) of the common substrates erlotinib,
      flavopiridol, and mitoxantrone were markedly increased in Mdr1a/1b(-/-)/Bcrp(-/-)
      mice even compared with Mdr1a/1b(-/-) and Bcrp(-/-) mice. Efflux activities by P
      gp and Bcrp relative to passive diffusion at the BBB and BTB were separately
      evaluated based on the C(brain)/C(plasma) and C(testis)/C(plasma) in the knockout
      strains to the wild-type strain. P-gp made a larger contribution than Bcrp to the
      net efflux of the common substrates, but Bcrp activities were also significantly
      larger than passive diffusion. These parameters could reasonably account for the
      marked increase in C(brain)/C(plasma) and C(testis)/C(plasma) in the Mdr1a/1b(-/
      )/Bcrp(-/-) mice. In conclusion, the synergistic effect of P-gp and Bcrp on
      C(brain)/C(plasma) and C(testis)/C(plasma) can be explained by their contribution
      to the net efflux at the BBB and BTB without any interaction between P-gp and
      Bcrp.

PMID- 20304938
TI  - A functional role for nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate in oxytocin
      mediated contraction of uterine smooth muscle from rat.
AB  - Conventionally, G protein-coupled receptors are thought to increase calcium via
      inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP(3)). More recent evidence shows that an
      alternative second messenger, nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate
      (NAADP), also has a role to play, causing researchers to question established
      calcium releasing pathways. With the recent development, by our group, of cell
      permeant NAADP (NAADP-aceteoxymethyl ester) and a selective NAADP receptor
      antagonist (Ned-19; 1-(3-((4-(2-fluorophenyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)-4
      methoxyphenyl)-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole-3-carboxylic acid),the
      ability to investigate this signaling pathway has improved. Therefore, we
      investigated a role for NAADP in oxytocin-mediated responses in the rat uterus.
      Oxytocin- and NAADP-mediated effects were investigated by using contractile
      measurements of whole uterine strips from rat in organ baths. Responses were
      correlated to calcium release in cultured rat uterine smooth muscle cells
      measured by fluorescence microscopy. Inhibition of both oxytocin-induced
      contraction and calcium release by the traditional NAADP-signaling disrupter
      bafilomycin and the NAADP receptor antagonist Ned-19 clearly demonstrated a role
      for NAADP in oxytocin-induced signaling. A cell-permeant form of NAADP was able
      to produce both uterine contractions and calcium release. This response was
      unaffected by depletion of sarcoplasmic reticulum stores with thapsigargin, but
      was abolished by both bafilomycin and Ned-19. Crucially, oxytocin stimulated an
      increase in NAADP in rat uterine tissue. The present study demonstrates directly
      that NAADP signaling plays a role in rat uterine contractions. Moreover,
      investigation of this signaling pathway highlights yet another component of
      oxytocin-mediated signaling, stressing the need to consider the action of new
      components as they are discovered, even in signaling pathways that are thought to
      be well established.

PMID- 20304941
TI  - Surpassing specificity limits of nucleic acid probes via cooperativity.
AB  - The failure to correctly identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)
      significantly contributes to the misdiagnosis of infectious disease. Contrary to
      the strategy of creating shorter probes to improve SNP differentiation, we
      created larger probes that appeared to increase selectivity. Specifically, probes
      with enhanced melting temperature differentials (>13x improvement) to SNPs were
      generated by linking two probes that consist of both a capture sequence and a
      detection sequence; these probes act cooperatively to improve selectivity over a
      wider range of reaction conditions. These cooperative probe constructs (Tentacle
      probes) were then compared by modeling thermodynamic and hybridization
      characteristics to both Molecular Beacons (stem loop DNA probes) and Taqman
      probes (a linear oligonucleotide). The biophysical models reveal that cooperative
      probes compared with either Molecular beacons or Taqman probes have enhanced
      specificity. This was a result of increased melting temperature differentials and
      the concentration-independent hybridization revealed between wild-type and
      variant sequences. We believe these findings of order of magnitude enhanced
      melting temperature differentials with probes possessing concentration
      independence and more favorable binding kinetics have the potential to
      significantly improve molecular diagnostic assay functionality.

PMID- 20304940
TI  - Nitro-oleic acid inhibits firing and activates TRPV1- and TRPA1-mediated inward
      currents in dorsal root ganglion neurons from adult male rats.
AB  - Nitro-oleic acid (OA-NO(2)), an electrophilic fatty acid by-product of nitric
      oxide and nitrite reactions, is present in normal and inflamed mammalian tissues
      at up to micromolar concentrations and exhibits anti-inflammatory signaling
      actions. The effects of OA-NO(2) on cultured dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons
      were examined using fura-2 Ca(2+) imaging and patch clamping. OA-NO(2) (3.5-35
      microM) elicited Ca(2+) transients in 20 to 40% of DRG neurons, the majority (60
      80%) of which also responded to allyl isothiocyanate (AITC; 1-50 microM), a TRPA1
      agonist, and to capsaicin (CAPS; 0.5 microM), a TRPV1 agonist. The OA-NO(2)
      evoked Ca(2+) transients were reduced by the TRPA1 antagonist 2-(1,3-dimethyl-2,6
      dioxo-1,2,3,6-tetrahydro-7H-purin-7-yl)-N-(4-isopropylphenyl) acetamide (HC
      030031; 5-50 microM) and the TRPV1 antagonist capsazepine (10 microM). Patch
      clamp recording revealed that OA-NO(2) depolarized and induced inward currents in
      62% of neurons. The effects of OA-NO(2) were elicited by concentrations >or=5 nM
      and were blocked by 10 mM dithiothreitol. Concentrations of OA-NO(2) >or=5 nM
      reduced action potential (AP) overshoot, increased AP duration, inhibited firing
      induced by depolarizing current pulses, and inhibited Na(+) currents. The effects
      of OA-NO(2) were not prevented or reversed by the NO-scavenger carboxy-2-phenyl
      4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazolineoxyl-1-oxyl-3-oxide. A large percentage (46-57%) of
      OA-NO(2)-responsive neurons also responded to CAPS (0.5 microM) or AITC (0.5
      microM). OA-NO(2) currents were reduced by TRPV1 (diarylpiperazine; 5 microM) or
      TRPA1 (HC-030031; 5 microM) antagonists. These data reveal that endogenous OA
      NO(2) generated at sites of inflammation may initially activate transient
      receptor potential channels on nociceptive afferent nerves, contributing to the
      initiation of afferent nerve activity, and later suppresses afferent firing.

PMID- 20304942
TI  - Towards routine screening of rare genetic diseases: the example of chronic
      granulomatous disease.

PMID- 20304943
TI  - Development of a diagnostic microarray assay to assess the risk of recurrence of
      prostate cancer based on PITX2 DNA methylation.
AB  - Prostate cancer is among the most common cancers. Although it has a relatively
      good prognosis, 15 to 30% of men with prostate cancer experience a relapse after
      radical prostatectomy. Identifying patients with an aggressive tumor will
      therefore help to improve prostate cancer management. DNA methylation of PITX2
      has been established in several studies as a prognostic biomarker for breast and
      prostate cancer. These case control studies were conducted using research assay
      components; to facilitate its use in a diagnostic setting, the PITX2 biomarker
      was transferred to a validated diagnostic platform, the Affymetrix GeneChip
      System. A customized microarray (Epichip PITX2) was designed using features in
      high redundancy to ensure a robust determination of the methylation state of the
      PITX2 promoter. The developed method allowed for accurate assessment of prognosis
      in prostate cancer patients who underwent radical prostatectomy. Determination of
      PITX2 methylation in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue samples from a
      cohort of 157 prostatectomy patients resulted in an excellent level of
      concordance of the clinical classification, as well as the measured output
      between the research assay and the Epichip PITX2. These analytical performance
      results describe the Epichip PITX2 as a robust and reliable diagnostic tool for
      assessing the methylation status of PITX2, enabling an improved outcome
      prediction in cancer patients following radical prostatectomy.

PMID- 20304949
TI  - Therapeutic potential of proteasome inhibition in Duchenne and Becker muscular
      dystrophies.
AB  - Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and its milder allelic variant, Becker muscular
      dystrophy (BMD), result from mutations of the dystrophin gene and lead to
      progressive muscle deterioration. Enhanced activation of proteasomal degradation
      underlies critical steps in the pathogenesis of the DMD/BMD dystrophic process.
      Previously, we demonstrated that treatment with the proteasome inhibitor MG-132
      rescues the cell membrane localization of dystrophin and the dystrophin
      glycoprotein complex in mdx mice, a natural genetic mouse model of DMD. The
      current work aims to thoroughly define the therapeutic potential in
      dystrophinopathies of Velcade, a drug that selectively blocks the ubiquitin
      proteasome pathway. Velcade is particularly intriguing since it has been approved
      for the treatment of multiple myeloma. Therefore, its side effects in humans have
      been explored. Velcade effects were analyzed through two independent
      methodological approaches. First, we administered the drug systemically in mdx
      mice over a 2-week period. In this system, Velcade restores the membrane
      expression of dystrophin and dystrophin glycoprotein complex members and improves
      the dystrophic phenotype. In a second approach, we treated with the compound
      explants from muscle biopsies of DMD or BMD patients. We show that the inhibition
      of the proteasome pathway up-regulates dystrophin, alpha-sarcoglycan, and beta
      dystroglycan protein levels in explants from BMD patients, whereas it increases
      the proteins of the dystrophin glycoprotein complex in DMD cases.

PMID- 20304950
TI  - Reduction of IKKalpha expression promotes chronic ultraviolet B exposure-induced
      skin inflammation and carcinogenesis.
AB  - Ultraviolet B light (UVB) is a common cause of human skin cancer. UVB irradiation
      induces mutations in the tumor suppressor p53 gene as well as chronic
      inflammation, which are both essential for UVB carcinogenesis. Inhibitor of
      nuclear factor kappaB kinase-alpha (IKKalpha) plays an important role in
      maintaining skin homeostasis, and expression of IKKalpha was found to be down
      regulated in human and murine skin squamous cell carcinomas. However, the role of
      IKKalpha in UVB skin carcinogenesis has not been investigated. Thus, here we
      performed UVB carcinogenesis experiments on Ikkalpha(+/+) and Ikkalpha(+/-) mice.
      Ikkalpha(+/-) mice were found to develop a twofold greater number of skin tumors
      than Ikkalpha(+/+) mice after chronic UVB irradiation. In addition, tumor latency
      was significantly shorter and tumors were bigger in Ikkalpha(+/-) than in
      Ikkalpha(+/+) mice. At an early stage of carcinogenesis, an increase in UVB
      induced p53 mutations as well as macrophage recruitment and mitogenic activity,
      and a decrease in UVB-induced apoptosis, were detected in Ikkalpha(+/-) compared
      with those in Ikkalpha(+/+) skin. Also, reduction of IKKalpha levels in
      keratinocytes up-regulated the expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1
      (MCP-1/CCL2), TNFalpha, IL-1, and IL-6, and elevated macrophage migration, which
      might promote macrophage recruitment and inflammation. Therefore, these findings
      suggest that reduction of IKKalpha expression orchestrates UVB carcinogen,
      accelerating tumorigenesis.

PMID- 20304951
TI  - Macrophages protect against muscle atrophy and promote muscle recovery in vivo
      and in vitro: a mechanism partly dependent on the insulin-like growth factor-1
      signaling molecule.
AB  - Hindlimb unloading and reloading are characterized by a major loss of muscle
      force and are associated with classic leukocyte infiltration during recovery from
      muscle atrophy. Macrophages act as a cellular cornerstone by playing both pro-
      and anti-inflammatory roles during muscle recovery from atrophy. In the present
      study, we investigated the role of macrophages in muscle atrophy and regrowth
      using in vivo and in vitro models. Mice depleted in monocytes/macrophages and
      submitted to a hindlimb unloading and reloading protocol experienced a
      significant delay in muscle force recovery compared with matched placebo mice at
      7 and 14 days after reloading. Furthermore, an in vitro myotube/macrophage
      coculture showed that anti-inflammatory macrophages, which contain apoptotic
      neutrophils and express low levels of cyclooxygenase-2, completely prevented the
      loss of protein content and the myotube atrophy observed after 2 days in low
      serum medium. The presence of macrophages also protected against the decrease in
      myosin heavy chain content in myotubes exposed to low serum medium for 1 day.
      Interestingly, the addition of an anti-IGF-1 antibody to the coculture
      significantly decreased the ability of macrophages to protect against myotube
      atrophy and myosin heavy chain loss after 2 days in low serum medium. These
      results clearly indicate that macrophages and, more precisely, the release of IGF
      1 by macrophages, play an important role in recovery from muscle atrophy.

PMID- 20304952
TI  - Dendritic cells produce CXCL13 and participate in the development of murine small
      intestine lymphoid tissues.
AB  - In the adult intestine, luminal microbiota induce cryptopatches to transform into
      isolated lymphoid follicles (ILFs), which subsequently act as sites for the
      generation of IgA responses. The events leading to this conversion are
      incompletely understood. Dendritic cells (DCs) are components of cryptopatches
      (CPs) and ILFs and were therefore evaluated in this process. We observed that the
      adult murine intestine contains clusters of DCs restricted to the CP/ILF
      continuum. A numerical and cell associative hierarchy in the adult intestine and
      a chronologic hierarchy in the neonatal intestine demonstrated that these
      clusters form after the coalescence of CD90+ cells to form CPs and before the
      influx of B220+ B lymphocytes to form ILFs. Cluster formation was dependent on
      lymphotoxin and the lymphotoxin beta receptor and independent of lymphocytes. The
      ILF DC population was distinguished from that of the lamina propria by the
      absence of CD4+CD11c+ cells and an increased proportion of CD11c+B220+ cells. The
      formation of clusters was not limited by DC numbers but was induced by luminal
      microbiota. Moreover, in the absence of the chemokine CXCL13, CP transformation
      into ILF was arrested. Furthermore, ILF DCs express CXCL13, and depletion of DCs
      resulted in regression of ILFs and disorganization of CPs. These results reveal
      DC participation in ILF transformation and maintenance and suggest that in part
      this may be due to CXCL13 production by these cells.

PMID- 20304954
TI  - MicroRNA-193b represses cell proliferation and regulates cyclin D1 in melanoma.
AB  - Cutaneous melanoma is an aggressive form of human skin cancer characterized by
      high metastatic potential and poor prognosis. To better understand the role of
      microRNAs (miRNAs) in melanoma, the expression of 470 miRNAs was profiled in
      tissue samples from benign nevi and metastatic melanomas. We identified 31 miRNAs
      that were differentially expressed (13 up-regulated and 18 down-regulated) in
      metastatic melanomas relative to benign nevi. Notably, miR-193b was significantly
      down-regulated in the melanoma tissues examined. To understand the role of miR
      193b in melanoma, functional studies were undertaken. Overexpression of miR-193b
      in melanoma cell lines repressed cell proliferation. Gene expression profiling
      identified 314 genes down-regulated by overexpression of miR-193b in Malme-3M
      cells. Eighteen of these down-regulated genes, including cyclin D1 (CCND1), were
      also identified as putative miR-193b targets by TargetScan. Overexpression of miR
      193b in Malme-3M cells down-regulated CCND1 mRNA and protein by > or = 50%. A
      luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR-193b directly regulates CCND1 by
      binding to the 3'untranslated region of CCND1 mRNA. These studies indicate that
      miR-193b represses cell proliferation and regulates CCND1 expression and suggest
      that dysregulation of miR-193b may play an important role in melanoma
      development.

PMID- 20304955
TI  - Genetic background affects properties of satellite cells and mdx phenotypes.
AB  - Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most common lethal genetic disorder of
      children. The mdx (C57BL/10 background, C57BL/10-mdx) mouse is a widely used
      model of DMD, but the histopathological hallmarks of DMD, such as the smaller
      number of myofibers, accumulation of fat and fibrosis, and insufficient
      regeneration of myofibers, are not observed in adult C57BL/10-mdx except for in
      the diaphragm. In this study, we showed that DBA/2 mice exhibited decreased
      muscle weight, as well as lower myofiber numbers after repeated degeneration
      regeneration cycles. Furthermore, the self-renewal efficiency of satellite cells
      of DBA/2 is lower than that of C57BL/6. Therefore, we produced a DBA/2-mdx strain
      by crossing DBA/2 and C57BL/10-mdx. The hind limb muscles of DBA/2-mdx mice
      exhibited lower muscle weight, fewer myofibers, and increased fat and fibrosis,
      in comparison with C57BL/10-mdx. Moreover, remarkable muscle weakness was
      observed in DBA/2-mdx. These results indicate that the DBA/2-mdx mouse is a more
      suitable model for DMD studies, and the efficient satellite cell self-renewal
      ability of C57BL/10-mdx might explain the difference in pathologies between
      humans and mice.

PMID- 20304956
TI  - Epithelial to mesenchymal transition in human skin wound healing is induced by
      tumor necrosis factor-alpha through bone morphogenic protein-2.
AB  - Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), characterized by loss of epithelial
      adhesion and gain of mesenchymal features, is an important mechanism to empower
      epithelial cells into the motility that occurs during embryonic development and
      recurs in cancer and fibrosis. Whether and how EMT occurs in wound healing and
      fibrosis in human skin remains unknown. In this study we found that migrating
      epithelial cells in wound margins and deep epithelial ridges had gained
      mesenchymal features such as vimentin and FSP1 expression. In hypertrophic scars,
      EMT-related genes were elevated along with inflammatory cytokines, indicating a
      causal relationship. To reconstitute EMT in vitro, normal human skin and primary
      keratinocytes were exposed to cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF
      alpha), resulting in expression of vimentin, FSP1, and matrix metalloproteinases.
      Moreover, TNF-alpha-induced EMT was impaired by antagonists against bone
      morphogen proteins (BMP) 2/4, suggesting that BMP mediates the TNF-alpha-induced
      EMT in human skin. Indeed, TNF-alpha could induce BMP-2 and its receptor (BMPR1A)
      in human skin and primary keratinocytes, and BMP2 could induce EMT features in
      skin explants and primary keratinocytes. In summary, we uncovered EMT features in
      both acute and fibrotic cutaneous wound healing of human skin. Moreover, we
      propose that the mesenchymal induction in wound healing is motivated by TNF
      alpha, in part, through induction of BMP.

PMID- 20304957
TI  - A role for the high-density lipoprotein receptor SR-B1 in synovial inflammation
      via serum amyloid-A.
AB  - Acute phase apoprotein Serum Amyloid A (A-SAA), which is strongly expressed in
      rheumatoid arthritis synovial membrane (RA SM), induces angiogenesis, adhesion
      molecule expression, and matrix metalloproteinase production through the G
      coupled receptor FPRL-1. Here we report alternative signaling through the high
      density lipoprotein receptor scavenger receptor-class B type 1 (SR-B1).
      Quantitative expression/localization of SR-B1 in RA SM, RA fibroblast-like cells
      (FLCs), and microvascular endothelial cells (ECs) was assessed by Western
      blotting and immunohistology/fluorescence. A-SAA-mediated effects were examined
      using a specific antibody against SR-B1 or amphipathic alpha-Helical Peptides
      (the SR-B1 antagonists L-37pA and D-37pA), in RA FLCs and ECs. Adhesion molecule
      expression and cytokine production were quantified using flow cytometry and
      ELISA. SR-B1 was strongly expressed in the RA SM lining layer and
      endothelial/perivascular regions compared with osteoarthritis SM or normal
      control synovium. Differential SR-B1 expression in RA FLC lines (n = 5) and ECs
      correlated closely with A-SAA, but not tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced
      intercellular adhesion molecule-1 upregulation. A-SAA-induced interleukin-6 and 
      8 production was inhibited in the presence of anti-SR-B1 in human microvascular
      endothelial cells and RA FLCs. Moreover, D-37pA and L-37pA inhibited A-SAA
      induced vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 and intercellular adhesion molecule
      expression from ECs in a dose-dependent manner. As SR-B1 is expressed in RA
      synovial tissue and mediates A-SAA-induced pro-inflammatory pathways, a better
      understanding of A-SAA-mediated inflammatory pathways may lead to novel treatment
      strategies for RA.

PMID- 20304958
TI  - Cathepsin L in bone marrow-derived cells is required for retinal and choroidal
      neovascularization.
AB  - Many vision-threatening diseases are characterized by intraocular
      neovascularization, (e.g., proliferative diabetic retinopathy and age-related
      macular degeneration). Although a new therapy with anti-VEGF antibodies is being
      used to treat these intraocular neovascular disorders, the visual recovery is
      limited, mainly because of the remnants of fibrovascular tissues. The ideal goal
      of the treatment is to prevent the invasion of new vessels into the avascular
      tissue through a matrix barrier. The purpose of this study was to determine the
      role played by cathepsin L, a matrix degrading enzyme, on intraocular
      angiogenesis. Used established animal models of retinal and choroidal
      neovascularization, we demonstrated that an inhibition of cathepsin L by specific
      inhibitors resulted in a significant decrease of intraocular neovascularization.
      A similar decrease of neovascularization was found in cathepsin L-deficient mice.
      Transplantation of bone marrow from cathepsin L-deficient mice into wild-type
      mice significantly reduced the degree of intraocular neovascularization. In
      addition, immunocytochemical analyses demonstrated that VE cadherin-positive
      endothelial progenitor cells, but not CD43-positive or Iba-1-positive cells, were
      the major cells contributing to the production of cathepsin L. These data
      indicate that cathepsin L expressed in endothelial progenitor cells plays a
      critical role in intraocular angiogenesis and suggest a potential therapeutic
      approach of targeting cathepsin L for neovascular ocular diseases.

PMID- 20304959
TI  - Ventilator-induced inflammatory response in lipopolysaccharide-exposed rat lung
      is mediated by angiotensin-converting enzyme.
AB  - Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) mediates the ventilator-induced inflammatory
      response in healthy lungs via angiotensin II (Ang II). A rat model was used to
      examine the role of ACE and Ang II in the inflammatory response during mechanical
      ventilation of preinjured (ie, lipopolysaccharide [LPS]-exposed) lungs. When
      indicated, rats were pretreated with the ACE inhibitor captopril and/or
      intratracheal administration of LPS. The animals were ventilated for 4 hours with
      moderate pressure amplitudes. Nonventilated animals served as controls. ACE
      activity and levels of Ang II and inflammatory mediators (interleukin-6, Cytokine
      induced Neutrophil Chemoattractant (CINC)-3, interleukin-1beta, and interleukin
      10) were determined in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). The localization of
      ACE and Ang II type 1 receptor in lung tissue was determined by
      immunohistochemistry. The role of the Ang II pathway was assessed by using its
      receptor antagonist Losartan. Mechanical ventilation of LPS-exposed animals
      increased ACE activity and levels of inflammatory mediators in BALF compared with
      ventilated nonexposed and LPS-exposed nonventilated animals. Blocking ACE by
      captopril attenuated the lung inflammatory response. Furthermore, increased ACE
      activity in BALF was accompanied by increased levels of Ang II and enhanced
      expression of its receptor on alveolar cells. Blocking the Ang II receptor
      attenuated the inflammatory mediator response to a larger extent than by blocking
      ACE. In conclusion, during mechanical ventilation ACE, via Ang II, mediates the
      inflammatory response of both healthy and preinjured lungs.

PMID- 20304960
TI  - Flaky tail mouse denotes human atopic dermatitis in the steady state and by
      topical application with Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus extract.
AB  - The barrier abnormality, a loss-of-function mutation in the gene encoding
      filaggrin (FLG), which is linked to the incidence of atopic dermatitis (AD), is a
      recently discovered but important factor in the pathogenesis of AD. Flaky tail
      (Flg(ft)) mice, essentially deficient in filaggrin, have been used to investigate
      the role of filaggrin on AD. However, the relevancy of Flg(ft) mice to human AD
      needs to be determined further. In this study, we observed the clinical
      manifestations of Flg(ft) mice in the steady state and their cutaneous immune
      responses against external stimuli, favoring human AD. Under specific pathogen
      free conditions, the majority of Flg(ft) mice developed clinical and histological
      eczematous skin lesions similar to human AD with outside-to-inside skin barrier
      dysfunction evaluated by newly devised methods. In addition, cutaneous hapten
      induced contact hypersensitivity as a model of acquired immune response and a
      mite extract-induced dermatitis model physiologically relevant to a human AD were
      enhanced in Flg(ft) mice. These results suggest that the Flg(ft) mouse genotype
      has potential as an animal model of AD corresponding with filaggrin mutation in
      human AD.

PMID- 20304961
TI  - Caveolin-1 deficiency dampens Toll-like receptor 4 signaling through eNOS
      activation.
AB  - Caveolin-1 (Cav1), the scaffolding protein of caveolae, has been shown to play an
      important role in host defense and inflammation. However, the underlying
      molecular basis for these actions remains elusive. Here, using double mutant mice
      with genetic deletions of Cav1 and NOS3, we show that chronic endothelial nitric
      oxide synthase (eNOS) activation secondary to loss of Cav1 serves a crucial
      immunomodulatory function through tyrosine nitration-mediated impairment of
      interleukin-1 receptor associated kinase (IRAK)4, a signaling component required
      for nuclear factor-kappaB activation and innate immunity. We observed an eNOS
      dependent decrease in the plasma concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokines and
      marked improvement of survival in Cav1(-/-) mice following lipopolysaccharide
      challenge. Activation of eNOS secondary to loss of Cav1 resulted in decreased
      activation of nuclear factor-kappaB in response to lipopolysaccharide challenge,
      and thereby protected the animals from lipopolysaccharide-induced lung injury.
      IRAK4 was prominently nitrated in Cav1-deficient endothelial cells, whereas eNOS
      deletion in Cav1-deficient endothelial cells resulted in marked decrease of IRAK4
      nitration and restored the inflammatory response after lipopolysaccharide
      challenge. Furthermore, in vitro nitration of IRAK4 resulted in impairment of the
      kinase activity. Thus, eNOS activation secondary to loss of Cav1 signals
      dampening of the innate immune response to lipopolysaccharide through IRAK4
      nitration and the resultant impairment of kinase activity, and consequently
      mitigates inflammatory lung injury.

PMID- 20304962
TI  - Synoviocyte-derived angiopoietin-like protein 2 contributes to synovial chronic
      inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by
      symmetrical polyarticular synovitis of the diarthrodial joints. Several
      proinflammatory cytokines derived from both infiltrating inflammatory cells and
      activated resident cells within the RA joint play a fundamental role in the
      processes that cause inflammation. However, anticytokine treatment is beneficial
      but not curative, the effects are only partial, and nonresponses are common.
      Therefore, an effort has been made to identify other key regulators of
      inflammation in articular structures to develop new therapies to suppress
      synovial inflammation and joint destruction in RA. Adipose tissue-derived
      angiopoietin-like protein 2 (Angptl2) activates an inflammatory cascade in
      endothelial cells and induces chemotaxis of monocytes/macrophages in obesity,
      resulting in initiation and propagation of inflammation within adipose tissues
      and obesity-related metabolic diseases. Angptl2 mRNA and protein are abundantly
      expressed in hyperplastic rheumatoid synovium of RA patients, especially in
      fibroblast-like and macrophage-like synoviocytes, but not in B and T lymphocytes.
      Angptl2 concentration in joints of RA patients was also significantly increased
      in comparison with patients with osteoarthritis, which in comparison with RA
      represents a significantly lower inflammatory grade form of arthritis. Notably,
      Angptl2 promoted increased chemotactic activities of CD14+CD16- monocytes from
      synovial fluid of RA patients. Therefore, Angptl2 acts as an important rheumatoid
      synovium-derived inflammatory mediator in RA pathogenesis.

PMID- 20304963
TI  - The LTB4-BLT1 axis mediates neutrophil infiltration and secondary injury in
      experimental spinal cord injury.
AB  - Traumatic injury in the central nervous system induces inflammation; however, the
      role of this inflammation is controversial. Precise analysis of the inflammatory
      cells is important to gain a better understanding of the inflammatory machinery
      in response to neural injury. Here, we demonstrated that leukotriene B4 plays a
      significant role in mediating leukocyte infiltration after spinal cord injury.
      Using flow cytometry, we revealed that neutrophil and monocyte/macrophage
      infiltration peaked 12 hours after injury and was significantly suppressed in
      leukotriene B4 receptor 1 knockout mice. Similar findings were observed in mice
      treated with a leukotriene B4 receptor antagonist. Further, by isolating each
      inflammatory cell subset with a cell sorter, and performing quantitative reverse
      transcription-PCR, we demonstrated the individual contributions of more highly
      expressed subsets, ie, interleukins 6 and 1beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and
      FasL, to the inflammatory reaction and neural apoptosis. Inhibition of
      leukotriene B4 suppressed leukocyte infiltration after injury, thereby
      attenuating the inflammatory reaction, sparing the white matter, and reducing
      neural apoptosis, as well as inducing better functional recovery. These findings
      are the first to demonstrate that leukotriene B4 is involved in the pathogenesis
      of spinal cord injury through the amplification of leukocyte infiltration, and
      provide a potential therapeutic strategy for traumatic spinal cord injury.

PMID- 20304964
TI  - The NADPH oxidase subunit p22phox inhibits the function of the tumor suppressor
      protein tuberin.
AB  - Mutations in the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) gene give rise to renal cell carcinoma.
      Reactive oxygen species, generated by Nox oxidases, are involved in
      tumorigenesis. We have previously demonstrated that in VHL-deficient cells,
      p22(phox)-dependent Nox1 and Nox4 oxidases maintain hypoxia inducible factor
      2alpha (HIF-2alpha) protein expression through an Akt-dependent translational
      pathway. Phosphorylation of tuberin, by Akt, results in its inactivation. Here we
      show that diphenyleneiodonium chloride, an inhibitor of Nox oxidases, and small
      interfering RNA-mediated down-regulation of p22(phox) inhibit Akt-dependent
      phosphorylation of tuberin and stabilizes tuberin protein levels in VHL-deficient
      renal carcinoma cells. p22(phox)-mediated inactivation of tuberin is associated
      with an increase in ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 and eukaryotic initiation
      factor 4E-binding protein-1 (4E-BP1) phosphorylation as well as HIF-2alpha
      stabilization. Importantly, we find that marked up-regulation of p22(phox) in
      human renal cell carcinoma correlates with increased tuberin phosphorylation,
      decreased tuberin protein levels, and increased phosphorylation of 4E-BP1. Our
      data provide the first evidence that p22(phox)-based Nox oxidases maintain HIF
      2alpha protein expression through inactivation of tuberin and downstream
      activation of ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1/4E-BP1 pathway.

PMID- 20304965
TI  - Investigation into UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) enzyme kinetics of imidazole
      and triazole-containing antifungal drugs in human liver microsomes and
      recombinant UGT enzymes.
AB  - Imidazoles and triazoles represent major classes of antifungal azole derivatives.
      With respect to UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) enzymes, the drug metabolism
      focus has mainly concentrated on their inhibitory effects with little known about
      azoles as substrates for UGTs. N-Glucuronide metabolites of the imidazole
      antifungals, tioconazole and croconazole, have been reported, but there are
      currently no reports of N-glucuronidation of triazole antifungal agents. In this
      study, evidence for glucuronidation of azole-containing compounds was studied in
      human liver microsomes (HLM). When a glucuronide metabolite was identified,
      azoles were incubated in 12 recombinant UGT (rUGT) enzymes, and enzyme kinetics
      were determined for the UGT with the most intense glucuronide peak. Six imidazole
      antifungals, three triazoles, and the benzodiazepine alprazolam (triazole) were
      evaluated in this study. All compounds investigated were identified as substrates
      of UGT. UGT1A4 was the main enzyme involved in the metabolism of all compounds
      except for fluconazole, which was mainly metabolized by UGT2B7, probably
      mediating its O-glucuronide metabolism. UGT1A3 was also found to be involved in
      the metabolism of all imidazoles but not triazoles. In both HLM and rUGT K(m)
      values were lower for imidazoles (14.8-144 microM) than for triazoles (158-3037
      microM), with the exception of itraconazole (8.4 microM). All of the imidazoles
      studied inhibited their own metabolism at high substrate concentrations. In terms
      of UGT1A4 metabolism, itraconazole showed kinetic features characteristic of
      imidazole rather than triazole antifungals. This behavior is attributed to the
      physicochemical properties of itraconazole that are similar to those of
      imidazoles in terms of clogP.

PMID- 20304966
TI  - Spironolactone and canrenone inhibit UGT2B7-catalyzed human liver and kidney
      microsomal aldosterone 18beta-glucuronidation: a potential drug interaction.
AB  - Elevated plasma concentrations of aldosterone (ALDO) are observed in patients
      treated with spironolactone. Because ALDO is eliminated via UGT2B7-catalyzed
      18beta-glucuronidation, this study aimed to determine whether spironolactone and
      its primary metabolites, canrenone and canrenoic acid, inhibit ALDO 18beta
      glucuronidation by recombinant UGT2B7 and by human liver (HLM) and human kidney
      cortical (HKCM) microsomes. Initial experiments characterized the effects of all
      three compounds on 4-methylumbelliferone and ALDO glucuronidation by recombinant
      human UGT2B7. IC(50) values for spironolactone and canrenone ranged from 26 to 50
      microM, whereas canrenoic acid was a weak inhibitor. Inhibitor constant (K(i))
      values for spironolactone and canrenone inhibition of ALDO 18beta-glucuronidation
      were subsequently determined with HLM, HKCM, and UGT2B7 as the enzyme sources.
      Spironolactone and canrenone were competitive inhibitors of ALDO 18beta
      glucuronidation by HLM, HKCM, and UGT2B7. Mean (+/-) K(i) values for
      spironolactone were 52 +/- 22 (HLM) and 34 +/- 4 microM (HKCM), and mean (+/-)
      K(i) values for canrenone were 41 +/- 19 (HLM) and 23 +/- 2 microM (HKCM). K(i)
      values for spironolactone and canrenone inhibition of ALDO 18beta-glucuronidation
      by recombinant UGT2B7 were 23 and 11 microM, respectively. "Actual" K(i) values
      for spironolactone and canrenone inhibition of ALDO 18beta-glucuronidation, which
      take into account the role of endogenous microsomal inhibitors, are predicted to
      be 3 to 5 and 2 to 4 microM, respectively. The data indicate that the elevated
      ALDO concentrations observed in patients treated with spironolactone may be due,
      at least in part, to a pharmacokinetic interaction, and spironolactone and
      canrenone should be considered to be potential inhibitors of the UGT2B7-mediated
      metabolic clearance of drugs in both liver and kidney.

PMID- 20304967
TI  - Innovative virtual reality measurements for embryonic growth and development.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Innovative imaging techniques, using up-to-date ultrasonic equipment,
      necessitate specific biometry. The aim of our study was to test the possibility
      of detailed human embryonic biometry using a virtual reality (VR) technique.
      METHODS: In a longitudinal study, three-dimensional (3D) measurements were
      performed from 6 to 14 weeks gestational age in 32 pregnancies (n = 16
      spontaneous conception, n = 16 IVF/ICSI). A total of 125 3D volumes were analysed
      in the I-Space VR system, which allows binocular depth perception, providing a
      realistic 3D illusion. Crown-rump length (CRL), biparietal diameter (BPD),
      occipito-frontal diameter (OFD), head circumference (HC) and abdominal
      circumference (AC) were measured as well as arm length, shoulder width, elbow
      width, hip width and knee width. RESULTS: CRL, BPD, OFD and HC could be measured
      in more than 96% of patients, and AC in 78%. Shoulder width, elbow width, hip
      width and knee width could be measured in more than 95% of cases, and arm length
      in 82% of cases. Growth curves were constructed for all variables. Ear and foot
      measurements were only possible beyond 9 weeks gestation. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      provides a detailed, longitudinal description of normal human embryonic growth,
      facilitated by a VR system. Growth curves were created for embryonic biometry of
      the CRL, BPD, HC and AC early in pregnancy and also of several 'new' biometric
      measurements. Applying virtual embryoscopy will enable us to diagnose growth
      and/or developmental delay earlier and more accurately. This is especially
      important for pregnancies at risk of severe complications, such as recurrent late
      miscarriage and early growth restriction.

PMID- 20304968
TI  - Functional cyanobacterial beta-carboxysomes have an absolute requirement for both
      long and short forms of the CcmM protein.
AB  - Carboxysomes are an essential part of the cyanobacterial CO2-concentrating
      mechanism, consisting of a protein shell and an interior of Rubisco. The beta
      carboxysome shell protein CcmM forms two peptides via a proposed internal
      ribosomal entry site (IRES) within the ccmM transcript in Synechococcus PCC7942.
      The abundant short form (35 kD, M35) consists of Rubisco small subunit-like
      repeats and binds Rubisco. The lower abundance long form (58 kD, M58) also
      contains a gamma-carbonic anhydrase-like domain, which binds the carboxysomal
      carbonic anhydrase, CcaA. We examined whether these CcmM forms arise via an IRES
      or by other means. Mutations of a putative internal start codon (GTG) and Shine
      Dalgarno sequence within ccmM, along with a gene coding for M35 alone, were
      examined in the high-CO2-requiring (HCR) carboxysomeless mutant, DeltaccmM.
      Expression of wild-type ccmM in DeltaccmM restored the wild-type phenotype, while
      mutation of putative start and Shine-Dalgarno sequences led to as much as 20-fold
      reduction in M35 content with no recovery from HCR phenotype. These cells also
      contained small electron-dense structures. Cells producing little or no M58, but
      sufficient M35, were found to contain large electron-dense structures, no CcaA,
      and had a HCR phenotype. Large subcellular aggregates can therefore form in the
      absence of M58, suggesting a role for M35 in internal carboxysome Rubisco
      packing. The results confirm that M35 is independently translated via an IRES
      within ccmM. Importantly, the data reveal that functional carboxysomes require
      both M35 and M58 in sufficient quantities and with a minimum stoichiometry of
      close to 1:1.

PMID- 20304969
TI  - Significance of light, sugar, and amino acid supply for diurnal gene regulation
      in developing barley caryopses.
AB  - The caryopses of barley (Hordeum vulgare), as of all cereals, are complex sink
      organs optimized for starch accumulation and embryo development. While their
      early to late development has been studied in great detail, processes underlying
      the caryopses' diurnal adaptation to changes in light, temperature, and the
      fluctuations in phloem-supplied carbon and nitrogen have remained unknown. In an
      attempt to identify diurnally affected processes in developing caryopses at the
      early maturation phase, we monitored global changes of both gene expression and
      metabolite levels. We applied the 22 K Barley1 GeneChip microarray and identified
      2,091 differentially expressed (DE) genes that were assigned to six major diurnal
      expression clusters. Principal component analysis and other global analyses
      demonstrated that the variability within the data set relates to genes involved
      in circadian regulation, storage compound accumulation, embryo development,
      response to abiotic stress, and photosynthesis. The correlation of amino acid and
      sugar profiles with expression trajectories led to the identification of several
      hundred potentially metabolite-regulated DE genes. A comparative analysis of our
      data set and publicly available microarray data disclosed suborgan-specific
      expression of almost all diurnal DE genes, with more than 350 genes specifically
      expressed in the pericarp, endosperm, or embryo tissues. Our data reveal a tight
      linkage between day/night cycles, changes in light, and the supply of carbon and
      nitrogen. We present a model that suggests several phases of diurnal gene
      expression in developing barley caryopses, summarized as starvation and priming,
      energy collection and carbon fixation, light protection and chaperone activity,
      storage and growth, and embryo development.

PMID- 20304970
TI  - Tools for cellulose analysis in plant cell walls.

PMID- 20304971
TI  - Cytosolic action of phytochelatin synthase.
AB  - Glutathionylation of compounds is an important reaction in the detoxification of
      electrophilic xenobiotics and in the biosynthesis of endogenous molecules. The
      glutathione conjugates (GS conjugates) are further processed by peptidic cleavage
      reactions. In animals and plants, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidases initiate the
      turnover by removal of the glutamate residue from the conjugate. Plants have a
      second route leading to the formation of gamma-glutamylcysteinyl (gamma-GluCys)
      conjugates. Phytochelatin synthase (PCS) is well known to mediate the synthesis
      of heavy metal-binding phytochelatins. In addition, the enzyme is also able to
      catabolize GS conjugates to the gamma-GluCys derivative. In this study, we
      addressed the cellular compartmentalization of PCS and its role in the plant
      specific gamma-GluCys conjugate pathway in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana).
      Localization studies of both Arabidopsis PCS revealed a ubiquitous presence of
      AtPCS1 in Arabidopsis seedlings, while AtPCS2 was only detected in the root tip.
      A functional AtPCS1:eGFP (enhanced green fluorescent protein) fusion protein was
      localized to the cytosolic compartment. Inhibition of the vacuolar import of GS
      bimane conjugate via azide treatment resulted in both a strong accumulation of
      gamma-GluCys-bimane and a massive increase of the cellular cysteine to GS-bimane
      ratio, which was not observed in PCS-deficient lines. These findings support a
      cytosolic action of PCS. Analysis of a triple mutant deficient in both
      Arabidopsis PCS and vacuolar gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase GGT4 is consistent
      with earlier observations of an efficient sequestration of GS conjugates into the
      vacuole and the requirement of GGT4 for their turnover. Hence, PCS contributes
      specifically to the cytosolic turnover of GS conjugates, and AtPCS1 plays the
      prominent role. We discuss a potential function of PCS in the cytosolic turnover
      of GS conjugates.

PMID- 20304972
TI  - Improving thermostability of papain through structure-based protein engineering.
AB  - Papain is a plant cysteine protease of industrial importance having a two-domain
      structure with its catalytic cleft located at the domain interface. A structure
      based rational design approach has been used to improve the thermostability of
      papain, without perturbing its enzymatic activity, by introducing three mutations
      at its interdomain region. A thermostable homologue in papain family, Ervatamin
      C, has been used as a template for this purpose. A single (K174R), a double
      (K174RV32S) and a triple (K174RV32SG36S) mutant of papain have been generated, of
      which the triple mutant shows maximum thermostability with the half-life (t(1/2))
      extended by 94 min at 60 degrees C and 45 min at 65 degrees C compared to the
      wild type (WT). The temperature of maximum enzymatic activity (T(max)) and 50%
      maximal activity (T(50)) for the triple mutant increased by 15 and 4 degrees C,
      respectively. Moreover, the triple mutant exhibits a faster inactivation rate
      beyond T(max) which may be a desirable feature for an industrial enzyme. The
      values of t(1/2) and T(max) for the double mutant lie between those of the WT and
      the triple mutant. The single mutant however turns out to be unstable for
      biochemical characterization. These results have been substantiated by molecular
      modeling studies which also indicate highest stability for the triple mutant
      based on higher number of interdomain H-bonds/salt-bridges, less interdomain
      flexibility and lower stability free-energy compared to the WT. In silico studies
      also explain the unstable behavior of the single mutant.

PMID- 20304973
TI  - Creating novel proteins by combining design and selection.
AB  - We present the results of combining design and selection to remodel a protein
      peptide binding interface, using the peptide PTIEEVD and the TPR1 module
      interaction as our test case. We initially used the program Rosetta to
      interrogate possible TPR1 sequences compatible with binding the peptide PTIEEVD.
      Based on these results, we screened a small library of TPR1 variants, using a
      split GFP fluorescent assay to identify proteins that are able to bind to the
      PTIEEVD peptide. We discuss the similarities and differences between the modeling
      and selection results at each position. We show that a new 'consensus' TPR1,
      created based on the results of the sequences identified in the screen, indeed
      binds to the PTIEEVD peptide. These results demonstrate the utility of combining
      design and selection in a synergistic fashion to remodel protein recognition
      interfaces.

PMID- 20304974
TI  - Use of amino acid composition to predict epitope residues of individual
      antibodies.
AB  - We identified specific amino acid propensities at the interfaces of antigen
      antibody interactions in non-redundant qualified antigen-antibody complex
      structures from Protein Data Bank. Propensities were expressed by the frequency
      of each of the 20 x 20 standard amino acid pairs that appeared at the interfaces
      of the complexes and were named the antibody-specific epitope propensity (ASEP)
      index. Using this index, we developed a novel method of predicting epitope
      residues for individual antibodies by narrowing down candidate epitope residues
      which was predicted by the conventional method. The 74 benchmarked antigens were
      used in ASEP prediction. The efficiency of this method was assessed using the
      leave-one-out approach. On elimination of residues with ASEP indices in the
      lowest 10% of all measured, true positives were enriched for 49 antigens. On
      subsequent elimination of residues with ASEP indices in the lowest 50%, true
      positives were enriched for 40 of the 74 antigens assessed. The ASEP index is the
      first benchmark proposed to predict epitope residues for an individual antibody.
      Used in combination with mutation experiments, this index has the potential to
      markedly increase the success ratio of epitope analysis.

PMID- 20304975
TI  - Natural and synthetic compounds such as trimethoprim behave as inhibitors of
      efflux in Gram-negative bacteria.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that small heterocyclic or nitrogen-containing
      compounds could act as RND efflux pump inhibitors (EPIs). To ascertain possible
      EPIs, we sought to identify compounds that synergized with substrates of RND
      efflux pumps for wild-type bacteria and those that overexpress an efflux pump,
      but had no synergistic activity against strains in which a gene encoding a
      component of the AcrAB-TolC efflux pump had been inactivated. METHODS: Twenty-six
      compounds plus L-phenylalanyl-L-arginyl-beta-naphthylamide (PAbetaN) and carbonyl
      cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) were screened by bioassay to identify
      compounds that synergized with ciprofloxacin for a range of Enterobacteriaceae
      and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The MICs of ciprofloxacin, tetracycline,
      chloramphenicol, erythromycin and ethidium bromide+/-synergizing compounds were
      determined, and the ability to inhibit the efflux of Hoechst 33342 was measured.
      RESULTS: Two compounds, trimethoprim and epinephrine, consistently showed synergy
      with antibiotics for most strains. The combinations did not show synergy for
      Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium in which the AcrAB-TolC efflux pump was
      inactive. Both compounds inhibited the efflux of Hoechst 33342. CONCLUSIONS: Two
      compounds, trimethoprim and epinephrine, which are already licensed for use in
      man, may warrant further analysis as EPIs. The combination of trimethoprim with
      another antibiotic is a well-used combination in anti-infective chemotherapy, and
      so combination with another agent, such as a quinolone, may be a viable option
      and further studies are now required.

PMID- 20304976
TI  - A field test of the effects of instruction design on colorectal cancer self
      screening accuracy.
AB  - A field experiment tested whether instruction design improves accurate adherence
      to instructions for medical do-it-yourself tests like the Fecal Occult Blood Test
      (FOBT). As part of an outreach campaign, 16,073 participants received FOBTs with
      instructions that were (i) human factored, (ii) motivational, (iii) human
      factored/motivational combined, or (iv) the standard used in the past. Among all
      test results returned (N = 2483), only the human factors instructions reduced
      errors in filling out result cards. However, after post-validating result cards
      that had errors, the human-factored, motivational and merged instructions reduced
      errors. The present findings show that medical instructions designed with human
      factors and persuasion principles increase accurate adherence. These design
      principles provide simple and cost-effective ways to increase test taking
      accuracy and FOBT effectiveness. Better screening instructions can improve the
      chances of detecting colorectal cancer early, which may help to decrease cancer
      mortality.

PMID- 20304977
TI  - A new approach for copy number estimation in polyploids.
AB  - In polyploids, the copy number (or marker dosage) of a dominant marker is the
      number of copies of a dominant allele carried by a parent. It is estimated using
      a hypothesis testing procedure. This procedure, however, suffers from issues
      associated with multiple testing and assumes all chromosomes pair uniformly. In
      this paper, a new Bayesian approach is presented for estimating the copy number
      of a dominant marker in polyploids. By using a probability model that explicitly
      accounts for preferentially paired chromosomes, the Bayesian approach more
      closely reflects reality. Its superiority over the hypothesis testing procedure
      is evidenced through the analysis of simulated and sugarcane data. The Bayesian
      methodology described in this paper is implemented in a C program, bdose, which
      is freely available (see Supplementary Materials).

PMID- 20304978
TI  - Inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase activity and of Ras
      farnesylation mediate antitumor effects of anandamide in human breast cancer
      cells.
AB  - The endocannabinoid system regulates cell proliferation in human breast cancer
      cells. Recently, we described that a metabolically stable anandamide analog, 2
      methyl-2'-F-anandamide, by activation of CB1 receptors significantly inhibited
      cell proliferation of human breast cancer cell lines. In this study, we observed
      that the activation of the CB1 receptor, in two human mammary carcinoma cell
      lines, MDA-MB-231 and MCF7, caused the inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl
      coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase activity due to a reduction of HMG-CoA reductase
      transcript levels. The decrease of HMG-CoA reductase activity induced the
      inhibition of the prenylation of proteins, in particular of the farnesylation of
      Ras oncogenic protein involved in cell proliferation of these cell lines. We
      suggest that the inhibitory effect of anandamide analog on tumor cell
      proliferation could be related to the inhibition of Ras farnesylation.

PMID- 20304980
TI  - Effect on postoperative sore throat of spraying the endotracheal tube cuff with
      benzydamine hydrochloride, 10% lidocaine, and 2% lidocaine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Postoperative sore throat (POST) is a common complication after
      endotracheal intubation. We compared the effectiveness on POST of spraying the
      endotracheal tube (ETT) cuff with benzydamine hydrochloride, 10% lidocaine, and
      2% lidocaine. METHODS: Three hundred seventy-two patients were randomly allocated
      into 4 groups. The ETT cuffs in each group were sprayed with benzydamine
      hydrochloride, 10% lidocaine hydrochloride, 2% lidocaine hydrochloride, or normal
      saline before endotracheal intubation. After insertion, the cuffs were inflated
      to an airway leak pressure of 20 cm H(2)O. Anesthesia was maintained with
      propofol. The patients were examined for sore throat (none, mild, moderate, or
      severe) at 1, 6, 12, and 24 hours after extubation. RESULTS: The highest
      incidence of POST occurred at 6 hours after extubation in all groups. There was a
      significantly lower incidence of POST in the benzydamine group than 10%
      lidocaine, 2% lidocaine, and normal saline groups (P < 0.05) at each observation
      time point. At 6 hours after extubation, the incidence of POST was significantly
      lower in the benzydamine group (17.0%) compared with 10% lidocaine (53.7%), 2%
      lidocaine (37.0%), and normal saline (40.8%) groups (P < 0.05). The benzydamine
      group had significantly decreased severity of POST compared with the 10%
      lidocaine, 2% lidocaine, and normal saline groups (P < 0.05) at each observation
      time point. Compared with the 2% lidocaine and normal saline groups, the 10%
      lidocaine group had significantly increased severity of POST at 1, 6, and 12
      hours after extubation. There were no significant differences among groups in
      local or systemic side effects. CONCLUSIONS: Spraying benzydamine hydrochloride
      on the ETT cuff is a simple and effective method to reduce the incidence and
      severity of POST.

PMID- 20304979
TI  - Defective nucleolar localization and dominant interfering properties of a
      parafibromin L95P missense mutant causing the hyperparathyroidism-jaw tumor
      syndrome.
AB  - The hyperparathyroidism-jaw tumor syndrome (HPT-JT) is a familial cancer syndrome
      that can result from germline inactivation of HRPT2/CDC73, a putative tumor
      suppressor gene that encodes parafibromin, a component of the transcriptional
      regulatory PAF1 complex with homology to the yeast protein Cdc73p. The vast
      majority of HRPT2/CDC73 germline mutations identified have been truncation or
      frameshift mutations, and loss of function due to missense mutation is rare. We
      report here a kindred with HPT-JT due to a germline L95P missense mutation in
      parafibromin. The mutant parafibromin was studied in vitro to understand the
      basis of its presumed loss-of-function. When transfected in cultured cells, the
      L95P mutant was expressed to a lower level than wild-type (wt) parafibromin, a
      difference that was not overcome by inhibition of the proteasomal degradation
      pathway. The L95P mutant parafibromin retained the ability to assemble with
      endogenous PAF1 complex components as evidenced by co-immunoprecipitation.
      Analysis of subcellular localization showed that the L95P mutant was markedly
      deficient in nucleolar localization compared to the wt, an impairment likely
      resulting from disruption of a putative nucleolar localization signal immediately
      upstream of the L95P mutation. Transfection of the L95P parafibromin mutant, but
      not the wt, enhanced cell cycle progression and increased cell survival in NIH
      3T3 and HEK 293 cells, resulting apparently from dominant interference with
      endogenous parafibromin action. The simultaneous loss of nucleolar localization
      and acquisition of a growth stimulatory phenotype with the L95P mutation raise
      the possibility that parafibromin must interact with targets in the nucleolus to
      fully execute its tumor suppressor functions.

PMID- 20304981
TI  - The effect of sex on the minimum local analgesic concentration of ropivacaine for
      caudal anesthesia in anorectal surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Caudal anesthesia is routinely used in our hospital for most of
      ambulatory anorectal surgery; patients need to recover as quickly as possible.
      The dose of local anesthetic may be different for male and female patients. We
      designed this study to investigate the effect of sex on the minimum local
      anesthetic concentration (MLAC) of ropivacaine for caudal anesthesia. METHODS: In
      this double-blind, prospective study, we enrolled 70 ASA physical status I
      patients (35 male and 35 female) who were scheduled for anorectal surgery under
      caudal anesthesia, and allocated them to 2 study groups according to their
      gender. Each participant received a single injection of 20 mL ropivacaine through
      a caudal catheter. Using Dixon's up-and-down sequential allocation, the first
      participant received 0.2% and subsequent concentrations were determined by the
      analgesic response of the previous patients to the initial skin incision and
      laxity of the anal sphincter. The concentration change was 0.025%. The up-and
      down sequences were analyzed using the Dixon and Massey method to quantify the
      caudal analgesic block effective concentrations in 50% of patients. RESULTS: The
      MLAC of ropivacaine for caudal analgesia was 0.296% (95% confidence interval,
      0.286%-0.307%) in male patients and 0.389% (95% confidence interval, 0.372%
      0.407%) in female patients (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the
      ropivacaine MLAC for caudal anesthesia in female patients is 31% larger than in
      male patients.

PMID- 20304982
TI  - Levobupivacaine 0.5% provides longer analgesia after sciatic nerve block using
      the Labat approach than the same dose of ropivacaine in foot and ankle surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Levobupivacaine and ropivacaine are 2 left enantiomeric molecules
      frequently used for peripheral nerve blocks because of their safe clinical
      profile. Levobupivacaine is more lipophilic and theoretically more potent than
      ropivacaine, but clinical studies show conflicting results in terms of anesthetic
      and analgesic characteristics. We hypothesized that the pure S-enantiomer of
      bupivacaine provides longer-lasting analgesia than ropivacaine. METHODS: We
      compared the analgesic characteristics of 20 mL levobupivacaine versus 20 mL
      ropivacaine 0.5% in a posterior sciatic nerve block (Labat approach) for foot and
      ankle surgery. In a double-blind, randomized, prospective design, 80 patients
      received either substance. We assessed the onset, duration, and success of the
      block, and the need for rescue analgesia and technical or neurologic
      complications over 24 hours. RESULTS: The onset of sensory block (minutes) and
      the success rate were similar in levobupivacaine and ropivacaine groups (onset,
      15 minutes [5-40 minutes] vs 15 minutes [5-60 minutes], respectively; success
      rate, 90% vs 92.5%). The average time for the first request of pain medication
      provided by 20 mL levobupivacaine 0.5% was significantly longer than with
      ropivacaine (1605 minutes [575-2400 minutes] vs 1035 minutes [590-1500 minutes],
      P < 0.001). The need for postoperative rescue analgesia was higher in the
      ropivacaine group (37 of 40 [92.5%] vs 30 of 40 [75%], P < 0.034). No
      complications were noted in either group at 24 hours. CONCLUSION: Twenty
      milliliters levobupivacaine 0.5% in posterior gluteal (Labat) sciatic nerve block
      provided longer-lasting analgesia after foot and ankle surgery compared with the
      same dose of ropivacaine.

PMID- 20304983
TI  - Neurogenic bladder: a complication after endoscopic adhesiolysis with return of
      bladder function while using nitrofurantoin.
AB  - We describe the case of a 73-year-old woman with a history of chronic low back
      pain and 2 previous lumbar fusions who presented with complaints of worsening
      back and leg pain. Having previously undergone multiple interventions, physical
      therapy, and oral analgesics with limited pain relief, the patient opted for
      endoscopic lysis of adhesions for severe scarring of the epidural space.
      Subsequently, the patient developed a neurogenic bladder with urinary retention.
      Three years later, she experienced resolution of the neurogenic bladder symptoms
      that coincided with the use of the antibiotic nitrofurantoin. Upon
      discontinuation of the antibiotic, the patient noted that she was unable to void
      spontaneously. With reinstitution of nitrofurantoin, the patient was once again
      able to void effectively and has been maintained on nitrofurantoin for >3 years.

PMID- 20304984
TI  - Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor gene expression is altered in burn patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Burn patients have been observed to be more susceptible to the
      hyperkalemic effect of the depolarizing muscle relaxant succinylcholine. Changes
      in nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunit composition may alter
      electrophysiologic, pharmacologic, and metabolic characteristics of the receptor
      inducing hyperkalemia on exposure to succinylcholine. No studies have been
      performed that show the upregulation and/or alteration of nAChR subunit
      composition in human burn patients. The scarcity of studies performed on humans
      with burn injury is mainly attributable to the technical and ethical difficulties
      in obtaining muscle biopsies at different time frames of illness in these acutely
      injured patients. nAChRs are expressed in oral keratinocytes and are upregulated
      or altered in smokers. However, no studies have addressed the expression of
      nAChRs in the oral mucosa of burn patients. METHODS: Buccal mucosal scrapings
      were collected from 9 burn patients and 6 control nonburn surgical intensive care
      unit patients. For burn and control patients, tissues were collected upon
      presentation (time: 0 hour) and at time points 12, 24, and 48 hours, 1 week, and
      2 weeks. Gene expression of the nAChR subunits alpha1, alpha7, gamma, and epsilon
      were performed using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction.
      RESULTS: alpha7 and gamma nAChR genes were significantly upregulated in burn
      patients, whereas alpha1 and epsilon nAChR genes were minimally affected, showing
      no significant changes over time. DISCUSSION: Over the 2 weeks of measurement, an
      upregulation of the alpha7 and gamma genes occurred in both burn and control
      patients; however, the proportion of alpha7 and gamma subunit increases was
      significantly higher in burn patients than in control surgical intensive care
      unit patients. The relationship between the thermal injury and the observed
      alteration in gene expression suggests a possible cause/effect relationship. This
      effect was observed at a site not affected by the burn injury and in nonmuscle
      tissues, thus emphasizing the systemic nature of the effect caused by the thermal
      injury. Because gene expression is the basis of protein production, the
      upregulation of alpha7 and gamma genes might translate into more alpha7 and gamma
      protein subunits. These proteins can also combine with each other or with other
      types of subunits (alpha1, beta, epsilon . . .) to form nAChRs with altered
      electrophysiologic characteristics leading to the observed abnormal clinical
      outcomes. CONCLUSION: Thermal injury may infer a systemic effect because
      upregulation/alteration of nAChRs occurs in nonmuscle tissues distant from the
      site of injury. The effect of thermal injury on nAChR gene subunits can be
      studied using a minimally invasive method (buccal mucosal scraping) and a highly
      sensitive technology (real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction)
      obviating the need for more invasive methods.

PMID- 20304985
TI  - The anatomy of the thoracic spinal canal investigated with magnetic resonance
      imaging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We investigated, with magnetic resonance imaging, the distance of the
      dura mater to the spinal cord in patients without spinal or medullar disease at
      the 2nd, 5th, and 10th thoracic segments. METHODS: Fifty patients in the supine
      position underwent magnetic resonance imaging. Medial sagittal slices of the 2nd,
      5th, and 10th thoracic segments were measured for the relative distances using
      the 1.5-T superconducting system (Gyroscan Intera, Philips Medical Systems, Best,
      the Netherlands). In 10 patients, the angles relative to the tangent at the
      insertion point on the skin were measured. RESULTS: The posterior dural-spinal
      cord distance is significantly greater at the midthoracic region (5th thoracic =
      5.8 +/- 0.8 mm) than at the upper (2nd thoracic = 3.9 +/- 0.8 mm) and lower
      thoracic levels (10th thoracic = 4.1 +/- 1.0 mm) (P < 0.015). There were no
      differences between interspaces T2 and T10. There was no correlation between age
      and the measured distance between the dura mater and the spinal cord. The entry
      angle of the needle at T2 was 9.0 degrees +/- 2.5 degrees ; at T5, 45.0 degrees
      +/- 7.4 degrees ; and at T10, 9.5 degrees +/- 4.2 degrees . CONCLUSIONS: This
      study demonstrated that there is greater depth of the posterior subarachnoid
      space at the T2, T5, and T10 levels. The greater distance was found at T5.

PMID- 20304986
TI  - The effects of isoflurane pretreatment on cerebral blood flow, capillary
      permeability, and oxygen consumption in focal cerebral ischemia in rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We performed experiments to test whether isoflurane pretreatment
      produces vascular effects, especially at the levels of arterioles and capillaries
      affecting regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF), O(2) supply and consumption, or
      capillary permeability in focal cerebral ischemia. Because inducible nitric oxide
      synthase (iNOS) was implicated as one of the mechanisms of isoflurane
      preconditioning, the effect of iNOS inhibition on rCBF was also studied. METHODS:
      Twenty-four hours before middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion, rats were
      pretreated with 2% isoflurane for 30 minutes using an endotracheal tube and
      mechanical ventilation for the isoflurane preconditioned (IsoPC) group. For the
      group of iNOS inhibition, aminoguanidine 200 mg/kg was injected IP 30 minutes
      before isoflurane pretreatment. One hour after MCA occlusion, rCBF was measured
      using (14)C-iodoantipyrine autoradiography. Alternate slices of the tissue were
      used to determine arteriolar and venular O(2) saturation using cryo
      microspectrophotometry. Capillary permeability was determined by measuring the
      transfer coefficient (Ki) of (14)C-alpha-aminoisobutyric acid. Additional
      measurements of rCBF were performed at 3 hours after MCA occlusion. RESULTS: MCA
      occlusion decreased rCBF and O(2) consumption and increased Ki in both the
      control and the IsoPC groups at 1 hour after MCA occlusion. In the ischemic
      cortex (IC), the rCBF and O(2) consumption were significantly greater in the
      IsoPC group than in the control group (+40% and +41%, respectively), but they
      were similar in the contralateral cortex between the 2 groups. There was no
      difference in Ki between the groups in the IC or in the contralateral cortex. The
      increase of rCBF in the IC (+50%) was sustained in the IsoPC group at 3 hours
      after MCA occlusion. With iNOS inhibition, the increase of rCBF in the IC with
      isoflurane pretreatment became insignificant. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate
      that isoflurane pretreatment improved rCBF and increased the regional O(2) supply
      and consumption in the focal ischemic area but did not affect capillary
      permeability during the early stage of focal cerebral ischemia. The isoflurane
      induced increase in rCBF in the ischemic area became insignificant with
      inhibition of iNOS.

PMID- 20304987
TI  - Ergosterol triggers characteristic elicitation steps in Beta vulgaris leaf
      tissues.
AB  - This study investigates the role of the fungal sterol ergosterol as a general
      elicitor in the triggering of plant innate immunity in sugar beet. Evidence for
      this specific function of ergosterol is provided by careful comparison with
      cholesterol and three plant sterols (stigmasterol, campesterol, sitosterol),
      which do not enable the integrity of responses leading to elicitation. Our
      results demonstrate the modification of H(+) flux by ergosterol, due to the
      direct inhibition of the H(+)-ATPase activity on plasma membrane vesicles
      purified from leaves. The ergosterol-induced oxidative burst is related to
      enhanced NADPH-oxidase and superoxide dismutase activities. The similar effects
      obtained with the fungal elicitor chitosan further reinforce the particular role
      of ergosterol in the induced defences. The involvement of salicylic acid and/or
      jasmonic acid signalling in the ergosterol-enhanced plant non-host resistance is
      also studied. The possible link between ergosterol-triggered plant innate
      immunity and its putative impact on the structural organization of plant plasma
      membrane are discussed in terms of the ability of this fungal sterol to promote
      the formation of lipid rafts.

PMID- 20304988
TI  - Differential regulation of the multiple flagellins in spirochetes.
AB  - The expression of flagellin genes in most bacteria is typically regulated by the
      flagellum-specific sigma(28) factor FliA, and an anti-sigma(28) factor, FlgM.
      However, the regulatory hierarchy in several bacteria that have multiple
      flagellins is more complex. In these bacteria, the flagellin genes are often
      transcribed by at least two different sigma factors. The flagellar filament in
      spirochetes consists of one to three FlaB core proteins and at least one FlaA
      sheath protein. Here, the genetically amenable bacterium Brachyspira
      hyodysenteriae was used as a model spirochete to investigate the regulation of
      its four flagellin genes, flaA, flaB1, flaB2, and flaB3. We found that the flaB1
      and flaB2 genes are regulated by sigma(28), whereas the flaA and flaB3 genes are
      controlled by sigma(70). The analysis of a flagellar motor switch fliG mutant
      further supported this proposition; in the mutant, the transcription of flaB1 and
      flaB2 was inhibited, but that of flaA and flaB3 was not. In addition, the
      continued expression of flaA and flaB3 in the mutant resulted in the formation of
      incomplete flagellar filaments that were hollow tubes and consisted primarily of
      FlaA. Finally, our recent studies have shown that each flagellin unit contributes
      to the stiffness of the periplasmic flagella, and this stiffness directly
      correlates with motility. The regulatory mechanism identified here should allow
      spirochetes to change the relative ratio of these flagellin proteins and,
      concomitantly, vary the stiffness of their flagellar filament.

PMID- 20304989
TI  - The actinomycin biosynthetic gene cluster of Streptomyces chrysomallus: a genetic
      hall of mirrors for synthesis of a molecule with mirror symmetry.
AB  - A gene cluster was identified which contains genes involved in the biosynthesis
      of actinomycin encompassing 50 kb of contiguous DNA on the chromosome of
      Streptomyces chrysomallus. It contains 28 genes with biosynthetic functions and
      is bordered on both sides by IS elements. Unprecedentedly, the cluster consists
      of two large inverted repeats of 11 and 13 genes, respectively, with four
      nonribosomal peptide synthetase genes in the middle. Nine genes in each repeat
      have counterparts in the other, in the same arrangement but in the opposite
      orientation, suggesting an inverse duplication of one of the arms during the
      evolution of the gene cluster. All of the genes appear to be organized into
      operons, each corresponding to a functional section of actinomycin biosynthesis,
      such as peptide assembly, regulation, resistance, and biosynthesis of the
      precursor of the actinomycin chromophore 4-methyl-3-hydroxyanthranilic acid (4
      MHA). For 4-MHA synthesis, functional analysis revealed genes that encode pathway
      specific isoforms of tryptophan dioxygenase, kynurenine formamidase, and
      hydroxykynureninase, which are distinct from the corresponding enzyme activities
      of cellular tryptophan catabolism in their regulation and in part in their
      substrate specificity. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that the pathway-specific
      tryptophan metabolism in Streptomyces most probably evolved divergently from the
      normal pathway of tryptophan catabolism to provide an extra or independent supply
      of building blocks for the synthesis of tryptophan-derived secondary metabolites.

PMID- 20304990
TI  - Characterization of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa transcriptional response to
      phenylalanine and tyrosine.
AB  - Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen often associated
      with chronic infections in the lungs of individuals with the heritable disease
      cystic fibrosis (CF). Previous work from our laboratory demonstrated that
      aromatic amino acids within CF lung secretions (sputum) not only serve as carbon
      and energy sources but also enhance synthesis of the cell signaling molecule
      Pseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS). The present study investigates the role of
      the aromatic amino acid-responsive regulator PhhR in mediating these phenotypes.
      Transcriptome analysis revealed that PhhR controls four putative transcriptional
      units (phhA, hpd, hmgA, and dhcA) involved in aromatic amino acid catabolism;
      however, genes involved in PQS biosynthesis were unaffected. The phhA, hpd, hmgA,
      and dhcA promoters were mapped by primer extension, and purified His(6)-PhhR was
      shown to bind the phhA, hpd, and dhcA promoters in vitro by use of
      electrophoretic mobility shift assays. Our work characterizes a transcriptional
      regulator of catabolic genes induced during P. aeruginosa growth in CF sputum.

PMID- 20304991
TI  - GlnB/GlnK PII proteins and regulation of the Sinorhizobium meliloti Rm1021
      nitrogen stress response and symbiotic function.
AB  - The Sinorhizobium meliloti Rm1021 Delta glnD-sm2 mutant, which is predicted to
      make a GlnD nitrogen sensor protein truncated at its amino terminus, fixes
      nitrogen in symbiosis with alfalfa, but the plants cannot use this nitrogen for
      growth (S. N. Yurgel and M. L. Kahn, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 105:18958
      18963, 2008). The mutant also has a generalized nitrogen stress response (NSR)
      defect. These results suggest a connection between GlnD, symbiotic metabolism,
      and the NSR, but the nature of this connection is unknown. In many bacteria, GlnD
      modifies the PII proteins, GlnB and GlnK, as it transduces a measurement of
      bacterial nitrogen status to a cellular response. We have now constructed and
      analyzed Rm1021 mutants missing GlnB, GlnK, or both proteins. Rm1021 Delta glnK
      Delta glnB was much more defective in its NSR than either single mutant,
      suggesting that GlnB and GlnK overlap in regulating the NSR in free-living
      Rm1021. The single mutants and the double mutant all formed an effective
      symbiosis, indicating that symbiotic nitrogen exchange could occur without the
      need for either GlnB or GlnK. N-terminal truncation of the GlnD protein
      interfered with PII protein modification in vitro, suggesting either that
      unmodified PII proteins were responsible for the glnD mutant's ineffective
      phenotype or that connecting GlnD and appropriate symbiotic behavior does not
      require the PII proteins.

PMID- 20304992
TI  - Evidence of localized prophage-host recombination in the lytA gene, encoding the
      major pneumococcal autolysin.
AB  - According to a highly polymorphic region in the lytA gene, encoding the major
      autolysin of Streptococcus pneumoniae, two different families of alleles can be
      differentiated by PCR and restriction digestion. Here, we provide evidence that
      this polymorphic region arose from recombination events with homologous genes of
      pneumococcal temperate phages.

PMID- 20304993
TI  - Overlapping alternative sigma factor regulons in the response to singlet oxygen
      in Rhodobacter sphaeroides.
AB  - Organisms performing photosynthesis in the presence of oxygen have to cope with
      the formation of highly reactive singlet oxygen ((1)O(2)) and need to mount an
      adaptive response to photooxidative stress. Here we show that the alternative
      sigma factors RpoH(I) and RpoH(II) are both involved in the (1)O(2) response and
      in the heat stress response in Rhodobacter sphaeroides. We propose RpoH(II) to be
      the major player in the (1)O(2) response, whereas RpoH(I) is more important for
      the heat stress response. Mapping of the 5' ends of RpoH(II)- and also
      RpoH(I)/RpoH(II)-dependent transcripts revealed clear differences in the -10
      regions of the putative promoter sequences. By using bioinformatic tools, we
      extended the RpoH(II) regulon, which includes genes induced by (1)O(2) exposure.
      These genes encode proteins which are, e.g., involved in methionine sulfoxide
      reduction and in maintaining the quinone pool. Furthermore, we identified small
      RNAs which depend on RpoH(I) and RpoH(II) and are likely to contribute to the
      defense against photooxidative stress and heat stress.

PMID- 20304994
TI  - RecA4142 causes SOS constitutive expression by loading onto reversed replication
      forks in Escherichia coli K-12.
AB  - Escherichia coli initiates the SOS response when single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)
      produced by DNA damage is bound by RecA and forms a RecA-DNA filament. recA SOS
      constitutive [recA(Con)] mutants induce the SOS response in the absence of DNA
      damage. It has been proposed that recA(Con) mutants bind to ssDNA at replication
      forks, although the specific mechanism is unknown. Previously, it had been shown
      that recA4142(F217Y), a novel recA(Con) mutant, was dependent on RecBCD for its
      high SOS constitutive [SOS(Con)] expression. This was presumably because RecA4142
      was loaded at a double-strand end (DSE) of DNA. Herein, it is shown that recA4142
      SOS(Con) expression is additionally dependent on ruvAB (replication fork reversal
      [RFR] activity only) and recJ (5'-->3' exonuclease), xonA (3'-->5' exonuclease)
      and partially dependent on recQ (helicase). Lastly, sbcCD mutations (Mre11/Rad50
      homolog) in recA4142 strains caused full SOS(Con) expression in an ruvAB-, recBCD
      , recJ-, and xonA-independent manner. It is hypothesized that RuvAB catalyzes
      RFR, RecJ and XonA blunt the DSE (created by the RFR), and then RecBCD loads
      RecA4142 onto this end to produce SOS(Con) expression. In sbcCD mutants, RecA4142
      can bind other DNA substrates by itself that are normally degraded by the SbcCD
      nuclease.

PMID- 20304995
TI  - Thiol peroxidase protects Salmonella enterica from hydrogen peroxide stress in
      vitro and facilitates intracellular growth.
AB  - At present, Salmonella is considered to express two peroxiredoxin-type
      peroxidases, TsaA and AhpC. Here we describe an additional peroxiredoxin, Tpx, in
      Salmonella enterica and show that a single tpx mutant is susceptible to exogenous
      hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), that it has a reduced capacity to degrade H(2)O(2)
      compared to the ahpCF and tsaA mutants, and that its growth is affected in
      activated macrophages. These results suggest that Tpx contributes significantly
      to the sophisticated defense system that the pathogen has evolved to survive
      oxidative stress.

PMID- 20304996
TI  - Identification of a novel estrogen receptor-alpha variant and its upstream
      splicing regulator.
AB  - Alternative splicing of precursor mRNA is a fundamental mechanism to generate
      multiple proteins from a single gene. Although constitutive and alternative mRNA
      splicing is temporally and spatially regulated, deregulation of mRNA splicing
      could cause development, progression, and metastasis of tumors. Through yeast two
      hybrid screening of a human breast cDNA library using estrogen receptor-alpha
      (ERalpha) as bait, we identified a novel nuclear receptor box containing full
      length protein, nuclear protein E3-3 (NPE3-3). Our results revealed that NPE3-3
      associates with not only ERalpha but also with splicing factors, serine/arginine
      rich protein (SRp)-30c, SRp40, and splicing factor SC-35, suggesting that NPE3-3
      is likely to be involved in regulation of mRNA splicing. Accordingly, transient
      expression of NPE3-3 in cells resulted in expected splicing of the CD44 control
      minigene. We also discovered that NPE3-3-overexpressing clones produced a novel,
      previously unrecognized, alternatively spliced variant of ERalpha (termed
      ERalphaV), which had a molecular size of 37 kDa composed of only exons 1, 2, 7,
      and 8. ERalphaV was expressed and sequestered in the cytoplasm in MCF-7 cells
      stably overexpressing NPE3-3, suggesting its involvement in nongenomic hormone
      signaling. NPE3-3 clones exhibited up-regulation of ERK1/2 signaling, cyclin D1,
      and cathepsin D and enhanced tumor cell proliferation, migration, and
      tumorigenicity. Moreover, direct expression of the ERalphaV in breast cancer
      cells stimulated ERK1/2 up-regulation and cyclin D1 expression. We found that
      ERalphaV physically interacted with MAPK kinase (MEK)-1/2, and thus, an ERalphaV
      and MEK1/2 complex could lead to the activation of the ERK1/2 pathway.
      Interestingly, NPE3-3 was up-regulated in human breast tumors. These findings
      revealed a role for NPE3-3 in alternative splicing and suggest that ERalpha is a
      physiological target of NPE3-3, leading to a constitutive nongenomic signaling
      pathway in breast cancer cells.

PMID- 20304997
TI  - Tyrosines 868, 966, and 972 in the kinase domain of JAK2 are autophosphorylated
      and required for maximal JAK2 kinase activity.
AB  - Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) is activated by a majority of cytokine family receptors
      including receptors for GH, leptin, and erythropoietin. To identify novel JAK2
      regulatory and/or -binding sites, we set out to identify autophosphorylation
      sites in the kinase domain of JAK2. Two-dimensional phosphopeptide mapping of in
      vitro autophosphorylated JAK2 identified tyrosines 868, 966, and 972 as sites of
      autophosphorylation. Phosphorylated tyrosines 868 and 972 were also identified by
      mass spectrometry analysis of JAK2 activated by an erythropoietin-bound chimeric
      erythropoietin receptor/leptin receptor. Phosphospecific antibodies suggest that
      the phosphorylation of all three tyrosines increases in response to GH. Compared
      with wild-type JAK2, which is constitutively active when overexpressed, JAK2
      lacking tyrosine 868, 966, or 972 has substantially reduced activity.
      Coexpression with GH receptor and protein tyrosine phosphatase1B allowed us to
      investigate GH-dependent activation of these mutated JAK2s in human embryonic
      kidney 293T cells. All three mutated JAK2s are activated by GH, although to a
      lesser extent than wild-type JAK2. The three mutated JAK2s also mediate GH
      activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3), signal
      transducer and activator of transcription 5b (Stat5b) and ERK1, but at reduced
      levels. Coexpression with Src-homology 2B1beta (SH2B1beta), like coexpression
      with GH-bound GH receptor, partially restores the activity of all three JAK2
      mutants. Based on these results and the crystal structure of the JAK2 kinase
      domain, we hypothesize that small changes in the conformation of the regions of
      JAK2 surrounding tyrosines 868, 966, and 972 due to e.g. phosphorylation, binding
      to a ligand-bound cytokine receptor, and/or binding to Src-homology 2B1, may be
      essential for JAK2 to assume a maximally active conformation.

PMID- 20304998
TI  - The rules of DNA recognition by the androgen receptor.
AB  - The androgen receptor (AR) and glucocorticoid, progestagen, and mineralocorticoid
      receptors all recognize classical DNA response elements that are organized as
      inverted repeats of 5'-AGAACA-3'-like motifs with a three-nucleotide spacer. Next
      to such elements, the AR also recognizes a second type of androgen response
      element (ARE), the so-called selective AREs, which resemble more the direct
      repeats of the same hexamer. In this work, we show that not only the AR but also
      the progestagen receptor can recognize the selective AREs, whereas neither
      glucocorticoid nor mineralocorticoid receptor can. Recently, genomic AR-binding
      fragments have been postulated to contain AR-binding sites that diverge
      considerably from the classical ARE consensus. Extensive mutational analyses of
      these candidate motifs, however, reinstalls the values of the consensus sequence
      for the AREs as mentioned above, the importance of their dimeric nature and the
      presence of exactly three-nucleotide spacing. We developed a position-specific
      probability matrix that was used to predict with higher accuracy new AREs in
      different AR-binding regions. So far, all AR-binding genomic fragments that were
      analyzed contain AREs defined as receptor-dimer binding motifs with the ability
      to confer responsiveness to a reporter gene.

PMID- 20304999
TI  - Abundant 5S rRNA-like transcripts encoded by the mitochondrial genome in
      amoebozoa.
AB  - 5S rRNAs are ubiquitous components of prokaryotic, chloroplast, and eukaryotic
      cytosolic ribosomes but are apparently absent from mitochondrial ribosomes
      (mitoribosomes) of many eukaryotic groups including animals and fungi.
      Nevertheless, a clearly identifiable, mitochondrion-encoded 5S rRNA is present in
      Acanthamoeba castellanii, a member of Amoebozoa. During a search for additional
      mitochondrial 5S rRNAs, we detected small abundant RNAs in other members of
      Amoebozoa, namely, in the lobose amoeba Hartmannella vermiformis and in the
      myxomycete slime mold Physarum polycephalum. These RNAs are encoded by
      mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), cosediment with mitoribosomes in glycerol gradients,
      and can be folded into a secondary structure similar to that of bona fide 5S
      rRNAs. Further, in the mtDNA of another slime mold, Didymium nigripes, we
      identified a region that in sequence, potential secondary structure, and genomic
      location is similar to the corresponding region encoding the Physarum small RNA.
      A mtDNA-encoded small RNA previously identified in Dictyostelium discoideum is
      here shown to share several characteristics with known 5S rRNAs. Again, we
      detected genes encoding potential homologs of this RNA in the mtDNA of three
      other species of the genus Dictyostelium as well as in a related genus,
      Polysphondylium. Taken together, our results indicate a widespread occurrence of
      small, abundant, mtDNA-encoded RNAs with 5S rRNA-like structures that are
      associated with the mitoribosome in various amoebozoan taxa. Our working
      hypothesis is that these novel small abundant RNAs represent radically divergent
      mitochondrial 5S rRNA homologs. We posit that currently unrecognized 5S-like RNAs
      may exist in other mitochondrial systems in which a conventional 5S rRNA cannot
      be identified.

PMID- 20305000
TI  - Spatial and developmental differentiation of mannitol dehydrogenase and mannitol
      1-phosphate dehydrogenase in Aspergillus niger.
AB  - The presence of a mannitol cycle in fungi has been subject to discussion for many
      years. Recent studies have found no evidence for the presence of this cycle and
      its putative role in regenerating NADPH. However, all enzymes of the cycle could
      be measured in cultures of Aspergillus niger. In this study we have analyzed the
      localization of two enzymes from the pathway, mannitol dehydrogenase and mannitol
      1-phosphate dehydrogenase, and the expression of their encoding genes in
      nonsporulating and sporulating cultures of A. niger. Northern analysis
      demonstrated that mpdA was expressed in both sporulating and nonsporulating
      mycelia, while expression of mtdA was expressed only in sporulating mycelium.
      More detailed studies using green fluorescent protein and dTomato fused to the
      promoters of mtdA and mpdA, respectively, demonstrated that expression of mpdA
      occurs in vegetative hyphae while mtdA expression occurs in conidiospores.
      Activity assays for MtdA and MpdA confirmed the expression data, indicating that
      streaming of these proteins is not likely to occur. These results confirm the
      absence of the putative mannitol cycle in A. niger as two of the enzymes of the
      cycle are not present in the same part of A. niger colonies. The results also
      demonstrate the existence of spore-specific genes and enzymes in A. niger.

PMID- 20305001
TI  - A Plasmodium falciparum transcriptional cyclin-dependent kinase-related kinase
      with a crucial role in parasite proliferation associates with histone deacetylase
      activity.
AB  - Cyclin-dependent protein kinases (CDKs) are key regulators of the eukaryotic cell
      cycle and of the eukaryotic transcription machinery. Here we report the
      characterization of Pfcrk-3 (Plasmodium falciparum CDK-related kinase 3; PlasmoDB
      identifier PFD0740w), an unusually large CDK-related protein whose kinase domain
      displays maximal homology to those CDKs which, in other eukaryotes, are involved
      in the control of transcription. The closest enzyme in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
      is BUR1 (bypass upstream activating sequence requirement 1), known to control
      gene expression through interaction with chromatin modification enzymes.
      Consistent with this, immunofluorescence data show that Pfcrk-3 colocalizes with
      histones. We show that recombinant Pfcrk-3 associates with histone H1 kinase
      activity in parasite extracts and that this association is detectable even if the
      catalytic domain of Pfcrk-3 is rendered inactive by site-directed mutagenesis,
      indicating that Pfcrk-3 is part of a complex that includes other protein kinases.
      Immunoprecipitates obtained from extracts of transgenic parasites expressing
      hemagglutinin (HA)-tagged Pfcrk-3 by using an anti-HA antibody displayed both
      protein kinase and histone deacetylase activities. Reverse genetics data show
      that the pfcrk-3 locus can be targeted only if the genetic modification does not
      cause a loss of function. Taken together, our data strongly suggest that Pfcrk-3
      fulfils a crucial role in the intraerythrocytic development of P. falciparum,
      presumably through chromatin modification-dependent regulation of gene
      expression.

PMID- 20305002
TI  - Homoserine toxicity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans homoserine
      kinase (thr1Delta) mutants.
AB  - In addition to threonine auxotrophy, mutation of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae
      threonine biosynthetic genes THR1 (encoding homoserine kinase) and THR4 (encoding
      threonine synthase) results in a plethora of other phenotypes. We investigated
      the basis for these other phenotypes and found that they are dependent on the
      toxic biosynthetic intermediate homoserine. Moreover, homoserine is also toxic
      for Candida albicans thr1Delta mutants. Since increasing levels of threonine, but
      not other amino acids, overcome the homoserine toxicity of thr1Delta mutants,
      homoserine may act as a toxic threonine analog. Homoserine-mediated lethality of
      thr1Delta mutants is blocked by cycloheximide, consistent with a role for protein
      synthesis in this lethality. We identified various proteasome and ubiquitin
      pathway components that either when mutated or present in high copy numbers
      suppressed the thr1Delta mutant homoserine toxicity. Since the doa4Delta and
      proteasome mutants identified have reduced ubiquitin- and/or proteasome-mediated
      proteolysis, the degradation of a particular protein or subset of proteins likely
      contributes to homoserine toxicity.

PMID- 20305003
TI  - Fungal homoserine kinase (thr1Delta) mutants are attenuated in virulence and die
      rapidly upon threonine starvation and serum incubation.
AB  - The fungally conserved subset of amino acid biosynthetic enzymes not present in
      humans offer exciting potential as an unexploited class of antifungal drug
      targets. Since threonine biosynthesis is essential in Cryptococcus neoformans, we
      further explored the potential of threonine biosynthetic enzymes as antifungal
      drug targets by determining the survival in mice of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
      homoserine kinase (thr1Delta) and threonine synthase (thr4Delta) mutants. In
      striking contrast to aspartate kinase (hom3Delta) mutants, S. cerevisiae
      thr1Delta and thr4Delta mutants were severely depleted after only 4 h in vivo.
      Similarly, Candida albicans thr1Delta mutants, but not hom3Delta mutants, were
      significantly attenuated in virulence. Consistent with the in vivo phenotypes, S.
      cerevisiae thr1Delta and thr4Delta mutants as well as C. albicans thr1Delta
      mutants were extremely serum sensitive. In both species, serum sensitivity was
      suppressed by the addition of threonine, a feedback inhibitor of Hom3p. Because
      mutation of the HOM3 and HOM6 genes, required for the production of the toxic
      pathway intermediate homoserine, also suppressed serum sensitivity, we
      hypothesize that serum sensitivity is a consequence of homoserine accumulation.
      Serum survival is critical for dissemination, an important virulence determinant:
      thus, together with the essential nature of C. neoformans threonine synthesis,
      the cross-species serum sensitivity of thr1Delta mutants makes the fungus
      specific Thr1p, and likely Thr4p, ideal antifungal drug targets.

PMID- 20305005
TI  - Increased sclerostin serum levels associated with bone formation and resorption
      markers in patients with immobilization-induced bone loss.
AB  - CONTEXT: Sclerostin, a Wnt signaling antagonist on the osteoblasts produced by
      osteocytes, is regulated by mechanical strain and is implicated in the
      pathogenesis of disuse bone loss. There are no data on sclerostin in humans.
      OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate sclerostin in patients
      immobilized after stroke, compared with control subjects, and to analyze its
      relationship with markers of bone formation and resorption. DESIGN: This was a
      cross-sectional study. SETTING AND PATIENTS: We studied 40 postmenopausal women
      immobilized after a single episode of stroke 6 months or longer after onset, and
      40 postmenopausal women from the general community. Bone status was assessed by
      quantitative ultrasound measurements at the calcaneus. Bone alkaline phosphatase
      (b-AP), carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CrossLaps), and
      sclerostin were evaluated by ELISA. We also used ELISA to measure serum levels of
      Dickkopf-1, another soluble inhibitor of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling, highly
      expressed by osteocytes. RESULTS: Immobilized patients had higher sclerostin
      serum levels (median 0.975 ng/ml; 25th to 75th percentiles 0.662-1.490) than
      controls (median 0.300 ng/ml; 25th to 75th percentiles 0.165-0.400: P < 0.0001)
      and an increased bone turnover with a more significant rise in bone resorption
      (CrossLaps) than formation (b-AP) markers. Sclerostin correlated negatively with
      b-AP (r = -0.911; P < 0.0001) and positively with CrossLaps (r = 0.391; P =
      0.012). Dickkopf-1 did not significantly differ between the groups. Patients also
      had quantitative ultrasound measurements index lower than controls (P < 0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: This study shows for the first time that long-term immobilized
      patients present hypersclerostinemia associated with reduced bone formation, and
      suggests that sclerostin could be a link between mechanical unloading and disuse
      osteoporosis in humans.

PMID- 20305004
TI  - Genetic and molecular characterization of a cryptochrome from the filamentous
      fungus Neurospora crassa.
AB  - In plants and animals, cryptochromes function as either photoreceptors or
      circadian clock components. We have examined the cryptochrome from the
      filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa and demonstrate that Neurospora cry encodes
      a DASH-type cryptochrome that appears capable of binding flavin adenine
      dinucleotide (FAD) and methenyltetrahydrofolate (MTHF). The cry transcript and
      CRY protein levels are strongly induced by blue light in a wc-1-dependent manner,
      and cry transcript is circadianly regulated, with a peak abundance opposite in
      phase to frq. Neither deletion nor overexpression of cry appears to perturb the
      free-running circadian clock. However, cry disruption knockout mutants show a
      small phase delay under circadian entrainment. Using electrophoretic mobility
      shift assays (EMSA), we show that CRY is capable of binding single- and double
      stranded DNA (ssDNA and dsDNA, respectively) and ssRNA and dsRNA. Whole-genome
      microarray experiments failed to identify substantive transcriptional regulatory
      activity of cry under our laboratory conditions.

PMID- 20305006
TI  - Determinants of severe hypoglycemia complicating type 2 diabetes: the Fremantle
      diabetes study.
AB  - CONTEXT: There are limited published data characterizing severe hypoglycemia
      complicating type 2 diabetes. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to
      determine the incidence and predictors of severe hypoglycemia in community
      dwelling type 2 patients. DESIGN: This was a longitudinal observational cohort
      study. SETTING: This was a community-based study. PATIENTS: There were 616
      patients (mean age 67.0 yr, 52.3% males, median diabetes duration 7.7 yr)
      assessed in 1998 and followed up to the end of June 2006. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
      Severe hypoglycemia defined as that requiring ambulance attendance, emergency
      department services, and/or hospitalization. Cox proportional hazards modeling
      was used to determine predictors of first episode, and Poisson, negative
      binomial, zero-inflated Poisson, and zero-inflated negative binomial regression
      models identified predictors of frequency. RESULTS: Fifty-two (8.4%) experienced
      66 episodes during 3953 patient-years (incidence 1.7 per 100 patient-years).
      Those experiencing severe hypoglycemia had one to four episodes. Significant
      independent predictors of time to first episode were duration of insulin
      treatment, estimated glomerular filtration rate less than 60 ml/min per 1.73
      m(2), peripheral neuropathy, education beyond primary level, and past severe
      hypoglycemia. The zero-inflated negative binomial provided the best model of
      severe hypoglycemia frequency. Lower fasting serum glucose and higher
      glycosylated hemoglobin were significantly associated with frequency, whereas
      patients at minimal risk of repeated severe hypoglycemia were unlikely to use
      insulin or to have short-duration insulin treatment, to have renal impairment or
      peripheral neuropathy, or to be educated beyond primary level. CONCLUSIONS:
      Duration of insulin treatment was confirmed as an independent risk factor for
      severe hypoglycemia. The novel association with educational attainment suggests
      knowledge-driven intensive glycemic self-management. The positive relationship
      between frequency and glycosylated hemoglobin may identify patients with unstable
      glycemic control.

PMID- 20305007
TI  - Hormonal profile heterogeneity and short-term physical risk in restrictive
      anorexia nervosa.
AB  - CONTEXT: The relevance of hormonal assessment in anorexia nervosa (AN) management
      is still unclear. The short-term physical risk during undernutrition period of
      the disease is partially predicted by anthropometric and electrolytic parameters.
      OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to evaluate hormonal profiles in a
      large cohort of AN and their relationship with critical states. DESIGN AND
      SETTING: This was an observational monocentric cross-sectional study performed in
      the endocrinological unit. PATIENTS AND OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Participants included
      210 young female subjects with restrictive-type AN and 42 female controls of
      comparable age. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The following hormonal parameters were
      measured: thyroid hormones, GH, IGF-I, cortisol, oestradiol, FSH, LH, SHBG,
      dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, plasma metanephrines, and bone markers. Their
      relation with registered short-term evolution of AN subjects after hormonal
      assessment was evaluated. RESULTS: Except for metanephrines and
      dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, most of the hormonal abnormalities previously
      reported in AN were confirmed. The manifestation of these hormonal abnormalities
      started below different body mass index (BMI) levels, ranging between 17 and 15
      kg/m(2), even though an important percentage of normal values for every parameter
      was still noticed for very low BMIs. All patients who developed critical states
      during the 3 months after the hormonal assessment presented with BMI less than 15
      kg/m(2) and a very increased level of cortisol, GH, and increased values of
      metanephrines. CONCLUSIONS: The hormonal response to undernutrition is
      heterogeneous in a large population with restrictive AN. In clinical practice,
      metanephrines, GH, and/or cortisol data could be used as important predictors for
      severe short-term outcome.

PMID- 20305008
TI  - Minireview: update on incretin biology: focus on glucagon-like peptide-1.
AB  - The incretin hormone, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), is now being used in the
      clinic to enhance insulin secretion and reduce body weight in patients with type
      2 diabetes. Although much is already known about the biology of GLP-1, much
      remains to be understood. Hence, this review will consider recent findings
      related to the potential for enhancing endogenous levels of GLP-1 through
      selective use of secretagogues and the beneficial cardiovascular,
      neuroprotective, and immunomodulatory effects of GLP-1, as well as the possible
      effects of GLP-1 to enhance beta-cell growth and/or to induce pancreatitis or
      thyroid cancer. Finally, the potential for molecular medicine to enhance the
      success of GLP-1 therapy in the clinic is considered. A better understanding of
      the fundamental biology of GLP-1 may lead to new therapeutic modalities for the
      clinical use of this intestinal hormone.

PMID- 20305009
TI  - Isolation and identification of ATP-secreting bacteria from mice and humans.
AB  - In a recent report, ATP, which was possibly secreted by some intestinal bacteria,
      was shown to cause colitis in mice via Th17 cell differentiation. However, the
      ATP-secreting bacteria have not been isolated and identified. In the present
      study, we report that Enterococcus gallinarum, which is a vancomycin-resistant
      Gram-positive coccus isolated from mice and humans, secretes ATP.

PMID- 20305010
TI  - Prevalence of rotavirus, adenovirus, norovirus, and astrovirus infections and
      coinfections among hospitalized children in northern France.
AB  - From January to December 2007, 973 stool specimens were prospectively collected
      from children hospitalized for gastroenteritis signs or from neonates and
      premature cases who were born in two French hospital settings in the north of
      France. They were tested by rapid enzyme immunoassay (EIA) analyses for rotavirus
      and adenovirus and by two commercially available ELISA tests for the detection of
      norovirus and astrovirus. The overall rates of prevalence for rotavirus,
      norovirus, adenovirus, and astrovirus were 21, 13, 5, and 1.8%, respectively, and
      they did not significantly differ between the two hospital settings (P=0.12).
      Mixed virus infections were detected in 32 (3.3%) of the 973 study children and
      were associated with norovirus in 21 (66%) infants, including 5 premature cases.
      From fall to spring, norovirus infections accounted for 52% of documented
      gastroenteritidis viral infections at a time when rotavirus was epidemic,
      resulting in mixed norovirus and rotavirus gastrointestinal tract infections. Of
      the 367 documented viral gastroenteritis cases, 15 (4.1%) were identified as
      nosocomial infections, 5 of which occurred in premature cases. These findings
      highlight the need to implement norovirus and astrovirus ELISA detection assays
      in association with rapid EIA rotavirus and adenovirus detection assays for the
      clinical diagnosis and the nosocomial prevention of gastroenteritis viral
      infections in pediatric departments.

PMID- 20305011
TI  - First report of treatment of Anaerobiospirillum succiniciproducens bloodstream
      infection with levofloxacin.
AB  - The full extent of the clinical spectrum and optimal therapy of
      Anaerobiospirillum succiniciproducens infections remains to be determined. We
      describe the first case of bloodstream infection (BSI) due to A.
      succiniciproducens in an asymptomatic elderly male with poor dentition that was
      treated with levofloxacin.

PMID- 20305012
TI  - Noroviruses as a cause of diarrhea in travelers to Guatemala, India, and Mexico.
AB  - Noroviruses (NoVs) are increasingly being recognized as an important enteric
      pathogen of gastroenteritis worldwide. The prevalence of NoVs as a cause of
      diarrhea acquired by travelers in developing countries is not well known. We
      examined the prevalence and importance of NoV infection in three international
      traveler cohorts with diarrhea acquired in three developing regions of the world,
      Mexico, Guatemala, and India. We also characterized the demographics and symptoms
      associated with NoV diarrhea in these travelers. Stool samples from 571
      international travelers with diarrhea were evaluated for traditional
      enteropathogens. NoVs were identified using reverse transcription-PCR and probe
      hybridization. NoVs were identified in 10.2% of cases of travelers' diarrhea and,
      overall, was the second most common pathogen, following diarrheagenic Escherichia
      coli. The detection of NoV diarrhea significantly varied over the three study
      time periods in Guadalajara, Mexico, ranging from 3 of 98 (3.0%) diarrheal stools
      to 12 of 100 (12.0%) fecal specimens (P=0.03). The frequency of NoV diarrhea was
      also dependent upon the geographic region, with 17 of 100 (17.0%) travelers to
      Guatemala, 23 of 194 (11.9%) travelers to India, and 3 of 79 (3.8%) travelers to
      Mexico testing positive for NoVs from 2002 to 2003 (P=0.02). NoVs are important
      pathogens of travelers' diarrhea in multiple regions of the world. Significant
      variation in the prevalence of NoV diarrhea and in the predominant genogroup
      infecting travelers was demonstrated, dependent upon the specific geographic
      location and over time.

PMID- 20305013
TI  - Detection and identification of Staphylococcus lugdunensis are not hampered by
      use of defibrinated horse blood in blood agar plates.

PMID- 20305014
TI  - Toxin profiling of Staphylococcus aureus strains involved in varicella
      superinfection.
AB  - The most common complications of varicella are bacterial skin and soft tissue
      infections, generally due to Staphylococcus aureus and group A beta-hemolytic
      streptococci. The aim of this study was to characterize the toxin and antibiotic
      resistance profiles of S. aureus isolates involved in varicella complications.
      Between 2002 and 2007, the French Reference Centre for Staphylococci collected 58
      S. aureus isolates involved in varicella superinfection. All the isolates were
      characterized by screening for 12 toxin genes, agr typing, and mecA gene
      detection; some isolates were also studied by spa typing, multilocus sequence
      typing (MLST), and resistance profiling. A major toxin gene was detected in 53%
      (31/58) of the isolates (genes for exfoliative toxins A and B, 17.2%; Panton
      Valentine leukocidin gene, 8.6%; toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 gene, 27.6%). Most
      clinical manifestations were directly compatible with the classical activity of
      these toxins. Nineteen isolates (33%) were resistant to methicillin, and 12 of
      these isolates belonged to an emerging agr-2, ST5 clone that harbors the toxic
      shock syndrome toxin 1 gene. These data should be considered in the management
      and treatment of patients with varicella complicated by S. aureus superinfection.
      Antibiotics that decrease toxin production, such as clindamycin, may provide
      benefit, and their efficacy against bacterial superinfections in children with
      varicella should be studied.

PMID- 20305015
TI  - Quantitative PCR assessments of bacterial species in women with and without
      bacterial vaginosis.
AB  - Knowledge of the abundance of bacterial species in vaginal communities will help
      us to better understand their role in health and disease. However, progress in
      this field has been limited because quantifying bacteria in natural specimens is
      an arduous process. We developed quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assays to
      facilitate assessments of bacterial abundance in vaginal specimens and evaluated
      the utility of these assays by measuring species abundance in patients whose
      vaginal floras were clinically described as normal, intermediate, or bacterial
      vaginosis (BV) as defined by Nugent's criteria. The qPCR measurements showed that
      Lactobacillus species were predominant in normal vaginal specimens and that high
      Lactobacillus crispatus and Lactobacillus jensenii abundance was specific to
      normal specimens, while Lactobacillus iners abundance was high in all categories
      including BV. The abundances of all non-Lactobacillus species were higher in BV
      specimens than in normal specimens. Prevotella species were prevalent in all
      specimens and represented a high percentage of total species in BV specimens.
      qPCR assays can be a useful tool for describing the structure of vaginal
      communities and elucidating their role in health and disease.

PMID- 20305016
TI  - Genome assembly quality: assessment and improvement using the neutral indel
      model.
AB  - We describe a statistical and comparative-genomic approach for quantifying error
      rates of genome sequence assemblies. The method exploits not substitutions but
      the pattern of insertions and deletions (indels) in genome-scale alignments for
      closely related species. Using two- or three-way alignments, the approach
      estimates the amount of aligned sequence containing clusters of nucleotides that
      were wrongly inserted or deleted during sequencing or assembly. Thus, the method
      is well-suited to assessing fine-scale sequence quality within single assemblies,
      between different assemblies of a single set of reads, and between genome
      assemblies for different species. When applying this approach to four primate
      genome assemblies, we found that average gap error rates per base varied
      considerably, by up to sixfold. As expected, bacterial artificial chromosome
      (BAC) sequences contained lower, but still substantial, predicted numbers of
      errors, arguing for caution in regarding BACs as the epitome of genome fidelity.
      We then mapped short reads, at approximately 10-fold statistical coverage, from a
      Bornean orangutan onto the Sumatran orangutan genome assembly originally
      constructed from capillary reads. This resulted in a reduced gap error rate and a
      separation of error-prone from high-fidelity sequence. Over 5000 predicted indel
      errors in protein-coding sequence were corrected in a hybrid assembly. Our
      approach contributes a new fine-scale quality metric for assemblies that should
      facilitate development of improved genome sequencing and assembly strategies.

PMID- 20305017
TI  - Deep RNA sequencing at single base-pair resolution reveals high complexity of the
      rice transcriptome.
AB  - Understanding the dynamics of eukaryotic transcriptome is essential for studying
      the complexity of transcriptional regulation and its impact on phenotype.
      However, comprehensive studies of transcriptomes at single base resolution are
      rare, even for modern organisms, and lacking for rice. Here, we present the first
      transcriptome atlas for eight organs of cultivated rice. Using high-throughput
      paired-end RNA-seq, we unambiguously detected transcripts expressing at an
      extremely low level, as well as a substantial number of novel transcripts, exons,
      and untranslated regions. An analysis of alternative splicing in the rice
      transcriptome revealed that alternative cis-splicing occurred in approximately
      33% of all rice genes. This is far more than previously reported. In addition, we
      also identified 234 putative chimeric transcripts that seem to be produced by
      trans-splicing, indicating that transcript fusion events are more common than
      expected. In-depth analysis revealed a multitude of fusion transcripts that might
      be by-products of alternative splicing. Validation and chimeric transcript
      structural analysis provided evidence that some of these transcripts are likely
      to be functional in the cell. Taken together, our data provide extensive evidence
      that transcriptional regulation in rice is vastly more complex than previously
      believed.

PMID- 20305018
TI  - Succession of the bacterial community and dynamics of hydrogen producers in a
      hydrogen-producing bioreactor.
AB  - Variation in the hydrogen production rate was consistent with the succession of
      dominant bacteria during the batch fermentation process. Denaturing gradient gel
      electrophoresis (DGGE) of 16S rRNA genes and quantitative analysis of the hydA
      genes at both the DNA and mRNA levels confirmed that Clostridium perfringens was
      the most dominant hydrogen producer in the bioreactor.

PMID- 20305019
TI  - Characterization of triclosan-resistant mutants reveals multiple antimicrobial
      resistance mechanisms in Rhodospirillum rubrum S1H.
AB  - Antimicrobial resistance mechanisms were identified in 11 spontaneous high- and
      low-level triclosan resistance (Tcs(r)) mutants of Rhodospirillum rubrum S1H by
      genotyping complemented with transcriptional analyses, antibiotic resistance
      screening, and membrane permeability analyses. High-end Tcs(r) (MIC = 8 mg/liter)
      was the result of a FabI1(G98V) mutation. This point mutation led to an even
      higher level of Tcs(r) (MIC > or = 16 mg/liter) in combination with constitutive
      upregulation of mexB and mexF efflux pump homologs. Hence, a mechanistic synergy
      of constitutive efflux pump expression and a FabI1 point mutation could prevent
      TCS-induced cell permeabilization, which was shown to occur between 4 and 8
      mg/liter TCS in the R. rubrum S1H parent strain. Low-level Tcs(r) mutants
      constitutively upregulated the emrAB, mexAB, and/or mexF homolog. The mutants
      that overexpressed emrAB also derepressed the micropollutant-upregulated factors
      mufA1 and mufM. In some cases, low-level Tcs(r) decreased innate resistance to
      ampicillin and tetracycline, while in others, a triclosan-induced antibiotic
      cross-resistance was shown for chloramphenicol and carbenicillin. This study
      showed that the TCS resistance degree is dependent of the initial exposure
      concentration in Rhodospirillum rubrum S1H and that similar resistance degrees
      can be the result of different defense mechanisms, which all have distinct
      antibiotic cross-resistance profiles.

PMID- 20305020
TI  - Lepidopteran-active variable-region sequence imparts coleopteran activity in
      eCry3.1Ab, an engineered Bacillus thuringiensis hybrid insecticidal protein.
AB  - A unique, coleopteran-active protein, termed eCry3.1Ab, was generated following
      variable-region exchange of a Bacillus thuringiensis lepidopteran-active protein,
      Cry1Ab, with a Cry3A region. Our results support the hypothesis that this
      variable-region exchange is responsible for imparting strong bioactivity against
      the larvae of western corn rootworm (WCR) (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera
      LeConte), a pest species which is not susceptible to either parent protein
      sequence. This study demonstrates the potential of successfully engineering a
      portion(s) of a lepidopteran-active B. thuringiensis sequence so that it has
      activity against coleopterans. Further elucidation of the eCry3.1Ab activity
      indicated the importance of variable regions 4 to 6 that were derived from Cry1Ab
      instead of Cry1Ac. There was some flexibility in making domain III of engineered
      hybrid insecticidal proteins even more Cry1Ab-like and retaining activity, while
      there was less flexibility in making domain III more Cry3A-like and retaining
      activity. In vitro binding studies with brush border membrane vesicles
      demonstrated that there was specific binding of chymotrypsin-processed modified
      Cry3A (mCry3A), which was not diminished by addition of a 100-fold molar excess
      of chymotrypsin-processed eCry3.1Ab or unprocessed eCry3.1Ab. In addition, in the
      converse experiment, specific binding of chymotrypsin-processed eCry3.1Ab was not
      diminished by the presence of a 75-fold molar excess of chymotrypsin-processed
      mCry3A. These data support the hypothesis that eCry3.1Ab can interact with
      different binding sites than the activated form of mCry3A in the WCR brush border
      and may provide a different mode of action from the standpoint of resistance
      management.

PMID- 20305021
TI  - Isolation and characterization of a mutant of the marine bacterium Alcanivorax
      borkumensis SK2 defective in lipid biosynthesis.
AB  - In many microorganisms, the key enzyme responsible for catalyzing the last step
      in triacylglycerol (TAG) and wax ester (WE) biosynthesis is an unspecific
      acyltransferase which is also referred to as wax ester synthase/acyl coenzyme A
      (acyl-CoA):diacylglycerol acyltransferase (WS/DGAT; AtfA). The importance and
      function of two AtfA homologues (AtfA1 and AtfA2) in the biosynthesis of TAGs and
      WEs in the hydrocarbon-degrading marine bacterium Alcanivorax borkumensis SK2
      have been described recently. However, after the disruption of both the AtfA1 and
      AtfA2 genes, reduced but substantial accumulation of TAGs was still observed,
      indicating the existence of an alternative TAG biosynthesis pathway. In this
      study, transposon-induced mutagenesis was applied to an atfA1 atfA2 double mutant
      to screen for A. borkumensis mutants totally defective in biosynthesis of neutral
      lipids in order to identify additional enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of
      these lipids. At the same time, we have searched for a totally TAG-negative
      mutant in order to study the function of TAGs in A. borkumensis. Thirteen
      fluorescence-negative mutants were identified on Nile red ONR7a agar plates and
      analyzed for their abilities to synthesize lipids. Among these, mutant 2 M(131)
      was no longer able to synthesize and accumulate TAGs if pyruvate was used as the
      sole carbon source. The transposon insertion was localized in a gene encoding a
      putative cytochrome c family protein (ABO_1185). Growth and TAG accumulation
      experiments showed that the disruption of this gene resulted in the absence of
      TAGs in 2 M(131) but that growth was not affected. In cells of A. borkumensis SK2
      grown on pyruvate as the sole carbon source, TAGs represented about 11% of the
      dry weight of the cells, while in the mutant 2 M(131), TAGs were not detected by
      thin-layer and gas chromatography analyses. Starvation and lipid mobilization
      experiments revealed that the lipids play an important role in the survival of
      the cells. The function of neutral lipids in A. borkumensis SK2 is discussed.

PMID- 20305023
TI  - Sequences essential for transmission of Spiroplasma citri by its leafhopper
      vector, Circulifer haematoceps, revealed by plasmid curing and replacement based
      on incompatibility.
AB  - Spiroplasma citri GII3 contains highly related low-copy-number plasmids pSci1 to 
      6. Despite the strong similarities between their replication regions, these
      plasmids coexist in the spiroplasma cells, indicating that they are mutually
      compatible. The pSci1 to -6 plasmids encode the membrane proteins known as S.
      citri adhesion-related proteins (ScARPs) (pSci1 to -5) and the hydrophilic
      protein P32 (pSci6), which had been tentatively associated with insect
      transmission, as they were not detected in non-insect-transmissible strains. With
      the aim of further investigating the role of plasmid-encoded determinants in
      insect transmission, we have constructed S. citri mutant strains that differ in
      their plasmid contents by developing a plasmid curing/replacement strategy based
      on the incompatibility of plasmids having identical replication regions.
      Experimental transmission of these S. citri plasmid mutants through injection
      into the leafhopper vector Circulifer haematoceps revealed that pSci6, more
      precisely, the pSci6_06 coding sequence, encoding a protein of unknown function,
      was essential for transmission. In contrast, ScARPs and P32 were dispensable for
      both acquisition and transmission of the spiroplasmas by the leafhopper vector,
      even though S. citri mutants lacking pSci1 to -5 (encoding ScARPs) were acquired
      and transmitted at lower efficiencies than the wild-type strain GII3.

PMID- 20305024
TI  - Denitrifying bacteria isolated from terrestrial subsurface sediments exposed to
      mixed-waste contamination.
AB  - In terrestrial subsurface environments where nitrate is a critical groundwater
      contaminant, few cultivated representatives are available to verify the
      metabolism of organisms that catalyze denitrification. In this study, five
      species of denitrifying bacteria from three phyla were isolated from subsurface
      sediments exposed to metal radionuclide and nitrate contamination as part of the
      U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Integrated Field Research Challenge (OR
      IFRC). Isolates belonged to the genera Afipia and Hyphomicrobium
      (Alphaproteobacteria), Rhodanobacter (Gammaproteobacteria), Intrasporangium
      (Actinobacteria), and Bacillus (Firmicutes). Isolates from the phylum
      Proteobacteria were complete denitrifiers, whereas the Gram-positive isolates
      reduced nitrate to nitrous oxide. rRNA gene analyses coupled with physiological
      and genomic analyses suggest that bacteria from the genus Rhodanobacter are a
      diverse population of denitrifiers that are circumneutral to moderately
      acidophilic, with a high relative abundance in areas of the acidic source zone at
      the OR-IFRC site. Based on genome analysis, Rhodanobacter species contain two
      nitrite reductase genes and have not been detected in functional-gene surveys of
      denitrifying bacteria at the OR-IFRC site. Nitrite and nitrous oxide reductase
      gene sequences were recovered from the isolates and from the terrestrial
      subsurface by designing primer sets mined from genomic and metagenomic data and
      from draft genomes of two of the isolates. We demonstrate that a combination of
      cultivation and genomic and metagenomic data is essential to the in situ
      characterization of denitrifiers and that current PCR-based approaches are not
      suitable for deep coverage of denitrifiers. Our results indicate that the
      diversity of denitrifiers is significantly underestimated in the terrestrial
      subsurface.

PMID- 20305025
TI  - Systematic evaluation of the efficacy of chlorine dioxide in decontamination of
      building interior surfaces contaminated with anthrax spores.
AB  - Efficacy of chlorine dioxide (CD) gas generated by two distinct generation
      systems, Sabre (wet system with gas generated in water) and ClorDiSys (dry system
      with gas generated in air), was evaluated for inactivation of Bacillus anthracis
      spores on six building interior surfaces. The six building materials included
      carpet, acoustic ceiling tile, unpainted cinder block, painted I-beam steel,
      painted wallboard, and unpainted pinewood. There was no statistically significant
      difference in the data due to the CD generation technology at a 95% confidence
      level. Note that a common method of CD gas measurement was used for both wet and
      dry CD generation types. Doses generated by combinations of different
      concentrations of CD gas (500, 1,000, 1,500, or 3,000 parts per million of volume
      [ppmv]) and exposure times (ranging between 0.5 and 12 h) were used to evaluate
      the relative role of fumigant exposure period and total dose in the
      decontamination of building surfaces. The results showed that the time required
      to achieve at least a 6-log reduction in viable spores is clearly a function of
      the material type on which the spores are inoculated. The wood and cinder block
      coupons required a longer exposure time to achieve a 6-log reduction. The only
      material showing a clear statistical difference in rate of decay of viable spores
      as a function of concentration was cinder block. For all other materials, the
      profile of spore kill (i.e., change in number of viable spores with exposure
      time) was not dependent upon fumigant concentration (500 to 3,000 ppmv). The CD
      dose required for complete spore kill on biological indicators (typically, 1E6
      spores of Bacillus atrophaeus on stainless steel) was significantly less than
      that required for decontamination of most of the building materials tested.

PMID- 20305026
TI  - Mechanistic aspects of adenovirus serotype 2 inactivation with free chlorine.
AB  - Free chlorine is an effective disinfectant for controlling adenoviruses in
      drinking water, but little is known about the underlying inactivation mechanisms.
      The objective of this study was to elucidate the molecular components of
      adenovirus type 2 (Ad2) targeted by free chlorine during the inactivation
      process. The effects of free chlorine treatment on several Ad2 molecular
      components and associated life cycle events were compared to its effect on the
      ability of adenovirus to complete its life cycle, i.e., viability. Free chlorine
      treatment of Ad2 virions did not impair their ability to interact with monoclonal
      antibodies specific for hexon and fiber proteins of the Ad2 capsid, as measured
      by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, nor did it impair their interaction with
      recombinant, purified Coxsackie-adenovirus receptor (CAR) proteins in vitro. Free
      chlorine-treated Ad2 virions also retained their ability to bind to CAR receptors
      on A549 cell monolayers, despite being unable to form plaques, suggesting that
      free chlorine inactivates Ad2 by inhibiting a postbinding event of the Ad2 life
      cycle. DNA isolated from Ad2 virions that had been inactivated by free chlorine
      was able to be amplified by PCR, indicating that genome damage was not the cause
      of inactivation. However, inactivated Ad2 virions were unable to express E1A
      viral proteins during infection of A549 host cells, as measured by using
      immunoblotting. Collectively, these results indicate that free chlorine
      inactivates adenovirus by damaging proteins that govern life cycle processes
      occurring after host cell attachment, such as endocytosis, endosomal lysis, or
      nuclear delivery.

PMID- 20305022
TI  - Application of molecular techniques to elucidate the influence of cellulosic
      waste on the bacterial community structure at a simulated low-level-radioactive
      waste site.
AB  - Low-level-radioactive-waste (low-level-waste) sites, including those at various
      U.S. Department of Energy sites, frequently contain cellulosic waste in the form
      of paper towels, cardboard boxes, or wood contaminated with heavy metals and
      radionuclides such as chromium and uranium. To understand how the soil microbial
      community is influenced by the presence of cellulosic waste products, multiple
      soil samples were obtained from a nonradioactive model low-level-waste test pit
      at the Idaho National Laboratory. Samples were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene clone
      libraries and 16S rRNA gene microarray (PhyloChip) analyses. Both methods
      revealed changes in the bacterial community structure with depth. In all samples,
      the PhyloChip detected significantly more operational taxonomic units, and
      therefore relative diversity, than the clone libraries. Diversity indices suggest
      that diversity is lowest in the fill and fill-waste interface (FW) layers and
      greater in the wood waste and waste-clay interface layers. Principal-coordinate
      analysis and lineage-specific analysis determined that the Bacteroidetes and
      Actinobacteria phyla account for most of the significant differences observed
      between the layers. The decreased diversity in the FW layer and increased members
      of families containing known cellulose-degrading microorganisms suggest that the
      FW layer is an enrichment environment for these organisms. These results suggest
      that the presence of the cellulosic material significantly influences the
      bacterial community structure in a stratified soil system.

PMID- 20305027
TI  - Abundance and expression of enantioselective rdpA and sdpA dioxygenase genes
      during degradation of the racemic herbicide (R,S)-2-(2,4
      dichlorophenoxy)propionate in soil.
AB  - The rdpA and sdpA genes encode two enantioselective alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent
      dioxygenases catalyzing the initial step of microbial degradation of the chiral
      herbicide (R,S)-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)propionate (R,S-dichlorprop). Primers were
      designed to assess abundance and transcription dynamics of rdpA and sdpA genes in
      a natural agricultural soil. No indigenous rdpA genes were detected, but sdpA
      genes were present at levels of approximately 10(3) copies g of soil(-1). Cloning
      and sequencing of partial sdpA genes revealed a high diversity within the natural
      sdpA gene pool that could be divided into four clusters by phylogenetic analysis.
      BLASTp analysis of deduced amino acids revealed that members of cluster I shared
      68 to 69% identity, cluster II shared 78 to 85% identity, cluster III shared 58
      to 64% identity, and cluster IV shared 55% identity to their closest SdpA
      relative in GenBank. Expression of rdpA and sdpA in Delftia acidovorans MC1
      inoculated in soil was monitored by reverse transcription quantitative real-time
      PCR (qPCR) during in situ degradation of 2 and 50 mg kg(-1) of (R,S)-dichlorprop.
      (R,S)-Dichlorprop amendment created a clear upregulation of both rdpA and sdpA
      gene expression during the active phase of (14)C-labeled (R,S)-dichlorprop
      mineralization, particularly following the second dose of 50 mg kg(-1) herbicide.
      Expression of both genes was maintained at a low constitutive level in nonamended
      soil microcosms. This study is the first to report the presence of indigenous
      sdpA genes recovered directly from natural soil and also comprises the first
      investigation into the transcription dynamics of two enantioselective dioxygenase
      genes during the in situ degradation of the herbicide (R,S)-dichlorprop in soil.

PMID- 20305028
TI  - Anaerobic oxidation of fatty acids and alkenes by the hyperthermophilic sulfate
      reducing archaeon Archaeoglobus fulgidus.
AB  - Archaeoglobus fulgidus oxidizes fatty acids (C(4) to C(18)) and n-alk-1-enes
      (C(12:1) to C(21:1)) in the presence of thiosulfate as a terminal electron
      acceptor. End products of metabolism were CO(2) and sulfide. Growth on
      perdeuterated hexadecene yielded C(15)- to C(17)-labeled fatty acids as
      metabolites, thus confirming the ability of A. fulgidus to oxidize alkyl chains.

PMID- 20305029
TI  - Heterologous expression of mutated eburicol 14alpha-demethylase (CYP51) proteins
      of Mycosphaerella graminicola to assess effects on azole fungicide sensitivity
      and intrinsic protein function.
AB  - The recent decrease in the sensitivity of the Western European population of the
      wheat pathogen Mycosphaerella graminicola to azole fungicides has been associated
      with the emergence and subsequent spread of mutations in the CYP51 gene, encoding
      the azole target sterol 14alpha-demethylase. In this study, we have expressed
      wild-type and mutated M. graminicola CYP51 (MgCYP51) variants in a Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae mutant carrying a doxycycline-regulatable tetO(7)-CYC promoter
      controlling native CYP51 expression. We have shown that the wild-type MgCYP51
      protein complements the function of the orthologous protein in S. cerevisiae.
      Mutant MgCYP51 proteins containing amino acid alterations L50S, Y459D, and Y461H
      and the two-amino-acid deletion DeltaY459/G460, commonly identified in modern M.
      graminicola populations, have no effect on the capacity of the M. graminicola
      protein to function in S. cerevisiae. We have also shown that the azole fungicide
      sensitivities of transformants expressing MgCYP51 variants with these alterations
      are substantially reduced. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that the I381V
      substitution, correlated with the recent decline in the effectiveness of azoles,
      destroys the capacity of MgCYP51 to complement the S. cerevisiae mutant when
      introduced alone. However, when I381V is combined with changes between residues
      Y459 and Y461, the function of the M. graminicola protein is partially restored.
      These findings demonstrate, for the first time for a plant pathogenic fungus, the
      impacts that naturally occurring CYP51 alterations have on both azole sensitivity
      and intrinsic protein function. In addition, we also provide functional evidence
      underlying the order in which CYP51 alterations in the Western European M.
      graminicola population emerged.

PMID- 20305030
TI  - Constitutive expression of the proteorhodopsin gene by a flavobacterium strain
      representative of the proteorhodopsin-producing microbial community in the North
      Sea.
AB  - Proteorhodopsin (PR), a photoactive proton pump containing retinal, is present in
      approximately half of all bacteria in the ocean, but its physiological role is
      still unclear, since very few strains carrying the PR gene have been cultured.
      The aim of this work was to characterize PR diversity in a North Sea water
      sample, cultivate a strain representative of North Sea PR clusters, and study the
      effects of light and carbon concentration on the expression of the PR gene. A
      total of 117 PR sequences, of which 101 were unique, were obtained from a clone
      library of PCR-amplified PR gene fragments. Of the North Sea PRs, 97% were green
      light absorbing, as inferred from the amino acid at position 105; 67% of the PR
      protein fragments showed closest similarity to PRs from Alphaproteobacteria, 4%
      showed closest similarity to PRs from Gammaproteobacteria, and 29% showed closest
      similarity to PRs from "Bacteroidetes"/Flavobacteria. The dominant PR cluster
      (comprising 18% of all PRs) showed a high degree of similarity to the PR from the
      cultivated Roseobacter strain HTCC2255. The relative abundances of the North Sea
      PR clusters were confirmed by quantitative PCR. They were detected in metagenomic
      fragments from coastal oceans worldwide with various degrees of abundance.
      Several hundred bacterial strains from the North Sea water sample were cultivated
      on oligocarbophilic media. By screening with degenerate primers, two strains
      carrying the PR gene were identified. Their 16S rRNA gene sequences were
      identical and affiliated with a Bacteroidetes subcluster from the North Sea. The
      PR sequence of isolate PRO95 was completed by chromosomal walking. It was 76%
      identical to that of Dokdonia donghaensis MED134 and was functional, as indicated
      by the signature amino acids. PRO95 expressed its PR gene in liquid media
      containing between 9.7 and 121 mM carbon, both in the light and in the dark.
      Growth was not enhanced by light. Thus, the detection of the physiological role
      of PR may require more sensitive methods.

PMID- 20305031
TI  - High-level congruence of Myrionecta rubra prey and Dinophysis species plastid
      identities as revealed by genetic analyses of isolates from Japanese coastal
      waters.
AB  - We analyzed cryptophyte nucleomorph 18S rRNA gene sequences retained in natural
      Myrionecta rubra cells and plastid 16S rRNA gene and psbA sequences retained in
      natural cells of several Dinophysis species collected from Japanese coastal
      waters. A total of 715 nucleomorph sequences obtained from 134 M. rubra cells and
      564 plastid 16S rRNA gene and 355 psbA sequences from 71 Dinophysis cells were
      determined. Almost all sequences in M. rubra and Dinophysis spp. were identical
      to those of Teleaulax amphioxeia, suggesting that M. rubra in Japanese coastal
      waters preferentially ingest T. amphioxeia. The remaining sequences were closely
      related to those of Geminigera cryophila and Teleaulax acuta. Interestingly, 37
      plastid 16S rRNA gene sequences, which were different from T. amphioxeia and
      amplified from Dinophysis acuminata and Dinophysis norvegica cells, were
      identical to the sequence of a D. acuminata cell found in the Greenland Sea,
      suggesting that a widely distributed and unknown cryptophyte species is also
      preyed upon by M. rubra and subsequently sequestered by Dinophysis. To confirm
      the reliability of molecular identification of the cryptophyte Teleaulax species
      detected from M. rubra and Dinophysis cells, the nucleomorph and plastid genes of
      Teleaulax species isolated from seawaters were also analyzed. Of 19 isolates, 16
      and 3 clonal strains were identified as T. amphioxeia and T. acuta, respectively,
      and no sequence variation was confirmed within species. T. amphioxeia is probably
      the primary source of prey for M. rubra in Japanese coastal waters. An unknown
      cryptophyte may serve as an additional source, depending on localities and
      seasons.

PMID- 20305032
TI  - DNA probes for unambiguous identification of Listeria monocytogenes epidemic
      clone II strains.
AB  - Listeria monocytogenes epidemic clone II (ECII) strains have been responsible for
      two major multistate outbreaks of food-borne listeriosis in the United States,
      but their prevalence and ecology remain poorly understood. In this study, we
      describe DNA probes that unambiguously identify this clonal group. These probes
      were able to differentiate ECII strains of outbreak, sporadic, or environmental
      origin from other L. monocytogenes strains of the same serotype (4b).

PMID- 20305033
TI  - Role of antioxidant enzymes in bacterial resistance to organic acids.
AB  - Growth in aerobic environments has been shown to generate reactive oxygen species
      (ROS) and to cause oxidative stress in most organisms. Antioxidant enzymes (i.e.,
      superoxide dismutases and hydroperoxidases) and DNA repair mechanisms provide
      protection against ROS. Acid stress has been shown to be associated with the
      induction of Mn superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) in Lactococcus lactis and
      Staphylococcus aureus. However, the relationship between acid stress and
      oxidative stress is not well understood. In the present study, we showed that
      mutations in the gene coding for MnSOD (sodA) increased the toxicity of lactic
      acid at pH 3.5 in Streptococcus thermophilus. The inclusion of the iron chelators
      2,2'-dipyridyl (DIP), diethienetriamine-pentaacetic acid (DTPA), and O
      phenanthroline (O-Phe) provided partial protection against 330 mM lactic acid at
      pH 3.5. The results suggested that acid stress triggers an iron-mediated
      oxidative stress that can be ameliorated by MnSOD and iron chelators. These
      findings were further validated in Escherichia coli strains lacking both MnSOD
      and iron SOD (FeSOD) but expressing a heterologous MnSOD from S. thermophilus. We
      also found that, in E. coli, FeSOD did not provide the same protection afforded
      by MnSOD and that hydroperoxidases are equally important in protecting the cells
      against acid stress. These findings may explain the ability of some
      microorganisms to survive better in acidified environments, as in acid foods,
      during fermentation and accumulation of lactic acid or during passage through the
      low pH of the stomach.

PMID- 20305034
TI  - No protection of the ovarian follicle pool with the use of GnRH-analogues or oral
      contraceptives in young women treated with escalated BEACOPP for advanced-stage
      Hodgkin lymphoma. Final results of a phase II trial from the German Hodgkin Study
      Group.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The reduction of treatment-related toxic effects is the main goal in
      the current trials of the German Hodgkin Study Group (GHSG). In this regard, the
      protection of the ovarian reserve in young women is very important. Therefore,
      the GHSG investigated the use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone-analogues (GnRH
      a) and oral contraceptives (OC) in young women with advanced-stage Hodgkin
      lymphoma (HL). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Women (18-40 years) were randomly assigned
      either to receive daily OC or monthly GnRH-a during escalated combination therapy
      with bleomycin, etoposide, adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine,
      procarbazine, and prednisone (BEACOPPesc). Hormonal levels were determined at
      baseline, during therapy, and at follow-up. RESULTS: The study was closed
      prematurely after an interim analysis of 12 patients in arm A (OC) and 11 in arm
      B (GnRH-a), 9 and 10 are assessable for the primary end point. Women's median age
      was 25 years in both arms. The anti-Mullerian hormone level after at least 12
      months was reduced in all patients. For the entire study cohort, the respective
      ovarian follicle preservation rate was 0% (95% confidence interval 0% to 12%).
      CONCLUSION: We observed no protection of the ovarian reserve with hormonal co
      treatment during BEACOPPesc. This result supports efforts of ongoing trials to
      reduce chemotherapy intensity and toxicity. Alternative strategies for the
      protection of fertility must be offered to young female HL patients before the
      start of BEACOPPesc therapy.

PMID- 20305035
TI  - Impact of adjuvant treatment modalities on the management of patients with stages
      I-II endometrial stromal sarcoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: To explore whether adjuvant treatment options may impact on the
      prognosis in localized endometrial stromal sarcomas (ESSs; stages I and II). The
      historical options usually discussed in addition to hysterectomy and bilateral
      salpingoophorectomy (BSO) are active surveillance, pelvic radiotherapy,
      chemotherapy and hormonal therapy, alone or in combination. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      Among 84 consecutive patients treated for ESS at a single referral center, 54
      with localized stage disease were identified. Recurrence-free survival and
      overall survival were estimated and patterns of recurrences described. Univariate
      and multivariate analyses were carried out. RESULTS: With a median follow-up of
      58 months, only one patient had died. None of the 23 patients who had received
      adjuvant therapy relapsed compared with 13 of 31 patients who had not received
      any adjuvant therapy. Adjuvant treatments were hormonal therapy (n = 10) and
      brachytherapy with/without pelvic radiotherapy (n = 13). Almost the majority of
      relapses were local (92%) and extra-pelvic metastasis was observed in nearly half
      of the patients (46%). In the multivariate analysis, the major determinants of
      relapse-free survival were adjuvant treatment, myometrial invasion (P = 0.005)
      and no BSO (P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: In this series, adjuvant treatment of
      localized ESSs was associated with the absence of recurrence.

PMID- 20305036
TI  - Clinical features of interstitial lung disease induced by standard chemotherapy
      (FOLFOX or FOLFIRI) for colorectal cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy-induced interstitial lung disease (ILD) in colorectal
      cancer (CRC) patients is rarely reported, but its clinical features remain to be
      clarified. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Using a computerized database, we
      retrospectively identified patients who developed ILD from 734 patients with CRC
      treated with infusional 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) or
      infusional 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin and irinotecan (FOLFIRI) from April 2005 to
      December 2008 at the National Cancer Center Hospital East. RESULTS: Of 734
      patients, 11 patients developed ILD (1.5%) and 4 of those patients died (0.54%).
      Of the 11 patients, 10 showed pulmonary shadows other than lung metastases before
      chemotherapy. ILD developed during FOLFOX in six patients, at 137 days after
      completion of FOLFOX in one patient, during oxaliplatin interruption of FOLFOX in
      one patient and during FOLFIRI in the remaining three patients. FOLFOX had been
      administered at some point for all ILD patients, with a median of 10 cycles
      (range 2-17 cycles) and a median dose of administered oxaliplatin of 850 mg/m(2)
      (range 170-1445 mg/m(2)). CONCLUSIONS: ILD following FOLFOX or FOLFIRI is an
      uncommon but life-threatening complication. Care must be taken regarding the
      onset of ILD, not only during but also after chemotherapy for CRC.

PMID- 20305038
TI  - Structure and serology of O-antigens as the basis for classification of Proteus
      strains.
AB  - This review is devoted to structural and serological characteristics of the O
      antigens (O-polysaccharides) of the lipopolysaccharides of various Proteus
      species, which provide the basis for classifying Proteus strains to O-serogroups.
      The antigenic relationships of Proteus strains within and beyond the genus as
      well as their O-antigen-related bioactivities are also discussed.

PMID- 20305037
TI  - Strategies to promote translational research within the European Organisation for
      Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Head and Neck Cancer Group: a report
      from the Translational Research Subcommittee.
AB  - Head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) is the sixth leading cause of cancer
      related deaths worldwide. These tumors are commonly diagnosed at advanced stages
      and mortality rates remain high. Even cured patients suffer the consequences of
      aggressive treatment that includes surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. In
      the past, in clinical trials, HNSCC was considered as a single disease entity.
      Advances in molecular biology with the development of genomic and proteomic
      approaches have demonstrated distinct prognostic HNSCC patient subsets beyond
      those defined by traditional clinical-pathological factors such as tumor subsite
      and stage [Cho W (ed). An Omics Perspective on Cancer Research. New York/Berlin:
      Springer 2010]. Validation of these biomarkers in large prospective clinical
      trials is required before their clinical implementation. To promote this
      research, the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC)
      Head and Neck Cancer Program will develop the following strategies-(i)
      biobanking: prospective tissue collection from uniformly treated patients in the
      setting of clinical trials; (ii) a group of physicians, physician-scientists, and
      EORTC Headquarters staff devoted to patient-oriented head and neck cancer
      research; (iii) a collaboration between the basic scientists of the Translational
      Research Division interested in head and neck cancer research and the physicians
      of the Head and Neck Cancer Group; and (iv) funding through the EORTC Grant
      Program and the Network Core Institutions Consortium. In the present report, we
      summarize our strategic plans to promote head and neck cancer research within the
      EORTC framework.

PMID- 20305039
TI  - Pretreatment with lipopolysaccharide modulates innate immunity in corneal
      fibroblasts challenged with Aspergillus fumigatus.
AB  - Aspergillus fumigatus triggers inflammatory responses through Toll-like receptors
      (TLRs), particularly TLR2 and TLR4. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a ligand of TLR4, can induce tolerance of A. fumigatus
      hyphae in telomerase-immortalized human stroma fibroblasts (THSFs). The THSFs
      were pretreated with low-dose LPS for various times and then challenged with A.
      fumigatus hyphae. We observed that pretreatment of THSFs with low-dose LPS
      resulted in diminished production of cytokines IL-8 and IL-6 and elevated
      expression of antimicrobial peptides, such as CC chemokine-ligand 20 (CCL20) and
      thymosin beta4 (Tbeta4), upon subsequent A. fumigatus challenge. Furthermore, LPS
      pretreatment also resulted in suppression of polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN)
      migration. Our results suggested that THSFs pretreated with LPS develop a state
      of A. fumigatus hyphae tolerance. This may induce protective mechanisms during
      fungal keratitis to prevent an excessive inflammatory response and to control
      infection of the cornea.

PMID- 20305040
TI  - Effects of alcohol on attention orienting and dual-task performance during
      simulated driving: an event-related potential study.
AB  - Driving is a complex task and is susceptible to inattention and distraction.
      Moreover, alcohol has a detrimental effect on driving performance, possibly due
      to alcohol-induced attention deficits. The aim of the present study was to assess
      the effects of alcohol on simulated driving performance and attention orienting
      and allocation, as assessed by event-related potentials (ERPs). Thirty-two
      participants completed two test runs in the Divided Attention Steering Simulator
      (DASS) with blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) of 0.00%, 0.02%, 0.05%, 0.08% and
      0.10%. Sixteen participants performed the second DASS test run with a passive
      auditory oddball to assess alcohol effects on involuntary attention shifting.
      Sixteen other participants performed the second DASS test run with an active
      auditory oddball to assess alcohol effects on dual-task performance and active
      attention allocation. Dose-dependent impairments were found for reaction times,
      the number of misses and steering error, even more so in dual-task conditions,
      especially in the active oddball group. ERP amplitudes to novel irrelevant events
      were also attenuated in a dose-dependent manner. The P3b amplitude to deviant
      target stimuli decreased with blood alcohol concentration only in the dual-task
      condition. It is concluded that alcohol increases distractibility and
      interference from secondary task stimuli, as well as reduces attentional capacity
      and dual-task integrality.

PMID- 20305041
TI  - Novel protective mechanisms of antidepressants against 3-nitropropionic acid
      induced Huntington's-like symptoms: a comparative study.
AB  - Huntington's disease (HD) is characterized by progressive degeneration of neurons
      in the striatum, cortex and other parts of the brain, causing motor and cognitive
      dysfunction. 3-Nitropropionic acid (3-NP) is a well-known mycotoxin that
      significantly induces motor dysfunction in animals. Studies suggested the
      involvement of oxidative stress and nitric oxide mechanisms in HD pathogenesis.
      Clinical reports have also indicated the neuroprotective potential of
      antidepressants. Therefore, the present study has been designed to elucidate and
      compare the mechanistic role of different antidepressants (sertraline,
      venlafaxine, imipramine and trazodone) and their interaction with nitric oxide
      modulators if any, against 3-NP-induced neurotoxicity. Systemic 3-NP (10 mg/kg)
      administration for 14 days significantly reduced locomotor activity, body weight,
      motor coordination, oxidative defense and impaired mitochondrial complex enzyme
      activities in the striatum. Sertraline, venlafaxine, imipramine and trazodone
      treatments significantly improved behavioral, oxidative defense and mitochondrial
      complex enzyme activities as compared with the 3-NP-treated group. Systemic L
      arginine (50 mg/kg) pretreatment with sub-effective dose of sertraline (10
      mg/kg), venlafaxine (10 mg/kg), imipramine (10 mg/kg) and trazodone (10 mg/kg)
      for 14 days significantly attenuated their protective effect. Similarly, L-nitro
      arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) (10 mg/kg) pretreatment with sub-effective dose of
      sertraline (10 mg/kg), venlafaxine (10 mg/kg), imipramine (10 mg/kg) and
      trazodone (10 mg/kg) for 14 days significantly potentiated their protective
      effects which were significant as compared with their effect alone, respectively.
      The results of the present study suggest that a nitric oxide mechanism might be
      involved in their protective effect against 3-NP-induced neurotoxicity.

PMID- 20305042
TI  - The triple reuptake inhibitor DOV216,303 exhibits limited antidepressant-like
      properties in the differential reinforcement of low-rate 72-second responding
      assay, likely due to dopamine reuptake inhibition.
AB  - There is a need for antidepressants with novel mechanisms of action. One approach
      has been to develop compounds that inhibit reuptake of all three monoamines in
      the central nervous system, for example DOV216,303. Differential reinforcement of
      low-rate (72-s) responding is a behavioral test that is predictive of
      antidepressant-like properties. The effects of antidepressant compounds belonging
      to multiple classes, the anxiolytic diazepam and the antipsychotic haloperidol,
      were assessed in the DRL-72s task. Subsequently, the antidepressant-like
      properties of acute DOV216,303 were assessed. The selective serotonin reuptake
      inhibitor fluvoxamine, the preferential norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor
      desipramine and the tricyclic antidepressant imipramine exhibited antidepressant
      like properties in the DRL-72s task. The atypical antidepressant bupropion, which
      inhibits dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake, and the selective dopamine
      transporter inhibitor GBR12909, changed reinforcement and response rates and
      inter-response time distribution in an opposite direction compared with the
      antidepressant compounds tested. The antipsychotic haloperidol exhibited
      antidepressant-like properties by increasing reinforcement rate, but failed to
      alter inter-response time distribution. Diazepam did not change reinforcement or
      response rates or inter-response time distribution. The triple reuptake inhibitor
      DOV216,303 significantly enhanced reinforcement rate at one intermediate dose,
      but exhibited similar effects as bupropion and GBR12909 on inter-response time
      distribution. The studies identified limited antidepressant-like properties of
      the triple reuptake inhibitor DOV216,303, likely due to dopamine transporter
      inhibition counteracting the effects of norepinephrine and serotonin transporter
      inhibition.

PMID- 20305043
TI  - The importance of the recognition of benign ethnic neutropenia in black patients
      during treatment with clozapine: case reports and database study.
AB  - Clozapine is the treatment of choice in refractory schizophrenia. Its more
      extensive use is limited by adverse effects and the need for regular blood
      monitoring. However, black patients are disadvantaged with respect to clozapine
      usage. Lower baseline Absolute Neutrophil Count compared with Whites leads to a
      greater frequency of blood testing, treatment interruptions and discontinuation.
      This may in part be explained by Benign Ethnic Neutropenia, but too few black
      patients are thus registered. The four cases described in this report underline
      some of the difficulties if this problem is under-recognized. Moreover, in our
      sample of 191 clozapine recipients in an inner London hospital, black patients
      account for approximately half, but only a small proportion, 8/95 (8.4%) are
      registered as having Benign Ethnic Neutropenia. None of the Benign Ethnic
      Neutropenia-registered patients discontinued treatment for haematological
      reasons. To optimize clozapine treatment and improve long-term outcomes, a
      significantly greater proportion of Black patients should be registered as having
      Benign Ethnic Neutropenia.

PMID- 20305044
TI  - Palliative care for people severely affected by multiple sclerosis: evaluation of
      a novel palliative care service.
AB  - Multiple sclerosis results in both physical and psychological disability but some
      patients have needs that are not adequately met by existing services. Our
      objective was to explore whether a new palliative care service improved outcomes
      for people severely affected by multiple sclerosis. A delayed intervention
      randomized controlled trial was undertaken with multiple sclerosis patients
      deemed by staff to have palliative care needs. The intervention was a
      multiprofessional palliative care team assessment and follow-up. The intervention
      group was offered the team immediately (fast track, FI); the control group
      continued best standard care and then offered the team after 3 months (standard
      intervention, SI). The main outcome measures were: patient reported issues using
      the Palliative Care Outcome Scale and Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale at 12 weeks
      and caregiver burden using the Zarit Burden Inventory. Sixty-nine people were
      referred to the service; 52 consented or were eligible to be randomized (26 to
      the FI and 26 to the SI groups). At 12 weeks people in the FI group had an
      improvement (mean change -1.0) in the total score of 5 key symptoms whereas there
      was deterioration in the SI group (mean change 1.1, F = 4.75, p = 0.035). There
      was no difference in the change in general Palliative Care Outcome Scale or
      Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale scores. There was an improvement in caregiver
      burden in the FI group and a deterioration in the SI group (F = 7.60, p = 0.013).
      Involvement with the palliative care service appeared to positively affect some
      key symptoms and reduced informal caregiver burden.

PMID- 20305045
TI  - Isolated pyuria in systemic lupus erythematosus.
AB  - The objective of this study was to assess isolated pyuria in an unselected
      systemic lupus erythematosus sample, and to determine factors potentially
      associated with this manifestation. We studied patients followed in our lupus
      clinic, defining isolated pyuria as more than 10 white blood cells per high power
      field in the absence of hematuria, proteinuria, casts, or bacteriuria. We
      assessed the effects of various demographic and clinical factors on the
      occurrence of isolated pyuria, using univariate logistic regression analyses. We
      also performed multivariate models which included sex, age, race/ethnicity,
      systemic lupus erythematosus duration, non-renal systemic lupus erythematosus
      disease activity, systemic lupus erythematosus damage, number of non-renal and
      renal American College of Rheumatology criteria ever present, pre-existing
      hypertension, and current drug exposures. Of 264 subjects, 66 were excluded (43
      had bacteriuria or a contaminated urine culture and 23 had no concomitant urine
      culture); 27 of the remaining 198 (13.6%) had isolated pyuria. Sixteen of 27
      patients with sterile pyuria had previous American College of Rheumatology
      criteria for renal involvement (hematuria, casts, and/or proteinuria) compared to
      62/171 patients without sterile pyuria (unadjusted odds ratio = 2.55; 95%
      confidence interval = 1.11-5.85). Our univariate analyses also suggested a trend
      towards higher non-renal disease activity in patients with isolated pyuria.
      Independent associations were not evident in adjusted analyses. Isolated pyuria
      was observed in a significant number of our systemic lupus erythematosus sample.
      Although the differential diagnosis for isolated pyuria is broad, this
      manifestation may be correlated with lupus activity even in the absence of
      hematuria or proteinuria. Lupus (2010) 19, 793-796.

PMID- 20305047
TI  - Life and times with Friedrich Wegener.

PMID- 20305046
TI  - Association of estrogen and aromatase gene polymorphisms with systemic lupus
      erythematosus.
AB  - Experimental and animal studies suggested that estrogens play an important role
      in the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) through a variety of
      mechanisms involved in the regulation of the immune system. The objective of this
      study was to investigate the association between genetic variations in estrogen
      metabolic pathway genes, including estrogen receptor alpha (ESR1), estrogen
      receptor beta (ESR2), and aromatase (CYP19A1), and risk of SLE. We performed a
      genetic study of SLE among 46 medical record-confirmed female SLE cases and 102
      female controls participating in an Internet-based case-control study of SLE.
      Polymorphisms analysed included: ESR1 PvuII, XbaI, and GT repeat; ESR2 RsaI,
      AluI, and CA repeat; and CYP19A1 RsaI, SfaN1, and TTTA repeat. We found
      significant association of the ESR1 PvuII (PP vs. pp, odds ratio (OR): 3.1, 95%
      confidence interval (CI): 1.1-9.3) and XbaI (XX vs. xx, adjusted OR: 3.4, 95% CI:
      1.1-10.5) with SLE. Carrying the PPXX genotype conferred the highest risk (PPXX
      vs. ppxx, OR: 4.6, 95% CI: 1.3-15.9). We also found an association of SLE with
      the ESR2 CA repeat (SS vs. LL, OR: 2.8, 95% CI: 1.0-8.0). Our results support a
      role of estrogen in pathogenesis of SLE and suggested that genetic variants in
      the estrogen receptor genes might influence susceptibility.

PMID- 20305048
TI  - Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus
      in a Mediterranean region.
AB  - Low vitamin D levels have been found in patients with autoimmune diseases,
      including type I diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and systemic
      lupus erythematosus. The main source of vitamin D is exposure to sunlight, but
      the same solar radiation is known to exacerbate lupus erythematosus. We
      investigated the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in patients with cutaneous
      lupus erythematosus (CLE). We designed a cross-sectional study including 55
      patients with CLE to measure their serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) by
      chemiluminescence immunoassay and compare it with a control group consisting of
      37 healthy sex and age-matched subjects recruited from the patients' relatives as
      well as healthcare workers. Correlations with clinical and demographic variables
      were determined. Approximately 95% of patients with CLE had less than 30 ng/ml of
      serum 25(OH)D, which is accepted as the lower limit for vitamin D adequacy. Mean
      serum vitamin D values were significantly lower than controls (p = 0.038) and
      were associated with higher levels of parathyroid hormone (p = 0.050). A history
      of CLE was a strong predictor of insufficiency of vitamin D (odds ratio 4.2; 95%
      confidence interval 1.0-17.4). The results suggest a role of CLE in the
      metabolism of the vitamin and provide guidance for future studies looking at a
      potential role for vitamin D in the prevention and treatment of CLE. Lupus (2010)
      19, 810-814.

PMID- 20305049
TI  - Long-term outcome of transtrochanteric anterior rotational osteotomy for
      osteonecrosis of the femoral head in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
AB  - This study sought to examine the long-term outcomes of transtrochanteric anterior
      rotational osteotomy (ARO) as treatment for osteonecrosis of the femoral head
      (ONFH) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Twenty-one patients
      (33 hips), aged 20-40 years, underwent ARO between 1980 and 1988. We examined 16
      patients (25 hips), a 76% follow-up rate. A Kaplan-Meier curve was used for
      survivorship analysis. Patients with surviving hips were evaluated by the
      modified Oxford hip score and Short Form 36 (SF-36). Twelve hips in eight
      patients had survived at the final follow-up. The average length of hip survival
      was 24.6 years (range: 20.1-27.2 years). Three patients (six hips) had died of
      unrelated causes without any subsequent operation. Based on Kaplan-Meier analysis
      with the endpoint defined as the need for a subsequent operation, the hip
      survival rate at 25 years was 73.7% (95% confidence interval, +/-19.8%). Based on
      classification by the modified Oxford hip score, five hips were classified as
      excellent, two hips were good, and the remaining five hips were fair. The average
      SF-36 summary score for the physical and mental components was 38.7 and 47.2
      points, respectively. The physical component summary scores for three patients
      exceeded the normal level of the Japanese population. Lupus (2010) 19, 860-865.

PMID- 20305050
TI  - False-positive IgM for CMV in pregnant women with autoimmune disease: a novel
      prognostic factor for poor pregnancy outcome.
AB  - Our aims were to assess the frequency of false-positive IgM antibodies for
      cytomegalovirus in pregnant women with autoimmune diseases and in healthy women
      (controls) and to determine their relationship with pregnancy outcome. Data from
      133 pregnancies in 118 patients with autoimmune diseases and from 222 pregnancies
      in 198 controls were assessed. When positive IgM for cytomegalovirus was
      detected, IgG avidity, cytomegalovirus isolation and polymerase chain reaction
      for CMV-DNA in maternal urine and amniotic fluid samples were performed in order
      to identify primary infection or false positivity. A statistically significantly
      higher rate of false-positive IgM was found in pregnancies with autoimmune
      diseases (16.5%) in comparison with controls (0.9%). A worse pregnancy outcome
      was observed among patients with autoimmune disease and false cytomegalovirus IgM
      in comparison with those without false positivity: earlier week of delivery (p =
      0.017), lower neonatal birth weight (p = 0.0004) and neonatal birth weight
      percentile (p = 0.002), higher rate of intrauterine growth restriction (p = 0.02)
      and babies weighing less than 2000 g (p = 0.025) were encountered. The presence
      of false cytomegalovirus IgM in patients with autoimmune diseases could be used
      as a novel prognostic index of poor pregnancy outcome: it may reflect a non
      specific activation of the immune system that could negatively affect pregnancy
      outcome. Lupus (2010) 19, 844-849.

PMID- 20305051
TI  - Cadmium concentration in muscle, liver and kidney of sheep slaughtered in
      Falavarjan abattoir, Iran.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to investigate the levels of cadmium in sheep's
      muscle, liver and kidney from Isfahan and also to compare them with the levels
      reported in several other countries and with the maximum tolerance levels for the
      human consumption. The samples of muscle, liver and kidney of 60 animals around 1
      to 6 years old were collected from the carcasses slaughtered in Flavarjan
      abattoir, Isfahan. Samples (acid digested and cadmium concentrations) were
      determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry (GFAAS). The
      mean fresh weight concentrations in muscle, liver and kidney were about 0.0017
      mg/kg, 0.0743 mg/kg and 0.02290 mg/kg, respectively. The mean concentration of
      cadmium in tissue samples was generally lower than the maximum acceptable
      concentration in European Commission (EC). Statistical analysis revealed a
      significant difference in cadmium concentration of liver and kidney between
      various age groups (p < 0.05).

PMID- 20305052
TI  - Is it possible to antagonize 2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin- induced
      cleft palate by prenatal administration of folic acid? An experimental study.
AB  - 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) can cause a high percentage of cleft
      palate in fetuses when administered during organogenesis in certain strains of
      mice including C57BL/6J. In this study, folic acid (FA) was tested for
      antiteratogenic effects on TCDD-induced cleft palate in fetal mice. The pregnant
      C57BL/6J mice were dosed with 24 microg TCDD/kg and/or 5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg, 40 mg
      FA/kg body weight on gestation day (GD) 10. The control group mice received 50 mL
      sesame oil/kg body weight on GD10. The mice were sacrificed on GD12.5, GD13.5,
      GD14.5, GD15.5, and GD16.5. The harvested embryos were examined to detect the
      incidence of cleft palate and the developing palatal shelves on different phases
      were investigated morphologically and histologically among different groups.
      Total frequency of clefts was 55.56% in TCDD group and 17.50% (5 mg), 42.85% (10
      mg), 42.10% (20 mg), 28.26% (40 mg) in TCDD + FA groups. FA (5 mg) reduced the
      incidence of the cleft palate from 55.56% to 17.50% (p = 0.005). There were no
      significant differences between the TCDD group and 10 mg, 20 mg, 40 mg TCDD + FA
      groups. Based on the these results, the present study suggests that FA can reduce
      the incidence of 2,3,7,8-TCDD-induced cleft palate in mice.

PMID- 20305053
TI  - Long-term follow-up of 24.5 years after intra-articular anterior cruciate
      ligament reconstruction with lateral extra-articular augmentation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many studies have reported successful outcomes 10 to 15 years after
      ACL reconstruction. However, few authors report results at ultra long-term follow
      up (more than 20 years of follow-up). PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to
      determine how the status of the medial meniscus and the medial compartment
      articular cartilage observed at the time of ACL reconstruction affects results
      more than 24 years after surgery. This article examines long-term outcome of ACL
      reconstruction with extra-articular augmentation (procedure performed through a
      medial arthrotomy). STUDY DESIGN: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. METHODS: One
      hundred of 148 patients reviewed at 11.5 years of follow-up could be reviewed at
      24.5 years. Complete clinical and radiographic evaluation (International Knee
      Documentation Committee scale and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score)
      was performed. RESULTS: The radiographic International Knee Documentation
      Committee rating was as follows: grade A, 39%; grade B, 7%; grade C, 27%; and
      grade D, 27%. Onset of osteoarthritis was correlated with medial meniscal status
      and femoral chondral defects at time of surgery. CONCLUSION: Total medial
      meniscectomy and articular cartilage damage were risk factors for osteoarthritis.

PMID- 20305054
TI  - Variation of the intermaxillary tooth-size relationship in normal occlusion.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to explore the intermaxillary tooth-size
      relationship that is attributed to normal occlusion using multivariate cluster
      analysis, while simultaneously incorporating the full dentition as a data set.
      From the central incisor to the second molar, the tooth sizes of 307 subjects
      (188 males and 119 females; mean age +/- standard deviation, 19.9 +/- 3.3 years)
      with normal occlusion were investigated. Tooth-size data were analysed separately
      for the maxilla and the mandible. When clustering, the partitioning around
      medoids (PAM) algorithm was performed with the transformed data based on
      principal component analysis (PCA). After the subjects were classified into four
      groups, the cluster memberships were cross-classified, and the distribution
      pattern and intermaxillary tooth-size relationships were explored. Bolton tooth
      ratio showed a relatively wide range, and this was indicative of the variability
      in tooth size in subjects with a normal occlusion. However, the patterns of the
      intermaxillary tooth-size relationship were similar for males and females, and
      this result was concordant with the findings of the classic Bolton analysis.
      Using the multivariate approach to analyse the tooth-size data set of an
      individual patient and then comparing the results with the normal occlusion
      cluster has possible clinical applications in determining the amount and location
      of tooth-size control in orthodontics.

PMID- 20305055
TI  - Cephalometric evaluation of children with nocturnal sleep-disordered breathing.
AB  - The present study aimed to assess the cephalometric features in children with
      sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). The subjects were 70 children (34 boys and 36
      girls, mean age 7.3, SD 1.72, range 4.2-11.9 years) with habitual snoring and
      symptoms of obstructive sleep disorder for more than 6 months. On the basis of
      overnight polygraphic findings, the subjects were further divided into subgroups
      of 26 children with diagnosed obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), 17 with signs of
      upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS), and 27 with snoring. A control group of
      70 non-obstructed children matched for age and gender was selected. Lateral skull
      radiographs were taken and cephalograms were traced and measured. The differences
      between the matched groups were studied using t-test for paired samples.
      Differences between the subgroups were studied using analysis of variance
      followed by Duncan's multiple comparison method. Children with SDB were
      characterized by an increased antero-posterior jaw relationship (P = 0.001),
      increased mandibular inclination in relation to the palatal line (P = 0.01),
      increased total (P = 0.019) and lower (P = 0.005) anterior face heights, a longer
      (P = 0.018) and thicker (P = 0.002) soft palate, smaller airway diameters at
      multiple levels of the naso- and oropharynx, larger oropharyngeal airway diameter
      at the level of the base of the tongue (P = 0.011), lower hyoid bone position (P
      = 0.000), and larger craniocervical angles (NSL-CVT, P = 0.014; NSL-OPT, P =
      0.023) when compared with the non-obstructed controls. When divided into
      subgroups according to the severity of the disorder, OSA children deviated
      significantly from the control children especially in the oropharyngeal
      variables. Children with UARS and snoring also deviated from the controls, but
      the obstructed subgroups were not confidently distinguishable from each other by
      cephalometric measurements. Logistic regression analysis indicated that UARS and
      OSA were associated with decreased pharyngeal diameters at the levels of the
      adenoids (PNS-ad1) and tip of the uvula (u1-u2), an increased diameter at the
      level of the base of the tongue (rl1-rl2), a thicker soft palate, and anteriorly
      positioned maxilla in relation to the cranial base. Lateral cephalogram may thus
      reveal important predictors for SDB in children. Attention should be paid to
      pharyngeal measurements. Systematic orthodontic evaluation of SDB children is
      needed because of the effects of obstructed sleep on the developing craniofacial
      skeleton.

PMID- 20305056
TI  - A new concept for the cephalometric evaluation of craniofacial patterns
      (multiharmony).
AB  - Orthodontists commonly specify the alignment of the teeth and jaws by means of a
      set of k angles and their relationship with each other. Each individual can thus
      be visualized as a point in k-dimensional space. Individuals regarded as having
      an ideal occlusion and well-balanced face, form a cloud of points that is termed
      the 'norm' population. Individuals far from the cloud require orthodontic
      intervention. In this study, a method is presented--the multiharmony method
      (MHM), which assists in treatment planning. With multiple regression analysis,
      the expected value that each angle should take in a norm individual when the
      remaining angles are given is estimated. The residual difference between the
      measured angle and its expected value then indicates the deviation from a
      harmonic appearance in the respective angle. The MHM was applied to a data set of
      134 Korean individuals identified as the norm population (Class I, mean age: 19.6
      years) and to 87 patients (Class III, mean age: 21.2 years). From the number and
      size of the residuals, the two populations could be separated almost completely.
      Almost all patients showed residuals larger than any residual in the norm
      population (sensitivity: 99 per cent), whereas 90 per cent of all norm
      individuals showed no extreme residuals. The MHM can also be used to assist in
      visualizing different treatment effects, thereby assisting the orthodontist in
      choosing the best course of treatment for each patient.

PMID- 20305057
TI  - Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single intravenous dose-escalation
      study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of the novel
      coronary smooth muscle cell proliferation inhibitor Biolimus A9 in healthy
      individuals.
AB  - Biolimus A9 (BA9) is a novel proliferation inhibitor of coronary smooth muscle
      cells that has been specifically designed for coating drug-eluting stents. The
      goals of this study were to identify the highest safe intravenous dose of BA9, to
      evaluate the dose-dependent pharmacokinetics of BA9 after intravenous
      administration in humans, and to characterize early clinical symptoms of BA9
      toxicity in healthy subjects. This phase 1 trial in healthy subjects was designed
      as a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, ascending single-dose study.
      After screening and randomization, 28 volunteers received either placebo (n = 7)
      or BA9 (n = 21) in a double-blinded fashion. Doses from 0.0075 mg/kg were
      escalated to 0.25 mg/kg in 4 cohorts. BA9 concentrations were measured using
      liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. BA9 doses up to 0.075 mg/kg were
      well tolerated. Only the highest BA9 dose of 0.25 mg/kg produced reversible drug
      related adverse events. The most frequent adverse events were headache, nausea,
      and mouth ulcers, most likely due to immunosuppression. Exposure to BA9 did not
      result in electrocardiographic or clinical laboratory changes. BA9 had a terminal
      half-life of 90.0 +/- 40.0 hours (all n = 21, mean +/- standard deviation), an
      apparent clearance from blood of 0.96 +/- 1.07 L/kg/h, and a volume of
      distribution of 96.5 +/- 72.6 L/kg.

PMID- 20305058
TI  - Dyella thiooxydans sp. nov., a facultatively chemolithotrophic, thiosulfate
      oxidizing bacterium isolated from rhizosphere soil of sunflower (Helianthus
      annuus L.).
AB  - A Gram-negative, aerobic, motile, rod-shaped, thiosulfate-oxidizing bacterium,
      designated ATSB10(T), was isolated from rhizosphere soil of sunflower (Helianthus
      annuus L.). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that
      strain ATSB10(T) was closely related to members of the genera Dyella (96.4-98.1 %
      16S rRNA gene sequence similarity) and Luteibacter (96.4-97.0 %) and Fulvimonas
      soli LMG 19981(T) (96.7 %) and Frateuria aurantia IFO 3245(T) (97.8 %). The
      predominant fatty acids were iso-C(16 : 0), iso-C(17 : 1)omega9c and iso-C(15 :
      0). The major quinone was Q-8. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 66.0 mol%.
      The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol,
      phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidyldimethylethanolamine, an unknown
      phospholipid, unknown aminophospholipids and an unknown aminolipid. On the basis
      of phenotypic properties, phylogenetic distinctiveness and DNA-DNA relatedness,
      strain ATSB10(T) represents a novel species in the genus Dyella, for which the
      name Dyella thiooxydans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is ATSB10(T) (=KACC
      12756(T) =LMG 24673(T)).

PMID- 20305059
TI  - Microbacterium mitrae sp. nov., isolated from salted turban shell.
AB  - A novel bacterium (strain M4-8(T)) belonging to the genus Microbacterium was
      isolated from salted turban shell, which is a traditional fermented food in
      Korea. Its morphology, physiology, biochemical features and 16S rRNA gene
      sequence were characterized. Cells of this strain were Gram-positive, non-motile,
      non-spore-forming rods that formed yellow-pigmented colonies. It grew in 0-8 %
      (w/v) NaCl and at 15-37  degrees C, with optimal growth occurring in 1 % (w/v)
      NaCl and at 30  degrees C. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences
      indicated that strain M4-8(T) is associated with members of the genus
      Microbacterium. Within the phylogenetic tree, this novel strain shared a
      branching point with Microbacterium hominis IFO 15708(T) (97.8 % similarity). The
      DNA G+C content was 71.3 mol% and DNA-DNA hybridization experiments showed a low
      level (<29 %) of DNA-DNA relatedness between M4-8(T) and its closest relatives.
      The major fatty acids were iso-C(15 : 0) and anteiso-C(15 : 0) and the major cell
      wall diamino acid was ornithine. Data obtained from DNA-DNA hybridization and
      chemotaxonomic phenotypic analysis support the conclusion that strain M4-8(T)
      represents a novel species within the genus Microbacterium. The name
      Microbacterium mitrae sp. nov. is proposed, with M4-8(T) (=KACC 21129(T) =JCM
      16363(T)) as the type strain.

PMID- 20305060
TI  - Description of Undibacterium oligocarboniphilum sp. nov., isolated from purified
      water, and Undibacterium pigrum strain CCUG 49012 as the type strain of
      Undibacterium parvum sp. nov., and emended descriptions of the genus
      Undibacterium and the species Undibacterium pigrum.
AB  - A Gram-negative, oxidase- and catalase-positive, flagellated, rod-shaped
      bacterium, designated strain EM 1(T), was isolated from purified water. 16S rRNA
      gene sequence analysis indicated that the novel strain belonged to the family
      Oxalobacteraceae within the class Betaproteobacteria; the closest phylogenetic
      relative was Undibacterium pigrum DSM 19792(T) (96.7 % gene sequence similarity).
      The new isolate could be distinguished from the type strain of U. pigrum DSM
      19792(T) (=CCUG 49009(T)=CIP 109318(T)) and from strain CCUG 49012(T), which has
      been described as a second genomovar of this species, on the basis of genotypic
      data and several phenotypic properties. An S-layer was present in the cell
      envelope in U. pigrum DSM 19792(T), but was absent in strains EM 1(T) and CCUG
      49012(T). Test conditions were established that enabled strain CCUG 49012(T) to
      be distinguished from U. pigrum DSM 19792(T). As found for U. pigrum, the main
      fatty acids of strains EM 1(T) and CCUG 49012(T) were summed feature 3 (including
      unsaturated C(16 : 1)omega7c), straight-chain C(16 : 0) and unsaturated C(18 :
      1)omega7c (low percentage in strain CCUG 49012(T)), and C(10 : 0) 3-OH was the
      sole hydroxylated fatty acid. The polar lipid profile consisted of the
      predominant lipids phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol and
      phosphatidylglycerol. The polyamine profile was mainly composed of the major
      compound putrescine and moderate amounts of 2-hydroxyputrescine. In contrast to
      U. pigrum and strain CCUG 49012(T), where ubiquinone Q8 was reported as the sole
      quinone component, the quinone system of strain EM 1(T) consisted of ubiquinone Q
      8 (64 %) and Q-7 (36 %). The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, the polar lipid
      profile and the absence of C(12)-hydroxylated fatty acids all indicated that
      strain EM 1(T) was affiliated with the genus Undibacterium. 16S rRNA gene
      sequence similarity values lower than 97.0 % and several differentiating
      phenotypic traits demonstrated that strain EM 1(T) represents a novel species for
      which the name Undibacterium oligocarboniphilum sp. nov. is proposed (type strain
      EM 1(T)=DSM 21777(T)=CCUG 57265(T)). In addition, based on previously published
      results and this study, a separate species, Undibacterium parvum sp. nov., is
      proposed with strain CCUG 49012(T) (=DSM 23061(T)=CIP 109317(T)) as the type
      strain.

PMID- 20305061
TI  - Fontibacillus panacisegetis sp. nov., isolated from soil of a ginseng field.
AB  - A facultatively anaerobic, endospore-forming bacterium, designated strain P11
      6(T), was isolated from soil of a ginseng field located in Geumsan County,
      Republic of Korea. Cells of strain P11-6(T) were Gram-stain-negative, catalase
      negative, motile rods and produced semi-translucent, circular, white colonies on
      tryptic soy agar. The isolate contained MK-7 as the only menaquinone and anteiso
      C(15 : 0) as the major fatty acid. Diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol,
      phosphatidylethanolamine, an unknown aminophosphoglycolipid, an unknown
      aminophospholipid, two unknown phospholipids, three unknown glycolipids and three
      unknown lipids were detected in the polar lipid profile. The DNA G+C content of
      strain P11-6(T) was 41.9 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene
      sequencing showed that strain P11-6(T) was most closely related to Fontibacillus
      aquaticus GPTSA 19(T) (97.2 % sequence similarity) and that it formed a separate
      lineage with F. aquaticus in the family Paenibacillaceae. Combined phenotypic and
      DNA-DNA hybridization data supported the conclusion that strain P11-6(T)
      represents a novel species in the genus Fontibacillus, for which the name
      Fontibacillus panacisegetis sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is P11-6(T)
      (=KCTC 13564(T) =CECT 7605(T)).

PMID- 20305063
TI  - Oleibacter marinus gen. nov., sp. nov., a bacterium that degrades petroleum
      aliphatic hydrocarbons in a tropical marine environment.
AB  - Three Gram-negative, motile, mesophilic, aerobic, rod-shaped bacterial strains,
      designated 2O1(T), 1O14 and 1O18, were isolated from Indonesian seawater after
      enrichment with crude oil and a continuous supply of supplemented seawater. The
      strains exhibited high n-alkane-degrading activity, which indicated that the
      strains were important degraders of petroleum aliphatic hydrocarbons in tropical
      marine environments. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences of
      members of the Gammaproteobacteria showed that the isolates formed a coherent and
      distinct cluster in a stable lineage containing Oceanobacter kriegii IFO 15467(T)
      (96.4-96.5 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity) and Thalassolituus oleivorans MIL
      1(T). DNA G +C content was 53.0-53.1 mol%. The major fatty acids were C(16 : 0),
      C(16 : 1)omega7 and C(18 : 1)omega9 and the hydroxy fatty acids were C(12 : 0) 3
      OH and C(10 : 0) 3-OH. The polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, a ninhydrin
      positive phospholipid(s) and glycolipids. The major quinone was Q-9 (97-99 %),
      which distinguished the isolates from Oceanobacter kriegii NBRC 15467(T) (Q-8; 91
      %). On the basis of phenotypic, genotypic and chemotaxonomic data, including DNA
      DNA hybridization, the isolates represent a novel genus and species, for which
      the name Oleibacter marinus gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of
      Oleibacter marinus is 2O1(T) (=NBRC 105760(T) =BTCC B-675(T)).

PMID- 20305062
TI  - Borrelia carolinensis sp. nov., a novel species of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu
      lato complex isolated from rodents and a tick from the south-eastern USA.
AB  - A group of 16 isolates with genotypic characteristics different from those of
      known species of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex were cultured from
      ear biopsies of the rodents Peromyscus gossypinus and Neotoma floridana trapped
      at five localities in South Carolina, USA, and from the tick Ixodes minor feeding
      on N. floridana. Multilocus sequence analysis of members of the novel species,
      involving the 16S rRNA gene, the 5S-23S (rrf-rrl) intergenic spacer region and
      the flagellin, ospA and p66 genes, was conducted and published previously and was
      used to clarify the taxonomic status of the novel group of B. burgdorferi sensu
      lato isolates. Phylogenetic analysis based on concatenated sequences of the five
      analysed genomic loci showed that the 16 isolates clustered together but
      separately from other species in the B. burgdorferi sensu lato complex. The
      analysed group therefore represents a novel species, formally described here as
      Borrelia carolinensis sp. nov., with the type strain SCW-22(T) (=ATCC BAA-1773(T)
      =DSM 22119(T)).

PMID- 20305064
TI  - Vibrio communis sp. nov., isolated from the marine animals Mussismilia hispida,
      Phyllogorgia dilatata, Palythoa caribaeorum, Palythoa variabilis and Litopenaeus
      vannamei.
AB  - Eight Vibrio isolates originating from the marine corals Mussismilia hispida and
      Phyllogorgia dilatata and the zoanthids Palythoa caribaeorum and Palythoa
      variabilis in Brazil and the Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) in
      Ecuador were studied by means of a polyphasic approach. The novel isolates formed
      a tight monophyletic group in the genus Vibrio and were closely related to
      species of the Vibrio harveyi group, to which they showed more than 99 % 16S rRNA
      gene sequence similarity. Analysis based on concatenated sequences of the
      following seven genes, 16S rRNA, gyrB, recA, rpoA, topA, pyrH and mreB (5633 bp
      in length), showed clear separation between the isolates and species of the V.
      harveyi group. Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis, performed
      previously, revealed that a representative isolate of this group, LMG 20370, was
      clearly separate from known Vibrio species (it belonged to the so-called AFLP
      cluster A31). DNA-DNA hybridization (DDH) experiments with representative
      isolates and type strains of the V. harveyi species group revealed high DDH
      between the novel isolates (more than 74 %) and less than 70 % DDH towards type
      strains of related Vibrio species, proving the novel species status of the
      isolates. Phenotypically, the novel species belongs to the arginine dihydrolase
      (A)-negative, lysine decarboxylase (L)-positive and ornithine decarboxylase (O)
      positive (A-/L+/O+) cluster reported previously. Most species of the V. harveyi
      group (i.e. Vibrio rotiferianus, V. harveyi, V. parahaemolyticus and V.
      alginolyticus) also belong to this A-/L+/O+ cluster. However, several phenotypic
      features can be used for the identification of the novel species. In contrast to
      its closest phylogenetic neighbours, the novel species exhibits esterase (C4) and
      N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase activities, but it does not produce acetoin, does
      not use citrate, alpha-ketoglutaric acid or propionic acid and does not ferment
      melibiose. The novel species can also be differentiated on the basis of the
      presence of the fatty acids C(17 : 0,) C(17 : 1)omega8c, iso-C(17 : 0) and iso
      C(13 : 0) and the absence of the fatty acid C(18 : 0). The name Vibrio communis
      sp. nov. is proposed for this taxon. Strain R-40496(T) (=LMG 25430(T) =CAIM
      1816(T)) is the type strain.

PMID- 20305065
TI  - Arcobacter trophiarum sp. nov., isolated from fattening pigs.
AB  - In the course of a longitudinal study elucidating the dynamics of Arcobacter
      populations in pigs, 16 isolates of Gram-reaction-negative, rod-shaped, slightly
      curved, non-spore-forming bacteria were grouped by amplified fragment length
      polymorphism analysis into a distinct phenon within the genus Arcobacter.
      Fragments were generated for all isolates in a genus-specific PCR assay, but no
      amplicon was obtained in a species-specific multiplex-PCR test. Numerical
      analysis of the whole-cell protein profiles also showed that all isolates
      clustered in a single group that was distinct from related members of the genus
      Arcobacter. DNA-DNA hybridizations between two representative strains, designated
      64(T) and 122, of the isolates obtained exhibited a mean DNA-DNA relatedness of
      72 %. DNA-DNA hybridizations between strains 64(T) and 122 and reference strains
      of other animal-related bacteria of the genus Arcobacter revealed binding values
      of 47 % or less. The DNA G+C contents of the two representative strains were 28.5
      and 28.4 mol%, respectively, and analysis of three marker genes identified
      Arcobacter cryaerophilus, A. thereius, A. cibarius and A. skirrowii as their
      closest phylogenetic neighbours. Strains 64(T) and 122 could be distinguished
      from other members of the genus Arcobacter by means of biochemical tests for
      catalase and urease activities, nitrate reduction, indoxyl acetate hydrolysis,
      lack of growth at 37  degrees C, growth in 2 % (w/v) NaCl, growth on 0.1 % sodium
      deoxycholate and non-supplemented Campylobacter charcoal-deoxycholate base medium
      and resistance to cephalothin (32 mg l(-1)) and cefoperazone (64 mg l(-1)).
      Additionally, a PCR assay was developed for the detection and identification of
      strains 64(T) and 122, which represent a novel species of the genus Arcobacter,
      for which the name Arcobacter trophiarum sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is
      strain 64(T) (=LMG 25534(T) =CCUG 59229(T)).

PMID- 20305067
TI  - Reclassification of 'Dactylosporangium variesporum' as Saccharothrix variisporea
      corrig. (ex Tomita et al. 1977) sp. nov., nom. rev.
AB  - In the course of a polyphasic study it was observed that 'Dactylosporangium
      variesporum' NRRL B-16296 is misclassified in the genus Dactylosporangium as it
      exhibits properties consistent with its assignment to the genus Saccharothrix.
      Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences show that the strain falls
      within the evolutionary radiation of the genus Saccharothrix, a result which is
      supported by corresponding chemotaxonomic and morphological markers. The strain
      is phylogenetically most closely, albeit loosely, related to Saccharothrix
      espanaensis, but can be readily distinguished from this and other species of the
      genus Saccharothrix with validly described names by using a range of phenotypic
      properties. The combined genotypic and phenotypic data demonstrate conclusively
      that this strain should be classified as a new species in the genus Saccharothrix
      for which the name Saccharothrix variisporea sp. nov. is proposed. The type
      strain is NRRL B-16296(T) (=ATCC 31203(T) =DSM 43911(T) =JCM 3273(T) =NBRC
      14104(T)).

PMID- 20305068
TI  - Correctional suicide: has progress ended?

PMID- 20305066
TI  - Micromonospora rhizosphaerae sp. nov., isolated from mangrove rhizosphere soil.
AB  - Strain 211018(T) was isolated from mangrove Excocaria agallocha rhizosphere soil.
      16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed the highest similarity to the type strains
      of Micromonospora olivasterospora DSM 43868(T) (98.6 %) and Micromonospora
      pattaloongensis TJ2-2(T) (98.4 %). gyrB gene sequence analysis also indicated
      that strain 211018(T) should be assigned to the genus Micromonospora. The
      characteristic whole-cell sugars are xylose, mannose and arabinose. The
      predominant menaquinone is MK-9(H(4)) and the major fatty acids are iso-C(15 : 0)
      (27.5 %), 10-methyl C(17 : 0) (14.2 %), C(17 : 1)omega8c (12.8 %), iso-C(16 : 0)
      (12.6 %), anteiso-C(15 : 0) (6.1 %), iso-C(17 : 0) (4.1 %) and anteiso-C(17 : 0)
      (4.0 %). The phospholipid profile comprises phosphatidylethanolamine,
      phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylinositol mannosides.
      The DNA G+C content is 70.8 mol%. The chemotaxonomic data of the strain coincided
      with those of the genus Micromonospora. Furthermore, a combination of DNA-DNA
      hybridization results and some physiological and biochemical properties indicated
      that the novel strain could be readily distinguished from the closest
      phylogenetic relatives. On the basis of these phenotypic and genotypic data,
      strain 211018(T) represents a novel species of the genus Micromonospora, for
      which the name Micromonospora rhizosphaerae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain
      is 211018(T) (=CGMCC 4.5599(T) =DSM 45431(T)).

PMID- 20305069
TI  - The forensic risks of DSM-V and how to avoid them.

PMID- 20305070
TI  - The mental status examination in the age of the internet.
AB  - The Internet has grown increasingly relevant in the practice of forensic
      psychiatry. To a psychiatrist conducting a forensic evaluation, the evaluee's
      Internet use can be relevant in nearly all aspects of the analysis. An evaluee's
      Internet presence may help to confirm, corroborate, refute, or elaborate on the
      psychiatrist's general impression of the person. Questions about the individual's
      choice of screen names, activities, images, and phrases can be valuable
      conversational tools to increase candor and self-disclosure, even among less
      cooperative evaluees. Difficulties in mood or affect regulation, problems with
      thought process or content, and impaired impulse control may be apparent in the
      evaluee's behavior in various Internet forums-for example, hostile or provocative
      behavior in social forums or excessive use of gaming or shopping websites.
      Discussions about the evaluee's behavior on the Internet can help the
      psychiatrist to assess for impaired insight and judgment. Perceptual
      disturbances, such as derealization and depersonalization, may be related to an
      evaluee's overidentification with the virtual world to the neglect of real-life
      needs and responsibilities. Furthermore, digital evidence can be especially
      useful in assessments of impairment, credibility, and dangerousness or risk,
      particularly when the evaluee is uncooperative or unreliable in the face-to-face
      psychiatric examination. This discussion will provide illustrative examples and
      suggestions for questions and topics the forensic psychiatrist may find helpful
      in conducting a thorough evaluation in this new age of the Internet.

PMID- 20305071
TI  - Commentary: the mental status examination in the age of the internet--challenges
      and opportunities.
AB  - In her Presidential address, Dr. Recupero shows us how the Internet and changes
      in electronic communications have affected the forensic evaluation process in
      multiple ways. These developments provide the forensic psychiatrist with new
      tools and new sources of information, and their novelty brings about new
      challenges and opportunities. This commentary focuses on the use of information
      and communication technology (ICT) for purposes of obtaining collateral
      information in addition to a sample of other likely uses of ICT in the practice
      of forensic psychiatry. Collateral information from electronic communications
      such as e-mails, web postings, texting, and social networking sites provides
      useful data but also raises challenges in interpretation. Digital information
      about the expert can be used by cross-examining attorneys. Electronic tools can
      help the forensic psychiatrist to be more efficient. Correctional systems have a
      great deal to gain by adopting more efficient information systems. Continuing
      evolution of these technologies assures that we can expect more rapid change in
      these areas in the future.

PMID- 20305072
TI  - Conceptualizing the forensic psychiatry report as performative narrative.
AB  - Forensic psychiatry has evolved into a recognized specialty. Two core
      competencies, often overlooked but commonplace in forensic psychiatry, are the
      constructing of forensic reports and the presenting of oral testimony. This
      article concerns the written forensic report and conceptualizes it as
      performative writing. We first review the development of the forensic report's
      structure over the past 30 years or so and then apply constructs from other
      disciplines as we propose a process for creating narrative forensic reports. Such
      writing is grounded in the discipline of psychiatry, relies on ethics-based
      principles of respect for persons and truth-telling, and uses language to tell a
      story that persuades the legal audience. We examine the impact of voice, pitfalls
      to avoid, and the concepts of witnessing and labeling, as we describe the process
      of formulating the narrative through the voice of the forensic expert.

PMID- 20305073
TI  - Commentary: the art of forensic report writing.
AB  - As forensic psychiatry has matured into a well-recognized subspecialty,
      considerable agreement about the format and content of reports has emerged.
      Griffith et al. now turn their attention to the art of forensic writing. Their
      description of the forensic report as "performative narrative" may help to refine
      professional practice so long as the ethics-related pitfalls are identified and
      avoided.

PMID- 20305074
TI  - Commentary: conceptualizing the forensic psychiatry report.
AB  - Relatively little attention has been paid to training forensic evaluators to
      prepare expert reports. Griffith and colleagues, in two publications, argue for
      considering forensic report writing as a core competence in the field along with
      forensic evaluation and court testimony. They expand our conceptualization of
      report writing to consider the subjective component of report writing, revealing
      the evaluator's voice. Evaluators bring many identities, voices, and tactics to
      conducting their evaluations and preparing their expert reports. Evaluators do
      not simply recount their findings from the evaluation, but create a narrative
      that is inherently subjective, not purely objective or scientific. Their views
      should ring true for forensic evaluators at all levels of training and
      experience. Additional research and training regarding forensic report writing
      are needed.

PMID- 20305075
TI  - Forensic evaluations and mandated reporting of child abuse.
AB  - Statutes requiring physicians to report suspected cases of child abuse create a
      potential conflict for psychiatrists working in the forensic setting. What
      happens in the case in which a forensic psychiatrist, during the course of an
      evaluation requested by a defense attorney, learns about child abuse perpetrated
      by the evaluee? A complicated legal, ethics-related, and interpersonal dilemma
      emerges. Reporting the abuse may contribute directly to further legal harm to the
      evaluee and place a strain on the relationship with the attorney. However, not
      reporting the abuse potentially involves ignoring a legal mandate and risking
      further harm to a child. This article first reviews mandated reporting statutes
      across the states. Next, the arguments for and against reporting are outlined.
      Existing solutions to the problem are reviewed, and several alternative solutions
      are explored. Finally, an approach to negotiating the dilemma that can be used by
      forensic psychiatrists in practice is suggested.

PMID- 20305076
TI  - Commentary: Tarasoff duties arising from a forensic independent medical
      examination.
AB  - The question of whether a Tarasoff duty may emerge from a credible threat by an
      examinee during an independent medical examination has not been extensively
      addressed in the professional literature. This article analyzes that question and
      provides suggestions for how to respond to a perceived duty.

PMID- 20305077
TI  - Improbable predictions at capital sentencing: contrasting prison violence
      outcomes.
AB  - The postconviction prison disciplinary records of capital defendants (n = 73) who
      had been the subject of defense-sponsored violence risk assessments or risk
      related testimony (1995-2007) that asserted an improbability of future serious
      prison violence were analyzed. During postconviction prison tenures averaging 4.4
      years, none of the capital defendants was cited for accomplished serious
      assaults. The prevalence of misconduct was inversely related to severity: 54.8
      percent were cited for some disciplinary misconduct, 27.4 percent for potentially
      violent disciplinary violations, 12.3 percent for assaultive misconduct, and 1.4
      percent for attempted serious assault. Rates of misconduct among the capital
      offenders were equivalent to those among all inmates (n = 18,561, annual average)
      in high-security federal prisons (2001-2005). The accuracy rate of forecasts of
      improbability stands in sharp contrast to that of prosecution-sponsored expert
      testimony at capital sentencing that had asserted high rates of future violence.

PMID- 20305078
TI  - Adolescent parricide as a clinical and legal problem.
AB  - Criminologists contribute to the knowledge regarding the continuing problem of
      parricide by way of macrostudies, utilizing large samples that reveal patterns of
      how such acts are carried out, gender differences, and other aspects. Clinicians
      have the opportunity to pursue microinvestigations into the details of how
      cognitive processes and emotions operate in the adolescent who engages in such
      behavior. Such investigations entail pursuing specifics in the psychosocial
      realm, such as earlier maltreatments and ongoing psychological conflicts, and
      also being alert to the neurobiological differences between adolescents and
      adults. The use of battered child syndrome as a legal defense is discussed, with
      contrasts made between relying on a posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) approach
      and a duress defense, based on explanations related to shame and humiliation.

PMID- 20305080
TI  - The "pseudocommando" mass murderer: part I, the psychology of revenge and
      obliteration.
AB  - The pseudocommando is a type of mass murderer who kills in public during the
      daytime, plans his offense well in advance, and comes prepared with a powerful
      arsenal of weapons. He has no escape planned and expects to be killed during the
      incident. Research suggests that the pseudocommando is driven by strong feelings
      of anger and resentment, flowing from beliefs about being persecuted or grossly
      mistreated. He views himself as carrying out a highly personal agenda of payback.
      Some mass murderers take special steps to send a final communication to the
      public or news media; these communications, to date, have received little
      detailed analysis. An offender's use of language may reveal important data about
      his state of mind, motivation, and psychopathology. Part I of this article
      reviews the research on the pseudocommando, as well as the psychology of revenge,
      with special attention to revenge fantasies. It is argued that revenge fantasies
      become the last refuge for the pseudocommando's mortally wounded self-esteem and
      ultimately enable him to commit mass murder-suicide.

PMID- 20305079
TI  - An empirical study of employment and disability over three years among survivors
      of major disasters.
AB  - This study was designed to clarify the relationship between exposure to disaster
      and future employment. Survivors of seven disasters and their employment
      histories were prospectively followed over three years. At the time of the
      disasters, 86 percent were working, and at follow-up, 84 percent were working.
      All of the 261 individuals employed on the day of the disaster described
      themselves as not disabled at follow-up, although one individual who dropped out
      of the workforce to become a self-described housewife shortly after the disaster
      and who developed PTSD may have left the workforce because of lasting emotional
      effects of the disaster. The reasons she provided for changing job status were
      not disaster related, however. Long-standing employment disability was virtually
      nonexistent in this highly exposed sample of trauma survivors, but it is possible
      that some cases of PTSD-related disability were lost to follow-up. Further work
      is needed to explore psychological disability in other trauma survivor
      populations.

PMID- 20305081
TI  - The Americans With Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008: implications for the
      forensic psychiatrist.
AB  - The Americans With Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) significantly
      modifies the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act. As a result of this
      legislation, more Americans are likely to qualify as disabled and to be further
      protected from discrimination under the ADA. The ADAAA also effectively overturns
      key rulings in the U.S. Supreme Court cases of Sutton v. United Air Lines, Inc.
      and Toyota Motor Manufacturing v. Williams. This article summarizes important
      changes resulting from the ADAAA legislation that psychiatrists and psychologists
      must understand when evaluating ADA disability claims.

PMID- 20305082
TI  - Mentally ill persons who commit crimes: punishment or treatment?
AB  - In many countries, there continue to be conflicting opinions and mechanisms
      regarding the appropriateness of treatment and/or punishment for mentally ill
      individuals who commit crimes. The general population is concerned with public
      safety and often finds it difficult to accept the possibility that a mentally ill
      individual who commits a crime can be hospitalized and eventually discharged,
      sometimes after a relatively short time. In most countries the options of
      incarceration and hospitalization are available in concert. In some,
      incarceration occurs before hospitalization. In others, hospitalization is first,
      followed by a prison term. An additional option could be "treatment years." The
      court would determine the number of years of treatment required, according to the
      crime. This dilemma has no unequivocal solution. The goal is to reach a balance
      between the right of the patient to treatment and the responsibility of the
      courts to ensure public safety.

PMID- 20305083
TI  - Solitary confinement and mental illness in U.S. prisons: a challenge for medical
      ethics.
AB  - In recent years, prison officials have increasingly turned to solitary
      confinement as a way to manage difficult or dangerous prisoners. Many of the
      prisoners subjected to isolation, which can extend for years, have serious mental
      illness, and the conditions of solitary confinement can exacerbate their symptoms
      or provoke recurrence. Prison rules for isolated prisoners, however, greatly
      restrict the nature and quantity of mental health services that they can receive.
      In this article, we describe the use of isolation (called segregation by prison
      officials) to confine prisoners with serious mental illness, the psychological
      consequences of such confinement, and the response of U.S. courts and human
      rights experts. We then address the challenges and human rights responsibilities
      of physicians confronting this prison practice. We conclude by urging
      professional organizations to adopt formal positions against the prolonged
      isolation of prisoners with serious mental illness.

PMID- 20305084
TI  - Assessment of malingering with repeat forensic evaluations: patient variability
      and possible misclassification on the SIRS and other feigning measures.
AB  - Patients with Axis I disorders often fluctuate markedly in their clinical
      presentations in forensic and other professional settings. Although such
      fluctuations could suggest ineffectual efforts at malingering, more likely
      explanations include confusion or poor insight into psychopathology, imprecision
      in the assessment methods, or actual changes in symptomatology. An important
      concern is whether such fluctuations, common in repeat forensic evaluations,
      might lead to false-positive results-specifically, the misclassifications of
      patients as malingerers. We used the Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms
      (SIRS) to examine the effects of repeat administration of the interview on 52
      likely genuine forensic inpatients. As expected, test-retest correlations for
      individual SIRS scales were highly variable. Despite this variability, the
      magnitude of differences remained small. The SIRS produced no errors in the
      classification of likely genuine forensic inpatients at the first or the repeat
      administrations. Implications of variable clinical presentations for other
      feigning measures are considered.

PMID- 20305085
TI  - My father's advocacy for a right to treatment.

PMID- 20305086
TI  - Comment on: POWs versus torturers: forensic evaluation of military personnel.

PMID- 20305087
TI  - A lentiviral functional proteomics approach identifies chromatin remodeling
      complexes important for the induction of pluripotency.
AB  - Protein complexes and protein-protein interactions are essential for almost all
      cellular processes. Here, we establish a mammalian affinity purification and
      lentiviral expression (MAPLE) system for characterizing the subunit compositions
      of protein complexes. The system is flexible (i.e. multiple N- and C-terminal
      tags and multiple promoters), is compatible with Gateway cloning, and
      incorporates a reference peptide. Its major advantage is that it permits
      efficient and stable delivery of affinity-tagged open reading frames into most
      mammalian cell types. We benchmarked MAPLE with a number of human protein
      complexes involved in transcription, including the RNA polymerase II-associated
      factor, negative elongation factor, positive transcription elongation factor b,
      SWI/SNF, and mixed lineage leukemia complexes. In addition, MAPLE was used to
      identify an interaction between the reprogramming factor Klf4 and the Swi/Snf
      chromatin remodeling complex in mouse embryonic stem cells. We show that the
      SWI/SNF catalytic subunit Smarca2/Brm is up-regulated during the process of
      induced pluripotency and demonstrate a role for the catalytic subunits of the
      SWI/SNF complex during somatic cell reprogramming. Our data suggest that the
      transcription factor Klf4 facilitates chromatin remodeling during reprogramming.

PMID- 20305088
TI  - Building macromolecular assemblies by information-driven docking: introducing the
      HADDOCK multibody docking server.
AB  - Over the last years, large scale proteomics studies have generated a wealth of
      information of biomolecular complexes. Adding the structural dimension to the
      resulting interactomes represents a major challenge that classical structural
      experimental methods alone will have difficulties to confront. To meet this
      challenge, complementary modeling techniques such as docking are thus needed.
      Among the current docking methods, HADDOCK (High Ambiguity-Driven DOCKing)
      distinguishes itself from others by the use of experimental and/or bioinformatics
      data to drive the modeling process and has shown a strong performance in the
      critical assessment of prediction of interactions (CAPRI), a blind experiment for
      the prediction of interactions. Although most docking programs are limited to
      binary complexes, HADDOCK can deal with multiple molecules (up to six), a
      capability that will be required to build large macromolecular assemblies. We
      present here a novel web interface of HADDOCK that allows the user to dock up to
      six biomolecules simultaneously. This interface allows the inclusion of a large
      variety of both experimental and/or bioinformatics data and supports several
      types of cyclic and dihedral symmetries in the docking of multibody assemblies.
      The server was tested on a benchmark of six cases, containing five symmetric homo
      oligomeric protein complexes and one symmetric protein-DNA complex. Our results
      reveal that, in the presence of either bioinformatics and/or experimental data,
      HADDOCK shows an excellent performance: in all cases, HADDOCK was able to
      generate good to high quality solutions and ranked them at the top, demonstrating
      its ability to model symmetric multicomponent assemblies. Docking methods can
      thus play an important role in adding the structural dimension to interactomes.
      However, although the current docking methodologies were successful for a vast
      range of cases, considering the variety and complexity of macromolecular
      assemblies, inclusion of some kind of experimental information (e.g. from mass
      spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, cryoelectron microscopy, etc.) will
      remain highly desirable to obtain reliable results.

PMID- 20305090
TI  - Epigenetic signatures of Silver-Russell syndrome.

PMID- 20305089
TI  - Quantitative proteomics analysis of inborn errors of cholesterol synthesis:
      identification of altered metabolic pathways in DHCR7 and SC5D deficiency.
AB  - Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome (SLOS) and lathosterolosis are malformation syndromes
      with cognitive deficits caused by mutations of 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase
      (DHCR7) and lathosterol 5-desaturase (SC5D), respectively. DHCR7 encodes the last
      enzyme in the Kandutsch-Russel cholesterol biosynthetic pathway, and impaired
      DHCR7 activity leads to a deficiency of cholesterol and an accumulation of 7
      dehydrocholesterol. SC5D catalyzes the synthesis of 7-dehydrocholesterol from
      lathosterol. Impaired SC5D activity leads to a similar deficiency of cholesterol
      but an accumulation of lathosterol. Although the genetic and biochemical causes
      underlying both syndromes are known, the pathophysiological processes leading to
      the developmental defects remain unclear. To study the pathophysiological
      mechanisms underlying SLOS and lathosterolosis neurological symptoms, we
      performed quantitative proteomics analysis of SLOS and lathosterolosis mouse
      brain tissue and identified multiple biological pathways affected in Dhcr7(Delta3
      5/Delta3-5) and Sc5d(-/-) E18.5 embryos. These include alterations in mevalonate
      metabolism, apoptosis, glycolysis, oxidative stress, protein biosynthesis,
      intracellular trafficking, and cytoskeleton. Comparison of proteome alterations
      in both Dhcr7(Delta3-5/Delta3-5) and Sc5d(-/-) brain tissues helps elucidate
      whether perturbed protein expression was due to decreased cholesterol or a toxic
      effect of sterol precursors. Validation of the proteomics results confirmed
      increased expression of isoprenoid and cholesterol synthetic enzymes. This
      alteration of isoprenoid synthesis may underlie the altered posttranslational
      modification of Rab7, a small GTPase that is functionally dependent on
      prenylation with geranylgeranyl, that we identified and validated in this study.
      These data suggested that although cholesterol synthesis is impaired in both
      Dhcr7(Delta3-5/Delta3-5) and Sc5d(-/-) embryonic brain tissues the synthesis of
      nonsterol isoprenoids may be increased and thus contribute to SLOS and
      lathosterolosis pathology. This proteomics study has provided insight into the
      pathophysiological mechanisms of SLOS and lathosterolosis, and understanding
      these pathophysiological changes will help guide clinical therapy for SLOS and
      lathosterolosis.

PMID- 20305091
TI  - The identification of implicit theories in domestic violence perpetrators.
AB  - An understanding of how the beliefs of domestically violent offenders might
      influence their abusive behavior is central to the development and delivery of
      any intervention program that aims to reduce the risk of further violence against
      women and children. This article reports the results of a preliminary
      investigation into the core beliefs of a sample of domestically violent men.
      Three major themes emerged from an analysis of the accounts of their violence,
      which were understood in relation to three implicit theories that participants
      held about themselves, their relationships, and the world. These are discussed in
      terms of previous studies of offender cognition, how domestic violence programs
      might be conceptualized, and their implications for practice.

PMID- 20305092
TI  - Kidney injury molecule-1 expression in rat proximal tubule after treatment with
      segment-specific nephrotoxicants: a tool for early screening of potential kidney
      toxicity.
AB  - Dose-response expression of kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) gene in kidney
      cortex and its correlation with morphology and traditional biomarkers of
      nephrotoxicity (plasma creatinine and blood urea nitrogen, BUN) or segment
      specific marker of proximal tubule injury (kidney glutamine synthetase, GSK) were
      studied in male rats treated with proximal tubule segment-specific
      nephrotoxicants. These included hexachloro-1:3-butadiene (HCBD, S(3) segment
      specific), potassium dichromate (chromate, S(1)-S(2) segment-specific), and
      cephaloridine (Cph, S(2) segment-specific). Rats were treated with a single
      intraperitoneal (ip) injection of HCBD 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg, subcutaneous (sc)
      injection of chromate 8, 12.5, and 25 mg/kg; or ip injection of Cph 250, 500, and
      1,000 mg/kg. KIM-1 gene showed a dose-dependent up-regulation induced by all
      segment-specific nephrotoxicants. Interestingly, magnitude of the up-regulation
      reflected the severity of microscopic tubular changes (degeneration, necrosis,
      and regeneration). Even low-severity microscopic observations were evidenced by
      significant gene expression changes. Furthermore, KIM-1 showed significant up
      regulation even in the absence of morphological changes. In contrast, traditional
      and specific markers demonstrated low sensitivity or specificity. In conclusion,
      this study suggested KIM-1 as a sensitive molecular marker of different levels of
      tubular injury, and it is likely to represent a potential tool for early
      screening of nephrotoxicants.

PMID- 20305093
TI  - Early toxicology signal generation in the mouse.
AB  - The rat has been the preferred rodent toxicology species since before regulatory
      requirements have been in place, and there exists in the pharmaceutical industry
      and the regulatory agencies a significant amount of historical data for the rat.
      The resulting experience base with the rat makes the possibility of replacing it
      with the mouse for regulated toxicology studies untenable for all but the most
      extreme circumstances. However, toxicologists are very familiar with the mouse as
      a model for chronic carcinogenicity studies, and there exist multiple preclinical
      mouse models of disease. The authors evaluated the use of the mouse for early in
      vivo toxicology signal generation and prioritization of small molecule lead
      compounds prior to nomination of a development candidate. In five-day oral gavage
      studies with three test agents in the mouse, the authors were able to identify
      the same dose-limiting toxicities as those identified in the rat, including
      examples of compound-mediated hemolysis as well as microscopic lesions in the
      alimentary canal, kidney, and pancreas. Performing early signal generation
      studies in the mouse allows for earlier assessment of the safety liabilities of
      small molecules, requires significantly less compound, and allows evaluation of
      more compounds earlier in the project's life cycle.

PMID- 20305094
TI  - Managing chromoblastomycosis.
AB  - Chromoblastomycosis is a subcutaneous fungal infection caused by the traumatic
      inoculation of the skin with pigmented saprophytic moulds. Although infection is
      rarely fatal, it is characteristically chronic and can be complicated by
      lymphatic damage and malignant transformation. Despite a variety of treatment
      modalities, which are often combined and include long courses of antifungals,
      surgical excision and destructive physical therapies, it remains one of the most
      difficult deep mycotic infections to eradicate.

PMID- 20305095
TI  - Resurgence of yaws in Tanna, Vanuatu: time for a new approach?
AB  - Recent reports from the island of Tanna in Vanuatu suggest that yaws has
      resurged. We carried out a serological and clinical survey to determine the
      prevalence and clinical presentation of yaws on the island. A total of 306 random
      serum samples were tested for rapid plasma reagin and rapid diagnostic determine
      syphilis: 31.04% were positive for one or both tests; 39.8% of children surveyed
      in three schools had skin lesions consistent with yaws; and there were only two
      cases of secondary yaws osteitis and no cases of tertiary yaws. These results
      confirm that the disease has resurged but appears to be attenuated. Intramuscular
      benzathine penicillin is the currently recommended treatment for yaws. We suggest
      that a stat dose of oral azithromycin would be a more accessible treatment as it
      could be prescribed by village health workers and therefore enable yaws control
      to be more easily incorporated into other primary health-care programmes.

PMID- 20305096
TI  - Rising mother-to-child HIV transmission in a resource-limited breastfeeding
      population.
AB  - The objective of this study was to determine mother to child HIV transmission
      rates at different time points in a breastfeeding cohort enrolled in a single
      dose nevirapine program in Harare, Zimbabwe. Between 2002-2004, 434 HIV-positive
      mothers and their infants were recruited and followed up from delivery to 15
      months. Infant blood specimens were collected for HIV testing at these time
      points. The majority of the patients (78%) received single dose nevirapine. The
      overall HIV transmission rate was 21.8% (17.8-25.8). Receiving single dose
      nevirapine was protective against HIV vertical transmission although
      statistically insignificant (relative risk: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.49-1.19).
      Breastfeeding was not found to be associated with HIV vertical transmission (P =
      0.612). In this resource-limited setting, HIV transmission rates are high.
      Efforts to use more efficacious regimens to arrest HIV vertical transmission are
      required.

PMID- 20305097
TI  - Surgery in Malawi--the training of clinical officers.
AB  - Doctors are scarce in Malawi and, therefore, a considerable amount of work is
      carried out by paramedical clinical officers (COs). Although their training is
      limited, they take care of the majority of patients in the country. The CO
      project started in the Southern region of Malawi in 2005 in order to improve the
      number of surgical and gynaecological operations and skills of COs. Nine district
      hospitals and eight Christian Health Organisation of Malawi (CHAM) hospitals were
      visited and all surgical registers from 2004 and 2007 were analysed and COs were
      interviewed. The interviewed COs felt at ease when performing operations; in 2004
      they performed 61% and in 2007 87% of the surgical and gynaecological procedures
      itemised in the questionnaire. In 2004 a total of 18,524 operations were
      registered in the 17 hospitals in the Southern region of Malawi and there were
      19,644 in 2007. Certified COs performed significantly more surgical than
      gynaecological operations. In 2004, 8.4% of their performed operations consisted
      of major surgical operations and 17.7% in 2007. A two-year postgraduate training
      in surgery is being developed for them but, in the meantime, it will be necessary
      to ensure a continuation of the CO project in the central and northern regions of
      Malawi.

PMID- 20305098
TI  - Comparing vaginal and sublingual administration of misoprostol for labour
      induction in women with intra-uterine fetal death.
AB  - The objective of this study was to compare complications and effectiveness of
      induction after vaginal and sublingual administration of misoprostol for labor
      induction in women with intra-uterine fetal death (IUFD). In a district hospital
      in Ghana, 23 women with IUFD who underwent labor induction with sublingual
      misoprostol were compared with a control group of 21 women who received vaginal
      misoprostol. In the vaginal group 28.6% had one or more complications compared to
      21.7% in the sublingual group. In the sublingual group three inductions did not
      lead to delivery within 48 hours (13%), compared to four in the other group
      (19%). The mean induction-to-delivery time in the sublingual group was 13 hours
      and 17 hours in the vaginal group. In this study, both sublingual and vaginal
      misoprostol were safe and efficient for labor induction in women with IUFD.
      However, more research on larger numbers of patients is needed, in order to
      compare complications.

PMID- 20305099
TI  - Postmortem findings in HIV/AIDS patients in a tertiary care hospital in rural
      South Africa.
AB  - South Africa has the largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS, and various
      associated infectious and noninfectious conditions contribute towards mortality.
      The objective of this study was to determine the important post-mortem findings
      in HIV-infected individuals in a high HIV burden rural area in South Africa. The
      patient population included HIV patients who died at the tertiary care hospital,
      from 2000-2008. Autopsies were performed according to standard protocols and
      diagnoses were made with additional laboratory investigations wherever required.
      A total of 86 patients were autopsied (30 males, 56 females). The major
      postmortem findings were related to infections, with 38% of the patients having
      had some form of tuberculosis, followed by pyogenic infections--pneumonias
      (21.5%), meningitis (10.1%) and septicemias (5.1%). Other important infections
      included opportunistic fungi like cryptococcosis (7.6%) and pneumocystis
      pneumonia (8.9%). Among the noninfectious conditions, the findings seen were
      predominantly related to liver (10.1%) and cardiac involvement (10.1%).

PMID- 20305100
TI  - Clinical profile of women with severe anaemia in the third trimester of
      pregnancy.
AB  - Anaemia, the most common medical disorder associated with pregnancy, is a silent
      killer. Most severely anaemic pregnant women are asymptomatic and present late in
      the third trimester with medical and obstetric complications.

PMID- 20305101
TI  - Rhabdomyolysis in falciparum malaria--a series of twelve cases (five children and
      seven adults).
AB  - There are very few reports in the literature of rhabdomyolysis in falciparum
      malaria and they mostly consist of single case studies. A report from Sri Lanka
      described a single patient with myoglobinuria and skeletal muscle necrosis.
      Taylor and Prosser reported a single case of rhabdomyolysis with renal failure.
      We report on 12 patients with evidence of skeletal muscle injury in severe
      malaria from Rourkela, Orissa State, India.

PMID- 20305102
TI  - Bacterial aetiology and antimicrobial resistance of community-acquired pneumonia
      in the elderly and younger adults.
AB  - This study was undertaken in order to compare the frequency of bacterial agents
      of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and their antimicrobial resistance in the
      elderly and younger adults admitted to a teaching hospital in Hamedan, Iran. A
      total of 150 cases of CAP, including 81 elderly and 69 younger adults, were
      evaluated. The most frequently identified pathogens in younger adults were
      Moraxella catarralis (11.5%), Streptococcus pneumonia (10.1%) and Staphylococcus
      aureus (10.1%); while in the elderly the most frequent were S. pneumonia (12.3%),
      S. aureus (6.1%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (6.1%). No significant differences
      were observed between the frequency and antimicrobial resistance pattern of
      isolated pathogens in either age group. We concluded that the cause of CAP in the
      elderly follows the general trend of infection in the younger population.
      Increased resistance of isolated bacteria to the current antibiotics highlights
      the need for further investigation of newer antibiotics for the treatment of CAP.

PMID- 20305103
TI  - Leptospirosis in suspected cases of dengue in Jamaica, 2002-2007.
AB  - Due to overlapping clinical features with other febrile illnesses, the diagnosis
      of leptospirosis is often overlooked, resulting in delay in treatment and
      increased mortality. In this study the prevalence of leptospirosis was determined
      in 590 patients with dengue-like illnesses using the Leptospira IgM dipstick and
      dengue enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Leptospira IgM antibodies were found
      in 27 (5.0%) patients. Dengue IgM negative (6.9% versus 2.5%, P < 0.05) and
      dengue IgG positive patients (8.0% versus 3.5%, P < 0.01) were more likely to be
      leptospira IgM positive. Fever, skin rash, central nervous system and respiratory
      involvement were the most common presenting features. The presence of arthralgia
      (P = 0.016), hepatitis (P = 0.000), jaundice (P = 0.003), splenomegaly (P =
      0.041) and haematuria (P = 0.029) were associated with leptospirosis. In
      countries with an endemicity of leptospirosis and dengue it is important that
      patients with dengue-like illnesses, especially those with no serological
      evidence of current primary dengue infection, be investigated for leptospirosis.

PMID- 20305104
TI  - Outbreak of beriberi in the state of Maranhao, Brazil: revisiting the mycotoxin
      aetiologic hypothesis.
AB  - Beriberi is caused by thiamine deficiency. Early 20th century epidemics in Japan
      were attributed to rice contaminated by citreoviridin mycotoxin. Our
      investigation of an outbreak of beriberi in Brazil showed an association of
      beriberi with the consumption of poor quality subsistence farming rice, although,
      unlike other investigators of this outbreak, we did not identify citreoviridin
      producing fungi in the implicated rice.

PMID- 20305105
TI  - Hospital-based injury data in Malawi: strategies for data collection and
      feasibility of trauma scoring tools.
AB  - Injury is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries.
      Utilizing a partnership between Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) and the University
      of North Carolina Departments of Surgery, we describe an approach to injury
      surveillance, examine the utility of trauma scoring systems, and outline steps
      necessary before such scoring systems can be reliably instituted in a resource
      constrained setting.

PMID- 20305106
TI  - Hair dye poisoning--an emerging problem in the tropics: an experience from a
      tertiary care hospital in South India.
AB  - Super-Vasmol, a cheap, freely-available hair dye is emerging as a major cause of
      suicidal poisoning in India. It contains potential toxins including paraphenylene
      diamine, resorcinol, sodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and propylene glycol
      which can result in multiorgan dysfunction. A retrospective study was conducted
      over 3.5 years (January 2006-July 2009) of 13 consecutive patients with Super
      Vasmol poisoning admitted to a tertiary care, referral hospital in South India. A
      chart review including records of clinical presentations, laboratory findings and
      treatment details was carried out. Eleven of the patients were women and the mean
      age was 27.2 years. The predominant clinical features were cervico-facial oedema
      and pain, cola-coloured urine and oliguria. Laboratory investigations revealed
      elevated hepatic transaminases (100%), leucocytosis (92.3%), elevated creatinine
      phosphokinase (92.3%), metabolic acidosis (84.6%), hypocalcaemia (61.5%),
      hyperphosphataemia (46.2%) and renal failure (38.5%). Eight of the patients were
      discharged with complete recovery. Trends towards a poor outcome were evident
      among the following patients: late presentation at our centre; when no gastric
      lavage was done at the primary-care centre; those requiring
      tracheostomy/intubation at the primary centre; presentation with a low Glasgow
      Coma Score or seizures; established renal failure; and those who subsequently
      require dialysis, mechanical ventilation or intensive care. Hair dye poisoning
      classically presents with cervico-facial oedema, severe rhabdomyolysis and renal
      failure. Early therapy with tracheostomy and aggressive forced diuresis are
      essential in order to prevent the high mortality associated with this toxin. It
      is imperative to raise public awareness of the potential toxicity of the dye as
      well as to educate physicians about the need for aggressive and early treatment.

PMID- 20305107
TI  - Percutaneous continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) catheter insertion-
      a preferred option for developing countries.
AB  - Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) as a modality of renal
      replacement therapy in patients with chronic kidney disease stage 5 (CKD 5) has
      the advantage of being a home-based therapy and is a preferred option in patients
      with inadequate access to haemodialysis and transplantation facilities and in
      those infected with HIV and other blood-borne viruses. While open surgical CAPD
      catheter placement has been the conventional mainstay of access placement,
      percutaneous techniques are being increasingly used with similar success rates.
      We report our experience over the past two years with blind insertion of the swan
      neck percutaneous double-cuffed Tenckhoff CAPD catheter using a trocar. There was
      considerable decrease in hospital stay and surgical costs. There was only one
      major complication of injury to the jejunal mesenteric artery requiring emergency
      laparotomy in one patient. In three patients, drain of peritoneal fluid was
      inadequate, presumably due to omental wrapping around the in-dwelling catheter,
      and required surgical removal of the omentum.

PMID- 20305108
TI  - Can urine dipstick tests detect renal impairment in Plasmodium falciparum malaria
      in a rural setup?
AB  - Renal impairment in falciparum malaria leads to poor prognosis. Serum creatinine
      is the mainstay of diagnosis. However, the serum creatinine concentration is only
      observed when the glomerular filtration rate falls below 50%. We evaluated the
      use of the urine dipstick method to predict renal impairment in 77 patients.
      Twenty-three (29.8%) had haematuria and 52 (67.5%) had urinary protein > or = 300
      mg/L. Renal impairment (plasma creatinine > or = 1.2 mg/dL) was observed in 17
      patients. The sensitivity and specificity of haematuria in the detection of renal
      impairment was 94.1% and 90.8%, but for proteinuria it was 88.2% and 62.7%,
      respectively. There was a positive correlation of plasma urea and creatinine with
      haematuria (r = 0.56, P < 0.001; r = 0.46, P < 0.01) but not with proteinuria.
      The detection of haematuria using a dipstick seems to be a highly specific and
      sensitive method of observing renal impairment in malaria. This is probably the
      first study which utilizes a commonly available tool that can be easily adopted
      for early recognition in rural areas.

PMID- 20305109
TI  - MRSA--too many hurdles to overcome: a study from Central India.
AB  - Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are commonly associated with
      nosocomial infections and are usually resistant to many antibiotics. This study
      describes the prevalence of MRSA strains and their antibiogram in a tertiary care
      hospital in Central India. The detection of MRSA was done by a cefoxitin (30
      microg) disc diffusion test. Antibiotic sensitivity tests were done as per the
      Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines 2006. Of the 280 S. aureus
      strains studied: 145 (51.8%) strains were MRSA; 51 (35.2%) MRSA strains were
      inducible clindamycin resistant; and all (100%) MRSA strains were resistant to
      penicillin and sensitive to vancomycin and linezolid. In order to detect the MRSA
      strains, cefoxitin disc diffusion tests should be used routinely in any
      microbiology laboratory to enable prompt treatment for the patient.

PMID- 20305110
TI  - Epidemiology of needlestick injuries among health-care workers in Awassa City,
      Southern Ethiopia.
AB  - Accidental needlestick injuries sustained by health-care workers are a common
      occupational hazard and a public health issue in health-care settings. An
      analytical cross-sectional study was conducted and 30.9% of health-care workers
      had experienced at least one needlestick injury in the previous year.

PMID- 20305111
TI  - Amputation and disability following snakebite in Nigeria.
AB  - Snakebite is an important cause of amputation and disability in rural communities
      throughout the tropics. However, the details of the causes, types and estimates
      of disability are lacking. This report describes 16 snakebite victims who had
      amputations, including two who had above-knee amputations. The patients presented
      with limb swelling (16), gangrene (15), ischaemia (4) and three had possible
      compartment syndrome. All the patients used ineffective time wasting remedies
      that were potentially harmful as first-aid. The median delay to hospital
      following bite was 2.5 days. In order to prevent disability, efforts should be
      made to: reduce delay before hospital presentation; improve the knowledge of
      first-aid; provide effective antivenoms; improve wound and clinical care in
      communities; and improve facilities.

PMID- 20305112
TI  - Bilateral blindness following snakebite.
AB  - Snakebite is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in Nigeria, as in many
      parts of the tropics. However, blindness is a rare complication. Reported cases
      have usually followed bites by neurotoxic snakes such as the cobra. Reports of
      blindness produced by the bite of haematotoxic snakes are extremely rare. We
      report the case of bilateral blindness following a bite from a carpet viper. The
      literature on the subject matter is reviewed and the possible mechanisms of
      snakebite-induced blindness are discussed.

PMID- 20305113
TI  - Managing scorpion stings in the tropics: chloroquine as an effective drug.
AB  - We report on a fairly familiar alternative use of injection chloroquine in
      district hospitals in Ghana. Within a period of three years, pain control among
      six patients with scorpion sting was achieved successfully on an outpatient
      department basis with injection chloroquine at the Holy Family Hospital,
      Techiman, Ghana.

PMID- 20305114
TI  - Hepatic pregnancy managed conservatively.
AB  - We present a case of hepatic pregnancy and discuss expectant management, use of
      newer imaging techniques and approaches to management, such as leaving the
      placenta in situ, the use of magnetic resonance imaging and sonography in the
      follow-up of placental involution. This case report illustrates that conservative
      management is feasible.

PMID- 20305115
TI  - Erythema nodosum in the course of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever.
AB  - Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever is an emerging zoonosis with a wide geographic
      distribution and protean clinical manifestations. The main pathogenesis of this
      infection has not been elucidated. Erythema nodosum is an immunologically
      mediated dermatologic disease and the most common form of panniculitis that has
      been associated with many infections and inflammatory disorders. We describe a
      case of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever with severe bleeding diathesis and
      hepatic failure that was successfully treated with oral ribavirin. The patient
      presented with erythema nodosum in the course of disease. Crimean-Congo
      haemorrhagic fever and erythema nodosum have not been reported to occur together.
      We present the first reported case of erythema nodosum associated with this
      emerging viral infection. Furthermore, it may influence our opinion about
      pathogenesis and immunologic mechanisms of this disease.

PMID- 20305116
TI  - Tuberculosis of uterine cervix: a report of two cases with variable clinical
      presentation.
AB  - Tuberculosis (TB) of the cervix is a rare disease. We describe two cases of
      tuberculous cervicitis with variable clinical presentation. In one case, a young
      woman presented with primary infertility and secondary amenorrhoea. The other is
      a perimenopausal woman with irregular vaginal bleeding and postcoital blood
      stained discharge. The diagnosis was confirmed on histopathological examination
      of the endocervical curettings and a cervical biopsy. The patients were given six
      months of anti-tuberculous therapy and responded well.

PMID- 20305117
TI  - Mucormycosis.
AB  - Mucormycosis is an aggressive, opportunistic infection caused by fungi belonging
      to the class of Phycomycetes. Rhino-oculo-cerebral mucormycosis is the commonest
      anatomical presentation of mucormycosis and is a potentially fatal disease. We
      report here a case of a 65-year-old diabetic female who presented with a locally
      invasive type of mucormycosis and was treated successfully by surgical
      debridement along with medical treatment (Amphoterecin-B and insulin).

PMID- 20305118
TI  - Apomixis and gene expression in Boechera.

PMID- 20305119
TI  - Different words, same message: how grasses and Arabidopsis say "hold the bract".

PMID- 20305120
TI  - Carbon starved anther encodes a MYB domain protein that regulates sugar
      partitioning required for rice pollen development.
AB  - In flowering plants, sink tissues rely on transport of carbohydrates from
      photosynthetic tissues (sources) for nutrition and energy. However, how sugar
      partitioning in plants is regulated at the molecular level during development
      remains unknown. We have isolated and characterized a rice (Oryza sativa) mutant,
      carbon starved anther (csa), that showed increased sugar contents in leaves and
      stems and reduced levels of sugars and starch in floral organs. In particular,
      the csa mutant had reduced levels of carbohydrates in later anthers and was male
      sterile. The csa mutant had reduced accumulation of (14)C-labeled sugars in
      anther sink tissue. CSA was isolated by map-based cloning and was shown to encode
      an R2R3 MYB transcription factor that was expressed preferentially in the anther
      tapetal cells and in the sugar-transporting vascular tissues. In addition, the
      expression of MST8, encoding a monosaccharide transporter, was greatly reduced in
      csa anthers. Furthermore, CSA was found to be associated in vivo and in vitro
      with the promoter of MST8. Our findings suggest that CSA is a key transcriptional
      regulator for sugar partitioning in rice during male reproductive development.
      This study also establishes a molecular model system for further elucidation of
      the genetic control of carbon partitioning in plants.

PMID- 20305121
TI  - A conserved mechanism of bract suppression in the grass family.
AB  - Suppression of inflorescence leaf, or bract, growth has evolved multiple times in
      diverse angiosperm lineages, including the Poaceae and Brassicaceae. Studies of
      Arabidopsis thaliana mutants have revealed several genes involved in bract
      suppression, but it is not known if these genes play a similar role in other
      plants with suppressed bracts. We identified maize (Zea mays) tassel sheath (tsh)
      mutants, characterized by the loss of bract suppression, that comprise five loci
      (tsh1-tsh5). We used map-based cloning to identify Tsh1 and found that it encodes
      a GATA zinc-finger protein, a close homolog of HANABA TARANU (HAN) of
      Arabidopsis. The bract suppression function of Tsh1 is conserved throughout the
      grass family, as we demonstrate that the rice (Oryza sativa) NECK LEAF1 (NL1) and
      barley (Hordeum vulgare) THIRD OUTER GLUME (TRD) genes are orthologous with Tsh1.
      Interestingly, NL1/Tsh1/TRD expression and function are not conserved with HAN.
      The existence of paralogous NL1/Tsh1/TRD-like genes in the grasses indicates that
      the NL1/Tsh1/TRD lineage was created by recent duplications that may have
      facilitated its neofunctionalization. A comparison with the Arabidopsis genes
      regulating bract suppression further supports the hypothesis that the convergent
      evolution of bract suppression in the Poaceae involved recruitment of a distinct
      genetic pathway.

PMID- 20305122
TI  - Apomictic and sexual ovules of Boechera display heterochronic global gene
      expression patterns.
AB  - We have compared the transcriptomic profiles of microdissected live ovules at
      four developmental stages between a diploid sexual and diploid apomictic
      Boechera. We sequenced >2 million SuperSAGE tags and identified (1) heterochronic
      tags (n = 595) that demonstrated significantly different patterns of expression
      between sexual and apomictic ovules across all developmental stages, (2) stage
      specific tags (n = 577) that were found in a single developmental stage and
      differentially expressed between the sexual and apomictic ovules, and (3) sex
      specific (n = 237) and apomixis-specific (n = 1106) tags that were found in all
      four developmental stages but in only one reproductive mode. Most heterochronic
      and stage-specific tags were significantly downregulated during early apomictic
      ovule development, and 110 were associated with reproduction. By contrast, most
      late stage-specific tags were upregulated in the apomictic ovules, likely the
      result of increased gene copy number in apomictic (hexaploid) versus sexual
      (triploid) endosperm or of parthenogenesis. Finally, we show that apomixis
      specific gene expression is characterized by a significant overrepresentation of
      transcription factor activity. We hypothesize that apomeiosis is associated with
      global downregulation at the megaspore mother cell stage. As the diploid apomict
      analyzed here is an ancient hybrid, these data are consistent with the postulated
      link between hybridization and asexuality and provide a hypothesis for multiple
      evolutionary origins of apomixis in the genus Boechera.

PMID- 20305123
TI  - Promoters of the barley germin-like GER4 gene cluster enable strong transgene
      expression in response to pathogen attack.
AB  - Immunity of plants triggered by pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) is
      based on the execution of an evolutionarily conserved defense response that
      includes the accumulation of pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins as well as
      multiple other defenses. The most abundant PR transcript of barley (Hordeum
      vulgare) leaf epidermis attacked by the powdery mildew fungus Blumeria graminis
      f. sp hordei encodes the germin-like protein GER4, which has superoxide dismutase
      activity and functions in PAMP-triggered immunity. Here, we show that barley GER4
      is encoded by a dense cluster of tandemly duplicated genes (GER4a-h) that
      underwent several cycles of duplication. The genomic organization of the GER4
      locus also provides evidence for repeated gene birth and death cycles. The GER4
      promoters contain multiple WRKY factor binding sites (W-boxes) preferentially
      located in promoter fragments that were exchanged between subfamily members by
      gene conversion. Mutational analysis of TATA-box proximal W-boxes used GER4c
      promoter-beta-glucuronidase fusions to reveal their enhancing effects and
      functional redundancy on pathogen-induced promoter activity. The data suggest
      enhanced transcript dosage as an evolutionary driving force for the local
      expansion and functional redundancy of the GER4 locus. In addition, the GER4c
      promoter provides a tool to study signal transduction of PAMP-triggered immunity
      and to engineer strictly localized and pathogen-regulated disease resistance in
      transgenic cereal crops.

PMID- 20305124
TI  - The Arabidopsis floral homeotic proteins APETALA3 and PISTILLATA negatively
      regulate the BANQUO genes implicated in light signaling.
AB  - The Arabidopsis thaliana MADS box transcription factors APETALA3 (AP3) and
      PISTILLATA (PI) heterodimerize and are required to specify petal identity, yet
      many details of how this regulatory process is effected are unclear. We have
      identified three related genes, BHLH136/BANQUO1 (BNQ1), BHLH134/BANQUO2 (BNQ2),
      and BHLH161/BANQUO3 (BNQ3), as being directly and negatively regulated by AP3 and
      PI in petals. BNQ1, BNQ2, and BNQ3 encode products belonging to a family of
      atypical non-DNA binding basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins that
      heterodimerize with and negatively regulate bHLH transcription factors. We show
      that bnq3 mutants have pale-green sepals and carpels and decreased chlorophyll
      levels, suggesting that BNQ3 has a role in regulating light responses. The ap3
      bnq3 double mutant displays pale second-whorl organs, supporting the hypothesis
      that BNQ3 is downstream of AP3. Consistent with a role in light response, we show
      that the BNQ gene products regulate the function of HFR1 (for LONG HYPOCOTYL IN
      FAR-RED1), which encodes a bHLH protein that regulates photomorphogenesis through
      modulating phytochrome and cryptochrome signaling. The BNQ genes also are
      required for appropriate regulation of flowering time. Our results suggest that
      petal identity is specified in part through downregulation of BNQ-dependent
      photomorphogenic and developmental signaling pathways.

PMID- 20305125
TI  - Transient basal ganglia and thalamic involvement following Mycoplasma pneumoniae
      infection associated with antiganglioside antibodies.
AB  - A case of acute and reversible bilateral basal ganglia with thalami involvement
      associated with serological evidence of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection is
      reported. Increased titers of immunoglobulin M antibodies against GM1 ganglioside
      components were found during an acute phase of neurological illness. Brain
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed bilateral involvement of the basal
      ganglia and thalamus, which disappeared 1 month later. The child recovered fully
      after corticosteroid and immunoglobulin therapy, and antiganglioside antibodies
      returned to within the normal range. The authors speculate on the diagnostic
      hypothesis regarding selective basal ganglia and thalamic involvement and the
      relationship with anti-GM1 ganglioside immunoglobulin M antibodies.

PMID- 20305126
TI  - Identification of glycine N-acyltransferase-like 2 (GLYATL2) as a transferase
      that produces N-acyl glycines in humans.
AB  - The discovery of glycine conjugates of long-chain fatty acids (N-acyl glycines)
      in the brain and other non-neuronal tissues has led to the identification of an
      emerging class of bioactive lipids. The biological activities of N-acyl glycines
      include antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative effects, and
      activation of G-protein-coupled receptors. However, despite the fact that N-acyl
      glycines are emerging as a distinct lipid signaling family, pathways for their
      production are not fully elucidated. Here we report on the characterization of
      human glycine N-acyltransferase-like 2 (hGLYATL2), a member of a gene family of 4
      putative glycine conjugating enzymes, and show that it synthesizes various N-acyl
      glycines. Recombinantly expressed hGLYATL2 efficiently conjugated oleoyl-CoA,
      arachidonoyl-CoA, and other medium- and long-chain acyl-CoAs to glycine. The
      enzyme was specific for glycine as an acceptor molecule, and preferentially
      produced N-oleoyl glycine. The hGLYATL2 enzyme is localized to the endoplasmic
      reticulum, and the mRNA shows highest expression in salivary gland and trachea,
      but is also detected in spinal cord and skin fibroblasts. The expression pattern
      and the identification of high levels of N-acyl glycines in skin and lung may
      indicate a role for N-acyl glycines in barrier function/immune response and the
      potential role of hGLYATL2 in this regard is discussed.

PMID- 20305127
TI  - Regulation of homocysteine metabolism and methylation in human and mouse tissues.
AB  - Hyperhomocysteinemia is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
      Homocysteine (Hcy) metabolism involves multiple enzymes; however, tissue Hcy
      metabolism and its relevance to methylation remain unknown. Here, we established
      gene expression profiles of 8 Hcy metabolic and 12 methylation enzymes in 20
      human and 19 mouse tissues through bioinformatic analysis using expression
      sequence tag clone counts in tissue cDNA libraries. We analyzed correlations
      between gene expression, Hcy, S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH), and S
      adenosylmethionine (SAM) levels, and SAM/SAH ratios in mouse tissues. Hcy
      metabolic and methylation enzymes were classified into two types. The expression
      of Type 1 enzymes positively correlated with tissue Hcy and SAH levels. These
      include cystathionine beta-synthase, cystathionine-gamma-lyase, paraxonase 1,
      5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, betaine:homocysteine methyltransferase,
      methionine adenosyltransferase, phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferases and
      glycine N-methyltransferase. Type 2 enzyme expressions correlate with neither
      tissue Hcy nor SAH levels. These include SAH hydrolase, methionyl-tRNA synthase,
      5-methyltetrahydrofolate:Hcy methyltransferase, S-adenosylmethionine
      decarboxylase, DNA methyltransferase 1/3a, isoprenylcysteine carboxyl
      methyltransferases, and histone-lysine N-methyltransferase. SAH is the only Hcy
      metabolite significantly correlated with Hcy levels and methylation enzyme
      expression. We established equations expressing combined effects of methylation
      enzymes on tissue SAH, SAM, and SAM/SAH ratios. Our study is the first to provide
      panoramic tissue gene expression profiles and mathematical models of tissue
      methylation regulation.

PMID- 20305128
TI  - Effects of the dietary approaches to stop hypertension diet, exercise, and
      caloric restriction on neurocognition in overweight adults with high blood
      pressure.
AB  - High blood pressure increases the risks of stroke, dementia, and neurocognitive
      dysfunction. Although aerobic exercise and dietary modifications have been shown
      to reduce blood pressure, no randomized trials have examined the effects of
      aerobic exercise combined with dietary modification on neurocognitive functioning
      in individuals with high blood pressure (ie, prehypertension and stage 1
      hypertension). As part of a larger investigation, 124 participants with elevated
      blood pressure (systolic blood pressure 130 to 159 mm Hg or diastolic blood
      pressure 85 to 99 mm Hg) who were sedentary and overweight or obese (body mass
      index: 25 to 40 kg/m(2)) were randomized to the Dietary Approaches to Stop
      Hypertension (DASH) diet alone, DASH combined with a behavioral weight management
      program including exercise and caloric restriction, or a usual diet control
      group. Participants completed a battery of neurocognitive tests of executive
      function-memory-learning and psychomotor speed at baseline and again after the 4
      month intervention. Participants on the DASH diet combined with a behavioral
      weight management program exhibited greater improvements in executive function
      memory-learning (Cohen's D=0.562; P=0.008) and psychomotor speed (Cohen's
      D=0.480; P=0.023), and DASH diet alone participants exhibited better psychomotor
      speed (Cohen's D=0.440; P=0.036) compared with the usual diet control.
      Neurocognitive improvements appeared to be mediated by increased aerobic fitness
      and weight loss. Also, participants with greater intima-medial thickness and
      higher systolic blood pressure showed greater improvements in executive function
      memory-learning in the group on the DASH diet combined with a behavioral weight
      management program. In conclusion, combining aerobic exercise with the DASH diet
      and caloric restriction improves neurocognitive function among sedentary and
      overweight/obese individuals with prehypertension and hypertension.

PMID- 20305129
TI  - A case-control study of levothyroxine and the risk of colorectal cancer.
AB  - Levothyroxine is a synthetic T(4) hormone commonly used to treat thyroid disease.
      Increased incidence of mostly autoimmune thyroid disease has been associated with
      breast and other malignancies, and thyroid hormone levels might also be
      associated with risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). In this population-based matched
      case-control study (2566 pairs) of CRC in northern Israel, use of levothyroxine
      for at least 5 years was assessed using structured interviews and validated by
      prescription records. The analysis included use of statins, aspirin, and hormone
      replacement therapy; CRC family history; physical activity; vegetable
      consumption; ethnicity; age; and sex. All statistical tests were two-sided. The
      use of levothyroxine was associated with a statistically significantly reduced
      relative risk of CRC (odds ratio = 0.59, 95% confidence interval = 0.43 to 0.82,
      P = .001). This association remained statistically significant after adjustment
      for age, sex, use of aspirin and statins, sports activity, family history of CRC,
      ethnic group, and level of vegetable consumption (odds ratio = 0.60, 95%
      confidence interval = 0.44 to 0.81, P = .001). No statistically significant
      interactions were seen between use of levothyroxine and aspirin, statins, or
      hormone replacement therapy.

PMID- 20305130
TI  - Contralateral second breast cancers: prediction and prevention.

PMID- 20305131
TI  - Re: Biomarkers predicting clinical outcome of epidermal growth factor receptor
      targeted therapy in metastatic colorectal cancer.

PMID- 20305133
TI  - Urinary incontinence and quality of life among older community-dwelling
      Australian men: the CHAMP study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to describe the prevalence and impact on quality of life of urinary
      incontinence in a population-based cohort of older community-dwelling Australian
      men. SUBJECTS: the population comprised 1,705 men aged >or=70 years participating
      in the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project, a population-based study of
      urban older Australian men. METHODS: data were collected between January 2005 and
      June 2007, and the participation rate was 47%. Data on demographics, medical
      history and from the 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) and International
      Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire were collected. Urinary incontinence
      was defined as urinary leakage at least two times a week over the past 4 weeks.
      RESULTS: the prevalence of urinary incontinence was 14.8%, increasing from 12.0%
      for men aged 70-74 years old to 16.3% for those aged >or=90 years, with urgency
      incontinence being the most frequent type of urinary incontinence. Daily urine
      leakage was reported by 3% of men. Men with incontinence had lower overall SF-12
      scores with greater impact on the physical (PCS) than the mental (MCS) components
      of that scale. After adjusting for age, number of co-morbidities, enlarged
      prostate and prostate cancer, men with incontinence had worse PCS (43.6 vs 45.9)
      and MCS scores (52.2 vs 54.6) compared with continent men. CONCLUSION: urinary
      incontinence is common among older community-dwelling men and is associated with
      worse quality of life with greater impact on physical than mental factors. As the
      population ages, urinary incontinence prevalence will increase and increased
      resources will be needed to address this growing problem.

PMID- 20305134
TI  - Re: Use of isoniazid chemoprophylaxis in renal transplantation.

PMID- 20305132
TI  - Radiation exposure, the ATM Gene, and contralateral breast cancer in the women's
      environmental cancer and radiation epidemiology study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ionizing radiation is a known mutagen and an established breast
      carcinogen. The ATM gene is a key regulator of cellular responses to the DNA
      damage induced by ionizing radiation. We investigated whether genetic variants in
      ATM play a clinically significant role in radiation-induced contralateral breast
      cancer in women. METHODS: The Women's Environmental, Cancer, and Radiation
      Epidemiology Study is an international population-based case-control study nested
      within a cohort of 52,536 survivors of unilateral breast cancer diagnosed between
      1985 and 2000. The 708 case subjects were women with contralateral breast cancer,
      and the 1397 control subjects were women with unilateral breast cancer matched to
      the case subjects on age, follow-up time, registry reporting region, and race
      and/or ethnicity. All women were interviewed and underwent full mutation
      screening of the entire ATM gene. Complete medical treatment history information
      was collected, and for all women who received radiotherapy, the radiation dose to
      the contralateral breast was reconstructed using radiotherapy records and
      radiation measurements. Rate ratios (RRs) and corresponding 95% confidence
      intervals (CIs) were estimated by using multivariable conditional logistic
      regression. All P values are two-sided. RESULTS: Among women who carried a rare
      ATM missense variant (ie, one carried by <1% of the study participants) that was
      predicted to be deleterious, those who were exposed to radiation (mean radiation
      exposure = 1.2 Gy, SD = 0.7) had a statistically significantly higher risk of
      contralateral breast cancer compared with unexposed women who carried the wild
      type genotype (0.01-0.99 Gy: RR = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.2 to 6.5; > or =1.0 Gy: RR =
      3.3, 95% CI = 1.4 to 8.0) or compared with unexposed women who carried the same
      predicted deleterious missense variant (0.01-0.99 Gy: RR = 5.3, 95% CI = 1.6 to
      17.3; > or =1.0 Gy: RR = 5.8, 95% CI = 1.8 to 19.0; P(trend) = .044).
      CONCLUSIONS: Women who carry rare deleterious ATM missense variants and who are
      treated with radiation may have an elevated risk of developing contralateral
      breast cancer. However, the rarity of these deleterious missense variants in
      human populations implies that ATM mutations could account for only a small
      portion of second primary breast cancers.

PMID- 20305135
TI  - Microemboli, developed during haemodialysis, pass the lung barrier and may cause
      ischaemic lesions in organs such as the brain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic haemodialysis (HD) may relieve some medical problems of
      terminal uraemia, but the life expectancy of patients is still significantly
      shortened, and there is a greatly increased morbidity. This includes pulmonary
      morbidity and chronic central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities. Previous
      studies have shown that a considerable amount of air microbubbles emanate within
      the blood lines of the dialysis device and pass the air detector without sounding
      an alarm. The aim of this study was to investigate whether microemboli can pass
      to the patient and whether they could be detected in the carotid artery. METHODS:
      A total of 54 patients on chronic HD (16 with central dialysis catheter) were
      investigated with an ultrasound detector (Hatteland, Royken, Norway) for the
      presence of microemboli at the arteriovenous (AV) fistula/graft and at the common
      carotid artery before and during HD. Measurements were taken for 2 and 5 min,
      respectively. Non-parametric paired statistics were used (Wilcoxon). RESULTS: The
      median number (range) and mean +/- SD of microembolic signals detected at the AV
      access site before commencing dialysis and during HD were 0 (0-3) and 0.2+/- 0.5
      versus 4 (0-85) and 13.5 +/- 20 (P = 0.000); at the carotid artery, 1 (0-14) and
      1.7 +/- 2.9 versus 2 (0-36) and 3.5 +/- 5.8 (P = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: The infused
      and returning fluid from HD devices contains air microbubbles that enter the
      patient without triggering any alarms. These small emboli pass the lung and may
      cause ischaemic lesions in organs supported by the arterial circuit, such as the
      brain.

PMID- 20305136
TI  - Myocardial infarction is a complication of factor H-associated atypical HUS.
AB  - Cardiac complications are frequently seen in thrombotic thrombocytopaenic purpura
      related to ADAMTS13 deficiency. We describe the case of a 43-year-old woman who
      was diagnosed with an atypical haemolytic-uraemic syndrome (aHUS) associated with
      a pathogenic mutation in the factor H gene (C623S). After 15 days of treatment,
      she suffered a sudden cardiac arrest and died despite intensive resuscitation
      attempts. She showed only one cardiovascular risk factor, hypercholesterolaemia.
      Her sudden death was secondary to cardiac infarction related to a coronary
      thrombotic microangiopathy. This is the first case of aHUS related to a mutation
      in the factor H gene associated with cardiac microangiopathy. This case
      emphasizes the need to screen for cardiac complication during the treatment of
      aHUS.

PMID- 20305137
TI  - Genome-wide screening for risk loci of idiopathic recurrent miscarriage in a Han
      Chinese population: a pilot study.
AB  - The etiology of recurrent miscarriage (RM) is extremely heterogeneous, including
      genetic, immunologic, anatomic, endocrinological, and infectious anomalies. About
      50% of RM is unexplained or poorly understood, which is called idiopathic
      recurrent miscarriage (IRM). The primary aim of this study was to identify the
      genetic loci that might be susceptible to IRM. Forty-four Han Chinese patients
      with IRM during the first trimester of their pregnancies and 44 healthy sex- and
      ethnic-matched controls were enrolled in this study. A case-control and genome
      wide study was performed and 430 polymorphic microsatellite markers were
      analyzed. Three loci, 6q27 (D6S446, P = .028), 9q33.1 (D9S1776, P = .037), and
      Xp22.11 (DXS1226, P = .008), significantly associated with IRM were found. This
      work identified 3 genetic regions that might harbor genes predisposed to IRM and
      provided new insights for future genetic and etiological study of IRM. Further
      study is required to confirm it.

PMID- 20305138
TI  - Reduced survival of type 2B von Willebrand factor, irrespective of large multimer
      representation or thrombocytopenia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Type 2B von Willebrand factor (VWF) is characterized by gain of
      function mutations in the A1 domain inducing a greater affinity for platelet
      GPIb, possibly associated with the disappearance of large VWF multimers and
      thrombocytopenia. DESIGN AND METHODS: VWF survival was explored using 1-desamino
      8-D-arginine vasopressin (DDAVP) in 18 patients with type 2B von Willebrand
      disease (VWD) and compared with their platelet count and large VWF multimer
      representation. RESULTS: A similarly significant shorter VWF survival, expressed
      as T(1/2)elimination (T(1/2)el), was observed in patients lacking large VWF
      multimers (type 2B) and in those with a normal multimer pattern (atypical type
      2B) (4.47+/-0.41 h and 4.87+/-0.9 h, respectively, vs. normal 15.53+/-2.17 h) due
      mainly to a greater VWF clearance. The half-life of large VWF multimers, explored
      by VWF collagen binding (VWF:CB) activity, was likewise reduced. The similarly
      reduced VWF half-life was also confirmed by the increase in the VWF propeptide
      ratio (a useful tool for exploring VWF survival) which was found to be the same
      in type 2B and atypical type 2B patients. The post-DDAVP drop in platelet count
      occurred in all patients lacking large multimers but not in those with a normal
      multimer pattern. A correlation was always found between pre- and/or post-DDAVP
      thrombocytopenia and the lack of large VWF multimers in type 2B VWD while these
      were unrelated to the reduced VWF half-life. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to
      demonstrating that a shorter VWF survival contributes to the type 2B and atypical
      type 2B VWD phenotype, our findings suggest that VWF clearance and proteolysis
      are independent phenomena.

PMID- 20305139
TI  - The response to imatinib and interferon-alpha is more rapid than the response to
      imatinib alone: a retrospective analysis of 495 Philadelphia-positive chronic
      myeloid leukemia patients in early chronic phase.
AB  - Before the introduction of imatinib, interferon alpha-based regimens were the
      gold standard for treatment of early chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia
      patients. The combination of IFN-alpha with imatinib is currently being
      investigated in at least two large clinical trials, the German CML Study IV and
      the French SPIRIT trial. We reviewed the cytogenetic and molecular responses of
      76 early chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia patients who were treated with
      imatinib and interferon-alpha and of 419 early chronic phase chronic myeloid
      leukemia patients treated with imatinib alone front-line. The complete
      cytogenetic response rate was higher in the IM+IFN-alpha group than in the
      imatinib group at six months (60% vs. 42%; P=0.003), but not at 48 months (88%
      vs. 88%). The durability of the complete cytogenetic response was similar in the
      two groups with 94% and 91% of complete cytogenetic responders in continuous
      complete cytogenetic response at 48 months (P=0.56). The major molecular response
      rate was higher in the IM+IFN-alpha group at six months (58% vs. 34%; P=0.0001)
      and 12 months (67% vs. 47%; P=0.001) but not later on (65% vs. 57% at 48 months;
      P=0.25). Overall and progression free survival were comparable in the two groups;
      a significant trend to a better event free survival was observed in patients
      treated with PegIFNalpha (91% vs. 78%; P=0.02). These data suggest that the
      response to the combination treatment is more rapid. It is not yet known how much
      a rapid reduction will influence the longer-term overall and progression free
      survival, and the cure rate.

PMID- 20305140
TI  - Multidrug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in children undergoing
      chemotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
AB  - Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one leading gram-negative organism associated with
      nosocomial infections. Bacteremia is life-threatening in the immunocompromised
      host. Increasing frequency of multi-drug-resistant (MDRPA) strains is concerning.
      We started a retrospective survey in the pediatric hematology oncology Italian
      network. Between 2000 and 2008, 127 patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa
      bacteremia were reported from 12 centers; 31.4% of isolates were MDRPA. Death
      within 30 days of a positive blood culture occurred in 19.6% (25/127) of total
      patients; in patients with MDRPA infection it occurred in 35.8% (14/39). In the
      multivariate analysis, only MDRPA had significant association with infection
      related death. This is the largest series of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia
      cases from pediatric hematology oncology centers. Monitoring local bacterial
      isolates epidemiology is mandatory and will allow empiric antibiotic therapy to
      be tailored to reduce fatalities.

PMID- 20305141
TI  - Low molecular weight heparin for the treatment of retinal vein occlusion: a
      systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.
AB  - Retinal vein occlusion is a frequent cause of visual loss for which few effective
      therapies are available. Anticoagulation with low molecular weight heparin might
      be of value in its treatment. We conducted a systematic review and meta analysis
      of randomized trials evaluating the effect of low molecular weight heparin in
      patients with retinal vein occlusion. Data sources included MEDLINE, EMBASE,
      HealthSTAR, the Cochrane Library, Lilacs, the Investigative Ophthalmology and
      Visual Science database and gray literature. Main outcome was the mean difference
      between the visual acuity measured at baseline and at six months expressed in the
      logMAR scale. Secondary outcome was a composite of any adverse ocular outcome
      including: worsening of visual acuity, visual fields or fluorescein angiography,
      or development of iris neovascularization, any neovascularization or neovascular
      glaucoma. Subgroup analyses for branch versus central retinal vein occlusion were
      conducted. We identified 1,084 references of which 3 studies comparing low
      molecular weight heparin with aspirin (229 evaluable patients) were included.
      Overall, the pooled mean visual acuity difference was -0.23 logMAR (95% CI -0.38,
      -0.09; P=0.002) in favor of low molecular weight heparin. Low molecular weight
      heparin was associated with a 78% risk reduction for developing any adverse
      ocular outcome (pooled RR 0.22; 95% CI 0.10, 0.46; P<0.001). In subgroup analyses
      benefits seemed lower in branch retinal vein occlusion. No increased vitreous
      hemorrhages were observed. In patients with retinal vein occlusion treatment with
      low molecular weight heparin seems to be associated with improvement in the
      visual acuity and less adverse ocular outcomes. These benefits might differ in
      patients with central as opposed to branch retinal vein occlusion. Further
      studies are required to confirm these findings and clarify its benefits in
      specific subgroups of patients before definitive recommendations can be made.

PMID- 20305142
TI  - Mechanism of human Hb switching: a possible role of the kit receptor/miR 221-222
      complex.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The human hemoglobin switch (HbF-->HbA) takes place in the peri/post
      natal period. In adult life, however, the residual HbF (<1%) may be partially
      reactivated by chemical inducers and/or cytokines such as the kit ligand (KL).
      MicroRNAs (miRs) play a pivotal role in normal hematopoiesis: downmodulation of
      miR-221/222 stimulates human erythropoietic proliferation through upmodulation of
      the kit receptor. DESIGN AND METHODS: We have explored the possible role of
      kit/KL in perinatal Hb switching by evaluating: i) the expression levels of both
      kit and kit ligand on CD34(+) cells and in plasma isolated from pre-, mid- and
      full-term cord blood samples; ii) the reactivation of HbF synthesis in KL-treated
      unilineage erythroid cell cultures; iii) the functional role of miR-221/222 in
      HbF production. RESULTS: In perinatal life, kit expression showed a gradual
      decline directly correlated to the decrease of HbF (from 80-90% to <30%).
      Moreover, in full-term cord blood erythroid cultures, kit ligand induced a marked
      increase of HbF (up to 80%) specifically abrogated by addition of the kit
      inhibitor imatinib, thus reversing the Hb switch. MiR-221/222 expression
      exhibited rising levels during peri/post-natal development. In functional
      studies, overexpression of these miRs in cord blood progenitors caused a
      remarkable decrease in kit expression, erythroblast proliferation and HbF
      content, whereas their suppression induced opposite effects. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      studies indicate that human perinatal Hb switching is under control of the kit
      receptor/miR 221-222 complex. We do not exclude, however, that other mechanisms
      (i.e. glucocorticoids and the HbF inhibitor BCL11A) may also contribute to the
      peri/post-natal Hb switch.

PMID- 20305144
TI  - Josef Brudzinski and Vladimir Mikhailovich Kernig: signs for diagnosing
      meningitis.

PMID- 20305143
TI  - Impact of genomic risk factors on outcome after hematopoietic stem cell
      transplantation for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Non-HLA gene polymorphisms have been shown to influence outcome after
      allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Results were derived from
      heterogeneous, small populations and their value remains a matter of debate.
      DESIGN AND METHODS: In this study, we assessed the effect of single nucleotide
      polymorphisms in genes for interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL1RN), interleukin
      4 (IL4), interleukin 6 (IL6), interleukin 10 (IL10), interferon (IFNG), tumor
      necrosis factor (TNF) and the cell surface receptors tumor necrosis factor
      receptor II (TNFRSFIB), vitamin D receptor (VDR) and estrogen receptor alpha
      (ESR1) in a homogeneous cohort of 228 HLA identical sibling transplants for
      chronic myeloid leukemia. Three good predictors of overall survival, identified
      via statistical methods including Cox regression analysis, were investigated for
      their effects on transplant-related mortality and relapse. Predictive power was
      assessed after integration into the established European Group for Blood and
      Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) risk score. RESULTS: Absence of patient TNFRSFIB
      196R, absence of donor IL10 ATA/ACC and presence of donor IL1RN allele 2
      genotypes were associated with increased transplantation-related mortality and
      decreased survival. Application of prediction error and concordance index
      statistics gave evidence that integration improved the EBMT risk score.
      CONCLUSIONS: Non-HLA genotypes were associated with survival after allogeneic
      hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. When three genetic polymorphisms were
      added into the EBMT risk model they improved the goodness of fit. Non-HLA
      genotyping could, therefore, be used to improve donor selection algorithms and
      risk assessment prior to allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

PMID- 20305145
TI  - Prostate carcinoma metastatic to the stomach: report of two cases and review of
      the literature.
AB  - We report two cases of prostate carcinoma metastatic to the stomach. In the first
      case, the patient had indolent disease before presenting with gastric metastasis.
      The patient responded to treatment with resolution of gastrointestinal bleeding
      and other symptoms. In the second case, the patient developed aggressive prostate
      carcinoma while on immunosuppressive therapy following kidney transplant. His
      tumor became widely systemic, and he ultimately died of his disease. Although
      rare, the possibility of prostate carcinoma metastatic to the stomach should be
      considered when a patient with a history of prostatic adenocarcinoma presents
      with gastrointestinal symptoms.

PMID- 20305146
TI  - Treatment of urinary voiding dysfunction syndromes with spinal cord stimulation.
AB  - This case report presents the use of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) in a patient
      with urinary incontinence who had previously undergone trial and implantation of
      InterStim therapy (Medtronic Neurological, Minneapolis, MN). The patient also
      experienced bilateral lower extremity pain and low back pain related to post
      laminectomy syndrome. Having failed all conservative treatment, the patient
      underwent SCS trial and subsequent implantation. In the postoperative period
      using SCS therapy, the patient had excellent relief of urinary incontinence
      symptoms, along with relief of low back pain and bilateral lower extremity pain
      and was able to discontinue use of InterStim therapy. For this patient, SCS was
      effective in controlling the urinary voiding dysfunction symptoms, bilateral
      lower extremity pain and back pain. The use of SCS to treat urinary incontinence
      problems deserves further study to explore its therapeutic potentials.

PMID- 20305147
TI  - Large supratentorial cortical ependymoma in a child.

PMID- 20305148
TI  - Clinical effectiveness: Leadership in comparative effectiveness and translational
      research.: the 15th Annual HMO Research Network Conference, April 26-29, 2009,
      Danville, Pennsylvania.
AB  - The Health Maintenance Organization Research Network (HMORN), a consortium of 16
      health care delivery systems with integrated research divisions, held its annual
      meeting in Danville, Pennsylvania in April of 2009 and was attended by more than
      260 researchers and operational leaders from HMORN organizations, pharmaceutical
      companies, the National Cancer Institute, and the Agency for Healthcare Research
      and Quality. The 2009 meeting was held from April 26(th) to April 29(th) at the
      Henry Hood Center for Health Research, and was hosted by Geisinger Health System.
      The conference theme was "Clinical Effectiveness: Leadership in Comparative
      Effectiveness and Translational Research." This article provides some background
      on the network, its research activities, and the annual conference. This issue of
      Clinical Medicine & Research also includes selected scientific abstracts
      presented at the meeting.

PMID- 20305266
TI  - Identification of genetic network dynamics with unate structure.
AB  - MOTIVATION: Modern experimental techniques for time course measurement of gene
      expression enable the identification of dynamical models of genetic regulatory
      networks. In general, identification involves fitting appropriate network
      structures and parameters to the data. For a given set of genes, exploring all
      possible network structures is clearly prohibitive. Modelling and identification
      methods for the a priori selection of network structures compatible with
      biological knowledge and experimental data are necessary to make the
      identification problem tractable. RESULTS: We propose a differential equation
      modelling framework where the regulatory interactions among genes are expressed
      in terms of unate functions, a class of gene activation rules commonly
      encountered in Boolean network modelling. We establish analytical properties of
      the models in the class and exploit them to devise a two-step procedure for gene
      network reconstruction from product concentration and synthesis rate time series.
      The first step isolates a family of model structures compatible with the data
      from a set of most relevant biological hypotheses. The second step explores this
      family and returns a pool of best fitting models along with estimates of their
      parameters. The method is tested on a simulated network and compared with state
      of-the-art network inference methods on the benchmark synthetic network IRMA.

PMID- 20305267
TI  - LOTUS, a new domain associated with small RNA pathways in the germline.
AB  - We describe here LOTUS, a hitherto uncharacterized small globular domain, which
      was identified using sensitive sequence profile analysis. The LOTUS domain is
      found in germline-specific proteins that are present in the nuage/polar granules
      of germ cells. TDRD5 and TDRD7, two mammalian members of the germline Tudor
      group, possess three copies of the LOTUS domain in their extreme N-termini. The
      Tudor domains of these proteins bind symmetric dimethyl arginines present on the
      germ cell-specific Piwi proteins, which form a particular clade of Argonaute
      proteins. Piwi proteins interact with a specific class of non-coding RNAs [piwi
      interacting RNAs (piRNAs)] and play a key role in the repression (silencing) of
      transposons and possibly other germline-specific functions. A LOTUS domain is
      also present in the Oskar protein, a critical component of the pole plasm in the
      Drosophila oocyte, which is required for germ cell formation. LOTUS domains are
      found in various proteins from metazoans and plants, are often associated with
      RNA-specific modules and are likely to adopt a winged helix fold. This suggests a
      germline-specific role in the mRNA localization and/or translation or a specific
      function toward piRNAs.

PMID- 20305268
TI  - ProBiS algorithm for detection of structurally similar protein binding sites by
      local structural alignment.
AB  - MOTIVATION: Exploitation of locally similar 3D patterns of physicochemical
      properties on the surface of a protein for detection of binding sites that may
      lack sequence and global structural conservation. RESULTS: An algorithm, ProBiS
      is described that detects structurally similar sites on protein surfaces by local
      surface structure alignment. It compares the query protein to members of a
      database of protein 3D structures and detects with sub-residue precision,
      structurally similar sites as patterns of physicochemical properties on the
      protein surface. Using an efficient maximum clique algorithm, the program
      identifies proteins that share local structural similarities with the query
      protein and generates structure-based alignments of these proteins with the
      query. Structural similarity scores are calculated for the query protein's
      surface residues, and are expressed as different colors on the query protein
      surface. The algorithm has been used successfully for the detection of protein
      protein, protein-small ligand and protein-DNA binding sites. AVAILABILITY: The
      software is available, as a web tool, free of charge for academic users at
      http://probis.cmm.ki.si.

PMID- 20305269
TI  - CoP: a database for characterizing co-expressed gene modules with biological
      information in plants.
AB  - Using a large dataset (10 022 assays) obtained from public plant microarray
      databases, we developed the CoP database for associating co-expressed gene
      modules with biological information such as gene ontology terms and, if
      available, metabolic pathway names. The Confeito algorithm developed previously
      in our laboratory, which is suitable to calculate the interconnectivity between
      genes in co-expressed gene network, was applied to extract co-expressed gene
      modules. The database includes the gene modules for Arabidopsis thaliana (thale
      cress) and seven crops, Glycine max (soybean), Hordeum vulgare (barley), Oryza
      sativa (rice), Populus trichocarpa (poplar), Triticum aestivum (wheat), Vitis
      vinifera (grape) and Zea mays (maize). AVAILABILITY: The CoP database is
      available at: http://webs2.kazusa.or.jp/kagiana/cop0911/.

PMID- 20305270
TI  - Curators of the world unite: the International Society of Biocuration.

PMID- 20305271
TI  - Characterization of the reactions of starch branching enzymes from rice
      endosperm.
AB  - To our knowledge the present paper shows for the first time the kinetic
      parameters of all the three starch branching enzyme (BE) isozymes, BEI, BEIIa and
      BEIIb, from rice with both amylopectin and synthetic amylose as glucan substrate.
      The activities of these BE isozymes with a linear glucan amylose decreased with a
      decrease in the molar size of amylose, and no activities of BEIIa and BEIIb were
      found when the degree of polymerization (DP) of amylose was lower than at least
      80, whereas BEI had an activity with amylose of a DP higher than approximately
      50. Detailed analyses of debranched products from BE reactions revealed the
      distinct chain length preferences of the individual BE isozymes. BEIIb almost
      exclusively transferred chains of DP7 and DP6 while BEIIa formed a wide range of
      short chains of DP6 to around DP15 from outer chains of amylopectin and amylose.
      On the other hand, BEI formed a variety of short chains and intermediate chains
      of a DP <or=40 by attacking not only outer chains but also inner chains of
      branched glucan while BEIIa or BEIIb could only scarcely or could not attack
      inner chains, respectively. The comprehensive in vitro studies revealed different
      enzymatic characteristics of the three BE isozymes and give a new insight into
      the distinct roles of individual BE isozymes in amylopectin biosynthesis in the
      endosperm. Based on these results, the functional distinction and interaction of
      BE isozymes during amylopectin biosynthesis in cereal endosperm is discussed.

PMID- 20305272
TI  - Structure of metallo-beta-lactamase IND-7 from a Chryseobacterium indologenes
      clinical isolate at 1.65-A resolution.
AB  - The X-ray crystal structure of metallo-beta-lactamase from Chryseobacterium
      indologenes IND-7 was determined at a resolution of 1.65 A. The overall structure
      adopted a four-layered alphabeta/betaalpha sandwich structure with a dinuclear
      zinc(II) active site, in which the zinc(II) ions were denoted as Zn1 and Zn2. The
      overall structure of IND-7 is analogous to those of subclass B1 metallo-beta
      lactamases, as determined by X-ray crystallography. A significant structural
      difference, however, was observed in the dinuclear zinc(II) active site: the
      coordination geometry around Zn1 changed from tetrahedral, found in other
      subclass B1 metallo-beta-lactamases, to distorted trigonal bipyramidal, whereas
      that of Zn2 changed from trigonal bipyramidal to tetrahedral. Arg121(101), which
      is located in the vicinity of the dinuclear zinc(II) active site, may affect the
      binding affinity of Zn2 due to an electronic repulsion between the zinc(II)
      ion(s) and a positively charged guanidyl group of Arg121(101). Moreover, the
      hydrogen-bonding interaction of Arg121 with Ser71(53), which is conserved in IND
      1, IND-3 and IND-5-IND-7, appeared to have important consequences for the binding
      affinity of Zn2 in conjunction with the above electrostatic effect.

PMID- 20305273
TI  - Stopped flow kinetic studies on reductive half-reaction of histamine
      dehydrogenase from Nocardioides simplex with histamine.
AB  - Histamine dehydrogenase from Nocardioides simplex (HmDH) which catalyzes the
      oxidative deamination of histamine is an iron-sulphur-containing flavoprotein.
      For our further understanding on the intramolecular electron transfer process,
      the reductive half reaction of HmDH with histamine has been studied by stopped
      flow spectrophotometry at pH 7.5 and 10. The reaction at pH 7.5 is found to be
      analysed on a kinetic model composed of three sequential first-order reactions.
      The first fast phase, of which the rate constant shows a hyperbolic dependence on
      the histamine concentration, is assigned to a direct two-electron reduction of
      the oxidized flavin (CFMN(O)) by histamine with no involvement of the semiquinone
      form of the flavin (CFMN(S)). The second moderate process is the substrate
      independent intramolecular single-electron transfer from the reduced flavin to
      the oxidized iron-sulphur cluster. The third slow process is considered to
      reflect the second binding of histamine to CFMN(S), which is responsible for the
      substrate inhibition. At pH 10, the reaction is analysed with one pseudo-first
      order reaction phase which is substrate-dependent two-electron reduction of
      CFMN(O) coupled with the subsequent fast intersubunit single-electron transfer.
      The UV-vis spectroscopy of HmDH suggests the deprotonation of Tyr residues, which
      seems to cause the switching of the electron transfer property.

PMID- 20305274
TI  - Characterization of rice nucleotide sugar transporters capable of transporting
      UDP-galactose and UDP-glucose.
AB  - Using the basic local alignment search tool (BLAST) algorithm to search the Oryza
      sativa (Japanese rice) nucleotide sequence databases with the Arabidopsis
      thaliana UDP-galactose transporter sequences as queries, we found a number of
      sequences encoding putative O. sativa UDP-galactose transporters. From these, we
      cloned four putative UDP-galactose transporters, designated OsUGT1, 2, 3 and 4,
      which exhibited high sequence similarity with Arabidopsis thaliana UDP-galactose
      transporters. OsUGT1, 2, 3 and 4 consisted of 350, 337, 345 and 358 amino acids,
      respectively, and all of these proteins were predicted to have multiple
      transmembrane domains. To examine the UDP-galactose transporter activity of the
      OsUGTs, we introduced the OsUGTs' expression vectors into UDP-galactose
      transporter activity-deficient Lec8 cells. Our results showed that transfection
      with OsUGT1, 2 and 3 resulted in recovery of the deficit phenotype of Lec8 cells,
      but transfection with OsUGT4 did not. The results of an in vitro nucleotide sugar
      transport assay of OsUGTs, carried out with a yeast expression system, suggested
      that OsUGT4 is a UDP-glucose transporter rather than a UDP-galactose transporter.
      Although plants have multiple UDP-galactose transporter genes, phylogenic
      analysis indicates that plant UDP-galactose transporter genes are not necessarily
      evolutionary related to each other.

PMID- 20305275
TI  - Brain. Editorial.

PMID- 20305276
TI  - 'Looks like epilepsy to me!'.

PMID- 20305277
TI  - Life without a cerebellum.

PMID- 20305279
TI  - From 'public health in Europe' to 'European public health'.

PMID- 20305278
TI  - Dopaminergic modulation of striato-frontal connectivity during motor timing in
      Parkinson's disease.
AB  - Patients with Parkinson's disease experience motor and perceptual timing
      difficulties, which are ameliorated by dopaminergic medication. We investigated
      the neural correlates of motor timing in Parkinson's disease, including the
      effects of dopaminergic medication on patterns of brain activation. Eight
      patients with Parkinson's disease and eight healthy controls were scanned with
      H(15)(2)O positron emission tomography while engaged in three tasks:
      synchronization (right index finger tapping in synchrony with a tone presented at
      1 Hz), continuation (tapping at 1 Hz in the absence of a tone), and a control
      simple reaction time task. During the first 6 scans, the patients were assessed
      after overnight withdrawal of medication. Scans 7-12 were completed with the
      patients in the 'ON' state, after injections of apomorphine, a dopamine receptor
      agonist. For the healthy controls, relative to the control reaction time task,
      motor timing (synchronization + continuation) was associated with significantly
      greater activation in left medial prefrontal cortex (Brodmann area 10, 32), right
      hippocampus, bilateral angular gyrus (Brodmann area 39), left posterior cingulate
      (Brodmann area 31) and left nucleus accumbens/caudate. This pattern of brain
      activation during motor timing was not observed for patients, who showed
      significantly greater activation in bilateral cerebellum, right thalamus and left
      midbrain/substantia nigra compared to the control participants. Relative to the
      externally-paced synchronization task, the internally controlled continuation
      task was associated with greater activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
      (Brodmann area 46/9) in both the control and Parkinson's disease groups. Analysis
      of medication-related effects indicated that cortical activation was
      significantly more predominant during motor timing when the patients were 'ON'
      medication, whereas pallidal and cerebellar activations were evident 'OFF'
      medication. Effective connectivity analysis established that activity in the left
      caudate nucleus was associated with increased activity in the right lentiform
      nucleus and cerebellum 'OFF' medication, and with increased activity in the
      prefrontal cortex 'ON' medication. These results suggest that in Parkinson's
      disease, in the 'OFF' medication state, excessive inhibitory pallidal outflow is
      associated with a lack of adequate frontal activation and reliance on the
      cerebellum for motor timing. In contrast, our results establish for the first
      time that administration of dopaminergic medication increases striatal-frontal
      connectivity between the caudate nucleus and prefrontal cortex during motor
      timing.

PMID- 20305280
TI  - EU cross-border health care and public health.

PMID- 20305281
TI  - Rethinking 'mental health stigma'.

PMID- 20305283
TI  - A statistics-based platform for quantitative N-terminome analysis and
      identification of protease cleavage products.
AB  - Terminal amine isotopic labeling of substrates (TAILS), our recently introduced
      platform for quantitative N-terminome analysis, enables wide dynamic range
      identification of original mature protein N-termini and protease cleavage
      products. Modifying TAILS by use of isobaric tag for relative and absolute
      quantification (iTRAQ)-like labels for quantification together with a robust
      statistical classifier derived from experimental protease cleavage data, we
      report reliable and statistically valid identification of proteolytic events in
      complex biological systems in MS2 mode. The statistical classifier is supported
      by a novel parameter evaluating ion intensity-dependent quantification
      confidences of single peptide quantifications, the quantification confidence
      factor (QCF). Furthermore, the isoform assignment score (IAS) is introduced, a
      new scoring system for the evaluation of single peptide-to-protein assignments
      based on high confidence protein identifications in the same sample prior to
      negative selection enrichment of N-terminal peptides. By these approaches, we
      identified and validated, in addition to known substrates, low abundance novel
      bioactive MMP-2 targets including the plasminogen receptor S100A10 (p11) and the
      proinflammatory cytokine proEMAP/p43 that were previously undescribed.

PMID- 20305285
TI  - In planta protein sialylation through overexpression of the respective mammalian
      pathway.
AB  - Many therapeutic proteins are glycosylated and require terminal sialylation to
      attain full biological activity. Current manufacturing methods based on mammalian
      cell culture allow only limited control of this important posttranslational
      modification, which may lead to the generation of products with low efficacy.
      Here we report in vivo protein sialylation in plants, which have been shown to be
      well suited for the efficient generation of complex mammalian glycoproteins. This
      was achieved by the introduction of an entire mammalian biosynthetic pathway in
      Nicotiana benthamiana, comprising the coordinated expression of the genes for (i)
      biosynthesis, (ii) activation, (iii) transport, and (iv) transfer of Neu5Ac to
      terminal galactose. We show the transient overexpression and functional integrity
      of six mammalian proteins that act at various stages of the biosynthetic pathway
      and demonstrate their correct subcellular localization. Co-expression of these
      genes with a therapeutic glycoprotein, a human monoclonal antibody, resulted in
      quantitative sialylation of the Fc domain. Sialylation was at great uniformity
      when glycosylation mutants that lack plant-specific N-glycan residues were used
      as expression hosts. Finally, we demonstrate efficient neutralization activity of
      the sialylated monoclonal antibody, indicating full functional integrity of the
      reporter protein. We report for the first time the incorporation of the entire
      biosynthetic pathway for protein sialylation in a multicellular organism
      naturally lacking sialylated glycoconjugates. Besides the biotechnological impact
      of the achievement, this work may serve as a general model for the manipulation
      of complex traits into plants.

PMID- 20305286
TI  - Commentary: Child maltreatment and physical health: a call to action.

PMID- 20305284
TI  - Multiplex N-terminome analysis of MMP-2 and MMP-9 substrate degradomes by iTRAQ
      TAILS quantitative proteomics.
AB  - Proteolysis is a major protein posttranslational modification that, by altering
      protein structure, affects protein function and, by truncating the protein
      sequence, alters peptide signatures of proteins analyzed by proteomics. To
      identify such modified and shortened protease-generated neo-N-termini on a
      proteome-wide basis, we developed a whole protein isobaric tag for relative and
      absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) labeling method that simultaneously labels and
      blocks all primary amines including protein N- termini and lysine side chains.
      Blocking lysines limits trypsin cleavage to arginine, which effectively elongates
      the proteolytically truncated peptides for improved MS/MS analysis and peptide
      identification. Incorporating iTRAQ whole protein labeling with terminal amine
      isotopic labeling of substrates (iTRAQ-TAILS) to enrich the N-terminome by
      negative selection of the blocked mature original N-termini and neo-N-termini has
      many advantages. It enables simultaneous characterization of the natural N
      termini of proteins, their N-terminal modifications, and proteolysis product and
      cleavage site identification. Furthermore, iTRAQ-TAILS also enables multiplex N
      terminomics analysis of up to eight samples and allows for quantification in MS2
      mode, thus preventing an increase in spectral complexity and extending proteome
      coverage by signal amplification of low abundance proteins. We compared the
      substrate degradomes of two closely related matrix metalloproteinases, MMP-2
      (gelatinase A) and MMP-9 (gelatinase B), in fibroblast secreted proteins. Among
      3,152 unique N-terminal peptides identified corresponding to 1,054 proteins, we
      detected 201 cleavage products for MMP-2 and unexpectedly only 19 for the
      homologous MMP-9 under identical conditions. Novel substrates identified and
      biochemically validated include insulin-like growth factor binding protein-4,
      complement C1r component A, galectin-1, dickkopf-related protein-3, and
      thrombospondin-2. Hence, N-terminomics analyses using iTRAQ-TAILS links
      gelatinases with new mechanisms of action in angiogenesis and reveals unpredicted
      restrictions in substrate repertoires for these two very similar proteases.

PMID- 20305287
TI  - The cannabinoid WIN55,212-2 protects against oxidized LDL-induced inflammatory
      response in murine macrophages.
AB  - The endocannabinoid system has recently been attracted interest for its anti
      inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties. In this study, we investigated the
      role of the endocannabinoid system in regulating the oxidized low-density
      lipoprotein (oxLDL)-induced inflammatory response in macrophages. RAW264.7 mouse
      macrophages and peritoneal macrophages isolated from Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats
      were exposed to oxLDL with or without the synthetic cannabinoid WIN55,212-2. To
      assess the inflammatory response, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and tumor
      necrosis factor alpha (TNF- alpha) levels were determined, and activation of the
      mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor (NF)-kappa B signaling
      pathways were assessed. We observed that: i) oxLDL strongly induced ROS
      generation and TNF- alpha secretion in murine macrophages; ii) oxLDL-induced TNF-
      alpha and ROS levels could be lowered considerably by WIN55,212-2 via inhibition
      of MAPK (ERK1/2) signaling and NF-kappa B activity; and iii) the effects of
      WIN55212-2 were attenuated by the selective CB2 receptor antagonist AM630. These
      results demonstrate the involvement of the endocannabinoid system in regulating
      the oxLDL-induced inflammatory response in macrophages, and indicate that the CB2
      receptor may offer a novel pharmaceutical target for treating atherosclerosis.

PMID- 20305289
TI  - Ectoparasitic diseases diagnosed in cattle.

PMID- 20305288
TI  - Bile acids regulate hepatic gluconeogenic genes and farnesoid X receptor via
      G(alpha)i-protein-coupled receptors and the AKT pathway.
AB  - Bile acids are important regulatory molecules that can activate specific nuclear
      receptors and cell signaling pathways in the liver and gastrointestinal tract. In
      the current study, the chronic bile fistula (CBF) rat model and primary rat
      hepatocytes (PRH) were used to study the regulation of gluconeogenic genes
      phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and glucose-6-phosphatase (G-6-Pase)
      and the gene encoding short heterodimeric partner (SHP) by taurocholate (TCA).
      The intestinal infusion of TCA into the CBF rat rapidly (1h) activated the AKT
      (approximately 9-fold) and ERK1/2 (3- to 5-fold) signaling pathways,
      downregulated (approximately 50%, 30 min) the mRNA levels of PEPCK and G-6-Pase,
      and induced (14-fold in 3 h) SHP mRNA. TCA rapidly ( approximately 50%, 1-2 h)
      downregulated PEPCK and G-6-Pase mRNA levels in PRH. The downregulation of these
      genes by TCA was blocked by pretreatment of PRH with pertussis toxin (PTX). In
      PRH, TCA plus insulin showed a significantly stronger inhibition of glucose
      secretion/synthesis from lactate and pyruvate than either alone. The induction of
      SHP mRNA in PRH was strongly blocked by inhibition of PI3 kinase or PKCzeta by
      specific chemical inhibitors or knockdown of PKCzeta by siRNA encoded by a
      recombinant lentivirus. Activation of the insulin signaling pathway appears to be
      linked to the upregulation of farnesoid X receptor functional activity and SHP
      induction.

PMID- 20305290
TI  - Factors associated with cat ownership in a community in the UK.
AB  - A census-based epidemiological study was carried out to investigate factors
      associated with cat ownership in a semi-rural community of 1278 households in
      Cheshire, UK. Twenty-two per cent of the households were identified as cat-owning
      and 52 per cent owned a pet of any type. There was evidence to suggest that some
      types of household were more likely to own a cat than others. Multivariable
      logistic regression indicated that households were less likely to own a cat if
      they had one dog compared with no dog, but were more likely to have a cat if they
      also owned a horse. There was strong evidence that the composition of members of
      the household was also associated with cat ownership. Households that included
      people over 60 years old were less likely to own a cat. Households that consisted
      only of male adults were less likely to own a cat when compared with mixed-sex
      households. Conversely, households consisting only of female adults were more
      likely to own a cat.

PMID- 20305291
TI  - Control of caseous lymphadenitis in six sheep flocks using clinical examination
      and regular ELISA testing.
AB  - In an effort to control the spread of caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) infection,
      flocks of affected sheep on six holdings were tested serologically at regular
      intervals using an antibody ELISA with a mean (sd) specificity of 99 (1) per cent
      and a sensitivity of 79 (5) per cent. Western blot assays to detect antibodies to
      the phospholipase D (PLD) exotoxin of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis were
      used as a further test when ELISA results were inconclusive. Owners were advised
      to remove from the flock any sheep that demonstrated clinical signs of CLA or
      tested positive for PLD by ELISA or western blot. Of the six trial flocks, one
      was dispersed after only two blood tests, and in another the recommendations for
      CLA control were not followed and infected animals were retained within the
      flock. In the remaining four flocks, the testing regimen and other advice enabled
      the disease to be controlled to such an extent that the appearance of new
      clinical cases of CLA was effectively halted. This remained the case for up to
      five years after the end of the trial. In two of these flocks, a small number of
      seropositive animals were detected at the last flock test). However, on the other
      two holdings all sheep were seronegative in the final two flock tests, consistent
      with the complete eradication of infection.

PMID- 20305292
TI  - Detection of avian metapneumovirus subtypes in turkeys using RT-PCR.
AB  - This study investigated the prevalence of avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) and the
      detection of molecular subtypes of field strains of the virus using RT-PCR in
      clinically healthy turkeys and those showing signs of respiratory disease. In the
      RT-PCR examination of 624 tracheal tissue samples collected from a local turkey
      abattoir, 2.9 per cent (18/624) of samples tested positive. In the examination of
      tracheal swab samples collected from flocks with respiratory problems, 18 of 20
      samples tested positive. When the results were assessed at flock level, aMPV
      infection was detected in only one of the 23 clinically healthy turkey flocks,
      whereas all four flocks with respiratory problems were infected. Molecular typing
      using primers specific to the attachment glycoprotein (G) gene showed that all 36
      positive samples belonged to subtype B. Partial sequence analysis of DNA samples
      showed 95 per cent homology between the field types and the reference strain aMPV
      subtype B. Whereas clinically healthy turkeys had been vaccinated with a subtype
      A virus vaccine, the flocks with respiratory problems had been vaccinated with a
      subtype B virus vaccine. Despite four blind passages of RT-PCR-positive samples
      on Vero and chicken embryo fibroblast cells, no cytopathic effect was detected by
      microscopic examination.

PMID- 20305293
TI  - alpha-Tocopherol concentrations in equine serum and cerebrospinal fluid after
      vitamin E supplementation.

PMID- 20305297
TI  - When to euthanase.

PMID- 20305298
TI  - Haemonchosis in large ruminants in the UK.

PMID- 20305299
TI  - Future of PETS.

PMID- 20305300
TI  - Rad9A is required for G2 decatenation checkpoint and to prevent endoreduplication
      in response to topoisomerase II inhibition.
AB  - The Rad9A checkpoint protein interacts with and is required for proper
      localization of topoisomerase II-binding protein 1 (TopBP1) in response to DNA
      damage. Topoisomerase II (Topo II), another binding partner of TopBP1,
      decatenates sister chromatids that become intertwined during replication.
      Inhibition of Topo II by ICRF-193 (meso-4,4'-(3,2-butanediyl)-bis-(2,6
      piperazinedione)), a catalytic inhibitor that does not induce DNA double-strand
      breaks, causes a mitotic delay known as the G(2) decatenation checkpoint. Here,
      we demonstrate that this checkpoint, dependent on ATR and BRCA1, also requires
      Rad9A. Analysis of different Rad9A phosphorylation mutants suggests that these
      modifications are required to prevent endoreduplication and to maintain
      decatenation checkpoint arrest. Furthermore, Rad9A Ser(272) is phosphorylated in
      response to Topo II inhibition. ICRF-193 treatment also causes phosphorylation of
      an effector kinase downstream of Rad9A in the DNA damage checkpoint pathway,
      Chk2, at Thr(68). Both of these sites are major targets of phosphorylation by the
      ATM kinase, although it has previously been shown that ATM is not required for
      the decatenation checkpoint. Examination of ataxia telangectasia (A-T) cells
      demonstrates that ATR does not compensate for ATM loss, suggesting that
      phosphorylation of Rad9A and Chk2 by ATM plays an additional role in response to
      Topo II inhibition than checkpoint function alone. Finally, we have shown that
      murine embryonic stem cells deficient for Rad9A have higher levels of catenated
      mitotic spreads than wild-type counterparts. Together, these results emphasize
      the importance of Rad9A in preserving genomic integrity in the presence of
      catenated chromosomes and all types of DNA aberrations.

PMID- 20305301
TI  - Expression profiles and clinical correlations of degradome components in the
      tumor microenvironment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) are characterized by high
      morbidity and mortality, largely due to the high invasive and metastatic
      potential of these tumors, high recurrence rates, and low treatment responses.
      Proteinases have been implicated in several aspects of tumor growth and
      metastasis in a broad range of tumors including HNSCC. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN:
      Comprehensive expression profiling of proteinases [matrix metalloproteinases
      (MMPs), A disintegrin and metalloproteinase (ADAMs), and ADAMs with
      thrombospondin motif (ADAMTSs)] and their inhibitors [tissue inhibitor of
      metalloproteinases (TIMPs)] was done using quantitative real-time reverse
      transcription-PCR analysis of a large cohort of tissue samples representing the
      tumor (n = 83), the invasive margin (n = 41), and the adjacent tissue (n = 41)
      from 83 HNSCC patients, along with normal tissue controls (n = 13), as well as
      cell lines established from tumors of 34 HNSCC patients. RESULTS: The results
      show specifically elevated gene expression of several proteinases, including
      MMP1, MMP3, MMP10, and MMP13 within tumor tissue and peritumoral adjacent tissue.
      In addition, the results identify several novel HNSCC-associated proteinases,
      including ADAM8, ADAM9, ADAM17, ADAM28, ADAMTS1, ADAMTS8, and ADAMTS15. There
      were also significant differences in proteinase expression based on clinical
      parameters, i.e., tumor location, grade, and local invasion. MMP13 expression was
      significantly higher in large (>4 cm) locally invasive tumors (P < 0.05). MMP9
      expression was significantly decreased in tumors with regional metastasis,
      whereas increased expression of ADAM8 was noted in the metastatic tumors (P <
      0.001 for both). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest the HNSCC degradome as a
      valuable source of diagnostic, predictive, and prognostic molecular markers for
      these malignant tumors.

PMID- 20305302
TI  - The volume-mortality relation for radical cystectomy in England: retrospective
      analysis of hospital episode statistics.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relation between volume and mortality after
      adjustment for case mix for radical cystectomy in the English healthcare setting
      using improved statistical methodology, taking into account the institutional and
      surgeon volume effects and institutional structural and process of care factors.
      DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of hospital episode statistics using multilevel
      modelling. SETTING: English hospitals carrying out radical cystectomy in the
      seven financial years 2000/1 to 2006/7. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with a primary
      diagnosis of cancer undergoing an inpatient elective cystectomy. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURE: Mortality within 30 days of cystectomy. RESULTS: Compared with low
      volume institutions, medium volume ones had a significantly higher odds of in
      hospital and total mortality: odds ratio 1.72 (95% confidence interval 1.00 to
      2.98, P=0.05) and 1.82 (1.08 to 3.06, P=0.02). This was only seen in the final
      model, which included adjustment for structural and processes of care factors.
      The surgeon volume-mortality relation showed weak evidence of reduced odds of in
      hospital mortality (by 35%) for the high volume surgeons, although this did not
      reach statistical significance at the 5% level. CONCLUSIONS: The relation between
      case volume and mortality after radical cystectomy for bladder cancer became
      evident only after adjustment for structural and process of care factors,
      including staffing levels of nurses and junior doctors, in addition to case mix.
      At least for this relatively uncommon procedure, adjusting for these confounders
      when examining the volume-outcome relation is critical before considering
      centralisation of care to a few specialist institutions. Outcomes other than
      mortality, such as functional morbidity and disease recurrence may ultimately
      influence towards centralising care.

PMID- 20305303
TI  - [Mood, mood fluctuations and depression: role of the circadian rhythms].
AB  - The statement that circadian rhythmicity is an important component of mood
      regulation as well as a drive of mood disorders is supported by a growing body of
      evidence. Diurnal rhythms of the positive and negative components of mood as well
      as of the level of arousal depend on the circadian phase, the homeostatic sleep
      regulatory mechanisms and the harmonic interaction of the circadian and
      homeostatic processes. The chronopathological symptoms which are typical in
      depression and explain the blunted mood of depressive patients are of the phase
      advance and phase-delay type characterized by a misalignment between the
      circadian rhythms and the sleep-wake schedules, best described by the phase-angle
      alterations. The abnormal phase angle between circadian rhythms and the timing of
      the sleep period could emerge from an interaction of the chronotypes and other
      constitutional factors with adverse environmental effects (inadequate zeitgebers)
      leading to a disharmony between the diurnal components of mood regulation and
      consequent extreme mood states. The aim of the chronotherapies of depression and
      of other affective disorders is that of resynchronizing the circadian rhythms or
      in other words to reconstitute the harmony between these subsystems.
      Pharmacological approaches, lifestyle changes and specific chronotherapeutic
      interventions might help to achieve this goal.

PMID- 20305304
TI  - [Dopamine D4 receptor hypoxia sensitivity and child psychiatric disorders].
AB  - Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most frequent child
      psychiatric problems with a complex genetic and environmental background.
      According to the prevailing view, main factors of the disorder are prefrontal
      dopamine deficiency and incomplete central dopaminergic functioning. Twin studies
      suggest substantial heritability in the background of the disease, and the
      studied candidate genes involve components of the dopamine system. Moreover,
      various noxious pre- and perinatal environmental impacts have been implicated in
      the pathogenesis of ADHD. Here we review experimental results from
      epidemiological, tissue and animal studies that assigned a causal role to fetal
      hypoxia in the development of ADHD and pointed out that the dopaminergic
      neurotransmission is sensitive to hypoxia. Allelic variants of the D4 dopamine
      receptor (DRD4) are well characterized risk factors of ADHD. Recently we have
      reported that hypoxia enhanced the promoter activity of DRD4 gene several fold.
      These observations suggest that the effect of hypoxia on the dopaminergic
      neurotransmission might be an important factor in the pathomechanism of ADHD.

PMID- 20305305
TI  - Epilepsy and dependence.
AB  - Epilepsy is relatively frequent neurological condition. Its prevalence is assumed
      to be about 1%, and it would be interesting to see how many of these people have
      comorbid substance dependence disorder. The manifestation of epilepsy exhibits a
      seizure-like condition with typical neurological and psychical symptoms, which
      are induced by pathological electric discharges in brain. The population of
      addicts is known to have higher prevalence of seizures, found not only in alcohol
      abusers, but also in illicit drug users. The aim of our paper is to give an
      overview of the prevalence rates of this serious health condition in patients
      with substance dependence treated at the OLUP NPO, Predna Hora. The author
      compares two groups of patients: with and without the epileptic seizures. Alcohol
      addicts prevailed in both groups. Each 8th treated dependent patient had at least
      one epileptic seizure. Nearly the same percent of dependent patients in both
      groups (43,6% vs. 40,9%) holds a driving license, thus they probably also drive a
      motor vehicle. Is there any person who would initiate withdrawal of driving
      license from such patients? Frequent somatic diseases in more than one half of
      the group with seizures (more than 62%) highlight the fact that this group of
      patients requires thorough and financially probably more demanding health care.

PMID- 20305306
TI  - [The effects of duloxetine on beta-actin stress response in rat brain].
AB  - Depression is a frequent prodromal symptom of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Stress
      factors play an important role in the etiopathology of both diseases, since
      increased corticosteroid levels caused by chronic stress indirectly induce
      neuronal damage. The aim of our experiments was to evaluate the changes induced
      by stress in the transcription of amyloid precursor protein (APP), mitogen
      activated protein kinase-1 (MAPK-1) and beta-actin, of which the latest plays a
      leading role in synaptic plasticity. Additionally we intended to examine how
      duloxetine - a serotonin-norepinephrin reuptake inhibitor type antidepressant -
      would modify the stress-induced changes. Wistar rats were exposed to
      immobilization stress for five hours daily through 21 days, while part of the
      animals received 45 mg/bwkg of duloxetine. At the end of the third week total RNA
      was purified from the cortex and hippocampus. The amount of beta-actin, APP and
      MAPK-1 mRNA was determined by real time PCR method. On protein level,
      semiquantitative measurement was performed by Western blot. The expression of
      beta-actin mRNA in the animals exposed to stress was four times as intense as in
      the control group. The increase in the beta-actin mRNA levels was repressed by
      the duloxetine treatment. In the case of APP and MAPK-1 no changes were detected.
      According to the Western blot results, the antidepressant treatment slightly, the
      drug along with the stress treatment strongly decreased the amount of the beta
      actin protein. Our findings indicate that antidepressant treatment with
      duloxetine could play a protective role against the chronic stress-induced
      changes in the nervous system, such as disorders of synaptic plasticity, and the
      consequent cognitive dysfunctions in case of both affective disorders and AD.

PMID- 20305307
TI  - [Complex hallucination (visual-auditory) during coadministration of tramadol and
      clarithromycin].
AB  - Acute manifestations of various psychopathological symptoms require detailed
      differential diagnostic procedure, since their cause is found to be somatic in
      several cases. These adverse events during the treatment are often the side
      effects of the prescribed drugs or drug-drug interactions. In the presented case
      report, the patient had complex visual-auditory hallucinations two days after the
      initiation of tramadol-clarithromycin coadministration and these transient
      symptoms were repeated for two days. After the interruption of the administration
      of these drugs, the symptoms disappeared in two days, without the administration
      of any kind of psychotropics. These two drugs by themselves may cause
      hallucinations, and because both of them are metabolized by the same enzyme (CYP
      3A4) in the liver, symptoms were worsened by the drug-drug interaction. The
      reason of this effect is that tramadol is the substrate and clarithromycin is the
      inhibitor of the CYP 3A4 enzyme. Medical examination results (physical
      examination, ECG, blood samples, CT scan, EEG) could not be causally related to
      the symptoms. Suspected risk factors were the old age of the patient, the
      condition of his brain and the interactions with other previously prescribed
      drugs. This case report calls the attention of clinicians to the fact that in
      vitro drug-drug interactions in vivo can produce clinical manifestations more
      often then taken into account.

PMID- 20305308
TI  - [Difficulties in changing drugs--from clozapine to aripiprazole in ambulatory
      care].
AB  - Although there are well-established psychiatric procedures available concerning
      switching of antipsychotic drugs, in practice we often face a situation where we
      have to consider not only the patient's demands, but also requests from
      relatives. In this article we describe a case where we encountered this
      situation. Our patient was a 48-year-old married man suffering from paranoid
      schizophrenia with extreme obesity. We had to consider the modification of the
      antipsychotic treatment because of the patient's persistent residual symptoms
      (significant lack of initiative, serious under-motivation, emotional
      plainessness, considerable passivity) his overweight and its consequences
      (metabolic syndrome). In our paper we describe the psychoeducational process and
      the clozapine/aripiprazol switch.

PMID- 20305309
TI  - Pathogenesis of HIV infection: total CD4+ T-cell pool, immune activation, and
      inflammation.
AB  - Recent studies have yielded important findings on the pathogenesis of HIV
      infection. HIV infection leads to immune dysfunction through CD4+ T-cell
      depletion (immunodeficiency) and immune activation (immunosuppression). In vivo
      imaging studies of nonhuman primates indicate that the total body pool of CD4+ T
      cells may provide more accurate quantitation of immune depletion in HIV infection
      than the peripheral blood CD4+ count. Immune activation appears to be driven by
      both a homeostatic response to CD4+ cell depletion and an inflammatory response
      to HIV infection. The evidence is mounting that ongoing inflammation and
      coagulation account for the increased risk of serious nonopportunistic events in
      patients with HIV infection. Studies in long-term nonprogressors indicate that
      the HIV-specific immune responses in these patients are distinguished by clonal
      expansions of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells. Additional study of the precise
      mechanisms that allow immunologic control of infection in these patients may
      contribute to development of vaccines and immune-based therapies. This article
      summarizes a presentation made by H. Clifford Lane, MD, at the International AIDS
      Society-USA continuing medical education program held in May 2009 in Chicago. The
      original presentation is available as a Webcast at www.iasusa.org.

PMID- 20305310
TI  - Medical interventions for addictions in the primary care setting.
AB  - Primary care physicians treating HIV-infected patients should not be afraid or
      reluctant to engage in medication-assisted treatment for substance dependence.
      Effective medications are available for many types of substance addictions,
      including buprenorphine for opioid dependence, disulfiram for cocaine dependence,
      bupropion for methamphetamine dependence, and naltrexone for alcohol dependence.
      Physician use of medications coupled with encouragement to adhere to all aspects
      of treatment including counseling and other psychosocial interventions can
      produce substantial rewards in terms of keeping patients involved in their HIV
      care and improving overall patient health and functioning. This article
      summarizes a presentation made by R. Douglas Bruce, MD, MA, MSc, at the 12th
      Annual Clinical Conference for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program held in October
      2009 in Dallas, Texas. The original presentation is available as a Webcast at
      www.iasusa.org.

PMID- 20305311
TI  - Dermatologic manifestations of HIV in Africa.
AB  - Dermatologic disease is common in HIV-infected individuals, and clinicians caring
      for patients with HIV infection or AIDS in Africa are routinely confronted with
      skin problems in their patients. Scarce access to dermatologic specialty care and
      limited educational resources describing the unique clinical characteristics of
      HIV-related skin disease can make diagnosing and treating skin diseases a
      challenge in Africa. This article describes common HIV-related dermatologic
      conditions in Africa and their differential diagnoses and includes treatment
      strategies that are likely to be available locally. It is not meant to be
      comprehensive but rather to serve as a practical resource to aid practitioners by
      providing images of common conditions and describing distinctive clinical
      presentations of common conditions.

PMID- 20305312
TI  - Aging of the liver graft and functional quality in the absence of recurrent
      disease: a 10 year histological follow-up.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although considerable information has been acquired concerning the
      function of older donor liver grafts it remains unclear how long these organs may
      fare well in their "cumulative life span". As graft challenge due to recurrent
      underlying disease can best be eliminated and controlled in patients transplanted
      for alcoholic liver disease (ALD) we analysed liver biopsies of ALD patients
      during a 10-year follow-up with special emphasis on donor age and parenchymal
      quality. MATERIAL/METHODS: Biopsies were taken from 271 patients 1, 3, 5, 10
      years after LT. Specimen were analysed and staged concerning inflammation,
      rejection, fatty involution, and fibrosis/cirrhosis. Donor characteristics were
      recorded along with clinical and serological parameters, immunosuppressive
      protocols, rejection episodes, and patient and graft survival. RESULTS: 1, 3, 5
      years after LT >80% of patients displayed only minimal fibrosis. In the further
      course fibrosis rates increased among all patients, with slightly more fibrosis
      for recurrent drinkers. Donor age did not influence fibrosis progression, long
      term patient or graft survival. Regardless of alcohol abuse survival was
      excellent 5 years after LT, after 10 years abstinent patients did significantly
      better (82%;68%; p=0.017. CONCLUSIONS: LT for ALD offers excellent long-term
      survival with minimal histological alteration, especially in abstinent patients.
      Aged organs generate adequate function in ALD recipients.

PMID- 20305313
TI  - Orthotopic liver transplantation: the first experience and results of the Vilnius
      University Hospital Santariskiu Klinikos.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Liver transplantation has become the treatment of choice for chronic
      and acute end-stage liver failure as well as for selected cases of malignancies
      and metabolic disorders. We report our first experience of the orthotopic liver
      transplantation. MATERIAL/METHODS: Between 2005 and 2008 16 cadaveric orthotopic
      liver transplantations in 16 adults (12 males, 4 females, mean age 44 years) were
      performed. Main indications for orthotopic liver transplantation were cholestatic
      liver disease (31%), viral-induced cirrhosis (25%), alcoholic liver disease
      (19%), hepatocellular carcinoma associated with hepatitis virus infection (13%),
      autoimmune cirrhosis (6%), cryptogenic acute liver failure (6%). Mean follow-up
      was 15 month (range: 4 days - 43 month). RESULTS: Intraabdominal haemorrhage was
      observed in 6 patients (37.5%). Vascular complications were observed in 3
      patients (18.75%). Biliary complication were observed in 3 patients (18.75%).
      Overall 1 year patient survival was 87,5%. Four (25%) patients died during follow
      up. All patients died because of sepsis and multiorgan system failure.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our first results showed that secret of successful liver
      transplantation is perfect interdisciplinary team approach, including selection
      of the recipient and timing of transplantation, the operative procedure itself,
      prevention and treatment of complications, the perioperative anaesthesiological
      and intensive-care management, and careful follow up after transplantation.

PMID- 20305315
TI  - Chronic kidney disease in prevalent orthotopic heart transplant recipients using
      a new CKD-EPI formula.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heart transplantation is an established treatment for advanced heart
      failure. However, chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an important long-term
      complication of all forms of organ transplantation other than renal. It has been
      shown that a GFR <60 ml/min is predictive of premature cardiovascular death.
      MATERIAL/METHODS: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of kidney
      dysfunction in heart transplant recipients using a new CKD-EPI formula in a
      cohort of 169 prevalent patients (mean age 53.30+/-13.80 years). RESULTS: Mean
      serum creatinine in this population was 1.71+/-1.10 mg/dl, Serum creatinine was
      normal (<1.4 mg/dL in males and <1.2 mg/dL in females) in 45.4% of the patients.
      According to the Cockcroft-Gault formula, stage 2 CKD (i.e.GFR 60-89 ml/min) was
      demonstrated in 79 patients (46.75%), stage 3 CKD (i.e. GFR 30-59 ml/min) in 49
      patients (29.00%) and stage 4 CKD (i.e. GFR 15-29 ml/min) in 15 patients (8.88%).
      According to MDRD formula stage 2 CKD was found in 36 patients (21.30%), stage 3
      CKD was found in 79 patients (46.75%) and stage 4 in 27 patients (15.98%).
      According to new CKD-EPI formula, stage 2 CKD was found in 35 patients (20.71%),
      stage 3 CKD in 79 patients (46.75%) and stage 4 in 28 patients (16.57%).
      According to the creatinine clearance stage 2 CKD was found in 61 patients
      (36.09%), stage 3 CKD in 63 patients (37.28%) and stage 4 in 19 (11.24%)
      patients. Clinically significant CKD (GFR <60 ml/min) was found in 37.88-63.91%
      depending on the formula used to estimate the GFR. Normal kidney function was
      found in 27 patients (15.98%) according to MDRD formula, in 27 patients (15.98%)
      according to new CKD-EPI formula, in 26 patients (15.38%) according Cockcroft
      Gault formula and 26 patients (15.38%) on the basis of 24-hours creatinine
      clearance. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the prevalence of CKD is high in heart
      transplant recipients. Evaluation of renal function is important in order to
      select the appropriate strategy to reduce the cardiovascular risk. New CKD-EPI
      formula seems to more accurate in assessment kidney function that previously
      used, however, it merits further studied and validation against gold standard of
      isotope GFR measurement.

PMID- 20305314
TI  - The influence of cardiac rhythm type and frequency on the prognosis of severe
      heart failure patients initially qualified for heart transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia among patients
      (pts) with heart failure and has significant influence on survival. AIM OF THE
      STUDY: to assess prognosis of pts with refractory heart failure (HF) qualified
      for heart transplantation (HTX). MATERIAL/METHODS: 872 pts (107 W and 765 M) were
      qualified for HTX between Dec 2003 and Oct 2007. Patient's death or super urgent
      heart transplantation were considered the end point in Kaplan-Meier survival
      curves. RESULTS: 680 pts were on sinus rhythm (SR) and 192(22.0%) had atrial
      fibrillation (AF). During follow-up (1-1464 days, mean 550 days) 155 pts (17.7%)
      died, 17.65% with SR and 18.23% with AF (ns). EF - mean 21,6 (SR) and 21,8 (FA),
      NYHA 3,1 (SR), NTproBNP- mean 3635, 4 (SR) and 4349,4 (FA), Arronson - mean 7,8
      (SR) and 7,7 (FA). There were no significant differences between groups. We
      analyzed influence of heart rate (Kaplan-Maier method) on survival. The pts were
      divided according to HR: gr.I <70/min, gr II 71-89/min, gr III >90/min. The
      shortest survival rate was noticed in group III. There was no difference in
      survival between group I and II. CONCLUSIONS: The prognosis for patients
      qualified for heart transplant does not depend on the type of the dominant
      cardiac rhythm (atrial fibrillation or sinus rhythm). The prognosis is
      significantly better for those patients whose basic, resting heart rate does not
      exceed 90 bpm regardless of the rhythm type.

PMID- 20305316
TI  - The safety of hem-o-lock clips at donor nephrectomies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hem-o-lock (polymer) vascular clips have been used over a long period
      for vascular control at donor nephrectomies. With our study, safety of hem-o-lock
      clip use at donor nephrectomies (conventional donor nephrectomy, transabdominal
      donor nephrectomy and retroperitonoscopic donor nephrectomy) has been evaluated.
      MATERIAL/METHOD: A total of 883 cases, consisting of conventional donor
      nephrectomy, transabdominal donor nephrectomy and retroperitonoscopic donor
      nephrectomy, performed between May 2006 and August 2009 were retrospectively
      evaluated. Of all cases, 803 were performed conventional donor nephrectomy, 85
      were performed endoscopic donor nephrectomy. Five patients who had first
      undergone endoscopic donor nephrectomy had conversion operations. RESULTS:
      Vascular control at renal pedicle were obtained either with hem-o-lock clip ot
      vascular clamps. Cases with conventional donor nephrectomy were divided into two
      subgroups. Group I: cases which had transfixation sutures with 5.0 prolene in
      order to prevent clip separation after hem-o-lock clip use; Group II: cases
      without transfixation sutures. Only hem-o-lock sutures were used at laparoskopic
      and retroperitonoscopic techniques. Large and X-large clip and were used for
      renal arteries and two X-large clips were used for renal vein. CONCLUSIONS: The
      most ideal method for vascular control at donor nephrectomy is controversial. Use
      of transfixation and hem-o-lock clips at conventional donor nephrectomy may be an
      alternative method. However for all three methods and at both groups, none of the
      cases who had undergone nephrectomy had bleeding or donor loss caused by hem-o
      lock clips at intraoperative, perioperative anf postoperative periods. For this
      reason, we believe that use of hem-o-lock clips is a safe and reliable method for
      vascular control at donor nephrectomies.

PMID- 20305317
TI  - Variant anatomy of renal arteries in a Kenyan population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Variant anatomy of renal arteries is important in renal transplant,
      vascular reconstruction, and uroradiological procedures. The variations show
      ethnic and population differences. Data from Africans are scarce and altogether
      absent for Kenyans. OBJECTIVE: To describe patterns of origin, trajectories and
      branching of renal arteries in a Kenyan population. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING:
      Descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in the Department of Human Anatomy,
      University of Nairobi. MATERIAL/METHODS: Three hundred and fifty six kidneys from
      178 cadavers and postmortem specimens were used in the study. Aorta, renal
      arteries and kidneys were exposed by dissection. Number, trajectories, level of
      branching, number of branches and point of entry into the kidney were recorded.
      Data was analyzed using SPSS version 16.0, and presented using macrographs,
      tables, and bar charts. RESULTS: Additional arteries occurred in 14.3% of the
      cases. In 82.4% of these, there was one additional artery. Fifty nine point five
      per cent of the double renal arteries were parallel and 7.1% crossed. Of the 305
      single arteries, 76.4% showed hilar, 21.6% prehilar and 2% intraparenchymal
      branching. In the hilar branching, ladder type was present in 65% and fork type
      in 35%. Bifurcation and trifurcation were present in 59.6% and 33.1%
      respectively. Polar arteries were present in 16.9% cases. CONCLUSIONS: Over 14%
      of the Kenyan population may have additional renal arteries while more than 20%
      show early branching. Several trajectories and hilar branching patterns exist
      which renal transplant surgeons and radiologists should be aware of to avoid
      inadvertent vascular injury.

PMID- 20305318
TI  - The assessment of PFA-100 test for the estimation of blood loss in renal
      transplantation operation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Platelet dysfunction is well known factor that may play a role in
      bleeding diathesis in uremia. In recent years, Platelet Function Assay 100 (PFA
      100) was introduced to measure platelet function. The purpose of this study was
      to determine whether an abnormal PFA-100 is an accurate predictor of bleeding in
      dialysis patients undergoing renal transplantation (RTx). MATERIAL/METHODS: We
      included 98 dialysis patients undergoing RTx operation. PFA-100 test measuring
      collagen/epinephrine (Col/EPI) and collagen/adenosine 5'-diphosphate (Col/ADP)
      closure was performed in each patients after induction of anesthesia. We compared
      intraoperative blood loss measured by gravimetric method during RTx operation
      method between patients with normal Col/EPI and Col/ADP closure times (group 1,
      n= 51) and with prolonged Col/EPI and Col/ADP closure times (group 2, n=47).
      RESULTS: Intraoperative blood loss calculated by gravimetric method was 273+/-50
      ml in the group 1 and 303+/-109 ml in the group 2 (p>0.05). Blood loss in gross
      formula was 356+/-87 ml in the group 1 and 450+/-99 ml in group 2 (p>0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: Assessment of platelet function with preoperative measurement of PFA
      100 in RTx patients is not an effective method for estimating the risk of blood
      loss in the intraoperative and postoperative periods.

PMID- 20305319
TI  - Unsuccessful attempt of forearm transplantation--case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The technique of hand transplantation is similar to that of hand
      replantation. Although the rate of failure of hand replantation tantamount to 15%
      on average, depending mostly on mechanism of amputation, until now no data have
      been published concerning the failure of attempts of hand transplantation. CASE
      REPORT: A 42-year-old male is presented who was the recipient of a hand
      transplant. The patient had an amputation of his left, dominant forearm (result
      of a circular-saw accident) 8 years prior to the transplantation. He was
      generally healthy, very dedicated to the operation. The limb was obtained in
      another hospital from a 49-year-old woman, victim of an accident and multi
      visceral donor.The donor was matched for blood group (0 positive), bone size,
      texture, with the recipient. There was 4 HLA antigen mismatch; the
      lymphocytotoxic cross-match was negative. The operation was performed in a
      sequence as follows: bones--muscles--nerves--veins--arteries--skin. The induction
      IT consisted of Simulect, Prograff, Cell-Cept, and steroids; the pharmacotherapy
      was standard as for a forearm replantation. The cold ischemia time was 9 hours.
      Soon after the transplantation the disturbances of blood circulation in the
      transplanted forearm were to be seen. High doses of macromolecular heparin were
      applied resulting in temporary improvement. During following hours despite
      various precautions the symptoms of ischemia of the hand up to 1/3 distal part of
      the forearm dramatically increased. The revision (performed 12 hrs after
      completing the transplantation) proved a massive thrombosis of hand arteries, and
      a large clot of the radial artery in locus of it's cannulation for invasive blood
      pressure measurement. The limb had to be re-amputated. As it came clear the
      arterial catheter was removed 6 hours prior to procurement. CONCLUSIONS: The hand
      transplant are not free from non-immunological typical vascular complications.
      The arterial catheters should not be applied in limbs destined for procurement.

PMID- 20305320
TI  - Toxic tacrolimus blood levels with rifampin administration in a renal transplant
      recipient.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Induction of the hepatic and intestinal cytochrome P450-3A4 system
      and intestinal P-glycoprotein is an unavoidable consequence of rifampin
      administration which requires substantial increase in tacrolimus dose when given
      concurrently. Chronic diarrhea is known to precipitate tacrolimus toxicity
      irrespective of its cause in renal transplant recipients. CASE REPORT: A 28 years
      old lady had a second renal transplant when she was 15 years old which is
      functioning normally. She was maintained on prednisolone, azathioprine,
      omeprazole and tacrolimus. Tacrolimus was maintained on therapeutic levels (5-7
      ng/ml). She developed pyrexia of unknown origin associated with chronic diarrhea.
      Detailed investigations didn't reach any definite diagnosis. Antituberculous
      drugs including rifampin were started emperically. During the first four months
      of antituberculous treatment diarrhea worsened and unexpected high tacrolimus
      trough blood levels were observed requiring successive dose reduction from 7
      mg/day up to 0.5 mg every other day with rise of serum creatinine from 100 to 140
      umol/l. Tacrolimus was changed to low dose sirolimus and renal function gradually
      improved to its baseline while still on rifampin treatment. CONCLUSIONS: We
      conclude that chronic diarrhea may cause toxic tacrolimus blood levels even in
      presence of rifampin, this would be due to its significant cytochrome P450-3A4
      and P-glycoprotein enzyme inhibitory effect.

PMID- 20305321
TI  - Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides blood stream infection following liver
      transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Leuconostoc spp. are vancomycin resistant Gram positive lactobacilli.
      Little is known about their significance in transplant recipients. CASE REPORT: A
      64-year-old female liver transplant recipient developed Leuconostoc sepsis
      originating from a bile leak after extended exposure to vancomycin. The infection
      was readily controlled clindamycin, however, the patient died later on unrelated
      to the infection. Five articles on Leuconostoc infections in transplant patients
      were found in PubMed including two liver recipients with intraabdominal infection
      due to biliary complications and four stem cell recipients with sepsis.
      CONCLUSIONS: Leuconostoc spp. should be considered pathogens in transplant
      recipients who are exposed to vancomycin.

PMID- 20305322
TI  - Occult donor metastatic adenocarcinoma. Contribution of the forensic autopsy. A
      case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The transmission of malignancies from the organ donor to the
      recipients is an uncommon complication, but it can be fatal. Older donors may
      increase the risk of tumor transmission. A forensic autopsy will help identify
      diseases that might be transmitted to the recipient. CASE REPORT: Donor was a 75
      year-old man with traumatic brain injury caused by an accidental fall, which led
      to brain death. He had no previous cancer history. The forensic autopsy conducted
      on the following day revealed a suspicious spot in the lung, on which a biopsy
      was done. Histological examination confirmed the presence of a metastatic
      adenocarcinoma in the lung 7 days after both kidneys had been transplanted. After
      notifying the transplant team, both recipients underwent an early transplant
      nephrectomy. 15 months later, no signs of malignancy have been detected in the
      recipients and so they have received a new transplant. CONCLUSIONS: Conducting a
      forensic autopsy on donors deceased as a result of a fatality offers an
      additional opportunity to detect previously undiagnosed malignancies. Any
      suspicious lesion found that could compromise transplant viability should be
      notified to the transplant team notwithstanding the pathologist's legal
      requirements. This case shows the need for an exhaustive donor evaluation,
      including, in selected cases, the performance of an autopsy.

PMID- 20305323
TI  - Factors affecting catch-up growth after liver transplantation in children with
      cholestatic liver diseases.
AB  - Growth retardation is one of the most prominent consequences of childhood
      cholestatic liver diseases. The pathogenesis of malnutrition is multifactorial
      and includes reduced calorie intake, fat malabsorption, abnormal protein
      metabolism, and increased energy expenditure. Poor growth is a typical feature of
      biliary atresia, cystic fibrosis, progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis
      and Alagille syndrome. In some of these features it is not only directly related
      to impaired nutrient absorption. Liver transplantation is required if liver
      disease progresses to liver failure - improved nutritional status is achieved
      within weeks after surgery. Still, patients with Alagille syndrome present with
      only slight catch-up growth after transplantation, while patients with PFIC and
      biliary atresia grow significantly.<br />

PMID- 20305324
TI  - Clinical characteristics and hematologic responses to Imatinib in patients with
      chronic phase myeloid leukemia (CML) at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital.
AB  - AIM: To analyze the clinical characteristics of patients with chronic phase CML
      and evaluate complete hematologic responses (CHR) and overall survival (OS) after
      treatment with Imatinib. METHODS: This is a cross sectional study using
      retrospective medical record of patients with chromosome Philadelphia positive
      and/or BCR-ABL positive chronic phase CML at the polyclinic of Teratai Department
      of Internal Medicine Cipto Mangunkusumo National Hospital during 2003-2008. In a
      period of 6 years, we included 53 patients with chromosome Philadelphia positive
      and/or BCR-ABL positive chronic phase CML. Patients were administered Imatinib
      400 mg daily and then evaluation of clinical characteristics and complete blood
      count + differential count were performed every 2 weeks until CHR achieved at 3
      months as defined by white cells count < 10,000/mm3, platelet count >
      450,000/mm3, and non palpable spleen. RESULTS: The median age was 37 years (16-67
      years). Males were slightly more frequent than females (29 v.s. 24) with ratio of
      1.2:1. Thirty three percent of patients had splenomegaly. The vast majority (60%)
      of patients had previous treatment with Hydroxyurea. The laboratory features
      were: median of hemoglobin level was 10.0 g/dL (6.3-16.6 g/dL), median of white
      cell count was 13,300/uL (1900-621,000/uL), and median of platelet count was
      424,000/uL (108,000-4,400,000/uL). Median of basophils was 1.6% (0%-20%) and 88%
      of patients had <5% blasts in bone marrow. CONCLUSION: A CHR was achieved in 74%
      of patients and overall survival during the study was 66%. The most common
      adverse events were: nausea, myalgia, hypopigmentation of the skin, anemia,
      thrombocytopenia, and neutropenia.

PMID- 20305325
TI  - VEGF expression and desmoplastic reaction as potential progressive factors in
      young patients with colorectal cancer.
AB  - AIM: To compare the expression of VEGF-A and desmoplastic reaction of colorectal
      cancer between the young aged and old aged patients excluding the stage of tumor.
      METHODS: Our study was a retrospective study on VEGF-A expression and
      desmoplastic reaction in pathology anatomy specimens of patients with colorectal
      cancer at young age (less than 40 years of age) and older age (more than equal 60
      years of age). The samples had been taken since 2001 until 2008 and the sample
      size for each group was 42 samples for young age and 36 samples for older age
      subjects. To carry out the examination of VEGF expression, our study utilized the
      immunohistochemistry method. In addition, desmoplastic reaction as a preliminary
      study was evaluated by using routine HE staining. To recognize the difference of
      VEGF-A expression and the degree of desmoplastic reaction in young aged and older
      aged patients with colorectal cancer, a Chi-Square test was performed. The
      statistics was considered as significant when p value <0.05. RESULTS: Forty-two
      patients were at younger age (< or =40 years) and 36 patients were at older age
      (> or =60 years), with characteristics of them 37 males and 41 females. Tumor
      grading was performed based on WHO criteria. Ten subjects with high-grade tumor
      and 32 subjects with low-grade in the young age group; while in the older age
      group, there were 9 subjects with high-grade tumor and 27 subjects with low grade
      tumor. In young age, there was twice greater likelihood to have pronounced
      desmoplastic reaction compared to the older age (OR = 2.1). CONCLUSION: The VEGF
      A expression in younger and older age was nearly the same; however, there was
      significant difference of desmoplastic reaction in younger aged patients compared
      to the older aged. There was also comparable correlation between strong positive
      VEGF-A expression and strong desmoplastic reaction in young patients with
      colorectal cancer.

PMID- 20305326
TI  - ACE gene insertion/deletion polymorphism among patients with type 2 diabetes, and
      its relationship with metabolic syndrome at Sardjito Hospital Yogyakarta,
      Indonesia.
AB  - AIM: To know the frequencies of insertion/deletion polymorphism in the
      angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene among patients with type 2 diabetes and
      its relationship with metabolic syndrome at Sardjito Hospital Yogyakarta.
      METHODS: We examined 69 patients with type 2 diabetes at Sardjito Hospital
      Yogyakarta, divided 2 groups based on ATP III criteria of metabolic syndrome. To
      determine the ACE genotype of the patients, a genomic DNA fragment on intron 16
      of the ACE gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using a forward
      primer 5'-CTG GAG ACC ACT CCC ATC CTT TCT-3' and reverse primer 5'-GAT GTG GCC
      ATC ACA RTC GTC AGA T-3'. II genotype 1 band on 490 bp (homozigot), DD genotype 1
      band on 190 bp (homozigot) and ID genotype 2 band (heteroduplex) on 490 bp and
      190 bp were separately detected on a 3% agarose gel containing ethidium bromide.
      RESULTS: Of 69 patients with type 2 diabetes, there were 51 females (73.91%) and
      18 males (26.09%). Subjects with metabolic syndrome were 49 patients (71.02%)
      while without metabolic syndrome were 20 patients (28.98%). Subjects with II, DD,
      ID genotype were 57.97%, 23.19% and 18.84% respectively. The male subjects with
      II, DD, ID genotype were 55.56%, 27.78% and 16.67% respectively, and the female
      subject II, DD ID genotype were 58.82%, 21.57% and 19.61% respectively. The
      association between ACE I/D polymorphism and metabolic syndrome in type 2
      diabetes, was not significant (p=0.204). CONCLUSION: The frequency of ACE I/D
      polymorphism among type 2 diabetes are 57.97% II, 23.19% DD, 18.84% ID. There is
      no association between metabolic syndrome and the component of metabolic syndrome
      and varians of the ACE gene among the type 2 diabetes patients.

PMID- 20305327
TI  - Expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) related to oxidative
      stress in liver of rat-induced by systemic chronic normobaric hypoxia.
AB  - AIM: To observe the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha)
      and its relation with oxidative stress in liver of rats induced by systemic
      chronic normobaric hypoxia. METHODS: Twenty five male, 6-8 weeks old rats were
      induced by systemic hypoxia. Rats were divided randomly into 5 groups (n = 5 per
      group). The control group was exposed to normal environment while the hypoxic
      groups were kept in hypoxic chamber (10% O(2)) for 1, 3, 7, and 14 days. Animals
      were sacrificed, the liver isolated and homogenized. Total RNA was extracted and
      isolated and expression of HIF-1alpha mRNA was measured by real-time RT PCR using
      Pffafl method. Malondialdehyde (MDA), product of lipid peroxidation was measured
      by tBARS assay. Glutathione (GSH), an abundant endogenous antioxidant in the
      liver tissue was measured using Ellman method. RESULTS: Study showed that
      expression of HIF-1alpha mRNA was increased in group treated for 1 day of hypoxic
      condition, and then decreased in group treated for 3, 7 and 14 days of hypoxic
      condition related with duration of hypoxic condition. The MDA level in liver
      tissue increased, but not significant in all groups of hypoxic condition and
      persisted along duration time of hypoxic condition. The GSH level was decreased
      significantly (p<0.005) in all groups of hypoxic condition. CONCLUSION:
      Expression of HIF-1alpha mRNA was higher at the early phase of hypoxia and
      decreased as hypoxia continued. Systemic hypoxia induction caused increased ROS
      formation during hypoxia, and depleted the GSH concentration in the liver.
      Oxidative stress present in liver of rat was induced by systemic hypoxia.

PMID- 20305328
TI  - Urine osmolality in the elderly.
AB  - AIM: Investigation was done in the institutionalized elderly in order to know the
      value of urine osmolality in this population. METHODS: Cross sectional study was
      done in the government institutionalized elderly that localized in South Jakarta.
      By using simple random sampling, 50 elderly people were chosen from all of the
      residents in this institutionalized elderly aged more than 60 years. They were
      excluded if they had diabetes mellitus, abnormal cortisol (reference range of
      morning cortisol, 5-25 ug/dL), potassium less than 3 meq/L, chronic diarrhoe,
      congestive heart failure, nephrotic syndrome, and cirrhosis of the liver, and
      also if they were in manitol or diuretic treatment, and not cooperative. All of
      these data were analyzed with descriptive analysis and comparative T-test of two
      non-related groups. RESULTS: There were 28 elderly peoples consisted of 13 males
      and 15 females participated in this study. The mean of the urine osmolality was
      581 +/- 174 mosmol/Kg. The mean of the urine osmolality in the female group
      (657.33 +/- 126.54 mosmol/kg) was significantly higher than in the male group (p
      = 0.01). CONCLUSION: The urine osmolality in the elderly is high and the so
      called normal value is 407-755 mosmol/Kg. Further study is needed to investigate
      the lowest urine osmolality value as the diagnostic tool of hyponatremia due to
      water excretion disorder in the elderly.

PMID- 20305329
TI  - A randomized, controlled, double-blind trial of the adjunct use of Clebopride in
      polyethylene glycol electrolyte (PEG) solution for colonoscopy preparation.
AB  - AIM: To study the benefit of Clebopride as an adjuvant in polyethylene glycol
      electrolyte (PEG) solution for colonoscopy preparation. METHODS: Eighty one adult
      patients who underwent colonoscopy examination were recruited in this randomized
      double blind controlled study. First group received PEG and placebo, whereas
      second group received PEG and Clebopride. Two litres of PEG was taken at night
      before colonoscopy. The acceptability and tolerability of bowel preparation were
      assessed through interview method. The efficacy of bowel preparation was assessed
      using Aronchick's Criteria. RESULTS: In terms of acceptability, 64 patients (31
      patients from placebo group vs 33 patients from Clebopride group) were able to
      drink two litres of PEG solution. Sixty patients (29 patients from placebo group
      and 31 patients from Clebopride group) were willing to accept PEG solution for
      their next bowel preparation. On the term of tolerability, nausea, abdominal
      distension, and borborygmus were more frequent in the placebo group (34.2% vs
      27.9%; 44.7% vs 32.6%; 26.3% vs 4.6% respectively). However, only the difference
      at the incidence of borborygmus that was statistically significant (p<0.05). On
      the terms of efficacy, both groups showed a comparable bowel preparation quality
      with 88.4% of bowel preparation in Clebopride group and 81.6% of bowel
      preparation in placebo group were optimal (p = 0.585). CONCLUSION: The adjunct
      use of Clebopride in PEG solution for colonoscopy preparations tends to increase
      the acceptability, tolerability, and efficacy. The presence of borborygmus was
      significantly lower in the Clebopride group.

PMID- 20305330
TI  - Hashimoto's thyroiditis following Graves' disease.
AB  - Both Graves' disease and chronic thyroiditis (Hashimoto's thyroiditis) are
      autoimmune diseases of thyroid gland. Graves' disease is caused by stimulation of
      TSH receptor located on the thyroid gland by an antibody, which is known as TSH
      receptor antibody (TRAb). Furthermore, this may lead to hyperplasia and
      hyperfunction of the thyroid gland. On the contrary, the cause of Hashimoto's
      thyroiditis is thought due to a TSH stimulation-blocking antibody (TSBAb) which
      blocks the action of TSH hormone and subsequently brings damage and atrophy to
      thyroid gland. Approximately 15-20% of patients with Graves' disease had been
      reported to have spontaneous hypothyroidism resulting from the chronic
      thyroiditis (Hashimoto's disease). Pathogenesis for chronic thyroiditis following
      anti-thyroid drug treatment in patients with Graves' disease remains unclear. It
      has been estimated that chronic thyroiditis or Hashimoto's disease, which occurs
      following the Graves' disease episode is due to extended immune response in
      Graves' disease. It includes the immune response to endogenous thyroid antigens,
      i.e. thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin, which may enhance lymphocyte
      infiltration and finally causes Hashimoto's thyroiditis. We report four cases of
      chronic thyroiditis (Hashimoto's disease) in patients who have been previously
      diagnosed with Graves' hyperthyroidism. In three cases, Hashimoto's thyroiditis
      occurs in 7 to 25 years after the treatment of Grave's disease; while the other
      case has it only after few months of Grave's disease treatment. The diagnosis of
      Hashimoto's disease (chronic thyroiditis) was based on clinical manifestation,
      high TSHs level, positive thyroid peroxidase antibody and thyroglobulin antibody,
      and supported by positive results of fine needle aspiration biopsy. Moreover, the
      result of histopathological test has also confirmed the diagnosis in two cases.
      All cases have been successfully treated by levothyroxine treatment.

PMID- 20305331
TI  - Nutritional carcinogenesis.
AB  - Human beings are often being exposed to carcinogenic factors during their life,
      some of which are the nutritional factors. From the mechanistic view, nutritional
      factors are classified into genotoxic and non-genotoxic agents. Genotoxic agent
      begins their action at the DNA level, causing DNA damage through several
      mechanisms, e.g. gene point mutations, deletions and insertions, recombinations,
      rearrangements and amplifications, as well as chromosomal aberrations. Most
      genotoxic agents are micro components of nutrition, i.e. polycyclic aromatic
      hydrocarbon (PAH) or heterocyclic amines (HCAs), aflatoxin, and N-nitrosamine.
      Non-genotoxic agents are less defined in their modes of action, but they are
      presumed to indirectly affect the cell through tumor promoters. These agents are
      generally macro components, e.g. high fat. Moreover, epigenetic factors,
      including changes in the DNA methylation pattern, and peroxidation process
      resulting reactive oxygen species (ROS), are also known to cause cancer. On the
      other hand, it is also well recognized that diet and nutrition contain components
      that can reduce the risk of cancer, in some cases by decreasing the effects of
      food mutagens, or through carcinogen detoxification, or protection of DNA from
      electrophilic carcinogen. Thus nutritionally related cancer ultimately develops
      from an imbalance of carcinogenesis and anti-carcinogenesis process.

PMID- 20305332
TI  - Clinical manifestation of oral candidiasis in a HIV patient.

PMID- 20305333
TI  - Malaria treatment by using artemisinin in Indonesia.
AB  - Report on resistance of old malarial drug treatment (eg. chloroquine,
      sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine, and quinine) in the last decade has become concerned,
      affecting more than 25% provinces in Indonesia. Such a situation leads to a
      decision made by the Department of Health through commission meetings of malarial
      experts or known as komisi ahli malaria (KOMLI) to change the strategy of malaria
      drug treatment by using ACT (artemysinin combination treatment). As a treatment
      for any infection, a tendency of using drug combination has a strong role against
      resistance and preventing resistance to primary drug. Artemisinin is a
      sesquiterpene lactone of anti-malaria drug which is characterized by its blood
      schizonticides nature to P. falciparum and P. vivax. It has been developed from
      an ancient Chinese traditional drug for patient with fever, which is made from an
      extract of Artemesia annua L (qinghao) and has been used since thousand of years
      ago and was found by Chinese researchers in 1971. Artemisinin has been used for
      mild malaria as combination drug (ACT) and for severe malaria by using intra-vena
      or intra-muscular artesunate, or by using artemether for intra-muscular purpose
      only. Patients with malaria should have their blood slides to be examined on day
      2, 3, and day 7, 14, 21, and 28. Patients who are not hospitalized and could not
      return on day 2 (48 hours following the initial treatment), may return on day 3.
      For those who got early or late treatment failure, another treatment should be
      provided. Treatment failure shall be defined in two criteria which are early and
      late treatment failure. The treatment for each patients with severe malaria
      should be performed as general treatment, symptomatic treatment, administration
      of anti-malaria drug, and treatment on complication.

PMID- 20305334
TI  - Out-of-field photon dose following removal of the flattening filter from a
      medical accelerator.
AB  - The aim of this paper is to determine the effect of removing the flattening
      filter from a linear accelerator on the out-of-field photon dose. A Monte Carlo
      model was used to simulate 6 MV and 18 MV photon beams from a Varian 2100
      accelerator with the flattening filter in place and with it removed. The out-of
      field photon doses and composition (head leakage, patient scatter and collimator
      scatter) were calculated from square open fields in a water tank as a function of
      distance from central axis, field size and depth. The out-of-field doses
      resulting from intensity-modulated radiation therapy to the prostate at 6 MV were
      also calculated, with and without the flattening filter, to sensitive organs in
      an anthropomorphic Rando phantom. Removal of the flattening filter reduced the
      out-of-field dose near the treatment field (<3 cm from the field edge) because of
      decreased collimator scatter. It increased the out-of-field dose at intermediate
      distances from the field edge (3-15 cm) because of increased patient scatter. At
      greater distances, the out-of-field dose was decreased because of reduced head
      leakage. For the clinical treatment examined, the out-of-field dose was generally
      reduced following removal of the flattening filter, particularly at large
      distances from the treatment field. Removal of the flattening filter may be
      advantageous by reducing the out-of-field dose to the patient. This could
      contribute to reducing the long-term risk of secondary malignancies. In general,
      however, the out-of-field dose depends on treatment and patient parameters, and a
      reduction may not always be achievable.

PMID- 20305335
TI  - In vivo preclinical evaluation of the accuracy of toroidal-shaped HIFU treatments
      using a tumor-mimic model.
AB  - The pig is an ideal animal model for preclinical evaluation of HIFU treatments,
      especially in the liver. However, there is no liver tumor model available for
      pigs. In this work, we propose to study an in vivo tumor-mimic model as a tool
      for evaluating if a sonographycally guided HIFU treatment, delivered by a
      toroidal-shaped device dedicated for the treatment of liver metastases, is
      correctly located in the liver. One centimeter tumor-mimics were created in liver
      tissues. These tumor-mimics were detectable on ultrasound imaging and on gross
      pathology. Two studies were carried out. First, an in vivo study of tolerance at
      mid-term (30 days, 10 pigs) revealed that tumor-mimics are suitable for studying
      HIFU treatments at a preclinical stage, since local and biological tolerances
      were excellent. The dimensions of the tumor-mimics were reproducible (diameter at
      day 0: 9.7 +/- 2.0 mm) and were the same as a function of time (p = 0.64). A
      second in vivo study was carried out in ten pigs. Tumor mimics were used as
      targets in liver tissues in order to determine if the HIFU treatment is correctly
      located in the liver. A procedure of extensive HIFU ablation using multiple HIFU
      lesions juxtaposed manually was then tested on eight tumor-mimics. In 88% of the
      cases (seven out of eight), tumor-mimics were treated with negative margins
      (>or=1 mm) in all directions. On average, negative margins measured 10.0 +/- 6.7
      mm. These tumor-mimics constitute an excellent reference for studying in vivo the
      accuracy of HIFU therapy in the liver.

PMID- 20305336
TI  - Mechanistic simulation of normal-tissue damage in radiotherapy--implications for
      dose-volume analyses.
AB  - A radiobiologically based 3D model of normal tissue has been developed in which
      complications are generated when 'irradiated'. The aim is to provide insight into
      the connection between dose-distribution characteristics, different organ
      architectures and complication rates beyond that obtainable with simple DVH-based
      analytical NTCP models. In this model the organ consists of a large number of
      functional subunits (FSUs), populated by stem cells which are killed according to
      the LQ model. A complication is triggered if the density of FSUs in any 'critical
      functioning volume' (CFV) falls below some threshold. The (fractional) CFV
      determines the organ architecture and can be varied continuously from small
      (series-like behaviour) to large (parallel-like). A key feature of the model is
      its ability to account for the spatial dependence of dose distributions.
      Simulations were carried out to investigate correlations between dose-volume
      parameters and the incidence of 'complications' using different pseudo-clinical
      dose distributions. Correlations between dose-volume parameters and outcome
      depended on characteristics of the dose distributions and on organ architecture.
      As anticipated, the mean dose and V(20) correlated most strongly with outcome for
      a parallel organ, and the maximum dose for a serial organ. Interestingly better
      correlation was obtained between the 3D computer model and the LKB model with
      dose distributions typical for serial organs than with those typical for parallel
      organs. This work links the results of dose-volume analyses to dataset
      characteristics typical for serial and parallel organs and it may help
      investigators interpret the results from clinical studies.

PMID- 20305337
TI  - The treatment effect of the burn wound healing by electrolyticreduction ion water
      lotion.
AB  - A 2-year-and-4-month-old girl suffered a burn to the neck due to boiling water.
      She was examined at another hospital, and recommended to undergo dermatoplasty.
      Thirteen days after injury, she consulted our hospital. A wide skin defect was
      observed around the neck, and a third-degree burn was diagnosed. Conservative
      treatment using electrolyticreduction ion water (ERI) lotion, antibiotics/steroid
      combination ointment, and vitamin A/E ointment was performed without
      dermatoplasty. Treatment of the burn was started with the application of ERI
      lotion, antibiotics/steroid combination ointment, and vitamin A/E ointment to the
      wound 3 times a day combined with wrap therapy. The lysis of necrotic tissue and
      granulation began 1 week after the beginning of treatment. After 2 weeks, the
      necrosed skin had completely lysed, satisfactory granulation tissue began to form
      and blood supply improved. Regeneration of the skin was noted at 1-3 months after
      the beginning of treatment. Complete epithelialization was observed after 4
      months, but hypertrophic cicatrization and pigmentation began to occur. After 26
      months, capillary growth was observed, cicatrix became inconspicuous,
      pigmentation disappeared, and the burn almost completely healed. In conclusion,
      in this patient, the process of tissue repair after burn injury progressed
      smoothly, and healing was achieved without leaving hypertrophic cicatrix, keloid
      scar, or pigmentation. Our experience suggested that even third-degree burns can
      be treated using only external therapy with ERI lotion, antibiotics/steroid
      combination ointment, and vitamin A/E ointment without dermatoplasty.

PMID- 20305338
TI  - A study of the relationship between mental health and menstrual abnormalities in
      female middle school students from postearthquake Wenchuan.
AB  - The present field investigation sought to explore the relationship between mental
      health and abnormal menstruation in female middle school students from post
      earthquake Wenchuan following the 2008 Sichuan earthquake (the earthquake's
      epicenter was in Wenchuan Couty, Sichuan Province). A total of 587 female middle
      students from post-earthquake Wenchuan were given the PCL-C, SCL-90, and a
      menstruation questionnaire. Outcomes were measured by diagnostic criteria. The
      general incidence of PTSD was 60.8%, and D symptoms were the most prevalent PTSD
      symptoms (49.6%). Of symptoms indicated by the Symptom Checklist, obsessive
      compulsive traits were most prevalent (94.6%), followed by interpersonal
      sensitivity (91.9%). The incidence of abnormal menstruation was 76.6%. Incidence
      of abnormal menses among students who screened positive for PTSD was
      significantly higher than among students who did not (chi2 = 4.015, p = 0.045).
      The incidence of abnormal menses was higher among students who screened positive
      for somatization, obsessive-compulsive traits, phobic anxiety, and diet and sleep
      disorders than among those who did not (p < 0.05). In conclusion, there was a
      relationship between mental health and physical health in female middle school
      students in a post-earthquake area. A higher incidence of abnormal menstruation
      may occur in students with PTSD, somatization disorder, obsessive-compulsive
      disorder, phobic anxiety, and diet and sleep disorders. Therefore, psychological
      intervention is particularly necessary for female students who have survived a
      natural disaster like an earthquake.

PMID- 20305339
TI  - Rapid increase in Japanese life expectancy after World War II.
AB  - Japanese life expectancy increased by about 13.7 years during the first decade
      after World War II, despite the country's post-war poverty. Although it is known
      that medical progress explains part of this increase, roles of non-medical
      factors have not been systematically studied. This study hypothesizes that non
      medical factors, in addition to medical factors, are associated with the rapid
      increase in life expectancy in Japan. We analyzed the time trends of potential
      explanatory factors and used regression analysis with historical data from the
      Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' Historical Statistics of Japan
      during the period between 1946 and 1983. Time trends analysis revealed that the
      rapid increase in life expectancy preceded the dramatic growth of per capita
      Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 10 years. In education, the nearly universal
      enrollment in elementary schools and increased advancement to upper secondary
      schools for both sexes were associated with better health. Regarding legislation,
      32 health laws were passed in the first decade after the war and these laws were
      associated with improved health. Using regression analysis, we found that the
      enrollment rate in elementary schools, the number of health laws, and expansion
      of community-based activity staff were significantly associated with the
      increased life expectancy during the first decade after World War II. To
      conclude, in addition to medical factors, non-medical factors applied across the
      country, particularly education, community-based activities and legislation were
      associated with the rapid increase in Japanese life expectancy after World War
      II.

PMID- 20305340
TI  - Bioavailability and biological activity of liquisolid compact formula of
      repaglinide and its effect on glucose tolerance in rabbits.
AB  - This study is an extension of the previous enhancement of dissolution properties
      of repaglinide using liquisolid compacts. The development and validation of a
      highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay for the determination of
      repaglinide concentration in rabbit plasma for pharmacokinetic studies is
      described. Repaglinide optimizing formula was orally administered to rabbits and
      blood samples were used to determine the pharmacokinetic parameters of
      repaglinide, which were compared to pharmacokinetic parameters of marketed
      tablets (Novonorm 2 mg). Also, to investigate the biological activity of this new
      formula, in comparison with the commercial product, oral glucose tolerance tests
      (OGTT), area under the curve and insulin levels were studied. Moreover, we
      studied the efficacy and safety of this new formula in several potencies (0.5, 1,
      and 2 mg) and blood glucose, insulin, kidney and liver functions. The relative
      bioavailability of repaglinide from its liquisolid compact formula was found to
      be increased significantly in comparison to that of the marketed tablet. In
      regard to urea and creatinine, no significant change was recorded after the
      administration of the commercial and the three potencies of the new formulation
      compared with the control group. Similarly, in liver function tests (serum
      glutamic pyruvic transaminase, SGPT), there were no changes observed in its
      level. Regarding insulin levels, the commercial formula increased insulin levels
      insignificantly (3.52% change) while the new formula increased the insulin level
      significantly with a percent change of 37.6%. The results of the glucose
      tolerance test showed that the blood glucose level was decreased significantly
      after the commercial drug (percent change, 18.1%) while in groups treated with
      the new formulation the decrease was highly significant (p < 0.01) with a percent
      change of 29.98%. The change in area under the curve for blood glucose was
      significantly higher in the commercial drug plus glucose load than in the new
      formulation plus glucose load group (p < 0.05) in the periods of 30-45 min and 45
      60 min. Furthermore, the new repaglinide formulation significantly decreased
      blood glucose levels more than the commercial formula.

PMID- 20305341
TI  - Evaluation of estrogen receptor alpha, estrogen receptor beta, progesterone
      receptor, and cKIT expression in desmoids tumors and their role in determining
      treatment options.
AB  - The present study evaluates the protein expression of estrogen receptor alpha
      (ERalpha), estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta), progesterone receptor (PR) and cKIT
      in a wide number of desmoids tumors and their role in determining treatment
      options. Fifty-nine cases classified as muscle aponeurotic fibromatosis were
      selected. Samples were grouped by tumor location in: head and neck, extremity and
      abdominal/trunk; type of resection of the primary tumor (complete resection with
      adequate margins, marginal resection and resection with inadequate margins); type
      of treatment (exclusive surgery, surgery followed by radiation therapy and
      surgery followed by tamoxifen or cyclooxygenase inhibitor). A tissue microarray
      (TMA) was built and the immunohistochemical reactions were performed against
      ERalpha, ERbeta, PR, and c-kit. All cases were negative for ERalpha, PR and c
      KIT. 53/59 cases were positive for ERbeta. No significant difference was observed
      among clinical variables and the ERbeta status. The estimated 5 and 10 year local
      recurrence free survival (LRFS) for the patients with complete or marginal
      resection was 75% and 75%, respectively. Tumor location (p = 0.006) and type of
      resection (p = 0.001) were predictive of local relapse in the univariate
      analysis. All patients treated with post-operative tamoxifen were LRFS (p =
      0.035). Head and neck and extremities lesions showed higher recurrence rates
      compared to abdominal/trunk lesions. Marginal resection was associated with local
      recurrence. In conclusion, although this is a retrospective study, the results
      presented can contribute to better understanding of the mechanisms under desmoid
      tumor development and can propose tamoxifen as a therapeutic option to be tested
      in prospective trials.

PMID- 20305342
TI  - The healing effect of electrolytic-reduction ion water on burn wounds.
AB  - We prepared a lotion using electrolytic-reduction ion water (ERI), and evaluated
      the healing effects of this lotion (ERI lotion) on burn wounds. Third degree burn
      wounds were induced in the mouse dorsal skin, and ERI lotion or physiological
      salt (PS) lotion was applied to the wounds from immediately after injury [ERI (+)
      group and ERI (-) group as a control group, respectively]. The burn wound area
      was measured, and its serial changes were evaluated. In addition, histological
      examination of the burn wound site (on day 3) was performed. Comparison of the
      ERI (+) and (-) groups showed a significant reduction in the burn wound area in
      the former. Histological examination confirmed many interstitial spaces, blood
      vessels, and lymphatic vessels in the subcutaneous tissue in the ERI (-) compared
      with the ERI (+) group. These results suggest the promotion of burn wound healing
      by ERI lotion.

PMID- 20305343
TI  - Compliance with the triage protocols.

PMID- 20305344
TI  - Crystal growth and twinned crystal structure of Sr2CaWO6.
AB  - Single crystals of Sr(2)CaWO(6) have been prepared by sintering at high
      temperature. Powder samples were compressed into rods and heated up to 1953 K.
      This seems a promising new route for further studies of the structure and
      physical properties of double perovskites. The structural model of Sr(2)CaWO(6)
      includes a quantitative description of the twinning shown by the diffraction
      pattern that should be present in almost any single-crystal specimen for this
      type of compound.

PMID- 20305345
TI  - Superspace description of the homologous series Ga2O3(ZnO)m.
AB  - A unified description for the structures of the homologous series
      Ga(2)O(3)(ZnO)(m), gallium zinc oxide, is presented using the superspace
      formalism. The structures were treated as a compositely modulated structure
      consisting of two subsystems. One is constructed with metal ions and the other
      with O ions. The ideal model is given, in which the displacive modulations of
      ions are well described by the zigzag function with large amplitudes. Alternative
      settings are also proposed which are analogous to the so-called modular
      structures. The validity of the model has been confirmed by refinements for
      phases with m = 6 and m = 9 in the homologous series. A few complex phenomena in
      real structures are taken into account by modifying the ideal model.

PMID- 20305346
TI  - Modulation functions of incommensurately modulated Cr2P2O7 studied by the maximum
      entropy method (MEM).
AB  - The maximum entropy method (MEM) has been used to determine electron density in
      superspace of incommensurately modulated chromium pyrophosphate from X-ray
      diffraction data measured by Palatinus et al. [(2006), Acta Cryst. B62, 556-566].
      Chromium pyrophosphate, Cr(2)P(2)O(7), contains ordered regions (83% of the
      volume) and regions with disorder. Analysis of the MEM density has allowed the
      determination of the displacive modulation functions within ordered regions. The
      disordered regions can be described as the alternate occupation of two
      conformations of the pyrophosphate group and two positions of the chromium atom,
      with occupational probabilities that depend continuously on the phase of
      modulation t. A structure model based on the interpretation of the MEM density
      provides a fit to the diffraction data of the same quality as the model given by
      Palatinus et al. (2006). The failure to find a model that better fits the data is
      attributed to the intrinsic inaccuracy of approximately 0.01 A for positions
      derived from the MEM and to the difficulties in constructing an appropriate model
      for the anharmonic ADPs and their modulation functions from electron densities.

PMID- 20305347
TI  - Mullite-type Ga4B2O9: structure and order-disorder phenomenon.
AB  - Ga(4)B(2)O(9), an aluminium-free mullite-type compound, was prepared by a boric
      acid flux method and its structure was determined using powder X-ray diffraction
      techniques, in combination with transmission electron microscopy, solid-state
      (11)B MAS-NMR and IR spectroscopies. GaO(6) octahedra share edges in a trans
      manner forming one-dimensional chains along the b direction, and the chains are
      further cross-linked by GaO(5), BO(3) and BO(4) groups into a three-dimensional
      mullite-type structure. The disorder of the inter-chain groups results in a small
      unit cell for Ga(4)B(2)O(9) compared with that for Al(4)B(2)O(9), an ordered
      compound with a superstructure. By deconstructing the structure of Ga(4)B(2)O(9),
      we were able to identify the fundamental building units and their linking rules
      which can be used to reconstruct the ordered and disordered structures. For
      Ga(4)B(2)O(9), we found that the structure is intrinsically disordered within the
      ac plane, but ordered along the b axis. The three-dimensional structure can then
      be constructed by stacking the disordered ac sheets along the b axis ((1/2)b)
      with a (1/2)a shift. The fundamental building units and exclusivity rules
      identified in this gallium borate mullite may also be useful for understanding
      other related mullite phases. The structure analysis applying the proposed method
      is used to recognize the structural features of Al(4)B(2)O(9) and
      Al(18)B(4)O(33).

PMID- 20305348
TI  - Two new silicate structures based on a rhodesite-type heteropolyhedral
      microporous framework.
AB  - Two new members of the mero-plesiotype rhodesite series
      [Sr(2)Na(2)(Si(8)O(19)).4H(2)O, abbreviated as TR09; SrNa(4)(Si(8)O(19)).4H(2)O,
      TR10] have been hydrothermally synthesized in Teflon-lined autoclaves at 503 K
      and structurally characterized using X-ray diffraction single-crystal data. The
      crystal structures were solved by direct methods and refined to R = 0.021 [TR09;
      3317 reflections with I(o) > 2sigma(I(o))] and R = 0.033 [TR10; 5007 reflections
      with I(o) > 2sigma(I(o))]. Both structures are based on a rhodesite-type
      microporous heteropolyhedral framework, where two types of channels are within
      the double silicate layer that alternates with an ;octahedral' O sheet. The large
      Sr(2+) cation constrains to the roughly ellipsoidal shape of the channels. The
      H(2)O molecules are located both in the O sheets and in the channels, where they
      are loosely hydrogen bonded. The crystal-chemical features that allow flexibility
      to the rhodesite-type microporous heteropolyhedral framework and make it
      interesting for possible technological applications are discussed.

PMID- 20305349
TI  - New RE microporous heteropolyhedral silicates containing 4(1)5(1)6(1)8(2)
      tetrahedral sheets.
AB  - Four heteropolyhedral microporous silicates, A(3)RESi(6)O(15).2.25H(2)O,
      crystallizing in the Cmm2 space group and based on 4(1)5(1)6(1)8(2) tetrahedral
      sheets [A(3) = Na(2.74)K(0.26), RE = Ce, abbreviated as TR05; TR06: A(3) =
      Na(2.72)K(0.28), RE = La; TR07: A(3) = Na(3), RE = La; TR08: A(3) =
      Na(2.74)(H(3)O)(0.26), RE = La(0.68)Eu(0.32)] have been hydrothermally
      synthesized in Teflon-lined autoclaves at 503 K and structurally characterized
      using X-ray diffraction single-crystal data. Except for TR05, diffraction data
      have been collected on {001} twins by merohedry. The four structures are isotypic
      and based on strongly corrugated 4(1)5(1)6(1)8(2) silicate sheets interconnected
      along [010] by seven-coordinated RE polyhedra to form a microporous
      heteropolyhedral framework. The framework is crossed by three systems of
      ellipsoidal channels that host H(2)O molecules and alkaline ions. The channels
      run either parallel or perpendicular to the silicate sheets; the largest
      effective channel width is 4.7 x 2 A. In TR08 some (H(3)O)(+) replaces alkalis.
      Although the H atoms have not been localized, the configuration of the hydrogen
      bonding has been deduced from bond lengths and angles.

PMID- 20305350
TI  - Re-investigation of the structure and crystal chemistry of the Bi2O3-W2O6 'type
      (Ib)' solid solution using single-crystal neutron and synchrotron X-ray
      diffraction.
AB  - Single crystals of composition Bi(35.66)W(4.34)O(66.51) (or Bi(8.2)WO(15.3),
      bismuth tungsten oxide), within the type (Ib) solid-solution region of the
      Bi(2)O(3)-WO(3) system, were synthesized using the floating-zone furnace method.
      Synchrotron X-ray and neutron single-crystal diffraction data were used to
      confirm the previously tentative assignment of the room-temperature space group
      as I4(1). Fourier analysis of the combined X-ray and neutron datasets was used to
      elucidate and refine fully the cation and anion arrays for the first time. The
      mixed cation site M1 is shown to be coordinated by eight O atoms in an irregular
      cube when M = Bi, and by six O atoms in an octahedron when M = W. The resulting
      disorder in the average structure around M1 is discussed in the context of
      experimentally observed oxide-ion conductivity.

PMID- 20305351
TI  - Inorganic structures in space group P31m; coordinate analysis and systematic
      prediction of new ferroelectrics.
AB  - The 62 entries listed in ICSD release 2009/1 under polar space group P31m
      correspond to 31 families of inorganic crystal structures, some with only one
      member. Coordinate analysis reveals, over a wide confidence range, 11 of these
      families as ferroelectric candidates. One includes the well known improper
      ferroelectric GASH (guanidinium aluminum sulfate hexahydrate),
      [(C(NH(2))(3))Al(SO(4))(2)(H(2)O)(6)], another the previously predicted
      ferroelectric CsNO(3) phase II. Those remaining include K(3)Nb(3)B(2)O(12), the
      minerals schairerite, galeite and lizardite 1T, LaNi(5)D(6) and gamma
      CaNi(5)D(6.1), Ca(OCl)(2)Ca(OH)(2), [N(CH(3))(4)](2)Mo(3)S(13), Li(17)Ag(3)Sn(6)
      and Cs(3)As(5)O(9). Candidate selection is based upon detecting an approach by
      the reported atomic arrangement to the symmetry of a corresponding nonpolar
      supergroup. A further 13 families are typified by their reduced predictive
      properties, with four others likely to remain polar at higher temperatures and
      the remaining three noted as having a unit cell larger than reported or a
      misassigned space group. The primary sources of uncertainty in structurally based
      predictions of ferroelectricity are the reliability of the underlying structural
      determination and the upper limit assigned to the cationic displacement
      magnitudes required to achieve supergroup symmetry.

PMID- 20305352
TI  - Maximum entropy method and charge flipping, a powerful combination to visualize
      the true nature of structural disorder from in situ X-ray powder diffraction
      data.
AB  - In a systematic approach, the ability of the Maximum Entropy Method (MEM) to
      reconstruct the most probable electron density of highly disordered crystal
      structures from X-ray powder diffraction data was evaluated. As a case study, the
      ambient temperature crystal structures of disordered alpha-Rb(2)[C(2)O(4)] and
      alpha-Rb(2)[CO(3)] and ordered delta-K(2)[C(2)O(4)] were investigated in detail
      with the aim of revealing the ;true' nature of the apparent disorder. Different
      combinations of F (based on phased structure factors) and G constraints (based on
      structure-factor amplitudes) from different sources were applied in MEM
      calculations. In particular, a new combination of the MEM with the recently
      developed charge-flipping algorithm with histogram matching for powder
      diffraction data (pCF) was successfully introduced to avoid the inevitable bias
      of the phases of the structure-factor amplitudes by the Rietveld model.
      Completely ab initio electron-density distributions have been obtained with the
      MEM applied to a combination of structure-factor amplitudes from Le Bail fits
      with phases derived from pCF. All features of the crystal structures, in
      particular the disorder of the oxalate and carbonate anions, and the
      displacements of the cations, are clearly obtained. This approach bears the
      potential of a fast method of electron-density determination, even for highly
      disordered materials. All the MEM maps obtained in this work were compared with
      the MEM map derived from the best Rietveld refined model. In general, the phased
      observed structure factors obtained from Rietveld refinement (applying F and G
      constraints) were found to give the closest description of the experimental data
      and thus lead to the most accurate image of the actual disorder.

PMID- 20305353
TI  - 1,1'-Fc(4-C6H4CO2Et)2 and its unusual salt derivative with Z' = 5, catena
      [Na+]2[1,1'-Fc(4-C6H4CO2-)2].0.6H2O [1,1'-Fc = (eta5-(C5H4)2Fe].
AB  - The neutral diethyl 4,4'-(ferrocene-1,1'-diyl)dibenzoate, Fe[eta(5)-(C(5)H(4))(4
      C(6)H(4)CO(2)Et)](2) (I), yields (II) (following base hydrolysis) as the unusual
      complex salt poly[disodium bis[diethyl 4,4'-(ferrocene-1,1'-diyl)dibenzoate] 0.6
      hydrate] or [Na(+)](2)[Fe{eta(5)-(C(5)H(4))-4-C(6)H(4)CO(2)(-)}(2)].0.6H(2)O with
      Z' = 5. Compound (I) crystallizes in the triclinic system, space group P1, with
      two molecules having similar geometry in the asymmetric unit (Z' = 2). The salt
      complex (II) crystallizes in the orthorhombic system, space group Pbca, with the
      asymmetric unit comprising poly[decasodium pentakis[diethyl 4,4'-(ferrocene-1,1'
      diyl)dibenzoate] trihydrate] or [Na(+)](10)[Fe{eta(5)-(C(5)H(4))-4-C(6)H(4)CO(2)(
      )}(2)](5).3H(2)O. The five independent 1,1'-Fc[(4-C(6)H(4)CO(2))(-)](2) dianions
      stack in an offset ladder (stepped) arrangement with the ten benzoates mutually
      oriented cisoid towards and bonded to a central layer comprising the ten Na(+)
      ions and three water molecules [1,1'-Fc = eta(5)-(C(5)H(4))(2)Fe]. The five
      dianions differ in the cisoid orientations of their pendant benzoate groups, with
      four having their -C(6)H(4)- groups mutually oriented at interplanar angles from
      0.6 (3) to 3.2 (3) degrees (as pi...pi stacked C(6) rings) and interacting
      principally with Na(+) ions. The fifth dianion is distorted and opens up to an
      unprecedented -C(6)H(4)- interplanar angle of 18.6 (3) degrees through bending of
      the two 4-C(6)H(4)CO(2) groups and with several ionic interactions involving the
      three water molecules (arranged as one-dimensional zigzag chains in the lattice).
      Overall packing comprises two-dimensional layers of Na(+) cations coordinated
      mainly by the carboxylate O atoms, and one-dimensional water chains. The non
      polar Fc(C(6)H(4))(2) groups are arranged perpendicular to the layers and
      mutually interlock through a series of efficient C-H...pi stacking contacts in a
      herringbone fashion to produce an overall segregation of polar and non-polar
      entities.

PMID- 20305354
TI  - Change in electronic structure in a six-coordinate copper(II) complex accompanied
      by an anion order/disorder transition.
AB  - A variable-temperature crystallographic study of
      [Cu(L(OH))(2)][ClO(4)](2).2(CH(3))(2)CO [L(OH) = 2,6
      bis(hydroxyiminomethyl)pyridine] between 30 and 300 K is presented. The complex
      exhibits an unusual electronic structure at room temperature with a {d(z(2))}(1)
      ground state, corresponding to an axially compressed ligand coordination geometry
      about the copper ion. This reflects a suppression of the pseudo-Jahn-Teller
      distortion that is normally shown by copper(II) compounds with this ligand
      geometry [Halcrow et al. (2004). New J. Chem. 28, 228-233]. On cooling the
      compound undergoes an abrupt structural change at 157 +/- 3 K, that does not
      involve a change in the space group (P1), but causes significant changes to c and
      the unit-cell angles. This reflects a conformational rearrangement of the complex
      dication, towards a more typical pseudo-Jahn-Teller elongated coordination
      geometry. This occurs concurrently with a crystallographic ordering of one of the
      two perchlorate anions, and a significant displacement of the two lattice acetone
      molecules. The transformation involves displacements of up to 0.5 A in the non-H
      atoms of the structure at 30 K, compared with their positions at 300 K. The
      change in coordination geometry of the complex around 157 K is reflected in a
      small reduction in its magnetic moment near that temperature.

PMID- 20305355
TI  - More examples of the 15-crown-5...H2O-M-OH2...15-crown-5 motif, M = Al3+, Cr3+
      and Pd2+.
AB  - Five structures of co-crystals grown from aqueous solutions equimolar in 15-crown
      5 (or 15C5) and [M(H(2)O)(6)](NO(3))(n), M = Al(3+), Cr(3+) and Pd(2+), are
      reported. The hydrogen-bonding patterns in all are similar: metal complexes
      including the fragment trans-H(2)O-M-OH(2) alternate with 15C5 molecules, to
      which they are hydrogen bonded, to form stacks. A literature survey shows that
      this hydrogen-bonding pattern is very common. In each of the two polymorphs of
      the compound [Al(H(2)O)(6)](NO(3))(3).15C5.4H(2)O there are two independent
      cations; one forms hydrogen bonds directly to the 15C5 molecules adjacent in the
      stack, while the other cation is hydrogen-bonded to two water molecules that act
      as spacers in the stack. These stacks are then crosslinked by hydrogen bonds
      formed by the three nitrate counterions and the three lattice water molecules.
      The hydrogen-bonded stacks in [Cr(H(2)O)(5)(NO(3))](NO(3))(2).1.5(15C5).H(2)O are
      discrete rather than infinite; each unit contains two Cr(3+) complex cations and
      three 15C5 molecules. These units are again crosslinked by the uncoordinated
      nitrate ions and a lattice water molecule. In [Pd(H(2)O)(2)(NO(3))(2)].15C5 the
      infinite stacks are electrically neutral and are not crosslinked. In
      [Pd(H(2)O)(2)(NO(3))(2)].2(15C5).2H(2)O.2HNO(3) a discrete, uncharged unit
      containing one Pd complex and two 15C5 molecules is ;capped off' at either end by
      a lattice water molecule and an included nitric acid molecule. In all five
      structures the infinite stacks or discrete units form an array that is at least
      approximately hexagonal.

PMID- 20305356
TI  - Proton-transfer dynamics in the (HCO3-)2 dimer of KHCO3 from Car-Parrinello and
      path-integrals molecular dynamics calculations.
AB  - The proton motion in the (HCO(3)(-))(2) dimer of KHCO(3) at 298 K has been
      studied with Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics (CPMD) and path-integrals
      molecular dynamics (PIMD) simulations. According to earlier neutron diffraction
      studies at 298 K hydrogen is disordered and occupies two positions with an
      occupancy ratio of 0.804/0.196. A simulation with only one unit cell is not
      sufficient to reproduce the disorder of the protons found in the experiments. The
      CPMD results with four cells, 0.783/0.217, are in close agreement with
      experiment. The motion of the two protons along the O...O bridge is highly
      correlated inside one dimer, but strongly uncoupled between different dimers. The
      present results support a mechanism for the disorder which involves proton
      transfer from donor to acceptor and not orientational disordering of the entire
      dimer. The question of simultaneous or successive proton transfer in the two
      hydrogen bonds in the dimer remains unanswered. During the simulation situations
      with almost simultaneous proton transfer with a time gap of around 1 fs were
      observed, as well as successive processes where first one proton is transferred
      and then the second one with a time gap of around 20 fs. The calculated
      vibrational spectrum is in good agreement with the experimental IR spectrum, but
      a slightly different assignment of the bands is indicated by the present
      simulations.

PMID- 20305357
TI  - Predicted crystal structures of tetramethylsilane and tetramethylgermane and an
      experimental low-temperature structure of tetramethylsilane.
AB  - No crystal structure at ambient pressure is known for tetramethylsilane,
      Si(CH(3))(4), which is used as a standard in NMR spectroscopy. Possible crystal
      structures were predicted by global lattice-energy minimizations using force
      field methods. The lowest-energy structure corresponds to the high-pressure room
      temperature phase (Pa3, Z = 8). Low-temperature crystallization at 100 K resulted
      in a single crystal, and its crystal structure has been determined. The structure
      corresponds to the predicted structure with the second lowest energy rank. In X
      ray powder analyses this is the only observed phase between 80 and 159 K. For
      tetramethylgermane, Ge(CH(3))(4), no experimental crystal structure is known.
      Global lattice-energy minimizations resulted in 47 possible crystal structures
      within an energy range of 5 kJ mol(-1). The lowest-energy structure was found in
      Pa3, Z = 8.

PMID- 20305358
TI  - Universal prediction of intramolecular hydrogen bonds in organic crystals.
AB  - A complete exploration of intramolecular hydrogen bonds (IHBs) has been
      undertaken using a combination of statistical analyses of the Cambridge
      Structural Database and computation of ab initio interaction energies for
      prototypical hydrogen-bonded fragments. Notable correlations have been revealed
      between computed energies, hydrogen-bond geometries, donor and acceptor
      chemistry, and frequencies of occurrence. Significantly, we find that 95% of all
      observed IHBs correspond to the five-, six- or seven-membered rings. Our method
      to predict a propensity for hydrogen-bond occurrence in a crystal has been
      adapted for such IHBs, applying topological and chemical descriptors derived from
      our findings. In contrast to intermolecular hydrogen bonding, it is found that
      IHBs can be predicted across the complete chemical landscape from a single
      optimized probability model, which is presented. Predictivity of 85% has been
      obtained for generic organic structures, which can exceed 90% for discrete
      classes of IHB.

PMID- 20305359
TI  - L-2-aminobutyric acid: two fully ordered polymorphs with Z' = 4.
AB  - The crystal structure of L-2-aminobutyric acid, an L-alanine analogue with an
      ethyl rather than a methyl side chain, has proved elusive owing to problems
      growing diffraction quality crystals. Good diffraction data have now been
      obtained for two polymorphs, in space groups P2(1) and I2, revealing surprisingly
      complex, yet fully ordered crystalline arrangements with Z' = 4. The closely
      related structures are divided into hydrophilic and hydrophobic layers, the
      latter being the thinnest ever found for an amino acid (other than alpha
      glycine). The hydrophobic layers furthermore contain conspicuous pseudo-centers
      of-symmetry, leading to overall centrosymmetric intensity statistics. Uniquely,
      the four molecules in the asymmetric unit can be divided into two pairs that each
      forms an independent hydrogen-bond network.

PMID- 20305360
TI  - Precursor effects of the orthorhombic to monoclinic phase transition in
      benzocaine form (II) revealed by X-ray diffuse scattering.
AB  - We described the development of a Monte Carlo computer model for the room
      temperature form (II) polymorph of benzocaine that incorporates, on a local
      scale, structural features derived from the low-temperature form (III) polymorph.
      The introduction of this extra information convincingly reproduces those observed
      diffraction features that an earlier harmonic model was unable to achieve. In
      both form (I) and form (II) the hydrogen-bonded chains of molecules that extend
      along the respective a axes tend to slide backward and forward along their
      lengths. While in form (I) the motion is well modelled by a harmonic potential in
      form (II) there is a degree of anharmonicity that means that some intermolecular
      contact vectors, which are identical in the average structure, are distributed
      bimodally with either longer or shorter vectors being preferred to the average.
      Moreover there is a tendency for these deviations from average to be correlated
      to give short-range ordered domains that are the precursors of the two twinned
      variants of the long-range ordered low-temperature form (III) structure.

PMID- 20305362
TI  - Obstructive sleep apnea, metabolic syndrome, and age: will geriatricians be
      caught asleep on the job?
AB  - Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is increasingly recognized in older persons as an
      important cause of morbidity and mortality, resulting in cardiovascular disease,
      cognitive dysfunction, and disturbed sleep. It has been cited as an independent
      risk factor for the metabolic syndrome (MS). The elevated levels of cytokines,
      such as interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, which also increase with
      age, are a common feature of both OSA and MS. Intermittent hypoxia caused by the
      recurring episodes of apnea and near-apnea in OSA is a major cause of its
      systemic effects. Mathematical models of OSA show how obesity and anatomic
      changes in the upper airways, which may be age-related, interact with the
      networks responsible for the chemical and neural control of breathing to cause
      the recurrent intermittent hypoxia of sleep apnea. Treatment of OSA with
      continuous positive airway pressure improves some aspects of the metabolic
      syndrome, reduces cardiovascular morbidity, and improves domains of cognitive
      function. OSA is more difficult to identify in the elderly because many of its
      symptoms can be caused by other disorders which are common in the elderly.
      Clinicians who encounter OSA may be advised to search for the presence of MS, and
      vice versa.

PMID- 20305363
TI  - Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis of longevity in C57BL/6J by DBA/2J (BXD)
      recombinant inbred mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Genes associated with longevity have been identified using
      both single gene and genome-wide approaches in a variety of species. The aim of
      this study was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that influence
      longevity in male and female mice from twenty-three C57BL/6J by DBA/2J (BXD)
      recombinant inbred (RI) strains. METHODS: Approximately 12 animals of each sex
      for each RI strain were maintained under standard conditions until natural death
      or moribundity criteria were met. RESULTS: A number of life span-relevant loci
      previously reported on chromosomes (Chrs) 7, 8, 10 and 11 were confirmed. In
      addition, 5 previously unreported QTLs for mouse life span on Chrs 1, 2, 6, 11,
      and X were identified as significant and 3 QTLs on Chrs 5, 8, and 16 were
      suggestive. CONCLUSIONS: Several QTLs were coincident in males and females
      although the modest correlation between male and female median lifespans and the
      identification of sex specific QTLs provide evidence that the genetic
      architecture underlying longevity in the sexes may differ substantially. The
      identification of multiple QTLs for longevity will provide valuable resources for
      both reductionist and integrationist research into mechanisms of life span
      determination.

PMID- 20305364
TI  - Correlates of D-dimer in older persons.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: D-dimer is a marker of active fibrinolysis. Understanding
      how age-related factors affect D-dimer levels may help the interpretation of high
      D-dimer levels in older individuals. METHODS: 776 Baltimore Longitudinal Study on
      Aging (BLSA) participants (mean age 68.4+/-13.9 yrs) were divided into three
      groups according to baseline D-dimer levels >200 ng/mL; 100-200 ng/mL and <100
      ng/mL. RESULTS: D-dimer level increased with age (p<0.0001). Using polychotomous
      logistic regression models, we found that age, cholesterol, triglycerides,
      creatinine, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, hemoglobin and body mass index were
      independently associated with D-dimer level. CONCLUSIONS: Rising levels of D
      dimer with age can be explained in part by the high prevalence of pro
      inflammatory conditions and increasing burden of lipid abnormalities, anemia and
      obesity. These factors compromise the specificity of D-dimer levels as a
      diagnostic aid to thrombosis in older individuals.

PMID- 20305365
TI  - Serum albumin levels as an independent predictor of 4-year mortality in a
      community-dwelling 80-year-old population.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Although serum albumin levels are associated with mortality
      in non-institutionalized elderly people under 80 years old, as well as in the
      institutionalized very elderly, little is known about the relationship in
      community-dwelling very elderly people. We, therefore, examined the association
      in a Japanese population of 80-year-old community residents. METHODS: Serum
      albumin levels were measured in 672 (267 men, 405 women) out of 1282 80-year-old
      individuals. Over the following 4 years, the dates and causes of death were
      recorded from resident registration cards and official death certificates.
      RESULTS: Of the above individuals, 107 subjects died (58 men, 49 women: 27 due to
      cancer, 27 cardiovascular disease, and 22 pneumonia). Survival rates were
      compared among 4 groups (highest >or=45 g/L, higher than 43-44 g/L, lower than 41
      42 g/L, lowest <or=40 g/L). After adjustment for confounding factors, total death
      or cardiovascular death in the lowest albumin group was 3.1 times and 10.7 times
      more incident than in the highest albumin group, but there were no differences
      among groups as regards deaths due to cancer or pneumonia. CONCLUSION: Serum
      albumin levels are an independent predictor of mortality due to all-cause or
      cardiovascular disease, but not of mortality due to cancer or pneumonia in very
      elderly Japanese community residents.

PMID- 20305366
TI  - Patient's age should not play a key role in clinical decisions on surgical
      treatment of rectal cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Recent advances in surgical techniques and adjuvant
      treatments have decreased morbidity and mortality in patients with rectal cancer.
      The aim of this study was to clarify the effects of aging on the choice,
      feasibility and safety of various treatment modalities in patients with rectal
      cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: During 2003-2006, a total of 274 rectal cancers
      were diagnosed at Turku University Central Hospital. Patient and tumor
      characteristics, treatment modalities chosen, and complications were recorded,
      and patients were followed up prospectively for 1-3 years after treatment.
      Patients were then divided into two groups: under 75 (n=181) and 75 years or
      older (n=93) at the moment of diagnosis. Patient data in the two age groups were
      analysed and compared with each other. RESULTS: Of the total of 274 patients with
      rectal cancer, 243 (89%) underwent surgery. The percentage of patients operated
      was higher (p=0.03) in the younger (92%) than in the older group (83%). The main
      reasons for non-operative or palliative treatment were severe concomitant
      diseases and metastasized cancer. Preoperative radiation therapy was given more
      often (p<0.01) to young (72%) than old (27%) patients. With these selections,
      there was no difference in 30-day postoperative mortality (1% vs 1%, ns) or
      postoperative complications (22% vs 34%, ns) between two groups. CONCLUSION: With
      preoperative selection, patients over 75 with rectal cancer are suitable for
      major surgery, as morbidity and mortality rates are comparable to those in
      younger patients.

PMID- 20305367
TI  - Mobility performance and its sensory, psychomotor and musculoskeletal
      determinants from age 75 to age 80.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Prospective studies on the simultaneous effects of multiple
      determinants on objectively assessed mobility are few. The aim of this study was
      to analyse mobility performance, its stability and sensory, psychomotor and
      musculoskeletal determinants in an older population from age 75 to age 80.
      METHODS: Sixty-three men and 121 women aged 75 participated at baseline and, five
      years later, in the follow-up phase of this population-based prospective study.
      Maximal walking speed and step-mounting height were assessed at baseline and
      follow-up. Maximal isometric knee extension strength, standing balance on force
      platform, reaction time, visual acuity and limitations in range of motion (ROM)
      of hips and knees were assessed at baseline. Structural equation modeling was
      used to analyse the associations. RESULTS: The stability of mobility performance
      from baseline to the five-year follow- up was high (coefficient 0.80 in men, 0.78
      in women). In men, knee extension strength, standing balance, ROM limitations and
      visual acuity explained 69% of the variation in mobility performance at baseline
      and, indirectly, 59% of that variation at follow-up. Among women, knee extension
      strength, standing balance, visual acuity and reaction time explained 52% of the
      variation of mobility performance at baseline and, indirectly, 30% at the five
      year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that the predictive effects of
      sensory, psychomotor and musculoskeletal functions on mobility performance extend
      over five years in older people. In seeking to prevent mobility limitations,
      vision, reaction time and lower extremity ROM need to be targeted, in addition to
      muscle strength and balance.

PMID- 20305368
TI  - Muscle strength and mobility in vitamin D-insufficient female geriatric patients:
      a randomized controlled trial on vitamin D and calcium supplementation.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Insufficient vitamin D status, commonly found in older
      people, has been associated with muscle weakness which, in old age, impairs
      mobility and is a risk factor for falling. In a randomized, double-blind placebo
      controlled trial, we tested the hypothesis that vitamin D + calcium
      supplementation improves muscle strength and mobility, compared with calcium mono
      therapy in vitamin D-insufficient female geriatric patients. METHODS: Seventy
      female geriatric patients >65 years of age with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3
      (25OHD) concentrations between 20 and 50 nmol/L, visiting an outpatient geriatric
      department, were included. Participants received either cholecalciferol 400
      IU/day + calcium 500 mg/day (D/Cal group) or a placebo + calcium 500 mg/day
      (Plac/Cal group) for 6 months. At baseline and 6 months, muscle strength, power
      and functional mobility were tested. RESULTS: At baseline, 25OHD was
      significantly (p<0.05) associated with knee extension strength (r=0.42), handgrip
      strength (r=0.28), leg extension power (r=0.34), Timed Get Up and Go (r=-0.31)
      and Modified Cooper test (r=0.44). At 6 months, a significant difference in 25OHD
      (77.2 vs 41.6 nmol/L, p<0.001) and 1,25OHD was found between the two groups.
      Significantly improving vitamin D status in the D/Cal group compared with the
      Plac/Cal group did not result in a significant difference in strength or
      functional mobility between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Daily 400 IU vitamin D +
      500 mg calcium supplementation is not enough to significantly improve strength or
      mobility in vitamin D-insufficient female geriatric patients.

PMID- 20305369
TI  - Effects of physical training on aerobic capacity in frail elderly people (75+
      years). Influence of lung capacity, cardiovascular disease and medical drug
      treatment: a randomized controlled pilot trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Frail elderly people often suffer from a combination of
      unintentional weight loss and/or low body mass index, as well as a low physical
      activity level. No studies have investigated the effect of physical training
      alone or in combination with nutritional intervention on aerobic capacity in
      frail elderly people. The aim of this pilot study was to determine if a physical
      training program can affect aerobic capacity in frail elderly people. METHODS:
      Ninety-six community-dwelling frail elderly people (58 women) were included in
      the study. Subjects were randomized to four different groups: i) physical
      training program (aerobic, muscle strength, balance), ii) a nutritional
      intervention program (individually targeted advice and group sessions), iii) a
      combination of these interventions, and iv) a control group. At baseline,
      subjects were screened for aerobic capacity, leg muscle strength, spirometry,
      heart disease and cardiovascular drugs. Aerobic capacity and leg muscle strength
      were analyzed immediately after the 3-month intervention period (1st follow-up),
      and after another 6 months (2nd follow-up). RESULTS: Subjects mean age was 83
      years. The mean compliance rate with the physical training program was 65%. There
      were no observed effects on aerobic capacity measured as maximal workload, or
      work time, with or without beta-receptor blockade. Subjects in the training
      groups without lung disease significantly increased maximal work time when
      compared with subjects with lung disease. Physical training significantly
      increased lower extremity muscle strength compared with nutrition alone at the
      1st follow-up. No serious adverse events occurred during assessment or physical
      training. CONCLUSIONS: Further studies with larger sample sizes and a more
      specific aerobic component in the training program are necessary before any
      further conclusions can be drawn.

PMID- 20305370
TI  - Spontaneous insufficiency fractures of long bones in institutionalized elderly
      patients.
AB  - AIM: We report 3 cases of spontaneous insufficiency fracture of long bones, to
      promote awareness of this phenomenon to medical personnel dealing with long-term
      bedridden patients. METHODS: Cases were analyzed in the light of a literature
      review. RESULTS: Our patients were all women, who were severely debilitated and
      had been bedridden for prolonged periods of time. In all cases, conflicts arose
      between the patient's family and medical personnel. CONCLUSIONS: Spontaneous
      insufficiency fractures are rare, and occur mainly in the institutionalized
      elderly with a prolonged history of immobility. Caregivers should be made aware
      of this possible complication, as they are aware of bedsores, infections and
      organ failure, which may arise due to patients' debilitated condition.

PMID- 20305371
TI  - Stroke recurrence in an elderly CADASIL patient on aspirin discontinuation due to
      severe auto-immune thrombocytopenia.

PMID- 20305372
TI  - miR-519 suppresses tumor growth by reducing HuR levels.
AB  - The RNA-binding protein HuR is highly abundant in many cancers. HuR expression
      was recently found to be repressed by microRNA miR-519, which potently lowered
      HuR translation without influencing HuR mRNA abundance. Here, we examined the
      levels of HuR and miR-519 in pairs of cancer and adjacent healthy tissues from
      ovary, lung, and kidney. In the three sample collections, the cancer specimens
      showed dramatically higher HuR levels, unchanged HuR mRNA concentrations, and
      markedly reduced miR-519 levels, when compared with healthy tissues. As tested
      using human cervical carcinoma cells, miR-519 reduced tumorigenesis in athymic
      mice. Compared with the tumors arising from control cells, cells overexpressing
      miR-519 formed significantly smaller tumors, while cells expressing reduced miR
      519 levels gave rise to substantially larger tumors. Evidence that the miR-519
      elicited reduction of HuR was critical for its tumor suppressor influence was
      obtained by reducing HuR, as HuR-silenced cells formed markedly smaller tumors
      and were unable to form large tumors even after lowering miR-519 abundance.
      Together, our data reveal that miR-519 inhibits tumorigenesis in large part by
      repressing HuR expression.

PMID- 20305374
TI  - Novel combination of celecoxib and proteasome inhibitor MG132 provides
      synergistic antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects in human liver tumor
      cells.
AB  - Molecular targeted therapy has shown promise as a treatment for advanced
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Celecoxib (Celebrex(r)) exhibits antitumor
      effects in human HCC cells, and its mechanism of action is mediated either by its
      ability to inhibit cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) or by a number of various other COX-2
      independent effects. Proteasome inhibitors (PIs) can exert cell growth inhibitory
      and apoptotic effects in different tumor cell types, including HCC cells. The
      present study examined the interaction between celecoxib and the PI MG132 in two
      human liver tumor cell lines HepG2 and HA22T/VGH. Our data showed that each
      inhibitor reduced proliferation and induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner
      in both cell lines. Moreover, the combination of celecoxib with MG132
      synergistically inhibited cell viability and increased apoptosis, as documented
      by caspase 3 and 7 activation, PARP cleavage, and down-regulation of Bcl-2.
      Celecoxib and MG132, both alone and synergistically in combination, induced
      expression of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress genes ATF4, CHOP, TRB3 and
      promoted the splicing of XBP1 mRNA. Knockdown of TRB3 mRNA expression by small
      interference RNA significantly decreased combination-induced cell death in
      HA22T/VGH cells, whereas it increased combination-induced cell death in HepG2
      cells, suggesting that activation of the ER stress response might have either a
      detrimental or a protective role in liver tumor cell survival. In conclusion, our
      data indicate that combination treatment with celecoxib and MG132 resulted in
      synergistic antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects against liver cancer
      cells, providing a rational basis for the clinical use of this combination in the
      treatment of liver cancer.

PMID- 20305373
TI  - Repetitive element DNA methylation and circulating endothelial and inflammation
      markers in the VA normative aging study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lower blood DNA methylation has been associated with atherosclerosis
      and high cardiovascular risk. Mechanisms linking DNA hypomethylation to increased
      cardiovascular risk are still largely unknown. In a population of community
      dwelling elderly individuals, we evaluated whether DNA methylation in LINE-1
      repetitive element, heavily methylated sequences dispersed throughout the human
      genome, was associated with circulating Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 (VCAM
      1), Inter- Cellular Adhesion Molecule-1 (ICAM-1), and C-reactive protein (CRP).
      METHODS AND RESULTS: We measured LINE-1 methylation by bisulfite PCR
      Pyrosequencing on 742 blood DNA samples from male participants in the Boston area
      Normative Aging Study (mean age=74.8 years). Mean serum VCAM-1 increased
      progressively in association with LINE-1 hypomethylation (from 975.2 to 1063.4
      ng/ml in the highest vs. lowest methylation quintiles; ptrend= 0.004). The
      association between VCAM-1 and LINE-1 hypomethylation was significant in
      individuals without ischemic heart disease or stroke (n=480; p=0.001), but not in
      those with prevalent disease (n=262; p=0.57). Serum ICAM-1 and CRP were not
      associated with LINE-1 methylation (p-trend=> 0.25). All results were confirmed
      by multivariable analyses adjusting for age, BMI, smoking, pack-years, and
      ischemic heart disease/stroke. CONCLUSIONS: LINE-1 element hypomethylation is
      associated with higher serum VCAM-1. Our data provide new insights into
      epigenetic events that may accompany the development of cardiovascular disease.

PMID- 20305375
TI  - P-TEFb stimulates transcription elongation and pre-mRNA splicing through
      multilateral mechanisms.
AB  - Promoter-proximal pausing of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) across the genome has
      renewed our attention to the early transcriptional events that control the
      establishment of pausing and the release of RNAPII into a productive
      transcription elongation. Here, we review our current understanding of the
      transcriptional cycle by RNAPII with a particular emphasis on the mechanisms that
      stimulate transcription elongation and cotranscriptional pre-mRNA splicing
      through an essential transcriptional kinase, the positive transcription
      elongation factor b (P-TEFb). We illustrate that by targeting a limited set of
      transcription elongation factors and paused RNAPII molecule during a promoter
      proximal phase of transcription, P-TEFb unleashes an extensive crosstalk between
      transcription apparatus, RNA processing factors and chromatin for optimal
      production of mRNA.

PMID- 20305376
TI  - Viruses and the autophagy machinery.
AB  - Autophagy is a major intracellular pathway for degradation and recycling of long
      lived proteins and cytoplasmic organelles that plays an essential role in
      maintenance of homeostasis in response to starvation and other cellular stresses.
      Autophagy is also important for a variety of other processes including
      restriction of intracellular pathogen replication. Our understanding of the
      fascinating relationship between viruses and the autophagy machinery is still in
      its infancy but it is clear that autophagy is a newly recognized facet of innate
      and adaptive immunity against viral infection. Although the autophagy pathway is
      emerging as a component of host defense, certain viruses have developed
      strategies to counteract these antiviral mechanisms, and others appear to have co
      opted the autophagy machinery as proviral host factors favoring viral
      replication. The complex interplay between autophagy and viral infection will be
      discussed in this review.

PMID- 20305377
TI  - Metformin and cancer: doses, mechanisms and the dandelion and hormetic phenomena.
AB  - In the early 1970s, Professor Vladimir Dilman originally developed the idea that
      antidiabetic biguanides may be promising as geroprotectors and anticancer drugs
      ("metabolic rehabilitation").  In the early 2000s, Anisimov's experiments
      revealed that chronic treatment of female transgenic HER2-/neu mice with
      metformin significantly reduced the incidence and size of mammary adenocarcinomas
      and increased the mean latency of the tumors.  Epidemiological studies have
      confirmed that metformin, but not other anti-diabetic drugs, significantly
      reduces cancer incidence and improves cancer patients' survival in type 2
      diabetics.  At present, pioneer work by Dilman & Anisimov at the Petrov Institute
      of Oncology (St. Petersburg, Russia) is rapidly evolving due to ever-growing
      preclinical studies using human tumor-derived cultured cancer cells and animal
      models. We herein critically review how the antidiabetic drug metformin is
      getting reset to metabolically fight cancer. Our current perception is that
      metformin may constitute a novel "hybrid anti-cancer pill" physically combining
      both the long-lasting effects of antibodies -by persistently lowering levels of
      blood insulin and glucose- and the immediate potency of a cancer cell-targeting
      molecular agent -by suppressing the pivotal AMPK/mTOR/S6K1 axis and several
      protein kinases at once, including tyrosine kinase receptors such as HER1 and
      HER2-.  In this scenario, we discuss the relevance of metformin doses in pre
      clinical models regarding metformin's mechanisms of action in clinical settings.
      We examine recent landmark studies demonstrating metformin's ability to
      specifically target the cancer-initiating stem cells from which tumor cells
      develop, thereby preventing cancer relapse when used in combination with
      cytotoxic chemotherapy (dandelion hypothesis).  We present the notion that, by
      acting as an efficient caloric restriction mimetic, metformin enhanced intrinsic
      capacity of mitotically competent cells to self-maintenance and repair (hormesis)
      might trigger counterintuitive detrimental effects. Ongoing chemopreventive,
      neoadjuvant and adjuvant trials should definitely establish whether metformin's
      ability to kill the "dandelion root" beneath the "cancer soil" likely exceeds
      metformin-related dangers of hormesis.

PMID- 20305378
TI  - Inactivation of p53 signaling by p73 or PTEN ablation results in a transformed
      phenotype that remains susceptible to Nutlin-3 mediated apoptosis.
AB  - The p53 signaling pathway is frequently disrupted in carcinogenesis. However,
      roughly 50% of all cancers express wild-type p53 and have alterations in
      accessory signaling components required for p53 activity. Using the well
      described E1A/RAS transformation model, in which p53 activity must be suppressed
      for transformation, we show here that p53 is inactive and unable to suppress
      transformation following ablation of p73 or PTEN. However, despite the
      transformed phenotype conferred by p53 inactivation following p73 or PTEN loss,
      p53 could be fully activated by Nutlin-3, resulting in efficient caspase-mediated
      apoptosis. Our novel and unexpected finding provides important information
      regarding the efficacy of Nutlin-3 and indicates that patients with tumors
      deficient in p53 function due to p73 or PTEN loss may benefit from Nutlin-3
      treatment.

PMID- 20305379
TI  - Sub1/PC4 a chromatin associated protein with multiple functions in transcription.
AB  - Yeast Sub1 and its human ortholog PC4 display multiple cellular functions in
      vivo. Sub1/PC4 contains a unique conserved non-specific DNA-binding domain and is
      involved in distinct DNA-dependent processes including replication, DNA repair
      and transcription. Sub1/PC4 is a non-histone chromatin-associated protein
      initially described as a co-activator for RNA polymerase (Pol) II transcription
      in vitro. Recently, biochemical and genomic studies showed that Sub1 is not
      restricted to Pol II transcription but is also involved in Pol III transcription
      revealing a more general role in transcription than anticipated. Sub1/PC4 appears
      to play a dual (positive and negative) complex role in gene expression and has
      multiple effects in distinct steps of the transcription cycle, consisting of
      initiation, elongation, termination and reinitiation. Here, the multiple
      transcriptional functions of Sub1/PC4 will be reviewed and the recent findings
      and their possible implications in the understanding of Sub1/PC4 function in
      transcription will be discussed.

PMID- 20305380
TI  - Tropomyosin isoform modulation of focal adhesion structure and cell migration.
AB  - Orderly cell migration is essential for embryonic development, efficient wound
      healing and a functioning immune system and the dysregulation of this process
      leads to a number of pathologies. The speed and direction of cell migration is
      critically dependent on the structural organization of focal adhesions in the
      cell. While it is well established that contractile forces derived from the acto
      myosin filaments control the structure and growth of focal adhesions, how this
      may be modulated to give different outcomes for speed and persistence is not well
      understood. The tropomyosin family of actin-associating proteins are emerging as
      important modulators of the contractile nature of associated actin filaments. The
      multiple non-muscle tropomyosin isoforms are differentially expressed between
      tissues and across development and are thought to be major regulators of actin
      filament functional specialization. In the present study we have investigated the
      effects of two splice variant isoforms from the same alpha-tropomyosin gene,
      TmBr1 and TmBr3, on focal adhesion structure and parameters of cell migration.
      These isoforms are normally switched on in neuronal cells during differentiation
      and we find that exogenous expression of the two isoforms in undifferentiated
      neuronal cells has discrete effects on cell migration parameters. While both
      isoforms cause reduced focal adhesion size and cell migration speed, they
      differentially effect actin filament phenotypes and migration persistence. Our
      data suggests that differential expression of tropomyosin isoforms may coordinate
      acto-myosin contractility and focal adhesion structure to modulate cell speed and
      persistence.

PMID- 20305381
TI  - DNA hypomethylation in cancer: epigenetic scars of a neoplastic journey.
AB  - Cytosine methylation is a heritable modification of DNA in mammalian cells, and
      has a determinant impact on long-term gene repression and genome stability.
      Genomic methylation patterns, which remain generally stable in the adult, become
      profoundly altered in most human tumors. While discrete DNA segments become
      hypermethylated in cancer cells, many more sequences become hypomethylated. This
      review discusses our current understanding of the mechanisms that lead to DNA
      hypomethylation in tumors. Evidence suggests that methylation losses are not
      random, but rather evolve into mosaic hypomethylation patterns. It is proposed
      that such hypomethylation patterns result from a historical event of transient
      DNA demethylation, and that transcriptional regulators contribute to determining
      which regions escape remethylation and remain therefore unmethylated. Finally,
      possible stages of tumor development during which the transient DNA demethylation
      process may take place will be discussed. 

PMID- 20305383
TI  - New perspectives for the regulation of acetyltransferase MOF.
AB  - In higher eukaryotes, histone acetyltransferase MOF (male absent on the first) is
      the major enzyme that acetylates histone H4 lysine 16, a prevalent mark
      associated with chromatin decondensation. Recent studies show that MOF resides in
      two different but evolutionarily conserved complexes, MSL and MOF-MSL1v1.
      Although these two MOF complexes have indistinguishable activity on histone H4
      K16, they differ dramatically in acetylating non-histone substrate p53. The
      regulation of MOF activity in these complexes remains elusive. Given the
      evolution conservation of MOF and the importance of H4 K16 acetylation in
      maintaining higher order chromatin structures, understanding the function and
      regulation of MOF bears great significance. Here, we discussed the key
      differences in two MOF complexes that may shed light on the regulation of their
      distinct acetyltransferase activities. We also discussed coordinated functions of
      two MOF complexes with different histone methyltransferase complexes in
      transcription regulation. 

PMID- 20305384
TI  - 5-azacytidine treatment reorganizes genomic histone modification patterns.
AB  - Methylation of DNA in combination with histone modifications establishes an
      epigenetic code that ensures the proper control of gene expression. Although DNA
      methyltransferases have been shown to interact with histone methyltransferases
      such as EZH2 (which methylates histone H3 on lysine 27) and G9a (which methylates
      histone H3 on lysine 9), the relationship between DNA methylation and repressive
      histone marks has not been fully studied. In cancer cells, promoters of genes are
      often aberrantly methylated. Accordingly, 5-azacytidine (a DNA demethylating
      drug) is used for treating patients with myelodysplastic syndrome. However, no
      genome-scale studies of the effects of this drug have been reported. In this
      work, we report the effects of 5-azacytidine on global gene expression and
      analyze ~24,000 human promoters using ChIP-chip to determine how 5-azacytidine
      treatment effects H3K27me3 and H3K9me3 levels. We found that (1) 5-azacytidine
      treatment results in large changes in gene regulation with distinct functional
      categories of genes showing increased (e.g. C2H2 zinc finger transcription
      factors) and decreased (e.g. genes involved in regulation of mitochondria and
      oxidoreductase activity) levels; (2) most genes that show altered expression are
      not regulated by promoters that display DNA methylation prior to the treatment;
      (3) certain gene classes switch their repression mark upon treatment with 5
      azacytidine (from H3K27me3 to H3K9me3 and vice versa); and (4) most changes in
      gene expression are not due to relief of repression mediated by DNA or histone
      methylation.

PMID- 20305382
TI  - The fast and slow ups and downs of HCN channel regulation.
AB  - Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels (h channels)
      form the molecular basis for the hyperpolarization-activated current, I(h), and
      modulation of h channels contributes to changes in cellular properties critical
      for normal functions in the mammalian brain and heart. Numerous mechanisms
      underlie h channel modulation during both physiological and pathological
      conditions, leading to distinct changes in gating, kinetics, surface expression,
      channel conductance or subunit composition of h channels. Here we provide a
      focused review examining mechanisms of h channel regulation, with an emphasis on
      recent findings regarding interacting proteins such as TRIP8b. This review is
      intended to serve as a comprehensive resource for physiologists to provide
      potential molecular mechanisms underlying functionally important changes in I(h)
      in different biological models, as well as for molecular biologists to delineate
      the predicted h channel changes associated with complex regulatory mechanisms in
      both normal function and in disease states.

PMID- 20305385
TI  - Kinesin-5 mitotic motors: Is loop5 the on/off switch?
AB  - The microtubule-based mitotic spindle orchestrates chromosome segregation,
      facilitated by many microtubule-associated proteins. Kinesin-5 proteins are
      important components of the cell division machinery, and are involved in
      generation of mitotic spindle bipolarity by cross-linking microtubules. Kinesin
      5s are members of the ATP- and MT-dependent kinesin superfamily of molecular
      motors. Human kinesin-5 is also a target for small molecule inhibitors that
      specifically bind to the motor domain and are currently in cancer clinical
      trials. The regulatory mechanisms that control kinesin-5 activity during mitosis
      and the effects of regulation on the kinesin-5-microtubule interaction remain
      unknown. Recent work has focused on a kinesin-5 specific region within the motor
      domain, loop5, as a potential regulatory switch. Kinesin-5-specific small
      molecule inhibitors bind beneath loop5, loop5 is rearranged when kinesin-5 binds
      to microtubules and residues adjacent to loop5 are subject to cell cycle
      dependent tyrosine phosphorylation which could affect its conformation. It will
      be essential to consider these studies, which shed light on potential kinesin-5
      regulatory mechanisms, as part of efforts to develop clinically effective kinesin
      5 inhibitors.

PMID- 20305386
TI  - C/EBPalpha enters the nucleolus.

PMID- 20305387
TI  - Netrin-1, a missing link between chronic inflammation and tumor   progression.
AB  - Netrin-1 discovered as a neuronal navigation cue, has been recently proposed to
      play a crucial role during colorectal tumorigenesis by regulating apoptosis. This
      survival activity is mediated via the inhibition of the so-called netrin-1
      dependence receptors. The netrin-1 receptors, DCC (for Deleted in Colorectal
      Cancer) and UNC5H (UNC5 homologues), indeed belong to the functional family of
      dependence receptors that share the ability to induce apoptosis in the absence of
      their ligands and such a trait has been hypothesized to confer these receptors a
      tumor suppressor activity as their presence render cell survival dependent on
      ligand availability. As a consequence, human tumors show either a loss of
      dependence receptors or a gain of netrin-1, allowing tumors to escape this
      safeguard mechanism. We recently found that netrin-1 is a direct transcriptional
      target of the transcription factor NFkappaB, and that a fraction of colorectal
      tumors show a netrin-1 gain parallel to NFkappaB activation. Moreover, colorectal
      cancers from patients affected by inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) show
      upregulation of netrin-1. Several evidences suggest a tight link between chronic
      inflammation and tumorigenesis, mainly through NFkappaB activation. We propose
      that induction of netrin-1 expression via NFkappaB in IBD patients could affect
      colorectal tumor promotion and progression and that inhibition of netrin-1 could
      be an innovative target for drug therapy in inflammation-driven colorectal
      cancers.

PMID- 20305388
TI  - Cardiac desmosomal (dys)function and myocyte viability.
AB  - Cardiac desmosomes form intercellular junctions at the boundaries of intercalated
      discs between neighboring cardiomyocytes and are essential for proper cell-to
      cell coupling between cardiomyocytes and for normal mechanical and electrical
      function of myocardial tissue. Genetic mutations in desmosomal proteins have been
      associated with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), a
      clinically and genetically heterogeneous cardiac inherited disorder. The disease
      is characterized by progressive replacement of cardiomyocytes by fibrofatty
      tissue, ultimately resulting in ventricular dilation, cardiac dysfunction, and
      the occurrence of life-threatening arrhythmias. Despite increasing knowledge on
      the genetic basis of ARVC, the etiopathogenesis of the disease remains less
      understood. The recent development of a number of transgenic mouse models with
      either heterozygous knock-out of desmosomal proteins or overexpression of
      aberrant desmosomal components has provided novel insight into the potential
      mechanisms and final common pathways involved in ARVC. The various disease
      mechanisms are likely not mutually exclusive and may each contribute to the
      pathogenesis of ARVC. However, their applicability in the diverse genetic forms
      of the disease remains uncertain, and may only be ascertained by careful
      investigation of sequential histopathological and (sub)cellular changes occurring
      over time during the disease process. Insight into the etiopathogenesis of ARVC
      will be crucial for the future development of new therapies aimed at delaying
      onset or progression of this disease.

PMID- 20305389
TI  - Nucleolar organization, growth control and cancer.
AB  - The nucleolus is a dynamic region of the nucleus that is disassembled and
      reformed each cell cycle and whose size is correlated with cell growth rate.
      Nucleolar size is a prognostic measure of cancer disease severity and increasing
      evidence suggests a causative role of nucleolar lesions in many cancers. In
      recent work (Shiue et al. Oncogene 28, 1833-42, 2009) we showed that the c-Myc
      oncoprotein induces changes in the higher order structure of rDNA chromatin in
      the nucleolus of growth stimulated quiescent rat cells. Here we show that c-Myc
      induces similar changes in human cells, that c-Myc plays a role in the overall
      structural integrity of the nucleolus and that c-Myc and its antagonistic partner
      Mad1 interact to program the epigenetic status of rDNA chromatin. These changes
      are discussed in relation to current knowledge about nucleolar structure as well
      as the organization of chromosomes and transcription factories in nuclear regions
      outside the nucleolus. 

PMID- 20305390
TI  - Autophagy by hepatitis B virus and for hepatitis B virus.
AB  - Autophagy is a catabolic process by which cells remove unwanted proteins and
      damaged organelles. It is important for maintaining cellular homeostasis and can
      also be used by cells to remove intracellular microbial pathogens. As such, some
      viruses such as herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) have evolved mechanisms to
      suppress autophagy for their survival. In contrast, other viruses such as
      poliovirus, hepatitis C virus (HCV) and dengue viruses have instead evolved
      mechanisms to use this pathway to enhance their replication. Recently, we
      demonstrated that hepatitis B virus (HBV), a DNA virus that infects hepatocytes,
      could enhance and use autophagy for its DNA replication. This enhancement of
      autophagy is mediated by its X protein, which binds to and activates
      phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase class 3 (PI3KC3), an enzyme important for the
      initiation of autophagy. The persistent activation of autophagy in hepatocytes by
      HBV during chronic infection may play an important role in HBV pathogenesis.

PMID- 20305391
TI  - From chromatin to splicing: RNA-processing as a total artwork.
AB  - RNA plays a central role in the determination of the phenotype of the cell. The
      molecular mechanisms involved in primary RNA synthesis and subsequent post
      processing are not completely understood, but there is increasing evidence that
      they are more tightly coupled than previously expected. The analyses by a number
      of groups of recently published genome wide maps of chromatin structure have
      further uncovered a role for primary chromatin structure in RNA processing.
      Indeed, these analyses have revealed that nucleosomes show a characteristic
      occupancy pattern in exonic regions of metazoan genomes. The pattern is strongly
      indicative of an implication of nucleosome positioning in exon recognition during
      pre-mRNA splicing. Characteristic exonic patterns have also been observed for a
      number of histone modifications, suggesting the possibility that chromatin state
      plays a direct role in the regulation of splicing. 

PMID- 20305392
TI  - A karyopherin acts in localized protein synthesis.
AB  - Multiple mechanisms are in place to regulate adequate synthesis of proteins,
      ranging from ways to ensure sequence fidelity, polypeptide folding and protein
      modification, to control of amounts and subcellular localization of the
      molecules. Some of these mechanisms act at the level of mRNA export and mRNA
      targeting. mRNA nuclear export consists of three coupled consecutive steps: (1)
      the packaging into messenger ribonucleoprotein (mRNP); (2) the transport through
      the nuclear pore complexes (NPCs); and (3) the directional release into the
      cytoplasm (reviewed in refs. 1 and 2). The subsequent targeting of mRNA to
      particular subcellular locations is common in asymmetric cell division in many
      eukaryotes (reviewed in refs. 3-5) and ensures that proteins are produced at the
      desired place. Recent studies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae suggest that
      Karyopherin Kap104p plays a role not only in mRNA export but also in bud
      localized protein synthesis. In this report, we reflect on the possible
      mechanisms by which Kap104p links these events and hypothesize on a possible
      function of the localized protein synthesis.

PMID- 20305393
TI  - Identification of Filamin A as a BRCA1-interacting protein required for efficient
      DNA repair.
AB  - The product of the breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1 has been
      implicated in several aspects of the DNA damage response but its biochemical
      function in these processes has remained elusive. In order to probe BRCA1
      function we conducted a yeast two-hybrid screening to identify interacting
      partners to a conserved motif (Motif 6) in the central region of BRCA1. Here we
      report the identification of the actin-binding protein Filamin A (FLNA) as BRCA1
      partner and demonstrate that FLNA is required for efficient regulation of early
      stages of DNA repair processes. Cells lacking FLNA display a diminished BRCA1 IR
      induced focus formation and a delayed kinetics of Rad51 focus formation. In
      addition, our data also demonstrate that FLNA is required to stabilize the
      interaction between components of the DNA-PK holoenzyme, DNA-PKcs and Ku86 in a
      BRCA1-independent fashion. Our data is consistent with a model in which absence
      of FLNA compromises homologous recombination and non-homologous end joining. Our
      findings have implications for the response to irradiation induced DNA damage.

PMID- 20305394
TI  - Fibril fragmentation in amyloid assembly and cytotoxicity: when size matters.
AB  - Amyloid assemblies are associated with several debilitating human disorders.
      Understanding the intra- and extracellular assembly of normally soluble proteins
      and peptides into amyloid aggregates and how they disrupt normal cellular
      functions is therefore of paramount importance. In a recent report, we
      demonstrated a striking relationship between reduced fibril length caused by
      fibril fragmentation and enhanced ability of fibril samples to disrupt membranes
      and to reduce cell viability. These findings have important implications for our
      understanding of amyloid disease in that changes in the physical dimensions of
      fibrils, without parallel changes in their composition or molecular architecture,
      could be sufficient to alter the biological responses to their presence. These
      conclusions provide a new hypothesis that the physical dimensions and surface
      interactions of fibrils play key roles in amyloid disease. Controlling fibril
      length and stability toward fracturing, and thereby the biological availability
      of fibril material, may provide a new target for future therapeutic strategies
      towards combating amyloid disease.

PMID- 20305395
TI  - Potent and broad neutralizing activity of a single chain antibody fragment
      against cell-free and cell-associated HIV-1.
AB  - Several human monoclonal antibodies (hmAbs) exhibit relatively potent and broad
      neutralizing activity against HIV-1, but there has not been much success in using
      them as potential therapeutics. We have previously hypothesized and demonstrated
      that small engineered antibodies can target highly conserved epitopes that are
      not accessible by full-size antibodies. However, their potency has not been
      comparatively evaluated with known HIV-1-neutralizing hmAbs against large panels
      of primary isolates. We report here the inhibitory activity of an engineered
      single chain antibody fragment (scFv), m9, against several panels of primary HIV
      1 isolates from group M (clades A-G) using cell-free and cell-associated virus in
      cell line-based assays. M9 was much more potent than scFv 17b, and more potent
      than or comparable to the best-characterized broadly neutralizing hmAbs IgG(1)
      b12, 2G12, 2F5 and 4E10. It also inhibited cell-to-cell transmission of HIV-1
      with higher potency than enfuvirtide (T-20, Fuzeon). M9 competed with a sulfated
      CCR5 N-terminal peptide for binding to gp120-CD4 complex, suggesting an
      overlapping epitope with the coreceptor binding site. M9 did not react with
      phosphatidylserine (PS) and cardiolipin (CL), nor did it react with a panel of
      autoantigens in an antinuclear autoantibody (ANA) assay. We further found that
      escape mutants resistant to m9 did not emerge in an immune selection assay. These
      results suggest that m9 is a novel anti-HIV-1 candidate with potential
      therapeutic or prophylactic properties, and its epitope is a new target for drug
      or vaccine development.

PMID- 20305397
TI  - Hyperglycemia and acute coronary syndrome: a systematic review of hyperglycemia's
      impact on ACS.
AB  - The association between hyperglycemia and increased mortality associated with
      acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has been studied and affirmed. Although more
      studies are needed to explore how managing this hyperglycemia can affect ACS
      mortality, the need to educate regarding current data is urgent so that it can be
      clinically applied. Reviews, randomized controlled trials, and other studies were
      obtained by means of electronic search strategies, such as Medline and Cochrane
      Library, as well as hand selection. Sources selected were limited to those that
      discussed ACS and hyperglycemia, and specific emphasis was placed on sources that
      focused on ACS and hyperglycemia in conjunction with one another. Selected
      studies were then assessed for quality and relevance. Clear correlations between
      mean and persistent glucose levels and ACS mortality are found. Persistent
      glucose levels offer a better model to predict ACS mortality than on-admission
      glucose levels. However, findings concerning the effect on ACS-related mortality
      of controlling glucose levels have been conflicting.

PMID- 20305396
TI  - Tuning the chemosensory window: a fly's perspective.
AB  - Accurate perception of chemical signals from the environment is critical for the
      fitness of most animals. Drosophila melanogaster experiences its chemical
      environment through families of chemoreceptors that include olfactory receptors,
      gustatory receptors and odorant binding proteins. Its chemical environment,
      however, changes during its life cycle and the interpretation of chemical signals
      is dependent on dynamic social and physical surroundings. Phenotypic plasticity
      of gene expression of the chemoreceptor repertoire allows flies to adjust the
      chemosensory window through which they "view" their world and to modify the
      ensemble of expressed chemoreceptor proteins in line with their developmental and
      physiological state and according to their needs to locate food and oviposition
      sites under different social and physical environmental conditions. Furthermore,
      males and females differ in their expression profiles of chemoreceptor genes.
      Thus, each sex experiences its chemical environment via combinatorial activation
      of distinct chemoreceptor ensembles. The remarkable phenotypic plasticity of the
      chemoreceptor repertoire raises several fundamental questions. What are the
      mechanisms that translate environmental cues into regulation of chemoreceptor
      gene expression? How are gustatory and olfactory cues integrated perceptually?
      What is the relationship between ensembles of odorant binding proteins and
      odorant receptors? And, what is the significance of co-regulated chemoreceptor
      transcriptional networks?

PMID- 20305398
TI  - Is the device development process adequate.

PMID- 20305399
TI  - The in vitro effects of Xancor, a synthetic astaxanthine derivative, on
      hemostatic biomarkers in aspirin-naive and aspirin-treated subjects with multiple
      risk factors for vascular disease.
AB  - Astaxanthine is a polar carotenoid metabolite derived from a proprietary prodrug,
      Xancor, which aligns parallel with the membrane phospholipids exhibiting potent
      antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cell protective properties, although the
      precise mechanism of action is unknown. This prodrug is currently under
      development for hepatic, neurologic, and vascular disease indications.
      Considering established links between heart disease and stroke with platelets,
      coagulation cascade, and fibrinolysis, the aim of the study was to assess the
      effect of asthaxantine on human biomarkers of hemostasis. The rationale was to
      test a hypothesis that the drug may diminish activation of hemostasis, making it
      a potentially attractive addition to treat patients with vascular disease. In
      vitro effects of whole blood preincubation with escalating concentrations of
      asthaxantine (0.3 microM, 1 microM, 3 microM, 10 microM, 30 microM, and 100
      microM) were assessed from 12 aspirin-naive and eight aspirin-treated volunteers
      with multiple risk factors for vascular disease. A total of 25 biomarkers were
      measured, of which 12 were related to platelet function, 10 to coagulation, and
      three to fibrinolysis. Platelet aggregation induced by ADP, collagen, and
      arachidonic acid and expression of CD31, CD41, GP IIb/IIIa, CD51/61, P-selectin,
      CD63, CD107a, CD151+CD14, and CD154 were not affected. Coagulation indices such
      as aPTT, prothrombin time, thrombin time, fibrinogen, antithrombin III (antigen
      and activity), Protein C, Protein S (free and activity), and von Willebrand
      factor remained unchanged after incubation with astaxanthine. Fibrinolytic
      activity biomarkers such as plasminogen, D-dimer, and FDP were also not affected
      after in vitro pretreatment of blood samples with astaxanthine. In the projected
      subclinical (less than 1 microM), therapeutic (3 microM to 30 microM), and
      supratherapeutic concentration (100 microM), astaxanthine in vitro does not
      affect platelet, coagulation, or fibrinolytic indices in either aspirin-naive or
      aspirin-treated subjects. These results are important for the assessment of the
      safety profile, but remain to be confirmed preclinically, in vivo, and ultimately
      in the clinic.

PMID- 20305400
TI  - Newer therapies for osteoporosis.
AB  - The existing drugs for treatment of osteoporosis are limited in scope,
      tolerability, and efficacy. Newer osteoclast-targeted agents like inhibitors of
      receptor activator nuclear factor kappaB pathway, Cathepsin K, and integrins are
      under clinical development. Osteoblast-targeted therapies include the agents
      acting through the Wnt signaling pathway like sclerostin antagonists. The
      potential molecular targets and the emerging drugs for treatment of osteoporosis
      are discussed in this review.

PMID- 20305401
TI  - Have clinical studies demonstrated diabetes prevention or delay of diabetes
      through early treatment?
AB  - The incidence of type 2 diabetes continues to increase at alarming rates.
      Prediabetes is a state of abnormal glycemic values that are not abnormal enough
      to result in the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Significant interest in the
      prevention of diabetes has resulted in trials evaluating pharmacologic
      intervention and lifestyle intervention to prevent the development of diabetes.
      Controversy exists over the exact definition of diabetes prevention. Agents might
      possibly delay diagnosis of diabetes via pharmacologic lowering of blood glucose.
      Goals of diabetes prevention include decreased cardiovascular disease. Trials
      assessing diabetes prevention should assess 1) Impact of the study drug upon the
      incidence of diabetes, 2) Impact of the study drug upon diagnosis of diabetes
      after post-treatment washout phase, 3) Assessment of insulin sensitivity/@-cell
      function/insulin secretion and blood glucose, 4) Assessment of confounding
      factors, 5) Impact of the study drug on the occurrence of cardiovascular disease.
      The published studies were reviewed using these criteria. Six studies evaluating
      seven agents have been were reviewed. Six of the seven agents reduced diagnosis
      of diabetes during use, but only two demonstrated effect after washout phase. One
      of the two agents has been withdrawn from the market. The second agent had a
      short follow-up period making the results difficult to interpret. Assessment of
      insulin secretion at entry to trial was common, however ongoing reassessment was
      uncommon. All studies attempted to assess confounding factors, however
      stratification of drug benefit relative to amount of lifestyle modification
      benefit was not reported in trials. Cardiovascular benefit in the form of reduced
      hypertension was documented with three agents. Pharmacologic prevention of type 2
      diabetes remains unproven, due in part to the difficulty distinguishing between
      prevention and delay. Reduction in cardiovascular benefit is unproven with most
      agents studied. Larger studies powered to detect cardiovascular endpoints are
      necessary to determine benefit of diabetes prevention.

PMID- 20305402
TI  - Chloroform anesthesia and the Saville Kent murder in 1860.
AB  - The discovery of the anesthetic properties of chloroform by Sir James Simpson is
      one of the therapeutic triumphs of the 19th century. Queen Victoria requested
      chloroform anesthesia for the birth of her second son, Prince Leopold, and from
      then until the end of century chloroform was the most popular general anesthetic
      for obstetrics and surgery. Chloroform was so pleasant to inhale that it became a
      drug of abuse and was involved in all sorts of criminal activity. Despite its
      wide usage, chloroform was not thought to be part of the brutal murder of 3-year
      old Saville Kent on the night of June 30, 1860, outside his manor house in
      southwest England. The events surrounding and after the murder have recently been
      documented by Kate Summerscale in a book entitled, "The Suspicions of Mr.
      Whicher," the Detective Inspector assigned to the case by Scotland Yard.
      According to Ms Summerscale's records, Mr Whicher ignored the possibility that
      chloroform was involved in Saville's death. However, evidence supports the view
      that chloroform played a critical role in the crime and indicates that the guilty
      plea by Samuel Kent's daughter, Constance, for which she spent 20 years to the
      day in prison, was as inaccurate as it was incomplete.

PMID- 20305407
TI  - Tc-99m sestamibi thyroid imaging in patients on chronic amiodarone treatment: a
      comparison with Tc-99m pertechnetate imaging.
AB  - PURPOSE OF THE REPORT: To compare thyroid imaging using Tc-99m sestamibi with the
      standard Tc-99m pertechnetate scintigraphy in patients on chronic use of
      amiodarone. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 23 patients on oral amiodarone for
      at least 4 months had thyroid scintigraphy and uptake measurement using Tc-99m
      pertechnetate and Tc-99m sestamibi. Thyroid function was evaluated by measuring
      serum concentrations of thyrotropin, free thyroxine, and free triiodothyronine,
      and antithyroglobulin and antithyroperoxidase antibodies. RESULTS: Ten of the 23
      patients were euthyroid, 9 hypothyroid, and 4 hyperthyroid, with normal,
      increased, and decreased serum thyrotropin, respectively. All euthyroid patients
      had markedly decreased thyroid Tc-99m pertechnetate uptake and normal or slightly
      increased Tc-99m sestamibi uptake, except for one patient who had increased
      uptake of both radiotracers. One of the 4 hyperthyroid patients had Graves'
      disease and markedly increased thyroid uptake of both tracers. The other 3
      hyperthyroid patients had normal or decreased Tc-99m pertechnetate uptake and
      increased Tc-99m sestamibi uptake. Differently than expected, all 9 hypothyroid
      patients had normal or increased uptake of both radiopharmaceuticals.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that Tc-99m sestamibi may be an alternative
      tracer for thyroid scintigraphy and uptake measurement of patients on chronic use
      of amiodarone. Tc-99m sestamibi seems to be better than Tc-99m pertechnetate for
      the scintigraphic evaluation of the thyroid of euthyroid and hyperthyroid
      patients.

PMID- 20305409
TI  - The role of bone SPECT/CT in the evaluation of lumbar spinal fusion with metallic
      fixation devices.
AB  - PURPOSE: It is difficult to evaluate the stability of the lumbar spondylodesis
      with metallic fixation devices by conventional imaging methods such as
      radiography or magnetic resonance imaging. It is unknown whether single photon
      emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) may be useful to
      detect a lack of fixation of the pedicle screws and hence to predict instability
      of the fused vertebral segments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis
      of 9 patients who were referred to bone scintigraphy, including combined
      SPECT/CT, due to persistent pain or discomfort after stabilizing lumbar surgery
      with metallic implants. The SPECT/CT findings were compared with observations
      from subsequent surgical reexploration. RESULTS: In 6 of 9 patients, the SPECT/CT
      fully or partially detected the vertebral level of loose pedicle screws. Of 9
      cases, 2 were considered inconclusive, whereas in 1 case loose pedicle screws
      were detected at a wrong vertebral level. CONCLUSION: SPECT/CT may be useful to
      detect a lack of fixation of the metallic implants, and hence instability of the
      spondylodesis by evaluating the focal bone mineralization activity in relation to
      the pedicle screws.

PMID- 20305408
TI  - Cortical and subcortical patterns of I-123 iodobenzamide SPECT in striatal D(2)
      receptor parkinsonisms.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The D(2) receptor is the most widely expressed dopaminergic
      receptor in the central nervous system, and it is present at the pre- and
      postsynaptic dopaminergic regions. It is mainly located in the neostriatum as
      well as in the globus pallidus, substantia nigra, cerebral cortex, thalamus, etc.
      The objective of this study was to analyze qualitatively and quantitatively the
      distribution pattern of the postsynaptic dopamine receptors through SPECT with
      iodobenzamide (IBZM) in patients with parkinsonism and to determine the benefit
      of this imaging technique in the differential diagnosis of the parkinsonian
      syndromes. MATERIALS: A total of 26 patients with clinical and imaging (Iodine
      123 fluoropropyl-carbomethoxy-3 beta-(4-iodophenyltropane) [FP-CIT]) diagnostics
      of parkinsonism, to all of which a study of postsynaptic D(2) receptors with IBZM
      was made, were retrospectively reviewed. Of total, 12 patients were male
      (42.85%). The average age was 73 years old (range, 64-83 years). The patients
      were imaged using SPECT 2 hours after administration of I-123 Iolopride (IBZM)
      and their images were evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively. To measure the
      relative density of the D(2) receptors, the studies were registered to a common
      space in which the structures to be analyzed were delimited over a RM template.
      Caudate/frontal (C/FI) and putamen/frontal (P/FI) activity indexes were obtained.
      RESULTS: Of total, 10 patients presented normal IBZM uptake (C/FI of 1.23 + or -
      0.13; P/FI of 1.53 + or - 0.11). The 16 studies listed as abnormal were divided
      into 2 degrees: (I) appearance of thalamic activity with preserved striatal
      uptake and (II) thalamus and frontal increased uptake with decrease of striatal
      activity. In the patients with abnormal patterns, the region that showed a
      greater reduction of uptake was the putamen (P/FI of 1.1 + or - 0.07 for degree
      1, P < 0.05 and P/FI of 1.25 + or - 0.19 for degree 2, P < 0.001). For the
      differential diagnosis of Parkinson disease in relation to the atypical
      parkinsonisms, the sensitivity was 68.4% (confidence interval, 51.9-87.6) and the
      specificity was 57.1% (confidence interval, 20.2-88.2). The patients with
      Parkinson disease with longer evolution times showed a decrease of D(2) activity
      (3/7). CONCLUSION: The appearance of thalamic activity may be an early indicator
      of a decrease of D(2) striatal receptors in atypical parkinsonisms and in
      patients with long-term Parkinson disease.

PMID- 20305410
TI  - Impact of FDG PET/CT on delineation of the gross tumor volume for radiation
      planning in non-small-cell lung cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Computed tomography (CT) remains the gold standard for delineation of
      tumor volumes for radiotherapy (RT) planning. However, positron emission
      tomography (PET) overlay on CT has shown to impact the gross target volume (GTV),
      decrease intraobserver variability, and change the treatment planning in a
      significant number of patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the
      influence and accuracy of FDG PET in GTV definition as a complementary modality
      to CT for patients with non-small-cell lung carcinoma at Vanderbilt University
      Medical Center. METHODS: Data from 11 consecutive patients with non-small-cell
      lung carcinoma, which were referred to FDG PET/CT for initial staging and RT
      planning were analyzed retrospectively. All patients had undergone routine
      staging using a RT noncontrasted CT. Both the RT CT and PET/CT images were
      acquired using standard protocols but with the patients positioned in the same RT
      immobilization devices. Both the CT and PET/CT images were transferred to the RT
      planning workstation for contouring. GTV, pathologic nodal and metastases volumes
      were first defined in the conventional manner based on RT CT. The FDG PET and RT
      CT planning image datasets were coregistered with the help of the transmission CT
      from PET/CT. FDG PET GTVs were determined by a team of radiation oncologists and
      nuclear physician with expertise in PET/CT, and displayed simultaneously with the
      CT contours. The RT CT and PET GTV were measured and the percent difference was
      calculated for the primary tumor, pathologic lymph nodes, and distant metastases.
      A difference of 15% was considered significant. RESULTS: The primary tumor GTV
      was decreased in 36% (n = 4) of patients by differentiating atelectasis and
      postobstructive pneumonia from tumor, and increased GTV in 27% (n = 3) of
      patients by detecting additional tumor burden. Increased nodal disease burden was
      detected in 18% (n = 2) of patients. The use of PET/CT changed treatment from
      curative to palliative by detecting distant metastasis in 27% (n = 3) of
      patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our results are consistent with the published data of
      PET/CT altering GTV in a significant number of patients, detecting tumor spread
      to additional lymph nodes and distant metastases. While these advantages support
      the use of PET/CT in RT planning, it remains unknown what impact this will have
      on patient outcomes.

PMID- 20305411
TI  - Hepatobiliary scan findings in chronic cholecystitis.
AB  - PURPOSE OF THE REPORT: Hepatobiliary scintigraphy, most often referred to as the
      HIDA scan, is often performed to assess cystic duct patency or occlusion in
      patients with suspected acute cholecystitis. The imaging diagnosis of chronic
      cholecystitis is generally made by sonographic demonstration of calculi in a
      setting of chronic recurrent abdominal pain or nonspecific dyspeptic symptoms.
      When a stone blocks the gallbladder neck or cystic duct, it precipitates an
      attack of acute cholecystitis that could be confirmed by performing the HIDA
      scan. In the course of performing HIDA studies, several incidental findings
      suggesting chronic cholecystitis may be encountered. Recognition of these
      suggestive patterns should increase the suspicion of chronic disease that can be
      further confirmed with sonography, gallbladder ejection fraction determination
      with sincalide cholescintigraphy, or other clinical findings. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The material selected for this atlas is accumulated from many years of
      experience with HIDA scan. Illustration of the several scintigraphic patterns
      suggesting chronic rather than acute cholecystitis is presented to familiarize
      the reader with these findings. Correlation with clinical, radiologic, and
      pathologic findings is presented, as well. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The
      illustrated findings, though not definitive, may explain the etiology of the
      underlying symptoms of chronic cholecystitis and direct further management.

PMID- 20305412
TI  - The 2010 meeting of the American College of Nuclear Medicine.

PMID- 20305413
TI  - Visualization of cardiac metastasis from medullary thyroid carcinoma on F-18 DOPA
      PET/CT scan.

PMID- 20305414
TI  - Synchronous adenocarcinoma of the appendix demonstrated on F-18 FDG PET/CT.

PMID- 20305415
TI  - Recurrent colon cancer involving the urinary bladder identified with F-18 FDG
      PET/CT after forced diuresis.

PMID- 20305416
TI  - Sebaceous carcinoma of the parotid gland: F-18 FDG PET/CT findings.

PMID- 20305417
TI  - Isolated facial muscle metastasis from renal cell carcinoma on F-18 FDG PET/CT.

PMID- 20305418
TI  - Incidental early stage endometrial adenocarcinoma diagnosed by F-18 FDG PET-CT,
      which was negative on ultrasound and nonspecific on MRI.

PMID- 20305419
TI  - Subcutaneous metastases of colorectal cancer detected with PET/CT.
AB  - Cutaneous and subcutaneous metastases of colorectal cancer is rare. The authors
      present a case of a 63-year-old man with colorectal carcinoma, who underwent
      preoperative staging with positron emission tomography/computed tomography
      (PET/CT). PET/CT demonstrated intensely increased uptake in the subcutaneous
      nodular lesion in the anterior surface of the right thigh. Histopathological
      examination of the excised subcutaneous nodular lesion revealed adenocarcinoma
      metastases.

PMID- 20305420
TI  - Occult prolactinoma diagnosed by FDG PET/CT.

PMID- 20305421
TI  - Malignant transformation in an area with elevated F-18 FDG uptake within a low
      metabolic benign neurofibroma.

PMID- 20305422
TI  - Varicose vein as a cause of increased FDG uptake.

PMID- 20305423
TI  - Meckel's diverticulum and intestinal duplication detected by Tc-99m pertechnetate
      scintigraphy.

PMID- 20305424
TI  - Appendiceal carcinoid mimicking a Meckel's diverticulum on Tc-99m pertechnetate
      imaging.

PMID- 20305425
TI  - Congenital hiatus hernia identified retrospectively on pediatric pertechnetate
      imaging.

PMID- 20305426
TI  - FDG uptake in fat necrosis following transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous
      (TRAM) flap reconstructed breasts: 3 cases.

PMID- 20305427
TI  - Pulmonary artery aneurysm with false-positive FDG PET in a patient with Behcet
      disease.

PMID- 20305428
TI  - Tc-99m methylene diphosphonate uptake by numerous phleboliths in the lower
      extremity detected incidentally during bone scintigraphy.

PMID- 20305429
TI  - Butterfly vertebra: a diagnostic pitfall on bone scintigraphy.

PMID- 20305430
TI  - Extracardiac uptake on myocardial perfusion imaging in a patient with
      diaphragmatic paralysis and Chilaiditi's sign.

PMID- 20305431
TI  - Pulmonary hydatid cyst detected on FDG PET-CT.

PMID- 20305432
TI  - Demonstration of a tubercular fistula-in-ano on F-18 FDG PET/CT.

PMID- 20305433
TI  - Current readings in nuclear medicine.

PMID- 20305434
TI  - Significance of lymphovascular invasion in sporadic colorectal cancer.

PMID- 20305435
TI  - Prognostic significance of lymphovascular invasion in sporadic colorectal cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: It remains unclear whether lymphovascular invasion marks a poor
      prognosis for patients with sporadic colorectal cancers. Here, we analyzed the
      association between lymphovascular invasion and the clinicopathological features
      and prognosis of sporadic colorectal cancer patients. METHODS: The
      clinicopathological features and prognosis of 2417 patients with sporadic primary
      colorectal cancer who underwent an operation at the Asan Medical Center between
      January 1998 and December 2002 were examined. The patients' clinicopathological
      parameters and follow-up and survival data were obtained from a prospectively
      collected database. RESULTS: Of the 2417 patients, a lymphovascular invasion
      positive tumor was detected in 610 (25.2%). Compared with patients with
      lymphovascular invasion-negative tumors those with lymphovascular invasion
      positive tumors were older (P < .001) and had higher preoperative serum
      carcinoembryonic antigen levels (P = .011). Their tumors were also more likely to
      be poorly differentiated (P < .001) and more advanced in terms of T and N
      categories (P < .001 and P < .001, respectively). The lymphovascular invasion
      positive tumors were also more likely to have metastasized systemically (P <
      .001). Although lymphovascular invasion-positive and lymphovascular invasion
      negative tumors metastasized equally frequently to the liver, lung, peritoneum,
      and bone, lymphovascular invasion-positive tumors metastasized to systemic lymph
      nodes more often (P < .001). These tumors also recurred at systemic lymph nodes
      after curative intent surgery more often (P = .007). Lymphovascular invasion
      positive status was an independent unfavorable prognostic factor for the 5-year
      overall and 5-year disease-free survival of patients with sporadic colorectal
      cancer (P < .001 and P < .001, respectively). CONCLUSION: Lymphovascular invasion
      positive status could be used to identify patients with sporadic primary
      colorectal cancer with aggressive tumors and as a factor that independently
      indicates an unfavorable prognosis.

PMID- 20305436
TI  - Acuity and survival in colon cancer surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: Reports indicate that up to 40% of patients with colon cancer require
      nonelective resection, which has been shown to portend worse long-term prognosis
      compared with elective resection. We used a national database to identify
      specific preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative factors mediating the
      acuity-survival relationship in an effort to identify areas of medical practice
      that can serve as targets for improvement in cancer care. METHODS: We used the
      Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare-linked database to identify
      non-health maintenance organization-enrolled people aged 66 years and older who
      were diagnosed with stages I to III colon cancer between 1996 and 2003 (N =
      30,685). Using stepwise, multivariate Cox regression, disease-specific survival
      was compared in patients undergoing elective vs nonelective resection. Adjustment
      for preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative variables was performed to
      identify factors contributing to the acuity-survival relationship. RESULTS: Five
      year disease-specific survival was 86.3% after elective and 75.4% after
      nonelective colon resection (hazard ratio, 1.92; P < .001). A significant
      proportion of this disparity was the result of differences in stage and patient
      characteristics, particularly age and comorbidity burden, at the time of
      resection. Differences in adequacy of nodal assessment and the use of
      surveillance colonoscopy and adjuvant chemotherapy, however, also contributed to
      the disparity. After adjustment for these factors, the hazard ratio for
      nonelective resection was 1.30 (P < .001). CONCLUSION: Nonelective resection of
      colon cancer is associated with poor long-term prognosis compared with elective
      resection. Disease-specific survival among patients undergoing nonelective
      surgery may be improved by addressing insufficient nodal assessment, inadequate
      follow-up care, and underutilization of appropriate, adjuvant chemotherapy.

PMID- 20305437
TI  - Impact of hospital institutional volume on postoperative mortality after major
      emergency colorectal surgery in English National Health Service Trusts, 2001 to
      2005.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of institutional
      volume on postoperative mortality in patients undergoing emergency major
      colorectal surgical procedures in England between 2001 and 2005. METHODS: All of
      the emergency excisional colorectal procedures performed between the above dates
      were included from the Hospital Episode Statistics data set. Institutions were
      divided into high-, medium-, and low-volume tertiles according to the total major
      emergency colorectal caseload. RESULTS: During the study period, 37,094 emergency
      excisional colorectal procedures were performed in 166 English National Health
      Service institutions. Overall 30-day postoperative mortality was 15.49%,
      increasing to 29.18% at 1 year after surgery. Overall 30- and 365-day mortality
      rates were similar among institutional volume tertiles (P > .05) after adjustment
      for age, sex, social deprivation, diagnosis, procedure type, and comorbidity
      score. CONCLUSION: Hospital Episode Statistics data suggest that institutions
      with high volumes of emergency colorectal caseload do not demonstrate lower
      mortality after emergency major excisional colorectal surgery.

PMID- 20305438
TI  - Long-term outcomes after local excision and radical surgery for anal melanoma:
      data from a population database.
AB  - PURPOSE: Anal melanoma is rare and associated with a poor outcome. Previous
      studies that have reported outcomes after surgical treatment are limited by both
      small number of participants and treatment at single centers only. This study
      evaluates survival of patients undergoing surgery for anal melanoma from a
      prospective, population-based database. METHODS: Characteristics and survival of
      patients undergoing rectal resection or local excision for anal melanoma of the
      anus, anal canal, and overlapping region of the rectum from 1982 to 2002 were
      obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database and
      compared. RESULTS: A total of 160 patients were included in the study. Details of
      previous surgical procedures were available for 109 of the study patients: 60
      (55%) underwent local excision and 49 (45%) rectal resection. Patients who
      underwent local excision were significantly older (73.5 vs 65.1 years, P < .001),
      whereas those who had undergone rectal resection had a greater proportion of
      regional disease (73.5% vs 16.7%, P < .001). The median survival of the 2 groups
      was similar (rectal resection vs local excision: 17 vs 28 months, P = .3). Rectal
      resection and local excision were associated with similar survival for patients
      in both regional (P = .6) and localized (P = .95) stages. Outcomes for patients
      who were appropriately pathologically staged after rectal resection depended on
      localized vs regional stage (5-year survival: 43.1% vs 12.5%, P = .17). Survival
      for patients in localized and regional stages who underwent rectal resection was
      similar to that for patients with corresponding clinical stage who underwent
      local excision. CONCLUSION: Survival of patients with anal melanoma is similar
      after local excision or rectal resection irrespective of whether patients have
      localized or regional stage of disease.

PMID- 20305439
TI  - Abnormal colonic motility: a possible association with urge fecal incontinence.
AB  - PURPOSE: Fecal incontinence is a distressing condition affecting up to 7% of the
      population. Severe urgency is a symptom associated with hypersensitivity of the
      rectum, a common finding in both fecal incontinence and irritable bowel syndrome.
      The purpose of this study was to investigate whether patients with fecal
      incontinence, urgency, and rectal hypersensitivity have abnormal hindgut
      motility, suggestive of a more generalized motility problem. METHODS: Eleven
      females with urgency-associated incontinence and without anal sphincter injury
      were compared with 5 controls. After full clinical, ultrasonographic, and
      physiological assessment, patients underwent prolonged colonic manometry studies.
      Motility patterns were recorded and, in particular, the response to a standard
      gastrocolic reflex was noted. RESULTS: Rectal sensation values in patients were
      as follows: first sensation, 22 (range, 5-58) mls; desire to defecate, 31 (range,
      13-166) mls; and maximum tolerated volume, 64 (range, 21-254) mls. Compared with
      controls, patients had significantly higher numbers of 1) low amplitude waves (>5
      mmHg) in both the sigmoid colon (101 vs 46.5; P = .028) and the descending colon
      (101.5 vs 41; P = .036) in the hour before the meal stimulus, and 2) high
      amplitude waves (>50 mmHg) in the sigmoid colon (2 vs 0; P = .006) in the fasting
      state. CONCLUSION: Patients with fecal incontinence associated with severe
      urgency may have rectal hypersensitivity and a more global colonic motility
      problem similar to irritable bowel syndrome.

PMID- 20305440
TI  - Six years of experience with sacral nerve stimulation for fecal incontinence.
AB  - PURPOSE: Sacral nerve stimulation is one of many new surgical modalities for
      fecal incontinence. Short-term results from sacral nerve stimulation have been
      more encouraging than those from other modalities. The aim of this study was to
      report the outcome of percutaneous nerve evaluation tests and sacral nerve
      stimulation for the treatment of fecal incontinence from a single center covering
      a period of 6 years since the procedure was introduced. METHODS: All of the
      candidates for a percutaneous nerve evaluation test and sacral nerve stimulation
      seen at our anal physiology unit between March 2001 and March 2007 were included
      in the study. RESULTS: A total of 177 patients with fecal incontinence (160
      females), median age 59.5 (range, 27-88) years, underwent a percutaneous nerve
      evaluation test. Of these patients, 142 (80%) had a positive test, including 21
      of 25 (84%) patients who required a repeat percutaneous nerve evaluation test.
      Because of a functional failure, 16 patients underwent a revision of the
      permanent electrode, 7 of whom (44%) were satisfied with the functional result
      after the revision. Of 126 patients, 15 (12%) have undergone an explantation,
      with an infection rate of only 1.6%. Overall, after a median follow-up of 24
      (range, 3-72) months, the median Wexner incontinence score decreased from 16
      (range, 6-20) to 10 (range, 0-20) (P < .0001). In the 10 patients who underwent
      at least 6 years of treatment, the effect was sustained, as the median Wexner
      incontinence score decreased from 20 (range, 12-20) to 7 (range, 2-11) (P <
      .0001). CONCLUSION: Sacral nerve stimulation is a simple, safe, and minimally
      invasive technique with low morbidity and excellent results, which appear to be
      maintained for the first 6 years after the procedure. For patients who underwent
      the treatment, median Wexner incontinence score decreased significantly after a
      median follow-up of 24 (range, 3-72) months. Twelve percent were explanted. The
      infection rate was 1.6%.

PMID- 20305441
TI  - Is sacral neuromodulation for fecal incontinence worthwhile in patients with
      associated pelvic floor injury?
AB  - PURPOSE: It has been shown that vaginal delivery may result in pelvic floor
      injury. Until now it is unknown whether this type of injury plays a role in the
      etiology of fecal incontinence and whether it affects the outcome of treatment.
      The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of pelvic floor injury
      in patients with fecal incontinence who were eligible for sacral neuromodulation
      and to determine whether sacral neuromodulation is worthwhile in patients with
      pelvic floor injury. METHODS: All women with fecal incontinence who were eligible
      for sacral neuromodulation in the past were invited to participate in the present
      study. With transperineal ultrasound, which has been developed recently, pelvic
      floor integrity was examined in 46 of the 66 patients (70%). Follow-up was
      obtained from a standardized questionnaire. RESULTS: Pelvic floor injury was
      found in 29 of the 46 participants (63%). No differences regarding the efficacy
      of sacral neuromodulation were found between patients with and those without
      pelvic floor injury. Successful test stimulation was obtained in 86% of the
      patients with pelvic floor injury and in 71% of the patients without pelvic type
      injury. After implantation of a definitive pulse generator, a successful outcome
      was found in 84% of the patients with pelvic floor injury and in 75% of the
      patients with an intact pelvic floor. CONCLUSION: Pelvic floor injury is present
      in the majority of incontinent patients who were eligible for sacral
      neuromodulation. This type of injury seems to have no detrimental effect on the
      treatment outcome.

PMID- 20305442
TI  - Sacral nerve modulation in the treatment of fecal incontinence following repair
      of rectal prolapse.
AB  - PURPOSE: Persistent or newly-diagnosed fecal incontinence following surgical
      repair of rectal prolapse has been reported in up to 30% of all treated patients.
      This study tried to evaluate the role of sacral nerve modulation as a potential
      treatment for this problem. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The medical records of 11
      patients (all female; median age, 59 years) in 2 coloproctology centers were
      retrospectively analyzed. All of the patients had been treated for fecal
      incontinence by sacral nerve modulation, following transabdominal or transanal
      repair of rectal prolapse. After a median history of 36 (11-72) months following
      surgery, patients complained about fecal incontinence (median Cleveland Clinic
      Incontinence Score, 15 (13-20)), and sacral nerve modulation was proposed. The
      effect of sacral nerve modulation on the Cleveland score, as well as on the
      quality of life scoring system of The American Society of Colon and Rectal
      Surgeons, was evaluated. RESULTS: Based on their continence diaries, 9 of 11
      patients reported an improvement of their fecal incontinence during the screening
      period, and proceeded to a permanent implant. After a median follow-up time of 36
      (12-72) months, fecal incontinence scores dropped from a median of 15 (13-20)
      preoperatively to a median of 5 (3-7) in all implanted patients (P < .01).
      Quality of life analysis for all implanted patients showed significant
      improvement in all 4 domains (lifestyle, coping behavior, depression, and
      embarrassment (P < .01)). CONCLUSION: In this series, with a limited number of
      patients, sacral nerve modulation has shown a positive effect on the treatment of
      both persistent and newly-reported fecal incontinence after surgical repair of
      rectal prolapse.

PMID- 20305443
TI  - Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation for the treatment of urge fecal
      incontinence.
AB  - PURPOSE: Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation has been shown to be an effective
      treatment in patients with urinary disorders, but its benefit in fecal
      incontinence is uncertain. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of
      percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation in the treatment of urge fecal
      incontinence. METHODS: This prospective study, conducted over a 14-month period,
      assessed 31 patients with urge fecal incontinence treated with percutaneous
      tibial nerve stimulation. The outcomes measured were: 1) reduction in fecal
      incontinence episodes, 2) improvement in Cleveland Clinic incontinence scores,
      and 3) improvement in ability to defer defecation. All analysis was performed on
      an intention-to-treat basis. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 9 months (range, 3
      14). Twenty-one (68%) patients improved following percutaneous tibial nerve
      stimulation and remain satisfied with the clinical response. Median fecal
      incontinence episodes per week declined from 4 (range, 0-30) to 0 (range, 0-27)
      (P < .0001). Median Cleveland Clinic incontinence scores declined from 13 (range,
      5-20) to 7 (range, 0-20) (P < .0001). Ability to defer defecation was improved
      significantly (P < .0001). No morbidity was encountered for any patient.
      CONCLUSION: This preliminary study demonstrates that percutaneous tibial nerve
      stimulation is an effective and very well tolerated treatment for patients with
      urge fecal incontinence with particular improvement in reducing fecal urgency.

PMID- 20305444
TI  - Laparoscopic rectal surgery: does immediate outcome differ in respect to sex?
AB  - PURPOSE: This study analyzed the immediate postoperative outcome of the
      laparoscopic approach to the rectum in relation to the sex of the patient.
      METHODS: Two hundred thirty-nine patients were included in our study. The
      inclusion criterion was rectal cancer <15 cm from the anal margin. Exclusion
      criteria were the presence of anesthetic contraindications for pneumoperitoneum,
      T4, pancolonic polyposis, and ulcerative colitis. The parameters analyzed
      included demographics, comorbidities, previous abdominal surgery, preoperative
      chemoradiotherapy, body mass index, operative time, type of operation, difficulty
      score, conversion, hospital stay, postoperative morbidity according to the Dindo
      classification, and histopathologic analysis. Analysis was performed on an
      intention-to-treat basis. Results are given as number of cases and percentages
      for categorical data, and as median and 95% confidence interval for quantitative
      variables. Data were analyzed by use of bivariate analysis, contingency tables,
      and chi or Fisher exact tests for categorical variables, and ANOVA or t test for
      quantitative variables. The statistical significance level was set at 5% (alpha =
      0.05), and two-tailed tests were used throughout. RESULTS: We did not find any
      statistical differences related to sex in the global series, pure laparoscopy, or
      converted patients in relation to mortality, conversion, anastomotic leakage,
      morbidity, reintervention, and morbidity classification according to Dindo (P >
      .05). We only observed a trend in relation to a longer duration of surgery in
      men. This was statistically significant in the low anterior resection subgroup (P
      = .02) and in the overall series (P = .002). Statistical analysis also showed
      that postoperative stay was longer in men after an anterior resection (P = .015).
      CONCLUSION: We believe that no important differences exist in perioperative
      outcomes between men and women after a laparoscopic approach to rectum cancer.

PMID- 20305445
TI  - The short-term effect of neoadjuvant chemoradiation on anorectal function in low
      and midrectal cancer: analysis using preoperative manometric data.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the short-term preoperative
      effects of neoadjuvant chemoradiation on anorectal function, excluding the bias
      of postoperative impairment. METHODS: We analyzed 80 patients on whom
      preoperative anorectal manometry data were available for both prechemoradiation
      and postchemoradiation. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the
      tumor location; lower rectum (n = 52) and mid rectum (n = 28). The paired t test
      was used to compare prechemoradiation and postchemoradiation parameters including
      the mean resting pressure, maximum squeeze pressure, percentage asymmetry of the
      resting and squeeze sphincter, length of the high-pressure zone, rectal sensory
      threshold, and rectal compliance. RESULTS: In patients with a lower rectal
      cancer, there were significant differences in the percentage asymmetry of the
      squeeze sphincter (27.81 +/- 6.46 vs 25.38 +/- 5.93%, P < .01), length of the
      high-pressure zone (2.14 +/- 0.74 vs 2.33 +/- 0.72 cm, P = .05), and rectal
      compliance (1.14 +/- 0.41 vs 1.02 +/- 0.40 mL/mmHg, P = .04). In patients with
      midrectal cancer, only the mean resting pressure increased significantly (45.08
      +/- 18.57 vs 52.83 +/- 17.87 mmHg, P < .01). Clinical symptom evaluation
      demonstrated a significant decrease in the number of defecations and the
      frequency of tenesmus. CONCLUSION: Neoadjuvant chemoradiation did not impair
      overall short-term sphincter function significantly, regardless of the location
      of the primary tumor. Although there was a decrease in rectal compliance, it
      seemed that the tumor-downsizing effect compensated the expected worsening of
      anorectal function in the early postchemoradiation period.

PMID- 20305446
TI  - Spectrum of MLH1 and MSH2 mutations in Chilean families with suspected Lynch
      syndrome.
AB  - PURPOSE: Lynch syndrome is the most common inherited syndrome of colorectal
      cancer, caused principally by germline mutations in MLH1 and MSH2. We report our
      experience with genetic screening in the diagnosis of Lynch syndrome in Chile, a
      country previously underserved in the capacity to diagnose hereditary colorectal
      cancer. METHODS: Families from our Familial Colorectal Cancer Registry were
      selected for this study if they fulfilled either Amsterdam I/II or Bethesda
      criteria for classification of Lynch syndrome. Analysis of colorectal tumors from
      probands included a microsatellite instability study and immunohistochemical
      evaluation for MLH1 and MSH2. Screening of germline mutations was performed by
      single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis and DNA sequencing. RESULTS: A
      total of 21 families were evaluated, 14 meeting Amsterdam criteria and 7 meeting
      Bethesda criteria. Tumors in 20 families (95%) showed microsatellite instability
      (19 high and 1 low) and 9 of these 20 families (45%) harbored a germline mutation
      (7 of 13 Amsterdam and 2 of 7 Bethesda families). Of the 9 mutations identified,
      6 were in MLH1 and 3 in MSH2. Two of the mutations were novel, 3 were previously
      found in 1 to 2 European populations, and 4 were previously found in various
      ethnic populations worldwide. Only 2 mutations were previously found in another
      Latin American population (Colombia). In our probands, colorectal cancer was
      located mainly (57%) in the right or transverse colon. Pedigree information from
      104 family affected members of 21 studied families showed endometrial cancer to
      be the most frequent primary extracolonic tumor, accounting for 15.1% of total
      cases, followed by stomach (13.2%) and breast cancer (11.3%). Analysis of
      mitochondrial DNA haplotypes showed a strong Amerindian genetic component in 15
      (71.4%) of the 21 families analyzed. CONCLUSION: The study of Lynch syndrome in
      families of different ethnic origins contributes to the definition of genetic and
      clinical differences among populations. Wide distribution in other ethnic
      populations strongly suggests varying origins of 4 the mutations found. Although
      cancer phenotype was consistent with those from other Latin American populations,
      only 2 of 9 mutations were shared with other South American populations and 2
      novel mutations were found. The Chilean population is considered to be an
      admixture of Amerindian and European-mainly Spanish-populations, producing an
      ethnic group with significant genetic differences from populations previously
      studied.

PMID- 20305447
TI  - Treatment of chronic anal fissures and associated stenosis by autologous adipose
      tissue transplant: a pilot study.
AB  - PURPOSE: A substantial body of recent evidence suggests that autologous adipose
      tissue transplant promotes healing in different lesions associated with local
      ischemia. We report the outcome of lipoaspirate transplant in hard-to-treat
      chronic anal fissures. METHODS: Eight patients were included in this pilot study,
      5 with single and 3 with multiple fissures. All had intense anal pain and had
      previously undergone proctologic surgery, with internal sphincterotomy performed
      in 6 patients. Severe stenosis was present in 3 patients and moderate stenosis in
      2. Preoperative assessment included anoscopy, anorectal manometry, colonoscopy,
      and microbiological tests to exclude inflammatory, neoplastic, or infectious
      diseases. Surgical treatment consisted of transplant of purified autologous fat
      retrieved from the hypogastrium. Follow-up was scheduled after 1 week, at 2, 3,
      6, and 12 months, and thereafter on a yearly basis. RESULTS: All of the patients
      were discharged several hours after surgery. No early postoperative complication
      was observed. Complete healing and pain remission were achieved in 6 patients
      (75%), 4 of whom were treated in a single session, whereas 2 patients required 2
      and 3 sessions. Anal stenosis was resolved in 4 of 5 patients (80%). The therapy
      was unsuccessful in 2 patients (25%). Mean follow-up was 18 months (range, 3-36
      months). CONCLUSION: Perianal autologous fat transplant can be safely performed
      for the treatment of complex anal fissures. It is well tolerated and offers
      encouraging results, although further research is warranted because of the small
      number of patients treated and the relatively short follow-up time.

PMID- 20305448
TI  - Practical and effective stomal sphincter creation: evaluation in pigs.
AB  - PURPOSE: Stoma creation frequently presents complications for which there is no
      satisfactory surgical solution. We reexamined the feasibility of managing stoma
      continence with an artificial sphincter, addressing the outstanding issues of
      geometry, electrode disposition, and fatigue resistance. METHODS: In 6 pigs, 1
      rectus abdominis muscle was preconditioned with electric stimulation for 4 weeks
      by an implanted stimulator. A sphincter was then constructed and tested for its
      ability to provide continence against saline at a typical intestinal pressure.
      The result was compared with a sphincter fashioned from the unconditioned
      contralateral (control) muscle. In each case, stimulation was applied alternately
      to longitudinal segments. RESULTS: A 2-layered wrap was required to achieve
      continence. Sphincters created from the preconditioned muscles could sustain
      continence continuously for at least 90 minutes. CONCLUSION: This study
      establishes a practical approach to the creation of a sphincter from the rectus
      abdominis muscle in stoma patients. Continence can be achieved only with a double
      layered wrap. Fatigue during long-term operation can be avoided by a combination
      of preconditioning and segmental stimulation of intramuscular nerve branches.

PMID- 20305449
TI  - Inhibition of hyaluronan synthase-3 decreases subcutaneous colon cancer growth in
      mice.
AB  - PURPOSE: Hyaluronan and hyaluronan synthases have been implicated in cancer
      progression. Hyaluronan synthase-3 is up-regulated in metastatic colon cancer
      cells (SW620), and its expression mediates cellular growth in vitro. We
      hypothesized that inhibition of hyaluronan synthase-3 would decrease tumor
      formation and/or alter the pattern of metastasis in mouse models of colon cancer
      growth. METHODS: Hyaluronan synthase-3 was inhibited in SW620 cells by
      transfection with small interfering RNA (silenced cells); a scrambled sequence
      served as a negative control. To study primary tumor growth, transfected cells
      were injected into the flanks of BALB/c nude mice. To study metastasis, an
      orthotopic model was used. Metastases were confirmed histologically. Student t
      test and Fisher exact probability test were used for statistical analysis.
      RESULTS: Inhibition of hyaluronan synthase-3 significantly decreased subcutaneous
      tumor growth; tumor weight was 0.94 +/- 0.17 g in the hyaluronan synthase-3
      silenced group vs 1.70 +/- 0.26 g in the control scrambled group (P < .01). In
      contrast, metastases were similar in both groups: liver metastases were present
      in 22% of the silenced group vs 11% of the scrambled group; lung metastases were
      present in 6% of the silenced group vs 0% of the scrambled group (P = not
      significant). CONCLUSION: Inhibition of hyaluronan synthase-3 expression in SW620
      colon cancer cells decreases subcutaneous tumor growth in mice, but has less of
      an effect on lung and liver metastases. This observation suggests that hyaluronan
      synthase-3 may enhance primary colon cancer growth.

PMID- 20305450
TI  - Canadian Association of General Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons, the
      Canadian Society of Colorectal Surgeons, and the American Society of Colon and
      Rectal Surgeons: evidence based reviews in surgery - colorectal surgery.

PMID- 20305451
TI  - Endorectal advancement flap for cryptoglandular or Crohn's fistula-in-ano.
AB  - PURPOSE: Objectives of surgical treatment for transsphincteric and complex
      anorectal fistulas are the successful elimination of current/recurrent disease
      and the preservation of sphincter function. The concept of endorectal advancement
      flaps is to preserve the sphincter by closing off the primary opening by means of
      a mobilized flap. We performed a systematic review of the literature to assess
      the role of this technique. METHODS: A literature search on transanal rectal
      advancement flaps to treat cryptoglandular or Crohn fistula-in-ano was performed
      for the 30-year period between 1978 and 2008. Rectovaginal/rectourinary or cancer
      related fistulas were excluded. Each study was examined for length of follow-up
      and the 2 major end points: success rate and incontinence rate. RESULTS: From 35
      studies with 2065 patients, we identified 1654 patients undergoing endorectal
      advancement flaps for cryptoglandular or Crohn disease. Four hundred eleven
      subjects were excluded (319 rectovaginal/rectourinary fistulas; 92 other causes).
      The quality of the reports was limited (low-level evidence) with numerous
      structural and design flaws. Weighted success and incontinence rates were
      80.8%/13.2% for cryptoglandular and 64%/9.4% for Crohn fistulas. CONCLUSION:
      Endorectal advancement flap is one tool, although not a perfect one, to treat
      complex anorectal fistulas of cryptoglandular or Crohn origin. Higher level
      evidence would be needed for comparison with other surgical techniques.

PMID- 20305453
TI  - An innovative technique for colorectal specimen retrieval: a new era of "Natural
      Orifice Specimen Extraction" (N.O.S.E.).

PMID- 20305452
TI  - Single-access laparoscopic colectomy with a novel multiport device in sigmoid
      colectomy for colon cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Laparoscopic-assisted colectomy is a common procedure for colorectal
      disease, and laparoscopic colectomy from a single access point is rapidly
      evolving. This report describes the use of single-access laparoscopic colectomy
      (SALC) with a novel multiport device in sigmoidectomy for colon cancer. METHODS:
      Data were collected retrospectively on 5 patients who underwent the procedure for
      colon cancers in the period from November 2008 through January 2009. The abdomen
      was approached through a 3- to 4-cm incision via the umbilicus in every case. To
      ensure maintenance of the pneumoperitoneum, the procedure was performed with a
      specially developed multiport device enveloped by a glove containing 3 5-mm
      ports. In all 5 patients, the root of the inferior mesenteric artery was isolated
      and divided at the distal side where the left colic artery branched off. RESULTS:
      The median total surgical time was 185 (range, 176-210) minutes. In all patients,
      surgical blood loss was slight (range, 0-20 mL). Only one patient required
      conversion into laparoscopic-assisted colectomy by the addition of 2 ports,
      because the location adjacent to the descending colon made it necessary to
      mobilize the splenic flexure. The median number of harvested lymph nodes was 17
      (range, 12-24). No postoperative complications occurred. The postoperative
      hospital stay was 7 days for every patient. CONCLUSIONS: Single-access
      laparoscopic sigmoidectomy seems to be feasible and safe when performed by
      experienced laparoscopic surgeons who are familiar with the unique principles of
      this procedure. Additional experience and continued investigations are warranted.

PMID- 20305456
TI  - Letter to the editor.

PMID- 20305457
TI  - Is it time to pull the plug on 12-hour shifts?: Part 2. Barriers to change and
      executive leadership strategies.
AB  - This article is part 2 of the series "Pulling the Plug on 12-Hour Shifts." In
      part 1 (March 2010), the authors provided an update on recent evidence that
      challenges the current scheduling paradigm that supports the lack of safety of
      long work hours. Part 2 describes the barriers to change and challenges for the
      nurse executive in moving away from the practice of 12-hour shifts. This is an
      executive-level analysis of barriers and recommends strategies for change.
      Translation of evidence into administrative practice requires examination of
      external environmental factors, internal system consequences, organizational
      culture, and measures of executive performance.

PMID- 20305458
TI  - Positive deviance: an elegant solution to a complex problem.
AB  - As systems evolve over time, their natural tendency is to become increasingly
      more complex. Studies in the field of complex systems have generated new
      perspectives on management in social organizations such as hospitals. Much of
      this research appears as a natural extension of the cross-disciplinary field of
      systems theory. This is the 13th in a series of articles applying complex systems
      science to the traditional management concepts of planning, organizing,
      directing, coordinating, and controlling. This article provides one example of
      how concepts taken from complex systems theory can be applied to real-world
      problems facing nurses today.

PMID- 20305459
TI  - Preparing tomorrow's leaders: a review of the issues.
AB  - This biannual department, sponsored by CGEAN, provides information updates to
      nurse leaders on educational trends, issues, and research important for effective
      nursing and health system administration. The CGEAN Web site can be accessed at
      http://www.cgean.org.

PMID- 20305460
TI  - Accreditation and certification for evidence-based design.
AB  - The Evidence-Based Design Accreditation and Certification (EDAC) is a
      professional certification that validates that individuals have a core body of
      knowledge and experience necessary to lead and engage in an evidence-based design
      process for healthcare facilities. This bimonthly department expands nurse
      leaders' knowledge and competencies in health facility design and enables them to
      lead in design efforts. In this article, the vision and mission of EDAC and
      specific content are shared to increase nurse leaders' awareness of the
      certification when interviewing prospective architectural firms or for nurse
      leaders who aspire to have a career in the healthcare design field.

PMID- 20305461
TI  - Implementing an electronic change-of-shift report using transforming care at the
      bedside processes and methods.
AB  - Bedside nurses are well positioned to make changes that positively affect
      operations and practice. Using Transforming Care at the Bedside processes and
      methods, the authors describe the clinical nurse-led development, testing, and
      implementation of an electronic template and process for change-of-shift report.
      Outcomes included a reduction in time spent in change-of-shift reports, reduced
      end-of-shift overtime, and a more standardized process, with staff perceived
      improved information quality and satisfaction with the process.

PMID- 20305462
TI  - Losing the moment: understanding interruptions to nurses' work.
AB  - Interruptions in the nursing work environment can have significant, detrimental
      effects on patient safety. This mixed-method study used work observation and
      focus groups to explore interruptions in nursing work. A large number of
      interruptions were reported. Causes of interruptions are analyzed, and systems
      processes for reducing these in the future are discussed.

PMID- 20305463
TI  - Attacking the problem of hospital diversion: a report of success.
AB  - Hospital diversion is a critical issue for hospitals that affects safety and
      overall patient care. At Wishard Hospital, a public hospital with a level 1
      trauma center, we critically reviewed our diversion policies and implemented a
      series of changes. This hospital-wide process significantly decreased our
      diversion rates, thereby providing consistent and safe care to our community.

PMID- 20305464
TI  - Listening to nursing leaders: using national database of nursing quality
      indicators data to study excellence in nursing leadership.
AB  - There are varying and overlapping leadership characteristics that exemplify
      excellence in nursing leadership. To assess aspects of leadership that helps
      create a healthy work environment that supports nurses' provision of quality care
      at the bedside, the authors used a national survey instrument to examine the
      characteristics of nurse managers identified as excellent nurse leaders by their
      staff. The authors discuss their findings and a proposed theoretical model to
      explain specific nursing leadership characteristics that support staff nurse job
      satisfaction and retention.

PMID- 20305466
TI  - Effects of smoking cessation on gastric emptying in smokers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Smoking cessation can lead to changes in appetite and weight gain in
      some patients; thus, smoking cessation may alter gastrointestinal motility.
      Effects of smoking cessation on gastric emptying in smokers have not been
      established. AIM: This study sought to determine how smoking cessation affects
      gastric emptying in smokers. METHODS: Participant group comprised 53 habitual
      smokers and 12 healthy nonsmokers. Habitual smokers were treated for 2 months
      with transdermal nicotine patches. Gastric emptying was studied using C acetate
      breath tests at the beginning of the study, and at 1 week and 9 weeks after
      cessation of patch use. Maximal CO2 excretion time (Tmax), CO2 excretion half
      life (T1/2), and parameters beta and kappa, representing initial and subsequent
      gastric-emptying phases, respectively, were determined using conventional
      formulae. RESULTS: Before smoking cessation, Tmax was reached significantly later
      in smokers (0.94+/-0.3 h, P=0.014) than in controls (0.89+/-0.1 h). At 1 week
      after the end of treatment, Tmax was significantly decreased (from 1.05+/-0.32 h
      to 0.72+/-0.64 h, P=0.003). T1/2 also tended to decrease, but not significantly.
      Although beta was decreased significantly (from 2.46+/-0.40 to 2.17+/-0.58,
      P=0.022), kappa was unchanged. However, by 9 weeks after the end of treatment,
      Tmax (1.28+/-0.69 h) had increased to levels seen before treatment. CONCLUSIONS:
      Smoking cessation temporarily accelerates gastric emptying, and decreases in beta
      suggest that initial-phase gastric emptying accelerates after smoking cessation.
      The temporary acceleration of gastric emptying after smoking cessation may be
      involved in the temporary increase in appetite and weight gain seen after smoking
      cessation.

PMID- 20305465
TI  - Nurse managers' decisions: fast and favoring remediation.
AB  - How do nurse managers make decisions about quality issues on their units? We
      asked 10 nurse managers in 3 Arizona hospitals to describe how they resolved a
      recent quality issue. The managers tended to use a linear, but cognitively
      expensive strategy, often jumping from problem to solution without a clear goal
      and selecting solutions biased toward remedial education. Decision support tools
      should help managers think more systemically and efficiently, while encouraging
      consideration of more alternatives to reach targeted goals.

PMID- 20305467
TI  - Economic impact of prescreening on gastroenterology outpatient clinic practice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Outpatient clinic activity represents a major workload for
      clinicians. Unnecessary outpatient visits place a strain on service provision,
      resulting in unnecessary delays for more urgent cases. GOALS: We sought to
      determine both the impact and economic benefit of employing phone follow-up and
      physician assistant (PA) triage systems on attendances at a gastroenterology
      outpatient department. STUDY: We performed a retrospective chart review of all
      patients attending a gastroenterology outpatient clinic over a 2-week period.
      Patients were categorized into new or follow-up attendees and the follow-up
      patients were further subcategorized into 1 of 4 groups: (1) those attending to
      receive results of investigations requiring no further treatment (group A); (2)
      those attending to receive results of investigations requiring further treatment
      (group B); (3) those attending with a chronic gastrointestinal disease requiring
      no active change in management (group C); (4) those attending with a chronic
      gastrointestinal disease requiring active change in management (group D). It was
      assumed that patients in group A could be managed by phone follow-up in place of
      clinic attendance and patients in group C could be triaged to see a PA. RESULTS:
      Out of a total of 329 outpatient attendees, 40 (12%) required no active
      intervention (group A) and would have been suitable for phone follow-up. A
      further 58 (18%) had stable disease, requiring no change in management and hence,
      could have been triaged to see a PA. Implementation of phone follow-up and
      patient review by PA could reduce salary expenses of outpatient practice by 17%.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support routine prescreening of outpatient attendees to
      enhance the efficiency of gastroenterology outpatient practice.

PMID- 20305468
TI  - Anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies in first-degree relatives of celiac
      disease patients.

PMID- 20305469
TI  - A broad panel of autoantibodies in patients with celiac disease and Crohn's
      disease.

PMID- 20305470
TI  - Endovascular treatment of innominate artery occlusion with simultaneous vertebral
      and carotid artery distal protection: case report.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Atherosclerotic stenosis or obstruction of the innominate artery is
      rare. Traditional surgical management is a technically demanding intervention
      with acceptable, but not negligible, rates of morbidity and mortality.
      Endovascular approaches to supraaortic lesions have been successful and are now
      the preferred treatment for stenoses of the brachiocephalic vessels. The use of
      cerebral protection devices in subclavian and innominate interventions is less
      established. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 58-year-old woman had Takayasu giant cell
      arteritis with a history of a left middle cerebral artery stroke 3 weeks after
      undergoing placement of a left common carotid artery (CCA) stent and right
      innominate artery stent in 1998. She recently presented with worsening dizziness,
      ataxia, and right arm numbness and was referred to the endovascular neurosurgery
      service for management. INTERVENTION: Initial angiography revealed left CCA
      stenosis and right innominate occlusion. The patient initially underwent left CCA
      angioplasty, planned as a staged procedure. This was followed by recanalization
      of the right innominate artery through an approach using both femoral arteries
      and the right brachial artery. This 3-site technique allowed simultaneous distal
      protection of both the right cervical vertebral and carotid arteries. CONCLUSION:
      Reopening a chronically occluded innominate artery risks an embolic shower
      through both the right vertebral and carotid arteries. Using multiple sites of
      arterial access, distal protection devices can be deployed in both the cervical
      vertebral and carotid arteries to reduce the risk of stroke.

PMID- 20305471
TI  - Delayed facial palsy after the anterior petrosal approach: case report and review
      of the literature.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In this case report, delayed facial palsy developed in a patient
      without any direct manipulation of the main part of the facial nerve during an
      anterior petrosal approach. We discuss putative etiologies and management
      techniques that may help avoid this problem. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 21-year-old
      woman underwent anterior petrosectomy for gross total resection of a low-grade
      chondrosarcoma. Six days later, the patient presented with left-sided facial
      weakness in the emergency department. RESULTS: Examination revealed evidence of
      House-Brackmann grade V/VI left-sided facial palsy, and repeat magnetic resonance
      imaging revealed diffuse enhancement of the contents of the internal auditory
      canal that was not present immediately after surgery. After a 10-day course of
      acyclovir and a tapering dose of methylprednisolone, the facial palsy slowly
      diminished and resolved 2 months after the onset. CONCLUSION: This unique
      development of delayed facial palsy after an isolated anterior petrosal approach
      is evidence that this complication should be considered when dissecting along the
      floor of the middle fossa. Exposure of the intracranial or intracanalicular
      segment of the facial nerve is not necessary for delayed facial palsy to develop.
      Proposed mechanisms (ie, viral reactivation, vasospasm, neural edema) of this
      condition remain unproven. Prognosis for recovery has been reported to be
      excellent, with or without treatment.

PMID- 20305472
TI  - Early endovascular coiling of posterior communicating artery saccular aneurysm in
      the setting of Staphylococcus bacteremia: case report and review of the
      literature.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Although infectious complications of endovascular aneurysm treatment
      are in general rare, platinum coil therapy for patients with ruptured cerebral
      aneurysms and active bacteremia could be expected to carry increased risk. The
      literature on the timing and safety of endovascular treatment in this setting,
      however, is limited. In this report, the authors present a case of aneurysmal
      subarachnoid hemorrhage and active bacteremia in which intravenous antibiotics
      and early endovascular therapy were successfully used. A review of the literature
      is also provided. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 79-year-old woman presented with Hunt
      Hess grade 4, Fisher grade 3 + 4 subarachnoid hemorrhage. Blood cultures obtained
      on admission revealed gram-positive cocci, which later proved to be coagulase
      negative Staphylococcus. INTERVENTION: Intravenous cefepime and vancomycin were
      begun soon after admission. A right posterior communicating artery saccular
      aneurysm was identified on diagnostic cerebral angiography and was treated with
      bare platinum coils 28 hours after antibiotic therapy was initiated. An extended
      course of vancomycin was completed. No intracranial infectious complications were
      noted at 34-month clinical and radiographic follow-up. CONCLUSION: This is the
      first case report to document the efficacy and safety of early endovascular coil
      embolization of a ruptured saccular cerebral aneurysm presenting in the context
      of active bacteremia. Review of the available literature suggests that a similar
      strategy for ruptured infectious aneurysms may also be safe. Further validation
      of this approach for both saccular and infectious aneurysms, however, is
      required.

PMID- 20305476
TI  - Key factors contributing to the success of clinician investigators: converting
      K08 and K23 to R01 awards.

PMID- 20305477
TI  - Riding the waves: intrinsic theta generation in the hippocampus.

PMID- 20305478
TI  - Creation and validation of a new animal model of intracranial aneurysms.

PMID- 20305479
TI  - Forcing tumor stem cells to an end.

PMID- 20305480
TI  - Intrathecal nucleic acid injections to treat neuropathic pain.

PMID- 20305481
TI  - Regeneration of neuromuscular synapses: action of microRNA-206.

PMID- 20305482
TI  - IDH1 and IDH2 mutations in gliomas and the associated induction of hypoxia
      inducible factor and production of 2-hydroxyglutarate.

PMID- 20305483
TI  - Thoughts on consciousness.

PMID- 20305484
TI  - CT alone may be inadequate for detecting occult spinal injuries.

PMID- 20305485
TI  - A T cell-orchestrated immune response in the adult dorsal spinal cord as a cause
      of neuropathic pain-like hypersensitivity after peripheral nerve damage: a door
      to novel therapies?

PMID- 20305486
TI  - Conflict of interest in peer-reviewed medical journals: the World Association of
      Medical Editors (WAME) position on a challenging problem.

PMID- 20305488
TI  - Four-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with plate fixation:
      radiographic and clinical results.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with plating is a common
      procedure performed for cervical spondylosis by spine surgeons. However, data on
      procedures involving 4 disc spaces are lacking. We report the outcomes of
      patients who underwent 4-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with
      plating at a single institution. METHODS: Between 1997 and 2006, 34 patients (19
      females, 15 males; mean age, 58 years; age range, 38-83 years) underwent 4-level
      anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with plating based on a surgical database
      search. Only patients undergoing surgery at 4 contiguous disc levels were
      included. Data were collected in a retrospective fashion. Patients' demographics,
      symptoms, neurologic findings, and radiographic findings at admission were
      recorded. Long-term clinical and radiographic outcomes at last follow-up were
      analyzed. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients (85%) underwent anterior cervical
      discectomy and fusion with plating at C3-C7. Sixteen patients presented with
      neurologic deficits, of which 14 (88%) improved. None worsened after surgery.
      Minor complications occurred in 26 patients, including transient dysphagia in 18
      (53%) and hoarseness in 3 (9%). Radiographic outcomes were available in 27
      patients (median follow-up, 15 months; range, 4-71 months). The overall fusion
      rate was 92.6%. Stable fibrous nonunions were present in 2 patients; the chance
      of nonunion was 1.9% per level and 7% per patient. Adjacent-level disease
      occurred in 2 patients. CONCLUSION: In carefully selected patients, 4-level
      anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with plating can be associated with high
      rates of fusion. The technique is safe and effective for managing multilevel
      cervical spondylotic myelopathy and may obviate the need for circumferential
      procedures.

PMID- 20305489
TI  - Exacerbation of perihematomal edema and sterile meningitis with intraventricular
      administration of tissue plasminogen activator in patients with intracerebral
      hemorrhage.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is associated with a poor outcome.
      External ventricular drainage together with clot lysis through intrathecal tissue
      plasminogen activator (IT-tPA) has been proposed as a promising therapy. However,
      recent experimental work has implicated tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) in the
      pathogenesis of cerebral edema. METHODS: We reviewed the records of all patients
      with IVH caused by primary supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage who underwent
      external ventricular drainage without surgical evacuation between January 2001
      and June 2008. Of these 30 patients, we identified 13 who received IT-tPA. The
      remaining 17 patients served as controls. Hemorrhage, edema volume, and IVH score
      were determined on admission and by follow-up computed tomographic scans for 96
      hours after admission. Discharge outcome was evaluated using the modified Rankin
      Scale. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the treatment and
      controls in terms of age, Glasgow Coma Scale score, Graeb and LeRoux IVH scores,
      or intracerebral hemorrhage volume on admission. IT-tPA resulted in more rapid
      clearance of IVH as determined by the 96-hour decrease in both the Graeb IVH
      score (tPA, 3.00 +/- .55; control, 1.00 +/- 0.57; P = .05) and the LeRoux IVH
      score (tPA, 6.2 +/- 0.80; control, 2.25 +/- 1.32; P = .05). Patients treated with
      IT-tPA demonstrated significantly larger peak ratios of edema to intracerebral
      hemorrhage volume (1.24 +/- 0.14 vs 0.70 +/- 0.08 in controls; P = .002).
      Additionally, increased rates of sterile meningitis (46% vs 12%; P = .049) and a
      trend toward shunt dependence (38% vs 6%; P = .06) were observed in the tPA
      cohort. Nevertheless, no significant differences in outcome at discharge or
      length of hospital stay were observed between cohorts. CONCLUSION: Although IT
      tPA hastens the resolution of IVH, it may worsen perihematomal edema formation.
      Larger prospective studies are required to confirm these findings and to
      determine whether outcome is adversely affected by IT-tPA administration.

PMID- 20305490
TI  - Microvascular decompression for tinnitus: significant improvement for tinnitus
      intensity without improvement for distress. A 4-year limit.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Microvascular compressions of the cochlear nerve can lead to tinnitus.
      The tinnitus initially is related to nonsynchronous signal transmission in the
      auditory nerve, neurophysiologically characterized by a peak II amplitude
      decrease. Chronic compression can lead to a focal demyelination, resulting in an
      increase in Iinterpeak latency I-III with tinnitus and frequency-specific hearing
      loss as a consequence. Decompressing the cochlear nerve may result in improvement
      in tinnitus if the auditory nerve is not too damaged for recovery. The aim of the
      study is to find a cut-off point for this recovery based on clinical data.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty patients undergo a microvascular decompression of
      the vestibulocochlear nerve for unilateral intractable tinnitus. Pre- and
      postoperative visual analogue scale for tinnitus intensity and tinnitus
      questionnaires for tinnitus distress are analyzed before and after microvascular
      decompression. RESULTS: Of the 20 patients studied, 10 had improvements on their
      tinnitus visual analogue score intensity postoperatively, 8 were unchanged, and 2
      worsened. On the Tinnitus Questionnaire scores, 7 of 13 patients improved and 6
      of the 13 patients worsened. If decompression is performed before the end of the
      4th year of tinnitus duration, a significant tinnitus intensity improvement can
      be obtained (P < .05); after 4 years, improvement cannot be obtained (P = .55).
      However, the tinnitus distress does not seem to decrease significantly.
      CONCLUSION: Microvascular decompression of the cochlear nerve can improve
      tinnitus intensity in selected patients if decompression is performed early,
      before the end of the 4th year. Tinnitus distress does not seem to change.

PMID- 20305491
TI  - Gamma knife surgery of meningiomas involving the cavernous sinus: long-term
      follow-up of 100 patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Resection of meningiomas involving the cavernous sinus often is
      incomplete and associated with considerable morbidity. As a result, an increasing
      number of patients with such tumors have been treated with gamma knife surgery
      (GKS). However, few studies have investigated the long-term outcome for this
      group of patients. METHODS: 100 patients (23 male/77 female) with meningiomas
      involving the cavernous sinus received GKS at the Department of Neurosurgery at
      Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway, between November 1988 and July
      2006. They were followed for a mean of 82.0 (range, 0-243) months. Only 2
      patients were lost to long-term follow-up. Sixty patients underwent craniotomy
      before radiosurgery, whereas radiosurgery was the primary treatment for 40
      patients. RESULTS: Tumor growth control was achieved in 84.0% of patients. Twelve
      patients required re-treatment: craniotomy (7), radiosurgery (1), or both (4).
      Three out of 5 patients with repeated radiosurgery demonstrated secondary tumor
      growth control. Excluding atypical meningiomas, the growth control rate was
      90.4%. The 1-, 5-, and 10-year actuarial tumor growth control rates are 98.9%,
      94.2%, and 91.6%, respectively. Treatment failure was preceded by clinical
      symptoms in 14 of 15 patients. Most tumor growths appeared within 2.5 years. Only
      one third grew later (range, 6-20 yr). The complication rate was 6.0%: optic
      neuropathy (2), pituitary dysfunction (3), worsening of diplopia (1), and
      radiation edema (1). Mortality was 0. At last follow-up, 88.0% were able to live
      independent lives. CONCLUSION: GKS gives long-term growth control and has a low
      complication rate. Most tumor growths manifest within 3 years following
      treatment. However, some appear late, emphasizing the need for long-term follow
      up.

PMID- 20305492
TI  - Direct posterior reduction and fixation for the treatment of basilar invagination
      with atlantoaxial dislocation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To report the surgical technique and clinical results for the
      treatment of basilar invagination (BI) with atlantoaxial dislocation (AAD) by
      direct posterior reduction and fixation using intraoperative distraction between
      the occiput and C2 pedicle screws. METHODS: From May 2004 to June 2008, 29
      patients who had BI with AAD were surgically treated in our department. Pre- and
      postoperative dynamic cervical x-rays, computed tomographic scans, and 3
      dimensional reconstruction views were performed to assess the degree of
      dislocation. Ventral compression of the cervicomedullary junction was evaluated
      by magnetic resonance imaging. For all patients, reduction of the AAD was
      conducted by intraoperative distraction between the occiput and C2 pedicle screws
      using a direct posterior approach. RESULTS: Follow-up ranged from 6 to 50 months
      in 28 patients. Clinical symptoms improved in 26 patients (92.9%) and were stable
      in 2 patients (7.1%) without postoperative deterioration. Radiologically,
      complete or more than 50% reduction was achieved in 27 of 28 patients (96.4%). In
      1 patient, the reduction was less than 50% because the direction of the facets on
      1 side of the C1-C2 joint was vertically oriented, instead of horizontal.
      Overall, good decompression and bone fusion were shown on postoperative magnetic
      resonance imaging, computed tomography, or x-ray scans for all patients. There
      was 1 death in the series because of basilar artery thrombosis 1 week after the
      operation. CONCLUSION: The direct posterior distraction technique between occiput
      and C2 pedicle screws is an effective, simple, fast, and safe method for the
      treatment of BI with AAD. Transoral odontoidectomy and cervical traction for the
      treatment of BI with AAD should be reconsidered.

PMID- 20305493
TI  - Developing an articular cartilage decellularization process toward facet joint
      cartilage replacement.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The facet joint has been identified as a significant source of
      morbidity in lower back pain. In general, treatments have focused on reducing the
      pain associated with facet joint osteoarthritis, and no treatments have targeted
      the development of a replacement tissue for arthritic facet articular cartilage.
      Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop a nonimmunogenic
      decellularized articular cartilage replacement tissue while maintaining
      functional properties similar to native facet cartilage tissue. METHODS: In vitro
      testing was performed on bovine articular cartilage explants. The effects of 2%
      sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), a detergent used for cell and nuclear membrane
      solubilization, on cartilage cellularity, biochemical, and biomechanical
      properties, were examined. Compressive biomechanical properties were determined
      using creep indentation, and the tensile biomechanical properties were obtained
      with uniaxial tensile testing. Biochemical assessment involved determination of
      the DNA content, glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content, and collagen content.
      Histological examination included hematoxylin and eosin staining for tissue
      cellularity, as well as staining for collagen and GAG. RESULTS: Treatment with 2%
      SDS for 2 hours maintained the compressive and tensile biomechanical properties,
      as well as the GAG and collagen content while resulting in a decrease in cell
      nuclei and a 4% decrease in DNA content. Additionally, treatment for 8 hours
      resulted in complete histological decellularization and a 40% decrease in DNA
      content while maintaining collagen content and tensile properties. However, a
      significant decrease in compressive properties and GAG content was observed.
      Similar results were observed with 4 hours of treatment, although the decrease in
      DNA content was not as great as with 8 hours of treatment. CONCLUSION: Treatment
      with 2% SDS for 8 hours resulted in complete histological decellularization with
      decreased mechanical properties, whereas treatment for 2 hours maintained
      mechanical properties, but had a minimal effect on DNA content. Therefore, future
      studies must be performed to optimize a treatment for decellularization while
      maintaining mechanical properties close to those of facet joint cartilage. This
      study served as a step in creating a decellularized articular cartilage
      replacement tissue that could be used as a treatment for facet cartilage
      osteoarthritis.

PMID- 20305494
TI  - Platelet-derived growth factor-induced severe and chronic vasoconstriction of
      cerebral arteries: proposed growth factor explanation of cerebral vasospasm.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: After subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), platelet-derived growth factor-BB
      (PDGF-BB) is secreted in and around the cerebral arteries. To clarify the role of
      PDGF-BB in the development of vasospasm after SAH, we determined whether PDGF-BB
      alone can cause long-lasting vasoconstriction of a severity similar to that of
      vasospasm. In addition, the anti-vasospastic effect of trapidil, an antagonist of
      PDGF-BB function, was investigated. METHODS: We infused recombinant PDGF-BB (10
      microg/mL saline as the vehicle) (n = 14) into the subarachnoid space of rabbits
      and analyzed alterations in the caliber of the basilar artery using repeated
      angiography. To study the role of PDGF-BB on the development of vasospasm,
      trapidil was administered continuously starting 1 hour after SAH, on day 0 (0.63
      1.25 mg/kg /h or vehicle) for 47 hours (n = 24), or after the full development of
      cerebral vasospasm on day 2 (3.0 mg/kg/h or vehicle) for 0.5 hours (n = 17), and
      alterations in the caliber of the basilar artery were monitored. RESULTS: PDGF-BB
      caused long-lasting vasoconstriction, with maximum constriction of 56% (P < .001)
      of the control value (= 100%) on day 2, resembling vasospasm seen after SAH.
      Prolonged administration of intravenous trapidil, starting soon after SAH,
      prevented the development of vasospasm in a dose-dependent manner (P < .05, .01,
      or .001). Intravenous or intra-arterial administration of trapidil significantly
      dilated vasospasm (P < .01) on day 2, at least transiently. CONCLUSION: PDGF-BB,
      a growth factor synthesized in the subarachnoid space after SAH, can cause severe
      and long-lasting vasoconstriction. Significant prevention and resolution of
      vasospasm can be achieved by the PDGF-BB antagonist trapidil. We propose that
      excessive production of PDGF-BB, essentially aiming to repair injured arteries,
      causes cerebral vasospasm. Although the half-life of trapidil in serum may be
      shorter than that of PDGFG-BB-derived spasmogenic signaling, trapidil is a
      candidate drug for constructing a new therapeutic modality for preventing and
      resolving vasospasm.

PMID- 20305495
TI  - The brain tumor window model: a combined cranial window and implanted glioma
      model for evaluating intraoperative contrast agents.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Optical contrast agents for brain tumor delineation have been
      previously evaluated in ex vivo specimens from animals with implanted gliomas and
      may not reflect the true visual parameters encountered during surgery. This study
      describes a novel model system designed to evaluate optical contrast agents for
      tumor delineation in vivo. METHODS: Biparietal craniectomies were performed on 8
      week-old Sprague-Dawley rats. 9L glioma cells were injected intraparenchymally. A
      cover slip was bonded to the cranial defect with cyanoacrylate glue. When the
      tumor radius reached 1 mm, Coomassie Blue was administered intravenously while
      the appearance of the cortical surface was recorded. Computerized image analysis
      of the red/green/blue color components was used to quantify visible differences
      between tumor and nonneoplastic tissue and to compare delineation in the brain
      tumor window (BTW) model with the conventional 9L glioma model. RESULTS: The
      tumor margin in the BTW model was poorly defined before contrast administration
      but readily apparent after contrast administration. Based on red component
      intensity, tumor delineation improved 4-fold at 50 minutes after contrast
      administration in the BTW model (P < .002). The conventional 9L glioma model
      overestimated the degree of delineation compared with the BTW model at the same
      dose of Coomassie Blue (P < .03). CONCLUSION: Window placement overlying an
      implanted glioma is technically possible and well tolerated in the rat. The BTW
      model is a valid system for evaluating optical contrast agents designed to
      delineate brain tumor margins. To our knowledge, we have described the first in
      vivo model system for evaluating optical contrast agents for tumor delineation.

PMID- 20305496
TI  - Firefly luciferase-based dynamic bioluminescence imaging: a noninvasive technique
      to assess tumor angiogenesis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Bioluminescence imaging (BLI) is emerging as a cost-effective, high
      throughput, noninvasive, and sensitive imaging modality to monitor cell growth
      and trafficking. We describe the use of dynamic BLI as a noninvasive method of
      assessing vessel permeability during brain tumor growth. METHODS: With the use of
      stereotactic technique, 10 firefly luciferase-transfected GL26 mouse glioblastoma
      multiforme cells were injected into the brains of C57BL/6 mice (n = 80). After
      intraperitoneal injection of D-luciferin (150 mg/kg), serial dynamic BLI was
      performed at 1-minute intervals (30 seconds exposure) every 2 to 3 days until
      death of the animals. The maximum intensity was used as an indirect measurement
      of tumor growth. The adjusted slope of initial intensity (I90/Im) was used as a
      proxy to monitor the flow rate of blood into the vascular tree. Using a modified
      Evans blue perfusion protocol, we calculated the relative permeability of the
      vascular tree at various time points. RESULTS: Daily maximum intensity correlated
      strongly with tumor volume. At postinjection day 23, histology and BLI
      demonstrated an exponential growth of the tumor mass. Slopes were calculated to
      reflect the flow in the vessels feeding the tumor (adjusted slope = I90/Im). The
      increase in BLI intensity was correlated with a decrease in adjusted slope,
      reflecting a decrease in the rate of blood flow as tumor volume increased (y =
      93.8e-0.49, R2 = 0.63). Examination of calculated slopes revealed a peak in
      permeability around postinjection day 20 (n = 42, P < .02 by 1-way analysis of
      variance) and showed a downward trend in relation to both postinjection day and
      maximum intensity observed; as angiogenesis progressed, tumor vessel caliber
      increased dramatically, resulting in sluggish but increased flow. This trend was
      correlated with Evans blue histology, revealing an increase in Evans blue dye
      uptake into the tumor, as slope calculated by BLI increases. CONCLUSION: Dynamic
      BLI is a practical, noninvasive technique that can semiquantitatively monitor
      changes in vascular permeability and therefore facilitate the study of tumor
      angiogenesis in animal models of disease.

PMID- 20305497
TI  - The legacy of Johann Friedrich Meckel the Elder (1724-1774): a 4-generation
      dynasty of anatomists.
AB  - Few families have had an impact on medicine to equal that of the Meckel family.
      Johann Friedrich Meckel the Elder is of special interest to the neurosciences,
      given that his dissertation on the fifth cranial nerve included the first
      description of the arachnoid space investing the trigeminal nerve into the middle
      fossa. He was interested in neuroanatomy, along with botany and pathology of the
      inguinal hernia and the lymphatic system. His mentors included the eminent
      Albrecht von Haller (1708-1777) and August Buddaeus (1695-1753), and he extended
      his own influence on the work of Giovanni Morgagni and Alexander Monro II. He
      spent the latter part of his life in Berlin as professor of anatomy, botany, and
      obstetrics. His son, Philipp Friedrich Theodor Meckel (1755-1803), was one of the
      founders of the current collection of anatomic specimens at the University of
      Halle and provided important groundwork for the practice of obstetrics. Meckel
      the Elder's grandson, Johann Friedrich Meckel the Younger (1781-1833), was a more
      prolific investigator and founder of the science of teratology. Many anatomic
      structures, such as Meckel's diverticulum, bear his name, and he vastly expanded
      the university's anatomic collection. August Albrecht Meckel (1789-1829), Meckel
      the Younger's brother, practiced legal medicine and investigated avian anatomy
      but died prematurely from tuberculosis. August's son, Johann Heinrich Meckel
      (1821-1856), took the instructor's position in pathologic anatomy at the
      University of Berlin that his great-grandfather had held at the Charite. After
      his untimely death from pulmonary disease, his position was filled by Rudolf
      Virchow. The history of this family is discussed in detail.

PMID- 20305498
TI  - In vivo visualization of cranial nerve pathways in humans using diffusion-based
      tractography.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Diffusion-based tractography has emerged as a powerful technique for 3
      dimensional tract reconstruction and imaging of white matter fibers; however,
      tractography of the cranial nerves has not been well studied. In particular, the
      feasibility of tractography of the individual cranial nerves has not been
      previously assessed. METHODS: 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging scans, including
      anatomic magnetic resonance images and diffusion tensor images, were used for
      this study. Tractography of the cranial nerves was performed using 3D Slicer
      software. The reconstructed 3-dimensional tracts were overlaid onto anatomic
      images for determination of location and course of intracranial fibers. RESULTS:
      Detailed tractography of the cranial nerves was obtained, although not all
      cranial nerves were imaged with similar anatomic fidelity. Some tracts were
      imaged in great detail (cranial nerves II, III, and V). Tractography of the optic
      apparatus allowed tracing from the optic nerve to the occipital lobe, including
      Meyer's loop. Trigeminal tractography allowed visualization of the gasserian
      ganglion as well as postganglionic fibers. Tractography of cranial nerve III
      shows the course of the fibers through the midbrain. Lower cranial nerves
      (cranial nerves IX, XI, and XII) could not be imaged well. CONCLUSION:
      Tractography of the cranial nerves is feasible, although technical improvements
      are necessary to improve the tract reconstruction of the lower cranial nerves.
      Detailed assessment of anatomy and the ability of overlaying the tracts onto
      anatomic magnetic resonance imaging scans is essential, particularly in the
      posterior fossa, to ensure that the tracts have been reconstructed with anatomic
      fidelity.

PMID- 20305499
TI  - Extensions of the sphenoid sinus: a new classification.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The transsphenoidal approach has been extended in recent years from
      tumors of the sellar region to lesions involving other areas bordering the
      sphenoid sinus including the cavernous sinus, Meckel's cave, middle cranial
      fossa, planum sphenoidal, suprasellar region, and clivus. The goal of this study
      was to examine various pneumatized extensions of the sphenoid sinus that may
      facilitate extended approaches directed through the sinus. METHODS: The sphenoid
      sinus and its surrounding structures were examined in 18 cadaver heads, and the
      results were correlated with the findings from 100 computed tomography images of
      the sinus. The sellar type of the sphenoid sinus in which the pneumatization
      extended beyond the anterior sellar wall was further classified according to the
      various extensions of the sinus. RESULTS: The sellar type of the sphenoid sinus
      was classified into the following 6 basic types based on the direction of
      pneumatization: sphenoid body, lateral, clival, lesser wing, anterior, and
      combined. The recesses and prominences, formed by pneumatization of the sinus,
      act as "windows" opening from the sinus in different areas of the cranial base
      and may facilitate minimally invasive access to lesions in the corresponding
      areas. CONCLUSION: The variations in the extensions of pneumatization of the
      sphenoid sinus may facilitate entry into areas bordering the sphenoid sinus and
      play a role in the selection of a surgical approach to lesions bordering the
      sinus.

PMID- 20305500
TI  - Endoscopic decompression of the ulnar nerve at the elbow.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Recently, several studies suggested that simple decompression is as
      effective as anterior transposition in ulnar nerve entrapment syndrome. Simple
      decompression might be performed with minimally invasive techniques. The authors
      present their technique and results with endoscopic decompression in ulnar nerve
      entrapment syndrome. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between January 2005 and March 2008,
      24 patients (mean age, 45.5 years; range, 26-67 years) underwent surgery for 26
      ulnar nerve entrapment syndromes (2 bilateral). All patients presented with
      typical clinical signs and neurophysiologic studies. RESULTS: Intraoperatively,
      the ulnar nerve was localized directly at the sulcus, and subsequently under
      endoscopic view, the decompression was completed approximately 10 cm proximal as
      well as distal. In 26 cases, a significant compression of the nerve was found
      directly at and distal to the sulcus. In 1 case, a subluxation of the nerve was
      observed, the endoscopic technique was abandoned, and open anterior submuscular
      transposition followed. The procedure was successful in 19 of 22 cases (86%).
      Neither intraoperative nor postoperative complications were observed.
      Nevertheless, the identification of the nerve directly at the sulcus, where
      severe nerve compression was often found, seemed to be difficult and potentially
      risky, particularly in obese patients. CONCLUSION: The endoscopic technique for
      ulnar nerve entrapment syndrome seems to be safe and effective. However,
      particularly in patients with a thick subcutaneous fat layer, identification of
      the nerve at the sulcus is difficult and possible more risky than in open simple
      decompression. A randomized prospective study should be performed to further
      evaluate the value of this new technique in the treatment of ulnar nerve
      entrapment syndrome.

PMID- 20305501
TI  - Statistics for oculoplastic surgeons.

PMID- 20305502
TI  - Levator excursion and its relationship to lid lag in thyroid eye disease.

PMID- 20305503
TI  - Lateral bilobed flap for anterior lamellar eyelid reconstruction.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe anterior lamellar lower eyelid reconstruction with a
      laterally based bilobed flap. METHODS: A retrospective study of 11 patients who
      underwent lower eyelid anterior lamellar reconstruction with or without posterior
      lamellar grafting following tumor excision within a 2-year timeframe were
      reviewed. RESULTS: Seven women and 4 men (age range, 46.8-95.3 years; mean age,
      74.1 years) were included in the study. Nine patients had basal cell carcinoma,
      and 2 patients had squamous cell carcinoma. The mean defect size was 5.2 cm. Four
      patients who underwent concomitant posterior lamellae reconstruction were
      included. Follow-up averaged 10.2 months. No infections, flap failure, or
      lagophthalmos were found postoperatively. One patient developed medial ectropion.
      CONCLUSION: A laterally based bilobed flap should be thought of as an effective
      choice for lower eyelid anterior lamellar reconstruction.

PMID- 20305505
TI  - Ultrasonic bone removal versus high-speed burring for lateral orbital
      decompression: comparison of surgical outcomes for the treatment of thyroid eye
      disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of ultrasonic bone removal during lateral
      orbital decompression for thyroid eye disease. METHODS: Retrospective,
      comparative, interventional case series of lateral orbital decompressions
      performed by the senior author for thyroid eye disease between July 2005 and July
      2008. Patients were excluded if they had other coexisting orbital conditions or
      concurrent decompression of other orbital walls. Primary outcome measures
      included visual acuity, proptosis, lagophthalmos, eyelid retraction, and exposure
      keratopathy. RESULTS: Thirty-six consecutive lateral orbital decompressions
      performed by the senior author were reviewed. The Sonopet Omni ultrasonic
      surgical aspirator was used to remove the lateral wall in 18 cases, and a high
      speed drill with a cutting burr was used in the other 18 cases. There was no
      significant difference between the groups in postoperative visual acuity,
      proptosis reduction, lagophthalmos, eyelid retraction, exposure keratopathy, or
      surgical complications. The average reduction in proptosis was 3.9 mm (range, 1
      6.5 mm) in the Sonopet group and 4.0 mm (range, 1-6 mm) in the drill group (p =
      0.86). In our series, the average surgical case time was slightly shorter in the
      Sonopet group than in the drill group (104 vs. 118 minutes, p = 0.032).
      CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasonic bone removal is a safe and effective alternative to high
      speed burring during lateral orbital decompression for thyroid eye disease.

PMID- 20305504
TI  - The bioceramic implant: evaluation of implant exposures in 419 implants.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the rate of exposure in the immediate 3-month postoperative
      follow-up period with the rate of exposure after the immediate postoperative
      period in 419 anophthalmic patients with a bioceramic (aluminum oxide) orbital
      implant. METHODS: This is a retrospective, clinical case series of 419 patients
      who received a bioceramic orbital implant. All patients who presented to five
      oculofacial surgeons (D.J., S.G., J.D., S.K., L.M.) from January 1, 2000, to June
      1, 2007, who received a bioceramic orbital implant and had a minimum of 3 months
      of follow-up were included in this study. The authors analyzed age, gender, type
      of surgery, implant size, peg system, follow-up duration, time of pegging, and
      problems encountered. The data from the patients with greater than 3 months of
      follow-up with exposure of the bioceramic implant are detailed in this report.
      RESULTS: There were 353 patients followed for 3 to 96 months with an average of
      30 months of follow-up (median 23 months). Implant exposure occurred in 32/353
      bioceramic implants (9.1%). Six of the 32 (19%) exposures occurred during the 90
      day postoperative period (average 2.1 months). Twenty-six (81%) exposures
      occurred outside of the 90-day postoperative period (average 27.5 months, range 4
      82 months). CONCLUSIONS: Implant exposures can occur anytime postimplant
      placement. This review discovered an implant exposure rate of 9.1%, with the
      majority of the exposures occurring after the postoperative follow-up period.
      Patients with porous orbital implants should be followed on a long-term basis to
      detect this complication.

PMID- 20305506
TI  - Cutaneous melanoma metastatic to the eyelid and periocular skin.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report the clinical and histopathologic features in 6 patients with
      cutaneous melanoma metastatic to the eyelid and periocular skin. METHODS:
      Clinical records and radiographic features of all consecutive patients treated by
      the principal investigator between January 2005 and October 2007 with the
      diagnosis of cutaneous melanoma metastatic to the eyelid and periocular skin.
      RESULTS: Six patients ranged in age from 26 to 84 years old (median, 55 years).
      Five patients had their metastatic lesion in the upper eyelid and 1 in the lower
      eyelid. The mean survival after the diagnosis of melanoma metastatic to the
      eyelid was 5.3 months. All patients had metastases at other sites detected prior
      to the diagnosis of the eyelid metastasis. The mean interval from initial primary
      tumor diagnosis to metastasis to the eyelid was 121 months. In all 6 patients,
      palliative surgical resection of the metastatic eyelid lesions was carried out.
      CONCLUSIONS: Melanoma metastatic to the eyelid is not uncommon in advanced stage
      cutaneous melanoma. Palliative surgical management of these metastatic lesions
      should be considered to improve the patient's quality of life.

PMID- 20305507
TI  - Cosmetic surgery survey of american society of oculoplastic and reconstructive
      surgery members and a 6-year comparison.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine the current cosmetic practices of American Society of
      Oculoplastic and Reconstructive Surgery members using a survey and compare those
      results with a similar survey that was performed 6 years prior, and to determine
      the types and breadth of cosmetic procedures that are currently performed within
      the field of ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery. METHODS: A 49
      question survey was sent to members of American Society of Oculoplastic and
      Reconstructive Surgery by post mail and/or electronic mail in 2007. The questions
      covered surgeon demographics, cosmetic practice design, and preferences for
      aesthetic procedures and commercial equipment and products. Frequencies and
      percentages of responses were obtained for each question individually. Responses
      to similar questions in a 2001 survey were compared with those in the current
      survey. RESULTS: Two hundred fifty-seven members of 488 responded (53%). Eighty
      two percent of respondents (208 of 253) performed some type of cosmetic
      procedure. Fifty-five percent of respondents reported that less than 25% of their
      practice consisted of cosmetic procedures and services. Thirty-one percent of
      respondents reported that 25% to 75% of their practice was cosmetic. CONCLUSIONS:
      A slightly higher percentage of respondents reported that more of their practice
      consisted of cosmetic procedures and services compared with 6 years ago; however,
      the difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.895). A lower
      percentage of respondents injected Botox cosmetic (p = 0.02), offered ablative
      laser skin resurfacing (p < 0.001), and performed rhytidectomy (p < 0.001) in
      2007 compared with 2001.

PMID- 20305508
TI  - Imiquimod 5% cream for the treatment of periocular Basal cell carcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the efficacy and
      safety of 5% imiquimod cream in the treatment of periocular basal cell carcinoma
      (BCC) through the analysis of a case series. METHODS: Eight subjects with primary
      nodular BCC of the eyelid were recruited. Treatment lasted 10 to 16 weeks. The
      average follow-up time was 11.7 months. RESULTS: Of a total of 10 lesions, 80%
      resolved clinically and histologically and have remained asymptomatic since.
      CONCLUSION: Imiquimod cream 5% was shown to be an attractive alternative to
      surgical treatment of periocular BCC. Future studies with larger samples and
      longer follow-up periods are expected to provide more accurate information on the
      efficacy and safety of the drug.

PMID- 20305509
TI  - Does the length of intubation affect the success of treatment for congenital
      nasolacrimal duct obstruction?
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare success rates of intubation for 2 versus 5 months in
      congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction in children between 15 and 30 months of
      age. METHODS: This prospective, randomized study evaluated drainage function in
      145 eyes of children aged between 15 and 30 months and treated for congenital
      nasolacrimal duct obstruction using silicone stents with the fluorescein dye
      disappearance test. The tubes were removed 2 months (group I, 48 eyes) and 5
      months (group II, 47 eyes) after stent placement. Thereafter, the children were
      followed for 6 months after tube removal. Fifty eyes were excluded from the study
      because of incomplete follow-up. RESULTS: The full resolution of symptoms
      (fluorescein test 0-1) was 33 of 48 in group I and 33 of 47 in group II at the
      time of tube removal (2 vs. 5 months). Six months after tube removal, the success
      rate was 43 of 48 (89.6%) in group I and 43 of 47 (91.5%) in group II. After the
      stents were removed, no relapses were observed in children having a fluorescein
      test 0-1 with the tubes remaining in the lacrimal system. CONCLUSIONS: The
      effects of intubation for 2 versus 5 months on the function of the nasolacrimal
      duct during and after intubation in children between 15 and 30 months of age are
      comparable. The fluorescein dye disappearance test is the test of choice for
      monitoring lacrimal drainage function.

PMID- 20305510
TI  - Orbital involvement in craniofacial brown tumors.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe the clinical and radiologic features of orbital involvement
      in craniofacial brown tumors and to compare the rate of brown tumors in primary
      and secondary hyperparathyroidism. METHODS: A retrospective hospital-based study
      of 115 patients with chronic kidney disease and secondary hyperparathyroidism and
      34 with primary hyperparathyroidism was conducted. Laboratory results such as
      serum levels of alkaline phosphatase, calcium, phosphorus, and parathyroid
      hormone were recorded. Demographic data (age, sex, duration of disease) and image
      findings (bone scan scintigraphy, skull and long bone x-rays, CT) were also
      obtained. The main outcome measures were analysis of clinical, biochemical, and
      radiologic findings of all patients. RESULTS: Of the 115 patients with chronic
      kidney disease, 10 (8.7%) had brown tumors in different bones of the skeleton.
      Five patients had lesions in the craniofacial bones. The maxilla, mandible,
      maxillary sinus, and nasal cavity were the most affected sites. The orbit was
      involved in 2 patients with lesions arising in the maxillary and ethmoid sinuses.
      One patient had facial leontiasis. All patients with brown tumors had extremely
      high levels of parathyroid hormone (>1,000 pg/ml, normal values 10-69 pg/ml) and
      alkaline phosphatase (>400 U/l, normal values 65-300 U/l). The mean serum levels
      of phosphorus and calcium were not abnormal among the patients with brown tumors.
      Age and time of renal failure were similar for patients with and without brown
      tumors. Among the patients with primary hyperparathyroidism, only 2 (5.8%) had
      brown tumors, and in just 1, the lesion was localized in the craniofacial
      skeleton. A 2-tailed Z test applied to compare the proportion of occurrence of
      brown tumors in the 2 groups revealed that the difference at the 90% of
      confidence level was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Brown tumors are equally found
      in secondary and primary hyperparathyroidism. Craniofacial brown tumors involve
      the orbit, usually because of the osteodystrophy process that involves the
      maxilla and paranasal sinuses. The lesions do not necessarily need to be excised
      and may regress spontaneously after the control of hyperparathyroidism.

PMID- 20305511
TI  - Eyelash resection procedure for severe, recurrent, or segmental cicatricial
      entropion.
AB  - PURPOSE: To study the safety, efficacy, and cosmetic outcome of the eyelash
      resection procedure for treatment of severe, recurrent, or segmental cicatricial
      entropion. METHODS: Retrospective consecutive case series of patients with
      severe, recurrent, or segmental cicatricial entropion treated with eyelash
      resection at the Moran Eye Center and the University of Vermont. Investigators
      performed chart reviews of these patients and evaluated effectiveness of the
      treatment and outcome data, including age, gender, diagnoses, method of repair,
      recurrence of trichiasis, and cosmetic satisfaction. There were no exclusionary
      characteristics specified in the study. RESULTS: A total of 26 eyelids were
      operated on in 5 male and 11 female patients. The mean age was 74 years, with the
      following diagnoses: idiopathic (6), ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (2),
      postoperative (2), ocular pseudopemphigoid (drug related) (1), graft-versus-host
      disease (1), Stevens-Johnson syndrome (1), trachoma (1), linear IgA bullous
      dermatosis (1), and trauma (1). Mean postoperative follow-up was 13 months. The
      functional success rate was 90.5%, and the cosmetic success rate was 100%.
      CONCLUSION: The eyelash resection procedure is a safe, effective, and
      cosmetically acceptable procedure for treatment of severe, recurrent, or
      segmental cicatricial entropion.

PMID- 20305512
TI  - Subconjunctival "ring" recurrence of Basal cell carcinoma of the globe.
AB  - Basal cell carcinoma is the most common indication for orbital exenteration. The
      recurrence rate of BCC removed with microscopically controlled histology sections
      is up to 6%. The authors describe the recurrence of a lower eyelid BCC resected
      with microscopic control that did not manifest itself until 15 years later as a
      subconjunctival lesion, encircling the globe, and without apparent skin
      involvement. BCC can present in any manner following surgery, and therefore,
      judicious follow-up is necessary even after microscopically controlled resection.

PMID- 20305513
TI  - Spontaneous dural cavernous fistula in infancy.
AB  - A 4-month-old boy presented with the sudden onset of proptosis and dilated
      episcleral veins. CT revealed an enlarged superior ophthalmic vein and diffusely
      thickened extraocular muscles. MRI and angiography confirmed a dural middle
      meningeal--cavernous sinus fistula. Embolization was performed leading to
      successful resolution of the patient's signs and symptoms. Spontaneous atraumatic
      arteriovenous cavernous fistulae in infancy are extremely rare, but should be
      included in the differential diagnosis of infants with orbital congestion.
      Appropriate treatment leads to prevention of amblyopia, glaucoma, and
      anisometropia.

PMID- 20305514
TI  - Metaplastic bone formation in the orbit.
AB  - Osseous or cartilaginous metaplasia in the orbit are both rare phenomena. The
      authors describe a unique case of combined primary orbital osseous and
      cartilaginous metaplasia presenting with orbital pain and ocular dysmotility and
      discuss the radiologic, histopathologic, and clinical features. This entity
      should be considered in the differential diagnosis of an orbital mass showing
      similar radiographic features of calcification.

PMID- 20305515
TI  - Compressive effects of intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia.
AB  - A 45-year-old woman presented with an 8-month history of a firm mass over the
      right superonasal orbital rim, followed by an episode of hemorrhage and
      anesthesia 5 months later. Clinical history and CT were suggestive of a venous
      malformation with phleboliths. Excision biopsy was performed. Histopathology
      revealed intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia with fibrotic-calcific
      changes. Hypoesthesia in the supra-orbital region persisted postoperatively.
      Although a benign lesion, intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia should
      be considered a differential diagnosis of a vascular lesion with compressive
      effects.

PMID- 20305516
TI  - Management of facial disfigurement in orbitotemporal neurofibromatosis.
AB  - A 19-year-old woman with type I neurofibromatosis requested reconstruction of her
      severe facial disfigurement caused by the plexiform neurofibroma of the right
      upper eyelid. Previously, she had glaucoma surgery for buphthalmus and
      enucleation with dermis fat transplantation. She was unable to wear prosthesis in
      the last year. Transverse palpebral resection of the lesion, lateral canthal
      reconstruction, and frontal sling ptosis surgery were performed at the same
      session. Postoperatively, the cosmetic appearance of the patient was markedly
      improved. No complication or progression was observed during 2 years follow-up.
      We believe that an individual-based surgical plan may give acceptable results in
      these challenging cases.

PMID- 20305517
TI  - IgA orbital plasmacytoma in multiple myeloma.
AB  - The authors report a case of orbital plasmacytoma in a 48-year-old man with known
      multiple myeloma. He presented with proptosis, diplopia, and decreased vision of
      the left eye for several weeks. He had been previously treated for IgA lambda
      multiple myeloma with chemotherapy, radiation, and autologous stem cell
      transplant. After a left orbitotomy, flow cytometry revealed a tumor rich in
      plasma cells expressing CD138 with equivocal lambda light chain expression. The
      patient underwent orbital radiation, with improvement of vision and disc edema
      OS. The patient is currently undergoing salvage chemotherapy for relapse of
      multiple myeloma. This is the third reported case of IgA myeloma involving the
      orbit.

PMID- 20305518
TI  - Recurrent Rhodococcus gordoniae eyelid infection after combined septoplasty and
      blepharoplasty.
AB  - Rhodococcus species are rare human pathogens. Most cases of human infection have
      involved Rhodococcus equi, a natural zoonotic pathogen causing pneumonia in young
      foals. The human population at risk mainly includes immunocompromised patients.
      Infection of immunocompetent hosts has been rare, with less than 30 reported
      cases in the literature. The authors report a first case of recurrent Rhodococcus
      gordoniae granulomatous lower eyelid infection that occurred after an
      immunocompetent 44-year-old woman underwent a combined intranasal and lower
      blepharoplasty procedure. A literature search revealed only 10 reported cases of
      non-R. equi rhodococcal infections, most involving traumatic inoculation; 5 of
      these cases involved the eye and ocular adnexa. To the author's knowledge, this
      is the first case report of a non-R. equi rhodococcal infection of the eyelids.
      Identification of Rhodococcus by most laboratories is difficult, and in this
      case, 2 of 3 cultures were misidentified prior to definitive testing at a
      specialized laboratory. Multidrug resistance is also a concern, and the treatment
      course could be long and difficult.

PMID- 20305519
TI  - Myxofibrosarcoma of the orbit: a clinicopathologic case report.
AB  - A 27-year-old woman developed a rapidly progressive left orbital tumor that
      extended in the cranial fossa. MRI revealed a heterogenous enhancing lesion
      confined to the left frontal bone and superior orbit. An incisional biopsy was
      performed, and histopathologic examination of the specimen showed findings
      diagnostic of a high-grade myxofibrosarcoma. Complete excision with postoperative
      adjuvant radiation therapy and chemotherapy was performed, and the patient had no
      evidence of tumor recurrence within 6 months' follow-up. Myxofibrosarcoma is a
      fibroblast-derived soft tissue neoplasm with up to a 60% local recurrence rate,
      and metastasis may be associated with intermediate to high-grade tumors.

PMID- 20305520
TI  - Conservative treatment of adenoid cystic carcinoma with plaque radiotherapy: a
      case report.
AB  - Adenoid cystic carcinoma is a rare but aggressive malignant tumor of the lacrimal
      gland. Mortality rates have been found to be quite high (>50%). This has led to
      the traditional method of treatment with radical surgery including orbital
      exenteration and bone resection, followed by external beam radiotherapy to the
      orbital bed. Despite this aggressive treatment strategy, mortality rates still
      remain high with only a few reported cases with long-term survival. Recently,
      several cases of successful treatment of adenoid cystic carcinoma with plaque
      radiotherapy have been documented. These may show promise of a conservative
      treatment strategy in selected cases. The authors present a functionally
      monocular patient with a well-circumscribed adenoid cystic carcinoma that was
      treated with local excision of the tumor with reverse plaque brachytherapy
      "boost" to the lacrimal tumor bed followed by a lower dose of radiotherapy to the
      orbit. The patient is alive and without local recurrence at nearly 4 years.

PMID- 20305521
TI  - Extensive juvenile xanthogranuloma involving the orbit, sinuses, brain, and
      subtemporal fossa in a newborn.
AB  - A 6-week-old-boy presented with a 3-week history of right axial proptosis.
      Vision, motility, anterior segment, and fundus examinations were normal in both
      eyes. Imaging revealed a multicystic right orbital lesion with extensive
      involvement of the infratemporal fossa and paranasal sinuses with intracranial
      extension. Systemic workup was negative, and he showed no functional deficits.
      Histopathology revealed a tumor rich in histiocytes, and immunohistochemistry
      indicated a juvenile xanthogranuloma. He did well with observation, and the tumor
      partially involuted after 18 months of follow-up.

PMID- 20305522
TI  - Primary adenoid cystic carcinoma of the eyelid.
AB  - Adenoid cystic carcinoma is a rare epithelial malignancy, which tends to grow
      slowly. It is an intractable neoplasm due to its ability to invade perineural
      spaces. A 59-year-old female presented with a gradually increasing mass in the
      right lower eyelid. An excisional biopsy with wide margins revealed a diagnosis
      of primary adenoid cystic carcinoma of eyelid skin with perineural invasion.
      Although a rare neoplasm, primary adenoid cystic carcinoma of eyelid skin should
      be included in the differential diagnosis of eyelid tumors.

PMID- 20305523
TI  - Endoscopic removal of nasoglabellar dermoid cysts.
AB  - Dermoid cysts are common tumors resulting from entrapped ectodermal elements at
      fetal suture lines. Management is conceptually straightforward, with surgical
      excision of the mass in its entirety without rupture. The conspicuous location
      and potential scarring from direct excision can be objectionable, particularly in
      children. The authors describe 2 cases using a hidden hairline incision and an
      endoscopic approach to remove dermoid cysts in the nasoglabellar region.

PMID- 20305525
TI  - Re: "Long-term success rate of perforated punctal plugs in the management of
      acquired punctal stenosis".

PMID- 20305526
TI  - Low-cost endonasal digital photography.

PMID- 20305528
TI  - Re: "The levator aponeurosis exposed".

PMID- 20305529
TI  - Steri-strip-assisted temporary tarsorrhaphy, an aid to the lone surgeon.

PMID- 20305530
TI  - Expanding the phenotype of a neurofibromatosis type 1-like syndrome: a patient
      with SPRED1 mutation and orbital manifestations: retraction.

PMID- 20305531
TI  - Commentary: dinosaurs fated for extinction? Health care delivery at academic
      health centers.
AB  - Health care delivery at academic health centers (AHCs) can be viewed as dinosaur
      like. Both are large and complex entities that consume many resources and are
      slow to adapt to competitive predatory forces. The potential for severe climate
      shifts, with changes in payer mix, competition from the private sector, and
      health care reform all occurring in the current health care system, could
      precipitate either the beginning of extinction for the AHC dinosaur or,
      hopefully, stimulate its evolution and development into a new model of health
      care delivery.Given the importance of clinical revenue to the entirety of the AHC
      enterprise, there is incentive for AHCs to maintain and indeed expand their
      clinical care delivery mechanisms. Yet, AHCs are institutions of investigation
      and inquiry. New models of care delivery and their impact on the current clinical
      care system must be developed through local demonstration projects and
      experimental clinical models. These models must be studied, and the findings
      should be shared with the community.The authors argue that this course of action
      will be challenging because traditional workflows must be restricted to improve
      care coordination and a changing workforce demographic. It will also require
      thoughtful approaches to reward innovative clinical work and new directions in
      strategic management by institution leaders. This commentary outlines
      recommendations to stave off extinction and enhance the next generation of
      clinical care delivery at AHCs.

PMID- 20305532
TI  - Measuring the intensity of resident supervision in the department of veterans
      affairs: the resident supervision index.
AB  - PURPOSE: To develop a survey instrument designed to quantify supervision by
      attending physicians in nonprocedural care and to assess the instrument's
      feasibility and reliability. METHOD: In 2008, the Department of Veterans Affairs
      (VA) Office of Academic Affiliations convened an expert panel to adopt a working
      definition of attending supervision in nonprocedural patient care and to
      construct a survey to quantify it. Feasibility was field-tested on residents and
      their supervising attending physicians at primary care internal medicine clinics
      at the VA Loma Linda Healthcare System in their encounters with randomly selected
      outpatients diagnosed with either major depressive disorder or diabetes. The
      authors assessed both interrater concurrent reliability and test-retest
      reliability. RESULTS: The expert panel adopted the VA's definition of resident
      supervision and developed the Resident Supervision Index (RSI) to measure
      supervision in terms of residents' case understanding, attending physicians'
      contributions to patient care through feedback to the resident, and attending
      physicians' time (minutes). The RSI was field-tested on 60 residents and 37
      attending physicians for 148 supervision episodes from 143 patient encounters.
      Consent rates were 94% for residents and 97% for attending physicians; test
      retest reliability intraclass correlations (ICCs) were 0.93 and 0.88,
      respectively. Concurrent reliability between residents' and attending physicians'
      reported time was an ICC of 0.69. CONCLUSIONS: The RSI is a feasible and reliable
      measure of resident supervision that is intended for research studies in graduate
      medical education focusing on education outcomes, as well as studies assessing
      quality of care, patient health outcomes, care costs, and clinical workload.

PMID- 20305533
TI  - A follicular dendritic cell sarcoma of the mediastinum with immature T cells and
      association with myasthenia gravis.
AB  - Follicular dendritic cell (FDC) sarcoma is a very rare neoplasm showing
      morphologic and phenotypic features of FDCs. It occurs primarily in lymph nodes
      but also in extranodal sites. So far, there have been no reports on FDC sarcoma
      associated with myasthenia gravis. In the following we will present a case of an
      FDC tumor of the mediastinum associated with paraneoplastic myasthenia gravis in
      a 39-year-old man. The tumor contained a major proportion of immature T cells,
      which may be connected to this patient's very unusual clinical presentation with
      autoimmune phenomena. Extranodal FDC sarcomas still seem hardly noticed, and
      their clinical and pathologic characteristics remain to be better defined.

PMID- 20305534
TI  - Cellular angiofibroma with atypia or sarcomatous transformation:
      clinicopathologic analysis of 13 cases.
AB  - Cellular angiofibroma is a mesenchymal neoplasm that is characterized by a bland
      spindle cell component, morphologically reminiscent of spindle cell lipoma, and
      thick-walled vessels. The tumor occurs equally in men and women and usually
      arises in the inguino-scrotal or vulvovaginal regions. An earlier study of 51
      cases from our group showed that the tumor follows a benign course without any
      tendency for recurrence. In 1 case, an intralesional microscopic nodule of
      pleomorphic liposarcoma was observed. The biologic significance of atypia or
      sarcomatous transformation in cellular angiofibroma remains uncertain. In this
      study, we characterized clinicopathologic features in 13 cases of cellular
      angiofibroma with morphologic atypia or sarcomatous transformation. Thirteen
      cases with atypia or sarcomatous transformation among 154 usual cellular
      angiofibromas identified between 1993 and 2009 were retrieved from consultation
      files. There were 12 females and 1 male ranging in age from 39 to 71 years
      (median age, 46 y). Tumor size ranged from 1.2 to 7.5 cm. In 11 cases, the tumors
      occurred in the vulva. One case each occurred in the paratesticular and hip
      regions. Most tumors were located in subcutaneous tissue. There were 4 cases of
      cellular angiofibroma with atypia. Three showed severely atypical cells as
      scattered foci within the cellular angiofibroma. One case showed a discrete
      nodule of atypical cells. There were 9 cases of cellular angiofibroma with
      morphologic features of sarcomatous transformation. In each case, abrupt
      transition to a discrete sarcomatous component was seen. Of these 9 cases, the
      sarcomatous component in 2 cases showed features of pleomorphic liposarcoma with
      multivacuolated lipoblasts readily identified. Three of these 9 cases showed
      discrete nodule(s) closely resembling atypical lipomatous tumor within usual
      cellular angiofibroma. In the remaining 4 cases, the sarcomatous component was
      composed of pleomorphic spindle cells arranged in various patterns. By
      immunohistochemistry, atypical cells and sarcomatous areas showed either
      multifocal or more diffuse p16 expression compared with either scattered or
      negative expression in the conventional cellular angiofibroma. The 3 cases with
      atypical lipomatous tumor-like areas were negative for MDM-2 and CDK4. Follow-up
      information was available for 7 patients (range from 2 to 75 mo; median: 14 mo).
      Six patients did not develop recurrence or metastasis. One patient died of
      metastatic carcinoma of unknown primary site 27 months after the diagnosis of
      cellular angiofibroma with sarcomatous transformation. Cellular angiofibroma with
      atypia or morphologic sarcomatous transformation occurs predominantly in the
      subcutaneous tissue of the vulva and, as yet, shows no evident tendency to recur
      based on limited clinical follow-up available for 7 cases. The sarcomatous
      component can show variable features including atypical lipomatous tumor,
      pleomorphic liposarcoma, and pleomorphic sarcoma NOS. Overexpression of p16 in
      the atypical cells and sarcomatous component suggests a possible underlying
      molecular mechanism.

PMID- 20305535
TI  - Renal cell neoplasms of oncocytosis have distinct morphologic,
      immunohistochemical, and cytogenetic profiles.
AB  - This study was undertaken to elucidate the genetic patterns of the renal cell
      neoplasms of oncocytosis and to compare them with those found in cases with
      multiple oncocytomas. Three cases of renal oncocytosis and 6 cases of multiple
      oncocytomas were analyzed. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis was
      performed with centromeric probes for chromosomes 1, 2, 6, 10, and 17 that are
      typically lost in chromophobe renal cell carcinoma but not in oncocytoma.
      Immunohistochemistry for cytokeratin 7, parvalbumin, and S100A1 was performed in
      all cases. Eleven tumors were present in the 3 kidneys with oncocytosis. One of
      these was a classic chromophobe renal cell carcinoma. In the other 10, none
      showed any chromosomal losses, whereas 3 showed gains of all 5 chromosomes and 1
      had gains of chromosomes 2 and 10. The chromophobe renal cell carcinoma showed
      losses of chromosome 1, 6, 10, and 17. Twelve of 14 tumors from the patients with
      multiple oncocytomas showed no loss of any of the chromosomes 1, 2, 6, 10, or 17
      and 2 had loss of chromosome 1. All the tumors from kidneys with renal
      oncocytosis showed strong parvalbumin immunoreactivity, whereas cytokeratin 7 and
      S100A1 expression were variable. In summary, the renal cell neoplasms of
      oncocytosis seem to have distinct morphologic, immunohistochemical, and
      cytogenetic profiles and likely are a distinct entity, not closely related to
      oncocytoma or chromophobe renal cell carcinoma.

PMID- 20305536
TI  - Myxoid cystitis with "chordoid" lymphocytes: another mimic of invasive urothelial
      carcinoma.
AB  - Invasive urothelial carcinoma is characterized by a number of histologic variants
      that can sometimes lead to diagnostic difficulty. In addition to those described
      by the World Health Organization, 2 additional variants have recently been
      described, invasive urothelial carcinoma with chordoid features and urothelial
      carcinoma with abundant myxoid stroma, both being characterized by the presence
      of a prominent myxoid stroma. This report describes a peculiar type of cystitis
      that closely mimicked myxoid urothelial carcinoma. A transurethral resection
      specimen from a 73-year-old woman with an earlier diagnosis of invasive
      urothelial carcinoma focally displayed rounded, epithelioid cells arranged in a
      corded manner and separated by myxoid stroma; this was originally misinterpreted
      as recurrent invasive carcinoma. A review of the case with immunohistochemical
      studies showed the component cells to be polyclonal B-lymphocytes, based upon
      which the diagnosis of malignancy was reversed. This peculiar form of cystitis,
      herein termed myxoid cystitis with "chordoid" lymphocytes, has not been described
      earlier and should be considered among the mimics of invasive urothelial
      carcinoma, especially those with a myxoid stroma.

PMID- 20305537
TI  - KRAS mutations in traditional serrated adenomas from Korea herald an aggressive
      phenotype.
AB  - The pathogenesis and risk of malignancy of traditional serrated adenomas (TSAs)
      are unclear. In North America, TSAs are relatively uncommon, occur mainly in the
      left colon, and in some studies, have not been shown to have a strong association
      with hyperplastic polyp (HPP) or sessile polyp adenoma (SSA) precursor lesions.
      In the Far East, and particularly in Korea, TSAs are more common and occur both
      in the left and right colon. However, the pathogenesis of TSAs in Korean
      patients, and the similarity to those that occur in North America, have never
      been evaluated. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency and type
      of precursor lesion in TSAs, and to determine the molecular profile according to
      the grade of histologic dysplasia and/or cancer and anatomic location of the
      colon in a cohort of Korean patients. One hundred and twelve TSAs were evaluated
      pathologically and categorized according to the grade of dysplasia (either low or
      high grade) and the presence or absence of adenocarcinoma. TSAs were also
      separated into those with serrated versus conventional adenomatous dysplasia. As
      controls 35 conventional adenomas were evaluated, 14 of which had adenocarcinoma.
      All lesions were evaluated for the presence and type of precursor lesions and for
      KRAS and BRAF mutations and methylation of MGMT, hMLH1, and APC. A nondysplastic
      precursor lesion (HPP or SSA) was identified in 35 TSAs (31.3%). TSAs with a
      precursor lesion were more commonly found in the right colon compared with the
      left colon (P=0.03). Mutations of KRAS and BRAF and methylation of MGMT, hMLH1,
      and APC were present in 29%, 55%, 63%, 56%, and 37% of TSAs, respectively. TSAs
      with high-grade dysplasia and intramucosal adenocarcinoma showed a significantly
      higher frequency of KRAS mutation and MGMT methylation, and a significantly lower
      frequency of BRAF mutations, compared with TSAs with low-grade dysplasia
      (P<0.05). KRAS mutations were more prevalent in TSAs from the left colon and
      correlated significantly with higher grades of dysplasia. In a subgroup of TSAs
      in which both the precursor and neoplastic components were evaluated, a similar
      molecular profile was shown in both types of epithelium. Our results suggest that
      up to one-third of TSAs show a histologically identifiable nondysplastic HPP or
      SSA precursor lesion, particularly in lesions from the right colon. The
      development of KRAS mutations and methylation of MGMT may herald the onset of an
      aggressive phenotype in the neoplastic progression of TSAs and also suggests that
      a fusion between the serrated pathway of carcinogenesis and the chromosomal
      instability pathway may occur in some TSAs. Further studies are needed to
      determine the natural history and risk of malignancy of TSAs, specifically
      related to the anatomic site of development.

PMID- 20305538
TI  - Immunohistochemistry for SDHB divides gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs)
      into 2 distinct types.
AB  - The Carney triad (CT) is gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), paraganglioma,
      and pulmonary chondroma. The GISTs of CT show different clinical, molecular, and
      morphologic features to usual adult GISTs but are similar to the majority of
      pediatric GISTs. We postulated that these GISTs would show negative staining for
      succinate dehydrogenase B (SDHB). We performed SDHB immunohistochemistry on GISTs
      arising in 5 individuals with CT, 1 child, 7 individuals with GIST in young
      adulthood including 2 with germline KIT mutations, 3 individuals with
      neurofibromatosis 1, one 63-year-old female with multifocal gastric epithelioid
      GIST with lymph node metastases, and 104 consecutive unselected individuals with
      apparently sporadic GIST. The GISTs and paragangliomas arising in CT, the
      pediatric GIST, and the multifocal gastric GIST from the 63-year-old showed
      negative SDHB staining. GISTs from the 7 young adults and 3 with
      neurofibromatosis were SDHB positive. Of the unselected GISTs, 101 (97%) were
      positive. One of the negative GISTs arose in a 48-year-old female with previous
      recurrent multifocal gastric GISTs and the other 2 arose in females also in their
      40s with gastric GISTs with epithelioid morphology. We conclude that negative
      staining for SDHB is characteristic of the GISTs of CT and the subgroup of
      pediatric GISTs which it resembles. Furthermore, when negative staining occurs in
      apparently sporadic GISTs in adults, the GISTs show morphologic and clinical
      features similar to pediatric and CT type GISTs. GISTs may therefore be divided
      into type 1 (SDHB positive) and type 2 (SDHB negative) subtypes.

PMID- 20305539
TI  - A diagnostic challenge: mild hemophilia B with normal activated partial
      thromboplastin time.
AB  - Hemophilia B is a hereditary bleeding disorder from the deficiency of factor IX
      (FIX) activity. Hemophilia B is caused by a mutation in the F9 gene on Xq27.1
      encoding FIX and, thus, has an X-linked inheritance. The diagnosis of hemophilia
      B is typically suspected by significantly prolonged activated partial
      thromboplastin time (aPTT) on screening tests, but aPTT may be normal or
      minimally prolonged in mild hemophilia B. We herein describe the cases of two
      Korean brothers with mild hemophilia B. The proband was a 26-year-old male
      patient with a mild bleeding history. He had a younger brother and a male cousin
      of maternal side with a similar bleeding tendency. Coagulation screening tests
      revealed no remarkable findings, including normal aPTT at 40.0 s (STA-PTT
      Automate, local reference range, 29.1-41.9 s). However, factor assays revealed a
      significantly decreased FIX activity at 27% (67-154%). The younger brother also
      had mildly prolonged aPTT at 45.1 s, which was corrected on mixing test. His FIX
      activity was 34%. Molecular genetic analysis of F9 revealed that the brothers
      were both hemizygous for a missense mutation, c.280G>A (p.Gly94Arg or Gly48Arg by
      conventional numbering based on the mature protein). Gly94Arg (Gly48Arg) is a
      mutation previously described in mild hemophilia B. This report shows that aPTT
      can be normal even with a reagent reported to be sensitive in detecting mild
      hemophilia B. It is important to pay attention to the clinical and family history
      and perform factor assays, and molecular genetic analysis can confirm the
      diagnosis and reveal genotype-phenotype correlations.

PMID- 20305540
TI  - Migrating venous thrombosis in acute leukemia.
AB  - We present a 55-year-old man with acute migrating thrombophlebitis and deep vein
      thrombosis of muscle veins in both calves indicating occurrence of acute
      myelomonocytic leukemia. Thrombosis of superficial and deep veins of the lower
      limbs arose in spite of the adequate anticoagulation therapy with warfarin.

PMID- 20305541
TI  - Fibrinolytic parameters in children with noncatheter thrombosis: a pilot study.
AB  - Although the incidence of pediatric thrombosis has increased over the last
      decade, noncatheter-related deep venous thrombosis (nCDVT) is rare in children.
      Congenital and acquired hypercoagulable states may play an important role in the
      pathogenesis of nCDVT. In this study, we evaluated fibrinolytic parameters by
      measuring individual concentrations of fibrinolytic proteins and by tissue factor
      initiated whole blood thromboelastography (TEG), in which a fibrin clot was lyzed
      by exogenously added tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). Children with nCDVT were
      compared with age and sex-matched controls. TAFI concentrations were
      significantly higher in the patient group but there was no difference in the PAI
      1, tPA and lipoprotein (a) concentrations. Significantly decreased fibrinolysis
      was found on TEG in the patient group suggesting that hypofibrinolysis may play
      an important role in the pathogenesis of nCDVT in children. To our knowledge,
      this is the first pediatric study that has systematically evaluated the role of
      fibrinolysis in the pathogenesis of DVT. Given our results, the role of
      fibrinolysis in the pathogenesis of nCDVT in children should be further evaluated
      in larger studies.

PMID- 20305542
TI  - Analysis of factor VIIa binding to relipidated tissue factor by surface plasmon
      resonance.
AB  - Kinetic analysis of the tissue factor (TF)-factor VIIa (FVIIa) binding
      interaction is helpful in investigating the structure-function relationships of
      TF-FVIIa. However, a wide variation exists among the reported binding affinities
      of FVIIa to TF, particularly when comparing KD values obtained from functional
      activity assays versus ligand binding studies. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR)
      technique was used frequently to investigate binding kinetics of FVIIa to TF in a
      lipid-free environment. In the present study we used TF embedded in a
      phospholipid bilayer for determining binding kinectis using SPR. The data
      revealed that FVIIa had a much higher binding affinity (>100-fold) for TF
      embedded in the phospholiid bilayer than TF in a lipid-free environment,
      approaching the KD values that were noted in the enzymatic activity assays. The
      present data suggest that SPR binding studies using TF embedded in phospholipids
      is more appropriate for investigating how FVIIa (or FVIIa mutants/derivatives)
      may interact with TF in physiological settings.

PMID- 20305543
TI  - Neonatal and childhood right atrial thrombosis: recognition and a risk-stratified
      treatment approach.
AB  - Pediatric literature and guidelines of treatment options for right atrial
      thrombosis (RAT) are lacking; thus, this review summarizes the available
      literature on RAT in infants and children. Medline search identified 35
      publications, with 27 prospective or retrospective case series included for data
      analysis. A total of 122 cases of RAT were identified. The mean age of patients
      is 3.58 years (n = 86) with a strong predominance in the neonatal and infancy
      period. Ninety-one percent of cases were found to be associated with central
      venous catheters, 40.8% are premature neonates, 27.2% are postcardiac surgery
      patients, and 19.2% have underlying malignancies. Gut failure with total
      parenteral nutrition given via the central venous catheters occurred in 45.6% of
      patients. The most frequent presenting symptoms are respiratory distress and
      arrhythmia, and 56.8% (42 of 74) were asymptomatic. Our study defined high-risk
      features on echocardiogram as large size, more than 2 cm in any dimension,
      pedunculated, mobile, or snake-shaped, and mobile. Our result confirmed there is
      significant difference in the mortality for the high-risk group (16.7%; three of
      18) versus the low risk group (0%; n = 32; P = 0.0416). Moreover, none of the
      asymptomatic patients showed progression in disease or died. Asymptomatic and
      hemodynamically stable patients with RAT who are at low risk are associated with
      good prognosis irrespective of treatment. We recommended removal of central
      venous line if possible, with or without anticoagulation for this group of
      patients. Systemic anticoagulation therapy should be given to all high-risk or
      symptomatic RAT patients. Surgical thrombectomy or thrombolytic therapy carries
      significant risk and should be considered individually.

PMID- 20305544
TI  - Hemodialysis catheter: induced giant right atrial thrombus.
AB  - Transient central venous hemodialysis catheters are used commonly while waiting
      for arteriovenous fistulas to mature. Thrombosis is a possible complication of
      indwelling central venous catheters utilized for hemodialysis. However, a giant
      right atrial thrombus is relatively rare. In this report, we present a case of
      right atrial thrombus related to transient indwelling hemodialysis catheter,
      which had been in situ for 45 days.

PMID- 20305545
TI  - Left ventricular geometry, ambulatory blood pressure and extra-cardiac organ
      damage in untreated essential hypertension.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Limited information is available on the association between
      left ventricular (LV) geometric patterns defined according to updated criteria
      and blood pressure (BP) levels and extra-cardiac organ damage (OD) in human
      hypertension. Thus, in untreated essential hypertensives we assessed the
      relationship between LV geometry, ambulatory BP and markers of vascular and renal
      OD. METHODS: A total of 669 hypertensives were categorized in four groups
      according to LV geometric patterns defined by two sets of sex-specific criteria
      (i.e. LV mass indexed to body surface area and height) and by the relative wall
      thickness (RWT) partition value of 0.42. Ambulatory BP variables were derived
      from two 24-h monitoring sessions performed within 4 weeks. RESULTS: Lower clinic
      and ambulatory BP values were associated with normal LV geometry, intermediate
      values with either LV concentric remodelling or eccentric LV hypertrophy (LVH)
      and higher values with concentric LVH, regardless of the criteria used to
      categorize these cardiac phenotypes. A decrease in nocturnal BP dip occurred from
      normal LV geometry to concentric LVH and this was associated with a parallel
      increase in the prevalence of carotid and renal OD, which was highest in
      concentric LVH. In a multivariate analysis age (beta=0.204, P<0.0001), followed
      by LDL cholesterol (beta=0.113, P=0.004), and night-time BP (beta=0.101, P=0.009)
      turned out to be the best independent correlates of RWT. CONCLUSION: These
      findings indicate that LV geometric patterns, regardless of categorization
      criteria, reflect different degrees of BP load and subclinical extra-cardiac
      alterations and may be regarded, in addition to absolute values of LV mass, as a
      reliable marker of cardiovascular (CV) risk.

PMID- 20305546
TI  - Noonan-like/multiple giant cell lesion syndrome in two adult patients with SOS1
      gene mutations.

PMID- 20305547
TI  - Mosaic and complete tetraploidy in live-born infants: two new patients and review
      of the literature.
AB  - Tetraploidy is a very rare finding in live-born infants. Nine infants with
      tetraploidy have been reported earlier. The phenotype is of variable severity and
      consists of prenatal and/or postnatal growth retardation, developmental delay,
      mental retardation, dysmorphic features, and skeletal and internal abnormalities.
      Here we present a girl aged 2 years and 7 months with a mosaic tetraploidy
      detected in lymphocytes, and a newborn boy with a complete tetraploidy, who died
      30 h after birth. They both show growth retardation, microcephaly, developmental
      delay, and craniofacial dysmorphisms. The clinical features of 22 patients
      reported earlier are reviewed.

PMID- 20305548
TI  - Plasma hyaluronan and collateral development in patients with coronary artery
      disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In-vivo studies have shown that hyaluronan (HA) can promote
      angiogenesis and arteriogenesis, which results in accelerated collateral
      development. This study is aimed at investigating the association between plasma
      HA levels and the extent of coronary collaterals, in patients with coronary
      artery disease. METHODS: A total of 253 consecutive patients, who underwent
      coronary angiography, were divided into three groups according to coronary
      angiograms: normal group, 81 patients with normal coronary angiographic findings;
      poor collateral group, 98 patients with at least one coronary stenosis of at
      least 75%, but without visible collateral circulation; good collateral group, 74
      patients with at least one coronary stenosis of at least 75% with well-developed
      collateral circulation. Plasma HA levels were measured by radioimmunoassay. The
      correlation between HA levels and the extent of coronary collaterals according to
      the Cohen-Rentrop classification was calculated by cumulative logits models.
      RESULTS: Plasma HA levels were 43.71+/-2.91, 61.77+/-4.10, and 131.97+/-11.76
      ng/ml, for patients in the normal, poor collateral, and good collateral groups,
      respectively. The good collateral group had significantly higher plasma HA levels
      than the poor collateral (P<0.001) and normal group (P<0.001), whereas there was
      no significant difference between the normal and poor collateral group. HA levels
      elevated with increasing Rentrop score, and the cumulative logits model showed a
      strong graded association between plasma HA levels and the collateral Cohen
      Rentrop score (odds ratio=1.021, chi2=17.811, 95% confidence interval: 1.011
      1.031, P=0.000). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that elevated plasma HA levels
      are associated with a significant enhancement in coronary collateralization. HA
      may serve as a novel potential biomarker for collateral formation in patients
      with coronary artery disease.

PMID- 20305549
TI  - Impact of angiographic and intravascular ultrasound features on clinical outcome
      after sirolimus-eluting stent implantation for de-novo lesions in nondiabetic and
      type 2 diabetic patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of angiographic and
      intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) features on clinical outcome in nondiabetic and
      type 2 diabetic patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with
      sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) implantation. METHODS: Repeat coronary angiography
      with IVUS imaging was performed after SES-based PCI for de-novo lesions in 128
      diabetic and 327 nondiabetic patients (189 lesions and 504 lesions,
      respectively). The rate of major adverse cardiac events including cardiac death,
      non fatal myocardial infarction (MI), and target lesion revascularization during
      clinical follow-up was recorded. RESULTS: In-stent and in-segment late loss,
      intimal hyperplasia volume, and percentage volumetric obstruction were similar,
      but stented external elastic membrane cross-sectional area and reference/stented
      segment ratio were lower in diabetic than in nondiabetic patients. Incomplete
      stent apposition (ISA) was less frequent, but occurrence of new coronary lesions
      was higher in diabetic than in nondiabetic patients. Despite similar target
      lesion revascularization, cumulative survival rates freedom from composite
      cardiac death and nonfatal MI or major adverse cardiac events were reduced in
      diabetic patients. Cox proportional hazards model identified diabetes, left
      ventricular ejection fraction, minimal stent CSA, maximal ISA area,
      atherosclerotic progression and lesion length as independent predictors of non
      fatal MI or mortality at follow-up. CONCLUSION: In diabetic patients, PCI with
      SES implantation neutralizes the excess risk of intimal hyperplasia and decreases
      occurrence of ISA, but could not modify the propensity of increased adverse
      clinical outcomes at follow-up.

PMID- 20305550
TI  - Risk factors and comorbidities in a community-wide sample of patients
      hospitalized with acute systolic or diastolic heart failure: the Worcester Heart
      Failure Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Few epidemiological studies have examined differences in the
      prevalence of risk factors and comorbidities in patients with systolic heart
      failure (HF), as compared with those with diastolic HF. METHODS: We analyzed data
      from 1426 residents of the Worcester (MA) metropolitan area hospitalized at all
      11 greater Worcester medical centers for acute HF during 1995 and 2000 who had
      data available on ejection fraction (EF) findings during hospitalization. The
      analysis was conducted based on the presence of either normal (diastolic HF) as
      compared with reduced (systolic HF) EF, using an EF cutpoint of at least 50%.
      RESULTS: The average age of study patients was 71 years, 56% were women, and 43%
      had diastolic HF. Patients with diastolic HF were more likely to be older,
      female, obese, and to have higher systolic blood pressures and lower heart rates
      at the time of hospital presentation than patients with systolic HF. In contrast,
      patients with systolic HF had a greater prevalence of diabetes, previous
      myocardial infarction, and a history of alcohol abuse as compared with patients
      with diastolic HF. In multivariate analyses, the strongest metabolic correlates
      of diastolic HF were obesity, hypertension, and clustered metabolic risk factors;
      diabetes was associated with the occurrence of systolic HF. CONCLUSION: The
      results of our population-based investigation show that multiple risk factors and
      comorbidities are present in patients with systolic and diastolic HF.
      Consideration of these comorbidities and risk factors should be taken into
      account in distinguishing patients with diastolic HF from those with systolic HF
      and in their optimal management.

PMID- 20305551
TI  - Prognostic value of myeloperoxidase in coronary artery disease: comparison of
      unstable and stable angina patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory process, and
      myeloperoxidase (MPO) seems to contribute directly to the pathogenesis of acute
      coronary syndrome (ACS). OBJECTIVE: To compare MPO levels among the patients with
      stable and unstable ischemic heart disease and to evaluate their independent
      prognostic value for cardiovascular events. METHODS: MPO and C-reactive protein
      (CRP) were assessed in two cohorts of coronary artery disease patients, including
      178 patients with stable angina and 130 patients with ACS evaluated at the
      emergency department. RESULTS: MPO and CRP levels were significantly higher among
      patients with ACS [MPO 93 (54-127) vs. 9.9 pmol/l (5-21) and high sensitivity-CRP
      11 (3-27) vs. 2.6 mg/l (1-5)]. Among patients with stable angina, high
      sensitivity-CRP levels greater than 3 mg/l were associated with a three-fold risk
      of further cardiovascular events during a mean follow-up period of 13+/-4 months,
      although there was no significant association between MPO levels and outcomes.
      Among patients with ACS, baseline MPO level was an independent predictor of major
      adverse cardiac events during hospitalization, odds ratio of 3.8 (95% confidence
      interval: 1.2-12) for the combined endpoint (death, recurrent angina, heart
      failure, and arrhythmia). CRP levels were associated with hospital mortality in
      patients with ACS, but were not independently related to cardiovascular events.
      CONCLUSION: Elevated MPO levels among the ACS patients suggest that this marker
      may participate in plaque vulnerability and instability process, whereas higher
      CRP levels were predictive of cardiac events only among the stable angina
      patients. These findings suggest distinct role of the inflammatory markers
      studied in the pathophysiology of coronary artery disease.

PMID- 20305552
TI  - Infectious intracranial complications in the neuro-ICU patient population.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To provide an overview of infectious intracranial
      complications secondary to invasive procedures or trauma in the neuro-ICU patient
      population. Nosocomial infections of the central nervous system are a serious
      complication contributing to morbidity, prolonged length of stay in the ICU
      and/or hospital, and mortality of neurocritical care patients. RECENT FINDINGS:
      Any type of neurosurgical interventions, specifically ventriculostomy/external
      ventricular drainage, constitutes a major risk factor for infectious intracranial
      complications. Other predisposing factors are comorbidities with
      immunocompromised state and the presence of a distant focus of infection. The
      emergence of multiresistant pathogens adds to the complexity of the management of
      infectious intracranial complications. In recent years, several antimicrobial
      agents suitable for the treatment of nosocomial central nervous system infections
      have been extensively studied with respect to pharmacodynamics and
      pharmacokinetics in serum and - of special importance in the neurocritical care
      setting - cerebrospinal fluid. SUMMARY: Despite recent advances in prevention and
      treatment, the management of nosocomial intracranial infections still poses a
      challenge to the neuro-ICU specialist and must consider timely diagnosis and
      prompt initiation of appropriate antibiotic therapy. This review focuses on the
      definition, epidemiology, clinical features, and therapeutical approach to this
      distinct complication of neurocritical care.

PMID- 20305553
TI  - Approaches to improving cardiac arrest resuscitation performance.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The survival rate from cardiac arrest remains poor despite
      advances in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and postresuscitation therapies.
      Recent studies have documented many shortcomings during the performance of
      resuscitation care. We will review the various methods to improve the delivery of
      resuscitation care described in the current literature. RECENT FINDINGS: Despite
      the fact that quality of CPR has been shown to correlate with improved patient
      outcomes, conventional training methods are often insufficient in enabling
      healthcare providers to deliver high-quality resuscitation care. Use of
      simulation methods during resuscitation training can increase subsequent
      resuscitation quality. Additionally, automated feedback during resuscitation has
      been shown to improve CPR performance. Focused debriefing after resuscitation can
      improve CPR quality and increase initial resuscitation success. Finally,
      minimizing pauses in chest compressions by adopting cardiocerebral resuscitation
      (CCR) protocols can lead to better patient survival. Implementing these measures
      on a more widespread basis can improve resuscitation care and ultimately decrease
      patient mortality. SUMMARY: By adopting techniques such as simulation, automated
      feedback, training refreshers, debriefing and CCR, the quality of resuscitation
      performance can be increased. Future work needs to demonstrate that improved
      resuscitation performance correlates with decreased mortality.

PMID- 20305554
TI  - Using oxygen delivery targets to optimize resuscitation in critically ill
      patients.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The use of fluid and inotropic therapies to optimize global
      haemodynamic variables, in particular oxygen delivery, in critically ill patients
      has been a controversial area of research for more than 25 years. The aim of this
      review is to describe the current evidence base for this treatment and how
      concepts of haemodynamic optimization have evolved in recent years. RECENT
      FINDINGS: The inconsistent findings of a large number of small phase II trials
      continue to stimulate the debate about the value of this treatment approach.
      However, important recent developments include the use of optimization only
      during periods of resuscitation, more cautious doses of fluid and/or inotropic
      therapy, confirmation that pulmonary artery catheter use does not result in
      excess mortality and an improved understanding of the mechanistic effects of
      haemodynamic optimization. SUMMARY: These advances in our understanding have now
      informed the design of large randomized trials in various patient groups. The
      true value of haemodynamic optimization is likely to be confirmed or refuted
      within the next 5 years.

PMID- 20305555
TI  - Realistic expectations for public access defibrillation programs.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Public access defibrillation programs have increased
      dramatically over the past 15 years. This review will focus on their
      effectiveness and operational characteristics and discuss the characteristics of
      successful programs, which can improve outcomes. RECENT FINDINGS: Automated
      external defibrillators increase survival from cardiac arrest when used by a
      bystander. Recent studies show that the best outcomes are achieved when devices
      are placed in areas with a high frequency of cardiac arrest and there is ongoing
      supervision with emergency plans and cardiopulmonary resuscitation training.
      Programs are cost-effective under these circumstances, but become very
      inefficient when placed in areas of low risk. There are few adverse events
      related to the public access defibrillation programs and volunteers are not
      harmed. Unguided placement results in devices not being used and a decline in
      organizational structure of the program. As most cardiac arrests occur in the
      home, the impact on overall survival remains low. SUMMARY: Automated external
      defibrillators are highly effective at reducing death from ventricular
      fibrillation and easy access in public areas is most effective. Placement must be
      prioritized based on public health impact and characteristics of the community.

PMID- 20305556
TI  - Detecting critical illness outside the ICU: the role of track and trigger
      systems.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Critical illness is often preceded by physiological
      deterioration. Track and trigger systems are intended to facilitate the timely
      recognition of patients with potential or established critical illness outside
      critical care areas. The aim of this article is to review the evidence for the
      use of such systems. RECENT FINDINGS: Existing track and trigger systems have low
      sensitivity, low positive predictive values, and high specificity. They often
      fail to identify patients who need additional care and have not been shown to
      improve outcomes. The development of such systems must be based on robust
      methodological and statistical principles. At present, few track and trigger
      systems meet these standards. SUMMARY: Although track and trigger systems,
      combined with appropriate response algorithms, have the potential to improve the
      recognition and management of critical illness, further work is required to
      validate their utility.

PMID- 20305557
TI  - Evolving approaches to assessing and monitoring patient-ventilator interactions.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Patient-ventilator dyssynchrony (PVD) is prevalent in
      critically ill patients and causes increased work of breathing, which can lead to
      ventilatory muscle overload and fatigue as well as impairment in sleep
      efficiency, both important factors in determining ventilator duration. RECENT
      FINDINGS: New ways to analyze and communicate information, such as embedded
      computerized algorithms that are able to calculate a dyssynchrony index and
      enhanced ventilator graphical displays, may assist the clinician with recognition
      of PVD. Esophageal pressure monitoring allows the clinician to address trigger,
      flow and cycle dyssynchrony as well as quantify the incremental work of breathing
      imposed by PVD. An analysis using relationships in the equation of motion allows
      for onset and cycling off of breaths that match closer with the patient effort
      compared with current algorithms. Monitoring diaphragmatic electrical activity
      permits the accurate assessment of relationships between neural drive and
      ventilator flow delivery, and can assess the workload of the diaphragm. SUMMARY:
      Although computerized algorithms and user-friendly graphic displays show promise
      in minimizing the time to recognition of dyssynchrony, monitoring diaphragmatic
      electrical activity comes closest to representing the ideal in ventilator
      monitoring. Further work, however, is needed to demonstrate outcomes benefit to
      patients and to make this a reliable and user-friendly system for clinicians.

PMID- 20305558
TI  - Stem cells and reproduction.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review the latest developments in reproductive tract stem
      cell biology. RECENT FINDINGS: In 2004, two studies indicated that ovaries
      contain stem cells which form oocytes in adults and that can be cultured in vitro
      into mature oocytes. A live birth after orthotopic transplantation of
      cryopreserved ovarian tissue in a woman whose ovaries were damaged by
      chemotherapy demonstrates the clinical potential of these cells. In the same
      year, another study provided novel evidence of endometrial regeneration by stem
      cells in women who received bone marrow transplants. This finding has potential
      for the use in treatment of uterine disorders. It also supports a new theory for
      the cause of endometriosis, which may have its origin in ectopic
      transdifferentiation of stem cells. Several recent studies have demonstrated that
      fetal cells enter the maternal circulation and generate microchimerism in the
      mother. The uterus is a dynamic organ permeable to fetal stem cells, capable of
      transdifferentiation and an end organ in which bone marrow stem cells may
      differentiate. Finally stem cell transformation can be an underlying cause of
      ovarian cancer. SUMMARY: Whereas we are just beginning to understand stem cells,
      the potential implications of stem cells to reproductive biology and medicine are
      apparent.

PMID- 20305559
TI  - Mental health of parents of twins conceived via assisted reproductive technology.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review recent knowledge on mental health of parents of
      twins conceived via assisted reproductive technology (ART). RECENT FINDINGS:
      Mental health of mothers and fathers of twins conceived via ART is impaired when
      compared with that of ART singletons. SUMMARY: Existing studies are mainly cross
      sectional and most of them focus on maternal mental health. It is evident that
      twin parenthood is the main factor impairing the mental health in parents with
      ART twins. This aspect should be taken into account when counseling the couples
      and deciding the number of embryos for transfer in ART. Well conducted
      prospective longitudinal studies are needed on both maternal and paternal mental
      health with twins conceived via ART from transition to parenthood to and beyond
      toddler age covering later life with school-aged and adolescent twins.

PMID- 20305560
TI  - What can we learn from epigenetics in the year 2009?
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic, autoimmune disease
      resulting in the destruction of affected joints. Even though current therapies
      with biologics such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha blockers yield significant
      improvement for the patients, the disease is not curable yet. Therefore, we need
      novel strategies for better therapies. RECENT FINDINGS: The growing knowledge of
      epigenetics might give us new insights into the pathogenesis of autoimmune
      diseases. In the last year, several new findings about epigenetic modifications
      of gene expression were reported in different arthritides. These modifications
      describe changes in the expression of DNA that result from methylation,
      posttranslational modifications of the histone proteins, including
      acetylation/deacetylation, sumoylation, methylation and microRNAs. Most
      interestingly, these modifications seem to act in concert and are associated with
      the circadian metabolic rhythm of cells. SUMMARY: This review summarizes reports
      from the last year about epigenetic modifications of gene expression via
      acetylation/deacetylation, including sirtuins, sumoylation, methylation,
      microRNAs in all in rheumatoid arthritis and other arthritides, providing
      potential strategies for better therapies and encourages the development of
      specific epigenetic drugs.

PMID- 20305561
TI  - Lupus nephritis: where are we now?
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To consider the challenges in the management of lupus
      nephritis with respect to diagnosis and optimal therapy for induction and
      maintenance of response. RECENT FINDINGS: Despite several large clinical trials
      in lupus nephritis, no second line drug is licensed for use in induction of
      remission in lupus nephritis. An important issue is how remission and flare are
      defined and the role of repeat renal biopsies. On the background of negative
      trials with mycophenolate mofetil and rituximab, there are recent data
      demonstrating superiority of mycophenolate mofetil in certain subgroups. New data
      suggest a role for tacrolimus in the treatment of lupus nephritis. Additionally,
      dogma is being challenged by data showing very low and even no oral steroids can
      be used in mycophenolate mofetil and rituximab-based regimes. SUMMARY: Despite
      the negative outcome of recent trials there is growing evidence that there are
      increasing opportunities in patients with lupus nephritis to offer treatments
      tailored to the individual needs of the patient based not only on the class and
      severity of their nephritis but also on their ethnicity, their desire to have
      children and their predictors of outcome.

PMID- 20305563
TI  - Controlling lipids in a high-risk population with documented coronary artery
      disease for secondary prevention: are we doing enough?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prevalence of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in
      patients who have achieved low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) targets in
      the current era of universal statin therapy remains unknown. We conducted a study
      to determine the prevalence of low HDL-C in patients with documented coronary
      artery disease, and to determine the lipid-lowering treatment patterns in
      secondary prevention of coronary artery disease. METHODS: In this retrospective
      cohort analysis, data were obtained from the electronic database of a cardiology
      clinic. The Joint British Society 2 criteria were used defining low HDL-C as less
      than 1 mmol/l in males and less than 1.2 mmol/l in females. We compared the
      prevalence of low HDL-C across the following categories of LDL-C: less than 2, 2
      2.5, and greater than 2.5 mmol/l. RESULTS: Two thousand and eighty-seven patients
      with a mean age of 64.34+/-11.94 years constituted the study sample. About 36.6%
      of patients in this study were found to have low HDL-C. Irrespective of sex, low
      HDL-C was prevalent across all levels of LDL-C, but interestingly this was most
      prevalent in patients with a LDL-C less than 2 mmol/l (43.06%). HDL-C level of
      1.16+/-0.97 mmol/l in patients with LDL-C less than 2 mmol/l was significantly
      lower than 1.22+/-0.33 mmol/l in patients with LDL-C greater than 2 mmol/l, P
      value less than 0.01. There was a poor correlation between levels of HDL-C and
      LDL-C in the study population irrespective of sex or statin therapy. CONCLUSION:
      This study shows widely prevalent low HDL-C levels in high-risk patients across
      the spectrum of LDL-C levels despite statin therapy. There was no correlation
      between the LDL-C and HDL-C levels implying their independent relationship and,
      thus, the need to treat them independently.

PMID- 20305562
TI  - Angiogenesis and vasculogenesis in rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Angiogenesis is the formation of new capillaries from pre
      existing vessels, whereas vasculogenesis is de-novo capillary formation from
      endothelial precursor cells (EPCs). Current understanding of the role of
      angiogenesis and vasculogenesis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and possibilities of
      therapeutic intervention should be summarized. RECENT FINDINGS: There have been
      many recent studies on the role of the hypoxia and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)
      vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-angiopoietin axis in angiogenesis
      associated with RA. The role of additional growth factors, chemokines, cytokines,
      matrix components and adhesion molecules has been further characterized.
      Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) may link inflammation, angiogenesis
      and atherosclerosis. Junctional adhesion molecules (JAMs) and focal adhesion
      kinases (FAKs) have recently been implicated in inflammatory angiogenesis. Novel
      information regarding the role of serum amyloid A (SAA) and sphingosine kinase
      has become available. Most of these angiogenic factors have recently been
      targeted using various techniques and arthritis models. Whereas angiogenesis is
      abundant in RA, there is defective EPC function and vasculogenesis leading to
      atherosclerosis and vascular disease in arthritis. Treatment with EPCs already
      under investigation in vascular diseases may also be attempted in RA. SUMMARY:
      Targeting angiogenesis and restoration of vasculogenesis may be beneficial for
      the therapy and outcome of RA.

PMID- 20305564
TI  - Depressive symptoms and heart rate variability in younger women after an acute
      coronary event.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We investigated associations between depressive symptoms and reduced
      heart rate variability (HRV) in women aged 30-65 years after an acute coronary
      event. BACKGROUND: Younger women have an increased mortality after myocardial
      infarction compared with men of similar age. Depression was hypothesized to
      contribute to the poor prognosis, possibly mediated by increased susceptibility
      to arrhythmias. METHODS: The Stockholm Female Coronary Risk study comprised of
      292 women aged 30-65 years who were consecutively admitted for myocardial
      infarction or unstable angina pectoris during a 3-year period. Depressive
      symptoms were assessed by means of a 9-item questionnaire. Women with no or only
      one depressive symptom were classified as low-depression individuals, those with
      two or more depressive symptoms as high-depression individuals. HRV data were
      calculated from 24-h ambulatory electrocardiographic recordings 3-6 months after
      the initial event. RESULTS: Reliable HRV data were obtained from 266 patients.
      Seventy women were low-depression individuals, and 196 women were high-depression
      individuals. In univariate analyses, the index of standard deviations of R-R
      intervals, very low-frequency power, low-frequency power and high-frequency power
      of HRV were lower in the high-depression individuals. After controlling for
      potential confounders (diabetes, hypertension, systolic blood pressure, body mass
      index and beta-blocker medication), a significant difference between low and high
      depression individuals was maintained for all indices except for high-frequency
      power. CONCLUSION: The presence of two or more depressive symptoms was associated
      with reduced HRV in a high-risk group of younger women after an acute coronary
      event.

PMID- 20305565
TI  - Influence of age, sex, body size, smoking, and beta blockade on key gas exchange
      exercise parameters in an adult population.
AB  - AIMS: Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is a widely applied clinical
      procedure. There is uncertainty to what extent nutritional status, beta blockers
      and smoking should be taken into account in the interpretation of exercise
      parameters to describe abnormality. This study planned to consider the impact of
      these factors on CPET values and develop reference equations on the basis of a
      large-scale population-based survey. METHODS AND RESULTS: An incremental cycle
      exercise protocol was applied to 1708 volunteers. Individuals with structural
      heart disease, echocardiographic or lung function pathologies were excluded. Age,
      height, weight, smoking, and beta blockers were analysed for their influencing
      power in each sex. Reference values of CPET parameters were determined by
      regression analyses. The final study sample consisted of 1203 volunteers (626
      female), aged 25-85 years. Exercise capacity, gas exchange, and ventilatory
      efficiency for carbon dioxide removal were significantly dependent on sex, age,
      height, weight, and cigarette smoking. In the dosages used, beta blockers did not
      significantly interfere with gas exchange. CONCLUSION: Sex, height, weight, and
      age significantly influence gas exchange. This study provides a comprehensive set
      of reference values in a large number of volunteers within a population-based
      survey, with reference values corrected for influencing factors.

PMID- 20305566
TI  - Age at onset and latency to treatment (duration of untreated illness) in patients
      with mood and anxiety disorders: a naturalistic study.
AB  - This study was designed to investigate and compare demographic and clinical
      features with specific emphasis on age at onset, age at first treatment and, in
      particular, on duration of untreated illness (DUI), in patients with different
      mood and anxiety disorders. Study sample included 729 outpatients with the
      following diagnoses: major depressive disorder (n=181), bipolar disorder type I
      (BD I, n=115) and II (BD II, n=186), generalized anxiety disorder (n=100), panic
      disorder (n=96), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (n=51). Main demographic and
      clinical variables of the sample were compared among the diagnostic groups using
      one-way analysis of variance or chi tests. The diagnostic groups showed
      significant differences in relation to age at onset and age at first
      pharmacological treatment and in relation to latency to treatment. In particular,
      patients with major depressive disorder showed the shortest DUI (39.08 months),
      whereas patient with BD II showed the longest DUI (97.2 months) in comparison
      with the other groups. Within the group with anxiety disorders (F=7.512,
      P<0.001), patients with panic disorder showed the shortest DUI (44.35 months),
      whereas patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder showed the longest DUI (90.57
      months). The present findings suggest that patients with different mood and
      anxiety disorders show significant differences in terms of age at onset, age at
      first treatment and, consequently, DUI, which potentially reflect different
      reasons influencing treatment delay.

PMID- 20305567
TI  - Safety and efficacy of long-acting injectable risperidone in daily practice: an
      open-label, noninterventional, prospective study in schizophrenia and related
      disorders.
AB  - This postauthorization safety study evaluated the long-term safety, tolerability,
      and efficacy of risperidone long-acting injectable (RLAI) in routine clinical
      practice. In this 6-month, multicenter, European, naturalistic study, patients
      were included if, during routine clinical practice, long-term antipsychotic
      therapy with RLAI was deemed necessary by the treating physician. Efficacy
      measures included Clinical Global Impression-Severity and Global Assessment of
      Functioning. Safety was evaluated by recording treatment-emergent adverse events
      (AE). RLAI was initiated in 5134 patients (aged 14-94 years); predominantly male
      (58.6%) with paranoid schizophrenia (69.8%). RLAI initial doses were 25 mg every
      2 weeks (37.0% patients), 37.5 mg (18.0%), and 50 mg (44.4%). Treatment was
      completed by 4314 patients (84.0%). RLAI was discontinued on account of loss to
      follow-up (n=346; 6.7%), insufficient response (n=116; 2.3%), and AEs (n=106;
      2.1%). Clinical Global Impression-Severity significantly improved from baseline
      to endpoint (P<0.001). Patient functioning on the Global Assessment of
      Functioning scale also significantly improved from baseline to endpoint (45.4 +
      or - 16.0 vs. 62.4 + or - 17.7, respectively, P<0.001). Treatment-emergent AEs
      were recorded by 1018 (20%) of patients. AEs occurring in > or = 5% of patients
      were akathisia, extrapyramidal disorders, depression, psychotic disorder,
      anxiety, and weight gain. Serious AEs were reported by 384 (8%) patients. This
      study confirms good safety, tolerability, and efficacy with RLAI in routine
      clinical practice.

PMID- 20305568
TI  - The pharmacological properties of antidepressants.
AB  - Antidepressant drugs represent one of the main forms of effective treatment for
      the amelioration of depressive symptoms. Most available antidepressants increase
      extracellular levels of monoamines. However, it is now recognized that monoamine
      levels and availability are only part of the story, and that antidepressants
      whose mechanism of action is mainly based on the modulation of monoaminergic
      systems may not be able to satisfy the unmet needs of depression. Therefore, a
      number of compounds, developed for their potential antidepressant activity, are
      endowed with putative mechanisms of action not affecting traditional monoamine
      targets. This article briefly reviews, within a mechanistic perspective, the
      pharmacological profiles of representative antidepressants from each class,
      including monoamine oxidase inhibitors, tricyclics, norepinephrine reuptake
      inhibitors, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, norepinephrine and serotonin
      reuptake inhibitors, antidepressants interacting with dopaminergic, melatonergic,
      glutamatergic, or neuropeptide systems. The undesirable side effects of currently
      used antidepressants, which can often be a reason for lack of compliance, are
      also considered.

PMID- 20305569
TI  - The effect of hand burns on quality of life in children.
AB  - There is limited data regarding the long-term outcomes for children with hand
      burns. The objective of this study was to prospectively document recovery after
      burn injury using a validated health outcomes burn questionnaire for infants,
      children, and adolescents. A single center prospective study was conducted on
      consecutive children aged 0 to 4 years and 5 to 18 years comparing outcomes
      between children with and without hand burns. Age specific American Burn
      Association/Shriners Hospitals for Children Burn Outcomes Questionnaires were
      administered at admission, first clinic after discharge, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24
      months after injury. One hundred eighty-one consecutive patients were enrolled in
      the study. Demographic, injury, and survey outcome data were available for 145
      patients for at least 24 months after injury. Children with hand burns had
      significantly longer hospitalization, intensive care unit days, ventilator days,
      and TBSA burns. Initial Burn Outcomes Questionnaire scores for children with hand
      burns were significantly lower than controls and children with burns not
      involving the hand. For ages 0 to 4 years and 5 to 18 years, only the domain
      specific to upper extremity function was significantly decreased between the
      groups over the entire study period. Despite severe injury, children with hand
      burns have continued improvement in quality of life for at least 2 years after
      injury. The presence of a hand burn in the context of large TBSA burn is a marker
      of more severe acute illness and predicts increased resource utilization.
      Rehabilitative efforts after upper extremity injury should continue to target
      both physical function and the psychosocial impact of burn injury.

PMID- 20305570
TI  - What does posttraumatic growth mean to Chinese burn patients: a phenomenological
      study.
AB  - The purpose of this research was to explore dimensions of posttraumatic growth
      (PTG) in the population of mainland China and to find out the factors
      facilitating positive change. Ten patients with severe burn injuries were
      recruited from a metropolitan hospital in Shanghai. Sampling was purposive;
      qualitative phenomenological methodology was used to depict the main theme, the
      data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews using open
      ended questions. A reflective diary was also kept. The findings are presented
      under two thematic headings: "process of PTG" and "presentation of PTG." Results
      indicate that there are commonalities between the Chinese sample and Tedeschi and
      Calhoun's (Psychol Inq 2004;15:1-18) model of the process and outcomes of PTG.
      There are some differences; specifically, "for the significant others" is an
      important facet in the process of PTG; also there is no clear growth of a
      spiritual or a religious aspect.

PMID- 20305571
TI  - Survey on current hydrotherapy use among North American burn centers.
AB  - The authors have reviewed hydrotherapy practices in North American burn centers
      and described the epidemiology of hydrotherapy-associated nosocomial infections.
      A web-based survey was distributed to the directors of all burn care facilities
      listed by the American Burn Association. Questions addressed aspects of practice,
      including the method, additives, disposable liners, decontamination practices,
      nosocomial pathogens, and perceptions regarding the "ideal" method of
      hydrotherapy. The response rate was 44%, 59 of 142 centers, or 827 of 1900 beds.
      Hydrotherapy is regularly used by 83% of centers. Among these centers, 10% use
      exclusively immersion hydrotherapy (IH), 54% use exclusively shower cart
      hydrotherapy (SCH), and 35% use a combination of IH and SCH. Disposable liners
      are used at 80% of centers. Tap water alone is used by 51% of centers, 27% add
      detergent, 16% chlorhexidine, and 7% povidone-iodine. The majority of centers
      (57%) do not routinely culture their hydrotherapy equipment, 20% culture weekly,
      7% monthly, and 17% less than once per month. Directors believe that Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa, methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus, and methicillin
      resistant S. aureus are the most common nosocomial pathogens, followed by
      Acinetobacter species and Candida albicans. The relative frequency of occurrence
      of the first three pathogens did not vary with regard to the hydrotherapy method
      used. Given the opportunity to redesign, 45% of burn unit directors would
      implement SCH only, 42% a combination of SCH and IH, 2% exclusively IH, and 11%
      no hydrotherapy or bedside irrigation only. The prevalence of hydrotherapy use at
      North American burn centers has decreased since 1990 (83% vs 95%), yet continues
      to be used at the majority of centers. The use of IH has also declined (55% vs
      81%). The trend away from the exclusive use of IH will likely continue, because
      more centers incorporate showering methods.

PMID- 20305573
TI  - Acetaminophen dose does not predict outcome in acetaminophen-induced acute liver
      failure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acetaminophen is a dose-dependent toxin. Prognosis in severe acute
      liver injury is related presumably in part to the dose ingested. We sought to
      assess the value of acetaminophen dosing information in patients with acute liver
      failure (ALF) due to acetaminophen toxicity to determine the role of dose as a
      prognostic indicator. METHODS: Prospective data from 113 patients with ALF having
      single-time-point ingestions of acetaminophen were analyzed. Multivariate and chi
      tests were used to determine the relationship of dose to clinical outcome. We
      also used the Mann-Whitney U test to compare prognosis and survival in ALF with
      acetaminophen dose ingested. RESULTS: Multivariate and chi analyses failed to
      show any relationship between acetaminophen dose and spontaneous survival. A
      separate analysis showed no correlation between acetaminophen dose and clinical
      prognostic indicators. CONCLUSIONS: Dose of acetaminophen ingested did not seem
      to play a role in prognosis. The most important prognostic factor was coma grade
      on admission to study. Acetaminophen dosing information is not always obtainable.
      When it is, it adds little to the clinical assessment. Severity of encephalopathy
      is a more reliable indicator of prognosis in these critically ill patients.

PMID- 20305572
TI  - Instability in teacher ratings of children's inattentive symptoms: implications
      for the assessment of ADHD.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the cross-grade stability of clinically elevated teacher
      ratings of inattentive symptoms in 3 samples of elementary schoolchildren.
      PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: Samples 1 and 2 included 27 first graders and 24 fourth
      graders, respectively, identified based on clinically elevated teacher ratings of
      inattentive symptoms. The third sample included 28 children in grades 1 to 4 from
      the Multimodal Treatment Study of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
      (Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity
      disorder Study) with a confirmed attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
      diagnosis. Teacher ratings of inattentive symptoms were completed an average of
      12 to 14 months apart so that cross-grade stability of elevated ratings could be
      computed for each sample. RESULTS: In all 3 samples, clinically elevated ratings
      persisted for less than 50% of children and between 25% and 50% had ratings that
      declined to within the normative range. The decline in attention difficulties was
      not related to hyperactivity, oppositional behavior, or anxiety at baseline, nor
      was it explained by children beginning medication treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Many
      elementary-aged children rated by their teachers as highly inattentive are not
      considered to demonstrate these problems the following year, even children with a
      confirmed attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder diagnosis. The instability in
      clinically elevated teacher ratings found across 3 independent samples highlights
      the importance of annual reevaluations to avoid treating children for problems
      that may no longer be present.

PMID- 20305574
TI  - Cigarette smoke alters tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 and matrix
      metalloproteinase 9 levels in the basolateral secretions of human asthmatic
      bronchial epithelium in vitro.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Asthma, a major cause of chronic lung disease worldwide, has
      increased in prevalence in all age and ethnic groups, particularly in urban areas
      where cigarette smoking is common. Cigarette smoke (CS) significantly impacts the
      development of asthma and is strongly associated with increased asthma-related
      morbidity. PURPOSE: To evaluate bioinformatic analyses predicting that CS would
      alter expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP) 1 and matrix
      metalloproteinase (MMP) 9 in asthmatic epithelium. METHODS: Primary
      differentiated normal (n = 4) and asthmatic (n = 4) human respiratory epithelia
      on collagen-coated Transwells at air-liquid interface were exposed for 1 hour to
      CS condensate (CSC) or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Tissue inhibitor of
      metalloproteinase 1 and MMP-9 protein levels were measured at 24 hours by enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay in cell lysates and in apical and basolateral
      secretions. RESULTS: Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 and MMP-9 levels in
      the apical secretions of normal and asthmatic epithelia were unchanged after
      exposure to CSC and H2O2. However, CSC increased TIMP-1 levels in the basolateral
      secretions of both normal and asthmatic epithelia, but decreased MMP-9 levels
      only in asthmatic basolateral secretions, resulting in a 2.5-fold lower MMP
      9/TIMP-1 ratio that corresponded to decreased MMP-9 activity in CS-exposed
      asthmatic basolateral secretions. CONCLUSIONS: These data validate our prior
      bioinformatic analyses predicting that TIMP-1 plays a role in the stress response
      to CS and indicate that asthmatics exposed to CS may be more susceptible to MMP-9
      mediated airway remodeling. This is in agreement with the current paradigm that a
      reduction in the MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio is a milieu that favors subepithelial airway
      remodeling in chronic asthma.

PMID- 20305575
TI  - A novel missense mutation in cathepsin K (CTSK) gene in a consanguineous
      Pakistani family with pycnodysostosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Deficiency of cathepsin K (CTSK), a lysosomal cysteine protease, has
      been shown earlier as a cause of an autosomal recessive osteosclerotic skeletal
      dysplasia pycnodysostosis. The objective of the present study was to identify the
      potential sequence variants in CTSK gene in a large consanguineous Pakistani
      family with pycnodysostosis. METHODS: Genotyping of 4 affected and 6 unaffected
      members of the family was performed using polymorphic microsatellite markers
      linked to CTSK gene on chromosome 1q21. To screen for pathogenic mutation, exons
      and splice junctions of CTSK gene were polymerase chain reaction amplified from
      genomic DNA and sequenced directly in an automated DNA sequencer. RESULTS:
      Microsatellite analysis showed linkage of the family to CTSK gene on chromosome
      1q21. Sequence analysis revealed a novel missense mutation c.728G>A (p.G243E) in
      exon 6 of the CTSK gene. CONCLUSIONS: A novel missense mutation was identified in
      CTSK gene in a Pakistani family with 5 individuals affected with autosomal
      recessive pycnodysostosis.

PMID- 20305576
TI  - Exchanging carbohydrate or protein for fat improves lipid-related cardiovascular
      risk profile in overweight men and women when consumed ad libitum.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The impact of low-fat diets on the plasma lipoprotein profile is
      incompletely understood. METHODS: We conducted two 16-week dietary studies to
      compare the effects of a moderate-fat (mod-FAT) baseline diet with isocaloric and
      ad libitum low-fat diets rich in either carbohydrates (high-CHO, n = 16) or
      protein (high-PRO, n = 19) on plasma lipids, post-heparin lipase activities,
      cholesteryl ester transfer protein, and phospholipid transfer protein. RESULTS:
      Switching from the mod-FAT to the isocaloric high-CHO diet lowered plasma high
      density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations (P < 0.001) and tended to increase
      triglyceride levels (P = 0.087). Cholesterol content in the larger, buoyant low
      density lipoprotein (LDL) fractions decreased, whereas those of the very-low
      density lipoprotein, intermediate-density lipoprotein, and smaller, denser LDL
      fractions tended to increase. These changes were largely reversed when subjects
      lost weight by consuming this high-CHO diet ad libitum. Switching from the mod
      FAT diet to the isocaloric high-PRO diet did not increase cholesterol content in
      the small-dense LDL fraction and led to decreases in both LDL and high-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol in plasma (P < 0.001 for both).Consumption of the high
      protein ad libitum diet accompanied by weight loss did not change plasma lipids
      further, except for a shift of cholesterol from dense low-density lipoprotein
      fractions to more buoyant low-density lipoprotein fractions. Cholesteryl ester
      transfer protein concentrations decreased with high-cholesterol feeding, whereas
      cholesteryl ester transfer protein concentrations and hepatic lipase and
      phospholipid transfer protein activities all decreased during high-protein
      feeding. CONCLUSIONS: Both high-CHO and high-PRO diets improve plasma lipid
      related risk of cardiovascular disease when consumed ad libitum.

PMID- 20305577
TI  - Longitudinal sex differences during landing in knee abduction in young athletes.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to determine whether biomechanical and
      neuromuscular risk factors related to abnormal movement patterns increased in
      females, but not males, during the adolescent growth spurt. METHODS: A total of
      315 subjects participated in two testing sessions approximately 1 yr apart. Male
      and female subjects were classified on the basis of their maturation status as
      pubertal or postpubertal. Three trials of a drop vertical jump (DVJ) were
      collected. Maximum knee abduction angle and external moments were calculated
      during the DVJ deceleration phase using a three-dimensional motion analysis
      system. Changes in knee abduction from the first to second year were compared
      among four subject groups (female pubertal, female postpubertal, male pubertal,
      and male postpubertal). RESULTS: There were no sex differences in peak knee
      abduction angle or moment during DVJ between pubertal males and females (P >
      0.05). However, pubertal females increased peak abduction angle from first to
      second year (P < 0.001), whereas males demonstrated no similar change (P = 0.90)
      in the matched developmental stages. After puberty, the peak abduction angle and
      moment were greater in females relative to males (angle: female -9.3 degrees  +/-
      5.7 degrees , male -3.6 degrees  +/- 4.6 degrees , P < 0.001; moment: female 
      21.9 +/- 13.5 N.m, male -13.0 +/- 12.0 N.m, P = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS: This study
      identified, through longitudinal analyses, that knee abduction angle was
      significantly increased in pubertal females during rapid adolescent growth,
      whereas males showed no similar change. In addition, knee abduction motion and
      moments were significantly greater for the subsequent year in young female
      athletes, after rapid adolescent growth, compared with males. The combination of
      longitudinal, sex, and maturational group differences indicates that early
      puberty seems to be a critical phase related to the divergence of increased
      anterior cruciate ligament injury risk factors.

PMID- 20305578
TI  - Generalized equations for estimating DXA percent fat of diverse young women and
      men: the TIGER study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Popular generalized equations for estimating percent body fat (BF%)
      developed with cross-sectional data are biased when applied to
      racially/ethnically diverse populations. We developed accurate anthropometric
      models to estimate dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry BF% (DXA-BF%) that can be
      generalized to ethnically diverse young adults in both cross-sectional and
      longitudinal field settings. METHODS: This longitudinal study enrolled 705 women
      and 428 men (aged 17-35 yr) for 30 wk of exercise training (3 d.wk(-1) for 30
      min.d(-1) of 65%-85% predicted VO2max). The distribution of ethnicity was as
      follows: 37% non-Hispanic white, 29% Hispanic, and 34% African-American. DXA-BF%,
      skinfold thicknesses, and body mass index (BMI) were collected at baseline and
      after 15 and 30 wk. RESULTS: Skinfolds, BMI, and race/ethnicity were significant
      predictors of DXA-BF% in linear mixed model regression analysis. For comparable
      anthropometric measures (e.g., BMI), DXA-BF% was lower in African-American women
      and men but higher in Hispanic women compared with non-Hispanic white. Addition
      of BMI to the skinfold model improved the SEE for women (3.6% vs 4.0%), whereas
      BMI did not improve prediction accuracy of men (SEE = 3.1%). CONCLUSIONS: These
      equations provide accurate predictions of DXA-BF% for diverse young women and men
      in both cross-sectional and longitudinal settings. To our knowledge, these are
      the first published body composition equations with generalizability to multiple
      time points, and the SEE estimates are among the lowest published in the
      literature.

PMID- 20305579
TI  - Pedometer-measured physical activity and health behaviors in U.S. adults.
AB  - U.S. adults may have lower levels of ambulatory physical activity compared with
      adults living in other countries. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to
      provide descriptive, epidemiological data on the average number of steps per day
      estimated to be taken by U.S. adults and to identify predictors of pedometer
      measured physical activity on the basis of demographic characteristics and self
      reported behavioral characteristics. METHODS: The America On the Move study was
      conducted in 2003. Individuals (N = 2522) aged 13 yr and older consented to fill
      out a survey, including 1921 adults aged 18 yr and older. Valid pedometer data
      were collected on 1136 adults with Accusplit AE120 pedometers. Data were weighted
      to reflect the general U.S. population according to several variables (age,
      gender, race/ethnicity, education, income, level of physical activity, and number
      of 5- to 17-yr-old children in the household). Differences in steps per day
      between subgroups were analyzed using unpaired t-tests when only two subgroups
      were involved or one-way ANOVA if multiple subgroups were involved. RESULTS:
      Adults reported taking an average of 5117 steps per day. Male gender, younger
      age, higher education level, single marital status, and lower body mass index
      were all positively associated with steps per day. Steps per day were positively
      related to other self-reported measures of physical activity and negatively
      related to self-reported measures on physical inactivity. Living environment
      (urban, suburban, or rural) and eating habits were not associated with steps per
      day. CONCLUSIONS: In the current study, men and women living in the United States
      took fewer steps per day than those living in Switzerland, Australia, and Japan.
      We conclude that low levels of ambulatory physical activity are contributing to
      the high prevalence of adult obesity in the United States.

PMID- 20305580
TI  - Placental testing for Toxoplasma gondii is not useful to diagnose congenital
      toxoplasmosis.
AB  - We examined 785 placentas, including 51 from documented cases of congenital
      toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasma was detected in 16 placentas, including 1 in which
      congenital toxoplasmosis was ruled out. Placental screening had poor sensitivity
      (25%) but good specificity (99%), positive predictive value (93%), and negative
      predictive value (95%).

PMID- 20305581
TI  - Role of rhinovirus C respiratory infections in sick and healthy children in
      Spain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recently a new genogroup of human rhinovirus (HRV) has been described
      and named HRV-C. The relative importance of HRV-C in viral respiratory tract
      illnesses is unknown. OBJECTIVE: We looked for HRV-C in pediatric patients with
      respiratory tract infections to determine the incidence of HRV-C and its role in
      sick and healthy children. We describe the clinical differences associated with
      HRV-C infections and other HRV genogroups. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From January
      2004 to December 2008, a prospective study was conducted in children younger than
      14 years who were admitted with respiratory infection to the Pediatrics
      Department of the Severo Ochoa Hospital in Madrid, Spain. Specimens of
      nasopharyngeal aspirate were taken for virologic study with polymerase chain
      reaction, and clinical data were recorded. HRV specimens were genotyped. We
      studied the frequency of HRV-C infections, the clinical course of these patients
      and the differences with other HRV genogroups (HRV-A and HRV-B). Presence of HRV
      C was also studied in a group of healthy children. RESULTS: HRV was detected in
      424 of 1555 episodes of illness (27.2%) and in 26 of 211 healthy children (12.3%)
      (P < 0.001). We amplified at random 248 of them (227 hospitalized children and 21
      healthy children): 132 (53.2%) had HRV-A, 28 (11.2%) had HRV-B, and 88 (35.4%)
      HRV-C. HRV-C infections were associated with asthma, recurrent wheezing, and
      bronchiolitis but were not significantly different from the HRV-A genogroup.
      Nevertheless, significant clinical differences were observed between the HRV-B
      genogroup and the other groups: more frequent infiltrate on chest radiograph (P =
      0.017), fever (P = 0.052), diagnosis of pneumonia (P = 0.01), and antibiotic
      treatment (P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: HRV-C infections were frequent in
      hospitalized children with respiratory diseases and were associated with asthma,
      recurrent wheezing, and bronchiolitis. No clinical differences were found with
      the HRV-A group: HRV-B group had clinical differences with both the other groups.

PMID- 20305582
TI  - Nosocomial transmission of respiratory syncytial virus in neonatal intensive care
      and intermediate care units: a prospective epidemiologic study.
AB  - To test the hypothesis that a considerable number of preterm infants acquire
      respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) within the hospital during the postnatal stay,
      a prospective epidemiologic survey was performed. Nasopharyngeal swabs were taken
      twice weekly for a period of 8 weeks from preterm infants, medical/nursing staff,
      and parents during the peak of RSV season 2007/2008 and tested for RSV by
      polymerase chain reaction. Of 1002 samples, only 4 tested positive (2 from a
      patient, 2 from staff). Sequence analyses of the G protein demonstrated that
      nosocomial transmission did not occur between these individuals.

PMID- 20305583
TI  - Impact of immunosuppressants on the therapeutic efficacy of in vitro-expanded
      CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells in allotransplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the therapeutic potential of regulatory T lymphocytes
      (Tregs) in preventing allograft rejection has been well documented, accumulating
      evidence indicates that supplemental measures, such as concomitant use of
      immunosuppressive agents, are essential for effective application of Treg cell
      therapy in clinical transplantation. Thus, it is important to know the effect of
      immunosuppressive agents on Treg cell therapy. METHODS: We examined the impact of
      various immunosuppressive agents on the in vivo proliferation and therapeutic
      efficacy of in vitro-expanded Tregs using the murine graft-versus-host reaction
      and skin allograft model (BDF1 [H-2] to C57BL/6 [H-2]), respectively. RESULTS:
      All six immunosuppressive agents tested inhibited the alloantigen-stimulated
      proliferation of Tregs as efficiently as they inhibited the proliferative
      response of conventional CD3 T cells. We further show that blockade of the CD40
      CD40L interaction by treatment with a MR-1 antibody significantly increased the
      therapeutic efficacy of Tregs, a synergistic effect that seemed to be related to
      the strong regulatory activity of adoptively transferred Tregs together with
      effector T-cell hyporesponsiveness. Although concomitant use of rapamycin
      marginally augmented the therapeutic effectiveness of Tregs, mycophenolate
      mofetil and cyclosporine A at their full therapeutic doses exerted an
      antagonistic effect on Treg cell therapy. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate
      that inhibition of CD40-CD40L interaction or treatment with rapamycin could be
      successfully combined with in vitro-expanded Treg cell therapy, but the
      concomitant use of mycophenolate mofetil or cyclosporine A in this type of Treg
      cell therapy should be carefully considered.

PMID- 20305584
TI  - Myth and reality of pragmatic trials.

PMID- 20305585
TI  - Management of depression in the presence of pain symptoms.
AB  - Somatic illness is frequently associated with depression and anxiety and major
      depression significantly increases risk of severe medical conditions, e.g.
      cardiovascular illness. One of the most frequent comorbidities is that of
      depression and pain. Alterations in noradrenergic and serotonergic
      neurotransmissions in the central nervous system have been implicated in the
      joint pathophysiology of depression and chronic pain. Antidepressants, alone or
      in combination with psychotherapy, are an effective treatment option in such
      cases. The newer dual action antidepressants (milnacipran, venlafaxine,
      duloxetine) acting specifically on both noradrenergic and serotonergic
      neurotransmitter systems are presumably more reliable in pain management. So far,
      the most extensively studied drug has been duloxetine. Twelve randomized placebo
      controlled trials with the total number of 4,108 patients suffering from pain
      associated with major depressive disorder suggested consistent analgesic efficacy
      of duloxetine, especially in fibromyalgia and peripheral neuropathic pain.

PMID- 20305586
TI  - Niacin skin flush test: a research tool for studying schizophrenia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A body of biochemical evidence suggests that abnormal phospholipid
      metabolism may play a role in the etiology of schizophrenia, and possibly, other
      psychiatric and neurological diseases. Niacin, a B-complex vitamin, induces
      prostaglandin synthesis, vasodilatation, and skin flushing when applied as a
      solution on the skin or taken orally. In schizophrenia, diminished or absent skin
      response to niacin represents a robust finding. RESULTS: Attenuated niacin skin
      flush response has been analysed as a potential biochemical marker of impaired
      prostaglandin signaling in schizophrenia. Diminished skin redness after topical
      application of niacin might be caused by a reduced level of the precursor
      arachidonic acid in the peripheral membranes, increased activity of the enzyme
      phospholipase A2, abnormal expression of niacin or prostaglandin receptors, or
      poor vasomotor activity of cutaneous capillary walls. Heritability estimates
      established in several studies support niacin skin flush response as a
      vulnerability trait for the development of psychosis. However, the exact
      mechanism of a reduced skin flush, the possible influence of the long-term use of
      antipsychotics, and the usefulness of the test for diagnostic purpose are not
      clear yet. CONCLUSIONS: Niacin skin flush test is a simple, non-invasive and
      easily replicable method in the research of schizophrenia. The studies
      investigating niacin flushing in schizophrenia are numerous but incoherent
      regarding methods of niacin application and evaluation of the results. New
      studies, controlling adequately for age, sex, drug abuse, diet, as well as
      genetic factors that may influence the intensity and reaction time, are necessary
      to clarify the usefulness of niacin testing in psychiatry.

PMID- 20305587
TI  - Case management - a pillar of community psychiatry.
AB  - This review is describing different models of case management, showing their
      similarities and differences with regards to the way they operate. Good
      relationship between patient and case manager, application of the biopsychosocial
      model, availability of psychosocial treatment methods and rehabilitation
      programs, and individual treatment plan are all important factors in case
      management's success. Large number of studies supports the application of case
      management in practice as effective treatment method in treating people with
      severe mental disorder, particularly those, who are less co-operative. Therefore,
      the implementation of case management into psychiatric practice should be
      supported.

PMID- 20305588
TI  - Self-poisoning suicide attempts among students in Tehran, Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aim was to describe the epidemiology of intentional self
      poisoning among students. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was
      conducted on self-poisoned students admitted to Loghman-Hakim Hospital in Tehran,
      Iran. Variables studied included age, sex, substance abuse, personal history,
      familial history and the immediate precipitant for the suicide attempt. RESULTS:
      A total of 248 students (200 F and 48 M) studied. The mean age was 16.3+/-1.42
      years. Self poisoning with a pharmaceutical agent was the most common attempt
      modality (87.5%). The most common precipitant for the suicide attempt was family
      conflict (54.4%), followed by romantic disappointment (29.4%). The most common
      psychiatric disorders were adjustment disorder (84.3%). and depression (18.1%).
      CONCLUSION: The emphasis in student suicide prevention programs must be on early
      identification of students at risk, and appropriate treatment of episodes of
      psychopathology.

PMID- 20305589
TI  - A study of Hungarian adolescent outpatients suffering from self-injurious
      behaviour.
AB  - In this pilot study (Study A), the authors administered the Hungarian standard
      version of Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the translated version of the
      Ottawa Self Injury Inventory (OSI) to students of 3 educational facilities in a
      county town. Fourteen to eighteen year old pupils were tested in order to measure
      the key symptoms of depression and the frequency and characteristics of self
      injurious behaviour among this sample of the high school population. Twentysix
      youngsters were found to have had any form of self-injurious actions in their
      life-time. The paper presents descriptive data on the basis of statistics of
      symptom occurence. Although the depressive symptoms have an expected correlation
      with the self-injurious ideas,depression seems not to have the same relationships
      with actual self-harm action. In study B, the authors present descriptive
      statistics on the data of 48 female outpatients from the total pool of 72
      adolescents aged 14 through to-18 years (average age 16.1 years) showing symptoms
      of self-injurious behavior according to the Ottawa Self Injury Inventory (OSI).
      All patients were recruited from a one-year clinical,representative sample of the
      "Pannonia" multicentre adolescent psychiatry survey. Ten point two percent of
      consecutively referred and 25.6% of treated adolescent patients had symptoms of
      self-injurious behavior over a one-year period in 4 Transdanubian Child
      Psychiatric Centers, which is more frequent than the expected rate. Referring to
      the clinical diagnoses of adolescents confirmed by M.I.N.I. Plus Diagnostic
      Interview, the authors estimate, that the majority of these young people suffered
      from episode(s) of present or past major depression, from whatever form of
      anxiety disorder and/or from suicidal behaviour. The study presents details of
      risk behavior including motivations, frequency of acts, ideas, afflicted body
      regions, emotional correlates, secondary obtained benefits , escalation of
      problem behavior and consequences in detail.

PMID- 20305590
TI  - Dropout, early termination and detachment from a public psychiatric clinic.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dropout from an outpatient clinic is the loss of a patient to
      scheduled follow-up. Due to movement of mental health care to the community,
      adherence to ambulatory care is crucial to maintain stability among individuals
      with mental disorders. We hypothesized that patients drop out from ambulatory
      psychiatric care when regardless of the therapist's evaluation, they feel that
      they have recovered, or because they are dissatisfied with treatment. The aim was
      to examine the phenomenon of premature termination of treatment in a public
      community-based ambulatory psychiatric clinic serving a catchment area with a
      population of 200,000. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study sample was drawn from
      patients who had at least one ambulatory therapy session during the previous five
      years, immediately or shortly following initial treatment and who were
      subsequently lost to follow-up. Participants completed a questionnaire that
      evaluated their satisfaction with treatment and described their reasons for early
      termination of treatment. RESULTS: The sample included eighty-two patients.
      Eighty percent of the responders (N=65) terminated therapy on their own, and
      twenty percent (N=17) decided to end treatment together with their therapists.
      DISCUSSION: Increased involvement of patients in treatment planning, duration and
      end of therapy, may improve attendance in ambulatory mental health care settings.
      CONCLUSIONS: Though dropouts generally reported satisfaction with the ambulatory
      service, some explained early termination of treatment as being due to
      dissatisfaction with the therapist, the type of treatment or because of therapist
      turnover. Others terminated treatment because they felt their problems were
      solved or their conditions had improved, though therapists had determined
      otherwise.

PMID- 20305591
TI  - Schizophrenia spectrum psychosis in a Croatian genetic isolate: genealogical
      reconstructions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia spectrum psychosis is a chronic mental disorder, based
      on a range of genes whose expression can be altered by different environmental
      factors. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In this archival and demographic study of genetic
      isolate we show an incidence of schizophrenia spectrum psychosis in a minority
      population and transmission of schizophrenia spectrum psychosis through several
      generations of two families in an isolated rural area of Dalmatia from the second
      half of 19th and the first half of 20th century. RESULTS: The incidence of
      schizophrenia spectrum psychosis was between 0.58 and 2.58 per 1000 inhabitants.
      The genogram of Family 1 shows that out of 182 descendants in six generations,
      there were 27 people with schizophrenia spectrum psychosis. Schizophrenia
      spectrum psychosis occurred in two men who were born from a relationship of a
      mother with her relative. The genogram of Family 2 shows that 19 out of 86
      descendants in five generations suffered from schizophreniform psychosis.
      CONCLUSION: The high occurrence of schizophrenia spectrum psychosis in an
      isolated village in central Dalmatia is in accordance with the results of earlier
      studies in that region. The fact that psychosis occurs in varying frequency,
      without obvious regularity, can be explained by the irregular expression of risk
      genes as well as by exogenous factors which may affect the activity of the key
      chromosome areas. Occurrence of psychosis in people born from incestuous
      relationships indicates the importance of genetic factors in the development of
      the disorder.

PMID- 20305592
TI  - General practice meeting the needs for psychiatric care in Croatia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In recent decades, general practitioners (GPs) have become critical
      components of mental health services. However, in Croatia the role of GPs in
      mental health services is still mostly perceived as "gate keeping", whereas
      seeking help for serious mental illnesses is mostly restricted to psychiatrists.
      The aim of this study is to investigate the practices and attitudes of family
      doctors in providing care for psychiatric patients. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The
      study included 111 GPs, working in 38 different locations in four major towns in
      Croatia. Data were collected using a questionnaire, specifically designed for the
      purpose of this study. RESULTS: By their own estimation, GPs prescribed
      antidepressants without a psychiatrist's recommendation in about 37% of patients
      who use them. Also, GPs prescribed sedatives without a psychiatrist's
      recommendation in about 60% of patients who use them. Although certain categories
      of psychiatric patients (elderly, patients with PTSD) were almost always referred
      to a psychiatrist, it was GPs' attitudes toward psychiatric casualties and their
      proneness to prescribe antidepressants and sedatives without a psychiatrist's
      recommendation that predicted whether a patient will be treated by himself of
      referred to a psychiatrist. "Interest/Competency" and "Knowledge" of the GPs
      positively correlated with the number of courses attended as a part of continuous
      medical education (CME). CONCLUSION: Overall, the role of GPs in mental health
      services in Croatia is changing into a more active one, as a significant portion
      of patients with depression and anxiety are being treated by GPs. Personal
      interest and self confidence in proper knowledge and skills, in part acquired
      also from current CME programs, are determinants of higher autonomy of GPs in
      treating psychiatric patients. Psychiatrists, as active promoters of community
      mental health should more actively encourage their alliance with GPs, especially
      through offering higher quality CME courses.

PMID- 20305593
TI  - Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA) in infertile women with endometriosis and its
      correlation with magnesium levels in peritoneal fluid.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is a complex disease that can result in substantial
      morbidity, including chronic pain, dysmenorrhea and dyspareunia. There are
      contradictory reports regarding the connection between acute and chronic stress
      and magnesium levels in body fluids. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A prospective study
      included 87 patients undergoing laparoscopy. The study group included 40 women
      with endometriosis and the control group consisted of 47 women with other causes
      of infertility. The levels of fright were determined using HAMA scale. The
      measurements of Mg levels were performed using biochemical analyzer "Monarch
      Plus". RESULTS: One day before the operation, HAMA score was 9.54+/-7.34 in the
      women with endometriosis, and 6.69+/-5.51 in the women without endometriosis. The
      morning before the operation, HAMA score was 8.64 +/- 8.10 in the women with
      endometriosis, and 4.29+/-2.29 in the women without endometriosis. The second
      postoperative day, HAMA score was 8.96+/-7.60 in the women with endometriosis and
      6.92+/-5.16 in the women without endometriosis. Higher HAMA score in the women
      with endometriosis, in comparison with the control group, in all three time
      periods has been found, but the differences were not statistically significant
      (p>0.05). A negative correlation between the concentration of Mg in peritoneal
      fluid and HAMA score was found in the control group (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In
      infertile women without endometriosis a correlation between Mg concentration in
      peritoneal fluid and HAMA score was found. No such correlation was found in the
      women with endometriosis, possibly due to a systemic disorder in endometriosis
      that might affect Mg transport through the cell membrane.

PMID- 20305594
TI  - Metabolic syndrome in patients with psychotic disorders: diagnostic issues,
      comorbidity and side effects of antipsychotics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome and other cardiovascular risk factors are highly
      prevalent in people with schizophrenia. Metabolic syndrome can contribute to
      significant morbidity and premature mortality and should be accounted for in the
      treatment of mental disorders. Along with results of numerous investigations
      regarding metabolic syndrome, different issues have occurred. The aim of this
      article is to review literature regarding diagnostic and treatment of metabolic
      syndrome and point at some issues regarding diagnostic and treatment of metabolic
      syndrome in patients with psychotic disorders and in general population. CONTENT
      ANALYSIS OF LITERATURE: Literature research included structured searches of
      Medline and other publications on the subject of metabolic syndrome, particularly
      diagnostic and treatment of metabolic syndrome in patients with psychotic
      disorders and in general population. CONCLUSION: Despite numerous investigations
      of metabolic syndrome, many issues remain unclear, becoming objectives for future
      research. The experts disagree in their opinions on particular issues, such as
      clustering risk factors, importance of particular diagnostic procedures for the
      early detection and monitoring of metabolic syndrome and the role of
      antipsychotics in occurrence of metabolic syndrome. There is, however, unique
      attitude about importance of early detection and treatment of metabolic syndrome
      as well as necessity of further investigations.

PMID- 20305595
TI  - Bipolar disorder and metabolic syndrome: comorbidity or side effects of treatment
      of bipolar disorder.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: There is evidence that people with mental disorders are more likely to
      suffer from metabolic syndrome. In the last decades there has been an increase in
      interest for researching metabolic syndrome in psychiatric patients and plenty of
      evidence about their association. However, investigations on the prevalence of
      metabolic syndrome in patients with bipolar disorder are still surprisingly rare.
      The aim of this paper is to analyze comorbidity of bipolar disorder and metabolic
      syndrome, and the association of treatment with antipsychotics and mood
      stabilizers with metabolic syndrome, as well as to point out the necessity of
      appropriate preventive measures and treatment of metabolic syndrome in patient
      with bipolar disorder. CONTENT ANALYSIS OF LITERATURE: Literature research
      included structured searches of Medline and other publications on the subject of
      comorbidity of bipolar disorder and metabolic syndrome, and the association of
      treatment with antipsychotics and mood stabilizers with metabolic syndrome, as
      well as preventive measures and treatment of metabolic syndrome in patient with
      bipolar disorder. CONCLUSION: Metabolic syndrome is present in 8-56% of patients
      suffering from bipolar disorder. Metabolic syndrome in patients with bipolar
      disorder can significantly contribute to morbidity and mortality, and it is
      certainly necessary to think of it, to take adequate preventive and therapeutic
      measures in treating its individual components. Further investigation on
      association between bipolar disorder and metabolic disorder, and the association
      of treatment with antipsychotics and mood stabilizers with metabolic syndrome are
      necessary.

PMID- 20305596
TI  - Suicidality and side effects of antidepressants and antipsychotics.
AB  - Antidepressants and antipsychotics can cause side effects in various organs and
      organic systems, and some (and) in the central nervous system, which can also be
      clinically manifested by suicidal behavior as well. Tricyclic antidepressants
      particularly of imipramine and clomipramine can have pro-suicidal effect, which
      is believed to be the consequence of their own hypothetic asynchronous cognitive
      psychomotor pharmacodynamic action. Antidepressants from the group of selective
      serotonin reuptake inhibitors can at the beginning of administration as
      monotherapy also have pro-suicidal effects in patients with hints of suicidality
      or suicidal behavior, by increasing the intensity of already present suicidal
      predictors, such as dysphoria, anxiety, impulsiveness, agitation etc.
      Antipsychotics can act stimulatingly upon predictors of suicidal behavior, that
      is, pro-suicidal in an indirect way through side effects they cause indirect pro
      suicidal neurological and consecutive psychological impact, as it is called. It
      is particularly valid for classic antipsychotics causing primarily neurological,
      i.e. extrapyramidal side effects, along which consecutive psychological side
      effects can occur as well. However, new antipsychotics in comparison to classic
      ones, have less pronounced neurological, extrapyramidal symptoms and signs but
      more somatic-metabolic side effects, and thereby their action can be mostly
      manifested as indirect pro-suicidal neurological and somatic-metabolic as well as
      consecutive psychological activity.

PMID- 20305597
TI  - Can we prevent blood dyscrasia (leucopenia, thrombocytopenia) and epileptic
      seizures induced by clozapine.
AB  - Clozapine is associated with various haematological adverse effects, including
      leukopenia, neutropenia, agarnulocytosis, leukocytosis, anaemia, eosinophilia,
      thrombocytopenia and thrombocythaemia. Recognition and treatment of clozapine
      related seizures also will become increasingly important as clozapine use grows
      in the 1990s. The decision to stop clozapine as a result of haematological
      adverse effects or seizures is a frustrating one for the clinician, and
      frequently disastrous for the patient. Cessation of treatment results in relapse.
      In case that patient is unresponsive to other antipsychotic, restarting clozapine
      should be consider, despite the risk involved. As the risk of a second
      agranulocytosis is much higher in those patients, various methods of militating
      against repeat blood dyscrasias have been treated, including granulocyte colony
      stimulating factor and lithium. The decision to restart clozapine should be taken
      on case-by-case basis and should take into account the likely risks and benefits
      of restarting. Prior response to clozapine and magnitude of patient deterioration
      on stopping treatment are important factors to take into this consideration.
      Clozapine-related seizures did not preclude successful treatment with clozapine.
      A strategy that has been proposed to reduce the occurrence of seizures is the
      addition of an anticonvulsant agent. However, clozapine does induce a variety of
      adverse effects, most of which are of limited duration and either preventable or
      manageable if a number of simple clinical procedures are followed. With careful
      haematologyc control, the risk of agranulocytosis can be minimized and in case of
      clozapine related seizures recommendations include dose reduction,
      electroencephalogram (EEG), plasma-level monitoring and prophylactic
      antiepileptic treatment. Re-exposure to clozapine may rarely be attempted where
      there are facilities for very close and frequent monitoring.

PMID- 20305598
TI  - Side effects of treatment with benzodiazepines.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of benzodiazepine anxiolytics and hypnotics continues to
      excite controversy. Views differ from expert to expert and from country to
      country as to the extent of the problem, or even whether long-term benzodiazepine
      use actually constitutes a problem. Although as a class benzodiazepines act
      rapidly and are well tolerated, their use presents clinical issues such as
      dependence, rebound anxiety, memory impairment, and discontinuation syndrome. The
      aim of this article is to review literature regarding different side effects
      associated with treatment with benzodiazepines - effects on cognition, treatment
      with benzodiazepines during pregnancy, dependence on benzodiazepines and risk of
      falling. CONTENT ANALYSIS OF LITERATURE: Literature research included structured
      searches of Medline and other publications on the subject of treatment with
      benzodiazepines, particularly effects on cognition, risk of falls, benzodiazepine
      dependence and treatment with benzodiazepines during pregnancy. CONCLUSION:
      Results of investigations have revealed different side effects associated with
      treatment with benzodiazepines. Previous investigations showed that treatment
      with benzodiazepines may induce anterograde amnesia. Also, previous studies
      confirmed occurrence of physical dependence in high percentage of patients in
      long term treatment with benzodiazepines at therapeutic dosages. Some
      investigation suggested higher risk of oral cleft, the floppy infant syndrome, or
      marked neonatal withdrawal symptoms when using benzodiazepines during pregnany.
      Investigations have shown increased risk of falling in elderly persons taking
      benzodiazepines.

PMID- 20305599
TI  - Othello syndrome in patients with Parkinson's disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Othello syndrome (OS) is an organic delusional disorder with
      prevailing jealousy symptoms presumably appearing as side effect of
      antiparkinsonian therapy. The clinical spectrum of psychiatric symptoms in
      Parkinson's disease (PD) is very wide, including symptoms of depression and
      anxiety, hallucinations, delusions, with prevalent paranoid symptoms, agitation,
      delirium and sleep disorders. At our knowledge, just a few cases of patients with
      PD and OS were reported till now. METHODS: three neurologists working in a
      tertiary referral centre were asked to report cases of pathological jealousy as
      defined by the DSM IV criteria (Kaplan et al. 1994). The following data were
      collected retrospectively: sex, age at PD onset, age at OS onset, duration of PD,
      duration of PD treatment, duration of treatment with dopamine agonists (DAs),
      treatment of OS, past history of alcoholism, premorbid personality disorder,
      family history of psychiatric disorders and data about general cognitive
      condition. RESULTS: Five PD patients (three males) with OS were investigated. The
      mean age of the patients at the PD onset was 46.80+/-8.87 (SD), the mean age at
      the OS onset was 56.40+/-8.76 (SD). Before the onset of OS, all of them were
      taking dopamine agonists. The first patient was treated with pramipexole,
      apomorphine infusion and levodopa/carbidopa, the second with apomorphine infusion
      plus levodopa/carbidopa/entacapone, the third with pramipexole, the fourth and
      fifth with ropinirole. Decrease of dopamine agonist led to clinical improvement
      in three patients (complete reduction of the symptoms in two, reduction of
      symptoms in one patients). In two patients, the symptoms remained the same. In
      three patients atypical neuroleptics had to be added: clozapine in two and
      quetiapine in one patient. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that OS is a more common
      psychiatric side effect in PD patients on treatment with dopamine agonists than
      usually believed, particulary in those with early disease onset. It is a very
      disturbing symptom for patients and their partners, often underestimated by them,
      and should therefore be actively searched for.

PMID- 20305600
TI  - Side-effects of generic.
AB  - New trends in medicine which are much more oriented towards pharmacoeconomy, are
      ever so common these days. There's an aim within the focus of the health system
      which is cutting down treatment expenses, and that relates to psychiatry practice
      too. Prescription drugs issued by specialist doctors are allowed to be switched
      with cheaper ones of the same group of drugs by GP doctors, with an aim of cost
      reduction. "Instead of the medicament prescribed, a GP doctor is allowed to
      prescribe an alternative medicament of the same efficacy in the dosage of an
      adequate strength" (taken from the specialist medical report form). A 74 years
      old man is treated for psychotic depression. Exogenic environmental factors
      caused the symptoms manifestation due to which hospitalization in a psychiatric
      ward occurred in two incidences. At the risperidone introduction soon after the
      second hospitalization event, a long term remission was obtained which lasted for
      several years. Despite a stable dose of psychopharmacs, new episode of the
      illness occurred. Researching the potential factors which lead towards the
      aggravation of the course of the illness disclosed that instead of the original
      risperidone, the pharmacist issued a generic in an equivalent dose.

PMID- 20305601
TI  - Valid grounds for the switch of original antipsychotics with generics.
AB  - Patients' non-compliance in treatments, such as irregular taking of medication,
      represents an enormous problem with psychiatric patients in general. This
      difficulty occurs especially in patients suffering from chronic mental illnesses
      such as schizophrenia. There are not any significant differences in the efficacy
      of reducing the positive symptoms in schizophrenia between the conventional and
      the atypical antipsychotics. However, the effects which are manifested in
      negative schizophrenia symptoms or in the patients' cognitive functioning, favour
      the atypical antipsychotics. When it comes to adding the subjective well-being of
      the patients and their improvement of the quality of life, then, the advantages
      of atypical antipsychotics are unquestionable. New trends in medicine are
      increasingly impinge on the pharmacoeconomy, which aims at reducing treatment
      cost. This trend is getting progressively stronger in the world and as such, it
      certainly will not bypass Croatia. Pharmacists and General Practice doctors (GP)
      are permitted, by the law, to replace the original medicament prescribed by a
      specialist doctor, with a cheaper one from the same generic group of medicaments,
      with a purpose of cutting down the treatment costs. Is there always a valid
      justification for such practice, and should it become a rule for all the patients
      out there? This is a case report of a patient who suffers from paranoid
      schizophrenia. He has been on a treatment with atypical antipsychotics and has
      kept in a good and stable remission for the past seven years. His therapy
      consisted of olanzapine in a dose of 15 mg in the evening, throughout the whole
      period of his 7-year remission. A month ago, his GP doctor self- initially
      prescribed a generic olanzapine. The impact of this decision on to the mental
      state of the patient as well as his trust in the treatment itself is described in
      this report.

PMID- 20305602
TI  - Antipsychotic side-effect - potential risk of patients rejecting their
      treatments.
AB  - Antipsychotics side-effects pose an enormous problem in psychiatric treatment.
      The choice of antipsychotics is a crucial issue in the treatment as both
      patients' cooperation and compliance often depend upon it. Severe side-effects
      might sometimes cause the treatment interruption, to which each patient is
      entitled. Schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) features include social and
      interpersonal deficits, discomfort with close relationships, as well as cognitive
      and perceptual distortions and eccentricities of behaviour. Dominant symptoms
      often determine psycho pharmacotherapy and therefore antipsychotic treatment is
      possible. A 23 year-old man was treated for 4 months due to disturbances typical
      for SPD. Since the patient did not respond well to haloperidol, zuclopenthixol
      was advised. The latter medication produced severe, life-threatening side-effects
      which caused urgent hospitalisation. Althouth zuclopenthixol was instantly
      retracted from the therapy, the patient and his family rejected any further
      psychiatric treatment. In spite the fact that hetero-data obtained from his
      mother a few months later, revealed disturbances which greatly affected the
      patient's live, the patient showed resistance to further psychiatric treatment
      because of his negative experience with this medication.

PMID- 20305603
TI  - The influence of side effect of antipsychotic on the course of treatment in
      adolescent.
AB  - The use of antipsychotics in treatment of children and adolescents requires good
      knowledge of psychopathology, psychofarmacotherapy, developmental processes and
      family relations. It is necessary to have parental consent for the use of a
      medication in this age, with previous explanation of therapeutic goals,
      limitations and possible side effects of antipsychotics. The number of
      antipsychotics registered for use in children and adolescents is quite limited.
      The combination of clinical experience of those working with psychotic
      adolescents and a good collaboration with parents, creates a therapeutic space
      where good results in treatment can be achieved. Side effects, though rarely, can
      bring in question the course of treatment and disorder follow up. In this work we
      will present a 14-year old girl adolescent with psychotic symptoms, in which case
      the course of treatment and discontinuance of therapy was caused by a side effect
      - an oculogyric crisis.

PMID- 20305604
TI  - The role of CYP2D6 and TaqI A polymorphisms in malignant neuroleptic syndrome:
      two case reports with three episodes.
AB  - Malignant neuroleptic syndrome (MNS) is a serious and potentially fatal side
      effect of neuroleptic treatment. Beside antipsychotic drugs, other psychotropic
      drugs such as antidepressants and lithium carbonate can cause this life
      threatening side-effect. Underlying mechanism of this side-effect is still
      unknown and debated. So far some risk factors have been identified, with clinical
      observations and recent pharmacogenetic research suggesting (with inconsistent
      findings) correlation between genetic mechanisms and predisposition to MNS.
      Polymorphisms of CYP2D6 enzyme through which most psychotropic drugs are
      metabolized and TaqIA DRD2 which is target for antipsychotic drugs could be the
      link between pharmacogenetic factors and potential for development of MNS. In
      this paper we present two case reports with clinical presentation of three
      consecutive MNS. One patient developed MNS while he was taking combination of
      drugs: first time haloperidol, promazine and fluphenazine, second time
      fluphenazine and perazine and third time clozapine, promazine and valproic acid
      consecutively. The other patient developed MNS while taking following combination
      of drugs: first time haloperidol and lithium carbonate, second time risperidone
      and third time clozapine consecutively. Pharmacogenetic analysis for CYP2D6 and
      TaqI A DRD2 polymorphisms for both patients was done. Genotypisation of
      CYP2D6*1*3*4*5*6 in both patients showed no evidence of poor metabolizer
      phenotype. On the other hand, first patient was heterozygous for CYP2D6*4
      (genotype *1/*4). CYP2D6 polymorphisms could have clinical significance because
      may lead to toxicity and unwanted side-effects in standard usual antipsychotic
      dose ranges. Analysis Taql A DRD2 polymorphism for first patient showed that he
      is heterozygous for A1 allele (genotype A1A2) which is commonly associated with
      predisposition to MNS. According to our literature three consecutive MNS are
      rarely described, and incidence of MNS generally is too low to perform clinical
      research. Many patophysiological mechanisms may probably underlie this complex
      and potentially fatal syndrome, still unknown etiology. But, genetic mechanisms
      could be significant. Further pharmacogenetic research, findings and analysis in
      patients who develop single or repeated MNS are strongly recommended. In long
      term, pharmacogenetic analysis, implemented in daily clinical practice, could
      help in prevention of this extremely serious side-effect.

PMID- 20305605
TI  - Ziprasidone as a possible cause of cleft palate in a newborn.
AB  - Use of antipsychotic medication during the entire course of pregnancy in patients
      suffering from schizophrenia is frequently necessary as discontinuation of
      therapy can lead to relapse of the illness which can be far more severe for the
      mother, but also for the fetus. That is the case why third generation
      antipsychotics, so called atypical antipsychotics, are also being used during the
      pregnancy, but their effects are not fully researched. Use of ziprasidone as a
      third generation antipsychotic, and its effects during the pregnancy in patients
      suffering from various mental illnesses is very rarely described in scientific
      literature. There is even fewer information regarding eventual adverse events of
      ziprasidone in newborn babies of mothers that have been treated with ziprasidone
      during the entire course of pregnancy. This paper will be based around a case
      report of a female patient suffering from schizophrenia who has been treated with
      ziprasidone during the entire course of her pregnancy and whose newborn baby was
      diagnosed with a cleft palate (palatoschisis) at the time of birth.

PMID- 20305606
TI  - Hyperprolactinaemia - a risperidone side-effect.
AB  - A 47 year old patient has been treated for psychotic depression for the last 5
      years. The illness began manifesting through the symptoms of depressive thoughts,
      intrapsychic tension, projectivity, derealisation phenomena and pre-psychotic
      fears. She was treated with a combination of antidepressives, anxiolitics and
      hypnotics in ambulatory conditions. The therapy applied did not obtain the
      effects expected due to which an atypical antipsychotic was administered
      subsequently - risperidone, a 2 mg dose in the evening. After commencing the
      antipsychotic treatment, the symptoms started to weaken and a steady remission
      was obtained. Two years after a regular risperidone administration (in
      combination with fluoxetine, alprazolam and flurazepam) the patient reported some
      "bleeding" in October 2006. Hormonal blood tests were performed and high
      prolactin values were registered (2567.0 mIJ/L),due to which a gradual
      risperidone retractement was indicated. Medicamentous hyperprolactinaemia is a
      well known side effect of risperidone. A gradual risperidone retractement lead to
      a lowered and normal prolactin level within a month.

PMID- 20305607
TI  - Amenorrhoea - consequence of combined treatment with sulpiride and risperidone in
      a patient suffering from schizophrenia.
AB  - It is well documented that sulpiride causes hormonal adverse events, like
      amenorrhoea and galactorrhea, due to its mechanism of action. Furthermore,
      risperidone can produce amenorrhoea and galactorrhea also, due to its mechanism
      of action, which differs from that of sulpiride. This case report is of a patient
      that was treated with large doses of sulpiride, but did not develop an adverse
      event like amenorrhoea. However, when risperidone was introduced into therapy it
      leads to the onset of amenorrhoea. Gynecologist saw it as the beginning of
      menopause. General practitioner questioned the existence of an intra-cerebral
      process that could produce amenorrhoea as well. Therefore, the patient was sent
      to perform an MRI of the brain, under work diagnosis of pituitary adenoma, which
      was later ruled out as a cause of the illness. Well experienced psychiatrist
      linked the loss of menstruation with the adverse event profile of sulpiride and
      therefore gradually discontinued sulpiride from therapy, while risperidone was
      left and subsequently menstrual cycle was restored. Good knowledge of adverse
      events profile of antipsychotic medication used, especially when used in a
      combination, allows us to correctly question appearance of adverse events, to
      adequately treat them and lowers the cost of unneeded medical procedures.

PMID- 20305608
TI  - Galactorrhea - side effect of risperidone in combination with depakine chrono in
      a patient with bipolar disorder.
AB  - Risperidone, as all atypical antipsychotics, can cause hyperprolactinemia which
      can in turn lead to galactorrhea. Mood stabilizers, one of which is valproic acid
      and its derivate "Depakine Chrono", are rarely linked with symptomatic
      hyperprolactinemia and do not alter prolactin concentrations. This case is based
      around a patient suffering from a bipolar disorder that has been psychiatrically
      treated in an outpatient clinic during four years. Bipolar disorder treatment was
      started with carbamazepine, but later it was discontinued due to adverse events
      and extreme increase of liver transaminases. Treatment was continued with
      introduction of lithium, but the patient stated that she could not tolerate it.
      Subsequently, her endocrinologist advised for lithium discontinuation due to very
      severe osteoporosis. At the beginning of 2009, lithium was discontinued and
      Depakine Chrono was introduced. Due to patient's psychotic decompensation it was
      necessary to introduce risperidone into treatment and soon afterwards her
      psychotic symptoms settled. After several months of treatment her mood lowered,
      she began to feel sedated, psychomotorically retarded and that lead to dose
      lowering of Depakine Chrono and risperidone, at which point galactorrhea as a
      serious adverse event occurred. Occurrence of galactorrhea at lower risperidone
      doses in this case might be partially explained by recent studies that showed
      that lower doses of risperidone can also improve psychic state, but could also
      cause adverse events. Although galactorrhea, as a direct consequence of
      hyperprolactinemia caused by risperidone has mainly been researched with higher
      doses of this atypical antipsychotic, we have to keep in mind that lower doses
      could also cause serious adverse events.

PMID- 20305609
TI  - Ejaculatory dysfunction in patient with schizophrenia on sertindole.
AB  - The antipsychotic drugs can be of great benefit for the wide range of psychotic
      disorders, but all are associated with various adverse effects. Patients with
      psychotic disorder consider the sexual dysfunction to be among the most important
      side effects. Although, it is not uncommon for the patients with schizophrenia to
      report the sexual dysfunction, patients with untreated schizophrenia have fewer
      dysfunctions compared to those on antipsychotic medication. The decision whether
      the current treatment with a prolactin-increasing antipsychotic or sexual
      dysfunction inducing drug should be continued or switched to another
      antipsychotic drug, has to be made on the basis of the patient's risk-benefit
      estimation. It has to be kept on mind that adverse effects are usually dose
      dependent. In this case report, sertindole treated patient with chronic
      schizophrenia developed sexual side effect manifested as ejaculatory dysfunction
      that was significantly ameliorated by drug-dose reduction.

PMID- 20305610
TI  - Infection or idiosyncratic reaction to antiepileptic drugs?
AB  - Idiosyncratic reactions are serious, unpredicted adverse effects of antiepileptic
      drugs which are in use in psychiatry as mood stabilizers. Severe idiosyncratic
      reactions can manifest as systemic symptoms or Dress syndrome clinically
      manifested with increased body temperature, peripheral lymphadenopathy and
      potential one or multiple organ failure. We present a 36 years old patient, who
      was hospitalized for the first time in our hospital after he attempted suicide by
      hanging. Patient was diagnosed as Bipolar affective disorder, current episode
      depressive with psychotic features and high suicidal risk. At the time of
      admission he was taking olanzapine and venlafaxine. Psychopharmacs were cross
      titrated to clozapine, valproic acid and lamotrigine. Two weeks later, patient's
      mood was stabilized but his somatic status worsened dramatically. He was
      forwarded to Clinic for Infective Diseases where he was diagnosed with severe
      sepsis. Dress syndrome, although initially suspected was not verified, but has to
      be taken into consideration in each patient prescribed with antiepileptic drugs.

PMID- 20305611
TI  - The effects of cardiac surgical procedures on health - related quality of life,
      cognitive performance, and emotional status outcomes: a prospective 6 - month
      follow - up study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to assess the course of health - related
      quality of life, cognitive and emotional change during the six months after
      elective CABG, and to investigate how cognitive impairments, depression and
      posttraumatic stress symptoms were related to quality of life. METHOD: In a
      prospective study, we followed up for 6 months 138 of the original 147 patients
      who had undergone elective CABG surgery. CONCLUSION: Elective CABG is associated
      with significant improvements in HRQOL relative to the preoperative period, but
      impairments in HRQOL were found in a subgroup of post - CABG patients with
      evidence of PTSD, depression, or cognitive impairments at 6 - month follow - up.

PMID- 20305612
TI  - in-vivo detection of protein-protein interactions on micro-patterned surfaces.
AB  - Unraveling the interaction network of molecules in-vivo is key to understanding
      the mechanisms that regulate cell function and metabolism. A multitude of
      methodological options for addressing molecular interactions in cells have been
      developed, but most of these methods suffer from being rather indirect and
      therefore hardly quantitative. On the contrary, a few high-end quantitative
      approaches were introduced, which however are difficult to extend to high
      throughput. To combine high throughput capabilities with the possibility to
      extract quantitative information, we recently developed a new concept for
      identifying protein-protein interactions (Schwarzenbacher et al., 2008). Here, we
      describe a detailed protocol for the design and the construction of this system
      which allows for analyzing interactions between a fluorophore-labeled protein
      ("prey") and a membrane protein ("bait") in-vivo. Cells are plated on
      micropatterned surfaces functionalized with antibodies against the bait
      exoplasmic domain. Bait-prey interactions are assayed via the redistribution of
      the fluorescent prey. The method is characterized by high sensitivity down to the
      level of single molecules, the capability to detect weak interactions, and high
      throughput capability, making it applicable as screening tool.

PMID- 20305613
TI  - Hydrophilic polymer emboli: an under-recognized iatrogenic cause of ischemia and
      infarct.
AB  - With the increased use of percutaneous intravascular diagnostic and therapeutic
      devices, there is potential for embolization of materials introduced into the
      vasculature. We report nine cases of foreign body emboli in patients who
      underwent vascular procedures using hydrophilic-coated medical devices. The
      procedures performed included cardiac catheterization (four cases), diagnostic
      cerebral angiography (two cases), therapeutic cerebral angiography with coil
      embolization of intracerebral aneurysm (one case), lower extremity angiography
      (one case), and/or orthotopic cadaveric organ transplantation (three cases).
      Other procedures in these patients included hemodialysis and peripheral arterial
      or central venous catheterization. Clinical sequelae ranged from undetectable (no
      symptoms) to pulmonary infarction, stroke, ongoing gangrene, and/or death
      occurring within days to weeks of suspected embolization of foreign material.
      Microscopic findings in biopsy or autopsy tissue revealed aggregates of amorphous
      or lamellated, non-refractile, non-polarizable, predominantly basophilic foreign
      substances occluding intrapulmonary, intracerebral, or peripheral arteries. This
      is the largest series documenting embolization of polymer gel materials. Polymer
      gel is now widely used on several devices for interventional procedures
      worldwide, and we suspect that complications associated with iatrogenic
      embolization of this substance are under-recognized.

PMID- 20305614
TI  - Reduced expression of SMARCB1/INI1 protein in synovial sarcoma.
AB  - Synovial sarcoma is classified as a tumor of uncertain differentiation, and some
      synovial sarcomas have rhabdoid cells. In previous studies, all malignant
      rhabdoid tumors and renal medullary carcinomas, some extraskeletal myxoid
      chondrosarcomas, almost all epithelioid sarcomas and half of epithelioid
      malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors showed a loss of SMARCB1/INI1 protein
      expression in tumor cells and all of these tumors are also known to have rhabdoid
      cells. We analyzed the immunohistochemical and mRNA expression of SMARCB1/INI1 in
      95 synovial sarcomas (73 monophasic fibrous type, 18 biphasic type and 4 poorly
      differentiated type) and 30 spindle cell sarcomas (3 adult fibrosarcomas, 7
      fibrosarcomas arising in dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, 10 leiomyosarcomas and
      10 malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors) resembling monophasic fibrous
      synovial sarcoma. The results have shown that 66 of the 95 synovial sarcoma cases
      (69%) had reduced SMARCB1/INI1 protein expression, whereas the remaining 29 cases
      (31%) and all 30 spindle cell sarcomas showed preserved this protein expression.
      No case with a complete loss of SMARCB1/INI1 protein expression was recognized.
      The median values of SMARCB1/INI1 mRNA expression in non-tumor skeletal muscle
      and synovial sarcoma with reduced protein expression were 12.86 and 134.01,
      respectively, and a statistically significant difference was detected between
      these two groups (P=0.0000004). However, there was no statistically significant
      difference of prognosis between the synovial sarcoma group with reduced and that
      with preserved SMARCB1/INI1 protein expression (P=0.46). Therefore, it was
      suggested that there is a post-transcriptional SMARCB1/INI1 regulatory mechanism
      in the tumor cells of synovial sarcoma.

PMID- 20305615
TI  - Warty-basaloid carcinoma: clinicopathological features of a distinctive penile
      neoplasm. Report of 45 cases.
AB  - Most penile cancers are squamous cell carcinomas, but there are several subtypes
      with different clinicopathologic, viral, and outcome features. We are presenting
      45 cases of a distinctive morphological variant of penile squamous cell carcinoma
      composed of mixed features of warty and basaloid carcinomas. This tumor was
      earlier recognized in a recent viral study and showed a high association with
      human papillomavirus infection. However, clinicopathologic features are not well
      known. In this multi-institutional study, patients' mean age was 62 years. Most
      tumors (64%) invaded multiple anatomical compartments, including glans, coronal
      sulcus, and, especially, inner foreskin mucosa. Tumor size ranged from 2 to 12 cm
      (mean 5.5 cm). Three morphological patterns were recognized: (1) the most common,
      observed in two-thirds of the cases was that of a typical condylomatous tumor on
      surface and basaloid features in deep infiltrative nests; (2) in 15% of the
      cases, there were non-papillomatous invasive carcinoma nests with mixed basaloid
      and warty features; and (3) unusually, predominantly papillomatous. Invasion of
      penile erectile tissues was frequent, either corpus spongiosum or cavernosum (47%
      each). Tumors limited to lamina propria were rare. Most tumors were of high grade
      (89%). Vascular and perineural invasion were found in about one-half and one
      quarter of cases, respectively. Associated penile intraepithelial neoplasia was
      identified in 19 cases and mostly showed basaloid, warty-basaloid, or warty
      features. Inguinal nodal metastases were found in 11/21 patients with groin
      dissections. Invasion of corpora cavernosa, high histological grade, and presence
      of vascular/perineural invasion were more prevalent in metastatic cases. In 21
      patients followed, the cancer-specific mortality rate was 33% with a mean
      survival time of 2.8 years. Warty-basaloid carcinomas are morphologically
      distinctive human papillomavirus-related penile neoplasms that, such as basaloid
      carcinomas, are biologically more aggressive than typical warty carcinoma from
      which they should be distinguished.

PMID- 20305616
TI  - Pancreatic endocrine tumors: improved TNM staging and histopathological grading
      permit a clinically efficient prognostic stratification of patients.
AB  - Pancreatic endocrine tumors are rare diseases and devising a clinically effective
      prognostic stratification of patients is a major clinical challenge. This study
      aimed at assessing whether the tumor-node-metastasis (TNM)-based staging and
      proliferative activity-based grading recently proposed by the European
      NeuroEndocrine Tumors Society (ENETS) have clinical value. TNM was applied to 274
      patients with histologically diagnosed pancreatic endocrine tumors operated from
      1991 to 2005, with last follow-up at December 2007. According to World Health
      Organization (WHO) classification, 246 were well-differentiated neoplasms (51
      benign, 56 uncertain behavior, 139 carcinomas) and 28 poorly differentiated
      carcinomas. Grading was based on Ki67 immunohistochemistry. Survival analysis not
      only ascertained the prognostic value of the TNM system but also highlighted that
      in the absence of nodal and distant metastasis, infiltration and tumor dimensions
      over 4 cm had prognostic significance. T parameters were then appropriately
      modified to reflect this weakness. The 5-year survival for modified TNM stages I,
      II, III and IV were 100, 93, 65 and 35%, respectively. Multivariate analysis
      identified TNM stages as independent predictors of death, in which stages II, III
      and IV showed a risk of death of 7, 29 and 58 times higher than stage I tumors
      (P<0.0001). Ki67-based grading resulted an independent predictor of survival with
      cut-offs at 5 and 20%. In conclusion, WHO classification assigns clinically
      significant diagnostic categories to pancreatic endocrine tumors that need
      prognostic stratification by applying a staging system. The ENETS-TNM provides
      the best option, but it requires some modifications to be fully functional. The
      modified TNM described in this study ameliorates the clinical applicability and
      prediction of outcome of the ENETS-TNM; it (i) assigns a risk of death
      proportional to the stage at the time of diagnosis, and (ii) allows a clinically
      based staging of patients, as the T parameters as modified permit their clinical
      radiological recognition. Ki67-based grading discerns prognosis of patients with
      same stage diseases.

PMID- 20305617
TI  - Alternate mucoid and hyalinized stroma in clear cell carcinoma of the ovary:
      manifestation of serial stromal remodeling.
AB  - The stroma in ovarian clear cell carcinoma often shows alternate mucoid and
      hyalinized change. The hyalinized stroma is recognized to be an aberrant
      deposition of basement membrane material produced by tumor cells. The mucoid
      stroma, however, has drawn far less attention, and its significance remains
      unclear. We examined 60 ovarian clear cell carcinomas for the distribution and
      nature of the mucoid stroma. For comparison, 125 other surface epithelial ovarian
      tumors were examined. Twenty-nine of 60 (48%) clear cell carcinomas showed a
      mucoid stroma, either focally (21 cases) or diffusely (8 cases). The mucoid
      stroma in clear cell carcinomas was distinct from that in other surface
      epithelial tumors as follows: it showed a compact spherule-like appearance,
      commonly occupying the cores of small papillae. It also exhibited a cribriform
      pattern, resembling that of adenoid cystic carcinoma. It was rarely associated
      with stromal cells, despite the presence of abundant glycosaminoglycan including
      hyaluronan. Alternatively, it was strongly associated with hyalinized stroma.
      Among 40 clear cell carcinomas that had at least one type of stroma, 26 (65%) had
      both, either concomitantly or separately. The mucoid stroma tended to attenuate
      if the hyalinized stroma developed. In vitro, a clear cell carcinoma cell line,
      HAC-2, formed a spherule-like structure containing hyaluronan in the center, and
      a significant amount of hyaluronan was detected by latex agglutination
      immunoturbidimetry, indicating that HAC-2 itself has the potential to produce
      hyaluronan. All of these facts indicate that the spherule-like mucoid stroma and
      hyalinized stroma represent different phases of the stromal remodeling process,
      which is promoted by the deposition of different extracellular matrices produced
      by clear cell carcinoma cells. The spherule-like mucoid stroma and hyalinized
      stroma are considered complementary diagnostic signatures of ovarian clear cell
      carcinoma.

PMID- 20305618
TI  - Endometrial and ovarian carcinomas with undifferentiated components: clinically
      aggressive and frequently underrecognized neoplasms.
AB  - Carcinomas of the endometrium and ovary with undifferentiated components are
      uncommon neoplasms that are likely underdiagnosed. They are important to
      recognize as they have been shown to be clinically aggressive. We identified 32
      carcinomas with undifferentiated components as defined by Silva and co-workers,
      26 endometrial and 6 of ovarian origin. The patient age ranged from 21 to 76
      years (median 55); 40% of patients were <or=50 years of age. Most patients (58%
      of endometrial and 83% of ovarian carcinomas with undifferentiated components)
      presented at advanced stages (FIGO III-IV). Pelvic and para-aortic lymph nodes
      were the most frequent sites of metastases. Twenty tumors, entirely
      undifferentiated, consisted of sheets of dyshesive, ovoid cells with uniform,
      large vesicular nuclei, whereas 12 tumors contained combinations of
      differentiated endometrioid adenocarcinoma with undifferentiated components.
      Although most undifferentiated tumors had a monotonous cytologic appearance
      without prominent stroma, six showed focal nuclear pleomorphism and eight cases
      had variably sized zones of rhabdoid cells in a background of myxoid stroma. The
      tumors were frequently misdiagnosed; they received a wide range of diagnoses,
      including FIGO grade 2 or 3 endometrioid carcinoma, carcinosarcoma, high-grade
      sarcoma including endometrial stromal sarcoma, neuroendocrine carcinoma,
      lymphoma, granulosa cell tumor and epithelioid sarcoma. Up to 86% of the cases
      showed focal, but strong keratin and/or epithelial membrane antigen staining,
      with CK18 being the most frequently positive keratin stain. They were
      predominantly negative for neuroendocrine markers, smooth muscle markers and
      estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor. Mismatch repair protein expression by
      immunohistochemistry was evaluated in 17 cases, and 8 (47%) were abnormal (7 with
      loss of MLH1/PMS2 and 1 with MSH6 loss). Follow-up was available for 27 patients,
      although it was very short in many cases, ranging from 0.5 to 89 months (median 9
      months). Eleven patients (41%) died of the disease in 0.5-20 months, four are
      alive with disease and twelve patients have no evidence of disease. Endometrial
      and ovarian carcinomas with undifferentiated components have a broad histologic
      differential diagnosis, but they show specific histologic features that should
      enable accurate diagnosis. These tumors can occur in young women, may be
      associated with microsatellite instability and behave in a clinically aggressive
      manner.

PMID- 20305619
TI  - Progenitor stem cell marker expression by pulmonary carcinomas.
AB  - Carcinomas may arise as a disorder of regeneration, so that a malignant cell may
      represent a failure to fully attain the characteristics of differentiated tissue.
      We hypothesized that there is a differential distribution of progenitor cell
      markers among different histological types of lung cancers, with poorly
      differentiated tumors being more likely to express progenitor stem cell markers.
      The study was limited to paraffin-embedded archival material of resected
      untreated pulmonary carcinomas, including adenocarcinoma, squamous cell
      carcinoma, large cell carcinoma, and small cell carcinoma. The sections were
      stained for putative stem cells markers (Musashi-1, Musashi-2, CD34, CD21, KIT,
      CD133, p63, and OCT-4). Positivity was read as isolated, focal, or diffuse
      staining. Stem cell markers were detected in all histological types of pulmonary
      carcinomas. There was a difference in the expression of markers among the
      histological types. Small cell carcinoma showed diffuse positivity for most of
      the markers; in contrast to focal or negative staining in other histological
      groups. An inverse relationship between CD21 and Musashi-1 was observed. No
      staining for OCT-4 and CD34 was seen in any of the tumor types. Hierarchical
      clustering based on marker expression separated tumors into two groups, with one
      group marked by high expression of Musashi-1 and KIT, contained most of the
      poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas and small cell carcinomas. Therefore, stem
      cell markers are expressed in lung cancers with different patterns seen for
      different histological types and degrees of differentiation.

PMID- 20305620
TI  - New pattern of EGFR amplification in glioblastoma and the relationship of gene
      copy number with gene expression profile.
AB  - Gene amplification is a process that is characterized by an increase in the copy
      number of a restricted region in a chromosome arm, and is frequently associated
      with an overexpression of the corresponding amplified gene. Amplified DNA can be
      organized either as extrachromosomal elements, repeated units at a single locus
      or scattered throughout the genome. The amplification of the gene for epidermal
      growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a common finding in glioblastomas and the
      amplified gene copies appears as double minutes. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the different patterns of EGFR amplification in 40 cases of
      glioblastoma using FISH analysis in metaphases and paraffin sections, and to
      investigate the relationship of gene copy number with gene expression profile.
      The analysis of copy number alterations of EGFR was validated by quantitative PCR
      and SNP microarrays. We observed that in 42% of the cases, the type of
      amplification of EGFR was as double minute chromosomes. In addition, we detected
      another type of amplification, with extra copies of EGFR inserted in different
      loci of chromosome 7, present in 28% of cases. In this form of amplification, the
      number of copies is small, and the percentage of cells with EGFR amplification is
      rarely more than 15%. This model of amplification could correspond to a variant
      of the insertion mechanism, or a consequence of a process of duplication. Our
      results suggest that this mechanism could represent an early stage of
      amplification in glioblastomas. Overall, we found a close correlation between
      EGFR gene copy-number alterations and the level of EGFR protein expression.
      However, all cases with a high level of mRNA exhibited strong expression for the
      EGFR protein, and most cases with a low level of mRNA showed no overexpression of
      EGFR protein.

PMID- 20305621
TI  - Marginal zone lymphomas in children and the young adult population;
      characterization of genetic aberrations by FISH and RT-PCR.
AB  - Marginal zone lymphomas present rarely in children and young adults as either
      primary nodal or extranodal disease and have an excellent prognosis. To date,
      chromosomal aberrations have not been analyzed in the pediatric and young adult
      population. We undertook a study to analyze genetic alterations in nodal and
      extranodal marginal zone lymphomas in children and young adults using
      fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and RT-PCR. These findings were
      correlated with clinical features at presentation and immunophenotype. Forty-one
      cases were identified meeting these criteria. The age range was 1.5-29 years old
      with 49% of the cases <18 years of age. 73% of the marginal zone lymphoma cases
      showed evidence of light chain restriction by immunohistochemistry or flow
      cytometry. CD43 was coexpressed in 83%. 85% of the marginal zone lymphoma cases
      tested showed evidence of immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangement. Fifty
      nine percent of the cases were nodal marginal zone lymphomas with a median age at
      presentation of 16 years and an M/F ratio of 7:1. Twenty-one percent of the nodal
      marginal zone lymphoma cases contained genetic aberrations. Seventeen percent
      contained trisomy 18 with one case containing an additional trisomy 3. A
      translocation of the immunoglobulin heavy chain gene to an unknown partner gene
      was present in one case. Forty-one percent of the cases were extranodal marginal
      zone lymphomas with a median age of 24 years and a M/F ratio of 1.4:1. Eighteen
      percent of the extranodal marginal zone lymphoma cases contained genetic
      aberrations. The t(14;18) involving the IGH and MALT1 genes was present in one
      case, tetraploidy was present in one case, and another case contained trisomy 3.
      Overall the incidence of genetic aberrations in marginal zone lymphomas in the
      pediatric and young adult population is low, but the aberrations seen are similar
      to those seen in the adult population.

PMID- 20305627
TI  - Zebrafish embryo injection questions. Not enough detail.

PMID- 20305628
TI  - Zebrafish embryo injection questions.

PMID- 20305629
TI  - Zebrafish embryo injection questions. Needs more planning.

PMID- 20305630
TI  - Multiple peracute deaths in a colony of Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus).

PMID- 20305632
TI  - Surgical management of canine aural hematoma.
AB  - Ear (aural) hematomas occur when blood vessels in the pinna rupture secondary to
      trauma or excessive head shaking. Blood fills the space between the skin and the
      cartilage, causing pain and potential deformity of the ear. In this column, I
      discuss surgical treatment of aural hematomas in the dog.

PMID- 20305633
TI  - Efficacy of footwear disinfection and shoe cover use in an animal research
      facility.
AB  - Although the amounts of money and time associated with using shoe covers or other
      means to prevent floor contamination in animal research facilities can be
      substantial, the most effective policies and practices remain unknown. In this
      study, the authors subjected six occupied rodent holding rooms in their animal
      research facility to three conditions: use of disinfectant mats; use of shoe
      covers; and no disinfectant mats or shoe covers. The authors took bacterial
      culture samples from the rooms under each condition. There was no significant
      difference in the mean number of colony forming units (CFUs) cultured when the
      disinfectant mats or shoe covers were used. However, the mean number of CFUs
      obtained was significantly lower when either disinfectant mats or shoe covers
      were used than when neither was used. These results suggest that using
      disinfectant mats or disposable shoe covers may reduce the bacterial load on
      rodent holding room floors.

PMID- 20305634
TI  - A program for standardized training in rodent handling at a large academic
      institution.
AB  - In large, decentralized institutions, providing consistent training to the
      substantial numbers of rodent handlers can be a challenge. The author describes a
      program developed at her university to provide more uniform and consistent
      training to personnel working with lab rodents. In this program, every Principal
      Investigator with an active animal use application appoints a Laboratory Animal
      Coordinator, who, once fully trained and certified, is responsible for
      coordinating animal activities in the laboratory and for training other lab
      workers in proper rodent handling and animal welfare rules and regulations. The
      program has been successfully used to train thousands of animal users at the
      author's university.

PMID- 20305635
TI  - Seven layers of security to help protect biomedical research facilities.
AB  - In addition to risks such as theft and fire that can confront any type of
      business, the biomedical research community often faces additional concerns over
      animal rights extremists, infiltrations, data security and intellectual property
      rights. Given these concerns, it is not surprising that the industry gives a high
      priority to security. This article identifies security threats faced by
      biomedical research companies and shows how these threats are ranked in
      importance by industry stakeholders. The author then goes on to discuss seven key
      'layers' of security, from the external environment to the research facility
      itself, and how these layers all contribute to the creation of a successfully
      secured facility.

PMID- 20305636
TI  - Evidence of RNAi in humans from systemically administered siRNA via targeted
      nanoparticles.
AB  - Therapeutics that are designed to engage RNA interference (RNAi) pathways have
      the potential to provide new, major ways of imparting therapy to patients. Long,
      double-stranded RNAs were first shown to mediate RNAi in Caenorhabditis elegans,
      and the potential use of RNAi for human therapy has been demonstrated by the
      finding that small interfering RNAs (siRNAs; approximately 21-base-pair double
      stranded RNA) can elicit RNAi in mammalian cells without producing an interferon
      response. We are at present conducting the first in-human phase I clinical trial
      involving the systemic administration of siRNA to patients with solid cancers
      using a targeted, nanoparticle delivery system. Here we provide evidence of
      inducing an RNAi mechanism of action in a human from the delivered siRNA. Tumour
      biopsies from melanoma patients obtained after treatment show the presence of
      intracellularly localized nanoparticles in amounts that correlate with dose
      levels of the nanoparticles administered (this is, to our knowledge, a first for
      systemically delivered nanoparticles of any kind). Furthermore, a reduction was
      found in both the specific messenger RNA (M2 subunit of ribonucleotide reductase
      (RRM2)) and the protein (RRM2) levels when compared to pre-dosing tissue. Most
      notably, we detect the presence of an mRNA fragment that demonstrates that siRNA
      mediated mRNA cleavage occurs specifically at the site predicted for an RNAi
      mechanism from a patient who received the highest dose of the nanoparticles.
      Together, these data demonstrate that siRNA administered systemically to a human
      can produce a specific gene inhibition (reduction in mRNA and protein) by an RNAi
      mechanism of action.

PMID- 20305637
TI  - Molecular mechanism of multivesicular body biogenesis by ESCRT complexes.
AB  - When internalized receptors and other cargo are destined for lysosomal
      degradation, they are ubiquitinated and sorted by the endosomal sorting complex
      required for transport (ESCRT) complexes 0, I, II and III into multivesicular
      bodies. Multivesicular bodies are formed when cargo-rich patches of the limiting
      membrane of endosomes bud inwards by an unknown mechanism and are then cleaved to
      yield cargo-bearing intralumenal vesicles. The biogenesis of multivesicular
      bodies was reconstituted and visualized using giant unilamellar vesicles,
      fluorescent ESCRT-0, -I, -II and -III complexes, and a membrane-tethered
      fluorescent ubiquitin fusion as a model cargo. Here we show that ESCRT-0 forms
      domains of clustered cargo but does not deform membranes. ESCRT-I and ESCRT-II in
      combination deform the membrane into buds, in which cargo is confined. ESCRT-I
      and ESCRT-II localize to the bud necks, and recruit ESCRT-0-ubiquitin domains to
      the buds. ESCRT-III subunits localize to the bud neck and efficiently cleave the
      buds to form intralumenal vesicles. Intralumenal vesicles produced in this
      reaction contain the model cargo but are devoid of ESCRTs. The observations
      explain how the ESCRTs direct membrane budding and scission from the cytoplasmic
      side of the bud without being consumed in the reaction.

PMID- 20305638
TI  - Identification of two evolutionarily conserved genes regulating processing of
      engulfed apoptotic cells.
AB  - Engulfment of apoptotic cells occurs throughout life in multicellular organisms.
      Impaired apoptotic cell clearance (due to defective recognition, internalization
      or degradation) results in autoimmune disease. One fundamental challenge in
      understanding how defects in corpse removal translate into diseased states is the
      identification of critical components orchestrating the different stages of
      engulfment. Here we use genetic, cell biological and molecular studies in
      Caenorhabditis elegans and mammalian cells to identify SAND-1 and its partner CCZ
      1 as new factors in corpse removal. In worms deficient in either sand-1 or ccz-1,
      apoptotic cells are internalized and the phagosomes recruit the small GTPase RAB
      5 but fail to progress to the subsequent RAB-7(+) stage. The mammalian
      orthologues of SAND-1, namely Mon1a and Mon1b, were similarly required for
      phagosome maturation. Mechanistically, Mon1 interacts with GTP-bound Rab5,
      identifying Mon1 as a previously unrecognized Rab5 effector. Moreover, a Mon1
      Ccz1 complex (but not either protein alone) could bind Rab7 and could also
      influence Rab7 activation, suggesting Mon1-Ccz1 as an important link in
      progression from the Rab5-positive stage to the Rab7-positive stage of phagosome
      maturation. Taken together, these data identify SAND-1 (Mon1) and CCZ-1 (Ccz1) as
      critical and evolutionarily conserved components regulating the processing of
      ingested apoptotic cell corpses.

PMID- 20305639
TI  - Intense star formation within resolved compact regions in a galaxy at z = 2.3.
AB  - Massive galaxies in the early Universe have been shown to be forming stars at
      surprisingly high rates. Prominent examples are dust-obscured galaxies which are
      luminous when observed at sub-millimetre wavelengths and which may be forming
      stars at a rate of 1,000 solar masses (M(middle dot in circle)) per year. These
      intense bursts of star formation are believed to be driven by mergers between gas
      rich galaxies. Probing the properties of individual star-forming regions within
      these galaxies, however, is beyond the spatial resolution and sensitivity of even
      the largest telescopes at present. Here we report observations of the sub
      millimetre galaxy SMMJ2135-0102 at redshift z = 2.3259, which has been
      gravitationally magnified by a factor of 32 by a massive foreground galaxy
      cluster lens. This magnification, when combined with high-resolution sub
      millimetre imaging, resolves the star-forming regions at a linear scale of only
      100 parsecs. We find that the luminosity densities of these star-forming regions
      are comparable to the dense cores of giant molecular clouds in the local
      Universe, but they are about a hundred times larger and 10(7) times more
      luminous. Although vigorously star-forming, the underlying physics of the star
      formation processes at z approximately 2 appears to be similar to that seen in
      local galaxies, although the energetics are unlike anything found in the present
      day Universe.

PMID- 20305640
TI  - Bone progenitor dysfunction induces myelodysplasia and secondary leukaemia.
AB  - Mesenchymal cells contribute to the 'stroma' of most normal and malignant
      tissues, with specific mesenchymal cells participating in the regulatory niches
      of stem cells. By examining how mesenchymal osteolineage cells modulate
      haematopoiesis, here we show that deletion of Dicer1 specifically in mouse
      osteoprogenitors, but not in mature osteoblasts, disrupts the integrity of
      haematopoiesis. Myelodysplasia resulted and acute myelogenous leukaemia emerged
      that had acquired several genetic abnormalities while having intact Dicer1.
      Examining gene expression altered in osteoprogenitors as a result of Dicer1
      deletion showed reduced expression of Sbds, the gene mutated in Schwachman-Bodian
      Diamond syndrome-a human bone marrow failure and leukaemia pre-disposition
      condition. Deletion of Sbds in mouse osteoprogenitors induced bone marrow
      dysfunction with myelodysplasia. Therefore, perturbation of specific mesenchymal
      subsets of stromal cells can disorder differentiation, proliferation and
      apoptosis of heterologous cells, and disrupt tissue homeostasis. Furthermore,
      primary stromal dysfunction can result in secondary neoplastic disease,
      supporting the concept of niche-induced oncogenesis.

PMID- 20305641
TI  - Irreversible nanogel formation in surfactant solutions by microporous flow.
AB  - Self-assembly of surfactant molecules into micelles of various shapes and forms
      has been extensively used to synthesize soft nanomaterials. Translucent solutions
      containing rod-like surfactant micelles can self-organize under flow to form
      viscoelastic gels. This flow-induced structure (FIS) formation has excited much
      fundamental research and pragmatic interest as a cost-effective manufacturing
      route for active nanomaterials. However, its practical impact has been very
      limited because all reported FIS transitions are reversible because the gel
      disintegrates soon after flow stoppage. We present a new microfluidics-assisted
      robust laminar-flow process, which allows for the generation of extension rates
      many orders of magnitude greater than is realizable in conventional devices, to
      produce purely flow-induced permanent nanogels. Cryogenic transmission electron
      microscopy imaging of the gel reveals a partially aligned micelle network. The
      critical flow rate for gel formation is consistent with the Turner-Cates fusion
      mechanism, proposed originally to explain reversible FIS formation in rod-like
      micelle solutions.

PMID- 20305642
TI  - Spatially homogeneous ferromagnetism of (Ga, Mn)As.
AB  - Mn-doped GaAs is a ferromagnetic semiconductor, widely studied because of its
      possible application for spin-sensitive 'spintronics' devices. The material also
      attracts great interest in fundamental research regarding its evolution from a
      paramagnetic insulator to a ferromagnetic metal. The high sensitivity of its
      physical properties to preparation conditions and heat treatments and the strong
      doping and temperature dependencies of the magnetic anisotropy have generated a
      view in the research community that ferromagnetism in (Ga, Mn)As may be
      associated with unavoidable and intrinsic strong spatial inhomogeneity. Muon spin
      relaxation (muSR) probes magnetism, yielding unique information about the volume
      fraction of regions having static magnetic order, as well as the size and
      distribution of the ordered moments. By combining low-energy muSR, conductivity
      and a.c. and d.c. magnetization results obtained on high-quality thin-film
      specimens, we demonstrate here that (Ga, Mn)As shows a sharp onset of
      ferromagnetic order, developing homogeneously in the full volume fraction, in
      both insulating and metallic films. Smooth evolution of the ordered moment size
      across the insulator-metal phase boundary indicates strong ferromagnetic coupling
      between Mn moments that exists before the emergence of fully itinerant hole
      carriers.

PMID- 20305643
TI  - Identifying single nucleotides by tunnelling current.
AB  - A major goal in medical research is to develop a DNA sequencing technique that is
      capable of reading an entire human genome at low cost. Recently, it was proposed
      that DNA sequencing could be performed by measuring the electron transport
      properties of the individual nucleotides in a DNA molecule. Here, we report
      electrical detection of single nucleotides using two configurable nanoelectrodes
      and show that electron transport through single nucleotides occurs by tunnelling.
      We also demonstrate statistical identification of the nucleotides based on their
      electrical conductivity, thereby providing an experimental basis for a DNA
      sequencing technology based on measurements of electron transport.

PMID- 20305644
TI  - Direct seawater desalination by ion concentration polarization.
AB  - A shortage of fresh water is one of the acute challenges facing the world today.
      An energy-efficient approach to converting sea water into fresh water could be of
      substantial benefit, but current desalination methods require high power
      consumption and operating costs or large-scale infrastructures, which make them
      difficult to implement in resource-limited settings or in disaster scenarios.
      Here, we report a process for converting sea water (salinity approximately 500 mM
      or approximately 30,000 mg l(-1)) to fresh water (salinity <10 mM or <600 mg l(
      1)) in which a continuous stream of sea water is divided into desalted and
      concentrated streams by ion concentration polarization, a phenomenon that occurs
      when an ion current is passed through ion-selective membranes. During operation,
      both salts and larger particles (cells, viruses and microorganisms) are pushed
      away from the membrane (a nanochannel or nanoporous membrane), which
      significantly reduces the possibility of membrane fouling and salt accumulation,
      thus avoiding two problems that plague other membrane filtration methods. To
      implement this approach, a simple microfluidic device was fabricated and shown to
      be capable of continuous desalination of sea water (approximately 99% salt
      rejection at 50% recovery rate) at a power consumption of less than 3.5 Wh l(-1),
      which is comparable to current state-of-the-art systems. Rather than competing
      with larger desalination plants, the method could be used to make small- or
      medium-scale systems, with the possibility of battery-powered operation.

PMID- 20305645
TI  - Monitoring neural activity with bioluminescence during natural behavior.
AB  - Existing techniques for monitoring neural activity in awake, freely behaving
      vertebrates are invasive and difficult to target to genetically identified
      neurons. We used bioluminescence to non-invasively monitor the activity of
      genetically specified neurons in freely behaving zebrafish. Transgenic fish with
      the Ca(2+)-sensitive photoprotein green fluorescent protein (GFP)-Aequorin in
      most neurons generated large and fast bioluminescent signals that were related to
      neural activity, neuroluminescence, which could be recorded continuously for many
      days. To test the limits of this technique, we specifically targeted GFP-Aequorin
      to the hypocretin-positive neurons of the hypothalamus. We found that
      neuroluminescence generated by this group of approximately 20 neurons was
      associated with periods of increased locomotor activity and identified two
      classes of neural activity corresponding to distinct swim latencies. Our
      neuroluminescence assay can report, with high temporal resolution and
      sensitivity, the activity of small subsets of neurons during unrestrained
      behavior.

PMID- 20305646
TI  - Control of sexual differentiation and behavior by the doublesex gene in
      Drosophila melanogaster.
AB  - Doublesex proteins, which are part of the structurally and functionally conserved
      Dmrt gene family, are important for sex determination throughout the animal
      kingdom. We inserted Gal4 into the doublesex (dsx) locus of Drosophila
      melanogaster, allowing us to visualize and manipulate cells expressing dsx in
      various tissues. In the nervous system, we detected differences between the sexes
      in dsx-positive neuronal numbers, axonal projections and synaptic density. We
      found that dsx was required for the development of male-specific neurons that
      coexpressed fruitless (fru), a regulator of male sexual behavior. We propose that
      dsx and fru act together to form the neuronal framework necessary for male sexual
      behavior. We found that disrupting dsx neuronal function had profound effects on
      male sexual behavior. Furthermore, our results suggest that dsx-positive neurons
      are involved in pre- to post-copulatory female reproductive behaviors.

PMID- 20305647
TI  - Presynaptic GABAA receptors enhance transmission and LTP induction at hippocampal
      mossy fiber synapses.
AB  - Presynaptic GABA(A) receptors (GABA(A)Rs) occur at hippocampal mossy fiber
      synapses. Whether and how they modulate orthodromic signaling to postsynaptic
      targets is poorly understood. We found that an endogenous neurosteroid that is
      selective for high-affinity delta subunit-containing GABA(A)Rs depolarized rat
      mossy fiber boutons, enhanced action potential-dependent Ca(2+) transients and
      facilitated glutamatergic transmission to pyramidal neurons. Conversely, blocking
      GABA(A)Rs hyperpolarized mossy fiber boutons, increased their input resistance,
      decreased spike width and attenuated action potential-dependent presynaptic
      Ca(2+) transients, indicating that a subset of presynaptic GABA receptors are
      tonically active. Blocking GABA(A)Rs also interfered with the induction of long
      term potentiation at mossy fiber-CA3 synapses. Presynaptic GABA(A)Rs therefore
      facilitate information flow to the hippocampus both directly and by enhancing
      LTP.

PMID- 20305648
TI  - Microglial Cx3cr1 knockout prevents neuron loss in a mouse model of Alzheimer's
      disease.
AB  - Microglia, the immune cells of the brain, can have a beneficial effect in
      Alzheimer's disease by phagocytosing amyloid-beta. Two-photon in vivo imaging of
      neuron loss in the intact brain of living Alzheimer's disease mice revealed an
      involvement of microglia in neuron elimination, indicated by locally increased
      number and migration velocity of microglia around lost neurons. Knockout of the
      microglial chemokine receptor Cx3cr1, which is critical in neuron-microglia
      communication, prevented neuron loss.

PMID- 20305649
TI  - Vangl2 directs the posterior tilting and asymmetric localization of motile
      primary cilia.
AB  - Cilia are microtubule-based organelles that project into the extracellular space,
      function in the perception and integration of environmental cues, and regulate
      Hedgehog signal transduction. The emergent association of ciliary defects with
      diverse and pleiotropic human disorders has fuelled investigations into the
      molecular genetic regulation of ciliogenesis. Although recent studies implicate
      planar cell polarity (PCP) in cilia formation, this conclusion is based on
      analyses of proteins that are not specific to, or downstream effectors of PCP
      signal transduction. Here we characterize zebrafish embryos devoid of all Vangl2
      function, a core and specific component of the PCP signalling pathway. Using
      Arl13b-GFP as a live marker of the ciliary axoneme, we demonstrate that Vangl2 is
      not required for ciliogenesis. Instead, Vangl2 controls the posterior tilting of
      primary motile cilia lining the neurocoel, Kupffer's vesicle and pronephric duct.
      Furthermore, we show that Vangl2 is required for asymmetric localization of cilia
      to the posterior apical membrane of neuroepithelial cells. Our results indicate a
      broad and essential role for PCP in the asymmetric localization and orientation
      of motile primary cilia, establishing directional fluid flow implicated in normal
      embryonic development and disease.

PMID- 20305650
TI  - Coupling between hydrodynamic forces and planar cell polarity orients mammalian
      motile cilia.
AB  - In mammals, motile cilia cover many organs, such as fallopian tubes, respiratory
      tracts and brain ventricles. The development and function of these organs
      critically depend on efficient directional fluid flow ensured by the alignment of
      ciliary beating. To identify the mechanisms involved in this process, we analysed
      motile cilia of mouse brain ventricles, using biophysical and molecular
      approaches. Our results highlight an original orientation mechanism for ependymal
      cilia whereby basal bodies first dock apically with random orientations, and then
      reorient in a common direction through a coupling between hydrodynamic forces and
      the planar cell polarity (PCP) protein Vangl2, within a limited time-frame. This
      identifies a direct link between external hydrodynamic cues and intracellular PCP
      signalling. Our findings extend known PCP mechanisms by integrating hydrodynamic
      forces as long-range polarity signals, argue for a possible sensory role of
      ependymal cilia, and will be of interest for the study of fluid flow-mediated
      morphogenesis.

PMID- 20305651
TI  - Gain of miR-151 on chromosome 8q24.3 facilitates tumour cell migration and
      spreading through downregulating RhoGDIA.
AB  - Recurrent chromosomal aberrations are often observed in hepatocellular carcinoma
      (HCC), but little is known about the functional non-coding sequences,
      particularly microRNAs (miRNAs), at the chromosomal breakpoints in HCC. Here we
      show that 22 miRNAs are often amplified or deleted in HCC. MicroRNA-151 (miR
      151), a frequently amplified miRNA on 8q24.3, is correlated with intrahepatic
      metastasis of HCC. We further show that miR-151, which is often expressed
      together with its host gene FAK, encoding focal adhesion kinase, significantly
      increases HCC cell migration and invasion in vitro and in vivo, mainly through
      miR-151-5p, but not through miR-151-3p. Moreover, miR-151 exerts this function by
      directly targeting RhoGDIA, a putative metastasis suppressor in HCC, thus leading
      to the activation of Rac1, Cdc42 and Rho GTPases. In addition, miR-151 can
      function synergistically with FAK to enhance HCC cell motility and spreading.
      Thus, our findings indicate that chromosome gain of miR-151 is a crucial stimulus
      for tumour invasion and metastasis of HCC.

PMID- 20305652
TI  - Direct determination of molecular haplotypes by chromosome microdissection.
AB  - Direct observation of haplotypes is still technically challenging. Here we report
      a method for the determination of haplotypes through chromosome microdissection.
      We determined human long-range chromosomal haplotypes with more than 98.85%
      accuracy at 24,245 genome-wide heterozygous single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)
      loci.

PMID- 20305653
TI  - Structure of monoubiquitinated PCNA and implications for translesion synthesis
      and DNA polymerase exchange.
AB  - DNA synthesis by classical polymerases can be blocked by many lesions. These
      blocks are overcome by translesion synthesis, whereby the stalled classical,
      replicative polymerase is replaced by a nonclassical polymerase. In eukaryotes
      this polymerase exchange requires proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)
      monoubiquitination. To better understand the polymerase exchange, we developed a
      means of producing monoubiquitinated PCNA, by splitting the protein into two self
      assembling polypeptides. We determined the X-ray crystal structure of
      monoubiquitinated PCNA and found that the ubiquitin moieties are located on the
      back face of PCNA and interact with it through their canonical hydrophobic
      surface. Moreover, the attachment of ubiquitin does not change PCNA's
      conformation. We propose that PCNA ubiquitination facilitates nonclassical
      polymerase recruitment to the back of PCNA by forming a new binding surface for
      nonclassical polymerases, consistent with a 'tool belt' model of the polymerase
      exchange.

PMID- 20305654
TI  - Conformational dynamics of single pre-mRNA molecules during in vitro splicing.
AB  - The spliceosome is a complex small nuclear RNA (snRNA)-protein machine that
      removes introns from pre-mRNAs via two successive phosphoryl transfer reactions.
      The chemical steps are isoenergetic, yet splicing requires at least eight RNA
      dependent ATPases responsible for substantial conformational rearrangements. To
      comprehensively monitor pre-mRNA conformational dynamics, we developed a strategy
      for single-molecule FRET (smFRET) that uses a small, efficiently spliced yeast
      pre-mRNA, Ubc4, in which donor and acceptor fluorophores are placed in the exons
      adjacent to the 5' and 3' splice sites. During splicing in vitro, we observed a
      multitude of generally reversible time- and ATP-dependent conformational
      transitions of individual pre-mRNAs. The conformational dynamics of branchpoint
      and 3'-splice site mutants differ from one another and from wild type. Because
      all transitions are reversible, spliceosome assembly appears to be occurring
      close to thermal equilibrium.

PMID- 20305655
TI  - Structures of ClpP in complex with acyldepsipeptide antibiotics reveal its
      activation mechanism.
AB  - Clp-family proteins are prototypes for studying the mechanism of ATP-dependent
      proteases because the proteolytic activity of the ClpP core is tightly regulated
      by activating Clp-ATPases. Nonetheless, the proteolytic activation mechanism has
      remained elusive because of the lack of a complex structure. Acyldepsipeptides
      (ADEPs), a recently discovered class of antibiotics, activate and disregulate
      ClpP. Here we have elucidated the structural changes underlying the ClpP
      activation process by ADEPs. We present the structures of Bacillus subtilis ClpP
      alone and in complex with ADEP1 and ADEP2. The structures show the closed-to-open
      gate transition of the ClpP N-terminal segments upon activation as well as
      conformational changes restricted to the upper portion of ClpP. The direction of
      the conformational movement and the hydrophobic clustering that stabilizes the
      closed structure are markedly different from those of other ATP-dependent
      proteases, providing unprecedented insights into the activation of ClpP.

PMID- 20305656
TI  - Spinophilin directs protein phosphatase 1 specificity by blocking substrate
      binding sites.
AB  - The serine/threonine protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) dephosphorylates hundreds of key
      biological targets. PP1 associates with >or=200 regulatory proteins to form
      highly specific holoenzymes. These regulatory proteins target PP1 to its point of
      action within the cell and prime its enzymatic specificity for particular
      substrates. However, how they direct PP1's specificity is not understood. Here we
      show that spinophilin, a neuronal PP1 regulator, is entirely unstructured in its
      unbound form, and it binds PP1 through a folding-upon-binding mechanism in an
      elongated fashion, blocking one of PP1's three putative substrate binding sites
      without altering its active site. This mode of binding is sufficient for
      spinophilin to restrict PP1's activity toward a model substrate in vitro without
      affecting its ability to dephosphorylate its neuronal substrate, glutamate
      receptor 1 (GluR1). Thus, our work provides the molecular basis for the ability
      of spinophilin to dictate PP1 substrate specificity.

PMID- 20305657
TI  - Self-poisoning of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by targeting GlgE in an alpha-glucan
      pathway.
AB  - New chemotherapeutics are urgently required to control the tuberculosis pandemic.
      We describe a new pathway from trehalose to alpha-glucan in Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis comprising four enzymatic steps mediated by TreS, Pep2, GlgE (which
      has been identified as a maltosyltransferase that uses maltose 1-phosphate) and
      GlgB. Using traditional and chemical reverse genetics, we show that GlgE
      inactivation causes rapid death of M. tuberculosis in vitro and in mice through a
      self-poisoning accumulation of maltose 1-phosphate. Poisoning elicits pleiotropic
      phosphosugar-induced stress responses promoted by a self-amplifying feedback loop
      where trehalose-forming enzymes are upregulated. Moreover, the pathway from
      trehalose to alpha-glucan exhibited a synthetic lethal interaction with the
      glucosyltransferase Rv3032, which is involved in biosynthesis of polymethylated
      alpha-glucans, because key enzymes in each pathway could not be simultaneously
      inactivated. The unique combination of maltose 1-phosphate toxicity and gene
      essentiality within a synthetic lethal pathway validates GlgE as a distinct
      potential drug target that exploits new synergistic mechanisms to induce death in
      M. tuberculosis.

PMID- 20305658
TI  - Glycopeptide-specific monoclonal antibodies suggest new roles for O-GlcNAc.
AB  - Studies of post-translational modification by beta-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (O
      GlcNAc) are hampered by a lack of efficient tools such as O-GlcNAc-specific
      antibodies that can be used for detection, isolation and site localization. We
      have obtained a large panel of O-GlcNAc-specific IgG monoclonal antibodies having
      a broad spectrum of binding partners by combining three-component immunogen
      methodology with hybridoma technology. Immunoprecipitation followed by large
      scale shotgun proteomics led to the identification of more than 200 mammalian O
      GlcNAc-modified proteins, including a large number of new glycoproteins. A
      substantial number of the glycoproteins were enriched by only one of the
      antibodies. This observation, combined with the results of inhibition ELISAs,
      suggests that the antibodies, in addition to their O-GlcNAc dependence, also
      appear to have different but overlapping local peptide determinants. The
      monoclonal antibodies made it possible to delineate differentially modified
      proteins of liver in response to trauma-hemorrhage and resuscitation in a rat
      model.

PMID- 20305659
TI  - Capture of influenza by medullary dendritic cells via SIGN-R1 is essential for
      humoral immunity in draining lymph nodes.
AB  - A major pathway for B cell acquisition of lymph-borne particulate antigens relies
      on antigen capture by subcapsular sinus macrophages of the lymph node. Here we
      tested whether this mechanism is also important for humoral immunity to
      inactivated influenza virus. By multiple approaches, including multiphoton
      intravital imaging, we found that antigen capture by sinus-lining macrophages was
      important for limiting the systemic spread of virus but not for the generation of
      influenza-specific humoral immunity. Instead, we found that dendritic cells
      residing in the lymph node medulla use the lectin receptor SIGN-R1 to capture
      lymph-borne influenza virus and promote humoral immunity. Thus, our results have
      important implications for the generation of durable humoral immunity to viral
      pathogens through vaccination.

PMID- 20305660
TI  - Myeloperoxidase acts as a profibrotic mediator of atrial fibrillation.
AB  - Observational clinical and ex vivo studies have established a strong association
      between atrial fibrillation and inflammation. However, whether inflammation is
      the cause or the consequence of atrial fibrillation and which specific
      inflammatory mediators may increase the atria's susceptibility to fibrillation
      remain elusive. Here we provide experimental and clinical evidence for the
      mechanistic involvement of myeloperoxidase (MPO), a heme enzyme abundantly
      expressed by neutrophils, in the pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation. MPO
      deficient mice pretreated with angiotensin II (AngII) to provoke leukocyte
      activation showed lower atrial tissue abundance of the MPO product 3
      chlorotyrosine, reduced activity of matrix metalloproteinases and blunted atrial
      fibrosis as compared to wild-type mice. Upon right atrial electrophysiological
      stimulation, MPO-deficient mice were protected from atrial fibrillation, which
      was reversed when MPO was restored. Humans with atrial fibrillation had higher
      plasma concentrations of MPO and a larger MPO burden in right atrial tissue as
      compared to individuals devoid of atrial fibrillation. In the atria, MPO
      colocalized with markedly increased formation of 3-chlorotyrosine. Our data
      demonstrate that MPO is a crucial prerequisite for structural remodeling of the
      myocardium, leading to an increased vulnerability to atrial fibrillation.

PMID- 20305661
TI  - The Mycobacterium tuberculosis protein LdtMt2 is a nonclassical transpeptidase
      required for virulence and resistance to amoxicillin.
AB  - The peptidoglycan layer is a vital component of the bacterial cell wall. The
      existing paradigm describes the peptidoglycan network as a static structure that
      is cross-linked predominantly by 4-->3 transpeptide linkages. However, the
      nonclassical 3-->3 linkages predominate the transpeptide networking of the
      peptidoglycan layer of nonreplicating Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The molecular
      basis of these linkages and their role in the physiology of the peptidoglycan
      layer, virulence and susceptibility of M. tuberculosis to drugs remain undefined.
      Here we identify MT2594 as an L,D-transpeptidase that generates 3-->3 linkages in
      M. tuberculosis. We show that the loss of this protein leads to altered colony
      morphology, loss of virulence and increased susceptibility to amoxicillin
      clavulanate during the chronic phase of infection. This suggests that 3-->3 cross
      linking is vital to the physiology of the peptidoglycan layer. Although a
      functional homolog exists, expression of ldtMt2 is dominant throughout the growth
      phases of M. tuberculosis. 4-->3 transpeptide linkages are targeted by one of the
      most widely used classes of antibacterial drugs in human clinical use today, beta
      lactams. Recently, meropenem-clavulanate was shown to be effective against drug
      resistant M. tuberculosis. Our study suggests that a combination of L,D
      transpeptidase and beta-lactamase inhibitors could effectively target persisting
      bacilli during the chronic phase of tuberculosis.

PMID- 20305662
TI  - Pleiotrophin regulates the expansion and regeneration of hematopoietic stem
      cells.
AB  - Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) self-renewal is regulated by both intrinsic and
      extrinsic signals. Although some of the pathways that regulate HSC self-renewal
      have been uncovered, it remains largely unknown whether these pathways can be
      triggered by deliverable growth factors to induce HSC growth or regeneration.
      Here we show that pleiotrophin, a neurite outgrowth factor with no known function
      in hematopoiesis, efficiently promotes HSC expansion in vitro and HSC
      regeneration in vivo. Treatment of mouse bone marrow HSCs with pleiotrophin
      caused a marked increase in long-term repopulating HSC numbers in culture, as
      measured in competitive repopulating assays. Treatment of human cord blood
      CD34(+)CDCD38(-)Lin(-) cells with pleiotrophin also substantially increased
      severe combined immunodeficient (SCID)-repopulating cell counts in culture,
      compared to input and cytokine-treated cultures. Systemic administration of
      pleiotrophin to irradiated mice caused a pronounced expansion of bone marrow stem
      and progenitor cells in vivo, indicating that pleiotrophin is a regenerative
      growth factor for HSCs. Mechanistically, pleiotrophin activated phosphoinositide
      3-kinase (PI3K) signaling in HSCs; antagonism of PI3K or Notch signaling
      inhibited pleiotrophin-mediated expansion of HSCs in culture. We identify the
      secreted growth factor pleiotrophin as a new regulator of both HSC expansion and
      regeneration.

PMID- 20305663
TI  - Genetic variation in human HBB is associated with Plasmodium falciparum
      transmission.
AB  - Genetic factors are known to have a role in determining susceptibility to
      infectious diseases, although it is unclear whether they may also influence host
      efficiency in transmitting pathogens. We examine variants in HBB that have been
      shown to be protective against malaria and test whether these are associated with
      the transmission of the parasite from the human host to the Anopheles vector. We
      conducted cross-sectional malariological surveys on 3,739 human subjects and
      transmission experiments involving 60 children and 6,446 mosquitoes in Burkina
      Faso, West Africa. Protective hemoglobins C (HbC, beta6Glu-->Lys) and S (beta6Glu
      ->Val) are associated with a twofold in vivo (odds ratio 2.17, 95% CI 1.57-3.01,
      P = 1.0 x 10(-6)) and a fourfold ex vivo (odds ratio 4.12, 95% CI 1.90-9.29, P =
      7.0 x 10(-5)) increase of parasite transmission from the human host to the
      Anopheles vector. This provides an example of how host genetic variation may
      influence the transmission dynamics of an infectious disease.

PMID- 20305667
TI  - Inflammation: extinguishing the fires within.

PMID- 20305670
TI  - How our growing understanding of inflammation has reshaped the way we think of
      disease and drug development.

PMID- 20305664
TI  - Rare genetic variation at Zea mays crtRB1 increases beta-carotene in maize grain.
AB  - Breeding to increase beta-carotene levels in cereal grains, termed provitamin A
      biofortification, is an economical approach to address dietary vitamin A
      deficiency in the developing world. Experimental evidence from association and
      linkage populations in maize (Zea mays L.) demonstrate that the gene encoding
      beta-carotene hydroxylase 1 (crtRB1) underlies a principal quantitative trait
      locus associated with beta-carotene concentration and conversion in maize
      kernels. crtRB1 alleles associated with reduced transcript expression correlate
      with higher beta-carotene concentrations. Genetic variation at crtRB1 also
      affects hydroxylation efficiency among encoded allozymes, as observed by
      resultant carotenoid profiles in recombinant expression assays. The most
      favorable crtRB1 alleles, rare in frequency and unique to temperate germplasm,
      are being introgressed via inexpensive PCR marker-assisted selection into
      tropical maize germplasm adapted to developing countries, where it is most needed
      for human health.

PMID- 20305665
TI  - The safety and side effects of monoclonal antibodies.
AB  - Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are now established as targeted therapies for
      malignancies, transplant rejection, autoimmune and infectious diseases, as well
      as a range of new indications. However, administration of mAbs carries the risk
      of immune reactions such as acute anaphylaxis, serum sickness and the generation
      of antibodies. In addition, there are numerous adverse effects of mAbs that are
      related to their specific targets, including infections and cancer, autoimmune
      disease, and organ-specific adverse events such as cardiotoxicity. In March 2006,
      a life-threatening cytokine release syndrome occurred during a first-in-human
      study with TGN1412 (a CD28-specific superagonist mAb), resulting in a range of
      recommendations to improve the safety of initial human clinical studies with
      mAbs. Here, we review some of the adverse effects encountered with mAb therapies,
      and discuss advances in preclinical testing and antibody technology aimed at
      minimizing the risk of these events.

PMID- 20305671
TI  - DNATwist: a Web-based tool for teaching middle and high school students about
      pharmacogenomics.
AB  - DNATwist is a Web-based learning tool (available at http://www.dnatwist.org) that
      explains pharmacogenomics concepts to middle- and high-school students. Its
      features include (i) a focus on drug responses of interest to teenagers (e.g.,
      alcohol intolerance), (ii) reusable graphical interfaces that reduce extension
      costs, and (iii) explanations of molecular and cellular drug responses. In
      testing, students found the tool and topic understandable and engaging. The tool
      is being modified for use at the Tech Museum of Innovation in California.

PMID- 20305672
TI  - Is interleukin-6 receptor blockade the Holy Grail for inflammatory diseases?
AB  - Interleukin-6 (IL-6) has been linked to a myriad of diseases associated with
      inflammation, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Crohn's disease, and several
      types of cancer. In 2009 the US Food and Drug Administration accepted a complete
      response submission for the use of Actemra (tocilizumab), the first humanized IL
      6 receptor-inhibiting monoclonal antibody, for the treatment of RA. Although this
      treatment will certainly help in managing inflammatory disorders such as RA, we
      suggest that side effects of such blockade may be excess weight gain and
      hyperlipidemia.

PMID- 20305673
TI  - Reporting of studies on new medicines in major medical journals: a case study in
      breast cancer.
AB  - A comparison of the results of pivotal trials on three new medicines for advanced
      breast cancer published in medical journals with those presented in the US Food
      and Drug Administration (FDA) reviews showed that analyses reported in journals
      were of lower quality and were given a favorable interpretation by minimizing
      toxicity and ignoring methodological shortcomings. Several proposals to
      strengthen the quality of reporting of clinical trials in medical journals and to
      support reliable assessment of the therapeutic value of new medicines are
      discussed.

PMID- 20305674
TI  - Relationship between insulin resistance, obesity and serum prostate-specific
      antigen levels in healthy men.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between insulin
      resistance, obesity and serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in healthy
      men with serum PSA level below 4 ng mL(-1). The men included in the study cohort
      were 11 827 healthy male employees of the Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co., LTD
      who had undergone medical checkups including fasting glucose, fasting insulin and
      serum PSA between January 2003 and December 2008. Insulin resistance was
      calculated by homeostasis model assessment (HOMA [fasting glucose x fasting
      insulin]/22.5) and quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI; 1/[log
      (fasting insulin) + log (fasting glucose)]). Age-adjusted body mass index (BMI)
      was significantly increased according to increasing quartile of insulin
      resistance as determined by HOMA and QUICKI, respectively, in analysis of
      variance (ANOVA) test and Duncan's multiple comparison test (P < 0.001), but age
      adjusted serum PSA concentration was significantly decreased according to
      increasing quartile of insulin resistance as determined by HOMA and QUICKI (P <
      0.001). Age, BMI, insulin resistance by HOMA or QUICKI were significantly
      independent variables to serum PSA level in a multivariate linear regression
      analysis (P < 0.001). Insulin resistance was a significant independent variable
      to serum PSA level along with BMI. Insulin resistance and BMI were negatively
      correlated with serum PSA level in healthy men. Insulin resistance was positively
      correlated with BMI.

PMID- 20305675
TI  - Purinergic contraction of the rat vas deferens in L-NAME-induced hypertension:
      effect of sildenafil.
AB  - Hypertension (HTN) is a risk factor for erectile dysfunction, but its effect on
      vas deferens (VD) contractility and the ejaculatory response has not been
      delineated. NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), a nitric oxide synthase
      inhibitor, was used for induction of nitric oxide (NO)-deficient HTN. Our aim was
      to evaluate the effects of L-NAME-induced HTN on rat VD contractility and to
      determine whether sildenafil affects VD contractility. A total of 36 male rats
      were divided into (1) control, (2) L-NAME-HTN, (3) sildenafil treated L-NAME-HTN
      groups. Group 2 was treated with L-NAME (40 mg kg(-1) per day) in drinking water
      for 4 weeks. Group 3 received sildenafil (1.5 mg kg(-1) per day, by oral gavage)
      concomitantly with L-NAME. The prostatic portion of the VD was subjected to
      electrical field stimulation (EFS, 1-20 Hz), and the P2X(1) agonist alpha,beta
      methylene ATP (alpha,beta-meATP, 100 micromol L(-1)-1 micromol L(-1)) and the
      alpha1-adrenoceptor agonist phenylephrine (Phe, 100 micromol L(-1)-1 mmol L(-1))
      were used to construct concentration-response curves. These experiments were
      repeated in the presence of P2X receptor antagonist, pyridoxalphosphate-6
      azophenyl-2',4'-disulfonic acid (PPADS, 30 micromol L(-1)). VD contractions in
      response to EFS, alpha,beta-meATP and Phe were significantly enhanced by L-NAME.
      Sildenafil treatment in the L-NAME group improved the contractile response of VD
      to EFS (20 Hz). In the presence of PPADS, the enhanced contractile response of VD
      to EFS and alpha,beta-meATP in hypertensive rats was reversed. In the rat model
      of chronic NO depletion, the purinergic and adrenergic components and EFS affect
      VD contractility. The VD contractile response may be mediated more by the
      purinergic system than the adrenergic system, and sildenafil may alter the
      ejaculatory response in men with PE.

PMID- 20305676
TI  - Isolated micropenis reveals partial androgen insensitivity syndrome confirmed by
      molecular analysis.
AB  - Partial androgen insensitivity syndrome (PAIS) is the milder variant of androgen
      receptor (AR) defects. The subtle effects of AR mutations present in a patient
      with micropenis, peno-scrotal hypospadias, infertility, clitoromegaly and
      posterior labial fusion. We studied the association of isolated micropenis with
      the genetic defects resulting in androgen resistance, that is, AR gene defects
      and 5-alpha reductase type 2 (SRD5A2) deficiency. We describe two cases of
      isolated micropenis: one in a 14-year-old boy and the other in a 3-year-old boy
      who was followed until he was 10 years old. There were no findings of
      hypospadias, cryptorchidism or gynecomastia in either of these patients. Serum
      gonadotrophin and androgen levels were obtained and karyotyping was done. Human
      chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) stimulation testing assessed the functional capacity
      of the testes. DNA was extracted from peripheral leukocytes, and all exons of the
      SRD5A2 and AR genes were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and sequenced. In
      both patients, baseline testosterone (T) level was low and the values were
      elevated after hCG testing. The sequence of the SRD5A2 gene was normal in patient
      1, and a heterozygous polymorphism, V89L, was found in patient 2. Two known
      mutations, P390S and A870V, were identified in patients 1 and 2, respectively.
      Mutations in the AR gene can be associated with isolated micropenis without other
      features of PAIS, such as hypospadias or gynecomastia. This underlines the
      importance of including AR gene analysis in the evaluation of isolated micropenis
      with normal plasma T to ensure proper management of the patient and appropriate
      genetic counseling for the family.

PMID- 20305677
TI  - Association between paternal schizophrenia and low birthweight: ADAM12 may
      matter.

PMID- 20305678
TI  - Different magnitude of resistance to nondepolarizing muscle relaxants in the
      denervated mouse skeletal muscle.
AB  - AIM: To test the hypothesis that different magnitude of resistance of denervated
      skeletal muscle to nondepolarizing muscle relaxants (NDMRs) is related to their
      varying potencies at epsilon-AChR and gamma-AChR. METHODS: Both innervated and
      denervated mouse muscle cells, and human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells
      expressing epsilon-AChR or gamma-AChR were used. The effects of NDMRs on nAChR
      were explored using whole-cell patch clamp technique. RESULTS: NDMRs vecuronium
      (VEC), atracurium (ATR) and rocuronium (ROC) produced reversible, dose-dependent
      inhibition on the currents induced by 30 micromol/L acetylcholine both in
      innervated and denervated skeletal muscle cells. Compared to those obtained in
      innervated skeletal muscle cells, denervation shifted the concentration-response
      curves rightward and significantly increased the 50% inhibitory concentration
      (IC(50)) values (VEC: from 11.2 to 39.2 nmol/L, P<0.01; ATR: from 24.4 to 129.0
      nmol/L, P<0.01; ROC: from 37.9 to 101.4 nmol/L, P<0.01). In HEK293 cell
      expression system, ATR was less potent at gamma-AChR than epsilon-AChR (IC(50)
      values: 35.9 vs 22.3 nmol/L, P<0.01), VEC was equipotent at both receptor
      subtypes (IC(50) values: 9.9 vs 10.2 nmol/L, P>0.05), while ROC was more potent
      at gamma-AChR than epsilon-AChR (IC(50) values: 22.3 vs 33.5 nmol/L, P<0.05).
      CONCLUSION: Magnitude differences of resistance to different NDMRs caused by
      denervation are associated with distinct potencies of NDMRs at nAChR subtypes.

PMID- 20305679
TI  - A variation in NOS1AP gene is associated with repaglinide efficacy on insulin
      resistance in type 2 diabetes of Chinese.
AB  - AIM: To investigate a potential association between SNP rs10494366 in the neural
      nitric oxide synthase adaptor protein (NOS1AP) and efficacy of repaglinide (an
      insulin secretagogue) in newly diagnosed Shanghai Chinese type 2 diabetes
      patients. METHODS: A total of 104 newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients (69
      men, 35 women) were recruited and treated with repaglinide for 24 weeks.
      Anthropometric measurements, clinical laboratory tests were obtained at baseline
      and after 24-week treatment. Genotyping was performed by sequencing. RESULTS: The
      baseline value of BMI, HOMA-IR, HOMA-B, and fasting insulin level were
      significantly different between GG, GT, and TT genotypes (P=0.024, 0.030, 0.005,
      and 0.007, respectively). Carriers of TT genotype were in significant insulin
      resistance at baseline. After 24-week repaglinide monotherapy, the Delta value of
      fasting insulin (P=0.019) and HOMA-IR (P=0.011) were significantly different. TT
      carriers had the least insulin resistance after treatment. The mixed model
      analysis showed that the variation had an interaction effect with repaglinide
      treatment only on HOMA-IR (P=0.013). CONCLUSION: A common variant in rs10494366
      is associated with repaglinide monotherapy efficacy on insulin resistance in
      newly diagnosed Shanghai Chinese type 2 diabetes patients.

PMID- 20305680
TI  - Protective effects of prostaglandin E1 on human umbilical vein endothelial cell
      injury induced by hydrogen peroxide.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the protective effects of prostaglandin E(1) (PGE(1)) against
      H(2)O(2)-induced oxidative damage on human umbilical vein endothelial cells
      (HUVECs). METHODS: HUVECs were pretreated with PGE(1) (0.25, 0.50, and 1.00
      micromol/L) for 24 h and exposed to H(2)O(2) (200 micromol/L) for 12 h, and cell
      viability was measured by the MTT assay. LDH, NO, SOD, GSH-Px, MDA, ROS, and
      apoptotic percentage were determined. eNOS expression was measured by Western
      blotting and real-time PCR. RESULTS: PGE(1) (0.25-1.00 micromol/L) was able to
      markedly restore the viability of HUVECs under oxidative stress, and scavenged
      intracellular reactive oxygen species induced by H(2)O(2). PGE(1) also suppressed
      the production of lipid peroxides, such as MDA, restored the activities of
      endogenous antioxidants including SOD and GSH-Px, and inhibited cell apoptosis.
      In addition, PGE(1) significantly increased NO content, eNOS protein, and mRNA
      expression. CONCLUSION: PGE(1) effectively protected endothelial cells against
      oxidative stress induced by H(2)O(2), an activity that might depend on the up
      regulation of NO expression.

PMID- 20305681
TI  - Atorvastatin inhibits homocysteine-induced dysfunction and apoptosis in
      endothelial progenitor cells.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the protective effects of atorvastatin on homocysteine (Hcy)
      induced dysfunction and apoptosis in endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and the
      possible molecular mechanisms. METHODS: EPCs were divided into six groups: Hcy
      treatment groups (0, 50, and 500 micromol/L) and atorvastatin pretreatment groups
      (0.1, 1, and 10 micromol/L). EPC proliferation, migration, in vitro
      vasculogenesis activity, and apoptosis rate were assayed by the MTT assay,
      modified Boyden chamber assay, in vitro vasculogenesis kit, and AnnexinV-FITC
      apoptosis detection kit, respectively. The level of reactive oxygen species (ROS)
      in cells was measured using H(2)DCF-DA as a fluorescence probe. The activity of
      NADPH oxidase was evaluated with lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence. NO in the
      supernatant was detected by the nitrate reductase assay. The eNOS mRNA expression
      and p-eNOS, p-Akt, p-p38MAPK protein expression were measured by RT-PCR and
      Western blotting analysis, respectively. Caspase-3 activity was determined by
      colorimetric assay. RESULTS: Hcy does-dependently impaired the proliferation,
      migration and in vitro vasculogenesis capacity of EPCs, induced cell apoptosis,
      increased ROS accumulation and NADPH oxidase activation, and decreased the
      secretion of NO compared with the control group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The
      detrimental effects of Hcy were attenuated by atorvastatin pretreatment.
      Furthermore, Hcy caused a significant downregulation of eNOS mRNA, p-eNOS, and p
      Akt protein expression as well as an upregulation of p-p38MAPK protein expression
      and caspase-3 activity. These effects of Hcy on EPCs were reversed by
      atorvastatin in a does-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: Atorvastatin inhibited
      homocysteine-induced dysfunction and apoptosis in endothelial progenitor cells,
      which may be related to its effects on suppressing oxidative stress, up
      regulating Akt/eNOS and down-regulating the p38MAPK/caspase-3 signaling pathway.

PMID- 20305682
TI  - Transfer and distribution of amoxicillin in the rat gastric mucosa and gastric
      juice and the effects of rabeprazole.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the distribution of amoxicillin in the gastric juice and
      gastric mucosa of rats and to investigate the effects of proton pump inhibitor
      rabeprazole on amoxicillin concentrations in various compartments. METHODS: One
      hundred and sixty anesthetized rats were divided into five groups, and given
      intravenously different doses of amoxicillin or amoxicillin and rabeprazole. The
      pH value and volume of gastric juice was aspirated were measured and separated
      gastric mucosa was homogenized. The concentrations of amoxicillin in the plasma,
      gastric juice and gastric mucosa were measured by high performance liquid
      chromatography (HPLC). RESULTS: The maximum concentrations of amoxicillin in
      gastric juice and gastric mucosa were significantly lower than those in plasma
      (P<0.001). Concentrations in the glandular stomach mucosa were higher than those
      in the forestomach mucosa. Rabeprazole did not significantly change the
      pharmacokinetic parameters of amoxicillin in the plasma and did not alter gastric
      antibiotic clearance or the gastric transfer fraction of amoxicillin in gastric
      juice. However, rabeprazole did increase the amoxicillin concentration and pH
      value in gastric juice and reduced the volume of the gastric juice. CONCLUSION:
      Amoxicillin could penetrate the gastric mucosa and achieve therapeutic
      concentrations at the target site after transfer from the blood to the stomach.
      Rabeprazole increased the amoxicillin concentration in gastric juice by
      decreasing the gastric juice volume but did not affect its concentration in blood
      or gastric mucosa.

PMID- 20305683
TI  - Association analysis of genetic polymorphisms and potential interaction of the
      osteocalcin (BGP) and ER-alpha genes with body mass index (BMI) in premenopausal
      Chinese women.
AB  - AIM: To investigate whether estrogen receptor alpha (ER-alpha) PvuII and
      osteocalcin (also known as bone Gla protein, or BGP) HindIII genetic
      polymorphisms and their potential interactions are associated with body mass
      index (BMI) variation. METHODS: Data on BMI and ER-alpha PvuII and BGP HindIII
      genotypes were obtained from 328 healthy premenopausal Chinese women in east
      China. The study subjects were unrelated, at least 21 years old (mean age of
      33.2+/-5.9 years), and had an average BMI of 21.58+/-2.59. All subjects were
      genotyped at the ER-alpha PvuII and BGP HindIII loci using polymerase chain
      reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). RESULTS: The BGP
      HindIII genotypes were significantly associated with BMI (P=0.003). Carriers of
      the HH and Hh genotypes had approximately 2.73% and 1.27% higher BMI than those
      of the hh genotype, respectively. In contrast, the ER-alpha PvuII polymorphism
      was not significantly associated with BMI (P=0.454). In addition, there was no
      evidence of potential interactions between the ER-alpha and BGP genes in our
      subjects (P>or=0.013). CONCLUSION: The HindIII polymorphism of the BGP gene, but
      not the PvuII polymorphism of the ER-alpha gene or their potential interaction,
      was associated with BMI in premenopausal Chinese women.

PMID- 20305684
TI  - Curcumin reverses T cell-mediated adaptive immune dysfunctions in tumor-bearing
      hosts.
AB  - Immune dysfunction is well documented during tumor progression and likely
      contributes to tumor immune evasion. CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) are
      involved in antigen-specific tumor destruction and CD4(+) T cells are essential
      for helping this CD8(+) T cell-dependent tumor eradication. Tumors often target
      and inhibit T-cell function to escape from immune surveillance. This dysfunction
      includes loss of effector and memory T cells, bias towards type 2 cytokines and
      expansion of T regulatory (Treg) cells. Curcumin has previously been shown to
      have antitumor activity and some research has addressed the immunoprotective
      potential of this plant-derived polyphenol in tumor-bearing hosts. Here we
      examined the role of curcumin in the prevention of tumor-induced dysfunction of T
      cell-based immune responses. We observed severe loss of both effector and memory
      T-cell populations, downregulation of type 1 and upregulation of type 2 immune
      responses and decreased proliferation of effector T cells in the presence of
      tumors. Curcumin, in turn, prevented this loss of T cells, expanded central
      memory T cell (T(CM))/effector memory T cell (T(EM)) populations, reversed the
      type 2 immune bias and attenuated the tumor-induced inhibition of T-cell
      proliferation in tumor-bearing hosts. Further investigation revealed that tumor
      burden upregulated Treg cell populations and stimulated the production of the
      immunosuppressive cytokines transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta and IL-10 in
      these cells. Curcumin, however, inhibited the suppressive activity of Treg cells
      by downregulating the production of TGF-beta and IL-10 in these cells. More
      importantly, curcumin treatment enhanced the ability of effector T cells to kill
      cancer cells. Overall, our observations suggest that the unique properties of
      curcumin may be exploited for successful attenuation of tumor-induced suppression
      of cell-mediated immune responses.

PMID- 20305685
TI  - The enigmatic processing and secretion of interleukin-33.
AB  - Interleukin-33 (IL-33) is the most attractive novel cytokine identified as an IL
      1 family member. IL-33 was first named NF-HEV (nuclear factor from high
      endothelial venules), as it was known to interact with nuclear chromatin although
      its exact intracellular functions are still to be clarified. IL-33 is now
      recognized as the specific ligand for the orphan IL-1 receptor family member ST2
      and to be involved in polarization of T cells towards T helper 2 cell phenotype
      and in activation of mast cells, bosophils, eosinophils and natural killer cells.
      It is essential for IL-33 to be extracellularly released in order to bind to the
      ST2 receptor and consequently play a crucial role in inflammatory, infectious and
      autoimmune diseases. However, like the IL-1 family members, IL-1beta and IL-18,
      IL-33 mRNA is translated without a signal sequence for secretion. Additionally,
      IL-33 cannot be released by the processing and secretion mechanism shared by IL
      1beta and IL-18 as IL-33 is not a substrate of caspase-1 and does not require
      proteolysis for activation. In contrast, IL-33 can be inactivated by apoptotic
      caspases. Accordingly, IL-33 is proposed to be released as an alarmin from
      necrotic cells but to be deleted during apoptosis. Besides the known autocrine,
      paracrine, intracrine, juxtacrine and retrocrine mechanisms of cellular
      interaction with cytokines, release by necrotic cells is another pathway for a
      cytokine to display its function, which we suggest might be called 'necrocrine'.
      This mini review summarizes recent progress of how IL-33 displays potential
      immunoregulatory roles with a particular focus on its enigmatic production.

PMID- 20305686
TI  - Th17 cells and their associated cytokines in liver diseases.
AB  - T helper 17 (Th17) cells are a newly identified subset of T helper cells that
      play important roles in host defense against extracellular bacteria as well as in
      the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease. The functions of Th17 cells are mediated
      via the production of several cytokines including interleukin (IL)-17 and IL-22.
      Recent studies show that the frequency of IL-17(+) cells is significantly
      elevated in a variety of chronic liver diseases including alcoholic liver
      disease, viral hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma. IL-17 receptor is
      expressed virtually on all types of liver cells, while IL-22 receptor expression
      is restricted to epithelial cells including hepatocytes in the liver. IL-17 seems
      to play an important role in inducing liver inflammation via stimulating multiple
      types of liver nonparenchymal cells to produce proinflammatory cytokines and
      chemokines, while IL-22 appears to be an important factor in promoting hepatocyte
      survival and proliferation.

PMID- 20305688
TI  - Integrin-linked kinase has a critical role in ErbB2 mammary tumor progression:
      implications for human breast cancer.
AB  - Elevated expression of the integrin-linked kinase (ILK) has been observed in a
      variety of cancers and has been further correlated with poor clinical outcome.
      Here, we show that mammary epithelial disruption of ILK results in a profound
      block in mammary tumor induction. Consistent with these observations, inhibition
      of ILK function in ErbB2-expressing cells with small molecule inhibitor or RNA
      interference resulted in profound block in their in vitro invasive properties due
      to the induction of apoptotic cell death. The rare ILK-deficient tumors that
      eventually arose overcame this block in tumor induction by an upregulation of
      ErB3 phosphorylation. These observations provide direct evidence that ILK has a
      critical role in the initiation phase of ErbB2 tumor induction.

PMID- 20305689
TI  - A deficiency in Mdm2 binding protein inhibits Myc-induced B-cell proliferation
      and lymphomagenesis.
AB  - Mdm2 binding protein (MTBP) has been implicated in cell-cycle arrest and the
      Mdm2/p53 tumor suppressor pathway through its interaction with Mdm2. To determine
      the function of MTBP in tumorigenesis and its potential role in the Mdm2/p53
      pathway, we crossed Mtbp-deficient mice to Emu-myc transgenic mice, in which
      overexpression of the oncogene c-Myc induces B-cell lymphomas primarily through
      inactivation of the Mdm2/p53 pathway. We report that Myc-induced B-cell lymphoma
      development in Mtbp heterozygous mice was profoundly delayed. Surprisingly,
      reduced levels of Mtbp did not lead to an increase in B-cell apoptosis or affect
      Mdm2. Instead, an Mtbp deficiency inhibited Myc-induced proliferation and the
      upregulation of Myc target genes necessary for cell growth. Consistent with a
      role in proliferation, Mtbp expression was induced by Myc and other factors that
      promote cell-cycle progression and was elevated in lymphomas from humans and
      mice. Therefore, Mtbp functioned independent of Mdm2 and was a limiting factor
      for the proliferative and transforming functions of Myc. Thus, Mtbp is a
      previously unrecognized regulator of Myc-induced tumorigenesis.

PMID- 20305690
TI  - Overexpression of transcriptional coactivator AIB1 promotes hepatocellular
      carcinoma progression by enhancing cell proliferation and invasiveness.
AB  - Amplified in breast cancer 1 (AIB1) is a transcriptional coactivator for nuclear
      receptors and other transcription factors. AIB1 has an important role in
      malignancy of several cancers such as breast and prostate cancers. However, its
      involvement in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression remains unclear.
      Here, we found that AIB1 protein was overexpressed in 23 of 34 human HCC
      specimens (68%). Down-regulation of AIB1 reduced HCC cell proliferation,
      migration, invasion, colony formation ability and tumorigenic potential in nude
      mice. These phenotypic changes caused by AIB1 knockdown correlated with increased
      expression of the cell cycle inhibitor p21(Cip1/Waf1) and decreased Akt
      activation and the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and
      matrix metallopeptidase MMP-9. In agreement with these findings, clinical AIB1
      positive HCC expressed higher levels of PCNA than AIB1-negative HCC. A positive
      correlation was established between the levels of AIB1 protein and PCNA protein
      in HCC, suggesting that AIB1 may contribute to HCC cell proliferation. In
      addition, MMP-9 expression in AIB1-postive HCC was significantly higher than that
      in AIB1-negative HCC, suggesting that AIB1-postive HCC may be more invasive.
      Collectively, our results show that overexpression of AIB1 promotes human HCC
      progression by enhancing cell proliferation and invasiveness. Therefore, AIB1 is
      a master regulator of human HCC growth and might be a useful molecular target for
      HCC prognosis and treatment.

PMID- 20305691
TI  - De-repression of CTGF via the miR-17-92 cluster upon differentiation of human
      glioblastoma spheroid cultures.
AB  - All-trans retinoic acid is a potent promoter of cellular differentiation
      processes, which is used in cancer therapy. Glioblastoma spheroid cultures are
      enriched in tumor-initiating cells, and provide a model to test new treatment
      options in vitro. We investigated the molecular mechanisms of response to
      exposure to differentiation-promoting conditions in such cultures. Microarray
      analyses of five independent cultures showed that after induction of
      differentiation, inhibitors of transforming growth factor-beta/bone morphogenetic
      protein, Wnt/beta-catenin and IGF signaling were upregulated, whereas expression
      of several microRNAs decreased, particularly that of the miR-17-92 cluster. In
      primary astrocytic gliomas (n=82), expression of several members of miR-17-92 was
      significantly higher relative to those of normal brain (n=8) and significantly
      increased with tumor grade progression (P<0.05). A high-level amplification of
      the miR-17-92 locus was detected in one glioblastoma specimen. Transfection of
      inhibitors of miR-17-92 induced increased apoptosis and decreased cell
      proliferation in glioblastoma spheroids. Mir-17-92 inhibition was also associated
      with increased messenger RNA (mRNA) and/or protein expression of CDKN1A, E2F1,
      PTEN and CTGF. The CTGF gene was shown to be a target of miR-17-92 in
      glioblastoma spheroids by luciferase reporter assays. Our results suggest that
      miR-17-92 and its target CTGF mediate effects of differentiation-promoting
      treatment on glioblastoma cells through multiple regulatory pathways.

PMID- 20305692
TI  - Bortezomib decreases Rb phosphorylation and induces caspase-dependent apoptosis
      in Imatinib-sensitive and -resistant Bcr-Abl1-expressing cells.
AB  - The use of c-abl-specific inhibitors such as Imatinib (IM) or Dasatinib has
      revolutionized the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). However, a
      significant percentage of patients become resistant to IM. In this report, we
      have analyzed the possibility of using the proteasome as a molecular target in
      CML. Our results show that cells that express Bcr-Abl1 are more sensitive to the
      inhibition of the proteasome with Bortezomib (Btz) than control cells. This
      treatment reduces the proliferation of Bcr-Abl1-expressing cells, by inactivating
      NF-kappaB2 and decreasing the phosphorylation of Rb, eventually leading to an
      increase in caspase-dependent apoptosis. Furthermore, we show that Btz also
      induces cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in cells expressing Bcr-Abl1 mutants that
      are resistant to IM. These results unravel a new molecular target of Btz, that is
      the Rb pathway, and open new possibilities in the treatment of CML especially for
      patients that become resistant to IM because of the presence of the T315I
      mutation.

PMID- 20305693
TI  - Meta-analysis of adrenocortical tumour genomics data: novel pathogenic pathways
      revealed.
AB  - Sporadic adrenocortical tumours are common, but their pathogenesis is poorly
      elucidated. In this study, we present a meta-analysis and review of gene
      expression microarray and comparative genome hybridization (CGH) studies
      performed to date on these tumours, including our own data. Data of whole genome
      microarray studies from altogether 164 tumours (97 benign, 67 malignant) and 18
      normal tissues were reclassified and reanalysed. Significant gene sets and
      cytogenetic changes from publications without available genomic data were also
      examined including 269 benign, 215 malignant tumour and 30 normal tissues. In our
      experimental study, 11 tumour and four normal samples were analysed by parallel
      mRNA and CGH profiling. Data were examined by an integrative bioinformatics
      approach (GeneSpring, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis
      softwares) searching for common gene expression changes and paralleling
      chromosome aberrations. Both meta-analysis of available mRNA and CGH profiling
      data and our experimental study revealed three major pathogenetic pathways: (1)
      cell cycle, (2) retinoic acid signalling (including lipopolysaccharide/Toll like
      receptor 4 pathway), (3) complement system and antigen presentation. These
      pathways include novel, previously undescribed pathomechanisms of adrenocortical
      tumours, and associated gene products may serve as diagnostic markers of
      malignancy and therapeutic targets.

PMID- 20305694
TI  - Artemin is estrogen regulated and mediates antiestrogen resistance in mammary
      carcinoma.
AB  - We have previously identified an oncogenic role of artemin (ARTN), a member of
      glial cell derived neurotrophic factor family of ligands, in mammary carcinoma.
      We herein report that ARTN is an estrogen-inducible gene. Meta-analysis of gene
      expression data sets showed that ARTN expression is positively correlated to
      estrogen receptor (ER) status in human mammary carcinoma. Furthermore, in
      patients with ER-positive mammary carcinoma treated with tamoxifen, high ARTN
      expression is significantly correlated with decreased survival. Forced expression
      of ARTN in ER-positive human mammary carcinoma cells increased ER transcriptional
      activity, promoted estrogen-independent growth and produced resistance to
      tamoxifen and fulvestrant in vitro and to tamoxifen in xenograft models. ARTN
      stimulated resistance to tamoxifen and fulvestrant is mediated by increased BCL-2
      expression. Conversely, depletion of endogenous ARTN by small-interfering RNA or
      functional antagonism of ARTN by antibody enhanced the efficacy of antiestrogens.
      Tamoxifen decreased ARTN expression in tamoxifen-sensitive mammary carcinoma
      cells whereas ARTN expression was increased in tamoxifen-resistant cells and not
      affected by tamoxifen treatment. Antibody inhibition of ARTN in tamoxifen
      resistant cells improved tamoxifen sensitivity. Functional antagonism of ARTN
      therefore warrants consideration as an adjuvant therapy to enhance antiestrogen
      efficacy in ER-positive mammary carcinoma.

PMID- 20305695
TI  - Human stem cells expressing novel TSP-1 variant have anti-angiogenic effect on
      brain tumors.
AB  - Novel therapeutic agents combined with innovative modes of delivery and non
      invasive imaging of drug delivery, pharmacokinetics and efficacy are crucial in
      developing effective clinical anticancer therapies. In this study, we have
      created and characterized multiple novel variants of anti-angiogenic protein
      thrombospondin (aaTSP-1) that comprises unique regions of three type-I-repeats of
      TSP-1 and used engineered human neural stem cells (hNSC) to provide sustained on
      site delivery of secretable aaTSP-1 to tumor-vasculature. We show that hNSC-aaTSP
      1 has anti-angiogenic effect on human brain and dermal microvascular endothelial
      cells co-cultured with established glioma cells and CD133+ glioma-initiating
      cells. Using human glioma cells and hNSC engineered with different combinations
      of fluorescent and bioluminescent marker proteins and employing multi-modality
      imaging techniques, we show that aaTSP-1 targets the vascular-component of
      gliomas and a single administration of hNSC-aaTSP-1 markedly reduces tumor vessel
      density that results in inhibition of tumor-progression and increased survival in
      mice bearing highly malignant human gliomas. We also show that therapeutic hNSC
      do not proliferate and remain in an un-differentiated state in the brains of
      glioma-bearing mice. This study provides a platform for accelerated development
      of future cell-based therapies for cancer.

PMID- 20305696
TI  - Ganglioside synthase knockout in oncogene-transformed fibroblasts depletes
      gangliosides and impairs tumor growth.
AB  - Biologically active membrane gangliosides, expressed and released by many human
      tumors, are hypothesized to significantly impact tumor progression. Lack of a
      model of complete and specific tumor ganglioside depletion in vivo, however, has
      hampered elucidation of their role. Here, we report the creation of a novel,
      stable, genetically induced tumor cell system resulting in specific and complete
      blockade of ganglioside synthesis. Wild-type (WT) and GM3 synthase/GM2 synthase
      double knockout (DKO) murine embryonic fibroblasts were transformed using
      amphotropic retrovirus-transduced oncogenes (pBABE-c-Myc(T58A)+H-RasG12V). The
      transformed cells, WT(t) and DKO(t) respectively, evidenced comparable integrated
      copy numbers and oncogene expression. Ganglioside synthesis was completely
      blocked in the DKO(t) cells, importantly without triggering an alternate pathway
      of ganglioside synthesis. Ganglioside depletion (to <0.5 nmol/10(7) cells from 9
      to 11 nmol/10(7) WT(t) or untransfected normal fibroblasts) did not adversely
      affect cell proliferation kinetics but did reduce cell migration on fibronectin
      coated wells, consistent with our previous observations in ganglioside-depleted
      normal human fibroblasts. Strikingly, despite similar oncogene expression and
      growth kinetics, DKO(t) cells evidenced significantly impaired tumor growth in
      syngeneic immunocompetent mice, underscoring the pivotal role of tumor cell
      gangliosides and providing an ideal system for probing their mechanisms of action
      in vivo.

PMID- 20305697
TI  - Role of CK1 in GSK3beta-mediated phosphorylation and degradation of snail.
AB  - The epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) that occurs during embryonic
      development has begun to attract attention as a potential mechanism for tumor
      cell metastasis. Snail is a well-known Zn-finger transcription factor that
      promotes EMT by repressing E-cadherin expression. It is known that Snail is
      phosphorylated by GSK3beta and degraded by beta-TrCP-mediated ubiquitination.
      Here we described another protein kinase, CK1, whose phosphorylation of Snail is
      required for the subsequent GSK3beta phosphorylation. Specific inhibition or
      depletion of CK1varepsilon inhibits the phosphorylation and degradation of Snail
      and promotes cell migration, suggesting a central role of CK1varepsilon in the
      EMT process. Furthermore, our study uncovered distinct roles and steps of Snail
      phosphorylation by CK1varepsilon and GSK3beta. Taken together, we identified
      CK1varepsilon as a new component of the Snail-mediated EMT process, providing
      insight into the mechanism of human cancer metastasis.

PMID- 20305698
TI  - Safety and efficacy of targeted busulfan therapy in children undergoing
      myeloablative matched sibling donor BMT for sickle cell disease.
AB  - Busulfan influences engraftment and toxicities during hematopoietic stem cell
      transplantation (HSCT). We report our single-institution experience of targeted
      busulfan therapy for myeloablative, matched sibling donor (MSD) HSCT for sickle
      cell disease (SCD) and assess the relationships of busulfan levels to engraftment
      and toxicities. Twenty-seven patients with SCD underwent MSD HSCT from 1993 to
      2007, 25 with busulfan measurements. The conditioning regimen was busulfan
      (initial dose 0.875 mg/kg for 16 doses), CY and antithymocyte globulin. Busulfan
      area under curve (AUC) was determined with the first dose, and dose adjustments
      were made to target the desired AUC range. Median AUC was 963 MUmol min/L (range
      780-1305 MUmol min/L). Engraftment occurred in all cases: 21 (84%) full donor
      chimerism (> 95% donor cells), 4 (16%) partial donor chimerism. Hepatic veno
      occlusive disease (VOD) occurred in 8 (32%) patients. Lower AUC was seen with
      partial donor chimerism (862 +/- 73 MUmol min/L) versus full donor chimerism (AUC
      1018 +/- 122 MUmol min/L) (P = 0.022). VOD was not associated with busulfan AUC
      (P = 0.153). Of 25 patients, 24 survived with median follow-up of 4.9 years. Our
      experience shows that targeting busulfan AUC above the range used in previous
      multicenter trials appears safe and may contribute to sustained engraftment in
      SCD.

PMID- 20305699
TI  - Comparison of donor chimerism following myeloablative and nonmyeloablative
      allogeneic hematopoietic SCT.
AB  - Surveillance of hematopoietic chimerism following hematopoietic SCT (HSCT) with
      nonmyeloablative (NMA) preparative regimens is standard to assess the need for
      clinical intervention. Monitoring of donor chimerism following HSCT with
      myeloablative (MA) preparative regimens is, however, not considered useful
      because engraftment is thought to occur rapidly and consistently. This study
      compares the timing of donor hematopoietic cell engraftment in patients
      undergoing NMA conditioning with fludarabine and TBI with those receiving MA
      conditioning with BU- or TBI-based regimens. Achievement of >= 90% donor
      leukocyte chimerism occurred rapidly and consistently in all three groups and
      time to achievement of >= 90% donor T cells was similar among the three groups (P
      = 0.57). Achievement of >= 90% donor leukocyte chimerism was not associated with
      risk of acute or chronic GVHD, graft rejection, relapse or all cause mortality in
      multivariate analyses. Donor T-cell chimerism of >= 90% was significantly
      associated with development of extensive chronic GVHD. The value of routine
      surveillance of chimerism following any of the preparative regimens used in this
      study should be reevaluated.

PMID- 20305700
TI  - Plerixafor plus granulocyte CSF can mobilize hematopoietic stem cells from
      multiple myeloma and lymphoma patients failing previous mobilization attempts: EU
      compassionate use data.
AB  - Plerixafor was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and
      the European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA) to enhance stem cell mobilization
      for autologous transplant in patients with lymphoma and multiple myeloma. In this
      study, we present the first European compassionate use experience in mobilization
      failures, patients who are hardest to remobilize but were not included in
      registration trials. A total of 56 consecutive patients from 15 centers in Spain
      and the United Kingdom were included: age 60 (33-69) years; 29 men (32 with
      myeloma and 24 with lymphoma); 2 lines of previous chemotherapy (1-10); 73
      previously failed mobilization attempts with G-CSF (28), chemotherapy plus G-CSF
      (43) or G-CSF plus SCF(2). Overall, 71% of patients reached >= 10 CD34+ cells per
      MUL with plerixafor on day 5 after a 7.6-fold expansion from day 4. A total of 42
      patients (75%) collected >= 2 * 106, average 3.0 +/- 1.7 (0.4-10.6) CD34+ cells
      per kg with plerixafor plus G-CSF. There were no severe drug-related adverse
      events. In all, 35 patients (63%) underwent transplant, receiving an average of
      3.1+/-1.2 (1.9-7.7) * 106 CD34+ cells per kg. All patients engrafted neutrophils
      (day 12; 13.4 +/- 0.8; 8-30) and platelets (day 15; 18.5 +/- 2.4; 8-33). In our
      experience, plerixafor offers an effective alternative to collect sufficient
      CD34+ cells for autologous SCT from patients who fail conventional mobilization
      methods, with good tolerance and a high success rate.

PMID- 20305701
TI  - Bortezomib and donor lymphocyte infusion in multiple myeloma relapsed after allo
      SCT does not result in durable remissions.

PMID- 20305702
TI  - Going straight to the point: intra-BM injection of hematopoietic progenitors.
AB  - Intra-BM injection (IBMI) has been used clinically as a technique to deliver
      medications, blood products and fluids to critically ill children and war-wounded
      soldiers. Interest in IBMI has now been renewed in the setting of hematopoietic
      cell transplantation, in particular when umbilical cord blood is the graft
      source. Clinical studies have not yet unequivocally shown improvement in
      hematopoietic recovery. However, most intriguing is the observation, both in the
      clinical setting and in murine models, that the IBMI delivery of hematopoietic
      grafts and lymphocytes may reduce in the risk of acute GVHD. The underlying
      mechanism of the reduced risk of GVHD requires further investigation. In this
      study, we review the rationale as well as the clinical and pre-clinical data that
      support the study of IBMI as a method to deliver hematopoietic cells.

PMID- 20305703
TI  - Plastic parasites: sophisticated strategies for survival and reproduction?
AB  - Adaptive phenotypic plasticity in life history traits, behaviours, and strategies
      is ubiquitous in biological systems. It is driven by variation in selection
      pressures across environmental gradients and operates under constraints imposed
      by trade-offs. Phenotypic plasticity has been thoroughly documented for
      multicellular taxa, such as insects, birds and mammals, and in many cases the
      underlying selective pressures are well understood. Whilst unicellular parasites
      face many of the same selective pressures and trade-offs, plasticity in their
      phenotypic traits has been largely overlooked and remains poorly understood.
      Here, we demonstrate that evolutionary theory, developed to explain variation
      observed in the life-history traits of multicellular organisms, can be applied to
      parasites. Though our message is general - we can expect the life-histories of
      all parasites to have evolved phenotypic plasticity - we focus our discussion on
      malaria parasites. We use an evolutionary framework to explain the trade-offs
      that parasites face and how plasticity in their life history traits will be
      expressed according to changes in their in-host environment. Testing whether
      variation in parasites traits is adaptive will provide new and fundamental
      insights into the basic biology of parasites, their epidemiology and the
      processes of disease during individual infections.

PMID- 20305704
TI  - Lack of fit in self modeling regression: application to pulse waveforms.
AB  - Self modeling regression (SEMOR) is an approach for modeling sets of observed
      curves that have a common shape (or sequence of features) but have variability in
      the amplitude (y-axis) and/or timing (x-axis) of the features across curves.
      SEMOR assumes the x and y axes for each observed curve can be separately
      transformed in a parametric manner so that the features across curves are aligned
      with the common shape, usually represented by non-parametric function. We show
      that when the common shape is modeled with a regression spline and the
      transformational parameters are modeled as random with the traditional
      distribution (normal with mean zero), the SEMOR model may surprisingly suffer
      from lack of fit and the variance components may be over-estimated. A random
      effects distribution that restricts the predicted random transformational
      parameters to have mean zero or the inclusion of a fixed transformational
      parameter improves estimation. Our work is motivated by arterial pulse pressure
      waveform data where one of the variance components is a novel measure of short
      term variability in blood pressure.

PMID- 20305705
TI  - Non-Markov multistate modeling using time-varying covariates, with application to
      progression of liver fibrosis due to hepatitis C following liver transplant.
AB  - Multistate modeling methods are well-suited for analysis of some chronic diseases
      that move through distinct stages. The memoryless or Markov assumptions typically
      made, however, may be suspect for some diseases, such as hepatitis C, where there
      is interest in whether prognosis depends on history. This paper describes methods
      for multistate modeling where transition risk can depend on any property of past
      progression history, including time spent in the current stage and the time taken
      to reach the current stage. Analysis of 901 measurements of fibrosis in 401
      patients following liver transplantation found decreasing risk of progression as
      time in the current stage increased, even when controlled for several fixed
      covariates. Longer time to reach the current stage did not appear associated with
      lower progression risk. Analysis of simulation scenarios based on the transplant
      study showed that greater misclassification of fibrosis produced more technical
      difficulties in fitting the models and poorer estimation of covariate effects
      than did less misclassification or error-free fibrosis measurement. The higher
      risk of progression when less time has been spent in the current stage could be
      due to varying disease activity over time, with recent progression indicating an
      "active" period and consequent higher risk of further progression.

PMID- 20305706
TI  - An introduction to causal inference.
AB  - This paper summarizes recent advances in causal inference and underscores the
      paradigmatic shifts that must be undertaken in moving from traditional
      statistical analysis to causal analysis of multivariate data. Special emphasis is
      placed on the assumptions that underlie all causal inferences, the languages used
      in formulating those assumptions, the conditional nature of all causal and
      counterfactual claims, and the methods that have been developed for the
      assessment of such claims. These advances are illustrated using a general theory
      of causation based on the Structural Causal Model (SCM) described in Pearl
      (2000a), which subsumes and unifies other approaches to causation, and provides a
      coherent mathematical foundation for the analysis of causes and counterfactuals.
      In particular, the paper surveys the development of mathematical tools for
      inferring (from a combination of data and assumptions) answers to three types of
      causal queries: those about (1) the effects of potential interventions, (2)
      probabilities of counterfactuals, and (3) direct and indirect effects (also known
      as "mediation"). Finally, the paper defines the formal and conceptual
      relationships between the structural and potential-outcome frameworks and
      presents tools for a symbiotic analysis that uses the strong features of both.
      The tools are demonstrated in the analyses of mediation, causes of effects, and
      probabilities of causation.

PMID- 20305707
TI  - Attributable fractions for sufficient cause interactions.
AB  - A number of results concerning attributable fractions for sufficient cause
      interactions are given. Results are given both for etiologic fractions (i.e. the
      proportion of the disease due to a particular sufficient cause) and for excess
      fractions (i.e. the proportion of disease that could be eliminated by removing a
      particular sufficient cause). Results are given both with and without assumptions
      of monotonicity. Under monotonicity assumptions, exact formulas can be given for
      the excess fraction. When etiologic fractions are of interest or when
      monotonicity assumptions do not hold for excess fractions then only lower bounds
      can be given. The interpretation of the results in this paper and in a proposal
      by Hoffmann et al. (2006) are discussed and compared. A method is described to
      estimate the lower bounds on attributable fractions using marginal structural
      models. Identification is discussed in settings in which time-dependent
      confounding may be present.

PMID- 20305708
TI  - Immediate reconstruction of complex hand trauma with iliac crest bone graft and 2
      pedicled fasciocutaneous skin flaps: a case report.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The decision about primary or staged reconstruction of all structures
      in severe hand injuries is controversial. The purpose of this case report is to
      present a surgical protocol that lead to good functional results and rapid
      recovery after primary bone grafting with pedicled flap coverage of a complex
      hand injury. METHODS: A case is reported in which 2 iliac crest bone grafts, an
      extended dorsal metacarpal artery flap and a heterodigital island flap, were
      performed at primary intervention to reconstruct the index and middle fingers of
      a 17-year-old patient. RESULTS: Length and sensation of the digits were fully
      preserved while the destroyed joints were fused and covered with mobile soft
      tissue. Hereby, a satisfactory pinch grip and hand closure was restored, allowing
      the patient to return to work after only 2 months. CONCLUSIONS: Given proper
      planning and adequate debridement, primary reconstruction of all injured
      structures should be considered when dealing with complex hand injuries.

PMID- 20305709
TI  - Transplant course: the art of liver transplantation.

PMID- 20305710
TI  - Adenosine and epilepsy-thinking beyond A(1) receptors.

PMID- 20305711
TI  - Cytotoxic effects of G(M1) ganglioside and amyloid beta-peptide on mouse
      embryonic neural stem cells.
AB  - AD (Alzheimer's disease) is a neurodegenerative disease and the most common form
      of dementia. One of the pathological hallmarks of AD is the aggregation of
      extracellular Abetas (amyloid beta-peptides) in senile plaques in the brain. The
      process could be initiated by seeding provided by an interaction between G(M1)
      ganglioside and Abetas. Several reports have documented the bifunctional roles of
      Abetas in NSCs (neural stem cells), but the precise effects of G(M1) and Abeta on
      NSCs have not yet been clarified. We evaluated the effect of G(M1) and Abeta-(1
      40) on mouse NECs (neuroepithelial cells), which are known to be rich in NSCs. No
      change of cell number was detected in NECs cultured in the presence of either
      G(M1) or Abeta-(1-40). On the contrary, a decreased number of NECs were cultured
      in the presence of a combination of G(M1) and Abeta-(1-40). The exogenously added
      G(M1) and Abeta-(1-40) were confirmed to incorporate into NECs. The Ras-MAPK
      (mitogen-activated protein kinase) pathway, important for cell proliferation, was
      intact in NECs simultaneously treated with G(M1) and Abeta-(1-40), but caspase 3
      was activated. NECs treated with G(M1) and Abeta-(1-40) were positive in the
      TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labelling)
      assay, an indicator of cell death. It was found that G(M1) and Abeta-(1-40)
      interacted in the presence of cholesterol and sphingomyelin, components of cell
      surface microdomains. The cytotoxic effect was found also in NSCs prepared via
      neurospheres. These results indicate that Abeta-(1-40) and G(M1) co-operatively
      exert a cytotoxic effect on NSCs, likely via incorporation into NEC membranes,
      where they form a complex for the activation of cell death signalling.

PMID- 20305712
TI  - Indigenous lands, protected areas, and slowing climate change.
AB  - Recent climate talks in Copenhagen reaffirmed the crucial role of reducing
      emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD). Creating and strengthening
      indigenous lands and other protected areas represents an effective, practical,
      and immediate REDD strategy that addresses both biodiversity and climate crises
      at once.

PMID- 20305713
TI  - Synopsis. Location matters: how spatial positioning of regulatory proteins
      produces divergent outcomes.

PMID- 20305714
TI  - Accelerating policy decisions to adopt haemophilus influenzae type B vaccine: a
      global, multivariable analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adoption of new and underutilized vaccines by national immunization
      programs is an essential step towards reducing child mortality. Policy decisions
      to adopt new vaccines in high mortality countries often lag behind decisions in
      high-income countries. Using the case of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
      vaccine, this paper endeavors to explain these delays through the analysis of
      country-level economic, epidemiological, programmatic and policy-related factors,
      as well as the role of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI
      Alliance). METHODS AND FINDINGS: Data for 147 countries from 1990 to 2007 were
      analyzed in accelerated failure time models to identify factors that are
      associated with the time to decision to adopt Hib vaccine. In multivariable
      models that control for Gross National Income, region, and burden of Hib disease,
      the receipt of GAVI support speeded the time to decision by a factor of 0.37 (95%
      CI 0.18-0.76), or 63%. The presence of two or more neighboring country adopters
      accelerated decisions to adopt by a factor of 0.50 (95% CI 0.33-0.75). For each
      1% increase in vaccine price, decisions to adopt are delayed by a factor of 1.02
      (95% CI 1.00-1.04). Global recommendations and local studies were not associated
      with time to decision. CONCLUSIONS: This study substantiates previous findings
      related to vaccine price and presents new evidence to suggest that GAVI
      eligibility is associated with accelerated decisions to adopt Hib vaccine. The
      influence of neighboring country decisions was also highly significant,
      suggesting that approaches to support the adoption of new vaccines should
      consider supply- and demand-side factors.

PMID- 20305715
TI  - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: effects beyond the lungs.

PMID- 20305716
TI  - Sequestration of the Abeta peptide prevents toxicity and promotes degradation in
      vivo.
AB  - Protein aggregation, arising from the failure of the cell to regulate the
      synthesis or degradation of aggregation-prone proteins, underlies many
      neurodegenerative disorders. However, the balance between the synthesis,
      clearance, and assembly of misfolded proteins into neurotoxic aggregates remains
      poorly understood. Here we study the effects of modulating this balance for the
      amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptide by using a small engineered binding protein
      (Z(Abeta3)) that binds with nanomolar affinity to Abeta, completely sequestering
      the aggregation-prone regions of the peptide and preventing its aggregation. Co
      expression of Z(Abeta3) in the brains of Drosophila melanogaster expressing
      either Abeta(42) or the aggressive familial associated E22G variant of Abeta(42)
      abolishes their neurotoxic effects. Biochemical analysis indicates that monomer
      Abeta binding results in degradation of the peptide in vivo. Complementary
      biophysical studies emphasize the dynamic nature of Abeta aggregation and reveal
      that Z(Abeta3) not only inhibits the initial association of Abeta monomers into
      oligomers or fibrils, but also dissociates pre-formed oligomeric aggregates and,
      although very slowly, amyloid fibrils. Toxic effects of peptide aggregation in
      vivo can therefore be eliminated by sequestration of hydrophobic regions in
      monomeric peptides, even when these are extremely aggregation prone. Our studies
      also underline how a combination of in vivo and in vitro experiments provide
      mechanistic insight with regard to the relationship between protein aggregation
      and clearance and show that engineered binding proteins may provide powerful
      tools with which to address the physiological and pathological consequences of
      protein aggregation.

PMID- 20305717
TI  - Spatial epigenetic control of mono- and bistable gene expression.
AB  - Bistability in signaling networks is frequently employed to promote stochastic
      switch-like transitions between cellular differentiation states. Differentiation
      can also be triggered by antagonism of activators and repressors mediated by
      epigenetic processes that constitute regulatory circuits anchored to the
      chromosome. Their regulatory logic has remained unclear. A reaction-diffusion
      model reveals that the same reaction mechanism can support both graded monostable
      and switch-like bistable gene expression, depending on whether recruited
      repressor proteins generate a single silencing gradient or two interacting
      gradients that flank a gene. Our experiments confirm that chromosomal recruitment
      of activator and repressor proteins permits a plastic form of control; the
      stability of gene expression is determined by the spatial distribution of
      silencing nucleation sites along the chromosome. The unveiled regulatory
      principles will help to understand the mechanisms of variegated gene expression,
      to design synthetic genetic networks that combine transcriptional regulatory
      motifs with chromatin-based epigenetic effects, and to control cellular
      differentiation.

PMID- 20305718
TI  - Synopsis. Memory is enhanced at behaviorally relevant times.

PMID- 20305719
TI  - The sexually antagonistic genes of Drosophila melanogaster.
AB  - When selective pressures differ between males and females, the genes experiencing
      these conflicting evolutionary forces are said to be sexually antagonistic.
      Although the phenotypic effect of these genes has been documented in both wild
      and laboratory populations, their identity, number, and location remains unknown.
      Here, by combining data on sex-specific fitness and genome-wide transcript
      abundance in a quantitative genetic framework, we identified a group of candidate
      genes experiencing sexually antagonistic selection in the adult, which correspond
      to 8% of Drosophila melanogaster genes. As predicted, the X chromosome is
      enriched for these genes, but surprisingly they represent only a small proportion
      of the total number of sex-biased transcripts, indicating that the latter is a
      poor predictor of sexual antagonism. Furthermore, the majority of genes whose
      expression profiles showed a significant relationship with either male or female
      adult fitness are also sexually antagonistic. These results provide a first
      insight into the genetic basis of intralocus sexual conflict and indicate that
      genetic variation for fitness is dominated and maintained by sexual antagonism,
      potentially neutralizing any indirect genetic benefits of sexual selection.

PMID- 20305720
TI  - Synopsis. Identifying genes that help one sex but harm the other.

PMID- 20305721
TI  - Enhanced memory for scenes presented at behaviorally relevant points in time.
AB  - The ability to remember a briefly presented scene depends on a number of factors,
      such as its saliency, novelty, degree of threat, or behavioral relevance to a
      task. Here, however, we show that the encoding of a scene into memory may depend
      not only on what the scene contains but also when it occurs. Participants
      performed an attentionally demanding target detection task at fixation while also
      viewing a rapid sequence of full-field photographs of urban and natural scenes.
      Participants were then tested on whether they recognized a specific scene from
      the previous sequence. We found that scenes were recognized reliably only when
      presented concurrently with a target at fixation. This is evidence of a mechanism
      where traces of a visual scene are automatically encoded into memory at
      behaviorally relevant points in time regardless of the spatial focus of
      attention.

PMID- 20305722
TI  - Enantioselective syntheses of candenatenins B and C using a chiral anthracene
      auxiliary.
AB  - An asymmetric synthesis of two anticancer natural products, candenatenins B and
      C, is described, leading to a revision of the originally assigned
      stereochemistry. The synthesis follows a Diels-Alder/retro-Diels Alder strategy
      using a chiral anthracene auxiliary to access both targets with 90% ee. The
      inherent structural qualities of the auxiliary allow for both regio- and
      diastereoselective transformations.

PMID- 20305723
TI  - Synthesis and In Vitro Evaluation of Taxol oxetane ring D precursors.
AB  - A series of potential taxoid substrates was prepared in radiolabelled form to
      probe in vitro for the oxirane formation step and subsequent ring expansion step
      to the oxetane (ring D) presumably involved in the biosynthesis of the anticancer
      agent Taxol. None of the taxoid test substrates underwent transformation in cell
      free systems from Taxus suggesting that these surrogates bore substitution
      patterns inappropriate for recognition or catalysis by the target enzymes, or
      that taxoid oxiranes and oxetanes arise by independent biosynthetic pathways.

PMID- 20305724
TI  - Reactive species and pulmonary edema.
AB  - Pulmonary edema occurs when fluid flux into the lung interstitium exceeds its
      removal, resulting in hypoxemia and even death. Noncardiogenic pulmonary edema
      (NPE) generally results when microvascular and alveolar permeability to plasma
      proteins increase, one possible etiology being oxidant injury. Reactive oxygen
      and nitrogen species (RONS) can modify or damage ion channels, such as epithelial
      sodium channels, which alters fluid balance. Experimental systems in which either
      RONS are increased or protective antioxidant mechanisms are decreased result in
      alterations of epithelial sodium channel activity and support the hypothesis that
      RONS are important in NPE. Both basic and clinical studies are needed to
      critically define the RONS-NPE connection and the capacity of antioxidant therapy
      (either alone or as a supplement to beta-agonists) to improve patient outcome.

PMID- 20305725
TI  - Production of Ag nanocubes on a scale of 0.1 g per batch by protecting the NaHS
      mediated polyol synthesis with argon.
AB  - Au nanocages synthesized from Ag nanocubes via the galvanic replacement reaction
      are finding widespread use in a range of applications because of their tunable
      optical properties. Most of these applications require the use of nanocages with
      a uniform size and in large quantities. This requirement translates into a demand
      for scaling up the production of Ag nanocubes with uniform, well-controlled
      sizes. Here we report such a method based on the modification of NaHS-mediated
      polyol synthesis with argon protection for fast reduction, which allows for the
      production of Ag nanocubes on a scale of 0.1 g per batch. The Ag nanocubes had an
      edge length tunable from 25 to 45 nm together with a size variation within +/-5
      nm. The use of argon protection was the key to the success of this scale-up
      synthesis, suggesting the importance of controlling oxidative etching during
      synthesis.

PMID- 20305726
TI  - Anterior-segment imaging for assessment of glaucoma.
AB  - This article summarizes the physics, technology and clinical application of
      ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) for
      assessment of the anterior segment in glaucoma. UBM systems use frequencies
      ranging from approximately 35 to 80 MHz, as compared with typical 10-MHz systems
      used for general-purpose ophthalmic imaging. OCT systems use low-coherence, near
      infrared light to provide detailed images of anterior segment structures at
      resolutions exceeding that of UBM. Both technologies allow visualization of the
      iridocorneal angle and, thus, can contribute to the diagnosis and management of
      glaucoma. OCT systems are advantageous, being noncontact proceedures and
      providing finer resolution than UBM, but UBM systems are superior for the
      visualization of retroiridal structures, including the ciliary body, posterior
      chamber and zonules, which can provide crucial diagnostic information for the
      assessment of glaucoma.

PMID- 20305728
TI  - Intra-individual Change in Personality Stability and Age.
AB  - The stability of individual differences in personality traits is typically
      examined at the group level with test-retest correlations across two assessments.
      For 684 subjects (age range 17-76) we computed individual coefficients from three
      sequential assessments to evaluate intra-individual (i.e., within-person) change
      in stability over time. For both trait and profile (ipsative) stability, results
      indicate that intra-individual stability increases up to age 30 and then
      plateaus. Neither demographic variables (sex, ethnicity, education, and secular
      trends), nor the standing on the five major dimensions of personality, were
      predictors of change in trait stability. Contrary to results from studies of
      adolescents, personality "maturity" was unrelated to personality stability in
      adulthood. These findings support the notion that personality stability plateaus
      early in adulthood.

PMID- 20305727
TI  - Management of cardiovascular complications in systemic lupus erythematosus.
AB  - Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in
      patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Patients with SLE have an
      excess risk compared with the general population; this is particularly pronounced
      in younger women with SLE who have an excess risk of over 50-fold compared with
      population controls. There is a higher prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis
      in patients with SLE compared with controls, as demonstrated by a variety of
      imaging modalities discussed in this review. The causality of the excess risk of
      CVD and subclinical atherosclerosis is multifactorial in patients with SLE. While
      traditional risk factors play a role, after controlling for the traditional
      Framingham risk factors, the excess risk is still 7.5-fold greater than the
      general population. This review will also cover novel cardiovascular risk factors
      and some SLE-specific variables that contribute to CVD risk. This review
      discusses the risk factor modification and the evidence available for treatment
      of these risk factors in SLE. There have not yet been any published randomized,
      controlled trials in patients with SLE with respect to CVD risk factor
      modifications. Thus, the treatment and management recommendations are based
      largely on published guidelines for other populations at high risk for CVD.

PMID- 20305730
TI  - Generalized empirical likelihood methods for analyzing longitudinal data.
AB  - Efficient estimation of parameters is a major objective in analyzing longitudinal
      data. We propose two generalized empirical likelihood based methods that take
      into consideration within-subject correlations. A nonparametric version of the
      Wilks theorem for the limiting distributions of the empirical likelihood ratios
      is derived. It is shown that one of the proposed methods is locally efficient
      among a class of within-subject variance-covariance matrices. A simulation study
      is conducted to investigate the finite sample properties of the proposed methods
      and compare them with the block empirical likelihood method by You et al. (2006)
      and the normal approximation with a correctly estimated variance-covariance. The
      results suggest that the proposed methods are generally more efficient than
      existing methods which ignore the correlation structure, and better in coverage
      compared to the normal approximation with correctly specified within-subject
      correlation. An application illustrating our methods and supporting the
      simulation study results is also presented.

PMID- 20305729
TI  - Implementation of molecular dynamics and its extensions with the coarse-grained
      UNRES force field on massively parallel systems; towards millisecond-scale
      simulations of protein structure, dynamics, and thermodynamics.
AB  - We report the implementation of our united-residue UNRES force field for
      simulations of protein structure and dynamics with massively parallel
      architectures. In addition to coarse-grained parallelism already implemented in
      our previous work, in which each conformation was treated by a different task, we
      introduce a fine-grained level in which energy and gradient evaluation are split
      between several tasks. The Message Passing Interface (MPI) libraries have been
      utilized to construct the parallel code. The parallel performance of the code has
      been tested on a professional Beowulf cluster (Xeon Quad Core), a Cray XT3
      supercomputer, and two IBM BlueGene/P supercomputers with canonical and replica
      exchange molecular dynamics. With IBM BlueGene/P, about 50 % efficiency and 120
      fold speed-up of the fine-grained part was achieved for a single trajectory of a
      767-residue protein with use of 256 processors/trajectory. Because of averaging
      over the fast degrees of freedom, UNRES provides an effective 1000-fold speed-up
      compared to the experimental time scale and, therefore, enables us to effectively
      carry out millisecond-scale simulations of proteins with 500 and more amino-acid
      residues in days of wall-clock time.

PMID- 20305731
TI  - Understanding Adolescent Delinquency: The Role of Older Siblings' Delinquency and
      Popularity with Peers.
AB  - The present study examined delinquency concordance and the moderating effects of
      younger sibling perceptions of older sibling popularity in a sample of 587
      adolescent sibling pairs. Using a social learning framework, and taking dyad
      composition into account, perceptions of popularity were hypothesized to
      strengthen siblings' concordance for delinquency. Older sibling delinquency
      significantly predicted younger sibling delinquency. Older sibling popularity was
      not important in predicting boys' delinquency. However, perceptions of older
      sibling popularity directly predicted reduced delinquency for girls with older
      sisters. A significant interaction effect was found for girls with older
      brothers. Older brother delinquency predicted girls' delinquency for girls who
      perceived their older brother to be relatively popular. There was no delinquency
      concordance for girls who perceived their older brothers to be less popular.

PMID- 20305732
TI  - Functional activities and immunohistochemical cellular distribution of
      glutathione s-transferases in normal, dysplastic, and squamous cell carcinoma
      human oral tissues.
AB  - Clinical data show a strong correlation between tobacco and alcohol use and the
      development of oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). While this association implies
      that the oral mucosa actively metabolizes carcinogens, there is little
      information which depicts the carcinogen metabolizing enzymes within the oral
      cavity. Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) primary function is to detoxify
      carcinogens by increasing their water solubility, GSTs represent key carcinogen
      metabolizing enzymes. Notably, individuals with a null phenotype for certain GST
      isoforms are at an increased risk to develop cancer. This study investigated the
      function and distribution of GSTs in human oral tissues. Our results from this
      pilot study showed a trend towards higher GST activities in SCC tissues relative
      to normal mucosa. Also, relative to normal tissues, the SCC and epithelial
      dysplasia samples showed a more intense and uniform GST intracellular
      distribution. GST activities are increased in many high grade cancers. Similarly,
      our data suggest that GST upregulation occurs in at least a subset of
      precancerous and malignant oral lesions.

PMID- 20305733
TI  - Viable cell sorting of dinoflagellates by multiparametric flow cytometry.
AB  - Electronic cell sorting for isolation and culture of dinoflagellates and other
      marine eukaryotic phytoplankton was compared to the traditional method of
      manually picking cells using a micropipette. Trauma to electronically sorted
      cells was not a limiting factor, as fragile dinoflagellates, such as Karenia
      brevis (Dinophyceae), survived electronic cell sorting to yield viable cells. The
      rate of successful isolation of large-scale (> 4 litres) cultures was higher for
      manual picking than for electronic cell sorting (2% vs 0.5%, respectively).
      However, manual picking of cells is more labor intensive and time consuming. Most
      manually isolated cells required repicking, as the cultures were determined not
      to be unialgal after a single round of isolation; whereas, no cultures obtained
      in this study from electronic single-cell sorting required resorting. A broad
      flow cytometric gating logic was employed to enhance species diversity. The
      percentages of unique genotypes produced by manual picking or electronic cell
      sorting were similar (57% vs 54%, respectively), and each approach produced a
      variety of dinoflagellate or raphidophyte genera. Alternatively, a highly
      restrictive gating logic was successfully used to target K. brevis from a natural
      bloom sample. Direct electronic single-cell sorting was more successful than
      utilizing a pre-enrichment sort followed by electronic single-cell sorting. The
      appropriate recovery medium may enhance the rate of successful isolations.
      Seventy percent of isolated cells were recovered in a new medium (RE) reported
      here, which was optimized for axenic dinoflagellate cultures. The greatest
      limiting factor to the throughput of electronic cell sorting is the need for
      manual postsort culture maintenance and assessment of the large number of
      isolated cells. However, when combined with newly developed automated methods for
      growth screening, electronic single-cell sorting has the potential to accelerate
      the discovery of new algal strains.

PMID- 20305734
TI  - Type-zero copper proteins.
AB  - Many proteins contain copper in a range of coordination environments, where it
      has various biological roles, such as transferring electrons or activating
      dioxygen. These copper sites can be classified by their function or spectroscopic
      properties. Those with a single copper atom are either type 1, with an intense
      absorption band near 600 nm, or type 2, with weak absorption in the visible
      region. We have built a novel copper(II) binding site within structurally
      modified Pseudomonas aeruginosa azurins that does not resemble either existing
      type, which we therefore call 'type zero'. X-ray crystallographic analysis shows
      that these sites adopt distorted tetrahedral geometries, with an unusually short
      Cu-O (G45 carbonyl) bond. Relatively weak absorption near 800 nm and narrow
      parallel hyperfine splittings in electron paramagnetic resonance spectra are the
      spectroscopic signatures of type zero copper. Cyclic voltammetric experiments
      demonstrate that the electron transfer reactivities of type-zero azurins are
      enhanced relative to that of the corresponding type 2 (C112D) protein.

PMID- 20305735
TI  - Choice, conditioned reinforcement, and the prius effect.
AB  - Psychologists have long been intrigued with the rationales that underlie our
      decisions. Similarly, the concept of conditioned reinforcement has a venerable
      history, particularly in accounting for behavior not obviously maintained by
      primary reinforcers. The studies of choice and of conditioned reinforcement have
      often developed in lockstep. Many contemporary approaches to these fundamental
      topics share an emphasis on context and on relative value. We trace the evolution
      of thinking about the potency of conditioned reinforcers from stimuli that were
      thought to acquire their value from pairings with more fundamental reinforcers to
      stimuli that acquire their value by being differentially correlated with these
      more fundamental reinforcers. We discuss some seminal experiments (including
      several that have been underappreciated) and some ongoing data, all of which have
      propelled us to the conclusion that the strength of conditioned reinforcers is
      determined by their signaling a relative improvement in the organism's relation
      to reinforcement.

PMID- 20305737
TI  - Singular Value Decomposition-based Alternative Splicing Detection.
AB  - Altered alternative splicing has been identified as an important factor in
      tumorigenesis. The Affymetrix exon tiling array is designed for detecting
      alternative splicing events in a transcriptome-wide fashion; however, there are
      currently few analysis tools that are well studied for effective detection of
      alternative splicing events. We propose a new screening procedure based on
      singular value decomposition (SVD) of the residual matrix from a robust additive
      model fit to probe selection region (PSR) data. With this approach, we analyze
      the exon tiling array data from a brain cancer study conducted at the M. D.
      Anderson Cancer Center, and show that the proposed SVD-based approach is able to
      better accommodate outlying measures and capitalize on the multidimensional group
      by-PSR gene expression profiles for more effective detection of group-specific
      alternative splicing events as well as the PSRs that are most likely associated
      with the alternative splicing. Lab validation confirmed some of our findings, but
      the list of candidates detected with our proposed method may provide a better
      signpost to guide further investigations.

PMID- 20305738
TI  - Multifunctional Nanoparticles as Biocompatible Targeted Probes for Human Cancer
      Diagnosis and Therapy.
AB  - The use of nanoparticles in biological application has been rapidly advancing
      toward practical applications in human cancer diagnosis and therapy. Upon linking
      the nanoparticles with biomolecules, they can be used to locate cancerous area as
      well as for traceable drug delivery with high affinity and specificity. In this
      review, we discuss the engineering of multifunctional nanoparticle probes and
      their use in bioimaging and nanomedicine.

PMID- 20305739
TI  - Non-parametric estimation of bivariate failure time associations in the presence
      of a competing risk.
AB  - Most research on the study of associations among paired failure times has either
      assumed time invariance or been based on complex measures or estimators. Little
      has accommodated competing risks. This paper targets the conditional cause
      specific hazard ratio, henceforth called the cause-specific cross ratio, a recent
      modification of the conditional hazard ratio designed to accommodate competing
      risks data. Estimation is accomplished by an intuitive, non-parametric method
      that localizes Kendall's tau. Time variance is accommodated through a
      partitioning of space into 'bins' between which the strength of association may
      differ. Inferential procedures are developed, small-sample performance is
      evaluated and the methods are applied to the investigation of familial
      association in dementia onset.

PMID- 20305736
TI  - Biomarkers of Psychological Stress in Health Disparities Research.
AB  - Psychological stress can contribute to health disparities in populations that are
      confronted with the recurring stress of everyday life. A number of biomarkers
      have been shown to be affected by psychological stress. These biomarkers include
      allostatic load, which is a summary measure of the cumulative biological burden
      of the repeated attempts to adapt to daily stress. Allostatic load includes
      effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, the sympathetic nervous system and
      the cardiovascular system. These in turn affect the immune system via
      bidirectional signaling pathways. Evidence is also building that psychological
      stress, perhaps via heightened inflammatory states, can increase oxidative stress
      levels and DNA damage. The inter-relationships of ethnicity, genotype, gene
      expression and ability to adequately mitigate stress response are just starting
      to be appreciated. The need to conduct these studies in disadvantaged populations
      is clear and requires methods to address potential logistical barriers.
      Biomarkers can help characterize and quantify the biological impact of
      psychological stress on the etiology of health disparities.

PMID- 20305741
TI  - The value of victory: social origins of the winner's curse in common value
      auctions.
AB  - Auctions, normally considered as devices facilitating trade, also provide a way
      to probe mechanisms governing one's valuation of some good or action. One of the
      most intriguing phenomena in auction behavior is the winner's curse - the strong
      tendency of participants to bid more than rational agent theory prescribes, often
      at a significant loss. The prevailing explanation suggests that humans have
      limited cognitive abilities that make estimating the correct bid difficult, if
      not impossible. Using a series of auction structures, we found that bidding
      approaches rational agent predictions when participants compete against a
      computer. However, the winner's curse appears when participants compete against
      other humans, even when cognitive demands for the correct bidding strategy are
      removed. These results suggest the humans assign significant future value to
      victories over human but not over computer opponents even though such victories
      may incur immediate losses, and that this valuation anomaly is the origin of
      apparently irrational behavior.

PMID- 20305740
TI  - Surgical and Interventional Robotics: Part III: Surgical Assistance Systems.

PMID- 20305742
TI  - Structural rearrangements in a lamellar diblock copolymer thin film during
      treatment with saturated solvent vapor.
AB  - We have investigated the structural changes in thin films of lamellar
      poly(styrene-b-butadiene) diblock copolymers during treatment with saturated
      cyclohexane vapor, a solvent slightly selective for polybutadiene. Using real
      time, in-situ grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS), the
      swelling and the rearrangement of the lamellae were investigated with a time
      resolution of a few seconds, and the underlying processes on the molecular level
      were identified. After a few minutes in vapor, a transient state with a more well
      defined and more long-range ordered lamellar orientation was encountered.
      Additional parallel lamellae formed which we attribute to the increased degree of
      coiling of the polymers in the swollen state. Eventually, the film became
      disordered. These changes are attributed to the increased mobility of the swollen
      polymers and the gradually decreasing segment-segment interaction parameter in
      the film as solvent is absorbed.

PMID- 20305743
TI  - Boundary Recovery For Delaunay Tetrahedral Meshes Using Local Topological
      Transformations.
AB  - Numerous high-quality, volume mesh-generation systems exist. However, no strategy
      can address all geometry situations without some element qualities being
      compromised. Many 3D mesh generation algorithms are based on Delaunay
      tetrahedralization which frequently fails to preserve the input boundary surface
      topology. For biomedical applications, this surface preservation can be critical
      as they usually contain multiple material regions of interest coherently
      connected. In this paper we present an algorithm as a post-processing method that
      optimizes local regions of compromised element quality and recovers the original
      boundary surface facets (triangles) regardless of the original mesh generation
      strategy. The algorithm carves out a small sub-volume in the vicinity of the
      missing boundary facet or compromised element, creating a cavity. If the task is
      to recover a surface boundary facet, a natural exit hole in the cavity will be
      present. This hole is patched with the missing boundary surface face first
      followed by other patches to seal the cavity. If the task was to improve a
      compromised region, then the cavity is already sealed. Every triangular facet of
      the cavity shell is classified as an active face and can be connected to another
      shell node creating a tetrahedron. In the process the base of the tetrahedron is
      removed from the active face list and potentially 3 new active faces are created.
      This methodology is the underpinnings of our last resort method. Each active face
      can be viewed as the trunk of a tree. An exhaustive breath and depth search will
      identify all possible tetrahedral combinations to uniquely fill the cavity. We
      have streamlined this recursive process reducing the time complexity by orders of
      magnitude. The original surfaces boundaries (internal and external) are fully
      restored and the quality of compromised regions improved.

PMID- 20305744
TI  - Effect of a soluble surfactant on a finite sized bubble motion in a blood vessel.
AB  - We present detailed results for the motion of a finite sized gas bubble in a
      blood vessel. The bubble (dispersed phase) size is taken to be such as to nearly
      occlude the vessel. The bulk medium is treated as a shear thinning Casson fluid
      and contains a soluble surfactant that adsorbs and desorbs from the interface.
      Three different vessel sizes, corresponding to a small artery, a large arteriole,
      and a small arteriole, in normal humans, are considered. The hematocrit (volume
      fraction of RBCs) has been taken to be 0.45. For arteriolar flow, where relevant,
      the Fahraeus-Lindqvist effect is taken into account. Bubble motion cause temporal
      and spatial gradients of shear stress at the cell surface lining the vessel wall
      as the bubble approaches the cell, moves over it and passes it by. Rapid
      reversals occur in the sign of the shear stress imparted to the cell surface
      during this motion. Shear stress gradients together with sign reversals are
      associated with a recirculation vortex at the rear of the moving bubble. The
      presence of the surfactant reduces the level of the shear stress gradients
      imparted to the cell surface as compared to an equivalent surfactant-free system.
      Our numerical results for bubble shapes and wall shear stresses may help explain
      phenomena observed in experimental studies related to gas embolism, a significant
      problem in cardiac surgery and decompression sickness.

PMID- 20305746
TI  - Accounting for accountability: a discourse analysis of psychiatric nurses'
      experience of a patient suicide.
AB  - Whilst the experience of a patient suicide is likely to have a significant impact
      upon the nurses who had been providing care, little work has actually explored
      this experience in any depth. In this article we explore how two psychiatric
      nurses construct and orient to accountability when talking of their experiences
      of a patient suicide. Discourse analysis was used to explore particular phases
      that the nurses oriented to in their accounts: scene setting; risk assessment;
      attributing for the suicide. Findings highlight the different, sometimes
      contradictory, ways the nurses attended to interactional concerns relating to
      implicit accountability and potential inferences of blame. Analysis of the
      nurses' talk can make a valuable contribution to understanding the nature and the
      impact of 'accountability' in a mental health setting and so help nurses and
      other professionals gain an insight into their practice. The results from this
      study suggest that as a consequence of internalising fundamentally unrealisable
      expectations regarding suicide prevention, nurses can hold themselves to blame
      raising significant concerns around their needs in terms of support, which may
      not be recognised. This paper also makes a valuable contribution to our
      methodological understanding and the value of using discourse analysis in this
      setting.

PMID- 20305745
TI  - Expanded network of inflammatory markers of atherogenesis: where are we now?
AB  - Inflammatory biomarkers play a pivotal role in atherosclerotic lesions. The
      plasma levels of these markers are predictive of adverse outcomes such as
      myocardial infarction and cardiovascular death. The immune system is involved at
      all stages of atherogenesis via activation of monocytes/macrophages and T
      lymphocytes. Circulating proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines produced by
      these cells interact with specific receptors on various cells and activate
      specific signaling pathways, leading to inflammation-induced atherosclerotic
      lesions. Recent studies have focused on predictive value of inflammatory
      biomarkers such as C-reactive protein and interleukin-6. These biomarkers were
      shown to be associated with poor quality of life and predictive of adverse events
      in coronary atherosclerosis and left ventricular dysfunction. Vascular predictive
      value of other numerous inflammatory markers is being investigated. We herein
      analyze the role of several mediators of inflammation, affecting vascular
      functions and leading toward atherosclerotic lesions.

PMID- 20305747
TI  - The foundations of neuroanthropology.

PMID- 20305748
TI  - Neuroanthropology: evolution and emotional embodiment.
AB  - The Decade of the Mind is a proposal for a research initiative focused on four
      areas of neuroscience, including mental health, high-level cognitive function,
      education, and computational applications. Organizing efforts to date have
      primarily included cognitive scientists, computer scientists, and engineers, as
      well as physicians. At the same time anthropologists have started to explore the
      implications of neuroscience for understanding culture. Here we suggest that
      evolutionary neuroscience can be used to bridge knowledge obtained by social
      scientists with that obtained in the neurosciences for a more complete
      appreciation of the mind. We consider such a perspective as neuroanthropology. We
      use embodiment, an anthropological concept that has been substantiated by recent
      findings in neuroscience, to illustrate an integrative biocultural approach
      within neuroanthropology and suggest future possible directions for research.

PMID- 20305749
TI  - Salt content in canteen and fast food meals in Denmark.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A high salt (=NaCl) intake is associated with high blood pressure,
      and knowledge of salt content in food and meals is important, if the salt intake
      has to be decreased in the general population. OBJECTIVE: To determine the salt
      content in worksite canteen meals and fast food. DESIGN: For the first part of
      this study, 180 canteen meals were collected from a total of 15 worksites with in
      house catering facilities. Duplicate portions of a lunch meal were collected from
      12 randomly selected employees at each canteen on two non-consecutive days. For
      the second part of the study, a total of 250 fast food samples were collected
      from 52 retail places representing both city (Aarhus) and provincial towns. The
      canteen meals and fast food samples were analyzed for chloride by potentiometric
      titration with silver nitrate solution, and the salt content was estimated.
      RESULTS: The salt content in lunch meals in worksite canteens were 3.8+/-1.8 g
      per meal and 14.7+/-5.1 g per 10 MJ for men (n=109), and 2.8+/-1.2 g per meal and
      14.4+/-6.2 g per 10 MJ for women (n=71). Salt content in fast food ranged from
      11.8+/-2.5 g per 10 MJ (burgers) to 16.3+/-4.4 g per 10 MJ (sausages) with a mean
      content of 13.8+/-3.8 g per 10 MJ. CONCLUSION: Salt content in both fast food and
      in worksite canteen meals is high and should be decreased.

PMID- 20305750
TI  - Chemoenzymatic Syntheses of Tumor-Associated Carbohydrate Antigen Globo-H and
      Stage-Specific Embryonic Antigen 4.
AB  - Gangliosides have attracted much attention due to their important biological
      properties. Herein, we report the first chemoenzymatic syntheses of two globo
      series of ganglioside oligosaccharides, Globo-H 1 and stage-specific embryonic
      antigen-4 (SSEA-4) 2. The common precursor SSEA-3 pentasaccharide for these two
      compounds was assembled rapidly using the pre-activation based one-pot
      glycosylation method. The stereoselectivity in forming the 1,2-cis linkage in
      SSEA-3 was attributed to a steric buttressing effect of the donor rather than
      electronic properties of the glycosyl donors. SSEA-3 was then successfully
      fucosylated by the fucosyltransferase WbsJ and sialylated by sialyltransferases
      CST-I and PmST1 producing Globo-H and SSEA-4 respectively.

PMID- 20305751
TI  - Dendritic bundles, minicolumns, columns, and cortical output units.
AB  - THE SEARCH FOR THE FUNDAMENTAL BUILDING BLOCK OF THE CEREBRAL CORTEX HAS
      HIGHLIGHTED THREE STRUCTURES, PERPENDICULAR TO THE CORTICAL SURFACE: (i) columns
      of neurons with radially invariant response properties, e.g., receptive field
      position, sensory modality, stimulus orientation or direction, frequency tuning
      etc., (ii) minicolumns of radially aligned cell bodies and (iii) bundles,
      constituted by the apical dendrites of pyramidal neurons with cell bodies in
      different layers. The latter were described in detail, and sometimes
      quantitatively, in several species and areas. It was recently suggested that the
      dendritic bundles consist of apical dendrites belonging to neurons projecting
      their axons to specific targets. We review the concept above and suggest that
      another structural and computational unit of cerebral cortex is the cortical
      output unit, i.e., an assembly of bundles of apical dendrites and their parent
      cell bodies including each of the outputs to distant cortical or subcortical
      structures, of a given cortical locus (area or part of an area). This somato
      dendritic assembly receives inputs some of which are common to the whole assembly
      and determine its radially invariant response properties, others are specific to
      one or more dendritic bundles, and determine the specific response signature of
      neurons in the different cortical layers and projecting to different targets.

PMID- 20305752
TI  - Behavioral and neurobiological changes in C57BL/6 mouse exposed to cuprizone:
      effects of antipsychotics.
AB  - Recent human studies suggest a role for altered oligodendrocytes in the
      pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Our recent animal study has reported some
      schizophrenia-like behaviors in mice exposed to cuprizone (Xu et al., 2009), a
      copper chelator that has been shown to selectively damage the white matter. This
      study was to explore mechanisms underlying the behavioral changes in cuprizone
      exposed mice and to examine effects of the antipsychotics haloperidol, clozapine
      and quetiapine on the changes in the mice. Mice given cuprizone for 14 days
      showed a deficit in the prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle response and
      higher dopamine in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which changes were not seen in
      mice given cuprizone plus antipsychotics. Mice given cuprizone for 21 days showed
      lower spontaneous alternations in Y-maze, which was not seen in mice treated with
      cuprizone plus the antipsychotics. Mice given cuprizone for 28 days displayed
      less social interactions, which was not seen in mice given cuprizone plus
      clozapine/quetiapine, but was seen in mice given cuprizone plus haloperidol. Mice
      given cuprizone for 42 days showed myelin sheath loss and lower myelin basic
      protein in PFC, caudate putamen, and hippocampus. The white matter damage in PFC
      was attenuated in mice given cuprizone plus clozapine/haloperidol. But the white
      matter damage in caudate putamen and hippocampus was only attenuated by clozapine
      and quetiapine, not by haloperidol. These results help us to understand the
      behavioral changes and provide experimental evidence for the protective effects
      of antipsychotics on white matter damage in cuprizone-exposed mice.

PMID- 20305753
TI  - Graded representations of emotional expressions in the left superior temporal
      sulcus.
AB  - Perceptual categorization is a fundamental cognitive process that gives meaning
      to an often graded sensory environment. Previous research has subdivided the
      visual pathway into posterior regions that processes the physical properties of a
      stimulus, and frontal regions that process more abstract properties such as
      category information. The superior temporal sulcus (STS) is known to be involved
      in face and emotion perception, but the nature of its processing remains unknown.
      Here, we used targeted fMRI measurements of the STS to investigate whether its
      representations of facial expressions are categorical or noncategorical.
      Multivoxel pattern analysis showed that even though subjects were performing a
      categorization task, the left STS contained graded, noncategorical
      representations. In the right STS, representations showed evidence for both
      stimulus-related gradations and a categorical boundary.

PMID- 20305754
TI  - Nutritient intake of young children with Prader-Willi syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a rare genetic disorder resulting in
      obesity. The diets for young children with PWS must balance the importance of
      preventing development of obesity with the need to supply sufficient energy and
      essential nutrients. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the nutritional intake for
      children with PWS 2, 3, and 4 years of age and compare it with Nordic Nutritional
      Recommendations (NNR) and intake of healthy controls. DESIGN: Assessments of food
      intake for six children 2-4 years of age were performed twice a year. At the age
      of 2 and 3 years data was obtained by using food recall interviews and at 4 year
      of age a pre-coded food-diary was used. RESULTS: The energy intake for the 2-year
      old children was 3.25 MJ/day (SD 0.85) and for the 3- and 4-year olds 3.62 MJ/day
      (SD 0.73) and 4.07 MJ/day (SD 0.39 MJ), respectively. These intakes are 61%, 68%,
      and 77% of the estimated energy requirements in NNR for healthy 2-, 3- and 4-year
      old children, respectively, and 60% and 66% of the energy intakes of 2- and 4
      year-old children in reference populations. The children's BMI-for-age score and
      length growth was within the normal range during the study period. The intake of
      fat was about 25 E% in all age groups and reduced when compared with reference
      populations. In 25% of the assessments the fat intake was 20 E% or below. The
      intake of iron was below recommendations in all age groups both with and without
      supplementation. The mean intake of vitamin D and tocopherol was below
      recommendations when intakes were determined excluding dietary supplementations.
      CONCLUSIONS: More large-scale investigations on nutritional intake are needed to
      further investigate dietary challenges for this patient group.

PMID- 20305755
TI  - Hebbian Reweighting on Stable Representations in Perceptual Learning.
AB  - Perceptual learning is the improvement in perceptual task performance with
      practice or training. The observation of specificity in perceptual learning has
      been widely associated with plasticity in early visual cortex representations.
      Here, we review the evidence supporting the plastic reweighting of readout from
      stable sensory representations, originally proposed by Dosher & Lu (1998), as an
      alternative explanation of perceptual learning. A task-analysis that identifies
      circumstances in which specificity supports representation enhancement and those
      in which it implies reweighting provides a framework for evaluating the
      literature; reweighting is broadly consistent with the behavioral results and
      almost all of the physiological reports. We also consider the evidence that the
      primary mode of perceptual learning is through augmented Hebbian learning of the
      reweighted associations, which has implications for the role and importance of
      feedback. Feedback is not necessary for perceptual learning, but can improve it
      in some circumstances, and in some cases block feedback is also helpful - all
      effects that are generally compatible with an augmented Hebbian model (Petrov,
      Dosher, & Lu, 2005). The two principles of perceptual learning through
      reweighting evidence from stable sensory representations and of augmented Hebbian
      learning provide a theoretical structure for the consideration of issues such as
      task difficulty, task roving, and cuing in perceptual learning.

PMID- 20305756
TI  - Tumor and liver determinants of prognosis in unresectable hepatocellular
      carcinoma: a large case cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: 967 patients with unresectable and untransplantable, biopsy-proven
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were prospectively evaluated at baseline and
      followed up till death. Survival was the end point. RESULTS: We found that male
      gender, ascites, cirrhosis, portal vein thrombosis (PVT), elevated AFP or
      bilirubin, or alkaline phosphatase, were each statistically significant adverse
      prognostic factors. Patients with normal AFP survived longer than those with
      elevated AFP, even in the presence of PVT, large or bilobar tumors or cirrhosis.
      We used a bivariate analysis to separate patient sub groups based on liver
      function and tumor characteristics and found clear discrimination in survival
      between subsets; in addition both cirrhosis and presence of PVT were significant
      factors. We also used a purely mathematical approach to derive subgroups and a
      prognostic model for individual patients. Interestingly, the two approaches gave
      similar predictive information, which opens the possibility of a more detailed
      mathematical analysis in the future. The results of this large dataset show that
      amongst non-surgical HCC patients, there are clear subsets with longer survival.
      CONCLUSION: The data supports the concept of heterogeneity of HCC. The three
      factors, bilirubin, AFP, and PVT predominate in prognosis.

PMID- 20305757
TI  - Fatty liver disease in children: eat now pay later.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: With the recent epidemic in childhood obesity, nonalcoholic fatty
      liver disease (NAFLD) has become an emerging problem and a common cause of
      chronic liver disease in children. METHODS: In this review, the most recent
      insights on the pathogenesis, diagnosis, natural history, and treatment of NAFLD
      in children are discussed.

PMID- 20305759
TI  - Outcomes for patients following hepatic resection of metastatic tumors from
      gastric cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Although several studies have reported the efficacy of hepatic resection
      for the long-term survival of patients with gastric cancer metastases, the
      optimal treatment remains to be determined. METHODS: Seventeen patients underwent
      a hepatic resection for gastric cancer metastases at the National Defense Medical
      College Hospital. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical outcomes of surgical
      resection and identified factors associated with prognosis for patients who
      underwent hepatectomy for gastric cancer metastases. RESULTS: In 17 patients, the
      accumulated 5-year survival rate after hepatic resection was 31.5% and the median
      survival time was 34 months. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that
      gastric tumors less than 6.0 cm and D2 lymphadenectomy were the most important
      predictors of survival. The five patients who survived more than 5 years after
      hepatic resection had a D2 lymphadenectomy, modest lymphatic invasion, primary
      gastric tumors less than 6.0 cm, and a solitary liver metastasis. CONCLUSION:
      Although recent progress in adjuvant therapy should be the key to a good
      prognosis, we believe that surgical resection may bring some hope of long-term
      survival for judiciously selected patients with hepatic metastases from gastric
      cancer.

PMID- 20305758
TI  - Chronic hepatitis B: whom to treat and for how long? Propositions, challenges,
      and future directions.
AB  - Recent guidelines of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases,
      the European Association for the Study of the Liver, and the Asian Pacific
      Association for the Study of the Liver 2008 update of the "Asian-Pacific
      consensus statement on the management of chronic hepatitis B" offer comprehensive
      recommendations for the general management of chronic hepatitis B (CHB). These
      recommendations highlight preferred approaches to the prevention, diagnosis, and
      treatment of CHB. Nonetheless, the results of recent studies have led to an
      improved understanding of the disease and a belief that current recommendations
      on specific therapeutic considerations, including CHB treatment initiation and
      cessation criteria, particularly in patient populations with special
      circumstances, can be improved. Twelve experts from the Asia-Pacific region
      formed the Asia-Pacific Panel Recommendations for the Optimal Management of
      Chronic Hepatitis B (APPROACH) Working Group to review, challenge, and assess
      relevant new data and inform future updates of CHB treatment guidelines. The
      significance of and controversy about reported findings were discussed and
      debated in an expert meeting of the Working Group in Beijing, China, in November
      2008. This review paper attempts to identify areas requiring improved CHB
      management and provide suggestions for future guideline updates, with special
      emphasis on treatment initiation and duration.

PMID- 20305760
TI  - Efficacy and resistance of entecavir following 3 years of treatment of Japanese
      patients with lamivudine-refractory chronic hepatitis B.
AB  - PURPOSE: Lamivudine treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is associated with
      frequent resistance and loss of clinical benefit. We present outcomes of
      lamivudine-refractory Japanese patients treated with entecavir for 3 years.
      METHODS: Eighty-two patients refractory to lamivudine therapy received entecavir
      0.5 or 1 mg daily for 52 weeks in phase II study ETV-052, directly entered
      rollover study ETV-060, and received entecavir 1 mg daily. Responses were
      evaluated among patients with available samples. RESULTS: After 96 weeks in ETV
      060 (148 weeks total entecavir treatment time), 55%(36/65) of patients had
      hepatitis B virus(HBV) DNA of?400 copies/mL, 85% (52/61) had alanine
      aminotransferase (ALT) of <=1 * upper limit of normal (ULN), and 14.6% (7/48)
      achieved HBe seroconversion.A subset of 42 patients received entecavir 1 mg from
      phase II baseline through 148 weeks: 54% (19/35) had HBV DNA of <400 copies/mL,
      84% (27/32) had ALT of <=1 * ULN, and 15% (4/27) achieved HBe
      seroconversion.Sixteen patients in the 1-mg subset had baseline and week 148
      evaluable biopsy pairs: 81% (13/16) showed histologic improvement and 38% (6/16)
      showed improvement in fibrosis. Genotypic resistance to entecavir emerged in 31
      patients for a 3-year cumulative resistance probability of 35.9%. Entecavir was
      generally well tolerated during ETV-060, with no on-treatment ALT flares.
      CONCLUSIONS: Long-term entecavir treatment of lamivudine-refractory CHB resulted
      in virologic suppression, ALT normalization, and improvements in liver histology.
      Resistance was consistent with that observed in worldwide studies.

PMID- 20305761
TI  - Clinicopathological significance of RASSF1A reduced expression and
      hypermethylation in hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: Protein downregulation and hypermethylation of Ras association domain
      family 1A (RASSF1A) has been recognized as an important early event in different
      classes of carcinogenesis, but clinicopathological significance of RASSF1A
      protein expression and methylation in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains
      largely unknown. The aim of the study was to investigate the expression of
      RASSF1A protein and methylation in HCC and their clinical significance. METHODS:
      Immunohistochemistry was employed to detect the expression of RASSF1A proteins in
      liver tissue microarrays. Aberrant promoter hypermethylation of RASSF1A was
      investigated in DNA from HCC, matching noncancerous tissues and serum of 35 HCC
      patients by methylation-specific PCR. RESULTS: RASSF1A protein expression in HCC
      was significantly lower than that in noncancerous (p = 0.015) and paracancerous
      tissues (p = 0.017). In addition, reduced RASSF1A protein expression is related
      to TNM stage, metastasis, alpha-fetoprotein, portal vein embolus, capsular
      infiltration, and multiple tumor nodes. Furthermore, RASSF1A promoter methylation
      in HCC was significantly higher than that in noncancerous liver tissues (p <
      0.05). Meanwhile, RASSF1A promoter hypermethylation was detected in 14 in the
      serum DNA from HCC patients, whereas no hypermethylation was detected in the
      normal controls. Hypermethylation of RASSF1A in HCC serum and tissues was
      negatively correlated with the expression of RASSF1A protein expression (p <
      0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The loss or abnormal protein downregulation and the promoter
      hypermethylation of RASSF1A could play important roles in the tumorigenesis
      development and metastases of HCC. The detection of the promoter hypermethylation
      of RASSF1A in serum DNA could be a valuable biomarker for early-stage diagnosis
      in populations at high risk of HCC.

PMID- 20305762
TI  - Deep vein thrombosis in patients with advanced liver cirrhosis: a rare condition?
AB  - PURPOSE: Patients with liver cirrhosis are generally considered to be "auto
      anticoagulated" because of coagulopathy and thrombocytopenia. However, deep vein
      thrombosis (DVT) has been reported in patients with liver cirrhosis. The
      objectives of this study were to know the prevalence of DVT among cirrhotic
      patients and to compare clinical pictures between cirrhotic patients with and
      without DVT. METHODS: A case-control study was performed on the basis of medical
      record data of patients with liver cirrhosis admitted between August 2004 and
      July 2007 in Medistra hospital in Jakarta. Diagnosis of DVT was established by
      duplex Doppler ultrasonography of the lower extremities. Patients with splanchnic
      thrombosis were excluded from this study. Diagnosis of liver cirrhosis was based
      on history and clinical manifestation, consistent with liver cirrhosis and
      confirmed by ultrasonography or computed tomography. RESULTS: A total of 256
      patients with liver cirrhosis were included in this study; 164 (64.1%) among them
      were men. Patients' mean age was 60.5 +/- 12.5 years, ranging from 16 to 88
      years. Viral hepatitis accounted for 74.6% of patients with liver cirrhosis. DVT
      was found in 12 (4.7%) patients. There was no significant laboratory difference
      between cirrhotic patients with and without DVT (serum albumin, platelet count,
      aminotransferases, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, alkaline phosphatase, total
      bilirubin levels, and prothrombin time). Diabetes mellitus was significantly
      higher in the DVT group than that in the control group (66.6 vs. 34.0%, P =
      0.025). Multivariate analysis confirmed diabetes mellitus as an independent risk
      factor for the occurrence of DVT (odds ratio = 4.26; 95% confidence interval =
      1.206-15.034; P = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of DVT in patients with
      liver cirrhosis was 4.7%, and Deep vein thrombosis is not a rare condition in
      cirrhotic patients with coagulopathy and warrants further studies on the
      mechanisms and prevention.

PMID- 20305763
TI  - Periocular plastic surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Good vision depends on the normal anatomy and function of the eyelids
      and orbital structures. The goals of periocular ophthalmic plastic surgery are
      the anatomical and functional preservation and restoration of the lids, orbits,
      and periorbital structures when they are affected by congenital or acquired
      malpositions, defects and mass lesions. In this region, functional and esthetic
      considerations are closely linked. METHOD: This review is based on selected
      articles retrieved by a PubMed search, the guidelines of the German
      Ophthalmologists' Association (Bundesverband der Augenarzte, BVA) and German
      Ophthalmological Society (Deutsche Ophthalmologische Gesellschaft, DOG), and the
      authors' own clinical and scientific experience. RESULTS: The surgical correction
      of eyelid malpositions is based on the restoration of normal anatomy with
      attention to function. Eyelids are reconstructed with a combination of local
      flaps and free grafts, preferably from the periorbital structures. Orbital
      procedures are usually performed in specialized centers, by multidisciplinary
      surgical teams if necessary. The surgical approaches are becoming ever smaller
      and cosmetically less noticeable. For patients with acquired anophthalmos, the
      use of orbital implants is essential for optimal fitting of the prosthesis.
      CONCLUSION: Modern periocular plastic surgery exploits an extensive range of
      specialized surgical techniques to treat a wide variety of abnormalities and
      diseases in this region. The success of such procedures depends on thorough
      knowledge of the complex anatomy and physiology of these structures as well as on
      the surgeon's expertise in microsurgical techniques.

PMID- 20305764
TI  - Rare pathologies.

PMID- 20305765
TI  - Polymerase chain reaction.

PMID- 20305766
TI  - Non-tuberculous mycobacteria.

PMID- 20305767
TI  - Lymphoblastic neoplasia.

PMID- 20305768
TI  - Differences to tuberculosis.

PMID- 20305769
TI  - Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis.

PMID- 20305770
TI  - Disseminated non-tuberculous mycobacteriosis.

PMID- 20305772
TI  - Preferring blue light-filtering lenses.

PMID- 20305774
TI  - The epidemiology, etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of osteoarthritis of the
      knee.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease of adults worldwide.
      Its incidence rises with age. Both intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors promote
      its development. In men aged 60 to 64, the right knee is more commonly affected;
      in women, the right and left knees are affected with nearly equal frequency.
      METHODS: The PubMed, Medline, Embase and Cochrane Library databases were
      selectively searched for current studies (up to September 2009; case reports
      excluded) on the epidemiology, etiology, diagnosis, staging, and treatment of
      osteoarthritis of the knee. The search terms were "gonarthrosis," "prevention,"
      "conservative treatment," "joint preservation," "physical activity,"
      "arthroscopy," "osteotomy," "braces," "orthoses," and "osteoarthritis knee
      joint." RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Osteoarthritis is not yet a curable disease, and
      its pathogenesis remains unclear. The best treatment for osteoarthritis of the
      knee is prevention. The goal of therapy is to alleviate clinical manifestations.
      The therapeutic spectrum ranges from physiotherapy and orthopedic aids to
      pharmacotherapy and surgery.

PMID- 20305775
TI  - Formation of silicon-carbon bonds by photochemical irradiation of (eta
      C(5)H(5))Fe(CO)(2)SiR(3) and (eta-C(5)H(5))Fe(CO)(2)Me to obtain R(3)SiMe.
AB  - Photochemical irradiation of an equimolar mixture of (eta(5)
      C(5)H(5))Fe(CO)(2)SiR(3), FpSiR(3), and FpMe leads to the efficient formation of
      the silicon-carbon coupled product R(3)SiMe, R(3) = Me(3), Me(2)Ph, MePh(2),
      Ph(3), ClMe(2), Cl(2)Me, Cl(3), Me(2)Ar (Ar = C(6)H(4)X, X = F, OMe, CF(3),
      NMe(2). Similar chemistry occurs with related germyl and stannyl complexes at
      slower rates, Si > Ge> >>Sn. Substitution of an aryl hydrogen in
      FpSiMe(2)C(6)H(4)R' has little effect upon the rate of the reaction whereas
      progressive substitution of methyl groups on silicon by Cl slows the process.
      Also changing FpMe to FpCH(2)SiMe(3) dramatically slows the reaction as does the
      use of (eta(5)-C(5)Me(5))Fe(CO)(2) derivatives. A mechanism involving the initial
      formation of the 16e(-) intermediate (eta(5)-C(5)H(5))Fe(CO)Me followed by
      oxidative addition of the Fe-Si bond, accounts for the experimental results
      obtained.

PMID- 20305776
TI  - Putting culture under the 'spotlight' reveals universal information use for face
      recognition.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Eye movement strategies employed by humans to identify conspecifics
      are not universal. Westerners predominantly fixate the eyes during face
      recognition, whereas Easterners more the nose region, yet recognition accuracy is
      comparable. However, natural fixations do not unequivocally represent information
      extraction. So the question of whether humans universally use identical facial
      information to recognize faces remains unresolved. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL
      FINDINGS: We monitored eye movements during face recognition of Western Caucasian
      (WC) and East Asian (EA) observers with a novel technique in face recognition
      that parametrically restricts information outside central vision. We used
      'Spotlights' with Gaussian apertures of 2 degrees, 5 degrees or 8 degrees
      dynamically centered on observers' fixations. Strikingly, in constrained
      Spotlight conditions (2 degrees and 5 degrees) observers of both cultures
      actively fixated the same facial information: the eyes and mouth. When
      information from both eyes and mouth was simultaneously available when fixating
      the nose (8 degrees), as expected EA observers shifted their fixations towards
      this region. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Social experience and cultural factors
      shape the strategies used to extract information from faces, but these results
      suggest that external forces do not modulate information use. Human beings rely
      on identical facial information to recognize conspecifics, a universal law that
      might be dictated by the evolutionary constraints of nature and not nurture.

PMID- 20305777
TI  - New sequence variants in HLA class II/III region associated with susceptibility
      to knee osteoarthritis identified by genome-wide association study.
AB  - Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common disease that has a definite genetic component.
      Only a few OA susceptibility genes that have definite functional evidence and
      replication of association have been reported, however. Through a genome-wide
      association study and a replication using a total of approximately 4,800 Japanese
      subjects, we identified two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs7775228 and
      rs10947262) associated with susceptibility to knee OA. The two SNPs were in a
      region containing HLA class II/III genes and their association reached genome
      wide significance (combined P = 2.43x10(-8) for rs7775228 and 6.73x10(-8) for
      rs10947262). Our results suggest that immunologic mechanism is implicated in the
      etiology of OA.

PMID- 20305778
TI  - FragKB: structural and literature annotation resource of conserved peptide
      fragments and residues.
AB  - BACKGROUND: FragKB (Fragment Knowledgebase) is a repository of clusters of
      structurally similar fragments from proteins. Fragments are annotated with
      information at the level of sequence, structure and function, integrating
      biological descriptions derived from multiple existing resources and text mining.
      METHODOLOGY: FragKB contains approximately 400,000 conserved fragments from 4,800
      representative proteins from PDB. Literature annotations are extracted from more
      than 1,700 articles and are available for over 12,000 fragments. The underlying
      systematic annotation workflow of FragKB ensures efficient update and maintenance
      of this database. The information in FragKB can be accessed through a web
      interface that facilitates sequence and structural visualization of fragments
      together with known literature information on the consequences of specific
      residue mutations and functional annotations of proteins and fragment clusters.
      FragKB is accessible online at http://ubio.bioinfo.cnio.es/biotools/fragkb/.
      SIGNIFICANCE: The information presented in FragKB can be used for modeling
      protein structures, for designing novel proteins and for functional
      characterization of related fragments. The current release is focused on
      functional characterization of proteins through inspection of conservation of the
      fragments.

PMID- 20305779
TI  - Principles and determinants of G-protein coupling by the rhodopsin-like
      thyrotropin receptor.
AB  - In this study we wanted to gain insights into selectivity mechanisms between G
      protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) and different subtypes of G-proteins. The
      thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) binds G-proteins promiscuously and activates both Gs
      (cAMP) and Gq (IP). Our goal was to dissect selectivity patterns for both
      pathways in the intracellular region of this receptor. We were particularly
      interested in the participation of poorly investigated receptor parts.We
      systematically investigated the amino acids of intracellular loop (ICL) 1 and
      helix 8 using site-directed mutagenesis alongside characterization of cAMP and IP
      accumulation. This approach was guided by a homology model of activated TSHR in
      complex with heterotrimeric Gq, using the X-ray structure of opsin with a bound G
      protein peptide as a structural template.We provide evidence that ICL1 is
      significantly involved in G-protein activation and our model suggests potential
      interactions with subunits G alpha as well as G betagamma. Several amino acid
      substitutions impaired both IP and cAMP accumulation. Moreover, we found a few
      residues in ICL1 (L440, T441, H443) and helix 8 (R687) that are sensitive for Gq
      but not for Gs activation. Conversely, not even one residue was found that
      selectively affects cAMP accumulation only. Together with our previous
      mutagenesis data on ICL2 and ICL3 we provide here the first systematically
      completed map of potential interfaces between TSHR and heterotrimeric G-protein.
      The TSHR/Gq-heterotrimer complex is characterized by more selective interactions
      than the TSHR/Gs complex. In fact the receptor interface for binding Gs is a
      subset of that for Gq and we postulate that this may be true for other GPCRs
      coupling these G-proteins. Our findings support that G-protein coupling and
      preference is dominated by specific structural features at the intracellular
      region of the activated GPCR but is completed by additional complementary
      recognition patterns between receptor and G-protein subtypes.

PMID- 20305780
TI  - Distinct types of fibrocyte can differentiate from mononuclear cells in the
      presence and absence of serum.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fibrocytes are bone-marrow derived cells, expressing both
      haematopoietic and stromal cell markers, which contribute to tissue repair as
      well as pathological fibrosis. The differentiation of fibrocytes remains poorly
      characterised and this has limited understanding of their biology and function.
      In particular two methods are used to generate fibrocytes in vitro that differ
      fundamentally by the presence or absence of serum. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL
      FINDINGS: We show here that fibrocytes grown in the absence of serum (SF)
      differentiate more efficiently from peripheral blood mononuclear cells than
      CD14(+) monocytes, and respond to serum by losing their spindle-shaped fibrocyte
      morphology. Although fibrocytes generated in the presence of serum (SC) express
      the same range of markers, they differentiate more efficiently from CD14(+)
      monocytes and do not change their morphology in response to serum.
      Transcriptional analysis revealed that both types of fibrocyte are distinct from
      each other, fibroblasts and additional monocyte-derived progeny. The gene
      pathways that differ significantly between SF and SC fibrocytes include those
      involved in cell migration, immune responses and response to wounding.
      CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These data show that SF and SC fibrocytes are distinct
      but related cell types, and suggest that they will play different roles during
      tissue repair and fibrosis where changes in serum proteins may occur.

PMID- 20305781
TI  - Estimating the potential for adaptation of corals to climate warming.
AB  - The persistence of tropical coral reefs is threatened by rapidly increasing
      climate warming, causing a functional breakdown of the obligate symbiosis between
      corals and their algal photosymbionts (Symbiodinium) through a process known as
      coral bleaching. Yet the potential of the coral-algal symbiosis to genetically
      adapt in an evolutionary sense to warming oceans is unknown. Using a quantitative
      genetics approach, we estimated the proportion of the variance in thermal
      tolerance traits that has a genetic basis (i.e. heritability) as a proxy for
      their adaptive potential in the widespread Indo-Pacific reef-building coral
      Acropora millepora. We chose two physiologically different populations that
      associate respectively with one thermo-tolerant (Symbiodinium clade D) and one
      less tolerant symbiont type (Symbiodinium C2). In both symbiont types, pulse
      amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometry and high performance liquid chromatography
      (HPLC) analysis revealed significant heritabilities for traits related to both
      photosynthesis and photoprotective pigment profile. However, quantitative real
      time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assays showed a lack of heritability in
      both coral host populations for their own expression of fundamental stress genes.
      Coral colony growth, contributed to by both symbiotic partners, displayed
      heritability. High heritabilities for functional key traits of algal symbionts,
      along with their short clonal generation time and high population sizes allow for
      their rapid thermal adaptation. However, the low overall heritability of coral
      host traits, along with the corals' long generation time, raise concern about the
      timely adaptation of the coral-algal symbiosis in the face of continued rapid
      climate warming.

PMID- 20305782
TI  - PARM-1 is an endoplasmic reticulum molecule involved in endoplasmic reticulum
      stress-induced apoptosis in rat cardiac myocytes.
AB  - To identify novel transmembrane and secretory molecules expressed in cardiac
      myocytes, signal sequence trap screening was performed in rat neonatal cardiac
      myocytes. One of the molecules identified was a transmembrane protein, prostatic
      androgen repressed message-1 (PARM-1). While PARM-1 has been identified as a gene
      induced in prostate in response to castration, its function is largely unknown.
      Our expression analysis revealed that PARM-1 was specifically expressed in hearts
      and skeletal muscles, and in the heart, cardiac myocytes, but not non-myocytes
      expressed PARM-1. Immunofluorescent staining showed that PARM-1 was predominantly
      localized in endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In Dahl salt-sensitive rats, high-salt
      diet resulted in hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy and subsequent heart failure,
      and significantly stimulated PARM-1 expression in the hearts, with a concomitant
      increase in ER stress markers such as GRP78 and CHOP. In cultured cardiac
      myocytes, PARM-1 expression was stimulated by proinflammatory cytokines, but not
      by hypertrophic stimuli. A marked increase in PARM-1 expression was observed in
      response to ER stress inducers such as thapsigargin and tunicamycin, which also
      induced apoptotic cell death. Silencing PARM-1 expression by siRNAs enhanced
      apoptotic response in cardiac myocytes to ER stresses. PARM-1 silencing also
      repressed expression of PERK and ATF6, and augmented expression of CHOP without
      affecting IRE-1 expression and JNK and Caspase-12 activation. Thus, PARM-1
      expression is induced by ER stress, which plays a protective role in cardiac
      myocytes through regulating PERK, ATF6 and CHOP expression. These results
      suggested that PARM-1 is a novel ER transmembrane molecule involved in cardiac
      remodeling in hypertensive heart disease.

PMID- 20305783
TI  - Mesenchymal stem cells modified with a single-chain antibody against EGFRvIII
      successfully inhibit the growth of human xenograft malignant glioma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma multiforme is the most lethal brain tumor with limited
      therapeutic options. Antigens expressed on the surface of malignant cells are
      potential targets for antibody-mediated gene/drug delivery. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:
      In this study, we investigated the ability of genetically modified human
      mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) expressing a single-chain antibody (scFv) on their
      surface against a tumor specific antigen, EGFRvIII, to enhance the therapy of
      EGFRvIII expressing glioma cells in vivo. The growth of U87-EGFRvIII was
      specifically delayed in co-culture with hMSC-scFvEGFRvIII. A significant down
      regulation was observed in the expression of pAkt in EGFRvIII expressing glioma
      cells upon culture with hMSC-scFvEGFRvIII vs. controls as well as in EGFRvIII
      expressing glioma cells from brain tumors co-injected with hMSC-scFvEGFRvIII in
      vivo. hMSC expressing scFvEGFRvIII also demonstrated several fold enhanced
      retention in EGFRvIII expressing flank and intracranial glioma xenografts vs.
      control hMSCs. The growth of U87-EGFRvIII flank xenografts was inhibited by 50%
      in the presence of hMSC-scFvEGFRvIII (p<0.05). Moreover, animals co-injected with
      U87-EGFRvIII and hMSC-scFvEGFRvIII intracranially showed significantly improved
      survival compared to animals injected with U87-EGFRvIII glioma cells alone or
      with control hMSCs. This survival was further improved when the same animals
      received an additional dosage of hMSC-scFvEGFRvIII two weeks after initial tumor
      implantation. Of note, EGFRvIII expressing brain tumors co-injected with hMSCs
      had a lower density of CD31 expressing blood vessels in comparison with control
      tumors, suggesting a possible role in tumor angiogenesis.
      CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The results presented in this study illustrate that
      genetically modified MSCs may function as a novel therapeutic vehicle for
      malignant brain tumors.

PMID- 20305784
TI  - Homer1a-dependent crosstalk between NMDA and metabotropic glutamate receptors in
      mouse neurons.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A large number of evidences suggest that group-I metabotropic
      glutamate receptors (mGluR1a, 1b, 1c, 5a, 5b) can modulate NMDA receptor
      activity. Interestingly, a physical link exists between these receptors through a
      Homer-Shank multi-protein scaffold that can be disrupted by the immediate early
      gene, Homer1a. Whether such a versatile link supports functional crosstalk
      between the receptors is unknown. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here we used
      biochemical, electrophysiological and molecular biological approaches in cultured
      mouse cerebellar neurons to investigate this issue. We found that Homer1a or
      dominant negative Shank3 mutants that disrupt the physical link between the
      receptors allow inhibition of NMDA current by group-I mGluR agonist. This effect
      is antagonized by pertussis toxin, but not thapsigargin, suggesting the
      involvement of a G protein, but not intracellular calcium stores. Also, this
      effect is voltage-sensitive, being present at negative, but not positive membrane
      potentials. In the presence of DHPG, an apparent NMDA "tail current" was evoked
      by large pulse depolarization, only in neurons transfected with Homer1a. Co
      immunoprecipitation experiments showed interaction between G-protein betagamma
      subunits and NMDA receptor in the presence of Homer1a and group-I mGluR agonist.
      CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Altogether these results suggest a direct inhibition of
      NMDA receptor-channel by Gbetagamma subunits, following disruption of the Homer
      Shank3 complex by the immediate early gene Homer1a. This study provides a new
      molecular mechanism by which group-I mGluRs could dynamically regulate NMDA
      receptor function.

PMID- 20305785
TI  - Fatal outbreak from consuming Xanthium strumarium seedlings during time of food
      scarcity in northeastern Bangladesh.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An outbreak characterized by vomiting and rapid progression to
      unconsciousness and death was reported in Sylhet Distrct in northeastern
      Bangladesh following destructive monsoon floods in November 2007. METHODS AND
      FINDINGS: We identified cases presenting to local hospitals and described their
      clinical signs and symptoms. We interviewed patients and their families to
      collect illness histories and generate hypotheses about exposures associated with
      disease. An epidemiological study was conducted in two outbreak villages to
      investigate risk factors for developing illness. 76 patients were identified from
      9 villages; 25% (19/76) died. Common presenting symptoms included vomiting,
      elevated liver enzymes, and altered mental status. In-depth interviews with 33
      cases revealed that 31 (94%) had consumed ghagra shak, an uncultivated plant, in
      the hours before illness onset. Ghagra shak was consumed as a main meal by
      villagers due to inaccessibility of other foods following destructive monsoon
      flooding and rises in global food prices. Persons who ate this plant were 34.2
      times more likely (95% CI 10.2 to 115.8, p-value<0.000) than others to develop
      vomiting and unconsciousness during the outbreak in our multivariate model.
      Ghagra shak is the local name for Xanthium strumarium, or common cocklebur.
      CONCLUSIONS: The consumption of Xanthium strumarium seedlings in large
      quantities, due to inaccessibility of other foods, caused this outbreak. The
      toxic chemical in the plant, carboxyatratyloside, has been previously described
      and eating X. strumarium seeds and seedlings has been associated with fatalities
      in humans and livestock. Unless people are able to meet their nutritional
      requirements with safe foods, they will continue to be at risk for poor health
      outcomes beyond undernutrition.

PMID- 20305786
TI  - NSs encoded by groundnut bud necrosis virus is a bifunctional enzyme.
AB  - Groundnut bud necrosis virus (GBNV), a member of genus Tospovirus in the family
      Bunyaviridae, infects a large number of leguminosae and solanaceae plants in
      India. With a view to elucidate the function of nonstructural protein, NSs
      encoded by the small RNA genome (S RNA), the NSs protein of GBNV- tomato
      (Karnataka) was over-expressed in E. coli and purified by Ni-NTA chromatography.
      The purified rNSs protein exhibited an RNA stimulated NTPase activity. Further,
      this activity was metal ion dependent and was inhibited by adenosine 5' (beta,
      gamma imido) triphosphate, an ATP analog. The rNSs could also hydrolyze dATP.
      Interestingly, in addition to the NTPase and dATPase activities, the rNSs
      exhibited ATP independent 5' RNA/DNA phosphatase activity that was completely
      inhibited by AMP. The 5' alpha phosphate could be removed from ssDNA, ssRNA,
      dsDNA and dsRNA thus confirming that rNSs has a novel 5' alpha phosphatase
      activity. K189A mutation in the Walker motif A (GxxxxGKT) resulted in complete
      loss of ATPase activity, but the 5' phosphatase activity was unaffected. On the
      other hand, D159A mutation in the Walker motif B (DExx) resulted in partial loss
      of both the activities. These results demonstrate for the first time that NSs is
      a bifunctional enzyme, which could participate in viral movement, replication or
      in suppression of the host defense mechanism.

PMID- 20305787
TI  - Medicaid coverage for tobacco dependence treatments in Massachusetts and
      associated decreases in smoking prevalence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Approximately 50% of smokers die prematurely from tobacco-related
      diseases. In July 2006, the Massachusetts health care reform law mandated tobacco
      cessation coverage for the Massachusetts Medicaid population. The new benefit
      included behavioral counseling and all medications approved for tobacco cessation
      treatment by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Between July 1, 2006
      and December 31, 2008, a total of 70,140 unique Massachusetts Medicaid
      subscribers used the newly available benefit, which is approximately 37% of all
      Massachusetts Medicaid smokers. Given the high utilization rate, the objective of
      this study is to determine if smoking prevalence decreased significantly after
      the initiation of tobacco cessation coverage. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Smoking
      prevalence was evaluated pre- to post-benefit using 1999 through 2008 data from
      the Massachusetts Behavioral Risk Factor Survey (BRFSS). The crude smoking rate
      decreased from 38.3% (95% C.I. 33.6%-42.9%) in the pre-benefit period compared to
      28.3% (95% C.I.: 24.0%-32.7%) in the post-benefit period, representing a decline
      of 26 percent. A demographically adjusted smoking rate showed a similar decrease
      in the post-benefit period. Trend analyses reflected prevalence decreases that
      accrued over time. Specifically, a joinpoint analysis of smoking prevalence among
      Massachusetts Medicaid benefit-eligible members (age 18-64) from 1999 through
      2008 found a decreasing trend that was coincident with the implementation of the
      benefit. Finally, a logistic regression that controlled for demographic factors
      also showed that the trend in smoking decreased significantly from July 1, 2006
      to December 31, 2008. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that a tobacco cessation
      benefit that includes coverage for medications and behavioral treatments, has few
      barriers to access, and involves broad promotion can significantly reduce smoking
      prevalence.

PMID- 20305788
TI  - T cell specific adapter protein (TSAd) interacts with Tec kinase ITK to promote
      CXCL12 induced migration of human and murine T cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The chemokine CXCL12/SDF-1alpha interacts with its G-protein coupled
      receptor CXCR4 to induce migration of lymphoid and endothelial cells. T cell
      specific adapter protein (TSAd) has been found to promote migration of Jurkat T
      cells through interaction with the G protein beta subunit. However, the molecular
      mechanisms for how TSAd influences cellular migration have not been characterized
      in detail. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We show that TSAd is required for tyrosine
      phosphorylation of the Lck substrate IL2-inducible T cell kinase (Itk). Presence
      of Itk Y511 was necessary to boost TSAd's effect on CXCL12 induced migration of
      Jurkat T cells. In addition, TSAd's ability to promote CXCL12-induced actin
      polymerization and migration of Jurkat T lymphocytes was dependent on the Itk
      interaction site in the proline-rich region of TSAd. Furthermore, TSAd-deficient
      murine thymocytes failed to respond to CXCL12 with increased Itk phosphorylation,
      and displayed reduced actin polymerization and cell migration responses.
      CONCLUSION: We propose that TSAd, through its interaction with both Itk and Lck,
      primes Itk for Lck mediated phosphorylation and thereby regulates CXCL12 induced
      T cell migration and actin cytoskeleton rearrangements.

PMID- 20305789
TI  - Dopamine neuron stimulating actions of a GDNF propeptide.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neurotrophic factors, such as glial cell line-derived neurotrophic
      factor (GDNF), have shown great promise for protection and restoration of damaged
      or dying dopamine neurons in animal models and in some Parkinson's disease (PD)
      clinical trials. However, the delivery of neurotrophic factors to the brain is
      difficult due to their large size and poor bio-distribution. In addition,
      developing more efficacious trophic factors is hampered by the difficulty of
      synthesis and structural modification. Small molecules with neurotrophic actions
      that are easy to synthesize and modify to improve bioavailability are needed.
      METHODS AND FINDINGS: Here we present the neurobiological actions of dopamine
      neuron stimulating peptide-11 (DNSP-11), an 11-mer peptide from the proGDNF
      domain. In vitro, DNSP-11 supports the survival of fetal mesencephalic neurons,
      increasing both the number of surviving cells and neuritic outgrowth. In MN9D
      cells, DNSP-11 protects against dopaminergic neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6
      OHDA)-induced cell death, significantly decreasing TUNEL-positive cells and
      levels of caspase-3 activity. In vivo, a single injection of DNSP-11 into the
      normal adult rat substantia nigra is taken up rapidly into neurons and increases
      resting levels of dopamine and its metabolites for up to 28 days. Of particular
      note, DNSP-11 significantly improves apomorphine-induced rotational behavior, and
      increases dopamine and dopamine metabolite tissue levels in the substantia nigra
      in a rat model of PD. Unlike GDNF, DNSP-11 was found to block staurosporine- and
      gramicidin-induced cytotoxicity in nutrient-deprived dopaminergic B65 cells, and
      its neuroprotective effects included preventing the release of cytochrome c from
      mitochondria. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, these data support that DNSP-11 exhibits
      potent neurotrophic actions analogous to GDNF, making it a viable candidate for a
      PD therapeutic. However, it likely signals through pathways that do not directly
      involve the GFRalpha1 receptor.

PMID- 20305791
TI  - Calculation of disease dynamics in a population of households.
AB  - Early mathematical representations of infectious disease dynamics assumed a
      single, large, homogeneously mixing population. Over the past decade there has
      been growing interest in models consisting of multiple smaller subpopulations
      (households, workplaces, schools, communities), with the natural assumption of
      strong homogeneous mixing within each subpopulation, and weaker transmission
      between subpopulations. Here we consider a model of SIRS (susceptible-infectious
      recovered-susceptible) infection dynamics in a very large (assumed infinite)
      population of households, with the simplifying assumption that each household is
      of the same size (although all methods may be extended to a population with a
      heterogeneous distribution of household sizes). For this households model we
      present efficient methods for studying several quantities of epidemiological
      interest: (i) the threshold for invasion; (ii) the early growth rate; (iii) the
      household offspring distribution; (iv) the endemic prevalence of infection; and
      (v) the transient dynamics of the process. We utilize these methods to explore a
      wide region of parameter space appropriate for human infectious diseases. We then
      extend these results to consider the effects of more realistic gamma-distributed
      infectious periods. We discuss how all these results differ from standard
      homogeneous-mixing models and assess the implications for the invasion,
      transmission and persistence of infection. The computational efficiency of the
      methodology presented here will hopefully aid in the parameterisation of
      structured models and in the evaluation of appropriate responses for future
      disease outbreaks.

PMID- 20305792
TI  - Method for Fast CT/SPECT-Based 3D Monte Carlo Absorbed Dose Computations in
      Internal Emitter Therapy.
AB  - The DPM (Dose Planning Method) Monte Carlo electron and photon transport program,
      designed for fast computation of radiation absorbed dose in external beam
      radiotherapy, has been adapted to the calculation of absorbed dose in patient
      specific internal emitter therapy. Because both its photon and electron transport
      mechanics algorithms have been optimized for fast computation in 3D voxelized
      geometries (in particular, those derived from CT scans), DPM is perfectly suited
      for performing patient-specific absorbed dose calculations in internal emitter
      therapy. In the updated version of DPM developed for the current work, the
      necessary inputs are a patient CT image, a registered SPECT image, and any number
      of registered masks defining regions of interest. DPM has been benchmarked for
      internal emitter therapy applications by comparing computed absorption fractions
      for a variety of organs using a Zubal phantom with reference results from the
      Medical Internal Radionuclide Dose (MIRD) Committee standards. In addition, the
      beta decay source algorithm and the photon tracking algorithm of DPM have been
      further benchmarked by comparison to experimental data. This paper presents a
      description of the program, the results of the benchmark studies, and some sample
      computations using patient data from radioimmunotherapy studies using (131)I.

PMID- 20305790
TI  - Loss of SNAP29 impairs endocytic recycling and cell motility.
AB  - Intracellular membrane trafficking depends on the ordered formation and
      consumption of transport intermediates and requires that membranes fuse with each
      other in a tightly regulated and highly specific manner. Membrane anchored SNAREs
      assemble into SNARE complexes that bring membranes together to promote fusion.
      SNAP29 is a ubiquitous synaptosomal-associated SNARE protein. It interacts with
      several syntaxins and with the EH domain containing protein EHD1. Loss of
      functional SNAP29 results in CEDNIK syndrome (Cerebral Dysgenesis, Neuropathy,
      Ichthyosis and Keratoderma). Using fibroblast cell lines derived from CEDNIK
      patients, we show that SNAP29 mediates endocytic recycling of transferrin and
      beta1-integrin. Impaired beta1-integrin recycling affected cell motility, as
      reflected by changes in cell spreading and wound healing. No major changes were
      detected in exocytosis of VSVG protein from the Golgi apparatus, although the
      Golgi system acquired a dispersed morphology in SNAP29 deficient cells. Our
      results emphasize the importance of SNAP29 mediated membrane fusion in endocytic
      recycling and consequently, in cell motility.

PMID- 20305793
TI  - Detection of Radiation-Exposure Biomarkers by Differential Mobility Prefiltered
      Mass Spectrometry (DMS-MS).
AB  - Technology to enable rapid screening for radiation exposure has been identified
      as an important need, and, as a part of a NIH / NIAD effort in this direction,
      metabolomic biomarkers for radiation exposure have been identified in a recent
      series of papers. To reduce the time necessary to detect and measure these
      biomarkers, differential mobility spectrometry - mass spectrometry (DMS-MS)
      systems have been developed and tested. Differential mobility ion filters
      preselect specific ions and also suppress chemical noise created in typical
      atmospheric-pressure ionization sources (ESI, MALDI, and others). Differential
      mobility-based ion selection is based on the field dependence of ion mobility,
      which, in turn, depends on ion characteristics that include conformation, charge
      distribution, molecular polarizability, and other properties, and on the
      transport gas composition which can be modified to enhance resolution. DMS-MS is
      able to resolve small-molecule biomarkers from nearly-isobaric interferences, and
      suppresses chemical noise generated in the ion source and in the mass
      spectrometer, improving selectivity and quantitative accuracy. Our planar DMS
      design is rapid, operating in a few milliseconds, and analyzes ions before
      fragmentation. Depending on MS inlet conditions, DMS-selected ions can be
      dissociated in the MS inlet expansion, before mass analysis, providing a
      capability similar to MS/MS with simpler instrumentation. This report presents
      selected DMS-MS experimental results, including resolution of complex test
      mixtures of isobaric compounds, separation of charge states, separation of
      isobaric biomarkers (citrate and isocitrate), and separation of nearly-isobaric
      biomarker anions in direct analysis of a bio-fluid sample from the radiation
      treated group of a mouse-model study. These uses of DMS combined with moderate
      resolution MS instrumentation indicate the feasibility of field-deployable
      instrumentation for biomarker evaluation.

PMID- 20305794
TI  - Gold(I)-Catalyzed Hydroarylation of Allenes with Indoles.
AB  - Reaction of a monosubstituted, 1,3-disubstituted, or tetrasubstituted allene with
      various indoles catalyzed by a 1:1 mixture of a gold(I) N-heterocyclic carbene
      complex and AgOTf at room temperature leads to hydroarylation with formation of 3
      allyl-indoles in modest to good yield.

PMID- 20305795
TI  - Covalent Adaptable Networks (CANs): A Unique Paradigm in Crosslinked Polymers.
AB  - Polymer networks possessing reversible covalent crosslinks constitute a novel
      material class with the capacity for adapting to an externally applied stimulus.
      These covalent adaptable networks (CANs) represent a trend in polymer network
      fabrication towards the rational design of structural materials possessing
      dynamic characteristics for specialty applications. Herein, we discuss the unique
      attributes of CANs that must be considered when designing, fabricating, and
      characterizing these smart materials that respond to either thermal or
      photochemical stimuli. While there are many reversible reactions which to
      consider as possible crosslink candidates in CANs, there are very few that are
      readily and repeatedly reversible. Furthermore, characterization of the
      mechanical properties of CANs requires special consideration owing to their
      unique attributes. Ultimately, these attributes are what lead to the advantageous
      properties displayed by CANs, such as recyclability, healability, tunability,
      shape changes, and low polymerization stress. Throughout this perspective, we
      identify several trends and future directions in the emerging field of CANs that
      demonstrate the progress to date as well as the essential elements that are
      needed for further advancement.

PMID- 20305796
TI  - Early Marriage in the United States.
AB  - Despite drastic changes in the American family, a significant minority of
      Americans marry early. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of
      Adolescent Health (N = 14,165), this study evaluates the prevalence and
      antecedents of early marriage in the United States. The results indicate 25% of
      women and 16% of men marry before age 23, and early marriage varies widely across
      a number of characteristics. Individuals who marry earlier are more likely to be
      from disadvantaged families, from conservative Protestant or Mormon families, to
      value their religious faith more highly, to have a high-school diploma but a
      lower educational trajectory, and to cohabit before marriage. Scholars and
      policymakers interested in marriage should pay adequate attention to
      understanding and supporting these individuals' marriages.

PMID- 20305798
TI  - Brief Alcohol Intervention Among At-Risk Drinkers with Diabetes.
AB  - Twenty-eight patients with diabetes who screened positive for at-risk drinking
      were assigned to brief alcohol intervention (BAI) (n = 14) or standard care (SC)
      (n = 14) treatment conditions. All participants completed a baseline interview
      and one-, three, and six-month follow-up interviews. Across the six-month follow
      up period, there was a significantly greater reduction in quantity of alcohol
      consumed in the BAI group. At the six-month follow-up, the BAI group had a
      greater reduction in quantity of alcohol consumed, percentage of heavy drinking
      days, and frequency of drinking. Reductions in alcohol use were associated with
      improved adherence in certain components of diabetes self-care behavior. The
      results of this study suggest that brief alcohol interventions are efficacious in
      reducing alcohol use among at-risk drinkers with diabetes and that reductions in
      alcohol use may result in some improvements in adherence to diabetes self-care
      behavior.

PMID- 20305797
TI  - Nutrition and late-life depression: etiological considerations.
AB  - Depression is a debilitating mental disorder that frequently occurs in older
      adults, especially in those with vascular diseases. Nutritional factors have the
      potential to decrease the occurrence of late-life depression but have not been
      adequately studied. Low folate levels, disturbed omega-3 fatty acid metabolism
      and obesity have been associated with depression, and may be causal factors.
      Longitudinal studies are urgently needed in order to examine the potential of
      dietary factors to prevent late-life depression.

PMID- 20305799
TI  - Medicinal surface modification of silicon nanowires: impact on calcification and
      stromal cell proliferation.
AB  - Medicinal surface modification of silicon nanowires (SiNWs) with selected
      bisphosphonates, such as the known antiosteoporotic drug alendronate, is
      described. In terms of specific assays relevant to orthopedic applications, the
      impact of selected bisphosphonate attachment on acellular calcification in
      simulated plasma is reported. To further investigate biocompatibility,
      proliferation assays of these modified nanowires were carried out using an
      orthopedically relevant cell line: mesenchymal stem cells derived from mouse
      stroma. It is found that the identity of the bisphosphonate ligand strongly and
      sensitively impacts its resultant cytotoxicity.

PMID- 20305800
TI  - Semiparametric regression during 2003-2007.
AB  - Semiparametric regression is a fusion between parametric regression and
      nonparametric regression that integrates low-rank penalized splines, mixed model
      and hierarchical Bayesian methodology - thus allowing more streamlined handling
      of longitudinal and spatial correlation. We review progress in the field over the
      five-year period between 2003 and 2007. We find semiparametric regression to be a
      vibrant field with substantial involvement and activity, continual enhancement
      and widespread application.

PMID- 20305801
TI  - Computer-Aided Diagnosis in Mammography Using Content-based Image Retrieval
      Approaches: Current Status and Future Perspectives.
AB  - As the rapid advance of digital imaging technologies, the content-based image
      retrieval (CBIR) has became one of the most vivid research areas in computer
      vision. In the last several years, developing computer-aided detection and/or
      diagnosis (CAD) schemes that use CBIR to search for the clinically relevant and
      visually similar medical images (or regions) depicting suspicious lesions has
      also been attracting research interest. CBIR-based CAD schemes have potential to
      provide radiologists with "visual aid" and increase their confidence in accepting
      CAD-cued results in the decision making. The CAD performance and reliability
      depends on a number of factors including the optimization of lesion segmentation,
      feature selection, reference database size, computational efficiency, and
      relationship between the clinical relevance and visual similarity of the CAD
      results. By presenting and comparing a number of approaches commonly used in
      previous studies, this article identifies and discusses the optimal approaches in
      developing CBIR-based CAD schemes and assessing their performance. Although
      preliminary studies have suggested that using CBIR-based CAD schemes might
      improve radiologists' performance and/or increase their confidence in the
      decision making, this technology is still in the early development stage. Much
      research work is needed before the CBIR-based CAD schemes can be accepted in the
      clinical practice.

PMID- 20305802
TI  - Quantile Regression With Measurement Error.
AB  - Regression quantiles can be substantially biased when the covariates are measured
      with error. In this paper we propose a new method that produces consistent linear
      quantile estimation in the presence of covariate measurement error. The method
      corrects the measurement error induced bias by constructing joint estimating
      equations that simultaneously hold for all the quantile levels. An iterative EM
      type estimation algorithm to obtain the solutions to such joint estimation
      equations is provided. The finite sample performance of the proposed method is
      investigated in a simulation study, and compared to the standard regression
      calibration approach. Finally, we apply our methodology to part of the National
      Collaborative Perinatal Project growth data, a longitudinal study with an unusual
      measurement error structure.

PMID- 20305803
TI  - Drug delivery to the posterior segment of the eye for pharmacologic therapy.
AB  - Treatment of diseases of the posterior segment of the eye, such as age-related
      macular degeneration, cytomegalovirus retinitis, diabetic retinopathy, posterior
      uveitis and retinitis pigmentosa, requires novel drug delivery systems that can
      overcome the many barriers for efficacious delivery of therapeutic drug
      concentrations. This challenge has prompted the development of biodegradable and
      nonbiodegradable sustained-release systems for injection or transplantation into
      the vitreous as well as drug-loaded nanoparticles, microspheres and liposomes.
      These drug delivery systems utilize topical, systemic, subconjunctival,
      intravitreal, transscleral and iontophoretic routes of administration. The focus
      of research has been the development of methods that will increase the efficacy
      of spatiotemporal drug application, resulting in more successful therapy for
      patients with posterior segment diseases. This article summarizes recent advances
      in the research and development of drug delivery methods of the posterior chamber
      of the eye, with an emphasis on the use of implantable devices as well as micro-
      and nanoparticles.

PMID- 20305804
TI  - Engineering Kinases to Phosphorylate Nucleoside Analogs for Antiviral and Cancer
      Therapy.
AB  - Enzyme engineering by directed evolution presents a powerful strategy for
      tailoring the function and physicochemical properties of biocatalysts to
      therapeutic and industrial applications. Our laboratory's research focuses on
      developing novel molecular tools for protein engineering, as well as on utilizing
      these methods to customize enzymes and to study fundamental aspects of their
      structure and function. Specifically, we are interested in nucleoside and
      nucleotide kinases which are responsible for the intracellular phosphorylation of
      nucleoside analog (NA) prodrugs to their biologically active triphosphates. The
      high substrate specificity of the cellular kinases often interferes with prodrug
      activation and consequently lowers the potency of NAs as antiviral and cancer
      therapeutics. A working solution to the problem is the co-adminstration of a
      promiscuous kinase from viruses, bacteria, and other mammals. However, further
      therapeutic enhancements of NAs depend on the selective and efficient prodrug
      phosphorylation. In the absence of true NA kinases in nature, we are pursuing
      laboratory evolution strategies to generate efficient phosphoryl-transfer
      catalysts. This review summarizes some of our recent work in the field and
      outlines future challenges.

PMID- 20305807
TI  - Retraction: The bicarbonate transporter is essential for Bacillus anthracis
      lethality.

PMID- 20305805
TI  - Too old to fight? Aging and its toll on innate immunity.
AB  - Elderly individuals display increased susceptibility to chronic inflammatory
      diseases and microbial infections, such as periodontitis and oral aspiration
      pneumonia. The resurgent interest in innate immunity in the 2000s has been
      accompanied by parallel studies to understand the impact of aging on the function
      of the innate immune system, which not only provides first-line defense but is
      essential for the development of adaptive immunity. This review summarizes and
      discusses our current understanding of age-associated molecular alterations in
      neutrophils and macrophages, key inflammatory phagocytes implicated in both
      protective and destructive host responses. The analysis of recent literature
      suggests that, in advanced age, phagocytes undergo significant changes in signal
      transduction pathways that may affect their ability to perform antimicrobial
      functions or regulate the inflammatory response. These abnormalities are expected
      to contribute to the pathology of oral infection-driven inflammatory diseases in
      the elderly. Moreover, the elucidation of age-associated defects in the innate
      immune system will facilitate the development of intervention therapeutic
      strategies to promote or restore innate immune function and improve the quality
      of health in old age.

PMID- 20305808
TI  - Benthic composition of a healthy subtropical reef: baseline species-level cover,
      with an emphasis on algae, in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
AB  - The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) are considered to be among the most
      pristine coral reef ecosystems remaining on the planet. These reefs naturally
      contain a high percent cover of algal functional groups with relatively low coral
      abundance and exhibit thriving fish communities dominated by top predators.
      Despite their highly protected status, these reefs are at risk from both direct
      and indirect anthropogenic sources. This study provides the first comprehensive
      data on percent coverage of algae, coral, and non-coral invertebrates at the
      species level, and investigates spatial diversity patterns across the archipelago
      to document benthic communities before further environmental changes occur in
      response to global warming and ocean acidification. Monitoring studies show that
      non-calcified macroalgae cover a greater percentage of substrate than corals on
      many high latitude reef sites. Forereef habitats in atoll systems often contain
      high abundances of the green macroalga Microdictyon setchellianum and the brown
      macroalga Lobophora variegata, yet these organisms were uncommon in forereefs of
      non-atoll systems. Species of the brown macroalgal genera Padina, Sargassum, and
      Stypopodium and the red macroalgal genus Laurencia became increasingly common in
      the two northernmost atolls of the island chain but were uncommon components of
      more southerly islands. Conversely, the scleractinian coral Porites lobata was
      common on forereefs at southern islands but less common at northern islands.
      Currently accepted paradigms of what constitutes a "healthy" reef may not apply
      to the subtropical NWHI, and metrics used to gauge reef health (e.g., high coral
      cover) need to be reevaluated.

PMID- 20305809
TI  - Modelling the species distribution of flat-headed cats (Prionailurus planiceps),
      an endangered South-East Asian small felid.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The flat-headed cat (Prionailurus planiceps) is one of the world's
      least known, highly threatened felids with a distribution restricted to tropical
      lowland rainforests in Peninsular Thailand/Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra.
      Throughout its geographic range large-scale anthropogenic transformation
      processes, including the pollution of fresh-water river systems and landscape
      fragmentation, raise concerns regarding its conservation status. Despite an
      increasing number of camera-trapping field surveys for carnivores in South-East
      Asia during the past two decades, few of these studies recorded the flat-headed
      cat. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study, we designed a predictive
      species distribution model using the Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) algorithm to
      reassess the potential current distribution and conservation status of the flat
      headed cat. Eighty-eight independent species occurrence records were gathered
      from field surveys, literature records, and museum collections. These current and
      historical records were analysed in relation to bioclimatic variables
      (WorldClim), altitude (SRTM) and minimum distance to larger water resources
      (Digital Chart of the World). Distance to water was identified as the key
      predictor for the occurrence of flat-headed cats (>50% explanation). In addition,
      we used different land cover maps (GLC2000, GlobCover and SarVision LLC for
      Borneo), information on protected areas and regional human population density
      data to extract suitable habitats from the potential distribution predicted by
      the MaxEnt model. Between 54% and 68% of suitable habitat has already been
      converted to unsuitable land cover types (e.g. croplands, plantations), and only
      between 10% and 20% of suitable land cover is categorised as fully protected
      according to the IUCN criteria. The remaining habitats are highly fragmented and
      only a few larger forest patches remain. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Based on our
      findings, we recommend that future conservation efforts for the flat-headed cat
      should focus on the identified remaining key localities and be implemented
      through a continuous dialogue between local stakeholders, conservationists and
      scientists to ensure its long-term survival. The flat-headed cat can serve as a
      flagship species for the protection of several other endangered species
      associated with the threatened tropical lowland forests and surface fresh-water
      sources in this region.

PMID- 20305810
TI  - Assessing the performance capabilities of LRE-based assays for absolute
      quantitative real-time PCR.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Linear regression of efficiency or LRE introduced a new paradigm for
      conducting absolute quantification, which does not require standard curves, can
      generate absolute accuracies of +/-25% and has single molecule sensitivity.
      Derived from adapting the classic Boltzmann sigmoidal function to PCR, target
      quantity is calculated directly from the fluorescence readings within the central
      region of an amplification profile, generating 4-8 determinations from each
      amplification reaction. FINDINGS: Based on generating a linear representation of
      PCR amplification, the highly visual nature of LRE analysis is illustrated by
      varying reaction volume and amplification efficiency, which also demonstrates how
      LRE can be used to model PCR. Examining the dynamic range of LRE further
      demonstrates that quantitative accuracy can be maintained down to a single target
      molecule, and that target quantification below ten molecules conforms to that
      predicted by Poisson distribution. Essential to the universality of optical
      calibration, the fluorescence intensity generated by SYBR Green I (FU/bp) is
      shown to be independent of GC content and amplicon size, further verifying that
      absolute scale can be established using a single quantitative standard. Two high
      performance lambda amplicons are also introduced that in addition to producing
      highly precise optical calibrations, can be used as benchmarks for performance
      testing. The utility of limiting dilution assay for conducting platform
      independent absolute quantification is also discussed, along with the utility of
      defining assay performance in terms of absolute accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: Founded on
      the ability to exploit lambda gDNA as a universal quantitative standard, LRE
      provides the ability to conduct absolute quantification using few resources
      beyond those needed for sample preparation and amplification. Combined with the
      quantitative and quality control capabilities of LRE, this kinetic-based approach
      has the potential to fundamentally transform how real-time qPCR is conducted.

PMID- 20305812
TI  - Generous leaders and selfish underdogs: pro-sociality in despotic macaques.
AB  - Actively granting food to a companion is called pro-social behavior and is
      considered to be part of altruism. Recent findings show that some non-human
      primates behave pro-socially. However, pro-social behavior is not expected in
      despotic species, since the steep dominance hierarchy will hamper pro-sociality.
      We show that some despotic long-tailed macaques do grant others access to food.
      Moreover, their dominance hierarchy determines pro-social behavior in an
      unexpected way: high-ranking individuals grant, while low-ranking individuals
      withhold their partner access to food. Surprisingly, pro-social behavior is not
      used by subordinates to obtain benefits from dominants, but by dominants to
      emphasize their dominance position. Hence, Machiavellian macaques rule not
      through "fear above love", but through "be feared when needed and loved when
      possible".

PMID- 20305811
TI  - Epimorphin regulates bile duct formation via effects on mitosis orientation in
      rat liver epithelial stem-like cells.
AB  - Understanding how hepatic precursor cells can generate differentiated bile ducts
      is crucial for studies on epithelial morphogenesis and for development of cell
      therapies for hepatobiliary diseases. Epimorphin (EPM) is a key morphogen for
      duct morphogenesis in various epithelial organs. The role of EPM in bile duct
      formation (DF) from hepatic precursor cells, however, is not known. To address
      this issue, we used WB-F344 rat epithelial stem-like cells as model for bile duct
      formation. A micropattern and a uniaxial static stretch device was used to
      investigate the effects of EPM and stress fiber bundles on the mitosis
      orientation (MO) of WB cells. Immunohistochemistry of liver tissue sections
      demonstrated high EPM expression around bile ducts in vivo. In vitro, recombinant
      EPM selectively induced DF through upregulation of CK19 expression and
      suppression of HNF3alpha and HNF6, with no effects on other hepatocytic genes
      investigated. Our data provide evidence that EPM guides MO of WB-F344 cells via
      effects on stress fiber bundles and focal adhesion assembly, as supported by
      blockade EPM, beta1 integrin, and F-actin assembly. These blockers can also
      inhibit EPM-induced DF. These results demonstrate a new biophysical action of EPM
      in bile duct formation, during which determination of MO plays a crucial role.

PMID- 20305813
TI  - Subinhibitory concentrations of thymol reduce enterotoxins A and B and alpha
      hemolysin production in Staphylococcus aureus isolates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Targeting bacterial virulence factors is now gaining interest as an
      alternative strategy to develop new types of anti-infective agents. It has been
      shown that thymol, when used at low concentrations, can inhibit the TSST-1
      secretion in Staphylococcus aureus. However, there are no data on the effect of
      thymol on the production of other exotoxins (e.g., alpha-hemolysin and
      enterotoxins) by S. aureus. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Secretion of alpha
      hemolysin, SEA and SEB in both methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant S.
      aureus isolates cultured with graded subinhibitory concentrations of thymol was
      detected by immunoblot analysis. Hemolysin and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)
      release assays were performed to elucidate the biological relevance of changes in
      alpha-hemolysin, SEA and SEB secretion induced by thymol. In addition, the
      influence of thymol on the transcription of hla, sea, and seb (the genes encoding
      alpha-hemolysin, SEA and SEB, respectively) was analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR.
      Thymol inhibited transcription of hla, sea and seb in S. aureus, resulting in a
      reduction of alpha-hemolysin, SEA and SEB secretion and, thus, a reduction in
      hemolytic and TNF-inducing activities. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Subinhibitory
      concentrations of thymol decreased the production of alpha-hemolysin, SEA and SEB
      in both MSSA and MRSA in a dose-dependent manner. These data suggest that thymol
      may be useful for the treatment of S. aureus infections when used in combination
      with beta-lactams and glycopeptide antibiotics, which induce expression of alpha
      hemolysin and enterotoxins at subinhibitory concentrations. Furthermore, the
      structure of thymol may potentially be used as a basic structure for development
      of drugs aimed against these bacterial virulence factors.

PMID- 20305814
TI  - Identification of a deubiquitinating enzyme as a novel AGS3-interacting protein.
AB  - Activator of G protein Signaling 3 (AGS3) is a receptor-independent G protein
      activator that has been implicated in multiple biological events such as brain
      development, neuroplasticity and addiction, cardiac function, Golgi
      structure/function, macroautophagy and metabolism. However, how AGS3 is regulated
      is little known. We demonstrate here that AGS3 interacts with a ubiquitin
      specific protease USP9x, and this interaction is at least partially mediated
      through the C-terminal G protein regulatory domain of AGS3. Knockdown of USP9x
      causes a moderate reduction in the level of AGS3. In contrast, overexpression of
      either USP9x or its deubiquitinating domain UCH increases the amount of AGS3,
      whereas expression of the mutant UCH domain that lacks deubiquitinating activity
      does not have the same effect. As previously observed in AGS3 knockdown cells,
      the localization of several marker proteins of the late Golgi compartments is
      disturbed in cells depleted of USP9x. Taken together, our study suggests that
      USP9x can modulate the level of a subpopulation of AGS3, and this modulation
      plays a role in regulating the structure of the late Golgi compartments. Finally,
      we have found that levels of AGS3 and USP9x are co-regulated in the prefrontal
      cortex of rats withdrawn from repeated cocaine treatment. In conjunction with the
      above data, this observation indicates a potential role of USP9X in the
      regulation of the AGS3 level during cocaine-induced neuroplasticity.

PMID- 20305815
TI  - Cyclic and acyclic defensins inhibit human immunodeficiency virus type-1
      replication by different mechanisms.
AB  - Defensins are antimicrobial peptides expressed by plants and animals. In mammals
      there are three subfamilies of defensins, distinguished by structural features:
      alpha, beta and theta. Alpha and beta-defensins are linear peptides with broad
      anti-microbial activity that are expressed by many mammals including humans. In
      contrast, theta-defensins are cyclic anti-microbial peptides made by several non
      human primates but not humans. All three defensin types have anti-HIV-1 activity,
      but their mechanisms of action differ. We studied the anti-HIV-1 activity of one
      defensin from each group, HNP-1 (alpha), HBD-2 (beta) and RTD-1 (theta). We
      examined how each defensin affected HIV-1 infection and demonstrated that the
      cyclic defensin RTD-1 inhibited HIV-1 entry, while acyclic HNP-1 and HBD-2
      inhibited HIV-1 replication even when added 12 hours post-infection and blocked
      viral replication after HIV-1 cDNA formation. We further found that all three
      defensins downmodulated CXCR4. Moreover, RTD-1 inactivated X4 HIV-1, while HNP-1
      and HBD-2 inactivated both X4 and R5 HIV-1. The data presented here show that
      acyclic and cyclic defensins block HIV-1 replication by shared and diverse
      mechanisms. Moreover, we found that HNP-1 and RTD-1 directly inhibited firefly
      luciferase enzymatic activity, which may affect the interpretation of previously
      published data.

PMID- 20305816
TI  - BORIS (CTCFL) is not expressed in most human breast cell lines and high grade
      breast carcinomas.
AB  - BORIS (CTCFL) is the only known paralog of the versatile regulatory protein CTCF,
      a multifunctional DNA binding protein that mediates distinct gene regulatory
      functions involved in cell growth, differentiation, and apoptosis. Unlike CTCF,
      the expression of BORIS is normally restricted to specific cells in testes (the
      only cells where CTCF is not expressed), where it may play a role in
      reprogramming the methylation pattern of male germ line DNA. Frequent
      amplification of the 20q13.2 region, which contains the BORIS gene, and
      expression of BORIS transcripts in diverse human tumors and cell lines have led
      to the hypothesis that aberrant expression of BORIS may play a role in
      tumorigenesis by interfering with CTCF functions. However, recent studies using
      more quantitative methods indicate low frequency of BORIS expression in melanoma,
      ovarian, prostate, and bladder carcinomas. To investigate the relationship
      between chromosome 20q13 amplification and BORIS mRNA levels within breast cancer
      cell lines and tissues, we developed a quantitative RT-PCR assay to measure the
      levels of BORIS mRNA. Endpoint RT-PCR assays were also used to investigate the
      possible expression of alternatively spliced variants. Using multiple primer sets
      and controls, we found that neither mature BORIS transcripts nor spliced variants
      are commonly expressed at detectable levels in malignant breast cells or tissues,
      although endogenous BORIS transcripts can be induced in MCF-7 cells following 5
      aza-2'-deoxycytidine treatment. In conclusion, in most breast cancer cells,
      endogenous BORIS is unlikely to be expressed at sufficient levels to interfere
      with CTCF functions. Thus it is improbable that aberrant BORIS expression plays a
      role in most human breast cancers.

PMID- 20305817
TI  - Progression of the "Psychological Typhoon Eye" and variations since the Wenchuan
      earthquake.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 2008 after a massive earthquake jolted Wenchuan, China, we
      reported an effect that we termed a "Psychological Typhoon Eye": the closer to
      the center of the devastated area, the lower the level of concern felt by
      residents about safety and health. We now report on the progression of this
      effect and the development of new variations after the quake as well as
      investigating potential explanations. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We
      conducted two sequential surveys of 5,216 residents in non-devastated and
      devastated areas in September-October 2008 and April-May 2009. Respondents were
      asked five questions to assess their concerns about safety and health. A MANCOVA
      showed a significant inverse effect of residential devastation level on the
      estimated number of medical and psychological workers needed, the estimated
      probability of an epidemic outbreak, and the estimated number of self-protective
      behaviors needed (Ps<0.001), in spite of the passage of one year. The level of
      post-earthquake concern decreased significantly with an increase in the
      residential devastation level. Additionally, we observed two variations in the
      "Psychological Typhoon Eye" effect, in that the respondents' concern decreased
      with increasing relational distance between a respondent and victims who had
      suffered either physical or economic damage. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The
      previously reported effect of a "Psychological Typhoon Eye" remains robust over a
      1-year period. We found that the "psychological immunization" theory did not
      provide a satisfactory explanation for these intriguing results. Our findings may
      be useful in understanding how people become resilient to threats.

PMID- 20305818
TI  - Honeybee associative learning performance and metabolic stress resilience are
      positively associated.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Social-environmental influences can affect animal cognition and
      health. Also, human socio-economic status is a covariate factor connecting
      psychometric test-performance (a measure of cognitive ability), educational
      achievement, lifetime health, and survival. The complimentary hypothesis, that
      mechanisms in physiology can explain some covariance between the same traits, is
      disputed. Possible mechanisms involve metabolic biology affecting integrity and
      stability of physiological systems during development and ageing. Knowledge of
      these relationships is incomplete, and underlying processes are challenging to
      reveal in people. Model animals, however, can provide insights into connections
      between metabolic biology and physiological stability that may aid efforts to
      reduce human health and longevity disparities. RESULTS: We document a positive
      correlation between a measure of associative learning performance and the
      metabolic stress resilience of honeybees. This relationship is independent of
      social factors, and may provide basic insights into how central nervous system
      (CNS) function and metabolic biology can be associated. Controlling for social
      environment, age, and learning motivation in each bee, we establish that learning
      in Pavlovian conditioning to an odour is positively correlated with individual
      survival time in hyperoxia. Hyperoxia induces oxidative metabolic damage, and
      provides a measure of metabolic stress resistance that is often related to
      overall lifespan in laboratory animals. The positive relationship between
      Pavlovian learning ability and stress resilience in the bee is not equally
      established in other model organisms so far, and contrasts with a genetic cost of
      improved associative learning found in Drosophila melanogaster. CONCLUSIONS:
      Similarities in the performances of different animals need not reflect common
      functional principles. A correlation of honeybee Pavlovian learning and metabolic
      stress resilience, thereby, is not evidence of a shared biology that will give
      insight about systems integrity in people. Yet, the means to resolve difficult
      research questions often come from findings in distant areas of science while the
      model systems that turn out to be valuable are sometimes the least predictable.
      Our results add to recent findings indicating that honeybees can become
      instrumental to understanding how metabolic biology influences life outcomes.

PMID- 20305819
TI  - Cancer cell expression of autotaxin controls bone metastasis formation in mouse
      through lysophosphatidic acid-dependent activation of osteoclasts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bone metastases are highly frequent complications of breast cancers.
      Current bone metastasis treatments using powerful anti-resorptive agents are only
      palliative indicating that factors independent of bone resorption control bone
      metastasis progression. Autotaxin (ATX/NPP2) is a secreted protein with both
      oncogenic and pro-metastatic properties. Through its lysosphospholipase D
      (lysoPLD) activity, ATX controls the level of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) in the
      blood. Platelet-derived LPA promotes the progression of osteolytic bone
      metastases of breast cancer cells. We asked whether ATX was involved in the bone
      metastasis process. We characterized the role of ATX in osteolytic bone
      metastasis formation by using genetically modified breast cancer cells exploited
      on different osteolytic bone metastasis mouse models. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL
      FINDINGS: Intravenous injection of human breast cancer MDA-B02 cells with forced
      expression of ATX (MDA-B02/ATX) to immunodeficiency BALB/C nude mice enhanced
      osteolytic bone metastasis formation, as judged by increased bone loss, tumor
      burden, and a higher number of active osteoclasts at the metastatic site. Mouse
      breast cancer 4T1 cells induced the formation of osteolytic bone metastases after
      intracardiac injection in immunocompetent BALB/C mice. These cells expressed
      active ATX and silencing ATX expression inhibited the extent of osteolytic bone
      lesions and decreased the number of active osteoclasts at the bone metastatic
      site. In vitro, osteoclast differentiation was enhanced in presence of MDA
      B02/ATX cell conditioned media or recombinant autotaxin that was blocked by the
      autotaxin inhibitor vpc8a202. In vitro, addition of LPA to active charcoal
      treated serum restored the capacity of the serum to support RANK-L/MCSF-induced
      osteoclastogenesis. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Expression of autotaxin by cancer
      cells controls osteolytic bone metastasis formation. This work demonstrates a new
      role for LPA as a factor that stimulates directly cancer growth and metastasis,
      and osteoclast differentiation. Therefore, targeting the autotaxin/LPA track
      emerges as a potential new therapeutic approach to improve the outcome of
      patients with bone metastases.

PMID- 20305820
TI  - How is sentence processing affected by external semantic and syntactic
      information? Evidence from event-related potentials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A crucial question for understanding sentence comprehension is the
      openness of syntactic and semantic processes for other sources of information.
      Using event-related potentials in a dual task paradigm, we had previously found
      that sentence processing takes into consideration task relevant sentence-external
      semantic but not syntactic information. In that study, internal and external
      information both varied within the same linguistic domain-either semantic or
      syntactic. Here we investigated whether across-domain sentence-external
      information would impact within-sentence processing. METHODOLOGY: In one
      condition, adjectives within visually presented sentences of the structure [Det]
      [Noun]-[Adjective]-[Verb] were semantically correct or incorrect. Simultaneously
      with the noun, auditory adjectives were presented that morphosyntactically
      matched or mismatched the visual adjectives with respect to gender. FINDINGS: As
      expected, semantic violations within the sentence elicited N400 and P600
      components in the ERP. However, these components were not modulated by syntactic
      matching of the sentence-external auditory adjective. In a second condition,
      syntactic within-sentence correctness-variations were combined with semantic
      matching variations between the auditory and the visual adjective. Here,
      syntactic within-sentence violations elicited a LAN and a P600 that did not
      interact with semantic matching of the auditory adjective. However, semantic
      mismatching of the latter elicited a frontocentral positivity, presumably related
      to an increase in discourse level complexity. CONCLUSION: The current findings
      underscore the open versus algorithmic nature of semantic and syntactic
      processing, respectively, during sentence comprehension.

PMID- 20305821
TI  - Discovery of fragment molecules that bind the human peroxiredoxin 5 active site.
AB  - The search for protein ligands is a crucial step in the inhibitor design process.
      Fragment screening represents an interesting method to rapidly find lead
      molecules, as it enables the exploration of a larger portion of the chemical
      space with a smaller number of compounds as compared to screening based on drug
      sized molecules. Moreover, fragment screening usually leads to hit molecules that
      form few but optimal interactions with the target, thus displaying high ligand
      efficiencies. Here we report the screening of a homemade library composed of 200
      highly diverse fragments against the human Peroxiredoxin 5 protein.
      Peroxiredoxins compose a family of peroxidases that share the ability to reduce
      peroxides through a conserved cysteine. The three-dimensional structures of these
      enzymes ubiquitously found throughout evolution have been extensively studied,
      however, their biological functions are still not well understood and to date few
      inhibitors have been discovered against these enzymes. Six fragments from the
      library were shown to bind to the Peroxiredoxin 5 active site and ligand-induced
      chemical shift changes were used to drive the docking of these small molecules
      into the protein structure. The orientation of the fragments in the binding
      pocket was confirmed by the study of fragment homologues, highlighting the role
      of hydroxyl functions that hang the ligands to the Peroxiredoxin 5 protein. Among
      the hit fragments, the small catechol molecule was shown to significantly inhibit
      Peroxiredoxin 5 activity in a thioredoxin peroxidase assay. This study reports
      novel data about the ligand-Peroxiredoxin interactions that will help
      considerably the development of potential Peroxiredoxin inhibitors.

PMID- 20305822
TI  - Bridgehead effect in the worldwide invasion of the biocontrol harlequin ladybird.
AB  - Recent studies of the routes of worldwide introductions of alien organisms
      suggest that many widespread invasions could have stemmed not from the native
      range, but from a particularly successful invasive population, which serves as
      the source of colonists for remote new territories. We call here this phenomenon
      the invasive bridgehead effect. Evaluating the likelihood of such a scenario is
      heuristically challenging. We solved this problem by using approximate Bayesian
      computation methods to quantitatively compare complex invasion scenarios based on
      the analysis of population genetics (microsatellite variation) and historical
      (first observation dates) data. We applied this approach to the Harlequin
      ladybird Harmonia axyridis (HA), a coccinellid native to Asia that was repeatedly
      introduced as a biocontrol agent without becoming established for decades. We
      show that the recent burst of worldwide invasions of HA followed a bridgehead
      scenario, in which an invasive population in eastern North America acted as the
      source of the colonists that invaded the European, South American and African
      continents, with some admixture with a biocontrol strain in Europe. This
      demonstration of a mechanism of invasion via a bridgehead has important
      implications both for invasion theory (i.e., a single evolutionary shift in the
      bridgehead population versus multiple changes in case of introduced populations
      becoming invasive independently) and for ongoing efforts to manage invasions by
      alien organisms (i.e., heightened vigilance against invasive bridgeheads).

PMID- 20305823
TI  - Cardiac deletion of Smyd2 is dispensable for mouse heart development.
AB  - Chromatin modifying enzymes play a critical role in cardiac differentiation.
      Previously, it has been shown that the targeted deletion of the histone
      methyltransferase, Smyd1, the founding member of the SET and MYND domain
      containing (Smyd) family, interferes with cardiomyocyte maturation and proper
      formation of the right heart ventricle. The highly related paralogue, Smyd2 is a
      histone 3 lysine 4- and lysine 36-specific methyltransferase expressed in heart
      and brain. Here, we report that Smyd2 is differentially expressed during cardiac
      development with highest expression in the neonatal heart. To elucidate the
      functional role of Smyd2 in the heart, we generated conditional knockout (cKO)
      mice harboring a cardiomyocyte-specific deletion of Smyd2 and performed
      histological, functional and molecular analyses. Unexpectedly, cardiac deletion
      of Smyd2 was dispensable for proper morphological and functional development of
      the murine heart and had no effect on global histone 3 lysine 4 or 36
      methylation. However, we provide evidence for a potential role of Smyd2 in the
      transcriptional regulation of genes associated with translation and reveal that
      Smyd2, similar to Smyd3, interacts with RNA Polymerase II as well as to the RNA
      helicase, HELZ.

PMID- 20305824
TI  - First qualification study of serum biomarkers as indicators of total body burden
      of osteoarthritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating chronic multijoint disease of
      global proportions. OA presence and severity is usually documented by x-ray
      imaging but whole body imaging is impractical due to radiation exposure, time and
      cost. Systemic (serum or urine) biomarkers offer a potential alternative method
      of quantifying total body burden of disease but no OA-related biomarker has ever
      been stringently qualified to determine the feasibility of this approach. The
      goal of this study was to evaluate the ability of three OA-related biomarkers to
      predict various forms or subspecies of OA and total body burden of disease.
      METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Female participants (461) with clinical hand OA
      underwent radiography of hands, hips, knees and lumbar spine; x-rays were
      comprehensively scored for OA features of osteophyte and joint space narrowing.
      Three OA-related biomarkers, serum hyaluronan (sHA), cartilage oligomeric matrix
      protein (sCOMP), and urinary C-telopeptide of type II collagen (uCTX2), were
      measured by ELISA. sHA, sCOMP and uCTX2 correlated positively with total
      osteophyte burden in models accounting for demographics (age, weight, height):
      R(2) = 0.60, R(2) = 0.47, R(2) = 0.51 (all p<10(-6)); sCOMP correlated negatively
      with total joint space narrowing burden: R(2) = 0.69 (p<10(-6)). Biomarkers and
      demographics predicted 35-38% of variance in total burden of OA (total joint
      space narrowing or osteophyte). Joint size did not determine the contribution to
      the systemic biomarker concentration. Biomarker correlation with disease in the
      lumbar spine resembled that in the rest of the skeleton.
      CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We have suspected that the correlation of systemic
      biomarkers with disease has been hampered by the inability to fully phenotype the
      burden of OA in a patient. These results confirm the hypothesis, revealed upon
      adequate patient phenotyping, that systemic joint tissue concentrations of
      several biomarkers can be quantitative indicators of specific subspecies of OA
      and of total body burden of disease.

PMID- 20305825
TI  - Hepatocellular carcinoma displays distinct DNA methylation signatures with
      potential as clinical predictors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is characterized by late detection and
      fast progression, and it is believed that epigenetic disruption may be the cause
      of its molecular and clinicopathological heterogeneity. A better understanding of
      the global deregulation of methylation states and how they correlate with disease
      progression will aid in the design of strategies for earlier detection and better
      therapeutic decisions. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We characterized the changes in
      promoter methylation in a series of 30 HCC tumors and their respective
      surrounding tissue and identified methylation signatures associated with major
      risk factors and clinical correlates. A wide panel of cancer-related gene
      promoters was analyzed using Illumina bead array technology, and CpG sites were
      then selected according to their ability to classify clinicopathological
      parameters. An independent series of HCC tumors and matched surrounding tissue
      was used for validation of the signatures. We were able to develop and validate a
      signature of methylation in HCC. This signature distinguished HCC from
      surrounding tissue and from other tumor types, and was independent of risk
      factors. However, aberrant methylation of an independent subset of promoters was
      associated with tumor progression and etiological risk factors (HBV or HCV
      infection and alcohol consumption). Interestingly, distinct methylation of an
      independent panel of gene promoters was strongly correlated with survival after
      cancer therapy. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that HCC tumors exhibit specific DNA
      methylation signatures associated with major risk factors and tumor progression
      stage, with potential clinical applications in diagnosis and prognosis.

PMID- 20305827
TI  - Stimuli-responsive mechanically adaptive polymer nanocomposites.
AB  - A new series of biomimetic stimuli-responsive nanocomposites, which change their
      mechanical properties upon exposure to physiological conditions, was prepared and
      investigated. The materials were produced by introducing percolating networks of
      cellulose nanofibers or "whiskers" derived from tunicates into poly(vinyl
      acetate) (PVAc), poly(butyl methacrylate) (PBMA), and blends of these polymers,
      with the objective of determining how the hydrophobicity and glass-transition
      temperature (Tg) of the polymer matrix affect the water-induced mechanically
      dynamic behavior. Below the Tg (approximately 60-70 degrees C), the incorporation
      of whiskers (15.1-16.5% v/v) modestly increased the tensile storage moduli (E')
      of the neat polymers from 0.6 to 3.8 GPa (PBMA) and from 2 to 5.2 GPa (PVAc). The
      reinforcement was much more dramatic above Tg, where E' increased from 1.2 to 690
      MPa (PVAc) and approximately 1 MPa to 1.1 GPa (PBMA). Upon exposure to
      physiological conditions (immersion in artificial cerebrospinal fluid, ACSF, at
      37 degrees C) all materials displayed a decrease in E'. The most significant
      contrast was seen in PVAc; for example, the E' of a 16.5% v/v PVAc/whisker
      nanocomposite decreased from 5.2 GPa to 12.7 MPa. Only a modest modulus decrease
      was measured for PBMA/whisker nanocomposite; here the E' of a 15.1% v/v
      PBMA/whisker nanocomposite decreased from 3.8 to 1.2 GPa. A systematic
      investigation revealed that the magnitude of the mechanical contrast was related
      to the degree of swelling with ACSF, which was shown to increase with whisker
      content, temperature, and polarity of the matrix (PVAc>PBMA). The mechanical
      morphing of the new materials can be described in the framework of both the
      percolation and Halpin-Kardos models for nanocomposite reinforcement, and is the
      result of changing interactions among the nanoparticles and plasticization of the
      matrix upon swelling.

PMID- 20305826
TI  - Role of infection in the development and exacerbation of asthma.
AB  - Respiratory infections are associated with wheezing illnesses in all ages and may
      also impact the development and severity of asthma. Respiratory tract infections
      caused by viruses, Chlamydophila or Mycoplasma have been hypothesized to have
      significant roles in the pathogenesis of asthma. Progress is being made toward
      establishing the mechanisms by which these agents can cause acute wheezing and
      impact the pathophysiology of asthma. Host factors probably contribute to the
      risk of asthma inception and exacerbation, and these contributions may also vary
      with respect to early- versus adult-onset disease. This review discusses these
      various associations as they pertain to the development and exacerbation of
      asthma.

PMID- 20305828
TI  - Myeloid Malignancies and the Marrow Microenvironment: Some Recent Studies in
      Patients with MDS.
AB  - There is growing evidence for a role of the hemopoietic microenvironment in the
      pathophysiology of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Effects of various cytokines
      on the marrow microenvironment of patients with MDS have been studied.
      Autoimmunity, i.e. a reaction of autologous T lymphocytes against components of
      the marrow is also operative in a proportion of patients with MDS. The negative
      feed-back loop that controls tumor necrosis factor (TNF)alpha levels in healthy
      individuals is apparently disrupted in MDS due to auto-amplification signals
      involving TNFalpha and interleukin (IL-32). IL-32 mRNA levels in primary adherent
      cells from patients with MDS are 14- to 17-fold higher than in controls. In
      contrast, cells from patients with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), a
      myeloproliferative disorder with low TNFalpha levels, express IL-32 at only 1/10
      the level observed in controls. Damage in the microenvironment may occur
      secondary to oxidative stress, which may also lead to accelerated shortening of
      telomeres. This is, indeed, true for hematopoietic cells in MDS marrow, but
      telomere length in marrow stroma does not differ from that in age-matched healthy
      individuals. Nevertheless, the stroma shows functional aberrancies. Stroma
      derived signals facilitate apoptosis in clonal hematopoietic cells but not in
      normal CD34+ cells. Thus while stroma dysfunction is likely due to signals
      derived from the hematopoietic clone rather than being intrinsic, it does affect
      clonal death or survival, respectively. Therefore, signals exchanged between both
      compartments could serve as targets for therapeutic interventions.

PMID- 20305829
TI  - Prevalence and Timing of Diagnosable Mental Health, Alcohol, and Substance Use
      Problems among Older Adolescents in the Child Welfare System.
AB  - This study reports the prevalence of PTSD, major depression, alcohol
      abuse/dependence and substance abuse/dependence diagnoses assessed with a
      structured clinical interview protocol in a population-based, multi-state, age
      cohort of older adolescents about to exit child welfare systems. PTSD was the
      most common diagnosis and was observed at rates above those seen in the general
      population. Rates of specific diagnoses varied according to gender, race, type of
      child welfare placement, and state of residence. In general, African American
      youth and those in kinship family foster care were less likely to have mental
      health and substance use problems. Analysis of the timing of onset relative to
      entry into care revealed that Caucasian youth were more likely to have diagnoses
      prior to entry into state custody, and race differentials were less pronounced
      for diagnosis after placement in foster care. Observed state-to-state differences
      suggest that age of entry into care and the likelihood of pre-existing mental
      health and substance use conditions could be attributable to child welfare
      policies regarding screening and placement.

PMID- 20305830
TI  - Synthesis and structure assignment of the minor metabolite arising from the frog
      pathogen Mycobacterium liflandii.
AB  - Total synthesis and structure assignment of the minor metabolite present in lipid
      extracts of the frog pathogen Mycobacterium liflandii are reported.

PMID- 20305831
TI  - Integration Grid Errors for Meta-GGA-Predicted Reaction Energies: Origin of Grid
      Errors for the M06 Suite of Functionals.
AB  - We have assessed integration grid errors arising from the use of popular DFT
      quadrature schemes for a set of 34 organic reaction energies. The focus is
      primarily on M05-2X and the M06 suite of functionals (M06-L, M06, M06-2X, and M06
      HF). M05-2X, M06, and M06-2X outperform popular older DFT functionals for the
      reaction energies studied, and offer accuracies comparable to results from
      perturbative hybrid DFT functionals. However, these new functionals are more
      sensitive to the choice of quadrature grid than previous generations of DFT
      functionals. Errors in predicted reaction energies arising from the use of the
      popular SG-1 grid, which is the default in the Q-Chem package, are significant.
      In particular, M06-HF reaction energies computed with the SG-1 grid exhibit
      errors ranging from -6.7 to 3.2 kcal mol(-1) relative to results computed with a
      very fine integration grid. This grid-sensitivity is not a problem for meta-GGA
      functionals in general, but is instead due to the specific functional forms used
      in these functionals. The large grid errors are traced to the kinetic energy
      density enhancement factor utilized in the exchange component of the M05-2X and
      M06 functionals. This term contains empirically adjusted parameters that are of
      large magnitude for all of the M06 functionals and for M06-HF in particular. The
      product of these large constants with modest integration errors for the kinetic
      energy density results in very large errors in individual contributions to the
      exchange energy. This gives rise to the troubling large errors exhibited by these
      functionals for certain integration grids.

PMID- 20305832
TI  - Synthesis and Solid State Structure of Fluorous Probe Molecules for Fluorous
      Separation Applications.
AB  - A series of colored hydrocarbon and fluorocarbon tagged 1-fluoro-4-alkylamino
      anthraquinones and 1,4-bis-alkylamino-anthraquinone probe molecules were
      synthesized from a (fluorinated) alkyl amine and 1,4-difluoroanthraquinone to aid
      in the development of fluorous separation applications. The anthraquinones
      displayed stacking of the anthraquinone tricycle and interdigitation of the
      (fluorinated) alkyl chains in the solid state. Furthermore, intramolecular N
      H...O hydrogen bonds forced the hydrocarbon and fluorocarbon tags into a
      conformation pointing away from the anthraquinone tricycle, with the angle of the
      tricycle plane normal and the main (fluorinated) alkyl vector ranging from 1 to
      39 degrees . Separation of the probe molecules on fluorous silica gel showed that
      the degree of fluorination of the probe molecules plays only a minor role with
      most eluents (e.g., hexane-ethyl acetate and methyl nonafluorobutyl ethers-ethyl
      acetate). However, toluene as eluent caused a pronounced separation by degree of
      fluorination for fluorocarbon, but not hydrocarbon tagged probe molecules on both
      silica gel and fluorous silica gel. These studies suggest that hydrocarbon and
      fluorocarbon tagged anthraquinones are useful probe molecules for the development
      of laboratory scale fluorous separation applications.

PMID- 20305833
TI  - HITECH-The Carrot and the stick: What every orthopedic surgeon needs to know.

PMID- 20305834
TI  - Bearing surfaces in hip arthroplasty.

PMID- 20305835
TI  - A simple method for fashioning an antibiotic cement-coated interlocking
      intramedullary nail.
AB  - Acute or chronic infection in the presence of nonunited fracture or chronic
      nonunion often necessitates staged surgical treatment. Treatment typically
      involves removal of hardware, debridement of infected tissue, use of local
      antibiotic delivery, and a long-term course of intravenous antibiotics. Several
      methods of local antibiotic delivery using antibiotic-impregnated
      polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) have been commonly used, including commercial or
      hand-fashioned PMMA beads, antibiotic spacers, and antibiotic PMMA-coated guide
      rods. While these methods address the problem of infection, they do little to
      address fracture stability. In this report we describe a simple method for
      fashioning an antibiotic cement-coated interlocking intramedullary nail to treat
      an infected tibia fracture. This technique capitalizes on local delivery of
      antibiotics through use of antibiotic cement with the added benefit of improving
      fracture stability and fixation with an interlocking nail to achieve bony union.

PMID- 20305836
TI  - Distal humerus osteotomy for supracondylar fracture malunion in children: a study
      of perioperative complications.
AB  - Previous studies have found a wide range of perioperative complications
      associated with distal humerus osteotomies for malunion of supracondylar
      fractures in children. Our hypothesis was that the surgery would have few
      perioperative complications when performed at a pediatric center. We examined
      perioperative complications of corrective osteotomy for malunited supracondylar
      humerus fractures in 41 patients treated at Children's Hospital Los Angeles
      between 1987 and 2002, and we established the risk factors associated with these
      complications. The overall complication rate was 32% (13/41). In the early
      surgeries, performed between 1987 and 1997, the complication rate was 53%
      (10/19); 6 (32%) of the 19 patients required reoperation. In the later surgeries
      performed during 1998 and 2002, the complication rate was 14% (3/22); no patient
      required reoperation. The complication rate was significantly lower (P = .0005)
      when lateral-entry pins were used to fix the osteotomy (13% [2/15]) than when
      other fixation methods were used (42% [11/26]). Using current techniques and
      performing the surgery in a pediatric center, we report a 0% reoperation rate and
      a 14% complication rate in distal humerus osteotomies for surgeries performed
      after 1997, a rate that we believe is acceptable. Furthermore, there are fewer
      complications of the surgery when lateral-entry pins are used to fix the
      osteotomy compared with other fixation methods.

PMID- 20305837
TI  - Labral support shelf arthroplasty for the early stages of severe Legg-Calve
      Perthes disease.
AB  - The best treatment for Legg-Calve-Perthes disease remains unknown, and various
      methods of treatment have been shown to yield conflicting results. Treatment with
      a labral support shelf arthroplasty is ideal when an increased arc of the
      acetabulum is needed to contain an enlarged femoral head, when extension of the
      lateral border of the acetabulum is needed to prevent hinge subluxation, and when
      a larger surface area is needed for remodeling. Twenty patients with unilateral
      Catterall classes III and IV and lateral pillar groups B and C disease in the
      necrotic or fragmentation stage were treated with a shelf arthroplasty. Eleven
      hips demonstrated hinge subluxation. Success was defined as achievement of a
      round or oval femoral head, and failure was defined as a flat femoral head.
      Clinical examination evaluated the presence of pain, limp, and range of motion.
      Eighteen of the 20 hips (90%) had a successful result. Hinge subluxation was
      eliminated in all 11 hips. All 18 patients with a successful result had no pain,
      no limp, and a functional range of motion. The 2 hips considered a failure were
      in the oldest patients. Treatment with a labral support shelf arthroplasty
      fostered femoral head sphericity and prevented incongruence in hips otherwise at
      risk for poor results. Ninety percent of hips had a round or oval femoral head
      with no pain, no limp, and a functional range of motion.

PMID- 20305838
TI  - Chondromyxoid fibroma of the radial shaft treated with nonvascularized fibular
      autograft.
AB  - Chondromyxoid fibroma is a benign yet highly recurrent neoplasm of bone, usually
      found in the metaphyseal segments of long bones. We present the case of an
      unusual diaphyseal chondromyxoid fibroma of the radius and review the literature
      regarding these rare chondroid neoplasms.

PMID- 20305839
TI  - Painless, atraumatic, isolated lateral compartment syndrome of the leg: an
      unusual triad of atypical findings.
AB  - Compartment syndrome can be a devastating complication with significant morbidity
      when not recognized or treated expediently. Among the classic pentad of signs and
      symptoms associated with compartment syndrome, pain that is out of proportion to
      the injury is often cited as the earliest and most sensitive. We present a case
      report of an atypical presentation of compartment syndrome of the leg in which a
      patient taking lithium for bipolar disorder did not report pain out of proportion
      to the injury mechanism. Lithium has been implicated in altering pain perception
      and increasing the tolerance and threshold for pain, but this has not been widely
      reported in the orthopedic literature. In addition to compartment syndrome that
      was painless, the patient presented with 2 additional atypical findings. She
      presented with compartment syndrome that was atraumatic and isolated to only 1
      out of the 4 compartments of the leg. A compartment syndrome that is painless,
      atraumatic, and isolated to a single compartment represents an unusual triad of
      atypical findings that has not been previously reported. With unusual
      presentations of compartment syndrome, there is an increased risk of late or
      unrecognized diagnosis, consequently increasing the likelihood of significant
      nerve damage or muscle necrosis. Clinicians have historically applied a higher
      level of scrutiny to patients who were deemed "obtunded," that is, those in whom
      an assessment of pain cannot be reliably determined. In the past, obtunded
      patients have included intubated or comatose patients, infants and children,
      mentally disabled patients, and patients with altered mental status, nerve
      injury, or distracting injuries. Based on evidence from the psychiatry and
      anesthesia literatures, we propose that patients taking lithium should be added
      to this list of "obtunded" patients in whom a reliable assessment of pain may not
      be possible.

PMID- 20305840
TI  - Arthroscopic excision of a painful bipartite patella fragment.
AB  - Bipartite patella is an uncommon finding, with the majority of cases discovered
      incidentally on radiographs. Occasionally, bipartite patella can become painful
      through sports activities, overuse, or following an injury, and the large
      majority of these cases resolve with nonoperative treatment. However, for
      patients who do not respond to a prolonged course of nonoperative treatment,
      surgical options may be considered. We report a successful case of arthroscopic
      excision of a painful bipartite patella fragment in a 19-year-old male collegiate
      basketball player. A review of the literature is included.

PMID- 20305841
TI  - Septic trochanteric bursitis in an adolescent.
AB  - Trochanteric bursitis, whether septic or inflammatory in origin, is a condition
      that affects middle-aged patients. Here we report the rare case of an adolescent
      with septic trochanteric bursitis (treated successfully with intravenous
      antibiotics), review the available literature on septic bursitis, illustrate the
      importance of prompt recognition and treatment of this condition in any age
      group, and describe the clinical presentation and the radiologic findings.

PMID- 20305842
TI  - Fibula stress fracture mimicking a malignancy.
AB  - Stress fractures may be easily misdiagnosed as another entity, especially tumors,
      which may prompt very severe surgical treatment and sometimes amputation. The
      appropriate use of modern radiography may make the difference in proper diagnosis
      of stress fractures.

PMID- 20305843
TI  - Pulmonary embolism after knee arthroscopy.
AB  - Symptomatic deep venous thrombosis (DVT) after knee arthroscopy is a rare
      occurrence, especially in the ambulatory patient. In this report, we present an
      unusual case of pulmonary emboli in a young, active patient after arthroscopic
      treatment of an osteochondral defect via microfracture technique. We also review
      the current literature and recommendations for prophylaxis against
      postarthroscopic DVT. In our review, we found that DVT prophylaxis appears to
      effectively decrease nonsymptomatic DVT formation after knee arthroscopy.
      However, the relatively low rate of symptomatic DVT does not yet seem to warrant
      the associated risks of pharmaceutical prophylaxis. Further trials may provide
      more insight.

PMID- 20305844
TI  - Mandibular implant overdentures followed for over 10 years: patient compliance
      and prosthetic maintenance.
AB  - PURPOSE: The mandibular implant overdenture is a popular treatment modality and
      is well documented in the literature. Follow-up studies with a long observation
      period are difficult to perform due to the increasing age of patients. The
      present data summarize a long-term clinical observation of patients with implant
      overdentures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 1984 and 1997, edentulous patients
      were consecutively admitted for treatment with an implant overdenture. The
      dentures were connected to the implants by means of bars or ball anchors. Regular
      maintenance was provided with at least one or two scheduled visits per year.
      Recall attendance and reasons for dropout were analyzed based on the specific
      history of the patient. Denture maintenance service, relining, repair, and
      fabrication of new dentures were identified, and complications with the retention
      devices specified separately. RESULTS: In the time period from 1984 to 2008, 147
      patients with a total of 314 implants had completed a follow-up period of >10
      years. One hundred one patients were still available in 2008, while 46 patients
      were not reexamined for various reasons. Compliance was high, with a regular
      recall attendance of >90%. More than 80% of dentures remained in continuous
      service. Although major prosthetic maintenance was rather low in relation to the
      long observation period, visits to a dental hygienist and dentist resulted in an
      annual visit rate of 1.5 and 2.4, respectively. If new dentures became necessary,
      these were made in student courses, which increased the treatment time and number
      of appointments needed. Complications with the retention devices consisted mostly
      of the mounting of new female retainers, the repair of bars, and the changing of
      ball anchors. The average number of events and the rate of prosthetic service
      with ball anchors were significantly higher than those with bars. Twenty-two
      patients changed from ball anchors to bars; 9 patients switched from a clip bar
      to a rigid U-shaped bar. CONCLUSIONS: This long-term follow-up study demonstrates
      that implant overdentures are a favorable solution for edentulous patients with
      regular maintenance. In spite of specific circumstances in an aging population,
      it is possible to provide long-term care, resulting in a good prognosis and low
      risk for this treatment modality. For various reasons the dropout rate can be
      considerable in elderly patients and prosthetic service must be provided
      regularly.

PMID- 20305845
TI  - A treatment planning classification for oligodontia.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this research was to provide a classification for patients
      with oligodontia that could act as an aid in treatment planning. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Panoramic radiograph records of 70 patients with oligodontia were used
      to categorize the extent of the disability and treatment modality. Patients were
      classified into types 1 through 3 depending on the number of missing primary and
      permanent teeth, as well as in relation to their prosthodontic requirements. The
      radiographs were then assessed independently on two separate occasions by three
      experienced clinicians to validate the classification. RESULTS: There was a high
      level of intrarater consistency in allocating patients into the three different
      types with a Kappa (k) score of 0.77 for clinician 1, 0.87 for clinician 2, and
      0.94 for clinician 3. There was also a strong interrater agreement (overall k
      score: 0.88). A k score greater then 0.6 is regarded as being good and greater
      than 0.8 as being very good. CONCLUSIONS: Oligodontia is a heterogeneous
      condition. Patients with oligodontia can be classified as having three different
      types according to the extent of their disability and the complexity of their
      prosthodontic requirements. This classification is a reliable diagnostic tool
      based on the positive outcome of the inter- and intrarater consistency.

PMID- 20305846
TI  - Restoring severely compromised anterior teeth with zirconia crowns and feather
      edged margin preparations: a 3-year follow-up of a prospective clinical trial.
AB  - This prospective clinical trial sought to evaluate the 3-year clinical results of
      anterior teeth restored with 0.3-mm-thick zirconia copings and feather-edged
      marginal preparations. Ten patients received 19 single-tooth restorations in the
      anterior maxilla to restore severely decayed teeth. After a mean observation
      period of 39.2 months, no material fracture occurred and all crowns had
      acceptable surfaces. A survival and success rate of 100% was recorded, which
      suggests that the clinical method may be a reliable treatment modality for
      restoring severely compromised anterior teeth.

PMID- 20305847
TI  - Randomized controlled trial investigating the effect of an acrylic-based
      resilient liner on perceived chewing ability in edentulous patients wearing
      mandibular complete dentures.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of an acrylic-based
      resilient liner (ARL) on perceived chewing ability in patients using mandibular
      complete dentures compared with that of patients using mandibular complete
      dentures with a conventional acrylic resin (CAR). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This
      randomized controlled trial was conducted at two centers from April 2004 to July
      2006. Seventy-four subjects were randomly allocated to either the ARL or CAR
      group using a random permuted block method after obtaining written informed
      consent. A valid questionnaire listing 35 foods was used to evaluate the
      subjects' perceived chewing ability of each item, assessed according to the
      following scale: 0=cannot eat, 1=can eat with difficulty, and 2=can eat easily.
      If subjects did not eat the food because they disliked it or had not eaten it
      since first wearing dentures, they filled in a triangle or square, respectively.
      These figures were treated as a 0 during analysis. RESULTS: No significant
      differences were observed between the ARL and CAR groups. The perceived chewing
      ability of subjects with new complete dentures was significantly higher than that
      of those with their old complete dentures. The duration of edentulism was
      positively associated with perceived chewing ability. CONCLUSIONS: An ARL applied
      to mandibular complete dentures has no significant impact on the perceived
      chewing ability of edentulous patients in comparison to a CAR.

PMID- 20305848
TI  - Marginal bone loss with mandibular two-implant overdentures using different
      loading protocols: a systematic literature review.
AB  - PURPOSE: Mandibular two-implant overdentures opposing conventional complete
      maxillary dentures have been proposed as the standard for complete denture
      service. Monitoring marginal bone loss around implants is regarded as the most
      important criterion in determining the success of implants. The aim of this
      systematic literature review was to critically evaluate the literature on short-
      and long-term marginal bone loss associated with mandibular two-implant
      overdentures using different loading protocols. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PubMed (using medical subject headings) databases were
      searched using the restriction of articles in English only. Other articles were
      identified from the reference lists of the articles found, as well as from early
      online articles. Reviewed studies were those on two oral implants supporting
      mandibular overdentures with different loading protocols. Marginal bone loss was
      evaluated as well as the validity of using marginal bone loss measurements for
      determining the success of implants. RESULTS: Twenty-five studies met the review
      criteria. Clinical studies involving conventional loading showed long-term
      results; however, early and immediate loading protocols were only in the short
      term. High success or survival rates of two implants supporting mandibular
      overdentures were reported, regardless of the loading protocol. A lack of
      standardization was revealed in the radiographic methods used for measuring
      marginal bone loss and the success criteria on which results were based. Long
      term outcomes of the effect of different loading protocols on marginal bone loss
      were not found. Due to the wide methodologic variation among the included
      studies, it was difficult to compare data between studies or to determine long
      term marginal bone loss patterns with this treatment. For conventional two-stage
      and one-stage loading protocols, the range of marginal bone loss seen in the
      first year was 0.2 to 0.7 mm and 0.0 to 2.0 mm, respectively. For early loading
      protocols, the range was 0.0 to 0.2 mm; immediate loading protocols saw a
      marginal bone loss of around 0.7 mm in the first year. CONCLUSIONS: Short-term
      findings indicate that so far, there is no detrimental effect on marginal bone
      levels with early and immediate loading protocols. However, to recommend these
      protocols in the long-term for two implants supporting mandibular overdentures
      may be premature.

PMID- 20305849
TI  - The association of chewing ability and diet in elderly complete denture patients.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between chewing
      ability and diet among elderly edentulous patients whose dentures were funded by
      the Department of Health in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. A cluster sample of 103
      elderly edentulous subjects 65 years and older (68 men, 35 women) was gathered
      randomly and assessed through use of a questionnaire. The responses to queries
      regarding demographics, health, and chewing capabilities were correlated with
      dietary guidelines for the five basic food groups. Chi-square test analysis
      revealed that subjects with chewing difficulty consumed fewer vegetables. Only
      17% of the total subject pool consumed the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of
      vegetables. Approximately 58% of subjects reported dissatisfaction with their
      dentures and 51% reported discomfort on chewing. Approximately 4% of the subjects
      met the RDA standards for all five food groups and 4% did not meet the RDA
      standards for any of the five food groups. Patient satisfaction with the comfort
      of their denture during mastication significantly impacted the diet of these
      elderly edentulous patients.

PMID- 20305850
TI  - Fracture rates of IPS Empress all-ceramic crowns--a systematic review.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical fracture rate of
      crowns fabricated with the pressable, leucite-reinforced ceramic IPS Empress, and
      relate the results to the type of tooth restored. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      database SCOPUS was searched for clinical studies involving full-coverage crowns
      made of IPS Empress. To assess the fracture rate of the crowns in relation to the
      type of restored tooth and study, Poisson regression analysis was used. RESULTS:
      Seven clinical studies were identified involving 1,487 adhesively luted crowns
      (mean observation time: 4.5+/-1.7 years) and 81 crowns cemented with zinc
      phosphate cement (mean observation time: 1.6+/-0.8 years). Fifty-seven of the
      adhesively luted crowns fractured (3.8%). The majority of fractures (62%)
      occurred between the third and sixth year after placement. There was no
      significant influence regarding the test center on fracture rate, but the
      restored tooth type played a significant role. The hazard rate (per year) for
      crowns was estimated to be 5 in every 1,000 crowns for incisors, 7 in every 1,000
      crowns for premolars, 12 in every 1,000 crowns for canines, and 16 in every 1,000
      crowns for molars. One molar crown in the zinc-phosphate group fractured after
      1.2 years. CONCLUSION: Adhesively luted IPS Empress crowns showed a low fracture
      rate for incisors and premolars and a somewhat higher rate for molars and
      canines. The sample size of the conventionally luted crowns was too small and the
      observation period too short to draw meaningful conclusions.

PMID- 20305851
TI  - Survival of Dicor glass-ceramic dental restorations over 20 years: Part IV. The
      effects of combinations of variables.
AB  - PURPOSE: Previous studies have shown the relationship of individual clinical
      variables to the survival of Dicor (Corning Glass Works) restorations. The
      purpose of the present investigation was to examine the effect of combinations of
      these variables on the intraoral survival of Dicor restorations. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Dicor glass-ceramic restorations (n=1,444) were placed in 417 adult
      patients. Failure was defined as a restoration that required remake because of
      material fracture. The survival of restorations with different combinations of
      variables that were each individually associated with survival was described
      using Kaplan-Meier survivor functions. The statistical significance of
      differences in survival between different combinations of specific predictor
      variables was examined using the proportional hazards model. RESULTS: Kaplan
      Meier survival analysis indicated that significantly worse survival rates were
      found for restorations that included combinations of molar teeth, a dentin core,
      and a glass-ionomer luting agent; molar teeth, a dentin core, and a resin luting
      agent; and single-rooted teeth, a dentin core, and a glass-ionomer luting agent
      than for any other combinations tested. The Cox proportional hazards model
      described a hazard ratio of 3.37 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.23 to 5.08) for
      molar teeth (versus single-rooted teeth), 2.65 (95% CI: 1.44 to 4.87) for dentin
      core (versus gold core), 2.35 (95% CI: 1.58 to 3.51) for men (versus women), and
      1.72 (95% CI: 1.13 to 2.60) for glass-ionomer luting agent (versus resin) after
      adjusting for the other variables in the model. CONCLUSION: Factors beyond
      individual restoration design impact the survival of Dicor glass-ceramic. These
      include sex, tooth position, and restorations luted to gold core foundation
      bases.

PMID- 20305852
TI  - Prospective evaluation of zirconia posterior fixed partial dentures: four-year
      clinical results.
AB  - PURPOSE: In this prospective clinical study, the performance of three- and four
      unit fixed partial dentures (FPDs) with frameworks fabricated of yttria partially
      stabilized zirconia was determined after a mean observation period of 50 months.
      The study focused on the survival of the restoration (in situ criterion) and the
      success of the ceramic veneers (no defect). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-five
      patients with a maximum of two missing teeth and an antagonistic dentition were
      treated at the Department of Prosthodontics, University of Goettigen, with 99
      posterior FPDs. Fifty-one specimens (experimental group) were veneered with an
      experimental ceramic suitable for titanium and zirconia frameworks (thermal
      expansion coefficient [TEC]: 8.5 microm/m*K); 48 restorations (Ceram-S group)
      were veneered with a commercially available low-fusing ceramic optimized for
      zirconia frameworks (TEC: 9.5 microm/m*K). All restorations were luted with zinc
      phosphate cement. Statistical analysis was performed according to the Kaplan
      Meier method; time-dependent success rates of the different types of ceramic
      veneers were analyzed using the log-rank test. RESULTS: Seven restorations were
      lost: 4 due to technical complications and 3 due to biologic complications. The
      overall survival rate after 48 months was 94% (Kaplan-Meier analysis). Twenty
      three events required clinical intervention for restoration maintenance: 13
      ceramic veneer chippings (polishing), 6 losses of retention (recementation), 3
      caries lesions (filling therapy), and 1 loss of vitality (endodontic treatment).
      Between the two groups of veneering materials, no significant difference in the
      probability for success was determined (log-rank test, P=.81). CONCLUSIONS:
      Within a mean observation period of 4 years, sufficient survival rates for
      zirconia-based posterior FPDs could be verified. The main complications included
      fracture of the ceramic veneering material and decementation, which occurred
      mainly in the mandible.

PMID- 20305853
TI  - Evaluation of color duplication in metal-ceramic complexes using visual and
      instrumental shade-matching systems.
AB  - This study was designed to evaluate color differences (DE) between intended and
      fabricated shades of various metal-ceramic complexes using visual and
      instrumental shade determination. Forty-two master disks were made to represent
      every tab in two shade guides. The shades of the master disks were determined
      visually and instrumentally. Accordingly, 84 experimental disks were fabricated.
      Color measurements of the master and fabricated disks were performed using a
      spectrophotometer. Visual shade determination showed a significantly lower DE
      value than the instrumental shade determination. However, all groups showed DE
      values exceeding 2.75, which could be considered perceivable and therefore
      clinically unacceptable. A reliable shade duplication of an existing metal
      ceramic restoration cannot be ensured, regardless of the method of shade
      assessment.

PMID- 20305854
TI  - A modified method for rebasing implant-retained overdentures.
AB  - There is a constant need for rebasing implant-retained overdentures because of
      the inevitable continuous absorption of the underlying residual ridge, which
      results in a lack of proper occlusion and possible rotation of the denture around
      the retentive components. This step-by-step article describes all of the clinical
      and laboratory procedures needed for rebasing a mandibular implant overdenture
      retained with a bar on two implants, securing an accurate fit. This procedure can
      be applied successfully for rebasing overdentures with different superstructures
      (ball attachments or magnets), and for replacing worn or damaged retentive
      components and matrices.

PMID- 20305855
TI  - Adhesive-mediated enhancement of occlusal force measurements in patients with
      existing and new complete dentures: a pilot study.
AB  - A disposable gnathometer was used to compare measurements of incisal and premolar
      occlusal forces in removable prosthesis-wearing patients with and without the use
      of a denture adhesive. Twenty-four patients with maxillary complete dentures
      opposed by complete or partial mandibular dentures were tested. Denture adhesive
      significantly improved incisal and premolar occlusal force for the maxillary
      complete dentures, as well as incisal occlusal force for both existing and new
      dentures. The occlusal force in patients with mandibular removable partial
      dentures exceeded that with mandibular complete dentures. Denture adhesive
      appears to be beneficial for both existing and new dentures, with existing
      dentures exhibiting an increased benefit relative to newer dentures.

PMID- 20305856
TI  - Candida albicans and denture stomatitis: evaluation of its presence in the
      lesion, prosthesis, and blood.
AB  - Denture stomatitis is a primarily oral disease that affects denture wearers. The
      presence of Candida albicans in the palatal mucosa, on the internal surface of
      the maxillary denture, and in the blood of patients with denture stomatitis was
      evaluated. Although the results did not show C albicans in the bloodstream of
      patients, a strong relationship between denture stomatitis and Candida sp was
      confirmed for both the palatal mucosa and maxillary denture.

PMID- 20305857
TI  - Attachment systems for mandibular single-implant overdentures: an in vitro
      retention force investigation on different designs.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the retentive force of six
      different attachment systems used for mandibular single-implant overdentures,
      including two prototype large ball attachment designs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two
      prototype ball attachments of larger dimensions (7.9 and 5.9 mm) and four
      commercially available ball and stud attachments of standard dimensions (2.25 and
      4.0 mm) were evaluated on three identical test casts resembling an edentulous
      mandible with severe residual ridge resorption. Five samples from each attachment
      system (n=30) were connected to three different implants (8.0-mm wide diameter,
      3.75-mm regular diameter, and 4.0-mm regular diameter). An Instron testing
      machine with a computer software package was used to deliver a vertical
      dislodging force at a cross-head speed of 50 mm/min to each overdenture sample
      from the anterior direction. A total of 300 pull tests were conducted (50 per
      attachment system). The maximum load (retentive force) required to separate each
      overdenture from the supporting implant was then measured. RESULTS: The highest
      retentive force (36.97+/-2.23 N) was achieved with the 7.9-mm prototype ball
      attachment design, followed in a decreasing order by the 5.9-mm prototype ball
      attachment design (32.06+/-2.59 N), the standard 2.25-mm ball attachment (17.32+/
      3.68 N), Locator white (12.39+/-0.55 N), Locator pink (9.40 N+/-0.74 N), and
      Locator blue (3.83+/-0.64 N). A statistically significant difference (P<.0001)
      was found between all attachments. CONCLUSIONS: Attachment systems of larger
      dimensions provided higher retentive forces for mandibular single-implant
      overdentures. Further in vitro and in vivo research is necessary to determine
      prosthodontic outcomes with these attachments in edentulous patients prior to
      their routine clinical use internationally.

PMID- 20305858
TI  - A histologic investigation of direct pulp capping in rodents with dentin
      adhesives and calcium hydroxide.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate reactions of pulp tissue when in contact with the
      dentin adhesives Resulcin AquaPrime + MonoBond (RAPMB, Merz Dental), Scotchbond 1
      (SB1, 3M ESPE), and Gluma Comfort Bond (GCB, Heraeus Kulzer) in comparison with
      calcium hydroxide after 1 to 70 days. METHOD AND MATERIALS: An occlusal cavity
      was prepared in 152 molars of 76 Wistar rats. The pulps were exposed and dentin
      adhesives placed on the pulp tissue of 10 molars for each dentin adhesive group
      and time period. Eight molars per time period served as controls and were capped
      with calcium hydroxide. All cavities were restored with composite resin. The
      animals were sacrificed 1, 3, 7, and 70 days after pulp capping. Pulp tissue was
      histologically evaluated for the following criteria: bacterial infection,
      inflammatory cells, necrosis, and reparative dentin. The data were statistically
      evaluated using the Kruskal-Wallis test (P < .05). RESULTS: Overall,
      significantly more bacterial infections were detected 1, 3, 7, and 70 days after
      pulp capping with dentin adhesive (P < .05). In all dentin adhesive groups, 1 day
      after direct pulp capping, significantly more inflammatory cells were found,
      whereas after 7 days, this was only the case for the SB1 group (P < .05). After
      70 days, capping with calcium hydroxide resulted in significantly less necrosis
      than with RAPMB and SB1 (P < .05). Regarding necrosis, SB1 showed the worst
      results: Pulp necrosis occurred significantly more often than with calcium
      hydroxide and GCB (P < .05). After the application of calcium hydroxide,
      significantly more reparative dentin formation occurred (P < .05). CONCLUSION:
      Direct pulp capping with calcium hydroxide seems to produce remarkably better
      results than with dentin adhesive.

PMID- 20305859
TI  - Cavernous sinus thrombosis in a patient with facial myiasis.
AB  - Cavernous sinus thrombosis is a severe encephalic complication of the
      cervicofacial infections that can lead to death if not treated in adequate time.
      Among the several etiologies related to the development of this infection,
      myiasis has not been reported, enforcing the importance of the report of a case
      of thrombosis of the cavernous sinus developed from a facial myiasis.

PMID- 20305860
TI  - Thurston syndrome: oral and systemic manifestations. Case report and review of
      the literature.
AB  - Orofaciodigital (OFD) syndrome is a generic name for a variety of different but
      possibly related genetic disorders that result in malformations of the mouth,
      teeth, jaw, facial bones, hands, and feet and are therefore categorized as
      oroacral disorders. Nine subtypes of OFD syndromes have been identified. OFD type
      V is known as Thurston syndrome, of which only 11 cases have been reported to
      date. A case is reported of a 19-year-old man with this syndrome. A brief review
      of previously reported cases and discussion of anomalies of the syndrome is
      presented.

PMID- 20305861
TI  - Clinical evaluation of a fixed (retrievable) implant-supported prosthesis in the
      edentulous jaw: a 5-year report.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This retrospective study evaluated the success rate of a fixed
      retrievable prosthesis based on an electroforming technique combining the
      advantages of screw- and cement-retained principles. METHOD AND MATERIALS: Forty
      patients (17 men and 23 women) with a mean age of 62.2 years were treated. A
      total of 353 implants were placed in the edentulous maxilla, mandible, or both
      jaws to allow prosthetic rehabilitations with 55 fixed prostheses. Clinical
      success of the implants was based on the criteria of Buser. Technical
      complications monitored throughout the wearing period are described.
      Retrievability of the restoration with a conventional crown remover was checked
      at 6, 12, and 36 months. The cumulative survival rate of the implants was
      measured. RESULTS: After a mean observation period of 4.08 years (range 22 to 62
      months), a cumulative survival rate of 99.15% was recorded for the 234 maxillary
      implants (234 Camlog RootLine, Camlog) and for the 119 mandibular implants (72
      Camlog RootLine, 47 Camlog ScrewLine). Three implants failed before prosthetic
      loading. Monitored technical complications were seen in 10.91% of the
      restorations; they comprised ceramic chip-off and relining. CONCLUSIONS: This
      fixed implant-retained prosthesis based on electroforming indicates a comparable
      clinical efficacy to other techniques and allows scheduled retrieval.

PMID- 20305862
TI  - Immediate loading of full-arch fixed prostheses supported by axial and tilted
      implants for the treatment of edentulous atrophic mandibles.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the long-term prognosis of immediately
      loaded fixed full prostheses for the treatment of edentulous patients with
      extreme bone atrophy in the posterior mandibular region. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      Twenty-four edentulous patients with atrophic posterior mandibles were treated by
      means of a complete prosthesis sustained by both axial and tilted fixtures. The
      insertion of tilted implants was carefully planned by means of computed
      tomography scan analysis and measuring width and height of residual bone. Implant
      type, length, and diameter were chosen, as well as implant angulation, according
      to the All-on-Four protocol and avoiding the course of the mandibular nerve. The
      prosthesis was delivered no later than 2 days after implant surgery. Implant
      survival and prosthesis success were assessed clinically and radiographically up
      to 42 months of follow-up. Measurement of peri-implant bone loss was based on
      periapical radiographs after 12 months of loading. RESULTS: All implants survived
      and all prostheses were successful at the time of this study reporting. The mean
      follow-up was 30.1 months with a range of 14 to 44 months. The average peri
      implant bone loss was 0.85 mm after 12 months (0.8 mm for tilted implants and 0.9
      mm for axial implants). No significant difference in marginal bone loss was
      observed between axial and tilted implants. CONCLUSIONS: The immediate
      rehabilitation of patients with extreme atrophic mandibles can be successful with
      careful planning and particular attention during the surgical placement of the
      implants, as shown by the excellent outcomes of the present study.

PMID- 20305863
TI  - Dystrophic calcifications arising in the masseter muscle: a case report.
AB  - Calcium salt deposits in the presence of normal calcium/phosphorus metabolism
      involving tissues that do not physiologically calcify are referred to as
      dystrophic calcification. The condition may be associated with a variety of
      systemic disorders. Additionally, injured tissue of any kind is predisposed to
      dystrophic calcification. The case of a 21-year-old man with two isolated
      dystrophic calcifications in the right masseter muscle is presented. Dystrophic
      calcifications should be studied carefully and differentiated from lesions
      resulting from other syndromes that manifest calcification of soft tissues. The
      lack of a classification system of soft tissue calcifications complicates the
      management and study of the condition.

PMID- 20305864
TI  - Three cases of subpontic osseous hyperplasia of the mandible: a report.
AB  - Subpontic osseous hyperplasia is a relatively uncommon benign submucosal mass of
      normal bone found beneath a pontic. Three cases of mandibular subpontic osseous
      hyperplasia are described, adding to the 40 existing cases in the English
      language literature. Subpontic osseous hyperplasia may represent a unique
      reactive osseous metaplasia in the subpontic region, with chronic stimuli and
      functional or occlusal stress as possible etiologies. This article aims to
      address the clinical significance, treatment considerations, and radiographic
      correlation of subpontic osseous hyperplasia.

PMID- 20305865
TI  - Short-term effects of systemic antibiotics during periodontal healing.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the short-term effects of nonsurgical therapy (scaling
      and root planing, SRP) on the subgingival microbiota in chronic (CP) and
      aggressive (AP) periodontal disease. METHOD AND MATERIALS: Ninety-seven CP and AP
      subjects underwent full-mouth SRP on 2 consecutive days. AP patients were
      randomly assigned to either receive systemic metronidazole plus amoxicillin
      (AP+AB) or were treated mechanically alone (AP). Pathogens were identified with
      16S rRNA oligodeoxynucleotide probes and dot-blot hybridization before and at
      days 2, 3, 4, 7, 10, and 21 of healing. CP subjects were treated by scaling and
      root planing along with placebo tablets. RESULTS: Initially, AP cell counts were
      69.9- (Porphyromonas gingivalis), 10.2- (Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans),
      5.7- (Tannerella forsythia), and 3.3-fold (Prevotella intermedia) enhanced
      compared to CP cell counts. Following SRP, immediate elimination occurred in
      single individuals of all three treatment groups at day 2. After SRP plus
      antibiotic therapy (AP+AB), the prevalence scores dropped beyond the levels of AP
      and CP, beginning at day 7, and remained low until day 21 (P =or< .05). Clinical
      healing statistically benefited from SRP with no differences among the three
      treatment groups. CONCLUSION: Nonsurgical therapy resulted in both a suppression
      and early elimination of single taxa immediately after completion of active
      treatment. Systemic antibiotics significantly accelerate the suppression of the
      periodontal microflora, but have limited effect on the elimination of target
      isolates during healing.

PMID- 20305866
TI  - Novel ceria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia/alumina nanocomposite as framework
      material for posterior fixed dental prostheses: preliminary results of a
      prospective case series at 1 year of function.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the clinical performance of veneered ceria-stabilized
      tetragonal zirconia/alumina-nanocomposite (Ce-TZP/A-nanocomposite) frameworks for
      three-unit fixed dental prostheses (FDPs). METHOD AND MATERIALS: Eight patients
      in need of one FDP replacing one premolar or molar were included in this case
      series. Eight Ce-TZP/A-nanocomposite FDP frameworks were fabricated with a
      CAD/CAM system (Hint-Els) and veneered with a zirconia veneering ceramic (Vintage
      ZR, Shofu). The FDPs were cemented with resin cement (baseline) and were
      evaluated at baseline; 2 weeks; and 3, 6, and 12 months after cementation. For
      the technical evaluation, the USPHS criteria were used. The biologic outcome was
      judged by comparing the plaque control record (PCR), bleeding on probing (BOP),
      and probing pocket depth (PPD) of the abutment teeth (test) and untreated
      contralateral teeth (control). Radiographs were made at baseline and at 6 and 12
      months of follow-up. The data were descriptively analyzed. RESULTS: The mean
      observation period of the eight examined FDPs was 12.8 +/- 1.1 months. The
      survival rate of the FDPs was 100%. Furthermore, no technical or biologic
      complications were found. No differences of the mean (m) PCR (test: 0.1 +/- 0.1,
      control: 0.2 +/- 0.2), mBOP (test: 0.2 +/- 0.2, control: 0.1 +/- 0.1), and mPPD
      (test: 2.6 +/- 0.8, control: 2.6 +/- 0.6) were found between test and control
      teeth. CONCLUSIONS: Ce-TZP/A nanocomposite was found to be a reliable framework
      material at 1 year of function. Longer observation periods and randomized
      controlled clinical trials including more patients are needed to validate these
      findings.

PMID- 20305867
TI  - Etiologic factors of hyposalivation and consequences for oral health.
AB  - Hyposalivation is represented by a reduced salivary flow rate and can be caused
      by etiologic factors such as systemic diseases and intake of various medications
      or by radiotherapy following head and neck cancer. The aim of this review was to
      compile data about the qualitative and quantitative changes of salivary
      components during hyposalivation, and to summarize their consequences for oral
      health. A Medline/PubMed/Scopus search was conducted to identify and summarize
      articles published in English and German that reported on etiology of
      hyposalivation and changes in the salivary composition due to hyposalivation of
      different origins. The search revealed 94 articles, 71 of which were original
      articles. Apart from the reduction of the salivary flow rate, the quality of
      saliva is strongly altered because of systemic diseases, medications, and
      radiotherapy, including increased viscosity and pH shift to more acidic values
      and changes in salivary protein compositions. Furthermore, hyposalivation may be
      accompanied by pronounced shifts in specific microbial components, in particular
      toward a highly acidogenic microflora. Moreover, therapy of hyposalivation is
      often restricted to palliative treatment (ie, saliva substitutes or gels). To
      prevent tooth tissue demineralization, clinicians should consider saliva
      substitutes that are supersaturated with calcium and phosphates and contain
      fluoride.

PMID- 20305868
TI  - Bacterial leakage of provisional restorative materials used in endodontics.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To test the bacterial sealing ability of commonly used provisional
      endodontic restorative materials. METHOD AND MATERIALS: This study investigated
      Cavit (3M ESPE), Ketac (3M ESPE), DuoTemp (Coltane/Whaledent), and a combination
      technique using Ketac and Cavit. One hundred molars were randomly selected and
      then mounted in an apparatus that isolated the crown portion of the tooth.
      Provisional restorative materials were placed in an open access following
      manufacturer guidelines. Streptococcus mutans was applied to the samples, and
      results were tabulated over the course of 4 weeks. RESULTS: Cavit and DuoTemp
      performed the best, and Ketac performed the worst. After 14 days, however, all
      materials leaked in over half of the samples. CONCLUSION: No material can be
      recommended as superior in providing a reliable seal after 14 days.

PMID- 20305869
TI  - Influence of root-surface conditioning with acid and chelating agents on clot
      stabilization.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the adhesion and maturation of blood components on
      chemically conditioned root surfaces. METHOD AND MATERIALS: Clinical root samples
      of human teeth were obtained (n = 150) and manually scaled. Five groups of 30
      samples were treated as follows: (1) saline solution irrigation (control); (2)
      24% EDTA gel; (3) 25% citric acid solution; (4) tetracycline solution (50 mg/mL);
      and (5) 30% sodium citrate solution. After these treatments, 15 samples of each
      group received a blood drop and were analyzed by SEM. The remaining 15 had their
      surface morphology evaluated for collagen fibrils exposure by SEM.
      Photomicrographs were analyzed according to the score of adhesion of blood
      components. Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn multiple comparison tests were employed.
      RESULTS: The control group was characterized by the absence of blood elements on
      the surface. The best result was observed in the citric acid group, which had a
      dense fibrin network with blood elements adhered. The EDTA group showed a
      moderate fibrin network formation. In contrast, a scarce fibrin network and a few
      cells were present in the tetracycline samples, and an absence of blood elements
      was found on sodium citrate specimens. The citric acid group was statistically
      different from the control group (P < .01). No differences were found among the
      control, EDTA, tetracycline, and sodium citrate groups (P > .05). CONCLUSION:
      Under these experimental conditions, citric acid is indicated to stabilize clots
      on the root surface, which act as a scaffold for connective tissue cell
      development.

PMID- 20305870
TI  - EJED and the Accademia Italiana di Conservativa.

PMID- 20305871
TI  - Non-carious cervical lesions associated with multiple gingival recessions in the
      maxillary arch. A restorative-periodontal effort for esthetic success. A 12-month
      case report.
AB  - Restoration of non-carious cervical lesions (NCCLs) represents a major challenge
      for resin materials due to the different adhesive properties of the tooth
      structure, the biomechanical aspects of the cervical area, and the difficulties
      in the access and isolation of the operative field. Furthermore, NCCLs should be
      approached with a complete understanding of the role played by the marginal
      periodontal tissue. Whenever a cervical lesion is associated with a gingival
      recession, the interplay between restorative dentistry and periodontology is
      decisive for full esthetic and long-term success. A case report is presented
      dealing with the treatment of NCCLs associated with multiple gingival recessions
      using a combined restorative and periodontal treatment with a 12-month follow-up.

PMID- 20305872
TI  - Composite resin rehabilitation of eroded dentition in a bulimic patient: a case
      report.
AB  - Eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa can have a significant impact on the
      structure of the teeth. Gastric acid not only causes enamel and dentin to
      dissolve but also causes a progressive deterioration of dental health, which
      leads to functional esthetic and biological consequences. According to the
      classic concepts of restorative dentistry, the rehabilitation of such clinical
      cases will involve numerous full crowns and root canal treatments, a process
      which is expensive financially, biologically, and in terms of time. However, the
      development of resin composite and adhesive systems has made it possible, today,
      to reconstruct teeth with minimal dental preparation. This article will look at
      the dental treatment of a bulimic patient who had numerous serious erosions with
      a significant loss of dental tissue. All teeth were reconstructed with a nano
      hybrid resin composite and, as very little preparation was necessary, the teeth's
      vitality was maintained and did not require laboratory collaboration.
      Furthermore, all biological, functional, and esthetic requisites were
      successfully met in a very short period of time.

PMID- 20305873
TI  - Adhesive restorations in the posterior area with subgingival cervical margins:
      new classification and differentiated treatment approach.
AB  - The aim of this article is to analyze some of the issues related to the adhesive
      restoration of teeth with deep cervical and/or subgingival margins in the
      posterior area. Three different problems tend to occur during restoration: loss
      of dental substance, detection of subgingival cervical margins, and dentin
      sealing of the cervical margins. These conditions, together with the presence of
      medium/large-sized cavities associated with cuspal involvement and absence of
      cervical enamel, are indications for indirect adhesive restorations. Subgingival
      margins are associated with biological and technical problems such as difficulty
      in isolating the working field with a dental dam, adhesion procedures, impression
      taking, and final positioning of the restoration itself. A new classification is
      suggested based on two clinical parameters: 1) a technicaloperative parameter
      (possibility of correct isolation through the dental dam) and 2) a biological
      parameter (depending on the biologic width). Three different clinical situations
      and three different therapeutic approaches are identified (1st, 2nd, and 3rd,
      respectively): coronal relocation of the margin, surgical exposure of the margin,
      and clinical crown lengthening. The latter is associated with three further
      operative sequences: immediate, early, or delayed impression taking. The
      different therapeutic options are described and illustrated by several clinical
      cases. The surgical-restorative approach, whereby surgery is strictly associated
      with buildup, onlay preparation, and impression taking is particularly
      interesting. The restoration is cemented after only 1 week. This approach makes
      it possible to speed up the therapy by eliminating the intermediate phases
      associated with positioning the provisional restorations, and with fast and
      efficient healing of the soft marginal tissue.

PMID- 20305874
TI  - CAD/CAM technology and zirconium oxide with feather-edge marginal preparation.
AB  - Clinical needs and growing patient expectations have forced modern dentistry to
      focus on finding ever simpler protocols and to develop materials which offer high
      performance in their mechanical resistance and esthetics. In recent years, the
      scientific community has been venturing into the world of CAD/CAM, a significant
      technological innovation imported from the world of engineering. This innovation
      has made it possible to exploit a material which has long been noted for its
      mechanical and mimetic qualities: zirconium oxide. While CAD/CAM is
      revolutionizing the laboratory work of dental technicians, the white color of
      zirconium has opened new avenues which may lead not only to new options for
      proper treatment planning, but also to new opportunities in the choice of
      materials to be used in prosthetic rehabilitation and variation of the types of
      preparations possible. The present paper will analyze the advantages and
      limitations of these methodologies, which are capable of simplifying clinical
      protocols and standardizing results. These technologies have instilled great
      enthusiasm in the profession due to their innovative nature, but this approach
      needs to be verified by further scientific evidence.

PMID- 20305875
TI  - Composite in everyday practice: how to choose the right material and simplify
      application techniques in the anterior teeth.
AB  - In daily practice, composites are the materials most commonly used for
      restorative dentistry. They are used for preventive seals, microinvasive
      restorations, build-ups and complex direct and indirect restorations in posterior
      sections. Indeed, it is in the anterior sections that composites have
      traditionally been used to the greatest effect, enabling clinicians to carry out
      complex restorations using direct techniques with notable esthetic and clinical
      results. Recent product developments combined with clinical research on
      stratification make it now possible to utilize new composites that have excellent
      opalescence and fluorescence characteristics and provide an excellent color range
      to choose from. It is however, a common complaint among clinicians that the
      layering techniques are rather complex and it is difficult to make the right
      color choice. Paradoxically, they say that the appearance on the market of
      sophisticated materials, designed to give ever better results in the medium and
      long term, only makes it more difficult to make the correct decision. Indeed,
      many of these colleagues, after the first buzz of enthusiasm, give up on the
      layering technique and opt for materials which they say are more simple or
      "mimetic." In the present article, the authors will discuss these topics and make
      suggestions on how to achieve high quality results every day, both from an
      esthetic and clinical point of view. However, predictability of the results is
      more important, as predictability provides advantages in terms of the quality of
      work and economy for clinicians and patients.

PMID- 20305877
TI  - Evaluation of placental glycogen storage in mild diabetic rats.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the placental glycogen storage and fetal development in the
      pregnancy of neonatally streptozocin-induced diabetic rats and to establish
      relation with glycemia and insulin levels. METHODS: At the birth day, 147 female
      rats were randomly distributed in two experimental groups: 1) Non-diabetic Group
      (Control, n=45) - received the vehicle; 2) Diabetic Group (STZ, n=102) - received
      100 mg streptozocin/kg in neonatal period. At day 0 of pregnancy, adult female
      rats were included in the control group when presented glycemia below 120 mg/dL
      and, in the group STZ with glycemia between 120 and 300 mg/dL. At day 21 of
      pregnancy, blood samples were collected for glycemia and insulin determination,
      and placentas withdrawn for placental glycogen determination. The newborns (NB)
      were classified in small (SGA), appropriate (AGA) and large (LGA) for gestational
      age. RESULTS: Rats STZ presented higher glycemia at days 0 and 14 of pregnancy.
      At end of pregnancy, rats STZ showed higher proportion of NB SGA and LGA; reduced
      rate of NB AGA and unaltered glycemia, insulin and placental glycogen
      determinations. CONCLUSION: Mild diabetes altered the maternal glycemia in the
      early pregnancy, impairing future fetal development, but it caused no alteration
      on insulin and placental glycogen determination, confirming that this glycemic
      intensity was insufficient to change glycogen metabolism.

PMID- 20305878
TI  - Anatomopathological study of cardiomyopathy induced by doxorubicin in rats.
AB  - PURPOSE: The development of an experimental model of myocardiopathy induced by
      Doxorubicin in rats. METHODS: 16 wistar male rats were randomized in two groups:
      Group I (placebo) and Group II (Doxorubicin - 5mg/kg). After six months, the
      animals were subjected to cardiotomy and their hearts were weighted and submitted
      to transversal cuts, from which fragments for a macro and micro study were
      obtained. These fragments were studied considering their external and internal
      diameters and the thickness of the left ventricle (LV). The histological pieces
      were analyzed for the presence of fibrosis, cytoplasmic vacuolization, necrosis
      and size of nucleus variation. Data obtained was submitted to statistical
      analysis with Student's t test. RESULTS: The hearts of the animals in Group II
      increased 41% in relation to their weight; 33% in the internal diameter and 14%
      in the external diameter of the LV cavity; and 24% in the thickness of the wall.
      Fibrosis of the myocardial tissue was observed in 75% of the animals of Group II;
      all the animals presented miocyte cytoplasmatic vacuolization; myocardial
      necrosis was present in 75% of the animals; and 87/% presented variation in the
      size of myocite nuclei. The presence of polymorphonuclear cells was also
      observed. CONCLUSION: Doxorubicin was effective in the promotion of macro and
      microscopic alterations in the cardiac tissue of rats, possibly constituting a
      model for the experimental study of myocardiopathy.

PMID- 20305879
TI  - Eletrophysiological study of the caudal nerve on developing rats.
AB  - PURPOSE: To non-invasively study the sensory nerve conduction of the caudal nerve
      of normal developing rats. METHODS: Twenty normal Wistar male rats served as
      subjects. Caudal nerve conduction studies were performed at 60 days from birth
      and weekly at end of six consecutive weeks. The caudal nerve was stimulated
      distally and nerve potentials were recorded proximally on the animal's tail using
      common 'alligator' clips as surface electrodes. RESULTS: The amplitude and the
      conduction velocity of the caudal nerve sensory action potential increased
      linearly from 29+/-6 microV to 85+/-13 microV and from 34+/-3 m/s to 44+/-4 m/s,
      respectively, between the 8th and the 15th week of life. The equations of linear
      regressions were as followed: Amplitude (microV) = 8.1 x weeks - 34 (R(2) = 0.99)
      and NCV (m/s) = 1.2 x weeks + 25 (R(2) = 0.86). CONCLUSIONS: It was possible to
      study non-invasively the sensitive conduction of the caudal nerve of normal
      developing rats and describe reference values. The technique and data may be used
      as animal model in physiological and pathological studies.

PMID- 20305880
TI  - Optimization of visibility and quantification of aberrant crypt foci in colonic
      mucosa in Wistar rats.
AB  - PURPOSE: Test immersion of microscopy samples in water as an aid to visualizing
      and quantifying aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in rat colon mucosa. METHODS:
      Carcinogenesis was induced with azoxymethane in Wistar rats kept on a
      conventional diet or a hypercaloric diet containing unsaturated fat. Fifteen
      weeks after induction, colon samples were retrieved and fixated in a 10%
      formaldehyde solution. The samples were divided into segments (distal, middle,
      proximal) and stained with 1% toluidine blue. The technique tested in the study
      consisted of immersing microscopy samples in distilled water in order to
      eliminate the problem of light reflection known from conventional microscopy.
      RESULTS: When samples were immersed in water during microscopy, significantly
      more ACF could be visualized in all colon segments than with the conventional
      method proposed by Bird. CONCLUSION: Immersing microscopy samples in water aids
      the visualization and quantification of aberrant crypt foci in rat colon mucosa
      fixed in formaldehyde.

PMID- 20305881
TI  - Effects of plastic stenting in common bile duct of rats. A quantitative reaction
      analysis using collagen and elastin morphometry.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of biliary stenting in rats through analysis of
      collagen and elastin deposition in the bile ducts. METHODS: Twenty male rats
      underwent midline laparotomy, duodenotomy and transampullary stenting of the
      common bile duct with a 22Fr plastic stent. Animals were randomized in 4 groups,
      with 5 components in each: (I) control, (II) biliary stenting for 7 days, (III)
      biliary stenting for 14 days, and (IV) biliary stenting for 30 days. Sections of
      the common bile duct were stained using Hematoxylin Eosin; Sirius Red to
      quantitate the amount of collagen present; and Weigert's Resorcin-fuchsin to
      quantitate the amount of elastin present. RESULTS: The percentage of area stained
      for collagen was 13.4; 21.5; 29.5 and 32.8, for groups I to IV, respectively. The
      percentage of area stained for elastin fibers was 7.0; 5.2; 4.0 and 2.9, for
      groups I to IV, respectively. Collagen/Elastin ratio was 2.4; 5.1; 11.0 and 14.4
      for groups I to IV, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The biliary stenting leads to
      collagen and elastin deposition in the bile ducts; and collagen deposition and
      collagen/elastin ratio are proportional to the period of stenting.

PMID- 20305882
TI  - End-to-side nerve repair using fibrin glue in rats.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate axonal regeneration after end-to-side nerve repair with
      fibrin glue in rats. METHODS: Forty-five Wistar rats were divided into three
      groups: group A (n=15), were not submitted to surgery (control group); group B
      (n=15) were submitted to fibular transection without repair; and group C (n=15),
      were submitted to fibular transection with end-to-side nerve anastomosis using
      fibrin glue, in the lateral surface of an intact tibial nerve. The three groups
      were submitted to walking track (30 and 90 days) and posterior morphometrical
      analysis (90 days). RESULTS: The functional tests demonstrated that there was no
      difference in the walking track during the study in group A (p>0.05). The group B
      had walking pattern impairment in the two tests (p>0.05). The group C had walking
      pattern impairment in the first test, with important recovery in the second test
      (p<0.05). The morphometrical assessment revealed significantly higher number of
      regenerated mielinates axons in group C, compared to group B (p<0.05).
      CONCLUSION: The end-to-side nerve repair with fibrin glue shows axonal recovery,
      demonstrated through functional and morphometrical ways in rats.

PMID- 20305883
TI  - Postconditioning effect in the hepatic ischemia and reperfusion in rats.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of postconditioning protection in liver tissue of
      rats submitted to ischemia and reperfusion. METHODS: 25 Wistar male rats were
      randomized in three groups: Group A (ischemia and reperfusion - I/R), with 10
      rats, which was made ischemia by vascular clamp application in hepatic hilum for
      30 minutes and reperfusion for 60 minutes by removal of the clamp; Group B
      (Postconditioning - IPo), with 10 rats, with same procedure plus postconditioning
      (3 cycles of reperfusion inserted by 3 cycles of ischemia, 30 seconds for each
      phase, between ischemia and reperfusion phases); and Group C (Sham), with 5 rats,
      which took place only laparotomy and manipulation of the hepatic hilum. Specimens
      were examined (histological evaluation) and dosage of serum AST and ALT was made.
      The statistical analysis was made with t Student test, with significant
      difference when p<0.05. RESULTS: In the Sham group there was no histological or
      enzymatic changes; In group A the mean tissue lesion was 1.6 and in group B 1.1
      (p=0.014). In group A the mean ALT level was 355U/l and in group B was 175.9U/l
      (p=0.016). The mean of AST was 828.8U/l in group A and 295.5U/l in group B
      (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: The postconditioning was able to minimize the severity of
      liver injury in rats submitted to ischemia and reperfusion.

PMID- 20305884
TI  - Spring-mediated skull expansion: overall effects in sutural and parasutural
      areas. An experimental study in rabbits.
AB  - PURPOSE: The use of springs in cranial expansion has proven to be effective in
      the treatment of craniosynostosis. Spring-mediated expansion has been studied
      both in the sagittal and in parasagittal regions, especially in scaphocephaly. A
      rabbit model was used in the present study to analyze the effects of springs on
      the cranial vault and sutures. METHODS: Thirteen 4-week-old New Zealand rabbits
      were divided into 4 groups: in group I, only amalgam markers were used as
      control; in group II, amalgam markers were used and sagittal suturectomy was
      performed; in group III, amalgam markers were used, a sagittal suturectomy was
      performed and an expansible spring was fitted in the interparietal region and in
      group IV, markers were used and linear parasagittal craniectomy was carried out
      with springs. Animals were sacrificed after 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks. Radiological
      control and histological analysis were performed in the area of spring
      implantation. RESULTS: In the groups using springs distraction of the craniectomy
      borders was greater than in those that did not use springs. New bone formation
      was observed in all groups, and was faster in group II. Bone growth started from
      the borders and depth. Bone regeneration presented a similar histological pattern
      in the groups with spring in the sagittal and parasagittal region. CONCLUSION:
      The rabbit model proved to be adequate for the analysis proposed by the study.
      The use of springs in the groups with sagittal and parasagittal osteotomy led to
      a similar distraction of amalgam markers and both groups had similar ossification
      histological pattern.

PMID- 20305885
TI  - The effect of copaiba balsam on Walker 256 carcinoma inoculated into the vagina
      and uterine cervix of female rats.
AB  - PURPOSE: To verify the copaiba balsam (Copaifera officinalis) effect on Walker
      256 carcinoma inoculated into vagina and uterine cervix of rats. METHODS:
      Eighteen female Wistar rats weighing between 180-250g were used, distributed into
      2 groups (GCop, GC). On the 1st day of the experiment, 0.3 ml of Walker 256
      carcinoma (2x10(6) concentration) was inoculated in both groups; on the 3rd day
      of the experiment, it was given 4.8 ml/kg of distilled water to the GC group, and
      4.8 ml/kg of copaiba balsam to the GCop group. On the 12th day, euthanasia was
      performed and the tumor was grafted, being weighted and verified its volume. The
      data were submitted to statistical analysis with ANOVA test. RESULTS: It was
      observed that copaiba balsam presented a negative inhibitory potential of 70%.
      CONCLUSION: The copaiba balsam stimulated the tumor growth.

PMID- 20305886
TI  - Hemodynamics and bispectral index (BIS) of dogs anesthetized with midazolam and
      ketamine associated with medetomidine or dexmedetomidine and submitted to
      ovariohysterectomy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate hemodynamics and bispectral index (BIS) in bitches
      anesthetized with ketamine and midazolam in combination with dexmedetomidine or
      medetomidine and submitted to ovariohysterectomy. METHODS: Twenty bitches
      pretreated with levomedetomidine and buprenorphine were anesthetized with 5
      mg*kg(-1) ketamine and 0.2 mg*kg(-1) midazolam i.v. Continuous infusion of 0.4
      mg*kg(-1)*h(-1) midazolam and 20 mg*kg(-1)*h(-1) ketamine was initiated in
      combination with DEX (n=10): 20 microg*kg(-1)*h(-1) dexmedetomidine or MED
      (n=10): 30 microg*kg(-1)*h(-1) medetomidine over 30 minutes. A pharmacokinetic
      study provided dexmedetomidine plasma concentration, set to be 3.0 ng*mL(-1).
      RESULTS: BIS decreased in both groups (P<0.05), but it was lower in DEX (P<0.05)
      as compared to MED. No differences were found in hemodynamic parameters (heart
      rate, systolic, diastolic and mean arterial pressure) between groups (P>0.05),
      but heart rate decreased in both groups, as compared to control values (P<0.05).
      Respiratory rate decreased (P<0.05) and expired end tidal CO(2) increased
      progressively (P<0.05) and similarly in both groups. Anesthetic recovery period
      was similar between groups (P<0.05) with no adverse effects. CONCLUSION:
      Continuous administration of dexmedetomidine with calculated plasma concentration
      equal to 3 ng.mL-1 in combination with midazolam and ketamine provides suitable
      anesthesia for spay surgery in bitches, hemodynamic stability and calm awakening
      with no adverse effects.

PMID- 20305887
TI  - Dartos flap coverage of the neourethra following repair for primary hypospadias,
      reoperative hypospadias and urethrocutaneous fistulas. It is a safe approach.
AB  - PURPOSE: Urethrocutaneous fistula and neourethral dehiscence are frequently seen
      complications of hypospadias surgery requiring reoperation. In this study we
      report the experience of one surgeon with dartos flap coverage in primary
      hypospadias, reoperative hypospadias and urethrocutaneous fistulas repair.
      METHODS: A total of 23 patients underwent hypospadias and urethrocutaneous
      fistulas repair from January 2006 to May 2009. Fourteen patients were operated on
      for primary hypospadias repair at our institution and 9 patients were admitted
      for hypospadias complications such as failed hypospadias repair and
      urethrocutaneous fistula. In all the patients, the dartos flap was dissected and
      transposed to cover the neourethra. Operative results were recorded. RESULTS: The
      primary surgical procedure was a one-stage repair in 61% (n = 14); tubularised
      incised plate (TIP) urethroplasty in 43% (n = 6) and a Mathieu procedure in 57%
      (n = 8). Urethrocutaneous fistulas complicating the previous initial hypospadias
      repair were anterior in 33% (n = 2), middle in 33% (n = 2) and proximal in 33% (n
      = 2). Repair of the fistula was successful on the first attempt in all patients.
      The reason for redo surgery in 3 patients was complete dehiscence and the
      patients had distal shaft hypospadias. CONCLUSION: Dartos flap coverage of the
      neourethra seems to be an effective method of reducing the fistulous complication
      rate following primary and secondary hypospadias repair.

PMID- 20305888
TI  - Accuracy of six minute walk test, stair test and spirometry using maximal oxygen
      uptake as gold standard.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the accuracy of the variables stair climbing time (SCt), stair
      climbing power (SCP), six-minute walk test distance (6MWT), and forced expiratory
      volume in 1 second (FEV1) using maximal oxygen uptake on exercise (VO(2)max) as
      the gold standard. METHODS: Tests were performed in 51 patients. FEV1 was
      measured by spirometry and 6MWT was performed in a flat 120-m corridor. Stair
      climbing test was performed on a 6-flight stairway to obtain SCt and SCP.
      VO(2)max was measured by ergospirometry, using the Balke protocol. Pearson's
      linear correlation and p values were calculated between VO2max and the other
      variables tested. For accuracy calculations, variable cutoff points were obtained
      through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, dividing individuals into
      normal or unhealthy. Kappa statistic was used to calculate concordance. RESULTS:
      Accuracy was: SCt - 86%, 6MWT - 80%, SCP - 71%, FEV1(L) - 67%, FEV1(%) - 63%. SCt
      and 6MWT showed 93.5% sensitivity when combined in parallel, and 96.4%
      specificity in series. CONCLUSION: SCt presented the best accuracy. SCt and 6MWT
      combined showed nearly 100% sensitivity or specificity. Thus, these simple
      exercise tests should be more routinely used, especially when an ergospirometer
      is not available to measure VO(2)max.

PMID- 20305889
TI  - Costs of bariatric surgery in a teaching hospital and the financing provided by
      the Public Unified Health System.
AB  - PURPOSE: Analyze the effect of some measures on the costs of bariatric surgery,
      adopting as reference the remuneration of the procedure provided by the Unified
      Health System (SUS). METHODS: A retrospective evaluation conducted in the Costs
      Section of the University Hospital of Ribeirao Preto, of the costs involved in
      the perioperative period for patients submitted to bariatric surgery from 2004 to
      2007. Changes in the routines and protocols of the service aiming at the
      reduction of these costs during the study period were also analyzed. RESULTS:
      Nine patients in 2004 and seven in 2007 submitted to conventional vertical banded
      'Roux-en-Y' gastric bypass were studied. All patients presented good
      postoperative evolution. The average cost with these patients was R$ 6,845.17 in
      2004. Even though an effort was made to contain expenditures, the cost in 2007
      was of R$ 7,525.64 because of the increase in the price of materials and
      medicines. The Government remuneration of the procedure in the two years was R$
      3,259.72. CONCLUSION: Despite the adoption of diverse measures to reduce the
      expenditures of bariatric surgery, in fact there was an increase in the costs, a
      fact supporting the necessity of permanent evaluation of the financing of public
      health.

PMID- 20305890
TI  - Exhaled breath condensate collection for nitrite dosage: a safe and low cost
      adaptation.
AB  - PURPOSE: Standardization of a simple and low cost technique of exhaled breath
      condensate (EBC) collection to measure nitrite. METHODS: Two devices were mounted
      in polystyrene boxes filled either with crushed ice/salt crystals or dry
      ice/crushed ice. Blood samples were stored at -70 degrees C for posterior nitrite
      dosages by chemiluminescence and the Griess reaction. RESULTS: a) The use of
      crushed ice/dry ice or salt revealed sufficient EBC room air collection, but was
      not efficient for patients under ventilation support; b) the method using crushed
      ice/salt collected greater EBC volumes, but the nitrite concentrations were not
      proportional to the volume collected; c) The EBC nitrite values were higher in
      the surgical group using both methods; d) In the surgical group the nasal clip
      use diminished the EBC nitrite concentrations in both methods. CONCLUSIONS: The
      exhaled breath condensate (EBC) methodology collection was efficient on room air
      breathing. Either cooling methods provided successful EBC collections showing
      that it is possible to diminish costs, and, amongst the two used methods, the one
      using crushed ice/salt crystals revealed better efficiency compared to the dry
      ice method.

PMID- 20305891
TI  - New perspectives for optical techniques in diagnostic and treatment of hepatic
      diseases.

PMID- 20305892
TI  - Integrated pest management: theoretical insights from a threshold policy.
AB  - An Integrated Pest Management is formulated as a threshold policy. It is shown
      that when this strategy is applied to a food web consisting of generalist,
      specialist predators and endemic and pest prey, the dynamics can be stable and
      useful from the pest control point of view, despite the dynamical complexities
      inherent to the application of biocontrol only. In addition, pesticide toxicity
      depends rather on the species intrinsic parameters than on the chemical agent
      concentration.

PMID- 20305893
TI  - [Performance of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) in fruits:
      comparison of two laboratory populations].
AB  - This study evaluated the influence of two fruits hosts (orange and papaya) on
      biological and behavioral parameters of two populations of Ceratitis capitata
      (Wiedemann) reared under laboratory conditions. One of these populations has been
      reared under laboratory conditions by 25 years without introduction of wild flies
      (Lab-pop), while the other has been maintained under the same conditions by 15
      years but with occasional introduction of wild specimens (Hybrid-pop). The
      following parameters were analyzed: emergence percentage, life cycle duration
      (from eclosion to emergence), adult size, longevity, female fecundity and
      oviposition preference. The best performance of immatures of both populations was
      obtained on papaya as a host. Larvae reared on orange had longer life cycle, low
      emergence percentage and smaller adults. The fruit type did not affect fecundity
      and longevity of the Lab-pop, but in the Hybrid-pop males lived longer when
      reared on papaya, while females had higher longevity and fecundity when reared on
      orange. Females of both populations preferred to lay eggs in papaya (better host
      for larvae) when compared to orange. However, some eggs were deposited on orange
      only by females of Lab-pop, suggesting a lower ability for host selection of this
      population. These data are discussed regarding to the effects of continuous
      laboratory rearing on the biological parameters of this species.

PMID- 20305894
TI  - [Biological aspects of Cyclocephala verticalis burmeister (Coleoptera:
      Scarabaeidae)].
AB  - Several coleopterans of the Scarabaeidae family (Pleurosticti) are reported as
      important pests of agricultural crops, but little information on their biology is
      available. We describe our observations on the biology of adult Cyclocephala
      verticalis Burmeister collected with light traps from January, 2006 to December,
      2007, in Aquidauana, MS, Brasil. Field collected adults were taken to the
      laboratory and kept in plastic containers containing soil and seedlings of
      Brachiaria decumbens under controlled conditions (26 +/- 1 masculineC with 12h of
      photophase). The embrionary period of C. verticalis took 17.2 days in the
      average. The duration of first-, second- and third-instar larvae was 22.0, 23.7
      and 138.1 days in the average, respectively. The prepupal stage took 12.7 days
      and the pupal stage 14.8 days. Adults obtained in laboratory lived 37.5 days. The
      complete cycle reached 228.6 days, making possible the development of a single
      generation per year. In laboratory conditions, the copulation lasted about 19 min
      and 20 seconds. The adults fly in a great amount in September and October, being
      this the main period of oviposition in the field.

PMID- 20305895
TI  - Dung beetle communities: a neotropical-north temperate comparison.
AB  - Dung beetle communities have been compared across north temperate latitudes.
      Tropical dung beetle communities appear to be more diverse based on studies using
      different methodologies. Here, we present results from a standardized sampling
      protocol used to compare dung beetle communities across five neotropical forests
      in Brazil and Ecuador and two warm, north temperate forests in Mississippi and
      Louisiana. Species richness in the tropical forests was three to seven times
      higher than the temperate forests, as would be expected by studies of other taxa
      across tropical and temperate latitudes. Average body size in the temperate
      forests was larger than the tropical forests, as predicted by Bergmann's rule.
      Dung beetle abundance and volume per trap-day were generally higher in Ecuador
      than Brazil, and higher in Mississippi than Louisiana, but there were no tropical
      temperate differences. Species rank-abundance curves were similar within
      countries and between countries. Rank-volume distributions indicated a smaller
      range of beetle body sizes in Ecuador versus Brazil or the USA. Community
      similarity was high within countries and low between countries. Community
      differences between Brazil and Ecuador sites may be explained by differences in
      productivity based on geological age of the soils.

PMID- 20305896
TI  - Alternative food sources and overwintering feeding behavior of the boll weevil,
      Anthonomus grandis boheman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) under the tropical
      conditions of Central Brazil.
AB  - The boll weevil causes serious damage to the cotton crop in South America.
      Several studies have been published on this pest, but its phenology and behavior
      under the tropical conditions prevailing in Brazil are not well-known. In this
      study the feeding behavior and main food sources of adult boll weevils throughout
      the year in Central Brazil was investigated. The digestive tract contents of
      insects captured in pheromone traps in two cotton fields and two areas of native
      vegetation (gallery forest and cerrado sensu stricto) were analyzed. The insect
      was captured all through the year only in the cerrado. It fed on pollen of 19
      different plant families, on Pteridophyta and fungi spores and algae cysts.
      Simpson Index test showed that the cerrado provided greater diversity of pollen
      sources. In the beginning of the cotton cycle, the plant families used for pollen
      feeding were varied: in cotton area 1, the weevil fed on Poaceae(50%), Malvaceae
      and Smilacaceae (25% each); in cotton area 2 the pollen sources were Malvaceae
      (50%), Asteraceae (25%) and Fabaceae and Clusiaceae (25% each); in the cerrado
      they were Chenopodiaceae (67%) and Scheuchzeriaceae (33%). No weevils were
      collected in the gallery forest in this period. After cotton was harvested, the
      family Smilacaceae was predominant among the food plants exploited in all the
      study areas. These results help to explain the survivorship of adult boll weevil
      during cotton fallow season in Central Brazil and they are discussed in the
      context of behavioral adaptations to the prevailing tropical environmental
      conditions.

PMID- 20305897
TI  - Comparative study of the stridulatorium sulcus, buccula and rostrum of nymphs of
      Triatoma klugi Carcavallo et al, Triatoma vandae Carcavallo et al and Triatoma
      williami Galvao et al (Hemiptera: Reduviidae).
AB  - Ultrastructural analysis of the ventral region of the head--rostrum, buccula and
      stridulatorium sulcus--of 1st, 3rd and 5th instars of Triatoma klugi Carcavallo
      et al, Triatoma vandae Carcavallo et al, and Triatoma williami Galvao et al, are
      described in here. Morphological differences in the analyzed structures for all
      three Triatoma species studied were detected under scanning electron microscopy,
      allowing their grouping by their morphological similarities. Species-specific
      differences at each nymphal development stage were analyzed as well.

PMID- 20305898
TI  - Isoenzymatic polymorphism in the leaf-cutting ant Atta capiguara Goncalves
      (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).
AB  - This study was carried out to analyze the genetic population structure of Atta
      capiguara from 12 nests collected in Tapejara in the state of Parana, Brazil,
      using isoenzyme polymorphisms. The analyzed isoenzymes were esterases (EST-EC
      3.1.1.1), acid phosphatase (ACP-EC 3.1.3.2) and carbonic anhydrase (CA-EC
      4.2.1.1). Ten loci were found in A.capiguara and four polymorphic loci were
      detected. The observed heterozigosity (0.0296) was low when compared to the
      expected heterozigosity (0.1461). The high value of F(IS) (0.7954) shows an
      excess of homozygous genotypes probably caused by inbreeding.

PMID- 20305899
TI  - A new species of Metriocnemus van der Wulp (Diptera: Chironomidae) with a
      tentative phylogeny of the genus.
AB  - The male and female of the new species Metriocnemus puna sp. n from the
      Argentinean Puna are described and illustrated. A parsimony analysis including 24
      well-described species of the genus plus the new species based on the adult male
      was conducted in order to access the phylogenetic position of the new species and
      to provide the first phylogenetic hypothesis for the genus.

PMID- 20305900
TI  - [A new species of Xylocopa (Monoxylocopa) Hurd & Moure and new records of X.
      abbreviata Hurd & Moure (Hymenoptera: Apidae)].
AB  - Xylocopa (Monoxylocopa) macambirae sp. nov. is described from specimens collected
      mainly in areas at moderately high altitude of Northeastern brazil, inside the
      caatinga semi-arid domain. Additionally, a complementary diagnosis for the
      subgenus is presented.

PMID- 20305901
TI  - New species of Tanytarsus van der Wulp (Diptera: Chironomidae) from Sao Paulo
      State, Brazil.
AB  - Tanytarsus lenyae sp. n., T. giovannii sp. n., T. fittkaui sp. n. and T. alfredoi
      sp. n. from Sao Paulo State (Brazil) are described and diagnosed, the first as
      adult male and pupa, and the remaining as male, pupa and larva. The species were
      collected in areas of Cerrado, at the boundaries of Sao Carlos city. Complete
      diagnoses and drawings of the species are given. The imagos can be separated from
      other species of Tanytarsus van der Wulp mainly by differences in the antennal
      ratio, dorsomedian extension of the eyes, the thorax and wing setation, the shape
      of anal tergal bands, the anal point armament and the shape of superior volsella,
      digitus and median volsella. The pupae are characterized by the thoracic horn
      armament, the arrangement of the precorneals, the shape of anal comb and the
      abdominal setation. The larvae can be separated by differences in the antennal
      pedestal, the sclerotization of the second antennal segment, the size of
      Lauterborn organ pedicels, the shape of the clypeal seta S3 and the
      sclerotization of the mentum. Apparently, the four new species are not closely
      related, and the anal point armament alone would be enough to separate one
      species from the other.

PMID- 20305902
TI  - A new species of Moneuptychia Forster (Lepidoptera: Satyrinae: Euptychiina) from
      central Brazil.
AB  - This paper describes a new species of Moneuptychia Forster from the cerrado in
      the Federal District and Goias region in central Brazil, and from highland open
      vegetation (campos de altitude) of Minas Gerais and Parana. We provide details of
      the adult morphology and discuss the new species placement in the genus
      Moneuptychia.

PMID- 20305903
TI  - [Effects of landscape structure and Eucalyptus genotype on the abundance and
      biological control of Glycaspis brimblecombei Moore (Hemiptera: Psyllidae)].
AB  - Glycaspis brimblecombei Moore is an Australian native pest of Eucalyptus detected
      in Brazil in 2003. Since then, it has spread fast and colonized plantations in
      several states of the country. This study aimed to investigate the influence of
      cerrado remnants on the abundance and biological control of G. brimblecombei. We
      placed yellow sticky card traps to capture insects in four plantations of hybrid
      clones of Eucalyptus urophylla x Eucalyptus grandis ('Urograndis') and four
      plantations of E. urophylla x Eucalyptus camaldulensis ('Urocam'). Traps were
      placed in three areas of these plantations: center, border with cerrado and
      border without cerrado. We also collected leaves from the same clones to estimate
      psyllid egg and lerp abundance. The abundance of G. brimblecombei was lower in
      the plantation-cerrado border, and the inverse pattern was observed for
      microhymenopterans. The leaf abaxial surface showed a higher abundance of eggs
      and nymphs, probably as a consequence of a lower parasitism rate and mechanical
      removal by wind and rain. Egg number was higher on Urograndis than in Urocam
      clones, but the number of psyllid lerps was higher in the latter. Thus, the
      establishment of first instars is probably a critical event to psyllid
      infestation, and these differences may be caused by morphological, anatomical and
      biochemical leaf features of distinct clones. Our results suggest that the
      maintenance of native vegetation around plantations is a promising management
      practice to promote the natural biological control of G.brimblecombei, a strategy
      that would also enhance the preservation of cerrado remnants.

PMID- 20305904
TI  - [Influence of the webbing produced by Oligonychus ilicis (McGregor) (Acari:
      Tetranychidae) on associated predatory phytoseiids].
AB  - Oligonychus ilicis (McGregor) is among those mite species that can cause damage
      to coffee plants (Coffea spp.). Species of Phytoseiidae acari are considered the
      most important and studied predatory mites. The objective of this study was to
      evaluate the effects of the webbing produced by O.ilicis on its predation by
      females of the phytoseiids Iphiseiodes zuluagai Denmark & Muma, Euseius
      citrifolius Denmark & Muma and Amblyseius herbicolus (Chant). Four bioassays were
      conducted, with three treatments and ten replicates. Each replicate consisted of
      25 O.ilicis per experimental unit (a leaf disc of Coffea arabica) according to
      the tested developmental stage, in independent experiments. To spin the web, 15
      adult females were put on each experimental unit for 24h; females were then
      removed, leaving only the web, and predators and prey to be tested were
      introduced. Predation was assessed after 24h. In the presence of webbing, the
      consumption of eggs, larvae and nymphs by I.zuluagai and eggs and larvae by
      E.citrifolius was lower. For A.herbicolus, egg predation was lower, but larval
      predation did not vary significantly and predation of nymphs and adults was
      higher in the presence of webbing. Predators as a whole were more efficient
      consuming larvae regardless of the presence of webbing. Considering the stages of
      O.ilicis altogether, webbing reduced the predation potential of I.zuluagai and E.
      citrifolius, but not of A. herbicolus.

PMID- 20305905
TI  - Spread of phosphine resistance among brazilian populations of three species of
      stored product insects.
AB  - The resistance to fumigant insecticides in stored-products insects is often
      recorded. Several factors influence the evolution of insecticide resistance.
      Among these, the frequency of applications and the migration of resistant
      populations are of primary importance for the stored-product insects. The aim of
      this study was to characterize the spectrum and investigate the status of
      phosphine resistance in Brazil, in 13 populations of the Coleoptera Tribolium
      castaneum Herbst (Tenebrionidae), ten populations of Rhyzopertha dominica (Fabr.)
      (Bostrichidae), and eight populations of Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.)
      (Silvanidae). The pattern of resistance dispersion in the populations of these
      species was also verified. The bioassays for the detection of phosphine
      resistance followed the FAO standard method. To test the influence of migration
      in the evolution of the phosphine resistance, the difference of mortality in the
      discriminating concentration and the geographical distance among each pair wise
      combination of collection sites were correlated. None of the populations
      exhibited mortality above 90% in the discriminating concentration, for the three
      species. Mortality in the discriminating concentration increased with the
      geographical distance for R.dominica and O.surinamensis. However, no significant
      linear response was observed among the variables for T.castaneum populations.
      These results suggest that the dispersion of insects and the local selection are
      relevant in the evolution of the phosphine resistance in populations of
      R.dominica and O.surinamensis. In contrast, grain trade and local selection are
      probably the factors that determine the evolution of the phosphine resistance in
      populations of T. castaneum.

PMID- 20305907
TI  - Phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) of the state of Minas Gerais,
      Brazil.
AB  - The phlebotomine sand fly fauna of the State of Minas Gerais is presented based
      on an extensive review of the literature. The fauna, which is a rich one, is
      currently known to consist of at least 93 species included in 16 genera. The
      genus Evandromyia (16 spp.) is the most representative one, followed by
      Micropygomyia (13 spp.), Psathyromyia (12 spp.), Brumptomyia (11 spp.), Pintomyia
      (9 spp.), Lutzomyia (7 spp.), Psychodopygus (7 spp.), Martinsmyia (4 spp.),
      Nyssomyia (3 spp.), Deanemyia (2 spp.), Expapillata (2 spp.), Pressatia (2 spp.),
      and Sciopemyia (2 spp.). The genera Bichromomyia, Trichopygomyia, and Migonemyia
      are represented by only one species. An updated list of phlebotomine sand fly
      species occurring in Minas Gerais is provided. Finally, the importance of the
      species of public health concern is discussed.

PMID- 20305906
TI  - Population dynamics and damage caused by the leafminer Liriomyza huidobrensis
      Blanchard (Diptera: Agromyzidae), on seven potato processing varieties grown in
      temperate environment.
AB  - The leafminer Liriomyza huidobrensis Blanchard is considered a key pest for
      potatoes in Argentina. Population dynamics and leaf damage caused by the
      leafminer on seven selected potato processing varieties were assessed at Balcarce
      during the 2002 and 2003 growing seasons. Adult population dynamic was monitored
      using yellow sticky traps, while leaf damage (punctures and mines) was assessed
      using a damage index scale from low to severe. Liriomyza huidobrensis adults were
      present throughout the growing season and the population increased along crop
      development. The same was true for all varieties regarding larval damage, being
      low on early crop stages and severe late in the season. Varieties were grouped in
      two different categories according to damage scale index. Shepody, Kennebec,
      Frital and Innovator showed a higher damage index when compared with Santana,
      Ranger Russet and Russet Burbank, which exhibited a lower damage. Moreover, it
      could be assumed that damage was related to the foliage greenness, with light
      green colored varieties (Shepody, Kennebec, Frital and Innovator) being more
      attractive and affected by L. huidobrensis.

PMID- 20305908
TI  - [Composition, abundance and infestation rate of ant species in a children's
      hospital in the city of Palmas, Tocantins, Brazil].
AB  - This first survey of the ant fauna in a children's hospital in the city of
      Palmas, state of Tocantins, compares species composition, abundance and
      infestation rate of ants between rainy and dry seasons, day and night periods,
      and among 15 hospital sectors. Forty-eight collections, being 12 diurnal and 12
      nocturnal in each season using five attractive baits distributed per sector,
      maintained for 3h per sampling. A total of 34,309 ants were collected,
      distributed in 12 species: Acromyrmex sp., Brachymyrmex sp., Camponotus spp.
      (four morphospecies), Dorymyrmex sp., Tetramorium sp., Solenopsis globularia
      (Creighton), Solenopsis saevissima Smith, Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius) and
      Paratrechina longicornis (Latreille). The hospital presented an average building
      infestation rate (40.3%), when compared with hospitals from other Brazilian
      regions. In general, there was no difference in the species composition between
      seasons and the period of the day, although abundance of ants was higher at
      night. The dry season and the nocturnal period showed the highest infestation
      rate, mainly by T.melanocephalum and S.globularia. Gynecologic ward, lactation
      unit, preconception and pediatric ward access ramp showed higher infestation
      rate, although these varied between seasons. The significant infestation levels
      by the three species above, especially in sectors with restricted access such as
      lactation unit, laboratory, Intensive Care Unit e surgery center, indicate
      potential risks for contamination of patients by multi resistant pathogens
      possibly present in ants' bodies, as verified in others studies.

PMID- 20305909
TI  - [First occurrence of Alcaeorrhynchus grandis (Dallas) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)
      preying on defoliating caterpillars of oil palm in the State of Para, Brazil].
AB  - The oil palm Elaeis guineensis is usually attacked by pests, particularly,
      defoliating caterpillars. Between 2004 and 2006 a stinkbug predator (Asopinae)
      was registered preying on caterpillars of Brassolis sophorae L., Opsiphanes
      invirae Hubner (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) and Sibine spp. (Lepidoptera:
      Limacodidae), reducing their populations in commercial oil palm plantations in
      the State of Para, Brazil. Specimens of the natural enemy were collected,
      mounted, and identified as Alcaeorrhynchus grandis (Dallas) (Hemiptera:
      Pentatomidae), corresponding to the first report of the occurrence of this
      stinkbug attacking defoliating caterpillars of oil palm in Brazil.

PMID- 20305910
TI  - Eufriesea pulchra smith (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Euglossini): extended geographic
      distribution and filling gaps in Mato Grosso state, Brazil.
AB  - This study was conducted in the Cotriguacu district, situated on the bank of the
      Juruena River, in Mato Grosso state. The collects were carried out from August 22
      to 25, 2007 with chemical baits to attract male orchid bees. The bees were
      captured on a daily basis, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Of the 89 males captured three
      belonged to Eufriesea pulchra Smith. Before the present study, E.pulchra had been
      reported in the states of Para, Amazonas, Amapa, (dubiously) Sao Paulo, and
      Maranhao. This occurrence extends its geographical distribution range by 900 to
      2,000 km southwards in South America, as it is now recorded in the Amazon and
      Platina basins.

PMID- 20305911
TI  - Presence of the fire ant Solenopsis invicta (Westwood) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
      stimulates burrowing behavior by larvae of the sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis
      (Lutz & Neiva) (Diptera: Psychodidae).
AB  - The sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva) vectors leishmaniasis in the
      neotropics. Although much is known about the biology of adult flies, little is
      known about interactions with its natural enemies. Here, we examined behavior of
      larvae of L4 L.longipalpis on a soil substrate when exposed to the fire ant
      Solenopsis invicata (Westwood). When ants were absent, most larvae tended to
      remain at or close to the soil surface, but when ants were present the larvae
      burrowed into the soil. Sandflies seek refuges in the presence of generalist
      predators, thus rendering them immune to attack from many potential enemies.

PMID- 20305912
TI  - First report of the citrus Hindu mite, Schizotetranychus hindustanicus (Hirst)
      (Prostigmata: Tetranychidae), in Brazil.
AB  - The citrus Hindu mite, Schizotetranychus hindustanicus (Hirst), is reported for
      the first time in Brazil and for the second time in South America. Mite specimens
      were collected from citrus in the municipality of Boa Vista, State of Roraima,
      northern Brazil. Symptoms associated with S.hindustanicus infestations on citrus
      are described. The importance of avoiding dissemination of this mite to the main
      citrus production areas in Brazil is discussed.

PMID- 20305914
TI  - The rescue surgeon.

PMID- 20305915
TI  - Risk factors for acute renal failure after heart surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to identify risk factors for acute
      renal failure in patients with normal levels of serum creatinine who had
      undergone coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery and/or valve surgery.
      METHODS: Data from a cohort of 769 patients were assessed using bivariate
      analyses and binary logistic regression modeling. RESULTS: Three hundred eighty
      one patients underwent CABG, 339 valve surgery and 49 had undergone both
      simultaneously. Forty six percent of the patients were female and the mean age
      was 57 +/- 14 years (13 to 89 years). Seventy eight (10%) patients presented
      renal dysfunction postoperatively, of these 23% needed hemodialysis (2.4% of all
      patients). The mortality for the whole cohort was 10%. The overall mortality for
      patients experiencing postoperative renal dysfunction was 40% (versus 7%, P <
      0.001), 29% for those who did not need dialysis and 67% for those who needed
      dialysis (P = 0.004). The independent risk factors found were: age (P < 0.000,
      OR: 1.056), congestive heart failure (P = 0.091, OR: 2.238), COPD (P = 0.003, OR:
      4.111), endocarditis (P = 0.001, OR: 12.140), myocardial infarction < 30 days (P
      = 0.015, OR: 4.205), valve surgery (P = 0.016, OR: 2.137), cardiopulmonary bypass
      time > 120 min (P = 0.001, OR: 7.040), peripheral arterial vascular disease (P =
      0.107, 2.296). CONCLUSION: Renal dysfunction was the most frequent postoperative
      organ dysfunction in patients undergone CABG and/or valve surgery and age,
      congestive heart failure, COPD, endocarditis, myocardial infarction < 30 days,
      valve surgery, cardiopulmonary bypass time >120 min, and peripheral arterial
      vascular disease were the risk factors independently associated with acute renal
      failure (ARF).

PMID- 20305916
TI  - New technique: Norwood operation with regional cerebral and coronary perfusion.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the immediate result of the modified Norwood procedure with
      new technique of anterograde regional cerebral perfusion (ARCeP) and retrograde
      regional coronary perfusion (RRCoP) in substitution of profound hypothermia and
      circulatory arrest in children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) with
      extremely hypoplastic ascending aorta (HA). METHODS: In the period of December of
      2006 to February 2008 the modified Norwood procedure with tube between the right
      ventricle and pulmonary arteries or Sano shunt was performed in eight children
      with HLHS and with ascending aorta diameter less than 3 mm, (four male and four
      female) with median age of 9.2 days (ranging from 1 to 29 days) and median weigh
      of 3.3 kg (ranging from 2.7 to 3.8 kg). We used cardiopulmonary bypass and
      hypothermia at 25 masculineC with two venous cannulas and suture with a
      polytetrafluoroethylene graft sutured to the innominate artery as an arterial
      line and used to ARCeP. The RRCoP was performed by a deviation in the arterial
      line and placement of a catheter in the ascending aorta. The immediate surgical
      results and the clinical neurological manifestation were assessed. RESULTS: The
      immediate surgical results revealed mortality of 25% and there were absence of
      neurological injury at clinical examination. CONCLUSIONS: The modified Norwood
      procedure can be accomplished with ARCeP and RRCoP in children with HLHS with HA
      with satisfactory immediate surgical result and without neurological
      complications.

PMID- 20305917
TI  - Does the coronary disease increase the hospital mortality in patients with aortic
      stenosis undergoing valve replacement?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: With the increase in life expectancy occurred in recent decades, it
      has been noted the concomitant increase in the prevalence of aortic stenosis and
      degenerative disease of atherosclerotic coronary artery. This study aims to
      evaluate the influence of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease in patients
      with critical aortic stenosis undergoing isolated or combined implant valve
      prosthesis and coronary artery by pass grafting. METHODS: In the period of
      January 2001 to March 2006, there were analyzed 448 patients undergoing isolated
      implant aortic valve prosthesis (Group I) and 167 patients undergoing aortic
      valve prosthesis implant combined with coronary artery bypass grafting (Group
      II). Pre- and intra-operative variables elected for analysis were: age, gender,
      body mass index, stroke, diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease, rheumatic fever, hypertension, endocarditis, acute myocardial
      infarction, smoking, Fraction of the left ventricular ejection, critical
      atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, chronic atrial fibrillation, aortic
      valve operation prior (conservative), functional class of congestive heart
      failure, value serum creatinine, total cholesterol, size of the prosthesis used,
      length and number of distal anastomoses held in myocardial revascularization,
      duration of cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic clamping time. The statistical
      study employed invariant and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Hospital mortality
      was 14.3% (64 deaths) in Group I, and 14.5% (58 deaths) in patients with
      atherosclerotic coronary artery disease associated criticism (Group IB) and 12.8%
      (six deaths) in which had this association (Group IA). Hospital mortality in
      Group II was 17.6% (29 deaths), and 16.1% (20 deaths) in patients undergoing
      implantation of prosthetic aortic valve combined to complete myocardial
      revascularization (Group II) and 20.9% (nine deaths) in the myocardial
      revascularization with incomplete (Group IIB). CONCLUSIONS: In patients
      undergoing implant isolated from aortic valve prosthesis, the presence of
      atherosclerotic coronary artery disease associated critical in at least two
      arteries, influenced the hospital mortality. In patients undergoing surgical
      treatment combined the number of coronary arteries with critical atherosclerotic
      disease and extent of coronary artery bypass grafting (complete or incomplete),
      did not affect the hospital mortality, but the realization of more than three
      anastomoses in the distal myocardial revascularization interfered.

PMID- 20305918
TI  - Fontan operation: a technique in evolution.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Recent experimental flow studies based on angiography and magnetic
      resonance have shown that total cavopulmonary anastomosis (TCPA) is a valid
      concept for surgical treatment of many congenital heart defects, but there is not
      agreement of the best surgical arrangement. Our purpose is to analyze the
      immediate results with three different techniques of TCPA. METHODS: We sought to
      analyze retrospectively all TCPA realized from January 2005 to July 2008; there
      were 40 patients, all with previous Glenn anastomosis, with mean age of 6.4 +/-
      3.2 years. Three different techniques were employed: Group 1 (G1) lateral tunnel,
      Group 2 (G2) extracardiac conduits, Group 3 (G3) intracardiac conduit directed to
      the left pulmonary artery. All patients had a fenestration done. RESULTS: G1 had
      11 patients, G2 10 patients and G3 19 patients. Preoperative data were similar in
      the 3 groups (P>0.05). Surgical mortality was higher in Groups 1 and 2 (9.1% and
      10%) compared to Group 3 (0%) but there was no statistical significance
      (P=0.3841). Pleural effusion was absent in Group 3 (0%), which was statistically
      significant in relation to the other groups (P=0.0128). The hospitalization time
      was also significantly lower in G3 (8 days) in relation to G1 (18 days) and G2
      (13 days) (P=0.0164). CONCLUSION: Intracardiac TCPA was associated with lower
      postoperative morbidity and is currently our preferred technique.

PMID- 20305919
TI  - Surgical reverse remodelling of the left ventricle: 111 months of follow-up.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To present the Instituto de Cirurgia Cardiovascular do Oeste do
      Parana' (ICCOP) surgical experience, on the treatment of left ventricle
      aneurysms, by endoventriculoplasty, with septal exclusion (EVSE), and a 111
      months follow-up. METHODS: Between April 1999 and April 2006, 28 patients were
      submitted to EVSE, by the author. Pre, trans and late post clinical and
      echocardiographic variables were analyzed retrospectively. Mean age was 59.0 +/-
      9.5 years, being 23 male patients. Seventeen patients were in NYHA functional
      class IV and the mean EuroScore was 8.2 +/- 2.3. The mean pre-operative values
      for ejection fraction, end systolic and diastolic left ventricular volumes were
      32.3 +/- 9.2%, 113.9 +/- 36.0 ml e 179.2 +/- 48.4 ml, respectively. The
      BraziliAnVErsion of the SF36 quality of life questionnaire was applied in the
      late follow up period. RESULTS: Four patients died in the immediate post
      operative period, being the major cause of morbidity low cardiac output syndrome
      and arrhythmias. The mean follow-up period was 5.6 +/- 3.2 years. Left
      ventricle's ejection fraction and aortic cross clamping time were the significant
      factors for hospital and late mortality with P = 0.0222 and P = 0.0123,
      respectively. Actuarial survival curve showed a survival of 82.1 +/- 7.2%, and
      54.7 +/- 22.9%, pre and post 107 months, of follow-up. CONCLUSION: EVSE' surgery
      is an effective option to treat this group of patients, with improvement of left
      ventricular function (from 32.3 to 46.4%) and patients' quality of life.

PMID- 20305920
TI  - Relationship on walk test and pulmonary function tests with the length of
      hospitalization in cardiac surgery patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The lung function is identified as a predictor of time of
      hospitalization in heart surgery. Meanwhile sixminute walk test has been used to
      establish functional capacity of cardiac patients, however there are few studies
      that correlate it with the length of hospital stay. The aim of this research was
      to determine whether there is correlation of preoperative and postoperative lung
      function and the ability of walking during the hospital stay. METHODS: A
      prospective cohort with 18 patients was performed, being 8 males and 10 females,
      with age above 40 years (medium 64.89 +/- 6.95 years). Patients where admitted
      for coronary artery bypass graft surgery and/or exchange valve. To characterize
      the pulmonary function, patients were submitted to spirometry in preoperative and
      the 5th postoperative day. In the latter period was also a test for 6 minutes
      walk (6MWT) to characterize the ability to walk. RESULTS: There was not
      significant correlation of preoperative and postoperative pulmonary function with
      length of hospital stay. Only the distance covered in 6MWT showed a significant
      negative correlation (rho= 0.62) with length of stay. The distance in 6MWT
      obtained a significant positive correlation with forced vital capacity (r=0.59)
      and first second of a maximal forced expiratory manoeuvre (r=0.52). CONCLUSION:
      These results suggest that patients with increased postoperative capacity to walk
      have a shorter time of hospitalization and it also suggest that the distance in
      the 6MWT can better represent the functional capacity of these patients than
      pulmonary function alone.

PMID- 20305921
TI  - Mitral valve repair in rheumatic patients with mitral insuficiency: twenty years
      of techniques and results.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Mitral valve repair in rheumatic patients is still a challenge. The
      purpose of this study is to analyze the results of mitral valve repair in
      rheumatic patients in the Heart Institute University of Sao Paulo Medical School.
      METHODS: Were analyzed retrospectively, between 1985 and 2005, 330 patients
      submitted to mitral valve repair in the Heart Institute of Sao Paulo. The mean
      age was 26.9 +/- 15.4 years and 57.6% were female. According do clinical
      evaluation, 39.5% of patients were in NYHA functional class IV. The most common
      techniques employed were bovine pericardial strip annuloplasty in 48.4% patients
      and Carpentier ring annuloplasty in 22.6%. Shortening of chordae (20%) and
      papillary muscle splitting (17.8%) were the most common associated techniques
      performed. Tricuspid valve repair (26.7%) and aortic valve replacement (27.2%)
      were the most common associated procedures. RESULTS: The hospital mortality was
      0.9% (three patients), two of them in children with active rheumatic fever.
      Linearized rates of thromboembolism, endocardite, reoperation and late death were
      0.2%, 0.2%, 3.5% and 0.5% patients-year, respectively. Actuarial survival in 20
      years was 86.4 +/- 6.6%. Freedom from reoperation in 20 years was 30.3 +/- 11.1%.
      CONCLUSION: Mitral valve conservative surgery in rheumatic patients is a feasible
      procedure with low operative mortality.

PMID- 20305922
TI  - Does the pain disturb the respiratory function after open heart surgery?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The post operative pain after open heart surgeries had been often
      reported. Meager reports about respiratory function and pain correlation had been
      reported. The aim of this article is to assess the pain intensity and location
      during hospital admittance and its effect on pulmonary function in patients
      underwent elective cardiac surgery. METHODS: Pulmonary function (lung volumes,
      respiratory pressures and peak expiratory flow) was assessed at the preoperative
      and post-operative time (1, 3 and 5 days) by ventilometer, manovacuometer and
      peak flow meter measurements. The assessment of pain intensity was carried out
      with a visual analogue scale for pain. RESULTS: The majority of pain site was on
      sternotomy incision (50% of patients) and the intensity was higher at the first
      postoperative day (8.32 by visual scale measurement). All pulmonary variables
      decreased on post-operative time when compared to baseline values. All
      respiratory variables remained lower than to pre-operative time at fifth
      postoperative time (P > 0.05), with exception for respiratory rate. The pain and
      maximal inspiratory pressure showed a negative correlation at the first
      postoperative day (P = 0.019). CONCLUSION: Postoperative pain decreased lung
      function in patients precluding deep inspirations, in special, at the first post
      operative day.

PMID- 20305923
TI  - Pain and pulmonary function in patients submitted to heart surgery via
      sternotomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the pulmonary function and pain in adult patients
      undergoing heart surgery via sternotomy and to verify possible correlations of
      these variables with the characteristics of the surgical procedure and hospital
      stay. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out of 70 individuals
      undergoing heart surgery. The lung function was assessed before and after surgery
      by spirometry and incentive spirometry. Details of the surgical procedure were
      studied and patients were followed up postoperatively using a visual analogue
      scale and design of the human body to evaluate pain. RESULTS: The pulmonary
      function was significantly impaired in the postoperative compared to preoperative
      period (P <0.01). The pain was centered in the region of the sternotomy and
      persisted until at least the 5th postoperative day. There was a correlation
      between pain and the parameters of pulmonary function (forced expiratory volume
      in 1 second - percentage: r = -0.271, P <0.047; peak expiratory flow: r = 0.357,
      P <0.008; and maximum inspiratory volume: r = -0.293, P <0.032). There was no
      significant correlation between pain and other variables. CONCLUSION: There was
      significant impairment of lung function which had not recovered completely on the
      5th postoperative day. Pain was a complaint that persisted throughout the study
      period. The parameters of pulmonary function showed a significant relationship
      with pain. There was no correlation between pain and the characteristics of
      individuals, the surgical procedure or the length of hospital stay.

PMID- 20305924
TI  - Trends in animal experimentation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The search of the understanding of etiological factors, mechanisms
      and treatment of the diseases has been taking to the development of several
      animal models in the last decades. OBJECTIVE: To discuss aspects related to
      animal models of experimentation, animal choice and current trends in this field
      in our country. In addition, this study evaluated the frequency of experimental
      articles in medical journals. METHODS: Five Brazilian journals indexed by LILACS,
      SciELO, MEDLINE, and recently incorporate for Institute for Scientific
      Information Journal of Citation Reports were analyzed. All the papers published
      in those journals, between 2007 and 2008, that used animal models, were selected
      based on the abstracts. RESULTS: Of the total of 832 articles published in the
      period, 92 (11.1%) experimentation papers were selected. The number of
      experimental articles ranged from 5.2% to 17.9% of the global content of the
      journal. In the instructions to the authors, four (80%) journals presented
      explicit reference to the ethical principles in the conduction of studies with
      animals. The induced animal models represented 100% of the articles analyzed in
      this study. The rat was the most employed animal in the analyzed articles
      (78.3%). CONCLUSIONS: The present study can contribute, supplying subsidies for
      adoption of future editorials policies regarding the publication of animal
      research papers in Brazilian Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery.

PMID- 20305925
TI  - Coronary dominance patterns in the human heart investigated by corrosion casting.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this work was to analyze the dominance patterns of the
      circulation of the human heart, the number of branches from the right coronary
      artery to the left ventricle, the number of branches from the left coronary
      artery to the right ventricle and the frequency and location of intercoronary
      anastomoses. METHODS: Casts were made of 25 hearts by the injection of colored
      acrylic resin and subsequent corrosion using hydrochloric acid at the
      experimental surgery laboratory of Furb. Specimens with lesions or scars were
      discarded. RESULTS: The hearts, from both men (17 - 68%) and women (8 - 32%), had
      a mean age of 40.2 (15 to 70) years-old. Right dominance occurred in 18 (72%)
      subjects, with 1, 2, 3 and 4 branches leading to the left ventricle in 2, 14, 2
      and 2 casts, respectively. Left dominance occurred in 5 (20%) with 1 branch
      leading to the right ventricle in 4 molds and 2 in one. Balanced circulation was
      observed in two molds (8%). There were significant differences between right and
      left dominance (alpha > 5%) and between right dominance and balanced circulation
      (alpha > 5%), however the same was not true between left dominance and balanced
      circulation (alpha < 5%). CONCLUSION: The most common form of coronary
      circulation is right dominance with an average of 2.16 branches leading to the
      left ventricle: when dominance is left, the average is 1.2 branches. No
      intercoronary anastomoses were observed.

PMID- 20305926
TI  - High-dose aprotinin does not affect troponin I, N-Terminal pro-B-type natriuretic
      peptid and renal function in children submitted to surgical correction with
      extracorporeal circulation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if the use of hemostatic high-dose aprotinin seems
      influence to myocardial, renal and metabolic functions in children submitted to
      surgical correction with extracorporeal circulation (ECC). Material and Methods A
      prospective randomized study was conducted on children aged 30 days to 4 years
      submitted to correction of acyanogenic congenital heart disease with ECC and
      divided into two groups: Control (n=9) and Aprotinin (n=10). In the Aprotinin
      Group the drug was administered before and during ECC and the myocardial and
      multiorgan dysfunctions were analyzed on the basis of clinical and biochemical
      markers. Differences were considered to be significant when P<0.05. RESULTS: The
      groups were similar regarding demographic and intraoperative variables, except
      for a greater hemodilution in the Aprotinin Group. The drug had no benefit
      regarding time of mechanical pulmonary ventilation, permanence in the pediatric
      postoperative intensive care unit (ICU) and length of hospitalization, or
      regarding the use of inotropic drugs and renal function. The partial arterial
      oxygen pressure/inspired oxygen fraction ratio (PaO2/FiO2) was significantly
      reduced 24h after surgery in the Control Group. Blood loss was similar for both
      groups. Cardiac troponin I (cTnI), creatine kinase MB fraction (CKMB), serum
      glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) and the aminoterminal fraction of
      natriuretic peptide type B (NT-proBNP) did not differ significantly between
      groups. Post-ECC blood lactate concentration and metabolic acidosis was more
      intense in the Aprotinin Group. There were no complications with the use of
      aprotinin. CONCLUSION: High-dose aprotinin did not significant influence in serum
      markers troponin I, NT-proBNP and renal function, but did associated with
      hemodilution, blood lactate concentration and metabolic acidosis more intense.

PMID- 20305927
TI  - Flow visualization in blood aspirator and cardiotomy reservoir used in
      cardiopulmonary bypass.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: One of the major damage caused by occlusion in roller pumps is
      hemolysis. Comparative studies between roller pump with adjustments non occlusive
      and centrifugal pumps have been made in recent decades in an attempt to develop
      new products and adjustments that cause fewer traumas to the figurative elements
      of blood. Usually the roller pumps are adjusted by the static method due to
      concern variables flow that can occur with non-occlusive settings. Excessive
      slack in the rollers provoke back flow and can provides errors in the calculation
      of flow by the rotation of the pump, according to the devices added to the
      circuit and the systemic resistance of the patient. The objective of this study
      is to evaluate the back flow caused by two types of roller pumps in blood
      aspirator and cardiotomy reservoir. METHOD: Back flow visualization was performed
      in blood aspirator and cardiotomy reservoir. It was tested two different models
      of roller pumps, adjusted by drop rate and dynamic calibration. The tests were
      conducted with silicone tubes of 3/8 x 1/16 e 1/2 x 3/32 inches in diameter in
      water and solution similar to blood. RESULTS: We recorded back flow visually in
      blood aspirator and in cardiotomy reservoir with their measure of values. The
      pumps had differences in refluxes measured adjusted by the dynamic calibration
      method. Pump#2 presents back flow adjusted fully occluded. CONCLUSION: The back
      flow measured in two models of pump present differences (P <0.008). The results
      indicate differences in its characteristics caused by the process of
      manufacturing, design or possible wear. Non-occlusive adjustments may cause
      variations in flow with the increase of resistance added to the circuit, with
      difficulty to fix the flow by increasing the rotation.

PMID- 20305928
TI  - Mitral insufficiency surgery to treat advanced heart failure.
AB  - Dilated cardiomyopathy is characterized by severe, progressive myocardial
      dysfunction that is, irreversible. That syndrome leads to cardiac remodeling with
      augmentation of left ventricle volume and sphericity, dilation of the mitral
      annulus and dislocation of papillary muscles that pulls up the mitral cords
      thereby restraining leaflet excursion. These biomechanical modifications generate
      functional mitral valve regurgitation, a dismal prognostic sign. Mitral valve
      plasty or replacement was introduced as surgical coadjuvants to conventional
      medical treatment, with good symptomatic improvement. The long term survival
      benefit is yet to be demonstrated.

PMID- 20305929
TI  - Role of exercise training on pulmonary ischemia/reperfusion and inflammatory
      response.
AB  - Advances in new technologies associated with improvement of knowledge in medicine
      have promoted important development in therapeutic and preventive approaches in
      an attempt to diminish complications following cardiothoracic process involving
      ischemia/ reperfusion (IR). Nevertheless, postoperative pulmonary injuries remain
      high and are considered one of the most frequent complications after
      cardiothoracic surgery. Thus, new strategies with prophylactic actions are
      crucial in cardiovascular area in an attempt to reduce complications and to
      improve patient life. It is well documented that exercise training is a non
      pharmacological tool to prevent and/or treat cardiovascular and endocrine
      metabolic diseases. The aim of this review was to provide an update of several
      studies pulmonary IR process and its local and systemic complications and the
      role of inflammatory response. Furthermore, this review focused on the effects of
      exercise training on the pulmonary IR as an important strategy to diminish its
      complications. This review shows that few studies exist regarding the health
      promoting physical exercise in cardiothoracic surgery and how important is
      necessary to increase studies in this area. Recently, studies from our laboratory
      showed beneficial effects of exercise training in experimental model of pulmonary
      IR. Collectively, data show that physical preconditioning for patients is very
      important approach to reduce postsurgical complications as well as diminish the
      time of hospitalization which includes a specialized personal trainer in the
      health team. Moreover, this preventive strategy might improve patient recovery
      and would lead to consuming less resources of the health care system. This review
      included experimental studies in English and Portuguese found in SciELO and
      MEDLINE (from 1987 to 2008) and also classics texts related to the title.

PMID- 20305930
TI  - Approach for surgical correction of pulmonary artery coarctation without
      cardiopulmonary bypass.
AB  - Pulmonary artery coarctation often happens in patients with pulmonary atresia.
      The correction has been usually performed using cardiopulmonary bypass and during
      the neonatal period, influencing pulmonary artery development and prognosis.
      Three patients with pulmonary atresia with PDA underwent correction using median
      sternotomy without cardiopulmonary bypass. The PDA maintained the arterial
      saturation during Blalock Taussig anastomoses upon the contralateral pulmonary
      artery. Arterioplasty was performed using an autologous pericardium with 7-0 PDS
      running suture and saturation was maintained by Blalock shunt. All patients
      presented good follow-up and where discharged with good enlargment of coarctation
      area.

PMID- 20305931
TI  - Experience with the posterior leaflet extension technique for correction of
      rheumatic mitral insufficiency in children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the experience with the technique of posterior leaflet
      extension in children suffering of rheumatic mitral regurgitation. METHODS:
      Between April 2002, and October 2007, 30 children, mean age 11.3 years, underwent
      correction of mitral insufficiency with the technique of posterior leaflet
      extension with a pericardial patch. Eight also received a Carpentier ring. Six
      children had aortic valve disease and were submitted to Ross operation (five
      cases) or valve replacement with an aortic homograft. All were in functional
      class III or IV (NYHA classification). RESULTS: There was one death. One child
      presented severe hemolysis in the postoperative period and was submitted to
      mitral valve replacement. Clinical evolution in the remaining patients was good.
      CONCLUSIONS: Posterior leaflet extension of the mitral valve seems to be an
      effective surgical technique for correction of rheumatic mitral insufficiency in
      children.

PMID- 20305932
TI  - Pacemaker endocarditis: approach for lead extraction in endocarditis with large
      vegetations.
AB  - The presence of large lead vegetations poses additional difficulties for
      explantation because many methods cannot be used due to the potential hazard of
      embolism. We report two patients with large vegetation on the ventricular lead
      due to endocarditis and one of them with an atrial septal defect associated. It
      was applied a combined technique of transvenous lead removal and sternotomy with
      cardiopulmonary bypass for the complete removal of pacemaker wires. This
      procedure resolved the pacemakers endocarditis safely and subsequently a new
      transvenous device was placed on the opposite site.

PMID- 20305933
TI  - Late outcome of right ventricular outflow tract repair using bicuspid pulmonary
      prosthesis in tetralogy of Fallot surgery repair: case report.
AB  - We present a case of a 19 year-old female patient, with tetralogy of Fallot and
      hypoplastic pulmonary ring. Diagnosis was performed by echocardiography and
      cardiac catheterization. The surgical repair was performed at the age of 2 years
      old. A right ventricular outflow tract remodeling was performed using a porcine
      pulmonary bicuspid prosthesis. The patient presented a uneventful follow-up
      during 17 years. Postoperative assessment has shown: mild pulmonary insufficiency
      and mild pulmonary ventricle gradient, satisfactory right ventricular performance
      and prosthesis not presenting calcification. This is an option to correct the
      tetralogy of Fallot adopted by our Institution in the last two decades.

PMID- 20305934
TI  - An intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography-guided maneuver to assist the
      removal of an intraventricular thrombus.
AB  - Intra-cavitary thrombus size, mobility and friability are of great importance in
      deciding whether surgical removal is indicated. Thrombus characteristics may
      render surgical thrombectomy incomplete, a risk for catastrophic embolization.
      During de-airing of the heart, after removal of an intraventricular thrombus,
      filling the open ventricular cavity with blood serendipitously allowed trans
      esophageal echocardiographic (TEE) visualization of undetected residual thrombi
      fragments. This experience leads us to advocate repeated filling and emptying of
      the left ventricle with blood, under TEE guidance, in order to facilitate
      complete removal of thrombotic material prior to ventriculotomy closure, and
      prior to weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).

PMID- 20305935
TI  - Off-pump correction of coronary fistula: the single suture technique approach.
AB  - The single suture technique was developed to obtain stabilization and exposure of
      all all coronary branches during off-pump coronary artery bypass, while
      maintaining hemodynamic stabilily during the procedure. We describe the use of
      this technique during an off-pump correction of a coronary artery fistula
      associated with right coronary dilatation. The suggested technique is quicker and
      less complex than on-pump surgery. Furthermore, it can be a useful tool for
      congenital fistula correction in select cases, stimulating the practice of less
      invasive heart surgery in these patients.

PMID- 20305936
TI  - Jatene's operation without Lecompte maneuver in child with Taussig-Bing heart.

PMID- 20305937
TI  - Minimally invasive video-assisted atrial septal defect correction and myocardial
      revascularization.

PMID- 20305938
TI  - To MCT / CNPq / MEC / CAPES program of editing and publication of Brazilian
      scientific journals.

PMID- 20305941
TI  - [Epidemiology of preterm birth: current trends].

PMID- 20305942
TI  - [Conjoined twins: an experience of a tertiary hospital in Southeast Brazil].
AB  - PURPOSE: to analyze the occurrence of conjoined twins at a tertiary perinatology
      reference university hospital over a period of 25 years (January 1982 to January
      2007) and to describe the successful separation of one of the pairs. METHODS: we
      consulted retrospectively the database of the University Hospital of the Medical
      School of Ribeirao Preto, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, in order to determine
      the number of pairs of conjoined twins, their frequency, classification, gender,
      type of pregnancy resolution, attempted surgical separation, prenatal diagnosis
      and survival. RESULTS: we detected 14 pairs of conjoined twins (1/22,284 live
      births and 1/90 pairs of twin live births) born during this period (six males,
      seven females and one of indeterminate sex). The prenatal diagnosis was performed
      in all twins and all births were accomplished by cesarean section. The separation
      was possible in only one pair, which survives in excellent health conditions
      after eight years. Of the remaining 13, ten died on the day of birth and three
      survived only a few months (less than one year). CONCLUSION: Although our study
      revealed an abnormally high number of conjoined twins, this is a rare phenomenon,
      with a poor perinatal prognosis depending on the organs shared by the twins and
      associated malformations, especially those related to the fetal heart. Due to the
      poor prognosis of these pairs and to the maternal reproductive impairment caused
      by the need to perform body cesareans, we suggest that, based on these numbers,
      early interruption of these pregnancies be legally granted, as in the case of
      other diseases incompatible with fetal survival outside the uterus. Thus, the
      confirmation of a diagnosis of conjoined twins and the resolution of pregnancy
      should be performed at a tertiary obstetric and perinatal care center, and an
      authorization for the interruption of pregnancy should be obtained by judicial
      means.

PMID- 20305943
TI  - [Congenital cardiopathies screening associated with diabetes mellitus using
      maternal fructosamine plasma concentration].
AB  - PURPOSE: to evaluate the importance of maternal plasma concentration of
      fructosamine as an indicator of fetal congenital cardiopathies in pregnancies
      complicated by diabetes mellitus. METHODS: this was a retrospective study
      conducted on 91 pregnant women with diabetes mellitus who underwent routine fetal
      echocardiography at a university reference center in fetal medicine. Sixty-five
      patientes who presented pre-gestational diabetes mellitus and plasma fructosamine
      level were registered in the medical records prior to the ultrasound exam. The
      first measurement recorded was compared with the result of routine fetal
      echocardiography, carried out by a specialist physician of the service. The
      presence or absence of echocardiographic findings of congenital cardiopathies
      (EFCC) was related to plasma levels of fructosamine by the mean t-test and its
      accuracy for EFCC was verified by the ROC curve. Plsama fructosamine
      concentrations of 2.68, 2.9 and 2.23 mmol/L, which are, respectively, the local
      reference laboratory values, the value of the kit employed for measurement and
      the one of highest overall accuracy, were discussed as the cut-off values.
      RESULTS: EFCC was found in 52.3% of the fetuses. The first measurement of
      fructosamine, during the prenatal care period, was performed, on average, at
      20.4+/-8.0 weeks of pregnancy. The maternal concentration ability of the
      fructosamine to identify fetuses with EFCC was significant (p<0.0001) and had an
      area under the ROC curve of 0.78 (95%CI=0.66-0.89). The 2.9 mmol/L plasma
      concentration of fructosamine revealed EFCC with better specificity, but with a
      higher percentage of false-negative results (96.8 and 55.9%). Values above 2.68
      mmol/L were associated with a probability of 4.6 to identify fetuses with EFCC
      compared with lower values, with 58.8% of sensitivity and 87.1%, specificity. The
      value of 2.23 mmol/L proved to be the most overall accurate of the three values
      suggested, with a sensitivity of 88.2% in the identification of fetuses with
      echocardiographic abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS: it is possible to use a second
      trimester plasma fructosamine level to refer high risk pregnant women to a
      reference center of fetal echocardiography. These findings are important for the
      management of women with diabetes mellitus who initiate late prenatal care.

PMID- 20305944
TI  - [Sociocultural adaptation of the short personal experiences questionnaire (SPEQ)
      in Brazil].
AB  - PURPOSE: to translate into Brazilian Portuguese and culturally adapt the Short
      Personal Experiences Questionnaire (SPEQ) to climacteric women. METHODS: the
      original English version from the University of Melbourne, Australia, was
      initially translated into Portuguese and back-translated into English. A
      sociocultural adaptation of vocabulary and linguistic constructions was performed
      to facilitate comprehension. The questionnaire was then pretested in successive
      stages in 50 women, until no doubts remained. The final version of the adapted
      instrument was self-responded by 378 Brazilian-born women, between 40 to 65 years
      old, with 11 years or more of schooling in a population-based study. The
      reliability (internal consistency as measured by Cronbach's alpha), the construct
      validity (correlation coefficients between the items comprising the SPEQ and
      selected variables) and the criterion validity (correlation coefficient between
      sexual dysfunction score and overall score of sexual life classification) were
      analyzed. RESULTS: one hundred and eight women answered all the questions of the
      SPEQ and were included in the study. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) for
      all the nine SPEQ items ranged from 0.55 to 0.77 and the general alpha was 0.68.
      In the construct validity analysis, most of the correlation coefficients were
      significant (p<0.005). The criterion validity analysis showed significant
      correlation coefficients in most cases. CONCLUSIONS: following the adaptation
      process, the Portuguese version of the SPEQ was deemed useful and appropriate for
      collecting data on sexual function and dyspareunia in Brazilian women, aged 45 to
      65 years, with at least 11 years of schooling.

PMID- 20305945
TI  - [Strategies for reduction of exposure to ionizing radiation in women undergone to
      uterine fibroid embolization].
AB  - PURPOSE: to determine the dose of ionizing radiation absorbed by the ovaries and
      the skin of patients undergoing uterine fibroid embolization (UFE), and to
      suggest a radiologic protocol directed at reducing the risks involved in this
      procedure. METHODS: seventy-three consecutive women (mean age: 27 years)
      participating in an institutional research protocol, having symptomatic uterine
      fibroids with indication for minimally invasive treatment, underwent UFE. We
      estimated the radiation absorbed by the ovaries by means of vaginal dosimeters
      and the radiation dose absorbed by the skin by means of indirect calculations of
      radiation absorption. The first 49 patients belonged to the Pre-modification
      Group, and the last 24, to the Post-modification Group. The second group received
      a modified protocol of X-ray imaging, with a reduction by half of the frames
      number per second during arteriography, in an attempt to match the values
      obtained to those of the literature, and avoiding as much as possible unnecessary
      exposure to the X-ray beam. RESULTS: there were no technical complications in any
      of the procedures performed. There were no differences in the mean fluoroscopy
      time or in the mean number of arteriographies between the two groups. We obtained
      a 57% reduction in the estimated absorbed ovarian dose between groups (29.0
      versus 12.3 cGy) and a 30% reduction in the estimated dose absorbed by the skin
      (403.6 versus 283.8 cGy). CONCLUSIONS: a significant reduction in the absorption
      of radiation in patients undergoing UFE can be achieved by changing the number of
      frames per second in angiographic series, and by the routine use of radiological
      protection standards.

PMID- 20305946
TI  - [Clinical and microbiological profile of women with bacterial vaginosis].
AB  - PURPOSE: to study the clinical and microbiological profile of women with
      bacterial vaginosis participating in a randomized, double-blind clinical trial,
      which compared the vaginal use of preparations from red pepper tree and
      metronidazole for the treatment of genital discharge. METHODS: the study was
      conducted on a series of 277 women with bacterial vaginosis concomitantly
      diagnosed by the criteria of Amsel and Nugent, selected from a total of 462
      recruited patients using the information obtained before intervention. Data were
      analyzed with the Epi-Info 3.32 software. In order to compare the outcomes
      frequencies between the intervention groups, the chi2 test was used and the risk
      ratio and 95% confidence interval were calculated. The intention to treat
      analysis was performed. In addition to the determination of diagnostic
      parameters, the culture of vaginal content and a Papanicolaou cytology test were
      also performed. RESULTS: the most frequent clinical complaints were genital
      discharge, observed in 206 participants (74.4%) and the fish odor of the vaginal
      secretion, which occurred in 68.6% of the cases (190 patients). Among the
      diagnostic clinical criteria, the presence of clue-cells was positive in 275
      women (99.3%), the Whiff test, in 266 (96.0%), followed by pH >4.5, which
      occurred in 92.8% of the cases, and by the presence of fluid grayish discharge
      reported by 206 participants (74.4%). Regarding the Nugent criterion, the median
      score was 8.0. Culture of the vaginal content permitted the identification of
      Gardnerella vaginalis in 96.8% of cases and of Mobiluncus in 53.1%. Only one
      third of the exams showed the presence of Lactobacillus (89 women - 32.1%).
      Fungal growth occurred in the cultures of 14 participants (5.1%). In most cases,
      culture revealed the presence of Corynebacterium (94.2%), Gram-positive cocci
      (98.2%), as well as Gram-positive (99.3%) and Gram-negative (91.0%) bacilli.
      Oncotic colposcopy revealed a very scarce presence of lactobacilli, which were
      present in only 8 cytological exams (2.9%) out of the total of 273 exams
      performed. CONCLUSIONS: the results of the present study did not differ from the
      literature regarding the symptoms reported by the women, the clinical criteria
      most frequently observed in the diagnosis, or the bacterial species detected in
      cultures of vaginal content. These findings indicate the need for further studies
      that might better elucidate the interrelations between the microbiological
      findings and the clinical expression of bacterial vaginosis.

PMID- 20305947
TI  - [Effect of high doses of tibolone in body weight and lipid profile of
      ovariectomized rats].
AB  - PURPOSE: to evaluate the effect of the prolonged use of a high dose of tibolone
      on the body weight variation and lipid profile of oophorectomized female rats.
      METHODS: 15 Wistar rats weighing 250 g were randomly divided into two groups. The
      Experimental Group (n=9) received 1 mg/day of oral tibolone. The Control Group
      (n=6) received daily 0.5 mL of 0.5% carboxymethylcellulose by gavage. Bilateral
      oophorectomy was performed 30 days before the beginning of the experiment. On day
      0 of the experiment, the animals began to receive the respective treatment for 20
      weeks. Body weight was controlled every seven days and food consumption was
      measured every three to four days along the experiment, in order to establish the
      daily mean consumption per animal. The results were compared by the Student's t
      test, with the significance level set at p<0.05. RESULTS: the daily food
      consumption of the Tibolone Group was significantly lower (12.7+/-1.2 g, p<0.001)
      compared to the Control Group (14.5+/-1.4 g). This difference was also
      significant when the body weight was compared between the Tibolone and Control
      Groups (p<0.001), with the Tibolone Group having lower weight along the
      experiment. At the end of the experiment, the mean body weight was 215.6+/-9.3 g
      in the Tibolone Group and 243.6+/-6.4 g in the Control Group. Regarding the lipid
      profile, the Tibolone Group had significantly (p<0.001) lower total cholesterol
      compared to the Control Group (30.3 versus 78.6 mg/dL). The level of HDL-c was
      also significantly different (p<0.001), with the Tibolone Group showing lower
      levels than the Control Group (9.0 versus 52.0 mg/dL). No significant difference
      between the groups was registered in the other biochemical parameters examined
      (LDL-c, VLDL-c and triglycerides). CONCLUSIONS: tibolone causes a significant
      reduction of HDL-c and total cholesterol and has a deleterious effect on the body
      weight of oophorectomized rats, which may be related to the lower food ingestion
      by these animals.

PMID- 20305948
TI  - Antiviral activity of the green marine alga Ulva fasciata on the replication of
      human metapneumovirus.
AB  - We evaluated the antiviral activity of the marine alga, Ulva fasciata, collected
      from Rasa beach and Forno beach, Buzios, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on the
      replication of human metapneumovirus (HMPV). The algae extracts were prepared
      using three different methodologies to compare the activity of different groups
      of chemical composites obtained through these different methodologies. Four out
      of the six extracts inhibited nearly 100% of viral replication. The results
      demonstrated that the majority of the extracts (five out of six) possess
      virucidal activity and therefore have the ability to interact with the
      extracellular viral particles and prevent the infection. On the other hand, only
      two extracts (from Forno beach, obtained by maceration and maceration of the
      decoction) were able to interact with cell receptors, hindering the viral entry.
      Finally, only the extract of algae collected at Forno beach, obtained by
      maceration presented intracellular activity. To our knowledge, this is a pioneer
      study on antiviral activity of marine algae against HMPV. It is also the first on
      antiviral activity against HMPV ever done in Brazil. The study also shows the
      effect of different environment factors and different chemical procedures used to
      obtain the extract on its biological properties.

PMID- 20305949
TI  - Circulation of antibodies against yellow fever virus in a simian population in
      the area of Porto Primavera Hydroelectric Plant, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
AB  - Yellow fever (YF) is an acute viral infectious disease transmitted by mosquitoes
      which occurs in two distinct epidemiological cycles: sylvatic and urban. In the
      sylvatic cycle, the virus is maintained by monkey's infection and transovarian
      transmission in vectors. Surveillance of non-human primates is required for the
      detection of viral circulation during epizootics, and for the identification of
      unaffected or transition areas. An ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) was
      standardized for estimation of the prevalence of IgG antibodies against yellow
      fever virus in monkey sera (Alouatta caraya) from the reservoir area of Porto
      Primavera Hydroelectric Plant, in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. A total of 570
      monkey sera samples were tested and none was reactive to antibodies against
      yellow fever virus. The results corroborate the epidemiology of yellow fever in
      the area. Even though it is considered a transition area, there were no reports
      to date of epizootics or yellow fever outbreaks in humans. Also, entomological
      investigations did not detect the presence of vectors of this arbovirus
      infection. ELISA proved to be fast, sensitive, an adequate assay, and an
      instrument for active search in the epidemiological surveillance of yellow fever
      allowing the implementation of prevention actions, even before the occurrence of
      epizootics.

PMID- 20305950
TI  - Preliminary investigation of Culicidae species in South Pantanal, Brazil and
      their potential importance in arbovirus transmission.
AB  - In view of the high circulation of migratory birds and the environmental and
      climatic conditions which favor the proliferation of arthropods, the Brazilian
      Pantanal is susceptible to circulation of arboviruses. However, the amount of
      data concerning arbovirus vectors in this area is scarce; therefore the aim of
      this study was to conduct a preliminary investigation of Culicidae species in the
      Nhecolandia Sub-region of South Pantanal, Brazil and their potential importance
      in the arbovirus transmission. A total of 3684 specimens of mosquitoes were
      captured, 1689 of which caught in the rainy season of 2007, were divided into 78
      pools and submitted to viral isolation, Semi-Nested RT-PCR and Nested RT-PCR,
      with a view to identifying the most important arboviruses in Brazil.
      Simultaneously, 70 specimens of ticks found blood-feeding on horses were also
      submitted to the same virological assays. No virus was isolated and viral nucleic
      acid detection by RT-PCR was also negative. Nevertheless, a total of 22 Culicidae
      species were identified, ten of which had previously been reported as vectors of
      important arboviruses. The diversity of species found blood-feeding on human and
      horse hosts together with the arboviruses circulation previously reported suggest
      that the Nhecolandia Sub-region of South Pantanal is an important area for
      arbovirus surveillance in Brazil.

PMID- 20305952
TI  - Seroprevalence of human toxocariasis in Andean communities from the Northeast of
      Lima, Peru.
AB  - The aim of this study was to assess the seroprevalence of human toxocariasis in
      three Andean communities from the Northeast of Lima, Peru. A total of 303
      subjects including children and adults were studied and blood samples were
      collected to detect anti-Toxocara antibodies by ELISA-IgG test and by
      hematological examination; stool samples were collected also for parasitological
      examination. The overall seroprevalence of toxocariasis observed in the total
      population was 20.46%, with a significant high proportion in children from one to
      10 years old (p = 0.034). Among the subjects with positive serology, 32.26% of
      them had respiratory disturbances, 22.58% hepatomegaly, 17.74% ocular signs or
      symptoms, 14.51% abdominal pain, 9.68% neurological involvement, and 4.84%
      cutaneous signs, but none of these clinical features were associated to a
      positive serology by multivariate analysis. Furthermore, 79.03% of seropositive
      subjects also harbored at least one intestinal parasite, which was associated to
      a positive serology (p < 0.05). The presence of pets within the houses, a
      previous history of pica or geophagia and the use of public places were also
      present in this population, but only the latter was associated to the serology (p
      < 0.05). In conclusion, clinical, serological, and epidemiological evidences for
      larval Toxocara infection were found in the studied population.

PMID- 20305951
TI  - Characterization of a Hepatitis B virus strain in southwestern Parana, Brazil,
      presenting mutations previously associated with anti-HBs Resistance.
AB  - The present study investigated if hepatitis B virus (HBV) mutants circulate in
      the southwestern region of the State of Parana, Brazil, by analyzing samples from
      children who received immunoprophylaxis but were born to HBV carrier mothers.
      Samples from 25 children were screened for HBV serum markers and for HBV DNA by
      PCR. Only one sample was positive for HBsAg, anti-HBs and HBV DNA, although the
      child had been vaccinated. Analysis of the S gene sequence of this sample showed
      the presence of a proline at position 105, a serine at position 114, three
      threonines at positions 115, 116 and 140, and a glutamine at position 129. The
      presence of these amino acids, except for serine at position 114, has been
      related to monoclonal or polyclonal therapy with anti-HBs after liver
      transplantation, whereas the presence of threonine at position 116 has been
      described in immunized children from Singapore. This finding demonstrates the
      possible circulation of HBV strains resistant to hepatitis B immunoprophylaxis in
      southwestern Parana, Brazil. The genotype of the sample was identified as
      genotype D, which is frequently found in the region studied. Since 36% of the
      children had received incomplete or no immunoprophylaxis, more extensive follow
      up of children born to HBsAg-positive mothers is needed.

PMID- 20305953
TI  - Human toxocariasis: a seroepidemiological survey in the Amazonian city of
      Yurimaguas, Peru.
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of the infection by
      Toxocara in the general population of the Amazonian city of Yurimaguas, Peru.
      From March to August 2008, a total of 300 subjects were sampled and tested by
      means of a Toxocara ELISA-IgG test. A clinical and epidemiological questionnaire
      was used to assess the symptomatology and risk factors associated with human
      toxocariasis. The overall rate of seropositivity was 35.66%, with a significant
      high proportion in children (p < 0.001). The clinical evaluation revealed that
      95.33% of the seropositive group had some type of symptomatology: headache
      (66.36%), respiratory compromise (63.55%), abdominal pain (54.21%), cutaneous
      signs (40.19%) and ocular manifestations (36.45%), and almost all of them were
      statistically significant (p < 0.001). Furthermore, 56.07% of the seropositive
      subjects presented at least one intestinal pathogen parasite with predominance of
      helminthes, but without significant association (p = 0.334). The analysis of risk
      factors showed only that the use of public places and geophagia exhibited a
      significant association with the seropositivity (p < 0.001). Clinical,
      serological and epidemiological findings associated to infection with Toxocara
      were observed in the present study and future studies should be done to assess
      this serious health problem.

PMID- 20305954
TI  - Modulatory activity of antioxidants against the toxicity of Rifampicin in vivo.
AB  - The World Health Organization (WHO) has shown concern about the burden of
      tuberculosis in the developing countries. Even though rifampicin is an effective
      drug in the management of tuberculosis, it has been documented to have some toxic
      effects in humans. Therefore, this study intends to investigate the modulatory
      effect of vitamins C and E on the hepatotoxicity, sperm quality and brain
      toxicity of Rifampicin. Forty Wistar albino rats were used, 10 animals per group.
      Group 1 animals received 0.3 mL of distilled water, the Group 2 animals received
      the therapeutic dose of rifampicin, Group 3 animals received therapeutic doses of
      rifampicin plus vitamin E, while Group 4 received therapeutic doses of rifampicin
      and vitamin C. The administration was performed orally during three months; the
      animals were sacrificed by cervical dislocation at the end of that period. Blood
      samples were collected and liver function and lipid profile was analyzed using
      fully automated clinical chemistry device. The liver, brain and reproductive
      organs underwent histopathological examination. Sperm samples were collected from
      the epididymis to achieve count and motility and morphological analysis. Results
      showed rifampicin alone to raise (p < 0.05) liver function enzymes (Aspartate
      amino transferase [AST], Serum alanine amino transferase [ALT] and Total
      Bilirubin) when compared with controls. While the vitamin E treated group showed
      remarkable protection, the vitamin C treated group showed questionable protection
      against the rifampicin induced liver damage. Sperm count results showed an
      important (p < 0.05) increase in the sperm quality in vitamin E and C treated
      groups. However, the vitamin E plus Rifampicin treated group showed increased
      lipid peroxidation. The histopathological findings revealed structural damages by
      rifampicin in liver, brain and epididymis while some remarkable architectural
      integrity was observed in the antioxidant-treated groups. It can be concluded
      that vitamin E or C improved sperm quality and protected against the brain damage
      caused by rifampicin. Moreover, vitamin E demonstrated remarkable
      hepatoprotection against rifampicin induced damage while vitamin C shows a
      questionable hepatoprotection.

PMID- 20305955
TI  - Skin lesions in envenoming by cnidarians (Portuguese man-of-war and jellyfish):
      etiology and severity of accidents on the Brazilian coast.
AB  - This work attempts to establish dermatological identification patterns for
      Brazilian cnidarian species and a probable correlation with envenoming severity.
      In an observational prospective study, one hundred and twenty-eight patients from
      the North Coast region of Sao Paulo State, Brazil were seen between 2002 and
      2008. About 80% of these showed only local effects (erythema, edema, and pain)
      with small, less than 20 cm, oval or round skin marks and impressions from small
      tentacles. Approximately 20% of the victims had long, more than 20 cm, linear and
      crossed marks with frequent systemic phenomena, such as malaise, vomiting,
      dyspnea, and tachycardia. The former is compatible with the common hydromedusa
      from Southeast and Southern Brazil (Olindias sambaquiensis). The long linear
      marks with intense pain and systemic phenomena are compatible with envenoming by
      the box jellyfish Tamoya haplonema and Chiropsalmus quadrumanus and the hydrozoan
      Portuguese man-of-war (Physalis physalis). There was an association between skin
      marks and probable accident etiology. This simple observation rule can be
      indicative of severity, as the Cubozoa Class (box jellyfish) and Portuguese man
      of-war cause the most severe accidents. In such cases, medical attention,
      including intensive care, is important, as the systemic manifestations can be
      associated with death.

PMID- 20305956
TI  - Clinical and epidemiological study of 27 poisonings caused by ingesting puffer
      fish (Tetrodontidae) in the states of Santa Catarina and Bahia, Brazil.
AB  - Puffer fish can be poisonous due to the presence of the potent neurotoxins such
      as Tetrodotoxin (TTX) and Saxitoxin (STX) found in its tissues. The authors
      report 27 human poisonings from ingestion of puffer fish in patients treated at
      Toxicology Centers in the states of Santa Catarina and Bahia, Brazil, between
      1984 and January 2009. Poisonings were classified as moderate (52%) and severe
      (33%), two deaths were observed. Early diagnosis is very important to ensure
      respiratory support.

PMID- 20305957
TI  - Hepatitis C virus genotypes in hemodialysis patients in the Federal District,
      Brazil.
AB  - Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes and subtypes were determined in hemodialysis
      patients in the Federal District, Brazil, by sequencing of the 5' noncoding (NC)
      and nonstructural 5B (NS5B) regions. From 761 patients, 66 anti-HCV-positive
      samples were tested for HCV RNA. All 51 HCV RNA-positive samples by PCR of the 5'
      NC region were genotyped as genotypes 1 (90.2%) and 3 (9.8%). Subtype 1a (82.3%)
      was the most prevalent, followed by subtypes 3a (9.8%), 1b (5.9%) and 1a/1b
      (2.0%). Forty-two samples could be amplified and genotyped in the NS5B region: 38
      (90.5%) as genotype 1, subtypes 1a, and 8 (9.5%) as genotype 3, subtype 3a. For
      the 42 samples sequenced in both regions, the genotypes and subtypes determined
      were concordant in 100% and 95.2% of cases, respectively. Two samples presented
      discrepant results, with the 5' NC region not distinguishing correctly the
      subtypes 1a and 1b. These findings indicate that the HCV genotype 1, subtype 1a,
      is the most prevalent among hemodialysis patients in the Federal District,
      Brazil.

PMID- 20305958
TI  - Evaluation of the histopathological hepatic lesions and opportunistic agents in
      Brazilian HIV patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: to evaluated the type histopathological hepatic lesions and
      opportunistic agents in Brazilian HIV-infected patients. METHODS: we examined 52
      percutaneous liver biopsies of 50 HIV-infected patients who had at least two of
      the following conditions: fever of unknown origin, unexplained severe emaciation,
      hepatomegaly or abnormal liver chemistry. The specimens were cultured for
      mycobacteria and fungi and stained by standard procedures. RESULTS: reactive
      patterns, granulomatous hepatitis and chronic active hepatitis were verified in
      28 (54%), 11 (21%) and 8 (15%) of the patients respectively. Opportunistic
      infections were diagnosed in 18 (36%) patients: mycobacteria in 12 (24%),
      Cryptococcus neoformans in 5 (10%) patients and mycobacteria and yeast was
      isolated from the same liver fragment in one patient. CONCLUSIONS:
      mycobacteriosis was the most common opportunistic infection and liver tissue
      culture is an important method to detect opportunistic agents, even in the
      absence of histological lesions.

PMID- 20305959
TI  - Human papillomavirus genotypes in asymptomatic young women from public schools in
      Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this work was to survey HPV information from a random
      population of young women from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. METHODS: This cross
      sectional study included cervical samples from 241 female students. To determine
      human papillomavirus status, polymerase chain reaction amplification was
      performed. HPV typing was determined by restriction fragment length polymorphism
      analysis. Demographic data, life style, sexual and gynecological history were
      obtained through use of a structured questionnaire. RESULTS: The average age of
      the women was 19.6 years-old (SD=3.4 years). HPV prevalence was 27.4%. Nineteen
      different HPV genotypes were detected, including 13 high risk types. HPV 16 was
      the most prevalent type (6.2%), followed by 31 (4.1 %) and 66 (3.7%). Most of the
      oncogenic types belonged to the A9 species (28/48). The frequency of women
      infected by at least one oncogenic type was significantly higher than those only
      infected by low risk types (18.7% versus 7.5%). Cervical changes were detected in
      12.5% of the sample and were significantly linked to infection with HPV types of
      the A9 species. Demographic variables, sexual initiation, or number of sexual
      partners were not associated with HPV prevalence, variety of HPV genotypes or
      oncogenic types. CONCLUSIONS: The relative frequency of HPV genotypes other than
      vaccine types in young females should be taken into account when evaluating
      vaccination strategies. Due to the high prevalence of HPV infection among the
      population studied, implementation of sex education in schools, promotion of
      condom use and an organized screening program to prevent cervical cancer must be
      encouraged for this age group.

PMID- 20305960
TI  - Occurrence of positivity for Trypanosoma cruzi in triatomine from municipalities
      in Southeastern Brazil, from 2002 to 2004.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: from an epidemiological point of view, more than 120 species of
      triatomine (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) are known. The occurrence and positivity for
      Trypanosoma cruzi in triatomines in 16 municipalities of the Triangulo Mineiro
      and Alto Paranaiba were evaluated from January 2002 to December 2004. METHODS:
      the triatomines were captured basically according to the classic norms of the
      National Health Foundation. The parasitological exams of the triatomines were
      conducted according to the technique described by the Ministry of Health. During
      the study period, 990 specimens of triatomines were captured and of these, 771
      could be examined. RESULTS: five species were identified: Triatoma sordida,
      Panstrongylus diasi, Panstrongylus megistus, Panstrongylus geniculatus and
      Rhodnius neglectus. Triatoma sordida represented 71.5% of all the triatomines
      captured, followed by Panstrongylus megistus (18%), Rhodnius neglectus (9.3%),
      Panstrongylus diasi (0.8%) and Panstrongylus geniculatus (0.4%). Of the total
      number of triatomines examined, 2.7% were positive for Trypanosoma cruzi.
      Panstrongylus megistus was the species that presented the highest rates of
      infection by Trypanosoma cruzi (8.3%), followed by Rhodnius neglectus (2.9%) and
      Triatoma sordida (1.4%). CONCLUSIONS: there is a need to adapt to new
      circumstances in epidemiology, with greater emphasis on entomological
      surveillance, since the potential for adaptation of secondary species of
      triatomines exists, especially where Chagas' disease is already under control.

PMID- 20305961
TI  - Comparative biology of the two sister species of Triatominae (Hemiptera:
      Reduviidae).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Triatoma pseudomaculata and T. wygodzinskyi (Hemiptera: Reduviidae:
      Triatominae) are two Brazilian vectors of Chagas disease. The first is an
      arboricolous species in sylvatic environment and considered a vector of T. cruzi
      in peridomestic structures; the second, a rupicolous species in the wild
      environment of no epidemiological importance. In order to test the assumption
      that sister species share biological traits, comparative studies of their
      development cycle and blood ingestion were conducted. METHODS: Eggs laid by five
      field females of each species were randomly selected. The nymphs were observed
      daily and fed on mice weekly. The time required to pass through the different
      stages to adulthood was recorded in days. The triatomines were weighed
      individually before and after feeding. The mortality rate according to each
      nymphal stage was calculated. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of the results
      shows that they display only minor biological differences even though they
      exhibit a distinct ecology. This suggests that the biological traits are
      important criteria to determine the relationship between species.

PMID- 20305962
TI  - Risk factors for physical disability at diagnosis of 19,283 new cases of leprosy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to evaluate risk factors for physical
      disability at the moment of leprosy diagnosis. METHODS: This is a retrospective,
      descriptive and exploratory investigation of 19,283 patients with leprosy,
      registered in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, between 2000 and 2005. RESULTS:
      The risk of Grade 2 disability was 16.5-fold higher in patients with lepromatous
      leprosy, and 12.8-fold higher in patients presenting the borderline form,
      compared to patients presenting indeterminate leprosy. The occurrence of more
      than one thickened nerve increased the odds of a patient developing Grade 2
      disability, 8.4-fold. Age <15 years, multibacillary leprosy and no formal
      education presented 7.0, 5.7 and 5.6 odds of developing physical disability,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These factors should be considered as strong
      prognostic indicators in the development of physical disability at diagnosis.

PMID- 20305963
TI  - [Influence of acute-phase inflammatory response on serum levels of retinol and
      retinol binding protein in HIV/AIDS patients].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hyporetinolemia is an independent prognostic factor in AIDS
      patients. Inflammatory activity causes a reduction in the serum levels of this
      nutrient in the general population. However, there are no studies assessing the
      impact of inflammatory activity on the serum retinol level in AIDS patients.
      METHODS: A cross-sectional assessment was conducted on 41 patients hospitalized
      due to AIDS complications. Inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein and tumor
      necrosis factor-alpha) and serum retinol and retinol binding protein
      concentrations were quantified. RESULTS: Despite the low (14.6%) prevalence of
      hyporetinolemia, a significant negative correlation was observed between the
      inflammatory markers and the serum retinol and retinol binding protein levels in
      AIDS patients. CONCLUSIONS: Acute-phase inflammatory activity is associated with
      low serum retinol levels in individuals with AIDS.

PMID- 20305964
TI  - [Clinical and evolutionary characteristics of 134 patients with disseminated
      histoplasmosis associated with AIDS in the State of Ceara].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Since the beginning of the HIV epidemic in Ceara, disseminated
      histoplasmosis (DH) has often been detected among AIDS patients. METHODS: In
      order to investigate the clinical and laboratory characteristics, evolution and
      survival of cases of DH/AIDS coinfection, the medical records on 134 cases of DH
      admitted to a reference hospital in Ceara between 1999 and 2005 were analyzed.
      RESULTS: Patients with DH presented higher frequency of daily fever, coughing,
      weight loss, enlarged liver and spleen and acute kidney failure. The diagnosis
      was made using investigation and/or cultures. At admission, the following were
      risk factors for death among DH patients: vomiting, dyspnea, respiratory failure,
      acute kidney failure, hemoglobin < or = 8g/l, urea > or = 40mg/dl and creatinine
      > or = 1.5 mg/dl. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with DH characteristically presented
      higher fever, previous hospitalization due to respiratory infection and more
      clinical complications. Significant anemia and elevated urea were independent
      risk factors for death among DH patients.

PMID- 20305965
TI  - [Clinical and laboratory profile of children living with vertically transmitted
      HIV/AIDS in a city in northeastern Brazily].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Vertical transmission constitutes the main route for child
      infection by the HIV-1 virus (human immune deficiency virus). This study aimed to
      investigate the clinical and laboratory evolution of children with vertically
      transmitted HIV/AIDS. METHODS: This was a retrospective descriptive study based
      on data gathered from the medical records of all the children who were seen at a
      specialized care unit between January 1998 and June 2006. RESULTS: Eighty
      children who met the inclusion criteria were evaluated. In the cases 56 (70%) of
      the children, their mothers were diagnosed as HIV-positive after childbirth. The
      delivery was vaginal for 44 (55%) of the children. Fifty-six children (70%) were
      breastfed by their mothers for periods ranging from one to more than 12 months.
      Failure to use or incomplete use of the ACTG 076 protocol was documented in 63
      (78.5%) of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from our study are a cause for
      considerable concern and show failures of medical care for mothers and children,
      particularly with regard to prevention of transmission.

PMID- 20305966
TI  - [Ophthalmological evaluation of patients with AIDS and neurotoxoplasmosis].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: To describe fundoscopic findings among patients with AIDS and
      active-phase neurotoxoplasmosis. METHODS: A prospective study of case series type
      was developed, including 70 patients of both sexes and ages ranging from 20 to 63
      years who were admitted to the wards of three public hospitals in the city of
      Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, from January to October 2008, with diagnoses of AIDS
      and neurotoxoplasmosis determined according to the criteria of the Centers for
      Disease Control and Prevention (1992). The patients were characterized by a first
      episode of neurotoxoplasmosis (65; 92.9%) or recurrence (5; 7.1%), unawareness of
      having AIDS (23; 32.9%), mean T CD4+ count of 139.8 + or - 3.04 lymphocytes/mm(3)
      and mean viral load of 137,080 + or - 39,380 copies/ml. All patients underwent
      ophthalmological examination consisting of ocular inspection, gauging of visual
      acuity, investigation of ocular extrinsic muscle function and fundoscopy using a
      binocular indirect ophthalmoscope (model OHM 3.5 Eyetec) and external lens of 20
      diopters (Volk). RESULTS: The findings consisted of retinal cotton-wool spot
      exudates (8.6%), slight diffuse arteriolar constriction (8.6%), retinochoroiditis
      scars characteristic of ocular toxoplasmosis (5.7%), atrophy of retinal pigment
      epithelium (2.9%), retinal detachment (2.9%), increased papillary excavation
      (1.4%), retinal peripheral degeneration (1,4%), macroaneurysm (1.4%), bilateral
      papilledema (1.4%) and vitreous-retinal traction (1.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Patients
      with AIDS and neurotoxoplasmosis may present fundoscopic abnormalities
      characteristic of ocular toxoplasmosis, either in active or in scar form, related
      to HIV or even to other opportunist or systemic diseases, which can be of great
      aid for integral treatment of patients by a multiprofessional team.

PMID- 20305967
TI  - [Prevalence of anti-Leishmania spp antibodies in dogs from Garanhuns, in the
      middle scrub zone (Agreste) of Pernambuco].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Considering the unknown situation regarding canine visceral
      leishmaniasis in Garanhuns, this study had the aim of investigating occurrences
      of anti-Leishmania spp antibodies in domesticated and partially domesticated
      dogs, and the possible risk factors involved. METHODS: In the first phase of the
      study, 256 blood samples were collected from dogs and subjected to the indirect
      fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) reaction at a dilution of 1:40. Additionally, 23
      IFAT-positive samples were tested using an immunochromatographic dipstick test.
      In the second phase, new blood samples were collected from 18 dogs that were IFAT
      positive in the first phase. These animals were retested using IFAT (1:40 and
      1:80) and, additionally, by means of the polymerase chain reaction to investigate
      the Leishmania infantum DNA. Furthermore, 16 of these samples were retested using
      the immunochromatographic dipstick test. RESULTS: In the first phase of the
      study, 16% of the samples were IFAT-positive (1:40) and only three (13%) were
      positive in the immunochromatographic dipstick test. In the second phase, 12
      samples were IFAT-positive at the dilution of 1:40, and seven were also positive
      at 1:80. None of the samples were positive in the polymerase chain reaction
      testing or in the immunochromatographic dipstick test. Clinical signs suggestive
      of visceral leishmaniasis were observed in 4.9% of the IFAT-positive dogs. There
      were no statistical differences in relation to age, sex or clinical status of the
      dogs, but there was a difference in relation to place of origin. CONCLUSIONS: The
      domesticated and partially domesticated dogs living in Garanhuns present anti
      Leishmania spp antibodies, but are mostly asymptomatic.

PMID- 20305968
TI  - [Factors relating to occurrences of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Ribeira
      Valley].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to identify the environmental and social factors
      that determined occurrences of American cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Ribeira
      valley region of the State of Sao Paulo between 1998 and 2006. METHODS: Secondary
      public-domain data from the 23 municipalities forming this region were used. The
      study period was divided into three ranges based on the graphical characteristics
      of the incidence coefficients. These data were subjected to analysis using
      multiple linear regression. RESULTS: Over the period 1998 to 2000, the variables
      correlated with American cutaneous leishmaniasis were mean human development
      index (p = 0.007), per capita income (p = 0.390) and degree of urbanization (p =
      0.079). Over the periods 2001 to 2003 and 2004 to 2006, the variables correlated
      with American cutaneous leishmaniasis were the presence of sandflies (p = 0.000;
      p = 0.001) and mean urban population (p = 0.007; p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These
      data show the trend towards urbanization and impoverishment of the disease.

PMID- 20305969
TI  - [Autochthonous malaria notified in the State of Sao Paulo: clinical and
      epidemiological characteristics from 1980 to 2007].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Autochthonous malaria in the State of Sao Paulo is characterized by
      sporadic outbreaks in the western region and by persistent transmission in the
      eastern region, where oligosymptomatic cases with low parasitemia due to
      Plasmodium vivax occur. The objectives of this study were to assess the
      completeness of autochthonous malaria notification forms; to estimate the
      incidence trends of autochthonous cases in the State of Sao Paulo from 1980 to
      2007; and to analyze the clinical and epidemiological patterns of cases in two
      autochthonous regions over this period. METHODS: This was a descriptive study
      that analyzed 18 variables on the notification form for malaria in the State of
      Sao Paulo, comparing these two regions over two periods (1980-1993 and 1994
      2007). The data sources were SUCEN/SES/SP, SINAN/CVE/SES/SP and DATASUS. RESULTS:
      The completeness was greater than 85% for 11 variables. The incidence trend was
      decreasing. There were 821 autochthonous cases: 91.6% occurred in the eastern
      region, predominantly due to Plasmodium vivax. Asymptomatic infection had a
      higher percentage in the second period (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The completeness
      of the information was satisfactory. The clinical differences observed deserve
      attention from epidemiological surveillance agencies, which need to deal with the
      challenge of asymptomatic infection by Plasmodium.

PMID- 20305970
TI  - [Cross-sectional study on toxoplasmosis among female students on a university
      course in the Presidente Prudente region, State of Sao Paulo].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease caused by the protozoan
      Toxoplasma gondii, which affects humans and other animals. The most severe form
      is congenital toxoplasmosis. Thus, it is important to establish the serological
      profile of women before pregnancy. This study aimed to analyze the serology of
      toxoplasmosis among female students on the nursing course at Unoeste
      (Universidade do Oeste Paulista), in Presidente Prudente, SP. METHODS: Blood
      samples were collected from 80 female students aged 18 to 35 years after they had
      signed the consent statement. Occurrences of anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgM and IgG
      antibodies were determined using the ELISA method. This study was approved by the
      institution's ethics committee and was conducted in the Immunology Laboratory at
      Unoeste. RESULTS: Among the 80 blood samples analyzed, 27 female students were
      positive for IgG, whereas none of them were positive for IgM antibodies.
      CONCLUSIONS: Among the 80 female students, 53 (66.2%) would be susceptible to
      toxoplasmosis in a possible pregnancy. Twenty-seven of the female students
      (33.8%) were considered seropositive.

PMID- 20305971
TI  - [Epidemiological profile of leprosy in a Brazilian municipality between 2000 and
      2006].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Leprosy is considered to be a major public health problem in
      developing countries. It is estimated that notifications are issued only in
      relation to 1/3 of the patients and that, among these patients, many undergo
      irregular treatment or drop out, thus increasing the impact of the disease. The
      objective this paper was to describe the epidemiological profile of the
      population with a diagnosis of leprosy in the municipality of Uberaba, State of
      Minas Gerais, Brazil, between 2000 and 2006. METHODS: This was a retrospective
      study using data from notifications of leprosy cases in the Notifiable Disease
      Information System of the Brazilian Ministry of Health. RESULTS: There were 455
      recorded cases of leprosy, and 55.4% of these were among males. The most affected
      age group was 34 to 49 years (31.4%), while nine cases of leprosy (2%) were found
      in children under the age of 15 years. The commonest clinical form was the
      borderline type (69.1%) and the operational class was multibacillary (87%). These
      findings are a matter of concern, considering that the age group that is most
      economically active is potentially the principal group spreading the disease.
      CONCLUSIONS: The finding that 87% of the cases were multibacillary indicates that
      the diagnoses were late. It is therefore necessary to decentralize the leprosy
      care services and train more professionals to enable earlier diagnosis and
      treatment.

PMID- 20305972
TI  - [Prescription patterns and antibiotic use in community-based infections].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to find out about the patterns of
      antibiotic use in the municipality of Sorocaba, through evaluating the reported
      diagnosis and the therapy used. METHODS: An evaluation tool was applied among
      antibiotic users over a 12-month period. Sociodemographic data and information
      relating to health, diagnosis and therapeutics were gathered in relation to 403
      users. RESULTS: Great present use and the greatest previous use was found in the
      0-10 year-old age group (p < 0.05). Infections with lung involvement were the
      ones most mentioned (p < 0.05) and penicillins were the drugs most used, present
      in 45.1% of the prescriptions. The mean duration of therapy for otitis (8.9 days)
      was below the recommendation. For sinusitis, 22% of the prescriptions did not
      give guidance regarding recommended use (10 days). CONCLUSIONS: The lack and/or
      nonuse of therapeutic protocols resulted in great differences in prescription
      patterns, thereby leading to therapeutic failure and recurrence of infections,
      which were situations frequently found in this study.

PMID- 20305973
TI  - [Spatial distribution and breeding site characteristics of Aedes albopictus and
      Aedes aegypti in Fortaleza, State of Ceara].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Since the registration of Aedes albopictus in the municipality of
      Fortaleza in 2005, it has shown rapid dispersion. A study aiming to identify its
      occurrence areas, breeding sites and associations with Aedes aegypti and other
      culicids was carried out during 2008. METHODS: Between January and July 2008,
      samples of immature forms of culicids were gathered from properties located in
      districts of Fortaleza. Certain features of the breeding sites were highlighted,
      such as location (indoors or outdoors), presence of covering (protection against
      impact of sunlight and rain), water turbidity (water clear or not clear),
      constituent material, volume, height above ground level and simultaneous presence
      of different species of culicids in the same breeding site. RESULTS: Indoor
      location was an important factor for the breeding sites for Aedes albopictus [PR
      = 0.52; 95% CI: 0.33-0.81]. On the other hand, water turbidity and reservoir
      covering were not shown to be differentiators regarding infestation [p > 0.05].
      Absence of water turbidity was significant for Aedes aegypti infestation in
      breeding sites [PR = 1.14; 95% CI: 1.06-1.22]. CONCLUSIONS: Absence of one of the
      species from the breeding sites enhanced the infestation by another species.
      Breeding sites that had not been infested by Aedes albopictus had a prevalence of
      infestation by Aedes aegypti that was 2.05 times greater [95% CI: 1.72-2.44].
      There was no significant association between volume and height of the breeding
      sites and infestation by both species. Both species were found to be dispersed
      throughout the municipality, occupying a wide diversity of breeding sites.
      However, a slight physical separation could be identified, with higher
      infestation with Aedes albopictus outdoors.

PMID- 20305974
TI  - [Phlebotomine fauna (Diptera: Psychodidae) in a campina reserve in the State of
      Amazonas, and its epidemiological importance].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In Brazil, the largest diversity of phlebotomines is found in the
      Amazon region, particularly in undisturbed terra-firma forest. However, the
      phlebotomine fauna in other ecosystems of this region is still not well known.
      METHODS: In order to investigate the phlebotomine fauna of another Amazon
      ecosystem, collections were made using CDC light traps in the campina/campinarana
      ecosystems in the periurban zone of the city of Manaus. RESULTS: Eight hundred
      and fourteen phlebotomines of 26 species were captured, of which the most
      abundant were: Lutzomyia flaviscutellata (64.5%); Lutzomyia georgii (14%);
      Lutzomyia olmeca nociva (8.1%); Lutzomyia furcata (3.2%); Lutzomyia monstruosa
      (1.3%); Lutzomyia umbratilis (1.1%); and others (7.8%). CONCLUSIONS: The
      campina/campinarana ecosystems showed great epidemiological importance because of
      the high abundance of Lutzomyia flaviscutellata and Lutzomyia olmeca nociva,
      which are both vectors of Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis. Based on this
      information, it will be possible to outline goals for parasitological studies and
      raise awareness among researchers and students who are constantly exposed in
      these areas while conducting research work, regarding the possible risk of
      contamination by Leishmania.

PMID- 20305975
TI  - [Stingrays in rivers in southeastern Brazil: occurrence localities and impact on
      the population].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In this paper, our aim was to describe the process of colonization
      of the upper Parana basin, southeastern Brazil, by stingrays, showing the current
      situation, likely trend and impact caused and discussing some management actions
      and mitigation measures. METHODS: Interviews were held with riverbank people and
      health professionals, to gather information on occurrences of stingrays and
      accidents associated with these animals, along with underwater observations and
      collection of specimens, between 2004 and 2009 in localities in the States of Sao
      Paulo, Parana and Mato Grosso do Sul, in the southeastern, southern and part of
      the central-western regions of Brazil. RESULTS: Three species of stingrays were
      identified in the study area, thus demonstrating that they were using the paths
      opened by the Tiete-Parana Waterway to disperse. Sixteen victims of accidents
      involving these animals were found, mainly bathers and fishermen. Attention was
      drawn to the fact that these cases had not been reported, yet they presented high
      morbidity with notable temporary incapacity for work. CONCLUSIONS: This is the
      first report on biological invasion involving species of elasmobranchs in the
      literature and, because stingrays are colonizing densely populated areas and are
      expanding their range of distribution each year, it can be expected that their
      negative interactions with humans will intensify, with important changes in the
      epidemiological profile of accidents due to venomous animals occurring in
      southeastern Brazil.

PMID- 20305976
TI  - [Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy after treatment with pegylated
      interferon alpha 2b in a patient with HIV/HCV coinfection: case report].
AB  - Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy has a strong association with
      HIV and HCV infection. A rare association between chronic inflammatory
      demyelinating polyneuropathy and hepatitis C treatment with pegylated interferon
      alpha was described recently. We described the first case of chronic inflammatory
      demyelinating polyneuropathy associated with pegylated interferon alpha 2b in a
      white man infected with HIV and HCV. The patient recovered completely with the
      use of intravenous hyperimmune immunoglobulin. Infectologists and hepatologists
      should be alert regarding this rare and serious association, which requires
      immediately drug discontinuation and early treatment.

PMID- 20305977
TI  - [Fatal poisoning caused by puffer fish (Tetrodontidae): report of a case
      involving a child].
AB  - A case of poisoning resulting from ingestion of viscera from a spotted puffer
      fish (Sphoeroides testudineus) by a two-year-old child is described. The child
      presented cold sweating, progressive muscle weakness, cardiorespiratory arrest
      and death. The risks of consuming the meat and viscera of puffer fish, which is a
      common occurrence in certain regions of Brazil, are discussed.

PMID- 20305978
TI  - [Pulmonary adiaspiromycosis treated without antifungal drugs].
AB  - The case of a 40-year-old agricultural worker affected by pulmonary
      adiaspiromycosis is reported. An etiological diagnosis had been established by
      means of a biopsy via thoracoscopy. Treatment with corticosteroids without
      antifungal drugs was chosen, and the patient responded well to this, with
      improvements in clinical and radiological conditions three weeks after the
      beginning of the symptoms.

PMID- 20305979
TI  - [Report on an autochthonous case of canine visceral leishmaniasis in the southern
      zone of the municipality of Rio de Janeiro].
AB  - Brazil is facing expansion and urbanization of American visceral leishmaniasis,
      with human and canine cases in several large-sized cities. This report describes
      an autochthonous case of canine visceral leishmaniasis in a nonendemic area in
      the municipality of Rio de Janeiro.

PMID- 20305980
TI  - PCR-RFLP of 16S ribosomal DNA to confirm the identification of Enterococcus
      gallinarum and Enterococcus casseliflavus isolated from clinical and food
      samples.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to confirm the identification of Enterococcus
      gallinarum and Enterococcus casseliflavus isolated from clinical and food samples
      by PCR-RFLP. METHODS: Fifty-two strains identified by conventional biochemical
      exams were submitted to PCR amplification and digested with HinfI. Only 20
      (38.5%) of the 52 strains showed a DNA pattern expected for E. gallinarum and E.
      casseliflavus. RESULTS: Analysis of the results of this study showed that E.
      gallinarum and E. casseliflavus are occasionally erroneously identified and
      confirmed the potential application of 16S rDNA analysis for accurate
      identification of these species. CONCLUSIONS: A correct identification is
      important to distinguish between intrinsic and acquired vancomycin resistance.

PMID- 20305981
TI  - [Destruction of Toxocara canis eggs by the nematophagous fungus Pochonia
      chlamydosporia].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Toxocara canis is an ascarid parasite of the small intestine of
      dogs that causes visceral larva migrans in humans. METHODS: With the aim of
      demonstrating the effectiveness of the fungus Pochonia chlamydosporia on Toxocara
      canis eggs under laboratory conditions, a trial was set up in Petri dishes with
      2% agar-water. RESULTS: There was ovicidal activity of 43.8% (p < 0.01) in the
      treated group in relation to the control group over the periods studied.
      CONCLUSIONS: The results from the present study suggest that Pochonia
      chlamydosporia can potentially be used as an alternative biological control for
      embryonated Toxocara canis eggs.

PMID- 20305982
TI  - The first recorded occurrence of Psammolestes coreodes Bergroth, 1911 (Hemiptera:
      Reduviidae: Triatominae) in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.

PMID- 20305983
TI  - Schistosoma mansoni eggs in the sperm after total vasectomy.

PMID- 20305984
TI  - In and out--biochemical and biophysical mechanisms of viral fusion and assembly.

PMID- 20305985
TI  - Could cells from your nose fix your heart? Transplantation of olfactory stem
      cells in a rat model of cardiac infarction.
AB  - This study examines the hypothesis that multipotent olfactory mucosal stem cells
      could provide a basis for the development of autologous cell transplant therapy
      for the treatment of heart attack. In humans, these cells are easily obtained by
      simple biopsy. Neural stem cells from the olfactory mucosa are multipotent, with
      the capacity to differentiate into developmental fates other than neurons and
      glia, with evidence of cardiomyocyte differentiation in vitro and after
      transplantation into the chick embryo. Olfactory stem cells were grown from rat
      olfactory mucosa. These cells are propagated as neurosphere cultures, similar to
      other neural stem cells. Olfactory neurospheres were grown in vitro, dissociated
      into single cell suspensions, and transplanted into the infarcted hearts of
      congeneic rats. Transplanted cells were genetically engineered to express green
      fluorescent protein (GFP) in order to allow them to be identified after
      transplantation. Functional assessment was attempted using echocardiography in
      three groups of rats: control, unoperated; infarct only; infarcted and
      transplanted. Transplantation of neurosphere-derived cells from adult rat
      olfactory mucosa appeared to restore heart rate with other trends towards
      improvement in other measures of ventricular function indicated. Importantly,
      donor-derived cells engrafted in the transplanted cardiac ventricle and expressed
      cardiac contractile proteins.

PMID- 20305986
TI  - Saliva: physiology and diagnostic potential in health and disease.
AB  - Saliva has been described as the mirror of the body. In a world of soaring
      healthcare costs and an environment where rapid diagnosis may be critical to a
      positive patient outcome, saliva is emerging as a viable alternative to blood
      sampling. In this review, we discuss the composition and various physiological
      roles of saliva in the oral cavity, including soft tissue protection,
      antimicrobial activities, and oral tissue repair. We then explore saliva as a
      diagnostic marker of local oral disease and focus particularly on oral cancers.
      The cancer theme continues when we focus on systemic disease diagnosis from
      salivary biomarkers. Communicable disease is the focus of the next section where
      we review the literature relating to the direct and indirect detection of
      pathogenic infections from human saliva. Finally, we discuss hormones involved in
      appetite regulation and whether saliva is a viable alternative to blood in order
      to monitor hormones that are involved in satiety.

PMID- 20305987
TI  - Hepatocyte growth factor in synaptic plasticity and Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - The hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) was initially identified as a protein that
      promoted growth of hepatocytes. It regulates proliferation and survival of
      different types of cells. HGF signaling, which is initiated by its binding to a
      receptor tyrosine kinase, plays critical roles during development. HGF and its
      receptor are also present in brain cells. This review describes the role of HGF
      in hippocampal neurons, synaptic plasticity, and the memory impairment condition,
      Alzheimer's disease.

PMID- 20305988
TI  - Corticosteroid regulation of synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus.
AB  - Stress, via release of steroid hormones, has been shown to affect several
      cellular functions in the brain, including synaptic receptors and ion channels.
      As such, corticosteroids were reported to modulate plasticity, expressed as long
      term changes in reactivity to afferent stimulation. The classical view of the
      effects of stress on synaptic plasticity and cognitive functions assumes an
      inverted U-shape curve, such that a low stress level facilitates and a high
      stress level (i.e., corticosterone levels) impairs cognitive functions. This
      universal view has been challenged recently in a series of studies that show that
      stress and corticosterone have immediate and opposite effects on the ability to
      express long-term potentiation (LTP) in the dorsal and ventral sectors of the
      hippocampus. This differential role of stress may be related to the different
      functions associated with these sectors of the hippocampus. Herein, we review the
      known effects of stress hormones on cellular functions and outline the role of
      molecular mechanisms in stress-related global functions of the hippocampus.

PMID- 20305989
TI  - Regenerative medicine for neurological disorders.
AB  - The annual meeting of the American Society for Neural Therapy and Repair (ASNTR)
      has always introduced us to top-notch and up-to-date approaches for regenerative
      medicine related to neuroscience, ranging from stem cell-based therapy to novel
      drugs. The 16th ASNTR meeting focused on a variety of different topics, including
      the unknown pathogenesis or mechanisms of specific neurodegenerative diseases,
      stem cell biology, and development of novel alternative medicines or devices.
      Newly developed stem cells, such as amniotic epithelial stem cells and induced
      pluripotent stem cells, as well as well-known traditional stem cells, such as
      neural, embryonic, bone marrow mesenchymal, and human umbilical cord blood
      derived stem cells, were reported. A number of commercialized stem cells were
      also covered at this meeting. Fetal neural tissues, such as ventral
      mesencephalon, striatum, and Schwann cells, were investigated for
      neurodegenerative diseases or spinal cord injury. A number of studies focused on
      novel methods for drug monitoring or graft tracking, and combination therapy with
      stem cells and medicine, such as cytokines or trophic factors. Finally, the
      National Institutes of Health guidelines for human stem cell research, clinical
      trials of commercialized stem cells without larger animal testing, and
      prohibition of medical tourism were big controversial issues that led to heated
      discussion.

PMID- 20305991
TI  - Ten-year trends in dietary intake, health status and mortality rates in free
      living elderly people.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the trends of food preferences and nutrient intake over a
      10-year follow-up in a group of successfully aging elderly. DESIGN: Longitudinal
      study. SETTING: City of Padua, Italy. PARTICIPANTS: Randomly stratified sample of
      97 men and 94 women born between 1913 and 1918. MEASUREMENTS: The study involved
      a dietary assessment conducted in 1988/89 and repeated in 1999. Data were
      collected by means of a modified validated dietary history. RESULTS: Nutrient and
      energy intake remained fairly stable over a decade, despite changes in eating
      habits, with a higher intake of sweets and a lower consumption of soft drinks in
      both genders. All individuals significantly increased their daily intake of
      water. CONCLUSION: Despite changes in eating habits, no significant decline in
      total energy and macronutrient intake was recorded in a decade in our elderly.
      The increased daily consumption of water and decreased use of soft drinks would
      suggest that these people were still receptive to nutritional advice even in very
      old age, while the increase in their sweet-eating might be because aging itself
      increases a person's sweet tooth, and this could be regarded as an age-related
      effect on dietary habits.

PMID- 20305990
TI  - Fever.
AB  - Measurement of body temperature remains one of the most common ways to assess
      health. An increase in temperature above what is considered to be a normal value
      is inevitably regarded as a sure sign of disease and referred to with one simple
      word: fever. In this review, we summarize how research on fever allowed the
      identification of the exogenous and endogenous molecules and pathways mediating
      the fever response. We also show how temperature elevation is common to different
      pathologies and how the molecular components of the fever-generation pathway
      represent drug targets for antipyretics, such as acetylsalicylic acid, the first
      "blockbuster drug". We also show how fever research provided new insights into
      temperature and energy homeostasis, and into treatment of infection and
      inflammation.

PMID- 20305992
TI  - The use of calf circumference measurement as an anthropometric tool to monitor
      nutritional status in elderly inpatients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to identify the nutritional status of
      hospitalized elderly and verify if calf circumference can be a tool to monitor
      nutritional status in this population. METHODS: A total of 170 inpatients (79 men
      and 91 women) aged more than 60 years were assessed. Anthropometric and dietary
      assessments were done according to standard procedures. The software STATISTICA
      6.0 was used for the statistical analysis. The confidence interval was set at 95%
      and significance level at 5% (p < 0.05). RESULTS: Body mass index assessment
      revealed a high rate of underweight patients (45.3%), and arm circumference and
      triceps skinfold revealed a high prevalence of depletion. Males had more lean
      mass according to the mid-arm muscle circumference (p=0.017) and mid-arm muscle
      area (p=0.01), and females presented higher triceps skinfold values (p < 0.001).
      There was a positive correlation between calf circumference and Body Mass Index
      (p < 0.001), arm circumference (p=0.001), triceps skinfold (p=0.001), mid-arm
      muscle circumference (p=0.001), and mid-arm muscle area (p=0.001). CONCLUSION:
      This study found a positive correlation between calf circumference and
      nutritional status of assessed patients indicating that this measurement can be
      used as a complementary tool for monitoring the nutritional status of elderly
      inpatients.

PMID- 20305993
TI  - Exploring cut-off values for large waist circumference in older adults: a new
      methodological approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is an ongoing debate about the applicability of current
      criteria for large waist circumference (WC) in older adults. OBJECTIVES: Our aim
      was to explore cut-off values for large WC in adults aged 70 years and older,
      using previously used and new methods. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study.
      PARTICIPANTS: Data of 1049 participants of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam
      (LASA) (1995-1996), aged 70-88y, were used. MEASUREMENTS: Measured BMI and WC,
      and self-reported mobility limitations. RESULTS: Linear regression analyses
      showed that the values of WC corresponding to BMI of 25kg/m2 and 30kg/m2 were
      higher than the current cut-offs. Cut-offs found in men were 97 and 110cm,
      whereas 88 and 98cm represented the cut-offs in women. Areas under the Receiver
      Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves showed that the accuracy to predict
      mobility limitations improved when the higher cut-offs were applied. Spline
      regression curves showed that the relationship of WC with mobility limitations
      was U-shaped in men, while in women, the risk for mobility limitations increased
      gradually with increasing WC. However, at the level of current cut-off values for
      WC the odds for mobility limitations were not increased. CONCLUSION: Based on
      results of extensive analyses, this study suggests that the cut-offs for large WC
      should be higher when applied to older adults. The association of WC with other
      negative health outcomes needs to be investigated to establish the final cut
      points.

PMID- 20305994
TI  - Comparison of two frailty measures in the Conselice Study of Brain Ageing.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Uncertainty about the definition of frailty is reflected by the
      development of many ways to identify frail people. We aimed to compare the
      validity of two frailty measures in participants of the Conselice Study of Brain
      Aging. DESIGN: Prospective population-based study with 4 year follow up.
      PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: 1,016 subjects aged 65 and over in a rural Italian
      population. METHODS: For each participant, a Frailty Index (FI) and a Conselice
      Study of Brain Aging Score (CSBAS) were determined. The FI was created from 43
      deficits according to a standardized methodology; 7 variables derived from a
      previously validated Easy Prognostic Score comprised the CSBAS. RESULTS: The FI
      had characteristic properties described in other population samples, with a gamma
      distribution, a 99% limit of about 0.64 and higher values in women than men.
      CSBAS and FI were strongly correlated with each other (r = 0.72) and both
      correlated with age (r = 0.32, r = 0.27, respectively). Each was independently
      predictive of death in a multivariate model, with greater specificity and
      sensitivity than age alone. CONCLUSIONS: Frailty can be measured by different
      tools and facilitates a more direct quantification of individual vulnerability
      than chronological age alone. Though the Frailty Index and the Conselice Study of
      Brain Aging Score are underpinned by different rationales, clinical utility will
      continue to motivate their development.

PMID- 20305995
TI  - Short-term influence of elevation of plasma homocysteine levels on cognitive
      function in young healthy adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute homocysteine elevation has been shown to have a significant
      impact on cognitive function in animal models. OBJECTIVES: Investigation of the
      short-term impact of elevation of plasma homocysteine levels through a dietary
      intervention on cognitive abilities of young healthy adults. PARTICIPANTS: 100
      healthy medical students of both genders were enrolled in the study. DESIGN AND
      MEASUREMENTS: Homocysteine levels and cognitive abilities were measured at 08:30
      (before breakfast) and at 15:00 (two hours after lunch and six hours after
      breakfast). Food intake was restricted to specified comestibles. The cognitive
      assessment comprised a version of the Short Test for General Intelligence, three
      subtests of the Syndrome Short Test and the Stroop test. RESULTS: At 15:00 plasma
      homocysteine was significantly elevated in 56 participants (P < 0.00001), whilst
      in 44 it was decreased (P < 0.00001) in comparison to baseline (08:30). The
      decrease was however of limited clinical significance. The differences in the
      changes in cognitive performance between the two groups did not attain
      statistical significance (P > 0.05) and the direction of the changes did not
      differ between them. Accordingly, the multiple linear regression analysis did not
      reveal an important influence of homocysteine elevation on cognitive performance
      variations. CONCLUSIONS: Significant increase of plasma homocysteine is not
      associated with a straightforward inhibitory or facilitatory short-term effect on
      physiological cognitive parameters in young healthy adults.

PMID- 20305997
TI  - Early Alzheimer's trials: new developments.

PMID- 20305996
TI  - Predictive factors of hospitalizations in Alzheimer's disease: a two-year
      prospective study in 686 patients of the REAL.FR study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: During the course of the Alzheimer's disease (AD), many patients need
      to be hospitalized either due to the direct consequences of the disease itself,
      or due to associated diseases or life event. The objective of the present study
      was to determine predictive factors for hospitalisation in AD patients. METHODS:
      Six hundred eighty-six AD patients from the French Network on AD (REAL-FR) were
      follow up and assessed every 6 months for 2 years. During follow-up, all events
      occurring between two visits, in particular hospital admissions were carefully
      recorded. RESULTS: Annual incidences for hospitalizations were 26.13% (95% CI,
      22.52 to 29.74). After two years, 202 subjects were hospitalized for 296
      hospitalizations. Three variables were found to be significant predictors of
      hospitalisations in the multivariate regression model: dependency for ADL
      (RR=0.81; 95% CI: 0.70-0.95, p=0.0091), the drug use (use of four or more drugs)
      (RR=1.83; 95% CI: 1.31-2.58, p=0.0005) and the NPI score (RR=1.011; 95% CI: 1.001
      1.022, p=0.0427). For hospitalizations due to the direct consequences of the
      disease itself, three variables were found to be significant predictors of
      hospitalisations: dependency for ADL (RR=0.69; 95% CI: 0.53-0.88, p=0.0033), the
      caregiver burden Zarit score (RR=1.03; 95% CI: 1.01-1.05, p=0.0079) and the NPI
      score (RR=1.07; 95% CI: 1.03-1.12, p=0.0007). CONCLUSIONS: Intervention to
      support patients and caregivers to manage loss of ADL may be a practical approach
      to reduce hospitalisation. Prevention of drug use or optimal treatment of
      associated diseases in AD seem to be also a challenge to decrease the rates of
      hospitalization or readmission, and the costs of providing care.

PMID- 20305998
TI  - Pre-dementia Alzheimer's trials: overview.
AB  - A series of negative clinical trials of disease-modifying agents for Alzheimer's
      disease has increased pessimism regarding the prospects for important therapeutic
      advances. But limited efficacy may be attributed in part to the advanced degree
      of neurodegeneration present at the onset of dementia. To optimize the likelihood
      of success, it is essential to develop the methodology to allow testing of
      disease-modifying treatments at an early stage of pathology, when modulation of
      pathophysiologic mechanisms may yield major clinical benefits.

PMID- 20305999
TI  - The potential and limits for clinical trials for early Alzheimer's disease and
      some recommendations.
AB  - Recommendations for clinical trials methods for 'pre-dementia,' 'prodromal,' or
      early Alzheimer's disease are discussed. Early AD can be considered as subsets of
      both 'amnestic MCI' and 'probable AD.' In principle, it can be operationalized
      using recently proposed, new research criteria for AD that specifically does not
      require impairment in non-memory cognitive function and activities of daily
      living, and consequently does not require the presence of dementia. The criteria
      also require patients to show abnormal putative biomarkers but require
      validation. Trials in early AD should be done when models of drug action and
      response suggest that the drug in development likely would be effective in early
      AD and clinical effects could be expected in a relatively short time. Biomarkers
      should be used as stratification or explanatory variables that may help to
      explain clinical outcomes from early AD trials rather than as inclusion/exclusion
      criteria in order to avoid pseudospecificity. Trials should be multicentered,
      double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled, generally with dose-ranging of
      two doses if indicated. Duration of trials should be based on expected onsets and
      durations of effects, and generally should be less than one year. Crossover
      trials should be considered when appropriate. Primary outcomes should
      specifically assess memory and include repeated assessments. Potential secondary
      outcomes could include self- and observer-rated health-related quality of life
      and global impressions of change in lieu of activities of daily living. Onset of
      dementia should not be an endpoint because many patients would be on the cusp of
      dementia and dementia onset is influenced by numerous biological and
      environmental factors. Inferences that can be made from trials results will
      likely involve the effects of the test drug on memory and self-rated global
      function. Disease modification is not likely to be inferred except in trials over
      two years in duration in which a change in a biomarker can be used as an
      adjunctive assessment. Models and simulations using existing clinical trials
      databases would be helpful in planning early AD trials.

PMID- 20306000
TI  - Evolving early (pre-dementia) Alzheimer's disease trials: suit the outcomes to
      the population and study design.
AB  - Assuming that some cases of Alzheimer's disease (AD) could be prevented or
      delayed, prevention trials will be developed for this neurodegenerative
      condition. Initially, stakeholders will have to agree about the definition of
      prevention-true primary prevention, meaning the prevention of AD
      neuropathological changes; the prevention of clinical signs and symptoms that
      often augur AD; or preventing the progression of signs and symptoms to full-blown
      dementia. True primary prevention trials will have to rely completely upon
      neuroimaging or biomarker outcomes that reflect AD pathology. On the other hand,
      trials designed to prevent signs and symptoms of dementia will require
      researchers to agree on the phenomenology that would constitute an unequivocal
      endpoint: cognitive worsening on one or more measure compared to a normative
      group; development of Mild cognitive impairment (MCI); or development of
      Alzheimer's dementia. Prevention trials utilizing any of these outcomes in the
      general public will be large, will have to utilize low risk public health
      interventions, and might therefore have only a small impact (treatment effect
      size), especially if the studies are too short or the study populations are too
      diverse. An alternative to interventions aimed at the general public would be any
      attempt to prevent signs and symptoms of dementia in individuals thought to be at
      an increased risk for clinical dementia. These trials could try to reduce the
      development of signs and symptoms of dementia in cognitively normal subjects, or
      they could try to prevent progression from some form of Mild Cognitive Impairment
      to AD, or they could have the more subtle goal of reducing the accumulation of
      subclinical deficits in MCI subjects. If the populations for these trials are
      limited to individuals who have abnormal laboratory and neuroimaging studies
      associated with AD neuropathology, the results will not generalize to biomarker
      negative, at risk individuals, who are likely to constitute the majority of any
      clinically relevant study population. Outcome measures for each study design will
      depend upon the characteristics of the study.

PMID- 20306001
TI  - Clinical trials for early (pre-dementia) Alzheimer's disease: a case for mild
      cognitive impairment.
AB  - A goal of many clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease is to develop disease
      modifying therapies for the pre-dementia period of the Alzheimer's disease
      process. However, there are no clinical criteria for characterizing subjects in
      this range. The construct of amnestic mild cognitive impairment has been
      extensively investigated and may provide useful clinical criteria for this
      clinical stage. It is proposed that the clinical criteria for mild cognitive
      impairment be enriched with imaging and other biomarkers to improve the
      specificity of the outcome, and these criteria might suffice for pre-dementia
      clinical trials.

PMID- 20306002
TI  - Seeing with new eyes: finding a path to early intervention trials in Alzheimer's
      disease.
AB  - The clinical course of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and other degenerative disorders
      affecting cognition can be visualized as a progression from normal cognition
      through the syndrome of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) to dementia. The use of
      biomarker data can supplement clinical characterization and identification of MCI
      and dementia pathologies. Clinical staging algorithms that use both clinical and
      biomarker information can assist in the early identification of AD patients. A
      comprehensive outcome measure such as the Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes
      (CDR-SB), which has components that assess both cognitive and functional domains
      in parallel deserves consideration as a primary outcome measure for early AD
      clinical trials.

PMID- 20306003
TI  - Dose ranging for trials through biomarkers of drug effects.
AB  - To test the hypothesis that excess amyloid deposition is an essential step in the
      pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease appropriate biomarkers are essential in
      selecting agents that modify amyloid formation or clearance. Cerebrospinal fluid
      concentrations of relevant analytes and PET measures of total brain load have
      been developed. These are directly applied to testing whether drugs reduce
      various soluble forms of amyloid as well as whether they enhance elimination of
      material deposited in brain parenchyma. The ideal profile of a drug that can
      fully test the amyloid hypothesis can be understood in terms of effects on
      currently available and future biomarkers. Dose selection for clinical trials
      should require a quantitative threshold effect on the most relevant biomarker.

PMID- 20306004
TI  - Study design considerations: conducting global clinical trials in early
      Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - An increasing number of Alzheimer's disease (AD) clinical trials are being
      conducted in countries in which such trials have infrequently, if ever, been
      conducted. The infrastructure for conducting trials in many of these regions is
      not well developed, leading to particular challenges in collection of biomarkers,
      which are becoming increasingly important in trials in early AD. Linguistic and
      cultural differences make scale translation, adaptation, validation and
      implementation across countries and regions difficult. In addition, multiple
      translations and versions of scales and differences in their administration
      increase variability and thus decrease the chance of detecting a signal. These
      issues are magnified in trials in early AD, where detecting subtle
      neuropsychological deficits is even more challenging. Two additional significant
      factors for global AD research include: 1) Differing regulatory authority
      requirements resulting in the need for repeat studies to satisfy diverse
      regulatory requirements in different parts of the world; and 2) reimbursement and
      access may be limited due to different data requirements for country specific
      economic evaluations. While standardization of biochemical assays and
      neuroimaging protocols have recently been undertaken, there remains a pressing
      need for standardization of clinical measures (including translation, linguistic
      and cultural validation and administration). In addition, a global consensus on
      regulatory requirements for approval of drugs for the treatment of early AD and
      identification of universally accepted variables from a cost-effectiveness or
      value perspective would have significant impact on advancing drug development in
      early AD.

PMID- 20306005
TI  - Methodological issues in a cluster-randomized trial to prevent dementia by
      intensive vascular care.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Description of methodological issues in a trial designed to evaluate
      if a multi-component intervention aimed at vascular risk factors can prevent
      dementia. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Multi-center, open, cluster
      randomized controlled clinical trial (preDIVA) including 3535 non-demented
      subjects aged 70-78, executed in primary practice and coordinated from one
      academic hospital. General practices are randomized to standard care or intensive
      vascular care. INTERVENTION: Vascular care consists of 4-monthly visits to a
      practice nurse who monitors all cardiovascular risk factors. Hypertension,
      hypercholesterolemia, overweight, lack of physical exercise and diabetes are
      strictly controlled according to a protocol and treated in a way, tailored to the
      characteristics of individual participants. MEASUREMENTS: Primary outcomes are
      incident dementia and disability; secondary outcomes are mortality, vascular
      events (stroke, myocardial infarction, peripheral vascular disease), cognitive
      decline and depression. RESULTS: Between May 2006 and February 2009, 3535
      subjects from 115 general practices have been included. The clusters have an
      average size of 31 (SD 22, range 2-114). 1658 Patients from 52 practices were
      randomized to the standard care condition and 1877 patients in 63 practices to
      the vascular care condition. DISCUSSION: When designing a cluster-randomized
      trial, clustering of patient data within GP practices leads to a loss of power.
      This should be adjusted for in the power calculation. Since intensive vascular
      care will probably lead to a reduction in cardiovascular mortality, the competing
      risks of mortality and dementia should be taken into account.

PMID- 20306006
TI  - Does chair type influence outcome in the timed "Up and Go" test in older persons?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To test the effects of the use of a collapsible, portable chair (chair
      B), as opposed to a 'standard' chair (chair A), on the outcome of the timed "Up
      and Go" (TUG) test. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Multipurpose senior
      centres. PARTICIPANTS: Mobile older persons (N=118, mean age 77 years (range 62
      99 years)). OUTCOME MEASURES: Time to complete the timed "Up and Go" test using
      chair A and chair B, and inter-rater agreement in the time scores. RESULTS: Time
      taken to complete the TUG test did not differ by chair type [median
      (interquartile range, IQR) = 12.3 (9.53-15.9) and 12.6 (9.7-16.6)] seconds for
      Chair A and B respectively, p-value=0.87. In multiple regression analyses,
      factors that impacted on time difference in test performance for the two chairs
      were use of a walking aid during the test [Odds ratio (OR) = 3.7 95%CI 1.1-11.9,
      p=0.031], observed difficulty with mobility (OR= 27.7 95%CI 2.6-290, p=0.006),
      and a history of arthritis in the knees (OR= 2.9 95%CI 1.0-8.7, P=0.05). In an
      inter-rater agreement analysis, no significant difference was found between time
      scores recorded by the two raters; median (IQR) = 12.4 (10.9-15.9) and 12.3 (7.2
      59.1) seconds for the occupation therapist and for the research assistant,
      respectively (Wilcoxon matched pairs test, p=0.124, Spearman correlation
      coefficient = 0.99, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The use of a portable canvas chair
      with standardised specifications offers an acceptable alternative to the use of a
      'standard' chair in assessments of fall risk using the TUG test in field settings
      where field workers are reliant on public transport.

PMID- 20306007
TI  - Which generic health related Quality of Life questionnaire should be used in
      older inpatients: comparison of the Duke Health Profile and the MOS Short-Form SF
      36?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of our study was to compare advantages and limitations
      of two generic Quality of Life questionnaires administered in older inpatients.
      DESIGN: Two validated generic health-related Quality of Life instruments : the
      MOS Short-Form 36 (9 dimensions, 36 items) and the Duke Health Profile (6
      dimensions, 4 dysfunctions, 17 items) were administered to inpatients over 65
      years. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The sample was drawn from the CliniQualVie
      program that assessed systematically Quality of Life among hospitalized
      inpatients (18-79 years) in 10 medical and surgical wards at Nancy University
      Hospital. RESULTS: The two self-administered questionnaires were completed by 701
      patients over 65 years at admission (mean age 71 +/- 4, 63% men). The proportion
      of patients who completed all items were 72.5% for the Duke and 66.9% for the SF
      36 (p < .001). The Duke's internal consistency was low as compared with the SF
      36, but other psychometric properties were comparable. Good correlations
      (Spearman) were observed between the two questionnaires for physical health
      (0.59, p < .0001), mental health (0.68, p < .0001) and health perception (0.56, p
      < .0001) scores. Low correlations were observed for the social score.
      CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to our knowledge to assess the interest of
      using the Duke Health Profile in a general elderly inpatients population as
      compared with the SF-36 questionnaire. Although these two questionnaires have
      four comparable dimensions, they differ in their content and psychometric
      properties. The Duke questionnaire, due to its better completion rate and despite
      some psychometric limitations may be useful in this population, particularly in
      the more frail patients.

PMID- 20306008
TI  - Zinc intake and the risk of hyperglycemia among Chinese adults: the prospective
      Jiangsu Nutrition Study (JIN).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To prospectively examine the associations between zinc intake, the
      zinc to heme iron ratio and the incidence of hyperglycemia in Chinese. METHODS:
      We followed 1056 healthy adults aged 20 and older from 2002 to 2007. Dietary data
      were collected using 3-day food record and food frequency questionnaire.
      Hyperglycemia was defined as fasting plasma glucose > 5.6 mmol/l. RESULTS: During
      the 5 years of follow-up, we documented 125 incident cases of hyperglycemia. Zinc
      intake alone was not associated with the risk of hyperglycemia. The zinc to heme
      iron ratio was inversely associated with the risk of hyperglycemia: odds ratios
      (OR, 95% CI) across increasing quartiles of the zinc to heme iron ratio were
      1.00, 0.78(0.44-1.37), 0.40(0.19-0.83), and 0.21(0.08-0.54)(p for trend= 0.001).
      Adjustment for lifestyle covariates did not significantly change the
      associations. CONCLUSIONS: This cohort study suggests that the zinc to heme iron
      intake ratio was significantly associated with a decreased risk of hyperglycemia
      in Chinese adults.

PMID- 20306009
TI  - [The problematic implant].

PMID- 20306010
TI  - [Impact of clinical trials for surgery].
AB  - Clinical trials play a key role in patient care, academic education and research
      in surgery. Without valid studies the practice of evidence-based medicine is
      limited. Surgery is supported through funding by the German Ministry of Education
      and Research to establish an infrastructure for clinical trials. So far seven
      universities have worked together in a network since 2007 and successfully
      obtained funding for six large randomized trials from a program existing since
      2004. Until now 2,249 patients have been randomized within 11 trials and 910
      patients have been treated at local hospitals without academic responsibilities.
      An increase in the interest in clinical trials in daily practice has resulted
      through the certification of hospitals for special treatment that specifies that
      at least 5% of all patients are included in clinical trials.

PMID- 20306011
TI  - [NOTES--quo vadis?].

PMID- 20306012
TI  - Activation transcription factor-4 and the acute vascular response to injury.
AB  - Atherosclerosis is a complex fibroproliferative-inflammatory process triggered by
      vascular injury. Transcription factors play an important role in the control of
      genes that effect critical changes in the vessel wall. Recent evidence indicates
      an emerging role for activation transcription factor 4 (ATF4), a master regulator
      for evolutionarily conserved mammalian stress response pathways, in
      cardiovascular pathologic settings. For example, in endothelial cells, ATF4 is
      induced by atherogenic factors such as oxidised phospholipids and homocysteine,
      and in monocytes, ATF4 is activated by hypoxia. In this context, ATF4 is thought
      to regulate pro-inflammatory signalling cascades and subsequent apoptosis. ATF4
      is induced in aortic smooth muscle cells by fibroblast growth factor 2 and in the
      intact vessel wall following balloon angioplasty. Our own work indicates that
      ATF4 knockdown blocks injury-inducible intimal proliferation. Furthermore,
      studies in ATF4-deficient mice have established a role for ATF4 in diet-induced
      diabetes and hyperlipidaemia. In this article, we will review recent developments
      on the regulation of this intriguing nuclear protein and its transcriptional
      roles in the context of vascular injury and related disease.

PMID- 20306014
TI  - [Osteoporosis].

PMID- 20306013
TI  - Incidence of hospitalised schizophrenia in Finland since 1980: decreasing and
      increasing again.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is suggested that the incidence of schizophrenia is decreasing.
      However, changes in the number of psychiatric beds available and diagnostic
      practice have not always been taken into account. We studied the annual first
      admission rate (per 100,000) for schizophrenia (FARsch) during a rapid
      deinstitutionalisation period in Finland. METHOD: From the National Finnish
      Hospital discharge register, we identified all 30,041, 15- to 64-year-old
      patients admitted for the first time with schizophrenia to hospitals in Finland
      between 1980 and 2003. RESULTS: FARsch decreased from 56.39 in 1980 to 29.51 in
      1991 and slightly increased thereafter. Changes in FARsch corresponded with
      changes in all admissions. FARsch was higher when using ICD-8, but lower when DSM
      IIIR and ICD-10 were used. CONCLUSION: Changes in the number of psychiatric beds
      available, admission policy and diagnostic practice may explain the majority of
      variations in FARsch. Possibly, increased use of illegal drugs and improved
      treatment of depression are reflected in the increase in FARsch.

PMID- 20306015
TI  - Characterizing the risk profiles of intensive care units.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To develop a new method to evaluate the performance of individual ICUs
      through the calculation and visualisation of risk profiles. METHODS: The study
      included 102,561 patients consecutively admitted to 77 ICUs in Austria. We
      customized the function which predicts hospital mortality (using SAPS II) for
      each ICU. We then compared the risks of hospital mortality resulting from this
      function with the risks which would be obtained using the original function. The
      derived risk ratio was then plotted together with point-wise confidence intervals
      in order to visualise the individual risk profile of each ICU over the whole
      spectrum of expected hospital mortality. MAIN MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: We
      calculated risk profiles for all ICUs in the ASDI data set according to the
      proposed method. We show examples how the clinical performance of ICUs may depend
      on the severity of illness of their patients. Both the distribution of the Hosmer
      Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test statistics and the histogram of the corresponding P
      values demonstrated a good fit of the individual risk models. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      risk profile model makes it possible to evaluate ICUs on the basis of the
      specific risk for patients to die compared to a reference sample over the whole
      spectrum of hospital mortality. Thus, ICUs at different levels of severity of
      illness can be directly compared, giving a clear advantage over the use of the
      conventional single point estimate of the overall observed-to-expected mortality
      ratio.

PMID- 20306016
TI  - Surgical anatomy of the foot and ankle.

PMID- 20306017
TI  - Effects of whole body vibration on bone mineral density and falls: results of the
      randomized controlled ELVIS study with postmenopausal women.
AB  - We determined whether the effect of exercise on bone mineral density (BMD) and
      falls can be enhanced by whole body vibration (WBV). In summary, the multi
      purpose exercise training was effective to increase lumbar BMD but added WBV did
      not enhance this effect. However, falls were lowest in the exercise program
      combined with WBV. INTRODUCTION: WBV is a new approach to reduce the risk of
      osteoporotic fractures. In the "Erlangen Longitudinal Vibration Study" (ELVIS),
      we investigated whether WBV enhances the effect of multifunctional exercise on
      BMD and falls. METHODS: One hundred fifty-one postmenopausal women (68.5 +/- 3.1
      years) were randomly assigned to a: (1) conventional training group (TG); (2)
      conventional training group including vibration (TGV); and (3) wellness control
      group (CG). TG conducted an exercise program consisting of 20 min dancing
      aerobics, 5 min balance training, 20 min functional gymnastics, and 15 min
      dynamic leg-strength training on vibration plates (without vibration) twice a
      week. TGV performed an identical exercise regimen with vibration (25-35 Hz)
      during the leg-strengthening sequence. CG performed a low-intensity wellness
      program. BMD was measured at the hip and lumbar spine at baseline and follow-up
      using the DXA method. Falls were recorded daily via the calendar method. RESULTS:
      After 18 months, an increase in BMD at the lumbar spine was observed in both
      training groups (TGV: +1.5% vs. TG: +2.1%). The difference between the TG and the
      CG (1.7%) was significant. At the hip no changes were determined in either group.
      The fall frequency was significantly lower in TGV (0.7 falls/person) compared
      with CG (1.5), whereas the difference between TG (0.96) and CG was not
      significant. CONCLUSIONS: A multifunctional training program had a positive
      impact on lumbar BMD. The application of vibration did not enhance these effects.
      However, only the training including WBV affected the number of falls
      significantly.

PMID- 20306018
TI  - Associations of fat mass and fat distribution with bone mineral density in pre-
      and postmenopausal Chinese women.
AB  - Fat mass (FM) is closely related to bone mineral density (BMD). However, the
      associations of FM and fat distribution with BMD in pre- and postmenopausal women
      are still poorly understood. The present study showed android fat mass
      accumulation after menopause had a negative association with BMD. INTRODUCTION:
      FM is closely related to BMD. However, it is unknown whether FM and central fat
      distribution have different associations with BMD in pre- and postmenopausal
      women. The study aims to investigate the associations of FM and fat distribution
      with BMD in pre- and postmenopausal Chinese women. METHODS: Two hundred sixty
      premenopausal and 267 postmenopausal women aged 18 to 79 years were analyzed.
      Lean mass (LM), FM, percent body fat (%BF), android FM, gynoid FM, and total and
      regional BMD were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Fat
      distribution was assessed by android to gynoid FM ratio (AOI). Multiple
      regression analysis was performed to examine the associations of BMD with FM, LM,
      and AOI. RESULTS: FM, %BF, android FM, and AOI were significantly higher, whereas
      total and regional BMD were significantly lower in postmenopausal women (all r <
      0.01). In premenopausal women, FM was positively associated with total and
      regional BMD (all r < 0.05). AOI had no significant association with BMD. In
      postmenopausal women, FM was significantly associated with total and regional BMD
      even additionally adjusting for LM (all r < 0.01). AOI had significantly negative
      association with total, head, arm, and leg BMD (all r < 0.05). The results
      remained unchanged when replacing FM with %BF. CONCLUSIONS: There were different
      associations of FM and fat distribution with BMD in pre- and postmenopausal
      Chinese women. Increased central body fat had a negative association with BMD.
      Our findings may have significant implications in the prevention of menopause
      related osteoporosis through reducing centralized fat deposition.

PMID- 20306019
TI  - Green tea polyphenols attenuate deterioration of bone microarchitecture in female
      rats with systemic chronic inflammation.
AB  - Green tea polyphenols (GTP) are promising agents for preventing bone loss. GTP
      supplementation sustained microarchitecture and improved bone quality via a
      decrease in inflammation. Findings suggest a significant role for GTP in skeletal
      health of patients with chronic inflammation. INTRODUCTION: This study evaluated
      whether GTP can restore bone microstructure along with a molecular mechanism in
      rats with chronic inflammation. A 2 [placebo vs. lipopolysaccharide (LPS)]* 2 [no
      GTP vs. 0.5% GTP (w/v) in drinking water] factorial design was employed. METHODS:
      Female rats were assigned to four groups: placebo, LPS, placebo + GTP, and LPS +
      GTP for 12 weeks. Efficacy was evaluated by examining changes in bone
      microarchitecture using histomorphometric and microcomputed tomographic analyses
      and by bone strength using the three-point bending test. A possible mechanism was
      studied by assessing the difference in tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)
      expression in tibia using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: LPS lowered trabecular
      volume fraction, thickness, and bone formation in proximal tibia while increasing
      osteoclast number and surface perimeter in proximal tibia and eroded surface in
      endocortical tibial shafts. GTP increased trabecular volume fraction and number
      in both femur and tibia and periosteal bone formation rate in tibial shafts while
      decreasing trabecular separation in proximal tibia and eroded surface in
      endocortical tibial shafts. There was an interaction between LPS and GTP in
      trabecular number, separation, bone formation, and osteoclast number in proximal
      tibia, and trabecular thickness and number in femur. GTP improved the strength of
      femur, while suppressing TNF-alpha expression in tibia. CONCLUSION: In
      conclusion, GTP supplementation mitigated deterioration of bone microarchitecture
      and improved bone integrity in rats with chronic inflammation by suppressing bone
      erosion and modulating cancellous and endocortical bone compartments, resulting
      in a larger net bone volume. Such a protective role of GTP may be due to a
      suppression of TNF-alpha.

PMID- 20306020
TI  - Using clinical risk factors and bone mineral density to determine who among
      patients undergoing bone densitometry should have vertebral fracture assessment.
AB  - SUMMARY: Vertebral fracture assessment (VFA) is a new method for imaging
      thoracolumbar spine on bone densitometer. Among patients referred for bone
      densitometry, the selection of patients for VFA testing can be optimized using an
      index derived from clinical risk factors and bone density measurement. PURPOSE:
      VFA, a method for imaging thoracolumbar spine on bone densitometer, was developed
      because vertebral fractures, although common and predictive of future fractures,
      are often not clinically diagnosed. The study objective was to develop a strategy
      for selecting patients for VFA. METHODS: A convenience sample from a university
      hospital bone densitometry center included 892 subjects (795 women) referred for
      bone mineral density (BMD) testing. We used questionnaires to capture clinical
      risk factors and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry to obtain BMD and VFA. RESULTS:
      Prevalence of vertebral fractures was 18% in women and 31% in men (p = 0.003 for
      gender difference). In women, age, height loss, glucocorticoid use, history of
      vertebral and other fractures, and BMD T-score were significantly and
      independently associated with vertebral fractures. A multivariate model which
      included above predictors had an area under the receiver operating curve of 0.85
      with 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.81 to 0.89. A risk factor index was
      derived from the above multivariate model. Using a level of 2 as a cut-off
      yielded 93% sensitivity (95% CI 87, 96) and 48% specificity (95% CI 69, 83).
      Assuming a 15% prevalence of vertebral fractures, this cut-off value had a 24%
      positive and 97% negative predictive value and required VFA scanning of three
      women at a cost of $60 (assuming a $20 cost/VFA scan) to detect one with
      vertebral fracture(s). CONCLUSIONS: Selecting patients for VFA can be optimized
      using an index derived from BMD measurement and easily obtained clinical risk
      factors.

PMID- 20306021
TI  - Denosumab-related osteonecrosis of the jaws.

PMID- 20306022
TI  - Effects of GH-IGF-I excess and gonadal status on bone mineral density and body
      composition in patients with acromegaly.
AB  - SUMMARY: Studies on body composition and bone mineral density in acromegaly have
      conflicting results. Our data point to an increase in lean mass, a decrease in
      adipose tissue, and that the anabolic effect of GH on bone is partially dependent
      on modifications in body composition. INTRODUCTION: The effects of growth hormone
      (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) excess and gonadal status on bone
      mineral density (BMD) and body composition (BC) in acromegalic patients are
      uncertain. METHODS: Bone mineral density and BC were evaluated by dual-energy X
      ray absorptiometry (Prodigy-GE) in 75 patients (22 men and 53 women) with
      acromegaly, mean age 48.9 +/- 14.5 years. Acromegaly was considered "controlled"
      when serum IGF-I was within the specific age-adjusted reference range, and serum
      GH was lower than 2.5 ng/mL. Comparisons between groups were performed using
      unpaired t test or Mann-Whitney U test. Categorical variables were analyzed by
      chi-square (x (2)) test. In order to compare data of different subgroups
      stratified by disease activity and gonadal status, one-way analysis of variance
      (ANOVA) and Bonferroni post hoc analysis were performed. To evaluate the
      correlation between GH and IGF-I and densitometric parameters, Pearson and
      Spearman rank order correlation were performed, as appropriate. RESULTS: There
      were no differences in BMD when considering disease activity and gonadal status.
      Active disease and eugonadism were positively correlated to an increase in lean
      mass and a decrease in fat mass. After multiple linear regression, there were
      positive correlations between GH and Z-score at lumbar spine and between lean
      mass and BMD at proximal femur. CONCLUSION: Our data support that GH-IGF-I excess
      and eugonadism have great influence on BC modifications and that the anabolic
      effects of GH-IGF-I on bone are, at least in part, dependent on these alterations
      in body composition.

PMID- 20306023
TI  - Association between hyperglycaemia and fracture risk in non-diabetic middle-aged
      and older Australians: a national, population-based prospective study (AusDiab).
AB  - SUMMARY: The association between pre-diabetes and fracture risk remains unclear.
      In this large cohort of middle-aged and older Australian men and women without
      diabetes, elevated 2-h plasma glucose and pre-diabetes were associated with a
      reduced 5-year risk of low trauma and all fractures in women, independently of
      BMI, fasting insulin and other lifestyle factors. INTRODUCTION: We aimed to (1)
      examine associations between fasting and 2-h plasma glucose (FPG and 2-h PG),
      fasting insulin and risk of low trauma and all fractures in non-diabetic adults
      and (2) compare fracture risk between adults with pre-diabetes (impaired glucose
      tolerance or impaired fasting glucose) and those with normal glucose tolerance
      (NGT). METHODS: Six thousand two hundred fifty-five non-diabetic men and women
      aged >=40 years with NGT (n = 4,855) and pre-diabetes (n = 1,400) were followed
      for 5 years in the AusDiab Study. Fractures were self-reported. RESULTS: Five
      hundred thirty-nine participants suffered at least one fracture (368 women, 171
      men), of which the majority (318) occurred after a low-energy trauma (258 women,
      60 men). In women, a 2-h PG >= 7.2 mmol/L (highest quartile) was associated with
      a decreased risk of low trauma and all fractures independent of age and BMI [OR
      (95% CI) for low trauma fractures, 0.59 (0.40-0.88)], but also fasting insulin,
      smoking, physical activity, history of fracture, dietary calcium and alcohol
      intake or menopausal status. There was no effect of 2-h PG on fracture risk in
      men [OR (95% CI), 1.39 (0.60-3.26)] or any relationship between fracture risk and
      quartiles of FPG or insulin in either sex. Compared to women with NGT, those with
      pre-diabetes had a reduced risk of fracture [OR (95% CI) for all fractures, 0.70
      (0.52-0.95); for low trauma fractures, 0.75 (0.53-1.05)]. CONCLUSION: Elevated 2
      h PG levels and pre-diabetes were inversely associated with low trauma and/or all
      fractures in non-diabetic women, independent of BMI and fasting insulin levels.

PMID- 20306024
TI  - Insight into the evolutionary history of symbiotic genes of Robinia pseudoacacia
      rhizobia deriving from Poland and Japan.
AB  - The phylogeny of symbiotic genes of Robinia pseudoacacia (black locust) rhizobia
      derived from Poland and Japan was studied by comparative sequence analysis of
      nodA, nodC, nodH, and nifH loci. In phylogenetic trees, black locust symbionts
      formed a branch of their own suggesting that the spread and maintenance of
      symbiotic genes within Robinia pseudoacacia rhizobia occurred through vertical
      transmission. There was 99-100% sequence similarity for nodA genes of Robinia
      pseudoacacia nodulators, 97-98% for nodC, and 97-100% for nodH and nifH loci. A
      considerable sequence conservation of sym genes shows that the symbiotic
      apparatus of Robinia pseudoacacia rhizobia might have evolved under strong host
      plant constraints. In the nodA and nodC gene phylograms, Robinia pseudoacacia
      rhizobia grouped with Phaseolus sp. symbionts, although they were not closely
      related to our isolates based on 16S rRNA genes, and with Mesorhizobium amorphae.
      nifH gene phylogeny of our isolates followed the evolutionary history of 16S rDNA
      and Robinia pseudoacacia rhizobia grouped with Mesorhizobium genus species.
      Nodulation assays revealed that Robinia pseudoacacia rhizobia effectively
      nodulated their native host and also Amorpha fruticosa and Amorpha californica
      resulting in a significant enhancement of plant growth. The black locust root
      nodules are shown to be of indeterminate type.

PMID- 20306026
TI  - Mechanical stimulation and intermittent parathyroid hormone treatment induce
      disproportional osteogenic, geometric, and biomechanical effects in growing mouse
      bone.
AB  - Mechanical loading and intermittent parathyroid (iPTH) treatment are both
      osteoanabolic stimuli and are regulated by partially overlapping cellular
      signaling pathways. iPTH has been shown clinically to be effective in increasing
      bone mass and reducing fracture risk. Likewise, mechanical stimulation can
      significantly enhance bone apposition and prevent bone loss, but its clinical
      effects on fracture susceptibility are less certain. Many of the osteogenic
      effects of iPTH are localized to biomechanically suboptimal bone surfaces,
      whereas mechanical loading directs new bone formation to high-stress areas and
      not to strain-neutral areas. These differences in localization in new tissue,
      resulting from load-induced versus iPTH-induced bone accumulation, should affect
      the relation between bone mass and bone strength, or "tissue economy." We
      investigated the changes in bone mass and strength induced by 6 weeks of
      mechanical loading and compared them to changes induced by 6 weeks of iPTH
      treatment. Loading and iPTH both increased ulnar bone accrual, as measured by
      bone mineral density and content, and fluorochrome-derived bone formation. iPTH
      induced a significantly greater increase in bone mass than loading, but ulnar
      bone strength was increased approximately the same amount by both treatments.
      Mechanical loading during growth can spatially optimize new bone formation to
      improve structural integrity with a minimal increase in mass, thereby increasing
      tissue economy, i.e., the amount of strength returned per unit bone mass added.
      Furthermore, exercise studies in which only small changes in bone mass are
      detected might be more beneficial to bone health and fracture resistance than has
      commonly been presumed.

PMID- 20306027
TI  - The intracellular localization and function of the ATP-sensitive K+ channel
      subunit Kir6.1.
AB  - Our aim was to determine the subcellular localization and functional roles of the
      K(ATP) channel subunit Kir6.1 in intracellular membranes. Specifically, we
      focused on the potential role of Kir6.1 as a subunit of the mitochondrial ATP
      sensitive K+ channel. Cell imaging showed that a major proportion of
      heterologously expressed Kir6.1-GFP and endogenously expressed Kir6.1 was
      distributed in the endoplasmic reticulum with little in the mitochondria or
      plasma membrane. We used pharmacological and molecular tools to investigate the
      functional significance of this distribution. The K(ATP) channel opener diazoxide
      increased reactive oxygen species production, and glibenclamide abolished this
      effect. However, in cells lacking Kir6.1 or expressing siRNA or dominant negative
      constructs of Kir6.1, the same effect was seen. Ca2+ handling was examined in the
      muscle cell line C2C12. Transfection of the dominant negative constructs of
      Kir6.1 significantly reduced the amplitude and rate of rise of [Ca2+]( c )
      transients elicited by ATP. This study suggests that Kir6.1 is located in the
      endoplasmic reticulum and plays a role in modifying Ca2+ release from
      intracellular stores.

PMID- 20306028
TI  - Seasonal variations of renal colics and urolithiasis: is this the time for a
      shared benchmark to study the phenomenon?

PMID- 20306029
TI  - Technical aspects of measurement of cellular electromagnetic activity.
AB  - Electromagnetic fields generated by living cells have been experimentally
      investigated in the past 3 decades; however, the results are often inconsistent.
      In this paper we discuss some technical aspects of such challenging experiments,
      a brief review of which is also included. Special attention is paid to the sensor
      with respect to the power available from a cell and the power needed to excite
      the macroscopic measurement devices. We drew the conclusion that the
      nanoelectronic approach should be used.

PMID- 20306030
TI  - Kinetics of stearic acid transfer between human serum albumin and sterically
      stabilized liposomes.
AB  - The kinetics of the transfer of stearic acids between human serum albumin (HSA)
      and long circulating sterically stabilised liposomes (SSL) composed of
      dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and of submicellar content of the polymer
      lipid poly(ethylene glycol:2000)-dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine (PEG:2000
      DPPE) have been studied by fluorescence spectroscopy. The study exploits the fact
      that HSA has a single tryptophan (Trp) residue and that the intrinsic Trp
      emission intensity is quenched by the presence of doxyl spin-labelled stearic
      acids (SASL). Protein/lipid dispersions are considered in which SASL molecules
      are inserted either in the protein or in the SSL, and the transfer of SASL
      between the protein and SSL is conveniently monitored by the time variation of
      the inherent Trp-fluorescence intensity of HSA. It was found that the transfer of
      fatty acids between HSA and SSL depends on the type of donor and acceptor matrix,
      on the temperature (i.e., on the physical state of the lipid bilayers) and on the
      grafting density of the PEG-lipids at the lipid/protein interface. In the absence
      of polymer-lipids, the rate of transfer increases with temperature in both
      directions of transfer, and it is higher for the passage from DPPC bilayers to
      HSA. The presence of polymer-lipids reduces the rate of transfer both in the
      mushroom and in the brush regime of the polymer chains, especially at low
      grafting density and for lipid membranes in the fluid phase.

PMID- 20306031
TI  - Alpha particles more promising than toxins?

PMID- 20306032
TI  - Clinical and survival impact of FDG PET in patients with suspicion of recurrent
      cervical carcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the contribution of
      (18)F-FDG PET to the clinical management and survival outcome of patients
      suspected of recurrent cervical carcinoma and in line with the hypothesis that
      early diagnosis of recurrent cervical cancer may improve overall survival.
      METHODS: A total of 40 patients underwent conventional imaging (CI) and FDG
      PET/CT for suspected cervical cancer. Clinical management decisions were recorded
      with CI and additional PET/CT. Discordances and concordances between CI and
      PET/CT results were compared to the final diagnosis as based on histopathology
      analysis or follow-up considered as the gold standard. RESULTS: The final
      diagnosis was established pathologically (n = 25) or by median clinical follow-up
      for 48 months after the PET (n = 15). The PET/CT was positive in 76% (20/26) of
      patients compared to 19% (6/26) with CI. Globally PET/CT modified the treatment
      plan in 55% (22/40) of patients and in 75% (18/24) when the CI was negative prior
      to PET/CT. These changes led to the use of previously unplanned therapeutic
      procedures in 37.5% (15/40). When FDG PET was positive for recurrence (> 3 foci),
      the median overall survival was 12 months (2-70) compared to patients with PET
      findings with < or = 1 focus for which the median survival was not attained (p =
      0.007). A multivariate analysis of prognostic factors demonstrated that abnormal
      FDG uptake (> 3 foci) was the most significant factor (p < 0.03) for death from
      cervical cancer. CONCLUSION: FDG PET is a valuable tool in the case of suspected
      recurrence of cervical cancer on account of its impact on treatment planning and
      especially in predicting patient outcome.

PMID- 20306033
TI  - Optimizing the colloid particle concentration for improved preoperative and
      intraoperative image-guided detection of sentinel nodes in prostate cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Lymphatic mapping for prostate cancer can be used to determine
      therapeutic strategies. Sentinel node visualization requires sufficient nodal
      tracer uptake. We evaluated the effect of an increase in particle concentration
      on preoperative and intraoperative sentinel node depiction. METHODS: Enrolled in
      the study were 50 consecutive patients with prostate cancer. The first 25
      patients (group A) received nanocolloid with standard labelling (0.4 ml (99m)Tc
      per 0.1 mg nanocolloid). The last 25 patients (group B) received nanocolloid with
      a reduced labelling dilution volume (0.4 ml (99m)Tc per 0.2 mg nanocolloid). The
      aimed injected volume and dosage were the same for both groups (225 MBq in 0.4
      ml). Intratumoral tracer injection was followed by planar lymphoscintigraphy (15
      min and 2 h), SPECT/CT and laparoscopic sentinel lymphadenectomy. Lymph node
      visualization was evaluated using a four-point scoring system (0 nonvisualization
      to 3 intense visualization) and count quantification on the 2-h anterior
      lymphoscintigram. In addition to the gamma ray detection probe, a portable gamma
      camera was used for intraoperative sentinel node visualization. RESULTS:
      Preoperative visualization in group A was 88% (mean 2.0 sentinel nodes per
      patient) versus 100% in group B (mean 2.6 sentinel nodes per patient).
      Visualization scores (p=0.008), total counts (p=0.001) and maximum counts per
      pixel (p=0.034) in the sentinel nodes were significantly better in group B. This
      also led to more efficient intraoperative detection of the sentinel nodes with
      the portable gamma camera (84% in group A versus 100% in group B). CONCLUSION:
      Enhancement of the particle concentration may lead to significant improvement in
      sentinel node visualization and intraoperative localization in patients with
      prostate cancer. Further research regarding optimization of radiotracer labelling
      by changing the particle concentration is warranted.

PMID- 20306034
TI  - SPECT imaging of GABA(A)/benzodiazepine receptors and cerebral perfusion in mild
      cognitive impairment.
AB  - PURPOSE: The involvement of neocortical and limbic GABA(A)/benzodiazepine (BZD)
      receptors in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is controversial and mainly reported in
      advanced stages. The status of these receptors in the very early stages of AD is
      unclear and has not been explored in vivo. Our aims were to investigate in vivo
      the integrity of cerebral cortical GABA(A)/BZD receptors in subjects with
      amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and to compare possible receptor changes
      to those in cerebral perfusion. METHODS: [(123)I]Iomazenil and [(99m)Tc]HMPAO
      SPECT images were acquired in 16 patients with amnestic MCI and in 14 normal
      elderly control subjects (only [(123)I]iomazenil imaging in 5, only
      [(99m)Tc]HMPAO imaging in 4, and both [(123)I]iomazenil and [(99m)Tc]HMPAO
      imaging in 5). Region of interest (ROI) analysis and voxel-based analysis were
      performed with cerebellar normalization. RESULTS: Neither ROI analysis nor voxel
      based analysis showed significant [(123)I]iomazenil binding changes in MCI
      patients compared to control subjects, either as a whole group or when
      considering only those patients with MCI that converted to AD within 2 years of
      clinical follow-up. In contrast, the ROI analysis revealed significant
      hypoperfusion of the precuneus and posterior cingulate cortex in the whole group
      of MCI patients and in MCI converters as compared to control subjects. Voxel
      based analysis showed similar results. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that in
      the very early stages of AD, neocortical and limbic neurons/synapses expressing
      GABA(A)/BZD receptors are essentially preserved. They suggest that in MCI
      patients functional changes precede neuronal/synaptic loss in neocortical
      posterior regions and that [(99m)Tc]HMPAO rCBF imaging is more sensitive than
      [(123)I]iomazenil GABA(A)/BZD receptor imaging in detecting prodromal AD.

PMID- 20306035
TI  - Guidance on current good radiopharmacy practice (cGRPP) for the small-scale
      preparation of radiopharmaceuticals.
AB  - This guidance is meant as a guidance to Part B of the EANM "Guidelines on Good
      Radiopharmacy Practice (GRPP)" issued by the Radiopharmacy Committee of the EANM
      (see www.eanm.org ), covering the small-scale "in house" preparation of
      radiopharmaceuticals which are not kit procedures. The aim is to provide more
      detailed and practice-oriented guidance to those who are involved in the small
      scale preparation of, for example, PET, therapeutic or other radiopharmaceuticals
      which are not intended for commercial purposes or distribution.

PMID- 20306037
TI  - Anatomy-based reconstruction of FDG-PET images with implicit partial volume
      correction improves detection of hypometabolic regions in patients with epilepsy
      due to focal cortical dysplasia diagnosed on MRI.
AB  - PURPOSE: Detection of hypometabolic areas on interictal FDG-PET images for
      assessing the epileptogenic zone is hampered by partial volume effects. We
      evaluated the performance of an anatomy-based maximum a-posteriori (A-MAP)
      reconstruction algorithm which combined noise suppression with correction for the
      partial volume effect in the detection of hypometabolic areas in patients with
      focal cortical dysplasia (FCD). METHODS: FDG-PET images from 14 patients with
      refractory partial epilepsy were reconstructed using A-MAP and maximum likelihood
      (ML) reconstruction. In all patients, presurgical evaluation showed that FCD
      represented the epileptic lesion. Correspondence between the FCD location and
      regional metabolism on a predefined atlas was evaluated. An asymmetry index of
      FCD to normal cortex was calculated. RESULTS: Hypometabolism at the FCD location
      was detected in 9/14 patients (64%) using ML and in 10/14 patients (71%) using A
      MAP reconstruction. Hypometabolic areas outside the FCD location were detected in
      12/14 patients (86%) using ML and in 11/14 patients (79%) using A-MAP
      reconstruction. The asymmetry index was higher using A-MAP reconstruction (0.61,
      ML 0.49, p=0.03). CONCLUSION: The A-MAP reconstruction algorithm improved visual
      detection of epileptic FCD on brain FDG-PET images compared to ML reconstruction,
      due to higher contrast and better delineation of the lesion. This improvement
      failed to reach significance in our small sample. Hypometabolism outside the
      lesion is often present, consistent with the observation that the functional
      deficit zone tends to be larger than the epileptogenic zone.

PMID- 20306036
TI  - Molecular imaging in atherosclerosis.
AB  - Atherosclerosis is the major cause of cardiovascular disease, which still has the
      leading position in morbidity and mortality in the Western world. Many risk
      factors and pathobiological processes are acting together in the development of
      atherosclerosis. This leads to different remodelling stages (positive and
      negative) which are both associated with plaque physiology and clinical
      presentation. The different remodelling stages of atherosclerosis are explained
      with their clinical relevance. Recent advances in basic science have established
      that atherosclerosis is not only a lipid storage disease, but that also
      inflammation has a fundamental role in all stages of the disease. The molecular
      events leading to atherosclerosis will be extensively reviewed and described.
      Further on in this review different modalities and their role in the different
      stages of atherosclerosis will be discussed. Non-nuclear invasive imaging
      techniques (intravascular ultrasound, intravascular MRI, intracoronary angioscopy
      and intravascular optical coherence tomography) and non-nuclear non-invasive
      imaging techniques (ultrasound with Doppler flow, electron-bean computed
      tomography, coronary computed tomography angiography, MRI and coronary artery MR
      angiography) will be reviewed. After that we focus on nuclear imaging techniques
      for detecting atherosclerotic plaques, divided into three groups: atherosclerotic
      lesion components, inflammation and thrombosis. This emerging area of nuclear
      imaging techniques can provide measures of biological activity of atherosclerotic
      plaques, thereby improving the prediction of clinical events. As we will see in
      the future perspectives, at present, there is no special tracer that can be
      called the diagnostic tool to diagnose prospective stroke or infarction in
      patients. Nevertheless, we expect such a tracer to be developed in the next few
      years and maybe, theoretically, it could even be used for targeted therapy (in
      the form of a beta-emitter) to combat cardiovascular disease.

PMID- 20306038
TI  - PSA doubling time for prediction of [(11)C]choline PET/CT findings in prostate
      cancer patients with biochemical failure after radical prostatectomy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Previous studies have shown that the positive detection rate of
      [(11)C]choline positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) depends
      on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) plasma levels. This study compared PSA levels
      and PSA doubling time (PSADT) to predict [(11)C]choline PET/CT findings. METHODS:
      PSADT was retrospectively calculated in 170 prostate cancer (PCa) patients with
      biochemical failure after radical prostatectomy who underwent [(11)C]choline
      PET/CT. PSADT was calculated as PSADT = ln2/m, where m is the slope of the linear
      regression line of the natural log of PSA values. At least three PSA measurements
      were used (median: 4; range: 3-16), separated by at least 3 months, each with a
      minimum increase of 0.20 ng/ml. PET/CT findings were validated using criteria
      based on histological analysis and clinical and imaging data. Statistical
      analysis was performed using the t test, chi-square test, analysis of variance
      and binary logistic regression. Regression-based coefficients were used to
      develop a nomogram predicting the probability of positive [(11)C]choline PET/CT
      and 200 bootstrap resamples were used for internal validation. RESULTS: The
      median PSA was 1.25 ng/ml (range: 0.23-48.6 ng/ml), and the median PSADT was 7.0
      months (range: 0.97-45.3 months). [(11)C]choline PET/CT was positive in 75 of 170
      patients (44%). PET/CT findings were validated using histological criteria (11%)
      and clinical and imaging criteria (89%). The overall accuracy of [(11)C]choline
      PET/CT was 88%. Multivariate logistic regression showed that high PSA and short
      PSADT were significant (p < 0.05) predictors of positive [(11)C]choline PET/CT
      [PSA: odds ratio (OR) = 1.43; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.15-1.78; PSADT: OR
      = 1.12; 95% CI: 1.04-1.21]. The percentage of patients with positive
      [(11)C]choline PET/CT was 27% for PSADT >6 months, 61% for PSADT between 3 and 6
      months and 81% for PSADT <3 months. The percentage of patients who displayed
      pathological [(11)C]choline uptake in the skeleton significantly increased (p <
      0.05) from 3% for PSADT >6 months to 52% for PSADT <3 months. Conversely,
      patients who displayed pathological [(11)C]choline uptake in the prostatectomy
      bed were 0% for PSADT <3 months and 17% for PSADT >6 months (p < 0.05). A
      nomogram based on age, PSA, PSADT, time to trigger PSA, Gleason score,
      pathological stage and androgen deprivation therapy demonstrated bootstrap
      corrected predictive accuracy of 81%. CONCLUSION: Like PSA, PSADT is an
      independent predictor of [(11)C]choline PET/CT. [(11)C]choline PET/CT is very
      sensitive to PCa tumour growth, as reflected by PSA kinetics. PSADT should be
      taken into account by physicians when referring PCa patients for [(11)C]choline
      PET/CT.

PMID- 20306039
TI  - ALARA in rhTSH-stimulated post-surgical thyroid remnant ablation: what is the
      lowest reasonably achievable activity?

PMID- 20306040
TI  - 18F-FDG versus 11C-choline PET/CT for the imaging of advanced head and neck
      cancer after combined intra-arterial chemotherapy and radiotherapy: the time
      period during which PET/CT can reliably detect non-recurrence.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate the usefulness of
      (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and (11)C-choline positron emission tomography
      (PET)/computed tomography (CT) for detecting recurrences of advanced head and
      neck cancer after combined intra-arterial chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
      Additionally, we surveyed the time period during which an effective negative
      predictive value could be maintained after the first follow-up PET/CT examination
      and estimated the optimal timing of a second PET/CT examination for detecting
      late recurrences. METHODS: Fifty-three subjects (36 men and 17 women; mean age:
      59.4 +/- 11.5 years) with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma were
      recruited. Post-treatment (18)F-FDG PET/CT and (11)C-choline examinations were
      performed in all patients between 8 and 12 weeks after combined intra-arterial
      chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The PET/CT images were evaluated using a patient
      based analysis and a lesion-based analysis. All of the patients were
      prospectively followed for at least 9 months after the post-treatment PET/CT
      examination, with surveillance using conventional images (including CT and/or
      MRI) and a physical examination performed every 3 months. RESULTS: Recurrences,
      as determined using the patient-based analysis, were eventually confirmed in 18,
      6 and 5 patients at 3, 4-6 and 7-9 months after the post-treatment PET/CT
      examination, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the 18F-FDG PET/CT
      and the 11C-choline PET/CT examinations to predict recurrence within 3 months
      were higher (FDG: 89 and 91%; choline: 83 and 80%, respectively) than for
      recurrence detection 6 months (FDG: 67 and 90%; choline: 62 and 76%,
      respectively) and 9 months later (FDG: 59 and 92%; choline: 55 and 75%,
      respectively). The lesion-based analysis showed that the maximum standardized
      uptake value of (18)F-FDG and (11)C-choline in the recurrent lesions were
      correlated with each other, compared with their relation in scar tissues (R (2) =
      0.492 and 0.197, respectively). CONCLUSION: (11)C-choline was not superior to
      (18)F-FDG for the detection of recurrent head and neck cancer. Both modalities
      had difficulty identifying recurrences at 4-9 months after the post-treatment
      PET/CT examination. In patients with advanced head and neck cancer who have
      received combined therapy, a second post-treatment PET/CT examination to check
      for late recurrences should be performed within 4-6 months after the first post
      treatment PET/CT examination.

PMID- 20306041
TI  - (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2 enyl pyrophosphate-stimulated Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells
      possess T helper type 1-promoting adjuvant activity for human monocyte-derived
      dendritic cells.
AB  - Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells respond to pyrophosphate antigens and display potent
      antitumour activity in vitro. We have investigated the potential of the most
      potent phosphoantigen known to activate Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells, (E)-4-hydroxy-3
      methyl-but-2 enyl pyrophosphate (HMB-PP), as an adjuvant for dendritic cell (DC)
      based vaccines. A single stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells with
      HMB-PP and IL-2 was sufficient to generate lines of effector memory
      Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells that retained their cytolytic and cytokine secretion
      activities. These cells induced differentiation of DC into semi-mature antigen
      presenting cells expressing CD86, CD11c, CD54, HLA-DR, CD83 and CD40, which
      secreted low levels of bioactive IL-12 but no IL-10. Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells also
      strongly costimulated IL-12 release but inhibited IL-10 production by
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated DC. When substituted for Vgamma9Vdelta2 T
      cells, IFN-gamma did not induce full DC maturation but it augmented IL-12 and
      inhibited IL-10 release by LPS-stimulated DC, in a manner similar to HMB-PP
      activated Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells. Our findings indicate that Vgamma9Vdelta2 T
      cells, stimulated with nanomolar concentrations of HMB-PP, strongly promote T
      helper type 1 (Th1) responses through their ability to induce DC maturation and
      IL-12 secretion. This adjuvant activity may prove useful in DC-based cancer
      therapies.

PMID- 20306042
TI  - Environmental indicators to assess the risk of diffuse Nitrogen losses from
      agriculture.
AB  - Diffuse Nitrogen (N) loss from agriculture is a major factor contributing to
      increased concentrations of nitrate in surface and groundwater, and of N(2)O and
      NH(3) in the atmosphere. Different approaches to assess diffuse N losses from
      agriculture have been proposed, among other direct measurements of N loads in
      leachate and groundwater, and physically-based modelling. However, both these
      approaches have serious drawbacks and are awkward to use at a routine base. N
      loss indicators (NLIs) are environmental management tools for assessing the risk
      of diffuse N losses from agricultural fields. They range in complexity from
      simple proxy variables to elaborate systems of algebraic equations. Here we
      present an overview of NLIs developed in different parts of the world. NLIs can
      be categorized into source-based, transport-based, and composite approaches.
      Several issues demand more attention in future studies. (1) Is incorporation of
      leaching losses and gaseous losses into one single NLI warranted? (2) Is it
      sufficient to restrict the focus on the rooted soil zone without considering the
      vadose zone and aquifer? (3) Calibration and validation of NLIs using field data
      of N loss seems not sufficient. Comparisons of several different NLIs with each
      other needs more attention; however, the different scaling of NLIs impedes
      comparability. (4) Sensitivity of input parameters with regard to the final NLI
      output needs more attention in future studies. (5) For environmental management
      purposes, factors addressing management decision by farmers deserve more
      attention.

PMID- 20306043
TI  - Anxious personality and breast cancer: possible negative impact on quality of
      life after breast-conserving therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Quality of Life (QoL) is an important outcome measure in oncology. To
      assess the influence of surgical treatment and personality on QoL in women with
      breast cancer, a longitudinal prospective cohort study was done. METHODS: Women
      (n = 222) completed questionnaires concerning QoL (WHOQOL 100) and personality
      (NEO-FFI and STAI) prior to the diagnosis of breast cancer and 1, 3, 6, and 12
      months after diagnosis and treatment. One hundred five women were treated with
      breast-conserving therapy (BCT) and 117 women underwent mastectomy (MTC).
      RESULTS: The two treatment groups did not differ on overall QoL. At all
      measurement times the influence of trait anxiety on overall QoL was substantial
      in the BCT group. Women with a high score on trait anxiety were seven times more
      likely to have a low overall QoL 1 year after BCT. In the MTC group overall QoL
      was influenced mainly by neuroticism. CONCLUSIONS: Personality, especially trait
      anxiety and neuroticism, determined patients' overall QoL scores. Women with an
      anxious personality fared worse concerning QoL after breast conserving therapy.

PMID- 20306044
TI  - [Neuroendocrine tumors of the stomach. Risk stratification and therapy].
AB  - The diagnosis and therapy of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) of the stomach are
      based on their exact classification and risk stratification. Since the incidence
      of gastric NETs has risen sharply over the last 35 years and most tumors are
      detected endoscopically at an early stage, they have come to represent a
      challenge for the pathologist. Gastric NETs are classified according to the WHO
      and TNM classifications and additionally separated into four biologically
      distinct types: Well differentiated type 1 and 2 gastric NETs (G1) smaller than 2
      cm, and type 3 smaller than 1 cm that do not infiltrate the muscularis propria or
      show angioinvasion have a good prognosis and can be removed endoscopically. Well
      differentiated type 1 and 2 gastric NETs (G1-G2) larger than 2 cm or type 3 with
      a diameter above 1 cm or with infiltration of the muscular wall and/or
      angioinvasion and poorly differentiated (type 4) neuroendocrine carcinomas carry
      a poor prognosis and need to be treated aggressively. Endosonography is the
      method of choice for determining the size, depth of infiltration and presence of
      lymph node metastases. With exact diagnosis and adequate treatment, the majority
      of patients with gastric NETs have a favorable prognosis.

PMID- 20306045
TI  - Determination of the position on which the median nerve compression is at the
      lowest in carpal tunnel syndrome and clinical effectiveness of custom splint
      application.
AB  - To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of wrist splint usage arranged by
      determining the optimal position on which the median nerve is compressed the
      least through sonographic examination for patients with carpal tunnel syndrome
      (CTS). This study was a prospective, clinical trial with a 6-week follow-up.
      Twenty-four patients diagnosed clinically and electromyographically with CTS were
      included in the study. A total of 37 wrists were studied on. When the patients
      were grouped according to the optimal position, Group I comprising 16 (43.24%)
      wrists was at 15 degree flexion, Group II comprising 12 (32.43%) wrists was
      neutral, Group III comprising 6 (16.22%) wrists was at 15 degrees  extension and
      Group IV comprising 3 (8.11%) wrists was at 30 degrees  extension configurations.
      Groups I, II and III were included in clinical follow-up. Symptom severity score
      (SSS), functional status score (FSS), Grip strength and Pinch strength were used
      for the clinical follow-up and evaluation of the patients. When pre- and post
      treatment were compared, a statistically significant recovery was detected in all
      three groups in respect to SSS (Group I P < 0.01, Group II P < 0.05, Group III P
      < 0.05). A statistically significant recovery was detected for FSS only in Group
      I (P < 0.05) and for Grip strength in Group II (P < 0.05). When the groups were
      compared among themselves, no statistically significant difference was detected
      for any of the parameters (P > 0.05). In this study, by sonographic examination
      of the patients included in the study with CTS, we saw that the optimal position
      on which the median nerve is compressed the least varies depending on the
      individual and we determined that this position was 15 degrees  flexion most
      frequently for our patients. We also observed that in clinical follow-up of wrist
      splint usage arranged on custom optimal position results in significant recovery.

PMID- 20306046
TI  - Massage therapy for fibromyalgia symptoms.
AB  - Massage therapy is widely used by patients with fibromyalgia seeking symptom
      relief. We performed a review of all available studies with an emphasis on
      randomized controlled trials to determine whether massage therapy can be a viable
      treatment of fibromyalgia symptoms. Extensive narrative review. PubMed,
      PsychInfo, CINAHL, PEDro, ISI Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases
      (inception-December 2009) were searched for the key words "massage",
      "massotherapy", "self-massage", "soft tissue manipulation", "soft tissue
      mobilization", "complementary medicine", "fibromyalgia" "fibrositis", and
      "myofascial pain". No language restrictions were imposed. The reference lists of
      all articles retrieved in full were also searched. The effects of massage on
      fibromyalgia symptoms have been examined in two single-arm studies and six
      randomized controlled trials. All reviewed studies showed short-term benefits of
      massage, and only one single-arm study demonstrated long-term benefits. All
      reviewed studies had methodological problems. The existing literature provides
      modest support for use of massage therapy in treating fibromyalgia. Additional
      rigorous research is needed in order to establish massage therapy as a safe and
      effective intervention for fibromyalgia. In massage therapy of fibromyalgia, we
      suggest that massage will be painless, its intensity should be increased
      gradually from session to session, in accordance with patient's symptoms; and the
      sessions should be performed at least 1-2 times a week.

PMID- 20306047
TI  - Osteoanabolic therapy: a non-surgical option of treatment for Kummell's disease?
AB  - Kummell's disease is the current eponym of avascular osteonecrosis (AVN) of a
      vertebral body leading to a delayed non-healing vertebral compression fracture
      (VCF) and thus pseudo-arthrosis. AVN is characterized by production of gas that
      outlines a radiolucent zone in the vertebral body, called vacuum cleft sign (VCS)
      or "Kummell's sign". This sign has been observed in up to one-third of VCFs and
      is often associated with osteoporosis and never with malignant or inflammatory
      diseases. Generally, treatment strategies are conservative management and
      percutaneous vertebroplasty. Teriparatide (rhPTH [1-34]) is an osteoanabolic
      agent approved for treatment of osteoporosis and helpful in fracture's healing
      too. Here, we describe the case of an 81-year-old osteoporotic woman presented
      with a 1-year history of persistent low back pain onset after a trauma. A lumbar
      spine Computer Tomography (CT) scan performed 2 months after the injury (November
      2006) showed the VCS within a VCF of the first lumbar vertebra; a control CT scan
      1 year later showed persistence of the finding. After 12 months of treatment with
      teriparatide 20 mcg/day, symptoms disappeared and vacuum was significantly
      reduced. In conclusion, Kummell's disease may be hypothesized in patients with
      chronic spinal symptoms, especially in the presence of osteoporosis. Moreover in
      this condition, osteoanabolic treatment may be used in patients with Kummell's
      disease to enhance vertebral fracture's healing and contribute to back pain
      relief.

PMID- 20306048
TI  - Clonal expansions in selected TCR BV families of rheumatoid arthritis patients
      are reduced by treatment with the TNFalpha inhibitors etanercept and infliximab.
AB  - Clonal expansions of autoreactive CD4+ T cells are frequently present in patients
      with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and are stable over long periods of time. This
      study was undertaken to investigate the influence of anti-TNFalpha treatment on
      such clonal expansions in the peripheral CD4+ T-cell compartment. TNFalpha
      inhibiting therapies significantly reduced the total number of expanded
      clonotypes. This effect was mainly observed in clonal expansions in the BV6
      family, while in clonal expansions of the BV14 family no such effect was seen. No
      change in the percentage of CD4+ CD28 null T cells was observed. Serum
      concentrations of the pro-homeostatic cytokine IL-7 were found to increase in
      patients responding TNFalpha-inhibiting therapy. These data argue for a
      normalization of adaptive immune mechanisms under TNFalpha inhibiting therapies,
      which may be secondary to the control of inflammation but contribute to the
      efficacy of cytokine blockade therapy.

PMID- 20306049
TI  - Lack of association of TLR4 gene Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile polymorphisms with
      rheumatoid arthritis in Chinese Han population of Yunnan Province.
AB  - Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by
      chronic inflammation of synovium and subsequent joint destruction. Recently,
      genetic polymorphisms within the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) genes have been
      reported to be associated with RA. To analyze the association between the genetic
      polymorphisms within TLR4 gene and the susceptibility to RA in Chinese people,
      two functional variants, Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile, in the TLR4 gene were genotyped
      using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR
      RFLP) and direct sequencing techniques from 213 RA patients and 247 ethnically
      matched controls. None polymorphisms of Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile were detected in
      all RA cases and controls, which indicates that there is no relevance between
      these two SNPs and RA in the Chinese Han population. Further studies with
      extended single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) should be performed.

PMID- 20306050
TI  - Posterior reversible encephalopathy during an attack of familial Mediterranean
      fever.
AB  - Reported here is a 19-year-old female patient with familial Mediterranean fever
      who was seen for altered mental status and seizures. She was eventually diagnosed
      to have posterior reversible leukoencephalopathy syndrome. Although a variety of
      conditions have been reported in association with this syndrome, to our best
      notice, this is the second case in whom familial Mediterranean fever and
      posterior reversible leukoencephalopathy coexists.

PMID- 20306051
TI  - Inhibition of the expression of the starch synthase II gene leads to lower
      pasting temperature in sweetpotato starch.
AB  - The sweetpotato cultivar Quick Sweet (QS) with a lower pasting temperature of
      starch is a unique breeding material, but the biochemical background of this
      property has been unknown. To assess the physiological impact of the reduced
      isoform II activity of starch synthase (SSII) on the starch properties in
      sweetpotato storage root, transgenic sweetpotato plants with reduced expressions
      of the SSII gene were generated and evaluated. All of the starches from
      transgenic plants showed lower pasting temperatures and breakdown measured by a
      Rapid Visco Analyzer. The pasting temperatures in transgenic plants were
      approximately 10-15 degrees C lower than in wild-type plants. Distribution of the
      amylopectin chain length of the transgenic lines showed marked differences
      compared to that in wild-type plants: more chains with degree of polymerization
      (DP) 6-11 and fewer chains with DP 13-25. The starch granules from the storage
      root of transgenic plants showed cracking on the hilum, while those from wild
      type plants appeared to be typical sweetpotato starch. In accordance with these
      observations, the expression of SSII in the storage roots of the sweetpotato
      cultivar with low pasting temperature starch (QS) was notably lower than in
      cultivars with normal starch. Moreover, nucleotide sequence analysis suggested
      that most of the SSII transcripts in the cultivar with low pasting temperature
      starch were inactive alleles. These results clearly indicate that the activity of
      SSII in sweetpotato storage roots, like those in other plants, affects the
      pasting properties of starch through alteration of the amylopectin structure.

PMID- 20306052
TI  - The green fluorescent protein as an efficient selection marker for Agrobacterium
      tumefaciens-mediated transformation in Hevea brasiliensis (Mull. Arg).
AB  - An efficient genetic transformation procedure using a recombinant green
      fluorescent protein (GFP) has been developed in Hevea brasiliensis clone PB260.
      Transformation experiments have been performed using an Agrobacterium tumefaciens
      binary vector harbouring both uidA and S65T-GFP reporter genes in order to
      compare selection methods using glucuronidase assay (GUS activity) and
      paromomycin resistance, GFP activity and paromomycin resistance, or GFP activity
      only. At transient level, the number of spots showing GUS or GFP activities was
      similar for 4 and 5 days after coculture. After selection, stable transformation
      events were observed and led to the establishment of transgenic callus lines. A
      higher number of lines were generated with GFP selection compared to the GUS one.
      GFP selection is less time-consuming in terms of callus subculturing, and offers
      the possibility of producing antibiotic resistance marker-free transgenic plants.

PMID- 20306053
TI  - Clinical observation on 2 micron laser for non-muscle-invasive bladder tumor
      treatment: single-center experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of 2 micron continuous wave laser
      resection of non-muscle-invasive bladder tumor (NMIBT) compared with holmium
      laser resection of bladder tumor (HoLRBT) and standard transurethral resection of
      bladder tumor (TURBT). METHODS: Since April 2006 to August 2007, 97 patients with
      NMIBT were retrospectively collected in this study. All of them were classified
      into 3 groups, which were treated with 2 micron continuous wave laser resection,
      holmium laser resection and TURBT, respectively. The preoperative, intraoperative
      and postoperative clinical data were recorded and compared using SAS 6.12
      statistical software. RESULTS: There were no differences with the preoperative
      characteristics among the three groups, except the diameter of the tumors. The
      maximum diameter of the tumors in 2 micron laser group was larger than the other
      two groups (P < 0.05). Two micron laser group was associated with less hemoglobin
      decrease compared with TURBT group (P < 0.05). All of the patients were followed
      and the recurrence rate of the three groups indicated no statistical significance
      (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, 2 micron continuous wave laser resection
      of non-muscle-invasive bladder tumor is a safe and reliable treatment. With the
      distinguished hemostasis, it is an available optional treatment.

PMID- 20306055
TI  - First coinjointed meeting of the Spanish and French Pediatric Neurosurgical
      Societies.

PMID- 20306054
TI  - [Epidemiology of and preventive measures for multiresistant pathogens].
AB  - Multidrug-resistant organisms (MROs) are increasing all over the world. The most
      important MROs are methicillin-resistant S. aureus, followed by vancomycin
      resistant enterococci and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing
      bacteria. The latter are not yet of much importance in ophthalmology. MROs can
      cause serious infections and must be considered in empiric therapy of nosocomial
      infections. To prevent further spread, standard and contact precautions have to
      be followed, and antibiotic stewardship needs to be introduced.

PMID- 20306056
TI  - Intrathecal baclofen therapy for spasticity of cerebral origin--does the position
      of the intrathecal catheter matter?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the correlation between the position of the intrathecal
      baclofen therapy catheter with the clinical outcome and response to the
      spasticity. METHODS AND RESULTS: A prospective cohort study was done by reviewing
      the paediatric group of patients with spasticity of cerebral origin who had
      insertion of a programmable baclofen pump for intrathecal administration in the
      last 10 years (August 1998 to September 2007). A total of 190 procedures were
      carried out in 166 patients, under a single paediatric neurosurgeon, with an age
      range of 18 months-16 years (mean 8.75 years) with follow up of 1-10 years (mean
      5 years). The routine post-operative X-rays, which were done as per protocol,
      were reviewed, and the position of the intrathecal catheter tip was documented in
      relation to the vertebral bodies. The maintenance intrathecal baclofen dose was
      25 microgms to 1,000 microgms (mean 255.8 microgms) based on the clinical
      response to spasticity. Statistical analysis was carried out to assess the
      correlation of the position of the tip of the intrathecal catheter with the
      outcome in spasticity based on GMFCS (Gross Motor Function Classification System)
      and Ashworth score. CONCLUSION: In our series, there was no statistically
      significant correlation between the position of the intrathecal catheter and the
      clinical response to the spasticity.

PMID- 20306057
TI  - Safety and efficacy of continuous morphine infusions following pediatric cranial
      surgery in a surgical ward setting.
AB  - PURPOSE: Morphine is avoided by many neurosurgeons following cranial surgery.
      There exists a concern regarding the potential complications and a perception
      that cranial surgery is less painful than other surgical procedures. At British
      Columbia Children's Hospital continuous morphine infusions (CMI) have been used
      to control pain in pediatric neurosurgical patients. The purpose of this study
      was to compare the safety and efficacy of continuous intravenous morphine
      infusion to standard oral analgesics in a neurosurgical ward setting. METHODS: A
      retrospective review of medical records for 71 children was completed. The
      patients underwent either cranial reconstruction (2002-2007) or craniotomies for
      intradural pathology (2005-2007) at British Columbia Children's Hospital. Outcome
      measures included pain control and adverse events. Comparison was made between
      patients receiving a CMI and patients receiving acetaminophen and codeine.
      RESULTS: Thirty-seven children received CMI on the ward (30 cranial
      reconstruction and 7 craniotomy), while 34 (10 cranial reconstruction and 24
      craniotomy) received acetaminophen and codeine. There was no statistical
      difference in pain control. There was significantly more nausea on post-operative
      day one in the CMI group (p = 0.002). There were no other significant adverse
      events. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that CMI is comparable to
      acetaminophen and codeine with respect to analgesia and serious side effects. We
      recommend the use of CMIs as an alternative when pain is poorly controlled in
      post-operative pediatric neurosurgical patients to prevent the potential adverse
      consequences of inadequate analgesia.

PMID- 20306058
TI  - Expression and prognostic value of the Ki-67 in Wilms' tumor: experience with 48
      cases.
AB  - PURPOSE: Ki-67, tumor proliferation marker, is an important prognostic factor in
      a variety of cancers. In the present study, we investigated the expression and
      the prognostic value of Ki-67 in nephroblastoma. METHODS: Ki-67 expressions were
      investigated by immunohistochemistry on paraffin-embedded material in 48 children
      operated on because of nephroblastoma. Patients were treated according to SIOP
      protocol. The mean follow-up period was 5.4 years. A proliferation index was
      obtained by immunohistochemistry using anti-Ki-67 anti-body. RESULTS: The mean Ki
      67 proliferation index in the blastemal type was 12.3%, and in the epithelial
      type, 21.4%. In the anaplastic type, Ki-67 proliferation index was: in the
      blastemal component 20%, in the stromal 21%, and in the epithelial 31%. In the
      mixed tumor type, Ki-67 proliferation index was assessed as: in the blastemal
      component 10%, in the epithelial 33% and in the stromal 31.5%. Proliferation
      index for the epithelium was significantly higher than those found for the
      blastema (P = 0.001). A correlation between Ki-67 and tumor stage found
      proliferation index significantly higher in stages I and II (P = 0.002).
      CONCLUSION: The results support the conclusion that Ki-67 is a relevant marker
      for assessing the proliferative activity and tumor cell dynamics of
      nephroblastoma, but it may not be a good clinical prognostic marker.

PMID- 20306059
TI  - Genomics approach to the analysis of bacterial communities dynamics in
      Hirschsprung's disease-associated enterocolitis: a pilot study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The most invalidating and life-threatening complication in
      Hirschsprung's disease patients (HSCR) is Hirschsprung's disease-associated
      enterocolitis (HAEC). The mechanisms underlying enterocolitis have not been
      identified. The limited knowledge of the role of intestinal microflora is in part
      due to the complexity of the intestinal microbiome and to the limitation of
      cultivation-based technologies, given that less than 25% of the intestinal
      bacterial species can be cultured. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used amplified
      ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) with four different restriction
      enzymes to study variations of microflora composition of the stools of a selected
      HSCR patient in different clinical conditions (acute phase vs. remission).
      RESULTS: We assessed a total of 15 stool specimens belonging to the same 3-year
      old male patient suffering from HSCR, which were harvested during 4 HAEC episodes
      and remission phases. Restriction analysis showed that HAEC episodes seem to
      cluster together at ARDRA analysis, thus suggesting a sort of predisposing
      bacterial community for HAEC development and the need for a microflora
      equilibrium to maintain wellness. CONCLUSIONS: This approach proved to be
      effective, useful and powerful in assessing microflora dynamics and indicated
      that the differences in microflora associated with acute HAEC or remission are
      likely to result from a combination of disease activity and different antibiotic
      therapies. ARDRA proved to be useful in discriminating disease versus remission.
      Our findings indicated that HAEC results from a change in the equilibrium between
      bacterial species or from altered discrimination of harmless from harmful
      microorganisms, challenging the definition of pathogenic and non-pathogenic
      species. Based on these results, we propose ARDRA as a rapid inexpensive tool to
      assess microflora dynamics during HAEC episodes.

PMID- 20306061
TI  - Boerhaave's syndrome secondary to colonic interposition graft perforation.

PMID- 20306060
TI  - Colonic transit time in mentally retarded persons.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Constipation is frequently seen in patients with mental retardation
      (MR). Its pathophysiology is poorly understood. Measurement of colon transit time
      (CTT) differentiates between retentive and non-retentive constipation. AIM: To
      determine total and segmental CTT in MR patients compared to healthy controls.
      METHOD: Of 250 residents, 60 patients older then 16, without swallowing disorder
      or scoliosis, are randomly chosen, 58 participated (intelligence quotient < 50,
      median age 35.5 year, 29 male). Constipation was defined as less than three
      defecations a week. Controls are 32 non-constipated age-matched healthy
      volunteers (median age 29 year, 19 male). CTT is measured by daily administration
      of ten radio-opaque markers during 6 days and abdominal X-ray on day 7. CTT is
      calculated using Bouchoucha's [7] method. RESULTS: Compared to controls, total
      CTT is significantly (P < 0.001) longer in MR (median 22.8 h vs. 57.6 h,
      respectively). Of the MR patients, 21/58 (36%) are constipated. The mental
      retardated and constipated (MRC) have a significant prolonged CTT in all segments
      (P < 0.01; median right CTT 19.2 h vs. 4.8 h; left CTT 14.4 h vs. 4.8 h;
      rectosigmoidal CTT 42 h vs. 9.6 h), whereas in mental retarded non-constipated
      (MRNC) persons, the rectosigmoidal CTT is prolonged (median 21.6 h vs. 9.6 h).
      CONCLUSION: Patients with moderate to deep MR have a significantly prolonged
      total CTT. In MRNC persons, rectosigmoidal CTT prolongation suggests a defecation
      problem. In MRC, CTT is prolonged in all segments, suggesting diffuse colonic
      inertia problem.

PMID- 20306062
TI  - Necrotising fasciitis of the lower limb due to diverticular disease of the
      sigmoid colon.

PMID- 20306063
TI  - Factors affecting the latency period in patients with preterm premature rupture
      of membranes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to assess the factors affecting the
      latency period in woman with preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) and
      evaluate morbidity associated with prolonged latency. STUDY DESIGN: A population
      based retrospective study including all women with PPROM (prior to 37 weeks'
      gestation) during the years 1998-2008 was conducted. Comparison of the latency
      period was conducted by the Mann-Whitney U test since the latency period was not
      normally distributed (most delivered in 24 h). Multivariable logistic regression
      model was constructed to find independent factors associated with prolonged
      latency period (>72 h). RESULTS: During the study period, there were 1,399
      singleton deliveries of patients with PPROM; 24.6% (345) occurred prior to 34
      weeks' gestation. The duration of the latency period was significantly longer
      among woman with PPROM before 34 weeks as compared to PPROM after 34 weeks'
      gestation (5.78 vs. 2.02 days; p < 0.001). Other factors associated with longer
      latency period were multiparity (more than one previous delivery) and maternal
      age >35. Using a multivariable analysis, the following factors were significantly
      associated with latency period >72 h: lower gestational age (weeks, OR = 0.8, 95%
      CI 0.77-0.84; p < 0.001) and multiparity (OR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.3-2.2; p < 0.001).
      Prolonged latency period (>72 h) was significantly associated with
      chorioamnionitis (OR = 2.095, 95% CI 1.44-3.04; p < 0.001) and oligohydramnios
      (OR = 3.041, 95% CI 1.43-6.45; p = 0.004) but not with placental abruption (OR =
      0.854, 95% CI 0.41-1.78; p = 0.674) or perinatal mortality (OR = 1.2, 95% CI 0.6
      2.2; p = 0.556). CONCLUSION: The duration of the latency period is inversely
      associated with gestational age. Nulliparity is associated with lower latency
      period. Prolonged latency is a significant risk factor for chorioamnionitis.

PMID- 20306064
TI  - Intrapartum obturator neuropathy diagnosed after cesarean delivery.
AB  - Several postpartum neurologic injuries have been described in detail, while
      obturator nerve injuries are rarely reported. We report a woman who had weakness
      of the right leg and groin pain after cesarean delivery under general anesthesia.
      Obturator neuropathy was confirmed by electromyography and no compressive lesion
      of the nerve was seen on magnetic resonance imaging. The patient was treated
      conservatively and followed until she recovered fully.

PMID- 20306065
TI  - Plasma levels of C-reactive protein, leptin and glycosaminoglycans during
      spontaneous menstrual cycle: differences between ovulatory and anovulatory
      cycles.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the plasma levels of the inflammatory markers such as C
      reactive protein (CRP), leptin, and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) during the
      menstrual cycle. METHODS: Eighteen healthy volunteers were divided into two
      groups according to the presence of ovulatory or anovulatory menstrual cycles.
      Blood samples were collected at different time points: at the menstrual phase
      (days 2-3), periovulatory phase (days 12-13), and luteal phase (days 23-24). CRP
      and leptin concentrations were measured by enzyme immunoassay. GAGs were isolated
      using ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sephacel and quantified as hexuronate.
      The structural characterization of chondroitin sulfate (CS) isomers was performed
      by fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis (FACE). RESULTS: In the
      women with ovulatory cycles, plasma GAG levels differed significantly during
      menstrual cycle, with increased values at the periovulatory with respect to the
      menstrual phase. No significant differences in CRP and leptin concentrations were
      observed through the menstrual cycle in both the examined cycles, but inter-group
      analysis revealed significant differences of CRP and leptin levels between the
      ovulatory and anovulatory cycles with higher values at periovulatory phase in the
      ovulatory cycles. CONCLUSIONS: There are no fluctuations of both total GAG
      concentration and CS isomer content during menstrual cycle in the anovulatory
      cycles. A significant correlation between CRP and gonadotrophins was found. There
      is no significant difference in CRP across the menstrual cycle among ovulatory
      cycles, but there is a trend toward higher CRP at the periovulatory than the
      other phases, consistent with the significant difference in CRP between ovulatory
      and anovulatory cycles at the periovulatory phase. Both the trend and the
      significant result suggest an elevation in CRP with ovulation. These observations
      provide additional evidences to the hypothesis that the ovulation is an
      inflammatory-like phenomenon.

PMID- 20306066
TI  - Treatment of vocal fold scar by carbon dioxide laser and collagen injection:
      retrospective study on 12 patients.
AB  - Vocal fold scars are the result of injury to the vocal fold lamina propria. This
      condition leads to an impaired vibration and usually to poor voice quality. The
      purpose of our study was to compare the pre- and posttreatment voice assessment
      scores in patients treated by CO(2) laser-assisted freeing of the scar followed
      by collagen injection. A group of 12 patients (10 women and 2 men) with vocal
      fold scars was studied retrospectively. Voice assessment was based on stroboscopy
      and on perceptual scores using the Grade (G) of the GRABS scale, subjective
      evaluation by the use of the Voice Handicap Index (VHI), aerodynamic measurements
      [maximum phonation time (MPT) and phonation quotient (PQ)], and acoustical
      measurements (frequency range and low intensity). Stroboscopy showed an
      improvement on the mucosal vocal fold wave and on the glottic competence. The
      mean VHI was improved from 63.16 to 45.5; G from 2 to 1.41; MPT from 7.05 to 8.62
      s; and PQ from 463.02 to 358.54 ml/s. CO(2) laser freeing of vocal fold scars
      followed by collagen injection, combined with speech therapy, improved
      significantly the aerodynamic parameters (efficiency of voice), but not the
      acoustical scores.

PMID- 20306067
TI  - Concha bullosa and septal deviation.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of concha bullosa (CB) in
      cases with septal deviation (SD), correlation between the angle of deviation and
      degree of pneumatization and compare these correlations with qualitative and
      quantitative methods. We retrospectively searched our radiology database for all
      paranasal sinus computed tomography (CT) findings for 672 patients. All scans
      were grouped according to the presence and side of SD and/or CB. SD angles and
      pneumatization degree of the CB were measured with appropriate method. These
      findings were also classified according to the initial defined qualitative
      method. Generally, CB and SD incidences were 31.52 and 47.77%, respectively. CB
      ratio in SD patients was 45.34% whereas ratio in non-SD patients was 18.95%. Mean
      deviation angle of the isolated SD group (15.24 +/- 5.03) was found higher than
      both deviation angle of the unilateral CB + SD group (13.16 +/- 4.19) and
      bilateral CB + SD group (11.15 +/- 3.73) (P = 0.002, P = 0.0001 respectively). In
      conclusion, CB may tend to develop bilaterally in normal, non-deviated nose.
      However, the increasing incidence of unilateral CB, especially contralateral
      ones, in septal deviated patients suggested that SD may prevent the development
      of ipsilateral CB.

PMID- 20306068
TI  - William Macewen [1848-1924].

PMID- 20306069
TI  - Bupivacaine-induced chemical meningitis.
AB  - We report a 34-year-old woman who, soon after a caesarian delivery with
      anesthesia by intrathecal bupivacaine hydrochloride injection, developed severe
      headache and high fever. Whereas C-reactive protein in the serum was normal, the
      cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination showed an increase in cell count
      (3,040/mm(3); mostly polymorphonuclear cells) and total protein (401 mg/dl), but
      only mildly decreased glucose content. No organisms were found by CSF staining
      and culture. Brain MRI scans were normal. Within 10 days after onset, her
      clinical conditions and CSF returned to normal. Considering previous reports,
      intrathecal bupivacaine hydrochloride seemed to be the most likely culprit for
      the development of chemical meningitis in our case.

PMID- 20306070
TI  - Long-term outcomes of Oxane Hd as intraocular tamponade in the treatment of
      complicated retinal detachment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of heavy silicone oil Oxane Hd as
      intraocular tamponade in the treatment of complicated retinal detachment (RD).
      METHODS: Forty eyes of 40 patients with complicated RD were recruited for this
      prospective study. Inclusion criteria were proliferative vitreoretinopathy grade
      > or = CP2, mainly inferior and posterior retinal breaks, or superior retinal
      breaks with patient's inability to posture. Oxane Hd was used as intraocular
      tamponade. The retinal status, the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) results,
      and any complications were observed. RESULTS: The mean duration of Oxane Hd
      endotamponade was 87.9 +/- 10.4 days, and the mean follow-up time after Oxane Hd
      removal was 438.1 +/- 153.7 days. The primary anatomical success rate after Oxane
      Hd removal was 87.5%, and with further intervention 97.5%. The BCVA significantly
      improved, from mean logMAR 2.12 +/- 0.60 to 1.38 +/- 0.59 (P < 0.001). The
      postoperative complications included temporary inflammatory reaction, moderately
      high intraocular pressure, heavy silicone oil emulsification, lens opacity and
      retinal proliferative membranes. CONCLUSIONS: Without a requirement for
      postoperative prone position, heavy silicone oil Oxane Hd is effective and safe
      for the treatment of complicated RD with inferior and posterior breaks. Larger
      groups and a longer follow-up period will be included to further evaluate the
      efficacy with Oxane Hd in superior retinal breaks.

PMID- 20306072
TI  - Novel KRIT1/CCM1 mutation in a patient with retinal cavernous hemangioma and
      cerebral cavernous malformation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Retinal cavernous hemangiomas are rare vascular anomalies, and can be
      associated with cerebral cavernous malformations (CCM). Distinct mutations have
      been reported in patients who have both CCMs and retinal cavernous hemangiomas.
      METHODS: Fluorescein angiography, spectral domain optical coherence tomography,
      and genetic testing were performed on a patient with a retinal cavernous
      hemangioma and a CCM. RESULTS: Our patient was heterozygous in the KRIT1/CCM1
      gene for a frameshift mutation, c.1088delC. This would be predicted to result in
      premature protein termination. DISCUSSION: We have identified a novel mutation in
      the KRIT1/CCM1 gene in a patient with both CCM and retinal cavernous hemangioma.
      We hypothesize that the occurrence of retinal cavernous hemangiomas and CCMs is
      underlaid by a common mechanism present in the KRIT1/CCM1 gene.

PMID- 20306071
TI  - Effects of luminance combinations on the characteristics of the global flash
      multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG).
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aims to ascertain the characteristics of the response
      triggered by the global flash multifocal electroretinogram (MOFO mfERG) under
      various combinations of global and focal flash luminance, and to determine the
      optimal conditions for this measurement. METHODS: Ten normal subjects with mean
      age 23.2 yrs (+/- 1.14 yrs) were recruited for the MOFO mfERG measurement. The
      visual stimulation consisted of four video frames (stimulus frame with 103 scaled
      hexagonal focal flashes, followed by a dark frame, a global flash and then
      another dark frame). The focal and global flash intensities were varied
      independently for four levels (50, 100, 200 and 400 cd/m(2)). The subjects then
      underwent measurements with sixteen combinations of focal and global flash
      luminance. The direct component (DC) and induced component (IC) of the MOFO mfERG
      were grouped into central and peripheral regions for analysis. RESULTS: The
      central and peripheral DC amplitude increased with the focal flash luminance
      under constant global flash luminance. Moreover, the proportion of the global
      flash and focal flash intensity was shown to be important to achieve an optimal
      IC response. When the ratio of global flash luminance to focal flash luminance
      (g/f ratio) was kept at about 2:1, the central and peripheral IC amplitude
      reached the peak value, and further increasing the global flash luminance would
      not enhance the IC response magnitude. The implicit time of both central and
      peripheral DC generally decreased with the increase of g/f ratio. However, the
      implicit time of central and peripheral IC increased with the g/f ratio.
      CONCLUSION: The g/f ratio is important in the MOFO mfERG paradigm, since the DC
      and IC responses change with this ratio. In order to obtain both optimal DC and
      IC responses, a g/f ratio of 1:1 with focal flash luminance between 100 cd/m(2)
      and 200 cd/m(2) would be recommended. As the global flash mfERG paradigm is
      studying the interaction triggered by both flashes, the g/f ratio is a vital
      parameter for measurement in future studies.

PMID- 20306073
TI  - Genotoxicity surveillance programme in workers dismantling World War I chemical
      ammunition.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness of personal protective measures in a
      dismantling plant for chemical weapons from World War I of the Belgian Defence.
      METHODS: Seventeen NIOSH level B-equipped plant workers exposed to arsenic
      trichloride (AsCl(3)) in combination with phosgene or hydrogen cyanide (HCN) were
      compared to 24 NIOSH level C-protected field workers occasionally exposed to
      genotoxic chemicals (including AsCl(3)-phosgene/HCN) when collecting chemical
      ammunition, and 19 matched referents. Chromosomal aberrations (CA), micronuclei
      (MNCB and MNMC), sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) and high frequency cells (HFC)
      were analysed in peripheral blood lymphocytes. Urinary arsenic levels and genetic
      polymorphisms in major DNA repair enzymes (hOGG1(326), XRCC1(399), XRCC3(241))
      were also assessed. RESULTS: SCE and HFC levels were significantly higher in
      plant-exposed versus referent subjects, but MNCB and MNMC were not different.
      MNCB, SCE and HFC levels were significantly higher and MNMC levels significantly
      lower in field-exposed workers versus referents. AsCl(3) exposure was not
      correlated with genotoxicity biomarkers. CONCLUSIONS: Protective measures for
      plant-exposed workers appear adequate, but protection for field-exposed
      individuals could be improved.

PMID- 20306074
TI  - Langenbeck's Archives and the early development of vascular surgery in Germany.
AB  - Langenbeck's Archives of Surgery and its predecessor Archiv fur Klinische
      Chirurgie have addressed vascular surgical problems from the early beginning. In
      1860, Bernhard von Langenbeck published a review on venous injuries during tumor
      surgery, and in 1907, Erich Lexer heralded the era of vascular reconstructive
      therapy in Germany when he treated an axillary aneurysm by use of a segment of
      the longer saphenous vein. The Archiv fur Klinische Chirurgie has significantly
      promoted the development of vascular surgery in Germany especially at the end of
      the nineteenth and first decades of the twentieth century.

PMID- 20306075
TI  - The development of trauma, reconstructive, and orthopedic surgery mirrored in
      Langenbeck's Archives.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Reports about trauma and orthopedic surgical procedures are
      frequently found in the issues of Archiv fur Klinische Chirurgie in the second
      half of the nineteenth century. Trauma surgery was, on the very beginning of
      surgery, a case-based, individual treatment with a high risk of wound infection.
      Today, trauma surgery is a multidisciplinary management. Patients with polytrauma
      are primarily cared for by trauma surgeons but in cooperation with reconstructive
      and plastic surgeons and rehabilitation and social workers. DISCUSSION: The
      German law for trauma insurance (DGUV) was an important step to finance and
      organize the multidisciplinary care of patients suffering physical trauma. The
      Swiss AO working group for osteosynthesis evolved a standardization of a
      worldwide-accepted protocol of surgical management of broken bones. The
      unification of trauma and orthopedic surgery will result in further progress in
      the acute and long-term management of trauma patients.

PMID- 20306076
TI  - Glutathione peroxidase 1 protects mitochondria against hypoxia/reoxygenation
      damage in mouse hearts.
AB  - Glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPx1) plays an important role in preventing cardiac
      dysfunction following ischemia-reperfusion injury. However, its role in
      protecting cardiac mitochondria against reoxygenation-induced reactive oxygen
      species (ROS) generation in vivo is unclear. We examined the role of GPx1 in
      protecting cardiac mitochondria against hypoxia-reoxygenation (HR) damage by
      testing for alterations in cardiac mitochondrial function. We used a two
      dimensional gel electrophoresis proteomics analysis to examine the effects of
      reoxygenation on cardiac protein in wild-type (GPx1(+/+)) and GPx1 knockout
      (GPx1(-/-)) mouse hearts. We identified 42 protein spots showing differential
      expression in the two groups. Sixteen of the proteins identified were located in
      mitochondria and were involved in a number of key metabolic pathways. To verify
      our proteomics findings functionally, we performed NADH autofluorescence
      measurements and ATP production assays. The reduced expression of oxidative
      phosphorylation proteins in GPx1(-/-) mice following HR treatment resulted in
      loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential and decreased mitochondrial
      respiration. Mitochondrial ROS production and oxidative mtDNA damage were
      increased markedly during reoxygenation in GPx1(-/-) hearts. We also found
      morphological abnormalities in cardiac mitochondria and myocytes in HR-treated
      GPx1(-/-). This is the first report of the role of GPx1 in protecting cardiac
      mitochondria against reoxygenation damage in vivo. These findings will help
      clarify the mechanisms of HR injury and will aid in the development of
      antioxidant therapies to prevent cardiac mitochondrial dysfunction associated
      with reoxygenation.

PMID- 20306077
TI  - Magnetic resonance imaging of the fetal efferent lacrimal pathways.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the prenatal development of the efferent lacrimal pathways
      with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with special reference to the pathogenesis
      of congenital dacryocystoceles (CDCCs). METHODS: A total of 751 MRI studies of
      singleton fetuses [19-40 gestational weeks (GW)] were retrospectively evaluated.
      Visibility of the efferent lacrimal pathways was assessed on high-resolution T2
      weighted sequences and the maximum transverse lacrimal sac diameter was recorded.
      RESULTS: Fluid-filled lacrimal sacs/nasolacrimal ducts could be demonstrated in
      31.7% of fetuses, either unilaterally (50.6%) or bilaterally (49.4%).
      Visualization was age-dependent: demonstration frequency increased from 24 to 32
      GW (60%) and decreased until term. Lacrimal sac diameters varied between 1.9 and
      10.5 mm, but showed no correlation with gestational age. Lacrimal sacs with
      diameters >5 mm were considered to represent CDDC and were found in 2.76% of
      third-trimester fetuses. CONCLUSION: Fluid-filled efferent lacrimal pathways are
      a normal finding depending on gestational age. Visualization reflects the effect
      of two processes that occur over a protracted period of time: opening of the
      eyelids and lacrimal puncta, and the opening of the Hasner's membrane.
      Establishing the normal dimensions of the relatively large fetal lacrimal sacs
      allowed CDCC to be defined and showed a 2.76% incidence of CDCC in third
      trimester fetuses.

PMID- 20306078
TI  - Quantitative assessment of stenosis severity and atherosclerotic plaque
      composition using 256-slice computed tomography.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To quantitatively estimate lumen narrowing and to assess the volume
      and composition of atherosclerotic plaque with 256-slice computed tomography
      angiography (CTA), using conventional quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) as
      the gold standard. METHODS: Twenty-seven consecutive patients with suspected
      coronary artery disease (CAD) underwent 256-slice CTA and subsequent coronary
      angiography within 4 weeks. Quantification of lumen narrowing was performed on
      curved multiplanar reformatted CTA images, in identical projections to those used
      for QCA. Atherosclerotic plaque volume and composition were assessed by using
      commercially available software. RESULTS: The overall correlation between the
      stenosis severity by QCA compared with CTA was high (r(2) = 0.79, p < 0.001). For
      the detection of >or=50% and >or=75% diameter lesions, CTA yielded high
      sensitivity, specificity and accuracy (86%, 95% and 90%; and 89%, 100% and 96%,
      respectively), using QCA as the standard reference. Furthermore, assessment of
      atherosclerotic plaque yielded highly reproducible results (inter-observer and
      intra-variability of 13% and 9%, respectively, for the assessment of plaque
      volume, and high agreement between observers (kappa = 0.86) for the
      differentiation between non-calcified, mixed and calcified plaque). CONCLUSIONS:
      Clinically indicated 256-slice CT angiography in symptomatic patients can aid
      both quantification of lumen narrowing and evaluation of atherosclerotic plaque,
      with high reproducibility.

PMID- 20306079
TI  - Biphasic contrast medium injection in cardiac CT: moderate versus high
      concentration contrast material at identical iodine flux and iodine dose.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To prospectively investigate the influence of contrast material
      concentration on enhancement in cardiac CT by using a biphasic single-injection
      protocol. METHODS: Sixty-four-row multidetector cardiac CT angiography was
      performed in 159 patients randomised to a moderate or high contrast medium
      concentration. Contrast material injection included a first phase for enhancement
      of the coronary arteries and a second phase, at half the iodine flux, targeted at
      enhancement of the right ventricle. Contrast medium injection was followed by a
      saline flush. For both concentrations, injection duration (and thus total iodine
      dose) was adapted to the duration of the CT data acquisition and iodine flux was
      adjusted to patient weight. Attenuation was measured at various levels in the
      heart and vessels and the two concentrations compared, overall and per weight
      group. RESULTS: Enhancement of the aorta and left ventricle was significantly
      greater with the moderate than with the high concentration contrast medium. This
      remained true for the two higher weight groups. No difference was found in the
      lowest weight group or in the right ventricle and pulmonary outflow tract.
      CONCLUSION: With a biphasic injection protocol, enhancement of the aorta and left
      ventricle was weaker with the higher concentration of contrast material.

PMID- 20306080
TI  - MR-guided liver tumor ablation employing open high-field 1.0T MRI for image
      guided brachytherapy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the feasibility and safety of image-guided brachytherapy
      employing a modified open high-field MR system. METHODS: This is a follow-up
      study of a development project enabling technologies for interventional use of
      1.0T open MRI. Modifications included coils and in-bore visualization,
      fluoroscopic sequences and user interfaces. We recruited 104 patients with 224
      liver malignancies to receive MR-guided brachytherapy. Interventions were
      performed >20 min after Gd-EOB-DTPA. We recorded interventional parameters
      including the intervention time (from acquisition of the first scout until the
      final sequence for brachytherapy treatment planning). Two reviewers assessed MR
      fluoroscopic images in comparison to plain CT as used in CT intervention,
      applying a rating scale of 1-10. Statistical analysis included Friedman and
      Kendall's W tests. RESULTS: We employed freehand puncture with interactive
      dynamic imaging for navigation. Technical success rate was 218 complete ablations
      in 224 tumours (97%). The median intervention time was 61 min. We recorded no
      adverse events related to the use of MRI. No major complications occurred. The
      rate of minor complications was 4%. Local control at 3 months was 96%.
      Superiority of MR-fluoroscopic, Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced images over plain CT was
      highly significant (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: MR-guided brachytherapy employing
      open high-field MRI is feasible and safe.

PMID- 20306081
TI  - A new computer-aided diagnostic tool for non-invasive characterisation of
      malignant ovarian masses: results of a multicentre validation study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To prospectively assess an innovative computer-aided diagnostic
      technology that quantifies characteristic features of backscattered ultrasound
      and theoretically allows transvaginal sonography (TVS) to discriminate benign
      from malignant adnexal masses. METHODS: Women (n = 264) scheduled for surgical
      removal of at least one ovary in five centres were included. Preoperative three
      dimensional (3D)-TVS was performed and the voxel data were analysed by the new
      technology. The findings at 3D-TVS, serum CA125 levels and the TVS-based
      diagnosis were compared with histology. Cancer was deemed present when invasive
      or borderline cancerous processes were observed histologically. RESULTS: Among
      375 removed ovaries, 141 cancers (83 adenocarcinomas, 24 borderline, 16 cases of
      carcinomatosis, nine of metastases and nine others) and 234 non-cancerous ovaries
      (107 normal, 127 benign tumours) were histologically diagnosed. The new computer
      aided technology correctly identified 138/141 malignant lesions and 206/234 non
      malignant tissues (98% sensitivity, 88% specificity). There were no false
      negative results among the 47 FIGO stage I/II ovarian lesions. Standard TVS and
      CA125 had sensitivities/specificities of 94%/66% and 89%/75%, respectively.
      Combining standard TVS and the new technology in parallel significantly improved
      TVS specificity from 66% to 92% (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Computer-aided
      quantification of backscattered ultrasound is a highly sensitive for the
      diagnosis of malignant ovarian masses.

PMID- 20306082
TI  - Lung nodule volumetry: segmentation algorithms within the same software package
      cannot be used interchangeably.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We examined the reproducibility of lung nodule volumetry software that
      offers three different volumetry algorithms. METHODS: In a lung cancer screening
      trial, 188 baseline nodules >5 mm were identified. Including follow-ups, these
      nodules formed a study-set of 545 nodules. Nodules were independently double read
      by two readers using commercially available volumetry software. The software
      offers readers three different analysing algorithms. We compared the inter
      observer variability of nodule volumetry when the readers used the same and
      different algorithms. RESULTS: Both readers were able to correctly segment and
      measure 72% of nodules. In 80% of these cases, the readers chose the same
      algorithm. When readers used the same algorithm, exactly the same volume was
      measured in 50% of readings and a difference of >25% was observed in 4%. When the
      readers used different algorithms, 83% of measurements showed a difference of
      >25%. CONCLUSION: Modern volumetric software failed to correctly segment a high
      number of screen detected nodules. While choosing a different algorithm can yield
      better segmentation of a lung nodule, reproducibility of volumetric measurements
      deteriorates substantially when different algorithms were used. It is crucial
      even in the same software package to choose identical parameters for follow-up.

PMID- 20306083
TI  - A case report of a normal aorta misdiagnosed as type A dissection by modern
      multidetector computed tomography.
AB  - Computed tomography (CT) is generally considered the investigation of choice to
      exclude acute aortic syndrome. We report an important potentially disastrous
      misdiagnosis using a modern 32 slice multidetector CT system.

PMID- 20306084
TI  - Combined correction of recovery effect and motion blur for SUV quantification of
      solitary pulmonary nodules in FDG PET/CT.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We evaluate a fully data-driven method for the combined recovery and
      motion blur correction of small solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs) in F-18
      fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography
      (CT). METHODS: The SPN was segmented in the low-dose CT using a variable
      Hounsfield threshold and morphological constraints. The combined effect of
      limited spatial resolution and motion blur in the SPN's PET image was then
      modelled by an effective Gaussian point-spread function (psf). Both isotropic and
      non-isotropic psfs were used. To validate the method, PET/CT measurements of the
      NEMA/IEC spheres phantom were performed. The method was applied to 50 unselected
      SPNs <or=30 mm from routine patient care. RESULTS: Recovery of standardised
      uptake value (SUV) in the phantom image was significantly improved by combined
      recovery and motion blur correction compared with recovery-only correction,
      particularly with the non-isotropic model (residual average error 10%). In the
      patient images, automated segmentation and fit of the effective psf worked
      properly in all cases. Volume-equivalent diameter ranged from 4.9 to 27.8 mm.
      Uncorrected maximum SUV ranged from 0.9 to 13.3. Compared with recovery-only
      correction, combined correction with the non-isotropic model resulted in a
      'relevant' (>or=30%) SUV increase in 47 SPNs (94%). CONCLUSIONS: Correction of
      both recovery and motion blur is mandatory for accurate SUV quantification of
      SPNs.

PMID- 20306085
TI  - Treatment of carotid siphon aneurysms by use of the Willis stent graft: an
      angiographic and histopathological study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We designed a carotid siphon (CS) aneurysm model in dogs to test a new
      stent graft (the Willis covered stent) and compared tissue reaction over 12-month
      follow-up versus a comparison group with stents implanted in straight vessels.
      METHODS: Twenty-four saccular sidewall aneurysms (group A) and 12 CS aneurysms
      (group B) were created surgically. A Willis stent graft was implanted in each
      aneurysm. Angiography was performed immediately and at 1-, 3-, 6- and 12-month
      post-implantation to investigate aneurysm isolation, endoleak, stent angulation,
      parent artery (PA) patency and restenosis. Light and scanning electron microscopy
      were used to identify aneurysmal sac thrombi, intima hyperplasia and endothelial
      progress. RESULTS: Immediate angiography demonstrated mild endoleak in two
      aneurysms and three stent angulations in group B. Follow-up at 12 months revealed
      resolved endoleaks, occlusion in one PA and mild stenosis in three in group B. In
      group A, occlusion occurred in one PA and mild stenosis in two. Light microscopy
      revealed new intima, and all aneurysm sacs were filled with thrombi. In group B,
      endothelial progress was complete at 12 months, and closely correlated with
      haemodynamic changes. CONCLUSIONS: Application of a Willis stent graft is a
      feasible method of treating CS aneurysms, and it exhibits a prolonged endothelial
      progress compared with that in straight vessels.

PMID- 20306086
TI  - Considerations on the mechanisms of alveolar remodeling in centriacinar
      emphysema.
AB  - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is mainly characterized by irreversible
      airflow limitation, and its major pathological change is alveolar destruction and
      enlargement, which induces emphysema. In this study, we used stereoscopic
      microscopy to observe the cut surfaces of 21 surgically resected or autopsied
      lungs showing centriacinar emphysema. We identified columnar structures of
      various sizes in the cystic spaces. These columnar structures constituted two
      types: one that was associated with pulmonary artery and another that was not. We
      examined these structures in detail by light microscopy and performed statistical
      analyses. Columnar structures without pulmonary artery showed destruction and
      accumulation of alveoli, including abnormally aggregated elastic fibers. In
      contrast, pulmonary architecture was preserved in columnar structures with
      pulmonary artery. In columnar structures without pulmonary artery, statistically
      significant correlations were observed between the thickness of columnar
      structures and size of centriacinar cystic spaces and between the thickness of
      columnar structures and aggregation of elastic fibers in columnar structures.
      Electron microscopy showed that the columns were composed of aggregated elastic
      fibers, collagen fibers, mesenchymal cells, pigmented macrophages, and the
      alveolar epithelial cells covering them. Immunohistochemistry showed that the
      aggregated elastic fibers were positive for alpha-1 antitrypsin. We concluded
      that columnar structures without pulmonary artery are a hallmark of alveolar wall
      destruction seen in pulmonary emphysema.

PMID- 20306088
TI  - High FDG uptake in PET/CT predicts worse prognosis in patients with metastatic
      gastric adenocarcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: We evaluated the role of FDG-PET/CT in patients with metastatic gastric
      adenocarcinoma before palliative chemotherapy to predict prognosis and
      chemotherapeutic response. METHODS: The study included 35 consecutive newly
      diagnosed patients with metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma who underwent FDG
      PET/CT before palliative chemotherapy. Maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax)
      of the primary tumor was assessed to evaluate survival and chemotherapeutic
      response. Survival analysis was performed for time to progression and overall
      survival using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazard models were used
      to determine independent prognostic factors. RESULTS: All primary tumors were
      visualized using FDG-PET/CT (mean SUVmax = 8.1 +/- 4.5, range 2.5-22.1).
      Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of FDG-PET/CT in detection of solid organ
      metastasis were 95.2% (20/21), 100% (14/14), and 97.1% (34/35), respectively. No
      significant difference of primary tumor SUVmax was found among the
      chemotherapeutic response groups. Univariate survival analysis demonstrated ECOG
      performance status (>=2), presence of solid organ metastasis, number of organs
      involved in distant metastasis (>=2), and SUVmax of the primary tumor (>8) as
      significant predictors for poor overall survival. Multivariate survival analysis
      showed SUVmax of the primary tumor (P = 0.048), presence of solid organ
      metastasis (P = 0.015), and ECOG performance status (P = 0.002) as significant
      independent prognostic predictors for overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: High FDG
      uptake of the primary tumor in patients with metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma is
      associated with poor overall survival. Assessment of tumor FDG uptake has limited
      value for prediction of chemotherapeutic response, but provides useful
      information regarding prognosis.

PMID- 20306087
TI  - Second primary esophageal or lung cancer in patients with head and neck carcinoma
      in Taiwan: incidence and risk in relation to primary index tumor site.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Second primary cancer is prevalent in patients with head and neck
      cancer (HNC), for which esophagus and lung are the most usual sites, associated
      with an extremely poor prognosis. However, information regarding the actual risk
      of second primary esophageal or lung cancer in South-east Asia, the betel-quid
      chewing area, has been restricted to data from single-institutions. We have
      therefore conducted a population-based study to evaluate the incidence, risk, and
      developmental time of second esophageal or lung cancer in HNC patients. METHODS:
      Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) and cumulative incidences were calculated
      for second primary esophageal or lung cancer using a database from the Taiwan
      Cancer Registry that included 63,720 cases having an initial diagnosis of HNC.
      RESULTS: The risk of second esophageal cancer was increased in patients with
      oral/pharyngeal (SIR = 8.71, 95% CI 7.55-10.01) and laryngeal (SIR = 4.65, 95% CI
      3.37-6.27) cancers, whereas second lung risk was increased in patients with
      laryngeal (SIR = 2.05, 95% CI 1.69-2.45) and oral/pharyngeal (SIR = 1.56, 95% CI
      1.34-1.80) cancers. The risk excess was prominent for patients with a follow-up
      interval <5 years and a first primary cancer diagnosed at age <50. Nevertheless,
      patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma were not associated with an excess risk in
      second esophageal or lung cancer. CONCLUSIONS: The present dataset provides
      definite evidence that there is a substantial excess risk of second primary
      esophageal or lung cancer for the index tumors of oral cavity, pharynx and
      larynx. The absence of risk excess found in nasopharyngeal carcinoma is also
      compatible with the existing knowledge that it might have an entirely distinctive
      etiology.

PMID- 20306089
TI  - Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis: a rare
      association.

PMID- 20306090
TI  - Systematic reviews of oral complications from cancer therapies, Oral Care Study
      Group, MASCC/ISOO: methodology and quality of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oral complications are commonly experienced by patients undergoing
      cancer therapies. The Oral Care Study Group of the Multinational Association of
      Supportive Care in Cancer/International Society of Oral Oncology (MASCC/ISOO) has
      completed nine systematic reviews including Bisphosphonate Osteonecrosis of the
      Jaw, Odontogenic/Periodontal Infection, Dysgeusia, Oral Fungal Infection,
      Osteoradionecrosis, Trismus, Oral Pain, Oral Viral Infection, and Xerostomia.
      METHODS: The aims of these reviews were to determine the prevalence of each oral
      complication, relationship with quality of life, economic impact, and formulation
      of guidelines based on the quality of the literature. The present article
      described the details of the methodology and statistical analysis utilized in
      these nine systematic reviews. Additionally, a summary of the quality of the
      literature from these oral complications is presented. CONCLUSION: Oral
      complications associated with cancer therapies are common among cancer patients.
      The systematic reviews by the Oral Care Study Group of MASCC/ISOO provide a
      thorough assessment of the available literature for these oral complications.

PMID- 20306091
TI  - Simulation-based training improves applied clinical placement of ultrasound
      guided PICCs.
AB  - PURPOSE: Skilled placement of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) has
      a profound impact on patient well-being and costs of care. The use of ultrasound
      guided methods and prescribed training for cannulation skills are evidence-based
      practice recommendations. The purpose of this study was to compare two methods of
      PICC instruction on the acquisition of applied skills. METHODS: Residents were
      randomly assigned to one of two groups (N = 16/16) of this blind-rater study and
      were trained to perform ultrasound-guided PICC cannulation using either
      simulation or apprenticeship methods. All residents were assessed placing a PICC
      in applied clinical patient care. RESULTS: Residents who completed simulation
      training had significantly better transfer of skills to applied clinical practice
      than residents who received apprenticeship training, having better performance
      ratings on eight of nine procedure-specific task measures (p < 0.05) and higher
      success rates in endpoint PICC placement. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the
      use of prescribed simulation-based training for the acquisition of requisite
      skills associated with PICC placement and expand on similar studies that suggest
      the advantages of simulation-based training for central line placement.
      Additionally, the data suggest that training using a single simulation model may
      support the acquisition of both central venous catheterization and PICC skills.

PMID- 20306092
TI  - Risk factors for chemotherapy-induced neutropenia occurrence in breast cancer
      patients: data from the INC-EU Prospective Observational European Neutropenia
      Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia (CIN) places patients at risk of
      life-threatening infections. While reduction of chemotherapy dose or delay of the
      subsequent treatment cycle and, consequently, reduction of relative dose
      intensity (RDI) may limit myelotoxicity, these actions can also impact adversely
      on treatment outcome and should be avoided in adjuvant settings. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Based on data from 444 breast cancer patients in the INC-EU Prospective
      Observational European Neutropenia Study, we have evaluated patient-specific and
      treatment-specific factors that impact on the incidence of grade 4 CIN (absolute
      neutrophil count <0.5 * 10(9)/L), either during the first or in any cycle of
      (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy, across a range of regimens and doses. RESULTS: Using
      multivariate logistic regression analysis, risk factors for grade 4 CIN were
      identified as older age, lower weight, higher planned dose intensity of
      doxorubicin, epirubicin, or docetaxel, higher number of planned cycles, vascular
      comorbidity, lower baseline white blood cell count, and higher baseline
      bilirubin. Use of colony-stimulating factor before a neutropenic event occurred,
      dose delays, and dose reductions were protective against grade 4 CIN.
      CONCLUSIONS: By identifying risk factors for grade 4 CIN, CSF prophylaxis may be
      appropriately targeted to prevent low RDI in patients treated with curative
      intent.

PMID- 20306093
TI  - Knotting of two central venous catheters: a rare complication of pulmonary artery
      catheterization.

PMID- 20306094
TI  - Do Cecidomyiidae galls of Aspidosperma spruceanum (Apocynaceae) fit the pre
      established cytological and histochemical patterns?
AB  - Cecidomyiidae galls commonly present a zonation of tissues with lignified cell
      layers externally limiting a reserve tissue and internally limiting a specialized
      nutritive tissue next to the larval chamber. The cytological aspects of this
      specialized tissue indicate high metabolic activity as well as carbohydrate
      accumulation. In Aspidosperma spruceanum-Cecidomyiidae gall system,
      ultrastructural and histochemical investigations corroborated this pattern and
      also revealed the storage of proteins in the nutritive cells. Reactive oxygen
      species (ROS), callose, and pectin accumulation were related to the feeding
      activity of the galling herbivore. Phosphorylase, glucose-6-phosphatase, acid
      phosphatases, invertases, and sucrose synthase activities were detected for the
      first time, in the Neotropical region, and discussed in relation to gall
      maintenance and the feeding activity of the Cecidomyiidae.

PMID- 20306095
TI  - Asymmetric synthesis of enantiomerically and diastereoisomerically enriched 4-[F
      or Br]-substituted glutamic acids.
AB  - A novel simple synthetic protocol for the preparation of both (2S,4R)- and
      (2S,4S)-FGlu, applying Michael addition of methyl alpha-fluoroacrylate to a NiII
      complex of glycine Schiff base with BPB, was elaborated. In addition, same
      reaction of mentioned complex with ethyl alpha-bromoacrylate leads to the NiII
      complex of the Schiff base of BPB with (2S,4R)-4-bromo-glutamic acid monoester,
      that can be transformed into the corresponding complexes of 1-aminocyclopropane
      1,2-dicarboxylic acid. The decomposition of the diastereoisomerically pure
      complexes leads to corresponding enantiomerically enriched (ee>98%) amino acids.

PMID- 20306096
TI  - The role of zinc in the S100 proteins: insights from the X-ray structures.
AB  - We here aim to summarise the present knowledge on zinc binding by S100 proteins.
      While the importance of modulation of the function of the S100 family of EF-hand
      proteins by calcium is well established, a substantial proportion is also
      regulated by zinc or copper. Indeed regulation by zinc in addition to calcium was
      suggested almost as soon as the first S100 protein was discovered and has been
      confirmed for many family members by numerous experiments. For the first, "His
      Zn", group, zinc-binding sites composed of three histidines and an aspartic acid
      were first proposed based on sequence comparisons and later confirmed by
      structural studies. A second, "Cys-Zn", group lacks such well-defined zinc
      binding motifs and for these cysteines were suggested as the main zinc ligands.
      There is no three-dimensional structure for a Cys-Zn S100 in the presence of
      zinc. However, analysis of their sequences together with their X-ray structures
      in the absence of zinc suggests the possibility of two zinc-binding sites: a
      conserved site with a degree of similarity to those of the His-Zn group and a
      less-defined site with a Cys interdimer-binding motif. Some S100 protein-mediated
      events, such as signalling in the extracellular space, where the levels of
      calcium are already high, are most unlikely to be calcium regulated. Therefore, a
      broader knowledge of the role of zinc in the functioning of the S100 proteins
      will add significantly to the understanding how they propagate their signals.

PMID- 20306097
TI  - Expression systems of human beta-defensins: vectors, purification and biological
      activities.
AB  - Human beta-defensins are 2-5 kDa, cationic, microbicidal peptides, which
      represent the first-line host defense against several Gram-negative and Gram
      positive bacteria, fungi and viruses. They contain a conserved disulfide-bridge
      pattern of three pairs of intramolecular cystine bonds. The well-known public
      health problem related with the growing number of multiresistant bacteria has
      driven research to look for novel antibiotics, such beta-defensins and a feasible
      way to produce them. Heterologous expression of beta-defensins could be one way
      to generate large quantities of beta-defensins for clinical research; however,
      heterologous expression of beta-defensins has some biochemical problems, such
      toxicity toward the host cell, peptide degradation by proteolytic cell enzymes,
      size, folding constrains and low recombinant peptide yields. In this
      communication, several heterologous systems for producing human beta-defensins
      are reviewed.

PMID- 20306098
TI  - Ink-jet printout of radiographs on transparent film and glossy paper versus
      monitor display: an ROC analysis.
AB  - The aim of this study was to compare the depiction ability of small grayscale
      contrasts in ink-jet printouts of digital radiographs on different print media
      with CRT monitor. A CCD-based digital cephalometric image of a stepless aluminum
      wedge containing 50 bur holes of different depth was cut into 100 isometric
      images. Each image was printed on glossy paper and on transparent film by means
      of a high-resolution desktop inkjet printer at specific settings. The printed
      images were viewed under standardized conditions, and the perceptibility of the
      bur holes was evaluated and compared to the perceptibility on a 17-in CRT
      monitor. Thirty observers stated their blinded decision on a five-point
      confidence scale. Areas (Az) under receiver operating characteristics curves were
      calculated and compared using the pair wise sign tests. Overall agreement was
      estimated using Cohen's kappa device and observer bias using McNemar's test.
      Glossy paper prints and monitor display revealed significantly higher (P < 0.001)
      average Az values (0.83) compared to prints on transparent film (0.79), which was
      caused by higher sensitivity. Specificity was similar for all modalities. The
      sensitivity was dependent on the mean gray scale values for the transparent film.

PMID- 20306100
TI  - Theoretical studies on identity S(N)2 reactions of lithium halide and methyl
      halide: a microhydration model.
AB  - Reactions of lithium halide (LiX, X = F, Cl, Br and I) and methyl halide (CH3X, X
      = F, Cl, Br and I) have been investigated at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory
      using the microhydration model. Beginning with hydrated lithium ion, four or two
      water molecules have been conveniently introduced to these aqueous-phase halogen
      exchange S(N)2 reactions. These water molecules coordinated with the center metal
      lithium ion, and also interacted with entering and leaving halogen anion via
      hydrogen bond in complexes and transition state, which to some extent compensated
      hydration of halogen anion. At 298 K the reaction profiles all involve central
      barriers DeltaE ( cent ) which are found to decrease in the order F > Cl > Br >
      I. The same trend is also found for the overall barriers (DeltaE(ovr)) of the
      title reaction. In the S(N)2 reaction of sodium iodide and methyl iodide, the
      activation energy agrees well with the aqueous conductometric investigation.

PMID- 20306099
TI  - Experimental study determining the mechanical properties of dental floss holders.
AB  - This study determined the mechanical properties of 19 dental floss holders. Eight
      single-use holders and 11 reusable ones were tested. An in vitro model with
      dental proximal contact strength of 8 N was created. Every device had to pass the
      proximal contact 30 times. We measured (1) the displacement of the floss [mm],
      (2) the force [N] necessary to pass the proximal contact after the 30th passage,
      (3) the loosening of the floss (offset [mm]), and (4) the change in the distance
      between the branches [mm]. Each measurement was repeated seven times. The results
      are displacement of the floss after 30 passages, 2.0 to 9.2 mm; passage force,
      2.6 to 11 N; increases in branch distance, 0-2.9 mm; offset of the floss, 0-1.8
      mm (all numbers are medians). Based on cleaning a full dentition (30 passages),
      we suggest introducing minimal requirements of <4 mm for the displacement of the
      floss, >=11 N for the force, and <0.1 mm for the difference in branch distance
      and the offset. Only two products fulfilled our criteria. The tests show that
      dental floss holders vary extremely in their mechanical properties. Their
      effective use seems often impossible due to limited mechanical properties.

PMID- 20306102
TI  - Do apes know that they could be wrong?
AB  - When confronted with uncertain or incomplete information in decision-making
      situations, monkeys and apes opt for either escaping the situation or seeking
      additional information. These responses have been interpreted as evidence of
      metacognitive abilities. However, this interpretation has been challenged. On the
      one hand, studies using the information-seeking paradigm have been criticized
      because subjects may simply engage in a search for information routine (e.g.,
      search until spot the reward) without any metacognitive involvement. On the other
      hand, studies using the escape response paradigm have been criticized because
      subjects may not recognize their own state of uncertainty but have learned to use
      the escape response in the presence of certain stimuli configurations that create
      uncertainty. The current study attempted to address these two criticisms by
      presenting great apes (seven gorillas, eight chimpanzees, four bonobos, seven
      orangutans) with a seeking information task whose basic procedure consisted of
      presenting two hollow tubes, baiting one of them and letting subjects choose.
      Conditions varied depending on whether subjects had visual access to the baiting,
      the cost associated with seeking information, the time interval between baiting
      and choosing, the food quality and the additional information offered regarding
      the food's location. Although subjects showed a high retrieval accuracy when they
      had witnessed the baiting, they were more likely to check inside the tube before
      choosing when high stakes were involved (Experiment 3) or after a longer period
      of time had elapsed between the baiting and the retrieval of the reward
      (Experiment 2). In contrast, providing subjects with indirect auditory
      information about the food's location or increasing the cost of checking reduced
      checking before choosing (Experiment 1). Taken together, these findings suggest
      that subjects knew that they could be wrong when choosing.

PMID- 20306101
TI  - Perception of improvement after orthognathic surgery: the important variables
      affecting patient satisfaction.
AB  - PURPOSE: We evaluated which factors affect patient satisfaction and if patient
      expectations were fulfilled after orthognathic surgery. METHODS: Questionnaires
      consisting of 14 questions were given 1 year after bimaxillary osteotomy for
      class-III correction to subjects. Six questions were answered using an 11-point
      rating scale based on a visual analog scale (VAS; 0 = poor; 10 = excellent). Also
      included were seven closed-form questions with yes/no answers, as well as one
      open question for 'further remarks'. Sagittal and vertical cephalometric
      parameters were determined on postoperative cephalograms. RESULTS: Seventy-seven
      patients (37 females, 40 males; mean age, 23.4 +/- 4.9 (SD) years) responded. The
      intention to undergo surgery only for aesthetic improvement was noted in 11.9% of
      patients; only improvement of chewing function in 15.5%; both in 71.4%; and
      none/don't know in 2.6%. Postoperative satisfaction was rated (in means) with
      8.13 +/- 1.97 on VAS and correlated significantly with the opinions of friends
      and relatives. Facial aesthetics was rated 5.6 +/- 1.2 before surgery and 8.1 +/-
      1.5 after surgery (p = 0.04). Preoperative chewing function was rated 5.65 +/-
      1.8 and 8.03 +/- 1.51 after surgery (p = 0.014). TMJ disorders or hypoesthesia
      had no negative impacts. Cephalometric analyses revealed a significantly lower
      SNB (75.3 degrees +/- 2.7 degrees ; p = 0.033) in patients rating lower than
      grade 7 for overall satisfaction. For SNA and ArGoMe, no significant differences
      were observed. CONCLUSION: The most distinctive factors for patient satisfaction
      after orthognathic surgery were chewing function and facial aesthetics with
      respect to the lower face. Function, aesthetics, and even psychological aspects
      should be considered equally when planning surgery.

PMID- 20306103
TI  - Elevation of plasma membrane permeability upon laser irradiation of extracellular
      microbubbles.
AB  - Laser-mediated gene transfection has received much attention as a new method for
      targeted gene therapy because of the high controllability of laser energy and
      direction. In this report, we describe a combination laser-microbubble system
      that enables membrane-impermeable molecules to penetrate cell membranes. The main
      theories we apply are optical breakdown and photoacoustic generation, which are
      induced by laser irradiation. Firstly, different types of laser light (Ar-green,
      Novus Varia poly-wavelength and Nd:YAG laser) were adopted to blast liposome
      microbubble contrast medium; subsequently, the Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm, 4 ns),
      which could successfully blast microbubbles, and ultrasound were used in
      combination to irradiate a mixture of liposome microbubbles and retinoblastoma
      (Rb) cells. After irradiation, membrane permeability was evaluated by flow
      cytometric assay using propidium iodide (PI) and fluorescein diacetate (FDA). The
      proportion of permeabilized resealed cells was affected by changes in the light
      energy. All of the Nd:YAG laser, Nd:YAG combination laser-microbubble and
      combination ultrasound-microbubble systems were able to permeabilize the Rb
      cells. These results suggest that this combination laser-microbubble system is a
      new means of delivering exogenous materials into living cells.

PMID- 20306104
TI  - Can lab data be used to reduce abdominal computed tomography (CT) usage in young
      adults presenting to the emergency department with nontraumatic abdominal pain?
AB  - We sought to determine whether laboratory parameters could be found, predictive
      of a negative abdominal CT scan in young adults with nontraumatic abdominal pain.
      Following institutional review board approval, we evaluated CT reports of 522
      patients, aged 21-35 years old, who presented to the Emergency Department with
      nontraumatic abdominal pain. Bivariate analyses relating ten laboratory
      parameters to whether the CT detected a cause for abdominal pain were conducted.
      A multivariate logistic regression model was then derived, with all variables in
      the final model significant at p < 0.05. Variables were dichotomized to yield
      odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Of the 522 patients meeting inclusion
      criteria, 45% had a cause for pain demonstrated by CT. Predictors of a negative
      CT in men were normal hematocrit and negative urine blood (p = 0.045, p = 0.016,
      respectively), and in women normal hematocrit, granulocyte percent, and alkaline
      phosphatase (p = 0.023, p = 0.039, p < 0.0001, respectively). When standard
      normal values were used to calculate descriptive statistics, only granulocyte
      percent in women had a significant confidence interval (odds ratio 2.5,
      confidence interval 1.6-4.0). Among the 208 women with normal granulocyte
      percent, the final clinical diagnosis was appendicitis, cholecystitis, and
      diverticulitis, in three, three, and two cases, respectively (4% combined). In
      summary, no laboratory test was sufficient to offer reassurance that a CT is not
      necessary in a young adult patient with nontraumatic abdominal pain. Alternative
      strategies should be considered to decrease the use of CT, and its associated
      radiation exposure, in young adults with nontraumatic abdominal pain.

PMID- 20306105
TI  - Far-distant metastases along the CSF pathway of glioblastoma multiforme during
      continuous low-dose chemotherapy with temozolomide and celecoxib.
AB  - Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common and most malignant primary brain
      tumour. Prognosis after diagnosis remains poor despite recent advances in
      adjuvant therapy. Treatment of choice is gross surgical resection and combined
      radio-chemotherapy with temozolomide as chemotherapeutic agent. Experimental
      continuous low-dose chemotherapy with temozolomide in combination with a
      cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor has shown encouraging effects on progression-free
      survival and overall survival in patients, but leads to a high proportion of
      distant recurrences. Here, we describe extreme far-distant metastases along the
      neural axis of glioblastoma multiforme in four patients receiving metronomic
      antiangiogenic chemotherapy and review the literature to discuss possible
      mechanisms.

PMID- 20306106
TI  - Urgent open embolectomy for cardioembolic cervical internal carotid artery
      occlusion.
AB  - Acute ischemic stroke attributable to cervical internal carotid artery (ICA)
      occlusion is frequently associated with severe disability or death and is usually
      caused by atherosclerosis. By contrast, the cardioembolic cervical ICA occlusion
      is rare, and feasibility of urgent recanalization remains unclear. We present the
      first study in the literature that focuses on urgent open embolectomy for the
      treatment of cardioembolic cervical ICA occlusion. A retrospective review of the
      charts for patients undergoing open embolectomy was performed. Between April 2006
      and September 2007, 640 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke were
      treated. Of them, three patients (0.47%) with the acute complete cardioembolic
      cervical ICA occlusion underwent urgent open embolectomy. All patients presented
      with profound neurological deficits and atrial fibrillation. The urgent open
      embolectomy achieved complete recanalization in all patients without any
      complications. All emboli in three patients were very large and fibrinous in
      histological findings. Two of three patients showed rapid improvement in
      neurological functions after surgical treatments. The cardioembolic occlusion of
      the cervical ICA is rare, but its possibility should be considered in patients
      with acute ischemic stroke suffering profound neurological deficits and atrial
      fibrillation. Urgent open embolectomy may be a treatment option to obtain
      successful recanalization for cardioembolic cervical ICA occlusion and is
      recommended because it is technically easier and similar to carotid
      endarterectomy.

PMID- 20306107
TI  - A case of pandemic 2009 influenza A (H1N1) in a patient with HIV infection.
AB  - Little is known about pandemic 2009 influenza A (H1N1) among patients with human
      immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. We report a case of 2009 influenza A
      (H1N1) in a patient who was newly diagnosed as having HIV. His general condition
      was good, and he was successfully treated in an outpatient setting. The
      literature was reviewed for the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and infection
      control of pandemic 2009 influenza A (H1N1) among those who have HIV infection.

PMID- 20306108
TI  - Emergence of the community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
      USA300 clone in a Japanese child, demonstrating multiple divergent strains in
      Japan.
AB  - In 2008 we isolated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from an 11
      month-old Japanese girl who lived in Saitama, Japan, and suffered from cellulitis
      of the lower thigh and sepsis. The MRSA (strain NN47) belonged to multilocus
      sequence type (ST) 8 and exhibited spa363 (t024), agr1, staphylococcal cassette
      chromosome mec (SCCmec) type IVa, and coagulase type III. It was positive for
      Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) and the arginine catabolic mobile element
      (ACME). Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) demonstrated that the MRSA was
      the USA300 clone, which is the predominant community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) in
      the US. Strain NN47 was divergent, in terms of the spa type and patterns of PFGE
      and plasmids, from the USA300-0114 type strain or USA300 strain NN36, previously
      isolated from a visitor (Indian girl) from the US. Strain NN47 was resistant to
      erythromycin, in addition to beta-lactam agents (e.g., oxacillin). These data
      demonstrate the first emergence of the USA300 clone in Japanese children who have
      never been abroad and have had no contact with foreigners (and therefore, the
      first USA300 spread in Japan), and also emergence of multiple divergent strains
      of the USA300 clone in Japan. Because the USA300 clone is highly transmissible
      and virulent, surveillance of the USA300 clone is needed.

PMID- 20306109
TI  - The costs of breast cancer prior to and following diagnosis.
AB  - This retrospective incidence-based cost-of-illness analysis aims to quantify the
      costs associated with female breast cancer in Flanders for the year prior to
      diagnosis and for each of the 5 years following diagnosis. A bottom-up analysis
      from the societal perspective included direct health care costs and indirect
      costs of productivity loss due to morbidity and premature mortality. A case
      control study design compared total costs of breast cancer patients with costs of
      an equivalent standardised population with a view to calculating the additional
      costs that can be attributed to breast cancer. Total average costs of breast
      cancer amounted to 107,456 <euro> per patient over 6 years. Total costs consisted
      of productivity loss costs (89% of costs) and health care costs (11% of costs).
      Health care costs did not vary with age at diagnosis. Health care costs of breast
      cancer patients converged with those of the general population at 5 years
      following diagnosis. Patients with advanced breast cancer stadia had higher
      health care costs. Cost estimates provided by this analysis can be used to
      determine priorities for, and inform, future research on breast cancer. In
      particular, attention needs to be focussed on decreasing productivity loss from
      breast cancer.

PMID- 20306110
TI  - Technical efficiency in primary health care: does quality matter?
AB  - The accuracy required in the measurement of output is an issue that has as yet
      still not been satisfactorily addressed in empirical research on efficiency in
      primary health care. We exploit information retrieved from a newly constructed
      database (APEX06) for the Spanish region of Extremadura. The richness of our
      dataset allows us to consider original synthetic measures of output that take
      into account both the quantity and the quality of services provided by 85 primary
      care centers (PCCs) in 2006. We provide evidence that neglecting the issue of
      properly accounting for the quality of health services can lead to misleading
      results. Our main finding is that adjusting output for quality has a three-fold
      effect on efficiency analysis. Firstly, inefficiency explains relatively more of
      the deviation from potential output. Secondly, the average technical efficiency
      in the sector is lower, while its dispersion among PCCs is significantly higher.
      Thirdly, the efficiency ranking of the PCCs is affected.

PMID- 20306111
TI  - The effect of alcoholic beverage excise tax on alcohol-attributable injury
      mortalities.
AB  - This study examines the effect of state excise taxes on different types of
      alcoholic beverages (spirits, wine, and beer) on alcohol-attributable injury
      mortalities--deaths caused by motor vehicle accidents, suicides, homicides, and
      falls--in the United States between 1995 and 2004, using state-level panel data.
      There is evidence that injury deaths attributable to alcohol respond differently
      to changes in state excise taxes on alcohol-specific beverages. This study
      examines the direct relationship between injury deaths and excise taxes without
      testing the degree of the association between excise taxes and alcohol
      consumption. The study finds that beer taxes are negatively related to motor
      vehicle accident mortality, while wine taxes are negatively associated with
      suicides and falls. The positive coefficient of the spirit taxes on falls implies
      a substitution effect between spirits and wine, suggesting that an increase in
      spirit tax will cause spirit buyers to purchase more wine. This study finds no
      evidence of a relationship between homicides and state excise taxes on alcohol.
      Thus, the study concludes that injury deaths attributable to alcohol respond
      differently to the excise taxes on different types of alcoholic beverages.

PMID- 20306112
TI  - Estimates of patient costs related with population morbidity: can indirect costs
      affect the results?
AB  - A number of health economics studies require patient cost estimates as basic
      information input. However, the accuracy of cost estimates remains generally
      unspecified. We propose to investigate how the allocation of indirect costs or
      overheads can affect the estimation of patient costs and lead to improvements in
      the analysis of patient cost estimates. Instead of focussing on the costing
      method, this paper will highlight observed changes in variation explained by a
      methodology choice. We compare four overhead allocation methods for a specific
      Spanish population adjusted using the Clinical Risk Groups model. Our main
      conclusion is that the amount of global variation explained by the risk
      adjustment model depends mainly on direct costs, regardless of the cost
      allocation methodology used. Furthermore, the variation explained can be slightly
      increased, depending on the cost allocation methodology, and is independent of
      the level of aggregation in the classification system.

PMID- 20306113
TI  - Imaging informatics: challenges in multi-site imaging trials.
AB  - Multi-site imaging research has several specialized needs that are substantially
      different from what is commonly available in clinical imaging systems. An attempt
      to address these concerns is being led by several institutes including the
      National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute. With the
      exception of results reporting (which has an infrastructure for standard reports,
      albeit with several competing lexicons), medical imaging has been largely
      standardized by the efforts of DICOM, HL7, and IHE. What are not well developed
      in this area are the tools required for multi-site imaging collaboration and data
      mining. The goal of this paper is to identify existing clinical interoperability
      methods that can be used to harmonize the research and clinical worlds, and
      identify gaps where they exist. To do so, we will detail the approaches of a
      specific multi-site trial, point out the current deficiencies and workarounds
      developed in that trial, and finally point to work that seeks to address multi
      site imaging challenges.

PMID- 20306115
TI  - Effects of feedback from active and passive body parts on spatial and temporal
      parameters in sensorimotor synchronization.
AB  - Previous research on sensorimotor synchronization has manipulated the
      somatosensory information received from the tapping finger to investigate how
      feedback from an active effector affects temporal coordination. The current study
      explored the role of feedback from passive body parts in the regulation of
      spatiotemporal motor control parameters by employing a task that required finger
      tapping on one's own skin at anatomical locations of varying tactile sensitivity.
      A motion capture system recorded participants' movements as they synchronized
      with an auditory pacing signal by tapping with the right index finger on either
      their left index fingertip (Finger/Finger) or forearm (Finger/Forearm). Results
      indicated that tap timing was more variable, and movement amplitude was larger
      and more variable, when tapping on the finger than when tapping on the less
      sensitive forearm. Finger/Finger tapping may be impaired relative to
      Finger/Forearm tapping due to ambiguity arising through overlap in neural
      activity associated with tactile feedback from the active and the passive limb in
      the former. To compensate, the control system may strengthen the assignment of
      tap-related feedback to the active finger by generating correlated noise in
      movement kinematics and tap dynamics.

PMID- 20306114
TI  - Control of death receptor ligand activity by posttranslational modifications.
AB  - The death receptor ligands are involved in many physiological and pathological
      processes involving triggering of apoptosis, inflammation, proliferation, and
      activation. The expression of these molecules is reported to be tightly regulated
      at the transcriptional level. However, over the last few years, an increasing
      number of data demonstrated that the control of transcription is only one of the
      mechanisms that manage the expression of the death receptor ligands. Thus, this
      review is focused on posttranslational regulation of the three main members of
      this family, namely FasL, TNF-alpha, and TRAIL. We discuss here the importance of
      distribution, storage, and degranulation of these molecules, as well as their
      shedding by proteases on the control of death receptor ligands expression and
      activity.

PMID- 20306116
TI  - Phase II trial of S-1 monotherapy in elderly or frail patients with metastatic
      colorectal cancer.
AB  - A phase II study was conducted to evaluate S-1 monotherapy in previously
      untreated elderly or frail metastatic colorectal cancer patients. A total of 48
      elderly (70-85 years old) and frail [Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG)
      performance status (PS) 2 and 65-69 years old] patients were eligible for first
      line S-1 of 35 mg/m(2) given twice daily for 2 weeks followed by 1 week of rest.
      The overall response rate (ORR) for all patients was 19%. Similarly, the ORR for
      frail and elderly patients was 22% and 18%, respectively. Median progression-free
      survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) for all patients were 3.9 months (95%
      CI, 3.0-4.8) and 11.3 months (95% CI, 7.4-15.2), respectively. For frail
      patients, PFS was 1.4 (95% CI, 0.8-2.0) vs. 4.3 months (95% CI, 3.0-5.4) for the
      elderly (P = 0.016). OS was significantly longer for elderly patients than for
      frail patients (13.1 months, 95% CI, 9.5-16.7) vs. (4.1 months, 95% CI, 3.2-5.0;
      P = 0.01). Toxicity was mild to moderate, as only 29% of patients experienced
      grade 3 toxicity. Grade 4 toxicity and febrile neutropenia did not occur;
      however, two frail patients died from grade 5 treatment-related infections.
      Generally, S-1 monotherapy was well-tolerated and efficacious in the elderly
      patient group, but not in the frail patient group. Considering performance status
      and co-morbidities in patients >70 years old, S-1 monotherapy may be a first-line
      therapeutic option for elderly mCRC patients.

PMID- 20306117
TI  - Broadband 15N-13C dipolar recoupling via symmetry-based RF pulse schemes at high
      MAS frequencies.
AB  - An approach for generating efficient NR(vS, vk)(n) symmetry-based dual channel RF
      pulse schemes for gamma-encoded broadband (15)N-(13)C dipolar recoupling at high
      magic angle spinning frequencies is presented. The method involves the numerical
      optimisation of the RF phase-modulation profile of the basic "R" element so as to
      obtain heteronuclear double quantum dipolar recoupling sequences with
      satisfactory magnetisation transfer characteristics. The basic "R" element was
      implemented as a sandwich of a small number of short pulses of equal duration
      with each pulse characterised by a RF phase and amplitude values. The performance
      characteristics of the sequences were evaluated via numerical simulations and
      (15)N-(13)C chemical shift correlation experiments. Employing such (13)C-(15)N
      double-quantum recoupling sequences and the multiple receiver capabilities
      available in the current generation of NMR spectrometers, the possibility to
      simultaneously acquire 3D NCC and CNH chemical shift correlation spectra is also
      demonstrated.

PMID- 20306118
TI  - Analysis of transgenic wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) harboring a maize (Zea mays
      L.) gene for plastid EF-Tu: segregation pattern, expression and effects of the
      transgene.
AB  - We previously reported that transgenic wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) carrying a
      maize (Zea mays L.) gene (Zmeftu1) for chloroplast protein synthesis elongation
      factor, EF-Tu, displays reduced thermal aggregation of leaf proteins, reduced
      injury to photosynthetic membranes (thylakoids), and enhanced rate of CO(2)
      fixation following exposure to heat stress (18 h at 45 degrees C) [Fu et al. in
      Plant Mol Biol 68:277-288, 2008]. In the current study, we investigated the
      segregation pattern and expression of the transgene Zmeftu1 and determined the
      grain yield of transgenic plants after exposure to a brief heat stress (18 h at
      45 degrees C). We also assessed thermal aggregation of soluble leaf proteins in
      transgenic plants, testing the hypothesis that increased levels of EF-Tu will
      lead to a non-specific protection of leaf proteins against thermal aggregation.
      The transgenic wheat displayed a single-gene pattern of segregation of Zmeftu1.
      Zmeftu1 was expressed, and the transgenic plants synthesized and accumulated
      three anti-EF-Tu cross-reacting polypeptides of similar molecular mass but
      different pI, suggesting the possibility of posttranslational modification of
      this protein. The transgenic plants also showed better grain yield after exposure
      to heat stress compared with their non-transgenic counterparts. Soluble leaf
      proteins of various molecular masses displayed lower thermal aggregation in
      transgenic than in non-transgenic wheat. The results suggest that overexpression
      of chloroplast EF-Tu can be beneficial to wheat tolerance to heat stress.
      Moreover, the results also support the hypothesis that EF-Tu contributes to heat
      tolerance by acting as a molecular chaperone and protecting heat-labile proteins
      from thermal aggregation in a non-specific manner.

PMID- 20306119
TI  - Novel topical microbicides through combinatorial strategies.
AB  - PURPOSE: Developing microbicides for topical epithelial applications is extremely
      challenging, as evidenced by the scarcity of approved products even after decades
      of research. Chemical enhancers, including surfactants, are known to be effective
      antimicrobial agents but are typically toxic towards epithelial cells. Here, we
      report on the discovery of unique surfactant formulations with improved safety
      and efficacy profile for epithelial applications, via a combination of high
      throughput screening techniques. METHODS: Over three-hundred formulations derived
      from nine surfactants were screened for antibacterial properties against E. coli
      in vitro. A subset of these formulations showed high antibacterial activity and
      was screened for cytotoxicity in vitro. Formulations showing high antibacterial
      activity and reduced cytotoxicity compared to their individual components were
      tested for efficacy against B. thailendensis, a model for melioidosis-causing B.
      pseudomallei. RESULTS: Lead formulations showed lower toxicity towards epidermal
      keratinocytes, with LC(50) values up to 3.5-fold higher than their component
      surfactants, while maintaining antibacterial efficacy against B. thailendensis.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that such a combinatorial screening approach
      can be used for designing safe and potent microbicides for epithelial
      applications.

PMID- 20306120
TI  - Apigenin: a promising molecule for cancer prevention.
AB  - Apigenin, a naturally occurring plant flavone, abundantly present in common
      fruits and vegetables, is recognized as a bioactive flavonoid shown to possess
      anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anticancer properties. Epidemiologic studies
      suggest that a diet rich in flavones is related to a decreased risk of certain
      cancers, particularly cancers of the breast, digestive tract, skin, prostate and
      certain hematological malignancies. It has been suggested that apigenin may be
      protective in other diseases that are affected by oxidative process, such as
      cardiovascular and neurological disorders, although more research needs to be
      conducted in this regard. Human clinical trials examining the effect of
      supplementation of apigenin on disease prevention have not been conducted,
      although there is considerable potential for apigenin to be developed as a cancer
      chemopreventive agent.

PMID- 20306122
TI  - Stigmatization and male identity: Norwegian males' experience after
      identification as BRCA1/2 mutation carriers.
AB  - In families with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, there is limited knowledge
      about the reactions of BRCA1/2 mutation positive males. In the present
      qualitative study, fifteen BRCA1/2 mutation positive men in Norway participated
      in two successive, in-depth interviews. Seven female partners participated in the
      second interview. The men reported strong emotional reactions to their positive
      test results, and they expressed a desire to keep the genetic information
      private. They considered discussing their test results or health related
      information with other males as difficult, and they perceived females as their
      sources of social and emotional support. Interestingly, the second interview
      revealed important information not communicated during the first interview. The
      findings of this study contribute to the discussion of whether men who test
      positive for a BRCA1/2 mutation should receive tailored genetic counseling
      sessions. Health care providers should be aware of psychological vulnerability in
      these men, likely stemming from fewer emotional supports in their social
      networks.

PMID- 20306121
TI  - Regulation of microRNAs by natural agents: an emerging field in chemoprevention
      and chemotherapy research.
AB  - In recent years, microRNAs have received greater attention in cancer research.
      These small, non-coding RNAs could inhibit target gene expression by binding to
      the 3' untranslated region of target mRNA, resulting in either mRNA degradation
      or inhibition of translation. miRNAs play important roles in many normal
      biological processes; however, studies have also shown that aberrant miRNA
      expression is correlated with the development and progression of cancers. The
      miRNAs could have oncogenic or tumor suppressor activities. Moreover, some miRNAs
      could regulate formation of cancer stem cells and epithelial-mesenchymal
      transition phenotype of cancer cells which are typically drug resistant.
      Furthermore, miRNAs could be used as biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis, and
      thus miRNAs are becoming emerging targets for cancer therapy. Recent studies have
      shown that natural agents including curcumin, isoflavone, indole-3-carbinol, 3,3'
      diindolylmethane, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate, resveratrol, etc. could alter
      miRNA expression profiles, leading to the inhibition of cancer cell growth,
      induction of apoptosis, reversal of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, or
      enhancement of efficacy of conventional cancer therapeutics. These emerging
      results clearly suggest that specific targeting of miRNAs by natural agents could
      open newer avenues for complete eradication of tumors by killing the drug
      resistant cells to improve survival outcome in patients diagnosed with
      malignancies.

PMID- 20306123
TI  - The obligate alkaliphile Bacillus clarkii K24-1U retains extruded protons at the
      beginning of respiration.
AB  - Alkaliphiles grow under alkaline conditions that might be disadvantageous for the
      transmembrane pH gradient (Delta pH, outside acidic). In this study, the
      behaviors of extruded protons by the respiration of obligate alkaliphilic
      Bacillus clarkii K24-1U were investigated by comparison with those of
      neutralophilic Bacillus subtilis IAM 1026. Although whole-cell suspensions of
      both Bacillus species consumed oxygen immediately after the addition of air,
      there were lag times before the suspensions were acidified. Under alkaline
      conditions, the lag time for B. clarkii significantly increased, whereas that for
      B. subtilis decreased. In the presence of valinomycin or ETH-157, which disrupts
      the membrane electrical potential (Delta psi), the cell suspensions of both
      Bacillus species acidified immediately after the addition of air. Artificial
      electroneutral antiporters (nigericin and monensin) that eliminate the Delta pH
      exhibited no significant effect on the lag times of the two Bacillus species
      except that monensin increased the lag times of B. clarkii. The inhibition of
      ATPase and the Na(+) channel also exhibited little effects on the lag times. The
      increased lag time for B. clarkii may represent the Delta psi-dependent proton
      retention on the outer surface of the cytoplasmic membrane to generate a
      sufficient Delta pH under alkaline conditions.

PMID- 20306124
TI  - Genetic analysis of the VP1 region of enterovirus 71 reveals the emergence of
      genotype A in central China in 2008.
AB  - Enterovirus 71 (EV71) strains from children were characterized by full-length VP1
      nucleotide sequencing. Out of 22 clinical specimens, five isolates identified as
      EV71 were recovered by virus isolation. The VP1 sequences of the five isolates
      had more than 97.4% sequence identity with prototype virus BrCr, clustering in
      the genotype A lineage. This represents the first record of genotype A EV71 in
      China since the BrCr prototype strain was discovered in the USA in 1969.

PMID- 20306125
TI  - Characterization of begomovirus components from a weed suggests that
      begomoviruses may associate with multiple distinct DNA satellites.
AB  - A begomovirus disease complex associated with Sonchus arvensis, a common weed in
      Pakistan was studied using cloning, nucleic acid sequencing and phylogenetic
      analysis. The complex associated with this weed consists of a monopartite
      begomovirus and several distinct betasatellites and alphasatellites. The
      monopartite begomovirus associated with yellow vein disease of Sonchus arvensis
      showed 95-99% nucleotide sequence identity with Alternanthera yellow vein virus
      (AlYVV) reported from China, Vietnam and India. Two betasatellites were isolated
      from S. arvensis: one sharing between 91.4 and 95.3% nucleotide sequence identity
      with isolates of Ageratum yellow leaf curl betasatellite (AYLCB), and the other
      sharing between 78.2 and 99.9% identity with isolates of Cotton leaf curl Multan
      betasatellite (CLCuMB). Two alphasatellites were identified: one was homologous
      to Potato leaf curl alphasatellite (PotLCuA), while the other was closely related
      to Hibiscus leaf curl alphasatellite (HLCuA). Thus, AlYVV in S. arvensis is
      associated with satellites shown previously to be associated with other
      begomoviruses in Pakistan. Our results suggest that monopartite begomoviruses may
      associate with distinct satellites that are prevalent in the region.

PMID- 20306126
TI  - Genome organization of major tandem repeats in the hard tick, Ixodes scapularis.
AB  - In spite of the global medical and veterinary importance of Ixodid ticks,
      relatively little is known about their genome organization. To address this, we
      developed the first fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)-based chromosome
      markers in the Lyme disease vector, Ixodes scapularis. Shotgun genomic DNA (gDNA)
      sequences were used to identify three major tandem repeat families which were
      localized to specific heterochromatic regions of I. scapularis chromosomes
      prepared from the mitotic cell line ISE18. Together, these repeats were estimated
      to contribute approximately 159 Mb (8%) of the 2.1 Gb (haploid) I. scapularis
      genome. The relative arrangement of each tandem repeat family and the nucleolar
      organizing regions was determined by rehybridization to individual chromosome
      spreads, which was useful to distinguish different chromosomes in the ISE18
      karyotype. Long stretches (>20 kb) of tandem repeat-containing gDNA were
      resistant to digestion by the methylation-sensitive restriction enzyme HpaII and
      localized to the presumed peri-centromeric regions of the chromosomes. A
      telomeric probe based on the arthropod-conserved (TTAGG)(n) tandemly repetitive
      motif was localized to the termini of each I. scapularis chromosome. Localization
      of these markers produced the first link between DNA sequences and major
      structural features of I. scapularis chromosomes and thereby provided the
      framework for a FISH-based physical map.

PMID- 20306128
TI  - Among women who experience a recurrence after postmastectomy radiation therapy
      irradiation is not associated with more aggressive local recurrence or reduced
      survival.
AB  - Recent pre-clinical models suggest that radiation can promote tumor
      aggressiveness. We hypothesized that if this were occurring clinically,
      locoregional recurrences (LRRs) after postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT)
      would lead to lower survival than LRR after mastectomy alone. This study used two
      independent datasets to compare survival after LRR in women treated with versus
      without PMRT. Data from 229 LRR cases among 1,500 patients enrolled on
      prospective trials at the MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDA), and 66 LRR cases among
      318 patients enrolled in the British Columbia Cancer Agency (BCCA) PMRT
      randomized trial were analyzed. In the MDA non-randomized dataset, 189/1031 had
      LRR after mastectomy alone and 40/469 had LRR after PMRT. In the randomized BC
      trial dataset, 52/158 had LRR after mastectomy alone and 14/160 had LRR after
      PMRT. In both datasets, survival was calculated from the time of LRR to death.
      Analysis of MDA data shows that in all LRR cases regardless of distant metastasis
      (DM), 5/10-year OS were 50/34% without PMRT and 27/19% after PMRT (P = 0.006).
      However, PMRT-treated patients had increased risk factors for DM (advanced T and
      N stages) and more PMRT-treated patients developed DM prior to LRR (63 vs. 34%, P
      = 0.005). Analyzing only patients will an isolated LRR (without previous or
      simultaneous, DMV), there was no OS difference between groups (P = 0.33).
      Analysis of BCCA data shows that distributions of T and N stages were similar in
      patients with LRR after mastectomy alone versus after PMRT. DM free survival
      after any LRR and after isolated LRR were similar in mastectomy alone versus PMRT
      treated patients (P = 0.75, P = 0.26, respectively). Overall survival after any
      LRR and after isolated LRR were also similar in the two groups (P = 0.93, P =
      0.28, respectively). Patients who develop LRR after mastectomy alone have high
      rates of DM and poor OS but these rates are not affected by the use of PMRT at
      the time of primary treatment. These data do not support the hypothesis that
      irradiation promotes biologically aggressive local recurrences.

PMID- 20306127
TI  - Decreased expression of EZH2 is associated with upregulation of ER and favorable
      outcome to tamoxifen in advanced breast cancer.
AB  - The purpose of this study is to investigate EZH2 in a large series of breast
      cancer patients for its prognostic and predictive value, and to evaluate its
      functional role in treatment response in vitro. EZH2 levels were measured using
      quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) in primary breast
      cancer specimens and related to clinicopathologic factors and disease outcome.
      EZH2 expression was downregulated with siRNAs in MCF7, to assess expression
      alterations of putative EZH2 downstream genes and to determine cell numbers after
      treatment with the anti-estrogen ICI 164384. In 688 lymph node-negative patients
      who did not receive adjuvant systemic therapy, EZH2 was not significantly
      correlated with metastasis-free survival (MFS). In 278 patients with advanced
      disease treated with first-line tamoxifen monotherapy, the tertile with highest
      EZH2 levels was associated with the lowest clinical benefit (OR = 0.48; P = 0.02)
      and with a shorter progression-free survival (PFS) in both univariate (HR = 1.80;
      P < 0.001) and multivariate analysis, including traditional factors (HR = 1.61; P
      = 0.004). In vitro, EZH2 silencing in MCF7 caused a 38% decrease in cell numbers
      (P < 0.001) whereas ICI 164384 treatment resulted in a 25% decrease (P < 0.001)
      compared to controls. Combining EZH2 silencing with ICI treatment reduced cell
      numbers with 67% (P < 0.001) compared to control conditions. EZH2 downregulation
      was associated with an almost two-fold upregulation of the estrogen receptor
      alpha (ER) (P = 0.001). In conclusion, EZH2 has no prognostic value in breast
      cancer. High levels of EZH2 are associated with poor outcome to tamoxifen therapy
      in advanced breast cancer. Downregulated EZH2 leads to upregulation of the ER and
      better response to anti-estrogens.

PMID- 20306129
TI  - Cognitive function after adjuvant treatment for early breast cancer: a population
      based longitudinal study.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to examine cognitive function in patients with
      early breast cancer before and after adjuvant chemotherapy or 6 months of
      tamoxifen. We performed a population-based study in the county of North Jutland,
      Denmark, including 120 women aged <60 years who received adjuvant chemotherapy
      with seven cycles of cyclophosphamide, epirubicin and fluoruracil or adjuvant
      tamoxifen for 6 months for early breast cancer from 2004 to 2006. They were
      compared with an aged-matched group of 208 women without previous cancer selected
      randomly from the same population. Data were collected before start of adjuvant
      treatment and after 6 months by neuropsychological tests and questionnaires to
      evaluate cognitive function, quality of life and psychological distress.
      Neuropsychological tests did not reveal any differences in cognitive function
      between breast cancer patients after chemotherapy and healthy controls. Patients
      rated their own cognitive functions as improved after 6 months, and patients, who
      did not receive adjuvant medical treatment, reached the same level as controls
      within 6 months. Patients receiving chemotherapy or tamoxifen were up to three
      times more likely than controls to rate themselves as impaired at 6 months. Our
      results do not support that adjuvant chemotherapy is associated with cognitive
      side effects in breast cancer patients.

PMID- 20306130
TI  - Genetic algorithm optimization in drug design QSAR: Bayesian-regularized genetic
      neural networks (BRGNN) and genetic algorithm-optimized support vectors machines
      (GA-SVM).
AB  - Many articles in "in silico" drug design implemented genetic algorithm (GA) for
      feature selection, model optimization, conformational search, or docking studies.
      Some of these articles described GA applications to quantitative structure
      activity relationships (QSAR) modeling in combination with regression and/or
      classification techniques. We reviewed the implementation of GA in drug design
      QSAR and specifically its performance in the optimization of robust mathematical
      models such as Bayesian-regularized artificial neural networks (BRANNs) and
      support vector machines (SVMs) on different drug design problems. Modeled data
      sets encompassed ADMET and solubility properties, cancer target inhibitors,
      acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, HIV-1 protease inhibitors, ion-channel and
      calcium entry blockers, and antiprotozoan compounds as well as protein classes,
      functional, and conformational stability data. The GA-optimized predictors were
      often more accurate and robust than previous published models on the same data
      sets and explained more than 65% of data variances in validation experiments. In
      addition, feature selection over large pools of molecular descriptors provided
      insights into the structural and atomic properties ruling ligand-target
      interactions.

PMID- 20306131
TI  - Terlipressin in hepatorenal syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is a common complication in patients with
      cirrhosis or fulminant liver failure. We systematically reviewed the benefits and
      harms of using terlipressin, a novel vasoconstricting agent in patients with HRS.
      METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, SCOPUS, and conference proceedings for relevant
      trials of terlipressin. Results were summarized using the random-effects model.
      RESULTS: Eight trials (320 participants) were included. When compared with
      placebo, terlipressin-treated patients had higher HRS reversal (odds ratio [OR]
      7.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.17-17.59), mean arterial pressure (weighted
      mean difference [WMD] 11.26 mmHg, 95% CI 1.52-21), and urine output. There was a
      significant increase in ischemic adverse events with terlipressin when compared
      to placebo. There was mild-to-moderate heterogeneity in these analyses. There was
      no significant difference between terlipressin and noradrenaline in HRS reversal
      (OR 1.23, 95% CI, 0.43-3.54), mean arterial pressure, and urine output. Side
      effect profile did not differ between terlipressin and noradrenaline. CONCLUSION:
      Terlipressin improves HRS reversal and other surrogate outcome measures compared
      with placebo, but no significant differences for these outcomes were noted when
      comparing terlipressin and noradrenaline. Terlipressin is a potential therapeutic
      option for HRS, but larger trials comparing terlipressin to other widely used
      vasoconstrictors are warranted.

PMID- 20306133
TI  - Predictive power of serum pepsinogen tests for the development of gastric cancer
      in comparison to the histologic risk index.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: The selection of a high-risk group of gastric cancer is
      important. This study was performed to compare the efficacy of non-invasive
      gastric cancer screening through the measurement of pepsinogen (PG) I/II ratio
      and endoscopic screening using histologic criteria (Meining's risk index for
      gastric cancer) in Korean patients. METHODS: Included in the study were 460
      gastric cancer patients and 460 control cases who underwent upper endoscopy
      between June 2003 and July 2008 at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital.
      Serum PG I/II ratio and histologic characteristics were evaluated for each
      participant. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to compare the
      predictive power for gastric cancer of both the PG II/I ratio (the inverse form
      of PG I/II ratio) and the histologic gastric cancer risk index. RESULTS: A higher
      PG II/I ratio was significantly associated with a higher risk for gastric cancer
      (odds ratio of highest quartile for cancer vs. lowest quartile, 3.51; 95%
      confidence interval, 2.29-5.36) in the multivariate logistic model. The validity
      (in terms of calibration and discrimination) of the PG-including multivariate
      logistic model was comparable to the histologic gastric cancer risk index model.
      The results were similar regardless of the staging of the cancer, Lauren's
      histologic classification, and the location of the cancer. CONCLUSIONS: These
      results suggest that non-invasive measurement of serum PG I/II ratio is as
      effective as Meining's histologic gastric cancer risk index in predicting gastric
      cancer occurrence.

PMID- 20306132
TI  - Practice-driven evaluation of a multi-layered psychosocial care package for
      children in areas of armed conflict.
AB  - Psychosocial and mental health service delivery frameworks for children in low
      income countries are scarce. This paper presents a practice-driven evaluation of
      a multi-layered community-based care package in Burundi, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and
      Sudan, through a set of indicators; (a) perceived treatment gains; (b) treatment
      satisfaction; (c) therapist burden; (d) access to care; (e) care package costs.
      Across four settings (n = 29,292 children), beneficiaries reported high levels of
      client satisfaction and moderate post-treatment problem reductions. Service
      providers reported significant levels of distress related to service delivery.
      Cost analyses demonstrated mean cost per service user to vary from 3.46 to 17.32
      <euro> depending on country and specification of costs. The results suggest a
      multi-layered psychosocial care package appears feasible and satisfactory in
      reaching out to substantial populations of distressed children through different
      levels of care. Future replication should address therapist burden, cost
      reductions to increase sustainability and increase evidence for treatment
      efficacy.

PMID- 20306134
TI  - The lamellar spacing in self-assembling bacteriochlorophyll aggregates is
      proportional to the length of the esterifying alcohol.
AB  - Chlorosomes from green photosynthetic bacteria are large photosynthetic antennae
      containing self-assembling aggregates of bacteriochlorophyll c, d, or e. The
      pigments within chlorosomes are organized in curved lamellar structures.
      Aggregates with similar optical properties can be prepared in vitro, both in
      polar as well as non-polar solvents. In order to gain insight into their
      structure we examined hexane-induced aggregates of purified bacteriochlorophyll c
      by X-ray scattering. The bacteriochlorophyll c aggregates exhibit scattering
      features that are virtually identical to those of native chlorosomes
      demonstrating that the self-assembly of these pigments is fully encoded in their
      chemical structure. Thus, the hexane-induced aggregates constitute an excellent
      model to study the effects of chemical structure on assembly. Using
      bacteriochlorophyllides transesterified with different alcohols we have
      established a linear relationship between the esterifying alcohol length and the
      lamellar spacing. The results provide a structural basis for lamellar spacing
      variability observed for native chlorosomes from different species. A plausible
      physiological role of this variability is discussed. The X-ray scattering also
      confirmed the assignments of peaks, which arise from the crystalline baseplate in
      the native chlorosomes.

PMID- 20306135
TI  - Quantitative effects of coil packing density on cerebral aneurysm fluid dynamics:
      an in vitro steady flow study.
AB  - Over the past 15 years, coil embolization has emerged as an effective treatment
      option for cerebral aneurysms that is far less invasive than the long-standing
      convention of surgical clipping. However, aneurysm recurrence after coil
      embolization is not uncommon: recurrence rates as high as 50% have been reported
      in the literature. One factor that may contribute to recurrence after coiling is
      residual flow into the aneurysmal sac. At present, there is limited quantitative
      knowledge of the relationship between coil packing density and aneurysmal inflow.
      We present an in vitro fluid dynamic study of basilar tip aneurysm models that
      elucidates this relationship. At physiologically normal flow rates, we found that
      a packing density of 28.4% decreased aneurysmal inflow by 31.6% in a wide-neck
      model, and that a packing density of 36.5% decreased aneurysmal inflow by 49.6%
      in a narrow-neck model. Results also indicated that coiling reduced aneurysmal
      inflow more significantly at lower parent vessel flow rates, and that coiling
      reduced neck-plane velocity magnitudes more significantly for narrow-neck
      aneurysms. Our study provides novel quantitative information that could
      ultimately contribute to improved outcomes for patients with cerebral aneurysms
      by enabling more effective coil embolization.

PMID- 20306136
TI  - Limitation of finite element analysis of poroelastic behavior of biological
      tissues undergoing rapid loading.
AB  - The finite element method is used in biomechanics to provide numerical solutions
      to simulations of structures having complex geometry and spatially differing
      material properties. Time-varying load deformation behaviors can result from
      solid viscoelasticity as well as viscous fluid flow through porous materials.
      Finite element poroelastic analysis of rapidly loaded slow-draining materials may
      be ill-conditioned, but this problem is not widely known in the biomechanics
      field. It appears as instabilities in the calculation of interstitial fluid
      pressures, especially near boundaries and between different materials. Accurate
      solutions can require impractical compromises between mesh size and time steps.
      This article investigates the constraints imposed by this problem on tissues
      representative of the intervertebral disc, subjected to moderate physiological
      rates of deformation. Two test cylindrical structures were found to require over
      10(4) linear displacement-constant pressure elements to avoid serious
      oscillations in calculated fluid pressure. Fewer Taylor-Hood (quadratic
      displacement-linear pressure elements) were required, but with complementary
      increases in computational costs. The Vermeer-Verruijt criterion for 1D mesh size
      provided guidelines for 3D mesh sizes for given time steps. Pressure
      instabilities may impose limitations on the use of the finite element method for
      simulating fluid transport behaviors of biological soft tissues at moderately
      rapid physiological loading rates.

PMID- 20306137
TI  - Community organizing network for environmental health: using a community health
      development approach to increase community capacity around reduction of
      environmental triggers.
AB  - The Community Organizing Network for Environmental Health (CONEH), a project of
      Community Action Against Asthma, used a community health development approach to
      improve children's asthma-related health through increasing the community's
      capacity to reduce physical and social environmental triggers for asthma. Three
      community organizers were hired to work with community groups and residents in
      neighborhoods in Detroit on the priority areas of air quality, housing, and
      citizen involvement in the environmental project and policy decision-making. As
      part of the evaluation of the CONEH project, 20 one-on-one semi-structured, in
      depth interviews were conducted between August and November 2005 involving
      steering committee members, staff members, and key community organization staff
      and/or community members. Using data from the evaluation of the CONEH project,
      this article identifies the dimensions of community capacity that were enhanced
      as part of a CBPR community health development approach to reducing physical and
      social environmental triggers associated with childhood asthma and the factors
      that facilitated or inhibited the enhancement of community capacity.

PMID- 20306138
TI  - An assessment of the impacts of timber plantations on water quality and
      biodiversity values of Marbellup Brook, Western Australia.
AB  - Despite the fact that the establishment and maintenance of blue gum plantations
      can potentially result in the removal of riparian vegetation, the presence of
      increased levels of sediments, pesticides, and nutrients, and consequently, the
      loss of in-stream biodiversity, few studies exist that have looked at the impacts
      of timber plantations on in-stream biota. The goals of this study were thus to
      determine water quality, riparian condition, and in-stream biodiversity values of
      local streams draining blue gum plantations in the Marbellup Brook catchment in
      Western Australia and to compare these values with those of streams associated
      with other land uses. Selected water quality and habitat variables and in-stream
      macroinvertebrate biodiversity were measured in 2006 and 2007 at 28 sites falling
      into five broad categories based on the predominant land use within 200 m of each
      study reach. Overall, the results indicated that "blue gum plantation" sites
      often had better water quality, riparian condition, and biodiversity values than
      "pasture unfenced," and sometimes "pasture fenced" sites, but water quality and
      biodiversity values at these sites were not as good as those associated with
      "remnant" native vegetation sites. The location of the blue gum plantation sites
      along the disturbance gradient investigated was attributed to both present
      management and past land uses in the subcatchments investigated. As this study
      was conducted at a time when blue gum plantations were in an on-growing phase, it
      was recommended that future research on the impact of blue gum plantations on
      waterways in southwestern Australia should include an investigation of the
      impacts of timber clear-cutting and extraction. Longer-term cumulative and
      downstream effects of blue gum plantations on local waterways also need to be
      investigated.

PMID- 20306139
TI  - Concentrations, distributions, and sources of polychlorinated biphenyls and
      polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in bed sediments of the water reservoirs in
      Slovakia.
AB  - Dredging water reservoirs is necessary to maintain accumulation capacity and to
      prevent floodings. As a first step, the quality of the bed sediments in water
      reservoirs must be determined before dredging operations. In this study, sediment
      samples from 34 stations of three selected water reservoirs (Zemplinska Sirava,
      Velke Kozmalovce, and Ruzin) were collected to investigate concentrations,
      distributions, and hazards of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic
      aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and to predict their possible sources. Total PCB
      concentrations were in the range of 20.4 to 2,325 ng/g. The maximum
      concentrations of PCBs were found in sediments from Zemplinska Sirava, which is
      in the vicinity of a former manufacturer of PCBs. The composition of PCBs was
      characterized by tri- and hexa-CB congeners, indicating the influence of
      contamination from the use of specific Delor mixtures, formerly produced and
      massively used on the territory of Slovakia. The data showed that the highest
      total PAH concentrations were associated with the sediments from the Velke
      Kozmalovce, ranging from 7,910 to 29,538 ng/g. On the other hand, the lowest
      total PAH concentrations (84-631 ng/g of dry weight) were found in the sediments
      of Zemplinska Sirava, an important recreational area in eastern Slovakia. The
      distribution of individual PAHs was similar among the three water reservoirs, and
      this, together with principal component analysis and diagnostic PAH ratios,
      suggests mainly pyrolytic contamination of the sediments. However, petrogenic
      inputs appear to be important in the Zemplinska Sirava sediments.

PMID- 20306140
TI  - An approach to partition the anthropogenic and natural components of heavy metal
      accumulations in roadside agricultural soil.
AB  - This paper describes a new approach that allows us to partition the anthropogenic
      and natural contributions to heavy metal accumulations in roadside agricultural
      soils. This approach, combining trend analysis and multivariate statistical
      analysis, partitions total heavy metals into three components: anthropogenic,
      natural, and unexplained residual. The approach was applied in a case study in
      Yixing City, China, to determine the spatial distributions of heavy metal
      accumulations. The results show that anthropogenic components of Pb, Cu, Zn, and
      Cd account for 52.4%, 23.04%, 5.09%, and 10.9% of total content, respectively.
      Spatial distributions of anthropogenic components are characterized by decreasing
      accumulation with increasing distance from the road. Ranges of influence of
      traffic for Pb, Cu, and Cd are beyond 300 m, whereas the range of Zn is less than
      200 m. The spatial distributions of the four elements' natural components show
      relatively similar distribution patterns. Assessments of variable partition
      methods show that the predicted values of Pb, Cu, Zn, and Cd are consistent with
      their measured values. The anthropogenic components extracted from total contents
      of heavy metal will be useful for modeling heavy metal accumulations produced by
      human activities.

PMID- 20306141
TI  - Investigation and assessment of volatile organic compounds in water sources in
      China.
AB  - 456 water samples collected from 152 water sources in 2006 were analyzed for 21
      volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Concentrations of 21 VOCs ranged from below
      method detection limits of the laboratory to 7.65 MUg/L (toluene), but seldom
      exceeded the concentration limits set in the National Drinking Water Quality
      Standards (GB5749-2006) or the National Environmental Quality Standards for
      Surface Water (GB3838-2002) of China. Of the 21 individual VOCs analyzed, 11 VOCs
      were detected in at least one sample at or above 1.0 MUg/L; 6.6% of the water
      samples had a detection of at least one VOC at or above 1.0 MUg/L, and 2.6% had a
      detection of at least two VOCs at or above 1.0 MUg/L. Based on the statistical
      data of detection frequencies above the method detection limits, 75% of the
      samples detected at least one VOC, and 65% of the samples detected at least two
      VOCs. Chloroform, toluene, and 1,2-dichloroethene were the three most frequently
      detected VOCs, with detection frequencies of 76.97%, 68.42%, and 44.08%,
      respectively. Volatile halogenated hydrocarbons and gasoline components were the
      two most frequently detected VOC groups.

PMID- 20306142
TI  - Structuring expert input for a knowledge-based approach to watershed condition
      assessment for the Northwest Forest Plan, USA.
AB  - Assessments of watershed condition for aquatic and riparian species often have to
      rely on expert opinion because of the complexity of establishing statistical
      relationships among the many factors involved. Such expert-based assessments can
      be difficult to document and apply consistently over time and space. We describe
      and reflect on the process of developing a computer-based decision support
      application from expert judgments for assessing aquatic and riparian conditions
      over the 100,000 km2 managed by the US federal government under the Northwest
      Forest Plan. The decision support system helped structure and document the
      assessment process and provided consistency and transparency to the evaluation
      methodology. However, many decisions and trade-offs were required in the expert
      engagement and model-building processes. Knowledge elicitation in an interactive
      group had a number of benefits over nominal group or Delphi processes, but
      efficient knowledge capture required considerable planning and expertise in the
      subject matter and modeling process. Communicating model results for validation
      was problematic and only effectively accomplished via in-person workshops. The
      choice to use different expert groups for each biophysical province provided more
      opportunities for participation and promoted greater ownership in the assessment,
      but it also led to increased variation among the resulting model structures. We
      propose three possible approaches for better managing the consistency of
      assessment models when multiple expert groups are involved.

PMID- 20306143
TI  - Controlled microscale diffusion gradients in quiescent extracellular fluid.
AB  - Microchannels offer a means of establishing concentration gradients of soluble
      factors over micron length scales representative of those in tissues. Here, we
      report the development of a microfluidic channel system wherein a hydrogel has
      been patterned to generate temporally and spatially stable concentration
      gradients of multiple solutes in quiescent extracellular fluid. The fluorophore
      Alexa Fluor 488 and a fluorescent glucose analog are used as probes to illustrate
      the generation of stable, reproducible, and linear probe concentration gradients.
      A method is described for estimating the diffusivity and hydrogel permeability of
      a solute from in situ imaging data. Concentration gradients are also generated in
      the presence of a mouse insulinoma cell line to demonstrate the compatibility of
      the system with living cells. The net transport and metabolism rate of the
      glucose analog is found to be heterogeneous and independent of the applied
      extracellular gradient. This system may be suitable for the study of cell
      response to various extracellular gradients of soluble factors.

PMID- 20306144
TI  - Genotypic characterization of environmental isolates of Cryptococcus gattii from
      Puerto Rico.
AB  - Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii are found in distinct
      environments with some overlap around different parts of the world. However, no
      systematic surveys of these two pathogens have been reported from Puerto Rico, a
      tropical island uniquely situated between mainland USA and countries in South
      America. We carried out an exhaustive environmental survey in southwestern Puerto
      Rico for pathogenic Cryptococcus species. Twenty-two presumptive isolates of C.
      gattii from cacti and tree detritus were characterized in detail by physiological
      and molecular methods and seventeen strains were confirmed as C. gattii.
      Cryptococcus gattii isolates were haploid and majority of them were MATa
      [corrected] strains. Sixteen out of seventeen C. gattii isolates belonged to
      VGII/AFLP6 genotype while one isolate was a VGIV/AFLP7 genotype. The results are
      significant as Puerto Rico strains are distinct from VGIII/AFLP5 strains reported
      from Southern California, but similar to C. gattii VGII/AFLP6 molecular type
      implicated in recent outbreaks of cryptococcosis in Pacific Northwest and British
      Columbia, Canada, but different in its M13 fingerprinting, and a common genotype
      in South America.

PMID- 20306145
TI  - Crystal structure of the three FK506 binding protein domains of wheat FKBP73:
      evidence for a unique wFK73_2 domain.
AB  - Here we describe the crystal structure of the N-terminal domain of the FK506
      binding protein (FKBP) from wheat (wFKBP73), which is the first structure
      presenting three FK domains (wFK73_1, wFK73_2 and wFK73_3). The crystal model
      includes wFK73_2 and wFK73_3 domains and only part of the wFK73_1 domain. The
      wFK73_1 domain is responsible for binding FK506 and for peptidyl prolyl cis/trans
      isomerase (PPIase) activity, while the wFK73_2 and wFK73_3 domains lack these
      activities. A structure-based sequence comparison demonstrated that the absence
      of a large enough hydrophobic pocket important for PPIase activity, and of the
      conserved residues necessary for drug binding in the wFK73_2 and wFK73_3 domains
      explains the lack of these activities in these domains. Sequence and structural
      comparison between the three wFKBP73 domains suggest that the wFK73_2 domain is
      the most divergent. A structural comparison of the FK domains of wFKBP73 with
      other FKBPs containing more than one FK domain, revealed that while the overall
      architecture of each of the three FK domains displays a typical FKBP fold, their
      relative arrangement in space is unique and may have important functional
      implications. We suggest that the existence of FKBPs with three FK domains offers
      additional interactive options for these plant proteins enlarging the overall
      regulatory functions of these proteins.

PMID- 20306146
TI  - Protective effects of Flos lonicera extract on acute liver injury by
      dimethylnitrosamine-induced in rats.
AB  - The aim of this study is to investigate effects of Flos lonicera extract (FLE) on
      acute liver injury model rats which induced by 35 mg/kg dimethylnitrosamine
      (DMN). Model rats were divided into hepatic injury control group (administrated
      with water), FLE group (administrated with FLE) and silymarin group
      (administrated with silymarin which is hepatotherapeutic drug) as positive
      control. They were examined including ALT, AST, ALP, gamma-GT, ALB and TP levels
      in serum, and MDA, GPx levels in liver tissue. In addition, pathologic changes,
      particularly fibrosis, were examined by Azan staining. The results revealed that
      the ALT, AST, ALP, gamma-GT, MDA GPx and liver fibrosis degree in the LJE group
      were lower than the silymarin group and control group, ALB and TP were higher
      than the silymarin group and control group. These results suggested that LJE may
      help in inhibiting of acute liver injury greater than silymarin.

PMID- 20306147
TI  - Product-form stationary distributions for deficiency zero chemical reaction
      networks.
AB  - We consider stochastically modeled chemical reaction systems with mass-action
      kinetics and prove that a product-form stationary distribution exists for each
      closed, irreducible subset of the state space if an analogous deterministically
      modeled system with mass-action kinetics admits a complex balanced equilibrium.
      Feinberg's deficiency zero theorem then implies that such a distribution exists
      so long as the corresponding chemical network is weakly reversible and has a
      deficiency of zero. The main parameter of the stationary distribution for the
      stochastically modeled system is a complex balanced equilibrium value for the
      corresponding deterministically modeled system. We also generalize our main
      result to some non-mass-action kinetics.

PMID- 20306148
TI  - Genetic ablation of CD36 does not alter mouse brain polyunsaturated fatty acid
      concentrations.
AB  - In the brain, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), especially arachidonic acid and
      docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are required for regulating membrane fluidity,
      neuronal survival and signal transduction. Since the brain cannot synthesize n-6
      and n-3 PUFA de novo, they must be supplied from the blood. However, the methods
      of PUFA entry into the brain are not agreed upon. This study tested the necessity
      of CD36, a candidate transporter of unesterified fatty acids, for maintaining
      brain PUFA concentrations by comparing brain PUFA concentrations in CD36(-/-)
      mice to their wild-type littermates. Because CD36(-/-) mice have been reported to
      have impaired learning ability, the PUFA concentrations in different brain
      regions (cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum and the remainder of brain) were
      investigated. At 9 weeks of age, the brain was separated into the four regions
      and fatty acid concentrations in total and phospholipid classes of these brain
      regions were analyzed using thin layer and gas chromatography. There were no
      statistical differences in arachidonic acid or DHA concentrations in the
      different brain regions between wild-type and CD36(-/-) mice, in total or
      phospholipid fractions. Concentrations of monounsaturated fatty acids were
      decreased in several phospholipid fractions in CD36(-/-) mice. These findings
      suggest that CD36 is not necessary for maintaining brain PUFA concentrations and
      that other mechanisms must exist.

PMID- 20306149
TI  - Dependence on emergency care among young adults in the United States.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Young adults have a high prevalence of many preventable diseases and
      frequently lack a usual source of ambulatory care, yet little is known about
      their use of the emergency department. OBJECTIVE: To characterize care provided
      to young adults in the emergency department. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS:
      Cross-sectional analysis of visits from young adults age 20 to 29 presenting to
      emergency departments (N = 17,048) and outpatient departments (N = 14,443) in the
      National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Ambulatory Medical
      Care Survey. MAIN MEASURES: Visits to the emergency department compared to
      ambulatory offices. RESULTS: Emergency department care accounts for 21.6% of all
      health care visits from young adults, more than children/adolescents (12.6%; P <
      0.001) or patients 30 years and over (8.3%; P < 0.001). Visits from young adults
      were considerably more likely to occur in the emergency department for both
      injury-related and non-injury-related reasons compared to children/adolescents (P
      < 0.001) or older adults (P < 0.001). Visits from black young adults were more
      likely than whites to occur in the emergency department (36.2% vs.19.2%; P <
      0.001) rather than outpatient offices. The proportion of care delivered to black
      young adults in the emergency department increased between 1996 and 2006 (25.9%
      to 38.5%; P = 0.001 for trend). In 2006, nearly half (48.5%) of all health care
      provided to young black men was delivered through emergency departments. The
      urgency of young adult emergency visits was less than other age groups and few
      (4.7%) resulted in hospital admission. CONCLUSIONS: A considerable amount of care
      provided to young adults is delivered through emergency departments. Trends
      suggest that young adults are increasingly relying on emergency departments for
      health care, while being seen for less urgent indications.

PMID- 20306150
TI  - Factors associated with hepatitis B testing among Vietnamese Americans.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis B-associated liver cancer is a
      major health disparity among Vietnamese Americans, who have a chronic hepatitis B
      prevalence rate of 7-14% and an incidence rate for liver cancer six times that of
      non-Latino whites. OBJECTIVE: Describe factors associated with hepatitis B
      testing among Vietnamese Americans. DESIGN: A population-based telephone survey
      conducted in 2007-2008. PARTICIPANTS: Vietnamese Americans age 18-64 and living
      in the Northern California and Washington, DC areas (N = 1,704). MAIN MEASURES:
      Variables included self-reports of sociodemographics, health care factors, and
      hepatitis B-related behaviors, knowledge, beliefs, and communication with others.
      The main outcome variable was self-reported receipt of hepatitis B testing. KEY
      RESULTS: The cooperation rate was 63.1% and the response rate was 27.4%. Only 62%
      of respondents reported having received a hepatitis B test and 26%, hepatitis B
      vaccination. Only 54% knew that hepatitis B could be transmitted by sexual
      intercourse. In multivariable analyses, factors negatively associated with
      testing included: age 30-49 years, US residence for >10 years, less Vietnamese
      fluency, lower income, and believing that hepatitis B can be deadly. Factors
      positively associated with testing included: Northern California residence,
      having had hepatitis B vaccination, having discussed hepatitis B with
      family/friends, and employer requested testing. Physician recommendation of
      hepatitis B testing (OR 4.46, 95% CI 3.36, 5.93) and respondent's request for
      hepatitis B testing (OR 8.37, 95% CI 5.95, 11.78) were strongly associated with
      test receipt. CONCLUSION: Self-reports of hepatitis B testing among Vietnamese
      Americans remain unacceptably low. Physician recommendation and patient request
      were the factors most strongly associated with test receipt. A comprehensive
      effort is needed to promote hepatitis B testing in this population, including
      culturally-targeted community outreach, increased access to testing, and
      physician education.

PMID- 20306151
TI  - Optimal technical management of stump closure following distal pancreatectomy: a
      retrospective review of 215 cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pancreatic fistula (PF) is a major source of morbidity following
      distal pancreatectomy (DP). Our aim was to identify risk factors related to PF
      following DP and to determine the impact of technique of transection and stump
      closure. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of 215 consecutive patients
      who underwent DP. Perioperative and postoperative data were collected and
      analyzed with attention to PF as defined by the International Study Group of
      Pancreatic Fistula. RESULTS: PF developed in 36 patients (16.7%); fistulas were
      classified as Grade A (44.4%), B (44.4%), or C (11.1%). The pancreas was
      transected with stapler (n = 139), cautery (n = 70), and scalpel (n = 3). PF
      developed in 19.8% of remnants which were stapled/oversewn and 27.7% that were
      stapled alone (p = 0.4). Of the 69 pancreatic remnants transected with cautery
      and oversewn, a fistula developed in 4.3% (p = 0.004 compared to
      stapled/oversewn; p = 0.006 compared to stapled/not sewn). The median length of
      postoperative hospital stay was significantly increased in patients who developed
      PF (10 vs. 6 days, p = 0.002) CONCLUSION: The method of transection and
      management of the pancreatic remnant plays a critical role in the formation of PF
      following DP. This series suggests that transection using electrocautery followed
      by oversewing of the pancreatic remnant has the lowest risk of PF.

PMID- 20306152
TI  - Transumbilical totally laparoscopic single-port Nissen fundoplication: a new
      method of liver retraction: the Istanbul technique.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the Turkish Republic, had guarded
      many German scientists of a Jewish descent before the Second World War. Dr.
      Rudolf Nissen was one of the outstanding surgeons who had served in the Turkish
      university hospitals. He had created an antireflux procedure which is named after
      his own name while he was working in our clinic, the Cerrahpasa Hospital. From a
      laparoscopic approach, the Nissen fundoplication was the gold standard
      intervention for the surgical treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease
      (GERD). Currently, video laparoscopic surgery is evolving quickly with the
      guidance of new technology. Single-port (SP) laparoscopic transumbilical surgery
      is one of the newest branches of advanced laparoscopy. DISCUSSION: Simple or
      complex manipulations may be performed with SP laparoscopic transumbilical
      surgery. The advantages, which are gained from conventional laparoscopy, can be
      invigorated by an SP laparoscopic approach. The retraction technique of the liver
      and the optical system were the most important factors, which made the Nissen
      fundoplication possible via single port. Here, we report that totally
      laparoscopic transumbilical SP Nissen fundoplication procedure was performed in
      three patients for sliding hiatal hernia with GERD. CONCLUSION: Totally
      laparoscopic transumbilical SP Nissen fundoplication is a safe and feasible
      technique for the surgical treatment of GERD.

PMID- 20306153
TI  - BioEnterics(r) intragastric balloon (BIB(r)). Single ambulatory center Spanish
      experience with 714 consecutive patients treated with one or two consecutive
      balloons.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The BioEnterics(r) Intragastric Balloon (BIB(r)) is a well
      established device for temporary treatment in morbidly obese patients. The aim of
      this study is the evaluation, in a population of 714 consecutive outpatient
      setting cases, BIB(r) results in terms of weight loss and comorbidity change.
      METHODS: BIB(r) was positioned in all cases after diagnostic endoscopy. The
      device was inflated under direct endoscopic vision with saline solution (600-700
      ml) and methylene blue (10 ml). Intubation was carried out in patients with body
      mass index (BMI) > 40 kg/m(2) affected by sleep apnea or chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease. After 6 months, balloon removal was carried out, and patients
      were discharged with drug therapy and 1,000 kcal diet. More than 100 patients
      underwent a second consecutive balloon positioning. One month from the removal of
      the first BIB, patients were given a second BIB. Patients were followed up
      weekly. Mortality, complications and their treatment, postplacement symptoms,
      comorbidities, BMI, percentage of excess BMI loss (%EBL), and percentage of
      excess weight loss (%EWL) were considered. Data are expressed as mean +/-
      standard deviation. RESULTS: From June 1, 2005, to May 31, 2007, 714 patients
      underwent BIB(r) placement (143 males/571 females; mean age, 38.4 +/- 16.1; mean
      BMI, 37.6 +/- 5.7 kg/m(2); mean EW, 56.3 +/- 27.1 kg). After 6 months, mean BMI
      was 31.1 +/- 7.2, mean %EWL was 41.6 +/- 21.8, mean BMI loss was 6.5 +/- 12.7,
      and mean %EBL was 44.5 +/- 22.6. Of 714 patients, 112 underwent a second BIB
      placement. At the time of the second balloon placement, mean BMI was 32.9 +/- 6.7
      kg/m(2); range was 31-51. After the second balloon removal, mean BMI was 30.3 +/-
      7.2. CONCLUSIONS: BIB(r) treatment is a safe and effective procedure for weight
      reduction, without mortality and with very low morbidity rates even in
      nonhospitalized patients. A second balloon can also be positioned without
      difficulties, achieving good results after 12 months of treatment.

PMID- 20306154
TI  - Psychological assessments of bariatric surgery patients. Development,
      reliability, and exploratory factor analysis of the PsyBari.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bariatric surgery patients are required to receive psychological
      clearance before they are eligible for surgery. In spite of this, there are no
      standard assessment practices or tests designed specifically for these
      evaluations. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to determine the
      reliability and construct validity of the PsyBari, a psychological test designed
      for bariatric surgery patients. METHODS: The PsyBari was administered to 752
      patients. Internal consistency reliability and exploratory factor analyses were
      conducted. RESULTS: Items with high percentages of missing data, low
      communalities, and low item loadings were identified and deleted. Cronbach's
      alpha = 0.930 (0.940 for males and 0.927 for females). Six factors were obtained
      for each gender: for females, awareness of eating habits, early life problems due
      to weight, dysphoric feelings about weight, weight-related impairment, surgical
      anxiety, and guilty feelings related to eating; for males, physical impairment
      with depression, awareness of eating habits, early life problems due to weight,
      interpersonal support with anxiety about weight, anger, and guilty feelings about
      eating habits. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that there are unique psychometric
      parameters when constructing tests for bariatric surgery patients. The PsyBari
      has good overall reliability, although two of the 11 subscales have poor
      reliability. Factor analyses revealed six factors for each gender. Some factors
      were common for both genders, some were unique for each gender, and some
      consisted of mixed constructs.

PMID- 20306155
TI  - Use of mesophilic fungal amylases produced by solid-state fermentation in the
      cold hydrolysis of raw babassu cake starch.
AB  - Amylases constitute one of the most important groups of industrial enzymes,
      presenting several applications, such as in the food, textile, and ethanol
      manufacturing. In this work, a starchy residue from the Brazilian agroindustry,
      namely babassu cake, was used for the production of amylases by solid-state
      fermentation and for obtaining sugar hydrolysates, which can be used as building
      blocks for future bioconversions. Eight filamentous fungi from the genera
      Aspergillus and Penicillium were screened. Regarding amylase production, A.
      awamori strains showed well-balanced endoamylase and exoamylase activities, while
      A. wentii produced an amylolytic complex much richer in the endo-acting enzymes.
      Simultaneous liquefaction and saccharification using the crude enzyme extracts
      from the four most promising fungal strains was then investigated applying DOE
      techniques. The highest total reducing sugar content (24.70 g L(-1)) was obtained
      by the crude extract from A. awamori IOC-3914, corresponding to a hydrolysis
      yield of 52% of total starch in the cake, while A. awamori IOC-3915 produced the
      most appropriate extract in terms of glucose release (maximum of 5.52 g L(-1)).
      Multivariate analysis of the DOE studies indicated that these extracts showed
      their best performance at 50-57 degrees C under acid conditions (pH 3.6-4.5), but
      were also able to act satisfactorily under milder conditions (36 degrees C and pH
      5.0), when TRS and glucose released were about 65% of the maximum values
      obtained. These data confirm the high potential of the enzyme extracts under
      study for cold hydrolysis of starch.

PMID- 20306156
TI  - The development of gastric cancer in a patient with polycythemia Vera, 3P
      deletion, and JAK2 V617F mutation.
AB  - 3p deletion which is frequently associated with solitary tumors and hematological
      malignancies is a chromosomal abnormality. Recently, Janus kinase-2 (JAK2) V617F
      mutation has an important role in the diagnosis of myeloproliferative disorders,
      especially in polycythemia vera (PV). We reported the development of gastric
      cancer in a 75-year-old patient with PV, 3p 12-14 deletion and JAK2 V617F
      mutation. PV was diagnosed according to the classification of World Health
      Organization. JAK2 V617F mutation with polymerase chain reaction and 3p12-14
      deletion with cytogenetic examination of the bone marrow were detected. We
      investigated solitary tumors in the patient using computed tomographies of
      thorax, neck, ear, nose, and throat. However, they were normal. After 2 years,
      gastric cancer appeared in the patient. In conclusion, cytogenetic examination
      may be important in both the development and the diagnosis of hematological
      malignancies and solitary tumors. So the patients should be followed closely.

PMID- 20306157
TI  - The prevalence of the mutation in codon 249 of the P53 gene in patients with
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Turkey.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers in the
      worldwide. Aflotoxins, products of Aspergillus Flavus found in the high humidity
      environments induce HCC in humans by causing mutations in oncogenes such as codon
      249 mutation of p53 in hepatocytes. In turkey, aflatoxins are found to be
      increased in some foods in certain areas, such as Istanbul which have high
      humidity. In present study we aimed to look for the prevalence of codon 249
      mutation of p53 in patients with HCC, cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis B (CHB).
      METHODS: DNA was extracted from plasma and mutation was detected by PCR-RFLP
      method. RESULTS: the codon 249 mutation of p53 is found one out of 50 HCC (2%)
      patients. In conclusion, although codon 249 mutation of p53 gene has been found
      very rare but it exists showing the effect of aflatoxins in HCC patients in
      Turkey.

PMID- 20306158
TI  - Heterogeneity of mitochondrial membrane potential: a novel tool to isolate and
      identify cancer stem cells from a tumor mass?
AB  - It is believed that cancer stem cells (CSCs) are precursors for the formation,
      development, and recurrence of malignant tumors. However, it has proven difficult
      to isolate and enrich these rare, undifferentiated cells from heterogeneous tumor
      masses. With some existing reports and preliminary results in mind, we
      hypothesized that the mitochondrial membrane potential within a tumor mass was
      heterogeneous and could be used as a tool to isolate and enrich CSCs.

PMID- 20306159
TI  - Prolonged time to progression with fulvestrant for metastatic breast cancer.
AB  - Although the incidence of breast cancer has been declining in recent years, the
      disease is still one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in women. Recently,
      breast cancer has been treated with innovative approaches that use hormone
      sensitive therapies. This is because in at least one-third of breast cancers,
      estrogens mediated via the estrogen receptor pathway act as endocrine growth
      factors. Fulvestrant has been studied as both first- and second-line therapy for
      locally advanced and metastatic breast cancer, but few studies have shown its
      effect as third-line therapy alone. To observe the disease time to progression
      (TTP) obtained with fulvestrant when used on metastatic breast cancer as first-,
      second-, and also third-line therapy. We also aimed to correlate the TTP obtained
      with fulvestrant with hormone receptor, HER2 expression, and metastatic site.
      This was a cohort study that retrospectively examined medical records of 73
      postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer who were treated with
      fulvestrant (250 mg/month i.m. injection) and followed at the Department of
      Medical Oncology at Hospital do Cancer A. C. Camargo in Sao Paulo, Brazil from
      August 2003 to December 2006. The median TTP with fulvestrant was about 11
      months. When used as the first-line therapy, TTP was about 13 months; when used
      as second-line, TTP was about 6 months; and when used as third-line, it was about
      12 months. No statistically significant difference was observed regarding the
      therapy line. In patients with positive ER tumors, TTP was 11 months. No
      significant difference in TTP was observed in negative ER tumors (TTP = 10
      months). In patients with positive PgR tumors, TTP was 13 months and for negative
      PgR, TTP was 6 months (P = 0.008). According to the HER2 status, the TTP was 5
      months for HER2+ and 10 months for HER2-. Our findings indicate that fulvestrant
      is an effective alternative for treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

PMID- 20306161
TI  - FDG-PET/CT imaging in assessing mucin-producing non-small cell lung cancer with
      pathologic correlation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe the PET/CT findings of
      mucin-producing non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and how those findings are
      associated with pathology. METHODS: A review of all patients with FDG-PET/CT
      identified 11 patients with histopathologically confirmed mucin-producing NSCLC;
      3 mucinous bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (mBAC), 5 mixed-type adenocarcinoma with
      prominent mucinous BAC pattern (ADENO + mBAC), and 3 mixed-type adenocarcinoma
      with mucin production (ADENO + MUCIN) in our institute. RESULTS: Among 11
      patients, only 2 lesions (18%) evidenced positive PET results for standardized
      uptake value (SUV) of 3.5 (by ROC analysis) whereas all cases were detected
      correctly at CT. The mean SUV was 2.0 in the 9 lesions not detected and 2.5 in
      all cases. The mean SUV of pure mBAC was 1.93, that of mucin-producing
      adenocarcinoma was 2.69 without a significant difference (p = 0.279). No
      significant correlations between tumor size or stage and SUV were determined.
      CONCLUSIONS: PET/CT for SUV is limited in the detection of mucin-producing NSCLC.
      Therefore, the CT component of PET/CT may allow for significantly improved
      sensitivity and help to reduce delayed diagnose. The SUV in mBACs were lower than
      the other types of mucin-producing adenocarcinoma; however, we determined no
      significant difference to exist between the SUVs of two groups of lung cancer.

PMID- 20306160
TI  - Weight gain after adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with early breast cancer in
      Istanbul Turkey.
AB  - Weight gain is a well-known and unwanted complication of adjuvant chemotherapy in
      breast cancer. We observed that the female Turkish cancer patients frequently
      gain weight with adjuvant treatment of breast cancer and planned to examine the
      magnitude of this problem in early breast cancer patients treated at our
      hospital. A total of 176 early breast cancer patients who received their adjuvant
      systemic therapy in Marmara University Hospital between 2003 and 2007 are
      included in the study. We recorded their weight before and after chemotherapy and
      also a year after chemotherapy to find out whether the change with weight is
      transitory. We have also recorded demographic information, including the
      educational level, menopausal status, the type of chemotherapy or hormonal
      treatment administered stage of disease, marital status, occupation and the
      underlying diseases to analyze the relationship between change in weight and
      these parameters. Median age of patients was 53 and 72% of patients were
      postmenopausal. Educational level was equally distributed for primary education
      (27%), high school (40%), and university (33%). The majority of the patients
      (76%) was married, had two children (69%) and was housewife (60%). Family history
      of any cancer was high (32%). Most of the patients had stage II cancer (56%),
      received anthracyclines+/- taxane based chemotherapy (98%) and had no underlying
      disease (68%). The majority also did not smoke (73%) or drink alcohol (93%). A
      total of 67% and 72% patients gained weight upon completion and one year after
      completion of chemotherapy. Mean weight before the chemotherapy, upon completion
      of chemotherapy and one year after completion of chemotherapy were 68.9 kg, 70.6
      kg (P = 0.000) and 71.9 kg (P = 0.000) respectively. Mean body mass index was
      27.1 at baseline, 27.8 upon completion of chemotherapy (P = 0.000) and 28.3 one
      year after completion of chemotherapy (P = 0.000). Age, menopausal status,
      multiparity and presence of comorbid diseases had statistically significant
      impact on weight gain following adjuvant therapy in breast cancer patients (P =
      0.000, P = 0.008, P = 0.015 and P = 0.017 respectively). This study shows that
      Turkish women with early breast cancer gain weight after adjuvant systemic
      therapy, in line with European and American counterparts. This increase in weight
      is maintained at least one year after adjuvant therapy. Given the adverse
      consequences of weight gain in terms of both breast cancer prognosis and general
      health, it is necessary to inform patients about this change and to develop
      strategies for weight maintenance during and after systemic therapy.

PMID- 20306163
TI  - 50 Years ago in CORR: epidemiology of fracture in aged persons: a preliminary
      investigation in fracture etiology Goran C. H. Bauer CORR 1960;17:219-225.

PMID- 20306162
TI  - Calcium phosphate cement with BMP-2-loaded gelatin microspheres enhances bone
      healing in osteoporosis: a pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The capacity for bone healing reportedly is limited in osteoporosis
      with a less than ideal environment for healing of bone grafts. We therefore
      developed a composite bone substitute with rhBMP-2 loaded gelatin microsphere
      (GM) and calcium phosphate cement (CPC) to use in osteoporosis.
      QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: We asked whether (1) controlled release of rhBMP-2 could be
      improved in this composite bone substitute and (2) increasing factors released
      from the bone substitute could accelerate osteoporotic bone healing. METHODS: We
      soaked rhBMP-2/GM/CPC and rhBMP-2/CPC composites in simulated body fluid for 28
      days and then determined the amount of rhBMP-2 released. Both composites were
      implanted in bone defects of osteoporotic goats and left in place for 45 and 140
      days; the specimens then were evaluated mechanically (pushout test) and
      morphologically (CT scanning, histology). RESULTS: The in vitro study showed the
      new composite released more rhBMP-2 compared with rhBMP-2/CPC. CT showed the
      defects healed more quickly with new grafts. The bone mineralization rate was
      greater in rhBMP-2/GM/CPC than in rhBMP-2/CPC after 45 days of implantation and
      the pushout test was stronger after 45 and 140 days of implantation. CONCLUSIONS:
      The new graft composite released more loaded factors and appeared to repair
      osteoporotic bone defects. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These preliminary data suggest the
      new composite can be used as a bone substitute to accelerate healing of fractures
      and bone defects in osteoporosis.

PMID- 20306164
TI  - Percutaneous radiofrequency epiphysiodesis in a rabbit model: a pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Techniques for epiphysiodesis have evolved from open surgical
      techniques requiring direct observation of the physis to percutaneous techniques
      performed with fluoroscopy. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: Our purposes were to (1) describe
      a new minimally invasive surgical technique used to achieve epiphysiodesis using
      radiofrequency ablation, (2) document the effect of radiofrequency ablation on
      tibia length at 2, 6, and 12 weeks after ablation in a skeletally immature rabbit
      model, and (3) assess the effects of radiofrequency ablation on the histologic
      appearance of the proximal tibia physis and proximal tibia articular cartilage.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed epiphysiodesis of the rabbit proximal tibia
      on 15 skeletally immature male New Zealand White rabbits using a 22-gauge
      radiofrequency probe. The probe was positioned percutaneously and heated to 90
      degrees C for 4 minutes on the medial and lateral (1/2) of the physis. The
      opposite tibia was used as a control. Five animals were sacrificed at 2, 6, or 12
      weeks postoperatively. Tibia length was compared using Faxitron(R) radiographs
      and electronic calipers. Histology of the growth plate was assessed with light
      microscopy. RESULTS: We observed differences in tibia length between 4.16 mm and
      11.59 mm (average 7.86 mm) at 12 weeks. The proximal tibia physis closed
      radiographically and histologically in all animals by 12 weeks. Histologic
      analysis showed no evidence of articular cartilage injury. CONCLUSIONS: This
      technique was reproducible and resulted in bone fusion of the rabbit proximal
      tibial growth plate. The use of radiofrequency ablation as described in this
      report may be used as an alternative to other surgical epiphysiodesis techniques.
      CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This technique may be useful for epiphysiodesis of small
      tubular bones of the hands and feet in humans.

PMID- 20306165
TI  - Introduction to special series: The great debate--evaluating the health
      implications of positive psychology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In recent years, investigators have focused increased attention on
      positive psychology constructs and their associations with health outcomes, such
      as morbidity, mortality, and adaptation to illness. The database regarding some
      of these concepts and models has grown appreciably, but work in this area has
      been subject to controversy. PURPOSE: This special series of papers offers
      contrasting perspectives regarding research on positive psychology and health.
      Both proponents and critics were invited to review recent developments concerning
      a number of positive constructs that have been evaluated in the oncology
      literature and in health research, more generally. METHODS: Papers are presented
      in the format of a debate. Significant advances are reviewed by one set of
      investigators, Drs, Lisa G. Aspinwall and Richard G. Tedeschi, while shortcomings
      and concerns are highlighted by another set of investigators, Drs. James C. Coyne
      and Howard Tennen. Each of these review papers is followed by a rebuttal by the
      opposing side. A commentary on the exchange is provided by Dr. Sherri Sheinfeld
      Gorin. RESULTS: These papers address a range of important considerations
      regarding conceptualization of constructs, methodological rigor, dissemination of
      findings, and implications for practice. CONCLUSION: The critiques and
      recommendations offered in these papers may help inform future efforts in this
      area, as the field continues to evolve.

PMID- 20306166
TI  - Minute myopericytoma of the neck: a case report with literature review and
      differential diagnosis.
AB  - Reports of cutaneous myopericytoma (MPC) are very rare. The author herein reports
      a case of minute MPC of the neck. A 56-year-old woman noticed a painful small
      tumor in the neck, and consulted to our hospital. Dermatologists's diagnosis is a
      hyperplastic lymph node. Excision of the tumor was performed. Grossly, the tumor
      was a sold white tumor measuring 3 * 3 * 3 mm. Microscopically, it consisted of
      many vascular channels and perivascular cell proliferation encased by a fibrous
      capsule. The vascular proliferation showed a hemangiopericytoma (HPC)-like
      pattern such as staghorn-like vessels. Fibrosis was not present. The HPC-like
      cells had vesicular nuclei and polygonal cytoplasm. No atypia is recognized. The
      HPC-like cells focally showed vague nodular proliferation around the vessels.
      Immunohistocheically, the tumor cells were negative for cytokeratin, and positive
      for vimentin. The vasculatures were positive for factor VIII-related antigen,
      CD34, and CD31. The HPC-like tumor cells were positive for alpha-smooth muscle
      actin and h-caldesmon, but negative for desmin, S100 protein, melanosome, bcl-2,
      CD99, and KIT. The Ki-67 labeling was 8% and p53 was negative. The pathologic
      diagnosis was MPC of the neck skin. The patient is now alive without recurrence 4
      years after the excision. A review of the literature revealed 73 cases of MPC
      from 6 papers. MPC is male predominance, and the patients ages ranges from 13 to
      87 years with the median of 47 years. The most common location was lower
      extremities followed in order by upper extremities, head and neck, and trunk. One
      MPC occurred within the vasculature, and 3 cases of MPC developed in the scar or
      trauma lesions. The prognosis after excision is good, but a very minority showed
      local recurrence. A differential diagnosis was also made.

PMID- 20306167
TI  - Functional importance of the astrocytic glycogen-shunt and glycolysis for
      maintenance of an intact intra/extracellular glutamate gradient.
AB  - It has been proposed that a considerable fraction of glucose metabolism proceeds
      via the glycogen-shunt consisting of conversion of glucose units to glycogen
      residues and subsequent production of glucose-1-phosphate to be metabolized in
      glycolysis after conversion to glucose-6-phosphate. The importance of this as
      well as the significance of ATP formed in glycolysis versus that formed by the
      concerted action of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle processes and oxidative
      phosphorylation for maintenance of glutamate transport capacity in astrocytes is
      discussed. It is argued that glycolytically derived energy in the form of ATP may
      be of particular functional importance in this context.

PMID- 20306168
TI  - Which xenobiotic(s) could be responsible for the radiologic findings below?
      Answer: any proconvulsant xenobiotic, in this case tramadol, bupropion, and
      nortriptyline.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The proconvulsive properties of tramadol, bupropion, and
      nortriptyline have been well documented. Spinal fractures secondary to drug
      induced seizures have been rarely reported. CASE REPORT: A 39-year-old female
      presented with a chief complaint of back pain. She went to bed feeling well in a
      separate room from her husband. During the previous night, he heard a noise and
      went into her room, finding her confused and twisted in an awkward position on
      her bed. Later she complained to him of severe back pain, prompting transport to
      a hospital. Shortly after arrival in the emergency department, staff witnessed a
      generalized convulsion. Following a one-hour post-ictal period, she complained of
      worsened back pain. Lab studies were normal, including a urine tox screen for
      drugs of abuse. No alcohol was implicated. ECG showed sinus rhythm, HR 113
      beats/min, QRS 108 ms, QTc 389 ms. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was
      normal. X-ray and an MRI of the thoracic spine confirmed four contiguous
      vertebral compression fractures, from T2 through T5. EEG showed diffuse changes
      consistent with a metabolic or toxicologic process. She denied taking any drugs
      other than prescribed doses of her medications, which included tramadol,
      bupropion, and nortriptyline. She had no previous history of seizures, head
      injury, or CVA. Bupropion and tramadol were discontinued, and seizures did not
      recur. CASE DISCUSSION: This patient's history, EEG findings, and brain imaging
      all point to a metabolic or toxic cause. It is likely that her three
      proconvulsant medications--even at therapeutic doses--synergistically lowered her
      seizure threshold or even precipitated her seizures. Retrospective studies and
      case reports portray these drugs as potentially offending agents. CONCLUSIONS:
      Sudden onset of back pain during sleep can be an important clue to a seizure
      complicated by vertebral compression fractures, even in the absence of trauma.
      Toxicology consultation in seizures of unclear etiology can help discern drugs
      that offend even in therapeutic doses.

PMID- 20306169
TI  - Severe neurotoxicity following ingestion of tetraethyl lead.
AB  - Organic lead compounds are potent neurotoxins which can result in death even from
      small exposures. Traditionally, these compounds are found in fuel stabilizers,
      anti-knock agents, and leaded gasoline. Cases of acute organic lead intoxication
      have not been reported for several decades. We report a case of a 13-year-old
      Iraqi male who unintentionally ingested a fuel stabilizer containing 80-90%
      tetraethyl lead, managed at our combat support hospital. The patient developed
      severe neurologic symptoms including agitation, hallucinations, weakness, and
      tremor. These symptoms were refractory to escalating doses of benzodiazepines and
      ultimately required endotracheal intubation and a propofol infusion. Adjunctive
      therapies included chelation, baclofen, and nutrition provided through a
      gastrostomy tube. The patient slowly recovered and was discharged in a wheelchair
      20 days after ingestion, still requiring tube feeding. Follow-up at 62 days post
      ingestion revealed near-resolution of symptoms with residual slurred speech and
      slight limp. This case highlights the profound neurotoxic manifestations of acute
      organic lead compounds.

PMID- 20306170
TI  - Spatial and temporal variations of heavy metals in surface sediments in Bohai
      Bay, North China.
AB  - Characteristics of the spatial and temporal distributions of selected heavy
      metals (Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb and Hg) in Bohai Bay, north China was examined. Surface
      sediment samples from 15 sites were collected and analyzed for the selected
      metals with atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) from the year of 1997-2007. Mean
      concentrations of metals in the 11-year period showed that Hg and Zn
      concentrations slightly fluctuated, while Cu, Cd and Pb concentrations in
      sediments varied with time. High levels of heavy metals occurred not only along
      the shoreline but also at some site in the inner part of the bay, suggesting the
      contamination sources of heavy metals from both terrestrial inputs and the
      atmospheric deposition. Compared with the environmental background values of
      selected heavy metals it indicated that anthropogenic activities influenced the
      sediment quality. The contamination factor C(fi), which is used to evaluate the
      pollution of the environment, showed that the contamination by selected heavy
      metals was moderate. Cd, Zn and Pb were the main polluting elements in this area.

PMID- 20306171
TI  - Dynamics of carbendazim residue in Panax notoginseng and soil.
AB  - To provide scientific information for GAP of P. notoginseng and guiding the
      farmers and enterprises of Chinese medicine, dynamics of carbendazim residue in
      the Chinese medicinal herb, P. notoginseng and cultivated soil was studied at
      Wenshan County in 2008. The half lives of carbendazim in P. notoginseng were 5.92
      6.82 day (soil), 6.71-6.77 day (fresh leaf), 3.29-3.93 day (fresh root), and
      31.50-36.67 day (powder of the dry root) separately. Carbendazim residues in P.
      notoginseng were more stable during storage stage than growing stage.

PMID- 20306172
TI  - Sensitivity comparison of laboratory-cultured and field-collected amphipod
      Corophium multisetosum in toxicity tests.
AB  - The feasibility of using lab-cultured amphipods Corophium multisetosum (Stock
      1952) to evaluate the toxicity of contaminants present within marine sediments
      was studied. This was done by comparing the sensitivity of lab-cultured amphipods
      in a cadmium toxicity test and to toxic sediment samples, during a 10-days
      bioassay, with field collected individuals. Different responses were observed
      between field and cultured individuals. Cadmium test indicated high temporal
      variability in the LC(50) values of field amphipods (2.40-6.55 mg L(-1)).
      Sensitivity of cultured amphipods was within the seasonal range of the field
      individuals (5.81 mg L(-1), LC(50)). However, culture amphipods showed much lower
      sensitivity in toxic sediment samples. Our results indicate that sensitivity
      should be determined using a sediment matrix, if the assessment of toxicity is
      based upon bioassays performed with cultured burrower-amphipods.

PMID- 20306173
TI  - Monitoring of fluoride in groundwater resources of Iran.
AB  - Fluoride concentration in groundwater resources that used as the source of
      drinking water in urban areas of Iran was determined. All of the groundwater
      wells located in urban areas were monitored in 2008. Fluoride concentration of
      water samples was measured using SPADNS method. The nationwide mean fluoride
      concentration in the groundwater resources was found to be 0.47 +/- 0.28 (+/-
      standard deviation) mg/L. Only in Bushehr Province, the provincial mean fluoride
      level in the groundwater resources was higher than the WHO guideline value of 1.5
      mg/L (1.86 +/- 0.86 mg/L). At nationwide level, the portion of extracted
      groundwater with fluoride concentration lower than the minimum permissible level
      of 0.5 mg/L, desirable fluoride range of 0.5-1.5 mg/L and elevated fluoride level
      was 69.2, 29.3 and 1.4%, respectively. In the areas with low fluoride content
      drinking water, it is recommended that fluoride is absorbed by use of high
      fluoride content foods and beverages. The recommendations for the circumstances
      with excessive fluoride content of drinking water are provision of drinking water
      from alternative sources and defluoridation of drinking water by point-of-use
      systems, respectively.

PMID- 20306174
TI  - Measurement of pelvic floor muscular strength with the Colpexin pull test: a
      comparative study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: The aim of this study is to compare the Colpexin
      pull test (CPT) with the Oxford muscle grading scale (OMGS) in assessing pelvic
      floor muscle strength. METHODS: In phase 1, 15 asymptomatic women underwent OMGS
      and CPT using three different spheres to select the ideal size. CPT values as
      well as patient/examiner comfort and ease of CPT performance were recorded. In
      phase 2, 30 women with stress urinary incontinence underwent CPT and OMGS by two
      examiners during two separate sessions. Statistical analysis was performed.
      RESULTS: In phase 1, the 36-mm sphere was selected based on resting (p < 0.001),
      contraction CPT (p < 0.001), patient ease (p = 0.018), patient comfort (p =
      0.004), and examiner comfort (p < 0.001). In phase 2, there was good intra-rater
      and inter-rater agreement in maximum CPT. Both tests were positively correlated
      (r = 0.50, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: CPT is an objective measure of pelvic floor
      strength and provides consistent, reproducible results.

PMID- 20306176
TI  - Quantitative coherence analysis with an X-ray Talbot-Lau interferometer.
AB  - Differential phase-contrast (DPC) X-ray imaging has been performed in the Talbot
      Lau configuration, in which the X-ray source was a combination of an absorption
      grating and a laboratory X-ray generator. We report here quantitative analysis of
      partial coherence effects on the X-ray Talbot-Lau interferometer. Based on the
      visibility of the self-image, the well-known geometry condition is reproduced. It
      is shown that effects of partial coherence are determined by the opening ratio of
      the source grating, and that the effects are independent of the Talbot order and
      the type of the phase grating, a condition quite different from those in a Talbot
      interferometer. A possible explanation is discussed from the point of view of the
      effective spatial coherence length. Taking into account the available X-ray flux
      and experimental fluctuations, we present the optimum opening ratio. Furthermore,
      we mention that our results can also be successfully used to discuss the
      properties of a multiline X-ray source.

PMID- 20306175
TI  - Varenicline's effects on acute smoking behavior and reward and their association
      with subsequent abstinence.
AB  - RATIONALE: Varenicline may aid smoking cessation by attenuating smoking behavior
      and reward. We compared the effects of varenicline versus placebo on smoking
      behavior and reward, assessed both prospectively and retrospectively, and related
      these effects to subsequent success in a brief simulated quit attempt with
      medication. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Smokers (n = 124) with high or low interest in
      quitting smoking participated in a double-blind crossover study of varenicline
      versus placebo effects on smoking behavior and reward. In each of two phases,
      subjects received a week of medication run-up with varenicline (0.5 mg, b.i.d.)
      or placebo while continuing to smoke, followed the next week by an attempt to
      quit while on medication. At the end of each run-up week, subjects completed
      retrospective measures of smoking reward (liking) and number of cigarettes over
      the prior 24 hrs, and they provided an expired air carbon monoxide (CO) measure.
      They then completed a prospective session in which they ad lib smoked and rated
      the rewarding effects of one of their preferred cigarettes while blind to brand.
      RESULTS: Varenicline decreased smoking reward significantly in the prospective
      assessment, but only marginally in the retrospective assessment. Varenicline did
      not alter smoking behavior prospectively, but did reduce CO and retrospective
      report of smoking amount. None of these effects of varenicline predicted
      subsequent days of abstinence due to varenicline. CONCLUSIONS: During medication
      run-up, varenicline decreases acute smoking reward and may attenuate smoking
      behavior, but these effects do not appear to directly predict varenicline's
      influence on smoking abstinence in a short-term test.

PMID- 20306177
TI  - A reusable liposome array and its application to assay of growth-hormone-related
      peptides.
AB  - We describe a reusable liposome array based on the formation of cleavable
      disulfide cross-links between liposomes and the surface of a glass slip. The N
      succinimidyl 3-(2-pyridyldithio)-propionate (SPDP)-modified liposomes
      encapsulating a pH-sensitive fluorescence dye were immobilized on a 3
      mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MTS)-modified glass slip through the formation of
      disulfide bonds. The regeneration of a used slip was performed by the lysis of
      immobilized liposomes with Triton X-100 and the cleavage of disulfide bonds by
      reduction with TCEP, followed by immobilization of SPDP-modified liposomes. The
      regeneration steps did not affect the fluorescence intensity of re-immobilized
      liposomes. The liposome array was applied to simultaneous quantification of
      growth hormone related peptides, i.e., GHRF and somatostatin, in a mixture. After
      optimizing the assay condition, the method allowed quantification of GHRF and
      somatostatin in concentration ranges from 0.5 x 10(-9) to 0.5 x 10(-7) g/mL with
      detection limits of 2 x 10(-10) and 3 x 10(-10) g/mL, respectively.

PMID- 20306178
TI  - Organometallic derivatizing agents in bioanalysis.
AB  - Over the last few decades, the development of several innovative hyphenated
      analytical techniques and their routine use in laboratories has led to new
      possibilities for the quantitative analysis of biomolecules. Today, the
      identification and quantification of biomolecules such as peptides and proteins
      are essential to answer important medical, pharmaceutical, and biological
      questions. To allow efficient detection and structure elucidation of
      biomolecules, several approaches including derivatization strategies were
      investigated and applied during recent years. This article summarizes the current
      approaches for labeling and presents the different types of organometallic
      derivatizing agents used as labels. Furthermore, their analytical potential with
      respect to quantification and structure elucidation for different applications in
      the field of bioanalysis is discussed.

PMID- 20306179
TI  - In vitro and intracellular sensing by using the photoluminescence of quantum
      dots.
AB  - Quantum dots (QDs) have attracted increasing attention due to their unique
      physical and chemical properties. This article introduces recent advances in
      using QDs' photoluminescence (PL) for in vitro and intracellular sensing
      analytes, in particular ions, and biomolecules from the last 3 years. Different
      sensing strategies are demonstrated and compared for increasing the
      detecting/sensing selectivity. The perspectives for in vitro and intracellular
      sensing based on QDs' PL are also discussed.

PMID- 20306181
TI  - Advances in fast electrophoretic separations based on short capillaries.
AB  - Capillary electrophoretic separations performed in short capillaries under high
      field strengths have recently emerged as a promising alternative to chip-based
      separations. However, the injection and detection approaches have to be adapted
      appropriately to enable high-throughput determinations. This paper addresses
      current challenges and trends in this field of research.

PMID- 20306180
TI  - Validation of a two-dimensional gas chromatography mass spectrometry method for
      the simultaneous quantification of cannabidiol, Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol
      (THC), 11-hydroxy-THC, and 11-nor-9-carboxy-THC in plasma.
AB  - A sensitive analytical method for simultaneous quantification of sub-nanogram
      concentrations of cannabidiol (CBD), Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), 11
      hydroxy-THC (11-OH-THC), and 11-nor-9-carboxy-THC (THCCOOH) in plasma is
      presented for monitoring cannabinoid pharmacotherapy and illicit cannabis use.
      Analytes were extracted from 1 mL plasma by solid-phase extraction, derivatized
      with N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide with 1% trimethylchlorosilane,
      and analyzed by two-dimensional gas chromatography mass spectrometry (2D-GCMS)
      with cryofocusing. The lower calibration curve was linear from 0.25-25 ng/mL for
      CBD and THC, 0.125-25 ng/mL for 11-OH-THC and 0.25-50 ng/mL for THCCOOH. A second
      higher linear range from 5-100 ng/mL, achieved through modification of injection
      parameters, was validated for THC, 11-OH-THC, and THCCOOH and was only
      implemented if concentrations exceeded the lower curve upper limit of linearity.
      This procedure prevented laborious re-extraction by allowing the same specimen to
      be re-injected for quantification on the high calibration curve. Intra- and inter
      assay imprecision, determined at four quality control concentrations, were
      <or=7.8% CV. Analytical bias was within +/-9.2% of target and extraction
      efficiencies were >or=72.9% for all analytes. Analytes were stable when stored at
      22 degrees C for 16 h, 4 degrees C for 48 h, after three freeze-thaw cycles at 
      20 degrees C and when stored on the autosampler for 48 h. This sensitive and
      specific 2D-GCMS assay provides a new means of simultaneously quantifying CBD,
      THC and metabolite biomarkers in clinical medicine, forensic toxicology,
      workplace drug testing, and driving under the influence of drugs programs.

PMID- 20306182
TI  - Colloquium Spectroscopicum Internationale XXXVI, Budapest (Hungary), August 30
      September 3, 2009.

PMID- 20306184
TI  - Single-dose, multiple-dose, and population pharmacokinetics of pantoprazole in
      neonates and preterm infants with a clinical diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux
      disease (GERD).
AB  - PURPOSE: The pharmacokinetic profile of pantoprazole granules was assessed in
      neonates and preterm infants with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in a
      multicenter, randomized, open-label trial. METHODS: Patients were randomly
      assigned to either the pantoprazole 1.25 mg (approx. 0.6 mg/kg) or 2.5 mg
      (approx. 1.2-mg/kg) group and treated for > or =5 consecutive days. Blood was
      sampled either at 0, 2, 8, and 18 h postdose or at 0, 1, 4, and 12 h postdose on
      day 1 and at 3 and 6 h postdose after > or =5 consecutive doses. Cytochrome P450
      2C19 (CYP2C19) and CYP3A4 genotypes were determined. Safety was monitored.
      Population pharmacokinetics (popPK) analyses were conducted using nonlinear mixed
      effects modeling. RESULTS: The popPK modeling of the pantoprazole 1.25 mg and 2.5
      mg groups obtained mean (+/-standard deviation) estimates for the area under the
      plasma concentration versus time curve (AUC) of 3.54 (+/-2.82) and 7.27 (+/-5.30)
      microg h/mL, respectively, and mean estimates for half-life of 3.1 (+/-1.5) and
      2.7 (+/-1.1) h, respectively. Pantoprazole did not accumulate following multiple
      dose administration. The two patients with the CYP2C19 poor metabolizer genotype
      had a substantially higher AUC than extensive metabolizers. No safety-related
      discontinuations occurred. CONCLUSIONS: In preterm infants and neonates,
      pantoprazole granules were generally well tolerated, mean exposures with
      pantoprazole 2.5 mg were slightly higher than that in adults who received 40 mg.
      While the half-life was longer, accumulation did not occur.

PMID- 20306185
TI  - Effect of metronidazole on the pharmacokinetics of fexofenadine, a P-glycoprotein
      substrate, in healthy male volunteers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Metronidazole has been reported to cause various drug interactions
      when co-administered with certain drugs. One possible mechanism for this action
      is through an inhibition of P-glycoprotein (P-gp). We have assessed the possible
      inhibitory effects of metronidazole on P-gp-mediated drug disposition in healthy
      subjects using fexofenadine as a P-gp substrate. METHODS: This was a randomized,
      placebo-controlled, open-label, two-way crossover study involving 12 healthy male
      volunteers who were treated with metronidazole 500 mg or placebo three times
      daily for 7 days. On day 7, a single dose of fexofenadine 120 mg was given
      orally. Plasma levels of fexofenadine were measured and its pharmacokinetics
      assessed. RESULTS: Metronidazole did not affect the plasma concentration profiles
      and the pharmacokinetics of fexofenadine. The area under the time versus
      concentration curve of fexofenadine in the metronidazole phase (2075.7 ng h/mL)
      was similar to that of the placebo phase (1999.2 ng h/mL) (P = 0.356).
      Additionally, metronidazole did not affect the maximum plasma levels of
      fexofenadine (304.4 ng/mL for placebo vs. 293.2 ng/mL for metronidazole) (P =
      0.423). The elimination half-life and oral clearance of fexofenadine were not
      affected by metronidazole treatment. CONCLUSION: These results show that
      metronidazole did not have any inhibitory effect on the pharmacokinetics of
      fexofenadine. The results of the present study provide evidence that
      metronidazole does not act as an inhibitor of P-gp-mediated disposition in
      humans.

PMID- 20306186
TI  - Enhancement of keratinolytic activity of a thermophilic subtilase by improving
      its autolysis resistance and thermostability under reducing conditions.
AB  - WF146 protease, a thermophilic subtilase from thermophile Bacillus sp. WF146,
      suffers excessive autolysis in the presence of reducing agents. In this report,
      two autolytic sites of WF146 protease were modified by site-directed mutagenesis.
      The introduction of prolines into the autolytic sites increased the autolysis
      resistance of the enzyme under reducing conditions. The double mutant N63P/A66P
      displayed a 2.8-fold longer half-life at 80 degrees C and higher hydrolytic
      activities than wild-type enzyme toward soluble (casein) and insoluble (keratin
      azure) substrates at high temperatures. In the presence of reducing agents,
      N63P/A66P was able to degrade feather at 80 degrees C ( approximately 3 h), with
      hydrolysis efficiency comparable to that of proteinase K at 50 degrees C (
      approximately 24 h). Meanwhile, the mutant N63P/A66P had the ability to hydrolyze
      PrP(Sc)-like prion protein at high temperatures. In virtue of these properties,
      N63P/A66P is of great interest to be used in recycling of keratinous wastes, such
      as feather, and disinfection of medical apparatus. In addition, our study may
      provide useful information needed to explore keratinolytic potential of
      thermophilic subtilases, even if they are produced by non-keratinolytic
      microorganisms.

PMID- 20306187
TI  - Heterologous expression, characterization and site-directed mutagenesis of
      cutinase CUTAB1 from Alternaria brassicicola.
AB  - The cutinase CUTAB1 was cloned from a cutin induced culture of Alternaria
      brassicicola and heterologously expressed in Pichia pastoris under the control of
      the methanol-inducible AOX1 promoter. From a 400-ml culture, 36 mg of purified
      recombinant enzyme were obtained. Biochemical characterization revealed highest
      catalytic activity of the enzyme at 40 degrees C and pH 7-9 using p-nitrophenyl
      palmitate (p-NPP) as substrate. Among several fatty acid methyl and ethyl esters,
      glycerol esters and p-nitrophenyl esters tested, CUTAB1 showed highest activity
      towards tributyrin (3,302 +/- 160 U mg(-1)) and the activity decreased with
      increase in chain length of the investigated esters. Lowest activity was found
      for p-NPP. Replacing Leu80, Leu181 and Ile183, respectively, by the smaller
      alanine in the hydrophobic binding loop of CUTAB1, drastically reduced the
      overall activity of the enzyme. On the other hand, mutation A84F located in the
      small helical flap of CUTAB1 significantly increased the activity of the enzyme
      towards longer chain substrates like p-NPP.

PMID- 20306188
TI  - Alcohol dehydrogenase of acetic acid bacteria: structure, mode of action, and
      applications in biotechnology.
AB  - Pyrroquinoline quinone-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase (PQQ-ADH) of acetic acid
      bacteria is a membrane-bound enzyme involved in the acetic acid fermentation by
      oxidizing ethanol to acetaldehyde coupling with reduction of membranous
      ubiquinone (Q), which is, in turn, re-oxidized by ubiquinol oxidase, reducing
      oxygen to water. PQQ-ADHs seem to have co-evolved with the organisms fitting to
      their own habitats. The enzyme consists of three subunits and has a
      pyrroloquinoline quinone, 4 heme c moieties, and a tightly bound Q as the
      electron transfer mediators. Biochemical, genetic, and electrochemical studies
      have revealed the unique properties of PQQ-ADH since it was purified in 1978. The
      enzyme is unique to have ubiquinol oxidation activity in addition to Q reduction.
      This mini-review focuses on the molecular properties of PQQ-ADH, such as the
      roles of the subunits and the cofactors, particularly in intramolecular electron
      transport of the enzyme from ethanol to Q. Also, we summarize biotechnological
      applications of PQQ-ADH as to enantiospecific oxidations for production of the
      valuable chemicals and bioelectrocatalysis for sensors and fuel cells using
      indirect and direct electron transfer technologies and discuss unsolved issues
      and future prospects related to this elaborate enzyme.

PMID- 20306189
TI  - Strains of internal biofilm in aerobic granular membrane bioreactors.
AB  - This study isolated strains in suspended liquor, the surface fouling layer, and
      biofilm inside hollow-fiber membranes of a membrane bioreactor (MBR); analyzed
      their distributions, sizes, surface charges, and growth behaviors; and determined
      the quantities of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) secreted by these
      strains under different organic loadings. Three strains, which may penetrate the
      microfiltration membranes, were close relatives of the Ralstonia mannitolilytica
      strain SDV (GenBank Accession No. GU451066), Arthrobacter sp. BJQ-2 (GenBank
      Accession No. GU451067), and Actinobacterium DS3 (GenBank Accession No.
      GU451068). Among these three strains, only Arthrobacter sp. developed an internal
      biofilm. The relatively short length of Arthrobacter sp. minimizes resistance to
      cells moving through the membrane matrix, thereby enhancing its ability to build
      a biofilm in the interior surface of membranes.

PMID- 20306190
TI  - Applications of quorum sensing in biotechnology.
AB  - Many unicellular microorganisms use small signaling molecules to determine their
      local concentration. The processes involved in the production and recognition of
      these signals are collectively known as quorum sensing (QS). This form of cell
      cell communication is used by unicellular microorganisms to co-ordinate their
      activities, which allows them to function as multi-cellular systems. Recently,
      several groups have demonstrated artificial intra-species and inter-species
      communication through synthetic circuits which incorporate components of
      bacterial QS systems. Engineered QS-based circuits have a wide range of
      applications such as production of biochemicals, tissue engineering, and mixed
      species fermentations. They are also highly useful in designing microbial
      biosensors to identify bacterial species present in the environment and within
      living organisms. In this review, we first provide an overview of bacterial QS
      systems and the mechanisms developed by bacteria and higher organisms to obstruct
      QS communications. Next, we describe the different ways in which researchers have
      designed QS-based circuits and their applications in biotechnology. Finally,
      disruption of quorum sensing is discussed as a viable strategy for preventing the
      formation of harmful biofilms in membrane bioreactors and marine transportation.

PMID- 20306191
TI  - Proteomic characterization of lignocellulose-degrading enzymes secreted by
      Phanerochaete carnosa grown on spruce and microcrystalline cellulose.
AB  - Proteins secreted by the white-rot, softwood-degrading fungus Phanerochaete
      carnosa during growth on cellulose and spruce were analyzed using tandem mass
      spectrometry and de novo sequencing. Homology-driven proteomics was applied to
      compare P. carnosa peptide sequences to proteins in Phanerochaete chrysosporium
      using MS BLAST and non-gapped alignment. In this way, 665 and 365 peptides from
      cellulose and spruce cultivations, respectively, were annotated. Predicted
      activities included endoglucanases from glycoside hydrolase (GH) families 5, 16,
      and 61, cellobiohydrolases from GH6 and GH7, GH3 beta-glucosidases, xylanases
      from GH10 and GH11, GH2 beta-mannosidases, and debranching hemicellulases from
      GH43 and CE15. Peptides corresponding to glyoxal oxidases, peroxidases, and
      glycopeptides that could participate in lignin degradation were also detected.
      Overall, predicted activities detected in extracellular filtrates of cellulose
      and spruce cultures were similar, suggesting that the adaptation of P. carnosa to
      growth on lignocellulose might result from fine tuning the expression of similar
      enzyme families.

PMID- 20306193
TI  - Editorial. Your new Editor-in-Chief.

PMID- 20306192
TI  - Possible mistakes in prediction of bone maturation in fibular hemimelia by
      Moseley chart.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to establish a nomogram in order to predict limb
      length discrepancies in children with unilateral fibular hemimelia more
      accurately. In 31 children with unilateral fibular hemimelia the femoral-tibial
      length and skeletal age were determined an average of seven times per case by
      sequential radiographs during growth. From the data, a skeletal age nomogram was
      developed which shows a steeply declining mean skeletal age pattern in unilateral
      fibular hemimelia (the slope in girls was -0.59 and in boys -0.64). This nomogram
      crosses the normal mean skeletal age line of the Moseley straight-line graph at
      10.5 years in girls and at 12 years in boys, and continues to decline until
      maturity. The results demonstrate an abnormal skeletal maturation process in
      patients with unilateral fibular hemimelia. The consistently declining steep
      skeletal age nomogram in unilateral fibular hemimelia makes prediction of
      skeletal maturity and limb length discrepancy inaccurate by the standard
      predictive methods particularly when using early skeletal ages. The skeletal age
      nomogram from our data determines skeletal maturation in children with unilateral
      fibular hemimelia more accurately, and allows a correct prediction of limb length
      discrepancy.

PMID- 20306194
TI  - The histone deacetylase inhibitor valproic acid sensitizes human and canine
      osteosarcoma to doxorubicin.
AB  - PURPOSE: Osteosarcoma (OS) remains an incurable and ultimately fatal disease in
      many patients, and novel forms of therapy are needed. Improved models of OS that
      more closely mimic human disease would provide more robust information regarding
      the utility of novel therapies. Spontaneous OS in dogs may provide such a model.
      Pharmacologic inhibition of histone deacetylase (HDAC) enzymes has a variety of
      anti-tumor effects but may demonstrate the most utility when utilized in
      combination with standard cytotoxic therapies. We sought to determine the in
      vitro and in vivo effects of the HDAC inhibitor valproic acid (VPA) on
      doxorubicin (DOX) sensitivity in canine and human OS. METHODS: We evaluated the
      in vitro anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects of VPA/DOX combination
      treatment, alterations in histone acetylation and nuclear DOX accumulation
      resulting from VPA treatment, and the in vivo efficacy of combination therapy in
      a xenograft model. RESULTS: Treatment of canine and human OS cell lines with
      clinically achievable VPA concentrations resulted in increased histone
      acetylation but modest anti-proliferative effects. Pre-incubation with VPA
      followed by doxorubicin (DOX) resulted in significant growth inhibition and
      potentiation of apoptosis, associated with a dose-dependent increase in nuclear
      DOX accumulation. The combination of VPA and DOX was superior to either
      monotherapy in a canine OS xenograft model. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate
      a rationale for the addition of HDAC inhibitors to current protocols for the
      treatment of OS and illustrate the similarities in response to HDAC inhibitors
      between human and canine OS, lending further credibility to the canine OS model.

PMID- 20306195
TI  - Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic study of two doses of bortezomib in patients
      with relapsed multiple myeloma.
AB  - PURPOSE: Characterize bortezomib pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics in relapsed
      myeloma patients after single and repeat intravenous administration at two doses.
      METHODS: Forty-two patients were randomized to receive bortezomib 1.0 or 1.3
      mg/m(2), days 1, 4, 8, 11, for up to eight 21-day treatment cycles (n = 21, each
      dose group). Serial blood samples for pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic analysis
      were taken on days 1 and 11, cycles 1 and 3. Observational efficacy and safety
      data were collected. RESULTS: Twelve patients in each dose group were evaluable
      for pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics. Plasma clearance decreased with repeat
      dosing (102-112 L/h for first dose; 15-32 L/h following repeat dosing), with
      associated increases in systemic exposure and terminal half-life. Systemic
      exposures of bortezomib were similar between dose groups considering the
      relatively narrow dose range and the observed pharmacokinetic variability,
      although there was no readily apparent deviation from dose-proportionality. Blood
      20S proteasome inhibition profiles were similar between groups with mean maximum
      inhibition ranging from 70 to 84% and decreasing toward baseline over the dosing
      interval. Response rate (all 42 patients) was 50%, including 7% complete
      responses. The safety profile was consistent with the predictable and manageable
      profile previously established; data suggested milder toxicity in the 1.0 mg/m(2)
      group. CONCLUSIONS: Bortezomib pharmacokinetics change with repeat dose
      administration, characterized by a reduction in plasma clearance and associated
      increase in systemic exposure. Bortezomib is pharmacodynamically active and
      tolerable at 1.0 and 1.3 mg/m(2) doses, with recovery toward baseline blood
      proteasome activity over the dosing interval following repeat dose
      administration, supporting the current clinical dosing regimen.

PMID- 20306197
TI  - Winter as a nutritional bottleneck for North American porcupines (Erethizon
      dorsatum).
AB  - North American porcupines are distributed across a wide variety of habitats where
      they consume many different species of plants. Winter is a nutritional bottleneck
      for northern populations, because porcupines remain active when environmental
      demands are high and food quality is low. We used captive porcupines to examine
      physiological responses to low-quality diets at high energy demands during winter
      at ambient temperatures as low as -39 degrees C. We did not observe an endogenous
      pattern of body mass gain or loss when porcupines were fed a low nitrogen diet
      (1.1% dry matter) ad libitum through winter. Dry matter intake declined from 43.6
      to 14.6 g kg(-0.75) d(-1) even though ambient temperatures declined from -3 to 
      30 degrees C, which indicates a seasonal decrease in metabolic rate. Porcupines
      consuming white spruce needles maintained digestive efficiency for energy (61%)
      and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) (50%). However, low requirements for energy
      (398 kJ kg(-0.75) d(-1)) and nitrogen (209 mg kg(-0.75) d(-1)) minimized the loss
      of body mass when intakes were low and plant toxins increased urinary losses of
      energy and nitrogen. Porcupines were also able to tolerate low intakes of sodium,
      even when dietary potassium loads were high. Porcupines use a flexible strategy
      to survive winter: low requirements are combined with a high tolerance for
      dietary imbalances that minimize the use of body stores when demands exceed
      supply. However, body stores are rapidly restored when conditions allow.
      Porcupines posses many physiological abilities similar to specialist herbivores,
      but retain the ability of a generalist to survive extreme conditions by using a
      variety of foods.

PMID- 20306198
TI  - Unicondylar knee replacement with a new tensioner device: clinical results of a
      multicentre study on 168 cases.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Ligament balancing is an established surgical technique in total
      knee arthroplasty with good clinical results. A similar technique for unicondylar
      knee arthroplasty was developed. The aim of this study was to asses the outcomes
      of a unicondylar knee replacement implanted with a ligament tensor. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A prospective multicentre study of 168 medial compartment unicondylar
      knee prosthesis with a minimum follow-up of 2 years. Clinically, the knee society
      score was recorded. For subjective assessment, the visual analogue scale (VAS)
      for pain and satisfaction was used. Radiographic analysis was performed to
      determine radiolucent lines. The surgical technique was based on a ligament
      orientated procedure. With this technique, the femoral orientation,
      flexion/extension gaps and limb alignment is determined with a unique ligament
      tensor. RESULTS: The total KSS increased from 110.9 +/- 27.5 points preoperative
      to 176.5 +/- 21.1 points after 24 months. VAS for pain decreased from 6.0 +/- 1.9
      preoperative to 2.8 +/- 1.7 after 24 months. VAS for satisfaction increased in
      the same period from 4.3 +/- 1.9 to 8.9 +/- 1.7. Four tibia implants had thin
      continuous radiolucent lines. Nine adverse events are reported. One patient died
      of unrelated causes. Five polyethylene inlays dislocated, one of five dislocated
      due to a fall. Three unicondylar knee prostheses were revised to a total knee
      arthroplasty, one because of undiagnosed pain, one for infection and one for
      femoral component malalignment. CONCLUSION: We have demonstrated the efficacy of
      a tension-controlled ligament-balanced surgical technique for unicompartmental
      knee prosthesis that gives satisfying and reproducible short-term results.

PMID- 20306199
TI  - Rare complication after VAC-therapy in the treatment of deep sore ulcers in a
      paraplegic patient.
AB  - The VAC-therapy is a safe, easy, and effective therapy for the management of
      chronic wounds. Known advantages of the VAC technique are the quicker wound
      healing by stimulating the blood flow, the formation of granulation tissue,
      angiogenesis, and cell proliferation. The use of negative pressure treatment can
      decrease the number of dressing changes and length of hospital stay. However,
      some related complications after and during VAC therapy have been described. We
      here describe a rare complication during the treatment of severe os ischium sore
      with VAC therapy, which has not been reported in the literature yet. We report
      about a 43-year-old paraplegic patient, referred to our clinic from a regional
      hospital where he had been admitted 2 months earlier, presenting with a
      necrotizing fasciitis after VAC therapy during the treatment of fourth grade os
      ischium sore. After operative debridement and long-term antibiotics with
      Ciprofloxacin soft tissue closure was performed using a myocutaneous tensor
      fascia lata flap. Temporary stabilization was achieved by a triangle external
      fixateur attached to the right femur and the pelvis. After 1 week the tapping
      point of the muscle flap could be covered with local skin mesh-graft from the
      right calf as a donor site. The patient was mobilized in a wheelchair and was
      discharged home 3 months after admission. The VAC technique is a safe, easy, and
      effective means in chronic wound care management. However, the described rare
      complication should be kept in mind. The clinical management of VAC therapy
      requires a distinct indication and close clinical monitoring by experienced
      medical professionals. The use of VAC therapy in fourth grade sores may have
      deleterious consequences for the patient.

PMID- 20306200
TI  - Correlation of serum BDNF levels with hippocampal volumes in first episode,
      medication-free depressed patients.
AB  - The hippocampus seems to be affected in MDD, and brain-derived neurotrophic
      factor (BDNF) has positive effects on neurogenesis within the hippocampus.
      Although there are inconsistencies among study results, a smaller hippocampal
      volume in depressed patients is thought to be related to the pathophysiology of
      the disease. We looked at the correlation between serum BDNF (sBDNF) levels and
      hippocampal volumes (HCV) of first-episode MDD patients (18 female, 7 male; mean
      age = 32.1 +/- 9.3) and healthy controls (17 female, 5 male; mean age = 29.7 +/-
      6.4). Region of interest analysis was conducted on the images acquired via MRI.
      sBDNF levels and HCV correlated only in the MDD group (right: r = 0.46, P = 0.02;
      left: r = 0.47, P = 0.02); however, HCV did not differ between MDD patients and
      healthy controls (right: F = 2.45, df = 1.46, P > 0.05; left: F = 0.05, df =
      1.46, P > 0.05). BDNF may be a factor underlying HCV differences between MDD and
      healthy control subjects, which become apparent as severe and multiple episodes
      are experienced.

PMID- 20306201
TI  - Controlling precise movement with stochastic signals.
AB  - In a noisy system, such as the nervous system, can movements be precisely
      controlled as experimentally demonstrated? We point out that the existing theory
      of motor control fails to provide viable solutions. However, by adopting a
      generalized approach to the nonconvex optimization problem with the Young measure
      theory, we show that a precise movement control is possible even with stochastic
      control signals. Numerical results clearly demonstrate that a considerable
      significant improvement of movement precisions is achieved. Our generalized
      approach proposes a new way to solve optimization problems in biological systems
      when a precise control is needed.

PMID- 20306202
TI  - Mappings between a macroscopic neural-mass model and a reduced conductance-based
      model.
AB  - We present two alternative mappings between macroscopic neuronal models and a
      reduction of a conductance-based model. These provide possible explanations of
      the relationship between parameters of these two different approaches to
      modelling neuronal activity. Obtaining a physical interpretation of neural-mass
      models is of fundamental importance as they could provide direct and accessible
      tools for use in diagnosing neurological conditions. Detailed consideration of
      the assumptions required for the validity of each mapping elucidates strengths
      and weaknesses of each macroscopic model and suggests improvements for future
      development.

PMID- 20306203
TI  - The Drosophila neural lineages: a model system to study brain development and
      circuitry.
AB  - In Drosophila, neurons of the central nervous system are grouped into units
      called lineages. Each lineage contains cells derived from a single neuroblast.
      Due to its clonal nature, the Drosophila brain is a valuable model system to
      study neuron development and circuit formation. To better understand the
      mechanisms underlying brain development, genetic manipulation tools can be
      utilized within lineages to visualize, knock down, or over-express proteins.
      Here, we will introduce the formation and development of lineages, discuss how
      one can utilize this model system, offer a comprehensive list of known lineages
      and their respective markers, and then briefly review studies that have utilized
      Drosophila neural lineages with a look at how this model system can benefit
      future endeavors.

PMID- 20306204
TI  - Expression and immune response analysis of Schistosoma japonicum VAL-1, a
      homologue of vespid venom allergens.
AB  - Many parasites such as trematodes and nematodes have been found to express
      members of a gene family variously termed as venom allergen-like protein (VAL) or
      sperm-coating protein (SCP)-like protein. The molecular functions of these
      proteins remain unclear. We isolated the corresponding gene from Schistosoma
      japonicum, which we designated as Sj-VAL-1. The cDNA of Sj-VAL-1 contains an open
      reading frame encoding 221 amino acids, the first 25 residues being a putative
      secretion signal. RT-PCR analysis confirmed that Sj-VAL-1 was transcribed mainly
      in cercariae and eggs stages. Western blot analysis indicated that Sj-VAL-1
      protein was an egg excretory-secretory products (ES products). Immunofluorescence
      showed it was secreted by eggs, head gland, and penetration glands of cercariae.
      In S. japonicum-infected mice, Sj-VAL-1-specific antibody significantly increased
      6 weeks after infection and a higher level of IgG1 antibody contrast to IgG2a
      antibody indicated that a polarized Th2 immune response could be induced by Sj
      VAL-1. These findings suggest that Sj-VAL-1 must play a role in the interaction
      between parasite and host. Its role as a potential modulator of immune function
      or as a pathogenic factor of granuloma formation in schistosomiasis needs further
      study.

PMID- 20306205
TI  - Evaluation of medicinal plant extracts against blood-sucking parasites.
AB  - The present study was based on assessments of the antiparasitic activities to
      determine the efficacies of acetone, chloroform, ethyl acetate, hexane, and
      methanol dried leaf, flower, and seed extracts of Cassia auriculata L.,
      Rhinacanthus nasutus KURZ., Solanum torvum Swartz, Terminalia chebula Retz., and
      Vitex negundo Linn. were tested against larvae of cattle tick Rhipicephalus
      (Boophilus) microplus Canestrini, 1887 (Acari: Ixodidae), adult of Haemaphysalis
      bispinosa Neumann, 1897 (Acarina: Ixodidae), hematophagous fly Hippobosca
      maculata Leach (Diptera: Hippoboscidae), nymph of goat-lice Damalinia caprae
      Gurlt (Trichodectidae), and adult sheep parasite Paramphistomum cervi Zeder, 1790
      (Digenea: Paramphistomatidae). All plant extracts showed moderate parasitic
      effects after 24 h of exposure at 3,000 ppm; however, the highest parasite
      mortality was found in leaf ethyl acetate, flower methanol of C. auriculata, leaf
      and seed methanol of S. torvum, seed acetone of T. chebula, and leaf hexane
      extracts of V. negundo against the larvae of R. microplus (LC(50) = 335.48,
      309.21, 297.43, 414.99, 167.20, and 611.67 ppm; LC(90) = 1571.58, 1111.82,
      950.98, 1243.64, 595.31, and 1875.50 ppm), the leaf and flower methanol of R.
      nasutus, leaf and seed methanol of S. torvum, and seed methanol extracts of T.
      chebula against the nymph of D. caprae (LC(50) = 119.26,143.10,164.93,140.47, and
      155.98 ppm; LC(90) = 356.77, 224.08, 546.20, 479.72, and 496.06 ppm), the leaf
      methanol of R. nasutus, leaf and seed methanol of S.torvum, and seed acetone of
      T. chebula against the adult of H. bispinosa (LC(50) = 333.15, 328.98, 312.28,
      and 186.46 ppm; LC(90) = 1056.07, 955.39, 946.63, and 590.76 ppm), the leaf
      methanol of C. auriculata, the leaf and flower methanol of R. nasutus, the leaf
      ethyl acetate of S. torvum against the H. maculata (LC(50) = 303.36, 177.21,
      204.58, and 211.41 ppm; LC(90) = 939.90, 539.39, 599.43, and 651.90 ppm), and the
      leaf acetone of C. auriculata, the flower methanol of R. nasutus, the seed
      methanol of S. torvum, and the seed acetone of T. chebula were tested against the
      adult of P. cervi (LC(50) = 180.54, 168.59, 200.89, and 87.08 ppm; LC(90) =
      597.51, 558.65, 690.37, and 433.85 ppm), respectively. Therefore, this study
      provides first report on the veterinary parasitic activity of plant extracts from
      Southern India.

PMID- 20306206
TI  - Survey of Naegleria and its resisting bacteria-Legionella in hot spring water of
      Taiwan using molecular method.
AB  - Naegleria is a free-living amoebae existing in soil and aquatic environments.
      Within the genus Naegleria, N. fowleri is most recognized as potential human
      pathogen causing primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). Furthermore, the
      Naegleria spp. can serve as vehicles for facultative pathogens, such as
      Legionella. In this study, we identified Naegleria and Legionella based on the
      PCR amplification with a genus-specific primer pair and investigated the
      distribution of Naegleria and Legionella at five spring recreation areas in
      Taiwan. In this study of hot spring and other water sources in Taiwan, five
      Naegleria spp. were detected in 15 (14.2%) of the water samples. The most
      frequently detected was N. lovaniensis (n = 6), followed by N. australiensis (n =
      5), and then N. clarki (n = 2). N. americana and N. pagei were detected once,
      respectively. The pathogenic species N. fowleri was not detected; however, N.
      australiensis considered to be a potential pathogen species in humans was found.
      Legionella spp., an endosymbiont of Naegleria, was detected in 19 (17.9%) of the
      water samples in this study. Overall, 5.7% of the water samples contained both
      Naegleria and Legionella. The Legionella spp. identified were L. pneumophila and
      L. erythra. Results of this survey confirm the existence of Naegleria and
      Legionella in Taiwan spring recreation areas. It should be considered a potential
      threat for health associated with human activities in spring recreation areas of
      Taiwan.

PMID- 20306207
TI  - Effect of fingerroot on reducing inflammatory cells in hamster infected with
      Opisthorchis viverrini and N-nitrosodimethylamine administration.
AB  - The active compound in fingerroot is effective in the treatment of many
      inflammatory diseases. The aim of our present study was to evaluate the efficacy
      of fingerroot on reducing histopathological changes in hamsters that were
      infected with the liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini or were administered N
      nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), and then treated with fingerroot. Light microscopic
      observation and liver function tests for alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline
      phosphatase (ALP), and direct bilirubin were investigated. The results of
      histopathological changes show that fingerroot has anti-inflammatory properties-
      in the case of N-nitrosodimethylamine administration on day 30--by reducing the
      aggregation of inflammatory cells surrounding the hepatic bile ducts, which
      correlates with a decreased serum ALT level. The decrease of direct bilirubin
      levels in hamsters treated with fingerroot suggests that fingerroot may enhance
      biliary contraction. The present study found that fingerroot clearly reduces the
      inflammatory cells in hamsters that were administered NDMA, but not in the case
      of O. viverrini infection. This finding suggests that fingerroot has anti
      inflammatory property, but not in the case of hamster opisthorchiasis.

PMID- 20306209
TI  - Tetramerization of white spot syndrome virus envelope protein VP33 and its
      interaction with VP24.
AB  - VP33, also termed VP281, VP37 or VP36B, is a minor envelope protein of white spot
      syndrome virus (WSSV). Because of its low abundance and lack of a transmembrane
      domain, we hypothesized that VP33 is likely to be attached to the viral envelope
      by interaction with other envelope proteins. In this study, we employed far
      western blotting and pull-down assays to demonstrate that VP33 interacts with
      itself, as well as with VP24, which is one of the four major viral envelope
      proteins. Moreover, a gel-filtration analysis was performed to show that this
      self-interaction led to the formation of stable VP33 tetramers. These results
      implied that VP33 tetramers were anchored to the viral envelope through
      interaction with VP24, suggesting that VP33 may participate in the formation of
      the WSSV envelope.

PMID- 20306208
TI  - Encystation--survival of Blastocystis hominis in immunocompetent mice abdomen
      cavity.
AB  - Human Blastocystis hominis were isolated from diarrhea patients' feces and
      cultured in vitro. Then the cultures were inoculated intraperitoneally to
      laboratory mice. The B. hominis in living mice were collected and inoculated
      again to healthy mice. The B. hominis showed dose-dependent pathogenicity in the
      primary inoculation. No pathogenicity was observed in the secondary inoculation.
      The protozoan existed in the living mice abdomen cavity for more than 6 months
      and the cyst was the only form. These results showed that encystation enable the
      parasite to avoid the immune attack in competent host and simultaneously decrease
      the pathogenicity to host. Intraperitoneal inoculation to laboratory mice is a
      good method to maintain and propagate B. hominis. This is also a good model to
      study the interaction of B. hominis and immune system.

PMID- 20306210
TI  - Identification and characterization of novel hepatitis B virus subgenotype C10 in
      Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.
AB  - Six novel subgenotypes (B7, B8, C6, C8, C9, and D6) within three hepatitis B
      virus (HBV) genotypes (B-D) were recently identified in Indonesia. To further
      characterize HBV in this country, 18 HBV-viremic samples obtained from blood
      donors in Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, were subjected to phylogenetic analysis of an
      1.6-kb partial or full-length sequence. Thirteen HBV isolates were classified
      into genotype B with four distinct subgenotypes [B3 (n = 2), B5 (n = 1), B7 (n =
      4), and B8 (n = 6)], followed by 4 HBV isolates of genotype C (HBV/C); the
      remaining one isolate was of D (D1). As for the four HBV/C isolates, one isolate
      segregated into subgenotype C1, and two into C2. The remaining HBV/C isolate
      [C0901177(NT3)] differed from reported HBV/C isolates (C1-C9) by 4.6-7.7% over
      the entire genome and did not show evidence of recombination with any of the
      known HBV genotypes/subgenotypes, justifying its conclusive assignment into a
      novel subgenotype (C10) within genotype C.

PMID- 20306211
TI  - Identifying intimate partner violence (IPV) during the postpartum period in a
      Greek sample.
AB  - Research has highlighted the wide impact of intimate partner violence (IPV) and
      the public health role of community health professionals in detection of
      victimized women. The purpose of this study was to identify postpartum emotional
      and physical abuse and to validate the Greek version of the Women Abuse Screening
      Tool (WAST) along with its sensitivity and specificity. Five hundred seventy-nine
      mothers within 12 weeks postpartum were recruited from the perinatal care
      registers of the Maternity Departments of two public hospitals in Athens, Greece.
      Participants were randomly selected by clinic or shift. The WAST and the Partner
      Violence Screen (PVS) surveys were administered in random order to the mothers
      from September 2007 to January 2008. The WAST was compared with the PVS as a
      criterion standard. Agreement between the screening instruments was examined. The
      psychometric measurements that were performed included: two independent sample t
      tests, reliability coefficients, explanatory factor analysis using a Varimax
      rotation, and Principal Components Method. Confirmatory analysis-also called
      structural equation modeling-of principal components was conducted by Linear
      Structural Relations. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was
      carried out to evaluate the global functioning of the scale. Two hundred four
      (35.6%) of the mothers screened were identified as experiencing IPV. Scores on
      the WAST correlated well with those on the PVS; the internal consistency of the
      WAST Greek version-tested using Cronbach's alpha coefficient-was found to be
      0.926 and that of Guttman's split-half coefficient was 0.924. Our findings
      confirm the multidimensionality of the WAST, demonstrating a two-factor
      structure. The area under ROC curve (AUC) was found to be 0.824, and the logistic
      estimate for the threshold score of 0/1 fitted the model sensitivity at 99.7% and
      model specificity at 64.4%. Our data confirm the validity of the Greek version of
      the WAST in identifying IPV. The validated Greek WAST scale could be used for
      screening purposes in both clinical practice and research.

PMID- 20306212
TI  - Reinforcing a medical hypothesis with a new question: is there a subgroup of
      shrinking lungs syndrome that is induced by pleurisy in systemic lupus
      erythematosus and is this subgroup marked by anti-Ro/SSA?
AB  - Shrinking lungs syndrome (SLS) is a rare entity associated with autoimmune
      diseases and its underlying pathogenesis is still unclear. We describe a series
      of seven consecutive cases of SLS in systemic lupus erythematosus, all of them
      with serositis and six (85.7%) with anti-Ro/SSA antibodies. Our findings
      reinforce the hypothesis that SLS may be, in some cases, a consequence of
      diaphragmatic restriction due to pleuritic pain, and we suggest anti-Ro/SSA as a
      marker of this subgroup of SLS.

PMID- 20306213
TI  - Prolonged infections associated with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies
      specific to proteinase 3 and myeloperoxidase: diagnostic and therapeutic
      challenge.
AB  - Chronic infections may mimic antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)
      associated vasculitides (AAV). We investigated which markers may help in the
      diagnosis and the prognosis of infections associated with proteinase 3 (PR3) and
      myeloperoxidase (MPO)-ANCA. In this study (1993-2008)--with an average follow-up
      of 5.1 years--we compared 66 AAV patients with 17 PR3 and/or MPO-ANCA-positive
      patients with protracted bacterial (11/17) or viral (6/17) infections. Seven of
      17 patients had subacute bacterial endocarditis (SBE), while six of 17 patients
      had various autoimmune manifestations of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV)
      infection. We determined ANCA, antinuclear antibodies, anti-PR3, anti-MPO,
      anticardiolipin (aCL), antibeta 2 glycoprotein I (beta2-GP I), cryoglobulins, C3,
      and C4. Patients with infections were younger than AAV patients (p < 0.01). There
      was no difference in frequency of renal and skin lesions. AAV patients more
      frequently had pulmonary and nervous system manifestations (p < 0.01). Patients
      with infections more frequently had dual ANCA (high PR3, low MPO), aCL, anti
      beta2-GP I, cryoglobulins, and hypocomplementemia (p < 0.001). Immunosuppressive
      therapy (IST) was used in five 17 patients who had persistently high ANCA,
      cryoglobulinemia, and hypocomplementemia. There was no difference in frequency of
      lethality and renal failure in the two study groups. In patients who are PR3-
      and/or MPO-ANCA positive, SBE and HCV infection should be excluded. Although
      similar in renal and skin manifestations in comparison to AAV, only patients with
      infections developed multiple serological abnormalities. In patients with
      infections, concomitant presence of ANCA, cryoglobulins, and hypocomplementemia
      was associated with severe glomerulonephritis. The serological profile should be
      repeated after specific antimicrobial or surgical therapy, since some cases might
      require IST.

PMID- 20306214
TI  - Reproducibility of the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Indices of disease activity
      (BASDAI), functional status (BASFI) and overall well-being (BAS-G) in anti-tumour
      necrosis factor-treated spondyloarthropathy patients.
AB  - The Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), the Bath
      Ankylosing Spondylitis Function Index (BASFI) and the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis
      Global Score (BAS-G) (ranges 0-10) have gained widespread in use as self-reported
      measures of disease activity, functional impairment and overall well-being in
      patients with ankylosing spondylitis and other spondyloarthropathies (SpA). In
      Denmark, BASDAI, BASFI and BAS-G are systematically used to monitor treatment
      response in patients treated with tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors. The
      purpose of the present study was to examine the reproducibility of the indices in
      anti-TNF-treated SpA patients already familiar with the use of the indices.
      Testing was performed twice on two different days (median interval 7 days, range
      4-10 days) under standardised conditions in 26 out-clinic patients (median age 39
      years, range 22-56 years). Limits of agreement were calculated as the 95% likely
      range for the difference between paired scores. Test-retest results were
      significantly intercorrelated with r (s) = 0.90 for BASDAI, 0.92 for BASFI and
      0.74 for BAS-G. Limits of agreement for BASDAI, BASFI and BAS-G were +/-1.8, +/
      1.4 and +/-3.2, respectively. Reproducibility as expressed as the mean of
      individual standard deviations was significantly poorer for BAS-G than for BASDAI
      and BASFI (p < 0.01). Internal consistency reliability and construct validity of
      BASDAI and BASFI were acceptable. In conclusion, in a sample of anti-TNF-treated
      patients experienced with the use of BASDAI, BASFI and BAS-G, random measurement
      errors of the scores were not negligible. The finding should be considered when
      monitoring anti-TNF treatment in daily clinical practice.

PMID- 20306215
TI  - Can the quality of pearls from the Japanese pearl oyster (Pinctada fucata) be
      explained by the gene expression patterns of the major shell matrix proteins in
      the pearl sac?
AB  - For pearl culture, the pearl oyster is forced open and a nucleus is implanted
      into the gonad with a mantle graft. The outer mantle epithelial cells of the
      implanted mantle graft elongate and surrounding the nucleus a pearl sac is
      formed. Shell matrix proteins secreted by the pearl sac play an important role in
      the regulation of pearl formation. Recently, seven shell matrix proteins were
      identified from the pearl oyster Pinctada fucata. However, there is a paucity of
      information on the function of these proteins and their gene expression patterns.
      Our study aims to elucidate the relationship between pearl type, quality, and
      gene expression patterns of six shell matrix proteins (msi60, n16, nacrein,
      msi31, prismalin-14, and aspein) in the pearl sac based on real-time PCR
      analysis. After culturing for about 2 months, the pearl sac tissues were
      collected from 22 individuals: 12 with high quality (HP), nine with low quality
      (LP), and one with organic (ORG) pearl formation. The surface of each of the 12
      HP pearls was composed only of a nacreous layer; in contrast, that of the nine LP
      pearls was composed of nacreous and prismatic layers. The six target gene
      expressions were detected in all individuals. However, delta threshold cycle
      (DeltaC(T)) for msi31 was significantly higher in the HP than in the LP
      individuals (Mann-Whitney's U test, p=0.02). This means that the relative
      expression level of msi31, which constitutes the framework of the prismatic
      layer, was higher in the LP than in the HP individuals.

PMID- 20306216
TI  - Drag coefficient of a liquid domain in a two-dimensional membrane.
AB  - Using a hydrodynamic theory that incorporates a momentum decay mechanism, we
      calculate the drag coefficient of a circular liquid domain of finite viscosity
      moving in a two-dimensional membrane. We derive an analytical expression for the
      drag coefficient which covers the whole range of domain sizes. Several limiting
      expressions are discussed. The obtained drag coefficient decreases as the domain
      viscosity becomes smaller with respect to the outer membrane viscosity. This is
      because the flow induced in the domain acts to transport the fluid in the
      surrounding matrix more efficiently.

PMID- 20306217
TI  - Combination therapy with dexamethasone and osteoprotegerin protects against
      arthritis-induced bone alterations in antigen-induced arthritis of the rat.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of a combined therapy consisting of
      dexamethasone and osteoprotegerin (OPG) on bone alterations and disease activity
      in antigen-induced arthritis (AIA) in the rat. METHODS: AIA rats received
      dexamethasone (0.25 mg kg(-1) day(-1), i.p.), OPG (2.5 mg kg(-1) day(-1), i.p.),
      or a combination of both at regular intervals for 21 consecutive days. At the end
      of the treatment, bone structure was analyzed by histomorphometry. Primary
      spongiosa was measured using linear scanning. RESULTS: AIA led to significant
      periarticular and axial bone loss. Dexamethasone monotherapy substantially
      suppressed joint swelling without inhibiting bone loss of the secondary
      spongiosa, whereas OPG monotherapy showed no anti-inflammatory effect. Despite
      reduction of bone resorption, OPG did not inhibit AIA-induced bone loss. In
      contrast, the combination of dexamethasone and OPG not only produced an anti
      inflammatory effect, but also resulted in inhibition of periarticular and axial
      bone loss. OPG increased trabecular number of the primary spongiosa whilst
      combination therapy led to an increase in both trabecular number and trabecular
      width. CONCLUSION: The principle of combining a glucocorticoid together with
      inhibition of the receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand (RANKL) may be an
      effective bone-saving therapy in rheumatoid arthritis.

PMID- 20306218
TI  - Docking study of the precursor peptide of mastoparan onto its putative processing
      enzyme, dipeptidyl peptidase IV: a revisit to molecular ticketing.
AB  - Stepwise-cleavage process of promastoparans to reach maturity was investigated
      theoretically by combining ab initio folding and unbounded docking. The
      comparison between the structures of the promastoparans both before and after
      docking were examined along with the hydrogen bonding interaction pattern between
      the dipetidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV) and promastoparans to reveal how the endpoint
      of this stepwise cleavage is recognized among these promastoparans with highly
      resemble amino acid sequences. The current approach of folding and docking study
      provides structural insight on the stepwise cleavage process.

PMID- 20306219
TI  - Comparison of the phytotoxic effects of usnic acid on cultures of free-living
      alga Scenedesmus quadricauda and aposymbiotically grown lichen photobiont
      Trebouxia erici.
AB  - The phytotoxic effects of the lichen secondary metabolite-usnic acid on cultures
      of free living alga-Scenedesmus quadricauda (UTEX 76) and aposymbiotically grown
      lichen photobiont Trebouxia erici (UTEX 911) were assessed. We found a relatively
      strong inhibition effect of usnic acid on the growth of alga Scenedesmus,
      accompanied by an increase of cell size, an alteration of assimilation pigment
      composition, followed by strong degradation of chlorophyll a, a decrease of
      chlorophyll a fluorescence, and an increase of reactive oxygen species in the
      cells. The content of soluble proteins remained a stable parameter. Phytotoxicity
      of usnic acid on cultures of Trebouxia photobiont was significantly lower. Usnic
      acid in lichens may act as an allochemical that controls the division of
      photobiont cells, thereby regulating the balance between the photobiont and
      mycobiont forming thallus. Higher tolerance to usnic acid in Trebouxia cultures
      may be an adaptation resulting from the long term co-evolution of these algae
      with fungi that produce secondary metabolites.

PMID- 20306220
TI  - Delayed or forgone care and dissatisfaction with care for children with special
      health care needs: the role of perceived cultural competency of health care
      providers.
AB  - To better understand if reported delayed/forgone care and dissatisfaction with
      care for children with special health care needs (CSHCN) are associated with the
      parent's perception of health care providers' cultural competency. National
      survey. Fifty United States and the District of Columbia yielding 750 families
      per state and District of Columbia with CSHCN <= 18 years participated in the
      2005-06 National Survey of CSHCN. Outcome measures were delayed/forgone care in
      the past 12 months (yes or no) and dissatisfaction (very dissatisfied to very
      satisfied). Demographic/clinical characteristics and the parent's perception of
      health care providers' cultural competency were examined. Perception of cultural
      competency was defined by questions related to time spent with child, respect for
      family values, listening to the family, sense of partnership, and information
      provided. Delayed/forgone care and dissatisfaction with care were associated with
      perceived health care provider cultural competency. Parents whose children were
      older, whose children's condition affected their ability to do things, whose
      interviews were not conducted in English, and were from certain racial and ethnic
      groups reported more delayed or forgone care and were more dissatisfied with
      their children's health care. Delayed/forgone care and dissatisfaction with care
      were associated with perceived cultural competency of health care providers. This
      did not appear to differ consistently by racial or ethnic group. Further research
      using more refined instruments and longitudinal designs is needed to assess the
      effects of health care providers' cultural competency and other cultural factors
      on the delayed/forgone care for CSHCN and on the dissatisfaction with care of
      parents with CSHCN.

PMID- 20306221
TI  - Assessment of the Institute of Medicine recommendations for weight gain during
      pregnancy: Florida, 2004-2007.
AB  - We investigated the association between 2009 IOM recommendations and adverse
      infant outcomes by maternal prepregnancy body mass index (BMI). Birth outcomes
      for 570,672 women aged 18-40 years with a singleton full-term live-birth were
      assessed using 2004-2007 Florida live-birth certificates. Outcomes included large
      for-gestational-age (LGA) and small-for-gestational-age (SGA). Associations
      between gestational weight change and outcomes were assessed for 10 BMI groups by
      calculating proportions, and logistic regression modeling was used to produce
      adjusted odds ratios (aORs) to account for the effect of confounders. We created
      comparison categories below and above recommendations using 2009 IOM
      recommendations as a reference. Of importance, 41.6% of women began pregnancy as
      overweight and obese and 51.2% gained weight excessively during pregnancy on the
      basis of 2009 IOM recommendations. Proportions of LGA were higher among obese
      women and increased with higher weight gain. Compared with recommended weight
      gain, aORs for LGA were lower with less than recommended gain (aOR range: 0.27
      0.77) and higher with more than recommended gain (aOR range: 1.27-5.99). However,
      SGA was less prevalent among obese women, and the proportion of SGA by BMI was
      similar with higher weight gain. Gain less than recommended was associated with
      increased odds of SGA (aOR range: 1.11-2.97), and gain greater than recommended
      was associated with decreased odds of SGA (aOR range: 0.38-0.83). Gestational
      weight gain influenced the risk for LGA and SGA in opposite directions. Minimal
      weight gain or weight loss lowered risk for LGA among obese women. Compared with
      1990 IOM recommendations, 2009 recommendations include weight gain ranges that
      are associated with lower risk of LGA and higher risk of SGA. Awareness of these
      tradeoffs may assist with clinical implementation of the 2009 IOM gestational
      weight gain recommendations. However, our results did not consider other maternal
      and infant outcomes related to gestational weight gain; therefore, the findings
      should be interpreted with caution.

PMID- 20306223
TI  - Differential expression of Toll-like receptor 2 and 4 on peritoneal leukocyte
      populations from long-lived and non-selected old female mice.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to determine Toll-like receptor (TLR)-2 and TLR
      4 membrane expression on the major peritoneal leukocyte populations throughout
      the aging process, including subjects that had achieved exceptional longevity.
      ICR (CD1) female mice of different ages: adult (44 +/- 4 weeks), old (69 +/- 4),
      very old (92 +/- 4) and extreme long-lived (125 +/- 4), were used. Peritoneal
      leukocytes were collected, and percentages of CD11b, CD11c, CD3CD4, CD3CD8 and
      CD19 cells present in the samples were analysed, as well as the expression of TLR
      2 and TLR-4 on them, by flow cytometry. The results showed increased TLR
      expression on CD11b+ cells from animals at very old ages and especially in the
      extreme long-lived. Old subjects showed lower percentage of CD11c+ cells, but no
      age-related changes were found in the TLR expression on these cells. TLRs on
      CD3CD4+ and CD3CD8+ cells from very old animals were increased as compared to the
      adults, whereas long-lived subjects showed preserved levels. However, TLR
      expression on CD19+ cells was higher in long-lived individuals with respect to
      subjects at all the other younger ages. These data suggest that differential age
      related changes in the expression of TLR-2 and TLR-4 on leukocyte populations
      from long-lived and non-selected younger old mice could contribute to a different
      age-related immune remodelling in long-lived subjects, which could allow better
      preservation of their immune responses.

PMID- 20306222
TI  - Suitability of Daphnia similis as an alternative organism in ecotoxicological
      tests: implications for metal toxicity.
AB  - The acute toxicity of metals to Daphnia similis was determined and compared to
      other daphnid species to evaluate the suitability of this organism in
      ecotoxicology bioassays. To verify the performance D. similis in toxicity tests,
      we also investigated the effect of Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata at 1 x 10(5)
      and 1 x 10(6) cells ml(-1) on Cd and Cr acute toxicity to the cladoceran. Daphnid
      neonates were exposed to a range of chromium and cadmium concentrations in the
      absence and presence of the algal cells. Metal speciation calculations using
      MINEQL(+) showed that total dissolved metal concentrations in zooplankton culture
      corresponded to 96.2% free Cd and 100% free Cr concentrations. Initial total
      dissolved metal concentrations were used for 48 h-LC(50) determination. LC(50)
      for D. similis was 5.15 x 10(-7) mol l(-1) dissolved Cd without algal cells,
      whereas with 1 x 10(5) cells ml(-1), it was significantly higher (7.15 x 10(-7)
      mol l(-1) dissolved Cd). For Cr, the 48 h-LC(50) value of 9.17 x 10(-7) mol l(-1)
      obtained for the cladoceran in tests with 1 x 10(6) cells ml(-1) of P.
      subcapitata was also significantly higher than that obtained in tests without
      algal cells (5.28 x 10(-7) mol l(-1) dissolved Cr). The presence of algal cells
      reduced the toxicity of metals to D. similis, as observed in other studies that
      investigated the effects of food on metal toxicity to standard cladocerans.
      Comparing our results to those of literature, we observed that D. similis is as
      sensitive to metals as other standardized Daphnia species and may serve as a
      potential test species in ecotoxicological evaluations.

PMID- 20306224
TI  - Knowledge of cardiovascular health among Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese
      immigrants to the US.
AB  - Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among Asian Americans,
      the majority of whom are foreign-born. However, CVD and risk factor data is
      sparse for specific Asian immigrant populations. To assess knowledge and
      understanding of CVD and risk factors within Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese
      immigrant populations, we conducted eight focus groups of 77 participants between
      36 and 84 years old. Participants correctly identified signs and symptoms for
      heart attacks while knowledge about stroke was incomplete. While poor diet, lack
      of exercise, older age, and high cholesterol were frequently discussed as risk
      factors, mechanisms perceived as contributing to heart disease were influenced
      primarily by non-Western paradigms. Non-Western remedies were discussed in detail
      among Chinese and Vietnamese participants. All participants desired more
      information, and identified barriers to effective communication with healthcare
      providers. A deeper understanding of beliefs and barriers faced by Asian
      immigrants can help guide health promotion efforts.

PMID- 20306225
TI  - A trajectory model for understanding and assessing health disparities in
      immigrant/refugee communities.
AB  - While numerous factors contributing to racial/ethnic health disparities have been
      identified, the clustering and interaction of these factors as a syndemic or
      trajectory has not been well-studied (Starfield in Soc Sci Med 64:1355-1362,
      2007; Singer in Soc Sci Med 39(7):931-948, 1994). More importantly, for
      immigrant/refugee populations, the interaction of contributing factors is not
      documented adequately enough to provide a solid framework for planning,
      implementation and evaluation of interventions aimed at reducing disparities. In
      this paper, the authors draw from the literatures on health disparities and
      immigrant/refugee health, as well as direct program and research experience, to
      propose an approach for assessment of the diachronic interaction of ecological
      factors (a trajectory, or "diachronic ecology") contributing to health
      disparities among immigrant/refugee populations. It is our hope that this
      approach will contribute to the important effort to collect data supporting the
      development of interventions and policies that effectively address the dynamic
      processes through which health disparities are created, maintained, and changed.

PMID- 20306226
TI  - Long-term care residents' views about the contributions of Christian-based
      volunteers in Taiwan: a pilot study.
AB  - This pilot study explored the view from six long-term care residents on the
      contributions of religious volunteers. The findings suggest that religious
      volunteers may contribute to long-term care residents' religious or spiritual
      health more than non-religious volunteers. However, since religious volunteers
      lack professional training and competence to attend to patients' religious needs,
      they may not afford in-depth spiritual and religious services. Under certain
      conditions when qualified chaplains are not available, inadequate religious
      services performed by religious volunteers are still better than no such care at
      all. However, in order to provide this important aspect of holistic care, we
      propose that health care policy makers should pay more attention to this topic.

PMID- 20306227
TI  - Identification and characterization of class I chitinase in Panax ginseng C. A.
      Meyer.
AB  - The role of plant chitinases in protecting plants against a variety of fungal
      pathogens is well established. In the present study, a cDNA clone containing a
      class I chitinase (Chi-1) gene, designated as PgChi-1, has been isolated from the
      oriental medicinal plant Panax ginseng. PgChi-1 is predicted to encode a protein
      of 34.9 kDa consisting of 323 amino acid residues. PgChi-1 was found to be
      expressed constitutively in all of the studied organs of ginseng plant. Under
      various abiotic stress treatments including Cu, H2O2, mannitol, SA, JA, and NaCl,
      the expression of PgChi-1 in plantlets and hairy roots increased significantly
      compared to the control. When different parts of root were analyzed, maximum
      level was observed in taproot. In addition, levels of PgChi-1 expression were
      compared between healthy root and fungal, bacterial, and nematode infected root.
      Significant increase of PgChi-1 was noticed in pathogen infected roots than
      healthy roots. This study revealed that PgChi-1 may protect the P. ginseng under
      both biotic and abiotic stress conditions.

PMID- 20306228
TI  - Competence of an artificial bent DNA as a transcriptional activator in mouse ES
      cells.
AB  - Curved DNA structures with a left-handed superhelical conformation can activate
      eukaryotic transcription. However, their potency in transgene activation in
      embryonic stem (ES) cells has not been examined. T20 is an artificial curved DNA
      of 180 bp that serves as a transcriptional activator. We investigated the effect
      of T20 on transcription in mouse ES cell lines or hepatocytes differentiated from
      them. We established 10 sets of cell lines each harboring a single copy of the
      reporter construct. Each set comprised a T20-harboring cell line and a T20-less
      control cell line. Analyses showed that in ES cells and in hepatocytes
      originating from these cells, T20 both activated and repressed transcription in a
      manner that was dependent on the locus of reporter. The present and previous
      studies strongly suggest that in cells that have a strict gene regulation system,
      transcriptional activation by T20 occurs only in a transcriptionally active locus
      in the genome.

PMID- 20306229
TI  - The 5178C/A and 16189T/C polymorphisms of mitochondrial DNA in Korean men and
      their associations with blood iron metabolism.
AB  - Several studies reported that there were the associations between the genetic
      polymorphisms in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and some blood iron markers. Thus,
      we tried to investigate the relationship between two genetic polymorphisms
      (5178C/A and 16189T/C) in the mtDNA and several blood iron markers in Korean men.
      A total of unrelated 131 Korean men were participated in this study. Two genetic
      polymorphisms in the mtDNA was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and
      restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) method, and hematological or
      biochemical assay performed by autoanalyzer. Although the 16189T/C polymorphism
      was not significantly associated with any iron parameters measured in this study,
      we found that the 5178C/A polymorphism was significantly associated with red
      blood cell (RBC) count and hematocrit (HCT) value in Korean men (P < 0.05).
      Therefore, our data suggest that the 5178C/A polymorphism in the mtDNA might be
      useful as a genetic marker with respect to blood iron metabolism.

PMID- 20306230
TI  - Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences reveals distal gut bacterial
      diversity in wild wolves (Canis lupus).
AB  - The aim of this study was to describe the microbial communities in the distal gut
      of wild wolves (Canis lupus). Fecal samples were collected from three healthy
      unrelated adult wolves captured at the nearby of Dalai Lake Nature Reserve in
      Inner Mongolia of China. The diversity of fecal bacteria was investigated by
      constructing PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene clone libraries using the universal
      bacterial primers 27 F and 1493 R. A total of 307 non-chimeric near-full-length
      16S rRNA gene sequences were analyzed and 65 non-redundant bacteria phylotypes
      (operational taxonomical units, OTUs) were identified. Seventeen OTUs (26%)
      showed less than 98% sequence similarity to 16S rRNA gene sequences were reported
      previously. Five different bacterial phyla were identified, with the majority of
      OTUs being classified within the phylum Firmicutes (60%), followed by
      Bacteroidetes (16.9%), Proteobacteria (9.2%), Fusobacteria (9.2%) and
      Actinobacteria (4.6%). The majority of clones fell within the order Clostridiales
      (53.8% of OTUs). It was predominantly affiliated with five families:
      Lachnospiraceae was the most diverse bacterial family in this order, followed by
      Ruminococcaceae, Clostridiaceae, Peptococcaceae and Peptostreptococcaceae.

PMID- 20306231
TI  - Analysis on DNA sequence of KiSS-1 gene and its association with litter size in
      goats.
AB  - Three pairs of primers were designed to clone the goat KiSS-1 and scan
      polymorphisms and four pairs to detect polymorphisms in sexual precocious and
      sexual late-maturing goat breeds. A 4118 bp DNA fragment was obtained, which
      contains an ORF of 408 bp and encodes 135 amino acids, having a high homology
      with other mammals. The protein was predicted containing a signal peptide of 17
      amino acids. There are two mutations (G3433A [A86T] and C3688A) in exon 3, three
      mutations (G296C, G454T and T505A) in intron 1 and a 18 bp deletion (-)/insertion
      (+) (1960-1977) in intron 2 and no mutations in exon 2. The genotype distribution
      didn't show obvious difference between sexual precocious and sexual late-maturing
      goat breeds and no consistency within the sexual late-maturing breeds. For the
      296 locus, the Jining Grey goats with genotype CC had 0.80 (P < 0.01) or 0.77 (P
      < 0.01) kids more than those with genotype GG or GC, respectively. No significant
      difference (P > 0.05) was found in litter size between GG and GC. For the 1960
      1977 locus, the Jining Grey goat does with genotype -/- had 0.77 (P < 0.01) or
      0.73 (P < 0.01) kids more than those with +/+ or +/-, respectively. No
      significant difference (P > 0.05) was found in litter size between +/+ and +/-
      genotypes. For the other four loci, no significant difference (P > 0.05) was
      found in litter size between different genotypes in Jining Grey goats. The
      present study preliminarily indicated an association between allele C of the 296
      locus and allele (-) of the 1960-1977 locus in KiSS-1 and high litter size in
      Jining Grey goats.

PMID- 20306232
TI  - A method for detecting significant genomic regions associated with oral squamous
      cell carcinoma using aCGH.
AB  - Array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) provides a genome-wide technique
      for identifying chromosomal aberrations in human diseases, including cancer.
      Chromosomal aberrations in cancers are defined as regions that contain an
      increased or decreased DNA copy number, relative to normal samples. The
      identification of genomic regions associated with systematic aberrations provides
      insights into initiation and progression of cancer, and improves diagnosis,
      prognosis, and therapy strategies. The McNemar test can be used to detect
      differentially expressed genes after discretization of gene expressions in a
      microarray experiment for the matched dataset. In this study, we propose a method
      to detect significantly altered DNA regions, shifted McNemar test, which is based
      on the standard McNemar test and takes into account changes in copy number
      variations and the region size throughout the whole genome. In addition, this
      novel method can be used to detect genomic regions associated with the progress
      of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The performance of the proposed method
      was evaluated based on the homogeneity within the selected regions and the
      classification accuracies of the selected regions. This method might be useful
      for identifying new candidate genes that neighbor known genes based on the whole
      genomic variation because it detects significant chromosomal regions, not
      independent probes.

PMID- 20306233
TI  - Determination of boron contents in water samples collected from the Neelum
      valley, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan.
AB  - Intake of boron from food and drinking water may pose a risk to the public health
      above a certain concentration level. Therefore, knowledge of boron concentration
      in drinking water and food items is essential. In this context, samples of
      drinking water were collected from natural springs of the Neelum valley, Azad
      Kashmir, hit by devastating earthquake in 2005. In these samples, boron
      concentration was determined using neutron-induced radiography technique. To do
      so, unknown water samples, along with standard of known boron dried on CR-39
      detectors, were irradiated with thermal neutrons. After exposure, CR-39 detectors
      were etched in 6 M NaOH at 70 degrees C. The tracks produced due to the alpha
      particles and (7)Li ions as a result of (10)B(n,alpha)(7)Li reaction were counted
      under an optical microscope. The tracks produced in theses samples were then
      related to the boron contents. The measured boron concentration in water samples
      was found to vary from 0.105 +/- 0.005 to 0.247 +/- 0.013 mg/l with an average
      value of 0.17 +/- 0.04 mg/l, which are within the acceptable limits.

PMID- 20306234
TI  - Influence of methionine on toxicity of fluoride in the liver of rats.
AB  - Oxidative stress is a common mechanism by which chemical toxicity can occur in
      the liver. The aim of the studies conducted has been to determine what influence
      the administration of methionine during intoxication with sodium fluoride may
      have upon the selected enzymes of the antioxidative system in rat liver. The
      experiment was carried out on Wistar FL rats (adult females) that, for 35 days,
      were administered distilled water, NaF, or NaF with methionine (doses: 10 mg
      NaF/kg bw/day, 10 mg Met/kg bw/day). The influence of administered NaF and Met
      was examined by analyzing the activity of the antioxidative enzymes: superoxide
      dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and
      glutathione transferase in the liver. The results suggest that fluoride reduces
      the efficiency of the enzymatic antioxidative system in the liver. Administration
      of methionine during intoxication with sodium fluoride does not have an
      advantageous influence upon the activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase,
      reductase, and glutathione transferase in the liver. The slight increase of the
      activity of glutathione peroxidase after administration of methionine may
      indicate its protective influence upon that enzyme.

PMID- 20306236
TI  - Efficient DNA extraction from nail clippings using the protease solution from
      Cucumis melo.
AB  - Owing to the increasing importance of genomic information, obtaining genomic DNA
      easily from biological specimens has become more and more important. This article
      proposes an efficient method for obtaining genomic DNA from nail clippings. Nail
      clippings can be easily obtained, are thermostable and easy to transport, and
      have low infectivity. The drawback of their use, however, has been the difficulty
      of extracting genomic material from them. We have overcome this obstacle using
      the protease solution obtained from Cucumis melo. The keratinolytic activity of
      the protease solution was 1.78-fold higher than that of proteinase K, which is
      commonly used to degrade keratin. With the protease solution, three times more
      DNA was extracted than when proteinase K was used. In order to verify the
      integrity of the extracted DNA, genotype analysis on 170 subjects was performed
      by both PCR-RFLP and Real Time PCR. The results of the genotyping showed that the
      extracted DNA was suitable for genotyping analysis. In conclusion, we have
      developed an efficient extraction method for using nail clippings as a genome
      source and a research tool in molecular epidemiology, medical diagnostics, and
      forensic science.

PMID- 20306235
TI  - Regulation of redox signaling by selenoproteins.
AB  - The unique chemistry of oxygen has been both a resource and threat for life on
      Earth for at least the last 2.4 billion years. Reduction of oxygen to water
      allows extraction of more metabolic energy from organic fuels than is possible
      through anaerobic glycolysis. On the other hand, partially reduced oxygen can
      react indiscriminately with biomolecules to cause genetic damage, disease, and
      even death. Organisms in all three superkingdoms of life have developed elaborate
      mechanisms to protect against such oxidative damage and to exploit reactive
      oxygen species as sensors and signals in myriad processes. The sulfur amino
      acids, cysteine and methionine, are the main targets of reactive oxygen species
      in proteins. Oxidative modifications to cysteine and methionine can have profound
      effects on a protein's activity, structure, stability, and subcellular
      localization. Non-reversible oxidative modifications (oxidative damage) may
      contribute to molecular, cellular, and organismal aging and serve as signals for
      repair, removal, or programmed cell death. Reversible oxidation events can
      function as transient signals of physiological status, extracellular environment,
      nutrient availability, metabolic state, cell cycle phase, immune function, or
      sensory stimuli. Because of its chemical similarity to sulfur and stronger
      nucleophilicity and acidity, selenium is an extremely efficient catalyst of
      reactions between sulfur and oxygen. Most of the biological activity of selenium
      is due to selenoproteins containing selenocysteine, the 21st genetically encoded
      protein amino acid. The most abundant selenoproteins in mammals are the
      glutathione peroxidases (five to six genes) that reduce hydrogen peroxide and
      lipid hydroperoxides at the expense of glutathione and serve to limit the
      strength and duration of reactive oxygen signals. Thioredoxin reductases (three
      genes) use nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate to reduce oxidized
      thioredoxin and its homologs, which regulate a plethora of redox signaling
      events. Methionine sulfoxide reductase B1 reduces methionine sulfoxide back to
      methionine using thioredoxin as a reductant. Several selenoproteins in the
      endoplasmic reticulum are involved in the regulation of protein disulfide
      formation and unfolded protein response signaling, although their precise
      biological activities have not been determined. The most widely distributed
      selenoprotein family in Nature is represented by the highly conserved thioredoxin
      like selenoprotein W and its homologs that have not yet been assigned specific
      biological functions. Recent evidence suggests selenoprotein W and the six other
      small thioredoxin-like mammalian selenoproteins may serve to transduce hydrogen
      peroxide signals into regulatory disulfide bonds in specific target proteins.

PMID- 20306238
TI  - Solid-state properties of the cyclooxygenase-1-selective inhibitor, SC-560.

PMID- 20306237
TI  - Single-batch production of recombinant human polyclonal antibodies.
AB  - We have previously described the development and implementation of a strategy for
      production of recombinant polyclonal antibodies (rpAb) in single batches
      employing CHO cells generated by site-specific integration, the Sympress I
      technology. The Sympress I technology is implemented at industrial scale,
      supporting a phase II clinical development program. Production of recombinant
      proteins by site-specific integration, which is based on incorporation of a
      single copy of the gene of interest, makes the Sympress I technology best suited
      to support niche indications. To improve titers while maintaining a cost
      efficient, highly reproducible single-batch manufacturing mode, we have evaluated
      a number of different approaches. The most successful results were obtained using
      random integration in a new producer cell termed ECHO, a CHO DG44 cell derivative
      engineered for improved productivity at Symphogen. This new expression process is
      termed the Sympress II technology. Here we describe proof-of-principle data
      demonstrating the feasibility of the Sympress II technology for single-batch rpAb
      manufacturing using two model systems each composed of six target-specific
      antibodies. The compositional stability and the batch-to-batch reproducibility of
      rpAb produced by the ECHO cells were at least as good as observed previously
      using site-specific integration technology. Furthermore, the new process had a
      significant titer increase.

PMID- 20306239
TI  - Capital budgeting decisions using the discounted cash flow method.

PMID- 20306240
TI  - Urgent replacement of a mechanical mitral prosthesis in an anticoagulated patient
      with Bombay red blood cell phenotype.
AB  - PURPOSE: Bombay red blood cell phenotype is an extremely rare blood type for
      which patients can receive only autologous or Bombay phenotype red blood cells.
      We report a case of urgent repeat sternotomy for replacement of a mechanical
      mitral prosthesis in a patient with Bombay phenotype anticoagulated with
      warfarin, to emphasize the transfusion challenges in such patients. CLINICAL
      FEATURES: A male of Indian descent presented to hospital with New York Heart
      Association IV symptoms. His medical history revealed previous mitral valve
      replacement with a mechanical prosthesis in 2005 and Bombay phenotype blood.
      Preoperative transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated thrombus obstruction of
      the mitral prosthesis despite anticoagulation with warfarin. Right ventricular
      systolic pressure was >100 mmHg with 3+ tricuspid regurgitation. The patient's
      condition was temporized with diuretics, bronchodilators, and bi-level positive
      airway pressure ventilation while transfusion medicine and cardiac surgery were
      consulted for urgent surgery. The patient received vitamin K and prothrombin
      complex concentrate prior to repeat sternotomy and successful mitral prosthesis
      replacement. After cardiopulmonary bypass, heparinization was corrected with
      protamine and followed by a second dose of prothrombin complex concentrate and
      recombinant activated factor VIIa. Postoperatively, the patient received four
      units of packed red blood cells, two autologous units and two units of Bombay
      specific red blood cells. Right ventricular pressures stabilized at 40 mmHg
      following surgery. The patient recovered following several days of inotropic
      support with milrinone, diuretics, and bronchodilators. CONCLUSION: Patients with
      Bombay phenotype red blood cells present as type O, but they are unable to
      receive red blood cells from any phenotype other than Bombay phenotype. They are
      able to receive all other blood products, including fresh frozen plasma,
      cryoprecipitate, platelets, prothrombin complex concentrate, and recombinant
      activated factor VIIa. Coordination between Canadian Blood Services, transfusion
      medicine, surgery, and anesthesia is important in managing these patients.

PMID- 20306242
TI  - The leukemia stem cell.

PMID- 20306241
TI  - [Hospital-based active surveillance of human leptospirosis in Cambodia].
AB  - Leptospirosis has been so far poorly described in Cambodia and is probably
      underdiagnosed in the current local medical practices, although conditions to its
      active circulation exist in this country. Between June 2006 and July 2007, 612
      patients admitted to Takeo hospital and Calmette hospital in Phnom Penh
      presenting clinical symptoms compatible with leptospirosis, were recruited for
      biological investigation of leptospirosis markers: PCR detection of bacterial DNA
      and serology using an Elisa-IgM test and the micro-agglutination reference test
      (MAT). One hundred eighty-three patients (29.9%) were found to be carrying at
      least one biological marker of leptospirosis, 88 (14.4%) showed an acute
      infection profile, evidenced by a positive PCR. The proportion of patients with
      an immune phase profile (15.5%) suggests former contacts with Leptospira and
      possible infections with little or no symptoms. Thirteen serogroups of Leptospira
      have been identified, with predominance of Panama, Pyrogenes and Australia,
      illustrating a probable wide range of animal reservoir hosts. Serogroup
      Icterohaemorrhagiae was found in only 4% of cases, contrasting with usual
      features of human leptospirosis. No significant link between infection and sex,
      age or occupation could be established, suggesting a permanent exposure of the
      population in its daily life rather than the existence of risk groups. This
      study, the largest conducted to date on leptospirosis in Cambodia, confirms the
      importance of this zoonotic disease, that must be considered a real public health
      issue in this country.

PMID- 20306243
TI  - Epigenetic mechanisms in AML - a target for therapy.
AB  - Epigenetics refers to a stable, mitotically perpetuated regulatory mechanism of
      gene expression without an alteration of the coding sequence. Epigenetic
      mechanism include DNA methylation and histone tail modifications. Epigenetic
      regulation is part of physiologic development and becomes abnormal in neoplasia,
      where silencing of critical genes by DNA methylation or histone deacetylation can
      contribute to leukemogenesis as an alternative to deletion or loss-of-function
      mutation. In acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), aberrant DNA methylation can be
      observed in multiple functionally relevant genes such as p15, p 73, E-cadherin,
      ID 4, RARbeta2. Abnormal activities of histone tail-modifying enzymes have also
      been seen in AML, frequently as a direct result of chromosomal translocations. It
      is now clear that these epigenetic changes play a significant role in development
      and progression of AML, and thus constitute important targets of therapy. The aim
      of targeting epigenetic effector protein or "epigenetic therapy" is to reverse
      epigenetic silencing and reactive various genes to induce a therapeutic effect
      such as differentiation, growth arrest, or apoptosis. Recent clinical studies
      have shown the relative safety and efficacy of such epigenetic therapies.

PMID- 20306244
TI  - Chromosomal translocations in AML: detection and prognostic significance.

PMID- 20306245
TI  - Chromosomal deletions in AML.
AB  - Several, acquired, non-random chromosomal deletions have been characterized in
      acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). While the deletion limits vary among patients,
      there are consistent regions of overlap among the deleted segments between
      patients. Furthermore, chromosomal deletions are achieved frequently by
      unbalanced translocations between two and more chromosomes resulting loss of
      candidate leukemia suppressor loci from the affected chromosomes. Most deletions
      occurring as sole anomalies are associated with good-intermediate clinical
      outcome, but complex cytogenetic anomalies signify an aggressive clinical course.
      Thanks to the exciting development in microarray, siRNA technologies, a number of
      candidate AML suppressor genes localizing to the critical regions of overlap
      within the deletions have been identified recently. Most of the candidate genes
      do not function by the classical "two hits," namely loss of an allele unmasking
      inactivating mutations in the remaining allele. Gene dosage, epigenetic
      silencing, and uniparental disomy appear to be common mechanisms of gene
      inactivation in AML. While several of the newly discovered candidate genes lead
      to new pathways, a few of them affect previously known leukemogenic targets. Thus
      the investments made over the years on leukemia suppressor gene discovery are
      beginning to yield reasonable results at the present time. Future beholds promise
      for targeted therapy of these poorly characterized AMLs, as we uncover the
      mutations driving their clonal evolution.

PMID- 20306246
TI  - Genes predictive of outcome and novel molecular classification schemes in adult
      acute myeloid leukemia.
AB  - The pretreatment karyotype of leukemic blasts is currently the key determinant in
      therapy decision making in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The World Health
      Organization (WHO) has recognized this important information by including,
      besides clinical, cytological, cytochemical, and immunophenotypical features,
      recurrent cytogenetic abnormalities in its classification (Table 1). However,
      although the WHO defines important biologically and clinically relevant entities,
      the prognostic value of some of the well-defined cytogenetic subgroups is
      partially masked in the WHO classification. Moreover, in the recent past a number
      of novel molecular aberrations with marked prognostic value, which are not yet
      incorporated in the WHO classifications have been identified. These molecular
      abnormalities include mutations (e.g., in FLT3, c-KIT, and NPM1), partial
      duplications (e.g., of MLL and FLT3), and abnormal expression of pathogenetic
      genes (e.g., EVI1, WT1, BCL2, MDR1, BAALC, and ERG). In addition, novel molecular
      approaches in genomics, like monitoring the expression levels of thousands of
      genes in parallel using DNA microarray technology, open possibilities for further
      refinement of prognostication of AML. Gene expression profiling in AML is already
      well established and has proven to be valuable to recognize various cytogenetic
      subtypes, discover novel AML subclasses, and predict clinical outcome. The
      current advances made in molecular understanding of AML will ultimately lead to a
      further refinement of prognostics of AML.

PMID- 20306247
TI  - Receptor tyrosine kinase alterations in AML - biology and therapy.
AB  - Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common form of leukemia in adults, and
      despite some recent progress in understanding the biology of the disease, AML
      remains the leading cause of leukemia-related deaths in adults and children. AML
      is a complex and heterogeneous disease, often involving multiple genetic defects
      that promote leukemic transformation and drug resistance. The cooperativity model
      suggests that an initial genetic event leads to maturational arrest in a myeloid
      progenitor cell, and subsequent genetic events induce proliferation and block
      apoptosis. Together, these genetic abnormalities lead to clonal expansion and
      frank leukemia. The purpose of this chapter is to review the biology of receptor
      tyrosine kinases (RTKs) in AML, exploring how RTKs are being used as novel
      prognostic factors and potential therapeutic targets.

PMID- 20306248
TI  - Lineage-specific transcription factor aberrations in AML.
AB  - Transcription factors play a key role in the commitment of hematopoietic stem
      cells to differentiate into specific lineages [78]. This is particularly
      important in that a block in terminal differentiation is the key contributing
      factor in acute leukemias. This general theme of the role of transcription
      factors in differentiation may also extend to other tissues, both in terms of
      normal development and cancer. Consistent with the role of transcription factors
      in hematopoietic lineage commitment is the frequent finding of aberrations in
      transcription factors in AML patients. Here, we intend to review recent findings
      on aberrations in lineage-restricted transcription factors as observed in
      patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

PMID- 20306249
TI  - Proleukemic RUNX1 and CBFbeta mutations in the pathogenesis of acute leukemia.
AB  - The existence of non-random mutations in critical regulators of cell growth and
      differentiation is a recurring theme in cancer pathogenesis and provides the
      basis for our modern, molecular approach to the study and treatment of malignant
      diseases. Nowhere is this more true than in the study of leukemogenesis, where
      research has converged upon a critical group of genes involved in hematopoietic
      stem and progenitor cell self-renewal and fate specification. Prominent among
      these is the heterodimeric transcriptional regulator, RUNX1/CBFbeta. RUNX1 is a
      site-specific DNA-binding protein whose consensus response element is found in
      the promoters of many hematopoietically relevant genes. CBFbeta interacts with
      RUNX1, stabilizing its interaction with DNA to promote the actions of
      RUNX1/CBFbeta in transcriptional control. Both the RUNX1 and the CBFbeta genes
      participate in proleukemic chromosomal alterations. Together they contribute to
      approximately one-third of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and one-quarter of
      acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cases, making RUNX1 and CBFbeta the most
      frequently affected genes known in the pathogenesis of acute leukemia.
      Investigating the mechanisms by which RUNX1, CBFbeta, and their proleukemic
      fusion proteins influence leukemogenesis has contributed greatly to our
      understanding of both normal and malignant hematopoiesis. Here we present an
      overview of the structural features of RUNX1/CBFbeta and their derivatives, their
      roles in transcriptional control, and their contributions to normal and malignant
      hematopoiesis.

PMID- 20306250
TI  - Acute myeloid leukemia with mutated nucleophosmin (NPM1): molecular,
      pathological, and clinical features.
AB  - The NPM1 gene encodes for nucleophosmin, a nucleolus-located shuttling protein
      that is involved in multiple cell functions, including regulation of ribosome
      biogenesis, control of centrosome duplication and preservation of ARF tumor
      suppressor integrity. The NPM1 gene is specifically mutated in about 30% acute
      myeloid leukemia (AML) but not in other human neoplasms. Mutations cause crucial
      changes at the C-terminus of the NPM1 protein that are responsible for the
      aberrant nuclear export and accumulation of NPM1 mutants in the cytoplasm of
      leukemic cells. Diagnosis of AML with mutated NPM1 can be done using molecular
      techniques, immunohistochemistry (looking at cytoplasmic dislocation of
      nucleophosmin that is predictive of NPM1 mutations) and Western blotting with
      antibodies specifically directed against NPM1 mutants. Because of its distinctive
      molecular, pathological, immunophenotypic and prognostic features, AML with
      mutated NPM1 (synonym: NPMc+ AML) has been included, as a new provisional entity,
      in the 2008 World Health Organization (WHO) classification of myeloid neoplasms.

PMID- 20306251
TI  - MicroRNAs: new players in AML pathogenesis.

PMID- 20306252
TI  - Murine models of human acute myeloid leukemia.
AB  - Primary human AML cells can be isolated and studied in vitro, but many
      experimental questions can only be addressed using in vivo models. In particular,
      tractable animal models are needed to test novel therapies. The genetic
      complexity of human AML poses significant challenges for the generation of
      reliable animal models. The hematopoietic systems of both zebrafish ( Danio
      rerio) and Drosophila have been well characterized ( reviewed in [5, 31]) . Both
      organisms are well suited to forward genetics mutagenesis screens. Although this
      approach has been useful for identification of mutants with hematopoietic
      phenotypes ( e.g., cloche), the impact on cancer biology and hematopoietic
      malignancies in particular has been limited. A zebrafish model of acute
      lymphoblastic leukemia has been generated [37] and Drosophila models have shed
      light on the biology of epithelial tumors ( reviewed in [60]). Nonetheless, in
      vivo modeling of human AML relies most heavily on mice. Most cellular, molecular,
      and developmental features of the hematopoietic system are well conserved across
      mammalian species. The availability of the human and mouse genome sequences and
      the capability of manipulating the mouse genome make mice the most valuable model
      organism for AML research. Mice have additional practical value because they have
      a short reproductive cycle and are relatively inexpensive to house.

PMID- 20306254
TI  - Acute promyelocytic leukemia: a paradigm for differentiation therapy.
AB  - Acute promyelocytic leukemia(APL) is characterized by the t(15;17) chromosomal
      translocation leading to the formation of the PML-RARalpha oncoprotein. This
      leukemia has attracted considerable interest in recent years, being the first in
      which therapies that specifically target the underlying molecular lesion, i.e.,
      all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and arsenic trioxide (ATO), leading to induction
      of differentiation and apoptosis have been successfully used in clinical
      practice. The advent of ATRA therapy has transformed APL from being a disease
      with a poor outlook to one of the most prognostically favorable subsets of acute
      myeloid leukemia. Further improvements in outcome may be achieved with the use of
      ATO, which achieves high rates of remission in the relatively small proportion of
      patients now relapsing following standard first-line therapy with ATRA and
      anthracycline-based chemotherapy. Moreover, recent studies have suggested that
      ATO and ATRA, or even ATO alone, used as front-line treatment of PML-RARA-
      associated APL can induce long-term remissions. This raises the possibility that
      some patients can be cured using differentiation therapies alone, without the
      need for chemotherapy, thereby potentially reducing treatment-related toxicity.
      It is clear that the success of such an approach is critically dependent upon
      molecular diagnostics and monitoring for minimal residual disease (MRD) to
      distinguish those patients who can potentially be cured with differentiation
      therapy from those requiring additional myelosuppressive agents. This represents
      an exciting new phase in the treatment of acute leukemia, highlighting the
      potential of molecularly targeted and MRD-directed therapies to achieve an
      individualized approach to patient management.

PMID- 20306255
TI  - Immunotherapy of AML.
AB  - The applications of chemotherapy for the treatment of AML have been unchanged
      over the past three decades, with only 30% of patients demonstrating disease-free
      survival (DFS) [118]. Despite achieving CR following induction chemotherapy, the
      majority of patients relapse and succumb to their disease [6]. In view of the
      limitations encountered by cytarabine/anthracycline based regimes, attention has
      shifted to immunotherapy as a means to treat AML and provide significant long
      term DFS. This chapter will discuss the role of the immune system and recent
      advances in immunotherapy for the treatment of AML, focusing on cellular and non
      cellular approaches.

PMID- 20306253
TI  - Apoptosis in leukemias: regulation and therapeutic targeting.
AB  - Nearly 25 years after the seminal publication of John Foxton Kerr that first
      described apoptosis, the process of regulated cell death, our understanding of
      this basic physiological phenomenon is far from complete [39]. From
      cardiovascular disease to cancer, apoptosis has assumed a central role with broad
      ranging therapeutic implications that depend on a complete understanding of this
      process, yet have also identified an incredibly complex regulatory system that is
      critical for development and is at the core of many diseases, challenging
      scientist and clinicians to step into its molecular realm and modulate its
      circuitry for therapeutic purposes. This chapter will review our understanding of
      the molecular circuitry that controls apoptosis in leukemia and the
      pharmacological manipulations of this pathway that may yield therapeutic benefit.

PMID- 20306256
TI  - Therapy of acute myelogenous leukemia in adults.

PMID- 20306258
TI  - Evaluation of the effects and mechanisms of action of glufosinate, an
      organophosphate insecticide, on striatal dopamine release by using in vivo
      microdialysis in freely moving rats.
AB  - The purpose of the present work was to assess the effects of glufosinate ammonium
      (GLA), an aminoacid structurally related to glutamate, on in vivo dopamine (DA)
      release from rat striatum, using brain microdialysis coupled to HPLC-EC.
      Intrastriatal administration of GLA produced significant concentration-dependent
      increases in DA levels. At least two mechanisms can be proposed to explain these
      increases: GLA could be inducing DA release from synaptic vesicles or producing
      an inhibition of DA transporter (DAT). Thus, we investigated the effects of GLA
      under Ca(++)-free condition, and after pretreatment with reserpine and TTX. It
      was observed that the pretreatment with Ca(++)-free Ringer, reserpine or TTX
      significantly reduced the DA release induced by GLA. Coinfusion of GLA and
      nomifensine shows that the GLA-induced DA release did not involve the DAT. These
      results show that GLA-induced striatal DA release is probably mediated by an
      exocytotic-, Ca(++)-, action potential-dependent mechanism, being independent of
      DAT.

PMID- 20306257
TI  - Regulation of tumor suppressor p53 at the RNA level.
AB  - p53 is a key tumor suppressor that triggers cell cycle arrest, senescence, or
      apoptosis in response to cellular stress. Frequent p53 mutation in human tumors
      allows survival, sustained growth, and tumor progression. p53 is expressed at low
      levels under normal conditions, due to rapid protein turnover. Stress signaling
      induces p53 protein stabilization through phosphorylation and other post
      translational modifications. However, recent studies have demonstrated critical
      regulation of p53 at the mRNA level, mediated via both the 5'UTR and the 3'UTR
      and affecting both the stability and the translation efficiency of the p53 mRNA.
      Both proteins and microRNAs have been implicated in such regulation. The p53
      target gene Wig-1 encodes a zinc finger protein that binds to double-stranded RNA
      and enhances p53 mRNA stability by binding to the 3'UTR in a positive feedback
      loop. Here, we shall summarize current knowledge about regulation of the p53 mRNA
      and discuss possible implications for cancer therapy.

PMID- 20306259
TI  - LC-QqLIT MS analysis of nine sulfonamides and one of their acetylated metabolites
      in the Llobregat River basin. Quantitative determination and qualitative
      evaluation by IDA experiments.
AB  - Robust instrumental analytical chemistry and the subsequent development of
      improved analytical methodologies and extraction procedures have enabled the
      detection at environmental levels of new emerging contaminants, for example
      pharmaceuticals. The objective of this study was to explore the potential of
      liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole-linear ion trap (LC-QqLIT MS) for
      quantitative determination of nine sulfonamides (SAs) and one acetylated
      metabolite in surface water from the Llobregat River and one of its main
      tributaries, the Anoia River, in Catalonia (Spain). A total of 21 samples were
      taken in three sampling campaigns. Recoveries ranging from 26% to 123% were
      calculated for the SAs studied, and method limits of detection (MLODs) achieved
      were in the range 0.05-0.2 ng L(-1). Through the different campaigns,
      concentrations ranged from 0.74 ng L(-1) (sulfamethizole) to 2,482 ng L(-1)
      (sulfamethazine) in the Llobregat River, and from 0.27 ng L(-1) (sulfamethizole)
      to 168 ng L(-1) (sulfamethoxazole) in the Anoia River. Sulfamethoxazole and
      sulfapyridine were the two SAs most frequently detected (80% and 71%
      respectively). N(4)-acetylsulfamethazine was detected in both rivers, but with
      different frequencies (4% of the samples from the Anoia River and 43% of those
      from the Llobregat River). Information-dependent acquisition (IDA) experiments
      were also developed in order to obtain enhanced product-ion spectra in surface
      water samples.

PMID- 20306261
TI  - Efficiency of iloprost treatment for osseous malperfusion.
AB  - Insufficient osseous blood supply results in bone marrow oedema (BMO) and/or
      avascular necrosis (AVN). One treatment option to support osseous perfusion is
      the application of stable prostacycline analog iloprost. In this clinical study,
      95 patients were treated with iloprost for BMO/AVN. One hundred eighty-six bones
      were affected by BMO/AVN before treatment. Average follow-up was 33.0 +/- 17.6
      months. Pain levels could be reduced (e.g. visual analogue scale, 5.0 +/- 2.2
      points reduced to 1.7 +/- 2.2 points) and functional scores improved (Harris hip
      score, 52 +/- 21 points to 79 +/- 17 points) in the course of treatment.
      According to current data, healing of advanced stages of osteonecrosis is not
      possible. However, the results of this case series confirm previous findings that
      in early stages of insufficient osseous blood flow iloprost can contribute to the
      relief of pain and improve joint function.

PMID- 20306262
TI  - Reliable techniques to avoid damaging the superficial radial nerve due to
      percutaneous Kirschner wire fixation of the distal radius fracture through the
      radial styloid process.
AB  - PURPOSE: The use of percutaneous Kirschner wires for fixation of unstable
      fractures of the distal radius has been widely accepted as the least invasive
      procedure. However, the injury to the superficial branch of the radial nerve
      (SBRN) is common. Our purpose in this study was to develop a reliable technique
      to avoid damaging the SBRN. METHODS: Twenty cadaver forearms were dissected to
      identify the SBRN distribution, and 18 forearms were used to undergo placement of
      three Kirschner wires (KW-A, KW-B, and KW-C). The KW-A, KW-B, and KW-C were
      driven in the frontal plane into the distal radius, and KW-A and KW-C through the
      tip of radial styloid process at different angles. The SBRN distribution and its
      relationship with the KW insertion were identified. Fifty-three patients with
      unstable distal radius fractures were fixed with external fixator and augmented
      with 1-3 KW, and the injury rates of SBRN were evaluated. RESULTS: We found a
      blind region of the SBRN bound by its first bifurcations into radial and ulnar
      branches and the line crossing the tip of the styloid process. The mean distance
      of the three wires (KW-A, KW-C, and KW-B) to the closest nerve branch was 4.5,
      4.4, and 3.4 mm, respectively. The injury of SBRN occurred in two of 53 patients.
      CONCLUSION: The injury rate of the SBRN can be effectively reduced when the
      Kirschner wire is placed along the curve AB and as in proximity to the TRSP as
      possible under fluoroscopic guidance. Our pinning technique is therefore reliable
      and practical.

PMID- 20306263
TI  - Ultrasound-guided intratumoral administration of collagenase-2 improved liposome
      drug accumulation in solid tumor xenografts.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of intratumoral administration of collagenase
      2 on liposomal drug accumulation and diffusion in solid tumor xenografts.
      METHODS: Correlation between tumor interstitial fluid pressure (IFP) and tumor
      physiological properties (size and vessel fraction by B-mode and Doppler
      ultrasound, respectively) was determined. IFP response to intravenous or
      intratumoral collagenase-2 (0.1%) treatment was compared with intratumoral
      deactivated collagenase-2. To evaluate drug accumulation and diffusion,
      technetium-99 m-((99m)Tc)-liposomal doxorubicin (Doxil) was intravenously
      injected after collagenase-2 (0.1 and 0.5%, respectively) treatment, and planar
      scintigraphic images acquired and percentage of the injected dose per gram tissue
      calculated. Subsequently, tumors were subjected to autoradiography and
      histopathology. RESULTS: IFP in two-week-old head and neck squamous cell
      carcinoma xenografts was 18 +/- 3.7 mmHg and not correlated to the tumor size but
      had reverse correlation with the vessel fraction (r = -0.91, P < 0.01).
      Intravenous and intratumoral collagenase-2 use reduced IFP by a maximum of 35
      40%. Compared to the control, the low IFP level achieved through intratumoral
      route remained for a long period (24 vs. 2 h, P < 0.05). SPECT images and
      autoradiography showed significantly higher (99m)Tc-Doxil accumulation in tumors
      with intratumoral collagenase-2 treatment, confirmed by %ID/g in tumors (P <
      0.05), and pathological findings showed extensive distribution of Doxil in
      tumors. CONCLUSIONS: Intratumoral injection of collagenase-2 could effectively
      reduce IFP in HNSCC xenografts for a longer period than using intravenous
      approach, which allowed for more efficient accumulation and homogeneous diffusion
      of the Doxil within the tumor interstitium.

PMID- 20306264
TI  - Oral bioavailability of DN101, a concentrated formulation of calcitriol, in tumor
      bearing dogs.
AB  - PURPOSE: High-dose calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3)) has antineoplastic
      activity against a range of tumors and potentiates chemotherapeutic agents. In an
      earlier canine study, the MTD of intravenous (i.v.) calcitriol was 3.75 MUg/kg,
      but polysorbate-associated hypersensitivity reactions were common. Use of
      commercially available oral calcitriol is limited by the absence of a formulation
      of suitable strength to allow administration of a reasonable number of caplets.
      This study evaluated the bioavailability of DN101, a concentrated oral calcitriol
      formulation specifically developed for anticancer applications. METHODS: An open
      label, single-dose, 2-way crossover study was conducted. Dogs randomly received a
      single 3.75 MUg/kg dose of calcitriol either i.v. or oral (as DN101), followed by
      cisplatin (60 mg/m(2)). Three weeks later, the alternate form of calcitriol was
      given prior to another dose of cisplatin. Dogs received antihistamines and
      corticosteroids prior to both treatments. Food was withheld for 12 h before and
      after therapy. Serum calcitriol concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay.
      RESULTS: Ten tumor-bearing dogs received both i.v. and oral calcitriol. Six dogs
      experienced hypersensitivity reactions during i.v. calcitriol. Sequence of
      calcitriol administration (day-1 vs. day-21) by either i.v. or oral routes had no
      effect on the major calcitriol pharmacokinetic parameters. Oral calcitriol
      resulted in significantly lower values for AUC (P = 0.05) and prolonged T (1/2)
      (P = 0.003) when compared to i.v. Calcitriol oral bioavailability was highly
      variable among dogs (mean +/- SEM, 71 +/- 12.6%). CONCLUSIONS: This study
      demonstrates that a high-dose formulation of calcitriol has a moderate
      bioavailability in dogs, but inter-individual variability in PK parameters is
      similar to that observed in people. With this bioavailability, serum
      concentrations of calcitriol that exhibit antitumor activity in a preclinical
      murine model were achieved in some dogs. Exploration of methods to minimize
      variation in calcitriol systemic exposure is warranted.

PMID- 20306265
TI  - Deletion of PaAif2 and PaAmid2, two genes encoding mitochondrial AIF-like
      oxidoreductases of Podospora anserina, leads to increased stress tolerance and
      lifespan extension.
AB  - Wild-type strains of the ascomycete Podospora anserina are characterized by a
      limited lifespan. Mitochondria play a central role in this ageing process raising
      the question of whether apoptosis-like processes, which are also connected to
      mitochondrial function, are involved in the control of the final stage in the
      fungal life cycle. While a role of two metacaspases in apoptosis and lifespan
      control was recently demonstrated in P. anserina, virtually nothing is known
      about the function of the protein family of apoptosis-inducing factors (AIFs).
      Here we report data about proteins belonging to this family. We demonstrate that
      the cytosolic members PaAIF1 and PaAMID1 do not affect lifespan. In contrast,
      loss of PaAIF2 and PaAMID2, which both were localized to mitochondria, are
      characterized by a significantly increased ROS tolerance and a prolonged
      lifespan. In addition, deletion of PaAmid2 severely affects sporogenesis. These
      data identify components of a caspase-independent molecular pathway to be
      involved in developmental processes and in the induction of programmed cell death
      in the senescent stage of P. anserina.

PMID- 20306266
TI  - Hormone profile in juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus with previous or current
      amenorrhea.
AB  - To identify the underlying mechanism of amenorrhea in juvenile systemic lupus
      erythematosus (JSLE) patients, thirty-five (11.7%) JSLE patients with current or
      previous amenorrhea were consecutively selected among the 298 post-menarche
      patients followed in 12 Brazilian pediatric rheumatology centers. Pituitary
      gonadotrophins [follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH)]
      and estradiol were evaluated in 32/35 patients, and prolactin and total
      testosterone in 29/35 patients. Patient's medical records were carefully reviewed
      according to demographic, clinical and therapeutic findings. The mean duration of
      amenorrhea was 7.2 +/- 3.6 months. Low FSH or LH was observed in 7/32 (22%) JSLE
      patients and normal FSH or LH in 25 (78%). Remarkably, low levels of FSH or LH
      were associated with higher frequency of current amenorrhea (57% vs. 0%, P =
      0.001), higher median disease activity (SLEDAI) and damage (SLICC/ACR-DI) (18 vs.
      4, P = 0.011; 2 vs. 0, P = 0.037, respectively) and higher median current dose of
      prednisone (60 vs. 10 mg/day, P = 0.0001) compared to normal FSH or LH JSLE
      patients. None of them had decreased ovarian reserve and premature ovarian
      failure. Six of 29 (21%) patients had high levels of prolactin, and none had
      current amenorrhea. No correlations were observed between levels of prolactin and
      SLEDAI, and levels of prolactin and SLICC/ACR-DI scores (Spearman's coefficient).
      We have identified that amenorrhea in JSLE is associated with high dose of
      corticosteroids indicated for active disease due to hypothalamic-pituitary-ovary
      axis suppression.

PMID- 20306267
TI  - Ruptured pulmonary artery caused by isolated pulmonary valve endocarditis: case
      report.

PMID- 20306268
TI  - Abnormal tau phosphorylation in primary progressive multiple sclerosis.
AB  - Although neurodegeneration is the pathological substrate of progression in
      multiple sclerosis (MS), the underlying mechanisms remain unresolved. Abnormal
      phosphorylation of tau, implicated in the aetiopathogenesis of a number of
      classic neurodegenerative disorders, has also recently been described in
      secondary progressive MS (SPMS). In contrast to SPMS, primary progressive MS
      (PPMS) represents a significant subset of patients with accumulating neurological
      disability from onset. The neuropathological relationship between SPMS and PPMS
      is unknown. Against this background, we investigated tau phosphorylation status
      in five cases of PPMS using immunohistochemical and biochemical methods. We
      report widespread abnormal tau hyperphosphorylation of the classic tau phospho
      epitopes occurring in multiple cell types but with a clear immunohistochemical
      glial bias. In addition, biochemical analysis revealed abnormally phosphorylated
      insoluble tau in all cases. These findings establish a platform for further study
      of the role of insoluble tau formation, including determining the relevance of
      glial tau pathology, in the neurodegenerative phase of MS.

PMID- 20306269
TI  - Multi-organ distribution of phosphorylated alpha-synuclein histopathology in
      subjects with Lewy body disorders.
AB  - A sensitive immunohistochemical method for phosphorylated alpha-synuclein was
      used to stain sets of sections of spinal cord and tissue from 41 different sites
      in the bodies of 92 subjects, including 23 normal elderly, 7 with incidental Lewy
      body disease (ILBD), 17 with Parkinson's disease (PD), 9 with dementia with Lewy
      bodies (DLB), 19 with Alzheimer's disease with Lewy bodies (ADLB) and 17 with
      Alzheimer's disease with no Lewy bodies (ADNLB). The relative densities and
      frequencies of occurrence of phosphorylated alpha-synuclein histopathology (PASH)
      were tabulated and correlated with diagnostic category. The greatest densities
      and frequencies of PASH occurred in the spinal cord, followed by the paraspinal
      sympathetic ganglia, the vagus nerve, the gastrointestinal tract and endocrine
      organs. The frequency of PASH within other organs and tissue types was much
      lower. Spinal cord and peripheral PASH was most common in subjects with PD and
      DLB, where it appears likely that it is universally widespread. Subjects with
      ILBD had lesser densities of PASH within all regions, but had frequent
      involvement of the spinal cord and paraspinal sympathetic ganglia, with less
      frequent involvement of end-organs. Subjects with ADLB had infrequent involvement
      of the spinal cord and paraspinal sympathetic ganglia with rare involvement of
      end-organs. Within the gastrointestinal tract, there was a rostrocaudal gradient
      of decreasing PASH frequency and density, with the lower esophagus and
      submandibular gland having the greatest involvement and the colon and rectum the
      lowest.

PMID- 20306270
TI  - Resistance training induces supraspinal adaptations: evidence from movement
      related cortical potentials.
AB  - Early effects of a resistance training program include neural adaptations at
      multiple levels of the neuraxis, but direct evidence of central changes is
      lacking. Plasticity exhibited by multiple supraspinal centers following training
      may alter slow negative electroencephalographic activity, referred to as movement
      related cortical potentials (MRCP). The purpose of this study was to determine
      whether MRCPs are altered in response to resistance training. Eleven healthy
      participants (24.6 +/- 3.5 years) performed 3 weeks of explosive unilateral leg
      extensor resistance training. MRCP were assessed during 60 self-paced leg
      extensions against a constant nominal load before and after training. Resistance
      training was effective (P < 0.001) in increasing leg extensor peak force (+22%),
      rate of force production (+32%) as well as muscle activity (iEMG; +47%, P <
      0.05). These changes were accompanied by several MRCP effects. Following
      training, MRCP amplitude was attenuated at several scalp sites overlying motor
      related cortical areas (P < 0.05), and the onset of MRCP at the vertex was 28%
      (561 ms) earlier. In conclusion, the 3-week training protocol in the present
      study elicited significant strength gains which were accompanied by neural
      adaptations at the level of the cortex. We interpret our findings of attenuated
      cortical demand for submaximal voluntary movement as evidence for enhanced neural
      economy as a result of resistance training.

PMID- 20306271
TI  - Kir 2.1 channelopathies: the Andersen-Tawil syndrome.
AB  - As a multisystem disorder, Andersen-Tawil syndrome (ATS) is rather unique in the
      family of channelopathies. The full spectrum of the disease is characterized by
      ventricular arrhythmias, dysmorphic features, and periodic paralysis. Most ATS
      patients have a mutation in the ion channel gene, KCNJ2, which encodes the inward
      rectifier K+ channel Kir2.1, a component of the inward rectifier IK1.IK1 provides
      repolarizing current during the most terminal phase of repolarization and is the
      primary conductance controlling the diastolic membrane potential. Thus, ATS is a
      disorder of cardiac repolarization. The chapter will discuss the most recent data
      concerning the genetic, cellular, and clinical data underlying this unique
      disorder.

PMID- 20306273
TI  - Anti-mitogenic and apoptotic effects of 5-HT1B receptor antagonist on HT29
      colorectal cancer cell line.
AB  - PURPOSE: There is lack of evidence about impact of 5-HT receptors on colorectal
      cancers. The current study was designed to investigate the role of serotonin and
      its receptors in colorectal cancer cell line and tissues. METHODS: In cell
      cultures, we investigated the effects of 5-HT and 5-HT(1A,1B,1D) agonists and
      antagonists on proliferation of HT29 cells. We also tested apoptosis for the
      receptor antagonists. The expression of 5-HT1(A,B,D) receptor subtypes was
      examined by immunohistochemistry and western blotting. RESULTS: Our data
      indicated that 5-HT(1B) receptor was fully expressed in HT29 cell line and tumor
      tissues. MTT proliferation assay also revealed that serotonin and CP93129
      dihydrochloride, a selective 5-HT(1B) receptor agonist, stimulated growth of HT29
      cells. Further, SB224289 hydrochloride (that is a selective 5-HT(1B) receptor
      antagonist) had anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects on HT29 cells.
      CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study provide evidence for the potential role
      of 5-HT(1B) receptor in colorectal cancer. Further investigation is required to
      explore the effect of receptor antagonists on the prevention, prognosis and
      treatment of patients with colorectal cancer.

PMID- 20306274
TI  - Patients' experience of oxygen therapy and dyspnea: a qualitative study in home
      palliative care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dyspnea is a common and distressing symptom in advanced cancer
      patients. Our preliminary work shows that in the home palliative care population
      sampled for this study, the prevalence of dyspnea is 29.5% and of those, 26.2%
      used oxygen therapy. Previous studies suggested that oxygen therapy can be a
      burden to patients. PURPOSE: This study seeks to report the prevalence and
      describe the experience of dyspnea, pattern of oxygen use, and patients'
      perceived benefits and/or burdens of oxygen therapy in home palliative care
      patients receiving oxygen therapy. METHODS: Qualitative in-depth interviews,
      using an interview guide, were conducted with eight participants in their homes.
      Thematic analysis was performed using a framework approach. RESULTS: All patients
      in this project used oxygen most of the time. The descriptions of shortness of
      breath varied and were nonspecific. The patients identified more advantages than
      disadvantages. The advantages of oxygen use included increased functional
      capacity, patients' perceiving oxygen as a life-saving intervention, as well as a
      symptom-management tool. The identified disadvantages were decreased mobility,
      discomfort related to the nasal prongs, barriers to accessing oxygen therapy and
      noise related to the equipment. CONCLUSION: The advantages of oxygen usage
      outweighed the disadvantages for this sample of patients in the home palliative
      setting.

PMID- 20306272
TI  - Nitric oxide and oxidative stress in vascular disease.
AB  - Endothelium-derived nitric oxide (NO) is a paracrine factor that controls
      vascular tone, inhibits platelet function, prevents adhesion of leukocytes, and
      reduces proliferation of the intima. An enhanced inactivation and/or reduced
      synthesis of NO is seen in conjunction with risk factors for cardiovascular
      disease. This condition, referred to as endothelial dysfunction, can promote
      vasospasm, thrombosis, vascular inflammation, and proliferation of vascular
      smooth muscle cells. Vascular oxidative stress with an increased production of
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) contributes to mechanisms of vascular dysfunction.
      Oxidative stress is mainly caused by an imbalance between the activity of
      endogenous pro-oxidative enzymes (such as NADPH oxidase, xanthine oxidase, or the
      mitochondrial respiratory chain) and anti-oxidative enzymes (such as superoxide
      dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, heme oxygenase, thioredoxin
      peroxidase/peroxiredoxin, catalase, and paraoxonase) in favor of the former.
      Also, small molecular weight antioxidants may play a role in the defense against
      oxidative stress. Increased ROS concentrations reduce the amount of bioactive NO
      by chemical inactivation to form toxic peroxynitrite. Peroxynitrite-in turn-can
      "uncouple" endothelial NO synthase to become a dysfunctional superoxide
      generating enzyme that contributes to vascular oxidative stress. Oxidative stress
      and endothelial dysfunction can promote atherogenesis. Therapeutically, drugs in
      clinical use such as ACE inhibitors, AT(1) receptor blockers, and statins have
      pleiotropic actions that can improve endothelial function. Also, dietary
      polyphenolic antioxidants can reduce oxidative stress, whereas clinical trials
      with antioxidant vitamins C and E failed to show an improved cardiovascular
      outcome.

PMID- 20306275
TI  - Global meaning and meaning-related life attitudes: exploring their role in
      predicting depression, anxiety, and demoralization in cancer patients.
AB  - GOAL OF WORK: While significance of the concept of meaning in understanding
      adaptation to cancer is widely accepted, it has been little studied, especially
      in longitudinal data. This study aims to clarify the role of global meaning and
      meaning-related life attitudes (death acceptance and goal seeking) in predicting
      different aspects of psychological and existential distress by reference to a
      specified research model. PATIENTS AND METHODS: At baseline (T1), a sample of 270
      cancer patients was recruited. Data from 178 patients could be obtained after 3
      months at T2. Patients completed the Life-Attitude-Profile-Revised assessing
      global meaning and meaning-related life attitudes, the Hospital Anxiety and
      Depression Scale, and the Demoralization Scale. Hierarchical regression analyses
      were carried out in two steps. Sociodemographic and physical factors were
      controlled. RESULTS: Global meaning emerged as a significant negative predictor
      of depression (beta = -0.27) (p <= 0.001) and demoralization (beta = -0.27) (p <=
      0.001). Death acceptance was a predictor of anxiety only (beta = -0.21) (p <=
      0.003), whereas goal seeking was a positive predictor of depression (beta = 0.29)
      (p <= 0.001), anxiety (beta = 0.36) (p <= 0.001), and demoralization (beta =
      0.35) (p <= 0.001). DISCUSSION: Findings confirm a global sense of meaning as an
      important protecting factor regarding the development of distress symptoms.
      Results suggest that different dimensions of meaning contribute to different
      dimensions of psychological well-being, as they refer to different existential
      problems. The need for and relevance of meaning-focused interventions in cancer
      patients is strengthened.

PMID- 20306276
TI  - Molecular and genetic characteristics of hemagglutinin and neuraminidase in
      Iranian 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) viruses.
AB  - Influenza virus infections cause severe illness worldwide. Vaccination reduces
      the morbidity and mortality of influenza. The efficacy of vaccines varies due to
      antigenic differences between the circulating influenza strains and the vaccine.
      Neuraminidase inhibitors are effective for prophylaxis and treatment of influenza
      infections, and the emergence of drug resistant mutants is an important
      challenge. Full-length nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of the
      hemagglutinin and neuraminidase genes of three 2009 pandemic influenza A/H1N1
      isolates were compared with the vaccine strain and some strains from different
      countries. Phylogenetic analysis for hemagglutinin and neuraminidase showed they
      were related to their vaccine strain, with an average of 99.56 and 99.53%
      sequence identity, respectively. No genetic indication of resistance to
      neuraminidase inhibitors was found. Although genomic analysis of hemagglutinin
      and neuraminidase genes of Iranian strains in comparison to the corresponding
      vaccine strain revealed some mutations, none of these were identified in
      functionally important receptor-binding sites.

PMID- 20306277
TI  - 3D-QSAR studies on caspase-mediated apoptosis activity of phenolic analogues.
AB  - Phenols and its analogues are known to induce caspase-mediated apoptosis activity
      and cytotoxicity on various cancer cell lines. In the current work, two types of
      molecular field analysis techniques were used to perform the three dimension
      quantitative structure activity relationship (3D-QSAR) modeling between
      structural characters and anticancer activity of two sets of phenolic compounds,
      which are comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular
      similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA). Then two 3D-QSAR models for two sets of
      phenolic analogues were obtained with good results. The first QSAR model, which
      was derived from CoMFA for phenols with caspase-mediated apoptosis activity
      against L1210 cells, had good predictability (q2 = 0.874, r2 = 0.930), and the
      other one was derived from CoMSIA for electron-attracting phenols with
      cytotoxicity in L1210 cell (q2 = 0.836, r2 = 0.950). In addition, the CoMFA and
      CoMSIA contour maps provide valuable guidance for designing highly active
      phenolic compounds.

PMID- 20306278
TI  - On the surface tension of fluctuating quasi-spherical vesicles.
AB  - We calculate the stress tensor for a quasi-spherical vesicle and we thermally
      average it in order to obtain the actual, mechanical, surface tension tau of the
      vesicle. Both closed and poked vesicles are considered. We recover our results
      for tau by differentiating the free energy with respect to the proper projected
      area. We show that tau may become negative well before the transition to oblate
      shapes and that it may reach quite large negative values in the case of small
      vesicles. This implies that spherical vesicles may have an inner pressure lower
      than the outer one.

PMID- 20306279
TI  - Supported bilayers: combined specular and diffuse X-ray scattering.
AB  - A method is proposed for the analysis of specular and off-specular reflectivity
      from supported lipid bilayers. Both thermal fluctuations and the "static"
      roughness induced by the substrate are carefully taken into account. Examples
      from supported bilayers and more complex systems comprising a bilayer adsorbed or
      grafted on the substrate and another "floating" bilayer are given. The combined
      analysis of specular and off-specular reflectivity allows the precise
      determination of the structure of adsorbed and floating bilayers, their tension,
      bending rigidity and interaction potentials. We show that this new method gives a
      unique opportunity to investigate phenomena like protrusion modes of adsorbed
      bilayers and opens the way to the investigation of more complex systems including
      different kinds of lipids, cholesterol or peptides.

PMID- 20306280
TI  - Gas-producing Escherichia coli fasciitis leading to air-embolism of the lower
      vena cava.

PMID- 20306282
TI  - Tautomers and topomers: challenging the uncertainties of direct physicochemical
      modeling.
AB  - To address the goal of improved discovery decision making, the uncertainties of
      physicochemical modeling, as exemplified by tautomer identification, are
      contrasted with methods focused exclusively on the sole experimental system
      variable, the changes in ligand structures, as exemplified by topomers.

PMID- 20306281
TI  - Nocardiosis: updated clinical review and experience at a tertiary center.
AB  - Nocardiosis is a rare opportunistic disease that affects mainly patients with
      deficient cell-mediated immunity, such as those with acquired immunodeficiency
      syndrome (AIDS) or transplant recipients. Pulmonary disease is the most common
      presentation in immunosuppressed patients and approximately one-third have a
      disseminated disease. Primary cutaneous nocardiosis is more frequently observed
      in immunocompetent patients with direct inoculation of the organism through
      professional exposure. The diagnosis can be challenging, as signs and symptoms
      are not specific and a high index of clinical of suspicion is necessary. Although
      gram stain, modified acid-fast stain, and cultures remain as the standard
      diagnostic tools, novel molecular techniques have changed the taxonomy of these
      organisms and, in some instances, have facilitated their identification. The
      disease has a marked tendency to recur and a high morbidity and mortality rate in
      immunosuppressed patients. Treatment is usually prolonged and an associated
      antibiotic treatment is preferred for severe disease. Although sulfonamides in
      combination with other antibiotics are still the treatment of choice, other
      associations such as imipenem plus amikacin are preferred in some centers.
      Linezolid is a useful alternative therapeutic agent due to its oral availability
      and activity against most of the isolates studied. Twenty-eight cases of
      nocardiosis were diagnosed at our center between January 1989 and April 2009. We
      report the epidemiologic characteristics of Nocardia spp. observed in our
      institution and discuss the risk factors, clinical features, diagnosis, and
      management of the disease.

PMID- 20306283
TI  - Design, structure-based focusing and in silico screening of combinatorial library
      of peptidomimetic inhibitors of Dengue virus NS2B-NS3 protease.
AB  - Serine protease activity of the NS3 protein of Dengue virus is an important
      target of antiviral agents that interfere with the viral polyprotein precursor
      processing catalyzed by the NS3 protease (NS3pro), which is important for the
      viral replication and maturation. Recent studies showed that substrate-based
      peptidomimetics carrying an electrophilic warhead inhibit the NS2B-NS3pro
      cofactor-protease complex with inhibition constants in the low micromolar
      concentration range when basic amino acid residues occupy P(1) and P(2) positions
      of the inhibitor, and an aldehyde warhead is attached to the P(1). We have used
      computer-assisted combinatorial techniques to design, focus using the NS2B-NS3pro
      receptor 3D structure, and in silico screen a virtual library of more than 9,200
      peptidomimetic analogs targeted around the template inhibitor Bz-Nle-Lys-Arg-Arg
      H (Bz-benzoyl) that are composed mainly of unusual amino acid residues in all
      positions P(1)-P(4). The most promising virtual hits were analyzed in terms of
      computed enzyme-inhibitor interactions and Adsorption, Distribution, Metabolism
      and Excretion (ADME) related physico-chemical properties. Our study can direct
      the interest of medicinal chemists working on a next generation of antiviral
      chemotherapeutics against the Dengue Fever towards the explored subset of the
      chemical space that is predicted to contain peptide aldehydes with NS3pro
      inhibition potencies in nanomolar range which display ADME-related properties
      comparable to the training set inhibitors.

PMID- 20306284
TI  - A computational workflow for the design of irreversible inhibitors of protein
      kinases.
AB  - Design of irreversible inhibitors is an emerging and relatively less explored
      strategy for the design of protein kinase inhibitors. In this paper, we present a
      computational workflow that was specifically conceived to assist such design. The
      workflow takes the form of a multi-step procedure that includes: the creation of
      a database of already known reversible inhibitors of protein kinases, the
      selection of the most promising scaffolds that bind one or more desired kinase
      templates, the modification of the scaffolds by introduction of chemically
      reactive groups (suitable cysteine traps) and the final evaluation of the
      reversible and irreversible protein-ligand complexes with molecular dynamics
      simulations and binding free energy predictions. Most of these steps were
      automated. In order to prove that this is viable, the workflow was tested on a
      database of known inhibitors of ERK2, a protein kinase possessing a cysteine in
      the ATP site. The modeled ERK2-ligand complexes and the values of the estimated
      binding free energies of the putative ligands provide useful indicators of their
      aptitude to bind reversibly and irreversibly to the protein kinase. Moreover, the
      computational data are used to rank the ligands according to their computed
      binding free energies and their ability to bind specific protein residues in the
      reversible and irreversible complexes, thereby providing a useful decision-making
      tool for each step of the design. In this work we present the overall procedure
      and the first proof of concept results.

PMID- 20306285
TI  - Effect of bovine lactoferrin in Salmonella ser. Typhimurium infection in mice.
AB  - Lactoferrin (LF) has in vitro antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative
      bacteria. Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium causes systemic
      infection and acute diarrhea in humans, mainly in children younger than 2 years
      of age. The aim of the study was to determine the in vivo effect of bovine LF in
      Salmonella ser. Typhimurium infection in mice. 58 BALB/c mice were employed. Two
      hours before the infection with 300 microl of 10(7) CFU of Salmonella ser.
      Typhimurium, 29 mice received LF (2 mg) and 29 placebo (buffer). After the
      infection, the mice received LF (10 mg/ml) ad libitum or buffer, respectively,
      for 7 days. Mortality, weight and clinical signs (piloerection, hunched position
      and reduced movement) were monitored daily. The degree of inflammation and
      necrosis in the intestine, liver, spleen and brain were studied with a blinded
      observer. The mortality in the control group (8/29) was higher than in the LF
      group (1/29) (Kapplan Meier P < 0.05). From the third day post-infection the
      control group were significantly more symptomatic (P < 0.05). The blood culture
      for Salmonella spp. was positive for all mice studied in the control group
      (17/17), but positive in the LF group in only 6/17 animals (P < 0.05). In the LF
      group, the pathologic studies show less inflammation and focal necrosis in the
      four organs studied, with the greatest difference found in the intestine. Bovine
      LF protects against Salmonella ser. Typhimurium infection in mice, reducing the
      severity, mortality and the degree of inflammation of this infection.

PMID- 20306286
TI  - Proteomic approach to analyze dormancy breaking of tree seeds.
AB  - In forest broadleaves from the temperate zone, a large number of species exhibit
      seed dormancy phenomena. Tree seeds show some of the most pronounced and
      complicated forms of dormancy in the plant kingdom. Many seeds are deeply
      physiologically dormant whatever their moisture level and age. However, dormancy
      can usually be overcome by a cold or warm stratification for several months. The
      transition from seed dormancy to germination is a multi-step process. In
      combination with the availability of genome sequence data, proteomics has opened
      up enormous possibilities for identifying the total set of expressed proteins as
      well as expression changes during dormancy breaking. The proteomic approach used
      for analysis of dormancy breaking of tree seeds offers new data allowing better
      understanding of the mechanism of deep physiological dormancy. The results of
      proteomic studies on dormancy breaking and the presence of abscisic and
      gibberellic acids in tree seeds (beech Fagus sylvatica L., Norway maple Acer
      platanoides L. and sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus L.), help to explain this process
      better. Most of the changes in protein expression were observed at the end of
      stratification and in the germinated seeds. This is the most active period of
      dormancy breaking when seeds pass from the quiescent state to germination. The
      analysis of the proteins' function showed that the mechanism of seed dormancy
      breaking involves many processes. Energy metabolism, proteasome, transcription,
      protein synthesis, signal transduction and methionine metabolism proteins have a
      special importance.

PMID- 20306287
TI  - Caffeine intake during pregnancy, late miscarriage and stillbirth.
AB  - Caffeine is a commonly consumed drug during pregnancy with the potential to
      affect the developing fetus. Findings from previous studies have shown
      inconsistent results. We recruited a cohort of 2,643 pregnant women, aged 18-45
      years, attending two UK maternity units between 8 and 12 weeks gestation from
      September 2003 to June 2006. We used a validated tool to assess caffeine intake
      at different stages of pregnancy and related this to late miscarriage and
      stillbirth, adjusting for confounders, including salivary cotinine as a biomarker
      of smoking status. There was a strong association between caffeine intake in the
      first trimester and subsequent late miscarriage and stillbirth, adjusting for
      confounders. Women whose pregnancies resulted in late miscarriage or stillbirth
      had higher caffeine intakes (geometric mean = 145 mg/day; 95% CI: 85-249) than
      those with live births (103 mg/day; 95% CI: 98-108). Compared to those consuming
      < 100 mg/day, odds ratios increased to 2.2 (95% CI: 0.7-7.1) for 100-199 mg/day,
      1.7 (0.4-7.1) for 200-299 mg/day, and 5.1 (1.6-16.4) for 300+ mg/day (P (trend) =
      0.004). Greater caffeine intake is associated with increases in late miscarriage
      and stillbirth. Despite remaining uncertainty in the strength of association, our
      study strengthens the observational evidence base on which current guidance is
      founded.

PMID- 20306289
TI  - The importance of using the correct bounds on the Bland-Altman limits of
      agreement when multiple measurements are recorded per patient.
AB  - The limits of agreement originally derived by Bland and Altman (Lancet i:307-310,
      1986) are the most commonly used method for investigating statistical agreement
      between two medical devices. Bland and Altman describe a confidence interval for
      these limits that should always accompany the limits themselves. However, this
      interval presumes that the recorded differences between the two devices in
      question are independent. This is a reasonable assumption when only one
      measurement is recorded per device per patient. Bland and Altman (StatMethods Med
      Res 8:135-160, 1999) subsequently derived bounds for the more general case where
      multiple observations are recorded within each patient. Unfortunately, in
      practice, the bounds assuming independence are typically reported when in fact
      the repeated measures bounds are more appropriate. This communication illustrates
      the dangers of using the "original" (independence-based) bounds derived in Bland
      and Altman (Lancet i:307-310, 1986) in the presence of repeated measures per
      patient.

PMID- 20306288
TI  - Transient anoxia and oxyradicals induce a region-specific activation of MAPKs in
      the embryonic heart.
AB  - We have previously reported in the early septating embryonic heart that
      electromechanical disturbances induced by anoxia-reoxygenation are distinct in
      atria, ventricle, and outflow tract, and are attenuated in ventricle by opening
      of mitochondrial K(ATP) (mitoK(ATP)) channels. Here, we assessed the regional
      activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) ERK, p38, and JNK in
      response to anoxia-reoxygenation and H(2)O(2). Hearts isolated from 4-day-old
      chick embryos were subjected to 30-min anoxia and 60-min reoxygenation or exposed
      to H(2)O(2) (50 microM-1 mM). The temporal pattern of activation of ERK, p38, and
      JNK in atria, ventricle, and outflow tract was determined using immunoblotting
      and/or kinase assay. The effect of the mitoK(ATP) channel opener diazoxide (50
      microM) on JNK phosphorylation was also analyzed. Under basal conditions, total
      ERK and JNK were homogeneously distributed within the heart, whereas total p38
      was the lowest in outflow tract. The phosphorylated/total form ratio of each MAPK
      was similar in all regions. Phosphorylation of ERK increased in atria and
      ventricle at the end of reoxygenation without change in outflow tract.
      Phosphorylation of p38 was augmented by anoxia in the three regions, and returned
      to basal level at the end of reoxygenation except in the outflow tract. JNK
      activity was not altered by anoxia-reoxygenation in atria and outflow tract. In
      ventricle, however, the diazoxide-inhibitable peak of JNK activity known to occur
      during reoxygenation was not accompanied by a change in phosphorylation level.
      H(2)O(2) over 500 microM impaired cardiac function, phosphorylated ERK in all the
      regions and p38 in atria and outflow tract, but did not affect JNK
      phosphorylation. At a critical stage of early cardiogenesis, anoxia,
      reoxygenation, exogenous H(2)O(2) and opening of mitoK(ATP) channels can subtly
      modulate ERK, p38, and JNK pathways in a region-specific manner.

PMID- 20306290
TI  - Oligonucleotide microarray and QRT-PCR study of adhesion protein gene expression
      in acute coronary syndrome patients.
AB  - Cardiovascular diseases, including acute coronary syndrome (ACS), are the leading
      cause of death among humans. Adhesion proteins, owing to their involvement in the
      initiation and progression of atherosclerotic lesions, contribute to the
      progression of coronary disease and ACS occurrence. Considering ambiguosity of
      results reported to date, we decided to conduct a preliminary investigation of
      adhesion protein gene expression in ACS patients as well as in healthy subjects
      by making use of oligonucleotide microarray technology. Analysis of eight
      microarrays revealed ten upregulated genes differentiating between the two
      groups: intercellular adhesion molecule-2, platelet/endothelial cell adhesion
      molecule-1, zyxin, integrin-linked kinase, calcium and integrin binding protein-1
      (calmyrin), integrin beta 2, integrin beta 3 (ITGB3), integrin beta 7, integrin
      alpha 2b, and selectin P ligand. The expression of ITGB3 was found to have been
      downregulated.

PMID- 20306291
TI  - A three-stage genome-wide association study of general cognitive ability: hunting
      the small effects.
AB  - Childhood general cognitive ability (g) is important for a wide range of outcomes
      in later life, from school achievement to occupational success and life
      expectancy. Large-scale association studies will be essential in the quest to
      identify variants that make up the substantial genetic component implicated by
      quantitative genetic studies. We conducted a three-stage genome-wide association
      study for general cognitive ability using over 350,000 single nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs) in the quantitative extremes of a population sample of 7,900
      7-year-old children from the UK Twins Early Development Study. Using two DNA
      pooling stages to enrich true positives, each of around 1,000 children selected
      from the extremes of the distribution, and a third individual genotyping stage of
      over 3,000 children to test for quantitative associations across the normal
      range, we aimed to home in on genes of small effect. Genome-wide results
      suggested that our approach was successful in enriching true associations and 28
      SNPs were taken forward to individual genotyping in an unselected population
      sample. However, although we found an enrichment of low P values and identified
      nine SNPs nominally associated with g (P < 0.05) that show interesting
      characteristics for follow-up, further replication will be necessary to meet
      rigorous standards of association. These replications may take advantage of SNP
      sets to overcome limitations of statistical power. Despite our large sample size
      and three-stage design, the genes associated with childhood g remain
      tantalizingly beyond our current reach, providing further evidence for the small
      effect sizes of individual loci. Larger samples, denser arrays and multiple
      replications will be necessary in the hunt for the genetic variants that
      influence human cognitive ability.

PMID- 20306292
TI  - Differential localization of Acid-sensing ion channels 1 and 2 in human cutaneus
      pacinian corpuscles.
AB  - Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are the members of the degenerin/epithelial
      sodium channel (Deg/ENaC) superfamily which mediate different sensory modalities
      including mechanosensation. ASICs have been detected in mechanosensory neurons as
      well as in peripheral mechanoreceptors. We now investigated the distribution of
      ASIC1, ASIC2, and ASIC3 proteins in human cutaneous Pacinian corpuscles using
      immunohistochemistry and laser confocal-scanner microscopy. We detected different
      patterns of expression of these proteins within Pacinian corpuscles. ASIC1 was
      detected in the central axon co-expressed with RT-97 protein, ASIC2 was expressed
      by the lamellar cells of the inner core co-localized with S100 protein, and ASIC3
      was absent. These results demonstrate for the first time the differential
      distribution of ASIC1 and ASIC2 in human rapidly adapting low-threshold
      mechanoreceptors, and suggest specific roles of both proteins in
      mechanotransduction.

PMID- 20306293
TI  - Breast cancer risk assessment in a mammography screening program and
      participation in the IBIS-II chemoprevention trial.
AB  - It has been shown in several studies that antihormonal compounds can offer
      effective prophylactic treatment to prevent breast cancer. In view of the low
      participation rates in chemoprevention trials, the purpose of this study was to
      identify the characteristics of women taking part in a population-based
      mammography screening program who wished to obtain information about the risk of
      breast cancer and then participate in the the International Breast Cancer
      Intervention Study II (IBIS-II) trial, a randomized double-blind controlled
      chemoprevention trial comparing anastrozole with placebo. A paper-based survey
      was conducted in a population-based mammography screening program in Germany
      between 2007 and 2009. All women who met the criteria for the mammography
      screening program were invited to complete a questionnaire. A total of 2,524
      women completed the questionnaire, and 17.7% (n = 446) met the eligibility
      criteria for the IBIS-II trial after risk assessment. The women who wished to
      receive further information about chemoprevention were significantly younger (P <
      0.01) and had significantly more children (P = 0.03) and significantly more
      relatives with breast cancer (P < 0.001). There were no significant differences
      between the participants with regard to body mass index or hormone replacement
      therapy. Normal mammographic findings at screening were the main reason (42%) for
      declining to participate in the IBIS-II trial or attend risk counseling. The
      ultimate rate of recruitment to the IBIS-II trial was very low (three women).
      Offering chemoprevention to women within a mammography screening unit as part of
      a paper-based survey resulted in low participation rates for both, the survey and
      the final participation in the IBIS-II trial. More individualized approaches and
      communication of breast cancer risk at the time of the risk assessment might be
      helpful to increase the participation and the understanding of chemopreventive
      approaches.

PMID- 20306294
TI  - GPX1 Pro198Leu polymorphism and breast cancer risk: a meta-analysis.
AB  - A genetic polymorphism at codon 198 in the human glutathione peroxidase 1 gene
      was reported to be associated with several cancers. However, this relationship
      remains controversial, especially in breast cancer. For better understanding the
      effect of GPX1 Pro198Leu polymorphism on breast cancer, a meta-analysis was
      performed. By searching relevant literatures, a total of six case-control
      studies, containing 5,509 breast cancer cases and 6,542 healthy controls, were
      included. The strength of association between GPX1 Pro198Leu polymorphism and
      breast cancer risk was assessed by odds ratio (OR) with the corresponding 95%
      confidence interval (95%CI). And the results strongly suggested that there was no
      significant association between variant Leu allele and breast cancer
      susceptibility in overall comparisons in all genetic models [additive model: OR,
      1.04; 95% CI, 0.92-1.18; P = 0.555; dominant model: OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.94-1.09;
      P = 0.777; recessive model: OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.92-1.18; P = 0.536]. However in
      subgroup analysis, an elevated risk in African population with variant Leu allele
      was revealed in additive (OR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.02-3.58; P = 0.044) and recessive
      (OR, 2.09; 95% CI, 1.16-3.76; P = 0.014) genetic model. No apparent association
      between this polymorphism and different menopausal status (premenopausal and
      postmenopausal) and the other ethnicities (almost Caucasians) was showed. In
      conclusion, this meta-analysis strongly suggests that GPX1 Pro198Leu polymorphism
      is not associated with breast cancer risk in Caucasians, and an elevated risk in
      Africans needs large-scale investigations to confirm.

PMID- 20306295
TI  - The response to postnatal stress: amino acids transporters and PKC activity.
AB  - It is well known that animals exposed to stressful stimuli during their early
      life develop different neurological disorders when they become adults. In this
      study, we evaluated the effect of acute cold stress on gamma-aminobutyric acid
      (GABA) and L-Serine (L-Ser) transporters in vitro, using the uptake of [(3)H]
      GABA and [(3)H]L-Ser by synaptosomes-enriched fractions isolated from rat
      cerebral cortex during postnatal development. GABA and L-Ser uptake studies in
      vitro will be used in this investigation as a colateral evidence of changes in
      the expression of transporters of GABA and L-Ser. We observed that the maximum
      velocity (V (max)) in L-Ser and GABA uptake after stress session increased in all
      stages studied. In contrast, K (m) values of L-Ser uptake enhancent in almost age
      calculated, excluding at PD21 after cold stress during development, at the same
      time as K (m) (uptake affinity) values of GABA increased in just about age
      considered but not at PD5 compared with the control group. Finally we
      investigated the mechanism by which cells regulate the substrate affinity of L
      Ser and GABA transporters. We demonstrated a significantly increase in total PKC
      activity to PD5 from PD21. Pretreatment with PKC inhibitor: staurosporine (SP)
      led to a restoration of control uptake in several postnatal-days suggesting a
      relationship between amino acids system and PKC activation. These findings
      suggest that a single exposure to postnatal cold stress at different periods
      after birth modifies both GABA and L-Ser transporters and the related increase in
      total PKC activity could be intracellular events that participate in neuronal
      plasticity by early life stress, which could be relevant to function of
      transporters in the adult rat brain.

PMID- 20306296
TI  - Predictive models for nucleoside bisubstrate analogs as inhibitors of siderophore
      biosynthesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis: pharmacophore mapping and chemometric
      QSAR study.
AB  - Inhibitors of aryl acid adenylating enzymes (AAAE), known as MbtA, involved in
      siderophore biosynthesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, are being explored as
      potential antitubercular agents. In this article, we report the development of a
      robust pharmacophore model and investigation of structure-activity relationship
      of several nucleoside bisubstrate analogs reported as MbtA inhibitors. The
      developed pharmacophore model revealed the importance of two hydrogen bond donors
      and one hydrogen bond acceptor features. Furthermore, it was found that an
      aromatic ring at the distal part of molecule away from the two aromatic rings of
      adenyl moiety is a critical requirement for the tight binding of inhibitor. The
      generated pharmacophore-based alignment was used to derive a predictive atom
      based 3D-QSAR model for training set (r (2) = 0.97, SD = 0.23, F = 310.6, N = 48)
      and test set (Q (2) = 0.71, RMSE = 0.65, Pearson-R = 0.85, N = 15). Structure
      activity relationship investigation further revealed that bulky substitutions at
      the C-6 position of adenyl moiety is detrimental to activity, while hydrophobic
      substitutions can be tolerated at C-2 position. Taken together, the PLS-generated
      QSAR regression cubes along with developed pharmacophore model provide a
      qualitative picture of the active site and can be used as a powerful tool for the
      rational modification of bisubstrate inhibitors of MbtA in search of better
      antitubercular agents. Furthermore, a three-class classification chemometric QSAR
      model was developed using molecular descriptors for the prediction of whole-cell
      activity which could be used in the predictive layer for screening of compounds
      before synthesis.

PMID- 20306297
TI  - Acquired Gitelman's syndrome: an oxymoron?
AB  - We present the case of a 27-year-old woman with end stage renal disease from
      Diabetes Mellitus type 1 who had been on hemodialysis for a year. Her father, who
      was otherwise healthy, was evaluated as a possible living donor. Incidentally,
      during the workup process, he was identified as having Gitelman's syndrome (GS).
      The transplant proceeded without any complications, following which the recipient
      developed biochemical abnormalities consistent with GS. Both donor and recipient
      are doing well at this time. To our knowledge, this is the only known case of
      kidney donation by a patient with GS either living or deceased.

PMID- 20306298
TI  - Can adolescents learn self-control? Delay of gratification in the development of
      control over risk taking.
AB  - Recent findings from developmental neuroscience suggest that the adolescent brain
      is too immature to exert control over impulsive drives, such as sensation
      seeking, that increase during adolescence. Using a discounting of delayed reward
      paradigm, this research examines the ability to delay gratification as a
      potential source of control over risk-taking tendencies that increase during
      adolescence. In addition, it explores the role of experience resulting from risk
      taking as well as future time perspective as contributors to the development of
      this ability. In a nationally representative sample (n = 900) of young people
      aged 14-22, a structural equation analysis shows that risk taking as assessed by
      use of three popular drugs (tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol) is inversely related
      to the ability to delay gratification. The relation is robust across gender, age,
      and different levels of sensation seeking. In addition, high sensation seekers
      exhibit dramatic age-related increase in delay of gratification, lending support
      to the hypothesis that engaging in risky behavior provides experience that leads
      to greater patience for long-term rewards. The findings support the conclusion
      that a complete understanding of the development of self-control must consider
      individual differences not easily explained by universal trends in brain
      maturation.

PMID- 20306299
TI  - Sustained release of insulin through skin by intradermal microdelivery system.
AB  - An intradermal microdelivery system comprising a wafer having 150-mum long
      microneedles and an applicator was used for controlled release of insulin.
      Insulin was topically applied on microneedle-pretreated skin. In vitro
      percutaneous studies showed that the penetration amount of FITC-Insulin following
      microneedle pretreatment was enhanced significantly and continued to increase for
      several hours after the removal of donor phase. In vivo studies on diabetic rats
      confirmed that the pharmacodynamic profile of percutaneously administrated
      regular insulin was smooth, with the duration of action comparable to that of
      subcutaneously injected biphasic insulin. The effects of insulin concentration,
      duration and area of microneedle treatment on blood glucose lowering were studied
      in vivo. The results indicated that the duration of microneedle treatment and
      insulin concentration were key influencing factors to optimize blood glucose
      control. The extent of blood glucose lowering was in proportion to the area of
      microneedle treatment.

PMID- 20306300
TI  - The human lysyl oxidase-like 2 protein functions as an amine oxidase toward
      collagen and elastin.
AB  - The lysyl oxidase-like 2 (LOXL2) protein is a human paralogue of lysyl oxidase
      (LOX) that functions as an amine oxidase for formation of lysine-derived cross
      links found in collagen and elastin. In addition to the C-terminal domains
      characteristic to the LOX family members, LOXL2 contains four scavenger receptor
      cysteine-rich (SRCR) domains in the N-terminus. In order to assess the amine
      oxidase activity of LOXL2, we expressed a series of recombinant LOXL2 proteins
      with deletions in the SRCR domains, using an Escherichia coli expression system.
      All of the purified recombinant LOXL2 proteins, with or without the SRCR domains
      in the N-terminus, showed significant amine oxidase activity toward several
      different types of collagen and elastin in in vitro amine oxidase assays,
      indicating deletion of the SRCR domains does not interfere with amine oxidase
      activity of LOXL2. Further, amine oxidase activity of LOXL2 was not susceptible
      to inhibition by beta-aminopropionitrile, an irreversible inhibitor of LOX,
      suggesting a different enzymatic mechanism between these two paralogues.

PMID- 20306301
TI  - Three novel SNPs in the coding region of PPARgamma gene and their associations
      with meat quality traits in cattle.
AB  - The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) is a nuclear
      hormone receptor that regulates adipogenesis and many other biological processes.
      In the present study, we carried out PCR-SSCP and DNA sequencing analyses to
      examine SNPs in coding region of the PPARgamma gene. A total of 660 individuals
      from five Chinese cattle breeds were genotyped. We identified three SNPs and
      their associations with meat quality traits were analyzed in 108 Qinchuan cattle.
      Two missense mutations and one synonymous mutation were found: 200 A>G (genotypes
      AA, AB and BB) resulting in D7G change, the silent substitution 42895 C>T
      (genotypes JJ and JI) and 72472 G>T (genotypes CC, DC and DD) producing Q448H
      change, respectively. The frequencies of PPARgamma-A allele were 0.86, 0.83,
      0.80, 0.72 and 0.87 for Qinchuan, Nanyang, Jiaxian, Luxi and Xianan populations,
      respectively. The frequencies of PPARgamma-J allele varied from 0.87 to 0.96 in
      the five populations. In the 72472 G>T locus, the frequencies of PPARgamma-C
      allele were higher than PPARgamma-D allele in the five populations, and ranged
      from 0.58 to 0.82. Least squares analysis revealed that in 42895 C>T locus, there
      was a significant effect on tenderness in 18-20 months Qinchuan cattle (P<0.01),
      and in the 72472 G>T locus, animals with the genotype DC had lower mean values
      than these with genotype CC (P<0.01) for back fat thickness in 18-20 months, and
      animals with the genotype DD had lower mean values than these with genotypes CC
      and DC (P<0.01) for water holding capacity in 21-24 months (P<0.01). The SNPs we
      have identified may contribute to establishing a more efficient selection program
      for improving of genetic characteristics in indigenous Chinese cattle.

PMID- 20306302
TI  - The role of cell cycle-dependent neuropathy target esterase in cell
      proliferation.
AB  - Neuropathy target esterase (NTE) is a novel phospholipase B and plays a role in
      phospholipid homeostasis. Although over-expression of NTE inhibits cell division,
      the role of NTE in cell proliferation is still unknown. In the current study, we
      firstly used synchronous HeLa cells to study the expression profile of NTE during
      the cell cycle. NTE protein and activity are regulated during the cell cycle with
      highest level at G1 and lowest at G2/M phase. However, NTE mRNA levels are
      constant during the cell cycle. The role of NTE in cell proliferation was
      investigated by short hairpin RNA (shRNA) to suppress the expression of NTE.
      Knockdown of NTE significant down-regulated of NTE expression and reduced the
      glycerophosphocholine level. However, suppression of NTE did not affect
      phosphatidylcholine content or cell cycle progression. In addition, NTE was
      demonstrated to be degraded by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. These results
      suggested for the first time that NTE is a cell cycle-dependent protein, but is
      not essential for cell proliferation, and the ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis may
      be involved in the regulation of NTE during the cell cycle.

PMID- 20306303
TI  - A genetic investigation of Korean mummies from the Joseon Dynasty.
AB  - Two Korean mummies (Danwoong-mirra and Yoon-mirra) found in medieval tombs in the
      central region of the Korean peninsula were genetically investigated by analysis
      of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y-chromosomal short tandem repeat (Y-STR) and the
      ABO gene. Danwoong-mirra is a male child mummy and Yoon-mirra is a pregnant
      female mummy, dating back about 550 and 450 years, respectively. DNA was
      extracted from soft tissues or bones. mtDNA, Y-STR and the ABO gene were
      amplified using a small size amplicon strategy and were analyzed according to the
      criteria of ancient DNA analysis to ensure that authentic DNA typing results were
      obtained from these ancient samples. Analysis of mtDNA hypervariable region
      sequence and coding region single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) information
      revealed that Danwoong-mirra and Yoon-mirra belong to the East Asian mtDNA
      haplogroups D4 and M7c, respectively. The Y-STRs were analyzed in the male child
      mummy (Danwoong-mirra) using the AmpFlSTR(r) Yfiler PCR Amplification Kit and an
      in-house Y-miniplex plus system, and could be characterized in 4 loci with small
      amplicon size. The analysis of ABO gene SNPs using multiplex single base
      extension methods revealed that the ABO blood types of Danwoong-mirra and Yoon
      mirra are AO01 and AB, respectively. The small size amplicon strategy and the
      authentication process in the present study will be effectively applicable to
      future genetic analyses of various forensic and ancient samples.

PMID- 20306304
TI  - CgSL2, an S-like RNase gene in 'Zigui shatian' pummelo (Citrus grandis Osbeck),
      is involved in ovary senescence.
AB  - 'Zigui shatian' pummelo (Citrus grandis Osbeck) is one nature mutant from
      'Shatian' pummelo, which showed self-compatibility, because self-pollen tubes
      were not arrested in the style, moreover abnormal post-zygotic development in
      ovary caused seed abortion in the cultivar. Herein we constructed a cDNA library
      from flowers of 'Zigui shatian' pummelo and identified one RNase gene fragment.
      The full length of cDNA sequence of this gene, with an open reading frame of 834
      bp, was isolated by 5'-RACE method. The gene, named as CgSL2, contained five
      conserved regions and two histidine residues essential for RNase activity.
      Phylogenetic analysis indicated that CgSL2 was mostly similar to AhSL28, an S
      like RNase from Antirrhinum. Southern hybridization verified CgSL2 existed in the
      genome as multiple copies. qRT-PCR and RT-PCR analysis showed that the expression
      of CgSL2 was not tissue-specific. The expression of CgSL2 was down-regulated
      during senescence of stem, petal, style and stamen, whereas up-regulated during
      ovary senescence. Further in situ hybridization of CgSL2 in the ovary during the
      balloon stage to anthesis stage also showed that it dramatically increased in
      mature flower, consistent with qRT-PCR and RT-PCR results. These findings
      suggested that CgSL2 might play an important role during ovary senescence.

PMID- 20306305
TI  - Expression of Pdx1 mediates differentiation from mesenchymal stem cells into
      insulin-producing cells.
AB  - The transplantation of insulin-producing cells is a promising approach for the
      treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus; however, lack of pancreas
      donors limits its application. Pancreatic duodenal homeobox 1 (Pdx1) plays a key
      role in the differentiation of various non-beta-cells into insulin-producing
      cells, but the potential mechanism remains to be clarified. The purpose of this
      study was to confirm that the expression of Pdx1 could mediate the
      differentiation of rat mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into insulin-producing cells
      and evaluate the potential molecular mechanisms in the process that Pdx1
      activates transcription of insulin gene. In this study, glucose-stimulated
      insulin secretion was obviously detected in MSCs transfected with Pdx1 cDNA by
      insulin release assay and the islet-like structure formed in Pdx1-expressing MSCs
      was stained into black-red by dithizone, while the native MSCs were opposite. In
      addition, we uncovered the close relationships among the expression of Pdx1,
      insulin and Ngn3 genes, whose expression indicated parallel changes after high
      glucose challenge, and the fluctuation of Pdx1 and Ngn3 partly resulted in the
      unstable release of insulin. Taken together, these findings demonstrated that the
      effective role of Pdx1 gene in inducing insulin-producing cells, which may
      shuttle to the nucleoplasm of MSCs under high glucose, then initiate the
      expression of native transcription factors Ngn3 and recruit other proteins,
      resulting in transactivation of the relevant genes including insulin and
      generation of beta cell phenotype. Accordingly, these results would provide new
      insights that may be applicable to improve beta cell replacement strategies and
      enhance diabetes therapy in the future.

PMID- 20306306
TI  - Using high competent shoot apical meristems of cockscomb as explants for studying
      function of ASYMMETRIC LEAVES2-LIKE11 (ASL11) gene of Arabidopsis.
AB  - Though shoot apical meristems (SAMs) commonly exhibit low or no competence for
      transformation, the potent regeneration of this tissue merits further research.
      Especially, when shoot regeneration is recalcitrant using other tissues as
      explants, SAM probably is an excellent selection. In cockscomb plants, using SAMs
      from seedlings obtained from MS medium with 0.5 mg l(-1) 6-BA as explants, high
      frequency of transformation (approximate 20%) is obtained; whereas control SAMs
      performed poorly for transformation (approximate 3%). These SAMs are malformed in
      morphology compared to control SAMs. Further observation found that, in these
      SAMs, cell proliferation and/or TE formation are seen; which are not found in
      control SAMs. GUS assays indicated that GUS-positive blue spots at TE zones are
      obvious; whereas the case was contrary in control SAMs. All these data suggest
      that cell proliferation and/or TE formation might cause high effective
      transformation. This transformation system should facilitate the use of this
      species for studies on gene manipulation and expression. Therefore, we introduced
      35S:ASL11-GFP to cockscomb via Agrobacterium tumefaciens. ASYMMETRIC LEAVES2
      LIKE11 (ASL11) gene of Arabidopsis is a member of the ASYMMETRIC LEAVES2
      (AS2)/LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES (LOB) domain gene family, and its function is
      largely unclear. By confocal laser scanning microscopy, we found that in most
      over 35S:ASL11-GFP cockscomb plants, ASL11-GFP fusion protein was in discrete
      nuclear location. These results indicate that the T-DNA contains within the
      construct inserted into the host chromosomes in an integral form, and also
      suggest that ASL11 might be a nuclear protein and function as a potential
      transcription factor. Moreover, SAMs of the over 35S:ASL11-GFP plants show needle
      like patterns that lack organ primordial; suggesting ASL11 might be involved in
      sustaining indeterminate cell fate of SAMs.

PMID- 20306307
TI  - Justice and the allocation of healthcare resources: should indirect, non-health
      effects count?
AB  - Alternative allocations of a fixed bundle of healthcare resources often involve
      significantly different indirect, non-health effects. The question arises whether
      these effects must figure in accounts of the conditions under which a
      distribution of healthcare resources is morally justifiable. In this article we
      defend a Scanlonian, affirmative answer to this question: healthcare resource
      managers should sometimes select an allocation which has worse direct, health
      related effects but better indirect, nonhealth effects; they should do this when
      the interests served by such a policy are more urgent than the healthcare
      interests better served by an alternative allocation. We note that there is a
      prima facie case for the claim that such benefits (and costs) are relevant--i.e.
      they are real benefits, and in other contexts our decisions can permissibly be
      guided by them. We then proceed to rebut three lines of argument that might be
      thought to defeat this prima facie case: they appeal to fairness, the Kantian
      Formula of Humanity as an End in Itself, and the equal moral worth of persons,
      respectively.

PMID- 20306308
TI  - Preparation of fatty acid methyl esters by selective methanolysis of polar
      glycerolipids.
AB  - KOH in aqueous methanol catalyzes selective methanolysis of polar glycerolipids
      with O-ester-linked acyl residues, while triacylglycerols and sterol esters are
      inert in the solution. Based on these findings, a convenient and reliable method
      was developed for the preparation of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) from polar
      glycerolipids in lipid mixtures without prior isolation. Methanolysis of polar
      glycerolipids was completed within 2.5 min by vortexing or 20 min by shaking with
      0.7 M KOH/70% (v/v) methanol in the presence of hexane at 30 degrees C. The
      yields of FAMEs obtained by the present method were greater than 95%. The method
      was applied successfully to gas chromatographic analysis of the fatty acid
      compositions of polar glycerolipids in seed oil and blood. No obvious differences
      were found between the fatty acid compositions determined by the present method
      and those determined by conventional methods, including lipid extraction with
      chloroform/methanol followed by isolation of polar lipids by chromatography. The
      fatty acid composition of polar glycerolipids, including phospholipids, can be
      determined readily in many crude samples.

PMID- 20306309
TI  - The anorexigenic action of the octadecaneuropeptide (ODN) in goldfish is mediated
      through the MC4R- and subsequently the CRH receptor-signaling pathways.
AB  - Intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of the octadecaneuropeptide (ODN), a
      peptide derived from diazepam-binding inhibitor, reduces food intake in goldfish
      as in rodents. However, the neurochemical pathways involved in the anorexigenic
      action of ODN have not yet been identified in goldfish. Alpha-melanocyte
      stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH), corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), and CRH
      related peptides play a major role in the control of food consumption in
      goldfish. In this species, the anorexigenic action of alpha-MSH is mediated via
      the CRH/CRH receptor neuronal system. Therefore, in the present study, we
      examined whether the anorexigenic effect of ODN in goldfish could be mediated
      through alpha-MSH and/or CRH neuronal pathways. ICV injection of ODN (10 pmol/g
      body weight (BW)) significantly reduced food intake, and the anorexigenic effect
      of ODN was suppressed by ICV preinjection of the melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R)
      antagonist HS024 (40 pmol/g BW) or the CRH receptor 1/receptor 2 antagonist alpha
      helical CRH((9-41)) (100 pmol/g BW). ICV injection of ODN (10 pmol/g BW) induced
      a significant increase of proopiomelanocortin mRNA level but had no effect on CRH
      mRNA level, while ICV injection of the MC4R agonist, melanotan II (100 pmol/g
      BW), significantly enhanced CRH mRNA expression. These results suggest that, in
      goldfish, the anorexigenic action of ODN is mediated by the MC4R- and
      subsequently through the CRH receptor-signaling pathways.

PMID- 20306311
TI  - NMR resonance assignments of an engineered neomycin-sensing riboswitch RNA bound
      to ribostamycin and tobramycin.
AB  - The neomycin-sensing riboswitch is an engineered riboswitch developed to regulate
      gene expression in vivo in the lower eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae upon
      binding to neomycin B. With a size of only 27nt it is the smallest functional
      riboswitch element identified so far. It binds not only neomycin B but also
      related aminoglycosides of the 2'-deoxystreptamine class with high affinity. The
      regulatory activity, however, strongly depends on the identity of the
      aminoglycoside. As a prerequisite for the structure determination of riboswitch
      ligand complexes we report here the (1)H, (15)N, (13)C and partial (31)P chemical
      shift assignments for the minimal functional 27nt neomycin sensing riboswitch RNA
      in complex with the 4,5-linked neomycin analog ribostamycin and the 4,6-linked
      aminoglycoside tobramycin.

PMID- 20306310
TI  - Resveratrol as a therapeutic agent for neurodegenerative diseases.
AB  - Excess production of reactive oxygen species in the brain has been implicated as
      a common underlying risk factor for the pathogenesis of a number of
      neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's
      disease (PD), and stroke. In recent years, there is considerable interest
      concerning investigation of antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of
      phenolic compounds from different botanical sources. In this review, we first
      describe oxidative mechanisms associated with stroke, AD, and PD, and
      subsequently, we place emphasis on recent studies implicating neuroprotective
      effects of resveratrol, a polyphenolic compound derived from grapes and red wine.
      These studies show that the beneficial effects of resveratrol are not only
      limited to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action but also include
      activation of sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and vitagenes, which can prevent the deleterious
      effects triggered by oxidative stress. In fact, SIRT1 activation by resveratrol
      is gaining importance in the development of innovative treatment strategies for
      stroke and other neurodegenerative disorders. The goal here is to provide a
      better understanding of the mode of action of resveratrol and its possible use as
      a potential therapeutic agent to ameliorate stroke damage as well as other age
      related neurodegenerative disorders.

PMID- 20306312
TI  - Increased CTLA-4 and FOXP3 transcripts in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of
      patients with breast cancer.
AB  - Generation of Regulatory T cells (Tregs) is known to play a major role in
      progression and modulation of the immune escape mechanisms in cancer. These cells
      express Forkhead/winged helix transcription factor (FOXP3) and also Cytotoxic T
      lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4), as a negative regulatory molecule which, is a
      potential target for immunotherapy. We, therefore, evaluated FOXP3 and CTLA-4
      transcripts in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 55 women with
      histologically-confirmed infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast. Blood
      samples from 40 healthy volunteer women without a history of malignancies or
      autoimmune disorders were also obtained as a control. The abundance of FOXP3 and
      CTLA-4 gene transcripts was determined by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR).
      Compared to healthy individuals, significantly higher amounts of these
      transcripts were found in the mononuclear cells from breast cancer patients.
      Also, a significant correlation was found between CTLA-4 and FOXP3 expressions in
      a group of patients. Among patients with early stage, nonmetastatic or low-grade
      disease, the relative expression of CTLA-4 was about 10-fold as much as in the
      control group. These patients also showed a significant increase, more than 10
      fold, in mean relative FOXP3 expression. The results of this investigation point
      to functional activity of Treg cells in early stages of breast cancer, a finding
      which emphasizes the significance of Tregs as an imminent target for breast
      cancer immunotherapy.

PMID- 20306313
TI  - FOXP3+ cell density in primary tumor has no prognostic impact in patients with
      cutaneous malignant melanoma.
AB  - Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been implicated as inhibitors of antitumor immune
      reactions. However, data on the relevance of their prevalence at tumor sites in
      influencing disease outcome are controversial. The aim of our study was to
      investigate the role in tumor progression and the prognostic impact of the
      density of lymphocytes expressing FOXP3, a transcription factor expressed
      predominantly by CD4(+)CD25(+) Tregs, in primary cutaneous melanoma. We examined
      the infiltration of FOXP3(+) cells by immunohistochemistry in tumor samples from
      97 patients and evaluated in relation to patient and tumor parameters. The degree
      of infiltration by FOXP3(+) cells did not show correlation with the thickness of
      melanomas. Moreover, no associations were found with metastasis formation during
      the 5-year follow-up period, patient survival, or any other clinicopathologic
      parameters studied. These results suggest that the presence of FOXP3(+)
      lymphocytes in primary tumors is not of prognostic importance in human cutaneous
      melanoma.

PMID- 20306314
TI  - A functionally active dimer of mycobacterium tuberculosis malate synthase G.
AB  - Malate synthase G is an important housekeeping enzyme of glyoxylate shunt in
      mycobacterium. The pleotropic function of this protein by virtue of its
      intracellular/extracellular localization and its behavior as an adhesin and
      virulence factor is quite enigmatic. Despite its importance in mycobacterium
      persistence, we do not know much about its biophysical and biochemical
      properties. Earlier reports suggest that the enzyme exists only as a monomer in
      prokaryotes; however, we observed the existence of both active monomer and dimer
      forms of the enzyme under physiological conditions. The dimeric form of the
      enzymes is more stable as compared to the monomeric form as evident from various
      biophysical parameters. In addition, the dimeric enzyme also shows enhanced
      stability against proteolysis than the monomers. Based on these studies, it seems
      that dimerization is an important factor in regulating stability. The
      differential localization and diverse functions of malate synthase other than its
      enzymatic role might be triggering the stabilization of the enzyme dimer and
      modulation of activity and stability in vivo.

PMID- 20306315
TI  - Residual structure in a peptide fragment of the outer membrane protein X under
      denaturing conditions: a molecular dynamics study.
AB  - The Escherichia coli outer membrane protein X (OmpX) contains two polypeptide
      segments that present nonrandom residual structure in 8 M aqueous urea, whereas
      the remainder of the protein is in a flexibly disordered conformation (Tafer et
      al. in Biochemistry 43:860-869, 2004). In the present study, the results of two
      long-timescale (0.4 micros) unrestrained explicit-solvent molecular dynamics (MD)
      simulations of a tetradecapeptide representative of one of these two segments in
      8 M aqueous urea are reported and analyzed. The two simulations were initiated
      either from the conformation of the corresponding segment in an NMR model
      structure of the unfolded protein or from an entirely extended configuration. The
      sampled conformational ensembles agree qualitatively with the experimentally
      observed NOEs, but not quantitatively, suggesting that a number of relevant
      configurations were not visited on the 2 x 0.4 micros timescale. Major
      conformational transitions occur on the 0.1 micros timescale, and the ensembles
      corresponding to the two independent simulations overlap only to a limited
      extent. However, both simulations show in multiple events the reversible
      formation and disruption of alpha-helical secondary structure (characteristic of
      the urea-denatured state) and beta-turn secondary structure (characteristic of
      the native state). Events of helix formation are correlated with the appearance
      of hydrogen bonds between two side chains (Asp75-Ser78) and of a persistent
      hydrophobic contact (Trp76-Tyr80). They also evidence a peculiar helix
      stabilization and N-terminal capping role for a negatively charged residue
      (Asp75). These features are in good qualitative agreement with the NMR model for
      the structured state of the corresponding segment in the urea-denatured protein.
      The analysis of the simulations provides a detailed picture of the structural and
      dynamic features of the considered peptide at atomic resolution that is of high
      relevance in the understanding of the OmpX folding process.

PMID- 20306316
TI  - Synergism of VAM and Rhizobium on production and metabolism of IAA in roots and
      root nodules of Vigna mungo.
AB  - Mature and healthy root nodules of Vigna mungo appeared to contain higher amount
      of indole-acetic acid (IAA) than non-nodulated roots. Dual effect of VAM fungus,
      Glomus fasciculatum and the nitrogen-fixing bacteria, Rhizobium sp. on the
      nodulation of roots of V. mungo was studied. It was recorded that the roots which
      were inoculated simultaneously with both the symbionts i.e., G. fasciculatum and
      Rhizobium exhibited greater amount of IAA production than the non-inoculated
      roots. A tryptophan pool present in the mature nodules and young leaves might
      serve as a precursor for IAA production in the roots and in the nodules. Activity
      of IAA-metabolizing enzymes, such as IAA oxidase, peroxidase, and polyphenol
      oxidase was investigated which indicates the active metabolism of IAA in roots
      and nodules. The Rhizobium symbiont isolated from fresh nodules of V. mungo
      produced significant amount of IAA under in vitro condition when tryptophan was
      added to the medium as precursor. Present study represents some beneficial
      effects of Rhizobium and G. fasciculatum on the production and metabolism of IAA
      in roots and nodules of V. mungo. The important physiological implication of the
      study on IAA production and its metabolism in Rhizobium-Legume-VAM tripartite
      symbiosis is certainly representing a new approach to satisfy the hormonal
      balance in the host plant.

PMID- 20306318
TI  - Langenbeck's Archives: the international journal of the German Society of
      Surgery.

PMID- 20306317
TI  - Improved detection of microbial ureteral stent colonisation by sonication.
AB  - PURPOSE: The diagnosis of microbial ureteral stent colonisation (MUSC) is
      difficult, since routine diagnostic techniques do not accurately detect
      microorganisms embedded in biofilms. New methods may improve diagnostic yield and
      understanding the pathophysiology of MUSC. The aim of the present study was to
      evaluate the potential of sonication in the detection of MUSC and to identify
      risk factors for device colonisation. METHODS: Four hundred and eight
      polyurethane ureteral stents of 300 consecutive patients were prospectively
      evaluated. Conventional urine culture (CUC) was obtained prior to stent placement
      and device removal. Sonication was performed to dislodge adherent microorganisms.
      Data of patient sex and age, indwelling time and indication for stent placement
      were recorded. RESULTS: Sonicate-fluid culture detected MUSC in 36%. Ureteral
      stents inserted during urinary tract infection (UTI) were more frequently
      colonised (59%) compared to those placed in sterile urine (26%; P<0.001). Female
      sex (P<0.001) and continuous stenting (P<0.005) were significant risk factors for
      MUSC; a similar trend was observed in patients older than 50 years (P=0.16). MUSC
      and indwelling time were positively correlated (P<0.005). MUSC was accompanied by
      positive CUC in 36%. Most commonly isolated microorganisms were Coagulase
      negative staphylococci (18.3%), Enterococci (17.9%) and Enterobacteriaceae
      (16.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Sonication is a promising approach in the diagnosis of
      MUSC. Significant risk factors for MUSC are UTI at the time of stent insertion,
      female sex, continuous stenting and indwelling time. CUC is a poor predictor of
      MUSC. The clinical relevance of MUSC needs further evaluation to classify
      isolated microorganism properly as contaminants or pathogens.

PMID- 20306319
TI  - Langenbecks Archiv fur Chirurgie in the second half of the twentieth century
      (personal reflections of an editor emeritus).
AB  - The history of this oldest among German surgical journals, in the second half of
      the twentieth century, is outlined from an editor's point of view. In this
      period, the journal mutated from a conservative refuge for lengthy theses to an
      innovative peer-review organ. Apart from original research and clinical reports,
      the journal now ran regular editorials, discussion panels and sections on Current
      Operative Techniques as well as Clinical Anatomy and finally developed into an
      English-language publication. This half-century of surgical progress-second to
      none in the history of surgery-is of course reflected in the contents of the
      journal. At the same time, specialisation and fragmentation of surgery from
      within and the advent of ever more competitive journals from without have
      presented a serious challenge to the survival of this traditional organ.

PMID- 20306320
TI  - A feeding strategy for tetramethylpyrazine production by Bacillus subtilis based
      on the stimulating effect of ammonium phosphate.
AB  - To examine the effects of ammonium salts on tetramethylpyrazine (TTMP) production
      by Bacillus subtilis CCTCC M 208157, different ammonium salts were tested, and
      diammonium phosphate (DAP) was found to have a predominant effect on stimulating
      TTMP synthesis. The DAP requirements for TTMP production were then investigated,
      experimental results showed that higher concentrations of DAP favored TTMP
      production, while both the ammonium and phosphate ions exhibited inhibitory
      effects on the cell growth and precursor 3-hydroxy-2-butanone accumulation. Based
      on the results above, a DAP feeding strategy was developed and verified in
      further experiments. By applying the proposed fed-batch strategy, the maximum
      TTMP concentrations reached 7.46 and 7.34 g/l in flask and fermenter experiments,
      increased by 55.1 and 29.0% compared to that of the batch TTMP fermentation,
      respectively. To our knowledge, these results, i.e., TTMP yields in flask or
      fermenter fermentations, were new records on TTMP fermentation by B. subtilis.

PMID- 20306321
TI  - Clinical evaluation of the alar base width of patients submitted to surgically
      assisted maxillary expansion.
AB  - PROPOSITION: The aim of this study was to evaluate both the presence and
      magnitude of the modifications occurred in the alar base width, in patients
      submitted to surgically assisted maxillary expansion (SAME). METHODS: The alar
      base width of 13 patients submitted to SAME followed by alar base suture and
      simple V-Y suture was measured by using direct measuring with digital paquimeter
      during regular periods: pre-operative and 2, 6, 24, and 36 months post-operative.
      Data were submitted to statistical analysis by using ANOVA and Tukey's test with
      level of significance of 5%. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant
      increase (P < 0.05) of the alar base width in the comparison between the pre
      operative and the 6-, 24-, and 36-month post-operative periods. CONCLUSION: SAME
      procedure increased the alar base width even performing the alar bases sutures;
      however, despite the widening of 1.6 mm, the clinical result was not compromised
      and better than without the technique.

PMID- 20306322
TI  - Evaluation of a rapid immunochromatographic test for the detection of norovirus
      in stool samples.
AB  - Worldwide noroviruses are an important cause of gastroenteritis and are major
      agents of both sporadic as well as epidemic infection. Because of the rapid
      transmission of the virus, early detection is essential. Until recently, the
      available test methods for the detection in stool were enzyme immunoassays and
      real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), both of which
      take several hours to perform. We evaluated the rapid immunochromatographic test
      RIDA(R)QUICK Norovirus for the detection of norovirus in the stool of patients
      with acute gastroenteritis. This test is easy to perform and read and only takes
      20 min. The sensitivity and specificity compared to RT-PCR results and the
      positive and negative predictive values were 57.1%, 99.1%, 93.3% and 91.2%,
      respectively. The rapid test is useful for quick screening, but a negative result
      should be followed up by RT-PCR.

PMID- 20306323
TI  - Characterisation of invasive Haemophilus influenzae isolates in Slovenia, 1993
      2008.
AB  - The objectives of our study were to describe the epidemiology of invasive
      Haemophilus influenzae disease from 1993 to 2008 in Slovenia, a country with
      routine H. influenzae serotype b (Hib) conjugate vaccination since the year 2000.
      A total of 292 isolates of H. influenzae, recovered from a normally sterile site,
      were collected in the study period. The isolates were serotyped by slide
      agglutination and antibiotic susceptibility was determined. One hundred and eight
      isolates received after the year 2000 were serotyped by slide agglutination and
      by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) capsule typing, and both methods were
      compared. After the introduction of the routine Hib vaccination, the incidence of
      H. influenzae disease in children under the age of 5 years has decreased by 87.6%
      and type b was replaced by non-typeable H. influenzae as the predominant
      serotype. The proportion of serotype b decreased from 85.3% in the pre
      vaccination period to 13.0% in the vaccination period and the proportion of non
      capsulated isolates increased from 12.0 to 85.2%. The study of genetic
      relatedness by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) demonstrated that the
      isolates of serotypes b and f were genetically homogeneous within the serotype.
      The results of our national surveillance showed that the vaccine has been very
      efficient in preventing Hib invasive disease in Slovenia. Nevertheless, we see a
      need for further monitoring of invasive H. influenzae infections at a national
      level.

PMID- 20306324
TI  - T regulatory cells and Th1/Th2 cytokines in peripheral blood from tuberculosis
      patients.
AB  - About 10% of people infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis develop active
      tuberculosis (TB), and Th1 effector cells and Th1 cytokines play key roles in
      controlling M. tuberculosis infection. Here, we hypothesise that this
      susceptibility to M. tuberculosis infection is linked to increased T regulatory
      (Treg) cells and Th2 cytokines in TB patients. To test this, we recruited 101
      participants (71 TB patients, 12 non-TB pulmonary diseases and 18 healthy
      subjects) and investigated Treg cells and Th1/Th2 cytokines in peripheral blood.
      CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells and CD4(+)CD25(+)FoxP3(+) T cells significantly increased
      and IL-5 dramatically decreased in TB patients relative to healthy subjects.
      CD8(+)CD28(-) T cells, IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, IL-10 and IL-4 significantly
      increased in patients with culture and sputum smear-positive pulmonary TB
      (PTB(+)) compared with healthy subjects. CD4(+)CD25(+)FoxP3(+) and CD8(+)CD28(-)
      T cells significantly decreased in PTB(+) after one month of chemotherapy.
      CD4(+), CD4(+)CD25(+) and CD8(+)CD28(+) T cells significantly increased in extra
      pulmonary TB patients after one month of chemotherapy. These findings suggest
      that M. tuberculosis infection induces circulating CD4(+)CD25(+)FoxP3(+) and
      CD8(+)CD28(-) T cell expansion, which may be related to the progression of M.
      tuberculosis infection, and that the balance between effector immune responses
      and suppression immune responses is essential to control M. tuberculosis
      infection.

PMID- 20306326
TI  - Photobiodegradation of phenol with ultraviolet irradiation of new ceramic biofilm
      carriers.
AB  - Activated sludge acclimated to biodegrade phenol was allowed to attach on and in
      light porous ceramic carriers and to function as a biofilm in a photolytic
      circulating-bed bioreactor (PCBBR). Phenol degradation in the PCBBR was
      investigated following three protocols: photolysis with ultraviolet light alone
      (P), biodegradation alone (B), and the two mechanisms operating simultaneously
      (P/B). Phenol was degraded at approximately equal rates by B and P/B, each of
      which was much faster than the rate by P. Furthermore, phenol was mineralized to
      a significantly greater extent with P/B than with either P or B. SEM showed that
      the biofilm survived well inside macropores that presumably shaded the
      microorganisms from UV irradiation, even though the UV light greatly reduced
      biofilm on outer surface of the carriers in the P/B experiments. Rapid
      biodegradation of phenol, enhanced mineralization, and survival of bacteria
      inside macropores demonstrated that being in a biofilm inside the porous carriers
      protected the bacteria from UV-light toxicity, allowing intimate coupling of
      photolysis and biodegradation.

PMID- 20306327
TI  - Where did all the pathological gamblers go? Gambling symptomatology and stage of
      change predict attrition in longitudinal research.
AB  - Attrition can introduce a systematic bias that can negatively affect validity
      (Cook and Campbell, Quasi-experimentation: design and analysis issues for field
      settings. Rand McNally, Chicago, 1979). Current longitudinal research in
      gambling, however, has generally overlooked the reasons for attrition. The
      current research examined the relationship between pathological gambling
      symptomatology, stage of change and attrition. Three hundred and seventy-nine
      participants were contacted 12 months after initially participating in a study on
      gambling for a follow-up session. Logistic regression revealed those in the
      contemplation and preparation stages of change reported higher levels of
      pathological gambling symptomatology and were more likely to drop out of the
      study compared to those in the precontemplation stage. As predicted, gambling
      symptomatology mediated the relationship between stages of change and attrition.
      The implication for longitudinal research on gambling as well as extant findings
      that have used this methodological approach is discussed.

PMID- 20306325
TI  - The perpetual movements of anaphase.
AB  - One of the most extraordinary events in the lifetime of a cell is the coordinated
      separation of sister chromatids during cell division. This is truly the essence
      of the entire mitotic process and the reason for the most profound morphological
      changes in cytoskeleton and nuclear organization that a cell may ever experience.
      It all occurs within a very short time window known as "anaphase", as if the cell
      had spent the rest of its existence getting ready for this moment in an ultimate
      act of survival. And there is a good reason for this: no space for mistakes.
      Problems in the distribution of chromosomes during cell division have been
      correlated with aneuploidy, a common feature observed in cancers and several
      birth defects, and the main cause of spontaneous abortion in humans. In this
      paper, we critically review the mechanisms of anaphase chromosome motion that
      resisted the scrutiny of more than 100 years of research, as part of a tribute to
      the pioneering work of Miguel Mota.

PMID- 20306328
TI  - Thirty years of lottery public health research: methodological strategies and
      trends.
AB  - Cognitive measurement techniques, such as self-reports of behavior and reaction
      time measures, largely dominate the field of psychological research. It is
      uncommon for researchers to examine a phenomenon of interest by observing actual
      behavior within natural settings. To illustrate the existence of this
      methodological trend for gambling research, this article reviews systematically
      selected samples of the peer-reviewed literature related to lottery gambling in
      general and the literature related to pathological gambling and lottery more
      specifically. The results indicate that self-report surveys dominate the extant
      lottery literature, and experimental investigations of video lottery terminal
      gambling supplement those papers. This landscape encourages researchers to expand
      their methodological approaches to the study of lottery gambling. Currently, we
      know more about what research participants tell us they do with respect to
      lottery gambling than we do about their real-life lottery gambling behavior.

PMID- 20306329
TI  - Family history and lung cancer risk: international multicentre case-control study
      in Eastern and Central Europe and meta-analyses.
AB  - Lung cancer is the most common neoplastic disease in Eastern and Central Europe.
      The role of hereditary factors in lung carcinogenesis is not fully understood.
      Family history (FH) of lung cancer and other tobacco-related cancers might be a
      strong predictor of the lung cancer risk. We investigated family history of
      cancer among first-degree relatives of 2,861 patients with lung cancer and 3,118
      controls from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, and
      United Kingdom within the IARC Multicenter Case-Control Study. Odds ratios (ORs)
      and 95% CI were calculated using logistic regression, adjusting for age, gender,
      study center, education, tobacco smoking, and number of first-degree relatives.
      In addition, we conducted a meta-analysis of 41 studies on FH of cancer and lung
      cancer risk. Positive FH of lung cancer increased risk of lung cancer with OR of
      1.63 (95%CI: 1.31-2.01), and having two or more affected relatives with lung
      cancer further increased the risk of lung cancer with OR 3.60 (95%CI: 1.56-8.31).
      Among subjects aged less than 50, the OR for FH of lung cancer was 2.08 (95%CI:
      1.18-3.63). The associations were generally stronger for squamous cell carcinoma
      and large cell carcinoma subtypes. Heterogeneity in results was not found with
      respect to smoking status and gender. A significant association was not observed
      for FH of other smoking-related tumors. The results of meta-analysis were
      consistent with that of our study with regard to young onset, non-smokers and
      histology. FH of lung cancer is a predictor of an increased risk of lung cancer,
      especially in subjects aged less than 50.

PMID- 20306330
TI  - Assessment of enzymatic efficiency on protein digestion in the tilapia
      Oreochromis niloticus.
AB  - The present study develops an experimental procedure aimed to estimate the
      efficiency of protein digestion in fish by measuring both gut transit rate and
      total amount of the main intestinal proteases (trypsin and chymotrypsin). The
      selected species was the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Total time for
      digestion, calculated through the estimation of gut transit rate using
      differently colored feeds, was 7.15 h. Mean production of trypsin and
      chymotrypsin was 15.94 and 24.11 mU in the proximal intestine and much lower
      (2,39, 4.90 mU) in the distal intestine. The enzyme efficiency, calculated from
      the average enzyme activity and time of residence of the digesta in each
      intestinal section, points to the major role of proximal intestine in protein
      digestion for this species. Results are discussed in relation to the main
      features characterizing digestion in stomachless fish.

PMID- 20306331
TI  - The association of inflammatory bowel disease and Mediterranean fever gene (MEFV)
      mutations in Turkish children.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) and inflammatory bowel
      disease (IBD) concordance has been investigated in a few studies. We investigated
      MEFV mutations and prevalence of FMF disease in Turkish children with IBD and
      their relationship with the disease severity. METHODS: Sixteen patients with
      ulcerative colitis (UC), 14 with Crohn's disease (CD) and three with
      indeterminate colitis (IC) were enrolled in the study (median age 13 years, range
      0.6-16 years, n = 19 boys). Demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics
      of the patients were evaluated as well as the parameters of disease severity. All
      patients were screened for 12 common MEFV mutations. RESULTS: MEFV mutations were
      detected in 17 of 66 (25.7%) alleles. Seven patients (four patients with CD, two
      with IC, and one with UC) were also diagnosed as FMF. FMF disease was found in
      seven of all IBD patients (21.2%) and four of them had CD. M694V was the leading
      mutation, and as a disease-causing mutation, it was found to be significantly
      more frequent in CD patients than UC patients (Fisher's exact test P = 0.03).
      Demographics, laboratory evaluations, growth parameters, extraintestinal
      manifestations, and treatment with immunosuppressive agents other than steroids
      were comparable between the patients with and without FMF in most aspects.
      CONCLUSIONS: Although this is a small cohort, disease-causing MEFV mutations and
      FMF disease rate were increased among our patients with IBD. The increase was
      prominent among CD patients, whereas in UC the rate was similar to the Turkish
      healthy control population.

PMID- 20306332
TI  - The development of a clinical outcomes survey research application: Assessment
      Center.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The National Institutes of Health sponsored Patient-Reported
      Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) aimed to create item banks and
      computerized adaptive tests (CATs) across multiple domains for individuals with a
      range of chronic diseases. PURPOSE: Web-based software was created to enable a
      researcher to create study-specific Websites that could administer PROMIS CATs
      and other instruments to research participants or clinical samples. This paper
      outlines the process used to develop a user-friendly, free, Web-based resource
      (Assessment Center) for storage, retrieval, organization, sharing, and
      administration of patient-reported outcomes (PRO) instruments. METHODS: Joint
      Application Design (JAD) sessions were conducted with representatives from
      numerous institutions in order to supply a general wish list of features. Use
      Cases were then written to ensure that end user expectations matched programmer
      specifications. Program development included daily programmer "scrum" sessions,
      weekly Usability Acceptability Testing (UAT) and continuous Quality Assurance
      (QA) activities pre- and post-release. RESULTS: Assessment Center includes
      features that promote instrument development including item histories, data
      management, and storage of statistical analysis results. CONCLUSIONS: This case
      study of software development highlights the collection and incorporation of user
      input throughout the development process. Potential future applications of
      Assessment Center in clinical research are discussed.

PMID- 20306333
TI  - Fatal hemorrhage following trans--sphenoidal resection of a pituitary adenoma: a
      case report and review of the literature.
AB  - A 58-year-old woman with acromegaly developed massive epistaxis 7 days following
      trans-sphenoidal resection of a growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenoma. At
      autopsy, it was determined that the source of the hemorrhage was a rupture of the
      intracavernous segment of the internal carotid artery secondary to a bacterial
      arteritis. We describe the gross dissection and histologic examination undertaken
      in this unusual case, discuss the possible etiology of the infection and review
      the potential complications of this surgical approach with a view to improving
      forensic examination of these patients.

PMID- 20306334
TI  - [Is oral rehydration with nasogastric tube more efficient than rehydration with
      spoon? Preliminary study in children with non-severe dehydration in Joseph-Raseta
      Befelatanana Hospital, Madagascar].
AB  - Since its recommendation by WHO, Oral Rehydration Solutions (ORS) contributed in
      reducing the rate of mortality due to acute gastroenteritis. In Madagascar, the
      rate of lethality imputed to gastroenteritis is about 3%. Rehydration can be
      performed either by using spoons which reliability is unsure because of parents'
      potential inobservance and child's refusal, or by nasogastric tube. The
      nasogastric tube may resolve these obstacles at the hospital. We realized a
      preliminary study to evaluate the efficacy and the safety of nasogastric tube and
      spoon administration of the ORS in rehydration of child with moderate post
      gastroenteritis dehydration. This is an open comparative study realized in the
      Pediatric Unit at the Joseph-Raseta-Befelatanana Hospital from the 21 January to
      21 May 2008. Main outcomes was the proportion of rehydrated children at 4 hours,
      other were: failure at 8 hours, duration and volume of SRO, side effects. Fifty
      three children from 4-month to 4-year old among 1306 patients were recruited and
      forty-seven patients were included. Nine patients failed (4 children received ORS
      by spoon and 5 children by nasogastric tube). The use of spoon was more
      effective: 62.5% of the patients were rehydrated at the fourth hour versus 39.3%
      in nasogastric tube group (P = 0.04). Making debit constant presents difficulties
      in rehydration with nasogastric tube (44.4 %). Tolerance of nasogastric tube is
      generally good but 16.7% children get out their tube during this study. No ORS'
      inhalation was observed with both routes. No false passage or tube or ORS
      rejection was recorded in both techniques. This study shows that using spoon to
      rehydrate is more effective for the rehydration of moderate dehydration. The use
      of nasogastric tube needs more surveillance.

PMID- 20306335
TI  - [Mother's educational level and children's illness severity in the emergency unit
      of Joseph-Raseta-Befelatanana Hospital. What kind of implications].
AB  - The parents 'educational conditions are one of the factors of health inequalities
      among children. During May 2009, the parents' instruction level of children
      admitted at the triage unit of a Pediatric Service in Antananarivo, Madagascar
      was evaluated and related to the severity of their children' health status and to
      the mode of reference. All the surviving children (from 2 months to 15 years old)
      were included in this study. Patients were classified by the IMCI guideline and
      we analyzed the educational level of their mothers. Each patient was classified
      as severe illness or without severe illness, according to IMCI algorithm. The
      quality of referring physician was recorded: public physicians, liberal
      physicians, nurses, or without referral. Among 296 children, 9 (3%) died before
      admission, 217 (75.6%) were included. Among them, 123 (56.7%) had a severe
      illness and 38,2% general signs of danger. The severity (92.3 versus 54.4%; P =
      0.003), the number of severe dehydration (15.4 versus 3.9%; P = 0,027) and
      malnutrition (15.4 versus 4.4%; P = 0.039) were related with a poor parents
      educational level. The referral agents were mostly liberal physicians (56.7%),
      public physicians (26.7%) or nurses (1.8%). Mothers with higher educational level
      preferred to attend liberal physicians (58 versus 41.9%; P = 0.1). The reference
      delay was shorter if there was a severe illness (6.41 versus 19.6 days; P <
      0.000) or no medical referral (51.1 versus 24.4%; P > 0.000). Despite the fact
      that access to hospital care was respectful of a two-step process (85.3%), the
      number of patients with severe illness was high among families with low
      educational level. Theses results suggest to educate in priority the mother with
      low education, in order to recognize the general signs of danger and facilitate
      early first health care.

PMID- 20306337
TI  - The impact factor ranking--a challenge for scientists and publishers.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The Impact Factor (IF) has originally been designed as a
      bibliometric tool to estimate the relevance of a scientific journal and has as
      such gained widespread acceptance in the scientific community. It denominates the
      ratio of all citations received by a particular journal within 1 year and all
      original research or review articles published by that journal during the
      preceding 2 years. DISCUSSION: Recently, the IF is more and more frequently used
      to judge the importance of single articles or the scientific achievement of
      researchers themselves. These approaches are associated with a number of
      backlashes such as the inability of the IF to reflect citation rates of single
      articles, the lack of elimination of self-citations and the time frame within
      which the IF is calculated (i.e., the two preceding years). Thus, for the
      evaluation of single articles, citation rankings would be-though time consuming
      in their compilation-more adequate. For the assessment of the scientific output
      of individual researchers, the h-index is emerging as a valuable tool which
      reflects both the citation rate as well as the number of publications of a given
      researcher. CONCLUSION: Although the IF is suitable for judging the overall
      importance of journals, IF rankings should be made solely within the respective
      subspecialty categorizations to avoid overrepresentation of larger research
      areas. In conclusion, the IF remains the widest accepted qualitative tool for the
      benchmarking of journals, though the assessment of individual scientific quality
      remains a challenging endeavor.

PMID- 20306336
TI  - Heme oxygenase-1 gene delivery by Sleeping Beauty inhibits vascular stasis in a
      murine model of sickle cell disease.
AB  - Increases in heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and administration of heme degradation
      products CO and biliverdin inhibit vascular inflammation and vasoocclusion in
      mouse models of sickle cell disease (SCD). In this study, an albumin (alb)
      promoter-driven Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposase plasmid with a wild-type rat
      hmox-1 (wt-HO-1) transposable element was delivered by hydrodynamic tail vein
      injections to SCD mice. Eight weeks after injection, SCD mice had three- to five
      fold increases in HO-1 activity and protein expression in liver, similar to hemin
      treated mice. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated increased perinuclear HO-1
      staining in hepatocytes. Messenger RNA transcription of the hmox-1 transgene in
      liver was confirmed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction
      restriction fragment length polymorphism (qRT-PCR RFLP) with no detectible
      transgene expression in other organs. The livers of all HO-1 overexpressing mice
      had activation of nuclear phospho-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and
      phospho-Akt, decreased nuclear expression of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB)
      p65, and decreased soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) in serum.
      Hypoxia-induced stasis, a characteristic of SCD, but not normal mice, was
      inhibited in dorsal skin fold chambers in wt-HO-1 SCD mice despite the absence of
      hmox-1 transgene expression in the skin suggesting distal effects of HO activity
      on the vasculature. No protective effects were seen in SCD mice injected with
      nonsense (ns-) rat hmox-1 that encodes carboxy-truncated HO-1 with little or no
      enzyme activity. We speculate that HO-1 gene delivery to the liver is beneficial
      in SCD mice by degrading pro-oxidative heme, releasing anti-inflammatory heme
      degradation products CO and biliverdin/bilirubin into circulation, activating
      cytoprotective pathways and inhibiting vascular stasis at sites distal to
      transgene expression.

PMID- 20306338
TI  - Variations of endonasal anatomy: relevance for the endoscopic endonasal
      transsphenoidal approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach (EETA) to the
      pituitary is performed by ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeons in collaboration
      with neurosurgeons but also by neurosurgeons alone even though neurosurgeons have
      not been trained in rhinological surgery. PURPOSE: To register the frequency of
      endonasal anatomical variations and to evaluate whether these variations hinder
      the progress of EETA and require extra rhinological surgical skills. METHODS: A
      prospective cohort study of 185 consecutive patients receiving an EETA through a
      binostril approach was performed. All anatomical endonasal variations were noted
      and the relevance for the progress of surgery evaluated. RESULTS: In 48% of
      patients, anatomical variations were recognized, the majority of which were
      spinae septi and septum deviations. In 5% of patients, the planned binostril
      approach had to be converted into a mononostril approach; whereas in 18% of
      patients with an anatomical variation, a correction had to be performed. There
      was no difference between the ENT surgeon and the neurosurgeon performing the
      approach. Complications related to the endonasal phase of the surgery occurred in
      3.8%. Fluoroscopy or electromagnetic navigation has been used during 6.5% of the
      surgeries. CONCLUSION: Although endonasal anatomical variations are frequent,
      they do not pose a relevant obstacle for EETA.

PMID- 20306339
TI  - Thymidylate synthase (TYMS) enhancer region genotype-directed phase II trial of
      oral capecitabine for 2nd line treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: The primary aim of this study was to characterize the 6-month overall
      survival and toxicity associated with second-line capecitabine treatment of
      advanced pancreatic cancer patients harboring the TYMS *2/*2 allele. The
      secondary aim was to analyze the response rate and pharmacokinetics of
      capecitabine-based therapy in this patient population. Lastly, TYMS, ATM and
      RecQ1 single nucleotide polymorphism were analyzed relative to overall survival
      in patients screened for study participation. METHODS: Eighty patients with stage
      IV pancreatic cancer were screened for the *2/*2 TYMS allele. Patients with the
      *2/*2 TYMS polymorphism were treated with capecitabine, 1,000 mg/m2 twice daily
      for 14 consecutive days of a 21 day cycle. Screened patients not possessing TYMS
      *2/*2 were monitored for survival. Pharmacokinetic analysis was done during Cycle
      1 of the therapy. RESULTS: Sixteen of the 80 screened patients tested positive
      for *2/*2 TYMS variant. Four out of the 16 eligible patients were treated on
      study. The study was terminated early due to poor accrual and increased toxicity.
      Three patients experienced grade 3 non-hematologic toxicities of palmer-plantar
      erythrodysesthesia, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. Grade 2 toxicities were
      similar and occurred in all patients. Only one patient was evaluable for response
      after completion of three cycles of therapy. The presence of the *2/*2 TYMS
      genotype in all of the screened patients trended toward a decreased overall
      survival. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this study represents the first genotype
      directed clinical trial for patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Although the
      study was closed early, it appears capecitabine therapy in pancreatic cancer
      patients harboring the TYMS *2/*2 variant may be associated with increased non
      hematologic toxicity. This study also demonstrates the challenges performing a
      genotype-directed study in the second-line setting for patients with advanced
      pancreatic cancer.

PMID- 20306341
TI  - Influence of anthropogenic transformations of river bed on plant and
      macrozoobenthos communities.
AB  - This study describes the influence of urban area on plant communities and benthic
      invertebrates inhabiting the Slupia River (northern Poland). Ten plant
      communities and 37 macrozoobenthos taxa were determined during four seasonal
      samplings at 25 sampling sites (October 2005 and January, April, and August
      2006). The obtained data set was statistically evaluated in order to reveal the
      influence of anthropogenic transformations on the investigated communities
      against the background of other abiotic factors. Multivariate regression tree
      (MRT) method was used for vegetation, while for benthic fauna, both MRT and
      artificial neural network (ANN) methods were applied. The following explanatory
      variables were used: season, water temperature, and salinity; location of a
      sampling site; degree of human impact on the riverbed; microhabitat; and
      substrate type. MRT analyses showed significant differences in plant community
      structure depending on the location of a sampling site, indicating the influence
      of anthropogenic pressure, while macrozoobenthos composition differed
      significantly only between seasons. The overall ANN model proved the importance
      of type and location of a sampling site for the approximation of benthic fauna
      density. Additionally, influence of the explanatory variables on the consecutive
      macrozoobenthos taxa was analyzed on the basis of separate ANN.

PMID- 20306340
TI  - Bioaccumulation of organochlorine pesticides in aquatic system--an overview.
AB  - In recent years, various environmental issues have aroused a concern on the
      pollution of pesticides in rivers and in their various intercompartments.
      Multiple residues of pesticides discharged from industries or as a result of
      extensive use of agrochemicals in agriculture have been monitored. These
      pesticide residues contaminate the river ecosystem and its intercompartments such
      as sediments, and aquatic biota, and make it harmful to humans when they
      contaminate food and drinking water. The pesticide contamination in water,
      sediments, and aquatic biota has been reported to be beyond the acceptable range.
      The most commonly found pesticides are organochlorine, namely,
      dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, hexachlorocyclohexane, endosulfan, heptachlor,
      lindane, dieldrin, aldrin, endrin, and others. The paper discusses the general
      description, classification, and toxicity of pesticides; it also aims to create
      public awareness among people and appraise them with various alternate methods to
      combat the problem of pesticide contamination. An attempt has also been made to
      elucidate the findings of various works on pesticides in aquatic system and to
      highlight the challenging aspects of pesticide contamination, which have not
      attracted the attention of investigators yet.

PMID- 20306342
TI  - A potent mitogenic lectin from the mycelia of a phytopathogenic fungus,
      Rhizoctonia bataticola, with complex sugar specificity and cytotoxic effect on
      human ovarian cancer cells.
AB  - A lectin with strong mitogenic activity towards human peripheral blood
      mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and cytotoxic effect on human ovarian cancer cells has
      been purified from the mycelium of a phytopathogenic fungus, Rhizoctonia
      bataticola, using ion exchange chromatography and affinity chromatography on
      asialofetuin-Sepharose. The lectin, termed RBL, is a tetramer of 11-kDa subunits
      and has unique amino acid sequence at its blocked N-terminus. The purified RBL
      was blood group nonspecific and its hemagglutination activity was inhibited by
      mucin (porcine stomach), fetuin (fetal calf serum) and asialofetuin. Glycan array
      analysis revealed high affinity binding of RBL towards N-glycans and also the
      glycoproteins containing complex N-glycan chains. Interestingly, the lectin
      showed high affinity for glycans which are part of ovarian cancer marker CA125, a
      high molecular weight mucin containing high mannose and complex bisecting type N
      linked glycans as well core 1 and 2 type O-glycans. RBL bound to human PBMCs
      eliciting strong mitogenic response, which could be blocked by mucin, fetuin and
      asialofetuin demonstrating the carbohydrate-mediated interaction with the cells.
      Analysis of the kinetics of binding of RBL to PBMCs revealed a delayed mitogenic
      response indicating a different signaling pathway compared to phytohemagglutinin
      L. RBL had a significant cytotoxic effect on human ovarian cancer cell line, PA
      1.

PMID- 20306343
TI  - Molecular characterization of pig alpha2,3-Gal-beta1,3-GalNAc-alpha2,6
      sialyltransferase (pST6GalNAc IV) gene specific for Neu5Acalpha2-3Galbeta1
      3GalNAc trisaccharide structure.
AB  - Sialic acids of glycoconjugates play crucial roles in various biological
      processes, such as cell-cell communication and cell-substrate interaction. A
      sisalyltransferase, ST6GalNAc IV (Neu5Ac-alpha2,3-Gal-beta1,3-GalNAc-alpha2,6
      sialyltransferase), catalyzes the formation of alpha2-6-linkages onto GalNAc
      residues of O-glycosidically linked Ser/Thr of proteins. In this study, we cloned
      the pig ST6GalNAc IV (pST6GalNAc IV) and investigated its functional
      characterization. pST6GalNAc IV cDNA has been isolated from pig liver tissues and
      it contains an entire open reading frame (ORF, 906 bp) coding for 302 amino acid
      residues. Entire ORF of pST6GalNAc IV containing sialylmotif 'L'-(Large), 'S'
      (Small) and '-VS' (Very small) has a high degree of sequence similarity with Homo
      sapiens (90%), Pan troglodytes (91%) and Mus musculus (87%). Expression of
      pST6GalNAc IV mRNA in various pig tissues was identified by reverse transcription
      polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. pST6GalNAc IV mRNA was highly
      expressed in tongue, muscle and heart, whereas it was not expressed in pancreas.
      For functional characterization of pST6GalNAc IV gene in pig kidney PK15 cells,
      we have also established pST6GalNAc IV-transfected PK15 cells, which are stably
      expressing the pST6GalNAc IV gene. The glycosylation pattern of pST6GalNAc IV
      transfected PK15 cells was detected by flow cytometry and immunofluorescence
      analysis with Maackia amurensis agglutinin (MAA), Maackia amurensis hemagglutinin
      (MAL II), Sambucus nigra agglutinin (SNA) and peanut agglutinin (PNA) lectins.
      The specific carbohydrate structures of Neu5Acalpha2-3Galbeta1-3(Neu5Acalpha2
      6)GalNAc tetrasaccharide or Neu5Acalpha2-6GalNAc disaccharide recognized by MAL
      II and SNA were revealed to be newly synthesized by pST6GalNAc IV. From the
      results, it was suggested that the pig pST6GalNAc IV gene is capable of
      synthesizing Neu5Acalpha2-3Galbeta1-3(Neu5Acalpha2-6)GalNAc tetrasaccharide
      structures on O-glycoproteins.

PMID- 20306344
TI  - The machine paradigm and alternative approaches in cognitive science.
AB  - In a recent paper called To think human out of the machine paradigm, it is stated
      that psychological science operates within a machine paradigm that is committed
      to mechanical causality. In addition, it is emphasizes the epistemological and
      methodological limitations of explanations based in deterministic mechanics and
      instead argues for the need of an 'organic paradigm' that takes into
      consideration psychological processes such as subjectivity, inter-subjectivity,
      and agency. Although there is no doubt that much psychological science has
      operated under a machine paradigm, we argue that recent psychological research is
      pursued using a wide variety of approaches and with an absence of a partially
      integrated meta-theoretical corpus. The present situation looks more like a Tower
      of Babel of epistemological approaches and empirical programs. The
      reconsideration of the organic paradigm and an explicitly addressed
      epistemological framework could constitute a step forward and lead to an
      explanatory pluralism built on greater dialogue within the psychological
      sciences.

PMID- 20306346
TI  - Cutaneous and gastrointestinal pythiosis in a dog in Brazil.
AB  - The oomycete Pythium insidiosum is the pathogenic cause of pythiosis, a life
      threatening disease that affects several animal species. Canines are the second
      most affected species, and the disease is characterized by the development of
      cutaneous and gastrointestinal lesions. While concomitant cutaneous and
      gastrointestinal lesions are rarely found in the same animal, this report
      documents a case of concurrent cutaneous and gastrointestinal pythiosis in an 18
      month-old female Labrador. This dog had an ulcerative cutaneous lesion on the
      right thoracic region for 12 months that was unresponsive to itraconazole and
      terbinafine therapy. Two months prior to death and concurrent with the cutaneous
      lesion, the dog became anorexic with frequent vomiting and bloody stools. At
      necropsy, a cutaneous lesion that extended subcutaneously into the intercostal
      muscles was observed. Additionally, the large intestine contained two lesions
      that caused luminal narrowing. Organs were collected, routinely processed and
      stained using hematoxylin and eosin and Gomori methenamine silver. Histological
      examination of the lesions in the large intestine and on the skin revealed areas
      of necrosis surrounded by a pyogranulomatous infiltrate. Occasionally, black,
      septate, branching hyphae were detected following staining with Gomori
      methenamine silver. The diagnosis of pythiosis was confirmed using
      immunohistochemical methods. This report describes the occurrence of concomitant
      gastrointestinal and cutaneous lesions in a dog and highlights the therapeutic
      difficulties encountered with this disease.

PMID- 20306345
TI  - Cysteine S-conjugate beta-lyases: important roles in the metabolism of naturally
      occurring sulfur and selenium-containing compounds, xenobiotics and anticancer
      agents.
AB  - Cysteine S-conjugate beta-lyases are pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-containing enzymes
      that catalyze beta-elimination reactions with cysteine S-conjugates that possess
      a good leaving group in the beta-position. The end products are aminoacrylate and
      a sulfur-containing fragment. The aminoacrylate tautomerizes and hydrolyzes to
      pyruvate and ammonia. The mammalian cysteine S-conjugate beta-lyases thus far
      identified are enzymes involved in amino acid metabolism that catalyze beta-lyase
      reactions as non-physiological side reactions. Most are aminotransferases. In
      some cases the lyase is inactivated by reaction products. The cysteine S
      conjugate beta-lyases are of much interest to toxicologists because they play an
      important key role in the bioactivation (toxication) of halogenated alkenes, some
      of which are produced on an industrial scale and are environmental contaminants.
      The cysteine S-conjugate beta-lyases have been reviewed in this journal
      previously (Cooper and Pinto in Amino Acids 30:1-15, 2006). Here, we focus on
      more recent findings regarding: (1) the identification of enzymes associated with
      high-M(r) cysteine S-conjugate beta-lyases in the cytosolic and mitochondrial
      fractions of rat liver and kidney; (2) the mechanism of syncatalytic inactivation
      of rat liver mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase by the nephrotoxic beta
      lyase substrate S-(1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl)-L-cysteine (the cysteine S-conjugate
      of tetrafluoroethylene); (3) toxicant channeling of reactive fragments from the
      active site of mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase to susceptible proteins
      in the mitochondria; (4) the involvement of cysteine S-conjugate beta-lyases in
      the metabolism/bioactivation of drugs and natural products; and (5) the role of
      cysteine S-conjugate beta-lyases in the metabolism of selenocysteine Se
      conjugates. This review emphasizes the fact that the cysteine S-conjugate beta
      lyases are biologically more important than hitherto appreciated.

PMID- 20306347
TI  - Comparison of invasive and non-invasive blood pressure monitoring during clinical
      anaesthesia in dogs.
AB  - Monitoring blood pressure during anaesthesia is widely recommended in man and
      animals. The accuracy of any device used to measure blood pressure is an
      important consideration when selecting monitoring equipment, the ANSI/AAMI SP10
      standard is widely cited in this respect in recent veterinary publications. Blood
      pressure was monitored using invasive and non-invasive techniques during clinical
      anaesthesia in 19 dogs. The results were compared using Bland-Altman analysis.
      The bias (and limits of agreement) between invasive and non-invasive measurement
      was 7.1 mmHg (+/-34.7) for systolic blood pressure, -1.8 mmHg (+/-27.4) for mean
      blood pressure and 6.9 mmHg (+/-27.5) for diastolic blood pressure. In a clinical
      setting the bias between invasive and non-invasive measurement techniques was
      similar or smaller than laboratory reports, however the limits of agreement were
      considerably wider suggesting that care should be exercised when interpreting
      NIBP values.

PMID- 20306348
TI  - A theoretical comparison of the models of prevention of research misconduct.
AB  - The current methods of dealing with research misconduct involve detection and
      rectification after the incident has already occurred. This method of monitoring
      scientific integrity exerts considerable negative effects on the concerned
      persons and is also wasteful of time and resources. Time has arrived for research
      administrators to focus seriously on prevention of misconduct. In this article,
      preventive models suggested earlier by Weed and Reason have been combined to
      arrive at six models of prevention. This is an effort to streamline the thinking
      regarding misconduct prevention, so that the advantages and disadvantages of each
      can be weighed and the method most appropriate for the institute chosen.

PMID- 20306349
TI  - Disclosure of unknown harms in magnetic resonance imaging research.
AB  - Unknown harms are by their nature difficult to communicate. While magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) has known risks (e.g., metal projectiles, dislodgement of
      medical implants), this imaging modality also has potential unknown long-term
      negative health effects associated with its static magnetic fields. We carried
      out a research ethics board (REB) file review of previously approved MRI research
      studies and found that unknown risks were either left undisclosed or were
      inadequately disclosed to research participants and REBs. This article outlines
      issues raised by our REB file review and suggests steps that should be taken in
      order to satisfactorily communicate information about potential unknown harms of
      MRI.

PMID- 20306350
TI  - Research misconduct policies of social science journals and impact factor.
AB  - In this study we gathered data on the misconduct policies of social science
      journals and combined it with the data from our previous study on journal
      misconduct policies, which did not include enough social science journals for
      data analysis. Consistent with our earlier finding, impact factor of the journal
      was the only variable significantly associated with whether a journal had a
      formal (written) misconduct policy with an odds-ratio of 1.72 (p < 0.01). We did
      not find that type of science (physical, biomedical, or social) or publisher had
      a significant effect on whether a journal had a policy. Another important finding
      is that less than half of the journals that responded to the survey had a formal
      misconduct policy.

PMID- 20306351
TI  - Dr. Cezanne and the art of re(peat)search: competing interests and obligations in
      clinical research.
AB  - Clinician researchers have a number of roles, each of which carries specific
      obligations. There are times when these obligations may be in competition (up to
      and including conflict) with each other. Using a narrative case study that
      describes a group of colleagues discussing their clinical department's
      participation in an industry-sponsored research protocol, we illustrate a number
      of the obligations faced by clinician researchers, and discuss how competing
      interests and obligations can lead to ethical problems. The case study is
      followed by a discussion of the effect of university-industry relations on
      competing interests and obligations in both clinical research and the role of the
      university, and a suggested framework that could be used to determine when
      university involvement in commercial research is ethically acceptable.

PMID- 20306352
TI  - Unethical research and the C.I.A. Inspector General Report of 2004: observations
      implicit in terms of the common rule.
AB  - Declassification of documents has given rise to the allegation that the Central
      Intelligence Agency may have conducted unethical research targeting detainee
      subjects. That allegation is examined using document analysis and the development
      of research goals and roles as defined in the Common Rule. This article sets
      aside issues as to whether enhanced interrogation techniques described in the
      declassified documents rise to legal definitions of torture. Instead, it presents
      a post hoc ethics review raising questions addressed by Institutional Review
      Boards recommending the filing of a for-cause noncompliance complaint with the
      Office for Human Research Protection against the Central Intelligence Agency.

PMID- 20306353
TI  - Influence of left versus right hemibody onset Parkinson's disease on
      cardiovascular control.
AB  - Whereas the left hemisphere is involved in regulating the parasympathetic nervous
      system, the right hemisphere regulates the sympathetic. Given the asymmetrical
      onset of motor symptoms and neuropathology in PD, differences in cardiovascular
      functions might be expected between PD patients with left hemibody onset (LHO)
      versus right hemibody onset (RHO). A total of 66 PD patients served as
      participants, including 31 LHO patients and 35 RHO PD patients. All participants
      had their resting heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) recorded. Although the
      LHO group had lower systolic BP, it had higher resting HR than did the RHO group.
      The reason for this dissociation is not known but might be related to
      asymmetrical vagus nerve control of the heart (SA node). Future researchers might
      want to use additional indices of cardiovascular functioning that are more
      precise measures of parasympathetic and sympathetic functioning, as well as learn
      the influence of dopaminergic medications.

PMID- 20306354
TI  - Narrative therapy for adults with major depressive disorder: improved symptom and
      interpersonal outcomes.
AB  - This study investigated depressive symptom and interpersonal relatedness outcomes
      from eight sessions of manualized narrative therapy for 47 adults with major
      depressive disorder. Post-therapy, depressive symptom improvement (d=1.36) and
      proportions of clients achieving reliable improvement (74%), movement to the
      functional population (61%), and clinically significant improvement (53%) were
      comparable to benchmark research outcomes. Post-therapy interpersonal relatedness
      improvement (d=.62) was less substantial than for symptoms. Three-month follow-up
      found maintenance of symptom, but not interpersonal gains. Benchmarking and
      clinical significance analyses mitigated repeated measure design limitations,
      providing empirical evidence to support narrative therapy for adults with major
      depressive disorder.

PMID- 20306355
TI  - Meanings of home and mental well-being among Sudanese refugees in Canada.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This article examines family and social factors that affect refugee
      mental health during resettlement by presenting qualitative analysis of the
      concept of home and its functional and psychological meanings based on findings
      from research with Sudanese refugees in Canada. DESIGN: Data were collected in
      two successive multi-method, community-based studies between 2003 and 2007 with
      Sudanese refugee participants in Ontario and Alberta, Canada. The first study
      used survey methods with 220 participants in seven sites and the second, in-depth
      qualitative interviews with 30 community members in three sites. RESULTS: In the
      first study, economic hardship and family adaptation challenges were reported to
      affect Sudanese mental well-being. The second study explored cultural aspects of
      Sudanese family and community well-being in greater depth. Meanings of home
      emerged from data as a key concept linking social support, resettlement, and
      mental health. Findings highlight how the presence or absence of the social
      supports associated with home affect refugees' mental health during resettlement.
      The analysis focuses on four themes: emotional support; fulfilling social roles
      and expectations; problem solving and conflict resolution; and dignity and
      growth, as well as perceived impact on community mental health. CONCLUSION:
      Qualities of home that Sudanese lack during resettlement points to critical gaps
      that must be filled by mental health and other service providers to promote
      positive refugee mental health in countries of resettlement.

PMID- 20306356
TI  - Awareness of executive functioning deficits in multiple sclerosis: self versus
      informant ratings of impairment.
AB  - This study investigates the accuracy of self and informant ratings of executive
      dysfunction in a multiple sclerosis (MS) and control sample. Participants
      completed a neuropsychological battery. Participants and informants completed
      depression measures and the Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX). MS participants
      rated themselves more impaired than controls, while informants' ratings were not
      statistically different. MS participants' performance on executive tasks was more
      highly correlated with self than informant DEX ratings. Discrepancies between
      informant DEX ratings and executive performance were related to executive
      functioning for the MS participants only. Overall, results indicate that MS
      patients were able to accurately rate their executive functioning.

PMID- 20306357
TI  - Do warnings deter rather than produce more sophisticated malingering?
AB  - Following Youngjohn, Lees-Haley, and Binder's (1999) comment on Johnson and
      Lesniak-Karpiak's (1997) study that warnings lead to more subtle malingering,
      researchers have sought to better understand warning effects. However, such
      studies have been largely atheoretical and may have confounded warning and
      coaching. This study examined the effect on malingering of a warning that was
      based on criminological-sociological concepts derived from the rational choice
      model of deterrence theory. A total of 78 participants were randomly assigned to
      a control group, an unwarned simulator group, or one of two warned simulator
      groups. The warning groups comprised low- and high-level conditions depending on
      warning intensity. Simulator participants received no coaching about how to fake
      tests. Outcome variables were scores derived from the Test of Memory Malingering
      and Wechsler Memory Scale-III. When the rate of malingering was compared across
      the four groups, a high-level warning effect was found such that warned
      participants were significantly less likely to exaggerate than unwarned
      simulators. In an exploratory follow-up analysis, the warned groups were divided
      into those who reported malingering and those who did not report malingering, and
      the performance of these groups was compared to that of unwarned simulators and
      controls. Using this approach, results showed that participants who were deterred
      from malingering by warning performed no worse than controls. However, on a small
      number of tests, self-reported malingerers in the low-level warning group
      appeared less impaired than unwarned simulators. This pattern was not observed in
      the high-level warning condition. Although cautious interpretation of findings is
      necessitated by the exploratory nature of some analyses, overall results suggest
      that using a carefully designed warning may be useful for reducing the rate of
      malingering. The combination of some noteworthy effect sizes, despite low power
      and the small size of some groups, suggests that further investigation of the
      effects of warnings needs to continue to determine their effect more fully.

PMID- 20306358
TI  - Evaluation of anti-fertility activity of Tabernaemontana divaricata (Linn) R.Br.
      leaves in rats.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to assess the anti-fertility activity of
      ethanolic extracts of Tabernaemontana divaricata (TD) leaves in oestrogenic
      activity models in immature female rats. Mature green leaves of TD were collected
      and authenticated. Extractions of the dried leaves were carried out with ethanol
      in a Soxhlet's apparatus. For oestrogenic activity, the extracts were
      administered orally once daily at a dose of 200 and 400 mg kg(-1), and the
      activity was compared with the standard drug ethinyl oestradiol (0.02 mg). The
      extracts caused significant increase in uterine weight compared to the control.
      The ethanolic extract exhibited oestrogenic activity. The histological study of
      epithelium tissues with the 400 mg of TD extract-treated animals showed increases
      in the height of the luminal epithelium and loose edematous stroma when compared
      with the 200 mg of TD extract-treated group of animals. However, this was better
      than the control group of animals. Enhanced uterine weight and increase in the
      height of luminal epithelium and histological characteristics suggest that TD
      extract may be useful in anti-fertility therapy.

PMID- 20306359
TI  - Two new compounds from Semen celosiae and their protective effects against CCl4
      induced hepatotoxicity.
AB  - Two new oleanolic acid saponins, namely celosin A (1) and celosin B (2), together
      with six known compounds, stigmasterol, beta-sitosterol, beta-daucosterol,
      hexacosoic acid, palmitic acid and stearic acid, were isolated from the ethanolic
      extract of Semen celosiae. The structures of celosin A (1) and celosin B (2) were
      determined by spectral analysis (including 1D- and 2D-NMR). The hepatoprotective
      activity of 1 and 2 with oral doses 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 mg kg-1 were investigated by
      carbon tetrachloride CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity in mice. The results indicate
      that they have significant hepatoprotective effects, and that these
      hepatoprotective effects may be due to the antioxidant capability.

PMID- 20306360
TI  - Secondary metabolites from Eryngium species.
AB  - From the seed and leaf extracts of Eryngium species, two new compounds were
      isolated, along with an aliphatic ketone and several known terpenoids reported
      from a member of Umbelliferae for the first time. Their structures were
      elucidated by chemical methods and spectroscopic analysis.

PMID- 20306361
TI  - Chemical constituents from the leaves of Michelia alba.
AB  - (-)-N-Formylanonaine (1), (-)-oliveroline (2), (+)-nornuciferine (3), lysicamine
      (4), (+)-cyperone (5), (+)-epi-yangambin (6), ficaprenol-10 (7), pheophytin a
      (8), aristophyll C (9) and michephyll A (10) were isolated from the leaves of
      Michelia alba DC (Magnoliaceae). Among them, 10 is a new compound. The structures
      of these compounds were characterised and identified by spectral analyses. We
      have also presented the antioxidation activity of 10.

PMID- 20306362
TI  - Nematicidal natural products from the aerial parts of Rubus niveus.
AB  - Studies on the aerial parts of Rubus niveus yielded six known compounds, 3,5
      dihydroxy benzoic acid C(7)H(6)O(4), (1), gallic acid C(7)H(6)O(5) (2), ethyl
      galactoside (3), oleanolic acid (4), beta-sitosterol (5) and 3-O-[beta-D
      galactopyranosyl-(12)-D-glucopyranoside (6). Besides this, a gallic acid
      derivative with methyl substitution was synthesised as tetramethyl gallate (3).
      Together with this derivative, compounds 1, 2, the alcohol soluble, chloroform
      soluble and petroleum ether soluble extracts of the aerial parts of R. niveus
      were screened for its nematicidal activity against freshly hatched second stage
      juveniles of Meloidogyne incognita (root-knot nematode), exhibiting 100, 94, 100,
      52, 45 and 14% mortality, respectively of M. incognita after 48 h at 0.5%
      concentration. Compounds 1, 2 and 3 were found to be more potent than the
      nematicide Azadirachta indica at the same concentration. Negative results were
      obtained for nematicidal activity of the petroleum ether extract of R. niveus
      leaf extract. This is the first report on the isolation of chemical constituents
      as well as the nematicidal activity of compounds and any part of R. niveus.

PMID- 20306363
TI  - Production of cycloartane triterpene glycosides in shoot cultures of Astragalus
      sieberi DC.
AB  - Shoot tips of the germinated seeds of Astragalus sieberi DC. were cultured on MS
      medium supplemented with 0.1 mg L(-1) each of naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and
      benzyl adenine (BA) for establishment of shoot cultures. The effect of different
      concentrations of growth regulators on saponin content was studied and optimised.
      Saponin content was monitored by HPLC analysis. The most appropriate growth
      regulator with which to produce the highest content of saponins in shoot cultures
      was 0.5 mg L(-1) each of NAA and BA. The isolated cycloastragenol-3-O-glucoside
      was identified by spectral analysis and compared with an authentic sample.

PMID- 20306364
TI  - A novel sesquiterpenoid from the roots of Cinnamomum subavenium.
AB  - Subamol (1), a novel Cinnamomum sesquiterpenoid, has been isolated from
      Cinnamomum subavenium (Lauraceae), and its structure was determined on the basis
      of spectroscopic analysis.

PMID- 20306365
TI  - Synthesis of 1-octacosanol and GC-C-IRMS discrimination of samples from different
      origin.
AB  - Lately, long-chain primary alcohols have been investigated in depth on account of
      their biological activities. In particular, 1-octacosanol (C(28)H(57)OH), the
      main component of policosanol, the hypolipidaemic fatty alcohol mixture obtained
      from sugar cane wax, has been the subject of a multitude of pharmacological
      studies. The aim of this work was to search a convenient synthetic protocol for
      the preparation of 1-octacosanol in a gram scale. The key step was a Wittig
      reaction between the octadecyltriphenylphosphonium ylide and the methyl 10
      oxodecanoate. Some steps were further improved by power ultrasound and microwave
      irradiation, either alone or in combination. Our methodology is suitable for a
      rapid generation of homologues by varying the chain length in the alkyl halide.
      Due to the high commercial value, a series of 1-octacosanol samples, either
      isolated from natural sources or from synthesis (different origin and suppliers),
      were analysed by gas chromatography-combustion-isotopic ratio mass spectrometry
      (GC-C-IRMS) and according to the carbon isotopic content, classified on the basis
      of their origin.

PMID- 20306366
TI  - A short and facile synthesis of 2-(1Z)-(3-hydroxy-3,7-dimethylocta-1,6-dienyl)
      1,4-benzenediol and 1-(3'-methoxypropanoyl)-2,4,5-trimethoxybenzene isolated from
      Cordia alliodora.
AB  - A novel synthesis of 2-(1Z)-(3-hydroxy-3,7-dimethylocta-1,6-dienyl)-1,4
      benzenediol and 1-(3'-methoxypropanoyl)-2,4,5-trimethoxybenzene has been carried
      out by making use of an easily available starting material, acceleration by MW
      irradiation and the use of water as a green solvent in the key steps.

PMID- 20306367
TI  - Chemical constituents of Sisymbrium irio L. from Jordan.
AB  - Investigation of the aerial parts of Sisymbrium irio L. (Cruciferea) collected in
      northern Jordan afforded two new compounds, sitosteryl-6'-O-undecanoate-beta-D
      glucoside (1) and (Z)-8,11,12-trihydroxyoctadec-9-enoic acid (2), in addition to
      12 known compounds, 10 of which are reported for the first time from the plant.
      The structures of all of the compounds were established by spectroscopic and
      chemical methods.

PMID- 20306368
TI  - The chemical structures, plant origins, ethnobotany and biological activities of
      homoisoflavanones.
AB  - This work reviews the four basic structural types of homoisoflavanones. The
      relationships between the various structures of homoisoflavanones and their plant
      origins, ethnobotany and biological activities are put into perspective.

PMID- 20306369
TI  - Cognitive rehabilitation in posterior cortical atrophy.
AB  - Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) is a rare early-onset dementing syndrome
      presenting with visuo-perceptual deficits. Clinicopathologically, it is most
      commonly considered a form of Alzheimer's disease. We present the case of a 64
      year-old male patient with posterior cortical atrophy who took part in a
      cognitive rehabilitation programme that included psychoeducation, compensatory
      strategies, and cognitive exercises. After the cognitive rehabilitation
      programme, subtle differences were found in visuoperceptual tasks and in the
      patient's subjective perception of difficulties. Cognitive rehabilitation may
      temporarily improve functioning in patients with posterior cortical atrophy.

PMID- 20306370
TI  - Encoding and representation of simultaneous and sequential arrays in visuospatial
      working memory.
AB  - The effect of presentation type on organization in visuospatial working memory
      (VSWM) was examined. Stimuli were presented sequentially or simultaneously at
      study, and participants made same/different judgements at test. The test array
      varied in four different spatial configuration conditions: one featuring no
      changes from study, one in which two items switched, one in which the same array
      repeated but in a different location, and one in which a completely novel test
      stimulus appeared. Results indicated the use of a global configuration for both
      simultaneous and sequential presentations and showed increased impairment of item
      level knowledge with sequential presentations. Overall, these results support the
      use of a global configuration organization as a fundamental aspect of VSWM
      processing.

PMID- 20306371
TI  - Items on the left are better remembered.
AB  - Neurologically intact individuals show a spatial processing bias in perception
      tasks, specifically showing a bias towards the left in bisecting lines. We
      present evidence for a novel finding that a leftwards bias occurs in short-term
      memory for recently presented arbitrary bindings of visual features. Three
      experiments are reported, two of which involve a total of over 60,000
      participants with a small number of trials for each. Experiment 3 involved a
      larger number of trials for each of 144 participants. Participants reproduced
      from immediate memory arrays of shape-colour-location bindings. In all three
      experiments, significantly more errors were observed in reproduction of items
      presented on the right of the array than on the left. Results could not be
      accounted for by perceptual errors, or by order of presentation or order of
      reproduction. Findings suggest that items presented on the left are better
      remembered, indicating a spatial asymmetry in forming or retrieving feature
      bindings in visual short-term memory.

PMID- 20306373
TI  - [The solidarity of the profession].

PMID- 20306374
TI  - [Recognition for Prof. Dr. Dr. Alf Trojan on awarding of the Salomon-Neumann
      Medal of the German Society of Social Medicine and Prevention on 23 September
      2009 in Hamburg].

PMID- 20306375
TI  - [Solidarity in the course of society and health-care system].

PMID- 20306376
TI  - [Personal responsibility for health. An interdisciplinary discussion on obesity
      as an example].
AB  - Considering obesity as an example, the present study has developed an ethical,
      legal and psychological understanding of personal responsibility, which aims at
      enabling and activating health promoting behaviour. Enhancing individual
      capabilities and modifying social and political factors that have an effect on
      individual behaviour are highlighted as a promising, appropriate and ethically
      sound strategy of prevention.

PMID- 20306377
TI  - ["15 questions for..."].

PMID- 20306378
TI  - [The future for CME articles].

PMID- 20306379
TI  - Thoracic aortic aneurysms.

PMID- 20306380
TI  - Measurement of liver elasticity with acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI)
      technology: an alternative noninvasive method for staging liver fibrosis in viral
      hepatitis.
AB  - PURPOSE: The acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) technology is a novel
      ultrasound method that provides information about the local elasticity of tissue
      in real-time. ARFI is integrated in a conventional ultrasound system. The aim of
      this exploratory study was to evaluate this new technique in the assessment of
      liver fibrosis in a cohort with chronic viral hepatitis B and C and to ascertain
      the most reliable hepatic segment for measurements. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 57
      patients (27 female, 30 male, mean age 54 years) with chronic viral hepatitis B
      and C underwent ARFI imaging and consecutively liver biopsy. The results were
      compared to the histological fibrosis degree (F), which served as the reference.
      20 healthy volunteers received ARFI quantification of different segments of the
      liver. RESULTS: The best ARFI assessments with the lowest rate of invalid
      measurements were carried out by an intercostal approach to segment VII/VIII of
      the liver. The ARFI velocities of the healthy group had a mean of 1.09 m/s (range
      0.79 - 1.32 m/s), the means of the patient group ranged from 0.83 to 4.19 m/s.
      ARFI quantification correlated significantly with the histological fibrosis stage
      (p < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves
      for the accuracy of ARFI imaging was 85 %, 92 % and 87 % for the diagnosis of
      moderate fibrosis (>or= F2), severe fibrosis (>or= F3) and cirrhosis ( = F 4),
      respectively. CONCLUSION: This study underscores the usefulness of ARFI as a
      quick method for assessing liver fibrosis or cirrhosis in patients with HBV or
      HCV. ARFI measurements of the liver should be performed via an intercostal
      access. Increasing ARFI velocities correlate with higher degree of hepatic
      fibrosis.

PMID- 20306381
TI  - [Classification of solid soft tissue tumours by ultrasonography].
AB  - PURPOSE: Malignant soft tissue tumours appear infrequently in comparison to
      benign lesions. Clinical misdiagnosis leads to inadequate or delayed therapy in
      many cases of soft tissue sarcoma. The present study explores the question if
      ultrasonography as a widely-used diagnostic tool allows for a discrimination of
      benign and malignant soft tissue tumours. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a prospective
      study over a period of 8 years 224 histologically ascertained solid soft tissue
      tumours, thereof 120 sarcomas and 27 aggressive benign lesions were investigated
      by B-mode and colour Doppler sonography. The echotexture was analysed computer
      based using the parameters echogenicity, homogeneity and vascularisation in all
      lesions. RESULTS: Different tumour groups showed typical patterns of echotexture,
      which enabled a classification using 6 categories, distinguishing homogenous
      hyperechoic, heavily inhomogeneous and homogenous hypoechoic lesions, each group
      linked to an elevated or low vascularisation. Implementation of the proposed
      classification revealed a sensitivity in the detection of soft tissue sarcomas
      and aggressive benign lesions of 94.4 % with a specificity of 79.7 % and an
      accuracy of 89.7 %. CONCLUSION: Ultrasonography allows for a determination of the
      diagnostic and therapeutic procedure in soft tissue tumours. Due to the fact that
      soft tissue sarcomas present hypervascularised almost exclusively, predominantly
      homogenous hypoechoic, rarely homogenous hyperechoic, and aggressive benign
      tumours present homogenous hypoechoic predominantly, such patterns require a
      biopsy prior to further surgical therapy. However, in homogenous hyperechoic
      lesions displaying a low blood flow either a primary resection or a conservative
      treatment with follow-up examinations can be discussed depending on clinical
      findings and history of the patient. Although the group of heavily inhomogeneous
      tumours within our collective consisted of benign lesions exclusively, biopsy
      should be recommended in theses cases in order to exclude a soft tissue sarcoma.

PMID- 20306382
TI  - Gastric pneumatosis in necrotizing enterocolitis.

PMID- 20306383
TI  - Considering laparoscopic salvage options--is pre-emptive omentectomy necessary in
      paediatric peritoneal patients?
AB  - BACKGROUND: In paediatric peritoneal dialysis patients, pre-emptive omentectomy
      is discussed controversially and literature provides only little data concerning
      this issue. Our aim was to evaluate the rate of omentum-majus-related problems in
      our patients, in whom omentectomy was generally not performed. Furthermore, we
      were interested in the success rates of laparoscopic adhesiolysis. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Between 09/2006 and 03/2008, we regularly saw 18 peritoneal dialysis
      patients in whom we retrospectively analysed medical records to determine the
      rate of catheter-related complications. In addition, we evaluated the success
      rates of laparoscopic adhesiolysis. RESULTS: During 355 dialysis months in 18
      patients, we observed 7 omentum-majus-related obstructions in 6 patients (1/50.7
      PM). The median age of the patients affected was 9 years, median filling volume
      at the time of the obstruction was 671 ml/m (2). Laparoscopic adhesiolysis was
      successful in 4 out of 7 episodes. In 3 cases, the catheter lumen was plugged by
      necrotic portions of the omentum and the catheters had to be replaced.
      CONCLUSION: Our data confirm omentum-majus-related catheter obstruction as a
      major cause of catheter dysfunction. However, in comparison to literature, it
      remains unclear to which extent omentectomy can reduce the incidence of catheter
      obstruction in general (including e. g. obstruction due to coagulation). Thus,
      the decision to perform an omentectomy should be taken individually after careful
      consideration. In case of omentum-majus-associated obstruction, early but not
      late laparoscopic intervention proved to be a successful, minimally invasive
      technique to restore catheter function.

PMID- 20306385
TI  - Accuracy of endoscopic ultrasound in preoperative staging of esophageal cancer:
      results from a referral center for early esophageal cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIM: Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has been regarded as the
      most accurate staging tool in esophageal cancer. Staging results have a strong
      impact on the decision as to whether a patient should undergo endoscopic
      treatment, surgery alone, or neoadjuvant therapy. This retrospective study was
      conducted to analyze the accuracy of esophageal cancer staging using EUS.
      METHODS: All patients who received EUS for staging of esophageal cancer before
      esophagectomy from February 2003 to December 2007 at a high volume academic
      tertiary care center were included. RESULTS: 179 consecutive patients (mean age
      64.4 +/- 9.5 years; 142 men) underwent esophageal resection for Barrett's
      adenocarcinoma (n = 134) and squamous cell cancer (n = 45). Postoperatively, 99
      patients were staged as having T1 cancers (55 %), 30 patients T2 (17%), 46
      patients T3 (26%), and four patients T4 (2%). The sensitivity and specificity of
      EUS relative to the T stage were 82% and 91%, respectively, for T1; 43% and 85%
      for T2; and 83% and 86% for T3. The overall accuracy for EUS in identifying the
      correct T stage was 74% (95%CI 66-80). Positive lymph nodes were diagnosed
      histologically in 68 patients (38%). The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of
      EUS for the diagnosis of N1 were 71%, 74% and 73% (95%CI 65-79), respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: The diagnostic accuracy of EUS in patients with esophageal cancer is
      still unsatisfactory. T2 cancers in particular are frequently overstaged, with a
      significant effect on the subsequent treatment strategy.

PMID- 20306384
TI  - Prospective comparison of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration and
      surgical histology in upper gastrointestinal submucosal tumors.
AB  - STUDY AIM: To assess the accuracy of ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration
      biopsy in the differential diagnosis of gastrointestinal stroma cell tumors
      (GIST) from other submucosal tumors, using both cytology and histology. PATIENTS
      AND METHODS: We conducted a prospective study from May 2005 to September 2008 in
      all patients presenting with upper gastrointestinal submucosal tumors. Only
      patients in whom surgical resection was carried out were included in the final
      analysis. In cases of mesenchymal tumor, immunocytochemistry was attempted for
      further differentiation between GIST and non-GIST. Surgical histopathology served
      as the gold standard. RESULTS: A total of 47 patients were analyzable, with a
      final histologic diagnosis of 35 mesenchymal tumors. Sufficient tissue for
      conventional cytologic diagnosis was obtained only in the 35 patients with
      mesenchymal tumors; in this subgroup, immunocytochemistry was possible in 46 %.
      If and only if enough material was available for immunocytochemistry, the
      sensitivity for (correct recognition of) GIST tumors was 93 %. In all 12 patients
      with nonmesenchymal tumors and lesions, cytology was nondiagnostic and the
      diagnosis had to be based on clinical suspicion and the appearance on endoscopy
      and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). On an intention-to-diagnose basis, endoscopic
      ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) had a positive predictive
      value for mesenchymal tumors of 100 %, but no value for the diagnosis of other
      lesions; using immunocytochemistry, a GIST tumor was recognized among the
      mesenchymal tumors with a sensitivity of 58 % and a specificity of 8 %.
      CONCLUSIONS: EUS-FNA-based cytology is safe and has only limited value for the
      differential diagnosis of submucosal tumors, mainly because insufficient material
      is harvested. Better tissue acquisition techniques are necessary for better
      differential diagnosis.

PMID- 20306386
TI  - Can early precut implementation reduce endoscopic retrograde
      cholangiopancreatography-related complication risk? Meta-analysis of randomized
      controlled trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Precut papillotomy is considered a risk factor for
      endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)-related complications;
      however whether the complication risk is due to precut itself or to the prior
      prolonged attempts is still debated; therefore, early precut implementation has
      been suggested to reduce the complication rate. We conducted a meta-analysis of
      randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing cannulation and complication rates
      of early precut implementation with persistent attempts by the standard approach.
      METHODS: RCTs that compared cannulation and complication rates of the early
      precut implementation and of persistent attempts by the standard approach were
      included. Summary effect sizes were estimated by odds ratio (OR) with a random
      effects model and by Peto OR. RESULTS: Six RCTs with a total of 966 subjects met
      the inclusion criteria. Overall cannulation rates were 90 % in both randomization
      groups (OR 1.20; 95 % confidence interval [CI] 0.54 - 2.69). Post-ERCP
      pancreatitis developed in 2.5 % of patients randomized to the early precut groups
      and in 5.3 % of patients from the persistent attempts groups (OR 0.47; 95 %CI
      0.24 - 0.91). The overall complication rates, considering pancreatitis, bleeding,
      cholangitis, and perforation rates, were 5.0 % in the early precut groups and 6.3
      % in the persistent attempts groups (OR 0.78; 95 %CI 0.44 - 1.37). CONCLUSIONS:
      RCTs that investigated the issue of timing of the precut procedure were limited.
      Current evidence suggests that in experienced hands the early implementation of
      precut and persistent cannulation attempts have similar overall cannulation
      rates; early precut implementation reduces post-ERCP pancreatitis risk but not
      the overall complication rate. Further studies are needed to confirm these
      findings.

PMID- 20306387
TI  - [From the "oversupply of practical physicians" to the "mountain of hospital beds"
      -organised medical profession and junior staff having to face cost explosion].
AB  - The catchwords "oversupply of physicians" and "mountain of hospital beds" may be
      considered to mark two points of culmination in German health policy discussion
      between 1960 and 1990. The political background and the practical implications of
      this discussion will be illustrated and appreciated taking into account both the
      distinct positions of the organised medical profession and junior staff.

PMID- 20306388
TI  - [Back pain, pain therapy and satisfaction with therapy--analyses in a cohort of
      elderly primary health care patients (getABI)].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Back pain can affect quality of life and independence of elderly
      people. The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of back pain in a
      cohort of elderly primary health care patients, as well as to analyse pain
      therapy and level of satisfaction with therapy. METHODS: In a monitored
      prospective cohort study (German epidemiological trial on ankle brachial index,
      getABI), 6 880 unselected patients aged 65 years and above have been followed up
      by 344 representative primary care physicians in Germany since October 2001. In
      the 5-year follow-up, 2 120 patients (median age 76; 70-94 years; 53.7% women)
      were interviewed by telephone about location and intensity of pain during the
      past 3 months, about impairment due to pain, about pain therapy and satisfaction
      with therapy. RESULTS: Of the 2 095 patients who answered the questions on pain,
      803 (38.3%) had suffered from pain of the upper and/or lower back within the past
      3 months. The prevalence of back pain was higher in female than in male patients
      (45.0% vs. 30.6%; p<0.05). In about half of the men and half of the women with
      back pain, the back was also the main pain region. This subsample (n=409) with
      the back as main pain region (BMP) was analysed in more detail. The mean "von
      Korff intensity score" (scale 0-100) was 46.5+/-19.9, the mean "von Korff
      impairment score" (scale 0-100) was 23.6+/-23.0. Women reported a higher mean
      intensity of back pain than men (48.8+/-20.0 vs. 42.4+/-19.3; p<0.05) and
      complained about a higher pain-related impairment (26.2+/-23.5 vs. 19.2+/-21.5;
      p<0.05). Of all BMP patients, 253 (61.9%) visited a physician (at least once)
      during the past 3 months due to pain. The treatments most frequently applied
      (multiple answers permitted) were: oral medication (62.5%), injections (38.6%),
      and physiotherapy (35.9%). Patients (n=224) were asked to rate the therapy on a
      scale from 1 to 6 (1 being the highest grade). The mean rating was 3.1+/-1.4.
      36.8% were not satisfied with pain relief. 61.4% wished for a considerable
      improvement of their pain therapy. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of back pain in
      elderly people is high and leads to functional limitations. As a consequence of
      the rather low mean satisfaction with pain therapy, future studies on back pain
      therapy should include an assessment of patient preferences and satisfaction with
      therapy. It remains questionable, if the current medical care for elderly people
      with back pain complies with the latest guidelines that demand for multimodal
      therapy.

PMID- 20306389
TI  - [Health from philosophical-anthropological and theological points of view--geared
      to an ideal of activity and performance? ].
AB  - Today's understanding of what health or well-being means often refers to certain
      ideals of activity and achievement. Lennart Nordenfelt's concept of health will
      be used to analyse and discuss this phenomenon. Furthermore, using the example of
      the ecclesiastical paper "God is a friend of life", we will explore if such
      conceptions of health also affect the teachings of the Christian churches.

PMID- 20306390
TI  - Endoscopic detection of an early manifestation of EBV-related post-transplant
      lymphoproliferative disorder in a transplanted colon.

PMID- 20306391
TI  - Hepatobiliary fascioliasis treated at endoscopic retrograde
      cholangiopancreatography.

PMID- 20306392
TI  - Suppurative appendicitis at colonoscopy.

PMID- 20306393
TI  - Appendiceal mucocele in ulcerative colitis.

PMID- 20306394
TI  - Diagnosis of a small splenic artery aneurysm mimicking a gastric submucosal tumor
      on endoscopic ultrasound.

PMID- 20306395
TI  - Endoscopic intraluminal vacuum therapy of duodenal perforation.

PMID- 20306396
TI  - Weblike stenosis due to gastroesophageal reflux disease, treated with an
      insulation-tipped diathermic knife-2 (IT-2).

PMID- 20306397
TI  - Fatal venous air embolism during upper endoscopy in a patient with percutaneous
      transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) catheter.

PMID- 20306398
TI  - Intestinal endometriosis: an uncommon cause of rectal bleeding.

PMID- 20306399
TI  - Colitis cystica profunda presenting with a mucus pool within the stalk of a
      pedunculated colon polyp.

PMID- 20306400
TI  - Malposition of a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube in the jejunum.

PMID- 20306401
TI  - The cat scratch colon sign in a patient with chronic cholestasis.

PMID- 20306402
TI  - Splenic infarction after cyanoacrylate injection for fundal varices.

PMID- 20306403
TI  - Esophageal ulceration mimicking malignancy in a patient with severe
      kyphoscoliosis.

PMID- 20306404
TI  - Heterotopic pancreas: a difficult diagnosis.

PMID- 20306405
TI  - Extraction of a rectal foreign body using a custom-made giant snare.

PMID- 20306406
TI  - An unusual cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

PMID- 20306407
TI  - Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in situs inversus partialis.

PMID- 20306408
TI  - Denudation of the esophageal mucosa following ingestion of a foreign body and
      vinegar.

PMID- 20306409
TI  - Vocal cord dysfunction without end?
AB  - Vocal cord dysfunction (VCD) is an important differential diagnosis in acute
      dyspnoea. VCD is caused by adduction of the vocal folds during respiration
      typically leading to attacks of dyspnoea, stridor and coughing. Here we present
      an extraordinary case of an untypical paradoxical vocal fold adduction in a 15
      year-old girl with stridor persisting over several weeks.

PMID- 20306410
TI  - Special Operations individual medical equipment part 2 - the in-use and survival
      medical kits.
AB  - Special Operations Forces (SOF) Operators need a variety of individual medical
      items that can generally be broken down into three types of medical kits: a major
      trauma kit, to treat major traumatic wounds; an in-use medical kit, to prevent or
      treat anticipated common medical conditions during operations; and a survival
      medical kit, to treat minor injuries and ailments when in a survival/evasion
      situation.

PMID- 20306411
TI  - Medical seminars: a new paradigm for SOF counterinsurgency medical programs.
AB  - Medical programs are valuable tools when they properly align with operational
      objectives. In counterinsurgency operations, the medical program should promote
      the capacity of the host nation government and lead to greater self-sufficiency.
      The Medical Civic Action Program (MEDCAP) often fails to fully integrate host
      nation providers and officials which may undermine local medical infrastructure
      and rarely provides sustainable improvement. The Medical Seminar (MEDSEM) was
      developed during Operation Enduring Freedom- Philippines to address the
      shortcomings of the traditional MEDCAP. The MEDSEM greatly enhanced the MEDCAP by
      adding education to the venue, thereby promoting self reliance and improving the
      sustainability of medical interventions. Furthermore, the MEDSEM forged
      relationships and promoted interoperability through collaboration between local
      medical providers, governmental leaders, host nation forces, and U.S. Special
      Operations Forces.

PMID- 20306412
TI  - Evidence-based diagnosis and management of mTBI in forward deployed settings: the
      genesis of the USASOC neurocognitive testing and post-injury evaluation and
      treatment program.

PMID- 20306413
TI  - Evaluation and treatment of persistent cognitive dysfunction following mild
      traumatic brain injury.
AB  - The Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain
      Injury (DCoE) and the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) hosted a
      consensus conference to address persistent cognitive impairments following mild
      traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and the role of cognitive rehabilitation in this
      population. Fifty military and civilian subject matter experts developed clinical
      guidance for cognitive rehabilitation of Service members with cognitive symptoms
      persisting three or more months following injury. This article highlights the
      initial evaluation, comprehensive assessment and treatment recommendations
      contained within the guidance "Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological
      Health and Traumatic Brain Injury and Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center
      Consensus Conference on Cognitive Rehabilitation for Mild Traumatic Brain
      Injury." The full clinical guidance is available at:
      (http://www.dcoe.health.mil/Resources.aspx).

PMID- 20306414
TI  - Dislocation of the knee: imaging findings.
AB  - Dislocations of the knee are relatively uncommon injuries. However, the incidence
      of this injury appears to be increasing. Knee dislocations are most often high
      velocity blunt injuries, with motor vehicle accidents being a frequent etiology.
      Other causes include falls from height, athletic injuries, farming and industrial
      accidents, and even low velocity mechanisms such as a misstep into a hole.
      Likewise, minor trauma in the morbidly obese is increasingly recognized as a
      mechanism of knee dislocation. Multiple forms of dislocation exist, with the
      common factor being disruption of the tibiofemoral articulation. Dislocation can
      occur in a variety of directions depending on the mechanism of injury. The most
      common dislocation is anterior, which may be seen in hyperextension injuries such
      as martial arts kicking. The "dashboard injury" of motor vehicle accidents can
      result in a posterior dislocation of the knee. Lateral and rotary dislocations
      are less common. Knee dislocation is more commonly diagnosed in men, with a mean
      age of 23 to 31 years old. This is the very patient population encountered by
      Special Operations Forces (SOF) healthcare providers. Given the mechanisms of
      injury noted above, it is reasonable to conclude that knee dislocations may be
      seen in a young, active SOF patient population, particularly those engaged in
      parachuting, fast-roping/rappelling, driving at high speeds during military
      operations, and mixed martial arts.

PMID- 20306415
TI  - Monkey bite exposure treatment protocol.

PMID- 20306416
TI  - Canine tactical field care part three - thoracic and abdominal trauma.
AB  - Military and law enforcement agencies have seen a dramatic increase in the
      utilization of working canines both at home and in foreign deployments. Due to
      the fact that professional veterinary care is sometimes distant from internal
      disaster or foreign deployment sites, the military medic, police tactical medic,
      or other first-response medical care provider may be charged with providing
      emergency or even basic, non-emergency veterinary care to working canines.
      (Editor's Note: Military veterinary detachments are collocated next to the major
      human treatment facilities in a deployment environment. In a deployed environment
      veterinary care is located in areas where they are most needed or where most of
      the animals are located.) The medical principles involved in treating canines are
      essentially the same as those for treating humans, but the human healthcare
      provider needs basic information on canine anatomy and physiology and common
      emergency conditions in order to provide good basic veterinary care until a
      higher level of veterinary care can be obtained. This article represents the
      third in a series of articles designed to provide condensed, basic veterinary
      information on the medical care of working canines, to include military working
      dogs (MWDs), police canines, federal agency employed working canines, and search
      and rescue dogs, to those who are normally charged with tactical or first
      responder medical care of human patients. This article provides and overview of
      the diagnosis and treatment of common traumatic injuries to the thorax and
      abdomen.

PMID- 20306417
TI  - Portable ultrasound empowers Special Forces medics.

PMID- 20306418
TI  - "Damage control resuscitation for the Special Forces medic: simplifying and
      improving prolonged trauma care"(JSOM 2009, Vol 9, Eds 3-4) by Dr. Risk and Mike
      Hetzler, 18D.

PMID- 20306419
TI  - Editorial rebuttal.

PMID- 20306420
TI  - Medical sonography (ultrasonography).

PMID- 20306422
TI  - [Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients in the general practice].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is one of the major public
      health problems because of its high prevalence, progressive nature and the costs
      involved in the treatment of and care for the patients with a diagnosis of COPD.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study, for which 1026 patients were examined (86.3% of
      the patients registered), assessed how frequently COPD occurred, how advanced it
      was and how frequently it was underdiagnosed as well as its link to the smoking
      habit and the occurrence of concurrent diseases. RESULTS: COPD was diagnosed in
      8.1% of the registered subjects above the age of 40 years, most of them either
      current or former smokers (90.3%); 61.3% of the patients were in the mild stage,
      35.5%--the moderate stage, and 3.2%--severe COPD. The major factors contributing
      to the development of COPD are the number of pack-years and age. Women develop
      COPD with fewer pack-years then men. CONCLUSIONS: It was found that COPD is
      underdiagnosed in the general practice, since merely 1% of the patients had been
      correctly diagnosed before the study was conducted. One of the reasons for this
      is the fact that spirometric tests are not performed frequently enough. The
      statistically significant correlation between COPD and concomitant cardiovascular
      diseases was confirmed.

PMID- 20306421
TI  - [Acoustic rhinometry in the evaluation of intranasal aspirin challenge].
AB  - Nasal lysine aspirin (Lys-ASA) challenge is an alternative to oral and bronchial
      challenges in the diagnosis of aspirin (ASA) hypersensitivity. The aim of the
      study was to evaluate the acoustic rhinometry as an objective method of
      assessment of Lys-ASA nasal challenge. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty patients with
      aspirin induced asthma (ASA-S) and 10 controls (ASA-NS group: 5 patients with
      allergic rhinitis and 5 healthy subjects) were included. Nasal challenge was
      performed with placebo (saline) and 14.4 mg of Lys-ASA introduced as aerosol to
      both nostrils (total dose: 16 mg of acetylsalicylic acid). Measurements of nasal
      volume bilaterally were performed with the use of acoustic rhinometer before and
      1, 2, 4 and 24 hours after the challenge. For further analysis the sum of both
      nasal cavities volume at the level of 2 to 5 cm from nostrils was used. RESULTS:
      Mean total bilateral volume in ASA-S group after placebo was: 7.74, 6.21, 7.11,
      7.12, 7.24 cm(3) and 7.24, 5.77, 6.31, 6.27, 6.98 cm(3) after Lys-ASA (before and
      after 1, 2, 4 and 24 hours, respectively; p = 0,048 and p = 0,02, in 2nd and 4th
      hour, Lys-ASA v. placebo, Wilcoxon's test). With cut off point of nasal volume
      decrease by 10% in the 1st hour the sensitivity of the test was 70%, specificity
      60%, positive predictive value 77.78% and negative predictive value 50%.
      CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, acoustic rhinometry with measurement of nasal
      cavities volume changes at 2 to 5 cm from nostrils does not appear to be
      sufficiently sensitive and specific as a single method for evaluation of studied
      challenge method.

PMID- 20306423
TI  - [Prevalence of stroke in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Results of earlier population and clinical studies confirmed
      relationship between stroke and obstructive sleep apnea. Our previous study on
      epidemiology of sleep-disordered breathing in Warsaw based on 676 subjects, mean
      age 56.6 +/- 8.2 years, confirmed OSA in 76 subjects (11.3%) mean apnea hypopnea
      index (AHI) - 25.3 +/- 16.1 revealed low incidence of stroke in OSA group (2 pts;
      2.6%) and in subjects without OSA (20 pts; 3.4%). The aim of this study was to
      assess prevalence of stroke in newly diagnosed OSA subjects qualified to CPAP
      therapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We studied 342 consecutive pts (263 males and 79
      females)--mean age--55.4 +/- 10.1 years with severe disease--AHI 39.7 +/- 22.5
      and obesity--body mass index 35 +/- 6.6. History of stroke was confirmed in 16
      pts before continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) introduction (4.7%) - group
      1. Group 2 (without history of stroke) comprised of 326 pts (95.3%). RESULTS:
      Multiple linear regression analysis revealed significant correlation between
      stroke and time spent in desaturation below 90% during polysomnography-- T90
      (beta = -0.22, p = 0.009), diabetes (b = 0.16, p = 0.006), Epworth sleepiness
      score (beta = 0.14, p = 0.02) and coronary artery disease (b = 0.14, p = 0.03).
      CONCLUSIONS: Stroke in OSA pts before CPAP treatment was related to overnight and
      daytime oxygenation, diabetes, daytime sleepiness and coronary artery disease.
      Incidence of stroke in our group was low (4.7%) and similar to previous data from
      population study.

PMID- 20306424
TI  - [Integrated care for patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease].
AB  - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third cause of mortality and
      disability (assessed by DALY) among patients above 60 year old. Severe and very
      severe COPD (FEV(1) = equal or less than 50% and 30% of expected value,
      respectively) is estimated at 20% of all COPD patients. Advanced COPD usually
      leads to physical and mental deterioration, the patients often manage with the
      problems caused by the disease and other comorbidities poorly. This leads to
      increased risk of COPD exacerbations and further deterioration of the patient's
      status, increased costs of medical care and eventually increased risk of death.
      Current organization of medical care for those patients does not provide adequate
      health and social support for them. However, it seems that introducing an
      integrated approach proposed by World Health Organization, could improve the
      situation of advanced COPD patients. In Poland, this kind of care has been
      provided in advanced cancer patients throughout stationary palliative care units
      and hospices during the last several years. This experience should be helpful in
      integrating actions of general practitioners and specialized nurses, as well as
      providing access for the specialists' consultations according to the individual
      needs of the patients. It should also allow for broad cooperation with auxiliary
      staff, such as social workers, medical assistants and volunteers, as well as
      psychologists and clergymen (especially in the terminal phase of the disease).

PMID- 20306425
TI  - [Clinical application of pulmonary function tests in preschool children].
AB  - Pulmonary function tests are routinely used in the assessment of respiratory
      system in older children and adults. They have not made their way into wide
      clinical practice in preschool children and infants, mainly due to poor
      cooperation in this age group. This review discusses the use of various pulmonary
      function tests in preschool children in clinical setting. Issues relevant for
      clinical practice comprising but not limited to expressing results, within
      occasion repeatability and between occasion reproducibility of various tests as
      well as choosing reference data are described. This paper also examines the most
      frequent respiratory disorders in preschool children and potential impact of
      pulmonary function tests results on clinical management in these patients.

PMID- 20306426
TI  - [Lung mycobacteriosis--clinical presentation, diagnostics and treatment].
AB  - Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are a group of bacteria that may cause human
      disease mycobacteriosis, but do not cause tuberculosis or leprosy. NTM are
      acquired through environmental exposure to water, aerosols, soil, dust and are
      transferred to humans through inhalation, ingestion, and skin lesions, due to
      injuries, surgical procedures, or intravenous catheters. People with suppressed
      immune response, with pre-existing lung damage in the course of various lung
      diseases are most likely to be affected. There is no evidence of person-to-person
      spread of these diseases. A variety of manifestations of NTM infection have been
      described, but the lungs remain the most commonly involved site. Molecular
      methods allow the quicker differentiation of NTM from TB isolates and help to
      identify new NTM species. The purpose of this article is to review the common
      clinical manifestations of NTM lung disease, the conditions associated with NTM
      lung disease, diagnostic criteria and treatment of the most frequent species of
      NTM.

PMID- 20306427
TI  - [Obstructive sleep apnea in patient with Prader-Willi syndrome].
AB  - Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a genetic disorder caused by loss of function of
      genes situated within the 15q11-q13 region of chromosome 15. The disorder is
      characterized by central obesity, short stature, dysfunction of several
      hypothalamic centers. These symptoms lead to progressive metabolic, respiratory,
      circulatory and orthopedic complications. Because of the etiology of the disorder
      there is no known causal treatment. Patients should comply with dietary
      restrictions and behavioral modifications as it may reduce the risk of obesity
      related diseases. In this paper we present case of a 34-years old obese patient
      with PWS who was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, and whom CPAP treatment
      was offered.

PMID- 20306428
TI  - [Acquired methemoglobinemia--case report].
AB  - Methemoglobinemia; an increased concentration of methemoglobin in the blood, is
      an altered state of hemoglobin whereby the ferrous form of iron is oxidized to
      the ferric state, rendering the heme moiety incapable of carrying oxygen. The
      authors present a case of 49-year-old man who was admitted to the department of
      chest medicine with dyspnea, weakness and cyanosis in whom differential diagnosis
      excluded acute and chronic pulmonary and cardiovascular disease. Clinical
      cyanosis and low measured oxygen saturation in the presence of normal arterial
      oxygen tension was highly suggestive of methemoglobinemia ("saturation gap").
      Methemoglobin level, measured at the acute phase of disease was elevated at 16%.
      Episode resolved spontaneously. Causes of methemoglobinemia was not established.

PMID- 20306429
TI  - [Fourth Polish-French Pulmonary Conference, Wroclaw, October 16th-18th 2009].

PMID- 20306430
TI  - [Cultural conditionalities of cigarette smoking. Commentary to the article of
      Sieminska A. et al. "Medical students' attitudes towards tobacco smoking at first
      and sixth year of their studies 2002-2008"].

PMID- 20306432
TI  - Development of a novel large animal model of ischemic heart failure using
      autologous platelet aggregates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Current animal models of heart failure lack the biomass of thrombus
      that occurs in patients undergoing myocardial infarction. We propose a novel
      animal model of ischemic cardiomyopathy developed by sequential direct injections
      of autologous platelet aggregates into the coronary circulation resulting in
      development of ischemic cardiac insufficiency. METHODS: Autologous platelets from
      adult sheep were isolated and aggregated. Aggregated platelets were then injected
      into the coronary circulation of anesthetized animals under fluoroscopic
      guidance. Troponin I levels were monitored for first three days after
      embolization to validate cardiac tissue injury. Progression of heart failure was
      corroborated by monitoring changes in echo-based assessment of ejection fraction
      and left ventricular end-systolic and end-diastolic dimensions. Thrombus-based
      obstruction of coronary artery was confirmed with histopathology review by
      mepacrine labeling of pre-aggregated platelets. RESULTS: All experimental animals
      developed heart failure-like cardiac insufficiency confirmed by elevated levels
      of troponin I and associated with significant drop in the ejection fraction.
      CONCLUSIONS: Sequential injections of aggregated platelets into coronary
      circulation lead to progressive development of ischemic cardiac insufficiency.
      This phenomenon seems to mimic development of ischemic heart failure seen in
      human patients and opens multiple research opportunities to fill the existing gap
      between basic research and clinical practice.

PMID- 20306433
TI  - Major factors of homologous blood transfusion in valvular heart operation with
      intraoperative autologous blood predonation in cases with difficulty in
      preoperative predonation.
AB  - Intraoperative autologous blood predonation is reported to be useful for the
      prevention of homologous blood transfusion in cardiac operations, especially in
      on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). However, CABG is now performed
      more often off-pump than on-pump. We analyzed the major factors of homologous
      blood transfusion in 25 consecutive cases of valvular heart operation with
      intraoperative autologous blood predonation except those with preoperative
      autologous blood donation. Homologous blood was not transfused in 18 cases, but
      was in 7 cases only after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). The homologous
      transfusion was not correlated with body weight, CPB dilution or duration, or
      preoperative hematocrit level, but was found to correlate with age (r2=0.289,
      p=0.0413), bleeding output (r2=0.197, p=0.0485), and predonation blood volume
      (r2=0.436, p=0.0152). In conclusion, suitable intraoperative predonation may
      reduce the necessity for homologous blood transfusion in valvular heart
      operations.

PMID- 20306434
TI  - Comparative study of different techniques for the sterilization of poly-L-lactide
      electrospun microfibers: effectiveness vs. material degradation.
AB  - Electrospinning of biopolymeric scaffolds is a new and effective approach for
      creating replacement tissues to repair defects and/or damaged tissues with direct
      clinical application. However, many hurdles and technical concerns regarding
      biological issues, such as cell retention and the ability to grow, still need to
      be overcome to gain full access to the clinical arena. Interaction with the host
      human tissues, immunogenicity, pathogen transmission as well as production costs,
      technical expertise, and good manufacturing and laboratory practice requirements
      call for careful consideration when aiming at the production of a material that
      is available off-the-shelf, to be used immediately in operative settings. The
      issue of sterilization is one of the most important steps for the clinical
      application of these scaffolds. Nevertheless, relatively few studies have been
      performed to systematically investigate how sterilization treatments may affect
      the properties of electrospun polymers for tissue engineering. This paper
      presents the results of a comparative study of different sterilization techniques
      applied to an electrospun poly-L-lactide scaffold: soaking in absolute ethanol,
      dry oven and autoclave treatments, UV irradiation, and hydrogen peroxide gas
      plasma treatment. Morphological and chemical characterization was coupled with
      microbiological sterility assay to validate the examined sterilization techniques
      in terms of effectiveness and modifications to the scaffold. The results of this
      study reveal that UV irradiation and hydrogen peroxide gas plasma are the most
      effective sterilization techniques, as they ensure sterility of the electrospun
      scaffolds without affecting their chemical and morphological features.

PMID- 20306435
TI  - Synthesis and characterization of a laminated hydroxyapatite/gelatin
      nanocomposite scaffold with controlled pore structure for bone tissue
      engineering.
AB  - In this study, a nanostructured scaffold was designed for bone repair using
      hydroxyapatite (HA) and gelatin (GEL) as its main components. Nanopowders of HA
      were synthesized, and together with GEL, used to engineer a 3-dimensional
      nanocomposite combining 3 techniques of layer solvent casting, freeze-drying, and
      lamination. The results show that the scaffold possesses a 3-dimensional
      interconnected homogenous porous structure with a porosity of 82% and pore sizes
      ranging from 300 to 500 mum. It has also been shown that mechanical indices are
      in the range of spongy bones. Cultured osteoblast-like cells (SaOS-2) have shown
      an excellent level of cell attachment, migration, and penetration into the
      porosities of the nanocomposite scaffold. Here, we have shown that by a
      combination of widely available methods with simple experimental operations, nano
      HA powders can be synthesized and used to make 3-dimensional HA/GEL
      nanocomposites in any desired shape, with mechanical properties comparable to
      spongy bone.

PMID- 20306436
TI  - HPLC study of uremic fluids related to optical dialysis adequacy monitoring.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate uremia-related high-performance
      liquid chromatography (HPLC) ultraviolet (UV) absorbance profiles of serum and
      spent dialysate and to study the removal of uremic retention solutes in
      connection with optical dialysis adequacy monitoring. METHODS: 10 uremic patients
      were investigated using online spectrophotometry at a wavelength of 280 nm over
      the course of 30 hemodialysis treatments. The dialysate and blood samples were
      taken and analyzed simultaneously using standard biochemical methods and reversed
      phase HPLC. Filters with cutoff at 3 kDa and 70 kDa were used for the pre
      treatment of the serum. The chromatographic peaks were detected by a UV detector
      at wavelengths of 254 and 280 nm. RESULTS: This study indicated that the main
      solute responsible for UV absorbance in the spent dialysate is a low-molecular
      weight, water-soluble, non-protein-bound compound uric acid (UA). Three
      additional uremic retention solutes - creatinine (CR), indoxyl sulphate (IS) and
      hippuric acid (HA) - were identified from the HPLC profiles. The number of
      detected HPLC peaks was not significantly different for a serum filtered through
      the 3 kDa or 70 kDa cutoff filters, and was lower for the spent dialysate,
      indicating that the molecular weight (MW) of the main UV chromophores in the
      uremic fluids did not exceed 3 kDa. The reduction ratio (RR) estimated by the
      total area of HPLC peaks at 254 nm and 280 nm in the serum and by the online UV
      absorbance at 280 nm was best related to the removal of small water-soluble non
      protein bound solutes like urea (UR), CR and UA. CONCLUSIONS: The present study
      contributes new information on the removal of uremic retention solutes during
      hemodialysis and on the origin of the optical dialysis adequacy monitoring
      signal.

PMID- 20306437
TI  - Treatment with bioartificial liver improves lung injury in a swine model of
      partial hepatectomy and ischemia/reperfusion.
AB  - PURPOSE: Hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury can lead to remote lung injury by
      inducing oxidative stress and inflammation. this study aims to investigate
      whether support of liver function with a bioartificial liver can attenuate remote
      lung injury after extended hepatectomy. METHODS: Fourteen domestic pigs were
      subjected to liver ischemia for 150 minutes and 70-75% hepatectomy. Six hours
      after initiation of hepatic reperfusion the animals were randomly allocated to a
      6-hour treatment with a bioartificial liver (group b, n=7) or observation (group
      C, n=7). Hemodynamic and metabolic parameters were monitored for 24 hours
      following reperfusion. Lung biopsies were used for histological, nitrotyrosine
      and mrNA analysis. RESULTS: Oxygenation gradually deteriorated in group C, but
      was not significantly impaired in group b. Histological evaluation revealed
      improvements in alveolar collapse, necrotized pneumonocytes and lymphocyte
      infiltration in group b. Nitrotyrosine content of the lung was lower in group b
      compared to group C (55+/-12 vs. 132+/-22 nM/mg protein, p<0.01). Lung mrNA
      expression of interleukin-6, Stat-3 and E-selectin also decreased in group b.
      Expression of transforming growth factor-alpha mrNA did not differ between
      groups. CONCLUSIONS: Application of a bioartificial liver was associated with
      improvement in several parameters of post-hepatectomy lung injury. the mechanisms
      appear to involve reduced nitrosative stress and attenuation of the native
      inflammatory process in the lung.

PMID- 20306438
TI  - Crush syndrome after the Wenchuan earthquake: new experience with regional
      citrate anticoagulation continuous veno-venous hemofiltration.
AB  - PURPOSE: Acute renal failure (ARF) related to crush syndrome is usually treated
      with hemodialysis. Continuous veno-venous hemofiltration (CVVH) has seldom been
      adopted in this situation due to the main drawback of continuous anticoagulation.
      The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of
      regional citrate anticoagulation (RCA)-CVVH in two crush syndrome patients
      following the Wenchaun earthquake. METHODS: Two victims from the Wenchuan
      earthquake in Southwest China were admitted to our hospital on May 23, 2008, 11
      days after their injury. The total entrapment time under the rubble was 5.5 and
      22.5 hrs respectively. They remained oliguric on admission, in spite of vigorous
      treatment in the local hospital including aggressive fluid infusion, fasciotomy
      and intermittent hemodialysis. On admission, their serum myoglobin levels were
      765 and 829 ng/mL, respectively. Further debridement and drainage were performed.
      RCA-CVVH was conducted; the citrate containing substitution fluid was infused in
      a pre-dilution manner at a rate of 4 l/h; calcium was infused through a separate
      access to the venous inlet of the double lumen catheter. The infusion rate was
      adjusted according to the serum ionized calcium and whole blood activated
      clotting time (WBACT). A low dose of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) was
      infused at the rate of 150 approximately 300 U/h simultaneously for
      anticoagulation after anemia had been corrected and their wounds were stable. RCA
      CVVH was substituted by conventional CVVH and LMWH anticoagulation when case 2
      complicated with hypoxia. RESULTS: RCA-CVVH was well tolerated, hemodynamic
      status was stable, and no complications related with RCA-CVVH were noted. The
      body temperature and WBC decreased to normal range, while anemia and
      hypoalbuminia were corrected. The levels of serum myoglobin and creatine
      phosphokinase were also decreased to normal range. Their urine volume increased
      after 20 and 22 days of oliguria and the tubular function of the patients
      recovered well. Although the second case encountered acute cholecystitis and
      acute lung injury in the hospital, both the patients recuperated and neither of
      them underwent amputation. CONCLUSIONS: The present two crush patients have been
      successfully treated, but due to the limits of the small sample, it is difficult
      to generalize whether RCA-CVVH is safe enough for crush syndrome with a high risk
      of bleeding diathesis. Additional investigation with a larger number of patients
      is required. Fluid equilibrium, nutritional support, prevention of bleeding and
      infection are fundamental in this situation.

PMID- 20306439
TI  - Multifocal electroretinogram and central visual field testing in central areolar
      choroidal dystrophy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To study multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) and its relation to
      retinal sensitivity assessed by Humphrey visual field (HVF) analysis in central
      areolar choroidal dystrophy (CACD). METHODS: Seven eyes of 4 patients with CACD
      and 15 normal control subjects were examined. mfERG and central 30/2 HVF were
      tested for each participant. Ring analysis in mfERG was evaluated. HVF results
      were evaluated in 5 concentric rings in order to compare the results to
      concentric ring analysis in mfERG. The differences between control subjects and
      patients were evaluated by Mann-Whitney U test and the correlations were assessed
      by Spearman test. RESULTS: Mean Snellen acuity was 0.49+/-0.10 in patients. HVF
      revealed central scotoma in 6 of 7 eyes (85.7%), whereas a paracentral scotoma
      extending to fixation point was detected in 1 eye. The retinal sensitivities in 5
      concentric rings in HVF were significantly lower (p<0.001 for ring 1 to ring 4,
      and p=0.017 in ring 5) in CACD patients. Similarly, CACD patients had lower P1/N1
      amplitudes (p<0.05) and delayed P1/N1 implicit times (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In
      CACD, in the areas of scotoma detected by HVF, mfERG values were depressed.
      However, both mfERG and HVF abnormalities were found outside the areas of
      ophthalmoscopically normal retinal areas.

PMID- 20306440
TI  - Intravitreal ranibizumab in the treatment of choroidal neovascularization
      associated with idiopathic central serous chorioretinopathy.
AB  - PURPOSE: We evaluate the functional and anatomic outcome after intravitreal
      ranibizumab treatment in patients with choroidal neovascularization (CNV) related
      to chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC). METHODS: This is a small case
      series of 5 eyes with CNV associated with chronic CSC treated with intravitreal
      injection of 0.5 mg ranibizumab in the Jules Gonin University Eye Hospital from
      July 2007 to July 2009. Baseline and monthly follow-up visits included best
      corrected visual acuity (BCVA), fundus examination, and optical coherence
      tomography (OCT). Fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography (ICG) were
      performed at baseline and repeated at least every 6 months. RESULTS: We studied 5
      eyes of 4 patients with a mean age of 66 years. Mean follow-up was 21 months (SD
      1.9). The mean number of intravitreal injections administered for each patient
      was 10 (SD 4.6). The mean initial BCVA was 0.23 (decimal equivalent) (logMAR
      0.64, SD 0.13). At the last follow-up, mean BCVA was 0.44 decimal equivalent
      (logMAR 0.36, SD 0.31). Mean central macular thickness (CMT) measured with OCT
      was 330 microm (SD 43) at baseline and decreased at the final follow-up to 243
      microm (SD 44 ). Persistent intraretinal or subretinal fluid on OCT and/or
      multifocal areas of increased choroidal permeability on ICG angiographies were
      present in all patients at the last follow-up visit. CONCLUSIONS: Intravitreal
      ranibizumab appeared to be an effective treatment of CNV related to chronic CSC.
      However, residual intraretinal or subretinal fluid and increased choroidal
      permeability persisted. Prospective controlled studies are warranted to evaluate
      the long-term safety and efficacy of intravitreal ranibizumab.

PMID- 20306441
TI  - Ex-PRESS miniature glaucoma device in vitrectomized eyes.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of the Ex-PRESS miniature
      glaucoma device placed under scleral flap for the treatment of ocular
      hypertension in eyes that underwent vitreoretinal surgery. METHODS: Vitrectomized
      patients who required glaucoma surgery for persistent ocular hypertension were
      included. The Ex-PRESS miniature glaucoma device was implanted under scleral
      flap. Postsurgical clinical outcomes and intraocular pressure (IOP) was monitored
      for 6 months after surgery. RESULTS: At 6 months, all the patients had an IOP
      lower than 18 mmHg, 3 of them without topical therapy. CONCLUSIONS: The use of
      the Ex-PRESS implant under scleral flap in eyes that underwent vitreoretinal
      surgery was effective for lowering IOP.

PMID- 20306442
TI  - Rarebit perimetry in the evaluation of visual field defects in idiopathic
      intracranial hypertension.
AB  - PURPOSE: Rarebit perimetry (RBP) is a new perimetric technique that has been
      reported as a sensitive test for the evaluation of the neural structure of the
      visual system. The aim of this study was to compare RBP with standard automated
      perimetry in detecting the visual field defects of patients with idiopathic
      intracranial hypertension (IIH). METHODS: Twenty-five patients with IIH and 16
      healthy controls were considered. Visual fields were analyzed with Marco
      automated static perimeter with threshold and central 30-2 programs (MP 30-2) and
      rarebit perimetry. A visual field was classified into 3 zones for both tests as
      central, paracentral, and peripheral zones. Mean sensitivity (MS) recorded by the
      MP 30-2 was compared with the mean hit rate (MHR) recorded by RBP for each zone.
      RESULTS: MS recorded by MP 30-2 and MHR recorded by RBP for each zone were
      significantly lower in the IIH group than in healthy control eyes (p < 0.001).
      Good correlation was present between the visual fields recorded by both tests.
      Although the sensitivity and specificity values for each zone were lower in the
      RBP group than the MP 30-2 group, RBP was found to be efficient to differentiate
      between the visual fields of normal and IIH-affected eyes. The average RBP test
      duration was significantly shorter than the MP 30-2 test duration (p < 0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS. RBP is a rapid, comfortable, and widely accessible perimetric test
      giving reliable results in detecting visual field defects in IIH.

PMID- 20306443
TI  - Intravitreal carboplatin concentration and area under concentration versus time
      curve after intravitreal and periocular delivery.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine platinum (Pt) concentrations and area under the
      concentration versus time curve (AUC) of the vitreous humor after periocular or
      transcorneal intravitreal administration of carboplatin in rabbits. METHODS:
      Eighteen albino rabbits were included in an in vivo experiment. Each animal
      received a single dose of either 30 mg of carboplatin by periocular injection
      (POI30 group: n = 6) or 15 mg by periocular injection (PI15 group: n = 6), or
      0.05 mg by transcorneal intravitreal injection (TII group: n = 6), respectively,
      into the right eye. Vitreous humor from the right eyes and plasma samples were
      collected post dose at 1, 2, 6, 24, 48, 168, and 336 hours or 448 hours,
      respectively. Flameless atomic absorption spectroscopy was employed to analyze
      total platinum concentrations in blood and vitreous humor. AUC was calculated
      using the trapezoidal rule. RESULTS: Pt concentration was mostly < 1 mg/L (0-3.15
      mg/L) in the vitreous humor samples and > or = 2 mg/L (2.33-7.3 mg/L) in the
      blood samples 1 hour after administration in POI groups. Markedly higher Pt
      concentrations were found 1 hour after intravitreal (TII) administration (10.285
      66.759 mg/L) and decreased below 1 mg/L no less than 168 hours after
      administration. The mean AUC for Pt in vitreous humor was significantly lower (p
      = 0.0001) after both POI30 and P0I15 administration compared to TII route (8.955
      +/- 2.464 mg/L/min). CONCLUSIONS: These findings proved that intravitreal
      carboplatin delivery enables the achievement of relatively stable concentrations
      and AUC of platinum in the rabbit vitreous humor. This moreover suggests that
      transcorneal intravitreal delivery of carboplatin aiming to treat retinoblastoma
      vitreous seeding is a promising mode of chemotherapy.

PMID- 20306444
TI  - Comparison of the transpalpebral tonometer TGDc-01 with Goldmann applanation
      tonometry.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements
      obtained by the transpalpebral tonometer TGDc-01 and by the Goldmann applanation
      tonometer (GAT). METHODS: IOP was measured by the conventional GAT and the TGDc
      01 tonometer. Central corneal thickness (CCT) was measured for all eyes. RESULTS:
      Sixty-seven consecutive patients (123 eyes) participated. The mean difference
      between the 2 techniques (TGDc-01-GAT) was -0.93 mmHg, SD=2.74 (p=0.0002, paired
      t-test), and 70% of the measurements were within +/-2 mmHg. The correlation
      coefficient was 0.67 (p<0.0001). A subgroup analysis according to CCT was
      conducted. For CCT <520 microm, the mean IOP difference was 0.67 mmHg (p=0.13);
      r=0.75 (p<0.001). For CCT 520 microm-580 microm, the mean IOP difference was 
      1.08 mmHg (p=0.001); r=0.69 (p<0.0001). For CCT>580 microm, the mean IOP
      difference was -2.29 mmHg (p=0.0003); r=0.57 (p=0.003). CONCLUSIONS: TGDc-01 may
      estimate IOP with a fair agreement to the Goldmann tonometer, although caution
      should be used for patients who require precise IOP measurements. TGDc-01
      measured higher IOPs than Goldman tonometry for thinner corneas, a trend that was
      reversed for thicker corneas. This tonometer is a portable device, easy to use,
      does not require anesthetic drops, and may be suitable for IOP screening.

PMID- 20306445
TI  - Familial clustering of diabetic retinopathy in Chongqing, China, type 2 diabetic
      patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate whether there is familial aggregation of diabetic
      retinopathy (DR) among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in Chongqing, the
      municipality in southwest China. METHODS: From December 2004 to December 2006,
      167 T2DM families with at least 2 diabetic siblings were investigated. In all 414
      subjects, the sibling with the longest duration of diabetes was defined as the
      proband. The occurrence of retinopathy was compared between the siblings of
      probands with and without retinopathy. DR risk factors of the siblings of
      probands were studied by multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: DR was
      diagnosed in 7.1% of the siblings of the probands without DR and in 29.7% of the
      siblings of the probands with DR. The difference reached statistical significance
      in probands with DR and probands without DR (p<0.0001). Nonesterified fatty acid
      (NEFA) was a risk factor for DR (odds ratio = 2.108, 95% confidence interval
      1.077-4.127). It appeared that regardless of probands with DR, siblings with
      history of smoking had less risk for developing DR than those with no history of
      smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Familial clustering of DR existed in the patients with T2DM
      in Chongqing, China. In DR siblings, NEFA is a risk factor of DR, while smoking
      may reduce DR occurrence.

PMID- 20306446
TI  - Choroidal lymphoma masquerading as anterior ischemic optic neuropathy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report a patient with presumed nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic
      neuropathy (NAION) found on our evaluation to have bilateral uveal lymphoma.
      METHODS: The clinical history and physical examination, Humphrey visual field
      testing, ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and fine needle
      aspiration biopsy specimen of a 60-year-old man with presumed NAION were
      evaluated. RESULTS: The patient initially presented with painless blurred vision
      OD and foreign body sensation OS. Upon examination, he was found to have optic
      nerve edema OD suspicious for NAION and oral steroids were employed with no
      improvement. Later, an abnormality in the left eye raised suspicion for choroidal
      metastasis. By ultrasound, the tumor in the left choroid was acoustically hollow.
      MRI of the orbits revealed a choroidal infiltrative process OU. Fine needle
      aspiration biopsy of OS confirmed atypical lymphocytes, predominantly small to
      intermediate sized, without necrosis. The patient was treated with external beam
      radiation therapy to both eyes. CONCLUSIONS: Choroidal lymphoma may present with
      clinical features of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy or choroidal metastasis.

PMID- 20306447
TI  - Serum neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin in patients with colorectal
      liver metastases: preliminary results of an exploratory prospective study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To quantify preoperative serum neutrophil gelatinase-associated
      lipocalin (NGAL) levels in patients undergoing curative resection of colorectal
      liver metastases and to assess the relationship between NGAL levels and
      prognostic features in these patients. METHODS: From April 2005 to August 2007,
      32 patients operated on for first curative resection of colorectal liver
      metastases underwent determination of preoperative serum NGAL. Patients were
      divided into four homogeneous clinical groups and into two risk groups based on
      their clinical risk scores. NGAL levels were corrected by simultaneous creatinine
      levels to avoid bias due to renal failure. RESULTS: Higher values of corrected
      NGAL levels (CNL) were found in patients of the high-risk group (94.53+/-56.18 vs
      57.87+/-24.49, p=0.014). Patients with more than three tumor nodules had higher
      values of CNL compared to patients with three or fewer nodules (101.78+/-56.35 vs
      58.57+/-27.24, p=0.008). Patients with disease involving both hepatic lobes had
      higher CNL levels than those with involvement of a single lobe (106.5+/-59.13 vs
      59.01+/-26.69, p=0.005). Patients with higher clinical risk scores had
      significantly higher CNL. CONCLUSIONS: CNL are associated with the considered
      prognostic clinical factors and scores, suggesting a possible role for CNL as a
      prognosis-related indicator and a neoplastic tissue volume marker in patients
      with colorectal liver metastases.

PMID- 20306449
TI  - No mutation detected in five hot spot codons of the TP53 gene by restriction site
      mutation analysis in patients with carcinoma of the tongue.
AB  - The present study evaluated 5 of the 8 main TP53 mutation hot spots in cancer by
      restriction site mutation analysis and compared the results with p53 protein
      expression in patients with cancer of the tongue. Tumor samples from 49 patients
      with tongue cancer were screened for TP53 mutations in exons 5 through 8 by PCR
      restriction site mutation analysis and for p53 protein expression by
      immunohistochemistry using the DO-7 antibody. Nuclear accumulation of p53 protein
      was seen in 22% (11/49) of the tumors, whereas none of the patients exhibited
      TP53 mutations in exons 5 through 8. The observed data suggest that TP53
      mutations alone are not responsible for abnormal accumulation of p53 protein in
      tobaccochewing-mediated tongue carcinogenesis.

PMID- 20306448
TI  - An alternative cyclin-D1 splice site is not linked to inflammatory bowel disease
      associated neoplasia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) encompass inflammatory disorders
      affecting the gastrointestinal tract, primarily ulcerative colitis (UC) and
      Crohn's disease (CD). The risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC) is increased
      in patients with IBD. The CCND1 protein is the regulatory subunit of an enzyme
      that inactivates the retinoblastoma protein, a tumor suppressor protein, and
      promotes progression through the G1-S phase of the cell cycle. The CCND1 870G-A
      gene polymorphism influences susceptibility to colorectal cancer. The mutant
      allele of CCND1 in IBD-associated neoplasia leads to a greater frequency of
      alternate splicing during transcription, resulting in a more stable CCND1
      protein. This creates a higher concentration of CCND1, facilitating easier
      passage through the G1/S checkpoint, abnormal cell cycle progression, and
      possibly carcinogenesis. METHODS: We conducted a case-control study involving 396
      individuals with IBD. IBD subgroups included CD, UC, and indeterminate colitis
      (IC). We studied patients with sporadic colorectal cancer (n=75) and patients
      without gastrointestinal disease as a control group (n=93). We extracted DNA from
      blood and performed polymerase chain reaction followed by high-performance liquid
      chromatography to screen for mutations. We confirmed the polymorphism at
      nucleotide A870G in exon 4. For statistical analysis, we used exact analyses of
      two-way contingency tables. Power calculations were done and correction for
      multiple testing was performed by computing the false discovery rate (FDR).
      RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Our study had a power of 75% at a 0.05 significance
      level. A870G SNP allele frequency in the IBD group was 44.8%, compared to 51.6%
      in the control population. Only the IC group showed a significant association
      with CCND1 splice site after correction for multiple testing (FDR=0.042). There
      were no differences between the other IBD groups and controls. CONCLUSION: We
      found an association between CCND1 A870G SNP and IC group only (p=0.014,
      FDR=0.042). However, our data do not show an association between CCND1 A870G SNP
      and CD-associated or UC-associated neoplasia.

PMID- 20306450
TI  - Diagnostic and prognostic significance of inflammatory markers in lung cancer
      associated pleural effusions.
AB  - Besides massive expression in inflammatory pleural effusions, inflammatory
      markers are also present in cancerinduced pleural effusions. Recent advances in
      cancer biology point to a role of inflammatory signaling in cancer and encourage
      reconsidering the diagnostic and prognostic value of inflammatory markers. Here
      an attempt was made to relate protein levels of inflammatory markers to
      underlying malignant processes in the pleural space. Pleural effusions from lung
      cancer patients (n=116) were subjected to a multifactorial analysis covering 13
      inflammatory markers. The composition of tumor-associated effusions was compared
      with that of parainflammatory pleural effusions (n=30), transudates (n=18), and
      serum values, and evaluated in relation to cancer origin, histology, cytology,
      pleural involvement, treatment history, and survival time. Inflammatory markers
      were significantly expressed in pleural effusions of paraneoplastic origin when
      compared to transudates and most serum levels. Values in pleura-invading and
      metastatic tumor-associated effusions were typically higher than those of other
      tumors. Many markers correlated negatively with survival, most prominently IL-8
      (r=-0.36, p=0.001) and VEGF (r=-0.35, p=0.001). It appears that most inflammatory
      markers are highly expressed in tumor-associated pleural effusions, reflecting to
      some extent tumor origin and localization. Despite the lower efficacy of
      inflammatory markers in the differentiation between exudative pleural effusions,
      some inflammatory markers may represent potential prognostic markers of malignant
      processes in the pleural space.

PMID- 20306452
TI  - Issues in multiple imputation of missing data for large general practice clinical
      databases.
AB  - PURPOSE: Missing data are a substantial problem in clinical databases. This paper
      aims to examine patterns of missing data in a primary care database, compare this
      to nationally representative datasets and explore the use of multiple imputation
      (MI) for these data. METHODS: The patterns and extent of missing health
      indicators in a UK primary care database (THIN) were quantified using 488 384
      patients aged 16 or over in their first year after registration with a GP from
      354 General Practices. MI models were developed and the resulting data compared
      to that from nationally representative datasets (14 142 participants aged 16 or
      over from the Health Survey for England 2006 (HSE) and 4 252 men from the British
      Regional Heart Study (BRHS)). RESULTS: Between 22% (smoking) and 38% (height) of
      health indicator data were missing in newly registered patients, 2004-2006.
      Distributions of height, weight and blood pressure were comparable to HSE and
      BRHS, but alcohol and smoking were not. After MI the percentage of smokers and
      non-drinkers was higher in THIN than the comparison datasets, while the
      percentage of ex-smokers and heavy drinkers was lower. Height, weight and blood
      pressure remained similar to the comparison datasets. CONCLUSIONS: Given
      available data, the results are consistent with smoking and alcohol data missing
      not at random whereas height, weight and blood pressure missing at random.
      Further research is required on suitable imputation methods for smoking and
      alcohol in such databases.

PMID- 20306451
TI  - Assessment of biomarkers for clinical diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma
      with distant metastasis.
AB  - Early diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancers are critical for better
      prognosis and better survival rates. The purpose of this study was to identify
      potential diagnostic markers for papillary thyroid carcinomas with distant
      metastasis. Fifty-eight papillary thyroid tumor specimens (27 papillary thyroid
      carcinomas with distant metastasis and 31 without metastasis) were examined, and
      protein expression of pituitary tumor-transforming gene (PTTG), E-cadherin,
      p27kip1, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C, metalloproteinase (MMP) 2,
      MMP9, chemokine receptor CXCR4, and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in
      these tumors was assessed by immunohistochemistry. The clinicopathological
      variables with diagnostic significance were determined by multivariate analysis,
      and their diagnostic values were evaluated by ROC curve analysis. PTTG, VEGF-C,
      MMP2, MMP9, CXCR4, and bFGF were overexpressed in metastatic papillary thyroid
      carcinomas, whereas p27kip1 expression was elevated only in carcinomas lacking
      metastasis. Multiple-factor binary ordinal logistic regression analysis revealed
      that PTTG, VEGF-C, MMP2, and bFGF were independently related to biological
      metastatic behavior in thyroid tumors, suggesting their potential use as
      biomarkers. ROC curve analysis showed that among these four proteins, VEGF-C and
      bFGF were the best diagnostic biomarkers. A VEGF-C and bFGF cluster was the most
      useful factor for the differential diagnosis between metastatic and non
      metastatic papillary thyroid cancers. Thus, the combined use of VEGF-C and bFGF
      as biomarkers may improve the diagnostic accuracy of papillary thyroid carcinoma
      and may be useful in multimodal screening programs for the clinical diagnosis of
      papillary thyroid carcinoma and early detection of papillary thyroid carcinoma
      with distant metastasis.

PMID- 20306453
TI  - Laboratory monitoring and adverse patient outcomes with antihypertensive therapy
      in primary care.
AB  - PURPOSE: The monitoring of serum electrolyte and creatinine concentrations in
      patients treated with antihypertensive therapy is recommended. We wished to
      examine the relationship between laboratory monitoring and adverse patient
      outcomes. METHODS: We carried out a retrospective cohort study using the General
      Practice Research Database (GPRD). Patients aged 18 years or older with newly
      diagnosed hypertension and prescribed a single antihypertensive agent were
      included. Monitoring was defined as any laboratory test for serum electrolyte and
      creatinine (or urea) concentrations within 6 months of starting treatment.
      RESULTS: We identified 74 096 patients who were newly diagnosed with hypertension
      and prescribed a single antihypertensive agent. Twenty six thousand nine hundred
      forty six (36.4%) patients had any biochemical laboratory measurement within 6
      months. Three hundred ten patients (0.4%) died, 1451 (2%) were admitted to
      hospital at least once and 29 749 (40.2%) discontinued their first course of
      antihypertensive treatment within 6 months. Patients were more likely to be
      admitted to hospital if their biochemistry had been monitored after beginning
      treatment (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.37; 95%CI 1.21-1.55). They were also
      marginally more likely to discontinue treatment (adjusted HR 1.04; 95%CI 1.02
      1.07). They were not significantly more likely to die (adjusted HR 1.21; 95%CI
      0.87-1.67). CONCLUSIONS: Biochemical testing at baseline and monitoring after
      starting treatment is often omitted in newly diagnosed hypertensive patients.
      Those patients who are monitored are more likely to be admitted to hospital and
      to discontinue initial antihypertensive therapy, but not to die. Many biochemical
      adverse drug reactions are found only by laboratory monitoring.

PMID- 20306454
TI  - Neuroleptic malignant syndrome and its controversies.
AB  - PURPOSE: Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is a rare and life threatening
      condition usually defined as a complication of treatment with antipsychotics
      characterized by severe rigidity, tremor, fever, altered mental status, autonomic
      dysfunction, and elevated serum creatine phosphokinase and white blood cell
      count. The literature on this topic is rather extensive, but many aspects related
      to the syndrome are thought to be controversial. The aim of this paper, written
      with the clinician in mind, is to summarize some of the most prominent
      controversies that may have importance in usual clinical practice. METHODS: The
      literature was searched for reviews, reports on the series of cases, individual
      case reports of NMS, and other clinically and theoretically important
      information. RESULTS: There are controversies associated with virtually all
      important aspects of NMS. At the moment, it is not clear if this drug reaction is
      idiosyncratic or not, what diagnostic criteria are the most appropriate for usual
      clinical practice, and it seems that the estimated incidence is not in accordance
      with the number of treated patients. There are rather different approaches to the
      pathophysiological mechanisms, differential diagnosis, and treatment.
      CONCLUSIONS: Some of the controversies related to NMS have an influence on our
      understanding of the condition and may have importance in clinical practice.
      There is a need for further research that should elucidate these controversies.

PMID- 20306455
TI  - Estimating the prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease in Portugal using a
      pharmaco-epidemiological approach.
AB  - PURPOSE: To estimate inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) prevalence in Portugal from
      2003 to 2007, and to obtain disease, sex and age specific estimates. METHODS: A
      pharmaco-epidemiological approach based on intestinal anti-inflammatory (IAI)
      drugs consumption was used. Proportion of patients taking IAI drugs and mean
      prescribed daily dose (PDD) were estimated from a sample of 513 IBD patients.
      Assumptions were made about unknown parameters and sensitivity analysis
      performed: drug compliance (80% in base case; range 70-85%) and proportion of
      sulphasalazine used in IBD (52%; range 40-80%). Sex and age specific estimates
      were based on a proposed methodological extension and results from a nationwide
      (n = 5893) cross-sectional study. RESULTS: IBD prevalence increased from 86
      patients per 100 000 in 2003 to 146 in 2007. Regions more affected were Lisboa
      and Porto (173 and 163 per 100 000 in 2007, respectively). Prevalence increased
      from 42 and 43 per 100 000 in 2003 to 71 and 73 in 2007, respectively for
      ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). In 2007, prevalence was higher
      in the 40-64 age stratum for UC (99 per 100 000) and in the 17-39 stratum for CD
      (121). Prevalence was consistently higher in females. CONCLUSIONS: Portugal is
      half way between countries with the highest and lowest IBD prevalence, but is
      steeply making the road to the highest-level group. Despite limitations of the
      proposed methods, assumptions were reasonable and estimates seem to be valid.
      Feasibility and comparability of this methodology makes it an interesting tool
      for future studies on IBD epidemiology.

PMID- 20306456
TI  - Mapping of a standard documentation template to the ICF core sets for arthritis
      and low back pain.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To identify the contents of a documentation template in
      The Guide to Physical Therapist Practice using the International Classification
      of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) Core Sets for rheumatoid arthritis,
      osteoarthritis, and low back pain (LBP) as reference. METHODS: Concepts were
      identified from items of an outpatient documentation template and mapped to the
      ICF using established linking rules. The ICF categories that were linked were
      compared with existing arthritis and LBP Core Sets. RESULTS: Based on the ICF,
      the template had the highest number (29%) of linked categories under Activities
      and participation while Body structures had the least (17%). ICF categories in
      the arthritis and LBP Core Sets had a 37-55% match with the ICF categories found
      in the template. We found 164 concepts that were not classified or not defined
      and 37 as personal factors. CONCLUSIONS: The arthritis and LBP Core Sets were
      reflected in the contents of the template. ICF categories in the Core Sets were
      reflected in the template (demonstrating up to 55% match). Potential integration
      of ICF in documentation templates could be explored and examined in the future to
      enhance clinical encounters and multidisciplinary communication.

PMID- 20306457
TI  - Life stories of people with rheumatoid arthritis who retired early: how gender
      and other contextual factors shaped their everyday activities, including paid
      work.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to explore how contextual factors
      affect the everyday activities of women and men with rheumatoid arthritis (RA),
      as evident in their life stories. METHODS: Fifteen people with RA, who had
      retired early due to the disease, were interviewed up to three times, according
      to a narrative biographic interview style. The life stories of the participants,
      which were reconstructed from the biographical data and from the transcribed
      'told story' were analysed from the perspective of contextual factors, including
      personal and environmental factors. The rigour and accuracy of the analysis were
      enhanced by reflexivity and peer-review of the results. RESULTS: The life stories
      of the participants in this study reflected how contextual factors (such as
      gender, the healthcare system, the support of families and social and cultural
      values) shaped their everyday activities. In a society such as in Austria, which
      is based on traditional patriarchal values, men were presented with difficulties
      in developing a non-paid-work-related role. For women, if paid work had to be
      given up, they were more likely to engage in alternative challenging activities
      which enabled them to develop reflective skills, which in turn contributed to a
      positive and enriching perspective on their life stories. Health professionals
      may thus use some of the women's strategies to help men. CONCLUSION:
      Interventions by health professionals in people with RA may benefit from an
      approach sensitive to personal and environmental factors.

PMID- 20306458
TI  - The impact of rapid aneuploidy detection (RAD) in addition to karyotyping versus
      karyotyping on maternal quality of life.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of rapid aneuploidy detection (RAD) combined with
      fetal karyotyping versus karyotyping only on maternal anxiety and health-related
      quality of life. METHODS: Women choosing to undergo amniocentesis were selected
      into group 1, i.e. receiving a karyotype result only (n = 132) or to group 2,
      i.e. receiving both the result of RAD and karyotyping (n = 181). RESULTS: There
      were no systematic differences in time of RAD combined with karyotyping versus
      karyotyping only in terms of anxiety (P = 0.91), generic physical health (P =
      0.76, P = 0.46), generic mental health (P = 0.52, P = 0.72), personal perceived
      control (P = 0.91) and stress (P = 0.13). RAD combined with karyotyping reduced
      anxiety and stress two weeks earlier compared to karyotyping only. CONCLUSION:
      RAD as add-on to karyotyping reduces anxiety and stress in the short term but it
      does not influence overall anxiety, stress, personal perceived control, and
      generic mental and physical health when compared to a karyotype-only strategy.

PMID- 20306459
TI  - A new methodology to preserve the original proportion and integrity of cell-free
      fetal DNA in maternal plasma during sample processing and storage.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To develop a standardized blood collection device that preserves fetal
      cell-free DNA and minimizes the cell-free DNA background in maternal plasma.
      METHODS: Blood samples were drawn from healthy pregnant donors into K(3)EDTA (BD
      vacutainer) and Cell-free DNA BCT tubes (Streck, Inc.) and kept at ambient
      temperature. Plasma was separated by centrifugation and cell-free DNA was
      extracted. Cell-free DNA from plasma was quantified by quantitative real-time
      polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Blood drawn into Cell-free DNA BCT tubes
      showed no change in the original proportion of fetal cell-free DNA during a 14
      day storage period at ambient temperature. Conversely, maternal blood drawn into
      K(3)EDTA tubes showed a steady reduction in the original proportion of fetal cell
      free DNA over the same time period. Using maternal plasma stored in Cell-free DNA
      BCT tubes for 14 days, fetal cell-free DNA was amplified 80-fold using whole
      genome amplification (WGA). CONCLUSION: Using Streck's Cell-free DNA BCT tubes,
      it is possible to preserve the original proportion of fetal cell-free DNA for
      extended times as well as minimize the post-sampling maternal cell-free DNA
      background. Preserved in this way, fetal cell-free DNA can be amplified by WGA
      technology to be used in prenatal diagnostic tests.

PMID- 20306460
TI  - Prenatal diagnosis of autosomal dominant hereditary spastic paraplegia (SPG42)
      caused by SLC33A1 mutation in a Chinese kindred.

PMID- 20306461
TI  - A quantitative model for mRNA translation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
AB  - Messenger RNA (mRNA) translation is an essential step in eukaryotic gene
      expression that contributes to the regulation of this process. We describe a
      deterministic model based on ordinary differential equations that describe mRNA
      translation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This model, which was parameterized
      using published data, was developed to examine the kinetic behaviour of
      translation initiation factors in response to amino acid availability. The model
      predicts that the abundance of the eIF1-eIF3-eIF5 complex increases under amino
      acid starvation conditions, suggesting a possible auxiliary role for these
      factors in modulating translation initiation in addition to the known mechanisms
      involving eIF2. Our analyses of the robustness of the mRNA translation model
      suggest that individual cells within a randomly generated population are
      sensitive to external perturbations (such as changes in amino acid availability)
      through Gcn2 signalling. However, the model predicts that individual cells
      exhibit robustness against internal perturbations (such as changes in the
      abundance of translation initiation factors and kinetic parameters). Gcn2 appears
      to enhance this robustness within the system. These findings suggest a trade-off
      between the robustness and performance of this biological network. The model also
      predicts that individual cells exhibit considerable heterogeneity with respect to
      their absolute translation rates, due to random internal perturbations.
      Therefore, averaging the kinetic behaviour of cell populations probably obscures
      the dynamic robustness of individual cells. This highlights the importance of
      single-cell measurements for evaluating network properties.

PMID- 20306462
TI  - Mandibular dimensions and growth in 11- to 26-week-old Danish fetuses studied by
      3D ultrasound.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To present normative data on prenatal mandibular morphology and
      growth. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifty-four normal fetuses (Danish Caucasian) were
      included in the study (gestational age: 11-26 weeks). Fetuses were scanned using
      a GE Voluson 730 Expert 3D scanner. Scans were visualized and analyzed using GE
      4DVIEW software. Mandibular dimensions [base length (B), ramus height (H), and
      total length (L)] and the mandibular angle (phi) were measured, and the
      mandibular index was calculated. Method error was estimated by duplicate
      measurements. Growth was calculated by regressing measured variables on age.
      RESULTS: Mandibular measurements were found to be reliable [precision: 0.5-1.2 mm
      (1SD)]. Mean mandibular variable values at week 11: B = 5.2 +/- 2.5 mm; H = 2.7
      +/- 1.3 mm; L = 7.7 +/- 3.2 mm; phi = 149 +/- 6.0 degrees; and at week 26: B =
      22.6 +/- 2.5 mm; H = 12.3 +/- 1.3 mm; L = 33.1 +/- 3.2 mm; phi = 135 +/- 6.0
      degrees. A linear model described growth (B(g)/H(g)/L(g)/phi(g)) giving B(g) =
      1.2; H(g) = 0.64; L = 1.7 mm/week; phi(g) = - 0.9 degrees/week. CONCLUSION:
      Normative 3D data values for the human mandible in 11- to 26-week-old fetuses
      were presented. All measured mandibular parameters could be described using a
      linear increasing model from 11 to 26 weeks. All linear dimensions increased in
      size, while the mandibular angle decreased steadily during the observation
      period.

PMID- 20306463
TI  - Distributions of current and new first-trimester Down syndrome screening markers
      in twin pregnancies.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To study the distributions of pregnancy-associated plasma protein A
      (PAPP-A), the free beta subunit of human chorion gonadotrophin (fbeta-hCG), A
      Disintegrin and Metalloprotease 12 (ADAM12) and Placental Protein 13 (PP13) in
      first trimester twin pregnancies. METHODS: Serum marker concentrations were
      measured in monochorionic and dichorionic twin pregnancies and singleton controls
      to study differences in multiples of the gestation-specific normal medians
      (MoMs). RESULTS: Median PAPP-A and fbeta-hCG MoMs were 2.03 and 1.87 for
      monochorionic twins (n = 116) and 2.18 and 1.89 for dichorionic twins (n = 650).
      Furthermore, ADAM12 and PP13 MoMs were 1.66 and 1.56 for monochorionic twins (n =
      51) and 1.64 and 1.53 for dichorionic twins (n = 249). No statistically
      significant differences between monochorionic and dichorionic twin pregnancies
      were found. Correlations between markers in these pregnancies did not differ from
      singletons. CONCLUSION: For first-trimester screening, different parameters for
      monochorionic and dichorionic twin pregnancies is not necessary. Furthermore, if
      ADAM12 and PP13 will be adopted as screening markers, the presented median MoM
      values, standard deviations and correlation coefficients for twin pregnancies may
      contribute to a proper twin risk estimation.

PMID- 20306464
TI  - Characterizing the clinical practice and professional behaviour of rheumatology
      nurse specialists: a pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a need to characterize the practice of nurse specialists,
      for several reasons: to identify the skills and knowledge required for the role,
      to safeguard the role and to facilitate appropriate remuneration of activities.
      OBJECTIVE: To develop an instrument, which characterizes the clinical and
      professional activities of rheumatology nurse specialists (RNSs). METHODS: A
      questionnaire was produced, informed by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC),
      to assess competencies in advanced nursing practice and completed by senior
      clinical rheumatology nurses in the UK undertaking an MSc in rheumatology
      nursing. Consenting respondents were also interviewed, to enable triangulation of
      the data. RESULTS: A 38-item questionnaire was produced. It comprised four
      sections: clinical activities, non-patient-based activities, professional
      behaviour and perceived confidence in a number of areas of practice. Thirteen
      nurses completed the questionnaire and seven of these took part in a telephone
      interview. All RNSs were engaged in the follow-up care of patients with
      rheumatoid arthritis, providing education, psychological support, monitoring and
      changing of drug treatments, and referrals to other health professionals. The
      RNSs produced guidelines, conducted audits and provided mentorship. They had low
      levels of confidence in seeing new patients, presenting the results of an audit
      at a conference, and writing a business case. CONCLUSIONS: We have begun the
      process of developing a questionnaire that can identify the clinical activities,
      perceived self-competence and professional behaviour of RNSs. This method of
      characterizing advanced nursing practice offers potential as a model for nurse
      specialists in other disciplines. Further work is required to validate the
      questionnaire on a large cohort of RNSs.

PMID- 20306465
TI  - Optimal suppression of protein phosphatase 2A activity is critical for
      maintenance of human embryonic stem cell self-renewal.
AB  - The self-renewal of embryonic stem cells involves a balance between processes
      governed by crosstalk between intrinsic and extrinsic factors. We hypothesized
      that protein serine/threonine phosphatase 2A (PP2A) may play a central role in
      the signaling pathways that regulate human embryonic stem cell (hESC) self
      renewal. Biochemical analyses revealed that PP2A activity gradually increases
      over the course of hESC differentiation; PP2A/C and PP2A/A levels also increased.
      The overexpression of PP2A/C or the addition of PP2A activator C2-ceramide
      promoted hESC differentiation. Accordingly, the addition of PP2A inactivator
      okadaic acid (OA) maintained hESC self-renewal in the absence of basic fibroblast
      growth factor (bFGF). The hESCs maintained with OA expressed pluripotency markers
      and exhibited substantial telomerase activity with normal karyotypes. The hESCs
      were able to differentiate into derivatives of the three germ layers, both in
      vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, the addition of OA and bFGF enabled the
      maintenance of hESC self-renewal without feeder cells, even in chemically defined
      xeno-free media. These findings shed a light on the role of PP2A in hESC
      differentiation and provide a novel strategy for maintaining the self-renewal
      capability of hESC in bFGF-free, feeder cell-free, and xeno-free media through
      the optimal suppression of PP2A activity using OA.

PMID- 20306466
TI  - Helminth-induced CD19+CD23hi B cells modulate experimental allergic and
      autoimmune inflammation.
AB  - Numerous population studies and experimental models suggest that helminth
      infections can ameliorate immuno-inflammatory disorders such as asthma and
      autoimmunity. Immunosuppressive cell populations associated with helminth
      infections include Treg and alternatively-activated macrophages. In previous
      studies, we showed that both CD4(+)CD25(+) Treg, and CD4(-) MLN cells from
      Heligmosomoides polygyus-infected C57BL/6 mice were able to transfer protection
      against allergic airway inflammation to sensitized but uninfected animals. We now
      show that CD4(-)CD19(+) MLN B cells from infected, but not naive, mice are able
      to transfer a down-modulatory effect on allergy, significantly suppressing airway
      eosinophilia, IL-5 secretion and pathology following allergen challenge. We
      further demonstrate that the same cell population can alleviate autoimmune
      mediated inflammatory events in the CNS, when transferred to uninfected mice
      undergoing myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein((p35-55))-induced EAE. In both
      allergic and autoimmune models, reduction of disease was achieved with B cells
      from helminth-infected IL-10(-/-) donors, indicating that donor cell-derived IL
      10 is not required. Phenotypically, MLN B cells from helminth-infected mice
      expressed uniformly high levels of CD23, with follicular (B2) cell surface
      markers. These data expand previous observations and highlight the broad
      regulatory environment that develops during helminth infections that can abate
      diverse inflammatory disorders in vivo.

PMID- 20306467
TI  - Identification of the rat NKG2D ligands, RAE1L and RRLT, and their role in
      allograft rejection.
AB  - NKG2D is a receptor expressed by NK cells and subsets of T lymphocytes. On NK
      cells, NKG2D functions as a stimulatory receptor that induces effector functions.
      We cloned and expressed two rat NKG2D ligands, both members of the RAE1 family,
      RAE1L and RRLT, and demonstrate that these ligands can induce IFN-gamma secretion
      and cytotoxicity by rat NK cells. To examine changes in expression of NKG2D and
      the NKG2D ligands RAE1L and RRLT after transplantation, we used a Dark Agouti
      (DA)-->Lewis rat model of liver transplantation. NKG2D expression was
      significantly increased in allogeneic liver grafts by day 7 post-transplant.
      Ligands of NKG2D, absent in normal liver, were readily detected in both syngeneic
      and allogeneic liver grafts by day 1 post-transplant. By day 7 post-transplant,
      hepatocyte RAE1L and RRLT expression was significantly and specifically increased
      in liver allografts. In contrast to acute rejection that develops in the DA-
      >Lewis model, transplantation of Lewis livers into DA recipients (Lewis-->DA)
      results in spontaneous tolerance. Interestingly, expression of RAE1L and RRLT is
      low in Lewis-->DA liver allografts, but significantly increased in DA-->Lewis
      liver allografts undergoing rejection. In conclusion, our results suggest that
      expression of NKG2D ligands may be important in allograft rejection.

PMID- 20306468
TI  - CD8+ NK cells are predominant in chimpanzees, characterized by high NCR
      expression and cytokine production, and preserved in chronic HIV-1 infection.
AB  - HIV-1 infection in humans results in an early and progressive NK cell dysfunction
      and an accumulation of an "anergic" CD56- CD16+ NK subset, which is characterised
      by low natural cytotoxicity receptor expression and low cytokine producing
      capacity. In contrast to humans, chimpanzee NK cells do not display a
      distinguishable CD56(bright) and CD56(dim) subset but, as shown here, could be
      subdivided into functionally different CD8+ and CD8- subsets. The CD8+ NK cells
      expressed significantly higher levels of triggering receptors including NKp46
      and, upon in vitro activation, produced more IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha and CD107 than
      their CD8- counterparts. In addition, chimpanzee CD8- NK cells had relatively
      high levels of HLA-DR expression, suggestive of an activated state. Killing
      inhibitory receptors were expressed only at low levels; however, upon in vitro
      stimulation, they were up-regulated in CD8+ but not in CD8- NK cells and were
      functionally capable of inhibiting NKp30-triggered killing. In contrast to HIV-1
      infected humans, infected chimpanzees maintained their dominant CD8+ NK cell
      population, with high expression of natural cytotoxicity receptors.

PMID- 20306469
TI  - The CD4+ T-cell epitope-binding register is a critical parameter when generating
      functional HLA-DR tetramers with promiscuous peptides.
AB  - Detection of CD4(+) T cells specific for tumor-associated antigens is critical to
      investigate the spontaneous tumor immunosurveillance and to monitor immunotherapy
      protocols in patients. We investigated the ability of HLA-DR 1101 multimers to
      detect CD4(+) T cells specific for three highly promiscuous MAGE-A3 derived
      peptides: MAGE-A3(191-205) (p39), MAGE-A3(281-295) (p57) and MAGE-A3(286-300)
      (p58). Tetramers stained specific CD4(+) T cells only when loaded with p39,
      although all peptides activated the specific T cells when presented by plastic
      bound HLA-DR 1101 monomers. This suggested that tetramer staining ability was
      determined by the mode rather than the affinity of peptide binding to HLA-DR
      1101. We hypothesized that peptides should bear a single P1 anchor residue to
      bind all arms of the multimer in a homogeneous register to generate peptide-HLA
      DR conformers with maximal avidity. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that p39
      contained one putative P1 anchor residue, whereas the other two peptides
      contained multiple ones. Designing p57 and p58 analogues containing a single
      anchor residue generated HLA-DR 1101 tetramers that stained specific CD4(+) T
      cells. Producing HLA-DR 1101 monomers linked with the optimized MAGE-A3
      analogues, but not with the original epitopes, further improved tetramer
      efficiency. Optimization of CD4(+) T-cell epitope-binding registers is thus
      critical to generate functional HLA-DR tetramers.

PMID- 20306470
TI  - Direct visualization of the dynamics of antigen presentation in human cells
      infected with cytomegalovirus revealed by antibodies mimicking TCR specificity.
AB  - There are no direct means to study class I MHC presentation in human normal or
      diseased cells. Using CMV-infected human cells and applying novel mAb that mimic
      T-cell receptor specificity directed toward the immunogenic epitope of the viral
      pp65 protein presented on HLA-A2 molecules, we directly imaged the dynamics of Ag
      presentation in infected cells. We demonstrate that following infection large
      intracellular pools of HLA-A2/pp65 complexes are localized to the Golgi. These
      HLA-A2/pp65 pools account for the majority of total HLA-A2 molecules in infected
      cells. Interestingly, these large pools are sequestered inside infected cells and
      only a small portion of them are exported to the cell surface. Virus-induced
      class I MHC down-regulation did not affect the intracellular pool of HLA-A2/pp65
      complexes. Our data also suggest that proteasome function influences the release
      of class I complexes to the membrane. We present herein a new and direct
      molecular tool to study the dynamics of viral Ag presentation that may further
      elucidate the balance between immune response versus viral escape.

PMID- 20306471
TI  - Divergent roles of Toll-like receptor 2 in response to lipoteichoic acid and
      Staphylococcus aureus in vivo.
AB  - The response of leukocytes to lipoteichoic acid (LTA), a TLR2-dependent major
      cell wall component of Staphylococcus aureus, is linked to the outcome of an
      infection. In this study we investigated the role of nonhematopoietic TLR2 in
      response to LTA and S. aureus by creating bone marrow chimeras. Significant
      leukocyte recruitment in response to LTA required IFN-gamma priming in WT C57BL/6
      and TLR2(-/-)-->WT mice, but was not observed in TLR2(-/-) or WT-->TLR2(-/-)
      animals. LTA also induced a proinflammatory response in IFN-gamma primed primary
      human microvascular endothelial cells leading to leukocyte recruitment in vitro.
      When mice were infected with S. aureus, the most profound elevation of TNF-alpha
      and IL-6 was seen in TLR2(-/-) and TLR2(-/-)-->WT mice. TLR2(-/-), but not
      chimeric mice, demonstrated increased IL-17, blood leukocytosis and pulmonary
      neutrophilia compared to WT mice. Collectively, the results suggest an essential
      role for IFN-gamma and nonhematopoietic TLR2 for leukocyte recruitment in
      response to LTA. In contrast, TLR2 on both hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic
      cells appears to orchestrate an inhibitory response to S. aureus such that in
      complete TLR2 deficiency, there is an exaggerated proinflammatory response and/or
      skewing of the immune response towards a Th17 phenotype that may contribute to
      the decreased survival of TLR2(-/-) mice.

PMID- 20306472
TI  - SARM inhibits both TRIF- and MyD88-mediated AP-1 activation.
AB  - SARM (sterile alpha- and armadillo-motif-containing protein), the fifth
      identified TIR (Toll-interleukin 1 receptor (IL-1R)) domain-containing adaptors
      in humans, downregulates NF-kappaB and IRF3 (interferon-regulatory factor 3)
      mediated TLR3 and TLR4 signaling. SARM was characterized as a negative regulator
      of the TRIF (TIR-domain-containing adaptor protein inducing IFN-beta)-dependent
      pathway via its interaction with TRIF. However, the precise mechanism of action
      of SARM remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that SARM inhibits MAPK activation
      in human embryonic kidney 293 cells, and U937 cells. Both the TRIF- and MyD88
      mediated, as well as basal MAPK activity, were repressed, indicating that SARM
      mediated inhibition may not be exclusively directed at TRIF or MyD88, but that
      SARM may also directly inhibit MAPK phosphorylation. The MAPK inhibition effect
      was verified by RNAi, which increased the basal level of AP-1. Furthermore, LPS
      challenge upregulated SARM at both the mRNA and protein levels. Finally, we
      provide evidence to show that truncated SARM changes its subcellular
      localization, suggesting the importance of the N-terminal and sterile alpha motif
      domains in the autoregulation of SARM activity.

PMID- 20306474
TI  - Effects of enzymatic hydrolysis on lentil allergenicity.
AB  - Enzymatic hydrolysis and further processing are commonly used to produce
      hypoallergenic dietary products derived from different protein sources, such as
      cow's milk. Lentils and chickpeas seem to be an important cause of IgE-mediated
      hypersensitivity in the Mediterranean area and India. Some studies have
      investigated the effects of enzymatic treatments on the in vitro immunological
      reactivity of members of the Leguminosae family, such as soybean, chickpea,
      lentil, and lupine. Nevertheless, there are only a few studies carried out to
      evaluate the effect on IgE reactivity of these food-hydrolysis products with sera
      from patients with well-documented allergy to these foods. In this study, lentil
      protein extract was hydrolyzed by sequential action of an endoprotease (Alcalase)
      and an exoprotease (Flavourzyme). Immunoreactivity to raw and hydrolyzed lentil
      extract was evaluated by means of IgE immunoblotting and ELISA using sera from
      five patients with clinical allergy to lentil. The results indicated that
      sequential hydrolysis of lentil results in an important proteolytic destruction
      of IgE-binding epitopes shown by in vitro experiments. However, some allergenic
      proteins were still detected by sera from four out of five patients in the last
      step of sequential hydrolyzation.

PMID- 20306473
TI  - Chromium dinicocysteinate supplementation can lower blood glucose, CRP, MCP-1,
      ICAM-1, creatinine, apparently mediated by elevated blood vitamin C and
      adiponectin and inhibition of NFkappaB, Akt, and Glut-2 in livers of zucker
      diabetic fatty rats.
AB  - Chromium and cysteine supplementation can improve glucose metabolism in animal
      studies. This study examined the hypothesis that a cysteinate complex of chromium
      is significantly beneficial than either of them in lowering blood glucose and
      vascular inflammation markers in Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats. Starting at
      the age of 6 wk, ZDF rats were supplemented orally (daily gavages for 8 more
      weeks) with saline-placebo (D) or chromium (400 microg Cr/Kg body weight) as
      chromium dinicocysteinate (CDNC), chromium dinicotinate (CDN) or chromium
      picolinate (CP) or equimolar L-cysteine (LC, img/Kg body weight), and fed Purina
      5008 diet for 8 wk. ZDF rats of 6 wk age before any supplementations and onset of
      diabetes were considered as baseline. D rats showed elevated levels of fasting
      blood glucose, HbA(1), CRP, MCP-1, ICAM-1 and oxidative stress (lipid
      peroxidation) and lower adiponectin and vitamin C, when compared with baseline
      rats. In comparison to D group, CDNC group had significantly lower blood glucose,
      HbA(1), CRP, MCP-1, ICAM-1 and lipid peroxidation and increased vitamin C and
      adiponectin levels. CDN, CP or LC showed significantly less or no effect on these
      biomarkers. Only CDNC lowered blood creatinine levels in comparison to D. While
      CDN and CP had no effect, activation of NFkappaB, Akt and glucose transporter-2
      levels were decreased, insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) activation increased
      in livers of CDNC-rats. CDNC effect on glycemia, NFkappaB, Akt and IRS-1 in liver
      was significantly greater compared with LC. Blood chromium levels did not differ
      between Cr-groups. Exogenous vitamin C supplementation significantly inhibited
      MCP-1 secretion in U937 monocytes cultured in high-glucose-medium. CDNC is a
      potent hypoglycemic compound with anti-inflammatory activity apparently mediated
      by elevated blood vitamin C and adiponectin and inhibition of NFkappaB, Akt, and
      Glut-2 and increased IRS-1 activation in livers of type 2 diabetic rats.

PMID- 20306475
TI  - Sesamin attenuates intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 expression in vitro in
      TNF-alpha-treated human aortic endothelial cells and in vivo in apolipoprotein-E
      deficient mice.
AB  - Sesame lignans have antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. We focused on
      the effects of the lignans sesamin and sesamol on the expression of endothelial
      leukocyte adhesion molecules in tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)-treated
      human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs). When HAECs were pretreated with sesamin
      (10 or 100 microM), the TNF-alpha-induced expression of intercellular cell
      adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) was significantly reduced (35 or 70% decrease,
      respectively) by Western blotting. Sesamol was less effective at inhibiting ICAM
      1 expression (30% decrease at 100 microM). Sesamin and sesamol reduced the marked
      TNF-alpha-induced increase in human antigen R (HuR) translocation and the
      interaction between HuR and the 3'UTR of ICAM-1 mRNA. Both significantly reduced
      the binding of monocytes to TNF-alpha-stimulated HAECs. Sesamin significantly
      attenuated TNF-alpha-induced ICAM-1 expression and cell adhesion by
      downregulation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 and p38. Furthermore,
      in vivo, sesamin attenuated intimal thickening and ICAM-1 expression seen in
      aortas of apolipoprotein-E-deficient mice. Taken together, these data suggest
      that sesamin inhibits TNF-alpha-induced extracellular signal-regulated kinase/p38
      phosphorylation, nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB p65, cytoplasmic
      translocalization of HuR and thereby suppresses ICAM-1 expression, resulting in
      reduced adhesion of leukocytes. These results also suggest that sesamin may
      prevent the development of atherosclerosis and inflammatory responses.

PMID- 20306476
TI  - Vitamin D-mediated calcium absorption in patients with clinically stable Crohn's
      disease: a pilot study.
AB  - Vitamin D is the critical hormone for intestinal absorption of calcium. Optimal
      calcium absorption is important for proper mineralization of bone in the
      prevention of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures, among other important
      functions. Diseases associated with gut inflammation, such as Crohn's disease
      (CD), may impair calcium absorption. This pilot study evaluated vitamin D-
      dependent calcium absorption in subjects with CD. Male subjects with CD (n=4) and
      healthy age-matched controls (n=5) were studied. All subjects had fractional
      calcium absorption (FCA; by the dual calcium isotope method), serum 25
      hydroxyvitamin D, serum calcium and 24 h urinary calcium excretion measurements
      at baseline. The FCA in response to vitamin D therapy was re-assessed following
      administration of oral calcitriol 0.25 mcg twice daily for 1 wk, followed by oral
      calcitriol 0.50 mcg twice daily for 1 wk. Serum calcium and 24 h urinary calcium
      determinations were re-assessed after each increasing dose of calcitriol as
      safety measures. There was no significant difference in calcium FCA at baseline
      or after increasing doses of calcitriol between the CD and controls. FCA in the
      control and CD group was approximately 35% at baseline, which increased to 60%
      after calcitriol therapy. No subject developed hypercalcemia or hypercalciuria.
      Our results suggest that CD patients have a normal response to vitamin D in
      enhancing the efficacy of calcium absorption. This suggests that stable CD
      patients can follow calcium and vitamin D guidelines of non-CD adults. Other
      factors independent of vitamin D status may impair intestinal calcium absorption
      in CD, including the degree and location of inflammation, presence of surgical
      resection and/or use of glucocorticoids.

PMID- 20306477
TI  - Tocotrienols activity in MCF-7 breast cancer cells: involvement of ERbeta signal
      transduction.
AB  - The term Vitamin E is utilized to describe eight molecules, subdivided into two
      groups, tocopherols and tocotrienols (TTs). It has been shown that specific TTs
      affect the growth of several lines of tumour cells, and that this activity is not
      shared by tocopherols. In agreement with these observations, a TTs-rich fraction
      from palm oil (PTRF) was reported to inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis
      in several cancer cells. However, the molecular mechanism involved in TTs
      activity is still unclear. We have recently proposed that TTs pro-apoptotic
      activity involves estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) signalling. In this study, we
      report that, in MCF-7 breast cancer cell, expressing both ERalpha and ERbeta,
      PTRF treatment increases ERbeta nuclear translocation, as demonstrated by
      immunofluorescence experiments and significantly inhibits ERalpha expression (
      458.91-fold of change) and complete disappearing of the protein from the nucleus.
      Moreover, PTRF treatment induces ER-dependent genes expression (macrophage
      inhibitory cytokine-1, early growth response-1 and Cathepsin D) which is
      inhibited by the ER inhibitor, ICI 182.780, and induces DNA fragmentation.
      Finally, cDNA-array experiments suggest that the activation of specific pathways
      in cells treated with gamma-TT with respect to alpha-TT. Our data suggest a novel
      potential molecular mechanism for TTs activity.

PMID- 20306478
TI  - Dietary phenolic acids attenuate multiple stages of protein glycation and high
      glucose-stimulated proinflammatory IL-1beta activation by interfering with
      chromatin remodeling and transcription in monocytes.
AB  - This study examined the effects of dietary phenolic acids on individual stages of
      protein glycation and utilized monocyte cultures to assess whether these
      phytochemicals modulate the activation of proinflammatory cytokine under high
      glucose (HG, 15 mmol/L) conditions mimicking diabetes. In vitro glycation assays
      showed that a number of phenolic acids exerted inhibitory effects on the
      glycation reaction and its subsequent crosslinking. Phenolic acids, especially
      methoxyphenolic acids, prevented increase in both levels of the interleukin-1beta
      (IL-1beta) and oxidative stress caused by HG. The effect appeared to be mediated
      by modulation of the protein kinase C/nuclear factor-kappaB axis. Chromatin
      immunoprecipitation demonstrated for the first time that HG increased the
      recruitment of nuclear factor-kappaB p65 and CREB-binding protein to the IL-1beta
      promoter. Interestingly, HG also increased histone acetylation and methylation
      within the IL-1beta promoter and decreased histone deacetylase activities in
      monocytes, thus facilitating chromatin remodeling and transcription. Such
      inappropriate inflammatory responses were found to be controlled effectively by
      treatment with methoxyphenolic compounds. In conclusion, this study suggests that
      phenolic acids could exert their anti-inflammatory activities as antiglycation
      agents and as modifiers of signaling pathways. It provides evidence for a novel
      mechanism by which phenolics supplementation might have additional protective
      effects against diabetic complications.

PMID- 20306479
TI  - Monocarboxylate transporter 1 and CD147 are up-regulated by natural and synthetic
      peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha agonists in livers of rodents
      and pigs.
AB  - Monocarboxylate transporter (MCT)-1 mediates the transport of ketone bodies and
      other monocarboxylic acids across the plasma membrane. MCT1 is up-regulated by
      peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-alpha, a transcription factor
      that mediates the adaptive response to fasting by up-regulation of genes involved
      in fatty acid oxidation and ketogenesis. Here, we show for the first time that
      MCT1 is up-regulated by dietary natural PPAR-alpha agonists. Both, an oxidized
      fat and conjugated linoleic acids increased MCT1 mRNA concentration in the liver
      of rats. Also, in the liver of pigs as non-proliferating species MCT1 was up
      regulated upon PPAR-alpha activation by clofibrate, oxidized fat and fasting.
      Concomitant with up-regulation of MCT1, mRNA level of CD147 was increased in
      livers of rats and pigs. CD147 is a plasma membrane glycoprotein that is required
      for translocation and transport activity of MCT1. CD147 mRNA increase upon PPAR
      alpha activation could not be observed in mice lacking PPAR-alpha, which also
      fail in up-regulation of MCT1 indicating a co-regulation of MCT1 and CD147.
      Analysis of the 5'-flanking region of mouse MCT1 gene by reporter gene assay
      revealed that promoter activity of mouse MCT1 was not induced by PPAR-alpha,
      indicating that the 5'-flanking region is not involved in MCT1 regulation by PPAR
      alpha.

PMID- 20306482
TI  - High-throughput proteomics and bioinformatics: joined at the hip.

PMID- 20306480
TI  - Structure-affinity relationship of flavones on binding to serum albumins: effect
      of hydroxyl groups on ring A.
AB  - Four flavones (flavone, 7-hydroxyflavone, chrysin, and baicalein) sharing the
      same B- and C-ring structure but a different numbers of hydroxyl groups on the A
      ring were studied for their affinities for BSA and HSA. The hydroxylation on ring
      A of flavones increased the binding constants (K(a)) and the number of binding
      sites (n) between flavones and serum albumins. The affinities of 7-hydroxyflavone
      for BSA and HSA were about 800 times and 40 times higher than that of flavone,
      respectively. It appears that the optimal number of hydroxyl groups introduced to
      the ring A of flavones is one. As more hydroxyl groups were introduced to
      positions at C-5, C-6, and/or C-7 of flavones, the affinities for serum albumins
      decrease. The critical energy transfer distances (R(0)) between the hydroxylated
      flavones (1-3 OH on the ring A) and serum albumins decreased with the increasing
      affinities for serum albumins.

PMID- 20306484
TI  - A longitudinal analysis of early risk factors for adult-onset offending: What
      predicts a delayed criminal career?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Late-onset offending, at the age of 21 or thereafter, is an
      underexplored dimension of the criminal career. AIMS: Our aims were to explore
      which factors are precursors of late-onset offending, and the extent to which
      adult criminality can be predicted in childhood and adolescence. METHOD: This is
      the first study that defines late-onset offending based on a combination of
      official records and self-reports. Longitudinal data from the Cambridge Study in
      Delinquent Development (CSDD) were used. Four hundred and three South London men,
      followed from ages 8-10 to ages 48-50, were divided into late-starters (LS, n =
      51), early-starters (ES, n = 140) and non-offenders (NO, n = 212). RESULTS: LS
      men were more likely than NO men to have been neurotic, truants or in poor
      housing at ages 8-10. At ages 12-14, they tended to be neurotic, and at ages 16
      18, they had high unemployment and spent time hanging about on the streets.
      Compared with ES, LS were nervous at ages 8-10, and at age 18 they were more
      likely to be sexual virgins. Overall, LS men were more similar to NO men before
      age 21, but more similar to ES men by age 32. CONCLUSIONS: Our hypotheses that
      late-onset offenders would be particularly characterised by neuroticism or
      nervousness, but that this would buffer rather than fully protect over the life
      course, were sustained. Intervention to increase the resilience of children and
      adolescents who are rated as high on neurotic characteristics may lessen the
      burden that these factors impose in adult life and reduce the risk of a
      deteriorating quality of life and late onset criminal careers.

PMID- 20306485
TI  - Evaluation of tetracationic salts as gas-phase ion-pairing agents for the
      detection of trivalent anions in positive mode electrospray ionization mass
      spectrometry.
AB  - In previous studies, new electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS)
      approaches were developed for the highly sensitive detection of singly and doubly
      charged anions in positive mode ESI-MS by using specially synthesized dicationic
      and tricationic ion-pairing agents, respectively. By detecting the positively
      charged ion complex in the positive mode, limits of detection (LODs) for the
      anions can be lowered by several magnitudes. In this work, we used eighteen newly
      synthesized tetracationic ion-pairing agents, constructed with different
      geometries, linkages and cation moieties, for the detection of eighteen triply
      charged anions of different structural motifs. The LODs for these anions were
      from ten to several thousand times lower in the positive selective ion monitoring
      (SIM) mode than in the negative mode. These tetracationic agents also were shown
      to be useful for the detection of -1 and -2 anions. In addition, the LODs for -3
      anions can be further lowered by monitoring the product fragments of the ion
      pairing complexes in the single reaction monitoring (SRM) mode.

PMID- 20306487
TI  - Reactive oxygen radical scavengers--saving the cells?

PMID- 20306490
TI  - Backbone additivity in the transfer model of protein solvation.
AB  - The transfer model implying additivity of the peptide backbone free energy of
      transfer is computationally tested. Molecular dynamics simulations are used to
      determine the extent of change in transfer free energy (DeltaG(tr)) with increase
      in chain length of oligoglycine with capped end groups. Solvation free energies
      of oligoglycine models of varying lengths in pure water and in the osmolyte
      solutions, 2M urea and 2M trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), were calculated from
      simulations of all atom models, and DeltaG(tr) values for peptide backbone
      transfer from water to the osmolyte solutions were determined. The results show
      that the transfer free energies change linearly with increasing chain length,
      demonstrating the principle of additivity, and provide values in reasonable
      agreement with experiment. The peptide backbone transfer free energy
      contributions arise from van der Waals interactions in the case of transfer to
      urea, but from electrostatics on transfer to TMAO solution. The simulations used
      here allow for the calculation of the solvation and transfer free energy of
      longer oligoglycine models to be evaluated than is currently possible through
      experiment. The peptide backbone unit computed transfer free energy of -54
      cal/mol/M compares quite favorably with -43 cal/mol/M determined experimentally.

PMID- 20306491
TI  - Design, selection, and characterization of a split chorismate mutase.
AB  - Split proteins are versatile tools for detecting protein-protein interactions and
      studying protein folding. Here, we report a new, particularly small split enzyme,
      engineered from a thermostable chorismate mutase (CM). Upon dissecting the
      helical-bundle CM from Methanococcus jannaschii into a short N-terminal helix and
      a 3-helix segment and attaching an antiparallel leucine zipper dimerization
      domain to the individual fragments, we obtained a weakly active heterodimeric
      mutase. Using combinatorial mutagenesis and in vivo selection, we optimized the
      short linker sequences connecting the leucine zipper to the enzyme domain. One of
      the selected CMs was characterized in detail. It spontaneously assembles from the
      separately inactive fragments and exhibits wild-type like CM activity. Owing to
      the availability of a well characterized selection system, the simple 4-helix
      bundle topology, and the small size of the N-terminal helix, the heterodimeric CM
      could be a valuable scaffold for enzyme engineering efforts and as a split sensor
      for specifically oriented protein-protein interactions.

PMID- 20306492
TI  - Crystal structure of the C-terminal domain of the Salmonella type III secretion
      system export apparatus protein InvA.
AB  - InvA is a prominent inner-membrane component of the Salmonella type III secretion
      system (T3SS) apparatus, which is responsible for regulating virulence protein
      export in pathogenic bacteria. InvA is made up of an N-terminal integral membrane
      domain and a C-terminal cytoplasmic domain that is proposed to form part of a
      docking platform for the soluble export apparatus proteins notably the T3SS
      ATPase InvC. Here, we report the novel crystal structure of the C-terminal domain
      of Salmonella InvA which shows a compact structure composed of four subdomains.
      The overall structure is unique although the first and second subdomains exhibit
      structural similarity to the peripheral stalk of the A/V-type ATPase and a ring
      building motif found in other T3SS proteins respectively.

PMID- 20306493
TI  - Dimer-monomer equilibrium of human thymidylate synthase monitored by fluorescence
      resonance energy transfer.
AB  - An ad hoc bioconjugation/fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay has
      been designed to spectroscopically monitor the quaternary state of human
      thymidylate synthase dimeric protein. The approach enables the chemoselective
      engineering of allosteric residues while preserving the native protein functions
      through reversible masking of residues within the catalytic site, and is
      therefore suitable for activity/oligomerization dual assay screenings. It is
      applied to tag the two subunits of human thymidylate synthase at cysteines 43 and
      43' with an excitation energy donor/acceptor pair. The dimer-monomer equilibrium
      of the enzyme is then characterized through steady-state fluorescence
      determination of the intersubunit resonance energy transfer efficiency.

PMID- 20306494
TI  - The influence of sociodemographic characteristics on agreement between self
      reports and expert exposure assessments.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Often in exposure assessment for epidemiology, there are no highly
      accurate exposure data and different measurement methods are considered. The
      objective of this study was to use various statistical techniques to explore
      agreement between individual reports and expert ratings of workplace exposures in
      several industries and investigate the sociodemographic influences on this
      agreement. METHODS: A cohort of 1,282 employees at 4 industries/14 worksites
      answered questions on workplace physical, chemical, and psychosocial exposures
      over the past 12 months. Occupational hygienists constructed job exposure
      matrices (JEMs) based on worksite walkthrough exposure evaluations. Worker self
      reports were compared with the JEMs using multivariable analyses to explore
      discord. RESULTS: There was poor agreement between the self-reported and expert
      exposure assessments, but there was evidence that agreement was modified by
      sociodemographic characteristics. Several characteristics including gender, age,
      race/ethnicity, hourly wage and nativity strongly affected the degree of discord
      between self-reports and expert raters across a wide array of different
      exposures. CONCLUSIONS: Agreement between exposure assessment tools may be
      affected by sociodemographic characteristics. This study is cross-sectional and
      therefore, a snapshot of potential exposures in the workplace. Nevertheless,
      future studies should take into account the social contexts within which
      workplace exposures occur.

PMID- 20306495
TI  - Psychosocial work environment and medical symptoms among Swedish commercial
      airline cabin crew.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Associations between stress measured by the demands-control model,
      iso-strain model, and stress-related symptoms among cabin crew were studied.
      METHODS: A questionnaire about psychosocial work environment and symptoms was
      answered by 918 (82%) flight attendants, stewards, and pursers at one airline
      company in 2005. Adjustment was made for age, gender, smoking, job category, and
      flight length using multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: Weekly headaches,
      concentration difficulties, fatigue, and gastrointestinal symptoms were reported
      at rates of 18%, 10%, 56%, and 13%, respectively. Pursers scored higher on
      control than the others and they had lower associations between the strain
      measured by the demands-control model and symptoms than stewards and flight
      attendants. All symptoms were more common in the high strain situation than in
      the low strain (reference). An active situation was related to an excess of
      symptoms. Low social support in the iso-strain model increased risk of symptoms.
      CONCLUSIONS: Demands-control and iso-strain models are useful in studying stress
      related symptoms in cabin crews. The dimension of social support adds explanatory
      value.

PMID- 20306496
TI  - Hazardous task recognition among U.S. adolescents working in the retail or
      service industry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the hazardous tasks adolescent workers perform in service
      and retail industries are well documented, little is known about the extent to
      which young workers recognize these tasks as hazardous or dangerous. METHODS:
      Using data from a nationally representative cross-sectional telephone survey
      conducted in 2003, we examined hazardous task recognition among 858 adolescents
      working in the retail or service industry. RESULTS: Approximately 13% (n = 123)
      of respondents reported that they consider at least one of their job tasks to be
      hazardous or dangerous. Among the respondents who performed tasks known to be
      hazardous, very few actually recognized these tasks as being hazardous or
      dangerous. CONCLUSION: Working adolescents appear to underestimate the dangers
      associated with work, thus increasing the potential likelihood of injury.
      Emphasis should be placed on eliminating or reducing hazards in the workplace
      while simultaneously improving young workers' recognition of the hazardous nature
      of many of the tasks they perform.

PMID- 20306497
TI  - Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the p53 pathway genes modify cancer risk in
      BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers of Jewish-Ashkenazi descent.
AB  - Germline mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are associated with a
      significantly increased lifetime risk for developing breast and/or ovarian
      cancer. However, incomplete penetrance and substantial variability in age of
      disease onset among carriers of the same mutation suggests the involvement of
      additional modifier genes and/or environmental factors. Somatic inactivating
      mutations in the p53 gene and genes of the p53 pathway often accompany BRCA1/2
      associated tumors. Therefore, we assessed whether these genes are modifiers of
      penetrance. We genotyped Jewish-Ashkenazi women for functional single-nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs) in the AKT1 (C>T rs3730358) and the PERP (C>T rs2484067)
      genes that affect p53-mediated apoptosis, as well as two tag-SNPs in the CHEK2
      (C>T rs743184) and the ZBRK1/ZNF350 (G>A rs2278414) genes that encode for
      proteins involved in growth arrest following DNA damage. The study population
      included 138 healthy women, 148 breast/ovarian cancer BRCA1/2 mutation carriers,
      121 asymptomatic BRCA1/2 mutation carriers, and 210 sporadic noncarrier breast
      cancer patients. Utilizing lambda(2) and Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a hazard
      ratio (HR) of 3.23 (95% CI: 1.44-54, P = 0.0184) for the TT genotype of AKT
      (rs3730358), HR = 2.105 (95% CI: 1.049-7.434, P = 0.039) for CHEK2 CC genotype
      (rs743184), and HR = 2.4743 (95% CI: 1.205-11.53, P = 0.022) for the AG genotype
      of ZBRK1/ZNF350 (rs2278414). No significant association between PERP variants and
      cancer was identified HR = 0.662 (95% CI: 0.289-1.324, P = 0.261). Our results
      suggest that genes that act upstream of p53, or participate in the DNA damage
      response, may modify the risk of cancer in women with mutant BRCA1/2 alleles.

PMID- 20306498
TI  - Elevated glucose induces congenital heart defects by altering the expression of
      tbx5, tbx20, and has2 in developing zebrafish embryos.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Maternal diabetes increases the risk of congenital heart defects in
      infants, and hyperglycemia acts as a major teratogen. Multiple steps of cardiac
      development, including endocardial cushion morphogenesis and development of
      neural crest cells, are challenged under elevated glucose conditions. However,
      the direct effect of hyperglycemia on embryo heart organogenesis remains to be
      investigated. METHODS: Zebrafish embryos in different stages were exposed to D
      glucose for 12 or 24 hr to determine the sensitive window during early heart
      development. In the subsequent study, 6 hr post-fertilization embryos were
      treated with either 25 mmol/liter D-glucose or L-glucose for 24 hr. The
      expression of genes was analyzed by whole-mount in situ hybridization. RESULTS:
      The highest incidence of cardiac malformations was found during 6-30 hpf exposure
      periods. After 24 hr exposure, D-glucose-treated embryos exhibited significant
      developmental delay and diverse cardiac malformations, but embryos exposed to L
      glucose showed no apparent phenotype. Further investigation of the origin of
      heart defects showed that cardiac looping was affected earliest, while the
      specification of cardiac progenitors and heart tube assembly were complete.
      Moreover, the expression patterns of tbx5, tbx20, and has2 were altered in the
      defective hearts. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate that elevated glucose alone
      induces cardiac defects in zebrafish embryos by altering the expression pattern
      of tbx5, tbx20, and has2 in the heart. We also show the first evidence that
      cardiac looping is affected earliest during heart organogenesis. These research
      results are important for devising preventive and therapeutic strategies aimed at
      reducing the occurrence of congenital heart defects in diabetic pregnancy.

PMID- 20306499
TI  - A possible association of periodontal infectious diseases in pregnant women with
      isolated orofacial clefts in their children: A population-based case-control
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to check the association of maternal
      periodontal infectious disease (MPID) during pregnancy and the possible risk for
      birth outcomes, mainly structural birth defects: congenital abnormalities (CAs)
      in their children. METHODS: The population-based data set of the Hungarian Case
      Control Surveillance System of Congenital Abnormalities, 1980-1996, was
      evaluated. The occurrence of medically recorded MPID in the prenatal maternity
      logbook was compared in 22,843 cases with different CAs and 38,151 matched
      controls without defects. RESULTS: Twenty-one case mothers who had offspring with
      a CA (case group) and 17 pregnant women who delivered newborn infants without a
      CA (control group) had an MPID. However, of 21 cases, 6 had isolated cleft lip +/
      palate (OR with 95% CI: 10.7, 4.2-27.3), and 2 were affected with isolated cleft
      palate (7.9, 1.8-34.2). Of these 8 cases, 6 had mothers with the exposure of MPID
      in the critical period of these orofacial clefts, 7 mothers were visited at home,
      and 6 were smokers during pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: The unexpected findings of the
      study showed a strong association of MPID during pregnancy with a higher risk of
      isolated orofacial clefts in their children.

PMID- 20306500
TI  - Importance of the angiosome concept for endovascular therapy in patients with
      critical limb ischemia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We investigated the role of the angiosome concept in endovascular
      therapy (EVT) for limb salvage. BACKGROUND: The angiosome concept is clinically
      useful in bypass surgery for critical limbs ischemia (CLI). However, comparison
      with direct and indirect flow to the site of ulceration based on angiosome
      concept regarding freedom from amputation has not been systematically studied for
      the patient with CLI undergoing EVT. METHODS: We analyzed 203 limbs in 177
      consecutive patients (male = 127, age = 70 +/- 11 years) with ischemic ulceration
      that was Rutherford 5 or 6 (5 in 145 limbs and 6 in 58 limbs; pretreatment ankle
      brachial index = 0.74 +/- 0.27), who underwent EVT alone without bypass surgery.
      We classified these patients into direct and indirect groups depending on whether
      feeding artery flow to the site of ulceration was successfully acquired or not
      acquired based on the angiosome concept. Freedom from amputation was compared
      between the direct and the indirect groups by Kaplan-Meier analysis. RESULTS: The
      overall limb salvage rate was 82% (167/203). Skin perfusion pressure was
      significantly higher in the direct group (67 +/- 25 mm Hg) than in the indirect
      group (41 +/- 20 mm Hg, P = 0.002). The limb salvage rate was also significantly
      (P = 0.03) higher in the direct group (86%) than in the indirect group (69%) for
      up to 4 years after the procedure. The number of vessels with run-off flow did
      not influence the limb salvage rate in either the direct group (P = 0.84) or the
      indirect group (P = 0.90). CONCLUSION: Acquiring direct flow based on the
      angiosome concept is important for limb salvage by EVT in patients with CLI.

PMID- 20306501
TI  - Psychobiological models of adolescent risk: implications for prevention and
      intervention.
AB  - Psychobiological models of risk have much to contribute to the prevention of and
      intervention with risky behavior among adolescents. Emerging research is
      beginning to provide better information about mechanisms underlying individual
      differences in risky behavior (e.g., differences in self-regulation) and
      providing insight into unique vulnerabilities that occur during adolescence
      (e.g., increases in reward seeking). This work suggests ways in which prevention
      programming can be designed to be sensitive to both individual differences and
      developmental timing. Psychobiological models of risk also have practical
      implications for the manner and methods of conducting prevention and intervention
      work. Future work in both the etiology and prevention of risky behavior can
      benefit from ongoing dialogue and has the potential to result in a more
      sophisticated understanding of the mechanisms of change related to risky
      behavior. .

PMID- 20306502
TI  - Cell morphology and intracellular ionic homeostasis explored with a multimodal
      approach combining epifluorescence and digital holographic microscopy.
AB  - The authors have developed a live-cell multimodality microscope combining
      epifluorescence with digital holographic microscopy; it has been implemented with
      a decoupling procedure allowing to separately measure from the quantitative phase
      important cell parameters including absolute volume, shape and integral
      intracellular refractive index. In combination with the numerous different
      specific fluorescent cellular probes, this multimodality microscopy can address
      important issues in cell biology. This is demonstrated by the study of
      intracellular calcium homeostasis associated with the change in cell volume,
      which play a critical role in the excitotoxicity-induced neuronal death.

PMID- 20306503
TI  - Synthesis, magnetic properties, and STM spectroscopy of cobalt(II) Cubanes
      [Co(II) (4)(Cl)(4)(HL)(4)].
AB  - Reaction of cobalt(II) chloride hexahydrate with N-substituted diethanolamines
      H(2)L(2-4) (3) in the presence of LiH in anhydrous THF leads under anaerobic
      conditions to the formation of three isostructural tetranuclear cobalt(II)
      complexes [Co(II) (4)(Cl)(4)(HL(2-4))(4)] (4) with a [Co(4)(mu(3)-O)(4)](4+)
      cubane core. According to X-ray structural analyses, the complexes 4 a,c
      crystallize in the tetragonal space group I4(1)/a, whereas for complex 4 b the
      tetragonal space group P$?bar 4$ was found. In the solid state the orientation of
      the cubane cores and the formation of a 3D framework were controlled by the
      ligand substituents of the cobalt(II) cubanes 4. This also allowed detailed
      magnetic investigations on single crystals. The analysis of the SQUID magnetic
      susceptibility data for 4 a gave intramolecular ferromagnetic couplings of the
      cobalt(II) ions (J(1) approximately 20.4 K, J(2) approximately 7.6 K), resulting
      in an S=6 ground-state multiplet. The anisotropy was found to be of the easy-axis
      type (D=-1.55 K) with a resulting anisotropy barrier of Delta approximately 55.8
      K. Two-dimensional electron-gas (2DEG) Hall magnetization measurements revealed
      that complex 4 a is a single-molecule magnet and shows hysteretic magnetization
      characteristics with typical temperature and sweep-rate dependencies below a
      blocking temperature of about 4.4 K. The hysteresis loops collapse at zero field
      owing to fast quantum tunneling of the magnetization (QTM). The structural and
      electronic properties of cobalt(II) cubane 4 a, deposited on a highly oriented
      pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surface, were investigated by means of STM and current
      imaging tunneling spectroscopy (CITS) at RT and standard atmospheric pressure. In
      CITS measurements the rather large contrast found at the expected locations of
      the metal centers of the molecules indicated the presence of a strongly localized
      LUMO.

PMID- 20306504
TI  - Highly stereoselective preparation of tertiary homoallylic alcohols with multiple
      stereogenic centers.

PMID- 20306505
TI  - Bioorthogonal turn-on probes for imaging small molecules inside living cells.
AB  - Glowing tags: a series of activatable ("turn-on") tetrazine-conjugated
      fluorescent probes was developed, which react rapidly in an inverse-electron
      demand [4+2] cycloaddition with strained dienophiles such as trans-cyclooctene,
      thereby strongly increasing the fluorescence intensity. The novel turn-on probes
      were applied for intracellular live-cell imaging of a microtubuli-binding trans
      cyclooctene modified taxol.

PMID- 20306506
TI  - Nanoparticle clusters light up in SERS.
AB  - Seeing double: nanoparticle clusters (dimers, trimers, etc.) have long been
      pursued as enhancers in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy research. A recent
      report presents an elegant approach for the high-yielding fabrication of dimers
      of silver nanospheres from nanocubes by controlled chemical etching. These
      nanoparticle dimers are capable of strongly enhancing Raman signals of surface
      adsorbates.

PMID- 20306507
TI  - Asymmetric dumbbells from selective deposition of metals on seeded semiconductor
      nanorods.
AB  - Sowing the seeds: the growth of Au and Ag(2)S nanoparticles at distinct positions
      on CdSe-seeded CdS heterostructured nanorods can be precisely controlled by
      variations in the concentration of the Au and Ag precursors, respectively. The
      ability to direct growth on the nanorods can lead to "Janus-type" structures
      where Au is located at the more reactive end of the nanorod, whilst Ag(2)S is
      located at the other (see picture; CdSe dark blue, CdS light blue, Au yellow,
      Ag(2)S gray).

PMID- 20306508
TI  - Synthesis of fluorene and indenofluorene compounds: tandem palladium-catalyzed
      suzuki cross-coupling and cyclization.
AB  - "Fluor" it: palladium-catalyzed tandem reactions, in which C(sp(3))-H bond
      activation is the key step (see scheme; DMA=dimethylacetamide), lead to
      substituted fluorenes and indenofluorenes through annulation in high yield and in
      one step. This method has potential for the preparation of other cyclic
      compounds, as well as substituted oligofluorenes and polyfluorenes.

PMID- 20306509
TI  - In-situ scanning transmission X-ray microscopy of catalytic solids and related
      nanomaterials.
AB  - The present status of in-situ scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) is
      reviewed, with an emphasis on the abilities of the STXM technique in comparison
      with electron microscopy. The experimental aspects and interpretation of X-ray
      absorption spectroscopy (XAS) are briefly introduced and the experimental
      boundary conditions that determine the potential applications for in-situ XAS and
      in-situ STXM studies are discussed. Nanoscale chemical imaging of catalysts under
      working conditions is outlined using cobalt and iron Fischer-Tropsch catalysts as
      showcases. In the discussion, we critically compare STXM-XAS and STEM-EELS
      (scanning transmission electron microscopy-electron energy loss spectroscopy)
      measurements and indicate some future directions of in-situ nanoscale imaging of
      catalytic solids and related nanomaterials.

PMID- 20306510
TI  - Experimental and theoretical study of a gold(I) aminonitrene complex in the gas
      phase.

PMID- 20306511
TI  - The association between effort-reward imbalance and coronary atherosclerosis in a
      Chinese sample.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies of job strain and coronary heart disease (CHD) have
      produced mixed findings. We aimed to examine the association between job stress
      evaluated by the effort-reward imbalance (ERI) model and coronary atherosclerosis
      assessed by coronary angiography in a Chinese sample. METHODS: Three-hundred
      twenty participants accepting coronary angiography for the first time were
      enrolled in series. Job stressors were evaluated by the ERI model. The presence
      and severity of CHD were assessed by measuring the coronary artery stenosis (the
      presence of >50% luminal stenosis in one or more major coronary arteries). The
      association between job stressors and CHD was examined by multivariate analysis.
      RESULTS: Compared with the low-level group, high-level effort, overcommitment,
      and ERI increased CHD risk with odds ratio (OR) 2.5 (95% confidence interval
      (CI): 1.2-5.0), 2.5 (95% CI: 1.2-5.0), 2.4 (95% CI: 1.2-4.9), respectively, after
      adjustment for confounders. They were also significantly positively correlated
      with the complexity of coronary artery lesions, respectively. Dose-response
      relationships were observed. CONCLUSIONS: ERI was associated with coronary artery
      lesions in a sample of Chinese workers. Longitudinal research and interventional
      designs are needed to confirm the mechanism and to provide evidence for the
      prevention of CHD.

PMID- 20306512
TI  - From stem cell to erythroblast: regulation of red cell production at multiple
      levels by multiple hormones.
AB  - This article reviews the regulation of production of red blood cells at several
      levels: (1) the ability of erythropoietin and adhesion to a fibronectin matrix to
      stimulate the rapid production of red cells by inducing terminal proliferation
      and differentiation of committed erythroid CFU-E progenitors; (2) the regulated
      expansion of the pool of earlier BFU-E erythroid progenitors by glucocorticoids
      and other factors that occurs during chronic anemia or inflammation; and (3) the
      expansion of thehematopoietic cell pool to produce more progenitors of all
      hematopoietic lineages.

PMID- 20306513
TI  - Enzymology of the carnitine biosynthesis pathway.
AB  - The water-soluble zwitterion carnitine is an essential metabolite in eukaryotes
      required for fatty acid oxidation as it functions as a carrier during transfer of
      activated acyl and acetyl groups across intracellular membranes. Most eukaryotes
      are able to synthesize carnitine endogenously, besides their capacity to take up
      carnitine from the diet or extracellular medium through plasma membrane
      transporters. This review discusses the current knowledge on carnitine
      homeostasis with special emphasis on the enzymology of the four steps of the
      carnitine biosynthesis pathway.

PMID- 20306514
TI  - Determination of antituberculosis drug concentration in human plasma by MALDI
      TOF/TOF.
AB  - Therapeutic drug monitoring allows to determine the best dosage regimen adapted
      to each patient optimizing the therapeutic benefits, while minimizing the risk
      for side effects. Here, the first methodological approach based on matrix
      assisted laser desorption/ionization source equipped with tandem time-of-flight
      (MALDI-TOF/TOF) mass spectrometry for the determination of the antituberculosis
      (anti-TB) drugs ethambutol, pyrazinamide, rifampicin, and streptomycin
      concentration in the plasma of tuberculosis-infected patients is reported. The
      volume of the plasma sample was 200 microL. Plasma samples were cleaned-up by
      protein precipitation and evaporated in a water bath under a nitrogen stream. The
      extracted samples were reconstituted with 200 microL of 50% methanol-0.03% formic
      acid solution (v/v), spiked with known amounts of anti-TB drugs, mixed (1:1) with
      a saturated matrix solution (4-hydroxybenzoic acid in 50% acetonitrile-0.1%
      trifluoracetic acid solution; v/v), and spotted onto the MALDI-TOF/TOF sample
      target plate. The anti-TB drug concentration was determined by standard additions
      analysis. Regression of standard additions was linear over the whole anti-TB drug
      concentration range explored (the final anti-TB drug concentration ranged from
      0.20 to 200 pmol/microL). The absolute recovery of the anti-TB drugs ranged
      between 87 and 110%. The minimal ethambutol, pyrazinamide, rifampicin, and
      streptomycin concentration detectable by MALDI-TOF/TOF is 0.08, 0.20, 0.12, and
      0.15 pmol/microL, respectively.

PMID- 20306515
TI  - Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase-interacting multifunctional proteins (AIMPs): a triad
      for cellular homeostasis.
AB  - Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (ARSs) are highly conserved for efficient and precise
      translation of genetic codes. In higher eukaryotic systems, several different
      ARSs including glutamyl-prolyl-, isoelucyl-, leucyl-, methionyl-, glutaminyl-,
      lysyl-, arginyl-, and aspartyl-tRNA synthetase form a macromolecular protein
      complex with three nonenzymatic cofactors (AIMP1/p43, AIMP2/p38, and AIMP3/p18).
      Although the structure and functional implications for this complex formation are
      not completely understood, rapidly accumulating evidences suggest that this
      complex would work as a molecular hub linked to the multiple signaling pathways
      that involve the components of enzymes and cofactors. In this article, the roles
      of three nonenzymatic components of the multi-tRNA synthetase complex in the
      assembly of the components and in cell regulation are addressed.

PMID- 20306516
TI  - Relative acidities and structure analysis of cis and trans isomers of 1,5
      oxazaspiro[5.5] undecane derivatives by multinuclear magnetic resonance.
AB  - The relative acidities of the cis and trans isomers of a series of 1,5
      oxazaspiro[5.5]undecane derivatives were determined by measuring DeltapK in acid
      base titrations followed by (1)H NMR. Relative structural stabilities were
      determined by measuring substituent chemical shift and gamma-gauche effects in
      (13)C, (15)N, and (17)O NMR. Crystallographic characterization of a model
      spiro[5.5]undecane is presented to support the basicity in solid state.

PMID- 20306517
TI  - A theoretical NMR study of ortho and para-substituted benzenes compared with
      silabenzenes, pyridines and phosphabenzenes.
AB  - Calculations of absolute shieldings and nuclear-independent chemical shift
      [NICS(1)] values of 84 compounds (benzenes, silabenzenes, pyridines and
      phosphabenzenes) allowed to discuss the absolute shieldings in the function of
      Brown sigma(p)(+) substituent constant and to predict 71 new chemical shifts. The
      NICS(1) analysis of the aromaticity leads to the unexpected result for the
      silabenzenes that it is almost insensitive to substituent effects. In these set
      of compounds, it can be concluded that the aromaticity and its sensitivity to
      substituent effects are orthogonal.

PMID- 20306518
TI  - "Boost" of proton therapy helps reduce prostate cancer recurrence.

PMID- 20306519
TI  - CancerScope:Ohio educational program goes national.

PMID- 20306520
TI  - Hutchinson to build first US cancer clinic and training facility in Africa.

PMID- 20306521
TI  - Unnecessary breast cancer biopsies still performed.

PMID- 20306522
TI  - Gas phase isomeric differentiation of oleanolic and ursolic acids associated with
      heptakis-(2,6-di-O-methyl)-beta-cyclodextrin by electrospray ionization Fourier
      transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry.
AB  - Oleanolic acid (OA) and ursolic acid (UA) are isomeric triterpenoid compounds
      with similar pharmaceutical properties. Usually, modern chromatographic and
      electrophoretic methods are widely utilized to differentiate these two compounds.
      Compared with mass spectrometric (MS) methods, these modern separation methods
      are both time- and sample-consuming. Herein, we present a new method for
      structural differentiation of OA and UA by Fourier transform ion cyclotron
      resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) with the association of heptakis-(2,6-di
      O-methyl)-beta-cyclodextrin (DM-beta-CD). Exact MS and tandem MS (MS/MS) data
      showed that there is no perceptible difference between OA and UA, as well as
      their beta-cyclodextrin and gamma-cyclodextrin complexes. However, there is a
      remarkable difference in MS/MS spectra of DM-beta-CD complexes of OA and UA. The
      peak corresponding to the neutral loss of a formic acid and a water molecule
      could only be observed in the MS/MS spectrum of the complex of DM-beta-CD : OA.
      Molecular modeling calculations were also employed to further investigate the
      structural differences of DM-beta-CD : OA and DM-beta-CD : UA complexes.
      Therefore, by employing DM-beta-CD as a reference reagent, OA and UA could be
      differentiated with purely MS method.

PMID- 20306523
TI  - Strategies for developing design spaces for viral clearance by anion exchange
      chromatography during monoclonal antibody production.
AB  - The quality-by-design (QbD) regulatory initiative promotes the development of
      process design spaces describing the multidimensional effects and interactions of
      process variables on critical quality attributes of therapeutic products.
      However, because of the complex nature of production processes, strategies must
      be devised to provide for design space development with reasonable allocation of
      resources while maintaining highly dependable results. Here, we discuss
      strategies for the determination of design spaces for viral clearance by anion
      exchange chromatography (AEX) during purification of monoclonal antibodies. We
      developed a risk assessment for AEX using a formalized method and applying
      previous knowledge of the effects of certain variables and the mechanism of
      action for virus removal by this process. We then use design-of-experiments (DOE)
      concepts to perform a highly fractionated factorial experiment and show that
      varying many process parameters simultaneously over wide ranges does not affect
      the ability of the AEX process to remove endogenous retrovirus-like particles
      from CHO-cell derived feedstocks. Finally, we performed a full factorial design
      and observed that a high degree of viral clearance was obtained for three
      different model viruses when the most significant process parameters were varied
      over ranges relevant to typical manufacturing processes. These experiments
      indicate the robust nature of viral clearance by the AEX process as well as the
      design space where removal of viral impurities and contaminants can be assured.
      In addition, the concepts and methodology presented here provides a general
      approach for the development of design spaces to assure that quality of
      biotherapeutic products is maintained.

PMID- 20306524
TI  - Rural telepsychology services for children and adolescents.
AB  - Because of the overwhelming maldistribution of mental health specialists in
      metropolitan areas and the many underserved families living in rural settings,
      rural areas are natural homes for the use of telemedicine or videoconferencing
      technology for clinical services. The authors describe telepsychology services
      for rural clients, placing best psychology practices within the context of
      broader telemental health services. The goal is to approximate evidence-based
      child psychotherapy from face-to-face practice using the videoconferencing
      technology. Telepsychology is illustrated with a case report of a rural Hispanic
      teen and her family presenting through the teen's primary care clinic.

PMID- 20306525
TI  - Manual control of the upper esophageal sphincter.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Oropharyngeal dysphagia (OPD) is common and costly. In
      order to improve quality of life for patients and costs to society, better
      treatments than currently available are needed. The author hypothesized that
      manual control of the upper esophageal sphincter (UES) is possible by pulling the
      larynx directly forward with anterior traction on the cricoid cartilage. The
      purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effectiveness of manual control
      of the UES as a possible therapy for OPD. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart
      review, medical device development, prospective cadaver trial, and prospective
      animal experiment. METHODS: Charts were reviewed of all persons with OPD who had
      a traction suture placed by the author around the anterior rim of the cricoid
      cartilage. The opening of the UES was assessed with and without traction on the
      suture. The ability of the cricoid suture to improve UES opening was evaluated
      under fluoroscopy. The Swallow Expansion Device (SED) was designed to manually
      control the UES. The ability of the SED to manually open the UES was evaluated.
      The SED was implanted in 10 cadavers, and 5,000 pulls of the device were
      performed on each specimen to evaluate for gross damage to the cricoid cartilage.
      The ability of the SED to open the UES was evaluated under direct laryngoscopy.
      The safety and efficacy of the SED was evaluated in an ovine model of OPD. The
      SED was implanted in eight sheep. Five thousand pulls of the device were
      performed on each animal weekly for 8 weeks. At the end of the study, damage to
      the cricoid cartilage was evaluated histologically, and the ability of the SED to
      open the UES and eliminate aspiration was assessed fluoroscopically. RESULTS: Six
      patients with OPD who had a suture placed around the anterior aspect of the
      cricoid cartilage were identified. Anterior traction on the suture improved UES
      opening by 0.36 cm (+/-0.19 cm) (P < .01). A titanium-coated ferrous implant that
      secures to the cricoid cartilage was fabricated (SED). An external magnetic
      device that affixes to the implant across intact skin was developed. Anterior
      traction of the SED opened the UES in cadavers a mean of 1.16 cm (+/-0.22 cm) (P
      < .001). Anterior traction on the SED opened the UES in sheep a mean of 1.27 cm
      (+/-0.36) (P < .001). Aspiration was eliminated in 100% of the animals. The
      implant became infected and had to be removed in one (12.5%) animal. Remodeling
      of the cricoid cartilage was evident, but there was no histologic evidence of
      cartilage damage. CONCLUSIONS: Manual control of the upper esophageal sphincter
      is possible. Simple anterior traction on the suture placed around the cricoid
      cartilage improved UES opening by 0.36 cm (+/-0.19) in a cohort of dysphagic
      patients. The Swallow Expansion Device opened the UES of cadavers and living
      sheep to superphysiologic proportions (P < .001). There was no histologic
      evidence of cricoid damage from prolonged use of the implant.

PMID- 20306526
TI  - Prevention of polyurethane oxidative degradation with phenolic antioxidants
      covalently attached to the hard segments: structure-function relationships.
AB  - Oxidative degradation of the polyurethane elastomeric (PU) components greatly
      reduces the efficacy of PU-containing cardiovascular devices. Covalently
      appending the phenol-based antioxidant, 4-substituted 2,6-di-tert-butylphenol
      (DBP), to PU hard segments effectively reduced oxidative degradation of the PU in
      vivo and in vitro in prior studies by our group. In these experiments, we analyze
      the contribution of the tethering molecule to the antioxidant capabilities of the
      DBP-modified PU. Bromoalkylation chemistry was used to link DBP to the hard
      segment of the polyether PU, Tecothane, via our original linker (PU-DBP) or
      variants containing side chains with one (PU-C-DBP) or three (PU-3C-DBP) carbons.
      Two additional DBP variants were fabricated in which the DBP group was appended
      to the alkyl chain via an oxygen atom (PU-O-DBP) or an amide linkage in the
      middle of the tether (PU-NHCO-DBP). All DBP variant films and unmodified control
      films were subject to oxidative degradation via 15-day immersion in a solution of
      20% H(2)O(2) + 0.1M CoCl(2). At the end of the oxidation protocol, films were
      analyzed for the presence of oxidation-related endpoints via scanning electron
      microscopy, contact angle measurements, and Fourier transformation infrared
      spectroscopy (FTIR). All DBP-containing variants resisted oxidation damage
      significantly better than the unmodified control PU. SEM analysis of oxidized PU
      C-DBP and PU-O-DBP showed evidence of surface cracking, consistent with oxidative
      degradation of the PU surfaces. Similarly, there was a trend in increased ether
      crosslinking, a marker for oxidative degradation, in PU-C-DBP and PU-NHCO-DBP
      films. Consistent with these FTIR results, both PU-C-DBP and PU-NHCO-DBP had
      significant reductions in measured surface hydrophobicity as a result of
      oxidation. These data show for the first time that the choice of linker molecule
      significantly affects the efficiency of the linked phenolic antioxidant.

PMID- 20306527
TI  - Surgical management of primary retroperitoneal sarcoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Local recurrence after surgical resection is the main cause of
      disease-related mortality in patients with primary retroperitoneal sarcoma (RPS).
      This study analysed predictors of local recurrence and disease-specific survival.
      METHODS: A prospective database was reviewed to identify patients who underwent
      surgery for primary RPS between 1990 and 2009. Patient demographics, operative
      outcomes and tumour variables were correlated with local recurrence and disease
      specific survival. Multivariable analysis was performed to evaluate predictors
      for local recurrence and disease-free survival. RESULTS: Macroscopic clearance
      was achieved in 170 of 200 patients. The median weight of tumours was 4.0 kg and
      median maximum diameter 27 cm. Resection of adjacent organs was required in 126
      patients. The postoperative mortality rate was 3.0 per cent. Seventy-five
      patients developed local recurrence during follow-up. At 5 years the local
      recurrence-free survival rate was 54.6 per cent and the disease-specific survival
      rate 68.6 per cent. Inability to obtain macroscopic clearance at resection and
      high-grade tumours were significant predictors for local recurrence and disease
      specific survival. CONCLUSION: Complete macroscopic excision should be the goal
      of surgical resection. Ability to resect a RPS completely and tumour grade are
      the most important predictors of local recurrence and overall survival.

PMID- 20306528
TI  - Identifying co-morbidity in surgical patients using administrative data with the
      Royal College of Surgeons Charlson Score.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical outcomes are influenced by co-morbidity. The Royal College
      of Surgeons (RCS) Co-morbidity Consensus Group was convened to improve existing
      instruments that identify co-morbidity in International Classification of
      Diseases tenth revision administrative data. METHODS: The RCS Charlson Score was
      developed using a coding philosophy that enhances international transferability
      and avoids misclassifying complications as co-morbidity. The score was validated
      in English Hospital Episode Statistics data for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA)
      repair, aortic valve replacement, total hip replacement and transurethral
      prostate resection. RESULTS: With exception of AAA, patients with co-morbidity
      were older and more likely to be admitted as an emergency than those without. All
      patients with co-morbidity stayed longer in hospital, required more augmented
      care, and had higher in-hospital and 1-year mortality rates. Multivariable
      prognostic models incorporating the RCS Charlson Score had better discriminatory
      power than those that relied only on age, sex, admission method (elective or
      emergency) and number of emergency admissions in the preceding year. CONCLUSION:
      The RCS Charlson Score identifies co-morbidity in surgical patients in England at
      least as well as existing instruments. Given its explicit coding philosophy, it
      may be used as a co-morbidity scoring instrument for international comparisons.

PMID- 20306529
TI  - Response to induction therapy in oesophageal and cardia carcinoma using Mandard
      tumour regression grade or size of residual foci.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tumour regression grade (TRG) is used to evaluate responses to
      induction therapy in cancer of the oesophagus or cardia. This study aimed to
      determine whether inclusion of node category could improve the prognostic
      accuracy provided by TRG, and explore the prognostic value of an alternative
      classification based on size of residual foci and node category. METHODS:
      Patients with oesophageal or cardia cancer treated with neoadjuvant
      chemoradiotherapy followed by resection were studied. Treatment-induced response
      at the primary site was evaluated by TRG and by a method whereby patients were
      classified as having no residual cancer, minimal residual disease (MRD) or as non
      responders. RESULTS: Between 2000 and 2007, 108 patients underwent resection.
      Disease-related survival decreased with increasing TRG in node-negative (N0)
      patients (P < 0.001), whereas in node-positive (N+) patients it was poor
      irrespective of TRG (P = 0.241). For N0 disease, 3-year survival in patients with
      MRD (58 (95 per cent confidence interval 26 to 80) per cent) was intermediate
      between that in patients with no residual cancer (85 (70 to 93) per cent) and non
      responders (28 (4 to 59) per cent). Worst prognosis was for N+ disease (21 (9 to
      36) per cent). CONCLUSION: Node category should be considered when evaluating
      response to induction therapy in oesophageal or cardia cancer. A new
      classification based on size of residual foci and node category seems promising.

PMID- 20306530
TI  - Randomized clinical trial of different bandage regimens after foam sclerotherapy
      for varicose veins.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This trial compared outcomes after foam sclerotherapy in patients
      wearing compression bandaging for 24 h or 5 days after treatment. METHODS:
      Consecutive patients with primary uncomplicated varicose veins were randomized
      after foam sclerotherapy treatment. The primary endpoint was 6-week Aberdeen
      Varicose Vein Severity Score (AVVSS) and Burford pain score. RESULTS: Some 124
      legs were randomized, 61 to 24 h and 63 to 5 days of bandaging. Target vein
      occlusion rates at 6-week duplex imaging were 90 and 89 per cent respectively (P
      = 0.842). There was no significant difference in phlebitis after 2 weeks (P =
      0.445) or skin discoloration after 6 weeks (46 versus 40 per cent; P = 0.546).
      There was no significant difference in the change in AVVSS from baseline to 2
      weeks (-0.29 versus -0.80; P = 0.717) or to 6 weeks (-5.89 versus -5.14; 95 per
      cent confidence interval (c.i.) for the difference -3.29 to 1.80; P = 0.563), or
      in change in Burford pain score from baseline to 2 weeks (-9.04 versus -2.80; P =
      0.248) or to 6 weeks (-17.32 versus -8.46; 95 per cent c.i. for the difference 
      19.06 to 1.33; P = 0.088), or in change in Short Form 36 score from baseline to 6
      weeks (2.02 versus 1.74; P = 0.903). CONCLUSION: There was no advantage to
      compression bandaging for more than 24 h when thromboembolus deterrent stockings
      were worn for the remainder of 14 days. REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT00991497
      (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov).

PMID- 20306531
TI  - Obesity and gastrointestinal cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is emerging evidence of a strong association between obesity
      and gastrointestinal cancer. This review summarizes the evidence from an
      epidemiological and pathophysiological perspective. METHODS: Relevant medical
      literature was identified from searches of PubMed and references cited in
      appropriate articles were identified. Selection of articles was based on peer
      review, journal and relevance. RESULTS: Numerous epidemiological studies
      consistently identified an increased risk of developing oesophageal
      adenocarcinoma and colorectal carcinoma in the obese. The association between
      obesity and other gastrointestinal malignancies was less robust. Sex seems
      important with respect to cancer risk. Adipose tissue, particularly viscerally
      located fat, is metabolically active and exerts systemic endocrine effects.
      Putative pathophysiological mechanisms linking obesity and carcinogenesis include
      the insulin-like growth factor axis, adipocytokines and sex steroids. CONCLUSION:
      A better understanding of the mechanisms that link obesity and cancer may uncover
      targets for intervention. Tackling obesity may result in a reduction in the
      incidence in addition to mortality of certain cancers in future.

PMID- 20306532
TI  - Introduction of laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery in developing nations.

PMID- 20306533
TI  - Sulfate reduction at pH 4.0 for treatment of process and wastewaters.
AB  - Acidic industrial process and wastewaters often contain high sulfate and metal
      concentrations and their direct biological treatment is thus far not possible as
      biological processes at pH < 5 have been neglected. Sulfate-reducing bacteria
      convert sulfate to sulfide that can subsequently be used to recover metals as
      metal-sulfides precipitate. This study reports on high-rate sulfate reduction
      with a mixed microbial community at pH 4.0 and 4.5 with hydrogen and/or formate
      as electron donors. The maximum sulfate reducing activity at pH 4.0 was sustained
      for over 40 days with a specific activity 500-fold greater than previously
      reported values: 151 mmol sulfate reduced/L reactor liquid per day with a maximum
      specific activity of 84 mmol sulfate per gram of volatile suspended solids per
      day. The biomass yield gradually decreased from 38 to 0.4 g volatile suspended
      solids per kilogram of sulfate when decreasing the reactor pH from pH 6 to 4. The
      microorganisms had a high maintenance requirement probably due maintaining pH
      homeostasis and the toxicity of sulfide at low pH. The microbial community
      diversity in the pH 4.0 membrane bioreactor decreased over time, while the
      diversity of the sulfate reducing community increased. Thus, a specialized
      microbial community containing a lower proportion of microorganisms capable of
      activity at pH 4 developed in the reactor compared with those present at the
      start of the experiment. The 16S rRNA genes identified from the pH 4.0 grown
      mixed culture were most similar to those of Desulfovibrio species and
      Desulfosporosinus sp. M1.

PMID- 20306534
TI  - Factors in infancy and childhood related to reduced lung function in asthmatic
      children: a birth cohort study (BAMSE).
AB  - Changes in lung function due to childhood asthma have been reported to occur
      before school age, and to persist throughout life. The aim was to assess the
      relationship between aspects of lung function and asthma over time in 4,089
      children participating in the large population-based birth cohort BAMSE.
      Questionnaires were administered at 1, 2, 4, and 8 years of age. At 4 and 8
      years, children were invited to a clinical examination, in which 2,965 and 2,630
      children participated, respectively. The examinations included blood sampling for
      evaluation of sensitization to airway allergens (n = 2,053), peak expiratory flow
      (PEF) measurements at 4 and 8 years (n = 1,957), and forced expiratory flows (n =
      2,455) at 8 years. Asthma onset before the age of 4 years, but no thereafter, was
      at 8 years associated with impaired spirometric flows. This was seen irrespective
      of symptom presence after the age of 4. Reduced PEF growth between the age of 4
      and 8 was seen only for the group of children with early onset transient asthma,
      while an association between sensitization and lung function was only seen in the
      late-onset asthma group. In conclusion, school children with asthma have
      reductions of spirometric flows when categorized as persistent or transient early
      onset asthma, even if this latter group of children is completely symptom-free at
      school age.

PMID- 20306535
TI  - Garlic as an inhibitor of Pseudomonas aeruginosa quorum sensing in cystic
      fibrosis--a pilot randomized controlled trial.
AB  - Pseudomonas aeruginosa forms biofilms in the cystic fibrosis lung. Quorum sensing
      (QS) controls biofilm maturation, immune evasion, antibiotic tolerance and
      virulence factor production. Garlic shows QS inhibitory activity in vitro and in
      animal models. We report the first clinical trial in man of a QS inhibitor.We
      randomized 34 patients to garlic or olive oil capsules (both 656 mg daily).
      Clinical outcomes and safety bloods were measured at baseline and after 8 weeks
      treatment. In this exploratory study, analysis was per protocol.Eight patients
      withdrew, leaving 26 for analysis (13 garlic). With placebo, there was a greater
      decline in mean (SD) percentage change from baseline FEV(1) [-3.6% (11.3)] than
      with garlic [-2.0% (12.3)]. This was not significant (mean difference = 1.6, 95%
      CI -12.7 to 15.9, P = 0.8). The mean (SD) increase in weight was greater with
      garlic [1.0% (2.0)] than with placebo [0.6% (2.0)]--non-significant (mean
      difference = 0.4%, 95% CI -1.3 to 2.0, P = 0.6). The median (range) change in
      clinical score with garlic was -1 (-3 to 5) and 1 (-1 to 4) with placebo
      (negative score means improvement). This was non-significant [median difference =
      -1 (-3 to 0), P = 0.16]. In the garlic group, seven patients had IV antibiotics
      versus five placebo. There was a highly significant correlation between plasma
      and sputum measurements of the QS molecule 3-oxo-C12-HSL (Pearson correlation
      coefficient = 0.914, P = 0.004). At the end of treatment five patients in each
      group had abnormal liver function or triglycerides and five garlic patients (one
      placebo) reported minor adverse effects.Garlic capsules were well tolerated.
      Although there was no significant effect of garlic compared to placebo in this
      pilot study, there was a suggestion of improvement with garlic which should be
      investigated in a larger trial.

PMID- 20306536
TI  - Bioluminescent imaging of reporter gene expression in the lungs of wildtype and
      model mice following the administration of PEG-stabilized DNA nanoparticles.
AB  - DNA nanoparticles (DNPs) formed by compacting DNA with polyethyleneglycolylated
      poly-L-lysine are a nonviral vector shown to be safe and efficacious in animals
      and humans. To extend our capabilities of assessing the efficacy and duration of
      expression achieved by DNPs, we tested the utility of bioluminescent imaging
      (BLI) of transgene expression in wildtype and cystic fibrosis (CF) mouse models.
      We tested the effect of route of administration, mouse coat color, anesthesia,
      dose, and promoter sequence on the level and duration of expression. Furthermore,
      we investigated the correlation between imaging and direct analysis of luciferase
      expression in lung homogenates. We found that intratracheal instillation, and the
      use of deep and prolonged anesthesia with avertin produced significantly higher
      expression compared with intranasal administration, and the use of lighter
      anesthesia with isoflurane. Although similar expression was observed for both
      dark and light coat animals, imaging signal intensity was attenuated in mice with
      dark fur. Furthermore, good correlation between imaging and direct homogenate
      analysis was observed for single dose (r = 0.96), and dose response studies in
      wildtype (r = 0.82) and CF mice (r = 0.87). Finally, we used imaging to track
      gene expression over a 56-day time course. We found that the human ubiquitin B
      promoter gives stable transgene expression up to 49 days following nanoparticle
      administration, while expression with the cytomegalovirus promoter diminished
      after 2 days and returned to background levels by day 14. Taken together, our
      results demonstrate that BLI is an effective and useful modality for measuring
      gene expression conferred by DNPs in the lung.

PMID- 20306537
TI  - Respiratory impedance and response to salbutamol in asthmatic Vietnamese
      children.
AB  - There is a high incidence of pediatric asthma in Vietnam, but little lung
      function data are available. The aim of the study was to compare respiratory
      resistance (Rrs), reactance (Xrs), and responses to salbutamol between asthmatic
      and healthy primary school children in Hanoi. Because respiratory mechanics vary
      along the breathing cycle, measurements were assessed separately in inspiration
      (Rrsi, Xrsi) and expiration (Rrse, Xrse).Inpatients with doctor-diagnosed asthma
      were measured 2-3 days following admission using the forced oscillation technique
      (FOT) at a single frequency (8 Hz). Z-scores and responses to salbutamol were
      compared between 102 asthmatics and 98 controls, and accuracy of group
      classification by FOT parameters was assessed by Youden index, an indicator to
      the proportion of subjects correctly classified in each group.In asthmatics
      versus controls, Rrsi-but not Rrse-was significantly larger and both Xrsi and
      Xrse were significantly more negative (P < 0.01). Both Rrs and Xrs responses to
      salbutamol were significantly larger in asthmatics than controls (P < 0.001).
      Youden indexes indicated response to salbutamol generally had better diagnostic
      values than Z-scores and was best discriminative first with Rrsi, then with
      Xrse.It is concluded that different FOT characteristics may be described in
      asthmatic and healthy Vietnamese children. The diagnostic value of each parameter
      depends upon the breathing cycle. Most useful in practice probably is the
      response to salbutamol measured by Rrsi.

PMID- 20306538
TI  - Olive oil during pregnancy is associated with reduced wheezing during the first
      year of life of the offspring.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that consuming Mediterranean diet and using
      olive oil for cooking/dressing salads during pregnancy might be associated with
      less wheezing during the first year of the offspring's life. METHODS: A study was
      conducted in 1,409 infants (mean age, 16.6 +/- 2.5 months) attending healthy
      infant clinics in Spain. Dietary data of mothers' intake during pregnancy was
      collected by means of a parental food frequency questionnaire. Demographic
      information and data on wheezing during the first year of the offspring's life
      were also recorded. Infants were stratified according to any wheezing (42.2%)
      during the first year of life. RESULTS: In the univariate analysis, adherence to
      a Mediterranean diet and using olive oil for cooking/dressing salads during
      pregnancy were both significantly associated with less wheezing during the first
      year of life. However, after multivariate analysis, only olive oil consumption
      during pregnancy remained associated with less wheezing in the studied period
      (aOR = 0.57 [95% CI = 0.4-0.9]); whereas male gender (1.8 [1.4-2.3]), day care
      attendance (2.15 [1.5-3.1]), maternal asthma (2.16 [1.3-3.6]), maternal smoking
      during pregnancy (1.83 [1.3-2.2]), infant eczema (1.95 [1.3-2.9]), and mould
      stains on the household walls (1.72 [1.2-2.5]) remained associated with wheezing.
      CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest a protective effect (primary prevention) of
      olive oil use during pregnancy on wheezing during the first year of the
      offspring's life.

PMID- 20306539
TI  - Calibration issues for nanoindentation experiments: direct atomic force
      microscopy measurements and indirect methods.
AB  - This article discusses calibration issues for shallow depth nanoindentation
      experiments with Berkovich tips with respect to the accurate measurement of the
      diamond area function (DAF). For this purpose, two different calibration
      procedures are compared: (i) the direct measurement of the DAF through atomic
      force microscopy (AFM) imaging of the Berkovich tip at shallow depth and (ii) a
      novel indirect calibration method based on an iterative robust and converging
      scheme in which both reduced modulus and indentation hardness are simultaneously
      used. These results are obtained by indentation measurements on a standard
      specimen of fused silica, performed in the 0.5-200 mN load range with a Berkovich
      indenter. Direct tip shape measurements were carried out through different AFM
      methods. Comparisons with the standard indirect calibration procedure are also
      reported. For both the indirect calibration procedures a sensitivity and
      convergence study is presented.

PMID- 20306540
TI  - Antifibrillizing agents catalyze the formation of unstable intermediate
      aggregates of beta-amyloid.
AB  - Although Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the extracellular
      deposition of fibrillar aggregates of beta-amyloid (Abeta), transient oligomeric
      species of Abeta are increasingly implicated in the pathogenesis of AD. Natively
      unfolded monomeric Abeta can misfold and progressively assemble into fibrillar
      aggregates, following a well-established "on pathway" seeded-nucleation
      mechanism. Here, we show that three simple saccharides, mannose, sucrose, and
      raffinose, alter Abeta aggregation kinetics and morphology. The saccharides
      inhibit formation of Abeta fibrils but promote formation of various oligomeric
      aggregate species through different "off pathway" aggregation mechanisms at 37
      degrees C but not at 60 degrees C. The various oligomeric Abeta aggregates formed
      when coincubated with the different saccharides are morphologically distinct but
      all are toxic toward SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells, increasing the level of
      toxicity and greatly prolonging toxicity compared with Abeta alone. As a wide
      variety of anti-Abeta aggregation strategies are being actively pursued as
      potential therapeutics for AD, these studies suggest that care must be taken to
      ensure that the therapeutic agents also block toxic oligomeric Abeta assembly as
      well as inhibit fibril formation.

PMID- 20306541
TI  - Transcriptomic responses to sodium chloride-induced osmotic stress: a study of
      industrial fed-batch CHO cell cultures.
AB  - The rapidly expanding market for monoclonal antibody and Fc-fusion-protein
      therapeutics has increased interest in improving the productivity of mammalian
      cell lines, both to alleviate capacity limitations and control the cost of goods.
      In this study, we evaluated the responses of an industrial CHO cell line
      producing an Fc-fusion-protein to hyperosmotic stress, a well-known productivity
      enhancer, and compared them with our previous studies of murine hybridomas (Shen
      and Sharfstein, Biotechnol Bioeng. 2006;93:132-145). In batch culture studies,
      cells showed substantially increased specific productivity in response to
      increased osmolarity as well as significant metabolic changes. However, the final
      titer showed no substantial increase due to the decrease in viable cell density.
      In fed batch cultures, hyperosmolarity slightly repressed the cellular growth
      rate, but no significant change in productivity or final titer was detected. To
      understand the transcriptional responses to increased osmolarity and relate
      changes in gene expression to increased productivity and repressed growth,
      proprietary CHO microarrays were used to monitor the transcription profile
      changes in response to osmotic stress. A set of osmotically regulated genes was
      generated and classified by extracting their annotations and functionalities from
      online databases. The gene list was compared with results previously obtained
      from similar studies of murine-hybridoma cells. The overall transcriptomic
      responses of the two cell lines were rather different, although many functional
      groups were commonly perturbed between them. Building on this study, we
      anticipate that further analysis will establish connections between productivity
      and the expression of specific gene(s), thus allowing rational engineering of
      mammalian cells for higher recombinant-protein productivity.

PMID- 20306542
TI  - Tissue-engineered cartilage of porcine and human origin as in vitro test system
      in arthritis research.
AB  - The increasing prevalence of cartilage destruction during arthritis has entailed
      an intensified amount for in vitro cartilage models to analyze pathophysiological
      processes and to screen for antirheumatic drugs. Tissue engineering offers the
      opportunity to establish highly organized 3D cell cultures facilitating the
      formation of in vitro models that reflect the human situation. We report the
      comparison of porcine chondrocyte pellet and alginate bead cultures as model
      systems for human cartilage and the further development into a human system that
      was applied in an arthritis model. In porcine pellet and alginate cultures,
      formation of cartilage matrix similar to human matrix was verified by histology
      and PCR. As alginate beads could be cultivated batch-wise in one well of a
      multiwell plate, we further developed this setting into a human system. In
      contrast, each pellet had to be cultivated individually in one well of a
      multiwell plate, which is time consuming. Following stimulation of human
      chondrocyte alginate cultures with conditioned media from human synovial
      fibroblasts derived from arthritis patients, microarray analysis verified the
      induction of genes related to cartilage destruction (like MMP10, -12) and
      inflammation (like IL6, -8 and chemokines). Several genes are coding for proteins
      that are members of inflammatory and catabolic pathways. Belonging to the most
      affected pathways, we identified the focal adhesion, cytokine-cytokine receptor
      interaction, ECM-receptor signalling, Jak-STAT signalling, and toll-like receptor
      signalling pathways, all relevant in arthritis. Therefore, we demonstrate that
      engineered cartilage of porcine and human origin represents a powerful in vitro
      model for cartilage in vivo.

PMID- 20306543
TI  - Imatinib dose escalation in 74 failure or suboptimal response chronic myeloid
      leukaemia patients at 3-year follow-up.

PMID- 20306544
TI  - Kaplan-Meier method is inappropriate for estimating cumulative incidence of graft
      versus-host disease in the presence of competing events.

PMID- 20306545
TI  - Half metallic properties of LaSrVMoO6.
AB  - The recent synthesized LaSrVMoO(6) was speculated to be compensated half metal,
      i.e., half metal with zero magnetic moment. Based on the experimental structure,
      our first principles study indicates that it is ferrimagnetic and half metallic
      with the magnetic moment 2.0 microB when the electron correlation of Mo 4d
      electrons is larger than 2.72 eV. This indicates the strong electron correlation
      effect of Mo 4d electrons. Nonetheless, the obtained large magnetic moment (2.0
      microB) contradicts with the experimental observed nearly zero magnetic moment.
      Although the large antisite defects of the experimental sample might be the
      reason to reduce the saturated magnetic moment, further physical insights need to
      be investigated. The spin-orbit coupling effect has minor effect on the studied
      properties.

PMID- 20306546
TI  - A flexible class of models for data arising from a 'thorough QT/QTc study'.
AB  - The standard methods for analyzing data arising from a 'thorough QT/QTc study'
      are based on multivariate normal models with common variance structure for both
      drug and placebo. Such modeling assumptions may be violated and when the sample
      sizes are small, the statistical inference can be sensitive to such stringent
      assumptions. This article proposes a flexible class of parametric models to
      address the above-mentioned limitations of the currently used models. A Bayesian
      methodology is used for data analysis and models are compared using the deviance
      information criteria. Superior performance of the proposed models over the
      current models is illustrated through a real dataset obtained from a
      GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) conducted 'thorough QT/QTc study'.

PMID- 20306547
TI  - A case study evaluation of ethics review systems for multicentre clinical trials.

PMID- 20306548
TI  - A case study evaluation of ethics review systems for multicentre clinical trials.

PMID- 20306549
TI  - Winds of change: growing demands for transparency in the relationship between
      doctors and the pharmaceutical industry.

PMID- 20306550
TI  - Making cars and making health care: a critical review.

PMID- 20306551
TI  - Towards more consistent use of generic quality-of-life instruments.

PMID- 20306552
TI  - Images. When pancreas and aorta mix-critical limb ischaemia, abdominal mass, and
      aortic compression.

PMID- 20306555
TI  - Significantly diminished long-term specificity of the BED capture enzyme
      immunoassay among patients with HIV-1 with very low CD4 counts and those on
      antiretroviral therapy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate the proportion who test as recent infections by the BED
      capture enzyme immunoassay (BED) among patients about to commence, and those
      receiving, antiretroviral therapy. DESIGN: Cryopreserved plasma samples from HIV
      patients on the national antiretroviral treatment (ART) rollout program at
      Tygerberg Hospital HIV clinic, South Africa, were tested using the BED assay.
      PARTICIPANTS: Five hundred five patients qualifying for ART were included in this
      study. METHOD: All plasma samples from each patient were tested by BED. Basic
      demographic data, HIV-1 viral load, and CD4 count results were obtained from the
      laboratory database. MAIN OUTCOME: The proportion presenting as false recently
      infected is reported. RESULTS: Among patients, with presumed long-term HIV-1
      infections, about to commence ART, 11.2% [95% confidence interval (CI): 8.3 to
      14.5%] tested recent by BED. The proportion was higher among patients with CD4
      counts < 50 cells per microliter [odds ratio 2.63, 95% CI: 1.39 to 5.00] and
      log10 HIV-1 viral load less than 4 [odds ratio 3.03, 95% CI: 1.05 to 9.09].
      Proportions testing false recent increased from 11.2% before ART to 17%, 25%,
      38%, and 56% at 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 years, respectively, after ART initiation.
      CONCLUSIONS: If the BED method is to be used for the accurate estimation of HIV
      incidence from cross-sectional surveys, it will be essential, before other
      statistical adjustment methods, to identify, at least, all cases who are on ART
      and all those with CD4 counts < 50 cells per microliter. The more general
      remaining problem is the unequivocal identification of all persons with long-term
      HIV infections.

PMID- 20306556
TI  - Abstracts of the 30th European Workshop for Rheumatology Research, 4-7 March
      2010, Bamberg, Germany.

PMID- 20306554
TI  - Long-term efficacy and safety of the HIV integrase inhibitor raltegravir in
      patients with limited treatment options in a Phase II study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Raltegravir in combination therapy has demonstrated potent
      suppression of HIV-1 with a favorable safety profile. This report provides 96
      week efficacy and safety data from Protocol 005, a Phase II study. METHODS: HIV
      infected patients with very limited treatment options and failing antiretroviral
      therapy were randomized to raltegravir 200, 400, or 600 mg or placebo b.i.d.,
      plus optimized background therapy for >or=24 weeks; all patients were then
      offered open-label raltegravir 400 mg b.i.d. Efficacy measurements included
      changes in viral load and CD4 count from baseline and percent of patients with
      HIV-1 RNA <400 and <50 copies/mL. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty-three patients
      received raltegravir and 45 received placebo. No dose-dependent differentiation
      in the safety or antiviral activity of raltegravir was observed during the double
      blind phase. For the combined raltegravir groups, mean change in viral load from
      baseline was -1.60 log10 copies/mL at week 48 and -1.38 log10 copies/mL at week
      96 (observed failure approach). At week 48, HIV-1 RNA levels were <400 copies/mL
      in 68% of raltegravir recipients and <50 copies/mL in 55%; these levels were
      maintained in 55% and 48% of raltegravir recipients, respectively, at week 96
      (noncompleter = failure). There were few discontinuations of raltegravir (4%) due
      to adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with limited treatment options,
      raltegravir with OBT had a potent and sustained antiretroviral effect and was
      generally well tolerated through 96 weeks.

PMID- 20306557
TI  - Leaning on advice.

PMID- 20306558
TI  - The missing climate change policy.
AB  - Affluent western individuals are increasingly fretting about the carbon dioxide
      emissions from their lifestyle and energy use but one key issue, having fewer
      children, is little considered. Nigel Williams reports.

PMID- 20306559
TI  - Stuart Pimm.

PMID- 20306560
TI  - Movies for use in public   health training: a pilot   method for movie selection 
      and initial results.

PMID- 20306561
TI  - International accreditation   process at a Latin American   medical school: a 10
      year   experience.

PMID- 20306562
TI  - A temporary tattoo to   simulate inflicted skin injury   from child abuse.

PMID- 20306563
TI  - Teaching of gross anatomy   for students of medicine by   mind map-based power  
      point slides.

PMID- 20306564
TI  - Intimate partner violence (IPV). Editor's introduction.

PMID- 20306565
TI  - Can persons with dementia be engaged with stimuli?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine which stimuli are 1) most engaging 2) most often refused
      by nursing home residents with dementia, and 3) most appropriate for persons who
      are more difficult to engage with stimuli. METHODS: Participants were 193
      residents of seven Maryland nursing homes. All participants had a diagnosis of
      dementia. Stimulus engagement was assessed by the Observational Measure of
      Engagement. RESULTS: The most engaging stimuli were one-on-one socializing with a
      research assistant, a real baby, personalized stimuli based on the person's self
      identity, a lifelike doll, a respite video, and envelopes to stamp. Refusal of
      stimuli was higher among those with higher levels of cognitive function and
      related to the stimulus' social appropriateness. Women showed more attention and
      had more positive attitudes for live social stimuli, simulated social stimuli,
      and artistic tasks than did men. Persons with comparatively higher levels of
      cognitive functioning were more likely to be engaged in manipulative and work
      tasks, whereas those with low levels of cognitive functioning spent relatively
      more time responding to social stimuli. The most effective stimuli did not differ
      for those most likely to be engaged and those least likely to be engaged.
      CONCLUSION: Nursing homes should consider both having engagement stimuli readily
      available to residents with dementia, and implementing a socialization schedule
      so that residents receive one-on-one interaction. Understanding the relationship
      among type of stimulus, cognitive function, and acceptance, attention, and
      attitude toward the stimuli can enable caregivers to maximize the desired benefit
      for persons with dementia.

PMID- 20306566
TI  - Reliability and validity of an algorithm for the diagnosis of normal cognition,
      mild cognitive impairment, and dementia: implications for multicenter research
      studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The traditional consensus diagnosis (ConsDx) of normal cognition,
      mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia relies on the reconciliation of an
      informant-based report of cognitive and functional impairment by a physician
      diagnosis (PhyDx), and a neuropsychological diagnosis (NPDx). As this procedure
      may be labor intensive and influenced by the philosophy and biases of a
      clinician, the diagnostic algorithm (AlgDx) was developed to identify individuals
      as cognitively normal, with MCI, or dementia. METHODS: The AlgDx combines the
      PhyDx with the NPDx, using a diagnostic algorithm that provides cognitive
      diagnoses, as defined by the National Alzheimer Coordinating Center/Uniform Data
      Set nomenclature. Reliability of the AlgDx was assessed in 532 community-dwelling
      elderly subjects by its concordance with the ConsDx and association with two
      biomarkers, medial temporal atrophy (MTA) scores of brain magnetic resonance
      imaging scans, and Apolipoprotein E (ApoE)-epsilon4 genotype. RESULTS: A high
      degree of concordance was observed between ConsDx and AlgDx with a weighted
      Cohen's kappa of 0.84. Concordance of the AlgDx to the same ConsDx categories
      ranged from 85% to 92%. Excellent discriminative validity was observed using
      AlgDx, MTA scores, and ApoE-epsilon4 allele frequencies, each of which
      distinguished subjects with amnestic MCI and dementia from normal subjects.
      CONCLUSION: The AlgDx of normal cognition, MCI, and dementia is a valid
      alternative that reduces time, effort, and biases associated with the ConsDx. The
      inherent reliability of a fixed algorithm, together with its efficiency and
      avoidance of individual bias, suggests the AlgDx may be used in longitudinal,
      multisite clinical trials, and population studies of MCI and dementia.

PMID- 20306567
TI  - Synergistic antifibrotic effect of verapamil and interferon-gamma in rats:
      partially based on enhanced verapamil oral bioavailability.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the synergistic
      antifibrotic effect of verapamil and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) on rat liver
      fibrosis and its potential pharmacokinetic-based mechanism. METHODS: Rat liver
      fibrosis model was successfully established, and both the therapeutic effects and
      pharmacokinetic parameters of verapamil were evaluated after the administration
      of verapamil with or without IFN-gamma. The activities of cytochrome P450 3A
      (CYP3A) and the expression of multidrug resistance (Mdr) mRNA were measured in
      liver and small intestine. RESULTS: The results showed the synergistic
      antifibrotic effect of verapamil and IFN-gamma in rat liver fibrosis, in terms of
      decreased serum L-alanine aminotransferase activity and liver hydroxyproline
      content and improved liver histopathology, when compared with rats treated with
      verapamil or IFN-gamma alone. Meanwhile, the area under the curve of verapamil
      increased significantly after single administration of verapamil and IFN-gamma
      and the concentration of verapamil in plasma increased, but the metabolite :
      parent ratio of verapamil decreased after consecutive administrations of
      verapamil and IFN-gamma. Furthermore, the activities of CYP3A in both the liver
      and the small intestine and the expression of Mdr in small intestine decreased in
      rats treated with verapamil and IFN-gamma. CONCLUSION: All these results
      indicated that the combination of verapamil and IFN-gamma exerts a synergistic
      antifibrotic effect on rat liver fibrosis. The mechanism was partially based on
      the enhanced oral bioavailability of verapamil by increasing the intestinal
      absorption as well as reducing the first-pass metabolism, through inhibition of
      CYP3A activity and P-glycoprotein expression by IFN-gamma

PMID- 20306568
TI  - Subfulminant hepatitis B during treatment with adalimumab  in a patient with
      rheumatoid arthritis and chronic hepatitis B.
AB  - We report a case of reactivation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection with
      subacute liver failure during administration of adalimumab, followed by a
      literature review of all 19 published cases, with a focus on the effect of
      antiviral prophylaxis. Eight patients were given prophylaxis and had a good
      outcome. Of the 11 patients without prophylaxis, six patients developed a
      reactivation and needed to stop anti-TNFalpha therapy (P = 0.017). One patient
      developed an acute liver failure, necessitating urgent liver transplantation. One
      patient died. Administration of anti-TNFalpha therapy can lead to HBV
      reactivation, with a possible lethal outcome. High-risk patients and possibly all
      patients should be screened for hepatitis B surface antigen and anti-HBV core
      antibody before starting anti-TNFalpha therapy. Administration of antiviral
      prophylaxis proves beneficial in prevention of reactivation in hepatitis B
      surface antigen positive patients.

PMID- 20306569
TI  - Premedication with oral midazolam with or without   parental presence.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to investigate whether the
      combination of low-dose (0.25 mg kg(-1)) midazolam premedication with parental
      presence can effectively reduce anxiety at induction as well as provide a
      smoother emergence. METHODS: Institutional ethics committee approval and informed
      consent from one of the parents were obtained prior to the study. Sixty ASA grade
      I or II children undergoing surgery were enrolled in the study. Children were
      randomized to receive either 0.5 mg kg(-1) midazolam orally (group M) or 0.25 mg
      kg(-1) midazolam orally with parental presence (group MP) or parental presence
      alone (group P). The child's anxiety and sedation scores were evaluated as 1-4
      points on the Anxiety Scale and as 0-4 points on the University of Michigan
      Sedation Scale (UMSS), respectively, at the entrance to the operating room and
      for tolerance to the face mask. Heart rate, the mean arterial blood pressure and
      O2 saturation (%) were assessed at repeated intervals before and after induction.
      At the end of surgery, the child's Anxiety Scale score, UMSS score, Observer's
      Pain Scale (OPS) score and FLACC score were also assessed. RESULTS: There were no
      differences between groups in demographic variables and duration of surgery or
      anaesthesia. Mean blood pressure changes were similar between groups at measured
      intervals, but the heart rate was higher in group M before and after induction of
      anaesthesia (P<0.05). UMSS score was greater in both midazolam groups (groups M
      and MP) in the preoperative period (P<0.05). Anxiety Scale scores for anxiolysis
      were higher in groups M and MP than in group P (less anxious and more sedated) at
      20 min after premedication, at the entrance to the operating room and at mask
      tolerance time points (P<0.05). During recovery there was no significant
      difference in sedation, recovery scores or behavioural anxiety assessment between
      groups, Anxiety Scale score, UMSS score, FLACC score, Visual Analog Scale (VAS)
      score and Observer's Pain Scale score in groups MP, M and P. CONCLUSION:
      Preoperative administration of midazolam 0.5 mg kg(-1) for premedication alone,
      without parental presence at induction, and that of low-dose midazolam 0.25 mg
      kg(-1) for premedication with parental presence at induction are both equally
      effective in reducing separation anxiety and providing a smooth emergence.
      However, parental presence alone, without midazolam for premedication, is not an
      adequate approach for this outcome. If the environment for parental presence is
      convenient, the dose of midazolam may be reduced and induction and emergence
      conditions may still be of high quality.

PMID- 20306570
TI  - Lateral Intracanalicular growth of vestibular schwannomas and surgical planning.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the lateral growth pattern in adult patients with growing
      sporadic vestibular schwannomas (VSs) and to decide if repeat imaging is always
      necessary immediately preoperatively when determining the route of access for
      microsurgical excision. PATIENTS: Adults identified as having VS growth from
      serial scanning (3 scans per patient) between 1994 and 2007 in a single referral
      center. Neurofibromatosis Type 2 patients and those with tumor growth already to
      the fundus of the internal auditory canal were excluded. INTERVENTION:
      Retrospective review of serial imaging. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Lateral growth (in
      millimeters) in the internal auditory canal. RESULTS: Thirty subjects were
      identified who had continued serial imaging after documented growth, of whom 26
      (87%)showed no lateral growth and 4 (13%) showed growth of 1 mm.This was
      determined over a median time period of 26 months(interquartile range, 20Y36.5
      mo). The time frame between the second and third scans looked at the period of
      continued observation in this group of subjects in whom known previous tumor
      growth had occurred, which was 13 months (interquartile range, 9.25Y16.75 mo),
      and this is the most reliable time frame upon which a practice-changing decision
      regarding repeat scanning can be made from these data. CONCLUSION: Sporadic VSs
      that are documented to be growing on serial imaging do not seem to grow to any
      significant degree in a lateral direction within the internal auditory canal.The
      results imply that scans performed within a year of any surgical intervention
      need not be repeated to assess concerns of any further lateral growth while
      accepting that repeat imaging may be required for other clinical reasons. Key
      Words:Internal auditory canal

PMID- 20306571
TI  - Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among immigrants to South Dakota.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Vitamin D deficiency is gaining increased attention nationally.
      Recent clinical cases suggest that this condition is a significant problem in
      local refugee populations. The Sioux Falls Health Department recently implemented
      a policy of screening and treating all new refugees as part of the new refugee
      examinations at Falls Community Health Center. METHODS: Data from this screening
      during the first nine months of 2009 were reviewed and analyzed for prevalence of
      hypovitaminosis D in this population. Results from a total of 157 individuals
      were included in this study. RESULTS: Two percent of this population had initial
      calcidiol levels below the detection threshold. Six percent were severely
      deficient, defined as <15 ng/mL, and 58 percent were mildly deficient (15-32
      ng/mL). Only 36 percent had levels above 32 ng/mL, considered adequate for bone
      health, with a mere 1 percent showing optimal levels of > 50 ng/mL. CONCLUSIONS:
      Hypovitaminosis D represents a significant public health issue among recent
      immigrants in Minnehaha County, S.D., and warrants aggressive attention by both
      primary care and public health professionals.

PMID- 20306572
TI  - Quality focus: physicians remain the foundation of health improvement.

PMID- 20306573
TI  - NY: failure to follow-up with timely CT scans: RN fails to notify pt. of need for
      follow-up scans.

PMID- 20306574
TI  - CA: np testified as to welts in child abuse case: abusive mother lost custody of
      children.

PMID- 20306575
TI  - Flawed logic.

PMID- 20306576
TI  - Purification and characterization of a barley aleurone abscisic acid-binding
      protein.

PMID- 20306577
TI  - Ransom for rainforests.

PMID- 20306578
TI  - New biofuel questions.

PMID- 20306579
TI  - Butterfly effect.

PMID- 20306580
TI  - [A decent proposal].

PMID- 20306581
TI  - [Prevention and diagnosis of HIV in infants].

PMID- 20306582
TI  - [Editorial comment on: Health and quality of life in urology: issues in general
      urology and urological oncology].

PMID- 20306583
TI  - [Editorial comment on: Outcomes of maximal androgen blockade in prostate cancer
      patients at a health area with type 2 reference hospital. Part 2. Quality of
      life: application of EORTC QLQ-PR25 instrument and global results. Quality-of
      life adjusted survival. Pharmaceutical expenses and cost-utility].

PMID- 20306584
TI  - [Editorial comment on: SolidFlex--the fourth generation in endoscopy].

PMID- 20306586
TI  - Hand amputation at sea: comment re: successful hand replantation in a seafarer
      after long-distance helicopter evacuation. A case report.

PMID- 20306585
TI  - Some thoughts on the history of race and health in the United States of America.

PMID- 20306587
TI  - A medical mission to Swaziland, part 2.

PMID- 20306588
TI  - Mahatma Gandhi and the Anglo-Boer War.

PMID- 20306589
TI  - Rhabdomyosarcoma metastatic paratesticular.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To report one case of metastatic paratesticular rhabdomyosarcoma in a
      14 years old patient, classified as stage IIb (IRSG). METHODS: After treatment
      with radical surgery (orchiectomy and lymphadenectomy), polychemotherapy and
      radiotherapy, showed good evolution initially. RESULTS: 12 months after surgery
      the patient is disease free. CONCLUSIONS: Adjuvant treatment is very important in
      the prognosis of this kind of tumors.

PMID- 20306590
TI  - X-raying human origins: Dragutin Gorjanovic-Kramberger and the first application
      of radiography in palaeoanthropology.

PMID- 20306591
TI  - Metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the penis.

PMID- 20306592
TI  - A medical mission to Swaziland, part 3.

PMID- 20306593
TI  - [Prostatic-rectal fistula after trasurethral resection of the prostate].

PMID- 20306594
TI  - Medicine and war -- Josep Trueta (1897-1977).

PMID- 20306595
TI  - Musician's maladies -- George Frideric Handel (1685-1759).

PMID- 20306596
TI  - Musicians' maladies -- the curse of the Mendelssohns.

PMID- 20306597
TI  - The introduction of Rontgen Rays and radiography into South Africa in 1896.

PMID- 20306598
TI  - Guest editors' introduction to the special section on Shape Analysis and Its
      Applications in Image Understanding.

PMID- 20306599
TI  - War and medicine -- Sir Edward "Weary" Dunlop (1907-1993).

PMID- 20306600
TI  - A pill problem: prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing form of substance
      abuse.

PMID- 20306601
TI  - Crime and treatment: overcrowded prisons and addicted inmates are a tough
      challenge for lawmakers.

PMID- 20306602
TI  - [Editorial comment on: Use of absorbable gelatin sponge as an adjunct to "totally
      tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotomy"].

PMID- 20306603
TI  - The development of neuroscience through the centuries, part 1.

PMID- 20306604
TI  - Medicine and music: Borodin and Liszt: a medico-musical friendship.

PMID- 20306605
TI  - Giants and dwarfs in the Bible.

PMID- 20306607
TI  - The development of neuroscience through the centuries: part 2.

PMID- 20306606
TI  - Women in medicine: Virginia Apgar (1909-1974).

PMID- 20306608
TI  - [Screening of ADAMs that can mediate the generation of soluble MHC I].
AB  - AIM: To screen ADAMs that can mediate the generation of soluble MHCI using HEK293
      cells are study model. METHODS: ADAM8, ADAM10, ADAM15 or ADAM17 cDNA expressing
      vector s were separately constructed with pcDNA3. 1/V5 as vectors and were
      transfected into HEK293 cells. Hygromycin B was used to screen the cells that
      stably expressed ADAMs. After HEK293 cells were sell-surface labeled with biotin
      and cultured for another 4 h and soluble MHC I the was examined by SDS-PAGE,
      Western blot and enhanced chemiluminescence. RESULTS: HEK293 cells stably
      expressing ADAMs were successfully obtained and the over-expression of ADAM10 or
      ADAM17 increased the release of soluble MHC I. CONCLUSION: ADAM10 and ADAM17 have
      the potentials of mediating the generation of soluble MHC I.

PMID- 20306609
TI  - Introduction to fantastic anthropology.

PMID- 20306610
TI  - Women in medicine: Maude Abbott (1869-1940).

PMID- 20306611
TI  - Self-advocacy: an essential skill.

PMID- 20306612
TI  - Evidence-based advocacy: using Photovoice to identify barriers and facilitators
      to community participation after spinal cord injury.
AB  - People with spinal cord injury (SCI) face many environmental barriers to
      community participation. In this article, a community-based participatory
      research (CBPR) project that implemented the Photovoice method with 10
      individuals with SCI to gather evidence of the environmental factors affecting
      their participation in the community in and around Charleston, SC, is described.
      The specific aim of this project was to use Photovoice to create an evidence base
      of environmental barriers and facilitators to community participation through
      analysis of data based on the World Health Organization's International
      Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health taxonomy of environmental
      factors. Barriers and facilitators were most frequently photographed in the built
      environment. The participants have started to share their evidence of issues
      affecting citizens with disabilities with the public and policy makers. The
      results of this project illustrate that Photovoice is effective in empowering
      individuals with SCI to address environmental factors affecting their community
      participation.

PMID- 20306613
TI  - Palliative or hospice care? Understanding the similarities and differences.
AB  - With advances in health care and medical technology, the focus of medical care
      has been on curing. As people live longer, the possibility of experiencing
      chronic and life-limiting disease not only increases but also spurs the ethical
      question "Is length of life or quality of life most important?" Palliative care
      may be confused with hospice care, as both focus on symptom management and
      improved quality of life for those with chronic life-limiting disease. A better
      understanding of each healthcare option is needed for appropriate and timely
      patient referral. The purpose of this article is to identify the similarities and
      differences between these two options, clarify when referral is appropriate for
      hospice or palliative care services, and discuss the nurse's role in caring for
      patients with chronic disease.

PMID- 20306614
TI  - Effects of a skin rehabilitation nursing program on skin status, depression, and
      burn-specific health in burn survivors.
AB  - The objective of this study was to identify the effects of a skin rehabilitation
      nursing program (SRNP) on skin status, depression, and burn-specific health in
      Korean burn survivors. A pretest-posttest design with a nonequivalent control
      group was used to examine the effects of SRNP for 3 months in a group of 26 burn
      survivors. The SRNP group of 13 burn survivors received massage therapy 30
      minutes three times a week for 3 months compared to a control group of 13 burn
      survivors receiving typical care. The SRNP group showed no significant changes in
      the burn scar, subjective skin status, depression, or burn-specific health. Burn
      survivors receiving SRNP had reduced burn scar depth after the intervention
      compared to the control group. The findings of this study demonstrate that SRNP
      for burn survivors may improve burn scars, and findings suggest that future
      studies with a larger sample should be conducted using SRNP as an intervention
      for burn survivors.

PMID- 20306615
TI  - Incorporating bedside reporting into change-of-shift report.
AB  - Communication failures during shift reports are a leading cause of sentinel
      events in the United States. Providing adequate information during change-of
      shift reporting is essential to promoting patient safety. In addition, patients
      want to be more involved in decisions regarding their plan of care. The purpose
      of the article is to discuss how a stroke rehabilitation unit was able to
      implement bedside change-of-shift reporting to meet both of these goals.

PMID- 20306616
TI  - Rheumatoid arthritis: coping with disability.
AB  - This article explains the components of disability as related to rheumatoid
      arthritis (RA) using an expansion of Nagi's Model of Disability (Jette, 2006) and
      the World Health Organization's (WHO) International Classification of
      Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF). In addition, suggestions for ways in
      which nurses can offer patients choices in physical functional therapy and
      psychosocial aspects of coping with the chronicity of RA are discussed.
      Understanding how RA relates to the holistic management of the patient will allow
      nurses to modify and suggest additional measures to enhance the outcomes of
      patient-centered care. Many degrees of disability exist that affect the physical
      and psychosocial domains of RA. Nurses should identify the primary issues
      influencing disability and assemble supporting resources or a multidisciplinary
      team to manage a person's disabilities. As nurses develop and maintain
      relationships with patients, they are able to follow through with the care plan
      continuum and recognize when modifications are needed.

PMID- 20306617
TI  - Efficacy of combined oral-intravesical oxybutynin hydrochloride treatment for
      patients with overactive detrusors and indwelling urethral catheters.
AB  - The purpose of this article is to investigate the efficacy of intravesical
      oxybutynin hydrochloride (OH) to treat patients with overactive detrusors who are
      unresponsive to oral anticholinergic therapy alone. Twenty-five patients who were
      treated with oral OH for overactive detrusor (but who did not respond to
      treatment and were using indwelling urethral catheters) were given intravesical
      OH without changing oral treatment. Pre- and posttreatment bladder capacities
      were compared in urodynamic studies. The study showed that positive clinical
      results can be achieved with combined oral and intravesical OH treatments in
      patients with overactive detrusors who had indwelling urethral catheters because
      of severely reduced bladder capacity. However, a significant number of patients
      discontinued this treatment because of infection and difficulty in performing the
      procedure. Clinicians and rehabilitation nurses should provide education and
      support to eliminate these problems. In addition, the development of single-use
      standard sterile OH preparations for intravesical applications may increase the
      efficacy of the method.

PMID- 20306618
TI  - Working smarter...not harder.

PMID- 20306619
TI  - The best of times or the worst of times.

PMID- 20306620
TI  - Severe falciparum malaria: a case report.

PMID- 20306621
TI  - Question: does beta-blocker therapy improve outcomes in patients with congestive
      heart failure with normal left ventricular function (diastolic dysfunction)?

PMID- 20306622
TI  - Developmental disorders of language and literacy: special issue.
AB  - Language and literacy are cognitive skills of exceptional complexity. It is
      therefore not surprising that they are at risk of impairment either during
      development or as a result of damage (e.g. stroke) later in life. Impaired
      language and literacy can arise from a general learning impairment. However, two
      developmental disorders, specific language impairment (SLI) and dyslexia, which
      affect oral and written language, respectively, are 'specific' in that they are
      not part of a more general learning difficulty. SLI and dyslexia each affect 5
      10% of the general population, and they are the focus of the papers in this
      special issue.

PMID- 20306623
TI  - Towards a further characterization of phonological and literacy problems in Dutch
      speaking children with dyslexia.
AB  - This longitudinal study examined the development of phonology and literacy in
      Dutch-speaking children at family risk of dyslexia and in matched controls.
      Measures were administered in kindergarten (before the start of formal reading
      instruction), in first and in third grade. Children, diagnosed with dyslexia in
      third grade, showed impaired phonological awareness (PA), verbal short-term
      memory, and rapid automatic naming ability (RAN) at all time points, with the
      deficit in PA aggravating over time. These children also performed more poorly in
      letter knowledge, word and nonword reading accuracy and speed, and spelling at
      each time point. Children at family risk of dyslexia who did not fulfil criteria
      for dyslexia, scored more poorly than low-risk controls on the literacy and
      phonological measures that required the most fine-grained phonological
      representations. This suggests that the family risk of dyslexia is continuous
      rather than discrete. Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that PA and
      RAN were initially the most important instigators of reading accuracy and reading
      speed, respectively. After 2 years of reading instruction, only RAN predicted
      reading speed and accuracy. Letter knowledge, reading accuracy, and reading speed
      also contributed to the development of PA.

PMID- 20306624
TI  - Identifying specific language impairment in deaf children acquiring British Sign
      Language: implications for theory and practice.
AB  - This paper presents the first ever group study of specific language impairment
      (SLI) in users of sign language. A group of 50 children were referred to the
      study by teachers and speech and language therapists. Individuals who fitted pre
      determined criteria for SLI were then systematically assessed. Here, we describe
      in detail the performance of 13 signing deaf children aged 5-14 years on normed
      tests of British Sign Language (BSL) sentence comprehension, repetition of
      nonsense signs, expressive grammar and narrative skills, alongside tests of non
      verbal intelligence and fine motor control. Results show these children to have a
      significant language delay compared to their peers matched for age and language
      experience. This impaired development cannot be explained by poor exposure to
      BSL, or by lower general cognitive, social, or motor abilities. As is the case
      for SLI in spoken languages, we find heterogeneity within the group in terms of
      which aspects of language are affected and the severity of the impairment. We
      discuss the implications of the existence of language impairments in a sign
      language for theories of SLI and clinical practice.

PMID- 20306625
TI  - Gesture production and comprehension in children with specific language
      impairment.
AB  - Children with specific language impairment (SLI) have difficulties with spoken
      language. However, some recent research suggests that these impairments reflect
      underlying cognitive limitations. Studying gesture may inform us clinically and
      theoretically about the nature of the association between language and cognition.
      A total of 20 children with SLI and 19 typically developing (TD) peers were
      assessed on a novel measure of gesture production. Children were also assessed
      for sentence comprehension errors in a speech-gesture integration task. Children
      with SLI performed equally to peers on gesture production but performed less well
      when comprehending integrated speech and gesture. Error patterns revealed a
      significant group interaction: children with SLI made more gesture-based errors,
      whilst TD children made semantically based ones. Children with SLI accessed and
      produced lexically encoded gestures despite having impaired spoken vocabulary and
      this group also showed stronger associations between gesture and language than TD
      children. When SLI comprehension breaks down, gesture may be relied on over
      speech, whilst TD children have a preference for spoken cues. The findings
      suggest that for children with SLI, gesture scaffolds are still more related to
      language development than for TD peers who have out-grown earlier reliance on
      gestures. Future clinical implications may include standardized assessment of
      symbolic gesture and classroom based gesture support for clinical groups.

PMID- 20306626
TI  - Deductive reasoning in children with specific language impairment.
AB  - The diagnosis of specific language impairment (SLI) requires non-verbal ability
      to be in the normal range, but little is known regarding the extent to which
      general reasoning skills are preserved during development. A total of 122
      children were tested; 40 SLI, 42 age-matched controls, and 40 younger language
      matched controls. Deductive reasoning tasks were given in both verbal and
      pictorial presentation types, namely the relational inference task and the
      reduced array selection task (RAST). Pictorial presentation facilitated all
      groups for all tasks equally. For the relational inference task, SLI performance
      was below both age and language matches. For the RAST, contextual information
      facilitated all groups equally. SLI performance was intermediate between age and
      language matches. It is concluded that the non-verbal versus verbal distinction
      is a complex one and that non-verbal reasoning can draw upon linguistic
      processes. It is also suggested that SLI reasoning depends upon precise task
      demands, here the need to sequence information in working memory, and the need
      for explicit reasoning with conditional rules. Reasoning processes may not be
      equivalent to normally developing children, even when tasks appear non-verbal.

PMID- 20306627
TI  - Phonological awareness and mathematical difficulty: a longitudinal perspective.
AB  - The present longitudinal study sought to investigate the impact of poor phonology
      on children's mathematical status. From a screening sample of 256 five-year-olds,
      82 children were identified as either typically achieving (TA; N = 31), having
      comorbid poor phonology and mathematical difficulties (PDMD; N = 31), or having
      only poor phonology (phonological difficulty, PD; N = 20). Children were assessed
      on eight components of informal and formal mathematics achievement at ages 5-7
      years. PD children were found to have significant impairments in some, mainly
      formal, components of mathematics by age 7 compared to TA children. Analysis also
      revealed that, by age 7, approximately half of the PD children met the criteria
      for PDMD, while the remainder exhibited less severe deficits in some components
      of formal mathematics. Children's mathematical performance at age 5, however, did
      not predict which PD children were more likely to become PDMD at age 7, nor did
      they differ in terms of phonological awareness at age 5. However, those PD
      children who later became PDMD had lower scores on verbal and non-verbal tests of
      general ability.

PMID- 20306628
TI  - Growth of reading skills in children with a history of specific language
      impairment: the role of autistic symptomatology and language-related abilities.
AB  - Individuals with a history of specific language impairment (SLI) often have
      subsequent problems with reading skills, but there have been some discrepant
      findings as to the developmental time course of these skills. This study
      investigates the developmental trajectories of reading skills over a 9-year time
      span (from 7 to 16 years of age) in a large sample of individuals with a history
      of SLI. Relationships among reading skills, autistic symptomatology, and language
      related abilities were also investigated. The results indicate that both reading
      accuracy and comprehension are deficient but that the development of these skills
      progresses in a consistently parallel fashion to what would be expected from a
      normative sample of same age peers. Language-related abilities were strongly
      associated with reading skills. Unlike individuals with SLI only, those with SLI
      and additional autistic symptomatology had adequate reading accuracy but did not
      differ from the individuals with SLI only in reading comprehension. They
      exhibited a significant gap between what they could read and what they could
      understand when reading. These findings provide strong evidence that individuals
      with SLI experience continued, long-term deficits in reading skills from
      childhood to adolescence.

PMID- 20306629
TI  - Do tasks make a difference? Accounting for heterogeneity of performance of
      children with reading difficulties on tasks of executive function: findings from
      a meta-analysis.
AB  - Research studies have implicated executive functions in reading difficulties
      (RD). But while some studies have found children with RD to be impaired on tasks
      of executive function other studies report unimpaired performance. A meta
      analysis was carried out to determine whether these discrepant findings can be
      accounted for by differences in the tasks of executive function that are
      utilized. A total of 48 studies comparing the performance on tasks of executive
      function of children with RD with their typically developing peers were included
      in the meta-analysis, yielding 180 effect sizes. An overall effect size of 0.57
      (SE .03) was obtained, indicating that children with RD have impairments on tasks
      of executive function. However, effect sizes varied considerably suggesting that
      the impairment is not uniform. Moderator analysis revealed that task modality and
      IQ-achievement discrepancy definitions of RD influenced the magnitude of effect;
      however, the age and gender of participants and the nature of the RD did not have
      an influence. While the children's RD were associated with executive function
      impairments, variation in effect size is a product of the assessment task
      employed, underlying task demands, and definitional criteria.

PMID- 20306630
TI  - Non-word repetition in Dutch-speaking children with specific language impairment
      with and without reading problems.
AB  - Recently, English studies have shown a relationship between non-word repetition
      (NWR) and the presence of reading problems (RP). Children with specific language
      impairment (SLI) but without RP performed similarly to their typically developing
      (TD) peers, whereas children with SLI and RP performed significantly worse on an
      NWR task. The current study was undertaken to investigate whether this difference
      in NWR performance is also found in a language with a transparent orthography-
      Dutch. The study included 15 TD children and 29 children with SLI. All children
      performed an NWR task that included non-words of 2-5 syllables in length.
      Children with SLI - RP (N = 11) did not differ on any of the four conditions from
      the TD group, whereas the children with SLI + RP (N = 18) scored more poorly on
      the 3-, 4-, and 5-syllable items compared to the TD group. NWR performance was
      significantly poorer on the 3- and 4-syllable conditions for children with SLI +
      RP compared to SLI - RP. To conclude, NWR is specifically affected in children
      with SLI + RP who are learning to read and write in a transparent orthography.
      Our data underline the dependency relation between literacy development and NWR
      performance in children with SLI.

PMID- 20306631
TI  - Production and comprehension of pronouns by Greek children with specific language
      impairment.
AB  - This study contributes to the characterization of the deficit in specific
      language impairment (SLI) by investigating whether deficits in the production and
      comprehension of pronouns in Greek children with SLI are best accounted for by
      domain-general or domain-specific models of the language faculty. The Greek
      pronominal system distinguishes between acoustically salient and non-salient
      forms, which are both interpreted on semantic/thematic grounds, and non-salient
      forms (object clitics) interpreted on syntactic grounds either in spec-head
      agreement or syntactic dependencies incurring feature checking through
      movement/chain formation. The results revealed a significant effect of the
      syntactic configuration on the production and comprehension of object clitics.
      Children with SLI were significantly impaired in the production and comprehension
      of those clitics that enter into operations necessitated by complex syntactic
      dependencies involving feature checking through movement/chain formation. Thus,
      the data support the computational grammatical complexity hypothesis and indicate
      that the deficits associated with object clitics in Greek-speaking children with
      SLI result from domain-specific impairment with syntactic dependencies incurring
      feature checking at the clause level involving movement/chain formation.

PMID- 20306632
TI  - Interesting mix of articles reflecting ongoing research areas in leprosy.

PMID- 20306633
TI  - Leprosy global statistics: beware of traps.

PMID- 20306634
TI  - Enhanced global strategy for further reducing the disease burden due to leprosy:
      2011-2015.

PMID- 20306635
TI  - Interventions for erythema nodosum leprosum. A Cochrane review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Treatment for erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL), an immunological
      complication of leprosy, is diverse. We undertook a systematic review as it was
      not clear which treatments were most beneficial. METHODS: We did a systematic
      search to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing treatment with
      placebo, no treatment or another therapy. Two authors assessed quality and
      checked data. RESULTS: We included 13 studies involving 445 participants. These
      trials assessed: betamethasone, thalidomide, pentoxifylline, clofazimine,
      indomethacin and levamisole. The quality of the trials was generally poor and no
      results could be pooled due to the treatments being so heterogeneous. Treatment
      with thalidomide showed a significant benefit compared to aspirin (RR 2.43; 95%
      CI 1.28 to 4.59). Clofazimine treatment was superior to prednisolone (more
      treatment successes; RR 3.67; 95% CI 136 to 9.91) and thalidomide (fewer
      recurrences; RR 0.08; 95% CI 0.01, 0-56). Minor adverse events were significantly
      lower in participants on a low dose thalidomide regimen compared to a high dose
      thalidomide regimen (RR 0.46; 95% CI 0.23 to 0.93). Significantly more minor
      adverse events were reported in participants taking clofazimine compared with
      prednisolone (RR 1.92; 95% CI 1.10 to 3.35). None of the studies assessed quality
      of life or economic outcomes. CONCLUSION: There is some evidence of benefit for
      thalidomide and clofazimine, but generally we did not find clear benefits for
      interventions in the management of ENL. This does not mean they do not work
      because the studies were small and poorly reported. Larger studies using clear
      definitions and internationally recognised scales are urgently required.

PMID- 20306636
TI  - The role of radiology in nerve function impairment and its musculoskeletal
      complications in leprosy.
AB  - Conventional techniques, such as plain radiography and bone-scintigraphy, were
      used in the past to evaluate skeletal changes in patients with leprosy. More
      recent publications focus on radiological imaging of affected nerves, and involve
      advanced modalities such as Computed Tomography (CT-scan), Ultrasonography (US),
      and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). US and MRI can play an especially important
      role in the evaluation of nerve involvement in newly diagnosed patients, and also
      during leprosy reactions. This is important, because when nerve involvement is
      diagnosed in time, it may be reversible with adequate treatment. Radiological
      modalities can also play an important role during the followup of patients with
      leprosy with nerve function impairment. Skeletal and soft-tissue abnormalities
      occur, even after treatment. The so-called neuropathic foot is a well known
      consequence. Because of nerve function impairment, there is a constant risk of
      developing ulcers and subsequent osteomyelitis, or neuro-osteoarthropathy
      (Charcot foot or tarsal disintegration), which can lead to the amputation of the
      affected limb. Different radiological modalities can be used during the
      evaluation and follow-up of patients with leprosy with a neuropathic foot. With
      this up-to-date review, we highlight the importance and potential role of
      radiological imaging techniques in leprosy.

PMID- 20306637
TI  - Hypophosphorylation of NF-H and NF-M subunits of neurofilaments and the
      associated decrease in KSPXK kinase activity in the sciatic nerves of swiss white
      mice inoculated in the foot pad with mycobacterium leprae.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the phosphorylation state of neurofilament (NF) proteins and
      activity of KSPXK kinase in the sciatic nerves of Swiss white (S/W) mice
      inoculated in the hind foot pads with M. leprae. DESIGN: Test group includes S/W
      mice inoculated in the foot pads with freshly harvested human derived (viable) M.
      leprae. Control groups were constituted by (1) Age matched un-inoculated mice,
      (2) Mice similarly inoculated with M. smegmatis and (3) heat killed M. leprae.
      Phosphorylation state of NF was studied using Western blot analysis and phosphor
      specific NF antibody (SMI 31; Sternberger Monoclonals, Inc.). The KSPXK kinase
      activity was assayed by using KSPXK fusion protein in a radiometric method using
      gamma(22)P ATP. RESULTS: Several fold increase in M. leprae numbers was seen in
      viable M. leprae group while M. smegmatis failed to show any fold increase in the
      foot pads of S/W mice. Western immunoblot analysis of cytoskeletal preparation
      from sciatic nerves of uninoculated mice and mice inoculated with M. smegmatis
      showed immunoreactivity to SMI 31 antibody and protein bands corresponding to
      both NF-H and NF-M at all the time points from 4-20 months post inoculation. In
      case of viable M. leprae; SMI 31 reactive protein bands were seen at 4 months but
      not at any of the later intervals, i.e., between 6-20 months. With heat killed M.
      leprae transient loss of immunoreactivity to SMI 31 was seen. Decrease in KSPXK
      kinase activity was recorded in sets inoculated with viable and heat killed M.
      leprae, and corroborated with loss of immunoreactivity seen in WBs reacted with
      SMI 31 antibody. CONCLUSIONS: Alterations in the sciatic nerve NF cytoskeleton
      was seen following inoculation in the hind foot pad with both viable and heat
      killed M. leprae. The hypophosphorylation of NF observed in this study
      corroborates with the earlier observations in human leprous nerves.

PMID- 20306638
TI  - Detection of serum antibodies to M. leprae major membrane protein-II in leprosy
      patients from Indonesia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sero-diagnostic methods are the easiest way of diagnosing an
      infectious disease in developing countries. In leprosy, phenolic glycolipid-1
      (PGL-I) based methods for the detection of leprosy are currently available, but
      the use of these methods has been hindered due to the inherent problems of
      sensitivity. We previously showed that antibodies to Major Membrane Protein-II
      (MMP-II) derived from Mycobacterium leprae could be used to diagnose leprosy in
      Japan. METHODS: Sera from patients and healthy individuals were collected with
      informed consent and the anti-MMP-II antibody levels of the sera were measured by
      enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The study was conducted at South Sulawesi and
      Bali, in Indonesia. The study population included 40 each of multibacillary
      leprosy and paucibacillary leprosy patients, 30 tuberculosis and 16 patients with
      typhoid. RESULTS: We evaluated the anti-MMP-II antibody levels in Indonesian
      individuals. The cut-off value was determined from receiver operator
      characteristic curve as 0.124 using the O.D. titers for patients with
      multibacillary leprosy, so that the sensitivity of the test was 97.5% and the
      specificity taking healthy individuals as controls was 984%. Using the determined
      cut-off values, 98% of multibacillary (MB) leprosy and 48% of paucibacillary (PB)
      leprosy patients had positive levels of anti-MMP-II antibodies, 13% of patients
      with typhoid and 22% of the household contacts of MB leprosy had positive levels
      of anti-MMP-II antibodies. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that measuring anti
      MMP-II antibody levels could facilitate the detection of leprosy in endemic
      countries.

PMID- 20306640
TI  - Healthcare seeking behaviour and delay in diagnosis of leprosy in a low endemic
      area of China.
AB  - Delay in diagnosis of leprosy can increase the risk of nerve function impairments
      and promote the transmission of the infection in a community. In order to
      understand the factors associated with the delays in diagnosis of leprosy, a
      questionnaire-based interview was conducted to collect information on the delays
      among 88 newly diagnosed leprosy patients. The results showed that delay was
      common and associated with the high rate of disability in the study population.
      The total mean delay was 50.18 months (median 36 months). The mean patient delay
      was 24-4 months (median 9.5 months) and the mean health service delay was 257
      months (median 12 months). Patients with leprosy reported a variety of
      symptoms/signs at an early stage of the disease, particularly numbness and
      tingling. Ignorance of the illness was reported to be the main reason for the
      patient's delay. Health seeking actions ranged from 1 to 50 with a mean of 7.2
      after becoming aware of the first symptom/sign. The effectiveness of early
      diagnosis of leprosy through health promotion in the population needs to be
      validated and continuous training on leprosy among healthcare providers is
      needed.

PMID- 20306639
TI  - Analysis of newly detected leprosy cases and misdiagnosis in Wuhan (1990-2004).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyse the leprosy epidemiological trends and the diagnostic delay
      in newly detected cases between 1990 and 2004 in Wuhan. METHODS: We reviewed the
      clinical records of all 80 leprosy patients who were referred to the Wuhan
      Institute of Dermatology and Venerology (WHIDV) during 1990 and 2004, and the
      clinical information of diagnosis-delayed cases was analysed. RESULTS: Patients
      were determined as lepromatous leprosy (LL, 24, 30%), borderline lepromatous
      leprosy (BL, 15, 18-75%), borderline leprosy (BB, 9, 11.25%), borderline
      tuberculoid leprosy (BT, 12, 15%), and tuberculoid leprosy (TT, 20, 25%),
      respectively. The patients were more likely to present with multibacillary (MB,
      48 cases) rather than with paucibacillary (PB, 32 cases). Among the 80 newly
      detected patients, 53 cases (66.25%) had been misdiagnosed (51 cases in general
      hospitals, two cases in WHIDV), 23 cases were treated with hospitalisation in
      department of dermatology of general hospitals. Up to 20 kinds of dermatological
      conditions involved in case misdiagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Misdiagnosis of
      dermatological conditions and ignorance of the disease among general
      practitioners and hospital dermatologists were the main causes of diagnostic
      delay in Wuhan. which is leading to incorrect treatment for patients suffering
      with a variety of damage due to leprosy.

PMID- 20306641
TI  - Detection of Mycobacterium leprae DNA in nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus
      novemcinctus) from the Andean region of Colombia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To use DNA detection methodologies to test for M. leprae in nine
      banded armadillos inhabiting forested regions located around the cities and towns
      where leprosy patients have been identified. DESIGN: Ear lobe biopsies of 22 nine
      banded armadillos were studied during a 2 year period. The biopsies were
      processed for DNA extraction and amplification by nested polymerase chain
      reaction (N-PCR) of a fragment of the high copy DNA locus of M. leprae known as R
      LEP. RESULTS: Nine of the 22 (40.9%) armadillos evaluated showed positive signals
      for M. leprae. Sequencing confirmed that PCR products were identical to the
      corresponding region of M. leprae DNA. CONCLUSIONS: In Colombia, South America,
      the consumption of and contact with the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus
      novemcinctus) are common, ignoring the fact that this animal can host and be a
      possible zoonotic reservoir of Mycobacterium leprae, the causal agent of leprosy.
      This is the first study demonstrating that M. leprae is present in nine-banded
      armadillos in a region of Colombia using specific DNA detection. The possibility
      of leprosy transmission due to contact and consumption of armadillo meat or use
      of blood for therapeutic purposes should be further investigated.

PMID- 20306642
TI  - The decline of leprosy in Japan: patterns and trends 1964-2008.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to elucidate the patterns and trends of autochthonous
      leprosy in Japan from 1964 to 2008, to compare them with the findings from other
      studies of leprosy in decline, and to determine whether M. leprae transmission
      persists in Japan. DESIGN: Data on registered leprosy cases in Japan in the
      period 1964-2008 were analysed with reference to trends in case detection,
      geographical distribution, age at diagnosis, sex, classification, family history
      and broad correlation with socioeconomic conditions. RESULTS: A consistent
      decline in leprosy case detection was observed in all areas of the country over
      the period 1964-2008. Highest incidence was consistently in Okinawa, the
      southernmost part of Japan. Autochthonous leprosy has not been reported in anyone
      born in Japan since 1980. Increasing average age and a shift towards lower
      latitudes were demonstrated throughout the period. There was an inverse
      association between regional measures of wealth and leprosy incidence.
      CONCLUSIONS: Leprosy has declined throughout the past century in Japan.
      Autochthonous transmission has probably stopped in mainland Japan, but may still
      occur at a low level in Okinawa, the country's southernmost region. Analyses of
      data on autochthonous cases revealed patterns similar to those reported in other
      countries with declining leprosy. Detailed comparisons between countries with
      very low leprosy incidence may help us to better understand the epidemiology of
      leprosy.

PMID- 20306643
TI  - Case finding survey for leprosy in Iran: Bandar Abbas and Minab.

PMID- 20306644
TI  - Latapi's lepromatosis (Lucio's leprosy) without Lucio's phenomenon in a pubertal
      boy.

PMID- 20306645
TI  - Surgical treatment of bilateral paralytic lagophthalmos using scapha graft in a
      case of lepromatous leprosy.

PMID- 20306646
TI  - Comments on van Veen et al's simplified nerve function tests.

PMID- 20306647
TI  - [Reliability of the diagnoses of external post-mortem examinations in non-natural
      deaths before and after the German reunification].
AB  - In Germany, the unsatisfactory quality of external post-mortem examinations and
      the low autopsy rate of only 5 % of all deaths are often criticized. Based on the
      autopsy protocols of 8,593 cases of non-natural death of the Leipzig Institute of
      Legal Medicine (1985 to 1989--practice in the former German Democratic Republic;
      1990 to 1994 - time around the fall of the Berlin wall, and 2000 to 2004-
      practice in the Federal Republic of Germany) the diagnosis indicated in the death
      certificate was compared with that of the autopsy report. Beside a drastic
      decrease in the number of autopsies performed, it was found that in 72% of the
      cases the clinical and the autoptical cause of death corresponded completely,
      whereas in 9.2% there was only partial and in 15.4% no correspondence at all. The
      lack of correspondence increased from 13.8% (1985-1989) to 18.0% (2000-2004). The
      low rate of correspondence in the causes of domestic deaths was particularly
      alarming. There were obvious differences in quality among different groups of
      specialists in determining the cause of death.

PMID- 20306648
TI  - [Analysis of clinical forensic examination reports on sexually abused children].
AB  - Clinical forensic examinations of children suspected of having been sexually
      abused are increasingly part of the routine of medicolegal institutes. The
      findings collected from 2005 until 2007 at the Institute of Legal Medicine of the
      Hanover Medical School were analysed retrospectively. Altogether, 91 children (74
      females, 17 males, mean age 8.7 years) were examined. In 87.9% of the cases, the
      examination had been ordered by the police. In 73.6%, the victim knew the
      suspected perpetrator well or he was a family member. 40.7% of the children were
      seen within 72 hours after the alleged abuse. 12.1% of the children had
      extragenital lesions. In 27% of the victims, marked anogenital injuries were
      found, which were characteristic of sexual abuse in 9%. In 18 cases (20.2%),
      swabs were taken for spermatozoa detection. 3 of 17 vaginal smears showed
      positive test results for sperm up to 21 hours after the incident. No spermatozoa
      could be detected in 4 anal and 2 oral swabs as well as in one swab taken from
      the skin of the victim's thigh. In summary, the evaluation shows that early
      clinical forensic examination of children suspected of having been sexually
      abused is crucial to document evidence that is highly significant for the
      investigation and court proceedings. Often suspected sexual child abuse cannot be
      proved by medical findings alone. Of course, the absence of anogenital injuries
      does nor rule out sexual abuse.

PMID- 20306649
TI  - [Attempted and completed homicide in Hamburg--a comparison of two six-year
      periods].
AB  - The present study compared cases of attempted and completed homicide in Hamburg
      from 1984 to 1989 and from 1995 to 2000 (n = 887). Data collection was performed
      using the police records. Attempted homicide showed a significant increase (34.8%
      vs. 57.9%, P < 0.0001). The majority of the victims and offenders were male with
      the share of male victims increasing from 59.7% to 74.2% (P < 0.0001). The age of
      the victims and offenders ranged between 22 and 40 years in both periods. The
      share of persons with a nationality other than German increased both in the
      victims (23.1% vs. 37.2%, P < 0.0001) and in the offenders (26.8% vs. 37.2%, P <
      0.0001). The most common motives were interpersonal conflicts and robbery. The
      most frequently used forms of violence were sharp force, blunt force and
      strangulation.

PMID- 20306650
TI  - [Humidity as a necessary condition for latent fingerprint detection with
      ninhydrin--a practice-oriented and inexpensive method using potassium citrate].
AB  - Ninhydrin is a common reagent for latent fingerprint detection on porous
      surfaces, and water in the form of humidity is an essential factor in the
      developing process. Beside climatic chambers running on electricity, the required
      humidity can also be reached by using saturated salt solution. The influence of
      different climatic conditions on the developing process is shown by using test
      strips (as analytical standards). For the developing process, a saturated
      solution of tripotassium citrate at room temperature proved to be particularly
      suitable. Tripotassium citrate is a non-hazardous compound, which is also used as
      a food additive without quantitative limitation, is environmentally safe and
      produced from renewable resources. In a closed box, a saturated tripotassium
      citrate solution generates a relative humidity of about 64% in a temperature
      range of 15 to 35 degrees C.

PMID- 20306651
TI  - [Unusual questions of evidence in a case of offensive post-mortem dismemberment].
AB  - In cases of post-mortem dismemberment, the main medicolegal task apart from the
      identification and assignment of body parts to one or several individuals is the
      determination of the cause of death and the course of events. Notably in cases of
      offensive postmortem dismemberment, the medicolegal findings on the victim may be
      of special importance also for the psychiatric evaluation of the suspect. In a
      case of offensive post-mortem dismemberment, parts of the body were found in a
      stone quarry and in the apartment where the victim and the suspect had lived
      together. Since the suspect refused to make a statement, the medicolegal findings
      were of great relevance for the psychiatric evaluation. In the first trial, in
      which the psychiatric expert was not present when the forensic pathologist gave
      his opinion, the Regional Court acquitted the suspect of murder and committed him
      to a psychiatric hospital. The accused successfully appealed on points of law, as
      the form and content of the psychiatric expert opinion did not comply with the
      requirements of procedural law and the forensic psychiatric state of the art. In
      a second trial, additional psychiatric experts were summoned. In that hearing,
      the task of the medicolegal expert was to reconstruct the course of events as far
      as possible to create a reliable basis for the psychiatric evaluation, as the
      suspect refused to make a statement both with regard to his personal
      circumstances and the facts of the case and did not agree to a psychiatric
      exploration either. The motivational and morphological criteria of the
      medicolegal classification as offensive post-mortem dismemberment with a
      cannibalistic background are discussed. In addition, some issues to be answered
      such as the detection of bloodstains on nonporous surfaces by means of
      leucocrystalviolet and the time of heat exposure of burned body parts are dealt
      with.

PMID- 20306652
TI  - Interleukin-18 expression in rheumatoid artheritis synovial tissue and its
      relation to disease activity.
AB  - The study investigates the expression and function of interleukin-18 (IL-18) in
      synovial tissue (ST) of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). IL-18 and IL-18
      receptors (IL-18R) mRNA expression was detected by reverse transcription
      polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Expression of IL-18 at protein level was
      analyzed by western blotting technique. Cytokines; (IL-18 and interferon-[IFN
      gamma]) in culture supernatants from ST cell organ and synovial cultures and IL
      18 in sera and synovial fluid (SF) were measured by ELISA. The ST samples were
      taken from 44 RA patients and thirty osteoarthritis patients (OA) were included
      as controls. Using RT-PCR, for ST of RA and OA, mRNA expression of IL-18 was
      detected in 39 out of 44 (88.6%) RA patients and in 14 out of 30 (46.6%) OA
      controls. However, mRNA expression of IL-18 R alpha and beta chains were detected
      in 39 and 35 out of 44 (88.6% and 79.5%) RA patients, respectively. ST of OA did
      not express mRNA of alpha and beta chains of IL-18 R. In vitro study of IL-18
      production by ST showed significantly higher levels in RA compared to that of OA
      patients (P<0.005). Western blotting revealed that the expression of ST IL-18 was
      more in RA than in OA (P < 0.02). Only IL-12, but not IL-18, stimulates IFN-gamma
      production by RAST cells [mean +/- SD = 246 +/- 15 pg/ml]. However, when IL-12
      was combined with IL-18, they could significantly stimulate IFN-gamma production
      by RAST cells [M +/- SD = 629 +/- 18 pg/ml]. OA ST cells did not respond to
      either IL-12 alone or when combined to IL-18. II-18 was detected at significantly
      higher levels in sera and SF of RA patients in comparison to OA controls (p <
      0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively). IL-18 level in the sera and SF in RA patients
      was significantly correlated with disease activity. In conclusion, IL-18 is
      expressed in RA synovia and contributes to the production of IFN-gamma by the
      infiltrating T-cells. These cytokines could play a proinflammatory role in the
      pathogenesis of RA.

PMID- 20306653
TI  - The preparation of A purified immunogenic pertactin from B. pertussis.
AB  - Pertactin, an outer membrane protein of Bordetella pertussis, was purified to
      apparent homogeneity. The purified pertactin was first extracted from the B.
      pertussis cells (strain 165) by heating for 1 h at 60 degrees C, followed by DEAE
      Sepharose and Affi-Gel Blue chromatography. The purified pertactin migrated as a
      single band of 69-kDa and a pl of 5.9 and retains a high immunogenicity. The
      rabbit anti- pertactin antisera shows high specificity in ELISA. The purified
      pertactin is a potential candidate as immunogen for preparation of diagnostic
      reagents and as a vaccine component.

PMID- 20306654
TI  - Role of IL-13 in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma.
AB  - Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the lung. Although it is
      multifactorial in origin, the inflammatory process is believed to be a result of
      inappropriate immune responses to common aeroallergens in genetically susceptible
      individuals. As such, it has been reported that Th2 cytokines play a pivotal role
      in the pathogenesis of disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of
      IL-13 in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma. The study was carried out on 71
      subjects out of which 54 were asthmatic patients and 17 were normal controls.
      Patients with bronchial asthma were further classified according to the National
      Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) into 4 groups: intermittent, mild
      persistent, moderate persistent and severe persistent. IL-13 serum levels were
      estimated in patients and controls by ELISA. Asthmatic patients showed a
      statistical significant elevation of serum IL-13 levels (mean = 78.5 +/- 64.5
      pg/ml) as compared to controls (mean = 51.8 +/- 24.9 pg/ml). When patients with
      different degrees of severity were compared, a significant increase in serum IL
      13 was found in patients with intermittent asthma (mean = 106 +/- 105 pg/ml) as
      compared to those with mild (mean = 63.6 +/- 14.7 pg/ml) and severe persistent
      asthma (mean = 64.9 +/- 29.1 pg/ml). Only patients with intermittent asthma
      showed a highly significant increase in serum IL-13 than controls. No
      statistically significant difference was found between patients not on steroids,
      patients on inhaled steroids and those on systemic steroids. A statistically
      significant increase in IL-13 serum levels was observed in patients not on
      steroids compared to normal controls. A significant increase in blood eosinophil
      counts was found in patients during acute asthmatic attacks as compared to those
      who were stable. In conclusion, IL-13 is a key cytokine with critical role in the
      immunopathogenesis of bronchial asthma. Steroids can downregulate IL-13, but
      inhaled steroids alone might not be able to abolish the airway remodeling process
      in asthmatics. Although patients with intermittent asthma are asymptomatic in
      between exacerbations, inflammation and remodeling are ongoing in their lungs.

PMID- 20306655
TI  - HER-2 gene amplification, serum nucleosomes, CEA and CA15.3 tumor markers in
      breast cancer patients.
AB  - Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women in the world, for
      which tumor markers are needed for early detection, clinical prognistication and
      monitoring. The study was designed to assess the usefulness of HER-2 gene
      amplification, serum nucleosomes, CEA and CA15.3 tumor markers in the diagnosis
      of invasive ductal carcinoma and analyze whether their levels correlate with the
      clinicopathological features. The study was carried out on fifty patients with
      invasive ductal carcinoma and 25 age matched women with benign breast diseases
      (BBD). Cancer patients were categorised into three subgroups according to absence
      (-) or presence (+) of axillary lymph nodes (N) or presence of distant metastasis
      (M+) into: subgroup I (N-) included 15 patients, subgroup II (N+) included 20
      patients and subgroup III (M+) included 15 patients. All individuals were
      subjected to CBC, fasting blood sugar, liver & kidney function tests, CEA and
      CA15.3 by electrochemiluminescence, serum nucleosomes by cell death detection
      ELISA and amplification of HER-2 gene by differential PCR. The HER-2 gene PCR
      results were + ve in 28% of cancer patients; 20% of subgroup I, 25% of subgroup
      II and 40% of subgroup III, but in none of the BBD patients. HER-2 gene
      amplification results showed significant positive correlation with tumor grade.
      Serum nucleosomes showed significant increase in cancer patients as compared to
      that of BBD group, significant negative correlation with HER-2 gene amplification
      and significant positive correlation with CA15.3. Serum nucleosomes was the most
      sensitive marker (76% versus 32% and 50% for CEA & CA15.3 respectively) but the
      least specific (72% versus 92% and 96% for CEA & CA15.3 respectively). Elevated
      CEA and CA15.3 levels were detected in 13.3% and 33.3% respectively in node
      negative patients, these percentage increased in node positive patients to 20%
      and 40% and in metastatic patients to 66.7% and 80% respectively. In conclusion,
      serum nucleosomes is more sensitive but less specific marker than CEA and CA15.3
      for diagnosis of early-stage breast cancer. HER-2 gene amplification is a
      potential prognostic marker for advanced stage breast cancer.

PMID- 20306656
TI  - Vascular endothelial growth factor in preterm infants with respiratory distress
      syndrome.
AB  - Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) secondary to surfactant deficiency is a
      common cause of morbidity and mortality in premature infants. An increasing
      evidence suggests that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) may contribute
      to surfactant secretion and pulmonary maturation. This study determines cord
      blood VEGF levels in preterm infants and investigates its association with the
      development and severity of RDS. 50 preterm neonates and 10 healthy full term
      neonates were included in this study. All preterm neonates were subjected to full
      history taking, complete clinical examination, chest X-ray and laboratory
      investigations including arterial blood gases, CBC and C-reactive protein. Cord
      blood samples were obtained for determination of VEGF levels using ELISA. Cord
      blood VEGF level was significantly lower in preterm infants with RDS (7.76 +/-
      2.28 in mild cases and 3.64 +/- 1.22 in severe cases) as compared to preterm
      infants without RDS (16.61 +/- 4.58) and controls (16.48 +/- 3.23) (p < 0.001).
      Infants with severe RDS especially those with small gestational age (GA), low
      birth weight (BW) and low APGAR score at 1 and 5 minutes had significantly lower
      cord blood VEGF level than those with mild RDS (p < 0.001). There was no
      significant effect on the level of VEGF regarding maternal use of antenatal
      steroids, premature rupture of membrane (PROM) and sex of newborn infants (P >
      0.05). The sensitivity and specificity of cord blood VEGF test was 80% and 62%
      respectively with positive predictive value (PPV) of 80% and negative predictive
      value 56% at cutoff point of 10.02 ng/mL. It's concluded that cord blood VEGF
      elevation is associated with the absence of RDS, and that its level negatively
      correlates with the severity of the disease and duration on ventilation.

PMID- 20306657
TI  - Molecular detection of survivin expression, antiapoptotic gene, and other
      prognostic markers, how they are correlated and how it could be of prognostic
      value in chronic myeloid leukemia patient.
AB  - Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a malignant disease of heampoitic stem cell
      resulting from clonal expansion of leukemic myeloid cells. Survivin is a recently
      identified member of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein family. The aim of the
      work is to analyze the expression of survivin in CML patient in chronic,
      accelerated and blastic phases and its correlation with other prognostic markers.
      The study included 50 CML patients (24 females and 26 males) and 10 healthy
      individuals (4 female and 6 male) as a control group. The studied groups were
      classified into group (I), 10 healthy individuals as a control group, group (II),
      20 CML patients in chronic phase, Group (III), 15 CML patients in accelerated
      phase and Group (IV), 15 CML patients in blastic phase. The groups were subjected
      to clinical history and examination, CBC, ESR, BM aspiration (only patients),
      determination of serum survivin, IL-6 and beta2M levels by ELISA and survivin
      gene expression by quantitative real time PCR. There was a significant increase
      of survivin expression in patients as compared to controls (p < 0.001). The
      accelerated and blastic phases of the disease showed the highest significance (p
      < 0.001) than the chronic phase. Serum markers; survivin, IL6 and beta2M showed
      significant increase in the blastic phase, accelerated phase and chronic phase (p
      < 0.001, p < 0.001 and p < 0.001) respectively. A significant positive
      correlation was found between level of survivin expression and the other
      prognostic markers; high leucocytic count (r = 0.52), high peripheral basophile
      count (r= 0.81) and high peripheral blast cell count (r = 0.66), high level of
      serum survivin (r = 0.87), beta2 M (r = 0.76) and IL-6 (r= 0.90). On the other
      hand, a significant negative correlation was found between the survivin
      expression and hemoglobin concentration (r = 0.50). In conclusion, survivin is
      expressed in most cases of CML patients and its over expression is associated
      with bad prognosis.

PMID- 20306658
TI  - Comparative study between immunohistochemical grading and giardia genotyping
      among symptomatic and asymptomatic humans.
AB  - In the last years, multiple studies indicated the potential effectiveness of the
      polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection of Giardia in pathological
      specimens. By using the difference at the triose phosphate isomerase (tpi) gene
      locus, we investigated the genotype groups of Giardia lamblia isolated directly
      from fecal specimens collected from humans living in Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt.
      Immunohistochemical staining for detection of Giardia local antigenic and
      cellular immune-determinants focusing on CD4 and CD8 T-lymphocytes was also
      applied. The sensitivity of the ABC (avidine-biotin-peroxidase complex)
      immunoperoxidase technique for detection of the antigen was 97.3% and the
      specificity was 100%. Our study clearly demonstrated a highly significant
      difference between patients and controls as regards the grade of CD4 and CD8
      lymphocyte infiltration (p < 0.001 for each correlation) but no significant
      difference was found between Giardia symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. Using
      the PCR technique, 89.3% sensitivity, 100% specificity and diagnostic accuracy of
      92% were reached. Nevertheless, there was statistically insignificant difference
      between symptomatic and asymptomatic groups regarding the prevalence of different
      Giardia genotypes and the prevalence of CD4 and CD8 lymphocyte infiltration
      grading in different Giardia genotypes.

PMID- 20306659
TI  - Circulating chemokine eotaxin and chemokine receptor CCR3 in allergic patients.
AB  - Eotaxin is a chemokine with a selective eosinophil chemoattraction and its
      receptor is the chemokine receptor CCR3. The presence of CCR3 on Th2 lymphocytes
      is of particular interest. This work was performed to evaluate circulating level
      of chemokine eotaxin and CCR3 expression in allergic patients. It included 60
      patients [23 (38.3%) with asthma, 20 (33.4%) with allergic rhinitis and 17
      (28.3%) with skin allergy] and 12 controls. The level of plasma eotaxin & CCR3
      expression on CD4+ T cells were determined by ELISA & flowcytometry respectively.
      Both plasma eotaxin level and expression of CCR3 on CD4+ T cells were higher in
      allergic patients than controls in different types of allergy. In conclusion,
      plasma eotaxin concentration is a candidate biological marker for the evaluation
      of allergic diseases.

PMID- 20306660
TI  - Pleural fluid IL-8 as an inflammatory mediator for discriminating transudates and
      exudates.
AB  - The differential diagnosis of pleural effusion is a frequent clinical problem.
      The possible role of pleural fluid cytokines in discriminating transudates from
      exudates has not been studied adequately. The aim of this study was to evaluate
      serum and pleural fluid levels of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and compare it with common
      biochemical parameters such as total protein lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Forty
      patients with pleural effusion were studied. IL-8 was measured simultaneously in
      serum and pleural fluid using a commercially available ELISA kit. Standard
      laboratory methods were employed for biochemical parameters. Serum IL-8 levels
      were higher in the exudative group (8.1 +/- 0.2), but without statistical
      difference, when compared with transudate patients (6.8 +/- 0.1) (p > 0.05).
      Pleural IL-8 levels were significantly increased in exudate effusion when
      compared with transudate (26.6 +/- 3.7, 7.1 +/- 0.04 respectively, p < 0.001). In
      addition, a significant difference was found between pleural IL-8 in the
      malignant group (28.2 +/- 4.4) in comparison with the tuberculous group (21.1 +/-
      2.9) (p < 0.01). Using ROC analysis, a pleural IL-8 cut off level of 19.7 pg/ml
      was found the best discriminating ratio in distinguishing exudates from
      transudates, with sensitivity of 100%, low specificity (from 50 to 66.7%) and
      good PPV (from 94.4 to 94.7%). Regarding pleural protein, the best discriminating
      value was 3 g/dl, while that for LDH was 200 IU/L. It is concluded that IL-8
      could be considered as a sensitive, but not specific marker in differentiating
      pleural effusion into exudate and transudate, specially when used together with
      other criteria such as protein and LDH levels.

PMID- 20306661
TI  - Protective immune response of Mycoplasma gallisepticum vaccines in poultry.
AB  - Through a controlled vaccination study with artificial challenge, the present
      study was designed to evaluate the protective value of formalin, saponin or
      binary ethyleneimine inactivated Mycoplasma gallisepticum adjuvanted bacterins,
      in comparison with the efficacy of the live Mycoplasma gallisepticum "F" strain
      vaccine. Protective values of tested vaccines were compared by measuring antibody
      titers in sera of chicken at different intervals post vaccination by enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), serum plate agglutination test and by scoring
      of sinus lesions after challenge with the virulent Mycoplasma gallisepticum "R"
      strain. The highest antibodies titer (P < 0.01) were recorded in the group of
      chicken vaccinated with the binary ethyleneimine inactivated vaccine that peaked
      at two weeks post-vaccination and remained elevated till the end of experiment.
      Meanwhile, the saponin-inactivated Mycoplasma gallisepticum elicited a comparable
      humoral immune response with that elicited by the binary ethyleneimine vaccine,
      the least immunizing effect was observed in the formalin inactivated Mycoplasma
      gallisepticum bacterins immunized chicken. Challenge of vaccinated birds was
      performed by intrasinus injection of 1 x 10(9) colony forming units of virulent
      "R" strain of Mycoplasma gallisepticum. While, similar degree of protection was
      afforded by binary ethyleneimine and saponin inactivated bacterins as well as the
      live "F" strain vaccine, the formalin-inactivated Mycoplasma gallisepticum
      bacterin showed lesser degree of protection. The obtained results indicated that
      inactivated bacterins could elicit a protective response in chicken, thus
      offering a new trend in the control and eradication of Mycoplasma gallisepticum
      from chicken flocks.

PMID- 20306662
TI  - Alterations in neutrophil surface expression of L-selectin (CD62L) and soluble L
      selectin (sL-selectin) in hemodialysis patients: relation to HCV.
AB  - High levels of L-selectin (CD62L) are a strong indicator of endothelial
      dysfunction, and atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of
      mortality and morbidity in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Whether HCV infection
      (highly prevalent in HD patients and also associated with alterations in adhesion
      molecules) would affect the leukocytic expression and/or the soluble form of L
      selectin in hemodialysis patients is unknown. Seventy-two HD patients, HCV
      positive (n=48) and HCV-negative (n=24) and 10 normal control were studied. Blood
      samples were obtained just prior to the start of the dialysis session
      (predialysis) and at the end of 15 min. of dialysis (intradialysis). The
      following tests were performed on all patients: HCV-RNA by RT-nested PCR,
      quantitative determination of sL-selectin by ELISA and neutrophil surface
      expression of L-selectin (CD62L) by flowcytometry. Both CD62L and sL-selectin
      were found to be significantly higher in HD patients as compared to normal
      controls irrespective to HCV. Fifteen minutes after start of the dialysis session
      both CD62L and absolute neutrophil count decreased significantly [CD62L, p <
      0.0001 (HCV-positive), p= 0.03 in (HCV-negative), [neutrophil count, p < 0.0001
      each], while sL-selectin showed a significant increase [p = 0.004 (HCV-positive),
      p = 0.006 (HCV-negative)]. These changes were unrelated to HCV status. A
      significant increase in CD62L in HCV-positive patients compared to HCV-negative
      ones in both pre and intradialysis samples was noted (p = 0.007, p = 0.02
      respectively). However, no difference was observed in either sL-selectin or
      absolute neutrophil count between the two groups in the two tested time points.
      In conclusions, the increased levels of neutrophil-expressed and soluble forms of
      L-selectin in HD patients, and the intradialysis increase in sL-selectin and
      decrease in CD62L and neutrophil count are unrelated to HCV viremia. The
      association between HCV positivity and neutrophil expression of pre
      andintradialysis L-selectin point to a possible role of HCV that needs further
      studies.

PMID- 20306663
TI  - Plasma mammaglobin messenger RNA in breast cancer patients as an addition to
      serum tumor.
AB  - Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent malignant tumor in women worldwide; its
      recurrence is a result of undetected metastasis present at the time of primary
      patient treatment. The detection of cell-free RNA in plasma and serum of human
      subjects has found increasing applications in the field of medical
      diagnostics.This study aimed at evaluating plasma mammaglobin mRNA as a useful
      tumor marker for the diagnosis and the detection of metastasis in breast cancer
      at the time of diagnosis either alone or in combination with conventional serum
      tumor markers CA15.3 and/or CEA. This study included 40 Egyptian females with
      primary breast cancer and 25 with different benign breast diseases. The BC group
      was classified into 24 patients with localized BC and 16 patients with
      metastases. All patients were subjected to routine laboratory investigations,
      estimation of serum CA15.3 and CEA by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay and
      detection of plasma mammaglobin mRNA by using nested reverse transcriptase
      polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). There was a significance increase in plasma
      mammaglobin mRNA expression, CA15.3 and CEA levels in BC group as compared to
      benign group (p < 0.001). No significant difference was observed between levels
      of plasma mammaglobin mRNA expression in patients with tumor's size or grade. No
      correlation was observed with plasma mammaglobulin mRNA levels and tumor size or
      grading, CEA and CA15.3. There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) and a
      positive correlation between CA 15.3 and CEA levels in patients with tumor size
      and grading. Expression of plasma mammaglobin mRNA has the highest sensitivity,
      specificity and diagnostic accuracy for both BC and BC with metastasis (75%, 92%
      & 81.5%) and (87.5%, 45.8% & 62.5%), respectively. To improve diagnostic efficacy
      of BC, the use of combined tests, expression of plasma mammaglobin mRNA and CA
      15.3 improved the sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic accuracy to 90%, 80% &
      86.2%, respectively; as well as in BC with metastasis to 100%, 79.2%, & 87.5%,
      respectively. In conclusion, plasma mammaglobin mRNA alone or in combination with
      CA15.3 may be used as a valuable noninvasive approach for the diagnosis and the
      detection of metastasis in breast cancer at the time of diagnosis.

PMID- 20306664
TI  - Role of interleukin-1beta and nitric oxide in the antiinflammatory dynamics of
      acetylsalicylic acid in carrageenan-induced paw oedema model.
AB  - The present study aimed to analyze the role of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and
      nitric oxide (NO) in the development of peripheral acute inflammation in
      carrageenan-induced paw edema model in the presence/absence of acetyl salicylic
      acid (ASA). A 0.5 ml solution of 0.5%, 1% and 2% carrageenan was administered
      intraplantarly in right hind paw of adult Swiss mice. ASA was administered in a
      single dose of 200 mg/kg 1 hour before intraplantar injection of carrageenan. Paw
      volume, IL-1beta and nitrite levels in plasma and paw infiltrate and the total
      and differential white blood cells count were determined. Carrageenan
      administration induced a dose-dependent increase in paw volume, IL-1beta level in
      paw infiltrate and nitrite content in plasma. ASA exhibited a better anti
      inflammatory effect where 2% carrageenan was used as the inflammatory agent. Pre
      treatment with ASA resulted in increase in plasma IL-1beta level, decrease in IL
      1beta level at the inflammation site and restoring plasma nitrite concentration
      to its normal range. Our results stressed on the role of IL-1beta and NO in the
      acute inflammation and suggested that the dose of carrageenan is the major
      determinant in the response to ASA.

PMID- 20306665
TI  - Psychiatric morbidity associated with some cytokines (IL-1beta, IL-12, IL-18 and
      TNF-alpha) among rheumatoid arthritis patients.
AB  - Psychiatric morbidity is common in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and may
      affect disease activity and immunological markers. We studied the relationship of
      the psychiatric morbidity and immunological factors; the serum levels of
      Interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF-alpha),
      Interleukin-18 (IL-18) and its inducer interleukin-12 (IL-12), and their impact
      on RA disease activity. Forty-two RA patients and 20 apparently healthy
      individuals as a control group were included in this study. Psychiatric morbidity
      was identified according to the International Classification of Disease, tenth
      version criteria (ICD-10). The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and
      the mental health Short Form 36 (SF-36) were applied for further analysis. Serum
      IL-1beta, IL-12, IL-18 and the TNF-a were measured using Enzyme-Amplified
      Sensitivity Immunoassays (EASIA) and were correlated with psychiatric morbidity
      and disease activity as measured by Health Assessment Questionnaire and Overall
      Status. Psychiatric morbidity was found in 40.48% of the studied patients, the
      most common psychiatric disorders among RA patients were depressive disorders and
      anxiety disorders. The SF-36 score was closely correlated to the anxiety and
      depression score (P < 0.001). RA patients showed high levels of IL-1beta, IL-12,
      IL-18 and TNF-alpha than the control group. There was a significant correlation
      between psychiatric morbidity, serum levels of IL-1beta, IL-12, IL-18, TNF-alpha
      and disease activity measurements. We have to view rheumatoid arthritis as a
      psycho-immumological disorder rather than an autoimmune disease. Furthermore, the
      studied cytokines may be a novel target for therapeutic intervention of
      rheumatoid arthritis and its psychiatric morbidity.

PMID- 20306666
TI  - Pro-inflammatory cytokines and depression in patients with acute leukemia.
AB  - The prevalence of depression among patients diagnosed with cancer is higher than
      general population and is associated with faster tumor progression and shorter
      survival time. Cytokines whose primary function is to act as signaling molecules
      of the immune system have recently also been implicated in the pathogenesis of
      depression. The aim of present study was to investigate the relation between pro
      infammatory cytokines [Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF
      alpha)], depression and stressful life events in patients with acute leukemia.
      Twenty eight patients (18 males and 10 females) suffering from acute leukemia
      participated in this study. Their mean age was 33.3 +/- 12.1 years. They were
      subjected to psychiatric assessment using The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI),
      Holmes and Rahe Social Readjustment Scale, The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and
      The Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI). Measurement of IL-6 and TNF-a genes expression
      in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was done using real-time PCR. Results
      revealed statistically significant elevation in the level of IL-6 gene
      expression, fatigue and perceived stress among depressed patients compared to
      none depressed group. The same results were obtained when comparing patients
      exposed to moderate or severe stressful life events compared to those exposed to
      none or mild stressful life events. Although, TNF-a gene expression was not
      associated with depression or stressful life events, it was associated with acute
      myeloblastic leukemia (AML). IL-6 gene expression was much higher among patients
      with AML than acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), but the difference did not
      reach statistical significance. These findings support the hypothesis that IL-6
      might be involved in the etiology and symptomatology of depression in cancer
      patients. The development of biologic therapies targeting IL-6 may raise the
      possibility of simultaneously countering the severe effects of depression.

PMID- 20306667
TI  - Heamostatic and genetic predisposing factors for stroke in children with sickle
      cell anemia.
AB  - Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of genetic disorders characterized by the
      production of the abnormal hemoglobin S (HbS). Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is the
      most common type of SCD and represents the homozygous form, in which the
      individual inherits a double dose of the abnormal gene that codes for hemoglobin
      S. This study was done to detect cases of silent and clinically overt strokes in
      children with sickle cell anemia (SCA) and examine predisposing factors for
      stroke development. The study included 20 children with clinically and
      hematologically confirmed SCA and 10 controls. They were divided into two groups,
      group I; included 10 steady state cases and group II; included 10 cases with
      thrombotic crisis. All subjects were subjected to full clinical examination,
      measurements of plasma level of: fibrinopeptid A (FPA), thrombin-antithrombin III
      (TAT), fibrin degradation product (D-dimer) and serum level of platelet
      endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1), and analysis of the ACE gene
      polymorphism by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Patients were further subjected
      to Brain computed axial tomography (CT) scan and/or magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI) as well as electro-encephalographic studies (EEG). Silent ischemic brain
      infarction as evidenced by CT scan and/or MRI was present in one patient in group
      I (10%) and one patient in group II (10%). On the other hand, two patients in
      group II (20%) showed clinically overt strokes. Thus, 4 children had silent or
      clinically overt stroke and the remaining 16 were non-stroke cases. Laboratory
      results showed that the levels of FPA, TAT, D-dimer and PECAM-1 were
      significantly elevated in SCA patients both in the steady and crisis states as
      compared to control, with more evident significant elevation in group II
      (thrombotic crisis) as compared to group I (steady state). The stroke group
      showed significant elevation; FPA, TAT, D-dimer and PECAM-1 as compared with non
      stroke group. The PCR results showed that the frequencies of both DD genotype and
      D allele of ACE gene in the thrombotic crisis are significantly higher than in
      the control group and that all stroke children are of DD genotype. In conclusion,
      significant increase in FPA, TAT, D-dimer and PECAM-1 levels as well as the
      presence of ACE D allele of the ACE gene are significant predisposing factors for
      stroke in children with SCA. Regular follow-up by thorough neurological
      examination and neuro-imaging studies for early detection of silent brain
      infarction is recommended.

PMID- 20306668
TI  - TGF-beta1 and C-erb-B2 neu oncoprotein in Egyptian HCV related chronic liver
      disease and hepatocellular carcinoma patients.
AB  - Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta), a pro-fibrogenic cytokine, has
      several polymorphism in humans with difference in activity levels. Hepato
      carcinogenesis involves alterations in the action of protooncogenes such as the;
      neu (C-erb-B2) oncogene. Overexpression of the neu-oncogene has been implicated
      in experimental cellular transformation and tumorigenesis in a wide range of
      human cancer. We examined TGF-beta1 and C-erb-B2 mRNA expression and their
      protein levels in hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients and those developing
      Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Sixty patients (30 HCV and 30 HCC) and 30
      controls were enrolled. HCV patients were classified into mild, moderate, marked
      and no fibrosis. HCC patients were categorized into grade I, II, Ill. TGP-beta1
      and C-erb-B2 expression were studied. Messenger RNA was extracted using the
      guanidinum thiocyanate phenol chloroform method, and used of RT-PCR. Protein
      serum levels were estimated by (EIA). Significant difference were obtained when
      comparing TGF-bet1 and C-erb-B2 mRNA in HCV and HCC P = 0.0076, and controls. The
      HCV group revealed significant difference with C-erb-B2 but not TGF-B1 mRNA as
      compared to controls P < 0.005 and P > 0.05 respectively. Serum protein levels
      demonstrated difference increase significance shown when comparing their levels
      in both studied groups P < 0.001, P < 0.05 respectively and when compared to
      controls (P < 0.001). TGF-beta1 serum levels in HCV patients showed increase with
      degree of fibrosis (P = 0.003) while, C-erbB-2 serum levels showed no
      significance (P = 0.089). In different grades of HCC patients, TGF-beta1 levels
      showed no significant difference (P = 0.769). However, C-erb-B2 levels revealed
      significant difference (P = 0.002) between grade I & III and grade II &. Ill (P <
      0.001). Positive correlations to protein serum level were obtained with TGF
      beta1mRNA in HCV group, while, C-erb-B2 mRNA in HCC patients. In conclusion, TGF
      beta1 upregulation in HCC suggests its role in hepatic carcinogenesis. Elevated
      expression of C-erb-B2 may reflect pre-neoplastic liver cell proliferation,
      cellular necrosis associated with chronic liver disease and alternatively from
      HCV carcinogens which enhance malignant transformation. Correlation of both
      parameters with their protein levels might rise using their antibodies in
      immunotherapy for HCC.

PMID- 20306669
TI  - Effect of mouse strain on humoral responses to Schistosoma mansoni irradiated
      cercariae vaccine.
AB  - In murine schistosomiasis, the highest level of resistance to cercarial challenge
      is obtained by vaccination with radiation-attenuated (RA) cercariae. To identify
      candidate vaccine antigens relevant to the vaccine model, we examined by ELISA
      and Western blot parasite antigens recognized by antibodies from mice vaccinated
      with Schistosoma mansoni RA cercariae. To optimize recognition, several factors
      that may influence protection level in this model were assessed; specifically, we
      examined the effect of (i) single versus double vaccinations with RA cercariae,
      and (ii) the genetic background of mouse strains, high-responder versus moderate
      responder. We found that the number of vaccinations alters antibody specificity
      and modifies relative antibody titers against particular tegumental antigens. RA
      cercariae vaccine appeared to be immunogenic against supernatant 2 (Sup.2) and
      surface membrane pellet (SMP) tegumental target antigens in different mouse
      strains. However, the immunogenicity against Sup.2 was higher than that against
      SMP, moreover, general increase in antibody response with boosts. Also, the
      present study aims to provide information on the molecules recognized by RA
      cercariae vaccine sera derived from different inbred mice, several bands in Sup.2
      immunoblots were recognized with variations in the number and pattern of bands
      observed. In conclusion, RA vaccine is effective vaccine against schistosomiasis.

PMID- 20306670
TI  - Evaluation of the diagnostic potential of different immunological techniques
      using polyclonal antibodies against Fasciola gigantica excretory/secretory
      antigens in sheep.
AB  - The early detection of Fasciola antigens (Ags) in serum or stool could be more
      valuable in diagnosis as early treatment would be applied before irreparable
      damage occurs. In this study, fresh adult Fasciola gigantica (F. gigantica) worms
      were cultivated for 16 hrs. Excretory/secretory (E/S) Ags were extracted from the
      culturemedium and used to raise rabbit antibodies (Abs) to Fasciola. The purified
      Abs were then used in sandwich ELISA (S-ELISA) to detect Fasciola Ags in serum
      and stool samples from a total of 152 sheep, and sandwich-Dot-ELISA (S-D-ELISA)
      for the serum samples. Gross inspection of liver for flukes or other parasites
      was performed and results of parasitological stool examination were recorded.
      Accordingly, sheep were divided into healthy control group (25 sheep), Fasciola
      positive group (97 sheep) and other helminthic infection groups (30 sheep). S
      ELISA for serum samples showed 91.9% sensitivity and 89% specificity. Fasciola
      Ags, detected in serum of sheep by S-D-ELISA, showed 97.2% sensitivity and 95%
      specificity and coproantigens detected by S-ELISA, showed 95.8% sensitivity and
      92.7% specificity. Although, the specificity of stool examination was higher than
      that recorded for serum, the sensitivity of ELISA techniques to diagnose Fasciola
      Ags was higher than that recorded for parasitological examination. It is
      concluded that, S-D-ELISA has better sensitivity and specificity than S-ELISA for
      both stool and serum, and may prove useful for field applications.

PMID- 20306671
TI  - Reliability of serum procalcitonin concentrations for the diagnosis of sepsis in
      neonates.
AB  - The evaluation of tests for neonatal sepsis is important because the infection
      may present a very serious threat to the baby. Extensive literature exists on
      single laboratory test or combinations of tests, as well as tests used together
      with risk factors and/or clinical signs, to diagnose neonatal sepsis. In many
      instances, the results of the evaluations have been conflicting. It has recently
      been suggested that serum procalcitonin (PCT) is of value: in the diagnosis of
      neonatal sepsis, with varying results. This study was designed to determine the
      reliability of PCT concentrations as a new marker for the diagnosis of early
      neonatal sepsis of vertical transmission comparing to the traditional
      inflammatory mediators, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP)
      values. The current study included 69 newborn babies. After full history and
      clinical examination, they were classified into 2 groups: Group 1, included 27 of
      asymptomatic newborn infants admitted during the first 24 h of life to the
      neonatal unit because of prematurity, low birth weight. They had no clinical
      signs of sepsis during their first week of life and had a negative blood culture,
      and they did not receive antibiotic treatment. The second group: Group 2,
      included 42 symptomatic neonates who were admitted to the neonatal care unit and
      were evaluated for sepsis during the first 48 h of life, they were subclassified
      into twosubgroups: group 2A; included 22 neonates of confirmed vertical neonatal
      sepsis, defined as they had at least three clinical signs of infection with
      culture proven sepsis, and group 2B included 20 neonates of vertical clinical
      sepsis (they had at least three clinical signs of infection) with negative blood
      culture. Blood sampling for blood culture, complete blood count, blood gases and
      blood chemistry, additionally, CRP, serum IL-6 and PCT were measured. The
      microbial organisms isolated from the blood culture of group 2A; Escherichia coli
      was isolated from 9 cases, staphylococcus aureus from 6 cases, staphylococcus
      epidermidis from 2 cases, group B streptococci (GBS) from 2 cases, ureaplasma
      from 2 cases and one case was GBS positive mother. The comparison between the
      studied groups revealed that, white blood cell counts (WBCs) and CRP levels were
      significantly increased in group 2A more than in group 1 and group 2B. While in
      group 2B the WBCs not differed from group 1 but CRP differed from group 1. IL-6
      and PCT values were significantly increased in group 2A more than in group 1 and
      group 2B. Furthermore in group 2B both were significantly increased as compared
      to group 1. For the diagnosis of neonatal infection, at cutoff >1.5 ng/ml, PCT
      give a sensitivity of 92.9%, specificity of 85.2%, positive predictive value
      (PPV) of 84.8%, and negative predictive value (NPV) of 76.7%. At a cutoff >140
      ng/ml, IL-6 gives a sensitivity of 76.2%, speCificity of 70.4%, PPV of 64%, NPV
      of 63.3%. However, at a cutoff >12 mg/L, CRP gives a sensitivity of 88%,
      specificity of 77.8%, PPV of 77.1%, NPV of 70%. We conclude that the serum PCT
      concentration showed a good diagnostic value for the early detection of neonatal
      sepsis of vertical transmission comparing with the other traditional markers of
      inflammations, thus may facilitate early therapeutic intervention in those high
      risk group.

PMID- 20306672
TI  - Diagnosis of Entamoeba histolytica in symptomatic children, Jeddah City, Saudi
      Arabia.
AB  - Amebiasis is one of the most common parasitic infections worldwide. Entamoeba
      histolytica and Entamoeba dispar are two morphologically indistinguishable human
      protozoa parasites that are genetically distinct species. Differential diagnosis
      of E. histolytica (pathogenic) and E. dispar (non-pathogenic) is essential both
      for treatment decision and public health knowledge. Stool samples from 500
      randomly selected children complaining of gastroenteritis were examined
      microscopically by direct wet smear and subjected to detection of E. histolytica
      antigen by ELISA using TechLab E. histolytica II test. E. histolytical E. dispar
      were also identified at molecular level by targeting the 166 bp, and 752 bp
      sequences of the 18Sr RNA gene of E. histolytica and E. dispar respectively using
      polymerase chain reaction technique (PCR). The overall prevalence of E.
      histolytica/dispar by microscopic examination was 30/500 (6%). E. histolytica was
      positive in 161500 (3.2%) by antigen detection ELISA technique, whereas 10
      samples were not detected microscopically. PCR was able to confirm the presence
      of E. histolytica in 13/16 cases whereas the 3 samples recorded negative were
      positive by ELISA; even so there was a good agreement k = 0.86 between the two
      techniques. In conclusion, stool antigen detection test by ELISA is recommended
      over PCR in detecting and confirming E. histolytica amoebic enteritis.

PMID- 20306673
TI  - Prevalence and prognostic significance of murine double minute protein-2
      overexpression and P53 gene mutations in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
AB  - The murine double minute protein-2 (MDM-2) oncogene is a determinant of
      embryogenesis, tumorigenesis, and cell cycle progression. The effects of MDM-2 on
      these processes depend, in part, on its ability to inactivate the p53 tumor
      suppressor gene. Our goal was to determine whether MDM-2 protein overexpressions
      or p53 gene mutations are a frequent event in poor outcome pediatric acute
      lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). This work was conducted on 46 children with ALL (31
      males and 15 females) with age range 2-18 years, 18 children with matched age and
      sex were enrolled in the study as a control group. The MDM-2 expression by
      flowcytometry and p53 gene status by PCR were determined in peripheral blood or
      bone marrow of ALL children (at initial diagnosis) and also of control group. The
      ALL children were treated by the modified BFM 76179 protocol of therapy, 29
      patients (63%) achieved complete remission, while 17 patients (37%) were
      subsequently failed to achieve complete remission or relapsed within 6 months of
      achieving complete remission (CR). MDM-2 was significantly overexpressed in 15
      ALL patients (32.6%), compared to that of healthy controls, 4 of them (4/15),
      were out of 29 cases of CR (13.8%), and the other 11 cases were out of 17
      relapsed cases (64.7%). In contrast to overexpression of MDM-2, the mutation of
      p53 was detected in 6 (13%) out of 46 ALL patients at the initial time of
      diagnosis, 3 of them (10.3%) were out of 29 cases of CR and the other 3 cases
      (17.6%) were out of 17 of relapsed group, which is significantly higher than CR
      group (P < 0.05). In relapsed group, 2 patients out of 3 cases with p53 mutation
      were MDM-2 negative, also, all 3 cases of mutant P53 among patients in CR were
      negative MDM2. A positive correlation was found between the MDM-2 overexpression
      and initial WBCs count, blast cell counts in peripheral blood and presence of CNS
      blasts (p < 0.05, p < 0.05 and p < 0.05 respectively). These results indicate
      that MDM-2 is overexpressed in a significant number of childhood ALL, it is more
      frequent in relapsed cases and its frequency is not related to p53 status. Thus
      measuring of MDM-2 as a bad prognostic marker even in cases with non mutant P53
      is very important. Moreover, MDM-2 may be a potential molecular target for
      production of new cancer therapy.

PMID- 20306674
TI  - Anticardiolipin antibodies in diabetic patients: an additional risk factor in the
      pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy.
AB  - The natural history and aetiogenesis of diabetic retinopathy (DR) are still not
      completely understood. Autoantibodies against endothelial antigens could be
      responsible for initiating vascular injury and could be a marker of endothelial
      dysfunction. In this study, the prevalence of anticardiolipin (aCL) antibodies in
      patients with high risk criteria proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) were
      determined to investigate whether aCL antibodies might be relevant to the
      pathogenesis of DR. We studied 34 diabetic patients, free of DR, and 36 patients
      with PDR with high risk criteria (HRC). aCL antibodies (IgG and IgM) were
      determined using ELISA technique. There was a significant prevalence of aCL
      antibodies in type 1 diabetics having PDR with HRC (27.8%) while it was only
      6.25% of type 2 diabetics having PDR with HRC. All patients who were positive for
      aCL antibodies had PDR with HRC. The difference was statistically significant.
      These preliminary findings suggest that aCL antibodies could represent an
      additional risk factor for PDR acting as a link between the immunological
      haemostatic systems.

PMID- 20306675
TI  - Pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines profile in rheumatoid arthritis
      patients.
AB  - Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by severe
      joint deformities due to bony erosions and tendon damage. Cytokines are protein
      mediators of inflammation and are produced as a result of the activation of
      various cellular reactions. They are the final mediators and/or regulators of the
      inflammatory process. Cytokines such as TNF-alpha and IL-6, play key roles in
      driving the inflammation and synovial cell proliferation that characterize
      rheumatoid arthritis and joint destruction. Sera from 58 RA patients were
      analyzed for TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-10, TGF-beta, sTNF-R 1 and sTNF-R2 using ELISA.
      The proinflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-6 were significantly elevated in
      RA patients, while TGF-beta, an immunomodulatory cytokine, was elevated in
      control individuals. Assays of TNF receptors, sTNF-R1 and sTNF-R2, were noted to
      be significantly elevated in RA patients when compared to control. Our data
      indicate that local production of cytokine inhibitors is capable of diminishing
      cytokine and disease activity thereby may improve signs, symptoms and quality of
      life for patients with RA.

PMID- 20306676
TI  - Does pre-transplant in vitro detection of anti-endothelial cell antibodies
      predict renal allograft outcome?
AB  - Endothelial cells lining the vasculature proved to be the target for immune
      mediated assault, conceivably through the so-called anti-endothelial cell
      antibodies (AECA). The aim of this work was to detect the AECAs, and to show its
      correlation with kidney allograft rejection and graft survival. The study
      included 60 patients who underwent live-donor kidney transplantation. Inclusion
      criteria included: first kidney transplants, PRA titer less than 5%, causes of
      ESRD not including vasculitis or systemic lupus erythematosus and age >18 years.
      According to the presence or absence of AECA, patients were classified into two
      groups: group I consisted of forty patients with positive AECA and group II
      included twenty patients with negative AECA. Serum creatinine level in the AECA
      positive group increased significantly at 1 month and 1 year (p = 0.04) following
      renal graft. The overall incidence of acute rejection (AR) was not significantly
      different in both groups (P = 0.5). However, the frequency of AR episodes was
      observed more in the positive than in the negative AECA group (P = 0.04). Chronic
      rejection was significantly higher in patients with positive than in the negative
      AECA group, 15% vs. 5%) (P = 0.03). Differences in graft survival were found to
      be 91% vs. 100% after 1-year and after 5-years 84% vs. 91% (P = 0.04) in the AECA
      positive and negative groups respectively. In conclusions, our results suggest
      that the presence of a significant association between the occurrence of AECAs
      and multiple graft rejection and inferior long-term graft survival in kidney
      transplants. Testing for AECA prior to kidney grafting would be informative in
      identifying patients at high risk for immunological graft loss.

PMID- 20306678
TI  - Prognostic significance of CEBPA mutations and BAALC expression in acute myeloid
      leukemia Egyptian patients with normal karyotype.
AB  - Cytogenetic aberrations are important prognostic factors in acute myeloid
      leukemia (AML). However, about 50% of newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia
      (AML) cases have normal karyotype. These patients are very heterogenous with
      respect to acquired gene mutations and gene expression changes. The
      identification of these genetic alterations may lead to improved
      prognostification and generation of novel risk-adapted therapies. The aim of this
      work was to study the prognostic impact of mutations in the myeloid transcription
      factor gene CEBPA (for CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-alpha) and expression of
      the BAALC gene (for brain and acute leukemia, cytoplasmic), a novel gene involved
      in leukemia, in 38 adults with AML and normal cytogenetics. Screening for
      mutations of CEBPA gene was assessed using PCR-single-strand conformation
      polymorphism (PCR-SSCP), and BAALC expression was determined by real-time reverse
      transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in blood or bone marrow samples. CEBPA
      mutations were found in 7 (18.4%) of 38 patients, 36.8 % (14 of 38) had low BAALC
      expression and 63.2 % (24 of 38) had high BAALC expression. Patients with CEBPA
      mutations had favorable course of their disease. They had higher rate of complete
      remission (CR) (85.7 % vs 51.6 %; P = 0.108), lower incidence of relapse (0% vs.
      41.9%; P = 0.038). Disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were
      significantly longer for patients with CEBPA mutations compared with patients
      without mutations (mean 13.65 +/- 5.41 vs. 7.32 +/- 4.33 months, P = 0.047; mean
      15.32 +/- 6.5 vs 8.5 +/- 3.21 months, P = 0.039; respectively). Compared to low
      BAALC expressers, high BAALC expressers had lower incidence of CR (50% vs 71.4%;
      P = 0.171), higher incidence of relapse (50% vs. 14.3%; P = 0.029), and showed
      significantly shorter DFS (mean 7.5 +/- 2.12 vs. 11.67 +/- 4.6 months, P = 0.038)
      and inferior overall survival (mean 9.1 +/- 3.52 vs. 13.22 +/- 4.21 months, P =
      0.024). On multivariable analysis, wild-type CEBPA as well as high BAALC
      expression were confirmed as independent risk factors predicting inferior DFS
      (CEBPA, hazard ratio 0.066, P = 0.001; BAALC, hazard ratio 3.98, P = 0.003) and
      inferior OS (CEBPA, hazard ratio 0.125, P = 0.002; BAALC, hazard ratio 4.215, P =
      0.001). Data obtained in this study suggest that CEBPA mutation status and BAALC
      expression are important prognostic factors in AML patients with normal
      cytogenetics and their incorporation into novel risk-adapted therapeutic
      strategies may improve the currently disappointing cure rate of this group of
      patients.

PMID- 20306677
TI  - Serum levels of soluble CD30 in patients with atopic dermatitis: correlations
      with age, disease duration and severity.
AB  - Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease in which a
      pathogenetic role of Th2 cells has been supposed. CD30 molecule has been linked
      to Th2 responses. Elevated serum levels of soluble CD30 (sCD30) are associated
      with atopic disease, however, little is known about the effect of age, duration
      of disease, family history (FH) of atopy and scoring atopic dermatitis index
      (SCDRAD) on the levels of serum sCD30 in AD patients. In the present study, the
      serum level of sCD30 in 40 patients with AD and 15 non atopic persons, matched
      for sex and age were studied. Serum sCD30 levels were significantly higher in AD
      patients (23.1-83.9 IU/ml) than in healthy control (7.5-14.5 IU/ml) (P < 0.001).
      The sCD30 levels correlated positively with the severity of AD as assessed by
      SCORAD (r = 0.45; P = 0.004). Levels were higher in AD patients with +ve FH than
      those with -ve FH (P > 0.05) and in AD patients with shorter disease duration
      than longer duration (P > 0.05). In conclusion the presence of high levels of
      sCD30 in AD patients support the view that Th0/Th2- type response predominates in
      AD patients. The correlation observed with the clinical score indicates a role of
      sCD30 as a marker of disease severity in AD patients.

PMID- 20306679
TI  - Epstein-Barr virus-transformed B-cells as efficient antigen presenting cells to
      propagate Aspergillus-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocytes.
AB  - To overcome the cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTL) expansion limitations imposed by
      the lack of sufficient dendritic cells (DC) alternative sources of autologous
      antigen presenting cells (APC) such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-transformed B
      lymphoblastoid cell lines (BLCL), which are easy to establish in vitro, have been
      considered and studied in the present work. Non-adherent peripheral blood
      mononuclear cells of three healthy donors were repeatedly primed with autologous
      Aspergillus fumigatus commercial culture-filtrate antigen-pulsed fast monocyte
      derived DC (Aspf-CFA-DC) alone, Aspf-CFA-pulsed BLCL (Aspf-CFA-BLCL) alone or
      Aspf-CFA-BLCL after one, two, or three primings with Aspf-CFA-DC (1DC/BLCL,
      2DC/BLCL or 3DCIBLCL; respectively). After 5th priming, lines generated by Aspf
      CFA-BLCL only showed strong/weak lytic activity for EBV/Aspf; respectively. Aspf
      specific lytic activity in all donors was increased by increasing the number of
      primings with Aspf-CFA-DC before switching to Aspf-CFA-BLCL (18.20 +/- 1.65%
      versus 35.67 +/- 1.02% and 40.03 +/- 1.41% in bulk cultures generated by 1DC/BLCL
      versus 2DC/BLCL and 3DC/BLCL, respectively). Bulk cultures generated by Aspf-CFA
      BLCL after at least two primings with Aspf-CFA-DC showed approximately the same
      Aspf-specific lytic activity, effector cell phenotype, expansion level and
      percentage expression of IFN-gamma, CD69 and CD107a without any significant
      differences (p > 0.05) as standard bulk cultures generated by only Aspf-CFA-DC.
      Thus, this study explored the use of a combined DC/BLCL protocol to
      establish/propagate Aspf-specific CTL for adoptive immunotherapy to prevent or
      treat invasive pulmonary aspergillosis.

PMID- 20306680
TI  - Plasma and synovial fluid adipocytokines in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
      and osteoarthritis.
AB  - Adipocytokines are hormone and cytokine like substances produced mainly from
      white adipose tissue. A relation between plasma adipocytokines and many
      inflammatory disorders including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) had been investigated.
      This work was done to investigate the systemic behavior of the main
      adipocytokines at the plasma level as well as its local behavior at the synovial
      fluid level in patients with RA and osteoarthritis (OA). The study had been
      conducted on 32 patients with RA and 18 patients with OA. Paired blood and
      synovial fluid samples had been collected from all patients and level of plasma
      and synovial fluid (SF) leptin, adiponectin and resistin had been quantitated by
      enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results had been compared between RA
      group and OA group. Adipocytokines had also been compared in patients with
      erosive and non-erosive disease and had been related to clinical and laboratory
      markers of activity. Plasma resistin and BMI-corrected plasma leptin were
      significantly higher in RA group. Female patients showed significantly higher
      plasma leptin, even after correction to BMI. Studied SF adipocytokines were
      significantly higher in RA group and correlated positively with synovial fluid
      WBCs. Comparing plasma and SF results showed a significant increase in SF
      resistin especially in RA group and a significant drop of SF adiponectin
      especially in OA group. In conclusion, Adipocytokines are probably involved in
      inflammatory and degenerative articular disease. The different behavior between
      plasma and SF would suggest a pro-inflammatory role for resistin and chondro
      protective role for adiponectin.

PMID- 20306681
TI  - Fractionation of organ extracts of Culex pipiens mosquitoes for the isolation of
      active components that impair biological parameters of the insect.
AB  - The previous phase of the present study revealed that when crude extracts of
      Culex pipiens midgut, ovaries, and salivary glands are injected into New Zealand
      White (NZW) rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), rabbits immunized with midgut
      extract exert the greatest negative impact on adult Cx. pipiens survival and
      fecundity. This study was conducted to further our understanding of the
      immunogenic nature of the aforementioned antigenic preparations, thus providing
      data for the ultimate goal of developing a vaccine against the numerous Cx.
      pipiens-vectored diseases that affect human populations throughout the world.
      Extracts of Cx. pipiens midgut, ovaries, and salivary glands were fractionated
      using Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The
      high (> 80.0 to >106.0 kDa) and low (< 18.5 kDa) molecular weight (MW) fractions
      of midgut extract, high MW fractions (75.0 - <106.0 kDa) of salivary gland
      extract, and low MW fraction (27.5 kDa) of ovary extract were excised, and used
      to immunize rabbits. Following immunization, anti-sera from all immunized rabbits
      were assayed for antibody response using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
      (ELISA), Enzyme Immunoblot transfer (EIB), and Indirect Fluorescent Antibody
      Techniques (IFAT). These assays resulted in both high and low MW fractions of
      midgut extract, with special reference to the midgut extract low MW fraction
      (18.0 kDa), eliciting the strongest humoral responses in immunized hosts. When
      Cx. pipiens were fed on rabbits immunized with the low MW fractions of midgut
      extract, the fecundity and survival rates were significantly less than those of
      mosquitoes fed on rabbits immunized with the high MW fractions of midgut extract
      and control rabbits (P < 0.001). It is concluded that, the low MW fraction of
      midgut extract is highly immunogenic, and the antibody response of immunized
      rabbits contributes to a significant disturbance in the life cycle of Cx. pipiens
      and their progeny. This impairment of feeding behavior and reproduction, in turn,
      could interfere with pathogen transmission.

PMID- 20306682
TI  - Modulation of IL-4 level by fludarabine and its relation to apoptosis in chronic
      B-cell lymphocytic leukemia.
AB  - Accumulation of malignant B-lymphocytes in chronic B-cell lymphocytic leukemia (B
      CLL) is mainly attributed to reduced apoptosis rather than increased
      proliferation rate. Interleukin-4 (IL-4) has been proved to be involved in the
      survival mechanisms of B-cells as well as protection of B-CLL cells against
      spontaneous or drug induced apoptosis. Fludarabine is one of purine analogs and
      the current standard treatment for B-CLL, which has been proved to induce
      apoptosis in normal and malignant lymphocytes. We investigated the effect of ex
      vivo treatment of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) with Fludarabine on
      apoptosis and IL-4 production in untreated patients with B-CLL. The study was
      conducted on 15 recently diagnosed B-CLL patients and 15 normal healthy control
      subjects. PBLs were isolated and cultured in complete culture media without and
      with the addition of 1 microM/ml Fludarabine for 48 hrs. Harvested cells were
      assessed by flowcytometry for apoptosis and IL-4 production using staining with
      Annexin-V/PI and specific monoclonal IL-4 antibody, respectively. RESULTS:
      Fludarabine significantly increased the rate of in vitro PBLs' apoptosis in both
      B-CLL patients and normal subjects (3.81 +/- 1.98% and 4.11 +/- 2.14% without
      Fludarabine vs 14.78 +/- 7.83% and 9.99 +/- 5.60% with Fludarabine,
      respectively). However, the cytotoxic effect of Fludarabine was significantly
      higher in B-CLL patients than normal control subjects. Cytolasmic IL-4 content,
      as reflected by mean flouresence intensity (MFI), as well as percentage of IL
      4+ve PBLs in absence Fludarabine were nearly the same both in B-CLL patients
      (20.28 +/- 14.34 & 2.97 +/- 1.48%, respectively) and normal subjects (27.75 +/-
      14.44 & 2.58 +/- 1.27% respectively), with no significant difference.
      Corresponding values were significantly increased in both B-CLL patients (34.46
      +/- 22.95 & 15.08 +/- 8.17%, respectively) and normal subjects (40.15 +/- 17.11 &
      17.05 +/- 8.74%, respectively) when PBLs were co-cultured with Fludarabine.
      However, no significant difference was observed when studied groups were compared
      to each other. No correlation was observed between the intracellular IL-4 content
      or percentage of IL-4+ve PBLs and Fludarabine-induced apoptosis. In conclusion,
      Floudarabine could induce apoptosis and IL-4 production in B-CLL patients.
      Further studies on large cohort population is recommended to clarify the
      apoptotic effect of Fludarabine.

PMID- 20306683
TI  - Antibody screening in repeatedly transfused patients.
AB  - The purpose of pretransfusion compatibility testing is to prevent immune mediated
      hemolytic transfusion reactions. Our study aimed to evaluate the gel test for
      detection of clinically significant antibodies in repeatedly transfused patients.
      We investigated 200 thalassemic patients in whom, blood group, Rh-D, Rh phenotype
      determination, antibody screening and identification were done using an ID
      Microtyping System. Red cell alloantibodies were detected in 21 patients (10.5%).
      Among these patients, Anti-E was detected in 5 (23.8%), anti-D in 4 (19%), anti-K
      in 4 (19%), anti-e in 3 (14.3%) and each of anti-Fy(a), anti-Js(a), anti-Lu(a),
      anti-N and anti-s in one patient (4.8%). Anti-E showed the highest frequency in
      the 21 positive cases that developed clinically significant antibodies. The study
      revealed statistically significant correlation between development of transfusion
      reactions, frequency of blood transfusion and the duration of blood transfusion
      with the incidence of development of clinically significant alloantibodies. It is
      concluded that the gel test is an easy, quick and reliable method for detecting
      clinically significant antibodies. Antibody screening and identification is
      recommended prior to transfusion to detect if there is blood group
      incompatibility other than the ABO and Rh.

PMID- 20306684
TI  - Cytokine gene polymorphisms in Egyptian cases with brain tumors.
AB  - Cytokines are proposed to play important roles in brain tumor biology as well as
      neurodegeneration or impaired neuronal function. To evaluate the association of
      polymorphisms of cytokine genes with brain tumors in Egyptian patients. This
      study included 45 cases affected by brain tumors. Their median age was 45,
      diagnosed as 24 benign cases and 21 malignant cases, and their sex included 20
      males and 25 females. They were taken from the cases presenting to the
      Neurosurgery Department of Mansoura University Hospital, Egypt. Cases genotypes
      were compared to 98 healthy unrelated controls from the same locality. DNA was
      amplified using PCR utilizing sequence specific primers (SSP) for detection of
      polymorphisms related to TNF-alpha(-308) (G/A), IL-10(-1082) (G/A), IL-6(-174)
      (G/C) and IL-1Ra (VNTR). Cases affected with benign brain tumors, showed a
      significant higher frequency of IL-10(-1082) A/A genotype (OR = 8.04, P < 0.001),
      IL-6(-174) C/C genotype (OR = 6.3, P < 0.001) and TNF-alpha(-308) A/A (OR = 4.7,
      P < 0.05) with a significant lower frequency of IL-10(-1082) G/A genotype (OR =
      0.1, P < 0.001), IL-6(-174) G/C (OR = 0.2, P = 0.001) and TNF-alpha(-308) G/A was
      found significantly low among the same groups (OR = 0.2, P < 0.001) compared to
      controls. On the other hand these cases have shown no significant difference
      regarding the distribution of IL-1Ra VNTR genotype and allele polymorphism
      compared to controls. Although the levels of different studied cytokines were not
      determined simultaneously in the serum, these cases are expected to have lower
      levels of IL-10 and high levels of TNF-alpha being homozygous for IL-10(-1082)
      allele A (low production allele) and TNF-alpha(-308) A (high production allele).
      The frequency of cytokines genotype and allele in malignant brain cases and
      controls. Malignant cases, on the other hand, showed significant higher frequency
      of IL-6(-174) C/C genotype (OR = 4.8, P < 0.05) and both TNF-alpha(-08) A/A (OR =
      4.9, P < 0.001) and G/G (OR = 4.7, P < 0.05) genotypes as compared to controls.
      In the mean time these cases have shown a significant lower frequency of
      genotypes of IL-6(-174) G/C (OR = 0.2, P < 0.05) and TNF-alpha(-308) G/A (OR =
      0.1, P < 0.05) compared to controls. On the other hand, these cases have not
      shown any statistical significant difference of polymorphic genotypes or alleles
      related to IL-10(-1082) (G/A) and IL-Ra VNTR genes compared to controls.
      Comparing studied genotype frequencies among benign and malignant brain tumor
      cases no significant difference was found in the frequencies of all studied
      genotypes and alleles with a non significant trend for the benign cases to have
      higher frequency of IL-10(-1082) AA genotype. In conclusion, cytokine gene
      polymorphisms have a certain pattern among brain tumor cases and can be
      considered a genetic marker of potential value in counseling and management.

PMID- 20306685
TI  - Dual color FISH on CBF primary acute myeloid leukemia.
AB  - In acute myeloid leukemia (AML), clonal chromosomal aberrations constitute
      markers of diagnostic value and the molecular characterization of numerous
      abnormalities has greatly improved the understanding of the biology of distinct
      subtypes of the disease. Two of the most common recurring chromosomal
      abnormalities in AML are t(8;21) and inversion of chromosome 16 or its variant
      which belong to core binding factor (CBF) AML group. We aimed to compare between
      cytogenetics and dual color Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) regarding
      their sensitivity for detection of CBF AML associated translocations including
      t(8;21) and inv(16)/t(16;16). Fifty five consecutive patients diagnosed as de
      novo AML were studied by chromosome banding analysis. Among them 32 patients were
      studied by FISH for the detection of AML1/ETO fusion gene and 11 patients for the
      detection of CBFbeta/MYH11. Four cases of AML (M2) subtype were positive for
      t(8;21) and 1 (M4) subtype was positive for inv(16) by karyotyping analysis. When
      FISH was applied 6 cases all of AML (M2) subtype were positive for t(8;21), 2 of
      them were of normal karyotype, and 5 cases all of M4EO subtype were found to be
      positive for inv(16)/ t(16;16) and 4 of them showed normal karyotypes. In
      conclusion, FISH can be used as a complementary technique to identify t(8;21) and
      inv16/t(16;16) in de novo AML as these abnormalities are difficult to diagnose in
      most cases by conventional cytogenetics alone.

PMID- 20306686
TI  - Prevalence of cytomegalovirus infection among patients undergoing hemodialysis.
AB  - CMV diseases predominantly occur as an opportunistic infection in patients with
      severe immunosuppression, such as cancer and renal failure patients, and rarely
      occur in immunocompetent patients. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence
      of CMV infection in patients undergoing hemodialysis and to compare the results
      of different serological tests for CMV infection. Data were collected from 100
      patients with renal failure and undergoing hemodialysis in the hemodialysis
      center of health insurance hospital in Tanta City, Gharbia Governorate, Egypt
      during the period from January 2007 to January 2008. The data collected from the
      study patients included sociodemographic characteristics, history of blood
      transfusion and duration of hemodialysis. CMV/IgG, CMV/IgM and CMV/Ampilcor (PCR)
      tests were done for each studied patients. Cross-tabulation and Fisher exacts and
      McNamar's tests as well as concordance agreement tests were used. The mean age of
      the study patients was 42.0 +/- 8.1 and most of them (60%) were males with the
      mean duration of dialysis was 1.8 +/- 1.1 years. The seroprevalance of CMV
      antibodies among these acute patients was 98% using CMV/IgG, 11% using CMV/IgM
      and 30% by using CMV/Ampilcor (PCR). Comparing these findings showed highly
      statistically significant difference (P = 0.001). Sensitivity and specificity of
      CMV/IgG and IgM were varied compared to CMV/Ampilcor test. The IgM was less
      sensitive (30%) but highly specific (97%), so PCR is the gold standard test with
      concordance estimated to be 28%. For this test, sensitivity and agreement is
      increased with decreasing years of dialysis to become 40% and 43%, respectively.
      On the other hand, however, CMV/IgG appeared to be highly sensitive (93%) and not
      specific at all (0%), and the agreement with PCR is very low (3%). In summary,
      the choice of diagnostic IgM and IgG tests depends upon the duration of
      hemodialysis that might primarily determine the duration of infection, although
      the use of PCR testing appeared to be more convenient.

PMID- 20306687
TI  - Saliva as an easy specimen for diagnosis of human and animal fascioliosis.
AB  - In the present study saliva was evaluated for detection of human and animal
      fascioliosis. Both saliva and serum samples were collected from 12 Fasciola
      infected patients, 17 cattles and 20 sheep harboring Fasciola eggs only in their
      faeces. Samples from negative non-infected hosts were also collected.
      Experimental infection by F. gigantica in rabbits was carried out for
      determination of the first time appearance of anti-F. gigantica antibodies (AFAb)
      and circulating F. gigantica antigen (CFAg). This was carried out by indirect and
      sandwich ELISA using purified antigen (26-28 KD) and monoclonal antibodies. AFAb
      were detected in saliva of naturally infected patients, cattles and sheep, the
      sensitivity of the assays reached 66.6%, 64.7% and 65% respectively, while the
      sensitivity using serum samples was 91.66, 94.11 & 100% respectively. In the
      contrary AFAb in saliva was more specific (100%) than that in serum as it was
      100%, 92.0% and 96.0% in humans, cattle and sheep respectively. CFAg showed
      higher sensitivity in diagnosis using saliva in comparison with AFAb as it was
      83.3, 76.47 & 85% in patients, cattles & sheep respectively. Similarly, the
      specificity of CFAg in saliva was higher than that recorded using serum samples
      as it was 100%, 96.0% and 96.0% in the three groups respectively. AFAb and CFAg
      were detected in serum of experimentally F. gigntica infected rabbits at the end
      of the first week post infection, and in saliva at the 15th and 18th day post
      infection. These data introduce saliva as an easily collected sample that can be
      used for diagnosis of zoonotic fascioliosis.

PMID- 20306688
TI  - CD64 cell surface expression on neutrophils for diagnosis of neonatal sepsis.
AB  - Neonatal sepsis (NS) continues to be one of the most significant causes of
      neonatal morbidity and mortality. Early identification of Neonatal sepsis is a
      major diagnostic problem because of the nonspecific clinical signs and
      limitations of the current diagnostic procedures. Neutrophil CD64 expression has
      been proposed as a diagnostic test for evaluation of infection and sepsis. We
      compared the diagnostic utility of neutrophil CD64 expression with IL-6, IL-8,
      TNFalpha and CRP assays. Peripheral blood samples were taken from 25 neonates
      classified into two groups; proven NS (n = 15), clinical NS (n = 10) and healthy
      newborns (n = 10). CD64 expression was analysed by flowcytometry, while serum
      level of interleukins (IL-6, IL-8), and TNFalpha was determined by ELISA.
      Expression of CD64 was significantly enhanced in the groups with proven sepsis
      and clinical NS as compared to the controls (P < 0.05). Similary, TNFalpha, IL-6,
      IL-8 and CRP levels were significantly elevated in the groups with sepsis and
      clinical NS as compared to the controls (P < 0.05). Our data indicate that, in
      addition to serum levels of interleukins (IL-6, IL-8), and TNFalpha, expression
      of CD64 on neutrophils by flowcytometry could be useful as an indicator of NS due
      to its early appearance, sensitivity and specificity (96%). In conclusion,
      neutrophil expression of CD64 is a useful diagnostic tool for early detection of
      neonatal sepsis. The assay is rapid, easy and reliable.

PMID- 20306689
TI  - Activation-induced apoptosis in peripheral blood mononuclear cells during
      hepatosplenic Schistosoma mansoni infections.
AB  - It is well established that programmed cell death (apoptosis) is an important
      regulator of host responses during infection with a variety of intra- and extra
      cellular pathogens. The present work aimed at assessment of in vitro spontaneous
      and phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-induced apoptosis in mononuclear cells isolated from
      patients with hepatosplenic form of S. mansoni infections. Cell death data were
      correlated to the degree of lymphoproliferative responses to PHA as well as to
      the serum anti-schistosomal antibody titers. A markedly significant increase in
      PHA-induced apoptosis in lymphocytes isolated from S. mansoni-infected patients
      was seen when compared to the corresponding healthy controls. However, a slight
      difference was recorded between the two studied groups regarding the spontaneous
      apoptosis. This was accompanied with a significant impairment of in vitro PHA
      induced lymphoproliferation of T cells from S. mansoni patients. Data of the
      present study supports the hypothesis that activation-induced cell death (AICD)
      is a potentially contributing factor in T helper (Th) cell regulation during
      chronic stages of schistosomiasis, which represents a critically determinant
      factor in the host-parasite interaction and might influence the destiny of
      parasitic infections either towards establishment of chronic infection or towards
      host death.

PMID- 20306690
TI  - Changes of serum growth factors (IGF-I & IGFBP-2) and prediction of response to
      chemotherapy in patients with acute myeloid leukemia.
AB  - Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs) possess
      mitogenic properties promoting cellular proliferation and inhibiting cellular
      apoptosis. Thus, IGF-system may play a role in tumor proliferation. In the
      present study, we investigated IGF-I and IGFBP-2 in patients with acute myeloid
      leukemia (AML) for their predictive value to identify patients who could be
      responsive to conventional induction chemotherapy. Serum levels of IGF-I and
      IGFBP-2 were measured (using commercial ELISA kits) in 22 patients with AML.
      Following treatment, patients were followed up 14 days after the induction cycle
      to determine if they achieved hematological remission or not. Accordingly,
      patients were divided into two groups: Responders (10 patients) and Non
      Responders (12 patients). No significant difference was observed in IGF-1 between
      Responders and Non-Responders, neither before (79.26 +/- 4.568 pg/ml vs 72.225 +/
      3.62 pg/ml, respectively) nor after induction cycle (74.87 +/- 3.669 pg/ml vs
      69.783 +/- 4.329 pg/ml, respectively). However, IGFBP-2 was significantly lower
      in Responders than in Non-Responders both at diagnosis (4250 +/- 155.099 pg/ml vs
      6866.67 +/- 352.122 pg/ml, respectively) as well as after induction cycle of
      chemotherapy (4130 +/- 324.225 pg/ml vs 7150.00 +/- 265.290 pg/ml, respectively).
      It is concluded that, serum IGFBP-2 is considered as an independent factor that
      adds additional information for the prediction of relapse or treatment failure
      and patients with concentration > or = 4900 pg/ml at diagnosis are suspected to
      be nonresponders to conventional induction chemotherapy.

PMID- 20306691
TI  - Leukocytic-vascular endothelial growth factor and integrin alphavbeta3 in acute
      myeloid leukemia: relation to clinical outcome.
AB  - Different signaling routes seem to be simultaneously triggered in leukemia, with
      distinct and overlapping activities. Different reports emphasize the interaction
      between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and integrin alphavbeta3 as a
      key control system of angiogenesis, oncogenesis and metatasis. The current study
      was undertaken to investigate leukocytic-VEGF and integrin alphavbeta3 as
      correlated with clinical outcome in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
      The study groups included 10 newly diagnosed AML patients before the start of any
      chemotherapeutic medication and 10 normal healthy control subjects. The level of
      VEGF was estimated in culture supernatant of peripheral blood mononuclear cells
      (PBMN) of both groups using commercially available ELISA kit. The degree of
      integrin alphavbeta3 expression on PBMN was estimated by indirect
      immunoflourescence. Obtained results showed that the level of VEGF and degree of
      expression of integrin alphavbeta3 were significantly higher in AML patients than
      in normal healthy subjects. However, no significant correlation was observed
      between the levels of VEGF and the degree of expression of integrin alphavbeta3.
      When clinical findings were concerned, there was a significant positive
      correlation between VEGF and the percentage of blasts, both in peripheral blood &
      bone marrow. On the other hand, such correlations were not observed in case of
      integrin alphavbeta3. In addition no significant correlation was observed between
      either VEGF or integrin alphavbeta3 and clinical staging, age, and sex. In
      conclusion, our results proved the importance of VEGF and integrin alphavbeta3 in
      the pathogenesis of AML. However, the per se increased production or/and
      secretion of VEGF and integrin alphavbeta3 by leukemic PBMN cells, respectively
      can not be used as independent predictor (s) for clinical outcome in AML
      patients. It is more comprehensive to study changes of intracellular signaling
      pathways when such critically interacting factors are concerned in the leukemic
      process.

PMID- 20306692
TI  - New mutations in C1 esterase inhibitor (SERPING1) in a German family with
      hereditary angioedema.
AB  - Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a genetically dominant clinical disorder
      characterized by recurrent, acute oedema of the skin or mucosa, usually involving
      the extremities, face, larynx and gastrointestinal tract. C1 inhibitor (C1inh)
      deficiency is linked to the development of HAE, either by decrease of its plasma
      level or presence of a dysfunctional protein. The purpose of this study was to
      identify the genetic abnormality of C1inh in three patients with HAE (mother and
      her two children). Analysis was carried out using PCR, and direct sequencing of
      genomic DNA obtained from whole peripheral blood. DNA sequencing of the eight
      exons of the C1 esterase inhibitor gene (SERPING1) revealed one mutation and one
      polymorphism in the mother and the two children. The polymorphism was a
      heterozygous GTG 458 ATG (Val 458 Met) in exon 8 and the mutation was a one
      nucleotide deletion in codon 456 in Exon 8. This frameshift mutation
      (CTC456(power)TC) leads to a 45 amino acid larger protein with altered protein
      sequence and should be regarded as the causative defect in the patients. It is
      concluded, that heterozygous frameshift mutation at exon 8 alters the protein
      sequence of the C1 esterase inhibitor, leading to inactive protein in all three
      patients analyzed.

PMID- 20306693
TI  - Study of soluble CD44 and its expression by mononuclear cells in children with
      acute lymphoblastic leukemia: its relation to prognostic factors.
AB  - To measure sCD44 and its expression in ALL children before and after induction of
      remission (day 28) and their relation to prognostic factors. Newly diagnosed 30
      ALL pediatric patients were examined for sCD44 by ELISA and CD44 expression by
      flowcytometry and their levels after induction of remission. We correlated them
      to age, sex, TLC, Hb, platelet count, blast % in PB and BM, Immunophenotyping,
      and LDH. CD44 expression in ALL patients at the time of diagnosis ranged from 0 -
      98% with a mean +/- SD of (41.23 +/- 23.99) and in the control group (range 0 -
      11 with a mean +/- SD of 5.5 +/- 6.58), the % of expression was significantly
      higher in ALL patients than control group (P = 0.001). CD44 expression was
      significantly decreased by induction of remission (P = 0.001). sCD44
      concentration in ALL patients at the time of diagnosis ranged from 105- 449 ng/dl
      with a mean +/- SD of (246.5 +/- 99.51) and in the control group (range 103 -243
      ng/dl with a mean +/- SD of 160.65 +/- 37.12), sCD44 was significantly higher in
      ALL patients than control group (P = 0.001). sCD44 was significantly decreased
      after induction of remission (P = 0.001). LDH was elevated in the patients group
      than the control, (P = 0.001). In conclusion, LDH level at time of ALL diagnosis
      is an important risk determinant and correlate with degree of anemia, high TLC
      and high PB absolute blast count. High sCD44 level at the time of diagnosis and
      rapid decline in its level after treatment suggesting that sCD44 may be a good
      marker for prognosis and a marker for monitoring response to therapy, a second
      elevation of sCD44 level after its decline by therapy may suggest ALL relapse.
      Elevated CD44 expression in ALL patients may mediate lymphoblast metastatic
      migration.

PMID- 20306694
TI  - Role of Foxp3 and regulatory CD4+CD25+ T-lymphocytes in bronchial asthma.
AB  - Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are thought to have a critical role in the suppression
      of immune responses. In addition to the prevention of the development of
      autoimmunity, they are thought to have a role in the prevention of allergic
      responses to environmental allergens. Foxp3 is transcription factor (Foxp3),
      which is predominantly expressed by CD4+ CD25+ T cells, and may correlates with
      the suppressive activity of these cells. This study assesses the immunoregulatory
      role of CD4+CD25+ T-lymphocytes in peripheral blood of asthmatic children and
      possible role of Foxp3 mRNA expression. The study included thirty children, 10
      with acute asthmatic exacerbation, 10 during rest state with no asthma
      manifestation and 10 apparently healthy children. T-regs, and Foxp3 mRNA were
      investigated using Flowcytometry and RT-PCR respectively. Early morning sputum
      was also collected for determination of eosinophillia. Significant increase in
      the percent of CD4+CD25+ was found in acute asthmatic as compared to stable
      asthmatic cases (23.3 +/- 3.74% vs 13.97% +/- 1.18%), and in acute asthmatic
      group than control group (13.97% +/- 1.18% vs 8.12 +/- 1.65%), (P < 0.001).
      Similarly, significant increase in Foxp3 mRNA expression was found in acute
      asthmatic cases as compared to stable and control children (P < 0.001). A
      significant positive correlation was found between Foxp3 mRNA expression and the
      percent of CD4+CD25+ T cells in all studied groups (r = 0.91 P = 0.01). It is
      concluded that regulatory CD4+CD25+ T-cells may play a critical role in
      maintaining suppression and protection against allergic bronchial asthma and that
      Foxp3 may be important in the development of these cells.

PMID- 20306695
TI  - Gene deletion of glutathione S-transferase M1 and T1 and risk factors of
      hepatocellular carcinoma in Egyptian patients.
AB  - Genetic polymorphic forms of glutathione-S-transferase (GST) were found to be
      associated with risk for various malignancies. The present study was undertaken
      to evaluate the risks-associated with GSTT1 and GSTM1 gene polymorphisms and
      hepatitis virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in an Egyptian population.
      Sixty patients diagnosed with HCC were subdivided into 3 groups: group I, 31
      patients with HCC and HCV-related cirrhosis; group II, 19 patients with HCC and
      HBV- related cirrhosis and group III, 10 patients with HCC and cirrhosis of non
      viral aetiology. Fifty cirrhotic patients without HCC were also included as a
      control group. Patients and controls were subjected to thorough history taking
      and clinical examination, liver function tests, hepatitis viral markers, anti
      Bilharzial antibodies and serum alpha fetoprotein levels. Rectal snip for the
      diagnosis of active Bilharziasis, abdominal ultra-sonography and CT abdomen were
      performed for patients as well as liver biopsy when indicated. GSTM1 and GSTT1
      were tested in peripheral blood mononuclear cells by PCR. GSTM1 gene deletion
      (null genotype) was observed in 56.7% of HCC patients and in 38% of the control
      group (P < 0.05). The GSTT1 null genotype was detected in 41.7% of the HCC
      patients compared to 22% of control patients (P < 0.05). The double genes null of
      GSTM1 and GSTT1 was detected in 10% of all HCC patients and in 2% of the control
      cases (P < 0.05). Comparison between the subgroups of HCC revealed that the GSTM1
      null genotype was detected in 67.7% of group I, 47.4% of group II and 40% of
      group III cases, with a significant increase in group I compared to other HCC
      subgroups (P < 0.001). In addition, the GSTT1 null gene was observed in 35.5% of
      group I, 57.9% of group II, and 30% of group III, with a significant increase in
      group II (P < 0.01). In conclusion, our findings suggest that GSTM1 and GSTT1
      polymorphisms appear to be associated with a modest increase in the risk of HCC
      in Egyptian patients. Studies with a larger sample size are still required to
      confirm the results and to explore the association with risk factors other than
      HCV and HBV in this population.

PMID- 20306696
TI  - Flowcytometric study of expression of perforin and CD134 in patients with
      systemic lupus erythematosus.
AB  - Perforin is a membrane-disrupting protein that allows the entry of granzymes into
      a target cell inducing degradation of target substances in the cytoplasm and
      nucleus thus leading to programmed cell death or apoptosis. CD134 was originally
      described as an activation antigen found on activated T cells. In this work
      Flowcytometry was used to evaluate the expression of perforin and CD134, as a
      costimulatory molecule on T cells, in patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
      (SLE) to elucidate their role in the pathogenesis of SLE and disease severity.
      The study was conducted on 15 patients with SLE, 6 patients out of the 15
      patients were suffering from lupus nephritis, 10 healthy subjects were included
      as controls. The results revealed that absolute number of circulating CD3+
      lymphocytes in the patients was significantly lower than the controls (P =
      0.013). The percentage of CD8+ CD3+ T cells was significantly increased in the
      SLE group when compared to that of CD4+ CD3+ T cells in same group (P = 0.001)
      Perforin expression on both CD4+ and CD8+ cells was significantly increased in
      patients compared to controls. (P = 0.002 & P = 0.001, respectively). In
      addition, a significant increase was observed in the percent of pf+CD8+CD3+ in
      the patient group compared to that of pf+CD4+CD3+ in the same group (P = 0.001).
      There was a significant increase in the expression of CD134 on CD4+ and CD8+
      cells (P = 0.001 & P = 0.001 respectively). Also, in the same group of patients a
      significant increase was detected in the frequency of CD134+CD4+CD3+ T cells
      compared to that of CD134+CD8+CD3+ T cells (P = 0.032). A significant positive
      correlation was detected in the patient group between CD134 and perforin
      expression on both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells (p = 0.045, r = 0.523). Moreover,
      CD134+CD4+CD3+ was also correlated positively with urinary proteinuria (P =
      0.023, r = 0.524). Our data suggest the role of Perforin + cytotoxic T
      lymphocytes and CD134+ cells in the pathogenesis of autoimmunity of SLE. Thus,
      inhibition of perforin could be beneficial for SLE patients. Targeting pf and
      CD134 could be a new therapeutic approach in patients with SLE.

PMID- 20306697
TI  - Significance of immunoregulatory T cells in different stages of breast cancer
      patients.
AB  - Evidence from breast cancer patients suggests that increased T suppressor cells
      activity may be associated with poor immune responses to tumor antigens and
      contribute to immune dysfunction. It was demonstrated that these suppressor cells
      could be CD4+CD25+ T regulatory cells (Treg cells). FOXP3, a forkhead/winged
      helix transcription factor was found to be essential for the development and
      control of Tregs. It has been used recently as a biomarker and a prognostic
      factor for malignant human tumors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the
      significance of CD4+CD25+ Treg cells changes in the peripheral blood in relation
      to FOXP3 expression in different stages of breast cancer patients. The present
      study included 30 female patients of breast cancer (group A) and 10 female
      healthy volunteers as control (group B). In group A, ten patients (33.3%) were in
      stage I, ten patients in stage II (33.3%) and ten patients in stage III-IV
      (33.3%). Serum level of tumour marker (CA15-3) was measured by ELISA.
      Determination of the percent expression of CD4+ CD25+ of total CD4+ T cells and
      FOXP3+ Treg cells was done by flowcytometry. The serum level of CA15-3 was
      significantly higher in group (A) than in group (B) (P = 0.001). Also, CA15-3 was
      significantly increased as the stage of the disease increased. The percentages of
      both CD4+ CD25+ and FOXP3+ Tregs in the peripheral blood were significantly
      higher in group (A) than in group (B) (P = 0.001) and they increased
      significantly as the stage of the disease increased. A significant positive
      correlation was found between the percentage of CD4+ CD25+ Tregs and FOXP3+ Tregs
      in the peripheral blood (P = 0.0649, r = 0.001) and with serum level of CA15-3 (P
      = 0.880, r = 0.001). It was concluded that CD4+CD25+ FOXP3+Tregs may be
      responsible for immune suppression in breast cancer. They are also valuable for
      assessing disease prognosis. This finding can be of utmost significance under the
      light of Tregs being implicated in carcinogenesis and ongoing efforts towards the
      development of anticancer approaches specifically inhibiting the expression
      and/or function of Foxp3 by tumor-associated Tregs.

PMID- 20306698
TI  - T - helper2 /T - helper1 imbalance in respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis
      in relation to disease severity and outcome.
AB  - The present study included 80 Egyptians infants with acute bronchiolitis; age
      ranged from 2 to 22 month and consisted of 60 males and 20 females. In addition,
      30 apparently healthy infants of matched age and sex were also included as
      controls. Besides taking history, thorough clinical examination and routine
      laboratorial investigations, arterial oxygen saturation, RSV tissue culture of
      nasopharyngeal lavage, indirect immnoflourescence for serum IgM against RSV,
      serum IL-4 and IFN-gamma were done. Results obtained showed that viral
      bronchiolitis is predominant in male around 6 month of age and in winter months.
      RSV was identified in 72.5% of cases. Level of serum IL-4 was significantly
      higher in RSV positive patients than either RSV negative patients or controls (P
      < 0.001). Furthermore, in RSV positive patients, IL-4 level was significantly
      higher in severe and fatal cases than in milder and surviving cases (P < 0.001).
      Serum IFN-gamma showed no significant difference between RSV positive and RSV
      negative patients in RSV positive cases it was significantly lower in more severe
      and fatal cases than milder and living ones (P < 0.05). The ratio IL-4/ IFN-gamma
      was significantly higher in RSV positive than RSV negative and controls (P <
      0.001 and P < 0.05 respectively). Absolute eosinophilic count (AEC) and percent
      of oxygen saturation (SaO2%) showed significantly lower values in RSV positive
      patients than RSV negative (P < 0.001), but the latter showed significantly
      higher AEC than controls (P < 0.05). In RSV positive group, both parameters were
      significantly lower in more severe and fatal cases than milder and living ones (P
      < 0.001). In RSV positive group, significant positive correlations were found
      between disease severity and either serum IL-4 or IL-4 /IFN-gamma ratio (r =
      0.789 and r = 0.823, P < 0.001 respectively) but disease severity was inversely
      correlated with either AEC or SaO2 % (r = -0.962 and r = -0.828, P < 0.001
      respectively). RSV was identified as the major etiologic virus of bronchiolitis
      in young infants. Viral tissue cultures and indirect immunoflourescene are of
      equally diagnostic value but both may be needed. Most of the severe and fatal
      cases are in RSV positive group. Th2/Th1 imbalance reflected on IL-4/IFN-gamma
      ratio is more deranged in RSV bronchiolitis with Th2 predominance especially in
      more severe and fatal cases. These conclusions may be a rationale for the
      implementation of antiviral drugs in severe cases of bronchiolitis, however,
      further studies are needed to demonstrate the effect of antiviral drugs on
      cytokines levels during therapy.

PMID- 20306699
TI  - C-Phycocyanin inhibits cell proliferation and may induce apoptosis in human HepG2
      cells.
AB  - C-Phycocyanin (C-Pc) is one of the major biliprotein pigments of unicellular
      cyanbacterium of Spirulina platenesis, it has nutritional, medicinal, and
      hepatoprotectant application. The growth and multiplication of human hepatoma
      cell lines (HepG2) under the effect of different concentrations of C-PC (0.8,
      1.75, 3.5 and 7.0 microg/ml) against untreated cells as control for 24h were
      investigated. The results showed that the proliferating cells in presence of C-PC
      reached 70, 51, 44, and 39%, respectively. The results revealed that the greatest
      reduction in proliferation of cells was recorded at 7.0 microg/ml and LC50 at
      1.75 microg/ml of C-PC. In parallel, to the previous results HCl-denatured MG-P
      revealed that in mass of cells there is a pattern of apoptosis because the
      expanded cytoplasmic area (bluish-green) reduced and appeared faintly red as C-PC
      concentration increased. Moreover, the cells lost all the nuclear entities then,
      become fragmented and having no nuclear remnants. The C-PC may be a new potential
      anti-cancer drug for therapy of human hepatoma cells.

PMID- 20306700
TI  - The anti-tumor effect of bee honey in Ehrlich ascite tumor model of mice is
      coincided with stimulation of the immune cells.
AB  - Honey is thought to exhibit a broad spectrum of therapeutic properties including
      antibacterial, antifungal, cytostatic and anti-inflammatory activity and has been
      used for the treatment of gastric ulcers, burns, and for storage of skin grafts.
      The present study investigated the antitumor effect of bee honey against Ehrlich
      ascites tumor in mice and the possible mode of antitumor action. Peroral
      administration of mice with honey (10, 100 or 1000 mg/ 100 g BW) every other day
      for 4 weeks before intraperitoneal inoculation with Ehrlich ascites tumor (EAT, 1
      x 10(6) cells) increased the number bone marrow cells as well as peritoneal
      macrophages, but not peripheral blood leukocytes nor splenocytes. The phagocytic
      function of macrophages as well as the T- and B-cell functions were also
      increased. Honey pre-treatment also recovered the total lipids, total proteins,
      as well as liver and kidney enzyme activities in EAT-bearing mice. In vitro
      studies on EAT cells demonstrated inhibitory effect of honey on tumor cell
      proliferation, viability % of tumor cells as well as the size of solid tumor. The
      present results indicate that the preventive treatment with honey is considerably
      effective against EAT in mice both in vivo and in vitro. The antitumor activity
      of honey may occur through the activation of macrophages, T-cells and B-cells.

PMID- 20306701
TI  - [Exploratory studies on genetic biomarkers related to serious drug adverse
      reactions].
AB  - Serious adverse events (SAEs) induced by drugs occur rarely, but the symptoms are
      very critical and generally not related to their pharmacological activities.
      Although SAEs should be avoided wherever possible, their occurrence is
      unpredictable at this time. In this article, we describe the clinical condition,
      figures on reported occurrence in Japan and studies on genetic markers related to
      serious cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs), drug induced liver injury (DILI and
      rhabdomyolysis among SAEs. Then we introduce our last 3 years' approach of
      exploratory study on genetic markers for Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic
      epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN), two of SCARs, useful for Japanese patients,
      including construction of a new case collection system, study methodology and
      progress. As the result at this moment, no Japanese SJS/TEN patients including 12
      carbamazepine-related and 23 aromatic anti-epileptic agent-related ones carried
      HLA-B 1502 that was reported to have a strong association with carbamazepine
      induced SJS/TEN in Han Chinese patients. On the other hand, 5 in 15 allopurinol
      related SJS/TEN patients were found to have HLA-B 5801 that was detected as a
      genetic marker for allopurinol-induced SCARs in Han Chinese and Caucasians.
      Hereafter, we have a plan to begin the new exploratory studies on genetic markers
      for DILI and rhabdomyolysis, in addition to SJS/TEN patients.

PMID- 20306702
TI  - [Research strategy for evaluation methods of the manufactured nanomaterials in
      NIHS and importance of the chronic health effects studies].
AB  - Manufactured nanomaterials are one of the most important substances for the
      nanotechnology. The nanomaterials possess different physicochemical properties
      from bulk materials. The new properties may lead to novel biological effects and
      also may or may not cause unknown adverse effects. However, the toxicological
      evidences are very limited, and there are no standardized evaluation methods at
      present. Some domestic and international activities are ongoing, in order to
      share the information or to standardize the methods. In 2005, our institute
      launched the research on the establishment of health risk assessment methodology
      of manufactured nanomaterials by funding from the research grants of the Japanese
      Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The project contains four themes. The
      first is development of measurement methods of nanomaterials from biological
      samples. The second is development of dispersion methods in in vitro systems. The
      third is development of inhalation exposure systems. And the last is development
      of in vivo systems for evaluating long-term health effects. As evaluation
      materials, fullerene, titanium oxide and multi-walled carbon nanotubes were
      chosen because of their high production volumes. In the course of the research
      project, we revealed that the nanomaterials were competent to cause chronic
      effects, by analyzing intraperitoneal administration studies and carcinogenic
      promotion studies. These studies suggested that even aggregated nanomaterials
      were crumbled into nano-sized particles inside the body during the long-term, and
      the particles were transferred to other organs. Additionally, long lasting
      particles/fibers in the particular tissues may cause chronic adverse effects. The
      phsyco-chemical properties or toxicity mechanism related with these chronic
      effects were considered to be different from those properties or mechanism
      related to acute toxicity. Therefore, we suggested that the toxicological
      characterization of chronic effects by nanomaterials would be important for the
      future research. Also, investigations of the toxicokinetic properties and
      biological interaction with nanomaterials are important to predict the
      chronically targeted tissues after exposure.

PMID- 20306703
TI  - [Characterization of anti-mouse prion peptide single chain Fv antibody by phage
      display].
AB  - Antibodies can distinguish not only differences in amino acid sequences (primary
      structure), but also differences in three-dimensional structure and thus may be
      useful for detecting the conversion of prion proteins, especially in vivo. For
      diagnosis, we prepared chicken single chain variable fragment (scFv) antibodies
      that specifically recognized a prion protein using a phage display approach. As
      antigen, mouse prion protein (MoPrP) 138-153 containing YYR residues was
      conjugated with KLH. Total RNA was extracted from the splenocytes of an immunized
      chicken, and the cDNA of scFv was ligated in a phagemid vector. The phage display
      scFv library was panned against the peptide antigen four times. Twenty-three scFv
      phage clones that tested positive using ELISA with the peptide antigen were then
      reacted with recombinant mouse prion protein (23-231), mouse brain homogenate,
      mouse neuroblastoma Neuro-2a, recombinant human V129 and M129 prion proteins, and
      human glyoma T98G using ELISA, immunoblotting analysis, and immunocytochemistry.
      The results suggested that the scFv phage clones were useful for detecting mouse
      and human prion proteins.

PMID- 20306704
TI  - [Histamine food poisonings in Japan and other countries].
AB  - Histamine food poisonings are allergy-like food poisonings caused by the
      ingestion of spoiled fish containing markedly elevated histamine levels. We
      examined histamine food poisonings in Japan from 1998 to 2008. In average 8 food
      poisonings and 150 cases were reported annually and there was no fatality case.
      In more than 80% of remaining food samples, histamine content exceeded 20 mg/100
      g. These poisonings were caused by tuna, billfish (marlin) and mackerel, which
      contained higher level of histamine than other fishes in histamine food
      poisonings in Japan. Cooking methods of these fishes were mainly "broiled". We
      also studied histamine food poisonings in other countries. Tuna was the main fish
      in histamine food poisonings reported to Centers for the Disease Control and
      Prevention (CDC) in the US and Ozfoodnet in Australia from 2000 to 2006. In the
      US, histamine food poisonings were also caused by mahimahi and escolar fish. Our
      review will be useful for in taking measures to reduce risk of histamine food
      poisonings.

PMID- 20306705
TI  - [Cytotoxicity of fullerene (60), carbon nanotube, and their derivatives in V79
      cells and cultured normal human astrocytes].
AB  - Fullerenes are a family of carbon allotropes, molecules composed entirely of
      carbon. Fullerenes have been developed in various forms and functions and are
      expected to be used for novel medical materials targeting on brain. Information
      on cytotoxicity of fullerenes on brain function, however, is few; thus we
      examined the effect of fullerenes on the brain astrocytes in this study. We used
      fullerene [60], hydroxylated-fullerene [60], carboxylated-fullerene [60],
      dimalonilated-fullerene [60], carboxylated-carbon nanotube and amino-carbon
      nanotube. At first, we examined cytotoxicity of fullerenes by V79 colony assay.
      Fullerenes inhibited the cell growth in a concentration-dependent manner, but 50
      percent growth inhibition concentrations were different among fullerene
      derivatives, which we used. Cytotoxicity of carbon nanotubes was stronger than
      that of fullerenes. Secondly, we performed the microtiter tetrazolium assay of
      normal human astrocytes and measured the effects of fullerenes on cell activity.
      Fullerenes and carbon nanotubes decreased mitochondrial activity. In addition to
      this, it was observed that fullerenes and nanotubes adhered to cells. These
      results suggest that fullerenes and carbon nanotubes have cytotoxicity and the
      effects are different from each other due to their side chain and steric forms.
      We expected that fullerenes and carbon nanotubes gave physical stress to cells
      and caused cytotoxicity. In conclusion, it was suggested that safety evaluation
      is needed for fullerenes and carbon nanotubes individually.

PMID- 20306706
TI  - [Major revision of the allergen database for food safety (ADFS) and validation of
      the motif-based allergenicity prediction tool].
AB  - We have been maintaining an integral web server system, the Allergen Database for
      Food Safety (ADFS), since 2005 (http://allergen.nihs.go.jp/ADFS/). Recently, a
      group at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln released a new version of an allergen
      database, AllergenOnline. This database includes more than 1,300 allergens, all
      of which have been peer-reviewed by an international board of allergology
      experts. Here, we have totally revised the dataset of the ADFS by comparing it
      with that of AllergenOnline to improve the reliability of our allergen data.
      Moreover, the performance of our web-based tool for predicting new allergens
      (motif-based method), which was developed according to a theory proposed by
      Stadler & Stadler (2003), was validated using three methods. As a result of the
      integration of this allergen data, the number of (iso)allergens in the ADFS has
      increased to 1340, and epitope information is now available for 76 allergens.
      Using model datasets, the precision, recall, and specificity of our motif-based
      allergenicity prediction tool was proved to be 100.0%, 99.4%, and 100.0%,
      respectively. These results were similar to those for the original motif-based
      prediction model that was previously reported and are much better than those of
      the method recommended by FAO/WHO, especially with regard to the precision of
      predictions.

PMID- 20306707
TI  - [Detection of the preservative chlorphenesin in cosmetics by high-performance
      liquid chromatography].
AB  - A simple determination method for preservative chlorphenesin in cosmetics was
      developed. Cosmetic samples were dissolved in methanol. The sample solution was
      analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ODS column, using
      water-methanol (55:45) or water-acetonitrile (3:1) adjusted to pH 2.5 with
      phosphoric acid as the mobile phase. Chlorphenesin was detected with ultraviolet
      light detection at 280 nm. A linear relation was obtained between the peak areas
      and the concentrations of chlorphenesin in the range of 1-500 microg/ml. The
      determination limit of chlorphenesin was 1-2 microg/ml. Recoveries of
      chlorphenesin spiked in lotion and milky lotion at the levels of 0.03% and 0.3%
      were 98.8-100.0%. This method was applied for cosmetics including 0.03% and 0.3%
      of chlorphenesin and their content corresponded with the determined values.

PMID- 20306708
TI  - [Detection of clobetasol propionate in a cream advertised to be effective against
      atopic dermatitis].
AB  - Addition of medical ingredients to cosmetics is prohibited. However, last year
      some cases of illegal cosmetics containing steroids were successfully identified.
      We have already reported an analytical method to detect steroids in cosmetics
      [Bull. Natl. Inst. Health Sci, 126, 51-56 (2008)]. In this study, we initially
      examined whether this method could be applied for the detection of some new
      steroids as target chemicals. We then used this developed method to detect
      steroids in cosmetics obtained from manufacturers by spot checks. These
      manufacturers have been advertising the effectiveness of a steroid-free cream
      against atopic dermatitis. The results revealed that clobetasol propionate (CP)
      was present in this facial moisturizing cream, which was available in the market.
      The steroid was extracted with methanol. After ultrasonication and
      centrifugation, the resulting supernatant was injected into the high-performance
      liquid chromatography system equipped with an ODS column. The separation was
      achieved using a mixture of acetonitrile and water as the mobile phase. The
      retention times of the observed peaks were in accordance with those of some
      preservatives and CP. The presence of CP was also confirmed by thin-layer
      chromatography. The concentration of CP in the cream was approximately 0.039%. CP
      is a steroid that has the strongest effect as compared to those of other
      steroids. The cream was therefore recalled for safety reasons.

PMID- 20306709
TI  - [Studies on an analytic method for detection of prohibited ingredient, strontium
      dichloride in cosmetics].
AB  - Strontium dichloride is one of the prohibited ingredients in cosmetics due to the
      Japanese Pharmaceutical Affairs Act. We established the analytical method for
      strontium dichloride in cosmetics by capillary electrophoresis (CE). The
      toothpaste was dispersed into water. After ultrasonication for 10 min, the
      solution was centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 10 min. The supernatant was filtrated
      through a membrane (0.45 microm), diluted 100-times with water, and injected into
      CE. The calibration curve showed linear between the concentrations of strontium
      dichloride (from 2 to 50 microg/ml) and the peak area of strontium ion. Detection
      limit of strontium dichloride is 2 microg/ml. There was no interference of the
      ingredients in the toothpaste.

PMID- 20306710
TI  - [Development of a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the
      determination of fullerenes C60 and C70 in biological samples].
AB  - Wide application of fullerenes in various areas would increase the risk of
      occupational and environmental exposure to human. However, information about
      toxicity and biological behavior of fullerenes is not sufficient for the risk
      assessment at present. For the determination of fullerene C60 in biological
      samples, an analytical method using high performance liquid chromatography-
      tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and extraction procedure from tissues of
      experimental animals was established in this study. Using LC-MS/MS with an
      atmospheric pressure chemical ionization in negative mode, C60 were identified
      and quantified. After optimization of mobile phase and separation column, good
      separation of peak of fullerene and sensitivity were obtained in case of using
      toluene and acetonitrile as the mobile phases and Develosil RPFULLERENE as the
      separation column. For method validation, rat brain, kidney, liver, lung, spleen
      tissues and blood were used for recovery tests. Good results were obtained and
      the recovery percentages were found to be between 98.1% and 106.5%.

PMID- 20306712
TI  - [Literature survey of Salmonella contamination in eggs and egg products in the
      world].
AB  - Salmonella species are common bacterial pathogens associated with human
      gastroenteritis worldwide. In Japan, salmonellosis is one of the main food-borne
      bacterial illnesses and, especially, Salmonella Enteritidis infections have been
      strongly associated with the consumption of eggs and egg-containing foods. In
      this study, we performed the literature survey of Salmonella contamination in
      shell eggs and liquid eggs worldwide for comparing the prevalence among the
      countries and summarized in the tables. This survey clarified that one out of
      several thousands of retail shell eggs were contaminated with Salmonella spp. in
      Japan and the prevalence of Salmonella in retail shell eggs were higher in some
      countries. This paper is useful for providing referable data on Salmonella
      contamination in shell eggs and liquid eggs in Japan, especially for researchers
      of other countries.

PMID- 20306711
TI  - [Serious product accidents due to the chemical substances used in household
      products in fiscal years 2007 and 2008].
AB  - The revised consumer product safety law was enforced in 2007. Then, the
      collection and publication system of the information of product accidents was
      newly included. Serious product accidents due to the chemical substances used in
      household products had 32 cases in fiscal years 2007 and 2008. These household
      products were a desk mat, a sectional bed, a spray-type adhesive, a paint and an
      adhesive for table tennis rackets. The safety measure of the household product
      was explained based on the law for the control of household products containing
      harmful substances.

PMID- 20306713
TI  - [Studies on the results of monitoring of veterinary drug residues in food
      products of animal origin in Japan and other countries].
AB  - The positive list system was introduced in Japan for agricultural chemicals such
      as pesticides, feed additives and veterinary drugs in May 2006. After this time,
      food containing residues of these chemicals exceeding MRLs, or the default
      tolerance (uniform limit: 0.01 ppm) cannot be marketed in Japan. The number of
      chemicals to be tested for imported food at the port increased remarkably. We
      studied on the results of monitoring of imported food for the residues of
      veterinary drugs and change in trend of violation after the enforcement of the
      system. The number of violation of the veterinary drugs in imported food
      increased largely, most of them were attributed to chloramphenicol and
      nitrofurans in seafood from Asian countries. Monitoring of the veterinary drugs
      in seafood in other countries such as EU, United States, United Kingdom and
      Australia were also studied.

PMID- 20306714
TI  - [Evaluation of functional interaction of pharmaceuticals and chemicals with
      factors determining growth, development or differentiation].

PMID- 20306715
TI  - [Chagas disease: re-emergent or neglected].
AB  - Chagas disease is a tropical parasitic disease distributed throughout America,
      from southern United States to Argentina, mostly, in poor and rural areas of
      Central and South America. According to the latest estimates, there are 8 million
      people all over the world infected by the parasite and in 2008, 11000 deaths were
      registered. Currently, with the occurrence of internal migrations from rural
      areas to cities, the disease is changing the establishment of its epidemiological
      profile. Instead of an effective control or eradication, as consequences of the
      antichagasic campaign initiated in Venezuela 47 years ago, as many cases are
      emerging today, in some westerns states of the country, as those reported at the
      beginning of the last century. In addition, there is a considerable increase in
      the oral transmission of the disease, through neglect and the lack of sanitary
      controls in food processing. For these reasons, a monitoring system of rapid
      response must be implemented by the Venezuelan health system to control the
      disease.

PMID- 20306716
TI  - [Characterization of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases in nosocomial strains of
      Klebsiella pneumoniae].
AB  - In this study, 25 strains of K. pneumoniae, isolated from patients with
      nosocomial infections from August 2002 to December 2003, were examined to
      determine their antimicrobial susceptibility, plasmid profile, transfer capacity
      of resistance determinants and bla(TEM), bla(SHV), and bla(CTX-M) genes. Nineteen
      nosocomial strains revealed a weakened susceptibility to third-generation
      cephalosporins and aztreonam, and were extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs)
      producers. All strains presented conjugable plasmids with a conjugation frequency
      of 10(-3) to 10(-4) transconjugants/donor cell. The analysis of restriction
      patterns revealed the presence of three differents plasmids. The Escherichia coli
      transconjugants were ESBLs producers and expressed resistance for aminoglucosides
      and chloramphenicol. The bla(TEM) gen was found in all transferables plasmids and
      the bla(SHV) and bla(CTX) genes were found in transferables and no transferables
      plasmids. The enzymes identified in the isolates were TEM-1 SHV-5-2a and CTX-M-2.
      The plasmids present in the K. pneumoniae strains play an important role in the
      dissemination of the genes encoding resistance to beta-lactams and other
      antimicrobial agents.

PMID- 20306717
TI  - [Osmolality of products and formulas for nutritional therapy].
AB  - The objective was to determine the osmolality of products and formulas for
      nutritional therapy available in Venezuela. The samples were grouped as follows:
      infant formulas, premature infant, follow up, 1 to 4 years, soy based, lactose
      free, anti-reflux, hypoallergenic, complete beverages, polymeric formulas, semi
      elemental, caloric and protein modules. A vapor pressure digital osmometer was
      used, analyzing five samples of each product from different lots, prepared by
      weigth or with scoop. When the variation coefficient of the osmolality
      measurements was higher than 10%, five additional samples were analyzed.
      Averages, standard deviation, and the variation coefficient of the osmolality
      measures (95% reliability) were calculated. The osmolality (mmol/kg) of infant
      and premature infant formulas were between 258 and 309; follow up formulas ranged
      between 256-390; 1 to 4 years: 343-399; soy based: 155-252; lactose free: 163
      248; anti-reflux: 230-292; hypoallergenic: 220-335; complete beverages: 205-454;
      polymeric formulas: 247-588; semi-elemental: 238-289; caloric module: 89-99 and
      protein module: 30-60. We found that almost all the formulas prepared with scoop
      had higher osmolality and variability than the same products prepared by weight.
      Some follow up, polymeric, 1 to 4 years formulas and complete beverages had high
      osmolalities and therefore should not be administered to infants, and must be
      administered with caution to children and adolescents when the gastrointestinal
      tract is compromised.

PMID- 20306718
TI  - Human papillomavirus false positive cytological diagnosis in low grade squamous
      intraepithelial lesion.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate the number of Human Papillomavirus
      false positive cytological diagnosis in low grade squamous intraepithelial
      lesions (LSIL). Three hundred and two women who assisted to an Out-Patient
      Gynecologic Clinic in Maracaibo, Venezuela, were recruited for this study. Each
      patient had the Pap smear and a cervical swab for Hybrid Capture 2 (HC2). Three
      cytotechnologists reviewed the Pap smears and two pathologists rescreened all of
      them. The cytotechnologists reported 161 (53.3%) Pap smears negatives for
      intraepithelial lesion (IL) or malignancy, and 141 cases (46.7%) with epithelial
      abnormalities. They reported 46% of 302 patients with HPV infection in Pap smear
      slides. The pathologists found that 241 (79.8%) Pap smears were negatives for IL
      or malignancy and 61 (20.2%), with abnormal Pap smears. They found 14.6% HPV
      infection in all Pap smears (p<0.0001; 46% vs 14.6%). The HC2 study showed that
      47 samples (15.6%) were positive for HPV. The study found that 114 Pap smears
      (False Positive: 85%) of 134 reported by the cytotechnologists and 24 (False
      Positive: 43%) of 56 cytologies reported by the pathologists as LSIL, were
      negative for HPV infection determined by HC2 (p<0.00003). The present study
      suggests that the cytotechnologists overdiagnosed cellular changes associated
      with HPV infection in the Pap smear, increasing the FP cytological diagnosis of
      LSIL.

PMID- 20306719
TI  - [Malaria and pregnancy. San Isidro parish, municipality Sifontes, state of
      Bolivar, Venezuela, 2005-2006].
AB  - Malaria in pregnancy constitutes a world-wide public health problem. With the
      objective of studying malaria in pregnancy, a cross-sectional, descriptive
      epidemiological study was carried out on 449 women, in mining areas of the San
      Isidro parish, municipality Sifontes, state of Bolivar, Venezuela, during 2005
      2006. The Malaria incidence in pregnant women was 27.4%: 87% for Plasmodium
      vivax, 12.2% Plasmodium falciparum and 0.8% mixed infections. These infections
      appeared mainly during the second trimester (41.5%). Of the women studied, 71.5%
      presented symptoms and 26.2% had anemia. A higher proportion of abortions
      occurred among infected mothers with Plasmodium vivax (3/5); and there were 3.3%
      low-birth-weight neonates. A case of placental malaria (0.8%) for Plasmodium
      vivax was registered. An association was observed between mothers receiving
      chemoprophylaxis and the adequate weight of newborns (chi2 = 41 23gl. p <
      0.0001), independently of the regularity of treatment. It is concluded that the
      routine administration of antimalarial quimioprophilaxis against P. vivax to
      pregnant women, could be justified in endemic areas. It is advisable to establish
      the routine diagnosis and opportune treatment during the prenatal practice in the
      transmission areas of malaria.

PMID- 20306720
TI  - [Effects of prenatal exposure to paraquat on the development of amino acid
      synaptic transmission in mouse cerebral parietal cortex].
AB  - The effects of prenatal expossure to paraquat (PQ) were studied on postnatal
      development of mouse parietal cerebral cortex, in particular, the ontogenesis of
      amino acid synaptic transmission. Pregnant NMRI mice were separated into two
      groups: the experimental group received 5 doses of 10 mg PQ/kg body weight,
      between days of gestation (G)12 and G20, whereas the control group received
      physiological saline solution. Levels of neurotransmitter amino acids: Asp, Glu,
      Gly, GABA and Tau were determined by HPLC between postnatal (P) days P1 and P30.
      Between P3 and P15, a significant increment in the levels of excitatory amino
      acids, Asp and Glu, were observed in mice exposed to PQ, as compared with the
      control group. With respect to the inhibitory neurotransmitter levels, in the
      group exposed to PQ, the more important changes were observed in Gly between P1
      and P15. In relation to taurine, its levels remained significantly higher between
      P1 and P7 with respect to the control group. It is important to emphasize that at
      P30, the levels of all neurotransmitters in the experimental group were
      significantly lower than those of control. In conclusion, prenatal exposure to PQ
      caused neurotoxicity in the developing mouse parietal cortex, as shown by the
      alterations in the basal levels of amino acid neurotransmitters, with the
      excitatory predominating over inhibitory neurotransmission, throughout the
      studied developmental period. These alterations could indicate the occurrence of
      important cortical injuries, such as decrement in some neuronal populations,
      inadequate formation of intrinsic cortical circuits and alterations in
      synaptogenic processes.

PMID- 20306721
TI  - [Interaction between gabapentin and D-serin in the formalin orofacial test].
AB  - Gabapentin is a useful agent for the relief of trigeminal neuralgia and orofacial
      phantom pain. However, there is scarce information on the gabapentin analgesic
      effect in orofacial pain models. We tested the analgesic action of gabapentin on
      the formalin-induced face grooming in the rat, an orofacial pain paradigm. IP
      Gabapentin (10 mg/kg), induced a drastic reduction in face grooming during phase
      I and II, indicating a clear-cut antinociceptive effect. However, at 1 mg/kg,
      gabapentin had an analgesic effect only on phase I. D-serine (100 microg, ICV)
      was silent when given alone and did not antagonize the antinociceptive effect of
      gabapentin. On the contrary, gabapentin 1 mg/kg plus D-serine significantly
      reduced face grooming in phase II. These results show a difference between
      gabapentin induced orofacial analgesia and previous studies showing gabapentin
      induced hind paw analgesia in the formalin test, only during phase II, as well as
      D-serine antagonism of gabapentin. The results are discussed in terms of
      different pain processing of hind paw, versus orofacial nociceptive stimulation.

PMID- 20306722
TI  - Relationship between placental alkaline phosphatase activity and cord blood
      glucose, albumin and neonatal birth weight at term.
AB  - It has been observed that placental alkaline phosphatase (PAP) activity
      progressively rises as pregnancy advances, possibly, because of its increasing
      synthesis by placental tissue. The present investigation therefore, examines the
      relationship between placental alkaline phosphatase activity and the biochemical
      indices of foetal nutrition (cord blood glucose, albumin) and growth (neonatal
      birth weight). Placental and umbilical cord blood samples were collected from one
      hundred and five deliveries and prepared for both, placental alkaline phosphatase
      assay, and glucose and albumin estimations using standard procedures. The birth
      weights of the neonates at term were taken and recorded. Correlation analyses of
      the data obtained show significant positive relationships between PAP and cord
      blood glucose (r2 = 0.86, p<0.05), albumin (r2 = 0.71, p<0.05) and birth weight
      (r2 = 0.68, p<0.05), but no significant relationship with gestational age. PAP
      may be essential in nutrient mobilization to the foetus. However, further studies
      involving more subjects and an intrauterine growth retardation control group
      (IUGR) are required to fully document the present report.

PMID- 20306723
TI  - [Human fasciolosis in Mara municipality, Zulia state. Venezuela: prevalence and
      asociated factors].
AB  - In Venezuela, human Fasciolosis shows a low frequency. However, Mara Municipality
      is a highly endemic region for bovine fasciolosis and there are no reports of
      this parasite infection in humans. To determine the prevalence and associated
      factors to human fasciolosis in Mara municipality - Zulia state, a total of 51
      blood and stool samples were collected. Serums were tested by ELISA and Western
      Blot (WB) assays, with excretion-secretion antigens of Fasciola hepatica (AFhES).
      The serum samples that resulted positive by these assays were tested by ELISA IgG
      anti Toxocara sp, Toxoplasma gondii and cysticerosis. Stool samples were
      concentrated by the Ritchie and rapid sedimentation techniques. Two serum samples
      were reactive to ELISA AFhES (3.9%) and these did not recognize the specific
      molecules of WB-AFhES detected by serum from patients with an absolutely
      demonstrated infection. Both participants were not positive to IgG anti Toxocara
      sp, Toxoplasma gondii, cysticerosis, and stool samples of these were negative to
      intestinal parasites. The general prevalence of intestinal parasites was 52.9%
      (27/51), being protozoa more frequent than helminthes. No Fasciola eggs were
      found. The two positives participants had in common that both had worked as fresh
      pasture cutters. These results suggest that the population had been in contact
      with F. hepatica, with no active infection because of the lack of specific
      molecules recognition and the absence of eggs in stool samples. Human fasciolosis
      has a low frequency in Venezuela and is underestimated and underrecognized by
      health workers and the general population.

PMID- 20306724
TI  - [Bilateral gonadectomy and laparoscopic hysterosalpingectomy in an adolescent
      with ovotesticular disorder of sexual development].
AB  - Disorders of sexual development in adolescents refer to children whose genitals
      at birth present characteristics of both genders, or to those children with
      normal phenotype that present a development alteration during puberty or
      adolescence. These disorders represent diagnostic and therapeutic challenges,
      because they can be triggered by different nosological entities; and on the other
      hand, patients carrying the same pathologies can present different anatomical
      alterations. Laparoscopy plays an important role in the diagnostic approach of
      these patients because, besides the fact that it allows an excellent
      visualization of the internal genitals anatomy, it also allows tissue sample
      taking for histological studies. On the other hand, from a therapeutic point of
      view, laparoscopic surgery allows removal of internal structures opposed to the
      patient's definite gender. We report the case of an adolescent with ovotesticular
      disorder of sexual development (True Hermaphrodite) from whom, once his male
      gender was socially defined, the embrionary remnants derived from Muller were
      removed through laparoscopic approach. Mamoplastic reduction and testicular
      prosthesis implantation were also practiced through conventional surgery.

PMID- 20306725
TI  - [Immune response of Hansen's disease. Review].
AB  - Hansen's disease presents a wide spectrum of clinical and histopathological
      manifestations that reflect the nature of the immunological response of the host
      towards diverse Mycobacterium leprae components. The immunological system,
      composed by both innate and adaptive immunology, offers protection towards
      infections of various etiologies, among them bacterial. Bacteria, of course, have
      developed multiple strategies for evading host defenses, based on either very
      complex or simple mechanisms, but with a single purpose: to "resist" host attacks
      and to be able to survive. We have tried to summarize some recent studies in
      Hansen's disease, with more emphasis in the inmunology area. We think that in the
      future, all illnesses should also be very strongly related to other important
      aspects such as the social, environmental and economic, and whose development is
      not solved in a laboratory.

PMID- 20306726
TI  - [Hypoxia in cancer malignity. Review].
AB  - Hypoxia is a common characteristic of solid tumors. It contributes to local and
      systemic tumor progression, as well as the lack of response to radio and
      chemotherapy, therefore increasing the probability of tumor recurrence. The HIF-1
      transcription factor is the main regulator of tumor adaptation to hypoxia stress,
      stimulating the expression of many genes that allow cells to survive under these
      conditions. Products dependent on HIF-1 factor are involved in processes of tumor
      progression, such as proliferation, glucose metabolism, ph-acidosis, angiogenesis
      and metastasis. It has become increasingly necessary to gain knowledge on the HIF
      1 mechanisms of action, since it is possible to find inhibitors that could be
      used therapeutically against cancer. In this review, a summary is given on the
      role that the HIF-1 factor plays in hypoxia, as well as its implications on
      angiogenesis and metastasis.

PMID- 20306727
TI  - Current concepts in the diagnosis of primary open angle glaucoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary open angle glaucoma is characterized by quantifiable
      parameters including the intraocular pressure, the aqueous outflow facility, and
      geometric measurements of the optic disc and visual defects. Despite this,
      diagnosis remains controversial. OBJECTIVE: To review the current concepts in the
      diagnosis of primary open angle glaucoma and adapt them to situations where high
      technology facilities are lacking. DATA SOURCE: Information was obtained from
      journals/medline, Hinari, the American Academy of Ophthalmology preferred
      practice pattern CD, and reputable textbooks using publications from 1972 to
      2007. RESULTS: The Preferred Practice Pattern Committee of the American Academy
      of Ophthalmology recommends that the comprehensive initial glaucoma evaluation
      (history and physical examination) includes comprehensive adult eye evaluation
      with special attention to those factors that specifically bear on the diagnosis
      such as the optic disc, nerve fibre layer and visual field evaluation, open
      anterior chamber angles on gonioscopy and absence of secondary causes of
      glaucoma. Intraocular pressure is no longer relied onin the diagnosis of primary
      open angle glaucoma. Sequential evaluation of optic disc cup and size,
      neuroretinal rim size and shape, retinal nerve fiber layer, presence of
      peripapillary atrophy, and presence of retinal or optic disc haemorrhages enhance
      the ability to detect glaucomatous damages. CONCLUSION: A simple systematic
      approach in examination of the optic discs and visual field will improve accurate
      diagnosis of glaucoma.

PMID- 20306728
TI  - Neurosurgical procedures in Jehovah's Witnesses: the Tema experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: On account of religious reasons, Jehovah Witnesses do not accept
      blood or blood products; occasionally, they accept reinfusion of autologous blood
      via a cell saver during surgery. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to document
      the demographics of Jehovah Witnesses undergoing neurosurgical procedures, the
      neurosurgical procedures undertaken in Jehovah Witnesses and to evaluate the
      complications of the procedures. METHODS: A retrospective audit of the medical
      records of all Jehovah's Witnesses who underwent neurosurgical procedures at our
      institution, from January 1st 2000 to December 31st 2006, was carried out. The
      parameters investigated included demographics, pre and post operative diagnosis,
      type of neurosurgical procedure and complications. RESULTS: Nineteen patients
      (fifteen male, four female; male/female 3.8:1) constituted the series. The mean
      age was 45.8 (range: 20-65) years. A total of 21 procedures were performed;
      intracranial surgery (33%), spinal surgery (67%). No autotransfusion of blood was
      given. Lumbar laminectomy for stenosis was the commonest spine procedure, ten
      (71.4%); craniotomy for tumor excision was the commonest intracranial procedure,
      six (85.7%). With respect to the whole series, the morbidity rate was 4.7% and
      the mortality rate was 4.7%; both were from intracranial surgery. CONCLUSION: It
      is possible to perform certain types of neurosurgical procedures in Jehovah's
      Witnesses without increasing the mortality and morbidity rate.

PMID- 20306729
TI  - Clinical and histological characteristics of nasopharyngeal cancer in Sokoto,
      north-western, Nigeria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cancer of the nasopharynx poses diagnostic and therapeutic
      difficulties because of the hidden nature of the nasopharyngeal space, which
      allows for significant spread of the disease before diagnosis and hence poor
      prognosis. OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical and histological characteristics
      of nasopharyngeal cancer in a tertiarty health institution in Northern Nigeria.
      METHODS: Clinical features of patients with nasopharyngeal cancer presenting at
      the Ear, Nose and Throat clinic of a University Teaching Hospital in North
      western Nigeria seen over a five-year period were analysed. RESULT: A total
      number of 30 cases, [22 (73.3%) males and 8 (27.7%) females] with a male to
      female ratio of 2.8:1 were seen. The mean age was 39.1 years with the fourth
      decade of life recording the highest number of 16 cases (53.3%) and the least in
      the thirth decade. The commonest clinical features were neck swelling caused by
      cervical lymphadenopathy 28 (93.3%), epistaxis 25 (83.3%), nasal obstruction 20
      (66.7%),and deafness 11 (36.7%). Others were otalgia 9 (30%), palatal swelling 8
      (26.7%),cranial nerve involvement 7 (23.3%) and visual impairment 6 (20%).
      According to the UICC 1997 staging for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, 23 (76.7%) and 7
      (23.3%) were T3 and T4 or stages III and IV respectively. The histological
      diagnoses were squamous cell carcinoma 23 (76.7%) cases, non-Hodgkins lymphoma 3
      (10%) cases, plasmacytoma 2 (6.7%) cases, rhabdomyosarcoma one (3.3%) case,
      karposis sarcoma one (3.3%) cases. Seventeen (56.7%) patients though accepted in
      principle never went for radiotherapy. Only 2 (6.7%) were still alive three and
      six years respectively from the time of diagnosis after chemoradiation while all
      others (93.3%) had died within one year of diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Nasopharyngeal
      cancer in Northern Nigeria is characterised by presentation with advanced
      disease, high mortality and low 5-year survival rates. Free or highly subsidized
      medical programme for early detection and treatment will reduce the high
      mortality rate associated with nasopharyngeal cancer in this region.

PMID- 20306730
TI  - Spontaneous pre-labour rupture of membranes at term: immediate versus delayed
      induction of labour.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Spontaneous pre-labour rupture of membranes (SPROM) at term is one of
      the most common complications of pregnancy. It is an important cause of perinatal
      morbidity and mortality, particularly because it is associated with a latency
      period from membrane rupture to delivery. OBJECTIVE: To compare the outcome of
      labour in women who had immediate induction of labour, with those who had delayed
      induction following SPROM at term. METHODS: A prospective case control study of
      200 women who had either immediate induction of labour with intravaginal
      misoprostol tablets, or delayed induction with intravenous oxytocin infusion
      after an expectant period of 12 hours, at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano,
      Nigeria. The outcome of labour was compared in the two groups using the Z test
      and Chi square test, while, p-value of less than 0.05 was taken as significant.
      The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval were also determined where
      appropriate. RESULTS: Immediate induction of labour with intravaginal misoprotol
      resulted in lower rates of caesarean section and operative vaginal delivery, with
      a higher rate of spontaneous vaginal delivery. The duration of latent phase of
      labour and hospital stay before delivery was statistically significantly shorter
      in the immediate induction group. Neonatal and maternal morbidity were
      insignificant and comparable between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Immediate
      induction of labour with intravaginal misoprotol resulted in significantly lower
      rates of intervention without compromising fetomaternal outcome. We recommend the
      immediate induction of labour with proper use of intravaginal misoprotol in women
      with SPROM at term.

PMID- 20306731
TI  - Adenosine deaminase activity in subjects with normal pregnancy, pregnancy induced
      hypertension and pre-eclampsia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Both pregnancy and adenosine deaminase (ADA) are associated with
      depressed cellular mediated immunity. There is little information on ADA activity
      in pregnant Africans. OBJECTIVE: To determine the serum levels of adenosine
      deaminase (ADA) in normal pregnancy and pregnancy complicated by hypertension in
      Nigerian women. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-five pregnant women comprising 35
      normal non-pregnant women, 35 normal pregnant women, 35 pregnant women with
      pregnancy induced hypertension and 20 patients with pre-eclampsia were recruited
      for the study. Serum adenosine deaminase enzyme (ADA) activity was measured by
      the Giusti and Galanti spectrophotometric method in all study subjects. RESULTS:
      The mean serum ADA level in the non-pregnant women was higher than that in the
      normal pregnant women (23.21 +/- 6.3 v 14.69 +/- 3.2, p<0.001). Amongst the
      pregnant women, mean serum ADA in the hypertensive and pre-eclamptic women was
      significantly higher than that in the normal pregnant group (p<0.001).
      CONCLUSION: These findings indicate a probable decrease in cellular immunity in
      normal pregnancy and an enhanced cell mediated immunity in pre-eclampsia.

PMID- 20306732
TI  - A retrospective analysis of aetiology and management of epistaxis in a south
      western Nigerian teaching hospital.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Epistaxis is a common otolaryngological emergency and is often due to
      lesions within or around the nose and systemic conditions. Controlling epistaxis
      presents a challenge in the underdeveloped, resource-poor centres where there are
      limited facilities. OBJECTIVE: To describe the aetiopatogenesis of epistaxis in
      our hospitals. METHODS: This was a retrospective review of the cases of epistaxis
      managed at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex (OAUTHC),
      Ile Ife, over a three-year period: January 2003 - through December, 2005.
      Information on sociodemographic characteristics, clinical presentation and
      management of epistaxis was obtained from the hospital records both in the
      accident and emergency units and the ENT outpatient clinic. RESULTS: A total of
      106 cases were managed during the period. The peak age incidence was in the 21-40
      year group. There was a significant male preponderance, ratio 3.4:1. Trauma
      contributed to 75 (70.9%) of the cases managed. Maxillofacial injuries were the
      most common injury encountered (50.7%). This was mainly secondary to the road
      traffic accident (RTA). Malignant neoplasms were the second most common
      aetiological factor seen in this study while idiopathic causes were the third
      most common. There were two cases with systemic problems associated with renal
      failure. Nasal packing was adequate to control the epistaxis in most cases. Nasal
      packing was done with gloved finger cots and vasellinated gauze. Two patients
      (1.9%) had external carotid artery ligation. Eleven patients (10.4%) received
      blood transfusion. CONCLUSION: Epistaxis is a common presentation of head and
      neck trauma. Non-surgical control of epistaxis (nasal packing) is adequate in
      many cases. Reducing the incidence of trauma from RTA will reduce the incidence
      of emergency epistaxis in our centers.

PMID- 20306733
TI  - Influence of pregnancy on bone mass in sickle cell anemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sickle cell disease (SCD) causes osteopenia and osteoporosis, This
      osteopenia may be further influenced by pregnancy. OBJECTIVE: To find out the
      effect of pregnancy on bone skeleton density in patients with SCD. METHODS:
      Consecutive adult female SCA patients who were treated at the out-patients
      clinics of King Fahd University Hospital Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia, between January
      and July 2007, were the cases of study. Patient's age, number of pregnancies and
      duration after pregnancy were documented. Weight and height were recorded to
      calculate body mass index (BMI). Blood was collected for haematology and
      biochemistry purposes. Bone mineral density (BMD) measurement was done using dual
      energy X-ray absorbtiometry (DEXA) at upper femur and lumbar spine. RESULTS:
      Thirty-eight patients were evaluated. There were 20 (52.6%) patients who were
      delivered in (Group A) and 18 (47.4%) who were nulliparous in Group B. The
      average age in group A was 27.55 +/- 4.9 years while group B was 26.30 +/- 2.1
      years. Thirteen (65%) of the patients in group A were osteoporotic when compared
      to five (27.7%) in group B (p=0.01). Osteopenic patients in group B were seven
      (38.9%) versus four (20%) in group A (p=0.2). Osteoporosis in both groups was
      highest at lumbar spine compared to the hip region (P=0.001). BMD was lower in
      parous women when compared to the nulliparous women. There was no significant
      difference in haematological parameters which included the percentage of sickle
      hemoglobin, hemoglobin level between normal, osteopenic and osteoporotic patient.
      CONCLUSION: This study shows that SCA female patients suffer from low bone mass
      in young age. Pregnancy predisposes the SCA patients to further osteopenia and
      osteoporosis.

PMID- 20306735
TI  - Fulfilling human resources development goal in West Africa: can the training of
      ophthalmologist diplomates be improved?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the perspectives of Trainee Ophthalmologist Diplomats
      (TOD) on the Ophthalmic Diploma Training (ODT) in West Africa with a view to
      improving the programme. METHODS: A survey of set 2005 TOD on ODT was carried out
      in Ghana, 2006. RESULTS: The trainees included 10 (83.35%) males and two (16.7%)
      females whose ages ranged between thirty-two and fifty-one years. The sponsors of
      the trainees included Sight Savers International, five (41.7%); Christian Blind
      Mission International, three (25.0%); Eye Foundation, Lagos, Nigeria two (16.7%);
      Ministry of Defence Nigeria, one (8.3%); and Health Authority Ghana, one (8.3%).
      Nine trainees (75.0%) felt the programme was well structured, training allowances
      were adequate eight (66.7%) and inadequate four (33.3%). Eleven (91.7%) trainees
      would work wherever they were posted; ten (83.3%) trainees had sense of
      fulfillment and three (25%) would like to proceed for residency training. All
      trainees were at least good in chalazion surgery and treatment of common medical
      eye conditions. Majority were at least good in eye surgery like cataract, eleven
      (91.7%); trabeculectomy nine (75.0%); pterygium 10 (83.3%); eyelid, eight
      (66.7%); destructive 11 (91.6%) and refraction 9 (75.0%). Some trainees'
      perceived problems included inadequate sponsorship (33.3%), short duration of the
      course four (33.3%) and poor accommodation facility two (16.7%). However,
      trainees' suggested increase in training posts, four (33.3); training allowance
      three (25.0%); and incentives for trainers/training hospitals two (16.7%).
      CONCLUSION: The ODT programme ensures ophthalmic manpower for secondary eye care
      level despite challenges. The stakeholders should look into problems facing the
      programme in order to improve it.

PMID- 20306734
TI  - Malignant gastrointestinal tumours in south western Nigeria: a histopathologic
      analysis of 713 cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Malignant tumours of the gastro-intestinal tract are not as rare as
      previous studies suggest. Recent studies have indicated increasing incidence.
      OBJECTIVE: To document the pattern, age and sex distribution as well as
      histopathology characteristics of malignant tumours of the gastro-intestinal
      system in Lagos and Sagamu in Southwestern Nigeria. METHODS: The paraffin
      embedded blocks and slides as well as pathology reports of malignant tumours of
      the gastrointestinal (GIT) organs collected from five laboratories (Morbid
      Anatomy Departments of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital and Olabisi
      Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital in Sagamu, Ogun State as well as the three
      private histolopathology laboratories in Lagos State) were reviewed. The clinical
      data such as the age, sex, and clinical summary were extracted from the records.
      RESULTS: About 80% (578 cases) of all the 713 malignant GIT tumours were
      epithelial; sarcomas, carcinoid and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma being less common. The
      ages ranged from 4-96 yrs (mean of 48.9 years) with the peak in patients 60-69
      year age group and M:F ratio of 1.35:1. Colorectal tumours topped the list with
      402 cases (56%), followed by liver 105 (14.7%), stomach 85 (12%) and omental
      metastases 67 (9.4%). The oesophagus, pancreas, small intestine and gall bladder
      represented 18 (2.5%), 16 (2.2%), 12 (1.7%), and eight (1.1%) respectively.
      Colorectal cancers peaked in the 60-69 year age group, liver and stomach cancer
      occurred mostly between the 50-59 years age group. Over half of the colorectal
      adenocarcinomata were located in the ano-rectum with 93 (23%) occurring in those
      below 40 years of age. CONCLUSION: Colorectal cancer remains the commonest GIT
      tumour in the region. Molecular studies are imperative to identify the common
      subtypes of GIT tumours in order to ascertain their specific pathogenetic and
      prognostic features.

PMID- 20306736
TI  - Foramina parietalia permagna in a Nigerian family.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Enlarged parietal foramina are defects in the skull and are believed
      to be benign and familial and caused by variable degree of defective
      intramembranous ossification of the parietal bones. They are rare and
      asymptomatic, usually associated with ALX4 or MSX2 gene mutations and transmitted
      as autosomal dominant. OBJECTIVE: To highlight the importance of plain
      radiographs in the diagnosis of this condition and need for health education in
      affected families. METHODS: A four-year-old male presented with a 14-day history
      of fever, seizures, and loss of consciousness. Full clinical and radiological
      evaluation was undertaken. RESULTS: Physical examination showed an unconscious
      boy who was having persistent twitching of the upper limbs. Investigations of
      skull X-rays which showed bilateral parasagital lucencies in the parietal bones.
      Ultrasound scan showed a mass in the posterior fourth ventricle. The father
      admitted to having defects in his skull. The patient's elder brother also had
      defects in his skull. CONCLUSION: The case illustrates that PFM is usually benign
      and mostly discovered accidently. In most cases, health education and reassurance
      are all that are necessary.

PMID- 20306737
TI  - A giant guteal schwannoma with extension into the pelvis: a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Schwannomas are uncommon slow growing tumours arising from the nerve
      sheath or Schwann cell. OBJECTIVE: To report a case and the surgical removal of a
      giant complex schwannoma and to highlight the value of extensive investigations
      including a preoperative histologic diagnosis in the successful surgical
      management of uncommon large benign tumours. METHODS: A 39-year-old man presented
      with a 15-year history of a large mass in the right gluteal region. He was
      clinically evaluated, subjected to imaging studies and surgery. RESULTS: Clinical
      examination revealed a 40 cm by 60 cm mass in the right gluteal region and
      continuous with a 25 cm by 15 cm pelvic mass. The ultrasound scan revealed a very
      complex (mixed solid and fluid containing) gluteal mass with extension to the
      pelvis. The CT scan showed a very large, well defined lobulated tumour with
      cystic spaces and enhancing nodules. The tumour extended through the ischiadic
      foramen into the pelvis and posteriorly into the thigh muscles. A Doppler scan of
      the pelvic vessels revealed that the right common and internal iliac arteries
      were both compressed but not occluded. An incisional biopsy was reported as a
      Schwannoma with xanthomatous changes and an immuno histochemistry profile of S
      100+, Ki-67+ (less than 1% of the cells). A right foot drop following the surgery
      responded to physiotherapy. The duration of total hospital stay was 12 weeks.
      CONCLUSION: The staged excision of large and complex schwannomas is safe. It is
      essential that a preoperative histological diagnosis is made to establish that
      the tumor is truly benign.

PMID- 20306738
TI  - Multiple digital grengrene arising from traditional therapy: a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traditional medicine has being advocated as an alternative to
      Orthodox medicine in Nigeria despite, its reported adverse effects. OBJECTIVE: To
      report an unusual complication of traditional therapy. METHODS: A 20-year-old
      house-wife who was bitten by a crawling insect presented to a hospital with
      complaints of swollen body and pain in three digits. After clinical evaluation
      and investigations, she had both medical and surgical intervention. RESULTS: Two
      weeks following an insect bite, the patient noticed periorbital and bilateral leg
      swellings. She sought help from a traditional medicine practitioner who incised
      and tied the affected digits for three days. He repeated the cycle thrice. She
      had generalized oedema, massive proteinuria, hypoalbuminaemia,
      hypercholesterolaemia features consistent with a diagnosis of nephritic syndrome.
      There was gangrene of the left middle finger and both index toes. Oedema
      responded to diuretics, lisinopril and low salt diet. She had surgery for the
      gangrenous digits. CONCLUSION: Development of gangrene is an unusual finding in
      nephrotic syndrome. It occurred in this case as an aftermath of traditional
      medical intervention. This report reiterates the danger of this form of medical
      practice and the need for measures to protect the populace to be put in place.

PMID- 20306739
TI  - Paradigm shift: duodenal ulcer to reflux esophagitis and its relation to the
      longitudinal prevalence of H. pylori.

PMID- 20306740
TI  - Palliative treatment in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: has it made any
      difference?
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a global health problem, the fifth most common
      cancer in the world. HCC occurs in a histologically abnormal liver due to
      underlying chronic liver disease resulting as a sequele of the chronic viral
      infections, hepatitis B and C. Since these two viral infections are endemic in
      Asia and Africa, more than 80% of cases are encountered in these regions. In
      India, a large proportion of the population is "at risk" for developing chronic
      liver disease and, therefore, HCC. Due to the lack of screening programmes in the
      country, the majority of HCC patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage of the
      disease, thus treatment remains a challenge. Palliative therapy forms the
      mainstay of treatment for this group of patients. The current era provides a
      plethora of options for the palliative management of HCC. This review concisely
      summarises the historical perspective and the current status of palliative
      treatment in advanced HCC.

PMID- 20306741
TI  - Hepatic hydrothorax.
AB  - Hepatic hydrothorax is defined as significant pleural effusion (usually greater
      than 500 mL) in a cirrhotic patient, in the absence of underlying pulmonary or
      cardiac disease. The diagnosis of hepatic hydrothorax should be suspected in a
      patient with established cirrhosis and portal hypertension, presenting with
      unilateral pleural effusion, most commonly right-sided. Hydrothorax is uncommon,
      and is found in 4-6% of all patients with cirrhosis and up to 10% in patients
      with decompensated cirrhosis. Although ascites is usually present, hydrothorax
      can occur in the absence of ascites. Patients with hepatic hydrothorax usually
      have advanced liver disease with portal hypertension and most of them require
      liver transplantation. Current insight into the pathogenesis of this entity has
      led to improved treatment modalities such as portosystemic shunts (TIPS) and
      video-assisted thoracoscopy for closure of diaphragmatic defects. These
      modalities may provide a bridge towards transplantation.

PMID- 20306742
TI  - Evaluation of eating habits in dyspeptic patients with or without Helicobacter
      pylori infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection varies in different
      societies and geographical locations. This is attributed to socioeconomic status,
      life style, family density and other factors. There is also a possibility of an
      association between eating habits and the prevalence of H. pylori infection. AIM:
      In this study, we examine the association between H. pylori infection and
      particular eating habits such as sharing plates, glasses and spoons. METHODS:
      This cross-sectional study was performed via a questionnaire-based evaluation of
      all patients with dyspepsia who underwent endoscopic assessment. Data including
      demographic information, endoscopic findings, H. pylori status and sharing of
      dishes within families were recorded. Individuals with a history of 3-day
      antibiotic treatment in the past month, or use of proton pump inhibitors in the
      past two weeks, or regular use of H2-blockers during the past week were excluded.
      The H. pylori status was determined using the rapid urease test. RESULTS: Of the
      225 participants who had filled in the questionnaire, 204 were eligible; 92 were
      male (45.1%) and 112 female (54.9%) with 22% younger than 30 years of age, 49%
      between 30 and 50 years and 29% older than 50. In families where common dishes
      were used, the prevalence of H. pylori infection was significantly higher. (77%
      vs. 53%, p = 0.001) Factors such as age, sex, and education proved to be
      irrelevant. CONCLUSION: The results suggest a strong link between H. pylori
      infection and eating habits, thereby raising the possibility that modification of
      these habits might limit H. pylori infection.

PMID- 20306743
TI  - Intestinal parasitosis in school going children of Dharan municipality, Nepal.
AB  - This community-based investigation was carried out to estimate the prevalence of
      intestinal parasitosis in primary school-going children of the Dharan
      municipality, Sunsari, Nepal from 2007 through 2008. A total of 182 stool samples
      were collected from 101 male and 81 female children of ages 4 to 10 years. A
      questionnaire including the factors predisposing to parasitosis, was filled up by
      the parents of each child. Parasitic examination was carried out by direct wet
      mount examination and concentration method using 10% formol-ether. The prevalence
      rate was found to be 22.5%. The result revealed preponderance of Giardia lamblia
      (11.5%) followed by Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (4.4%), Ascaris lumbricoides
      (3.3%), hookworm (1.6%) and Enterobius vermicularis (0.5%). Statistically
      significant difference in the prevalence with respect to age and gender was not
      seen. However, socioeconomic status, type of toilet used and the practice of hand
      washing had a strong correlation (p < 0.05) with the prevalence of parasitic
      infection. Abdominal discomfort also had a strong statistical association (p <
      0.05) with the prevalence of parasitic infection. Proportionally higher infection
      rate was seen in participants not using filtered or boiled water. Lack of
      education of mothers and children, improper toilets and failure to practice
      proper hand washing were perceived from this study as contributors to the
      acquisition of intestinal parasitic infections.

PMID- 20306744
TI  - Giant sigmoid diverticulum--report of two cases.

PMID- 20306745
TI  - Endoscopic removal of a coin impacted at the ileocecal valve with small bowel
      obstruction.

PMID- 20306746
TI  - Sigmoid perforation and mesocolic hematoma in a patient with polyarteritis
      nodosa.

PMID- 20306747
TI  - Cholecystocolic fistula: an unusual presentation and review of literature.

PMID- 20306748
TI  - Pantoea agglomerans liver abscess in a resident of Brazilian Amazonia.

PMID- 20306749
TI  - Acute mesenteric ischemia following colonoscopy: report from Brazilian Amazon
      region.

PMID- 20306750
TI  - Primary mesothelioma of the peritoneum.

PMID- 20306751
TI  - A case of congenital esophagobronchial fistula in an adult.

PMID- 20306752
TI  - Symptomatic giant duodenal diverticula.

PMID- 20306753
TI  - Clinical profile, prognostic indicators and outcome of Wilson's disease in
      children: a hospital based study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Wilson's disease is a common metabolic disease of the tropics, which
      is treatable, if diagnosed early. In the paediatric group, the manifestations are
      mainly hepatic. AIMS: The objective was to study the varied presentations of the
      disease and to evaluate the diagnostic values of conventional tests in children.
      The prognostic importance of different indices in liver disorders was also
      assessed. METHOD: The prospective work was carried out in the Paediatric Medicine
      Department of Nilratan Sircar Medical College & Hospital (NRSMCH) over a span of
      three years on children 1 through 12 years of age who fulfilled the prerequisite
      inclusion criteria. RESULTS: The mean age of the 34 children was 7.7 +/- 2.13
      years. Predominant liver involvement was seen in 17 patients, neurological
      disturbance in 7 and purely hematological manifestations in 2 cases; the
      remaining 8 children were incidentally diagnosed whilst screening the siblings of
      affected subjects. In our series the sensitivity of various diagnostic tests was:
      24 hour urinary copper excretion--100%, serum ceruloplasmin less than 20 mg/ dL-
      82.3%, K-F rings--32.35%. Eighteen of the 23 followed up cases (78.2%) responded
      to medical treatment. The sensitivity and specificity of the new Wilson Index was
      more than the Nazer index in predicting mortality with liver involvement.
      CONCLUSION: The superiority of the new Wilson Index over the Nazer index has to
      be validated on a larger scale. As the outcome of management was very promising,
      a high index of suspicion in pertinent cases can not only check mortality, but
      also prevent florid manifestations.

PMID- 20306754
TI  - Evaluation of ultrastructural changes by electron microscopy in neonatal
      cholestasis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Biliary atresia (BA) and idiopathic neonatal hepatitis (NH) account
      for 50-70% of all cases with neonatal cholestasis. The treatment of the former is
      early surgical intervention, while the latter requires non-surgical supportive
      care. Failure to differentiate the two conditions may result in avoidable surgery
      in NH, which may significantly increase morbidity. The lack of differentiating
      clinical features, biochemical markers and other specific investigations to
      distinguish the two is still a major problem. AIM: This study was thus initiated
      to evaluate electron microscopic changes in the liver in patients with NH and BA,
      to correlate these with changes on light microscopy and look for specific
      differentiating features between the two. METHODS: Ten patients with neonatal
      cholestasis whose liver specimens were available for electron microscopic
      analysis were included in the study. There were 6 patients with BA and 4 patients
      with NH. RESULTS: Among the biochemical parameters, serum alkaline phosphatase
      and gamma glutamyl transpeptidase were significantly higher in BA than in
      patients with NH. On light microscopy, giant cell transformation was seen in 75%
      patients with NH and 33.3% of patients with BA. Even in BA, intracellular
      cholestasis was more prominent than ductular cholestasis (100% vs. 50%). Ductular
      proliferation was seen in 50% of NH patients and all patients of BA. Electron
      microscopy revealed prominent endoplasmic changes in all patients with NH and to
      a milder degree in BA. Changes in mitochondria and glycogen content were similar
      in both groups. CONCLUSION: Ultrastructural changes in neonatal cholestasis seen
      through electron microscopy are largely non-specific and do not differentiate BA
      from NH.

PMID- 20306755
TI  - Comparative study of low pressure versus standard pressure pneumoperitoneum in
      laparoscopic cholecystectomy--a randomised controlled trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Standard pressure pneumoperitoneum for laparoscopic cholecystectomy
      employs a pressure range of 12-14 mm Hg. An emerging trend has been the use of
      low pressure pneumoperitoneum in the range of 7-10 mm Hg in an attempt to lower
      the impact of pneumoperitoneum on the human physiology while providing adequate
      working space. Our study proposes to compare the use of low pressure
      pneumoperitoneum with the use of standard pressure pneumoperitoneum. METHODS: A
      randomised controlled trial consisting of 60 patients with symptomatic gallstone
      disease who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy, of which 30 patients were
      subjected to standard pressure pneumoperitoneum during the procedure and 30
      patients to low pressure pneumoperitoneum. RESULTS: Both groups were comparable
      in all aspects. The mean operating time with low pressure pneumoperitoneum was
      49.07 +/- 5.72 minutes and with standard pressure pneumoperitoneum was 46.43 +/-
      6.92 minutes. There was no statistically significant change in blood pressure,
      heart rate, pain at 6 hours, need for additional analgesia or shoulder tip pain
      with the use of lower pressure pneumoperitoneum. CONCLUSIONS: Low pressure
      pneumoperitoneum benefits the patient in the form of lower intensity of
      postoperative pain but it does not positively impact intraoperative hemodynamics.

PMID- 20306756
TI  - Myalgia during interferon therapy--does it warrant monitoring muscle enzymes?
AB  - Myositis during interferon therapy is a known but rare adverse event. However the
      clinician may overlook the symptom-complex of proximal muscle weakness and
      myalgia, seen in myositis, since myalgia is a commonly reported side effect of
      therapy. In this context then, is there a role for monitoring muscle enzymes to
      detect subclinical myositis in patients on interferon therapy? We prospectively
      monitored the creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LD) levels in all
      our patients who reported myalgia during treatment and noted that muscle enzymes
      remained within normal range throughout the duration of treatment. This excluded
      the possibility of subclinical myositis in myalgic patients and thus led us to
      conclude that routine monitoring of muscles enzymes is neither necessary nor
      beneficial.

PMID- 20306757
TI  - Boom in clinical research industry: a dangerous trend.
AB  - Over the last decade or so India has witnessed a phenomenal growth in the
      clinical trial industry. The projections forecast a continuing growth of this
      trend. It has been predicted that by 2011 India will be in charge of 15% of
      global clinical trials. The enthusiasm for the growth of this industry in India
      is shared not just by the major pharmaceutical companies and CROs but also
      equally so by government agencies. The raison d'etre for medical research is that
      it should lead to maximum possible benefit to the largest number of people.
      Hence, an examination of the extent to which public good is served can act as a
      measure for objective analysis of this exponential increase in the clinical trial
      industry. After all it is the health and lives of the people that are at stake.
      On the face of it, it would seem that all trials testing the safety and efficacy
      of various molecules, by their very nature work towards public welfare as they
      are indispensible to the development of any drug including the life-saving ones.
      An increasing number of clinical trials at all stages in a product's life cycle
      are funded by the pharmaceutical industry. It would then seem that the industry
      sponsored medical research is necessarily furthering the larger objective of
      human wellbeing. However, the operations of the pharmaceutical industry, the
      nature of the processes involved and the operative motives are a bit too complex
      to facilitate this larger objective so simply, just as yet. This warrants a
      closer look at the various aspects of industry-sponsored clinical research.

PMID- 20306758
TI  - Suicidal behavior in Latinos: focus on the youth.
AB  - The multicultural nature of American society presents clinicians and mental
      health providers with the unique challenge of working with mentally ill patients
      from many different cultural backgrounds. Although research investigating
      suicidal behavior among Latinos is limited, the literature suggests the presence
      of two distinct phenomena: (a) the prevalence of completed suicide among Latinos
      as a group is lower than the national rate and (b) the prevalence of suicidal
      behavior among Latino youth between the ages of 10-24 years is greater than in
      other ethnic groups, especially among females. Acculturation, family conflicts,
      physical abuse and sexual abuse, among other factors, have been suggested to
      increase the risk of depression and suicide among young Latinos. To ameliorate
      suicidal behavior among Latino youth, more research is needed about specific risk
      factors, diagnosis, treatment, and ultimately, suicide prevention. Research
      focused on identifying risk and mediating factors for suicidal behavior in young
      Latinos is particularly relevant, given the size and rapid growth of the Latino
      population in the United States of America.

PMID- 20306759
TI  - Meta-analysis of positive effects, side effects and adverse events of holistic
      mind-body medicine (clinical holistic medicine): experience from Denmark, Sweden,
      United Kingdom and Germany.
AB  - About 50% of the general population has a chronic disease not cured by
      biomedicine. OBJECTIVES: Meta-analysis of holistic clinical medicine for which
      chronic patients were treated and outcomes were, 1) global quality of life, 2)
      self-rated physical/mental health, quality of life or ability of functioning, or
      3) patients felt cured for a specific disease of dysfunction. METHOD: MEDLINE and
      PsycLNFO and specific journals were searched in January 2009. RESULTS: Eleven
      clinical studies (18,500 participants) were identified. Positive effects: Quality
      of life Number Needed to Treat (NNT) = 2, physical health problems NNT = 3,
      mental health problems NNT = 2, sexual dysfunctions NNT = 2, self esteem NNT = 2,
      working/studying ability NNT = 2, anorgasmia NNT = 1, other specific sexual
      dysfunctions NNT = 2. Of 791 patients treated was 617, or 78.0% cured (NNT = 1).
      Side effects and adverse events: re-traumatization Number Needed to Harm (NNH) >
      18,500; brief reactive psychosis (if mentally ill) NNH = 4,625; brief reactive
      psychosis (if not mentally ill) NNH > 9,250; brief reactive psychosis, all
      patients NNH = 9,250; depression NNH > 18,500; depersonalization and
      derealization NNH > 18,500; iatrogenic disturbances NNH > 18,500; minor bone
      fractures (ribs, hand) NNH = 4,625; serious bone fractures (spine, scull, pelvis)
      NNH > 18,500; suicides during or less than three month after therapy NNH >
      18,500; suicide attempts during or less than three month after therapy NNH >
      18,500. Suicide was prevented NNT = 1. Therapeutic value TV = NNH/NNT = 9,250.
      CONCLUSIONS: Holistic clinical medicine is an efficient complementary and
      alternative medicine (CAM) treatment for chronic illnesses and health related
      problems. Every second patient with physical and mental disorders, sexual
      dysfunctions, and existential problems were healed. Holistic clinical medicine
      had no significant side effects or adverse events.

PMID- 20306761
TI  - Evidence-based medicine: four fundamental problems with the randomized clinical
      trial (RCT) used to document chemical medicine.
AB  - Randomized clinical trials (RCT) have been accepted as the golden standard of
      testing, thus making chemical medicine "evidence based". The RCT is based on four
      assumptions: 1) The placebo effect is represented by a placebo pill, 2) it is
      possible to make a double-blind test with biologically active drugs, 3)
      beneficial and harmful effects of drugs are fairly measured in RCTs, and 4) an
      appropriate time frame for the test is used. We have found problems with these
      assumptions: 1) The placebo effect provided by close relationships to a physician
      is stronger than an inert pill, 2) double-blind tests cannot be made with
      biologically active drugs, as these leave an internal clue in the patient that
      destroys the blinding (active placebo), 3) lack of global outcome measures makes
      toxic effects invisible for the test and magnifies minor effects to make
      clinically insignificant positive effects look important, and 4) RCTs are used in
      such a brief time frame that side effects and harm are not properly detected. The
      four errors combine into a serious error: The RCT-procedure induces a strong bias
      in favor of any toxic drug tested. RCTs can turn drugs that are only toxic and
      not beneficial at all into products sold as.useful chemical medicine. Many
      pharmaceutical drugs on the market today are tested only with this flawed RTC
      procedure, and we recommend that these drugs be tested again using a rational
      method. If drugs are not more helpful than placebo, then we should return to
      classic psychosocial holistic medicine.

PMID- 20306760
TI  - A review of familial correlates of child and adolescent obesity: what has the
      21st century taught us so far?
AB  - With the rising prevalence rates of child and adolescent obesity over the last
      several decades, it is important to examine the extant research to inform future
      research. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper was to review and critique research
      investigating familial correlates of child and adolescent obesity in the last
      decade. METHODS: A literature review was conducted between March 2008 and
      December 2008. Studies published after 2000 that assessed familial associations
      with child and adolescent obesity in the parental, family functioning, and
      sibling domains were included in the review. A total of 80 studies met the
      inclusion criteria. RESULTS: The majority of studies focused on the parental
      domain. Substantial evidence indicates an association between authoritative
      parenting style and child/adolescent lower BMI, healthy dietary intake, and
      physical activity. Also, research on family meals has consistently shown an
      association between the frequency of family meals and child/adolescent lower BMI
      and healthy dietary intake. CONCLUSION: To date, preliminary evidence suggests
      that familial factors are associated with child and adolescent obesity, dietary
      intake, physical activity, and weight control behaviors, but most of the evidence
      is cross-sectional and there are limitations to the research. Recommendations for
      future research are discussed.

PMID- 20306762
TI  - Physical self-esteem, a five year follow-up study on Swedish adolescents.
AB  - This study describes the levels and inter-correlations of physical self-esteem,
      physical activity, body mass index (BMI), and body fat and, in addition,
      distinctive of individuals with high vs. low physical self-worth in a
      longitudinal design during adolescence. METHODS: At mean ages 12.7, 15.7, and
      17.7 years, physical activity (steps/day) was measured for four consecutive
      schooldays of 77 (41 girls) Swedish adolescents. Perceived physical self-esteem,
      height, weight, and at ages 15.7 and 17.7 years, body fat percent was also
      measured. RESULTS: Boys' physical self-perception scores were higher than girls'
      and an overall stability during adolescents was seen. High and low physical self
      worth had a significant impact regarding BMI at ages 12.7 and 17.7 years and
      regarding body fat at age 17.7 years in both boys and girls. CONCLUSIONS:
      Regression analysis indicated that BMI and body fat counter-predicted self-worth
      in girls age-dependently. Efforts to build adapted physical activity programs for
      overweight and obese are emphasized.

PMID- 20306763
TI  - Self perception score from zero to ten correlates well with standardized scales
      of adolescent self esteem, body dissatisfaction, eating disorders risk,
      depression, and anxiety.
AB  - The ability to quickly and reliably assess mental health status would assist
      health workers, educators and youth workers to provide appropriate early
      intervention for adolescents. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the validity of a simple
      self perception score out of ten by correlating the self perception scores of
      adolescents from a normal, community sample of adolescents with their scores on
      standardized mental health measures. Study group was 470 early adolescent
      students aged 11.0-14.5 years from grades 7 and 8 in two secondary schools.
      METHODS: Self perception was self reported using a score of zero to ten points,
      and the scores were then correlated with scores on the Harter Self Perception
      Profile, Beck Junior Depression, Speilberger State and Trait Anxiety and the
      Eating Disorders Inventory. A High Risk group (self perception < 5) was assessed
      to examine how many of these adolescents also had poor self esteem and risk for
      depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. RESULTS: Self perception scores
      correlated positively with self esteem and self concept subscales and it was
      negatively associated with depression, state and trait anxiety, and EDI scores.
      Of the 15.1% high risk adolescents in the overall sample, 78% scored below the
      group average on the mean of all Harter Self Concept scores; 70% scored above
      average for Beck Depression; 64% and 74% scored above average on Speilberger
      State/Trait Anxiety respectively; 80% scored higher than the average on the group
      mean EDI. CONCLUSIONS: A self perception score from zero to ten can be a simple
      and accurate way of gaining an initial insight into the current mental health
      status of adolescents.

PMID- 20306765
TI  - An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the lived experiences of young
      Chinese females in the course of unintended pregnancy.
AB  - Research in the West has increasingly recognized the importance of understanding
      the perceptions and experiences of young pregnant females; however, limited
      studies are available in Chinese societies. This paper investigates the
      experiences of 10 young pregnant Chinese females living in Hong Kong. Through the
      use of individual interviews and the method of interpretive phenomenological
      analysis, the researchers were able to explore how the research participants made
      sense of their personal and social worlds. This research strategy also adds a
      cultural perspective in analyzing their stories in the context of Hong Kong.
      Recurrent themes identified in their stories revealed their thoughts, feelings,
      and actions in encountering the unintended pregnancy. The themes can be grouped
      into four categories, namely 1) pregnancy resolution: self-determination vs.
      significant others' influences; 2) emotional experiences after the termination of
      pregnancy: sense of relief vs. sense of guilt and sadness; 3) identity of young
      pregnant females: self-perception vs. others' perceptions and 4) pursuing an
      intimate relationship: love vs. sex. The findings provide a knowledge base for an
      understanding of the perspectives of young pregnant women and open up valuable
      reflections and discussions about adolescent pregnancy in Chinese societies.
      Implications can also be drawn for intervention, prevention, and research.

PMID- 20306764
TI  - The negative consequences of other students' drinking: inventory development and
      assessment of differences by student characteristics and risk behaviors.
AB  - College students continue to report being disrupted by other students' alcohol
      use. OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to develop measures to document the
      consequences resulting from other students' drinking and identify differences in
      experiencing these consequences by student characteristics and drinking
      behaviors. STUDY GROUP: A stratified random sample of undergraduate students (N =
      3,908) from ten universities in North Carolina, USA, completed a web-based
      assessment. METHODS: Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed on the
      random first split-half sample (n = 1,954) to identify factor structure.
      Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed on the remaining half sample (n
      = 1,954) using structural equation modeling. RESULTS: EFA revealed two
      inventories: interpersonal and community consequences of others' drinking
      inventories. CFA on the second split-half sample identified model fits for the
      two factor structure suggested by EFA. Of 3,908 participants, 78% reported
      experiencing one or more consequences due to others' drinking during the past 30
      days. Multivariable generalized linear mixed modeling further validated the
      inventories and resulted in several associations. Male students who reported
      getting drunk experienced significantly more interpersonal consequences from
      others' drinking (p < .001). Minority students, students who lived on campus and
      students who reported getting drunk experienced significantly more community
      consequences from others' drinking (p < .01). CONCLUSIONS: These findings
      demonstrate that 4 out of 5 college students experience consequences from others'
      drinking, and consequences vary for different subgroups of students. Although
      these inventories should be tested further, these findings propose standardized
      measures that may be useful to assess the consequences of others' drinking among
      college students.

PMID- 20306766
TI  - Impact of socioeconomic and health related factors on the iron status of
      adolescent girls from two boarding schools in Southern Benin.
AB  - To our knowledge, the impact of socioeconomic and health related factors on the
      iron status of adolescent girls has never been studied in Benin. OBJECTIVE: These
      factors were studied in 180 girls aged 12 to 17 years living in two boarding
      schools from South Benin. METHODS: Iron deficiency (ID) was defined as either
      serum ferritin (SF) < 20 microg/L or SF between 20-50 microg/L plus two abnormal
      values in the three following parameters: serum iron < 11 micromol/L, total iron
      binding capacity > 73 micromol/L or transferrin saturation < 20%. Socioeconomic
      and health related factors were obtained from each participant by mean of an
      interview using a standardized and pre-tested questionnaire. RESULTS: Almost half
      the participants reported some health problems in the last four months before the
      study, whereas more than 75% auto-medicated before going to the hospital. The
      majority of the girls believed themselves to be in good health, although only 16%
      could define the term 'anemia'. Multivariate regression analysis indicated that
      girls whose mother was a manual worker (P = .002), who came from a larger family
      (P = .0001), and who auto-medicated (P = .014), had a lower hemoglobin level,
      whereas girls who had started their menstruation (P = .008) had a lower SF level.
      In a logistic regression analysis, girls from a large family size and whose
      mother was a manual worker showed a higher risk of IDA (OR = 3.5; 95% CI = 1.1
      2.5; P = .04; OR = 3.0; 95% CI = 1.2-2.2; P = .04 respectively). CONCLUSION: The
      findings indicate that iron deficiency is related to the occupation of the
      mother, family size, auto-medication, and menstruation.

PMID- 20306767
TI  - Menstrual function in female high school cross-country athletes.
AB  - Menstrual function in adolescent athletes has received limited investigation.
      OBJECTIVE: In a sample of female high school cross-country (XC) athletes, the
      purposes of the investigation were to (1) describe menstrual function (history
      and inseason), (2) describe the relationship between menstrual function and
      variables including body mass index (BMI), high school year, current year of
      running, total years running, training distance, racing pace, additional
      organized sport participation other than XC, and participation in XC practices
      and races, (3) determine the relationship between menstrual function and self
      reported interfering exercise related leg pain (ERLP), and (4) determine the
      relationship between menstrual function history and menstrual function during a
      XC season. STUDY GROUP: 62 female high school XC athletes. METHODS: A prospective
      cohort design was used. Athletes were asked to complete an initial questionnaire
      querying several variables including menstrual function and ERLP history. At the
      end of the XC season, athletes were asked to complete a postseason questionnaire
      regarding menstrual function and ERLP during the XC season. RESULTS: Of the
      athletes, 25.8% (16/62) reported abnormal menstrual function history and 34.9%
      reported abnormal menstrual function inseason. Abnormal menstrual function
      history was a risk for previous interfering ERLP (RR = 3.00, CI: 1.09, 8.29), and
      abnormal menstrual function history was a risk for abnormal menstrual function
      inseason (RR = 4.11, CI: 1.75, 9.62). CONCLUSIONS: Abnormal menstrual function
      was present in this sample of athletes and was a risk for previous interfering
      ERLP and future episodes of abnormal menstrual function.

PMID- 20306768
TI  - HPV vaccination coverage among adolescents aged 9 to 17 years in a United States
      military treatment facility.
AB  - Human papilloma virus (HPV) is expected to infect 80% of the United States female
      population. The vaccine Gardasil protects against four types of HPV. Routine
      administration of Gardasil began at Womack Army Medical Center (WAMC) in November
      2006. This research looks at vaccine compliance among girls aged 9 to 17 years.
      Medical records of all females aged 9 to 17 enrolled at WAMC (n = 6,154) were
      examined using the Composite Health Care System (CHCS) database. Patients
      identified with CPT code 90649, HPV vaccine were included. Of girls enrolled at
      WAMC, 22.9% (n = 1,406) began the vaccine series. Among girls aged 9 to 17 years
      age, only 25.7% completed the entire 3 injection series; 34.6% received 2
      injections, and 39.7% received 1 dose (P = .006). WAMC falls slightly below the
      national norm in administering the Gardasil vaccination series. Because at least
      six months is required to complete the series, however, some patients who
      received the first dose might not have had sufficient time to complete the series
      during the data collection period. Findings show that 77% of girls aged 12 to 17
      years have not yet been vaccinated.

PMID- 20306769
TI  - Juvenile primary fibromyalgia syndrome in an inpatient adolescent psychiatric
      population.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to identify the clinical and demographic
      characteristics of adolescent females admitted to a psychiatric hospital who meet
      the criteria for Juvenile Primary Fibromyalgia Syndrome (JPFS). METHODS:
      Participants (n = 62) were adolescent females, ages 12 to 18 years who were
      admitted to an inpatient psychiatric unit. The participants completed four
      questionnaires: The Achenbach Youth Self-Report (YSR), the Children's
      Somatization Inventory (CSI), the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire modified for
      children (FIQ-C) and the Pain Symptom Questionnaire (PSQ). Then participants were
      interviewed to assess the Yunus and Masi JPFS criteria. The interview included an
      examination of 21 (18 bilateral and 3 control) tender points. RESULTS: Of the 62
      adolescent females enrolled, 52% (n = 32) met criteria for JPFS (i.e. JPFS
      cases). Both the FIQ and CSI scores were significantly elevated for JPFS cases as
      compared with non-cases (p = .0001 and p = .0012 respectively). Cases of JPFS
      also scored significantly higher on the anxiety, depression, and conduct disorder
      scales of the YSR. No between-group differences were found in reports of physical
      or sexual abuse. However, a consistently higher percentage of JPFS cases reported
      physical or sexual abuse as a child. CONCLUSIONS: Juvenile primary fibromyalgia
      is highly prevalent in an adolescent inpatient psychiatric unit. This possibility
      should be taken into consideration when chronic complaints of pain are expressed
      by patients in this setting, especially in those who have conduct-related issues.
      The connection between JPFS and abuse history requires further investigation.

PMID- 20306770
TI  - An evaluation of intervention strategies for HIV/AIDS in Trinidad and Tobago
      (2000-2007).
AB  - To evaluate the impact of health promotional strategies against The Acquired
      Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in Trinidad and Tobago. METHODS: The
      HIV/AIDS Morbidity and Mortality reports were used to chart the pattern of change
      in the incidence of new HIV positive cases for the years 2000-2007 to determine
      the decrease in new HIV positive cases after 2004 with the implementation of the
      National Strategic Plan as well as What's Your Position (WYP), KNOW Your Status
      and Get Tested Now campaigns. These effects were tested using a quasi
      experimental, post exposure design. A cross-sectional survey using street
      intercept interviews provided data on intervention effectiveness. Logistic
      regression analysis was used to determine the impact of HIV/AIDS campaigns, using
      their respective objectives. RESULTS: The study showed that a 16% decline in new
      HIV positive cases began during 2003 and 2004 and continued to decline by smaller
      margins until 2007. Data collected from the 599 participants with exposure to at
      least one campaign found that 92.7% reported awareness of WYP, followed by GTN
      (71.1%), RIU (42.6%), KYS (38.4%) and OUCH! (8.5%). 23.7% participants reported
      condom use post program exposure, whereas 19.0% practiced informed abstinence. A
      relationship was found between KYS and HIV/ AIDS Testing (p = .016) and between
      RIU and increased condom use (p = .010). CONCLUSIONS: Since the implementation of
      the programs, there have been positive lifestyle modifications among the sample
      population. Particularly "WYP" has been particularly effective in increasing
      awareness of practicing abstinence, faithfulness to one partner, condom usage
      when applicable, knowing their HIV status and further educating themselves about
      HIV/AIDS.

PMID- 20306771
TI  - An analysis of gender differences in self-reported health, use of medicines and
      access to information sources about medicines among adolescents.
AB  - Adolescence is a key period in the emergence of gender differences in health that
      persist into adulthood. Knowledge about health-related gender differences among
      adolescents could be instrumental in informing policy and practice to effect
      health improvement among this age group. The main objectives of this study were
      therefore to investigate gender differences in self-reported health complaints
      and use of medicines during the preceding 3 months and access to information
      sources about medicines among adolescents in Malta. A self-administered
      questionnaire was distributed among adolescents attending secondary schools in
      Malta. A stratified random sample design generated a sample size of 514 students.
      Common health complaints, use of medicines, and sources of information about
      medicines were investigated by means of author-designed checklists. The
      analytical sample was formed from 474 usable questionnaires collected from
      students aged 14-16 years, of which 53.8% were females. In general, a female
      excess emerged for health complaints and use of medicines except for sport
      injuries and use of vitamins. Gender differences were statistically significant
      for a female excess in the retrieval of information from the package insert (p <
      .001), parents or adult relatives (p < .01) and friends or schoolmates (p < .05).
      The findings of this study underscore the need for awareness of gender
      differences in the health of adolescents among health care providers, policy
      makers, and educators. An important implication of the findings is that the
      health needs of adolescents could be more equitably addressed by adopting a
      holistic patient-oriented approach particular to the health needs of each
      individual.

PMID- 20306772
TI  - Talking about sexuality at secondary schools of periurban area of Dhaka city.
AB  - Adolescents constitute 23 percent of population in Bangladesh yet access to
      information and education on reproductive health is limited for them. OBJECTIVE:
      To determine the effect of introducing an education booklet on reproductive
      health knowledge among the adolescents and its acceptability to them. STUDY
      GROUP: Students of grade IX and X in eight secondary schools (both boys and girls
      schools) of periurban location of Dhaka city. METHOD: A quasi-experimental pre
      post test design study was conducted during October 2004 to May 2005. The
      intervention was distribution of an education booklet and conduction of a health
      education session at the respective classes. RESULTS: Total number of respondents
      were 1,490 (862 during pre test and 628 during post test). About 4% of parents
      never attended school, whereas 10.7% of fathers and 3.2% of mothers were
      graduates. A greater proportion of adolescents could correctly narrate the
      physiological changes of adolescence, duration of menstrual cycle, fertile
      period, leucorrhoea, masturbation, and night emission in the post test. Almost
      all adolescents stated that health education was necessary and should be given in
      secondary schools. About 95% stated that the education booklet was necessary.
      They appreciated that the language was easy and fluent, the illustration was
      meaningful, and some suggested a few modifications. CONCLUSION: Providing
      reproductive health information to adolescents can be sustained through inclusion
      in school curriculum and has the potential to produce health benefits in future.

PMID- 20306773
TI  - Assessing the association between pesticide exposure and cognitive development in
      rural Costa Rican children living in organic and conventional coffee farms.
AB  - We examined the association between pesticide exposure and cognitive development
      among rural Costa Rican children in a cross-sectional study. Study participants
      aged 4-10 years included 17 children whose parents worked in La Amistad organic
      coffee plantation and 18 Las Mellizas children whose parents worked in their own
      small conventional coffee farms. Two spot-urine samples were collected from each
      participant and analyzed for organophosphorus and pyrethroids pesticide
      metabolites. We administered the computerized Behavioral Assessment and Research
      System (BARS), a figure-drawing task, and a long-term memory test to evaluate
      study participant's cognitive development. Although urinary pesticide metabolite
      levels did not vary considerably between these two groups of children, we found
      that Las Mellizas children performed better in BARS and the figure drawing tests
      than did La Amistad. The results from the linear mixed-effects models suggested
      that family socioeconomic status (SES) might be a significant contributor to the
      variation of the outcomes of the neurobehavioral tests. The effect of pesticide
      exposure, however, as measured in a snapshot fashion, did not play a significant
      role to the performance of the cognitive development evaluation. Regardless of
      the study limitations, needed effort should be devoted to the improvement of the
      SES on the La Amistad families so that their children's cognitive development
      would not be compromised further. Additionally, future studies should focus on
      addressing the limitations imposed on the snapshot assessment of pesticide
      exposure and on conducting cognitive development evaluation so the link between
      childhood pesticide exposure and their cognitive development can be thoroughly
      investigated.

PMID- 20306774
TI  - Physical activity and health among adolescents with cerebral palsy in Sweden.
AB  - Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common disorder of movement and posture in
      children. The disorder results from a non-progressive brain lesion occurring in
      the fetal or infant brain. Children with CP have challenges with movement,
      posture, and mobility that last a life time. Few studies describe physical
      activity and health among adolescents with CP. AIM: The aim of this study was to
      describe self-related health, physical activity, and body complaints among
      adolescents with CP in Sweden. METHODS: A questionnaire was answered by 64
      adolescents with CP, with 143 adolescents without disabilities serving as
      controls. RESULTS: Adolescents with CP reported their general health to be better
      than adolescents without disabilities (p = .001). Adolescents with CP
      participated less than adolescents without disabilities in sport during
      recreation time (p = .009). About 19% of adolescents with CP were never or seldom
      physically active, compared with 8% in the control group (p = .025). A total of
      50% of adolescents with CP reported musculoskeletal complaints during the last
      three months, compared with 69.5% in the control group. There was a correlation
      between musculoskeletal complaints and self-related health in adolescents with CP
      (p = .015) but not in the controls. CONCLUSION: Adolescents with CP reported
      their general health to be good. Adolescents with CP were less physically active
      than adolescents without disabilities. There was a correlation between
      musculoskeletal complaints and self-related health among adolescents with CP.
      Further research is needed to determine the cause of the low physical activity
      among adolescents with CP and also to determine the relationship between
      musculoskeletal complaints and physical activity.

PMID- 20306775
TI  - Correlations between the blood pressure and other health variables in Spanish
      adolescents.
AB  - The aim of this paper was to study the correlations between blood pressure and
      other health variables in Spanish adolescents. 204 boys and 270 girls (aged 13-17
      years, with written parental consent,) from 18 private and 17 public educative
      centers from 16 of 21 districts of the city of Madrid, constituted the
      representative sample. 12.7% of the boys and 35.6% of the girls were inactive or
      sedentary. Socioeconomic status significantly determined the physical activity of
      girls, especially in the age group 16-17 years. The tobacco consumption by girls
      was significantly greater than by boys. A significant inverse relation of tobacco
      consumption with physical activity was found for boys. Among the girls, 47.4%
      were lightly overweight to obese as opposed to 14.7% of boys. A significant
      association between adiposity and physical activity in the girls was observed.
      The averages for the systolic/diastolic blood pressure were 125.6/71.3 mm Hg in
      boys and 118/69.4 mm Hg in girls. A significant relation between gender and
      systolic blood pressure was found. A relation between physical activity and
      diastolic blood pressure for boys was observed (69.9 mm Hg for active or very
      active and 74.1 mm Hg for moderately active to sedentary). The lack of existing
      relations between blood pressure and others variables support the hypothesis that
      these variables require a longer-term to become obvious cardiovascular risk
      factors. We believe, therefore, that girls and those from lower socioeconomic
      status should receive high-priority attention concerning health-related habits.

PMID- 20306776
TI  - [Child and adolescent psychiatry and psychotherapy research report].

PMID- 20306777
TI  - [Child and adolescent psychiatry and psychotherapy research report. Introduction
      and overview].

PMID- 20306778
TI  - [Obesity and overweight].

PMID- 20306779
TI  - [Affective disorders].

PMID- 20306780
TI  - [Anxiety disorders].

PMID- 20306781
TI  - [Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder].

PMID- 20306782
TI  - [Elimination disorders].

PMID- 20306783
TI  - [Autism].

PMID- 20306784
TI  - [Parent-child relations, marital quality].

PMID- 20306785
TI  - [Diagnosis].

PMID- 20306786
TI  - [Drug monitoring and regulatory aspects of psychotropic drugs in childhood and
      adolescence].

PMID- 20306787
TI  - [Epidemiology].

PMID- 20306788
TI  - [Eating disorders].

PMID- 20306789
TI  - [Hare Forensic and Psychopathy Checklist].

PMID- 20306790
TI  - [Mental handicap].

PMID- 20306791
TI  - [Basic research].

PMID- 20306792
TI  - [Child guidance and school].

PMID- 20306793
TI  - [Children of impaired parents].

PMID- 20306794
TI  - [Child welfare risk, abuse].

PMID- 20306795
TI  - [Physical illnesses].

PMID- 20306796
TI  - [Quality of life].

PMID- 20306797
TI  - [Education].

PMID- 20306798
TI  - [Neuroleptic adverse effects with emphasis on weight gain].

PMID- 20306799
TI  - [Personality disorders and self-injury behavior].

PMID- 20306800
TI  - [Post traumatic stress disorder and dissociation].

PMID- 20306801
TI  - [Prevention].

PMID- 20306802
TI  - [Schizophrenia].

PMID- 20306803
TI  - [Learning disorders].

PMID- 20306804
TI  - [Miscellaneous topics].

PMID- 20306805
TI  - [Language development, speech and language disorders].

PMID- 20306806
TI  - [Social behavior disorders].

PMID- 20306807
TI  - [Addictive disorders].

PMID- 20306808
TI  - [Partial) inpatient treatment].

PMID- 20306809
TI  - [Tic disorders].

PMID- 20306810
TI  - [Obsessive-compulsive disorders].

PMID- 20306811
TI  - Castor bean, Ricinus communis.

PMID- 20306812
TI  - Oral allergy syndrome: a clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic challenge.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To provide a review of the literature and discuss the clinical,
      pathophysiologic, diagnostic, and therapeutic challenges of oral allergy syndrome
      (OAS). DATA SOURCES: English-language publications on OAS (and pollen-food
      allergy syndrome) were identified through MEDLINE and through the reference lists
      of each identified article and review. STUDY SELECTION: Articles pertaining to
      OAS with respect to its varied clinical presentation, underlying pathophysiology,
      available and investigational diagnostic testing, and evidence-based treatment
      options were selected. RESULTS: OAS occurs in patients with a prior cross
      reactive aeroallergen sensitization and clinically presents with initial
      oralpharyngeal symptoms after ingestion of a triggering fruit or vegetable.
      Although controversial, these symptoms may progress to systemic symptoms outside
      the gastrointestinal tract in 8.7% of patients and anaphylactic shock in 1.7%.
      OAS's underlying pathophysiology may play a role in clinical presentation and
      outcome, depending on whether the cross-reactive protein is a heat-labile PR-10
      protein, a partially labile profilin, or a relatively heat-stable lipid transfer
      protein. Diagnostic testing is variable based on the underlying food tested, but
      fresh food skin prick test typically has the highest sensitivity. Treatment
      centers on avoidance and the consideration of self-injectable epinephrine.
      Because of its relationship with a cross-reactive aeroallergen sensitization,
      subcutaneous immunotherapy and sublingual immunotherapy have also been
      therapeutically tried with mixed results. CONCLUSION: OAS is a challenging
      diagnosis to the practicing allergist because of its many clinical, diagnostic,
      and therapeutic considerations. Understanding these challenges and their
      underlying mechanisms can facilitate a knowledgeable approach to treating an oral
      allergy patient.

PMID- 20306813
TI  - Is the maintenance and reliever approach the answer?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the efficacy of the maintenance and reliever (M+R) approach
      in the treatment of asthma exacerbations. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, MEDLINE, and
      Cochrane database searches using the key words formoterol and budesonide, dynamic
      dosing, adjustable dosing, and M+R therapy. STUDY SELECTION: Articles were
      selected based on their relevance to the topic of this review. RESULTS: Several
      studies have examined dynamic dosing of the long-acting beta-agonist formoterol
      combined with budesonide in the treatment of asthma. Most of these studies have
      shown reductions in asthma exacerbations. Although obvious concern arises
      regarding increase in dose of the long-acting beta-agonist component, no
      significant signal of morbidity or mortality has been seen. Potential concerns
      regarding the studies performed thus far include the fact that all have been
      sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry and have required beta-agonist response
      as an inclusion criterion. CONCLUSIONS: Although many of the data regarding this
      approach are positive, not all the studies have demonstrated efficacy. It is
      hoped that future non-pharmaceutical company-sponsored research will clarify this
      issue and, should efficacy be confirmed, shed light on the mechanism of action.

PMID- 20306814
TI  - Psychometric validation of the rhinitis control assessment test: a brief patient
      completed instrument for evaluating rhinitis symptom control.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis is common, but a validated tool for comprehensive
      assessment of disease control is not available. OBJECTIVE: To develop a simple
      patient-completed instrument (the Rhinitis Control Assessment Test [RCAT]) to
      help detect problems with control of rhinitis symptoms. METHODS: During a visit
      to an allergy specialist, 410 patients with allergic rhinitis completed a Total
      Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS) assessment and the 26-item developmental RCAT.
      Physicians also completed a global assessment of rhinitis symptom control for
      each patient. RESULTS: Stepwise regression methods identified 6 items from the
      developmental RCAT (frequency of nasal congestion, sneezing, and watery eyes;
      sleep interference; activity avoidance; and self-assessed control) that were most
      predictive of the allergist's global rating of rhinitis symptom control. A
      summated rating scale from these 6 items showed good convergent validity (r >
      0.70) with scale scores from the TNSS. The discriminant validity of the 6-item
      scale was demonstrated as mean RCAT scale scores differed significantly across
      groups of patients differing in physician-rated disease severity (F = 54.4), TNSS
      severity (F = 193.8), and physician-recommended change in therapy (F = 50.6) (P <
      .001 for all). CONCLUSIONS: The RCAT, a 6-item patient-completed instrument, has
      satisfactory psychometric properties and seems to be a valid tool for assessing
      control of allergic rhinitis. Further validation studies will provide
      confirmation.

PMID- 20306815
TI  - A comparison of asthma prevalence and morbidity between rural and urban
      schoolchildren in Arkansas.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Asthma disproportionately affects minority and low-income children.
      Investigations that focus on high-risk pediatric populations outside the inner
      city are limited. OBJECTIVE: To compare asthma prevalence and morbidity in urban
      and rural children in Arkansas. METHODS: We administered a validated survey to
      parents of children enrolled in urban and rural school districts in Arkansas.
      Rates of asthma diagnosis, asthma symptoms, medication use, and health care
      utilization were compared between urban and rural groups. RESULTS: Age and sex
      distributions were similar; however, 85% of rural and 67% of urban children were
      black and 78% of rural and 37% of urban children had state-issued medical
      insurance (P < .001 for both). Provider-diagnosed asthma was similar in the rural
      vs urban groups (19% vs 20%); however, rural children were more commonly
      diagnosed as having chronic bronchitis (7% vs. 2%, P < .001). Rural children had
      more asthma morbidity compared with urban children, including recurrent trouble
      breathing (odds ratio [OR], 1.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5-2.2),
      recurrent cough (OR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.9-2.6), recurrent chest tightness (OR, 1.8;
      95% CI, 1.5-2.2), and repeated episodes of bronchitis (OR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.7-2.8)
      during the preceding 2 years. Rural children were more likely to report symptoms
      consistent with moderate to severe asthma compared with urban children (46% vs.
      35%, P < .001). There were no differences in health care utilization between
      groups. CONCLUSION: Asthma prevalence was similar between representative rural
      and urban groups in Arkansas, but asthma morbidity was significantly higher in
      the rural group.

PMID- 20306816
TI  - Use of herbal remedies and adherence to inhaled corticosteroids among inner-city
      asthmatic patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Complementary and alternative medicines (CAM), such as herbal
      remedies, are widely used by patients with chronic diseases, such as asthma.
      However, it is unclear whether use of the herbal remedies is associated with
      decreased adherence to inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs), a key component of asthma
      management. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association among use of herbal remedies,
      adherence to prescribed ICSs, and medication and disease beliefs. METHODS: We
      surveyed 326 adults with persistent asthma who received care at 2 inner-city
      outpatient clinics. Patients were asked about CAM use (teas, herbs, and rubs) for
      the treatment of asthma in the prior 6 months. Medication adherence was assessed
      using the Medication Adherence Report Scale, a validated self-report measure.
      Univariate and multiple regression analyses were used to assess the relationship
      among herbal remedy use, adherence to ICSs, and medication and disease beliefs.
      RESULTS: Overall, 25.4% (95% confidence interval, 20%-30%) of patients reported
      herbal remedy use. Univariate analyses showed that herbal remedy use was
      associated with decreased ICS adherence and increased asthma morbidity. In
      multivariable analysis, herbal remedy use was associated with lower ICS adherence
      (odds ratio, 0.4; 95% confidence interval, 0.2-0.8) after adjusting for
      confounders. Herbal remedy users were also more likely to worry about the adverse
      effects of ICSs (P = .01). CONCLUSIONS: The use of herbal remedies was associated
      with lower adherence to ICSs and worse outcomes among inner-city asthmatic
      patients. Medication beliefs, such as worry about ICS adverse effects, may in
      part mediate this relationship. Physicians should routinely ask patients with
      asthma about CAM use, especially those whose asthma is poorly controlled.

PMID- 20306817
TI  - Thaumatin-like protein and baker's respiratory allergy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Baker's asthma and rhinitis are among the most common occupational
      diseases. Inhaled cereal flours, such as wheat, especially cause this disease.
      OBJECTIVE: To identify and test in vivo clinically important wheat allergens in
      baker's respiratory allergy in a Finnish population. METHODS: Potential wheat
      allergens were purified using chromatographic methods from salt-soluble protein
      extracts of wheat flour and were used in skin prick tests with serial 10-fold
      dilutions (0.5-0.005 mg/mL). Twenty patients with baker's rhinitis, asthma, or
      both participated in this study. All the patients had positive skin prick test
      reactions and specific IgE antibodies to wheat flour. The control group consisted
      of 10 healthy individuals. Molecular identities of purified wheat allergens were
      characterized using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and
      tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Allergen concentrations of 0.3-0.5 mg/mL
      revealed that 12 patients reacted to a-amylase inhibitor (alpha-AI), 9 to
      peroxidase I (PI), 9 to thaumatin-like protein (TLP), and 6 to lipid transfer
      protein 2G (LTP2G). Conversely, with allergen concentrations of 0.05 mg/mL, 5
      patients responded to alpha-AI, 3 to PI, 4 to LTP2G, and 6 to TLP. Of these, TLP
      and LTP2G are now observed to be new allergens associated with baker's asthma.
      CONCLUSIONS: In addition to the earlier-described alpha-AI and PI, TLP and LTP2G
      are important in vivo wheat allergens in baker's allergies in Finland. Further
      studies are needed to elucidate the role of these novel wheat allergens in
      respiratory disorders.

PMID- 20306818
TI  - Effects of summer mailing on in vivo and in vitro relative potencies of
      standardized timothy grass extract.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Allergen extracts can degrade when exposed to temperatures
      significantly beyond the optimum storage recommendation of 4 degrees C. Many
      allergen extracts are mailed to their final destinations throughout the year with
      exposure to varied environmental conditions. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of
      summer mailing on the in vitro and in vivo potency of timothy grass extract.
      METHODS: Standardized timothy grass extracts, 10,000 and 100,000 BAU/mL, were
      mailed round-trip between San Antonio, Texas, and Phoenix, Arizona, during August
      2007. In-transit temperatures were recorded using a portable temperature logger.
      After mailing of the extracts, we performed quantitative in vitro enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay inhibition and in vivo ID50 EAL (Intradermal Dilution for 50
      mm Sum of Erythema Determines Bioequivalent Allergy Units) analysis. RESULTS:
      Measured extract exposure temperatures were greater than 20 degrees C for 11 days
      and 30 degrees C for 6 hours during standard mailing in weather temperatures
      exceeding 38 degrees C. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay inhibition results for
      the 100,000- and 10,000-BAU/mL control samples were 97,900 and 10,580 BAU/mL,
      respectively, and for the mailed extracts were 96,800 and 7830 BAU/mL,
      respectively. These measurements fell within the current Food and Drug
      Administration lot release limits (67%-149%) and stability limits (50%-200%)
      relative to the standardized reference. The ID50EAL determinations of the control
      vs mailed extracts were 12.98 vs. 12.28, 12.66 vs. 12.32, and 11.97 vs 11.70 for
      the 3 patients. These differences were not statistically significant.
      CONCLUSIONS: Mailing of timothy grass extract produced no significant reductions
      in in vitro relative potencies or in vivo skin test reactivity in 3 sensitive
      patients.

PMID- 20306819
TI  - The effects of omalizumab on IgE-induced cytokine synthesis by asthmatic airway
      smooth muscle cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Human airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) express high- and low
      affinity IgE receptors and respond to IgE, thereby contributing to airway
      inflammation. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether anti-IgE antibodies (omalizumab)
      block the response of ASMCs to IgE in patients with asthma. METHODS: Airway
      smooth muscle cells, isolated from the biopsy specimens of patients with asthma,
      patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and control participants (6
      in each group), were stimulated with IgE with and without omalizumab treatment,
      and cytokine secretion was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and
      messenger RNA (mRNA) secretion by real-time polymerase chain reaction, over 24
      hours. IgE receptor expression was determined by immunoblotting. RESULTS: IgE
      stimulated mRNA synthesis encoded for interleukin (IL) 6, IL-8, and tumor
      necrosis factor a in ASMCs via mitogen-activated protein kinases, extracellular
      signal-regulated kinase 1/2, or p38. The secretion of the respective cytokines
      increased significantly: IL-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor a at 6 hours and
      IL-4 at 24 hours. Cytokine mRNA synthesis and protein secretion were inhibited by
      omalizumab in a dose-dependent manner. The expression of low- and high-affinity
      IgE receptors was not altered by omalizumab in ASMCs. CONCLUSIONS: Omalizumab
      reduced IgE-stimulated synthesis and secretion of proinflammatory cytokines by
      human ASMCs. These findings imply a beneficial action of omalizumab in asthma
      therapy. This effect is not restricted to inflammatory cells; it also includes
      tissue-forming cells.

PMID- 20306820
TI  - A randomized, placebo-controlled study of intravenous montelukast in children
      with acute asthma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Up to 30% of patients require hospitalization for acute asthma
      despite standard therapy in the emergency department. In adults, intravenous
      montelukast added to standard therapy significantly improved forced expiratory
      volume in 1 second (FEV1) and reduced hospital admissions compared with standard
      therapy alone. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of intravenous montelukast
      added to standard therapy in children with acute asthma. METHODS: This was a
      randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study of children aged
      6 to 14 years conducted from August 25, 2005 to March 17, 2008. Patients with an
      FEV1 of 75% or less of the predicted value after up to 120 minutes of standard
      therapy (e.g., oxygen, albuterol, inhaled anticholinergics, and systemic oral
      corticosteroids) were randomized to intravenous montelukast, 5.25 mg (n=145), or
      placebo (n=131) added to standard therapy. The primary end point was the time
      weighted average change in FEV1 during 60 minutes (deltaFEV1[0-60 min]).
      Secondary end points included the percentage of patients in whom treatment failed
      (patients who required hospitalization or for whom a decision to discharge was
      not reached within 2 hours after drug administration) and the change from
      baseline in modified pulmonary index score after 60 minutes of treatment.
      RESULTS: Montelukast was not significantly more effective than placebo for
      deltaFEV1[0-60 min] when added to standard therapy (0.08 vs. 0.07 L; least
      squares mean, 0.01; 95% confidence interval, -0.06 to 0.08; P = .78). No
      significant differences were found in the percentages of patients in whom
      treatment failed or the modified pulmonary index score after 60 minutes. Both
      treatments were well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: In this study of children with acute
      asthma, intravenous montelukast was not significantly better than placebo in
      improving FEV1, symptoms, or overall hospital course.

PMID- 20306821
TI  - A comparison of 4 epinephrine autoinjector delivery systems: usability and
      patient preference.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prefilled epinephrine autoinjectors are sometimes improperly used by
      patients, caregivers, and physicians. A user-centered design process led to the
      development of 2 prototype epinephrine autoinjectors (INT01 and INT02) that have
      a unidirectional perceived injection end, a self-retracting needle, and, with
      INT02, voice instructions to assist in guiding users through administration.
      OBJECTIVE: To compare the usability and patient preference among 4 epinephrine
      autoinjectors: EpiPen, TwinJect, INT01, and INT02. METHODS: A total of 48
      participants were divided equally among 3 age groups: 7 to 10, 11 to 15, and 16
      to 55 years. In each group, half had prior TwinJect or EpiPen training. In 1-hour
      sessions, without training, participants performed simulated-use testing under
      observation for all 4 epinephrine delivery systems. Usability (i.e., the ability
      to perform the manufacturer's labeled instructions), task completion time, and
      preferences were assessed and analyzed based on device, age, previous experience,
      sex, device malfunction, and testing order. RESULTS: More participants correctly
      followed all device instructions with INT02 (22 [46%]) than with INT01 (13
      [27%]), EpiPen (6 [12%]), or TwinJect (0 [0%]). The difference among devices was
      significant (P < .01) after adjusting for device malfunctions and age group (the
      youngest age group [those aged 7-10 years] performed significantly worse than the
      other 2 groups). Prior experience, sex, and testing order did not significantly
      affect this measure. The first choice of overall preference was greater (P <
      .001) for INT02 (35 participants [73%]) vs. INT01 (7 participants [15%]), EpiPen
      (5 participants [10%]), and TwinJect (1 participant [2%]). CONCLUSION: The user
      centered device design may have a significant impact on correct epinephrine
      autoinjector use and patient preference.

PMID- 20306823
TI  - Serum interleukin 9 in allergic rhinitis.

PMID- 20306822
TI  - Allergy to pumpkin and crossreactivity to pollens and other foods.

PMID- 20306824
TI  - Dapsone hypersensitivity syndrome during delayed pressure urticaria treatment.

PMID- 20306825
TI  - Problems in breast pathology revisited. Preface.

PMID- 20306826
TI  - Epitheliosis, infiltrating epitheliosis, and radial scar.
AB  - The lesion termed "infiltrating epitheliosis" (IE) by Azzopardi is described
      using his original criteria. The differential diagnosis from radial scar (RS) is
      discussed. It appears that IE and RS are histologically and histogenetically
      different and are also associated with a different risk of carcinoma. IE can be
      associated with either in situ or invasive carcinoma, whereas RS being more like
      a process of involution is very seldom involved by a carcinoma. Therefore,
      whatever name is used among the several found in the literature, it should be
      made clear they are not interchangeable when reporting on lesions like IE and RS.

PMID- 20306827
TI  - Papilloma and papillary carcinoma.
AB  - Papillomas and papillary carcinomas differ in their 3 fundamental
      characteristics: the geometric properties of their fronds, the amount of their
      stroma, and the characteristics of their epithelium. Fibrosis at the edge of
      papillomas often entraps glands and creates the spurious impression of invasion.
      The proliferation of surface epithelial cells of papillomas does not give rise to
      unexpected diagnostic difficulties, but glandular proliferation within the stalks
      of papillomas often simulates the appearance of cribriform ductal carcinoma in
      situ. Needle biopsies of papillomas can deposit clusters of benign cells in a
      distribution that resembles an invasive carcinoma. Although papillomas overrun by
      ductal carcinoma in situ exhibit a papillary architecture, other features
      differentiate them from conventional papillary carcinomas. The presence of basal
      carcinoma cells with clear cytoplasm ("dimorphic" cells) and the formation of
      short stubby fronds sometimes cause pathologists to mistake papillary carcinomas
      for papillomas, and the bland cytologic characteristics of solid papillary
      carcinomas can lead to the same error. Conventional papillary carcinomas
      typically invade in a blunt manner. This phenomenon complicates the recognition
      of invasion by many papillary carcinomas and has given rise to controversy about
      the nature of the lesion classically known as "intracystic papillary carcinoma."

PMID- 20306828
TI  - Clinging carcinoma: an American perspective.
AB  - In 1979, Professor John Azzopardi introduced the term "clinging carcinoma" to
      describe what he considered to represent examples of ductal carcinoma in-situ
      (DCIS) characterized by "neoplastic cells . . . limited to the periphery of the
      containing structures." He emphasized that these lesions can be easily missed
      "since the alteration is cytological rather than anatomical." Two types of
      clinging carcinoma were described by Azzopardi. He considered the first to
      represent a variant of high-grade DCIS, and most pathologists concur with that
      view. In contrast, pathologists have been much more reluctant to accept
      Azzopardi's second type of clinging carcinoma as a type of DCIS, particularly in
      the United States. This second type is characterized by cells with low grade,
      monomorphic-type cytologic atypia, similar to the cells comprising low-grade DCIS
      with solid, cribriform, and micropapillary architectural patterns. Recent
      morphologic, immunophenotypic, and genetic studies have provided strong evidence
      that this lesion, described by Azzopardi as a type of clinging carcinoma (and now
      commonly referred to as flat epithelial atypia), does in fact represent a
      precursor to or an early stage in the development of DCIS, essentially validating
      the histologic observations made by Azzopardi more than 30 years ago.

PMID- 20306829
TI  - Flat ductal intraepithelial neoplasia of the breast: evolution of Azzopardi's
      "clinging" concept.
AB  - Thirty years ago, John G. Azzopardi described a mainly cytologically defined
      atypical intraepithelial lesion of the breast, which he called "clinging
      carcinoma in situ," a variant of "ductal carcinoma in situ." The lesion was
      characterized by replacement of native epithelial cells by very few cell layers
      of mildly to severely atypical epithelial cells. Based on the degree of cytologic
      atypia, Azzopardi distinguished type 1 with highly atypical nuclei and type 2
      with merely subtle cytologic (nuclear) atypia. Although this distinctive lesion
      remained widely unrecognized and/or ignored by many pathologists for a long
      period, several recent studies strongly suggest its neoplastic nature. The aim of
      this review is to focus on the "clinging" concept and its evolution after the
      first description. The diagnostic criteria, main diagnostic pitfalls,
      immunohistochemistry, molecular-genetic findings, and the relevance of this type
      of lesion for clinicians and histopathologists are discussed. Rational for
      adopting a more appropriate terminology and classification, namely flat ductal
      intraepithelial neoplasia are also discussed. It is concluded that the "clinging"
      or flat lesion represents one of the earliest morphologically recognizable
      neoplastic breast lesions. This lesion is important, if one tries to better
      understand the tumorigenesis of early precursor lesions of the breast. This type
      of breast lesion is an indicator for coexisting neoplastic lesions, such as low
      grade ductal intraepithelial neoplasia (atypical ductal hyperplasia/low-grade
      ductal carcinoma in situ) and lobular intraepithelial neoplasia.

PMID- 20306830
TI  - Lobular breast carcinoma and its variants.
AB  - Lobular carcinoma is a special type of breast cancer that shows distinct clinical
      presentation, morphologic and molecular features, and clinical behavior, and its
      incidence is rising in recent years. Infiltrating lobular carcinoma (ILC) and its
      precursor lesions may result in diagnostic difficulties, particularly in the
      screening settings and their management may be problematic. Variants of lobular
      carcinoma, such as the pleomorphic variant, although not common, exist and some
      show differences in behavior warranting their recognition in view of requirements
      for different management strategies. Here we present a review of lobular
      carcinomas with particular attention to lobular in situ lesions, epidemiology,
      subtypes, diagnosis, molecular pathology, and grading of ILC in addition to the
      clinical behavior, response to therapy, and outcome of patients with ILC.

PMID- 20306831
TI  - The origins of early breast carcinoma.
AB  - Assessing the distribution of the in situ and invasive components of breast
      carcinomas and the extent of the disease represent an integrated part of our
      diagnostic routine. In this article, we summarize findings from 792 consecutive
      breast carcinoma cases, each documented in large-format histology slides.
      Selected cases were also analyzed in thick, large sections. Of these, 35.0%
      (42/120) of the purely in situ carcinomas were diffuse and occupied mostly larger
      ducts, whereas 37.5% (45/120) were multifocal and involved several distant
      terminal ductal-lobular units (TDLUs). The proportion of unifocal in situ cases
      involving a single TDLU or several neighboring TDLUs was 27.5% (33/120). Forty
      one percent (136/332) of early (< 15 mm) invasive carcinomas and 40.0% (136/340)
      of larger invasive tumors contained only a single invasive focus, with or without
      an in situ component within it. The remaining tumors were nonunifocal because of
      multiple invasive or multiple in situ foci or both. The proportion of extensive
      nonunifocal cases within purely in situ, early invasive, and more advanced
      invasive cases were 45.0% (54/120), 42.5% (141/332), and 42.4% (144/340),
      respectively. The results are discussed in the context of recent molecular
      genetic findings and the sick lobe theory. Elements that are congruent with the
      classical views of Professor Azzopardi expressed over 3 decades ago will be
      pointed out. Breast carcinoma seems to develop within a field of genetic
      alterations, often at multiple sites, and a considerable proportion of the cases
      comprise extensive lesions occupying a tissue space > or = 40 mm in all tumor
      size categories.

PMID- 20306832
TI  - Neuroendocrine differentiation in breast cancer: established facts and unresolved
      problems.
AB  - Neuroendocrine breast carcinoma (NEBC) diagnosis relies on (i) presence of
      morphologic neuroendocrine features, and (ii) neuroendocrine markers expressed in
      more than 50% of tumor cells. The World Health Organization classification
      describes 3 main histologic types: the solid, the small/oat cell, and the large
      cell variant. In addition, we have recently proposed a further categorization
      into 5 subgroups: the first 3 categories encompass solid lesions and include (i)
      solid cohesive carcinomas, (ii) alveolar carcinomas, and (iii) small cell
      carcinoma; the last subgroups include mucin-producing tumors which are (iv) solid
      papillary carcinomas and (v) cellular mucinous carcinomas. Chromogranin A and
      synaptophysin have been considered as the most sensitive and specific
      neuroendocrine markers in NEBC. At the molecular level, recent gene expression
      profiling studies have shown that NEBCs pertain to the luminal molecular type,
      being positive for hormone receptors and negative for HER2. Moreover, it has been
      demonstrated that mucinous and neuroendocrine carcinomas are transcriptionally
      distinct from conventional invasive ductal carcinomas. Following the above
      criteria, NEBCs constitute approximately 1% of all breast carcinomas. The
      clinical effect of neuroendocrine breast cancer is still a matter of debate;
      however, when compared with unselected breast cancers, NEBCs show a less
      aggressive clinical behavior.

PMID- 20306833
TI  - Salivary gland-type tumors of the breast: a spectrum of benign and malignant
      tumors including "triple negative carcinomas" of low malignant potential.
AB  - Salivary gland-type neoplasms of the breast are uncommon and comprise numerous
      entities analogous to that more commonly seen in salivary glands. The
      clinicopathologic spectrum ranges from benign to malignant but there are
      important differences as compared with those of their salivary counterpart. In
      the breast, benign adenomyoepithelioma is recognized in addition to malignant
      one, whereas in the salivary gland a histologically similar tumor is designated
      as epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma without a separate benign subgroup. Mammary
      adenoid cystic carcinoma is a low-grade neoplasm compared with its salivary
      equivalent. It is also important to appreciate that in contrast to "triple
      negative" conventional breast carcinomas with aggressive course, most salivary
      type malignant breast neoplasms behave in a low-grade manner. Most of these
      tumors are capable of differentiating along both epithelial and myoepithelial
      lines, but the amount of each lineage-component varies from case to case,
      contributing to diagnostic difficulties. Well established examples of this group
      include pleomorphic adenoma, adenomyoepithelioma, and adenoid cystic carcinoma.
      Another family of salivary gland-type mammary epithelial neoplasms is devoid of
      myoepithelial cells. Key examples include mucoepidermoid carcinoma and acinic
      cell carcinoma. The number of cases of salivary gland-type mammary neoplasms in
      the published data is constantly increasing but some of the rarest subtypes like
      polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma and oncocytic carcinoma are "struggling" to
      become clinically relevant entities in line with those occurring more frequently
      in salivary glands.

PMID- 20306834
TI  - Breast pathology: beyond morphology.
AB  - Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease and pathologists have evolved a system
      of classification that reflects this heterogeneity as well as provide prognostic
      and predictive information to manage patients. Professor Azzopardi's contribution
      to understanding and classifying breast disease is significant and reflected by
      the many articles in this issue. Nonetheless, there are limitations to the
      morphologic classification and new molecular methods promise to refine the
      biological understanding as well as provide better biomarkers for prognostication
      and targets for the development of novel therapeutics. The degree to which the
      new methods add value to the morphology remains to be seen, but there is hope
      that a symbiosis between morphology and molecular techniques will advance
      traditional histopathology and improve the care of patients with breast cancer.

PMID- 20306836
TI  - Profession's popular image.

PMID- 20306835
TI  - Commission will call for enhanced pay and authority for ward leaders.

PMID- 20306837
TI  - Going all out for Haiti.
AB  - The aftermath of the Haitian earthquake poses a huge challenge for nurses and
      other healthcare staff working in makeshift conditions.

PMID- 20306838
TI  - Uncharted territories.
AB  - RCN general secretary Peter Carter is to visit Gaza to help boost mental health
      services in the occupied Palestinian territory.

PMID- 20306839
TI  - A carer's perspective. Interview by Lynne Pearce.
AB  - In the fourth article in the series on managing change, Julie Newby describes how
      she improved end of life care and Stephen Wright analyses the skills she used.

PMID- 20306840
TI  - Numbers for newborns.
AB  - Newborns are screened for congenital conditions. To make tracking easier, a
      numbering system will become mandatory from April.

PMID- 20306842
TI  - Disseminating best practice at conferences.
AB  - This article, the first in a five-part series, discusses the skills required to
      present information and study findings at conferences. The article explores the
      ways in which best practice might be most successfully disseminated, through
      either verbal or poster presentations. In subsequent issues of Nursing Standard
      the author examines the dissemination of best practice through publication,
      taught sessions, workshops and electronic forms of communication.

PMID- 20306843
TI  - Care of patients undergoing intra-vitreal therapy.
AB  - This article discusses the role of the ophthalmic nurse in the care of patients
      with wet age-related macular degeneration who are undergoing intra-vitreal
      therapy. It provides an overview of the condition, its classification, clinical
      features, aetiology, diagnosis and treatment, and explains the implications for
      future nursing practice. A proactive, evidence-based and holistic approach to
      nursing care is emphasised throughout the article.

PMID- 20306844
TI  - Improving self-management for patients with long-term conditions.
AB  - An increasing number of people are living with long-term conditions. These
      conditions cannot be cured, but can be managed through education, health
      promotion, medication, therapy and self-management. Self-management involves
      people taking responsibility for their own health and wellbeing, as well as
      learning to manage any long-term illnesses. Nurses play a pivotal role in
      providing advice, guidance, education and support to people living with long-term
      conditions. Self-management is important as it not only benefits the patient, but
      also provides wider opportunities for community and specialist nurses to use and
      develop their clinical and interpersonal skills.

PMID- 20306845
TI  - Coaching interventions.

PMID- 20306846
TI  - Hurdles to understanding.

PMID- 20306847
TI  - In patients' interests. Interview by Danielle Weekes.

PMID- 20306848
TI  - A contentious area.

PMID- 20306849
TI  - [A comparison between anatomical landmark registration and surface registration
      for computer-assisted endoscopic sinus surgery].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical advantage and disadvantage of anatomical
      landmark registration (ALR) and surface registration (SR) in computer-assisted
      endoscopic sinus surgery (CAESS). METHOD: Twenty-six patients were selected for
      the CAESS, the preparatory times and mean target registration errors (TRE) were
      recorded in order to compare the difference between them two, their convenience
      and their value were also analyzed. RESULT: CAESSs were successfully used in 26
      cases without complications. The average preparation time of SR was (8.5 +/- 1.9)
      minutes, that of ALR was (6.5 +/- 1.7) minutes. In the SR group, the TRE of naso
      labial angle was (1. 43 +/- 0.26) mm, that of front end of middle turbinate was
      (1.92 +/- 0.47) mm, that of front end of inferior turbinate was (1.82 +/- 0.49)
      mm, and that of back end of inferior turbinate was (2.03 +/- 0.42) mm. Them in
      ALR group were (1.58 +/- 0.35) mm, (2.05 +/- 0.37) mm, (1.92 +/- 0.31) mm and
      (2.48 +/- 0.64) mm, respectively. 24 cases (92. 2%) were not affected or were
      slightly affected by the navigation system. The value of navigation was
      affirmative in 22 cases (84. 6%), and its value was mainly related to TRE.
      CONCLUSION: The accuracy of surface registration was superior to that of
      anatomical landmark registration, but the anatomical landmark registration was
      more convenient and need less preparation time. The value of navigation system is
      its accuracy, convenience and no disturbance to surgery. The navigation system is
      more valuable in the complex cases than that in the general case.

PMID- 20306850
TI  - [The expression and significance of interleukin-17 and the infiltrating
      eosinophils in nasal polyps and nasal mucous of allergic rhinitis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the expression of interleukin-17 and the infiltration of
      eosinophilic cells in nasal polyps and allergic rhinitis, and investigate the
      roles of IL-17 and eosinophils in the etiology of nasal polyps and allergic
      rhinitis. METHOD: A study was conducted on 21 patients of nasal polyps, 18 ones
      of allergic rhinitis and 12 normal individuals. Immunohistochemical stain with
      the rabbit monoclonal antibodies of IL-17 was carried out. The eosinophilic cells
      infiltrated in different tissues were stained with HE, then counted under high
      power filed. The data was analyzed with ANOVA of SPSS12.0 software. RESULT: Many
      IL-17 stained cells were found in the samples of nasal polyps and allergic
      rhinitis, which were significantly higher than those in normal individuals (P <
      0.05). Positive cell number in tissues of allergic rhinitis was similar to that
      in nasal polyps, but higher than in normal individuals. As for HE staining, there
      was no significant deviation of numbers of eosinophilic cell in tissue between
      allergic rhinitis and nasal polyps,while which differed from the normal ones (P <
      0.05). CONCLUSIONS: 1. IL-17 is a newly cytokine which expressed in mucosa of
      allergic rhinitis and nasal polyps tissue. It indicates the degree of
      immunological reaction and inflammatory reaction, and can be used as an index to
      research the mechanism of nasal polyps as well as allergic rhinitis. 2. The
      eosinophilic cells count was correlated with the amount of IL-17 positive cells
      in nasal polyps and with allergic rhinitis correlation coefficients were R = 0.
      606 (P < 0 01)and R = 0.446 (P < 0.05) respectively. It seems that eosinophils,
      which are regulated by IL-17, play an important roles in the development of nasal
      polyps and allergic rhinitis.

PMID- 20306851
TI  - [Efficacy evaluation of specific immunotherapy with standardized dermatophagoides
      pteronyssinus extract for allergic rhinitis accompanied with asthma].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of specific immunotherapy (SIT) with
      standardized dermatophagoides pteronyssinus extract for allergic rhinitis
      (AR)accompanied with asthma. METHOD: One hundred and fifty-five patients (40 AR
      with asthma, AR & asthma) in accordance with the inclusion criteria of SIT, were
      allocated to receive standardized Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus extract (SIT
      group, n = 89) or medical treatment (control group, n = 66). AR with or without
      asthma was observed separately. Symptom and medicine scores, quality of life were
      recorded and analyzed before and after 1 year treatment. Side effects were
      registered. Subjective evaluation of symptoms was made by the patients. RESULT:
      Rhinitis and asthma symptom scores, medicine scores and quality of life were
      greatly improved in SIT group of AR & asthma after 1 year, which were not
      significant changed in control group except for medicine scores. The subjective
      evaluation of symptoms was also significantly improved in SIT group. In patients
      of AR without asthma, the symptom scores, medicine scores and quality of life
      were both improved. The SIT group improved greater than that of control group.
      CONCLUSION: The clinical efficacy of patients with AR & asthma was not good with
      simple medical treatment, while great clinical efficacy could be acquired with
      SIT.

PMID- 20306852
TI  - [The correlative study between skin prick test with antigens and nasal provoking
      test in patients with allergic rhinitis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the distribution of allergens in our district and the
      correlation between skin prick test with antigen and nasal provoking test in
      patients with allergic rhinitis. METHOD: A total of 1400 cases with allergic
      symptoms and signs underwent skin prick test with standardized aero antigens
      provoking by Allergo Phamar Company. The patients allergic to Dermatophagoides
      with different scale of the skin prick test were taken nasal provoking test in
      order to evaluate the correlation between skin prick test and nasal provoking
      test. RESULT: One thousand and eighty-eight (78%) cases showed a positive result
      in skin prick test. The percent of patients with positive skin prick test were as
      follows: 462 cases of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, 428 cases of
      Dermatophagoides farinae. Positive perennial aero antigens were 52.2% (568),
      positive seasonal aero antigens were 35.7% (388). All the patients of the scale
      of skin prick test was +++ and ++++ were positive. There are 29 patients were
      positive with nasal provoking test which the scale of skin prick test was ++.
      There are 21 patients were positive with nasal provoking test, which the scale of
      skin prick test was +. CONCLUSION: The correlation between skin test with
      antigens and nasal provoking test in patients whose positive scale were +++ and
      ++++. There are false positive in the patients whose positive scale were + and
      ++. The specific immunotherapy should consider the scale of the skin prick test
      and eliminate the false positive before the therapy.

PMID- 20306853
TI  - [Survey of quality of life in the patients with revision endoscopic sinus
      surgery].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of revision endoscopic sinus surgery (RESS) on
      quality of life in the patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis
      (CRSwNP). METHOD: To survey and evaluate 60 cases of RESS patients (treatment
      group) and 120 normal ones with physical examination (Control group) through the
      medical outcomes survey short form questions (MOS SF-36) and the Sino-Nasal
      Outcome Test-20 (SNOT-20), and comparison and analysis of the two groups results
      which we got were carried out. RESULT: With SF-36 scales for evaluation of
      quality of life, the results show that: the scores of CRSwNP patients (treatment
      group) without surgical treatments with RESS were significantly lower than that
      of the control group(P < 0.05); while use of SNOT-20 scales in evaluation of the
      preoperative treatment group patients, the results were significantly higher than
      that of the control group (P < 0.05). While the CRSwNP patients with surgical
      treatments with RESS for 6 months, not only with SF-36 scales but also with SNOT
      20 scales, there was no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05).
      CONCLUSION: RESS may obviously improve the clinical symptom of CRSNP patients.
      The SF-36 and SNOT-20 assessment scales could reflect the patient's QoL change.

PMID- 20306854
TI  - [Clinical analysis of orbital apex syndrome caused by sinus diseases].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characters and therapeutic methods of
      orbital apex syndrome caused by sinus diseases. METHOD: Six cases of orbital apex
      syndrome originated from sinus diseases were retrospective analyzed in our
      hospital from August 2003 to February 2009. Different therapeutic methods were
      taken according to different causes of disease. RESULT: Four cases of sinus
      infection,one cases of sphenoethmoidal mucocele, one cases of sinus squamous cell
      carcinoma. The results of patients with orbital apex syndrome included cure and
      effectiveness in 2 cases respectively, death from myocardial infarction in one
      case, and one case is still following up. CONCLUSION: Orbital apex syndrome
      originated from sinus diseases was rare, which was mainly caused by sinus
      infection. The key point is the correct etiology diagnosis in early phase.
      Treatment with endoscopic sinus surgery early is a good effective method for
      orbital apex syndrome caused by sinus diseases, in the same time with enough
      dosage of antibiotic and glucocorticoid therapy intravenously.

PMID- 20306855
TI  - [Studying on patient's nasal cycle of OSAHS with acoustic rhinometry].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of OSAHS on adult nasal-cycle. METHOD: The nasal
      cycle of 20 healthy adults, 18 patients of snoring and 22 patients of OSAHS were
      examined with acoustic rhinometry, which was performed every 30 minutes in 7
      hours. RESULT: The ratio of nasal cycle in healthy adults was (19/20, 95.0%), in
      snoring patients was (15/18, 83.0%), in patients of OSAHS was (15/22, 68.2%). The
      mean alteration amplitude of nasal cycle in healthy adults was significantly
      larger than that in patients with OSAHS (P < 0.05). The distribution of the
      healthy adults and patients with OSAHS between the typical cycle categories was
      significantly different (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The characteristics of nasal
      cycle in of OSAHS patients were different with healthy adults, which maybe owing
      to change of physical function of basal cavity.

PMID- 20306856
TI  - [Clinic analysis of cerebrospinal rhinorrhea in 24 cases].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To discuss the clinical experience of diagnosing and managing of
      cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea. METHOD: Twenty-four cases of cerebrospinal
      rhinorrhea were analysed retrospectively from Jan 2003 to Sept 2008, among which
      18 cases from department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery and 6 cases from
      Neurosurgery. RESULT: Postoperative follow-up lasted from 4 months to 72 months.
      All the cases were successfully cured, among which 6 cases with conservative
      treatment and 18 cases under surgery, and no relapse case was found. The 18 cases
      under surgery included endoscopic approach (12 cases), extra-nasal approach (4
      cases), transnasal approach under microscope (2 cases). CONCLUSION: It is not
      only minimally invasive, safety and efficiency of transnasal endoscopic technique
      for CSF leaks, but also without facial scarring after operation. Transnasal
      endoscopic approach can be preferred for the closure of uncomplicated CSF leak,
      located at the cribriform plate or the sphenoid sinus. The extra-nasal or
      intracranial approach may be an attractive option for more complicated and large
      CSF leak, or the leak site is not easily found with endoscopic.

PMID- 20306857
TI  - [Bilateral versus unilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical characteristics and treatment effect between
      bilateral (bi-) and unilateral (uni-) sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL).
      METHOD: Four hundred and eighty cases of SSNHL were retrospective study, which
      were divided into two groups of bi-SSNHL (n = 40) and uni-SSNHL (n = 440).
      Clinical characteristics and treatment effects were compared of the two groups.
      RESULT: The incidence rate of bi-SSNHL was 8.3 percent and uni-SSNHL was 91.7
      percent of all patients with SSNHL. Bi-SSNHL occurs more commonly in patients of
      old age, diabetes mellitus, and lipid panes abnormalities compared to uni-SSNHL.
      Twenty-eight ears in the bi-SSNHL group showed hearing recovery (35%), compared
      with 56.4 percent of patients with uni-SSNHL. CONCLUSION: Bi-SSNHL and uni-SSNHL
      may have a completely different clinical characteristics and treatment effect,
      that implies a different pathophysiology and prognosis. Recognition their
      different clinical characteristics and treatment effect between bilateral and
      unilateral SSNHL can help in counseling and managing the patients and correctly
      evaluate the prognosis.

PMID- 20306858
TI  - First of her kind--filling the gap in more ways than one.

PMID- 20306859
TI  - Acrylic partial dentures--interim or permanent prostheses?
AB  - An acrylic partial denture (APD) is one option for replacing missing teeth and is
      also the most cost effective treatment option. Dentists are faced with the demand
      for replacing missing teeth from patients with limited financial resources;
      therefore the replacement of missingteeth with an APD is a common occurrence. One
      of the disadvantages of APD's is its poor strength. Dentists and dental
      technicians tend to design and construct acrylic partial dentures with little or
      no tooth support. This can have a detrimental effect on the surrounding hard as
      well as soft tissue. This article argues that APD's can be considered as a
      permanent prosthesis, provided that proper patient selection, education and the
      principles of partial denture design are adhered to.

PMID- 20306860
TI  - Compliance with preventive care following dental treatment of children under
      general anaesthesia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the self-reported preventive dental care
      compliance of parents/families whose children received dental treatment under
      general anaesthesia. STUDY DESIGN: Complete records of 68 pediatric patients who
      attended the University of Stellenbosch's Paediatric Dentistry Department for
      dental treatment were included in the survey. Parents of 41 (60%) patients were
      interviewed telephonically to evaluate parental dental health knowledge and
      preventive practices. RESULTS: The majority (85%) of parents had a good idea
      about the aetiology of dental caries. An assessment of the children's dental
      health behaviour reveals that parents were mostly responsible for brushing the
      childs' teeth (44%).The majority of parents (51%) reported that following dental
      treatment of the child under general anaesthesia, there was no change in their
      child's frequency of sugar consumption. Sixty-three percent of children treated
      under GA had returned for the one-week follow-up. However, only 22% of children
      returned for the three-month follow up appointment. Parents were informed about
      the importance of these follow-up appointments. CONCLUSION: Parental belief that
      proper dental health behaviour helps maintain the teeth, did not influence
      parents preventive compliance, despite them having received preventive
      instruction. Parents were mostly responsible for brushing their child's teeth
      following dental treatment of their children under general anaesthesia. This
      research found however that, in the majority of cases there was no change in the
      children's frequency of sugar intake.

PMID- 20306861
TI  - Cranio-maxillofacial surgery and rehabilitation and the University of the Western
      Cape.

PMID- 20306862
TI  - University of the Western Cape Faculty of Dentistry--and the Phelophepa health
      train.

PMID- 20306863
TI  - Comparing the performance of storage phosphor plate and Insight film images for
      the detection of proximal caries depth.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To compare proximal caries depth between conventional film images,
      unenhanced and enhanced storage phosphor plate images. METHOD: Bitewing
      radiographs were taken on 100 patients presenting for Conservative and
      Periodontal treatment. Only one bitewing was taken on a patient either the right
      or left hand side of the patient A DenOptics storage phosphor plate and size 3
      Kodak Insight film were simultaneously placed into a Rinn bitewing holder. The
      Insight film was placed behind the phosphor plate. Both were simultaneously
      exposed to radiation. The unenhanced phosphor plate images were copied four
      times. Contrast and brightness were either increased or decreased on the copied
      images. A five point scale was chosen for proximal caries depth: 0--sound, 1-
      caries in enamel, 2--caries reaching dentino-enamel junction, 3--caries into
      dentine, 4--caries in a restored area. The bitewing images were evaluated by 4
      clinicians. Images with technical errors were excluded from the study. RESULTS:
      Altogether 1848 tooth surfaces were evaluated of which 136 surfaces were excluded
      due to technical errors. The results show that for the detection of proximal
      caries there is no significant difference in accuracy between unenhanced storage
      phosphor plate and Kodak Insight film images (p > 0.001). When decreasing both
      contrast and brightness there was no significant difference in diagnostic
      accuracy (p > 0.001) between unenhanced and enhanced storage phosphor plate
      images. More surfaces were analyzed for caries into the dentine on the enhanced
      images when both contrast and brightness were increased. CONCLUSION: Although
      contrast-enhanced and brightness-enhanced images retween conventional film,
      unenhanced and enhanced images.

PMID- 20306864
TI  - Areca nut and tobacco chewing habits in Durban, KwaZulu Natal.
AB  - Areca nut/quid chewing is a habit that is commonly practiced in the Indian
      subcontinent and this age-old social habit is still being practiced by the
      Indians in South Africa. The areca nut/quid is prepared in a variety of ways. The
      quid may be prepared with or without tobacco. This habit is said to be associated
      with the development of oral submucous fibrosis (OSF), a premalignant lesion,
      oral leukoplakia and oral cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate
      the prevalence of areca nut/quid chewing (with or without tobacco), associated
      habits (smoking and alcohol consumption) as well as the awareness of the risks.
      The study was cross-sectional in design and used administered questionnaires and
      semi-structured interviews to collect the data. A convenience sample of 101
      respondents was interviewed. More than three quarter were born in South Africa
      and the rest were migrant communities from Pakistan, India and Dubai. All
      respondents from the migrant community were males. Slightly more females than
      maleschewed areca nut/quid. Popular ingredients that were chewed included areca
      nut, betel leaf, lime and paan masala. Enjoyment and special functions were the
      most important reasons for chewing areca nut. Family influence was a reason for
      chewing. Nearly 60% did not know whether areca nut chewing is harmful to their
      health. The majority have not attempted to give up the habit. It is recommended
      that aggressive awareness programmes on the hazardous effects of areca nut/quid
      chewing be developed similar to those for smoking cessation. Government health
      warnings need to be written on paan packaging. Taxes need to be imposed on the
      areca nut and condiments. Age restrictions need to be imposed on purchasing of
      the areca nut/quid thus making access difficult for the children.

PMID- 20306865
TI  - Oral mucosal lesions and HIV status in a rural household survey in South Africa.
AB  - Several studies have documented the relevance of oral lesions in HIV populations.
      Oral HIV lesions are also considered useful indicators in HIV therapy. The
      objectives of the present study were to determine the prevalence of oral mucosal
      lesions (OML) in a rural population and to determine the differences, if any, in
      the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions of persons infected with HIV and persons
      not infected with HIV. The study was part of the Vaccine Preparedness Study (VPS)
      conducted by the Medical Research Council in Hlabisa, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
      between 2000 and 2002. METHODS: A cross-sectional household survey examined
      adults aged 15 to 50 years. Oral mucosal lesions were determined by a presumptive
      diagnosis. Informed consent was obtained for the oral examination and separately
      for collecting a blood sample to determine HIV status by ELISA. RESULTS: A total
      of 2313 adults were interviewed for the VPS. Oral mucosal lesions were assessed
      in a sample comprising 537 adults. Of these, 185 consented to HIV testing and
      22.7% (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 16.9-29.4%) were HIV positive. The
      prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in the total sample was 12.8% (95% CI: 10
      16.3%). The prevalence of OML was 21.4% (9/42) among those who consented to a
      blood test and were HIV positive and 9.8% (n = 14/143) among those who were HIV
      negative. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of OML among HIV positive participants was
      significantly higher than among HIV negative participants.

PMID- 20306866
TI  - Association between periodontitis and systemic inflammation in patients with end
      stage renal disease.
AB  - Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) experience a significantly increased
      rate of atherosclerotic complications. Inflammation plays a central role in the
      pathogenesis of these complications and C-reactive protein (CRP) has been found
      to be predictive of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Many patients have
      elevated CRP levels without an apparent infection. Periodontal diseases in the
      general population have been associated with both an increased prevalence of
      atherosclerotic complications and an elevation in serum CRP values. This study
      examined the association between periodontal disease and elevated CRP in patients
      with ESRD on chronic dialysis. METHODS: Eighty patients on chronic dialysis were
      included in the study. Demographic information, medical history and CRP levels
      were recorded. Periodontal examination was carried out by a single calibrated
      examiner and included gingival index (GI), bleeding on probing (BoP), probing
      depths (PD) and clinical attachment loss (CAL). These measurements were recorded
      in relation to the Ramfjord teeth. The presence in any one sextant of PD > or =4
      mm or clinical loss of attachment > or =3 mm was diagnosed as periodontitis.
      RESULTS: Mean age of subjects was 50.3 +/- 9.06 years with a median time on
      dialysis of 24 months. 57.5% (n=46) of subjects were diagnosed as having
      periodontitis; of these 52.2% had CRP levels >10 mg/l. Of the 34 subjects with
      healthy periodontium, only 10 (29.4%) had elevated CRP levels. The serum CRP
      levels between these two groups were significantly different (p = 0.004).
      CONCLUSION: The results of the study showed significantly elevated levels of CRP
      in ESRD patients with periodontitis. Periodontal diseases may be an overlooked
      source of inflammation in ESRD patients.

PMID- 20306867
TI  - Effect of various tooth-whitening products on enamel microhardness.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of
      various tooth-whitening products containing carbamide peroxide (CP) or hydrogen
      peroxide (HP), on enamel microhardness. METHODS: Enamel blocks were exposed to:
      Nite White ACP 10% CP (Group 2, n=10); Yotuel Patient 10% CP (Group 3, n=10);
      Opalescence PF 10% CP (Group 4, n=10); Opalescence PF 20% CP (Group 5, n=10);
      Opalescence Treswhite Supreme 10% HP (Group 6, n=10); Yotuel 10 Minutes 30% CP
      (Group 7, n=10); Opalescence Quick 45% CP (Group 8, n=10), Yotuel Special 35% HP
      (Group 9, n=10), Opalescence Boost 38% HP (Group 10, n=10) according to the
      instructions of the manufacturers. The control (Group 1, n=10) was enamel blocks
      kept in artificial saliva at 37 degrees C without any treatment. The
      microhardness values were obtained before exposure and after a 14-day treatment
      period. Specimens were kept in artificial saliva at 37 degrees C between
      treatments. Data were analysed using Kruskal-Wallis one-way ANOVA and Tukey
      Kramer Multiple Comparison Test. Indent marks on the enamel blocks were also
      examined under the Scanning Electron Microscope. RESULTS: All whitening products
      decreased enamel microhardness except group 10 but only Groups 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7
      showed significant decrease in enamel microhardness as compared to the control
      group (p < 0.05). Groups 2, 3 and 7 differed significantly from all the other
      groups (p < 0.05). The highest damage was recorded for Group 2 (Nite White ACP
      10% CP), which differed significantly from Groups 3 and 7. SEM images also showed
      damage to enamel. CONCLUSIONS: All products tested in this study decreased enamel
      microhardness except Opalescence Boost 38% HP. The products containing carbamide
      peroxide were more damaging to enamel because of the longer application times.
      Nite White ACP 10% CP showed the highest reduction in enamel microhardness as
      compared to other products tested.

PMID- 20306868
TI  - The mixed dentition pantomogram: a valuable dental development assessment tool
      for the dentist.
AB  - The mixed dentition pantomogram is routinely used in paediatric patients. This
      paper discusses the value of the pantomogram for early identification of problems
      in dental development during the mixed dentition stage. Aspects regarding dental
      maturity, leeway space, the sequence of eruption of the permanent teeth,
      anomalies and the development of the canines will be reviewed.

PMID- 20306869
TI  - Microleakage of four composite resin systems in class II restorations.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the microleakage at the enamel and dentine/cementum margins
      of three nanocomposites and a microhybrid composite in Class II restorations.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four light-cured dental resin restorative materials in
      combination with their respective bonding agents were investigated. Eighty non
      carious, extracted human molars were divided into 4 groups of 20 teeth each. The
      apices of the teeth were sealed with a resin modified glass ionomer cement.
      Standardized Class II slot cavities were prepared on the proximal surfaces of
      each tooth. Each group had an equal number of cavities with gingival margins on
      enamel and on dentine/cementum. Restorations were placed as indicated: Group 1
      (G1): Ceram-X mono/Prime & Bond NT (Dentsply), G2: Premise/ OptiBond Solo Plus
      (Kerr), G3: Grandio/Admira Bond (VOCO), G4: Z100/Adper Scotchbond Multi-Purpose
      (3M ESPE). After thermocycling and immersion in 0.5% methylene blue dye solution,
      the teeth were sectioned and dye penetration was scored on a scale of 0 to 3 on
      both the enamel and dentine/cementum margins. The data were analyzed using a
      Kruskal-Wallis one way ANOVA and Mann-Whitney U test of ranks (significance at p
      < 0.05). RESULTS: In the enamel group: Z100/Adper Scotchbond Multi-Purpose showed
      significantly higher leakage when compared to the other three groups (p < 0.05).
      In the dentine/cementum group: Grandio/Admira Bond showed significantly lower
      microleakage when compared to the other materials tested while Z100/Adper
      Scotchbond Multi-Purpose showed the largest microleakage (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION:
      No material was able to eliminate microleakage completely at the dentine/cementum
      margin with Grandio/Admira Bond showing the least microleakage when compared to
      the other three materials tested. At the enamel margins, all materials tested
      performed reasonably well.

PMID- 20306870
TI  - General practitioner's radiology case 79. Albers-Schonberg disease (osteopetrosis
      -marble bone).

PMID- 20306871
TI  - Oral medicine case book 23. Case 1--snuff dipper's lesion, Case 2--nicotinic
      stomatitis.

PMID- 20306872
TI  - Featuring dental education research: applying the principles of action research
      to improve teaching of dental prosthetics.
AB  - This article focuses on educational research conducted at the newly merged UWC
      faculty of dentistry. The research emphasises the change in teaching methods
      employed to address the concerns experienced in teaching the new large classes as
      observed in the prosthetic techniques module. These educational interventions
      were conducted over 5 years and the study design included the principles of
      action research. Students were assisted in learning the theory of the practical
      procedures and the subsequent completion of these procedures with the accurate
      application of the theoretical concepts. Changes in the teaching methods enhanced
      students learning and successful translation of the theory into practical work.
      The active learning exercises incorporated into the teaching further motivated
      and assisted students with deep learning. The debates indicated that students
      know and accept the value of the module as part of their training.

PMID- 20306873
TI  - Supporting nursing residency programs.

PMID- 20306874
TI  - The diabetes disease state management exemplar.
AB  - One relatively new method of providing care to patients with chronic disease is
      disease state management (DSM). Diabetes is particularly interesting to study
      because it is not only one of the most prevalent chronic diseases, but it is also
      a disease for which DSM is highly cost effective. Similarly, registered nurses
      represent the group of practitioners most likely to provide a comprehensive set
      of DSM activities. This experiment was conducted in fall 2005 at a nationally
      recognized diabetes center which is affiliated with a large, full service medical
      center. The results suggest at least three forms of content delivery--in-class,
      at-home study packets, and online modules--are all equally effective at enhancing
      diabetes DSM knowledge.

PMID- 20306875
TI  - Characteristics of internationally educated nurses in the United States: an
      update from the 2004 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses.
AB  - Internationally educated nurses (IENs) have become an integral part of the U.S.
      registered nurse workforce. To understand the U.S. RN workforce and conduct nurse
      workforce planning, it is fundamental to know the who, what, and where about
      IENs. Analysis of the 2004 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses revealed
      demographic and employment characteristics of IENs practicing in the United
      States. The results can help employers, recruiters, and policymakers stay abreast
      of the changing profile of IENs in order to make informed decisions regarding the
      recruitment of lENs, and U.S. workforce planning and policy. More importantly,
      systematic actions such as developing tailored transitional programs should be
      implemented to better integrate and retain IENs who are playing an increasingly
      important role of caring for Americans.

PMID- 20306876
TI  - Key elements of large survey data sets.
AB  - One low-cost area of research that nurses typically do not consider is to perform
      secondary analyses of large federal or state health care data sets. These data
      sets contain vast amounts of existing data that otherwise would be difficult and
      expensive to gather, thereby enabling research which is economically feasible and
      which potentially has wide implications and applications. Large survey data may
      be free and easy to access, but that does not mean that retrieving the raw data,
      examining the manuals for the survey, and conducting the secondary analysis is
      simple or easy. To analyze the data accurately, it is essential that nurse
      researchers fully understand all key elements of the data set survey chosen, as
      well as how to prepare and manage the data. In a time of limited funding and
      resources, and of numerous health concerns in all age groups across different
      races and ethnicities, nurse researchers need to utilize the many venues that
      contain rich and vast amounts of data such as large data sets.

PMID- 20306877
TI  - Nursing workload measurement in ambulatory care.
AB  - The scarcity of ambulatory workload tools has led many institutions to use
      metrics such as the number of physicians, patient panels, scheduled patient
      visits, procedure volumes, seasonality, etc. to determine staffing levels. These
      metrics do not accurately reflect the nurse staffing required to support the
      practice. The Workload Measurement and Reporting System (WMRS) was designed to
      meet the need of measuring work and collecting ambulatory nurse workload data at
      the point of care in diverse ambulatory practices. The pilot test confirmed that
      the WMRS application was successful in capturing workload in ambulatory practices
      that participated. While this method for measuring ambulatory nurse work required
      time and effort from the clinician, the WMRS application collected and stored a
      vast amount of valuable workload data when used consistently.

PMID- 20306878
TI  - Expanding the role of nursing in health care governance.
AB  - Nurses are an untapped resource for health care governing boards. It is essential
      to help nurses fulfill their potential to competently and confidently participate
      in the governance of our nation's health care organizations. Understanding the
      health care governance landscape is an important first step for nurses to take on
      the path to pursuing board service. Like other professionals who seek to more
      fully prepare themselves to take on the unique challenges of governance, nurses
      also have access to a range of resources such as Best On Board, a new education,
      testing, and certification program. Best On Board offers a continuum of courses
      designed to help both new and seasoned trustees demonstrate their understanding
      of board issues and responsibilities, enabling them to quickly and confidently
      contribute in their governance role.

PMID- 20306879
TI  - Sensible compromise: will there be health care reform?
AB  - Three significant challenges to the passage of health care legislation bear
      watching as they have the potential to make sensible compromise between the House
      and Senate unlikely. The first threat is the continuing exposure of the public to
      misinformation from media commentary and interest groups. If health care delivery
      issues weren't complex enough, another growing issue is the misuse of the
      filibuster, further obscuring change and clarity in legislative discussion. The
      third threat is a move by opponents of current health care reform to engage the
      Supreme Court and challenge the constitutionality of the legislation. If
      substantive health reform legislation fails to pass, nursing will have received a
      deep wound along with the rest of this country. Our voice as patient advocates
      must be stronger in these final days.

PMID- 20306880
TI  - Health care payment reform: implications for nurses.

PMID- 20306881
TI  - The human side of staffing.
AB  - While the call for data-driven staffing is loud and even overdue, our approach to
      it must be harmonized with the human side as well. Discovering the right
      combination of hard data and soft data may well be the impetus needed to catapult
      a shift in how we approach staffing to new levels of effectiveness. Nurses should
      not be apologizing for our focus on quality and the patient experience, but
      rather leveraging the human understanding that nursing has mastered into our
      business models, financial plans, and staffing programs. The way human beings
      respond to something, no matter how grounded in scientific facts and evidence,
      can mean effectiveness or ineffectiveness, success or failure. In developing
      staffing strategies, programs, and practices, it can be helpful to consider the
      "experience impact" as part of the decision-making process.

PMID- 20306882
TI  - Development of the role of director of advanced practice nursing.
AB  - Advanced practice nurses (APNs) are integral to cost-effective delivery of health
      care in large health care organizations. Development of the leadership position
      of director of advanced practice nurses in a large teaching institution provides
      leadership to APNs in various settings, contributes to staff satisfaction,
      facilitates increased professional growth, and provides improved quality and
      fiscal outcomes. Job satisfaction, productivity, accountability, and
      communication may be enhanced through implementation of the role of director of
      advanced practice nursing and a committee structure of APNs, as was found in this
      academic health system.

PMID- 20306883
TI  - Tilt training and pacing: a report on 9 patients with neurally mediated syncope.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In patients with neurally mediated syncope (NMS), pacing has been used
      to prevent bradycardia and syncope. However, recurrence due to the vasodepressor
      component remains a problem. METHODS: We report on tilt training in 9 patients
      with a pacemaker (PM) implantation. Patients were submitted to daily in-hospital
      tilt testing. They were instructed to continue this therapy at home. RESULTS: A
      negative tilt test was obtained in all patients. Six patients remained free from
      syncope. Recurrent syncope was observed in 3 patients. In 4 patients the
      pacemaker had been implanted before the start of the tilt training programme.
      Five patients had a pacemaker implanted after the administration of tilt training
      therapy. CONCLUSION: NMS also occurs in paced patients.Tilt training improves the
      clinical outcome by restoring the vasoconstrictor reserve capacity.

PMID- 20306884
TI  - Dilated cardiomyopathy, spontaneous echo contrast in the aorta and embolic
      events.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Spontaneous echocardiographic contrast (SEC) is a frequent finding in
      patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). In this study, we have investigated
      the frequency and clinical correlates of aortic-SEC (Ao-SEC) in patients with
      DCM. METHODS: Ninety-two consecutive DCM patients (63 men, 29 women, mean age 60
      +/- 11 years) underwent transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography.
      RESULTS: Ao-SEC was found in 53 patients (58%). It was associated with: (i) a
      lower cardiac index (P < 0.001); (ii) left atrial-SEC (P < 0.001); (iii) left
      ventricular-SEC (P = 0.008); (iv) a larger aortic root (P = 0.02); (v) the
      presence of complex aortic atherosclerotic plaques (P < 0.001).The significant
      determinant of thromboembolism was left-atrial SEC (P = 0.03).We did not find a
      significant correlation between Ao-SEC and thromboembolism. CONCLUSION: Most of
      the patients who developed embolic events in the follow-up period had Ao
      SEC.Thromboembolism is rather associated with left-atrial SEC than with Ao-SEC.

PMID- 20306885
TI  - Mechanistic insights into initiation and maintenance of ventricular fibrillation:
      implications for catheter ablation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This report is intended to provide an overview of the mechanism(s) of
      ventricular fibrillation (VF) and its relation to catheter ablation. METHODS AND
      RESULT: We conducted a Pubmed and Medline literature search to identify all
      experimental and clinical studies published in English involving the mechanisms
      of VF and catheter ablation for VF. We found that controversies still exist with
      respect to the initiation and maintenance of VF despite more than a century of
      research due to the complexity of this arrhythmia and the limitation of the
      mapping technology. However, catheter ablation targeting the triggering factor
      for VF has been successfully applied in some patients who experience failure of
      drug therapy and frequent implanted cardiac defibrillator shocks. CONCLUSIONS: VF
      is frequently triggered by short-coupled monophasic ventricular premature beats.
      VF is characteristic of partial and temporal organization instead of a state of
      completely aperiodic and disordered activation. Catheter ablation targeting the
      triggers for VF seems to be a safe and effective means for preventing VF in some
      patients.

PMID- 20306886
TI  - Valsartan alleviates atherosclerotic lesions in pulmonary arteries of rabbits via
      an endothelium-dependent mechanism.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Angiotensin II plays an important role in the pathogenesis of
      atherosclerosis. This study was designed to examine the effect of valsartan, an
      angiotensin receptor blocker, on atherosclerotic lesions in pulmonary arteries of
      rabbits with atherosclerosis induced by a high-cholesterol (HC) diet. METHODS:
      Male New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into four groups: control, HC
      without valsartan, HC with 3 mg/kg/d valsartan, and HC with 10 mg/kg/d valsartan.
      Following 12 weeks of treatment, serum lipid profiles were determined. Pulmonary
      arteries were harvested and stained with Sudan IV for evaluation of
      atherosclerotic lesions. The middle lobes of the rabbit lungs were isolated,
      embedded in paraffin, and sectioned and stained with haematoxylin and eosin.
      Nitric oxide (NO) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) levels were determined in pulmonary
      arteries by nitrate reductase assay and radioimmunoassay, respectively. RESULTS:
      HC feeding altered serum lipid levels and induced atherosclerotic lesions in
      pulmonary arteries. Although 12 weeks of valsartan treatment failed to alter
      serum lipid levels, it significantly ameliorated HC-induced atherosclerotic
      lesions. Lesion areas, inflammatory cell infiltration, and occlusions of small
      arteries of lungs were reduced. Moreover, the endothelium-derived NO levels in
      pulmonary arteries were increased by valsartan treatment (10 mg/kg/d) compared to
      levels in the HC group. ET-1 levels were decreased by valsartan treatment
      compared to levels in the HC group. NO and ET-1 levels were not altered by
      valsartan at 3 mg/kg/d. CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrates that HC diet-induced
      atherosclerotic lesions in rabbit pulmonary arteries can be ameliorated by
      treatment with valsartan, possibly through a NO and ET-1-dependent mechanism.

PMID- 20306887
TI  - Influence of drug-eluting stent on inflammation during restenosis in a porcine
      coronary model.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to compare anti-inflammatory and intimal
      hyperplasia inhibiting efficacy between the Firebird rapamycin drug-eluting stent
      and a bare metal stent in a porcine coronary injury model. METHODS: Twelve
      rapamycin drug-eluting stents (Firebird), and 12 bare metal stents (BMS) were
      deployed with the oversizing method into porcine coronary arteries. Coronary
      angiography, histopathological and immunocytochemistry analysis were carried out
      at week 4 after stenting. RESULTS: The distribution of stented vessels, diameter
      of reference vessels, and post-procedural minimal lumen diameter were compared
      between the two groups. At week 4 of follow-up, quantitative coronary angiography
      (QCA) showed that the minimal lumen diameter and late lumen loss were greater,
      and percent stenosis was less in the Firebird stent group than in the bare metal
      stent group. In the histopathological analysis, compared to the BMS group, injury
      score in the Firebird stent group (1.87 +/- 0.16 vs. 1.32 +/- 0.13) and
      inflammation score (1.86 +/- 0.55 vs. 1.12 +/- 0.35) decreased, P < 0.05. There
      are significant differences for neointimal area (4.60 +/- 1.39 mm2 in the BMS
      group vs. 1.51 +/- 0.45 mm2 in the TCS group, P < 0.05). The lumen area in the
      Firebird stent group enlarged (3.24 +/- 0.93 mm2 in the BMS group vs. 4.34 +/-
      0.93 mm2 in the Firebird stent group, P < 0.05). Immunohistochemistry revealed
      that the Firebird stent suppressed cell proliferation (Ki67) and expression of
      nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) in the arterial wall. CONCLUSION: The Firebird
      stent showed suppression of constrictive remodelling, inhibition of neointimal
      hyperplasia through antiproliferation, and anti-inflammation acts via attenuated
      NF-KB activation, which has proved to be a feasible method for preventing
      restenosis after coronary angioplasty in pigs.

PMID- 20306888
TI  - Prevalence of preoperative arrhythmias in children with delayed treatment of
      severe congenital heart disease.
AB  - AIM: Our aim was to determine the real importance of rhythm and conduction
      disorders in children with unoperated severe congenital heart disease. METHODS:
      Consecutive children with delayed treatment of severe congenital heart disease
      were prospectively studied for the occurrence of arrhythmias before any invasive
      investigation or surgical procedure was performed. RESULTS: All 168 children were
      in sinus rhythm. One hundred and fifty-eight patients (94%) had no significant
      preoperative findings. One child with double discordance had an intermittent
      complete atrioventricular block, and another one had a long QT syndrome. Children
      with severe ventricular dysfunction had paroxysmal atrioventricular re-entry
      tachycardia in 3 cases and abnormally frequent premature ventricular complexes in
      3 other cases. Children with severe left atrial dilatation had periods of atrial
      ectopic tachycardia in one case and atrial fibrillation in another case.
      CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of rhythm and conduction disorders is relatively low
      in children with delayed treatment of severe congenital heart disease. Only those
      with congenital heart disease classically combined with such disorders and those
      with prolonged severe ventricular dysfunction and/or atrial dilatation are at
      risk of developing significant arrhythmias and should undergo a preoperative
      assessment of arrhythmias.

PMID- 20306889
TI  - Usefulness of 6-minute walk test, plasma neurohumoral and cytokine activation in
      the assessment of symptomatic patients with left ventricle dysfunction caused by
      chronic severe mitral valve regurgitation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to select the most relevant markers of
      impaired left ventricle (LV) function in patients with heart failure (HF)
      symptoms due to severe chronic mitral regurgitation (MR). METHODS AND RESULTS:
      Thirty-six patients with decompensated HF due to severe MR underwent
      echocardiography, 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and measurements of plasma renin
      activity, angiotensin II, aldosterone, noradrenaline (NA), brain natriuretic
      peptide (BNP), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) with its receptors, and
      interleukine-6. Patients presented with significant neurohumoral/cytokine
      activation. By stepwise multiple regression analysis the strongest prediction
      model for 6MWT included LVEDVI (R2 = 0.95, P = 0.024), BNP (R2 = 0.67, P =
      0.0006), IL-6 (R2 = 0.90, P = 0.044); for BNP: 6MWT (R2 = 0.36, P = 0.003), LA
      (R2 = 0.56, P = 0.0077), LVESVI (R2 = 0.83, P = 0.0072); for NA: EF (R2 = 0.4 1,
      P = 0.036), and for TNFalpha: LVESVI (R2 = 0.65, P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: 6MWT
      and neurohumoral markers (mainly BNP, but also NA and TNFalpha) are good
      predictors of the degree of LV remodelling, showing an independent correlation
      with the level of LV dilatation/dysfunction in chronic severe MR.These
      assessments may supplement standard echocardiography in LV decompensation due to
      severe MR.

PMID- 20306890
TI  - Investigation of oxidant and antioxidant pathway changes in acute rheumatic
      fever.
AB  - AIM: The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of oxidant stress in
      the clinical process and pathogenesis of acute rheumatic fever (ARF). MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: The study included 33 children with ARF and 20 healthy control
      subjects. The diagnosis of ARF was established according to the Jones Criteria.
      Malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), alpha-tocopherol, ascorbic
      acid, retinol and beta-carotene levels were measured as markers of oxidative
      stress together with some antioxidant markers. RESULTS: Our study includes 33 (19
      male, 14 female) children with ARF and 20 (11 male, 9 female) healthy control
      subjects. The mean age ranged between 5-16 years and 5-15 years in the study and
      control groups, respectively. MDA was measured as 2.1 +/- 0.9 nmol/mL in the
      control group, 3.3 +/- 2.7 nmol/mL in the study group before treatment, and 2.1
      +/- 1.2 nmol/mL after treatment. Blood GSH levels were 48.2 +/- 12.7 mg/dL in the
      control group, 24.7 +/- 16 mg/dL in the study group before treatment, and 40.6 +/
      21.3 mg/dL in the study group after treatment. MDA and GSH levels prior to the
      treatment were found to be significantly high and low as compared with the levels
      of the control group, respectively (P < 0.05, P < 0.001). After treatment,
      statistically important decrements and increments were determined in the levels
      of MDA (P < 0.05) and GSH (P < 0.01), respectively. Furthermore, alpha
      tocopherol, retinol and beta-carotene levels prior to treatment in the study
      group, were significantly lower in comparison with control group levels (P =
      0.05, P < 0.05, P < 0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION: We suggested that tissue
      damage in ARF may not only occur in the presence of increased oxidative stress,
      but also as a consequence of decreased antioxidant markers.

PMID- 20306891
TI  - Carotid intima-media thickness: more than a research tool?
AB  - Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) can be measured non-invasively by means of
      B-mode ultrasound. Carotid ultrasonography is readily available and enables the
      assessment of the full spectrum of the atherosclerotic process, from normal
      artery walls to arterial occlusion. In population studies, CIMT correlates with
      present and future cardiovascular disease (CVD). The method has been well
      validated in histological and epidemiological studies. Controlled clinical trials
      have shown the value of CIMT as a surrogate marker to evaluate established
      therapies and novel anti-atherosclerotic drugs. At present, CIMT is increasingly
      being used as a surrogate aimed at reducing CVD risk at an individual level. In
      this paper we discuss the potential usefulness of CIMT as a risk marker in
      clinical programmes of CVD prevention.

PMID- 20306892
TI  - The right ventricle: anatomy, physiology and functional assessment.
AB  - Right ventricular function is acknowledged as an important prognostic element in
      cardiovascular pathologies. Although recent years have seen significant advances
      in the exploration of cardiac function, assessing right ventricular performance
      still remains a challenge for the daily practice. The right ventricle is a
      complex structure that cannot be approximated by a simple geometric form. It
      functions in a low impedance system therefore it is sensitive to pressure
      overload. Along with contractility and loading conditions, ventricular
      interactions play an important part in right ventricular function and failure.
      The aims of our review are to describe the main characteristics of RV anatomy,
      function and failure and also to present the standard and novel tools that can be
      employed to investigate them. Moreover, the advantages, limitations and clinical
      significance of each parameter will be discussed.

PMID- 20306893
TI  - Contribution of contrast echocardiography to the differentiation between a
      thrombus and a tumorous mass in end-stage lung carcinoma.

PMID- 20306894
TI  - Left atrial appendage occlusion using an amplatzer cardiac plug.

PMID- 20306895
TI  - Sarcoidosis: an unusual cause of acute pericarditis.
AB  - Mild to moderate asymptomatic pericardial effusions are commonly detected in
      patients with biopsy-proven sarcoidosis. However, symptomatic pericarditis is
      rare during the course of the disease. All reported cases at presentation were
      life-threatening tamponades. We describe the first case of a patient in whom
      sarcoidosis was revealed by an acute benign pericarditis persisting despite
      administration of colchicine and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Similar
      cases may have been ignored since the initial diagnosis of sarcoidosis is
      challenging and corticosteroids are frequently given to patients with persistent
      chest pain. Clinicians should consider the possibility of sarcoidosis in case of
      pericarditis resistant to first-line therapy.

PMID- 20306896
TI  - Malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the heart: a case report.
AB  - Malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) in the heart is rare. We present a case of a
      38-year-old woman with histologically confirmed MFHs in the left atrium, liver
      and bone. The patient presented with shortness of breath and right shoulder pain.
      A plain radiograph showed an osteolytic lesion at the neck of the humerus on the
      right side. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest showed a lobulated
      tumour occupying the cardiac left atrium and a large heterogeneously enhancing
      mass in the liver and osteolytic metastasis in the thoracic spine. The patient
      underwent complete resection of the cardiac tumour, and histology showed a high
      grade pleomorphic sarcoma--an MFH. Biopsy of the lesions on the right shoulder
      and in the liver also showed the same histologic diagnosis.

PMID- 20306897
TI  - Percutaneous pulmonary valvuloplasty and atrial septal defect closure in a 69
      year-old patient with Noonan's syndrome.
AB  - We present the case of a patient with Noonan syndrome who was seen for the first
      time at the age of 69 years with combined pulmonary valve stenosis and atrial
      septal defect. The patient was treated by a staged percutaneous approach. The
      treatment of these combined congenital heart defects remains challenging because
      their haemodynamics interact directly. In this case report we discuss both the
      underlying pathophysiology and haemodynamics.

PMID- 20306898
TI  - Catastrophic rapid onset heparin-induced thrombocytopenia--victim of our own
      success.
AB  - Heparin is integral to the treatment of acute coronary syndromes, deep vein
      thrombosis and its prophylaxis. An undesirable result of recurrent heparin use is
      rapid onset heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) within hours of exposure. This
      catastrophic condition is frequently diagnosed too late for therapy to be
      effective. We describe a case of fatal rapid onset HIT, analyze current evidence
      to diagnose this condition and propose a way so that it can be prevented.

PMID- 20306899
TI  - Fulminant myocarditis with dramatic response to corticoids.
AB  - A 47-year-old healthy man developed acute fulminant coxsackie BI myocarditis with
      cardiogenic shock and extreme elevation of NT-pro-BNP (82585 pg/ml). He had a
      dramatic and rapid improvement within the following days after administration of
      corticoids on top of dobutamine and classic treatment.

PMID- 20306900
TI  - Stroke and recurrent peripheral embolism in left atrial myxoma.
AB  - Primary cardiac tumours are uncommon, with an estimated incidence between 0.0017%
      and 0.19%. Cardiac myxoma is a rare cause of cerebrovascular disease, especially
      in children. This case report emphasizes the importance of cardiac evaluation,
      especially echocardiographic examination in cases with stroke and peripheral
      embolism.

PMID- 20306901
TI  - The Society for Internet-based Scientific Studies: a new platform to promote
      multicentric studies in the Royal Belgian Society for Surgery.

PMID- 20306902
TI  - The "Internet-based Scientific Studies" project of the Royal Belgian Society for
      Surgery: general rules. Edition 2010.

PMID- 20306904
TI  - The science behind topical negative pressure therapy.
AB  - Topical negative pressure therapy (TNP) is an established part of modern wound
      healing. With an increasing choice in TNP providers, understanding the differing
      modes of action, the biochemical and biophysical effects on the wound at a
      microscopic and macroscopic level, plus the role of the interface dressings, will
      aid the clinician in planning a clear goal of therapy. This article reviews the
      scientific evidence for TNP to date and explores each mechanism of action and the
      implications for wound healing and patient outcomes.

PMID- 20306903
TI  - Analysis of surgical errors in malpractice claims in Belgium.
AB  - The relative importance of the different factors that cause surgical error is
      unknown. Malpractice claim file analysis may help to identify leading causes of
      surgical errors and identify opportunities for prevention. We retrospectively
      reviewed 427 surgical malpractice claims from 3202 malpractice liability cases in
      which patients alleged error between 1996 and 2006. Surgeon-reviewer examined the
      litigation file and medical record to determine whether and injury attributable
      to surgical error had occurred and, if so, what factors contributed. Detailed
      descriptive information concerning etiology and outcome was recorded. The
      reviewer identified surgical errors that resulted in patient injury in the 427
      studied claims. Sixty-three percent of these cases involved significant or major
      injury; 6% involved death. In most cases (48%), errors occurred in intra
      operative care; 15% in preoperative care; 37% in postoperative care. Nine percent
      of the cases had errors occurring during multiple phases of care; in 28%, more
      than one clinician played a contributory role. System factors contributed to
      error in 90% of cases. The leading system factors were inexperience/lack of
      technical competence (57%) and communication breakdown (42%). Cases with
      technical errors (57%) were more likely than those without technical errors (43%)
      to involve elective surgery (57% vs. 60%, Fisher's Exact Test < 0.001). There
      were no clear contributions to error from multiple personnel (26% vs. 31%,
      Fisher's Exact Test 0.28) and errors in multiple phases of care (73% vs. 68%,
      Fisher's Exact Test 0.28). In addition technical error cases were more likely
      than those without technical errors to have been caused by lack of clear lines
      (14% vs. 21%, Fisher's Exact Test 0.03), abnormal or different anatomy (6% vs.
      2%, Fisher's Exact Test 0.04), interruption or distraction (14% vs. 4%, Fisher's
      Exact Test < 0.001). On the other hand, they were less likely to have been caused
      by judgment errors (47% vs. 59%, Fisher's Exact Test < 0.001). There were
      significant more problems caused by the numbers of personnel involved in
      university hospitals than in non-university hospitals. On the other hand, they
      were less likely to have been caused by failure of vigilance/memory (16% vs. 58%
      Fisher's Exact Test < 0.001), breakdown (19% vs. 50%, Fisher's Exact Test <
      0.001), lack of supervision (2% vs. 34%, Fisher's Exact Test < 0.001) and lack of
      clear lines (1% vs. 22%, Fisher's Exact Test < 0.001) in university hospitals
      than in non-university hospitals. System factors play an important role in most
      surgical errors, including technical errors and some non technical errors.
      Malpractice claims analysis could encrypt the leading areas for intervening to
      reduce errors.

PMID- 20306905
TI  - The effect of statins on perioperative events in patients undergoing vascular
      surgery.
AB  - Despite recent advancements in perioperative care and guideline recommendations,
      patients undergoing vascular surgery remain at risk for perioperative
      cardiovascular complications. In this review, the results are summarized of the
      most recent studies on the effectiveness and safety of perioperative statin use
      for the prevention of these perioperative cardiovascular complications.
      Perioperative statin therapy was associated with an improvement in postoperative
      cardiovascular outcome and a reduction in serum lipid levels and levels of
      inflammation markers.

PMID- 20306906
TI  - Palliative treatment of malignant pleural effusions.
AB  - AIM: The aim of the current study was to analyse the results of video assisted
      thoracoscopic (VATS) talc pleurodesis for malignant pleural effusion. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: From January 2002 to December 2004, 50 VATS procedures were
      performed under general anaesthesia on 48 patients for malignant pleural
      effusion. There were 45 women and 3 men with a median age of 57 years. The most
      common primary neoplasms were breast cancer (68%), ovarian cancer (6%), colon
      cancer (4%) and lung cancer (4%). Five patients had other types of tumour,
      including malignant lymphoma, fibrosarcoma, renal cell carcinoma, malignant
      pleural mesothelioma, acute myeloblastic leukaemia. RESULTS: The average duration
      of the operation was 46 min (range 20-120). Median duration of postoperative
      drainage was 5 days (range 2-13) and postoperative hospitalisation was 8 days
      (range 2-13). Four patients had postoperative complications. Thirty-day mortality
      was 1/48. One patient died from myocardial infarction. Three postoperative
      complications were noted (one non-septic febrile episode, one bilateral
      pneumopathy and one transitory hypoxaemia, treated by non invasive ventilation).
      Patients were relieved from dyspnoea in 34/48 of the cases (71%). Median survival
      was 6 months (ranging from 14 days to 2 years). CONCLUSIONS: Early talc
      pleurodesis via VATS is a safe technique for successfully treating pleural
      effusion and preventing recurrence in palliative patients with a symptomatic
      malignant pleural effusion.

PMID- 20306907
TI  - Surgical strategy in patients with secondary and tertiary hyperparathyroidism. A
      bi-institutional series.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although total parathyroidectomy with forearm autotransplantation is
      a widely accepted treatment for patients with secondary/tertiary
      hyperparathyroidism (HPT) some debate persists about the optimal surgical
      strategy. In particular, the question what to do when less than four parathyroid
      glands can be found during surgery has yet to be resolved. The aim of this
      retrospective study was to review the outcome of total parathyroidectomy with
      autotransplantation and to assess the proper procedure (to autotransplant or not)
      when finding less than 4 glands after extensive surgical exploration. METHODS:
      Between 1995 and 2005, parathyroidectomy was performed in 74 patients in two
      affiliated centers. In this case-control study both clinical and biochemical
      outcomes of a total or subtotal parathyroidectomy were compared. The parathyroid
      hormone (PTH), serum calcium concentration, phosphate and alkaline phosphatase
      levels were monitored preoperatively, 1 and 12 months postoperatively. RESULTS:
      Sixty five patients underwent a total parathyroidectomy and nine patients
      underwent a subtotal parathyroidectomy. Persistent HPT was seen in nine patients
      (12%). Recurrent HPT was seen in eight patients (11%). There were no significant
      differences between the group with > or = 4 glands excised and the group with
      three glands excised regarding serum PTH levels after 12 months and the number of
      patients with a hypo- or hyperparathyroidism (persistent or recurrent). Procedure
      related morbidity was minimal. CONCLUSIONS: Total parathyroidectomy with forearm
      autotransplantation is safe and effective for patients with secondary/tertiary
      hyperparathyroidism. In case of not finding a fourth gland after extensive
      surgical exploration, our general advice is to proceed as planned with the
      autotransplantation.

PMID- 20306908
TI  - Postoperative PTH measurement as a predictor of hypocalcaemia after
      thyroidectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hypocalcaemia after thyroidectomy is the most common postoperative
      complication, with a reported incidence from 0.5% to even 50% of the operated
      patients. Hypoparathyroidism could be a result of careless or inadequate
      preparation during the surgical procedure. There is a variety of proposed options
      for the prediction of the incidence of hypocalcaemia. The most effective of them
      are the peri-operative and intra-operative measurements of the parathyroid
      hormone (PTH) level. METHODS: A prospective study was performed on 100 patients
      who underwent total thyroidectomy from January 2007 to June 2008. The total
      calcium level and intact human PTH (iPTH) levels were measured 24 hours before as
      well as 1 hour and 24 hours after the surgery. THE AIM: The goal of the study was
      to assess the potential correlation between the iPTH levels after the operation
      and the development of hypocalcaemia. The possible prediction value of
      postoperative iPTH levels was to be assessed. RESULTS: We have presented a
      significant correlation between early iPTH measurement and the risk of
      hypocalcaemia. Moreover, a significant correlation between the iPTH level one
      hour after operation with the calcium level 24 hours after the operation was
      demonstrated. CONCLUSION: Early postoperative assessment of iPTH levels can be
      used to identify the group of patients at risk of hypocalcaemia after
      thyroidectomy. Pre-emptive calcium supplementation can lead to the avoidance of
      complications causing prolonged hospital stay and most importantly to prevent
      severe hypocalcaemia.

PMID- 20306909
TI  - Open incisional hernia repair under local anaesthesia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Authors give an accurate description of a method of incisional
      hernia repair with an open technique, under local anaesthesia. The aim of this
      work was to show the feasibility and safety of an open preperitoneal mesh
      technique, as well as giving a description of technical details and the results
      of incisional hernia repair under local anaesthesia. METHODS: Between January
      1994 and February 2008, 129 patients underwent an open mesh surgical procedure
      for incisional hernia. Using some simple selection criteria: maximal diameter of
      the hernia orifice not greater than 10 cm, the reducibility of the hernia sack,
      the absence of bowel obstructive symptoms, 71 patients (55.03%) were selected to
      be submitted to a local anaesthesia procedure, performing an open mesh repair.
      RESULTS: The median operative time was 101 min. The intra-operative measurement
      of the hernia defect showed that: in 24 patients (33.8%) it was < 3 cm, in 37
      patients (52.2%) up to 10 cm and in ten patients (14%) > 10 cm. There were only
      two conversions to general anaesthesia (2.8%). Among the other 69 patients only
      four patients (5.7%) showed transient intra-operative bradycardia. All the other
      69 patients (97.2%) had immediate postoperative deambulation. Forty-four of them
      (63.4%) were discharged within 24 h. During follow-up (12-168 months) only two
      recurrences (2.8%) were registered. CONCLUSIONS: This experience clearly shows
      that local anaesthesia for incisional hernia repair with a open preperitoneal
      mesh technique is feasible, safe, and effective, having a low intra-operative
      risk, being cost-effective and showing very good long-term results.

PMID- 20306910
TI  - Diagnosis and treatment of mesenteric tumours.
AB  - PURPOSE: To reveal clinical and diagnostic findings in patients with mesenteric
      tumours and to give an insight into the follow-up of these patients. BACKGROUND:
      Primary tumours of the mesentery are very infrequent. These tumours are cystic or
      solid and show benign or malignant clinical behaviour. In this article, we report
      clinical and radiological findings from eight cases of mesenteric tumours.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study included eight patients with mesenteric tumours
      who underwent computed tomography in the Department of General Surgery, Baskent
      University, between December 2003 and April 2007. RESULTS: Three mesenteric
      tumours were solid and five had cystic patterns. Seven were excised totally on
      laparotomy and one was excised on laparoscopy. None of the patients showed
      malignant progression. CT showed mesenteric cysts in only two cases, but failed
      to show solid tumours: the pre-operative diagnosis was made accurately in just
      (2/8) 25% of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: It can be concluded that pre-operative CT
      is generally helpful, but inconclusive in an accurate diagnosis of mesenteric
      tumours. Surgery is required to make a definitive diagnosis of mesenteric tumours
      and to avoid complications.

PMID- 20306911
TI  - Right colonic diverticulitis: an uncommon disease in western countries.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Right colonic diverticulitis is not a frequent disease and
      its management is still controversial. In this study we describe our experience.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all patients operated on
      because of a right colonic diverticulitis in our surgical unit. All patients were
      treated laparoscopically. Demographics, diagnostic and surgical results were
      recorded. RESULTS: Between January 1994 and January 2007, 11 patients (7 males
      and 4 females) mean age 53 +/- 9 years (range 39-68), ASA 1: 6 patients, ASA 2: 4
      patients, ASA 3: one patient, and BMI 27.8 (range 25-31), had right colonic
      diverticulitis. Four patients underwent emergency operations: one for peritonitis
      and three with an erroneous diagnosis of acute appendicitis; seven were operated
      on electively. There were no deaths or complications. The mean postoperative
      hospital stay was 5.6 days (range, 3-9). After a mean follow-up of 6.3 years
      (range 1-13) all patients of this series are symptom-free. INTERPRETATION AND
      CONCLUSION: Right colon diverticulitis diagnosis remains difficult. A pre
      operative imaging screening is necessary to successfully face this challenging
      disease. Laparoscopy is a safe and effective method to treat these patients.
      Colectomy should be considered a good therapeutic option for right colonic
      diverticulitis, although a conservative approach could be proposed in selected
      cases.

PMID- 20306912
TI  - Volar and dorsal mid-shaft forearm plating using DCP and LC-DCP: interference
      with the interosseous membrane and forearm-kinematics.
AB  - PURPOSE: To clarify if dorsal plate osteosynthesis of the forearm shaft is
      associated with impingement of the interosseous membrane (IOM) and if rotational
      kinematics of the forearm are influenced. BACKGROUND: Forearm fractures are
      treated by separate incisions. Osteosynthesis via one approach in proximal
      forearm fractures was associated with higher rates of synostosis. It has been
      claimed that this is due to IOM impingement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 16 forearms
      of fresh frozen cadavers were dissected until only radius, ulna and the IOM
      remained. To preserve physiological forearm rotation, the elbow joint, the distal
      radio-ulnar joint and the carpus remained intact. In group 1, LC-DC and DC plates
      were placed on the flexor aspect of the respective bone. In group 2, the plates
      were placed ulnodorsal and radiodorsal. The distance between the plates and their
      effect on the IOM were investigated in a newly designed forearm simulator and
      measured in 30 degrees, 60 degrees and 90 degrees of pronation and supination
      respectively. RESULTS: The IOM was affected in neither group. There was no
      interference of the kinematics in group 1. In group 2, plate contact appeared in
      one pair in both types of plate. The plates were significantly closer in all
      positions in group 2. There was no difference between the various plates in the
      two groups. CONCLUSION: Dorsal plate osteosynthesis of the forearm shaft is not
      associated with an impingement of the IOM. Malpositioning of the plates is more
      likely to be of more effect in dorsal plate positioning and leads to interference
      with the kinematics.

PMID- 20306913
TI  - Oral fluvastatin reduces the severity of peritoneal adhesions in rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of fluvastatin on
      peritoneal adhesion formation. METHODS: 48 female Wistar-albino rats weighing 200
      220 g were divided into four groups each containing 12 rats. Group I was sham,
      Group II was the control group, while Group III was given 10 mg/kg/day (28 days)
      oral fluvastatin. In Group IV, 10 mg/kg fluvastatin was administered
      intraperitoneally at the time of laparotomy but the rats died from that dose.
      After laparotomy on day 14, caecal serosal abrasions and punctuate haemorrhagies
      were performed. On day 28, laparotomies were repeated. Adhesions were graded and
      tissue samples were taken from incisions and adhesions. Hydroxyproline contents
      representing adhesions were measured quantitatively. On the 28th day, blood
      samples were taken to measure the tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA)
      activity. RESULTS: There were significant differences between the groups for
      adhesion severity (p < 0.0001), hydroxyproline content and t-PA activity of the
      adhesions (p < 0.0001). Analysis of the grading of adhesions documented
      significant differences between all groups. When the hydroxyproline content and t
      PA activity of the adhesions was analyzed, there were significant differences
      between groups II, I and III, but the difference between group I and group III
      was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The data presented in this study
      demonstrate that the oral administration of the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor
      fluvastatin reduced intra-abdominal adhesion formation.

PMID- 20306914
TI  - A comparison of three fibrinolytic agents in prevention of intra-abdominal
      adhesions.
AB  - PURPOSE: Three different drugs affecting the coagulation process at various
      stages were studied for their effectiveness in preventing intra-peritoneal
      adhesion formation in rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty female Wistar-Albino rats
      divided into four groups based on the drugs administered during the experimental
      laparotomy and caecal abrasion: the control group--no drug administered, the
      intra-peritoneal tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) group, the subcutaneous
      fondaparinux sodium (FS) group and the intra-peritoneal activated drotrecogin
      alfa (ADA) group. After two weeks, intra-peritoneal adhesions were
      macroscopically and microscopically scored. RESULTS: The macroscopic scores of
      the three groups were similar but all lower than the control group (p = 0.002).
      Inflammation (p = 0.023) and fibrosis (p = 0.019) scores were lower in just the
      ADA group when compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: All three agents were
      effective in preventing adhesions when compared to the control group.
      Nevertheless, ADA seemed the most effective except when considering clinical
      applicability, in which case FS seemed to offer the greatest advantage.

PMID- 20306915
TI  - Acute and chronic gastric volvulus: radical different prognosis and management.
      Case report.
AB  - Gastric volvulus is an uncommon entity. Management is principally surgical.
      Diagnosis is often delayed because of the non-specific nature of the symptoms.
      The authors report two cases of gastric volvulus seen in a six month period. The
      first is an acute presentation diagnosed by computed tomography with
      incarceration and necrosis of the stomach, the transverse colon and great
      omentum. The issue was immediate laparotomy for total gastrectomy, colectomy,
      terminal colostomy and omentectomy. The patient survived, and the colostomy was
      closed and continuity restored three months later. The second one is a chronic
      form diagnosed by gastroscopy and barium swallow radiography. The treatment was
      elective with closure of the hiatus, Nissen procedure and gastropexy. The
      pathophysiology, classification and treatment of those two kinds of volvulus are
      briefly reviewed.

PMID- 20306916
TI  - A dermoid cyst of the round ligament clinically misdiagnosed as incarcerated
      inguinal hernia.
AB  - We present a case of a dermoid cyst located in the round ligament in a patient
      with a preliminary diagnosis of inguinal hernia. The dermoid cyst was diagnosed
      based on MRI findings and confirmed histopathologically. Dermoid cyst (mature
      teratoma) is a congenital cystic tumour formed by the well-developed (mature)
      tissues of at least two of the three germinal layers. It is mainly encountered in
      the gonads. Location within the round ligament is quite rare. Due to the
      anatomical localization of the round ligament, dermoid cysts within it or other
      inguinal canal masses are usually misdiagnosed as inguinal hernia. However, when
      an inguinal canal mass is encountered, despite the higher hernia frequency, a
      proper suspicion and investigation with regard to masses in this area could be
      extremely important in preventing intraoperative surprises.

PMID- 20306917
TI  - Pseudo-tumoral hepatic tuberculosis: a report of two cases.
AB  - Tuberculosis involving the liver in the absence of active pulmonary or miliary
      tuberculosis is very rare. The inflammatory pseudo-tumoral form is an entity
      difficult to diagnose. We report two patients, who underwent laparoscopic
      segmentectomy for suspected malignant tumour. Pathology showed tuberculoid
      granuloma with central caseous necrosis in both patients. The diagnosis in the
      first patient was made retrospectively on the resection specimen, whereas an
      active pre-operative work-up for tuberculosis diagnosis (biopsy and Polymerase
      Chain Reaction) remained futile in the second patient. The management of pseudo
      tumoral hepatic tuberculosis needs a multidisciplinary concertation and a
      surgical approach is often the best way to ensure the diagnosis.

PMID- 20306918
TI  - Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour (IMT) of the liver: a report of two cases.
AB  - Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour (IMT) is an uncommon mass lesion composed of
      myofibroblasts and mixed inflammatory infiltrate that rarely undergoes malignant
      transformation. Although IMT was originally reported in the lung, it is now
      recognised that it can occur in a variety of organs. Hepatic localisation of IMT
      is less frequent. Here we report two cases of IMT in the liver. They underwent
      hepatic resections with the diagnosis of FNH and Klatskin tumour. The
      pathological diagnosis of the tumour was IMT. We conclude that in the management
      of IMT in the liver, surgical excision is the primary choice, in order to obtain
      a definitive diagnosis as well as to relieve symptoms, and strict follow-up after
      surgery is required for the timely detection of recurrence.

PMID- 20306919
TI  - Non-Meckel's ileal diverticulitis with perforation: a rare cause of acute right
      lower quadrant pain.
AB  - A man, aged 74, presented with a rare clinical entity of an acute surgical
      abdomen similar to acute appendicitis. This case showed a non-Meckel's ileal
      diverticulitis that was complicated with a diverticular perforation and
      associated peritonitis. This is a very rare but potential life-threatening
      surgical emergency, mimicking the clinical presentation of acute appendicitis.
      The subject of small bowel non-Meckel's diverticulitis is reviewed because of the
      rarity of this condition and the diagnostic challenges it poses.

PMID- 20306920
TI  - Multiple intestinal intussusceptions in Peutz-Jeghers' syndrome: a case report.
AB  - Peutz-Jeghers' syndrome (PJS) is an autosomal dominant inherited disease, which
      is characterized by mucocutaneus pigmentation and hamartomatous gastro-intestinal
      polyps. Intussusceptions can easily occur in patients with PJS. Repeated
      laparotomy with resections and eventual short bowel syndrome is a major problem
      in these patients. We present a 20-year-old woman with multiple intestinal
      intussusceptions. Multiple enterotomies and intestinal resections were performed
      to achieve a longer symptom-free period.

PMID- 20306921
TI  - Quintuple primitive malignant neoplasms. A case report.
AB  - The authors describe the case of a patient who developed during 31 months, five
      malignant tumours, three synchronous and two metachronous. The primitive origin
      and the long interval of time between the occurrence of each tumour, allow to set
      them in the group of Multiple Primitive Malignant Neoplasm. The authors,
      reviewing the classifications and the pathogenesis of these tumours, underline
      the importance of the follow-up in oncology patients and emphasize the role of
      nosographic setting in order to plan the most suitable therapeutic approach.

PMID- 20306922
TI  - Familial multiple lipomatosis: a case report.
AB  - Lipoma is the most common type of soft tissue tumour. Multiple lipomas localised
      in different areas of the body are rare and can occur in specific hereditary
      syndromes. Familial multiple lipomatosis is a rare benign hereditary syndrome
      with a proposed autosomal-dominant inheritance. We present the case of a 67-year
      old man with this disease. Clinical features, genetic evidence, and treatment
      options are reviewed.

PMID- 20306923
TI  - Rupture of the common iliac artery following anal sex.
AB  - We describe the case of a young man admitted with acute onset of pain and defense
      in the left iliac fossa a few hours after rectal introduction of a dildo. At
      laparotomy a retroperitoneal haematoma was found along with a dissection of the
      left common iliac artery. No rectal perforation was identified. Aorto-iliac
      prosthetic bypass was necessary for repair.

PMID- 20306924
TI  - Gastroduodenal artery pseudoaneurysm ruptured in the common bile duct.
AB  - A pseudoaneurysm of the gastroduodenal artery (GDA) is the rarest splanchnic
      artery aneurysm, comprising fewer than 10% of these lesions. Bleeding into the
      gastrointestinal tract is the most rapidly fatal complication of an arterial
      visceral pseudoaneurysm, affecting 4-10% of patients. We present an unusual case
      of a GDA pseudoaneurysm that ruptured in the common bile duct, and that was
      successfully treated by partial resection and hepatic artery reconstruction. The
      postoperative evolution was favourable and the CT performed six months later
      disclosed the absence of a vascular tumour.

PMID- 20306925
TI  - Contribution to FDG-PET/CT diagnostics and post-operative monitoring of patients
      with mycotic aneurysm of the thoracic aorta.
AB  - Bacterial infection of the aorta is a life threatening condition calling for
      timely diagnostics and therapy. In the short communication presented here, the
      authors offer a case report on a patient of 70 years of age with aneurysm of the
      descending aorta caused by salmonella. The advantages of a new diagnostic hybrid
      modality are demonstrated and also the possibility of using it in the course of
      long-term monitoring of patients.

PMID- 20306926
TI  - Resection of blind ending bifid ureter in a patient with grade V vesicoureteric
      reflux.
AB  - Blind-ending bifid ureter is an extremely rare congenital anomaly. The authors
      report on a 13-year-old boy who presented with a previous diagnosis of right
      duplicated ureter and who had undergone a bilateral ureteroneocystostomy for
      vesicoureteral reflux in another clinic. The revision showed right blind-ending
      bifid ureter. The embryology, clinic and treatment of this anomaly is discussed.

PMID- 20306927
TI  - Techniques for supra-aortic trunk preservation in thoracic endovascular aneurysm
      repair.
AB  - Stent graft placement for aneurysmal disease of the aortic arch and proximal
      descending aorta is limited by the need to preserve flow to the supra-aortic
      trunks. Whilst extra-anatomical bypass and procedures combining open and
      endovascular arch repair are currently used in this setting, less invasive
      totally endovascular solutions have been described. These include in-situ
      fenestration of a thoracic stent graft using a retrograde approach from the
      target vessel to the lumen of the main device, to which it is connected by a
      smaller covered stent. Alternatively, so-called 'chimney' stents have been used,
      placing a parallel stent alongside the main device, connecting the aortic branch
      vessel with the native aortic lumen proximal to the seal zone of the main
      thoracic device. We review these techniques and discuss the merits and potential
      disadvantages of each procedure.

PMID- 20306928
TI  - Donor face reconstruction in a case of facial allotransplantation: technical
      note.
AB  - Families of organ donors are much more reluctant to approve donation of the
      corneas, face, and hands than of internal organs. The idea to "sacrifice" the
      face of a dead loved one is shocking to many. Moreover, most national laws,
      including Belgian laws, demand respect for the corpse. When mourners view an open
      coffin, visible parts such as the hands and face should appear normal. Hence,
      careful donor face reconstruction is required in a case of facial
      allotransplantation. We present a technique for donor face reconstruction that is
      both expedient and cost-effective. Instead of laboratory-cured silicone or
      acrylic polymers with internal and external coloration, an A-silicone impression
      material with a 2-minute set time and external colouring is used.

PMID- 20306929
TI  - History of cardiac surgery in Belgium. Part III: Evolution from 1960 to the
      present day.

PMID- 20306930
TI  - Concerns: management of common bile duct stone late after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y
      gastric bypass for obesity. Acta Chir Belg 2009; 109: 820-823.

PMID- 20306931
TI  - Spiritual disciplines, modern brain research and Bosch's psychological model of
      human dysfunction.
AB  - First I discuss aims and methods of spiritual disciplines from all times and
      ages. Difficulties that people experience in maintaining spiritual disciplines
      are described. Modern brain research sheds light on the question as to why this
      is so. The new psychotherapy of the Dutch psychologist Bosch is presented, which
      takes into account new insights of modern brain research and which bears striking
      similarities with universal spiritual disciplines. Some similarities are
      presented and implications of the findings are discussed.

PMID- 20306932
TI  - Exploring the meaning and role of spirituality for women survivors of intimate
      partner abuse.
AB  - Literature on trauma, coping and spirituality has introduced new questions about
      protective factors in the healing process for intimate partner abuse survivors
      (IPA). This qualitative study explores the relationship between spirituality and
      IPA with three focus groups of twenty-two women IPA survivors residing in a
      shelter. A content analysis revealed central themes that explicate the meaning
      and role spirituality plays for participants. Viewed as a salient dimension,
      spirituality provides strength, influences outcomes and assists in the regulation
      of behavioral responses in a positive manner in terms of participants' traumatic
      IPA victimization. Practice implications are discussed.

PMID- 20306933
TI  - Does pastoral counseling work? A pilot study of delinquent boys.
AB  - This is a study of the relationship between pastoral counseling interventions and
      recidivism in a small sample of 16 delinquent adolescent males in residential
      treatment programs where such interventions were routinely available. One or more
      of three pastoral counseling protocols were utilized with the youths who were
      assessed as demonstrating one or more of the spiritual needs addressed by the
      protocols and who were open to the intervention. Analysis showed a significant
      Spearman correlation (r = .588; p = .008) between pastoral counseling and low
      recidivism (measured as re-arrests since discharge at the time of the follow-up
      contact) suggesting that the pastoral counseling may be a contributing factor to
      successful treatment.

PMID- 20306934
TI  - Insecure attachment in couples' relationships.
AB  - Couples who are emotionally estranged even though they live together cannot
      really commit to each other. Their relationship is usually interwoven with
      painful, mostly unconscious and unaddressed attachment issues. These couples are
      characterized by a constant fear of intimacy, the leaving/approaching dynamics
      which provoke further fear in one of the partners and is therefore unstopable.
      With the help of therapeutic interventions, we will search for the roots of their
      avoidant behavior and try to creatre a save, intimate place which we call a
      sacred place, where the healing process can begin.

PMID- 20306935
TI  - Liminality in death care: the grief -work of pastors.
AB  - Proximity with issues of death and dying is one of the troubling aspects of
      ministry for many clergy. This article articulates the role of the minister as a
      liminal figure, a person who serves a ritual function in times of grief and loss,
      and who enables the creation of meaning in the in-between space between death and
      life. This liminal role is compared with that of the funeral director, as
      elaborated by Thomas Lynch in his memoir, The Undertaking. This paper suggests
      that while the liminal position is a difficult one for the pastor, it also
      provides some of the deepest satisfactions of ministry.

PMID- 20306936
TI  - The practice of interpersonal forgiveness in the personal and professional lives
      of clergy.
AB  - This study examined the effects of a forgiveness education intervention on the
      psychological wellbeing of clergy and their ability to apply interpersonal
      forgiveness skills in their personal lives and in professional conflict
      situations depicted in hypothetical interpersonal conflict vignettes. A sample of
      32 clergy from eleven different denominations was randomly assigned to either an
      experimental or control group. Significant results were found between the groups
      in regards to the participants' willingness to forgive and the use of forgiveness
      strategies for resolving the interpersonal conflict situations.

PMID- 20306937
TI  - Hospital chaplains' involvement in a randomized controlled multidisciplinary
      trial: implications for spiritual care and research.
AB  - Chaplains' involvement in spirituality and health research can contribute
      something vital and unique to these investigations. It can also provide
      opportunity for professional growth and increased effectiveness. This article
      describes the authors' experience as co-investigators in a randomized controlled
      trial involving patients with a life expectancy of less than five years receiving
      radiation therapy for advanced cancer. It also discusses the application to
      clinical settings and other research.

PMID- 20306938
TI  - Pastoral formation process for seminarians a new model for developing
      psychologically healthy pastors.
AB  - The Pastoral Formation Program is based on systems theory. It examines the
      connections between family of origin history and a healthy career in ministry.
      Through exploration of a seminarian's spiritual, emotional, and psychological
      health, participants gain insight into personal family history and how it can
      lead to repetition. Program goals are to develop clergy with a clear
      understanding of their history, its impact on their professional life, and skills
      that will help them in ministry.

PMID- 20306939
TI  - Educating CPE supervisors: a grounded theory study.
AB  - This qualitative study was designed to cull the wisdom of CPE supervisors doing
      especially competent supervisory education and to develop a theory of CPE
      supervisory education. Grounded theory methodology included interviewing 11
      supervisors and coding the data to identify themes. Four primary dimensions
      emerged along with a reciprocal core dimension, Supervisory Wisdom, which refers
      to work the supervisors do in terms of their continuing growth and development.

PMID- 20306940
TI  - The therapeutic covenant: a psychotheological pathway to dynamic engagement.
AB  - Covenant language resides at the heart of all great spiritual journeys. The
      covenant is rigid and flexible, secure and dangerous, constant and ever changing.
      On the surface a covenant can be understood as an agreement between the client
      and the therapist. Beneath the surface lies the dynamic nature of the covenant, a
      nature based on the emotional quality a client brings, couple with the therapist
      capacity to support emotional integrity in the process of covenant development.
      In its simplicity the covenant becomes the guiding force that leads the client
      and therapist into the complex world of the unconscious. This article seeks to
      access the theological and psychological ramifications of integrating covenant
      theory into the psychotherapeutic process. Herein we encounter a dynamic that
      animates change in the client while at the same time making significant demands
      upon the therapist.

PMID- 20306941
TI  - Jesus and people with disabilities: old stories, new approaches.
AB  - According to some authors, the healing narratives in the New Testament have
      fuelled destructive attitudes toward disability among Christians. The purpose of
      this paper is to explore a subset of Jesus' miracle healings for more
      constructive messages, and for guidance about pastoral care for people with
      disabilities. Of twenty-nine miracle accounts found in the four gospels, five
      were selected for this study that deal with physical disability in individual
      persons. Using the socio-rhetorical interpretive method, the stories are mined
      for themes regarding spiritual aspects of healing, identity, faith, sin and
      touch.

PMID- 20306942
TI  - Defining and overcoming barriers between Euro-American chaplains and African
      American families.
AB  - This article describes various communication barriers between Euro-American
      chaplains and African American families which prevent effective spiritual care.
      These barriers include covert and deeply internalized racism, belief in false
      ideologies, persistent stereotyping, and being unaware of white privilege.
      Proposes potential solutions of acknowledging ones own race; becoming sensitive
      to the history and continuing oppression of Euro-Americans toward African
      Americans; building multicultural competence through education; and building
      equal-status relationships with African American individuals.

PMID- 20306943
TI  - The metaphor of experience and the experience of metaphor: critical reflection on
      a contemplative process toward aliveness and compassion.
AB  - An epistemological web invites critical reflection and the possibility of new
      ideas emerging in the space between experience and different ways of thinking. A
      web offers a postmodern method of a hermeneutic of experience and a way of
      knowing that creates space for a robust, flexible, dynamic process of critical
      reflection and discovery. The following article utilizes an inter-textual
      epistemological web (see Figure 1, p. 4) to answer the question, "Do metaphors of
      experience and experiences of metaphor during contemplative healing prayer with a
      spiritual director nurture a transformational process toward aliveness and
      compassion?" How can one discover and communicate this reality in dialog with
      Hebrew scripture, psychoanalytic theory, affective neuroscience and ways of
      thinking about contemplative transformation?

PMID- 20306944
TI  - The dresser.

PMID- 20306945
TI  - The Twenty-Third Psalm revisited.

PMID- 20306946
TI  - Reflections on grief.

PMID- 20306947
TI  - Trial run.

PMID- 20306948
TI  - Finding God admidst the Greensburg tornadoscape: resurrection and restoration.

PMID- 20306949
TI  - Trees and education.

PMID- 20306950
TI  - "If I die tomorrow, chaplain, you know everything...".

PMID- 20306951
TI  - Tones and tunes as a spiritual practice.

PMID- 20306952
TI  - Parable of six students in a supervised pastoral education unit.

PMID- 20306953
TI  - Turn around.

PMID- 20306954
TI  - On turning 80.

PMID- 20306955
TI  - "Colonel".

PMID- 20306956
TI  - One century of Kirschner wires and Kirschner wire insertion techniques: a
      historical review.
AB  - A century ago, in 1909, Martin Kirschner (1879-1942) introduced a smooth pin,
      presently known as the Kirschner wire (K-wire). The K-wire was initially used for
      skeletal traction and is now currently used for many different goals. The
      development of the K-wire and its insertion devices were mainly influenced by the
      change in operative goals and by the introduction of antibiotics. The first
      versions of the Kirschner wire were hammered through a predrilled hole into the
      bone, but later on drilling became the standard technique of insertion. Drilling
      is considered a simple way of implanting, with many advantages, such as
      percutaneous and atraumatic insertion. However, this technique also has its
      disadvantages like temperature elevation, resulting in osteonecrosis and heat
      related complications. Despite these complications the K-wire is now standard for
      the treatment of hand fractures, worldwide.

PMID- 20306957
TI  - Paediatric hip fractures: a systematic review of incidence, treatment options and
      complications.
AB  - Hip fractures in children are rare; when not properly treated, they can be
      disastrous for the growing child. We present the incidence, causes, treatment
      options and possible complications. A good understanding of classification and
      treatment options is of great importance to minimize complications. A clear
      evidence-based algorithm, however, cannot be proposed. Further multi-centre
      studies should be performed to come to such a consensus on the treatment of
      pediatric hip fractures.

PMID- 20306958
TI  - Management of full thickness rotator cuff tears. A survey amongst members of the
      Flemish Elbow and Shoulder Surgeons Society (FLESSS).
AB  - The purpose of this study was to determine the attitude of the members of the
      Flemish Elbow and Shoulder Surgeons Society (FLESSS) towards full-thickness tears
      of the rotator cuff and their treatment in their daily practice. A survey form
      was sent to 123 shoulder surgeons between January and March 2008. Seventy-three
      responses were returned, a 60% response rate. For 40% of the respondents, arthro
      CT was the gold standard diagnostic method for assessment, 36% preferred arthro
      MRI. Arthroscopic, mini-open and open cuff repair were preferred by 64%, 19% and
      16% of the responders respectively. Fewer years in practice, a higher volume of
      shoulder operations and a higher volume of rotator cuff repairs were
      significantly correlated with a higher percentage of arthroscopic repairs (p > or
      = 0.001). With respect to the type of fixation, 91% preferred screw-type anchors,
      and of these 81% were metal anchors. Our results show that all-arthroscopic
      techniques are becoming the gold standard for the repair of full-thickness tears
      of the rotator cuff in Flanders.

PMID- 20306959
TI  - Treatment of chronic wounds at the olecranon.
AB  - Surgical resection of the olecranon bursa may be complicated by wound healing
      problems. Treatment with debridement and primary skin closure can be attempted.
      We reviewed eight patients in whom this approach had failed. In four patients we
      achieved wound healing with a pedicled flap (three antecubital fasciocutaneous
      island flaps and one radial forearm flap). In three patients the wound healed
      after closure of the skin and immobilization of the elbow in extension. In one
      elderly patient with diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis an antecubital
      fasciocutaneous island flap failed. It can be concluded that the antecubital
      fasciocutaneous island flap and primary closure of the skin followed by
      immobilization of the elbow in extension can be used to treat chronic wounds at
      the olecranon.

PMID- 20306960
TI  - Mechanism of loosening of the Souter-Strathclyde total elbow replacement evidence
      from revision surgery.
AB  - Nine Souter-Strathclyde humeral and ulnar components retrieved from revision
      surgery for aseptic loosening were examined macro- and microscopically. The wear
      patterns were compared and photographed. Humeral components demonstrated no
      evidence of wear. All ulnar components exhibited similar wear patterns. Six of
      the nine exhibited macroscopic evidence taking the form of deep linear grooves on
      either the medial or lateral articulating surfaces. Microscopic examinations
      revealed wear on all nine, exhibited as disruption of the polyethylene machining
      lines on the articular surfaces, but almost complete preservation on the central
      gliding ridge. We believe our observations are explained by 'rocking' of the
      humeral component on the ulnar as a result of the congruent surfaces of the
      Souter-Strathclyde prosthesis, which resist rotational and translational
      movements, characteristic of the normal elbow.

PMID- 20306961
TI  - Is there a need for reconstruction after excision of the distal ulna for giant
      cell tumour?
AB  - Giant cell tumour rarely involves the distal ulna; the literature has sporadic
      cases reported, and the need for reconstruction after distal ulnar resection
      remains controversial. The uncommon presentation often leads to diagnostic
      delays, and some of the cases reported have attained large sizes prior to
      diagnosis, leading' to procedures which range from soft tissue stabilization to
      bone graft reconstruction of the surgical defect. We analyzed our cases with
      specific reference to the need for additional reconstruction; the radiological
      and functional outcome of extraperiosteal distal ulna resection without
      reconstruction in 4 patients with giant cell tumour of the distal ulna was
      assessed at a mean follow-up of 9 years post surgical excision. In our experience
      there was no radiological evidence of recurrence, radioulnar convergence and
      ulnar translocation of the carpus. Functional outcome was graded as excellent in
      3 and good in one patient. In conclusion, it could be suggested that there is no
      need for reconstruction after distal ulna resection for GCT as an adequate
      functional outcome is seen even in late diagnosed cases. Reconstructive
      procedures, which come at the cost of additional morbidity and complications, and
      requires special technical skills, are not routinely justified for this rare
      condition.

PMID- 20306962
TI  - Negative ulnar variance has prognostic value in progression of Kienbock's
      disease.
AB  - The radiographic files of 70 patients with Kienbock's disease were analyzed.
      Ulnar variance, carpal height and Kienbick stage were determined. A significant
      difference in ulnar variance was seen between early and late stages of the
      disease. In later stages there is a marked negative ulnar variance, not caused by
      bone apposition on the radius. We hypothesize that negative ulnar variance
      encourages further progression of the collapse of the lunate, while neutral or
      positive ulnar variance seems to protect the lunate against deformation.

PMID- 20306963
TI  - Retroversion of the contralateral adult acetabulum after previous Perthes'
      disease.
AB  - Retroversion of the adult acetabulum following a previous Legg-Calve-Perthes
      disease (LCPD) is found in 30-40% of the patients. It is known that in LCPD there
      may also be morphologic changes in the nonaffected controlateral acetabulum. We
      investigated the prevalence of retroversion of the contralateral acetabulum in a
      group of adult patients with a history of LCPD. We found this morphology in 11
      out of 36 patients (31%). The aetiology and its relation to Perthes' disease are
      discussed.

PMID- 20306964
TI  - Reliability and reproducibility of classification systems for Legg-Calve-Perthes
      disease: a systematic review of the literature.
AB  - Several classification systems are in use for Legg-Calve-Perthes disease. Three
      of them: Catterall, Salter Thompson and Herring (Lateral Pillar) are most
      commonly used. There has been debate on which is most reliable. The purpose of
      this paper was to systematically analyse the literature when the classifications
      were compared. The Ovid (Medline) Database was used and the MeSH terms Perthes
      Classification and Reliability were inserted. Eleven studies were retrieved but
      only five were suitable for analysis as they attempted to compare the
      classifications. Most studies used kappa agreements as the principal outcome
      measure, although intraclass coefficients and percentage agreements were also
      used. Only four studies assessed for both intraobserver reproducibility and
      interobserver reliability. A further study from the references appendages was
      found to be suitable, and was included in the analysis. Kappa ranged from poor to
      fair (Salter Thompson), fair to moderate (Catterall) and moderate to good
      (Herring). The outcome from Legg-Calve-Perthes disease is extremely variable.
      Inconsistent interpretation of the plain films may explain this, although it is
      likely this is multifactorial. The papers in this study show that on balance, the
      Lateral Pillar classification was most reliable, probably secondary to ease of
      use. A persistent theme was that the subchondral fracture line in the Salter
      Thompson system was difficult to interpret and not always present. It also showed
      that whilst reliability and reproducibility tended to improve with experience,
      disagreement was not always restricted to more junior personnel. Each
      classification has its merits but reliability and reproducibility remains
      unsatisfactory. Digital technology in the future may help delineate the lesions
      better and improve agreement.

PMID- 20306965
TI  - Clinical and radiological results of the stemmed Mc Minn cup in hip revision
      surgery.
AB  - Results with the stemmed McMinn acetabular cup in revision total hip arthroplasty
      with acetabular defects have been scarcely reported. We report our experience and
      radiological outcome with the stemmed cup in three Dutch orthopaedic departments.
      Twenty four patients with a median age of 69 years were operated between 1999 and
      2005. Immediate postoperative radiographs were evaluated and compared with those
      at follow-up. The center of rotation was restored in 75% of the hips. Adequate
      alignment was seen in 71%. The mechanical failure rate was 38%. The cup was
      removed because of sepsis in three patients. Two patients had a dislocation (1
      chronic). After 5 years, definite radiological loosening of the prosthesis was
      noted in 4 patients.

PMID- 20306966
TI  - Ilizarov treatment for aseptic delayed union or non-union after reamed
      intramedullary nailing of the femur.
AB  - The authors reviewed eight patients treated with an Ilizarov frame for a non
      infected delayed union or non-union after reamed intramedullary nailing of the
      femoral diaphysis. The hardware was completely removed in all cases but two, in
      which the distal fragment of a broken nail was left in situ. In five cases
      without shortening, progressive compression was applied. In the other three
      patients a simultaneous lengthening was performed using an additional
      percutaneous osteotomy. All patients achieved a good consolidation, with an
      average time to healing of 32 weeks and restoration of length and alignment if
      necessary. Bone grafting was never required, illustrating the sufficient
      biological potential for repair in non-infected femoral non-union.

PMID- 20306967
TI  - Femoral component rotation and Laurin angle after total knee arthroplasty.
AB  - One of the main problems after total knee arthroplasty is pain in the
      patellofemoral joint, which in some cases leads to revision surgery. Rotation of
      the femoral component has a significant influence on the path followed by the
      patella within the patellofemoral joint. We examined the influence of rotation of
      the femoral component after total knee arthroplasty on patellar tilt. We
      retrospectively analysed the radiographs of 48 patients who underwent primary LCS
      total knee arthroplasty without patella resurfacing and without lateral release.
      Rotation of the femoral component was determined using Kanekasu's technique and
      patellar tilt assessment according to Laurin on Merchant's views. This
      radiographic study confirmed a highly significant correlation between external
      rotation of the femoral component and a decrease in patellar tilt following TKA.
      Furthermore, we found a highly significant correlation between pre- and
      postoperative patellar tilt angle.

PMID- 20306968
TI  - A comparison of post-op haemoglobin levels and allogeneic blood transfusion rates
      following total knee arthroplasty without drainage or with reinfusion drains.
AB  - The effects of re-infusion drains on the rate of allogeneic blood transfusion and
      post-op haemoglobin levels in Total Knee Arthroplasty were examined. A group of
      22 patients undergoing primary Total Knee Arthroplasty using a CBCII Constavac
      Stryker re-infusion drainage system were compared with a group of 30 patients,
      matched for age, sex and type of prosthesis but without any drain usage. The re
      infusion drain.group had a significantly lower day 1 and day 3 post-operative
      haemoglobin compared to the non-drainage group. The re-infusion drain group had a
      higher allogenic transfusion rate compared to the non-drainage group. There were
      no significant differences between the two groups regarding the rate of wound and
      transfusion related complications and mean length of post-operative stay. We
      found that reinfusion drains were ineffective in reducing allogeneic transfusion
      requirements as compared with non-drainage in total knee arthroplasty.

PMID- 20306969
TI  - Arthroscopy of the knee in elderly patients: cartilage lesions and their
      influence on short term outcome. A retrospective follow-up of 183 patients.
AB  - We reviewed all patients of 65 years and older (n=183), who underwent a knee
      arthroscopy between 2004 and 2005. The purpose of our study was to determine the
      frequency and severity of cartilage lesions and their influence on short-term
      clinical outcome. Signs of osteoarthritis (OA) were absent or minor on pre
      operative plain radiographs in 30.5% of patients, but only 5.3% of patients were
      found during arthroscopy to have no obvious cartilage lesions. WOMAC and KOOS
      scores did not clearly correlate with severity of cartilage damage, but some
      WOMAC and KOOS subscales scored significantly lower when cartilage lesions were
      located on the lateral side. Forty-one patients eventually underwent TKA after a
      mean period of 14 months. In conclusion, cartilage lesions were visualized in
      almost every case even when pre-operative radiographs suggested differently. The
      higher the Kellgren-Lawrence grade of cartilage lesions on preoperative
      radiographs, the higher the risk for a TKA in the short term. Forty-seven percent
      of patients with Kellgren-Lawrence grade 4 lesions needed a TKA during the time
      period of the study.

PMID- 20306970
TI  - Incidence and aetiology of talipes equino-varus with recent population changes.
AB  - This study looks at the changing incidence and aetiology of congenital talipes
      equinovarus due to the recent population changes within the area. Between 1st
      June 1992 and the 31st May 2006, 83 consecutive children (121 feet) born with
      fixed talipes equinovarus (TEV) were assessed and treated (an incidence of 1.6
      per 1000 live births) in an observational longitudinal cohort study assessing
      associated factors. There were 17 syndromal cases in the fixed group (20.8%), 6
      cases of non-syndromal distal arthrogryposis (7.2%), and a strong family history
      in 12 cases (14.5%). This study would suggest that genetic and primary causes of
      fixed TEV are more common than previously considered. Many of the primary
      aetiologies were diagnosed months or years after birth.

PMID- 20306971
TI  - Acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder following traumatic
      amputation.
AB  - Traumatic amputations are important causes of acute stress disorder and post
      traumatic stress disorder. In this study, we aimed to find out the occurrence
      rate of symptoms of acute and post-traumatic stress disorder after traumatic
      amputations and according to this, to assess the psychiatric status of the
      patients in the postoperative period. Twenty-two patients with traumatic limb
      amputation who were treated in our institution were retrospectively evaluated.
      During the early post-traumatic period, the patients were observed to determine
      whether they needed any psychiatric supportive treatment. During the follow-up
      period, after the sixth month from the trauma, the patients were referred to the
      psychiatry department and they were evaluated to determine whether they needed
      any psychiatric supportive treatment, by clinical psychiatric examination and use
      of the 'post-traumatic stress disorder scale' (Clinician Administered Post
      traumatic Scale, or CAPS). Twenty-one (95.5%) of 22 patients were male, one
      (4.5%) female. Mean age of the patients was 40.8 years (range: 15 to 69). During
      the early posttraumatic period, 8 (36.3%) of these patients consulted the
      psychiatry clinic following the orthopaedists' observations. Five (22.7%) of
      these patients needed psychiatric supportive treatment for acute stress disorder.
      After the 6th month (6 months to 5 years), 17 (77.2%) had chronic and delayed
      post-traumatic stress disorder and needed psychiatric supportive treatment.
      Patients who have sustained a traumatic amputation may need psychiatric
      supportive treatment in the late period after the trauma. As we orthopaedic
      surgeons treat these patients surgically, we should be aware of their psychiatric
      status.

PMID- 20306972
TI  - Anterior-only instrumentation and grafting after L5 corpectomy for non-traumatic
      lesions.
AB  - Anterior decompression and reconstruction have been used for the treatment of
      various conditions at the lumbosacral junction, particularly those necessitating
      corpectomy because of destruction due to primary or secondary bone tumour or
      infection. The authors conducted a prospective study on 15 consecutive patients
      who underwent L5 (L4-L5 in 3 cases) corpectomy for tumour or infection, between
      2000 and 2005: 6 for tumour, 7 for tuberculous spondylitis, and 2 for pyogenic
      spondylitis. Corpectomy, bonegrafting (tricortical iliac bone graft or titanium
      mesh-bone graft) and anterior-only instrumentation (screw-plate or screw-rod)
      were performed via a retroperitoneal approach. One month of bed rest yielded
      additional stability. The patients were followed up for an average of 39.7 months
      (range: 7-73 months). Pain relief and neurological recovery were excellent. Solid
      fusion was obtained in all patients. There were no cases of plate or screw
      failure. Three patients with metastases died after 7, 17, and 13 months, in spite
      of successful fusion. No recurrence was noted in all 9 patients with spinal
      infection. The results observed indicate that grafting and anterior-only
      instrumentation and grafting is an effective and safe procedure for
      reconstruction of the lumbosacral junction following L5 (or even L4-L5)
      corpectomy; it may obviate the need for additional posterior stabilization in
      selected patients.

PMID- 20306973
TI  - Non-tuberculous thoracic and lumbar spondylodiscitis: single-stage anterior
      debridement and reconstruction, combined with posterior instrumentation and
      grafting.
AB  - Debridement is warranted for the treatment of nontuberculous spondylodiscitis in
      case of neurological compromise, deformity, instability, abscess formation,
      extensive destruction, intractable pain or failure of medical management. The
      additional use of instrumentation is still controversial, but might fight
      infection and yield stability. The purpose of this retrospective study was to
      evaluate the outcome of 16 cases of non-tuberculous thoracic or lumbar
      spondylodiscitis treated with anterior debridement and reconstruction
      (tricortical graft or titanium mesh cage), combined with single-stage posterior
      instrumentation and grafting. The pathogens identified were: Brucella (5),
      coagulase-negative Staphylococcus aureus (4), Staphylococcus aureus (3),
      unidentified (4). All 16 infections resolved without recurrence. Bony union was
      obtained in all cases. Fourteen out of 16 patients (87.5%) were completely
      relieved of pain and fully active, an excellent result according to Macnab's
      criteria; the other two patients obtained a good result. All 7 patients who had a
      neurological deficit improved. There were two superficial infections, which
      healed with debridement and antibiotics. A single iliac vein injury was primarily
      repaired. In conclusion, the proposed technique is an effective and safe
      treatment for pyogenic spondylodiscitis, if surgery is mandatory.

PMID- 20306974
TI  - Application guidelines for dynamic knee joint analysis with a dual fluoroscopic
      imaging system.
AB  - The widespread availability of mobile digital fluoroscopic systems with dynamic
      imaging capabilities places this type of motion analysis within reach of many
      research groups. With the addition of the second fluoroscope though, and the
      incorporation of a treadmill to analyze gait, the fluoroscopic analysis
      technique, which was once a rather straightforward method, has become more
      complex. Therefore, the purpose of the present manuscript was to provide a
      comprehensive review of the various processes that are associated with the
      dynamic knee joint motion analysis, including patient selection, construction of
      three-dimensional knee models, fluoroscopic scanning, and matching.

PMID- 20306975
TI  - Premature epiphyseal fusions in beta thalassaemia.
AB  - Thalassemia patients are now living longer due to better transfusion methods and
      diagnostic awareness. To see whether this longevity is associated with
      orthopaedic disability, especially physeal growth defects, we examined 105
      patients aged between 5-25 years for evidence of clinically detectable premature
      epiphyseal fusions (PEF). Ours is a center focussed on transfusion dependent beta
      thalassemia (TDBT) patient management, and so detailed transfusion records
      related to age at first transfusion, regularity of transfusions and pre
      transfusional haemoglobin (Hb) levels were available. Five (4.7%) patients had
      deformities or limb length discrepancies, which lead to the detection of PEF. All
      patients with PEF had pre transfusion haemoglobin levels of less than 8 gm/dL. On
      comparing with the literature, we found that the prevalence of clinically
      detectable PEF in TDBT patients has decreased with better blood transfusion
      regimes. Though the pathogenesis of PEF is yet to be conclusively established, it
      is apparent that better control of the disease to maintain pre-transfusional
      haemoglobin levels consistently above 8 gm/dL in the first decade, can decrease
      the occurrence of PEF.

PMID- 20306976
TI  - A modified Weaver-Dunn procedure without need for internal fixation.
AB  - The shoulder as the most mobile joint in the body has a complex anatomy providing
      it with an increased range of motion, at the expense of its stability. The
      complex of ligaments and tendons around the acromioclavicular joint (ACJ) is
      prone to injury especially during sporting activity or following falls onto the
      apex of the shoulder. The original classification of ACJ dislocations having been
      modified by Rockwood suggests that types III to VI injuries may benefit from
      surgical intervention. Many procedures have been described to correct the
      deformity in the ACJ and to reestablish its ligamentous support. We describe a
      modification to the Weaver-Dunn procedure, which aims to establish a stable
      reduction with bone-to-bone healing, provided by bone plug fixation with Ethibond
      suture.

PMID- 20306977
TI  - Ilizarov treatment for extreme bilateral genu recurvatum in a
      pseudoachondroplasia patient: a case report.
AB  - The history of a 17-year-old female patient with pseudoachondroplasia, with an
      extreme bilateral genu recurvatum due to tibial growth disturbance, is presented.
      She was treated by the Ilizarov method over a nine- month period for consecutive
      bilateral correction of the lower legs, leading to an excellent functional
      result. The authors advocate the Ilizarov method as the treatment of choice for
      severe juxtaarticular osseous deformities, where the technical limits of a
      standard osteotomy with internal fixation are being exceeded.

PMID- 20306978
TI  - Living history in current orthopaedic hip surgery: intrapelvic teflon granuloma
      after total hip replacement.
AB  - The teflon hip arthroplasty design was used by Sir John Charnley in the early
      60's but was taken off the market due to high complication rates. A case is
      reported of an intrapelvic granuloma after total hip arthroplasty following the
      use of a teflon socket. This appears to be the last surviving patient treated by
      Sir John Charnley using a Teflon hip socket design.

PMID- 20306979
TI  - Patient positioning for microdiscectomy nearly fatal because of iatrogenic
      obstruction to inferior cardiac inflow caused by hepatic hernia.
AB  - A routine microdiscectomy was complicated by an inferior cardiac inflow
      obstruction caused by compression of the inferior vena cava. This was due to
      further upward migration of an existing hepatic hernia through a right-sided
      diaphragmatic defect. Understanding the pathogenesis of this problem allowed the
      surgical team to adjust the positioning of the patient. After installing the
      patient on a different frame, the prone position was well tolerated and the
      microdiscectomy could be performed without the need to repair the diaphragmatic
      hernia.

PMID- 20306980
TI  - Post-traumatic calcific myonecrosis of flexor hallucis longus. A case report and
      literature review.
AB  - Calcific myonecrosis is a rare, late complication of compartment syndrome in the
      lower extremity. In this condition an entire single muscle of the leg is replaced
      by a fusiform mass with central liquefaction and peripheral calcification.
      Calcific myonecrosis presents a diagnostic dilemma to the clinician; it has to be
      considered in the differential diagnosis of a calcifying soft tissue tumour in
      the lower extremity. The purpose of this report is to highlight the importance of
      recognition of the lesion and its key clinico-pathological presenting features
      leading to appropriate management. We describe the unique presentation, diagnosis
      and surgical management of calcific myonecrosis involving only the flexor
      hallucis longus muscle of the leg in a middle-age adult. We found MRI Scan as the
      most useful method of investigation. Diagnosis can be confirmed by yellow-brown
      paste like material within the lesion intra-operatively or by aspiration and
      further by histology. We recommend complete excision of the lesion and closure of
      the wound with compression dressing, to avoid secondary infection.

PMID- 20306981
TI  - Cryptococcal lymphadenitis diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology: a review
      of 15 cases.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To review the cases of cryptococcal infection presenting primarily
      with lymphadenopathy and diagnosed on fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and
      to evaluate the various cellular reactions in this infection. STUDY DESIGN:
      Retrospective review of 15 cases of cryptococcal lymphadenitis diagnosed on FNAC
      between 1999 and 2007. RESULTS: A total of 15 cases of cryptococcal lymphadenitis
      were diagnosed, out of which 10 occurred in a setting of immunosuppression, and
      in 5 cases there was no obvious immunocompromised clinical setting. Eight
      patients had human immunodeficiency virus infection, and 2 were post-renal
      transplant. These patients presented with lymphadenopathy at various sites, with
      size ranging from 0.5 to 3 cm. The aspirate in most of the cases was fluid
      material. Detailed cytologic examination of the smears revealed a predominantly
      chronic inflammatory infiltrate and showed the presence of numerous organisms of
      varying size present both intracellularly as well as extracellularly. The 2
      patients with renal transplant had a low load of organisms. Three cases showed
      well-formed granulomas, and a giant cell reaction was seen in 9 cases. The
      periodic acid-Schiff/Alcian blue stain was applied in all cases and confirmed the
      mucopolysaccharide capsule. One case represented dual infection with
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Cryptococcus. Unlike other fungal infections, the
      granulomatous reaction and associated inflammatory response in cryptococcal
      infection is very slight or absent. CONCLUSION: FNAC can expedite an accurate
      diagnosis of cryptococcal lymphadenitis, which helps in the prompt initiation of
      treatment. The cellular response and the organism load are variable.

PMID- 20306982
TI  - Correlation of positron emission tomography with fine needle aspiration biopsies
      in head and neck malignancy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether a correlation between fine needle aspiration
      cytology and positron emission tomography (PET) exists in the preoperative
      screening, staging and diagnosis of head and neck cancer. STUDY DESIGN: We
      retrospectively correlated fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) and PET scan in
      patients with head and neck lesions. RESULTS: There were 92 FNABs with
      corresponding PET scan in 83 patients. Mean standard uptake value (SUV) for
      benign lymph nodes was 5.05 (SD, 5.79), and 13.56 (SD, 6.38) and 16.99 (SD,
      19.04) for squamous carcinoma and other malignancies, respectively. Ideal SUV
      cutoff value was determined to be 6.0. Of 66 malignant FNABs, 52 had an SUV > or
      = 6, 8 had an SUV < 6, and 6 were interpreted as "hypermetabolic." Of 26 benign
      FNAB (SUV was available for 17), 8 were interpreted as "hypermetabolic" and 1 as
      "not hypermetabolic." Of those with SUVs reported, 15 were < 6 while 2 were > or
      = 6. CONCLUSION: Lesions with SUV 6 are more likely to harbor malignancy, while
      lesions with repeatedly negative FNAB in the context of SUV > 6 should be
      considered for open biopsy. Further, lesions with SUV < 6 may harbor malignancy
      and therefore fine needle aspiration biopsy is also recommended.

PMID- 20306983
TI  - Bone marrow aspiration findings in kala-azar.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the bone marrow aspiration cytologic findings in visceral
      leishmaniasis. STUDY DESIGN: Bone marrow aspiration of 204 documented cases of
      kala-azar were reviewed in order to find aspiration clues other than typical
      intrahistiocytic and free Leishman-Donovan bodies. Aspiration findings were
      divided into different groups of common, uncommon as well as atypical/unusual
      findings. RESULTS: Common findings were granulomas, intrahistiocytic and free
      typical organisms, plasma cells with or without inclusions, eosinophilia, free
      floating cytoplasmic bodies with or without Leishman bodies, granular bodies and
      erythroid hyperplasia. Uncommon findings were: intracellular (non-histiocytic)
      organisms, hemophagocytosis, plasma cells with abnormal crystalline inclusions,
      leukemic blasts and necrosis. Atypical/unusual findings were: spore-like
      organisms, regular or irregular shape of aggregates of organisms (flower-like,
      ball-like, rosette-like, doughnut-like and platelet-like), intracytoplasmic
      granule-like organisms (kinetoplast only), pseudo-Pelger Huet, increased vessels,
      fibroblasts, Reed-Sternberg-like cells, multinucleated giant cells, tart cells
      and foamy cells. CONCLUSION: Knowledge of common, uncommon and unusual/atypical
      bone marrow aspiration findings of kala-azar may help arrive at a correct
      diagnosis; avoid unnecessary workups, such as sophisticated molecular techniques;
      and avoid fatal outcomes in untreated or non-diagnosed cases.

PMID- 20306984
TI  - Expression of estrogen receptor alpha and estrogen receptor beta in fine needle
      aspirates of breast carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the expression of estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) in fine
      needle aspirates (FNAs) and correlate the findings with its expression in tissue
      sections. STUDY DESIGN: In 38 cases of breast carcinoma, expression of estrogen
      receptor alpha (ERalpha) and ERbeta in aspirates and tissue sections was
      correlated with the cytologic and histologic grade of the tumor. RESULTS: ERalpha
      and ERbeta were expressed as nuclear staining in 80% and 90% of the cases in
      tissue sections and 47% and 45% of the cases in aspirates, respectively. Tissue
      expression of ERalpha (grade 1, 81%; grade 2, 100%) and ERbeta (grade 1, 94%;
      grade 2, 100%) was greater than in grade 3 tumors (ERalpha, 50%; ERbeta, 70%). In
      FNAs they were equally distributed in the different cytologic grades. In
      aspirates 30% of ERalpha negative tumors were positive for ERbeta, while in
      tissues 75% of ERalpha-negative tumors were positive for ERbeta (p = 0.007).
      CONCLUSION: Demonstration of ERbeta on FNA smears is feasible. It helps identify
      the specific subcohort of ERbeta-positive tumors in ERalpha-negative breast
      cancers; that may have therapeutic importance.

PMID- 20306985
TI  - Detecting p53 immunoexpression in esophageal mucosa with exfoliative cytology in
      individuals at risk for squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of p53 expression in cytologic smear
      collected by the RS Balloon in high-risk individuals, and test its yield in the
      cytologic screening of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus (SCCE). STUDY
      DESIGN: Asymptomatic individuals at risk for SCCE underwent esophageal
      exfoliative cytology with the RS Balloon immediately followed by upper
      gastrointestinal endoscopy with biopsies of unstained areas after iodine mucosal
      staining of the esophagus. For each patient, cytologic expression of p53 was
      compared with the worst endoscopic biopsy diagnosis and the histologic expression
      of p53. RESULTS: One hundred seventy-one individuals were submitted to the
      study's protocol. There were 8 lost cases (4.7%) due to inadequate cytologic
      samples. The final sample consisted of 163 individuals where 150 were male (92%),
      mean age of 52.6 +/- 12.0 years old. There were 3 cases of dysplasia/SCCE.
      Immunohistochemical expression of p53 protein was positive in 38 patients
      (23.6%), with basal layer expression in 29 (76.3%), middle layer expression in 8
      (21.1%) and superficial layer in 1 (2.6%). All patients with dysplasia/SCCE had
      positive immunohistochemical expression of p53 protein. Immunocytochemical
      expression of p53 protein in cytologic smear was negative in all cytology
      samples. CONCLUSION: The negative results of immunocytochemical expression of p53
      protein suggest that its use does not contribute to improving the performance of
      conventional cytology of the esophagus in the screening for SCCE and its
      precursor lesions.

PMID- 20306986
TI  - Apoptosis and cell proliferation correlated with tumor grade in patients with
      ampullary carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate apoptosis and cell proliferation on cytologic specimens
      (smears) from endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in patients with
      ampulary carcinoma and to correlate that relationship with the grade of the
      tumors. STUDY DESIGN: Forty patients (23 males and 17 females) aged 45-81 who
      underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography were diagnosed by
      cytology as having ampullary adenocarcinoma and the diagnoses were confirmed
      histologically after an operation. All smears were stained using Papanicolaou and
      Giemsa stain. Apoptosis was assessed using terminal digoxigenin-labeled dUTP nick
      end labeling (TUNEL assay) and cell proliferation using MIB-1 monoclonal antibody
      by the alkaline phosphatase method. RESULTS: The TUNEL indices were 0.4 +/- 0.07,
      0.91 +/- 0.33 and 3.1 +/- 0.9 in well, moderate and poorly differentiated
      ampullary carcinoma, respectively. The differences in both TUNEL and MIB-1
      labeling indices were statistically significant between well, moderately and
      poorly differentiated ampullary carcinoma, and a positive correlation was found
      between TUNEL and the MIB-1 indices. CONCLUSION: Apoptosis (cell death) and cell
      proliferation increase as the grade of the differentiation decreases in ampullary
      carcinoma, suggesting a rapid turnover of the tumor cells with lower grates of
      differentiation, and apoptosis may play an important role in the growth of the
      tumors in patients with ampullary carcinomas.

PMID- 20306987
TI  - Trends in inflammatory status of the vaginal flora as established in the Dutch
      national screening program for cervical cancer over the last decade.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe recent trends in the prevalence of cytologic patterns of
      the vaginal flora (koilocytosis, Trichomonas, dys-bacteriosis, Candida,
      Gardnerella, Actinomyces, Chlamydia trachomatis) over the last decade. STUDY
      DESIGN: From 1996 to 2005 > 500,000 cervical smears were screened in the context
      of the Dutch national screening program on a 5-year basis. Data from the first
      screening period were compared with those of the second screening period.
      RESULTS: Prevalences differed from 34.8 for dysbacteriosis to 0.2 for C
      trachomatis. Bacterial imbalance (dysbacteriosis, unequivocal Gardnerella and
      Trichomonas) showed a decline in all age groups. Cases of human papillomavirus
      (HPV)-related koilocytosis have dramatically increased among young women (30 and
      35 years). CONCLUSION: Bacterial imbalance of the vaginal flora has significantly
      decreased during the past decade in all age cohorts. Campaigns on consciousness
      of vaginal hygiene might have contributed to this amazing effect. We ought to be
      concerned about the increase in HPV-related koilocytosis.

PMID- 20306988
TI  - Gynecologic infections seen in cervical smears in Kuwait.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the different gynecologic infections seen in cervical smears
      in Kuwait. STUDY DESIGN: Over a 6-year period (2002-2007), a total of 42,294
      cervical smears were studied in Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital, Kuwait. Conventional
      and ThinPrep (Cytyc Corp. Boxborough, Massachusetts) smears were first screened
      by cytotechnicians and finally reported by cytopathologists, Smears showing
      inflammation were analyzed with reference to Kuwaiti women. RESULTS: Of the
      41,748 (98.7%) patients with satisfactory smears, inflammatory changes were
      observed in 17, 593 (42.1%). Specific infection was identified in 2,679 (15.2%)
      cases, of which 60.8% were Kuwaitis. The infections seen were Candida sp (73.8%),
      Trichomonsa vaginalis (11.9%), human papillomavirus (HPV99) (8.2%), Actinomyces
      like organisms (3.4%), Chlamydia trachomatis (2.2%) and herpes simplex virus
      (0.5%). No significant difference was found in the proportion of infectious
      agents among Kuwaiti and non-Kuwaiti women except marginally higher T vaginalis
      (10.9% vs 13.4%, p = 0.05) among non-Kuwaitis. Candida sp was the most detectable
      infectious agent in both Kuwaiti (74.6%) and non-Kuwaiti women (72.4%). Chi2 for
      trend revealed an increasing proportion of smears from Kuwaiti women found with
      specific infections (p = 0.049) as compared to those of non-Kuwaitis over the
      years. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of infections identified on cervical smears was
      found to be almost similar in Kuwaiti and non-Kuwaiti women except for T
      vaginalis, which was higher among non-Kuwaitis as compared to Kuwaitis (10.9% vs.
      13.4%, p = 0.051). The Candida sp was the most detectable infectious agent, 74.6%
      in Kuwaiti and 72.4% in non-Kuwaiti women, followed by T vaginalis, the second
      and HPV being the third.

PMID- 20306989
TI  - Role of fine needle aspiration cytology, cell block preparation and CD63, P63 and
      CD56 immunostaining in classifying the specific tumor type of the lung.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether CD63, p63 and CD56 are useful in the diagnostic
      evaluation of cytologic samples of pulmonary malignancy. STUDY DESIGN: We
      explored the utility of using a panel of 3 antibodies, CD63, p63 and CD56, for
      the diagnosis of lung cancer in cytologic samples consisting of 40 cases of cell
      block sections and previously Papanicolaou-stained cytologic smear slides.
      RESULTS: The positive rates for CD63, p63 and CD56 were as follows:
      adenocarcinoma (18/19), (0/19), (0/19), for small cell lung carcinoma (3/8),
      (0/8), (8/8), and for squamous cell carcinoma (0/13), (12/13), (0/13). All p63
      positive cases were squamous cell carcinoma, and all CD56 positive cases were
      small cell lung carcinoma. CD63 was positive in the majority of adenocarcinomas.
      CONCLUSION: The panel of CD63, p63 and CD56 appears to be useful in the
      diagnostic evaluation of cytologic samples of pulmonary malignancy.

PMID- 20306990
TI  - Fine needle aspiration diagnosis of necrotizing eosinophilic abscess clinically
      mimicking hepatic neoplasia: a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Eosinophilic hepatic pseudotumors (EHP) are known complications of
      visceral larva migrans (VLM). By radiologic studies, EHP can be suspicious for
      primary or metastatic hepatic neoplasia. Diagnosis of an EHP by fine needle
      aspiration (FNA) led to the diagnosis of Toxocara VLM in a patient with suspected
      hepatic neoplasia. CASE REPORT: A 38-year-old Cambodian man had hepatitis B and
      chronic hepatitis with grade III portal fibrosis diagnosed in 2003. He had had
      negative routine alpha-fetoprotein and radiologic screening for hepatic neoplasia
      until 2006 when abdominal computed tomography revealed a 1.6 x 1.2-cm, ill
      defined hypodense lesion in segment VII. Biopsy was recommended in order to
      exclude hepatocellular carcinoma. FNA of the lesion contained abundant Charcot
      Leyden crystals, degenerating eosinophils and necrotic debris. Work-up for
      nematode larva migrans was recommended. Toxocara antigen IgG titer was
      significantly elevated leading to a presumptive diagnosis of VLM, and therapy for
      Toxocara-induced VLM was given. CONCLUSION: Identification of abundant Charcot
      Leyden crystals and necrotic eosinophils in an FNA of the liver led to
      appropriate ancillary diagnostic tests and therapy for visceral larva migrans.

PMID- 20306991
TI  - Aspiration cytology of mesenchymal hamartoma of the chest wall in an infant: a
      case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal hamartoma of the chest wall is an extremely uncommon
      lesion of infants. Radiologic features simulate a malignant neoplasm; however,
      pathologic examination demonstrates an admixture of fibroblasts, benign cartilage
      and woven bone. There is a paucity of cytologic reports of this rare entity in
      the available literature. CASE: A 5-month-old infant presented with a large right
      chest wall swelling. Radiologic investigation demonstrated lytic destruction of
      the right 7th, 8th and 9th ribs with a large soft tissue mass. Fine needle
      aspiration smears showed lobules of hyaline cartilage and a few spindle cells
      with abundant chondromyxoid matrix. A cytologic diagnosis of a benign chondroid,
      possibly hamartomatous lesion was given, which was confirmed as mesenchymal
      hamartoma on histopathologic examination. CONCLUSION: Mesenchymal hamartoma is a
      rare chest wall lesion that can be diagnosed on cytology, provided that the
      cytopathologist is aware of this uncommon entity and appreciates the benign
      cytologic features.

PMID- 20306992
TI  - Pyothorax-associated lymphoma diagnosed by preoperative pleural effusion
      aspiration cytology: a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pyothorax-associated lymphoma (PAL) is a comparatively rare tumor,
      and it is difficult to definitively diagnose it preoperatively, especially in
      patients with only pleural thickening without mass formation. Pleural effusion
      aspiration cytology is a useful and easy diagnostic method for a large number of
      chest diseases. However, the cytologic findings of PAL have been rarely
      described. Here we report on the cytologic findings in a patient with PAL,
      manifested by pleural thickening without mass formation, and which was diagnosed
      preoperatively by pleural effusion aspiration cytology. CASE: A 64-year-old man
      was admitted to our hospital because of pleural thickening involving an empyema
      sac located in the left thorax and rapidly increasing pleural effusion. He had a
      30-year history of chronic empyema and a 10-year history of diabetes mellitus.
      Left pleural effusion aspiration cytology showed malignant lymphoma. The patient
      was admitted to our hospital for PAL treatment. Because of poor respiratory
      function, he only underwent decortication with complete resection of the
      thickening pleural peel. However, he was well, without recurrence, 5 years after
      the operation. The histologic examination revealed that lymphoma cells were
      located only in the thickening pleural peel. CONCLUSION: This is a very rare case
      of PAL diagnosed by preoperative aspiration cytology for an increasing pleural
      effusion. This report demonstrates that pleural effusion aspiration cytology can
      be valuable for the diagnosis of PAL.

PMID- 20306993
TI  - Fine needle aspiration cytology diagnosis of primary renal lymphoma involving the
      pleura: a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary renal lymphoma is a rare disease (< 1% of kidney lesions). We
      present a case of renal large B-cell type non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) with right
      sided pleural involvement. CASE: A 70-year-old man was admitted with persistent,
      painless, macroscopic hematuria for 1 month. Ultrasound examination, abdominal
      computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging techniques revealed a large
      tumor in the right kidney extending in the perirenal area. The patient underwent
      a radical nephrectomy for suggested renal cell carcinoma. He developed thoracic
      pain and pleural effusion in the 10 days after surgery. The pleural fluid was
      cytologically processed using conventional and ThinPrep (Cytyc Corporation,
      Boxborough, Massachusetts, U.S.A.) cytopreparatory techniques, slides were
      Papanicolaou and Giemsa stained, and immunocytochemistry was performed on the
      ThinPrep slides. The cytologic examination of the fluid specimen revealed a
      highly cellular smear composed of dispersed neoplastic cells of intermediate and
      large size. Immunocytochemically, the neoplastic cells were: CD45 (LCA) (+), CD20
      (+), CK7 (-), CK20 (-), NSE (-), CD45 RO (UCHL-1) (-) and CD30 (-). On
      cytomorphologic and immunocytologic examination, the specimen fulfilled the
      criteria of a large B-cell type NHL. Histologic evaluation of the nephrectomy
      specimen revealed an infiltrating, diffuse large cell renal NHL, B-cell type, of
      immunoblastic and centroblastic morphology. This NHL was considered a renal
      primary because no peripheral lymphadenopathy or hepatosplenomegaly was revealed
      by the imaging techniques. CONCLUSION: Cytomorphologic and immunocytologic
      examination revealed the typical features of a renal large B-cell type NHL in a
      case with pleural involvement.

PMID- 20306994
TI  - ALK+ anaplastic large cell lymphoma with cohesive, perivascular arrangements on
      cytology, mimicking a soft tissue sarcoma: a report of 2 cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An accurate recognition of a lymphoma at an extranodal site is
      essential to avoid unnecessary excisions. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC)
      has been recognized as a useful tool in the primary diagnosis of soft tissue
      tumors. An anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), occurring in soft tissues,
      poses a diagnostic challenge. We present the cytomorphology of 2 cases of
      anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)+ ALCL that displayed a perivascular arrangement,
      thereby mimicking a sarcoma. CASES: The patients were aged 16 and 9 years. While
      the former presented with multiple nodular soft tissue and bony lesions over the
      body, the latter complained of an axillary lump. FNAC smears in both cases showed
      pleomorphic cells, arranged in loosely cohesive groups around blood vessels and
      scattered singly, with prominent nucleoli and abundant, finely vacuolated
      cytoplasm. Interspersed were a few cells with embryoid nuclei. Differential
      diagnoses included a rhabdomyosarcoma and a lymphoma. On biopsy and
      immunohistochemistry, tumor cells were positive for vimentin, LCA, EMA, CD30 and
      ALK. CONCLUSION: ALCL should be considered in the differential diagnosis of
      pediatric soft tissue tumors, especially in cases with multifocal involvement.
      The presence of cohesive, perivascular arrangements on FNAC should not detract a
      cytologist for keeping this possibility in mind. Further, a careful search for
      the typical "hallmark" cells should be made.

PMID- 20306995
TI  - Primary cardiac B-cell lymphoma presented as heart tamponade and atrioventricular
      block: a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primay cardiac lymphoma is rare, and its diagnosis is not determined
      until autopsy. CASE: A 49-year-old man presented with heart tamponade and
      atrioventricular block. Bloody pericardiac effusion showed a monotonous
      proliferation of atypical large mononuclear cells, which demonstrated a lambda
      light-chain monoclonality by the fluorescence-activated cell-sorter method and
      clonal rearrangement bands by Southern blot analysis of the IgH gene. Transvenous
      biopsy excised from the right atrial tumor was diagnosed as diffuse large B-cell
      lymphoma. He underwent chemotherapy and permanent pacemaker implantation and is
      alive and well. CONCLUSION: Liquid cytology of cardiac effusion was very useful
      for rapid diagnosis, leading to a better prognosis.

PMID- 20306996
TI  - Ectomesenchymal chondromyxoid tumor of the tongue masquerading as pleomorphic
      adenoma on fine needle aspiration cytology smears: a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ectomesenchymal chondromyxoid tumor (ECMT) of the tongue is a
      relatively uncommonly recognized entity, first characterized in 1995 when Smith
      et al described the clinicopathologic features in 19 cases. The reported
      incidence of this tumor is still limited, and the recognition of its presenting
      features is not widespread. Although the tumor histology is typical, the fine
      needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) features can be mistaken for those of other
      myxoid lesions. CASE: A 47-year-old woman presented with a nodule on the dorsal
      surface of the tongue that had been present for 3 months. Fine needle aspiration
      smears from the nodule showed abundant myxoid to fibrillary stromal fragments and
      clusters of oval and polygonal to spindled cells with uniform nuclei. A cytologic
      diagnosis of pleomorphic adenoma was given. Subsequent histopathologic evaluation
      of the excised tumor revealed ECMT. CONCLUSION: Because of its abundant
      chondromyxoid stroma, ECMT shares morphologic similarities with other myxoid
      lesions, especially the salivary gland tumors, on histologic evaluation. The FNAC
      features of this tumor have not been reported before. The lack of awareness of
      ECMT as a tumor entity and nonexposure to the cytologic features may cause errors
      in the cytologic diagnosis.

PMID- 20306997
TI  - Cytologic findings of low grade endometrial stromal sarcoma with sex cord-like
      differentiation: a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To report the cytologic characteristics of low grade endometrial
      stromal sarcoma with sex cord-like differentiation. CASE: A 49-year-old woman
      presented with hypermenorrhea, menorrhalgia and anemia. With a diagnosis of
      degenerated leiomyoma of the uterus, simple total hysterectomy was conducted.
      Histologic examination revealed cells with ovoid to short, spindle-shaped nuclei
      resembling endometrial stromal cells proliferating in a space-occupying manner
      and compressing and partially infiltrating the myometrium. Some tumor cells were
      arranged in sex cord-like form, and hyalinization was observed in the center of
      the cord. Low grade endometrial stromal sarcoma with sex cord-like
      differentiation was diagnosed. Touch imprint cytologic examination of the tumor
      showed cells containing scanty cytoplasm and ovoid to spindle-shaped nuclei with
      little atypia; they were scattered individually, aggregated in clusters, or
      arranged in cord or glandular form. Hyaline-like substance was present in
      abundance. The histologic characteristics of the endometrial stromal sarcoma with
      sex cord-like differentiation were confirmed by touch imprint cytology of the
      tumor. CONCLUSION: In this case of low grade endometrial stromal sarcoma with sex
      cord-like differentiation, cytologic examination revealed hyaline substance and
      tumor cells aligned in cord or glandular form.

PMID- 20306998
TI  - Fine needle aspiration cytology of benign fibrous histiocytoma of bone: a case
      report.
AB  - BACKGROUND; Benign fibrous histiocytoma (BFH) of bone is a very rare tumor, and
      almost all reported cases were diagnosed after surgical resection by histologic
      examination. We report a case in which cytologic features of BFH of bone were
      established preoperatively by fine needle aspiration (FNA). To the best of our
      knowledge, FNA findings of BFH of bone have not been previously reported. CASE: A
      30-year-old man presented with pain in the right knee of 3 days' duration.
      Radiographs of the distal femur showed a lytic lesion. FNA biopsy followed by
      cytologic examination revealed highly cellular smears with spindle-shaped cells
      arranged in sheets, papillary fronds and storiform pattern. These cells had a
      moderate amount of cytoplasm and round to elongated nuclei with inconspicuous
      nucleoli. Multinucleate giant cells were occasionally seen. A cytologic diagnosis
      of Giant cell tumor of bone with a BFH component was rendered. Histology revealed
      a pure BFH of bone. CONCLUSION: The current case reveals the cytomorphologic
      features of BFH of bone. Cytology may permit the preoperative recognition of the
      lesion, allowing a more sound therapeutic approach.

PMID- 20306999
TI  - Fine needle aspiration appearance of parachordoma.

PMID- 20307000
TI  - Fine needle aspiration cytology of cysticercosis.

PMID- 20307001
TI  - Intraoperative cytology of subependymoma.

PMID- 20307002
TI  - Pancreatic pseudocyst disguised as chylous effusion.

PMID- 20307003
TI  - Epithelioid angiosarcoma.

PMID- 20307004
TI  - Rare diagnosis on aspiration cytology of parotid gland schwannoma.

PMID- 20307005
TI  - Comparison of liquid-based cytology and conventional filter preparations in
      urine: a possible serious pitfall.

PMID- 20307006
TI  - Fine needle aspiration cytology of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor of the
      tongue.

PMID- 20307007
TI  - Clear cell sarcoma of soft tissue: diagnostic dilemma in cytologic appearance.

PMID- 20307008
TI  - Pollen grains in sputum smear mimicking Toxocara eggs.

PMID- 20307009
TI  - Wavelet-synchronization methodology: a new approach for EEG-based diagnosis of
      ADHD.
AB  - A multi-paradigm methodology is presented for electroencephalogram (EEG) based
      diagnosis of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) through adroit
      integration of nonlinear science; wavelets, a signal processing technique; and
      neural networks, a pattern recognition technique. The selected nonlinear features
      are generalized synchronizations known as synchronization likelihoods (SL), both
      among all electrodes and among electrode pairs. The methodology consists of three
      parts: first detecting the more synchronized loci (group 1) and loci with more
      discriminative deficit connections (group 2). Using SLs among all electrodes,
      discriminative SLs in certain sub-bands are extracted. In part two, SLs are
      computed, not among all electrodes, but between loci of group 1 and loci of group
      2 in all sub-bands and the band-limited EEG. This part leads to more accurate
      detection of deficit connections, and not just deficit areas, but more
      discriminative SLs in sub-bands with finer resolutions. In part three, a
      classification technique, radial basis function neural network, is used to
      distinguish ADHD from normal subjects. The methodology was applied to EEG data
      obtained from 47 ADHD and 7 control individuals with eyes closed. The Radial
      Basis Function (RBF) neural network classifier yielded a high accuracy of 95.6%
      for diagnosis of the ADHD in the feature space discovered in this research with a
      variance of 0.7%.

PMID- 20307010
TI  - PLEDs following control of seizures and at the end of life.
AB  - Periodic lateralized epileptiform discharges (PLEDs), an EEG pattern that is
      highly correlated with seizures, may represent an ictal pattern in some patients,
      but in other patients PLEDs persist despite the absence of seizures or after
      seizures have been controlled by anti-epileptic drugs. The tenacity of PLEDs was
      illustrated by continuous EEG recording in a 95-year-old woman with multiple old
      cerebral infarctions who had been admitted to the hospital because of seizures.
      The EEG showed PLEDs that were maximal in the left central region. These
      sometimes evolved into EEG seizure patterns, which were correlated with facial
      twitching. The seizures were controlled by anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs), but the
      PLEDs continued. The patient subsequently expired, with EEG monitoring still in
      progress. The PLEDs persisted as the patient developed agonal respirations. The
      interval between the epileptiform complexes gradually increased, and they stopped
      40 seconds before disappearance of the other EEG background rhythms; cardiac
      arrest ensued less than 1 minute later. The resistance of the PLEDs to hypoxia
      reflects the robustness of the mechanisms that produced them, which may also
      account for their persistence in the face of AED treatment that stopped the
      seizures.

PMID- 20307011
TI  - Utilization of below-the-hairline EEG in detecting subclinical seizures.
AB  - Nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) is a serious condition commonly
      considered when evaluating a patient with altered mental status, and an
      electroencephalogram (EEG) is necessary for diagnosis. Neurology house staff
      often must make this diagnosis at times when no EEG technologist is available. We
      report our experience with abbreviated, emergency below-the-hairline EEGs (BTH
      EEG) performed by neurology residents at our institution over a 1-1/2 year
      period. We analyzed demographic and clinical data in relation to whether or not
      an ictal or periodic pattem was identified, and these results were compared to
      follow up EEGs. Thirty-nine studies were identified, ranging in duration from 3
      min-13 hrs. Mean and median age of patients included was 53 (range 25-81 yrs); 21
      were female. Seven of 39 BTH-EEGs showed at least one electrographic seizure, 9
      more showed periodic discharges. Follow-up EEGs showed electrographic seizures in
      6 of 39 patients, including 3 of the 7 with ictal BTH-EEG, and an additional 3
      whose BTH-EEGs showed periodic lateralized discharges but no organized seizures.
      All 7 patients with ictal BTH-EEGs survived to discharge, vs. 23 of the remaining
      32. We conclude that in selected cases, BTH-EEG is useful in detecting seizures
      and/or other epileptiform patterns. In our series, when NCSE was in question, the
      BTH-EEG showed these patterns 41% of the time. The BTH-EEG is a fast, non
      invasive, inexpensive tool that may save valuable time, especially when no other
      viable option is immediately available. This technique may be applicable more
      broadly, not just limited to centers with neurology residents.

PMID- 20307012
TI  - Amygdala lateralization at rest and during viewing of neutral faces in major
      depressive disorder using low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography.
AB  - Neuroimaging experiments of amygdala activity during rest have shown abnormal
      amygdalar lateralization in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). The current study is
      an exploratory investigation of the use of the neuroimaging technique Low
      Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography (LORETA) to measure current source density
      (CSD) in the amygdala. We examined seven adults with MDD and nine healthy control
      subjects at rest, and while they viewed images of emotionally neutral faces. The
      primary purpose was to compare the findings of LORETA with published findings
      using other neuroimaging techniques. Four frequency bands were examined: delta (1
      3 Hz), theta (3-7 Hz), alpha (7-11 Hz), and beta (11-29 Hz). Results showed that
      for both MDD and control groups, the right amygdala displayed higher overall
      activity (across frequencies) than the left, both at rest, and while viewing
      neutral faces. Results also showed that controls displayed significant
      differences between resting and viewing neutral images across all four bands in
      the right amygdala, with all four bands having higher CSD values in the right
      amygdala. There were no significant differences in CSD values between rest vs.
      viewing neutral images in the MDD group. Findings suggest a more pronounced
      lateralization effect in normal healthy controls than in MDD subjects when
      changing from a resting (eyes-closed) condition to viewing faces without
      emotional valence.

PMID- 20307013
TI  - Event-related potentials elicited by the explicit and implicit processing of
      familiarity in faces.
AB  - Brain activity underlying explicit and implicit processing of face familiarity
      was assessed by Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) elicited by famous and unknown
      faces with happy or neutral expressions. A set of faces was presented in a
      familiarity judgment (explicit) task and another in an expression judgment
      (implicit familiarity) task. After recording, these tasks were repeated
      exchanging the stimuli, and post-recording behavioral data from the familiarity
      task were used for re-averaging EEG segments from the expression task. Both
      explicit and implicit processing of famous faces resulted in an enhanced N250.
      Explicit processing of famous faces was specifically associated with earlier N400
      and P600, with increased activity within brain areas involved in identity
      processing around 250 and 450 ms. These findings suggest different brain dynamics
      for explicit and implicit face processing, and that implicit processing of the
      identity in the context of an expression task is mainly associated with the
      transient activation of face representations in memory.

PMID- 20307014
TI  - Post WISC-R and TOVA improvement with QEEG guided neurofeedback training in
      mentally retarded: a clinical case series of behavioral problems.
AB  - According to the DSM-IV, Mental Retardation is significantly sub-average general
      intellectual functioning accompanied by significant limitations in adaptive
      functioning in at least two of the following skill areas: communication, self
      care, home living, social/interpersonal skills, use of community resources, self
      direction, functional academic skills, work, leisure, health and safety. In pilot
      work, we have seen positive clinical effects of Neurofeedback (NF) applied to
      children with Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome) and other forms of mental retardation.
      Given that many clinicians use NF in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and
      Generalized Learning Disability cases, we studied the outcomes of a clinical case
      series using Quantitative EEG (QEEG) guided NF in the treatment of mental
      retardation. All 23 subjects received NF training. The QEEG data for most
      subjects had increased theta, alpha, and coherence abnormalities. A few showed
      increased delta over the cortex. Some of the subjects were very poor in reading
      and some had illegible handwriting, and most subjects had academic failures,
      impulsive behavior, and very poor attention, concentration, memory problems, and
      social skills. This case series shows the impact of QEEG-guided NF training on
      these clients' clinical outcomes. Fourteen out of 23 subjects formerly took
      medications without any improvement. Twenty-three subjects ranging from 7-16
      years old attending private learning centers were previously diagnosed with
      mental retardation (severity of degree: from moderate to mild) at various
      university hospitals. Evaluation measures included QEEG analysis, WISC-R
      (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised) IQ test, TOVA (Test of
      Variables of Attention) test, and DPC-P (Developmental Behaviour Checklist) were
      filled out by the parents. NF trainings were performed by Lexicor Biolex
      software. NX-Link was the commercial software reference database used to target
      the treatment protocols, along with the clinical judgment of the first author.
      QEEG signals were sampled at 128 samples per second per channel and electrodes
      were placed according to the International 10-20 system. Between 80 and 160 NF
      training sessions were completed, depending on the case. None of the subjects
      received any special education during NF treatment. Two subjects with the
      etiology of epilepsy were taking medication, and the other 21 subjects were
      medication-free at the baseline. Twenty-two out of 23 patients who received NF
      training showed clinical improvement according to the DPC-P with QEEG reports.
      Nineteen out of 23 patients showed significant improvement on the WISC-R, and the
      TOVA. For the WISC-R test, 2 showed decline on total IQ due to the decline on
      some of the subtests, 2 showed no improvement on total IQ although improvement
      was seen on some of the subtests, however even these cases showed improvement on
      QEEG and DPC-P. This study provides the first evidence for positive effects of NF
      treatment in mental retardation. The results of this study encourage further
      research.

PMID- 20307016
TI  - Nonconvulsive status epilepticus presenting with throat clearing as part of
      clinical seizure semiology.
AB  - Oro-alimentary automatisms such as chewing movements, lip-smacking, repeated
      snuffling, swallowing and retching have been reported with seizures usually of
      temporal lobe origin. Throat clearing, usually along with other vegetative signs,
      has been reported in patients with temporal and rarely extra-temporal lobe
      epilepsy. We report a case of a 93-year-old woman admitted with acute right
      temporo-occipital stroke. Repeated throat clearing episodes raised suspicion for
      complex partial seizures. Video-EEG recording confirmed frequent right
      hemispheric focal seizures originating from the right posterior temporal area
      concordant with her cortical stroke. The value of throat clearing as a sign of
      complex partial seizures of temporal lobe origin and its lateralizing and
      localizing value is discussed.

PMID- 20307015
TI  - Magnetic resonance spectroscopy findings in photosensitive idiopathic generalized
      epilepsy.
AB  - Studies investigating the pathophysiology of epileptic photosensitivity indicate
      variable involvement of particular brain regions. Our aim was to identify
      metabolic differences between photosensitive idiopathic generalized epilepsy
      (IGE) patients and nonphotosensitive IGE patients and normal healthy subjects by
      using Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS). Fourteen patients diagnosed with
      photosensitive IGE were investigated. The control groups consisted of 14 age- and
      sex-matched healthy volunteers and 14 IGE patients without photosensitivity. MRS
      measurements of N-acetylaspartate (NAA), choline-containing compounds (Cho),
      creatine (Cr) were performed in the frontal and occipital cortex and the thalamus
      bilaterally using a stimulated echo acquisition mode (STEAM) technique with a
      voxel size of 20 x 20 x 20 mm. The values of the patients with IGE were compared
      with those of the normal controls and within subgroups according to the clinical
      variables by appropriate statistical tests. Photosensitive IGE patients showed
      significantly decreased concentrations of NAA in the right frontal lobe and left
      thalamus, decreased NAA/Cr ratio in left thalamus and significantly increased
      concentrations of Cho/Cr ratio in the right frontal lobe and NAA/Cr in the left
      occipital lobe when compared to normal controls. Furthermore, left occipital NAA
      concentration increased and left thalamus NAA/Cr ratios were decreased from the
      IGE patients without photosensitivity but without reaching statistical
      significance. Our results support previous MR studies suggesting an asymmetrical
      neuronal dysfunction in favor of the dominant occipital cortex and thalamus in
      photosensitive IGE patients.

PMID- 20307017
TI  - Online removal of muscle artifact from electroencephalogram signals based on
      canonical correlation analysis.
AB  - The electroencephalogram (EEG) is often contaminated by electromyography (EMG).
      In this paper, a novel and robust technique is presented to eliminate EMG
      artifacts from EEG signals in real-time. First, the canonical correlation
      analysis (CCA) method is applied on the simulated EEG data contaminated by EMG
      and electrooculography (EOG) artifacts for separating EMG artifacts from EEG
      signals. The components responsible for EMG artifacts are distinguished from
      those responsible for brain activity based on the relative low autocorrelation.
      We demonstrate that the CCA method is more suitable to reconstruct the EMG-free
      EEG data than independent component analysis (ICA) methods. In addition, by
      applying CCA to analyze a number of EEG data contaminated by EMG artifacts, a
      correlation threshold is determined using an unbiased procedure. Hence, CCA can
      be used to remove EMG artifacts automatically. Finally, an example is given to
      verify that, after EMG artifacts were removed successfully from the EEG data
      contaminated by EMG and EOG simultaneously, not only the underlying brain
      activity signals but the EOG artifacts are preserved with little distortion.

PMID- 20307018
TI  - Work-induced changes in feelings of mastery.
AB  - Past theory and research indicate that conditions of work can have lasting
      effects on job incumbents. R. A. Karasek and T. Theorell (1990), for example,
      proposed that workers' feelings of mastery increase with levels of job demands
      and job control, and that these effects are mediated by the process of active
      learning. To test these propositions, 657 school teachers completed scales
      assessing job demands, control, active learning, and mastery on 2 occasions, 8
      months apart. As hypothesized, job control predicted change in mastery, an effect
      that was mediated by active learning. Job demands had a weaker effect on change
      in mastery. The demands-mastery relationship was moderated by job control, so
      that under conditions of high control, but not low control, increasing job
      demands were associated with gains in mastery. The findings partially support R.
      A. Karasek and T. Theorell's (1990) predictions regarding the main, interactive,
      and mediated effects of job conditions on employee mastery.

PMID- 20307019
TI  - Predicting community opposition to inclusion in schools: the role of social
      dominance, contact, intergroup anxiety, and economic conservatism.
AB  - This study addresses community members' attitudes toward inclusion, the practice
      of including students with disabilities in regular education classroom settings.
      Participants in Study 1 were 271 community adults, completing measures of prior
      contact with people with disabilities, social dominance orientation (SDO),
      economic conservatism, intergroup anxiety, prejudice, and opposition to
      inclusion. Results from structural equation modeling indicated that amount of
      intergroup anxiety predicted opposition to inclusion via the mediator, prejudice
      toward people with disabilities, and that amount of prior contact indirectly
      predicted prejudice toward people with disabilities through intergroup anxiety.
      SDO positively predicted both intergroup anxiety and prejudice in the model, with
      prejudice also mediating between SDO and opposition to inclusion. Both SDO and
      economic conservatism failed to exhibit direct predictive relationships with
      opposition to inclusion. Participants in Study 2 were 161 community adults.
      Contact was shown to exert an indirect effect on prejudice via intergroup
      anxiety, whereas intergroup anxiety impacted inclusive attitudes via prejudice.
      SDO exerted both direct and indirect (via prejudice) effects on opposition to
      inclusion.

PMID- 20307020
TI  - Organizational strategy and employee outcomes: a person-organization fit
      perspective.
AB  - This study adopted a person-organization fit framework to examine (a) whether
      employees' perceptions of organizational strategy for adaptation predicted their
      commitment to their organization and their intentions to stay and (b) whether
      these 2 relationships were moderated by perceived job alternatives. Support was
      found for both hypotheses. Specifically, when there are numerous perceived job
      alternatives, employees who perceive a misfit between their company's strategy
      and their preferred strategy were less committed to their organization and less
      likely to stay than their fit counterparts.

PMID- 20307021
TI  - Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the workaholism battery.
AB  - The authors designed the current study to examine the psychometric properties of
      the Chinese version of the workaholism battery (J. T. Spence & A. S. Robbins,
      1992). Using the back-translation strategy recommended by R. Brislin (1980), the
      authors translated the original scale developed by Spence and Robbins. Factor
      analyses of responses from 1,235 full-time workers in Taiwan revealed a 5-factor
      solution. The reliability coefficients of the factors ranged from .58 to .88.
      Significant correlations between the 5 factors, the work-addiction risk test,
      career commitment, and job involvement provided evidence for convergent validity.
      Significant correlations between the 5 factors and criterion variables (emotional
      exhaustion, job satisfaction, and hours worked per week) provided evidence of
      concurrent criterion validity. Overall, the findings suggest that the Taiwanese
      workers conceptualize workaholism as 5 dimensions rather than the 2 or 3
      dimensions that previous empirical studies (A. Kanai, M. Wakabayashi, & S. Fling,
      1996; L. H. W. McMillan, E. C. Brady, M. P. Driscoll, & N. V. Marsh, 2002; J. T.
      Spence & A. S. Robbins, 1992) have suggested. The authors discussed implications
      and limitations of their findings.

PMID- 20307023
TI  - Siblings' motives for talking to each other.
AB  - The sibling relationship is an involuntary one that individuals often maintain
      throughout life (V. G. Cicirelli, 1995; M. A. Fitzpatrick & D. M. Badzinski,
      1994; P. Noller & M. A. Fitzpatrick, 1993). The authors investigated
      interpersonal communication motives in sibling relationships to examine the way
      in which siblings voluntarily maintain their relationships with one another over
      time. R. B. Rubin, E. M. Perse, and C. A. Barbato (1988) identified 6 primary
      motives that people have for communicating: affection, control, escape,
      inclusion, pleasure, and relaxation. Participants were 323 individuals who
      reported on why they communicated with 1 of their siblings. The authors found
      differences between male and females participants and between intact and
      nonintact families. The number of siblings and the birth order of siblings also
      appeared to affect motives for communicating. The authors discuss the
      implications and limitations.

PMID- 20307022
TI  - Personal growth in the wake of stress: the case of mothers of preterm twins.
AB  - In a longitudinal study conducted in Israel, the authors compared mothers of
      preterm twins (n=64) with mothers of full-term single babies (n=75) and twins
      (n=72). The authors examined the contributions of internal resources (mother's
      attachment style, mental health, sociodemographic characteristics), external
      resources (perceived maternal grandmother's support, mother's marital
      adaptation), and features of the event itself (infant temperament, additional
      stressful life events, mother's feelings toward her baby or babies) in proximity
      to the birth, to personal growth 1 year following the birth. Although mothers of
      preterm twins reported the highest level of negative feelings toward their
      infants and the lowest level of mental health, they also experienced the greatest
      personal growth. Younger age and lower level of education, along with higher
      perceived support from maternal grandmothers contributed to higher personal
      growth. It seems that in the wake of stress, even mothers who display lower
      personal resources can rely on their environmental resources and experience
      personal growth.

PMID- 20307024
TI  - Gout is an independent risk factor for MI in women.

PMID- 20307025
TI  - Leprosy in 1910. 1910.

PMID- 20307026
TI  - Advances in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer.
AB  - Prostate cancer is currently diagnosed in more than 34,000 men every year and
      claims more than 10,000 lives per annum in the UK. Recently, prostate specific
      antigen (PSA) population screening has been evaluated in two major randomised,
      controlled studies. Even though the more mature European study confirmed that PSA
      screening is capable of reducing prostate cancer mortality, anxieties still
      persist, particularly surrounding the issue of overdiagnosis of clinically
      insignificant cancer. The recent identification of 29 genetic variants that
      predispose towards prostate cancer offers another, more targeted, opportunity to
      reduce mortality. It also raises the possibility of the identification of a sub
      group of men who are especially susceptible to prostate cancer. In lower-risk
      patients with localised cancer active surveillance may be sufficient. In fitter
      men, with more clinically significant disease, eradication of the cancer by
      surgical removal of the gland is often involved. This is the only treatment which
      has been proven in a randomised controlled trial to reduce the rate of metastases
      and mortality compared with watchful waiting. Metastatic prostate cancer is
      associated with high mortality--approximately 70% within 5 years. Androgen
      deprivation, which has become the mainstay of treatment, effectively lowers
      intraprostatic DHT by more than 80%, resulting in reduced androgen receptor
      stimulation and increased prostate cancer apoptosis.

PMID- 20307027
TI  - Diagnosing urological disorders in ageing men.
AB  - The prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED) increases with age. ED has organic
      aetiologies and is associated with other clinical comorbidities. Men with ED are
      more likely to have: cardiac disease, diabetes, hypercholesterolaemia, angina,
      hypertension, prostate disease and depression. Similarly, men with these
      conditions are more likely to have ED. It is believed that vasculogenic ED shares
      a common aetiology with coronary artery disease, including hyperlipidaemia,
      diabetes and hypertension. Taking a careful history of onset, duration and
      associated symptoms may reveal possible causes of ED. Past medical history,
      disease control, trauma and medication use can provide vital information. ED
      patients with a sedentary lifestyle should be encouraged to exercise. In obese
      men, weight loss of 10% or more can improve IIEF score. Regular exercise, healthy
      diet, smoking cessation, limiting alcohol intake and avoiding recreational drugs
      can reduce the risk of, or improve, ED. It is important to differentiate between
      patients suffering from nocturnal frequency, enuresis or nocturnal polyuria as
      the causes and treatments for each of these conditions are different. Reducing
      fluid intake after 6 pm and avoiding alcohol and/or caffeine at night may reduce
      nocturnal voiding. Anticholinergics can decrease bladder overactivity. An
      improvement in nocturia and nocturia bother score have been shown after
      administration of oral melatonin. Nocturnal enuresis can often be the only
      symptom of high-pressure chronic retention which is prevalent in older men. It is
      important to recognise this condition as treatment can prevent further renal
      impairment. In nocturnal polyuria the urine output at night is more than a third
      of the total daily urine output. If conservative measures are not successful, in
      the absence of heart failure, a low-dose diuretic in the afternoon can help the
      kidneys get rid of the fluid before bedtime.

PMID- 20307028
TI  - GPs have pivotal role in care of stroke patients.
AB  - Stroke is a major cause of mortality in the community and the most common cause
      of disability. At one year, a third of patients who have had a stroke have died,
      and 37% of survivors are dependent. In the acute phase of ischaemic stroke,
      patients should receive thrombolysis (within 4.5 hours of stroke onset), aspirin
      (within 48 hours of onset), and early access to a stroke unit. Care in a stroke
      unit significantly reduces the risk of death or dependency irrespective of stroke
      severity. A multidisciplinary team to manage the range of problems after stroke
      (e.g. swallowing difficulties, communication problems, mobility) is central to
      rehabilitation. Much rehabilitation is orientated toward physical function
      whereas returning to their social roles is more important to patients. While the
      emphasis of rehabilitation is on targeted therapy interventions to improve
      function and finding compensatory strategies to increase independence--the goal
      of community exercise is to improve general physical fitness and activity levels.
      The marked loss of physical fitness evident in stroke survivors can be at least
      partly reversed by physical fitness training, and leads to improvements in
      physical function. Group exercise also improves self-confidence and social
      integration. Pharmacological therapies play a key role in secondary prevention,
      and must be started as soon as possible to reduce the risk of early recurrence.

PMID- 20307029
TI  - Scalp problems.

PMID- 20307031
TI  - Surgical management of vitreofoveal traction syndrome: optical coherence
      tomographic evaluation and clinical outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To characterize vitreofoveal traction syndrome and to
      correlate clinical observations, optical coherence tomography features, and
      surgical results. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective, consecutive,
      interventional case series of 36 patients. Clinical and optical coherence
      tomography features taken from patient charts were compared preoperatively and
      postoperatively and correlated with visual outcomes. RESULTS: Preoperatively,
      visual acuity ranged from 20/40 to 20/400 and improved more than 2 lines in 50%
      of eyes. A macular hole developed in 2 eyes. The optical coherence tomography
      appearance of traction resolved in all eyes; cystic change improved markedly or
      resolved in 86% of eyes. Preoperative optical coherence tomography features did
      not correlate with visual acuity. Patients with symptoms for less than a 6-month
      duration (P = .048) were more likely to obtain a visual acuity of 20/40 or better
      postoperatively. Presence or resolution of macular cystic changes and subretinal
      fluid did not correlate with visual acuity or change (P > .05). CONCLUSION:
      Patients with vitreofoveal traction syndrome usually achieve favorable visual
      optical coherence tomography outcomes after pars plana vitrectomy.

PMID- 20307032
TI  - Visual outcomes in five different approaches for treatment of central retinal
      vein occlusion.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Four treatment methods for central retinal vein
      occlusion were compared with its natural course. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this
      partially prospective, comparative, interventional case series on 63 eyes with
      central retinal vein occlusion, five approaches were compared: intravitreal
      triamcinolone injection; radial optic neurotomy; combined radial optic neurotomy
      and intraocular triamcinolone injection; combined internal limiting membrane
      peeling, radial optic neurotomy, and intraocular triamcinolone; and observation.
      RESULTS: Final visual acuity in the intravitreal triamcinolone group was better
      compared with the observation (P = .025), radial optic neurotomy (P = .037),
      combined radial optic neurotomy/intraocular triamcinolone injection (P = .401),
      and combined internal limiting membrane peeling, radial optic neurotomy, and
      intraocular triamcinolone injection (P = .023) groups. However, after adjustment
      for baseline visual acuity, the only treatment method with significant visual
      acuity improvement in relation to the observation group was the combined radial
      optic neurotomy/intraocular triamcinolone injection (P = .025, .023, and .054 at
      1, 3, and 6 months, respectively). CONCLUSION: Among the five different
      approaches analyzed in this study, combined radial optic neurotomy and
      intraocular triamcinolone injection may provide a better visual outcome in the
      management of central retinal vein occlusion.

PMID- 20307033
TI  - Assessing the reliability of automated OCT retinal thickness measurements in
      patients with choroidal neovascularization due to age-related macular
      degeneration.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To compare automated versus manual retinal measurement
      using Stratus optical coherence tomography (OCT) (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA)
      in patients with choroidal neovascularization (CNV) due to age-related macular
      degeneration (AMD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with subfoveal CNV due to AMD
      underwent Stratus OCT imaging. Each scan was evaluated for automated: foveal
      center point thickness, central subfield thickness, signal strength, and manual:
      central retinal thickness, central retinal/lesion thickness, CNV thickness,
      pigment epithelial detachment thickness, and number of correct retinal boundaries
      (CRBs). RESULTS: A total of 209 OCT visits (49 patients) were assessed. On fast
      macular thickness map, 52% of scans had less than 4 (of possible 6) CRBs placed
      by the automated OCT algorithm. There was a mean difference of 34 microm between
      automated foveal center point thickness and manual central retinal thickness (P <
      .00005). Only 40% and 27% of automated foveal center point thickness and central
      subfield, respectively, lay within +/- 25 microm of manual central retinal
      thickness. As the number of CRBs or signal strength increased, the difference
      between manual and automated measurements decreased. CONCLUSION: Manual retinal
      thickness measurements differ significantly from those calculated by the current
      automated Stratus OCT software in exudative AMD.

PMID- 20307034
TI  - Association between retinal thickness and retinal pigment epithelium elevation in
      age-related macular degeneration.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between retinal pigment
      epithelium elevation and maximum retinal thickness in patients with age-related
      macular degeneration. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifteen patients (mean age = 76 +/- 8
      years) with age-related macular degeneration and pigment epithelial detachment
      underwent optical coherence tomography. The images were analyzed by two observers
      to measure maximum retinal thickness and the width and maximum height of the
      pigment epithelial detachment. Linear regression analysis was performed to
      determine the association between maximum retinal thickness and retinal pigment
      epithelium elevation. RESULTS: The results indicated high correlations between
      observers in identifying pigment epithelial detachment edges and measuring
      retinal pigment epithelium elevation and maximum retinal thickness. Pigment
      epithelial detachment height ranged from 82 to 599 microns. Mean maximum retinal
      thickness was 424 +/- 150 microns. Increased maximum retinal thickness was
      associated with more elevated retinal pigment epithelium (r = 0.7; P = .003).
      CONCLUSION: Retinal thickness was associated with pigment epithelial detachment
      height, warranting future investigations into pathophysiologic mechanisms leading
      to and potential treatment for pigment epithelial detachment and associated
      retinal thickening.

PMID- 20307035
TI  - Ranibizumab for exudative age-related macular degeneration in eyes previously
      treated with alternative vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To evaluate ranibizumab for exudative age-related
      macular degeneration previously treated with pegaptanib, bevacizumab, or both.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective, interventional case series of
      patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration who were treated with
      ranibizumab after being initially treated with pegaptanib, bevacizumab, or both.
      The primary outcome was change in visual acuity following the switch to
      ranibizumab. RESULTS: One hundred two eyes of 92 patients were identified.
      Following the switch to ranibizumab, there was an average gain of 0.7 lines in
      visual acuity. Ninety-four eyes (92%) lost 3 or fewer lines, 29 eyes (28%) gained
      more than 3 lines, and 3 eyes (3%) lost more than 6 lines after switching to
      ranibizumab. Lesion type and time between previous vascular endothelial growth
      factor inhibitor and ranibizumab did not affect the response. CONCLUSION:
      Ranibizumab maintained visual acuity in the majority of patients and appears to
      be an effective treatment regardless of previous anti-vascular endothelial growth
      factor therapy.

PMID- 20307036
TI  - The relation between bevacizumab injection and the formation of subretinal
      fibrosis in diabetic patients with panretinal photocoagulation.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To report the development of subretinal fibrosis after
      the injection of intravitreal bevacizumab in eyes with proliferative diabetic
      retinopathy (PDR) refractory to panretinal laser photocoagulation (PRP). PATIENTS
      AND METHODS: Twenty-one eyes of 15 patients treated with PRP and intravitreal
      injection of bevacizumab were included in this study. The clinical outcomes of 21
      eyes having subretinal fibrosis after intravitreal bevacizumab injection were
      reviewed. RESULTS: There were 9 men and 6 women with a mean age of 51.3 +/- 8.9
      years. All eyes had PDR refractory to panretinal photocoagulation and were
      treated with at least one intravitreal injection of 1.25 mg of bevacizumab (mean
      number of injections: 1.8). Before injection, there was subretinal fibrosis in 5
      eyes and vitreoretinal traction in 19 eyes. After a mean follow-up period of 7
      months, the development or progression of subretinal fibrosis was detected in all
      eyes. CONCLUSION: Intravitreal injection of bevacizumab may cause formation or
      progression of subretinal fibrosis in patients with PDR refractory to PRP.

PMID- 20307037
TI  - Role of ultrasound biomicroscopy in management of eyes with stage 5 retinopathy
      of prematurity.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To assess the role of ultrasound biomicroscopy in the
      surgical management of eyes with stage 5 retinopathy of prematurity. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Ultrasound biomicroscopy was performed preoperatively in 18 eyes with
      stage 5 retinopathy of prematurity to view the access to the anterior surgical
      space. RESULTS: Of the 15 (83.3%) eyes with anterior open funnel on B-scan
      ultrasonography, only 8 (53.3%) eyes had open access to the anterior surgical
      space and were scheduled for lensectomy. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound biomicroscopy is
      an effective tool for assessing anterior surgical space and helps surgical
      decision making in vitreoretinal surgery in eyes with stage 5 retinopathy of
      prematurity.

PMID- 20307038
TI  - Optical coherence tomography imaging of the fovea in retinopathy of prematurity.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To report foveal optical coherence tomography (OCT)
      findings in patients with a history of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). PATIENTS
      AND METHODS: In a case-control study, OCT imaging of the fovea was performed on
      mostly adult patients with a history of ROP and no significant macular pathology.
      The same OCT imaging was performed on control subjects who were born full-term.
      RESULTS: Fourteen eyes of 12 patients with ROP were studied. Mean age was 39
      years and mean gestational age at birth was 28 weeks. Of the 11 eyes with no
      cataract or pseudophakia, median best-corrected visual acuity was 20/40. Three
      eyes with cataracts had visual acuities of 20/50, 20/60, and 20/100. OCT imaging
      showed that eyes in the ROP group had a relative loss of the foveal depression,
      increased macular thickness, and continuation of inner retinal layers within the
      fovea. CONCLUSION: OCT imaging demonstrated abnormal foveal architecture in
      patients with a history of ROP, but most of these patients maintained good visual
      acuity.

PMID- 20307039
TI  - Short-term outcome of bimanual 23-gauge transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy
      for patients with complicated vitreoretinopathies.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of bimanual 23
      gauge transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy for patients with complicated
      vitreoretinopathies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-nine eyes of 27 patients that
      received bimanual 23-gauge transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy were
      prospectively enrolled. Fourteen eyes with diabetic tractional retinal
      detachment, 13 eyes with complicated rhegmatogeneous retinal detachment
      (including 3 traumatic retinal detachments), and 2 eyes with massive subretinal
      hemorrhage received 23-gauge transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy. The visual
      and anatomical outcomes and the complications were measured. RESULTS: Visual
      acuity improved from 2.15 +/- 1.03 to 1.24 +/- 1.33 logarithm of the minimum
      angle of resolution (LogMAR) in the complicated diabetic retinopathy group (P =
      .002) and from 2.07 +/- 1.17 to 1.09 +/- 1.15 LogMAR in the complicated retinal
      detachment group (P = .009). Anatomical success was achieved in 23 of 29 (79.3%)
      eyes after the first vitrectomy and in 27 of 29 (94.6%) eyes after the final
      procedure. CONCLUSION: The bimanual 23-gauge transconjunctival sutureless
      vitrectomy was feasible and reproducible in patients with complicated
      vitreoretinal disease. This technique might provide a safe and effective
      alternative to the standard 20-gauge vitrectomy for severe complicated cases.

PMID- 20307040
TI  - Combination of internal limiting membrane peeling and endophotocoagulation for
      retinal detachment related to high myopia in patients with macular hole.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the anatomic and visual outcomes of
      undergoing combined internal limiting membrane peeling and endophotocoagulation
      in retinal detachment related to high myopia in patients with macular hole.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-two eyes of 52 consecutive patients with macular hole
      and retinal detachment related to high myopia were recruited into the study. The
      combination treatment group underwent vitrectomy and perfluoropropane gas
      injection with the assistance of indocyanine green internal limiting membrane
      peeling and additional endophotocoagulation 2 weeks postoperatively. The control
      group only underwent vitrectomy and perfluoropropane gas injection and was
      matched to the combination treatment group according to the refractive errors and
      the size of macular hole. RESULTS: The primary macular hole closure rate was
      significantly higher in the combination treatment group (96.2%) than in the
      control group (57.7%) (P < .05). Six months postoperatively, a best-corrected
      visual acuity improvement of 2 or more lines was found in more eyes in the
      combination treatment group (100%) than in the control group (53.8%) (P > .05).
      CONCLUSION: Combined internal limiting membrane peeling and endophotocoagulation
      for retinal detachment related to high myopia in patients with macular hole has a
      promising anatomic closure rate and visual acuity and may be a better choice for
      retinal detachment in this group.

PMID- 20307041
TI  - Resident-performed Ahmed glaucoma valve surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of residents
      performing glaucoma valve surgery at a metropolitan county hospital. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed of consecutive resident-performed
      Ahmed valve (New World Medical, Inc., Rancho Cucamonga, CA) glaucoma surgeries
      from 1993 to 2005. Data of 50 eyes of 48 patients were evaluated for intraocular
      pressure (IOP) and best-corrected visual acuity. RESULTS: The mean follow-up
      period was 34.7 +/- 30.5 months, with an IOP decrease from 30.8 +/- 11.3 mm Hg
      preoperatively to 15.3 +/- 11.6 mm Hg at last visit. Success, defined by a
      postoperative IOP of greater than 5 mm Hg and at most 21 mm Hg or less or a
      decreased postoperative IOP of at least 25% if the preoperative IOP was already
      21 mm Hg or less, occurred in 78% of eyes. Best-corrected visual acuity decreased
      in 58% of eyes. Four eyes (8%) required subsequent penetrating glaucoma
      procedures. CONCLUSION: This retrospective study suggests that placement of an
      Ahmed valve can be a safe and effective procedure in the hands of residents under
      appropriate attending physician supervision.

PMID- 20307042
TI  - Does phacoemulsification affect the long-term success of non-penetrating deep
      sclerectomy?
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Phaco non-penetrating deep sclerectomy (PhacoNPDS) is
      an option to simultaneously treat cataract and glaucoma. The authors assessed
      tensional success of PhacoNPDS and NPDS up to 3 years of follow-up. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: A longitudinal consecutive retrospective study was conducted comparing
      376 eyes undergoing NPDS (group 1) and 87 eyes undergoing PhacoNPDS (group 2).
      Success was defined as complete 1 (intraocular pressure [IOP] < 21 mm Hg without
      medication); complete 2 (at least a 20% reduction of preoperative IOP without
      medication), and qualified (IOP < 21 mm Hg with or without medication). RESULTS:
      Preoperative IOP and number of medications were 23.7 and 2.7 in group 1 and 23.1
      and 2.6 in group 2, respectively. Postoperative IOP (3 years) was 13.1 mm Hg in
      group 1 and 13.4 mm Hg in group 2 (P = .000). Complete 1, complete 2, and
      qualified success in 3 years were 57.5%, 53.7%, and 94.5% in group 1 and 56.1%,
      56.1%, and 100% in group 2, respectively (P = .861, .772, and .159). Final number
      of medications was 0.5 in group 1 and 0.3 in group 2. CONCLUSION: PhacoNPDS seems
      to achieve similar tensional results as NPDS alone up to 3 years of follow-up.

PMID- 20307043
TI  - Ultrasound energy in phacoemulsification: a comparative analysis of phaco-chop
      and stop-and-chop techniques according to the degree of nuclear density.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the amount of ultrasound energy used,
      corneal endothelial cell loss, and central corneal thickness using the phaco-chop
      and stop-and-chop techniques for cataracts with different degrees of nuclear
      density. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred two eyes of 51 patients with bilateral
      senile cataract were included. Each eye was randomly assigned to have either
      phaco-chop or stop-and-chop nucleofractis during phacoemulsification. The groups
      were divided into two subgroups according to the nuclear density. The effective
      phacoemulsification time, endothelial cell density, and central corneal thickness
      were analyzed. RESULTS: The mean effective phacoemulsification time was similar
      between the groups in moderately dense nuclei (2.17 +/- 1.33 vs 1.33 +/- 1.05
      seconds; P = .41). However, the phaco-chop technique required less effective
      phacoemulsification time than the stop-and-chop technique in dense nuclei (3.86
      +/- 4.18 vs 6.70 +/- 5.43 seconds; P = .01). The endothelial cell loss and the
      central corneal thickness did not vary significantly between the groups.
      CONCLUSION: The phaco-chop technique requires lower ultrasound energy for nuclear
      management than the stop-and-chop technique in dense cataracts and the resulting
      endothelial loss was similar in both techniques.

PMID- 20307044
TI  - Femtosecond LASIK combined with astigmatic keratotomy for the correction of
      refractive errors after penetrating keratoplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcomes of femtosecond laser in situ
      keratomileusis (LASIK) compared to combined LASIK and astigmatic keratotomy in
      the treatment of refractive errors following penetrating keratoplasty. PATIENTS
      AND METHODS: A retrospective review was performed on 18 eyes of 16 patients who
      underwent LASIK for visual rehabilitation after penetrating keratoplasty. Seven
      eyes (38.8%) had undergone paired relaxing incisions with topographic guidance
      prior to LASIK performance. RESULTS: Preoperative uncorrected visual acuity was
      20/100 or worse in 13 eyes (72.2%) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was
      20/40 or better in 15 eyes (83.3%). After LASIK, uncorrected visual acuity was
      20/40 or better in 10 eyes (55.5%) and BCVA was 20/40 or better in 17 eyes
      (94.4%). Three eyes (16.6%) had a loss of 1 to 2 lines of BCVA. No difference in
      visual outcomes was noted in eyes undergoing LASIK and astigmatic keratotomy
      versus LASIK alone. An increased complication rate was noted in patients who also
      underwent astigmatic keratotomy and was associated with flap creation.
      CONCLUSION: Femtosecond LASIK is effective in reducing ametropia after
      penetrating keratoplasty. Astigmatic keratotomy might complicate flap creation in
      LASIK; therefore, photorefractive keratectomy should be considered for patients
      who had previous astigmatic keratotomy to reduce astigmatism.

PMID- 20307045
TI  - Intraoperative use of three-dimensional spectral-domain optical coherence
      tomography.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To develop a prototype three-dimensional anterior
      segment spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) device and
      demonstrate the feasibility of its use in the operating room. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Single-institution interventional case series including six consecutive
      patients undergoing Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty
      (DSAEK). The prototype anterior segment SD-OCT was used intraoperatively to
      search for the presence of interface fluid between the host cornea and the DSAEK
      graft. RESULTS: Anterior segment SD-OCT was successfully used intraoperatively
      during DSAEK. After the initial placement of the graft, no fluid was clinically
      apparent; however, interface fluid was identified by anterior segment SD-OCT in
      two of the six cases. After additional aspiration, all patients were fluid-free
      on follow-up anterior segment SD-OCT scanning. CONCLUSION: Intraoperative
      anterior segment SD-OCT was used successfully to find interface fluid that was
      clinically undetectable under the microscope. As such, all patients were able to
      leave the operating room with a fully attached graft.

PMID- 20307046
TI  - The effect of femtosecond laser lamellar dissection at various depths on corneal
      endothelium in the recipient bed of the porcine eye.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of femtosecond laser lamellar
      dissection on corneal endothelium ultrastructure and viability. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Newly enucleated porcine eyes (N = 32) were used. The eyes were divided
      into four groups and a 7.5-mm diameter corneal lamellar dissection with the same
      size side cut at various depths was performed using a 60-kHz femtosecond laser
      with raster and spiral lamellar pattern. The endothelium was examined using
      scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy with Alizarin red staining.
      RESULTS: All four groups showed similar corneal endothelial cell morphology and
      viability at the center of the endothelium regardless of the lamellar cut pattern
      (P > .05). In groups 2 and 3, linear dotted endothelial cell damage or folding
      correlating with the side cut was observed. CONCLUSION: Using femtosecond lasers
      for stromal dissection and side cutting was safe for the central endothelium and
      caused only minimal damage to the peripheral endothelium, regardless of the laser
      emission pattern.

PMID- 20307047
TI  - A rabbit model of conjunctival injection induction after strabismus surgery
      enhanced by topical application of irritant chemicals.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To establish a rabbit model of conjunctival injection
      after strabismus surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective, masked-observer,
      controlled study was performed. Twenty eyes of 20 rabbits underwent strabismus
      surgery. Fifteen eyes were treated with 90% ethanol for 5 minutes followed by
      dispase for 10 minutes and 5 eyes were treated with balanced salt solution as a
      control group. Injection severity was assessed by means of a grade (0 to 3) at 5
      minutes, 1, 24, and 48 hours, and 1 week after surgery. RESULTS: The application
      of 90% ethanol for 5 minutes followed by dispase for 10 minutes reliably caused
      conjunctival injection in all of the rabbits and the injection scores were
      significantly higher than those of the control group at 24 (P = .008) and 48 (P =
      .001) hours and 1 week (P = .022) after surgery. CONCLUSION: The combined
      application of 90% ethanol and dispase in rabbit eyes was found to successfully
      create a conjunctival injection rabbit model after strabismus surgery.

PMID- 20307048
TI  - In situ intraocular suture techniques for pupilloplasty and suspension of a
      subluxated intraocular lens.
AB  - The modified McCannel and Siepser techniques allow surgeons to create a locking
      knot at the extraocular space to maintain a closed chamber. The authors
      demonstrate that this method made the pupilloplasty easy and applied it to
      suspend a subluxated intraocular lens with scleral fixation of haptics.

PMID- 20307049
TI  - Transscleral fixation by injector implantation of a foldable intraocular lens.
AB  - Scleral fixation of a foldable intraocular lens (IOL) was performed in 17 eyes of
      17 patients using a new small incision technique with injector implantation. All
      eyes were implanted with a hydrophobic acrylic three-piece IOL, either with
      phacoemulsification surgery or secondarily. No cases of intraoperative or
      postoperative complications were observed. The operation time required for
      scleral fixation only was less than 30 minutes in all cases. Scleral fixation of
      foldable IOLs using a self-sealing tunnel incision and injector technique
      minimizes intraoperative hypotony and related complications such as
      suprachoroidal hemorrhage. Furthermore, this technique saves surgery time and the
      sutureless technique used for most patients can reduce postoperative astigmatism.

PMID- 20307050
TI  - High-definition slit-lamp video camera system.
AB  - Using a high-definition video camera for slit-lamp examination is now possible
      with the assistance of an adaptor. The authors describe the easy manipulation,
      convenience of use, and performance of a high-definition slit-lamp video camera
      system and provide images of eyes that were obtained using the system.

PMID- 20307051
TI  - A computer algorithm to quantitatively assess quality of digital optic disc
      images.
AB  - Optic disc photography is used in the management and study of glaucoma. Quality
      assessment is needed at the time of acquisition and during review. A computerized
      algorithm for objective quality assessment was developed to mimic the procedure
      used by human observers. It was tested on film-based images obtained with
      mydriasis (40 normal and 46 glaucomatous eyes) and non-mydriatic digital images
      (30 normal and 38 glaucomatous eyes). The image sharpness was graded by six
      masked readers into four categories. The area under the receiver operating
      characteristic curve for identifying unreadable images was 1.0 for the digital
      and film-based images and 0.91 and 1.0 for differentiating between unreadable and
      mediocre images for digital and film-based images, respectively. This pilot study
      demonstrates that the algorithm can identify all unreadable images. Further
      studies are necessary to test whether it can be applied to images obtained in
      other locations on the fundus and with additional cameras.

PMID- 20307052
TI  - Increasing the sensitivity of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using multiplexed
      electrokinetic concentrator.
AB  - We developed a novel method to increase the sensitivity of standard enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using a multiplexed electrokinetic concentration
      chip. The poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) molecular concentrator (1) was used to
      trap and collect charged fluorescent product of target-bound enzyme turnover
      reaction of ELISA that occurred in a standard 96 well plate. Detection
      sensitivities of both prostate specific antigen (PSA) and CA 19-9 (a human
      pancreatic and gastrointestinal cancer marker) ELISAs in serum are enhanced
      approximately 100 fold with a low CV of <17%. We also integrated this method with
      an on-chip bead-based ELISA that lends itself toward a fully automated on-chip
      diagnostic device. Detection sensitivity of microfluidic bead-based CA 19-9 ELISA
      in serum is enhanced approximately 65 fold compared to the results without the
      electrokinetic accumulation step. This chip can be directly applied to enhance
      the readout sensitivity of a wide range of existing ELISA kits at concentrations
      below the current detection limit.

PMID- 20307053
TI  - Formation of unsymmetrical 1,4-enediones via a focusing domino strategy: cross
      coupling of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds and methyl ketones or terminal aryl alkenes.
AB  - A highly efficient synthesis of unsymmetrical 1,4-enediones from 1,3-dicarbonyl
      compounds and methyl ketones or terminal aryl alkenes has been developed via a
      focusing domino strategy. Simple and readily available starting materials, mild
      reaction conditions, and a very simple operation are advantages of the reaction,
      which allow straightforward synthesis of a variety of unsymmetrical 1,4
      enediones.

PMID- 20307054
TI  - Hybrid orbital deformation (HOD) effect and spectral red-shift property of
      nonplanar porphyrin.
AB  - A series of 5,15-meso,meso-strapped nonplanar porphyrins with different degrees
      of ruffling distortion, as a model system, have been synthesized and
      characterized. The spectral red-shift of the nonplanar porphyrins was
      experimentally demonstrated to mainly originate from the hybrid orbital
      deformation (HOD) effect due to the distortion in the tetrapyrrole macrocycle,
      which confirmed previous explanations to the red-shift phenomenon.

PMID- 20307055
TI  - Multicomponent (n >or= 3) sorption isotherms in reversed-phase liquid
      chromatography: the effect of immobilized eluent on the retention of analytes.
AB  - The experimental technique of tracer pulse chromatography was used to
      simultaneously measure the uptake of eluent components by a C(18)-bonded reversed
      phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) packing and the retention factors for a series
      of test analytes over the full range of eluent composition for methanol and
      acetonitrile with water. The primary objective of the research was to determine
      whether or not the uptake of eluent components immobilized as part of the
      stationary phase would influence the retention of analyte standards. Both
      acetonitrile and methanol were absorbed in or adsorbed on the C(18)-bonded phase
      with the maximum amount of acetonitrile sorbed being about four times that of
      methanol. The thermodynamic void volume of the column and the excess sorption
      isotherms of acetonitrile, methanol, and water in binary aqueous/organic mixtures
      were determined directly from the tracer pulse experiments. The absolute sorption
      isotherms of the eluent components were indirectly estimated by a combination of
      techniques. Regression analysis of the nonstationary inflection point of the
      excess isotherms provided an estimate of the volume of eluent sorbed by the
      stationary phase but only over a limited eluent composition range. In order to
      expand the applicable composition range, several commonly used "unretained" probe
      solutes were tested to determine the accuracy of the assumption that the
      retention volumes of these solutes provided a viable measure of the kinetic void
      volume (mobile-phase volume) of the column. The difference between the
      thermodynamic and kinetic void volumes provided an estimate of the absolute
      volume of eluent present in the stationary phase. The experimental results showed
      that some solutes, viz., water and thiourea, did provide an accurate measure of
      the mobile-phase volume but only over a limited range of eluent composition.
      Using deuterated water as the unretained dead time marker for water-rich eluents
      combined with the regression results from excess isotherm data, the absolute
      volume of eluent sorbed by the stationary phase could be estimated over the full
      range of eluent composition. The effect of this uptake of eluent on the retention
      of the test solutes appeared to be minimal for this particular set of test
      analytes.

PMID- 20307058
TI  - Density functional study of hydrogen binding on gold and silver-gold clusters.
AB  - A theoretical study was carried out on the binding of hydrogen on small
      bimetallic Ag(m)Au(n) (m + n < or = 5) and pure Au(n) (n < or = 5) clusters with
      neutral, negative, and positive charge state. It is found that the composition
      and charge state of clusters have strong influence on the most favorable binding
      site. The adiabatic ionization potentials, electron affinities, and hydrogen
      binding energies of cluster hydrides increase with the Au content increasing for
      the given cluster size. The cationic silver-gold cluster hydrides prefer ejection
      of Au-containing products whereas the anionic silver-gold cluster hydrides prefer
      ejection of Ag-containing products. The magnitude of metal-H frequency in
      combination with the metal-H bond length indicates that, with the same type of
      the binding site, the Au-H interaction is stronger than the Ag-H interaction.

PMID- 20307057
TI  - Function of phenylalanine 259 and threonine 314 within the substrate binding
      pocket of the juvenile hormone esterase of Manduca sexta.
AB  - Juvenile hormone (JH) is a key insect developmental hormone that is found at low
      nanomolar levels in larval insects. The methyl ester of JH is hydrolyzed in many
      insects by an esterase that shows high specificity for JH. We have previously
      determined a crystal structure of the JH esterase (JHE) of the tobacco hornworm
      Manduca sexta (MsJHE) [Wogulis, M., Wheelock, C. E., Kamita, S. G., Hinton, A.
      C., Whetstone, P. A., Hammock, B. D., and Wilson, D. K. (2006) Biochemistry 45,
      4045-4057]. Our molecular modeling indicates that JH fits very tightly within the
      substrate binding pocket of MsJHE. This tight fit places two noncatalytic amino
      acid residues, Phe-259 and Thr-314, within the appropriate distance and geometry
      to potentially interact with the alpha,beta-unsaturated ester and epoxide,
      respectively, of JH. These residues are highly conserved in numerous biologically
      active JHEs. Kinetic analyses of mutants of Phe-259 or Thr-314 indicate that
      these residues contribute to the low K(M) that MsJHE shows for JH. This low K(M),
      however, comes at the cost of reduced substrate turnover. Neither nucleophilic
      attack of the resonance-stabilized ester by the catalytic serine nor the
      availability of a water molecule for attack of the acyl-enzyme intermediate
      appears to be a rate-determining step in the hydrolysis of JH by MsJHE. We
      hypothesize that the release of the JH acid metabolite from the substrate binding
      pocket limits the catalytic cycle. Our findings also demonstrate that chemical
      bond strength does not necessarily correlate with how reactive the bond will be
      to metabolism.

PMID- 20307059
TI  - Conformational control of TT dimerization in DNA conjugates. A molecular dynamics
      study.
AB  - The paper presents quantum yield results for the [2+2] and 6-4 photodimerization
      of TT steps in several DNA structures, including hairpins where the context
      dependence of the photodimerization yield is determined, and it develops a
      theoretical model that correctly describes the trends in dimerization yield with
      DNA structure. The DNA conjugates considered include dT(20), dA(20)dT(20), and
      three alkane-linked hairpins that contain a single TT step. The theoretical
      modeling of the [2+2] process is based on CASSCF electronic structure
      calculations for ethylene + ethylene, which show that photoexcitation of low
      lying excited states leads to potential surfaces that correlate without
      significant barriers to a conical intersection with the ground state surface at
      geometries close to the dimer structure. The primary constraint on dimerization
      is the distance d between the two double bonds, and it is found that d < 3.52 A
      leads to quantum yield trends that match the observed trends within a factor of
      3. Constraints on the dihedral angle between the two double bonds are not as
      important, and although it is possible to generate better dimerization yield
      predictions for some structures by including these constraints, the best overall
      picture is obtained with no constraint. For 6-4 dimerization, a distance g < 2.87
      A and no constraint on dihedral angle provide an accurate description of the
      yield.

PMID- 20307060
TI  - Mesoporous hydrogels: revealing reversible porosity by cryoporometry, X-ray
      scattering, and gas adsorption.
AB  - Mesoporous poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate)
      networks, with cross-linker contents ranging from 100 to 5 mol %, were prepared
      using a hard-templating approach. The imbibition of the silica pellets with a
      monomer/cross-linker mixture resulted in mesoporous gels with a pore size of
      approximately 10 nm, which corresponds well with the average size of the fumed
      silica particles (10-11 nm). The highly cross-linked materials showed permanent
      surface areas of up to 230 m(2) g(-1) and porosities up to approximately 33 vol
      %. The porosity of the hydrogels was investigated in both dry and water-saturated
      state by nitrogen sorption, cryoporometry, and small-angle X-ray scattering
      (SAXS). It is only polymeric materials that contain 50 mol % or more of the cross
      linker that showed a significant porosity after evaporative drying. Freeze-drying
      is able to preserve the porosity also for hydrogels of intermediate cross-linker
      content, but the pores of the materials of low cross-linker content collapses
      completely upon solvent removal. The observed critical cross-linker ratio for
      pore stability compared favorably with a simple estimate of the critical cross
      linker density needed to make the material sufficiently stiff to withstand the
      Laplace pressure during solvent removal. Analysis of the hydrogels in the water
      swollen state revealed that gels having cross-linker contents down to 5 mol %
      still possessed mesoporosity. The pores got less defined at very low cross-linker
      contents, while their size was rather constant at intermediate to high cross
      linking densities. Closed pores could be reopened upon swelling, which suggests
      that the observed pore collapse upon drying may be at least partly reversible.

PMID- 20307061
TI  - Evaluation of the BET method for determining surface areas of MOFs and zeolites
      that contain ultra-micropores.
AB  - The BET analysis is commonly used for determining surface areas of metal-organic
      frameworks (MOFs) and zeolites that contain "ultra-micropores" (<7 A) even though
      it is often stated that the BET surface areas obtained for such small pores are
      not really meaningful in an absolute sense. In this study, nitrogen and argon
      isotherms in MOFs and zeolites (most of them having ultra-micropores) were
      predicted by grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations and used as
      pseudoexperimental data to evaluate the BET method for these structures. The BET
      surface areas calculated from the simulated nitrogen and argon isotherms agree
      well with the accessible surface areas obtained directly from crystal structures
      in a geometric fashion. However, this was only true when the BET analysis was
      performed using the appropriate pressure range based on published "consistency
      criteria"; the BET analysis underestimates the surface areas of all the selected
      MOFs and zeolites if it is done in the "standard" BET pressure range. Moreover,
      the BET theory was shown to work well for a zeolite with a highly heterogeneous
      surface. These results validate the application of the BET method for determining
      surface areas of MOFs and zeolites even for materials having ultra-micropores or
      heterogeneous pores.

PMID- 20307062
TI  - Spectroscopic rationale for efficient stimulated-emission depletion microscopy
      fluorophores.
AB  - We report a rationale for identifying superior dyes for stimulated-emission
      depletion (STED) microscopy. We compared the dyes pPDI and pTDI, which displayed
      excellent photostability in single-molecule spectroscopy. Surprisingly, their
      photostability and performance in STED microscopy differed significantly. While
      single pTDI molecules could be visualized with excellent resolution (35 nm), pPDI
      molecules bleached rapidly under similar conditions. Femtosecond transient
      absorption measurements proved that the overlap between the stimulated-emission
      band and the excited-state absorption band is the main reason for the observed
      difference. Thus, assessment of the excited-state absorption band provides a
      rational means of dye selection and determination of the optimal wavelength for
      STED.

PMID- 20307064
TI  - An STM study of the pH dependent redox activity of a two-dimensional hydrogen
      bonding porphyrin network at an electrochemical interface.
AB  - Studying electron transfer reactions of porphyrin molecules is important for a
      wide range of applications including biology, molecular devices, artificial
      photosynthesis, information storage, and fuel cells. It is known that porphyrins
      adsorbed in a self-assembled monolayer at an electrochemical interface may lose
      their electrochemical activity. However, the mechanism of the suppressed
      electrochemical activity is not clear. In this article, the electrochemical
      behavior of the two-dimensional network structures of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4
      carboxylphenyl)-21H,23H-porphyrin (TCPP) molecules, formed via intermolecular
      hydrogen bonding on Au(111), was investigated by electrochemical scanning
      tunneling microscopy (EC-STM). Three types of domains, including a square network
      with molecules trapped inside, square packing, and hexagonal close-packing
      structures have been observed under various pH conditions. The difference in STM
      contrast between oxidized and reduced TCPP allows the slow electrochemical
      reduction of adsorbed TCPP to be visualized by STM. For the first time, the pH
      dependent reduction of porphyrins was imaged by EC-STM, revealing the mechanism
      of porphyrin slow reduction at electrochemical interfaces. TCPP reduction can be
      accelerated either by tuning the working electrode potential to a more negative
      value or by lowering the H(+) concentration. A redox reaction model was proposed
      based on the pH dependent reduction of TCPP to elucidate the fundamental aspects
      of porphyrin redox reactions.

PMID- 20307063
TI  - Discovery of novel 6,6-heterocycles as transient receptor potential vanilloid
      (TRPV1) antagonists.
AB  - The transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily V, member 1 (TRPV1) is
      a nonselective cation channel that can be activated by a wide range of noxious
      stimuli, including capsaicin, acid, and heat. Blockade of TRPV1 activation by
      selective antagonists is under investigation in an attempt to identify novel
      agents for pain treatment. The design and synthesis of a series of novel TRPV1
      antagonists with a variety of different 6,6-heterocyclic cores is described, and
      an extensive evaluation of the pharmacological and pharmacokinetic properties of
      a number of these compounds is reported. For example, the 1,8-naphthyridine 52
      was characterized as an orally bioavailable and brain penetrant TRPV1 antagonist.
      In vivo, 52 fully reversed carrageenan-induced thermal hyperalgesia (CITH) in
      rats and dose-dependently potently reduced complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)
      induced chronic inflammatory pain after oral administration.

PMID- 20307065
TI  - The significance of 2-furyl ring substitution with a 2-(para-substituted) aryl
      group in a new series of pyrazolo-triazolo-pyrimidines as potent and highly
      selective hA(3) adenosine receptors antagonists: new insights into structure
      affinity relationship and receptor-antagonist recognition.
AB  - Among the heterocyclic structures identified as potent human A(3) (hA(3))
      adenosine receptor's antagonists, we have demonstrated that the new pyrazolo
      triazolo-pyrimidines, bearing an aryl group in replacement of the C(2)-furyl
      ring, not only confer a good pharmacological profile (with significantly enhanced
      selectivity against other adenosine receptor subytpes) but also overcome the
      metabolic transformation of the furan ring into toxic intermediates. All the
      synthesized [2-(para-substituted) phenyl]-pyrazolo-triazolo-pyrimidines showed
      affinity at the hA(3) receptor in the low nanomolar range. The most potent
      derivative of the series presented better affinity and excellent selectivity
      (compound 31, K(i) hA(3) = 0.108 nM; hA(1)/hA(3) = 5200; hA(2A)/hA(3) = 7200), in
      comparison to the C(2)-furyl counterpart. A receptor-driven molecular modeling
      investigation, based on a recently proposed model of A(3) receptor derived from
      the crystallographic structure of human A(2A) receptor, has been carried out in
      order to support the experimental binding data and to justify the enhanced
      selectivity against the other receptor subtypes.

PMID- 20307066
TI  - Cationic palladium(II) catalysis: C-H activation/Suzuki-Miyaura couplings at room
      temperature.
AB  - Cationic palladium(II) catalyst realized facile C-H activation of aryl urea with
      arylboronic acids at room temperature. This reaction is extremely mild to carry
      out aromatic C-H activations through electrophilic substitution.

PMID- 20307067
TI  - Directed self-assembly of dipeptides to form ultrathin hydrogel membranes.
AB  - The dipeptide amphiphile Fmoc-Leu-Gly-OH has been induced to self-assemble into
      thin surface-supported hydrogel gel films and gap-spanning hydrogel membranes.
      The thickness can be closely controlled, giving films/membranes from tens of
      nanometers to millimeters thick. SEM and TEM have confirmed that the dipeptides
      self-assemble to form fibers, with the membranes resembling a dense "mat" of
      entangled fibers. The films and membranes were stable once formed. The films
      could be reversibly dried and collapsed, then reswollen to regain the gel
      structure.

PMID- 20307068
TI  - Pterin-centered radical as a mechanistic probe of the second step of nitric oxide
      synthase.
AB  - The enzyme nitric oxide synthase is both medically relevant and of particular
      interest from a basic sciences perspective due to the complex nature of the
      chemical mechanism used to generate NO. The enzyme utilizes multiple redox-active
      cofactors and substrates to catalyze the five-electron oxidation of substrate l
      arginine to citrulline and nitric oxide. Two flavins, a cysteine-coordinated heme
      cofactor and, uniquely, a tetrahydrobiopterin cofactor, are used to deliver
      electrons from the cosubstrate NADPH to molecular oxygen, analogous to other
      P450s. The unprecedented involvement of the pterin cofactor as a single electron
      donor is unique among P450s and pterin utilizing proteins alike and adds to the
      complexity of this enzyme. In this report, the peroxide shunt with both Mn- and
      Fe-containing heme domain constructs of iNOS(heme) was used to characterize the
      formation of HNO as the initial inorganic product produced when oxygen activation
      occurs without pterin radical formation. To recover NO formation, preturnover of
      the iron-containing enzyme with l-arginine was used to generate the pterin
      centered radical, followed by peroxide shunt chemistry. Comparison of NO produced
      by this reaction with reactions that do not undergo preturnover, do not have
      peroxide added, or are performed with a pterin unable to generate a radical shows
      NO production to be dependent on both a pterin-centered radical and activated
      oxygen. Finally, the chemical HNO donor, Angeli's salt, was used to form the
      ferrous nitrosyl in the presence of the pterin radical intermediate. Under these
      conditions, the rate of pterin radical decay was increased as monitored by EPR
      spectroscopy. In comparison to pterin that aerobically decays, the Angeli's salt
      treated sample is also significantly protected from oxidation, suggesting ferrous
      nitrosyl-mediated reduction of the radical. Taken together, these results support
      a dual redox cycling role for the pterin cofactor during NOS turnover of NHA with
      particular importance for the proper release of NO from a proposed ferrous
      nitrosyl intermediate.

PMID- 20307069
TI  - Efficient electron transfer and sensitizer regeneration in stable pi-extended
      tetrathiafulvalene-sensitized solar cells.
AB  - The development of metal-free organic sensitizers is a key issue in dye
      sensitized solar cell research. We report successful photovoltaic conversion with
      a new class of stable tetrathiafulvalene derivatives, showing surprising
      electrochemical and kinetic properties. With time-resolved spectroscopy we could
      observe highly efficient regeneration of the photo-oxidized tetrathiafulvalene
      sensitizers, which were attached to a mesoporous TiO(2) film, by a redox mediator
      in the pores (iodide/tri-iodide), even though the measured driving force for
      regeneration was only approximately 150 mV. This important proof-of-concept shows
      that sensitizers with a small driving force, i.e. the oxidation potential of the
      sensitizer is separated from the redox potenial of the mediator by as little as
      150 mV, can operate functionally in dye-sensitized solar cells and eventually aid
      to reduce photovoltage losses due to poor energetic alignment of the materials.

PMID- 20307071
TI  - Calcium-induced structural transitions of the calmodulin-melittin system studied
      by electrospray mass spectrometry: conformational subpopulations and metal
      unsaturated intermediates.
AB  - Calmodulin (CaM) is a calcium-sensing protein that can bind to and activate
      various target enzymes. Here, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS)
      was used to investigate calcium-induced structural changes of CaM, as well as
      binding to the model target melittin (Mel). Nonspecific metalation artifacts were
      eliminated by conducting the experiments in negative ion mode and with calcium
      tartrate as metal source [Pan et al. (2009) Anal. Chem. 81, 5008]. Two coexisting
      CaM subpopulations can be distinguished on the basis of their ESI charge state
      distributions, namely, relatively disordered conformers (CaM(D), high charge
      states) and more tightly folded proteins (CaM(F), low charge states). Calcium
      titration experiments on isolated CaM reveal that the transition from apo-CaM(D)
      to Ca(4).CaM(F) proceeds with apparent K(d) values of 10, 14, 30, and 12 microM.
      In the presence of Mel, a gradual [Ca(2+)] increase results in an overall
      population shift from apo-CaM(D) to Ca(4).CaM(F).Mel. This transition involves
      various intermediates, Ca(n).CaM(F).Mel with n = 0, ..., 3, as well as apo
      CaM(D).Mel. Thus, neither the binding of four Ca(2+) nor the existence of a
      tightly folded CaM conformation is a prerequisite for target binding. Millisecond
      time-resolved ESI-MS experiments were conducted to monitor the response of a
      premixed CaM-Mel solution to a calcium concentration jump, thereby mimicking the
      conditions encountered in a cellular signaling context. The resulting data
      suggest that the formation of Ca(4).CaM(F).Mel proceeds along three parallel
      kinetic pathways: (1) metal binding to CaM(D) followed by formation of a compact
      protein-target complex, (2) folding of the apoprotein, then target binding,
      followed by metal complexation, (3) target binding to apo-CaM(D) followed by
      sequential metal binding. The exact structural properties of the various metal
      unsaturated CaM species, as well as their physiological roles, remain to be
      elucidated.

PMID- 20307070
TI  - Regulation of phenylalanine hydroxylase: conformational changes upon
      phenylalanine binding detected by hydrogen/deuterium exchange and mass
      spectrometry.
AB  - Phenylalanine acts as an allosteric activator of the tetrahydropterin-dependent
      enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase. Hydrogen/deuterium exchange monitored by mass
      spectrometry has been used to gain insight into local conformational changes
      accompanying activation of rat phenylalanine hydroxylase by phenylalanine.
      Peptides in the regulatory and catalytic domains that lie in the interface
      between these two domains show large increases in the extent of deuterium
      incorporation from solvent in the presence of phenylalanine. In contrast, the
      effects of phenylalanine on the exchange kinetics of a mutant enzyme lacking the
      regulatory domain are limited to peptides surrounding the binding site for the
      amino acid substrate. These results support a model in which the N-terminus of
      the protein acts as an inhibitory peptide, with phenylalanine binding causing a
      conformational change in the regulatory domain that alters the interaction
      between the catalytic and regulatory domains.

PMID- 20307072
TI  - Royal jelly proteome comparison between A. mellifera ligustica and A. cerana
      cerana.
AB  - In this study, we compared royal jelly (RJ) produced by Apis mellifera ligustica
      and Apis cerana cerana in production, protein profiles, and abundances using
      proteomic approaches. The RJ proteome was displayed using two-dimensional gel
      electrophoresis (2DGE), and proteins were identified using MALDI-TOF MS and LC
      Chip/ESI-QTOF MS. Differences in the RJ proteome between the two bee species were
      validated using western-blot analysis. RJ production by A. cerana cerana (3.21 +/
      0.43 g) is significantly lower than that of A. mellifera ligustica (80.5 +/-
      7.83 g). The 2DGE based MS approach identified 52 and 60 proteins in the RJ of A.
      mellifera ligustica and A. cerana cerana, respectively. The majority of the
      identified proteins were major royal jelly proteins (MRJPs). Peroxiredoxin 2540,
      glutathione S-transferase S1, and MRJP5 were detected only in the RJ of A.
      mellifera ligustica, and MRJP1 was the most abundant MRJP. In contrast, MRJP7 was
      found only in the RJ of A. cerana cerana. But, similar to A. mellifera ligustica,
      MRJP1 was found most abundantly in this case too. In this study, glucose oxidase
      was identified for the first time in the A. cerana cerana RJ. Comparing the
      protein levels of MRJP1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 between the two species, they were
      significantly higher in the RJ of A. mellifera ligustica than in A. cerana
      cerana. This observation was supported by Western blot analysis using anti-MRJP1,
      2, 3 antibodies. The result suggested that A. mellifera ligustica needs more
      nutrition to nurse the developing larvae and queens as compared to that of A.
      cerana cerana. This study improved our understanding of protein composition of RJ
      from Western and Eastern honeybees. RJ produced by A. mellifera ligustica exceeds
      the RJ from A. cerana cerana both in terms of production and health purposes.

PMID- 20307073
TI  - Lithium cuprate coupling reactions: evaluation of computational methods for
      determination of the reaction mechanisms.
AB  - Several computational methods were evaluated for determining the gas-phase
      reaction mechanisms of lithium dimethylcuprate and dimethylcuprate anion with
      chloromethane and vinyl chloride. These methods include the B3LYP and M06 density
      functional theory (DFT) methods, the unscaled and spin-component-scaled Moller
      Plesset perturbation theory (MP2, SCS-MP2, and SCSC-MP2), CCSD, and CCSD(T). The
      reaction of interest is an oxidative addition of the alkyl or vinyl halide to the
      Cu(I) species, resulting in a Cu(III) intermediate, which undergoes reductive
      elimination with coupling of the two alkyl fragments. Three possible oxidative
      addition pathways were examined, a concerted addition to Cu(I), an S(N)2-like
      reaction of Cu on the alkyl halide, and a radical mechanism. A concerted
      reductive elimination step was also investigated.

PMID- 20307074
TI  - Molecular dynamics simulation of 8-oxoguanine containing DNA fragments reveals
      altered hydration and ion binding patterns.
AB  - We present results of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of a double-stranded
      DNA fragment of sequence 5'-d(CGCGAGTTCGCG)-3' and 3'-d(GCGCTCAAGCGC)-5' in its
      native form and altered with guanine in the G6/C19 base pair replaced by 8
      oxoguanine (8oxoG). DNA was simulated in solution with Na(+) counterions and
      explicit water molecules. Trajectories were analyzed for radial distribution
      functions (RDFs), spatial distribution functions (SDFs), residence times, and
      occupancies, for both water and ions. Structural parameters of DNA fragments were
      also considered. Particularly, we report sensible differences in the statistical
      and dynamical behavior of water and ions between the healthy and lesion
      containing models. Structural features such as sugar-phosphate backbone torsion
      angles also significantly differ. We conclude that 8oxoG noticeably modifies its
      close environment and that the observed changes in the vicinity of the lesion
      site might help the enzymes in charge of cleansing 8oxoG from human DNA to locate
      the aberration in its intrahelical context. This work supports the existence of a
      determinant early recognition mode of 8oxoG for hOGG1.

PMID- 20307075
TI  - Oxidation of atomic gold ions: thermochemistry for the activation of O(2) and
      N(2)O BY Au(+) ((1)S(0) and (3)D).
AB  - Reaction of Au(+) ((1)S(0) and (3)D) with O(2) and N(2)O is studied as a function
      of kinetic energy using guided ion beam tandem mass spectrometry. A flow tube ion
      source produces Au(+) primarily in its (1)S(0) (5d(10)) electronic ground state
      level but with some (3)D and perhaps higher lying excited states. The
      distribution of states can be altered by adding N(2)O, which completely quenches
      the excited states, or CH(4) to the flow gases. Cross sections as a function of
      kinetic energy are measured for both neutral reagents and both ground and excited
      states of Au(+). Formation of AuO(+) is common to both systems with the N(2)O
      system also exhibiting AuN(2)(+) and AuNO(+) formation. All reactions of Au(+)
      ((1)S(0)) are observed to be endothermic, whereas the excitation energy available
      to the (3)D state allows some reactions to be exothermic. Because of the closed
      shell character of ground state Au(+) ((1)S(0), 5d(10)), the reactivity of these
      systems is low and has cross sections with onsets and peaks at higher energies
      than expected from the known thermochemistry but lower than energies expected
      from impulsive processes. Analyses of the endothermic reaction cross sections
      yield the 0 K bond dissociation energy (BDE) in eV of D(0)(Au(+)-O) = 1.12 +/-
      0.08, D(0)(Au(+)-N(2)) >= 0.30 +/- 0.04, and D(0)(Au(+)-NO) = 0.89 +/- 0.17,
      values that are all speculative because of the unusual experimental behavior.
      Combining the AuO(+) BDE measured here with literature data also yields the
      ionization energy of AuO as 10.38 +/- 0.23 eV. Quantum chemical calculations show
      reasonable agreement with the experimental bond energies and provide the
      electronic structures of these species.

PMID- 20307076
TI  - Detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 using gold nanoparticle labeling and
      inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.
AB  - O157:H7 is a serotype of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) and one of the
      major causes of food-borne illness. Protection of food safety against bacterial
      contamination and rapid diagnosis of infection require simple and fast assays for
      detection of bacterial pathogens, including E. coli O157:H7. We describe here a
      rapid and sensitive assay for the E. coli O157:H7 bacteria by using antibody
      affinity binding, gold nanoparticle (Au NP) labeling, and inductively coupled
      plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) detection. Taking advantage of the signal
      amplification property of Au NPs and the high sensitivity of ICPMS, the assay was
      able to detect as few as 500 E. coli O157:H7 cells in 1 mL of sample (500
      CFU/mL). Tests with nonpathogenic E. coli (DH5alpha, AlphaTauCC35218, and
      ATCC25922) showed high specificity of the assay for E. coli O157:H7. Each assay
      was completed within 40 min. Demonstration of this assay for E. coli O157:H7
      suggests its potential for detecting a variety of bacterial pathogens.

PMID- 20307077
TI  - Jacaranone-derived glucosidic esters from Jacaranda glabra and their activity
      against Plasmodium falciparum.
AB  - In a survey of plants from Ecuador with antiprotozoal activity, Jacaranda glabra
      was found to show promising activity against the Plasmodium falciparum K1 strain.
      Subsequently, activity-guided isolation of the dichloromethane extract from the
      leaves of J. glabra afforded four new phenylethanoid glucosides containing
      jacaranone-type moieties (1-4), named jacaglabrosides A-D. Their chemical
      structures were identified using NMR spectroscopy and MS techniques. The
      compounds were found to be active in vitro against the P. falciparum K1 strain
      (IC(50) 1, 1.02; 2, 0.56; 3, 0.56; and 4, 0.55 microg/mL) and generally possessed
      a low cytotoxicity toward L-6 cells, with the exception of compound 1 (IC(50) 1,
      8.3; 2, >90; 3, 87; and 4, 85 microg/mL).

PMID- 20307078
TI  - Synthesis, properties, and bishomoaromaticity of the first tetrahalogenated
      derivative of a 1, 5-diphosphadithiatetrazocine: a combined experimental and
      computational investigation.
AB  - The first example of a tetrahalogenated derivative of a
      diphosphadithiatetrazocine, 1,5-Cl(2)P(NSN)(2)PCl(2) (3), was synthesized by
      cyclocondensation of a 2:1 mixture of SCl(2) and SO(2)Cl(2) with
      Cl(2)P(NSiMe(3))N(SiMe(3))(2) in CH(2)Cl(2). The heterocycle 3 was isolated as an
      orange, moisture-sensitive, thermally labile solid and characterized by mass
      spectrometry, (31)P NMR, and UV-visible spectroscopy. The low-field (31)P NMR
      chemical shift (93.7 ppm) is indicative of a cross-ring S-S interaction in the
      eight-membered P(2)N(4)S(2) ring, and this conclusion is supported by density
      functional computations. Compound 3 exhibits unusual physical properties compared
      with those of the known tetraalkyl or aryl derivatives; mild heating (90 degrees
      C) produces an orange rubbery material. The bishomoaromatic character of the
      diphosphadithiatetrazocine 1,5-R(2)P(NSN)(2)PR(2) (R = Me, Cl, F) is evinced by
      the negative nucleus-independent chemical shift (NICS) values, and the through
      space bishomoconjugation in the eight-membered ring decreases with increasing
      electronegativity of the substituents attached to the P atoms.

PMID- 20307080
TI  - Magnetic and conducting properties of new halide-bridged mixed-valence Cu(I)
      Cu(II) 1D coordination polymers including a hexamethylene dithiocarbamate ligand.
AB  - New mixed-valence Cu(I)-Cu(II) coordination polymers with one-dimensional,
      infinite-chain structures, [Cu(I)(2)Cu(II)X(2)(Hm-dtc)(2)(CH(3)CN)(2)](n) [Hm
      dtc(-) = hexamethylene dithiocarbamate; X = Br(-) (1), I(-) (2)], have been
      prepared and structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction. These complexes
      consist of a mononuclear copper(II) unit Cu(II)(Hm-dtc)(2) and dinuclear
      copper(I) units Cu(I)(2)(CH(3)CN)(2)X(2). Magnetic studies have revealed that
      these complexes have a relatively strong antiferromagnetic interaction [J = -26.9
      cm(-1) (1) and J = -22.2 cm(-1) (2)] between the unpaired electrons of the Cu(II)
      ions through the dinuclear copper(I) halide unit of Cu(I)(2)X(2) in the chain.
      The electrical properties of 1 and 2 are investigated using an impedance
      spectroscopy technique, and it is revealed that these complexes exhibit
      intriguing semiconducting properties with small activation energies [E(a) = 0.562
      eV (1) and E(a) = 0.479 eV (2)].

PMID- 20307081
TI  - Distribution of nutrients and antinutrients in milled fractions of chickpea and
      horse gram: seed coat phenolics and their distinct modes of enzyme inhibition.
AB  - Milled fractions of chickpea ( Cicer arietinum L.) and horse gram ( Macrotyloma
      uniflorum L. Verdc.) were evaluated for their nutritional and antinutritional
      characteristics. Crude protein content of these fractions ranged from 22.6-23.8 g
      100(-1) g in cotyledon to 7.3-9.1 g 100(-1) g in seed coat fractions. The fat
      content of chickpea fractions (1.6-7.8 g 100(-1) g) was higher than that of horse
      gram fractions (0.6-2.6 g 100(-1) g). Crude fiber content was higher in seed coat
      fractions of both legumes than embryonic axe and cotyledon fractions. Seed coat
      fractions had high dietary fiber content (28.2-36.4 g 100(-1) g), made up of
      mainly insoluble dietary fiber. Most of the phytic acid and oligosaccharides were
      located in the cotyledon fractions, whereas phenolic compounds in higher
      concentrations were found in seed coats. Significantly higher concentrations of
      proteinaceous and phenolic inhibitors of digestive enzymes were found in
      cotyledon and seed coat fractions, respectively. The kinetic studies, using
      Michaelis-Menten and Lineweaver-Burk derivations, revealed that seed coat
      phenolics inhibit alpha-amylase activity by mixed noncompetitive (chickpea) and
      noncompetitive (horse gram) inhibition mechanisms. In the case of trypsin,
      chickpea and horse gram seed coat phenolics showed noncompetitive and
      uncompetitive modes of inhibition, respectively. These results suggest the wide
      variability in the nutrient and antinutrient composition in different milled
      fractions of legumes and potential utility of these fractions as ingredients in
      functional food product development.

PMID- 20307079
TI  - Polyvalent oligonucleotide iron oxide nanoparticle "click" conjugates.
AB  - We have utilized the copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne reaction to form a dense
      monolayer of oligonucleotides on a superparamagnetic nanoparticle core. These
      particles exhibit the canonical properties of materials densely functionalized
      with DNA, which can be controlled by modulating the density of oligonucleotides
      on the surface of the particles. Furthermore, like their Au analogues, these
      particles can easily cross HeLa (cervical cancer) cell membranes without
      transfection agents due to their dense DNA shell. Importantly, this approach
      should be generalizable to other azide-functionalized particles.

PMID- 20307082
TI  - Glyphosate affects seed composition in glyphosate-resistant soybean.
AB  - The cultivation of glyphosate-resistant (GR) soybeans has continuously increased
      worldwide in recent years mainly due to the importance of glyphosate in current
      weed management systems. However, not much has been done to understand eventual
      effects of glyphosate application on GR soybean physiology, especially those
      related to seed composition with potential effects on human health. Two
      experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of glyphosate application on
      GR soybeans compared with its near-isogenic non-GR parental lines. Results of the
      first experiment showed that glyphosate application resulted in significant
      decreases in shoot nutrient concentrations, photosynthetic parameters, and
      biomass production. Similar trends were observed for the second experiment,
      although glyphosate application significantly altered seed nutrient
      concentrations and polyunsaturated fatty acid percentages. Glyphosate resulted in
      significant decreases in polyunsaturated linoleic acid (18:2n-6) (2.3% decrease)
      and linolenic acid (18:3n-3) (9.6% decrease) and a significant increase in
      monounsaturated fatty acids 17:1n-7 (30.3% increase) and 18:1n-7 (25% increase).
      The combined observations of decreased photosynthetic parameters and low nutrient
      availability in glyphosate-treated plants may explain potential adverse effects
      of glyphosate in GR soybeans.

PMID- 20307084
TI  - Enantioselective ProPhenol-catalyzed addition of 1,3-diynes to aldehydes to
      generate synthetically versatile building blocks and diyne natural products.
AB  - A highly enantioselective method for the catalytic addition of terminal 1,3
      diynes to aldehydes was developed using our dinuclear zinc ProPhenol (1) system.
      Furthermore, triphenylphosphine oxide was found to interact synergistically with
      the catalyst to substantially enhance the chiral recognition. The generality of
      this catalytic transformation was demonstrated with aryl, alpha,beta-unsaturated
      and saturated aldehydes, of which the latter were previously limited in alkynyl
      zinc additions. The chiral diynol products are also versatile building blocks
      that can be readily elaborated; this was illustrated through highly selective
      trans-hydrosilylations, which enabled the synthesis of a beta-hydroxyketone and
      enyne. Additionally, the development of this method allowed for the rapid total
      syntheses of several biologically important diynol-containing natural products.

PMID- 20307085
TI  - Plasmonic nanobubbles as transient vapor nanobubbles generated around plasmonic
      nanoparticles.
AB  - We have used short laser pulses to generate transient vapor nanobubbles around
      plasmonic nanoparticles. The photothermal, mechanical, and optical properties of
      such bubbles were found to be different from those of plasmonic nanoparticle and
      vapor bubbles, as well. This phenomenon was considered as a new complex
      nanosystem-plasmonic nanobubble (PNB). Mechanical and optical scattering
      properties of PNB depended upon the nanoparticle surface and heat capacity,
      clusterization state, and the optical pulse length. The generation of the PNB
      required much higher laser pulse fluence thresholds than the explosive boiling
      level and was characterized by the relatively high lower threshold of the minimal
      size (lifetime) of PNB. Optical scattering by PNB and its diameter (measured as
      the lifetime) has been varied with the fluence of laser pulse, and this has
      demonstrated the tunable nature of PNB.

PMID- 20307086
TI  - Lactonecembranoids from Croton laevigatus.
AB  - Six new cembranoids, laevigatlactones A-F (1-6), and the known compound
      neocrotocembraneic acid (7) were isolated from leaves of Croton laevigatus. Their
      structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, and that of 1
      was confirmed by X-ray crystallography. Compound 2 exhibited modest cytotoxicity
      against HeLa cells, with an IC(50) value of 38.4 microM.

PMID- 20307089
TI  - Shape-controlled synthesis of single-crystalline palladium nanocrystals.
AB  - A versatile method for selectively synthesizing single-crystalline rhombic
      dodecahedral, cubic, and octahedral palladium nanocrystals, as well as their
      derivatives with varying degrees of edge- and corner-truncation, was reported for
      the first time. This is also the first report regarding the synthesis of rhombic
      dodecahedral palladium nanocrystals. All the nanocrystals were readily
      synthesized by a seed-mediated method with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as
      surfactant, KI as additive, and ascorbic acid as reductant. At the same ascorbic
      acid concentration, a series of palladium nanocrystals with varying shapes were
      obtained through manipulation of the concentration of KI and the reaction
      temperature. The formation of different palladium facets were correlated with
      their growth conditions. In the absence of KI, the 100 palladium facets are
      favored. In the presence of KI, the concentration of KI and the reaction
      temperature play an important role on the formation of different palladium
      facets. The 110 palladium facets are favored at relatively high temperatures and
      medium KI concentrations. The 111 palladium facets are favored at relatively low
      temperatures and medium KI concentrations. The 100 palladium facets are favored
      at either very low or relatively high KI concentrations. These correlations were
      explained in terms of surface-energy and growth kinetics. These results provide a
      basis for gaining mechanistic insights into the growth of well-faceted metal
      nanostructures.

PMID- 20307087
TI  - Study on the constituents of Mexican propolis and their cytotoxic activity
      against PANC-1 human pancreatic cancer cells.
AB  - Three new flavonoids, (2R,3R)-3,5-dihydroxy-7-methoxyflavanone 3-(2
      methyl)butyrate (1), (7''R)-8-[1-(4'-hydroxy-3'-methoxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1
      yl]chrysin (2), and (7''R)-8-[1-(4'-hydroxy-3'-methoxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1
      yl]galangin (3), together with 41 known compounds (4-44) were isolated from a
      methanolic extract of Mexican propolis. Compounds 2 and 3 are unique natural
      flavones containing a 1-phenylallyl moiety. The in vitro preferential
      cytotoxicity of all the isolates was evaluated against a PANC-1 human pancreatic
      cell line. Compound 3 displayed the most potent preferential cytotoxicity (PC(50)
      4.6 microM) in the nutrient-deprived medium (NDM) and triggered apoptosis-like
      morphological changes in PANC-1 cells.

PMID- 20307090
TI  - An Organocatalyzed enantioselective synthesis of (2S,3R,4S)-4-hydroxyisoleucine
      and its stereoisomers.
AB  - A concise enantioselective total synthesis of (2S,3R,4S)-4-hydroxyisoleucine and
      its stereoisomers is described. A key feature of this protocol is a catalytic
      enantioselective mannich reaction that is either anti- or syn-selective as
      genesis of chirality.

PMID- 20307091
TI  - Effect of the electron donor/acceptor orientation on the fluorescence
      transduction efficiency of the d-PET effect of carbazole-based fluorescent
      boronic acid sensors.
AB  - We have synthesized three new carbazole-based fluorescent boronic acid sensors to
      investigate the fluorescence transduction efficiency of the novel d-PET effect,
      in which the fluorophore acts as the electron donor and the protonated
      amine/boronic acid group as the electron acceptor of the photoinduced electron
      transfer process (PET). Aryl ethynyl groups are attached at the 3,6-position of
      carbazole (aryl = 4-dimethylaminophenyl for sensor 1 or phenyl for sensor 2).
      Sensor 3 is without 3,6-substitutions. The phenylboronic acid moiety is attached
      at the 9-position (N-atom) of the carbazole in these sensors. We found that 1 and
      3 are d-PET sensors (fluorophore as the electron donor, supported by DFT/TDDFT
      calculations), which show diminished emission at acidic pH but intensified
      emission at neutral/basic pH, which is in stark contrast to the normal a-PET
      (fluorophore as the electron acceptor) sensors, e.g., 2, which shows intensified
      emission at acidic pH but diminished emission at neutral pH. The fluorescence
      modulation efficiency of the d-PET effect of the new sensors, i.e., the emission
      intensity enhancement upon switching from acidic pH to neutral pH, is up to 10
      fold, which is greatly improved compared to our previous d-PET sensors (ca. 3
      fold). The efficient d-PET effect of the new sensors is attributed to the proper
      orientation of the electron donor/acceptor; i.e., the dipole moment and the
      transition moment (the direction of PET) of the new sensors are oriented in the
      same direction, and the dipole moment values of the new sensors along the vector
      direction of the PET are larger than that of the reported d-PET sensors.
      Selective recognition of alpha-hydroxyl carboxylic acids, such as tartaric acid,
      was achieved with the d-PET sensors, and a novel fluorescence transduction
      profile of enhancement/diminishment for chemoselectivity was observed. Herein we
      propose that the orientation of the electron donor/acceptor may significantly
      affect the fluorescence modulation efficiency of the PET effect; this discovery
      will be important for the future design of PET sensors with improved fluorescence
      transduction efficiencies.

PMID- 20307092
TI  - Asymmetric intramolecular aldol reactions of substituted 1,7-dicarbonylic
      compounds. A mechanistic study.
AB  - The diastereo- and enantioselectivity obtained experimentally by List on the
      proline-catalyzed intramolecular aldol reaction of substituted 1,7-dicarbonylic
      compounds was accurately predicted using density functional theory methods at the
      B3LYP/6-31++G** level. A polarizable continuum model was used to describe solvent
      effects. The theoretical data agree in good extension with List's experimental
      results, both in enantioselectivity and diastereoselectivity, and allow for the
      confirmation of our previous rationalization of the main factors contributing to
      the reaction selectivity. While the enantioselectivity results from an important
      electrostatic contact between the forming alkoxyde group and the proline moiety,
      the calculated diasteroselectivity results from several steric contacts that can
      be established between the different substituents and from their relative
      orientation in respect to the ring conformation. However, for dialdehydes that
      can originate two diastereomeric enamine intermediates, the proline attack and
      the immonium formation steps can also be of major importance in the
      rationalization of the final reaction selectivity, as is the case in two of the
      six studied systems. The obtained data allows for a full rationalization of the
      known experimental systems as well as for the extrapolation to new ones with
      variable substitution at the carbonylic chain.

PMID- 20307093
TI  - New triterpenoids and other constituents from a special microbial-fermented tea
      Fuzhuan brick tea.
AB  - Fuzhuan brick tea, a special microbial-fermented tea prepared from the leaves of
      Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, is a traditional beverage used in China
      throughout history. Phytochemical investigation of this material led to the
      identification of three new triterpenoids, 3beta,6alpha,13beta-trihydroxyolean-7
      one (1), 3beta-acetoxy-6alpha,13beta-dihydroxyolean-7-one (2), and 3beta-O-(8
      hydroxyoctanoyl)-12-oleanene (3), together with 11 known compounds, friedelin
      (4), beta-amyrone (5), beta-amyrin (6), alpha-spinasterone (7), alpha-spinasterol
      (8), 22,23-dihydro-alpha-spinasterone (9), 22,23-dihydro-alpha-spinasterol (10),
      alpha-phytol (11), alpha-tocopherol (12), alpha-tocoquinone (13), and caffeine
      (14). The structures of 1-13 were determined by spectroscopic and chemical
      methods. Compounds 1 and 2 are the first two examples of triterpenoids possessing
      a 6-hydroxy-7-one function. All of the compounds, except 6, 8, 10, 11, and 14,
      were isolated from tea and Camellia spp. for the first time. The antibacterial
      activities of 1 were assessed against some enteric pathogenic microbes. Compound
      1 showed no cytotoxic activity against A-549, Bel-7402, and HCT-8 cell lines.

PMID- 20307094
TI  - Development of a direct procedure for the measurement of sulfur isotope
      variability in beers by MC-ICP-MS.
AB  - In this work, a multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (MC
      ICP-MS) was evaluated for the direct measurement of sulfur stable isotope ratios
      in beers as a first step toward a general study of the natural isotope
      variability of sulfur in foods and beverages. Sample preparation consisted of a
      simple dilution of the beers with 1% (v/v) HNO(3). It was observed that different
      sulfur isotope ratios were obtained for different dilutions of the same sample
      indicating that matrix effects affected differently the transmission of the
      sulfur ions at masses 32, 33, and 34 in the mass spectrometer. Correction for
      mass bias related matrix effects was evaluated using silicon internal
      standardization. For that purpose, silicon isotopes at masses 29 and 30 were
      included in the sulfur cup configuration and the natural silicon content in beers
      used for internal mass bias correction. It was observed that matrix effects on
      differential ion transmission could be corrected adequately using silicon
      internal standardization. The natural isotope variability of sulfur has been
      evaluated by measuring 26 different beer brands. Measured delta(34)S values
      ranged from -0.2 to 13.8 per thousand. Typical combined standard uncertainties of
      the measured delta(34)S values were < or = 2 per thousand. The method has
      therefore great potential to study sulfur isotope variability in foods and
      beverages.

PMID- 20307095
TI  - Cloning, expression, and characterization of a thioredoxin reductase cDNA from
      Taiwanofungus camphorata.
AB  - A cDNA encoding putative thioredoxin reductase (TR) was identified from a
      medicinal mushroom, Taiwanofungus camphorata (T. camphorata). Alignment of the
      deduced amino acid sequence with TRs from other organisms showed high levels of
      identity (59-74%). A three-dimensional (3-D) homology structure was created for
      this TR. Functional T. camphorata TR (TcTR) was overexpressed in yeast and
      purified. The purified enzyme showed a monomic form on a 10% sodium dodecyl
      sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The enzyme's half-life of
      deactivation at 60 degrees C was 12.9 min, and its thermal inactivation rate
      constant K(d) was 5.37 x 10(-2) min(-1). The optimal pH for the enzyme was pH 8
      and retained about 76% activity in the presence of 0.1 M imidazole. The enzyme
      showed 50% activity after 10 min of incubation at 37 degrees C with chymotrypsin.
      The Michaelis constant (K(m)) value for dithionitrobenzoate (DTNB) was 1.59 mM.

PMID- 20307096
TI  - Polymeric micelles with ionic cores containing biodegradable cross-links for
      delivery of chemotherapeutic agents.
AB  - Novel functional polymeric nanocarriers with ionic cores containing biodegradable
      cross-links were developed for delivery of chemotherapeutic agents. Block ionomer
      complexes (BIC) of poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(methacylic acid) (PEO-b-PMA) and
      divalent metal cations (Ca(2+)) were utilized as templates. Disulfide bonds were
      introduced into the ionic cores by using cystamine as a biodegradable cross
      linker. The resulting cross-linked micelles with disulfide bonds represented
      soft, hydrogel-like nanospheres and demonstrated a time-dependent degradation in
      the conditions mimicking the intracellular reducing environment. The ionic
      character of the cores allowed to achieve a very high level of doxorubicin (DOX)
      loading (50% w/w) into the cross-linked micelles. DOX-loaded degradable cross
      linked micelles exhibited more potent cytotoxicity against human A2780 ovarian
      carcinoma cells as compared to micellar formulations without disulfide linkages.
      These novel biodegradable cross-linked micelles are expected to be attractive
      candidates for delivery of anticancer drugs.

PMID- 20307097
TI  - Covalently attached, silver-doped poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel films on poly(l
      lactic acid).
AB  - Covalently attached, soft poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel films containing
      silver particles were prepared on solid biodegradable poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA)
      samples by a multistep procedure involving oxygen plasma treatment, UV-initiated
      graft polymerization, and chemical grafting methods. The modification steps were
      followed and verified using attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy and
      X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. 2-Hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) was graft
      polymerized from the surface of oxygen plasma-treated PLLA film samples and the
      alcohol functionality in the grafted polyHEMA chains was oxidized using
      pyridinium dichromate to obtain an aldehyde-rich surface. PVA was then grafted
      onto this surface using acid catalysis (acetal formation). The "freeze/thaw
      method" was used to form a PVA hydrogel layer that incorporated the covalently
      grafted PVA chains in the physically cross-linked gel. This composite film (PLLA
      PVA(gel)) was doped with silver ions, which were reduced to silver using NaBH(4).
      Scanning electron microscopy of cross sections of PLLA-PVA(gel) indicates robust
      attachment of the PVA hydrogel layer to the PLLA film. PLLA-PVA(gel/Ag(0)) film
      samples exhibit both antibacterial and reduced cell adhesion properties due to
      the antibacterial properties of silver nanoparticles and high water content,
      respectively. This method provides a route to mechanically sound biodegradable
      materials with tunable soft material surface properties. Potential applications
      in tissue engineering and biomedical devices are envisioned.

PMID- 20307098
TI  - Proteome and flavonoid analysis reveals distinct responses of epidermal tissue
      and whole leaves upon UV-B radiation of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) seedlings.
AB  - We describe here the effect of UV-B irradiation on the proteome and flavonoid
      content of the barley seedling leaf epidermis and mesophyll. Flavonoid analysis
      was performed using UPLC-PDA/-MS. The major flavonoid molecule responding to UV-B
      radiation was saponarin, and this accumulated in the epidermis, but not in the
      mesophyll. Changes in protein expression were determined using two-dimensional
      gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and identified 11 responsive proteins (seven up
      regulated and two down-regulated in the epidermis; and one up- and one down
      regulated in the mesophyll). A label-free LC-MS/MS(E) approach was applied for a
      subset of samples consisting of epidermis tissue and was able to detect a further
      15 (11 up-regulated and four down-regulated) proteins. Most of the proteins with
      changed expression pattern after UV-B treatment were involved in initial
      responses characteristic for oxidative stress. Others were primary metabolism
      proteins involved in the supply of precursors for secondary metabolites. A
      separate analysis of epidermis and mesophyll tissue is important to give a
      spatially resolved picture of the response to UV-B treatment. The label-free LC
      MS/MS(E) approach is complementary to the more conventional two-dimensional gel
      electrophoresis, as there was no overlap between the spectra of proteins
      identified by the two techniques.

PMID- 20307099
TI  - Solid-state (17)O NMR and computational studies of C-nitrosoarene compounds.
AB  - We report the first solid-state (17)O NMR determination of the (17)O quadrupole
      coupling (QC) tensor and chemical shift (CS) tensor for four (17)O-labeled C
      nitrosoarene compounds: p-[(17)O]nitroso-N,N-dimethylaniline ([(17)O]NODMA),
      SnCl(2)(CH(3))(2)([(17)O]NODMA)(2), ZnCl(2)([(17)O]NODMA)(2), and
      [(17)O]NODMA.HCl. The (17)O quadrupole coupling constants (C(Q)) observed in
      these C-nitrosoarene compounds are on the order of 10-15 MHz, among the largest
      values found to date for organic compounds. The (17)O CS tensor in these
      compounds exhibits remarkable sensitivity toward the nitroso bonding scheme with
      the chemical shift anisotropy (delta(11) - delta(33)) ranging from just 350 ppm
      in [(17)O]NODMA.HCl to over 2800 ppm in [(17)O]NODMA. This latter value is among
      the largest (17)O chemical shift anisotropies reported in the literature. These
      extremely anisotropic (17)O NMR interactions make C-nitrosoarene compounds
      excellent test cases that allow us to assess the detection limit of solid-state
      (17)O NMR. Our results suggest that, at 21.14 T, solid-state (17)O NMR should be
      applicable to all oxygen-containing organic functional groups. We also show that
      density functional theory (DFT) calculations can reproduce reasonably well the
      experimental (17)O QC and CS tensors for these challenging molecules. By
      combining quantum chemical calculations with experimental solid-state (17)O NMR
      results, we are able to determine the (17)O QC and CS tensor orientations in the
      molecular frame of reference for C-nitrosoarenes. We present a detailed analysis
      illustrating how magnetic field-induced mixing between individual molecular
      orbitals (MOs) contributes to the (17)O shielding tensor in C-nitrosoarene
      compounds. We also perform a Townes-Dailey analysis for the observed (17)O QC
      tensors and show that (17)O CS and QC tensors are intrinsically related through
      the pi bond order of the N horizontal lineO bond. Furthermore, we are able for
      the first time to examine the parallelism between individual (17)O and (15)N CS
      tensor components in C-nitrosoarenes.

PMID- 20307100
TI  - Encapsulation of a radiolabeled cluster inside a fullerene cage, (177)Lu(x)Lu((3
      x))N@C(80): an interleukin-13-conjugated radiolabeled metallofullerene platform.
AB  - In this communication, we describe the successful encapsulation of (177)Lu into
      the endohedral metallofullerene (177)Lu(x)Lu(3-x)N@C(80) (x = 1-3) starting with
      (177)LuCl(3) in a modified quartz Kraschmer-Huffman electric generator. We
      demonstrate that the (177)Lu (beta-emitter) in this fullerene cage is not
      significantly released for a period of up to at least one-half-life (6.7 days).
      We also demonstrate that this agent can be conjugated with an interleukin-13
      peptide that is designed to target an overexpressed receptor in glioblastoma
      multiforme tumors. This nanoparticle delivery platform provides flexibility for a
      wide range of radiotherapeutic and radiodiagnostic multimodal applications.

PMID- 20307103
TI  - Sustainability through nanotechnology.

PMID- 20307102
TI  - Thermodynamic changes in mechanochemically synthesized magnesium hydride
      nanoparticles.
AB  - The thermodynamic properties of magnesium hydride nanoparticles have been
      investigated by hydrogen decomposition pressure measurements using the Sieverts
      technique. A mechanochemical method was used to synthesize MgH(2) nanoparticles
      (down to approximately 7 nm in size) embedded in a LiCl salt matrix. In
      comparison to bulk MgH(2), the mechanochemically produced MgH(2) with the
      smallest particle size showed a small but measurable decrease in the
      decomposition reaction enthalpy (DeltaH decrease of 2.84 kJ/mol H(2) from
      DeltaH(bulk) = 74.06 +/- 0.42 kJ/mol H(2) to DeltaH(nano) = 71.22 +/- 0.49 kJ/mol
      H(2)). The reduction in DeltaH matches theoretical predictions and was also
      coupled with a similar reduction in reaction entropy (DeltaS decrease of 3.8
      J/mol H(2)/K from DeltaS(bulk) = 133.4 +/- 0.7 J/mol H(2)/K to DeltaS(nano) =
      129.6 +/- 0.8 J/mol H(2)/K). The thermodynamic changes in the MgH(2) nanoparticle
      system correspond to a drop in the 1 bar hydrogen equilibrium temperature (T(1
      bar)) by approximately 6 degrees C to 276.2 +/- 2.4 degrees C in contrast to the
      bulk MgH(2) system at 281.8 +/- 2.2 degrees C. The reduction in the desorption
      temperature is less than that expected from theoretical studies due to the
      decrease in DeltaS that acts to partially counteract the effect from the change
      in DeltaH.

PMID- 20307105
TI  - Forster resonance energy transfer in dye-sensitized solar cells.
AB  - It appears that the efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) has reached
      a ceiling due to the limited absorption spectrum of currently available dyes. To
      achieve new record efficiencies, light absorption must be extended into the near
      infrared region of the spectrum without sacrificing performance in the visible
      region. No single dye has this ability, but there is greater strength in numbers.
      Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) may be used to link two or more
      materials to provide strong absorption across a broad portion of the solar
      spectrum. This process has been shown to be effective and efficient, and a recent
      breakthrough in FRET-enhanced DSSCs is presented in this issue. This Perspective
      explores the background of this topic and considers directions for future
      development.

PMID- 20307107
TI  - Development and validation of the College Life Alcohol Salience Scale: a measure
      of beliefs about the role of alcohol in college life.
AB  - This article reports the development and validation of the College Life Alcohol
      Salience Scale (CLASS), which assesses college students' beliefs about the
      centrality of alcohol to the college experience. Developed using procedures
      designed to increase its ecological validity, the CLASS was administered to three
      samples of college students (total N = 571). Its unidimensional factor structure
      was first established via exploratory factor analysis and parallel analysis on
      one sample and then verified via confirmatory factor analysis on a separate
      sample. Scores on the CLASS were predictably related to a nomological network of
      drinking and personality variables and it provided incremental validity in
      accounting for drinking frequency and amount, when added to drinking motive
      scores. The importance of assessing and developing interventions to target the
      types of beliefs measured by the CLASS is discussed.

PMID- 20307106
TI  - Activation of aortic endothelial cells by oxidized phospholipids: a
      phosphoproteomic analysis.
AB  - Previous studies have shown that oxidized products of the phospholipid PAPC (Ox
      PAPC) are strong activators of aortic endothelial cells and play an important
      role in atherosclerosis and other inflammatory diseases. We and others have
      demonstrated that Ox-PAPC activates specific signaling pathways and regulates a
      large number of genes. Using a phosphoproteomic approach based on phosphopeptide
      enrichment and mass spectrometry analysis, we identified candidate changes in Ox
      PAPC-induced protein phosphorylation of 228 proteins. Functional annotation of
      these proteins showed an enrichment of the regulation of cytoskeleton, junctional
      components, and tyrosine kinases, all of which may contribute to the phenotypic
      and molecular changes observed in endothelial cells treated with Ox-PAPC. Many
      changes in protein phosphorylation induced by Ox-PAPC are reported here for the
      first time and provide new insights into the mechanism of activation by oxidized
      lipids, including phosphorylation-based signal transduction.

PMID- 20307108
TI  - Explicit and implicit measures of expectancy and related alcohol cognitions: a
      meta-analytic comparison.
AB  - Implicit measures assess the influence of past experience on present behavior in
      the absence of respondents' awareness of that influence. Application of implicit
      measurement to expectancy and related alcohol cognition research has helped
      elucidate the links between alcohol-related experiences, the functioning of
      alcohol-related memory, and alcohol-related behavior. Despite these advances, a
      coherent picture of the role of implicit measurement has been difficult to
      achieve because of the diversity of implicit measures used. Two central questions
      have emerged: Do implicit measures assess a distinct aspect of the alcohol
      associative memory domain not accessible via explicit measurement; when compared
      with explicit measurement, do they offer unique prediction of alcohol
      consumption? To address these questions, the authors conducted a meta-analysis of
      studies using both implicit and explicit measures of alcohol expectancy and other
      types of alcohol-related cognition. Results indicate that implicit and explicit
      measures are weakly related, and although they predict some shared variance in
      drinking, each also contributes a unique component. Results are discussed in the
      context of the theoretical distinction made between the 2 types of measures.

PMID- 20307110
TI  - What is the latent structure of alcohol use disorders? A taxometric analysis of
      the Personality Assessment Inventory Alcohol Problems Scale in male and female
      prison inmates.
AB  - Three indicators derived from the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) Alcohol
      Problems scale (ALC)-tolerance/high consumption, loss of control, and negative
      social and psychological consequences-were subjected to taxometric analysis-mean
      above minus below a cut (MAMBAC), maximum covariance (MAXCOV), and latent mode
      factor analysis (L-Mode)-in 1,374 federal prison inmates (905 males, 469
      females). Whereas the total sample yielded ambiguous results, the male subsample
      produced dimensional results, and the female subsample produced taxonic results.
      Interpreting these findings in light of previous taxometric research on alcohol
      abuse and dependence it is speculated that while alcohol use disorders may be
      taxonic in female offenders, they are probably both taxonic and dimensional in
      male offenders. Two models of male alcohol use disorder in males are considered,
      one in which the diagnostic features are categorical and the severity of
      symptomatology is dimensional, and one in which some diagnostic features (e.g.,
      withdrawal) are taxonic and other features (e.g., social problems) are
      dimensional.

PMID- 20307111
TI  - A longitudinal analysis of drinking motives moderating the negative affect
      drinking association among college students.
AB  - We examined among college students (N = 530; 276 women) the moderating effects of
      avoidance (coping) and appetitive (social-enhancement) drinking motives on the
      within-person associations between anxious and depressive affect and drinking
      frequency and quantity. Once per year for up to 4 years participants completed
      standard measures of drinking motives and retrospective reports of affect and
      drinking in the previous month. In addition, each year they completed a 30-day
      daily diary of affect and drinking. Results from models examining both the
      retrospective and aggregate daily data indicated that individuals with high
      compared with low social-enhancement motives showed stronger positive
      associations among changes in monthly negative affect and drinking frequency.
      Weak evidence was found for the predicted moderating effects of coping motives,
      although some results indicated that its effects were contingent on levels of
      social-enhancement motives. Our findings suggest that appetitive drinking motives
      might play an integral role in stress- and negative-affect related drinking among
      college students.

PMID- 20307113
TI  - Nicotine dependence subtypes among adolescent smokers: examining the occurrence,
      development and validity of distinct symptom profiles.
AB  - To increase understanding of the etiology and epidemiology of nicotine dependence
      among adolescent smokers, the present study examined the occurrence and
      development of distinct nicotine dependence symptom profiles in a sample of
      adolescent smokers. A total of 25 secondary schools throughout the Netherlands
      participated in a 1-year longitudinal study. Multiple dimensions of nicotine
      dependence were assessed, at two time points, among 641 adolescents (aged 14-17
      years) who were classified as smokers. Results showed 4 distinct, yet stable,
      nicotine dependence subtypes that could be characterized by quantitative as well
      as qualitative differences. The symptom profiles were similar for males and
      females but differentially associated with previously identified correlates of
      nicotine dependence, namely parental smoking, peer smoking, and depressive mood.
      Finally, differential links of the 4 subtypes were found with regard to smoking
      uptake and cessation. The finding of qualitative different subgroups of
      adolescent smokers may have important implications for intervention efforts
      regarding nicotine dependence and smoking cessation. Such efforts may need to be
      tailored to the specific subgroups' needs.

PMID- 20307112
TI  - Does adolescent alcohol and marijuana use predict suppressed growth in
      psychosocial maturity among male juvenile offenders?
AB  - Multiple theories suggest mechanisms by which the use of alcohol and drugs during
      adolescence could dampen growth in psychosocial maturity. However, scant
      empirical evidence exists to support this proposition. The current study tested
      whether alcohol and marijuana use predicted suppressed growth in psychosocial
      maturity among a sample of male serious juvenile offenders (n = 1,170) who were
      followed from ages 15 to 21 years. Alcohol and marijuana use prospectively
      predicted lower maturity 6 months later. Moreover, boys with the greatest
      increases in marijuana use showed the smallest increases in psychosocial
      maturity. Finally, heterogeneity in the form of age-related alcohol and marijuana
      trajectories was related to growth in maturity, such that only boys who decreased
      their alcohol and marijuana use significantly increased in psychosocial maturity.
      Taken together, these findings suggest that patterns of elevated alcohol and
      marijuana use in adolescence may suppress age-typical growth in psychosocial
      maturity from adolescence to young adulthood, but that effects are not
      necessarily permanent, because decreasing use is associated with increases in
      maturity.

PMID- 20307114
TI  - Outcome expectancies and gambling behavior among urban adolescents.
AB  - This project sought to identify adolescent outcome expectancies for gambling and
      to evaluate their relation to gambling behavior among a sample of urban
      adolescents. In a preliminary study, 50 outcome expectancies were identified on
      the basis of a literature review or generated after surveying 35 urban high
      school students. These expectancies were then administered to 1,076 urban high
      school students. Rates of at-risk and problem gambling were 14.6% and 12.7%,
      respectively. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed on
      randomly selected halves of the sample and identified 5 expectancy domains. In a
      structural equation model, material gain, negative affect, and positive self
      evaluation displayed significant positive relations, and negative social
      consequences and parent disapproval displayed significant negative relations, to
      gambling behavior. The model explained 48% of the variance in gambling problems
      and 58% of the variance in gambling frequency. These results demonstrate the
      salience of gambling-related cognitions in understanding the gambling behavior
      among these at-risk youth and suggest that expectancies may be important
      prevention targets for this population.

PMID- 20307115
TI  - Using the theory of planned behavior to predict gambling behavior.
AB  - Gambling is an important public health concern. To better understand gambling
      behavior, we conducted a classroom-based survey that assessed the role of the
      theory of planned behavior (TPB; i.e., intentions, subjective norms, perceived
      behavioral control, and attitudes) in past-year gambling and gambling frequency
      among college students. Results from this research support the utility of the TPB
      to explain gambling behavior in this population. Specifically, in TPB models to
      predict gambling behavior, friend and family subjective norms and perceived
      behavioral control predicted past-year gambling, and friend and family subjective
      norms, attitudes, and perceived behavioral control predicted gambling frequency.
      Intention to gamble mediated these relationships. These findings suggest that
      college-based responsible gambling efforts should consider targeting
      misperceptions of approval regarding gambling behavior (i.e., subjective norms),
      personal approval of gambling behavior (i.e., attitudes), and perceived
      behavioral control to better manage gambling behavior in various situations.
      (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

PMID- 20307116
TI  - Associations between family structure, family functioning, and substance use
      among Hispanic/Latino adolescents.
AB  - This study examined the role of family structure and functioning in predicting
      substance use among Hispanic/Latino adolescents, surveyed in 9th and 10th grade.
      The sample (N = 1433) was half female, mostly of Mexican descent, and the
      majority was born in the United States. Living with a single father was
      associated with less parental monitoring and less family cohesion (gamma = -0.07,
      -0.06, respectively). Living with a single mother was associated with less
      parental monitoring (gamma = -0.10). Living with neither parent was associated
      with less communication (gamma = -0.08), less parental monitoring (gamma = 
      0.09), more family conflict (gamma = 0.06), and less family cohesion (gamma = 
      0.06). Less monitoring was associated with substance use at follow-up (beta = 
      0.17). Low rates of parental monitoring appear to mediate the association between
      parental family structure and substance use. Results suggest that improving basic
      parenting skills and offering additional social support and resources to assist
      parents in monitoring adolescents may help prevent substance use. These
      interventions may be particularly beneficial for single parents.

PMID- 20307119
TI  - Self-injury, substance use, and associated risk factors in a multi-campus
      probability sample of college students.
AB  - This research examined two questions: (1) What is the prevalence of self
      injurious behavior (SIB) among college students, overall and by gender, academic
      level, and sexual orientation? (2) To what extent is SIB associated with
      different forms of substance use and other risk behaviors? A probability sample
      of 5,689 students completed an Internet survey on self-injury, mental health, and
      substance use. Past-year prevalence of SIB was 14.3%, with undergraduates
      significantly more likely than graduate students to engage in SIB. Drug use and
      frequent binge drinking were associated with higher rates of SIB. Among those who
      engaged in any SIB, those who used drugs had higher depression scores, higher
      prevalence of cigarette smoking, and higher rates of binge eating. In a multiple
      logistic regression model predicting SIB, depression, cigarette smoking,
      gambling, and drug use were significant predictors. Information about those at
      risk for SIB is critical for the design of prevention and intervention efforts as
      colleges continue to grapple with risky behaviors.

PMID- 20307117
TI  - Relationships over time between mental health symptoms and transmission risk
      among persons living with HIV.
AB  - Relationships between mental health symptoms (anxiety and depression) or a
      positive state of mind and behavior associated with HIV transmission (substance
      use and risky sexual behavior) were explored in a longitudinal study of persons
      living with HIV (PLH; N = 936) who were participants in a transmission-prevention
      trial. Bivariate longitudinal regressions were used to estimate the correlations
      between mental health symptoms and HIV-related transmission acts for 3 time
      frames: at the baseline interview, over 25 months, and from assessment to
      assessment. At baseline, mental health symptoms were associated with transmission
      acts. Elevated levels of mental health symptoms at baseline were associated with
      decreasing alcohol or marijuana use over 25 months. Over 25 months, an
      increasingly positive state of mind was associated with decreasing alcohol or
      marijuana use; an increasingly positive state of mind in the immediate
      intervention condition and increasing depressive symptoms in the lagged condition
      were related to increasing risky sexual behavior. Our findings suggest that
      mental health symptoms precede a decrease in substance use and challenge self
      medication theories. Changes in mental health symptoms and sexual behavior occur
      more in tandem.

PMID- 20307120
TI  - Mood and personality-based models of substance use.
AB  - Mood and personality-based vulnerabilities have been extensively examined in
      patients with substance use disorders, but their relevance as models of etiology
      remains to be fully investigated. The present investigation examined mood and
      personality-based models of substance use in a nonclinical sample of young
      adults. Two-hundred and twelve individuals were assessed for personality and
      clinical characteristics and participated in computerized ambulatory monitoring
      of mood states and substance use over a 1-week period. Personality factors were
      strong predictors of substance use frequency over the previous 30 days, as well
      as of substance use in daily life using ambulatory monitoring. A linear increase
      was also observed in the intensity of novelty seeking and antisocial personality
      traits as a function of the social deviance of substances used. However, mood
      disorder history was related only to the use of illicit drugs other than
      cannabis, and fluctuations in mood states did not prospectively predict daily use
      of substances in a manner consistent with self-medication. Moreover, there was
      little evidence that personality characteristics moderated relations between mood
      states and substance use in daily life. The relevance of results for mood and
      personality models of substance use etiology is discussed.

PMID- 20307121
TI  - Validation of a contemplation ladder in an adult substance use disorder sample.
AB  - Developing brief measures of motivation to abstain from substance use that
      reliably predict treatment retention and outcome is a high priority in the
      addiction field. This study examined the psychometric properties of a
      contemplation ladder designed to assess readiness to abstain from alcohol and
      drug use respectively, on the basis of the contemplation ladder for smoking
      cessation developed by Biener and Abrams (1991). Participants were 394 substance
      using male and female welfare recipients referred for treatment. The combined
      alcohol and other drug (AOD) ladder showed discriminant validity with demographic
      and health characteristics, convergent validity with conceptually related
      treatment motivation variables, concurrent validity with baseline AOD treatment
      and substance use variables, and predictive validity for participation in
      treatment services up to 1 month later and abstinence outcomes up to 1 year
      later. The AOD ladder showed predictive validity for those in drug-free treatment
      and no treatment at baseline but not for those in methadone maintenance.

PMID- 20307122
TI  - Action identification of drinking and self-control.
AB  - A number of investigators have proposed that self-control over addictive
      behaviors may be influenced by the way individuals mentally represent their
      actions. Previous research based on questionnaires has suggested that those who
      report higher-level identifications of their alcohol use behavior may exhibit
      more difficulty controlling their alcohol use (Wegner, Vallacher, & Dizadji,
      1989). However, it is unclear whether this association is because of
      characteristic ways of mentally representing specific drinking events or the fact
      that those who have more impaired control consume more alcohol and drink across a
      broader array of situations. The current study sought to address this question by
      examining the association between impaired control over alcohol and action
      identification of drinking behavior in a structured laboratory drinking task.
      Ninety-one young adult hazardous drinkers (21-35 years) completed the Impaired
      Control Over Alcohol Scale (Heather, Tebbut, Mattick, & Zamir, 1993) and an
      alcohol consumption task. Participants then completed a Likert scale measure to
      assess action identification of their drinking behavior. Results showed that
      those who reported greater impaired control over alcohol experienced the drinking
      task at higher-level action identification even when accounting for alcohol
      consumption variables. These findings are consistent with the view that higher
      level identification of alcohol use behavior may hinder self-control (Wegner et
      al., 1989), and that self-management approaches may be enhanced through
      strategies to address mental representation of action.

PMID- 20307123
TI  - Distractibility moderates the relation between automatic alcohol motivation and
      drinking behavior.
AB  - Research suggests that alcohol use is influenced by (a) the strength of automatic
      motivational responses to alcohol cues and (b) individual differences in self
      control. The current study was designed to examine whether the self-control skill
      of inhibiting response to distracting stimuli would moderate the relation between
      automatic alcohol motivation and alcohol use. Eighty-seven hazardous drinkers
      completed baseline measures of automatic alcohol motivation and trait self
      control and reported their drinking at a follow-up session 6 weeks later.
      Regression analyses demonstrated an interaction such that greater distractibility
      strengthens a positive relation between alcohol use and automatic alcohol
      motivation. These results contribute to a growing body of work indicating that
      self-control resources may help to inhibit the influence of automatic processes
      on alcohol behavior.

PMID- 20307124
TI  - Testing the incentive-sensitization theory with at-risk drinkers: wanting,
      liking, and alcohol consumption.
AB  - Motivational models of addiction typically propose that alcohol and drugs are
      desired because of their hedonic effects (i.e., increasing pleasure or reducing
      distress). In contrast, the incentive-sensitization theory proposes that wanting
      motivation and liking motivation are separable and that after repeated substance
      use, motivation shifts from liking to wanting. Using a sample of 85 at-risk
      drinkers (as defined by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism),
      in the current study we examined the separability of liking motivation and
      wanting motivation for alcohol and whether years of drinking experience was
      associated with an increased role for wanting motivation and a decreased role for
      liking motivation. Consumption was measured with a free-drinking task. Wanting
      motivation was assessed immediately before drinking, and liking was assessed
      immediately after drinking had begun. The results indicated that (a) wanting
      motivation predicted variance of consumption unique from that accounted for by
      liking motivation, (b) longer drinking experience was associated with a decreased
      relation between liking motivation and consumption, and (c) longer drinking
      experience was not associated with an increased relation between wanting
      motivation and consumption. The results provide partial support for the incentive
      sensitization theory.

PMID- 20307125
TI  - Frequency and correlates of diary-measured hangoverlike experiences in a college
      sample.
AB  - A sample of college students, oversampled for smoking (N = 127, 43% smokers),
      monitored their daily experiences using electronic diaries over 14 days. We
      examined the frequency and correlates of liberally defined hangoverlike
      experiences (HLEs) using data from 1,595 person-days (1,325 after abstention from
      drinking and 270 after drinking, including 125 HLEs). More than 40% of the sample
      reported at least one HLE, and nearly half of all drinking episodes were followed
      by HLE. Endorsement of HLE was more likely as the number of drinks increased and
      was associated with modest elevations of hangover symptoms. Gender did not
      predict rates of overall HLE endorsement, but male students were less likely than
      female students to report an HLE after a drinking episode and showed a weaker
      relation between number of drinks and HLE. Smokers were more likely to report
      HLE, but there was no evidence that smoking status was associated with increased
      HLE susceptibility. Self-reported parental alcohol problems were associated with
      more frequent HLE and incrementally predicted HLE endorsement when number of
      drinks was covaried. The findings suggest that HLE is a common outcome of college
      drinking and attest to the feasibility of using electronic diaries to assess its
      episode- and person-level correlates.

PMID- 20307126
TI  - A brief image-based prevention intervention for adolescents.
AB  - The authors evaluated the efficacy of a brief image-based prevention intervention
      and assessed current drug use as a moderator of intervention effects. In a
      clinical trial, 416 high school-age adolescents were randomized to either the
      brief intervention or usual care control, with data collected at baseline and 3
      month follow-up. The brief intervention consisted of a tailored in-person
      communication and a series of parent/guardian print materials based on the
      behavior-image model. Health behavior goal setting increased for participants
      receiving the brief intervention, with an effect size in the small range (d =
      0.33). Overall effect sizes for cigarette smoking frequency and quantity and
      alcohol use frequency and quantity were small (ds = 0.16-0.21) and in favor of
      the brief intervention. However, adolescents reporting current substance use who
      received the brief intervention reduced their frequency and heavy use of alcohol,
      frequency and quantity of cigarette smoking, and reported fewer alcohol/drug
      problems, with larger effects ranging from small to approaching medium in size
      (ds = 0.32-0.43, ps < .01). This study suggests that brief image-based messages
      may increase health behavior goal setting and reduce substance use, particularly
      among drug-using older adolescents.

PMID- 20307127
TI  - Shifting closeness: interpersonal effects of personal goal progress.
AB  - In this article, we examine how the shifting motivational priority of personal
      goals affects relationship closeness. We hypothesize that people will draw closer
      to significant others who are instrumental (vs. noninstrumental) for a goal that
      has not been progressing well-a goal that is thus high in motivational priority.
      Once the goal has progressed successfully, we predict that people will cease to
      draw closer to instrumental others. Five studies support these predictions by
      showing that the impact of goal progress on reduced preference for instrumental
      others (Experiment 1) depends on the framing of progress as partial attainment
      (vs. greater commitment, Experiment 2) and the intention to balance across goals
      (vs. focus on one goal; Experiments 3-4). We find that moving away from
      instrumental others post progress is functional, in that it allows for drawing
      closer to those who are instrumental for alternative goals (Experiment 5).

PMID- 20307128
TI  - Yes, but what's the mechanism? (don't expect an easy answer).
AB  - Psychologists increasingly recommend experimental analysis of mediation. This is
      a step in the right direction because mediation analyses based on nonexperimental
      data are likely to be biased and because experiments, in principle, provide a
      sound basis for causal inference. But even experiments cannot overcome certain
      threats to inference that arise chiefly or exclusively in the context of
      mediation analysis-threats that have received little attention in psychology. The
      authors describe 3 of these threats and suggest ways to improve the exposition
      and design of mediation tests. Their conclusion is that inference about mediators
      is far more difficult than previous research suggests and is best tackled by an
      experimental research program that is specifically designed to address the
      challenges of mediation analysis.

PMID- 20307129
TI  - Increasing or decreasing interest in activities: the role of regulatory fit.
AB  - What makes people's interest in doing an activity increase or decrease?
      Regulatory fit theory (E. T. Higgins, 2000) provides a new perspective on this
      classic issue by emphasizing the relation between people's activity orientation,
      such as thinking of an activity as fun, and the manner of activity engagement
      that the surrounding situation supports. These situational factors include
      whether a reward for good performance, expected (Study 1) or unexpected (Study
      2), is experienced as enjoyable or as serious and whether the free-choice period
      that measures interest in the activity is experienced as enjoyable or as serious
      (Study 3). Studies 1-3 found that participants were more likely to do a fun
      activity again when these situational factors supported a manner of doing the
      activity that fit the fun orientation-a reward or free-choice period framed as
      enjoyable. This effect was not because interest in doing an activity again is
      simply greater in an enjoyable than a serious surrounding situation because it
      did not occur, and even reversed, when the activity orientation was important
      rather than fun, where now a serious manner of engagement provides the fit (Study
      4a and 4b).

PMID- 20307130
TI  - Nostalgia as a repository of social connectedness: the role of attachment-related
      avoidance.
AB  - Individuals who are low (compared with high) in attachment-related avoidance rely
      on social bonds to regulate distress, and the authors hypothesized that nostalgia
      can be a repository of such social connectedness. Studies 1-3 showed a positive
      association between loneliness and nostalgia when attachment-related avoidance
      was low, but not when it was high. Study 4 revealed that low-avoidance
      individuals derived more social connectedness from nostalgia than did high
      avoidance individuals. Study 5 extended these findings and demonstrated that, in
      addition to being a source of social connectedness, nostalgia increased
      participants' perceived capacity to provide emotional support to others. As in
      the case of social connectedness, this beneficial effect of nostalgia was
      significantly stronger when attachment-related avoidance was low (compared with
      high).

PMID- 20307131
TI  - When "negative" behaviors are positive: a contextual analysis of the long-term
      effects of problem-solving behaviors on changes in relationship satisfaction.
AB  - How should partners discuss the problems that arise over the course of their
      intimate relationships? Prior studies have provided inconsistent answers to this
      question, with some suggesting that partners benefit by avoiding negative
      behaviors and others suggesting that partners benefit by engaging in negative
      behaviors. The 2 longitudinal studies of newlyweds described here reconcile these
      inconsistent findings by revealing that direct negative problem-solving behaviors
      interact with the severity of the problems couples face in their relationships to
      account for changes in relationship satisfaction. Whereas spouses' tendencies to
      blame, command, and reject their partners predicted steeper declines in their own
      marital satisfaction when exhibited in the context of relationships facing only
      minor problems, those same behaviors predicted more stable satisfaction in
      relationships facing more severe problems. Subsequent analyses revealed that
      changes in the severity of the problems themselves mediated these effects. By
      contrast, indirect negative communications were associated with stably lower
      levels of satisfaction regardless of problem severity. The current findings join
      others in highlighting the theoretical importance of accounting for the
      relational context when examining the implications of various interpersonal
      processes.

PMID- 20307132
TI  - The schema-driven chameleon: how mimicry affects executive and self-regulatory
      resources.
AB  - The authors propose that behavioral mimicry is guided by schemas that enable
      efficient social coordination. If mimicry is schema driven, then the operation of
      these schemas should be disrupted if partners behave in counternormative ways,
      such as mimicking people they generally would not or vice versa, rendering social
      interaction inefficient and demanding more executive and self-regulatory
      resources. To test this hypothesis, Experiments 1-3 used a resource-depletion
      paradigm in which participants performed a resource-demanding task after
      interacting with a confederate who mimicked them or did not mimic them.
      Experiment 1 demonstrated impaired task performance among participants who were
      not mimicked by a peer. Experiments 2 and 3 replicated this effect and also
      demonstrated a significant reversal in social contexts where mimicry is
      counternormative, suggesting that inefficiency emerges from schema inconsistency,
      not from the absence of mimicry per se. Experiment 4 used a divided attention
      paradigm and found that resources are taxed throughout schema-inconsistent
      interactions. These findings suggest that much-needed resources are preserved
      when the amount of mimicry displayed by interacting individuals adheres to norms,
      whereas resources are depleted when mimicry norms are violated.

PMID- 20307133
TI  - Compassion, pride, and social intuitions of self-other similarity.
AB  - Compassion and pride serve contrasting social functions: Compassion motivates
      care-taking behavior, whereas pride enables the signaling and negotiation of rank
      within social hierarchies. Across 3 studies, compassion was associated with
      increased perceived self-other similarity, particularly to weak or vulnerable
      others. In contrast, pride was associated with an enhanced sense of similarity to
      strong others, and a decreased sense of similarity to weak others. These findings
      were obtained using trait measures (Study 1) and experimental inductions (Studies
      2 and 3) of compassion and pride, examining the sense of similarity to strong or
      weak groups (Studies 1 and 2) and unfamiliar individuals (Study 3). The
      influences of compassion and pride on perceived self-other similarity could not
      be accounted for by positive mood, nor was this effect constrained by the ingroup
      status of the target group or individual. Discussion focuses on the contributions
      these findings make to an understanding of compassion and pride.

PMID- 20307134
TI  - Social support, problem solving, and the longitudinal course of newlywed
      marriage.
AB  - Married couples (N = 172) were observed as newlyweds and observed again 1 year
      later while engaging in 2 problem-solving and 2 personal support discussions.
      Microanalytic coding of these conversations was used to examine associations
      between problem-solving and social support behaviors for 1 year and their
      relative contributions to 10-year trajectories of self-reported relationship
      satisfaction and dissolution. Results demonstrated that initially lower levels of
      positive support behaviors and higher levels of negative support behaviors
      predicted 1-year increases in negative emotion displayed during problem-solving
      conversations. Emotions coded from the initial problem-solving conversations did
      not predict 1-year changes in social support behaviors. Controlling for emotions
      displayed during problem-solving interactions eliminated or reduced associations
      between initial social support behaviors and (a) later levels of satisfaction and
      (b) relationship dissolution. These findings corroborate models that prioritize
      empathy, validation, and caring as key elements in the development of intimacy
      (e.g., Reis & Shaver, 1988) and suggest that deficits in these domains foreshadow
      deterioration in problem solving and conflict management. Implications for
      integrating support and problem solving in models of relationship change are
      outlined, as are implications for incorporating social support in education
      programs for developing relationships.

PMID- 20307135
TI  - Self-esteem development from young adulthood to old age: a cohort-sequential
      longitudinal study.
AB  - The authors examined the development of self-esteem from young adulthood to old
      age. Data came from the Americans' Changing Lives study, which includes 4
      assessments across a 16-year period of a nationally representative sample of
      3,617 individuals aged 25 years to 104 years. Latent growth curve analyses
      indicated that self-esteem follows a quadratic trajectory across the adult life
      span, increasing during young and middle adulthood, reaching a peak at about age
      60 years, and then declining in old age. No cohort differences in the self-esteem
      trajectory were found. Women had lower self-esteem than did men in young
      adulthood, but their trajectories converged in old age. Whites and Blacks had
      similar trajectories in young and middle adulthood, but the self-esteem of Blacks
      declined more sharply in old age than did the self-esteem of Whites. More
      educated individuals had higher self-esteem than did less educated individuals,
      but their trajectories were similar. Moreover, the results suggested that changes
      in socioeconomic status and physical health account for the decline in self
      esteem that occurs in old age.

PMID- 20307136
TI  - A meta-analysis of normal and disordered personality across the life span.
AB  - Debate continues about whether personality, both normal and disordered, can
      change significantly or is mainly stable across the life span. One issue that
      receives little attention is the degree to which personality stability
      coefficients may be influenced by attenuation due to measurement error. The
      current meta-analysis examines the data from recent research on personality
      stability, reporting both uncorrected and corrected stability coefficients.
      Attenuation due to measurement error was found to cause a significant reduction
      in personality stability coefficients, raising the possibility that some studies
      may conflate personality change with measurement error. Overall, corrected
      stability coefficients suggested that the stability of personality across
      adulthood is high, with only modest change. By contrast, personality during
      childhood is significantly more changeable. Both normal personality and
      personality disorders were highly stable across the life span, and patients in
      therapy experienced no more personality change than did nonpatients. Cross
      cultural comparisons suggested relatively similar levels of personality stability
      cross-culturally, although personality stability among people in South Pacific
      nations is slightly lower than among those in the United States, Canada, or
      European nations.

PMID- 20307137
TI  - The letter of recommendation effect in informant ratings of personality.
AB  - In most studies using informant reports of personality, the informants are
      recruited by the targets. Such informants may tend to like the targets and thus
      portray them in specific ways (e.g., too positively). Study 1 (N = 403)
      demonstrated the necessity to distinguish between "liking" and "knowing" in
      studying the relationships between informants and targets. Informants who liked
      their targets better described them more positively (i.e., as being more
      extraverted, agreeable, open, conscientious, and less neurotic). The association
      between personality ratings and liking was moderated by item evaluativeness.
      Liked targets were also described as being more similar to each other (range
      restriction), which would lower correlations of informant ratings of personality
      with external variables. Study 2 (N = 90) used a within-subjects design to
      disentangle actual personality differences between targets (substance) from the
      informants' specific views on the targets (style). Ninety informants were asked
      to nominate targets they did not like. These targets then nominated informants of
      their own choice. Target-nominated informants liked the targets very much and
      described the targets' personalities very positively and in ways that were highly
      redundant with the average target's self-rating. There was evidence that lower
      liking may be associated with better accuracy. Higher subjective levels of
      knowing were not associated with better interrater agreement but with a greater
      willingness to describe targets negatively. Implications for the field of
      recruiting are discussed. Where possible, the choice of informants and referees
      should be made independent of the targets' preferences.

PMID- 20307138
TI  - Hepatic CYP2B6 is altered by genetic, physiologic, and environmental factors but
      plays little role in nicotine metabolism.
AB  - Human cytochrome P4502B6 (CYP2B6) is predominantly expressed in the liver and it
      plays a major role in the metabolism of several therapeutically important drugs
      and environmental toxicants. The objective was twofold: (1) to determine the role
      of genetic, physiological, and environmental factors in predicting hepatic CYP2B6
      protein expression; and (2) to investigate the role of CYP2B6 in nicotine C
      oxidation. Human livers (n = 40) were assessed for CYP2B6 protein and genotype.
      Linear regression analyses indicated that CYP2B6 genotype (10%), gender (14%),
      and exposure to inducers (21%), but not age, were predictors of CYP2B6 protein
      amounts. Livers with at least one CYP2B6*5 or *6 allele were associated with
      lower CYP2B6. Female livers and livers exposed to inducers (phenobarbital and/or
      dexamethasone) were associated with higher CYP2B6. A weak correlation between
      CYP2B6 and nicotine C-oxidation activity was observed, which was abrogated when
      controlling for CYP2A6 protein levels. CYP2B6*6 was not associated with different
      nicotine kinetics. In summary, CYP2B6 protein expression was associated with
      genotype, gender, and exposure to inducers, but not with nicotine C-oxidation
      activity.

PMID- 20307139
TI  - Evaluation of indomethacin and dexamethasone effects on BCRP-mediated drug
      resistance in MCF-7 parental and resistant cell lines.
AB  - Breast cancer resistance protein is a member of the ATP-binding cassette
      transporter G family that extrudes xenotoxins from cells, mediating drug
      resistance, and has been recognized as a major cause of failure of various
      carcinoma chemotherapies. In this study, the modulatory effects of dexamethasone
      and indomethacin on the cell cytotoxicity of mitoxantrone and on the BCRP protein
      activity in breast cancer cell lines were examined. MCF cells were seeded at 1 x
      10(4) cells per well in 96-well flat-bottomed microplates for 48 hours and
      treated with increasing doses of dexamethasone, indomethacin, and novobiocin
      alone or preincubated with increasing doses of the drugs and then coexposed to
      mitoxantrone. Cell viability was measured after 1-4 days, using the MTT assay.
      BCRP activity was determined flow cytometrically by measuring mitoxantrone
      accumulation in the absence and presence of the inhibitor, novobiocin.
      Cotreatment of mitoxantrone with different concentrations of dexamethasone and
      indomethacin sensitized parental and resistant MCF-7 cells to mitoxantrone
      cytotoxicity. Dexamethasone increased the accumulation of mitoxantrone in the MCF
      7/MX cell line, indicating an inhibition of BCRP. In spite of increased levels of
      mitoxantrone cytotoxicity in the presence of indomethacin, the accumulation of
      mitoxantrone was not increased in indomethacin-treated MCF cells.

PMID- 20307140
TI  - Biochemical evaluation of the protective effect of Aegle marmelos (L.), Corr.
      leaf extract on tissue antioxidant defense system and histological changes of
      pancreatic beta-cells in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.
AB  - Oxidative stress is produced under diabetic conditions and is likely involved in
      the progression of pancreatic damage found in diabetes. This study was undertaken
      to evaluate the protective effect of Aegle marmelos leaf extract, a medicinal
      plant, on the tissue antioxidant defense system and lipid peroxidative status in
      streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Ethanol extract of A. marmelos was
      administered orally for 30 days (150 mg/kg body weight/day) to diabetic rats.
      Activity of the three primary scavenger enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase,
      and glutathione peroxidase), levels of glutathione, and lipid peroxidation were
      estimated in plasma and pancreas of diabetic rats and compared to the reference
      drug, glibenclamide (600 microg/kg body weight/day). A significant increase in
      the levels of plasma glucose, vitamin E, ceruloplasmin, lipid peroxides, and a
      concomitant decrease in the levels of vitamin C and reduced glutathione were
      observed in diabetic rats. The activities of antioxidant enzymes were altered in
      diabetic rats. These alterations were reverted back to near normal levels after
      treatment with A. marmelos and glibenclamide. Histopathological studies also
      revealed the protective effect of A. marmelos on pancreatic beta-cells. The
      present study indicates that extract of A. marmelos modulates the activity of
      enzymic and nonenzymic antioxidants and enhances the defense against reactive
      oxygen species-generated damage in diabetic rats.

PMID- 20307141
TI  - Pathology Working Group review and evaluation of proliferative lesions of mammary
      gland tissues in female rats fed ammonium perfluorooctanoate (APFO) in the diet
      for 2 years.
AB  - Perfluorooctanoate (PFO) is a perfluorinated carboxylate that is widely
      distributed in the environment. A 2-year chronic study was conducted in rats fed
      either 30 or 300 ppm of ammonium perfluorooctanoate (APFO). To investigate the
      possible relationship of APFO exposure to proliferative mammary lesions, a
      Pathology Working Group (PWG) review of the original slides was performed. The
      consensus reached by the PWG was that the incidence of mammary-gland neoplasms
      was not affected by chronic dietary administration of APFO. Therefore, feeding
      female rats up to 300 ppm of APFO resulted in no increase in proliferative
      lesions of the mammary tissue.

PMID- 20307142
TI  - Behavioral and morphological endpoints: as an early response to sublethal
      malathion intoxication in the freshwater fish, Labeo rohita.
AB  - A short-term definitive test by the static renewal bioassay method was conducted
      to determine the acute toxicity (LC(50)) of commercial-grade organophosphate
      insecticide, malathion (50% EC) on the freshwater fish, Labeo rohita. Carp
      fingerlings were exposed to different concentrations of malathion for 96 hours.
      The acute toxicity (LC(50)) of malathion was found to be 4.5 microg/L. One tenth
      (1/10, 0.45 microg/L) of the acute toxicity value was selected as the sublethal
      concentration for subacute studies. The fish were exposed to sublethal
      concentration for 1, 5, 10, and 15 days and allowed to recover in toxicant-free
      medium for 15 days. Behavioral responses and morphological deformities were
      studied in the experimental tenures. Fish in toxic media exhibited irregular,
      random, circular swimming movements, hyperexcitability, loss of equilibrium, and
      sinking to the bottom. Caudal bending was the prime morphological malformation.
      The behavioral and morphological deformities were due to inhibition of
      acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. Inhibition of AChE activity results in
      excess accumulation of acetylcholine in cholinergic synapses, leading to
      hyperstimulation and cessation of neuronal transmission (i.e., paralysis). The
      carp were found under stress, but mortality was insignificant at the sublethal
      concentration tested. Impaired behavioral responses and morphological deformities
      were observed during recovery. This may be a consequence due to inhibition of
      brain and muscular AChE by malaoxon, via the biotransformation of sequestered
      malathion.

PMID- 20307143
TI  - Relations between toxicity and altered tissue distribution and urinary excretion
      of nicotine, cotinine, and hydroxycotinine after chronic oral administration of
      nicotine in rats.
AB  - Tissue distribution and urinary excretion of nicotine, cotinine, and
      hydroxycotinine after multiple oral administration of nicotine to rats for 4
      weeks were studied. Physiological change and serum biochemical parameters were
      also measured to check dysfunction of organs. Significant change of glutathione S
      transferase, aspartate aminotransferase, blood urea nitrogen, and physiological
      parameters indicated the toxicity in liver and kidney, at the dose of 5 and 10
      mg/kg/day. Only the concentration and total amount of cotinine, not nicotine or
      hydroxycotinine, in the liver and the kidney showed a proportional dose-dependent
      increase and were highly correlated with toxicity. Saturation of metabolizing
      enzymes for nicotine was estimated by the change of urinary excreted amount ratio
      between nicotine and its metabolites. Metabolizing enzyme to produce cotinine
      from nicotine was saturated after multiple oral dosing for 4 weeks in a low dose
      (1 mg/kg/day), but within 1 week in the dose of 5 and 10 mg/kg/day.

PMID- 20307144
TI  - Chlorophytum borivilianum as potential terminator of free radicals in various in
      vitro oxidation systems.
AB  - Chlorophytum borivilianum is a very popular herb in traditional Indian medicine
      and used as a potent "Rasayana" drug in "Ayurveda" as a rejuvenator. Currently, a
      large body of evidence supports the key role of free radicals in diverse
      pathological conditions such as aging and atherosclerosis. The present
      investigation essentially focuses on the comprehensive account of in vitro
      antioxidant activity exerted by C.borivilianum root extracts (i.e., aqueous and
      ethanolic), to clarify the pharmacological antagonism of chemicals/metals
      mediated oxidation. Graded-dose (25 to 1000 microg/ml) of aqueous extract
      exhibited higher antioxidant potency as evidenced by powerful nitric oxide,
      superoxide, hydroxyl, DPPH and ABTS(*+) radicals scavenging activity along with
      reducing capacity (Fe(3+)/ferricyanide complex and FRAP assays), metal chelating
      ability, as well as markedly suppressed the lipid peroxidation in mitochondrial
      fractions as compared to ethanolic extract. Further, aqueous extract
      significantly decreased (P < 0.05) copper-mediated human serum and kinetics of
      LDL oxidation, as demonstrated by prolongation of lag phase time with decline of
      oxidation rate, conjugated dienes, lipid hydroperoxides and thiobarbituric acid
      reactive substances. In addition, the total polyphenol and flavonoid contents of
      aqueous extract were higher than that of ethanolic extract, which indicated a
      positive correlation between antioxidant activity and contents of total phenols.
      The IC(50) values of both extracts were also compared with appropriate
      antioxidant standards. Overall, aqueous extract of C.borivilianum root has
      significant powerful antioxidant activity and may favorably affect
      atherosclerosis risk status by reducing LDL oxidation susceptibility.

PMID- 20307145
TI  - Structure elucidation and inhibitory effects of self-assembled organotin(IV)
      esters of p-tolyl acetic acid on bacterial, fungal, brine shrimp, and potato
      tumor cells.
AB  - Biologically active new organotin(IV) acetates (1-6) of p-tolyl acetic acid have
      been synthesized and characterized by multinuclear nuclear magnetic resonance
      ((1)H, (13)C) and mass spectrometry. The X-ray crystallographic data of compounds
      (3 and 4) were also collected. These studies show that in diorganotin(IV)
      compounds (compounds 1, 2, 3, and 6), tin exists in skew trapezoidal geometry
      with four strong and two weaker bonds, whereas triorganotin(IV) carboxylates
      (compounds 4 and 5) have four and five coordinated geometries in solution and
      solid form, respectively. These compounds were screened for a range of biological
      activities. Antibacterial activities were determined against six pathogenic
      bacterial strains, three Gram-positive and three Gram-negative; the activities
      were measured in terms of inhibition zones (mm). Antifungal activities were
      determined against six pathogenic fungal strains, cytotoxicity by the brine
      shrimp lethality assay, and antitumor activities by the crown gall tumor
      inhibition (potato disc) assay.

PMID- 20307146
TI  - Assessment of cytotoxic and clastogenic effects of nimesulide: an NSAID drug in
      somatic cells of BALB/c mice in vivo.
AB  - The in vivo genotoxicity of nimesulide, a sulfononilide nonsteroidal anti
      inflammatory drug (NSAID) with anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic
      effects, was evaluated by employing a mouse in vivo chromosomal aberration test
      in bone marrow cells. Oral treatment of animals for 5 consecutive days with 1,
      2.5, 5, and 7.5 mg/kg body weight of the drug resulted in a statistically
      nonsignificant reduction in mitotic index and increase in CAs/cell and percent
      abnormal metaphase. The results indicated that nimesulide does not induce
      cytotoxicity and is a weak clastogen in the bone marrow cells of the mouse in
      vivo. Thus, the drug presents a very weak genotoxic risk.

PMID- 20307147
TI  - Melatonin protection on mercury-exerted brain toxicity in the rat.
AB  - The effect of melatonin on the neurotoxicity induced by mercuric chloride was
      studied. Adult rats were fed orally with two different doses of mercuric chloride
      (2 mg; 4 mg/kg body weight) to evaluate brain toxicity with respect to cerebral
      hemisphere, cerebellum, and medulla oblongata regions for 60 days with or without
      supplementation with melatonin (5 mg/kg body weight) intraperitoneally. The
      results suggest that the graded doses of mercury elicit the depletion of
      enzymatic activities, such as adenosine triphosphatase, succinate dehydrogenase,
      phosphorylase, alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase, altered glycogen, total
      protein, and lipid peroxidation levels in the cerebral hemisphere, cerebellum,
      and medulla oblongata of the brain, thereby affecting their respective functions.
      Blood glucose and mercury levels increased, followed by a reduction in body and
      organ weights. All these effects seemed to be severe in the cerebral hemisphere
      of the brain. Further affected indices were, to some extent, maintained in the
      brain of animals cotreated with melatonin, showing its protective role against
      mercury-exerted neurotoxicity.

PMID- 20307148
TI  - Acute renal failure with acyclovir treatment in a child with leukemia.
AB  - Acyclovir is an effective, frequently used antiviral agent. Adverse effects of
      this drug are well known and are especially seen with high doses and/or
      dehydration. In this article, we report a 6-year-old boy with leukemia with
      nonoliguric acute renal failure in normal hydration status after using acyclovir
      treatment. He had no preexisting renal impairment, and there were no additional
      symptoms. Dimercaptosuccinic acid radionucleid scyntigraphy and other laboratory
      findings revealed impairment of proximal tubule function, in addition to distal
      tubule. We emphasize that renal functions should be monitored carefully during
      treatment with acyclovir, and asymptomatic nephrotoxicity must be kept in mind.

PMID- 20307149
TI  - Evaluation of salidroside in vitro and in vivo genotoxicity.
AB  - It is reported that salidroside, the main component of a traditional Chinese
      medicine, Rhodiola rosea, has the efficacy of protecting Coxsackie virus
      impairment. As part of a safety evaluation on salidroside for use in the
      treatment of viral myocarditis, the present study evaluated potential
      genotoxicity of salidroside by using the standard battery of tests (i.e.,
      bacterial reverse mutation assay, chromosomal aberrations assay, and mouse
      micronucleus assay) recommended by the State Food and Drug Administration of
      China. The results showed that salidroside was not genotoxic under the conditions
      of the reverse mutation assay, chromosomal aberrations assay, and mouse
      micronucleus assay conditions. The anticipated clinical dose seems to be smaller
      than the doses administered in the genotoxicity assays. With confirmation from
      further toxicity studies, salidroside would hopefully prove to be a safe anti
      Coxsackie virus agent.

PMID- 20307150
TI  - Epithelial healing in experimental corneal alkali wounds with nondiluted
      autologous serum eye drops.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of the topical application of nondiluted
      autologous serum on epithelial healing as an adjuvant therapy in rabbit corneal
      alkali wounds. METHODS: Central corneal alkali wounds were produced on the right
      eye of 16 rabbits, by a 60-second application of a 6-mm round filter paper soaked
      in 1 N sodium hydroxide (NaOH). One group of rabbits (n=8) was treated with non
      diluted autologous serum, the other control group (n=8) was treated with
      physiologic saline, topically 4 times a day. The epithelial healing of the wounds
      was followed on a slit lamp with and without fluorescein staining daily for 1
      week. On day 7, both corneas of each rabbit were excised and assessed
      histopathologically. RESULTS: A significant increase in the epithelial healing
      rate was observed in the autologous serum-treated corneas compared with the
      controls. Epithelial hyperplasia was noticed in specimens with thickened surface
      cells with multilayers, revealing disorganization in both groups. The autologous
      serum-treated epithelium showed a relatively well-organized appearance.
      CONCLUSION: Nondiluted autologous serum eye drops could be used as an adjuvant
      therapy for promoting the epithelial healing process during the repair stage of
      corneal alkali wounds.

PMID- 20307151
TI  - The marketing of pharmaceutical agents: friend or foe?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper is to provide a viewpoint regarding the
      marketing of pharmaceutical agents to psychiatrists and examine the results of a
      brief survey of the nature of booths, and gifts they offered, during 2009 RANZCP
      Congress in Adelaide. CONCLUSIONS: The pharmaceutical industry is highly
      organized and scientifically sophisticated. Efforts to influence our prescribing
      are likely to have a proven scientific base and to be responsive to evidence.

PMID- 20307152
TI  - College activities and the ethics of advertising.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this paper is to examine whether advertising in the
      College journals and at RANZCP Congress, in particular from pharmaceutical
      companies, gives rise to a conflict of interests, and to discuss how this should
      be managed. CONCLUSIONS: While advertising will often represent a conflict of
      interests, banning advertising from the College journals or Congress is unlikely
      to the best way to manage this. Conflicts of interest may be better managed by
      development of clear policies on advertisements, broadening the advertising base
      (i.e. beyond pharmaceutical companies), checking the accuracy of advertisements,
      and, in the case of Congress, ceasing sponsored symposia.

PMID- 20307156
TI  - Euphemisms, political correctness and the identity of psychiatrists.

PMID- 20307157
TI  - Post-exam blues.

PMID- 20307158
TI  - The case against case histories.

PMID- 20307163
TI  - Synapse regression in depression: the role of 5-HT receptors in modulating NMDA
      receptor function and synaptic plasticity.
AB  - Depression is accompanied by an increase in activity in the amygdala and a
      decrease in the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC), with the former
      attributed to a failure of the latter to exert its normal inhibitory influence.
      This failure is likely due to regression of synaptic connections between the rACC
      and the amygdala, a process reversed in part by selective serotonin reuptake
      inhibitors (SSRIs). The present work presents a hypothesis as to how SSRIs might
      bring about this process and hence normalization of activity, at least in
      patients that are responsive to SSRIs. Serotonin receptors of the excitatory 5
      HT(2A)R class increase N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) efficacy, while
      those of the inhibitory 5-HT(1A)R class decrease NMDAR efficacy. A decrease of 5
      HT transporter (5-HTT) efficacy, either during human development through
      functional polymorphisms, or in animals through 5-HTT transgenic knockouts, is
      accompanied by a decrease in 5-HT(1A)R and hence an increase in excitability and
      NMDAR efficacy which drives an increase in synaptic spines in the amygdala. As
      the limbic region of the brain normally possesses high levels of 5-HT(1A)R the
      effect of loss of these is to increase excitation in this region, as is observed.
      Changes in the level of extracellular 5-HT in adult animals also modulates the
      density of synaptic spines, with these increasing with an increase in 5-HT,
      possibly as a consequence of increases in 5-HT(2A)R activity over that of 5
      HT(1A)R. Increasing extracellular levels of 5-HT with SSRIs would then lead to an
      increase in excitability and in synaptic spines for afferents in the dorsal
      rostral anterior cingulate cortex but not in the ventral regions such as the
      amygdala that have few 5-HT(2A)R. This allows dorsal regions to once more exert
      their inhibitory influence over ventral regions. In this way, SSRIs may exert
      their effect in normalizing dorsal hypometabolism and ventral hypermetabolism in
      those suffering from depression.

PMID- 20307164
TI  - The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale in Te Rau Hinengaro: the New Zealand
      Mental Health Survey.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to compare two versions of the
      Kessler 10-item scale (K10), as measures of population mental health status in
      New Zealand. METHOD: A nationwide household survey of residents aged > or = 16
      years was carried out between 2003 and 2004. The World Mental Health Composite
      International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 3.0) was used to obtain DSM-IV
      diagnoses. Serious mental illness (SMI) was defined as for the World Mental
      Health Surveys Initiative and the USA National Comorbidity Survey Replication.
      Participants were randomly assigned to receive the 'past month' K10 or the 'worst
      month in the past 12 months' K10. There were 12 992 completed interviews; 7435
      included the K10. The overall response rate was 73.3%. Receiver operator
      characteristic (ROC) curves were used to examine the ability of both K10 versions
      to discriminate between CIDI 3.0 cases and non-cases, and to predict SMI.
      RESULTS: Scores on both versions of the K10 were higher for female subjects,
      younger people, people with fewer educational qualifications, people with lower
      household income and people resident in more socioeconomically deprived areas.
      Both versions of the K10 were effective in discriminating between CIDI 3.0 cases
      and non-cases for anxiety disorder, mood disorders and any study disorder. The
      worst month in the past 12 months K10 is a more effective predictor than the past
      1 month K10 of SMI (area under the curve: 0.89 vs 0.80). CONCLUSIONS: Either
      version of the K10 could be used in repeated health surveys to monitor the mental
      health status of the New Zealand population and to derive proxy prevalence
      estimates for SMI. The worst month in the past 12 months K10 may be the preferred
      version in such surveys, because it is a better predictor of SMI than the past
      month K10 and also has a more logical relationship to 12 month disorder and 12
      month service use.

PMID- 20307165
TI  - Psychopathology and symptom remission at adolescence among children with
      attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to examine changes of attention
      deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and psychiatric comorbidities at
      adolescence, and mother-child agreement on reports of ADHD symptoms among
      children with ADHD as compared to unaffected controls. METHODS: The participants
      included 93 patients (male, 82.8%) aged 11-16, who were clinically diagnosed with
      ADHD at the mean age of 7.3 +/- 2.8 years, and 93 age-, sex-, and parental
      education-matched school controls. The participants and their mothers were first
      interviewed separately for baseline psychopathology at childhood, followed by
      current psychopathology using the Chinese Kiddie Epidemiologic version of the
      Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia. RESULTS: At adolescence, 46
      patients (49.5%) met full DSM-IV ADHD criteria, 31 (33.3%) had subthreshold ADHD,
      and 16 (17.2%) had recovered from ADHD. We found a significant progressive
      decline in the three ADHD core symptoms for the ADHD group: hyperactivity had the
      greatest effect size, followed by inattention, and then impulsivity. Children
      with ADHD tended to report less severe ADHD symptoms at childhood and adolescence
      than their mothers. They were more likely than the controls to have oppositional
      defiant disorder (odds ratio (OR)=18.0; 95% confidence interval (CI)=8.3-38.9),
      conduct disorder (OR=23.1, 95%CI =5.3-100.2), mood disorders (OR=3.8, 95%CI = 1.5
      9.4), bipolar disorders (Fisher's exact p < 0.001), and sleep disorders (OR=3.1,
      95%CI = 1.6-6.0) at adolescence. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings are similar to
      those of Western studies, regarding the patterns of comorbidity, stability of
      core symptoms, and mother-child differences on symptom reports.

PMID- 20307166
TI  - Cigarette smoking and psychosis: naturalistic follow up 4 years after an
      intervention trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Cigarette smoking is very common among people with a psychotic
      disorder and is often not addressed by clinicians. Additionally, few studies have
      evaluated smoking interventions among this group. The present study reports
      findings from a naturalistic follow up 4 years after a smoking intervention
      trial. METHOD: Longer-term smoking, symptomatology and functioning were examined
      among 247 participants (recruited in Sydney and Newcastle, Australia) who
      initially attended a 1 year follow up of an eight-session individually
      administered trial for regular smokers with a psychotic disorder. Variables
      profiled included continuous and point prevalence abstinence rates, smoking
      reduction status (no reduction, < 50%, > or = 50%, or abstinence) and changes in
      anxiety, depression and current functioning. RESULTS: Two-thirds of those who
      completed the 1 year assessment were followed up at 4 years (164/247, 66.4%), of
      whom 79.2% reported maintenance or improvement in their smoking reduction status
      relative to 1 year. Abstinence at 1 year was significantly associated with 4 year
      point prevalence abstinence. Lengthy periods of abstinence were also evident
      among those reporting 4 year point prevalence abstinence or at least a 50%
      reduction. No baseline or intervention status variables predicted smoking status
      at 4 years. Symptomatology and functioning also improved between baseline and 4
      years. CONCLUSIONS: Smokers with a psychotic disorder are capable of long-term
      change. It is recommended that clinicians address and monitor smoking during
      treatment of people with psychosis, emphasizing potential lifestyle and harm
      reduction benefits, with a view to eventual smoking cessation.

PMID- 20307167
TI  - Comparison of the prevalence of mental health problems in deaf and hearing
      children and adolescents in Australia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aims of the present study were to (i) identify the prevalence rate
      and nature of mental health problems in a group of Australian deaf children and
      adolescents and compare these to those reported for the Australian hearing
      population; and (ii) identify specific demographic characteristics that may
      typify deaf children and adolescents with mental health problems. METHOD: Sixty
      six parents of deaf children and adolescents aged 6-18 years, their teachers and
      38 adolescents participated in the study. Data related to mental health problems
      were collected using the Child Behaviour Checklist and Youth Self-Report. Data
      related to demographic characteristics were obtained via parent and teacher
      surveys. RESULTS: The overall prevalence rate of mental health problems reported
      by parents and adolescents in the present study is comparable to that of the
      Australian hearing population. Parents in the present study, however, reported
      significantly more concerns on the social problem and thought problem scales than
      did Australian parents of hearing children and adolescents. There were also
      significant differences between the prevalence and nature of mental health
      problems as reported by the deaf adolescents in the present study when compared
      to deaf adolescents in another Australian study. These differences appear to be
      explained by differences in the preferred communication mode of the participants
      in the two studies. CONCLUSIONS: The known heterogeneity within the Australian
      deaf child and adolescent population with respect to preferred mode of
      communication has important implications not only for the appropriate selection
      and use of psychiatric instruments in assessing child and adolescent mental
      health but also for the accurate reporting of the prevalence and nature of mental
      health problems within this population.

PMID- 20307168
TI  - Recent declines in Australian male suicide are real, not artefactual.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to clarify the extent to which the
      recorded marked decline in young male suicide (20-34 years) in Australia since
      1998 is attributable to misclassification of cause of death information. METHODS:
      Secular trends in young male suicide rates were investigated for the period 1976
      2005. Suicide rates in the period after the peak of the epidemic in this age
      group (1998) were re-calculated based on published estimates of under-enumeration
      of suicide data, and misclassification of likely suicide cases to other
      unintentional and undetermined external causes. Two misclassification scenarios
      were used to revise young male suicide rates from 1998: previously reported
      estimates of 9% under-enumeration due to misclassification of unintentional
      causes of death, and 17% under-enumeration due to misclassification of open cases
      in addition to unintentional causes of death. All-cause mortality was also
      examined. RESULTS: Recorded male suicide in the 20-34 year age group increased
      over the study period, peaking in 1998 at 39 per 100,000, before declining
      sharply in the period 1999-2005 by 44% to 22 per 100,000 in 2005. Following
      adjustment for misallocation under the first scenario, suicide rates declined 38%
      to 24 per 100,000, and under the second scenario declined 33% to 26 per 100,000.
      Revised suicide rates were not materially different from recorded suicide rates
      based on 95% confidence intervals over this period. All-cause mortality declined
      from 1999 due to reductions in suicide and other causes. CONCLUSION: The recent
      marked decline in young male suicide in Australia is real. The effects of
      misallocation of likely suicide cases to other causes did not substantially
      affect population trends in suicide rates in the period after 1998. There is
      still a need to account in detail for why young male suicide has declined so
      substantially during the period after 1998.

PMID- 20307169
TI  - Executive functions and memory abilities in children with 22q11.2 deletion
      syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Velo-cardio-facial syndrome or 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) is
      the most common known microdeletion syndrome. One of the genes in the deleted
      region is the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene, which is thought to have
      significant effects on cognition through its influence on dopamine metabolism.
      The aim of the present study was to better characterize the cognitive phenotype
      in a large cohort children with 22q11DS compared with sibling controls and to
      investigate if the cognitive deficits in 22q11DS were modulated by COMT
      expression. METHOD: The memory, executive function and attentional abilities of
      children with 22q11DS (n = 50) compared to sibling controls (n = 31), were
      measured. Also, within children with 22q11DS, a preliminary exploration was
      carried out of the relationship between cognitive ability and COMT genotype.
      RESULTS: Overall, the 22q11DS group had significantly reduced scores on tests of
      memory (especially in visual memory) and executive function (particularly in
      planning, working memory, and motor organization) compared with sibling controls.
      No association, however, was identified between COMT genotype and cognitive
      function. CONCLUSIONS: Although 22q11DS children have specific cognitive
      deficits, differences in COMT do not account for these findings.

PMID- 20307170
TI  - Patterns of antipsychotic medication use in Australia 2002-2007.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Atypical antipsychotic medications that are primarily used to treat
      schizophrenia and bipolar disorder cost the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
      AUD$334.4m in 2007. There are indications that they have also been used outside
      the approved indications to treat behavioural disturbances in the elderly. The
      aim of the present study was therefore to examine (i) trends in prescribing of
      subsidized atypical antipsychotic drugs in the Australian population from 2002 to
      2007; and (ii) gender and age differences in the utilization of these drugs.
      METHODS: Government (Medicare Australia) data on numbers of prescriptions,
      quantity and doses for atypical and typical antipsychotics from 2002 to 2007 were
      analysed. Defined daily dose per 1000 population per day were estimated for age
      and sex groups using Australian Bureau of Statistics population data. RESULTS:
      The proportion of prescribed antipsychotics that were atypical increased from 61%
      in 2002 to 77% in 2007. In male subjects, olanzapine was most often prescribed
      between the ages of 25 and 55 years. In female subjects, in contrast, the highest
      rates of prescribing were in those > or = 75 years. Lower doses of these drugs
      were prescribed in older adults. CONCLUSIONS: Atypical antipsychotic drugs were
      most commonly used to treat schizophrenia in younger men and behavioural
      disturbances in older women with dementia. They appear to have been used outside
      of the approved indication for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder with
      significant financial costs to the PBS. Research into the reasons for their
      extensive use in elderly women is needed to inform more rational prescribing of
      these medicines.

PMID- 20307171
TI  - Does socioeconomic inequality explain ethnic differences in nicotine dependence?
      Evidence from a New Zealand birth cohort.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The present study examined the role of socioeconomic status and
      cultural identity in the association between ethnicity and nicotine dependence,
      in a birth cohort of >1000 methods young people studied to age 30. METHODS: Data
      were gathered on ethnicity, cultural identification, nicotine dependence, and
      socioeconomic factors, as part of a longitudinal study of a New Zealand birth
      cohort (the Christchurch Health and Development Study). RESULTS: Those reporting
      Maori identity had rates of nicotine dependence that were significantly higher (p
      < 0.05) than rates for non-Maori. Control for socioeconomic factors reduced the
      associations between ethnic identity and nicotine dependence to statistical non
      significance. In addition, there was no evidence of a statistically significant
      association between Maori cultural identity and nicotine dependence, nor was
      there evidence of gender differences in the association between ethnic identity
      and nicotine dependence, after controlling for socioeconomic factors.
      CONCLUSIONS: The higher rates of nicotine dependence observed among Maori appear
      to be attributable to differences in socioeconomic status. Efforts to improve the
      socioeconomic standing of Maori should therefore help to reduce rates of nicotine
      dependence in this population.

PMID- 20307172
TI  - Vulnerability factors for disaster-induced child post-traumatic stress disorder:
      the case for low family resilience and previous mental illness.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to investigate whether parent report
      of family resilience predicted children's disaster-induced post-traumatic stress
      disorder (PTSD) and general emotional symptoms, independent of a broad range of
      variables including event-related factors, previous child mental illness and
      social connectedness. METHODS: A total of 568 children (mean age = 10.2 years, SD
      = 1.3) who attended public primary schools, were screened 3 months after Cyclone
      Larry devastated the Innisfail region of North Queensland. Measures included
      parent report on the Family Resilience Measure and Strengths and Difficulties
      Questionnaire (SDQ)-emotional subscale and child report on the PTSD Reaction
      Index, measures of event exposure and social connectedness. RESULTS: Sixty-four
      students (11.3%) were in the severe-very severe PTSD category and 53 families
      (28.6%) scored in the poor family resilience range. A lower family resilience
      score was associated with child emotional problems on the SDQ and longer duration
      of previous child mental health difficulties, but not disaster-induced child PTSD
      or child threat perception on either bivariate analysis, or as a main or
      moderator variable on multivariate analysis (main effect: adjusted odds ratio
      (OR(adj)) = 0.57, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.13-2.44). Similarly, previous
      mental illness was not a significant predictor of child PTSD in the multivariate
      model (OR(adj) = 0.75, 95%CI = 0.16-3.61). CONCLUSION: In this post-disaster
      sample children with existing mental health problems and those of low-resilience
      families were not at elevated risk of PTSD. The possibility that the aetiological
      model of disaster-induced child PTSD may differ from usual child and adolescent
      conceptualizations is discussed.

PMID- 20307173
TI  - Monitoring of patients on a community treatment order.

PMID- 20307174
TI  - Heritability of epigenetic effects.

PMID- 20307175
TI  - Mania as a presentation of acute demyelination in an adolescent girl.

PMID- 20307176
TI  - Bipolar affective disorder presenting as failure of parenting.

PMID- 20307177
TI  - Panhypopituitarism and psychosis in a male patient.

PMID- 20307178
TI  - The astrobiology habitability primer.

PMID- 20307179
TI  - The search for worlds like our own.
AB  - The direct detection of Earth-like exoplanets orbiting nearby stars and the
      characterization of such planets-particularly, their evolution, their
      atmospheres, and their ability to host life-constitute a significant problem. The
      quest for other worlds as abodes of life has been one of mankind's great
      questions for several millennia. For instance, as stated by Epicurus
      approximately 300 BC: "Other worlds, with plants and other living things, some of
      them similar and some of them different from ours, must exist." Demokritos from
      Abdera (460-370 BC), the man who invented the concept of indivisible small parts
      atoms-also held the belief that other worlds exist around the stars and that some
      of these worlds may be inhabited by life-forms. The idea of the plurality of
      worlds and of life on them has since been held by scientists like Johannes Kepler
      and William Herschel, among many others. Here, one must also mention Giordano
      Bruno. Born in 1548, Bruno studied in France and came into contact with the
      teachings of Nicolas Copernicus. He wrote the book De l'Infinito, Universo e
      Mondi in 1584, in which he claimed that the Universe was infinite, that it
      contained an infinite amount of worlds like Earth, and that these worlds were
      inhabited by intelligent beings. At the time, this was extremely controversial,
      and eventually Bruno was arrested by the church and burned at the stake in Rome
      in 1600, as a heretic, for promoting this and other equally confrontational
      issues (though it is unclear exactly which idea was the one that ultimately
      brought him to his end). In all the aforementioned cases, the opinions and
      results were arrived at through reasoning-not by experiment. We have only
      recently acquired the technological capability to observe planets orbiting stars
      other than 6 our Sun; acquisition of this capability has been a remarkable feat
      of our time. We show in this introduction to the Habitability Primer that mankind
      is at the dawning of an age when, by way of the scientific method and 21(st)
      century technology, we will be able to answer this fascinating controversial
      issue that has persisted for at least 2500 years.

PMID- 20307180
TI  - Origin and formation of planetary systems.
AB  - To estimate the occurrence of terrestrial exoplanets and maximize the chance of
      finding them, it is crucial to understand the formation of planetary systems in
      general and that of terrestrial planets in particular. We show that a reliable
      formation theory should not only explain the formation of the Solar System, with
      small terrestrial planets within a few AU and gas giants farther out, but also
      the newly discovered exoplanetary systems with close-in giant planets. Regarding
      the presently known exoplanets, we stress that our current knowledge is strongly
      biased by the sensitivity limits of current detection techniques (mainly the
      radial velocity method). With time and improved detection methods, the diversity
      of planets and orbits in exoplanetary systems will definitely increase and help
      to constrain the formation theory further. In this work, we review the latest
      state of planetary formation in relation to the origin and evolution of habitable
      terrestrial planets.

PMID- 20307181
TI  - Dynamical habitability of planetary systems.
AB  - The problem of the stability of planetary systems, a question that concerns only
      multiplanetary systems that host at least two planets, is discussed. The problem
      of mean motion resonances is addressed prior to discussion of the dynamical
      structure of the more than 350 known planets. The difference with regard to our
      own Solar System with eight planets on low eccentricity is evident in that 60% of
      the known extrasolar planets have orbits with eccentricity e > 0.2. We
      theoretically highlight the studies concerning possible terrestrial planets in
      systems with a Jupiter-like planet. We emphasize that an orbit of a particular
      nature only will keep a planet within the habitable zone around a host star with
      respect to the semimajor axis and its eccentricity. In addition, some results are
      given for individual systems (e.g., Gl777A) with regard to the stability of
      orbits within habitable zones. We also review what is known about the orbits of
      planets in double-star systems around only one component (e.g., gamma Cephei) and
      around both stars (e.g., eclipsing binaries).

PMID- 20307182
TI  - Geophysical and atmospheric evolution of habitable planets.
AB  - The evolution of Earth-like habitable planets is a complex process that depends
      on the geodynamical and geophysical environments. In particular, it is necessary
      that plate tectonics remain active over billions of years. These geophysically
      active environments are strongly coupled to a planet's host star parameters, such
      as mass, luminosity and activity, orbit location of the habitable zone, and the
      planet's initial water inventory. Depending on the host star's radiation and
      particle flux evolution, the composition in the thermosphere, and the
      availability of an active magnetic dynamo, the atmospheres of Earth-like planets
      within their habitable zones are differently affected due to thermal and
      nonthermal escape processes. For some planets, strong atmospheric escape could
      even effect the stability of the atmosphere.

PMID- 20307183
TI  - Origin and evolution of life on terrestrial planets.
AB  - The ultimate goal of terrestrial planet-finding missions is not only to discover
      terrestrial exoplanets inside the habitable zone (HZ) of their host stars but
      also to address the major question as to whether life may have evolved on a
      habitable Earth-like exoplanet outside our Solar System. We note that the
      chemical evolution that finally led to the origin of life on Earth must be
      studied if we hope to understand the principles of how life might evolve on other
      terrestrial planets in the Universe. This is not just an anthropocentric point of
      view: the basic ingredients of terrestrial life, that is, reduced carbon-based
      molecules and liquid H(2)O, have very specific properties. We discuss the origin
      of life from the chemical evolution of its precursors to the earliest life-forms
      and the biological implications of the stellar radiation and energetic particle
      environments. Likewise, the study of the biological evolution that has generated
      the various life-forms on Earth provides clues toward the understanding of the
      interconnectedness of life with its environment.

PMID- 20307184
TI  - Co-evolution of atmospheres, life, and climate.
AB  - After Earth's origin, our host star, the Sun, was shining 20-25% less brightly
      than today. Without greenhouse-like conditions to warm the atmosphere, our early
      planet would have been an ice ball, and life may never have evolved. But life did
      evolve, which indicates that greenhouse gases must have been present on early
      Earth to warm the planet. Evidence from the geological record indicates an
      abundance of the greenhouse gas CO(2). CH(4) was probably present as well; and,
      in this regard, methanogenic bacteria, which belong to a diverse group of
      anaerobic prokaryotes that ferment CO(2) plus H(2) to CH(4), may have contributed
      to modification of the early atmosphere. Molecular oxygen was not present, as is
      indicated by the study of rocks from that era, which contain iron carbonate
      rather than iron oxide. Multicellular organisms originated as cells within
      colonies that became increasingly specialized. The development of photosynthesis
      allowed the Sun's energy to be harvested directly by life-forms. The resultant
      oxygen accumulated in the atmosphere and formed the ozone layer in the upper
      atmosphere. Aided by the absorption of harmful UV radiation in the ozone layer,
      life colonized Earth's surface. Our own planet is a very good example of how life
      forms modified the atmosphere over the planets' lifetime. We show that these
      facts have to be taken into account when we discover and characterize atmospheres
      of Earth-like exoplanets. If life has originated and evolved on a planet, then it
      should be expected that a strong co-evolution occurred between life and the
      atmosphere, the result of which is the planet's climate.

PMID- 20307186
TI  - Stellar aspects of habitability--characterizing target stars for terrestrial
      planet-finding missions.
AB  - We present and discuss the criteria for selecting potential target stars suitable
      for the search for Earth-like planets, with a special emphasis on the stellar
      aspects of habitability. Missions that search for terrestrial exoplanets will
      explore the presence and habitability of Earth-like exoplanets around several
      hundred nearby stars, mainly F, G, K, and M stars. The evaluation of the list of
      potential target systems is essential in order to develop mission concepts for a
      search for terrestrial exoplanets. Using the Darwin All Sky Star Catalogue
      (DASSC), we discuss the selection criteria, configuration-dependent
      subcatalogues, and the implication of stellar activity for habitability.

PMID- 20307185
TI  - Deciphering spectral fingerprints of habitable exoplanets.
AB  - We discuss how to read a planet's spectrum to assess its habitability and search
      for the signatures of a biosphere. After a decade rich in giant exoplanet
      detections, observation techniques have advanced to a level where we now have the
      capability to find planets of less than 10 Earth masses (M(Earth)) (so-called
      "super Earths"), which may be habitable. How can we characterize those planets
      and assess whether they are habitable? This new field of exoplanet search has
      shown an extraordinary capacity to combine research in astrophysics, chemistry,
      biology, and geophysics into a new and exciting interdisciplinary approach to
      understanding our place in the Universe. The results of a first-generation
      mission will most likely generate an amazing scope of diverse planets that will
      set planet formation, evolution, and our planet into an overall context.

PMID- 20307187
TI  - A roadmap for the detection and characterization of other Earths.
AB  - The European Space Agency and other space agencies such as NASA recognize that
      the question with regard to life beyond Earth in general, and the associated
      issue of the existence and study of exoplanets in particular, is of paramount
      importance for the 21(st) century. The new Cosmic Vision science plan, Cosmic
      Vision 2015-2025, which is built around four major themes, has as its first
      theme: "What are the conditions for planet formation and the emergence of life?"
      This main theme is addressed through further questions: 1) How do gas and dust
      give rise to stars and planets? 2) How will the search for and study of
      exoplanets eventually lead to the detection of life outside Earth (biomarkers)?
      3) How did life in the Solar System arise and evolve? Although ESA has busied
      itself with these issues since the beginning of the Darwin study in 1996, it has
      become abundantly clear that, as these topics have evolved, only a very large
      effort, addressed from the ground and from space with the utilization of
      different instruments and space missions, can provide the empirical results
      required for a complete understanding. The good news is that the problems can be
      addressed and solved within a not-too-distant future. In this short essay, we
      present the present status of a roadmap related to projects that are related to
      the key long-term goal of understanding and characterizing exoplanets, in
      particular Earth-like planets.

PMID- 20307188
TI  - The far future of exoplanet direct characterization.
AB  - We describe future steps in the direct characterization of habitable exoplanets
      subsequent to medium and large mission projects currently underway and
      investigate the benefits of spectroscopic and direct imaging approaches. We show
      that, after third- and fourth-generation missions have been conducted over the
      course of the next 100 years, a significant amount of time will lapse before we
      will have the capability to observe directly the morphology of extrasolar
      organisms.

PMID- 20307189
TI  - In vitro cytotoxicity, apoptosis, DNA-binding, and antioxidant activity studies
      of ruthenium (II) complexes.
AB  - Two new ligands maip (1) (maip = 2-(3-aminophenyl)imizado[4,5
      f][1,10]phenanthroline), paip (2) (paip = 2-(4-aminophenyl)imidazo[4,5
      f][1,10]phenanthroline), and their ruthenium (II) complexes
      [Ru(phen)(2)(maip)](ClO(4))(2) (3) and [Ru(phen)(2)(paip)](ClO(4))(2) (4) (phen =
      1,10-phenanthroline) have been synthesized and characterized. The cytotoxicity of
      these compounds was evaluated by MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5
      diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay. The apoptosis assay was carried out with
      acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining methods. The DNA-binding behaviors of
      complexes 3 and 4 were investigated by viscosity measurements, thermal
      denaturation, photocleavage, and spectroscopic methods. The results show that the
      two complexes intercalate into the base pairs of DNA. In the presence of a
      complex, apoptosis of BEL-7402 cells was observed. Experiments show that these
      compounds exhibit antioxidant activity against hydroxyl radicals.

PMID- 20307190
TI  - Biological variation among african trypanosomes: I. Clonal expression of
      virulence is not linked to the variant surface glycoprotein or the variant
      surface glycoprotein gene telomeric expression site.
AB  - The potential association of variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) gene expression
      with clonal expression of virulence in African trypanosomes was addressed. Two
      populations of clonally related trypanosomes, which differ dramatically in
      virulence for the infected host, but display the same apparent VSG surface coat
      phenotype, were characterized with respect to the VSG genes expressed as well as
      the chromosome telomeric expression sites (ES) utilized for VSG gene
      transcription. The VSG gene sequences expressed by clones LouTat 1 and LouTat 1A
      of Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense were identical, and gene expression in both
      clones occurred precisely by the same gene conversion events (duplication and
      transposition), which generated an expression-linked copy (ELC) of the VSG gene.
      The ELC was present on the same genomic restriction fragments in both populations
      and resided in the telomere of a 330-kb chromosome; a single basic copy of the
      LouTat 1/1A VSG gene, present in all variants of the LouTat 1 serodeme, was
      located at an internal site of a 1.5-Mb chromosome. Restriction endonuclease
      mapping of the ES telomere revealed that the VSG ELC of clones LouTat 1 and 1A
      resides in the same site. Therefore, these findings provide evidence that the VSG
      gene ES and, potentially, any cotranscribed ES-associated genes do not play a
      role in the clonal regulation of virulence because trypanosome clones LouTat 1
      and 1A, which differ markedly in their virulence properties, both express
      identical VSG genes from the same chromosome telomeric ES.

PMID- 20307191
TI  - Clinical practice guidelines for Clostridium difficile infection in adults: 2010
      update by the society for healthcare epidemiology of America (SHEA) and the
      infectious diseases society of America (IDSA).
AB  - Since publication of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America position
      paper on Clostridium difficile infection in 1995, significant changes have
      occurred in the epidemiology and treatment of this infection. C. difficile
      remains the most important cause of healthcare-associated diarrhea and is
      increasingly important as a community pathogen. A more virulent strain of C.
      difficile has been identified and has been responsible for more-severe cases of
      disease worldwide. Data reporting the decreased effectiveness of metronidazole in
      the treatment of severe disease have been published. Despite the increasing
      quantity of data available, areas of controversy still exist. This guideline
      updates recommendations regarding epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and
      infection control and environmental management.

PMID- 20307192
TI  - Adding new chemistries to the genetic code.
AB  - The development of new orthogonal aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase/tRNA pairs has led to
      the addition of approximately 70 unnatural amino acids (UAAs) to the genetic
      codes of Escherichia coli, yeast, and mammalian cells. These UAAs represent a
      wide range of structures and functions not found in the canonical 20 amino acids
      and thus provide new opportunities to generate proteins with enhanced or novel
      properties and probes of protein structure and function.

PMID- 20307193
TI  - Amphipols, nanodiscs, and fluorinated surfactants: three nonconventional
      approaches to studying membrane proteins in aqueous solutions.
AB  - Membrane proteins (MPs) are usually handled in aqueous solutions as
      protein/detergent complexes. Detergents, however, tend to be inactivating. This
      situation has prompted the design of alternative surfactants that can be
      substituted for detergents once target proteins have been extracted from
      biological membranes and that keep them soluble in aqueous buffers while
      stabilizing them. The present review focuses on three such systems: Amphipols
      (APols) are amphipathic polymers that adsorb onto the hydrophobic transmembrane
      surface of MPs; nanodiscs (NDs) are small patches of lipid bilayer whose rim is
      stabilized by amphipathic proteins; fluorinated surfactants (FSs) resemble
      detergents but interfere less than detergents do with stabilizing protein/protein
      and protein/lipid interactions. The structure and properties of each of these
      three systems are described, as well as those of the complexes they form with
      MPs. Their respective usefulness, constraints, and prospects for functional and
      structural studies of MPs are discussed.

PMID- 20307194
TI  - Learning disabilities and dying.

PMID- 20307195
TI  - How oncology fellows discuss transitions in goals of care: a snapshot of
      approaches used prior to training.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The moment when a physician raises the possibility of discontinuing
      palliative chemotherapy at the end of life is a critical moment in the illness,
      and a difficult conversation. Expert recommendations cite the importance of
      giving bad news in these situations but there is limited research addressing how
      physicians should discuss transitions in goals of care from disease-modifying
      therapy to end-of-life care. While existing research includes survey data and
      observational studies of oncologist outpatient visits with patient who have
      advanced cancer, there are no studies that characterize actual physician
      communication behaviors when the physician tried to initiate a transitions
      conversation with a patient who has advanced cancer. METHOD: In this study, we
      examined the communication approaches used by oncology fellows discussing
      transitions with a standardized patient using audiorecordings collected prior to
      an intensive communication skills workshop. In this preworkshop encounter, each
      oncology fellow had the task of discussing a transition in goals of care with a
      patient who was experiencing cancer progression despite treatment with existing
      evidence-based therapies. We used qualitative methodology to characterize the
      approaches used by oncology fellows in 20 of these pre-workshop conversations.
      RESULTS: We identified two themes in the approaches that fellows used: (1) the
      limitations of biomedical disease-modifying treatments and (2) the possibility of
      a new direction for medical care when disease-modifying treatments have been
      exhausted. CONCLUSION: We found that for each theme, fellows tended to emphasize
      a logical frame or an experiential frame. Understanding these frames could be
      useful in designing future communication skills training interventions.

PMID- 20307197
TI  - ACB-PCR quantification of K-RAS codon 12 GAT and GTT mutant fraction in colon
      tumor and non-tumor tissue.
AB  - K-RAS mutation is being developed as a cancer biomarker and tumor K-RAS is being
      used to predict therapeutic response. Yet, levels of K-RAS mutation in normal and
      pathological tissue samples have not been determined rigorously, nor inter
      individual variation in these levels characterized. Therefore, K-RAS codon 12 GAT
      and GTT mutant fractions were measured in colonic mucosa of individuals without
      colon cancer, tumor-distal mucosa, tumor-proximal mucosa, normal tumor-adjacent
      tissues, colonic adenomas, and carcinomas. The results indicate K-RAS codon 12
      GAT mutation is present at measurable levels in normal appearing mucosa. All
      tumors carried K-RAS mutation, in most cases as a mutant subpopulation.

PMID- 20307196
TI  - p16 Modulates VEGF expression via its interaction with HIF-1alpha in breast
      cancer cells.
AB  - The degree of tumor progression (such as growth, angiogenesis, and metastasis)
      directly correlates with the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor
      (VEGF), but inversely correlates with the expression of tumor-suppressor gene
      p16, therefore we examined whether the restoration of p16 in breast cancer cells
      would modulate VEGF expression. Adenoviral-mediated p16 expression downregulated
      VEGF gene expression in breast cancer cells, and inhibited breast cancer cell
      induced angiogenesis by a dorsal air sac model in mice. Moreover, p16 appears to
      form a complex with HIF-1a, the transcription factor for the VEGF gene promoter.
      Taken together, the binding between p16 and HIF-1a protein may alter HIF-1a's
      ability to transactivate VEGF expression.

PMID- 20307198
TI  - Combination of fludarabine and imatinib induces apoptosis synergistically through
      loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and increases in caspase-3 enzyme
      activity in human K562 chronic myleloid leukemia cells.
AB  - In this study, we aimed to show the synergistic apoptotic effects of
      imatinib/fludarabine combination in human K562 chronic myleloid leukemia (CML)
      cells. There was a significant increase in cytotoxicity of combination of
      imatinib and fludarabine as compared to any agent alone. On the other hand,
      combination of both agents induced apoptosis significantly as confirmed by
      increases in caspase-3 enzyme activity and decreases in mitochondrial membrane
      potential. As a summary, the results of this study strongly suggest that
      combination of imatinib and fludarabine induced cell death synergistically
      comparing to only imatinib or fludarabine in human K562 CML cells.

PMID- 20307199
TI  - Adjuvant endocrine therapy for early breast cancer: the story so far.
AB  - Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) have largely replaced tamoxifen as adjuvant hormonal
      therapy for postmenopausal women with early breast cancer. While tamoxifen is
      effective in reducing breast cancer recurrence and mortality, recent data
      indicate two peaks of early, mostly distant metastatic recurrences in patients
      receiving tamoxifen, and AIs have proven more effective in reducing recurrence.
      As distant recurrence has been associated with poorer survival and death,
      reduction in this type of early recurrence event may lead to improved survival
      over the long term. Recent data from major clinical trials are beginning to bear
      out this contention.

PMID- 20307200
TI  - The role of irreversible EGFR inhibitors in the treatment of non-small cell lung
      cancer: overcoming resistance to reversible EGFR inhibitors.
AB  - Reversible epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors are often
      used for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer following failure of
      cytotoxic chemotherapy. While these agents are active in a subset of patients,
      most develop resistance and progress within the course of 1 year. In nearly half
      of the cases, acquired resistance is caused by a secondary epidermal growth
      factor receptor T790M mutation. Irreversible epidermal growth factor receptor
      tyrosine kinase inhibitors are an emerging class of agents that may have the
      potential to overcome and prevent the emergence of such mutation-related
      resistance.

PMID- 20307201
TI  - Assay, preclinical, and clinical brick walls and opportunities for system change
      through GRANDRx.

PMID- 20307202
TI  - Do liver IL-12 levels predict sustained response to IFN-alpha therapy in children
      with chronic hepatitis B?
AB  - The aim of this study is to investigate the immunoregulatory role of interleukin
      12 and interferon-gamma in children with chronic hepatitis B who are treated with
      interferon-alpha therapy. The patients were divided into 2 groups: Group I
      included 16 children with naive chronic replicative hepatitis B infection, and
      Group II included 6 children who are inactive hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers.
      Group I received interferon-alpha subcutaneously (10 mU/m(2)/dose), 3 times a
      week during 4 months. Initial serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels,
      hepatitis B serologic markers, serum interleukin-12 and interferon-gamma levels
      were measured. In Group I, laboratory tests were re-evaluated in the second and
      fourth months. Liver biopsy was performed in all patients and samples were used
      for tissue interleukin-12 level evaluation and histopathological examination.
      Hepatic activity index (HAI) and serum interferon-gamma were significantly higher
      in Group I (P < 0.05). Initial tissue interleukin-12 levels in Group I were low
      but a significant increase was observed at the fourth month (P < 0.05). While
      responder patients in Group I had marked elevation of tissue interleukin-12
      levels, nonresponders did not reveal considerable changes at the fourth month
      evaluation. A negative correlation was found between serum HBV-DNA copies and
      interferon-gamma levels prior to therapy (P < 0.01, r: -0.66). The analysis of
      cytokine levels with serum transaminases demonstrated a positive correlation
      between the tissue interleukin-12 levels at the fourth month and serum ALT levels
      at the beginning and second month of the therapy (r: 0.77, P < 0.05 and r: 0.92,
      P < 0.05, respectively). This is the first study emphasizing the relationship
      between tissue cytokine levels and therapy success. Understanding the course of
      chronic hepatits B in the pediatric population will help us to clarify some
      debates on the treatment.

PMID- 20307203
TI  - When is correlation coevolution?
AB  - Studying the correlation between traits of interacting species has long been a
      popular approach for identifying putative cases of coevolution. More recently,
      such approaches have been used as a means to evaluate support for the geographic
      mosaic theory of coevolution. Here we examine the utility of these approaches,
      using mathematical and computational models to predict the correlation that
      evolves between traits of interacting species for a broad range of interaction
      types. Our results reveal that coevolution is neither a necessary nor a
      sufficient condition for the evolution of spatially correlated traits between two
      species. Specifically, our results show that coevolutionary selection fails to
      consistently generate statistically significant correlations and, conversely,
      that non-coevolutionary processes can readily cause statistically significant
      correlations to evolve. In addition, our results demonstrate that studies of
      trait correlations per se cannot be used as evidence either for or against a
      geographic mosaic process. Taken together, our results suggest that understanding
      the coevolutionary process in natural populations will require detailed
      mechanistic studies conducted in multiple populations or the use of more
      sophisticated statistical approaches that better use information contained in
      existing data sets.

PMID- 20307204
TI  - Sequential acquisition of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection of the anus and
      cervix: the Hawaii HPV Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Relatively little is known about the epidemiology of anal human
      papillomavirus (HPV) infection in healthy women and its association with cervical
      HPV infection. METHODS: he association of an incident cervical (or anal) HPV
      infection with the subsequent risk of a genotype-concordant incident anal (or
      cervical) HPV infection was examined in a longitudinal cohort study of 751
      sexually active women. Age-adjusted hazard ratios, obtained using Cox regression,
      served as measurements of relative risk (RR). RESULTS: Among women, the RR of
      acquiring an anal HPV infection after a cervical infection with HPV of the same
      genotype was 20.5 (95% confidence interval, 16.3-25.7), and the RR of acquiring a
      cervical HPV infection after an anal infection with HPV of the same genotype was
      8.8 (95% confidence interval, 6.4-12.2), compared with women without a previous
      anal/cervical infection with HPV of a concordant genotype. RRs varied by
      phylogenetic species, with HPV alpha3/alpha15 and alpha1/alpha8/alpha10 types
      having a greater likelihood than other types of HPV infecting the anus among
      women with a previous infection at the cervix with HPV of the same genotype.
      CONCLUSIONS: It appears common for anal and cervical HPV infections to occur
      consecutively. The high degree of genotype-specific concordance suggests that the
      cervix (vagina) and anus may serve as reservoirs for HPV infection at the other
      anatomical site.

PMID- 20307205
TI  - Large urban outbreak of orally acquired acute Chagas disease at a school in
      Caracas, Venezuela.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Trypanosoma cruzi oral transmission is possible through food
      contamination by vector's feces. Little is known about the epidemiology and
      clinical features of microepidemics of orally acquired acute Chagas disease (CD).
      METHODS: A case-control, cohort-nested, epidemiological study was conducted
      during an outbreak of acute CD that affected a school community. Structured
      interviews were designed to identify symptoms and sources of infection.
      Electrocardiograms were obtained for all patients. Specific serum antibodies were
      assessed by immunoenzimatic and indirect hemagglutination tests. In some cases,
      parasitemia was tested directly or by culture, animal inoculation, and/or a
      polymerase chain reaction technique. RESULTS: Infection was confirmed in 103 of
      1000 exposed individuals. Of those infected, 75% were symptomatic, 20.3% required
      hospitalization, 59% showed ECG abnormalities, parasitemia was documented in 44,
      and 1 child died. Clinical features differed from those seen in vectorial
      transmission. The infection rate was significantly higher among younger children.
      An epidemiological investigation incriminated contaminated fresh guava juice as
      the sole source of infection. CONCLUSIONS: This outbreak was unique, because it
      affected a large, urban, predominantly young, middle-class, otherwise healthy
      population and resulted in an unprecedented public health emergency. Rapid
      diagnosis and treatment avoided higher lethality. Food-borne transmission of T.
      cruzi may occur more often than is currently recognized.

PMID- 20307206
TI  - Temporal expression of adhesion factors and activity of global regulators during
      establishment of Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization.
AB  - The human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus successfully colonizes its primary
      reservoir, the nasal cavity, most likely by regulatory adaptation to the nose
      environment. Cotton rats represent an excellent model for the study of bacterial
      gene expression in the initial phases of colonization. To gain insight into the
      expression profile necessary for the establishment of colonization, we performed
      direct transcript analysis by quantitative real-time reverse-transcription
      polymerase chain reaction on cotton rat noses removed from euthanized animals on
      days 1, 4, or 10 after instillation of 2 human S. aureus nose isolates. Global
      virulence regulators (agr, sae) were not active in this early phase, but the
      essential 2-component regulatory system WalKR seems to play an important role.
      Accordingly, an elevated expression of walKR target genes (sak, sceD) could be
      detected. In agreement with previous studies that demonstrated the essential role
      played by wall teichoic acid (WTA) polymers in nasal colonization, we detected a
      strongly increased expression of WTA-biosynthetic genes. The expression profile
      switched to production of the adhesive proteins ClfB and IsdA at later stages of
      the colonization process. These data underscore the temporal differences in the
      roles of WTA and surface proteins in nasal colonization, and they provide the
      first evidence for a regulation of WTA biosynthesis in vivo.

PMID- 20307207
TI  - Orally acquired Chagas disease: lessons from an urban school outbreak.

PMID- 20307209
TI  - On the composition of the preimmune repertoire of T cells specific for Peptide
      major histocompatibility complex ligands.
AB  - Millions of T cells are produced in the thymus, each expressing a unique
      alpha/beta T cell receptor (TCR) capable of binding to a foreign peptide in the
      binding groove of a host major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule. T cell
      mediated immunity to infection is due to the proliferation and differentiation of
      rare clones in the preimmune repertoire that by chance express TCRs specific for
      peptide-MHC (pMHC) ligands derived from the microorganism. Here we review recent
      findings that have altered our understanding of how the preimmune repertoire is
      established. Recent structural studies indicate that a germline-encoded tendency
      of TCRs to bind MHC molecules contributes to the MHC bias of T cell repertoires.
      It has also become clear that the preimmune repertoire contains functionally
      heterogeneous subsets including recent thymic emigrants, mature naive phenotype
      cells, memory phenotype cells, and natural regulatory T cells. In addition,
      sensitive new detection methods have revealed that the repertoire of naive
      phenotype T cells consists of distinct pMHC-specific populations that
      consistently vary in size in different individuals. The implications of these new
      findings for the clonal selection theory, self-tolerance, and immunodominance are
      discussed.

PMID- 20307208
TI  - Control of immunity by the TNFR-related molecule OX40 (CD134).
AB  - TNFR/TNF superfamily members can control diverse aspects of immune function.
      Research over the past 10 years has shown that one of the most important and
      prominent interactions in this family is that between OX40 (CD134) and its
      partner OX40L (CD252). These molecules strongly regulate conventional CD4 and CD8
      T cells, and more recent data are highlighting their ability to modulate NKT cell
      and NK cell function as well as to mediate cross-talk with professional antigen
      presenting cells and diverse cell types such as mast cells, smooth muscle cells,
      and endothelial cells. Additionally, OX40-OX40L interactions alter the
      differentiation and activity of regulatory T cells. Blocking OX40L has produced
      strong therapeutic effects in multiple animal models of autoimmune and
      inflammatory disease, and, in line with a prospective clinical future, reagents
      that stimulate OX40 signaling are showing promise as adjuvants for vaccination as
      well as for treatment of cancer.

PMID- 20307210
TI  - The role of ThPOK in control of CD4/CD8 lineage commitment.
AB  - During alphabeta T cell development, cells diverge into alternate CD4 helper and
      CD8(+) cytotoxic T cell lineages. The precise correlation between a T cell's CD8
      and CD4 choice and its TCR specificity to class I or class II MHC was noted more
      than 20 years ago, and establishing the underlying mechanism has remained a focus
      of intense study since then. This review deals with three formerly discrete
      topics that are gradually becoming interconnected: the role of TCR signaling in
      lineage commitment, the regulation of expression of the CD4 and CD8 genes, and
      transcriptional regulation of lineage commitment. It is widely accepted that TCR
      signaling exerts a decisive influence on lineage choice, although the underlying
      mechanism remains intensely debated. Current evidence suggests that both duration
      and intensity of TCR signaling may control lineage choice, as proposed by the
      kinetic signaling and quantitative instructive models, respectively. Alternate
      expression of the CD4 and CD8 genes is the most visible manifestation of lineage
      choice, and much progress has been made in defining the responsible cis elements
      and transcription factors. Finally, important clues to the molecular basis of
      lineage commitment have been provided by the recent identification of the
      transcription factor ThPOK as a key regulator of lineage choice. ThPOK is
      selectively expressed in class II-restricted cells at the CD4(+)8(lo) stage and
      is necessary and sufficient for development to the CD4 lineage. Given the central
      role of ThPOK in lineage commitment, understanding its upstream regulation and
      downstream gene targets is expected to reveal further important aspects of the
      molecular machinery underlying lineage commitment.

PMID- 20307211
TI  - The sterile inflammatory response.
AB  - The acute inflammatory response is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it
      plays a key role in initial host defense, particularly against many infections.
      On the other hand, its aim is imprecise, and as a consequence, when it is drawn
      into battle, it can cause collateral damage in tissues. In situations where the
      inciting stimulus is sterile, the cost-benefit ratio may be high; because of
      this, sterile inflammation underlies the pathogenesis of a number of diseases.
      Although there have been major advances in our understanding of how microbes
      trigger inflammation, much less has been learned about this process in sterile
      situations. This review focuses on a subset of the many sterile stimuli that can
      induce inflammation-specifically dead cells and a variety of irritant particles,
      including crystals, minerals, and protein aggregates. Although this subset of
      stimuli is structurally very diverse and might appear to be unrelated, there is
      accumulating evidence that the innate immune system may recognize them in similar
      ways and stimulate the sterile inflammatory response via common pathways. Here we
      review established and emerging data about these responses.

PMID- 20307212
TI  - Slow down and survive: Enigmatic immunoregulation by BTLA and HVEM.
AB  - B and T lymphocyte associated (BTLA) is an Ig domain superfamily protein with
      cytoplasmic immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motifs. Its ligand,
      herpesvirus entry mediator (HVEM), is a tumor necrosis factor receptor
      superfamily member. The unique interaction between BTLA and HVEM allows for a
      system of bidirectional signaling that must be appropriately regulated to balance
      the outcome of the immune response. HVEM engagement of BTLA produces inhibitory
      signals through SH2 domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase 1 (Shp-1) and
      Shp-2 association, whereas BTLA engagement of HVEM produces proinflammatory
      signals via activation of NF-kappaB. The BTLA-HVEM interaction is intriguing and
      quite complex given that HVEM has four other ligands that also influence immune
      responses, the conventional TNF ligand LIGHT and lymphotoxin alpha, as well as
      herpes simplex virus glycoprotein D and the glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked
      Ig domain protein CD160. BTLA-HVEM interactions have been shown to regulate
      responses in several pathogen and autoimmune settings, but our understanding of
      this complex system of interactions is certainly incomplete. Recent findings of
      spontaneous inflammation in BTLA-deficient mice may provide an important clue.

PMID- 20307214
TI  - A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of tacrolimus ophthalmic
      suspension 0.1% in severe allergic conjunctivitis.
AB  - AIMS: To examine the efficacy of tacrolimus ophthalmic suspension 0.1% in
      treating severe allergic conjunctivitis. METHODS: This was a multicenter,
      randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Fifty-six patients
      with severe allergic conjunctivitis in whom topical antiallergic agents and
      corticosteroids had been ineffective were randomized to tacrolimus or placebo
      treatment. Patients were treated either with tacrolimus or placebo twice-daily
      for 4 weeks. Severity of objective signs in palpebral and bulbar conjunctiva,
      limbus, and corneal involvement was assessed using 4 grades. Seven subjective
      symptoms were evaluated by visual analog scale (VAS) assessment. The primary
      efficacy endpoint was change in the total score of objective signs at the end of
      treatment. The secondary efficacy endpoints included change in the score for each
      objective sign and change in the VAS for each subjective symptom. Safety was
      assessed based on the severity and the incidence of adverse events. RESULTS: Mean
      change from baseline in total score for objective signs was significantly greater
      in the tacrolimus (-5.6 + or - 5.1) than in the placebo group (-0.1 + or - 4.5; P
      < 0.001). Tacrolimus significantly improved giant papillae (P = 0.001) and
      corneal involvement (P = 0.005). Five subjective symptoms (itching, discharge,
      hyperemia, lacrimation, and foreign body sensation) were significantly better in
      the tacrolimus than in the placebo group. The most frequent treatment-related
      adverse event in the tacrolimus group was mild ocular irritation upon topical
      instillation, which was well-tolerated. CONCLUSION: Tacrolimus ophthalmic
      suspension 0.1% is effective in treating severe allergic conjunctivitis.

PMID- 20307215
TI  - Intravitreal bevacizumab versus triamcinolone acetonide for refractory uveitic
      cystoid macular edema: a randomized pilot study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) versus intravitreal
      triamcinolone acetonide (IVT) for treatment of refractory uveitic cystoid macular
      edema (CME). METHODS: In this randomized clinical trial, 31 eyes with uveitic CME
      were allocated into the IVB group-eyes that received 1-3 injections of 1.25 mg
      bevacizumab (15 eyes) and the IVT group-eyes that received 1-3 injections of 2 mg
      triamcinolone (16 eyes). Primary outcome measure was change in best-corrected
      visual acuity (VA) at 36 weeks. RESULTS: Visual acuity improvement compared with
      baseline values was meaningful in the IVB group at 12, 24, and 36 weeks (-0.35 +
      or - 0.45 logMAR [P = 0.016]) and in the IVT group at 24 and 36 weeks (-0.32 + or
      - 0.32 logMAR [P = 0.001]). A significant central macular thickness (CMT)
      reduction was observed only in the IVT group at week 36 (74.6 + or - 108.0 microm
      [P = 0.049]). Between-group analysis disclosed no significant difference in any
      outcome measure. By statistically removing the factor of cataract, the IVT group
      had more improvement in VA (P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: IVB was as effective as IVT
      in refractory uveitic CME regarding VA improvement up to 36 weeks. Irrespective
      of triamcinolone-induced cataract, a more beneficial effect of IVT may be
      attainable.

PMID- 20307216
TI  - Aqueous humor concentrations of bimatoprost free acid, bimatoprost and travoprost
      free acid in cataract surgical patients administered multiple topical ocular
      doses of LUMIGAN or TRAVATAN.
AB  - PURPOSE: To quantify the aqueous humor (AH) concentrations of bimatoprost
      (amide), travoprost (isopropyl ester), and their hydrolysis products, bimatoprost
      free acid (BFA) and travoprost free acid (TFA), after multiple topical ocular
      doses of LUMIGAN and TRAVATAN, respectively, in patients awaiting cataract
      surgery. METHODS: In 2 separate open-label, sparse-sampling trials, glaucoma
      patients with cataracts received LUMIGAN (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution, 0.03%)
      or TRAVATAN (travoprost ophthalmic solution, 0.004%) bilaterally once daily for
      at least 21 days prior to cataract surgery. Anterior chamber paracentesis was
      performed at selected times up to 5 h after the last dose and an AH sample was
      collected. AH samples were assayed by an independent bioanalytical laboratory
      using a sensitive and validated tandem LC-MS/MS method. The assay lower limits of
      quantitation were 0.59 nM for bimatoprost, 0.29 nM for BFA, and 0.44 nM for TFA.
      RESULTS: AH concentrations of BFA (17-phenyl-trinor PGF(2alpha)) were
      quantifiable in all but one sample at 0.5 h. The maximum concentration achieved
      (C(max)) of BFA was 30.9 + or - 16.41 nM (n =5), observed at 2 h postdose. AH
      concentrations of bimatoprost amide were lower than BFA at all time points, with
      a C(max) of 6.81 + or - 1.36 nM (n = 7) at 1 h postdose. For TFA, measurable AH
      concentrations were obtained at all time points with a TFA C(max) of 3.91 + or -
      2.27 nM (n = 5), which was observed at 3 h after the dose (all data are mean + or
      - SEM). CONCLUSIONS: Once daily topical ocular administration of LUMIGAN or
      TRAVATAN for 3 weeks resulted in significant concentrations of BFA and TFA in the
      AH. Quantifiable levels of bimatoprost amide were also measured. Maximum
      concentrations of BFA (30.9 nM) and TFA (3.91 nM) in the anterior chamber are
      sufficient to fully activate the FP prostanoid receptors in the target cells of
      the ciliary muscle and trabecular meshwork. Both bimatoprost in LUMIGAN and
      travoprost in TRAVATAN are essentially prodrugs that are rapidly hydrolyzed to
      their respective free acids that induce the IOP-lowering effect observed with
      both drugs in vivo.

PMID- 20307217
TI  - Prospects of intermittent preventive treatment of adults against malaria in areas
      of seasonal and unstable malaria transmission, and a possible role for
      chloroquine.
AB  - Chloroquine (CQ) is outmoded as an antimalarial drug in most of the malarial
      world because of the high resistance rate of parasites. The parasite resistance
      to CQ is attributed to pfcrt/pfmdr1 gene mutations. Recent studies showed that
      parasites with mutations of pfcrt/pfmdr1 genes are less virulent, and that those
      with dhfr/dhps mutations are more susceptible to host immune clearance; the
      former and latter mutations are linked. In the era of artemisinin-based
      combination therapy, the frequency of pfcrt/pfmdr1 wild variants is expected to
      rise. In areas of unstable malaria transmission, the unpredictable severe
      epidemics of malaria and epidemics of severe malaria could result in high
      mortality rate among the semi-immune population. With this in mind, the use of CQ
      for intermittent preventive treatment of adults (IPTa) is suggested as a feasible
      control measure to reduce malaria mortality in adults and older children without
      reducing uncomplicated malaria morbidity. The above is discussed in a
      multidisciplinary approach validating the deployment of molecular techniques in
      malaria control and showing a possible role for CQ as a rescue drug after being
      abandoned.

PMID- 20307213
TI  - Molecular basis of calcium signaling in lymphocytes: STIM and ORAI.
AB  - Ca(2+) entry into cells of the peripheral immune system occurs through highly
      Ca(2+)-selective channels known as CRAC (calcium release-activated calcium)
      channels. CRAC channels are a very well-characterized example of store-operated
      Ca(2+) channels, so designated because they open when the endoplasmic reticulum
      (ER) Ca(2+) store becomes depleted. Physiologically, Ca(2+) is released from the
      ER lumen into the cytoplasm when activated receptors couple to phospholipase C
      and trigger production of the second messenger inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate
      (IP(3)). IP(3) binds to IP(3) receptors in the ER membrane and activates Ca(2+)
      release. The proteins STIM and ORAI were discovered through limited and genome
      wide RNAi screens, respectively, performed in Drosophila cells and focused on
      identifying modulators of store-operated Ca(2+) entry. STIM1 and STIM2 sense the
      depletion of ER Ca(2+) stores, whereas ORAI1 is a pore subunit of the CRAC
      channel. In this review, we discuss selected aspects of Ca(2+) signaling in cells
      of the immune system, focusing on the roles of STIM and ORAI proteins in store
      operated Ca(2+) entry.

PMID- 20307218
TI  - The role of antibacterial therapy in atopic eczema.
AB  - IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD: Atopic eczema is highly colonized with Staphylococcus
      aureus in lesional as in non-lesional skin. Antimicrobial therapy as part of a
      comprehensive therapeutic concept in atopic eczema has been discussed for a long
      a time. AREAS COVERED IN THIS REVIEW: A complete literature review of the
      accessible publications concerning antibacterial and antiseptic therapy has been
      undertaken. WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN: This review covers the literature on
      antimicrobial therapy in atopic eczema and will try to weigh the different
      publications in the field. TAKE-HOME MESSAGE: A beneficial role for
      antibacterial/antiseptic therapy on top of anti-inflammatory therapy in atopic
      eczema has to be questioned. However, a role in prevention of overt skin
      infection seems possible.

PMID- 20307219
TI  - Castrate-resistant prostate cancer: therapeutic strategies.
AB  - IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD: Castrate-resistant prostate cancer continues to be
      inadequately addressed by currently available therapies. AREAS COVERED IN THIS
      REVIEW: This review will discuss recent developments, including new
      chemotherapies and chemotherapy regimens, antiangiogenic therapy, immunotherapy,
      and other new agents, such as endothelin-A receptor antagonists and clusterin
      inhibitors. WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN: The reader will gain an understanding of
      the therapies in development for castration-resistant disease. TAKE HOME MESSAGE:
      Therapies focused on multiple different targets are currently being studied for
      castrate-resistant prostate cancer.

PMID- 20307221
TI  - Olopatadine: a drug for allergic conjunctivitis targeting the mast cell.
AB  - IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD: Ocular allergic diseases are characterized by specific
      activation of conjunctival mast cells with subsequent release of preformed and
      newly formed mediators. Mast cells are thus the first therapeutic target of
      ocular anti-allergic treatments. AREAS COVERED IN THIS REVIEW: In this review, a
      Medline literature search was conducted on conjunctival mast cells, their role in
      ocular allergy and mast cell stabilization by ocular anti-allergic compounds.
      WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN: Olopatadine hydrochloride, a mast cell stabilizer and
      histamine receptor antagonist, has been shown to inhibit mast cell activation in
      an in vitro model of human mast cell culture, reducing histamine and TNF-alpha
      release and upregulating proinflammatory mediators in conjunctival epithelial
      cells. In the in vivo conjunctival allergen challenge (CAC) model in allergic
      subjects, combined with objective evaluations of tear mediators and cytology,
      olopatadine reduced histamine tear levels and all aspects of allergic
      inflammation, confirming the positive clinical effects observed in active
      allergic patients. TAKE HOME MESSAGE: Mast cells play a central role in the
      pathogenesis of ocular allergy. The CAC model is ideal for assessing the mast
      cell stabilizing effects of anti-allergic compounds. This review of clinical
      studies demonstrates the superiority of olopatadine compared with other topical
      allergic drugs.

PMID- 20307220
TI  - Fixed combinations of dorzolamide-timolol and brimonidine-timolol in the
      management of glaucoma.
AB  - IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD: The emergence of fixed-combination drugs for the
      treatment of glaucoma has, to some extent, changed the medical management of
      glaucoma. The potential benefits of these drugs include a reduction in the total
      number of drops and preservatives instilled per day and improved patient comfort
      factors, which may contribute to better compliance. Combination medications may
      also improve therapeutic efficacy and play an important role in controlling
      medication cost. However, the fixed dosing may be a disadvantage in some cases.
      AREA COVERED IN THIS REVIEW: This review describes the composition,
      pharmacokinetics, mode of action, efficacy, side effects, and safety profile of
      fixed-combination dorzolamide-timolol and fixed-combination brimonidine-timolol.
      WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN: Understanding of the pros, cons, and safety profile of
      two FDA approved fixed-combination antiglaucoma medication. TAKE HOME MESSAGE:
      Fixed-combination medications may be a reasonable adjunct to prostaglandins if a
      large drop in the intraocular pressure (IOP) is desired and adding only one
      medication is unlikely to reach the target IOP range. Both mentioned drugs are
      effective in reducing the IOP and further clinical studies will help identify
      differences in efficacy between the two. The clinician must make an
      individualized assessment of the medication's risk-benefit profile for each
      patient.

PMID- 20307222
TI  - Nebivolol in chronic heart failure: current evidence and future perspectives.
AB  - IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD: Chronic activation of the sympathetic nervous system
      leads to deterioration of cardiovascular function in heart failure patients. In
      systolic heart failure, beta-blockers were proven to be effective in decreasing
      the number of deaths and improving morbidity. However, beta-blockers are a
      heterogeneous drug group, consisting of agents with different selectivity for
      adrenergic receptors and/or additional effects in heart or peripheral
      circulation. AREAS COVERED IN THE REVIEW: We describe the role of the sympathetic
      nervous system, beta-blockers and specifically nebivolol in chronic heart
      failure. WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN: Nebivolol is a third-generation beta-blocker,
      with high beta(1)/beta(2) selectivity. Moreover, it has important vasodilating
      properties, by stimulating the production of nitric oxide. Smaller studies have
      already shown beneficial effects of nebivolol treatment on surrogate end points
      in heart failure patients. The recently published SENIORS (Phase III) study in an
      elderly heart failure population demonstrated a decreased number of clinical
      events in patients treated with nebivolol. Importantly, this effect was observed
      in patients with both impaired and preserved left ventricular systolic function.
      TAKE HOME MESSAGE: Specific beta-blockers may have distinct effects in various
      subgroups of heart failure patients. So far, nebivolol is the only beta-blocker
      to have been shown effective in elderly heart failure patients, regardless of
      their left ventricular ejection fraction.

PMID- 20307223
TI  - Armodafinil in the treatment of excessive sleepiness.
AB  - IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD: Excessive sleepiness causes impaired quality of life and
      increases the risk of poor health and accidents. Armodafinil is a wake-promoting
      agent approved in 2007 by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment
      of excessive sleepiness arising from narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA;
      even after optimal treatment for the underlying obstruction) and shift-work
      disorder (SWD). It is the R-enantiomer of modafinil, which is a racemic mixture
      of R- and S-enantiomers. AREAS COVERED IN THIS REVIEW: This review summarizes the
      recent primary data on the pharmacokinetics, clinical efficacy and safety of
      armodafinil using literature published since 2005 that was identified from
      PubMed. WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN: The review describes recent advances in the
      understanding of the pharmacokinetic profile of the drug and why this may improve
      wakefulness later after dosing compared with modafinil. It also describes the
      recent efficacy and safety data supporting the use of armodafinil to treat
      excessive sleepiness in indicated patients. TAKE HOME MESSAGE: Armodafinil is a
      useful therapy for the treatment of excessive sleepiness arising from a number of
      clinical conditions. It is generally well tolerated and has a low potential for
      abuse or tolerance.

PMID- 20307224
TI  - Review of palonosetron: emerging data distinguishing it as a novel 5-HT(3)
      receptor antagonist for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.
AB  - IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD: Since the advent of the 5-hydroxytryptamine 3 receptor
      antagonists (5-HT3RAs) in the 1990s, dramatic improvements have been achieved in
      the field of antiemetic therapy. The enhanced prevention of delayed and overall
      chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) offered by palonosetron, a second
      generation 5-HT3RA and aprepitant, the first neurokinin-1 receptor antagonists
      (NK-1RA) represent the only significant treatment advances in the past decade.
      While initial trials of single-dose palonosetron indicated a potential benefit
      over first-generation 5-HT3RAs, only recently have new data become available,
      increasing the weight of evidence distinguishing it as a new 5-HT3RA in the
      class. AREAS COVERED IN THIS REVIEW: History of antiemetics and palonosetron,
      including clinical trials and pharmacological research, and literature published
      between 1981 and 2010 are covered. WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN: Unique
      pharmacological characteristics of palonosetron exhibiting prolonged half-life,
      high receptor affinity, allosteric interactions and positive cooperativity with 5
      HT3 receptor resulting in long-term alteration and internalization of this
      receptor may explain the clinical observation of palonosetron. TAKE HOME MESSAGE:
      This review of recent progress in antiemetic therapy focuses on the newest data
      on palonosetron and discusses future trials and implications for clinical
      practice, with the overall goal of learning from history.

PMID- 20307225
TI  - Thrombin receptor antagonism -the potential of antiplatelet medication SCH
      530348.
AB  - IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD: Coronary artery disease is a leading cause of morbidity
      and mortality worldwide. Platelet activation and subsequent thrombus formation
      play a central role in disease progression and development of acute coronary
      syndromes (ACS). Despite widespread use of single and dual antiplatelet therapies
      in atherothrombotic disease, ischemic complications remain common. Therefore, the
      need exists for new antiplatelet agents that are more effective, but with
      acceptable safety profiles (i.e., do not increase risk of bleeding). Antiplatelet
      agents available at present are effective in blocking the cyclo-oxygenase, ADP
      mediated and final common (IIb/IIIa receptor) pathways for platelet activation.
      Recently, there has been more interest in inhibition of the proteinase-activated
      receptor-1 (PAR-1), which blocks thrombin-mediated platelet activation. AREAS
      COVERED IN THIS REVIEW: This review covers the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and
      development of the new PAR(1) antagonist, SCH 530348 in a review of all
      publications relevant to the topic over the last 10 years. Phase II clinical
      trials indicate that addition of this agent to current antiplatelet regimens may
      provide additional antithrombotic protection without an increase in bleeding.
      Results of the ongoing Phase III trials, examining the use of SCH 530348 in
      patients with ACS and for secondary prevention of ischemic events are anxiously
      awaited. WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN: The review is a summary of all pharmacologic
      properties and current clinical data available on the PAR1 antagonist SCH 530348.
      The readers will be introduced to its novel mechanism of action, advantages over
      current antiplatelet agents and potential future applications should ongoing
      clinical trials confirm its efficacy in reducing platelet activity. TAKE HOME
      MESSAGE: SCH 530348 is a new, orally administered antiplatelet agent that blocks
      the protease-activated thrombin receptor on the platelet. Early clinical data
      indicate that it is associated with a lower risk of bleeding. However, its
      efficacy in improving clinical outcomes in patients with coronary disease remains
      to be confirmed in ongoing Phase III clinical trials.

PMID- 20307226
TI  - Bosentan.
AB  - IMPORTANCE TO THE FIELD: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a morbid
      condition with high mortality if left untreated. Bosentan is an effective
      treatment option for group 1 pulmonary arterial hypertension. Bosentan improves
      exercise tolerance and functional class and delays the time to clinical worsening
      in these patients. Investigation is ongoing to determine its efficacy in other
      groups of pulmonary hypertension. AREAS COVERED IN THIS REVIEW: This review
      provides a background on endothelin activity in PAH, as a rationale for the use
      of bosentan in this disease. It also presents evidence from key clinical trials
      of bosentan and discusses future directions in the study of bosentan to help the
      clinician better understand the role of bosentan in PAH management. WHAT THE
      READER WILL GAIN: i) An understanding of the rationale for using endothelin
      receptor antagonists in treating PAH; ii) an understanding of the clinical
      evidence to support bosentan for the treatment of PAH; and iii) an understanding
      of how to use bosentan optimally in the treatment of PAH. TAKE HOME MESSAGE:
      Bosentan is an effective and safe treatment for patients with PAH. Patients with
      suspected PAH should be evaluated carefully as the use of bosentan in non-group 1
      pulmonary hypertension is still being investigated. Patients on bosentan should
      be monitored with monthly liver transaminase testing. Coadministration with other
      drugs should be reviewed carefully as drug-drug interactions may be important.

PMID- 20307227
TI  - Insights from the dabigatran versus warfarin trial in patients with venous
      thromboembolism (the RE-COVER trial).
AB  - In this clinical trial evaluation, we revisit the RE-COVER study, a large
      multicenter, randomized, double-blind, noninferiority trial on patients with
      acute venous thromboembolism treated with dabigatran versus warfarin. Study
      design and key results are re-evaluated in the context of previous work and
      future perspectives.

PMID- 20307230
TI  - Genetic variability of the european corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis, suggests gene
      flow between populations in the Midwestern United States.
AB  - The European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), is
      a widely distributed and serious economic pest to corn production in the U.S.
      Genetic variability of O. nubilalis was studied in 18 sub-populations in the
      upper Midwestern United States using amplified fragment length polymorphism. The
      relatively low GST values indicate that more variation exists within populations
      than between populations. High gene flow (Nm) values were indicated across the
      entire O. nubilalis population; the lowest degree of gene flow was in the
      northern samples (Nm = 1.96) and the highest degree of gene flow was in the
      southern samples (Nm = 2.77). The differences observed in the respective regions
      (north vs. south) may be explained by the voltinism patterns (univoltine vs.
      multivoltine, respectively) of O. nubilalis: southern multivoltine populations
      have opportunities for multiple matings for the duration of the year, further mix
      alleles. AMOVA results also indicated that most of the genetic variation was
      within sub-populations ( approximately 81% of total variation); less variation (
      approximately 13%) was detected among populations within each of the three
      regions as designated for this study. However, the most striking and unexpected
      result was the low percentage of variation between all groups ( approximately
      6%), further supporting implications of a high degree of gene flow. These results
      provide support for current requirements of refugia corn planting in Bt-corn
      management. These results also indicate that if resistance to Bt were to evolve
      in O. nubilalis, quick action would be necessary to deter the rapid spread of the
      gene for resistance.

PMID- 20307229
TI  - Alkalinization in the isolated and perfused anterior midgut of the larval
      mosquito, Aedes aegypti.
AB  - In the present study, isolated midguts of larval Aedes aegypti L. (Diptera:
      Culicidae) were mounted on perfusion pipettes and bathed in high buffer mosquito
      saline. With low buffer perfusion saline, containing m-cresol purple,
      transepithelial voltage was monitored and luminal alkalinization became visible
      through color changes of m-cresol purple after perfusion stop. Lumen negative
      voltage and alkalinization depended on metabolic energy and were stimulated in
      the presence of serotonin (0.2 micromol l(-1)). In some experiments a pH
      microelectrode in the lumen recorded pH values up to 10 within minutes after
      perfusion stop. The V-ATPase inhibitor concanamycin (50 micromol l(-1)) on the
      hemolymph side almost abolished V(te) and inhibited luminal alkalinization. The
      carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, methazolamide (50 micromol l(-1)), on either the
      luminal or hemolymph-side, or the inhibitor of anion transport, DIDS (1 mmol l(
      1)) on the luminal side, had no effect on V(te) or alkalinization. Cl(-)
      substitution in the lumen or on both sides of the tissue affected V(te), but the
      color change of m-cresol purple was unchanged from control conditions. Hemolymph
      side Na(+) substitution or addition of the Na(+)/H(+) exchange inhibitor,
      amiloride (200 micromol l(-1)), reduced V(te) and luminal alkalinization. Luminal
      amiloride (200 micromol l(-1)) was without effects on V(te) or alkalinization.
      High K(+) (60 mmol l(-1)) in the lumen reduced V(te) without affecting
      alkalinization. These results indicate that strong luminal alkalinization in
      isolated and perfused anterior midgut of larval A. aegypti depends on basolateral
      V-ATPase, but is apparently independent of carbonic anhydrase, apical Cl(
      )/HCO(3)(-) exchange or apical K(+)/2H(+) antiport.

PMID- 20307231
TI  - Phototactic responses to ultraviolet and white light in various species of
      Collembola, including the eyeless species, Folsomia candida.
AB  - Previous observations have indicated homology in the cellular components between
      Collembolan eyes and the compound eyes of insects. However, behavioral or
      physiological studies indicating similarities in function are lacking.
      Collembolan eyes were examined from three species in the Family Isotomidae using
      scanning electron microscopy. Collembolan eyes are arranged dorsally and
      laterally on each side of the head in two species, Proisotoma minuta with eight
      eyes on each side of the head and Folsomia similis with one eye on each side of
      the head. In both of these species the eyes were located just posterior to the
      postantennal organ. In Folsomia candida, no external eye structures were
      detected. These three species were assayed for a series of behavioral preferences
      using ultraviolet (UV), white light and dark, and temperature conditions. The
      tests demonstrated that over 76% of all three species, including the eyeless F.
      Candida, chose white over UV light, over 69% preferred dark over UV, and over 77%
      favored dark over white light. The results demonstrated that all three species
      detect both UV and white light and avoid it, preferring cool, dark habitats. From
      the results of this study, it is hypothesized that F. candida may, in fact, be
      only "lensless" and may be able to detect light by having internal, non-ocular
      photoreceptors. Further histological studies are needed to investigate this
      possibility.

PMID- 20307232
TI  - A new nucleolar body appears in Drosophila saltans salivary gland cells before
      histolysis, in programmed cell death.
AB  - The salivary glands of Drosophila saltans (saltans group, saltans subgroup)
      analyzed in an advanced stage of programmed cell death showed the appearance of a
      single, round, nucleolar corpuscle inside the highly altered nucleus of every
      gland cell, at a time during which the integrity of the original nucleolus was
      already lost and the original nucleolar material apparently disappeared. In the
      same nuclei, which already had also lost the characteristic chromosome structure,
      some delicate chromosome threads were maintained. In many cells, the new
      nucleolar corpuscle and these chromosome threads are associated. These findings
      are novel. However, the hypothesis put forward concerning their meaning remains
      dependent on other studies.

PMID- 20307233
TI  - Impact of the stem borer, Dectes texanus, on yield of the cultivated sunflower,
      Helianthus annuus.
AB  - Foliar and soil-drench insecticide treatments were used in attempts to manipulate
      infestation of cultivated sunflower plants, Helianthus annuus LeConte (Asterales:
      Asteraceae) by Dectes texanus LeConte, (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) a serious pest
      of sunflowers in the High Plains of the USA. Seed yields were assessed on a per
      plant basis for both oilseed and confection type sunflower hybrids in two years.
      Both insecticide treatments (foliar e-cyhalothrin and soil-drench carbofuran)
      improved yield of oilseed sunflowers in 2004, but not in 2005. Yield of
      confection hybrids was improved by a systemic fungicide (thiophanate methyl) in
      2005, but insecticides did not improve yield in either year. Both insecticide
      treatments gave good control of various stalk-boring insects such as
      Cylindrocopturus adspersus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Mordellistena sp.
      (Coleoptera: Mordellidae), and Pelochrista womanana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae),
      but neither gave better than 50% control of D. texanus. Plants were sorted
      according to the presence or absence of D. texanus larvae and no reduction was
      found in total seed weight, seed size, or oil content as a result of infestation.
      However, mature larvae of D. texanus girdle stalks at the base in preparation for
      overwintering, a behavior that reduced stalk breakage force by 34-40%, leading to
      yield losses through lodging. At harvest in 2005, there were differences between
      cultivars and among treatments in the proportions of D. texanus larvae that had
      girdled their plants at harvest. It was concluded that further research aimed at
      reducing crop losses to D. texanus should focus on means of delaying stalk
      desiccation and/or deterioration, factors that appear to trigger girdling
      behavior.

PMID- 20307234
TI  - Tissue and life stage specificity of glutathione S-transferase expression in the
      Hessian fly, Mayetiola destructor: implications for resistance to host
      allelochemicals.
AB  - Two new Delta and Sigma glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) in the Hessian fly,
      Mayetiola destructor (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), were characterized and
      transcription profiles described. The deduced amino acid sequences for the two M.
      destructor Delta GSTs (MdesGST-1 and MdesGST-3) showed high similarity with other
      insect Delta GSTs including the conserved catalytic serine residue. The deduced
      amino acid sequence for the M. destructor Sigma GST (MdesGST-2) showed high
      similarity with other insect Sigma GSTs including the conserved glutathione and
      substrate binding sites. Quantitative tissue expression analysis showed that mRNA
      levels for MdesGST-1 were predominant in fat body, whereas for MdesGST-2 and
      MdesGST-3 expression was predominant in the midgut. Temporal expression during
      development showed peak mRNA levels for MdesGST-1 during larval development, but
      in the pupal stage for MdesGST-2. MdesGST-3 showed a constitutive expression
      pattern throughout development. M. destructor feeds on wheat, and expression
      analysis after feeding indicated that mRNA levels for MdesGST-1 were
      significantly higher in incompatible interactions in which larvae fed on
      resistant wheat, while MdesGST-3 was significantly higher in compatible
      interactions when larvae fed on susceptible wheat. MdesGST-2 showed an equivalent
      expression pattern during both interactions. These results suggest that the M.
      destructor Delta GSTs are important in detoxifying wheat allelochemicals during
      feeding, while Sigma GST participates in metabolism of endogenous substrates.

PMID- 20307235
TI  - Comparative studies of the influence of relative humidity and temperature on the
      longevity and fecundity of the parasitoid, Cotesia flavipes.
AB  - The parasitoid, Cotesia flavipes (Cameron) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), was
      introduced for biological control of the stemborer, Chilo partellus (Swinhoe)
      (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), in eastern and southern African countries. The
      parasitoid became firmly established in Ethiopia, with varying density and
      distribution in various regions of the country indicating that there are factors
      regulating the success of the parasitoid. From previous studies, it was known
      that the population of the parasitoid released, the type of host, and temperature
      highly affect some of the biological parameters of the parasitoid. The current
      studies were undertaken to understand the individual and interactive effect of
      temperature and relative humidity on the longevity and fecundity of C. flavipes.
      The study was conducted on C. flavipes collected from the Melkassa Agricultural
      Research Center Experimental Field, Ethiopia. C. flavipes was reared in the
      laboratory on C. partellus feeding on pieces of sorghum stem. The longevity
      experiment was conducted at 10, 20, 30 and 40 degrees C, while the fecundity
      experiment was conducted at 20, 25, 28 and 30 degrees C. For both experiments 40
      50%, 60-70% and 80-90% relative humidity regimes were used. The results obtained
      indicate that the interactive effect of temperature and relative humidity
      significantly affected the longevity, the number of oocytes, and fecundity of C.
      flavipes implying that the two factors play an important role in the success of
      the parasitoid as a biocontrol agent against C. partellus. The results obtained
      suggests the importance of the selection of target release sites for maximum
      efficiency of the parasitoid, which can have a positive impact on the on-going
      augmentative release of C. flavipes in Ethiopia.

PMID- 20307236
TI  - Characterization of microsatellite loci in the western subterranean termite,
      Reticulitermes hesperus, and cross-amplification in closely related cryptic
      species.
AB  - New, and previously reported microsatellites, were characterized for a group of
      four cryptic sibling species in California (USA) in the subterranean termite
      genus Reticulitermes with the goal of finding loci appropriate for population and
      species level studies. Three new microsatellites were identified originating from
      R. hesperus, and 19 loci previously characterized in R. flavipes and R.
      santonensis were examined. Of the three loci specifically developed for R.
      hesperus, none amplify with the other species. Variation appropriate for
      population level studies was found in 4-13 loci depending on the species. Fifteen
      loci appeared to be appropriate for use at the species level. Unique or
      monomorphic alleles are found among the four species, indicating these loci will
      be taxonomically informative for this group.

PMID- 20307237
TI  - Identification of termite species and subspecies of the genus Zootermopsis using
      near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy.
AB  - Dampwood termites of the genus Zootermopsis (Isoptera: Termopsidae) are an
      abundant group of basal termites found in temperate forests of western North
      America. Three species are currently recognized in the genus and one of these
      species is subdivided into two subspecies. Although morphological and genetic
      characters are useful in differentiating among the three species and the two
      subspecies, respectively, only hydrocarbon analysis can enable differentiation
      both among the three species and the two subspecies. Due to the limitations of
      hydrocarbon analysis, such as the need for fresh specimens, alternative methods
      that could rapidly and accurately identify Zootermopsis would be useful. Using a
      partial least squares analysis of near-infrared spectra, each of the Zootermopsis
      species and subspecies were identified with greater than 95% and 80% accuracy,
      respectively. Neural network analysis of the near-infrared spectra successfully
      enabled the identification of the species and subspecies with greater than 99%
      accuracy. The inexpensive, reproducible, and rapid nature of near-infrared
      spectroscopy makes it a viable alternative to morphological, hydrocarbon, or
      genetic analysis for identifying Zootermopsis.

PMID- 20307238
TI  - Coccinellids, aphids, and pollen in diversified vegetable fields with transgenic
      and isoline cultivars.
AB  - The influence of concurrent introduction of three transgenic vegetable cultivars
      on seasonal dynamics of coccinellids and their food, aphids and pollen, was
      examined within diversified farm systems practicing insect pest management in
      northeastern US agroecosystems. The transgenic cultivars used included sweet
      corn, potato, and winter squash, expressing Cry1(A)b, Cry3A, and plant viral coat
      proteins that target Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and aphid-transmitted viruses,
      respectively. Transgenic systems reduced insecticides by 25%. Weekly differences
      in coccinellid density between transgenic and isoline crops were rare and
      transitory, governed by timing of at-planting or foliar insecticide use patterns;
      however cumulative frequencies for three of the six coccinellid species differed
      between transgenic and isoline crops. At a multicrop, farm systems level,
      seasonal dynamics of the coccinellids and aphids tracked dynamics in the sweet
      corn, which far surpassed the other crops in abundance of coccinellids and
      pollen, and harbored consistently higher aphid densities. Although these results
      warrant further study, the patterns suggest that diversified transgenic vegetable
      crops under current commercial management demonstrated transitory conservation of
      coccinellids, and that integration with selective insecticides or other IPM
      tactics could increase this potential.

PMID- 20307240
TI  - Impact of release rates on the effectiveness of augmentative biological control
      agents.
AB  - To access the effect of augmentative biological control agents, 31 articles were
      reviewed that investigated the impact of release rates of 35 augmentative
      biological control agents on the control of 42 arthropod pests. In 64% of the
      cases, the release rate of the biological control agent did not significantly
      affect the density or mortality of the pest insect. Results where similar when
      parasitoids or predators were utilized as the natural enemy. Within any order of
      natural enemy, there were more cases where release rates did not affect
      augmentative biological control than cases where release rates were significant.
      There were more cases in which release rates did not affect augmentative
      biological control when pests were from the orders Hemiptera, Acari, or Diptera,
      but not with pests from the order Lepidoptera. In most cases, there was an
      optimal release rate that produced effective control of a pest species. This was
      especially true when predators were used as a biological control agent.
      Increasing the release rate above the optimal rate did not improve control of the
      pest and thus would be economically detrimental. Lower release rates were of ten
      optimal when biological control was used in conjunction with insecticides. In
      many cases, the timing and method of biological control applications were more
      significant factors impacting the effectiveness of biological control than the
      release rate. Additional factors that may limit the relative impact of release
      rates include natural enemy fecundity, establishment rates, prey availability,
      dispersal, and cannibalism.

PMID- 20307241
TI  - Fungistatic activity of freshly killed termite, Nasutitermes acajutlae, soldiers
      in the Caribbean.
AB  - Termites may have high exposure to both pathogenic and competitive fungal
      species. Previous studies have shown anti-fungal properties of the primary
      components (alpha-pinene and limonene) of Nasutitermes frontal glands that are
      present on soldiers. In this study, the termite Nasutitermes acajutlae (Isoptera:
      Termitidae) was used to examine if the growth of naturally occurring fungi was
      inhibited by soldiers, as compared to workers that do not have frontal glands.
      Soldiers and workers were killed, surface sterilized, and placed on nutrient agar
      either singly or in combinations with other termites. Time until appearance of
      fungus and growth of visible fungal colonies was determined. Fungus appeared
      significantly earlier in cultures with single workers than with single soldiers
      (P < 0.001). Once fungus appeared, there were no significant differences in
      growth rate. When worker and/or soldier fluids were combined in one culture,
      fungal growth appeared later in cultures containing soldiers; growth was
      significantly slower in colonies with 5 workers and 5 soldiers than in cultures
      with 5 workers alone; P < 0.001. Finally, growth appeared later in cultures with
      5 soldiers than in cultures with one soldier, suggesting a dose-response. Fungi
      that grew from termites were mostly non-pathogenic, suggesting the anti-fungal
      properties of soldiers may inhibit both pathogens and competitors.

PMID- 20307242
TI  - Cyclin B is an immunohistochemical proliferation marker which can predict for
      breast cancer death in low-risk node negative breast cancer.
AB  - Patients with low-risk node negative breast cancer have an excellent prognosis
      with 5% breast cancer mortality at 10 years. However, prognostic factors are
      needed to identify poor prognostic patients who might benefit from adjuvant
      systemic therapy. Proliferation has been identified as the most important
      component of gene expression profiles. Cyclin B is a proliferative marker easily
      assessed by immunohistochemistry. We wanted to examine cyclin B as a prognostic
      factor in low-risk breast cancer patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Using an
      experimental study design, we compared women dying early from their breast cancer
      (n=17) with women free from relapse more than eight years after initial diagnosis
      (n=24). All women had stage I, node negative and hormone receptor positive
      disease. None had received adjuvant chemotherapy. Tumor samples were
      immunostained for cyclin B using commercial antibodies. RESULTS: The mean
      percentage of cyclin B (12%) was significantly higher (p=0.001) in women dying
      from their breast cancer compared with women free from relapse (5%). High cyclin
      B (> or =9%) identified 11/17 patients dying from breast cancer and low cyclin B
      identified 22/24 patients free from relapse. The sensitivity and specificity of
      cyclin B was 65% and 92%, respectively. DISCUSSION: We found that low-risk node
      negative patients with high expression of cylin B had a significantly worse
      outcome than patients with low expression of cyclin B. Cyclin B could separate
      patients with poor survival from those with good survival with 80% accuracy. We
      suggest that cyclin B might be a potent prognostic factor in this low-risk
      patient group.

PMID- 20307243
TI  - Trends in the survival of patients diagnosed with cancer in female genital organs
      in the Nordic countries 1964-2003 followed up to the end of 2006.
AB  - Cancers of the female genital organs constitute more than 12% of all female
      cancers in the Nordic countries. The group includes cervix uteri, corpus uteri,
      ovary and other female genital organs including vulva and vagina, and in this
      study we compare the development in the Nordic countries regarding incidence,
      mortality and relative survival. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data were retrieved from
      the NORDCAN database for the period 1964 to 2003, grouped into eight 5-year
      periods. The patients were followed up until the end of 2006. Analyses comprised
      trends in 5-year relative survival, excess mortality and age-specific relative
      survival. RESULTS: A substantial reduction of cervical cancer incidence followed
      the introduction of population-based screening in the 1970s and was also
      accompanied by a modest improvement in survival. Incidence trends in cancer of
      corpus uteri varied between the countries but the survival increased by around 20
      percentage points during the study period in all countries. Ovarian cancer
      patients have the lowest survival among female genital cancers, but survival
      increased 10-15 percentage points over the 40 years of observation, while the
      incidence and mortality were rather stable throughout the observed period.
      Cancers of the other female genital organs, including vulva and vagina, are rare
      diagnoses and only small changes in incidence, mortality and survival have been
      observed over time. CONCLUSION: The declining trends in cervical cancer incidence
      and mortality, and improving survival of corpus uteri cancer patients, are in
      contrast with the rather poor prognosis associated with an ovarian cancer
      diagnosis. Cancer-specific differences between countries in the survival of
      female patients diagnosed with cancers of the cervix uteri, corpus uteri and
      other female genital organs are small.

PMID- 20307244
TI  - Fatal myocardial infarction during nilotinib treatment in a 60-year-old male
      patient.

PMID- 20307245
TI  - Mismatch repair protein expression is an independent prognostic factor in
      sporadic colorectal cancer.
AB  - Abstract Background. Mismatch repair (MMR) status has been reported as a
      prognostic and predictive factor in sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC). The purpose
      of this study was to determine the prognostic and predictive value of MMR protein
      expression in the adjuvant setting. Patients and methods. The MMR status in the
      primary tumor was retrospectively assessed on paraffin-embedded formalin-fixed
      samples from 1 006 patients with sporadic CRC (488 stage II and 518 stage III)
      using immunohistochemical analysis (IHC) of MLH1 and MSH2 expression. The
      patients were included in adjuvant Nordic trials between 1991 and 1996 randomly
      assigned to surgery alone or surgery plus adjuvant 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based
      chemotherapy. Data was censored at 120 months after surgery. Results. One hundred
      fifty-seven patients (15.6%) showed a loss of MMR protein expression (139 MLH1
      negative, 15 MSH2 negative and 3 MLH1 and MSH2 negative) and were classified as
      MMR protein negative. A normal MMR protein expression was found in 849 patients
      who were defined as MMR protein positive. MMR protein expression was a
      significant prognostic marker in the entire study group with a better overall
      survival (OS) among patients with MMR protein negative tumors compared to
      patients with MMR protein positive tumors (p=0.01). In a multivariate analysis
      the MMR protein expression was significantly associated with OS, (HR 0.70 [95%
      CI, 0.40 to 0.99]; p=0.01). The MMR status did not predict survival benefit from
      adjuvant 5-FU-based chemotherapy. Conclusion. This study reveals that IHC of MLH1
      and MSH2 expression can yield important prognostic information but is not a
      predictive factor for adjuvant 5-FU-based chemotherapy in sporadic CRC.

PMID- 20307246
TI  - Flat-detector computed tomography with intravenous contrast material application
      in experimental aneurysms: comparison with multislice CT and conventional
      angiography.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite limited soft tissue resolution flat-detector computed
      tomography (FD-CT) provides substantial superior spatial resolution in comparison
      with multislice computed tomography (MS-CT). This may add value in the
      visualization of small vascular structures if intravenous contrast application
      leads to substantial opacification and visibility of intracranial vessels or
      aneurysms. PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility of visualization of vascular
      structures by FD-CT angiography (FD-CTA) after intravenous contrast injection
      compared with MS-CTA and intra-arterial digital subtracted angiography (IADSA) in
      an animal model. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Aneurysms were created in the right common
      carotid artery in six New Zealand White Rabbits using the elastase technique.
      Imaging was performed using FD-CTA, MS-CTA (injection of 1 ml/kg body weight) and
      IADSA. Anonymized volume rendering reconstruction (VRT), maximum intensity
      projection (MIP), and multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) images were reconstructed
      and evaluated by two experienced reviewers for aneurysm geometry and vascular
      structure anatomy using standard tools of a dedicated workstation. RESULTS:
      Aneurysms could be successfully created in all animals. Measurements of aneurysm
      geometry (aneurysm height, width, neck width) and vascular structures
      (brachiocephalic trunk, carotid artery diameter and plane) were nearly identical
      in all three modalities. Intra- and inter-observer correlations of the different
      parameters showed high r values between 0.83 and 0.99. CONCLUSION: Our results
      show the feasibility of FD-CTA in comparison with MS-CTA and IADSA in an animal
      model. Despite limited soft tissue resolution, opacification of vascular
      structures with sufficient contrast to the surrounding structures was possible in
      all animals. Vascular structures appeared better delineated in FD-CTA than in MS
      CTA, probably due to the superior spatial resolution.

PMID- 20307247
TI  - Cerebral glucose metabolism: Influence on perihematomal edema formation after
      intracerebral hemorrhage in cat models.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Most intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) imaging studies focus on
      structural brain changes. Stereotactic neuroimaging techniques such as magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography/computed tomography
      (PET/CT) are helpful in the diagnosis of ICH, monitoring the subsequent recovery
      and investigating its functional mechanisms. PURPOSE: To explore the influence of
      the changes in cerebral glucose metabolism on perihematomal edema formation in an
      experimental cat model of ICH. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty-eight cats were
      divided into 1 sham operation group (6 cats) and 7 ICH model groups (42 cats)".
      The ICH model groups were injected with 1.0 ml autologous nonheparinized blood
      into their thalami using accurate stereotactic guidance apparatus. MRI and (18)F
      fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT scans were acquired at 2, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, and
      120 h following the intervention. Pearson's correlation test was used to evaluate
      the association between T2-weighted signal intensity and the edema volume.
      Student's t test and q test were used to identify the times of significant
      temporal changes. RESULTS: The volume of perilesional edema did not significantly
      increase from 2 h to 12 h after ICH, but then increased by 229.4% at 24 h, peaked
      (by 273.5%), and steadily decreased by 72 h. The FDG intensity in perihematomal
      edema tissues was markedly reduced 2 h after ICH on PET images, reached its
      lowest level at 12 h, and then steadily increased at 24 h and 48 h. The changes
      of standard absorption value (SUV) in perihematomal edema were consistent with
      those of FDG intensity. CONCLUSION: Perihematomal glucose metabolism
      abnormalities have a close relationship with the formation of vasogenic edema.
      Furthermore, abnormal glucose metabolism may impair capillary integrity and
      increase blood-brain barrier permeability.

PMID- 20307248
TI  - Differences in uptake, localization, and processing of PNAs modified by COX VIII
      pre-sequence peptide and by triphenylphoshonium cation into mitochondria of tumor
      cells.
AB  - Two approaches to target PNAs (peptide nucleic acids) into mitochondria of HeLa
      cells were compared. In the first, PNA was modified with the lipophilic cation
      TPP. TPP-PNA accumulated rapidly within mitochondria driven by the membrane
      potential. It was found to be associated mainly with the mitochondrial membranes.
      In the second approach the COX VIII pre-sequence peptide was added to the PNA
      resulting in slow uptake of the peptide-PNA into the mitochondrial matrix.
      Whereas the amount of the uptake was lower, peptide-PNA was processed
      intramitochondrially in contrast to the TPP-PNA. Using the Chariot system to
      cross the cell membrane of HeLa cells, the uptake of peptide-PNA into the
      mitochondria was demonstrated. If a matrix localization of the free PNA is a pre
      requisite for the PNA interaction with mitochondrial DNA, the coupling PNA with
      an appropriate peptide seems to be the better strategy.

PMID- 20307249
TI  - IL-16 effects on A549 lung epithelial cells: dependence on CD9 as an IL-16
      receptor?
AB  - Interleukin-16 (IL-16) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine released by many types of
      cells found in the lungs, including normal airway and alveolar epithelial cells.
      Though a chemotactin for CD4(+) cells and eosinophils, IL-16 also modulates their
      production of factors that influence inflammatory lung diseases, e.g., asthma and
      allergic rhinitis. To date, little is known about any potential autocrine-like
      regulatory effects of IL-16. Using a model human alveolar basal epithelial A549
      cell line, the present study sought to assess lung epithelial cell responses to
      IL-16. Potential induced effects on cell growth/function were assessed using MTT
      reduction, lactate dehydrogenase release, and 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine
      incorporation assays. As IL-16 (at locally high levels) can induce CD4(+) cell
      death via apoptosis, this potential outcome among the A549 cells was also
      evaluated using TUNEL and changes in expression of caspase-3 and the pro
      apoptotic and anti-apoptotic proteins of Bcl-2 family. The data here indicated
      that IL-16 inhibited A549 cell growth/function and this was associated with a
      marked increase in apoptosis characterized by DNA fragmentation, activation of
      caspase-3, and altered pro-apoptotic protein expression. Since lung epithelial
      cells lack the CD4 that may bind IL-16, it has been suggested that CD9 may act as
      an alternate receptor for this cytokine (i.e., an IL-16R). Thus, these studies
      also sought to determine the extent of CD9 expression on A549 cells and if
      any/all observed IL-16-induced changes were mediated by CD9. Flow cytometric
      analyses revealed the cells to be CD9(+)CD4(-). However, neutralization of the
      purported IL-16R with anti-CD9 antibody could not block the cytotoxic/growth
      inhibiting effects of IL-16. The only exception appeared to be a mitigation of a
      chemotactic effect of IL-16; however, studies with an equal amount of non
      specific antibody (of same isotype as the anti-CD9) revealed this effect to be
      artefactual. The neutralization study results thus suggest to us that as-yet
      undefined pathway(s) exist through which IL-16 may act to exert growth
      inhibiting/apoptosis-inducing effects on A549 cells, a cell line routinely used
      as a model for lung epithelial cells.

PMID- 20307250
TI  - Novel sustained-release fast-disintegrating multi-unit compressed tablets of
      lornoxicam containing Eudragit RS coated chitosan-alginate beads.
AB  - Novel fast-disintegrating multi-unit tablets (FDMUTs) were prepared to modify the
      release of lornoxicam (a potent non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug with a short
      half-life) as well as to combine the advantages of multi-unit systems with the
      cost-effectiveness of compressed tablets. The proposed FDMUTs consisted of
      sustained-release lornoxicam beads directly compressed with fast-disintegrating
      component, containing amorphous solid dispersion of lornoxicam, anticipating
      rapid drug release that starts in the stomach to rapidly alleviate the painful
      symptoms and continues in the intestine to maintain extended analgesic effect.
      Initially, calcium-alginate and chitosan-alginate beads containing lornoxicam
      were prepared. Then, the erosion of selected beads formulation was suppressed by
      treatment with Eudragit RS either through polymer-reinforcement or beads coating.
      The beads, which elicited appropriate sustainment of lornoxicam release, were
      directly compressed with fast-disintegrating components to form FDMUTs. The
      release characteristics of the original beads were maintained after compression
      which indicates that the adopted compression process did not induce mechanical
      damage to the beads or coating. All of the prepared FDMUTs demonstrated
      acceptable physical properties that complied with compendial requirements.
      Release studies, performed in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids used in
      sequence to mimic the gastrointestinal transit, illustrate that the FDMUTs
      containing 8?mg lornoxicam equally distributed between the sustained-release
      beads and the fast-release component, showed the desired release profile.

PMID- 20307251
TI  - Polymeric micelles as a drug delivery system enhance cytotoxicity of vinorelbine
      through more intercellular accumulation.
AB  - Polymeric micelles had been used as an efficacious carrier system for anti-cancer
      drug delivery. However, it is not clear whether the molecular mechanism of drug
      encapsulated in micelles is same as free drug. In this study, the mechanism of
      vinorelbine loaded in glycol-phosphatidylethanolamine (PEG-PE) micelles (M-Vino)
      on tumor cells was investigated. Compared with free vinorelbine (Free Vino), M
      Vino was more effective in inhibiting the growth of tumor cells in vitro,
      inducing G(2)/M phase arrest and apoptosis of tumor cells. M-Vino showed a faster
      entry and higher accumulation in 4T1 cells than free vinorelbine. Therefore, M
      Vino destabilized microtubules, induced cell death, and enhanced its cytotoxicity
      through more intercellular accumulation of vinorelbine.

PMID- 20307253
TI  - Design of inductive sensors for tongue control system for computers and assistive
      devices.
AB  - PURPOSE: The paper introduces a novel design of air-core inductive sensors in
      printed circuit board (PCB) technology for a tongue control system. The tongue
      control system provides a quadriplegic person with a keyboard and a joystick type
      of mouse for interaction with a computer or for control of an assistive device.
      METHOD: Activation of inductive sensors was performed with a cylindrical, soft
      ferromagnetic material (activation unit). Comparative analysis of inductive
      sensors in PCB technology with existing hand-made inductive sensors was performed
      with respect to inductance, resistance, and sensitivity to activation when the
      activation unit was placed in the center of the sensor. Optimisation of the
      activation unit was performed in a finite element model. RESULTS: PCBs with air
      core inductive sensors were manufactured in a 10 layers, 100 microm and 120
      microm line width technology. These sensors provided quality signals that could
      drive the electronics of the hand-made sensors. Furthermore, changing the
      geometry of the sensors allowed generation of variable signals correlated with
      the 2D movement of the activation unit at the sensors' surface. CONCLUSION: PCB
      technology for inductive sensors allows flexibility in design, automation of
      production and ease of possible integration with supplying electronics. The basic
      switch function of the inductive sensor can be extended to two-dimensional
      movement detection for pointing devices.

PMID- 20307252
TI  - Peripheral biomarkers do not correlate with cognitive impairment in highly active
      antiretroviral therapy-treated subjects with human immunodeficiency virus type 1
      infection.
AB  - Neuropsychological (NP) impairments in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
      infected individuals remain high despite the introduction of highly active
      antiretroviral therapy (HAART). We sought to determine whether or not a monocyte
      gene expression profile along with other peripheral factors would correlate with
      neuropsychological impairment among HIV-infected individuals. Forty-four HIV-1
      seropositive subjects (HIV+) on HAART and 11 HIV-1-seronegative controls (HIV-)
      had NP testing and blood drawn for monocyte gene expression analysis. All HIV+
      subjects were assessed for CD4 counts, apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotype, viral
      load, and plasma lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and soluble CD14 (sCD14). NP scores
      were normalized to age, gender, and education. Twenty-five percent of HIV+
      individuals showed abnormal NP testing results (> 1.5 SD below normal in two
      domains). HIV+ individuals had deficits in attention/working memory, verbal
      learning, and information processing speed compared to HIV- controls. There was
      no correlation between overall NP impairment and plasma viral load, level of
      education, age, ethnic diversity, sCD14, plasma LPS, CD4 cell count, ApoE
      genotype, or years of infection. However, greater years of infection had worse
      visual learning performance. sCD14 and CD4 nadir positively correlated with
      information processing speed and fine motor skills, respectively. LPS correlated
      with viral load but not cognitive impairment. Monocyte gene expression confirmed
      a chronic inflammatory profile that correlated with viral load but not cognition.
      No blood index or profile was associated with overall NP impairment.

PMID- 20307254
TI  - Beyond the wheelchair: development of motorised transport for people with severe
      mobility impairments in developing countries.
AB  - PURPOSE: In developing countries, lack of over-the-road transportation reduces a
      vast number of disabled people to a life of begging, dependency and social
      isolation. Although there have been some excellent efforts to provide low-cost
      wheelchairs and hand-powered tricycles, little has been done to further provide
      transport for disabled people. METHODS: To address this problem directly we
      devised a low-cost motorised wheelchair transporter prototype (the Skeeter) using
      a combination of bicycle parts, a custom built frame, and an inexpensive small
      engine for propulsion. RESULTS: The Skeeter can provide independent operation and
      travel by a wheelchair user. It is an economically feasible solution to the lack
      of over-the-road transportation for people with mobility impairments in
      developing countries. CONCLUSIONS: The Skeeter has the potential to provide a
      major enhancement in the quality of life for people with disabilities in
      developing countries around the world.

PMID- 20307255
TI  - Pharmacological properties of thalidomide and its analogues.
AB  - Thalidomide and its immunomodulatory imide drugs (IMiDs) analogues CC-5013
      (Revlimid, Lenalidomide) and CC-4047 (Actimid, Pomalidomide) have been used as
      anti-inflammatory and anticancerous drugs in the recent years. Thalidomide and
      IMiDs inhibit the cytokines tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha),
      interleukins (IL) 1-beta, 6, 12, and granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating
      factor (GM-CSF). They also costimulate primary human T, NKT and NK lymphocytes
      inducing their proliferation, cytokine production, and cytotoxic activity. On the
      other hand, the compounds are anti-angiogenic, anti-proliferative, and pro
      apoptotic. Thalidomide analogues have been used as inhibitors of alpha
      glucosidase and could be potential drugs for diabetes treatment. In this review,
      we explore the current trend of the different structures, the new patents, and
      the possible new applications in different pathologies.

PMID- 20307256
TI  - Update information on drug metabolism systems--2009, part I.
AB  - The field of drug metabolism has changed dramatically in the past generation. Two
      of the driving forces are the advances in analytical chemistry and our
      understanding of the biological systems. With regard to the former, the advances
      in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) are extremely impressive, and
      the speed of analysis has been increased even more with the recent developments
      in ultraperformance LC (UPLC). NMR analysis on a sub-microgram scale is not
      unusual, and the 2-dimensional methods are also very impressive. The biology
      underlying gene regulation is highly developed, and the recombinant methods have
      greatly facilitated progress in the field. Today it is common to design discovery
      and development efforts focused on critical human phenomena from the very start,
      with animal studies supporting the efficacy and safety efforts.

PMID- 20307258
TI  - Novel insights into the assembly and function of human nuclear-encoded cytochrome
      c oxidase subunits 4, 5a, 6a, 7a and 7b.
AB  - Mammalian CcO (cytochrome c oxidase) is a hetero-oligomeric protein complex
      composed of 13 structural subunits encoded by both the mitochondrial and nuclear
      genomes. To study the role of nuclear-encoded CcO subunits in the assembly and
      function of the human complex, we used stable RNA interference of COX4, COX5A and
      COX6A1, as well as expression of epitope-tagged Cox6a, Cox7a and Cox7b, in HEK
      (human embryonic kidney)-293 cells. Knockdown of Cox4, Cox5a and Cox6a resulted
      in reduced CcO activity, diminished affinity of the residual enzyme for oxygen,
      decreased holoCcO and CcO dimer levels, increased accumulation of CcO
      subcomplexes and gave rise to an altered pattern of respiratory supercomplexes.
      An analysis of the patterns of CcO subcomplexes found in both knockdown and
      overexpressing cells identified a novel CcO assembly intermediate, identified the
      entry points of three late-assembled subunits and demonstrated directly the
      essential character as well as the interdependence of the assembly of Cox4 and
      Cox5a. The ectopic expression of the heart/muscle-specific isoform of the Cox6
      subunit (COX6A2) resulted in restoration of both CcO holoenzyme and activity in
      COX6A1-knockdown cells. This was in sharp contrast with the unaltered levels of
      COX6A2 mRNA in these cells, suggesting the existence of a fixed expression
      programme. The normal amount and function of respiratory complex I in all of our
      CcO-deficient knockdown cell lines suggest that, unlike non-human CcO-deficient
      models, even relatively small amounts of CcO can maintain the normal biogenesis
      of this respiratory complex in cultured human cells.

PMID- 20307259
TI  - A role for Na+/H+ exchangers and intracellular pH in regulating vitamin C-driven
      electron transport across the plasma membrane.
AB  - Ascorbate (vitamin C) is the major electron donor to a tPMET (transplasma
      membrane electron transport) system that was originally identified in human
      erythrocytes. This plasma membrane redox system appears to transfer electrons
      from intracellular ascorbate to extracellular oxidants (e.g. non-transferrin
      bound iron). Although this phenomenon has been observed in nucleated cells, its
      mechanism and regulation are not well understood. In the present study we have
      examined both facets of this phenomenon in K562 cells and primary astrocyte
      cultures. Using ferricyanide as the analytical oxidant we demonstrate that tPMET
      is enhanced by dehydroascorbate uptake via facilitative glucose transporters, and
      subsequent accumulation of intracellular ascorbate. Additionally, we demonstrate
      that this stimulation is not due to ascorbate that is released from the cells,
      but is dependent only on a restricted intracellular pool of the vitamin.
      Substrate-saturation kinetics suggest an enzyme-catalysed reaction across the
      plasma membrane by an as-yet-unidentified reductase that relies on extensive
      recycling of intracellular ascorbate. Inhibition of ascorbate-stimulated tPMET by
      the NHE (Na(+)/H(+)-exchanger) inhibitors amiloride and 5-(N-ethyl-N
      isopropyl)amiloride, which is diminished by bicarbonate, suggests that tPMET
      activity may be regulated by intracellular pH. In support of this hypothesis,
      tPMET in astrocytes was significantly inhibited by ammonium chloride-pulse
      induced intracellular acidification, whereas it was significantly stimulated by
      bicarbonate-induced intracellular alkalinization. These results suggest that
      ascorbate-dependent tPMET is enzyme-catalysed and is modulated by NHE activity
      and intracellular pH.

PMID- 20307260
TI  - Myogenic regulatory factors transactivate the Tceal7 gene and modulate muscle
      differentiation.
AB  - Recurrent injuries eventually exhaust the capacity of skeletal muscle to fully
      restore or regenerate its cellular architecture. Therefore a comprehensive
      understanding of the muscle regeneration programme is needed to provide a
      platform for new therapies for devastating diseases such as Duchenne muscular
      dystrophy. To begin to decipher the molecular programme that directs muscle
      regeneration, we undertook an unbiased strategy using microarray analysis of
      cardiotoxin-injured skeletal muscle at defined time periods in the adult mouse.
      Using this strategy, we identified Tceal7 [transcription elongation factor A
      (SII)-like 7], which was dynamically regulated during muscle regeneration. Our
      studies revealed that Tceal7 was restricted to the skeletal muscle lineage during
      embryogenesis. Using transgenic technologies and transcriptional assays, we
      defined an upstream 0.7 kb fragment of the Tceal7 gene that directed the LacZ
      reporter to the developing skeletal muscle lineage. Analysis of the Tceal7
      promoter revealed evolutionarily conserved E-box motifs within the 0.7 kb
      upstream fragment that were essential for promoter activity, as mutation of the E
      box motifs resulted in the loss of reporter expression in the somites of
      transgenic embryos. Furthermore, we demonstrated that MRFs (myogenic regulatory
      factors) were Tceal7 upstream transactivators using transcriptional assays, EMSAs
      (electrophoretic mobility-shift assays), and ChIP (chromatin immunoprecipitation)
      assays. Overexpression of Tceal7 in C2C12 myoblasts decreased cellular
      proliferation and enhanced differentiation. Further studies revealed that p27
      expression was up-regulated following Tceal7 overexpression. These studies
      support the hypothesis that MRFs transactivate Tceal7 gene expression and promote
      muscle differentiation during muscle development and regeneration.

PMID- 20307261
TI  - Regulation of the miR-212/132 locus by MSK1 and CREB in response to
      neurotrophins.
AB  - Neurotrophins are growth factors that are important in neuronal development and
      survival as well as synapse formation and plasticity. Many of the effects of
      neurotrophins are mediated by changes in protein expression as a result of
      altered transcription or translation. To determine whether neurotrophins regulate
      the production of microRNAs (miRNAs), small RNA species that modulate protein
      translation or mRNA stability, we used deep sequencing to identify BDNF (brain
      derived neurotrophic factor)-induced miRNAs in cultured primary cortical mouse
      neurons. This revealed that the miR-212/132 cluster contained the miRNAs most
      responsive to BDNF treatment. This cluster was found to produce four miRNAs: miR
      132, miR-132*, miR-212 and miR-212*. Using specific inhibitors, mouse models and
      promoter analysis we have shown that the regulation of the transcription of the
      miR-212/132 miRNA cluster and the miRNAs derived from it are regulated by the
      ERK1/2 (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase 1/2) pathway, via both MSK (mitogen
      and stress-activated kinase)-dependent and -independent mechanisms.

PMID- 20307262
TI  - Improvement of pain related self management for oncologic patients through a
      trans institutional modular nursing intervention: protocol of a cluster
      randomized multicenter trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pain is one of the most frequent and distressing symptoms in cancer
      patients. For the majority of the patients, sufficient pain relief can be
      obtained if adequate treatment is provided. However, pain remains often
      undertreated due to institutional, health care professional and patient related
      barriers. Patients self management skills are affected by the patients'
      knowledge, activities and attitude to pain management. This trial protocol is
      aimed to test the SCION-PAIN program, a multi modular structured intervention to
      improve self management in cancer patients with pain. METHODS: 240 patients with
      diagnosed malignancy and pain > 3 days and average pain >or= 3/10 will
      participate in a cluster randomized trial on 18 wards in 2 German university
      hospitals. Patients from the intervention wards will receive, additionally to
      standard pain treatment, the SCION-PAIN program consisting of 3 modules:
      pharmacologic pain management, nonpharmacologic pain management and discharge
      management. The intervention will be conducted by specially trained oncology
      nurses and includes components of patient education, skills training and
      counseling to improve self care regarding pain management beginning with
      admission followed by booster session every 3rd day and one follow up telephone
      counseling within 2 to 3 days after discharge. Patients in the control group will
      receive standard care. Primary endpoint is the group difference in patient
      related barriers to management of cancer pain (BQII), 7 days after discharge.
      Secondary endpoints are: pain intensity & interference, adherence, coping and
      HRQoL. DISCUSSION: The study will determine if the acquired self management
      skills of the patients continue to be used after discharge from hospital. It is
      hypothesized that patients who receive the multi modular structured intervention
      will have less patient related barriers and a better self management of cancer
      pain. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials NCT00779597.

PMID- 20307263
TI  - Asbestos, carbon nanotubes and the pleural mesothelium: a review of the
      hypothesis regarding the role of long fibre retention in the parietal pleura,
      inflammation and mesothelioma.
AB  - The unique hazard posed to the pleural mesothelium by asbestos has engendered
      concern in potential for a similar risk from high aspect ratio nanoparticles
      (HARN) such as carbon nanotubes. In the course of studying the potential impact
      of HARN on the pleura we have utilised the existing hypothesis regarding the role
      of the parietal pleura in the response to long fibres. This review seeks to
      synthesise our new data with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNT) with that
      hypothesis for the behaviour of long fibres in the lung and their retention in
      the parietal pleura leading to the initiation of inflammation and pleural
      pathology such as mesothelioma. We describe evidence that a fraction of all
      deposited particles reach the pleura and that a mechanism of particle clearance
      from the pleura exits, through stomata in the parietal pleura. We suggest that
      these stomata are the site of retention of long fibres which cannot negotiate
      them leading to inflammation and pleural pathology including mesothelioma. We
      cite thoracoscopic data to support the contention, as would be anticipated from
      the preceding, that the parietal pleura is the site of origin of pleural
      mesothelioma. This mechanism, if it finds support, has important implications for
      future research into the mesothelioma hazard from HARN and also for our current
      view of the origins of asbestos-initiated pleural mesothelioma and the common use
      of lung parenchymal asbestos fibre burden as a correlate of this tumour, which
      actually arises in the parietal pleura.

PMID- 20307264
TI  - Transcriptional profiling of an Fd-GOGAT1/GLU1 mutant in Arabidopsis thaliana
      reveals a multiple stress response and extensive reprogramming of the
      transcriptome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Glutamate plays a central position in the synthesis of a variety of
      organic molecules in plants and is synthesised from nitrate through a series of
      enzymatic reactions. Glutamate synthases catalyse the last step in this pathway
      and two types are present in plants: NADH- or ferredoxin-dependent. Here we
      report a genome wide microarray analysis of the transcriptional reprogramming
      that occurs in leaves and roots of the A. thaliana mutant glu1-2 knocked-down in
      the expression of Fd-GOGAT1 (GLU1; At5g04140), one of the two genes of A.
      thaliana encoding ferredoxin-dependent glutamate synthase. RESULTS:
      Transcriptional profiling of glu1-2 revealed extensive changes with the
      expression of more than 5500 genes significantly affected in leaves and nearly
      700 in roots. Both genes involved in glutamate biosynthesis and transformation
      are affected, leading to changes in amino acid compositions as revealed by NMR
      metabolome analysis. An elevated glutamine level in the glu1-2 mutant was the
      most prominent of these changes. An unbiased analysis of the gene expression
      datasets allowed us to identify the pathways that constitute the secondary
      response of an FdGOGAT1/GLU1 knock-down. Among the most significantly affected
      pathways, photosynthesis, photorespiratory cycle and chlorophyll biosynthesis
      show an overall downregulation in glu1-2 leaves. This is in accordance with their
      slight chlorotic phenotype. Another characteristic of the glu1-2 transcriptional
      profile is the activation of multiple stress responses, mimicking cold, heat,
      drought and oxidative stress. The change in expression of genes involved in
      flavonoid biosynthesis is also revealed. The expression of a substantial number
      of genes encoding stress-related transcription factors, cytochrome P450
      monooxygenases, glutathione S-transferases and UDP-glycosyltransferases is
      affected in the glu1-2 mutant. This may indicate an induction of the
      detoxification of secondary metabolites in the mutant. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of
      the glu1-2 transcriptome reveals extensive changes in gene expression profiles
      revealing the importance of Fd-GOGAT1, and indirectly the central role of
      glutamate, in plant development. Besides the effect on genes involved in
      glutamate synthesis and transformation, the glu1-2 mutant transcriptome was
      characterised by an extensive secondary response including the downregulation of
      photosynthesis-related pathways and the induction of genes and pathways involved
      in the plant response to a multitude of stresses.

PMID- 20307265
TI  - Uncoupled responses of Smad4-deficient cancer cells to TNFalpha result in
      secretion of monomeric laminin-gamma2.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Functional loss of the tumor suppressor Smad4 is involved in
      pancreatic and colorectal carcinogenesis and has been associated with the
      acquisition of invasiveness. We have previously demonstrated that the
      heterotrimeric basement membrane protein laminin-332 is a Smad4 target. Namely,
      Smad4 functions as a positive transcriptional regulator of all three genes
      encoding laminin-332; its loss is thus implicated in the reduced or discontinuous
      deposition of the heterotrimeric basement membrane molecule as evident in
      carcinomas. Uncoupled expression of laminin genes, on the other hand, namely
      overexpression of the laminin-gamma2 chain is an impressive marker at invasive
      edges of carcinomas where tumor cells are maximally exposed to signals from
      stromal cell types like macrophages. As Smad4 is characterized as an integrator
      of multiple extracellular stimuli in a strongly contextual manner, we asked if
      loss of Smad4 may also be involved in uncoupled expression of laminin genes in
      response to altered environmental stimuli. Here, we address Smad4 dependent
      effects of the prominent inflammatory cytokine TNFalpha on tumor cells. RESULTS:
      Smad4-reconstituted colon carcinoma cells like adenoma cells respond to TNFalpha
      with an increased expression of all three chains encoding laminin-332;
      coincubation with TGFbeta and TNFalpha leads to synergistic induction and to the
      secretion of large amounts of the heterotrimer. In contrast, in Smad4-deficient
      cells TNFalpha can induce expression of the gamma2 and beta3 but not the alpha3
      chain. Surprisingly, this uncoupled induction of laminin-332 chains in Smad4
      negative cells rather than causing intracellular accumulation is followed by the
      release of gamma2 into the medium, either in a monomeric form or in complexes
      with as yet unknown proteins. Soluble gamma2 is associated with increased cell
      migration. CONCLUSIONS: Loss of Smad4 may lead to uncoupled induction of laminin
      gamma2 in response to TNFalpha and may therefore represent one of the mechanisms
      which underlie accumulation of laminin-gamma2 at the invasive margin of a tumor.
      The finding, that gamma2 is secreted from tumor cells in significant amounts and
      is associated with increased cell migration may pave the way for further
      investigation to better understand its functional relevance for tumor
      progression.

PMID- 20307266
TI  - Computerized general practice based networks yield comparable performance with
      sentinel data in monitoring epidemiological time-course of influenza-like illness
      and acute respiratory illness.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Computerized morbidity registration networks might serve as early
      warning systems in a time where natural epidemics such as the H1N1 flu can easily
      spread from one region to another. METHODS: In this contribution we examine
      whether general practice based broad-spectrum computerized morbidity registration
      networks have the potential to act as a valid surveillance instrument of
      frequently occurring diseases. We compare general practice based computerized
      data assessing the frequency of influenza-like illness (ILI) and acute
      respiratory infections (ARI) with data from a well established case-specific
      sentinel network, the European Influenza Surveillance Scheme (EISS). The overall
      frequency and trends of weekly ILI and ARI data are compared using both networks.
      RESULTS: Detection of influenza-like illness and acute respiratory illness occurs
      equally fast in EISS and the computerized network. The overall frequency data for
      ARI are the same for both networks, the overall trends are similar, but the
      increases and decreases in frequency do not occur in exactly the same weeks. For
      ILI, the overall rate was slightly higher for the computerized network
      population, especially before the increase of ILI, the overall trend was almost
      identical and the increases and decreases occur in the same weeks for both
      networks. CONCLUSIONS: Computerized morbidity registration networks are a valid
      tool for monitoring frequent occurring respiratory diseases and the detection of
      sudden outbreaks.

PMID- 20307267
TI  - Thyroid function in children with growth hormone (GH) deficiency during the
      initial phase of GH replacement therapy - clinical implications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Normal thyroid hormone secretion or appropriate L-thyroxine (L-T4)
      substitution is necessary for the optimal effect of the growth hormone (GH)
      administration on growth rate. The decrease of free thyroxine (FT4) levels at
      recombinant human GH (rhGH) therapy onset has been reported in several studies.
      The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of rhGH administration on
      thyrotropin (TSH) and FT4 serum concentrations in children with GH deficiency
      (GHD) during the 1st year of therapy, as well as to assess potential indications
      to thyroid hormone supplementation in them. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The analysis
      involved data of 75 children (59 boys, 16 girls) with disorders of GH secretion
      (GHD, neurosecretory dysfunction - NSD) and partial GH inactivity (inactGH), who
      were treated with rhGH for - at least - one year. In all the children, body
      height and height velocity (HV) were assessed before and after 1 year of therapy,
      while TSH, FT4, IGF-I and IGFBP-3 before treatment and after 3-6 months and 1
      year of treatment. In the patients, who revealed hypothyroidism (HypoT), an
      appropriate L-T4 substitution was introduced immediately. The incidence of HypoT,
      occurring during the initial phase of rhGH therapy, was assessed, as well as its
      influence on the therapy effectiveness. RESULTS: Before rhGH substitution, there
      were no significant differences in either auxological indices or TSH and FT4
      secretion, or IGF-I concentration and its bioavailability among the groups of
      patients. During the initial 3-6 months of rhGH administration, a significant
      decrease of FT4 serum concentration, together with a significant increase of IGF
      I SDS and IGF-I/IGFBP-3 molar ratio was observed in all the studied groups. In 17
      children, HypoT was diagnosed and L-T4 substitution was administered. Despite
      similar IGF-I secretion increase, the improvement of HV presented significantly
      lower in children with HypoT than in those who remained euthyroid all the time.
      CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of HypoT during the initial phase of GH treatment in
      children with GHD and the negative effect of even transient thyroid hormone
      deficiency on the growth rate should be taken into account.

PMID- 20307268
TI  - A single blind randomized controlled trial of cognitive behavioural therapy in a
      help-seeking population with an At Risk Mental State for psychosis: the Dutch
      Early Detection and Intervention Evaluation (EDIE-NL) trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Psychotic disorders are a serious mental health problem. Intervention
      before the onset of psychosis might result in delaying the onset, reducing the
      impact or even preventing the first episode of psychosis. This study explores the
      effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in targeting cognitive
      biases that are involved in the formation of delusions in persons with an ultra
      high risk for developing psychosis. A single blind randomised controlled trial
      compares CBT with treatment as usual in preventing or delaying the onset of
      psychosis. METHOD/DESIGN: All help seeking patients aged 14 to 35 years referred
      to the mental health services in three regions in the Netherlands are pre
      screened with the Prodromal Questionnaire during a period of two years. Patients
      with a score of 18 or more on the sub-clinical positive symptoms items (45 items
      in total) will be assessed with the Comprehensive Assessment of At Risk Mental
      State (CAARMS). In a different pathway to care model all referrals from the
      mental health services in Amsterdam to the specialized psychosis clinic of the
      Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam are also assessed with the CAARMS. The
      primary outcome is the transition rate to psychosis according to the CAARMS
      criteria. Group differences will be analysed with chi-square tests and survival
      analyses. DISCUSSION: CBT is a highly tolerated treatment. The psycho-educational
      CBT approach may prove to be a successful strategy since most people with an At
      Risk Mental State (ARMS) are distressed by odd disturbing experiences. Giving
      explanations for and normalising these experiences may reduce the arousal
      (distress) and therefore may prevent people from developing a catastrophic
      delusional explanation for their odd experiences and thus prevent them from
      developing psychosis.Screening the entire help-seeking population referred to
      community mental health services with a two-stage strategy, as compared with
      traditional referral to a specialist clinical psychosis centre, might detect more
      ultra-high-risk (UHR) patients. This type of screening could be implemented in
      mental health care as routine screening. The trial is registered at Current
      Controlled trials as trial number ISRCTN21353122.

PMID- 20307269
TI  - Selective accumulation of langerhans-type dendritic cells in small airways of
      patients with COPD.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dendritic cells (DC) linking innate and adaptive immune responses are
      present in human lungs, but the characterization of different subsets and their
      role in COPD pathogenesis remain to be elucidated. The aim of this study is to
      characterize and quantify pulmonary myeloid DC subsets in small airways of
      current and ex-smokers with or without COPD. METHODS: Myeloid DC were
      characterized using flowcytometry on single cell suspensions of digested human
      lung tissue. Immunohistochemical staining for langerin, BDCA-1, CD1a and DC-SIGN
      was performed on surgical resection specimens from 85 patients. Expression of
      factors inducing Langerhans-type DC (LDC) differentiation was evaluated by RT-PCR
      on total lung RNA. RESULTS: Two segregated subsets of tissue resident pulmonary
      myeloid DC were identified in single cell suspensions by flowcytometry: the
      langerin+ LDC and the DC-SIGN+ interstitial-type DC (intDC). LDC partially
      expressed the markers CD1a and BDCA-1, which are also present on their known
      blood precursors. In contrast, intDC did not express langerin, CD1a or BDCA-1,
      but were more closely related to monocytes.Quantification of DC in the small
      airways by immunohistochemistry revealed a higher number of LDC in current
      smokers without COPD and in COPD patients compared to never smokers and ex
      smokers without COPD. Importantly, there was no difference in the number of LDC
      between current and ex-smoking COPD patients.In contrast, the number of intDC did
      not differ between study groups. Interestingly, the number of BDCA-1+ DC was
      significantly lower in COPD patients compared to never smokers and further
      decreased with the severity of the disease. In addition, the accumulation of LDC
      in the small airways significantly correlated with the expression of the LDC
      inducing differentiation factor activin-A. CONCLUSIONS: Myeloid DC
      differentiation is altered in small airways of current smokers and COPD patients
      resulting in a selective accumulation of the LDC subset which correlates with the
      pulmonary expression of the LDC-inducing differentiation factor activin-A. This
      study identified the LDC subset as an interesting focus for future research in
      COPD pathogenesis.

PMID- 20307270
TI  - Effects of antenatal dexamethasone treatment on glucocorticoid receptor and
      calcyon gene expression in the prefrontal cortex of neonatal and adult common
      marmoset monkeys.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Synthetic glucocorticoids such as dexamethasone (DEX) are commonly
      used to promote fetal lung maturation in at-risk preterm births, but there is
      emerging evidence of subsequent neurobehavioral abnormalities in these children
      e.g. problems with inattention/hyperactivity. However, molecular pathways
      mediating effects of glucocorticoid overexposure on motor and cognitive
      development are poorly understood. METHODS: In this study with common marmoset
      monkeys, we investigated for neonatal and adulthood effects of antenatal DEX
      treatment on the expression of the corticosteroid receptors and also calcyon, a
      risk gene for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, in the prefrontal cortex
      (PFC). Pregnant marmosets were exposed to DEX (5 mg/kg body weight) or vehicle
      during early (days 42-48) or late (days 90-96) stages of the 144-day pregnancy.
      RESULTS: In neonates, relative to controls, glucocorticoid receptor (GR) mRNA
      levels were significantly reduced after the late DEX treatment in the medial,
      orbital and dorsal PFC and after the early DEX treatment in the dorsal PFC. The
      early DEX exposure, specifically, resulted in significant reduction in calcyon
      mRNA expression in the medial, orbital, dorsal and lateral PFC relative to
      controls. Mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) mRNA levels were not significantly
      affected by DEX treatment. In adults, PFC GR, calcyon, and MR mRNA levels were
      not significantly affected by early or late prenatal DEX treatment. CONCLUSION:
      These findings indicate that antenatal DEX treatment could lead to short-term
      alterations in PFC expression of the GR and calcyon genes, with possible
      neurodevelopmental functional consequences.

PMID- 20307271
TI  - Gastric glomus tumor: a case report.
AB  - Gastric glomus tumors are rare mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract.
      We describe a 72-year-old patient who presented with episodes of melena and was
      subsequently investigated for a tumor of the antrum of the stomach. Surgical
      resection revealed a 2 x 2 x 1.7 cm well circumscribed submucosal tumor,
      extending into the muscularis propria. The histopathologic examination of the
      specimen demonstrated a glomus tumor of the stomach. We discuss the preoperative
      investigation, the diagnostic problems and the surgical treatment of the patient
      with this rare submucosal lesion.

PMID- 20307272
TI  - Interferon-gamma inhibits interleukin-1beta-induced matrix metalloproteinase
      production by synovial fibroblasts and protects articular cartilage in early
      arthritis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The first few months after symptom onset represents a
      pathologically distinct phase in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We used relevant
      experimental models to define the pathological role of interferon-gamma (IFN
      gamma) during early inflammatory arthritis. METHODS: We studied IFN-gamma's
      capacity to modulate interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) induced degenerative responses
      using RA fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS), a bovine articular cartilage explant
      (BACE)/RA-FLS co-culture model and an experimental inflammatory arthritis model
      (murine antigen-induced arthritis (AIA)). RESULTS: IFN-gamma modulated IL-1beta
      driven matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) synthesis resulting in the down-regulation
      of MMP-1 and MMP-3 production in vitro. IFN-gamma did not affect IL-1beta induced
      tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) production by RA FLS but skewed
      the MMP/TIMP-1 balance sufficiently to attenuate glycosaminoglycan-depletion in
      our BACE model. IFN-gamma reduced IL-1beta expression in the arthritic joint and
      prevented cartilage degeneration on Day 3 of AIA. CONCLUSIONS: Early therapeutic
      intervention with IFN-gamma may be critical to orchestrate tissue-protective
      responses during inflammatory arthritis.

PMID- 20307273
TI  - Reasons for participating in randomised controlled trials: conditional altruism
      and considerations for self.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Randomised controlled trials of healthcare interventions depend on
      the participation of volunteers who might not derive any personal health benefit
      from their participation. The idea that altruistic-type motives are important for
      trial participation is understandably widespread, but recent studies suggest
      considerations of personal benefit can influence participation decisions in
      various ways. METHODS: Non-participant observation of recruitment consultations
      (n = 25) and in-depth interviews with people invited to participate in the UK
      REFLUX trial (n = 13). RESULTS: Willingness to help others and to contribute
      towards furthering medical knowledge featured strongly among the reasons people
      gave for being interested in participating in the trial. But decisions to attend
      recruitment appointments and take part were not based solely on consideration of
      others. Rather, they were presented as conditional on individuals additionally
      perceiving some benefit (and no significant disadvantage) for themselves.
      Potential for personal benefit or disadvantage could be seen in both the
      interventions being evaluated and trial processes. CONCLUSIONS: The term
      'conditional altruism' concisely describes the willingness to help others that
      may initially incline people to participate in a trial, but that is unlikely to
      lead to trial participation in practice unless people also recognise that
      participation will benefit them personally. Recognition of conditional altruism
      has implications for planning trial recruitment communications to promote
      informed and voluntary trial participation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN15517081.

PMID- 20307274
TI  - Environmental distribution of prokaryotic taxa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The increasing availability of gene sequences of prokaryotic species
      in samples extracted from all kind of locations allows addressing the study of
      the influence of environmental patterns in prokaryotic biodiversity. We present a
      comprehensive study to address the potential existence of environmental
      preferences of prokaryotic taxa and the commonness of the specialist and
      generalist strategies. We also assessed the most significant environmental
      factors shaping the environmental distribution of taxa. RESULTS: We used 16S rDNA
      sequences from 3,502 sampling experiments in natural and artificial sources.
      These sequences were taxonomically assigned, and the corresponding samples were
      also classified into a hierarchical classification of environments. We used
      several statistical methods to analyze the environmental distribution of taxa.
      Our results indicate that environmental specificity is not very common at the
      higher taxonomic levels (phylum to family), but emerges at lower taxonomic levels
      (genus and species). The most selective environmental characteristics are those
      of animal tissues and thermal locations. Salinity is another very important
      factor for constraining prokaryotic diversity. On the other hand, soil and
      freshwater habitats are the less restrictive environments, harboring the largest
      number of prokaryotic taxa. All information on taxa, samples and environments is
      provided at the envDB online database, http://metagenomics.uv.es/envDB.
      CONCLUSIONS: This is, as far as we know, the most comprehensive assessment of the
      distribution and diversity of prokaryotic taxa and their associations with
      different environments. Our data indicate that we are still far from
      characterizing prokaryotic diversity in any environment, except, perhaps, for
      human tissues such as the oral cavity and the vagina.

PMID- 20307275
TI  - Truncus arteriosus with aortic arch interruption: cardiovascular magnetic
      resonance findings in the unrepaired adult.
AB  - Truncus arteriosus (TA) is a rare congenital condition defined as a single
      arterial vessel arising from the heart that gives origin to the systemic,
      pulmonary and coronary circulations. We discuss the unique case of a 28 year-old
      female patient with unrepaired TA and interruption of the aortic arch who
      underwent cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR).

PMID- 20307276
TI  - Specific expression profile and prognostic significance of peroxiredoxins in
      grade II-IV astrocytic brain tumors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Peroxiredoxins (Prxs) have recently been suggested to have a role in
      tumorigenesis. METHODS: We studied the expression of Prx I-VI and their
      relationship to patient survival in 383 grade II-IV diffuse astrocytic brain
      tumors. RESULTS: Prx I positivity was found in 68%, Prx II in 84%, Prx III in
      90%, Prx IV in 5%, Prx V in 4% and Prx VI in 47% of the tumors. Prx I and Prx II
      expression decreased significantly with increasing malignancy grade (p < 0.001
      and p < 0.001). Patients with Prx I or Prx II positive tumors were significantly
      younger than the average age of all the patients (p = 0.014 and p = 0.005). A
      lower proliferation rate was associated with Prx I and Prx VI positive tumors (p
      = 0.019 and p = 0.033), and a lower apoptotic rate was found within Prx I and Prx
      II positive tumors (p < 0.001 and p = 0.007). Patients with Prx I and Prx II
      positive tumors had a significantly better survival rate than their Prx-negative
      counterparts (p = 0.0052 and p = 0.0002). CONCLUSION: The expression of Prx I and
      Prx II correlates with astrocytic tumor features, such as grade and patient age
      and proliferation activity (Prx I), and accordingly with patient survival.

PMID- 20307277
TI  - Development of a SNP resource and a genetic linkage map for Atlantic cod (Gadus
      morhua).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) is a species with increasing economic
      significance for the aquaculture industry. The genetic improvement of cod will
      play a critical role in achieving successful large-scale aquaculture. While many
      microsatellite markers have been developed in cod, the number of single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) is currently limited. Here we report the
      identification of SNPs from sequence data generated by a large-scale expressed
      sequence tag (EST) program, focusing on fish originating from Canadian waters.
      RESULTS: A total of 97976 ESTs were assembled to generate 13448 contigs. We
      detected 4753 SNPs that met our selection criteria (depth of coverage > or = 4
      reads; minor allele frequency > 25%). 3072 SNPs were selected for testing. The
      percentage of successful assays was 75%, with 2291 SNPs amplifying correctly. Of
      these, 607 (26%) SNPs were monomorphic for all populations tested. In total, 64
      (4%) of SNPs are likely to represent duplicated genes or highly similar members
      of gene families, rather than alternative alleles of the same gene, since they
      showed a high frequency of heterozygosity. The remaining polymorphic SNPs (1620)
      were categorised as validated SNPs. The mean minor allele frequency of the
      validated loci was 0.258 (+/- 0.141). Of the 1514 contigs from which validated
      SNPs were selected, 31% have a significant blast hit. For the SNPs predicted to
      occur in coding regions (141), we determined that 36% (51) are non-synonymous.
      Many loci (1033 SNPs; 64%) are polymorphic in all populations tested. However a
      small number of SNPs (184) that are polymorphic in the Western Atlantic were
      monomorphic in fish tested from three European populations. A preliminary linkage
      map has been constructed with 23 major linkage groups and 924 mapped SNPs.
      CONCLUSIONS: These SNPs represent powerful tools to accelerate the genetic
      improvement of cod aquaculture. They have been used to build a genetic linkage
      map that can be applied to quantitative trait locus (QTL) discovery. Since these
      SNPs were generated from ESTs, they are linked to specific genes. Genes that map
      within QTL intervals can be prioritized for testing to determine whether they
      contribute to observed phenotypes.

PMID- 20307278
TI  - Work and diet-related risk factors of cardiovascular diseases: comparison of two
      occupational groups.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although work related risk factors associated with Cardiovascular
      Diseases (CD) have been well researched, there is no detailed knowledge regarding
      disparate occupational groups each with a different risk exposition. Therefore,
      two occupational groups (chefs and office workers) were compared with a focus on
      nutritional and psychosocial factors. METHODS: Two groups of subjects were tested
      for work and diet-related risks of CD (45 chefs and 48 office workers). The
      groups matched both for gender (male) and age (30 to 45 years). The study
      included a medical check-up, bioelectrical impedance analysis as well as an
      evaluation of questionnaires on health, nutritional behaviour and coping
      capacity. In addition, volunteers were required to compile a 7-day-dietary-record
      and collect their urine 24 h prior to their check-up. Blood samples drawn were
      analysed for glucose and lipid metabolism, homocysteine, vitamin B12, folic acid;
      C-reactive protein, uric acid, red blood cell fatty acids, plant sterols,
      antioxidative capacity and oxidative stress. RESULTS: On average, the chefs
      showed one risk factor more compared to the office workers. The most frequent
      risk factors in both groups included overweight/obesity (chef group [CG]: 62.2%;
      office group [OG]: 58.3%) and elevated TC (CG: 62.2%; OG: 43.8%]. Moreover,
      although the chefs often had higher CRP-concentrations (40.0%), more office
      workers suffered from hypertension (37.5%).Chefs showed significant higher
      concentrations of saturated fatty acids and oleic acid, whereas docosahexaenoic
      acid, Omega-6- and trans fatty acids were found more frequently in the red blood
      cell membranes of office workers. While there were no significant differences in
      analysed plant sterols between the two occupational groups, 7,8-dihydro-8-oxo-2'
      deoxyguanosine was significantly increased in office workers.Concerning the work
      related psychosocial factors, the chefs were characterised by a stronger
      subjective importance of work, a greater degree of professional aspiration and
      enhanced efforts at perfectionism at their workplace. CONCLUSIONS: The chefs in
      the study bear a higher risk of CD compared to the office-workers. Although, CD
      is not exclusively a result of workplace-conditions, study results show that work
      related influences can not be ignored. Thus, prevention of CD may be an important
      task attributable to occupational physicians.

PMID- 20307279
TI  - Improving pairwise sequence alignment accuracy using near-optimal protein
      sequence alignments.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While the pairwise alignments produced by sequence similarity
      searches are a powerful tool for identifying homologous proteins - proteins that
      share a common ancestor and a similar structure; pairwise sequence alignments
      often fail to represent accurately the structural alignments inferred from three
      dimensional coordinates. Since sequence alignment algorithms produce optimal
      alignments, the best structural alignments must reflect suboptimal sequence
      alignment scores. Thus, we have examined a range of suboptimal sequence
      alignments and a range of scoring parameters to understand better which sequence
      alignments are likely to be more structurally accurate. RESULTS: We compared near
      optimal protein sequence alignments produced by the Zuker algorithm and a set of
      probabilistic alignments produced by the probA program with structural alignments
      produced by four different structure alignment algorithms. There is significant
      overlap between the solution spaces of structural alignments and both the near
      optimal sequence alignments produced by commonly used scoring parameters for
      sequences that share significant sequence similarity (E-values < 10-5) and the
      ensemble of probA alignments. We constructed a logistic regression model
      incorporating three input variables derived from sets of near-optimal alignments:
      robustness, edge frequency, and maximum bits-per-position. A ROC analysis shows
      that this model more accurately classifies amino acid pairs (edges in the
      alignment path graph) according to the likelihood of appearance in structural
      alignments than the robustness score alone. We investigated various trimming
      protocols for removing incorrect edges from the optimal sequence alignment; the
      most effective protocol is to remove matches from the semi-global optimal
      alignment that are outside the boundaries of the local alignment, although
      trimming according to the model-generated probabilities achieves a similar level
      of improvement. The model can also be used to generate novel alignments by using
      the probabilities in lieu of a scoring matrix. These alignments are typically
      better than the optimal sequence alignment, and include novel correct structural
      edges. We find that the probA alignments sample a larger variety of alignments
      than the Zuker set, which more frequently results in alignments that are closer
      to the structural alignments, but that using the probA alignments as input to the
      regression model does not increase performance. CONCLUSIONS: The pool of
      suboptimal pairwise protein sequence alignments substantially overlaps structure
      based alignments for pairs with statistically significant similarity, and a
      regression model based on information contained in this alignment pool improves
      the accuracy of pairwise alignments with respect to structure-based alignments.

PMID- 20307280
TI  - Effect of the CB1 cannabinoid agonist WIN 55212-2 on the acquisition and
      reinstatement of MDMA-induced conditioned place preference in mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Numerous reports indicate that MDMA users consume other psychoactive
      drugs, among which cannabis is one of the most common. The aim of the present
      study was to evaluate, using the conditioned place preference, the effect of the
      cannabinoid agonist WIN 55,212-2 on the rewarding effects of MDMA in mice.
      METHODS: In the first experiment adolescent mice were initially conditioned with
      1.25, 2.5 or 5 mg/kg of MDMA or 0.1 or 0.5 mg/kg of WIN and subsequently with
      both drugs. Reinstatement of the extinguished preference by priming doses was
      performed in the groups that showed CPP. In the second experiment, animals were
      conditioned with 2.5 or 5 mg/kg of MDMA and, after extinction, reinstatement of
      the preference was induced by 0.5 or 0.1 mg/kg of WIN. RESULTS: A low dose of WIN
      55212-2 (0.1 mg/kg) increased the rewarding effects of low doses of MDMA (1.25
      mg/kg), although a decrease in the preference induced by MDMA (5 and 2.5 mg/kg)
      was observed when the dose of WIN 55212-2 was raised (0.5 mg/kg). The CB1
      antagonist SR 141716 also increased the rewarding effects of the lowest MDMA dose
      and did not block the effects of WIN. Animals treated with the highest WIN dose
      plus a non-neurotoxic dose of MDMA exhibited decreases of striatal DA and
      serotonin in the cortex. On the other hand, WIN 55212-2-induced CPP was
      reinstated by priming injections of MDMA, although WIN did not reinstate the MDMA
      induced CPP. CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm that the cannabinoid system plays
      a role in the rewarding effects of MDMA and highlights the risks that sporadic
      drug use can pose in terms of relapse to dependence. Finally, the potential
      neuroprotective action of cannabinoids is not supported by our data; on the
      contrary, they are evidence of the potential neurotoxic effect of said drugs when
      administered with MDMA.

PMID- 20307281
TI  - Current sample size conventions: flaws, harms, and alternatives.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The belief remains widespread that medical research studies must have
      statistical power of at least 80% in order to be scientifically sound, and peer
      reviewers often question whether power is high enough. DISCUSSION: This
      requirement and the methods for meeting it have severe flaws. Notably, the true
      nature of how sample size influences a study's projected scientific or practical
      value precludes any meaningful blanket designation of <80% power as "inadequate".
      In addition, standard calculations are inherently unreliable, and focusing only
      on power neglects a completed study's most important results: estimates and
      confidence intervals. Current conventions harm the research process in many ways:
      promoting misinterpretation of completed studies, eroding scientific integrity,
      giving reviewers arbitrary power, inhibiting innovation, perverting ethical
      standards, wasting effort, and wasting money. Medical research would benefit from
      alternative approaches, including established value of information methods,
      simple choices based on cost or feasibility that have recently been justified,
      sensitivity analyses that examine a meaningful array of possible findings, and
      following previous analogous studies. To promote more rational approaches,
      research training should cover the issues presented here, peer reviewers should
      be extremely careful before raising issues of "inadequate" sample size, and
      reports of completed studies should not discuss power. SUMMARY: Common
      conventions and expectations concerning sample size are deeply flawed, cause
      serious harm to the research process, and should be replaced by more rational
      alternatives.

PMID- 20307282
TI  - Phylodynamics of HIV-1 circulating recombinant forms 12_BF and 38_BF in Argentina
      and Uruguay.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although HIV-1 CRF12_BF and CRF38_BF are two epidemiologically
      important recombinant lineages circulating in Argentina and Uruguay, little is
      known about their population dynamics. METHODS: A total of 120 "CRF12_BF-like"
      and 20 "CRF38_BF-like" pol recombinant sequences collected in Argentina and
      Uruguay from 1997 to 2009 were subjected to phylogenetic and Bayesian coalescent
      based analyses to estimate evolutionary and demographic parameters. RESULTS:
      Phylogenetic analyses revealed that CRF12_BF viruses from Argentina and Uruguay
      constitute a single epidemic with multiple genetic exchanges among countries;
      whereas circulation of the CRF38_BF seems to be confined to Uruguay. The mean
      estimated substitution rate of CRF12_BF at pol gene (2.5 x 10-3
      substitutions/site/year) was similar to that previously described for subtype B.
      According to our estimates, CRF12_BF and CRF38_BF originated at 1983 (1978-1988)
      and 1986 (1981-1990), respectively. After their emergence, the CRF12_BF and
      CRF38_BF epidemics seem to have experienced a period of rapid expansion with
      initial growth rates of around 1.2 year-1 and 0.9 year-1, respectively. Later,
      the rate of spread of these CRFs_BF seems to have slowed down since the mid
      1990s. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that CRF12_BF and CRF38_BF viruses were
      generated during the 1980s, shortly after the estimated introduction of subtype
      F1 in South America (~1975-1980). After an initial phase of fast exponential
      expansion, the rate of spread of both CRFs_BF epidemics seems to have slowed
      down, thereby following a demographic pattern that resembles those previously
      reported for the HIV-1 epidemics in Brazil, USA, and Western Europe.

PMID- 20307283
TI  - "Well, it's nobody's responsibility but my own." A qualitative study to explore
      views about the determinants of health and prevention of knee pain in older
      adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dahlgren and Whitehead's 'rainbow' outlines key determinants of
      health and has been widely adopted within public health policy and research.
      Public understanding regarding the determinants of health is, however, relatively
      unknown, particularly in relation to common chronic joint problems like knee
      pain. We aimed to explore individual attitudes to the prevention of knee pain,
      and assess how people make sense of their lives by using the rainbow model to
      explore social determinants of health. METHODS: Twenty-eight semi-structured
      interviews were undertaken with older adults living in the community. The format
      of the interview enabled individuals to first tell their story, then the rainbow
      picture was used to further prompt discussion. Interviews were digitally recorded
      and transcripts were fully transcribed. Qualitative computer software package
      NVivo 2 was used to manage the data. Thematic analysis was undertaken. RESULTS:
      Individual responsibility for health was a dominant theme although the role of
      health and statutory services was also recognised. Barriers to uptake of
      prevention activities included cultural perceptions, attitudes towards work and
      perceived costs of prevention activities. Participants used the rainbow for
      locating their personal life within a wider social, economic and policy context.
      CONCLUSIONS: People view individual responsibility as key to maintaining health
      and draw upon the past, present and future expectations when considering social
      determinants of their health. The rainbow picture does have relevance at the
      individual level and can help to formulate more dynamic and contextualised
      approaches to the prevention of health conditions in community living adults.

PMID- 20307284
TI  - RBC and WBC fatty acid composition following consumption of an omega 3
      supplement: lessons for future clinical trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Results from increasing numbers of in vitro and in vivo studies have
      demonstrated that omega 3 fatty acids incorporated in cell culture media or in
      the diet of the animals can suppress the growth of cancers. When human clinical
      trials are initiated to determine the ability of omega 3 fatty acids to alter
      growth or response to chemotherapeutic interventions of cancers, it will be
      essential to determine the omega 3 intake of individuals in the trial to
      determine compliance with consumption of the supplement and to correlate with
      endpoints of efficacy. We wondered if the fatty acid composition of RBCs might
      accurately indicate incorporation of omega 3 fatty acids in the WBCs. In this
      report we determine and compare the changes in fatty acid compositions of red
      blood cells and white blood cells in response to consumption of three doses of an
      omega 3 fatty acid supplement. RESULTS: We found that the fraction of omega 3
      fatty acids in both red blood cells and white blood cells increased following
      consumption of the supplement. There was a linear, dose responsive increase in
      the fraction of omega 3 fatty acids in red blood cells but the increase in omega
      3 in white blood cells was not linear. The magnitude of increase in omega 3 fatty
      acids was different between the two cell types. CONCLUSIONS: Fatty acid analysis
      of red blood cells is a good measure of compliance with supplement consumption.
      However, fatty acid analysis of white blood cells is needed to correlate changes
      in fatty acid composition of white blood cells with other biochemical changes in
      the white blood cells. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00899353.

PMID- 20307285
TI  - Identification of recurrent regions of Copy-Number Variants across multiple
      individuals.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Algorithms and software for CNV detection have been developed, but
      they detect the CNV regions sample-by-sample with individual-specific
      breakpoints, while common CNV regions are likely to occur at the same genomic
      locations across different individuals in a homogenous population. Current
      algorithms to detect common CNV regions do not account for the varying
      reliability of the individual CNVs, typically reported as confidence scores by
      SNP-based CNV detection algorithms. General methodologies for identifying these
      recurrent regions, especially those directed at SNP arrays, are still needed.
      RESULTS: In this paper, we describe two new approaches for identifying common CNV
      regions based on (i) the frequency of occurrence of reliable CNVs, where
      reliability is determined by high confidence scores, and (ii) a weighted
      frequency of occurrence of CNVs, where the weights are determined by the
      confidence scores. In addition, motivated by the fact that we often observe
      partially overlapping CNV regions as a mixture of two or more distinct
      subregions, regions identified using the two approaches can be fine-tuned to
      smaller sub-regions using a clustering algorithm. We compared the performance of
      the methods with sequencing-based results in terms of discordance rates, rates of
      departure from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) and average frequency and size of
      the identified regions. The discordance rates as well as the rates of departure
      from HWE decrease when we select CNVs with higher confidence scores. We also
      performed comparisons with two previously published methods, STAC and GISTIC, and
      showed that the methods we consider are better at identifying low-frequency but
      high-confidence CNV regions. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed methods for identifying
      common CNV regions in multiple individuals perform well compared to existing
      methods. The identified common regions can be used for downstream analyses such
      as group comparisons in association studies.

PMID- 20307286
TI  - Accumulation of phenanthrene by roots of intact wheat (Triticum acstivnm L.)
      seedlings: passive or active uptake?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are of particular concern due
      to their hydrophobic, recalcitrant, persistent, potentially carcinogenic,
      mutagenic and toxic properties, and their ubiquitous occurrence in the
      environment. Most of the PAHs in the environment are present in surface soil.
      Plants grown in PAH-contaminated soils or water can become contaminated with PAHs
      because of their uptake. Therefore, they may threaten human and animal health.
      However, the mechanism for PAHs uptake by crop roots is little understood. It is
      important to understand exactly how PAHs are transported into the plant root
      system and into the human food chain, since it is beneficial in governing crop
      contamination by PAHs, remedying soils or waters polluted by PAHs with plants,
      and modeling potential uptake for risk assessment. RESULTS: The possibility that
      plant roots may take up phenanthrene (PHE), a representative of PAHs, via active
      process was investigated using intact wheat (Triticum acstivnm L.) seedlings in a
      series of hydroponic experiments. The time course for PHE uptake into wheat roots
      grown in Hoagland solution containing 5.62 microM PHE for 36 h could be separated
      into two periods: a fast uptake process during the initial 2 h and a slow uptake
      component thereafter. Concentration-dependent PHE uptake was characterized by a
      smooth, saturable curve with an apparent Km of 23.7 microM and a Vmax of 208 nmol
      g(-1) fresh weight h(-1), suggesting a carrier-mediated uptake system.
      Competition between PHE and naphthalene for their uptake by the roots further
      supported the carrier-mediated uptake system. Low temperature and 2,4
      dinitrophenol (DNP) could inhibit PHE uptake equally, indicating that metabolism
      plays a role in PHE uptake. The inhibitions by low temperature and DNP were
      strengthened with increasing concentration of PHE in external solution within PHE
      water solubility (7.3 muM). The contribution of active uptake to total absorption
      was almost 40% within PHE water solubility. PHE uptake by wheat roots caused an
      increase in external solution pH, implying that wheat roots take up PHE via a
      PHE/nH+ symport system. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that an active, carrier
      mediated and energy-consuming influx process is involved in the uptake of PHE by
      plant roots.

PMID- 20307288
TI  - Does commitment to rehabilitation influence clinical outcome of total hip
      resurfacing arthroplasty?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether compliance and
      rehabilitative efforts were predictors of early clinical outcome of total hip
      resurfacing arthroplasty. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was utilized to
      collect information from 147 resurfacing patients, who were operated on by a
      single surgeon, regarding their level of commitment to rehabilitation following
      surgery. Patients were followed for a mean of 52 months (range, 24 to 90 months).
      Clinical outcomes and functional capabilities were assessed utilizing the Harris
      hip objective rating system, the SF-12 Health Survey, and an eleven-point
      satisfaction score. A linear regression analysis was used to determine whether
      there was any correlation between the rehabilitation commitment scores and any of
      the outcome measures, and a multivariate regression model was used to control for
      potentially confounding factors. RESULTS: Overall, an increased level of
      commitment to rehabilitation was positively correlated with each of the following
      outcome measures: SF-12 Mental Component Score, SF-12 Physical Component Score,
      Harris Hip score, and satisfaction scores. These correlations remained
      statistically significant in the multivariate regression model. CONCLUSIONS:
      Patients who were more committed to their therapy after hip resurfacing returned
      to higher levels of functionality and were more satisfied following their
      surgery.

PMID- 20307287
TI  - Biological species is the only possible form of existence for higher organisms:
      the evolutionary meaning of sexual reproduction.
AB  - Consistent holistic view of sexual species as the highest form of biological
      existence is presented. The Weismann's idea that sex and recombination provide
      the variation for the natural selection to act upon is dominated in most
      discussions of the biological meaning of the sexual reproduction. Here, the idea
      is substantiated that the main advantage of sex is the opposite: the ability to
      counteract not only extinction but further evolution as well. Living systems live
      long owing to their ability to reproduce themselves with a high fidelity. Simple
      organisms (like bacteria) reach the continued existence due to the high fidelity
      of individual genome replication. In organisms with a large genome and complex
      development, the achievable fidelity of DNA replication is not enough for the
      precise reproduction of the genome. Such species must be capable of surviving and
      must remain unchanged in spite of the continuous changes of their genes. This
      problem has no solution in the frame of asexual ("homeogenomic") lineages. They
      would rapidly degrade and become extinct or blurred out in the course of the
      reckless evolution. The core outcome of the transition to sexual reproduction was
      the creation of multiorganismic entity - biological species. Individual organisms
      forfeited their ability to reproduce autonomously. It implies that individual
      organisms forfeited their ability to substantive evolution. They evolve as a part
      of the biological species. In case of obligatory sexuality, there is no such a
      thing as synchronic multi-level selection. Natural selection cannot select
      anything that is not a unit of reproduction. Hierarchy in biology implies the
      functional predestination of the parts for the sake of the whole. A crucial
      feature of the sexual reproduction is the formation of genomes of individual
      organisms by random picking them over from the continuously shuffled gene pool
      instead of the direct replication of the ancestor's genome. A clear anti
      evolutionary consequence of the sexuality is evident from the fact that the
      genotypes of the individuals with an enhanced competitiveness are not transmitted
      to the next generation. Instead, after mating with "ordinary" individuals, these
      genotypes scatter and rearrange in new gene combinations, thus preventing the
      winner from exploiting the success.

PMID- 20307289
TI  - Does computer use pose a hazard for future long-term sickness absence?
AB  - The aim of the study was to investigate if weekly duration of computer use
      predicted sickness absence for more than two weeks at a later time.A cohort of
      2146 frequent computer users filled in a questionnaire at baseline and was
      followed for one year with continuously recording of the duration of computer use
      and furthermore followed for 300 weeks in a central register of sickness absence
      for more than 2 weeks.147 participants of the 2,146 (6.9%) became first time sick
      listed in the follow-up period. Overall, mean weekly computer use did not turn
      out to be a risk factor for later sickness absence. The hazard ratio for sickness
      absence with weekly increase of one hour in computer use was 0.99 (95% CI: 0.99
      to 1.00). Low satisfaction with work place arrangements and female gender both
      doubled the risk of sickness absence.We have earlier found that computer use did
      not predict persistent pain in the neck and upper limb, and it seems that
      computer use neither predicts future long-term sickness absence of all causes.

PMID- 20307290
TI  - Paniya Voices: a Participatory Poverty and Health Assessment among a marginalized
      South Indian tribal population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In India, indigenous populations, known as Adivasi or Scheduled
      Tribes (STs), are among the poorest and most marginalized groups. 'Deprived' ST
      groups tend to display high levels of resignation and to lack the capacity to
      aspire; consequently their health perceptions often do not adequately correspond
      to their real health needs. Moreover, similar to indigenous populations
      elsewhere, STs often have little opportunity to voice perspectives framed within
      their own cultural worldviews. We undertook a study to gather policy-relevant
      data on the views, experiences, and priorities of a marginalized and previously
      enslaved tribal group in South India, the Paniyas, who have little 'voice' or
      power over their own situation. METHODS/DESIGN: We implemented a Participatory
      Poverty and Health Assessment (PPHA). We adopted guiding principles and an
      ethical code that promote respect for Paniya culture and values. The PPHA,
      informed by a vulnerability framework, addressed five key themes (health and
      illness, well-being, institutions, education, gender) using participatory
      approaches and qualitative methods. We implemented the PPHA in five Paniya
      colonies (clusters of houses in a small geographical area) in a gram panchayat
      (lowest level decentralized territorial unit) to generate data that can be
      quickly disseminated to decision-makers through interactive workshops and public
      forums. PRELIMINARY FINDINGS: Findings indicated that the Paniyas are caught in
      multiple 'vulnerability traps', that is, they view their situation as vicious
      cycles from which it is difficult to break free. CONCLUSION: The PPHA is a
      potentially useful approach for global health researchers working with
      marginalized communities to implement research initiatives that will address
      those communities' health needs in an ethical and culturally appropriate manner.

PMID- 20307291
TI  - Use of complementary and alternative medicines by a sample of Turkish women for
      infertility enhancement: a descriptive study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Infertility patients are a vulnerable group that often seeks a non
      medical solution for their failure to conceive. World-wide, women use CAM for
      productive health, but only a limited number of studies report on CAM use to
      enhance fertility. Little is known about traditional and religious forms of
      therapies that are used in relation to conventional medicine in Turkey. We
      investigated the prevalence and types of complementary and alternative medicine
      (CAM) used by infertile Turkish women for fertility enhancement. METHODS: A face
      to-face questionnaire inquiring demographic information and types of CAM used for
      fertility enhancement were completed by hundred infertility patients admitted to
      a primary care family planning centre in Van, Turkey between January and July
      2009. RESULTS: The vast majority of infertile women had used CAM at least once
      for infertility. CAM use included religious interventions, herbal products and
      recommendations of traditional "hodja's" (faith healers). Of these women, 87.8%
      were abused in the last 12 months, 36.6% felt not being supported by her partner
      and 80.5% had never spoken with a physician about CAM. CONCLUSIONS: Infertile
      Turkish women use complementary medicine frequently for fertility enhancement and
      are in need of information about CAM. Religious and traditional therapies are
      used as an adjunct to, rather than a substitute for, conventional medical
      therapy. Physicians need to approach fertility patients with sensitivity and
      should be able to council their patients about CAM accordingly.

PMID- 20307292
TI  - Phenotypic analysis of images of zebrafish treated with Alzheimer's gamma
      secretase inhibitors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several gamma-secretase inhibitors (GSI) are in clinical trials for
      the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This enzyme mediates the proteolytic
      cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP) to generate amyloid beta protein,
      Abeta, the pathogenic protein in AD. The gamma-secretase also cleaves Notch to
      generate Notch Intracellular domain (NICD), the signaling molecule that is
      implicated in tumorigenesis. RESULTS: We have developed a method to examine live
      zebrafish that were each treated with gamma-secretase inhibitors (GSI), DAPT {N-
      [N-(3,5-Difluorophenacetyl-L-alanyl)]-S-phenylglycine t-Butyl Ester}, Gleevec, or
      fragments of Gleevec. These compounds were first tested in a cell-based assay and
      the effective concentrations of these compounds that blocked Abeta generation
      were quantitated. The mortality of zebrafish, as a result of exposure to
      different doses of compound, was assessed, and any apoptotic processes were
      examined by TUNEL staining. We then used conventional and automatic microscopes
      to acquire images of zebrafish and applied algorithms to automate image
      composition and processing. Zebrafish were treated in 96- or 384-well plates, and
      the phenotypes were analyzed at 2, 3 and 5 days post fertilization (dpf). We
      identified that AD95, a fragment of Gleevec, effectively blocks Abeta production
      and causes specific phenotypes that were different from those treated with DAPT.
      Finally, we validated the specificity of two Notch phenotypes (pigmentation and
      the curvature of tail/trunk) induced by DAPT in a dose-dependent manner. These
      phenotypes were examined in embryos treated with GSIs or AD95 at increasing
      concentrations. The expression levels of Notch target gene her6 were also
      measured by in situ hybridization and the co-relationship between the levels of
      Notch inhibition by DAPT and AD95 and the severity of phenotypes were determined.
      CONCLUSION: The results reported here of the effects on zebrafish suggest that
      this newly developed method may be used to screen novel GSIs and other leads for
      a variety of therapeutic indications.

PMID- 20307293
TI  - Denitrification in human dental plaque.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Microbial denitrification is not considered important in human
      associated microbial communities. Accordingly, metabolic investigations of the
      microbial biofilm communities of human dental plaque have focused on aerobic
      respiration and acid fermentation of carbohydrates, even though it is known that
      the oral habitat is constantly exposed to nitrate (NO3-) concentrations in the
      millimolar range and that dental plaque houses bacteria that can reduce this NO3-
      to nitrite (NO2-). RESULTS: We show that dental plaque mediates denitrification
      of NO3- to nitric oxide (NO), nitrous oxide (N2O), and dinitrogen (N2) using
      microsensor measurements, 15N isotopic labelling and molecular detection of
      denitrification genes. In vivo N2O accumulation rates in the mouth depended on
      the presence of dental plaque and on salivary NO3- concentrations. NO and N2O
      production by denitrification occurred under aerobic conditions and was regulated
      by plaque pH. CONCLUSIONS: Increases of NO concentrations were in the range of
      effective concentrations for NO signalling to human host cells and, thus, may
      locally affect blood flow, signalling between nerves and inflammatory processes
      in the gum. This is specifically significant for the understanding of periodontal
      diseases, where NO has been shown to play a key role, but where gingival cells
      are believed to be the only source of NO. More generally, this study establishes
      denitrification by human-associated microbial communities as a significant
      metabolic pathway which, due to concurrent NO formation, provides a basis for
      symbiotic interactions.

PMID- 20307294
TI  - Protection from annual flooding is correlated with increased cholera prevalence
      in Bangladesh: a zero-inflated regression analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alteration of natural or historical aquatic flows can have unintended
      consequences for regions where waterborne diseases are endemic and where the
      epidemiologic implications of such change are poorly understood. The
      implementation of flood protection measures for a portion of an intensely
      monitored population in Matlab, Bangladesh, allows us to examine whether cholera
      outcomes respond positively or negatively to measures designed to control river
      flooding. METHODS: Using a zero inflated negative binomial model, we examine how
      selected covariates can simultaneously account for household clusters reporting
      no cholera from those with positive counts as well as distinguishing residential
      areas with low counts from areas with high cholera counts. Our goal is to examine
      how residence within or outside a flood protected area interacts with the
      probability of cholera presence and the effect of flood protection on the
      magnitude of cholera prevalence. RESULTS: In Matlab, living in a household that
      is protected from annual monsoon flooding appears to have no significant effect
      on whether the household experiences cholera, net of other covariates. However,
      counter-intuitively, among households where cholera is reported, living within
      the flood protected region significantly increases the number of cholera cases.
      CONCLUSIONS: The construction of dams or other water impoundment strategies for
      economic or social motives can have profound and unanticipated consequences for
      waterborne disease. Our results indicate that the construction of a flood control
      structure in rural Bangladesh is correlated with an increase in cholera cases for
      residents protected from annual monsoon flooding. Such a finding requires
      attention from both the health community and from governments and non
      governmental organizations involved in ongoing water management schemes.

PMID- 20307295
TI  - In silico fragmentation for computer assisted identification of metabolite mass
      spectra.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mass spectrometry has become the analytical method of choice in
      metabolomics research. The identification of unknown compounds is the main
      bottleneck. In addition to the precursor mass, tandem MS spectra carry
      informative fragment peaks, but the coverage of spectral libraries of measured
      reference compounds are far from covering the complete chemical space. Compound
      libraries such as PubChem or KEGG describe a larger number of compounds, which
      can be used to compare their in silico fragmentation with spectra of unknown
      metabolites. RESULTS: We created the MetFrag suite to obtain a candidate list
      from compound libraries based on the precursor mass, subsequently ranked by the
      agreement between measured and in silico fragments. In the evaluation MetFrag was
      able to rank most of the correct compounds within the top 3 candidates returned
      by an exact mass query in KEGG. Compared to a previously published study, MetFrag
      obtained better results than the commercial MassFrontier software. Especially for
      large compound libraries, the candidates with a good score show a high structural
      similarity or just different stereochemistry, a subsequent clustering based on
      chemical distances reduces this redundancy. The in silico fragmentation requires
      less than a second to process a molecule, and MetFrag performs a search in KEGG
      or PubChem on average within 30 to 300 seconds, respectively, on an average
      desktop PC. CONCLUSIONS: We presented a method that is able to identify small
      molecules from tandem MS measurements, even without spectral reference data or a
      large set of fragmentation rules. With today's massive general purpose compound
      libraries we obtain dozens of very similar candidates, which still allows a
      confident estimate of the correct compound class. Our tool MetFrag improves the
      identification of unknown substances from tandem MS spectra and delivers better
      results than comparable commercial software. MetFrag is available through a web
      application, web services and as java library. The web frontend allows the end
      user to analyse single spectra and browse the results, whereas the web service
      and console application are aimed to perform batch searches and evaluation.

PMID- 20307296
TI  - Dietary patterns of adults living in Ouagadougou and their association with
      overweight.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Urbanization in developing countries comes along with changes in food
      habits and living conditions and with an increase in overweight and associated
      health risks. The objective of the study was to describe dietary patterns of
      adults in Ouagadougou and to study their relationship with anthropometric status
      of the subjects. METHODS: A qualitative food frequency questionnaire was
      administered to 1,072 adults living in two contrasted districts of Ouagadougou.
      Dietary patterns were defined by principal component analysis and described by
      multivariate analysis. Logistic regression was used to study their association
      with overweight. RESULTS: The diet was mainly made of cereals, vegetables and
      fats from vegetable sources. The two first components of the principal component
      analysis were interpreted respectively as a "snacking" score and as a "modern
      foods" score. Both scores were positively and independently associated with the
      economic level of households and with food expenditures (p <or= 0.001 for both).
      The "snacking" score was higher for younger people (p = 0.004), for people having
      a formal occupation (p = 0.006), for those never married (p = 0.005), whereas the
      "modern foods" score was associated with ethnic group (p = 0.032) and district of
      residence (p < 0.001). Thirty-six percent of women and 14.5% of men were
      overweight (Body Mass Index > 25 kg/m2). A higher "modern foods" score was
      associated with a higher prevalence of overweight when confounding factors were
      accounted for (OR = 1.19 [95% CI 1.03-1.36]) but there was no relationship
      between overweight and the "snacking" score. CONCLUSIONS: Modernisation of types
      of foods consumed was associated with the living conditions and the environment
      and with an increased risk of overweight. This should be accounted for to promote
      better nutrition and prevent non communicable diseases.

PMID- 20307297
TI  - A comparison of perioperative outcomes of video-assisted thoracic surgical (VATS)
      lobectomy with open thoracotomy and lobectomy: results of an analysis using
      propensity score based weighting.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Randomized trials comparing VATS lobectomy to open lobectomy are of
      small size. We analyzed a case-control series using propensity score-weighting to
      adjust for important covariates in order to compare the clinical outcomes of the
      two techniques. METHODS: We compared patients undergoing lobectomy for clinical
      stage I lung cancer (NSCLC) by either VATS or open (THOR) methods. Inverse
      probability of treatment weighted estimators, with weights derived from
      propensity scores, were used to adjust cohorts for determinants of perioperative
      morbidity and mortality including age, gender, preop FEV1, ASA class, and
      Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). Bootstrap methods provided standard errors.
      Endpoints were postoperative stay (LOS), chest tube duration, complications, and
      lymph node retrieval. RESULTS: We analyzed 136 consecutive lobectomy patients.
      Operative mortality was 1/62 (1.6%) for THOR and 1/74 (1.4%) for VATS, P = 1.00.
      5/74 (6.7%) VATS were converted to open procedures. Adjusted median LOS was 7
      days (THOR) versus 4 days (VATS), P < 0.0001, HR = 0.33. Adjusted median chest
      tube duration (days) was 5 (THOR) versus 3 (VATS), P < 0.0001, HR = 0.42.
      Complication rates were 39% (THOR) versus 34% (VATS), P = 0.61. Adjusted mean
      number of lymph nodes dissected per patient was 18.1 (THOR) versus 14.8 (VATS), p
      = 0.17. CONCLUSIONS: After balancing covariates that affect morbidity, mortality
      and LOS in this case-control series using propensity-weighting, the results
      confirm that VATS lobectomy is associated with a statistically significant
      shorter LOS, similar mortality and complication rates and similar rates of lymph
      node removal in patients with clinical stage I NSCLC.

PMID- 20307298
TI  - Orchestrated transcription of biological processes in the marine picoeukaryote
      Ostreococcus exposed to light/dark cycles.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Picoeukaryotes represent an important, yet poorly characterized
      component of marine phytoplankton. The recent genome availability for two species
      of Ostreococcus and Micromonas has led to the emergence of picophytoplankton
      comparative genomics. Sequencing has revealed many unexpected features about
      genome structure and led to several hypotheses on Ostreococcus biology and
      physiology. Despite the accumulation of genomic data, little is known about gene
      expression in eukaryotic picophytoplankton. RESULTS: We have conducted a genome
      wide analysis of gene expression in Ostreococcus tauri cells exposed to
      light/dark cycles (L/D). A Bayesian Fourier Clustering method was implemented to
      cluster rhythmic genes according to their expression waveform. In a single L/D
      condition nearly all expressed genes displayed rhythmic patterns of expression.
      Clusters of genes were associated with the main biological processes such as
      transcription in the nucleus and the organelles, photosynthesis, DNA replication
      and mitosis. CONCLUSIONS: Light/Dark time-dependent transcription of the genes
      involved in the main steps leading to protein synthesis (transcription basic
      machinery, ribosome biogenesis, translation and aminoacid synthesis) was
      observed, to an unprecedented extent in eukaryotes, suggesting a major input of
      transcriptional regulations in Ostreococcus. We propose that the diurnal co
      regulation of genes involved in photoprotection, defence against oxidative stress
      and DNA repair might be an efficient mechanism, which protects cells against
      photo-damage thereby, contributing to the ability of O. tauri to grow under a
      wide range of light intensities.

PMID- 20307299
TI  - Long-term survival of cancer patients compared to heart failure and stroke: a
      systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cancer, heart failure and stroke are among the most common causes of
      death worldwide. Investigation of the prognostic impact of each disease is
      important, especially for a better understanding of competing risks. Aim of this
      study is to provide an overview of long term survival of cancer, heart failure
      and stroke patients based on the results of large population- and hospital-based
      studies. METHODS: Records for our study were identified by searches of Medline
      via Pubmed. We focused on observed and relative age- and sex-adjusted 5-year
      survival rates for cancer in general and for the four most common malignancies in
      developed countries, i.e. lung, breast, prostate and colorectal cancer, as well
      as for heart failure and stroke. RESULTS: Twenty studies were identified and
      included for analysis. Five-year observed survival was about 43% for all cancer
      entities, 40-68% for stroke and 26-52% for heart failure. Five-year age and sex
      adjusted relative survival was 50-57% for all cancer entities, about 50% for
      stroke and about 62% for heart failure. In regard to the four most common
      malignancies in developed countries 5-year relative survival was 12-18% for lung
      cancer, 73-89% for breast cancer, 50-99% for prostate cancer and about 43-63% for
      colorectal cancer. Trend analysis revealed a survival improvement over the last
      decades. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that long term survival and prognosis
      of cancer is not necessarily worse than that of heart failure and stroke.
      However, a comparison of the prognostic impact of the different diseases is
      limited, corroborating the necessity for further systematic investigation of
      competing risks.

PMID- 20307300
TI  - Annual variations in the number of malaria cases related to two different
      patterns of Anopheles darlingi transmission potential in the Maroni area of
      French Guiana.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With an Annual Parasite Incidence (API) of 132.1, in the high and
      moderate risks zones, the Maroni area of French Guiana has the second highest
      malaria incidence of South-America after Guyana (API = 183.54) and far above
      Brazil (API = 28.25). Malaria transmission is occurring despite strong medical
      assistance and active vector control, based on general WHO recommendations. This
      situation is generated by two main factors that are the social and cultural
      characteristics of this border area, where several ethnic groups are living, and
      the lack of understanding of transmission dynamics of the main mosquito vector,
      Anopheles darlingi. In this context, entomological data collected in two villages
      belonging to two different ethnic groups of the French border of the Maroni
      River, were retrospectively analysed to find out how the mosquito bionomics are
      related to the malaria transmission patterns. METHODS: Data were provided by
      human landing catches of mosquitoes carried out each month for two years in two
      villages belonging to two ethnic groups, the Amerindians Wayanas and the Aloukous
      of African origin. The mosquitoes were sorted by species, sex, date, hour and
      place of collection and processed for Plasmodium sp. parasite detection. The data
      were compiled to provide the following variables: human biting rates (HBR),
      parity rates (PR), numbers of infective bites (IB), entomological inoculation
      rates (EIR) and numbers of infected mosquitoes surviving enough to transmit
      (IMT). Spatial and temporal differences of variables between locations and during
      the night were tested by the Kruskall-Wallis analysis of variance to find out
      significant variations. RESULTS: The populations of the main mosquito vector An.
      darlingi showed significant variations in the spatial and temporal
      HBR/person/night and HBR/person/hour, IB/person/month and IB/person/hour, and
      IMT/village/night and IMT/village/hour. In the village of Loca (Aloukous), the
      IMT peaked from June to August with a very low transmission during the other
      months. The risks were higher during the first part of the night and an EIR of 10
      infective bites per person and per year was estimated. In the village of Twenke
      (Wayanas), high level of transmission was reported all year with small peaks in
      March and October. The risk was higher during the second part of the night and an
      EIR of 5 infective bites per person and per year was estimated. CONCLUSION: For
      the first time in the past 40 years, the mosquito bionomics was related to the
      malaria transmission patterns in French Guiana. The peak of malaria cases
      reported from August to October in the Maroni region is concomitant with the
      significant peak of An. darlingi IMT, reported from the village of Loca where
      transmission is higher. However, the persistent number of cases reported all year
      long may also be related to the transmission in the Amerindian villages. The An.
      darlingi bionomics for these two close populations were found significantly
      different and may explain why a uniform vector control method is inadequate.
      Following these findings, malaria prevention measures adapted to the local
      conditions are needed. Finally, the question of the presence of An. darlingi sub
      species is raised.

PMID- 20307301
TI  - Prediction of haplotypes for ungenotyped animals and its effect on marker
      assisted breeding value estimation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In livestock populations, missing genotypes on a large proportion of
      animals are a major problem to implement the estimation of marker-assisted
      breeding values using haplotypes. The objective of this article is to develop a
      method to predict haplotypes of animals that are not genotyped using mixed model
      equations and to investigate the effect of using these predicted haplotypes on
      the accuracy of marker-assisted breeding value estimation. METHODS: For genotyped
      animals, haplotypes were determined and for each animal the number of haplotype
      copies (nhc) was counted, i.e. 0, 1 or 2 copies. In a mixed model framework, nhc
      for each haplotype were predicted for ungenotyped animals as well as for
      genotyped animals using the additive genetic relationship matrix. The
      heritability of nhc was assumed to be 0.99, allowing for minor genotyping and
      haplotyping errors. The predicted nhc were subsequently used in marker-assisted
      breeding value estimation by applying random regression on these covariables. To
      evaluate the method, a population was simulated with one additive QTL and an
      additive polygenic genetic effect. The QTL was located in the middle of a
      haplotype based on SNP-markers. RESULTS: The accuracy of predicted haplotype
      copies for ungenotyped animals ranged between 0.59 and 0.64 depending on
      haplotype length. Because powerful BLUP-software was used, the method was
      computationally very efficient. The accuracy of total EBV increased for genotyped
      animals when marker-assisted breeding value estimation was compared with
      conventional breeding value estimation, but for ungenotyped animals the increase
      was marginal unless the heritability was smaller than 0.1. Haplotypes based on
      four markers yielded the highest accuracies and when only the nearest left marker
      was used, it yielded the lowest accuracy. The accuracy increased with increasing
      marker density. Accuracy of the total EBV approached that of gene-assisted BLUP
      when 4-marker haplotypes were used with a distance of 0.1 cM between the markers.
      CONCLUSIONS: The proposed method is computationally very efficient and suitable
      for marker-assisted breeding value estimation in large livestock populations
      including effects of a number of known QTL. Marker-assisted breeding value
      estimation using predicted haplotypes increases accuracy especially for traits
      with low heritability.

PMID- 20307302
TI  - Computer-assisted resilience training to prepare healthcare workers for pandemic
      influenza: a randomized trial of the optimal dose of training.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Working in a hospital during an extraordinary infectious disease
      outbreak can cause significant stress and contribute to healthcare workers
      choosing to reduce patient contact. Psychological training of healthcare workers
      prior to an influenza pandemic may reduce stress-related absenteeism, however,
      established training methods that change behavior and attitudes are too resource
      intensive for widespread use. This study tests the feasibility and effectiveness
      of a less expensive alternative - an interactive, computer-assisted training
      course designed to build resilience to the stresses of working during a pandemic.
      METHODS: A "dose-finding" study compared pre-post changes in three different
      durations of training. We measured variables that are likely to mediate stress
      responses in a pandemic before and after training: confidence in support and
      training, pandemic-related self-efficacy, coping style and interpersonal
      problems. RESULTS: 158 hospital workers took the course and were randomly
      assigned to the short (7 sessions, median cumulative duration 111 minutes),
      medium (12 sessions, 158 minutes) or long (17 sessions, 223 minutes) version.
      Using an intention-to-treat analysis, the course was associated with significant
      improvements in confidence in support and training, pandemic self-efficacy and
      interpersonal problems. Participants who under-utilized coping via problem
      solving or seeking support or over-utilized escape-avoidance experienced improved
      coping. Comparison of doses showed improved interpersonal problems in the medium
      and long course but not in the short course. There was a trend towards higher
      drop-out rates with longer duration of training. CONCLUSIONS: Computer-assisted
      resilience training in healthcare workers appears to be of significant benefit
      and merits further study under pandemic conditions. Comparing three "doses" of
      the course suggested that the medium course was optimal.

PMID- 20307303
TI  - A novel LMNA mutation (R189W) in familial dilated cardiomyopathy: evidence for a
      'hot spot' region at exon 3: a case report.
AB  - We describe a case of a patient with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy and
      cardiac conduction abnormalities who presented a strong family history of sudden
      cardiac death. Genetic screening of lamin A/C gene revealed in proband the
      presence of a novel missense mutation (R189W), near the most prevalent lamin A/C
      mutation (R190W), suggesting a "hot spot" region at exon 3.

PMID- 20307304
TI  - Low-density lipoprotein particle size in hepatic steatosis and metabolic
      syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatic steatosis (HS), the most frequent liver disorder, was
      reported to be an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease. HS, if
      combined with the metabolic syndrome (MetS), might have a synergistic effect on
      low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particle size. METHODS: Carotid intima-media
      thickness (IMT) and plaque formation, and HS were diagnosed ultrasonographically,
      and the MetS was diagnosed using the ATP III criteria in 274 healthy workers
      (mean age +/- SD, 43.5 +/- 7.1 yrs). LDL particle size was measured with density
      gradient ultracentrifugation, and subfractions were classified as large, buoyant
      LDL I (27.2 to approximately 28.5 nm) and small, dense LDL III (24.2~25.5). All
      participants were grouped into three categories: control, subjects with HS alone
      and those with both HS and the MetS. RESULTS: The subjects with HS alone were 84
      (30.7%), whereas those with HS and the MetS were 46 (16.8%). LDL peak particle
      sizes showed significant negative correlations with carotid mean IMTs. LDL peak
      particle size and LDL I (%) decreased significantly in the HS, showing the lowest
      values in the subjects with both HS and the MetS, and their association was
      independent, even adjusted for potential confounders. LDL III also showed
      independent associations across the groups. CONCLUSION: HS alone was more
      prevalent than HS combined with the MetS in general population. For the patients
      with HS alone, LDL particle size and carotid atherosclerosis were found to fall
      in the middle of the control and those with both HS and the MetS.

PMID- 20307305
TI  - Apples and oranges: avoiding different priors in Bayesian DNA sequence analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: One of the challenges of bioinformatics remains the recognition of
      short signal sequences in genomic DNA such as donor or acceptor splice sites,
      splicing enhancers or silencers, translation initiation sites, transcription
      start sites, transcription factor binding sites, nucleosome binding sites, miRNA
      binding sites, or insulator binding sites. During the last decade, a wealth of
      algorithms for the recognition of such DNA sequences has been developed and
      compared with the goal of improving their performance and to deepen our
      understanding of the underlying cellular processes. Most of these algorithms are
      based on statistical models belonging to the family of Markov random fields such
      as position weight matrix models, weight array matrix models, Markov models of
      higher order, or moral Bayesian networks. While in many comparative studies
      different learning principles or different statistical models have been compared,
      the influence of choosing different prior distributions for the model parameters
      when using different learning principles has been overlooked, and possibly lead
      to questionable conclusions. RESULTS: With the goal of allowing direct
      comparisons of different learning principles for models from the family of Markov
      random fields based on the same a-priori information, we derive a generalization
      of the commonly-used product-Dirichlet prior. We find that the derived prior
      behaves like a Gaussian prior close to the maximum and like a Laplace prior in
      the far tails. In two case studies, we illustrate the utility of the derived
      prior for a direct comparison of different learning principles with different
      models for the recognition of binding sites of the transcription factor Sp1 and
      human donor splice sites. CONCLUSIONS: We find that comparisons of different
      learning principles using the same a-priori information can lead to conclusions
      different from those of previous studies in which the effect resulting from
      different priors has been neglected. We implement the derived prior is
      implemented in the open-source library Jstacs to enable an easy application to
      comparative studies of different learning principles in the field of sequence
      analysis.

PMID- 20307306
TI  - A proteomic study of cMyc improvement of CHO culture.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The biopharmaceutical industry requires cell lines to have an optimal
      proliferation rate and a high integral viable cell number resulting in a maximum
      volumetric recombinant protein product titre. Nutrient feeding has been shown to
      boost cell number and productivity in fed-batch culture, but cell line
      engineering is another route one may take to increase these parameters in the
      bioreactor. The use of CHO-K1 cells with a c-myc plasmid allowing for over
      expressing c-Myc (designated cMycCHO) gives a higher integral viable cell number.
      In this study the differential protein expression in cMycCHO is investigated
      using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) followed by image analysis to
      determine the extent of the effect c-Myc has on the cell and the proteins
      involved to give the new phenotype. RESULTS: Over 100 proteins that were
      differentially expressed in cMycCHO cells were detected with high statistical
      confidence, of which 41 were subsequently identified by tandem mass spectrometry
      (LC-MS/MS). Further analysis revealed proteins involved in a variety of pathways.
      Some examples of changes in protein expression include: an increase in nucleolin,
      involved in proliferation and known to aid in stabilising anti-apoptotic protein
      mRNA levels, the cytoskeleton and mitochondrial morphology (vimentin), protein
      biosynthesis (eIF6) and energy metabolism (ATP synthetase), and a decreased
      regulation of all proteins, identified, involved in matrix and cell to cell
      adhesion. CONCLUSION: These results indicate several proteins involved in
      proliferation and adhesion that could be useful for future approaches to improve
      proliferation and decrease adhesion of CHO cell lines which are difficult to
      adapt to suspension culture.

PMID- 20307307
TI  - Gamma knife radiosurgery for essential tremor: a case report and review of the
      literature.
AB  - Approximately 5 million people in America are affected by essential tremors (ET),
      which are classified as a type of benign movement disorder. This disease
      manifests as tremors that usually occur in the hands, but they may also be
      present in the head, face, tongue, and lower limbs. Radiofrequency thalamotomy
      (RF) and deep brain stimulation (DBS) are common invasive procedures with proven
      track records that are used to treat ET. Although these procedures have high
      success rates, they still put patients at risk of potential side effects and are
      invasive by nature. Thalamotomy using the gamma knife (GK) also produces
      favorable outcomes in treating tremors, without the complications associated with
      invasive neurosurgery procedures. This report describes the presenting symptoms
      and extended treatment outcome for a patient with an advanced case of ET, who
      received GK thalamotomy treatment six years ago. Because of this non-invasive
      treatment, she regained the ability to paint and live with an improved quality of
      life. We also discuss and review the relevant literature regarding the risks and
      benefits of this treatment modality. GK thalamotomy is one effective option for
      the treatment of ET, and due to its noninvasive nature, it has a different risk
      profile than neurosurgery. We suggest that GK thalamotomy should be presented as
      one viable treatment option to all ET patients, and should be recommended to
      those who would be best served by less invasive treatment techniques.

PMID- 20307308
TI  - In situ protein expression in tumour spheres: development of an immunostaining
      protocol for confocal microscopy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multicellular tumour sphere models have been shown to closely mimic
      phenotype characteristics of in vivo solid tumours, or to allow in vitro
      propagation of cancer stem cells (CSCs). CSCs are usually characterized by the
      expression of specific membrane markers using flow cytometry (FC) after enzymatic
      dissociation. Consequently, the spatial location of positive cells within spheres
      is not documented. Confocal microscopy is the best technique for the imaging of
      thick biological specimens after multi-labelling but suffers from poor antibody
      penetration. Thus, we describe here a new protocol for in situ confocal imaging
      of protein expression in intact spheroids. METHODS: Protein expression in whole
      spheroids (150 mum in diameter) from two human colon cancer cell lines, HT29 and
      CT320X6, has been investigated with confocal immunostaining, then compared with
      profiles obtained through paraffin immunohistochemistry (pIHC) and FC. Target
      antigens, relevant for colon cancer and with different expression patterns, have
      been studied. RESULTS: We first demonstrate that our procedure overcomes the well
      known problem of antibody penetration in compact structures by performing
      immunostaining of EpCAM, a membrane protein expressed by all cells within our
      spheroids. EpCAM expression is detected in all cells, even the deepest ones.
      Likewise, antibody access is confirmed with CK20 and CD44 immunostaining.
      Confocal imaging shows that 100% of cells express beta-catenin, mainly present in
      the plasma membrane with also cytoplasmic and nuclear staining, in agreement with
      FC and pIHC data. pIHC and confocal imaging show similar CA 19-9 cytoplasmic and
      membranar expression profile in a cell subpopulation. CA 19-9+ cell count
      confirms confocal imaging as a highly sensitive method (75%, 62% and 51%, for FC,
      confocal imaging and pIHC, respectively). Finally, confocal imaging reveals that
      the weak expression of CD133, a putative colon CSC marker, is restricted to the
      luminal cell surface of colorectal cancer acini, with CD133+ cellular debris into
      glandular lumina. CONCLUSION: The present protocol enables in situ visualization
      of protein expression in compact three-dimensional models by whole mount confocal
      imaging, allowing the accurate localization and quantification of cells
      expressing specific markers. It should prove useful to study rare events like
      CSCs within tumour spheres.

PMID- 20307310
TI  - The failure of routine rapid HIV testing: a case study of improving low
      sensitivity in the field.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The rapid HIV antibody test is the diagnostic tool of choice in low
      and middle-income countries. Previous evidence suggests that rapid HIV diagnostic
      tests may underperform in the field, failing to detect a substantial number of
      infections. A research study inadvertently discovered that a clinic rapid HIV
      testing process was failing to detect cases of established (high antibody titer)
      infection, exhibiting an estimated 68.7% sensitivity (95% CI [41.3%-89.0%]) over
      the course of the first three weeks of observation. The setting is a public
      service clinic that provides STI diagnosis and treatment in an impoverished, peri
      urban community outside of Cape Town, South Africa. METHODS: The researchers and
      local health administrators collaborated to investigate the cause of the poor
      test performance and make necessary corrections. The clinic changed the brand of
      rapid test being used and later introduced quality improvement measures.
      Observations were made of the clinic staff as they administered rapid HIV tests
      to real patients. Estimated testing sensitivity was calculated as the number of
      rapid HIV test positive individuals detected by the clinic divided by this number
      plus the number of PCR positive, highly reactive 3rd generation ELISA patients
      identified among those who were rapid test negative at the clinic. RESULTS: In
      the period of five months after the clinic made the switch of rapid HIV tests,
      estimated sensitivity improved to 93.5% (95% CI [86.5%-97.6%]), during which time
      observations of counselors administering tests at the clinic found poor adherence
      to the recommended testing protocol. Quality improvement measures were
      implemented and estimated sensitivity rose to 95.1% (95% CI [83.5%-99.4%]) during
      the final two months of full observation. CONCLUSIONS: Poor testing procedure in
      the field can lead to exceedingly low levels of rapid HIV test sensitivity,
      making it imperative that stringent quality control measures are implemented
      where they do not already exist. Certain brands of rapid-testing kits may perform
      better than others when faced with sub-optimal use.

PMID- 20307309
TI  - Frequent CXCR4 tropism of HIV-1 subtype A and CRF02_AG during late-stage disease-
      indication of an evolving epidemic in West Africa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: HIV-1 is one of the fastest evolving pathogens, and is distinguished
      by geographic and genetic variants that have been classified into different
      subtypes and circulating recombinant forms (CRFs). Early in infection the primary
      coreceptor is CCR5, but during disease course CXCR4-using HIV-1 populations may
      emerge. This has been correlated with accelerated disease progression in HIV-1
      subtype B. Basic knowledge of HIV-1 coreceptor tropism is important due to the
      recent introduction of coreceptor antagonists in antiretroviral therapy, and
      subtype-specific differences regarding how frequently HIV-1 CXCR4-using
      populations appear in late-stage disease need to be further investigated. To
      study how frequently CXCR4-using populations appear in late-stage disease among
      HIV-1 subtype A and CRF02_AG, we evaluated the accuracy of a recombinant virus
      phenotypic assay for these subtypes, and used it to determine the HIV-1
      coreceptor tropism of plasma samples collected during late-stage disease in
      Guinea-Bissau. We also performed a genotypic analysis and investigated subtype
      specific differences in the appearance of CXCR4 tropism late in disease. RESULTS:
      We found that the recombinant virus phenotypic assay accurately predicted HIV-1
      coreceptor tropism of subtype A and CRF02_AG. Over the study period (1997-2007),
      we found an increasing and generally high frequency of CXCR4 tropism (86%) in
      CRF02_AG. By sequence analysis of the V3 region of our samples we developed a
      novel genotypic rule for predicting CXCR4 tropism in CRF02_AG, based on the
      combined criteria of the total number of charged amino acids and net charge. This
      rule had higher sensitivity than previously described genotypic rules and may be
      useful for development of future genotypic tools for this CRF. Finally, we
      conducted a literature analysis, combining data of 498 individuals in late-stage
      disease, and found high amounts of CXCR4 tropism for all major HIV-1 subtypes (60
      77%), except for subtype C (15%). CONCLUSIONS: The increase in CXCR4 tropism over
      time suggests an evolving epidemic of CRF02_AG. The results of the literature
      analysis demonstrate the need for further studies investigating subtype-specific
      emergence for CXCR4-tropism; this may be particularly important due to the
      introduction of CCR5-antagonists in HIV treatment regimens.

PMID- 20307311
TI  - Primary medical care in Irish prisons.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An industrial dispute between prison doctors and the Irish Prison
      Service (IPS) took place in 2004. Part of the resolution of that dispute was that
      an independent review of prison medical and support services be carried out by a
      University Department of Primary Care. The review took place in 2008 and we
      report here on the principal findings of that review. METHODS: This study
      utilised a mixed methods approach. An independent expert medical evaluator (one
      of the authors, DT) inspected the medical facilities, equipment and relevant
      custodial areas in eleven of the fourteen prisons within the IPS. Semistructured
      interviews took place with personnel who had operational responsibility for
      delivery of prison medical care. Prison doctors completed a questionnaire to
      elicit issues such as allocation of clinician's time, nurse and administrative
      support and resources available. RESULTS: There was wide variation in the
      standard of medical facilities and infrastructure provided across the IPS. The
      range of medical equipment available was generally below that of the equivalent
      general practice scheme in the community. There is inequality within the system
      with regard to the ratio of doctor-contracted time relative to the size of the
      prison population. There is limited administrative support, with the majority of
      prisons not having a medical secretary. There are few psychiatric or counselling
      sessions available. CONCLUSIONS: People in prison have a wide range of medical
      care needs and there is evidence to suggest that these needs are being met
      inconsistently in Irish prisons.

PMID- 20307312
TI  - Accuracy of DXA in estimating body composition changes in elite athletes using a
      four compartment model as the reference method.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) provides an affordable and
      practical assessment of multiple whole body and regional body composition.
      However, little information is available on the assessment of changes in body
      composition in top-level athletes using DXA. The present study aimed to assess
      the accuracy of DXA in tracking body composition changes (relative fat mass
      [%FM], absolute fat mass [FM], and fat-free mass [FFM]) of elite male judo
      athletes from a period of weight stability to prior to a competition, compared to
      a four compartment model (4C model), as the criterion method. METHODS: A total of
      27 elite male judo athletes (age, 22.2 +/- 2.8 yrs) athletes were evaluated.
      Measures of body volume by air displacement plethysmography, bone mineral content
      assessed by DXA, and total-body water assessed by deuterium dilution were used in
      a 4C model. Statistical analyses included examination of the coefficient of
      determinant (r2), standard error of estimation (SEE), slope, intercept, and
      agreement between models. RESULTS: At a group level analysis, changes in %FM, FM,
      and FFM estimates by DXA were not significantly different from those by the 4C
      model. Though the regression between DXA and the 4C model did not differ from the
      line of identity DXA %FM, FM, and FFM changes only explained 29%, 36%, and 38% of
      the 4C reference values, respectively. Individual results showed that the 95%
      limits of agreement were -3.7 to 5.3 for %FM, -2.6 to 3.7 for FM, and -3.7 to 2.7
      for FFM. The relation between the difference and the mean of the methods
      indicated a significant trend for %FM and FM changes with DXA overestimating at
      the lower ends and underestimating at the upper ends of FM changes. CONCLUSIONS:
      Our data indicate that both at group and individual levels DXA did not present an
      expected accuracy in tracking changes in adiposity in elite male judo athletes.

PMID- 20307313
TI  - Effects of body weight and alcohol consumption on insulin sensitivity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity is a risk factor for the development of insulin resistance,
      which can eventually lead to type-2 diabetes. Alcohol consumption is a protective
      factor against insulin resistance, and thus protects against the development of
      type-2 diabetes. The mechanism by which alcohol protects against the development
      of type-2 diabetes is not well known. To determine the mechanism by which alcohol
      improves insulin sensitivity, we fed water or alcohol to lean, control, and obese
      mice. The aim of this study was to determine whether alcohol consumption and body
      weights affect overlapping metabolic pathways and to identify specific target
      genes that are regulated in these pathways. METHOD: Adipose tissue dysfunction
      has been associated with the development of type-2 diabetes. We assessed possible
      gene expression alterations in epididymal white adipose tissue (WAT). We obtained
      WAT from mice fed a calorie restricted (CR), low fat (LF Control) or high fat
      (HF) diets and either water or 20% ethanol in the drinking water. We screened the
      expression of genes related to the regulation of energy homeostasis and insulin
      regulation using a gene array composed of 384 genes. RESULTS: Obesity induced
      insulin resistance and calorie restriction and alcohol improved insulin
      sensitivity. The insulin resistance in obese mice was associated with the
      increased expression of inflammatory markers Cd68, Il-6 and Il-1alpha; in
      contrast, most of these genes were down-regulated in CR mice. Anti-inflammatory
      factors such as Il-10 and adrenergic beta receptor kinase 1 (Adrbk1) were
      decreased in obese mice and increased by CR and alcohol. Also, we report a direct
      correlation between body weight and the expression of the following genes: Kcnj11
      (potassium inwardly-rectifying channel, subfamily J, member 11), Lpin2 (lipin2),
      and Dusp9 (dual-specificity MAP kinase phosphatase 9). CONCLUSION: We show that
      alcohol consumption increased insulin sensitivity. Additionally, alterations in
      insulin sensitivity related with obesity were coupled with alterations in
      inflammatory genes. We provide evidence that alcohol may improve insulin
      sensitivity by up-regulating anti-inflammatory genes. Moreover, we have
      indentified potential gene targets in energy metabolic pathways and signal
      transducers that may contribute to obesity-related insulin resistance as well as
      calorie restriction and alcohol-induced insulin sensitivity.

PMID- 20307314
TI  - Use of microarray technology to assess the time course of liver stress response
      after confinement exposure in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata L.).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Selection programs for growth and stress traits in cultured fish are
      fundamental to the improvement of aquaculture production. The gilthead sea bream
      (Sparus aurata) is the main aquacultured species in the Mediterranean area and
      there is considerable interest in the genetic improvement of this species. With
      the aim of increasing the genomic resources in gilthead sea bream and identifying
      genes and mechanisms underlying the physiology of the stress response, we
      developed a cDNA microarray for gilthead sea bream that is enriched by
      suppression substractive hybridization with stress and immunorelevant genes. This
      microarray is used to analyze the dynamics of gilthead sea bream liver expression
      profile after confinement exposure. RESULTS: Groups of confined and control
      juvenile fish were sampled at 6, 24, 72 and 120 h post exposure. GeneSpring
      analyses identified 202 annotated genes that appeared differentially expressed at
      least at one sampling time (P < 0.05). Gene expression results were validated by
      quantitative PCR of 10 target genes, and K-means clustering of differently
      expressed genes identified four major temporal gene expression profiles. Set 1
      encompassed a rapid metabolic readjustment with enhanced uptake and intracellular
      transport of fatty acids as metabolic fuels. Set 2 was associated with a wide
      variety of tissue repair and remodeling processes that were mostly mediated by
      the stress response of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Sets 3 and 4 encompassed
      the re-establishment of cellular homeostasis with increased intracellular
      trafficking and scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS), accompanied by a
      bidirectional regulation of the immune system and a general decline of ROS
      production. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, these findings show the complex nature of
      the adaptive stress response with a clear indication that the ER is an important
      control point for homeostatic adjustments. The study also identifies metabolic
      pathways which could be analyzed in greater detail to provide new insights
      regarding the transcriptional regulation of the stress response in fish.

PMID- 20307315
TI  - Genome-scale metabolic analysis of Clostridium thermocellum for bioethanol
      production.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Microorganisms possess diverse metabolic capabilities that can
      potentially be leveraged for efficient production of biofuels. Clostridium
      thermocellum (ATCC 27405) is a thermophilic anaerobe that is both cellulolytic
      and ethanologenic, meaning that it can directly use the plant sugar, cellulose,
      and biochemically convert it to ethanol. A major challenge in using
      microorganisms for chemical production is the need to modify the organism to
      increase production efficiency. The process of properly engineering an organism
      is typically arduous. RESULTS: Here we present a genome-scale model of C.
      thermocellum metabolism, iSR432, for the purpose of establishing a computational
      tool to study the metabolic network of C. thermocellum and facilitate efforts to
      engineer C. thermocellum for biofuel production. The model consists of 577
      reactions involving 525 intracellular metabolites, 432 genes, and a proteomic
      based representation of a cellulosome. The process of constructing this metabolic
      model led to suggested annotation refinements for 27 genes and identification of
      areas of metabolism requiring further study. The accuracy of the iSR432 model was
      tested using experimental growth and by-product secretion data for growth on
      cellobiose and fructose. Analysis using this model captures the relationship
      between the reduction-oxidation state of the cell and ethanol secretion and
      allowed for prediction of gene deletions and environmental conditions that would
      increase ethanol production. CONCLUSIONS: By incorporating genomic sequence data,
      network topology, and experimental measurements of enzyme activities and
      metabolite fluxes, we have generated a model that is reasonably accurate at
      predicting the cellular phenotype of C. thermocellum and establish a strong
      foundation for rational strain design. In addition, we are able to draw some
      important conclusions regarding the underlying metabolic mechanisms for observed
      behaviors of C. thermocellum and highlight remaining gaps in the existing genome
      annotations.

PMID- 20307316
TI  - Up- and down-modulation of liver cytochrome P450 activities and associated events
      in two murine malaria models.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The mechanisms by which malaria up and down-regulates CYP activities
      are not understood yet. It is also unclear whether CYP activities are modulated
      during non-lethal malaria infections. This study was undertaken to evaluate the
      time course of CYP alterations in lethal (Plasmodium berghei ANKA) and non-lethal
      (Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi) murine malaria. Additionally, hypotheses on the
      association of CYP depression with enhanced nitric oxide (NO) production, and of
      CYP2a5 induction with endoplasmic reticulum dysfunction, enhanced haem metabolism
      and oxidative stress were examined as well. METHODS: Female DBA-2 and C57BL/6
      mice were infected with P.berghei ANKA or P. chabaudi and killed at different
      post-infection days. Infection was monitored by parasitaemia rates and clinical
      signs. NO levels were measured in the serum. Activities of CYP1a (ethoxyresorufin
      O-deethylase), 2b (benzyloxyresorufin-O-debenzylase), 2a5 (coumarin-7
      hydroxylase) and uridine-diphosphoglucuronyl-transferase (UGT) were determined in
      liver microsomes. Glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity and concentrations of
      gluthatione (GSH) and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) were
      determined in the liver. Levels of glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) were
      evaluated by immunoblotting, while mRNAs of haemoxygenase-1 (HO-1) and inducible
      nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were determined by quantitative RT-PCR. RESULTS:
      Plasmodium berghei depressed CYP1a and 2b and induced 2a5 in DBA-2 mice. In
      P.berghei-infected C57BL/6 mice CYP activities remained unaltered. In both
      strains, GST and UGT were not affected by P.berghei. Plasmodium c. chabaudi
      depressed CYP1a and 2b and induced 2a5 activities on the day of peak parasitaemia
      or near this day. CYP2a5 induction was associated with over-expression of HO-1
      and enhanced oxidative stress, but it was not associated with GRP78 induction, a
      marker of endoplasmic reticulum stress. Plasmodium chabaudi increased serum NO on
      days near the parasitaemia peak in both strains. Although not elevating serum NO,
      P.berghei enhanced iNOS mRNA expression in the liver. CONCLUSION: Down-regulation
      of CYP1a and 2b and induction of 2a5 occurred in lethal and non-lethal infections
      when parasitaemia rates were high. A contribution of NO for depression of CYP2b
      cannot be ruled out. Results were consistent with the view that CYP2a5 and HO-1
      are concurrently up-regulated and suggested that CYP2a5 induction may occur in
      the absence of enhanced endoplasmic reticulum stress.

PMID- 20307317
TI  - Evidence of perturbations of cell cycle and DNA repair pathways as a consequence
      of human and murine NF1-haploinsufficiency.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a common monogenic tumor
      predisposition disorder that arises secondary to mutations in the tumor
      suppressor gene NF1. Haploinsufficiency of NF1 fosters a permissive tumorigenic
      environment through changes in signalling between cells, however the
      intracellular mechanisms for this tumor-promoting effect are less clear. Most
      primary human NF1+/- cells are a challenge to obtain, however lymphoblastoid cell
      lines (LCLs) have been collected from large NF1 kindreds. We hypothesized that
      the genetic effects of NF1-haploinsufficiency may be discerned by comparison of
      genome-wide transcriptional profiling in somatic, non-tumor cells (LCLs) from NF1
      affected and -unaffected individuals. As a cross-species filter for
      heterogeneity, we compared the results from two human kindreds to whole-genome
      transcriptional profiling in spleen-derived B lymphocytes from age- and gender
      matched Nf1+/- and wild-type mice, and used gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA),
      Onto-Express, Pathway-Express and MetaCore tools to identify genes perturbed in
      NF1-haploinsufficiency. RESULTS: We observed moderate expression of NF1 in human
      LCLs and of Nf1 in CD19+ mouse B lymphocytes. Using the t test to evaluate
      individual transcripts, we observed modest expression differences in the
      transcriptome in NF1-haploinsufficient LCLs and Nf1-haploinsuffiicient mouse B
      lymphocytes. However, GSEA, Onto-Express, Pathway-Express and MetaCore analyses
      identified genes that control cell cycle, DNA replication and repair,
      transcription and translation, and immune response as the most perturbed in NF1
      haploinsufficient conditions in both human and mouse. CONCLUSIONS:
      Haploinsufficiency arises when loss of one allele of a gene is sufficient to give
      rise to disease. Haploinsufficiency has traditionally been viewed as a passive
      state. Our observations of perturbed, up-regulated cell cycle and DNA repair
      pathways may functionally contribute to NF1-haploinsufficiency as an "active
      state" that ultimately promotes the loss of the wild-type allele.

PMID- 20307318
TI  - Effects of clusterin over-expression on metastatic progression and therapy in
      breast cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clusterin is a secreted glycoprotein that is upregulated in a variety
      of cell lines in response to stress, and enhances cell survival. A second nuclear
      isoform of clusterin that is associated with cell death has also been identified.
      The aim of this study was to determine the role(s) of the secretory isoform in
      breast tumor progression and metastasis. METHODS: To investigate the role of
      secretory clusterin in the biology of breast cancer tumor growth and resistance
      to therapy we have engineered an MCF-7 cell line (MCF-7CLU) that over-expresses
      clusterin. We have measured the in vitro effects of clusterin over-expression on
      cell cycle, cell death, and sensitivity to TNFalpha and tamoxifen. Using an
      orthotopic model of breast cancer, we have also determined the effects of over
      expression of clusterin on tumor growth and metastatic progression. RESULTS: In
      vitro, over-expression of secretory clusterin alters the cell cycle kinetics and
      decreases the rate of cell death, resulting in the enhancement of cell growth.
      Over-expression of secretory clusterin also blocks the TNFalpha-mediated
      induction of p21 and abrogates the cleavage of Bax to t-Bax, rendering the MCF
      7CLU cells significantly more resistant to the cytokine than the parental cells.
      Orthotopic primary tumors derived from MCF-7CLU cells grow significantly more
      rapidly than tumors derived from parental MCF-7 cells and, unlike the parental
      cells, metastasize frequently to the lungs. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that
      secretory clusterin, which is frequently up-regulated in breast cancers by common
      therapies, including anti-estrogens, may play a significant role in tumor growth,
      metastatic progression and subsequent drug resistance in surviving cells.

PMID- 20307319
TI  - Application of support vector machine modeling for prediction of common diseases:
      the case of diabetes and pre-diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We present a potentially useful alternative approach based on support
      vector machine (SVM) techniques to classify persons with and without common
      diseases. We illustrate the method to detect persons with diabetes and pre
      diabetes in a cross-sectional representative sample of the U.S. population.
      METHODS: We used data from the 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition
      Examination Survey (NHANES) to develop and validate SVM models for two
      classification schemes: Classification Scheme I (diagnosed or undiagnosed
      diabetes vs. pre-diabetes or no diabetes) and Classification Scheme II
      (undiagnosed diabetes or pre-diabetes vs. no diabetes). The SVM models were used
      to select sets of variables that would yield the best classification of
      individuals into these diabetes categories. RESULTS: For Classification Scheme I,
      the set of diabetes-related variables with the best classification performance
      included family history, age, race and ethnicity, weight, height, waist
      circumference, body mass index (BMI), and hypertension. For Classification Scheme
      II, two additional variables--sex and physical activity--were included. The
      discriminative abilities of the SVM models for Classification Schemes I and II,
      according to the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve,
      were 83.5% and 73.2%, respectively. The web-based tool-Diabetes Classifier was
      developed to demonstrate a user-friendly application that allows for individual
      or group assessment with a configurable, user-defined threshold. CONCLUSIONS:
      Support vector machine modeling is a promising classification approach for
      detecting persons with common diseases such as diabetes and pre-diabetes in the
      population. This approach should be further explored in other complex diseases
      using common variables.

PMID- 20307320
TI  - The expression of TRMT2A, a novel cell cycle regulated protein, identifies a
      subset of breast cancer patients with HER2 over-expression that are at an
      increased risk of recurrence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Over-expression of HER2 in a subset of breast cancers (HER2+) is
      associated with high histological grade and aggressive clinical course. Despite
      these distinctive features, the differences in response of HER2+ patients to both
      adjuvant cytotoxic chemotherapy and targeted therapy (e.g. trastuzumab) suggests
      that unrecognized biologic and clinical diversity is confounding treatment
      strategies. Furthermore, the small but established risk of cardiac morbidity with
      trastuzumab therapy compels efforts towards the identification of biomarkers that
      might help stratify patients. METHODS: A single institution tissue array cohort
      assembled at the Clearview Cancer Institute of Huntsville (CCIH) was screened by
      immunohistochemistry staining using a large number of novel and commercially
      available antibodies to identify those with a univariate association with
      clinical outcome in HER2+ patients. Staining with antibody directed at TRMT2A was
      found to be strongly associated with outcome in HER2+ patients. This association
      with outcome was tested in two independent validation cohorts; an existing
      staining dataset derived from tissue assembled at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation
      (CCF), and in a new retrospective study performed by staining archived paraffin
      blocks available at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI). RESULTS: TRMT2A
      staining showed a strong correlation with likelihood of recurrence at five years
      in 67 HER2+ patients from the CCIH discovery cohort (HR 7.0; 95% CI 2.4 to 20.1,
      p < 0.0004). This association with outcome was confirmed using 75 HER2+ patients
      from the CCF cohort (HR 3.6; 95% CI 1.3 to 10.2, p < 0.02) and 64 patients from
      the RPCI cohort (HR 3.4; 95% CI 1.3-8.9, p < 0.02). In bivariable analysis the
      association with outcome was independent of grade, tumor size, nodal status and
      the administration of conventional adjuvant chemotherapy in the CCIH and RPCI
      cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: Studies from three independent single institution cohorts
      support TRMT2A protein expression as a biomarker of increased risk of recurrence
      in HER2+ breast cancer patients. These results suggest that TRMT2A expression
      should be further studied in the clinical trial setting to explore its predictive
      power for response to adjuvant cytotoxic chemotherapy in combination with HER2
      targeted therapy.

PMID- 20307321
TI  - Ultrafine particles from diesel vehicle emissions at different driving cycles
      induce differential vascular pro-inflammatory responses: implication of chemical
      components and NF-kappaB signaling.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Epidemiological evidence supports the association between exposure to
      ambient particulate matter (PM) and cardiovascular diseases. Chronic exposure to
      ultrafine particles (UFP; Dp <100 nm) is reported to promote atherosclerosis in
      ApoE knockout mice. Atherogenesis-prone factors induce endothelial dysfunction
      that contributes to the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. We
      previously demonstrated that UFP induced oxidative stress via c-Jun N-terminal
      Kinases (JNK) activation in endothelial cells. In this study, we investigated pro
      inflammatory responses of human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC) exposed to UFP
      emitted from a diesel truck under an idling mode (UFP1) and an urban dynamometer
      driving schedule (UFP2), respectively. We hypothesize that UFP1 and UFP2 with
      distinct chemical compositions induce differential pro-inflammatory responses in
      endothelial cells. RESULTS: UFP2 contained a higher level of redox active organic
      compounds and metals on a per PM mass basis than UFP1. While both UFP1 and UFP2
      induced superoxide production and up-regulated stress response genes such as heme
      oxygenease-1 (HO-1), OKL38, and tissue factor (TF), only UFP2 induced the
      expression of pro-inflammatory genes such as IL-8 (2.8 +/- 0.3-fold), MCP-1 (3.9
      +/- 0.4-fold), and VCAM (6.5 +/- 1.1-fold) (n = 3, P < 0.05). UFP2-exposed HAEC
      also bound to a higher number of monocytes than UFP1-exposed HAEC (Control = 70
      +/- 7.5, UFP1 = 106.7 +/- 12.5, UFP2 = 137.0 +/- 8.0, n = 3, P < 0.05).
      Adenovirus NF-kappaB Luciferase reporter assays revealed that UFP2, but not UFP1,
      significantly induced NF-kappaB activities. NF-kappaB inhibitor, CAY10512,
      significantly abrogated UFP2-induced pro-inflammatory gene expression and
      monocyte binding. CONCLUSION: While UFP1 induced higher level of oxidative stress
      and stress response gene expression, only UFP2, with higher levels of redox
      active organic compounds and metals, induced pro-inflammatory responses via NF
      kappaB signaling. Thus, UFP with distinct chemical compositions caused
      differential response patterns in endothelial cells.

PMID- 20307322
TI  - Elevated osteoprotegerin is associated with abnormal ankle brachial indices in
      patients infected with HIV: a cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients infected with HIV have an increased risk for accelerated
      atherosclerosis. Elevated levels of osteoprotegerin, an inflammatory cytokine
      receptor, have been associated with a high incidence of cardiovascular disease
      (including peripheral arterial disease, or PAD), acute coronary syndrome, and
      cardiovascular mortality. The objective of this study was to determine whether
      PAD is prevalent in an HIV-infected population, and to identify an association
      with HIV-specific and traditional cardiovascular risk factors, as well as levels
      of osteoprotegerin. METHODS: One hundred and two patients infected with HIV were
      recruited in a cross-sectional study. To identify the prevalence of PAD, ankle
      brachial indices (ABIs) were measured. Four standard ABI categories were
      utilized: < or = 0.90 (definite PAD); 0.91-0.99 (borderline); 1.00-1.30 (normal);
      and >1.30 (high). Medical history and laboratory measurements were obtained to
      determine possible risk factors associated with PAD in HIV-infected patients.
      RESULTS: The prevalence of PAD (ABI < or = 0.90) in a young HIV-infected
      population (mean age: 48 years) was 11%. Traditional cardiovascular risk factors,
      including advanced age and previous cardiovascular history, as well as elevated C
      reactive protein levels, were associated with PAD. Compared with patients with
      normal ABIs, patients with high ABIs had significantly elevated levels of
      osteoprotegerin [1428.9 (713.1) pg/ml vs. 3088.6 (3565.9) pg/ml, respectively, p
      = 0.03]. CONCLUSIONS: There is a high prevalence of PAD in young HIV-infected
      patients. A number of traditional cardiovascular risk factors and increased
      osteoprotegerin concentrations are associated with abnormal ABIs. Thus, early
      screening and aggressive medical management for PAD may be warranted in HIV
      infected patients.

PMID- 20307323
TI  - Intensity level for exercise training in fibromyalgia by using mathematical
      models.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has not been assessed before whether mathematical models described
      in the literature for prescriptions of exercise can be used for fibromyalgia
      syndrome patients. The objective of this paper was to determine how age-predicted
      heart rate formulas can be used with fibromyalgia syndrome populations as well as
      to find out which mathematical models are more accurate to control exercise
      intensity. METHODS: A total of 60 women aged 18-65 years with fibromyalgia
      syndrome were included; 32 were randomized to walking training at anaerobic
      threshold. Age-predicted formulas to maximum heart rate ("220 minus age" and "208
      minus 0.7 x age") were correlated with achieved maximum heart rate (HRMax)
      obtained by spiroergometry. Subsequently, six mathematical models using heart
      rate reserve (HRR) and age-predicted HRMax formulas were studied to estimate the
      intensity level of exercise training corresponding to heart rate at anaerobic
      threshold (HRAT) obtained by spiroergometry. Linear and nonlinear regression
      models were used for correlations and residues analysis for the adequacy of the
      models. RESULTS: Age-predicted HRMax and HRAT formulas had a good correlation
      with achieved heart rate obtained in spiroergometry (r = 0.642; p < 0.05). For
      exercise prescription in the anaerobic threshold intensity, the percentages were
      52.2-60.6% HRR and 75.5-80.9% HRMax. Formulas using HRR and the achieved HRMax
      showed better correlation. Furthermore, the percentages of HRMax and HRR were
      significantly higher for the trained individuals (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Age
      predicted formulas can be used for estimating HRMax and for exercise
      prescriptions in women with fibromyalgia syndrome. Karnoven's formula using heart
      rate achieved in ergometric test showed a better correlation. For the
      prescription of exercises in the threshold intensity, 52% to 60% HRR or 75% to
      80% HRMax must be used in sedentary women with fibromyalgia syndrome and these
      values are higher and must be corrected for trained patients.

PMID- 20307324
TI  - Characterization of 13 multi-drug resistant Salmonella serovars from different
      broiler chickens associated with those of human isolates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Salmonella are frequently isolated from chickens and their products.
      Prevalent serogroups and serovars of Salmonella as well as their genotypes and
      antibiograms were determined for cloacal samples from 1595 chickens. To
      understand the possible serovar and H antigens for transmission between chicken
      and human, serovars and their H antigens of 164 chicken and 5314 human isolates
      were compared. RESULTS: Prevalence of Salmonella differed among chicken lines and
      ages. Chicken and human isolates belonged mainly to serogroup B, C1, C2-C3, D,
      and E. 13 serovars and 66 serovars were identified for chicken and human isolates
      respectively. The common serovars for chicken and human isolates were S.
      Typhimurium, S. Enteritidis, S. Albany, S. Derby, and S. Anatum and shared common
      H1 antigens "g complex; i; e,h; and z4,z24" and H2 antigens "1 complex and -". In
      human isolates, H1 antigen "i" and H2 antigen "-" were common in all serogroups.
      In chicken, antimicrobial susceptibility differed among serogroups, serovars and
      three counties. All isolates were susceptible to cefazolin and ceftriaxone, but
      highly resistant to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, flumequine, streptomycin,
      sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, and tetracycline. Except those isolates of
      serogroup C1 of Chick group and serogroup G, all isolates were multi-drug
      resistance. Only S. Kubacha, S. Typhimurium, S. Grampian, and S. Mons were
      resistant to ciprofloxacin and/or enrofloxacin. CONCLUSION: In chicken, prevalent
      serogroups and serovars were associated with chicken ages, lines and regions; and
      flouroquinolone-resistant and MDR isolates emerged. H1 antigens "g complex and i"
      and H2 antigens "1 complex and -" might be important for transmission of
      Salmonella between chicken and human.

PMID- 20307325
TI  - Multidrug resistant yeasts in synanthropic wild birds.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of multidrug
      resistant yeasts in the faeces of synanthropic wild birds from the Bangsar suburb
      of Kuala Lumpur. METHODS: Species characterisations of yeast isolates and
      determinations of antimycotic susceptibility profiles were undertaken using the
      commercial characterization kit, Integral System Yeasts Plus (Liofilchem, Italy).
      RESULTS: Fourteen species of yeasts were detected in the bird faecal
      samples.Candida albicans was present in 28.89% of bird faecal samples, Candida
      krusei (13.33%), Candida tropicalis (4.44%), Candida glabrata (4.44%), Candida
      parapsilosis (2.22%), Candida lambica (2.22%), Candida stellatoidea (2.22%),
      Candida rugosa (2.22%) and Candida lusitaniae (2.22%). Amongst the non-candidal
      yeast isolates, Cryptococcus laurentii was present in 6.67% of bird faecal
      samples, Cryptococcus uniguttulatus (4.44%), Saccharomyces cerevisiae (4.44%),
      Trichosporon pullulans (2.22%), Trichosporon pullulans/Cryptococcus albidus
      (8.89%) and Rhodotorula rubra/Rhodotorula glutinis (4.44%). Of the isolated
      yeasts, 18.1% (or 26/144) were found to be resistant to all 11 antimycotic agents
      they were tested against i.e. Nystatin, Amphotericin B, Flucytosine, Econazole,
      Ketoconazole, Clotrimazole, Miconazole, Itraconazole, Voriconazole, Fluconazole
      16 and Fluconazole 64. 45.8% (or 66/144) of the bird faecal yeast isolates were
      resistant to four or more of the 11 antimycotic agents they were tested against.
      CONCLUSIONS: This finding is of public health significance as these synanthropic
      wild birds may be reservoirs for transmission of drug resistant yeast infections
      to humans.

PMID- 20307326
TI  - Oligonucleotide microarray for the identification of potential mycotoxigenic
      fungi.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites which are produced by numerous
      fungi and pose a continuous challenge to the safety and quality of food
      commodities in South Africa. These toxins have toxicologically relevant effects
      on humans and animals that eat contaminated foods. In this study, a diagnostic
      DNA microarray was developed for the identification of the most common food-borne
      fungi, as well as the genes leading to toxin production. RESULTS: A total of 40
      potentially mycotoxigenic fungi isolated from different food commodities, as well
      as the genes that are involved in the mycotoxin synthetic pathways, were
      analyzed. For fungal identification, oligonucleotide probes were designed by
      exploiting the sequence variations of the elongation factor 1-alpha (EF-1 alpha)
      coding regions and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of the rRNA gene
      cassette. For the detection of fungi able to produce mycotoxins, oligonucleotide
      probes directed towards genes leading to toxin production from different fungal
      strains were identified in data available in the public domain. The probes
      selected for fungal identification and the probes specific for toxin producing
      genes were spotted onto microarray slides. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnostic microarray
      developed can be used to identify single pure strains or cultures of potentially
      mycotoxigenic fungi as well as genes leading to toxin production in both
      laboratory samples and maize-derived foods offering an interesting potential for
      microbiological laboratories.

PMID- 20307327
TI  - Prevalence and risk profile of cervical Human papillomavirus infection in
      Zhejiang Province, southeast China: a population-based study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Benign or malignant lesions caused by Human papillomavirus (HPV)
      produce considerable health burden worldwide. Since limited cross-protection
      would be offered between HPV types, heterogeneity in HPV type-specific
      distribution should be taken into account when predicting the effect of current
      prophylactic vaccines and forming the basic for the second-generation vaccines
      targeted to specific regions. Here, we investigated the prevalence of cervical
      HPV infection, as well as predictors concerned, in Zhejiang Province, southeast
      China. RESULTS: Totally 4987 cervical samples from five randomly chosen counties
      in Zhejiang Province were detected. The overall HPV prevalence was 13.3%.
      Established high-risk (HR) HPV prevalence was 10.2%. HPV-52 was the most
      prevalent type (3.1%), followed by HPV-16 (2.5%), -58 (2.1%), -68 (1.0%) and -81
      (0.9%). HPV-16 or -18 were present in 3.1% of the detected samples, while 174
      specimens (3.5%) were positive for any of HPV-6, -11, -16 and -18. The prevalence
      of HPV vaccine types was consistently low across age groups. Bimodal age
      distribution in HR-HPV, including established HR and probably HR-HPV, was
      observed, with a clear second peak in perimenopausal women. Multivariate
      unconditional logistic regression models revealed that partner's lifetime number
      of partners was the only common independent predictor of overall, established HR,
      established low-risk, single-type and multiple-type HPV infection in current
      study. CONCLUSIONS: We have observed low prevalence of HPV vaccine types and
      relatively high prevalence of HPV-52 and -58 in our population. Our findings
      support universal "catch-up" vaccination of sexual experienced young women in
      Zhejiang Province, as well as enhance the hypothesis that the second-generation
      HPV prophylactic vaccines including HPV-52 and -58 may offer higher protection
      for women in China and other Asian areas. Furthermore, our data support close
      surveillance of perimenopausal women with HR-HPV infection.

PMID- 20307328
TI  - The autonomic nervous system dysregulation in response to orthostatic stress in
      children with neurocardiogenic syncope.
AB  - Neurocardiogenic syncope is a common disorder, which is considered as a benign
      condition. However, sudden loss of conscience and muscle tone causes anxiety
      among the family members due to its similarity to sudden death. Autonomic nervous
      system dysregulation is thought to be responsible in the aetiology. Heart rate
      variability is used for assessment of autonomic nervous system.We evaluated 24
      children between 6 and 18 years (mean plus or minus standard deviation is equal
      to 12.5 plus or minus 3.28, with neurocardiogenic syncope and 10 healthy
      controls, mean plus or minus standard deviation is equal to 12.48 plus or minus
      3.27) by using 24 hour Holter monitorisation and head-up tilt test. Heart rate
      variability analysis was performed using the Holter recordings obtained both
      during head-up tilt test and throughout the day.Our results revealed that, there
      is no significant difference between the study and the control groups in terms of
      the mean heart rate and all indices of the heart rate variability (p > 0.05).
      However, during the first 5 minutes of the head-up tilt test, standard deviation
      of all RR intervals and root mean square of successive differences were
      significantly lower in the syncope group compared with the control group, 42.17
      plus or minus 12.56 versus 60.10 plus or minus 33.10 and 21.26 plus or minus 8.87
      versus 36.80 plus or minus 31.03; p-values 0.02 and 0.03, respectively.In
      conclusion; autonomic functions in children with neurocardiogenic syncope are
      similar to healthy children. However, sympathetic hyperactivation occurs during
      the early phase of orthostatic stress in children with neurocardiogenic syncope
      comparing to healthy controls. Parasympathetic innervation is not sufficient in
      compensation of this sympathetic hyperactivation. Management strategy in
      neurocardiogenic syncope should be based on these pathophysiologic mechanisms.

PMID- 20307329
TI  - Abnormalities of the major intrathoracic arteries in Turner syndrome as revealed
      by magnetic resonance imaging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ectatic aortopathy and arterial abnormalities cause excess morbidity
      and mortality in Turner syndrome, where a state of vasculopathy seemingly extends
      into the major head and neck branch arteries. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the
      prevalence of abnormalities of the major intrathoracic arteries, their
      interaction with arterial dimensions, and their association with karyotype.
      DESIGN: Magnetic resonance imaging scans determined the arterial abnormalities as
      well as head and neck branch artery and aortic dimensions in 99 adult women with
      Turner syndrome compared with 33 healthy female controls. Echocardiography
      determined aortic valve morphology. RESULTS: In Turner syndrome, the relative
      risk of any congenital abnormality was 7.7 (p = 0.003) and 6.7 of ascending
      aortic dilation (p = 0.02). A bovine aortic arch was seen in both Turner syndrome
      and controls. Other abnormalities were only encountered in Turner syndrome:
      elongated transverse aortic arch (47%), bicuspid aortic valve (27%), aortic
      coarctation (13%), aberrant right subclavian artery (8%), and aortic arch
      hypoplasia (2%). The innominate and left common carotid arteries were enlarged in
      Turner syndrome (p < 0.001). Significant associations were first, bicuspid aortic
      valve with aortic coarctation, elongated transverse aortic arch, and ascending
      aortic dilation; second, aortic coarctation with elongated aortic arch and
      descending aortic dilation; third, 45,X with aortic coarctation, elongated
      transverse aortic arch and ascending aortic dilation; and fourth, branch artery
      dilation with bicuspid aortic valve, aortic coarctation, elongated transverse
      aortic arch and 45,X. CONCLUSION: An increased risk of arterial abnormalities,
      aortic dilation, and enlargement of the branch arteries was found in Turner
      syndrome without distinct patterns of co-segregation.

PMID- 20307330
TI  - Critical care outcomes in pulmonary atresia and intact ventricular septum
      undergoing single-ventricle palliation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine early outcomes for pulmonary atresia with intact
      ventricular septum undergoing single-ventricle palliation and to determine risk
      factors for mortality. DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. SETTING:
      Tertiary paediatric critical care unit. INTERVENTION: Risk factors for mortality
      were sought for infants after the primary intervention whether surgical shunt or
      ductal stent. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We reviewed outcomes of 19 infants
      with pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum undergoing single-ventricle
      palliation between July, 2000 and July, 2008. Echocardiograms, cardiac
      catheterisation findings, anaesthesia, and critical care management, as well as
      autopsy reports were reviewed. We modelled survival after surgery and looked for
      predictors of early mortality. A total of 19 infants underwent single-ventricle
      palliation and seven of these died. The risk of death was increased by a lower
      arterial pH at induction of anaesthesia (p = 0.01), a lower systolic blood
      pressure (p = 0.01), and technical problems during surgery (p = 0.03). On
      admission to the critical care unit, a lower mixed venous saturation (p = 0.02)
      and presence of tachyarrhythmia (p = 0.02) were associated with the need for
      mechanical support within the first 48 hours. CONCLUSIONS: There is a high early
      mortality for those who undergo single-ventricle palliation. It is higher for
      those who are haemodynamically compromised before surgery; technical problems,
      and haemodynamic instability during surgery also increase mortality.

PMID- 20307331
TI  - Paul Raymond Lurie: an innovator and founder of paediatric cardiology.

PMID- 20307332
TI  - Non-compacted myocardium and foetal left isomerism as a hydrops' aetiology.
AB  - We present a case report of a pregnant woman with increased risk for trisomy 21
      at first-trimester screening, assessed by ultrasonography, that was sent to our
      hospital. Amniocentesis was performed at 14 weeks and 2 days to obtain foetal
      karyotype that was normal (46,XX). At 19 weeks and 1 day, foetal hydrops
      associated with cardiac malformation was detected by routine scan. Foetal
      echocardiogram revealed a complete auriculoventricular septal defect, non
      compacted myocardium, and a bradycardia of 70-90 beats per minute, which lead to
      the suspicion of left isomerism. Foetal death occurred at 20 weeks and 3 days.
      Autopsy was consistent with the prenatal diagnosis.

PMID- 20307333
TI  - Successful transseptal puncture for radiofrequency ablation of left atrial
      tachycardia after closure of secundum atrial septal defect with Amplatzer septal
      occluder.
AB  - We report on a 37-year-old woman presenting with atrial arrhythmias after
      catheter closure of a secundum atrial septal defect with an Amplatzer septal
      occluder device. Electrophysiological studies suggested that the arrhythmia
      originated from the left atrium, from an area near the device. Transseptal
      puncture was successfully performed under transoesophageal guidance and the
      arrhythmia was successfully ablated. This case showed that transseptal puncture
      can be safely performed in the presence of an Amplatzer septal occluder device
      under transoesophageal echocardiography guidance and we speculate that the device
      may have created the substrate for the arrhythmia.

PMID- 20307334
TI  - Giant coronary aneurysms developed in a child of Kawasaki disease with only 3
      days of fever.
AB  - Prolonged fever, 5 days or more, is the cardinal feature of Kawasaki disease. We
      described a 5-year-old boy with initial presentations of fever, conjunctivitis,
      and strawberry tongue. The fever only lasted for 3 days. However, giant coronary
      aneurysms developed later. This patient reminds us that coronary complications
      could happen even the fever is less than 5 days. Criteria of fever duration might
      need reconsideration.

PMID- 20307335
TI  - Evaluation of paediatric cardiosurgical model in Croatia by using the Aristotle
      basic complexity score and the risk adjustment for congenital cardiac surgery-1
      method.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The Aristotle basic complexity score and the risk adjustment in
      congenital cardiac surgery-1 method were developed and used to compare outcomes
      of congenital cardiac surgery. Both methods were used to compare results of
      procedures performed on our patients in Croatian cardiosurgical centres and
      results of procedures were taken abroad. METHODS: The study population consisted
      of all patients with congenital cardiac disease born to Croatian residents
      between 1 October, 2002 and 1 October, 2007 undergoing a cardiovascular operation
      during this period. RESULTS: Of the 556 operations, the Aristotle basic
      complexity score could be assigned to 553 operations and the risk adjustment in
      congenital cardiac surgery-1 method to 536 operations. Procedures were performed
      in two institutions in Croatia and seven institutions abroad. The average
      complexity for cardiac procedures performed in Croatia was significantly lower.
      With both systems, along with the increase in complexity, there is also an
      increase in mortality before discharge and postoperative length of stay. Only
      after the adjustment for complexity there are marked differences in mortality and
      occurrence of postoperative complications. CONCLUSION: Both, the Aristotle basic
      complexity score and the risk adjustment in congenital cardiac surgery-1 method
      were predictive of in-hospital mortality as well as prolonged postoperative
      length to stay, and can be used as a tool in our country to evaluate a
      cardiosurgical model and recognise potential problems.

PMID- 20307336
TI  - Woven right and aneurysmatic left coronary artery associated with Kawasaki
      disease in a 9-month-old patient.
AB  - Woven coronary artery disease is an extremely rare congenital abnormality with
      unusual findings of branching thin channels and distal reanastomosis. This
      pathologic finding was reported earlier in a few adult patients. In Kawasaki
      disease, coronary arterial system is commonly affected, which causes a necessity
      of cardiac imaging. We report a 9-month-old infant with Kawasaki disease in which
      left coronary artery aneurysm and woven right coronary artery were coincidentally
      detected during coronary angiography. After 1 year, coronary angiogram was re
      performed and showed no changes in the coronary arteries. During the follow-up
      period of 4 years, the patient remained asymptomatic. In Kawasaki disease, there
      is a tendency for thrombus formation and a woven coronary artery can be easily
      misinterpreted as a thrombus. Woven coronary artery is a benign condition and it
      should not be confused with a thrombus or a stenosis related finding which needs
      a medical or surgical intervention.

PMID- 20307337
TI  - Progressively worsening hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in a child with newly
      diagnosed Costello syndrome while receiving growth hormone therapy.
AB  - We describe a 6-year-old boy with newly diagnosed Costello syndrome after the
      diagnosis of severe hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. His neonatal asymmetric septal
      cardiomyopathy resolved by 9 months of age but reappeared at 6 years of age. This
      report highlights two important concepts: the association of genetic syndromes
      with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and the possibility of worsening severity of
      hypertrophic cardiomyopathy linked to growth hormone therapy.

PMID- 20307338
TI  - Congenital cardiovascular lesions in children with trisomy 21 at the Bustamante
      Hospital for Children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the cardiac lesions seen in children with trisomy 21, the
      outcome of these children and rates of access to corrective surgery at the
      Bustamante Hospital for Children. METHODS: A 10-year retrospective review of the
      records of trisomy 21 patients with cardiac lesions referred to the Bustamante
      Hospital for Children was conducted. RESULTS: A total of 76 patients were
      enrolled in the study, 30 (40%) males and 46 (60%) females; among these 110
      cardiac lesions were detected. A total of 20 (26%) patients died, 48 (63%)
      survived, and for 8 (11%) the status was unknown. The most common lesion was the
      atrioventricular septal defect, which accounted for 41 (37%) of all the lesions
      and occurred as a single defect in 24 (53%) patients. At presentation, 33 (46%)
      patients had one or more medical complication; 30 (91%) had cardiac failure, 10
      (30%) had pneumonia and 5 (15%) had evidence of systemic pulmonary arterial
      pressures. Cardiac catheterisation was recommended for 43 (56%) patients but only
      10 (23%) had the procedure done. Surgery was recommended for 60 (79%) patients;
      of these 6 (10%) patients had the procedure done. The median time of survival was
      88 months (7.3 years). The age of presentation was not found to significantly
      affect outcome. CONCLUSION: Trisomy 21 patients with cardiac lesions have high
      morbidity and mortality. This morbidity and mortality could be reduced if
      surgical intervention was offered routinely.

PMID- 20307339
TI  - Population-based surveillance study of Campylobacter infections in Finland.
AB  - The annual incidence in 14,361 campylobacteriosis cases reported in Finland in
      2002-2005 varied between 61 and 76/100,000 population. The mean incidence was
      highest (148/100,000) in the 25-29 years age group and lowest (range 21
      24/100,000) in children aged 5-14 years and patients aged >=75 years. The number
      of domestic cases was low in winter and peaked in summer. A total of 622 strains
      isolated from domestic infections and 785 foreign travel-related strains were
      serotyped. Serotypes Pen 3 and Pen 37 had the strongest association with travel
      related infections (96%, P<0.001), and Pen 6,7, Pen 12 and Pen 27 were
      significantly associated with domestic infections (>70% domestic within each
      serotype, P<0.001). Pen 2 and Pen 1,44 were less common in older than in younger
      patients. Of domestic strains, a higher proportion of Pen 2 strains was isolated
      in winter (18%) compared to the other serotypes (0-10%).

PMID- 20307340
TI  - Age, influenza pandemics and disease dynamics.
AB  - The world is currently confronting the first influenza pandemic of the 21st
      century [caused by a novel pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus]. Earlier pandemics
      have been characterized by age distributions that are distinct from those
      observed with seasonal influenza epidemics, with higher attack rates (and
      correspondingly increased proportionate or relative mortality) in younger
      individuals. While the genesis of protection against infection in older
      individuals during a pandemic is uncertain, differential vulnerability to
      infection by age has important implications for disease dynamics and control, and
      for choice of optimal vaccination strategies. Age-related vulnerability to
      infection may explain differences between school- and community-derived estimates
      of the reproductive number (R) for a newly emerged pandemic strain, and may also
      help explain the failure of a newly emerged influenza A (H1N1) virus strain to
      cause a pandemic in 1977. Age-related factors may also help explain variability
      in attack rates, and the size and impact of influenza epidemics across
      jurisdictions and between populations. In Canada, such effects have been observed
      in the apparently increased severity of outbreaks on Indigenous peoples'
      reserves. The implications of these patterns for vaccine allocation necessitate
      targeted research to understand age-related vulnerabilities early in an influenza
      pandemic.

PMID- 20307341
TI  - Diarrhoea morbidity and mortality in older children, adolescents, and adults.
AB  - Diarrhoea is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality yet diarrhoea specific
      incidence and mortality rates for older children, adolescents, and adults have
      not been systematically calculated for many countries. We conducted a systematic
      literature review to generate regional incidence rates by age and to summarize
      diarrhoea specific mortality rates for regions of the world with inadequate vital
      registration data. Diarrhoea morbidity rates range from 29.9 episodes/100 person
      years for adults in the South East Asian region to 88.4 episodes/100 person-years
      in older children in the Eastern Mediterranean region and have remained unchanged
      in the last 30 years. Diarrhoea mortality rates decline as the child ages and
      remain relatively constant during adulthood. These data are critical for
      improving estimates worldwide and further highlight the need for improved
      diarrhoea specific morbidity and mortality data in these age groups.

PMID- 20307342
TI  - An assessment of the antibacterial activity in larval excretion/secretion of four
      species of insects recorded in association with corpses, using Lucilia sericata
      Meigen as the marker species.
AB  - The relative antibacterial activities of excretion/secretion (ES) from two
      carrion-feeding insects, Calliphora vicina Robineau-Desvoidy and Dermestes
      maculatus DeGeer, and a detritivore, Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus, were compared to
      that of Lucilia sericata Meigen, a species with ES of known antibacterial
      capacity, in order to explore the antimicrobial potential of other carrion and
      detritivore species. Viable counts were used to assess time-kill of ES against
      five bacterial species, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus,
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus mirabilis. Antibacterial activity was recorded
      in all four insect species although T. molitor and D. maculatus were the most
      effective in controlling growth of P. mirabilis. The blowflies were more
      effective in controlling a wider range of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative
      bacteria. The larval ES from all species was shown to reduce bacterial growth
      rate although differences in antibacterial spectrum were noted and the degree of
      potency varied between the four species. These differences may be explained
      ecologically by the different colonisation times of each insect species on the
      corpse. Overall, this study demonstrates that research into other carrion-feeding
      insect species has potential to provide an increased source of antimicrobial
      chemicals to broaden the range of bacterial species beyond that currently
      controlled using L. sericata.

PMID- 20307343
TI  - Chemical cues from the coffee berry borer influence the locomotory behaviour of
      its bethylid parasitoids.
AB  - Cephalonomia stephanoderis and Prorops nasuta are two bethylid wasps released
      into several Latin American countries for classical biological control of coffee
      berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei, the most serious insect pest of coffee
      worldwide. Recent studies on the host location behaviour of these parasitoids
      have shown that females of both species are attracted to volatile compounds
      released by immature stages and dust and frass of H. hampei. In this study, we
      investigated the role of the contact chemicals present in dust and frass of H.
      hampei on the behaviour of P. nasuta and C. stephanoderis females. Parasitoids
      remained longer on patches treated with methanol extracts than on acetone and
      hexane extracts. Females spent more time on the patch treated with the methanol
      extract of dust and frass than on the patches treated with the methanol extract
      of dry coffee and methanol control. The concentration of the methanol extracts
      from dust and frass influenced the locomotory activity of parasitoids of both
      species. The time that females spent in the patch tended to increase as the
      concentration of the methanol extracts increased. A further experiment aimed to
      identify other behavioural descriptors and gain a deeper understanding of the
      mechanisms underlying the response of parasitoids to methanol extracts was
      performed. Females of both species spent more time, covered more distance, turned
      more (per unit time and per unit distance), and decreased their speed when they
      contacted patches treated with methanol extracts in comparison to patches treated
      with methanol control.

PMID- 20307344
TI  - Words in puddles of sound: modelling psycholinguistic effects in speech
      segmentation.
AB  - There are numerous models of how speech segmentation may proceed in infants
      acquiring their first language. We present a framework for considering the
      relative merits and limitations of these various approaches. We then present a
      model of speech segmentation that aims to reveal important sources of information
      for speech segmentation, and to capture psycholinguistic constraints on
      children's language perception. The model constructs a lexicon based on
      information about utterance boundaries and deduces phonotactic constraints from
      the discovered lexicon. Compared to other models of speech segmentation, our
      model performs well in terms of accuracy, computational tractability and the
      number of components of the model. Finally, our model also reflects the
      psycholinguistic effects of language learning, in terms of the early advantage
      for segmentation provided by the child's name, and by revealing the overlap in
      usefulness of information for segmentation and for grammatical categorization of
      the language.

PMID- 20307345
TI  - Segmenting words from natural speech: subsegmental variation in segmental cues.
AB  - Most computational models of word segmentation are trained and tested on
      transcripts of speech, rather than the speech itself, and assume that speech is
      converted into a sequence of symbols prior to word segmentation. We present a way
      of representing speech corpora that avoids this assumption, and preserves
      acoustic variation present in speech. We use this new representation to re
      evaluate a key computational model of word segmentation. One finding is that high
      levels of phonetic variability degrade the model's performance. While robustness
      to phonetic variability may be intrinsically valuable, this finding needs to be
      complemented by parallel studies of the actual abilities of children to segment
      phonetically variable speech.

PMID- 20307346
TI  - Modeling the contribution of phonotactic cues to the problem of word
      segmentation.
AB  - How do infants find the words in the speech stream? Computational models help us
      understand this feat by revealing the advantages and disadvantages of different
      strategies that infants might use. Here, we outline a computational model of word
      segmentation that aims both to incorporate cues proposed by language acquisition
      researchers and to establish the contributions different cues can make to word
      segmentation. We present experimental results from modified versions of
      Venkataraman's (2001) segmentation model that examine the utility of: (1)
      language-universal phonotactic cues; (2) language-specific phonotactic cues which
      must be learned while segmenting utterances; and (3) their combination. We show
      that the language-specific cue improves segmentation performance overall, but the
      language-universal phonotactic cue does not, and that their combination results
      in the most improvement. Not only does this suggest that language-specific
      constraints can be learned simultaneously with speech segmentation, but it is
      also consistent with experimental research that shows that there are multiple
      phonotactic cues helpful to segmentation (e.g. Mattys, Jusczyk, Luce & Morgan,
      1999; Mattys & Jusczyk, 2001). This result also compares favorably to other
      segmentation models (e.g. Brent, 1999; Fleck, 2008; Goldwater, 2007; Johnson &
      Goldwater, 2009; Venkataraman, 2001) and has implications for how infants learn
      to segment.

PMID- 20307347
TI  - Implicational markedness and frequency in constraint-based computational models
      of phonological learning.
AB  - This study examines the interacting roles of implicational markedness and
      frequency from the joint perspectives of formal linguistic theory, phonological
      acquisition and computational modeling. The hypothesis that child grammars are
      rankings of universal constraints, as in Optimality Theory (Prince & Smolensky,
      1993/2004), that learning involves a gradual transition from an unmarked initial
      state to the target grammar, and that order of acquisition is guided by
      frequency, along the lines of Levelt, Schiller & Levelt (2000), is investigated.
      The study reviews empirical findings on syllable structure acquisition in Dutch,
      German, French and English, and presents novel findings on Polish. These
      comparisons reveal that, to the extent allowed by implicational markedness
      universals, frequency covaries with acquisition order across languages. From the
      computational perspective, the paper shows that interacting roles of markedness
      and frequency in a class of constraint-based phonological learning models embody
      this hypothesis, and their predictions are illustrated via computational
      simulation.

PMID- 20307348
TI  - Different digestion of caprine whey proteins by human and porcine
      gastrointestinal enzymes.
AB  - The objective of the present study was twofold: first to compare the degradation
      patterns of caprine whey proteins digested with either human digestive juices
      (gastric or duodenal) or commercial porcine enzymes (pepsin or pancreatic
      enzymes) and second to observe the effect of gastric pH on digestion. An in vitro
      two-step assay was performed at 37 degrees C to simulate digestion in the stomach
      (pH 2, 4 or 6) and the duodenum (pH 8). The whey proteins were degraded more
      efficiently by porcine pepsin than by human gastric juice at all pH values.
      Irrespective of the enzyme source, gastric digestion at pH 2 followed by duodenal
      digestion resulted in the most efficient degradation. Lactoferrin, serum albumin
      and the Ig heavy chains were highly degraded with less than 6 % remaining after
      digestion. About 15, 56 and 50 % Ig light chains, beta-lactoglobulin (beta-LG)
      and alpha-lactalbumin remained intact, respectively, when digested with porcine
      enzymes compared with 25, 74 and 81 % with human digestive juices. For
      comparison, purified bovine beta-LG was digested and the peptide profiles
      obtained were compared with those of the caprine beta-LG in the digested whey.
      The bovine beta-LG seemed to be more extensively cleaved than the caprine beta-LG
      in the whey. Commercial enzymes appear to digest whey proteins more efficiently
      compared with human digestive juices when used at similar enzyme activities. This
      could lead to conflicting results when comparing human in vivo protein digestion
      with digestion using purified enzymes of non-human species. Consequently the use
      of human digestive juices might be preferred.

PMID- 20307349
TI  - Establishment and characterization of embryonic stem-like cells from porcine
      somatic cell nuclear transfer blastocysts.
AB  - This study was aimed to establish embryonic stem (ES)-like cells from blastocysts
      derived from somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) in pig. Somatic cells isolated
      from both day-30 fetus and neonatal cloned piglet were used for donor cells. A
      total of 60 blastocysts (46 and 14 derived from fetal and neonatal fibroblast
      donor cells, respectively) were seeded onto a mitotically inactive mouse
      embryonic fibroblast (MEF) monolayer and two ES-like cell lines, one from each
      donor cell type, were established. They remained undifferentiated over more than
      52 (fetal fibroblast-derived) and 48 (neonatal fibroblast-derived) passages,
      while retaining alkaline phosphatase activity and reactivity with ES specific
      markers Oct-4, stage-specific embryonic antigen-1 (SSEA-1), SSEA-4, TRA-1-60 and
      TRA-1-81. These ES-like cells maintained normal diploid karyotype throughout
      subculture and successfully differentiated into embryoid bodies that expressed
      three germ layer-specific genes (ectoderm: beta-III tubulin; endoderm: amylase;
      and mesoderm: enolase) after culture in leukemia inhibitory factor-free medium.
      Microsatellite analysis confirmed that they were genetically identical to its
      donor cells. Combined with gene targeting, our results may contribute to
      developing an efficient method for producing transgenic pigs for various
      purposes.

PMID- 20307350
TI  - Effects of fish oil and starch added to a diet containing sunflower-seed oil on
      dairy goat performance, milk fatty acid composition and in vivo delta9
      desaturation of [13C]vaccenic acid.
AB  - The potential benefits on human health have prompted an interest in developing
      nutritional strategies for specifically increasing rumenic acid (RA) in ruminant
      milk. The aims of the present study were to (i) compare two dietary treatments
      with lipid supplements on milk yield and composition, (ii) measure the in vivo
      delta9-desaturation of vaccenic acid (VA) to RA using 13C-labelled VA and (iii)
      determine the effect of the dietary treatments on this variable. Treatments were
      90 g sunflower-seed oil (SO) per d or 60 g sunflower-seed oil and 30 g fish oil
      per d plus additional starch (SFO), in a grassland hay-based diet given to eight
      Alpine goats in a 2 x 2 cross-over design with 21 d experimental periods. Milk
      yield and composition were similar between treatments. Goats fed SFO had higher
      milk 6 : 0-16 : 0 concentration, lower milk sigmaC18 concentrations and showed no
      effect on milk VA and RA, compared with SO. At the end of the experiment,
      intravenous injection of 1.5 g [13C]VA followed by measurements of milk lipid 13C
      enrichment showed that in vivo 31.7 and 31.6 % of VA was delta9-desaturated into
      milk RA in the caprine with the SO and SFO treatments, respectively. The
      expression of genes encoding for delta9-desaturase (or stearoyl-CoA desaturase;
      SCD1, SCD5) in mammary tissues and four milk delta9-desaturation ratios were
      similar between treatments. In conclusion, the present study provides the first
      estimates of in vivo endogenous synthesis of RA (63-73 % of milk RA) from VA in
      goats, and shows no difference between the two lipid supplements compared.

PMID- 20307351
TI  - Effect of incremental amounts of fish oil in the diet on ruminal lipid metabolism
      in growing steers.
AB  - Based on the potential benefits to human health, there is interest in developing
      sustainable nutritional strategies to enhance the concentration of long-chain n-3
      fatty acids in ruminant-derived foods. Four Aberdeen Angus steers fitted with
      rumen and duodenal cannulae were used in a 4 x 4 Latin square experiment with 21
      d experimental periods to examine the potential of fish oil (FO) in the diet to
      enhance the supply of 20 : 5n-3 and 22 : 6n-3 available for absorption in growing
      cattle. Treatments consisted of total mixed rations based on maize silage fed at
      a rate of 85 g DM/kg live weight 0.75/d containing 0, 8, 16 and 24 g FO/kg diet
      DM. Supplements of FO reduced linearly (P < 0.01) DM intake and shifted (P <
      0.01) rumen fermentation towards propionate at the expense of acetate and
      butyrate. FO in the diet enhanced linearly (P < 0.05) the flow of trans-16 : 1,
      trans-18 : 1, trans-18 : 2, 20 : 5n-3 and 22 : 6n-3, and decreased linearly (P <
      0.05) 18 : 0 and 18 : 3n-3 at the duodenum. Increases in the flow of trans-18 : 1
      were isomer dependent and were determined primarily by higher amounts of trans-11
      reaching the duodenum. In conclusion, FO alters ruminal lipid metabolism of
      growing cattle in a dose-dependent manner consistent with an inhibition of
      ruminal biohydrogenation, and enhances the amount of long-chain n-3 fatty acids
      at the duodenum, but the increases are marginal due to extensive biohydrogenation
      in the rumen.

PMID- 20307352
TI  - The influence of maternal glycaemia and dietary glycaemic index on pregnancy
      outcome in healthy mothers.
AB  - Infant birth weight has increased in Ireland in recent years along with levels of
      childhood overweight and obesity. The present article reviews the current
      literature on maternal glycaemia and the role of the dietary glycaemic index (GI)
      and its impact on pregnancy outcomes. It is known that maternal weight and weight
      gain significantly influence infant birth weight. Fetal macrosomia (birth weight
      >4000 g) is associated with an increased risk of perinatal trauma to both mother
      and infant. Furthermore, macrosomic infants have greater risk of being obese in
      childhood, adolescence and adulthood compared to normal-sized infants. There is
      evidence that there is a direct relationship between maternal blood glucose
      levels during pregnancy and fetal growth and size at birth, even when maternal
      blood glucose levels are within their normal range. Thus, maintaining blood
      glucose concentrations within normal parameters during pregnancy may reduce the
      incidence of fetal macrosomia. Maternal diet, and particularly its carbohydrate
      (CHO) type and content, influences maternal blood glucose concentrations.
      However, different CHO foods produce different glycaemic responses. The GI was
      conceived by Jenkins in 1981 as a method for assessing the glycaemic responses of
      different CHO. Data from clinical studies in healthy pregnant women have
      documented that consuming a low-GI diet during pregnancy reduces peaks in
      postprandial glucose levels and normalises infant birth weight. Pregnancy is a
      physiological condition where the GI may be of particular relevance as glucose is
      the primary fuel for fetal growth.

PMID- 20307353
TI  - Markers of cardiovascular risk are not changed by increased whole-grain intake:
      the WHOLEheart study, a randomised, controlled dietary intervention.
AB  - Recommendations for whole-grain (WG) intake are based on observational studies
      showing that higher WG consumption is associated with reduced CVD risk. No large
      scale, randomised, controlled dietary intervention studies have investigated the
      effects on CVD risk markers of substituting WG in place of refined grains in the
      diets of non-WG consumers. A total of 316 participants (aged 18-65 years; BMI>25
      kg/m2) consuming < 30 g WG/d were randomly assigned to three groups: control (no
      dietary change), intervention 1 (60 g WG/d for 16 weeks) and intervention 2 (60 g
      WG/d for 8 weeks followed by 120 g WG/d for 8 weeks). Markers of CVD risk,
      measured at 0 (baseline), 8 and 16 weeks, were: BMI, percentage body fat, waist
      circumference; fasting plasma lipid profile, glucose and insulin; and indicators
      of inflammatory, coagulation, and endothelial function. Differences between study
      groups were compared using a random intercepts model with time and WG intake as
      factors. Although reported WG intake was significantly increased among
      intervention groups, and demonstrated good participant compliance, there were no
      significant differences in any markers of CVD risk between groups. A period of 4
      months may be insufficient to change the lifelong disease trajectory associated
      with CVD. The lack of impact of increasing WG consumption on CVD risk markers
      implies that public health messages may need to be clarified to consider the
      source of WG and/or other diet and lifestyle factors linked to the benefits of
      whole-grain consumption seen in observational studies.

PMID- 20307354
TI  - Linseed oil in the maternal diet increases long chain-PUFA status of the foetus
      and the newborn during the suckling period in pigs.
AB  - Linseed oil, being rich in 18 : 3n-3, represents an alternative source of n-3
      PUFA in the maternal diet. However, little is known about the effect of this oil
      on the long chain n-3 PUFA composition of offspring, which are required for
      normal growth and maturation of numerous organs. The main objective of the
      experiment was therefore to investigate fatty acid composition of tissues from
      sows at the end of gestation and from piglets during the first week of postnatal
      life in response to maternal dietary linseed oil intake. Sows received either a
      lard (LAR)-based diet or a linseed oil (LSO)-based diet during gestation and
      lactation. Fatty acid composition was evaluated in sow plasma, placenta and milk,
      and in different tissues of piglets on days 0, 3, 7, 21 and 32. The LSO diet
      increased the proportions of n-3 PUFA and especially 22 : 6n-3 in the placenta.
      The carcass of LSO piglets at birth contained greater proportions of 20 : 5n-3,
      22 : 5n-3 and 22 : 6n-3. The LSO sow milk exhibited greater proportions of 18 :
      3n-3 compared with the LAR sow milk. The piglets suckling LSO sows had greater
      proportions of 18 : 3n-3, 20 : 5n-3 and 22 : 5n-3 in plasma and carcass. The
      proportions of 22 : 5n-3 and 22 : 6n-3 were greater in the brain of LSO piglets
      than in that of LAR piglets during the suckling period. In conclusion, LSO in the
      maternal diet during gestation and lactation increases 22 : 6n-3 concentrations
      in the placenta and in the foetus carcass, and it maintains 22 : 6n-3
      concentrations in the brain during the first week of postnatal life.

PMID- 20307355
TI  - Effects of an acute alpha-lactalbumin manipulation on mood and food hedonics in
      high- and low-trait anxiety individuals.
AB  - Serotonergic hypofunction is associated with a depressive mood state, an
      increased drive to eat and preference for sweet (SW) foods. High-trait anxiety
      individuals are characterised by a functional shortage of serotonin during
      stress, which in turn increases their susceptibility to experience a negative
      mood and an increased drive for SW foods. The present study examined whether an
      acute dietary manipulation, intended to increase circulating serotonin levels,
      alleviated the detrimental effects of a stress-inducing task on subjective
      appetite and mood sensations, and preference for SW foods in high-trait anxiety
      individuals. Thirteen high- (eleven females and two males; anxiety scores 45.5
      (sd 5.9); BMI 22.9 (sd 3.0)kg/m(2)) and twelve low- (ten females and two males;
      anxiety scores 30.4 (sd 4.8); BMI 23.4 (sd 2.5) kg/m(2)) trait anxiety
      individuals participated in a placebo-controlled, two-way crossover design.
      Participants were provided with 40 g alpha-lactalbumin (LAC; l-tryptophan
      (Trp):large neutral amino acids (LNAA) ratio of 7.6) and 40 g casein (placebo)
      (Trp:LNAA ratio of 4.0) in the form of a snack and lunch on two test days. On
      both the test days, participants completed a stress-inducing task 2 h after the
      lunch. Mood and appetite were assessed using visual analogue scales. Changes in
      food hedonics for different taste and nutrient combinations were assessed using a
      computer task. The results demonstrated that the LAC manipulation did not exert
      any immediate effects on mood or appetite. However, LAC did have an effect on
      food hedonics in individuals with high-trait anxiety after acute stress. These
      individuals expressed a lower liking (P = 0.012) and SW food preference (P =
      0.014) after the stressful task when supplemented with LAC.

PMID- 20307356
TI  - Heat shock protein 70 and cellular disturbances in cochlear cisplatin ototoxicity
      model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Exposure to cisplatin leads to cochlear cell death by apoptosis;
      these changes are most marked on the seventh day after exposure. Heat shock
      proteins are induced in inner ear cells in response to a variety of stimuli. This
      study examined the role of heat shock protein 70 in cisplatin-induced cochlear
      cell death. METHODS: Fifty-six Sprague-Dawley rats were involved. Some were
      injected with cisplatin (5 mg/kg body weight), some with cisplatin plus the
      caspase inhibitor Z-Asp(OMe)-Glu(OMe)-Val-Asp(OME)-fluoromethylketone (5 mg/kg
      body weight) and others were left as controls (being injected only with saline).
      Seven days later, we examined the expression of heat shock protein 70 and several
      other apoptosis-related proteins within the rat cochlear cells; we also assessed
      total superoxide dismutase activity, auditory brainstem response and auditory
      steady state response. RESULTS: Seven days after cisplatin injection,
      significantly increased expression of heat shock protein 70 was found within the
      rat cochleae. This correlated with increased executioner caspase levels, total
      superoxide dismutase activity and auditory brainstem response thresholds, and a
      significant elevation in auditory steady state response thresholds. Inhibition of
      caspase-3 activity significantly reduced cochlear heat shock protein 70
      expression and total superoxide dismutase activity, and improved auditory
      brainstem response and auditory steady state response thresholds. CONCLUSIONS:
      Seven days after cisplatin exposure, we found disturbances of the cochlear
      cellular machinery involving heat shock protein 70, other apoptotic proteins and
      total superoxide dismutase.

PMID- 20307357
TI  - Anxiety and depression in head and neck out-patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence of psychological distress in head and
      neck out-patients. DESIGN: We used the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale to
      screen 106 patients for mood disorders in a London head and neck ENT out-patient
      clinic. SETTING: Queen's Hospital, Romford, UK. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and six
      patients attending a head and neck out-patient clinic. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE:
      Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale score. RESULTS: Approximately 39 per cent
      of patients had a possible anxiety disorder (10 per cent were rated as severe),
      and 27 per cent had possible depression (10 per cent were rated as severe).
      CONCLUSION: We recommend that a member of the head and neck multidisciplinary
      team should be trained to identify and correctly refer psychologically distressed
      patients to appropriate existing psychiatric services.

PMID- 20307358
TI  - Disability and quality of life among community elderly with dizziness: report
      from the Ibadan study of ageing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dizziness is prevalent among the elderly. However, little is known
      about its impact on quality of life and disability, especially in developing
      countries, where the number of elderly people is increasing. AIM: This study
      aimed to determine the prevalence of disability, and the quality of life, among
      elderly persons with dizziness living in the community. SETTING AND DESIGN:
      Longitudinal cohort study of dizziness among elderly persons (i.e. aged 65 years
      and over) residing in Yoruba-speaking areas of Nigeria. METHOD: Face-to-face
      interviews with respondents selected using a multi-stage, stratified area
      probability sampling of households. Dizziness was based on self-reporting and
      health-related quality of life was measured using the brief version of the World
      Health Organization quality of life assessment. RESULT: Dizziness was reported
      and confirmed in 318/1281 elderly respondents, a prevalence of 24.8 per cent.
      Respondents comprised 197 (61.9 per cent) women and 121 (38.1 per cent) men.
      Thirty-nine respondents (12.3 per cent) were aged 65-69 years, 91 (28.6 per cent)
      70-74 years, 66 (20.8 per cent) 75-79 years and 122 (38.4 per cent) > or =80
      years. The prevalence of disability in activities of daily living was 29.56 per
      cent, and that of disability in instrumental activities of daily living 10.1 per
      cent. The influence of gender was not significant. The prevalence of disability
      in activities of daily living (p = 0.00) and in instrumental activities of daily
      living (p = 0.00) increased significantly with age. Univariate analysis revealed
      that disability in activities of daily living (p = 0.00), disability in
      instrumental activities of daily living (p = 0.01), poor family interaction (p =
      0.00), poor community involvement (p = 0.00), overall poor health (p = 0.00),
      current depression (p = 0.01), and difficulty with sedentary (p = 0.00) and
      vigorous (p = 0.00) activities were significantly more common among elderly
      respondents with dizziness, compared with non-dizzy elderly respondents. In
      contrast, cognitive impairment (p = 0.05) was not significantly correlated. The
      probabilities of the occurrence of difficulty with vigorous or sedentary mobility
      in our elderly respondents were 2.6 and 1.9, respectively, compared with non
      dizzy elderly respondents. Similarly, the probabilities of the occurrence of
      disability in activities of daily living, current depression and dementia were
      1.6 each. Logistic regression analyses for age, sex, medical conditions and
      presence of disability confirmed that dizziness was significantly associated with
      worsened cognition. Similarly, dizziness was significantly associated with
      reduced total quality of life (p = 0.00), and also with reductions in the
      physical (p = 0.00), psychological (p = 0.00) and environmental (p = 0.00)
      domains of the research instrument. CONCLUSION: Among elderly people with
      dizziness, there was a high prevalence of significant disability requiring
      assistance. In addition, dizziness alone significantly reduced these individual's
      overall total quality of life, and their quality of life as regards physical,
      psychological and environmental parameters. This information will assist policy
      planning for the elderly.

PMID- 20307359
TI  - Citrobacter freundii causing pharyngitis and secondary retropharyngeal abscess
      with intrathoracic extension to the diaphragm: minimally invasive management of a
      rare case.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Citrobacter freundii is a rare but potentially aggressive cause of
      pharyngitis which may progress to retropharyngeal abscess with diaphragmatic
      extension. OBJECTIVE: To raise awareness of: (1) citrobacter as a potential cause
      of head and neck infection, including retropharyngeal abscess; (2) a novel
      surgical approach to draining such an abscess; and (3) citrobacter's particular
      biological properties which may affect the clinical course. METHOD: Case report.
      RESULTS: The abscess was drained via a minimally invasive posterior pharyngeal
      wall incision and placement of a suction catheter into the mediastinum through
      this incision. Residual intrathoracic collections were drained by the
      cardiothoracic team via percutaneous aspiration. The patient made a full
      recovery. CONCLUSION: Early recognition of citrobacter head and neck infections,
      an awareness of the peculiarities of the clinical course of such infections, and
      timely surgical intervention can prevent catastrophic outcomes. A minimally
      invasive approach to mediastinal collections can be considered as a viable
      alternative to open thoracotomy, which carries a high morbidity rate.

PMID- 20307360
TI  - Management of carcinoma showing thymus-like element.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To consolidate the key features of carcinoma showing thymus-like
      element, including its management. METHOD: We present our experience of the
      difficult diagnosis and management of this rare tumour. We also present the
      results of an extensive literature search, documenting those aspects of the
      clinical picture, natural history and management of carcinoma showing thymus-like
      element which are relevant to head and neck surgeons. RESULT: Intrathyroidal,
      epithelial carcinoma showing thymus-like element is a rare, malignant tumour of
      the thyroid gland, with histopathological features similar to squamous cell
      carcinoma but a more favourable prognosis. It is usually treated surgically using
      a combination of total thyroidectomy and selective neck dissection, with
      radiotherapy and chemotherapy in selected cases. CONCLUSION: Carcinoma showing
      thymus-like element of the thyroid gland is a rare condition. Head and neck
      surgeons with a thyroid interest should be aware of this tumour, because of its
      close histological resemblance to other, commoner malignancies of the thyroid
      gland.

PMID- 20307361
TI  - Communicating terminal diagnoses to Hispanic patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study addressed factors physicians employ in their communication
      of a terminal diagnosis and a hospice referral to Hispanic patients. METHOD: The
      research method used was an exploratory qualitative in-depth semi-structured
      interview with thematic analysis. The interviews were with ten physicians in
      Central Florida. The interviews were conducted in Spanish and/or English with
      physicians who serve terminally ill Hispanic patients. RESULTS: The findings
      provide vital information on factors that impact communication of diagnosis and
      hospice referral. Themes emerged relating to role of family members and end-of
      life decision-making. Language barriers and limited knowledge of cultural factors
      and beliefs impacted communication related to end-of-life decisions. Gaps in
      training and education for physicians were also identified. SIGNIFICANCE OF
      RESULTS: These results suggest that discussing end-of-life issues with the
      diverse category of Hispanic patients and families will be enhanced by
      eliminating language barriers, increased understanding of the role of family
      members, and knowledge of cultural factors and beliefs related to end-of-life
      decisions.

PMID- 20307362
TI  - Characteristics, interventions, and outcomes of misdiagnosed delirium in cancer
      patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Although delirium is a common psychiatric complication in cancer
      patients, it is often not accurately recognized. To date, the characteristics and
      outcome of misrecognized patients are unclear in the cancer setting. This
      retrospective study was planned to determine the recognition by oncologists at
      the psychiatric consultation, characteristics, reversibility and outcome of
      misrecognized patients with delirium. METHOD: We reviewed charts of 60 patients
      diagnosed with delirium by the psycho-oncologists who were referred to the
      psychiatric consultation by the oncologists. Information about demographics,
      initial assessment by the oncologists, delirium subtype, precipitating factors,
      intervention for delirium, reversibility, and final status was obtained. RESULTS:
      Twenty-two among 60 delirious patients were misrecognized by the oncologists at
      the time of consultation. They were often diagnosed as having anxiety or other
      psychiatric disorders. Misrecognized participants were significantly younger than
      accurately recognized cases of delirium. The psychiatrists made suggestions to
      the oncologists for all the referred patients, even when they were accurately
      diagnosed with delirium before consultation. For the correctly recognized
      patients, the main suggestion was pharmacological reevaluation. For the
      misdiagnosed cases, the psychiatrists suggested a reconsideration of the strategy
      for cancer treatment and the provision of information to the patient's family
      members about their condition. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: Despite its high
      prevalence, delirium is difficult to diagnose for non-psychiatric physicians. Its
      detection is important not only to give the best treatment option to cancer
      patients but also to provide the best opportunity to inform their family about
      their condition and end-of-life issues.

PMID- 20307363
TI  - The recognition and documentation of delirium in hospital palliative care
      inpatients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Delirium is a clinical syndrome that is known to be under recognized
      by palliative care teams. A wide variation in reported prevalence may reflect
      differences in definitions and assessment methods, patient characteristics, and
      study design. The aim of this study was to test an intervention to improve
      recognition of delirium in the inpatient palliative care setting. METHOD: We
      conducted a retrospective palliative care notes review of documented prevalence
      of delirium among 61 patients referred to the Specialist Palliative Care Advisory
      Team (SPCT). Subsequently, training in the use of the Confusion Assessment Method
      (CAM) was provided to the SPCT and a prospective survey of the prevalence of
      delirium measured by the CAM was undertaken with the next 59 patients referred.
      RESULTS: In the retrospective chart review, the term "delirium" was not used, and
      synonyms were identified and used to establish a delirium prevalence of 11.5%. In
      the intervention utilizing the CAM in a prospective sample of 59 referred
      patients, a prevalence rate of 8.5-15.2% for delirium was found. Use of the CAM
      was received favorably by the SPCT. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: The institution of
      the use of the CAM as a screening and assessment tool in the inpatient palliative
      care setting did not significantly increase the recognition of delirium. Reasons
      for the low prevalence of delirium are discussed.

PMID- 20307364
TI  - The significance of fatigue in relatives of palliative patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the significance of fatigue among
      relatives of palliative patients. METHOD: This pilot study has a descriptive and
      cross-sectional design and is the report of four open-ended questions focusing on
      the relatives' experiences of fatigue. The study population consisted of
      relatives of patients who were cared for in palliative care settings either at
      home or in an institution in Uppsala County during a specific day. RESULTS: The
      relatives were very tired and identified worries, uncertainty, the patient's
      suffering, and many demands as the causes for the fatigue. The most obvious
      consequences of the tiredness were a lack of motivation, feelings of
      insufficiency and apathy, and putting their own interests aside. Many relatives
      expressed that having the company of close family members, taking exercise and
      spending time outdoors gave them strength to carry on. The health care system
      could make the situation easier for relatives of patients in palliative care by
      providing good care for the patient, and psychosocial support and respite care
      for the relatives. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: The result of the pilot study is only
      preliminary, but it showed that relatives caring for patients in a late
      palliative phase suffer from great fatigue and require more attention, both
      scientifically and in the clinical settings.

PMID- 20307365
TI  - Results of a pilot investigation into a complex intervention for breathlessness
      in advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): brief report.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Breathlessness is the most common devastating symptom of advanced
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The Breathlessness Intervention
      Service (BIS) is a multidisciplinary service that uses both pharmacological and
      non-pharmacological evidence-based interventions to reduce the impact of the
      symptom. The results of a Phase II evaluation of the service are reported.
      METHOD: Pretest - posttest analysis of non-randomized data was performed for 13
      patients with severe advanced COPD referred to BIS. RESULTS: Mean VAS-Distress
      scores (primary outcome measure) decreased (improved) for the group between
      baseline and follow up suggesting a clinically significant improvement: 6.88 (SD
      = 2.50) to 5.25 (SD = 2.99). At an individual level, 11 of the 13 patients showed
      a decrease in their distress due to breathlessness, and for eight of these this
      was clinically significant (range of all decreases 0.3-7.1 cm). Changes in
      secondary outcome measures are also reported. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: The
      Breathlessness Intervention Service appears to reduce distress due to
      breathlessness among patients with advanced COPD. A Phase III fully-powered
      randomized controlled trial is warranted.

PMID- 20307366
TI  - Emerging adulthood and cancer: how unmet needs vary with time-since-treatment.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The impact of a cancer experience during emerging adulthood (18-25
      years of age) is an under-studied phenomenon, with research on young people
      typically focussing on children or adolescents. Needs-based research on this
      population is even scarcer. This study sought to ascertain the most commonly
      unmet needs of emerging adults with cancer, in various stages of time-since
      treatment, and to investigate links to psychological functioning. METHOD: Using
      an earlier version of a needs-based questionnaire, presently under development,
      as well as additional items developed specifically for this age group, the ten
      most unmet needs were determined for 63 emerging adults in each of the following
      three groups: those on or within one year since treatment; those between one and
      five years since treatment; and those beyond five years since treatment.
      Psychological functioning was measured by the Depression, Anxiety and Stress
      Scales (DASS-21). RESULTS: On average, participants rated 17.7 of the 132 needs
      as unmet. The 10 most unmet needs for each group generated a distinct picture of
      how needs change as time-since-treatment increases. For those at or within one
      year since treatment, there were a number of unmet needs directly related to
      health care provision and the hospital experience. For those whose treatment was
      more than one year previous, the most unmet needs were more focussed on
      emotional/psychological issues, particularly related to survivorship and life
      direction. Positive correlations were found between the number of unmet needs and
      levels of anxiety and stress. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: The results of the present
      study provide quantitative needs-based information about emerging adults with
      cancer, in the context of their treatment situation. This enables health care
      providers to better support the emerging adult with cancer in ways that are age
      appropriate and time-sensitive. The persisting levels of unmet needs and
      psychological distress beyond five years since treatment underscore the
      importance of long-term follow-up and support.

PMID- 20307367
TI  - Hospice volunteer as patient advocate: a trait approach.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to examine traits of hospice volunteers
      that facilitate their success in this informal caregiving role, with the larger
      goal of alleviating the family caregiver burden and providing additional support
      to the hospice patient. To achieve this goal, a new scale was developed to tap
      into how hospice volunteers view their patient advocacy role. METHOD:
      Participants were 136 trained hospice volunteers from the Midwest who had direct
      contact with hospice patients. Volunteers mailed anonymous surveys that included
      measures of argumentativeness, locus of control, attitudes toward patient
      advocacy, and key demographic items. A new scale was developed to measure patient
      advocacy by hospice volunteers called the Hospice Volunteer as Patient Advocate.
      RESULTS: Submitting this scale to exploratory factor analysis, two factors
      emerged: duty as patient advocate and support of patient rights. After performing
      a multiple regression analysis, results showed that female volunteers who were
      high in internal locus of control were more likely to perceive that volunteers
      have a duty as patient advocates. Younger volunteers with more years of volunteer
      experience, higher levels of internal locus of control, and lower external locus
      of control were more likely to support patient rights. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS:
      The findings of this study could be used to formalize hospice volunteers' role as
      patient advocates, thus better utilizing them as committed, caring communicators
      and improving patient-centered care at end-of-life.

PMID- 20307368
TI  - Influences on place of death in Botswana.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: There is an emerging body of research aimed at understanding the
      determinants of place of death, as where people die may influence the quality of
      their death. However, little is known about place of death for people of Southern
      Africa. This study describes place of death (home or hospital) and potential
      influencing factors (cause of death, age, gender, occupation, and district of
      residence). METHOD: We collected the death records for years 2005 and 2006 for
      all adult non-traumatic deaths that occurred in Botswana, described them, and
      looked for associations using bivariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: The
      evaluable sample consisted of 18,869 death records. Home deaths accounted for 36%
      of all deaths, and were predominantly listed with "unknown" cause (82.3%). Causes
      of death for hospital deaths were HIV/AIDS (49.7%), cardiovascular disease
      (13.8%), and cancer (6.6%). The mean age at the time of all deaths was 53.2 years
      (SD = 20.9); with 61 years (SD = 22.5) for home deaths and 48.8 years (SD = 18.6)
      for hospital deaths (p < .001). Logistic regression analysis revealed the
      following independent predictors of dying at home: unknown cause of death; female
      gender; >80 years of age; and residing in a city or rural area (p < .05).
      SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: A major limitation of this study was documentation of
      cause of death; the majority of people who died at home were listed with an
      unknown cause of death. This finding impeded the ability of the study to
      determine whether cause of death influenced dying at home. Future study is needed
      to determine whether verbal autopsies would increase death-certificate listings
      of causes of home deaths. These data would help direct end-of-life care for
      patients in the home.

PMID- 20307369
TI  - On the road again: patient perspectives on commuting for palliative care.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research project was to gain an understanding of the
      experiences of rural cancer patients who commute to an urban cancer center for
      palliative care. METHOD: The study utilized a mixed method design. Fifteen
      individuals with a palliative designation participated in semi-structured
      interviews and filled out the Problems and Needs in Palliative Care
      Questionnaire. RESULTS: Qualitative findings included three major themes:
      cultures of rural life and care, strategies for commuting, and the effects of
      commuting. Participants valued their rural lifestyles and gained significant
      support from their communities. Strategies included preparing for the trip with
      particular attention to pain management, making the most of time, and maintaining
      significant relationships. Establishing a routine helped to offset the anxiety of
      commuting. Commuting was costly but the quality of life and supportive
      relationships obtained through treatment were significant benefits. Questionnaire
      data suggested that participants were experiencing a number of problems but few
      indicated they desired more professional attention to those problems.
      SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: Rural lifestyles are often an important part of overall
      well-being and commuting for care is both costly and complex. Health care
      providers should assist individuals to weigh the relative contributions of
      staying in their rural locale versus commuting for care to their overall quality
      of life. Palliative-care individuals in this study indicated a number of ongoing
      problems but were not inclined to seek further assistance from health care
      providers in addressing those problems. Clinicians should actively inquire about
      problems and further research is needed to understand why patients are reluctant
      to seek help.

PMID- 20307370
TI  - How might Levinas' concept of the other's priority and Derrida's unconditional
      hospitality contribute to the philosophy of the modern hospice movement?
AB  - Hospitality is commonly referred as one of the meanings of hospes, the Latin word
      which is also the root of hospice. This article explores the semantics of the
      word hospice - the seal of identity of modern hospice movement - and attempts to
      integrate the meaning of hospitality into the modern hospice movement, understood
      as unconditional reception. Therefore, the article analyzes the concept of
      unconditional hospitality, developed by Jacques Derrida and that of ethical
      responsibility proposed by Emmanuel Levinas based on the phenomenological
      experience of the other. From this point of view, these two concepts tie in with
      the meaning of hospice, bringing substantial grounding elements to the hospice
      movement for the construction of a protective ethos.

PMID- 20307371
TI  - Surgical intensive care unit (ICU) delirium: a "psychosomatic" problem?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Intensive Care Unit (ICU) delirium is a common complication after
      major surgery and related among other potential medical precipitants to either
      pre-existing cognitive impairment or the intensity and length of anesthesiology
      or the type of surgery. Nevertheless, in some rare situations, an organic
      etiology is not always found, which can be frustrating for the medical team. Some
      clinicians working in an intensive care unit have a reluctance to seek another
      hypothesis in the psychological field. METHOD: To illustrate this, we report the
      case of a 59-year-old woman who developed a massive delirium during her intensive
      care unit stay after being operated on for a left retroperitoneal sarcoma.
      Interestingly, she had had no previous cognitive disorders and a somatic
      explanation for her psychiatric disorder could not been found. Just before the
      surgery, she was grieving the recent loss of a colleague of the same age, and
      also a close friend, and therefore had a death anxiety. RESULTS: With this case
      report, we would like to point out the importance of psychological factors that
      might precipitate delirium in a predominately somatic environment such as an
      intensive care unit. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: ICU delirium can sometimes be
      considered as a "psychosomatic" problem with either a stress response syndrome
      after surgery or a defense mechanism against death anxiety. Clinicians should be
      aware of the possibility of such psychological factors even if they always must
      first rule out potential somatic causes for delirium and encourage thorough
      investigation and treatment of these medical causes. A collaboration with the
      psycho-oncologist is recommended to better manage this "psychosomatic" problem.

PMID- 20307372
TI  - Childhood trauma, attachment style, and a couple's experience of terminal cancer:
      case study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this article is to elucidate the significance
      of psychosocial distress and risk in a sub-population of end-stage cancer
      patients and their spouse caregivers who present with an especially challenging
      attachment style and histories of childhood trauma. The case study presented
      highlights the need to both identify and offer an empirically validated couple
      based intervention, along with a multi-disciplinary team approach over the
      trajectory of the illness and at end of life. METHOD: A validated marital
      protocol (emotionally focused couple therapy [EFT]) is modified for this
      population and conducted by an EFT-trained psychologist as part of a pilot
      investigation as to the feasibility and effectiveness of EFT for the terminal
      cancer population. Measures of marital distress, depression, hopelessness, and
      attachment security are completed at baseline and subsequent intervals, as
      reported in another publication. Attachment insecurity and the exquisitely
      intimate relationship with caregiving and care receiving are underscored, given
      the couple's traumatic childhood history. RESULTS: The couple described herein,
      followed from diagnosis of metastatic disease to end of life illuminates the
      potential effectiveness of a modified EFT protocol, and underscores the need to
      both identify and intervene with a population potentially at significantly high
      risk for marital distress, suicidality, depression, and hopelessness.
      SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: The benefits of a multidisciplinary team is evident as
      the patient's symptoms of physical distress increased toward end of life and she
      returned to earlier behaviors, namely suicidal ideation and an attempt to
      alleviate her experience of suffering. The strength of the marital bond, possibly
      as a result of the intervention, and the efforts of the multidisciplinary team
      approach, demonstrate potential to mitigate a catastrophic end of life and a
      complicated spousal bereavement. This case study adds to the current empirical
      literature in an area that is currently under-studied and under-reported.

PMID- 20307374
TI  - Supporting early oral language skills for English language learners in inner city
      preschool provision.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A significant number of children now enter formal education in
      England with reduced levels of proficiency in oral language. Children who come
      from disadvantaged backgrounds and who are English language learners (ELL) are at
      risk of limited oral language skills in English which impacts on later
      educational achievement. AIMS: This paper reports the development of a
      theoretically motivated oral language intervention, Talking Time, designed to
      meet the needs of preschool children with poor language skills in typical
      preschool provision. SAMPLE: One hundred and forty-two 4-year-old children
      attending three inner city preschools in a disadvantaged area of London, England.
      METHOD: This is a quasi-experimental intervention study comparing children
      exposed to Talking Time with children exposed to a contrast intervention and
      children receiving the statutory early years curriculum. Measures were taken of
      both targeted and non-targeted language and cognitive skills. RESULTS: Data were
      analysed for the ELL. The intervention had a significant effect on vocabulary,
      oral comprehension, and sentence repetition but not narrative skills. As
      predicted, there were no effects on the skills which were not targeted.
      CONCLUSIONS: Regular evidence-based oral language interactions can make
      significant improvements in children's oral language. There is a need to examine
      the efficacy of more intensive interventions to raise language skills to allow
      learners to access the curriculum.

PMID- 20307375
TI  - Causal ordering of academic self-concept and achievement: effects of type of
      achievement measure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The relation between academic self-concept and achievement has been
      examined in a large number of studies. The majority of these studies have found
      evidence for a reciprocal effects model. However, there is an ongoing debate on
      how students' achievement should be measured and whether the type of achievement
      indicator (grades, tests, teacher ratings) affects the causal pattern found in
      these studies. AIMS: The study aims at clarifying how the types of achievement
      measures and the way they are modelled can affect the results of causal ordering
      studies. In that sense, the study will yield recommendations for researchers in
      this domain and also provide some direction for practitioners seeking ways to
      enhance their students' achievement and/or academic self-concept. SAMPLE:
      Repeated measures of academic self-concept and achievement (standardized tests
      and teacher ratings) were examined in a sample of 1,753 students in Grades 7, 8,
      10, and 12. METHOD: Structural equation modelling was used. Several models (with
      different types and numbers of achievement measures) were compared. RESULTS: Only
      small differences were found between models using one or two indicators of
      achievement. All models generally supported the reciprocal effects model.
      However, the final model, wherein tests and teacher ratings were used as separate
      latent variables, showed different developmental patterns in the causal relation
      between academic self-concept and achievement. CONCLUSIONS: Researchers should
      interpret the results of causal ordering studies discerningly because the type of
      measure chosen as an indicator of achievement might affect the causal pattern
      between academic self-concept and achievement.

PMID- 20307377
TI  - Electrophysiological assessment of polyneuropathic involvement in rheumatoid
      arthritis: relationships among demographic, clinical and laboratory findings.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to electrophysiologically evaluate
      polyneuropathy in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and to examine the
      relationships among polyneuropathy and demographic, clinical and laboratory
      findings. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty consecutive patients (51 women and nine
      men) with a clinical diagnosis of RA were examined electrophysiologically for the
      evidence of polyneuropathy. Parameters including age, gender, subcutaneous
      nodules, erosions, joint deformities, laboratory parameters, duration of RA, as
      well as dose, duration and type of disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD)
      and steroid usage were recorded. RA activity was assessed using a 28-joint
      disease activity score (DAS28). The functional status of patients was measured
      using the health assessment questionnaire (HAQ). The symptoms and signs of
      polyneuropathy were quantified using the neuropathy symptoms score (NSS) and the
      neuropathy disability score (NDS), respectively. RESULTS: Ten patients (17%,
      eight women and two men) had polyneuropathic involvement as defined by nerve
      conduction studies (NCS). Two patients had mild symmetric sensory neuropathy and
      eight patients had mild symmetric sensorimotor axonal polyneuropathy. There was
      no significant difference in age, gender, subcutaneous nodules, erosions, joint
      deformities, rheumatoid factor, as well as dose, duration and type of DMARD and
      steroid therapy administered. We found a significant relationship among
      polyneuropathy and duration of RA, DAS28, HAQ, as well as abnormal NSS and NDS
      values. The durations of RA and DAS28 were also associated with a four- and three
      fold increase in the risk of polyneuropathy, respectively. CONCLUSION: Mild
      symmetric sensory or sensorimotor axonal polyneuropathies are common in RA
      patients and it is difficult to distinguish the symptoms of polyneuropathy from
      those of arthritis. An electrophysiological examination should be routinely
      carried out especially when patients have had a long disease duration and high
      scores for DAS28, HAQ, NSS and NDS.

PMID- 20307378
TI  - A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study of Sativex,
      in subjects with symptoms of spasticity due to multiple sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Muscle spasticity is common in multiple sclerosis (MS), occurring in
      more than 60% of patients. OBJECTIVE: To compare Sativex with placebo in
      relieving symptoms of spasticity due to MS. METHODS: A 15-week, multicenter,
      double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study in 337
      subjects with MS spasticity not fully relieved with current anti-spasticity
      therapy. RESULTS: The primary endpoint was a spasticity 0-10 numeric rating scale
      (NRS). Intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis showed a non-significant improvement in
      NRS score, in favor of Sativex. The per protocol (PP) population (79% of
      subjects) change in NRS score and responder analyses (> or =30% improvement from
      baseline) were both significantly superior for Sativex, compared with placebo: 
      1.3 versus -0.8 points (change from baseline, p=0.035); and 36% versus 24%
      (responders, p=0.040). These were supported by the time to response (ITT:
      p=0.068; PP: p=0.025) analyses, carer global impression of change assessment
      (p=0.013) and timed 10-meter walk (p=0.042). Among the subjects who achieved a >
      or =30% response in spasticity with Sativex, 98, 94 and 73% reported improvements
      of 10, 20 and 30%, respectively, at least once during the first 4 weeks of
      treatment. Sativex was generally well tolerated, with most adverse events
      reported being mild-to-moderate in severity. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The 0-10
      NRS and responder PP analyses demonstrated that Sativex treatment resulted in a
      significant reduction in treatment-resistant spasticity, in subjects with
      advanced MS and severe spasticity. The response observed within the first 4 weeks
      of treatment appears to be a useful aid to prediction of responder/non-responder
      status.

PMID- 20307379
TI  - Theory of mind skills 1 year after traumatic brain injury in 6- to 8-year-old
      children.
AB  - This study examined the longer-term effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) on
      theory of mind (ToM) skills of children who were between the ages of 5 and 7
      years at the time of injury. Fifty-two children with orthopaedic injury, 30
      children with moderate TBI, and 12 children with severe TBI were evaluated
      approximately 1 year post-injury (mean age=6.98 years, SD=0.59, range=6.02-8.26).
      Children with severe TBI did not engage in representation of first- and second
      order mental states at a developmental level comparable to their peers,
      suggesting stagnation or lack of development, as well as regression of putatively
      existing ToM skills. Age, task-specific cognitive demands, and verbal abilities
      were strong predictors of ToM performance. However, even after taking those
      factors into account, children with severe TBI had poorer ToM performance than
      children with orthopaedic injuries.

PMID- 20307380
TI  - Multicentre randomised controlled trial of the clinical and cost-effectiveness of
      a bypass-surgery-first versus a balloon-angioplasty-first revascularisation
      strategy for severe limb ischaemia due to infrainguinal disease. The Bypass
      versus Angioplasty in Severe Ischaemia of the Leg (BASIL) trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare a 'bypass-surgery-first' with a 'balloon-angioplasty-first'
      revascularisation strategy in patients with severe limb ischaemia (SLI) due to
      infrainguinal disease requiring immediate/early revascularisation. DESIGN: A
      stratified randomised controlled trial. A Delphi consensus study of vascular
      surgeons' and interventional radiologists' views on SLI treatment was performed
      before the trial. SETTING: Twenty-seven UK hospitals. PARTICIPANTS: Patients
      presenting with SLI as the result of infrainguinal atherosclerosis and who, in
      the opinion of the responsible consultant vascular surgeon and interventional
      radiologist, required and were suitable for both surgery and angioplasty.
      INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomised to either 'bypass-surgery-first' or
      'balloon-angioplasty-first' revascularisation strategies. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
      The primary end point was amputation-free survival (AFS); secondary end points
      were overall survival (OS), health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and cost
      effective use of hospital resources. RESULTS: AFS at 1 and 3 years was not
      significantly different for surgery and angioplasty. Interim analysis showed that
      surgery was associated with significantly lower immediate failure, higher 30-day
      morbidity and lower 12-month reintervention rates than angioplasty; 30-day
      mortality was similar. Beyond 2 years from randomisation, hazard ratios (HRs)
      were significantly reduced for both AFS (adjusted HR 0.37; 95% CI 0.17 to 0.77; p
      = 0.008) and OS (HR 0.34; 95% CI 0.17 to 0.71; p = 0.004) for surgery relative to
      angioplasty. By 2008 all but four patients had been followed for 3 years, some
      for over 7 years: 250 (56%) were dead, 168 (38%) were alive without amputation
      and 30 (7%) were alive with amputation. Considering the follow-up period as a
      whole, AFS and OS did not differ between treatments but for patients surviving
      beyond 2 years from randomisation, bypass was associated with reduced HRs for AFS
      (HR 0.85; 95% CI 0.50 to 1.07; p = 0.108) and OS (HR 0.61; 95% CI 0.50 to 0.75; p
      = 0.009), equating to an increase in restricted mean OS of 7.3 months (p = 0.02)
      and AFS of 5.9 months (p = 0.06) during the subsequent follow-up period. Vein
      bypasses and angioplasties performed better than prosthetic bypasses. HRQoL was
      non-significantly better in the surgery group; amputation was associated with a
      significant reduction in HRQoL. Over the first year, hospital costs for bypass
      were significantly higher (difference 5420 pounds; 95% CI 1547 pounds to 9294
      pounds) than for angioplasty. However, by 3 and at 7 years the differences in
      cost between the two strategies were no longer significant. Patients randomised
      to surgery lived, on average, 29 days longer at an additional average cost of
      2310 pounds. A 36-month perspective showed not significantly different mean
      quality-adjusted life times for angioplasty and surgery. The Delphi study
      revealed substantial disagreement between and among surgeons and radiologists on
      the appropriateness of bypass surgery or balloon angioplasty. CONCLUSIONS: The
      findings of our study suggest that in patients with SLI due to infrainguinal
      disease the decision whether to perform bypass surgery or balloon angioplasty
      first appears to depend upon anticipated life expectancy. Patients expected to
      live less than 2 years should usually be offered balloon angioplasty first as it
      is associated with less morbidity and cost, and such patients are unlikely to
      enjoy the longer-term benefits of surgery. By contrast, those patients expected
      to live beyond 2 years should usually be offered bypass surgery first, especially
      where a vein is available as a conduit. Many patients who could not undergo a
      vein bypass would probably have been better served by a first attempt at balloon
      angioplasty than prosthetic bypass. The failure rate of angioplasty in SLI is
      high (c. 25%) and patients who underwent bypass after failed angioplasty fared
      significantly worse than those who underwent surgery as their first procedure.
      The interests of a significant proportion of BASIL patients may have been best
      served by primary amputation followed by high-quality rehabilitation. Further
      research is required to confirm or refute the BASIL findings and recommendations;
      validate the BASIL survival prediction model in a separate cohort of patients
      with SLI; examine the clinical and cost-effectiveness of new endovascular
      techniques and devices; and compare revascularisation with primary amputation and
      with best medical and nursing care in those SLI patients with the poorest
      survival prospects. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN45398889.

PMID- 20307381
TI  - Regulatory controversies surround blood glucose monitoring devices.

PMID- 20307382
TI  - Postprandial insulin and triglycerides after different breakfast meal challenges:
      use of finger stick capillary dried blood spots to study postprandial
      dysmetabolism.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High levels of insulin and lipids following a meal are recognized
      risk factors for atherosclerosis. Monitoring such risk factors in the general
      population is hampered by the inconvenience of venipuncture blood collection,
      particularly for both premeal and postmeal analyses. This study examined insulin
      and triglyceride levels in dried blood spots (DBSs) collected after different
      breakfast meal challenges to assess the potential of this method for risk
      assessment. METHODS: Glucose levels were measured using a glucose meter, and
      insulin and triglycerides were determined in DBS samples collected from 19
      healthy volunteers before and at four time points up to 2.5 h after consuming
      each of five typical breakfast meals varying in nutritional composition. RESULTS:
      At 2 h, glucose was within normal postprandial values (<140 mg/dl) for all meals;
      significantly lower glucose was seen after meal 2 (the lowest carbohydrate
      content) compared to the other meals. Insulin returned to normal fasting levels
      (<15 microIU/ml) in significantly more subjects (90%) after meal 2 and
      significantly fewer subjects (31%) after meal 4 (highest carbohydrate content)
      than the other meals. Triglycerides were elevated to a similar extent in all
      subjects, with no significant differences between meals; levels were still rising
      at 2.5 h. CONCLUSIONS: Subjects were able to collect blood spots with minimum
      disruption to their normal daily activities. Relative ease of collection, analyte
      stability in dried blood, and the close correlation with serum levels that we
      have previously demonstrated makes DBS a convenient and simple tool for assessing
      the individual impact of different diets on postprandial dysmetabolism.

PMID- 20307383
TI  - Analysis of hemoglobin A1c from dried blood spot samples with the Tina-quantR II
      immunoturbidimetric method.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) has been endorsed as a tool for the diagnosis
      of diabetes. This test requires instrumentation that may not be available in
      underdeveloped areas. Dried blood spot (DBS) samples collected by finger stick
      procedures offer a mechanism to transport samples to laboratories that do measure
      HbA1c. METHODS: Whole blood (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) was applied to
      Ahlstrom 226 filter paper. These DBS samples were compared to whole blood samples
      using the Roche Tina-quant II immunoturbidometric assay. Hemoglobin A1c stability
      on DBS was assessed at three temperatures-4, 25, and 40 degrees C-for up to 9
      days. A 44-day study was also done for DBS at 20-25 degrees C. RESULTS: The Tina
      quant II DBS method showed excellent agreement with whole blood HbA1c results
      (r(2) = 0.99) with a slight positive mean bias of 0.08 +/- 0.04% HbA1c (95%
      confidence interval). The variation in HbA1c on DBS samples subjected to
      different temperatures and times did not exceed 5.6%. CONCLUSIONS: Dried blood
      spot samples represent an alternative to whole blood for HbA1c by measurement
      when transporting whole blood is not feasible.

PMID- 20307384
TI  - Maximizing deoxyribonucleic acid yield from dried blood spots.
AB  - BACKGROUND: One source of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) for genetic studies is the
      utilization of dried blood spots stored on paper cards (Guthrie cards) collected
      shortly after birth. These cards represent an important source of material for
      epidemiologic and population-based genetic studies. Extraction of DNA from these
      cards can lead to variable amounts of recovered DNA. We report here results of
      our efforts to maximize yield from this valuable, but nonrenewable, resource.
      METHOD: Commercial methods of DNA extraction from blood cards were used, and
      protocol modifications were introduced that enhanced DNA yield. RESULTS: Use of a
      commercial solvent prior to DNA extraction steps gave greater yields than
      extraction without the solvent. Modification of the elution step by use of
      prewarmed extraction buffer and a soaking step at an elevated temperature
      increased yield by 6- to 10-fold. CONCLUSIONS: The modified DNA extraction method
      yielded as much as 660 ng of DNA from a single 5-mm-diameter punch of a blood
      spot card. The DNA performed well in downstream, polymerase chain reaction-based
      applications.

PMID- 20307385
TI  - Use of dried blood spots: an ideal tool for medical anthropology "in the field".
AB  - The use of dried whole blood spot samples provides medical anthropological
      researchers-especially those working in remote, isolated communities-with several
      advantages over traditional methods. Anthropological research utilizing venous
      drawn blood samples can create challenges in terms of phlebotomy training,
      personnel needs, storage and transportation requirements, and participant
      discomfort. Alternatively, research utilizing dried blood spot samples, via
      finger stick collection techniques, eliminates or reduces these problems greatly.
      While the use of dried blood spots is often the best sampling option for
      anthropologists or other population-level researchers, the method does have some
      limitations. Nevertheless, as the number of dried blood spot analyte protocols
      continues to increase, the logistical and participant advantages of dried blood
      spot methods assure their increased utility in biomedical anthropological
      research in the future.

PMID- 20307386
TI  - Utility of dried blood spots for measurement of cholesterol and triglycerides in
      a surveillance study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Developing countries are facing a rise in noncommunicable diseases
      (NCD), which is a cause for concern. The World Health Organization has
      recommended a stepwise approach for NCD risk factor surveillance. Screening for
      risk factors in remote populations is difficult due to lack of resources and
      technical expertise, including standardized laboratory facilities. The collection
      of samples on filter paper for the assessment of risk factors circumvents the
      need for blood processing, storage, and shipment at ultralow temperatures.
      METHOD: Samples were collected on 3-mm Whatman filter paper from one industry
      (National Thermal Power Corporation) located in the periphery of Delhi as part of
      a surveillance carried out in industries from different parts of India. Total
      cholesterol was measured in serum and dried blood by the cholesterol oxidase/p
      aminophenazone method and triglycerides by the glycerophosphate oxidase
      peroxidase/aminophenazone method. Values obtained by the two methods were
      compared using Pearson correlation, and Bland-Altman plots were prepared to
      assess bias. RESULTS: The correlation coefficient "r" was 0.78 for cholesterol
      and 0.94 for triglycerides between dried blood spots and serum. Bland-Altman
      plots suggest that differences in values obtained by the two methods were within
      two standard deviations for most of the samples. CONCLUSIONS: Blood samples dried
      on filter paper can be a successful option for population screening in remote
      areas, provided preanalytical variations arising due to the method of blood spot
      preparation and storage are well controlled.

PMID- 20307387
TI  - A hazard analysis for a generic insulin infusion pump.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Researchers at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)/Center for
      Device and Radiological Health/Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories
      have been exploring the concept of model-based engineering as a means for
      improving the quality of medical device software. Insulin pumps were chosen as a
      research subject because their design provides the desired degree of research
      complexity and these types of devices present an ongoing regulatory challenge.
      METHODS: Insulin pump hazards and their contributing factors are considered in
      the context of a highly abstract generic insulin infusion pump (GIIP) model.
      Hazards were identified by consulting with manufacturers, pump users, and
      clinicians; by reviewing national and international standards and adverse event
      reports collected by the FDA; and from workshops sponsored by Diabetes Technology
      Society. This information has been consolidated in tabular form to facilitate
      further community analysis and discussion. RESULTS: A generic insulin infusion
      pump model architecture has been established. A fairly comprehensive hazard
      analysis document, corresponding to the GIIP model, is presented in this article.
      CONCLUSIONS: We believe that this work represents the genesis of an insulin pump
      safety reference standard upon which future insulin pump designs can be based to
      help ensure a basic level of safety. More interaction with the diabetes community
      is needed to assure the quality of this safety modeling process.

PMID- 20307389
TI  - A disposable tear glucose biosensor-part 1: design and concept testing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tear glucose has been suggested previously as a potential approach
      for the noninvasive estimation of blood glucose. While the topic remains
      unresolved, an overview of previous studies suggests the importance of a tear
      sampling approach and warrants new technology development. A concept device is
      presented that meets the needs of a tear glucose biosensor. METHODS: Three
      approaches to chronoamperometric glucose sensing were evaluated, including
      glucose oxidase mediated by potassium ferricyanide or oxygen with a hydrogen
      peroxide catalyst, Prussian blue, and potassium ferricyanide-mediated glucose
      dehydrogenase. For tear sampling, calcium alginate, poly(2-hydroxyethyl
      methacrylate), and polyurethane foam were screened as an absorbent tear sampling
      material. A quantitative model based on the proposed function of concept device
      was created. RESULTS: For glucose sensing, it was found that potassium
      ferricyanide with glucose dehydrogenase was ideal, featuring oxygen
      insensitivity, long-term stability, and a lower limit of detection of 2 muM
      glucose. Polyurethane foam possessed all of the required characteristics for tear
      sampling, including reproducible sampling from a hydrogel-simulated, eye surface
      (4.2 +/- 0.5 microl; n = 8). It is estimated that 100 microM of glucose tear
      fluid would yield 135 nA (14.9% relative standard deviation). CONCLUSION: A novel
      concept device for tear glucose sampling was presented, and the key functions of
      this device were tested and used to model the performance of the final device.
      Based on these promising initial results, the device is achievable and within
      reach of current technical capabilities, setting the stage for prototype
      development.

PMID- 20307390
TI  - A disposable tear glucose biosensor-part 2: system integration and model
      validation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We presented a concept for a tear glucose sensor system in an article
      by Bishop and colleagues in this issue of Journal of Diabetes Science and
      Technology. A unique solution to collect tear fluid and measure glucose was
      developed. Individual components were selected, tested, and optimized, and system
      error modeling was performed. Further data on prototype testing are now provided.
      METHODS: An integrated fluidics portion of the prototype was designed, cast, and
      tested. A sensor was created using screen-printed sensors integrated with a
      silicone rubber fluidics system and absorbent polyurethane foam. A simulated eye
      surface was prepared using fluid-saturated poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)
      sheets, and the disposable prototype was tested for both reproducibility at 0,
      200, and 400 microM glucose (n = 7) and dynamic range of glucose detection from 0
      to 1000 microM glucose. RESULTS: From the replicated runs, an established
      relative standard deviation of 15.8% was calculated at 200 microM and a lower
      limit of detection was calculated at 43.4 microM. A linear dynamic range was
      demonstrated from 0 to 1000 microM with an R(2) of 99.56%. The previously
      developed model predicted a 14.9% variation. This compares to the observed
      variance of 15.8% measured at 200 microM glucose. CONCLUSION: With the newly
      designed fluidics component, an integrated tear glucose prototype was assembled
      and tested. Testing of this integrated prototype demonstrated a satisfactory
      lower limit of detection for measuring glucose concentration in tears and was
      reproducible across a physiological sampling range. The next step in the device
      design process will be initial animal studies to evaluate the current prototype
      for factors such as eye irritation, ease of use, and correlation with blood
      glucose.

PMID- 20307388
TI  - What makes tight glycemic control tight? The impact of variability and nutrition
      in two clinical studies.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Tight glycemic control (TGC) remains controversial while
      successful, consistent, and effective protocols remain elusive. This research
      analyzes data from two TGC trials for root causes of the differences achieved in
      control and thus potentially in glycemic and other outcomes. The goal is to
      uncover aspects of successful TGC and delineate the impact of differences in
      cohorts. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted using records from a 211
      patient subset of the GluControl trial taken in Liege, Belgium, and 393 patients
      from Specialized Relative Insulin Nutrition Titration (SPRINT) in New Zealand.
      Specialized Relative Insulin Nutrition Titration targeted 4.0-6.0 mmol/liter,
      similar to the GluControl A (N = 142) target of 4.4-6.1 mmol/liter. The
      GluControl B (N = 69) target was 7.8-10.0 mmol/liter. Cohorts were matched by
      Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score and percentage males (p >
      .35); however, the GluControl cohort was slightly older (p = .011). Overall
      cohort and per-patient comparisons (median, interquartile range) are shown for
      (a) glycemic levels achieved, (b) nutrition from carbohydrate (all sources), and
      (c) insulin dosing for this analysis. Intra- and interpatient variability were
      examined using clinically validated model-based insulin sensitivity metric and
      its hour-to-hour variation. RESULTS: Cohort blood glucose were as follows:
      SPRINT, 5.7 (5.0-6.6) mmol/liter; GluControl A, 6.3 (5.3-7.6) mmol/liter; and
      GluControl B, 8.2 (6.9-9.4) mmol/liter. Insulin dosing was 3.0 (1.0-3.0), 1.5
      (0.5-3), and 0.7 (0.0-1.7) U/h, respectively. Nutrition from carbohydrate (all
      sources) was 435.5 (259.2-539.1), 311.0 (0.0-933.1), and 622.1 (103.7-1036.8)
      kcal/day, respectively. Median per-patient results for blood glucose were 5.8
      (5.3-6.4), 6.4 (5.9-6.9), and 8.3 (7.6-8.8) mmol/liter. Insulin doses were 3.0
      (2.0-3.0), 1.5 (0.8-2.0), and 0.5 (0.0-1.0) U/h. Carbohydrate administration was
      383.6 (207.4-497.7), 103.7 (0.0-829.4), and 207.4 (0.0-725.8) kcal/day. Overall,
      SPRINT gave approximately 2x more insulin with a 3-4x narrower, but generally non
      zero, range of nutritional input to achieve equally TGC with less hypoglycemia.
      Specialized Relative Insulin Nutrition Titration had much less hypoglycemia (<2.2
      mmol/liter), with 2% of patients, compared to GluControl A (7.7%) and GluControl
      B (2.9%), indicating much lower variability, with similar results for glucose
      levels <3.0 mmol/liter. Specialized Relative Insulin Nutrition Titration also had
      less hyperglycemia (>8.0 mmol/liter) than groups A and B. GluControl patients
      (A+B) had a approximately 2x wider range of insulin sensitivity than SPRINT. Hour
      to-hour variation was similar. Hence GluControl had greater interpatient
      variability but similar intrapatient variability. CONCLUSION: Protocols that dose
      insulin blind to carbohydrate administration can suffer greater outcome glycemic
      variability, even if average cohort glycemic targets are met. While the cohorts
      varied significantly in model-assessed insulin resistance, their variability was
      similar. Such significant intra- and interpatient variability is a further
      significant cause and marker of glycemic variability in TGC. The results strongly
      recommended that TGC protocols be explicitly designed to account for significant
      intra- and interpatient variability in insulin resistance, as well as specifying
      or having knowledge of carbohydrate administration to minimize variability in
      glycemic outcomes across diverse cohorts and/or centers.

PMID- 20307391
TI  - Electrochemical glucose biosensor of platinum nanospheres connected by carbon
      nanotubes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Glucose biosensors comprised of nanomaterials such as carbon
      nanotubes (CNTs) and metallic nanoparticles offer enhanced electrochemical
      performance that produces highly sensitive glucose sensing. This article presents
      a facile biosensor fabrication and biofunctionalization procedure that utilizes
      CNTs electrochemically decorated with platinum (Pt) nanospheres to sense glucose
      amperometrically with high sensitivity. METHOD: Carbon nanotubes are grown in
      situ by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) and electro-chemically
      decorated with Pt nanospheres to form a CNT/Pt nanosphere composite biosensor.
      Carbon nanotube electrodes are immobilized with fluorescently labeled bovine
      serum albumin (BSA) and analyzed with fluorescence microscopy to demonstrate
      their biocompatibility. The enzyme glucose oxidase (GO(X)) is immobilized onto
      the CNT/Pt nanosphere biosensor by a simple drop-coat method for amperometric
      glucose sensing. RESULTS: Fluorescence microscopy demonstrates the
      biofunctionalization capability of the sensor by portraying adsorption of
      fluorescently labeled BSA unto MPCVD-grown CNT electrodes. The subsequent GO(X)
      CNT/Pt nanosphere biosensor demonstrates a high sensitivity toward H(2)O(2) (7.4
      microA/mM/cm(2)) and glucose (70 microA/mM/cm(2)), with a glucose detection limit
      and response time of 380 nM (signal-to-noise ratio = 3) and 8 s (t(90%)),
      respectively. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (0.64 mM) of the biosensor
      also reflects the improved sensitivity of the immobilized GO(X)/nanomaterial
      complexes. CONCLUSIONS: The GO(X)-CNT/Pt nanosphere biosensor outperforms similar
      CNT, metallic nanoparticle, and more conventional carbon-based biosensors in
      terms of glucose sensitivity and detection limit. The biosensor fabrication and
      biofunctionalization scheme can easily be scaled and adapted for microsensors for
      physiological research applications that require highly sensitive glucose
      sensing.

PMID- 20307392
TI  - Fabrication of nanoindented electrodes for glucose detection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective of this article was to design, fabricate, and evaluate
      a novel type of glucose biosensors based on the use of atomic force microscopy to
      create nanoindented electrodes (NIDEs) for the selective detection of glucose.
      METHODS: Atomic force microscopy nanoindentation techniques were extended to
      covalently immobilized glucose oxidase on NIDEs via composite hydrogel membranes
      composed of interpenetrating networks of inherently conductive poly(3,4
      ethylenedioxythiophene) tetramethacrylate grown within ultraviolet cross-linked
      hydroxyethylmethacrylate-based hydrogels to produce an in vitro amperometric NIDE
      biosensor for the long-term monitoring of glucose. RESULTS: The calibration curve
      for glucose was linear from 0.25 to 20 mM. Results showed that the NIDE glucose
      biosensor has a much higher detection sensitivity of 0.32 microA/mM and rapid
      response times (<5 seconds). There was no interference from the competing
      interferent (fructose) present; the only interference was from species that react
      with H(2)O(2) (ascorbic acid). The linear equation was B(response) (microA) =
      0.323 [glucose] (mM) + 0.634 (microA); n = 24, r(2) = 0.994. CONCLUSION: Results
      showed that the resultant NIDE glucose biosensor increases the dynamic range,
      device sensitivity, and response time and has excellent detecting performance for
      glucose.

PMID- 20307393
TI  - Mobile phone-based self-management tools for type 2 diabetes: the few touch
      application.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mobile phones and other mobile information and communication
      technology applications and technologies hold great potential as a basis for
      powerful patient-operated self-management tools within diabetes. The work
      presented shows how such tools can be designed for supporting lifestyle changes
      among people with type 2 diabetes and how these were perceived by a group of 12
      patients during a 6-month period. METHOD: The study used focus groups,
      interviews, feasibility testing, questionnaires, paper prototyping, and
      prototyping of both software and hardware components. The design process was
      iterative, addressing the various elements several times at an increasing level
      of detail. The final test of the application was done qualitatively in everyday
      settings in a cohort of 12 people with type 2 diabetes, aged 44-70 (four men and
      eight women). RESULTS: A mobile phone-based system called the Few Touch
      application was developed. The system includes an off-the-shelf blood glucose
      (BG) meter, a tailor-made step counter, and software for recording food habits
      and providing feedback on how users perform in relation to their own personal
      goals. User feedback from the 6-month user intervention demonstrated good
      usability of the tested system, and several of the participants adjusted their
      medication, food habits, and/or physical activity. Of the five different
      functionalities, the cohort considered the BG sensor system the best.
      CONCLUSIONS: It was shown that it is possible and feasible to design an
      application where several sensors and feedback applications are integrated in an
      overall system. The presented Few Touch application challenges people with type 2
      diabetes to think about how they can improve their health, providing them with a
      way to capture and analyze relevant personal information about their disease. The
      half-year user intervention demonstrated that the system had a motivational
      effect on the users.

PMID- 20307394
TI  - Association of Indian Diabetes Risk Score with arterial stiffness in Asian Indian
      nondiabetic subjects: the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study (CURES-84).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aim to determine the association of Indian Diabetes
      Risk Score (IDRS) with augmentation index (AI), a preclinical marker of early
      atherosclerotic changes. METHODS: Subjects without known diabetes (n = 1985) were
      randomly selected from the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study, an ongoing
      population-based study on a representative population (aged >or=20 years) of
      Chennai, the largest city in Southern India. Augmentation index was measured
      using the Sphygmocor apparatus (Sphygmocor BPAS-1; PWV Medical, Sydney,
      Australia). Serum lipids were measured in an overnight fasting sample along with
      other biochemical parameters. Indian Diabetes Risk Score includes four
      parameters: age, abdominal obesity, family history of type 2 diabetes, and
      physical activity. RESULTS: Arterial stiffness values increased with an increase
      in IDRS. Subjects with IDRS >or=60 had significantly higher AI (24.6 +/- 7.2; p <
      .001) compared to subjects with an IDRS of 30-60 (16.4 +/- 5.5; p < .001) and
      with IDRS <30 (13.3 +/- 4.5), and the p for trend was statistically significant
      (<.001). Pearson correlation analysis in the total population revealed that AI
      was significantly correlated with age (p < .001), systolic and diastolic blood
      pressure (p < .001), IDRS (p < .001), glycated hemoglobin A1c (A1C) (p < .001),
      serum cholesterol (p < .001), serum triglycerides (p < .001), high-density
      lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (p < .001), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p
      < .001), and non-HDL cholesterol (p < .001). In linear regression analysis, IDRS
      showed a significant association with AI even after adjusting for blood pressure,
      smoking, insulin resistance, A1C, cholesterol, and triglycerides (beta = 6.388; p
      < .001). CONCLUSION: This study shows that, in addition to identifying unknown
      diabetes, IDRS also helps to identify those with arterial stiffness.

PMID- 20307395
TI  - Do differences in sleep architecture exist between persons with type 2 diabetes
      and nondiabetic controls?
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has been shown previously that the suppression of slow-wave sleep
      (SWS) markedly reduced insulin sensitivity and led to an impairment of glucose
      tolerance. We hypothesized that a decreased amount of SWS is a feature peculiar
      to subjects with type 2 diabetes. METHOD: A retrospective case-control study
      analyzed polysomnographic recordings and covariate data of 22 type 2 diabetic and
      22 nondiabetic subjects [n = 44; 8 women, 36 men, aged 57.5 +/- 5.5 years, body
      mass index (BMI) 33.8 +/- 5.9 kg/m(2), apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) 29.6 +/- 22.2
      episodes/hr] matched individually for sex, race, age, BMI, and severity of sleep
      related breathing disorders (SRBD). We assessed differences in sleep architecture
      between the study group and the control group. Primary end points included the
      percentage of total sleep time spent in each sleep stage. RESULTS: Despite
      similar age and severity of SRBD, subjects with type 2 diabetes demonstrated a
      significantly decreased amount of SWS (3.9 +/- 5.95% vs 8.4 +/- 4.57%; p =
      0.012), increased percentage time in rapid eye movement sleep (24.1 +/- 12.14% vs
      13.8 +/- 6.96%; p = 0.005), and higher arousal index (44.3 +/- 19.53/hr vs 35.7
      +/- 12.67/hr; p = 0.037) compared to nondiabetic controls. After adjustment for
      sex, BMI, AHI, and smoking, age and presence of type 2 diabetes were independent
      predictors of the decreased SWS percentage (p = 0.001). Variables in this model
      accounted for 34% of the variance in the SWS percentage in our cohort.
      CONCLUSIONS: Results demonstrated distinct differences in sleep architecture in
      our cohort with decreased amounts of SWS in type 2 diabetes. These findings
      suggest that polysomnographic recognition of altered sleep architecture may be
      partially implicated in the early detection of persons with type 2 diabetes.

PMID- 20307396
TI  - Half-unit dose accuracy with HumaPen Luxura HD: an insulin pen for patients who
      need precise dosing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The HumaPen Luxura HD insulin pen (Eli Lilly and Company,
      Indianapolis, IN) was originally designed to deliver accurate doses in half-unit
      increments from 1 to 30 units. Laboratory testing examined the accuracy of the
      initial 0.5-unit dose within a 95/95% tolerance interval with respect to a
      specification of +/-0.5 unit (+/-0.005 ml). METHODS: After priming, operators
      recorded the first 0.5 unit. Data were analyzed using k-value targets. RESULTS:
      While examining 577 half-unit doses per device lot, test temperature, operator,
      or test liquid, at least 95% of the doses were accurate with 95% confidence. All
      data points were within +/-0.5 unit (+/-0.005 ml). CONCLUSIONS: Dose accuracy of
      the initial half-unit is achieved with the HumaPen Luxura HD insulin pen.

PMID- 20307397
TI  - An analysis of the HumaPen Luxura HD pen: what is the role of 0.5-unit insulin
      dosing?
AB  - The HumaPen Luxura HD is an insulin pen device that has the ability to deliver
      insulin in half-unit increments. This study demonstrates the precision of this
      pen device using a computer-controlled dose accuracy glide force system. Although
      one other half-unit pen device is currently on the market, we are not aware of
      any studies using a similar methodology to verify its precision and accuracy.
      Clinical experience in treating a select group of adults with diabetes
      demonstrates the need for such a device. Although there are no outcome studies,
      this device should help to improve glycemic control and reduce hypoglycemia in
      such patients. We believe a half-unit insulin pen device is beneficial to more
      than just the pediatric population, and therefore, this device represents an
      improvement in present technology.

PMID- 20307398
TI  - Effects of controlled-release alpha lipoic acid in lean, nondiabetic patients
      with polycystic ovary syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine whether a preparation of
      controlled-release alpha lipoic acid (CRLA) influences features of the polycystic
      ovary syndrome (PCOS). METHODS: We administered CRLA 600 mg twice daily for 16
      weeks to six lean, nondiabetic patients with PCOS. Insulin sensitivity was
      measured by the euglycemic, hyperinsulinemic clamp. Plasma lipids were measured
      by vertical ultracentrifugation. Oxidative stress markers were measured in serum.
      RESULTS: At the end of 16 weeks of CRLA treatment, there was a 13.5% improvement
      in insulin sensitivity as determined by the euglycemic, hyperinsulinemic clamp (p
      < .03). There was also a lowering of triglyceride levels (p < .04) and a shift in
      the distribution of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles toward the larger,
      more buoyant LDL subclass fraction. Two of the subjects who were not on oral
      contraception had an increased number of menstrual cycles. Controlled-release
      alpha lipoic acid treatment, however, was neither associated with an increase in
      plasma antioxidant capacity nor with a reduction in plasma lipid oxidation
      products. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that the CRLA has positive effects on
      the PCOS phenotype. The effects of CRLA, however, may have been exerted through a
      mechanism not involving changes in oxidative stress.

PMID- 20307400
TI  - Characterization of cardiovascular outcomes in a type 2 diabetes glucose supply
      and insulin demand model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The nonsignificant reduction in macrovascular outcomes observed in
      Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes; Action in Diabetes and
      Vascular Disease: Preterax and Diamicron Modified Release Controlled Evaluation;
      and the Veterans Affairs Diabetes Trial have collectively created uncertainty
      with respect toward the proper extent of blood glucose reduction and also the
      optimal therapeutic choice to attain the reduction. In the article entitled
      "Glucose Supply and Insulin Demand Dynamics of Antidiabetic Agents" in this issue
      of Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology, we presented data for a
      pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model that characterizes the effect of
      conventional antidiabetic therapies on the glucose supply and insulin demand
      dynamic. Here, it is our objective to test the hypothesis that, in conjunction
      with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), patients managed on the glucose supply side of the
      model would have fewer cardiovascular events versus those managed on the insulin
      demand side. METHODS: To test this hypothesis, the electronic medical records of
      a group model health maintenance organization were queried to compile a
      population of patients meeting the following inclusion criteria: (1) type 2
      diabetes mellitus (T2DM), (2) known date of T2DM diagnosis; (3) ICD-9 or CPT code
      identification and chart review confirmation of a first major cardiovascular
      event (myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass graft, or angioplasty),(4)
      five years of continuous eligibility, and (5) on antidiabetic therapy at the
      beginning of the 5-year observation period. These patients were subsequently
      matched (1:1) to T2DM patients meeting the same criteria who had not experienced
      an event and were analyzed for differences in glucose control (HbA1C), the
      glucose supply:insulin demand dynamic (SD ratio), and categorical combinations of
      both parameters. RESULTS: Fifty cardiovascular event patients met inclusion
      criteria and were matched to controls. No difference was observed for the average
      HbA1c or SD ratio between patients experiencing an event and controls (7.5 +/-
      1.0% versus 7.3 +/- 0.9%, p = .275, and 1.2 +/- 0.3 versus 1.3 +/- 0.3, p = .205,
      respectively). Likewise, for categorical representations, there were no
      differences in event rate at the pre-identified breakpoints (HbA1c >or=7% versus
      <7%; 72% versus 64%, p = .391, and SD ratio >or=1 versus <1; 68% versus 76%, p =
      .373, >or=1.25 versus <1.25; 42% versus 56%, p = .161, >or=1.5 versus <1.5; 22%
      versus 30%, p = .362, respectively). Analyzing the combined effect of glucose
      control and the SD dynamic, patients managed at higher glucose values and on the
      insulin demand side of the model (HbA1c >or=7% and SD ratio <1.25) tended to have
      greater cardiovascular risk than those managed at an HbA1c <7%, or HbA1c >or=7%
      with an SD ratio >or=1.25 (61% versus 39%; p = .096). CONCLUSION: Independently,
      more aggressive HbA1c reduction and higher SD ratio values were not independently
      associated with a reduction in cardiovascular outcomes. Combining the parameters,
      it would appear that patients managed at higher glucose values and on the insulin
      demand side of the model may have increased cardiovascular risk. Based on these
      findings, it is pertinent to conduct subsequent works to refine SD ratio
      estimates and apply the model to larger, long-term T2DM cardiovascular outcome
      trials. J Diabetes Sci Technol 2010;4(2):382-390.

PMID- 20307399
TI  - Glucose supply and insulin demand dynamics of antidiabetic agents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: For microvascular outcomes, there is compelling historical and
      contemporary evidence for intensive blood glucose reduction in patients with
      either type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). There
      is also strong evidence to support macrovascular benefit with intensive blood
      glucose reduction in T1DM. Similar evidence remains elusive for T2DM. Because
      cardiovascular outcome trials utilizing conventional algorithms to attain
      intensive blood glucose reduction have not demonstrated superiority to less
      aggressive blood glucose reduction (Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in
      Diabetes; Action in Diabetes and Vascular Disease: Preterax and Diamicron
      Modified Release Controlled Evaluation; and Veterans Affairs Diabetes Trial), it
      should be considered that the means by which the blood glucose is reduced may be
      as important as the actual blood glucose. METHODS: By identifying quantitative
      differences between antidiabetic agents on carbohydrate exposure (CE), hepatic
      glucose uptake (HGU), hepatic gluconeogenesis (GNG), insulin resistance (IR),
      peripheral glucose uptake (PGU), and peripheral insulin exposure (PIE), we
      created a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model to characterize the effect of the
      agents on the glucose supply and insulin demand dynamic. Glucose supply was
      defined as the cumulative percentage decrease in CE, increase in HGU, decrease in
      GNG, and decrease in IR, while insulin demand was defined as the cumulative
      percentage increase in PIE and PGU. With the glucose supply and insulin demand
      effects of each antidiabetic agent summated, the glucose supply (numerator) was
      divided by the insulin demand (denominator) to create a value representative of
      the glucose supply and insulin demand dynamic (SD ratio). RESULTS: Alpha
      glucosidase inhibitors (1.25), metformin (2.20), and thiazolidinediones (TZDs;
      1.25-1.32) demonstrate a greater effect on glucose supply (SD ratio >1), while
      secretagogues (0.69-0.81), basal insulins (0.77-0.79), and bolus insulins (0.62
      0.67) demonstrate a greater effect on insulin demand (SD ratio <1). CONCLUSION:
      Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, metformin, and TZDs demonstrate a greater effect on
      glucose supply, while secretagogues, basal insulin, and bolus insulin demonstrate
      a greater effect on insulin demand. Because T2DM cardiovascular outcome trials
      have not demonstrated macrovascular benefit with more aggressive blood glucose
      reduction when using conventional algorithms that predominantly focus on insulin
      demand, it would appear logical to consider a model that incorporates both the
      extent of blood glucose lowering (hemoglobin A1c) and the means by which the
      blood glucose was reduced (SD ratio) when considering macrovascular outcomes.

PMID- 20307401
TI  - Real-time glucose estimation algorithm for continuous glucose monitoring using
      autoregressive models.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) present a problem of lack of
      accuracy, especially in the lower range, sometimes leading to missed or false
      hypoglycemia. A new algorithm is presented here aimed at improving the
      measurement accuracy and hypoglycemia detection. Its core is the estimation of
      blood glucose (BG) in real time (RT) from CGM intensity readings using
      autoregressive (AR) models. METHODS: Eighteen patients with type 1 diabetes were
      monitored for three days (one at the hospital and two at home) using the CGMS
      Gold. For these patients, BG samples were taken every 15 min for 2 h after meals
      and every half hour otherwise during the first day. The relationship between the
      current measured by the CGMS Gold and BG was learned by an AR model, allowing its
      RT estimation. New capillary glucose measurements were used to correct the model
      BG estimations. RESULTS: A total of 563 paired points were obtained from BG and
      monitor readings to validate the new algorithm. 98.5% of paired points fell in
      zones A+B of the Clarke error grid analysis with the proposed algorithm. The
      overall mean and median relative absolute differences (RADs) were 9.6% and 6.7%.
      Measurements meeting International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
      criteria were 88.7%. In the hypoglycemic range, the mean and median RADs were
      8.1% and 6.0%, and measurements meeting ISO criteria were 86.7%. The sensitivity
      and specificity with respect to hypoglycemia detection were 91.5% and 95.0%.
      CONCLUSIONS: The performance measured with both clinical and numerical accuracy
      metrics illustrates the improved accuracy of the proposed algorithm compared with
      values presented in the literature. A significant improvement in hypoglycemia
      detection was also observed.

PMID- 20307402
TI  - Continuous glucose monitoring: real-time algorithms for calibration, filtering,
      and alarms.
AB  - Algorithms for real-time use in continuous glucose monitors are reviewed,
      including calibration, filtering of noisy signals, glucose predictions for
      hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic alarms, compensation for capillary blood glucose
      to sensor time lags, and fault detection for sensor degradation and dropouts. A
      tutorial on Kalman filtering for real-time estimation, prediction, and lag
      compensation is presented and demonstrated via simulation examples. A limited
      number of fault detection methods for signal degradation and dropout have been
      published, making that an important area for future work.

PMID- 20307403
TI  - Review of the mechanism of action and clinical efficacy of recombinant human
      hyaluronidase coadministration with current prandial insulin formulations.
AB  - For patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, achieving good glycemic control is
      critical for successful treatment outcomes. As many patients remain unable to
      reach glycemic goals with currently available rapid-acting analog insulins,
      ultrafast insulin products are being developed that provide an even faster
      pharmacokinetic profile compared with current rapid prandial insulin products.
      The overall strategy of these ultrafast insulin products is to better mimic the
      normal physiologic response to insulin that occurs in healthy individuals to
      further improve glycemic control. Recombinant human hyaluronidase (rHuPH20) is a
      genetically engineered soluble hyaluronidase approved by the U.S. Food and Drug
      Administration as an adjuvant to increase the absorption and dispersion of other
      injected drugs; mammalian hyaluronidases as a class have over 6 decades of
      clinical use supporting the safety and/or efficacy of hyaluronidase
      coadministration. Clinical findings have demonstrated that coadministration of
      rHuPH20 with insulin or an insulin analog achieved faster systemic absorption,
      reduced inter- and intrapatient variability of insulin absorption, and achieved
      faster metabolic effects compared with injection of either insulin formulation
      alone. The magnitude of this acceleration is similar to the incrementally faster
      absorption of prandial insulin analogs as compared with regular insulin. In
      addition, coadministration of rHuPH20 with regular insulin or insulin analog also
      improved the achievement of prandial glycemic targets. Thus, rHuPH20
      coadministration shows promise as a method of establishing a more rapid insulin
      profile to prandial insulin in patients with diabetes and has the potential to
      yield substantial improvements in postprandial glycemic excursion.

PMID- 20307405
TI  - Self-monitoring of blood glucose: practical aspects.
AB  - Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) should be part of a regular management
      plan for patients with diabetes. Self-monitoring of blood glucose provides
      information regarding an individual's dynamic blood glucose profile. This
      information can help with the appropriate scheduling of food, activity, and
      medication. It is also required for understanding of the timing of blood glucose
      variations. Lack of regular SMBG predicts hospitalization for diabetes-related
      complications. Self-monitoring of blood glucose is an essential tool for people
      with diabetes who are taking insulin or for those who experience fluctuations in
      their blood glucose levels, especially hypoglycemia. Application of practical
      aspects that aid in easy management of SMBG makes the task of checking blood
      glucose more achievable. For patients taking insulin and adjusting their dose,
      SMBG is needed for self-management. For others receiving oral medication,
      profiling glucose trends and the confirmation of high or low blood glucose can be
      a useful addendum to successful management.

PMID- 20307404
TI  - BALANCE (Bioengineering Approaches for Lifestyle Activity and Nutrition
      Continuous Engagement): developing new technology for monitoring energy balance
      in real time.
AB  - Methods that measure energy balance accurately in real time represent promising
      avenues to address the obesity epidemic. We developed an electronic food diary on
      a mobile phone that includes an energy balance visualization and computes and
      displays the difference between energy intake from food entries and energy
      expenditure from a multiple-sensor device that provides objective estimates of
      energy expenditure in real time. A geographic information system dataset
      containing locations associated with activity and eating episodes is integrated
      with an ArcPad mapping application on the phone to provide users with a visual
      display of food sources and locations associated with physical activity within
      their proximal environment. This innovative tool captures peoples' movement
      through space and time under free-living conditions and could potentially have
      many health-related applications in the future.

PMID- 20307406
TI  - Professional continuous glucose monitoring in clinical practice 2010.
AB  - Professional continuous glucose monitoring (PCGM) is a 3-5 day test done to
      evaluate diabetes control. The PCGM test uses interstitial glucose measurements
      done every 5 min with a glucose-oxidase-impregnated membrane. The PCGM test
      evaluates glucose control retrospectively with the glucose results being unknown
      to the patient until the results are downloaded after the testing period. The
      PCGM test allows the practitioner and patient to evaluate the effect of diet,
      physical activity, medications, and lifestyle events on glucose control during
      the 24 h period. Developing a PCGM program at a medical office involves
      understanding reimbursement issues and having trained staff and a process in
      place to initiate the test and download and interpret the data.

PMID- 20307407
TI  - Bluetooth low energy: wireless connectivity for medical monitoring.
AB  - Electronic wireless sensors could cut medical costs by enabling physicians to
      remotely monitor vital signs such as blood pressure, blood glucose, and blood
      oxygenation while patients remain at home. According to the IDC report "Worldwide
      Bluetooth Semiconductor 2008-2012 Forecast," published November 2008, a
      forthcoming radio frequency communication ("wireless connectivity") standard,
      Bluetooth low energy, will link wireless sensors via radio signals to the 70% of
      cell phones and computers likely to be fitted with the next generation of
      Bluetooth wireless technology, leveraging a ready-built infrastructure for data
      transmission. Analysis of trends indicated by this data can help physicians
      better manage diseases such as diabetes. The technology also addresses the
      concerns of cost, compatibility, and interoperability that have previously
      stalled widespread adoption of wireless technology in medical applications.

PMID- 20307408
TI  - Driving with diabetes in the future: in-vehicle medical monitoring.
AB  - The motor car is a ubiquitous feature of modern life, and most of us spend
      significant amounts of time in a car, behind the wheel. Driving a vehicle
      requires complex coordination of cognitive, motor, and sensory skills. All of
      these aspects can be affected adversely by diabetes per se, with hypoglycemia
      being the main concern for people with diabetes who drive. Here we introduce the
      concept of using the motor vehicle as a device to collect and deliver
      physiological and clinical information, which, in turn, may enable more people to
      drive more safely by reducing the chances of medical mishaps behind the wheel.
      This is particularly relevant for people living with diabetes who are at risk
      from a number of medical conditions that have the potential to have an impact on
      safe driving. The development of in-vehicle medical monitoring presents a new
      opportunity for novel collaborations between two industries, which have safety as
      a core value.

PMID- 20307409
TI  - The role of technology and the chronic care model.
AB  - Innovative technological approaches offer great promise for enhancing the quality
      of care and improved access. A chronic care model has been shown repeatedly to
      improve outcomes. The elements of the model include the health system, community,
      self-management support, decision support, clinical information systems, and
      delivery system redesign. Understanding opportunities to apply technology to the
      chronic care model is critically important as the rates of diabetes escalate and
      quality care becomes a priority for health systems.

PMID- 20307411
TI  - Second insulin pump safety meeting: summary report.
AB  - Diabetes Technology Society facilitated a second meeting of insulin pump experts
      at Mills-Peninsula Health Services, San Mateo, California on November 4, 2009, at
      the request of the Food and Drug Administration, Center for Devices and
      Radiological Health, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories. The first
      such meeting was held in Bethesda, Maryland, on November 12, 2008. The group of
      physicians, nurses, diabetes educators, and engineers from across the United
      States discussed safety issues in insulin pump therapy and recommended
      adjustments to current insulin pump design and use to enhance overall safety. The
      meeting discussed safety issues in the context of pump operation; software;
      hardware; physical structure; electrical, biological, and chemical
      considerations; use; and environment from engineering, medical, nursing, and
      pump/user perspectives. There was consensus among meeting participants that
      insulin pump designs have made great progress in improving the quality of life of
      people with diabetes, but much more remains to be done.

PMID- 20307413
TI  - FDA meeting: Clinical accuracy requirements for point of care blood glucose
      meters.

PMID- 20307414
TI  - Insulin glargine and incidence of cancer--an ongoing debate.

PMID- 20307415
TI  - Does patient satisfaction with foot surgery change over time?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The national podiatric surgery audit tool PASCOM has a key role in
      determining patient satisfaction with service received and outcomes. The study
      aim was to examine the effects of time after surgery on satisfaction scores, by
      undertaking a retrospective longitudinal study utilising the patient satisfaction
      questionnaire known as the PSQ-10. A secondary objective was to examine test
      retest reliability, since this has not been previously reported. METHOD: NHS and
      private patients having undergone forefoot surgery were sent a further PSQ-10
      satisfaction questionnaire after the standard 6-month PSQ-10 had been completed.
      The main outcome measure reflected a change in the score between the original and
      repeat PSQ-10 response. Internal consistency was measured by correlation between
      baseline questions for a subset of patients who were sent the second
      questionnaire within 6 months of the first. RESULTS: Of a total cohort of 204
      patients, no significant differences were seen in overall scores. 46% showed
      increased satisfaction at the stage of the repeat questionnaire, with 41% a
      decline in score and 13% no change. Neurectomy patients improved the most with
      time and digital surgery was associated with the greatest decline in score.
      Significant correlations were demonstrated between all baseline questions for the
      test-retest cohort (13 patients). CONCLUSION: Time does not significantly
      influence patient satisfaction after discharge. There was satisfactory
      consistency between PSQ-10 responses. Further investigation into digital
      procedure outcomes is required.

PMID- 20307416
TI  - A year of foot and ankle orthotic provision for adults: prospective consultations
      data, with patient satisfaction survey.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To characterise 12 months' adult, foot and ankle orthotic out-patient
      consultations in a regional centre; and to survey patients regarding their
      satisfaction with services received. METHODS: Prospective survey questionnaires
      completed by: (1) orthotists, during consecutive clinic consultations (n=4402
      representing 2494 patients); (2) all patients receiving foot or ankle orthoses
      (n=1469), mailed 5 weeks later. Questions included a standard foot pain item,
      patients' perceived usefulness of the orthosis, and satisfaction with services
      received. Logistic regression identified factors associated with patients finding
      their orthosis 'very' or 'fairly helpful'. RESULTS: Consultations addressed
      myriad foot, ankle or other conditions. EVA (soft) foot orthoses were most
      commonly prescribed. The response rate from patients was 72%. Most (73%) said
      their orthosis would be 'very' or 'fairly helpful'. Following adjustment, females
      were less likely than males to find orthoses helpful (OR 0.71, p=0.031). All
      older age groups were at least twice as likely to find orthoses helpful as
      patients aged <40 (p<0.01). Ninety percent of respondents were 'very' or 'fairly
      satisfied' with the service received. CONCLUSIONS: Women, younger patients and
      those with more severe pain were less likely to perceive benefit from foot and
      ankle orthoses than other groups and may therefore require adjuvant or
      alternative intervention.

PMID- 20307417
TI  - The relationship between the height of the medial longitudinal arch (MLA) and the
      ankle and knee injuries in professional runners.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Usually the rate of lower extremity's injuries in sports such as
      running is known to be correlated with the height of foot arches. Foot pressure
      measurement studies have shown controversial results in this issue, mainly due to
      the complexity of the foot structure. This study aimed to investigate if any
      relationship exists between the MLA height and the ankle/knee injuries in
      professional runners. It was also aimed to find out any association between the
      foot pressure patterns and the clinical navicular drop test in the subjects.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-seven professional runners were participated in this
      study and using the clinical navicular drop test, they were categorized into
      normal, low and high arch foot subjects. Using an Emed pedography platform
      (Novel, Germany), the maximum force, peak pressure and the contact area of their
      feet were studied in both static (single limb support) and dynamic conditions.
      RESULTS: The results of this study showed no strong correlation between the
      height of MLA and the rate of the ankle/knee injuries (P=0.58). The correlation
      between the clinical navicular drop test and the modified arch index (MAI) was
      between 0.32 in static and 0.57 in dynamic tests. CONCLUSION: The results of this
      study conveyed that having a lower or higher than a normal MLA is not a definite
      risk factor for sports-related injuries. This might be due to the complexity of
      the foot structure and its ability to accommodate with new situations routinely
      occurs in sport. Furthermore, although a high correlation was not found between
      the clinical navicular drop test and the foot pressure indices, due to the
      clinical entity of this test, the obtained association is relatively good. A
      significant correlation was found between the foot pressure distribution in
      single limb support (static) and the dynamic conditions, which provides an
      extrapolation of the results of this type static condition tests to the dynamic
      conditions.

PMID- 20307418
TI  - Diagnostic significance of radiologic measurements in posterior heel pain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Posterior heel pain is a common complaint in both athlete and non
      athlete. For diagnosis of etiology certain angles, lines and soft tissue
      parameters have been developed in the literature to describe the calcaneal
      prominence and its relationship to Achilles tendon and its bursae. OBJECTIVES: A
      prospective study was undertaken to evaluate the diagnostic values of these
      angles, lines and soft tissue parameters in posterior heel pain. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Seventy-one painful heels in 58 patients (30 males and 28 females,
      mean+/-S.D. age; 41.4+/-10.82 years) were clinically and radiologically examined.
      This was compared with 50 heels in 25 control subjects. A lateral weight bearing
      film of the foot was taken to calculate different angles, lines and soft tissue
      parameters mentioned in the literature. RESULTS: There were 45 Pavlov's parallel
      pitch line positives and using test of Denis and Huber-Levernieux in only one
      posterior superior crest extended beyond vertical tangential. There was only one
      heel with Fowler & Philip angle >75 degrees. There were 10 heels with Steffensen
      & Evensen angle >65, 5 heels with total angle >90 degrees and 52 heels with
      Chauveaux-Liet angle >12 degrees. There were 73% true positive for Chauveaux-Liet
      angle and 63% true positive for parallel pitch line. Among soft tissue parameters
      ill defined retrocalcaneal recess was present in 61 symptomatic heels, plantar
      spur in 42 heels, posterior calcaneal step in 33 heels, Achilles tendon
      calcification in 29 heels, superficial tendo-Achilles bursitis in 58 heels,
      posterior calcaneal spur in 31 heels and antero posterior diameter of tendo
      Achilles more than 9 mm in 68 symptomatic heels. CONCLUSION: Parallel pitch
      lines, Chauveaux-Liet angle, ill-defined retrocalcaneal recess, superficial tendo
      Achilles bursa and anteroposterior diameter of Achilles tendon more than 9 mm
      about 2 cm above insertion are reliable objective diagnostic indicators of bony
      deformity of calcaneus and soft tissue affection in patients with posterior heel
      pain. It is the combination of these bony and soft tissue parameters, which
      enhance the diagnostic certitude.

PMID- 20307419
TI  - Foot pressure in clubfoot--the development of an objective assessment tool.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are no universal criteria for the assessment of clubfoot. The
      ideal method should assess functional deformity reliably and objectively.
      Biomechanical techniques have also been suggested but their role remains
      undefined. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess surgically corrected clubfeet by
      biomechanical means with the intention to develop certain ratios to aid in
      objective assessment. METHODS: Thirteen children (16 feet) with idiopathic
      clubfoot, who had previously undergone surgery (lateral-posteromedial release),
      were reviewed. Various clinical measurements were collected and symptoms assessed
      using a specially designed questionnaire. Biomechanical (foot pressure)
      parameters were obtained using two systems: Podotrack and Dynamic Pedobarograph.
      RESULTS: The results showed that foot pressure data were able to demonstrate
      abnormalities in foot posture and pressure distribution, which could objectively
      identify clubfoot deformities. In particular, ratios were calculated, which could
      be used to determine severity and monitor progression. CONCLUSION: This study
      suggests that foot pressure analysis should be routinely used in the assessment
      of clubfoot. The ratios calculated would be of immense help to the clinicians in
      monitoring the success of treatment and for early prediction of relapse in
      patients treated for clubfoot.

PMID- 20307420
TI  - The function of the midtarsal joint: a review of the literature.
AB  - The midtarsal joint (MTJt) consists of the combined articulations of the
      talonavicular and calcaneocuboid joints and represents the functional
      articulation between the rearfoot (talus and calcaneus) and the midfoot
      (navicular and cuboid). The movement of the transverse tarsal region has been
      described as a segment rotating around two distinct axes of the MTJt; the
      longitudinal and the oblique. Recent research has suggested that the two axes
      model of the MTJt is a theory of convenience to explain clinical observation, and
      that the MTJt moves in a more complex manner. It has been hypothesised that the
      MTJt has one triplanar axis of motion, so there remains the need to investigate
      the practical application of this understanding in terms of how this motion
      affects the MTJt in gait and the implications this may have on podiatric
      treatment.

PMID- 20307421
TI  - Gaenslen's split-heel incision for calcaneal osteomyelitis--case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of the report was to present a 45-year-old lady who had a
      chronic osteomyelitis right calcaneum with a large non-healing ulcer and
      discharging sinus, treated by split-heel incision of Gaenslen. OBJECTIVES:
      Patients who have a recurrent ulcer of the heel often have a below-the-knee
      amputation because durable soft tissue coverage cannot be obtained over the
      calcaneus. Often, even if the ulcer heals satisfactorily or the area appears to
      be revascularized as a result of a peripheral vascular procedure, the resulting
      surface is not durable and the ulcer recurs. Gaenslen's technique is recommended
      for refractory cases or patients with a draining sinus centrally located on the
      plantar aspect of the heel. An excellent functional result can be obtained.
      METHOD: Calcaneum was divided from posterior to anterior with a broad osteotome
      and split into two halves to expose the interior of the bone. Sequestra, infected
      material, necrotic slough damaged cortex were removed. The wound was closed
      loosely with a drain in situ. RESULT: The pressure sore and the surgical wound
      healing were remarkable at the end of 6 weeks. The heel had a deeply situated
      surgical scar and over which the surrounding tissues were laid, thus forming
      thick cushions. CONCLUSIONS: Split-heel incision of Gaenslen removed all
      sequestra, obviously infected matter and did little damage to the cortex. The
      resultant scar was painless and was so deeply situated that the tissues on either
      side curl inward to form 'cushions'.

PMID- 20307422
TI  - A case of pseudoarthrosis of the lateral talar process and distal fibula in a
      professional athlete.
AB  - We report a case of osteoarthritis of a pseudoarthrosis between the tip of the
      fibula and the lateral process of the talus. This was treated by excision of
      pseudoarthrosis with lateral ligament reconstruction.

PMID- 20307423
TI  - Re: Anomalous tibialis posterior muscle.

PMID- 20307424
TI  - Re: A clinical longitudinal evaluation of pre-fabricated, semi-rigid foot
      orthoses prescribed to improve foot function by Springett et al. [Foot 17 (2007)
      184-189].

PMID- 20307425
TI  - First MTP joint arthrodesis for the treatment of hallux rigidus: results of 29
      consecutive cases using the foot health status questionnaire validated
      measurement tool.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Arthrodesis of the first MTP joint is an accepted and long
      established joint destructive procedure for the management of hallux rigidus.
      OBJECTIVES: This paper presents the results of 29 consecutive first MTP joint
      arthrodesis procedures for the treatment of hallux rigidus. METHOD: The outcomes
      of 29 (18 female and 11 male) consecutive arthrodesis procedures were analysed
      with the Foot Health Status Questionnaire (FHSQ), minimal important difference
      scores, and a patient satisfaction questionnaire. RESULTS: FHSQ foot pain scores
      improved for 27 (93%) patients; foot function improved for 23 (79%) patients;
      shoe scores improved for 18 (62%) patients; foot health improved for 20 (68%)
      patients; general health improved for 12 (41%) patients; physical activity
      improved for 21 (72%) patients; social capacity improved for 21 (21%) patients;
      vigour improved for 15 (51%) patients. FHSQ minimal important difference scores
      were achieved for foot pain in 25 patients (86%); foot function in 17 patients
      (58%); and general foot health in 19 (65%) patients. Analysis with the matched
      pairs Wilcoxon rank sum test (p<0.05) revealed statistically significant
      improvement in all FHSQ domains. Female patients appeared to fare better than
      male patients in all FHSQ categories other than general health and vigour.
      CONCLUSION: Arthrodesis of the first MTP joint can reliably reduce pain relating
      to hallux rigidus and can improve foot function and allow a return to physical
      activity.

PMID- 20307426
TI  - Arthrodesis of the first metatarsophalangeal joint for hallux rigidus--optimal
      position of fusion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Good results are usually reported after arthrodesis of the first
      metatarso-phalangeal joint, but there is no definite agreement concerning the
      position that provides the best result. METHODS: We reviewed 35 patients with 39
      fusions of the first metatarso-phalangeal joint 8 (2-15) years after surgery. In
      addition to clinical evaluation we measured the position of the arthrodeses
      radiographically and clinically, and also the distribution of pressure under the
      foot using insoles with pressure sensors. RESULTS: A total of 28 of 39 cases had
      an AOFAS score of 75 or better (90 best possible). Almost all patients
      experienced pain relief. Union was observed in 31 out of 39 feet, but the
      satisfaction rate was not significantly lower in those with pseudarthrosis. There
      was no strong correlation between the arthrodesis position and patient
      satisfaction. There was a good correlation (r=0.8; p<0.001) between the weight
      bearing radiographic extension angle and the height between the plantar surface
      and the pulp of the hallux and a flat board manually pressed against the sole of
      the foot. There was significantly increased local pressure under the pulp of the
      great toe in operated feet. CONCLUSIONS: There is only a weak correlation between
      position and clinical outcome. A good estimate of the extension angle is made by
      measuring the height between a flat object placed under the foot and the pulp of
      the distal phalanx.

PMID- 20307427
TI  - Treatment of tinea pedis with socks containing copper-oxide impregnated fibers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tinea pedis, known as Athlete's foot, is a common fungal infection of
      the feet, the majority of cases caused by dermatophytes. Copper oxide has potent
      antimicrobial and antifungal properties. OBJECTIVE: A pilot study designed to
      examine the efficacy of treating tinea pedis utilizing copper-oxide impregnated
      fibers woven into socks worn on a daily basis. METHODS: Fifty-six patients,
      ranging in age from 21 to 85 years were clinically diagnosed, photographed, and
      treated with the copper soled socks. Eight variables were studied, including
      scaling, erythema, fissuring, burning or itching, vesicular eruptions, edema,
      odor, and drainage. RESULTS: In a 9-day average follow up, all patients showed
      improvement or resolution of erythema (with a 95% Confidence interval (CI) of
      1.0), fissuring (CI=1.0), vesicular eruptions (CI=1.0), scaling (CI=0.9-1.0) and
      for burning and itching (CI=0.61-0.95). In a 40-day average follow up, the 95% CI
      for improvement or resolution of scaling was 0.68-0.97, for erythema, 0.65-0.97,
      and for fissuring, burning and itching and vesicular eruptions it was 1.0. None
      of the study subjects worsened or showed adverse reactions while wearing copper
      oxide impregnated socks. CONCLUSION: This study strongly supports the
      effectiveness in using copper-oxide impregnated polyester fibers in treating the
      common manifestations of tinea pedis.

PMID- 20307428
TI  - What is the best method for child longitudinal plantar arch assessment and when
      does arch maturation occur?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The medial longitudinal arch modifies significantly during growth.
      Nevertheless, authors differ on the age at which the foot acquires the adult-like
      shape. The best method to assess this arch in children is also controversial.
      OBJECTIVES: Characterize the longitudinal arch of children between 3 and 10 years
      and compare the applicability of five evaluation methods. METHODS: Plantar prints
      were acquired from 391 healthy preschools children from the University of Sao
      Paulo, Brazil. We calculated the arch indexes of: Cavanagh and Rodgers, Chipaux
      Smirak, Staheli and the Alfa Angle, and compared them with the feet posture
      assessment. Non-parametric tests were used to compare among methods and ages.
      Spearman correlation was used to establish relationships among indexes. RESULTS:
      3 and 4 years old showed a high prevalence of low arches (36-86%). Between 4 and
      5 years old, significant difference was observed for all indexes. The indexes
      presented good correlation among them, although the proportions of the different
      arch types were different for each age group (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The
      longitudinal arch acquires an adult-like shape progressively, being statistically
      notorious the moment of medial longitudinal arch's formation between 4 and 5
      years old. The Chipaux-Smirak Index is the best index to assess children's feet;
      it provides a better classification for lower arches and is easily calculated.

PMID- 20307429
TI  - The MOJE total joint arthroplasty for 1st metatarso-phalangeal osteoarthritis: a
      short-term retrospective outcome study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Evidence regarding the efficacy of the MOJE ceramic press fit total
      joint replacement for the first metatarso-phalangeal joint (MTPJ) is lacking.
      OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to assess the clinical outcome for the MOJE arthroplasty
      in a single surgeon series using objective and subjective assessment tools.
      METHODS: A retrospective outcome study of 24 implants was performed in 22
      patients undergoing first MTPJ replacement for osteoarthritis from 2004 to 2006.
      Each patient underwent clinical assessment using the American Orthopaedic Foot
      and Ankle Score (AOFAS) for the hallux and a patient outcome satisfaction
      questionnaire. All pre- and post-operative radiographs were reviewed. RESULTS:
      Average follow-up was 26 months with a median AOFAS score of 80 out of a maximum
      100. The revision rate at 3 years was 12.5%. Only 63% of patients were 'very
      satisfied' with the overall outcome from the procedure. AOFAS for the hallux
      correlated strongly with patient satisfaction. Radiographical mal-alignment in
      four patients was significantly associated with lower AOFAS (p=0.01).
      CONCLUSIONS: This implant offers less reliable outcomes than the 'gold standard'
      arthrodesis and one would advise caution regarding its use for osteoarthritis of
      the first MTPJ.

PMID- 20307430
TI  - A prospective comparison of two treatment options for tuberosity fractures of the
      proximal fifth metatarsal.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tuberosity 'avulsion' fractures of the proximal fifth metatarsal are
      common injuries, but with few comparisons of conservative treatment options.
      OBJECTIVE: This study prospectively compared two commonly used conservative
      treatment methods. METHODS: 37 patients were allocated to treatment in either a
      plaster slipper (n=20) or tubi-grip support (n=17) for a period of 6 weeks.
      Patients were assessed at 2, 6 and 12 weeks after injury using a modified foot
      score which measured the level of pain and dysfunction. A radiograph was taken at
      12 weeks. A Mann-Whitney U test compared median foot scores between the treatment
      groups at each review (p-value of 0.05 or less was deemed significant). RESULTS:
      A significantly (p=0.02) better foot score was measured in the plaster group at 2
      weeks after injury (median score 68 (plaster group) compared to 57 (tubi-grip
      group)). However by the 6- and 12-week stages, the scores were comparable.
      Radiographs indicated two patients in each group with no clear evidence of union
      after 12 weeks. One patient remained symptomatic and required surgical treatment.
      CONCLUSIONS: The eventual clinical and radiological outcomes were comparable.
      During the initial 2 weeks, patients treated in plaster had a better-combined
      level of pain and function.

PMID- 20307431
TI  - Evaluation of surgical experience and the use of an osteotomy guide on the apical
      angle of an Austin osteotomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Distal osteotomies of the first metatarsal are commonly used to
      correct hallux valgus deformities. Of the distal osteotomies, the Austin
      osteotomy is popular among foot surgeons on an international level. The precision
      of the osteotomy is important to achieve a congruous osteotomy. OBJECTIVES: The
      purpose of this study was to examine the effects of experience and technique on
      creating a precise Austin osteotomy. METHOD: Three individuals with varying
      levels of experience (student, resident and podiatric physician) created Austin
      osteotomies in metatarsal sawbones, using three different techniques (freehand,
      guide wire and osteotomy guide). The medial and lateral apical angles were
      measured, and the mean, standard deviation, and range of the angles were
      calculated. The differences between medial and lateral angles were also
      calculated. RESULTS: The results indicated that the mean and range of the angles
      varied considerably with the freehand and guide wire techniques at all experience
      levels. The angles were accurate and consistent for all experience levels;
      however, when an osteotomy guide was used. The use of an osteotomy guide also
      noticeably reduced the number of divergent and convergent osteotomies.
      CONCLUSIONS: The use of an osteotomy guide consistently resulted in a more
      precise Austin osteotomy for all experience levels.

PMID- 20307432
TI  - Is eccentric muscle contraction a significant factor in the development of
      chronic anterior compartment syndrome? A review of the literature.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this article was to review published articles
      investigating the association of eccentric contractions of the anterior
      compartment with an increase in intramuscular pressure. METHODS: An electronic
      review using Medline, Amed and Science Direct returned 49 papers, seven of which
      were considered suitable. Manually browsing reference lists of these led to the
      identification of a further five relevant papers. A further nine papers were
      considered as suitable for background reading. RESULTS: Results of previous
      studies have indicated that there is a relationship between excessive eccentric
      contractions, delayed onset of muscle soreness, and an increase in intramuscular
      pressure. However, due to the differences in a number of variables between these
      studies a direct comparison cannot be made. CONCLUSION: Eccentric contractions of
      the anterior compartment have, in the short term, been associated with an
      increase in intra-compartmental pressure and delayed onset of muscle soreness in
      studies on healthy volunteers. There is no evidence as yet that there is a
      further association with the development of chronic anterior compartment
      syndrome. The long term effect of excessive eccentric contraction is believed to
      be a reduction of compliance in and loss of elasticity of the fascia, which is
      probably irreversible.

PMID- 20307433
TI  - Metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma mimicking osteomyelitis of second toe.
AB  - Recurrence of gastric carcinoma most frequently involves abdominal distension and
      usually occurs with in 5 years of primary surgery. Recurrence more than 8 years
      after surgery is extremely rare and bony metastasis occurs only in 0-17% cases of
      gastric carcinoma. We present a case of metastasis to the second toe which
      occurred 12 years after the initial surgery. The case highlights the importance
      of high index of suspicion of pedal metastasis in patients presenting with
      swelling or bony tenderness with history of carcinoma.

PMID- 20307434
TI  - Tarsal tunnel syndrome associated with a neurilemoma in posterior tibial nerve: a
      case report.
AB  - Compression neuropathy of the posterior tibial nerve (PTN) and its branches in
      the tarsal tunnel is called tarsal tunnel syndrome (TTS) and has various
      aetiologies. Space-occupying lesions in the tunnel, such as neurilemomas, can
      cause such a disease. When a neurilemoma occupies the tarsal tunnel, it can
      compress the PTN directly or indirectly and results in restriction of the tunnel
      volume. Symptoms due to this restricted volume may vary in TTS. A case of
      neurilemoma of PTN in tarsal tunnel with a complaint of posteromedial ankle
      intermittent pain in a 20-year-old patient is presented here. A mass was observed
      at the ankle posteromedially during clinical examinations and the patient
      underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and radiological investigation.
      Radiographic evaluation of the ankle was normal. However, MRI was revealed a mass
      adjacent to the PTN in the tarsal tunnel. An ovoid, smooth-surfaced, encapsulated
      and eccentrically localized mass in the PTN was detected at surgery. The mass was
      excised from the nerve and pathological evaluation revealed a neurilemoma
      (schwannoma). Neurilemomas arising from the PTN in the tarsal tunnel should
      always be kept in mind as a differential diagnosis when a patient complains of a
      posteromedial ankle pain. Since it is a space-occupying lesion and encapsulated
      tumor in the tarsal tunnel, simple surgical resection is curative without a
      distinct morbidity.

PMID- 20307435
TI  - Proper shoe sizes for Thai elderly.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Problems from improper shoe fitting are common, but there are limited
      foot data for the older Thai population. OBJECTIVES: To study foot dimensions and
      determine proper shoe sizes for Thai elderly. METHODS: Healthy older people: 108
      men, 105 women, aged 60-80 years, who were independent in walking, were
      recruited. Thirteen foot dimensions and current shoes used were measured. Side-to
      side, gender difference, and correlations of main foot measurements were
      analyzed. RESULTS: About 50% women and 34% men wore too narrow shoes, and this
      was found to be associated with foot pain. At the same foot length (FL), men had
      larger foot width (FW) and toe depth. Foot width=2.39+(0.29 x FL), r=0.50,
      p=0.001 for women and=2.48+(0.31 x FL), r=0.56, p=0.002 for men. Arch
      length=1.0+(0.7 x FL), r=0.93, p=0.001 for both genders. Toe depth had constant
      values in all shoe sizes of each gender. Correlations of other foot parameters
      were reported. CONCLUSIONS: These anthropometric data is essential for proper
      shoe fitting in order to provide foot ergonomics and prevent foot problems for
      older Thai people.

PMID- 20307437
TI  - Association of abnormal foot angles and onychocryptosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To find if there is any association between the abnormal
      interphalangeal (IPA) and/or hallux valgus angles (HVA) and onychocryptosis.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty consecutive patients with proven ingrowing toenail
      of all grades had their interphalangeal and hallux valgus angles of the great toe
      been measured on a stress view standing radiograph, and compared with a control
      group of normal people. RESULTS: The mean age (SD) of our patients was 20 (6.4)
      years. Males are affected more than females. Lateral edge ingrowing was found in
      85% of patients. The percentage of abnormal HVA in the diseased toes (60%), was
      significantly higher than that in contralateral toes (30%) (p<0.0005) and in
      normal controls (12%) (p<0.0005). Similarly, the percentage of abnormal IPA in
      the diseased toes (85%) was significantly higher than that in the contralateral
      toes (50%) (p<0.0005) and in normal controls (25%) (p<0.0005). CONCLUSIONS:
      Abnormal interphalangeal and hallux valgus angles or lateral deviation of the
      distal phalanx significantly associated with onychcryptosis.

PMID- 20307436
TI  - Local anaesthetic toxicity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Local anaesthesia has been used by British podiatrists since the
      early 1960s. The use of local anaesthesia has allowed for the advancement of
      scope of practice and the development of podiatric surgery. Local anaesthesia is
      however associated with potential risks and adverse reactions including toxicity.
      OBJECTIVES: To review the current literature on the subject of local anaesthetic
      toxicity and to consider recent developments in the management of acute toxicity.
      CONCLUSIONS: Local anaesthesia although safe has the potential to cause serious
      harm in the event of toxicity. Appropriate steps should be taken to minimise the
      risk of toxicity and should it occur measures should be applied to minimise the
      consequences of toxicity. Such measures may include the use of Intralipid for
      resuscitation.

PMID- 20307438
TI  - The status of podiatry in the United Kingdom.
AB  - This paper reviews the sources of professional status and analyses these in
      relation to the podiatry profession in the United Kingdom. It is argued that the
      nature and act of professional practice and the patient/professional relationship
      are of particular importance in defining the status of the profession. These
      effects are discussed in relation to podiatry and compared to a high status
      professional group, that of dentistry. Finally the effects of attempting to
      change professional status are discussed.

PMID- 20307439
TI  - A review of surgical outcomes of the Lapidus procedure for treatment of hallux
      abductovalgus and degenerative joint disease of the first MCJ.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The modified Lapidus procedure has been used to treat hallux abducto
      valgus and degenerative joint disease of the first metatarsocuneiform joint for
      many years. Historically, the Lapidus has been associated with poor satisfaction
      due to complications such as non-union. The aim of this study was to review the
      surgical outcomes of 18 patients using the validated Foot Health Status
      Questionnaire (FHSQ). The four domains within the FHSQ were all investigated. Pre
      and post operative angular measurements were also reviewed. RESULTS: The results
      of the FHSQ were positive for all four domains, with foot pain having the
      greatest change. Only two complications were recorded: one poor pain control and
      one post operative bleed and all 18 patients went to osseous union.
      Radiographically the mean intermetatarsal angle improved by 7.8 degrees and HAV
      angle by 22.9. A positive association was also demonstrated between validated
      'Minimal Important Difference' (MID) scores. CONCLUSION: The Lapidus is a
      valuable procedure that can have few complications and high levels of patient
      satisfaction.

PMID- 20307440
TI  - Audiovisual distraction as an adjunct to pain and anxiety relief during minor
      surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Minor surgery for ingrown toenails can provoke anxiety and the
      anaesthetic injection can be acutely painful. Distraction techniques may reduce
      the associated pain and anxiety. OBJECTIVE: To investigate an audiovisual
      distraction (Bedscapes) on pain and anxiety during minor surgery for the
      correction of ingrown toenail. METHOD: In a randomised controlled trial, patients
      (N=152) with ingrown toenails requiring surgical correction under local
      anaesthesia were allocated to receive Bedscapes+standard care or standard care
      alone. Pain levels due to local anaesthetic injection were assessed post
      procedure, and anxiety levels were assessed pre- and post-procedure in both
      groups. Follow-up focus groups were conducted with 14 patients allocated to the
      Bedscapes group, and one-to-one interviews were held with four podiatrists.
      RESULTS: Participants with high pre-procedure anxiety scores experienced greater
      pain on injection, and older patients reported lower pain than younger patients,
      regardless of group allocation. Bedscapes did not reduce pain or anxiety, and was
      apparently no more effective than interpersonal interaction between podiatry
      staff and the patient. CONCLUSIONS: Pain of injected anaesthesia correlates
      closely with pre-operative anxiety. Formal audiovisual distraction has no added
      benefit over interpersonal interaction in the alleviation of pain and anxiety in
      patients undergoing nail surgery.

PMID- 20307441
TI  - Effect of using truncated versus total foot length to calculate the arch height
      ratio.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the arch height ratio in a
      large cohort of subjects as well as to assess the reliability and validity of the
      foot measurements utilized in the study. METHOD: Eight hundred and fifty
      subjects, 393 women and 457 men, consented to participate in the study. The
      dorsal arch height, total foot length, and the truncated foot length were used to
      calculate two variations of the arch height ratio. In addition to determining
      within- and between-rater measurement reliability, radiographs were used to
      establish validity. RESULTS: The truncated arch height ratio can be estimated
      using the total foot length, unless toe deformities are present in the individual
      being assessed. All foot measurements had high levels of intra- and inter-rater
      reliability and the validity of measuring the dorsal arch height while standing
      with equal weight on both feet was established. CONCLUSIONS: This investigation
      provides normative values from a large cohort of healthy female and male subjects
      for two variations of the arch height ratio. The arch height ratio is a reliable
      and valid measurement that may prove useful to clinicians and researchers for the
      classification of foot posture.

PMID- 20307442
TI  - The effect of different skin-ankle brace application pressures with and without
      shoes on single-limb balance, electromyographic activation onset and peroneal
      reaction time of lower limb muscles.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several studies have been carried out in order to investigate the
      effect of ankle bracing on ankle joint function and performance. However, no
      study so far has examined the role of skin-brace interface pressure in
      neuromuscular control. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of
      different skin-ankle brace interface pressures, with and without shoes, on quiet
      single-limb balance and the electromyographic (EMG) activation sequence of four
      lower limb muscles. METHODS: Twelve male physical education students who
      volunteered to take part in the study were measured with and without shoes under
      three ankle brace conditions: (i) without brace, (ii) with brace and 30
      kilopascals (kPa) application pressure and (iii) with brace and 60 kPa
      application pressure. Single-limb balance (anteroposterior and mediolateral
      parameter) was assessed on the dominant lower limb, with open and closed eyes, on
      a force platform, simultaneously with the EMG recording of four lower lower limb
      muscles' (gastrocnemius, peroneus longus, rectus femoris and biceps femoris)
      activation onset. Peroneus longus reaction time was also measured by provoking a
      sudden subtalar inversion stress test using a trap-door. RESULTS: The results
      showed that the application of athletic footwear resulted in a significant
      difference between the condition with shoes and without shoes, with a
      significantly increased anteroposterior sway and sway velocity, in all three
      ankle brace application conditions with shoes (F=50.9, d.f.=1, p<0.001 and
      F=58.4, d.f.=1, p<0.001), but had no effect in the mediolateral stability, or the
      total stability parameter. Shoes had no significant effect on the EMG activation
      sequence of the four lower limb muscles. Lastly, ankle brace application with 30
      and 60 kPa application pressures, with and without athletic footwear, led to a
      significant delay in the peroneus longus reaction time (F=9.71, d.f.=2, p<0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that different ankle brace application
      pressures may have an effect on single-limb balance, and peroneal reaction time.
      The application of athletic footwear, further adversely affects these parameters
      significantly. Further research is needed in this area with more dynamic and
      functional measurements, before the safe use of ankle bracing can be widely
      recommended.

PMID- 20307443
TI  - Acute effect of orthoses on foot orientation and perceived comfort in individuals
      with pes cavus during standing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Changes in foot orientation due to orthoses and the relationship with
      perceived comfort are still unclear in pes cavus. The purpose of this study was
      to determine the acute changes of fore-foot angles due to the use of custom-made
      orthoses and their relationship with perceived comfort during standing. METHODS:
      Two photographs were taken using a color-coded camera-based system from the
      posterior and medial views of 20 subjects with bilateral pes cavus under barefoot
      and with orthoses conditions during standing. Djian-Annonier, calcaneal
      inclination, 1st metatarsal declination and rearfoot angles were measured and
      perceived comfort in the forefoot, midfoot and rearfoot was estimated using an
      adapted Visual Analogue Scale-type questionnaire. RESULTS: In comparison with the
      barefoot condition, orthoses increased significantly the 1st metatarsal
      declination angle by 1.9 degrees (p<0.01), and the Djian-Annonier angle by 1.1
      degrees (p=0.02). The calcaneal inclination angle decreased significantly by an
      average of 3.0 degrees (p<0.01). Wearing orthoses significantly improved
      perceived comfort in forefoot, midfoot and rearfoot when compared to barefoot
      condition (p<0.01). A significant correlation was observed between variation of
      calcaneal inclination angle and the perceived comfort at the midfoot (r=-0.44;
      p=0.04). CONCLUSION: Flattening of foot arch and improvement of midfoot perceived
      comfort in pes cavus could be attributed to the reduction of the calcaneal
      inclination angle in the sagittal plane by using orthoses during standing.

PMID- 20307444
TI  - Cross-sectional study to evaluate radiological parameters in hallux rigidus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hallux rigidus (HR) is a common condition with X-rays used to
      evaluate its pathology, grade joint changes and to inform treatment. METHOD: A
      cross-sectional study was undertaken to evaluate radiological foot parameters in
      HR. In 110 subjects (180 feet) aged 18-70 years (mean 52 years) standard weight
      bearing X-rays were examined using dorsal plantar and lateral views. RESULTS:
      Seventy (64%) subjects had bilateral HR and 73 (66%) were female. The mean onset
      of HR (denoted by first metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint restriction/pain) was 44
      (14-68 years) years and median HR duration was 6 years (1-33 years). Flat or
      chevron-shaped metatarsal heads presented in 131 (73%) feet and a history of
      first MTP joint trauma in 22% (74% of whom had unilateral HR). In 74% of feet
      hallux abductus interphalangeus angle (HAI degrees) was greater than normal (< or
      =10 degrees). Correlations between first MTP joint narrowing and sclerosis
      (r=0.76, p=0.01) and increased HAI degrees and first MTP joint narrowing (r=0.34,
      p=0.01) was found. The mean hallux equinus angle of 11 degrees was outside the
      normal range (16-18 degrees). Abnormal sesamoid morphology presented in 117 (65%)
      feet (30% irregular or hypertrophic). Proximal sesamoid displacement was greater
      than that seen in non-HR. Metatarsus primus elevatus was within normal range (<
      or =8 mm) in 160 (89%) feet. The first metatarsal was longer than the second
      metatarsal in 66 (37%) feet although the first metatarsal was longer than the
      third metatarsal in 131 (73%) feet and may be responsible for altered forefoot
      function in HR. CONCLUSIONS: HR was associated with female gender, bilateral
      involvement, older age groups, flat or chevron-shaped metatarsal head, longer
      proximal phalanx, increased HAI degrees and a first metatarsal longer than the
      third metatarsal. For radiological parameters to be considered valid for
      inclusion in a classification of HR their content validity needs to be
      established by formal research.

PMID- 20307445
TI  - Foot and ankle injuries and time lost from play in professional soccer players.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ankle and foot injuries are common in professional soccer players,
      but the relation among diagnosis, severity and time lost from play is not well
      known. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship among
      diagnosis, injury severity and time lost to play of professional soccer players
      with severe ankle and foot injuries with reviewing the recent literature. DESIGN:
      Retrospective descriptive study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Collected data of 66
      players with severe ankle and foot injuries were included in the study. Type of
      injury, diagnosis, treatment, injury severity and finally, time lost from play
      were evaluated from the medical records. Injury severity ('severe' if >28 days,
      'moderate' if between 8 and 28 days) and time lost from play were calculated from
      medical records and by telephone interviews with the players. RESULTS: Most
      injuries (n=20, 32%) occurred during player-to-player contact. The most common
      diagnosis was ankle sprain (30.3%) with anterior talofibular ligament injury.
      Most (55%) hindfoot injuries were Achilles tendinopathy with or without rupture.
      Treatment was surgical in 23 patients (35%). The mean time lost from play for
      players with severe foot and ankle injuries was 61 days (range 21-240 days);
      after Achilles tendon ruptures, the mean time lost was 180 days. Injury severity
      was severe (>28 days lost from play) in 64% patients and moderate (8-28 days lost
      from play) in 36% patients. CONCLUSION: Time lost to play can dramatically
      increase by the presence of severe ankle and foot injuries. Serious ankle and
      foot injuries in this study resulted in players being out of professional
      competition for about 2 months.

PMID- 20307446
TI  - Eversion and inversion muscle group peak torque in hyperpronated and normal
      individuals.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Excessive subtalar pronation causes significant changes in the
      biomechanics of the lower leg, adversely influences proprioceptive feedback and
      neuromuscular reflex behavior and consequently, affects stability of the foot.
      However, the changes in muscle strength, caused by hyperpronation are unclear.
      OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to compare the evertor and
      invertor peak torque between hyperpronated and normal individuals as well as
      between their dominant and non-dominant foot. METHOD: 20 healthy male
      participants volunteered for this study. Leg dominance was assessed on the basis
      of a questionnaire and navicular drop measurements were used to classify
      participants into two groups: hyperpronated (> or =10 mm) and normals (5-9 mm).
      Isokinetic concentric eversion and inversion muscle group strength was tested at
      30 degrees and 120 degrees/s using the Con-Trex MJ isokinetic dynamometer.
      RESULTS: In all cases, inversion peak torque was greater than eversion peak
      torque and declined with increasing angular velocity. No significant differences
      were found for inversion and eversion concentric strength at both speeds tested,
      neither between normal and hyperpronated individuals neither between their
      dominant and non-dominant foot. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate the need re
      evaluation of navicular drop values in order to identify normal and abnormal
      subtalar pronation. The assessment of eccentric contractions is also proposed
      when examining invertors and evertors isokinetic strength.

PMID- 20307447
TI  - Sever's disease--does it effect quality of life?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sever's disease is a condition which has been described
      inconsistently in the literature with respect to pathology, aetiology and
      management. In particular, the impact of this condition has been overlooked,
      probably because it is usually self-limiting. METHOD: This study used a
      prospective comparative design study to determine the impact of Sever's disease
      on the quality of life of its sufferers. RESULTS: Three scales--Happiness,
      Satisfaction with symptoms and Pain/comfort scale--from the POSNA musculoskeletal
      questionnaire showed significant differences between the symptomatic and control
      groups. CONCLUSION: Although the condition may resolve with time, these results
      show that it has a considerable impact on children's lives.

PMID- 20307448
TI  - Optokinetic analysis of gait cycle during walking with 1 cm- and 2 cm-high heel
      lifts.
AB  - The use of orthotic heel lifts is proposed in many cases of Achilles tendon
      disorders as a first-line or conservative treatment. The use of heeled shoes
      induces a plantar flexion of the ankle joint with a consequent decrease in the
      tension forces acting onto the triceps surae. The question to address is how high
      must the heel be? Gait cycle using 1 cm- and 2 cm-high heel lifts was examined.
      Each measurement included kinetic and kinematic data on angular variation and
      moments and power at the hip, knee and foot. The study included 14 healthy
      subjects (5 males, 9 females) between 20 and 35 years of age. The data provided
      by the analysis of the force plate curve showed a statistically significant
      change in some parameters (plate forces, knee moments) which were deemed useful
      in the analysis of load transfer modalities. A very significant decrease
      (p=0.0001) was found in the amplitude of the curve expressing the force produced
      by the whole limb in response to ground reaction forces. This is expressed by a
      decrease in minimum values, suggesting a lower degree of energy absorption at
      heel strike, as well as maximum values reflecting the amount of energy generated
      at push off. This might suggest that by reducing energy absorption by the whole
      limb a 2-cm heel lift would have a protective effect for those muscles that are
      most significantly involved in this function, such as the tibiotarsal complex
      (triceps surae) and the knee complex (rectus femoris).

PMID- 20307449
TI  - Flat foot and femoral anteversion in children--a prospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Flat foot in children during the first years of life evokes
      significant parental concern. Flat foot, intoeing and femoral anteversion may
      well be differential dimensions of developmental pathodynamics with potential for
      inter-related developmental correction. While correlation of femoral anteversion
      with intoeing is documented, its relationship with flat foot remains unclear.
      OBJECTIVE: The aim of this prospective study is to investigate the relationship
      between flat foot and internal rotation of hip, indirectly femoral anteversion.
      METHODS: 651 Children, 339 boys and 312 girls, aged 3-6 years, were examined and
      Contact Index II for flat foot as well as internal rotation of hip measured. 82
      children with other foot and leg deformities were excluded from further analysis.
      RESULTS: Out of 569 children, 95 (16.7%) had flat feet--56 bilateral, 39
      unilateral--with Contact Index II of 0.88 or above. All children with flat feet
      (and none of the normal 474) had raised internal rotation of hip (mean 69.9
      degrees, range 62-80 degrees). CONCLUSION: Regression analysis established an
      unequivocal and highly significant statistical relationship between flat foot and
      increased internal rotation of hip (F=168.1, p<0.001, r=0.53) in children between
      3 and 6 years.

PMID- 20307450
TI  - Achilles tendon rupture following coblation for insertional Achilles tendinosis.
AB  - Radiofrequency microdebridement for Achilles tendinosis is a relatively new
      technique. We report a case of Achilles tendon rupture in a patient eight weeks
      after coblation for his right insertional Achilles tendinosis. We believe that
      this is the first reported case of Achilles tendon rupture following this new
      treatment of radiofrequency microdebridement for chronic Achilles tendinosis.

PMID- 20307451
TI  - Adamantinoma of the calcaneum--a case report.
AB  - Adamantinoma is rare, representing less than 1% of all primary malignant bone
      tumours. It is a slow growing low grade malignant tumour which is often
      clinically, radiologically and histologically mistaken for many other tumours
      like Ewing's sarcoma, synovial sarcoma, fibrosarcoma, metastatic carcinoma,
      fibrous cortical defect and osteofibrous dysplasia. Adamantinoma commonly occurs
      in the tibia. It is also known to occur in the fibula, femur, humerus, radius and
      ulna. Adamantinoma of the foot is extremely rare. There are few reported cases of
      metatarsal and cuneiform bone involvement. To our knowledge adamantinoma of the
      calcaneum has not been previously reported in the literature. We report the case
      of a male patient, aged 33 years, who was treated for adamantinoma of the
      calcaneum and followed for 16 years highlighting the difficulty in diagnosis and
      management of this rare tumor occurring at a rare site.

PMID- 20307452
TI  - Secondary chondrosarcoma in an enchondroma in a proximal phalanx of toe. A
      diagnostic problem. A case report.
AB  - The authors present a case of secondary chondrosarcomatous transformation in
      enchondroma in toe. The authors have discussed the available literature to throw
      light on differentiation of benign and malignant form.

PMID- 20307453
TI  - Foot varus in stroke patients: muscular activity of extensor digitorum longus
      during the swing phase of gait.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hemiparetic patients often present an abnormal leg muscles balance
      that can lead to foot deformities like equinovarus or varus. OBJECTIVE: To assess
      whether a muscle imbalance between tibialis anterior and extensor digitorum
      longus was associated with a varus deformity of the foot during the swing phase
      of gait in stroke patients. METHODS: Twenty hemiparetic patients presenting a
      foot varus during the swing phase of gait were compared to 16 healthy subjects.
      Gait was analyzed by video recording and by surface electromyography. Duration
      and magnitude of electromyographic signal were collected for tibialis anterior
      and extensor digitorum longus. Presence of an activity of the calf muscles during
      the swing phase was also evaluated. RESULTS: Hemiparetic patients exhibited more
      often premature activity of the calf muscles (p<0.05) and greater duration and
      amplitude asymmetry between tibialis anterior and extensor digitorum longus
      (p<0.05). These asymmetries were explained by a decrease in extensor digitorum
      longus activity (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The activity of extensor digitorum longus
      muscle during the swing phase of gait is important to balance the foot in the
      frontal plane. The activation of that muscle should be included in rehabilitation
      programs.

PMID- 20307454
TI  - An evaluation of the long-term effects of total plantar fasciotomy--a preliminary
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Plantar fascia release for chronic plantar fasciitis has given
      excellent pain relief and rapid return to activities with few reported
      complications. Cadaveric studies have led to the identification of some potential
      post-operative problems, commonly weakness of the medial longitudinal arch (MLA)
      and pain in the lateral midfoot. METHODS: Eight total plantar fasciotomy patients
      (five bilateral and three unilateral) were evaluated subjectively and objectively
      with regards to surgical outcome and biomechanical change. The centre of pressure
      (COP) and loading of the foot were measured using the F Scan mobile system and
      COM'nalysis software. In addition, five control subjects were evaluated with the
      F Scan. The reading for one foot of one of the control subjects was discarded due
      to a biomechanical abnormality. RESULTS: The results of this study were that the
      COP of the foot in post-total plantar fasciotomy subjects was significantly
      laterally deviated throughout the propulsive phase of gait compared to that of
      control subjects (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in plantar
      pressure at the rearfoot or the first metatarsophangeal joint (MTPJt) between the
      post-operative and control groups (p>0.05). Six of the eight of the post
      operative patients (11 feet) considered the procedure to be successful in
      resolving their symptoms. CONCLUSION: Total plantar fasciotomy may result in
      changes to the COP of the foot. It could be extrapolated from this data, in
      conjunction with subjective visual clinical observations of gait, that supination
      of the foot could occur post-operatively rather than the pronatory state
      secondary to a collapsed arch that, collectively, the results of cadaver studies
      have suggested. The conclusions drawn from this pilot study are to some extent
      speculative, as the measurements were only made post-operatively and a small
      number of subjects were studied. Further research is required in this area.

PMID- 20307455
TI  - Hallux rigidus: a cross-sectional study to evaluate clinical parameters.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hallux rigidus (HR) is a common condition with history and physical
      examination used to help evaluate pathology, grade clinical changes and to inform
      treatment. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was undertaken to evaluate the
      demographics of and clinical parameters encountered in HR. In 110 subjects (180
      feet) aged 18-70 years (mean 52 years) a standardized history and physical
      examination was undertaken. Clinical parameters associated with HR were
      evaluated. The Foot Health Status Questionnaire (FHSQ) was used to measure health
      related quality-of-life dimensions. RESULTS: Seventy (64%) subjects had bilateral
      HR and 73 (66%) were female. Mean HR onset was 44 (14-68 years) years and median
      HR duration 6 years (1-33 years). A history of 1st MTPJ trauma presented in 22%
      of subjects; 74% of whom had unilateral HR. Eighty-four (47%) feet had pes planus
      based on a positive Foot Posture Index. A correlation between pes planus and 1st
      MTPJ pain was found (r=0.84, p=0.05). In 74% of feet, hallux abductus
      interphalangeus angle (HAI degrees ) was greater than normal (< or =10 degrees ).
      A correlation between HAI and reduced 1st MTPJ ROM was found (r=0.92, p=0.05).
      Second toe length was the same as the hallux in 111 feet (62%). A correlation
      between valgus hallucal rotation and 1st MTP joint pain in HR was found (r=.78,
      p=.05). A positive relationship was found between 2nd toe length and 1st MTPJ
      pain (p=0.001<0.05). A correlation between hallucal interphalangeal joint (IPJ)
      hyperextension and 1st MTPJ pain was found (r=0.78, p=0.01). A positive
      relationship was found between lesser MTPJ pain and supination at propulsion
      (p<0.001). There was no evidence of Achilles tendon contracture. The FHSQ results
      concur with clinical findings. CONCLUSIONS: HR was associated with female gender,
      bilateral involvement, older age groups, increased HAI degrees, 2nd toe length
      similar to hallux, hallucal IPJ hyperextension, lesser MTP joint pain, flat foot
      and certain gait alterations. HR was not associated with Achilles tendon
      tightness or footwear. The content validity of clinical parameters of HR needs to
      be established by formal research prior to their inclusion in a classification of
      HR.

PMID- 20307456
TI  - Surgical treatment for calcaneal intraosseous lipomas.
AB  - Intraosseous lipoma is among rare benign tumors of the bone. The aim of the
      present study was to evaluate the long-term surgical results of calcaneal
      lipomas, representing a relatively rare localization for this type of tumors. The
      present study included 21 calcaneal lipoma cases (22 feet) referred to our
      podiatry clinic between 1991 and 2001 with complaints of foot and heel pain
      resistant to conservative treatment for the last 3-6 months. In all cases, the
      diagnosis of calcaneal intraosseous lipoma was first confirmed radiologically,
      then histologically. The mean age was 39 years (range 16-62), 15 were females
      (71%) and 6 were males (29%). One patient had bilateral disease, whereas 11 and 9
      patients had right and left calcaneal involvement, respectively. None of the
      patients have a palpable mass in their foot. For pre-operative differential
      diagnosis, 3 patients had computerized tomography examination (CT scan) and 8
      patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). All lesions were totally
      curetted out with angled curettes. The defect was filled with cancellous
      autografts taken from the ipsilateral iliac crest. In only four patients, the
      amount of autograft was not sufficient, so a combination of cancellous allograft
      and autograft was used. No drain was used. An elastic bandage was wrapped around
      the foot and ankle, and cold packs were applied to the surgical site. The mean
      duration of follow up was 94 (45-143) months. Pain improved in 17 feet at 4
      months, in an additional 4 feet at 8 months and in the remaining one foot at 12
      months. The mean time to the graft consolidation was 5 months (range 3-7 months).
      There were no recurrences or pathological fractures during the follow up. No
      wound infection or necrosis was seen at the surgical sites. There were no
      neurovascular complications. Five cases experienced pain in the iliac bone for 1
      month, due to grafting procedures. Although calcaneal intraosseous lipoma
      accounts for a small portion of cases in the huge differential diagnosis chart
      for foot pain, it should be kept in mind as a possible diagnosis in unresolved
      cases. Most of the patients would benefit from non-surgical treatments. But if
      this is not the case, surgical treatment is indicated. In conclusion, curettage
      and autogenous bone grafting is an easy and effective method for the surgical
      treatment of calcaneal intraosseous lipomas.

PMID- 20307457
TI  - Efficacy of tibial nerve block, local steroid injection or both in the treatment
      of plantar heel pain syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Plantar Heel Pain Syndrome (PHPS) describes centralised plantar heel
      pain and tenderness. It can account for up to 15% of referrals to clinicians
      involved in the treatment of foot pain. OBJECTIVE: To compare tibial nerve block,
      local infiltration with steroid or both combined in the treatment of PHPS.
      METHODS: Patients with PHPS were randomly assigned to three treatment groups:
      Group 1-steroid injection to heel; Group 2-local anaesthetic block to tibial
      nerve; Group 3-both procedures. Pain visual analogue scale (VAS) was measured at
      baseline and after 1, 6 and 26 weeks. Heel tenderness index (HTI) was measured at
      baseline and after 6 weeks. The patient rated their discomfort from the
      injection(s) using a VAS. RESULTS: Forty-five patients (27 female) were
      recruited, 14 in Group 1, 12 in Group 2 and 19 in Group 3. Median age was 55,
      disease duration was 10 months and baseline pain VAS was 7.0 cm. All groups
      experienced a sustained improvement in pain VAS between baseline and weeks 1, 6
      and 26 (all p<0.0001). Group 1 reported significantly lower pain VAS that those
      in Group 2 (p<0.01) or Group 3 (p<0.05) at week 6. Group 2 found the procedure
      less uncomfortable than Group 1 (p<0.01). The HTI was significantly higher in
      Group 2 at 6 weeks compared to Group 1 (p<0.005) and Group 3 (p<0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the natural history of PHPS following an
      injection is encouraging, that a tibial nerve block reduces the discomfort of the
      procedure, that a steroid injection to the heel may accelerate improvement and
      that clinicians should consider a combination of both strategies.

PMID- 20307458
TI  - A report of UK experience in 917 cases of day care foot surgery using a validated
      outcome tool.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Day case surgery is an increasingly important treatment modality and
      one that foot surgery is particularly well suited to. OBJECTIVES: This article
      presents an in depth evaluation of the outcomes of day case foot surgery
      undertaken in the primary care setting. METHOD: 917 consecutive day surgery cases
      were evaluated with the Foot Health Status Questionnaire (FHSQ), patient
      satisfaction questionnaires and complication audits. RESULTS: 917 separate day
      care admissions were audited (696 females and 221 males). The average age at time
      of surgery was 50 years (range 14-100, S.D. 11). Post-operative follow up was
      usually complete by 26 weeks (range 21-218 weeks, S.D. 145). A total of 2772
      individual procedures with patients receiving between one and five procedures per
      admission. The majority of patients (81%, N=743) opted for local anaesthesia. The
      FHSQ scores for foot pain, foot function, foot health, shoe fitting, general
      health, physical activity, social capacity and vigour improved. Patient
      satisfaction results were favourable and complication rates were within
      acceptable limits. CONCLUSIONS: Podiatric surgery is well placed to meet both the
      demands of government and patients in delivering a high quality, safe and
      efficient treatment for patients requesting elective surgical intervention for
      foot deformity.

PMID- 20307459
TI  - Fixation of an Akin osteotomy with a tension suture: our results.
AB  - An Akin osteotomy is a closing wedge varus osteotomy of the proximal phalanx,
      usually performed as part of a hallux valgus correction surgery to complement the
      metatarsal correction. Numerous fixation techniques have been described; most
      provide good and stable fixation, but involve permanent and sometimes protruding
      hardware. A retrospective cohort study has been carried out of 115 feet in 109
      patients using a technique with an absorbable suture fixation of the medial
      cortex of the proximal phalanx while preserving the lateral cortex. All the
      osteotomies united completely with no loss of position. HV angles and IM angles
      were within acceptable parameters. In comparison to others methods, the technique
      presented in this study is technically simple, provides good results, requires no
      specialized instrumentation, is cost effective and has a very low complication
      rate.

PMID- 20307460
TI  - Use of the modified Stainsby procedure in correcting severe claw toe deformity in
      the rheumatoid foot: a retrospective review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In claw toe deformity, the plantar plate of the metarsophalangeal
      joint becomes displaced onto the dorsal aspect of the metatarsal head. The
      Stainsby procedure replaces the displaced plantar plate to its correct position
      beneath the metatarsal head. OBJECTIVE: In this study we assess the efficacy of a
      modified Stainsby procedure for the treatment of claw toe deformity. METHODS:
      Thirteen patients were operated on between 2002 and 2008. Eleven patients (13
      feet) were available for review with the average follow-up period being 16
      months. Clinical examination was performed and AOFAS forefoot scores were
      measured. RESULTS: All 13 (100%) of the feet operated on had severe or moderate
      pain preoperatively. None had significant pain at review. Plantar callosities
      were reduced from 13 (100%) feet preoperatively to 1 (9%) foot postoperatively.
      The AOFAS forefoot score in the eleven patients improved significantly by 40.7
      points from a preoperative mean of 20.1 to a mean of 50.2 at review (p<0.001).
      Ten (91%) of the 11 patients were completely satisfied with the procedure, 1
      patient was satisfied with some reservations. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates
      the modified Stainsby procedure to be effective in correcting claw toe deformity
      in the rheumatoid patient. It relieves pain, skin callosities and improves
      overall forefoot function.

PMID- 20307461
TI  - Midfoot plantar pressure significantly increases during late gestation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A rise in plantar pressure has been observed in pregnant women with
      foot pain. The current literature on plantar pressure in pregnancy is sparse. It
      has been postulated that changes in plantar pressure result from the
      physiological effects of pregnancy. In this study we aim to quantify the plantar
      pressure of women in late pregnancy. METHODS: Twenty-two pregnant women
      undergoing a caesarean section and twenty non-pregnant women were recruited from
      University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire between May to June 2007. Plantar
      pressure measurements were performed using an in-shoe measurement system. The
      control group was compared with the pregnant group at 38 weeks gestation. A
      selection of the pregnant group had repeat measurements at 4 months post-partum.
      The pre and post-partum measurements were also compared. RESULTS: The pregnant
      group (PG) exerted a significantly higher mean midfoot pressure compared to the
      non-pregnant control group (CG) (PG=115.5kPa, CG=95.4kPa; p=0.001). Post-partum
      (PP), there was a significant reduction in the mean and maximum midfoot pressure
      (mean; PG=111.9kPa, PP=66.2kPa; p<0.001, maximum; PG=184.0kPa, PP=108.3kPa;
      p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The physiological changes in late pregnancy result in an
      increase in midfoot plantar pressure. This increase resolves post-partum.

PMID- 20307462
TI  - The light revival: does phototherapy promote wound healing? A review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Throughout history, light has been recognised as a potential source
      of healing. The introduction of lasers made it possible to modify and control
      light for optimum therapeutic use. AIM: This paper reviews recent clinical trials
      that test phototherapy on human models in order to assess the value of
      phototherapy in routine wound care. METHOD: A literature search was undertaken
      using a variety of sources including online databases. RESULTS: The results of
      numerous in vitro and animal investigations suggest that phototherapy may
      stimulate cell activity and promote tissue repair. Reports of human clinical
      trials are relatively few. There is inconsistency of selected treatment
      parameters amongst studies testing the effect of phototherapy on wound healing.
      Clinical trials using human models do not provide sufficient evidence to
      establish the usefulness of phototherapy as an effective tool in wound care
      regimes. CONCLUSION: Further well designed research trials are required to
      determine the true value of phototherapy in routine wound care.

PMID- 20307463
TI  - Simultaneous bilateral fracture-dislocation of the talus: a case report.
AB  - A bilateral talar body fracture-dislocation in a 29-year-old multitrauma patient
      is presented. There was a comminuted fracture associated with an ankle, subtalar
      and talonavicular subluxation on the right lower limb and an open fracture with
      complete dislocation of the body of talus on the left side. We performed a
      minimal invasive reduction and stabilization of the fractures with the use of K
      wires, due to severe contamination of the wounds and the patient's poor general
      condition. After a 28-month follow-up there were signs of posttraumatic arthritis
      but no signs of avascular necrosis of the talus bilaterally. The range of motion
      in both ankle joints was limited but the patient had a satisfactory level of
      activity.

PMID- 20307464
TI  - Bizarre accessory metatarsal located between the left fourth and fifth
      metatarsals: a case report.
AB  - We report a case of bizarre accessory metatarsal located between the left fourth
      and fifth metatarsals without a supernumerary digit in a 6-year-old girl. The
      accessory metatarsal was resected to alleviate foot pain on walking. This
      metatarsal dysplasia might have arisen from sequential failures of digital
      formation at an early stage of development.

PMID- 20307465
TI  - Neuro-epiphyseal injury around the ankle: a case report.
AB  - An epiphyseal injury without obvious trauma is a diagnostic dilemma; in
      neurologically impaired children, the lack of sensation and repetitive trauma can
      lead to neuropathic injuries of the physeal plate, with bizarre X-ray changes;
      the problem is compounded by lack of awareness in the average orthopaedist,
      leading to treatment delays and unnecessary procedures like biopsy, or even
      surgery for osteomyelitis or malignancy, with increased morbidity and disability.
      We report a 12-year male child with myelomeningocele and neurological deficit; he
      presented with painless swelling and redness of left leg and sensory-motor
      deficit below the knee joints. X-rays showed distal tibial epiphysis plate
      widening and irregularity. A diagnosis of neuropathic epiphyseal plate injury was
      considered; the clinico-radiological picture only resolved after rigid
      immobilization in below knee POP casts and abstinence of weight bearing. Lesser
      changes were noted in the opposite side also. The injured physis displaced
      somewhat posteromedially over 8 months, but ultimately fused; contra-lateral
      changes subsided with partial physeal fusion. The objective of reporting this
      unusual case is to increase the awareness levels, and to report the bizarre
      radiological changes. Management involves non-weight bearing immobilization;
      diagnostic delays lead to more reactive changes with higher incidence of
      subsequent physeal closure.

PMID- 20307466
TI  - Elective foot and ankle surgery; activity and perioperative complications in
      Queensland public hospitals, Australia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To conduct an audit of elective foot and ankle surgery in Queensland
      public hospitals and to compare the frequency of these procedures performed to
      other states and territories of Australia. METHODS: ICD-10-AM data was used to
      extract elective foot and ankle procedures from the Data Services Unit of
      Queensland Health, and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare between the
      years of 2000 and 2004. RESULTS: During the 4-year audit period 3846 primary
      procedures were performed during the 4-year period with a complication rate of
      2.2% during the hospital admission period. Mean length of stay was 1.7 days. Post
      operative infection rates were 0.26%. With the exception of Tasmania and the
      Northern Territory, Queensland performs the least number of elective foot and
      ankle procedures per capita per year in Australia. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first
      reported audit of elective foot and ankle surgery for Queensland public
      hospitals. Complication rates cannot be directly compared to the literature as
      this data could only capture complications within hospital admission period.
      Fewer elective foot and ankle procedures were performed in Queensland public
      hospitals compared to all other mainland states of Australia during the data
      collection period.

PMID- 20307467
TI  - Foot orthoses and dental appliances--is there a relationship?
AB  - BACKGROUND: This investigation was aimed at examining whether subjects who wear a
      combination of functional foot orthoses and dental appliances have less postural
      sway and furthermore to study if these changes are direction dependent. METHODS:
      Centre of pressure (CoP) displacement in seven subjects, mean age 49 range (39
      58) who met the inclusion criteria were evaluated using a pressure platform.
      Total displacement of the centre of pressure, the reduction in the displacement
      about the origin, area of the ellipse, total displacement along the x- and y-axes
      and frequency of sway along the anterior-posterior and mediolateral axes were
      estimated under four conditions, namely wearing orthoses and appliances, wearing
      only orthoses, only appliances and finally wearing neither orthoses nor
      appliances. RESULTS: In the six patients who had class II malocclusion there was
      no significant difference between the displacement (z=0.314 and p=0.753) and the
      frequency (z=0.680 and p=0.496) of sway along the medio-lateral or anterior
      posterior axes. Under control conditions the mean path length was 780 (SD 415)
      mm, the mean deviation from origin was 4.76 (SD 5.8) mm and the mean area was
      0.83 (SD 1.87) mm(2)/cm(2). The mean deviation from origin was seen to reduce
      under all experimental conditions. Wearing the dental appliance alone was seen to
      be the most effective although the difference was not statistically significant.
      The sway area was also seen to reduce under all experimental conditions. The sway
      was most reduced when participants were wearing orthoses (i.e. conditions 1 and
      3) with the reduction being the greatest when the orthoses was worn on its own
      (i.e. condition 3). CONCLUSION: While, foot orthoses have been used for the
      relief of symptoms either within or extrinsic to the foot, they could have a much
      wider role in the management of patients with stability problems. Results from
      this study highlight the need for further research in this exciting and as yet
      unexplored area.

PMID- 20307468
TI  - A new scoring system for the evaluation of clubfoot: the IMAR-Clubfoot scale.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recently much interest has been shown regarding the biomechanical
      techniques for the assessment of clubfoot but as yet their specific role in such
      an endeavour is unclear. Several scoring systems have been designed but none have
      been adopted as a standard. The ideal system should be simple, modular, reliable,
      repeatable and be able to assess functional deformity objectively. OBJECTIVE:
      This study was aimed to develop a comprehensive scoring system and to demonstrate
      the potential of such an assessment tool in evaluating clubfoot. METHODS: A new
      innovative scoring system, the IMAR-Clubfoot scale, was designed, which
      incorporated clinical and biomechanical data. Clinical assessment was performed
      using a questionnaire and standard clinical criteria while the biomechanical
      evaluation was undertaken using the Podotrack, the optical dynamic pedobarograph
      and the GAITRite systems. Thirteen children (16 clubfeet) were recruited for
      assessment using the IMAR-Clubfoot scale. RESULTS: The model can detect
      abnormalities related to talipes equinovarus and quantify them objectively. The
      results also emphasise the need for such a comprehensive system, which combines
      clinical and biomechanical data as there was no statistical correlation between
      these data. CONCLUSION: The scoring system would be helpful in assessing the
      deformity, deciding upon appropriate management and objectively defining the
      success/failure of treatment at patient follow-up.

PMID- 20307469
TI  - Assessment of mechanical strain in the intact plantar fascia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A method of measuring tri-axial plantar fascia strain that is
      minimally affected by external compressive force has not previously been
      reported. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the use of micro
      strain gauges to examine strain in the different axes of the plantar fascia.
      METHOD: Two intact limbs from a thawed, fresh-frozen cadaver were dissected, and
      a combination of five linear and one three-way rosette gauges were attached to
      the fascia of the foot and ankle. Strain was assessed during two trials, both
      consisting of an identical controlled, loaded dorsiflexion. RESULTS: An ICC
      analysis of the results revealed that the majority of gauge placement sites
      produced reliable measures (ICC>0.75). Strain mapping of the plantar fascia
      indicates that the majority of the strain is centrally longitudinal, which
      provides supportive evidence for finite element model analysis. CONCLUSION:
      Although micro-strain gauges do possess the limitation of calibration difficulty,
      they provide a repeatable measure of fascial strain and may provide benefits in
      situations that require tri-axial assessment or external compression.

PMID- 20307470
TI  - The biomechanics and clinical efficacy of footwear adapted with rocker profiles-
      evidence in the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rocker profiles are the most commonly prescribed external therapeutic
      shoe modification. However, the prescription criteria for rocker profiles have
      historically been based on theoretical considerations with minimal scientific
      study and validation. OBJECTIVE: Rocker profiles are used to afford pressure
      relief for the plantar surface of the foot, to limit the need for sagittal plane
      motion in the joints of the foot and to alter gait kinetics and kinematics in
      proximal joints. This paper reviews the literature relating to biomechanical and
      clinical efficacy. METHOD: A literature search was undertaken in Medline, PubMed,
      Recal, Cochrane database and Scopus. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Efficacy is
      demonstrated with regards to relief of forefoot plantar pressures. However, the
      definitive profile shape has not been demonstrated. The effectiveness of rocker
      soled shoes in restricting sagittal plane motion in individual joints of the foot
      is unclear. Rocker profiles have minimal effect on the kinetics and kinematics of
      the more proximal joints of the lower limb, but more significant effects are seen
      at the ankle. Further research is warranted on the effects of rocker profiles on
      individual joints of the foot and the manner in which they effect lower limb
      muscle activity and gait patterns.

PMID- 20307471
TI  - A review of the differences between normal and osteoarthritis articular cartilage
      in human knee and ankle joints.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease yet its
      pathophysiology is still poorly understood. It is more prevalent in some lower
      limb joints than others; in particular the knee is more commonly affected than
      the ankle. Research into articular cartilage and OA has primarily focussed on
      using animal models. However, it is apparent that articular cartilage differs
      between species, so more research is concentrating on human cartilage. OBJECTIVE:
      This paper reviews recent studies that have been undertaken to elucidate the
      reasons for this, and to discover if the findings would alter the conception that
      articular cartilage is not capable of repair. METHOD: Primary research papers
      into human knee and ankle cartilage published since 1997 have been reviewed.
      RESULTS: Differences in the structure, metabolism, physical properties and
      response to trauma have been found, implying that ankle cartilage may be more
      resistant to damage. CONCLUSIONS: More research is needed before definitive
      conclusions can be reached, but the findings so far suggest that OA should not be
      accepted as the inevitable outcome of joint injury and individuals and
      practitioners, such as podiatrists, may be able to use simple measures to prevent
      or delay its onset.

PMID- 20307473
TI  - Congenital subtalar dislocation--a case report.
AB  - Congenital dislocation of the subtalar joint is one of the rarest forms of
      presentation of a calcaneo-valgus foot. We report the second case of this type
      published; an 18-month female child aged was seen with calcaneo-valgus deformity
      of left foot since birth. She was walking over the medial malleolus and medial
      border of foot. Radiographs and 3D CT scan of the left foot confirmed the
      diagnosis of a congenital subtalar dislocation. Surgical correction was achieved
      through a posterolateral incision, and the reduced joint was fixed with a k-wires
      for 6 weeks; the foot was immobilized in below knee cast for another 6 weeks, and
      an ankle foot orthosis was used for another 3 years. At 3 years post-surgical
      follow up, the child has a plantigrade foot with no functional impairment. Follow
      up radiographs and 3D CT scan confirmed the maintenance of well aligned talo
      calcaneal joint. This type of dislocation should be considered in the
      differential diagnosis of calcaneo-valgus foot; a clear understanding of the
      pathology, a precise operative reduction, and long-term use of orthosis results
      in a favourable outcome.

PMID- 20307472
TI  - Management of a complex hind foot war injury with negative pressure wound
      therapy: a case study.
AB  - We report the use of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) in a 39 year old
      patient with a complex open hind foot injury. The patient sustained an open
      calcaneal fracture with extensive soft tissue damage following the detonation of
      an explosively formed penetrating round in a confined space. A remarkable
      recovery was made following surgical debridement, internal fixation of the
      fracture and use of NPWT over the soft tissue injury. The patient returned to his
      normal level of function, without complications within a few months.

PMID- 20307474
TI  - Pigmented villonodular synovitis of the talonavicular joint: a case report and
      review of the literature.
AB  - Pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) is a locally aggressive synovial
      proliferative disorder of unknown aetiology affecting the linings of joints,
      tendon sheaths, and bursae. A 22-year-old female patient presented with a 3-year
      history of an increasingly painful swelling on the dorsum of her right foot.
      Examination revealed a 4 cm x 2 cm swelling that was fluctuant, tender on
      palpation, unattached to overlying skin and partially mobile. A firm,
      pedunculated intra-articular lesion from the talonavicular joint was removed at
      surgery. Histology revealed a nodular lesion of stromal cells and numerous giant
      cells with villous architecture as well as abundant haemosiderin deposition with
      foamy macrophages (in keeping with PVNS). The patient is currently under review
      by the orthopaedic oncology team. Talonavicular joint PVNS is rare. MRI scanning
      is the optimum investigation. Complete excision is necessary to minimise high
      risk of recurrence.

PMID- 20307475
TI  - Midfoot fusion using a locking plate system: a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Midfoot osteoarthrosis can impede daily activity and affect
      lifestyle, due to pain and footwear restrictions. A case is presented of an
      arthrodesis of the 2nd and 3rd metatarsocuneiform joints (MCJs), undertaken using
      a locking plate system, to treat painful degenerative changes that had been
      symptomatic for 6 months. CONCLUSION: Arthrodesis of the 2nd and 3rd MCJs using a
      locking plate system achieved adequate fusion and the presenting complaint was
      resolved. The patient was delighted with the surgical outcome.

PMID- 20307476
TI  - The epidemiology of calcaneal fractures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Calcaneal fractures are rare, but debilitating injuries, which occur
      frequently in younger individuals. The economic impact of the residual long-term
      disability that may occur after these injuries is therefore disproportionate to
      their incidence. The aim of this study was to review the epidemiology and injury
      patterns of this injury. METHODS: Data was extracted from a computer database,
      which prospectively coded all orthopaedic trauma events in a single unit between
      January 1995 and June 2005. Over this period 697 patients sustaining 752
      fractures (55 bilateral) were treated in our unit. The patient's demographic
      details were prospectively recorded, together with details of their injury and
      primary treatment. The radiographs of a subgroup of patients were retrospectively
      examined in detail. RESULTS: The annual incidence of fracture was 11.5 per
      100,000, and occurred 2.4 times more frequently in males than females. In males,
      the incidence was 16.5/100,000/year, with a peak incidence in the age range 20-29
      (21.6/100,000/year). In females, the overall incidence was 6.26/100,000/year,
      with a more even spread throughout the age cohorts and showing a gradual increase
      in incidence towards the post-menopausal years. The majority of fractures were
      sustained in falls from a height (71.5%), and 64.3% of these were from 6 feet and
      above. Only 18.8% of fractures occurred in the workplace, and although manual
      workers made up the largest occupational group, significant numbers occurred in
      both unemployed and the retired. Most injuries occurred in isolation but the most
      commonly seen concomitant injuries were lower limb (13.2%) or spinal injuries
      (6.3%). Conventional radiography in a subgroup of the patients showed an average
      Bohler's angle of 16.5 degrees with no difference between the males and females.
      There was a strong association between the severity of the fracture, as assessed
      using the Sanders classification on computerised tomography, and the degree of
      depression of the Bohler's angle (p=0.002).

PMID- 20307477
TI  - Trans-metatarsal amputation in patients with a diabetic foot: reviewing 10 years
      experience.
AB  - Considerable disagreement exists whether trans-metatarsal amputations are
      indicated in persons with diabetes. A previous study reported that statistically
      the success rate of Syme's amputation in diabetic patients over 65 years of age
      resulted in a very poor results. The purpose of this study was to investigate the
      results of trans-metatarsal amputations, in patients with diabetes and to seek
      markers which could shed light upon the advantages/disadvantages of this
      procedure. The records of 46 patients covering a 10-year period (1996-2006) were
      used as a database. Twelve needed higher amputation level and another 10 needed a
      wound revision. All the patients that maintained the original amputation level
      walk without a need for a prosthesis and kept their previous abode. TMA in
      diabetic patients, although at a high risk for an extrasurgical procedure, once
      successful, the patient will regain his previous lifestyle.

PMID- 20307478
TI  - The effect on neuromuscular stability, performance, multi-joint coordination and
      proprioception of barefoot, taping or preventative bracing.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the effects of taping and
      preventive bracing on functional balance, jumping performance, multi-joint
      coordination and proprioception on comparison to barefoot and each other. DESIGN:
      Controlled trial as an experiment with the independent variable testing in 3
      trials: control (barefooted), preventive bracing, and taping. SETTING: The sports
      physiotherapy research laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty physically active male
      university students aged between 20 and 28 who had been free from lower extremity
      pathology for 12 months and had no previous history of ankle sprain served as
      participants. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Single leg balance (s), jumping performance
      (cm), coordination and proprioception assessments by the Functional Squat System.
      The software automatically calculated the absolute average error (cm) and the
      standard deviation (SD) of the average error. Average errors were independently
      quantified as a function of the action mode (concentric versus eccentric) and of
      the lower limb (dominant versus non-dominant). RESULTS: There was no significant
      difference among the groups for balance tests (p>0.05). For vertical jump
      performance of bilateral and the dominant leg there were significant differences
      that the barefoot group had better results compared to the other groups (p=0.059;
      0.017). According to the coordination results of Functional Squat System
      participants were better in brace and tape situations since the deviations were
      less for all concentric and eccentric positions. Deviation results for the
      proprioception test were different for first visual and non-visual deviations for
      dominant leg (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, bracing and taping may play an
      important role in preventing injury or rehabilitation of the injured ankle by
      improving concentric and eccentric coordination, proprioception with the ability
      of reproducing motion in closed kinetic chain while decreasing vertical jump
      performance. No superiority of brace over tape or vice versa was found in this
      study.

PMID- 20307479
TI  - A clinical guideline for the conservative management of tibialis posterior tendon
      dysfunction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Early and appropriate conservative treatment is considered essential
      to prevent progression of tibialis posterior tendon dysfunction (TPTD), with its
      potential long term disabling consequences and the need for surgical
      intervention. However, there is no consensus in the literature regarding the
      treatment of the disorder. This investigation aimed at developing a local
      clinical guideline for the conservative management of TPTD by a consensus
      development group. METHODOLOGY: An action research methodology utilising the RAND
      modified Delphi approach was employed involving seven multidisciplinary consensus
      group participants. The guideline developed from this process was then sent for
      national evaluation via postal questionnaire. RESULTS: Although a difference in
      opinion regarding certain aspects of the conservative management of TPTD was
      initially present, a local consensus was achieved following extensive discussion.
      86% of survey respondents from other localities found the guideline useful but
      their comments, which were sometimes at odds with each other, revealed a lack of
      national consensus regarding the management of the condition. CONCLUSION: This
      research project has provided empirical evidence that a local clinical guideline
      can be developed by a consensus group for the management of TPTD. However, the
      lack of national consensus regarding TPTD treatment found in this research study
      and as reflected in the published literature, would limit the transferability of
      this guideline to other localities. While, the guideline reported in this study
      could be used to inform the development of other national and international
      guidelines, different areas of expertise that emerged between professions
      highlighted the importance of employing a multidisciplinary group in the
      development of guidelines for the management of musculoskeletal conditions of the
      foot and ankle.

PMID- 20307480
TI  - Arthroscopic release of flexor hallucis longus tendon using modified
      posteromedial and posterolateral portals in the supine position.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The flexor hallucis longus (FHL) is a known site of pathological
      conditions. FHL stenosing tenosynovitis presents as posterior medial ankle pain
      or great toe discomfort and is often associated with a catching sensation of the
      great toe. There are a wide variety of open procedures for the treatment of FHL
      stenosing tenosynovitis. OBJECTIVE: Arthroscopic treatment may circumvent some of
      the complications associated with open surgical treatment of the hindfoot.
      METHODS: Arthroscopic surgery was completed in the supine position using modified
      posteromedial and posterolateral portals. A 70 degrees arthroscope allowed for
      circumferential evaluation of the ankle through the posterolateral portal
      including the subtalar areas and the entire FHL tendon for release using basket
      forceps and a 3.5mm shaver. RESULTS: This method allows for decompression of the
      FHL from the entrance of the fibro-osseous tunnel to the knot of Henry. Active
      and passive range of motion of both the ankle and toes was encouraged
      postoperatively. The patient returned to sporting activity 6 weeks after surgery.
      CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic treatment of the FHL stenosing tenosynovitis is presented
      as an alternative to an open surgical procedure; it may reduce wound
      complications and may allow for an earlier return to sport.

PMID- 20307481
TI  - Treatment of gun-shot defect of the foot with bovine collagen matrix application.
AB  - Nonoperative therapy might be chosen for patients with small wounds or defects
      around the foot and ankle region. Lyophilized bovine collagen matrix is one of
      ideal biological dressings used in wound treatment. We present an example of type
      1 bovine collagen (Gelfix, Euroresearch, Inc., Milano, Italy) usage in a complex
      gun-shot wound of the foot and relevant literature is discussed.

PMID- 20307482
TI  - Identification of a flexor digitorum accessorius longus muscle with unique distal
      attachments.
AB  - During a cadaver dissection in a gross anatomy course, a flexor digitorum
      accessorius longus (FDAL) muscle was identified. The FDAL was a unilateral, two
      headed, multipennate muscle originating from the flexor retinaculum, deep fascia,
      and calcaneus. The muscle bodies fused into one tendon and coursed distally where
      slips were observed inserting into the flexor digitorum longus tendon and the
      flexor hallicus longus tendon. A survey of the literature revealed that an FDAL
      may be present in approximately 15% of the general population. Our results
      concerning the FDAL suggest the need for clinicians to recognize the occurrence
      and variability of accessory leg and ankle muscles, and to use available
      technology such as MRI to assist with the diagnosis and treatment of compressive
      neuropathies of the foot.

PMID- 20307483
TI  - Interdigital pilonidal sinus of the foot.
AB  - Pilonidal sinus of the interdigital spaces is a common condition among barbers.
      The condition results from a foreign body reaction to clients' hairs. It is
      thought that the short sharp hairs penetrate the skin when hands are rubbed
      through freshly cut hair. We present an unusual case of a pilonidal sinus arising
      in the interdigital spaces of the foot in a female hairdresser. This is to our
      knowledge only the second such case reported in the literature.

PMID- 20307484
TI  - Complete rupture of the peroneus longus tendon secondary to injection.
AB  - Rupture of the peroneal tendons is rare, particularly rupture of peroneus longus.
      We report a case of a peroneus longus rupture following repeated steroid
      injection for chronic pain.

PMID- 20307485
TI  - Painful and tender toe, osteoid osteoma of the distal phalanx of toe, a
      diagnostic dilemma.
AB  - Osteoid osteoma rarely involves the phalanges of the toes. Basically osteoid
      osteoma is often a diagnostic dilemma in musculoskeletal practice especially in
      the foot and ankle. Its presentation is confusing and this may result in delayed
      diagnosis. We have reported a case of osteoid osteoma of the distal phalanx of
      the second toe which was treated successfully with surgical excision and reviewed
      the literature.

PMID- 20307486
TI  - An anomalous hindfoot insertion of the posterior tibialis tendon.
AB  - The posterior tibialis tendon has numerous insertions but none into the hindfoot
      has ever been reported in the literature. We present the operative and
      histological findings of an anomalous insertion slip into the sustentaculum tali
      in an adult patient with flatfoot deformity.

PMID- 20307487
TI  - Fast high-resolution mapping of long fragments of genomic DNA based on single
      molecule detection.
AB  - Here we describe bacterial genotyping by direct linear analysis (DLA) single
      molecule mapping. DLA involves preparation of restriction digest of genomic DNA
      labeled with a sequence-specific fluorescent probe and stained nonspecifically
      with intercalator. These restriction fragments are stretched one by one in a
      microfluidic device, and the distribution of probes on the fragments is
      determined by single-molecule measurement of probe fluorescence. Fluorescence of
      the DNA-bound intercalator provides information on the molecule length. Because
      the probes recognize short sequences, they encounter multiple cognate sites on
      100- to 300-kb-long DNA fragments. The DLA maps are based on underlying DNA
      sequences of microorganisms; therefore, the maps are unique for each fragment.
      This allows fragments of similar lengths that cannot be resolved by standard DNA
      sizing techniques to be readily distinguished. DNA preparation, data collection,
      and analysis can be carried out in as little as 5h when working with
      monocultures. We demonstrate the ability to discriminate between two pathogenic
      Escherichia coli strains, O157:H7 Sakai and uropathogenic 536, and we use DLA
      mapping to identify microorganisms in mixtures. We also introduce a second color
      probe to double the information used to distinguish molecules and increase the
      length range of mapped fragments.

PMID- 20307489
TI  - Prevention of cardiolipin oxidation and fatty acid cycling as two antioxidant
      mechanisms of cationic derivatives of plastoquinone (SkQs).
AB  - The present state of the art in studies on the mechanisms of antioxidant
      activities of mitochondria-targeted cationic plastoquinone derivatives (SkQs) is
      reviewed. Our experiments showed that these compounds can operate as antioxidants
      in two quite different ways, i.e. (i) by preventing peroxidation of cardiolipin
      [Antonenko et al., Biochemistry (Moscow) 73 (2008) 1273-1287] and (ii) by fatty
      acid cycling resulting in mild uncoupling that inhibits the formation of reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) in mitochondrial State 4 [Severin et al. Proc. Natl. Acad.
      Sci. USA 107 (2009), 663-668]. The quinol and cationic moieties of SkQ are
      involved in cases (i) and (ii), respectively. In case (i) SkQH2 interrupts
      propagation of chain reactions involved in peroxidation of unsaturated fatty acid
      residues in cardiolipin, the formed SkQ- being reduced back to SkQH2 by heme bH
      of complex III in an antimycin-sensitive way. Molecular dynamics simulation
      showed that there are two stable conformations of SkQ1 with the quinol residue
      localized near peroxyl radicals at C9 or C13 of the linoleate residue in
      cardiolipin. In mechanism (ii), fatty acid cycling mediated by the cationic SkQ
      moiety is involved. It consists of (a) transmembrane movement of the fatty acid
      anion/SkQ cation pair and (b) back flows of free SkQ cation and protonated fatty
      acid. The cycling results in a protonophorous effect that was demonstrated in
      planar phospholipid membranes and liposomes. In mitochondria, the cycling gives
      rise to mild uncoupling, thereby decreasing membrane potential and ROS generation
      coupled to reverse electron transport in the respiratory chain. In yeast cells,
      dodecyltriphenylphosphonium (capital ES, Cyrillic12TPP), the cationic part of
      SkQ1, induces uncoupling that is mitochondria-targeted since capital ES,
      Cyrillic12TPP is specifically accumulated in mitochondria and increases the H+
      conductance of their inner membrane. The conductance of the outer cell membrane
      is not affected by capital ES, Cyrillic12TPP.

PMID- 20307488
TI  - Blocking the K-pathway still allows rapid one-electron reduction of the binuclear
      center during the anaerobic reduction of the aa3-type cytochrome c oxidase from
      Rhodobacter sphaeroides.
AB  - The K-pathway is one of the two proton-input channels required for function of
      cytochrome c oxidase. In the Rhodobacter sphaeroides cytochrome c oxidase, the K
      channel starts at Glu101 in subunit II, which is at the surface of the protein
      exposed to the cytoplasm, and runs to Tyr288 at the heme a3/CuB active site.
      Mutations of conserved, polar residues within the K-channel block or inhibit
      steady state oxidase activity. A large body of research has demonstrated that the
      K-channel is required to fully reduce the heme/Cu binuclear center, prior to the
      reaction with O2, presumably by providing protons to stabilize the reduced metals
      (ferrous heme a3 and cuprous CuB). However, there are conflicting reports which
      raise questions about whether blocking the K-channel blocks both electrons or
      only one electron from reaching the heme/Cu center. In the current work, the rate
      and extent of the anaerobic reduction of the heme/Cu center were monitored by
      optical and EPR spectroscopies, comparing the wild type and mutants that block
      the K-channel. The new data show that when the K-channel is blocked, one electron
      will still readily enter the binuclear center. The one-electron reduction of the
      resting oxidized ("O") heme/Cu center of the K362M mutant, results in a partially
      reduced binuclear center in which the electron is distributed about evenly
      between heme a3 and CuB in the R. sphaeroides oxidase. Complete reduction of the
      heme/Cu center requires the uptake of two protons which must be delivered through
      the K-channel.

PMID- 20307490
TI  - Substrate binding and the catalytic reactions in cbb3-type oxidases: the lipid
      membrane modulates ligand binding.
AB  - Heme-copper oxidases (HCuOs) are the terminal components of the respiratory chain
      in the mitochondrial membrane or the cell membrane in many bacteria. These
      enzymes reduce oxygen to water and use the free energy from this reaction to
      maintain a proton-motive force across the membrane in which they are embedded.
      The heme-copper oxidases of the cbb3-type are only found in bacteria, often
      pathogenic ones since they have a low Km for O2, enabling the bacteria to
      colonize semi-anoxic environments. Cbb3-type (C) oxidases are highly divergent
      from the mitochondrial-like aa3-type (A) oxidases, and within the heme-copper
      oxidase family, cbb3 is the closest relative to the most divergent member, the
      bacterial nitric oxide reductase (NOR). Nitric oxide reductases reduce NO to N2O
      without coupling the reaction to the generation of any electrochemical proton
      gradient. The significant structural differences between A- and C-type heme
      copper oxidases are manifested in the lack in cbb3 of most of the amino acids
      found to be important for proton pumping in the A-type, as well as in the
      different binding characteristics of ligands such as CO, O2 and NO.
      Investigations of the reasons for these differences at a molecular level have
      provided insights into the mechanism of O2 and NO reduction as well as the proton
      pumping mechanism in all heme-copper oxidases. In this paper, we discuss results
      from these studies with the focus on the relationship between proton transfer and
      ligand binding and reduction. In addition, we present new data, which show that
      CO binding to one of the c-type hemes of CcoP is modulated by protein-lipid
      interactions in the membrane. These results show that the heme c-CO binding can
      be used as a probe of protein-membrane interactions in cbb3 oxidases, and
      possible physiological consequences for this behavior are discussed.

PMID- 20307491
TI  - Cocaine produces D2R-mediated conformational changes in the adenosine A(2A)R
      dopamine D2R heteromer.
AB  - Adenosine A(2A) receptors (A(2A)Rs) and dopamine D(2) receptors (D(2)Rs) form
      constitutive heteromers in living cells and exhibit a strong functional
      antagonistic interaction. Recent findings give neurochemical evidence that
      extended cocaine self-administration in the rat give rise to an up-regulation of
      functional A(2A)Rs in the nucleus accumbens that return to baseline expression
      levels during cocaine withdrawal. In the present work, the acute in vitro effects
      of a concentration of cocaine known to fully block the dopamine (DA) transporter
      without exerting any toxic actions were investigated on A(2A)R and D(2L)R formed
      heteromers in transiently co-transfected HEK-293T cells. In vitro treatment of
      cocaine was found to produce changes in D(2)R homodimers and in A(2A)R-D(2)R
      heterodimers detected through bioluminescent energy transfer (BRET). Cocaine was
      found to produce a time- and concentration-dependent reduction in the BRET(max)
      between A(2A)R-D(2L)R heterodimers and D(2L)R homodimers, but not A(2A)R
      homodimers, indicating its effect on D(2)R. Cocaine was evaluated with regard to
      D(2)R binding using a human D(2L)R stable expressing CHO cell line and was found
      to produce an increase in the affinity of hD(2L)R for DA. At the level of G
      protein-coupling, cocaine produced a small, but significant increase in DA
      stimulated binding of GTPgammaS. However, cocaine failed to modulate D(2)R
      agonist-induced inhibition of cAMP in stable hD(2L)R CHO cells or the gating of
      GIRK channels in oocytes. Taken together, these results indicate a direct and
      specific effect of a moderate concentration of cocaine on the DA D(2L)R, that
      results in enhanced agonist recognition, G protein-coupling and an altered
      conformational state of D(2)R homodimers and A(2A)R-D(2)R heterodimers.

PMID- 20307492
TI  - Ethyl pyruvate has a neuroprotective effect through activation of extracellular
      signal-regulated kinase in Parkinson's disease model.
AB  - Ethyl pyruvate (EP), a simple derivative of endogenous pyruvate, has an anti
      inflammatory function. Recently, the protective neurological effects of EP have
      been reported in cell culture and animal models of neurological diseases. The
      present study investigates the protective effects of EP on dopaminergic cell
      death in Parkinson's disease models. The selective death of dopaminergic neurons
      in substantia nigra was prevented by EP in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6
      tetrahydropyridine mouse models. EP also suppressed the 1-methyl-4-pyridinium
      induced cell death of SH-SY5Y cells and restored the phosphorylation of
      extracellular signal-regulated kinase. Thus, EP has neuroprotective effects of EP
      in Parkinson's disease and its related signaling pathways.

PMID- 20307493
TI  - Vitamin E as a novel enhancer of macroautophagy in rat hepatocytes and H4-II-E
      cells.
AB  - Autophagy is an intracellular bulk degradation process induced by nutrient
      starvation, and contributes to macromolecular turnover and rejuvenation of
      cellular organelles. We demonstrated that vitamin E was a novel nutritional
      enhancer of autophagy in freshly isolated rat hepatocytes and rat hepatoma H4-II
      E cells. Supplementation of fresh hepatocytes with vitamin E (up to 100 microM)
      increased proteolysis significantly in the presence or absence of amino acids in
      a dose-dependent manner. The cytosolic LC3 ratio, a newly established index of
      autophagic flux, was significantly increased by vitamin E, strongly suggesting
      that the possible site of action is the LC3 conversion step, an early step in
      autophagosome formation. A typical antioxidant, alpha-lipoic acid, exerted
      autophagy suppression, while H(2)O(2) stimulated autophagy. It is conceivable
      that autophagy was stimulated by oxidative stress and this stimulation was
      cancelled by cellular antioxidative effects. However, in our studies, vitamin E
      could have enhanced autophagy over-stimulation by H(2)O(2), rather than suppress
      it. From these results, using a new cytosolic LC3 ratio, vitamin E increases
      autophagy by accelerating LC3 conversion through a new signaling pathway,
      emerging as a novel enhancer of autophagy.

PMID- 20307494
TI  - Inhibition of mitochondrial division through covalent modification of Drp1
      protein by 15 deoxy-Delta(12,14)-prostaglandin J2.
AB  - Arachidonic acid derived endogenous electrophile 15d-PGJ2 has gained much
      attention in recent years due to its potent anti-proliferative and anti
      inflammatory actions mediated through thiol modification of cysteine residues in
      its target proteins. Here, we show that 15d-PGJ2 at 1 microM concentration
      converts normal mitochondria into large elongated and interconnected mitochondria
      through direct binding to mitochondrial fission protein Drp1 and partial
      inhibition of its GTPase activity. Mitochondrial elongation induced by 15d-PGJ2
      is accompanied by increased assembly of Drp1 into large oligomeric complexes
      through plausible intermolecular interactions. The role of decreased GTPase
      activity of Drp1 in the formation of large oligomeric complexes is evident when
      Drp1 is incubated with a non-cleavable GTP analog, GTPgammaS or by a mutation
      that inactivated GTPase activity of Drp1 (K38A). The mutation of cysteine residue
      (Cys644) in the GTPase effector domain, a reported target for modification by
      reactive electrophiles, to alanine mimicked K38A mutation induced Drp1
      oligomerization and mitochondrial elongation, suggesting the importance of
      cysteine in GED to regulate the GTPase activity and mitochondrial morphology.
      Interestingly, treatment of K38A and C644A mutants with 15d-PGJ2 resulted in
      super oligomerization of both mutant Drp1s indicating that 15d-PGJ2 may further
      stabilize Drp1 oligomers formed by loss of GTPase activity through covalent
      modification of middle domain cysteine residues. The present study documents for
      the first time the regulation of a mitochondrial fission activity by a
      prostaglandin, which will provide clues for understanding the pathological and
      physiological consequences of accumulation of reactive electrophiles during
      oxidative stress, inflammation and degeneration.

PMID- 20307495
TI  - Hypoxia-induced Bcl-2 expression in endothelial cells via p38 MAPK pathway.
AB  - Angiogenesis and apoptosis are reciprocal processes in endothelial cells. Bcl-2,
      an anti-apoptotic protein, has been found to have angiogenic activities. The
      purpose of this study was to determine the role of Bcl-2 in hypoxia-induced
      angiogenesis in endothelial cells and to investigate the underlying mechanisms.
      Human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) were exposed to hypoxia followed by
      reoxygenation. Myocardial ischemia and reperfusion mouse model was used and Bcl-2
      expression was assessed. Bcl-2 expression increased in a time-dependent manner in
      response to hypoxia from 2 to 72h. Peak expression occurred at 12h (3- to 4-fold,
      p<0.05). p38 inhibitor (SB203580) blocked hypoxia-induced Bcl-2 expression,
      whereas PKC, ERK1/2 and PI3K inhibitors did not. Knockdown of Bcl-2 resulted in
      decreased HAECs' proliferation and migration. Over-expression of Bcl-2 increased
      HAECs' tubule formation, whereas knockdown of Bcl-2 inhibited this process. In
      this model of myocardial ischemia and reperfusion, Bcl-2 expression was increased
      and was associated with increased p38 MAPK activation. Our results showed that
      hypoxia induces Bcl-2 expression in HAECs via p38 MAPK pathway.

PMID- 20307496
TI  - The creation of the artificial RING finger from the cross-brace zinc finger by
      alpha-helical region substitution.
AB  - The creation of the artificial RING finger as ubiquitin-ligating enzyme (E3) has
      been demonstrated. In this study, by the alpha-helical region substitution
      between the EL5 RING finger and the Williams-Beuren syndrome transcription factor
      (WSTF) PHD finger, the artificial E3 (WSTF PHD_RING finger) was newly created.
      The experiments of the chemical modification of residues Cys and the circular
      dichroism spectra revealed that the WSTF PHD_RING finger binds two zinc atoms and
      adopts the zinc-dependent ordered-structure. In the substrate-independent
      ubiquitination assay, the WSTF PHD_RING finger functions as E3 and was poly- or
      mono-ubiquitinated. The present strategy is very simple and convenient, and
      consequently it might be widely applicable to the creation of various artificial
      E3 RING fingers with the specific ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (E2)-binding
      capability.

PMID- 20307497
TI  - Homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 2 (HIPK2) targets beta-catenin for
      phosphorylation and proteasomal degradation.
AB  - The regulation of intracellular beta-catenin levels is central in the Wnt/beta
      catenin signaling cascade and the activation of the Wnt target genes. Here, we
      show that homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 2 (HIPK2) acts as a negative
      regulator of the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. Knock-down of endogenous HIPK2
      increases the stability of beta-catenin and results in the accumulation of beta
      catenin in the nucleus, consequently enhancing the expression of Wnt target genes
      and cell proliferation both in vivo and in cultured cells. HIPK2 inhibits TCF/LEF
      mediated target gene activation via degradation of beta-catenin. HIPK2
      phosphorylates beta-catenin at its Ser33 and Ser37 residues without the aid of a
      priming kinase. Substitutions of Ser33 and Ser37 for alanines abolished the
      degradation of beta-catenin associated with HIPK2. In ex vivo mouse model, HIPK2
      knock-down resulted in accumulation of beta-catenin, thereby potentiated beta
      catenin-mediated cell proliferation and tumor formation. Furthermore, the axis
      duplication induced by the ectopic expression of beta-catenin was blocked by co
      injection of HIPK2 mRNAs into Xenopus embryos. Taken together, HIPK2 appears to
      function as a novel negative regulator of beta-catenin through its
      phosphorylation and proteasomal degradation.

PMID- 20307498
TI  - The tip region of the MacA alpha-hairpin is important for the binding to TolC to
      the Escherichia coli MacAB-TolC pump.
AB  - The tripartite efflux pump MacAB-TolC found in gram-negative bacteria is involved
      in resistance to antibiotics. We previously reported the funnel-like hexameric
      structure of the adaptor protein MacA to be physiologically relevant. In this
      study, we investigated the role of the tip region of its alpha-hairpin, which
      forms a cogwheel structure in the funnel-like shape of the MacA hexamer.
      Mutational and biochemical analyses revealed that the conserved residues located
      at the tip region of the alpha-hairpin of MacA play an essential role in the
      binding of TolC. Our findings offer a molecular basis for understanding the drug
      resistance of pathogenic bacteria.

PMID- 20307499
TI  - Calcium-sensing receptor activation contributed to apoptosis stimulates TRPC6
      channel in rat neonatal ventricular myocytes.
AB  - Capacitative calcium entry (CCE) refers to the influx of calcium through plasma
      membrane channels activated on depletion of endoplasmic sarcoplasmic/reticulum
      (ER/SR) Ca(2+) stores, which is performed mainly by the transient receptor
      potential (TRP) channels. TRP channels are expressed in cardiomyocytes. Calcium
      sensing receptor (CaR) is also expressed in rat cardiac tissue and plays an
      important role in mediating cardiomyocyte apoptosis. However, there are no data
      regarding the link between CaR and TRP channels in rat heart. In this study, in
      rat neonatal myocytes, by Ca(2+) imaging, we found that the depletion of ER/SR
      Ca(2+) stores by thapsigargin (TG) elicited a transient rise in cytoplasmic
      Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)](i)), followed by sustained increase depending on extracellular
      Ca(2+). But, TRP channels inhibitor (SKF96365), not L-type channels or the
      Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger inhibitors, inhibited [Ca(2+)](i) relatively high. Then,
      we found that the stimulation of CaR with its activator gadolinium chloride
      (GdCl(3)) or by an increased extracellular Ca(2+)([Ca(2+)](o)) increased the
      concentration of intracelluar Ca(2+), whereas, the sustained elevation of
      [Ca(2+)](i) was reduced in the presence of SKF96365. Similarly, the duration of
      [Ca(2+)](i) increase was also shortened in the absence of extracellular Ca(2+).
      Western blot analysis showed that GdCl(3) increased the expression of TRPC6,
      which was reversed by SKF96365. Additionally, SKF96365 reduced cardiomyocyte
      apoptosis induced by GdCl(3). Our results suggested that CCE exhibited in rat
      neonatal myocytes and CaR activation induced Ca(2+)-permeable cationic channels
      TRPCs to gate the CCE, for which TRPC6 was one of the most likely candidates.
      TRPC6 channel was functionally coupled with CaR to enhance the cardiomyocyte
      apoptosis.

PMID- 20307500
TI  - Conserved CA-rich motifs in gene promoters of Pt x tMYB021-responsive secondary
      cell wall carbohydrate-active enzymes in Populus.
AB  - In order to understand gene regulation during wood formation, we cloned a MYB46
      like gene in hybrid aspen, Populus tremula x tremuloides, called Pt x tMYB021.
      Phylogenetic and paired identity analysis of MYB46-like genes in Populus and
      Arabidopsis reveals relationships between paralogous pairs of Populus MYB46-like
      proteins and their Arabidopsis counterparts MYB46 and MYB83, and suggest that Pt
      x tMYB021 is the ortholog of MYB46. Pt x tMYB021 is expressed mainly in xylem
      tissues, and transiently expressed Pt x tMYB46 transactivates gene promoters of
      xylan-active CAZymes GT43A, GT43B and Xyn10A. Analysis of conserved motifs within
      these promoters identify the sequence CCACCAAC, called ACTYP, which is similar to
      the AC elements mediating transactivation by MYB transcription factors during
      lignin biosynthesis. Further analysis by Motif Finder identifies four 6 bp CA
      rich motifs overlapping ACTYP, and we show that these motifs are enriched in
      xylem-specific promoters. We propose that AC-type regulatory elements mediate
      xylem-specific MYB46-dependent expression of secondary cell wall carbohydrate
      active enzymes (CAZymes), besides activating gene expression of lignin
      biosynthesis enzymes.

PMID- 20307501
TI  - Connexin 26 (GJB2) mutations as a cause of the KID syndrome with hearing loss.
AB  - KID syndrome (MIM 148210) is an ectodermal dysplasia characterized by the
      occurrence of localized erythematous scaly skin lesions, keratitis and severe
      bilateral sensorineural deafness. KID syndrome is inherited as an autosomic
      dominant disease, due to mutations in the gene encoding gap junction protein GJB2
      (connexin 26, Cx26). Cx26 is a component of gap junction channels in the
      epidermis and in the stria vascularis of the cochlea. These channels play a role
      in the coordinated exchange of molecules and ions occurring in a wide spectrum of
      cellular activities. In this paper we describe two patients with Cx26 mutations
      cause cell death by the alteration of protein trafficking, membrane localization
      and probably interfering with intracellular ion concentrations. We discuss the
      pathogenesis of both the hearing and skin phenotypes.

PMID- 20307502
TI  - Deep sequencing of coding and non-coding RNA in the CNS.
AB  - Several methods now exist for identifying and quantifying many biological events
      in parallel and in a relatively unbiased fashion. For gene expression
      experiments, cloning approaches have been supplemented with microarray platforms
      over the past few years. The focus of this review is on deep sequencing, a new
      set of techniques that can be used to both identify RNA species and quantify them
      in a massively parallel fashion. Deep sequencing has some advantages over other
      methods, driven largely by the high depth of coverage for any library of nucleic
      acids. This allows, for example, estimates of alternative splicing and
      untranslated region utilization. We will discuss how deep sequencing methods are
      being applied to characterization of gene expression in the brain and how these
      technologies might develop over the next few years.

PMID- 20307504
TI  - Oxidative stress activates STAT1 in basilar arteries after subarachnoid
      hemorrhage.
AB  - The signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) is one of the most
      important signaling molecule transducing signals from the cell surface in
      response to cytokines or growth factors. Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) results in
      production of cytokines and growth factors in the CSF. We here investigated
      whether this signaling molecule is activated in the rat basilar artery after SAH.
      In a rat single-hemorrhage model of SAH, basilar arteries were obtained at
      various times until 7days after SAH. Western blot analysis with phosphorylated
      (p)-STAT1 at Tyr(701), p-STAT1 at Ser(727), STAT1, and actin antibodies was
      performed. The expression of STAT1 and p-STAT1 at Tyr(701) in basilar arteries
      was also examined by immunohistochemistry. Intracisternal injection of
      interleukin-6 (IL-6), hydrogen peroxide, or hydroxyl radical scavenger was
      conducted to examine for phosphorylation of STAT1. Western blot analysis showed
      STAT1 to be significantly phosphorylated at Tyr(701) and Ser(727) within 2h of
      SAH and to gradually decrease thereafter. Immunohistochemistry revealed this
      phosphorylation of STAT1 to occur in the outer membranes of the basilar artery.
      Intracisternal injection of hydrogen peroxide, but not IL-6, also significantly
      increased phosphorylation of STAT1 at Tyr(701). Hydroxyl radical scavenger
      significantly reduced phosphorylation of STAT1. These results indicate that
      reactive oxygen species, produced in the CSF after SAH, activates STAT1 molecule
      in the outer membranes of basilar arteries. This STAT1 signaling might contribute
      to morphological arterial wall changes in cerebral vasospasm.

PMID- 20307505
TI  - Neural correlates of forgiveness for moral transgressions involving deception.
AB  - We used positron emission tomography (PET) to investigate the neural mechanisms
      underlying the willingness to forgive another person's moral transgression
      involving deception. During scanning, 12 subjects were asked to judge the
      forgivability of a perpetrator's moral transgression. These transgressions were
      described by four kinds of scenarios composed of a combination of two factors:
      the attitude of the perpetrator (dishonest or honest) and the severity of the
      moral transgression (serious or minor). Behavioral data showed that both the
      perpetrator's dishonesty and the seriousness of the scenario decreased the
      subjects' willingness to forgive the moral transgression. Neuroimaging data
      revealed that, relative to honest responses, a perpetrator's dishonest responses
      were associated with right ventromedial prefrontal activity, which possibly
      reflects the subjects' identification of the perpetrator's deception. The
      opposite comparison did not show significant activation. Moreover, a comparison
      of serious scenarios with minor scenarios did not reveal significant activation.
      Instead, minor scenarios, relative to serious scenarios, evoked activity in the
      right middle frontal gyrus and the right caudate nucleus, possibly reflecting
      increased demand on frontal control system function. Further analysis revealed
      that the left ventromedial prefrontal cortex showed a significant interaction
      between the two factors, indicating that this region functions as a mediator of
      the two factors, modulating judgments regarding the forgivability of moral
      transgressions. Taken together, these findings suggest that the ventromedial
      prefrontal cortex plays a key role in the forgiveness of moral transgressions
      involving deception.

PMID- 20307503
TI  - Regulatory RNAs in brain function and disorders.
AB  - Regulatory RNAs are being increasingly investigated in neurons, and important
      roles in brain function have been revealed. Regulatory RNAs are non-protein
      coding RNAs (npcRNAs) that comprise a heterogeneous group of molecules, varying
      in size and mechanism of action. Regulatory RNAs often exert post-transcriptional
      control of gene expression, resulting in gene silencing or gene expression
      stimulation. Here, we review evidence that regulatory RNAs are implicated in
      neuronal development, differentiation, and plasticity. We will also discuss
      npcRNA dysregulation that may be involved in pathological states of the brain
      such as neurodevelopmental disorders, neurodegeneration, and epilepsy.

PMID- 20307506
TI  - Effects of protostane-type triterpenoids on the 5-HT3A receptor-mediated ion
      current in Xenopus oocytes.
AB  - Alisol derivatives are unique protostane-type triterpenoid compounds that are
      isolated from Alismatis rhizoma, which is a well-known traditional medicine in
      East Asia. In the present study, we investigated the effects of protostane-type
      triterpenoids (AA, Alisol A; AB, Alisol B; AB-ac, Alisol B 23-acetate; AC-ac,
      Alisol C 23-aceteate) on 5-HT-induced currents mediated by the human 5-HT(3)A
      receptor expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Co-treatment with triterpenoids
      regulated the 5-HT-induced inward peak current in a concentration-dependent and
      reversible manner. In addition, regulation of I(5-HT) by triterpenoids occurred
      in a non-competitive manner. Taken together, these results indicate that
      triterpenoids may regulate the 5-HT(3)A receptors that are expressed in Xenopus
      oocytes. Furthermore, this regulation of the ligand-gated ion channel activity by
      triterpenoids may be one of the pharmacological actions of Alismatis rhizoma.

PMID- 20307507
TI  - Who is ziji? ERP responses to the Chinese reflexive pronoun during sentence
      comprehension.
AB  - The Principle A of Chomsky's (1981) Binding Theory requires the reflexive pronoun
      in a sentence to be bound to its antecedent within its governing category.
      However, in Chinese sentences with a common structure "P-NP(1)+VP(1)+P
      NP(2)+VP(2)+ziji", in which the P-NP stands for personal name and the reflexive
      ziji (standing for myself, himself, herself, yourself, ourselves etc., depending
      on context) is at the object position, ziji can refer to either the local subject
      (P-NP(2), local reference) or the matrix or main subject (P-NP(1), long-distance
      reference) or both (ambiguous reference), depending on properties of VP(2). This
      study investigates whether this violation of Principle A comes with processing
      costs during sentence comprehension. In an event-related potential (ERP)
      experiment we found that, as compared with the local reference condition, ERP
      responses to ziji were significantly more positive in the long-distance reference
      condition. This pattern appeared on both P300 and P600. It is suggested that
      linking the reflexive with a distant, rather than a local, antecedent during
      sentence comprehension requires more processing resources. While the P300 effect
      may reflect the detection of incongruence between the mental representation based
      on Principle A and the representation based on the processing of local verb, the
      P600 effect may be associated with a second-pass integration process that links
      the reflexive with the matrix subject.

PMID- 20307508
TI  - A temporal constraint for automatic deviance detection and object formation: A
      mismatch negativity study.
AB  - The automatic detection of deviations within a constant sine wave tone is
      confined to the initial part of approximately 350 ms. When a deviation occurs
      beyond this critical limit, the mismatch negativity (MMN) - a deviance-related
      component of the event-related potential - is largely attenuated or even absent.
      However, for time-variant acoustic stimuli such as speech sounds or tonal
      patterns, MMN is also obtained for deviations beyond the initial 350 ms. We
      consider two hypotheses that can explain the MMN to time-variant sounds. One is
      that the terminal part of those sounds is represented as the spectral information
      varies over time (spectral-variation hypothesis). The other is that transients,
      occurring in time-variant signals, help to segment the long sounds into smaller
      units, each being not larger than the critical 350 ms (segmentation hypothesis).
      We measured MMN to duration shortenings (deviants) embedded in a sequence of 1000
      ms long standard tones of increasing frequency (sweeps). The sweeps did or did
      not contain a noise burst. Results reveal a lack of MMN to the duration deviant
      in the sweep without a noise burst, which rules out the spectral-variation
      hypothesis. The presence of MMN to the duration deviant in the sweep with a noise
      burst supports the segmentation hypothesis. Thus, the results suggest a temporal
      constraint inherent to the processing of unstructured/unsegmented long tones. We
      argue that transients within a sound act as segmentation cues providing an
      automatic sound representation for which deviations can be detected.

PMID- 20307510
TI  - Specificity of glucocorticoid receptor primary antibodies for analysis of
      receptor localization patterns in cultured cells and rat hippocampus.
AB  - After glucocorticoid stimulation, glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) are translocated
      to the nucleus to modulate transcription of glucocorticoid target genes. The
      subcellular distribution and trafficking of GR in cultured cells has been studied
      quite intensively using several techniques. However, the intracellular
      localization of nuclear receptors in ligand-free and stimulated conditions in
      vivo is still controversial, in part because of inconsistent results with
      different antibodies. Knowledge of trafficking of GR in vivo could greatly
      contribute to understanding nuclear receptor signaling. Therefore, in this study
      we systematically compared a panel of different primary GR antibodies using
      immunohistochemistry and confocal imaging. Nuclear translocation patterns at
      different time points after glucocorticoid stimulation were compared in cultured
      AtT20 cells and rat hippocampal CA1 and dentate gyrus cells. The BuGR2 antibody
      consistently detected GR nuclear translocation patterns between in vivo and in
      vitro settings, but the other GR primary antibodies provided contradictory
      results. While GR H300 and P20 strongly detected nuclear GR immunoreactivity
      after glucocorticoid stimulation in both CA1 and dentate gyrus cells, the same
      antibodies provided poor results in cultured cells. The opposite was found for
      the primary GR M20 antibody. These data indicate that with a particular
      glucocorticoid receptor antibody the findings in cell culture studies cannot
      always be extrapolated to in vivo situations. Moreover, different antibodies
      disclose different features of the glucocorticoid receptor translocation process.

PMID- 20307509
TI  - A helper virus-free HSV-1 vector containing the vesicular glutamate transporter-1
      promoter supports expression preferentially in VGLUT1-containing glutamatergic
      neurons.
AB  - Multiple potential uses of direct gene transfer into neurons require restricting
      expression to specific classes of glutamatergic neurons. Thus, it is desirable to
      develop vectors containing glutamatergic class-specific promoters. The three
      vesicular glutamate transporters (VGLUTs) are expressed in distinct populations
      of neurons, and VGLUT1 is the predominant VGLUT in the neocortex, hippocampus,
      and cerebellar cortex. We previously reported a plasmid (amplicon) Herpes Simplex
      Virus (HSV-1) vector that placed the Lac Z gene under the regulation of the
      VGLUT1 promoter (pVGLUT1lac). Using helper virus-free vector stocks, we showed
      that this vector supported approximately 90% glutamatergic neuron-specific
      expression in postrhinal (POR) cortex, in rats sacrificed at either 4 days or 2
      months after gene transfer. We now show that pVGLUT1lac supports expression
      preferentially in VGLUT1-containing glutamatergic neurons. pVGLUT1lac vector
      stock was injected into either POR cortex, which contains primarily VGLUT1
      containing glutamatergic neurons, or into the ventral medial hypothalamus (VMH),
      which contains predominantly VGLUT2-containing glutamatergic neurons. Rats were
      sacrificed at 4 days after gene transfer, and the types of cells expressing ss
      galactosidase were determined by immunofluorescent costaining. Cell counts showed
      that pVGLUT1lac supported expression in approximately 10-fold more cells in POR
      cortex than in the VMH, whereas a control vector supported expression in similar
      numbers of cells in these two areas. Further, in POR cortex, pVGLUT1lac supported
      expression predominately in VGLUT1-containing neurons, and, in the VMH,
      pVGLUT1lac showed an approximately 10-fold preference for the rare VGLUT1
      containing neurons. VGLUT1-specific expression may benefit specific experiments
      on learning or specific gene therapy approaches, particularly in the neocortex.

PMID- 20307511
TI  - RNAi therapeutics for CNS disorders.
AB  - RNA interference (RNAi) is a process of sequence-specific gene silencing and
      serves as a powerful molecular tool to manipulate gene expression in vitro and in
      vivo. RNAi technologies have been applied to study gene function and validate
      drug targets. Researchers are investigating RNAi-based compounds as novel
      therapeutics to treat a variety of human diseases that are currently lacking
      sufficient treatment. To date, numerous studies support that RNAi therapeutics
      can improve disease phenotypes in various rodent models of human disease. Here,
      we focus on the development of RNAi-based therapies aimed at treating
      neurological disorders for which reduction of mutant or toxic gene expression may
      provide clinical benefit. We review RNAi-based gene-silencing strategies, proof
      of-concept studies testing therapeutic RNAi for CNS disorders, and highlight the
      most recent research aimed at transitioning RNAi-based therapeutics toward
      clinical trials.

PMID- 20307512
TI  - Synchronous retinotopic frontal-temporal activity during long-term memory for
      spatial location.
AB  - Early visual areas in occipital cortex are known to be retinotopic. Recently,
      retinotopic maps have been reported in frontal and parietal cortex during spatial
      attention and working memory. The present event-related potential (ERP) and
      functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study determined whether spatial
      long-term memory was associated with retinotopic activity in frontal and parietal
      regions, and assessed whether retinotopic activity in these higher level control
      regions was synchronous with retinotopic activity in lower level visual sensory
      regions. During encoding, abstract shapes were presented to the left or right of
      fixation. During retrieval, old and new shapes were presented at fixation and
      participants classified each shape as old and previously on the "left", old and
      previously on the "right", or "new". Retinotopic effects were manifested by
      accurate memory for items previously presented on the left producing activity in
      the right hemisphere and accurate memory for items previously presented on the
      right producing activity in the left hemisphere. Retinotopic ERP activity was
      observed in frontal regions and visual sensory (occipital and temporal) regions.
      In frontal cortex, retinotopic fMRI activity was localized to the frontal eye
      fields. There were no significant ERP or fMRI retinotopic memory effects in
      parietal regions. The present long-term memory retinotopic effects complement
      previous spatial attention and working memory findings (and suggest retinotopic
      activity in parietal cortex may require an external peripheral stimulus).
      Furthermore, ERP cross-correlogram analysis revealed that retinotopic activations
      in frontal and temporal regions were synchronous, indicating that these regions
      interact during retrieval of spatial information.

PMID- 20307513
TI  - Bone marrow stromal cell transplantation for treatment of sub-acute spinal cord
      injury in the rat.
AB  - Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) have been studied as effective transplants for
      the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI). Our previous study showed that BMSCs
      infused into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) exhibited distinct effects on the
      recovery of acute SCI. The present study examined the effects of BMSCs in sub
      acute SCI (2weeks post-injury) by transplanting them directly into the lesion.
      The spinal cord was crush-injured at the Th8-9 level in rats, and 2weeks later,
      cultured BMSCs (5x10(5)) derived from GFP-transgenic rats of the same strain were
      transplanted into the lesion. Tissue repair and nerve regeneration were examined
      by immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. GFP-labeled BMSCs survived as
      cell assemblies in the spinal cord for 1-2weeks after transplantation. The dorsal
      side of BMSC assemblies in the spinal cord usually showed an expanded GFAP
      negative, astrocyte-devoid area, in which extracellular matrices including
      collagen fibrils were deposited. Numerous regenerating axons associated with
      Schwann cells grew out through such astrocyte-devoid extracellular matrices.
      Ascending (CGRP-containing) and descending (5HT- and TH-containing) axons were
      included in these regenerating axons. Regenerated axons were myelinated by
      Schwann cells beyond 2weeks post-transplantation. Cavity formation was reduced in
      the cell transplantation group. Locomotory behavior assessed by the BBB scale
      improved to 9.8 points in the cell transplantation group, while it was to 5.5-5.7
      in the control. BMSC transplantation into lesions of advanced SCI has markedly
      beneficial effects on tissue repair and axonal outgrowth, leading to improved
      locomotion in rats.

PMID- 20307514
TI  - Metabolism of carbosulfan II. Human interindividual variability in its in vitro
      hepatic biotransformation and the identification of the cytochrome P450 isoforms
      involved.
AB  - This study aims to characterize interindividual variability and individual CYP
      enzymes involved in the in vitro metabolism of the carbamate insecticide
      carbosulfan. Microsomes from ten human livers (HLM) were used to characterize the
      interindividual variability in carbosulfan activation. Altogether eight phase I
      metabolites were analyzed by LC-MS. The primary metabolic pathways were
      detoxification by the initial oxidation of sulfur to carbosulfan sulfinamide
      ('sulfur oxidation pathway') and activation via cleavage of the nitrogen sulfur
      bond (N-S) to give carbofuran and dibutylamine ('carbofuran pathway').
      Differences between maximum and minimum carbosulfan activation values with HLM
      indicated nearly 5.9-, 7.0, and 6.6-fold variability in the k(m), V(max) and
      CL(int) values, respectively. CYP3A5 and CYP2B6 had the greatest efficiency to
      form carbosulfan sulfinamide, while CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 were the most efficient in
      the generation of the carbofuran metabolic pathway. Based on average abundances
      of CYP enzymes in human liver, CYP3A4 contributed to 98% of carbosulfan
      activation, while CYP3A4 and CYP2B6 contributed 57 and 37% to detoxification,
      respectively. Significant correlations between carbosulfan activation and CYP
      marker activities were seen with CYP3A4 (omeprazole sulfoxidation), CYP2C19
      (omeprazole 5-hydroxylation) and CYP3A4 (midazolam 1'-hydroxylation), displaying
      r(2)=0.96, 0.87 and 0.82, respectively. Activation and detoxification pathways
      were inhibited by ketoconazole, a specific CYP3A4 inhibitor, by 90-97% and 47
      94%, respectively. Carbosulfan inhibited relatively potently CYP3A4 and
      moderately CYP1A1/2 and CYP2C19 in pooled HLM. These results suggest that the
      carbosulfan activation pathway is more important than the detoxification pathway,
      and that carbosulfan activation is predominantly catalyzed in humans by CYP3A4.

PMID- 20307515
TI  - Modulation of PPAR-gamma by telmisartan protects the heart against myocardial
      infarction in experimental diabetes.
AB  - Telmisartan, an angiotensin II-receptor blocker (ARB), is a partial agonist of
      the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma). We
      investigated whether telmisartan improved the pathophysiology of myocardial
      infarction in diabetes partially through the PPAR-gamma pathway by assessing a
      variety of indices, e.g., hemodynamic, biochemical, histoarchitectural changes,
      and apoptosis. Diabetes was induced by a single dose of streptozotocin (70 mg/kg,
      IP). Diabetic rats received either telmisartan (10 mg/kg/day, orally), the PPAR
      gamma antagonist GW9662 (1 mg/kg/day, IP), or both for 14 days with concurrent
      administration of isoproterenol (85 mg/kg, SC) on days 13 and 14. Compared with
      diabetic controls, diabetic rats with myocardial infarction exhibited altered
      hemodynamic profiles and reduction in the activities of creatine kinase-MB
      isoenzyme, lactate dehydrogenase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione
      level along with increased level of malondialdehyde in the heart. Further,
      diabetic animals with myocardial infarction exhibited increased myonecrosis,
      edema, and apoptotic cell death. Treatment with telmisartan significantly
      improved the redox status of the myocardium with subsequent cardiac functional
      recovery. However, significant effects were lowered in animals treated with
      telmisartan plus GW9662. Telmisartan markedly inhibited Bax expression, TUNEL
      positive cells, myonecrosis, and edema. On the other hand, administration of
      telmisartan plus GW9662 did not elicit the same effects, nor did they increase
      Bcl-2 protein expression in isoproterenol-induced myocardially infarcted diabetic
      rats when administered concomitantly or individually. Moreover, down-regulated
      PPAR-gamma expression in myocardially infarcted diabetic hearts was increased by
      telmisartan treatment. In addition to class effects of ARBs, telmisartan reduces
      oxidative stress and apoptosis and improves cardiac function via the PPAR-gamma
      pathway.

PMID- 20307516
TI  - Resveratrol attenuates hyperglycemia-mediated oxidative stress, proinflammatory
      cytokines and protects hepatocytes ultrastructure in streptozotocin-nicotinamide
      induced experimental diabetic rats.
AB  - The present study was hypothesized to investigate the hepatoprotective nature of
      resveratrol in averting hyperglycemia-mediated oxidative stress by measuring
      extent of oxidant stress and levels of proinflammatory cytokines and antioxidant
      competence in the hepatic tissues of streptozotocin-nicotinamide-induced diabetic
      rats. After the experimental period of 30 days, the pathophysiological markers
      such as serum bilirubin and hepatic aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine
      transaminase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were studied in addition to
      hepatic TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-6, NF-kappaB p65 and nitric oxide (NO) levels in
      control and experimental groups of rats. The levels of vitamin C, vitamin E and
      reduced glutathione (GSH) and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase,
      glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and glutathione
      reductase (GR) were determined in the liver tissues. Extent of oxidative stress
      was also assessed by hepatic lipid peroxides, hydroperoxides and protein
      carbonyls. A portion of liver was processed for histological and ultrastructural
      studies. Oral administration of resveratrol (5mg/kg b.w.) to diabetic rats showed
      a significant decline in hepatic proinflammatory cytokines and notable
      attenuation in hepatic lipid peroxides, hydroperoxides and protein carbonyls. The
      diminished activities of hepatic enzymic antioxidants as well as the decreased
      levels of hepatic non-enzymic antioxidants of diabetic rats were reverted to near
      normalcy by resveratrol administration. Moreover, the histological and
      ultrastructural observations evidenced that resveratrol effectively rescues the
      hepatocytes from hyperglycemia-mediated oxidative damage without affecting its
      cellular function and structural integrity. The findings of the present
      investigation demonstrated the hepatocyte protective nature of resveratrol by
      attenuating markers of hyperglycemia-mediated oxidative stress and antioxidant
      competence in hepatic tissues of diabetic rats.

PMID- 20307517
TI  - Current treatment options for people with Alzheimer's disease in Croatia.
AB  - About 16% of the population in Croatia is older than 65 years. Croatia has no
      register of persons with dementia (PWD), but based on a calculation that 10% of
      persons over 65 years are affected by dementia, the approximate number of PWD
      would be 80,000, the majority being patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD).
      Psychogeriatric departments exist in hospitals, but there are almost no nursing
      homes and an insufficient number of daily care centres for PWD. Antidementia
      drugs registered in Croatia are donepezil, rivastigmine and memantine. Clinical
      studies of new antidementia drugs have been conducted in Croatia since 1989. At
      present, studies of several antidementia drugs are underway at different testing
      stages.

PMID- 20307518
TI  - Structural role of mismatched C-C bonds in a series of d-erythro-sphingomyelins
      as studied by DSC and electron microscopy.
AB  - A series of d-erythro (2S, 3R) sphingomyelins (SMs) whose acyl chain was 16, 18,
      20, 22, and 24 carbons long, respectively, was synthesized by the acylation of d
      erythro-sphingosylphosphorylcholine. For all the SM dispersions, reversible and
      reproducible thermal behavior was observed to show the gel-to-gel and the main
      gel-to-liquid crystal phase transition in heating scan. The main transition
      enthalpy (DeltaH(M)) decreased linearly with increasing acyl chain length. The
      vesicular structures were observed for all the gel phases at temperatures just
      below the main transition, but the mean diameter of these vesicles changed
      markedly from approximately 1.5 to 100nm with increasing acyl chain length. On
      this basis, the decrease in DeltaH(M) with increasing acyl chain length was
      discussed from the viewpoint of the effect of the mismatched C-C bonds in the
      acyl chain on the van der Waals attractive force between the matched acyl chain
      segment and the sphingoshine chain of the gel phase at temperatures just below
      the main transition.

PMID- 20307521
TI  - Microalbumin screening.

PMID- 20307520
TI  - HDL in humans with cardiovascular disease exhibits a proteomic signature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alterations in protein composition and oxidative damage of high
      density lipoprotein (HDL) have been proposed to impair the cardioprotective
      properties of HDL. We tested whether relative levels of proteins in HDL(2) could
      be used as biomarkers for coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS: Twenty control
      and eighteen CAD subjects matched for HDL-cholesterol, age, and sex were studied.
      HDL(2) isolated from plasma was digested with trypsin and analyzed by high
      resolution matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI
      MS) and pattern recognition analysis. RESULTS: Partial least squares discriminant
      analysis (PLS-DA) of mass spectra clearly differentiated CAD from control
      subjects with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC(AUC))
      of 0.94. Targeted tandem mass spectrometric analysis of the model's significant
      features revealed that HDL(2) of CAD subjects contained oxidized methionine
      residues of apolipoprotein A-I and elevated levels of apolipoprotein C-III. A
      proteomic signature composed of MALDI-MS signals from apoA-I, apoC-III, Lp(a) and
      apoC-I accurately classified CAD and control subjects (ROC(AUC)=0.82).
      CONCLUSIONS: HDL(2) of CAD subjects carries a distinct protein cargo and that
      protein oxidation helps generate dysfunctional HDL. Moreover, models based on
      selected identified peptides in MALDI-TOF mass spectra of the HDL may have
      diagnostic potential.

PMID- 20307522
TI  - Alterations of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3)
      glycosylation in patients with breast tumours.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) is an
      important modulator of development and progression of breast cancer as it
      regulates the amount of free, physiologically active IGF-I and IGF-II. Changes in
      the glycosylation pattern within IGFBP-3 may affect its interaction with ligands.
      The aim of this study was to investigate whether such changes occur during
      disease progression. DESIGN AND METHODS: IGFBP-3 in serum samples from healthy
      women and from women with breast tumours was characterised in terms of its
      concentration (IRMA), glycosylation moiety (lectin-affinity chromatography) and
      distribution of molecular species (immunoblotting). RESULTS: In patients with
      benign tumours the concentration and carbohydrate content of IGFBP-3 was
      unaltered compared to healthy women. In patients with malignant tumours in most
      cases these two parameters were unchanged, but there were women whose
      concentration of IGFBP-3 was reduced and its structure was altered. In non
      surviving cancer patients the concentration of IGFBP-3 was significantly reduced
      and these molecules contained a greater amount of biantennary complex type N
      glycans having more mannose, fucose, bisecting GlcNAc and terminal sialic acid
      residues. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that breast cancer progression causes
      alterations of IGFBP-3 glycosylation. The extent of changes increases with breast
      cancer severity.

PMID- 20307523
TI  - Comparison of salivary cortisol and calculated free plasma cortisol during low
      dose ACTH test in healthy subjects.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To compare free plasma cortisol (FPC) with salivary and calculated
      cortisol. DESIGN AND METHODS: FPC, salivary cortisol, free cortisol index (FCI),
      albumin-derived free cortisol index (FCIalb), Coolen's and Dorin's cortisol were
      assayed during repeated low-dose ACTH test in healthy women. RESULTS: FPC
      significantly correlated with its surrogates, the most with FCIalb and salivary
      cortisol. FPC and salivary cortisol showed the highest method agreement.
      CONCLUSIONS: FCIalb and salivary cortisol are preferred surrogates of FPC.

PMID- 20307524
TI  - Ayanin, a non-selective phosphodiesterase 1-4 inhibitor, effectively suppresses
      ovalbumin-induced airway hyperresponsiveness without affecting xylazine/ketamine
      induced anesthesia.
AB  - In recent in vitro reports, the IC(50) value of ayanin (quercetin-3,7,4'-O
      trimethylether) was 2.2microM for inhibiting interleukin (IL)-4 production from
      purified basophils, and its therapeutic ratio was >19. Therefore, we were
      interested in investigating the effects on ovalbumin induced airway
      hyperresponsiveness in vivo, and to clarify its potential for treating asthma.
      Ayanin (30-100micromol/kg, orally (p.o.)) dose-dependently and significantly
      attenuated the enhanced pause (P(enh)) value induced by methacholine in
      sensitized and challenged mice. It also significantly suppressed the increases in
      total inflammatory cells, macrophages, lymphocytes, neutrophils, and eosinophils,
      and levels of cytokines, including IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, and tumor necrosis factor
      (TNF)-alpha in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of these mice. However, at
      100micromol/kg, it significantly enhanced the level of interferon (IFN)-gamma. In
      addition, ayanin (30-100micromol/kg, p.o.) dose-dependently and significantly
      suppressed total and OVA-specific immunoglobulin (Ig)E levels in the serum and
      bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and enhanced the IgG(2a) level in serum of these
      mice. In the present results, ayanin did not affect xylazine/ketamine-induced
      anesthesia, suggesting that ayanin has few or no adverse effects, such as nausea,
      vomiting, and gastric hypersecretion. In conclusion, the above results suggest
      that ayanin may have the potential for use in treating allergic asthma.

PMID- 20307525
TI  - Beta-asarone protection against beta-amyloid-induced neurotoxicity in PC12 cells
      via JNK signaling and modulation of Bcl-2 family proteins.
AB  - Neurodegenerative brain disorders such as Alzheimer's disease have been well
      investigated. However, significant methods for the treatment of the promotion and
      progression of Alzheimer's disease are unavailable to date. Apoptosis is a
      crucial pathway in neuronal loss in Alzheimer's disease patients. Thus, the
      suppression of apoptosis may be an effective therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer's
      disease. In this study, we evaluated the effect of beta-asarone on beta-amyloid
      (Abeta)-induced toxicity in cultured PC12 cells. Our data show significant
      induction of apoptosis in PC12 cells incubated with Abeta peptide, and this
      effect was reduced by beta-asarone. Beta-asarone reduced Abeta-induced JNK
      activation. In addition, beta-asarone attenuates Abeta-induced down-regulation of
      Bcl-w and Bcl-xL in a JNK-dependent manner, and subsequent inhibition
      mitochondrial release of cytochrome c and activation of caspase-3. Together,
      these findings indicate that Abeta-induced apoptosis of PC12 cells proceeds
      through mitochondrial pathway. Further, the JNK signaling cascade plays a role in
      regulating the anti-apoptotic effects of beta-asarone. Thus, our results indicate
      that beta-asarone might be a potentially therapeutic compound for Alzheimer's
      disease.

PMID- 20307527
TI  - Anti-fatigue effect of dicethiamine hydrochloride is likely associated with
      excellent absorbability and high transformability in tissues as a Vitamin B(1).
AB  - The anti-fatigue effect of dicethiamine hydrochloride (DCET) was assessed and
      compared to that of thiamine hydrochloride (VB(1)HCl) in rats. The absorbability
      and tissue distribution of thiamine after oral administration of DCET and
      VB(1)HCl were also examined. To create fatigued animals, male SD rats were placed
      in plastic cages containing 1.5cm of water for 5 consecutive days. The extent of
      fatigue was evaluated by a weight-loaded forced swimming test. After oral
      administration of DCET or VB(1)HCl to non-fatigued rats, blood and tissues were
      serially collected to determine the concentrations of thiamine and its phosphate
      esters. Pharmacokinetic analysis was performed to examine the thiamine profile in
      the body after administration of DCET or VB(1)HCl. Swimming time was
      significantly shorter for the fatigued vehicle group than the non-fatigued group.
      DCET (30 and 100mg/kg) significantly prolonged the swimming time compared to the
      fatigued vehicle group. The anti-fatigue effect of VB(1)HCl (70.1mg/kg) was not
      significant in our set of results. Both DCET and VB(1)HCl were rapidly absorbed
      into the circulating blood as thiamine and eventually became localized in the
      organs. Thiamine was distributed at higher concentrations to the blood, heart,
      thigh muscles, cerebellum, hippocampus, and thalamus after administration of DCET
      compared to VB(1)HCl. These results indicate that DCET is a vitamin B(1)
      derivative that has excellent absorbability and transformability in tissues and
      suggest that DCET as an oral therapy may be useful against combined mental and
      physical fatigue, such as that often encountered in contemporary society.

PMID- 20307526
TI  - Icariin exterts negative effects on human gastric cancer cell invasion and
      migration by vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein via Rac1 pathway.
AB  - Cellular movement is mainly orchestrated by actin-dependent cytoskeleton in which
      Rho GTPase Rac1 or vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) closely
      collaborates. In the present in vitro study, we investigated the inhibitory
      effect and underlying molecular mechanism of icariin, a pure extract of the
      traditional Chinese medicine Herba epimedii, on the invasive and migration
      properties of human gastric cancer cell line BGC-823. At 50% growth-inhibiting
      concentration, icariin significantly suppressed tumor cells migration and
      invasion, which were traceable to down-regulation of Rac1 and VASP. Together with
      icariin, the selected siRNA targeting Rac1 or VASP reinforced these inhibitory
      effects. Rac1-siRNA-dependent down-regulation of Rac1 led to a large drop in VASP
      expression, whereas VASP-siRNA led to a slight fall in Rac1 expression, implying
      that the amount of Rac1 may influence VASP expression level. Moreover,
      transfection with Rac1 plasmids pcDNA3-EGFP-Rac1-Q61L led to the enhancement in
      expression level of both Rac1 and VASP. These results indicate that icariin
      exerts negative effects on tumor cell invasion and migration via the Rac1
      dependent VASP pathway and may be a potential anti-cancer drug.

PMID- 20307528
TI  - Glucosamine regulation of LPS-mediated inflammation in human bronchial epithelial
      cells.
AB  - Inflammation is a complex process involving cytokine production to regulate host
      defense cascades in order to clear pathogenic agents. Upregulation of
      inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6 and IL-8 by bacteria infection, occurs in
      pulmonary tissues and has been demonstrated to be critical to the lung
      inflammatory response. Glucosamine, primarily identified as an anti-arthritis
      supplement, has been also regarded as a potential anti-inflammatory agent. Thus
      we hypothesized that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) would activate IL-6 and IL-8
      expressions in human primary bronchial epithelial cells and glucosamine could
      attenuate such an effect. The RT-PCR, real-time PCR, and ELISA analyses
      demonstrated that LPS-induced mRNAs encoding IL-6 and IL-8 and the subsequent
      secretion of IL-6 and IL-8 were inhibited by glucosamine treatment. MTT,
      alamarBlue, and annexin V apoptosis assays all suggested that this inhibition
      effect was not due to a cytotoxic effect mediated by glucosamine. Using the
      inhibitors of the MAP kinases and NFkappaB, it was revealed that p38, JNK and
      ERK, as well as NFkappaB, are all involved in LPS-induced IL-8 secretion; however
      only p38 is involved in LPS-induced IL-6 secretion. Immunoblot analysis further
      demonstrated that LPS-mediated phosphorylation of JNK and ERK, but not the LPS
      induced NFkappaB translocation, was inhibited by glucosamine. Altogether, our
      results indicate that glucosamine can potently suppress LPS-induced inflammatory
      cytokine expression, at least in part via attenuation of MAPK activation.

PMID- 20307529
TI  - Bradykinin-induced depolarisation and Ca(2+) influx through voltage-gated Ca(2+)
      channels in rat submucosal neurons.
AB  - The aim of the present study was the investigation of the mechanism, by which
      bradykinin B(2) receptor stimulation evokes an increase of the cytosolic Ca(2+)
      concentration in rat submucosal plexus. In ganglionic cells within the intact
      submucosal plexus, the Ca(2+)-response evoked by bradykinin was suppressed by
      Ni(2+), suggesting that Ca(2+) enters the cell through voltage-gated Ca(2+)
      channels (Ca(v) channels). Inhibition of Ca(v) channel subtypes P, T and R with
      omega-agatoxin IVA, flunarizine, and SNX-482 did not affect the response to
      bradykinin. In contrast, verapamil, omega-conotoxin GVIA, and omega-conotoxin
      MVIIC attenuated the actions of bradykinin, indicating the involvement of the L-,
      N- and Q-subtypes of Ca(v) channels. The combination of these three blockers had
      a strong inhibitory action on the bradykinin response. In order to study the
      mechanism of activation of Ca(v) channels by bradykinin, isolated submucosal
      neurons in culture were used. Immunocytochemical stainings revealed that these
      neurons expressed the bradykinin B(2) receptor, while the B(1) receptor was
      absent. Isolated submucosal glial cells did not express the bradykinin B(2)
      receptor. Whole-cell patch-clamp measurements of submucosal neurons showed that
      bradykinin induced a depolarisation of the membrane in average of 14mV. The ionic
      mechanism underlying the depolarisation was identified with current measurements
      at two different membrane potentials (-81 and 0mV). The current associated to
      Na(+) influx was not changed by bradykinin, whereas the current representing K(+)
      outflux was reduced by 26%. The present results suggest that at submucosal
      neurons from the rat colon bradykinin induces a depolarisation by decreasing the
      K(+) conductance, followed by activation of the Ca(v) channels, which mediates
      the increase of the cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration.

PMID- 20307530
TI  - Reversal of heparin-induced increases in aPTT in the rat by PM102, a novel
      heparin antagonist.
AB  - Protamine is the only agent approved to reverse heparin-induced anticoagulation.
      Due to the significant adverse effects of protamine there is an important need
      for an alternative agent with an improved safety profile. The pharmacodynamics of
      PM102, a novel peptide-based heparin antagonist, was evaluated and compared to
      protamine in a rat model. Rats were dosed with intravenous heparin (50U/kg) and
      4min later with protamine (0.25, 0.75mg/kg single intravenous bolus) or PM102
      (0.1, 0.3, 1, 3, 30mg/kg single intravenous bolus). Blood samples were collected
      though 60min for assessment of activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and
      plasma concentration of PM102. Both doses of protamine markedly lowered the
      elevated aPTT to baseline values within 1 to 5min after administration. PM102
      (0.3-30mg/kg) also rapidly and completely reversed heparin-induced increases in
      aPTT within 1 to 5min. The effects of PM102 administered as an infusion over
      10min also reversed aPTT with similar potency to that observed for bolus
      administration. The onset of reversal with infusion was delayed relative to the
      same total dose given as a bolus; however, the maximum effect was similar. PM102
      rapidly (T(max) 1-2.6min) appeared in plasma after dosing. Concentrations of
      PM102 generally declined rapidly after reaching T(max) with a mean T(1/2) of 4 to
      31min. PM102 is a novel synthetic peptide that effectively reverses the
      anticoagulant effect of heparin. It's utility as a bolus injection as well as
      infusion, its rapid efficacy and its rapid clearance make this an ideal candidate
      for clinical development.

PMID- 20307531
TI  - Mutagenesis studies of neuropeptide S identify a suitable peptide tracer for
      neuropeptide S receptor binding studies and peptides selectively activating the
      I(107) variant of human neuropeptide S receptor.
AB  - Neuropeptide S and its receptor represent a novel neurotransmitter system mainly
      expressed in the brain. A single nucleotide polymorphism in the first
      extracellular loop (I107) increases the potency of neuropeptide S and has been
      identified for both the human neuropeptide S receptor short (A) and long (B) C
      terminal forms. Preliminary human genetic studies link this polymorphism to
      asthma, panic disorders and altered sleep behavior. No polymorphism or splice
      variants have been reported for the rat neuropeptide S receptor, however it
      carries an isoleucine at position 107. To identify a suitable tracer for
      neuropeptide S receptor binding and investigate the role of specific amino acids
      within neuropeptide S we carried out mutagenesis of the peptide and assessed the
      ability of the mutations to stimulate calcium release in HEK293 cells expressing
      human neuropeptide S receptor variants (A, B, AI(107), BI(107)) and rat
      neuropeptide S receptor. Replacement of threonine at position 8 by arginine and
      methionine at position 10 by tyrosine resulted in a mutant peptide slightly more
      potent on all neuropeptide S receptor variants compared to neuropeptide S and
      more importantly the iodinated mutant peptide was found to be a suitable tracer
      for binding studies with improved signal to noise ratio and stability compared to
      [(125)I-Y(10)] neuropeptide S. Replacement of serine at position 1 of
      neuropeptide S peptide by arginine resulted in a complete loss of potency for the
      neuropeptide S receptor (long and short form) but not for the I(107) receptor
      variants (long and short) or rat neuropeptide S receptor.

PMID- 20307532
TI  - Effect of the anti-diabetic drug metformin on bone mass in ovariectomized rats.
AB  - Recent studies have reported bone loss in the patients with diabetes and a direct
      osteogenic effect of metformin on osteoblast-like cells in culture. In this
      study, we investigated the action of metformin on bone mass in ovariectomized
      (OVX) rats. Three months after either a sham surgery or bilateral ovariectomy,
      thirty-two female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into four groups:
      (1) Sham group; (2) OVX group; (3) OVX+metformin (50mg/kg/day) group; and (4)
      OVX+metformin (100mg/kg/day) group. After 2 months of oral administration with or
      without metformin, tibiae were harvested for dual energy X-ray absorptiometry,
      micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and histology analysis, while the bone
      marrow cells from tibiae were collected for measurement of the mRNAs expressions
      for three osteoblast genes and estrogen receptors alpha by the use of real-time
      RT-PCR. We found that the impaired bone density and quality induced by bilateral
      ovariectomy were significantly improved by the treatment of metformin (both 50
      and 100mg/kg/day), and this action could be partly mediated by regulating bone
      marrow cells development through induction of mechanisms regulating osteoblast
      markers core binding factor a1 and LDL receptor-related protein 5. These findings
      provide new evidence that the anti-diabetic drug metformin has a direct
      inhibition effect on bone loss in OVX rats, in addition to its well-documented
      osteogenic potency in vitro.

PMID- 20307533
TI  - Involvement of L-arginine-nitric oxide-cyclic guanosine monophosphate pathway in
      the antidepressant-like effect of bis selenide in the mouse tail suspension test.
AB  - The present study investigated a possible antidepressant-like effect of bis
      selenide by using the forced swimming and the tail suspension tests. The
      involvement of the l-arginine-nitric oxide-cyclic guanosine monophosphate
      signaling pathway in the antidepressant-like action of bis selenide was
      investigated. Bis selenide, given by oral route at doses of 0.5-5mg/kg, decreased
      the immobility time in the forced swimming and tail suspension tests.
      Pretreatment with l-arginine (750mg/kg, intraperitoneal, i.p., a nitric oxide
      precursor), sildenafil (5mg/kg, i.p., a phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor) or S
      nitroso-N-acetyl-penicillamine (25microg/site, intracerebroventricular, i.c.v., a
      nitric oxide donor) reversed the reduction in the immobility time elicited by bis
      selenide (1mg/kg, p.o.) in the tail suspension test. Bis selenide (0.1mg/kg,
      p.o., a subeffective dose) produced a synergistic antidepressant-like effect with
      N(G)-nitro-L-arginine (0.3mg/kg, i.p., an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase) or
      7-nitroindazole (25mg/kg, i.p., a specific neuronal nitric oxide synthase
      inhibitor) in the tail suspension test. Pretreatment of animals with methylene
      blue (10mg/kg, i.p., an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase and soluble guanylate
      cyclase) or 1H-[1,2,4] oxadiazolo [4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (30pmol, i.c.v., a
      specific inhibitor of soluble guanylate cyclase), at subeffective doses, caused a
      synergistic effect with bis selenide in the tail suspension test. Bis selenide
      (1mg/kg, p.o.), at an effective dose in the forced swimming and tail suspension
      tests, caused a significant decrease in the mouse cerebral nitrate/nitrite
      levels. The antidepressant-like effect of bis selenide in the tail suspension
      test is dependent on the inhibition of the L-arginine-nitric oxide-cyclic
      guanosine monophosphate pathway.

PMID- 20307534
TI  - The L-, N-, and T-type triple calcium channel blocker benidipine acts as an
      antagonist of mineralocorticoid receptor, a member of nuclear receptor family.
AB  - Aldosterone-induced activation of mineralocorticoid receptor, a member of the
      nuclear receptor family, results in increased tissue damage such as vascular
      inflammation and cardiac and perivascular fibrosis. Benidipine, a long-lasting
      dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker, is used for hypertension and angina.
      Benidipine exhibits pleiotropic pharmacological features such as renoprotective
      and cardioprotective effects through triple blockade of L-, N-, and T-type
      calcium channels. However, the mechanism of additional beneficial effects on end
      organ damage is poorly understood. Here, we examined the effects of benidipine
      and other calcium channel blockers on aldosterone-induced mineralocorticoid
      receptor activation using luciferase reporter assay system. Benidipine showed
      more potent activity than efonidipine, amlodipine, or azelnidipine. Benidipine
      depressed the response to higher concentrations of aldosterone, whereas
      pretreatment of eplerenone, a steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist,
      did not. Binding studies using [(3)H] aldosterone indicated that benidipine and
      other calcium channel blockers competed for binding to mineralocorticoid
      receptor. Benidipine and other calcium channel blockers showed antagonistic
      activity on Ser810 to Leu mutant mineralocorticoid receptor, which is identified
      in patients with early-onset hypertension. On the other hand, eplerenone
      partially activated the mutant. Results of analysis using optical isomers of
      benidipine indicated that inhibitory effect of aldosterone-induced
      mineralocorticoid receptor activation was independent of its primary blockade of
      calcium channels. These results suggested that benidipine directly inhibits
      aldosterone-induced mineralocorticoid receptor activation, and the antagonistic
      activity might contribute to the drug's pleiotropic pharmacological features.

PMID- 20307535
TI  - Radioligand binding characterization of the bradykinin B(2) receptor in the
      rabbit and pig ileal smooth muscle.
AB  - Several species-related differences have been reported in kinin B(2) receptor
      pharmacology. The present study aimed to evaluate the affinity of the bradykinin
      B(2) receptor antagonist MEN16132 for the rabbit and pig B(2) receptor, and
      radioligand binding experiments using [(3)H]bradykinin and membranes of rabbit
      and pig ileum smooth muscle were conducted. The [(3)H]bradykinin binding was
      characterized by homologous displacement curves indicating K(d) values of 0.65
      and 0.33nM in rabbit and pig, respectively. The B(2) receptor specificity of
      [(3)H]bradykinin binding was shown by the low affinity (>microM) displayed by
      agonists ([desArg(9)]bradykinin and Lys[desArg(9)]bradykinin) and antagonists
      [Leu(8),desArg(9)]bradykinin and Lys[Leu(8),desArg(9)]bradykinin) selective for
      the B(1) receptor. The affinity of MEN16132 and other antagonists was determined
      by inhibition curves (pK(i) values in the rabbit and pig assay, respectively):
      MEN16132 (10.4 and 10.3) and peptide compounds such as icatibant (10.1 and 9.9)
      and MEN11270 (10.3 and 10.1) displayed subnanomolar potency in both assays; the
      nonpeptide LF16-0687 (8.4 and 8.5) and FR173657 (8.2 and 9.1) exhibited a
      different affinity pattern, whereas WIN64338 displayed low affinity (5.7 and
      <or=5). Results are discussed focusing on comparisons with previous findings
      obtained in rabbit and pig vascular functional assays, but also with those
      obtained in analog guinea pig and mouse assays and at the human B(2) receptor. An
      attempt to highlight differences which can undertake ligands selectivity across
      the species is presented. In conclusion, the present study indicates MEN16132 as
      the only nonpeptidic compound which displays an even subnanomolar affinity for
      the rabbit and pig B(2) receptor.

PMID- 20307536
TI  - Molecular control of brain size: regulators of neural stem cell life, death and
      beyond.
AB  - The proper development of the brain and other organs depends on multiple
      parameters, including strictly controlled expansion of specific progenitor pools.
      The regulation of such expansion events includes enzymatic activities that govern
      the correct number of specific cells to be generated via an orchestrated control
      of cell proliferation, cell cycle exit, differentiation, cell death etc. Certain
      proteins in turn exert direct control of these enzymatic activities and thus
      progenitor pool expansion and organ size. The members of the Cip/Kip family
      (p21Cip1/p27Kip1/p57Kip2) are well-known regulators of cell cycle exit that
      interact with and inhibit the activity of cyclin-CDK complexes, whereas members
      of the p53/p63/p73 family are traditionally associated with regulation of cell
      death. It has however become clear that the roles for these proteins are not as
      clear-cut as initially thought. In this review, we discuss the roles for proteins
      of the Cip/Kip and p53/p63/p73 families in the regulation of cell cycle control,
      differentiation, and death of neural stem cells. We suggest that these proteins
      act as molecular interfaces, or "pilots", to assure the correct assembly of
      protein complexes with enzymatic activities at the right place at the right time,
      thereby regulating essential decisions in multiple cellular events.

PMID- 20307537
TI  - Bone marrow stromal cell interaction reduces syndecan-1 expression and induces
      kinomic changes in myeloma cells.
AB  - CD138 (Syndecan 1) is a heparan sulfate proteoglycan that concentrates heparan
      sulfate-binding growth factors on the surface of normal and malignant plasma
      cells (multiple myeloma, MMC). Recent studies have shown the presence of a CD138
      negative fraction of MMC within myelomatous bone marrow (BM). We employed kinome
      array technology to characterize this fraction at a molecular level, using a
      myeloma cell line model. Compared to CD138-positive cells, CD138-negative MMC
      showed (i) a reduced activity of kinases involved in cell cycle progression, in
      agreement with a decreased labeling index and (ii) reduced Rho signaling to F
      actin. Interestingly, CD138 mRNA and protein expression was reduced upon
      interaction of MM cells with stromal cell lines and primary mesenchymal cultures,
      which was accompanied by the acquisition of an increased Bcl6/Blimp1 ratio. Co
      culture induced an increased activity of kinases involved in adhesion and a
      decreased S-phase transition in both CD138-positive and -negative fractions. In
      addition, CD138-negative MMC demonstrated an increased STAT3 and ERK1/2
      activation compared to CD138+ MMC, in agreement with a lower sensitivity to
      compound exposure. The presence of a less mature, more resistant CD138-negative
      myeloma cell fraction within bone marrow microniches might contribute to high
      incidence of relapse of Myeloma patients.

PMID- 20307538
TI  - Pharmacokinetic analysis of topotecan after intra-vitreal injection. Implications
      for retinoblastoma treatment.
AB  - Topotecan is a promising drug with activity against retinoblastoma, however,
      attaining therapeutic concentrations in the vitreous humor is still a challenge
      for the treatment of vitreous seeds in retinoblastoma. Our aim was to
      characterize topotecan pharmacokinetics in vitreous and aqueous humor, and to
      assess the systemic exposure after intra-vitreal injection in rabbits as an
      alternative route for maximizing local drug exposure. Anesthetized rabbits were
      administered intra-vitreal injections of 5 microg of topotecan. Vitreous,
      aqueous, and blood samples were collected at pre-defined time points. A validated
      high-performance liquid chromatography assay was used to quantitate topotecan
      (lactone and carboxylate) concentrations. Topotecan pharmacokinetic parameters
      were determined in vitreous, aqueous and plasma using a compartmental analysis.
      Topotecan lactone concentrations in the vitreous of the injected eye were about 8
      ng/mL 48 h after drug administration. The median maximum vitreous, aqueous and
      plasma total topotecan concentrations (C(max)) were 5.3, 0.68 and 0.21 microg/mL,
      respectively. The C(max) vitreous/aqueous of treated eyes and the C(max)
      vitreous/plasma were approximately 8 and 254, respectively. Total topotecan
      exposure (AUC) in the vitreous of the injected eye was 50 times greater than the
      total systemic exposure. These findings suggest that intra-vitreal administration
      of only 5 microg of topotecan reaches significant local levels over an extended
      period of time while minimizing systemic exposure in the rabbit. Intra-vitreal
      topotecan administration offers a promising alternative route for enhanced drug
      exposure in the vitreous humor with potential application for treatment of
      vitreal seeds in retinoblastoma while avoiding systemic toxicities.

PMID- 20307539
TI  - KatG from Salmonella typhimurium is a peroxynitritase.
AB  - Pathogenic bacteria elicit protective responses to oxidative and nitrosative
      stresses. Although such responses are generally distinct, it was recently
      reported in Mycobacterium tuberculosis that catalase-peroxidase (KatG), a
      classical defence against peroxides, also exhibits peroxynitritase activity.
      Here, the katG gene from Salmonella Typhimurium was cloned and protein purified
      and characterised. An increase in the rate of decomposition of peroxynitrite was
      observed for KatG from the enterobacterium with a second-order rate constant of
      4.2x10(4)M(-1)s(-1) at pH 7.4, 25 degrees C. This enzyme was able to reduce
      dihydrorhodamine oxidation by peroxynitrite to approximately 83%. Given the
      peroxynitritase activity demonstrated here it is likely that KatG may play a
      wider role in the detoxification of oxidative stresses than previously thought.

PMID- 20307540
TI  - NPC1L1 and cholesterol transport.
AB  - The polytopic transmembrane protein, Niemann-Pick C1-Like 1 (NPC1L1), is enriched
      in the apical membrane of small intestine absorptive enterocytes where it
      mediates extracellular sterol transport across the brush border membrane. It is
      essential for intestinal sterol absorption and is the molecular target of
      ezetimibe, a potent cholesterol absorption inhibitor that lowers blood
      cholesterol in humans. NPC1L1 is also highly expressed in human liver. The
      hepatic function of NPC1L1 may be to limit excessive biliary cholesterol loss.
      NPC1L1-dependent sterol uptake seems to be a clathrin-mediated endocytic process
      and is regulated by cellular cholesterol content. Recently, NPC1L1 inhibition has
      been shown to have beneficial effects on components of the metabolic syndrome,
      such as obesity, insulin resistance, and fatty liver, in addition to
      atherosclerosis.

PMID- 20307541
TI  - A role for Src kinase in progestin facilitation of estrous behavior in estradiol
      primed female rats.
AB  - This study tested the hypothesis that the Src/Raf/MAPK signaling pathway is
      involved in the facilitation of the lordosis and proceptive behaviors induced by
      progesterone (P) and its ring A-reduced metabolites in ovariectomized, estradiol
      primed rats. Intraventricular (icv) infusion of PP2 (7.5, 15 and 30 microg), a
      Src kinase inhibitor, significantly depressed P-dependent estrous behavior
      (lordosis and proceptivity) in estradiol-primed rats. Icv infusion of 30 microg
      of PP2 also significantly attenuated estrous behavior induced by the ring A
      reduced P metabolites 5 alpha-dihydroprogesterone (5 alpha-DHP) and 5 alpha
      pregnan-3alpha-ol-20-one (allopregnanolone). PP2 did not inhibit estrous behavior
      induced by administration of high doses of estradiol alone to ovariectomized
      rats. We also assessed if the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) is one of the
      neural sites at which progestins activate Src signaling to facilitate estrous
      behavior. Bilateral administration of 15 microg of PP2 into the VMH inhibited the
      stimulation of both lordosis and proceptive behaviors elicited by subcutaneous P
      administration to estradiol-primed rats. These results suggest that progestins
      act through Src/Raf/MAPK signaling to initiate estrous behaviors in estrogen
      primed rats. This event is one component of the cellular pathways leading to the
      display of estrous behaviors induced by P and its ring A-reduced metabolites in
      female rats.

PMID- 20307542
TI  - Comparative in vitro stimulation with lipopolysaccharide to study TNFalpha gene
      expression in fresh whole blood, fresh and frozen peripheral blood mononuclear
      cells.
AB  - In vitro stimulation with fresh and frozen peripheral blood mononuclear cells
      (PBMCs) or fresh whole blood has been widely used in animal studies and clinical
      trials to study the immunological features of a number of human diseases. The
      objective of this study was to determine the difference in response to
      stimulation of fresh PBMCs, frozen PBMCs, and fresh whole blood by change of
      TNFalpha gene expression levels after 4-hour in vitro lipopolysaccharide (LPS)
      stimulation. Our results demonstrate that TNFalpha gene expression significantly
      increases in both fresh PBMCs and fresh whole blood when 1 microg/ml or 10
      microg/ml LPS was used but only after stimulation with 10 microg/ml LPS in frozen
      PBMCs. Mean fold change of TNFalpha gene expression levels after 1 microg/ml LPS
      stimulation was significantly higher using fresh whole blood (51.01+/-7.91) as
      compared to fresh PBMCs (8.92+/-2.16) or frozen PBMCs (3.04+/-0.55) (p<or=0.007).
      The same trend was also observed with 10 microg/ml LPS stimulation (p<or=0.001).
      Decreased PBMC cell viability due to cryopreservation, cytokine depletion and
      removal of some minor cells during cell isolation could attribute to the low
      TNFalpha expression in the frozen PBMCs. Our results strongly suggest that fresh
      whole blood is the best choice for in vitro stimulation studies.

PMID- 20307543
TI  - Isolation and culture of microvascular endothelial cells from murine inguinal and
      epididymal adipose tissues.
AB  - Adipose tissue has long been considered to be a simple tissue that contains
      adipocytes. Because of this, the isolation and characterization of microvascular
      endothelical cells, which are also present in adipose tissue, have been
      neglected, even though they are components of a capillary network that surrounds
      each individual adipocyte. Here we report on a protocol for producing highly
      purified murine microvascular endothelial cells (MECs) from diverse sites of
      murine adipose tissues including inguinal and epididymal adipose tissues. The
      method is based on a combination of negative and positive immunomagnetic
      selection. The protocol involves the preparation of a single cell suspension
      (digestion, filtration and density gradient centrifugation), immunomagnetic
      enrichment of the CD45(-) cell population and the purification of the MECs by a
      combination of common specific markers CD31, CD102 and isolectin B4. The isolated
      MECs can be successively cultured for 10 to 12 passages without any detectable
      changes in morphology and phenotype. Therefore, the method described herein
      represents a protocol for the isolation and long-term maintenance of highly pure
      mouse MECs in high yields from adipose tissues.

PMID- 20307544
TI  - PDGF-BB protects cardiomyocytes from apoptosis and improves contractile function
      of engineered heart tissue.
AB  - Platelet-derived-growth-factor-BB (PDGF-BB) can protect various cell types from
      apoptotic cell death, and induce hypertrophic growth and proliferation, but
      little is known about its direct or indirect effects on cardiomyocytes. Cardiac
      muscle engineering is compromised by a particularly high rate of cardiomyocyte
      death. Here we hypothesized that PDGF-BB stimulation can (1) protect
      cardiomyocytes from apoptosis, (2) enhance myocyte content in and (3)
      consequently optimize contractile performance of engineered heart tissue (EHT).
      We investigated the effects of PDGF-receptor activation in neonatal rat heart
      monolayer- and EHT-cultures by isometric contraction experiments,
      cytomorphometry, (3)H-thymidine and (3)H-phenylalanine incorporation assays,
      quantitative PCR (calsequestrin 2, alpha-cardiac and skeletal actin, atrial
      natriuretic factor, alpha- and beta-myosin heavy chain), immunoblotting
      (activated caspase 3, Akt-phosphorylation), and ELISA (cell death detection).
      PDGF-BB did not induce hypertrophy or proliferation in cardiomyocytes, but
      enhanced contractile performance of EHT. This effect was concentration-dependent
      (E(max) 10 ng/ml) and maximal only after transient PDGF-BB stimulation (culture
      days 0-7; total culture duration: 12 days). Improvement of contractile function
      was associated with higher cardiomyocyte content, as a consequence of PDGF-BB
      mediated protection from apoptosis (lower caspase-3 activity particularly in
      cardiomyocytes in PDGF-BB treated vs. untreated EHTs). We confirmed the anti
      apoptotic effect of PDGF-BB in monolayer cultures and observed that PI3-kinase
      inhibition with LY294002 attenuated PDGF-BB-mediated cardiomyocyte protection. We
      conclude that PDGF-BB does not induce hypertrophy or proliferation, but confers
      an anti-apoptotic effect on cardiomyocytes. Our findings suggest a further
      exploitation of PDGF-BB in cardiomyocyte protection in vivo and in vitro.

PMID- 20307545
TI  - Molecular basis for the high degree of antigenic cross-reactivity between
      hepatitis B virus capsids (HBcAg) and dimeric capsid-related protein (HBeAg):
      insights into the enigmatic nature of the e-antigen.
AB  - The hepatitis B virus core gene codes for two closely related antigens: a 21-kDa
      protein that forms dimers that assemble as multimegadalton capsids, and a 17-kDa
      protein that also forms dimers but that do not assemble. The proteins,
      respectively referred to as core antigen (HBcAg) and e-antigen (HBeAg), share a
      sequence of 149 residues but have different amino- and carboxy-termini. Their
      structural and serological relationship has long been unclear. With insights
      gained from recent structural studies on immune complexes of the capsids, the
      relationship was reassessed using recombinant forms of the antigens and a panel
      of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) commonly believed to discriminate between core
      and e-antigen. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) was used to measure the
      affinities, in contrast to previous studies that used more error-prone and less
      sensitive plate-type assays. Four of the six mAbs did not discriminate between
      core and e-antigen, nor did they discriminate between e-antigen and dimers of
      dissociated core antigen capsids. One mAb (3120) was specific for assembled
      capsids and one (e6) was specific for unassembled dimers. Epitope valency of the
      e-antigen was also studied, using a sandwich SPR assay where e-antigen was
      captured with one mAb and probed with a second. The e-antigen is often considered
      to be a monomeric protein on the basis of monovalent reactivity with antibody
      pairs specific for either an alpha or beta epitope (in a prior nomenclature for e
      antigen specificity). This model, however, is incorrect, because recombinant e
      antigen is a stable dimer and its apparent monovalency is due to steric blockage.
      This was proven by the formation of a 2:1 Fab e6-e-antigen complex. These results
      suggest new approaches for the isolation of the authentic e-antigen, its
      biological assay, and its stabilization as an immune complex for structural
      studies.

PMID- 20307546
TI  - Structure-guided mutational analysis of a yeast DEAD-box protein involved in
      mitochondrial RNA splicing.
AB  - DEAD-box proteins are RNA-dependent ATPase enzymes that have been implicated in
      nearly all aspects of RNA metabolism. Since many of these enzymes have been shown
      to possess common biochemical properties in vitro, including the ability to bind
      and hydrolyze ATP, to bind nucleic acid, and to promote helix unwinding, DEAD-box
      proteins are generally thought to modulate RNA structure in vivo. However, the
      extent to which these enzymatic properties are important for the in vivo
      functions of DEAD-box proteins remains unclear. To evaluate how these properties
      influence DEAD-box protein native function, we probed the importance of several
      highly conserved residues in the yeast DEAD-box protein Mss116p, which is
      required for the splicing of all mitochondrial catalytic introns in Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae. Using an MSS116 deletion strain, we have expressed plasmid-borne
      variants of MSS116 containing substitutions in residues predicted to be important
      for extensive networks of interactions required for ATP hydrolysis and helix
      unwinding. We have analyzed the importance of these residues to the splicing
      functions of Mss116p in vivo and compared these results with the biochemical
      properties of recombinant proteins determined here and in previously published
      work. We observed that the efficiency by which an Mss116p variant catalyzes ATP
      hydrolysis correlates with facilitating mitochondrial splicing, while efficient
      helix unwinding appears to be insufficient for splicing. In addition, we show
      that each splicing-defective variant affects the splicing of structurally diverse
      introns to the same degree. Together, these observations suggest that the
      efficiency by which Mss116p catalyzes the hydrolysis of ATP is critical for all
      of its splicing functions in vivo. Given that ATP hydrolysis stimulates the
      recycling of DEAD-box proteins, these observations support a model in which
      enzyme turnover is a crucial factor in Mss116p splicing function. These results
      are discussed in the context of current models of Mss116p-facilitated splicing.

PMID- 20307547
TI  - Structural insight into p53 recognition by the 53BP1 tandem Tudor domain.
AB  - The tumor suppressor p53 and the DNA repair factor 53BP1 (p53 binding protein 1)
      regulate gene transcription and responses to genotoxic stresses. Upon DNA damage,
      p53 undergoes dimethylation at Lys382 (p53K382me2), and this posttranslational
      modification is recognized by 53BP1. The molecular mechanism of nonhistone methyl
      lysine mark recognition remains unknown. Here we report a 1. 6-A-resolution
      crystal structure of the tandem Tudor domain of human 53BP1 bound to a p53K382me2
      peptide. In the complex, dimethylated Lys382 is restrained by a set of
      hydrophobic and cation-pi interactions in a cage formed by four aromatic residues
      and an aspartate of 53BP1. The signature HKKme2 motif of p53, which defines
      specificity, is identified through a combination of NMR resonance perturbations,
      mutagenesis, measurements of binding affinities and docking simulations, and
      analysis of the crystal structures of 53BP1 bound to p53 peptides containing
      other dimethyl-lysine marks, p53K370me2 (p53 dimethylated at Lys370) and
      p53K372me2 (p53 dimethylated at Lys372). Binding of the 53BP1 Tudor domain to
      p53K382me2 may facilitate p53 accumulation at DNA damage sites and promote DNA
      repair as suggested by chromatin immunoprecipitation and DNA repair assays.
      Together, our data detail the molecular mechanism of p53-53BP1 association and
      provide the basis for deciphering the role of this interaction in the regulation
      of p53 and 53BP1 functions.

PMID- 20307548
TI  - Nested structure acquired through simple evolutionary process.
AB  - Nested structure, which is non-random, controls cooperation dynamics and
      biodiversity in plant-animal mutualistic networks. This structural pattern has
      been explained in a static (non-growth) network models. However, evolutionary
      processes might also influence the formation of such a structural pattern. We
      thereby propose an evolving network model for plant-animal interactions and show
      that non-random patterns such as nested structure and heterogeneous connectivity
      are both qualitatively and quantitatively predicted through simple evolutionary
      processes. This finding implies that network models can be simplified by
      considering evolutionary processes, and also that another explanation exists for
      the emergence of non-random patterns and might provide more comprehensible
      insights into the formation of plant-animal mutualistic networks from the
      evolutionary perspective.

PMID- 20307550
TI  - Protein classification using texture descriptors extracted from the protein
      backbone image.
AB  - In this work, we propose a method for protein classification that combines
      different texture descriptors extracted from the 2-D distance matrix obtained
      from the 3-D tertiary structure of a given protein. Instead of considering all
      atoms in the protein, the distance matrix is calculated by considering only those
      atoms that belong to the protein backbone. The positive results reported in this
      paper offer further experimental confirmation that the distance matrix contains
      sufficient information for describing a protein. Moreover, we show that combining
      features extracted from the primary structure with features extracted from the
      distance matrix increases the performance of our classification system. We
      demonstrate this finding by comparing the performance of an ensemble of
      classifiers that uses the combined features. The classifiers used in our
      experiments are support vector machines and random subspace of support vector
      machines. The experimental results, validated using three different datasets
      (protein fold recognition, DNA-binding proteins recognition, biological
      processes, and molecular functions recognition) along with different texture
      feature extraction methods (variants of local binary patterns, Radon feature
      transform based approaches, and Haralick descriptors) demonstrate the
      effectiveness of the proposed approach. Particularly interesting are the results
      in the classification of 27 types of structural properties: our proposed approach
      achieves significant improvement compared with other reported methods.

PMID- 20307549
TI  - Receptor cross-talk in angiogenesis: mapping environmental cues to cell phenotype
      using a stochastic, Boolean signaling network model.
AB  - Cancer invasion and metastasis depend on tumor-induced angiogenesis, the means by
      which cancer cells attract and maintain a blood supply. During angiogenesis,
      cellular processes are tightly coordinated by signaling molecules and their
      receptors. Understanding how endothelial cells synthesize multiple biochemical
      signals can catalyze the development of novel therapeutic strategies to combat
      cancer. This study is the first to propose a signal transduction model
      highlighting the cross-talk between key receptors involved in angiogenesis,
      namely the VEGF, integrin, and cadherin receptors. From experimental data, we
      construct a network model of receptor cross-talk and analyze its dynamics. We
      identify relationships between receptor activation combinations and cellular
      function, and show that cross-talk is crucial to phenotype determination. The
      network converges to a unique set of output states that correspond to known cell
      phenotypes: migratory, proliferating, quiescent, apoptotic, and it predicts one
      phenotype that challenges the "go or grow" hypothesis. Finally, we use the model
      to study protein inhibition and to suggest molecular targets for anti-angiogenic
      therapies.

PMID- 20307551
TI  - Modeling the influence of circadian rhythms on the acute inflammatory response.
AB  - A wide variety of modeling techniques have been applied towards understanding
      inflammation. These models have broad potential applications, from optimizing
      clinical trials to improving clinical care. Models have been developed to study
      specific systems and diseases, but the effect of circadian rhythms on the
      inflammatory response has not been modeled. Circadian rhythms are normal
      biological variations obeying the 24-h light/dark cycle and have been shown to
      play a critical role in the treatment and progression of many diseases. Several
      of the key components of the inflammatory response, including cytokines and
      hormones, have been observed to undergo significant diurnal variations in plasma
      concentration. It is hypothesized that these diurnal rhythms are entrained by the
      cyclic production of the hormones cortisol and melatonin, as stimulated by the
      central clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Based on this hypothesis, a
      mathematical model of the interplay between inflammation and circadian rhythms is
      developed. The model is validated by its ability to reproduce diverse sets of
      experimental data and clinical observations concerning the temporal sensitivity
      of the inflammatory response.

PMID- 20307552
TI  - A class of exact solutions for biomacromolecule diffusion-reaction in live cells.
AB  - A class of novel explicit analytic solutions for a system of n+1 coupled partial
      differential equations governing biomolecular mass transfer and reaction in
      living organisms are proposed, evaluated, and analyzed. The solution process uses
      Laplace and Hankel transforms and results in a recursive convolution of an
      exponentially scaled Gaussian with modified Bessel functions. The solution is
      developed for wide range of biomolecular binding kinetics from pure diffusion to
      multiple binding reactions. The proposed approach provides solutions for both
      Dirac and Gaussian laser beam (or fluorescence-labeled biomacromolecule) profiles
      during the course of a Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP)
      experiment. We demonstrate that previous models are simplified forms of our
      theory for special cases. Model analysis indicates that at the early stages of
      the transport process, biomolecular dynamics is governed by pure diffusion. At
      large times, the dominant mass transfer process is effective diffusion. Analysis
      of the sensitivity equations, derived analytically and verified by finite
      difference differentiation, indicates that experimental biologists should use
      full space-time profile (instead of the averaged time series) obtained at the
      early stages of the fluorescence microscopy experiments to extract meaningful
      physiological information from the protocol. Such a small time frame requires
      improved bioinstrumentation relative to that in use today. Our mathematical
      analysis highlights several limitations of the FRAP protocol and provides
      strategies to improve it. The proposed model can be used to study biomolecular
      dynamics in molecular biology, targeted drug delivery in normal and cancerous
      tissues, motor-driven axonal transport in normal and abnormal nervous systems,
      kinetics of diffusion-controlled reactions between enzyme and substrate, and to
      validate numerical simulators of biological mass transport processes in vivo.

PMID- 20307553
TI  - Full system bifurcation analysis of endocrine bursting models.
AB  - Plateau bursting is typical of many electrically excitable cells, such as
      endocrine cells that secrete hormones and some types of neurons that secrete
      neurotransmitters. Although in many of these cell types the bursting patterns are
      regulated by the interplay between voltage-gated calcium channels and calcium
      sensitive potassium channels, they can be very different. We investigate so
      called square-wave and pseudo-plateau bursting patterns found in endocrine cell
      models that are characterized by a super- or subcritical Hopf bifurcation in the
      fast subsystem, respectively. By using the polynomial model of Hindmarsh and Rose
      (Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 221 (1222) 87-102), which preserves
      the main properties of the biophysical class of models that we consider, we
      perform a detailed bifurcation analysis of the full fast-slow system for both
      bursting patterns. We find that both cases lead to the same possibility of two
      routes to bursting, that is, the criticality of the Hopf bifurcation is not
      relevant for characterizing the route to bursting. The actual route depends on
      the relative location of the full-system's fixed point with respect to a
      homoclinic bifurcation of the fast subsystem. Our full-system bifurcation
      analysis reveals properties of endocrine bursting that are not captured by the
      standard fast-slow analysis.

PMID- 20307554
TI  - Linaclotide is a potent and selective guanylate cyclase C agonist that elicits
      pharmacological effects locally in the gastrointestinal tract.
AB  - AIMS: Linaclotide is an orally administered 14-amino acid peptide being developed
      for the treatment of constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C)
      and chronic constipation. We determined the stability of linaclotide in the
      intestine, measured the oral bioavailability, and investigated whether the
      pharmacodynamic effects elicited in rodent models of gastrointestinal function
      are mechanistically linked to the activation of intestinal guanylate cyclase C
      (GC-C). MAIN METHODS: Linaclotide binding to intestinal mucosal membranes was
      assessed in competitive binding assays. Stability and oral bioavailability of
      linaclotide were measured in small intestinal fluid and serum, respectively, and
      models of gastrointestinal function were conducted using wild type (wt) and GC-C
      null mice. KEY FINDINGS: Linaclotide inhibited in vitro [(125)I]-STa binding to
      intestinal mucosal membranes from wt mice in a concentration-dependent manner. In
      contrast, [(125)I]-STa binding to these membranes from GC-C null mice was
      significantly decreased. After incubation in vitro in jejunal fluid for 30 min,
      linaclotide was completely degraded. Pharmacokinetic analysis showed very low
      oral bioavailability (0.10%). In intestinal secretion and transit models,
      linaclotide exhibited significant pharmacological effects in wt, but not in GC-C
      null mice: induction of increased fluid secretion into surgically ligated jejunal
      loops was accompanied by the secretion of elevated levels of cyclic guanosine
      3',5'-monophosphate and accelerated gastrointestinal transit. SIGNIFICANCE:
      Linaclotide is a potent and selective GC-C agonist that elicits pharmacological
      effects locally in the gastrointestinal tract. This pharmacological profile
      suggests that orally administered linaclotide may be capable of improving the
      abdominal symptoms and bowel habits of patients suffering from IBS-C and chronic
      constipation.

PMID- 20307555
TI  - Role of nuclear factor-kappaB and P53 in radioadaptive response in Chang live
      cells.
AB  - Understanding the mechanism governing radioadaptive response (RAR) has important
      implication for cancer risk assessment of a low-dose radiation (LDR). However the
      related knowledge especially the key gene of RAR is still limited. In this study,
      Chang liver cells were irradiated with a priming dose of 0.016 Gy, 0.08 Gy, or
      0.16 Gy of gamma-rays, and with 4 h interval, they were irradiated again with a
      challenging dose of 2 Gy or 3 Gy. It was found that only 0.08 Gy, but not 0.016
      Gy or 0.16 Gy, induced RAR of micronuclei induction to the challenging
      irradiation. This RAR could be slightly reduced by pifithrin-alpha, an inhibitor
      of P53, however it was completely suppressed by BAY11-7082, an inhibitor of
      nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB). Further assays using western blotting and
      luciferase reporter gene found that nuclear NF-kappaB and its activity could be
      triggered by the priming irradiation of 0.08 Gy so that the expressions of them
      in the primed cells were higher than those in the cells exposed to the
      challenging dose alone. In contrast, LDR neither influenced the expressions of
      both P53 and phospho-P53 (ser15) nor enhanced P53 activity; the expression of
      phospho-P53 and the activity of P53 in the primed cells were lower than that in
      the non-primly challenged cells. Our results demonstrate that the induction of
      RAR relays on an optimum priming irradiation dose and it is NF-kappaB rather than
      P53 that contributes to RAR.

PMID- 20307556
TI  - Mitochondrial fragmentation and neuronal cell death in response to the Bcl-2/Bcl
      x(L)/Bcl-w antagonist ABT-737.
AB  - Inhibition of pro-survival Bcl-2 family proteins by BH3-only proteins is a key
      initial step leading to apoptotic cell death. In neurons, investigating cell
      death pathways is often hampered by the multi-factorial nature of the stress
      stimuli employed. Here we investigate the action of ABT-737, a small molecule
      inhibitor which specifically targets the BH3-protein binding domain of pro
      survival Bcl-2, Bcl-X(L) and Bcl-w. ABT-737 produced a time- and concentration
      dependent neuronal cell death which displayed the classical hallmarks of
      apoptosis. Cell death was maximal by around 4 h ABT-737 treatment, and the effect
      of ABT-737 could be delayed by the broad spectrum caspase inhibitor zVADfmk.
      Examining, using real-time confocal microscopy, the molecular basis for the onset
      of response demonstrated recruitment of pro-apoptotic Bax to specific
      mitochondrial foci, followed by mitochondrial fragmentation. Treatment of neurons
      with ABT-737 also produced cleavage of Bid, a BH3-only protein known to be a
      caspase substrate. Interestingly, cleaved Bid translocated to mitochondria but
      did not colocalise with Bax foci. zVADfmk inhibited Bid cleavage and slowed the
      rate of fragmentation, suggesting a role for cleaved Bid in the amplification of
      the apoptotic response. siRNA-mediated knockdown of Bax significantly inhibited
      ABT-737 induced cell death, whereas knockdown of the BH3-only proteins Bid or Bim
      had no effect. ABT-737 therefore appears to be a useful tool with which to
      examine neuronal apoptotic pathways. Our data suggests that caspase-dependent
      cleavage of Bid may be a downstream amplification event which enhances the rate
      of mitochondrial fragmentation.

PMID- 20307558
TI  - Sweet taste enhancement through pulsatile stimulation depends on pulsation period
      not on conscious pulse perception.
AB  - When aqueous NaCl solutions are tasted at continuously alternating
      concentrations, overall saltiness ratings exceed those observed for solutions
      with the same averaged, but non-alternating concentrations. In the present study,
      this effect is replicated for alternating aqueous sucrose solutions. We tested
      the hypothesis that enhancement depends on the conscious perception of intensity
      contrasts. High sucrose pulses were continuously alternated with low sucrose
      intervals at pulsation periods between 1.5s and 20s. Tastant pulsation enhanced
      sweetness intensity and this enhancement varied between 8 and 14%, peaking for
      periods from 4.5s to 6s (Study 1). This range coincided with the average
      pulsation period at which perceived taste pulses blended into a continuous
      stimulus, i.e. the taste fusion period (TFP). When comparing intensity ratings of
      sucrose solutions at individualized pulse periods of 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 times TFP
      to ratings for continuous sucrose solutions of the same net concentration,
      pulsatile stimuli were perceived as significantly sweeter (p<0.01; Study 2).
      However, sweetness intensity enhancement was the same for all pulsation periods.
      It was shown that sweet taste enhancement peaks at pulsation periods ranging from
      0.5 to 2.0 TFP and that the level of conscious pulsation perception does not
      affect taste enhancement. The results suggest the introduction of enhancement
      effects at pre-conscious stages of gustatory processing. Further mechanisms that
      may account for such pre-conscious effects are discussed.

PMID- 20307557
TI  - Electrophysiological insights into the processing of nominal metaphors.
AB  - We used event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine the time-course of processing
      metaphorical and literal sentences in the brain. ERPs were measured to sentence
      final (Experiment 1) and mid-sentence (Experiment 2) critical words (CWs) as
      participants read and made plausibility judgments about familiar nominal
      metaphors ("A is a B") as well as literal and semantically anomalous sentences of
      the same form. Unlike the anomalous words, which evoked a robust N400 effect (on
      the CW in experiments 1 and 2 as well as on the sentence-final word in experiment
      2), CWs in the metaphorical, relative to the literal, sentences only evoked an
      early, localized N400 effect that was over by 400ms after CW onset, suggesting
      that, by this time, their metaphorical meaning had been accessed. CWs in the
      metaphorical sentences also evoked a significantly larger LPC (Late Positive
      Component) than in the literal sentences. We suggest that this LPC reflected
      additional analysis that resolved a conflict between the implausibility of the
      literal sentence interpretation and the match between the metaphorical meaning of
      the CW, the context and stored information within semantic memory, resulting from
      early access to both literal and figurative meanings of the CWs.

PMID- 20307559
TI  - Performance of a novel keratinocyte-based reporter cell line to screen skin
      sensitizers in vitro.
AB  - In vitro tests are needed to replace animal tests to screen for the skin
      sensitization potential of chemicals. Skin sensitizers are electrophilic
      molecules and the Nrf2-electrophile-sensing pathway comprising the repressor
      protein Keap1, the transcription factor Nrf2 and the antioxidant response element
      (ARE) is emerging as a toxicity pathway induced by skin sensitizers. Previously,
      we screened a large set of chemicals in the reporter cell line AREc32, which
      contains an eight-fold repeat of the rat GSTA2 ARE-sequence upstream of a
      luciferase reporter gene in the human breast cancer cell line MCF7. This approach
      was now further developed to bring it closer to the conditions in the human skin
      and to propose a fully standardized assay. To this end, a luciferase reporter
      gene under control of a single copy of the ARE-element of the human AKR1C2 gene
      was stably inserted into HaCaT keratinocytes. A standard operating procedure was
      developed whereby chemicals are routinely tested at 12 concentrations in
      triplicate for significant induction of gene activity. We report results from
      this novel assay on (i) a list of reference chemicals published by ECVAM, (ii)
      the ICCVAM list of chemicals for validation of alternative endpoints in the LLNA
      and (iii) on a more general list of 67 chemicals derived from the ICCVAM
      database. For comparison, peptide reactivity data are presented for the same
      chemicals. The results indicate a good predictive value of this approach for
      hazard identification. Its technical simplicity, the high-throughput format and
      the good predictivity may make this assay a candidate for rapid validation to
      meet the tight deadline to replace animal tests for skin sensitization by 2013
      set by the European authorities.

PMID- 20307560
TI  - Differential toxicity of heterocyclic aromatic amines and their mixture in
      metabolically competent HepaRG cells.
AB  - Human exposure to heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAA) usually occurs through
      mixtures rather than individual compounds. However, the toxic effects and related
      mechanisms of co-exposure to HAA in humans remain unknown. We compared the
      effects of two of the most common HAA, 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5
      b]pyridine (PhIP) and 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx),
      individually or in combination, in the metabolically competent human hepatoma
      HepaRG cells. Various endpoints were measured including cytotoxicity, apoptosis,
      oxidative stress and DNA damage by the comet assay. Moreover, the effects of PhIP
      and/or MeIQx on mRNA expression and activities of enzymes involved in their
      activation and detoxification pathways were evaluated. After a 24h treatment,
      PhIP and MeIQx, individually and in combination, exerted differential effects on
      apoptosis, oxidative stress, DNA damage and cytochrome P450 (CYP) activities.
      Only PhIP induced DNA damage. It was also a stronger inducer of CYP1A1 and CYP1B1
      expression and activity than MeIQx. In contrast, only MeIQx exposure resulted in
      a significant induction of CYP1A2 activity. The combination of PhIP with MeIQx
      induced an oxidative stress and showed synergistic effects on apoptosis. However,
      PhIP-induced genotoxicity was abolished by a co-exposure with MeIQx. Such an
      inhibitory effect could be explained by a significant decrease in CYP1A2 activity
      which is responsible for PhIP genotoxicity. Our findings highlight the need to
      investigate interactions between HAA when assessing risks for human health and
      provide new insights in the mechanisms of interaction between PhIP and MeIQx.

PMID- 20307561
TI  - Cadmium inhibits acid secretion in stimulated frog gastric mucosa.
AB  - Cadmium, a toxic environmental pollutant, affects the function of different
      organs such as lungs, liver and kidney. Less is known about its toxic effects on
      the gastric mucosa. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanisms by
      which cadmium impacts on the physiology of gastric mucosa. To this end, intact
      amphibian mucosae were mounted in Ussing chambers and the rate of acid secretion,
      short circuit current (I(sc)), transepithelial potential (V(t)) and resistance
      (R(t)) were recorded in the continuous presence of cadmium. Addition of cadmium
      (20 microM to 1mM) on the serosal but not luminal side of the mucosae resulted in
      inhibition of acid secretion and increase in NPPB-sensitive, chloride-dependent
      short circuit current. Remarkably, cadmium exerted its effects only on histamine
      stimulated tissues. Experiments with TPEN, a cell-permeant chelator for heavy
      metals, showed that cadmium acts from the intracellular side of the acid
      secreting cells. Furthermore, cadmium-induced inhibition of acid secretion and
      increase in I(sc) cannot be explained by an action on: 1) H(2) histamine
      receptor, 2) Ca(2+) signalling 3) adenylyl cyclase or 4) carbonic anhydrase.
      Conversely, cadmium was ineffective in the presence of the H(+)/K(+)-ATPase
      blocker omeprazole suggesting that the two compounds likely act on the same
      target. Our findings suggest that cadmium affects the functionality of histamine
      stimulated gastric mucosa by inhibiting the H(+)/K(+)-ATPase from the
      intracellular side. These data shed new light on the toxic effect of this
      dangerous environmental pollutant and may result in new avenues for therapeutic
      intervention in acute and chronic intoxication.

PMID- 20307562
TI  - Resveratrol, a natural polyphenolic compound, inhibits cholera toxin-induced
      cyclic AMP accumulation in Vero cells.
AB  - Resveratrol (3,4',5-trihydroxystilbene), a natural polyphenol found in red
      grapes, berries and peanuts, exhibits anti-inflammatory, cell-growth modulatory,
      and anticarcinogenic effects. In this report, we show that resveratrol inhibited
      cholera toxin (CT)-induced cyclic AMP accumulation in Vero cells. Resveratrol
      suppressed the CT activity by suppressing the internalization of CT and traffic
      to the Golgi apparatus without affecting CT binding to cells. Further,
      resveratrol partially precipitated CT from solution, and suppressed CT ADP
      ribosyltransferase activity. These data suggest that resveratrol may inhibit CT
      induced activity directly by associating with CT and suppressing its enzymatic
      activity, and indirectly by inhibiting CT endocytosis into cells.

PMID- 20307563
TI  - Mechanisms of changes in coronary arterial tone induced by bee venom toxins.
AB  - Our study elucidates some mechanisms of contractions or relaxations of isolated
      porcine left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) induced by two peptides
      from the honeybee venom, melittin and apamin. Contractions or relaxations were
      measured on relaxed or precontracted arteries, respectively. Melittin at lower
      concentrations (0.1-10 microg/ml) induced transient relaxation, and contraction
      at higher concentrations (>or=7 microg/ml). The removing of the endothelium
      diminished the melittin-induced relaxation but did not affect the maximal
      contraction. The inhibition of prostaglandin and nitric oxide (NO) synthesis (by
      indomethacin and by N-omega-Nitro-l-arginine, respectively) and the use of K(+)
      channel inhibitors (apamin and charybdotoxin) showed that melittin evoked
      relaxation via an endothelium-dependent mechanism (NO production), and by
      activation of charybdotoxin-sensitive K(+) channels of smooth muscle. Apamin
      alone did not affect contraction or relaxation, but the inhibition of NO and
      prostanoid production revealed the involvement of apamin-sensitive K(+) channels
      of smooth muscle in melittin-induced relaxation. Our data show that melittin and
      apamin could affect contractility of porcine LAD at concentrations similar to
      those encountered in multiple honeybee stings in humans. Melittin could directly
      affect contractility of porcine LAD, whereas apamin acts as a modulator of the
      relaxant response to melittin.

PMID- 20307564
TI  - Vitamin B3, the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotides and aging.
AB  - Organism aging is a process of time and maturation culminating in senescence and
      death. The molecular details that define and determine aging have been intensely
      investigated. It has become appreciated that the process is partly an
      accumulation of random yet inevitable changes, but it can be strongly affected by
      genes that alter lifespan. In this review, we consider how NAD(+) metabolism
      plays important roles in the random patterns of aging, and also in the more
      programmatic aspects. The derivatives of NAD(+), such as reduced and oxidized
      forms of NAD(P)(+), play important roles in maintaining and regulating cellular
      redox state, Ca(2+) stores, DNA damage and repair, stress responses, cell cycle
      timing and lipid and energy metabolism. NAD(+) is also a substrate for signaling
      enzymes like the sirtuins and poly-ADP-ribosylpolymerases, members of a broad
      family of protein deacetylases and ADP-ribosyltransferases that regulate
      fundamental cellular processes such as transcription, recombination, cell
      division, proliferation, genome maintenance, apoptosis, stress resistance and
      senescence. NAD(+)-dependent enzymes are increasingly appreciated to regulate the
      timing of changes that lead to aging phenotypes. We consider how metabolism,
      specifically connected with Vitamin B3 and the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotides
      and their derivatives, occupies a central place in the aging processes of
      mammals.

PMID- 20307566
TI  - The role of vitamin E and oxidative stress in diabetes complications.
AB  - Diabetes is a disease characterized by poor glycemic control for which risk of
      the type 2 form increases with age. A rise in blood glucose concentration causes
      increased oxidative stress which contributes to the development and progression
      of diabetes-associated complications. Studies have shown that primary
      antioxidants or genetic manipulation of antioxidant defenses can at least
      partially ameliorate this oxidative stress and consequentially, reduce severity
      of diabetic complications in animal models. Data from humans is less clear and
      will be summarized in this review. We highlight results from studies performed to
      investigate the role of vitamin E in preventing diabetes-induced oxidative damage
      in cell culture, animal models, and human participants, and summarize evidence
      testing whether this nutrient has an effect on outcomes related to the diabetic
      complications of nephropathy, retinopathy, and neuropathy. The most compelling
      evidence for an effect of vitamin E in diabetes is on protection against lipid
      peroxidation, whereas effects on protein and DNA oxidation are less pronounced.
      More studies are required to make definitive conclusions about the effect of
      vitamin E treatment on diabetes complications in human subjects.

PMID- 20307567
TI  - Acute exercise reverses aged-induced impairments in insulin signaling in rodent
      skeletal muscle.
AB  - The insulin resistance associated with aging is improved by exercise, but the
      molecular mechanisms of this improvement are not fully understood. We
      investigated whether the improvement in insulin action, associated with acute
      exercise in old rats is dependent on the modulation of pIRS-1Ser307, JNK,
      IkBalpha and PTP-1B. Aging rats were subjected to swimming for two 1.5-h long
      bouts, separated by a 45min rest period. Sixteen hours after the exercise, the
      rats were killed and proteins from the insulin signaling pathway were analyzed by
      immunoblotting. Our results show that the reduction in glucose disappearance rate
      (Kitt), observed in aged rats, was restored at 16h after exercise. Aging led to
      an increase in Ser307 phosphorylation of IRS-1, and this was reversed by exercise
      in the skeletal muscle, in parallel with a reduction in pJNK and IkBalpha
      degradation. Moreover, aging induced an increase in the expression of PTP-1B and
      attenuated insulin signaling in the muscle of rats, a phenomenon that was
      reversed by exercise. Interestingly, the decrease in PTP-1B expression in the
      muscle of exercised old rats was accompanied by an increase in SIRT1 expression.
      These results provide new insights into the mechanisms by which exercise restores
      insulin sensitivity during aging.

PMID- 20307568
TI  - Colorectal cancer screening adherence is higher with fecal immunochemical tests
      than guaiac-based fecal occult blood tests: a randomized, controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Determine whether colorectal cancer screening adherence is greater
      with fecal immunochemical tests (FIT) or guaiac-based fecal occult blood tests
      (gFOBT). METHODS: We used electronic health records to identify 3869 New Mexico
      Veterans Affairs Health Care System primary care patients due for screening in
      2008 for whom fecal blood testing was appropriate. We invited randomly selected
      patients by mail to participate in a study comparing FIT and gFOBT. We randomly
      allocated 404 subjects to receive FIT (n=202) or gFOBT (n=202) by mail. We
      determined the proportion of subjects completing testing within 90days of
      agreeing to participate in the study. We also used multivariate logistic
      regression to evaluate screening completion, adjusting for age, gender,
      race/ethnicity, clinic site, previous gFOBT testing, and co-morbidity. RESULTS:
      Screening adherence was higher with FIT than gFOBT (61.4% vs. 50.5%, P=0.03). The
      adjusted odds ratio for completing FIT vs. gFOBT was 1.56, 95% CI 1.04, 2.32.
      CONCLUSION: In a clinic setting of patients who were due for colorectal cancer
      screening, adherence was significantly higher with FIT than gFOBT.

PMID- 20307565
TI  - Mitochondrial DNA alterations and reduced mitochondrial function in aging.
AB  - Oxidative damage to mitochondrial DNA increases with aging. This damage has the
      potential to affect mitochondrial DNA replication and transcription which could
      alter the abundance or functionality of mitochondrial proteins. This review
      describes mitochondrial DNA alterations and changes in mitochondrial function
      that occur with aging. Age-related alterations in mitochondrial DNA as a possible
      contributor to the reduction in mitochondrial function are discussed.

PMID- 20307569
TI  - A novel conjugative plasmid from Enterococcus faecalis E99 enhances resistance to
      ultraviolet radiation.
AB  - Enterococcus faecalis has emerged as a prominent healthcare-associated pathogen
      frequently encountered in bacteremia, endocarditis, urinary tract infection, and
      as a leading cause of antibiotic-resistant infections. We recently demonstrated a
      capacity for high-level biofilm formation by a clinical E. faecalis isolate, E99.
      This high biofilm-forming phenotype was attributable to a novel locus, designated
      bee, specifying a pilus at the bacterial cell surface and localized to a large
      approximately 80 kb conjugative plasmid. To better understand the origin of the
      bee locus, as well as to potentially identify additional factors important to the
      biology and pathogenesis of strain E99, we sequenced the entire plasmid. The
      nucleotide sequence of the plasmid, designated pBEE99, revealed large regions of
      identity to the previously characterized conjugative plasmid pCF10. In addition
      to the bee locus, pBEE99 possesses an open reading frame potentially encoding
      aggregation substance, as well as open reading frames putatively encoding
      polypeptides with 60% to 99% identity at the amino acid level to proteins
      involved in regulation of the pheromone response and conjugal transfer of pCF10.
      However, strain E99 did not respond to the cCF10 pheromone in clumping assays.
      While pBEE99 was found to be devoid of any readily recognizable antibiotic
      resistance determinants, it carries two non-identical impB/mucB/samB-type genes,
      as well as genes potentially encoding a two-component bacteriocin similar to that
      encoded on pYI14. Although no bacteriocin activity was detected from an OG1RF
      transconjugant carrying pBEE99 against strain FA2-2, it was approximately an
      order of magnitude more resistant to ultraviolet radiation. Moreover, curing
      strain E99 of this plasmid significantly reduced its ability to survive UV
      exposure. Therefore, pBEE99 represents a novel conjugative plasmid that confers
      biofilm-forming and enhanced UV resistance traits that might potentially impact
      the virulence and/or fitness of E. faecalis.

PMID- 20307570
TI  - Circadian clock genes: non-circadian roles in sleep, addiction, and psychiatric
      disorders?
AB  - Elucidation of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of the circadian clock,
      along with the realization that these mechanisms are operative in both central
      and peripheral tissues, has revolutionized circadian biology. Further, these
      observations have resulted in an explosion of interest in the health implications
      of circadian organization and disorganization at both molecular and physiological
      levels. Thus, recent research has implicated mutations and polymorphisms of
      circadian clock genes in diabetes and obesity, cardiovascular disease, and
      cancer. At the neuro-behavioral level, circadian clock genes have also been
      implicated in sleep disorders, drug and alcohol addiction, and other psychiatric
      conditions. While such findings are frequently described as revealing "non
      circadian" effects of clock genes, it remains possible that most of these non
      circadian effects are in fact secondary to the loss of cellular and systemic
      rhythmicity. This review summarizes the evidence linking circadian clock genes to
      biobehavioral dysregulation, and considers criteria for defining a pleiotropic
      clock gene effect as non-circadian.

PMID- 20307571
TI  - Outcomes of cryptococcal meningitis in antiretroviral naive and experienced
      patients in South Africa.

PMID- 20307572
TI  - Mycobacterium chelonae valve endocarditis resulting from contaminated biological
      prostheses.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: A rapid-growing mycobacteria biological prosthetic valve (BPV)
      endocarditis related to prosthetic manufacturing process is described in Brazil.
      METHODS: From 1999 to 2008, thirty-nine patients underwent BPV replacement due to
      culture-negative suspected endocarditis. All these cases had histological
      sections stained by Ziehl-Neelsen method. Clinical and microbiological data were
      reviewed in all acid-fast bacilli (AFB) positive cases. The 16S-23S internal
      transcribed sequence (ITS) was amplified using DNA extracted from paraffin
      embedded samples, digested with restrictions enzymes and/or sequenced. RESULTS:
      Eighteen AFB positive BPV (18/39)(46%) were implanted in 13 patients and were
      from the same manufacturer. Four of them were implanted in other hospitals.
      Thirteen BPV were histologically proven endocarditis and five showed a
      colonization pattern. The examination of six non-implanted "sterile" BPV from
      this manufacturer resulted in 5 AFB positive. Mycobacterium chelonae was the AFB
      identified by ITS restriction analysis and sequencing. CONCLUSIONS: Rapid-growing
      mycobacteria infections must be suspected and Ziehl-Neelsen stain always
      performed on histology of either early or late BPV endocarditis, particularly
      when blood cultures are negative.

PMID- 20307573
TI  - Establishment of cell-based reporter system for diagnosis of poxvirus infection.
AB  - Poxvirus detection assays are based on morphology, viral antigens and specific
      nucleic acids, none of which indicates virus viability or infectious capacity.
      Determination of virus viability is achieved by propagation in cell cultures and
      subsequent analysis by the mentioned methods, a process that takes days. Thus,
      presented here the development of a new assay, named PILA (Poxvirus Infection
      Luciferase Assay), for rapid detection of infectious poxviruses which is a cell
      based reporter assay. The assay is composed of two steps: (i) Transfection of
      cells with a poxvirus specific reporter vector which consists of the early 7.5
      kDa-STR promoter, regulating the expression of luciferase gene; (ii) Infection
      with a poxvirus containing sample. Luciferase activity measured post infection,
      indicates the presence of infectious poxvirus in the sample. The assay can detect
      quantities as low as 100 PFU of VACV, six hours post infection. Orthopox virus
      universality was confirmed by detection of various Orthopoxviruses, and
      specificity was verified by using pox-specific neutralizing antibodies. The PILA
      is specific, rapid, simple, and suitable for detecting viable virus. The assay
      can be utilized for applications such as poxvirus titration, neutralizing assay
      and drug discovery. The assay was adjusted for live detection assay by using GFP
      as reporting gene.

PMID- 20307574
TI  - Priming with a DNA vaccine and boosting with an inactivated vaccine enhance the
      immune response against infectious bronchitis virus.
AB  - The methods of repeated immunization with inactivated vaccines have been used
      widely to increase antibody protection against infectious bronchitis virus (IBV).
      However, compared with DNA vaccines, these methods usually induce poor cellular
      responses. In the present study, specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens were
      immunized intramuscularly with a DNA vaccine carrying the main IBV structural
      genes (pVAX1-S1, pVAX1-M, and pVAX1-N, respectively) and boosted with the IBV M41
      strain inactivated vaccine to assess whether such a new strategy could enhance
      the immune responses against IBV. The protection efficacy of the DNA vaccine
      carrying different structural genes for priming was evaluated further. The
      chickens were immunized primely on day 7 and boosted 2 weeks later. After that,
      distribution of the DNA vaccine in vivo, the percentage of CD4+CD3+ and CD8+CD3+
      subgroups of peripheral blood T-lymphocytes, and the specific IgG and virus
      neutralizing antibodies were measured. Chickens were then challenged by the nasal
      ocular route with the IBV M41 strain 4 weeks after booster immunization. The
      results demonstrated that priming with a DNA vaccine encoding nucleocapsid
      protein (pVAX1-N) and boosting with the inactivated IBV vaccine led to the
      dramatic augmentation of humoral and cellular responses, and provided up to 86.7%
      rate of immune protection, providing an effective approach to protect chickens
      from IBV.

PMID- 20307575
TI  - Optimisation of reverse transcriptase loop-mediated isothermal amplification
      assay for rapid detection of Macrobrachium rosenbergii noda virus and extra small
      virus in Macrobrachium rosenbergii.
AB  - The standardisation and optimisation of a one step single tube reverse
      transcriptase loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) procedure is
      described for rapid diagnosis of white tail disease, a viral disease caused by
      Macrobrachium rosenbergii noda virus (MrNV) and extra small virus (XSV), in giant
      fresh water prawn, M. rosenbergii. Time, temperature and quantity of each reagent
      were optimised for the detection of the two viruses. This method was more
      sensitive than the conventional reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction
      (RT-PCR) for detecting the two viruses. The RT-LAMP reaction is highly suited for
      disease diagnosis in developing countries. Amplification of DNA can be detected
      without the use of agarose gel electrophoresis, by the production of a whitish
      precipitate of magnesium pyrophosphate as a by-product. The cost of RT-LAMP for
      one reaction is nearly 4 times less than that of RT-PCR.

PMID- 20307576
TI  - Simple construction of chimeric hairpin RNA for virus resistance in plants.
AB  - RNA silencing has been adopted to develop virus-resistant plants through
      expression of virus-derived hairpin RNAs. Due to the high sequence specificity of
      RNA silencing, this technology has been limited to the targeting of single
      viruses. Simultaneous targeting of multiple viruses or plant genes can be
      achieved by using a chimeric cassette. In this study, a simple method was
      developed to construct chimeric hairpin RNA rapidly and efficiently. This method
      splices two DNA fragments from viruses or plant genes to be a chimeric sequence
      using Overlap Extension PCR (OE-PCR); then this chimeric sequence was assembled
      with an intron sequence to generate an intron-containing hairpin RNA construct in
      one step mediated by OE-PCR. This method is neither dependent on restriction
      enzymes nor requires expensive consumables, so a chimeric hairpin RNA can be
      constructed rapidly and costlessly. Two chimeric hairpin RNA constructs were
      amplified successfully using this method, with the targeting sequences from both
      papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) and two plant genes encoding translation initiation
      factors eIF4E and eIFiso4E. This novel method is a useful strategy to construct
      chimeric hairpin RNA for RNA silencing in plants.

PMID- 20307577
TI  - Dengue virus replicons: production of an interserotypic chimera and cell lines
      from different species, and establishment of a cell-based fluorescent assay to
      screen inhibitors, validated by the evaluation of ribavirin's activity.
AB  - The prevention and treatment of flavivirus infections are public health
      priorities. Dengue fever is the most prevalent mosquito-borne viral disease of
      humans, affecting more than 50 million people annually. Despite the urgent need
      to control dengue infections, neither specific antiviral therapies nor licensed
      vaccines exist and the molecular basis of dengue pathogenesis is not well
      understood. In this study we produced a novel dengue virus type 2 (DV2)
      subgenomic replicon that expresses a fusion protein comprised of Enhanced Green
      Fluorescent Protein (EGFP) and Puromycin N-Acetyltransferase (PAC). We
      successfully established BHK, COS and Huh7 cell lines that stably expressed the
      DV2 replicon. Using EGFP as a reporter of DV replication complex activity, we set
      up a new HTS assay. The assay was validated using the inhibitor ribavirin,
      confirmed by flow cytometry analysis and the analysis of NS5 expression by
      Western-blot analysis. In order to develop a system to test antivirals against
      the NS5 proteins of all four DV serotypes in a similar cellular environment, the
      replicon was further modified, to allow easy exchange of the NS5 gene between DV
      serotypes. As proof of principle, a chimeric replicon in which the DV2 NS5 gene
      was substituted with that of DV type 3 was stably expressed in BHK cells and used
      in ribavirin inhibition studies. The assays described in this study will greatly
      facilitate DV drug discovery by serving as primary or complementary screening.
      The approach should be applicable to the development of fluorescent cell-based
      HTS assays for other flaviviruses, and useful for the study of many aspects of
      DV, including viral replication and pathogenesis.

PMID- 20307578
TI  - Lipophile-conjugated sulfated oligosaccharides as novel microbicides against HIV
      1.
AB  - With the aim of providing compounds suitable for further development as
      microbicides active against human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) a library
      containing 37 lipophile-conjugated sulfated oligosaccharides was screened for
      antiviral and virucidal activity against this virus. Four highly active compounds
      had low drug inhibition concentrations (IC(50)) for HIV-1 and inactivated viral
      particles, suggestive of virucidal properties. Two of these compounds comprising
      a sulfated tetrasaccharide linked to a cholestanol group by a glycosidic bond,
      showed low toxicity and high selectivity indices. The two compounds were active
      both against CCR5 and dual-tropic CCR5/CXCR4 clinical HIV-1 isolates. Since
      herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) may be a cofactor for HIV-1 infection, the
      virucidal effect of the compounds was demonstrated against both viruses when
      mixed and incubated together on permissive cells. Incubation of compounds with
      serum, and to a lesser degree, cervical secretions, reduced the HIV-1
      inactivating capacity, which suggests the need for molecular modification to
      reduce host protein binding. Considering the virucidal effect and low toxicity,
      these sulfated oligosaccharides with lipophilic tails may offer new possibilities
      of microbicide development.

PMID- 20307579
TI  - Slow binding-tight binding interaction between benzimidazol-2-one inhibitors and
      HIV-1 reverse transcriptase containing the lysine 103 to asparagine mutation.
AB  - Novel benzimidazol-2-one non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs)
      have been recently identified, through rational structure-based molecular
      modeling and docking approaches, as highly effective inhibitors of the wild type
      and drug-resistant HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT). These compounds also showed
      potent anti-HIV activities against viral strains, superior to the clinically
      approved NNRTI efavirenz. However, they were still of limited efficacy towards
      the K103N mutant. Here we report a detailed enzymatic analysis elucidating the
      molecular mechanism of interaction between benzimidazol-2-one derivatives and the
      K103N mutant RT. The loss of potency of these molecules towards the K103N RT was
      specifically due to a reduction of their association rate to the enzyme.
      Unexpectedly, these compounds showed a strongly reduced dissociation rate from
      the K103N mutant, as compared to the wild type enzyme, suggesting that, once
      occupied by the drug, the mutated binding site could achieve a more stable
      interaction with these molecules. The characterization of this slow binding-tight
      binding mutant-specific mechanism of interaction may pave the way to the design
      of more effective new generation benzimidazol-2-one NNRTIs with promising drug
      resistant profile and minimal toxicity.

PMID- 20307581
TI  - Regional metabolic alteration of Alzheimer's disease in mouse brain expressing
      mutant human APP-PS1 by 1H HR-MAS.
AB  - This study aimed to find the most sensitive brain region of APP-PS1 mice in early
      stage Alzheimer's disease (AD) and to compare the findings with wild-type mouse
      brain using (1)H high resolution magic angle spectroscopy (HR-MAS). At 18 and 35
      weeks of age, the object recognition test was performed with both APP-PS1 and
      wild-type mice, and the metabolite concentrations were measured in six brain
      regions at 38-42 weeks using (1)H HR-MAS. Compared to that of wild-type mice, the
      memory index of the APP-PS1 mice at 18 weeks was not significantly different;
      however, the memory index of the APP-PS1 mice at 35 weeks was significantly
      lower. Similar to the results of the (1)H HR-MAS, the [N-acetyl aspartate
      (NAA)+acetate (Acet)] level in APP-PS1 mice was decreased in the hippocampus and
      temporal cortex, and the myo-inositol (mIns) level was increased in the entire
      brain. In addition, scyllo-inositol (sIns) was also elevated in the frontal,
      occipital, and parietal cortices, hippocampus and thalamus. These findings
      demonstrated that the behavioral abnormalities of the APP-PS1 mice started at
      about 30 weeks of age and that the hippocampus and temporal cortex were the most
      sensitive regions during early-stage AD. In addition, the results of this study
      confirmed that an increase of mIns and sIns precedes the reduction of the NAA
      level. These findings demonstrated that the metabolism of the APP-PS1 mouse was
      associated with early-stage AD. Furthermore, the regional neurochemical profile
      of APP-PS1 mouse can be used to investigate the pathophysiological mechanisms
      associated with AD.

PMID- 20307580
TI  - Compounds that target host cell proteins prevent varicella-zoster virus
      replication in culture, ex vivo, and in SCID-Hu mice.
AB  - Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) replicates in quiescent T cells, neurons, and skin
      cells. In cultured fibroblasts (HFFs), VZV induces host cyclin expression and
      cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) activity without causing cell cycle progression.
      CDK1/cyclin B1 phosphorylates the major viral transactivator, and the CDK
      inhibitor roscovitine prevents VZV mRNA transcription. We investigated the
      antiviral effects of additional compounds that target CDKs or other cell cycle
      enzymes in culture, ex vivo, and in vivo. Cytotoxicity and cell growth arrest
      doses were determined by Neutral Red assay. Antiviral effects were evaluated in
      HFFs by plaque assay, genome copy number, and bioluminescence. Positive controls
      were acyclovir (400 microM) and phosphonoacetic acid (PAA, 1 mM). Test compounds
      were roscovitine, aloisine A, and purvalanol A (CDK inhibitors), aphidicolin
      (inhibits human and herpesvirus DNA polymerase), l-mimosine (indirectly inhibits
      human DNA polymerase), and DRB (inhibits casein kinase 2). All had antiviral
      effects below the concentrations required for cell growth arrest. Compounds were
      tested in skin organ culture at EC(99) doses; all prevented VZV replication in
      skin, except for aloisine A and purvalanol A. In SCID mice with skin xenografts,
      roscovitine (0.7 mg/kg/day) was as effective as PAA (36 mg/kg/day). The screening
      systems described here are useful models for evaluating novel antiviral drugs for
      VZV.

PMID- 20307582
TI  - Neurochemical and behavioral effects elicited by bupropion and diethylpropion in
      rats.
AB  - This study is an attempt to demonstrate whether bupropion (BP) and diethylpropion
      (DEP) exert their pharmacological actions by similar neurochemical mechanisms in
      the dorsal striatum. In this regard, the release of dopamine (DA), glutamate
      (Glu), and GABA, was determined in the rat dorsal striatum after acute (5 min)
      and chronic (15 consecutive days) treatments, and subsequently correlated with
      the locomotor activities produced by these drugs. The results from the acute
      experiments indicate that BP and DEP (40 mg/kg) increase locomotor activity,
      whereas chronic DEP treatment decreases locomotor activity by unspecific
      mechanisms. Acute BP treatment produces significant DA and Glu, but not GABA,
      releases. A lesser extent of DA release and tissue content of DA and its
      metabolites, and consequently less locomotor activity, was observed after chronic
      BP treatment. Acute DEP (5mg/kg) was only able to slightly increase DA release
      and to decrease the tissue levels of DA, but no other markers, with practically
      nil locomotor activity, whereas chronic DEP produced even less neurotransmitter
      release. The observed difference between BP and DEP might be based on that
      although both drugs inhibit the DA and norepinephrine transporters, the BP
      induced nicotinic receptor inhibition has yet to be demonstrated for DEP.

PMID- 20307583
TI  - A computational theory of episodic memory formation in the hippocampus.
AB  - A quantitative computational theory of the operation of the hippocampus as an
      episodic memory system is described. The CA3 system operates as a single
      attractor or autoassociation network to enable rapid, one-trial associations
      between any spatial location (place in rodents or spatial view in primates) and
      an object or reward and to provide for completion of the whole memory during
      recall from any part. The theory is extended to associations between time and
      object or reward to implement temporal order memory, also important in episodic
      memory. The dentate gyrus performs pattern separation by competitive learning to
      produce sparse representations, producing for example neurons with place-like
      fields from entorhinal cortex grid cells. The dentate granule cells produce by
      the very small number of mossy fibre connections to CA3 a randomizing pattern
      separation effect important during learning but not recall that separates out the
      patterns represented by CA3 firing to be very different from each other, which is
      optimal for an unstructured episodic memory system in which each memory must be
      kept distinct from other memories. The direct perforant path input to CA3 is
      quantitatively appropriate to provide the cue for recall in CA3, but not for
      learning. The CA1 recodes information from CA3 to set up associatively learned
      backprojections to neocortex to allow subsequent retrieval of information to
      neocortex, providing a quantitative account of the large number of hippocampo
      neocortical and neocortical-neocortical backprojections. Tests of the theory
      including hippocampal subregion analyses and hippocampal NMDA receptor knockouts
      are described and support the theory.

PMID- 20307584
TI  - Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex specifically processes general - but not personal 
      knowledge deception: Multiple brain networks for lying.
AB  - Despite intensive research into ways of detecting deception in legal, moral and
      clinical contexts, few experimental data are available on the neural substrate
      for the different types of lies. We used transcranial direct current stimulation
      (tDCS) to modulate dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) function and to assess
      its influence on various types of lies. Twenty healthy volunteers were tested
      before and after tDCS (anodal and sham). In each session the Guilty Knowledge
      Task and Visual Attention Task were administered at baseline and immediately
      after tDCS ended. A computer-controlled task was used to evaluate truthful
      responses and lie responses to questions referring to personal information and
      general knowledge. Dependent variables collected were reaction times (RTs) and
      accuracy. At baseline the RTs were significantly longer for lies than for
      truthful responses. After sham stimulation, lie responses remained unchanged (p =
      0.24) but after anodal tDCS, RTs decreased significantly only for lies involving
      general knowledge (p = 0.02). tDCS left the Visual Attention Task unaffected.
      These findings show that manipulating DLPFC function with tDCS specifically
      modulates deceptive responses for general information leaving those on personal
      information unaffected. Multiple cortical networks intervene in deception
      involving general and personal knowledge. Deception referring to general and
      personal knowledge probably involves multiple cortical networks.

PMID- 20307585
TI  - Regular voluntary exercise cures stress-induced impairment of cognitive function
      and cell proliferation accompanied by increases in cerebral IGF-1 and GST
      activity in mice.
AB  - Chronic stress impairs cognitive function and hippocampal neurogenesis. This
      impairment is attributed to increases in oxidative stress, which result in the
      accumulation of lipid peroxide. On the other hand, voluntary exercise enhances
      cognitive function, hippocampal neurogenesis, and antioxidant capacity in normal
      animals. However, the effects of voluntary exercise on cognitive function,
      neurogenesis, and antioxidants in stressed mice are unclear. This study was
      designed to investigate whether voluntary exercise cures stress-induced
      impairment of cognitive function accompanied by improvement of hippocampal
      neurogenesis and increases in antioxidant capacity. Stressed mice were exposed to
      chronic restraint stress (CRS), which consisted of 12h immobilization daily and
      feeding in a small cage, for 8 weeks. Exercised mice were allowed free access to
      a running wheel during their exposure to CRS. At the 6th week, cognitive function
      was examined using the Morris water maze (MWM) test. Daily voluntary exercise
      restored stress-induced impairment of cognitive function and the hippocampal cell
      proliferation of newborn cells but not cell survival. Voluntary exercise
      increased insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) protein and mRNA expression in the
      cerebral cortex and liver, respectively. In addition, CRS resulted in a
      significant increase in the number of 4-hydrosynonenal (4-HNE)-positive cells in
      the hippocampal dentate gyrus; whereas, voluntary exercise inhibited it and
      enhanced glutathione s-transferases (GST) activity in the brain. These findings
      suggest that voluntary exercise attenuated the stress-induced impairment of
      cognitive function accompanied by improvement of cell proliferation in the
      dentate gyrus. This exercise-induced improvement was attributed to exercise
      induced enhancement of IGF-1 protein and GST activity in the brain.

PMID- 20307586
TI  - Acute and repeated stress differentially regulates behavioral, endocrine, neural
      parameters relevant to emotional and stress response in young and aged rats.
AB  - Aging is associated with dysregulation of emotional and endocrine responses in a
      stressful environment. To understand the developmental mechanisms of stress
      vulnerability with aging, we investigated the effects of repeated stress on
      behavioral, endocrine, and neural parameters relating to emotional and stress
      responses in young (3 months old) and aged (24 months old) F344/N male rats.
      Young and aged rats were either subjected to 1-h restraint stress for 14
      consecutive days or left undisturbed. After the procedures, behaviors were
      examined in open-field and elevated plus-maze tests to evaluate the level of
      anxiety induced by aging and repeated stress. Following the behavioral tests,
      serum corticosterone concentrations and c-Fos immunoreactivity throughout the
      brain in response to acute restraint stress were examined. Control and repeatedly
      stressed aged rats showed more anxiety-related behaviors than control and
      repeatedly stressed young rats in both tests. In particular, repeatedly stressed
      aged rats showed more anxiety-related behaviors in the elevated plus-maze than
      control aged and repeatedly stressed young rats, although stressed young rats
      were not different from control young rats. Repeatedly stressed aged rats showed
      higher serum corticosterone concentrations in response to acute stress than
      subjects in all other conditions. In c-Fos expression, control aged rats showed
      decreases in c-Fos-positive cells in response to acute stress in the prefrontal
      cortex, medial preoptic area, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, nucleus
      accumbens, medial amygdaloid nucleus, and CA3 subfield of hippocampus, whereas
      they showed increases in the dorsal raphe nucleus and parvocellular part of the
      paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus compared to acutely stressed control
      young rats. These results indicate that repeated stress enhances emotional and
      stress responses in aged rats but not in young rats, suggesting that aging causes
      organisms to become vulnerable to stress, which might be mediated by dysfunction
      of the brain system regulating emotional and stress responses.

PMID- 20307587
TI  - Prenatal oxycodone exposure impairs spatial learning and/or memory in rats.
AB  - Recent changes in demographic patterns of drug use have resulted in the increased
      non-medical use of prescription opiates. These users are younger and more likely
      to be female, which has the potential for increasing rates of in utero exposure.
      Therefore, we developed a rat model that simulates a prescription opiate
      dependent woman who becomes pregnant. Adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were
      treated for 30 days via oral gavage with ascending doses of oxycodone HCl up to a
      final dose of 15mg/kg/day, which was maintained during breeding and gestation.
      Controls were treated with water. The adult male offspring of these treated dams
      were tested on the radial arm maze, the Morris water maze (with a short and a
      long intertrial interval), and a spatial T-maze. Prenatal oxycodone exposure led
      to a deficit in the radial arm maze characterized by a greater number of
      reference memory errors, especially in the beginning of testing. In contrast, in
      the T-maze, prenatal oxycodone-exposed rats learned the task as well as well as
      the prenatal water controls. However, they had a modest deficit in retention of
      the task when assessed 5 days after acquisition training ended. For the Morris
      water maze, the intertrial interval affected the pattern of learning. While there
      was no deficit when the training had a short intertrial interval, when there was
      a long intertrial interval, prenatal oxycodone-exposed rats had poorer
      acquisition. The spatial learning deficit was characterized by and increased
      latency to find and a greater distance traveled to the platform in the prenatal
      oxycodone-exposed rats. These data were corroborated by analysis of the
      behavioral search strategy, which showed a decreased use of spatial strategies
      and an increase in non-spatial strategies, especially wall-hugging, in prenatal
      oxycodone-exposed rats as compared to prenatal water control rats on day 2 of
      acquisition. These results indicate that prenatal oxycodone exposure consistently
      impairs learning and memory in a battery of spatial tasks.

PMID- 20307588
TI  - The Leishmania mexicana A600 genes are functionally required for amastigote
      replication.
AB  - Leishmania parasites, the causative agent of leishmaniasis, have a digenetic
      lifecycle consisting of the morphologically distinct insect vector stage
      (promastigote) and the mammalian infective amastigote stage. Differentiation of
      promastigotes to the amastigote stage involves significant morphological and
      biochemical changes, however, very few genes have been characterised as being
      differentially expressed in the two stages. The Leishmania A600 genes are one of
      the few gene families that exhibit stage-specific expression and, as such, they
      are of interest as potential virulent factors. In this study, we characterize the
      A600 family in several Leishmania species and investigate their role in
      amastigote differentiation and proliferation. Four open reading frames, A600-1,
      A600-2, A600-3, and A600-4, were identified at the multi-gene L. mexicana A600
      locus via cloning and restriction mapping. Homology searching identified A600
      homologues in other Leishmania species, L. major, L. braziliensis and L. infantum
      but not in the closely related Trypanosoma family. A targeted gene deletion
      approach was utilized to determine the cellular function of the L. mexicanaA600
      genes. A600(-/-) promastigotes differentiated to axenic amastigotes in response
      to temperature shift and acidification of culture media, but showed significant
      growth arrest. Similarly, during in vitro macrophage infection studies, A600(-/-)
      promastigotes established an early infection, but were deficient in their ability
      to proliferate as intracellular amastigotes. The ability of A600(-/-) amastigotes
      to proliferate in mouse peritoneal macrophages was restored by re-introduction of
      the A600-1 gene, but not the A600-4 gene. The results from these experiments show
      that the A600-1 gene is essential for continued proliferation of amastigotes, and
      potentially for development of chronic leishmaniasis. Furthermore, these results
      suggest a potential role for the L. mexicana A600-deficient mutant as a vaccine
      candidate.

PMID- 20307589
TI  - Ligation of beta4 integrins activates PKB/Akt and ERK1/2 by distinct pathways
      relevance of the keratin filament.
AB  - In normal epithelial cells hemidesmosomes mediate stable adhesion to the
      underlying basement membrane. In carcinoma cells a functional and spatial
      dissociation of the hemidesmosomal complex is observed stimulating the hypothesis
      that the beta4 integrin may trigger essential signalling cascades determining
      cell fate. In the present study we dissected the signalling pathways giving rise
      to PKB/Akt and ERK1/2 activation in response to beta4 ligation by 3E1. It was
      found that the activation of PKB/Akt is sensitive towards alterations of the
      keratin filament as demonstrated by using KEB-7 cells that carry a keratin
      mutation typical for epidermolysis bullosa simplex. Similar results were achieved
      by chemically induced keratin aggregations. Of note, the signalling to ERK1/2 was
      not affected. ERK1/2 activation utilizes an EGF-R transactivation mechanism as
      shown by dominant-negative expression experiments and also by treatment with a
      specific inhibitor (AG1478). Downstream from the EGF-R the activation of ERK1/2
      takes the prototypical signalling cascade via Shc, Ras and Raf-1 as demonstrated
      by dominant-negative expression experiments. Taken together our data define a new
      model of beta4-dependent PKB/Akt and ERK1/2 activation demonstrating the keratin
      filament as a structure necessary in signal transmission.

PMID- 20307591
TI  - Carrier induced epitopic suppression of antibody responses induced by virus-like
      particles is a dynamic phenomenon caused by carrier-specific antibodies.
AB  - Pre-existing immunity against vaccine carrier proteins has been reported to
      inhibit the immune response against antigens conjugated to the same carrier by a
      process termed carrier induced epitopic suppression (CIES). Hence understanding
      the phenomenon of CIES is of major importance for the development of conjugate
      vaccines. Virus-like particles (VLPs) are a novel class of potent immunological
      carriers which have been successfully used to enhance the antibody response to
      virtually any conjugated antigen. In the present study we investigated the impact
      of a pre-existing VLP-specific immune response on the development of antibody
      responses against a conjugated model peptide after primary, secondary and
      tertiary immunization. Although VLP-specific immune responses led to reduced
      peptide-specific antibody titers, we showed that CIES against peptide-VLP
      conjugates could be overcome by high coupling densities, repeated injections
      and/or higher doses of conjugate vaccine. Furthermore we dissected VLP-specific
      immunity by adoptively transferring VLP-specific antibodies, B-cells or T(helper)
      cells separately into naive mice and found that the observed CIES against peptide
      VLP conjugates was mainly mediated by carrier-specific antibodies.

PMID- 20307592
TI  - Cross-reactive antibody responses to the 2009 A/H1N1v influenza virus in the
      Italian population in the pre-pandemic period.
AB  - To assess in Italy the pre-pandemic susceptibility of the general population to
      the 2009 A/H1N1v influenza virus, 587 serum samples collected in 2004 were
      analyzed using haemagglutination-inhibition (HI), single-radial-haemolysis (SRH)
      and microneutralisation (MN) assays. Serum samples were stratified by age group,
      gender, and geographic area. Overall, using HI assay, the proportion of subjects
      showing antibodies cross-reacting with 2009 A/H1N1v virus at seroprotection level
      (>or=1:40) was estimated to be 6.7%, 12.4%, and 22.4% in individuals born between
      2004 and 1949, 1948 and 1939, 1938 and 1909, respectively. With a HI antibody
      titre of >or=1:10, in the same birth cohort, the seroprotection levels were
      13.5%, 19.2%, and 58.2%, respectively. The results suggest that the Italian
      population was not fully naif to the current pandemic virus and that the possible
      previous exposure and immune response increases with age.

PMID- 20307593
TI  - A new subunit vaccine based on nucleoprotein nanoparticles confers partial
      clinical and virological protection in calves against bovine respiratory
      syncytial virus.
AB  - Human and bovine respiratory syncytial viruses (HRSV and BRSV) are two closely
      related, worldwide prevalent viruses that are the leading cause of severe airway
      disease in children and calves, respectively. Efficacy of commercial bovine
      vaccines needs improvement and no human vaccine is licensed yet. We reported that
      nasal vaccination with the HRSV nucleoprotein produced as recombinant ring-shaped
      nanoparticles (N(SRS)) protects mice against a viral challenge with HRSV. The aim
      of this work was to evaluate this new vaccine that uses a conserved viral
      antigen, in calves, natural hosts for BRSV. Calves, free of colostral or natural
      anti-BRSV antibodies, were vaccinated with N(SRS) either intramuscularly, or both
      intramuscularly and intranasally using Montanide ISA71 and IMS4132 as adjuvants
      and challenged with BRSV. All vaccinated calves developed anti-N antibodies in
      blood and nasal secretions and N-specific cellular immunity in local lymph nodes.
      Clinical monitoring post-challenge demonstrated moderate respiratory pathology
      with local lung tissue consolidations for the non-vaccinated calves that were
      significantly reduced in the vaccinated calves. Vaccinated calves had lower viral
      loads than the non-vaccinated control calves. Thus N(SRS) vaccination in calves
      provided cross-protective immunity against BRSV infection without adverse
      inflammatory reaction.

PMID- 20307590
TI  - Hedgehog signaling and gastrointestinal cancer.
AB  - Hedgehog (Hh) signaling is critical for embryonic development and in
      differentiation, proliferation, and maintenance of multiple adult tissues. De
      regulation of the Hh pathway is associated with birth defects and cancer. In the
      gastrointestinal tract, Hh ligands Sonic (Shh) and Indian (Ihh), as well as the
      receptor Patched (Ptch1), and transcription factors of Glioblastoma family (Gli)
      are all expressed during development. In the adult, Shh expression is restricted
      to the stomach and colon, while Ihh expression occurs throughout the luminal
      gastrointestinal tract, its expression being highest in the proximal duodenum.
      Several studies have demonstrated a requirement for Hh signaling during
      gastrointestinal tract development. However to date, the specific role of the Hh
      pathway in the adult stomach and intestine is not completely understood. The
      current review will place into context the implications of recent published data
      related to the biochemistry and cell biology of Hh signaling on the luminal
      gastrointestinal tract during development, normal physiology and subsequently
      carcinogenesis.

PMID- 20307594
TI  - An in vitro assay system as a potential replacement for the histamine
      sensitisation test for acellular pertussis based combination vaccines.
AB  - The histamine sensitisation test (HIST) for pertussis toxin is currently an
      official batch release test for acellular pertussis containing combination
      vaccines in Europe and North America. However, HIST, being a lethal endpoint
      assay, often leads to repeated tests due to large variations in test performance.
      Although a more precise HIST test based on measurement of temperature reduction
      after the histamine challenge is used in Asian countries, this test still uses
      animals. An in vitro test system based on a combination of enzyme coupled-HPLC
      and carbohydrate-binding assays with results analysed by a mathematical formula
      showed a good agreement with the in vivo HIST results based on measurement of
      temperature reduction after histamine challenge. The new in vitro test system was
      shown to be a potential alternative to the current in vivo HIST.

PMID- 20307595
TI  - Comparison of egg and high yielding MDCK cell-derived live attenuated influenza
      virus for commercial production of trivalent influenza vaccine: in vitro cell
      susceptibility and influenza virus replication kinetics in permissive and semi
      permissive cells.
AB  - Currently MedImmune manufactures cold-adapted (ca) live, attenuated influenza
      vaccine (LAIV) from specific-pathogen free (SPF) chicken eggs. Difficulties in
      production scale-up and potential exposure of chicken flocks to avian influenza
      viruses especially in the event of a pandemic influenza outbreak have prompted
      evaluation and development of alternative non-egg based influenza vaccine
      manufacturing technologies. As part of MedImmune's effort to develop the live
      attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) using cell culture production technologies we
      have investigated the use of high yielding, cloned MDCK cells as a substrate for
      vaccine production by assessing host range and virus replication of influenza
      virus produced from both SPF egg and MDCK cell production technologies. In
      addition to cloned MDCK cells the indicator cell lines used to evaluate the
      impact of producing LAIV in cells on host range and replication included two
      human cell lines: human lung carcinoma (A549) cells and human muco-epidermoid
      bronchiolar carcinoma (NCI H292) cells. The influenza viruses used to infect the
      indicators cell lines represented both the egg and cell culture manufacturing
      processes and included virus strains that composed the 2006-2007 influenza
      seasonal trivalent vaccine (A/New Caledonia/20/99 (H1N1), A/Wisconsin/67/05
      (H3N2) and B/Malaysia/2506/04). Results from this study demonstrate remarkable
      similarity between influenza viruses representing the current commercial egg
      produced and developmental MDCK cell produced vaccine production platforms.
      MedImmune's high yielding cloned MDCK cells used for the cell culture based
      vaccine production were highly permissive to both egg and cell produced ca
      attenuated influenza viruses. Both the A549 and NCI H292 cells regardless of
      production system were less permissive to influenza A and B viruses than the MDCK
      cells. Irrespective of the indicator cell line used the replication properties
      were similar between egg and the cell produced influenza viruses. Based on these
      study results we conclude that the MDCK cell produced and egg produced vaccine
      strains are highly comparable.

PMID- 20307596
TI  - Production and efficacy of an Aeromonas hydrophila recombinant S-layer protein
      vaccine for fish.
AB  - A recombinant protein for the S-layer protein of Aeromonas hydrophila was
      produced and its ability to protect common carp Cyprinus carpio L. against six
      virulent isolates of A. hydrophila was assessed. A group of 120 carp (30-40 g)
      were vaccinated intra-peritoneally with 0.1 ml of adjuvanted vaccine (30 microg
      protein per fish). Another group of 120 carp were injected with 0.1 ml of PBS
      adjuvant mixture to serve as controls. Twenty fish from each group were
      challenged with each one of six virulent isolates of A. hydrophila 35 days post
      vaccination. The fish were maintained in 12 separate tanks before terminating the
      experiment at 16 days post-challenge. The relative percentage survival (RPS) for
      the six isolates of A. hydrophila ranged from 56 to 87%. The difference in
      survival rate of fish challenged with four of the isolates was statistically
      significant in vaccinated fish compared to control fish, when analysed using a
      Chi-square test. The results of the study suggest that the recombinant S-layer
      protein of A. hydrophila could be useful as a vaccine antigen to protect fish
      against different isolates of this pathogenic bacterium.

PMID- 20307597
TI  - VP5-deficient mutant virus induced protection against challenge with very
      virulent infectious bursal disease virus of chickens.
AB  - A mutant infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) deficient in expressing VP5, rGx
      F9VP2DeltaVP5, was generated using reverse genetics technology. In comparison to
      the characteristics of rGx-F9VP2 virus in vitro, the mutant virus demonstrated
      lower viral titer and cytopathogenicity. To understand the role of VP5 in the
      pathogenicity of IBDV in vivo, animal experiments were conducted. rGx
      F9VP2DeltaVP5 caused reduced bursal lesion of SPF chickens compared to rGx-F9VP2.
      Although rGx-F9VP2DeltaVP5 induced lower serum antibody than rGx-F9VP2 did, both
      inoculated groups were fully protected against vvIBDV challenge 4 weeks post
      inoculation. In addition, immunosuppression induced by VP5-deficient virus was
      studied in 2-week-old SPF chickens immunized with AIV inactivated vaccine. And
      there was reduced immunosuppression as shown in our experimental results. The
      results showed that AIV hemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibodies of the rGx
      F9VP2DeltaVP5 inoculated group were similar to those of the mock-inoculated
      group, however, they were higher than those of the rGx-F9VP2 inoculated group,
      indicating that deficiency of VP5 decreased the immunosuppression of rGx
      F9VP2DeltaVP5 in chickens. All data indicated that VP5 played an important role
      in viral replication and pathogenesis both in vitro and in vivo. The VP5
      deficient mutant virus could be a good candidate as a marked vaccine.

PMID- 20307598
TI  - Effects of long-time reading experience on reaction time and the recognition
      potential.
AB  - The proposition that long-time experience in reading a language gradually builds
      up rapidly acting neural processes that facilitate the processing of words in
      that language and speed them into conscious awareness was examined. Behavioral
      reaction time (RT) and electrophysiological responsiveness to visually displayed
      words and non-language images were measured in persons who differed in how much
      experience they had in reading English. The electrophysiological response was the
      recognition potential (RP). Behavioral RT and the latency of the RP to English
      words were both expected to depend upon how much English reading experience a
      person had. The short latency of the RP was expected to free it from the
      influence of non-perceptual factors that affect RT, such as speed/accuracy
      tradeoff. This expectation yielded the prediction that the behavioral and
      electrophysiological results would differ in a specific way. Long-time readers of
      English were expected to show shorter RP latency to English words than less
      experienced (China-educated) readers of English but no RP latency difference for
      non-language images, with which neither group had greater experience. In
      contrast, due to speed accuracy tradeoff, the China-educated subjects were
      expected to show longer RT for both the words and the non-language images. The
      prediction was confirmed. The amount of language experience that a person had
      showed a stronger relationship to RP latency than it did to RT. This helped to
      validate the use of the RP as a tool for investigating perception and
      demonstrated definite advantages that it has for studying acquired perceptual
      processes in humans.

PMID- 20307599
TI  - Improved tumor-targeting drug delivery and therapeutic efficacy by cationic
      liposome modified with truncated bFGF peptide.
AB  - Fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs), overexpressed on the surface of a
      variety of tumor cells and on tumor neovasculature in situ, are potential targets
      for tumor- and vascular-targeting therapy. This study aimed to develop a FGFR
      mediated drug delivery system to target chemotherapeutic agents to FGFR
      overexpressed tumor cells and tumor neovasculature endothelial cells in vitro and
      in vivo. Here we designed a truncated human basic fibroblast growth factor
      peptide (tbFGF), which was attached to the surface of cationic liposomal
      doxorubicin (LPs-DOX) and paclitaxel (LPs-PTX) via electrostatic force. Then we
      characterized the tbFGF-modified liposome (tbFGF-LPs) and examined
      internalization of doxorubicin in tumor cells (TRAMP-C1, B16) and HUVEC cells in
      vitro. In vivo, we evaluated the biodistribution and antitumor efficacy of tbFGF
      LPs-DOX and tbFGF-LPs-PTX in C57BL/6J mice bearing TRAMP-C1 prostate carcinoma
      and B16 melanoma, respectively. The tbFGF-LPs-DOX significantly improved the
      uptake of doxorubicin in TRAMP-C1, B16 and HUVEC cells, respectively.
      Biodistribution study in B16 tumor-bearing mice showed that tbFGF-LPs-PTX
      achieved 7.1-fold (72.827+/-7.321mgh/L vs 10.292+/-0.775mgh/L, mean+/-SD, P<0.01)
      accumulation of paclitaxel in tumor tissue than those of free paclitaxel. More
      importantly, treatment of tumor-bearing mice with tbFGF-LPs-DOX and tbFGF-LPs-PTX
      showed the significant inhibition in tumor growth and improvement in survival
      rate as compared with mice treated with free and liposomal drugs in TRAMP-C1 and
      B16 tumor models, respectively. Furthermore, repeated intravenous administration
      of tbFGF-LPs-DOX/PTX did not induce anti-bFGF antibodies. These results suggested
      that this FGFR-mediated drug delivery system may provide a new treatment strategy
      for tumors which overexpress FGFRs.

PMID- 20307600
TI  - The selective impact of chocolate craving on visuospatial working memory.
AB  - The present study aimed to extend previous research into cognitive impairments as
      a consequence of food craving. In particular, the study examined the impact of
      chocolate craving on the three components of working memory: the phonological
      loop, the visuospatial sketchpad, and the central executive, assessed by the
      digit span, Corsi blocks, and the double span tasks, respectively. A sample of 96
      female undergraduate students was randomly assigned to a craving or control
      condition. Participants in the craving condition abstained from eating chocolate
      for 24h prior to testing, and performed the cognitive tasks in the presence of
      chocolate, a manipulation that successfully elicited chocolate cravings. As
      predicted on the basis of the visual imagery nature of food cravings,
      participants in the craving condition performed more poorly on the Corsi blocks
      task than control participants, but the groups did not differ on the digit span
      or double span measures. These results indicate that chocolate cravings
      selectively disrupt performance on visuospatial tasks. According to the working
      memory model, this occurs because food cravings compete for limited visuospatial
      working memory resources. These findings have practical implications in that
      visuospatial memory plays an important role in many everyday behaviours.

PMID- 20307601
TI  - Induction of apoptosis by plant natriuretic peptides in rat cardiomyoblasts.
AB  - Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) has an important role in maintaining the
      homeostasis of body fluids and blood pressure and also in preventing cardiac
      hypertrophy and initiating the process of apoptosis. An immunoreactive analog of
      ANP was discovered in plants over a decade ago and termed plant natriuretic
      peptide (PNP). PNP is a small protein that contains sequence and structural
      similarity to ANP within a predicted protruding psi (psi) loop. Since application
      of ANP or PNP stimulates similar functional effects in plants, it is conceivable
      that PNP may have effects on mammalian cells. In this report, we show that
      purified recombinant PNP induces apoptosis in a dose dependent and cell type
      specific manner. Rat cardiac myoblasts (H9c2 cells) were more susceptible to the
      apoptotic promoting effects of PNP and ANP than HEK-293T cells where PNP had a
      protective effect at lower concentrations. Similarly rat thoracic myoblasts (A
      10) were less responsive to both PNP and ANP than the H9c2 cells. Since PNP is
      mimicking the effect of ANP in this instance, PNP may prove to be a useful lead
      molecule for developing novel therapeutic natriuretic peptides.

PMID- 20307602
TI  - Structure and function relationship of toxin from Chinese scorpion Buthus
      martensii Karsch (BmKAGAP): gaining insight into related sites of analgesic
      activity.
AB  - In this study, an effective Escherichia coli expression system was used to study
      the role of residues in the antitumor-analgesic peptide from Chinese scorpion
      Buthus martensii Karsch (BmKAGAP). To evaluate the extent to which residues of
      the toxin core contribute to its analgesic activity, nine mutants of BmKAGAP were
      obtained by PCR. Using site-directed mutagenesis, all of these residues were
      individually substituted by one amino acid. These were then subjected to a
      circular dichroism analysis, and an analgesic activity assay in mice. This study
      represents a thorough mapping and elucidation of the epitopes that underlie the
      molecular basis of the analgesic activity. The three-dimensional structure of
      BmKAGAP was established by homology modeling. Our results revealed large mutant
      dependent differences that indicated important roles for the studied residues.
      With our ongoing efforts for establishing the structure and analgesic activity
      relationship of BmKAGAP, we have succeeded in pinpointing which residues are
      important for the analgesic activity.

PMID- 20307603
TI  - Inhibition of L-type calcium currents by salusin-beta in rat cardiac ventricular
      myocytes.
AB  - Salusin-beta is a new regulatory peptide relevant to the cardiovascular system
      and exerts negative inotropic effect on ventricular muscle. The purpose of the
      present study was to determine whether salusin-beta can inhibit cardiac L-type
      calcium channel current (I(Ca,L)). Using whole-cell voltage-clamp techniques,
      I(Ca,L) was measured in ventricular myocytes isolated from 12 to 16 weeks rats.
      Salusin-beta dose-dependently and reversibly reduced the magnitude of I(Ca,L) in
      rat ventricular myocytes. Neither threshold potential nor the peak potential of
      current-voltage relationship was affected. Salusin-beta increased the rate of
      I(Ca,L) inactivation without altering its gating properties. These results
      suggest salusin-beta inhibited I(Ca,L) by increasing the rate of I(Ca,L)
      inactivation and the inhibition of L-type Ca(2+) channels induced by salusin-beta
      may contribute to its negative inotropic effect on ventricular muscle.

PMID- 20307604
TI  - Surgery and sepsis increase somatostatin-like immunoreactivity in the human
      plasma.
AB  - We have previously shown in animals that somatostatin released from capsaicin
      sensitive afferents in response to inflammation and tissue damage exerts systemic
      anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory actions. Since peptidergic sensory
      innervation of the airways and the joints are particularly dense, we aimed at
      investigating the alterations of plasma somatostatin-like immunoreactivity (SST
      LI) in response to thoracic and orthopedic surgery, as well as sepsis.
      Thoracotomy, video-assisted thoracoscopy, hip and knee endoprosthesis were
      performed under general anesthesia. Blood was taken before, during and after the
      surgical procedures, as well as at admission and every consecutive morning from
      septic patients receiving exclusively total parenteral nutrition. SST-LI was
      determined from the plasma with specific and sensitive radioimmunoassay developed
      in our laboratory. Plasma SST-LI in healthy volunteers and preoperatively was 8
      12fmol/ml. Both thoracotomy and thoracoscopy significantly increased SST-LI by 55
      60% at the end of the procedures when the thoracic cavity and the skin were
      closed. Hip endoprosthesis implantation elevated SST-LI by 30% after skin
      incision, which increased further to 55% by the time the surgery was completed.
      In contrast, knee operations performed under tourniquet did not alter SST-LI in
      the systemic circulation. SST-LI was almost 3-fold higher in the plasma of septic
      patients than in healthy volunteers. This human study revealed that thoracic/hip
      surgery and sepsis elevate SST-LI in the systemic circulation, presumably by
      inducing its release from sensory fibres. It is concluded, that the endogenous
      protective mechanism mediated by neural somatostatin, which has been evidenced in
      animals, is likely to operate in patients.

PMID- 20307605
TI  - Pharmacological profile and antiparkinsonian properties of the novel
      nociceptin/orphanin FQ receptor antagonist 1-[1-cyclooctylmethyl-5-(1-hydroxy-1
      methyl-ethyl)-1,2,3,6-tetrahydro-pyridin-4-yl]-3-ethyl-1,3-dihydro-benzoimidazol
      2-one (GF-4).
AB  - In this study we provided a pharmacological characterization of the recently
      synthesized nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) peptide receptor (NOP) antagonist 1-[1
      Cyclooctylmethyl-5-(1-hydroxy-1-methyl-ethyl)-1,2,3,6-tetrahydro-pyridin-4-yl]-3
      ethyl-1,3-dihydro-benzoimidazol-2-one (GF-4) and investigated its
      antiparkinsonian properties. GF-4 inhibited N/OFQ binding to CHO(hNOP) cell
      membranes (pK(i) 7.46), and antagonized N/OFQ effects in a calcium mobilization
      assay and electrically stimulated isolated tissues (pK(B) 7.27-7.82), showing a
      approximately 5-fold selectivity over classical opioid receptors. In vivo, GF-4
      dually modulated stepping activity in wild-type mice, causing facilitation in the
      0.01-10mg/kg dose range and inhibition at 30mg/kg. These effects were mediated by
      NOP receptors since GF-4 was ineffective in NOP receptor knock-out mice.
      Antiparkinsonian properties of GF-4 were investigated in 6-hydroxydopamine
      hemilesioned rats. GF-4 ameliorated akinesia, bradykinesia and overall gait
      ability in the 0.1-10mg/kg dose range, but inhibited motor activity at 30mg/kg.
      To investigate the circuitry underlying motor facilitating and inhibitory effects
      of GF-4, microdialysis coupled to behavioral testing (akinesia test) was
      performed. An anti-akinetic dose of GF-4 (1mg/kg) reduced glutamate (GLU) and
      enhanced GABA release in SNr, while the pro-akinetic dose of GF-4 (30mg/kg)
      evoked opposite effects. Moreover, the anti-akinetic dose of GF-4 reduced GABA
      and increased GLU release in ventro-medial thalamus, the pro-akinetic dose
      decreasing GABA without affecting GLU release in this area. We conclude that GF-4
      is an effective NOP receptor antagonist able to attenuate parkinsonian-like
      symptoms in vivo via inhibition of the nigro-thalamic pathway.

PMID- 20307606
TI  - Novel conopeptides in a form of disulfide-crosslinked dimer.
AB  - In our present work, seven conotoxins and conopeptides were cloned from four cone
      snail species based on the M-superfamily signal peptides. Among them, two
      conopeptides, Vt3.1 and Vt3.2, showed unusual sequence characteristics. Both of
      them contained two cysteines that are separated by just one non-cysteine residue.
      In vitro, the chemically synthesized Vt3.1 formed dimers with different
      intermolecular disulfide linkages. Only the dimer with crossed disulfides showed
      bioactivity when injected into the intraventricular region of mice brains.
      Therefore, Vt3.1 and Vt3.2 represent a new group of conopeptides that form
      disulfide-crosslinked dimers in vitro and probably in vivo.

PMID- 20307607
TI  - Changed salt appetite and central angiotensin II-induced cellular activation in
      rat offspring following hypoxia during fetal stages.
AB  - Hypoxia in pregnancy may induce fetal growth restriction and cause functional
      abnormalities during development. The present study determined the long-term
      influence of hypoxia in fetal life on dipsogenic behavior linked to central
      angiotensin (Ang) network in the offspring rats. Fetal blood pO(2) and body
      weight were decreased by hypoxia during pregnancy, followed by a postnatal "catch
      up" growth. Subcutaneous hypertonic saline or intracerebroventricular Ang II
      significantly increased salt intake in the offspring prenatally exposed to
      hypoxia, while water intake was the same between the two groups. Ang II-induced c
      fos expression was detected in the paraventricular nuclei, median preoptic
      nuclei, supraoptic nuclei, and subfornical organ in the brain, in association
      with reduced forebrain AT(2) receptor protein abundance in the offspring
      prenatally exposed to hypoxia. Levels of central AT(1) receptor protein were not
      changed between the two groups. Hypoxia during pregnancy could be linked to
      developmental problems related to behavioral dysfunctions in body fluid
      regulations in later life, in association with the change in central angiotensin
      II-mediated neural activation and expression of the Ang II receptor in the brain.

PMID- 20307608
TI  - A novel cyclopeptide from the cyclization of PACAP(1-5) with potent activity
      towards PAC1 attenuates STZ-induced diabetes.
AB  - The N-terminal deletion of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide
      (PACAP)(1-5) generates its own antagonist. The cyclopeptide C*HSDGIC*, which
      results from the cyclization of PACAP(1-5) with disulfide, was designed and
      synthesized. CHO cells expressing a PAC1 N/R splice variant (PAC1-CHO) were used
      to detect the potent activation of PAC1 by C*HSDGIC*. In vitro cell assays showed
      that C*HSDGIC* stimulated cAMP production and increased the viability of PAC1-CHO
      cells at micromolar concentrations, about 1000 fold that of PACAP. PACAP(6-38)
      blocked the effects of PACAP on the proliferation of PAC1-CHO cells but did not
      interfere with the effects of C*HSDGIC*, suggesting that the activation of PAC1
      by C*HSDGIC* was independent of the binding of PAC1 to the C-terminus of PACAP.
      In experiments in vivo, 10mumol/kg C*HSDGIC* decreased the plasma glucose level,
      increased the plasma insulin level and improved glucose tolerance significantly
      (P<0.01) when co-injected with STZ for 5 days. The results of these in vitro and
      in vivo studies of the biological characteristics of C*HSDGIC* reveal that it is
      a potent activator of PAC1.

PMID- 20307609
TI  - Peptidergic modulation of serotonin and nerve elicited responses of the salivary
      duct muscle in the snail, Helix pomatia.
AB  - In the present study, the ability of a range of endogenous neuropeptides to
      modulate neuromuscular transmission was examined in the salivary duct
      neuromuscular preparation of the terrestrial snail, Helix pomatia.
      Immunohistochemical and physiological techniques were used to localize the
      neuropeptides (GSPYFVamide, CARP, FMRFamide and APGWamide) and to investigate
      whether contractions elicited by the stimulation of the salivary nerve or by
      exogenously applied 5-HT are subject to peptidergic modulation. All of the
      neuropeptides studied decreased the tonus by a direct action on the muscle fibers
      in a concentration dependent manner in a range of 10(-9) to 10(-6)M.
      Neuropeptides distinctly affected the 5-HT evoked contraction or relaxation and
      GSPYFVa and APGWa decreased also the amplitude of contractions elicited by the
      stimulation of the salivary nerve. All four neuropeptides facilitated the
      relaxation phase providing further evidence for the postsynaptic action of
      neuropeptides. Low Ca(2+)/high Mg(2+) saline abolished the nerve-elicited
      contractions, however the denervated muscle retained the ability to contract due
      to the mobilization of the Ca(2+) from intracellular stores. It was concluded,
      that peptides belonging to different peptide families exerted their effects
      through pre- and postsynaptic mechanisms. The modulatory effect of neuropeptides
      can be assigned to the partial co-localization of 5-HT and neuropeptides in the
      nerves innervating muscles of the salivary duct, as it was demonstrated by double
      labeling immunohistochemistry. A double origin of the 5-HTergic innervation was
      demonstrated, including efferents originating from both the cerebral and visceral
      ganglia.

PMID- 20307610
TI  - Antidepressant-like or anxiolytic-like actions of topiramate alone or co
      administered with intra-lateral septal infusions of neuropeptide Y in male Wistar
      rats.
AB  - We tested the effects of intra-lateral septal infusions of neuropeptide Y (NPY)
      combined with systemic injections of topiramate in the DRL-72s paradigm and the
      elevated plus-maze test in male Wistar rats. Intra-lateral septal infusions of
      desipramine (5.0 microg/microl; P<0.05) or intra-lateral septal infusions of NPY
      (3.0 microg/microl, P<0.05; 3.5 microg/microl, P<0.05) or systemic injections of
      topiramate (20.0mg/kg, P<0.05; 30.0mg/kg, P<0.05) or subthreshold doses of
      topiramate (10.0mg/kg) combined with intra-lateral septal infusions of
      subthreshold doses of NPY (2.5 microg/microl; P<0.05) induced a dose-dependent
      increase in reinforced lever presses and a cohesive rightward shift of the inter
      response time distribution in the DRL 72s task. In the elevated plus-maze test,
      intra-lateral septal infusions of NPY (3.0 microg/microl, P<0.05; 3.5
      microg/microl, P<0.05) or midazolam (10.0 microg/microl; P<0.05) or systemic
      injections of topiramate (20.0mg/kg, P<0.05; 30.0mg/kg, P<0.05) or subthreshold
      doses of systemic injections of topiramate (10.0mg/kg) combined with intra
      lateral septal infusions of subthreshold doses of NPY (2.5 microg/microl; P<0.05)
      increased the exploration of the open arms without affecting locomotion. In
      conclusion, intra-septal NPY has anxiolytic effects in the EPM, and
      antidepressant effects in the DRL 72s test. Similarly, systemic topiramate has
      anxiolytic effects in the EPM, and antidepressant effects in the DRL 72s test.
      Finally, a combination of subthreshold doses of NPY and topiramate together also
      have anxiolytic and antidepressant effects, suggesting a synergistic effect.

PMID- 20307611
TI  - Endogenous orexin-A modulates gastric motility by peripheral mechanisms in rats.
AB  - Orexin-A (OXA) and orexin receptor type 1 (OX1R) are found in enteric nervous
      system and smooth muscle cells in the digestive tract. Fasting is a stimulant for
      OXA synthesis. The aim of the present study was to investigate central and
      peripheral effects of endogenous OXA on gastric motility. Endogenous OXA
      synthesis was induced by 36h fasting. Vagotomy was used to evaluate N.vagus
      mediated effects of OXA. Gastric emptying and interdigestive gastric motility
      were measured by spectrophotometric and manometric methods, respectively. Rats
      were pretreated with OX1R antagonist SB-334867 prior to measurements. Plasma OXA
      concentration was assayed with radioimmunoassay while preproorexin (PPO)
      expression was determined with Western blotting in gastric and hypothalamic
      tissues. OXA immunoreactivity in antrum was determined with immunohistochemistry.
      Plasma OXA level, PPO protein expression and OXA immunoreactivity were
      significantly increased in response to 36h fasting. Endogenous OXA facilitated
      gastric emptying and inhibited gastric interdigestive motility. As these effects
      were abolished with SB-334867, it is likely that gastrokinetic effects of OXA are
      mediated via OX1R. Vagotomy did not alter OXA-mediated effects. According to
      current data, OXA is up-regulated both centrally and peripherally upon fasting.
      Endogenous OXA accelerates gastric emptying while it inhibits interdigestive
      motility.

PMID- 20307612
TI  - Depolarizing stimuli cause persistent and selective loss of orexin in rat
      hypothalamic slice culture.
AB  - A hypothalamic neuropeptide orexin (hypocretin) is a critical regulator of
      physiological processes including sleep/wakefulness and feeding. Using
      organotypic slice culture of rat hypothalamus, we found that exposure to elevated
      extracellular concentration of K(+) (+10-30 mM) for 24-72h led to a substantial
      decrease in the number of neurons immunoreactive for orexin and a co-existing
      neuropeptide dynorphin-A. In contrast, the same treatment affected neither the
      number of melanin-concentrating hormone-immunoreactive neurons nor the number of
      total neurons. A substantial decrease of orexin-immunoreactive neurons was also
      induced by 72h treatment with 1-10 microM veratridine, a Na(+) channel activator.
      The effect of elevated K(+) was only partially reversible, and that of
      veratridine was virtually irreversible, although the decrease in orexin
      immunoreactivity was not associated with signs of cell damage assessed by
      propidium iodide uptake and Hoechst 33342 nuclear staining. In addition, the
      level of preproorexin mRNA did not decrease during treatment with elevated K(+)
      or veratridine. After treatment with elevated K(+) and veratridine, c-Fos
      immunoreactivity appeared in orexin-immunoreactive neurons but not in melanin
      concentrating hormone-immunoreactive neurons, suggesting selective excitation of
      orexin neurons. However, the amount of orexin released extracellularly was
      paradoxically decreased by treatment with elevated K(+) and veratridine. Overall,
      these characteristics of orexin neurons may be taken into consideration to
      understand the behaviors of these neurons under physiological and
      pathophysiological conditions.

PMID- 20307613
TI  - Peripherally injected CCK-8S activates CART positive neurons of the
      paraventricular nucleus in rats.
AB  - Cholecystokinin (CCK) plays a role in the short-term inhibition of food intake.
      Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) peptide has been observed in
      neurons of the paraventricular nucleus (PVN). It has been reported that
      intracerebroventricular injection of CART peptide inhibits food intake in
      rodents. The aim of the study was to determine whether intraperitoneally (ip)
      injected CCK-8S affects neuronal activity of PVN-CART neurons. Ad libitum fed
      male Sprague-Dawley rats received 6 or 10 microg/kg CCK-8S or 0.15M NaCl ip
      (n=4/group). The number of c-Fos-immunoreactive neurons was determined in the
      PVN, arcuate nucleus (ARC), and the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS). CCK-8S
      dose-dependently increased the number of c-Fos-immunoreactive neurons in the PVN
      (mean+/-SEM: 102+/-6 vs. 150+/-5 neurons/section, p<0.05) and compared to vehicle
      treated rats (18+/-7, p<0.05 vs. 6 and 10 microg/kg CCK-8S). CCK-8S at both doses
      induced an increase in the number of c-Fos-immunoreactive neurons in the NTS
      (65+/-13, p<0.05, and 182+/-16, p<0.05). No effect on the number of c-Fos neurons
      was observed in the ARC. Immunostaining for CART and c-Fos revealed a dose
      dependent increase of activated CART neurons (19+/-3 vs. 29+/-7; p<0.05), only
      few activated CART neuron were observed in the vehicle group (1+/-0). The present
      observation shows that CCK-8S injected ip induces an increase in neuronal
      activity in PVN-CART neurons and suggests that CART neurons in the PVN may play a
      role in the mediation of peripheral CCK-8S's anorexigenic effects.

PMID- 20307614
TI  - Src tyrosine kinase regulates angiotensin II-induced protein kinase Czeta
      activation and proliferation in vascular smooth muscle cells.
AB  - Protein kinase Czeta (PKCzeta) isoform plays a critical role in angiotensin II
      (AngII)-elicited extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) activation
      and proliferation in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). However, the exact
      signal transduction mechanism by which AngII activates PKCzeta has not been
      clarified. In this study, we investigated the role of Src in PKCzeta activation
      and VSMCs proliferation induced by AngII. AngII-induced rapid activation of
      PKCzeta, which was associated with its phosphorylation and nuclear translocation.
      AngII not only induced Src activation but also promoted the physical association
      between Src and PKCzeta, which was abolished by Src inhibition with PP2. Src
      inhibition also abrogated AngII-stimulated PKCzeta activation, ERK1/2
      phosphorylation and VSMCs proliferation. In conclusion, Src kinase plays an
      important role in AngII-elicited PKCzeta activation and the subsequent downstream
      signaling including ERK1/2 activation and VSMCs proliferation.

PMID- 20307615
TI  - NGF-induced moesin phosphorylation is mediated by the PI3K, Rac1 and Akt and
      required for neurite formation in PC12 cells.
AB  - Moesin is a member of ERM family proteins which act as the cross-linkers between
      plasma membrane and actin-cytoskeleton and is activated by phosphorylation at Thr
      558. In neurons, suppression of radixin and moesin alters the growth cone
      morphology. However, the significance of phosphorylation of ERM proteins in
      neuronal cells has not been fully investigated. In this study, we studied the
      signaling pathways responsible for moesin phosphorylation and its functional
      importance in NGF-treated PC12 cells. NGF rapidly induced the phosphorylation of
      moesin at Thr-558 in PC12 cells which was dependent on PI3K and Rac1. We found
      that Akt interacted and phosphorylated with moesin both in vitro and in vivo.
      Inhibition of PI3K and Rac1 abolished the NGF-induced Akt activation, indicating
      that Akt is at the downstream of PI3K and Rac1. To examine the functional role of
      phosphorylated ERM proteins, a dominant negative mutant form of moesin (T558A)
      was introduced into PC12 cells. The mutant significantly reduced the frequency of
      cells with neurites following NGF treatment. Our results indicate that PI3K, Rac1
      and Akt-dependent phosphorylation of moesin is required for the NGF-induced
      neurite formation in differentiating PC12 cells.

PMID- 20307616
TI  - Opposite changes in cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptor expression in human gliomas.
AB  - Gliomas are the most important group of malignant primary brain tumors and one of
      the most aggressive forms of cancer. During the last years, several studies have
      demonstrated that cannabinoids induce apoptosis of glioma cells and inhibit
      angiogenesis of gliomas in vivo. As the effects of cannabinoids rely on CB(1) and
      CB(2) receptors activation, the aim of the present study was to investigate both
      receptors protein expression in cellular membrane homogenates of human glial
      tumors using specific antibodies raised against these proteins. Additionally, we
      studied the functionality of the cannabinoid receptors in glioblastomas by using
      WIN 55,212-2 stimulated [(35)S]GTPgammaS binding. Western blot analysis showed
      that CB(1) receptor immunoreactivity was significantly lower in glioblastoma
      multiforme (-43%, n=10; p<0.05) than in normal post-mortem brain tissue (n=16).
      No significant differences were found for astrocytoma (n=6) and meningioma (n=8)
      samples. Conversely, CB(2) receptor immunoreactivity was significantly greater in
      membranes of glioblastoma multiforme (765%, n=9; p<0.05) and astrocytoma (471%,
      n=4; p<0.05) than in control brain tissue (n=10). Finally, the maximal
      stimulation of [(35)S]GTPgammaS binding by WIN 55,212-2 was significantly lower
      in glioblastomas (134+/-4%) than in control membranes (183+/-2%; p<0.05). The
      basal [(35)S]GTPgammaS binding and the EC(50) values were not significantly
      different between both groups. The present results demonstrate opposite changes
      in CB(1) and CB(2) receptor protein expression in human gliomas. These changes
      may be of interest for further research about the therapeutic effects of
      cannabinoids in glial tumors.

PMID- 20307617
TI  - Association analysis of 3p21 with Crohn's disease in a New Zealand population.
AB  - Recent genome-wide association studies have provided evidence for the involvement
      of 3p21 in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease (CD). Here we attempted to
      validate the 3p21 region in a well characterized CD case-control New Zealand
      dataset of 329 CD patients and 521 controls by genotyping tagging single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across this region. Analysis revealed significant
      differences between patients and controls for six of 14 SNPs: rs9874472,
      rs1800668, rs11716445, rs4283605, rs2131109, and rs6446298. Five of these
      demonstrated strong interaction with CARD15 and phenotypic analysis demonstrated
      association of these SNPs with age at first diagnosis, CD location, CD behavior
      and requirement of bowel resection. The results from this study support the
      accumulating evidence that suggests the 3p21 region is a CD-associated locus,
      although it remains unclear which is the causative SNP and/or gene.

PMID- 20307618
TI  - Description and molecular modeling of two novel HLA alleles: HLA-A*0343 and
      A*0345.
AB  - We report the identification of two novel human leucocyte antigen (HLA) in two
      Caucasian individuals. HLA-A*0343 differs from A*03010101 by four changes at
      nucleotides 411-414 (CCGG-->TGAA) and by a point mutation at position 418 (G-
      >C). These differences lead to two amino acid substitutions at codon 114, where
      arginine has changed into negatively charged glutamic acid, and at codon 116,
      where aspartic acid has changed into positively charged histidine. Molecular
      modeling showed that these changes have a profound influence on the overall
      charge of the F pocket of the groove, resulting in potentially important changes
      in the peptide repertoire. HLA-A*0345 was found in a hematological female patient
      candidate to bone marrow transplantation. This new variant differs from HLA
      A*03010101 at position 845 (C-->A) encoding an amino acid change of threonine to
      asparagine at codon 258 located in the alpha3 domain. Molecular modeling does not
      suggest a substantial role of this substitutions on the interaction with beta2
      microglobulin or CD8.

PMID- 20307619
TI  - HF-rTMS treatment decreases psychomotor retardation in medication-resistant
      melancholic depression.
AB  - Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) applied to the left
      dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) might be a promising treatment strategy
      for depression. As one of the key features of melancholic depression is
      disturbances in psychomotor activity, we wanted to evaluate whether HF-rTMS
      treatment could influence psychomotor symptoms. Twenty antidepressant-free
      unipolar melancholic depressed patients, all at least stage III medication
      resistant, were studied. All were treated with 10 sessions of High-Frequency (HF)
      rTMS applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) under MRI
      guidance. Forty percent of the patients showed a reduction of at least 50% on
      their initial 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Score (HDRS) scale and were
      defined as clinical responders. Regardless of clinical outcome HF-rTMS treatment
      resulted in significant decreases on the Depressive Retardation Rating Scale
      (DRRS) scores. Although this was an open study in a relatively small sample, our
      results suggest that HF-rTMS might act on the 'psychomotor' level and these
      findings could add some further information as to why this kind of treatment can
      be beneficial for severely depressed patients of the melancholic subtype.

PMID- 20307620
TI  - Imipramine on the treatment of chronic dizziness and panic disorder--3 cases
      report.

PMID- 20307621
TI  - Successful augmentation of clozapine-resistant treatment of schizophrenia with
      clonidine.

PMID- 20307622
TI  - Quetiapine XR: current status for the treatment of major depressive disorder.
AB  - Quetiapine fumarate extended release (XR) has been approved for treatment of
      schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Quetiapine may have antidepressant effects
      through effects on 5-HT(2A) receptor, 5-HT(1A) receptor, dopamine receptor,
      glutamate receptor and norepinephrine transporter. Recently, 7 large-scale
      randomized, double-blind, placebo (2-studies with active comparator)-controlled
      clinical trials have demonstrated that quetiapine XR has clinically meaningful
      efficacy as monotherapy and adjunct therapy to antidepressants for the treatment
      of adult patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). In such clinical trials,
      quetiapine XR was generally well tolerated, although weight gain and changes in
      metabolic parameters, consistent with the known profile of quetiapine, were
      observed in some patients. As of December 2009, the United States Food and Drug
      Administration has approved quetiapine XR for the adjunct treatment of MDD. From
      the data of currently available clinical trials, this review provides an overview
      of the data and clinical implications for quetiapine XR in the treatment of MDD
      to enhance clinicians understanding of the use of quetiapine XR in the treatment
      of MDD.

PMID- 20307623
TI  - Exposure of human skin to benzo[a]pyrene: role of CYP1A1 and aryl hydrocarbon
      receptor in oxidative stress generation.
AB  - Exposure to benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) can induce inflammatory skin diseases and skin
      cancer, which are both associated to oxidative stress. BaP is known to bind with
      high specificity to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), modifying the expression
      of CYP1A1, involved both in cancer and inflammation. While the current knowledge
      is based on murine skin and cell culture data, in this study human healthy skin
      has been treated with 5muM BaP in conditions simulating occupational and
      environmental exposure. AhR and CYP1A1 expression was evaluated by Western
      blotting, which revealed their presence even in control untreated skin; both
      enzyme and receptor increased more than twofold after exposure to BaP. AhR
      expression level was lower than CYP1A1 in basal conditions and following
      induction. Oxidative stress was evaluated in terms of MTT reduction, protein
      peroxidation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation. A significant increase
      in ROS and carbonyl compound production, as well as reduced tissue viability have
      been determined by BaP. The results of this experiment indicate that BaP, an AhR
      agonist, can significantly increase receptor and CYP1A1 expression and induce
      oxidative stress in human skin, confirming the involvement of this pathway in the
      pathogenesis of tissue damage due to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

PMID- 20307624
TI  - Clinical study investigating abrasive effects of three toothpastes and water in
      an in situ model.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This in situ study compared the abrasive effect of repeated brushings
      (over 10 days) of a low relative abrasive dentine (RDA) toothpaste with moderate
      and high relative abrasive dentine (RDA) toothpastes, on human dentine in situ.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study design was single centre, single blind,
      randomized, split mouth, two period, four-treatment cross-over, in situ study in
      20 healthy subjects. Subjects wore bi-lateral lower buccal appliances each fitted
      with four dentine sections with treatment applied with a power toothbrush, during
      each 10 day study period. Samples were measured at baseline, day 5 and day 10 by
      contact profilometry, and baseline and day 10 with non-contact profilometry.
      RESULTS: Nineteen subjects were included in the efficacy analysis. Results as
      measured by contact and non-contact profilometry from brushing with the moderate
      RDA paste and high RDA paste showed significantly (p<0.0001) more abrasion to
      dentine than brushing with the low RDA paste or water after 10 days. Dentine loss
      following tooth brushing with the low RDA paste was not significantly different
      from brushing with water, after 10 days. CONCLUSIONS: The methodology
      successfully showed clear differentiation between the amount of dentine lost
      following toothbrushing with the low RDA paste compared to the moderate or high
      RDA pastes. Dentine loss following brushing with the low RDA paste showed a
      comparable degree of abrasion to brushing with water.

PMID- 20307625
TI  - Valproic acid stimulates clusterin expression in human astrocytes: Implications
      for Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - Clusterin is a secreted molecular chaperone, also called apolipoprotein J. Recent
      genetic studies have demonstrated that clusterin is a significant susceptibility
      gene for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). Clusterin shares several properties
      with apolipoprotein E, a well-known risk gene for AD, i.e. they bind to amyloid
      beta peptides and are present in neuritic plaques, enhance the clearance of
      amyloid-beta peptides in brain, and are included in lipid particles and thus
      regulate cholesterol traffic. Biochemical studies indicate that clusterin can
      prevent the progress of AD pathogenesis. We have observed earlier that histone
      deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors can induce the expression of clusterin in several
      neuroblastoma and glioma cell lines. Recent studies have revealed that valproic
      acid, a common and well-tolerated drug for epilepsy and bipolar disorders, is a
      potent HDAC inhibitor. In this study, we examined whether valproic acid can
      induce the expression of clusterin in human astrocytes. Our results demonstrated
      that valproic acid is a potent inducer of clusterin expression and secretion in
      human astrocytes at the therapeutical concentrations. Another clinically used
      HDAC inhibitor, the cancer drug, Vorinostat (SAHA, suberoylanilide hydroxamic
      acid), also robustly stimulated the expression of clusterin in human astrocytes.
      One could postulate that valproic acid may be able to prevent amyloid-beta
      aggregation in AD, as observed in transgenic AD mice, by increasing clusterin
      expression.

PMID- 20307626
TI  - Effect of the bases flanking an abasic site on the recognition of nucleobase by
      amiloride.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We explain here the various non-covalent interactions which are
      responsible for the different binding modes of a small ligand with DNA. METHODS:
      The combination of experimental and theoretical methods was used. RESULTS: The
      interaction of amiloride with thymine was found to depend on the bases flanking
      the AP site and different binding modes were observed for different flanking
      bases. Molecular modeling, absorption studies and binding constant measurements
      support for the different binding patterns. The flanking base dependent
      recognition of AP site phosphates was investigated by (31)P NMR experiments. The
      thermodynamics of the ligand-nucleotide interaction was demonstrated by
      isothermal titration calorimetry. The emission behavior of amiloride was found to
      depend on the bases flanking the AP site. Amiloride photophysics in the context
      of AP-site containing DNA is investigated by time-dependent density functional
      theory. CONCLUSIONS: Flanking bases affect the ground and excited electronic
      states of amiloride when binding to AP site, which causes flanking base-dependent
      fluorescence signaling. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: The various noncovalent
      interactions have been well characterized for the determination of nucleic acid
      structure and dynamics, and protein-DNA interactions. However, these are not
      clear for the DNA-small molecule interactions and we believe that our studies
      will bring a new insight into such phenomena.

PMID- 20307627
TI  - The sedimentation properties of ferritins. New insights and analysis of methods
      of nanoparticle preparation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ferritin exhibits complex behavior in the ultracentrifuge due to
      variability in iron core size among molecules. A comprehensive study was
      undertaken to develop procedures for obtaining more uniform cores and assessing
      their homogeneity. METHODS: Analytical ultracentrifugation was used to measure
      the mineral core size distributions obtained by adding iron under high- and low
      flux conditions to horse spleen (apoHoSF) and human H-chain (apoHuHF)
      apoferritins. RESULTS: More uniform core sizes are obtained with the homopolymer
      human H-chain ferritin than with the heteropolymer horse spleen HoSF protein in
      which subpopulations of HoSF molecules with varying iron content are observed. A
      binomial probability distribution of H- and L-subunits among protein shells
      qualitatively accounts for the observed subpopulations. The addition of Fe(2+) to
      apoHuHF produces iron core particle size diameters from 3.8 + or - 0.3 to 6.2 +
      or - 0.3 nm. Diameters from 3.4 + or - 0.6 to 6.5 + or - 0.6 nm are obtained with
      natural HoSF after sucrose gradient fractionation. The change in the
      sedimentation coefficient as iron accumulates in ferritin suggests that the
      protein shell contracts approximately 10% to a more compact structure, a finding
      consistent with published electron micrographs. The physicochemical parameters
      for apoHoSF (15%/85% H/L subunits) are M=484,120 g/mol, nu=0.735 mL/g,
      s(20,w)=17.0 S and D(20,w)=3.21 x 10(-)(7) cm(2)/s; and for apoHuHF M=506,266
      g/mol, nu=0.724 mL/g, s(20,w)=18.3S and D(20,w)=3.18 x 10(-)(7) cm(2)/s.
      SIGNIFICANCE: The methods presented here should prove useful in the synthesis of
      size controlled nanoparticles of other minerals.

PMID- 20307628
TI  - AFM observation of single, functioning ionotropic glutamate receptors
      reconstituted in lipid bilayers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) are responsible for
      extracellular signaling in the central nervous system. However, the relationship
      between the overall structure of the protein and its function has yet to be
      resolved. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is an important technique that allows
      nano-scale imaging in liquid. In the present work we have succeeded in imaging by
      AFM of the external features of the most common iGluR, AMPA-R (alpha-amino-3
      hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid receptor), in a physiological
      environment. METHODS: Homomeric GluR3 receptors were over-expressed in insect
      cells, purified and reconstituted into lipid membranes. AFM images were obtained
      in a buffer from membranes immobilized on a mica substrate. RESULTS: Using Au
      nanoparticle-conjugated antibodies, we show that proteins reconstitute
      predominantly with the N-terminal domain uppermost on the membrane. A tetrameric
      receptor structure is clearly observed, but it displays considerable
      heterogeneity, and the dimensions differ considerably from cryo-electron
      microscopy measurements. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that the extracellular
      domains of AMPA-R are highly flexible in a physiological environment. GENERAL
      SIGNIFICANCE: AFM allows us to observe the protein surface structure, suggesting
      the possibility of visualizing real time conformational changes of a functioning
      protein. This knowledge may be useful for neuroscience as well as in
      pharmaceutical applications.

PMID- 20307629
TI  - Ras signalling regulates differentiation and UCP1 expression in models of brown
      adipogenesis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK pathway has been recognised as an important
      signalling module in adipogenesis and adipocyte function, but whether it promotes
      or inhibits the formation of fat cells has not been reconciled. METHODS: Here we
      investigate the significance of Ras signalling intensity on two unrelated models
      of mouse brown adipocyte differentiation. RESULTS: A constitutively active H-Ras
      mutant (Ras V12) caused a complete block of adipose conversion, as manifested by
      a lack of both lipid accumulation and induction of adipocyte gene expression. The
      Ras V12-mediated impediment of differentiation was inefficiently rescued by
      forced expression of the adipogenic transcription factors C/EBPalpha and
      PPARgamma. However, the defective differentiation was alleviated by MEK
      inhibitors, suggesting that the obstruction of differentiation was dependent on
      activation of ERK. A dominant interfering H-Ras mutant (Ras N17) did not inhibit
      differentiation, but led to increased expression of genes important for energy
      dissipation in brown fat cells, including UCP1. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: These data
      suggest that the intensity of Ras signalling is important for differentiation and
      UCP1 expression in models of brown adipogenesis.

PMID- 20307630
TI  - Nepetalactone content in shoot cultures of three endemic Nepeta species and the
      evaluation of their antimicrobial activity.
AB  - Rapid micropropagation of Nepeta rtanjensis, N. sibirica and N. nervosa was
      performed. Qualitative and quantitative nepetalactone content in methanol
      extracts of in vitro grown plants was analysed by reverse-phase HPLC coupled with
      UV and MS detection. Only trans,cis-nepetalactone was detected in shoots of N.
      rtanjensis, while cis,trans-nepetalactone stereoisomer was present in N.
      sibirica. No nepetalactone was observed in shoots of N. nervosa. The
      antimicrobial activity of methanol extracts, against eight bacterial and eight
      fungal species, was evaluated. All the tested extracts showed significant
      antibacterial and strong antifungal activity. However, N. rtanjensis extract
      exhibited the best antimicrobial potential.

PMID- 20307631
TI  - Selective vulnerability of the striatal subregions of C57BL/6 mice to paraquat.
AB  - Paraquat (PQ) is a strong redox agent that contributes to the formation of
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) and induces toxicity of the nigrostriatal
      dopaminergic system. In this study, we investigated the effect of PQ on the
      dopaminergic system of four striatal subregions. Male C57BL/6 mice (aged 7 weeks
      and 23-25 g) were used for this study. The mice were administrated with normal
      saline or PQ (10mg/kg i.p.) twice weekly for three consecutive weeks, and we
      evaluated changes in body weight and the performance of motor coordination. We
      also measured changes in tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunoreactivity, dopamine
      (DA) and its metabolites, reduced glutathione (GSH), and oxidized glutathione
      (GSSG) in the striatum. The body weight gain of PQ-treated mice was lower than
      that of control mice 2 weeks after PQ administration, and this lowering effect
      was sustained until 4 weeks after PQ administration. In the rota-rod test, PQ had
      a significant effect on the time it took mice to fall from the rotating rod at 2
      weeks after injection as compared to the control rats, and the effect was
      sustained up to 4 weeks after PQ administration. Additionally, the densities of
      TH-positive fibers were reduced in dorsal regions of both the striata and ventral
      subregion of the caudal striatum (RD, CD and CV subregions). The DA level
      however, decreased in four subregions of the striata. The rate of DA oxidation
      and O-methylation increased in the RD subregion. After PQ administration, GSH
      levels were significantly reduced in the RD and CV subregions, but GSSG levels in
      the RD and CD subregions increased compared to the control rats. The ratio of
      GSH/GSSG also decreased in the RD and CD subregions. We found that repeated PQ
      injection altered DA metabolism through the generation of oxidative stress in the
      striatum, and although the RD subregion showed the most prominent change, the
      dorsal region of the striatum may be more sensitive to PQ exposure.

PMID- 20307632
TI  - Direct toxicity effects of sulfo-conjugated troglitazone on human hepatocytes.
AB  - Troglitazone (TGZ), an orally active hypoglycemic agent, was found to be
      associated with severe drug-induced liver failure and was withdrawn from the
      market in 2000. Although the exact mechanism is not clear, it has been postulated
      that the formation of its major sulfo-conjugated metabolite (TGZS) plays an
      important role in its toxicity. TGZS inhibits bile salt export pump (BSEP) that
      causes accumulation of bile salts in liver. High concentration of bile salts
      causes cell death and mitochondrial dysfunction via detergent properties. One
      question arises whether TGZS has direct toxicity effect on human liver cells in
      addition to BSEP inhibition. In this study, both TGZ and chemically synthesized
      TGZS were incubated with normal human hepatocytes (THLE-2 cells) for measuring
      their cytotoxicity in vitro using the MTT assay. Glutathione (GSH) and protein
      carbonyl (PC) assays were further performed to measure the oxidative stress
      generated by these two compounds during incubation with THLE-2 cells. The results
      from this study indicated that TGZS (EC(50)=21.74+/-5.38 microM) was more toxic
      than TGZ (EC(50)=41.12+/-4.3 microM) in THLE-2 cells. The GSH and PC data further
      confirmed that TGZS produced greater oxidative stress in THLE-2 cells as compared
      to TGZ. In conclusion, our study demonstrated for the first time that TGZS has
      direct toxicity effect on human liver cells and may be partially responsible for
      the hepatotoxicity of TGZ.

PMID- 20307633
TI  - The coefficient of rolling resistance (CoRR) of some pharmaceutical tablets.
AB  - Experiments have been conducted to measure the coefficient of rolling resistance
      (CoRR) of some pharmaceutical tablets and several common materials, such as glass
      beads and steel ball bearings. CoRR values are required as inputs for discrete
      element method (DEM) models which can be used to model particulate flows and
      solid dosage form manufacturing processes. Until now there have been no CoRR data
      reported for pharmaceutical materials, and thus these new data will help to
      facilitate more accurate modeling of pharmaceutical systems.

PMID- 20307634
TI  - Improvement of dissolution and absorption properties of poorly water-soluble drug
      by preparing spray-dried powders with alpha-glucosyl hesperidin.
AB  - The feasibility of alpha-glucosyl hesperidin (Hsp-G) to improve the dissolution
      and bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drug was investigated. A spray-dried
      powder (SDP) of Hsp-G and flurbiprofen (FP), an acidic drug (pK(a)=3.78) with low
      water solubility, was prepared by a spray-drying method. Powder X-ray diffraction
      analysis revealed the conversion of FP from the crystal to the amorphous form
      when dispersed in Hsp-G. The SDPs of FP/Hsp-G resulted in pronounced improvement
      in both the dissolution rate and solubility of FP. The apparent solubility of FP
      in hydrochloric acid solution (pH 1.2) was improved by 10-fold more than
      untreated FP crystals when prepared as SDPs in Hsp-G. The bioavailability of FP
      from the prepared SDPs was evaluated in vivo after oral administration to rats,
      in comparison with the untreated FP crystals. The results revealed 2.5- and 2.8
      fold improvement in the C(max) and AUC values, respectively, after oral
      administration of the SDPs of FP/Hsp-G. In conclusion, Hsp-G is a potentially
      safe material to enhance the dissolution and absorption of poorly water-soluble
      drugs.

PMID- 20307635
TI  - Biochemical and biophysical characterization of lysozyme modified by PEGylation.
AB  - PEGylation is a strategy that has been used to improve the biochemical properties
      of proteins and their physical and thermal stabilities. In this study, hen egg
      white lysozyme (EC 3.2.1.17; LZ) was modified with methoxypolyethylene glycol-p
      nitrophenyl carbonate (mPEG-pNP, MW 5000). This PEGylation of LZ produced
      conjugates that retained full enzyme activity with glycol chitosan, independent
      of degree of enzyme modification; its biological activity with the substrate
      Micrococcus lysodeikticus was altered according to its degree of modification.
      The conjugate obtained with a low degree of mPEG-pNP/NH(2) modification was
      studied by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass
      spectrometry (MALDI-TOF), demonstrating a spectral peak at m/z 19,988 Da with 77%
      of its original enzymatic activity. Spectroscopic studies of Fourier transform
      infrared (FTIR) and circular dichroism (CD) did not show any relevant differences
      in protein structure between the native and conjugate LZ. Studies of the effects
      of pH and temperature on PEGylated LZ indicated that the conjugate was active
      over a broad pH range, stable at 50 degrees C, and demonstrated resistance to
      proteolytic degradation.

PMID- 20307636
TI  - Distribution of perineuronal nets in the human superior olivary complex.
AB  - Perineuronal nets (PNNs) are specialized assemblies of chondroitin sulfate
      proteoglycans (CSPGs) in the central nervous system that form a lattice-like
      covering over the cell body, primary dendrites and initial axon segment of select
      neuronal populations. PNNs appear to play significant roles in development of the
      central nervous system, neuronal protection, synaptic plasticity and local ion
      homeostasis. In seven human brainstems (average age=81 years), we have utilized
      Wisteria floribunda (WFA) histochemistry and immunocytochemistry for CSPG to map
      the distribution of PNNs within the nuclei of the human superior olivary complex
      (SOC). Within the SOC, the majority of net-bearing neurons are situated in the
      most medially situated nuclei, especially the superior paraolivary nucleus and
      medial nucleus of the trapezoid body. Net-bearing neurons are consistently found
      in the ventral nucleus of the trapezoid body and posterior periolivary nucleus,
      but to a lesser extent in the lateral nucleus of the trapezoid body. Finally,
      perineuronal nets are typically absent from the lateral and medial superior
      olives.

PMID- 20307637
TI  - Chemopreventive and anti-cancer properties of the aqueous extract of flowers of
      Butea monosperma.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Butea monosperma (Lam.) (Fabaceae) popularly
      known as 'flame of the forest' has been widely used in the traditional Indian
      medical system of 'Ayurveda' for the treatment of a variety of ailments including
      liver disorders. AIM OF THE STUDY: To evaluate the antioxidative, anti
      inflammatory, hepatoprotective and anti-cancer activities of the aqueous extract
      of Butea monosperma flowers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Dried flowers of Butea
      monosperma were extracted with water. The extract was tested for its anti
      proliferative, pro-apoptotic and anti-carcinogenic effects in hepatoma cell
      lines. The chemopreventive and anti-angiogenic effects of the extract were
      evaluated by its daily oral administration in a HBV-related X15-myc mouse model
      of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). RESULTS: Treatment with the aqueous extract
      inhibited cell proliferation and accumulation of cells in G1 phase. This was
      accompanied by a marked reduction in the levels of activated Erk1/2 and SAPK/JNK
      and induction of apoptotic cell death. Oral administration of the extract in
      transgenic mice conferred hepatoprotection as is evident from normal serum ALT
      levels and improved liver histopathology and lowered serum VEGF level.
      CONCLUSIONS: The ability of aqueous extract of Butea monosperma flowers to impose
      growth arrest and trigger pro-apoptotic death in cell culture strongly correlated
      with its strong chemopreventive effect in vivo when given orally.

PMID- 20307638
TI  - Effect of an extract of Andrographis paniculata leaves on inflammatory and
      allergic mediators in vitro.
AB  - AIM OF STUDY: Andrographis paniculata has been known to possess widespread
      traditional application in the treatment of allergy and inflammatory diseases. In
      the current study, we sought to examine the effects of an extract of Andrographis
      paniculata leaves on inhibition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced [nitric oxide
      (NO), prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), interleukin-1beta (IL-1 beta), and interleukin
      6 (IL-6)] and calcimycin (A23187) induced [leukotriene B(4) (LTB(4)), thromboxane
      B(2) (TXB(2)) and histamine] mediators in diverse cell based models. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Effect of an extract of Andrographis paniculata leaves (AP) was
      studied on inhibition of LPS induced NO, PGE(2), IL-1 beta and IL-6 in J774A.1
      murine macrophages; A23187 induced LTB(4) and TXB(2) in HL-60 promyelocytic
      leukemic cells and histamine in RBL-2H3 rat basophilic leukemia cells. RESULTS
      AND CONCLUSION: AP illustrated significant alleviation of pro-inflammatory,
      inflammatory, and allergic mediators. However, no inhibition was observed against
      histamine release. This outcome has been summed up to deduce that AP is fairly
      potent in attenuating the inflammation by inhibiting pro-inflammatory (NO, IL-1
      beta and IL-6), inflammatory (PGE(2) and TXB(2)) and allergic (LTB(4)) mediators.

PMID- 20307639
TI  - Sedative and anticonvulsant activities of methanol extract of Dorstenia arifolia
      in mice.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Dorstenia arifolia is a plant that has been used
      in the folk medicine to produce hypnotic, sedative and ansiolitic effects but the
      pharmacological properties have not yet been studied. In addition, the smoke of
      its rhizome is reputed to induce lethargic sensation. AIMS OF THE STUDY: The
      present study investigated possible activities of the methanol extract (ME) of
      Dorstenia arifolia rhizome on the central nervous system (CNS). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: ME was tested for sedative, hypnotic and anticonsulsant effects using
      locomotor activity evaluation, pentobarbital-induced sleeping time and
      pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced convulsion, respectively. RESULTS:
      Intraperitoneal administration of ME (10 and 50mg/kg) significantly decreased
      locomotor activity from 205.2+/-25.6 movements/min (DMSO) to 112.1+/-18.4
      (P<0.05) and 114.9+/-16.9 (P<0.05), respectively. Flumazenil (10 mg/kg), an
      antagonist of GABA(A) receptor, prevented the ME-induced sedation. Treatment with
      ME (50mg/kg) significantly increased the duration of pentobarbital-induced
      sleeping time from 41.0+/-2.3 to 57.9+/-2.9 min (P<0.05). The latencies to
      seizures after intraperitoneal injection of PTZ was recorded and compared between
      groups. ME promoted a significant protection of PTZ-induced seizures and
      mortality in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that ME
      of Dorstenia arifolia rizhome has pronounced central effects, and that the
      sedative and anticonvulsant activities may be related to a facilitation of the
      GABAergic transmission.

PMID- 20307640
TI  - Correlation between synergistic action of Radix Angelica dahurica extracts on
      analgesic effects of Corydalis alkaloid and plasma concentration of dl-THP.
AB  - AIM OF STUDY: Yuanhu Zhitong prescription that consists of Corydalis yanhusuo and
      Radix Angelicae dahuricae has been used for the treatment of gastralgia,
      costalgia, headache and dysmenorrhea in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Our
      previous studies demonstrated that Corydalis alkaloid (CA, derived from the root
      of Corydalis yanhusu) had potent analgesic properties, and the total coumarins of
      Angelica dahurica (Cou) and volatile oil (VO) that derived from the root of Radix
      Angelicae dahuricae all could increase the analgesic effect of CA. The major
      objective of this paper was to investigate the mechanism that leading the
      analgesia of CA increased by Cou and (or) VO. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      relationship between analgesic effect of CA and the plasma concentration of Dl
      tetrahydropalmatine (dl-THP, active component of CA) was assayed in mice writhing
      test. The CA (34, 68 and 134 mg/kg) reduced the nociception by acetic acid
      intraperitoneal injection in a dose-dependent manner, and there was a significant
      linear relationship between the analgesic effect of CA and the plasma
      concentration of dl-THP. Then the plasma concentration of dl-THP at different
      time intervals in rats after oral administration of CA, CA-Cou, CA-VO and CA-Cou
      VO were examined by using HPLC. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The results indicated
      that Cou and (or) VO raised the plasma concentration of dl-THP prominently. In
      conclusion, the reason that Radix Angelica dahurica extracts reinforced the
      analgesic effects of Corydalis alkaloid was related to the improvement of the
      plasma concentration of dl-THP.

PMID- 20307641
TI  - Evaluation of anticancer activity of Cleome gynandra on Ehrlich's Ascites
      Carcinoma treated mice.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The plant Cleome gynandra L. (Capparidaceae), is
      commonly known as 'Hurhur'and 'Karaila' in India and 'Cat's whiskers' in English.
      Traditionally the whole plant is used in the treatment of tumor, anti
      inflammatory and lysosomal stability actions. AIM OF STUDY: The objective of
      present study is to explore the anticancer activity of the methanol extract of
      the Cleome gynandra in Swiss albino mice against Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma (EAC)
      cell line. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Anticancer activity of methanol extract of
      Cleome gynandra (MECG) was evaluated in Swiss albino mice against Ehrlich Ascites
      Carcinoma (EAC) cell line at the doses of 200 and 400mg/kg body weight
      intraperitoneally. MECG was administered for nine consecutive days. Twenty-four
      hours of last dose and 18 h of fasting, the mice were sacrificed and antitumor
      effect of MECG assessed by evaluating tumor volume, viable and nonviable tumor
      cell count, tumor weight and hematological parameters of EAC bearing host.
      RESULTS: MECG showed significant decrease in (p<0.01) tumor volume, viable cell
      count, tumor weight and elevated the life span of EAC tumor bearing mice.
      Hematological profile such as RBC, hemoglobin, WBC and lymphocyte count reverted
      to normal level in MECG treated mice. CONCLUSION: From the result it was showed
      that the extract has potent dose dependent anticancer activity and that is
      comparable to that of 5-fluorouracil.

PMID- 20307642
TI  - Nitric oxide in fruit ripening: trends and opportunities.
AB  - Monitoring ethylene is crucial in regulating post-harvest life of fruits. The
      concept of nitric oxide (NO) involvement in antagonizing ethylene is new. NO
      mediated physiologies casted through regulation of plant hormones are widely
      reported during developmental and stress chemistry having no direct link with
      ripening. Research in NO biology and understanding its interplay with other
      signal molecules in ripening fruits suggest ways of achieving greater synergies
      with NO applications. Experiments focused at convincingly demonstrating the
      involvement of NO in altering ripening-related ethylene profile of fruits, would
      help develop new processes for shelf life extension. This issue being the central
      theme of this review, the putative mechanisms of NO intricacies with other
      primary and secondary signals are hypothesized. The advantage of eliciting NO
      endogenously may open up various biotechnological opportunities for its precise
      delivery into the target tissues.

PMID- 20307643
TI  - d-Serine administration provokes lipid oxidation and decreases the antioxidant
      defenses in rat striatum.
AB  - The present work investigated the effects of intrastriatal administration of d
      serine on relevant parameters of oxidative stress in striatum of young rats. d
      Serine significantly induced lipid peroxidation, reflected by the significant
      increase of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, and significantly diminished
      the striatum antioxidant defenses, as verified by a decrease of the levels of
      reduced glutathione and total antioxidant status. Finally, d-serine inhibited
      superoxide dismutase activity, without altering the activities of glutathione
      peroxidase and catalase. In contrast, this d-amino acid did not alter sulfhydryl
      oxidation, a measure of protein oxidative damage. The present data indicate that
      d-serine in vivo administration induces lipid oxidative damage and decreases the
      antioxidant defenses in the striatum of young rats. Therefore, it is presumed
      that this oxidative stress may be a pathomechanism involved at least in part in
      the neurological damage found in patients affected by disorders in which d-serine
      metabolism is compromised, leading to altered concentrations of this d-amino
      acid.

PMID- 20307644
TI  - Regulation of hemagglutinin/protease expression by the VarS/VarA-CsrA/B/C/D
      system in Vibrio cholerae.
AB  - In this study, through the analysis of Vibrio cholerae 2740-80 mutant strains
      produced by the cholera toxin subunit B gene containing Mariner-based transposon,
      we found that disruption of the varS gene, a member of the recently reported
      sensory system VarS/VarA-CsrA/B/C/D, resulted in altered expression of
      hemagglutinin/protease A. To further investigate the connection between VarS and
      HapA, we generated an additional varS mutant, V. cholerae 2740-80-VS, and
      examined the effect of this mutation on expression of HapA and of genes in the
      VarS/VarA-CsrA/B/C/D system. 2740-80-VS showed decreased expression of varS,
      csrB/C, hapR, and hapA along with increased biofilm production. Interestingly,
      expression of the alternative sigma factor sigma(s), which is important for
      adaptation to environmental stress, was also decreased in this mutant. These
      results indicate that the VarS/VarA-CsrA/B/C/D system is involved in the control
      of HapA expression and biofilm production in V. cholerae 2740-80 through HapR
      regulation, and also that VarS/VarA controls expression of sigma(s) for HapA
      regulation.

PMID- 20307645
TI  - Identification of a novel angiogenin inhibitor 1 and its association with
      hyaluronidase of Streptococcus suis serotype 2.
AB  - To characterize the role of hyaluronidase (Hyl) of Streptococcus suis serotype 2
      (S. suis 2), the hylA gene that encodes Hyl was cloned, expressed and purified. A
      murine brain cDNA library was used to screen for interacting proteins of Hyl.
      Employing the yeast two-hybrid system, a novel murine ribonuclease, angiogenin
      inhibitor 1 (AI1), which shares 93% homology with porcine AI1, was shown to
      interact with Hyl in yeast. Through co-immunoprecipitation assays, the
      interaction between AI1 and Hyl was further confirmed. Transcription and
      translation products of the identified cDNA were detected in both normal cells
      and S. suis 2-infected cells. AI1 was found to localize mainly in the cytoplasm
      of 293T cells. These results suggested that the identified protein AI1 might be
      involved in the pathogenesis of meningitis through interaction with Hyl of S.
      suis 2.

PMID- 20307646
TI  - Comparison of immunotoxic effects induced by the extracts from methanol and
      gasoline engine exhausts in vitro.
AB  - Gasoline engine exhaust has been considered as a major source of air pollution in
      China. Due to lower cyto- and geno-toxicity effects of methanol engine exhaust,
      methanol is regarded as a potential substitute for gasoline. We have previously
      compared cyto- and geno-toxicities of gasoline engine exhaust with that of
      methanol engine exhaust in A549 cells (Zhang et al., 2007).To characterize the
      immunotoxic effects for gasoline and methanol engine exhausts in immune cell, in
      this study, we further compared effects of gasoline and methanol engine exhausts
      on immune function in RAW264.7 cell and rabbit alveolar macrophages. Results
      showed that both gasoline and methanol engine exhaust could evidently inhibit
      RAW264.7 cell proliferation, promote RAW264.7 cell apoptosis, decrease E-rosette
      formation rate and inhibit anti-tumor effects of alveolar macrophages, at the
      same time, these effects of gasoline engine exhaust were far stronger than those
      of methanol engine exhaust. In addition, gasoline engine exhaust could
      significantly inhibit activities of ADCC of alveolar macrophages, but methanol
      engine exhaust could not. These results suggested that both gasoline and methanol
      engine exhausts might be immunotoxic atmospheric pollutants, but some effects of
      gasoline engine exhaust on immunotoxicities may be far stronger than that of
      methanol engine exhaust.

PMID- 20307647
TI  - Cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers are photosensitised by carprofen plus UVA in human
      HaCaT cells.
AB  - Every year in the UK about 75,000 cases of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) are
      registered, and about 9500 people are diagnosed with cutaneous melanoma (CM). The
      main risk factor for these cancers is exposure to sunlight. The effects of light
      on skin are wavelength dependent, with wavelengths in the UVB waveband (280-315
      nm) being the most carcinogenic. UVB is directly absorbed by DNA, producing
      dimeric pyrimidine photoproducts including cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD)
      and pyrimidine (6-4) pyrimodone photoproducts (6-4PP). However UVA (315-400 nm)
      can also produce CPD, induce skin tumours in mice, and has been shown to be
      mutagenic in cell culture. Although the precise role of UVA in human skin cancer
      remains to be elucidated, it comprises the major portion of solar UV radiation,
      transmits through window glass and can be delivered in high doses from tanning
      lamps. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), in particular the 2-aryl
      propionic acid derivatives, are a well-documented group of photosensitising
      chemicals producing clinical phototoxic and photoallergic reactions. We have used
      carprofen, a model compound from this group to see if it could amplify the
      effects of UVA and contribute to the formation of CPD by UVA. Preliminary work
      has shown that carprofen combined with low doses of UVA (lambda(max): 365 nm; 5
      J/cm(2)) can produce both strand breaks (SB) and CPD in human skin or blood
      cells. CPD were detected indirectly by both an immunofluorescence method and as
      T4 endonuclease V sensitive sites in the comet assay. These findings show that
      compounds other than fluoroquinolones and psoralen derivatives may contribute to
      CPD formation in skin cells in combination with UVA.

PMID- 20307648
TI  - In utero exposure to di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate affects liver morphology and
      metabolism in post-natal CD-1 mice.
AB  - The plasticizer di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) affects reproductive
      development, glycogen and lipid metabolism. Whereas liver is a main DEHP target
      in adult rodents, the potential impact on metabolic programming is unknown.
      Effects of in utero DEHP exposure on liver development were investigated upon
      treatment of pregnant CD-1 mice on gestational days (GD)11-19. F1 mice were
      examined at post-natal days 21 (weaning) and 35 (start of puberty): parameters
      included liver histopathological, immunocytochemical and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)
      gene expression analyses. In utero DEHP exposure altered post-natal liver
      development in weanling mice causing significant, dose-related (i) increased
      hepatosteatosis, (ii) decreased glycogen storage, (iii) increased beta-catenin
      intracytoplasmic localization (females only). At puberty, significantly decreased
      glycogen storage was still present in males. A treatment-induced phenotype was
      identified with lack of glycogen accumulation and intracytoplasmic localization
      of beta-catenin which was associated with increased AFP gene expression. Our
      findings suggested that DEHP alters post-natal liver development delaying the
      programming of glycogen metabolism.

PMID- 20307649
TI  - Testis dysfunction by isoproterenol is mediated by upregulating endothelin
      receptor A, leptin and protein kinase Cvarepsilon and is attenuated by an
      endothelin receptor antagonist CPU0213.
AB  - This study has examined whether upregulation of endothelin receptor A, leptin and
      phosphorylated protein kinase Cvarepsilon contributes to stress-induced
      testicular damaged and its possible reversal by endothelial (ET) antagonism.
      Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control and
      isoproterenol (ISO 1mg/kg, subcutaneous (s.c.), 10 days) groups, and intervened
      with the ET receptor antagonist CPU0213 (20mg/kg, s.c.), on days 6-10. In ISO
      group, testicular succinate dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase, acid
      phosphotase, and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, and serum testosterone decreased,
      whereas FSH increased, relative to control. The seminiferous tubules were damaged
      in association with testicular upregulation of protein abundance of leptin and
      pPKCvarepsilon, and mRNA and protein expression of leptin receptor (OBRb) and
      ET(A). CPU0213 was effective in ameliorating these abnormalities. Over-expression
      of ET(A) and leptin accounting for the testis dysfunction is likely to be
      mediated by pPKCvarepsilon in the ISO treated rats. The upregulated ET pathway
      appears to be critical in pathologies of the testis.

PMID- 20307650
TI  - N-acetyl-L-methionyl-L-Dopa-methyl ester as a dual acting drug that relieves L
      Dopa-induced oxidative toxicity.
AB  - Initiation and progression of Parkinson's disease seem to be linked to oxidative
      stress, closely related to decreased mitochondrial functions and ubiquitin
      proteasome system dysfunction. To date, L-Dopa is the most effective medication ,
      although long-term treatment can enhance oxidative stress and accelerate the
      degenerative process of residual cells. Therefore the inhibition of oxidation of
      L-Dopa/dopamine and the inhibition of reactive oxygen species formation are
      important strategies for neuroprotective therapy. Recently, several dual acting
      drugs, in which L-Dopa/dopamine are covalently linked to antioxidant molecules,
      were shown to induce sustained delivery of both L-Dopa/dopamine in rat plasma and
      striatum, suggesting that these compounds might be proposed as useful agents
      against Parkinson's disease. Here, by analyzing GSH levels and heme oxygenase-1
      expression, we investigated in primary mesencephalic neuron cultures and in
      newborn mice the effects of the treatment with Ac-Met-LD-OMe. Moreover, by using
      proteasome inhibitor-treated mice as Parkinson's disease animal model, we
      demonstrated the beneficial effects of the systemic administration of this novel
      codrug.

PMID- 20307651
TI  - Role of Pin1 in neointima formation: down-regulation of Nrf2-dependent heme
      oxygenase-1 expression by Pin1.
AB  - Abnormal proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) contributes to
      intima formation after stenting and balloon angioplasty. Pin1, a peptidyl prolyl
      isomerase recognizing phosphorylated Ser/Thr-Pro, isomerizes the peptide bond.
      Because Pin1 overexpression is associated with transformation and the
      uncontrolled cell growth of tumors, we hypothesized that Pin1 functions as a
      chronic stimulator of VSMC proliferation. Pin1-positive smooth muscle cells were
      seen in the neointimal region of the femoral artery after guidewire injury.
      Exposure of VSMCS to platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) increased Pin1
      expression in a concentration-dependent manner. Basal cell growth rate and cyclin
      D1 expression were enhanced in Pin1-overexpressing VSMCs (Pin1-VSMCs). Moreover,
      PDGF-induced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in Pin1-VSMCs was higher
      than in control VSMCs. In Pin1-VSMCs, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) induction in
      response to nitric oxide donor was suppressed compared to control VSMCs. Nuclear
      translocation of nuclear factor E2-related factor-2 (Nrf2) was also diminished in
      Pin1-VSMCs. In contrast, the activity of the inducible minimal antioxidant
      response element (ARE) was potentiated in Pin1-null mouse embryonic fibroblasts
      (MEFs), compared to Pin1-wild-type MEFs. Moreover, Nrf2 ubiquitination was
      stimulated by Pin1 overexpression. Intraperitoneal injection of juglone (a Pin1
      inhibitor) for 3weeks (1mg/kg, two times a week) significantly suppressed
      neointimal formation induced by wire injury. In conclusion, Pin1 induction during
      neointimal formation may be associated with ROS-mediated VSMC proliferation via
      down-regulation of Nrf2/ARE-dependent HO-1 expression. Pin1 may be a novel
      therapeutic target for several vascular diseases including atherosclerosis and
      stenosis.

PMID- 20307652
TI  - Polychlorinated biphenyl induced ROS signaling delays the entry of quiescent
      human breast epithelial cells into the proliferative cycle.
AB  - Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are environmental chemical contaminants that can
      produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) by autoxidation of dihydroxy-PCBs and redox
      cycling. We investigate the hypothesis that PCB induced perturbations in ROS
      signaling regulate the entry of quiescent cells into the proliferative cycle.
      Quiescent MCF-10A human breast epithelial cells were incubated with 0-3
      micromolar of 2-(4-chlorophenyl)benzo-1,4-quinone (4-Cl-BQ), 2, 2', 4, 4', 5, 5'
      hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB 153), and Aroclor 1254 for 4 days. Cells were replated at
      a lower density and analyzed for cell cycle phase distributions, ROS levels,
      MnSOD expression, and cyclin D1 protein levels. Quiescent cells incubated with 4
      Cl-BQ showed the maximal delay in entering S phase. This delay was associated
      with a decrease in MnSOD activity, protein and mRNA levels, and an increase in
      cellular ROS levels. Results from the mRNA turnover assay showed that the 4-Cl-BQ
      treatment selectively enhanced the degradation of the 4.2kb MnSOD transcript,
      while the half-life of the 1.5 kb transcript did not change. Accumulation of
      cyclin D1 protein levels in replated cells was suppressed in cells treated with 4
      Cl-BQ. Pretreatment of quiescent cells with polyethylene glycol-conjugated
      superoxide dismutase and catalase suppressed 4-Cl-BQ induced increase in ROS
      levels, which was consistent with an increase in cyclin D1 accumulation, and
      entry into S phase. These results showed 4-Cl-BQ induced perturbations in ROS
      signaling inhibit the entry of quiescent cells into S phase.

PMID- 20307653
TI  - Evidence that yeast frataxin is not an iron storage protein in vivo.
AB  - Yeast cells deficient in the yeast frataxin homolog (Yfh1p) accumulate iron in
      their mitochondria. Whether this iron is toxic, however, remains unclear. We
      showed that large excesses of iron in the growth medium did not inhibit growth
      and did not decrease cell viability. Increasing the ratio of mitochondrial iron
      to-Yfh1p by decreasing the steady-state level of Yfh1p to less than 100 molecules
      per cell had very few deleterious effects on cell physiology, even though the
      mitochondrial iron concentration greatly exceeded the iron-binding capacity of
      Yfh1p in these conditions. Mossbauer spectroscopy and FPLC analyses of whole
      mitochondria or of isolated mitochondrial matrices showed that the chemical and
      biochemical forms of the accumulated iron in mitochondria of mutant yeast strains
      (Deltayfh1, Deltaggc1 and Deltassq1) displayed a nearly identical distribution.
      This was also the case for Deltaggc1 cells, in which Yfh1p was overproduced. In
      these mitochondria, most of the iron was insoluble, and the ratio of soluble-to
      insoluble iron did not change when the amount of Yfh1p was increased up to 4500
      molecules per cell. Our results do not privilege the hypothesis of Yfh1p being an
      iron storage protein in vivo.

PMID- 20307654
TI  - Determination of permeation resistance distribution in in vitro cell monolayer
      permeation experiments.
AB  - The results of cell monolayer permeation experiments are often affected by
      concentration dependent cellular processes, such as active transport and
      metabolism. The rigorous analysis of the concentration dependence of these
      processes is often limited by the lack of knowledge of the actual concentration
      at the site of action because the measurement of the local concentration is
      seldom feasible. However, the local concentrations can be estimated if the rates
      into and out of a particular location are known. Thus, an insight into the
      distribution of the permeation resistance in the in vitro cell monolayer
      permeation experiments would enable the estimation of local concentrations during
      the permeation experiments and, consequently, a more thorough analysis of the
      concentration dependent processes involved in the transepithelial transfer of
      compounds. In this study, a compartmental model was constructed applicable for
      dissecting the roles of apical and basal side aqueous boundary layers and the
      cell membranes in the total permeation barrier for weakly acidic and basic
      compounds. The model was applied for the analysis of the Caco-2 permeation data
      of three high permeability compounds, propranolol, metoprolol and ibuprofen.
      Furthermore, the effects of extracellular pH and the agitation conditions on the
      local concentrations of these compounds were evaluated.

PMID- 20307655
TI  - Prediction of food effect by bile micelles on oral drug absorption considering
      free fraction in intestinal fluid.
AB  - The purpose of the present study was to derive a theoretical framework for
      prediction of the food effects by interactions with bile micelles on oral drug
      absorption. The effect of bile micelles was discussed based on the categories of
      permeability limited (PL), dissolution rate limited (DRL) and solubility limited
      (SL) absorption. SL was further categorized as the solubility-epithelial membrane
      limited (SL-E) and the solubility-unstirred water layer (UWL) limited (SL-U). In
      PL, an increase of bile micelles in the fed state was suggested to result in a
      negative food effect if the drug molecules bind to bile micelles because of a
      decrease of free monomer concentration. In DRL, a positive food effect was
      anticipated. In SL-E (e.g., pranlukast), little or no food effect was anticipated
      since the increase of apparent solubility (bile micelle bound molecule+free
      molecule) would be cancelled out by the decrease of effective permeability (the
      free monomer concentration at the epithelial membrane surface would remain the
      same. Total flux=solubilityxpermeability). In SL-U (e.g., danazol), a positive
      food effect was anticipated since the bile micelle bound molecules can permeate
      the UWL (however, slower than free monomer molecules). Based on this discussion,
      it was suggested that a formulation which could increase the free fraction at the
      epithelial membrane surface would be required to enhance oral absorption for SL-E
      (e.g., supersaturable formulations), whereas any formulation which can increase
      the UWL flux would be effective for SL-U (e.g., micro- to nano-emulsion systems,
      nano-milling and cyclodextrins). It was also suggested that a simple dissolution
      test would be misleading for SL-E and a simultaneous assessment of dissolution
      and permeation would be required.

PMID- 20307656
TI  - Effect of route of administration on the pharmacokinetics and toxicokinetics of
      cinnarizine in dogs.
AB  - AIMS: Cinnarizine, a piperazine derivative, is currently used for the treatment
      of cerebral thrombosis, cerebral arteriosclerosis, subarachnoid hemorrhage and
      some other diseases. However, it exhibits variable dissolution and low
      bioavailability after oral administration. Cinnarizine for injection was
      developed in order to enhance its bioavailability and make the practice more
      convenient for patients suffering from dysphagia. The aim of the present study
      was to compare the pharmacokinetics and toxicokinetics of cinnarizine following
      intravenous and oral administration in dogs and provide scientific basis for the
      development of cinnarizine for injection. METHODS: Beagle dogs were given single-
      or multiple-dose of cinnarizine by oral (single-dose: 10mg/kg; multiple-dose:
      21.5, 12.9, 4.3mg/kg) and intravenous (single-dose: 10mg/kg; multiple-dose: 10,
      6, 2mg/kg) routes. HPLC was applied to detect the plasma concentration of
      cinnarizine. The pharmacokinetics and toxicokinetics parameters were calculated
      and compared. RESULTS: The pharmacokinetics of cinnarizine following oral
      administration in dogs was found to fit the one-compartment mode. That of
      cinnarizine following intravenous injection in dogs was found to fit the two
      compartment model. The relative bioavailability of oral administration was 46.4%.
      Cinnarizine cumulated significantly in dogs when 10mg/kg cinnarizine was injected
      repeatedly. Multiple-dose of cinnarizine over 6mg/kg induced reversible kidney
      injury in dogs. CONCLUSION: The present study indicates that pharmacokinetics and
      toxicokinetics properties of cinnarizine for injection show advantages over the
      oral preparation. But caution should be taken with the cumulative action when
      cinnarizine is injected and the dose of cinnarizine should be lower than 6mg/kg.

PMID- 20307657
TI  - Pharmacokinetics of fexofenadine: evaluation of a microdose and assessment of
      absolute oral bioavailability.
AB  - A human pharmacokinetic study was performed to assess the ability of a microdose
      to predict the pharmacokinetics of a therapeutic dose of fexofenadine and to
      determine its absolute oral bioavailability. Fexofenadine was chosen to represent
      an unmetabolized transporter substrate (P-gP and OATP). Fexofenadine was
      administered to 6 healthy male volunteers in a three way cross-over design. A
      microdose (100microg) of (14)C-drug was administered orally (period 1) and
      intravenously by 30min infusion (period 2). In period 3 an intravenous tracer
      dose (100microg) of (14)C-drug was administered simultaneously with an oral
      unlabelled therapeutic dose (120mg). Plasma was collected from all 3 periods and
      analysed for both total (14)C content and parent drug by accelerator mass
      spectrometry (AMS). For period 3, plasma samples were also analysed using HPLC
      fluorescence to determine total drug concentration. Urine was collected and
      analysed for total (14)C. Good concordance between the microdose and therapeutic
      dose pharmacokinetics was observed. Microdose: CL 13L/h, CL(R) 4.1L/h, V(ss) 54L,
      t(1/2) 16h; therapeutic dose: CL 16L/h, CL(R) 6.2L/h, V(ss) 64L, t(1/2) 12h. The
      absolute oral bioavailability of fexofenadine was 0.35 (microdose 0.41,
      therapeutic dose 0.30). Despite a 1200-fold difference in dose of fexofenadine,
      the microdose predicted well the pharmacokinetic parameters following a
      therapeutic dose for this transporter dependent compound.

PMID- 20307658
TI  - Inhibition of oligopeptide transporter suppress growth of human pancreatic cancer
      cells.
AB  - Oligopeptide transporters are abundantly expressed in various types of cancer
      cells. We here synthesized two novel dipeptides, l-phenylalanyl sarcosine (Phe
      Sar) and 4-(4-methoxyphenyl)-l-phenylalanyl sarcosine (Bip(OMe)-Sar), and
      examined their effect on the growth of human pancreatic cancer AsPC-1 cells,
      which are known to highly express oligopeptide transporter PEPT1/SLC15A1. Growth
      of AsPC-1 cells was inhibited by these two peptides and a typical PEPT1/SLC15A1
      substrate Gly-Sar. Growth inhibition by Gly-Sar, Phe-Sar and Bip(OMe)-Sar was
      concentration-dependent with half-maximal inhibitory concentration of 50, 0.91
      and 0.55mM, respectively. These peptides also inhibited PEPT1-mediated [(3)H]Gly
      Sar uptake with half-maximal inhibitory concentration of 2.6, 0.81 and 0.27mM,
      respectively. Thus, the rank order of the tumor cell growth inhibition by these
      three peptides was the same as that of PEPT1-inhibitory activity. Growth of AsPC
      1 cells was also inhibited by 2-aminobicyclo(2,2,1)heptane-2-carboxylic acid
      (BCH), which is a typical inhibitor of amino acid transporter system L. The
      growth inhibition by BCH and Gly-Sar was additive, suggesting that these
      compounds act at distinct loci. Oligopeptide transporters thus appear to be a
      promising target for inhibition of pancreatic cancer progression. These results
      also proposed the idea that oligopeptide transporter is required for growth of
      AsPC-1 cells.

PMID- 20307659
TI  - Development of a fluorescence-based assay for drug interactions with human
      Multidrug Resistance Related Protein (MRP2; ABCC2) in MDCKII-MRP2 membrane
      vesicles.
AB  - PURPOSE: To establish a fluorescence-based assay for drug interactions with the
      ABC-export-protein MRP2 (ABCC2). METHODS: Apical membrane vesicles were isolated
      by differential centrifugation from polarized MDCKII cells and MDCKII cells
      transfected with human MRP2. Vesicle fractions were characterized by electron
      microscopy, determination of the marker enzyme alkaline phosphatase and Western
      blot analysis of MRP2. Vesicle orientation was determined by measurement of 5'
      nucleotidase activity in the absence and in the presence of detergents. To assess
      MRP2 activity, the uptake of the fluorescent MRP2-substrate 5-(6)-carboxy-2',7'
      dichlorofluorescein (CDF) was determined in the absence and in the presence of
      other compounds potentially interacting with MRP2. RESULTS: Apical membrane
      vesicles could be isolated from cells in considerable purity as indicated by
      electron microscopy, enrichment of alkaline phosphatase and high enrichment of
      MRP2 in vesicles of MDCKII-MRP2 cells. About half of the vesicles showed "inside
      out" orientation. CDF was taken up into the membrane vesicles in a time- and
      concentration-dependent manner following a Michaelis-Menten type of kinetics with
      a K(M) of 39 microM and a V(max) of 465.3 fmol/(mgprotein x min). Thereby, uptake
      into vesicles from transfected cells was significantly higher than uptake into
      vesicles from control cells. Presence of known MRP2-substrates/inhibitors in the
      incubation medium decreased CDF uptake into the vesicles in a concentration
      dependent manner, whereas nonsubstrates/inhibitors had no effect. CONCLUSIONS:
      This CDF-based uptake assay can be used as a rapid and sensitive screening system
      to assess drug interactions with human MRP2 and therefore represents a useful
      tool in compound profiling.

PMID- 20307660
TI  - Loss of collagen-receptor DDR1 delays renal fibrosis in hereditary type IV
      collagen disease.
AB  - Alport syndrome is a hereditary type IV collagen disease leading to progressive
      renal fibrosis, hearing loss and ocular changes. End stage renal failure usually
      develops during adolescence. COL4A3-/- mice serve as an animal model for
      progressive renal scarring in Alport syndrome. The present study evaluates the
      role of Discoidin Domain Receptor 1 (DDR1) in cell-matrix interaction involved in
      pathogenesis of Alport syndrome including renal inflammation and fibrosis.
      DDR1/COL4A3 Double-knockouts were compared to COL4A3-/- mice with 50% or 100%
      expression of DDR1, wildtype controls and to DDR1-/- COL4A3+/+ controls for over
      6years. Double-knockouts lived 47% longer, mice with 50% DDR1 lived 29% longer
      and showed improved renal function (reduction in proteinuria and blood urea
      nitrogen) compared to animals with 100% DDR1 expression. Loss of DDR1 reduced
      proinflammatory, profibrotic cells via signaling of TGFbeta, CTGF, NFkappaB and
      IL-6 and decreased deposition of extracellular matrix. Immunogold-staining and in
      situ hybridisation identified podocytes as major players in DDR1-mediated
      fibrosis and inflammation within the kidney. In summary, glomerular epithelial
      cells (podocytes) express DDR1. Loss of DDR1-expression in the kidney delayed
      renal fibrosis and inflammation in hereditary type IV collagen disease. This
      supports our hypothesis that podocyte-matrix interaction via collagen receptors
      plays an important part in progression of renal fibrosis in Alport disease. The
      blockade of collagen-receptor DDR1 might serve as an important new therapeutic
      concept in progressive fibrotic and inflammatory diseases in the future.

PMID- 20307661
TI  - Association between polymorphic variation in VDR and RXRA and circulating levels
      of vitamin D metabolites.
AB  - The vitamin D metabolite 1,25(OH)2D is the bioactive ligand of the vitamin D
      receptor (VDR). VDR forms a heterodimer with the retinoid X receptors (RXRs) that
      when bound to ligand influences the transcriptional control of genes that
      regulate circulating levels of vitamin D metabolites. Whether genetic variation
      in VDR or RXRA affects circulating levels of 1,25(OH)2D or 25(OH)D has not been
      established. We used a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) tagging approach to
      evaluate the association between SNPs in VDR and RXRA and serum levels of
      1,25(OH)2D and 25(OH)D. A total of 42 tagSNPs in VDR and 32 in RXRA were analyzed
      in a sample of 415 participants. Principal components analyses revealed a gene
      level association between RXRA and serum 1,25(OH)2D concentrations (P=0.01), but
      not 25(OH)D. No gene-level association was found for VDR with either serum
      biomarker. At the single-SNP level, a significant positive trend was observed for
      increasing 1,25(OH)2D levels with each additional copy of the A allele for RXRA
      SNP rs9409929 (P-trend=0.003). After a multiple comparisons adjustment, no
      individual SNP in VDR or RXRA was significantly associated with either outcome.
      These results demonstrate an association between genetic variation in RXRA and
      1,25(OH)2D serum concentrations.

PMID- 20307662
TI  - 24R,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [24R,25(OH)2D3] controls growth plate development by
      inhibiting apoptosis in the reserve zone and stimulating response to
      1alpha,25(OH)2D3 in hypertrophic cells.
AB  - Previously we showed that costochondral growth plate resting zone (RC)
      chondrocytes response primarily to 24R,25(OH)2D3 whereas prehypertrophic and
      hypertrophic (GC) cells respond to 1alpha,25(OH)2D3. 24R,25(OH)2D3 increases RC
      cell proliferation and inhibits activity of matrix processing enzymes, suggesting
      it stabilizes cells in the reserve zone, possibly by inhibiting the matrix
      degradation characteristic of apoptotic hypertrophic GC cells. To test this,
      apoptosis was induced in rat RC cells by treatment with exogenous inorganic
      phosphate (Pi). 24R,25(OH)2D3 blocked apoptotic effects in a dose-dependent
      manner. Similarly, apoptosis was induced in ATDC5 cell cultures and 24R,25(OH)2D3
      blocked this effect. Further studies indicated that 24R,25(OH)2D3 acts via at
      least two independent pathways. 24R,25(OH)2D3 increases LPA receptor-1 (LPA R1)
      expression and production of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), and subsequent LPA R1/3
      dependent signaling, thereby decreasing p53 abundance. LPA also increases the Bcl
      2/Bax ratio. In addition, 24R,25(OH)2D3 acts by increasing PKC activity.
      24R,25(OH)2D3 stimulates 1-hydroxylase activity, resulting in increased levels of
      1,25(OH)2D3, and it increases levels of phospholipase A2 activating protein,
      which is required for rapid 1alpha,25(OH)2D3-dependent activation of PKC in GC
      cells. These results suggest that 24R,25(OH)2D3 modulates growth plate
      development by controlling the rate and extent of RC chondrocyte transition to a
      GC chondrocyte phenotype.

PMID- 20307663
TI  - Vitamin D analogs induce lipoxygenase mRNA expression and activity as well as
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in human bone cells.
AB  - Vitamin D metabolites or its less-calcemic analogs (JKF or QW) are beneficial for
      bone biology. We analyzed whether or not 25(OH)D3 (25), 1,25(OH)2D3 (1,25), JKF
      or QW regulate lipooxygenase (LO) enzymes expression and their products
      hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12 and 15 HETE) formation as well as reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) production in human bone cell lines (SaOS2 and hFOB) and
      primary cultured human bone cells (Obs) from males or females. All compounds
      except 25 increased LOs mRNA expression and HETE production in female or male
      Obs. ROS formation was induced by JKF and QW in both cell lines, and was
      inhibited by different inhibitors. Baicalein (baic) an inhibitor of 12 and 15 LO
      activity, inhibited partially ROS formation by JKF or QW in SaSO2 and hFOB. JKF
      stimulated DNA synthesis in female Obs was inhibited by baic but unchanged by
      addition of HETE or HETE with baic. These results indicate that vitamin D
      increased oxidative stress in bone cells is in part via induction of LO
      expression and activity. This new feature of vitamin D is probably mediated by
      intracellular and/or membranal receptors and its potential hazard could lead to
      potential damage due to increased lipid oxidation.

PMID- 20307664
TI  - Human breast tumor slices: a model for identification of vitamin D regulated
      genes in the tumor microenvironment.
AB  - While many studies have addressed the direct effects of 1alpha,25(OH)2D3 on
      breast cancer (BC) cells, stromal-epithelial interactions, which are important
      for the tumor development, have been largely ignored. In addition, high
      concentrations of the hormone, which cannot be attained in vivo, have been used.
      Our aim was to establish a more physiological breast cancer model, represented by
      BC tissue slices, which maintain epithelial-mesenchymal interactions, cultured
      with a relatively low 1alpha,25(OH)2D3 concentration, in order to evaluate the
      vitamin D pathway. Freshly excised human BC samples were sliced and cultured in
      complete culture media containing vehicle, 0.5 nM or 100 nM 1alpha,25(OH)2D3 for
      24 h. BC slices remained viable for at least 24 h, as evaluated by preserved
      tissue morphology in hematoxylin and eosin (HE) stained sections and
      bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation by 10% of tumor cells. VDR mRNA expression
      was detected in all samples and CYP24A1 mRNA expression was induced by
      1alpha,25(OH)2D3 in both concentrations (but mainly with 100 nM). Our results
      indicate that the vitamin D signaling pathway is functional in BC slices, a model
      which preserves stromal-epithelial interactions and mimics in vivo conditions.

PMID- 20307665
TI  - Occult cytomegalovirus in vivarium-housed mice may influence transplant allograft
      acceptance.
AB  - We have recently shown that latent murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) can influence
      murine transplant allograft acceptance. During these studies we became aware that
      vivarium-housed control mice can acquire occult MCMV infection. The purpose of
      this investigation was to confirm occult MCMV transmission and determine the
      timing, vehicle, and possible consequences of transmission. Mice arriving from a
      commercial vendor were negative for MCMV both by commercial serologic testing and
      by our nested PCR. Mice housed in our vivarium became positive for MCMV DNA 30-60
      days after arrival, but remained negative for MCMV by commercial serologic
      testing. To confirm MCMV we sequenced PCR products for several genes and showed
      >99% homology to MCMV. Further sequence analyses show that the occult MCMV is
      similar to a laboratory strain of MCMV, but the vehicle of transmission remains
      unclear. Control tissues from historical experiments with unexplained graft
      losses were evaluated for occult MCMV, and mice with unexplained allograft losses
      showed significantly higher incidence of occult MCMV than did allograft
      acceptors. Deliberate infection with very low titer MCMV confirmed that viral
      transmission can occur without measurable virus specific antibody or T-cell
      responses. These data suggest that vivarium-housed mice can develop occult MCMV
      that is missed by currently available commercial serologic testing, and that
      these infections may influence transplant allograft acceptance.

PMID- 20307666
TI  - Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta1) and rapamycin synergize to
      effectively suppress human T cell responses via upregulation of FoxP3+ Tregs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The major obstacle faced by patients with type 1 diabetes who undergo
      islet transplantation is a gradual decline in insulin independence. This decline
      may reflect alloimmune rejection, autoimmune recurrence and toxicity of drugs
      such as rapamycin to islet beta cells. Thus, there is a pressing need to refine
      immunosuppressive protocols in order to reduce toxicity to islet grafts and yet
      prevent rejection. Recent studies demonstrated that TGF-beta1 is a critical
      cytokine for the regulation of immune responses. In naive T cells, TGF-beta1
      induces FoxP3(+) regulatory T cells and thus could promote transplant tolerance.
      In this study, in vitro experiments were performed to determine whether TGF-beta1
      could synergize with low-dose rapamycin and inhibit T cell activation and
      production of inflammatory cytokines, as well as enhance FoxP3 expression for
      potential application in islet transplantation. METHODS: Human peripheral blood
      mononuclear cells were stimulated with either anti-CD3/CD28 or anti-CD3 during
      TGF-beta1 and rapamycin treatment. RESULTS: TGF-beta1 inhibited T cell
      proliferation induced with anti-CD3 stimulation, but not with anti-CD3/CD28
      stimulation. The combination of these reagents produced a synergistic inhibition
      of T cell proliferation induced with both anti-CD3/CD28 and anti-CD3
      stimulations. Moreover, TGF-beta1 and rapamycin significantly suppressed cytokine
      production and induced regulatory T cells by upregulating FoxP3 expression.
      CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the combination of TGF-beta1 and low-dose
      rapamycin can potently inhibit T cell responses in vivo and would be beneficial
      in supporting islet graft survival by limiting toxicity and preventing immune
      rejection.

PMID- 20307667
TI  - Neuron-selective changes in RNA transcripts related to energy metabolism in toxic
      models of parkinsonism in rodents.
AB  - Dopamine (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra (SNDA neurons) are among the most
      severely affected in Parkinson's disease (PD). Mitochondrial complex I inhibition
      by rotenone or MPTP can induce SNDA neurodegeneration and recapitulate motor
      disability in rodents. We performed a transcriptional analysis of the midbrain
      response to complex I inhibition focused on selected metabolic transcripts using
      quantitative real-time RT-PCR in conjunction with laser-capture microdissection
      (LCM) of immunofluorescently targeted SNDA and ventral tegmental area (VTA) DA
      neurons. There were DA neuron-selective alterations in metabolic transcripts in
      response to generalized complex I inhibition dependent on the behavioral response
      of the animal, and vulnerable SNDA neurons were more dynamic in their metabolic
      transcriptional response than less vulnerable VTADA neurons. The metabolic
      transcriptional response of DA neurons may contribute significantly to the
      ultimate toxicity associated with mitochondrial inhibition, and better
      understanding of this response may provide insight into potential targets for
      neuroprotection in PD.

PMID- 20307668
TI  - Stimulation of the rat subthalamic nucleus is neuroprotective following
      significant nigral dopamine neuron loss.
AB  - Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS) is efficacious in
      treating the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the impact of
      STN-DBS on the progression of PD is unknown. Previous preclinical studies have
      demonstrated that STN-DBS can attenuate the degeneration of a relatively intact
      nigrostriatal system from dopamine (DA)-depleting neurotoxins. The present study
      examined whether STN-DBS can provide neuroprotection in the face of prior
      significant nigral DA neuron loss similar to PD patients at the time of
      diagnosis. STN-DBS between 2 and 4 weeks after intrastriatal 6-hydroxydopamine (6
      OHDA) provided significant sparing of DA neurons in the SN of rats. This effect
      was not due to inadvertent lesioning of the STN and was dependent upon proper
      electrode placement. Since STN-DBS appears to have significant neuroprotective
      properties, initiation of STN-DBS earlier in the course of PD may provide added
      neuroprotective benefits in addition to its ability to provide symptomatic
      relief.

PMID- 20307670
TI  - Visually induced gamma-band activity predicts speed of change detection in
      humans.
AB  - Groups of activated neurons typically synchronize in the gamma-frequency band (30
      100 Hz), and gamma-band synchronization has been implicated in numerous cognitive
      functions. Those functions are ultimately expressed as behavior and therefore,
      functional gamma-band synchronization should be directly related to behavior. We
      recorded the magnetoencephalogram in human subjects and used a visual stimulus to
      induce occipital gamma-band activity. We found that the strength of this gamma
      band activity at a given moment predicted the speed with which the subject was
      able to report a change in the stimulus. This predictive effect was restricted in
      time, frequency and space: It started only around 200 ms before the behaviorally
      relevant stimulus change, was present only between 50 and 80 Hz, and was
      significant only in bilateral middle occipital gyrus, while the peak of overall
      visually induced gamma-band activity was found in the calcarine sulcus. These
      results suggest that visually induced gamma-band activity is functionally
      relevant for the efficient transmission of stimulus change information to brain
      regions issuing the corresponding motor response.

PMID- 20307671
TI  - Molecular phylogeny and DNA barcoding in the meadow-spittlebug Philaenus
      spumarius (Hemiptera, Cercopidae) and its related species.
AB  - Philaenus spumarius, widely studied for its colour/pattern polymorphism, is a
      widespread species across the Holartic. The patterns of haplotype divergence at
      the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase I (COI) found in this study suggest a
      postglacial western Europe (Iberian and Italian peninsulas to Britain) and a
      eastern (from Near East to Finland) south-to-north colonization. The haplotypes
      found in North America are most likely derived from the British haplotypes. The
      barcode fragment used here allowed the distinction of the species within genus
      Philaenus and questioned some taxonomic identifications of sequences present in
      Genbank.

PMID- 20307672
TI  - Phylogeny of the mourning wheatear Oenanthe lugens complex.
AB  - The phylogenetic relationship of many species and subspecies within the genus
      Oenanthe (wheatears) is still debated. Only recently molecular approaches have
      been used to clarify their basal taxonomy. One of the main unsolved groups is
      summarized under the name mourning wheatear O. lugens, which comprises depending
      on the underlying species concept 3-8 different taxa. These include the wheatears
      of the subspecies group lugens (halophila, lugens, persica), the subspecies group
      lugubris (lugubris, schalowi, vauriei), and the subspecies group lugentoides
      (lugentoides, boscaweni). In order to shed light on this unsolved issue we
      studied the taxonomy of the mourning wheatear complex by means of molecular
      markers and comparative morphometry. We found reasonable evidence to follow a
      narrow species concept treating all the three subspecies groups of the mourning
      wheatear in future as three independent taxonomic entities (super-species O.
      lugens, O. lugentoides, O. lugubris). Further within the subspecies group O.
      lugens we suggest treating halophila and lugens as members of the polytypic
      species O. lugens, while the Persian mourning wheatear O. persica merits the
      status of an independent monotypic species, endemic to the Iranian Plateau.
      Genetic and morphometric characters support a long separation of this form (a
      half to one Million years). For the black form "basalti" from Syria and Jordan
      our molecular data indicates a close relationship to lugens and this form is
      therefore probably best treated as a colour morph of lugens, adapted to the local
      habitat conditions. However, future behavioural studies have to show if there
      exist prezygotic barriers between both forms.

PMID- 20307669
TI  - A mobile threat to genome stability: The impact of non-LTR retrotransposons upon
      the human genome.
AB  - It is now commonly agreed that the human genome is not the stable entity
      originally presumed. Deletions, duplications, inversions, and insertions are
      common, and contribute significantly to genomic structural variations (SVs).
      Their collective impact generates much of the inter-individual genomic diversity
      observed among humans. Not only do these variations change the structure of the
      genome; they may also have functional implications, e.g. altered gene expression.
      Some SVs have been identified as the cause of genetic disorders, including cancer
      predisposition. Cancer cells are notorious for their genomic instability, and
      often show genomic rearrangements at the microscopic and submicroscopic level to
      which transposable elements (TEs) contribute. Here, we review the role of TEs in
      genome instability, with particular focus on non-LTR retrotransposons. Currently,
      three non-LTR retrotransposon families - long interspersed element 1 (L1), SVA
      (short interspersed element (SINE-R), variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR),
      and Alu), and Alu (a SINE) elements - mobilize in the human genome, and cause
      genomic instability through both insertion- and post-insertion-based mutagenesis.
      Due to the abundance and high sequence identity of TEs, they frequently mislead
      the homologous recombination repair pathway into non-allelic homologous
      recombination, causing deletions, duplications, and inversions. While less
      comprehensively studied, non-LTR retrotransposon insertions and TE-mediated
      rearrangements are probably more common in cancer cells than in healthy tissue.
      This may be at least partially attributed to the commonly seen global
      hypomethylation as well as general epigenetic dysfunction of cancer cells. Where
      possible, we provide examples that impact cancer predisposition and/or
      development.

PMID- 20307673
TI  - Phylogeography of the Middle Eastern tree frogs (Hyla, Hylidae, Amphibia) as
      inferred from nuclear and mitochondrial DNA variation, with a description of a
      new species.
AB  - Evolutionary relationships of the tree frogs from the Middle East and the
      demographic histories of their populations were studied using a combination of
      mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Hyla savignyi and neighboring populations of H.
      orientalis (former eastern populations of H. arborea) were the main focus taxa.
      Within H. savignyi, a deep phylogenetic divergence dated about 8.4Ma was
      discovered. Southern populations from Yemen, Jordan, southern Syria and extreme
      north-eastern Israel are hereby described as a new species, H. felixarabica sp.
      nov. Our study points to a biogeographic connection of the south-western Arabian
      Peninsula and southern Levant and to the importance of the Dead Sea Rift as a
      historical barrier geographically separating the new species from H. savignyi.
      Major genetic breaks revealed within species (H. felixarabica: Yemen vs. Jordan
      Syria; H. savignyi sensu stricto: Levant vs. Turkey-Iran) are probably connected
      to climate changes during the Plio-Pleistocene boundary, while the finer
      phylogeographic structuring probably resulted from the Quaternary climate
      oscillations. The Cypriote population of H. savignyi originated from southern
      Anatolia relatively recently. Hyla orientalis from the southern Black Sea region
      seems to be genetically quite uniform, although two phylogeographic units with
      western Turkish and Caucasus-Caspian affinities might be detected. Hyla savignyi
      and H. orientalis carry signals of population expansions dated to the middle to
      late Pleistocene, while populations of H. felixarabica seem to have rather been
      constant in size, which might indicate more stable climatic conditions in the
      southern regions during the Quaternary.

PMID- 20307674
TI  - Neotropical mutualism between Acacia and Pseudomyrmex: phylogeny and divergence
      times.
AB  - The interaction between Acacia and Pseudomyrmex is a textbook example of
      mutualism between ants and plants, nevertheless aspects of its evolutionary
      biology have not been formally explored. In this paper we analyze primarily the
      phylogenies of both New World Acacia and of their associated species of ants, and
      the geographic origin of this mutualism. Until now, there has been no molecular
      analysis of this relationship in terms of its origin and age. We analyzed three
      chloroplast markers (matK, psaB-rps14, and trnL-trnF) on a total of 70 taxa of
      legumes from the subfamily Mimosoideae, and two nuclear regions (long-wavelength
      rhodopsine and wingless) on a total of 43 taxa of ants from subfamily
      Pseudomyrmecinae. The monophyly of subgenus Acacia and within the New World
      lineages that of the myrmecophilous Acacia group was established. In addition,
      our results supported the monophyly of the genus Pseudomyrmex and of the
      associated acacia-ants P. ferrugineus group. Using Bayesian methods and
      calibration data, the estimated divergence times for the groups involved in the
      mutualism are: 5.44+/-1.93 My for the myrmecophilous acacias and 4.58+/-0.82 My
      for their associated ant species, implying that their relationship originated in
      Mesoamerica between the late Miocene to the middle Pliocene, with eventual
      diversification of both groups in Mexico.

PMID- 20307675
TI  - Divergence times and colonization of the Canary Islands by Gallotia lizards.
AB  - The Canary Islands have become a model region for evolutionary studies. We
      obtained 1.8 Kbp of mtDNA sequence from all known island forms of the endemic
      lizard genus Gallotia and from its sister taxon Psammodromus in order to
      reanalyze phylogenetic relationships within the archipelago, estimate lineage
      divergence times, and reconstruct the colonization history of this group. Well
      supported phylogenies were obtained using maximum parsimony and Bayesian
      inference. Previous studies have been unable to establish the branching pattern
      at the base of the tree. We found evidence that G. stehlini (Gran Canaria)
      originated from the most basal Gallotia node and G. atlantica from the subsequent
      node. Divergence times were estimated under a global clock using Bayesian Markov
      Chain Monte Carlo methods implemented by three different programs: BEAST,
      MCMCTREE, MULTIDIVTIME. Node constraints were derived from subaerial island
      appearance data and were incorporated into the analyses as soft or hard maximal
      bounds. Posterior node ages differed slightly between programs, possibly due to
      different priors on divergence times. The most eastern Canary Islands first
      emerged just over 20 mya and their colonization appears to have taken place
      relatively quickly, around 17-20 mya. The subsequent node is consistent with
      cladogenesis due to colonization of Gran Canaria from the eastern islands about
      11-13 mya. The western islands appear to have been colonized by a dispersal event
      from Lanzarote/Fuerteventura in the east to either La Gomera or one of the
      ancient edifices that subsequently formed Tenerife in the west, about 9-10 mya.
      Within the western islands, the most recent node that is ancestral to both the G.
      intermedia/G. gomerana/G. simonyi and the G.galloti/G. caesaris clades is dated
      at about 5-6 mya. Subsequent dispersal events between ancient Tenerife islands
      and La Gomera are dated at around 3 mya in both clades, although the direction of
      dispersal cannot be determined. Finally, we show that G. galloti is likely to
      have colonized La Palma more than 0.5 Ma after emergence of the island 1.77 mya,
      while G. caesaris from the same clade may have colonized El Hierro very soon
      after it emerged 1.12 mya. There are tentative indications that the large-bodied
      endangered G. simonyi colonized El Hierro around the same time or even later than
      the smaller-bodied G. caesaris. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of
      Bayesian dating of a phylogeny in helping reconstruct the historical pattern of
      dispersal across an oceanic archipelago.

PMID- 20307676
TI  - Marine biogeographic boundaries and human introduction along the European coast
      revealed by phylogeography of the prawn Palaemon elegans.
AB  - A phylogeographic analysis is carried out for the widely distributed European
      littoral prawn Palaemon elegans in order to test for potential genetic
      differentiation and geographic structure. Mitochondrial sequences were obtained
      from 283 specimens from the northeastern Atlantic, the Baltic, Mediterranean,
      Black and Caspian Seas. Our study revealed a surprisingly complex population
      structure. Three main haplogroups can be separated: one from the Atlantic (Type
      I) and two from the Mediterranean (Types II and III). While the Mediterranean
      types occur in sympatry, a clear phylogeographic break was observed along the
      Almeria-Oran Front separating Type I and giving evidence for a genetic isolation
      of Atlantic and Mediterranean populations. Type III represents the most distinct
      haplogroup with high levels of nucleotide divergence, indicating the occurrence
      of a cryptic species with a Messinian origin. The colonization of the
      southeastern Baltic Sea is most likely due to human introduction.

PMID- 20307677
TI  - c-Fos expression is elevated in GABAergic interneurons of the gustatory cortex
      following novel taste learning.
AB  - Long-term sensory memories are considered to be stored in the relevant cortical
      region subserving the given modality. We and others have recently identified a
      series of molecular alterations in the gustatory cortex (GC) of the rat at
      different time intervals following novel taste learning. Some of these
      correlative modifications were also necessary for taste memory acquisition and/or
      consolidation. However, very little is known about the localization of these
      molecular modifications within the GC or about the functional activation of the
      GC hours after novel taste learning. Here, we hypothesize that inhibitory
      interneurons are activated in the GC on a scale of hours following learning and
      used c-Fos expression and confocal microscopy with different markers to test this
      hypothesis. We found that GABAergic interneurons are activated in the GC in
      correlation with novel taste learning. The activation was evident in the deep but
      not superficial layers of the dysgranular insular cortex. These results suggest
      that the GABAergic machinery in the deep layers of the GC participates in the
      processing of taste information hours after learning, and provide evidence for
      the involvement of a local cortical circuit not only during acquisition of new
      information but also during off-line processing and consolidation of taste
      information.

PMID- 20307678
TI  - The effect of post-learning presentation of music on long-term word-list
      retention.
AB  - Memory consolidation processes occur slowly over time, allowing recently formed
      memories to be altered soon after acquisition. Although post-learning arousal
      treatments have been found to modulate memory consolidation, examination of the
      temporal parameters of these effects in humans has been limited. In the current
      study, 127 participants learned a neutral word list and were exposed to either a
      positively or negatively arousing musical piece following delays of 0, 20 or
      45min. One-week later, participants completed a long-term memory recognition
      test, followed by Carver and White's (1994) approach/avoidance personality
      scales. Retention was significantly enhanced, regardless of valence, when the
      emotion manipulation occurred at 20min, but not immediately or 45min, post
      learning. Further, the 20min interval effect was found to be moderated by high
      'drive' approach sensitivity. The selective facilitatory conditions of music
      identified in the current study (timing and personality) offer valuable insights
      for future development of more specified memory intervention strategies.

PMID- 20307679
TI  - Platelet adhesion and intracellular calcium levels in antigen-challenged rats.
AB  - There is considerable evidence that platelet activation occurs in allergic
      airways diseases. In this study we aimed to investigate platelet adhesion to
      immobilized fibrinogen and intracellular calcium levels in a rat model of
      allergic inflammation. Male Wistar rats were challenged with ovalbumin (OVA). At
      30 min to 24h after OVA-challenge, assays of platelet adhesion to immobilized
      fibrinogen and intracellular calcium levels using fura 2-AM loaded platelets were
      performed. The serum levels of IgE were approximately 5-fold greater in OVA
      sensitized rats. A marked eosinophil influx in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid
      of OVA-challenged rats at 24h after OVA-challenge was also seen. OVA-challenge
      resulted in a marked thrombocytopenia, as observed within 12h after OVA
      challenge. The agonists ADP (0.5-50 microM) and thrombin (30-100 mU/ml)
      concentration-dependently increased platelet adhesion to immobilized fibrinogen.
      At an early time after OVA-challenge (30 min), platelets exhibited greater
      platelet adhesion compared with the non-sensitized group, whereas at a late time
      (24h) they exhibited lower platelet adhesion to both agonists. Moreover, at 30
      min after OVA-challenge, intracellular calcium levels to ADP (20 microM) and
      thrombin (100 mU/ml)-activated platelets were greater compared with non
      challenged rats. As opposed, at 24h after OVA challenge, a lower intracellular
      calcium level to ADP- and thrombin-activated platelets was observed. In
      conclusion, OVA-challenge in rats promotes a biphasic response in platelet
      adhesion consisting of an increased adhesion and intracellular calcium levels at
      an early phase (30 min), which progress to a reduction in adhesion and
      intracellular calcium levels at a late time (24h) after antigen challenge.

PMID- 20307681
TI  - Effect of formoterol and budesonide on chemokine release, chemokine receptor
      expression and chemotaxis in human neutrophils.
AB  - Severe persistent asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are
      associated with neutrophil influx into the airways. It is not clear whether
      neutrophil chemotaxis is influenced by beta(2)-agonists and glucocorticoids,
      drugs commonly used in treatment of asthma and COPD. The effect of a long-acting
      beta(2)-agonist (formoterol), and a glucocorticosteroid (budesonide) on
      chemokine/cytokine release (CXCL8, CXCL1, IL-6), regulation of chemokine
      receptors (CXCR1, CXCR2), and migration were assessed in neutrophils from 10 non
      allergic, healthy donors. Formoterol enhanced and budesonide inhibited IL-6,
      CXCL8 and CXCL1 release from LPS-stimulated neutrophils. Formoterol up-regulated
      both CXCR1 and CXCR2 expression, whereas budesonide up-regulated the expression
      of CXCR2 only. Despite the effects on chemokine release and drug-induced up
      regulation of CXCR1 and CXCR2, no influence on neutrophil chemotaxis could be
      demonstrated. We conclude that a beta(2)-agonist and a glucocorticoid, commonly
      used in the treatment of obstructive lung diseases, influence chemokine release
      and receptor sensitivity but the functional consequences of these findings remain
      unclear.

PMID- 20307680
TI  - Impact of infusion method on amikacin serum levels in humans.
AB  - Aminoglycosides are broad-spectrum antibiotics with peak-dependent bactericidal
      activity, administered by gravity infusion or for more accuracy by electronic
      pump infusion. The aim of this study was to assess the difference between the two
      systems and its pharmacokinetic impact. Twenty-four patients hospitalised for
      community-acquired pulmonary infections received amikacin by IV route over 1 h
      with a targeted peak concentration of 35 mg/L. They were randomly distributed
      into two groups, one receiving infusion through a pump system, the other by
      gravity. Amikacin serum levels were determined at the end of infusion and 24 h
      later. C(max) values were significantly lower with gravity than pump (40.2 +/-
      12.3 vs. 50.6 +/- 17.6 mg/L, respectively; p = 0.04). Elimination half-life time,
      volume of distribution and clearance did not differ significantly from one group
      to the other. The percentage of patients who failed to achieve the targeted peak
      concentration was significantly higher with gravity than pump (41.7% vs. 16.7%,
      respectively; p < 0.001). Improving infusion flow-rate provides better control
      over amikacin C(max). This study underlines the fact that infusion device
      characteristics should be added to the physiopathological information of a
      patient if we are to make a better estimation of pharmacokinetic parameters.

PMID- 20307682
TI  - Growth of the chicken embryo: implications of egg size.
AB  - Among avian species with large differences in egg size, changes in eggshell
      conductance and incubation time permit the water loss necessary for embryonic
      development. To what extent this happens for different-size eggs within a species
      is much less known. Chicken eggs with fresh egg weight (Wegg) either large (L,
      approximately 66 g) or small (S, approximately 51 g) were incubated at 38 degrees
      C and 60% humidity; their yolk and albumen scaled almost in proportion to Wegg.
      Eggshell gas conductance scaled to 0.77 of Wegg, as it occurs inter-specifically,
      while external pipping and hatching occurred at similar times in S and L. Hence,
      L lost less water during incubation than S, and embryos of L were over-hydrated
      and those of S were dehydrated. The absolute values of embryo's weight, growth
      rate, oxygen consumption and the weight of the chorioallantoic membrane were
      similar between S and L during the first half of incubation, and greater in L in
      the second half. Incubation in hypoxia reduced growth rate in both sets and
      maintained the difference in growth trajectories between S and L. The energetic
      cost of growth and tissue maintenance did not differ significantly. It is
      concluded that, among chicken eggs of different sizes, 1) the growth rate of the
      embryo relates to the size of its egg, probably genetically and because of
      differences in water content, 2) eggshell conductance contributes, but incubation
      time does not, to the requirements for water loss. Therefore, the egg water
      balance during incubation may be the physiological constraint that limits the
      maximal variability in egg size compatible with embryonic survival.

PMID- 20307683
TI  - Pim-2 phosphorylation of p21(Cip1/WAF1) enhances its stability and inhibits cell
      proliferation in HCT116 cells.
AB  - Pim-2 kinase is one of the three highly conserved Pim family members which are
      known to be involved in cell survival and cell proliferation. Here we demonstrate
      that like Pim-1, Pim-2 also phosphorylates the cell cycle inhibitor
      p21(Cip1/WAF1) (p21) on Thr145 in vitro and in vivo. Overexpression of Pim-2 in
      HCT116 cells leads to the increased stability of p21 and results in enhanced
      levels of both exogenous and endogenous p21 proteins. Knockdown of Pim-2
      expression via siRNA results in reduced level of endogenous p21, indicating that
      like Pim-1, Pim-2 is another legitimate p21 kinase. However, Pim-2 has no
      influence on the nuclear localization of p21 in HCT116 cells. In addition, Pim-2
      is able to arrest the cell cycle at G1/S phase and inhibit cell proliferation
      through phosphorylation of p21 in HCT116 cells. These data suggest that Pim-2
      phosphorylation of p21 enhances p21's stability and inhibits cell proliferation
      in HCT116 cells.

PMID- 20307685
TI  - Alkylation of sperm DNA is associated with male factor infertility and a
      reduction in the proportion of oocytes fertilised during assisted reproduction.
AB  - Approximately one-third of IVF cases in the UK are attributed to male factor
      infertility and in the majority of cases the origin of male infertility is
      unknown. The integrity of sperm DNA is important both for the success of assisted
      reproduction and the implications for the off-spring. One type of DNA damage that
      has not been investigated with respect to fertility outcomes is the adduct N7
      methyldeoxyguanosine (N7-MedG), a biomarker for exposure to alkylating agents. A
      prospective cohort of couples attending for IVF had their N7-MedG levels in sperm
      measured using an immunoslot blot technique to examine whether sperm N7-MedG
      levels are associated with male factor infertility, semen quality measures or
      assisted reproduction outcomes. Sufficient DNA for analysis was obtained from
      67/97 couples and N7-MedG was detected in 94% of sperm samples analysed. Men
      diagnosed with male factor infertility had significantly higher mean levels of N7
      MedG in their sperm DNA (P=0.03). Logistic regression analysis showed that N7
      MedG levels were significantly negatively associated with the proportion of
      oocytes successfully fertilised irrespective of the method of fertilisation used
      (IVF or intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection; ICSI, P<0.001). Therefore exposure to
      DNA alkylating agents is significantly associated with male infertility and the
      proportion of oocytes fertilised during assisted reproduction. Reducing such
      exposure may improve male fertility but further work is required to determine the
      relative importance of exogenous and endogenous sources of exposure.

PMID- 20307684
TI  - Cascades of transcription regulation during liver regeneration.
AB  - An increasing demand for new strategies in cancer prevention and regenerative
      medicine requires a better understanding of molecular mechanisms that control
      cell proliferation in tissue-specific manner. Regenerating liver is a unique
      model allowing use of biochemical, genetic, and engineering tools to uncover
      molecular mechanisms and improve treatment of hepatic cancers, liver failure, and
      fibrotic disease. Molecular mechanisms of liver regeneration involve extra- and
      intracellular factors to activate transcription of genes normally silenced in
      quiescent liver. While many upstream signaling pathways of the regenerating liver
      have been extensively studied, our knowledge of the downstream effectors,
      transcription factors (TFs), remains limited. This review describes consecutive
      engagement of pre-existing and de novo synthesized TFs, as cascades that regulate
      expression of growth-related and metabolic genes during liver regeneration after
      partial hepatectomy in mice. Several previously recognized regulators of
      regenerating liver are described in the light of recently identified co-activator
      and co-repressor complexes that interact with primary DNA-binding TFs. Published
      results of gene expression and chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses, as well as
      studies of transgenic mouse models, are used to emphasize new potential
      regulators of transcription during liver regeneration. Finally, a more detailed
      description of newly identified transcriptional regulators of liver regeneration
      illustrates the tightly regulated balance of proliferative and metabolic
      responses to partial hepatectomy.

PMID- 20307686
TI  - Genetic activities in micronuclei: is the DNA entrapped in micronuclei lost for
      the cell?
AB  - Micronuclei are good markers of genotoxic exposure in humans and their scoring
      has been extensively used to identify potential genotoxic agents. Micronuclei are
      also indicators of chromosomal instability, since the frequency of micronuclei is
      higher in tumour cells and cells with a defective DNA damage repair system or
      disrupted cell cycle checkpoint machinery. Despite the widespread use of this
      biomarker, information on the basic biology of micronuclei and the impact of
      micronuclei on the cell is relatively controversial. In some cell systems,
      micronuclei are considered to be genetic material that is lost for the cell;
      whereas other studies suggest that micronuclear DNA is actively transcribed and
      its genes are fully expressed. Recently, evidence has accumulated suggesting that
      damaged DNA entrapped in micronuclei induces a defective cell cycle checkpoint
      arrest and DNA repair response, and that micronuclear content can be degraded
      without inducing an immediate cell cycle arrest or causing the cell to enter
      apoptosis. Overall, these findings emphasise the important consequences of
      micronucleus formation in terms of chromosomal instability in general and gene
      loss in particular.

PMID- 20307687
TI  - Target proteins of the cytosolic thioredoxin in Plasmodium falciparum.
AB  - The target proteins of a cytosolic Trx (PfTrx-1) in Plasmodium falciparum with
      Trx-affinity chromatography were examined. Based on the Trx protein reduction
      pathway, we generated a cysteine mutant of PfTrx-1, which captures the target
      protein as a mixed disulfide intermediate. A number of proteins were captured
      with PfTrx-1(C33S) immobilized on resin and were eluted by DTT treatment. The
      PfTrx-1(C33S) immobilized resin-captured proteins were trypsin-digested and
      analyzed on a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry system. Analysis of the
      sequence data against databases assigned 20 proteins, four of which had been
      found previously in P. falciparum, with the remaining 16 being new targets. The
      potential Trx-target proteins included those in pathways such as the redox cycle,
      protein biosynthesis, energy metabolism and signal transduction. We captured 4
      enzymes in the glycolysis pathway (hexokinase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate
      dehydrogenase (GAPDH), phosphoglycerate mutase and L-lactate dehydrogenase (LDH))
      as Trx-targets, and we found that PfTrx-1 enhanced the activity of PfGAPDH and
      PfLDH.

PMID- 20307688
TI  - Cardiac mast cell proteases do not contribute to the regulation of the rat
      coronary vascular responsiveness to arterial delivered angiotensin I and II.
AB  - Cardiac mast cells (MC) are apposed to capillaries within the heart and release
      renin and proteases capable of metabolizing angiotensins (Ang). Therefore, we
      hypothesized that mast cell degranulation could alter the rat coronary vascular
      responsiveness to the arterial delivered Ang I and Ang II, taking into account
      carboxypeptidase and chymase-1 activities. Hearts from animals that were either
      pretreated or not with systemic injection of the secretagogue compound 48/80 were
      isolated and mounted on a Langendorff apparatus to investigate coronary
      reactivity. The proteolytic activity of the cardiac perfusate from isolated
      hearts, pretreated or not with the secretagogue, toward Ang I and
      tetradecapeptide renin substrate was analyzed by HPLC. Coronary vascular
      reactivity to peptides was not affected by compound 48/80 pretreatment, despite
      the extensive amount of cardiac MC degranulation. Cardiac MC activation did not
      modify the generation of both Ang II and Ang 5-10 from Ang I by cardiac
      perfusate, activities that could be ascribed to MC carboxypeptidase and chymase
      1, respectively. An aliskiren-resistant Ang I-forming activity was increased in
      perfusates from secretagogue-treated hearts. Thus, cardiac MC proteases capable
      of metabolizing angiotensins do not affect rat coronary reactivity to arterial
      delivered Ang I and II.

PMID- 20307689
TI  - Genetic association of Toll-like-receptor 4 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha
      polymorphisms with Plasmodium falciparum blood infection levels.
AB  - Dysregulated innate immune responses due to inappropriate signaling by Toll-like
      receptors (TLRs) and aberrant production of pro-inflammatory cytokines are
      implicated in the immunopathology and disease outcome in Plasmodium falciparum
      malaria. This study investigates the relationship between polymorphic variability
      of candidate genes including TLR-2, -4, -9, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and
      lymphotoxin-alpha and blood infection level in Indian mild malaria patients.
      Genotyping was carried out by PCR-RFLP and sequencing. Association of parasite
      load with genotypes was examined using model based and model free approaches.
      Allele and haplotype based risk assessment for disease severity was performed by
      stratifying the patients into high and low parasitemic groups on the basis of a
      threshold value derived by employing a two-component mixture model and
      expectation-maximization algorithm. The mean parasitemia was significantly
      increased for variant homozygous genotype (C/C) at TNF-alpha promoter -1031 and
      major homozygous genotypes encoding Asp/Asp and Thr/Thr at codons 299 and 399,
      respectively, on TLR4 polypeptide. Individuals harboring combined genotype C/C
      Asp/Asp-Thr/Thr on TNF-alpha and TLR4 presented the highest parasite load. The
      frequencies of variant allele C in TNF-1031 (OR=1.91 with 95% CI=1.24-2.94) and
      TNF-alpha promoter haplotypes C-C-G-G (OR=1.99 with 95% CI=1.21-3.27) and C-C-G-A
      (OR=2.96 with 95% CI=1.19-7.37) pertaining to loci TNF-1031/-857/-308/-238 were
      significantly elevated in the high parasitemic group. On the contrary, the
      frequencies of variant allele encoding Ile at 399 (OR=0.55 with 95% CI=0.32-0.94)
      and haplotype corresponding to Gly-Ile (299-399) (OR=0.51 with 95% CI=0.28-0.9)
      in TLR4 were higher in low parasitemic group. In silico analysis indicate
      differential binding of transcription factors to TNF-alpha promoter haplotypes
      and alteration in the surface charge distribution of the TLR4 variant proteins.
      Our results support a genetic role of TLR4 and TNF-alpha in controlling the blood
      infection level in mild malaria.

PMID- 20307690
TI  - Bisphosphonates in patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases: Can they be used
      in women of childbearing age?
AB  - Autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARD) are prevalent in women during their
      childbearing age. For their treatment, high doses of corticosteroid (CS) for long
      term periods are often required, increasing the risk of bone loss. According to
      recent guidelines, bisphosphonates (BP) should be used as first line treatment to
      prevent CS induced osteoporosis. However, due to their long-term release from
      bone and their ability to cross the placenta, it has been suggested to avoid BP
      in women during their fertile years. BP seem to decrease foetus bone length in
      pregnant animals, but not in humans, at least, when they are administered at
      therapeutic dosage. BP are embryo toxic in animals when used at high dosage. In a
      systematic literature review, we found 58 women treated with BP close before or
      during pregnancy, showing no related congenital malformations. However, the Unit
      of Clinical and Epidemiological Genetics in University of Padova collected ten
      cases of women treated with BP during pregnancy, reporting 20% of congenital
      malformations. Thus, we suggest to avoid BP during pregnancy and caution with
      their use in fertile women. When they have to be given before pregnancy, specific
      affinities of the BP have to be considered to plan the washout period beforehand.

PMID- 20307691
TI  - Central chemoreception: lessons from mouse and human genetics.
AB  - The response to increased P(CO(2)) in the brain is an essential drive to breathe
      and required for CO(2) and pH homeostasis in the blood, but where and how CO(2)
      is sensed are still contentious issues. Here, we review evidence from mouse and
      human genetics that argue for the crucial role in CO(2) chemosensitivity of a
      limited set of central neurons that express the Phox2b transcription factor and
      are disabled by Phox2b mutations. A common trait of different Phox2b mutations
      that impair CO(2) responsiveness in the embryo and respiration in neonates is the
      depletion of Phox2b-expressing neurons in the retrotrapezoid nucleus, providing
      genetic evidence for their importance for proper breathing and central
      chemosensitivity at birth.

PMID- 20307692
TI  - Polyglutamine tract-binding protein-1 binds to U5-15kD via a continuous 23
      residue segment of the C-terminal domain.
AB  - Polyglutamine tract-binding protein-1 (PQBP-1) is a nuclear protein that
      interacts with various proteins, including RNA polymerase II and the spliceosomal
      protein U5-15kD. PQBP-1 is known to be associated with X-linked mental
      retardation in which a frameshift mutation in the PQBP-1 gene occurs. In the
      present study, we demonstrate that PQBP-1 binds to U5-15kD via a continuous 23
      residue segment within its C-terminal domain. Intriguingly, this segment is lost
      in the frameshift mutants of PQBP-1 associated with X-linked mental retardation.
      These findings suggest that the frameshift mutations in the PQBP-1 gene lead to
      expression of mutants lacking the ability to interact with U5-15kD.

PMID- 20307693
TI  - Encapsulation of fibroblasts causes accelerated alginate hydrogel degradation.
AB  - Calcium-alginate hydrogel has been widely studied as a material for cell
      encapsulation for tissue engineering. At present, the effect that cells have on
      the degradation of alginate hydrogel is largely unknown. We have shown that
      fibroblasts encapsulated at a density of 7.5 x 10(5) cells ml(-1) in both 2% and
      5% w/v alginate remain viable for at least 60 days. Rheological analysis was used
      to study how the mechanical properties exhibited by alginate hydrogel changed
      during 28 days in vitro culture. Alginate degradation was shown to occur
      throughout the study but was greatest within the first 7 days of culture for all
      samples, which correlated with a sharp release of calcium ions from the
      construct. Fibroblasts were shown to increase the rate of degradation during the
      first 7 days when compared with acellular samples in both 2% and 5% w/v gels, but
      after 28 days both acellular and cell-encapsulating samples retained disc-shaped
      morphologies and gel-like spectra. The results demonstrate that although at an
      early stage cells influence the mechanical properties of encapsulating alginate,
      over a longer period of culture, the hydrogels retain sufficient mechanical
      integrity to exhibit gel-like properties. This allows sustained immobilization of
      the cells at the desired location in vivo where they can produce extracellular
      matrix and growth factors to expedite the healing process.

PMID- 20307694
TI  - Chitosan-poly(lactide-co-glycolide) microsphere-based scaffolds for bone tissue
      engineering: in vitro degradation and in vivo bone regeneration studies.
AB  - Natural polymer chitosan and synthetic polymer poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLAGA)
      have been investigated for a variety of tissue engineering applications. We have
      previously reported the fabrication and in vitro evaluation of a novel
      chitosan/PLAGA sintered microsphere scaffold for load-bearing bone tissue
      engineering applications. In this study, the in vitro degradation characteristics
      of the chitosan/PLAGA scaffold and the in vivo bone formation capacity of the
      chitosan/PLAGA-based scaffolds in a rabbit ulnar critical-sized-defect model were
      investigated. The chitosan/PLAGA scaffold showed slower degradation than the
      PLAGA scaffold in vitro. Although chitosan/PLAGA scaffold showed a gradual
      decrease in compressive properties during the 12-week degradation period, the
      compressive strength and compressive modulus remained in the range of human
      trabecular bone. Chitosan/PLAGA-based scaffolds were able to guide bone formation
      in a rabbit ulnar critical-sized-defect model. Microcomputed tomography analysis
      demonstrated that successful bridging of the critical-sized defect on the sides
      both adjacent to and away from the radius occurred using chitosan/PLAGA-based
      scaffolds. Immobilization of heparin and recombinant human bone morphogenetic
      protein-2 on the chitosan/PLAGA scaffold surface promoted early bone formation as
      evidenced by complete bridging of the defect along the radius and significantly
      enhanced mechanical properties when compared to the chitosan/PLAGA scaffold.
      Furthermore, histological analysis suggested that chitosan/PLAGA-based scaffolds
      supported normal bone formation via intramembranous formation.

PMID- 20307695
TI  - Molecular analysis of Chanarin-Dorfman syndrome (CDS) patients: Identification of
      novel mutations in the ABHD5 gene.
AB  - Chanarin-Dorfman syndrome (CDS) is an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder
      associated with congenital ichthyosis and a multisystemic accumulation of neutral
      lipids in various types of cells. Recently, mutations of the ABHD5 gene were
      identified as the cause of CDS. In this work, we carried out molecular analysis
      of the ABHD5 gene in 6 unrelated patients. We identified one previously reported
      mutation, N209X and two novel genetic alterations; a nonsense mutation (p.Y50X)
      and missense mutation (p.S73A).

PMID- 20307696
TI  - Measurement in psychosomatic research.

PMID- 20307697
TI  - Introduction to health measurement scales.
AB  - Both research and clinical decision making rely on measurement scales. These
      scales vary with regard to their psychometric properties, ease of administration,
      dimensions covered by the scale, and other properties. This article reviews the
      main psychometric characteristics of scales and assesses their utility.

PMID- 20307698
TI  - Pediatric consultation-liaison psychiatry.

PMID- 20307699
TI  - Measurement of self-reported pain intensity in children and adolescents.
AB  - Acute and chronic pain is a common experience in children and youth. A thorough
      assessment is fundamental to understand this experience and to assess and monitor
      treatment responses. The intensity of pain is the parameter most commonly
      assessed. In this article, we describe the different methods employed to assess
      pediatric pain intensity and review well-validated and commonly used self-report
      measures of pain. This review is based on the recent systematic reviews conducted
      for the Pediatric Initiative on Methods, Measurement, and Pain Assessment in
      Clinical Trials Consensus Group and the Society of Pediatric Psychology. Amongst
      the several types of pediatric pain measures, self-report, when available, is
      regarded as the primary source of information about pain intensity, to be
      complemented by observation and knowledge of the context. There is a large number
      of self-report measures of pediatric pain intensity; and there is some agreement
      that professionals in the clinical and research practice should assess pain
      intensity using the Pieces of Hurt Tool, the Faces Pain Scale, the Oucher, or
      Visual Analogue Scales because these measures have shown to have sound
      psychometric properties and clinical utility. Despite the increased number of age
      appropriate self-report measures of pediatric pain intensity over the last years,
      we report several research gaps and priorities of future research.

PMID- 20307700
TI  - Delirium in children and adolescents: A systematic review of the literature.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to collate all works relating to
      delirium and probable delirium in children and adolescents published since 1980.
      METHODS: A systematic review of the literature in all languages published between
      1980 and March 2009 was conducted. RESULTS: The literature is limited to small
      case series and case reports including a total of 217 children or adolescents
      with definite delirium and a further 136 children and adolescents with "probable
      delirium." These articles, in addition to unsystematic reviews, overviews,
      editorials, journal commentaries, and pertinent book chapters, are discussed in
      relation to prevalence, predisposing and precipitating factors, phenomenology,
      residual psychopathology, mortality, management, and prevention of delirium in
      childhood and adolescence. CONCLUSIONS: Delirium is an important but neglected
      disorder of childhood associated with significant morbidity and high mortality.
      Current clinical practice for management is based on slim empirical evidence.

PMID- 20307701
TI  - A medical record review for functional somatic symptoms in children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to develop and test a systematic
      medical record review for functional somatic symptoms (FSSs) in paediatric
      patients and to estimate the inter-rater reliability of paediatricians'
      recognition of FSSs and their associated impairments while using this method.
      METHODS: We developed the Medical Record Review for Functional Somatic Symptoms
      in Children (MRFC) for retrospective medical record review. Described symptoms
      were categorised as probably, definitely, or not FSSs. FSS-associated impairment
      was also determined. Three paediatricians performed the MRFC on the medical
      records of 54 children with a diagnosed, well-defined physical disease and 59
      with 'symptom' diagnoses. The inter-rater reliabilities of the recognition and
      associated impairment of FSSs were tested on 20 of these records. RESULTS: The
      MRFC allowed identification of subgroups of children with multisymptomatic FSSs,
      long-term FSSs, and/or impairing FSSs. The FSS inter-rater reliability was good
      (combined kappa=0.69) but only fair as far as associated impairment was concerned
      (combined kappa=0.29). CONCLUSIONS: In the hands of skilled paediatricians, the
      MRFC is a reliable method for identifying paediatric patients with diverse types
      of FSSs for clinical research. However, additional information is needed for
      reliable judgement of impairment. The method may also prove useful in clinical
      practice.

PMID- 20307702
TI  - Structured education program improves the coping with atopic dermatitis in
      children and their parents-a multicenter, randomized controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to prove training-specific effects in
      children with atopic dermatitis (AD) and their parents concerning coping with the
      disease after their participation in a training program. In the 1-year follow-up,
      the changes in the training group were compared to the changes in a waiting
      control group while controlling the effects of the changes in severity scores.
      METHODS: One hundred eighty-five children aged 8-12 years and their parents
      participated in the study. Complete data sets at the 1-year follow-up were
      available for 185 parent-child pairs (102 training group; 83 waiting control
      group). In addition to the severity of the AD [measured with the Scoring Atopic
      Dermatitis (SCORAD)], data on children's itching-scratching cognitions and coping
      behavior and on parents handling their affected children were used in the
      analysis. To study whether the intervention group experienced an additional
      psychological benefit, which is not due to the SCORAD values, analyses of
      covariance with repeated measures with standardized residual change scores of the
      SCORAD as covariate were calculated. RESULTS: The intervention group showed
      greater improvement in children's coping behavior and in parents' handling their
      affected children. Additional effects of the training program not due to somatic
      improvement could be seen in the scales of itching-scratching cognitions and in
      three of four scales on parents dealing with their affected children. CONCLUSION:
      The training program, which was tested in the German Atopic Dermatitis
      Intervention Study, had effects on almost all explored psychological variables.
      Therefore, additional psychological benefit in the training group does not only
      depend on the greater improvement of SCORAD values in this group.

PMID- 20307703
TI  - Childhood predictors of recurrent abdominal pain in adolescence: A 13-year
      population-based prospective study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate maternal and child emotional symptoms, physical health
      problems, and negative life events measured at children's age 18 months and 12
      years as potential predictors for self-reported recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) in
      adolescents (14 years). METHODS: A population-based prospective study conducted
      at child health clinics (preventive health care) in Norway followed a cohort of
      916 mothers with children from children's age 18 months until adolescence. Child
      self-report was obtained from 12 years of age. Outcome measure was adolescent
      self-reported RAP. RESULTS: Of 456 adolescents, 58 (13%) reported RAP. Of these,
      36 (62%) were girls. By multivariate analyses, the following maternal factors
      predicted RAP in adolescence: psychological distress at children's age 18 months
      (OR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.3-4.8) and a maternal history of psychological distress at
      children's age 12 years (OR, 3.2; 95% CI, 1.7-6.2). The following child factors
      measured at age 12 years predicted RAP in adolescence: abdominal (OR, 2.5; 95%
      CI, 1.3-4.9) and extraintestinal pain (OR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.2-4.4) by maternal
      report, self-reported frequent extraintestinal pain (OR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.4-5.9),
      and self-reported depressive symptoms (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.1-5.1). Negative life
      events and physical health in mothers and toddlers did not predict RAP.
      CONCLUSIONS: This is the first cohort study that finds maternal psychological
      distress in early childhood to predict RAP in their offspring 13 years later. Our
      results support that maternal psychological distress and preadolescent children's
      depressive and somatic symptoms may play a role in the development of RAP.

PMID- 20307704
TI  - Is fear of pain related to placebo analgesia?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Verbal information that a painkiller has been administered generates
      an expectation of pain relief which in turn decreases pain. This expectation
      based pain reduction is termed placebo analgesia. We hypothesized that fear of
      pain would be related to higher stress and pain intensity and to reduced placebo
      analgesia. METHODS: Sixty-three students (30 females) participated in a Two
      Condition (placebo, natural history)xFive-Test (one pretest, four post-tests)
      within-subjects design. Heat pain was induced by a 30x30-mm contact thermode to
      the medial volar forearm. Each pain test lasted for 4 min at a temperature of 46
      degrees C. Stress, arousal, and pain intensity and pain unpleasantness were rated
      on 100-mm visual analogue scales. RESULTS: Fear of pain was related to higher
      anticipatory stress and to higher stress and pain intensity during pain. Fear of
      pain was also related to reduced placebo analgesic responding. CONCLUSION: Fear
      of pain was positively related to stress both during pain and in the anticipation
      of pain, and negatively related to placebo analgesia. Previous research has
      indicated a role for increased stress in the nocebo response, and the present
      findings suggest that decreased stress may strengthen the placebo response.

PMID- 20307705
TI  - Biopsychosocial impact of the voice in relation to the psychological features in
      female student teachers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to assess biopsychosocial impact of the voice
      in relation to the psychological features in female student teachers. METHODS:
      This research was a cross-sectional study in 755 student teachers using general
      questionnaires, the Voice Handicap Inventory (VHI), Type D Scale-16, Symptom
      Check List (SCL-90), and Utrecht Coping List (UCL). Student teachers with a
      relative high score on the VHI (>75th percentile) and students with a relative
      low score (<25th percentile) were compared. RESULTS: Type D student teachers had
      a 4x greater risk of a high VHI-score (OR 4.23) than the non-type-D group. The
      student teachers with relative high VHI scores scored significantly higher
      (P<.001) on the SCL-90 total and all subscales, compared to the student teachers
      with relative low VHI scores. Furthermore, the students with a relative high VHI
      score had significant high scores on the subscales passive attitude (P<.001),
      palliative reactions (P<.001), avoidance and a waiting attitude (P<.001), and
      expression of emotions (P=.003) of the UCL. CONCLUSION: This study showed that a
      relative high biopsychosocial impact of the voice is related to the personality
      trait Type D, psychosomatic well-being and coping strategies in female student
      teachers. These features should be implemented in screening and training programs
      for students for a voice demanding profession. The students have to be prepared
      to cope with psychological, physical and vocal demands of the teaching
      profession. The speech therapist (of the vocational university) has to be aware
      of an important role in coaching the students into a more active coping attitude.

PMID- 20307706
TI  - Predictors of treatment outcome after cognitive behavior therapy and
      antispasmodic treatment for patients with irritable bowel syndrome in primary
      care.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine predictors of treatment outcome in IBS-patients who
      participated in a randomized controlled trial in primary care, where 149
      irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients were randomized to mebeverine
      hydrochloride (n=77) or mebeverine+cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) (n=72). CBT
      offered additional benefit over mebeverine alone. METHODS: Regression analyses
      were used to identify predictors of work and social adjustment 12 months after
      treatment ended. The intervention groups were analyzed separately in order to
      look at the separate effects in each group. RESULTS: Lower levels of
      psychological distress (anxiety and depression) at baseline predicted a good
      outcome in the mebeverine group [beta=0.388 (95% CI: 0.065-0.936), P=.025] but
      not in the mebeverine+CBT group. In the adjusted model for the mebeverine+CBT
      group less adaptive IBS related behavioral coping predicted a good outcome
      [beta=0.285 (95% CI: 0.002-0.210), P=.045]. CONCLUSION: Different factors are
      associated with outcome depending on the treatment received. At assessment
      clinicians should assess patients coping styles and may want to consider
      recommending CBT to those patients with IBS in primary care who are engaging in
      unhelpful coping behavior.

PMID- 20307707
TI  - Biopsychosocial research revisited.

PMID- 20307710
TI  - Stem cell source and outcome after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT)
      in children and adolescents with acute leukemia.
AB  - Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from siblings, unrelated
      donors or HLA mismatched family members has become an important procedure to
      offer a chance of cure to children and adolescents with acute leukemia at high
      risk of relapse and those with certain genetic diseases. Bone marrow (BM) was the
      only stem cell source for many years. During the past 15 years, peripheral blood
      stem cells from granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) mobilized healthy
      donors, or umbilical cord blood from related or unrelated donors, have become
      available. Each stem cell source has different risks/benefits for patients and
      donors, the choice depending not only on availability, but also on HLA
      compatibility and urgency of the HSCT. This review will analyze the advantages
      and limitations of each of these options, and the main criteria which can be
      applied when choosing the appropriate stem cell source for pediatric transplant
      recipients with acute leukemia.

PMID- 20307709
TI  - Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for leukemia.
AB  - Leukemia represents the most common pediatric malignancy, accounting for
      approximately 30% of all cancers in children less than 20 years of age. Most
      children diagnosed with leukemia are cured without hematopoietic stem cell
      transplantation (HSCT), but for some high-risk subgroups, allogeneic HSCT plays
      an important role in their therapeutic approach. The characteristics of these
      high-risk subgroups and the role of HSCT in childhood leukemias are discussed.

PMID- 20307712
TI  - The graft-versus-tumor effect in pediatric malignancy.
AB  - Because severe forms of the graft-versus-host reaction directed against normal
      tissues (also termed graft-versus-host disease [GVHD]) also contribute to
      morbidity and mortality following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell
      transplantation, major efforts have focused on strategies to separate GVHD from
      the potentially beneficial immune reactivity against tumor (also called the graft
      versus-tumor [GVT] effect). This article focuses on the data supporting the
      contribution of the GVT effect to cure of malignancy, what is known about the
      biology of the GVT reaction, and, finally, strategies to manipulate the GVT
      effect to increase the potency of HSCT.

PMID- 20307711
TI  - Autologous and allogeneic cellular therapies for high-risk pediatric solid
      tumors.
AB  - Since the 1950s, the overall survival of children with cancer has gone from
      almost zero to approaching 80%. Although there have been notable successes in
      treating solid tumors such as Wilms tumor, some childhood solid tumors have
      continued to elude effective therapy. With the use of megatherapy techniques such
      as tandem transplantation, dose escalation has been pushed to the edge of dose
      limiting toxicities, and any further improvements in event-free survival will
      have to be achieved through novel therapeutic approaches. This article reviews
      the status of autologous and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
      (HSCT) for many pediatric solid tumor types. Most of the clinical experience in
      transplant for pediatric solid tumors is in the autologous setting, so some
      general principles of autologous HSCT are reviewed. The article then examines
      HSCT for diseases such as Hodgkin disease, Ewing sarcoma, and neuroblastoma, and
      the future of cell-based therapies by considering some experimental approaches to
      cell therapies.

PMID- 20307714
TI  - Immunotherapy in the context of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: the
      emerging role of natural killer cells and mesenchymal stromal cells.
AB  - Immunotherapy in the context of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has been
      dominated for many years by T-cell- and dendritic-cell-based treatment
      modalities. During the last decade, insight into the biology of natural killer
      (NK) cells and mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) has rapidly increased and resulted
      in NK- and MSC-based therapeutic strategies in clinical practice. This article
      reviews current knowledge of the biology and clinical aspects of NK cells and
      MSC.

PMID- 20307713
TI  - T-cell-based therapies for malignancy and infection in childhood.
AB  - One major advance in T-cell-based immunotherapy in the last 20 years has been the
      molecular definition of numerous viral and tumor antigens. Adoptive T-cell
      transfer has shown definite clinical benefit in the prophylaxis and treatment of
      viral infections that develop in pediatric patients after allogeneic transplant
      and in posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease associated with the Epstein
      Barr virus. Developing adoptive T-cell therapies for other malignancies presents
      additional challenges. This article describes the recent advances in T-cell-based
      therapies for malignancy and infection in childhood and strategies to enhance the
      effector functions of T cells and optimize the cellular product, including gene
      modification and modulation of the host environment.

PMID- 20307715
TI  - Current international perspectives on hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for
      inherited metabolic disorders.
AB  - Inherited metabolic disorders (IMD) or inborn errors of metabolism are a diverse
      group of diseases arising from genetic defects in lysosomal enzymes or
      peroxisomal function. These diseases are characterized by devastating systemic
      processes affecting neurologic and cognitive function, growth and development,
      and cardiopulmonary status. Onset in infancy or early childhood is typically
      accompanied by rapid deterioration. Early death is a common outcome. Timely
      diagnosis and immediate referral to an IMD specialist are essential steps in
      management of these disorders. Treatment recommendations are based on the
      disorder, its phenotype including age at onset and rate of progression, severity
      of clinical signs and symptoms, family values and expectations, and the risks and
      benefits associated with available therapies such as allogeneic hematopoietic
      stem cell transplantation (HSCT). This review discusses indications for HSCT and
      outcomes of HSCT for selected IMD. An international perspective on progress,
      limitations, and future directions in the field is provided.

PMID- 20307716
TI  - Bone marrow transplantation for inherited bone marrow failure syndromes.
AB  - The inherited bone marrow failure (BMF) syndromes are characterized by impaired
      hematopoiesis and cancer predisposition. Most inherited BMF syndromes are also
      associated with a range of congenital anomalies. Progress in improving the
      outcomes for children with inherited BMF syndromes has been limited by the rarity
      of these disorders, as well as disease-specific genetic, molecular, cellular, and
      clinical characteristics that increase the risks of complications associated with
      hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). As a result, the ability to
      develop innovative transplant approaches to circumvent these problems has been
      limited. Recent progress has been made, as best evidenced in studies adding
      fludarabine to the preparative regimen for children undergoing unrelated donor
      HSCT for Fanconi anemia. The rarity of these diseases coupled with the far more
      likely incremental improvements that will result from ongoing research will
      require prospective international clinical trials to improve the outcome for
      these children.

PMID- 20307717
TI  - Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for osteopetrosis.
AB  - Osteopetrosis is the generic name for a group of diseases caused by deficient
      formation or function of osteoclasts, inherited in either autosomal recessive or
      dominant fashion. Osteopetrosis varies in severity from a disease that may kill
      infants to an incidental radiological finding in adults. It is increasingly clear
      that prognosis is governed by which gene is affected, making detailed elucidation
      of the cause of the disease a critical component of optimal care, including the
      decision on whether hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is appropriate. This
      article reviews the characteristics and management of osteopetrosis.

PMID- 20307718
TI  - Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for hemoglobinopathies: current practice
      and emerging trends.
AB  - Despite improvements in the management of thalassemia major and sickle cell
      disease, treatment complications are frequent and life expectancy remains
      diminished for these patients. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is
      the only curative option currently available. Existing results for HSCT in
      patients with hemoglobinopathy are excellent and still improving. New
      conditioning regimens are being used to reduce treatment-related toxicity and new
      donor pools accessed to increase the number of patients who can undergo HSCT.

PMID- 20307719
TI  - Bone marrow transplantation for primary immunodeficiency diseases.
AB  - Advances in immunology have led to a breathtaking expansion of recognized primary
      immunodeficiency diseases (PID) with over 120 disease-related genes identified.
      In North America alone more than 1000 children have received allogeneic blood or
      marrow transplant over the past 30 years, with the majority surviving long term.
      This review presents results and highlights challenges and notable advances,
      including novel less toxic conditioning regimens, to transplant the more common
      and severe forms of PID. HLA-matched sibling donors remain the ideal option,
      however, advances in living donor unrelated HSCT and banked umbilical cord blood
      grafts provide hope for all children with severe PID.

PMID- 20307720
TI  - Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for childhood autoimmune
      disease.
AB  - Autologous and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) can be
      used in the management of patients with autoimmune disorders. Experience gained
      in adults has helped to better define the conditioning regimens required and
      appropriate selection of patients who are most likely to benefit from autologous
      HSCT. The field has been shifting toward the use of safer and less intense
      nonmyeloablative regimens used earlier in the disease course before patients
      accumulate extensive irreversible organ damage. This article reviews the
      experience of using autologous HSCT in treating the most common childhood
      autoimmune and rheumatic diseases, primarily juvenile idiopathic arthritis,
      systemic lupus erythematosus, and diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 20307721
TI  - Management of acute graft-versus-host disease in children.
AB  - Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) remains a major cause of morbidity and
      mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in
      children. Although 30% to 50% of children respond to corticosteroids as initial
      therapy, the optimal initial or second-line therapies have not yet been
      determined. Newer approaches with combination therapy, novel agents, monoclonal
      antibodies, and/or cellular therapies show some promise but require prospective
      well-designed trials that include children to establish their efficacy. This
      article reviews the clinical presentation, treatment, and practical management
      guidelines for children with aGVHD.

PMID- 20307723
TI  - The burden of cure: long-term side effects following hematopoietic stem cell
      transplantation (HSCT) in children.
AB  - Children who survive hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) are at risk
      for an inordinate number of long-term side effects. Late effects can be secondary
      to the underlying diagnosis for which the transplant is performed, prior
      treatment of the disease, the transplant preparative regimen, treatment of the
      complications of transplant, and immunologic interactions between the graft and
      the host. This article describes the risks and manifestations of the most
      commonly reported late effects in survivors of pediatric HSCT.

PMID- 20307724
TI  - Opportunities for the prevention of osteoarthritis.

PMID- 20307725
TI  - A National Public Health Agenda for Osteoarthritis 2010.

PMID- 20307722
TI  - Chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in children.
AB  - Five-year survival rates for childhood cancer now exceed 80% and with the
      significant progress made by the transplant community in developing less toxic
      conditioning regimens and in the treatment of posttransplant complications, allo
      hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) contributes significantly to that
      population of long-term survivors. In this context, the acute and long-term
      toxicities of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) have an ever-increasing
      effect on organ function, quality of life, and survival; patients and families
      who initially felt great relief to be cured from the primary disease, now face
      the challenge of a chronic debilitating illness for which preventative and
      treatment strategies are suboptimal. Hence, the development of novel strategies
      that reduce and or control cGVHD, preserve graft-versus-tumor effects, facilitate
      engraftment and immune reconstitution, and enhance survival after allo-HSCT
      represents one of the most significant challenges facing physician-scientists and
      patients.

PMID- 20307727
TI  - Expression of Toll-like receptor 2 and 4 in inflamed pulp in severe combined
      immunodeficiency (SCID) mice.

PMID- 20307729
TI  - Antibacterial efficacy of MTAD final rinse and two percent chlorhexidine gel
      medication in teeth with apical periodontitis.

PMID- 20307730
TI  - Anesthetic efficacy of 1.8 milliliters and 3.6 milliliters of 2% lidocaine with
      1:100,000 epinephrine for posterior superior alveolar nerve blocks.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this prospective, randomized, single-blinded study
      was to measure the degree of anesthesia obtained with 1.8 mL and 3.6 mL of 2%
      lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine in posterior superior alveolar (PSA) nerve
      blocks. METHODS: Thirty-one adult subjects randomly received PSA nerve blocks of
      1.8 mL and 3.6 mL of the lidocaine solution at 2 separate appointments in a
      crossover design. An electric pulp tester was used to test for anesthesia of the
      first and second molars and premolars in 3-minute cycles for 50 minutes.
      Anesthesia was considered successful when 2 consecutive 80 readings were obtained
      within 15 minutes. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Anesthetic success for the 1.8 mL
      volume of 2% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine was 97% for the second molar
      and 77% for the first molar. Anesthetic success for the 3.6 mL volume of 2%
      lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine was 100% for the second molar and 84% for
      the first molar. The differences were not statistically significant between the 2
      anesthetic volumes. Anesthetic success for the premolars for both volumes was in
      the low to moderate range and would not provide predictable pulpal anesthesia.
      For the first molar, the 3.6 mL volume of the lidocaine formulation provided a
      statistically longer duration of pulpal anesthesia than the 1.8 mL volume. The
      pain of depositing a 3.6 mL volume of a lidocaine solution was not statistically
      more painful than depositing a 1.8 mL volume.

PMID- 20307731
TI  - A systematic evaluation of the quality of meta-analyses in endodontics.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Meta-analyses have been suggested to be the highest form of
      evidence available to clinicians to guide clinical practice in dental care. High
      methodologic quality is a prerequisite for valid interpretation and application
      of review findings. However, meta-analyses are complex exercises, and assessing
      quality can be a daunting task. Clinicians and policymakers require guidance,
      which is not provided adequately by the available literature on the quality of
      meta-analyses. The purpose of this study was to systematically evaluate the
      quality of meta-analyses that address topics pertinent to endodontics. METHODS:
      To identify potentially eligible meta-analyses for inclusion, systematic searches
      performed in MEDLINE and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were
      enriched by hand searches, citation mining, and expert recommendation.
      Comprehensive search strategies were constructed for electronic searches.
      Predetermined inclusion criteria were applied to each identified meta-analysis
      independently by two reviewers. To assess report quality, the included meta
      analyses were assessed by using A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews
      (AMSTAR). RESULTS: A total of 16 reports of meta-analyses were included (kappa =
      0.96). The overall quality of reports of meta-analyses was found to be high, with
      an estimated mean overall AMSTAR score of 8.33 out of 11 (95% confidence
      interval, 7.62-8.88). The weakest areas within the included meta-analyses were
      failure to report the likelihood of publication bias. CONCLUSIONS: The overall
      quality of the reports of meta-analyses available in endodontics is high
      according to AMSTAR.

PMID- 20307732
TI  - Identifying and reducing risks for potential fractures in endodontically treated
      teeth.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Although long-term functional survival rates can be high for
      initial endodontically treated permanent teeth, they are generally more
      susceptible to fracture than teeth with vital pulps. Tooth extraction is often
      the consequence of an unfavorable prognosis after coronal and root fractures, but
      their occurrence in endodontically treated teeth might be reduced by identifying
      the risks for fracture associated with various operative procedures. METHODS:
      This article presents an overview of the risk factors for potential tooth
      fractures in endodontically treated teeth on the basis of literature retrieved
      from PubMed and selected journal searches. RESULTS: Postendodontic tooth
      fractures might occur because of the loss of tooth structure and induced stresses
      caused by endodontic and restorative procedures such as access cavity
      preparation, instrumentation and irrigation of the root canal, obturation of the
      instrumented root canal, post-space preparation, post selection, and coronal
      restoration and from inappropriate selection of tooth abutments for prostheses.
      CONCLUSIONS: Potential tooth fractures might be reduced by practitioners being
      aware during dental treatments of controllable and noncontrollable risks.

PMID- 20307733
TI  - Guided tissue regeneration in periapical surgery.
AB  - Tissue regeneration by using membrane barriers and bone grafting materials in
      periapical surgery is an example of tissue engineering technology. Membrane
      barriers and/or bone grafts are often used to enhance periapical new bone
      formation. However, the periapical tissues also consist of the periodontal
      ligament (PDL) and cementum. For regeneration of the periapical tissues after
      periapical surgery, one of the important requirements is recruitment and
      differentiation of progenitor/stem cells into committed pre-osteoblasts, pre-PDL
      cells, and pre-cementoblasts. Homing of progenitor/stem cells into the wounded
      periapical tissues is regulated by factors such as stromal cell-derived factor 1,
      growth factors/cytokines, and by microenvironmental cues such as adhesion
      molecules and extracellular matrix and associated noncollagenous molecules.
      Tissue regeneration after injury appears to recapitulate the pathway of normal
      embryonic tissue development. Multiple tissue regeneration involves a complex
      interaction between different cells, extracellular matrix, growth/differentiation
      factors, and microenvironmental cues. Little is known concerning the biologic
      mechanisms that regulate temporal and spatial relationship between alveolar bone,
      PDL, and cementum regeneration during periapical wound healing. Simply applying a
      membrane barrier and/or bone graft during periapical surgery might not result in
      complete regeneration of the periapical tissues. It has not been clearly
      demonstrated that these biomaterials are capable of recruiting progenitor/stem
      cells and inducing these undifferentiated mesenchymal cells to differentiate into
      PDL cells and cementoblasts after periapical surgery.

PMID- 20307734
TI  - Isolation and taxonomy of filamentous fungi in endodontic infections.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to research the presence of
      filamentous fungi in the root canals of teeth with pulp necrosis and periapical
      lesions and to perform the taxonomic study of the isolates. METHODS: Samples
      collected from 60 root canals with sterile absorbent paper points were inoculated
      in Sabouraud dextrose agar supplemented with chloramphenicol. The material was
      cultured from 7-14 days at room temperature to observe mycelial growth. Samples
      with growth were seeded in media specific for microculture (CYA agar, malt
      extract agar, or potato dextrose agar). Taxonomy was evaluated by macroscopic
      examination and optical microscopy. RESULTS: Filamentous fungi were isolated in
      situ from 17 of 60 samples (28.3%). Considering the positive root canal isolates,
      the genus Aspergillus was isolated from 7 samples (41%); 4 species were
      identified: Aspergillus ustus, A. granulosus, A. niger, and A. sydowii.
      Emericella quadriluniata, sexual form of Aspergillus, was isolated from 1 sample.
      Penicillium species (Penicillium implicatum, P. micsynvisk, P. lividum, and P.
      citrionigrum) were isolated from 4 samples (24%). Fusarium species (Fusarium
      moniliforme and F. melanochorum) were isolated from 2 samples (12%). The species
      Aureobasidium pullulans, Exophiala jeanselmei, Eurotium amstelodame, and
      Cladosporium sphaerospermum were isolated from 1 sample each. CONCLUSIONS: The
      root canals of teeth with pulp necrosis and periapical lesions might present
      positive culture for filamentous fungi.

PMID- 20307735
TI  - Biofilm formation capability of Enterococcus faecalis cells in starvation phase
      and its susceptibility to sodium hypochlorite.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Enterococcus faecalis is commonly associated with persistent
      periapical infections. The physiologic state of the cells in the canal is
      probably closest to the starvation state. However, the biofilm formation
      capability of starved E. faecalis cells on human dentin and the susceptibility of
      the biofilm to 5.25% sodium hypochlorite remain poorly understood. METHODS: E.
      faecalis American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) 29212 in different growth phases
      were incubated on human dentin and polystyrene blocks. Scanning electron
      microscopy and biofilm assay were used to investigate the biofilm formation
      capability of these cells. The susceptibility of the biofilm to 5.25% NaClO was
      also determined by the plate count method. RESULTS: Scanning electron microscopy
      and biofilm assay showed that starved cells were able to form biofilm on dentin
      with reduced efficiency as compared with the cells in the exponential phase and
      stationary phase (p < 0.05). Biofilm grown on dentin harbored more cells than
      polystyrene (p < 0.05). Biofilms of starved cells were more resistant to 5.25%
      NaClO than those of stationary cells (p < 0.05), and the impact of 5.25%NaClO on
      them decreased as the biofilm matured. CONCLUSION: E. faecalis cells in the
      starvation phase could develop biofilm on human dentin, which is responsive to
      5.25% NaClO. It may contribute to the predominant role of E. faecalis involved in
      persistent periapical infections.

PMID- 20307736
TI  - Effect of cytosolic phospholipase A2 on proinflammatory cytokine-induced bone
      resorptive genes including receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand in
      human dental pulp cells.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Although cytokines stimulate prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) production
      and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) gene expression in human dental pulp cells (HDPCs),
      the involvement of cytosolic phospholipase A(2) (cPLA(2)) has not been assessed.
      The purpose of this study was to examine the role of cPLA(2) on the regulation of
      proinflammatory cytokine-stimulated genes associated with osteoclast
      differentiation or bone resorption. METHODS: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF
      alpha) and interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha)-induced COX-2 and receptor activator of
      nuclear factor kappa B ligand (RANKL) mRNA and protein expression in the HDPCs
      was determined by using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)
      and Western blot analysis. PGE(2) release and osteoclast-related gene expression
      were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and RT-PCR. RESULTS:
      Stimulation with TNF-alpha and IL-1alpha synergistically increased levels of COX
      2 as well as RANKL mRNA and protein expression. Osteoclast markers (macrophage
      colony-stimulating factor [M-CSF], matrix metalloproteinase-9 [MMP-9], and
      tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase [TRAP]) and osteolysis regulating cytokines
      or osteoclastogenic cytokines (IL-6, IL-11, and Il-17) were up-regulated in HDPCs
      after IL-1alpha and TNF-alpha treatment. A cPLA(2) inhibitor attenuated both the
      cytokine-stimulated PGE(2) release as well as changes in osteoclast
      differentiation-related genes like RANKL. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that
      cPLA(2) is involved in inflammatory cytokine-induced osteoclastogenic gene
      expression and consequent damage or destruction.

PMID- 20307737
TI  - Methylation pattern of the IFN-gamma gene in human dental pulp.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: DNA methylation is characterized by the addition of methyl groups
      in cytosines within cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) islands. Unmethylated
      islands are related with transcriptionally active structure, whereas methylated
      DNA recruits methyl-binding proteins that promotes chromatin compaction. Although
      epigenetic events can influence the expression of cytokines, such events have not
      been investigated in dental pulp yet. The purpose of the present study was to
      evaluate the methylation status of the interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) gene in human
      dental pulp affected by inflammation compared with pulp tissue of impacted molar
      teeth and to verify the impact of methylation status in the expression pattern of
      the gene. METHODS: Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) was used
      to verify the DNA methylation status of the IFN-gamma gene in 16 human dental
      pulps affected by inflammation and in 16 pulp samples of impacted molar teeth.
      Histologic sections stained by hematoxylin-eosin were used for histopathological
      evaluation, and the expression of IFN-gamma was assessed by quantitative real
      time PCR (qPCR). RESULTS: Although total methylation was observed in 43.75% of
      the samples of normal dental pulp tissues, partial methylation or unmethylation
      was found in 93.75% of the samples of inflamed pulp tissues. All the samples with
      total methylation in MSP showed no transcription of IFN-gamma. The qPCR results
      showed expression of IFN-gamma in 5 of 10 samples with partial methylation.
      CONCLUSION: The present study gives the first evidence of the possible
      participation of epigenetic events in the development of dental pulp
      inflammation.

PMID- 20307738
TI  - Mineral trioxide aggregate induces bone morphogenetic protein-2 expression and
      calcification in human periodontal ligament cells.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) is a therapeutic, endodontic
      repair material that is reported to exhibit calcified tissue-conductive activity
      although the mechanisms remain unclear. We hypothesize that the dissolution of
      calcium from MTA into the surrounding environment may play an important role in
      the osteoblastic/cementoblastic differentiation of human periodontal ligament
      cells (HPLCs). METHODS: Two populations of HPLCs were obtained from two patients,
      respectively, and were cultured in the presence or absence of MTA discs and/or
      CaCl(2) in order to investigate calcium release, calcification activity, calcium
      sensing receptor (CaSR) gene expression and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2),
      and BMP-2 receptor protein and gene expression. RESULTS: MTA released a
      substantial accumulation of calcium (4 mmol/L) within 14 days into culture media.
      After 4 weeks, the two populations of HPLCs independently exhibited calcification
      as well as BMP-2 distribution in the vicinity of MTA. HPLCs inherently expressed
      genes encoding for the CaSR and BMP-2 receptors. Exogenous CaCl(2) media
      supplementation induced CaSR gene expression in HPLCs and calcification and BMP-2
      synthesis throughout the entire HPLC cultures, whereas MgCl(2) had no effect.
      Both MTA and CaCl(2) stimulated BMP-2 gene expression above that of baseline
      levels. CONCLUSION: Here we show the first report showing that HPLCs cocultured
      directly with MTA up-regulated BMP2 expression and calcification. These results
      may be through CaSR interactions that were potentially activated by the release
      of calcium from MTA into the culture environment.

PMID- 20307739
TI  - The prevalence and morphologic classification of distolingual roots in the
      mandibular molars in a Korean population.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aims of this study were to determine the incidence and
      concurrency rate of distolingual (DL) roots on mandibular molars and to classify
      them according to their morphologic features. METHODS: Serial cross-sectional
      computed tomography images of the mandibles were collected retrospectively from
      1,775 Korean patients of Mongoloid origin. The incidence of DL roots was
      calculated for each molar, and their patterns of concurrence were analyzed with
      the Fisher exact test. DL roots were categorized into five groups according to
      their morphologic characteristics using the three-dimensional reconstructed
      images. RESULTS: The incidence rate of DL roots was highest for first molars
      (24.5%) and lowest for second molars (0.7%). They were often present concurrently
      in adjacent molars (p < 0.004). The morphologic characteristics of DL roots in
      the first molars varied greatly from a severely curved type (type III, 40.5%) to
      an underdeveloped small type or a conical type (2.5% and 1.4%, respectively).
      CONCLUSION: Data regarding the pattern of occurrence and the morphologic features
      of DL roots can provide useful information to clinicians, leading to higher rate
      of success of endodontic treatment.

PMID- 20307740
TI  - Protective effects of follicle-stimulating hormone inhibitor on alveolar bone
      loss resulting from experimental periapical lesions in ovariectomized rats.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The direct effect of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) on bone
      resorption has been demonstrated recently. The aim of this study was to evaluate
      the effect of FSH inhibitor leuprorelin (LE) on alveolar bone loss resulting from
      experimental periapical lesions in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. METHODS: Twenty
      seven female rats were randomly assigned into 4 groups and subjected to
      ovariectomy or sham surgery (1.6 mg/kg body weight LE or vehicle was injected
      immediately). One week after surgery, the pulp of each rat's bilateral lower
      first molars was exposed to the oral environment. Three weeks after pulpal
      exposure, all the animals were killed, and bilateral mandibles were extracted for
      histologic processing. Radiographic and histologic examination for periapical
      bone loss area, enzyme histochemical examination for tartrate-resistant acid
      phosphatase (TRAP), and immunohistochemical examination for FSH receptor (FSHR)
      were performed. RESULTS: LE significantly decreased the alveolar bone loss area
      and osteoclast occurrence compared with non-LE treatment ovariectomized rats (P <
      .05), and the number of FSHR-positive cells was significantly correlated with
      alveolar bone loss area (r = 0.796, P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: LE has protective
      effects on alveolar bone loss resulting from experimental periapical lesions in
      OVX rats.

PMID- 20307741
TI  - Morphologic analysis of the root apex in human teeth.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: To determine the morphologic shape and position of the root apex
      and the major foramen in maxillary and mandibular teeth. METHODS: A total of 845
      maxillary and mandibular human teeth root specimens were evaluated. Each root
      specimen was measured at each root apex by using a calibrated microscope at a
      magnification of 20x. The anatomic parameters evaluated included the position of
      the root apex and the major foramen (in the center, buccal, lingual, mesial, or
      distal) and shapes of peripheral contours of the major foramen (rounded, oval,
      asymmetric, and semilunar) and root apex (rounded, flat, beveled, and
      elliptical). All data were summarized, and means, frequencies, and percentages
      were calculated for each group of specimens (incisors, canines, premolars, and
      molars). RESULTS: The most frequent root apex morphology in maxillary and
      mandibular teeth was the round shape (35.1%). The most frequent shape of the
      apical foramen was round (52.9%) or oval (25.2%). The major location of both the
      root apex (39.7%) and the major foramen (58.4%) was in the center of the root.
      CONCLUSION: The most frequent root apex morphology and apical foramen in the
      maxillary and mandibular teeth was the round followed by the oval shape. The most
      prevalent location of the root apex and the major foramen was in the center
      followed by the distal position.

PMID- 20307742
TI  - Ca2+ extrusion via Na+-Ca2+ exchangers in rat odontoblasts.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Intracellular Ca(2+) is essential to many signal transduction
      pathways, and its level is tightly regulated by the Ca(2+) extrusion system in
      the plasma membrane, which includes the Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchanger (NCX). Although
      expression of NCX1 isoforms has been demonstrated in odontoblasts, the detailed
      properties of NCX remain to be clarified. In this study, we investigated
      localization and ion-transporting/pharmacologic properties of NCX isoforms in rat
      odontoblasts. METHODS: We characterized both the reverse and forward modes of NCX
      activity in odontoblasts in a dental pulp slice preparation. Ca(2+) influx by
      reverse NCX activity was measured by fura-2 fluorescence. Ca(2+) efflux by
      forward NCX activity elicited inward Na(+) current as measured by perforated
      patch clamp recording. For immunohistochemical analysis, cryostat sections of
      incisors were incubated with antibodies against NCX. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical
      observation revealed localization of NCX1 and NCX3 in the distal membrane of
      odontoblasts. Inward currents by forward NCX activity showed dependence on
      external Na(+). Fura-2 fluorescence measurement revealed that Ca(2+) influx by
      reverse NCX activity depended on extracellular Ca(2+) concentration, and that
      this influx was blocked by NCX inhibitor KB-R7943 in a concentration-dependent
      manner. However, Ca(2+) influx by NCX showed a slight sensitivity to SEA0400 (a
      potent NCX1 inhibitor), indicating that expression potencies in odontoblasts were
      NCX3 > NCX1. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that odontoblasts express NCX1
      and NCX3 at the distal membrane, and that these isoforms play an important role
      in the Ca(2+) extrusion system as well as in the directional Ca(2+) transport
      pathway from the circulation to the dentin-mineralizing front.

PMID- 20307743
TI  - Antifungal efficacy of 5.25% sodium hypochlorite, 2% chlorhexidine gluconate, and
      17% EDTA with and without an antifungal agent.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the efficacy of
      5.25% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), 2% chlorhexidine gluconate (CHX), and 17% EDTA
      as a final irrigant with and without the inclusion of an antifungal agent (1%
      clotrimazole) on Candida albicans. METHODS: Sixty-five single-rooted instrumented
      and inoculated with a suspension of C. albicans. The experimental specimens were
      divided into two groups. The irrigant group was divided into three subgroups and
      irrigated with 5.25% NaOCl, 2% CHX, and 17% EDTA, respectively. The irrigant with
      antifungal group was divided into three subgroups and irrigated with 5.25% NaOCl,
      2% CHX, and 17% EDTA respectively followed by 1% clotrimazole. Aliquots from the
      experimental teeth were plated on 4% Sabouraud agar (Tital Biotech, Delhi,
      India), and the colony-forming units (CFUs) were evaluated under light microscopy
      (400x). RESULTS: NaOCl, 5.25%, exhibited superior antifungal efficacy compared
      with 2% CHX and 17% EDTA (p < 0.001). On inclusion of 1% clotrimazole, there was
      a significant decrease in the CFU (p < 0.001); 5.25% NaOCl and 2% CHX with
      clotrimazole showed significantly greater antifungal properties than 17% EDTA
      with clotrimazole (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: One percent of clotrimazole proved to
      be effective against C. albicans when used along with root canal irrigants as a
      final rinse.

PMID- 20307744
TI  - The self-adjusting file (SAF). Part 1: respecting the root canal anatomy--a new
      concept of endodontic files and its implementation.
AB  - AIM: To introduce a new concept, the self-adjusting file (SAF), and discuss its
      unique features compared with current rotary nickel-titanium file systems. THE
      NEW CONCEPT: The SAF file is hollow and designed as a thin cylindrical nickel
      titanium lattice that adapts to the cross-section of the root canal. A single
      file is used throughout the procedure. It is inserted into a path initially
      prepared by a # 20 K-file and operated with a transline- (in-and-out) vibration.
      The resulting circumferential pressure allows the file's abrasive surface to
      gradually remove a thin uniform hard-tissue layer from the entire root canal
      surface, resulting in a canal with a similar cross-section but of larger
      dimensions. This holds also for canals with an oval or flat cross-section, which
      will be enlarged to a flat or oval cross-section of larger dimensions. The
      straightening of curved canals is also reduced because of the high pliability of
      the file and the absence of a rigid metal core. Thus, the original shape of the
      root canal is respected both longitudinally and in cross-section. The hollow SAF
      file is operated with a constant flow of irrigant that enters the full length of
      the canal and that is activated by the vibration and is replaced continuously
      throughout the procedure. This results in effective cleaning even at the cul de
      sac apical part of the canal. The SAF has high mechanical endurance; file
      separation does not occur; and mechanical failure, if it occurs, is limited to
      small tears in the latticework. CONCLUSION: The SAF represents a new step forward
      in endodontic file development that may overcome many of the shortcomings of
      current rotary nickel-titanium file systems.

PMID- 20307745
TI  - The self-adjusting file (SAF). Part 2: mechanical analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The study was designed to explore the mechanical properties of the
      self-adjusting file (SAF) and its application in the root canal using continuous
      irrigation. METHODS: The compressibility of the SAF file and the resulting
      peripheral force were measured using specially designed systems. The abrasivity
      of the file was tested on dentin blocks representing a flat root canal. The
      durability of the SAF file was tested using a functional fatigue-to-failure
      assay. Degradation of the file was evaluated by using files that were previously
      used for 10, 20, and 30 minutes and comparing their efficacy with that of new,
      unused files. The potential of extruding irrigant beyond the apex was explored in
      roots with an open apical foramen. RESULTS: The SAF file was elastically
      compressible from a diameter of 1.5 mm to dimensions similar to those of a #20
      stainless steel K-file. This compression resulted in an evenly applied force to
      the root canal walls. The in-and-out vibration of the file and the peripheral
      force, combined with its abrasivity, allow for hard-tissue removal. Under the
      conditions of the experiment, no mechanical failure was observed with up to 29
      minutes of operation in the root canal. The file loses its efficacy after
      prolonged use, with a 40% reduction after 30 minutes of operation. The operation
      of the file with continuous irrigation did not push the irrigant beyond an open
      apical foramen. CONCLUSIONS: The SAF file is an elastically compressible file
      that effectively removes dentin and can mechanically endure use under its
      recommended mode of operation with a minimal loss of efficacy.

PMID- 20307746
TI  - The self-adjusting file (SAF). Part 3: removal of debris and smear layer-A
      scanning electron microscope study.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the cleaning ability of the Self
      Adjusting File (SAF) system in terms of removal of debris and smear layer.
      METHODOLOGY: Root canal preparations were performed in 20 root canals using an
      SAF operated with a continuous irrigation device. The glide path was initially
      established using a size 20 K-file followed by the SAF file that was operated in
      the root canal via a vibrating motion for a total of 4 minutes. Sodium
      hypochlorite (3%) and EDTA (17%) were used as continuous irrigants and were
      alternated every minute during this initial 4-minute period. This was followed by
      a 30-second rinse using EDTA applied through a nonactivated SAF and a final flush
      with sodium hypochlorite. The roots were split longitudinally and subjected to
      scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The presence of debris and a smear layer in
      the coronal, middle, and apical thirds of the canal were evaluated through the
      analysis of the SEM images using five-score evaluation systems based on reference
      photographs. RESULTS: The SAF operation with continuous irrigation, using
      alternating irrigants, resulted in root canal walls that were free of debris in
      all thirds of the canal in all (100%) of the samples. In addition, smear layer
      free surfaces were observed in 100% and 80% of the coronal and middle thirds of
      the canal, respectively. In the apical third of the canal, smear layer-free
      surfaces were found in 65% of the root canals. CONCLUSIONS: The operation of the
      SAF system with continuous irrigation coupled with alternating sodium
      hypochlorite and EDTA treatment resulted in a clean and mostly smear layer-free
      dentinal surface in all parts of the root canal.

PMID- 20307747
TI  - Preparation of oval-shaped root canals in mandibular molars using nickel-titanium
      rotary instruments: a micro-computed tomography study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study evaluated the prepared surface areas of oval-shaped
      canals in distal roots of mandibular molars using four different instrumentation
      techniques. METHODS: Teeth were prescanned and reconstructed using micro-computed
      tomography (MCT) scans at low resolution (68 microm). Forty-eight molars with
      ribbon-shaped/oval distal root canals were selected and randomly assigned to four
      groups. Distal canals (n = 12 each) were prepared by circumferential filing using
      Hedstrom files to apical size #40 (group H/CF); with ProTaper nickel-titanium
      rotaries to finishing file 4 (F4) considering the distal canal as 1 canal (group
      PT/1); ProTaper to F4 considering buccal and oral aspects of the distal canal as
      2 individual canals (group PT/2); ProTaper to F4 in a circumferential filing
      motion (PT/CF). Before and after shaping, teeth were evaluated using MCT at 34
      microm resolution. The percentage of prepared surface was assessed for the full
      canal length and the apical 4 mm. Statistical analysis was performed using
      analysis of variance and Bonferroni/Dunn multiple comparisons. RESULTS:
      Preoperatively, canal anatomy was statistically similar among the groups (p =
      0.56). Mean (+/- standard deviation) untreated areas ranged from 59.6% (+/-14.9,
      group PT/2) to 79.9% (+/-10.3, PT/1) for the total canal length and 65.2% to
      74.7% for the apical canal portion, respectively. Canals in group PT/1 had
      greater untreated surface areas (p < 0.01) than groups PT/2 and PT/CF. Among all
      groups, amounts of treated surface areas were statistically similar in the apical
      4 mm. CONCLUSIONS: Preparations of oval-shaped root canals in mandibular molars
      left a variable portion of surface area unprepared regardless of the
      instrumentation technique used. However, considering oval canals as two separate
      entities during preparation appeared to be beneficial in increasing overall
      prepared surface.

PMID- 20307748
TI  - Micro-computed tomographic comparison of nickel-titanium rotary versus
      traditional instruments in C-shaped root canal system.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of
      instrumentation of C-shaped canals with ProTaper rotary system and traditional
      instruments by using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). METHODS: Twenty-four
      mandibular molars with C-shaped canals were selected in pairs and sorted equally
      into 2 groups, which were assigned for instrumentation by ProTaper rotary system
      (ProTaper group) or by K-files and Gates-Glidden burs (Hand Instrument group).
      Three-dimensional images were constructed by micro-CT. The volume of dentin
      removed, uninstrumented canal area, time taken for instrumentation, and
      iatrogenic error of instrumentation were investigated. RESULTS: Hand Instrument
      group showed greater amount of volumetric dentin removal and left less
      uninstrumented canal area than ProTaper group (P < .01). The time needed for
      instrumentation was shorter for ProTaper group than for Hand Instrument group (P
      < .05). No instrument breakage occurred in both groups, but more conspicuous
      procedural errors were detected in Hand Instrument group than for ProTaper group.
      CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that ProTaper rotary system maintained the canal
      curvature with speediness and few procedural errors, whereas traditional
      instrumentation can clean more canal surface.

PMID- 20307749
TI  - Influence of water cooling on root surface temperature generated during post
      space preparation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This in vitro study evaluated the temperature increases on the root
      surface of teeth during preparation of post space with and without water cooling.
      METHODS: Thirty premolar teeth with a single canal were used. After root canal
      obturation, the teeth were divided into 2 groups, and post spaces were prepared
      by using a drill without cooling (dry group) and with water irrigation of 25
      mL/min(-1) (wet group). Temperatures were measured on the entire root surface by
      using a thermal imaging camera. RESULTS: Root surface temperature increases were
      significantly lower when post spaces were created with water cooling compared
      with dry post preparation (P < .0001 for root canal filling removal and P < .0001
      for post space preparation). In both groups, significantly higher temperatures
      were recorded during the post space preparation than during the filling removal
      (P < .001 for nonirrigated teeth and P < .001 for irrigated teeth). CONCLUSIONS:
      Irrigation during post space preparation significantly influenced the outer root
      surface temperature. The risk of irreversible injury to the root surrounding
      tissues is potentially minimized when post space is prepared by using water
      cooling.

PMID- 20307751
TI  - Effect of apical preparation size and preparation taper on irrigant volume
      delivered by using negative pressure irrigation system.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effect that
      apical preparation size and preparation taper had on the volume of irrigant
      delivered to the working length of a root canal preparation in a clinically
      relevant amount of time. METHODS: Forty intact human single-rooted teeth were
      randomly distributed into 2 separate phases. The first phase aimed to determine
      the smaller apical size that will allow more volume of irrigant at working
      length. All samples had the same taper and were sequentially instrumented to
      sizes of 30.06, 35.06, 40.06, and 45.06. The second phase aimed to determine the
      taper that will allow more volume of irrigant at working length. Teeth were
      sequentially instrumented to 40.02, 40.04, 40.06, and 40.08. All samples were
      irrigated by using the micro-cannula, and the volume of sodium hypochlorite
      suctioned at working length under negative pressure was measured during a period
      of 30 seconds by using a custom recovery device. RESULTS: An increase in size
      from ISO #35 to ISO #40 resulted in a percentage gain of approximately 44% in
      mean irrigant volume, whereas an increase in size from ISO #40 to ISO #45
      resulted in a percentage gain of approximately 4%. An increase in taper from 0.02
      through 0.08 resulted in percentage gains of approximately 74%, 5.4%, and 2.4%
      increase, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The data demonstrated that an increase in
      apical preparation size and taper resulted in a statistically significant
      increase in the volume of irrigant. In addition, an apical enlargement to ISO #40
      with a 0.04 taper will allow for tooth structure preservation and maximum volume
      of irrigation at the apical third when using the apical negative pressure
      irrigation system.

PMID- 20307750
TI  - Dissolution of nickel-titanium endodontic files via an electrochemical process: a
      new concept for future retrieval of fractured files in root canals.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The retrieval of fractured instruments from root canals has been
      largely reported in the literature. However, a less complex retrieval method that
      causes minimum damage to the dental structures is needed. The aim of this article
      is to introduce a new concept of retrieval of fractured instruments from root
      canals based on an electrochemical process. METHODS: Current register tests were
      used to evaluate the dissolution process of 25.04 nickel-titanium (NiTi) K3
      rotary files. A constant anodic potential was applied to the NiTi files, whereas
      the Potentiostat registered the anodic current. After the tests, all files were
      observed by using an optical microscope. RESULTS: The current attained initial
      values of approximately 55 mA that declined during the entire test. A good
      reproducibility of results was observed. The optical microscopy analysis
      evidenced a progressive consumption of the files with increasing polarization
      time. CONCLUSIONS: The results presented here show that the concept of fractured
      file retrieval by an electrochemical process is feasible. This concept resulted
      in a consistent basis for the development of a method to remove fractured
      instruments from root canals.

PMID- 20307752
TI  - Comparison of bacterial reduction in straight and curved canals using erbium,
      chromium:yttrium-scandium-gallium-garnet laser treatment versus a traditional
      irrigation technique with sodium hypochlorite.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study compared the reduction of Enterococcus faecalis in
      straight and curved canals using an erbium, chromium:yttrium-scandium-gallium
      garnet laser and irrigation with 6.15% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl). METHODS:
      Fifty-five single-rooted extracted teeth were divided into straight and curved
      canal groups. The root lengths were standardized (14.0mm) and NiTi instruments
      were used to prepare the canals to a size #40/0.06 taper. Irrigation was
      performed with 6.15% NaOCl and RCPrep (Premier Dental Products Co, Plymouth
      Meeting, PA) as lubricant. The smear layer was removed with 17% EDTA. The samples
      were sterilized, inoculated with E. faecalis, and incubated for 48 hours at 37
      degrees in a CO(2) chamber. They were then divided into 7 groups: NaOCl in
      straight canals (NS); NaOCl in curved canals (NC); laser in straight canals (LS);
      laser in curved canals (LC); positive control straight canals (PCS); positive
      control curved canals (PCC); and negative control (NegC). Bacterial reduction was
      measured by counting the colony-forming units (CFUs) and determining the optical
      density. RESULTS: Groups NS, NC, and LS exhibited bacterial growth in 1 out of 10
      samples (10%). In group LC, three out of 10 samples (30%) showed bacterial
      growth. Kruskal-Wallis showed a statistically significant difference between all
      treatment groups and the positive controls (p<0.001). Analysis of variance showed
      a statistical significant difference in optic density between experimental and
      positive controls. CONCLUSIONS: Traditional irrigation techniques using 6.15%
      NaOCl effectively eliminated all bacteria in straight and curved canals.
      Er,Cr:YSGG laser also effectively removed all bacteria from straight canals.
      However, in three curved canals, even though there were significant bacterial
      reductions, they failed to render canals completely free of bacteria.

PMID- 20307753
TI  - Distortion and breakage of Liberator, EndoSequence, and ProFile systems in
      severely curved roots of molars.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of
      endodontic file distortion and breakage when the Liberator (Miltex Inc, York,
      PA), EndoSequence (Brasseler USA, Savannah, GA), and ProFile (Tulsa Dental
      Products, Tulsa, OK) systems were used to instrument severely curved root canals
      of extracted human molars. METHODS: Eighty-four roots of extracted human molars
      with curvatures measuring 40 degrees to 80 degrees were used. The roots were
      randomly assigned into four groups based on the rotary instrumentation system:
      group 1, ProFile (.04 taper); group 2, EndoSequence (.04 taper); group 3,
      Liberator (.04 taper); and group 4, Liberator (.02 taper). RESULTS: File
      distortion was 19.4%, 10%, 44.4%, and 59.1% for the ProFile, EndoSequence, and
      Liberator .04 and Liberator .02 groups, respectively. There were statistically
      significant differences between the ProFile and Liberator .04 groups (p < 0.05),
      the ProFile and Liberator .02 groups (p < 0.01), the EndoSequence and Liberator
      .04 groups (p < 0.01), and the EndoSequence and Liberator .02 groups (p < 0.01).
      Broken files occurred in 2.8% of the ProFile group and 7.4% of the Liberator .04
      group. There were no broken files in the EndoSequence or Liberator .02 groups. No
      statistically significant differences were found among the four groups (p = 0.28)
      with regard to file breakage. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that more file
      distortions occurred in both Liberator groups than with either the ProFile or the
      EndoSequence groups to a statistically significant degree.

PMID- 20307754
TI  - Effect of final irrigation regimen on sealer penetration in curved root canals.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of different
      final irrigation regimens on the sealer penetration into dentinal tubules of
      curved root canals. METHODS: The mesiobuccal canals from 45 extracted maxillary
      and mandibular molars were instrumented with sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl)
      irrigation. The samples were divided into 3 groups according to the final
      irrigation used: group N (control), 3.5% NaOCl; group E, 17%
      ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA); and group EN, 17% EDTA followed by 3.5%
      NaOCl. All teeth were obturated with gutta-percha and AH Plus sealer labeled with
      fluorescent dye. Transverse sections at 2 mm (apical) and 5 mm (coronal) from
      root apex were examined by using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Then, total
      percentage and maximum depth of sealer penetration were measured. RESULTS: The
      apical sections in each group showed significantly lower percentage and maximum
      depth of sealer penetration than the coronal sections (P < .05). In apical
      levels, group E and EN resulted in a higher percentage of sealer penetration than
      the control group (P < .05), but there was no significant difference of maximum
      depth between group E and the control group (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: In curved
      canal, final rinse with NaOCl after the use of EDTA had no additional effect on
      sealer penetration. Complete debridement with a 1-minute application of EDTA
      remains a challenge in the apical area of curved canals.

PMID- 20307755
TI  - Study on the influence of refreshment/activation cycles and irrigants on
      mechanical cleaning efficiency during ultrasonic activation of the irrigant.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aims of this study were to evaluate dentin debris removal from
      the root canal during ultrasonic activation of sodium hypochlorite (2% and 10%),
      carbonated water, and distilled water and to determine the influence of 3
      ultrasonic refreshment/activation cycles of the irrigant by using the
      intermittent flush technique. METHODS: Root canals with a standardized groove in
      1 canal wall, which was filled with dentin debris, were irrigated ultrasonically.
      The irrigant was refreshed and ultrasonically activated 3 times for 20 seconds.
      The quantity of dentin debris after irrigation was determined after each
      refreshment/activation cycle. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasonic activation of
      the irrigant combined with the intermittent flush method produces a cumulative
      effect over 3 refreshment/activation cycles. Sodium hypochlorite as an irrigant
      is significantly more effective than carbonated water, which is significantly
      more effective than distilled water, in removing dentin debris from the root
      canal during ultrasonic activation.

PMID- 20307756
TI  - Flexural fatigue and torsional resistance of ProFile GT and ProFile GT series X
      instruments.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to compare the flexural fatigue and
      torsional resistance of ProFile GT and GT Series X instruments, taking into
      account their structural and dimensional characteristics. METHODS: Instrument
      diameter at each millimeter from the tip and pitch length were the dimensional
      parameters measured. Chemical composition was determined by energy-dispersive x
      ray spectroscopy and phase constitution by x-ray diffraction. Vickers
      microhardness measurements were performed to assess instrument strength. One
      group of 20/.06 GT and GTX instruments (n = 10 each) was tested until failure in
      a flexural fatigue test device, whereas another group of 20/.04 files (n = 10
      each) was tested in torsion based on ISO 3630-1. RESULTS: GT and GTX instruments
      showed approximately the same chemical composition, namely 51at%Ni-49at%Ti
      (56wt%Ni-44wt%Ti) and contained mainly the beta-phase. GTX instruments showed
      higher intensity x-ray diffraction peaks and a statistically higher Vickers
      microhardness. There was a significant decrease in the diameter of GTX in
      relation to GT instruments from D6 to D9 for 20/.04 instruments and from D4 to D7
      for 20/.06 instruments. Pitch length increased along the active part of both
      instruments, with a steeper increase in GTX. In general, GT Series X instruments
      were significantly more resistant to flexural fatigue than were similar GT
      instruments (p < 0.001) but exhibited lower torsional strength (p < 0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: Different structural and dimensional characteristics were found in
      GTX instruments in comparison with GT instruments; this is probably the cause for
      their higher flexural fatigue resistance and lower torsional strength.

PMID- 20307758
TI  - Case report: Diagnosis and treatment of a botryoid odontogenic cyst found in the
      maxillary anterior region.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The botryoid odontogenic cyst (BOC) is a multicompartmentalized
      variant of the lateral periodontal cyst (LPC) that is typically found in the
      premolar-canine region of the mandible. METHODS: A 60-year old man was referred
      for evaluation of a radiolucent lesion discovered on a routine examination.
      Radiographs revealed a unilocular radiolucency between the roots of teeth #10 and
      #11. Clinically, the site appeared normal with minimal probing depths, and there
      were no signs of swelling, bleeding, or mobility of the adjacent teeth. The pulps
      of both teeth responded to cold without lingering. After patient consent, the
      lesion was accessed by a mucoperiosteal flap, curetted from its bony cavity, and
      submitted for biopsy. The site was then treated with a bone allograft and a
      collagen membrane. RESULTS: The diagnosis of a BOC was made based on location and
      the histopathological findings of multiple cystic spaces lined by nonkeratinized
      stratified squamous epithelium. The 22-month follow-up revealed a normal clinical
      appearance with evidence of radiographic bone fill at the site of the lesion.
      CONCLUSION: This case shows an unusual presentation of a BOC in both location and
      radiographic appearance and emphasizes the importance of a microscopic
      examination of unilocular lesions when associated with teeth having normal
      responding vital pulps. The relatively high recurrence rate for the BOC warrants
      periodic follow-up.

PMID- 20307757
TI  - Effect of vapor lock on root canal debridement by using a side-vented needle for
      positive-pressure irrigant delivery.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study examined the effect of vapor lock on canal debridement
      efficacy by testing the null hypothesis that there is no difference between a
      "closed" and an "open" system design in smear layer and debris removal by using a
      side-vented needle for irrigant delivery. METHODS: Roots in the closed system
      were sealed with hot glue and embedded in polyvinylsiloxane to restrict fluid
      flow through the apical foramen during cleaning and shaping. For the open system,
      the apical foramen was enlarged and connected to the external environment via a
      channel within the polyvinylsiloxane to permit unrestricted fluid flow. Smear and
      debris scores were evaluated by using scanning electron microscopy and analyzed
      by using Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel statistic. RESULTS: No difference in smear
      scores was detected between the 2 systems at all canal levels. Significant
      differences in debris scores between the 2 systems were found at each canal
      level: coronal (P < .001), middle (P < .001), and apical (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS:
      The null hypothesis was rejected; presence of an apical vapor lock effect
      adversely affects debridement efficacy. Thus, studies with unspecified or
      questionable mechanisms to restrict fluid flow through the apical foramen have to
      be interpreted with caution.

PMID- 20307759
TI  - Orthodontic-surgical-endodontic management of unerupted maxillary central incisor
      with distoangular root dilaceration.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Root dilaceration refers to a dental anomaly characterized by an
      abrupt deviation in the longitudinal axis of the tooth. It can be localized in
      the crown, between the crown and the root, or, most frequently, in the root. This
      report describes a horizontally unerupted maxillary central incisor with
      distoangular root dilacerations most likely caused by a traumatic dental injury
      to its primary predecessor. METHODS: Surgical-orthodontic traction was applied
      after the redistribution of the space in the anterior maxillary region. RESULTS:
      Root dilaceration of the tractioned tooth was evident and did not allow the
      alignment of the tooth into proper position in the dental arch. Root canal
      filling and apicoectomy were performed. This procedure restored the normal
      appearance of the anterior maxillary teeth. CONCLUSION: Long-term follow-up (8
      years) by periapical radiography indicated stable periodontal health without the
      presence of root resorption.

PMID- 20307761
TI  - The view from the third rail.

PMID- 20307760
TI  - Effect of unintentionally extruded mineral trioxide aggregate in treatment of
      tooth with periradicular lesion: a case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This case report describes the effect of unintentionally extruded
      mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) into periradicular lesions and tissues on the
      prognosis of periradicular healing in maxillary left central incisor with
      periradicular lesion. METHODS: A 17-year-old girl with a large periradicular
      lesion from the apices of her maxillary left central to lateral incisors was
      referred. Tooth #9 had an open apex, but tooth #10 was normal. Conservative root
      canal treatment was performed to tooth #10. The apical third of the canal of
      tooth #9 was filled with MTA as an apical plug because of open apex. During this
      procedure, a radiograph was taken, and it showed an excessive extrusion of MTA
      into the periradicular lesion. The remaining canal space was filled with gutta
      percha and AH Plus sealer by using a lateral condensation technique. RESULTS: At
      follow-up examinations, the tooth was asymptomatic and radiographically showed
      repair of the lesion. Healing was achieved without any need for further
      endodontic surgical intervention. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this case showed
      that complete periapical healing is possible despite the extrusion of the MTA.
      This might be due to biologic properties of the MTA. Even so, extrusion of the
      filling material is not advocated.

PMID- 20307762
TI  - Investigation of impacted permanent teeth except the third molar in Chinese
      patients through an X-ray study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the incidence and the local factors of impacted permanent
      teeth, except for the third molar, in Chinese patients through an x-ray study.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 548 impacted permanent teeth from panoramic
      radiographs were studied and recorded according to the patients' gender and age,
      tooth position, and classification of impaction. The local factors contributing
      to impacted permanent tooth were also investigated. RESULTS: The incidence of
      impacted permanent teeth in the Chinese was 6.15%. The impacted tooth showed a
      predilection for women and was more common in the maxilla. The impaction of the
      canine had the greatest occurrence, 28.10% of all impacted teeth. Vertical
      impaction was most common (49.09%). The chief local factor for impacted teeth was
      the lack of interdental space (49.64%). CONCLUSIONS: All permanent teeth can
      occur with impaction in Chinese patients. Dentists should perform a thorough
      evaluation before planning suitable treatment.

PMID- 20307763
TI  - Effect of nicotine on gene expression of angiogenic and osteogenic factors in a
      rabbit model of bone regeneration.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aims to evaluate the influence of nicotine on the gene
      expression of osteogenic and angiogenic factors in bone regeneration by use of a
      nicotine-compromised rabbit model of mandibular lengthening. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Thirty adult New Zealand white rabbits were randomly assigned to the
      nicotine group or the control group. The total nicotine or placebo exposure time
      for all animals was 7 weeks. Unilateral mandibular distraction osteogenesis was
      performed. Five animals in each group were sacrificed at day 5, day 11, and day
      18, respectively, after commencement of active distraction. The distraction
      regenerate samples were harvested, and the messenger ribonucleic acid expression
      of bone transforming growth factor beta(1), platelet-derived growth factor A, and
      basic fibroblast growth factor was assayed by real-time polymerase chain reaction
      analysis. RESULTS: The messenger ribonucleic acid expression of transforming
      growth factor beta(1), platelet-derived growth factor A, and basic fibroblast
      growth factor was significantly inhibited by nicotine exposure at a variety of
      time points. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of nicotine inhibited the gene expression
      of angiogenic and osteogenic factors resulting in compromised bone regeneration.

PMID- 20307764
TI  - Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw associated with dental implants.
AB  - PURPOSE: Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) is a well
      documented devastating side effect of long-term bisphosphonate (BP) use. There is
      scarce information in the literature on BRONJ associated with dental implants
      (DIs). The purpose of this study was to present a large series of cases of this
      association. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The files of all patients with BRONJ
      associated with DIs who were treated in the department of oral and maxillofacial
      surgery from 2003 to 2009 were reviewed. Data on demographics, medical
      background, type, and duration of BP treatment before the development of BRONJ,
      mode of therapy, and therapeutic outcome were retrieved. RESULTS: Of the 27
      patients enrolled into the study, 11 (41%) developed BRONJ while taking oral BPs
      and 16 (59%) developed BRONJ associated with intravenous BPs. BRONJ developed
      after mean periods of 68 months (median, 60), 16.4 months (median, 13), and 50.2
      months (median, 35) in patients on alendronate, zoledronic acid, and pamidronate,
      respectively. Only 6 patients developed BRONJ during the first 6 months after DI
      placement. When BP treatment had been started before DI placement, there was a
      mean duration of 16.2 months (median, 11) until the appearance of BRONJ
      development. Long-term antibiotics and only essential surgical procedures
      comprised the treatment of choice, and the response rate was considerably better
      for patients taking the oral type of BPs. There was no significant association
      between BRONJ and diabetes, steroid intake, or smoking habits. CONCLUSION:
      Patients undergoing BP treatment and who receive DIs require a prolonged follow
      up period to detect any development of BRONJ associated with DIs.

PMID- 20307766
TI  - "13-23-30" anatomic approach for maxillary full-arch implant reconstruction: a
      case report and surgical-prosthetic considerations.
AB  - For the past 30 years, implant treatment has been advocated for partially and
      fully edentulous patients to improve function, esthetics, phonetics, and comfort.
      Patients can now benefit from removable and fixed implant-retained and implant
      supported prostheses using the bone-anchoring techniques of endosseous
      osseointegrated implants. Much research has been done on complete maxillary
      implant reconstruction because of the large number of patients with edentulous
      maxillas and an enormous armamentarium of surgical-prosthetic implant techniques
      used in these cases. In the present article, one more technique is recommended,
      an anatomically based surgical-prosthetic approach--"13-23-30"--that should help
      a clinician with the initial selection of implant sites when contemplating an
      implant treatment of edentulous maxilla with a fixed 6-implant-supported hybrid
      prosthesis. This technique is based on the anatomy and function of mastication of
      natural dentition. The rationale behind this anatomic concept of treatment is
      discussed, and a case report is presented.

PMID- 20307765
TI  - Occurrence of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw after surgical
      tooth extraction.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the occurrence of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of
      the jaw (BRONJ) in patients exposed to nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates (NBPs)
      requiring surgical tooth extraction. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty high-risk
      patients exposed to NBPs underwent surgical tooth extraction with bone biopsy and
      were treated with a 7-day cycle of oral antibiotics and discontinuation of NBPs
      for 1 month. BRONJ was defined as the occurrence of any BRONJ stage (0-3) at 3,
      6, or 12 months of follow-up. Inferential analysis was performed on a per-bone
      (maxilla and/or mandible) basis (n = 72). The time to BRONJ was calculated, and
      age, gender, cancer diagnosis, and baseline osteomyelitis were evaluated as
      potential predictors. Exact logistic regression was used to model the time-to
      outcome relationship, and hazard rates were calculated from logistic
      probabilities. RESULTS: BRONJ was detected at 3 months' follow-up in 4 bones and
      at 6 months in 1 further bone. In the whole cohort of bones, the hazard rate of
      BRONJ was 5.6% at 3 months and 1.5% at 6 months. Baseline osteomyelitis was a
      strong risk factor for BRONJ development (odds ratio, 156.96; exact 95%
      confidence interval, 18.99 to infinity; exact P < .0001). CONCLUSION: In this 12
      month follow-up study, BRONJ was a rare outcome in high-risk NBP users who
      underwent surgical tooth extraction. Moreover, baseline osteomyelitis was a very
      strong risk factor for BRONJ development.

PMID- 20307767
TI  - Effects of early functional loading on maintenance of free autogenous bone graft
      and implant osseointegration: an experimental study in dogs.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to investigate the healing,
      integration, and maintenance of autogenous onlay bone grafts and implant
      osseointegration either loaded in the early or the delayed stages. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A total of 5 male dogs received bilateral blocks of onlay bone grafts
      harvested from the contralateral alveolar ridge of the mandible. On one side, the
      bone block was secured by 3 dental implants (3.5 mm x 13.0 mm, Osseospeed;
      AstraTech AB, Molndal, Sweden). Two implants at the extremities of the graft were
      loaded 2 days after installation by abutment connection and prosthesis
      (simultaneous implant placement group); the implant in the middle remained
      unloaded and served as the control. On the other side, the block was fixed with 2
      fixation screws inserted in the extremities of the graft. Four weeks later, the
      fixation screws were replaced with 3 dental implants. The loading procedure
      (delayed implant placement group) was performed 2 days later, as described for
      the simultaneous implant placement sites. The animals were sacrificed 12 weeks
      after the grafting procedure. Implant stability was measured through resonance
      frequency analysis. The bone volume and density were assessed on computed
      tomography. The bone to implant contact and bone area in a region of interest
      were evaluated on histologic slides. RESULTS: The implant stability quotient
      showed statistical significance in favor of the delayed loaded grafts (P = .001).
      The bone-to-implant contact (P = .008) and bone area in a region of interest (P =
      0.005) were significantly greater in the delayed group. Nevertheless, no
      difference was found in terms of graft volume and density between the early
      loaded and delayed-loaded approaches. CONCLUSIONS: The protocol in which the
      implant and bone graft were given delayed loading allows for effective quality of
      implant osseointegration and stabilization, with healing and remodeling occurring
      in areas near the implant resulting in denser bone architecture.

PMID- 20307768
TI  - Maxillary sinus floor augmentation and simultaneous implant placement using
      locally harvested autogenous bone chips and bone debris: a prospective clinical
      study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate the status of
      implants, marginal bone loss, and outcome of maxillary sinus floor augmentation
      in patients undergoing maxillary sinus lift and simultaneous implant placement
      with the use of bone grafts harvested adjacent to the actual surgical site.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients in need of maxillary sinus floor augmentation to
      enable implant placement were enrolled in 2 different groups. In group A, a "bone
      trap" was used to harvest bone debris during implant preparation with additional
      bone collected by further drilling adjacent to the implant sites. In group B, a
      "bone scraper" was used to harvest cortical bone chips from the zygomatic
      buttress and from the lateral sinus wall before opening of a bony window. All
      patients were provided a fixed partial denture after a healing period of 3 to 6
      months. A total of 61 patients with 81 Straumann implants (Institut Straumann AG,
      Basel, Switzerland) were assessed, with 17 patients (20 implants) in group A and
      44 patients (61 implants) in group B. RESULTS: One implant was lost (in group B)
      before loading. The survival rate after a follow-up of 12 to 60 months was 98.8%.
      There was no significant difference in marginal bone loss on the mesial and
      distal sides of the implant when baseline to 1-year registration was compared
      with baseline to final registration. During the same time, graft height decreased
      significantly on the distal apical side of the implants. CONCLUSIONS: Bone grafts
      can be locally harvested at the site of the maxillary sinus augmentation
      procedure to enable placement, successful healing, and loading of 1 to 3
      implants.

PMID- 20307769
TI  - Surgical management of a giant cavernous hemangioma involving the lower lip:
      report of a case and review of the literature.

PMID- 20307770
TI  - Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw combined with jaw metastasis of
      prostate adenocarcinoma: report of a case.

PMID- 20307771
TI  - Low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma: clinical study and case report.

PMID- 20307772
TI  - Is nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome really so rare? Proposal for an
      investigative protocol based on a case series.

PMID- 20307773
TI  - Interleukin 12 receptor beta1 chain deficiency in a child with disseminated
      tuberculosis: a case report.

PMID- 20307774
TI  - Endoscopically assisted repair of mandibular angle fractures.

PMID- 20307775
TI  - Simultaneous modified oblique Le Fort III and segmentalized Le Fort I
      osteotomies.

PMID- 20307776
TI  - Reconstructing large palate defects: the double buccinator myomucosal island
      flap.

PMID- 20307777
TI  - Buccinator myomucosal flap as soft tissue covering for vascularized free fibular
      flap in anterior maxillary bony defects.

PMID- 20307778
TI  - Sagittal split genioplasty: a new technique.

PMID- 20307779
TI  - The vacuum-assisted closure in treating craniofacial wounds.

PMID- 20307780
TI  - Modified palatal flap--a simpler approach for removal of palatal tori.

PMID- 20307781
TI  - Antibiotic prophylaxis in artificial joint patients.

PMID- 20307782
TI  - In reply to "Etiology of hyperparathyroidism in McCune-Albright syndrome".

PMID- 20307783
TI  - Removal of large complex odontoma using Le Fort I osteotomy.

PMID- 20307785
TI  - High cervical transmasseteric anteroparotid approach for low subcondylar fracture
      of mandible.

PMID- 20307787
TI  - Intracranial vascular lesions and anatomical variants all residents should know.
AB  - The purpose of this article is to extensively illustrate pathologically and
      clinically proven cases of intracranial vascular lesions and variants accumulated
      at a tertiary referral center. These are organized by normal anatomy and
      variants, arterial lesions, and venous lesions. High-quality computed tomography,
      computed tomographic angiography, magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance
      angiography, 3D reconstruction, and angiographic figures illustrate the findings
      and complement a succinct review of this category of disease. Some cases are
      accompanied by histopathologic correlation. The reader of this article will gain
      or refresh information about intracranial vascular lesions and variants for
      clinical practice and for preparation for certifying examinations and clinical
      practice. The text and figures aid recognition of these entities and emphasize
      anatomy, clinical context, and differential diagnosis. These can aid the
      radiologist in arriving at the appropriate diagnosis.

PMID- 20307788
TI  - Vascular abnormalities of the spine: an imaging review.
AB  - The purpose of this educational article is to present a variety of vascular
      abnormalities of the spine to aid in recognition and accurate diagnosis. The
      lesions differ in clinical presentation, prognosis, and treatment. This has
      implications for patient care including treatment options. We provide an example
      based illustrated glossary to help the reader identify varying types of vascular
      spine lesions. Collected cross-sectional and angiographic imaging of the spine
      from our tertiary care institution provides a clear patient-based representation.

PMID- 20307789
TI  - How's your disk? Illustrative glossary of degenerative disk lesions using
      standardized lexicon.
AB  - The growing demand for structured reporting in radiology requires acceptance and
      familiarity of standard terms. This article clearly summarizes and illustrates
      the standard lexicon and classification scheme for degenerative lumbar disk
      pathology. First-year residents and veteran radiologists will gain/refresh
      knowledge of the lexicon for standard reporting. We provide an example-based
      illustrated glossary that contains diagrams and referenced descriptive
      explanations to illustrate disk lesions in the current standardized lexicon.
      Collected cross-sectional imaging of the spine from our tertiary care institution
      provides a clear patient-based representation of elements in the lexicon.

PMID- 20307790
TI  - Congratulations on the 10-year anniversary of the National Drug Abuse Treatment
      Clinical Trial Network--now, what's new for the coming decade?

PMID- 20307791
TI  - Equivalence of family functioning and externalizing behaviors in adolescent
      substance users of different race/ethnicity.
AB  - The Brief Strategic Family Therapy for Adolescent Drug Abuse clinical trial of
      480 adolescents boys and girls aged 12 to 17 years and their parents was designed
      to maximize the chance that a sufficient number of Hispanic and Black adolescents
      would be included to allow valid subgroup comparisons. Examination of measurement
      invariance is an important step to ensure valid analysis. Two construct areas
      important to the analysis of trial results, adolescent problem behaviors, and
      family functioning showed a high degree of measurement invariance, which allowed
      valid comparisons of mean baseline differences across groups. Results showed that
      Black families had significantly higher initial levels of family functioning and
      lower levels of adolescent externalizing behaviors than either Hispanic or White
      non-Hispanic families. This pattern is consistent with an increased likelihood of
      referral of Black adolescents with more severe problems to restricted setting
      rather than to outpatient drug abuse treatment. This possibility highlights the
      importance of considering differing baseline characteristics of subgroups prior
      to assessing differential treatment effectiveness to prevent confounding.

PMID- 20307792
TI  - Study results from the Clinical Trials Network's first 10 years: where do they
      lead?
AB  - The National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN) began in 2000
      with the goal of "improv[ing] the quality of drug abuse treatment throughout the
      country using science as the vehicle." Since then, 24 discrete clinical trials
      were launched, 20 are completed, and 15 have published main outcome papers. Of
      the latter, 4 tested pharmacological treatment, 8 psychosocial/behavioral
      treatment, 1 a combination of medication and counseling, and 2 targeted
      HIV/hepatitis C virus risk behavior. We review main study findings for these
      trials, including treatment retention, substance use or risk behavior outcomes,
      and secondary outcomes when analyzed. The purpose of this review is to identify
      the incremental progress toward improving drug treatment made by these trials and
      to propose next steps for the CTN and for the field arising from these studies.
      The CTN provides a unique opportunity to systematically design trials that
      incorporate treatment improvements from previous trials and to direct efforts
      toward innovations most likely to be incorporated into practice.

PMID- 20307794
TI  - The first decade of the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network:
      bridging the gap between research and practice to improve drug abuse treatment.
AB  - The National Institute on Drug Abuse established the National Drug Abuse
      Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN) in 1999 to improve the quality of
      addiction treatment using science as the vehicle. The network brings providers
      from community-based drug abuse treatment programs and scientists from university
      based research centers together in an alliance that fosters bidirectional
      communication and collaboration. Collaboration enhanced the relevance of research
      to practice and facilitated the development and implementation of evidence-based
      treatments in community practice settings. The CTN's 20 completed trials tested
      pharmacological, behavioral, and integrated treatment interventions for
      adolescents and adults; more than 11,000 individuals participated in the trials.
      This article reviews the rationale for the CTN, describes the translation of its
      guiding principles into research endeavors, and anticipates the future evolution
      of clinical research within the Network.

PMID- 20307793
TI  - Partnerships and pathways of dissemination: the National Institute on Drug Abuse
      Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Blending Initiative in
      the Clinical Trials Network.
AB  - Since 2001, the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN) has
      worked to put the results of its trials into the hands of community treatment
      programs, in large part through its participation in the National Institute on
      Drug Abuse-Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Blending
      Initiative and its close involvement with the Center for Substance Abuse
      Treatment's Addiction Technology Transfer Centers. This article describes (a) the
      CTN's integral role in the Blending Initiative, (b) key partnerships and
      dissemination pathways through which the results of CTN trials are developed into
      blending products and then transferred to community treatment programs, and (c)
      three blending initiatives involving buprenorphine, motivational incentives, and
      motivational interviewing. The Blending Initiative has resulted in high
      utilization of its products, preparation of more than 200 regional trainers,
      widespread training of service providers in most U.S. States, Puerto Rico, and
      the U.S. Virgin Islands and movement toward the development of Web-based
      implementation supports and technical assistance. Implications for future
      directions of the Blending Initiative and opportunities for research are
      discussed.

PMID- 20307795
TI  - A longitudinal study of organizational formation, innovation adoption, and
      dissemination activities within the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials
      Network.
AB  - The National Institute on Drug Abuse established the National Drug Abuse
      Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN) to conduct trials of promising substance
      abuse treatment interventions in diverse clinical settings and to disseminate
      results of these trials. This article focuses on three dimensions of CTN's
      organizational functioning. First, a longitudinal dataset is used to examine
      CTN's formation as a network of interorganizational interaction among treatment
      practitioners and researchers. Data indicate strong relationships of interaction
      and trust, but a decline in problem-centered interorganizational interaction over
      time. Second, adoption of buprenorphine and motivational incentives among CTN's
      affiliated community treatment programs (CTPs) is examined over three waves of
      data. Although adoption is found to increase with CTPs' CTN participation, there
      is only modest evidence of widespread penetration and implementation. Third,
      CTPs' pursuit of the CTN's dissemination goals are examined, indicating that such
      organizational outreach activities are underway and likely to increase innovation
      diffusion in the future.

PMID- 20307796
TI  - From research to the real world: buprenorphine in the decade of the Clinical
      Trials Network.
AB  - The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) established the National Drug Abuse
      Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN) in 1999 to bring researchers and
      treatment providers together to develop a clinically relevant research agenda.
      Initial CTN efforts addressed the use of buprenorphine, a mu-opioid partial
      agonist, as treatment for opioid dependence. Strong evidence of buprenorphine's
      therapeutic efficacy was demonstrated in clinical trials involving several
      thousand opioid-dependent participants, and in 2002, the Food and Drug
      Administration approved buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid dependence.
      With the advent of a sublingual tablet containing both buprenorphine and naloxone
      to mitigate abuse and diversion (Suboxone), buprenorphine appeared poised to be
      the first-line treatment for opioid addiction. Notwithstanding its many
      attributes, certain implementation barriers remained to be addressed in CTN
      studies, and these efforts have brought a body of knowledge on buprenorphine to
      frontline clinicians. The purpose of this article is to review CTN-based
      buprenorphine research and related efforts to overcome challenges to the
      implementation of buprenorphine therapy in mainstream practice. Furthermore, this
      article explores current issues and future challenges that may require additional
      CTN efforts.

PMID- 20307797
TI  - Motivational incentives research in the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical
      Trials Network.
AB  - The purpose of this article is to review both main findings and secondary
      analyses from studies of abstinence incentives conducted in the National Drug
      Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN). Previous research has supported
      the efficacy of tangible incentives provided contingent on evidence of recent
      drug abstinence. CTN conducted the first multisite effectiveness trial of this
      novel intervention. Study participants were stimulant abusers (N = 803)
      participating in treatment at 14 clinical sites and randomly assigned to
      treatment as usual with or without a prize draw incentive program. Study
      participants could earn up to $400 over 3 months for submission of drug-free
      urine and breath (BAL) specimens. Three-month retention was significantly
      improved by incentives offered to psychosocial counseling clients (50% incentive
      vs. 35% control retained), whereas ongoing stimulant drug use was significantly
      reduced in methadone maintenance clients (54.4% incentive vs. 38.7% control
      samples testing stimulant-negative). In both settings, duration of continuous
      abstinence achieved was improved in the incentive condition. These studies
      support effectiveness of one abstinence incentive intervention and highlight the
      different outcomes that can be expected with application in methadone maintenance
      versus psychosocial counseling treatment settings. Secondary analyses have shown
      the importance of early treatment positive versus negative urine screens in
      moderating the outcome of abstinence incentives and have explored both safety and
      cost-effectiveness of the intervention. Implications for the use of motivational
      incentive methods in clinical practice are discussed.

PMID- 20307798
TI  - Using a latent variable approach to inform gender and racial/ethnic differences
      in cocaine dependence: a National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network
      study.
AB  - This study applies a latent variable approach to examine gender and racial/ethnic
      differences in cocaine dependence, to determine the presence of differential item
      functioning (DIF) or item-response bias to diagnostic questions of cocaine
      dependence, and to explore the effects of DIF on the predictor analysis of
      cocaine dependence. The analysis sample included 682 cocaine users enrolled in
      two national multisite studies of the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical
      Trials Network (CTN). Participants were recruited from 14 community-based
      substance abuse treatment programs associated with the CTN, including 6 methadone
      and 8 outpatient nonmethadone programs. Factor and multiple indicators-multiple
      causes (MIMIC) procedures evaluated the latent continuum of cocaine dependence
      and its correlates. MIMIC analysis showed that men exhibited lower odds of
      cocaine dependence than women (regression coefficient, beta = -0.34), controlling
      for the effects of DIF, years of cocaine use, addiction treatment history,
      comorbid drug dependence diagnoses, and treatment setting. There were no
      racial/ethnic differences in cocaine dependence; however, DIF by race/ethnicity
      was noted. Within the context of multiple community-based addiction treatment
      settings, women were more likely than men to exhibit cocaine dependence.
      Addiction treatment research needs to further evaluate gender-related differences
      in drug dependence in treatment entry and to investigate how these differences
      may affect study participation, retention, and treatment response to better serve
      this population.

PMID- 20307799
TI  - Pain and continued opioid use in individuals receiving buprenorphine-naloxone for
      opioid detoxification: secondary analyses from the Clinical Trials Network.
AB  - Pain complaints are common among individuals with opioid dependence. However, few
      studies investigate pain during opioid detoxification or the impact this pain has
      on continued opioid use. This secondary analysis utilized data from two Clinical
      Trials Network randomized controlled trials of buprenorphine-naloxone for short
      term opioid detoxification to examine the extent to which pain was associated
      with continued opioid use during and immediately following a 13-day
      detoxification protocol. At follow-up, more severe pain was associated with a
      greater number of self-reported days of opioid use during the prior 30 days (p <
      .05) but was not associated with urine toxicology results collected at follow-up.
      These results, although mixed, have potentially important clinical implications
      for assessing and addressing pain during opioid detoxification. Pain that is
      experienced during and immediately following medically monitored detoxification
      may be associated with continued opioid use. These findings lend further support
      for continued research on pain among patients with opioid dependence.

PMID- 20307800
TI  - Predicting outpatient treatment entry following detoxification for injection drug
      use: the impact of patient and program factors.
AB  - This article examines variables that predicted outpatient treatment entry within
      6 months of residential detoxification. Patient data were collected from 632
      injection drug users enrolled in a randomized trial conducted at eight
      detoxification programs within the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials
      Network (CTN) with follow-up assessments conducted at 2, 8, 16, and 24 weeks.
      Detoxification program characteristics were collected during this study and from
      a survey of CTN treatment organizations. Survival analysis found that estimated
      proportions of reported outpatient treatment entry varied across sites from .06
      to .72. A model-building approach determined variables significantly associated
      with outpatient treatment entry. The best predictive model contained five program
      level variables: accreditation, fewer beds, longer stays, shorter distance
      between detoxification and outpatient unit, and larger city population. Results
      suggest the importance of detoxification program characteristics in facilitating
      further treatment and the need for systems modifications to improve continuity of
      care.

PMID- 20307801
TI  - Multisite effectiveness trials of treatments for substance abuse and co-occurring
      problems: have we chosen the best designs?
AB  - Multisite effectiveness trials such as those carried out in the National Drug
      Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN) are a critical step in the
      development and dissemination of evidence-based treatments because they address
      how such treatments perform in real-world clinical settings. As Brigham et al.
      summarized in a recent article (G. S. Brigham, D. J. Feaster, P. G. Wakim, & C.
      L. Dempsey C. L., 2009), several possible experimental designs may be chosen for
      such effectiveness trials. These include (a) a new treatment intervention (Tx) is
      compared to an existing mode of community based treatment as usual (TAU): Tx
      versus TAU; (b) a new intervention is added to TAU and compared to TAU alone: Tx
      + TAU versus TAU; or (c) a new intervention is added to TAU and compared to a
      control condition added to TAU: Tx + TAU versus control + TAU. Each of these
      designs addresses a different question and has different potential strengths and
      weaknesses. As of December 2009, the primary outcome paper had been published for
      16 of the multisite randomized clinical trials conducted in the CTN, testing
      various treatments for drug abuse, HIV risk behavior, or related problems. This
      paper systematically examines, for each of the completed trials, the experimental
      design type chosen and its original rationale, the main findings of the trial,
      and the strengths and weaknesses of the design in hindsight. Based on this
      review, recommendations are generated to inform the design of future
      effectiveness trials on treatments for substance abuse, HIV risk, and other
      behavioral health problems.

PMID- 20307802
TI  - Effect of smoking scenes in films on immediate smoking: a randomized controlled
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The National Cancer Institute has concluded that exposure to smoking
      in movies causes adolescent smoking and there are similar results for young
      adults. PURPOSE: This study investigated whether exposure of young adult smokers
      to images of smoking in films stimulated smoking behavior. METHODS: 100 cigarette
      smokers aged 18-25 years were randomly assigned to watch a movie montage composed
      with or without smoking scenes and paraphernalia followed by a 10-minute recess.
      The outcome was whether or not participants smoked during the recess. Data were
      collected and analyzed in 2008 and 2009. RESULTS: Smokers who watched the smoking
      scenes were more likely to smoke during the break (OR=3.06, 95% CI=1.01, 9.29).
      In addition to this acute effect of exposure, smokers who had seen more smoking
      in movies before the day of the experiment were more likely to smoke during the
      break (OR=6.73, 95% CI=1.00, 45.25, comparing the top to bottom 5th percentiles
      of exposure). Level of nicotine dependence (OR=1.71, 95% CI=1.27, 2.32 per point
      on the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence scale); contemplation (OR=9.07,
      95% CI=1.71, 47.99) and precontemplation (OR=7.30, 95% CI=1.39, 38.36) stages of
      change; and impulsivity (OR=1.21, 95% CI=1.03, 1.43) were also associated with
      smoking during the break. Participants who watched the montage with smoking
      scenes and those with a higher level of nicotine dependence were also more likely
      to have smoked within 30 minutes after the study. CONCLUSIONS: There is a direct
      link between viewing smoking scenes and immediate subsequent smoking behavior.
      This finding suggests that individuals attempting to limit or quit smoking should
      be advised to refrain from or reduce their exposure to movies that contain
      smoking.

PMID- 20307803
TI  - Cigarette advertising and adolescent smoking.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although most agree that the association between tobacco marketing
      and youth smoking is causal, few studies have assessed the specificity of this
      association. PURPOSE: This study aims to examine the specificity of the
      association between cigarette advertising and teen smoking. METHODS: A cross
      sectional survey of 3415 German schoolchildren aged 10-17 years was conducted
      using masked images of six cigarette brands and eight other commercial products
      in 2008. The exposure variable was a combination of contact frequency
      (recognition) and brand names (cued recall). Sample quartile (Q) exposure to
      advertisement exposure was calculated in 2009. Outcome variables were ever tried
      and current (monthly) smoking, and susceptibility to smoking among never smokers.
      RESULTS: The prevalence of ever smoking was 31.1% and that of current smoking was
      7.4%, and 35.3% of never smokers were susceptible to smoking. Ad recognition
      rates ranged from 15% for a regionally advertised cigarette brand to 99% for a
      sweet. Lucky Strike and Marlboro were the most highly recognized cigarette brands
      (with ad recognition rates of 55% and 34%, respectively). After controlling for a
      range of established influences on smoking behaviors, the adjusted ORs for having
      tried smoking were 1.97 (95% CI=1.40, 2.77) for Q4 exposure to cigarette ads
      compared with adolescents in Q1, 2.90 (95% CI=1.48, 5.66) for current smoking,
      and 1.79 (95% CI=1.32, 2.43) for susceptibility to smoking among never smokers.
      Exposure to ads for commercial products other than cigarettes was significantly
      associated with smoking in crude but not multivariate models. CONCLUSIONS: This
      study underlines the specificity of the relationship between tobacco marketing
      and youth smoking, with exposure to cigarette ads, but not other ads, being
      associated with smoking behavior and intentions to smoke. This finding suggests a
      content-related effect of tobacco advertisements.

PMID- 20307804
TI  - Promoting primary care smoking-cessation support with quitlines: the QuitLink
      Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Counseling by clinicians promotes smoking cessation, but in most U.S.
      primary care practices, it is difficult to provide more than brief advice to quit
      in the course of routine work. Telephone quitlines can deliver effective
      intensive counseling, but few collaborate closely with clinicians. PURPOSE: This
      study aimed to determine whether cessation support in practices is enhanced by a
      systems approach, in partnership with quitlines. DESIGN: A cluster RCT was used.
      SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: Participants included 1817 adult smokers from 16 primary
      care practices in the Virginia Ambulatory Care Outcomes Research Network.
      INTERVENTION: An expanded tobacco-use "vital sign" intervention (identify
      smokers, advise cessation, and assess readiness to quit) that was combined with
      fax referral of preparation-stage smokers to a quitline providing feedback to
      practices was compared to a traditional tobacco-use vital sign alone. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: The frequency of cessation support (in-office discussion of
      methods to quit or quitline referral) reported by patients in an exit survey
      (September 2005-July 2006, analyzed in 2008) was measured. RESULTS: The adjusted
      percentage of smokers who reported receiving cessation support differed by 12.5%
      in intervention and control practices (40.7% vs 28.2%, respectively; p<0.001).
      Both in-office discussion of methods to quit and quitline referral increased
      significantly with the intervention. Post hoc analysis revealed that the increase
      in cessation was stable for both patient gender and visit type and was more
      pronounced with patients aged 35-54 years and with male and more experienced
      clinicians. CONCLUSIONS: A systems approach to identifying smokers, advising and
      assessing readiness to quit, combined with a partnership with a quitline,
      increases delivery of cessation support for primary care patients beyond that
      accomplished by traditional tobacco-use vital sign screening alone. CLINICAL
      TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT00112268.

PMID- 20307805
TI  - Television- and screen-based activity and mental well-being in adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sedentary behavior is emerging as an independent risk factor for
      physical health, although there is no existing evidence regarding mental well
      being. PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the association between recreational
      sedentary behavior (based on TV- and screen-based entertainment [TVSE] time) and
      mental health in a representative sample of adults. METHODS: Participants were
      3920 men and women (mean age 51.0+/-15.8 years) from the 2003 Scottish Health
      Survey. The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and the mental health component
      of the 12-Item Short-Form Survey Instrument (MCS-12) were administered to obtain
      information on current mental health. Self-reported TVSE time, physical activity,
      and physical function was also measured. Analyses were conducted in 2009.
      RESULTS: Approximately 25% of participants engaged in at least 4 hours/day of
      TVSE. In general linear models, TVSE time per week was independently associated
      with GHQ-12 score (higher scores represent worse mental health status) after
      adjustment for age, gender, physical activity, physical function, area
      deprivation level, smoking, alcohol, fruit and vegetable intake, and BMI. After
      full adjustment, participants in the group with the highest TVSE level (>4
      hours/day) had an increase in GHQ-12 score of 0.28 (95% CI=0.05, 0.51) compared
      with participants in the group with the lowest TVSE level (< or =2 hours/day). In
      stratified analyses, the association between TVSE time and GHQ-12 score persisted
      across all physical activity levels. Similar associations were observed using the
      MCS-12. CONCLUSIONS: Sedentary behavior in leisure time is independently
      associated with poorer mental health scores in a representative population
      sample.

PMID- 20307806
TI  - Racial disparities in hospitalizations for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Variation in the quality of ambulatory care may be a key factor in
      explaining disparities in health, and these disparities have large cost
      implications. PURPOSE: This study identified differences in hospitalization rates
      for elderly African-American and white Marylanders for eight ambulatory care
      sensitive conditions (ACSCs). It assessed the relative contribution of race to
      disparities in preventable hospitalizations after controlling for demographic and
      socioeconomic factors as well as underlying prevalence. It also estimated the
      excess cost associated with these disparities. METHODS: Using prevention quality
      indicator specifications from the Agency for Healthcare and Research Quality
      applied to 2006 Medicare claims data, eight ACSC hospitalization measures were
      developed for 569,896 Maryland Medicare beneficiaries. The analysis was conducted
      in 2008. A Poisson regression model identified race, age, gender, and income as
      factors associated with differences in ACSC hospitalization rates. Excess costs
      were estimated from excess hospitalizations of African Americans and the median
      cost per admission. RESULTS: African Americans had significantly higher rates of
      ACSC hospitalizations than whites for five of eight conditions after controlling
      for demographic, socioeconomic, and geographic factors. Excess costs from
      disparities in quality ranged from $8 million (heart failure) to $38,000 (urinary
      tract infection). CONCLUSIONS: Race may be a key predictor of preventable
      hospitalizations for some ACSCs. Racial disparities in these hospitalizations
      represent excess costs to Medicare. Because ACSC admissions are potentially
      preventable with optimal ambulatory care, improving care for minority populations
      may reduce disparities and lower hospital costs.

PMID- 20307807
TI  - Cancer screening in Native Americans from the Northern Plains.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Native Americans from the Northern Plains have the highest age
      adjusted cancer mortality compared to Native Americans from any other region in
      the U.S. PURPOSE: This study examined the utilization and determinants of cancer
      screening in a large sample of Native Americans from the Northern Plains.
      METHODS: A survey was administered orally to 975 individuals in 2004-2006 from
      three reservations and among the urban Native-American community in the service
      region of the Rapid City Regional Hospital. Data analysis was conducted in 2007
      2008. RESULTS: Forty-four percent of individuals reported ever receiving any
      cancer screening. Particularly low levels were found for breast, cervical,
      prostate, and colon cancer screening. In multivariate analyses, the strongest
      determinant of receiving cancer screening overall or cancer screening for a
      specific cancer site was recommendation for screening by a doctor or nurse. Other
      determinants associated with increased likelihood of ever having cancer screening
      included older age, female gender, and receiving physical exams more than once a
      year. Increased age was a determinant of breast cancer screening, and receiving
      physical exams was associated with cervical cancer screening. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer
      screening was markedly underutilized in this sample of Native Americans from the
      Northern Plains. Future research should evaluate the potential for improving
      cancer screening.

PMID- 20307808
TI  - Motivation for health screening: evaluation of social influence among Mexican
      American adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Americans of Mexican origin are at high risk for developing
      cardiovascular disease. PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the associations
      between the presence of social network members who encourage screening and
      individuals' motivation to undergo three types of health screening: blood
      cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood glucose. The distinct roles of encouragers
      from different generations (older, same, and younger) were evaluated. METHODS:
      Adults of Mexican origin (N=452) aged 20-75 years from 162 households in Houston
      TX were included in this cross-sectional study by completing surveys in 2008
      regarding their intentions to screen, health behaviors, illness beliefs, social
      networks, and family health history in either English or Spanish. Data were
      analyzed in 2009. RESULTS: About one third of the participants reported having at
      least one same-generation network member who encouraged screening; smaller
      proportions reported having at least one older- (17% to 19%) and one younger
      generation (11% to 12%) encourager. The presence of at least one older-generation
      encourager was associated with higher levels of intention to screen for all three
      screenings controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and illness beliefs.
      Having at least one same-generation encourager was associated with higher levels
      of intention to screen for blood cholesterol. CONCLUSIONS: Social influence may
      play an important role in motivating individuals to engage in screenings. Network
      based intervention involving older individuals to provide encouragement to
      younger network members should be explored as a means to increase motivation to
      screen among this population.

PMID- 20307809
TI  - Diabetes risk reduction behaviors among U.S. adults with prediabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diabetes can be prevented or delayed in high-risk adults through
      lifestyle modifications, including dietary changes, moderate-intensity exercise,
      and modest weight loss. However, the extent to which U.S. adults with prediabetes
      are making lifestyle changes consistent with reducing risk is unknown. PURPOSE:
      This study aimed to study lifestyle changes consistent with reducing diabetes
      risk and factors associated with their adoption among adults with prediabetes.
      METHODS: In 2009, data were analyzed from 1402 adults aged > or =20 years without
      diabetes who participated in the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition
      Examination Survey and had valid fasting plasma glucose and oral glucose
      tolerance tests. The extent to which adults with prediabetes report that in the
      past year they tried to control or lose weight, reduced the amount of fat or
      calories in their diet, or increased physical activity or exercise was estimated
      and factors associated with the adoption of these behaviors were examined.
      RESULTS: Almost 30% of the U.S. adult population had prediabetes in 2005-2006,
      but only 7.3% (95% CI=5.5%, 9.2%) were aware they had it. About half of adults
      with prediabetes reported performing diabetes risk reduction behaviors in the
      past year, but only about one third of adults with prediabetes had received
      healthcare provider advice about these behaviors in the past year. In
      multivariate analyses, provider advice, female gender, and being overweight or
      obese were positively associated with all three risk reduction behaviors.
      CONCLUSIONS: Adoption of risk reduction behaviors among U.S. adults with
      prediabetes is suboptimal. Efforts to improve awareness of prediabetes, increase
      promotion of healthy behaviors, and improve availability of evidence-based
      lifestyle programs are needed to slow the growth in new cases of diabetes.

PMID- 20307810
TI  - Physical activity and mortality risk in the Japanese elderly: a cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Physical activity recommendations for older adults with poor health
      needs to be understood. PURPOSE: This study aims to examine the association
      between the frequency of physical activity and mortality among a sample of
      elderly subjects, most of whom were under treatment for pre-existing disease.
      METHODS: Data on the frequency of leisure-time physical activity, walking for
      transportation, and non-exercise physical activity were obtained from a
      population-based cohort study in Shizuoka, Japan. Of the randomly selected 22,200
      residents aged 65-84 years, 10,385 subjects were followed from 1999 to 2006 and
      analyzed. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs were obtained for all-cause;
      cardiovascular disease (CVD); and cancer mortality, after adjusting for
      covariates such as pre-existing disease(s). A subgroup analysis that was
      restricted to subjects under treatment for pre-existing disease(s) at baseline
      was further conducted. Data were collected between 1999 and 2006, and all
      analyses were conducted in 2008 and 2009. RESULTS: Every physical activity was
      associated with a reduced risk of all-cause and CVD mortality, among not only the
      total sample but even those under treatment. The HRs for CVD mortality among
      participants with 5 or more days of non-exercise physical activity per week for
      the total sample and those with pre-existing disease(s) were 0.38 (95% CI=0.22,
      0.55) and 0.35 (95% CI=0.24, 0.52), respectively, compared with no non-exercise
      physical activity. The association between physical activity and cancer mortality
      was not clear. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests a protective effect of physical
      activity on all-cause and CVD mortality among Japanese elderly people with pre
      existing disease.

PMID- 20307811
TI  - Lower-body function, neighborhoods, and walking in an older population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Poor lower-body capacity is associated with reduced mobility in older
      populations. PURPOSE: This study sought to determine whether neighborhood
      environments (e.g., land-use patterns and safety) moderate that association.
      METHODS: The study is based on a cross-sectional sample of 884 people aged > or
      =65 years identified through service organizations in Alameda County CA, Cook
      County IL, Allegheny County PA, and Wake and Durham counties NC. In-person
      interviews focused on neighborhood characteristics, physical and cognitive
      function, and physical activity and walking. Functional capacity was tested using
      measures of lower-body strength, balance, and walking speed. The main outcome was
      time spent walking in a typical week (<150 vs > or =150 minutes per week).
      Objective environmental measures were also included. Estimates of main and
      interaction effects were derived from regression models. RESULTS: Living in a
      residential area, compared to a mixed-use or commercial area, was associated with
      less time spent walking (<150 minutes per week; OR=1.57, 95% CI=1.04, 2.38).
      Living in a less-compact area (greater median block length) is also significantly
      associated with less walking for seniors, but only among those with excellent
      lower-body strength. CONCLUSIONS: Neighborhood type is associated with walking
      among older people, as it is among the general adult population. In individuals
      with poor lower-body function, no association was found between residence in a
      less-compact area and walking. For those people, the relationship between
      neighborhood characteristics and walking requires further study.

PMID- 20307812
TI  - The built environment and location-based physical activity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies of the built environment and physical activity have
      implicitly assumed that a substantial amount of activity occurs near home, but in
      fact the location is unknown. PURPOSE: This study aims to examine associations
      between built environment variables within home and work buffers and moderate-to
      vigorous physical activity (MVPA) occurring within these locations. METHODS:
      Adults (n=148) from Massachusetts wore an accelerometer and GPS unit for up to 4
      days. Levels of MVPA were quantified within 50-m and 1-km home and work buffers.
      Multiple regression models were used to examine associations between five
      objective built environment variables within 1-km home and work buffers
      (intersection density, land use mix, population and housing unit density,
      vegetation index) and MVPA within those areas. RESULTS: The mean daily minutes of
      MVPA accumulated in all locations=61.1+/-32.8, whereas duration within the 1-km
      home buffers=14.0+/-16.4 minutes. Intersection density, land use mix, and
      population and housing unit density within 1-km home buffers were positively
      associated with MVPA in the buffer, whereas a vegetation index showed an inverse
      relationship (all p<0.05). None of these variables showed associations with total
      MVPA. Within 1 km of work, only population and housing unit density were
      significantly associated with MVPA within the buffer. CONCLUSIONS: Findings are
      consistent with studies showing that certain attributes of the built environment
      around homes are positively related to physical activity, but in this case only
      when the outcome was location-based. Simultaneous accelerometer-GPS monitoring
      shows promise as a method to improve understanding of how the built environment
      influences physical activity behaviors by allowing activity to be quantified in a
      range of physical contexts and thereby provide a more explicit link between
      physical activity outcomes and built environment exposures.

PMID- 20307814
TI  - Dissemination and implementation research on community-based cancer prevention: a
      systematic review.
AB  - CONTEXT: An extensive array of effective interventions for the prevention of
      cancer exists, suggesting that evidence is ready for widespread use. However, few
      of these approaches have been extensively utilized in real-world settings.
      Further, little is known on how to best disseminate and implement evidence-based
      interventions for the primary prevention of cancer in community settings.
      EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A systematic review of the dissemination and implementation
      literature was conducted between 2006 and 2008 in the topic areas of smoking,
      healthy diet, physical activity, and sun protection. English-language peer
      reviewed articles published between 1980 and 2008 that met the inclusion criteria
      were classified by suitability of study design (i.e., greatest, moderate, least);
      quality of execution (i.e., good, fair, limited); and effectiveness (i.e.,
      substantial, some, or little/no evidence of effectiveness) and were abstracted
      for dissemination- and implementation-related content. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Twenty
      five unique dissemination and implementation studies were identified. The
      majority of included studies were conducted in the U.S., in schools, and with
      children as the ultimate target population, had the least suitability of study
      design, had fair or limited execution, and used a theoretic framework, active
      dissemination and implementation approaches, and multimodal strategies. There was
      considerable heterogeneity across studies in reported mediators, moderators, and
      outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Key implications from this review include the need for
      uniform language, studies targeting various populations and settings, valid and
      reliable measures, triangulation of and more practice-based evidence,
      standardized reporting criteria, and active and multimodal strategies.

PMID- 20307813
TI  - Knowledge gaps and misconceptions about coronary heart disease among U.S. South
      Asians.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although South Asians are at higher risk for coronary heart disease
      (CHD) than most other U.S. racial/ethnic groups, very little research has
      addressed this disparity. PURPOSE: As a first step in developing culturally
      targeted CHD prevention messages for this rapidly growing community, this study
      examined South Asians' knowledge and beliefs about CHD. METHODS: Analyses,
      conducted in 2009, were based on data collected from January to July 2008 in a
      cross-sectional study population of 270 South Asian adults in Illinois.
      Interviews were conducted in English, Hindi, or Urdu using a standardized
      questionnaire. Multivariate regression models were used to examine the
      associations between sociodemographics and CHD knowledge and attitudes about
      preventability. RESULTS: Eighty-one percent of respondents had one or more CHD
      risk factors. Most participants (89%) said they knew little or nothing about CHD.
      Stress was the most frequently mentioned risk factor (44%). Few mentioned
      controlling blood pressure (11%); cholesterol (10%); and diabetes (5%) for
      prevention. Fifty-three percent said that heart attacks are not preventable. Low
      education level, being interviewed in Urdu or Hindi, and low level of
      acculturation were associated with less knowledge and believing that CHD is not
      preventable. CONCLUSIONS: A majority of South Asians in this study believed that
      CHD is not preventable and had low awareness of modifiable risk factors. As a
      first step, CHD education should target the knowledge gaps that may affect risk
      factor control and behavior change. Educational messages may need to be somewhat
      different for subgroups (e.g., by education and language) to be maximally
      effective.

PMID- 20307815
TI  - The worldwide battle against soft drinks in schools.
AB  - Sugar-sweetened beverages are widely believed to be contributing to the growing
      prevalence of overweight and obesity around the world. One of the channels used
      by industry to encourage greater consumption and preferences for soft drinks is
      schools. But governments around the world are taking action to limit the
      availability of soft drinks in schools. More than 30 national and subnational
      governmental bodies have made efforts to restrict availability, and the soft
      drinks industry has also taken some limited voluntary action. Most government-led
      efforts-with some exceptions-restrict the availability of any drink with added
      sugar, but the voluntary pledges take less-restrictive approaches. There is
      little consensus on artificially sweetened drinks. Policies vary in other ways,
      too, presenting an opportunity to study the effects of different policy
      approaches on short- and long-term consumption and attitudes. In the meantime,
      the widespread condemnation of soft drinks in schools suggests that it is within
      the industry's interests to take more comprehensive action.

PMID- 20307816
TI  - Continuing issues for dissemination and implementation of cancer prevention
      interventions.

PMID- 20307817
TI  - Lost opportunities in accessing reproductive health care--can pediatricians still
      make a difference?

PMID- 20307818
TI  - Which adolescents have opportunities to talk to doctors alone?

PMID- 20307819
TI  - A meta-analysis of obesity interventions among U.S. minority children.
AB  - PURPOSE: To quantitatively evaluate the efficacy of interventions designed to
      prevent or treat obesity among U.S. minority children using meta-analytic
      techniques. METHODS: A total of 40 intervention trials involving 10,725 children
      aged 6-19 years were examined. RESULTS: Interventions with more components showed
      a higher mean effect size than those with fewer components: among 32 controlled
      trials, d = .07 for one-component (n = 6); d = .08 for two-component (n = 15); d
      = .33 for three-component (n = 10); and d = .71 for four-component (n = 1)
      interventions. Interventions with parental involvement (n = 22, d = .21) and
      lifestyle interventions (n = 14, d = .34) showed a greater mean effect size than
      those without parental involvement (n = 10, d = .05) or lifestyle interventions
      (n = 18, d = .04), despite the fact that their 90% confidence intervals
      overlapped. Among uncontrolled trials (n = 8), two-component interventions (n =
      5) yielded d = .86 and three-component interventions (n = 3) yielded d = .96.
      CONCLUSIONS: Evidence indicates that, among U.S. minority children, obesity
      interventions with three or more components might be more efficacious than those
      using fewer components. Parental involvement, lifestyle change, culturally-based
      adaptation, and interactive computer programs seem to show promise in the
      reduction of obese minority children.

PMID- 20307820
TI  - Utilization of health services in physician offices and outpatient clinics by
      adolescents and young women in the United States: implications for improving
      access to reproductive health services.
AB  - PURPOSE: We examined utilization patterns of adolescents and young women as they
      seek general and reproductive health services in physician offices and hospital
      outpatient clinics. METHODS: We analyzed physician office visits in the 2003-2006
      National Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys, and hospital outpatient clinic visits
      in the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys, to examine utilization
      patterns of females aged 9-26 years by 2-year age intervals and other
      characteristics such as physician specialty or clinic type. RESULTS: The number
      of visits to primary care physician offices increased with age, from 4.9 million
      for ages 9-10 years to 9.0 million for ages 25-26 years. The proportion of visits
      made to obstetrician-gynecologists and family practitioners increased with age,
      and by ages 15-16 years fewer than half of all visits to primary care providers
      were made to pediatricians. The proportion of visits to family practitioners
      increased from 25% at ages 9-10 years to 30% at ages 25-26 years. By ages 17-18
      years, a larger proportion of visits were made to obstetrician-gynecologists (33%
      of 7.0 million visits) and to family practitioners (34%) than to pediatricians
      (23%). The proportion of visits for reproductive health services peaked at 53% of
      7.5 million physician visits at ages 20-21 years. Similar utilization patterns
      were observed for the 11.0 million hospital outpatient visits to primary care
      providers. CONCLUSIONS: Because adolescents and young women most commonly utilize
      healthcare services provided by obstetrician-gynecologists and family
      practitioners, these specialties should be priority targets for interventions to
      improve the quality and availability of reproductive health services.

PMID- 20307821
TI  - Parenting style as a predictor of adolescent weight and weight-related behaviors.
AB  - PURPOSE: Current research indicates that specific parenting styles are associated
      with adolescent overweight, dietary intake, and physical activity; but most of
      the research has been cross-sectional, making it difficult to determine the
      temporal order of these associations. The current study adds to the previous
      research by examining 5-year longitudinal associations between parenting style
      and adolescent weight and weight-related behaviors. METHODS: Data from Project
      EAT, a population-based study with adolescents from diverse ethnic and
      socioeconomic backgrounds, were used. Adolescents (N = 2,516) from 31 Minnesota
      schools completed in-class assessments in 1999 (Time 1) and mailed surveys in
      2004 (Time 2). Multiple linear regression models were used to predict mean levels
      of adolescent outcomes at Time 2 from parenting style at Time 1. RESULTS: Time 1
      maternal authoritative parenting style predicted lower body mass index in
      adolescent sons and daughters at Time 2. Time 1 paternal permissive parenting
      style predicted more fruits and vegetables intake in daughters at Time 2.
      Significant associations were not found between parenting style and adolescent
      physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that authoritative parenting
      style may play a protective role related to adolescent overweight and that the
      dimension of warmth and/or caring in the parent-adolescent relationship may be
      important in relation to female adolescent healthy dietary intake. Further
      exploration of opposite sex parent-adolescent dyad patterns related to parenting
      style and adolescent weight and weight-related behaviors is warranted.

PMID- 20307822
TI  - Television use and snacking behaviors among children and adolescents in China.
AB  - PURPOSE: Television (TV) use has been linked with poor eating behaviors and
      obesity in young people. This study examines the association between TV watching
      and paying attention to TV commercials with buying and requesting snacks seen on
      commercials, and eating snacks while watching TV among youth in China. METHODS:
      Data from 1,552 participants (ages 6-17.99) in the 2004 China Health and
      Nutrition Survey were analyzed cross-sectionally. The 2004 China Health and
      Nutrition Survey was conducted in nine Chinese provinces. RESULTS: Most
      respondents (92.2%) reported watching TV; on average children (6-11.99 years old)
      and adolescents (12-17.99 years old) watched TV for 9-10 hours per week. Nearly
      half (42.9%) of all the respondents said they "sometimes" or "often" paid
      attention to TV commercials. Respondents who reported paying attention to
      commercials had higher odds of requesting snacks (odds ratio [OR] = 3.43; 95%
      confidence interval [CI] = 2.55-4.60) and buying snacks (OR = 2.73; 95% CI = 2.17
      3.43) seen on TV, and eating snacks while watching TV (OR = 1.60; 95% CI = 1.23
      2.07) than those who did not pay attention. However, frequency of watching TV was
      not significantly related to snacking. CONCLUSION: Attention to TV commercials
      for snack foods may be one of the factors affecting the increase in obesity among
      children and adolescents in China.

PMID- 20307823
TI  - Randomized controlled clinical trial of yoga in the treatment of eating
      disorders.
AB  - PURPOSE: This was a pilot project designed to assess the effect of individualized
      yoga treatment on eating disorder outcomes among adolescents receiving outpatient
      care for diagnosed eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, eating
      disorder not otherwise specified). METHODS: A total of 50 girls and 4 boys aged
      11-21 years were randomized to an 8-week trial of standard care vs.
      individualized yoga plus standard care. Of these, 27 were randomized to standard
      care and 26 to yoga plus standard care (attrition: n = 4). Standard care (every
      other week physician and/or dietician appointments) was required to meet ethical
      guidelines. The No Yoga group was offered yoga after study completion as an
      incentive to maintain participation. Outcomes evaluated at baseline, end of
      trial, and 1-month follow-up included Eating Disorder Examination (EDE), Body
      Mass Index (BMI), Beck Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and
      Food Preoccupation questionnaire. RESULTS: The Yoga group demonstrated greater
      decreases in eating disorder symptoms. Specifically, the EDE scores decreased
      over time in the Yoga group, whereas the No Yoga group showed some initial
      decline but then returned to baseline EDE levels at week 12. Food preoccupation
      was measured before and after each yoga session, and decreased significantly
      after all sessions. Both groups maintained current BMI levels and decreased in
      anxiety and depression over time. CONCLUSIONS: Individualized yoga treatment
      decreased EDE scores at 12 weeks, and significantly reduced food preoccupation
      immediately after yoga sessions. Yoga treatment did not have a negative effect on
      BMI. Results suggest that individualized yoga therapy holds promise as adjunctive
      therapy to standard care.

PMID- 20307824
TI  - Does resistance training improve the functional capacity and well being of very
      young anorexic patients? A randomized controlled trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: We determined the effects of a 3-month low-moderate-intensity strength
      training program (2 sessions/week) on functional capacity, muscular strength,
      body composition, and quality of life (QOL) in 22 young (12-16 yrs) anorexic
      outpatients. METHODS: Patients were randomly assigned to a training or control
      group (n=11 [10 females] each). Training sessions were of low intensity (loads
      for large muscle groups ranging between 20%-30% and 50%-60% of six repetitions
      maximum [6RM] at the end of the program). We measured functional capacity by the
      time up and go and the timed up and down stairs tests. Muscular strength was
      assessed by 6RM measures for seated bench and leg presses. We estimated percent
      body fat and muscle mass. We assessed patients' QOL with the Short Form-36 items.
      RESULTS: The intervention was well tolerated and did not have any deleterious
      effect on patients' health, and did not induce significant losses in their body
      mass. The only studied variable for which a significant interaction (group x
      time) effect was found (p=.009) was the 6RM seated lateral row test. CONCLUSIONS:
      Low-moderate-intensity strength training does not seem to add major benefits to
      conventional psychotherapy and refeeding treatments in young anorexic patients.

PMID- 20307825
TI  - The causal impact of childhood-limited maltreatment and adolescent maltreatment
      on early adult adjustment.
AB  - PURPOSE: We use full-matching propensity score models to test whether
      developmentally specific measures of maltreatment, in particular childhood
      limited maltreatment versus adolescent maltreatment, are causally related to
      involvement in crime, substance use, health-risking sex behaviors, and
      internalizing problems during early adulthood. METHODS: Our design includes 907
      participants (72% male) in the Rochester Youth Development Study, a community
      sample followed from age 14 to age 31 with 14 assessments, including complete
      maltreatment histories from Child Protective Services records. RESULTS: After
      balancing the data sets, childhood-limited maltreatment is significantly related
      to drug use, problem drug use, depressive symptoms, and suicidal thoughts.
      Maltreatment during adolescence has a significant effect on a broader range of
      outcomes: official arrest or incarceration, self-reported criminal offending,
      violent crime, alcohol use, problem alcohol use, drug use, problem drug use,
      risky sex behaviors, self-reported sexually transmitted disease diagnosis, and
      suicidal thoughts. CONCLUSIONS: The causal effect of childhood-limited
      maltreatment is focused on internalizing problems, whereas adolescent
      maltreatment has a stronger and more pervasive effect on later adjustment.
      Increased vigilance by mandated reporters, especially for adolescent victims of
      maltreatment, along with provision of appropriate services, may prevent a wide
      range of subsequent adjustment problems.

PMID- 20307826
TI  - Sexual orientation and bullying among adolescents in the growing up today study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between sexual orientation and past-year
      reports of bullying victimization and perpetration in a large sample of American
      youth. METHODS: Survey data from 7,559 adolescents aged 14-22 who responded to
      the 2001 wave questionnaire of the Growing Up Today Study were examined cross
      sectionally. Multivariable generalized estimating equations regression was
      performed using the modified Poisson method. We examined associations between
      sexual orientation and past-year bully victimization and perpetration with
      heterosexuals as the referent group, stratifying by gender and controlling for
      age, race/ethnicity, and weight status. RESULTS: Compared to heterosexual males,
      mostly heterosexual males (risk ratio [RR]: 1.45; 95% confidence interval [CI]:
      1.13, 1.86) and gay males (RR 1.98; CI: 1.39, 2.82) were more likely to report
      being bullied. Similarly, mostly heterosexual females (RR: 1.72, 95% CI: 1.45,
      2.03), bisexual females (RR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.14, 2.31), and lesbians (RR: 3.36,
      95% CI: 1.76, 6.41) were more likely to report being bullied than were
      heterosexual females. Gay males (RR: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.14, 0.84) were much less
      likely to report bullying others than were heterosexual males. Mostly
      heterosexual females (RR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.42, 2.04) and bisexual females (RR:
      2.41, 95% CI: 1.80, 3.24) were more likely to report bullying others than
      heterosexual females. No lesbian participants reported bullying others.
      CONCLUSIONS: There are significant differences in reports of bullying
      victimization and perpetration between heterosexual and sexual minority youth.
      Clinicians should inquire about sexual orientation and bullying, and coordinate
      care for youth who may need additional support.

PMID- 20307827
TI  - Gender and the effects of an economic empowerment program on attitudes toward
      sexual risk-taking among AIDS-orphaned adolescent youth in Uganda.
AB  - PURPOSE: This article examines gender differences in attitudes toward sexual risk
      taking behaviors of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)-orphaned youth
      participating in a randomized control trial testing an economic empowerment
      intervention in rural Uganda. METHODS: Adolescents (average age 13.7 years) who
      had lost one or both parents to AIDS from 15 comparable schools were randomly
      assigned to either an experimental (n=135) or a control condition (n=142).
      Adolescents in the experimental condition, in addition to usual care, also
      received support and incentives to save money toward secondary education.
      RESULTS: Findings indicate that although adolescent boys and girls within the
      experimental condition saved comparable amounts, the intervention appears to have
      benefited girls, in regard to the attitudes toward sexual risk-taking behavior,
      in a different way and to a lesser extent than boys. CONCLUSIONS: Future research
      should investigate the possibility that adolescent girls might be able to develop
      equally large improvements in protective attitudes toward sexual risk taking
      through additional components that address gendered social norms.

PMID- 20307828
TI  - Factors associated with intention-to-recommend human papillomavirus vaccination
      among physicians in Mysore, India.
AB  - PURPOSE: This qualitative study investigated physician intention-to-recommend the
      human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to parents of adolescent girls in India. There
      are currently no data on attitudes to HPV vaccination among healthcare providers
      in India. METHODS: Between June and August 2008, 20 semistructured qualitative in
      depth interviews were conducted among physicians from a range of specialties and
      practice settings in Mysore District, India. Physicians were interviewed about
      their specialty and the types of patients they saw in their practice, attitudes
      toward recommending HPV vaccination to parents of adolescent girls, perceived
      subjective norms surrounding the promotion of vaccines in their work settings,
      and their perceptions regarding self-efficacy in recommending the HPV vaccine.
      RESULTS: The study found that knowledge about HPV infection and its relationship
      to cervical cancer was low among physicians across specialties. While most
      physicians expressed positive attitudes toward vaccination in general, and HPV
      vaccination in particular, the overwhelming majority believed that few of their
      patients would react positively to a vaccine recommendation. Physicians were
      concerned about talking to parents about their adolescent daughters' reproductive
      lives. Certain specialties, particularly obstetrician/gynecologists, suggested
      that recommending immunization was not appropriate in their work setting.
      CONCLUSION: With the HPV vaccine recently being approved in India, there is a
      strong need to provide more education for physicians about the relationship of
      HPV infection and cervical cancer and the benefits of vaccinating adolescent
      girls to prevent cervical cancer in the future.

PMID- 20307829
TI  - Adolescents' perceptions of cigarette brand image: does plain packaging make a
      difference?
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine the effect of plain packaging on adolescents' perceptions of
      cigarette packs, attributes of smokers, and expectations of cigarette taste, and
      to identify the effect of increasing the size of pictorial health warnings on
      appraisal of plain packs. METHODS: We used a 5 (degree of plain packaging and
      graphic health warning)x 3 (brand type) between-subjects experimental design,
      using a Web-based methodology to expose adolescents to one randomly selected
      cigarette pack, during which respondents completed ratings. RESULTS: When brand
      elements such as color, branded fonts, and imagery were progressively removed
      from cigarette packs, adolescents perceived packs to be less appealing, rated
      attributes of a typical smoker of the pack less positively, and had more negative
      expectations of cigarette taste. Pack appeal was reduced even further when the
      size of the pictorial health warning on the most plain pack was increased from
      30% to 80% of the pack face, with this effect apparent among susceptible
      nonsmokers, experimenters, and established smokers. CONCLUSIONS: Removing as much
      brand information from cigarette packs as possible is likely to reduce positive
      cigarette brand image associations among adolescents. By additionally increasing
      the size of pictorial health warnings, positive pack perceptions of those who are
      at greater risk of becoming regular addicted adult smokers are most likely to be
      reduced.

PMID- 20307830
TI  - Who gets confidential care? Disparities in a national sample of adolescents.
AB  - Using the 2001-2004 Medical Expenditures Panel Survey, we examined rates of past
      year adolescent time alone with a clinician by visit type, and among youths with
      a preventive visit, examined age, gender, and race/ethnicity differences. Youths
      with a preventive visit have higher rates of time alone; rates for these youths
      increase with age, are higher for males (42%) versus females (37%), and are
      lowest among Hispanics. Time alone rates are low, especially for younger females
      and Hispanic youths. Special efforts are needed to increase time alone in these
      populations.

PMID- 20307831
TI  - Thriving in stepfamilies: exploring competence and well-being among African
      American youth.
AB  - Although scholars conclude that children/adolescents in two-parent nuclear
      families have an advantage over those in stepfamilies, emerging evidence
      indicates that the experiences of African American youths have been overshadowed.
      In three replicated studies, we detected no differences on several important and
      commonly assessed well-being and competence indicators among samples of African
      American youth in two-parent nuclear and stepfamilies.

PMID- 20307832
TI  - Prevalence of insufficient, borderline, and optimal hours of sleep among high
      school students - United States, 2007.
AB  - We describe the prevalence of insufficient, borderline, and optimal sleep hours
      among U.S. high school students on an average school night. Most students (68.9%)
      reported insufficient sleep, whereas few (7.6%) reported optimal sleep. The
      prevalence of insufficient sleep was highest among female and black students, and
      students in grades 11 and 12.

PMID- 20307833
TI  - Recreational versus nonrecreational prescription borrowing: time for an expanded
      conceptualization?

PMID- 20307834
TI  - Measurement problems in assessing adolescent exposure to alcohol advertising in
      magazines.

PMID- 20307838
TI  - Adolescent males and human papillomavirus: psychosexual development, infection,
      and vaccination.

PMID- 20307839
TI  - Human papillomavirus-related disease in men: not just a women's issue.
AB  - The most common cause of mortality related to human papillomavirus (HPV)
      infection is cervical cancer. However, male HPV infection is also an important
      concern, both for the disease burden in men and for the risk of transmission to
      women. HPV is associated with a variety of cancers in men, including anal cancer
      and a subset of penile and oral cancers. The incidence of anal and oral cancers
      related to HPV is increasing in the general population and is growing even faster
      among individuals who are immunocompromised because of human immunodeficiency
      virus (HIV) infection. Penile HPV infection is very common among heterosexual men
      and remains high throughout a wide range of ages. Likewise, anal HPV infection
      and anal intraepithelial neoplasia are very common throughout a wide range of
      ages in both HIV-negative and HIV-positive men who have sex with men. Other HPV
      related diseases of clinical importance in men include condylomata acuminata
      (genital warts) and recurrent respiratory papillomatosis. The quadrivalent HPV
      vaccine has been shown to be highly efficacious in the prevention of genital
      warts in women and precancerous lesions of the cervix, vulva, and vagina. In
      addition, recent interim data have shown that the quadrivalent HPV vaccine is
      highly effective in reducing external genital lesions in young men. Although the
      protective efficacy of HPV vaccination in men has not yet been fully established
      pending the outcome of public policy discussions and cost-efficacy studies-there
      may be a strong rationale for vaccinating boys, similar to girls, at an early age
      when they have had limited or no prior sexual activity.

PMID- 20307840
TI  - Beyond cervical cancer: burden of other HPV-related cancers among men and women.
AB  - Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a necessary cause of cervical cancer, and
      is etiologically associated with a subset of cancers of the anus, oropharynx,
      penis, vagina, and vulva. Current data indicate that HPV infection is potentially
      associated with 90%-93% of anal cancers, 12%-63% of oropharyngeal cancers, 36%
      40% of penile cancers, 40%-64% of vaginal cancers, and 40%-51% of vulvar cancers.
      HPV infection accounts for up to 492,800 cervical cancers and 97,215 cases of
      noncervical HPV-related cancers worldwide during 2002, including up to 50,780
      cancers among men (13,485 anal cancers, 26,775 oropharyngeal cancers, and 10,520
      penile cancers) and up to 46,435 cancers among women (14,787 anal cancers, 6,048
      oropharyngeal cancers, and 25,600 vaginal/vulvar cancers). In the United States
      annually (1998-2003), up to 10,846 cervical cancers, 4,753 noncervical cancers
      among men, and 4,128 noncervical cancers among women are potentially attributable
      to HPV infection. Incidence rates for cervical cancer have declined significantly
      during the past 30 years in the United States, consistent with the success of Pap
      smear screening. However, incidence rates for anal, oropharyngeal, and vulvar
      cancers have increased substantially in recent years. The high proportion of
      cervical and noncervical cancers caused by HPV types 16 and 18, that is, 70%-76%
      for cervical cancers and 63%-95% for noncervical cancers, underscores the
      potential for prevention of a majority of cervical as well as noncervical HPV
      related cancers through prophylactic HPV vaccination.

PMID- 20307843
TI  - Preface.

PMID- 20307842
TI  - Examining the development and sexual behavior of adolescent males.
AB  - A careful examination of young men's sexuality by health professionals in
      pediatrics, primary care, and reproductive health is foundational to adolescent
      male sexual health and healthy development. Through a review of existing
      published data, this article provides background and a developmental framework
      for sexual health services for adolescent boys. The article first defines and
      provides an overview of adolescent boys' sexual health, and then discusses
      developmentally focused research on the following topics: (1) early romantic
      relationships and the evolution of power and influence within these
      relationships; (2) developmental "readiness" for sex and curiosity; (3) boys'
      need for closeness and intimacy; (4) adopting codes of masculinity; (5) boys'
      communicating about sex; and (6) contextual influences from peers, families, and
      providers. This article concludes by examining the implications of these data for
      sexual health promotion efforts for adolescent males, including human
      papillomavirus vaccination.

PMID- 20307844
TI  - What is new in radiology and pathology of motility disorders in children?
AB  - Disorders affecting colorectal motility lead to significant morbidity in children
      with surgical conditions. Etiology is frequently unknown, which in turn makes
      treatment empiric and compromises outcome. A thorough understanding of the normal
      mechanisms of control and the ability to recognize and manage defects is an
      important goal for clinicians. This article reviews recent advances made in the
      investigation of children with colorectal motility disorders, including the role
      of transit studies (marker studies and scintigraphy), options for assessing
      anatomy (ultrasound, contrast enema, and sectional imaging) and the use of
      manometry, both anorectal and colonic. Current concepts in microscopic evaluation
      are outlined.

PMID- 20307845
TI  - Advances in pediatric colorectal surgical techniques.
AB  - The operative management of pediatric colorectal diseases has improved
      significantly in recent years through the development of innovative approaches
      for operative exposure and a better understanding of colorectal anatomy. Advances
      in transanal and minimal access techniques have formed the cornerstone of this
      innovation, leading to improved functional outcomes, earlier recovery, and
      superior cosmetic results for a number of colorectal diseases. In this regard, we
      have witnessed a significant evolution in the way that many of these conditions
      are managed, particularly in the areas of anorectal malformations and
      Hirschsprung disease. Furthermore, a more thorough understanding of the
      pathophysiology underlying encopresis and true fecal continence has led to novel
      and less invasive approaches to the operative management of these conditions. The
      goal of this review is to describe the evolution of operative management
      pertaining to these diseases, with an emphasis on technical aspects and relevant
      clinical pitfalls.

PMID- 20307846
TI  - Transanal endorectal pull-through for Hirschsprung disease: technique,
      controversies, pearls, pitfalls, and an organized approach to the management of
      postoperative obstructive symptoms.
AB  - The transanal endorectal pull-through emerged in the late 1990s as the most
      recent step in the evolution of the surgical correction of Hirschsprung disease.
      This operation provides the advantages of a minimal access approach with shorter
      hospital stay, shorter time to full feeding, less pain, and improved cosmesis
      with excellent outcomes. This article will review the technical principles of the
      transanal endorectal pull-through, and will address ongoing controversies in the
      application of this technique. We will also discuss an organized approach to the
      problem of obstructive symptoms that may affect a subgroup of patients after the
      transanal pull-through.

PMID- 20307847
TI  - Genetics of Hirschsprung disease and anorectal malformations.
AB  - Hirschsprung disease (HD) and anorectal malformations (ARMs) result from
      alterations in hindgut development. It has long been recognized that both recur
      in families and thus result, at least in part, from genetic factors. Progress in
      the understanding of the genetic basis of HD has been made by the application of
      findings from genetic animal models of altered enteric nervous system development
      to human beings. Several genes have been shown to be important for human enteric
      nervous system development, and current work is progressing to identify genetic
      interactions that may explain the variable phenotype of HD. By contrast,
      understanding of the genetic factors underlying ARMs is much less developed. We
      and others have shown that genetic factors play an important role in the
      pathogenesis of ARMs, and many mouse genetic models suggest molecular pathways
      that may be altered in ARMs.

PMID- 20307848
TI  - Caring for children with colorectal disease in the context of limited resources.
AB  - The management of patients with colorectal disease in the pediatric population is
      challenging. Such management is all the more challenging when facing the
      constraints imposed by an environment with limited clinical resources. Three
      types of colorectal problems are highlighted in this article: anorectal
      malformations, Hirschsprung's disease, and acquired rectovaginal fistula in the
      human immunodeficiency virus-positive population. Through the use of illustrative
      cases, the authors discuss the pitfalls and challenges encountered in the
      diagnosis, treatment, and appropriate disposition of these patients. The bulk of
      the experience used to write this article was acquired in low- and middle-income
      countries in Africa. The authors hope that the lessons learned will help others
      manage such patients in the context of limited resources, but recognize that
      challenges will vary from place to place. There is no substitute for local,
      contextual expertise.

PMID- 20307849
TI  - Cloacal malformations: lessons learned from 490 cases.
AB  - In this review we describe lessons learned from the authors' series of patients
      born with the most complex of congenital anorectal problems, cloacal
      malformations, with the hope to convey the improved understanding and surgical
      treatment of the condition's wide spectrum of complexity learned from patients
      cared for over the last 25 years. This includes a series of 490 patients, 397 of
      whom underwent primary operations, and 93 who underwent reoperations after
      attempted repairs at other institutions. With regard to the newborn, we have
      learned that the clinician must make an accurate neonatal diagnosis, drain a
      hydrocolpos when present, and create an adequate, totally diverting colostomy,
      leaving enough distal colon available for the pull-through, and a vaginal
      replacement if needed. A correct diagnosis will avoid repairing only the rectal
      component. For the definitive reconstruction, all patients in the series were
      managed with a posterior sagittal approach; 184 of whom also required a
      laparotomy. The average length of the common channel was 4.6 cm for patients who
      required a laparotomy and 2.5 cm for those who did not. Hydrocolpos was present
      in 139 patients (30%). Vaginal reconstruction involved a vaginal pull-through in
      308 patients, a vaginal flap in 44, vaginal switch in 48, and vaginal replacement
      in 90 (33 with rectum, 15 with colon, and 42 with small bowel). A total of 220
      underwent total urogenital mobilization, which was first introduced in 1996.
      Complications included rectal prolapse in 26, vaginal stricture or atresia in 18,
      urethrovaginal fistula in 13, and urethral atresia in 6. A total of 53% of all
      cases have voluntary bowel movements. The others are kept clean with a mechanical
      daily emptying (an enema) as part of a bowel management program. Indications for
      reoperations included persistent urogenital sinus after initial repair in 39
      patients. Fifty-one had problems such as rectal prolapse, stricture, retraction,
      dehiscence or atresia, 29 had a mislocated rectum, 34 had vaginal stricture,
      retraction, dehiscence, atresia, or stenosis, 16 had urethrovaginal or
      rectovaginal fistulae, and 5 had urethral stricture or atresia. The series was
      divided into 2 distinct groups of patients where common channel measurement was
      known (n = 400): group A were those with a common channel < or = 3.0 cm (n = 225,
      56%) and group B had a common channel >3 cm (n = 175, 44%). The separation into
      these 2 groups has important therapeutic and prognostic implications. Patients in
      Group A can be repaired posterior sagittally with a reproducible operation.
      Because they represent most patients, most well-trained pediatric surgeons should
      be able to repair these types of malformations, and the prognosis is good.
      Patients in Group B (those with a common channel >3 cm), usually require a
      laparotomy, have a much higher incidence of associated urological problems, and
      often require special maneuvers for vaginal reconstruction. Surgeons who repair
      Group B malformations require special training in urology; the operations are
      prolonged and technically demanding, and the functional results are not as good
      as in group A.

PMID- 20307850
TI  - Gynecologic concerns in patients with anorectal malformations.
AB  - Children with anorectal malformations (ARMs) constitute a significant group
      within a pediatric surgery practice. In females, the most common ARM is an
      imperforate anus with a rectovestibular fistula, followed by an imperforate anus
      with a rectoperineal fistula and then cloacal anomalies. Some malformations, such
      as an imperforate anus with a rectovestibular fistula, may seem straightforward,
      treated with a posterior sagittal anorectoplasty; however, it is vital to
      recognize the association with gynecologic anomalies. Girls with the most complex
      anorectal defect, cloacal malformation, have significant associated urological
      and gynecologic anomalies, which should be recognized and treated. An opportunity
      to diagnose and treat such anomalies may be missed in the newborn period or at
      the definitive surgery, unless the pediatric surgeon is aware of this
      association. With the knowledge of the associated anomalies and long-term
      sequelae, surgeons can provide better care for girls and important counseling for
      parents. Important gynecologic issues to consider may be divided into several
      categories, such as infancy, puberty, sexual intimacy, and obstetrical concerns.
      Knowledge of reproductive-related issues in females with ARMs allows the
      pediatric surgeon and their gynecology colleagues to provide optimal surgical
      management throughout infancy, childhood, and into young adulthood. Appropriate
      counseling for patients and families about potential reproductive concerns that
      may develop many years after the definitive surgical repair allows preparation
      and planning to preserve future fertility.

PMID- 20307851
TI  - Evaluation and treatment of the patient with Hirschsprung disease who is not
      doing well after a pull-through procedure.
AB  - Ideally, after operative management of Hirschsprung disease, a child should
      thrive, avoid recurrent episodes of abdominal distention and enterocolitis, and
      be fecally continent. However, there is a small group of patients that do not do
      well after their pull-through procedure. The purpose of this article is to
      describe our algorithm for the work-up and management of the post pull-through
      patient with Hirschsprung disease who is not doing well. These children can be
      categorized into 2 distinct groups: (1) those who are soiling, and (2) those who
      suffer from distention and enterocolitis. Both of these patient types can be
      systematically treated with a combination of bowel management, dietary changes,
      and laxatives, and, potentially, a redo operation, with the goal of having a
      clean, and happy child.

PMID- 20307852
TI  - A practical approach to the management of pediatric fecal incontinence.
AB  - We describe the rationale and key aspects for success of a bowel management
      program for the treatment of pediatric fecal incontinence. A retrospective review
      was done of the medical strategies used for the treatment of over a 1000 patients
      with fecal incontinent, combining the experience of the authors' previously
      published reports (Pena A, Guardino K, Tovilla JM, et al. J Pediatr Surg 1998;
      33:133-137 and Bischoff A, Levitt MA, Bauer C, et al. J Pediatr Surg 2009;
      44:1278-1284) and additional treated patients after those publications. Emphasis
      was placed on the review of the key factors needed to achieve success. Through
      the years, we have learned important lessons that resulted in our current
      strategy which allows us to obtain better results than earlier in our series. At
      present, the key aspects for success are (a) to distinguish between true fecal
      incontinence and pseudoincontinence; (b) to determine the characteristics of the
      colon (dilated or nondilated), ascertained by looking at the patient's contrast
      enema, and determine the treatment strategy from this; (c) to monitor the result
      of the enema (amount of stool left in the colon) with daily abdominal radiographs
      during a 1-week period; and (d) to thereby modify the type of enema daily,
      depending on the clinical result, and the abdominal radiograph. Following a
      systematic rationale in the classification of patients with fecal incontinence
      and applying selectively, individualized management, it is possible to achieve a
      95% success rate in patients suffering from fecal incontinence.

PMID- 20307853
TI  - Outcome of anorectal malformations and Hirschsprung's disease beyond childhood.
AB  - Anorectal malformations (ARMs) and Hirschsprung disease (HD) are the most common
      congenital colorectal defects in the newborn. The outcomes of HD and ARMs have
      improved significantly because of improved understanding of the pathologic
      anatomy and physiology of these defects and of the modern surgical techniques.
      Still, many patients suffer from defective bowel control even as adults. Some of
      these also have problems with urinary control and sexual functions. The
      functional problems are more pronounced in patients with ARMs. Compared with
      healthy people, both patients with ARMs and those with HD have limitations in
      their quality of life. Inferior quality of life is more common in patients with
      ARMs. There are very few published data on long-term outcome of adults with ARMs
      and HD. The effect of aging on the functional outcome and quality of life remains
      unclear, although some preliminary data suggest that the bowel function and
      quality of life may deteriorate with aging.

PMID- 20307855
TI  - Introduction. The World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery.

PMID- 20307856
TI  - Congenital heart surgery databases around the world: do we need a global
      database?
AB  - The question posed in the title of this article is: "Congenital Heart Surgery
      Databases Around the World: Do We Need a Global Database?" The answer to this
      question is "Yes and No"! Yes--we need to create a global database to track the
      outcomes of patients with pediatric and congenital heart disease. No--we do not
      need to create a new "global database." Instead, we need to create a platform
      that allows for the linkage of currently existing continental subspecialty
      databases (and continental subspecialty databases that might be created in the
      future) that will allow for the seamless sharing of multi-institutional
      longitudinal data across temporal, geographical, and subspecialty boundaries.
      This review article will achieve the following objectives: (A) Consider the
      current state of analysis of outcomes of treatments for patients with
      congenitally malformed hearts. (B) Present some principles that might make it
      possible to achieve life-long longitudinal monitoring and follow-up. (C) Describe
      the rationale for the creation of a Global Federated Multispecialty Congenital
      Heart Disease Database. (D) Propose a methodology for the creation of a Global
      Federated Multispecialty Congenital Heart Disease Database that is based on
      linking together currently existing databases without creating a new database. To
      perform meaningful multi-institutional analyses, any database must incorporate
      the following six essential elements: (1) Use of a common language and
      nomenclature. (2) Use of a database with an established uniform core dataset for
      collection of information. (3) Incorporation of a mechanism to evaluate the
      complexity of cases. (4) Implementation of a mechanism to assure and verify the
      completeness and accuracy of the data collected. (5) Collaboration between
      medical and surgical subspecialties. (6) Standardization of protocols for life
      long longitudinal follow-up. Analysis of outcomes must move beyond recording 30
      day or hospital mortality, and encompass longer-term follow-up, including cardiac
      and non-cardiac morbidities, and importantly, those morbidities impacting health
      related quality of life. Methodologies must be implemented in our databases to
      allow uniform, protocol-driven, and meaningful long-term follow-up. We need to
      create a platform that allows for the linkage of currently existing continental
      subspecialty databases (and continental subspecialty databases that might be
      created in the future) that will allow for the seamless sharing of multi
      institutional longitudinal data across temporal, geographical, and subspecialty
      boundaries. This "Global Federated Multispecialty Congenital Heart Disease
      Database" will not be a new database, but will be a platform that effortlessly
      links multiple databases and maintains the integrity of these extant databases.
      Description of outcomes requires true multi-disciplinary involvement, and should
      include surgeons, cardiologists, anesthesiologists, intensivists, perfusionists,
      neurologists, educators, primary care physicians, nurses, and physical
      therapists. Outcomes should determine primary therapy, and as such must be
      monitored life-long. The relatively small numbers of patients with congenitally
      malformed hearts requires multi-institutional cooperation to accomplish these
      goals. The creation of a Global Federated Multispecialty Congenital Heart Disease
      Database that links extant databases from pediatric cardiology, pediatric cardiac
      surgery, pediatric cardiac anesthesia, and pediatric critical care will create a
      platform for improving patient care, research, and teaching related to patients
      with congenital and pediatric cardiac disease.

PMID- 20307857
TI  - The IMPACT registry: IMproving Pediatric and Adult Congenital Treatments.
AB  - Tremendous advances have occurred in catheter-based interventions for congenital
      heart disease. Multicenter trials of these advances are either out of date or
      have been limited in scope. As such little is known on the application of these
      techniques in the current era. The IMPACT Registry (IMproving Pediatric and Adult
      Congenital Treatments) will allow us to measure variability in the performance
      and outcomes of both diagnostic and interventional cardiac catheterization
      procedures in all children and adults with congenital heart disease. The IMPACT
      Registry will be harmonized with the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital
      Heart Disease Database, thereby allowing us to compare catheter-based
      interventions with surgical interventions when appropriate. The initial release
      of the registry will only include hospital-based outcomes, but ultimately it will
      transition to a longitudinal registry. The IMPACT Registry will provide the
      necessary benchmark tools for quality improvement activities for cardiac
      catheterization procedures in congenital heart disease.

PMID- 20307858
TI  - The challenge of congenital heart disease worldwide: epidemiologic and
      demographic facts.
AB  - Congenital heart disease (CHD) afflicts a large number of children every year.
      The incidence of CHD is generally considered to be 8 per 1,000 live births.
      However, this estimate is perhaps inaccurate and does not take into consideration
      regional differences. A large review of the literature was performed to establish
      the true incidence of CHD and geographical variations. Data on the incidence of
      specific lesions and their geographical variation, as well as on mortality from
      CHD, was also reviewed. Taking into consideration the available data on
      incidence, mortality, and access to care, the global challenge that CHD
      represents was analyzed. Insight into how to confront this challenge is given.

PMID- 20307859
TI  - Improving pediatric cardiac surgical care in developing countries: matching
      resources to needs.
AB  - This article reviews a systematic approach to the design and support of pediatric
      cardiac surgery programs in the developing world with the guidance and strategies
      of Children's HeartLink, an experienced non-government organization for more than
      40 years. An algorithm with criteria for the selection of a partner site is
      outlined. A comprehensive education strategy from the physician to the allied
      health care provider is the mainstay for successful program development. In a
      partner program, the road to successful advancement and change depends on many
      factors, such as government support, hospital administration support, medical
      staff leadership, and a committed and motivated faculty with requisite skills,
      incentives, and resources. In addition to these factors, it is essential that the
      development effort includes considerations of environment (eg, governmental
      support, regulatory environment, and social structure) and health system
      (elements related to affordability, access, and awareness of care) that impact
      success. Partner programs should be willing to initiate a clinical database with
      the intent to analyze and critique their results to optimize quality assurance
      and improve outcomes.

PMID- 20307860
TI  - Pro: NIRS is "standard of care" for postoperative management.
AB  - Successful postoperative management depends on early detection and correction of
      circulatory insufficiency. Global cardiac output and oxygen delivery must be
      adequate and distributed appropriately to meet metabolic demands to prevent the
      development of multi-organ dysfunction, morbidity, and death. Decreased cardiac
      output during the postoperative period is common, but circulatory assessment
      using standard monitoring provides inadequate information to reliably detect low
      cardiac output syndrome or effectively guide therapy. Goal-directed therapy using
      invasive estimates of global oxygen supply-demand balance (SvO2) has been shown
      to improve survival among patients in shock states. Near infrared spectroscopy
      (NIRS) is a noninvasive assessment of regional oxygen supply-demand balance.
      Multiple prospective observational studies have shown that NIRS-derived measures
      of systemic oxygen balance correlate with global circulatory measures, including
      SvO2 and biochemical indicators of shock. Additionally, NIRS has been shown in
      multiple prospective observational studies to identify circulatory inadequacy in
      specific organ systems, such as the brain, kidney, and gut. NIRS provides
      continuous, non-invasive measures that are suitable targets for goal-directed
      therapy to treat deficiencies in global and regional perfusion and should be
      standard of care.

PMID- 20307861
TI  - Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) should not be standard of care for
      postoperative management.
AB  - Neurologic dysfunction is a problem in patients with congenital heart disease.
      Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) may provide a real-time window into cerebral
      oxygenation. Enthusiasm for NIRS has increased in hopes of reducing neurologic
      dysfunction. However, potential gains need to be evaluated relative to cost and
      potential detriment of intervention before routine implementation. Responding to
      data in ways that seem intuitively beneficial can be risky when the long-term
      impact is unknown. Many centers, and even entire countries, have adopted NIRS as
      standard of care. Available data suggest that multimodality monitoring, including
      NIRS, may be a useful adjunct. However, the current literature on the use of NIRS
      alone does not demonstrate improvement in neurologic outcome. Data correlating
      NIRS findings with indirect measures of neurologic outcome or mortality are
      limited. Although NIRS has promise for measuring regional tissue oxygen
      saturation, the lack of data demonstrating improved outcomes limits the support
      for wide-spread implementation.

PMID- 20307862
TI  - Use of a fenestration should be routine during the Fontan procedure: PRO.
AB  - The physiologic effects of a fenestration are to decrease "Fontan pressure" and
      systemic oxygen saturation, but to improve both cardiac index and systemic oxygen
      delivery. Several nonrandomized studies have shown that a fenestration improves
      clinical outcomes by decreasing the duration of postoperative effusions and the
      length of hospital stay. The single prospective, randomized study has also shown
      that use of a fenestration improves clinical outcomes. While there are some
      disadvantages to a fenestration; these are of relatively limited clinical
      importance. Selective rather than routine use of a fenestration relies on the
      ability to predict outcome based on preoperative or intraoperative variables.
      However, none of these variables has been found to have useful predictive value
      in the individual patient. In conclusion, the Fontan procedure can be done
      without a fenestration, with good outcomes. However, the positive effects of a
      fenestration on duration of effusions and length of hospital stay argue that use
      of a fenestration should be routine during the Fontan procedure.

PMID- 20307863
TI  - Aortic valve repair for congenital and balloon-induced aortic regurgitation.
AB  - Current techniques for aortic valve replacement in the child carry multiple
      disadvantages. Longer-term follow-up of the Ross procedure has documented
      disappointing late results for an increasing proportion of patients. Many
      challenges continue to face the development of a tissue-engineered valve with
      growth potential. In this setting, aortic valve repair is a useful temporizing
      procedure that allows a child to have an excellent quality of life, free from the
      need for anticoagulation and the risk of thromboembolism. Repair techniques are
      primarily based on the use of autologous pericardium to extend leaflets and
      support prolapsing leaflets. These methods appear to be particularly applicable
      in the setting of balloon-induced aortic valve regurgitation. An increasing
      number of centers are reporting satisfactory midterm results with aortic valve
      repair.

PMID- 20307864
TI  - Uses and limitations of registry and academic databases.
AB  - A database is simply a structured collection of information. A clinical database
      may be a Registry (a limited amount of data for every patient undergoing heart
      surgery) or Academic (an organized and extensive dataset of an inception cohort
      of carefully selected subset of patients). A registry and an academic database
      have different purposes and cost. The data to be collected for a database is
      defined by its purpose and the output reports required for achieving that
      purpose. A Registry's purpose is to ensure quality care, an Academic Database, to
      discover new knowledge through research. A database is only as good as the data
      it contains. Database personnel must be exceptionally committed and supported by
      clinical faculty. A system to routinely validate and verify data integrity is
      essential to ensure database utility. Frequent use of the database improves its
      accuracy. For congenital heart surgeons, routine use of a Registry Database is an
      essential component of clinical practice.

PMID- 20307865
TI  - The Congenital Heart Surgeons Society Datacenter: unique attributes as a research
      organization.
AB  - Over the last 25 years, the Congenital Heart Surgeons Society (CHSS) has evolved
      from an informal club to a mature organization. A central feature of the CHSS has
      been dedication to evaluating outcomes of congenital heart surgery across a wide
      array of clinical diagnoses. These research activities have been orchestrated
      through the CHSS Datacenter, which has developed a unique organizational
      structure that has strengths and weaknesses in comparison to other research
      organizational structures (e.g., prospective randomized trials, registries, etc).
      This review will highlight the unique attributes of the CHSS Datacenter with
      emphasis on the Datacenter's strengths and weaknesses in comparison to other
      organizational structures.

PMID- 20307866
TI  - Multi-institutional studies: lessons learned from the Pediatric Heart Network
      Single Ventricle Reconstruction Trial.
AB  - This session of the Congenital Post-Graduate Course 89th Annual Meeting of the
      American Association for Thoracic Surgery focused on clinical research in
      pediatric cardiac surgery. This particular lecture concentrated on the management
      of clinical trials from the viewpoint of a multi-institutional trial, utilizing
      my experiences as the Study Co-Chair of the National Heart Lung Blood Institute
      (NHLBI)-funded, Pediatric Heart Network Single Ventricle Reconstruction (SVR)
      Trial. Preparing for the role as a Primary Investigator through coursework and
      reading is an important prerequisite. Study design requires thoughtful crafting
      of the primary question, secondary question, and subanalyses. Often the challenge
      is not what to include, but what to exclude, to develop a practical database.
      Getting your co-investigators invested in the trial is crucial, as subject
      enrollment is time-consuming and will determine the success or failure of your
      trial.

PMID- 20307867
TI  - Chance, bias, and confounding: threats to valid measurement of quality in the
      context of pediatric cardiac surgery.
AB  - Assessment of quality in pediatric cardiac surgery has frequently been an add-on
      to efforts to measure adult cardiac surgery, without sufficient acknowledgement
      of the differences between the specialties. As a result, data reporting has often
      proceeded without adequate attention to data analysis. Assessment of clinical
      outcomes relies on the methods of observational epidemiology. Interpretation of
      the results of such investigations requires an understanding of the limitations
      inherent in the design of observational studies: chance, bias, and confounding.
      These limitations are of particular importance when studying pediatric cardiac
      surgery because of the relatively low number of cases performed at any one
      institution or by any one surgeon, the diversity of operations, and the
      heterogeneity of the congenital cardiac patient population.

PMID- 20307868
TI  - The Fontan/Kreutzer procedure at 40: an operation for the correction of tricuspid
      atresia.
AB  - The first atriopulmonary anastomosis (APA) with neither a valve in the inferior
      vena cava (IVC) nor an Glenn shunt was performed in 1971. A fenestration was
      intentionally left in the atrial septum. In a second patient, the APA
      incorporated the patient's own pulmonary valve, which had been removed from the
      outflow tract of the right ventricle. Since the early days, our rationale was
      that the right atrium would only function as a pathway, and the end diastolic
      pressure and the systole of the main ventricle would be the principal "pump" of
      this system. The late hemodynamic problems of the APA have decreased with newer
      and better surgical techniques, such as the lateral tunnel (LT) or the
      extracardiac conduit (EC). Although these procedures have improved the prognosis
      and quality of life of patients with a univentricular heart (UH), in the long
      run, deterioration frequently occurs because of chronic low cardiac output and
      high central venous pressure. Progressive increase in pulmonary vascular
      resistances and ventricular dysfunction are frequently the underlying reasons for
      this deterioration. However, such deterioration is not inevitable in every case,
      as shown in the longest survivor of the world after 34 years of follow-up. The
      Fontan Kreutzer (FK) palliation represents the best surgical option despite its
      uncertain late outcome. Certainly, it is one of the triumphs of cardiac surgery
      in congenital heart disease.

PMID- 20307869
TI  - Evolution of the Fontan-Kreutzer procedure.
AB  - The surgical techniques used to construct the Fontan-Kreutzer circulation have
      evolved considerably since the initial reports. In the early years, it was
      thought that a power source other than the main ventricular chamber was useful or
      even necessary to serve the pulmonary circulation. Better understanding of the
      physiology of the Fontan-Kreutzer circulation has led to an understanding that
      avoidance of flow disturbances and energy losses in the surgically constructed
      pathways is critically important. In vitro studies and clinical investigations of
      flow dynamics led to the introduction of the total cavopulmonary connection, or
      total cavopulmonary connections, designed to minimize flow disturbances and the
      resultant energy losses. Other important surgical modifications include staging
      with a superior cavopulmonary connection and creation of a fenestration. These
      innovations have resulted in extension of the Fontan-Kreutzer procedure to the
      management of complex univentricular hearts and, in particular, the management of
      hypoplastic left heart syndrome. There have been significant improvements of
      early mortality and morbidity following the Fontan-Kreutzer procedure. Yet it is
      important to recognize that there is continuing late attrition and morbidity for
      patients with the Fontan-Kreutzer circulation.

PMID- 20307870
TI  - Forty years of the Fontan operation: a failed strategy.

PMID- 20307871
TI  - [Laryngotracheal NK/T lymphoma: clinical case].
AB  - NK/T-cell lymphoma is a rare condition with an aggressive course and poor
      prognosis. Historically known as "lethal midline granuloma", it generally appears
      in a midfacial location. We describe the case of a 22-year-old Colombian woman
      with laryngotracheal affectation, presenting with hoarseness and hemoptysis. CT
      scan and MRI showed severe laryngeal and tracheal destruction. The biopsy showed
      a polymorphic, lymphoid cell infiltrate with angiocentric and angiodestructive
      pattern. The immunohistochemical study confirmed the immunophenotype of the NK/T
      cells: CD2+, CD56+ and cytoplasmic CD3+. The in situ hybridization and flow
      cytometry findings were: EBER+, TIA-1+ and perforin+. The patient died from
      complications of her disease, before undergoing oncologic treatment.

PMID- 20307873
TI  - Effects of organosolv pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis on cellulose
      structure and crystallinity in Loblolly pine.
AB  - Ethanol organosolv pretreatment was performed on Loblolly pine to enhance the
      efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose. Solid-state (13)C NMR
      spectroscopy coupled with line shape analysis was used to determine the structure
      and crystallinity of cellulose isolated from pretreated and enzyme-hydrolyzed
      Loblolly pine. The results indicate reduced crystallinity of the cellulose
      following the organosolv pretreatment, which renders the substrate easily
      hydrolyzable by cellulase. The degree of crystallinity increases and the relative
      proportion of para-crystalline and amorphous cellulose decreases after enzymatic
      hydrolysis, indicating preferential hydrolysis of these regions by cellulase. The
      structural and compositional changes in this material resulting from the
      organosolv pretreatment and cellulase enzyme hydrolysis of the pretreated wood
      were studied with solid-state CP/MAS (13)C NMR spectroscopy. NMR spectra of the
      solid material before and after the treatments show that hemicelluloses and
      lignin are degraded during the organosolv pretreatment.

PMID- 20307872
TI  - [Sphenoid sinusitis with intracranial extension produced by an emergent fungus].
AB  - This is a case of fungal sphenoid sinusitis in a diabetic patient with non
      specific symptoms and bone erosion radiological findings in the superior and
      posterior sphenoid walls. Surgical treatment was performed by transnasal
      endoscopic approach and voriconazole orally thereafter. The histopathological
      study found fungus hyphal without mucosa invasion and the molecular study
      determined DNA to be Phialemonium curvatum, an unusual pathogen.

PMID- 20307874
TI  - Preliminary studies into the inhibition of the cholesterol alpha
      glucosyltransferase from Helicobacter pylori using azasugars.
AB  - Various known inhibitors of glycosidases were assessed for their ability to
      inhibit, both independently as well as with UDP, the cholesterol alpha
      glucosyltransferase from Helicobacter pylori. The sub-cloning, expression and
      purification of the glucosyltransferase is also discussed.

PMID- 20307875
TI  - Immunoregulation of autocrine prolactin: suppressing the expression of
      costimulatory molecules and cytokines in T lymphocytes by prolactin receptor
      knockdown.
AB  - Ample evidence indicates that prolactin (PRL) secreted from the pituitary gland
      plays an important role in a variety of human immune responses. However, the
      immunoregulation of autocrine PRL in T lymphocytes is not fully understood. To
      evaluate the role of autocrine PRL in T lymphocyte activation, PRL receptor
      (PRLR) in Jurkat cells was silenced by lentivirus-mediated stable expression of
      PRLR shRNAi. Knockdown of PRLR resulted in a considerable reduction of
      phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-induced T cell proliferation. Moreover, the synthesis
      and secretion of CD137, CD154, IL-2 and IL-4 were significantly decreased, while
      the production of CD28, IFN-gamma and IL-10 was not affected in PHA-primed PRLR
      deficient cells. These results demonstrate the importance of autocrine regulation
      of the PRL signaling in T lymphocyte growth and activation, and support a
      mechanism by which autocrine PRL participates in the immunoregulation through
      selectively influencing the expression of certain critical costimulatory
      molecules and cytokines.

PMID- 20307876
TI  - Toxicity of chromated copper arsenate: a study in mice.
AB  - Chromated copper arsenate (CCA) was widespread used as a chemical wood
      preservative with application in the construction of playground equipment,
      fences, jetties, and naval. Environmental protection agency (EPA) had limited the
      use of CCA-treated wood on 2002, due to probable implications on both human and
      environmental health. Although this fact, several industries pursue the use of
      this product within their manufactories. In addition, the durability of this wood
      for 60 years, makes these treated products an hazard to the public health. In the
      present work, studies were explored exposing mice to CCA, during 14, 24, 48, and
      96 h for the assessment of acute toxicity of CCA. Kidney and liver were removed,
      prepared for histology and for metalloid, and copper content evaluation by high
      resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy. The histological results
      evidenced apparently normal structures for control animals and group exposed to
      As2O5. On the contrary, the renal sections of the animals treated with CCA
      revealed epithelium cells desquamation, hyaline, and granular casts in renal
      tubules lumen. Furthermore, high levels of arsenic were detected in the kidney of
      animals treated with CCA over 14 and 48 h, being significantly greater than
      controls. Although this approach underlines the potential hazard of CCA on some
      vital organs, further testing may be required to establish the impacts on other
      functions.

PMID- 20307877
TI  - [Adult-onset hereditary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis].

PMID- 20307878
TI  - Endogenous gonadotropin flare following microdose leuprolide (MDL) stimulation
      protocol does not correlate with in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcome.
AB  - Patients undergoing first IVF cycle using MDL from October 2005 to November 2008
      had serum FSH, LH, and estradiol (E2) levels measured prior to and 2 days after
      initiation of MDL; and evidence of a follicular flare, defined as a doubling in
      endogenous gonadotropins, was evaluated and correlated with clinical pregnancy,
      cancellation, implantation, spontaneous abortion, and ongoing pregnancy rate as
      well as cycle parameters. Although there was no difference in IVF outcomes,
      higher doses of exogeneous gonadotropins as well as greater days of stimulation
      were observed in patients with a documented FSH or LH flare.

PMID- 20307879
TI  - Estrogens and androgens affect human luteal cell function.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate estrogens (Es)--E2, estrone (E1), and estriol--and
      androgens--T and androstendione (A)-effect on P, prostaglandin (PG) F2alpha,
      PGE2, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) release and on VEGF
      expression in human luteal cells. To elucidate whether androgens effects were
      direct or mediated by their conversion in Es, an aromatase inhibitor was used.
      Finally, the luteal effect of the non-aromatizable dihydrotestosterone was
      evaluated. DESIGN: Prospective laboratory study. SETTING: University hospital.
      PATIENT(S): Corpora lutea (CLs) were obtained from 36 normally menstruating
      patients in the midluteal phase of the menstrual cycle. INTERVENTION(S): The
      human luteal cells were isolated from CLs and primary cultures were established.
      MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): P and PG release were assayed by enzyme immunoassay;
      VEGF secretion by ELISA; VEGF messenger RNA (mRNA) expression by real-time
      polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULT(S): P and PGF2alpha secretion were
      decreased by Es and androgens. The VEGF release was increased by Es and
      androgens, whereas VEGF mRNA expression was not. The aromatase inhibitor
      counteracted T and A luteal effects. CONCLUSION(S): Both Es and androgens could
      participate in the regulation of human luteal function. The effect of T and A
      seems to be mediated by their conversion to Es, whereas for dihydrotestosterone,
      both direct androgenic and indirect estrogenic luteal effects could coexist.

PMID- 20307880
TI  - Internal consistency and Cronbach's alpha: A comment on Beeckman et al. (2010).

PMID- 20307881
TI  - Is epicardial fat tissue a marker of metabolic syndrome in obese children?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The goal of the study was to assess the association between epicardial
      fat (EF) thickness and waist circumference, insulin resistance and other
      metabolic syndrome components in obese children. METHODS: 52 obese children (23
      males and 29 females) in the mean age 11.6 + or - 2.87 years were studied. Their
      mean BMI was 26.17 + or - 2.13. Control group included 54 normal weight children
      (22 males and 32 females) in the mean age 12.85 + or - 2.15 years (BMI -18.55 +
      or - 2.71). Obesity was defined according to IOTF criteria. EF thickness on the
      right ventricle was obtained in all children by two-dimensional M-mode
      echocardiogram. In obese children systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood
      pressure was measured and fasting serum triglycerides, low- and high-density
      lipoproteins, cholesterol, and glucose and insulin levels were measured.
      Metabolic syndrome was determined according to IDF 2007 criteria. RESULTS: We
      documented a statistically significant correlation between epicardial fat BMI z
      score and waist circumference in both groups. No statistically significant
      correlation between EF thickness and HOMA Index was found. There was also no
      statistically significant difference in EF thickness between obese children with
      or without metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSION: Although EF in overweight children is
      a good indicator of visceral fat it does not seem to be the independent predictor
      of metabolic syndrome in this age group. The lack of relationship of EF thickness
      with insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome suggests that in children the
      prognostic value of this fat tissue may differ from that in adults.

PMID- 20307882
TI  - Impact of apolipoprotein E genotype and dietary quercetin on paraoxonase 1 status
      in apoE3 and apoE4 transgenic mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to determine hepatic paraoxonase 1
      (PON1) status in response to apoE genotype and dietary quercetin supplementation
      in mice. METHODS AND RESULTS: ApoE3 and apoE4 transgenic mice were fed semi
      synthetic diets without (controls) and with quercetin (2 mg/g diet) for 6 weeks.
      Hepatic mRNA and protein levels of PON1 were significantly lower in apoE4 as
      compared to apoE3 mice. Feeding quercetin-enriched diets induced hepatic PON1
      gene expression with a tendency for greater induction in apoE3 as compared to
      apoE4 mice. Furthermore, hepatic mRNA and protein levels of beta-glucuronidase
      and sulfatase, both enzymes centrally involved in the deconjugation of quercetin
      conjugates, were lower in apoE4 vs. apoE3 mice. PPARgamma (which partly controls
      PON1 gene expression) mRNA levels were lower in apoE4 vs. apoE3 mice. CONCLUSION:
      We provide first evidence that PON1 is differentially regulated in response to
      apoE genotype.

PMID- 20307883
TI  - Eosinophil cationic protein: A new biomarker of coronary atherosclerosis.
AB  - AIMS: Coronary atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease, but different
      inflammatory biomarkers may reflect different phases of atherosclerotic plaque
      evolution. We aimed at assessing the role of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), a
      sensitive marker of eosinophil activation, and C-reactive protein (CRP) in
      coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS AND RESULTS: Consecutive anginal patients
      with angiographic evidence of CAD [stable angina (SA) or non-ST-elevation acute
      coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS)], or with angiographically normal coronary arteries
      (NCA) were enrolled. The severity of CAD was graded according to Bogaty's score
      and coronary lesion morphology was defined as smooth or complex. Baseline ECP and
      high sensitivity CRP were measured in all patients. Of 198 patients (64 + or - 10
      years, male 74%), 91 had SA, 57 had NSTE-ACS and 50 had NCA. ECP levels were
      significantly higher in SA [30 microg/L (13.8-46.9), p<0.001] and NSTE-ACS [21.8
      microg/L (5.5-46.3), p=0.016] compared to NCA [9.7 microg/L (6.1-13.6)], without
      significant difference between SA and NSTE-ACS (p=0.45). CRP levels were
      significantly higher in NSTE-ACS [2.38 mg/L (1.11-11.94)] compared to SA [1.48
      mg/L (0.82-2.83), p=0.03], and NCA [1.09 mg/L (0.8-2.1), p<0.001], without
      significant difference between SA and NCA (p=0.20). The addition of ECP to main
      cardiovascular risk factors improved the area under the curve from 0.88 to 0.92,
      p=0.007 for the angiographic diagnosis of CAD; further addition of CRP increased
      the area to 0.94, p=0.014. At multiple linear regression analysis ECP levels
      independently predicted CAD severity (p=0.001), whereas CRP levels independently
      predicted lesion complexity (p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that ECP is a
      marker of CAD and that different inflammatory biomarkers reflect different phases
      of atherosclerotic plaque evolution.

PMID- 20307884
TI  - The adsorption of Naproxen enantiomers on the chiral stationary phase (R,R)-Whelk
      O1 under reversed-phase conditions: the effect of mobile phase composition.
AB  - The adsorption of the Naproxen enantiomers on the Whelk-O1 chiral stationary
      phase from acidic (0.01 M CH3COOH) methanol-water solutions was studied using the
      frontal analysis method and band profile calculations. The adsorption model that
      best accounted for these data is one assuming the coexistence of three types of
      adsorption sites, two of them being enantioselective, associated with the chiral
      selectors, the third type being the nonselective type of sites associated with
      residual surface silanol groups. The adsorption equilibrium is influenced by
      secondary processes that result in variations of the model parameters with the
      mobile phase composition. Several qualitative correlations between the model
      parameters and the methanol-water ratio were observed and are discussed.

PMID- 20307885
TI  - Investigations on the emission of fragrance allergens from scented toys by means
      of headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
AB  - In the revised European toy safety directive 2009/48/EC the application of
      fragrance allergens in children's toys is restricted. The focus of the present
      work lies on the instrumental analytics of 13 banned fragrance allergens, as well
      as on 11 fragrance allergens that require declaration when concentrations surpass
      100 microg per gram material. Applying a mixture of ethyl acetate and toluene
      solid/liquid extraction was performed prior to quantitative analysis of mass
      contents of fragrances in scented toys. In addition, an easy-to-perform method
      for the determination of emitted fragrances at 23 degrees C (handling conditions)
      or at 40 degrees C (worst case scenario) has been worked out to allow for the
      evaluation of potential risks originating from inhalation of these compounds
      during handling of or playing with toys. For this purpose a headspace solid-phase
      microextraction (HS-SPME) technique was developed and coupled to subsequent gas
      chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Fragrance allergens were
      adsorbed (extracted) from the gas phase onto an 85 microm polyacrylate fiber
      while incubating pieces of the scented toys in sealed headspace vials at 23
      degrees C and 40 degrees C. Quantification of compounds was performed via
      external calibration. The newly developed headspace method was subsequently
      applied to five perfumed toys. As expected, the emission of fragrance allergens
      from scented toys depends on the temperature and on the content of fragrance
      allergens present in those samples. In particular at conditions mimicking worst
      case (40 degrees C), fragrance allergens in toys may pose a risk to children
      since considerable amounts of compound might be absorbed by lung tissue via
      breathing of contaminated air.

PMID- 20307886
TI  - The kinetic plot method applied to gradient chromatography: theoretical framework
      and experimental validation.
AB  - The kinetic plot method, originally developed for isocratic separations, was
      extended to the practically much more relevant case of gradient elution
      separations. A set of explicit as well as implicit data transformation
      expressions has been established. These expressions can readily be implemented in
      any calculation spread-sheet program, and allow to directly turn any experimental
      data set representing the relation between the separation efficiency and the flow
      rate measured on a single column into the kinetic performance limit curve of the
      tested separation medium. Since the kinetic performance limit curve is based on
      an extrapolation to columns with a different length, it should be realized that
      the curve is only valid under the assumption that the gradient time and the delay
      time (if any) are adapted such that the analytes are subjected to the same
      relative mobile phase history when the column length is changed. Both
      experimental and numerical data are presented to corroborate the fact that the
      kinetic performance limit curves that are obtained using the proposed expressions
      are indeed independent of the column length the experimental data were collected
      in. Deviations might arise if excessive viscous heating occurs in columns with a
      pronounced non-adiabatic thermal behaviour.

PMID- 20307887
TI  - Fast proteomic protocol for biomarker fingerprinting in cancerous cells.
AB  - The advance of novel technologies that will enable the detection of large sets of
      biomarker proteins, to greatly improve the sensitivity and specificity of an
      assay, represents a major objective in biomedical research. To demonstrate the
      power of mass spectrometry (MS) detection for large-scale biomarker screening in
      cancer research, a simple, one-step approach for fast biomarker fingerprinting in
      complex cellular extracts is described. MCF-7 breast cancer cells were used as a
      model system. Fast proteomic profiling of whole cellular extracts was achieved on
      a linear trap quadrupole (LTQ) mass spectrometer by one of the following
      techniques: (a) data-dependent liquid chromatography (LC)-MS/MS of un-labeled
      cell extracts, (b) data-dependent LC-MS/MS with pulsed Q dissociation (PQD)
      detection of iTRAQ labeled samples, and (c) multiple reaction monitoring (MRM)-MS
      of low abundant proteins that could not be detected with data-dependent MS/MS.
      The data-dependent LC-MS/MS analysis of MCF-7 cells enabled the identification of
      796 proteins (p<0.001) and the simultaneous detection of 156 previously reported
      putative cancer biomarkers. PQD detection of iTRAQ labeled cells resulted in the
      detection of 389 proteins and 64 putative biomarkers. MRM-MS analysis enabled the
      successful monitoring of a panel of low-abundance proteins in one single
      experiment, highlighting the utility of this technique for targeted analysis in
      cancer investigations. These results demonstrate that MS-based technologies
      relying on a one-step separation protocol have the potential to revolutionize
      biomarker research and screening applications by enabling fast, sensitive and
      reliable detection of large panels of putative biomarkers. To further stimulate
      the exploration of proteins that have been previously reported in the literature
      to be differentially expressed in a variety of cancers, an extensive list of
      approximately 1100 candidate biomarkers has been compiled and included in the
      manuscript.

PMID- 20307888
TI  - Comprehensive blood plasma lipidomics by liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of
      flight mass spectrometry.
AB  - A lipidomics strategy, combining high resolution reversed-phase liquid
      chromatography (RPLC) with high resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass
      spectrometry (QqTOF), is described. The method has carefully been assessed in
      both a qualitative and a quantitative fashion utilizing human blood plasma. The
      inherent low technical variability associated with the lipidomics method allows
      to measure 65% of the features with an intensity RSD value below 10%. Blood
      plasma lipid spike-in experiments demonstrate that relative concentration
      differences smaller than 25% can readily be revealed by means of a t-test.
      Utilizing an advanced identification strategy, it is shown that the detected
      features mainly originate from (lyso-)phospholipids, sphingolipids, mono-, di-
      and triacylglycerols and cholesterol esters. The high resolution offered by the
      up-front RPLC step further allows to discriminate various isomeric species
      associated with the different lipid classes. The added value of utilizing a
      Jetstream electrospray ionization (ESI) source over a regular ESI source in
      lipidomics is for the first time demonstrated. In addition, the application of
      ultra high performance LC (UHPLC) up to 1200bar to extend the peak capacity or
      increase productivity is discussed.

PMID- 20307889
TI  - Adsorption of arsenic ions on Brazilian sepiolite: effect of contact time, pH,
      concentration, and calorimetric investigation.
AB  - The original sepiolite clay mineral has been collected from Amazon region,
      Brazil. The compound 2-aminomethylpyridine (AMP) was anchored onto Amazon
      sepiolite surface by heterogeneous route. The natural (SPT) and modified
      (SPT(AMP)) sepiolite samples were characterized by elemental analysis, SEM, N(2)
      adsorption, and nuclear magnetic nuclei of (29)Si and (13)C. The well-defined
      peaks obtained in the (13)C NMR spectrum in the 0-160 ppm region confirmed the
      attachment of organic functional groups as pendant chains bonded into the porous
      clay. The ability of these materials to remove As(V) from aqueous solution was
      followed by a series of adsorption isotherms at room temperature and pH 4.0. The
      maximum number of moles adsorbed was determined to be 7.26*10(-2) and 11.70*10(
      2) mmol g(-1) for SPT and SPT(AMP), respectively. In order to evaluate the clay
      samples as adsorbents in dynamic system, a glass column was fulfilled with clay
      samples (1.0 g) and it was fed with 2.0*10(-2) mmol dm(-3) As(V) at pH 4.0. The
      energetic effects caused by metal cations adsorption were determined through
      calorimetric titrations. Thermodynamics indicated the existence of favorable
      conditions for such As(V)-nitrogen interactions.

PMID- 20307890
TI  - Thermodynamic investigation of the systems poly(ethylene glycol) + sodium pentane
      1-sulfonate + water and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) + sodium pentane-1-sulfonate +
      water.
AB  - Thermodynamic properties for aqueous solutions containing sodium pentane-1
      sulfonate (C(5)SO(3)Na) in the absence and presence of poly(ethyleneglycol) (PEG)
      or poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) determined as a function of surfactant
      concentration from the density, sound velocity, viscosity, conductivity and vapor
      liquid equilibria data, are reported here. Densities and sound velocities,
      allowing for the determination of apparent molar volumes and compressibilities,
      were measured at 288.15-313.15 K. Changes in the apparent molar properties upon
      micellization were derived using a pseudo-phase-transition approach and the
      infinite dilution apparent molar volumes and compressibilities of the monomer and
      micellar state of C(5)SO(3)Na in the investigated solutions were determined. The
      values of the infinite dilution apparent molar properties of micellar states of
      C(5)SO(3)Na in aqueous polymer solutions are larger than those in pure water.
      Vapor-liquid equilibrium data such as water activity, vapor pressure, osmotic
      coefficient, activity coefficient and Gibbs free energies were obtained through
      isopiestic method at 298.15 K. The variations of the critical micelle
      concentration (CMC) of C(5)SO(3)Na in water and in aqueous PEG and PVP solutions
      with temperature were obtained and a comparison between the CMC of C(5)SO(3)Na
      obtained from different thermodynamic properties was also made.

PMID- 20307891
TI  - Children's thinking about their own and others' regret and relief.
AB  - In two experiments using a decision-making game, we investigated children's
      thinking about regret and relief. In Experiment 1 (N=43, 31 children [5 years 4
      months to 8 years 2 months of age] and 12 adults), participants chose between two
      boxes containing different numbers of stickers. They rated their happiness before
      learning that the other box contained more (regret) or fewer (relief) stickers.
      They rerated their chosen box with the counterfactual knowledge. The experience
      of regret was evident at 5 years of age, and the experience of relief was evident
      at 7 years of age. In Experiment 2 (N=69, 53 children [5 years 3 months to 6
      years 11 months of age] and 16 adults), participants either played the game (self
      condition) or watched another play the game (other condition). Children in the
      self condition confirmed the results from Experiment 1. We found no evidence that
      children up to 7 years of age were able to predict others' regret and relief, a
      finding that suggests differing developmental trajectories between experiencing
      and understanding others' regret and relief.

PMID- 20307893
TI  - [Pancoast tumor with Horner's syndrome].

PMID- 20307892
TI  - Depression is associated with increased sensitivity to signals of disgust: a
      functional magnetic resonance imaging study.
AB  - Emotions of fear and disgust are related to core symptoms of depression. The
      neurobiological mechanisms of these associations are poorly understood. This
      functional magnetic resonance imaging study aimed at examining the Blood
      oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) response to facial expressions of fear and
      disgust in patients with major depressive disorder. Nine patients in an episode
      of major depression and nine healthy controls underwent two functional magnetic
      resonance imaging experiments where they judged the gender of facial identities
      displaying different degrees (mild, strong) of fear or disgust, intermixed with
      non-emotional faces. Compared with healthy controls, patients with depression
      demonstrated greater activation in left insula, left orbito-frontal gyrus, left
      middle/inferior temporal gyrus, and right middle/inferior temporal gyrus to
      expressions of strong disgust. Depressed patients also demonstrated reduced
      activation in left inferior parietal lobe to mildly fearful faces. Enhanced
      activation to facial expressions of disgust may reflect an emotion processing
      bias that suggests high relevance of emotion of disgust to depression.

PMID- 20307894
TI  - [Erdheim-Chester disease with bone lesion and retroperitoneal fibrosis].

PMID- 20307895
TI  - [Hospital care of patients with A/H1N1 influenza: evaluation of the first 1000
      reported cases in Spain].
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Influenza A is expected to have a great impact in
      countries in the northern hemisphere yet little has been reported about how this
      outbreak can affect hospital care. The aim of this study is to assess patients
      who demand care for flu symptoms and their outcome. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From
      the beginning of the outbreak a specific protocol was established for the care of
      patients with potential influenza A in admission, emergency and hospitalization
      ward. A nominal registry was designed with clinical and epidemiological data.
      RESULTS: 1018 patients were evaluated for potential influenza A from the
      beginning of the outbreak until the 31(st) August, 2009. 77% of them fulfilled
      clinical criteria and were classified as suspected cases. Mean age was 31,7 years
      (SD17,2), 52% were women, 3,3% pregnant or puerperal. The admission rate was
      23,4% with a global mean stay of 3,5 days, and 2,5 for the adults who were
      admitted to the short stay hospital unit. 2,8 % had pneumonia, two patients
      required admission to the intensive care unit and one of them died. CONCLUSIONS:
      Our data show an outbreak with mild illness, with a remarkable percentage of
      pneumonia but with good outcome. Despite of the high percentage of admissions,
      and in order to avoid the misleading attention to other patients, we believe that
      an assistance model based in specific units, short stay and post-discharge follow
      up could be suitable.

PMID- 20307896
TI  - A simple pharmacokinetic model linking plasma progesterone concentrations with
      the hormone released from bovine intravaginal inserts.
AB  - On the basis of pharmacokinetic modeling, this study provides some insights into
      predicting in vivo plasma progesterone concentrations when using bovine
      intravaginal inserts for systemic progesterone delivery. More significantly, this
      contribution is the first attempt to build a simple pharmacokinetic model that
      links plasma progesterone concentrations with the hormone released from bovine
      intravaginal inserts. After evaluating three rival pharmacokinetic models and
      considering some phenomena involved in the intravaginal administration of
      progesterone, a primary pharmacokinetic model having a good data fitting
      capability with only two adjustable parameters is proposed to the above mentioned
      task. Kinetic parameters are given for lactating Holstein dairy cows with two
      levels of daily milk yields; and non-pregnant, non-lactating Holstein-Friesian
      cattle. Model predictions indicate the occurrence of a preferential distribution
      of the intravaginally administered progesterone dose through a first uterine pass
      effect.

PMID- 20307897
TI  - Carriage of diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli by older children and adults in
      Accra, Ghana.
AB  - Diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) were sought in stool specimens from 72
      adults and children aged over 3 years, who presented with diarrhoea at a hospital
      in Accra, Ghana, and 72 matched controls. Only diffusely-adherent E. coli were
      significantly associated with disease in these older individuals (P=0.029). We
      additionally tested 53 specimens from infants among whom DEC were collectively
      associated with disease (P=0.012). Enteropathogenic, enterotoxigenic and
      enteroaggregative E. coli, the most commonly isolated pathotypes from infants
      with diarrhoea, were frequently recovered from healthy adults. Asymptomatic
      carriage of DEC by older individuals in Accra may place young children at risk
      for diarrhoea.

PMID- 20307898
TI  - NADPH-d cells (mast cells) around and within the autonomic nerves of porcine
      renal hilus.
AB  - The enzymehistochemical localization of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide
      phosphate diaphorase (NADPH-d) reactive cells next and within the autonomic
      nerves in the porcine kidney's hilus, close to renal artery and vein as well as
      in its adventitia, was studied. It was established that the prevailing part of
      NADPH-d-reactive cells were distributed next to and within NADPH-d-reactive
      autonomic fibers around the renal vein. Comparatively small number of reactive
      cells was found around the renal artery, but single NADPH-d-reactive cells were
      found in the neighbouring autonomic nerves as well. The cells observed next to
      nerves had much more expressed reaction (granules) than those, located in the
      nerves. Toluidine blue staining on frozen and paraffine sections from the same
      areas showed well-expressed gamma-ma metachromasia in mast cells with similar or
      identical localization. This indicated that observed reactive cells were mast
      cells. The obtained data convincingly showed that porcine NADPH-d cells may
      produce nitric oxide and in this way most probably they were involved in the
      function of autonomic nerves in the renal blood vessels (vasodilatation) and the
      kidney function, as well.

PMID- 20307899
TI  - Sorting of influenza A virus RNA genome segments after nuclear export.
AB  - The genome of the influenza A virus consists of eight different segments. These
      eight segments are thought to be sorted selectively in infected cells. However,
      the cellular compartment where segments are sorted is not known. We examined
      using temperature sensitive (ts) mutant viruses and cell fusion where segments
      are sorted in infected cells. Different cells were infected with different ts
      mutant viruses, and these cells were fused. In fused cells, genome segments are
      mixed only in the cytoplasm, because M1 prevents their re-import into the
      nucleus. We made a marker ts53 virus, which has silent mutations in given
      segments and determined the reassortment frequency on all segments using ts1 and
      marker ts53. In both co-infected and fused cells, all of marker ts53 segments and
      ts1 segments were incorporated into progeny virions in a random fashion. These
      results suggest that influenza virus genome segments are sorted after nuclear
      export.

PMID- 20307900
TI  - Electrochemical incineration of diclofenac in neutral aqueous medium by anodic
      oxidation using Pt and boron-doped diamond anodes.
AB  - The degradation of diclofenac, a common non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, in
      aqueous medium has been studied by anodic oxidation (AO) using an undivided cell
      with a Pt or boron-doped diamond (BDD) anode. Operating without pH regulation, AO
      with Pt acidifies the solution with precipitation of its protonated form, whereas
      using BDD, the solution becomes alkaline and only attains partial mineralization.
      Total incineration of low contents of the drug is feasible by AO with BDD in a
      neutral buffer medium of pH 6.5. Comparative treatment with Pt gives poor
      decontamination. The diclofenac decay always follows a pseudo first-order
      reaction. The increase in current for AO with BDD accelerates the degradative
      process, but decreases its efficiency. 2-Hydroxyphenylacetic acid, 2,5
      dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, 2,6-dichloroaniline and 2,6-dichlorohydroquinone have
      been identified as aromatic intermediates. For AO with Pt, high amounts of malic,
      succinic, tartaric and oxalic acids are accumulated in the bulk and the N
      derivatives produced are rapidly destroyed with loss of NH4+. When BDD is
      employed, some carboxylic acids are also accumulated in small extent, with a
      larger persistence of oxalic and oxamic acids. The process involves the formation
      of different N-derivatives that slowly release NH4+ and NO3(-) ions. Chloride ion
      is lost in all cases.

PMID- 20307901
TI  - Association between reduced ADAMTS13 and diabetic nephropathy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Deficiency of Von Willebrand factor (VWF)-cleaving protease
      (ADAMTS13) causes platelet thrombosis in the microcirculation. Intrarenal
      coagulation is thought to be associated with the development and progression of
      diabetic nephropathy. Our aim was to clarify the association between plasma
      ADAMTS13 antigen (ADAMTS13Ag) levels and diabetic nephropathy. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: We measured the plasma levels of VWF antigen (VWFAg) and ADAMTS13Ag, and
      calculated the VWF/ADAMTS13 ratio in 86 type 2 diabetic patients and 26 healthy
      volunteers, to investigate the relationship between these levels and renal
      function. With regard to diabetic macroangiopathy, the relationship between these
      levels and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) was also investigated. RESULTS
      AND CONCLUSIONS: A significant positive and negative correlation was noted
      between ADAMTS13Ag and the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR),
      vWF/ADAMTS13 ratio and eGFR, respectively. The diabetic patients were divided
      into normoalbuminuria (n=50), microalbuminuria (n=8) and overt nephropathy (n=28)
      groups. Compared among these three groups and the 26 healthy volunteers,
      ADAMTS13Ag was significantly lower only in the overt nephropathy group. The mean
      carotid IMT was measured in 69 patients and was significantly negatively
      correlated with ADAMTS13Ag and positively correlated with VWF/ADAMTS13 ratio.
      When these 69 patients were divided into four groups according to eGFR and
      ADAMTS13 levels (ADAMTS13/eGFR; low/low: n=12; high/low: n=7; low/high: n=25;
      high/high: n=25), the mean carotid IMT was increased in patients with a low
      ADAMTS13Ag in the same eGFR group. The present study suggests that reduced
      ADAMTS13 might be associated with diabetic nephropathy.

PMID- 20307902
TI  - Hepatocyte Growth Factor: a marker and a player in disseminated intravascular
      coagulation.

PMID- 20307903
TI  - Increases in circulating matrix metalloproteinase-9 levels following fibrinolysis
      for acute pulmonary embolism.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Fibrinolyis is one of the first line therapies in high risk
      pulmonary embolism (PE) according to current guidelines. Previous studies showed
      that fibrinolytic therapy with tPA (tissue plasminogen activator, or alteplase)
      upregulates the concentrations of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and
      contributes to hemorrhagic transformation after cardioembolic stroke. However, no
      previous study has described the circulating MMPs levels following fibrinolysis
      for acute PE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We serially measured the circulating levels
      of MMPs (MMP-9 and MMP-2) and their endogenous inhibitors, the tissue inhibitor
      of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 and TIMP-2 in alteplase and in streptokinase
      treated patients with acute PE by gelatin zymography and by enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assays, respectively. RESULTS: We found that therapy of PE
      streptokinase or with alteplase is associated increased pro-MMP-9, but not MMP-2,
      concentrations for up to 24hours, whereas no significant changes were found in
      TIMP-1 or TIMP-2 concentrations. This alteration returned to normal 3 to 5days
      after thrombolysis. This is the first study reporting on MMPs alterations
      following fibrinolysis for acute PE. CONCLUSIONS: We found transient increases in
      circulating pro-MMP-9 levels following fibrinolysis for acute PE. Our findings
      support the hypothesis that increased MMP-9 levels may underlie the risk of
      intracerebral hemorrhage or other bleeding complication of thrombolysis for acute
      PE, and the use of MMP inhibitors may decrease such risk.

PMID- 20307904
TI  - Do u txt? Event-related potentials to semantic anomalies in standard and texted
      English.
AB  - Texted English is a hybrid, technology-based language derived from standard
      English modified to facilitate ease of communication via instant and text
      messaging. We compared semantic processing of texted and standard English
      sentences by recording event-related potentials in a classic semantic incongruity
      paradigm designed to elicit an N400 effect. In participants fluent in both text
      and standard English, an N400 effect was elicited in both the texted and standard
      English conditions. The amplitude and distribution of the N400 effect (300-500ms)
      in the texted and standard English conditions were similar, but the text semantic
      incongruity effect was characterized by a delayed peak latency and an extended
      duration into the 500-700ms epoch. This pattern of results replicates previous
      findings regarding differences in the N400 effect in native and non-native
      language processing, but for the first time extends the bilingual ERP literature
      to include the technological phenomenon of texted English.

PMID- 20307905
TI  - Brief report: multilevel analysis of school smoking policy and pupil smoking
      behaviour in Wales.
AB  - A multilevel analysis of cross-sectional data from a survey involving 1941 pupils
      (in grades 10 and 11) and policy indicators developed from interviews with staff
      from 45 secondary schools in Wales examined the hypotheses that pupil smoking
      prevalence would be associated with: restrictive staff and pupil smoking
      policies; dissemination of school smoking policies; and implementation of smoking
      policies in the context of a health promoting whole school environment. The only
      statistically significant association found was that pupils attending schools
      that did not disseminate pupil smoking policy in a written document had a greater
      tendency (OR = 2.16, 95% CI 1.13-4.10) to smoke daily on school premises than
      those who attended schools that disseminated policy through a written document.
      This association was not significant (p < 0.05) when pupil level covariates were
      included. Further research is required to identify the effectiveness and optimal
      content, enforcement and support of school smoking policies.

PMID- 20307907
TI  - The impact of anti-HY responses on outcome in current and subsequent pregnancies
      of patients with recurrent pregnancy losses.
AB  - Women pregnant with a male fetus often generate cellular and humoral immune
      responses against male-specific minor histocompatibility (HY) antigens-however,
      the importance of these responses for pregnancy outcome is unclear. Epidemiologic
      studies have shown that the birth of a boy compared with a girl prior to a series
      of miscarriages significantly reduces the chance of a subsequent live birth and
      pregnancies with boys have an increased risk of placental abruption. This paper
      aims to review the current knowledge about the impact of anti-HY immunity on
      pregnancy outcome in terms of miscarriage and placental abruption. Our knowledge
      primarily comes from studies of the impact on pregnancy outcome of HLA class II
      alleles known to restrict CD4 T cell mediated anti-HY responses among 358
      secondary recurrent miscarriage (SRM) patients and 203 of their children born
      prior to the miscarriages and investigation of these HLA alleles in 8 patients
      with recurrent severe placental abruptions. The chance of a subsequent live birth
      in SRM patients with firstborn boys compared to firstborn girls was significantly
      lower in women with HY-restricting HLA class II alleles [OR: 0.17 (0.1-0.4),
      p=0.0001]. Most patients with recurrent placental abruptions had firstborn boys
      and significantly more of these patients carried HLA haplotypes with HY
      restricting class II alleles compared with controls (p=0.009). These findings are
      strongly indicative of aberrant maternal immune reactions against fetal HY
      antigens playing a role in recurrent miscarriage and placental abruption. We
      propose pathogenetic pathways for these conditions that in our view best explain
      the findings.

PMID- 20307906
TI  - Bipolar disorder with frequent mood episodes in the New Zealand Mental Health
      Survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rapid cycling bipolar disorder has been studied almost exclusively in
      clinical samples. METHODS: A national cross-sectional survey in 2003-2004 in New
      Zealand used the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 3.0).
      Diagnosis was by DSM-IV. Depression severity was assessed with the Quick
      Inventory of Depressive Symptoms (QIDS) and role impairment using Sheehan Scales.
      Complex survey analyses compared percentages and means, and used logistic
      regression and discrete-time survival analyses. Frequent mood episodes (FMEs) in
      the past 12 months (4+) were used as an indicator of rapid cycling. RESULTS: The
      lifetime prevalence of bipolar disorder (I + II) was 1.7%. Twelve-month
      prevalence was 1.0%: 0.3% with FME and 0.7% with No FME (1-3 episodes). Another
      0.7% had no episodes in that period. Age of onset was earliest for FME (16.0
      years versus 19.5 and 20.1, p<.05). In the past 12 months, weeks in episode,
      total days out of role and role impairment in the worst month were all worse for
      the FME group (p<.0001) but both the FME and No-FME groups experienced severe and
      impairing depression. Lifetime suicidal behaviours and comorbidity were high in
      all three bipolar groups but differed little between them. About three-quarters
      had ever received treatment but only half with twelve-month disorder made
      treatment contact. LIMITATIONS: Recall, not observation of episodes. CONCLUSIONS:
      Even in the community the burden of bipolar disorder is high. Frequent mood
      episodes in bipolar disorder are associated with still more disruption of life
      than less frequent episodes. Treatment is underutilized and could moderate the
      distress and impairment experienced.

PMID- 20307908
TI  - Comment on "Adenoidectomy for otitis media with effusion in 2-3-year-old
      children" by Margaretha L. Casselbrant et al. [Int. J. Pediat. Otorhinolaryngol.
      73 (2009) 1718-1724].

PMID- 20307909
TI  - A prospective matched nested case-control study of bacterial gill disease
      outbreaks in Ontario, Canada government salmonid hatcheries.
AB  - Early-rearing salmonids in Ontario, Canada government fish hatcheries have been
      persistently affected by bacterial gill disease (BGD), and outbreaks at these
      locations have often been associated with high morbidity and mortality. The
      causative agent of BGD, Flavobacterium branchiophilum, is ubiquitous in fresh
      water, and outbreaks of BGD are considered to be associated with deleterious
      environmental conditions. This paper summarizes a 14-month rearing unit-level
      prospective nested matched case-control investigation at six Ontario government
      hatcheries (raising a total of six different salmonid species) to identify, and
      quantify the effects of, important predictors of BGD outbreaks. Ongoing husbandry
      data were collected on all early-rearing (<9 months of age) fish tank-lots ("tank
      lot"=a group of fish from a specific lot existing in a single hatchery tank for a
      given period during the study time frame) at participating hatcheries, and all
      outbreaks of BGD were confirmed by light microscopy during the study period.
      Control tank-lots were selected at the end of the study and matched to individual
      cases based on time, hatchery, and species. Data were analyzed using logistic
      regression modeling, controlling for fish age. The final multivariable model
      indicated that affected tank-lots were significantly more likely to have had
      lower fish numbers, lower individual fish weights, higher mortality levels and
      higher feeding rates during the week preceding observed BGD outbreaks than were
      asymptomatic control tank-lots. Refinements in the observation and manipulation
      of these factors could therefore aid in the prevention of fish losses associated
      with observable BGD outbreaks. The predictive (as opposed to causal) nature of
      the identified factors needs to be considered, and further research is required
      to understand the relationships between these factors and BGD.

PMID- 20307910
TI  - Predictors of acute bowel toxicity in patients treated with IMRT whole pelvis
      irradiation after prostatectomy.
AB  - PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE: Whole pelvis irradiation with IMRT (WPRT-IMRT) after
      prostatectomy is efficient in reducing acute toxicity: however, a number of
      patients still experience moderate acute bowel toxicity. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Ninety-six patients treated with WPRT-IMRT after prostatectomy with adjuvant or
      salvage intent were analysed. A number of parameters were individually recovered,
      including the DVHs of the intestinal cavity outside PTV and of the loops referred
      to both the WPRT phase and the whole treatment. Correlation between clinical
      dosimetric parameters and acute bowel toxicity was investigated by logistic
      analyses. Best predictive cut-off values for continuous variables were assessed
      by ROC curves. RESULTS: 15/96 (15.6%) Patients experienced grade 2 toxicity (no
      grade 3). Best dose-volume predictors were the fraction of loops receiving more
      than 45, 50 and 55 Gy (respectively, V45TL >= 50cc, V50TL >= 13cc, V55TL >= 3cc;
      p-values ranging from 0.005 to 0.027). Age, GU acute toxicity, rectal acute
      toxicity and time between prostatectomy and IMRT were also predictors of acute
      bowel toxicity. Multivariate analysis showed that the most predictive independent
      parameters were age (OR: 1.13; 95%CI: 1.02-1.25; p=0.021) and V50TL (>= 13cc, OR:
      8.2; 95%CI: 1.7-40; p=0.009). CONCLUSIONS: The risk of moderate acute uGI
      toxicity during WPRT-IMRT for post-operatively treated patients increases with
      age; the risk is substantially reduced in patients with small overlap between PTV
      and loops.

PMID- 20307911
TI  - Trends in technology, trade and consumption likely to impact on microbial food
      safety.
AB  - Current and potential future trends in technology, consumption and trade of food
      that may impact on food-borne disease are analysed and the key driving factors
      identified focusing on the European Union and, to a lesser extent, accounting for
      the United States and global issues. Understanding of factors is developed using
      system-based methods and their impact is discussed in relation to current events
      and predictions of future trends. These factors come from a wide range of spheres
      relevant to food and include political, economic, social, technological,
      regulatory and environmental drivers. The degree of certainty in assessing the
      impact of important driving factors is considered in relation to food-borne
      disease. The most important factors driving an increase in the burden of food
      borne disease in the next few decades were found to be the anticipated doubling
      of the global demand for food and of the international trade in food next to a
      significantly increased consumption of certain high-value food commodities such
      as meat and poultry and fresh produce. A less important factor potentially
      increasing the food-borne disease burden would be the increased demand for
      convenience foods. Factors that may contribute to a reduction in the food-borne
      disease burden were identified as the ability of governments around the world to
      take effective regulatory measures as well as the development and use of new food
      safety technologies and detection methods. The most important factor in reducing
      the burden of food-borne disease was identified as our ability to first detect
      and investigate a food safety issue and then to develop effective control
      measures. Given the global scale of impact on food safety that current and
      potentially future trends have, either by potentially increasing or decreasing
      the food-borne disease burden, it is concluded that a key role is fulfilled by
      intergovernmental organisations and by international standard setting bodies in
      coordinating the establishment and rolling-out of effective measures that, on
      balance, help ensure long-term consumer protection and fair international trade.

PMID- 20307912
TI  - Pharmaceutical supply chain in China: current issues and implications for health
      system reform.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This article discusses the performance and distortions of
      pharmaceutical market in China and provides some reflections and policy
      implications for currently implemented reform. METHODS: This study is based on
      literature review and publicly available data by searching electronic databases
      and official web pages of the Chinese government on the internet. RESULTS:
      China's economic transition and the incremental and piecemeal nature of health
      care reform have created a pharmaceutical market with a number of deficiencies,
      including ineffective supervision, mark-up price pattern, distortion of the price
      schedule, and lack of authoritative drug formulary. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that
      the root cause of the market and government failures is that higher-than-cost
      drugs preferred by all suppliers. New drug pricing mechanism is the key to the
      current pharmaceutical reform and should be implemented in coordination with
      other health system reforms.

PMID- 20307913
TI  - Diagnosis of synchronous primary lung adenocarcinomas based on epidermal growth
      factor (EGFR) gene status: A case report.
AB  - The diagnosis of multiple primary lung cancer is sometimes difficult when
      multiple lung tumors with the same histologic type are identified. We now present
      a case of synchronous double primary lung adenocarcinomas (one in the right upper
      lobe and another in the right middle lobe) diagnosed based on mutational analysis
      of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene, although clinico
      pathological findings suggested the diagnosis of intrapulmonary metastasis. After
      complete resection, pathological sections revealed the similar pathological
      features of two adenocarcinomas and unexpected subcarinal nodal metastasis. As
      the L858R mutation within exon 21 of the EGFR gene was identified in the middle
      lobe tumor and the subcarinal node but not in the upper-lobe tumor, we diagnosed
      as double primary cancers. Local mediastinal recurrence after operation has been
      well-controlled with administration of gefitinib, a EGFR-tyrosine kinase
      inhibitor, and mutational analysis of the EGFR gene provided important
      information not only in the diagnosis of double primary cancers but also in
      decision-making of selection of chemotherapeutic agent.

PMID- 20307914
TI  - Transgenic apple expressing an antigenic protein of the human respiratory
      syncytial virus.
AB  - A gene coding for the human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-F protein, driven
      by the constitutively expressed CaMV 35S promoter, was introduced into leaf
      tissues of apple, Malusxdomestica Borkh. cv. Royal Gala, via Agrobacterium
      mediated transformation. Two putative transgenic lines were identified, and the
      presence of the RSV-F gene was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A
      total of 25 plants from these different transgenic events were successfully
      rooted, acclimatized, and transferred to the greenhouse. Stable integration of
      the transgene was confirmed and transgene copy number was determined by DNA gel
      blot analysis. Expression of the npt-II selectable marker and RSV-F was
      determined using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
      Furthermore, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) revealed varying levels of
      protein expression of the RSV-F transgene, ranging from 0 to 20 microg/g tissue.
      This is a first step in an effort to assess the efficacy of using apple for
      developing a plant-based vaccine against RSV.

PMID- 20307915
TI  - Costs of QuantiFERON-TB Gold versus tuberculin skin test in Spanish healthcare
      workers.
AB  - We compared the cost of the tuberculin skin test (TST) with the QuantiFERON-TB
      Gold (QFT-G) test when screening for latent tuberculosis in 134 healthcare
      workers in Spain. The QFT-G test cost euro42.5 per healthcare worker, while the
      TST cost euro39.5. The tests varied in cost structure; most (70%) TST costs were
      due to time demands on the participants, whereas the QFT-G was more expensive in
      terms of consumables (50% of the total cost). Accordingly, the results depend on
      the hourly wages of the participants and the time they must dedicate to the
      tests. In the Spanish healthcare system, the societal costs of QFT-G are
      comparable to those of the TST, although their cost structures are quite
      distinct.

PMID- 20307916
TI  - [Factors associated with hospital readmissions in the elderly].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify factors associated with hospital readmissions in the
      elderly. DESIGN: Observational descriptive study. SETTING: Health area 3 of
      Madrid. PARTICIPANTS: Patients 74 years-old and over with a hospital admission to
      Hospital Universitario Principe de Asturias in 2006. Those with a hospital
      admission in the previous 6 months were excluded. A total of 1051 patients were
      identified. MAIN MEASURES: Hospital Discharge Minimum Basic Data Set and primary
      care information system were used to develop logistical regression models. The
      dependent variable was the hospital readmission in a 6 month period. Independent
      variables were socio-demographics, health status and health care activity.
      RESULTS: There were 22.6% readmissions in the first 6 months. Variables
      associated with higher risk of readmission were, hospital stay (hospital stay
      greater than 15 days had an OR: 1.73 (95% CI:1.17-2.54), the total number of
      medicines prescribed to the patient (OR: 1.05; 95% CI:1.01-1.09), having
      hypertension (OR:1.56; 95% CI:1.11-2.18), heart failure (OR: 1.56; 95% CI:1.00
      2.44) or ischemic heart disease (OR: 1.51; 95% CI:1.00-2.26), and the primary
      care nursing mean attendance pressure (OR: 0.93; 95% CI:0.87-0.98). The model
      that integrates information from both systems explains a higher number of factors
      associated with readmission. CONCLUSIONS: Hospital readmissions have been
      associated to patient medical condition and to factors related to the health care
      received. Integrating information from hospital and primary care administrative
      data bases improves the capacity to identify factors associated with a higher
      readmission risk.

PMID- 20307917
TI  - [Influenza A, what do our patients think about it?].

PMID- 20307918
TI  - [Descending thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysm in perfusion ventilation
      scintigraphy. An incidental finding].

PMID- 20307919
TI  - New 6-amino-[1,2,4]triazolo[3,4-b][1,3,4]thiadiazines and [1,2,4]triazolo[3,4-b]
      [1,3,4]thiadiazin-6-ones: synthesis, characterization and antibacterial activity
      evaluation.
AB  - (4-X-Phenylsulfonyl)phenyl] containing 6-amino-[1,2,4]triazolo[3,4
      b][1,3,4]thiadiazines and [1,2,4]triazolo[3,4-b][1,3,4]thiadiazin-6-ones were
      synthesized by intermolecular condensation of 2-chloro-N-phenylacetamide, 2
      chloroacetic acid, oxalylchloride and bromo-diethylmalonate with 4-amino-5-[4-(4
      X-phenylsulfonyl)phenyl]-4H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiols (X = H, Cl, Br). The
      structures of newly synthesized compounds were confirmed by elemental analysis
      and IR, NMR spectral data. All the compounds were screened for their
      antibacterial activities. Some of them exhibited good activities against
      Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 14990, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027,
      Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922.

PMID- 20307920
TI  - Application of in-situ measurement to determine 137Cs in the Swiss Alps.
AB  - Establishment of (137)Cs inventories is often used to gain information on soil
      stability. The latter is crucial in mountain systems, where ecosystem stability
      is tightly connected to soil stability. In-situ measurements of (137)Cs in steep
      alpine environments are scarce. Most studies have been carried out in arable
      lands and with Germanium (Ge) detectors. Sodium Iodide (NaI) detector system is
      an inexpensive and easy to handle field instrument, but its validity on steep
      alpine environments has not been tested yet. In this study, a comparison of
      laboratory measurements with GeLi detector and in-situ measurements with NaI
      detector of (137)Cs gamma soil radiation has been done in an alpine catchment
      with high (137)Cs concentration (Urseren Valley, Switzerland). The aim of this
      study was to calibrate the in-situ NaI detector system for application on steep
      alpine slopes. Replicate samples from an altitudinal transect through the Urseren
      Valley, measured in the laboratory with a GeLi detector, showed a large
      variability in (137)Cs activities at a meter scale. This small-scale
      heterogeneity determined with the GeLi detector is smoothed out by uncollimated
      in-situ measurements with the NaI detector, which provides integrated estimates
      of (137)Cs within the field of view (3.1 m(2)) of each measurement. There was no
      dependency of (137)Cs on pH, clay content and carbon content, but a close
      relationship was determined between measured (137)Cs activities and soil
      moisture. Thus, in-situ data must be corrected for soil moisture. Close
      correlation (R(2) = 0.86, p < 0.0001) was found for (137)Cs activities (in Bq kg(
      1)) estimated with in-situ (NaI detector) and laboratory (GeLi detector) methods.
      We thus concluded that the NaI detector system is a suitable tool for in-situ
      measurements in alpine environments. This paper describes the calibration of the
      NaI detector system for field application under elevated (137)Cs activities
      originating from Chernobyl fallout.

PMID- 20307921
TI  - Anthropogenic input of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons into five lakes in
      western China.
AB  - The temporal distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was examined
      in dated sediments from five lakes in Western China. The surficial concentrations
      of seven carcinogenic PAHs (BaA, Chyr, BbF, BkF, BaP, DBA and INP, hereafter
      denoted as PAH7) were highly site-specific. The SigmaPAH7 concentrations
      generally increased from the deep layers to surface sediments. The temporal
      trends of SigmaPAH7 concentrations were clearly different from those reported in
      developed countries. From 1950s to 1980s, which PAHs started to decrease in
      developed countries, is the right period that PAHs started to increase rapidly in
      Western China. The fluxes and mass inventories suggest that the PAH7 input over
      the past three decades was much more rapidly than it was before the 1980s. Source
      identification indicates that the PAHs were primarily from biomass burning and
      domestic coal combustion, and increasing vehicular and/or industrial coal
      combustion emission was also found.

PMID- 20307922
TI  - Spatial distribution of heavy metal concentrations in urban, suburban and
      agricultural soils in a Mediterranean city of Algeria.
AB  - As part of a larger program aiming at assessing transfer and effects of metals in
      food webs, this work studied the spatial distribution of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn
      in 101 sub-surface soils, systematically sampled (1 x 1 km regular grid) over a
      large area around Annaba, the fourth most-populated city of Algeria. Cd and Cr
      exhibited only one abnormally high value, with all other concentrations being
      close to pedogeological background. Some places in the centre of the city were
      polluted by Pb (up to 823 mg kg(-1)), probably due to aerial deposition from
      gasoline exhausts. Zn never exceeded regulatory limits over the whole sampling
      area. Cu was the only element for which a spatial autocorrelation occurred. A
      spatial interpolation by cokriging allowed the identification of agricultural
      activities as the main Cu pollution source. Our approach revealed various
      anthropogenic pollution sources, more efficiently for large-scale patterns than
      for local abnormalities.

PMID- 20307923
TI  - The knowledge, education and behaviour of young people with regard to Chlamydia
      trachomatis in Aarhus, Denmark and Bonn, Germany: do prevention concepts matter?
AB  - Young people are at high risk of sexually transmitted infections, especially
      Chlamydia trachomatis, the most prevalent bacterial sexually transmitted disease
      in the developed world. Young people lack knowledge about sexually transmitted
      diseases (STDs) and are more aware of the risks of unwanted pregnancy than their
      risk of acquiring a STD. Different STD prevention concepts in different countries
      focus on different STDs. Based on explorative data analysis (Categorical
      Principal Component Analysis, CatPCA) this study, conducted in 2005, investigates
      the associations between self-estimation of sexual knowledge, active knowledge of
      chlamydia and HIV/AIDS, differing sex education and the sexual behaviour of 15-19
      year old pupils from Aarhus, Denmark (N = 97), and Bonn, Germany (N = 93). A
      constructed knowledge, education and behaviour space model shows interesting
      associations between active STD knowledge and the sex education provided by both
      media and professionals. Sexual behaviour depends especially on sex education
      acquired through TV, Internet and print media. The young people from Aarhus and
      Bonn have significantly differing knowledge levels of chlamydia and HIV/AIDS.
      This is understood to be an effect of the different STD prevention concepts in
      Denmark and Germany.

PMID- 20307924
TI  - Differential effect of myocardial matrix and integrins on cardiac differentiation
      of human mesenchymal stem cells.
AB  - Dysregulation of matrix synthesis during myocardial fibrosis in post-infarct
      ventricular remodeling contributes to ventricular dysfunction. Bone marrow stem
      cell transplantation prevents functional deterioration following myocardial
      infarction. However, effect of myocardial extracellular matrix (ECM) on stem cell
      differentiation is poorly understood. We investigate the role of collagen
      matrices and integrin system in cardiac differentiation and engraftment of stem
      cells in infarcted myocardium. Sternum-derived bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells
      (MSCs) were differentiated into cardiomyocyte-like cells (CLCs). They were
      characterized using RT-PCR, immunofluorescence, flow cytometry and functional
      integrin neutralization assays. CLCs were injected into peri-infarct borders of
      injured myocardium of Wistar rats one week following left anterior descending
      (LAD) artery ligation. Cardiac function was analyzed via pressure-volume
      relationships. Cardiac differentiated CLCs displayed collagen V specificity,
      which was absent in undifferentiated MSCs. Collagen V, but not collagen I matrix,
      promoted attachment, proliferation and cardiac differentiation of CLCs. In
      contrast to beta(1), alpha(v) integrin contributed minimally in the attachment of
      CLCs on collagen matrices. However, inhibition of alpha(v)beta(3,) but not
      alpha(2)beta(1) integrin, selectively attenuated troponin T, sarcomeric alpha
      actin and ryanodine 2 receptor gene expression in CLCs. Both MSC and CLC
      transplantation prevented chamber dilatation and improved contractile function.
      However, systolic activity in MSC transplanted animals was accompanied by
      heightened wall stress as demonstrated by elevated myocardial end-diastolic
      pressure and prolonged tissue relaxation time. Localization of CLCs in the
      vicinity of collagen V-expressing myofibers promoted their integration into
      cardiac syncytium. CLCs may facilitate hemodynamic recovery by preserving tissue
      elasticity in the peri-infarct borders that sustains contractile efficiency for
      functional recovery in an actively remodeling infarcted myocardium.

PMID- 20307927
TI  - Genetic heterogeneity of inflammatory response and skin tumorigenesis in
      phenotypically selected mouse lines.
AB  - Non-inbred AIR (AIRmax, AIRmin) and Car (Car-S, Car-R) mouse lines were generated
      from the same eight inbred mice through bidirectional selective breeding for
      acute inflammatory response and for susceptibility to two-stage skin
      tumorigenesis, respectively. Because AIR lines also showed a differential
      predisposition to skin tumorigenesis and Car lines differed in the extent of
      inflammatory response, we carried out genome-wide association studies using SNP
      arrays to identify the genetic elements affecting skin tumor susceptibility and
      inflammatory response in AIR and Car lines. We found that the phenotypic outcome
      reflects a specific genetic profile in each mouse line, suggesting that distinct
      genetic elements, selected by differential genetic drifts, and exerting
      pleiotropic effects in each mouse population, control the skin tumor
      susceptibility and inflammatory response phenotypes. These findings point to the
      complex link between skin tumor susceptibility and inflammatory response in mice.

PMID- 20307928
TI  - PM, carbon, and PAH emissions from a diesel generator fuelled with soy-biodiesel
      blends.
AB  - Biodiesels have received increasing attention as alternative fuels for diesel
      engines and generators. This study investigates the emissions of particulate
      matter (PM), total carbon (TC), e.g., organic/elemental carbons, and polycyclic
      aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from a diesel generator fuelled with soy-biodiesel
      blends. Among the tested diesel blends (B0, B10 (10 vol% soy-biodiesel), B20, and
      B50), B20 exhibited the lowest PM emission concentration despite the loads
      (except the 5 kW case), whereas B10 displayed lower PM emission factors when
      operating at 0 and 10 kW than the other fuel blends. The emission concentrations
      or factors of EC, OC, and TC were the lowest when B10 or B20 was used regardless
      of the loading. Under all tested loads, the average concentrations of total-PAHs
      emitted from the generator using the B10 and B20 were lower (by 38% and 28%,
      respectively) than those using pure petroleum diesel fuel (B0), while the
      emission factors of total-PAHs decreased with an increasing ratio of biodiesel to
      premium diesel. With an increasing loading, although the brake specific fuel
      consumption decreased, the energy efficiency increased despite the bio/petroleum
      diesel ratio. Therefore, soy-biodiesel is promising for use as an alternative
      fuel for diesel generators to increase energy efficiency and reduce the PM,
      carbon, and PAH emissions.

PMID- 20307929
TI  - Simultaneous metal leaching and sludge digestion by thermophilic microorganisms:
      effect of solids content.
AB  - High concentrations of heavy metal in livestock manures limit land application of
      their sludges. A practical and economical method of sludge treatment is important
      for converting the livestock sludge into soil conditioners or fertilizers. In
      this study, the effect of solid contents on the simultaneous aerobic digestion
      and metal leaching at thermophilic condition were investigated in a batch
      reactor. Different solid contents in the range of 0.5-4% (dry-w/v) were studied.
      The results showed that an increase of solid content decreased the pH reducing
      rate. It was the result of increase in buffering capacity and possible microbial
      inhibition at a higher solid content. Similar results were also found in the
      variations of ORP and sulfate concentrations during this process. In most cases,
      this biological process is able to solubilize 82-99% of heavy metals from the
      livestock sludge. It was found that the efficiency and rate of metal
      solubilization decreased with increasing solid contents. In addition, 54-80% of
      organic matter in the sludge was degraded after 28 days of reaction. A low sludge
      digestion efficiency was found at a high solid content. Moreover, the
      dewaterability of sludge was improved and the fertility (N, P and K) of sludge
      did not change significantly after this bioprocess.

PMID- 20307930
TI  - The use of artificial neural network (ANN) for modeling of COD removal from
      antibiotic aqueous solution by the Fenton process.
AB  - The study examined the implementation of artificial neural network (ANN) for the
      prediction and simulation of antibiotic degradation in aqueous solution by the
      Fenton process. A three-layer backpropagation neural network was optimized to
      predict and simulate the degradation of amoxicillin, ampicillin and cloxacillin
      in aqueous solution in terms of COD removal. The configuration of the
      backpropagation neural network giving the smallest mean square error (MSE) was
      three-layer ANN with tangent sigmoid transfer function (tansig) at hidden layer
      with 14 neurons, linear transfer function (purelin) at output layer and Levenberg
      Marquardt backpropagation training algorithm (LMA). ANN predicted results are
      very close to the experimental results with correlation coefficient (R(2)) of
      0.997 and MSE 0.000376. The sensitivity analysis showed that all studied
      variables (reaction time, H(2)O(2)/COD molar ratio, H(2)O(2)/Fe(2+) molar ratio,
      pH and antibiotics concentration) have strong effect on antibiotic degradation in
      terms of COD removal. In addition, H(2)O(2)/Fe(2+) molar ratio is the most
      influential parameter with relative importance of 25.8%. The results showed that
      neural network modeling could effectively predict and simulate the behavior of
      the Fenton process.

PMID- 20307931
TI  - Biosorption of Zn(II) by live and dead cells of Streptomyces ciscaucasicus strain
      CCNWHX 72-14.
AB  - The biosorption characteristics of Zn(II) using live and dead cells of
      Streptomyces ciscaucasicus strain CCNWHX 72-14 as biosorbents have been
      investigated in the present research. Optimum conditions for biosorption were
      determined to be: pH adjusted to 5.0, agitated at 90 rpm and at a dose of 2 g/L.
      For initial zinc concentrations of 1-150 mg/L, batch biosorption data of live
      biomass preferred to be simulated with Freundlich model while those of dead
      strain fit Langmuir isotherm well. Experimental maximum biosorption capacity
      turned out to be 42.75 mg/g (0.654 mmol/g) for living material and 54 mg/g (0.826
      mmol/g) for dead sorbents, respectively. The pseudo-second-order equation,
      instead of the pseudo-first-order one, was chosen to describe the time course
      biosorption process. In contrast to live biosorbents, dead biomass seemed to have
      lower binding strength with higher desorption efficiency at pH 1.0. Competitive
      biosorption revealed the order of competing metal ion to be: Cu(2+)>Cd(2+)>Ni(+).
      FT-IR analysis indicated that more functional groups were involved in the
      biosorption process of dead adsorbents, compared with those linked to live
      biomass. Taken together, it can be concluded that dead cells of CCNWHX 72-14 were
      better and cheaper biosorbents than live ones.

PMID- 20307932
TI  - Adsorption of Cr(VI) using Fe-crosslinked chitosan complex (Ch-Fe).
AB  - In the present investigation, Fe-chitosan crosslinked is used as adsorbent for
      the removal of chromium from aqueous solutions. The influence of pH, temperature
      and other ions was evaluated. pH 2.0 was found to be the optimum pH for
      adsorption of Cr(VI) onto Ch-Fe. Coordination of unsaturated sites for the
      iron(III) complex of polymer were considered to be the adsorption sites for
      Cr(VI) species, the predominant species being HCrO(4)(-). The Langmuir and
      Langmuir-Freundlich adsorption isotherm models were applied to describe the
      isotherm parameter for Cr(VI) adsorption. The results indicate that the Langmuir
      Freundlich adsorption model and maximum adsorption capacity was calculated as 295
      mg/g at 25 degrees C, with pH 4.7. Cr(VI) uptake on the adsorbent decreased from
      295 mg/g at 25 degrees C to 209 mg/g at 65 degrees C. Rate constants as a
      function of temperature were evaluated with the help of a proposed second order
      kinetic model. The other coexisting ions, nitrate, chlorides and sulphate
      influenced Cr(VI) adsorption.

PMID- 20307933
TI  - Reply to the topical review entitled "the phenomenon of changes in cortical
      excitability in migraine is not migraine-specific--a unifying thesis" by Anne
      Stankewitz and Arne May published in Pain 2009;145:14-7.

PMID- 20307934
TI  - Compensation claim lodgement and health outcome developmental trajectories
      following whiplash injury: A prospective study.
AB  - This study aimed to identify distinctive trajectories for pain/disability and
      posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms following whiplash injury and to
      examine the effect of injury compensation claim lodgement on the trajectories. In
      a prospective study, 155 individuals with whiplash were assessed at <1month, 3, 6
      and 12months post injury. Outcomes at each time point were Neck Disability Index
      (NDI) and the Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale (PDS). Group-based trajectory
      analytical techniques were used to identify outcome profiles. The analyses were
      then repeated after including third party compensation claim lodgment as a binary
      time-changing covariate. Three distinct NDI trajectories were determined: (1)
      Mild: mild or negligible pain/disability for the entire 12 months (45%), (2)
      Moderate: initial moderate pain/disability that decreased to mild levels by 3
      months (39%) and (3) Chronic-severe: severe pain/disability persisting at
      moderate/severe levels for 12 months (16%). Three distinct PTSD trajectories were
      also identified: (1) Resilient: mild symptoms throughout (40%), (2) Recovering:
      initial moderate symptoms declining to mild levels by 3months (43%) and (3)
      Chronic moderate-severe: persistent moderate/severe symptoms throughout 12 months
      (17%). Claim submission had a detrimental effect on all trajectories (p<0.001)
      except for the Chronic-severe NDI trajectory (p=0.098). Following whiplash
      injury, there are distinct pathways of recovery for pain/ disability and PTSD
      symptoms. Management of whiplash should consider the detrimental association of
      compensation claim with psychological recovery and recovery of those with mild to
      moderate pain/disability levels. However, claim lodgement has no significant
      association with a more severe pain and disability trajectory.

PMID- 20307935
TI  - Efficacy of pyrantel pamoate and ivermectin paste formulations against naturally
      acquired Oxyuris equi infections in horses.
AB  - In recent years, numerous veterinary practitioners have reported anecdotal
      episodes in which anthelmintic treatment did not appear to deliver the expected
      efficacy against equine pinworms (Oxyuris equi). Anthelmintic resistance has not
      been demonstrated formally in equine pinworms, so a clinical study was designed
      to evaluate the efficacy of paste formulations of pyrantel pamoate or ivermectin
      against naturally acquired infections with O. equi. Twenty-one horses (>4 months
      to 15 years of age) with patent, naturally acquired pinworm infections were
      blocked by source of origin and allocated randomly to one of three treatment
      groups: horses (n=7) assigned to Group 1 were treated orally with pyrantel
      pamoate paste at a dosage of 13.2 mg/kg (2x label dosage), Group 2 horses (n=7)
      were untreated controls, and horses (n=7) assigned to Group 3 were treated orally
      with ivermectin paste at a dosage of 200 microg/kg. Fourteen days after
      treatment, horses were euthanatized, necropsied, and large intestinal contents
      were processed for recovery of adult pinworms. In addition, duplicate 1% aliquots
      of intestinal contents from the cecum, ventral colon, dorsal colon, and small
      colon were collected, preserved, and examined for recovery and enumeration of
      fourth-stage larval O. equi. Anthelmintic efficacy against pinworms was evaluated
      by comparing the post-treatment worm counts of Groups 1 and 3 to those of control
      animals. Mean numbers of O. equi adults recovered postmortem were significantly
      decreased by both pyrantel pamoate (P=0.0366) and ivermectin (P=0.0137)
      treatment, with respective efficacies of 91.2% and 96.0%. In addition, both
      products demonstrated >99% efficacy against fourth-stage O. equi larvae. The
      current study demonstrated acceptable adulticidal and larvicidal efficacy of both
      pyrantel pamoate and ivermectin paste formulations against O. equi and did not
      support the existence of macrocyclic lactone or pyrimidine resistance in the
      pinworm populations evaluated.

PMID- 20307936
TI  - Efficacy of pyrantel pamoate against a macrocyclic lactone-resistant isolate of
      Parascaris equorum in horses.
AB  - The expanding prevalence of Parascaris equorum populations that are resistant to
      macrocyclic lactone (ML) anthelmintics makes it desirable to identify dewormers
      which remain effective. The objective was to evaluate the efficacy of pyrantel
      pamoate in 14 suckling foals that had been infected orally with approximately 600
      larvated eggs of a P. equorum isolate selected for ML resistance (ML-R). Seventy
      days after inoculation, foals were weaned, housed individually, and fecal samples
      were examined frequently to detect the onset of patency. Between 73 and 80 days
      post-inoculation, all 14 foals developed P. equorum egg counts>or=150 eggs per
      gram (EPG). An initial cohort of eight foals was treated orally with ivermectin
      paste (200 microg/kg) 84-91 days post-inoculation. Egg counts were reduced by
      only 47% at 2 weeks after ivermectin treatment, confirming the ML-R status of the
      isolate. A second cohort of six foals was not treated with ivermectin. Within
      each cohort, eligible foals were allocated randomly to treated (pyrantel pamoate;
      n=7) or untreated control (n=7) groups. Treated foals were dosed orally on Day 0
      with a paste formulation of pyrantel pamoate at 13.2mg/kg. Mean ascarid egg
      counts of treated foals were reduced by 96.0% and 98.8% at 1 and 2 weeks post
      treatment, respectively. On Day 14, foals were euthanatized and specimens of P.
      equorum were recovered from the gut contents, preserved in 10% formalin, and
      counted. Mean numbers of P. equorum adults recovered postmortem were
      significantly lower (P=0.0031) in foals treated with pyrantel pamoate (X=1.7;
      range 0-16) compared to control foals (X=63.0; range 0-320). A paste formulation
      of pyrantel pamoate, at a dosage of 13.2 mg/kg, was 97.3% effective against a ML
      R isolate of P. equorum.

PMID- 20307937
TI  - Meningomyelitis due to nematode infection in four cats.
AB  - Spinal cord parasitic migrations in cats are uncommon. This report describes four
      cases of chronic hindlimb paraparesis in cats associated with nematode infection.
      Complete neurologic, hematologic, serum chemistry and radiographic examination
      was performed on all animals. Computed tomographic (CT)-myelographic examination
      at the lumbar area in one cat showed a slight swelling of the spinal cord.
      Necropsy examination of the spinal cord revealed generalized edema and marked
      submeningeal hemorrhage at the thoracic region in three cats. On histopathologic
      examination, numerous sections of adult nematodes and eggs were present in
      histological sections of the affected spinal cord segments in all cats. The
      morphologic features of the nematode, location and appearance of the lesions
      suggest that the parasite responsible for the paralysis in these cats is Gurltia
      paralysans.

PMID- 20307938
TI  - Biodiversity and distribution of helminths and protozoa in naturally infected
      horses from the biosphere reserve La Sierra Madre de Chiapas", Mexico.
AB  - A cross sectional survey was performed to identify gastrointestinal helminths and
      protozoans in naturally infected horses from the biosphere reserve known as "La
      Sierra Madre de Chiapas", Mexico (El Triunfo and La Sepultura). During a three
      year survey, fecal samples from 90 horses and parasites from 2 necropsied animals
      were collected. Five families from the Nematoda class: Ascaridae, Kathlanidae,
      Oxyuridae, Strongylidae and Trichostrongylidae were found, whereas, only one
      family from the class Cestoda, was observed: Anoplocephalidae. One family from
      the class Insecta, was observed: Gasterophiilidae. The number of species of
      parasites ranged from 13 to 18 with an average of 15 per animal. Adult parasites
      were recovered from the large intestine luminal contents at necropsy. Species
      recovered included: Strongylus vulgaris, S. equinus, S. edentatus, Oxyuris equi,
      Parascaris equorum, Coronocyclus coronatum, C. labiatus, C. labratus,
      Cyathostomum tetracanthum, Cylicocyclus insigne, C. leptostomus,
      Cylicodontophorus bicoronatus, Cylicostephanus asymetricus, C. bidentatus, C.
      minutus, C. longibursatus, Petrovinema poculatum, Poteriostomum imparidentatum,
      Cylicostephanus goldi, Tridentoinfundibulum gobi, Triodontophorus serratus and T.
      tenuicollis. One species of Diptera were recovered from stomach and identified:
      Gasterophilus intestinalis. Furthermore, different species of protozoa were
      recovered from fresh horse-dung and identified in four classes: Sporozoa,
      Litostomatea, Ciliasida and Suctoria. Nine families: Cryptosporidiidae,
      Eimeriidae, Balantidiidae, Buetschliidae, Blepharocorythidae, Cycloposthiidae,
      Spirodiniididae, Ditoxidae, Acinetidae; and 31 ciliates species were recorded:
      Allantosoma dicorniger, A. intestinalis, Alloiozona trizona, Blepharosphaera
      intestinalis, Blepharoprosthium pireum, Blepharoconus benbrooki, Bundleia
      postciliata, Didesmis ovalis, D. quadrata, Sulcoarcus pellucidulus, Blepharocorys
      angusta, B. cardionucleata, B. curvigula, B. juvata, B. uncinata, B. valvata,
      Cycloposthium bipalmatum, C. edentatum, C. scutigerum, Charonina equi, Ditoxum
      funinucleum, Spirodinium equi, Tetratoxum unifasciculatum, Triadinium caudatum,
      T. galea, T. minimum and Tripalmaria dogieli. Other ciliate observed and recorded
      was Ochoterenaia appendiculata. This study describes the biodiversity and
      distribution of common and new helminths and protozoas found in the
      gastrointestinal tract from horses in the biosphere reserve "Sierra Madre de
      Chiapas" in Mexico.

PMID- 20307939
TI  - Binding of serum albumin to the anthelmintic drugs albendazole, triclabendazole
      and their sulphoxides.
AB  - The binding of drugs to plasma proteins--especially serum albumin--is an
      important factor in controlling the availability and distribution of these drugs.
      In this study we have investigated the binding of two drugs commonly used to
      treat liver fluke infections, albendazole (ABZ) and triclabendazole (TCBZ), and
      their sulphoxide metabolites to bovine serum albumin (BSA). Both ABZ and TCBZ
      caused shifts in the mobility of BSA in native gel electrophoresis. No such
      changes were observed with the sulphoxides under identical conditions. The drugs,
      and their sulphoxides, caused quenching of the intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence
      of BSA, indicating association between the drugs and this protein. Quantification
      of this quenching suggested a 5-10-fold reduction in affinity of the sulphoxides
      compared to the parent compounds. These results are discussed in respect to
      previous work on the pharmacodynamics of these fasciolicides and will inform the
      design of novel anthelmintics.

PMID- 20307940
TI  - State associations with the cortisol awakening response in healthy females.
AB  - The current study examined intra-individual relationships between the cortisol
      awakening response (CAR) and state sleep-related and psychosocial variables in a
      pooled design study. 12 healthy female participants (age range: 22-41 years.)
      were examined on 12 study days each, occurring at three-day intervals.
      Quantitative diaries capturing state sleep-related and psychosocial variables
      were filled out on the evening before each study day as well as 45 min post
      awakening on the study day. On each study day, salivary free cortisol was
      determined at 0, 15, 30, and 45 min post-awakening. Relationships between
      cortisol measures and psychosocial variables were analysed using dummy-variable
      linear regression models. State variability in the CAR (area under increase
      curve; AUC(I)) was found to be inversely related to simultaneous variability in
      awakening time (beta=-.29, p<.005) and positively related to variability in
      adverse psychosocial states of stress (beta=.22, p<.01) and tension (beta=.32,
      p<.001) measured 45 min post-awakening. In addition, levels of the CAR were also
      found to decrease linearly over the study period across participants (beta=-.19,
      p<.01) and this time trend could not be explained through a relationship between
      the CAR and any of the examined variables. The results are discussed within the
      context of previous evidence and potential implications for cross-sectional
      research are highlighted.

PMID- 20307941
TI  - Mucous cysts.

PMID- 20307942
TI  - Factors determining the impact of care-giving on caregivers of elderly patients
      with dementia. A systematic literature review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Dementia caregivers suffer a considerable care burden. More than in
      comparable groups of caregivers or peers, they are confronted with feelings of
      depression and decreased physical health. Although many studies are set up to
      determine the link between the stressors in dementia care-giving and the impact
      on the family caregiver, the results remained inconclusive. Others, depression in
      caregivers remains the main cause of a premature or acute ending of home care.
      METHOD: The aim of this systematic literature review was to analyse what factors
      determine the development of depression in caregivers of elderly patients with
      dementia. Depression was taken as primary outcome as it is shown to be the main
      reason for caregivers to abandon home care. RESULTS: Depression occurs in one in
      three of caregivers and it occurs more frequently in those who care for patients
      with dementia than in caregivers of patients with other chronic illnesses.
      CONCLUSION: Caregiver characteristics rather than objective care needs of the
      patients tend to be responsible for the onset of depression. Future research
      should concentrate on demonstrating links between negative feelings in caregivers
      and the way the care situation evolves. This can have important implications in
      home care support.

PMID- 20307943
TI  - Obesity in older mothers, gestational weight gain, and risk estimates for preterm
      phenotypes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess whether advanced maternal age modifies the relationship
      between maternal pregravid weight status, gestational weight gain patterns, and
      the occurrence of spontaneous preterm birth (SPB) and medically indicated preterm
      birth (MIPB). METHODS: Retrospective cohort analysis of vital statistics data
      from the state of Florida for the period 2004 through 2007 comprising 311,422
      singleton pregnancies (two age groups: 20-24 years old or younger women and
      >or=35 years or older women). Mothers were classified into five clusters based on
      their pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) values: non-obese (less than 30), class
      I obese (30.0<or=BMI<or=34.9), class II obese (35.0<or=BMI<or=39.9), class III
      obese (40<or=BMI<or=49.9), and super-obese (BMI>or=50.0). RESULTS: MIPB occurred
      more frequently among older than younger women [11.8% vs. 6.4%, respectively
      (p<0.0001)) whereas SPB occurred more frequently among younger women [11.3% vs.
      10.5%, respectively (p<0.0001)). Maternal obesity increased the risk for MIPB but
      not for SPB. Regardless of BMI status, the risk of MIPB was elevated among older
      mothers, particularly among those with suboptimal (<0.23 kg/week) and
      supraoptimal (>0.68 kg/week) gestational weight gain. A dose-response
      relationship with increasing gestational weight gain was evident (p<0.01); the
      greatest risk for MIPB occurred among older mothers with weekly gestational
      weight gain in excess of 0.79 kg (OR=7.76, 95% CI=5.73-10.5). CONCLUSION: The
      occurrence of medically indicated preterm birth is positively associated with
      increased maternal pregravid body weight, older maternal age and extremes of
      gestational weight gain. Targeted pre- and inter-conception weight management
      efforts should be particularly encouraged in older mothers.

PMID- 20307944
TI  - 'Bipolar disorder' in the elderly: what's in a name?
AB  - Bipolar disorder is a chronic disorder of mood which leads to episodes of either
      elevated mood or depression in a sizable number of adults in the community (1%).
      Though the prevalence rates in the elderly are lower in the community (up to
      0.1%), there is significantly higher morbidity in protected environments like
      care homes and hospital settings where prevalence rates may be as high as 10%.
      Bipolar disorder in the elderly is probably heterogenous and its etiopathogenesis
      is complex. Bipolar disorder may be divided into two distinct subtypes, the late
      onset bipolar (LOB) and the early onset bipolar (EOB) groups. LOB patients tend
      to have a milder illness in terms of manic severity but they have higher medical
      and neurological burden. They also have lower familial burden of bipolar illness
      as compared to EOB patients. There is an increased risk of dementia and stroke in
      patients with late life bipolar disorder (and there may be a protective effect of
      lithium in preventing dementia). White matter changes, as seen by increased white
      matter hyperintensities on neuroimaging, are also increased, providing further
      evidence of cerebrovascular disease. Treatment of late life bipolar is currently
      based on guidelines drawn up for younger bipolar disorder patients. Good quality
      intervention studies are needed to estimate the possible protective effect of
      cognitive enhancers and/or vascular prevention strategies. This review suggests
      that late life bipolar disorder, particularly late onset bipolar disorder, is
      probably a distinct diagnostic entity compared to the younger bipolar patients as
      it has a different presentation, etiology and hence perhaps needs different
      treatment strategies.

PMID- 20307945
TI  - Preventing and treating the accelerated ageing of obesity.
AB  - Advances in the molecular biology of ageing, insulin resistance, inflammation,
      carcinogenesis and caloric restriction have elucidated commonalities relevant to
      the chronic overnutrition syndrome termed obesity. Not until the expanded
      acceptance and availability of surgical treatment of obesity ("bariatric
      surgery") has it been possible to explore the beneficial effects of sustained
      voluntary weight loss through controlled undernutrition in freely living people.
      Bariatric surgery is 58 years old and has undergone dramatic improvements
      recently becoming significantly safer and more accessible owing to the
      development of minimally invasive approaches and other advances. Furthermore, it
      is cost-effective compared to all forms of non-operative treatment. Thus older
      candidates, with more numerous and severe comorbidities are being recruited,
      increasing the pool of patients who have had operations which extend the
      otherwise shorter lives of the obese. Here we describe two mechanistically
      different operations, gastric restrictive and diversionary, and address their
      risks, complications, side-effects and beneficial outcomes, in aggregate
      increasing longevity, reducing morbidity and most important: improving health
      related quality-adjusted life years.

PMID- 20307946
TI  - Menopause and myocardial infarction risk among employed women in relation to work
      and family psychosocial factors in Lithuania.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the relationship between menopause and age at menopause and
      the risk of the first non-fatal myocardial infarction taking into account the
      possible influence of psychosocial job characteristics, marital stress, level of
      social support, educational level, occupation, age and traditional ischemic heart
      disease risk factors. METHODS: Population-based case-control study among 35-61
      years old employed women in Kaunas, Lithuania. Totally 122 myocardial infarction
      cases and 371 controls were interviewed in 2001-2004. The logistic regression
      analysis was performed. RESULTS: Younger age at menopause (<or=40 years) showed a
      tendency for increased myocardial infarction risk (OR=1.78; 95% CI 0.39-8.07)
      after adjustments for age, smoking, arterial blood pressure and body mass index.
      However further adjustment for job demands, job control, social support, marital
      stress, education level, occupation decreased the risk (OR=1.16; 95% CI 0.27
      5.01). In the fully adjusted model OR for postmenopausal women was 1.15; 95% CI
      0.48-2.75. The association between low job control and myocardial infarction
      showed step increase, women in the lowest quartile of job control had the highest
      myocardial infarction risk (OR=4.51; 95% CI 1.90-10.75), while those in the
      second and third quartiles showed modest risk. Marital stress was an independent
      myocardial infarction risk factor for employed women (adjusted OR=2.36; 95% CI
      1.07-5.19). CONCLUSIONS: Menopausal status and younger age at menopause showed
      only a tendency for increase in myocardial infarction risk among the employed
      women in Kaunas, Lithuania. Adverse psychosocial job characteristics as low job
      control, as well as marital stress play more important role in the development of
      the first myocardial infarction.

PMID- 20307948
TI  - Fast and sensitive determination of Polysorbate 80 in solutions containing
      proteins.
AB  - A fast and sensitive method has been developed for the specific determination of
      Polysorbate 80 (Tween 80) in liquid formulations in the presence of proteins and
      excipients. The quantitative determination is based on a fast liquid
      chromatographic (HPLC) separation and charged aerosol detection (CAD). The method
      was validated using a Poroshell 300SB-C18 column packed with 5 microm shell
      particles (75 mm x 2.1 mm) and acetonitrile-methanol-water-trifluoroacetic acid
      mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.65 ml/min. The rapid LC-CAD method is suitable
      for quantifying Polysorbate 80 in the range of 10-60 microg/ml in protein
      solutions within good manufacturing practices (GMPs) of the pharmaceutical
      industry.

PMID- 20307947
TI  - A French experience of type 3 Gaucher disease: Phenotypic diversity and
      neurological outcome of 10 patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical presentation of 10 patients with type 3
      Gaucher disease and the clinical evolution of nine of them following specific
      therapy regimes. METHODS: The follow-up of these 10 patients was between 2 and 15
      years. The clinical history was provided by each patient's general practitioner
      and a final clinical evaluation was made by two different physicians including a
      neurologist. One patient received no treatment, eight received enzyme replacement
      therapy (ERT) and one received ERT combined with substrate reduction therapy
      (SRT, miglustat). RESULTS: The clinical presentations were heterogeneous and most
      phenotypes reported for type 3 Gaucher disease were represented. The neurological
      involvement stabilized or improved in six patients under ERT with a follow-up of
      2-15 years. Four of them showed isolated oculomotor signs only that improved or
      remained unchanged during the follow-up. Of two patients with progressive
      myoclonic epilepsy, the outcome was clearly unfavorable in one receiving ERT and
      disputable for the other receiving ERT+SRT. An unfavorable neurological outcome
      was observed in another patient in whom the ERT dose had been reduced before
      clinical decline. CONCLUSION: The stabilization of the clinical course in most
      patients is noteworthy. Though further evidence is needed from a larger series in
      order to draw any definite conclusions, our data suggest that ERT may be
      effective in preventing the evolution of neurological disturbances associated
      with type 3 Gaucher disease in some patients. However, the clinical course of the
      two patients with progressive myoclonic epilepsy was not influenced by ERT, as
      previously reported. In accordance with that reported in the literature, data
      from our series suggest that the outcome of patients undergoing ERT depends on
      the type of clinical involvement, treatment onset and dose. Genotype may also be
      an important factor, with p.L444P/p.L444P possibly indicating a better outcome.

PMID- 20307949
TI  - Analytical issues in HPLC/MS/MS simultaneous assay of furosemide, spironolactone
      and canrenone in human plasma samples.
AB  - A new sensitive HPLC/MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of furosemide,
      spironolactone and canrenone in human plasma samples is presented. Electrospray
      ionization source (ESI) has been used. The tandem MS detection was performed
      under MRM conditions, in the negative ion mode for furosemide and indapamide
      (internal standard 1) and in the positive ion mode for spironolactone, canrenone
      and nitrazepam (internal standard 2). A simple plasma protein precipitation with
      acetonitrile was used as sample preparation technique. The chromatographic
      separation was carried out under the reversed phase mechanism, on a 250 mm length
      column packed with octadecyl modified silicagel and thermostated at 35 degrees C.
      The column was operated under isocratic conditions (3:7 aqueous 0.1% formic acid
      and methanol, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min. Quantitation intervals of 20
      1600 ng/mL for furosemide and 2-100 ng/mL for spironolactone and canrenone have
      been concluded through validation. Precision and accuracy were situated within
      the accepted thresholds (maximum 15% relative standard deviation and +/-15%
      percentage bias). The most sensitive aspects relating to the analytical method
      development and validation were highlighted and critically assessed in order to
      reach an objective opinion about the real performances and inherent applicability
      of the method in bioanalysis.

PMID- 20307950
TI  - Office cred.

PMID- 20307951
TI  - Uncertainty and patients' preferred role in decision making.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: experts recommend that clinicians tailor their interactions according
      to each patient's preferred decision style. Because participation is associated
      with improved clinical outcomes, factors which modify preferred role should be
      addressed before determining the level at which patients wish to participate. The
      objective of this study was to determine if certainty related to initiating
      treatment is related to preferred role in decision making. METHODS: we conducted
      face-to-face interviews with 142 patients eligible for the treatment of hepatitis
      C. Preferred role in decision making was measured using the Control Preferences
      Scale and certainty was measured with 11-point numeric rating scale. RESULTS:
      subjects who were uncertain whether they wanted to start treatment were more
      likely to prefer Role 2: "to make the final selection of my treatment after
      seriously considering my doctor's opinion" over Role 1 "to make the final
      selection about which treatment I will receive" compared to those who were
      certain [Adjusted OR (95% CI)=4.9 (1.7-14.5)]. Subjects who were uncertain were
      also more likely to prefer sharing responsibility for decision making over Role 1
      compared to those who were certain [Adjusted OR (95% CI)=3.7 (1.3-10.4)].
      CONCLUSIONS: certainty is associated with preferred decision styles. Physicians
      should ascertain their patients' levels of uncertainty and adjust their input
      accordingly. PRACTICE IMPLICATION: physicians should ascertain their patients'
      levels of uncertainty and adjust their input accordingly.

PMID- 20307952
TI  - Temporal and structural dynamics of anxiety sensitivity in predicting fearful
      responding to a 35% CO2 challenge.
AB  - The current study assessed the incremental prediction of anxiety sensitivity (AS)
      in both taxonic (categorical) and dimensional representations at various time
      points before and after a single vital capacity inhalation of a 35% CO(2), 65%
      balanced O(2) gas mixture. Participants were 128 young adults screened for a
      history of panic attacks. By controlling for traitwise factors including state
      anxiety and testing both categorical and continuous conceptualizations of the AS
      construct at various timepoints, the present report was able to evaluate the
      temporal and structural dynamics of AS in relation to fearful responding to the
      challenge. Relevant variables were evaluated in a hierarchical linear regression
      framework, and it was found that a continuous conceptualization of AS provided
      incremental predictive validity above and beyond trait anxiety immediately post
      challenge, while a categorical representation of AS was equivalent to a
      continuous model of AS at post-challenge but outperformed a continuous model at
      follow-up. These data provide basic but important evidence suggesting that AS is
      uniquely associated with anxious responding to a 35% CO(2) challenge, and that
      categorical representations of AS should be considered in biological challenge
      studies.

PMID- 20307953
TI  - Autonomic response to upright tilt in people with and without Down syndrome.
AB  - This study examined whether the autonomic response to passive upright tilt as
      evidenced by changes in measures of heart rate and blood pressure variability
      differs between individuals with DS and without DS. Beat-to-beat blood pressure
      was measured in 26 individuals with Down syndrome (DS) and 11 individuals without
      DS during 5 min of rest and 5 min of upright tilt. Dependent variables included
      heart rate, blood pressure, frequency component measures of heart rate and blood
      pressure variability, and baroreflex sensitivity. The normalized high frequency
      (HF) power, normalized low frequency (LF) power, and LF/HF of heart rate
      variability, as well as the LF of blood pressure variability were reduced in
      persons with DS in response to upright tilt (p<0.05). This was accompanied by
      smaller change in baroreflex sensitivity (p<0.05) in individuals with DS. Blood
      pressure responses to upright tilt were also reduced in individuals with DS
      (p<0.05), but the heart rate response did not differ between groups. Individuals
      with DS show less vagal withdrawal and sympatho-excitation in response to passive
      upright tilt. These effects may be partially mediated by smaller change in
      baroreflex sensitivity in individuals with DS. The results support the hypothesis
      of altered autonomic modulation in people with DS.

PMID- 20307954
TI  - Memory in intellectually matched groups of young participants with 22q11.2
      deletion syndrome and those with schizophrenia.
AB  - The 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22qDS) and schizophrenia have genetic and
      neuropsychological similarities, but are likely to differ in memory profile.
      Confirming differences in memory function between the two disorders, and
      identifying their genetic determinants, can help to define genetic subtypes in
      both syndromes, identify genetic risk factors for the emergence of psychosis, and
      develop pharmacological interventions for cognitive dysfunction. However, no
      study has compared memory function between 22qDS and schizophrenia, while
      indirect comparisons are confounded by marked differences in IQ between the two
      populations. We compared verbal and visual memory in 29 children and adolescents
      with 22qDS and 15 intellectually matched youths with schizophrenia using age
      appropriate, directly comparable, Wechsler scales. Verbal memory was markedly
      superior in the 22qDS group by 21 points. There were no group differences in
      visual memory. The inherently low COMT activity in 22qDS merits investigation as
      a potential protective factor for verbal memory.

PMID- 20307956
TI  - Evaluation of MRI criteria (1.5 T) for the diagnosis of hippocampal sclerosis in
      healthy subjects.
AB  - PURPOSE: The presence of hippocampal sclerosis (HS) on MRI has a great impact on
      the clinical evaluation and counselling of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy
      (TLE) and is considered as a key criterion for the decision to recommend epilepsy
      surgery. However, neuropathological studies describe evidence of HS in up to 10%
      of non-epileptic individuals, questioning the impact of this MRI finding in
      patients with TLE. We evaluated the prevalence of HS on MRI in the general
      population. METHODS: 100 healthy subjects and 10 patients with TLE due to HS were
      investigated in a prospective study using a specific protocol for the detection
      of hippocampal pathology (coronal FLAIR, coronal T2 TSE and a T1 weighted 3D SPGR
      sequence). RESULTS: HS was detected in none of the healthy subjects (95%
      confidence interval=0-3.6%), but in all patients. Inter-rater agreement was
      perfect for presence of HS. Thirty-three subjects had an unilaterally enlarged
      temporal horn as an isolated secondary criterion for HS and inter-rater agreement
      was slight for this point. Incidental pathological findings were detected in two
      patients (2%): one had a low grade astrocytoma (1%), one an aneurysm of the
      posterior communicating artery (1%). CONCLUSIONS: HS was not diagnosed in healthy
      subjects, supporting its impact on the evaluation of patients with temporal lobe
      epilepsy. An unilateral enlarged temporal horn that occurred in one third of the
      healthy subjects should not be considered as a pathologic finding or even as a
      marker for HS.

PMID- 20307957
TI  - Thalamic changes in temporal lobe epilepsy with and without hippocampal
      sclerosis: a diffusion tensor imaging study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The seizure network may be different between temporal lobe epilepsy
      with hippocampal sclerosis (TLE+HS) and without HS (TLE-HS). Chronic seizure
      activity may alter the diffusion properties of a seizure network. The thalamus is
      known to have an anatomical connection to the medial temporal area and to play a
      role in seizure modulation. This study aimed to evaluate differences in thalamic
      changes between TLE+HS and TLE-HS with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). METHODS:
      Nine patients with TLE+HS and nine patients with TLE-HS were included in the
      study. All patients underwent surgery with good seizure outcomes. Hippocampal
      sclerosis was verified pathologically. Sixteen right-handed, normal subjects were
      enrolled as controls. DTI was acquired using 3.0 T MRI. The mean diffusivity (MD)
      and fractional anisotropy (FA) were calculated in the center of the bilateral
      thalamus with the DTIstudio program. RESULTS: The MD of bilateral thalami
      increased in both TLE groups compared to controls (p<0.05), while FA values did
      not differ from controls. The MD of the thalamus ipsilateral to the epileptogenic
      side was higher in the TLE+HS group than in the TLE-HS group (p=0.007). Onset
      age, seizure duration, seizure frequency and total seizure number were not
      correlated with FA and MD changes (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Bilateral thalamic
      diffusion properties are altered in temporal lobe epilepsy. The presence of
      hippocampal sclerosis enhances the change ipsilaterally.

PMID- 20307958
TI  - Augmented renal clearance in the Intensive Care Unit: an illustrative case
      series.
AB  - The substantial underlying disease burden, in combination with the therapeutic
      interventions provided, can result in significantly altered end-organ function in
      the critically ill. These changes can in turn affect key pharmacokinetic (PK)
      indices for many antibiotics, including drug clearance, promoting potentially
      subtherapeutic concentrations for lengthy periods of the dosing interval,
      therapeutic failure or the selection of resistant organisms. This paper presents
      three instructional cases from our tertiary-level Intensive Care Unit, where
      established antibiotic dosing regimens failed to achieve predefined PK targets
      for optimal bacterial killing. Using therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM),
      significant dose modification was subsequently undertaken. We propose augmented
      renal clearance as a possible mechanism underlying this phenomenon, particularly
      in young post-operative, burns or head-injured patients with normal serum
      creatinine concentrations. TDM, or at least a measured creatinine clearance,
      should be considered early in this setting to allow the optimisation of
      antibiotic exposure.

PMID- 20307959
TI  - The physicochemical properties of a spray dried glutinous rice starch biopolymer.
AB  - Glutinous rice starch (GRS) is a biopolymer used widely in the food industry but
      not at all in the pharmaceutical industry. There are several ways to modify this
      biopolymer. Physical modification is simple and cheap because it requires no
      chemicals or biological agents. The aim of this study was to characterize the
      physicochemical properties of a spray dried glutinous rice starch (SGRS) produced
      from pregelatinized GRS. The surface morphology changed from an irregular to
      concave spherical shape as revealed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). SGRS
      was almost amorphous as determined by X-ray Diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy. The
      water molecules became linked through hydrogen bonds to the exposed hydroxyl
      group of amorphous SGRS as determined by Near Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. Then,
      SGRS formed a colloid gel matrix with water and developed a highly viscous
      gelatinous form as determined using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and a
      stress control type rheometer. In addition, SGRS can swell and produce a
      gelatinous surface barrier like a hydrophilic matrix biopolymer which controls
      drug release. Therefore, a novel application of SGRS is as a sustained release
      modifier for direct compression tablets in the pharmaceutical industry.

PMID- 20307960
TI  - Adsorption of albumin and sodium hyaluronate on UHMWPE: a QCM-D and AFM study.
AB  - The biotribological properties of artificial joints, in particular the efficiency
      of the lubrication, strongly determine their lifetime. The most commonly used
      artificial joints combine a metallic or ceramic part articulating against a ultra
      high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) counterface, and are lubricated by
      the periprosthetic fluid. This fluid contains several macromolecules, namely
      albumin and sodium hyaluronate (NaHA), that are known to be involved in the
      lubrication process. There are several studies in the literature concerning the
      interaction of the referred macromolecules with ceramic or metallic prosthetic
      materials. However, to our knowledge, information about their binding to the
      polymeric surface is practically inexistent. The objective of this work is to
      contribute to clarify the role played by albumin and NaHA on the biolubrication
      process, through the investigation of their interaction with the UHMWPE surface.
      The study involves adsorption measurements using a quartz crystal microbalance
      with dissipation (QCM-D), the characterization of the adsorbed films by atomic
      force microscopy (AFM) and wettability determinations. Albumin was found to
      adsorb strongly and extensively to the polymer, while NaHA led to a very low
      adsorption. In both cases rigid films were obtained, but with different
      morphology and porosity. The high binding affinity of the protein to the polymer
      was demonstrated both by the results of the fittings to Langmuir and Freundlich
      models and by the values of the adhesion forces determined by AFM. In the
      simultaneous adsorption of albumin and NaHA, protein adsorption is predominant
      and determines the surface properties.

PMID- 20307961
TI  - Selective adsorption of small proteins on large-pore anion exchangers coated with
      medium size proteins.
AB  - A new anion exchanger support has been designed for the selective adsorption of
      small proteins. This has been achieved activating an aminated support with
      glutaraldehyde and further coating the support surface with bovine serum albumin
      (BSA). In this support, "wells" are generated by two neighborhoods BSA molecules,
      on the bottom of those "wells" glutaraldehyde groups are exposed out ready to
      react with small molecules that have a size small enough to be accommodated
      between two BSA molecules on the pre-existing support. However, the BSA surface
      was not inert enough adsorbing many proteins, thereby reducing the selectivity of
      the system. A further solution was coating the immobilized BSA molecules with
      dextran, reducing the adsorption of protein on the BSA surface. This new matrix
      has been evaluated in the selective adsorption of the very small beta
      lactoglobulins and alpha-lactalbumin from dairy whey, achieving the selective
      adsorption of both small proteins while other larger proteins from dairy whey
      remained in the supernatant. Moreover, a protein crude extract has been offered
      to the new matrix, and only small proteins could be adsorbed on the support (as
      probed by gel filtration). Thus this amino-glutaraldehyde-BSA-dextran-Sepharose
      is a matrix that may be used to selectively ionically adsorb proteins that were
      smaller than BSA (62 kDa). This strategy may be used for any other kind of
      adsorbing groups (chelating agents, boronic acid, etc.), or using proteins with
      different sizes to coat the support, designing tailor-made supports that may
      permit the fractioning of proteins following their sizes and by
      adsorption/desorption on different matrices.

PMID- 20307962
TI  - Involvement of catalase in the protective effect of binaphthyl diselenide against
      renal damage induced by glycerol.
AB  - In the present study, the protective effect of binapthyl diselenide [(NapSe)(2)]
      was investigated on glycerol-induced renal damage in rats. Adult male Wistar rats
      were treated with (NapSe)(2) (50 mg/kg, orally) or vehicle. After 24 h (NapSe)(2)
      treatment, the animals received an intramuscular injection of glycerol (8 ml/kg,
      dissolved in saline) or vehicle as a divided dose into the hind limbs. Twenty
      four hours afterwards, rats were euthanized and the levels of urea and creatinine
      were measured in plasma. Non-protein thiol (NPSH) levels and catalase (CAT)
      activity were evaluated in renal homogenates. Histopathological evaluations were
      also performed in kidneys of rats. The rats exposed to glycerol presented
      swelling of the proximal and distal tubules with evidence of cell damage and
      death. Glycerol-exposed rats presented an increase in renal failure markers
      (plasmatic urea and creatinine levels) and a reduction in renal CAT activity. No
      change was observed in NPSH levels in kidneys of rats exposed to glycerol.
      (NapSe)(2) protected against the alterations caused by glycerol in rats.
      (NapSe)(2) increased per se NPSH levels (33%) in kidneys of rats. In conclusion,
      the results demonstrated that treatment with (NapSe)(2) protected against renal
      damage induced by glycerol in rats, probably due to its antioxidant effect.

PMID- 20307963
TI  - Functional relationship between cationic amino acid transporters and beta
      defensins: implications for dry skin diseases and the dry eye.
AB  - The ocular surface, constantly exposed to environmental pathogens, is
      particularly vulnerable to infection. Hence an advanced immune defence system is
      essential to protect the eye from microbial attack. Antimicrobial peptides, such
      as beta-defensins, are essential components of the innate immune system and are
      the first line of defence against invaders of the eye. High concentrations of L
      arginine and L-lysine are necessary for the expression of beta-defensins. These
      are supplied by epithelial cells in inflammatory processes. The limiting factor
      for initiation of beta-defensin production is the transport of L-arginine and L
      lysine into the cell. This transport is performed to 80% by only one transporter
      system in the human, the y(+)-transporter. This group of proteins exclusively
      transports the cationic amino acids L-arginine, L-lysine and L-ornithine and is
      also known under the term cationic amino acid transporter proteins (CAT
      proteins). Various infections associated with L-arginine deficiency (for example
      psoriasis, keratoconjuctivitis sicca) are also associated with an increase in
      beta-defensin production. For the first time, preliminary work has shown the
      expression of human CATs in ocular surface epithelia and tissues of the lacrimal
      apparatus indicating their relevance for diseases of the ocular surface. In this
      review, we summarize current knowledge on the human CATs that appear to be
      integrated in causal regulation cascades of beta-defensins, thereby offering
      novel concepts for therapeutic perspectives.

PMID- 20307964
TI  - Phytotoxicity of landfill leachate on willow--Salix amygdalina L.
AB  - Because of low investment and operational costs, interest is increasing in the
      use of willow plants in landfill leachate disposal. Toxic effects of leachate on
      the plants should be avoided in the initial period of growth and
      phytotoxicological testing may be helpful to select appropriate leachate dose
      rates. The aim of this study was to determine the phytotoxicity of landfill
      leachate on young willow (Salix amygdalina L.) cuttings, as a criterion for dose
      rate selection in the early phase of growth. Over a test period of 6 weeks plants
      were exposed to six concentrations of landfill leachate solutions (0%; 6.25%;
      12.5%; 25%; 50% and 100%), under two different regimes. In regime A willow plants
      were cultivated in leachate solution from the beginning, whereas in regime B they
      were grown initially in clean water for 4 weeks, after which the water was
      exchanged for leachate solutions. The lowest effective concentration causing
      toxic effects (LOEC) was calculated (p<0.05). In regime A LOEC was between 5.44%
      and 6.50% of leachate concentration, but slightly higher in regime B (5.32
      6.59%). Willow plants were able to survive in landfill leachate solutions with
      electrical conductivity (EC) values up to 5.0 mS/cm in regime A, whereas in
      regime B plants were killed when EC exceeded 3.0 mS/cm. This indicates an ability
      of willow plants to tolerate higher strengths of landfill leachate if they are
      cultivated in such concentrations from the beginning.

PMID- 20307965
TI  - Electrochemical detection of dopamine in the presence of ascorbic acid using
      graphene modified electrodes.
AB  - Dopamine plays a significant role in the function of human metabolism. It is
      important to develop sensitive sensor for the determination of dopamine without
      the interference by ascorbic acid. This paper reports the synthesis of graphene
      using a modified Hummer's method and its application for the electrochemical
      detection of dopamine. Electrochemical measurements were performed at glassy
      carbon electrode modified with graphene via drop-casting method. Cyclic
      voltammogram of ferri/ferrocyanide redox couple at graphene modified electrode
      showed an increased current intensity compared with glassy carbon electrode and
      graphite modified electrode. The decrease of charge transfer resistance was also
      analyzed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The capacity of graphene
      modified electrode for selective detection of dopamine was confirmed in a
      sufficient amount of ascorbic acid (1 mM). The observed linear range for the
      determination of dopamine concentration was from 4 microM to 100 microM. The
      detection limit was estimated to be 2.64 microM.

PMID- 20307967
TI  - Auditory representations and memory in birdsong learning.
AB  - Songbirds are well suited to studies of vocal processing not only because of
      their impressive motor abilities, but also because of their exquisite sensory
      system that allows them to detect subtle song variability, memorize complex
      songs, and monitor auditory feedback during singing. Recent experiments point to
      areas outside the traditional song system for being relevant to sensory functions
      implicated in song learning. By manipulating or suppressing activity in these
      areas, adult birds lose their ability to recognize the songs of their tutors and
      juveniles are unable to form accurate copies of tutor song. Taken together, these
      experiments show that the sensory mechanisms for vocal learning encompass a
      larger network than previously thought.

PMID- 20307966
TI  - Dynamics of Active Sensing and perceptual selection.
AB  - Sensory processing is often regarded as a passive process in which biological
      receptors like photoreceptors and mechanoreceptors transduce physical energy into
      a neural code. Recent findings, however, suggest that: first, most sensory
      processing is active, and largely determined by motor/attentional sampling
      routines; second, owing to rhythmicity in the motor routine, as well as to its
      entrainment of ambient rhythms in sensory regions, sensory inflow tends to be
      rhythmic; third, attentional manipulation of rhythms in sensory pathways is
      instrumental to perceptual selection. These observations outline the essentials
      of an Active Sensing paradigm, and argue for increased emphasis on the study of
      sensory processes as specific to the dynamic motor/attentional context in which
      inputs are acquired.

PMID- 20307969
TI  - Targeting the transforming growth factor-beta signalling pathway in metastatic
      cancer.
AB  - Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta signalling plays a dichotomous role in
      tumour progression, acting as a tumour suppressor early and as a pro-metastatic
      pathway in late-stages. There is accumulating evidence that advanced-stage
      tumours produce excessive levels of TGF-beta, which acts to promote tumour
      growth, invasion and colonisation of secondary organs. In light of the pro
      metastasis function, many strategies are currently being explored to antagonise
      the TGF-beta pathway as a treatment for metastatic cancers. Strategies such as
      using large molecule ligand traps, reducing the translational efficiency of TGF
      beta ligands using antisense technology, and antagonising TGF-beta receptor I/II
      kinase function using small molecule inhibitors are the most prominent methods
      being explored today. Administration of anti-TGF-beta therapies alone, or in
      combination with immunosuppressive or cytotoxic therapies, has yielded promising
      results in the preclinical and clinical settings. Despite these successes, the
      temporal- and context-dependent roles of TGF-beta signalling in cancer has made
      it challenging to define patient subgroups that are most likely to respond, and
      the therapeutic regimens that will be most effective in the clinic. Novel mouse
      models and diagnostic tools are being developed today to circumvent these issues,
      which may potentially expedite anti-TGF-beta drug development and clinical
      application.

PMID- 20307968
TI  - Function of inhibition in visual cortical processing.
AB  - Although sensory processing in V1 has been extensively characterized, the role of
      GABAergic inhibition is still not well understood. Advances in molecular biology
      have now removed significant barriers to the direct investigation of inhibitory
      processes in vivo. Recent studies have provided important insights into the
      influence of GABAergic inhibition on cortical processing at both the single cell
      level, where inhibition helps to shape cortical receptive fields, and at the
      network level, where inhibition is critical for generating cortical oscillations
      and setting network state.

PMID- 20307970
TI  - Cancer metastasis as a therapeutic target.
AB  - Despite many years of basic and clinical research aimed at curbing tumour growth,
      metastasis remains the prime reason why cancer patients succumb to their disease.
      Effective translational research is urgently required, yet is not always easy to
      achieve. Here we review reasons why metastasis as a disease process has proven
      difficult to control, and suggest ways in which translational research in this
      area can be strengthened and advanced.

PMID- 20307971
TI  - Vascular encasement as element of risk stratification in abdominal neuroblastoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vascular encasement of major vessels has been introduced as element
      of image defined risk factors (IDRF) for stratification of abdominal
      neuroblastoma. Some subgroups of this tumor entity are still subject of
      discussion regarding surgical approach and radicality. Aim of this study was to
      analyse a cohort of related patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Children operated on
      for neuroblastoma with encasement of major abdominal vessels (April 2002-April
      2009) were retrospectively evaluated regarding surgical procedures, intra- and
      postoperative complications, and outcome. RESULTS: There were 18 patients with
      abdominal NB and encasement of major vessels. Mean age at operation was 43.5
      months (2.5-113), mean operation time was 228 minutes (157-428). Complete
      macroscopic tumor resection was realised in 14 children. Vascular reconstruction
      was necessary in 5 patients. Tumor progression/relapses requiring further
      operation occurred in 3 patients. Major postoperative complications were 1 loss
      of unilateral renal function with subsequent nephrectomy, 1 renal vein thrombosis
      (operative revision), 1 renal artery embolism (operative revision), and 1
      ureteral obstruction (stenting). Mean follow up was 34.8 months (2-78).
      CONCLUSIONS: Vascular encasement as part of IDRF is a valuable tool for
      stratification of abdominal NB. Surgery of NB with vascular encasement includes
      divers and complex procedures. Children seem to benefit from complete tumor
      resection or at least relevant tumor reduction although operations can mean a
      relevant strain for the patients.

PMID- 20307972
TI  - The pyrolytic degradation of wood-derived lignin from pulping process.
AB  - Lignin is a key component in the biomass with a complex polymeric structure of
      the phenyl-C(3) alkyl units. The kraft lignin from the wood pulping process is
      tested in TG-FTIR and Py-GC-MS. The samples are pyrolyzed in TGA coupled with
      FTIR from 30 to 900 degrees C at the heating rate of 20 and 40K/min. The
      evolution of phenolic compounds in the initial pyrolysis stage of lignin is
      determined by FTIR, while the second stage is mainly attributed to the production
      of the low molecular weight species. A bench-scale fast pyrolysis unit is
      employed to investigate the effect of temperature on the product yield and
      composition. It is found that the guaiacol-type and syringol-type compounds as
      the primary products of lignin pyrolysis are predominant in bio-oil, acting as
      the significant precursors for the formation of the derivatives such as the
      phenol-, cresol- and catechol-types. A series of free-radical chain-reactions,
      concerning the cracking of different side-chain structures and the methoxy groups
      on aromatic ring, are proposed to demonstrate the formation pathways for the
      typical compounds in bio-oil by closely relating lignin structure to the
      pyrolytic mechanisms. The methoxy group (-OCH(3)) is suggested to work as an
      important source for the formation of the small volatile species (CO, CO(2) and
      CH(4)) through the relevant free radical coupling reactions.

PMID- 20307973
TI  - Dependence on the properties of organic solvent: study on acyl migration kinetics
      of partial glycerides.
AB  - During Rhizopus oryzae-mediated methanolysis of triglycerides for biodiesel
      production, the amount of 1,2-DG and 2-MG as well as the ratio of 1,2-DG/1,3-DG
      and 2-MG/1-MG differed significantly in different reaction medium, which
      indicated that solvent might be a crucial factor that would influence the acyl
      migration rate, leading to varied biodiesel yield. In this paper, the influence
      of solvent and their properties on acyl migration kinetics of both 1,2
      diglyceride and 2-monoglyceride were investigated systematically. It was found
      that decreasing solvent polarity would give increasing acyl migration rate
      constants in general. Solvent polarity influenced the acyl migration rate through
      the influence of the charge dispersion of the transition state. High polarity of
      the solvent was unfavorable to the transition state charge dispersion, which
      would increase its energy state, and thus decreased the acyl migration rate and
      then led to relatively lower methyl ester yield.

PMID- 20307974
TI  - Removal of organic substances and oxidation of ammonium nitrogen by a down-flow
      hanging sponge (DHS) reactor under high salinity conditions.
AB  - A down-flow hanging sponge (DHS) reactor, constructed by connecting three
      identical treatment units in series, was fed with highly saline artificial coke
      plant wastewater containing 1400 mg L(-1) of phenol in terms of chemical oxygen
      demand (COD) and 500 mg-NL(-1) of ammonium nitrogen. The COD was removed by the
      1st unit, achieving 92% removal at an average COD loading rate of 3.0 kg-COD m(
      3)d(-1) for all units, with oxidation of ammonium nitrogen occurring primarily in
      the two downstream units. Microbial assays of the different units of the reactor
      revealed greater numbers of nitrifying bacteria in the 2nd and 3rd units than in
      the 1st unit, corresponding with the observed ammonium oxidation pattern of the
      reactor. These findings suggest that a succession of microflora was successfully
      established along the DHS.

PMID- 20307975
TI  - Enzymatic saccharification of biologically pre-treated wheat straw with white-rot
      fungi.
AB  - Wheat straw was submitted to a pre-treatment by the basidiomycetous fungi Euc-1
      and Irpex lacteus, aiming to improve the accessibility of cellulose towards
      enzymatic hydrolysis via previous selective bio-delignification. This allowed the
      increase of substrate saccharification nearly four and three times while applying
      the basidiomycetes Euc-1 and I. lacteus, respectively. The cellulose/lignin ratio
      increased from 2.7 in the untreated wheat straw to 5.9 and 4.6 after the bio
      treatment by the basidiomycetes Euc-1 and I. lacteus, respectively, thus
      evidencing the highly selective lignin biodegradation. The enzymatic profile of
      both fungi upon bio-treatment of wheat straw have been assessed including
      laccase, manganese-dependent peroxidase, lignin peroxidase,
      carboxymethylcellulase, xylanase, avicelase and feruloyl esterase activities. The
      difference in efficiency and selectivity of delignification within the two fungi
      treatments was interpreted in terms of specific lignolytic enzyme profiles and
      moderate xylanase and cellulolytic activities.

PMID- 20307976
TI  - DSC studies to evaluate the impact of bio-oil on cold flow properties and
      oxidation stability of bio-diesel.
AB  - This paper describes the use of Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) to
      evaluate the impact of varying mix ratios of bio-oil (pyrolysis oil) and bio
      diesel on the oxidation stability and on some cold flow properties of resulting
      blends. The bio-oils employed were produced from the semi-continuous Auger
      pyrolysis of pine pellets and the batch pyrolysis of pine chips. The bio-diesel
      studied was obtained from poultry fat. The conditions used to prepare the bio
      oil/bio-diesel blends as well as some of the fuel properties of these blends are
      reported. The experimental results suggest that the addition of bio-oil improves
      the oxidation stability of the resulting blends and modifies the crystallization
      behavior of unsaturated compounds. Upon the addition of bio-oil an increase in
      the oxidation onset temperature, as determined by DSC, was observed. The increase
      in bio-diesel oxidation stability is likely to be due to the presence of hindered
      phenols abundant in bio-oils. A relatively small reduction in DSC characteristic
      temperatures which are associated with cold flow properties was also observed but
      can likely be explained by a dilution effect.

PMID- 20307977
TI  - Phosphate-limitation mediated lipid production by Rhodosporidium toruloides.
AB  - Nitrogen-limited conditions have been routinely prepared for efficient lipid
      production by oleaginous microorganisms. However, it is difficult to attain high
      cellular lipid contents with natural nitrogen-rich substrates. In the present
      study, we showed that lipid accumulation by Rhodosporidium toruloides Y4 was
      directly linked to the carbon to phosphorus (C/P) molar ratios of the culture
      media. Moreover, such lipid accumulation phenomena were effective regardless of
      the presence of high amounts of nitrogen sources. Thus, cellular lipid content
      and lipid yield were 62.2% and 0.205 g/g glucose, respectively, using a medium
      with a carbon to nitrogen (C/N) molar ratio of 6.1 and a C/P molar ratio of 9552.
      This work suggested that phosphorus limitation can be equally effective and
      efficient to mediate lipid accumulation, which in turn, provides opportunities to
      produce microbial lipid more economically using natural or waste materials with
      high nitrogen content.

PMID- 20307978
TI  - Biomimetic soy protein nanocomposites with calcium carbonate crystalline arrays
      for use as wood adhesive.
AB  - Despite the biodegradability, non-toxicity, and renewability, commercially
      available soy protein-based adhesives still have not been widely adopted by
      industry, partially due to their disappointing performances, i.e., low glue
      strength in the dry state and no glue strength in the wet state. In this study,
      biomimetic soy protein/CaCO(3) hybrid wood glue was devised and an attempt made
      to improve the adhesion strength. The structure and morphology of the adhesive
      and its fracture bonding interface and adhesion strength were investigated.
      Results showed that the compact rivets or interlocking links, and ion
      crosslinking of calcium, carbonate, hydroxyl ions in the adhesive greatly
      improving the water-resistance and bonding strength of soy protein adhesives.
      Glue strength of soy protein hybrid adhesive was higher than 6 MPa even after
      three water-immersion cycles. This green and sustainable proteinous hybrid
      adhesive, with high glue strength and good water-resistance, is a good substitute
      for formaldehyde wood glues.

PMID- 20307979
TI  - Synthesis and bioluminescence-inducing properties of autoinducer (S)-4,5
      dihydroxypentane-2,3-dione and its enantiomer.
AB  - The autoinducer (4S)-4,5-dihydroxypentane-2,3-dione ((S)-DPD, AI-2) facilitates
      chemical communication, termed 'quorum sensing', amongst a wide range of
      bacteria, The synthesis of (S)-DPD is challenging in part due to its instability.
      Herein we report a novel synthesis of (S)-DPD via (2S)-2,3-O-isopropylidene
      glyceraldehyde, through Wittig, dihydroxylation and oxidation reactions, with a
      complimentary asymmetric synthesis to a key precursor. Its enantiomer (R)-DPD,
      was prepared from d-mannitol via (2R)-2,3-O-isopropylideneglyceraldehyde. The
      synthesized enantiomers of DPD have AI-2 bioluminescence-inducing properties in
      the Vibrio harveyi BB170 strain.

PMID- 20307980
TI  - B-Raf kinase inhibitors: hit enrichment through scaffold hopping.
AB  - In continuation of our efforts toward hit identification and optimization for a B
      Raf kinase project, we have employed a scaffold hopping strategy. The original
      HTS hit scaffold pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine was replaced with different
      thienopyrimidine and thienopyridine scaffolds to append the optimal pharmacophore
      moieties in order to generate novel B-raf kinase inhibitors with desirable
      potency and properties. This strategy led to the identification of additional
      lead compound 11b which had good enzyme and cell potency, while maintaining
      selectivity over a number of kinases.

PMID- 20307981
TI  - Rational design of a pirinixic acid derivative that acts as subtype-selective
      PPARgamma modulator.
AB  - Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) is involved in
      glucose and lipid homeostasis. PPARgamma agonists are in clinical use for the
      treatment of type 2 diabetes. Lately, a new class of selective PPARgamma
      modulators (SPPARgammaMs) was developed, which are believed to show less side
      effects than full PPARgamma agonists. We have previously shown that alpha
      substitution of pirinixic acid, a moderate agonist of PPARalpha and PPARgamma,
      leads to low micromolar active balanced dual agonists of PPARalpha and PPARgamma.
      Herein we present modifications of pirinixic acid leading to subtype-selective
      PPARgamma agonists and furthermore the development of a selective PPARgamma
      modulator guided by molecular docking studies.

PMID- 20307982
TI  - Identification of very potent inhibitor of human aminopeptidase N (CD13).
AB  - In this Letter we describe broad comparision studies toward rat, pig, and human
      aminopeptidase N (CD13) orthologs using phosphinate inhibitors related in
      structure to hydroxamic acids. This SAR approach yielded a very potent inhibitor
      of human aminopeptidase N: alpha(1)-amino-3-phenylpropyl(alpha(2)-hydroxy-3
      phenylpropyl)phosphinic acid with an IC(50)=60 nM.

PMID- 20307983
TI  - A 3 months mild functional test regime does not affect disease parameters in
      young mdx mice.
AB  - To assess the effect of potential therapeutic agents in dystrophic mice it is
      useful to have a functional test regime that does not affect the natural disease
      progression of mdx mice with dystrophinopathy. We determined the effect of a 12
      week test regime consisting of fore limb grip strength, rotarod analysis and two
      and four limb hanging wire tests on the disease progression of 4-week-old mdx
      mice. Mice performed the different functional tests on consecutive days on a
      weekly basis. No difference was found in serum creatine kinase levels between
      functionally active and sedentary mice. The percentage of fibrotic/necrotic areas
      assessed in a semi-automated way with colour deconvolution of skeletal muscles,
      heart and diaphragm did not vary within muscles or between groups, nor did the
      gene expression levels of disease-related genes. We conclude that this test
      regime may be suitable for short-term functional evaluation of therapeutic
      approaches in the mdx mouse.

PMID- 20307984
TI  - Synthesis and biological evaluation of 4-(hydroxyimino)arylmethyl
      diarylpyrimidine analogues as potential non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase
      inhibitors against HIV.
AB  - A series of novel diarylpyrimidine analogues featuring a hydroxyiminomethyl group
      between the pyrimidine scaffold and the aryl wing I have been synthesized and
      tested in MT-4 cells culture as non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors
      against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Most of these new congeners exhibited
      moderate to excellent activity against wild-type virus with an EC(50) value
      ranging from 0.569microM to 0.005microM. 4-(4-((Hydroxyimino) (3
      methoxyphenyl)methyl)pyrimidin-2-ylamino)benzonitrile (12n) was identified as the
      most active compound of this new series (EC(50)=0.025microM, SI >1223) associated
      with moderate activity against HIV-1 double mutant strains (K103N+Y181C)
      (EC(50)=8.72microM) in addition to its anti-HIV-2 activity with an EC(50) value
      of 8.31microM. Preliminary structure-activity relationship (SAR) among the newly
      synthesized DAPYs was also investigated.

PMID- 20307985
TI  - Aspects of thermal martensite in a FeNiMnCo alloy.
AB  - Thermal martensite characteristics in Fe-29%Ni-2%Mn-2%Co alloy were investigated
      with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Mossbauer spectroscopy
      characterization techniques. SEM observations obviously revealed the lath
      martensite morphology in the prior austenite phase of examined alloy. As well,
      the martensitic transformation kinetics was found to be as athermal type. On the
      other hand, Mossbauer spectroscopy offered the paramagnetic austenite phase and
      ferromagnetic martensite phase with their volume fractions. Also, the internal
      magnetic field of the martensite was measured as 32.9T from the Mossbauer
      spectrometer.

PMID- 20307986
TI  - Solar UV exposures measured simultaneously to all arbitrarily oriented leaves on
      a plant.
AB  - The possible ramifications of climate change include the influence it has upon
      the amount of cloud cover in the atmosphere. Clouds cause significant variation
      in the solar UV radiation reaching the earth's surface and in turn the amount
      incident on ecosystems. The consequences of changes in solar UV radiation
      delivered to ecosystems due to climate change may be significant and should be
      investigated. Plants are an integral part of the world wide ecological balance,
      and research has shown they are affected by variations in solar UV radiation.
      Therefore research into the influence of solar UV radiation on plants is of
      particular significance. However, this requires a means of obtaining detailed
      information on the solar UV radiation received by plants. This research describes
      a newly developed dosimetric technique employed to gather information on solar UV
      radiation incident to the leaves of plants in combination with the measurement of
      spectral irradiances in order to provide an accurate method of collecting
      detailed information on the solar UV radiation affecting the canopy and lower
      leaf layers of individual plants. Variations in the measurements take into
      account the inclination and orientation of each leaf investigated, as well as the
      influence of shading by other leaves in the plant canopy.

PMID- 20307987
TI  - Quality improvement guidelines for percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography,
      biliary drainage, and percutaneous cholecystostomy.

PMID- 20307988
TI  - Excimer laser-assisted retrieval of Gunther Tulip vena cava filters: a pilot
      study in a canine Model.
AB  - PURPOSE: Although most Gunther Tulip filters (GTFs) can be safely retrieved
      within a few months after implantation, their recommended safe retrieval period
      is within a few weeks. This study aims to assess the feasibility of excimer laser
      assisted retrieval of GTFs incorporated into the inferior vena cava (IVC) wall in
      a canine model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six GTFs were implanted in six mongrel
      dogs and retrieved after four weeks. The retrieval system consisted of a 14-F
      excimer laser sheath, an 8-F guide catheter, and a 15-mm Goose Neck snare.
      RESULTS: All filters were tightly fixed to the IVC wall. After ablation of the
      adhesions by excimer laser emission, all filters were successfully retrieved.
      Final cavography after retrieval revealed no caval damage except for minor
      extravasation in three dogs. Examination of the caval specimen taken from a dog
      immediately after filter retrieval revealed partial absence of the intima and
      media. In the remaining five dogs, cavography performed 2 days after filter
      retrieval revealed complete hemostasis and almost indistinguishable intimal
      indentations. On follow-up cavography 28 days after filter retrieval, caval
      stenosis with 38% +/- 11% diameter narrowing was noted. The caval specimen
      obtained from a dog at 28 days showed neointima formation at the level where the
      filter struts were in contact with the caval wall. The other four dogs have
      survived for more than 3 months without any adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Laser
      assisted retrieval of a GTF incorporated into the IVC wall is feasible in dogs.

PMID- 20307989
TI  - Utility of iodinated contrast medium in hydrodissection fluid when performing
      renal tumor ablation.
AB  - In 21 patients undergoing percutaneous renal tumor ablation, hydrodissection with
      use of a mixture of 5% dextrose in water and iodinated contrast medium was
      performed to prevent thermal injury to adjacent structures. This technique allows
      for the movement of adjacent organs as well as improved differentiation among the
      hydrodissection fluid, renal tumor, and adjacent tissues.

PMID- 20307990
TI  - Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt creation using a transjugular and
      ultrasound-guided percutaneous approach in a liver transplant recipient.

PMID- 20307991
TI  - Endovascular temporary vessel occlusion with a reverse-thermosensitive polymer
      for bloodless minimally invasive renal surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: To demonstrate the feasibility of reversible vessel embolization with
      angiographic guidance for delivery of a rapid reverse-thermosensitive polymer to
      provide hemostasis as an aid for minimally invasive renal surgery in a porcine
      model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After isolation of the left kidney of seven
      anesthetized pigs (50-70 kg) with a surgical robot, a renal angiogram of both
      kidneys was obtained. A 5-F angiographic catheter was used to selectively
      embolize a lower-pole segmental artery of the right and left kidney with a
      thermosensitive polymer (LeGoo-XL). Distal and proximal embolization of the
      target vessel was compared. Degree and duration of hemostasis and reversibility
      was determined. After complete hemostasis was obtained angiographically, a
      partial robotic lower-pole nephrectomy was performed on the left kidney only.
      RESULTS: Only proximal embolization provided controllable hemostasis. A 20%
      polymer concentration in a buffer solution of 40% saline solution and 40% iodine
      contrast medium by weight injected at room temperature resulted in a reproducible
      embolus for more than 30 minutes, the time needed to perform a partial
      nephrectomy. The radiographic appearance of the embolus was used to determine the
      total amount of polymer needed. Cold saline solution completely dissolved any
      residual polymer at the end of surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Proximal arterial occlusion
      with a thermosensitive polymer can be rapidly reversed with selective
      intraarterial infusion of chilled saline solution. Preceding nephron-sparing
      surgery with transcatheter embolization of the relevant branch of the renal
      artery with the polymer can facilitate the procedure and ought to be investigated
      further.

PMID- 20307992
TI  - Tunneled pleural catheters for treatment of recurrent malignant pleural effusion
      following failed pleurodesis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate patient outcomes when tunneled pleural drainage catheters
      are placed for symptomatic, recurrent malignant pleural effusion following failed
      chemical pleurodesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred seventy patients who
      underwent placement of a tunneled pleural catheter between January 2002 and
      December 2006 were retrospectively identified by reviewing interventional
      radiology billing records with institutional review board approval. Of these 270
      patients, 63 (68 hemithoraces; 44 women, 19 men) with dyspnea were referred for
      tunneled pleural drainage catheter placement following failed pleurodesis for
      malignant pleural effusion. Clinical and procedural details were identified by
      chart review. Endpoints were technical success, symptomatic improvement in
      dyspnea, time to hospital discharge, and time to catheter removal or time to
      death with the catheter in place. RESULTS: Clinical improvement in dyspnea was
      noted in 60 of the 63 patients (95%). Fifty-seven of the 63 patients (90%) were
      discharged with their catheter in place after a median of 3 days (range, 0-29
      days). Twenty-seven of the 63 patients (43%) were discharged in 2 days or less.
      Stays longer than 2 days were all associated with treatment of other medical
      problems. Twenty-one of the 68 catheters (31%) required fibrinolytic therapy for
      optimal evacuation of complex pleural collections. Eleven of the 68 catheters
      (16%) could subsequently be removed due to durable resolution of pleural
      effusion. The remaining patients died with catheters in place and no clinical
      evidence of catheter dysfunction after a median of 58 days. CONCLUSIONS: Even
      following failed pleurodesis, recurrent malignant pleural effusions can be
      effectively managed with placement of tunneled pleural catheters.

PMID- 20307993
TI  - Influence of pain reduction by transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
      on somatosensory functions in patients with painful traumatic peripheral partial
      nerve injury.
AB  - Following peripheral nerve injury sensory loss is taken as a sign of denervation.
      However, based on reports of improved sensitivity following relief of pain it has
      been suggested that a functional block produced by the activity in the
      nociceptive system itself may be responsible for at least part of the sensory
      aberrations. The aim was to examine if pain reduction by high-frequency TENS
      influenced somatosensory functions in patients with long-term unilateral painful
      traumatic peripheral partial nerve injury. Eighteen patients with spontaneous
      ongoing pain and a touch sensation in the innervation territory of the injured
      nervous structure of at least 5 on an intensity 11-point Likert rating scale
      compared with contralaterally, participated. Before and following 80 Hz TENS with
      a stimulus intensity generating non-painful paresthesiae in the painful areas
      during 30 min the pain intensity was rated on a numerical rating scale and
      bedside examination of somatosensory functions (BE) and quantitative sensory
      testing (QST) were performed in the same areas. Before and following TENS there
      was no difference in sensory functions between nine patients with >= 50% pain
      reduction and nine patients with a smaller or no reduction in pain. Compared to
      baseline, only minor TENS-induced alterations in somatosensory functions were
      found at BE in conjunction with decreased sensitivity to light touch at QST (p <
      0.01) in both groups alike. In conclusion >= 50% pain reduction by TENS did not
      alter sensory functions differentially compared to a smaller or no reduction in
      pain.

PMID- 20307994
TI  - Maple syrup urine disease: further evidence that newborn screening may fail to
      identify variant forms.
AB  - Newborn screening (NBS) by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) has allowed for early
      detection and initiation of treatment in many patients with maple syrup urine
      disease (MSUD) (OMIM 248600), however, a recent report suggests that variants
      forms may be missed. Information on these patients is limited. We present
      clinical, biochemical and molecular information on patients with variant forms of
      MSUD not detected by the California Newborn Screening Program. Between July 2005
      and July 2009, 2200,000 newborns were screened in California by MS/MS. Seventeen
      cases of MSUD were detected and three (two siblings) were missed. Additionally,
      the NBS cards of two siblings with late onset MSUD, who were born pre-expanded
      NBS, were retrospectively analyzed. None of the five patients met criteria to be
      considered presumptive positive for MSUD (leucine>200micromol/L and a ratio of
      leucine/alanine>or=1.5). Alloisoleucine (allo-ile) was subsequently analyzed in
      the NBS cards of all five patients, two of whom were found to have elevated
      levels. The proband in each family was diagnosed following symptoms triggered by
      an intercurrent illness or increased protein intake. At diagnosis, leucine levels
      ranged between 561 and >4528micromol/L, and allo-ile ranged from 137 to
      239micromol/L. Two affected siblings had normal plasma amino acids when
      asymptomatic; however, their biochemical profiles were diagnostic of MSUD during
      intercurrent illnesses. The median age at diagnosis of all patients was one year
      (range 0.8-6.7). Heterozygous BCKDHB (E1beta) mutations (c.832G>A/c.970C>T) were
      identified in one family and a homozygous DBT (E2) sequence variant (c.1430 T>G)
      in another. The third family had one identifiable DBT mutation (c.827T>G),
      however, a second mutation was not detected. This report provides further
      evidence that NBS by MS/MS is unable to detect all cases of MSUD. Second-tier
      testing with allo-ile may improve sensitivity; however, some children with
      variant forms will invariably be missed.

PMID- 20307995
TI  - The obese phenotype-inducing N82K mutation in human leptin disrupts receptor
      binding and biological activity.
AB  - A novel homozygous mutation of the leptin gene was recently reported in an
      Egyptian child and his sister with severe early onset obesity. This mutation
      results from the substitution of asparagine (AAC) by lysine (AAA) at codon 103 of
      a non-mature (signal peptide-containing) leptin and corresponds to the N82K
      mutation in the mature protein. The patient had very low serum leptin levels,
      raising the question of whether the obese phenotype resulted from low leptin
      levels or from its lower intrinsic activity. To answer this question, we
      characterized the functional consequences of the N82K mutation. Wild-type (WT)
      human leptin was mutated accordingly, expressed in Escherichia coli at high
      yield, purified to homogeneity as a monomer and compared to WT human leptin
      prepared by the same methodology. Circular dichroism analysis of the mutated
      leptin indicated proper refolding and a secondary structure identical to that of
      the WT human leptin. In contrast to WT human leptin, the N82K mutant did not form
      a detectable complex with human leptin-binding domain (hLBD) and its binding
      capacity to hLBD assessed in a nonradioactive receptor-binding assay was at least
      500-fold lower than that of WT human leptin. The biological activity of the N82K
      mutant, tested in two cell bioassays, was reduced by more than three orders of
      magnitude relative to WT human leptin. Therefore, though the present report does
      not explain the reason for the low circulating leptin levels it definitely
      documents that the reported obese phenotype originates not only from low serum
      leptin levels but also from the N82K mutant's almost total lack of intrinsic
      leptin activity.

PMID- 20307996
TI  - "Overcoming barriers: new developments and future directions for urea cycle
      disorders.". Introduction.

PMID- 20307997
TI  - Pseudomuscular male with seizures: disseminated cysticercosis.

PMID- 20307998
TI  - High ferritin levels are associated with hepatosplenic candidiasis in
      hematopoietic stem cell transplant candidates.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Invasive fungal infections (IFI) are a significant cause of morbidity
      and mortality in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients.
      Hepatosplenic candidiasis (HSC) is defined as a distinct form of invasive
      candidiasis, with liver, spleen, and kidney involvement, in patients with
      hematological disorders. METHODS: The charts of 255 patients (male/female 168/87;
      median age 35 (range 16-71) years) who were evaluated pre-HSCT at the Gazi
      University Hospital Stem Cell Transplantation Unit between 2003 and 2008, were
      retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: HSC, which was demonstrated in six (2.3%)
      patients, was found to be more common in allogeneic HSCT recipients than in
      autologous HSCT recipients and in patients who had received two or more previous
      chemotherapy courses than in patients who had received fewer than two (p>0.05).
      Patients with HSC tended to have a worse performance status than patients without
      HSC according to the World Health Organization (p=0.001) and Karnofsky scale
      (p=0.007). Pre-transplantation ferritin (p=0.008) and acute phase reactant
      levels, including erythrocyte sedimentation rate (p=0.025) and C-reactive protein
      (p=0.007), were significantly higher in patients with HSC than in patients
      without HSC. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows the predictive role of pre
      transplantation ferritin levels in selecting a subset of patients at increased
      risk for HSC. Pre-transplantation risk assessment and targeted strategies might
      lower the morbidity and mortality of IFI in HSCT recipients.

PMID- 20307999
TI  - Minimally invasive post-mortem CT-angiography in a case involving a gunshot
      wound.
AB  - Non-contrast post-mortem computed tomography (pm-CT) is useful in the evaluation
      of bony pathologies, whereas minimally invasive pm-CT-angiography allows for the
      detection of subtle vascular lesions. We present a case of an accidentally self
      inflicted fatal bullet wound to the chest where pm-CT-angiography revealed a
      small laceration of the anterior interventricular branch of the left coronary
      artery and a tiny disruption of the right ventricle with pericardial and pleural
      effusion. Subsequent autopsy confirmed our radiological findings. Post-mortem CT
      angiography has a great potential for the detection of vascular lesions and can
      be considered equivalent to autopsy for selected cases in forensic medicine.

PMID- 20308000
TI  - Degradation of phenol using a combination of ultrasonic and UV irradiations at
      pilot scale operation.
AB  - In the present work, combination of ultraviolet (UV) irradiations (using 8 W UV
      tube) with ultrasonic (US) irradiations (rated power 1 kW and frequency of 25
      kHz) has been investigated for the degradation of phenol at pilot scale of
      operation. Different modes of operation viz. UV alone, US alone, UV/US, UV/TiO(2)
      (photocatalysis), UV/H(2)O(2), UV/NaCl, UV/US/TiO(2) (sonophotocatalysis) and
      H(2)O(2) assisted sonophotocatalysis have been investigated with an objective of
      maximizing the extent of phenol degradation. Effect of presence of hydrogen
      peroxide and sodium chloride at a concentration of 10 g/l and TiO(2) over a range
      of 0.5-2.5 g/l has been investigated. It has been observed that 2.0 g/l of TiO(2)
      is the optimum concentration, beyond which a decrease in the extent of
      degradation is observed. Maximum extent of degradation of phenol was 37.75% for
      H(2)O(2) assisted photosonocatalysis at pH of 2. The present work is first of its
      kind to report the use of combined ultrasonic and UV irradiations at pilot scale
      operation and obtained results should induce some degree of certainty in proposed
      industrial applications of sonochemical reactors for wastewater treatment.

PMID- 20308001
TI  - Second primary tumours in oral cancer.
AB  - Second primary tumours in patients treated for oral cancer occur at a rate of 3%
      to 7% per year. The majority of these tumours show up at least six months after
      the detection of the primary and are often located in the upper aerodigestive
      tract. Cessation of smoking habits may reduce the risk of the development of a
      second primary. There is no statistical significance between the oral subsite of
      the primary and the occurrence of a second primary. There are conflicting views
      in the literature on the survival rate of patients treated for a second primary
      in the head and neck region.

PMID- 20308002
TI  - Quality of life perspectives in patients with oral cancer.
AB  - This article is set in the context of the oral healthcare team caring for
      patients following oral cancer treatment. It provides an overview of the
      definition of quality of life (QoL), how it is measured, the key issues for
      patients with respect oral cancer, and comment about the role of the dental
      multidisciplinary team. It provides a source of relevant literature specific to
      this topic.

PMID- 20308003
TI  - TGFbeta1 genetic polymorphism is associated with survival in head and neck
      squamous cell carcinoma independent of the severity of chemoradiotherapy induced
      mucositis.
AB  - Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is often
      accompanied by severe mucosal reactions. We have recently shown that the single
      nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs1982073 of the TGFbeta1 gene (TGFB1) is
      associated with the survival of HNSCC patients who have undergone CRT. In order
      to evaluate possible mechanisms mediating this, we investigated if the TGFB1
      polymorphism was associated with the severity of mucositis induced by CRT.
      Peripheral blood DNA of 34 HNSCC patients who had undergone CRT was genotyped for
      the SNP rs1982073 of the TGFB1. Mucositis was graded according to acute toxicity
      criteria of radiation therapy oncology group (RTOG). The mean follow-up time was
      48 months (range, 4-115 months). We did not find a significant association
      between the TGFB1 polymorphism and the degree of acute mucositis (OD=2.65; 95% CI
      0.50-13.89; p=0.25). The degree of acute mucositis was not connected to disease
      free survival (p=0.35). However, the TGFB1 polymorphism was associated with
      survival irrespective of the degree of mucositis (HR=3.23; 95% CI 1.19-8.77;
      p=0.02).

PMID- 20308004
TI  - Changes of symptoms and depression in oral cavity cancer patients receiving
      radiation therapy.
AB  - The purposes of this study were to (1) examine changes in symptom severity and
      depression within 3 months of first undergoing radiation therapy (RT) or
      concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT), and (2) identify factors involved in
      changes in symptom severity in newly diagnosed oral cavity cancer patients
      undergoing post-operative RT or CCRT. A prospective panel survey was conducted to
      assess changes in symptoms, depression, and disease- or treatment-related
      characteristics within 3 months of beginning RT or CCRT (pre-treatment and 1, 2,
      and 3 months from first receiving RT). A total of 76 eligible oral cavity cancer
      patients were recruited from the outpatient radiation department of a medical
      center in northern Taiwan. The results showed mild-to-moderate overall symptom
      and depression levels during treatment, with the five most distressing symptoms
      being swallowing difficulty, poor appetite, oral mucositis, pain, and fatigue.
      The severity of symptoms and depression peaked at approximately 2 months from
      beginning RT or CCRT (T3). Changes in overall symptom severity were found to be
      significantly related to patients' radiation dose and depression level. These
      results can help advance understanding of changes in symptoms and facilitate
      prevention and management of symptoms associated with RT or CCRT. Psychological
      distress, particularly, depression, requires careful monitoring and management in
      oral cavity cancer patients undergoing RT or CCRT.

PMID- 20308005
TI  - Potentially malignant disorders of the oral and oropharyngeal mucosa; present
      concepts of management.
AB  - In spite of tremendous progress in the field of molecular biology there is yet no
      single marker that reliably predicts malignant transformation of a potentially
      malignant disorder of the oral mucosa. Therefore, it is recommended to excise or
      laser any oral of oropharyngeal leukoplakia/erythroplakia, if feasible,
      irrespective of the presence or absence of dysplasia. However, it is actually
      unknown whether such removal truly prevents the possible development of a
      squamous cell carcinoma. Therefore, lifelong follow-up is recommended at
      intervals of no more than 6 months. At present, oral lichen planus is more or
      less accepted as being a potentially malignant disorder. There are no means to
      prevent such event. The efficacy of follow-up of oral lichen planus is
      questionable.

PMID- 20308006
TI  - Primary tumor induces sentinel lymph node lymphangiogenesis in oral squamous cell
      carcinoma.
AB  - The main factor that affects the prognosis of patients with oral squamous cell
      carcinoma (OSCC) is regional lymph node metastases, which usually spreads first
      to the sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs). Recent studies have demonstrated that tumor
      cells in several malignancies can induce lymphangiogenesis in SLNs before
      metastasizing. To elucidate the mechanisms of tumor dissemination of OSCC, we
      investigated whether primary tumors induce lymphangiogenesis within SLNs in
      patients with OSCC. The mRNA expression of lymphatic-specific markers, including
      VEGFR-3, Prox-1, and LYVE-1 in 23 metastasis-negative SLNs obtained from 10
      patients with OSCC, was investigated using a quantitative real-time RT-PCR assay,
      and compared with control lymph nodes from patients with non-cancerous diseases.
      In addition, VEGF-C and VEGF-D expressions of the primary tumor were examined by
      immunohistochemistry. In SLNs, there were highly significant correlations between
      the three lymphatic markers examined. Interestingly, the level of LYVE-1
      expression in SLNs, despite the absence of metastasis, was significantly higher
      than in control lymph nodes. Moreover, SLNs from patients with VEGF-C-positive
      tumor showed a significantly higher expression of VEGFR-3 than those from
      patients with VEGF-C-negative tumor. Our findings suggest that in OSCC, the
      primary tumor actively induces lymphangiogenesis in SLNs prior to the onset of
      metastases, and where tumor-derived VEGF-C plays an important role.

PMID- 20308007
TI  - Oral and dental health care of oral cancer patients: hyposalivation, caries and
      infections.
AB  - Oral cancer and its treatment can cause a variety of problems to patients, also
      as regards maintaining their daily oral hygiene. Surgery mutilates tissues which
      may hamper cleaning the teeth and mucosal surfaces. The patient may have
      complicated reconstructive structures that also need continuous attention.
      Radiotherapy-induced hyposalivation further complicates the situation and
      decreases the quality of life. Consequently, dental caries, mucosal diseases such
      as candidosis and sialadenitis become problematic to treat. Hence every effort
      should be focused on prevention. In caries prevention intensified fluoride
      therapy together with dietary counseling is needed. Oral cancer patients also
      need to be frequently referred to dental hygienists for professional cleaning.
      Drinking enough daily and moisturizing mucosal surfaces with commercial dry-mouth
      products, vegetable oils, milk products and respective topical agents need to be
      individually recommended. In addition, patients with severe dry mouth cases may
      also benefit from the prescription of pilocarpine tablets. In oral candidosis,
      the microbiological diagnosis must be confirmed before administration of
      antifungal drugs in order to avoid the selection pressure to resistant strains.

PMID- 20308008
TI  - Early effect of boron neutron capture therapy mediated by boronophenylalanine
      (BPA-BNCT) on mast cells in premalignant tissue and tumors of the hamster cheek
      pouch.
AB  - Mast cell (MC) activation in the hamster cheek pouch cancerization model is
      associated with the increase in tumor cell proliferation, mediated in turn by
      tryptase, a protease released from mast cell granules after activation. Tryptase
      induces tumor cell proliferation through the activation of PAR-2 (protease
      activated receptor-2) on the plasma membrane of carcinoma cells. The therapeutic
      success of boron neutron capture therapy mediated by boronophenylalanine (BPA
      BNCT) in tumor control in the hamster cheek pouch oral cancer model has been
      previously reported by our laboratory. Early effects of BPA-BNCT on tumors of the
      hamster cheek pouch include a reduction in DNA-synthesis with the concomitant
      decrease in the proliferation of malignant cells. The aim of the present study
      was to investigate the early histological changes in mast cells after BPA-BNCT in
      tumors and premalignant tissue of the hamster cheek pouch. Tumor-bearing pouches
      were treated with BPA-BNCT or beam only (neutron irradiation without prior
      administration of the boron compound) and sacrificed 1day after treatment. The
      samples were fixed in Carnoy fixative and stained with alcian blue-safranin to
      identify all the populations of mast cells. Total, active and inactive mast cells
      (MC) were counted in the connective tissue and the adventitious tissue underlying
      the pouch wall and at the base of the tumors in pouches treated with BPA-BNCT, in
      keeping with a previously described technique. BPA-BNCT induced a marked
      reduction in the total number of mast cells in the pouch (p<0.05). This reduction
      in the total number of mast cells was due to a reduction in mast cells at the
      base of the tumor (p<0.005) and it occurred at the expense of the active mast
      cells (p<0.05). A slight reduction that did not reach statistical significance
      also occurred in the amount of mast cells in the pouch wall (that corresponds to
      the premalignant tissue in tumor-bearing pouches), and in the adventitious
      tissue. In this case the reduction was seen in the inactive population. Both BPA
      BNCT and beam only elicited a qualitative change in the secretion modality of the
      granule content. Although further studies are needed to evaluate the subcellular
      effect of BNCT on mast cell granule secretion, the reduction in cell
      proliferation induced by BPA-BNCT would be partially due to the decrease in total
      mast cells in the hamster check pouch.

PMID- 20308009
TI  - Oral cancer pain.
AB  - Pain may be the initial symptom in oral cancer, and is a common complaint both in
      patients awaiting treatment and in those already in treatment. However, little
      has been published in the literature on the management of oral cancer pain.
      Effective pain control requires a multimodal approach in which pharmacological
      management based on the World Health Organization (WHO) analgesic ladder
      continues to play an essential role. Although different routes are available for
      the administration of analgesics, oral delivery continues to be the principal
      route for pain control in the first instance. Interventional approaches include
      blockade of a peripheral nerve or of the relevant ganglion, and the use of
      central neuraxial blockade. The intraventricular or intrathecal administration of
      opioids, with or without local anaesthetics, has been indicated for severe
      intractable pain. The development of new treatment modalities provides additional
      options, though further clinical research is required. There is no evidence of
      the efficacy of non-pharmacological methods such as acupuncture or transcutaneous
      nerve stimulation in the management of oral cancer pain. Surgery, radiation
      therapy, and chemotherapy have also been suggested, but their results have not
      been quantified.

PMID- 20308010
TI  - Socio-economic factors and stage at presentation of head and neck cancer patients
      in Ottawa, Canada: a logistic regression analysis.
AB  - To determine if socio-economic status (SES) affects the stage at presentation of
      head and neck cancer (HNC) patients in Ottawa, Canada. To determine if the method
      of diagnosis affects the stage at presentation in these patients. We obtained
      data on SES, method of diagnosis, and stage at presentation for patients
      presenting to the head and neck cancer clinic at The Ottawa Hospital Regional
      Cancer Centre (TORCC). We performed a logistic regression analysis using stage at
      presentation as the dependent variable. We found no statistically significant
      association between average family income (by postal code) and stage at
      presentation. We found that oral cancers presented at a later stage compared with
      other HNCs but that who made the diagnosis was an important factor. Oral cancers
      diagnosed by a dentist had 3.44 times the odds of being at a later stage than
      other HNCs (CI 1.01-11.96), but oral cancers diagnosed by other means had 11.42
      times the odds of being at a later stage than other HNCs. We found that male
      patients presented at a later stage than female patients (OR 2.62, CI 1.03-6.63).
      Finally, former smokers had about 1/3 the odds of presenting at a later stage
      than current smokers (OR 0.33, CI 0.13-0.84) although nonsmokers were not
      significantly less likely than current smokers to present later (OR 0.47, CI 0.17
      1.32). We found no evidence that in Ottawa, Canada patients of a lower SES with
      HNC presented at an different stage than patients with higher SES. We found that
      patients presenting with oral cancers presented at an earlier stage if they were
      diagnosed by a dentist.

PMID- 20308011
TI  - Investigation of the spin-Hamiltonian parameters for the trigonal U5+ center in
      CaF2 crystal.
AB  - The spin-Hamiltonian parameters (g factor g(//), g(perpendicular) and hyperfine
      structure constants A(//), A(perpendicular)) of the trigonal U(5+) center in
      CaF(2) crystal have been calculated from the complete diagonalization (of energy
      matrix) method (CDM) for 5f(1) ions in trigonal crystal field and under an
      external magnetic field. In the calculation, the crystal-field parameters are
      estimated from the superposition model. From the calculations, these spin
      Hamiltonian parameters are reasonably explained, and the defect model (i.e., the
      trigonal U(5+) center is attributed to U(5+) substituting for Ca(2+) in CaF(2)
      with six F(-) ions replaced by O(2-) and the other two F(-) sites vacant because
      of charge compensation) given in the previous paper is confirmed. The results are
      discussed.

PMID- 20308012
TI  - Melt grafting of metal salts onto LLDPE backbone--an FTIR study.
AB  - The melt graft functionalization of metal di(meth)acrylates onto linear low
      density poly(ethylene) (LLDPE) at 160 degrees C under inert atmosphere is
      reported here. The post melt grafting FTIR-RI method was used to find out the %
      grafting of metal salts onto LLDPE backbone. Further, DSC, TGA and HRTEM
      techniques were introduced to explain the results. A plausible reaction mechanism
      was proposed.

PMID- 20308013
TI  - The effect of laser wavelength on the Raman Spectra of phenanthrene, chrysene,
      and tetracene: implications for extra-terrestrial detection of polyaromatic
      hydrocarbons.
AB  - Raman spectroscopy, with visible laser (514 and 633 nm) and near infrared (785
      and 1064 nm) excitation, has been used to obtain high quality spectra of
      phenanthrene, chrysene, and tetracene. Samples with dimensions from a minimum
      size of 10 microm have been analyzed utilizing a Raman microprobe fitted with a
      charge-coupled device (CCD) array detector and a FT-Raman instrument.
      Fluorescence is observed for samples using visible 514, 633 and near infrared 785
      nm excitation but most of the samples can be measured with a near infrared 1064
      nm Nd:YAG laser.

PMID- 20308014
TI  - DFT (LSDA, B3LYP and B3PW91) comparative vibrational spectroscopic analysis of
      alpha-acetonaphthone.
AB  - FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra of alpha-acetonaphthone have been recorded and
      analyzed. The geometry, fundamental vibrational frequencies and intensity of the
      vibrational bands are interpreted with the aid of structure optimizations and
      normal coordinate force field calculations based on density functional theory
      (DFT) B3PW91/6-311G method and also a comparative studies between different
      levels and various basis sets combination. The scaled B3PW91/6-11G results are
      best, even though LSDA/6-311G wavenumbers are well in agreement before scaling.
      The complete vibrational assignments of wavenumbers are made on the basis of
      potential energy distribution (PED). The effects due to the substitutions of
      methyl group and carbon-oxygen bond are investigated. The results of the
      calculations are applied to simulated spectra of the title compound, which shows
      excellent agreement with observed spectra.

PMID- 20308015
TI  - Influence of myristic acid on furosemide binding to bovine serum albumin.
      Comparison with furosemide-human serum albumin complex.
AB  - Fluorescence studies on furosemide (FUR) binding to bovine serum albumin (BSA)
      showed the existence of three or four binding sites in the tertiary structure of
      the protein. Two of them are located in subdomain IIA, while the others in
      subdomains IB and/or IIIA. Furosemide binding in subdomain IB is postulated on
      the basis of run of Stern-Volmer plot indicating the existence of two populations
      of tryptophans involved in the interaction with FUR. In turn, the significant
      participation of tyrosil residues in complex formation leads to the consideration
      of the subdomain IIIA as furosemide low-affinity binding site. The effect of
      increasing concentration of fatty acid on FUR binding in all studied binding
      sites was also investigated and compared with the previous results obtained for
      human serum albumin (HSA). For BSA the lesser impact of fatty acid on affinity
      between drug and albumin was observed. This is probably a result of more
      significant role of tyrosines in the complex formation and different polarity of
      microenvironment of the fluorophores when compared HSA and BSA. The most distinct
      differences between FUR-BSA and FUR-HSA binding parameters are observed when
      third fatty acid molecule is bound with the protein and rotation of domains I and
      II occurs. However these structural changes mostly affect FUR low affinity
      binding sites.

PMID- 20308016
TI  - Headache and low platelets in a patient with acute leukemia.

PMID- 20308017
TI  - Severe thrombocytopenia associated with acute autochthonous hepatitis E.

PMID- 20308018
TI  - Practice domains in sports medicine and sport science.

PMID- 20308019
TI  - Knowledge of the professional role of others: a key interprofessional competency.
AB  - In this paper, the authors present the results of a study which delineated six
      key competencies of interprofessional collaborative practice for patient-centred
      care: communication; strength in one's professional role; knowledge of
      professional role of others; leadership; team function; and negotiation for
      conflict resolution. While all of these competencies are important and require
      special attention, this paper examines and discusses the competency knowledge of
      professional role of others and its associated behavioural indicators, especially
      as these relate to the interprofessional education of nursing students. The
      identification of these competencies and their behavioural indicators serve two
      purposes. It forms the basis for the preparation of students, preceptors, and
      faculty for interprofessional practice, and it develops a tool for assessing
      student performance in such practice. Consequently, we believe that the
      utilization of this key competency and its behavioural indicators will contribute
      to the development of programs that include specific knowledge and skills related
      to interprofessional nursing education. This will enable educators to support and
      evaluate students in interprofessional educational experiences more efficiently
      and effectively. Ultimately, as nursing students practice and become fully
      functioning practitioners, client care will be optimized.

PMID- 20308020
TI  - Purification of lactoferrin using hydroxyapatite.
AB  - Lactoferrin is an important nutriceutical with various physiological functions.
      It is present in whey at very low concentrations. This work describes a mixed
      mode (hydroxyapatite) chromatography method for one-column fractionation of
      lactoferrin from whey. Lactoperoxidase, a protein with similar molecular weight
      and isoelectric point, was initially desorbed from the matrix under isocratic
      conditions. Lactoferrin was obtained in homogeneity without lactoperoxidase
      activity and free from other major whey proteins such as alpha lactoalbumin and
      beta lactoglobulin.

PMID- 20308021
TI  - Comprehensive gas chromatography with Time of Flight MS and large volume
      introduction for the detection of fluoride-induced regenerated nerve agent in
      biological samples.
AB  - Recently, several methods have been developed to verify exposure to nerve agents.
      Most of these methods, such as the fluoride reactivation technique and the
      analysis of inhibited phosphonylated butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), are based on
      mass spectrometry. The high specificity of the mass spectrometer might also imply
      a disadvantage, because the acquisition mass, i.e. the identity of the analyte
      must be known beforehand in order to direct the MS analysis in the most sensitive
      mode. In real cases, the identity of the nerve agent is not always known
      beforehand and the mass spectrometer should be operated in a scanning mode, with
      the consequence that sensitivity of the method will be lower. Comprehensive GC,
      or GC x GC, is a technique which offers enhanced separation. The implied larger
      selectivity of the GC separation allows mass spectrometry to be conducted in a
      less specific, scanning, mode. By the use of this configuration, the identity of
      the nerve agent does not have to be known beforehand but can be traced. In order
      to be able to detect lower concentrations and assess lower exposure levels, a
      large volume injection technique was developed allowing sample sizes up to 100
      microL. The technique was tested with plasma samples that had been inhibited with
      various nerve agents. Subsequently, the cholinesterase-bound nerve agent was
      regenerated by the fluoride reactivation technique. Using the newly developed
      comprehensive GC-MS method it was possible to detect nerve agent at an exposure
      level of 1% BuChE inhibition, which is approximately 70 pg nerve agent/mL. These
      low exposure levels cannot be verified with a cholinesterase (ChE) activity
      assay. Moreover, the identity of the regenerated nerve agent was verified by the
      mass spectrum that was generated by the TOF mass spectrometer. This paper
      presents a technique able to deliver full-scan data on the analysis of nerve
      agents in biomedical samples at relevant exposure levels (1% BuChE inhibition).
      This full-scan data meets for a large part the forensic requirements that are in
      place for the analysis of biomedical samples in the context of alleged use of
      Chemical Warfare Agents.

PMID- 20308022
TI  - Sensitive quantification of sirolimus and everolimus by LC-MS/MS with online
      sample cleanup.
AB  - Sirolimus and its derivative everolimus are widely used today as
      immunosuppressive agents for example in the transplantation medicine. The
      problematic pharmacokinetic behavior of those substances makes therapeutic drug
      monitoring mandatory. Therefore, a fast, simple and sensitive high-throughput
      procedure using online extraction with turbulent flow chromatography for the
      concurrent measurement of sirolimus and everolimus has been developed. 200 microl
      of whole blood was mixed with internal standard (23-desmethoxyrapamycin) and the
      precipitation solution and centrifuged. An aliquot of the supernatant was
      transferred into autosampler vials. 50 microl of the supernatant was injected
      into the LC system, where the analytes were extracted using turbulent flow
      chromatography and thereafter analyzed using reversed phase chromatography.
      Detection was done by atmospherical pressure chemical ionization (APCI) mass
      spectrometry in the negative ionization mode. The method has been fully validated
      and compared to a previously used method. The method was shown to be linear over
      the entire calibration range (2.2-43.7 microg/l for everolimus and 2.9-51.2
      microg/l for sirolimus). The lower limit of quantification was 0.5 microg/l for
      both compounds. For within-day and between-day analysis, the CV's were <7.6% for
      everolimus and <8.7% for sirolimus, respectively. The accuracy was between 92.1%
      and 105% for everolimus and 96.1% and 106% for sirolimus. Recovery ranged between
      46.3% and 50.6% for everolimus and 51.2% and 57.2% for sirolimus. The method was
      demonstrated to be free of matrix effects and comparable to the previously used
      method. The presented LC-MS/MS method, using turbulent flow chromatography online
      extraction, allows a fast, simple and reliable determination of everolimus and
      sirolimus.

PMID- 20308023
TI  - [Suprasellar mass and diabetes insipidus. A case of lymphocytic
      infundibuloneurohypophysitis self-limited with steroids].

PMID- 20308025
TI  - [Spinal section due to a C7 vertebral body fracture].

PMID- 20308026
TI  - [Symptomatic hypocalcaemia due to nutritional rickets. A presentation of two
      cases].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The nutritional rickets is considered an uncommon disease in
      developed countries, but the increase in its incidence appears to be related to
      the increase in the number of immigrants in these countries. Thus in Spain, we
      must increase our diagnostic suspicion of this disease and be able to detect it,
      even when it appears with unusual symptoms. We describe two clinical cases of
      breast-fed babies who presented with symptomatic hypocalcaemia and were diagnosed
      with rickets. Case 1. A six month-old breast-fed baby who had episodes of tonic
      seizures and irritability, with no other findings in the physical examination,
      and diagnosed with secondary hypocalcaemia due to nutritional rickets. Case 2. A
      seven month-old breast-fed baby who had generalised hypertonia, stridor and
      irritability, with a normal physical examination, and also diagnosed with
      hypocalcaemia secondary to rickets. DISCUSSION: The old concept that rickets is a
      rare condition in our country means that we often tend to rule out this
      pathology, thus delaying the diagnosis and the treatment. We must review our
      concepts in order to be able to detect the common and also the unusual symptoms
      of nutritional rickets.

PMID- 20308027
TI  - Wide thumb and the first web reconstruction using a neurovascularised instep free
      flap.
AB  - Deformed hands result in palmar defects of the thumb. The sensate instep free
      flap can be used for wide palmar coverage of the thumb. Three hands with palmar
      defects of the thumb extended to the first web space underwent soft-tissue
      reconstruction using a neurovascular instep free flap. These flaps provided
      sensate coverage with static two-point discrimination values of 8-15 mm. Key
      pinch strengths of reconstructed thumbs were nearly half of those on the normal
      side. Donor foot morbidity was minimal with no hyperkeratosis. The neurovascular
      instep free flap supplies sensate, similar pliable and tough glabrous skin to the
      palmar surface of the thumb extended to the first web area.

PMID- 20308024
TI  - How to predict a high rate of inappropriateness for upper endoscopy in an
      endoscopic centre?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inappropriateness of upper endoscopy (EGD) indication causes
      decreased diagnostic yield. Our aim of was to identify predictors of
      appropriateness rate for EGD among endoscopic centres. METHODS: A post-hoc
      analysis of two multicentre cross-sectional studies, including 6270 and 8252
      patients consecutively referred to EGD in 44 (group A) and 55 (group B)
      endoscopic Italian centres in 2003 and 2007, respectively, was performed. A
      multiple forward stepwise regression was applied to group A, and independently
      validated in group B. A <70% threshold was adopted to define inadequate
      appropriateness rate clustered by centre. RESULTS: discrete variability of
      clustered appropriateness rates among the 44 group A centres was observed
      (median: 77%; range: 41-97%), and a <70% appropriateness rate was detected in 11
      (25%). Independent predictors of centre appropriateness rate were: percentage of
      patients referred by general practitioners (GP), rate of urgent examinations,
      prevalence of relevant diseases, and academic status. For group B, sensitivity,
      specificity and area under receiver operating characteristic curve of the model
      in detecting centres with a <70% appropriateness rate were 54%, 93% and 0.72,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A simple predictive rule, based on rate of patients
      referred by GPs, rate of urgent examinations, prevalence of relevant diseases and
      academic status, identified a small subset of centres characterised by a high
      rate of inappropriateness. These centres may be presumed to obtain the largest
      benefit from targeted educational programs.

PMID- 20308028
TI  - Elective cross-over transfer of the foot: case report.
AB  - The case of a patient with sequels of a right Syme amputation and a left
      replanted upper tibial amputation was treated with elective cross-transfer of the
      left foot and ankle to the right distal tibial stump, and the left below-knee
      (BK) stump was resurfaced with a latissimus dorsi free flap. The patient regained
      independent walking capacity with a left BK prosthesis at 8 months
      postoperatively.

PMID- 20308029
TI  - Genetic polymorphisms in the UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) gene and
      prostate cancer risk in Caucasian men.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Catechol-estrogen metabolites can induce carcinogenesis by acting as
      endogenous tumor initiators. Glucuronidation, mediated by the UDP
      glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) enzyme, is a main metabolic pathway of
      estrogen detoxification in steroid target tissues, such as the prostate. The aim
      of our study was to investigate the possible correlation between UGT1A1 promoter
      gene polymorphisms and prostate cancer risk. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 129 patients
      with prostate cancer and 260 healthy controls were included in our study.
      A(TA)TAA promoter polymorphism of UGT1A1 gene was studied using the Fragment
      Analysis Software of an automated DNA sequencer and three genotypes (homozygous
      7/7, heterozygous 6/7 and normal homozygous 6/6) were identified. RESULTS: No
      significant differences were observed between the cancer group and controls
      regarding the genotyping distribution of the three UGT1A1 promoter genotypes
      (P>0.05). Also, no association was found between overall disease risk and the
      presence of the polymorphic homozygous genotype (TA(7)/TA(7) vs
      TA(6)/TA(7)+TA(6)/TA(6)) (P=0.18). In addition, no association was revealed
      between UGT1A1 genotype distribution and Gleason score (P=0.55). CONCLUSION: Our
      data suggest that the TA repeat polymorphism of UGT1A1 gene does not seem to
      alter prostate cancer risk susceptibility in Caucasian men.

PMID- 20308030
TI  - Associations between glutathione S-transferase pi Ile105Val and glyoxylate
      aminotransferase Pro11Leu and Ile340Met polymorphisms and early-onset oxaliplatin
      induced neuropathy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Although the risk of oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy depends on
      cumulative oxaliplatin dose, susceptibility to this adverse event differs greatly
      among patients. In this study, we investigated the associations between
      oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy and the following polymorphisms: glutathione S
      transferase pi (GSTP1) Ile(105)Val, and glyoxylate aminotransferase (AGXT)
      Pro(11)Leu and AGXT Ile(340)Met. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Eighty-two Japanese
      patients with histologically confirmed colorectal cancer who received at least
      six cycles of the modified FOLFOX6 (m-FOLFOX6) regimen were enrolled. To minimize
      differences in cumulative oxaliplatin dose between patients, oxaliplatin-induced
      neuropathy was evaluated using an oxaliplatin-specific scale during the 2-week
      period after completion of the sixth cycle of treatment. RESULTS: Forty-four
      patients developed grade 2/3 oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy. There were more
      patients carrying at least one GSTP1(105)Val allele among the group with grade
      2/3 neuropathy (18/44, 41%) than among the group with grade 1 neuropathy (9/38,
      24%), although the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.098). There
      were similar numbers of patients carrying at least one AGXT(105)Met allele in the
      grade 2/3 neuropathy (7/44, 16%) and grade 1 neuropathy groups (5/38, 13%;
      P=0.725). The AGXT(11)Leu allele was not found in any of our patients or
      controls. CONCLUSIONS: We found no significant association between oxaliplatin
      induced neuropathy and the GSTP1 Ile(105)Val and AGXT Ile(340)Met polymorphisms.
      Given that no AGXT(11)Leu allele was found among our study population (n=177),
      evaluating this polymorphism in Japanese patients in future studies is likely to
      be uninformative.

PMID- 20308031
TI  - Functional polymorphisms to modulate luminal lipid exposure and risk of
      colorectal cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Fat absorption may play a crucial role in colorectal carcinogenesis by
      determining intra-colonic exposure to potentially carcinogenic lipid metabolites.
      METHODS: We conducted a population-based case-control study that included 1163
      cases and 1501 controls to examine whether individuals who carry genetic variants
      associated with lower lipid absorption have a higher risk of colorectal cancer.
      Using Taqman assay, we determined FABP2 alanine (A)/threonine (T) polymorphism at
      codon 54 in exon-2 and APOE isoforms. Multivariable odds ratios (OR) and 95%
      confidence intervals (CI) were calculated by unconditional logistic regression
      models, assuming FABP2 A54 and APO non-E4 as high risk alleles. RESULTS: We found
      no associations with either of the polymorphisms. The OR associated with FABP2
      A54 homozygotes compared with the others was 1.01 (95% CI; 0.86-1.45) and that
      for non-ApoE4 carriers compared with carries was 0.95 (95% CI; 0.80-1.13).
      However, there was a statistically significant negative interaction between total
      fat intake and FABP2 AA genotypes (p=0.025), indicating that the risk of
      colorectal cancer associated with this polymorphism is higher in the subjects
      with lower fat intake. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that these SNPs may not
      be useful in predicting colorectal cancer risk in populations with high fat
      intake.

PMID- 20308032
TI  - Airborne endotoxin concentrations in homes burning biomass fuel.
AB  - BACKGROUND: About half of the world's population is exposed to smoke from burning
      biomass fuels at home. The high airborne particulate levels in these homes and
      the health burden of exposure to this smoke are well described. Burning
      unprocessed biological material such as wood and dried animal dung may also
      produce high indoor endotoxin concentrations. OBJECTIVE: In this study we
      measured airborne endotoxin levels in homes burning different biomass fuels.
      METHODS: Air sampling was carried out in homes burning wood or dried animal dung
      in Nepal (n = 31) and wood, charcoal, or crop residues in Malawi (n = 38).
      Filters were analyzed for endotoxin content expressed as airborne endotoxin
      concentration and endotoxin per mass of airborne particulate. RESULTS: Airborne
      endotoxin concentrations were high. Averaged over 24 hr in Malawian homes, median
      concentrations of total inhalable endotoxin were 24 endotoxin units (EU)/m(3) in
      charcoal-burning homes and 40 EU/m(3) in wood-burning homes. Short cooking-time
      samples collected in Nepal produced median values of 43 EU/m(3) in wood-burning
      homes and 365 EU/m(3) in dung-burning homes, suggesting increasing endotoxin
      levels with decreasing energy levels in unprocessed solid fuels. CONCLUSIONS:
      Airborne endotoxin concentrations in homes burning biomass fuels are orders of
      magnitude higher than those found in homes in developed countries where endotoxin
      exposure has been linked to respiratory illness in children. There is a need for
      work to identify the determinants of these high concentrations, interventions to
      reduce exposure, and health studies to examine the effects of these sustained,
      near-occupational levels of exposure experienced from early life.

PMID- 20308033
TI  - Investigation of relationships between urinary biomarkers of phytoestrogens,
      phthalates, and phenols and pubertal stages in girls.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hormonally active environmental agents may alter the course of
      pubertal development in girls, which is controlled by steroids and gonadotropins.
      OBJECTIVES: We investigated associations of concurrent exposures from three
      chemical classes (phenols, phthalates, and phytoestrogens) with pubertal stages
      in a multiethnic longitudinal study of 1,151 girls from New York City, New York,
      greater Cincinnati, Ohio, and northern California who were 6-8 years of age at
      enrollment (2004-2007). METHODS: We measured urinary exposure biomarkers at visit
      1 and examined associations with breast and pubic hair development (present or
      absent, assessed 1 year later) using multivariate adjusted prevalence ratios (PR)
      and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Modification of biomarker associations by age
      specific body mass index percentile (BMI%) was investigated, because adipose
      tissue is a source of peripubertal hormones. RESULTS: Breast development was
      present in 30% of girls, and 22% had pubic hair. High-molecular-weight phthalate
      (high MWP) metabolites were weakly associated with pubic hair development
      [adjusted PR, 0.94 (95% CI, 0.88-1.00), fifth vs. first quintile]. Small inverse
      associations were seen for daidzein with breast stage and for triclosan and high
      MWP with pubic hair stage; a positive trend was observed for low-molecular-weight
      phthalate biomarkers with breast and pubic hair development. Enterolactone
      attenuated BMI associations with breast development. In the first enterolactone
      quintile, for the association of high BMI with any development, the PR was 1.34
      (95% CI, 1.23-1.45 vs. low BMI). There was no BMI association in the fifth,
      highest quintile of enterolactone. CONCLUSIONS: Weak hormonally active xenobiotic
      agents investigated in this study had small associations with pubertal
      development, mainly among those agents detected at highest concentrations.

PMID- 20308034
TI  - Exposure science: a view of the past and milestones for the future.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The study of human exposure to environmental toxicants has evolved as
      a scientific field over the past 30 years. OBJECTIVES: This review provides a
      historical perspective on the growth of exposure science as a field, with some
      emphasis on the results from initial observational studies in obtaining
      information needed for generating hypotheses on significant human contact with
      environmental agents, testing the performance of models, and reducing exposures
      to protect public health. DISCUSSION: Advances in activity pattern and behavioral
      research that established a suite of variables needed to accurately define
      contact and factors that influence contact are also discussed. The identification
      and characterization of these factors have played a pivotal role in the growth of
      the field and in developing exposure reduction strategies. Answers to two key
      questions on the relevance and fundamental value of exposure science to the
      fields of environmental health and risk management are presented as a path
      forward: a) What does one do with such exposure information? b) What roles does
      exposure science play in situations beyond observational analyses and
      interpretation? CONCLUSIONS: The discussion identifies the need for more focused
      use of observational studies of exposure for epidemiologic analyses. Further, the
      introduction and use of new tools and approaches for hypothesis testing that can
      improve the use of exposure science in prevention research for risk management is
      needed to affect the source-to-effect continuum. A major restructuring of the
      field is not required to achieve innovation. However, additional resources for
      training and education are required to ensure that the potential for exposure
      science to play a central role in reducing and preventing excess risk within
      environmental/occupational health is achieved.

PMID- 20308035
TI  - Common genetic variation, residential proximity to traffic exposure, and left
      ventricular mass: the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Elevated left ventricular mass (LVM) is a strong predictor of
      negative cardiovascular outcomes, including heart failure, stroke, and sudden
      cardiac death. A relationship between close (< 50 m compared with > 150 m)
      residential proximity to major roadways and higher LVM has previously been
      described, but the mechanistic pathways that are involved in this relationship
      are not known. Understanding genetic factors that influence susceptibility to
      these effects may provide insight into relevant mechanistic pathways. OBJECTIVE:
      We set out to determine whether genetic polymorphisms in genes affecting vascular
      and autonomic function, blood pressure, or inflammation influence the
      relationship between traffic proximity and LVM. METHODS: This was a cross
      sectional study of 1,376 genotyped participants in the Multi-Ethnic Study of
      Atherosclerosis, with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging performed between 2000
      and 2002. The impact of tagged single-nucleotide polymorphisms (tagSNPs) and
      inferred haplotypes in 12 candidate genes (ACE, ADRB2, AGT, AGTR1, ALOX15, EDN1,
      GRK4, PTGS1, PTGS2, TLR4, VEGFA, and VEGFB) on the relationship between
      residential proximity to major roadways and LVM was analyzed using multiple
      linear regression, adjusting for multiple potential confounders. RESULTS: After
      accounting for multiple testing and comparing homozygotes, tagSNPs in the type 1
      angiotensin II receptor (AGTR1, rs6801836) and arachidonate 15-lipoxygenase
      (ALOX15, rs2664593) genes were each significantly (q < 0.2) associated with a 9
      10% difference in the association between residential proximity to major roadways
      and LVM. Participants with suboptimal blood pressure control demonstrated
      stronger interactions between AGTR1 and traffic proximity. CONCLUSIONS: Common
      polymorphisms in genes responsible for vascular function, inflammation, and
      oxidative stress appear to modify associations between proximity to major
      roadways and LVM. Further understanding of how genes modify effects of air
      pollution on CVD may help guide research efforts into specific mechanistic
      pathways.

PMID- 20308036
TI  - Low-level mercury can enhance procoagulant activity of erythrocytes: a new
      contributing factor for mercury-related thrombotic disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Associations between cardiovascular diseases and mercury have been
      frequently described, but underlying mechanisms are poorly understood.
      OBJECTIVES: We investigate the procoagulant activation of erythrocytes, an
      important contributor to thrombosis, by low-level mercury to explore the roles of
      erythrocytes in mercury-related cardiovascular diseases. METHODS: We used freshly
      isolated human erythrocytes and ex vivo and in vivo thrombosis models in rats to
      investigate mercury-induced procoagulant activity. RESULTS: Prolonged exposure to
      low-dose mercuric ion (Hg(2+); 0.25-5 microM for 1-48 hr) induced erythrocyte
      shape changes from discocytes to echinocytes to spherocytes, accompanied by
      microvesicle (MV) generation. These MVs and remnant erythrocytes expressed
      phosphatidylserine (PS), an important mediator of procoagulant activation. Hg(2+)
      inhibited flippase, an enzyme that recovers PS into the inner leaflet of the cell
      membrane, and activated scramblase, an enzyme that alters lipid asymmetry in the
      cell membrane. Consistent with these activity changes, Hg(2+) increased
      intracellular calcium and depleted ATP and protein thiol. A thiol supplement
      reversed Hg(2+)-induced MV generation and PS exposure and inhibited the increase
      in calcium ion (Ca(2+)) and depletion of ATP, indicating that free-thiol
      depletion was critical to Hg(2+)-mediated procoagulant activity. The procoagulant
      activity of Hg(2+)-treated erythrocytes was demonstrated by increased thrombin
      generation and endothelial cell adhesion. We further confirmed Hg(2+)-mediated
      procoagulant activation of erythrocytes in ex vivo and in vivo rat thrombosis
      models, where Hg(2+) treatment (0.5-2.5 mg/kg) increased PS exposure and thrombus
      formation significantly. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that mercury could
      provoke procoagulant activity in erythrocytes through protein-thiol depletion
      mediated PS exposure and MV generation, ultimately leading to enhanced
      thrombosis.

PMID- 20308037
TI  - Value of community pharmacy residency programs: college of pharmacy and practice
      site perspectives.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe and compare perceptions of key informants representing
      U.S. colleges/schools of pharmacy and community pharmacy practice sites regarding
      (1) value associated with community pharmacy residency programs (CPRPs) and (2)
      barriers to offering CPRPs . DESIGN: Descriptive, non-experimental, cross
      sectional study. SETTING: United States, June 13, 2009, through July 13, 2009.
      PARTICIPANTS: 554 respondents to a Web-based survey. INTERVENTION: Key informants
      representing the following four organizational groups were surveyed: (1)
      colleges/schools of pharmacy participating in CPRPs, (2) colleges/schools of
      pharmacy not participating in CPRPs, (3) CPRP community pharmacy practice sites,
      and (4) non-CPRP community pharmacy practice sites. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Value
      of CPRPs to participating pharmacies, value of CPRPs to participating
      colleges/schools of pharmacy, and barriers to offering CPRPs. RESULTS: Overall,
      267 key informants from colleges/schools of pharmacy and 287 key informants from
      pharmacy practice sites responded to the survey (n = 554 total respondents). Of
      these, 334 responders provided data that were usable for analysis. The most
      important types of value to the respondents were altruistic in nature (e.g.,
      pharmacy education development, pharmacy profession development, community
      engagement). However, barriers to offering CPRPs were more practical and included
      challenges related to accreditation and operational issues. Further, evidence
      indicated that (1) lack of leadership, (2) lack of revenue generated from such
      programs, and (3) the cost of reimbursement for residents may be fundamental,
      multidimensional barriers to implementing CPRPs. CONCLUSION: Guidelines for
      starting and continuing CPRPs, "industry norms" that would require CPRP training
      for certain types of employment, and creation of models for patient care revenue
      would help develop and position CPRPs in the future.

PMID- 20308038
TI  - Handwritten 'post-it' notes, questionnaire formats and response to a postal
      questionnaire survey.

PMID- 20308039
TI  - Skeletal muscle proteomics in livestock production.
AB  - Proteomics allows studying large numbers of proteins, including their post
      translational modifications. Proteomics has been, and still are, used in numerous
      studies on skeletal muscle. In this article, we focus on its use in the study of
      livestock muscle development and meat quality. Changes in protein profiles during
      myogenesis are described in cattle, pigs and fowl using comparative analyses
      across different ontogenetic stages. This approach allows a better understanding
      of the key stages of myogenesis and helps identifying processes that are similar
      or divergent between species. Genetic variability of muscle properties analysed
      by the study of hypertrophied cattle and sheep are discussed. Biological markers
      of meat quality, particularly tenderness in cattle, pigs and fowl are presented,
      including protein modifications during meat ageing in cattle, protein markers of
      PSE meat in turkeys and of post-mortem muscle metabolism in pigs. Finally, we
      discuss the interest of proteomics as a tool to understand better biochemical
      mechanisms underlying the effects of stress during the pre-slaughter period on
      meat quality traits. In conclusion, the study of proteomics in skeletal muscles
      allows generating large amounts of scientific knowledge that helps to improve our
      understanding of myogenesis and muscle growth and to control better meat quality.

PMID- 20308040
TI  - Self-adjustment of phosphate binder dose to meal phosphorus content improves
      management of hyperphosphataemia in children with chronic kidney disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hyperphosphataemia in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is
      associated with mineral and bone disorder and increased cardiovascular mortality.
      Despite phosphate binders (PB), nutrition counselling and dialysis therapy, the
      prevalence of hyperphosphataemia remains unacceptably high. It was hypothesized
      that an inadequate relation of PB dose to meal inorganic phosphorus (iP) content
      may be an important factor for failure of phosphate management. METHODS: The
      innovative 'Phosphate Education Program' (PEP) bases on patient empowerment to
      eye-estimate meal iP content by newly defined 'Phosphate Units' (PU; 1 PU per 100
      mg phosphorus) and self-adjust PB dosage to dietary iP intake by an individually
      prescribed PB/PU ratio (PB pills per PU). In a prospective study, 16 children
      (aged 4-17 years) with CKD and their parents were trained with the PEP concept
      and followed up for 24 weeks for changes in serum electrolyte levels, dietary
      behaviour and PB dose. RESULTS: Within 6 weeks after PEP training, the percentage
      of children with serum phosphate (PO) >1.78 mmol/l dropped from 63% (10/16) to
      31% (5/16). Mean serum PO level decreased from 1.94 +/- 0.23 at baseline to 1.68
      +/- 0.30 (SD) mmol/l in Week 7-12 (P = 0.02) and to 1.78 +/- 0.36 (SD) mmol/l in
      Week 19-24 (P = 0.2), whereas serum calcium [2.66 +/- 0.3 vs 2.60 +/- 0.23 (SD)
      mmol/l in Weeks 7-12 (P = 0.45) and 2.66 +/- 0.23 (SD) mmol/l in Week 19-24 (P =
      0.21)] and serum potassium [4.69 +/- 0.48 vs 4.58 +/- 0.68 (SD) mmol/l in Week 7
      12 (P = 0.40) and 4.65 +/- 0.49 (SD) mmol/l in Week 19-24 (P = 0.73)] remained
      unchanged. The mean daily PB dose rose from 6.3 +/- 2.9 to 8.2 +/- 5.4 (SD) pills
      during observation period with an increased meal-to-meal variability (P = 0.04).
      Dietary iP intake was not affected by PEP concept. CONCLUSION: The empowerment of
      children with CKD and their parents to self-adjust PB dose to eye-estimated meal
      iP content significantly improved management of hyperphosphataemia without
      reducing dietary iP intake.

PMID- 20308041
TI  - Usefulness of exercise-stress echocardiography for risk stratification of true
      asymptomatic patients with aortic valve stenosis.
AB  - Aims Abnormal exercise test defined as the occurrence of exercise limiting
      symptoms, fall in blood pressure below baseline, or complex ventricular
      arrhythmias is useful to predict clinical events in asymptomatic patients with
      aortic stenosis (AS). The purpose of this study was to determine whether exercise
      stress echocardiography (ESE) adds any incremental prognostic value to resting
      echocardiography in patients with AS having a normal exercise response. Methods
      and results One hundred and eighty-six asymptomatic patients with at least
      moderate AS and preserved LV ejection fraction (>/=50%) were assessed by Doppler
      echocardiography at rest and during a maximum ramp semi-supine bicycle exercise
      test. Fifty-one (27%) patients had an abnormal exercise test and were excluded
      from the present analysis. Among the 135 patients with normal exercise test, 67
      had an event (aortic valve replacement motivated by symptoms or cardiovascular
      death) at a mean follow-up of 20 +/- 14 months. The variables independently
      associated with events were: age >/=65 years [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.96; 95%
      confidence interval (CI): 1.15-3.47; P = 0.01], diabetes, (HR = 3.20; 95% CI:
      1.33-6.87; P = 0.01), LV hypertrophy (HR = 1.96; 95% CI: 1.17-3.27; P = 0.01),
      resting mean gradient >35 mmHg (HR = 3.60; 95% CI: 2.11-6.37; P < 0.0001), and
      exercise-induced increase in mean gradient >20 mmHg (HR = 3.83; 95% CI: 2.16
      6.67; P < 0.0001). Conclusion The exercise-induced increase in transvalvular
      gradient may be helpful to improve risk stratification in asymptomatic AS
      patients with normal exercise response. These results thus suggest that ESE may
      provide additional prognostic information over that obtained from standard
      exercise testing and resting echocardiography.

PMID- 20308042
TI  - Exercise echocardiography in aortic stenosis: one more piece in the puzzle.

PMID- 20308043
TI  - Warning about the poor prognosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the thyroid.

PMID- 20308044
TI  - Familial and sporadic breast cancers: differences in clinical, histopathological,
      and immunohistochemical features.
AB  - In the present study, the authors investigated the clinical, histopathological,
      and immunohistochemical features in familial breast cancer (FBC) patients and
      compared them with findings in sporadic breast cancers (SBCs); hormone receptor
      status was stratified by age. A total of 849 patients treated for breast cancer
      were included in the study. The patients were stratified into 2 groups: FBC, 160
      patients (19%), and SBC, 689 patients (81%). FBC tumors differed from SBC tumors
      by earlier age of diagnosis and low content of progesterone receptor (PR). These
      characteristics should be of value in evaluating the possibility of mutation and
      in targeting mutation screening in such families. PR gene polymorphism leads to
      an increased risk of breast cancer because it determines inadequate control of
      estrogen receptor (ER)-driven proliferative function. ER+/PR- tumors more
      frequently showed HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor) overexpression
      and represent a distinct subset in FBC patients. The authors suggest that late
      onset FBCs need more intensive therapy and a more careful follow-up.

PMID- 20308045
TI  - Tintin in the ruptured crypt.

PMID- 20308046
TI  - Improved success rate of cardiac resynchronization therapy implant by employing
      an active fixation coronary sinus lead.
AB  - AIMS: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is the standard treatment for heart
      failure with severe reduced left ventricular (LV) function and wide QRS complex.
      Coronary sinus (CS) lead implantation is challenging and accompanied by
      substantial dislocation rates. We evaluated the usage of an active fixation LV
      lead (Attain Starfix, Medtronic, MN, USA) with deployable lobes in challenging
      lead positions. METHODS AND RESULTS: Between September 2006 and August 2009, 678
      CRT devices were implanted. In 82 patients (12%) (59 male, 70 +/- 10 years, 39
      ICM, 41 DCM, 2 valvular CM, LVEF 28 +/- 9%, NYHA 3.0 +/- 0.4, QRS 169 +/- 29 ms),
      the Attain Starfix active fixation lead was used. The main reason was intra
      operative dislodgement of one (n = 47) or two (n = 5) passive fixation leads
      during implantation or revision procedure (n = 30). Active fixation lead
      implantation was overall successful with 90% (n = 74). Anatomical peculiarity was
      mostly an optimal lead position in otherwise unstable proximal parts of the
      target vein or a circumscripted areal of optimal threshold without phrenic nerve
      stimulation. At median follow-up of 99 days the threshold remained stable (1.2 +/
      0.8 vs. 1.0 +/- 0.5 V at 0.5 ms). Revisions due to instability in ectatic vein
      (n = 1) after 12 months and extractions (n = 2) because of device
      perforation/infection after 6/15 months were performed without complication.
      CONCLUSION: The Attain Starfix active fixation lead proved to be an important
      option in anatomically challenging, otherwise unstable positions often located in
      the proximal part of the target vein. Lead revisions or extractions as late as 15
      months after implantation were feasible.

PMID- 20308047
TI  - Right- and left-hand performance on the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure: A
      preliminary study in non-clinical sample of right handed people.
AB  - Intermanual differences in performing the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test
      (ROCFT) were experimentally investigated. Undergraduate participants (n = 120; 60
      men, 60 women) were randomly assigned to one of four groups based on the hand
      used in a copy trial and a recall test. Hand use had a minimal effect on
      performance in the copy trial. However, recall accuracy was lower when the non
      dominant left hand was used in the copy trial than when the dominant right hand
      was used, regardless of the hand used in the recall test. These findings are
      important from a clinical perspective, especially in cases in which patients use
      the non-dominant hand due to hemiplegia of the dominant hand when conducting the
      ROCFT.

PMID- 20308048
TI  - Nitrogen use efficiencies of spring barley grown under varying nitrogen
      conditions in the field and growth chamber.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) of cereals needs to be
      improved by nitrogen (N) management, traditional plant breeding methods and/or
      biotechnology, while maintaining or, optimally, increasing crop yields. The aims
      of this study were to compare spring-barley genotypes grown on different nitrogen
      levels in field and growth-chamber conditions to determine the effects on N
      uptake (NUpE) and N utilization efficiency (NUtE) and ultimately, NUE. METHODS:
      Morphological characteristics, seed yield and metabolite levels of 12 spring
      barley (Hordeum vulgare) genotypes were compared when grown at high and low
      nitrogen levels in field conditions during the 2007 and 2008 Canadian growing
      seasons, and in potted and hydroponic growth-chamber conditions. Genotypic NUpE,
      NUtE and NUE were calculated and compared between field and growth-chamber
      environments. KEY RESULTS: Growth chamber and field tests generally showed
      consistent NUE characteristics. In the field, Vivar, Excel and Ponoka, showed
      high NUE phenotypes across years and N levels. Vivar also had high NUE in growth
      chamber trials, showing NUE across complex to simplistic growth environments.
      With the high NUE genotypes grown at low N in the field, NUtE predominates over
      NUpE. N metabolism-associated amino acid levels were different between roots
      (elevated glutamine) and shoots (elevated glutamate and alanine) of
      hydroponically grown genotypes. In field trials, metabolite levels were different
      between Kasota grown at high N (elevated glutamine) and Kasota at low N plus
      Vivar at either N condition. CONCLUSIONS: Determining which trait(s) or gene(s)
      to target to improve barley NUE is important and can be facilitated using
      simplified growth approaches to help determine the NUE phenotype of various
      genotypes. The genotypes studied showed similar growth and NUE characteristics
      across field and growth-chamber tests demonstrating that simplified, low-variable
      growth environments can help pinpoint genetic targets for improving spring barley
      NUE.

PMID- 20308049
TI  - Silencing ataxin-3 mitigates degeneration in a rat model of Machado-Joseph
      disease: no role for wild-type ataxin-3?
AB  - Machado-Joseph disease or spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (MJD/SCA3) is a fatal,
      autosomal dominant disorder caused by a cytosine-adenine-guanine expansion in the
      coding region of the MJD1 gene. RNA interference has potential as a therapeutic
      approach but raises the issue of the role of wild-type ataxin-3 (WT ATX3) in MJD
      and of whether the expression of the wild-type protein must be maintained. To
      address this issue, we both overexpressed and silenced WT ATX3 in a rat model of
      MJD. We showed that (i) overexpression of WT ATX3 did not protect against MJD
      pathology, (ii) knockdown of WT ATX3 did not aggravate MJD pathology and that
      (iii) non-allele-specific silencing of ataxin-3 strongly reduced neuropathology
      in a rat model of MJD. Our findings indicate that therapeutic strategies
      involving non-allele-specific silencing to treat MJD patients may be safe and
      effective.

PMID- 20308050
TI  - SOX10 structure-function analysis in the chicken neural tube reveals important
      insights into its role in human neurocristopathies.
AB  - The HMG-domain containing transcription factor Sox10 is essential for neural
      crest (NC) development and for oligodendrocyte differentiation. Heterozygous
      SOX10 mutations in humans lead to corresponding defects in several NC-derived
      lineages and to leukodystrophies. Disease phenotypes range from Waardenburg
      syndrome and Waardenburg-Hirschsprung disease to Peripheral demyelinating
      neuropathy, Central dysmyelination, Waardenburg syndrome and Hirschsprung disease
      (PCWH). The phenotypic variability can partly be explained by the action of
      modifier genes, but is also influenced by the mutation that leads to
      haploinsufficiency in some and to mutant SOX10 proteins with altered properties
      in other cases. Here, we used in ovo electroporation in the developing neural
      tube of chicken to determine which regions and properties of SOX10 are required
      for early NC development. We found a strict reliance on the DNA-binding activity
      and the presence of the C-terminal transactivation domain and a lesser influence
      of the dimerization function and a conserved domain in the center of the protein.
      Intriguingly, dominant-negative effects on early NC development were mostly
      observed for truncated SOX10 proteins whose production in patients is probably
      prevented by nonsense-mediated decay. In contrast, mutant SOX10 proteins that
      occur in patients were usually inactive. Any dominant negative activity which
      some of these mutants undoubtedly possess must, therefore, be restricted to
      single NC-derived cell lineages or oligodendrocytes at later times. This
      contributes to the phenotypic variability of human SOX10 mutations.

PMID- 20308051
TI  - Quality control for exposure assessment in epidemiological studies.
AB  - In the framework of an epidemiological study, dosemeters were used for the
      assessment of radio frequency electromagnetic field exposure. To check the
      correct dosemeter's performance in terms of consistency of recorded field values
      over the entire study period, a quality control strategy was developed. In this
      paper, the concept of quality control and its results is described. From the 20
      dosemeters used, 19 were very stable and reproducible, with deviations of a
      maximum of +/-1 dB compared with their initial state. One device was found to be
      faulty and its measurement data had to be excluded from the analysis. As a result
      of continuous quality control procedures, the confidence in the measurements
      obtained during the field work was strengthened significantly.

PMID- 20308052
TI  - Study on the response of thermoluminescent dosemeters to synchrotron radiation:
      experimental method and Monte Carlo calculations.
AB  - In the present study, the energy dependence of response of some popular
      thermoluminescent dosemeters (TLDs) have been investigated such as LiF:Mg,Ti,
      LiF:Mg,Cu,P and CaSO(4):Dy to synchrotron radiation in the energy range of 10-34
      keV. The study utilised experimental, Monte Carlo and analytical methods. The
      Monte Carlo calculations were based on the EGSnrc and FLUKA codes. The calculated
      energy response of all the TLDs using the EGSnrc and FLUKA codes shows excellent
      agreement with each other. The analytically calculated response shows good
      agreement with the Monte Carlo calculated response in the low-energy region. In
      the case of CaSO(4):Dy, the Monte Carlo-calculated energy response is smaller by
      a factor of 3 at all energies in comparison with the experimental response when
      polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) (75 % by wt) is included in the Monte Carlo
      calculations. When PTFE is ignored in the Monte Carlo calculations, the
      difference between the calculated and experimental response decreases (both
      responses are comparable >25 keV). For the LiF-based TLDs, the Monte Carlo-based
      response shows reasonable agreement with the experimental response.

PMID- 20308053
TI  - Animal models for Klinefelter's syndrome and their relevance for the clinic.
AB  - In mammals, the contribution of the Y chromosome is paramount for male sexual
      determination; however, the presence of a single functional X chromosome is also
      of importance. In contrast to females where X inactivation is seen; the X
      chromosome of the male stays active. When, due to meiotic non-disjunction events,
      males are born with a supernumerary X chromosome, the resulting 47, XXY karyotype
      is referred to as Klinefelter's syndrome. This frequent genetic condition is most
      commonly associated with infertility, hypogonadism, gynecomastia and cognitive
      impairments. The condition has also been associated with a reduced life
      expectancy, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, increased body fat mass and reduced
      bone mineral content. In a variety of species, male animals with karyotypes
      resembling Klinefelter's syndrome arise and develop a subset of features similar
      to those seen in humans. The availability of these animals is driving efforts to
      experimentally address the pathophysiology of the condition. To date, two models,
      41, XXY and 41, XX(Y)* (mutated Y chromosome) male mice, have been established
      which resemble aspects of the pathophysiology of Klinefelter's syndrome.
      Experiments performed in these models confirm that the presence of a
      supernumerary X chromosome causes germ cell loss, cognitive deficits, Leydig cell
      hyperplasia, and that their Sertoli cells are capable of supporting germ cells of
      normal karyotype. This review summarizes the generation and characterization of
      the animal models for Klinefelter's syndrome and suggests experimental strategies
      to improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of
      Klinefelter's syndrome.

PMID- 20308054
TI  - Price deflation and the underground organ economy in the Philippines.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This is the first in-depth study of the illicit human organ trade in
      the Philippines. The question for analytical investigation is why the underground
      organ commerce thrives, despite meager support and compensation for commercial
      donors (or vendors). METHODS: Quantitative survey results were obtained from a
      probability sample of living Filipino kidney vendors (P = 0.95; alpha = 0.05).
      The kidney trade was studied because it has the highest level of demand among all
      tradeable human organs in the Philippines and globally. RESULTS: The study finds
      that deflated vendor compensation, lower than global kidney purchase prices, and
      relative stability in kidney supply obtain from a combination of the socio
      economic characteristics of Filipino vendors and the asymmetric information
      available to them. The high degree of ambiguity and continuity between legitimate
      organ donations and underground buy-and-sell operations poses major challenges to
      effective regulation and law enforcement on the part of the Philippine
      government. CONCLUSIONS: Any reform effort will need to effectively address the
      fine distinction between two different but overlapping organ procurement markets,
      and brokered trading, with minimal transaction costs, based on asymmetric
      information. Policy lessons and insights from the Philippine experience that are
      transferable to other countries, particularly in the developing world, are noted
      in this study.

PMID- 20308055
TI  - Prevalence of the use of self-tests by adults in the United Kingdom: a
      questionnaire survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Self-tests that people can do without a health professional are
      widely available, but there is little information about how many people have used
      one. Our aim was to describe the prevalence of use. METHODS: An initial
      questionnaire, sent to 8048 adults registered with six general practices in North
      Birmingham and Warwickshire and Worcestershire, asked whether the person had self
      tested. A second questionnaire validated the use for people from the final four
      practices by asking how each self-test had been obtained and why it had been
      used. RESULTS: The age-standardised prevalence of confirmed use for any self-test
      other than for pregnancy or high blood pressure was 47 (95% confidence interval
      (CI): 37-57) per 1000 women and 22 (95% CI: 14-30) per 1000 men. If everyone who
      initially reported use but did not return an eligible second questionnaire had
      the same rates of confirmed use as eligible responders, this would increase to 95
      (95% CI: 81-110) per 1000 women and 55 (95% CI: 41-68) per 1000 men. CONCLUSION:
      An appreciable minority of the population have self-tested for medical
      conditions.

PMID- 20308056
TI  - Mast cell-derived prostaglandin D2 controls hyaluronan synthesis in human orbital
      fibroblasts via DP1 activation: implications for thyroid eye disease.
AB  - Thyroid eye disease (TED) is a debilitating disorder characterized by the
      accumulation of adipocytes and hyaluronan (HA). Production of HA by fibroblasts
      leads to remarkable increases in tissue volume and to the anterior displacement
      of the eyes. Prostaglandin D(2) (PGD(2)), mainly produced by mast cells, promotes
      orbital fibroblast adipogenesis. The mechanism by which PGD(2) influences orbital
      fibroblasts and their synthesis of HA is poorly understood. We report here that
      mast cell-derived PGD(2) is a key factor that promotes HA biosynthesis by orbital
      fibroblasts. Primary orbital fibroblasts from TED patients were isolated and used
      to test the effects of PGD(2), prostaglandin J(2), as well as prostaglandin D
      receptor (DP) agonists and antagonists on HA synthesis. The expression of HA
      synthase (HAS), hyaluronidase, DP1, and DP2 mRNA levels was assessed by PCR.
      Small interfering RNAs against HAS1 or HAS2 were used to assess the importance of
      HAS isoforms on HA production. Treatment of human orbital fibroblasts with PGD(2)
      and PGJ(2) increased HA synthesis and HAS mRNA. HAS2 was the dominant isoform
      responsible for HA production by PGD(2). The effect of PGD(2) on HA production
      was mimicked by the selective DP1 agonist BW245C. The DP1 antagonist MK-0524
      completely blocked PGD(2)-induced HA synthesis. Human mast cells (HMC-1) produced
      PGD(2). Co-culture of HMC-1 cells with orbital fibroblasts induced HA production
      and inhibition of mast cell-derived PGD(2) prevented HA synthesis. Mast cell
      derived PGD(2) increased HA production via activation of DP1. Selectively
      targeting the production of PGD(2) and/or activation of DP1 may prevent
      pathological changes associated with TED.

PMID- 20308057
TI  - RasGRP1 is essential for ras activation by the tumor promoter 12-O
      tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate in epidermal keratinocytes.
AB  - RasGRP1 is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Ras that binds with high
      affinity to diacylglycerol analogs like the phorbol esters. Recently, we
      demonstrated a role for RasGRP1 in skin carcinogenesis and suggested its
      participation in the action of tumor-promoting phorbol esters like 12-O
      tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) on Ras pathways in epidermal cells. Given
      the importance of Ras in carcinogenesis, we sought to discern whether RasGRP1 was
      a critical pathway in Ras activation, using a RasGRP1 knockout (KO) mouse model
      to examine the response of keratinocytes to TPA. In contrast to the effect seen
      in wild type keratinocytes, Ras(GTP) levels were barely detected in RasGRP1 KO
      cells even after 60 min of exposure to phorbol esters. The lack of response was
      rescued by enforced expression of RasGRP1. Furthermore, small hairpin RNA-induced
      silencing of RasGRP1 abrogated the effect of TPA on Ras. Analysis of Ras isoforms
      showed that both H-Ras and N-Ras depended on RasGRP1 for activation by TPA,
      whereas activation of K-Ras could not be detected. Although RasGRP1 was
      dispensable for ERK activation in response to TPA, JNK activation was reduced in
      the KO keratinocytes. Notably, TPA-induced phosphorylation of JNK2, but not JNK1,
      was reduced by RasGRP1 depletion. These data identify RasGRP1 as a critical
      molecule in the activation of Ras by TPA in primary mouse keratinocytes and
      suggest JNK2 as one of the relevant downstream targets. Given the role of TPA as
      a skin tumor promoter, our findings provide additional support for a role for
      RasGRP1 in skin carcinogenesis.

PMID- 20308058
TI  - Hsc70 rapidly engages tau after microtubule destabilization.
AB  - The microtubule-associated protein Tau plays a crucial role in regulating the
      dynamic stability of microtubules during neuronal development and synaptic
      transmission. In a group of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer disease
      and other tauopathies, conformational changes in Tau are associated with the
      initial stages of disease pathology. Folding of Tau into the MC1 conformation,
      where the amino acids at residues 7-9 interact with residues 312-342, is one of
      the earliest pathological alterations of Tau in Alzheimer disease. The mechanism
      of this conformational change in Tau and the subsequent effect on function and
      association to microtubules is largely unknown. Recent work by our group and
      others suggests that members of the Hsp70 family play a significant role in Tau
      regulation. Our new findings suggest that heat shock cognate (Hsc) 70 facilitates
      Tau-mediated microtubule polymerization. The association of Hsc70 with Tau was
      rapidly enhanced following treatment with microtubule-destabilizing agents. The
      fate of Tau released from the microtubule was found to be dependent on ATPase
      activity of Hsc70. Microtubule destabilization also rapidly increased the MC1
      folded conformation of Tau. An in vitro assay suggests that Hsc70 facilitates
      formation of MC1 Tau. However, in a hyperphosphorylating environment, the
      formation of MC1 was abrogated, but Hsc70 binding to Tau was enhanced. Thus,
      under normal circumstances, MC1 formation may be a protective conformation
      facilitated by Hsc70. However, in a diseased environment, Hsc70 may preserve Tau
      in a more unstructured state, perhaps facilitating its pathogenicity.

PMID- 20308059
TI  - Midkine and pleiotrophin have bactericidal properties: preserved antibacterial
      activity in a family of heparin-binding growth factors during evolution.
AB  - Antibacterial peptides of the innate immune system combat pathogenic microbes,
      but often have additional roles in promoting inflammation and as growth factors
      during tissue repair. Midkine (MK) and pleiotrophin (PTN) are the only two
      members of a family of heparin-binding growth factors. They show restricted
      expression during embryogenesis and are up-regulated in neoplasia. In addition,
      MK shows constitutive and inflammation-dependent expression in some non
      transformed tissues of the adult. In the present study, we show that both MK and
      PTN display strong antibacterial activity, present at physiological salt
      concentrations. Electron microscopy of bacteria and experiments using artificial
      lipid bilayers suggest that MK and PTN exert their antibacterial action via a
      membrane disruption mechanism. The predicted structure of PTN, employing the
      previously solved MK structure as a template, indicates that both molecules
      consist of two domains, each containing three antiparallel beta-sheets. The
      antibacterial activity was mapped to the unordered C-terminal tails of both
      molecules and the last beta-sheets of the N-terminals. Analysis of the highly
      conserved MK and PTN orthologues from the amphibian Xenopus laevis and the fish
      Danio rerio suggests that they also harbor antibacterial activity in the
      corresponding domains. In support of an evolutionary conserved function it was
      found that the more distant orthologue, insect Miple2 from Drosophila
      melanogaster, also displays strong antibacterial activity. Taken together, the
      findings suggest that MK and PTN, in addition to their earlier described
      activities, may have previously unrealized important roles as innate antibiotics.

PMID- 20308060
TI  - The PX-RICS-14-3-3zeta/theta complex couples N-cadherin-beta-catenin with dynein
      dynactin to mediate its export from the endoplasmic reticulum.
AB  - We have recently shown that beta-catenin-facilitated export of cadherins from the
      endoplasmic reticulum requires PX-RICS, a beta-catenin-interacting GTPase
      activating protein for Cdc42. Here we show that PX-RICS interacts with isoforms
      of 14-3-3 and couples the N-cadherin-beta-catenin complex to the microtubule
      based molecular motor dynein-dynactin. Similar to knockdown of PX-RICS, knockdown
      of either 14-3-3zeta or - resulted in the disappearance of N-cadherin and beta
      catenin from the cell-cell boundaries. Furthermore, we found that PX-RICS and 14
      3-3zeta/ are present in a large multiprotein complex that contains dynein
      dynactin components as well as N-cadherin and beta-catenin. Both RNAi- and
      dynamitin-mediated inhibition of dynein-dynactin function also led to the absence
      of N-cadherin and beta-catenin at the cell-cell contact sites. Our results
      suggest that the PX-RICS-14-3-3zeta/ complex links the N-cadherin-beta-catenin
      cargo with the dynein-dynactin motor and thereby mediates its endoplasmic
      reticulum export.

PMID- 20308061
TI  - Two distinct regions of latency-associated peptide coordinate stability of the
      latent transforming growth factor-beta1 complex.
AB  - Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) is secreted as part of an inactive
      complex consisting of the mature dimer, the TGF-beta1 propeptide (latency
      associated peptide (LAP)), and latent TGF-beta-binding proteins. Using in vitro
      mutagenesis, we identified the regions of LAP that govern the cooperative
      assembly and stability of the latent TGF-beta1 complex. Initially, hydrophobic
      LAP residues (Ile(53), Leu(54), Leu(57), and Leu(59)), which form a contiguous
      epitope on one surface of an amphipathic alpha-helix, interact with mature TGF
      beta1 to form the small latent complex. TGF-beta1 binding is predicted to alter
      LAP conformation, exposing ionic residues (Arg(45), Arg(50), Lys(56), and
      Arg(58)) on the other side of the alpha-helix, which form the binding site for
      latent TGF-beta-binding proteins. The stability of the resultant large latent
      complex is dependent upon covalent dimerization of LAP, which is facilitated by
      key residues (Phe(198), Asp(199), Val(200), Leu(208), Phe(217), and Leu(219)) at
      the dimer interface. Significantly, genetic mutations in LAP (e.g. R218H) that
      cause the rare bone disorder Camurati-Engelmann disease disrupted dimerization
      and reduced the stability of the latent TGF-beta1 complex.

PMID- 20308062
TI  - Functional characterization of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein and scar homolog
      (WASH), a bi-modular nucleation-promoting factor able to interact with biogenesis
      of lysosome-related organelle subunit 2 (BLOS2) and gamma-tubulin.
AB  - The Arp2/3 complex is essential for actin filament nucleation in a variety of
      cellular processes. The activation of the Arp2/3 complex is mediated by
      nucleation-promoting factors, such as the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome family
      proteins, which share a WCA (WH2 domain, central region, acidic region) catalytic
      module at the C-terminal region, required for Arp2/3 activation, but diverge at
      the N-terminal region, required for binding to specific activators. Here, we
      report the characterization of WASH, a new member of the WAS family that has
      nucleation-promoting factor activity and recently has been demonstrated to play a
      role in endosomal sorting. We found that overexpression of the WASH-WCA domain
      induced disruption of the actin cytoskeleton, whereas overexpression of full
      length WASH in mammalian cells did not affect stress fiber organization.
      Furthermore, our analysis has revealed that nerve growth factor treatment of PC12
      cells overexpressing full-length WASH leads to disruption of the actin
      cytoskeleton. We have also found that WASH interacts through its N-terminal
      region with BLOS2, a centrosomal protein belonging to the BLOC-1 complex that
      functions as a scaffolding factor in the biogenesis of lysosome-related
      organelles. In addition to BLOS2, WASH also interacts with centrosomal gamma
      tubulin and with pallidin, an additional component of the BLOC-1 complex.
      Collectively, our data propose that WASH is a bimodular protein in which the C
      terminus is involved in Arp2/3-mediated actin nucleation, whereas the N-terminal
      portion is required for its regulation and localization in the cells. Moreover,
      our data suggest that WASH is also a component of the BLOC-1 complex that is
      associated with the centrosomes.

PMID- 20308063
TI  - Ion-dependent polymerization differences between mammalian beta- and gamma
      nonmuscle actin isoforms.
AB  - beta- and gamma-nonmuscle actins differ by 4 amino acids at or near the N
      terminus and distant from polymerization interfaces. beta-Actin contains an
      Asp(1)-Asp(2)-Asp(3) and Val(10) whereas gamma-actin has a Glu(1)-Glu(2)-Glu(3)
      and Ile(10). Despite these small changes, conserved across mammals, fish, and
      birds, their differential localization in the same cell suggests they may play
      different roles reflecting differences in their biochemical properties. To test
      this hypothesis, we established a baculovirus-driven expression system for
      producing these actins in isoform-pure populations although contaminated with 20
      25% insect actin. Surprisingly, Ca-gamma-actin exhibits a slower monomeric
      nucleotide exchange rate, a much longer nucleation phase, and a somewhat slower
      elongation rate than beta-actin. In the Mg-form, this difference between the two
      is much smaller. Ca-gamma-actin depolymerizes half as fast as does beta-actin.
      Mixing experiments with Ca-actins reveal the two will readily co-polymerize. In
      the Ca-form, phosphate release from polymerizing beta-actin occurs much more
      rapidly and extensively than polymerization, whereas phosphate release lags
      behind polymerization with gamma-actin. Phosphate release during treadmilling is
      twice as fast with beta- as with gamma-actin. With Mg-actin in the initial
      stages, phosphate release for both actins correlates much more closely with
      polymerization. Calcium bound in the high affinity binding site of gamma-actin
      may cause a selective energy barrier relative to beta-actin that retards the
      equilibration between G- and F-monomer conformations resulting in a slower
      polymerizing actin with greater filament stability. This difference may be
      particularly important in sites such as the gamma-actin-rich cochlear hair cell
      stereocilium where local mm calcium concentrations may exist.

PMID- 20308064
TI  - Involvement of heterogeneous ribonucleoprotein F in the regulation of cell
      proliferation via the mammalian target of rapamycin/S6 kinase 2 pathway.
AB  - The S6 kinases (S6Ks) have been linked to a number of cellular processes,
      including translation, insulin metabolism, cell survival, and RNA splicing.
      Signaling via the phosphotidylinositol 3-kinase and mammalian target of rapamycin
      (mTOR) pathways is critical in regulating the activity and subcellular
      localization of S6Ks. To date, nuclear functions of both S6K isoforms, S6K1 and
      S6K2, are not well understood. To better understand S6K nuclear roles, we
      employed affinity purification of S6Ks from nuclear preparations followed by mass
      spectrometry analysis for the identification of novel binding partners. In this
      study, we report that in contrast to S6K1, the S6K2 isoform specifically
      associates with a number of RNA-binding proteins, including heterogeneous
      ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs). We focused on studying the mechanism and
      physiological relevance of the S6K2 interaction with hnRNP F/H. Interestingly,
      the S6K2-hnRNP F/H interaction was not affected by mitogenic stimulation, whereas
      mTOR binding to hnRNP F/H was induced by serum stimulation. In addition, we
      define a new role of hnRNP F in driving cell proliferation, which could be
      partially attenuated by rapamycin treatment. S6K2-driven cell proliferation, on
      the other hand, could be blocked by small interfering RNA-mediated down
      regulation of hnRNP F. These results demonstrate that the specific interaction
      between mTOR and S6K2 with hnRNPs is implicated in the regulation of cell
      proliferation.

PMID- 20308065
TI  - TPPP/p25 promotes tubulin acetylation by inhibiting histone deacetylase 6.
AB  - TPPP/p25 (tubulin polymerization-promoting protein/p25) is an unstructured
      protein that induces microtubule polymerization in vitro and is aligned along the
      microtubule network in transfected mammalian cells. In normal human brain,
      TPPP/p25 is expressed predominantly in oligodendrocytes, where its expression is
      proved to be crucial for their differentiation process. Here we demonstrated that
      the expression of TPPP/p25 in HeLa cells, in doxycycline-inducible CHO10 cells,
      and in the oligodendrocyte CG-4 cells promoted the acetylation of alpha-tubulin
      at residue Lys-40, whereas its down-regulation by specific small interfering RNA
      in CG-4 cells or by the withdrawal of doxycycline from CHO10 cells decreased the
      acetylation level of alpha-tubulin. Our results indicate that TPPP/p25 binds to
      HDAC6 (histone deacetylase 6), an enzyme responsible for tubulin deacetylation.
      Moreover, we demonstrated that the direct interaction of these two proteins
      resulted in the inhibition of the deacetylase activity of HDAC6. The measurement
      of HDAC6 activity showed that TPPP/p25 is able to induce almost complete (90%)
      inhibition at 3 microM concentration. In addition, treatment of the cells with
      nocodazole, vinblastine, or cold exposure revealed that microtubule acetylation
      induced by trichostatin A, a well known HDAC6 inhibitor, does not cause
      microtubule stabilization. In contrast, the microtubule bundling activity of
      TPPP/p25 was able to protect the microtubules from depolymerization. Finally, we
      demonstrated that, similarly to other HDAC6 inhibitors, TPPP/p25 influences the
      microtubule dynamics by decreasing the growth velocity of the microtubule plus
      ends and also affects cell motility as demonstrated by time lapse video
      experiments. Thus, we suggest that TPPP/p25 is a multiple effector of the
      microtubule organization.

PMID- 20308066
TI  - LVIS553 transcriptional regulator specifically recognizes novobiocin as an
      effector molecule.
AB  - In this study we aimed to identify small molecules with high affinity involved in
      the allosteric regulation of LVIS553, a MarR member from Lactobacillus brevis
      ATCC367. Using high throughput screening, novobiocin was found to specifically
      bind LVIS553 with a K(D) = 33.8 +/- 2.9 microM consistent with a biologically
      relevant ligand. Structure guided site-directed mutagenesis identified Lys(9) as
      a key residue in novobiocin recognition. The results found in vitro were
      correlated in vivo. An increased tolerance to the antibiotic was observed when
      LVIS553 and the downstream putative transport protein LVIS552 were either
      expressed in a low copy plasmid in L. brevis or as a single copy chromosomal
      insertion in Bacillus subtilis. We provide evidence that LVIS553 is involved in
      the specific regulation of a new mechanism of tolerance to novobiocin.

PMID- 20308067
TI  - Conserved 3'-untranslated region sequences direct subcellular localization of
      chaperone protein mRNAs in neurons.
AB  - mRNA localization provides polarized cells with a locally renewable source of
      proteins. In neurons, mRNA translation can occur at millimeters to centimeters
      from the cell body, giving the dendritic and axonal processes a means to
      autonomously respond to their environment. Despite that hundreds of mRNAs have
      been detected in neuronal processes, there are no reliable means to predict mRNA
      localization elements. Here, we have asked what RNA elements are needed for
      localization of transcripts encoding endoplasmic reticulum chaperone proteins in
      neurons. The 3'-untranslated regions (UTRs) of calreticulin and Grp78/BiP mRNAs
      show no homology to one another, but each shows extensive regions of high
      sequence identity to their 3'UTRs in mammalian orthologs. These conserved regions
      are sufficient for subcellular localization of reporter mRNAs in neurons. The
      3'UTR of calreticulin has two conserved regions, and either of these is
      sufficient for axonal and dendritic targeting. However, only nucleotides 1315
      1412 show ligand responsiveness to neurotrophin 3 (NT3) and myelin-associated
      glycoprotein (MAG). This NT3- and MAG-dependent axonal mRNA transport requires
      activation of JNK, both for calreticulin mRNA and for other mRNAs whose axonal
      levels are commonly regulated by NT3 and MAG.

PMID- 20308068
TI  - Inducible dimerization and inducible cleavage reveal a requirement for both
      processes in caspase-8 activation.
AB  - Caspase-8 is a cysteine protease activated by membrane-bound receptors at the
      cytosolic face of the cell membrane, initiating the extrinsic pathway of
      apoptosis. Caspase-8 activation relies on recruitment of inactive monomeric
      zymogens to activated receptor complexes, where they produce a fully active
      enzyme composed of two catalytic domains. Although in vitro studies using drug
      mediated affinity systems or kosmotropic salts to drive dimerization have
      indicated that uncleaved caspase-8 can be readily activated by dimerization
      alone, in vivo results using mouse models have reached the opposite conclusion.
      Furthermore, in addition to interdomain autoprocessing, caspase-8 can be cleaved
      by activated executioner caspases, and reports of whether this cleavage event can
      lead to activation of caspase-8 have been conflicting. Here, we address these
      questions by carrying out studies of the activation characteristics of caspase-8
      mutants bearing prohibitive mutations at the interdomain cleavage sites both in
      vitro and in cell lines lacking endogenous caspase-8, and we find that
      elimination of these cleavage sites precludes caspase-8 activation by prodomain
      driven dimerization. We then further explore the consequences of interdomain
      cleavage of caspase-8 by adapting the tobacco etch virus protease to create a
      system in which both the cleavage and the dimerization of caspase-8 can be
      independently controlled in living cells. We find that unlike the executioner
      caspases, which are readily activated by interdomain cleavage alone, neither
      dimerization nor cleavage of caspase-8 alone is sufficient to activate caspase-8
      or induce apoptosis and that only the coordinated dimerization and cleavage of
      the zymogen produce efficient activation in vitro and apoptosis in cellular
      systems.

PMID- 20308069
TI  - Topologically random insertion of EmrE supports a pathway for evolution of
      inverted repeats in ion-coupled transporters.
AB  - Inverted repeats in ion-coupled transporters have evolved independently in many
      unrelated families. It has been suggested that this inverted symmetry is an
      essential element of the mechanism that allows for the conformational transitions
      in transporters. We show here that small multidrug transporters offer a model for
      the evolution of such repeats. This family includes both homodimers and closely
      related heterodimers. In the former, the topology determinants, evidently
      identical in each protomer, are weak, and we show that for EmrE, an homodimer
      from Escherichia coli, the insertion into the membrane is random, and dimers are
      functional whether they insert into the cytoplasmic membrane with the N- and C
      terminal domains facing the inside or the outside of the cell. Also, mutants
      designed to insert with biased topology are functional regardless of the
      topology. In the case of EbrAB, a heterodimer homologue supposed to interact
      antiparallel, we show that one of the subunits, EbrB, can also function as a
      homodimer, most likely in a parallel mode. In addition, the EmrE homodimer can be
      forced to an antiparallel topology by fusion of an additional transmembrane
      segment. The simplicity of the mechanism of coupling ion and substrate transport
      and the few requirements for substrate recognition provide the robustness
      necessary to tolerate such a unique and unprecedented ambiguity in the
      interaction of the subunits and in the dimer topology relative to the membrane.
      The results suggest that the small multidrug transporters are at an evolutionary
      junction and provide a model for the evolution of structure of transport
      proteins.

PMID- 20308070
TI  - An improved ivermectin-activated chloride channel receptor for inhibiting
      electrical activity in defined neuronal populations.
AB  - The ability to silence the electrical activity of defined neuronal populations in
      vivo is dramatically advancing our understanding of brain function. This
      technology may eventually be useful clinically for treating a variety of
      neuropathological disorders caused by excessive neuronal activity. Several
      neuronal silencing methods have been developed, with the bacterial light
      activated halorhodopsin and the invertebrate allatostatin-activated G protein
      coupled receptor proving the most successful to date. However, both techniques
      may be difficult to implement clinically due to their requirement for surgically
      implanted stimulus delivery methods and their use of nonhuman receptors. A third
      silencing method, an invertebrate glutamate-gated chloride channel receptor
      (GluClR) activated by ivermectin, solves the stimulus delivery problem as
      ivermectin is a safe, well tolerated drug that reaches the brain following
      systemic administration. However, the limitations of this method include poor
      functional expression, possibly due to the requirement to coexpress two different
      subunits in individual neurons, and the nonhuman origin of GluClR. Here, we
      describe the development of a modified human alpha1 glycine receptor as an
      improved ivermectin-gated silencing receptor. The crucial development was the
      identification of a mutation, A288G, which increased ivermectin sensitivity
      almost 100-fold, rendering it similar to that of GluClR. Glycine sensitivity was
      eliminated via the F207A mutation. Its large unitary conductance, homomeric
      expression, and human origin may render the F207A/A288G alpha1 glycine receptor
      an improved silencing receptor for neuroscientific and clinical purposes. As all
      known highly ivermectin-sensitive GluClRs contain an endogenous glycine residue
      at the corresponding location, this residue appears essential for exquisite
      ivermectin sensitivity.

PMID- 20308071
TI  - Role of inositol trisphosphate receptors in autophagy in DT40 cells.
AB  - Previous studies have shown that small interfering RNA knockdown and
      pharmacological inhibition of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP(3)Rs)
      stimulate autophagy. We have investigated autophagy in chicken DT40 cell lines
      containing targeted deletions of all three IP(3)R isoforms (triple knock-out
      (TKO) cells). Using gel shifts of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3
      as a marker of autophagy, we find that TKO cells have enhanced basal autophagic
      flux even under nutrient-replete conditions. Stable DT40 cell lines derived from
      TKO cells containing the functionally inactive D2550A IP(3)R mutant did not
      suppress autophagy in the same manner as wild-type receptors. This suggests that
      the channel function of the receptor is important in its regulatory role in
      autophagy. There were no marked differences in the phosphorylation state of AMP
      activated protein kinase, Akt, or mammalian target of rapamycin between wild-type
      and TKO cells. The amount of immunoprecipitated complexes of Bcl-2-Beclin-1 and
      Beclin-1-Vps34 were also not different between the two cell lines. The major
      difference noted was a substantially decreased mTORC1 kinase activity in TKO
      cells based on decreased phosphorylation of S6 kinase and 4E-BP1. The discharge
      of intracellular stores with thapsigargin stimulated mTORC1 activity (measured as
      S6 kinase phosphorylation) to a greater extent in wild-type than in TKO cells. We
      suggest that basal autophagic flux may be negatively regulated by IP(3)R
      dependent Ca(2+) signals acting to maintain an elevated mTORC1 activity in wild
      type cells and that Ca(2+) regulation of this enzyme is defective in TKO cells.
      The protective effect of a higher autophagic flux in cells lacking IP(3)Rs may
      play a role in the delayed apoptotic response observed in these cells.

PMID- 20308072
TI  - Biochemical characterization of the cellular glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked
      membrane type-6 matrix metalloproteinase.
AB  - Ubiquitously expressed membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP), an
      archetype member of the MMP family, binds tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases
      2 (TIMP-2), activates matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), and stimulates cell
      migration in various cell types. In contrast with MT1-MMP, the structurally
      similar MT6-MMP associates with the lipid raft compartment of the plasma membrane
      using a GPI anchor. As a result, MT6-MMP is functionally distinct from MT1-MMP.
      MT6-MMP is insufficiently characterized as yet. In addition, a number of its
      biochemical features are both conflicting and controversial. To reassess the
      biochemical features of MT6-MMP, we have expressed the MT6-MMP construct tagged
      with a FLAG tag in breast carcinoma MCF-7 and fibrosarcoma HT1080 cells. We then
      used phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C to release MT6-MMP from the
      cell surface and characterized the solubilized MT6-MMP fractions. We now are
      confident that cellular MT6-MMP partially exists in its complex with TIMP-2. Both
      TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 are capable of inhibiting the proteolytic activity of MT6-MMP.
      MT6-MMP does not stimulate cell migration. MT6-MMP, however, generates a
      significant level of gelatinolysis of the fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled
      gelatin and exhibits an intrinsic, albeit low, ability to activate MMP-2. As a
      result, it is exceedingly difficult to record the activation of MMP-2 by cellular
      MT6-MMP. Because of its lipid raft localization, cellular MT6-MMP is
      inefficiently internalized. MT6-MMP is predominantly localized in the cell-to
      cell junctions. Because MT6-MMP has been suggested to play a role in disease,
      including cancer and autoimmune multiple sclerosis, the identity of its
      physiologically relevant cleavage targets remains to be determined.

PMID- 20308073
TI  - Rescue of cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) mutants with chemical chaperones:
      purification and characterization of eight CBS mutant enzymes.
AB  - Missense mutations represent the most common cause of many genetic diseases
      including cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) deficiency. Many of these mutations
      result in misfolded proteins, which lack biological function. The presence of
      chemical chaperones can sometimes alleviate or even restore protein folding and
      activity of mutant proteins. We present the purification and characterization of
      eight CBS mutants expressed in the presence of chemical chaperones such as
      ethanol, dimethyl sulfoxide, or trimethylamine-N-oxide. Preliminary screening in
      Escherichia coli crude extracts showed that their presence during protein
      expression had a significant impact on the amount of recovered CBS protein,
      formation of tetramers, and catalytic activity. Subsequently, we purified eight
      CBS mutants to homogeneity (P49L, P78R, A114V, R125Q, E176K, P422L, I435T, and
      S466L). The tetrameric mutant enzymes fully saturated with heme had the same or
      higher specific activities than wild type CBS. Thermal stability measurements
      demonstrated that the purified mutants are equally or more thermostable than wild
      type CBS. The response to S-adenosyl-L-methionine stimulation or thermal
      activation varied. The lack of response of R125Q and E176K to both stimuli
      indicated that their specific conformations were unable to reach the activated
      state. Increased levels of molecular chaperones in crude extracts, particularly
      DnaJ, indicated a rather indirect effect of the chemical chaperones on folding of
      CBS mutants. In conclusion, the chemical chaperones present in the expression
      medium were able to fully restore the activity of eight CBS mutants by improving
      their protein folding. This finding could have direct implications for the
      development of a therapeutical approach to pyridoxine unresponsive
      homocystinuria.

PMID- 20308074
TI  - Functional heterogeneity of CD11c-positive adipose tissue macrophages in diet
      induced obese mice.
AB  - Obesity represents a state of chronic, low grade inflammation and is associated
      with infiltration of increased numbers of adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs). Diet
      induced obesity leads to an increase in non-inflammatory M1-like ATMs displaying
      the CD11c surface marker. We assessed the function of CD11c-positive ATMs when
      insulin resistant high fat diet (HFD) mice become insulin-sensitive after
      switching from HFD to normal chow (NC). HFD mice rapidly become insulin-sensitive
      in all major insulin-target tissues, including muscle, liver, and adipose tissue,
      after the diet switch. In adipose tissue the CD11c-positive macrophages remain
      constant in number despite the presence of insulin sensitivity, but these
      macrophages now assume a new phenotype in which they no longer exhibit increased
      inflammatory pathway markers. Adipose tissue markers of apoptosis and necrosis
      were elevated on HFD and remain high after the HFD --> NC diet switch.
      Furthermore, ATM accumulation preceded detectable adipocyte necrosis at the early
      phase of HFD. Together, these results indicate that 1) CD11c-positive M1-like
      ATMs can exhibit phenotypic plasticity and that the polarization of these cells
      between inflammatory and non-inflammatory states is well correlated to the
      presence of absence of insulin resistance, and 2) adipocyte necrosis and
      apoptosis can be dissociated from ATM accumulation.

PMID- 20308075
TI  - A putative extracellular salt bridge at the subunit interface contributes to the
      ion channel function of the ATP-gated P2X2 receptor.
AB  - The recent crystal structure of the ATP-gated P2X4 receptor revealed a static
      view of its architecture, but the molecular mechanisms underlying the P2X
      channels activation are still unknown. By using a P2X2 model based on the x-ray
      structure, we sought salt bridges formed between charged residues located in a
      region that directly connects putative ATP-binding sites to the ion channel. To
      reveal their significance for ion channel activation, we made systematic charge
      exchanges and measured the effects on ATP sensitivity. We found that charge
      reversals at the interfacial residues Glu(63) and Arg(274) produced gain-of
      function phenotypes that were cancelled upon paired charge swapping. These
      results suggest that a putative intersubunit salt bridge formed between Glu(63)
      and Arg(274) contributes to the ion channel function. Engineered cysteines E63C
      and R274C formed redox-dependent cross-links in the absence of ATP. By contrast,
      the presence of ATP reduced the rate of disulfide bond formation, indicating that
      ATP binding might trigger relative movement of adjacent subunits at the level of
      Glu(63) and Arg(274), allowing the transmembrane helices to open the channel.

PMID- 20308076
TI  - Temporin-SHf, a new type of phe-rich and hydrophobic ultrashort antimicrobial
      peptide.
AB  - Because issues of cost and bioavailability have hampered the development of gene
      encoded antimicrobial peptides to combat infectious diseases, short linear
      peptides with high microbial cell selectivity have been recently considered as
      antibiotic substitutes. A new type of short antimicrobial peptide, designated
      temporin-SHf, was isolated and cloned from the skin of the frog Pelophylax
      saharica. Temporin-SHf has a highly hydrophobic sequence (FFFLSRIFa) and
      possesses the highest percentage of Phe residues of any known peptide or protein.
      Moreover, it is the smallest natural linear antimicrobial peptide found to date,
      with only eight residues. Despite its small size and hydrophobicity, temporin-SHf
      has broad-spectrum microbicidal activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative
      bacteria and yeasts, with no hemolytic activity. CD and NMR spectroscopy combined
      with restrained molecular dynamics calculations showed that the peptide adopts a
      well defined non-amphipathic alpha-helical structure from residue 3 to 8, when
      bound to zwitterionic dodecyl phosphocholine or anionic SDS micelles. Relaxation
      enhancement caused by paramagnetic probes showed that the peptide adopts nearly
      parallel orientations to the micelle surface and that the helical structure is
      stabilized by a compact hydrophobic core on one face that penetrates into the
      micelle interior. Differential scanning calorimetry on multilamellar vesicles
      combined with membrane permeabilization assays on bacterial cells indicated that
      temporin-SHf disrupts the acyl chain packing of anionic lipid bilayers, thereby
      triggering local cracks and microbial membrane disintegration through a detergent
      like effect probably via the carpet mechanism. The short length, compositional
      simplicity, and broad-spectrum activity of temporin-SHf make it an attractive
      candidate to develop new antibiotic agents.

PMID- 20308077
TI  - Aspartic acid racemization and collagen degradation markers reveal an
      accumulation of damage in tendon collagen that is enhanced with aging.
AB  - Little is known about the rate at which protein turnover occurs in living tendon
      and whether the rate differs between tendons with different physiological roles.
      In this study, we have quantified the racemization of aspartic acid to calculate
      the age of the collagenous and non-collagenous components of the high strain
      injury-prone superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) and low strain rarely
      injured common digital extensor tendon (CDET) in a group of horses with a wide
      age range. In addition, the turnover of collagen was assessed indirectly by
      measuring the levels of collagen degradation markers (collagenase-generated
      neoepitope and cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen). The fractional
      increase in D-Asp was similar (p = 0.7) in the SDFT (5.87 x 10(-4)/year) and CDET
      (5.82 x 10(-4)/year) tissue, and D/L-Asp ratios showed a good correlation with
      pentosidine levels. We calculated a mean (+/-S.E.) collagen half-life of 197.53
      (+/-18.23) years for the SDFT, which increased significantly with horse age (p =
      0.03) and was significantly (p < 0.001) higher than that for the CDET (34.03 (+/
      3.39) years). Using similar calculations, the half-life of non-collagenous
      protein was 2.18 (+/-0.41) years in the SDFT and was significantly (p = 0.04)
      lower than the value of 3.51 (+/-0.51) years for the CDET. Collagen degradation
      markers were higher in the CDET and suggested an accumulation of partially
      degraded collagen within the matrix with aging in the SDFT. We propose that
      increased susceptibility to injury in older individuals results from an inability
      to remove partially degraded collagen from the matrix leading to reduced
      mechanical competence.

PMID- 20308078
TI  - MDM2 promotes proteasomal degradation of p21Waf1 via a conformation change.
AB  - MDM2 plays a major role in cancer development and progression via both p53
      dependent and -independent functions. One of its p53-independent functions is the
      induction of the ubiquitin-independent proteasomal degradation of p21(Waf1). The
      present study was designed to characterize the mechanism(s) by which MDM2 induces
      p21(Waf1) degradation. We first determined the regions of MDM2 required for
      p21(Waf1) degradation using pulldown assays and Western blotting and then
      examined the mechanisms using limited proteolysis and fluorescence resonance
      energy transfer assays. We found that the MDM2-p21(Waf1) interaction depended on
      the central domain of MDM2 and that nuclear localization of both proteins was
      necessary for p21(Waf1) degradation. Specifically, amino acids 226-250 of MDM2
      were required for p21(Waf1) binding and degradation, and amino acids 251-260 were
      necessary for p21(Waf1) degradation. The latter region induced a conformation
      change in p21(Waf1), increasing its interaction with the C8 subunit of the
      proteasome, leading to its degradation. When MDM2 lacked either segment (aa 226
      250 or aa 251-260), its capacity to promote p21(Waf1) degradation and cell cycle
      progression was significantly reduced. In summary, the present study elucidated a
      previously unknown mechanism by which MDM2 promotes the degradation of an intact
      protein (p21(Waf1)) through an ubiquitin-independent proteasomal degradation
      pathway. Because MDM2 also increases the degradation of other proteins in a
      ubiquitin-independent manner, this mechanism may underlie part of its tumorigenic
      properties.

PMID- 20308079
TI  - Long chain acyl-CoA synthetase-3 is a molecular target for peroxisome
      proliferator-activated receptor delta in HepG2 hepatoma cells.
AB  - ACSL3 is a member of the long chain acyl-CoA synthetase (ACSL) family that plays
      key roles in fatty acid metabolism in various tissues in an isozyme-specific
      manner. Our previous studies showed that ACSL3 was transcriptionally up-regulated
      by the cytokine oncostatin M (OSM) in HepG2 cells, accompanied by reduced
      cellular triglyceride content and enhanced beta-oxidation. In this study, we
      investigated the molecular mechanism underlying the OSM-induced activation of
      ACSL3 gene transcription in HepG2 cells. We showed that OSM treatment resulted in
      a coordinated elevation of mRNA levels of ACSL3 and peroxisome proliferator
      activated receptor delta (PPARdelta). The effect of OSM on ACSL3 mRNA expression
      was inhibited by cellular depletion of PPARdelta. By utilizing a PPARdelta
      agonist, L165041, we demonstrated that activation of PPARdelta led to increases
      in ACSL3 promoter activity, mRNA level, and protein level in HepG2 cells.
      Analysis of the ACSL3 promoter sequence identified two imperfect PPAR-responsive
      elements (PPRE) located in the ACSL3 promoter region -944 to -915, relative to
      the transcription start site. The up-regulation of ACSL3 promoter activity by
      PPARdelta was abolished by deletion of this PPRE-containing region or mutation to
      disrupt the binding sites. Direct interactions of PPARdelta with ACSL3-PPRE
      sequences were demonstrated by gel mobility shift and chromatin
      immunoprecipitation assays. Finally, we provided in vivo evidence showing that
      activation of PPARdelta by L165041 in hamsters increased ACSL3 mRNA and protein
      levels in the liver. These new findings define ACSL3 as a novel molecular target
      of PPARdelta in HepG2 cells and provide a regulatory mechanism for ACSL3
      transcription in liver tissue.

PMID- 20308080
TI  - Polydactyl inheritance in the pig.
AB  - Two pigs were identified having "extra feet" (preaxial polydactyly) within a
      purebred population of Yorkshire pigs. Polydactyly is an inherited disorder in
      many species that may be controlled by either recessive or dominant genes.
      Experimental matings were conducted using pigs that had produced affected
      offspring with the result of 12 polydactyl offspring out of 95 piglets. One
      polydactyl-producing boar was also mated to 4 Duroc sows and 8 distantly related
      Yorkshire sows to produce 129 unaffected offspring. Together, these results
      suggest a recessive mode of inheritance, possibly with incomplete penetrance.
      Candidate genes, LMBR1, EN2, HOXA10-13, GLI3, WNT2, WNT16, and SHH, were
      identified based on association with similar phenotypes in other species.
      Homologues for these genes are all found on SSC18. Sequencing and linkage studies
      showed no evidence for association with HOXA10-13, WNT2, and WNT16. Results for
      the regions including GLI3, LMBR1, and SHH, however, were inconclusive. A whole
      genome scan was conducted on DNA samples from 10 affected pigs and 12 close
      relatives using the Illumina PorcineSNP60 BeadChip and compared with 69 more
      distantly related animals in the same population. No evidence was found for a
      major gene causing polydactyly. However, a 25-Mb stretch of homozygosity on SSC8
      was identified as fairly unique to the family segregating for this trait.
      Therefore, this chromosome segment may play a role in development of polydactyly
      in concert with other genes.

PMID- 20308081
TI  - Microsatellite analyses provide evidence of male-biased dispersal in the radiated
      tortoise Astrochelys radiata (Chelonia: Testudinidae).
AB  - Dispersal is a major force in shaping the genetic structure and dynamics of
      species; thus, its understanding is critical in formulating appropriate
      conservation strategies. In many species, sexes do not face the same evolutionary
      pressures, and consequently dispersal is often asymmetrical between males and
      females. This is well documented in birds and mammals but has seldom been
      investigated in other taxa, including reptiles and, more specifically, nonmarine
      chelonians. In these species, nest-site fidelity observations are frequent but
      still remain to be associated with natal homing. Here, we tested for sex-biased
      dispersal in the radiated tortoise (Astrochelys radiata) from southern
      Madagascar. Using data from 13 microsatellite markers, we investigated patterns
      of relatedness between sexes in 2 populations. All Mantel tests indicated
      significant isolation by distance at the individual level in females but not in
      males. Furthermore, spatial autocorrelation analyses and 2 analytical approaches
      designed to assess general trends in sex-specific dispersal also supported male
      biased dispersal. On the other hand, comparisons of overall genetic structure
      among sampling sites did not provide conclusive support for greater philopatry in
      females, but these tests may have low statistical power because of methodological
      and biological constraints. Radiated tortoises appear to be both polyandrous and
      polygynous, and evolutionary processes that may lead to a sex bias in dispersal
      are discussed with respect to tortoise breeding biology. Female natal homing is
      hypothesized as a key trait explaining greater female philopatry in A. radiata.
      These findings highlight the necessity of additional research on natal homing in
      tortoises, a behavioral trait with direct implications for conservation.

PMID- 20308083
TI  - Response to "Radiation therapeutic gain and Asian botanicals," by Stephen Sagar.
AB  - Numerous botanical agents, many of which are used in whole medical system
      practices (i.e. traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, etc.), have
      been shown to exhibit radiomodifying effects on tumors and normal tissues in
      vitro and in-vivo studies. Some of these agents can enhance the therapeutic gain
      of radiation therapy by either acting as a radiosensitizer to tumor cells and/or
      as a radioprotector to normal cells. Botanical agents are comprised of multiple
      phytochemical compounds that may work individually or synergistically to not only
      improve radiation therapy outcomes, but may also exhibit a variety of anti-cancer
      effects as well. It will be important to evaluate these botanicals for efficacy,
      tumor specificity, and safety profiles before they can be recommended during
      radiation therapy.

PMID- 20308084
TI  - Prevalence, patterns, and costs of Chinese medicine use among prostate cancer
      patients: a population-based study in Taiwan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) is a comprehensive and
      universal program, providing Western medicine (WM) and Chinese medicine (CM).
      This study aims to explore CM use among prostate cancer patients in NHI. METHODS:
      A cross-section retrospective analysis was conducted using registration and claim
      data sets from the NHI Research Database. In 2007, 22,352 prostate cancer
      patients with 265,497 visits of CM and WM ambulatory services were identified.
      Patient demographics, patterns of therapies, and costs were analyzed. RESULTS: In
      2007, 592 prostate cancer patients (2.6%) had 4141 CM outpatient visits (7.0 on
      average). The median age was 73.9. The majority (90.5%) of CM users also used WM
      ambulatory services. About one third of CM outpatient services were provided by
      private clinics. The most frequently used CM therapies were Chinese herbal
      medication (93.6%), followed by acupuncture/traumatology manipulative therapies
      (7.0%). CM accounted for 0.2% expenditure ($87,500) and 1.6% visits of ambulatory
      services. The average cost per visit for WM was 6.3 times higher than that for CM
      ($133.6 vs $21). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence and costs of insurance-covered CM
      among prostate cancer patients were low. Most prostate cancer patients did not
      use insurance-covered CM. The majority of CM users also used WM. CM appeared to
      play a complementary rather than an alternative role.

PMID- 20308085
TI  - Ski acts as therapeutic target of qingyihuaji formula in the treatment of SW1990
      pancreatic cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Qingyihuaji formula (QYHJ) is a widely used herbal formula that has
      shown promising antitumor effect in the treatment of pancreatic cancer in the
      Cancer Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. OBJECTIVE: This research was
      conducted to study whether Ski acts as a therapeutic target of QYHJ formula in
      the treatment of SW1990 pancreatic cancer. METHODS: The expression changes of Ski
      mRNA and protein in SW1990 pancreatic cancer subcutaneously transplanted tumor
      treated with QYHJ were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction and
      Western blot. Then, we established a stable transfection SW1990 cell with low
      expression of Ski through lentivirus-mediated RNA interference (RNAi) technique.
      The responses to QYHJ treatment on a subcutaneously transplanted tumor with
      different Ski expression statuses were evaluated. Finally, the effect of Ski
      downregulation on SW1990 cell biological behavior was also evaluated. RESULTS:
      Expression of Ski mRNA and protein in SW1990 subcutaneously transplanted tumor
      decreased dramatically after the treatment with QYHJ. Stable transfection cells
      with low expression of Ski (SW1990/Ski RNAi) were created, and negative vector
      transfected cells (SW1990/con RNAi) were used as controls. The tumor weight
      inhibitory rates of QYHJ on subcutaneously transplanted tumors formed by SW1990
      or SW1990/con RNAi were 29.6% and 32.2%, respectively, whereas they were 16.0% to
      17.8% when the tumors were formed by SW1990/Ski RNAi. Ski downregulation
      sensitized the response of SW1990 cells to TGF-beta1-induced growth inhibition in
      vitro. Flow cytometric analyses revealed that the percentage of cells in the G1
      phase increased from 40.4% to 62.9% when Ski was downregulated. The
      subcutaneously transplanted tumors formed by SW1990/Ski RNAi grew much more
      slowly than those formed by parental and control vector-transfected cells.
      CONCLUSION: Ski acts as therapeutic target of QYHJ in the treatment of SW1990
      pancreatic cancer cells, and its expression status mediates different responses
      to QYHJ treatment.

PMID- 20308086
TI  - Toxicity and cytopathogenic properties toward human melanoma cells of activated
      cancer therapeutics in zebra fish.
AB  - There is an increasing body of data showing that activated cancer therapy--the
      synergistic effect of "preloaded" molecules and a tuned energy source to produce
      cytopathogenic moieties--is a promising new modality for cancer treatment. The
      key activated therapies are photodynamic therapy (PDT), which involves the
      synergy between light and photosensitizer molecules, and ultrasound activated
      therapy (USAT; also referred to as sonodynamic therapy), which involves the
      synergy between ultrasound and sonosensitizer molecules. PDT is a well-known
      activated therapy with roots dating back to 1900. However, minimal data exist on
      USAT. One reason is the lack of suitable sonosensitizers for clinical USAT use.
      The authors present both LC(50) toxicity and cancer cell cytotoxicity studies on
      2 dual activation agents. These compounds function as both sonosensitizers and
      photosensitizers, and are referred to as SonneLux agents, designated SF1 and SF2.
      The sensitizers are derived from chlorophyll and are metal centered porphyrins
      known to specifically accumulate in hyperproliferating tissue. LC(50) studies on
      both SF1 and SF2 as determined in zebra fish reveal that both are essentially
      nontoxic to zebra fish. In the worst case, 5% zebra fish death is noted at the
      maximum soluble concentration of the sensitizer. In the cytotoxicity studies,
      melanoma cell line WM-266-4, derived from a metastatic site of a malignant
      melanoma, was tested against SF1 and SF2. Both sensitizer systems showed marked
      efficacy in the destruction of the implanted melanoma cells. They show great
      promise for clinical use in the future.

PMID- 20308087
TI  - A case of recurred hepatocellular carcinoma refractory to doxorubicin after liver
      transplantation showing response to herbal medicine product, Rhus verniciflua
      Stokes extract.
AB  - There is no established protocol proven to be beneficial for treatment of
      hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after liver transplantation. Only a few
      reports have shown direct treatment by surgery or ablation to be independent
      predictors of survival for localized recurrence. Moreover, the necessity of
      immunosuppression to prevent allograft rejection makes many physicians hesitate
      to administer systemic chemotherapy. This case report documents a case in which
      the administration of an herbal product, an extract of the lacquer tree, Rhus
      verniciflua Stokes, was associated with a decrease in the size of lung metastases
      in a patient with recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation
      refractory to doxorubicin. This patient experienced prolonged survival compared
      with average survival times and little toxicity.

PMID- 20308089
TI  - Mutations and Brian Charlesworth.

PMID- 20308090
TI  - The population genetics of mutations: good, bad and indifferent.
AB  - Population genetics is fundamental to our understanding of evolution, and
      mutations are essential raw materials for evolution. In this introduction to more
      detailed papers that follow, we aim to provide an oversight of the field. We
      review current knowledge on mutation rates and their harmful and beneficial
      effects on fitness and then consider theories that predict the fate of individual
      mutations or the consequences of mutation accumulation for quantitative traits.
      Many advances in the past built on models that treat the evolution of mutations
      at each DNA site independently, neglecting linkage of sites on chromosomes and
      interactions of effects between sites (epistasis). We review work that addresses
      these limitations, to predict how mutations interfere with each other. An
      understanding of the population genetics of mutations of individual loci and of
      traits affected by many loci helps in addressing many fundamental and applied
      questions: for example, how do organisms adapt to changing environments, how did
      sex evolve, which DNA sequences are medically important, why do we age, which
      genetic processes can generate new species or drive endangered species to
      extinction, and how should policy on levels of potentially harmful mutagens
      introduced into the environment by humans be determined?

PMID- 20308091
TI  - Measurements of spontaneous rates of mutations in the recent past and the near
      future.
AB  - The rate of spontaneous mutation in natural populations is a fundamental
      parameter for many evolutionary phenomena. Because the rate of mutation is
      generally low, most of what is currently known about mutation has been obtained
      through indirect, complex and imprecise methodological approaches. However, in
      the past few years genome-wide sequencing of closely related individuals has made
      it possible to estimate the rates of mutation directly at the level of the DNA,
      avoiding most of the problems associated with using indirect methods. Here, we
      review the methods used in the past with an emphasis on next generation
      sequencing, which may soon make the accurate measurement of spontaneous mutation
      rates a matter of routine.

PMID- 20308092
TI  - Rate and effects of spontaneous mutations that affect fitness in mutator
      Escherichia coli.
AB  - Knowledge of the mutational parameters that affect the evolution of organisms is
      of key importance in understanding the evolution of several characteristics of
      many natural populations, including recombination and mutation rates. In this
      study, we estimated the rate and mean effect of spontaneous mutations that affect
      fitness in a mutator strain of Escherichia coli and review some of the estimation
      methods associated with mutation accumulation (MA) experiments. We performed an
      MA experiment where we followed the evolution of 50 independent mutator lines
      that were subjected to repeated bottlenecks of a single individual for
      approximately 1150 generations. From the decline in mean fitness and the increase
      in variance between lines, we estimated a minimum mutation rate to deleterious
      mutations of 0.005 (+/-0.001 with 95% confidence) and a maximum mean fitness
      effect per deleterious mutation of 0.03 (+/-0.01 with 95% confidence). We also
      show that any beneficial mutations that occur during the MA experiment have a
      small effect on the estimate of the rate and effect of deleterious mutations,
      unless their rate is extremely large. Extrapolating our results to the wild-type
      mutation rate, we find that our estimate of the mutational effects is slightly
      larger and the inferred deleterious mutation rate slightly lower than previous
      estimates obtained for non-mutator E. coli.

PMID- 20308093
TI  - What can we learn about the distribution of fitness effects of new mutations from
      DNA sequence data?
AB  - We investigate several questions concerning the inference of the distribution of
      fitness effects (DFE) of new mutations from the distribution of nucleotide
      frequencies in a population sample. If a fixed sequencing effort is available, we
      find that the optimum strategy is to sequence a modest number of alleles (approx.
      10). If full genome information is available, the accuracy of parameter estimates
      increases as the number of alleles sequenced increases, but with diminishing
      returns. It is unlikely that the DFE for single genes can be reliably estimated
      in organisms such as humans and Drosophila, unless genes are very large and we
      sequence hundreds or perhaps thousands of alleles. We consider models involving
      several discrete classes of mutations in which the selection strength and density
      apportioned to each class can vary. Models with three classes fit almost as well
      as four class models unless many hundreds of alleles are sequenced. Large numbers
      of alleles need to be sequenced to accurately estimate the distribution's mean
      and variance. Estimating complex DFEs may therefore be difficult. Finally, we
      examine models involving slightly advantageous mutations. We show that the
      distribution of the absolute strength of selection is well estimated if mutations
      are assumed to be unconditionally deleterious.

PMID- 20308094
TI  - The population genetics of beneficial mutations.
AB  - The population genetic study of advantageous mutations has lagged behind that of
      deleterious and neutral mutations. But over the past two decades, a number of
      significant developments, both theoretical and empirical, have occurred. Here, I
      review two of these developments: the attempt to determine the distribution of
      fitness effects among beneficial mutations and the attempt to determine their
      average dominance. Considering both theory and data, I conclude that, while
      considerable theoretical progress has been made, we still lack sufficient data to
      draw confident conclusions about the distribution of effects or the dominance of
      beneficial mutations.

PMID- 20308095
TI  - Forces that influence the evolution of codon bias.
AB  - The frequencies of alternative synonymous codons vary both among species and
      among genes from the same genome. These patterns have been inferred to reflect
      the action of natural selection. Here we evaluate this in bacteria. While
      intragenomic variation in many species is consistent with selection favouring
      translationally optimal codons, much of the variation among species appears to be
      due to biased patterns of mutation. The strength of selection on codon usage can
      be estimated by two different approaches. First, the extent of bias in favour of
      translationally optimal codons in highly expressed genes, compared to that in
      genes where selection is weak, reveals the long-term effectiveness of selection.
      Here we show that the strength of selected codon usage bias is highly correlated
      with bacterial growth rate, suggesting that selection has favoured translational
      efficiency. Second, the pattern of bias towards optimal codons at polymorphic
      sites reveals the ongoing action of selection. Using this approach we obtained
      results that were completely consistent with the first method; importantly, the
      frequency spectra of optimal codons at polymorphic sites were similar to those
      predicted under an equilibrium model. Highly expressed genes in Escherichia coli
      appear to be under continuing strong selection, whereas selection is very weak in
      genes expressed at low levels.

PMID- 20308096
TI  - What drives recombination hotspots to repeat DNA in humans?
AB  - Recombination between homologous, but non-allelic, stretches of DNA such as gene
      families, segmental duplications and repeat elements is an important source of
      mutation. In humans, recent studies have identified short DNA motifs that both
      determine the location of 40 per cent of meiotic cross-over hotspots and are
      significantly enriched at the breakpoints of recurrent non-allelic homologous
      recombination (NAHR) syndromes. Unexpectedly, the most highly penetrant form of
      the motif occurs on the background of an inactive repeat element family (THE1
      elements) and the motif also has strong recombinogenic activity on currently
      active element families including Alu and LINE2 elements. Analysis of genetic
      variation among members of these repeat families indicates an important role for
      NAHR in their evolution. Given the potential for double-strand breaks within
      repeat DNA to cause pathological rearrangement, the association between repeats
      and hotspots is surprising. Here we consider possible explanations for why
      selection acting against NAHR has not eliminated hotspots from repeat DNA
      including mechanistic constraints, possible benefits to repeat DNA from
      recruiting hotspots and rapid evolution of the recombination machinery. I suggest
      that rapid evolution of hotspot motifs may, surprisingly, tend to favour
      sequences present in repeat DNA and outline the data required to differentiate
      between hypotheses.

PMID- 20308097
TI  - Transposable elements in natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster.
AB  - Transposable elements (TEs) are families of small DNA sequences found in the
      genomes of virtually all organisms. The sequences typically encode essential
      components for the replicative transposition sequences of that TE family. Thus,
      TEs are simply genomic parasites that inflict detrimental mutations on the
      fitness of their hosts. Several models have been proposed for the containment of
      TE copy number in outbreeding host populations such as Drosophila. Surveys of the
      TEs in genomes from natural populations of Drosophila have played a central role
      in the investigation of TE dynamics. The early surveys indicated that a typical
      TE insertion is rare in a population, which has been interpreted as evidence that
      each TE is selected against. The proposed mechanisms of this natural selection
      are reviewed here. Subsequent and more targeted surveys identify heterogeneity
      among types of TEs and also highlight the large role of homologous and possibly
      ectopic crossing over in the dynamics of the Drosophila TEs. The recent discovery
      of germline-specific RNA interference via the piwi-interacting RNA pathway opens
      yet another interesting mechanism that may be critical in containing the copy
      number of TEs in natural populations of Drosophila. The expected flood of
      Drosophila population genomics is expected to rapidly advance understanding of
      the dynamics of TEs.

PMID- 20308099
TI  - On epistasis: why it is unimportant in polygenic directional selection.
AB  - There is a difference in viewpoint of developmental and evo-devo geneticists
      versus breeders and students of quantitative evolution. The former are interested
      in understanding the developmental process; the emphasis is on identifying genes
      and studying their action and interaction. Typically, the genes have individually
      large effects and usually show substantial dominance and epistasis. The latter
      group are interested in quantitative phenotypes rather than individual genes.
      Quantitative traits are typically determined by many genes, usually with little
      dominance or epistasis. Furthermore, epistatic variance has minimum effect, since
      the selected population soon arrives at a state in which the rate of change is
      given by the additive variance or covariance. Thus, the breeder's custom of
      ignoring epistasis usually gives a more accurate prediction than if epistatic
      variance were included in the formulae.

PMID- 20308098
TI  - Mutations and quantitative genetic variation: lessons from Drosophila.
AB  - A central issue in evolutionary quantitative genetics is to understand how
      genetic variation for quantitative traits is maintained in natural populations.
      Estimates of genetic variation and of genetic correlations and pleiotropy among
      multiple traits, inbreeding depression, mutation rates for fitness and
      quantitative traits and of the strength and nature of selection are all required
      to evaluate theoretical models of the maintenance of genetic variation. Studies
      in Drosophila melanogaster have shown that a substantial fraction of segregating
      variation for fitness-related traits in Drosophila is due to rare deleterious
      alleles maintained by mutation-selection balance, with a smaller but significant
      fraction attributable to intermediate frequency alleles maintained by alleles
      with antagonistic pleiotropic effects, and late-age-specific effects. However,
      the nature of segregating variation for traits under stabilizing selection is
      less clear and requires more detailed knowledge of the loci, mutation rates,
      allelic effects and frequencies of molecular polymorphisms affecting variation in
      suites of pleiotropically connected traits. Recent studies in D. melanogaster
      have revealed unexpectedly complex genetic architectures of many quantitative
      traits, with large numbers of pleiotropic genes and alleles with sex-,
      environment- and genetic background-specific effects. Future genome wide
      association analyses of many quantitative traits on a common panel of fully
      sequenced Drosophila strains will provide much needed empirical data on the
      molecular genetic basis of quantitative traits.

PMID- 20308100
TI  - Genetic hitchhiking versus background selection: the controversy and its
      implications.
AB  - The controversy on the relative importance of background selection (BGS; against
      deleterious mutations) and genetic hitchhiking (associated with positive
      directional selection) in explaining patterns of nucleotide variation in natural
      populations stimulated research activities for almost a decade. Despite efforts
      from many theorists and empiricists, fundamental questions are still open, in
      particular, for the population genetics of regions of reduced recombination. On
      the other hand, the development of the BGS and hitchhiking models and the long
      struggle to distinguish them, all of which seem to be a purely academic exercise,
      led to quite practical advances that are useful for the identification of genes
      involved in adaptation and domestication.

PMID- 20308101
TI  - Beneficial mutations and the dynamics of adaptation in asexual populations.
AB  - We discuss the dynamics of adaptive evolution in asexual (clonal) populations.
      The classical 'periodic selection' model of clonal evolution assumed that
      beneficial mutations are very rare and therefore substitute unfettered into
      populations as occasional, isolated events. Newer models allow for the
      possibility that beneficial mutations are sufficiently common to coexist and
      compete for fixation within populations. Experimental evolution studies in
      microbes provide empirical support for stochastic models in which both selection
      and mutation are strong effects and clones compete for fixation; however, the
      relative importance of competition among clones bearing mutations of different
      selective effects versus competition among clones bearing multiple mutations
      remains unresolved. We provide some new theoretical results, moreover, suggesting
      that population dynamics consistent with the periodic selection model can arise
      even in a deterministic model that can accommodate a very high beneficial
      mutation rate.

PMID- 20308102
TI  - The role of meiotic drive in hybrid male sterility.
AB  - Meiotic drive causes the distortion of allelic segregation away from Mendelian
      expected ratios, often also reducing fecundity and favouring the evolution of
      drive suppressors. If different species evolve distinct drive-suppressor systems,
      then hybrid progeny may be sterile as a result of negative interactions of these
      systems' components. Although the hypothesis that meiotic drive may contribute to
      hybrid sterility, and thus species formation, fell out of favour early in the
      1990s, recent results showing an association between drive and sterility have
      resurrected this previously controversial idea. Here, we review the different
      forms of meiotic drive and their possible roles in speciation. We discuss the
      recent empirical evidence for a link between drive and hybrid male sterility,
      also suggesting a possible mechanistic explanation for this link in the context
      of chromatin remodelling. Finally, we revisit the population genetics of drive
      that allow it to contribute to speciation.

PMID- 20308103
TI  - Mutation and the evolution of ageing: from biometrics to system genetics.
AB  - A notable success for evolutionary genetics during the past century was to
      generate a coherent, quantitative explanation for an apparent evolutionary
      paradox: the tendency for multicellular organisms to show declining fitness with
      age (senescence, often referred to simply as 'ageing'). This general theory is
      now widely accepted and explains most of the features of senescence that are
      observed in natural and laboratory populations, but specific instantiations of
      that theory have been more controversial. To date, most of the empirical tests of
      these models have relied on data generated from biometric experiments. Modern
      population genetics and genomics provide new, and probably more powerful, ways to
      test ideas that are still controversial more than half a century after the
      original theory was developed. System-genetic experiments have the potential to
      address both evolutionary and mechanistic questions about ageing by identifying
      causal loci and the genetic networks with which they interact. Both the
      biometrical approaches and the newer approaches are reviewed here, with an
      emphasis on the challenges and limitations that each method faces.

PMID- 20308105
TI  - The next generation of biomaterial development.

PMID- 20308104
TI  - Mutation and the evolution of recombination.
AB  - Under the classical view, selection depends more or less directly on mutation:
      standing genetic variance is maintained by a balance between selection and
      mutation, and adaptation is fuelled by new favourable mutations. Recombination is
      favoured if it breaks negative associations among selected alleles, which
      interfere with adaptation. Such associations may be generated by negative
      epistasis, or by random drift (leading to the Hill-Robertson effect). Both
      deterministic and stochastic explanations depend primarily on the genomic
      mutation rate, U. This may be large enough to explain high recombination rates in
      some organisms, but seems unlikely to be so in general. Random drift is a more
      general source of negative linkage disequilibria, and can cause selection for
      recombination even in large populations, through the chance loss of new
      favourable mutations. The rate of species-wide substitutions is much too low to
      drive this mechanism, but local fluctuations in selection, combined with gene
      flow, may suffice. These arguments are illustrated by comparing the interaction
      between good and bad mutations at unlinked loci under the infinitesimal model.

PMID- 20308106
TI  - Building off-the-shelf tissue-engineered composites.
AB  - Rapid advances in technology have created the realistic possibility of
      personalized medicine. In 2000, Time magazine listed tissue engineering as one of
      the 'hottest 10 career choices'. However, in the past decade, only a handful of
      tissue-engineered products were translated to the clinical market and none were
      financially viable. The reality of complex business planning and the high
      investment, high-technology environment was not apparent, and the promise of
      tissue engineering was overstated. In the meantime, biologists were steadily
      applying three-dimensional benchtop tissue-culture systems for cellular research,
      but the systems were gelatinous and thus limited in their ability to facilitate
      the development of complex tissues. Now, the bioengineering literature has seen
      an emergence of literature describing biofabrication of tissues and organs.
      However, if one looks closely, again, the viable products appear distant. 'Rapid'
      prototyping to reproduce the intricate patterns of whole organs using large
      volumes of cellular components faces daunting challenges. Homogenous forms are
      being labelled 'tissues', but, in fact, do not represent the heterogeneous
      structure of the native biological system. In 2003, we disclosed the concept of
      combining rapid prototyping techniques with tissue engineering technologies to
      facilitate precision development of heterogeneous complex tissue-test systems,
      i.e. systems to be used for drug discovery and the study of cellular behaviour,
      biomedical devices and progression of disease. The focus of this paper is on the
      challenges we have faced since that time, moving this concept towards reality,
      using the case of breast tissue as an example.

PMID- 20308107
TI  - Wetting behaviour of laser synthetic surface microtextures on Ti-6Al-4V for
      bioapplication.
AB  - Wettability at the surface of an implant material plays a key role in its success
      as it modulates the protein adsorption and thereby influences cell attachment and
      tissue integration at the interface. Hence, surface engineering of implantable
      materials to enhance wettability to physiological fluid under in vivo conditions
      is an area of active research. In light of this, in the present work, laser-based
      optical interference and direct melting techniques were used to develop synthetic
      microtextures on Ti-6Al-4V alloys, and their effects on wettability were studied
      systematically. Improved wettability to simulated body fluid and distilled water
      was observed for Ca-P coatings obtained by direct melting technique. This
      superior wettability was attributed to both the appropriate surface chemistry and
      the three-dimensional surface features obtained using this technique. To assert a
      better control on surface texture and wettability, a three-dimensional thermal
      model based on COMSOL's multiphysics was employed to predict the features
      obtained by laser melting technique. The effect of physical texture and wetting
      on biocompatibility of laser-processed Ca-P coatings was evaluated in the
      preliminary efforts on culturing of mouse MC3T3-E1 osteoblast cells.

PMID- 20308108
TI  - Vascular tissue engineering by computer-aided laser micromachining.
AB  - Many conventional technologies for fabricating tissue engineering scaffolds are
      not suitable for fabricating scaffolds with patient-specific attributes. For
      example, many conventional technologies for fabricating tissue engineering
      scaffolds do not provide control over overall scaffold geometry or over cell
      position within the scaffold. In this study, the use of computer-aided laser
      micromachining to create scaffolds for vascular tissue networks was investigated.
      Computer-aided laser micromachining was used to construct patterned surfaces in
      agarose or in silicon, which were used for differential adherence and growth of
      cells into vascular tissue networks. Concentric three-ring structures were
      fabricated on agarose hydrogel substrates, in which the inner ring contained
      human aortic endothelial cells, the middle ring contained HA587 human elastin and
      the outer ring contained human aortic vascular smooth muscle cells. Basement
      membrane matrix containing vascular endothelial growth factor and heparin was to
      promote proliferation of human aortic endothelial cells within the vascular
      tissue networks. Computer-aided laser micromachining provides a unique approach
      to fabricate small-diameter blood vessels for bypass surgery as well as other
      artificial tissues with complex geometries.

PMID- 20308109
TI  - The role of disc-type crystal shape for micromechanical predictions of elasticity
      and strength of hydroxyapatite biomaterials.
AB  - The successful design of ceramic bone biomaterials is challenged by two competing
      requirements: on the one hand, such materials need to be stiff and strong, which
      would suggest a low porosity (of pore sizes in the 10-100 microm range) to be
      targeted; on the other hand, bone biomaterials need to be bioactive (in
      particular vascularized), which suggests a high porosity of such materials.
      Conclusively, reliable information on how porosity drives the stiffness and
      strength properties of ceramic bone biomaterials (tissue engineering scaffolds)
      is of great interest. In this context, mathematical models are increasingly being
      introduced into the field. Recently, self-consistent continuum micromechanics
      formulations have turned out as expressedly efficient and reliable tools to
      predict hydroxyapatite biomaterials' stiffness and strength, as a function of the
      biomaterial-specific porosity, and of the 'universal' properties of the
      individual hydroxyapatite crystals: their stiffness, strength and shape. However,
      the precise crystal shape can be suitably approximated by specific ellipsoidal
      shapes: while it was shown earlier that spherical shapes do not lead to
      satisfactory results, and that acicular shapes are an appropriate choice, we here
      concentrate on disc-type crystal shape as, besides needles, plates are often
      reported in micrographs of hydroxyapatite biomaterials. Disc-based model
      predictions of a substantial set of experimental data on stiffness and strength
      of hydroxyapatite biomaterials almost attain the quality of the very satisfactory
      needle-based models. This suggests that, as long as the crystal shape is clearly
      non-spherical, its precise shape is of secondary importance if stiffness and
      strength of hydroxyapatite biomaterials are predicted on the basis of continuum
      micromechanics, from their micromorphology and porosity.

PMID- 20308110
TI  - Molecular mechanisms of crystallization impacting calcium phosphate cements.
AB  - The biomineral calcium hydrogen phosphate dihydrate (CaHPO(4).2H(2)O), known as
      brushite, is a malleable material that both grows and dissolves faster than most
      other calcium minerals, including other calcium phosphate phases, calcium
      carbonates and calcium oxalates. Within the body, this ready formation and
      dissolution can play a role in certain diseases, such as kidney stone and plaque
      formation. However, these same properties, along with brushite's excellent
      biocompatibility, can be used to great benefit in making resorbable biomedical
      cements. To optimize cements, additives are commonly used to control
      crystallization kinetics and phase transformation. This paper describes the use
      of in situ scanning probe microscopy to investigate the role of several solution
      parameters and additives in brushite atomic step motion. Surprisingly, this work
      demonstrates that the activation barrier for phosphate (rather than calcium)
      incorporation limits growth kinetics and that additives such as magnesium,
      citrate and bisphosphonates each influence step motion in distinctly different
      ways. Our findings provide details of how, and where, molecules inhibit or
      accelerate kinetics. These insights have the potential to aid in designing
      molecules to target specific steps and to guide synergistic combinations of
      additives.

PMID- 20308111
TI  - Use of unnatural amino acids for design of novel organomodified clays as
      components of nanocomposite biomaterials.
AB  - Sodium montmorillonite (Na-MMT) clay was modified with three different unnatural
      amino acids in order to design intercalated clay structures that may be used for
      bone biomaterials applications. Prior work on polymer-clay nanocomposites (PCNs)
      has indicated the effect of the appropriate choice of modifiers on enhancing
      properties of PCNs. Our X-ray diffraction results indicate an increase in the d
      spacing of Na-MMT clay after it was modified with the three unnatural amino
      acids. Transmission Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy experiments were
      carried out on the unmodified and modified MMT clay samples to study the
      molecular interactions between the amino acids used as modifiers and the Na-MMT
      clay. Cell culture experiments showed that the Na-MMT clay modified with the
      three amino acids was biocompatible as were the modified clay-incorporated films
      of chitosan/polygalacturonic acid/hydroxyapatite.

PMID- 20308112
TI  - Novel synthesis strategies for natural polymer and composite biomaterials as
      potential scaffolds for tissue engineering.
AB  - Recent developments in tissue engineering approaches frequently revolve around
      the use of three-dimensional scaffolds to function as the template for cellular
      activities to repair, rebuild and regenerate damaged or lost tissues. While there
      are several biomaterials to select as three-dimensional scaffolds, it is
      generally agreed that a biomaterial to be used in tissue engineering needs to
      possess certain material characteristics such as biocompatibility, suitable
      surface chemistry, interconnected porosity, desired mechanical properties and
      biodegradability. The use of naturally derived polymers as three-dimensional
      scaffolds has been gaining widespread attention owing to their favourable
      attributes of biocompatibility, low cost and ease of processing. This paper
      discusses the synthesis of various polysaccharide-based, naturally derived
      polymers, and the potential of using these biomaterials to serve as tissue
      engineering three-dimensional scaffolds is also evaluated. In this study,
      naturally derived polymers, specifically cellulose, chitosan, alginate and
      agarose, and their composites, are examined. Single-component scaffolds of plain
      cellulose, plain chitosan and plain alginate as well as composite scaffolds of
      cellulose-alginate, cellulose-agarose, cellulose-chitosan, chitosan-alginate and
      chitosan-agarose are synthesized, and their suitability as tissue engineering
      scaffolds is assessed. It is shown that naturally derived polymers in the form of
      hydrogels can be synthesized, and the lyophilization technique is used to
      synthesize various composites comprising these natural polymers. The composite
      scaffolds appear to be sponge-like after lyophilization. Scanning electron
      microscopy is used to demonstrate the formation of an interconnected porous
      network within the polymeric scaffold following lyophilization. It is also
      established that HeLa cells attach and proliferate well on scaffolds of
      cellulose, chitosan or alginate. The synthesis protocols reported in this study
      can therefore be used to manufacture naturally derived polymer-based scaffolds as
      potential biomaterials for various tissue engineering applications.

PMID- 20308113
TI  - Next-generation biomedical implants using additive manufacturing of complex,
      cellular and functional mesh arrays.
AB  - In this paper, we examine prospects for the manufacture of patient-specific
      biomedical implants replacing hard tissues (bone), particularly knee and hip
      stems and large bone (femoral) intramedullary rods, using additive manufacturing
      (AM) by electron beam melting (EBM). Of particular interest is the fabrication of
      complex functional (biocompatible) mesh arrays. Mesh elements or unit cells can
      be divided into different regions in order to use different cell designs in
      different areas of the component to produce various or continually varying
      (functionally graded) mesh densities. Numerous design elements have been used to
      fabricate prototypes by AM using EBM of Ti-6Al-4V powders, where the densities
      have been compared with the elastic (Young) moduli determined by resonant
      frequency and damping analysis. Density optimization at the bone-implant
      interface can allow for bone ingrowth and cementless implant components.
      Computerized tomography (CT) scans of metal (aluminium alloy) foam have also
      allowed for the building of Ti-6Al-4V foams by embedding the digital-layered
      scans in computer-aided design or software models for EBM. Variations in mesh
      complexity and especially strut (or truss) dimensions alter the cooling and
      solidification rate, which alters the alpha-phase (hexagonal close-packed)
      microstructure by creating mixtures of alpha/alpha' (martensite) observed by
      optical and electron metallography. Microindentation hardness measurements are
      characteristic of these microstructures and microstructure mixtures
      (alpha/alpha') and sizes.

PMID- 20308115
TI  - Biomimetic hydroxyapatite-containing composite nanofibrous substrates for bone
      tissue engineering.
AB  - The fracture of bones and large bone defects owing to various traumas or natural
      ageing is a typical type of tissue malfunction. Surgical treatment frequently
      requires implantation of a temporary or permanent prosthesis, which is still a
      challenge for orthopaedic surgeons, especially in the case of large bone defects.
      Mimicking nanotopography of natural extracellular matrix (ECM) is advantageous
      for the successful regeneration of damaged tissues or organs. Electrospun
      nanofibre-based synthetic and natural polymer scaffolds are being explored as a
      scaffold similar to natural ECM for tissue engineering applications.
      Nanostructured materials are smaller in size falling, in the 1-100 nm range, and
      have specific properties and functions related to the size of the natural
      materials (e.g. hydroxyapatite (HA)). The development of nanofibres with nano-HA
      has enhanced the scope of fabricating scaffolds to mimic the architecture of
      natural bone tissue. Nanofibrous substrates supporting adhesion, proliferation,
      differentiation of cells and HA induce the cells to secrete ECM for
      mineralization to form bone in bone tissue engineering. Our laboratory (NUSNNI,
      NUS) has been fabricating a variety of synthetic and natural polymer-based
      nanofibrous substrates and synthesizing HA for blending and spraying on
      nanofibres for generating artificial ECM for bone tissue regeneration. The
      present review is intended to direct the reader's attention to the important
      subjects of synthetic and natural polymers with HA for bone tissue engineering.

PMID- 20308114
TI  - Atomic layer deposition-based functionalization of materials for medical and
      environmental health applications.
AB  - Nanoporous alumina membranes exhibit high pore densities, well-controlled and
      uniform pore sizes, as well as straight pores. Owing to these unusual properties,
      nanoporous alumina membranes are currently being considered for use in
      implantable sensor membranes and water purification membranes. Atomic layer
      deposition is a thin-film growth process that may be used to modify the pore size
      in a nanoporous alumina membrane while retaining a narrow pore distribution. In
      addition, films deposited by means of atomic layer deposition may impart improved
      biological functionality to nanoporous alumina membranes. In this study, zinc
      oxide coatings and platinum coatings were deposited on nanoporous alumina
      membranes by means of atomic layer deposition. PEGylated nanoporous alumina
      membranes were prepared by self-assembly of 1-mercaptoundec-11-yl hexa(ethylene
      glycol) on platinum-coated nanoporous alumina membranes. The pores of the
      PEGylated nanoporous alumina membranes remained free of fouling after exposure to
      human platelet-rich plasma; protein adsorption, fibrin networks and platelet
      aggregation were not observed on the coated membrane surface. Zinc oxide-coated
      nanoporous alumina membranes demonstrated activity against two waterborne
      pathogens, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The results of this work
      indicate that nanoporous alumina membranes may be modified using atomic layer
      deposition for use in a variety of medical and environmental health applications.

PMID- 20308116
TI  - Osteoblast adhesion, proliferation and growth on polyelectrolyte complex
      hydroxyapatite nanocomposites.
AB  - In this work, we have investigated osteoblast adhesion, proliferation and
      differentiation on nanocomposites of chitosan, polygalacturonic acid (PgA) and
      hydroxyapatite. These studies were done on both two- and three-dimensional
      (scaffold) samples. Atomic force microscopy experiments showed nanostructuring of
      film samples. Scaffolds were prepared by freeze-drying methods. The mechanical
      response and porosity of the scaffolds were also determined. The compressive
      elastic modulus and compressive strength were determined to be around 0.9 and
      0.023 MPa, respectively, and the porosity of these scaffolds was found to be
      around 97 per cent. Human osteoblast cells were used to study their adhesion,
      proliferation and differentiation. Optical images were collected after different
      intervals of time of seeding cells. This study indicated that
      chitosan/PgA/hydroxyapatite nanocomposite films and scaffolds promote cellular
      adhesion, proliferation and differentiation. The formation of bone-like nodules
      was observed after 7 days of seeding cells. The nodule size continues to increase
      with time, and after 20 days the size of some nodules was around 735 microm.
      Scanning electron microscope images of nodules showed the presence of
      extracellular matrix. The alizarin red S staining technique was used to confirm
      mineralization of these nodules.

PMID- 20308117
TI  - Biomaterials by freeze casting.
AB  - The functional requirements for synthetic tissue substitutes appear deceptively
      simple: they should provide a porous matrix with interconnecting porosity and
      surface properties that promote rapid tissue ingrowth; at the same time, they
      should possess sufficient stiffness, strength and toughness to prevent crushing
      under physiological loads until full integration and healing are reached. Despite
      extensive efforts and first encouraging results, current biomaterials for tissue
      regeneration tend to suffer common limitations: insufficient tissue-material
      interaction and an inherent lack of strength and toughness associated with
      porosity. The challenge persists to synthesize materials that mimic both
      structure and mechanical performance of the natural tissue and permit strong
      tissue-implant interfaces to be formed. In the case of bone substitute materials,
      for example, the goal is to engineer high-performance composites with effective
      properties that, similar to natural mineralized tissue, exceed by orders of
      magnitude the properties of its constituents. It is still difficult with current
      technology to emulate in synthetic biomaterials multi-level hierarchical
      composite structures that are thought to be the origin of the observed mechanical
      property amplification in biological materials. Freeze casting permits to
      manufacture such complex, hybrid materials through excellent control of
      structural and mechanical properties. As a processing technique for the
      manufacture of biomaterials, freeze casting therefore has great promise.

PMID- 20308118
TI  - Biologically active collagen-based scaffolds: advances in processing and
      characterization.
AB  - A small number of type I collagen-glycosaminoglycan scaffolds (collagen-GAG
      scaffolds; CGSs) have unusual biological activity consisting primarily in
      inducing partial regeneration of organs in the adult mammal. Two of these are
      currently in use in a variety of clinical settings. CGSs appear to induce
      regeneration by blocking the adult healing response, following trauma, consisting
      of wound contraction and scar formation. Several structural determinants of
      biological activity have been identified, including ligands for binding of
      fibroblasts to the collagen surface, the mean pore size (which affects ligand
      density) and the degradation rate (which affects the duration of the wound
      contraction-blocking activity by the scaffold). Processing variables that affect
      these determinants include the kinetics of swelling of collagen fibres in acetic
      acid, freezing of the collagen-GAG suspension and cross-linking of the freeze
      dried scaffold. Recent developments in the processing of CGSs include fabrication
      of scaffolds that are paucidisperse in pore size, scaffolds with gradients in
      physicochemical properties (and therefore biological activity) and scaffolds that
      incorporate a mineral component. Advances in the characterization of the pore
      structure of CGSs have been made using confocal and nonlinear optical microscopy
      (NLOM). The mechanical behaviour of CGSs, as well as the resistance to
      degradative enzymes, have been studied. Following seeding with cells (typically
      fibroblasts), contractile forces in the range 26-450 nN per cell are generated by
      the cells, leading to buckling of scaffold struts. Ongoing studies of cell-seeded
      CGSs with NLOM have shown an advantage over the use of confocal microscopy due to
      the ability of the former method to image the CGS surfaces without staining
      (which alters its surface ligands), reduced cell photodamage, reduced fluorophore
      photobleaching and the ability to image deeper inside the scaffold.

PMID- 20308119
TI  - Infliximab may be effective in the treatment of steroid-resistant eosinophilic
      fasciitis: report of three cases.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: EF is a rare fibrosing disorder that may involve skin and internal
      organs. Current therapies include moderate- to high-dose glucocorticoids with or
      without use of immunosuppressives. METHODS: We report three cases of steroid
      resistant EF in clinical practice who were treated with 3 mg/kg every 8 weeks
      infliximab therapy. RESULTS: All patients noticed an improvement in their
      symptoms, joint contractures and skin thickening within 8 weeks of starting
      infliximab therapy, ultimately leading to a drug-free remission (range 1-3
      years). CONCLUSION: Based on this and other reported cases, infliximab may be
      beneficial in patients with steroid-resistant EF.

PMID- 20308120
TI  - BSR and BHPR rheumatoid arthritis guidelines on eligibility criteria for the
      first biological therapy.

PMID- 20308121
TI  - BSR and BHPR rheumatoid arthritis guidelines on eligibility criteria for the
      first biological therapy.

PMID- 20308122
TI  - Sleepiness or fatigue? Can we detect treatable causes of tiredness in primary
      Sjogren's syndrome?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence of fatigue and daytime sleepiness in primary
      SS (pSS) and analyse predicting sleep disturbing factors and other potential
      determinants of fatigue and sleepiness. METHOD: Seventy-two consecutive pSS
      patients and 59 age-matched healthy controls were compared. Assessment
      instruments were profile of fatigue (ProF), visual analogue scale fatigue,
      Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, restless
      legs syndrome (RLS) Diagnostic Criteria and Lund University Sleep Questionnaire.
      In addition, markers of immune disturbance, inflammation and disease activity
      using the European League Against Rheumatism SS Disease Activity Index were
      analysed in patients. RESULTS: Fatigue, especially somatic fatigue, is the main
      problem for pSS patients. Sleepiness is a minor problem. Patients had
      significantly more often anxiety, nocturia and woke up more frequently during the
      night than controls. The factors that predicted daytime fatigue in pSS patients
      were anxiety and nightly awakenings due to pain. Nocturia was frequent but was
      not associated with fatigue or sleepiness. RLS, depression and sicca symptoms
      contributed to fatigue in the univariate regression analysis only. CONCLUSIONS:
      This is the first study demonstrating not only the presence of disturbed sleep,
      but also that nightly musculoskeletal pain and other sleep disturbing factors and
      anxiety significantly influence fatigue. Management strategies aimed at these
      aspects should therefore be included in future trials for treatment of fatigue in
      pSS.

PMID- 20308123
TI  - Abstracts of the British Society for Rheumatology Annual Meeting and the British
      Health Professionals in Rheumatology Meeting. Birmingham, United Kingdom. April
      21-23, 2010.

PMID- 20308160
TI  - Analytical approaches to RNA profiling data for the identification of genes
      enriched in specific cells.
AB  - We have recently developed a novel method for the affinity purification of the
      complete suite of translating mRNA from genetically labeled cell populations.
      This method permits comprehensive quantitative comparisons of the genes employed
      by each specific cell type. We provide a detailed description of tools for
      analysis of data generated with this and related methodologies. An essential
      question that arises from these data is how to identify those genes that are
      enriched in each cell type relative to all others. Genes relatively specifically
      employed by a cell type may contribute to the unique functions of that cell, and
      thus may become useful targets for development of pharmacological tools for cell
      specific manipulations. We describe here a novel statistic, the specificity
      index, which can be used for comparative quantitative analysis to identify genes
      enriched in specific cell populations across a large number of profiles. This
      measure correctly predicts in situ hybridization patterns for many cell types. We
      apply this measure to a large survey of CNS cell-specific microarray data to
      identify those genes that are significantly enriched in each population Data and
      algorithms are available online (www.bactrap.org).

PMID- 20308161
TI  - Synthesis of high-quality libraries of long (150mer) oligonucleotides by a novel
      depurination controlled process.
AB  - We have achieved the ability to synthesize thousands of unique, long
      oligonucleotides (150mers) in fmol amounts using parallel synthesis of DNA on
      microarrays. The sequence accuracy of the oligonucleotides in such large-scale
      syntheses has been limited by the yields and side reactions of the DNA synthesis
      process used. While there has been significant demand for libraries of long
      oligos (150mer and more), the yields in conventional DNA synthesis and the
      associated side reactions have previously limited the availability of
      oligonucleotide pools to lengths <100 nt. Using novel array based depurination
      assays, we show that the depurination side reaction is the limiting factor for
      the synthesis of libraries of long oligonucleotides on Agilent Technologies'
      SurePrint DNA microarray platform. We also demonstrate how depurination can be
      controlled and reduced by a novel detritylation process to enable the synthesis
      of high quality, long (150mer) oligonucleotide libraries and we report the
      characterization of synthesis efficiency for such libraries. Oligonucleotide
      libraries prepared with this method have changed the economics and availability
      of several existing applications (e.g. targeted resequencing, preparation of
      shRNA libraries, site-directed mutagenesis), and have the potential to enable
      even more novel applications (e.g. high-complexity synthetic biology).

PMID- 20308162
TI  - A rationally designed peptide enhances homologous recombination in vitro and
      resistance to DNA damaging agents in vivo.
AB  - The RecA family of proteins is essential in homologous recombination, a critical
      step in DNA repair. Here, we report that a rationally-designed small peptide
      based on the crystal structure of Escherichia coli RecA-DNA complex can promote
      homologous recombination through the enhancement of both RecA-mediated strand
      assimilation and three-strand exchange activity. Among 17 peptides tested,
      peptide #3 with the amino acid sequence of IRFLTARRR has the most potent activity
      in promoting the RecA-mediated D-loop formation by approximately 7.2-fold at 37
      degrees C. Other peptides such as IRFLTAKKK and IRLLTARRR also have similar,
      albeit lower, activities. Therefore, hydrophobicity and poly-positive charges,
      and the space between them in those small peptides are crucial features for such
      activities. The enhancement of recombination by these peptides appears to be a
      general phenomenon as similar results were seen by using different plasmids.
      Remarkably, peptide #3 alone without RecA can also promote the D-loop formation
      at elevated temperature. Cell viability assays showed that the peptide elevates
      mammalian cell resistance to two cytotoxic DNA drugs, cisplatin and doxorubicin.
      The rescue of viability may result from increased DNA repair efficiency. Such
      peptides may find future biological applications.

PMID- 20308163
TI  - Integration of stable extracellular DNA released from Escherichia coli into the
      Bacillus subtilis genome vector by culture mix method.
AB  - The stable cloning of giant DNA is a necessary process in the production of
      recombinant/synthetic genomes. Handling DNA molecules in test tubes becomes
      increasingly difficult as their size increases, particularly above 100 kb. The
      need to prepare such large DNA molecules in a regular manner has limited giant
      DNA cloning to certain laboratories. Recently, we found stable plasmid DNA of up
      to 100 kb in Escherichia coli culture medium during the infection and propagation
      of lambda phage. The extracellular plasmid DNA (excpDNA) released from lysed E.
      coli was demonstrably stable enough to be taken up by competent Bacillus subtilis
      also present in the medium. ExcpDNA transfer, induced by simply mixing E. coli
      lysate with recipient B. subtilis, required no biochemical purification of the
      DNA. Here, this simple protocol was used to integrate excpDNA into a B. subtilis
      genome, designated the 'BGM vector'. A slightly modified protocol for DNA cloning
      in BGM is presented for DNA fragments >100 kb. This technique should facilitate
      giant DNA cloning in the BGM vector and allow its application to other hosts that
      can undergo natural transformation.

PMID- 20308164
TI  - Quantitative profiling of the full APOBEC3 mRNA repertoire in lymphocytes and
      tissues: implications for HIV-1 restriction.
AB  - The human APOBEC3 proteins are DNA cytidine deaminases that impede the
      replication of many different transposons and viruses. The genes that encode
      APOBEC3A, APOBEC3B, APOBEC3C, APOBEC3D, APOBEC3F, APOBEC3G and APOBEC3H were
      generated through relatively recent recombination events. The resulting high
      degree of inter-relatedness has complicated the development of specific
      quantitative PCR assays for these genes despite considerable interest in
      understanding their expression profiles. Here, we describe a set of quantitative
      PCR assays that specifically measures the mRNA levels of each APOBEC3 gene. The
      specificity and sensitivity of each assay was validated using a full matrix of
      APOBEC3 cDNA templates. The assays were used to quantify the APOBEC3 repertoire
      in multiple human T-cell lines, bulk leukocytes and leukocyte subsets, and 20
      different human tissues. The data demonstrate that multiple APOBEC3 genes are
      expressed constitutively in most types of cells and tissues, and that distinct
      APOBEC3 genes are induced upon T-cell activation and interferon treatment. These
      data help define the APOBEC3 repertoire relevant to HIV-1 restriction in T cells,
      and they suggest a general model in which multiple APOBEC3 proteins function
      together to provide a constitutive barrier to foreign genetic elements, which can
      be fortified by transcriptional induction.

PMID- 20308165
TI  - Spontaneous aortic arch thrombus presenting as acute critical limb ischemia.
AB  - We report a case of a 52-year-old male who presented with acute leg ischemia and
      underwent successful femoral embolectomy and fasciotomies. Investigations
      revealed a pedunculated mass in the aortic arch, floating under the innominate
      and left common carotid arteries. Urgent resection was performed through a
      longitudinal aortotomy with deep hypothermic circulatory arrest and axillary
      artery perfusion to reveal a 2.5 x 1.5 cm pedunculated mass attached to the
      posterior aspect of the arch that was resected. Histology revealed thrombus
      material prompting lifelong systemic anticoagulation. On 3 months follow-up, the
      patient had returned to normal activities and computed tomography confirmed
      complete resection without recurrence. This case study demonstrates that
      spontaneous thrombus formation is possible in high-flow vascular regions such as
      the aortic arch and also confirms the importance of evaluating central sources of
      thromboemboli in patients presenting with acute limb ischemia. Urgent surgical
      removal is recommended and can be performed safely.

PMID- 20308166
TI  - A study of patient satisfaction following endothermal ablation for varicose
      veins.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate patient satisfaction following endothermal ablation for
      varicose veins (VVs). METHODS: A 12-question survey was sent to consecutive
      patients treated with endothermal ablation--questions related to preprocedure
      symptoms, recurrence, further treatments, and patient satisfaction. RESULTS:
      Questionnaires sent a median 12 (range 6-22) months postintervention were
      returned by 177 (60.0%) of 295 patients; 63 (35.6%) of 177 received treatment for
      recurrent VVs. Preintervention symptoms included aching (141 [79.7%] of 177),
      swelling (86 [48.6%] of 177), and heaviness (72 [40.7%] of 177). Improvements in
      preoperative symptoms were reported by 82.5% (146 of 177). Postintervention
      recurrence was reported by 87 (49.4%) of 177; 61 (70.1%) of 87 reported a few
      recurrent varicosities only. Further treatment was required by 11 (6.2%) of 177;
      79 (44.6%) of 177 of patients reported no complications. The majority (151
      [85.8%] of 176) were satisfied with their treatment. In all, 16 (25.4%) of 62 of
      patients treated for recurrent VVs were dissatisfied versus 9 (7.9%) of 114 of
      those with primary VVs (P = .0026). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of patients are
      satisfied with results following endothermal ablation. Dissatisfaction may be
      more likely following treatment for recurrent VVs.

PMID- 20308167
TI  - An evaluation of the use of carbon dioxide angiography in endovascular aortic
      aneurysm repair.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Renal dysfunction after endovascular aortic aneurysm repair is an
      increasingly recognised problem. Carbon dioxide (CO(2)) angiography has been used
      to limit the risk of contrast nephrotoxicity during endovascular procedures. This
      prospective study evaluates the performance of CO(2) angiography during EVAR.
      METHODS: Seventeen patients undergoing EVAR over a 12 month period were included.
      All were males with a median age of 74 (range 62-86) years. The median
      preoperative creatinine was 105 (range 77-165) micromol/L. CO(2) angiography was
      used routinely in all patients for graft positioning. Contrast was used for
      completion angiograms and whenever CO(2) did not satisfactorily demonstrate the
      anatomy. RESULTS: All patients had successful deployment of stent graft. The
      median contrast usage was 59 (range 20-250)ml. CO( 2) angiography successfully
      demonstrated the aortic and iliac bifurcation in all 17 cases and the renal
      artery anatomy in 9. 7 out of 17 patients had both CO(2) and contrast completion
      angiography. CO(2) correlated with contrast angiography in 6 of the 7 patients.
      There was no significant difference in pre and post-operative creatinine values
      (P >0.9; Wilcoxon test). CONCLUSION: CO(2) angiography is a useful adjunct to
      contrast during the performance of EVAR and helps reduce contrast load and the
      risk of contrast nephrotoxicity.

PMID- 20308168
TI  - Anesthetic experience with endovascular aortic aneurysm repair.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We endeavored to characterize the anesthesia experience with
      endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) at a large academic medical center in the
      United States. METHODS: A retrospective review of electronic medical records was
      conducted for all patients undergoing elective EVAR from 2002 to 2007 in a large
      academic medical center. RESULTS: A total of 522 cases met inclusion criteria,
      with 4% of cases using general anesthesia (GA), 92% regional anesthesia (RA), and
      4% local anesthesia (LA). There was no statistically significant difference
      between the groups for duration of surgery or in-hospital mortality. In-hospital
      length of stay was longer for GA than LA or RA. Four cases were converted to open
      repair. Two mortalities occurred during the perioperative period (0.4% of cases).
      CONCLUSIONS: The vast majority of EVAR were successfully performed under RA,
      involved mild blood loss, involved infrequent need for conversion to GA, and
      resulted in brief in-hospital length of stay and low mortality rate.

PMID- 20308169
TI  - A prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled study evaluating the efficacy of
      dexmedetomidine for sedation during vascular procedures.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the efficacy of dexmedetomidine (DEX) as a primary sedative
      during vascular procedures performed under monitored anesthesia care (MAC). A
      total of 55 patients were randomized in a 2:2:1 ratio to receive either DEX 1.0
      microg/kg load or DEX 0.5 microg/kg load versus midazolam (MDZ) boluses, the
      current standard of care. This was followed by a maintenance infusion of DEX
      versus a normal saline infusion for the control group. Midazolam was given in 0.5
      mg increments to maintain an equivalent target level of sedation among the 3
      study groups. Fentanyl was given in 25 microg increments to treat pain as needed.
      The percentage of DEX patients not requiring MDZ and the total dose of MDZ and
      fentanyl were compared to the control. Dexmedetomidine was efficacious as a sole
      sedative for 50% of patients. The total dose of MDZ and fentanyl was
      significantly less during the DEX infusions. Patient satisfaction was superior
      with DEX.

PMID- 20308170
TI  - The diagnosis and management of aortic dissection.
AB  - Aortic dissection represents the most common aortic emergency, affecting 3 to 4
      per 100,000 people per year and is still associated with a high mortality. Twenty
      percent of the patients with aortic dissection die before reaching hospital and
      30% die during hospital admission. Aortic dissections may be classified in 3
      ways: according to their anatomical extent (the Stanford or DeBakey systems),
      according to the time from onset (acute or chronic), and according to the
      underlying pathology (the European Society of Cardiologists' system). Advances in
      endovascular technology have provided new treatment options. Hybrid endovascular
      and conventional open surgical repair represent the mainstay of treatment for
      acute type A dissection. Medical management remains the gold standard for acute
      and uncomplicated chronic type B dissection, though endovascular surgery offers
      exciting potential in the management of complicated type B dissection through
      sealing of the intimal entry tear.

PMID- 20308171
TI  - Outcome in patients requiring renal replacement therapy after open surgical
      repair for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between postoperative renal replacement
      therapy (RRT) and patient survival after open surgical repair (OR) of ruptured
      abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA). METHODS: A retrospective review of consecutive
      patients who underwent OR for rAAA repair between January 2002 and July 2008 was
      performed. Early (<30 days) and late (>30 days) outcomes were assessed. RESULTS:
      A total of 94 patients (69 men; median [range] age 73.8 [56-89] years) underwent
      OR of rAAA (infrarenal = 78, juxtarenal = 15, and suprarenal = 1). In-hospital
      mortality rate was 40% and mean (range) length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay
      was 9.3 (0-56) days. A total of 23 (24%) patients required postoperative RRT. In
      hospital mortality rate was significantly higher (RRT: 87% (20 of 23) vs no RRT:
      18 of 71 (25%), P < .0001) and ICU stay significantly longer (RRT: mean (range)
      days; 14.8 (1-44) vs no RRT: 7.5 (0-56), P = .04) in the RRT patients. On
      multivariate analysis, RRT (P = .0053) and/or inotropic support (P = .0033) were
      independent risk factors for death within 30 days of the index procedure.
      CONCLUSIONS: Renal replacement therapy following OR of rAAA is an independent
      risk factor for mortality.

PMID- 20308172
TI  - Postdischarge outcomes of blunt cerebrovascular injuries.
AB  - A retrospective review was conducted to assess outcomes of blunt cerebrovascular
      injuries (BCVIs) diagnosed in a 14-month period at a level-1 trauma center and
      evaluated postdischarge at a single vascular practice. Twenty-nine patients with
      34 BCVIs (10 carotid; 24 vertebral) were admitted. Eleven (37.9%) patients were
      treated with combined anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapy, 9 (31.0%) with
      anticoagulation, and 4 (13.8%) with antiplatelets. Five (17.2%) patients
      underwent observation. Seventeen (58.6%) patients (19 injuries) returned for
      follow-up evaluation. At a mean follow-up of 9.2 weeks, all patients had normal
      neurological examinations with no complications. Sixteen (84.2%) BCVIs resolved.
      Anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapies were equally effective in preventing
      cerebral infarction. Although the majority of lesions resolve, BCVIs have the
      ability to progress and often require surgical intervention. Routine follow-up
      after discharge is warranted for all BCVIs and should include repeat computed
      tomography angiography (CTA) with bilateral carotid/vertebral duplex ultrasound
      (US) as a physiological test.

PMID- 20308173
TI  - Double microcatheter single vascular access embolization technique for complex
      peripheral vascular pathology.
AB  - The authors describe an embolization technique that allows safe, controllable
      exclusion of complex vascular pathologies using a single vascular access and 2
      microcatheters. This technique is particularly useful in situations where high
      flow increases the risk of coil migration and nontarget embolization and in large
      aneurysms. It affords precise placement and repositioning of coils. This method
      was used to treat patients with pulmonary arteriovenous malformations, renal
      arteriovenous fistulae and aneurysms, visceral arterial aneurysms and
      pseudoaneurysms, an aortic pseudoaneurysm, and occlusion of native parent
      vessels. The technique facilitated safe and successful endovascular closure in
      all cases.

PMID- 20308175
TI  - Abdominal aortic aneurysms in triplets.
AB  - We report the case of 3 male triplets, 2 of whom, both lifelong smokers,
      presented with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) within 24 hours of each
      other. One survived surgery but the other died from the rupture. The third
      brother, an ex-smoker, was found to have an ectatic aorta and was placed into a
      surveillance program. This case highlights and discusses the combination of
      genetic and environmental factors that underpin the etiology of aneurysms and
      demonstrates the importance of assessing first-degree relatives of patients
      presenting with AAA.

PMID- 20308174
TI  - Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography following subintimal
      recanalization.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe the appearance of lower extremity runoff vessels following
      subintimal recanalization (SIR) on contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance
      angiography (ceMRA) and compare 2 different ceMRA techniques. METHODS: A total of
      6 patients underwent stepping table 3-dimensional (3D) ceMRA and time-resolved 2
      dimensional (2D) MRA within 1 to 3 days (mean 1.83 days) following SIR. The 2
      techniques were compared with intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography
      (DSA). RESULTS: A total of 15 arteries were recanalized in 6 patients. Three
      dimensional ceMRA allowed evaluation of patency in all segments above the knee.
      Postprocedural hyperemia impaired the assessment of the trifurcation vessels on
      3D ceMRA. Due to its higher temporal resolution 2D MRA was not affected by venous
      contamination and allowed reliable confirmation of patency of the recanalized
      vessels. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnostic MRA studies of the lower extremity runoff
      vessels following SIR is possible, but a hybrid technique using a stepping table
      MR DSA and a time-resolved sequence like 2D MRA of the calf station is necessary
      for runoff assessment.

PMID- 20308176
TI  - Endovascular management of congenital atresia of the infrarenal IVC.
AB  - This case illustrates the feasibility of endovascular treatment for chronic
      venous insufficiency attributable to congenital atresia of the infrarenal
      inferior vena cava (IVC). Three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) venography
      can elucidate alternate sites of drainage and identify other venous pathology,
      such as dominant stenoses that may be amenable to venoplasty and/or stent
      placement.

PMID- 20308177
TI  - varLD: a program for quantifying variation in linkage disequilibrium patterns
      between populations.
AB  - MOTIVATION: Linkage disequilibrium (LD) differences between populations can
      potentially result in failure to replicate primary signals of trait association
      in independent genome-wide association studies (GWAS). However, such inter
      population LD differences can be leveraged to narrow the search for common causal
      variants responsible for the association signals observed. The ability to assess
      and quantify LD variations among populations is thus expected to contribute to
      both replication and fine-mapping stages of GWAS. AVAILABILITY: The program varLD
      is available for download from http://www.nus-cme.org.sg/software/varld.html.

PMID- 20308179
TI  - Latest tuberculosis statistics are a "wake-up call for all governments to act
      immediately".

PMID- 20308182
TI  - Sexual health consultation for men who have sex with men.

PMID- 20308183
TI  - Patent on BRCA1 gene should never have been granted, researchers say.

PMID- 20308186
TI  - Global Fund will eliminate vertical transmission of HIV by 2015 if funding
      continues at present level, report says.

PMID- 20308188
TI  - Health payment-induced poverty under China's New Cooperative Medical Scheme in
      rural Shandong.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To measure the incidence and severity of health payment-induced
      poverty of rural households under the New Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS) in
      rural Shandong, China. METHOD: We collected primary data from a household survey
      to identify catastrophic health payments and measure associated health payment
      induced poverty in a county of Shandong province. From a stratified random
      cluster sample of 3101 households, 375 households that might be at risk of
      catastrophic payments were identified and interviewed. A validity test of the
      screening method was conducted, from which we obtained the adjusted total number
      of households with catastrophic payments in the sample of 3101. The health
      payment-induced poverty incidence and severity were compared without and with
      NCMS reimbursements. RESULTS: Before the NCMS intervention, 5.06% of the sample
      households fell below the national poverty line due to health payments in 2004,
      compared with 4.03% after reimbursements. With NCMS reimbursements, the health
      payment-induced poverty gap of those households still remaining below the Chinese
      national poverty line dropped by 19.2% to an average of 977.2 Yuan. CONCLUSION:
      Out-of-pocket health payments remain a severe burden for rural households.
      Financial protection from the NCMS was limited.

PMID- 20308190
TI  - A comparison of two assessment systems in predicting functional outcomes of older
      rehabilitation patients.

PMID- 20308191
TI  - Intracoronary infusion of selected autologous bone marrow stem cells improves
      longitudinal myocardial strain and strain rate in patients with old anterior
      myocardial infarction without recent revascularization.
AB  - AIMS: We sought to evaluate the efficacy of intracoronary infusion of selected
      bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) in patients with remote, anterior non-viable MI by
      the use of tissue Doppler imaging. METHODS AND RESULTS: We infused selected
      CD133+ and CD133-CD34+ BMSCs in 10 patients enrolled in the study. Peak systolic
      strain rate, maximum strain during the cardiac cycle (epsilon(max)), strain
      during ejection time (epsilon(et)), and post-systolic strain (epsilon(ps)) were
      measured. Peak systolic strain rate (-0.69 +/- 0.2 vs. -1.15 +/- 0.27, P =
      0.001), epsilon(max) (-9.87 +/- 3.30 vs. -15.57 +/- 5, P = 0.006), and
      epsilon(et) (-7.45+/-2.86 vs. -10.92 +/- 4.45, P = 0.015) improved significantly
      during the rest study 6 months after cell infusion. Low-dose inotropic challenge
      also showed significant improvement of longitudinal deformation indices in the
      follow-up study. Global ejection fraction did not improve significantly after
      cell therapy. CONCLUSION: Intracoronary infusion of selected BMSCs in patients
      with remote, anterior, non-viable myocardial infarction is safe and leads to
      improvement of longitudinal deformation indices 6 months after the infusion.

PMID- 20308189
TI  - Identification and characterization of beta-lactamase inhibitor protein-II (BLIP
      II) interactions with beta-lactamases using phage display.
AB  - Protein-protein interactions are critical to cellular processes yet the ability
      to predict and rationally design interactions is limited because of incomplete
      knowledge of the principles governing these interactions. The beta-lactamase
      inhibitory protein (BLIP)/beta-lactamase interaction has become a model system to
      investigate protein-protein interactions and has been the focus of several
      structural, thermodynamic and binding specificity studies. BLIP-II also inhibits
      beta-lactamase but has no sequence homology with BLIP. The structure of BLIP-II
      in complex with TEM-1 beta-lactamase revealed that BLIP-II has a completely
      different structure than BLIP but it interacts with the same protruding loop
      helix region of TEM-1 as does BLIP. The significance of the individual
      interacting residues in molecular recognition by BLIP-II is currently unknown.
      Therefore, a phage display vector was developed with the purpose of expressing
      BLIP-II onto the surface of the M13 filamentous bacteriophage. The BLIP-II
      displayed phage bound to TEM-1 with picomolar affinity indicating that BLIP-II is
      properly folded while on the surface of the phage. The phage system, as well as
      enzyme inhibition assays with purified proteins, revealed that BLIP-II is a more
      potent inhibitor than BLIP for several class A beta-lactamases with K(i) values
      in the low picomolar range.

PMID- 20308192
TI  - How to measure the effects of the intracoronary stem cell therapy?
AB  - The results of clinical studies showed that there is a moderate increase in left
      ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) at 4-6 months after stem cell therapy. So
      far, the endpoint of such trials was the change of LVEF and volumes measured by
      LV angiography or MRI; however, these parameters might not be optimal to assess
      the effects of BMC therapy. BOOST trial was one of the first studies addressing
      the effect of bone marrow cell transfer in patients with acute ST-elevation
      myocardial infarction. The results of 5-year follow-up were reported, showed no
      sustained effect on the LV systolic function in the whole group, but some
      beneficial effects on diastolic function were found. Other study showed using
      tissue-Doppler that after implantation of selected CD133+ and CD133-CD34+ bone
      marrow-derived cells in patients with history of anterior MI and severely reduced
      LVEF the indices of regional LV systolic function improved. Clinical significance
      of these findings remains to be established; however, the assessment of diastolic
      function and tissue-Doppler imaging might be valuable parameters in stem cell
      based trials.

PMID- 20308193
TI  - Association between coronary flow reserve, left ventricular systolic function,
      and myocardial viability in acute myocardial infarction.
AB  - AIMS: To investigate the relationships between coronary flow reserve (CFR), left
      ventricular (LV) systolic function, and myocardial viability in patients with
      acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS AND RESULTS: In 149 patients with a
      first AMI, we estimated CFR non-invasively and assessed LV systolic function with
      low-dose dobutamine Doppler echocardiography (LDDE), which also identified
      viability. Resting echocardiographic variables did not differ between patients
      with preserved (54.4%) and low CFR (45.6%). During LDDE, longitudinal LV function
      was decreased [9.5 cm/s (8;11.3) vs. 10.6 cm/s (8.5;12.5), P = 0.04] and end
      systolic volume increased [49.5 mL (38;66) vs. 42 (31;61), P = 0.04] in patients
      with low compared with preserved CFR. Among 87 (58%) patients with resting wall
      motion abnormalities, 28 met the criteria for viability. One of 53 (2%) met the
      criteria for viability in patients with CFR < or =2 compared with 27 of 34 (79%)
      with CFR > 2, P < 0.0001. CONCLUSION: Resting echocardiographic parameters were
      similar in patient groups. During LDDE, patients with reduced CFR had increased
      LV size and compromised longitudinal function of LV and were less likely to have
      evidence of myocardial viability.

PMID- 20308194
TI  - Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery with
      patent ductus arteriosus: a must to recognize entity.
AB  - Anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary trunk (ALCAPA) presents in
      early infancy with a clinical picture of congestive heart failure with left
      ventricular (LV) dysfunction and mitral insufficiency. These manifestations of
      myocardial ischaemia may be masked in the presence of an associated patent ductus
      arteriosus (PDA) or ventricular septal defect (VSD) which prevents the fall of
      pulmonary artery pressures and allows perfusion of the anomalous coronary artery.
      We present a case of a patient with large PDA-associated ALCAPA and preserved LV
      function. The importance of such a finding lies in the fact that VSD closure or
      PDA ligation in such cases would unmask the ALCAPA.

PMID- 20308195
TI  - Overuse injuries in high school athletes.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate relationships between seasonal patterns of athletic
      participation and overuse injuries in high school athletes. METHODS: Self
      reported survey of sports played and injuries sustained during the preceding 12
      months administered anonymously to 9th-12th graders in school. RESULTS: Females
      suffered more overuse injuries than males. Overuse injuries increased slightly
      with age and with seasons of sports played per calendar year. Students who played
      sports all year long had 42% increased risk of overuse injury compared to those
      who played fewer than 4 seasons. CONCLUSIONS: Reducing the number of sport
      seasons played by high school athletes could decrease their rate of overuse
      injuries, with the greatest gains potentially achieved by taking at least one
      season off from sports entirely each calendar year.

PMID- 20308196
TI  - Vitiligo therapy in children: a case for considering excimer laser treatment.

PMID- 20308197
TI  - Healthy for now? A cross-sectional study of the comorbidities in obese preschool
      children in the United States.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Examine health of preschoolers by BMI status. METHODS: A cross
      sectional analysis of children 3 to 5 years old in the 1999-2008 National Health
      and Nutrition Examination Survey was carried out. The measured age- and sex
      specific BMI percentiles were used to categorize children as very obese, obese,
      overweight, or healthy weight. The authors used logistic regression to examine
      the effect of weight status on 17 available measures of current child health
      potentially related to obesity. RESULTS: Except for very obese children, weight
      status had minimal effect on most measures of health for preschool-aged children
      (n = 2792). Parents of very obese children reported poorer general health and
      more activity limitations for their children. Additionally, very obese girls had
      more frequent/severe headaches, and overweight/obese boys had more asthma
      diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS: Only severe obesity appears consistently related to
      immediate health problems in preschool-aged children. Parental perception that
      very obese children have worse health and more activity limitations may lead to
      decreases in physical activity, which would perpetuate obesity.

PMID- 20308198
TI  - Oxytocin, dopamine, and the amygdala: a neurofunctional model of social cognitive
      deficits in schizophrenia.
AB  - Until recently, the social cognitive impairment in schizophrenia has been
      underappreciated and remains essentially untreated. Deficits in emotional
      processing, social perception and knowledge, theory of mind, and attributional
      bias may contribute to functional social cognitive impairments in schizophrenia.
      The amygdala has been implicated as a key component of social cognitive circuitry
      in both animal and human studies. In addition, structural and functional studies
      of schizophrenia reproducibly demonstrate abnormalities in the amygdala and
      dopaminergic signaling. Finally, the neurohormone oxytocin plays an important
      role in multiple social behaviors in several mammals, including humans. We
      propose a model of social cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia and discuss its
      therapeutic implications. The model comprises abnormalities in oxytocinergic and
      dopaminergic signaling in the amygdala that result in impaired emotional salience
      processing with consequent social cognitive deficits.

PMID- 20308199
TI  - Relation of whole blood carboxyhemoglobin concentration to ambient carbon
      monoxide exposure estimated using regression.
AB  - Exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) and other ambient air pollutants is associated
      with adverse pregnancy outcomes. While there are several methods of estimating CO
      exposure, few have been evaluated against exposure biomarkers. The authors
      examined the relation between estimated CO exposure and blood carboxyhemoglobin
      concentration in 708 pregnant western Washington State women (1996-2004).
      Carboxyhemoglobin was measured in whole blood drawn around 13 weeks' gestation.
      CO exposure during the month of blood draw was estimated using a regression model
      containing predictor terms for year, month, street and population densities, and
      distance to the nearest major road. Year and month were the strongest predictors.
      Carboxyhemoglobin level was correlated with estimated CO exposure (rho = 0.22,
      95% confidence interval (CI): 0.15, 0.29). After adjustment for covariates, each
      10% increase in estimated exposure was associated with a 1.12% increase in median
      carboxyhemoglobin level (95% CI: 0.54, 1.69). This association remained after
      exclusion of 286 women who reported smoking or being exposed to secondhand smoke
      (rho = 0.24). In this subgroup, the median carboxyhemoglobin concentration
      increased 1.29% (95% CI: 0.67, 1.91) for each 10% increase in CO exposure.
      Monthly estimated CO exposure was moderately correlated with an exposure
      biomarker. These results support the validity of this regression model for
      estimating ambient CO exposures in this population and geographic setting.

PMID- 20308200
TI  - Root resorption before and after orthodontic treatment: a clinical study of
      contributory factors.
AB  - This clinical study evaluated factors related to root resorption before (T1) and
      after (T2) orthodontic treatment. Ninety-six subjects between 9 and 34 years (34
      males and 62 females) who had been treated using fixed appliances for at least 1
      year and who had panoramic radiographs at T1 and T2 were selected. The
      relationship between root resorption at T1 and T2, with regard to gender, age,
      extraction versus non-extraction patterns, specific teeth and treatment duration
      was investigated. No statistically significant differences in root resorption
      were found in relation to gender. Significant differences in root resorption (P =
      0.000, P < 0.01) and also in treatment duration (P = 0.036, P < 0.05) were noted
      between the extraction and non-extraction groups; extraction and treatment
      duration correlated with T2 mean root resorption. Patient age correlated with
      root resorption of the upper incisors at T1 and T2. Using multiple regression
      analysis, age and duration of treatment were found to be more associated with
      root resorption than with extractions; the presence of root resorption at T1 was
      associated with T2 root resorption, especially of the anterior teeth.

PMID- 20308201
TI  - Dissociable roles of the medial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens core in
      goal-directed actions for differential reward magnitude.
AB  - The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) are 2 structures
      within a larger corticolimbic network mediating goal-directed actions, especially
      when the procurement of different goals is sensitive to impulsive tendencies. The
      present study investigated the role of these structures in goal-directed action
      for differential reward by training rats to respond for sucrose reward at a
      nosepoke operandum such that longer duration nosepokes (up to 2 s) resulted in
      correspondingly larger volumes of reward. After 16 weeks of training, neurotoxic
      lesions of either the mPFC or the NAc-core were performed, followed by
      reassessment of sustained response behavior. Lesions of mPFC increased choice
      impulsivity by shifting responding away from large rewards toward rewards of
      smaller sizes. The total volume of reward earned remained unchanged, thereby
      dissociating the lesion effects on response parameters from overall motivation
      for reward. In contrast, NAc-core lesions decreased the total amount of
      responding and total volume of reward earned without altering choice impulsivity
      across differing nosepoke durations and reward sizes. These results suggest that
      the mPFC mediates the ability to maintain behavioral responding over longer
      durations for larger magnitude rewards, while the NAc-core mediates the
      initiation of responding, perhaps by affecting motivational drive, independent of
      reward magnitude.

PMID- 20308202
TI  - It was not MY fault: event-related brain potentials in active and observational
      learning from feedback.
AB  - Performance feedback during learning is accompanied by a negative event-related
      potentials (ERP) component, the feedback-related negativity (FRN), which codes a
      reward prediction error. An open issue relates to the coding of feedback stimuli
      in observational learning. The present study aimed to determine differences in
      the neural processing of feedback in active and observational learners in a
      between-subjects design. By choosing between different stimuli, 15 active
      learners could learn a rule determining the probability of monetary reward. Each
      of the 15 observers was yoked to the performance of one active learner. In test
      trials, observers could prove whether they had gained insight into the rule.
      Although both groups learned at a comparable rate, FRN amplitudes following
      negative feedback were significantly reduced in observational relative to active
      learners, whereas there was no difference for the FRN in response to positive
      feedback. Additionally, between-group differences were already observed in the
      time window preceding the FRN, between 150 and 220 ms after feedback onset. The
      processing of feedback stimuli thus depends upon the direct relevance for one's
      own action planning. The FRN as an error signal indicating the need for
      behavioral adaptation appears to be especially relevant, if negative feedback is
      linked to agency.

PMID- 20308204
TI  - Vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein: crucial for activation of Rac1 in
      endothelial barrier maintenance.

PMID- 20308203
TI  - Nociceptive afferent activity alters the SI RA neuron response to mechanical skin
      stimulation.
AB  - Procedures that reliably evoke cutaneous pain in humans (i.e., 5-7 s skin contact
      with a 47-51  degrees C probe, intradermal algogen injection) are shown to
      decrease the mean spike firing rate (MFR) and degree to which the rapidly
      adapting (RA) neurons in areas 3b/1 of squirrel monkey primary somatosensory
      cortex (SI) entrain to a 25-Hz stimulus to the receptive field center
      (RF(center)) when stimulus amplitude is "near-threshold" (i.e., 10-50 MUm). In
      contrast, RA neuron MFR and entrainment are either unaffected or enhanced by 47
      51  degrees C contact or intradermal algogen injection when the amplitude of 25
      Hz stimulation is 100-200 MUm (suprathreshold). The results are attributed to an
      "activity dependence" of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) action on the GABA(A)
      receptors of RA neurons. The nociceptive afferent drive triggered by skin contact
      with a 47-51  degrees C probe or intradermal algogen is proposed to activate
      nociresponsive neurons in area 3a which, via corticocortical connections, leads
      to the release of GABA in areas 3b/1. It is hypothesized that GABA is
      hyperpolarizing/inhibitory and suppresses stimulus-evoked RA neuron MFR and
      entrainment whenever RA neuron activity is low (as when the RF(center) stimulus
      is weak/near-threshold) but is depolarizing/excitatory and augments MFR and
      entrainment when RA neuron activity is high (when the stimulus is
      strong/suprathreshold).

PMID- 20308206
TI  - Inflorescence development in petunia: through the maze of botanical terminology.
AB  - Flowering plants have developed many ways to arrange their flowers. A flower
      bearing branch or system of branches is called an inflorescence. The number of
      flowers that an inflorescence contains ranges from a single flower to endless
      flower-clusters. Over the past centuries, botanists have classified
      inflorescences based on their morphology, which has led to an unfortunate maze of
      complex botanical terminology. With the rise of molecular developmental biology,
      research has become increasingly focused on how inflorescences develop, rather
      than on their morphology. It is the decisions taken by groups of stem cells at
      the growing tips of shoots, called meristems, on when and where to produce a
      flower or a shoot that specify the course of inflorescence development. Modelling
      is a helpful aid to follow the consequences of these decisions for inflorescence
      development. The so-called transient model can produce the broad inflorescence
      types: cyme, raceme, and panicle, into which most inflorescences found in nature
      can be classified. The analysis of several inflorescence branching mutants has
      led to a solid understanding of cymose inflorescence development in petunia
      (Petunia hybrida). The cyme of petunia is a distinct body plan compared with the
      well-studied racemes of Arabidopsis and Antirrhinum, which provides an excellent
      opportunity to study evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) related
      questions. However, thus far, limited use has been made of this opportunity,
      which may, at least in part, be due to researchers getting lost in the
      terminology. Some general issues are discussed here, while focusing on
      inflorescence development in petunia.

PMID- 20308205
TI  - Differential expression of genes identified by suppression subtractive
      hybridization in petals of opening carnation flowers.
AB  - Flower opening is an event accompanied by morphological changes in petals which
      include elongation, expansion, and outward-curving. Petal cell growth is a
      fundamental process that underlies such phenomena, but its molecular mechanism
      remains largely unknown. Suppression subtractive hybridization was performed
      between petals during the early elongation period (stage 1) and during the
      opening period (stage 5) in carnation flowers and a pair of subtraction libraries
      abundant in differentially expressed genes was constructed at each stage. 393
      cDNA clones picked up by differential screening out of 1728 clones were sequenced
      and 235 different cDNA fragments were identified, among which 211 did not match
      any known nucleotide sequence of carnation genes in the databases. BLASTX search
      of nucleotide sequences revealed that putative functions of the translational
      products can be classified into several categories including transcription,
      signalling, cell wall modification, lipid metabolism, and transport. Open reading
      frames of 15 selected genes were successfully determined by rapid amplification
      of cDNA ends (RACE). Time-course analysis of these genes by real-time RT-PCR
      showed that transcript levels of several genes correlatively fluctuate in petals
      of opening carnation flowers, suggesting an association with the morphological
      changes by elongation or curving. Based on the results, it is suggested that the
      growth of carnation petals is controlled by co-ordinated gene expression during
      the progress of flower opening. In addition, the possible roles of some key genes
      in the initiation of cell growth, the construction of the cell wall and cuticle,
      and transport across membranes were discussed.

PMID- 20308207
TI  - Malformations in a chornobyl-impacted region.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: One of the populations most exposed to chronic low-dose radiation from
      Chornobyl (Chernobyl in Russian) lives in Polissia, the region representing the
      northern half of Rivne Province (Oblast) in Ukraine. Here the patterns and
      population rates of malformations are reported and possible etiologic factors and
      regional contrasts are explored. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Malformations, as defined
      by international standards, noted among all 96 438 births in Rivne between 2000
      and 2006, were analyzed statistically. Contrasts of rates in Polissia compared
      with the rest of Rivne also were investigated. RESULTS: The overall rate of
      neural tube defects in Rivne is among the highest in Europe (22.2 per 10,000 live
      births). The rates of conjoined twins and teratomas also seem to be elevated. In
      Polissia, the overall rates of neural tube defects are even higher (27.0 vs 18.3,
      respectively; odds ratio: 1.46 [95% confidence interval: 1.13-1.93]), and the
      rates of microcephaly and microphthalmia may also be elevated. CONCLUSIONS: The
      malformation patterns observed suggest early disruptions of blastogenesis,
      manifesting as alterations of body axes, twinning, duplications, laterality, and
      midline formation. The results are sufficiently compelling to justify continuing
      and expanding this investigation of malformations in chronic low-dose radiation
      impacted regions of Ukraine.

PMID- 20308208
TI  - Measles outbreak in a highly vaccinated population, San Diego, 2008: role of the
      intentionally undervaccinated.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In January 2008, an intentionally unvaccinated 7-year-old boy who was
      unknowingly infected with measles returned from Switzerland, resulting in the
      largest outbreak in San Diego, California, since 1991. We investigated the
      outbreak with the objective of understanding the effect of intentional
      undervaccination on measles transmission and its potential threat to measles
      elimination. METHODS: We mapped vaccination-refusal rates according to school and
      school district, analyzed measles-transmission patterns, used discussion groups
      and network surveys to examine beliefs of parents who decline vaccination, and
      evaluated containment costs. RESULTS: The importation resulted in 839 exposed
      persons, 11 additional cases (all in unvaccinated children), and the
      hospitalization of an infant too young to be vaccinated. Two-dose vaccination
      coverage of 95%, absence of vaccine failure, and a vigorous outbreak response
      halted spread beyond the third generation, at a net public-sector cost of $10 376
      per case. Although 75% of the cases were of persons who were intentionally
      unvaccinated, 48 children too young to be vaccinated were quarantined, at an
      average family cost of $775 per child. Substantial rates of intentional
      undervaccination occurred in public charter and private schools, as well as
      public schools in upper-socioeconomic areas. Vaccine refusal clustered
      geographically and the overall rate seemed to be rising. In discussion groups and
      survey responses, the majority of parents who declined vaccination for their
      children were concerned with vaccine adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Despite high
      community vaccination coverage, measles outbreaks can occur among clusters of
      intentionally undervaccinated children, at major cost to public health agencies,
      medical systems, and families. Rising rates of intentional undervaccination can
      undermine measles elimination.

PMID- 20308209
TI  - Prevalence of complementary medicine use in pediatric cancer: a systematic
      review.
AB  - CONTEXT: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is used by pediatric
      patients with cancer, but the actual frequency of CAM use is undetermined.
      OBJECTIVE: In this systematic review we summarize the current evidence on the
      prevalence of CAM use in pediatric patients with cancer and assess the reported
      quality of included studies. METHODS: We systematically searched 6 major
      electronic databases, reference lists of existing reviews, and personal files. We
      included full articles about primary research studies (without language
      restriction) that reported the prevalence of CAM use if all or a defined
      subsample of participants were pediatric patients with cancer. Detailed
      information regarding methods and results was extracted from the original
      articles. A quality-assessment tool was rigorously developed on the basis of the
      Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE)
      statement and used to assess reported study quality. Formal tests of interrater
      agreement were conducted. RESULTS: We included 28 studies with survey data
      (collected from 1975 to 2005) from 3526 children. In 20 studies with 2871
      participants, the prevalence of any CAM use (since cancer diagnosis) ranged from
      6% to 91%; considerable heterogeneity across studies precluded meta-analysis.
      Study quality was mixed and not correlated with CAM prevalence. Herbal remedies
      were the most popular CAM modality, followed by diets/nutrition and faith
      healing. Commonly reported reasons for CAM use included to help cure or fight the
      child's cancer, symptomatic relief, and support of ongoing use of conventional
      therapy. There was little evidence of an association between CAM use and
      patients' sociodemographic characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Many pediatric patients
      with cancer use CAM. It is important that pediatricians be aware of this fact and
      encourage open communication with patients and their parents. Using standardized
      survey methods and CAM definitions in future studies could improve their quality
      and help generate comparable data. Our quality-assessment tool could prove
      valuable for other reviews of prevalence studies.

PMID- 20308210
TI  - Redefining the role of intestinal microbes in the pathogenesis of necrotizing
      enterocolitis.
AB  - Neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) remains an important cause of morbidity
      and mortality among very low birth weight infants. It has long been suspected
      that intestinal microbes contribute to the pathogenesis of NEC, but the details
      of this relationship remain poorly understood. Recent advances in molecular
      biology and enteric microbiology have improved our ability to characterize
      intestinal microbes from infants with NEC and from healthy unaffected newborns.
      The lack of diversity within the neonatal intestine makes it possible to study
      gut microbial communities at a high level of resolution not currently possible in
      corresponding studies of the adult intestinal tract. Here, we summarize clinical
      and laboratory evidence that supports the hypothesis that NEC is a microbe
      mediated disorder. In addition, we detail recent technologic advances that may be
      harnessed to perform high-throughput, comprehensive studies of the gut microbes
      of very low birth weight infants. Methods for characterizing microbial genotype
      are discussed, as are methods of identifying patterns of gene expression, protein
      expression, and metabolite production. Application of these technologies to
      biological samples from affected and unaffected newborns may lead to advances in
      the care of infants who are at risk for the unabated problem of NEC.

PMID- 20308211
TI  - Effects of changing body-checking rules on rates of injury in minor hockey.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In this study we explored the effects of the 2002 rule change in
      Ontario minor hockey, in which body-checking was introduced at the atom (ages 9
      10) instead of the peewee (previously ages 12-13) age level. It was hypothesized
      that the introduction of body-checking at younger ages would result in higher
      overall rates of injury to minor hockey players, with concomitant increases in
      neurotraumatic injuries. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Participants included injured
      minor hockey players between the ages of 7 and 14 years in the Kingston area of
      Ontario, Canada. The Kingston sites of the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting
      and Prevention Program were used to identify injuries that presented to the only
      2 emergency departments in this community. In our analyses, we compared rates and
      patterns of injury that required hospital-based emergency medicine care before
      (1997-1998 to 2001-2002 seasons) and after (2002-2003 to 2006-2007 seasons)
      implementation of the body-checking rule change. RESULTS: Overall rates of injury
      to minor hockey players declined in the years after the rule change. Rates of
      injury attributable to body-checking, as well as the natures and anatomic sites
      of injury caused by body-checking, remained consistent in the 2 study periods.
      CONCLUSIONS: In this historical study, we did not observe an increase in the
      overall rates of injury and concomitant neurotraumatic events. Increased
      enforcement of playing rules as well as temporal declines in emergency department
      use may have contributed to these findings.

PMID- 20308212
TI  - Growth hormone: health considerations beyond height gain.
AB  - The therapeutic benefit of growth hormone (GH) therapy in improving height in
      short children is widely recognized; however, GH therapy is associated with other
      metabolic actions that may be of benefit in these children. Beneficial effects of
      GH on body composition have been documented in several different patient
      populations as well as improvements in lipid profile. Marked augmentation of bone
      mineral density also seems evident in many pediatric populations. Some of these
      benefits may require continued therapy past the acquisition of adult height. With
      long-term therapy of any kind, the adverse consequences of treatment should also
      be considered. Fortunately, long-term GH treatment seems to be safe and well
      tolerated. This review describes the long-term metabolic effects of GH treatment
      in the pediatric population and considers how these may benefit children who are
      treated with GH.

PMID- 20308213
TI  - Culturally-sensitive information-sharing in pediatric palliative care.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to learn about experiences of Mexican American and
      Chinese American families who require pediatric palliative care. This article
      describes parents' perceptions of information-sharing by health care providers
      during their child's hospitalizations and at their child's death. METHODS: The
      study used a retrospective design of grounded theory analysis. Participants
      included 36 parents (26 Mexican American and 10 Chinese American) from 28
      families who experienced between 6 months and 5 years before study participation
      the death of a child who was aged </=20 years. Participants were recruited
      through 2 university hospitals in northern California. RESULTS: Parents'
      identified 3 types of information shared by health care providers: (1)
      information about the child's daily life in hospital; (2) information about the
      parents' daily life in hospital; and (3) information about treatment and end-of
      life issues. Parents' narratives focused primarily on information shared by
      physicians; nurses, social workers, chaplains, interpreters, and other parents
      were also important sources of information. Four patterns of information-sharing
      emerged: (1) no information; (2) basic information; (3) basic information plus
      implications; and (4) basic information plus implications plus attention to
      parents' questions, concerns, and emotions. Positive and negative impacts of
      these patterns on parents are described. CONCLUSIONS: Language and cultural
      differences create barriers to information-sharing by health care providers to
      parents who are in need of pediatric palliative care. Less than optimal patterns
      of information-sharing contribute to frustration, anger, and sadness for parents
      long after their child's death.

PMID- 20308214
TI  - Validation of rapid neurodevelopmental assessment instrument for under-two-year
      old children in Bangladesh.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the reliability and
      validity of a comprehensive assessment procedure for ascertaining
      neurodevelopmental status of children aged 0 to 24 months for use by
      multidisciplinary professionals in a developing country. METHODS: We developed
      the Rapid Neurodevelopmental Assessment (RNDA) to determine functional status in
      the following domains: primitive reflexes, gross motor, fine motor, vision,
      hearing, speech, cognition, behavior, and seizures. Reliability was determined
      for 50 children who were aged <3 months and 30 children who were aged > or =3 to
      24 months and were administered the RNDA by 8 different professionals (3
      physicians, 4 therapists, and 1 special teacher). Validity was determined on 34
      children aged <3 months in hospital and 81 children aged > or =3 to 24 months in
      urban (n = 47) and rural (n = 34) community-based populations by any 1 of the 8
      professionals, with simultaneous administration of the adapted Bayley Scales of
      Infant Development II by a psychologist as the gold standard. RESULTS: Mean kappa
      coefficients of agreement among professionals in overall and individual domains
      in the 2 age groups ranged from good to excellent. For both younger and older
      children, there was good concurrent validity (ie, significantly lower mean Mental
      Development Index and Psychomotor Development Index scores) for children with >
      or =1 neurodevelopmental impairment and for children with impairments in most
      functional domains, compared with children with no impairments. Significantly
      more impairments were found in children from disadvantaged compared with
      socioeconomically more advantaged communities, indicating good discriminant
      validity. CONCLUSIONS: The RNDA can be used by professionals from a range of
      backgrounds with high reliability and validity for determining functional status
      of children who are younger than 2 years. The study findings have important
      practical implications for early identification and intervention to mitigate
      neurodevelopmental impairments in large populations that live in developing
      countries where professional expertise is sparse.

PMID- 20308215
TI  - Multicenter study of repeat epinephrine treatments for food-related anaphylaxis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We sought to establish the frequency of receiving >1 dose of
      epinephrine in children who present to the emergency department (ED) with food
      related anaphylaxis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a medical chart review at
      Boston hospitals of all children presenting to the ED for food-related acute
      allergic reactions between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2006. We focused on
      causative foods, clinical presentations, and emergency treatments. RESULTS:
      Through random sampling and appropriate weighting, the 605 reviewed cases
      represented a study cohort of 1255 patients. These patients had a median age of
      5.8 years (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.3-6.3), and the cohort was 62% male. A
      variety of foods provoked the allergic reactions, including peanuts (23%), tree
      nuts (18%), and milk (15%). Approximately half (52% [95% CI: 48-57]) of the
      children met diagnostic criteria for food-related anaphylaxis. Among those with
      anaphylaxis, 31% received 1 dose and 3% received >1 dose of epinephrine before
      their arrival to the ED. In the ED, patients with anaphylaxis received
      antihistamines (59%), corticosteroids (57%), epinephrine (20%). Over the course
      of their reaction, 44% of patients with food-related anaphylaxis received
      epinephrine, and among this subset of patients, 12% (95% CI: 9-14) received >1
      dose. Risk factors for repeat epinephrine use included older age and transfer
      from an outside hospital. Most patients (88%) were discharged from the hospital.
      On ED discharge, 43% were prescribed self-injectable epinephrine, and only 22%
      were referred to an allergist. CONCLUSIONS: Among children with food-related
      anaphylaxis who received epinephrine, 12% received a second dose. Results of this
      study support the recommendation that children at risk for food-related
      anaphylaxis carry 2 doses of epinephrine.

PMID- 20308216
TI  - Placental inflammatory response is associated with poor neonatal growth: preterm
      birth cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine whether placental markers of intrauterine
      inflammation were associated with poor weight gain among premature infants in the
      neonatal period. METHODS: We reviewed 697 preterm births prospectively enrolled
      as part of an ongoing molecular epidemiological study. Placental markers and
      serial weight gain were analyzed for premature infants who were hospitalized for
      >/=21 days (N = 256). Placentas were examined for maternal inflammatory response
      (MIR), defined as subchorionitis, chorioamnionitis, deciduitis, or free
      membranitis, and fetal inflammatory response (FIR), defined as inflammation
      extending to the umbilical cord or chorionic plate. Multivariate linear
      regression and stratified analyses were performed. RESULTS: Decreases in weight
      gain at day 21 were associated with the presence of either MIR or FIR (beta
      coefficient = -4.63 +/- 1.41; P = .001). The association was stronger with FIR
      than MIR (P for trend = .0027) and persisted in the remaining hospitalized
      infants at day 28 (n = 223; beta coefficient = -5.53 +/- 1.85; P = .0028). Mean
      body weights were similar among the 3 groups by corrected age of 36 weeks or
      discharge, whichever came first. Associations between placental inflammation and
      poor growth persisted among infants with prenatal corticosteroid exposure and/or
      neonatal complications and remained marginally significant in the nonexposed
      groups. Among infants without intrauterine growth restriction, significant
      association persisted (n = 186; beta coefficient = -5.68 +/- 1.56; P = .0003).
      CONCLUSIONS: Placental inflammation is associated with poor neonatal growth. MIR
      and FIR may be useful markers for identifying infants at risk for postnatal
      growth failure.

PMID- 20308217
TI  - It's all about dwell time--reduce it and infection rates decrease?

PMID- 20308218
TI  - Innovation in pediatric education: the path to transforming pediatric graduate
      medical education.

PMID- 20308219
TI  - Widespread vitamin D deficiency in urban Massachusetts newborns and their
      mothers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine vitamin D status and associated factors in a cohort of
      newly delivered infants and their mothers in Boston, Massachusetts. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Enrollment in this cross-sectional study took place from 2005 to 2007 in
      an urban Boston teaching hospital with 2500 births per year. A questionnaire and
      medical-record data were used to identify variables that are potentially
      associated with vitamin D deficiency (25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] < 20 ng/mL).
      Infant and maternal blood was obtained by venipuncture within 72 hours of birth.
      The main outcome measure was infant and maternal 25(OH)D status, assessed by
      competitive protein binding. RESULTS: We enrolled 459 healthy mother/infant
      pairs. After subsequent exclusions, analyses were performed on 376 newborns and
      433 women. The median infant 25(OH)D level was 17.2 ng/mL (95% confidence
      interval [CI]: 16.0-18.8; range: <5.0 to 60.8 ng/mL). The median maternal 25(OH)D
      level was 24.8 ng/mL (95% CI: 23.2-25.8; range: <5.0 to 79.2 ng/mL). Overall,
      58.0% of the infants and 35.8% of the mothers were vitamin D deficient (25[OH]D <
      20 ng/mL); 38.0% of the infants and 23.1% of the mothers were severely deficient
      (25[OH]D < 15 ng/mL). Risk factors for infant vitamin D deficiency included
      maternal deficiency (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 5.28 [95% CI: 2.90-9.62]), winter
      birth (aOR: 3.86 [95% CI: 1.74-8.55]), black race (aOR: 3.36 [95% CI: 1.37
      8.25]), and a maternal BMI of >/=35 (aOR: 2.78 [95% CI: 1.18-6.55]). Maternal
      prenatal-vitamin use throughout the second and third trimesters was protective
      against infant deficiency (aOR: 0.30 [95% CI: 0.16-0.56]). Similarly, prenatal
      vitamin use of > or =5 times per week in the third trimester was protective for
      mothers (aOR: 0.37 [95% CI: 0.20-0.69]). Despite this, >30% of the women who took
      prenatal vitamins were still vitamin D deficient at the time of birth.
      CONCLUSIONS: A high proportion of infants and their mothers in New England were
      vitamin D deficient. Prenatal vitamins may not contain enough vitamin D to ensure
      replete status at the time of birth.

PMID- 20308220
TI  - Current pediatrician practices in identifying high-risk behaviors of adolescents.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In the United States, 15- to 24-year-olds represent approximately 14%
      of HIV cases diagnosed in 2006 and almost 50% of the 19 million sexually
      transmitted infections (STIs) reported annually. This survey assessed
      pediatricians' practices regarding preventive health care screening, provision of
      reproductive health services including HIV and STI screening and counseling, and
      barriers to providing these services. METHODS: A random-sample mailed survey of
      1626 US members of the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2005.A total of 752
      completed questionnaires were returned (46% response rate). Analysis was limited
      to the 468 pediatricians who provided health supervision visits to patients who
      were older than 11 years. RESULTS: Most pediatricians discussed sexual activity
      at preventive care visits; similar numbers discuss abstinence (62%), condoms
      (61%), and STIs (61%) with slightly fewer discussing HIV (54%). Pediatricians
      occasionally or rarely/never discussed homosexuality/sexual identity (82%). Most
      (71%) identified adolescents with high-risk behaviors by clinical interviews.
      Approximately 30% prescribed condoms, 22% distributed condoms, and 19% provided
      condom demonstrations. Whereas 46% of pediatricians recommended STI tests for all
      sexually active teens, only 28% recommended HIV testing for this population.
      Hospital/clinic-based and inner-city practitioners were more likely to prescribe,
      provide, and demonstrate condoms and recommend HIV/STI tests for sexually active
      teens. The most frequently identified barrier to HIV and STI prevention
      counseling was lack of time. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatricians believed it is important
      to deliver reproductive health services, and most addressed adolescent sexual
      activity at preventive care visits but did not routinely address
      homosexuality/sexual identity. Counseling and testing practices varied by
      physician characteristics.

PMID- 20308221
TI  - Adherence to vitamin D recommendations among US infants.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In November 2008, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) doubled
      the recommended daily intake of vitamin D for infants and children, from 200
      IU/day (2003 recommendation) to 400 IU/day. We aimed to assess the prevalence of
      infants meeting the AAP recommended intake of vitamin D during their first year
      of life. METHODS: Using data from the Infant Feeding Practices Study II,
      conducted from 2005 to 2007, we estimated the percentage of infants who met
      vitamin D recommendations at ages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.5, 9, and 10.5 months (n =
      1952-1633). RESULTS: The use of oral vitamin D supplements was low, regardless of
      whether infants were consuming breast milk or formula, ranging from 1% to 13%,
      varying by age. Among infants who consumed breast milk but no formula, only 5% to
      13% met either recommendation. Among mixed-fed infants, 28% to 35% met the 2003
      recommendation, but only 9% to 14% would have met the 2008 recommendation. Among
      those who consumed formula but no breast milk, 81% to 98% met the 2003
      recommendation, but only 20% to 37% would have met the 2008 recommendation.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that most US infants are not consuming adequate
      amounts of vitamin D according to the 2008 AAP recommendation. Pediatricians and
      health care providers should encourage parents of infants who are either
      breastfed or consuming <1 L/day of infant formula to give their infants an oral
      vitamin D supplement.

PMID- 20308222
TI  - Sensitivity of the pediatric early warning score to identify patient
      deterioration.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the Pediatric Early Warning Score (PEWS) sensitivity as
      an early indicator of patients deterioration leading to a Rapid Response Team
      (RRT)/code event. We hypothesized that at least 80% of patients had a critical
      PEWS preceding the event. We determined staff awareness of deterioration in
      patient status prior to the event as evidenced by consults, addition of
      monitoring equipment or increased frequency of assessment. The timing of these
      events was compared to critical PEWS times. METHODS: One hundred and seventy non
      ICU RRT and 16 code events were identified between October 2006 and February
      2008. We completed retrospective PEWS at four-hour intervals or less for twenty
      four hours preceding the event. The PEWS algorithm, guiding staff to consult at a
      critical score > or =4 or a single domain score equal to 3, was applied. RESULTS:
      For 85.5% of patients the earliest indicator of deterioration, evidenced by a
      critical PEWS, was a median of 11 hours 36 minutes and the earliest preceding the
      event was 30 minutes. For 97.1% of patients the earliest median time to a consult
      was 80 minutes. Oximetry was added 6.9 hours for 43.5% of patients. 7% of
      patients had increased nursing assessment. A sub-group of patients had 1)
      critical PEWS, 2) consult and 3) addition of a monitor. The median time for
      earliest critical PEWS for these was significant (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: PEWS
      can potentially provide a forewarning time >11 hours, alerting the team to adapt
      the care plan and possibly averting an RRT or code.

PMID- 20308223
TI  - Sociodemographic risk indicators of hookah smoking among White Americans: a pilot
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite the sustained public health efforts to decrease cigarette
      smoking, there is an increasing trend in the use of alternative tobacco products
      that are perceived by some as less harmful. One example is hookah smoking. This
      study aimed to assess hookah trends among White Americans. METHODS: Two hundred
      and forty-five White American adults residing in southeast Michigan answered a
      self-administered standardized questionnaire that included basic demographics,
      socioeconomic status, and questions related to hookah smoking behavior. Logistic
      regression was used to determine risk indicators for hookah smoking. RESULTS: The
      combined prevalence of hookah smoking in the White American study population was
      19%, with 10% of the sample smoking hookah only and 9% smoking both hookah and
      cigarettes. Approximately 19% of respondents believed that smoking hookah was
      less harmful than smoking cigarettes. Significant risk indicators for smoking
      hookah were being younger than 22 years and living with a family member who used
      tobacco. DISCUSSION: In addition to reporting the prevalence of use in this
      important group of potential users, we outline important sociodemographic risk
      factors for hookah use in a non-Arab American population. More research is needed
      with a larger population to better understand this new tobacco trend in order to
      curb a new potential health threat.

PMID- 20308224
TI  - Metabolic activation of heterocyclic amines and expression of CYP1A1 in the
      tongue.
AB  - Xenobiotic metabolism in oral tissues, especially in the tongue, has never been
      reported. In the present study, the metabolic activation/detoxification ability
      of promutagens in the tongue and the expression levels of related enzymes were
      investigated. Quantitative PCR analysis of rat tongue demonstrated constitutive
      messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of numerous drug-metabolizing enzymes. In
      particular, we detected mRNA, protein expression, and enzymatic activity of
      cytochrome P450 (CYP)1A1 in the tongue tissue. Metabolic activation of
      promutagens in the tongue was estimated using benzo[a]pyrene or heterocyclic
      amines (HCAs), found in cooked meat and tobacco products. Metabolic activation
      levels of HCAs in the tongue were comparable to those in the liver. In contrast,
      the expression levels of glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and uridine diphosphate
      glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) in the tongue were considerably lower compared with
      those in the liver, and as a result, the mutagenic activity in the tongue was not
      decreased by GST- or UGT-dependent conjugation. Treatment of rats with sudan III,
      a typical inducer of CYP1A1, resulted in markedly increased CYP1A1 mRNA, protein
      expressions, and CYP1A-dependent enzymatic and mutagenic activities. In addition,
      CYP1A1 mRNA expression in carcinoma cells (SAS) was induced by sudan III
      exposure. In conclusion, mutagenic activation of xenobiotics and an increased
      risk of cancer in the tongue were observed in this study. Furthermore, ingestion
      of drug-metabolizing enzyme inducers has the potential to increase the metabolic
      activation in the tongue tissue and increase the risk of biomolecular attack by
      promutagens.

PMID- 20308226
TI  - Cost-effectiveness of a programme to detect and provide better care for female
      victims of intimate partner violence.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Primary care clinicians often fail to detect women who are victims of
      intimate partner violence (IPV). Our aim was to investigate the cost
      effectiveness of a programme in primary care to detect and support such women.
      METHODS: We developed a Markov model to estimate the cost-effectiveness of
      education and support for primary care clinicians to increase their
      identification of survivors of IPV and to refer them to a specialist advocacy
      agency or a psychologist with specialist skills. The programme was implemented in
      three general practices in the United Kingdom (with an additional practice acting
      as a control) and provided cost data and rates of identification and referral.
      Other cost data and the effectiveness of IPV advocacy came from published
      sources. RESULTS: The model gave an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER)
      of approximately pounds sterling 2,450 per quality adjusted life year (QALY).
      Although the ratio increased in some of the sensitivity analyses, most were under
      a conventional willingness to pay threshold (pounds sterling 30,000/QALY).
      CONCLUSIONS: While there is considerable uncertainty in the underlying
      parameters, a training programme for primary care teams to increase
      identification and referral of women experiencing IPV is likely to be cost
      effective.

PMID- 20308227
TI  - Hyperthyroidism and venous thrombosis: a casual or causal association? A
      systematic literature review.
AB  - A kaleidoscope of coagulation disorders have been reported in patients with
      thyroid dysfunctions. Globally, these disorders involve both primary and
      secondary hemostasis and range from subclinical laboratory abnormalities to, more
      rarely, life-threatening hemorrhages or thrombotic events. While overt
      hypothyroidism appears to be associated with a bleeding tendency, hyperthyroidism
      emerged to have an increased risk of thrombotic events. In particular, a number
      of case reports have documented acute venous thrombosis complications in patients
      with overt hyperthyroidism, especially at cerebral sites. Nevertheless, further
      observational and intervention studies might be needed to provide a more
      definitive information on the clinical relevance of this association, along with
      the potential implication for prevention and treatment of coagulation
      fibrinolytic abnormalities in patients with thyroid dysfunction.

PMID- 20308225
TI  - Arsenic exposure perturbs epithelial-mesenchymal cell transition and gene
      expression in a collagen gel assay.
AB  - Arsenic is a naturally occurring metalloid and environmental contaminant. Arsenic
      exposure in drinking water is reported to cause cancer of the liver, kidneys,
      lung, bladder, and skin as well as birth defects, including neural tube, facial,
      and vasculogenic defects. The early embryonic period most sensitive to arsenic
      includes a variety of cellular processes. One key cellular process is epithelial
      mesenchymal transition (EMT) where epithelial sheets develop into three
      dimensional structures. An embryonic prototype of EMT is found in the
      atrioventricular (AV) canal of the developing heart, where endothelia
      differentiate to form heart valves. Effects of arsenic on this cellular process
      were examined by collagen gel invasion assay (EMT assay) using explanted AV
      canals from chicken embryo hearts. AV canals treated with 12.5-500 ppb arsenic
      showed a loss of mesenchyme at 12.5 ppb, and mesenchyme formation was completely
      inhibited at 500 ppb. Altered gene expression in arsenic-treated explants was
      investigated by microarray analysis. Genes whose expression was altered
      consistently at exposure levels of 10, 25, and 100 ppb were identified, and
      results showed that 25 ppb in vitro was particularly effective. Three hundred and
      eighty two genes were significantly altered at this exposure level. Cytoscape
      analysis of the microarray data using the chicken interactome identified four
      clusters of altered genes based on published relationships and pathways. This
      analysis identified cytoskeleton and cell adhesion-related genes whose disruption
      is consistent with an altered ability to undergo EMT. These studies show that EMT
      is sensitive to arsenic and that an interactome-based approach can be useful in
      identifying targets.

PMID- 20308228
TI  - Asymptomatic saddle pulmonary embolism: case report and literature review.
AB  - Saddle pulmonary embolism is defined as a visible thromboembolus straddling the
      bifurcation of the main pulmonary artery trunk. Patient with saddle pulmonary
      embolism have a 2-week mortality of 5.8%. 46 years old, hypertensive male,
      presented with right leg swelling and pain, with no evidence of cardiopulmonary
      distress. CTA showed a large saddle pulmonary embolus. Doppler ultrasound of
      right lower extremity, revealed a large filling defect extending from the common
      femoral vein distally involving the deep femoral vein, femoral vein and popliteal
      vein on the right. Diagnosis of saddle embolus on its own is not associated with
      an unfavorable outcome, therefore should not influence management of PE.
      Echocardiography done within 48 hours in-patient with symptomatic saddle
      pulmonary embolism reveals mild to moderate right ventricular enlargement in 90%
      and mild to severe right ventricular dysfunction in 80%. Emerging evidence
      suggest that primary therapy with thrombolytics and embolectomy, should be used
      in PE patients who presents with hypotension plus moderate to severe right
      ventricular dysfunction on echo cardiogram. Patients with saddle pulmonary
      embolism can have normal cardiopulmonary reserve; these patients can be managed
      with conventional treatment for pulmonary embolism in hospital settings, in order
      to deal with any complications developed during management. Aggressive management
      should be reserved for patients who are hemodynamically unstable as well as those
      with echocardiographic evidence of severe right ventricular strain. Physicians
      should decrease their threshold for suspicion of pulmonary embolism in patients
      with deep venous thrombosis in the hope of revealing more and more hidden cases
      of pulmonary embolism.

PMID- 20308229
TI  - Prothrombin complex concentrate such as therapy and prophylaxis in factor X
      deficient patient (Friuli variant).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Factor X (FX) deficiency is a serious, rare bleeding disorder, with 1
      in 500 000 affected people. Hemorrhages, hematuria, epistaxis, and other bleeding
      complications are frequent. CASE REPORT: Now, we report a case of a well-known 77
      year-old FX-deficient patient (Friuli variant, level <1%, mutation Pro(343)->Ser,
      exon VIII) with hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and
      chronic gastritis, admitted many times to hospital due to surgical complications
      after aortic abdominal aneurysm (AAA) repair. Use of prothrombin complex
      concentrate (PCC) such as hemostatic therapy during surgeries and prophylaxis
      after discharge is shown in this article. Three consecutive surgeries were
      considered. First, endoleak postendoprosthesis; second, AAA breakage; and third,
      planned surgery, a new endovascular prosthesis positioning and femur-femoral
      bypass. No adverse events due to PCC were found by local physicians. DISCUSSION:
      We discuss the methods commonly used in the treatment and prophylaxis of patients
      with FX deficiency to reduce hemorrhagic risk and to improve their quality of
      life. CONCLUSION: Waiting for specific therapeutic options for FX deficiency,
      currently, the best treatment is represented by PCC. Its correct use permits an
      improvement in life quality and a reduction in bleeding frequency in FX-deficient
      patients.

PMID- 20308230
TI  - Relationship between psychological distress and endogenous anticoagulants in
      patients with a previous venous thromboembolic event.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Psychological distress, particularly anxiety and depression, has been
      associated with a prothrombotic state. However, the relationship between
      psychosocial factors and endogenous anticoagulants protein S (PS) and protein C
      (PC) has not previously been investigated. We explored the association between
      psychological distress, PS, and PC in patients with an objectively diagnosed
      venous thromboembolic event (VTE). METHODS: We investigated 126 consecutively
      enrolled patients >=3 months after VTE (ie, deep venous thrombosis and/or
      pulmonary embolism) and >=1 month of discontinuation of oral anticoagulants.
      Approximately 10 days before blood collection for thrombophilia workup, anxiety
      and depression scores were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression
      scale (HADS). Protein C and S were determined by routine laboratory assays.
      RESULTS: After controlling for demographic and medical factors, PC, as measured
      by the PC-activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) method and the PC
      chromatin substrate method, was positively associated with psychological distress
      (sum of anxiety plus depression symptoms; P <= .027), anxiety (P <= .055), and
      depression (P <= .031), explaining between 3% and 6% of the variance. Total PS
      antigen showed a direct relationship with psychological distress (P = .025) and
      depression (P = .005), explaining 5% and 7% of respective variances. Free PS
      showed a positive association with depression (P = .046), explaining 3% of the
      variance. Anxiety showed no independent association with either PS measure.
      CONCLUSIONS: Psychological distress is independently associated with enhanced
      endogenous anticoagulant potential. This might reflect a counterregulatory
      mechanism to outweigh the previously observed hypercoagulability in individuals
      under chronic stress and with elevated symptoms of anxiety and depression.

PMID- 20308231
TI  - Molecular characterization of FXI deficiency.
AB  - Factor XI (FXI) deficiency is a rare autosomal bleeding disease associated with
      genetic defects in the FXI gene. It is a heterogeneous disorder with variable
      tendency in bleeding and variable causative FXI gene mutations. It is
      characterized as a cross-reacting material-negative (CRM-) FXI deficiency due to
      decreased FXI levels or cross-reacting material-positive (CRM+) FXI deficiency
      due to impaired FXI function. Increasing number of mutations has been reported in
      FXI mutation database, and most of the mutations are affecting serine protease
      (SP) domain of the protein. Functional characterization for the mutations helps
      to better understand the molecular basis of FXI deficiency. Prevalence of the
      disease is higher in certain populations such as Ashkenazi Jews. The purpose of
      this review is to give an overview of the molecular basis of congenital FXI
      deficiency.

PMID- 20308233
TI  - Clinical research in the UK: back from the brink, but are neurologists missing
      the boat?

PMID- 20308234
TI  - Managing acute behavioural disturbance in a neurology ward.
AB  - Episodes of behavioural disturbance are commonplace on neurology wards. The key
      to their safe management is prior planning, including securing the safety of the
      ward environment, and a formal risk assessment. Protocols which define staff
      roles and the unit strategy for the management of behavioural disturbance should
      be formally agreed and appropriate training provided. The commonest cause of
      disturbed behaviour in neurology-and neurosurgical wards-is delirium. This
      presents with fluctuating orientation, grossly impaired attention and disruption
      of the sleep-wake cycle. The cause is generally multifactorial with a combination
      of pre-existing vulnerabilities and acute precipitants. Management reflects this
      and depends on a multifaceted approach to medical care, including basic
      supportive measures, minimising polypharmacy and promoting orientation, early
      mobilisation and nutritional status, as well as treating the underlying medical
      conditions. Antipsychotic medication has a specific treatment effect but never as
      the only approach to the management of the delirious patient.

PMID- 20308235
TI  - The neurofibromatoses.
AB  - Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) and neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) are inherited autosomal
      dominant disorders that have a significant impact on the nervous system and
      predispose to tumour formation. The current nomenclature makes NF1 and NF2
      awkward bedfellows because they are clinically and genetically separate
      disorders. Neurofibromas are characteristic of NF1, a common condition with major
      skin involvement and many clinical complications. By contrast, schwannomas are
      the distinctive lesions in NF2, cutaneous signs are less prominent in this rarer
      disorder and clinical manifestations are largely restricted to the nervous system
      and eye. The current aim of neurofibromatosis specialists is to provide cohesive
      standards of care for everyone with neurofibromatosis and to devise standardised
      protocols for assessment and management within a multidisciplinary setting.

PMID- 20308236
TI  - Brain microbleeds.
AB  - Brain microbleeds are small dot-like lesions appearing as hyposignal on gradient
      echo T2* MR sequences. They represent microscopic areas of old haemosiderin
      deposits. They are frequent in the setting of symptomatic cerebrovascular disease
      and also in older healthy people, suggesting a link with cerebral amyloid
      angiopathy. Their use as diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers remains uncertain.
      More recently, they have been highlighted as a potential key factor in the
      pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, connecting the main pathological
      contributors of amyloid accumulation and cerebrovascular damage. The increasing
      use of MRI in clinical practice and research has brought brain microbleeds very
      much to our attention, raising many clinical dilemmas, such as-what do they mean?
      Should I treat a patient with antithrombotic drugs or thrombolysis? And many
      others.

PMID- 20308237
TI  - The imploding antrum syndrome: an unusual cause of double vision.
AB  - A 42-year-old man presented with a 3 day history of drooping of the right eyelid
      and intermittent double vision. He was found to have mechanical restriction of
      the left eye in elevation and MRI demonstrated an abnormality in the left
      maxillary sinus with descent of the left inferior rectus muscle. CT confirmed the
      diagnosis of 'imploding antrum' or 'silent sinus' syndrome. It was treated
      surgically with complete resolution of symptoms and signs.

PMID- 20308238
TI  - CMT, a life sentence not a death sentence.

PMID- 20308239
TI  - What got me into neurology (and did it work out?).

PMID- 20308240
TI  - The groom who could not say "I do".

PMID- 20308241
TI  - Jordan.

PMID- 20308242
TI  - The bare essentials: hyperkinetic movement disorders: shakes, jumps and jolts.

PMID- 20308243
TI  - A mixed-methods prospective study of death certification in general practice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Accurate completion of death certificates is important for compiling
      national and regional statistics. Determining actual cause of death can be
      extremely difficult; internationally, uncertainty has been acknowledged in many
      cases. We set out to explore the issue of uncertainty further: in what
      circumstances do GPs feel more or less certain, and how do they feel about this?
      OBJECTIVES: The study aimed (i) to focus on death certification issues faced by
      GPs and their related attitudes, and (ii) to assess GPs' confidence in stated
      diagnosis and reasons influencing certification. METHODS: This was a prospective,
      cross-sectional, mixed-methods study. Participants were 15 GP trainers in
      Ireland. Two focus groups, held 1 year apart, explored issues surrounding, and
      attitudes towards, death certification. A one-page questionnaire, completed after
      the death of every patient for 6 months, recorded patient age and gender, place
      and certified cause of death, certifier, and level of certainty about cause of
      death (on a 10-point scale). RESULTS: There were 168 deaths across the 15
      practices during the study period. Overall confidence in certified cause of death
      was relatively high but varied significantly according to certifier, and place
      and cause of death. The main issues surrounded the varying level of certainty
      with diagnosis, concerns regarding the family of the deceased, and the perceived
      gap in education about death certification, including legal matters. CONCLUSIONS:
      GPs appear to feel in an ambivalent or invidious position where death
      certification is required, a situation that could be addressed in postgraduate
      training settings.

PMID- 20308244
TI  - Post-infectious gastrointestinal symptoms after acute Giardiasis. A 1-year follow
      up in general practice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Giardia lamblia is endemic in many tropical and subtropical areas of
      the world, and in Europe and North America a common cause of waterborne outbreaks
      of gastroenteritis. In 2004, approximately 5000 people were sick with giardiasis
      during an outbreak in Bergen, Norway. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the presence of
      gastrointestinal complaints and persistent infection in a 1-year period after
      acute giardiasis. METHODS: From a population (N = 7100) assigned to two general
      practice clinics, a cohort of 134 patients with clinically defined giardiasis was
      identified. Of these, 118 gave consent to take part in this study. The patients
      were asked to submit stool samples 6 months after the acute infection and to
      return questionnaires delivered by mail 6 and 12 months after the outbreak. Main
      outcome measures were proportion of patients with persistent infection and/or
      gastrointestinal symptoms. RESULTS: Stool samples were submitted by 69.5%
      (82/118) of the patients after 6 months, and three were positive for G. lamblia.
      After 6 months, 37.3% (44/118) of the patients reported gastrointestinal symptoms
      related to their Giardia infection. This proportion went down to 19.2% (19/99)
      after 12 months. The reported water intake prior to the outbreak was
      significantly higher in patients with persistent symptoms, but there was no
      association with gender and neuroticism as has been shown in other studies of
      functional gastrointestinal disorders. CONCLUSION: Persistent gastrointestinal
      symptoms are a common complication after giardiasis in a population most likely
      previously unexposed to G. lamblia. The results show the need for further
      investigation of the mechanism involved.

PMID- 20308245
TI  - Differences in the primary care management of patients with psychosis from two
      ethnic groups: a population-based cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ethnicity is an important dimension in many aspects of psychosis.
      OBJECTIVE: To investigate ethnic differences in the primary care management of
      patients with psychosis. METHODS: Data were obtained from Lambeth DataNet, a
      database of computerized general practice case records derived from practices in
      an inner city London borough. We undertook a cross-sectional survey of patients
      with psychosis. OUTCOME MEASURES: health screening, chronic disease management
      and prescribing data and differences between ethnic groups were expressed as odds
      ratios (ORs). RESULTS: One thousand six hundred and ninety-four of 165,911
      (1.02%) registered patients had a diagnosis of psychosis; 1090 (64%) had
      ethnicity recorded; 501 were White and 403 were Black or Black British. There
      were no significant ethnic differences for blood pressure, cholesterol or HbA1c
      monitoring or control; cervical or mammography screening; treatment with
      hypotensives, statins, antidepressants, lithium, antipsychotics or atypical
      antipsychotics. Depot injectable antipsychotics were more likely to be prescribed
      to Black patients than other delivery modes: OR 2.10 (95% CI: 1.20-3.67).
      CONCLUSIONS: Measurable aspects of physical health care of patients with
      psychosis were similar, regardless of ethnicity. Increased use of the depot
      antipsychotic medication in black patients needs further exploration.

PMID- 20308246
TI  - Overcoming the barriers to chlamydia screening in general practice--a qualitative
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is low uptake of chlamydia screening in general practices
      registered with the English National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP). Aims.
      To explore staff's attitudes and behaviour around chlamydia screening and how
      screening could be optimized in general practice. METHODS: A qualitative study
      with focus groups and interviews, in general practices in seven NCSP areas.
      Twenty-five focus groups and 12 interviews undertaken with a purposively selected
      diverse group of high and low chlamydia-screening practices in 2006-08. Data were
      collected and analysed using a framework analytical approach. RESULTS: Higher
      screening practices had more staff with greater belief in patient and population
      benefits of screening and, as screening was a subjective norm, it was part of
      every day practice. Many staff in the majority of other practices were
      uncomfortable raising chlamydia opportunistically and time pressures meant that
      any extra public health issues covered within a consultation were determined by
      Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF) targets. All practices would value more training
      and feedback about their screening rates and results. Practices suggested that
      use of computer prompts, simplified request forms and more accessible kits could
      increase screening. CONCLUSION: Practice staff need more evidence of the value of
      opportunistic chlamydia screening in men and women; staff development to reduce
      the barriers to broaching sexual health; simpler request forms and easily
      accessible kits to increase their ability to offer it within the time pressures
      of general practice. Increased awareness of chlamydia could be attained through
      practice meetings, computer templates and reminders, targets and incentives or
      QOF points with feedback.

PMID- 20308247
TI  - Rem, a member of the RGK GTPases, inhibits recombinant CaV1.2 channels using
      multiple mechanisms that require distinct conformations of the GTPase.
AB  - Rad/Rem/Gem/Kir (RGK) GTPases potently inhibit Ca(V)1 and Ca(V)2 (Ca(V)1-2)
      channels, a paradigm of ion channel regulation by monomeric G-proteins with
      significant physiological ramifications and potential biotechnology applications.
      The mechanism(s) underlying how RGK proteins inhibit I(Ca) is unknown, and it is
      unclear how key structural and regulatory properties of these GTPases (such as
      the role of GTP binding to the nucleotide binding domain (NBD), and the C
      terminus which contains a membrane-targeting motif) feature in this effect. Here,
      we show that Rem inhibits Ca(V)1.2 channels by three independent mechanisms that
      rely on distinct configurations of the GTPase: (1) a reduction in surface density
      of channels is accomplished by enhancing dynamin-dependent endocytosis, (2) a
      diminution of channel open probability (P(o)) that occurs without impacting on
      voltage sensor movement, and (3) an immobilization of Ca(V) channel voltage
      sensors. The presence of both the Rem NBD and C-terminus (whether membrane
      targeted or not) in one molecule is sufficient to reconstitute all three
      mechanisms. However, membrane localization of the NBD by a generic membrane
      targeting module reconstitutes only the decreased P(o) function (mechanism 2). A
      point mutation that prevents GTP binding to the NBD selectively eliminates the
      capacity to immobilize voltage sensors (mechanism 3). The results reveal an
      uncommon multiplicity in the mechanisms Rem uses to inhibit I(Ca), predict new
      physiological dimensions of the RGK GTPase-Ca(V) channel crosstalk, and suggest
      original approaches for developing novel Ca(V) channel blockers.

PMID- 20308248
TI  - Exercise intensity-dependent regulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated
      receptor coactivator-1 mRNA abundance is associated with differential activation
      of upstream signalling kinases in human skeletal muscle.
AB  - Skeletal muscle contraction increases intracellular ATP turnover, calcium flux,
      and mechanical stress, initiating signal transduction pathways that modulate
      peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1alpha (PGC-1alpha)
      dependent transcriptional programmes. The purpose of this study was to determine
      if the intensity of exercise regulates PGC-1alpha expression in human skeletal
      muscle, coincident with activation of signalling cascades known to regulate PGC
      1alpha transcription. Eight sedentary males expended 400 kcal (1674 kj) during a
      single bout of cycle ergometer exercise on two separate occasions at either 40%
      (LO) or 80% (HI) of . Skeletal muscle biopsies from the m. vastus lateralis were
      taken at rest and at +0, +3 and +19 h after exercise. Energy expenditure during
      exercise was similar between trials, but the high intensity bout was shorter in
      duration (LO, 69.9 +/- 4.0 min; HI, 36.0 +/- 2.2 min, P < 0.05) and had a higher
      rate of glycogen utilization (P < 0.05). PGC-1alpha mRNA abundance increased in
      an intensity-dependent manner +3 h after exercise (LO, 3.8-fold; HI, 10.2-fold, P
      < 0.05). AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) (2.8-fold, P < 0.05) and
      calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) phosphorylation (84%, P <
      0.05) increased immediately after HI but not LO. p38 mitogen-activated protein
      kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation increased after both trials (2.0-fold, P < 0.05),
      but phosphorylation of the downstream transcription factor, activating
      transcription factor-2 (ATF-2), increased only after HI (2.4-fold, P < 0.05).
      Cyclic-AMP response element binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation was elevated
      at +3 h after both trials (80%, P < 0.05) and class IIa histone deacetylase
      (HDAC) phosphorylation increased only after HI (2.0-fold, P < 0.05). In
      conclusion, exercise intensity regulates PGC-1alpha mRNA abundance in human
      skeletal muscle in response to a single bout of exercise. This effect is mediated
      by differential activation of multiple signalling pathways, with ATF-2 and HDAC
      phosphorylation proposed as key intensity-dependent mediators.

PMID- 20308249
TI  - Kv1.3 is the exclusive voltage-gated K+ channel of platelets and megakaryocytes:
      roles in membrane potential, Ca2+ signalling and platelet count.
AB  - A delayed rectifier voltage-gated K(+) channel (Kv) represents the largest ionic
      conductance of platelets and megakaryocytes, but is undefined at the molecular
      level. Quantitative RT-PCR of all known Kv alpha and ancillary subunits showed
      that only Kv1.3 (KCNA3) is substantially expressed in human platelets.
      Furthermore, megakaryocytes from Kv1.3(/) mice or from wild-type mice exposed to
      the Kv1.3 blocker margatoxin completely lacked Kv currents and displayed
      substantially depolarised resting membrane potentials. In human platelets,
      margatoxin reduced the P2X(1)- and thromboxaneA(2) receptor-evoked [Ca(2+)](i)
      increases and delayed the onset of store-operated Ca(2+) influx. Megakaryocyte
      development was normal in Kv1.3(/) mice, but the platelet count was increased,
      consistent with a role of Kv1.3 in apoptosis or decreased platelet activation. We
      conclude that Kv1.3 forms the Kv channel of the platelet and megakaryocyte, which
      sets the resting membrane potential, regulates agonist-evoked Ca(2+) increases
      and influences circulating platelet numbers.

PMID- 20308250
TI  - N-Acetylcysteine infusion does not affect glucose disposal during prolonged
      moderate-intensity exercise in humans.
AB  - There is evidence that reactive oxygen species (ROS) signalling is required for
      normal increases in glucose uptake during contraction of isolated mouse skeletal
      muscle, and that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is involved. The aim of this
      study was to determine whether ROS signalling is involved in the regulation of
      glucose disposal and AMPK activation during moderate-intensity exercise in
      humans. Nine healthy males completed 80 min of cycle ergometry at 62 +/- 1% of
      peak oxygen consumption ( V(O(2)peak).A 6,6-(2)H-glucose tracer was infused at
      rest and during exercise, and in a double-blind randomised cross-over design, N
      acetylcysteine (NAC) or saline (CON) was co-infused. NAC was infused at 125 mg
      kg(1) h(1) for 15 min and then at 25 mg kg(1) h(1) for 20 min before and
      throughout exercise. NAC infusion elevated plasma NAC and cysteine, and muscle
      NAC and cysteine concentrations during exercise. Although neither NAC infusion
      nor exercise significantly affected muscle reduced or oxidised glutathione (GSH
      or GSSG) concentration (P > 0.05), S-glutathionylation (an indicator of oxidative
      stress) of a protein band of approximately 270 kDa was increased approximately 3
      fold with contraction and this increase was prevented by NAC infusion. Despite
      this, exercised-induced increases in tracer determined glucose disposal, plasma
      lactate, plasma non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs), and decreases in plasma
      insulin were not affected by NAC infusion. In addition, skeletal muscle AMPKalpha
      and acetyl-CoA carboxylase-beta (ACCbeta) phosphorylation increased during
      exercise by approximately 3- and approximately 6-fold (P < 0.05), respectively,
      and this was not affected by NAC infusion. Unlike findings in mouse muscle ex
      vivo, NAC does not attenuate skeletal muscle glucose disposal or AMPK activation
      during moderate-intensity exercise in humans.

PMID- 20308251
TI  - Mutations in GABAA receptor subunits associated with genetic epilepsies.
AB  - Mutations in inhibitory GABAA receptor subunit genes (GABRA1, GABRB3, GABRG2 and
      GABRD) have been associated with genetic epilepsy syndromes including childhood
      absence epilepsy (CAE), juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME), pure febrile seizures
      (FS), generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures plus (GEFS+), and Dravet
      syndrome (DS)/severe myoclonic epilepsy in infancy (SMEI). These mutations are
      found in both translated and untranslated gene regions and have been shown to
      affect the GABAA receptors by altering receptor function and/or by impairing
      receptor biogenesis by multiple mechanisms including reducing subunit mRNA
      transcription or stability, impairing subunit folding, stability, or
      oligomerization and by inhibiting receptor trafficking.

PMID- 20308252
TI  - Common phenotype of resting mouse extensor digitorum longus and soleus muscles:
      equal ATPase and glycolytic flux during transient anoxia.
AB  - Rates of ATPase and glycolysis are several times faster in actively contracting
      mouse extensor digitorum longus muscle (EDL) than soleus (SOL), but we find these
      rates are not distinguishable at rest. We used a transient anoxic perturbation of
      steady state energy balance to decrease phosphocreatine (PCr) reversibly and to
      measure the rates of ATPase and of lactate production without muscle activation
      or contraction. The rate of glycolytic ATP synthesis is less than the ATPase
      rate, accounting for the continual PCr decrease during anoxia in both muscles. We
      fitted a mathematical model validated with properties of enzymes and solutes
      measured in vitro and appropriate for the transient perturbation of these muscles
      to experimental data to test whether the model accounts for the results.
      Simulations showed equal rates of ATPase and lactate production in both muscles.
      ATPase controls glycolytic flux by feedback from its products. Adenylate kinase
      function is critical because a rise in [AMP] is necessary to activate glycogen
      phosphorylase. ATPase is the primary source of H+ production. The sum of
      contributions of the 13 reactions of the glycogenolytic and glycolytic network to
      total proton load is negligible. The stoichiometry of lactate and H+ production
      is near unity. These results identify a default state of energy metabolism for
      resting muscle in which there is no difference in the metabolic phenotype of EDL
      and SOL. Therefore, additional control mechanisms, involving higher ATPase flux
      and [Ca2+], must exist to explain the well-known difference in glycolytic rates
      in fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscles in actively contracting muscle.

PMID- 20308253
TI  - An in vivo tethered toxin approach for the cell-autonomous inactivation of
      voltage-gated sodium channel currents in nociceptors.
AB  - Understanding information flow in sensory pathways requires cell-selective
      approaches to manipulate the activity of defined neurones. Primary afferent
      nociceptors, which detect painful stimuli, are enriched in specific voltage-gated
      sodium channel (VGSC) subtypes. Toxins derived from venomous animals can be used
      to dissect the contributions of particular ion currents to cell physiology. Here
      we have used a transgenic approach to target a membrane-tethered isoform of the
      conotoxin MrVIa (t-MrVIa) only to nociceptive neurones in mice. T-MrVIa
      transgenic mice show a 44 +/- 7% reduction of tetrodotoxin-resistant (TTX-R) VGSC
      current densities. This inhibition is permanent, reversible and does not result
      in functional upregulation of TTX-sensitive (TTX-S) VGSCs, voltage-gated calcium
      channels (VGCCs) or transient receptor potential (TRP) channels present in
      nociceptive neurones. As a consequence of the reduction of TTX-R VGSC currents, t
      MrVIa transgenic mice display decreased inflammatory mechanical hypersensitivity,
      cold pain insensitivity and reduced firing of cutaneous C-fibres sensitive to
      noxious cold temperatures. These data validate the use of genetically encoded t
      toxins as a powerful tool to manipulate VGSCs in specific cell types within the
      mammalian nervous system. This novel genetic methodology can be used for circuit
      mapping and has the key advantage that it enables the dissection of the
      contribution of specific ionic currents to neuronal function and to behaviour.

PMID- 20308254
TI  - Ganglionic transmission in a vasomotor pathway studied in vivo.
AB  - Intracellular recordings were made in vivo from 40 spontaneously active cells in
      the third lumbar sympathetic ganglion of urethane-anaesthetized rats. In 38/40
      cells ongoing action potentials showed strong cardiac rhythmicity (93.4 +/- 1.9%
      modulation) indicating high barosensitivity and probable muscle vasoconstrictor
      (MVC) function. Subthreshold excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) showed
      the same pattern. The 38 barosensitive neurons fired action potentials at 2.9 +/-
      0.3 Hz. All action potentials were triggered by EPSPs, most of which were unitary
      events. Calculations indicated that <5% of action potentials were triggered by
      summation of otherwise subthreshold EPSPs. 'Dominant' synaptic inputs with a high
      safety factor were identified, confirming previous work. These were active in
      24/38 cells and accounted for 32% of all action potentials; other ('secondary')
      inputs drove the remainder. Inputs (21 dominant, 19 secondary) attributed to
      single preganglionic neurons fired at 1.38 +/- 0.16 Hz. An average of two to
      three preganglionic neurons were estimated to drive each ganglion cell's action
      potentials. When cells were held hyperpolarized to block spiking, a range of
      spontaneous EPSP amplitudes was revealed. Threshold equivalent was defined as the
      membrane potential value that was exceeded by spontaneous EPSPs at the same
      frequency as the cell's original firing rate. In 10/12 cells examined, a
      continuum of EPSP amplitudes overlapped threshold equivalent. Small changes in
      cell excitability could therefore raise or lower the percentage of preganglionic
      inputs triggering action potentials. The results indicate that vasoconstrictor
      ganglion cells in vivo mostly behave not as 1:1 relays, but as continuously
      variable gates.

PMID- 20308255
TI  - Cobalt asthma--a case series from a cobalt plant.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cobalt has been shown to induce mainly asthma, allergic contact
      dermatitis and hard metal disease. The data on cobalt asthma are mainly based on
      case reports. AIMS: To characterize all the cases of occupational cobalt asthma
      encountered in a cobalt plant at the time of diagnosis and 6 months later. We
      also evaluated the incidence of cobalt asthma in different departments on the
      basis of data on occupational exposures. METHODS: We identified cases of cobalt
      asthma confirmed with specific bronchial challenge tests in the Kokkola cobalt
      plant in Finland where exposure levels have been regularly monitored. RESULTS:
      Between 1967 and 2003, a total of 22 cases of cobalt asthma were diagnosed in the
      cobalt plant. On challenge tests, mostly late or dual asthmatic reactions were
      observed. The incidence of cobalt asthma was the highest in the departments with
      the highest cobalt exposure levels. All cases of cobalt asthma were encountered
      in departments where irritant gases were present in the ambient air in addition
      to cobalt. At the time of the follow-up examination 6 months later, non-specific
      hyperreactivity had mostly remained at the same level or increased. CONCLUSIONS:
      The incidence of cobalt asthma correlated with the exposure levels of cobalt in
      corresponding departments. An irritating effect of gaseous compounds may enhance
      the risk of cobalt asthma and even the smallest amounts of cobalt may be harmful
      to susceptible workers. Symptoms of asthma may continue despite the fact that
      occupational exposure to cobalt has ceased.

PMID- 20308256
TI  - Correlates of short- and long-term absence due to musculoskeletal disorders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are a common cause of disability and
      absence from work. There is no consistent evidence in the literature regarding
      predictors for short- and long-term absences due to these disorders. AIMS: To
      investigate work-related factors influencing short- and long-term absences due to
      MSD in German-speaking countries. METHODS: The study is based on data from the
      Fourth European Working Conditions Survey. The study population included 2849
      workers in German-speaking countries who participated in face-to-face interviews.
      Logistic regression models were used to determine the associations between
      possible risk factors and the occurrence of short- or long-term absence due to
      MSD. RESULTS: A tiring or painful working position was positively correlated with
      short- and long-term absenteeism due to MSD, whereas the freedom to decide when
      to take holidays was negatively associated with this phenomenon. Some
      psychosocial factors, such as the ability to apply one's own ideas at work, the
      ability to choose or change the speed or rate of work and the emotional demands
      of the job, had contradictory impacts on short- and long-term absenteeism due to
      MSD. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this investigation show that it is important to
      distinguish between predictors of short- and long-term absenteeism due to MSD.

PMID- 20308257
TI  - The benefits of sustained leisure-time physical activity on job strain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The long-term effects of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) on job
      strain have not been assessed in a large prospective population-based cohort
      study. AIMS: To examine the relationship between the LTPA and the prevalence of
      job strain. METHODS: The participants were 861 full-time employees (406 men and
      455 women), aged 24-39 years in 2001, from the ongoing Cardiovascular Risk in
      Young Finns Study. LTPA was assessed using a self-report questionnaire in 1992
      and in 2001. The participants were grouped into four categories according to
      tertiles of LTPA index at two time points: persistently active, increasingly
      active, decreasingly active and persistently inactive. Job strain was measured in
      2001 by indicators of job demands and job control. RESULTS: Baseline LTPA was
      inversely associated with job strain (P < 0.001) and job demands (P < 0.05) and
      directly associated with job control (P < 0.05) in both sexes in a model adjusted
      for the change in 9-year LTPA, age, educational level, occupational status and
      smoking. Compared with persistently active participants, persistently inactive
      participants had a 4.0-fold higher job strain after adjustment for the
      confounders. Similarly, persistently inactive participants had a 2.7-fold higher
      job demands and a 1.8-fold lower job control. Decreasing physical activity was
      independently associated with high job strain (P < 0.01) and with low job control
      (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Participation in regular LTPA during leisure may help
      young adults to cope with job strain. A long-term benefit of LTPA may play a role
      in the development of mental well-being.

PMID- 20308258
TI  - Job strain among Malaysian office workers of a multinational company.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Information on job strain exposure among Malaysian workers in
      multinational companies is limited. AIMS: To investigate the prevalence and
      factors associated with high job strain among office workers of a multinational
      company in Malaysia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in November
      2007 among 470 eligible workers. Respondents self-administered the Job Content
      Questionnaire downloaded from the company's intranet. A median-split procedure
      was applied to create four groups according to the Job Demand-Control Model:
      active, passive, high and low job strain. Logistic regression models were used to
      investigate the associations between socio-demographic, occupational and
      psychosocial factors and high job strain. RESULTS: A total of 356 questionnaires
      were received (response rate 76%). Twenty-one per cent of respondents were in the
      high job strain group, 35% were in the passive group, whereas 26% and 17% of
      workers were in the low strain and active groups, respectively. After controlling
      for confounders, three factors were found to be associated with high job strain:
      male workers (adjusted OR 1.94, 95% CI 1.04-3.64), working >48 h per week
      (adjusted OR 2.51, 95% CI 1.44-4.39) and job insecurity (adjusted OR 1.14, 95% CI
      1.02-1.27). One protective factor for high job strain was the scale 'created
      skill', which is part of skill discretion (adjusted OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.57-0.86).
      CONCLUSIONS: About one in five workers in this study experience high job strain.
      Work improvement measures include reducing long working hours and job insecurity
      and giving workers the opportunity to learn, use creativity and develop
      abilities.

PMID- 20308259
TI  - Laboratory work and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laboratory workers are commonly exposed to chemical, biological and
      physical agents. They also may adopt poor postures for long periods and be
      engaged in moving and handling. These factors may increase the risk of adverse
      pregnancy outcome in female laboratory workers. AIMS: To assess whether
      laboratory work during pregnancy increases the risk of adverse pregnancy
      outcomes. METHODS: The 1990-2006 Finnish Medical Birth Registry was used to
      identify all singleton newborns of all Finnish laboratory workers (n = 5425) and
      those of teachers (n = 21,438) as the reference population. The main outcomes
      were sexual differentiation (female gender), low birth weight, high birth weight,
      preterm delivery, post-term delivery, small-for-gestational age (SGA), large-for
      gestational age and perinatal death. The generalized estimating equation (GEE)
      analysis was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) adjusted for maternal age,
      parity, marital status and maternal smoking during pregnancy. RESULTS: In the GEE
      analysis, the risk of low birth weight (adjusted OR: 1.27, 95% CI: 1.08-1.45) and
      SGA (adjusted OR: 1.27, 95% CI: 1.02-1.52) was higher in laboratory workers than
      in teachers. Correspondingly the prevalence of high birth weight (> or = 4000 g)
      was lower in newborns of laboratory workers (adjusted OR: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.83
      0.98). The prevalence of post-term deliveries was close to being significantly
      higher among newborns of laboratory workers (adjusted OR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.00
      1.31). CONCLUSIONS: This large population-based study provides evidence that
      laboratory work may be associated with reduced foetal growth.

PMID- 20308260
TI  - Exogenous lipoid pneumonia caused by paraffin in an amateur fire breather.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Paraffin has characteristics that make it popular among fire
      breathers. AIMS: To describe a case of paraffin-induced lipoid pneumonia in a
      fire breather. METHODS: The patient was evaluated clinically in relation to his
      occupational history. RESULTS: A 32-year-old man presented with dyspnoea,
      tachypnoea and non-productive cough of 2 h duration that started immediately
      following an attempt to blow fire using paraffin as the volatile substance. He
      was discharged from the emergency ward but returned the next day presenting again
      with dyspnoea accompanied by mid-sternal pain, fever (38.1 degrees C) and
      leucocytosis. Chest radiography showed perihilar punctuate infiltrations. A
      diagnosis of exogenous lipoid pneumonia caused by paraffin was made, and the
      patient was treated, with full recovery within a week. CONCLUSIONS: Fire
      breathers must be viewed as a population at risk of paraffin-induced lipoid
      pneumonia.

PMID- 20308261
TI  - Surveillance of Australian workplace Based Respiratory Events (SABRE) in New
      South Wales.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Surveillance of Australian workplace Based Respiratory Events
      (SABRE) New South Wales (NSW) scheme is a voluntary notification scheme
      established to determine the incidence of occupational lung diseases in NSW
      Australia. AIMS: Data presented in this paper summarize the last 7 years of
      reporting to SABRE (June 2001 to December 2008). METHODS: Every 2 months,
      participating occupational physicians, respiratory physicians and general
      practitioners (accredited by the NSW WorkCover Authority) reported new cases of
      occupational lung disease seen in their practices. Data collected include gender,
      age, causal agent and the occupations and industries believed responsible.
      Estimated incidence was calculated for each disease. RESULTS: Three thousand six
      hundred and fifty-four cases were notified to the scheme, consisting of 3856
      diagnoses. Most of the cases were males (76%). Pleural plaques [1218 (28%)] were
      the most frequently reported condition, followed by mesothelioma [919 (24%)].
      Silicosis [90 (2%)] and occupational asthma [OA; 89 (2%)] were the most
      frequently reported non-asbestos-related diseases. Estimated rates for
      mesothelioma, diffuse pleural thickening (DPT) and OA were 83, 83 and 5 cases per
      million employed males per year, respectively. Trades such as carpenters and
      electricians associated with the building industry, electricity supply and
      asbestos product manufacture were the most common occupations and industries
      reported. CONCLUSIONS: Asbestos-related diseases are the most frequently reported
      conditions to SABRE NSW. The very low incidence of OA for NSW most likely
      reflects under-diagnosis as well as under-reporting. Occupational lung disease is
      still occurring in NSW despite current preventative strategies. The SABRE scheme
      currently provides the only available information in this area.

PMID- 20308262
TI  - Obesity and sickness absence: results from the CHAP study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity is an increasing public health problem. A small number of
      studies have examined the relationship between obesity and sickness absence, with
      mixed results, particularly regarding short-term sickness absence. AIMS: To
      determine if obesity is associated with short- and long-term sickness absence and
      to investigate the mechanisms that may underlie any association. METHODS: Cross
      sectional (n = 1489) and prospective (n = 625) analyses were conducted on staff
      from London Underground Ltd. All participants underwent regular clinical
      examinations that involved their height and weight being measured, obesity
      related medical problems being diagnosed and psychiatric disorders being
      identified. The number of days taken for short- (<10 days in an episode) and long
      term sickness absence were recorded by managers on an electronic database.
      RESULTS: There was a positive linear association between employees' body mass
      index (BMI) and the number of days' work missed due to sickness absence on both
      cross-sectional and prospective analyses (P < 0.001). Obesity was a risk factor
      for both short- and long-term sickness absence. Obese individuals typically took
      an extra 4 days sick leave every year. The majority of the increased risk for
      long-term sickness absence appeared to be mediated via co-morbid chronic medical
      conditions. The excess short-term sickness absence was not explained by obesity
      related medical problems, psychiatric disorders or workplace factors.
      CONCLUSIONS: Obese employees take significantly more short- and long-term
      sickness absence than workers of a healthy weight. There is growing evidence to
      support employers becoming more involved in tackling obesity.

PMID- 20308263
TI  - Do patients undergoing lung biopsy need a postoperative chest drain at all?
AB  - A best evidence topic in thoracic surgery was written according to a structured
      protocol. The question addressed whether insertion of an intercostal chest drain
      prolongs the length of stay of patients undergoing lung biopsy. Altogether 210
      papers were found using the reported search, of which 10 represented the best
      evidence to answer the clinical question. The authors, journal, date and country
      of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes and results
      of these papers are tabulated. We conclude that where an intraoperative check
      reveals no air leak, chest drain should be avoided if possible in order to
      discharge patients earlier. Where chest drain is used following video-assisted
      thoracoscopic surgery lung biopsy, early removal results in reduced pain and
      earlier discharge. Four studies advocate early chest tube removal, allowing
      discharge of 95% within 24 h in one study, reduced hospital stay from 3.9+/-2.1
      days to 2+/-1 days (P=0.001) in another, and a median stay of 1.2 days (range 0-7
      days) in a third. Removal of chest drain within 1 h of the operation was possible
      in 92% of patients (one study), significantly reducing pain (P=0.03, P=0.005; two
      studies) and postoperative complications (P=0.01; one study) compared with
      conventional treatment. Five studies in which patients were managed without chest
      drain following intraoperative air leak checks, reduced hospital stay vs.
      conventional management (two studies; 2 vs. 3, P<0.001, 1 vs. 3, P<0.01) but
      results in no difference in complication rates (three studies: pneumothoraces
      requiring chest drain; 2 vs. 2, P=non-significant; 0 vs. 0; 0 vs. 0) or pain
      score (two studies; 0.77 vs. 0.76, P=0.894; 5 vs. 5, P=0.81).

PMID- 20308264
TI  - Correlation of computed tomography densitometry and pathological grading of
      emphysema with the variation of respiratory function after lobectomy for lung
      cancer.
AB  - The presence of emphysema may lead to an underestimation of postoperative
      respiratory function after lobectomy when evaluated by standard functional
      assessment. The aim of the study was to assess the correlation between computed
      tomography (CT) densitometry, pathological grading of emphysema and variation of
      pulmonary function after lobectomy for lung cancer. Forty-one patients entered
      the study. Respiratory function was assessed preoperatively and after a mean
      period of 4.04 months following surgery. Postoperative function remained
      unchanged or increased after surgery in nine patients (Group A). In the remaining
      32 patients (Group B) postoperative function was reduced after surgery.
      Preoperative forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1))% was 68.5+/-13.1% in Group
      A and 91.7+/-21.0% in Group B. CT densitometry of the lobe to be resected was 
      877.8+/-57.6 HU in Group A and -827.5+/-64.4 HU in Group B. Pathological grading
      of emphysema of the resected lobe (range 0-10) was 4.1+/-2.2 in Group A and 3.1+/
      1.2 in Group B. A significant correlation was observed (Spearman rank
      correlation) between the variation of FEV(1) and preoperative FEV(1) (P=0.003; r=
      0.455), CT quantitative assessment (P=0.036; r=-0.430) and pathological grading
      (P=0.008; r=0.673). Patients with a higher degree of emphysema had a lower
      reduction of respiratory function after lobectomy and CT densitometry and
      pathological grading of emphysema correlated with the variation in respiratory
      function.

PMID- 20308265
TI  - Pneumonectomy for lung cancer over the age of 75 years: is it worthwhile?
AB  - The objective of the study was to evaluate the outcome in elderly patients (>75
      years) submitted to pneumonectomy for lung cancer. Records of 40 elderly
      patients, who underwent pneumonectomy at our Institution from 1990 to 2008, were
      retrospectively reviewed. This group was compared with 289 younger patients
      submitted to pneumonectomy in the same period. In the older group median age was
      77 years (range 75-84 years), 16 were right-side procedures. In the younger group
      median age was 62 years (range 24-74 years), 114 were right-sided procedures. The
      overall mortality rate was 7.5% and 6.2% in the older and younger groups,
      respectively (P=0.75); morbidity rate was 35.1% and 17.7% (P=0.01) and five-year
      survival rate was 32% and 30%, respectively (P=0.85). Right-sided procedures
      (P=0.0006) were associated with higher risk of mortality and age over 75 years
      (P=0.01) with increased risk of morbidity; pathological stage was the only
      predictor of five-year survival. Pneumonectomy appears to be justified even in
      patients older than 75 years, because short- and long-term outcomes can be
      acceptable and comparable with those of younger patients. Advanced age alone does
      not justify denying curative resection of lung cancer, but right-sided procedures
      require a careful pre- and postoperative approach.

PMID- 20308266
TI  - Does ABO-incompatible and ABO-compatible neonatal heart transplant have
      equivalent survival?
AB  - A best evidence topic (BET) in cardiac surgery was written according to a
      structured protocol. The question addressed was whether ABO-incompatible (ABO-I)
      heart transplant recipients have a similar survival rate as an ABO-compatible
      (ABO-C) transplant in the pediatric population <1 year of age. Altogether more
      than 112 papers were found using the reported search, of which 10 represented the
      best evidence to answer the clinical question. Generally, ABO-I transplantation
      has been associated with the neonatal population because of the relative
      immaturity of the immune system for the first year of life. In the BET the search
      term 'pediatric' was used as a method to ensure retrieval all relevant papers.
      However, the vast majority of the patients reviewed were <1 year of age with
      specific techniques undertaken to modulate preoperative, intraoperative and
      postoperative isohemagglutinin titer levels with rejection monitoring. Therefore,
      the BET conclusions should not be applied to the pediatric group as a broad age
      classification. Two large series are of particular interest. Patel et al.
      reviewed all primary heart transplantation recipients < or =1 year of age in the
      United Network for Organ Sharing/Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network
      (UNOS/OPTN) registry (ABO-I=35 vs. ABO-C=556). There was no difference in 30-day
      mortality (ABO-I=5.9% vs. ABO-C=8.8%; P=0.55); one-year mortality (ABO-I=16.6%
      vs. ABO-C=14.7%; P=0.77); graft rejection (ABO-I=1 vs. ABO-C=0); and graft
      failure (ABO-I=24% vs. ABO-C=24%; P>0.99). Three-year Kaplan-Meier survival was
      70% (P=0.85). Propensity score adjusted analysis did not implicate ABO-I as a
      predictor of mortality [hazard ratio (HR)=3.6, confidence interval (CI): 0.2
      49.0; P=0.33]. The ABO-I group demonstrated an increased need for pacemaker (ABO
      I=3.1% vs. ABO-C=0.4%; P=0.03) and higher stroke rate (ABO-I=12.9% vs. ABO
      C=1.3%; P<0.0001). Dipchand et al. published the results of the Toronto cohort
      from 1992 to 2006 (ABO-I=16 vs. ABO-C=38). The median age at transplantation (ABO
      I=88 days vs. ABO-C=84 days; P=0.82) and the number of neonatal transplant
      recipients (ABO-I=17% vs. ABO-C=22%; P=0.59) was similar. The freedom from post
      transplantation death or retransplantation was equivalent at one year (ABO-I=77%
      vs. ABO-C=84%) and seven years (ABO-I=74% vs. ABO-C=74%; P=0.87). No significant
      difference was observed for the five-year freedom from: rejection (ABO-I=60% vs.
      ABO-C=45%; P=0.41); renal dysfunction (ABO-I=67% vs. ABO-C=72%; P=0.70);
      allograft vasculopathy (ABO-I=87% vs. ABO-C=78%; P=0.45); and post
      transplantation lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) (ABO-I=87% vs. ABO-C=86%;
      P=0.93). We conclude that ABO-I transplantation is comparable to ABO-C
      transplantation, with several retrospective papers concluding there is no
      difference in mortality, morbidity or graft failure in the pediatric population
      <1 year of age.

PMID- 20308268
TI  - Cortical rim sign and acute renal infarction.

PMID- 20308269
TI  - Cholesterol microembolization syndrome: a complication of anticoagulant therapy.

PMID- 20308270
TI  - Association between parity and risk of suicide among parous women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are limited empirical data to support the theory of a
      protective effect of parenthood against suicide, as proposed by Durkheim in 1897.
      I conducted this study to examine whether there is an association between parity
      and risk of death from suicide among women. METHODS: The study cohort consisted
      of 1,292,462 women in Taiwan who had a first live birth between Jan. 1, 1978, and
      Dec. 31, 1987. The women were followed up from the date of their first birth to
      Dec. 31, 2007. Their vital status was ascertained by means of linking records
      with data from a computerized mortality database. Cox proportional hazard
      regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios of death from suicide
      associated with parity. RESULTS: There were 2252 deaths from suicide during 32
      464 187 person-years of follow-up. Suicide-related mortality was 6.94 per 100,000
      person-years. After adjustment for age at first birth, marital status, years of
      schooling and place of delivery, the adjusted hazard ratio was 0.61 (95%
      confidence interval [CI] 0.54-0.68) among women with two live births and 0.40
      (95% CI 0.35-0.45) among those with three or more live births, compared with
      women who had one live birth. I observed a significantly decreasing trend in
      adjusted hazard ratios of suicide with increasing parity. INTERPRETATION: This
      study provides evidence to support Durkheim's hypothesis that parenthood confers
      a protective effect against suicide.

PMID- 20308271
TI  - Accuracy of patient-reported height loss and risk factors for height loss among
      postmenopausal women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Since loss of height may indicate vertebral fracture, the accuracy of
      the information on height is relevant for clinical practice. We undertook this
      study to compare reported and measured loss of height among post-menopausal women
      in a primary care setting. We also analyzed the determinants of this height loss.
      METHODS: In an observational study conducted between December 2007 and May 2008,
      we asked 1779 randomly selected general practitioners to recruit the first five
      female patients who were more than 60 years of age, regardless of the reason for
      the consultation. Using a questionnaire, physicians collected data on demographic
      and clinical variables, history of osteoporosis and current anti-osteoporotic
      treatment. We used three assessments of height: tallest height in early adulthood
      recalled by the patient, estimated current height reported by the patient at the
      visit and current measured height. We defined loss of height as the difference
      between the patient's tallest recalled height and her current measured height.
      RESULTS: A total of 8610 patients were included in the analysis; the mean age was
      70.9 (standard deviation [SD] 7.2) years. The mean loss of height was 4.5 cm. The
      mean current reported height was 2.1 (SD 2.5) cm lower than the tallest recalled
      height and 2.4 (SD 2.6) cm lower than the measured current height. The best
      predictors of a loss of height of 3 cm or more were age (odds ratio [OR] 1.09,
      95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08-1.10), previous vertebral fracture (OR 1.49,
      95% CI 1.16-1.91), previous nonvertebral fracture (OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.06-1.51),
      thoracic kyphosis (OR 2.07, 95% CI 1.69-2.55), scoliosis (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.12
      1.63), back pain (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.07-1.39) and osteoporosis (OR 1.39, 95% CI
      1.20-1.60). INTERPRETATION: Our study showed that the patients' estimated current
      height was not correct, with a mean difference of -2.5 cm from the current
      measured height. The mean height loss was 4.5 cm. Previous vertebral fracture and
      thoracic kyphosis were strong determinants of the height loss.

PMID- 20308272
TI  - Amalgamation triggers linguistic constitutional challenge.

PMID- 20308273
TI  - Stroke rehabilitation services inadequate, experts say.

PMID- 20308274
TI  - Veterans stepping forward for treatment of operational stress injuries.

PMID- 20308275
TI  - Memorial and Western are leaders in incorporating technology in med schools.

PMID- 20308276
TI  - Health care in Romania: fighting collapse.

PMID- 20308277
TI  - A large and a small hand.

PMID- 20308278
TI  - Accurate prediction of genetic values for complex traits by whole-genome
      resequencing.
AB  - Whole-genome resequencing technology has improved rapidly during recent years and
      is expected to improve further such that the sequencing of an entire human genome
      sequence for $1000 is within reach. Our main aim here is to use whole-genome
      sequence data for the prediction of genetic values of individuals for complex
      traits and to explore the accuracy of such predictions. This is relevant for the
      fields of plant and animal breeding and, in human genetics, for the prediction of
      an individual's risk for complex diseases. Here, population history and genomic
      architectures were simulated under the Wright-Fisher population and infinite
      sites mutation model, and prediction of genetic value was by the genomic
      selection approach, where a Bayesian nonlinear model was used to predict the
      effects of individual SNPs. The Bayesian model assumed a priori that only few
      SNPs are causative, i.e., have an effect different from zero. When using whole
      genome sequence data, accuracies of prediction of genetic value were >40%
      increased relative to the use of dense approximately 30K SNP chips. At equal high
      density, the inclusion of the causative mutations yielded an extra increase of
      accuracy of 2.5-3.7%. Predictions of genetic value remained accurate even when
      the training and evaluation data were 10 generations apart. Best linear unbiased
      prediction (BLUP) of SNP effects does not take full advantage of the genome
      sequence data, and nonlinear predictions, such as the Bayesian method used here,
      are needed to achieve maximum accuracy. On the basis of theoretical work, the
      results could be extended to more realistic genome and population sizes.

PMID- 20308279
TI  - Functional genomic identification of genes required for male gonadal
      differentiation in Caenorhabditis elegans.
AB  - The Caenorhabditis elegans somatic gonad develops from a four-cell primordium
      into a mature organ that differs dramatically between the sexes in overall
      morphology (two arms in hermaphrodites and one in males) and in the cell types
      comprising it. Gonadal development in C. elegans is well studied, but regulation
      of sexual differentiation, especially later in gonadal development, remains
      poorly elucidated. To identify genes involved in this process, we performed a
      genome-wide RNAi screen using sex-specifically expressed gonadal GFP reporters.
      This screen identified several phenotypic classes, including approximately 70
      genes whose depletion feminized male gonadal cells. Among the genes required for
      male cell fate specification are Wnt/beta-catenin pathway members, cell cycle
      regulators, and genes required for mitotic spindle function and cytokinesis. We
      find that a Wnt/beta-catenin pathway independent of extracellular Wnt ligand is
      essential for asymmetric cell divisions and male differentiation during gonadal
      development in larvae. We also find that the cell cycle regulators cdk-1 and cyb
      3 and the spindle/cytokinesis regulator zen-4 are required for Wnt/beta-catenin
      pathway activity in the developing gonad. After sex is determined in the gonadal
      primordium the global sex determination pathway is dispensable for gonadal sexual
      fate, suggesting that male cell fates are promoted and maintained independently
      of the global pathway during this period.

PMID- 20308280
TI  - A strand invasion 3' polymerization intermediate of mammalian homologous
      recombination.
AB  - Initial events in double-strand break repair by homologous recombination in vivo
      involve homology searching, 3' strand invasion, and new DNA synthesis. While
      studies in yeast have contributed much to our knowledge of these processes, in
      comparison, little is known of the early events in the integrated mammalian
      system. In this study, a sensitive PCR procedure was developed to detect the new
      DNA synthesis that accompanies mammalian homologous recombination. The test
      system exploits a well-characterized gene targeting assay in which the
      transfected vector bears a gap in the region of homology to the single-copy
      chromosomal immunoglobulin mu heavy chain gene in mouse hybridoma cells. New DNA
      synthesis primed by invading 3' vector ends copies chromosomal mu-gene template
      sequences excluded by the vector-borne double-stranded gap. Following
      electroporation, specific 3' extension products from each vector end are detected
      with rapid kinetics: they appear after 0.5 hr, peak at 3-6 hr, and then decline,
      likely as a result of the combined effects of susceptibility to degradation and
      cell division. New DNA synthesis from each vector 3' end extends at least
      approximately 1000 nucleotides into the gapped region, but the efficiency
      declines markedly within the first approximately 200 nucleotides. Over this short
      distance, an average frequency of 3' extension for the two invading vector ends
      is approximately 0.007 events/vector backbone. DNA sequencing reveals precise
      copying of the cognate chromosomal mu-gene template. In unsynchronized cells, 3'
      extension is sensitive to aphidicolin supporting involvement of a replicative
      polymerase. Analysis suggests that the vast majority of 3' extensions reside on
      linear plasmid molecules.

PMID- 20308285
TI  - Physicians lead reform.

PMID- 20308281
TI  - Caenorhabditis elegans fibroblast growth factor receptor signaling can occur
      independently of the multi-substrate adaptor FRS2.
AB  - The components of receptor tyrosine kinase signaling complexes help to define the
      specificity of the effects of their activation. The Caenorhabditis elegans
      fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR), EGL-15, regulates a number of
      processes, including sex myoblast (SM) migration guidance and fluid homeostasis,
      both of which require a Grb2/Sos/Ras cassette of signaling components. Here we
      show that SEM-5/Grb2 can bind directly to EGL-15 to mediate SM chemoattraction. A
      yeast two-hybrid screen identified SEM-5 as able to interact with the carboxy
      terminal domain (CTD) of EGL-15, a domain that is specifically required for SM
      chemoattraction. This interaction requires the SEM-5 SH2-binding motifs present
      in the CTD (Y(1009) and Y(1087)), and these sites are required for the CTD role
      of EGL-15 in SM chemoattraction. SEM-5, but not the SEM-5 binding sites located
      in the CTD, is required for the fluid homeostasis function of EGL-15, indicating
      that SEM-5 can link to EGL-15 through an alternative mechanism. The multi
      substrate adaptor protein FRS2 serves to link vertebrate FGFRs to Grb2. In C.
      elegans, an FRS2-like gene, rog-1, functions upstream of a Ras/MAPK pathway for
      oocyte maturation but is not required for EGL-15 function. Thus, unlike the
      vertebrate FGFRs, which require the multi-substrate adaptor FRS2 to recruit Grb2,
      EGL-15 can recruit SEM-5/Grb2 directly.

PMID- 20308287
TI  - Defining high risk.

PMID- 20308288
TI  - ADHD and obesity.

PMID- 20308289
TI  - Auditory processing disorder and speech perception problems in noise: finding the
      underlying origin.
AB  - PURPOSE: A hallmark listening problem of individuals presenting with auditory
      processing disorder (APD) is their poor recognition of speech in noise. The
      underlying perceptual problem of the listening difficulties in unfavorable
      listening conditions is unknown. The objective of this article was to demonstrate
      theoretically how to determine whether the speech recognition problems are
      related to an auditory dysfunction, a language-based dysfunction, or a
      combination of both. METHOD: Tests such as the Speech Perception in Noise (SPIN)
      test allow the exploration of the auditory and language-based functions involved
      in speech perception in noise, which is not possible with most other speech-in
      noise tests. Psychometric functions illustrating results from hypothetical groups
      of individuals with APD on the SPIN test are presented. This approach makes it
      possible to postulate about the origin of the speech perception problems in
      noise. CONCLUSION: APD is a complex and heterogeneous disorder for which the
      underlying deficit is currently unclear. Because of their design, SPIN-like tests
      can potentially be used to identify the nature of the deficits underlying
      problems with speech perception in noise for this population. A better
      understanding of the difficulties with speech perception in noise experienced by
      many listeners with APD should lead to more efficient intervention programs.

PMID- 20308290
TI  - Within-treatment factors as predictors of outcomes following conversational
      recasting.
AB  - PURPOSE: Although conversational recasting has been a generally successful
      treatment approach, the precise factors that influence children's learning
      through recasts are not yet understood. In this study, we examined details of the
      relationship between child utterance and clinician utterance that seemed likely
      to influence learning. METHOD: Three measures were calculated from transcripts of
      recasting sessions with 17 preschoolers with specific language impairment. In all
      sessions, 3rd person singular -s served as the target. The measures of interest
      were the frequency of recasts following child utterances that were prompted by
      clinicians, the frequency of clinicians' recasts of subjectless sentences, and
      the frequency of clinicians' noncorrective recasts. We assessed the short-term
      and long-term predictive value of these measures through regression analyses.
      RESULTS: Noncorrective recasts proved to be a positive predictor of short- and
      long-term gains in the use of the target form. Recasts of subjectless sentences
      were associated with poorer outcomes, though their contribution was relatively
      small. CONCLUSIONS: The nature of learning that takes place varies according to
      the relationship between child and clinician utterances during the recasting
      process. These variations have implications for clinical practice and for how
      learning through recasting is characterized.

PMID- 20308291
TI  - Interactions of Encephalitozoon cuniculi polar tube proteins.
AB  - Microsporidia are eukaryotic, obligate intracellular organisms defined by small
      spores that contain a single invasion organelle, the polar tube, which coils
      around the interior of the spore. When these parasites infect host cells, the
      polar tube is discharged from the anterior pole of the spore, pierces the cell,
      and transfers sporoplasm into the cytoplasm of the host. Three polar tube
      proteins (PTP1, PTP2, and PTP3) have been identified in this structure. The
      interactions of these proteins in the assembly and function of the polar tube are
      not known. This study was undertaken to examine the protein interactions of the
      Encephalitozoon cuniculi polar tube proteins (EcPTPs). Immunofluorescence and
      immunoelectron microscopy confirmed the colocalization of EcPTP1, EcPTP2, and
      EcPTP3 to the polar tube. Experiments using cross-linkers indicated that EcPTP1,
      EcPTP2, and EcPTP3 form a complex in the polar tube, which was confirmed by
      immunoprecipitation using EcPTP1 antiserum. Yeast two-hybrid analysis revealed
      that full-length EcPTP1, EcPTP2, and EcPTP3 interact with each other in vivo.
      Both the N and C termini of EcPTP1 were involved in these interactions, but the
      central region of this protein, which contains a repetitive motif, was not.
      Further studies of polar tube proteins and their structural interactions may help
      elucidate the formation of the polar tube during the invasion process.

PMID- 20308292
TI  - Lack of interleukin-12 in p40-deficient mice leads to poor CD8+ T-cell immunity
      against Encephalitozoon cuniculi infection.
AB  - A CD8(+) T-cell response is critical for protection against Encephalitozoon
      cuniculi infection. However, the factors responsible for the generation of CD8(+)
      T-cell immunity during E. cuniculi infection and the cytokines involved in this
      process have not been identified. In the present study, we demonstrated that p40
      deficient animals, which are unable to produce interleukin-12 (IL-12), have a
      serious defect in expansion of the CD8(+) T-cell response which compromises the
      survival of an infected host. Adoptive transfer of CD8(+) T cells from
      immunocompetent donors protected SCID mice infected with E. cuniculi, whereas
      administration of CD8(+) T cells from p40(-/-) mice failed to protect infected
      SCID mice. In vitro dendritic cell (DC) cultures from knockout mice pulsed with
      E. cuniculi spores were unable to develop a robust CD8(+) T-cell immune response.
      Addition of exogenous IL-12 or transfer of CD8(+) T cells that were initially
      primed with DC from p40(-/-) animals to DC cultures from immunocompetent mice
      (directly or via transwells) led to optimal expansion of these cells. This IL-12
      mediated reinstatement of CD8(+) T-effector immunity was independent of gamma
      interferon (IFN-gamma) as addition of antibody to the cultures failed to have an
      effect. These studies demonstrated that IL-12 plays a predominant role in the
      expansion of effector CD8(+) T-cell immunity against E. cuniculi, which is
      critical for host survival. These findings are very important for understanding
      the protective immune mechanisms needed to protect an immunocompromised host
      against an opportunistic infection and can be extended to other microsporidial
      pathogens.

PMID- 20308293
TI  - Trimer stability of YadA is critical for virulence of Yersinia enterocolitica.
AB  - Yersinia adhesin A (YadA) is a trimeric autotransporter adhesin with multiple
      functions in host-pathogen interactions. The aim of this study was to dissect the
      virulence functions promoted by YadA in vitro and in vivo. To accomplish this, we
      generated Yersinia enterocolitica O:8 mutants expressing point mutations in YadA
      G389, a highly conserved residue in the membrane anchor of YadA, and analyzed
      their impact on YadA expression and virulence functions. We found that point
      mutations of YadA G389 led to impaired transport, stability, and surface display
      of YadA. YadA G389A and G389S mutants showed comparable YadA surface expression,
      autoagglutination, and adhesion to those of wild-type YadA but displayed reduced
      trimer stability and complement resistance in vitro and were 10- to 1,000-fold
      attenuated in experimental Y. enterocolitica infection in mice. The G389T, G389N,
      and G389H mutants lost trimer stability, exhibited strongly reduced surface
      display, autoagglutination, adhesion properties, and complement resistance, and
      were avirulent (>10,000-fold attenuation) in mice. Our data demonstrate that G389
      is a critical residue of YadA, required for optimal trimer stability, transport,
      surface display, and serum resistance. We also show that stable trimeric YadA
      protein is essential for virulence of Y. enterocolitica.

PMID- 20308294
TI  - Functional characterization of the IlpA protein of Vibrio vulnificus as an
      adhesin and its role in bacterial pathogenesis.
AB  - Vibrio vulnificus is a Gram-negative bacterium that causes a fatal septicemia.
      One of its virulence factors is a membrane-bound lipoprotein, IlpA, which can
      induce cytokine production in human immune cells. In the present study, the role
      of IlpA as an adhesion molecule was investigated. An ilpA-deleted V. vulnificus
      mutant showed significantly decreased adherence to INT-407 human intestinal
      epithelial cells, which in turn resulted in reduced cytotoxicity. The DeltailpA
      mutant recovered the adherence ability of the wild type by complementation in
      trans with the intact ilpA gene. In addition, pretreatment of V. vulnificus with
      anti-IlpA polyclonal antibodies resulted in a significant reduction of bacterial
      adherence. To localize the domain of IlpA required for cytoadherence, three
      truncated recombinant IlpA polypeptides were constructed and tested for the
      ability to adhere to human cells by a ligand-binding immunoblot assay and
      fluorescence microscopy. The polypeptide containing the carboxy (C)-terminal
      hydrophilic domain exhibited direct binding to INT-407 cells. Therefore, the C
      terminal domain of IlpA allows this protein to be an adhesion molecule of V.
      vulnificus.

PMID- 20308295
TI  - Zebrafish as a model host for Candida albicans infection.
AB  - In this work, the zebrafish model organism was developed to obtain a
      minivertebrate host system for a Candida albicans infection study. We
      demonstrated that C. albicans can colonize and invade zebrafish at multiple
      anatomical sites and kill the fish in a dose-dependent manner. Inside zebrafish,
      we monitored the progression of the C. albicans yeast-to-hypha transition by
      tracking morphogenesis, and we monitored the corresponding gene expression of the
      pathogen and the early host immune response. We performed a zebrafish survival
      assay with different C. albicans strains (SC5314, ATCC 10231, an hgc1 mutant, and
      a cph1/efg1 double mutant) to determine each strain's virulence, and the results
      were similar to findings reported in previous mouse model studies. Finally, using
      zebrafish embryos, we monitored C. albicans infection and visualized the
      interaction between pathogen and host myelomonocytic cells in vivo. Taken
      together, the results of this work demonstrate that zebrafish can be a useful
      host model to study C. albicans pathogenesis, and they highlight the advantages
      of using the zebrafish model in future invasive fungal research.

PMID- 20308296
TI  - Fine-tuning synthesis of Yersinia pestis LcrV from runaway-like replication
      balanced-lethal plasmid in a Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium vaccine
      induces protection against a lethal Y. pestis challenge in mice.
AB  - A balanced-lethal plasmid expression system that switches from low-copy-number to
      runaway-like high-copy-number replication (pYA4534) was constructed for the
      regulated delayed in vivo synthesis of heterologous antigens by vaccine strains.
      This is an antibiotic resistance-free maintenance system containing the asdA gene
      (essential for peptidoglycan synthesis) as a selectable marker to complement the
      lethal chromosomal DeltaasdA allele in live recombinant attenuated Salmonella
      vaccines (RASVs) such as Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium strain chi9447.
      pYA4534 harbors two origins of replication, pSC101 and pUC (low and high copy
      numbers, respectively). The pUC replication origin is controlled by a genetic
      switch formed by the operator/promoter of the P22 cro gene (O/P(cro)) (P(R)),
      which is negatively regulated by an arabinose-inducible P22 c2 gene located on
      both the plasmid and the chromosome (araC P(BAD) c2). The absence of arabinose,
      which is unavailable in vivo, triggers replication to a high-copy-number plasmid
      state. To validate these vector attributes, the Yersinia pestis virulence antigen
      LcrV was used to develop a vaccine against plague. An lcrV sequence encoding
      amino acids 131 to 326 (LcrV196) was optimized for expression in Salmonella,
      flanked with nucleotide sequences encoding the signal peptide (SS) and the
      carboxy-terminal domain (CT) of beta-lactamase, and cloned into pYA4534 under the
      control of the P(trc) promoter to generate plasmid pYA4535. Our results indicate
      that the live Salmonella vaccine strain chi9447 harboring pYA4535 efficiently
      stimulated a mixed Th1/Th2 immune response that protected mice against lethal
      challenge with Y. pestis strain CO92 introduced through either the intranasal or
      subcutaneous route.

PMID- 20308297
TI  - Genome sequencing of recent clinical Chlamydia trachomatis strains identifies
      loci associated with tissue tropism and regions of apparent recombination.
AB  - The human pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis exists as multiple serovariants that
      have distinct organotropisms for different tissue sites. Culture and
      epidemiologic data have demonstrated that serovar G is more prevalent, while
      serovar E is less prevalent, for rectal isolates from men having sex with men
      (MSM). The relative prevalence of these serovars is the opposite for isolates
      from female cervical infections. In contrast, the prevalence of serovar J
      isolates is approximately the same at the different tissue sites, and these
      isolates are the only C-class strains that are routinely cultured from MSM
      populations. These correlations led us to hypothesize that polymorphisms in open
      reading frame (ORF) sequences correlate with the different tissue tropisms of
      these serovars. To explore this possibility, we sequenced and compared the
      genomes of clinical anorectal and cervical isolates belonging to serovars E, G,
      and J and compared these genomes with each other, as well as with a set of
      previously sequenced genomes. We then used PCR- and restriction digestion-based
      genotyping assays performed with a large collection of recent clinical isolates
      to show that polymorphisms in ORFs CT144, CT154, and CT326 were highly associated
      with rectal tropism in serovar G isolates and that polymorphisms in CT869 and
      CT870 were associated with tissue tropism across all serovars tested. The genome
      sequences collected were also used to identify regions of likely recombination in
      recent clinical strains. This work demonstrated that whole-genome sequencing
      along with comparative genomics is an effective approach for discovering variable
      loci in Chlamydia spp. that are associated with clinical presentation.

PMID- 20308298
TI  - Modulation of allergic airway inflammation by the oral pathogen Porphyromonas
      gingivalis.
AB  - Accumulating evidence suggests that bacteria associated with periodontal disease
      may exert systemic immunomodulatory effects. Although the improvement in oral
      hygiene practices in recent decades correlates with the increased incidence of
      asthma in developed nations, it is not known whether diseases of the respiratory
      system might be influenced by the presence of oral pathogens. The present study
      sought to determine whether subcutaneous infection with the anaerobic oral
      pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis exerts a regulatory effect on allergic airway
      inflammation. BALB/c mice sensitized and subsequently challenged with ovalbumin
      exhibited airway hyperresponsiveness to methacholine aerosol and increased airway
      inflammatory cell influx and Th2 cytokine (interleukin-4 [IL-4], IL-5, and IL-13)
      content relative to those in nonallergic controls. Airway inflammatory cell and
      cytokine contents were significantly reduced by establishment of a subcutaneous
      infection with P. gingivalis prior to allergen sensitization, whereas serum
      levels of ovalbumin-specific IgE and airway responsiveness were not altered.
      Conversely, subcutaneous infection initiated after allergen sensitization did not
      alter inflammatory end points but did reduce airway responsiveness in spite of
      increased serum IgE levels. These data provide the first direct evidence of a
      regulatory effect of an oral pathogen on allergic airway inflammation and
      responsiveness. Furthermore, a temporal importance of the establishment of
      infection relative to allergen sensitization is demonstrated for allergic
      outcomes.

PMID- 20308299
TI  - AdpC is a Prevotella intermedia 17 leucine-rich repeat internalin-like protein.
AB  - The oral bacterium Prevotella intermedia attaches to and invades gingival
      epithelial cells, fibroblasts, and endothelial cells. Several genes encoding
      proteins that mediate both the adhesion and invasion processes are carried on the
      genome of this bacterium. Here, we characterized one such protein, AdpC,
      belonging to the leucine-rich repeat (LRR) protein family. Bioinformatics
      analysis revealed that this protein shares similarity with the Treponema pallidum
      LRR (LRR(TP)) family of proteins and contains six LRRs. Despite the absence of a
      signal peptide, this protein is localized on the bacterial outer membrane,
      indicating that it is transported through an atypical secretion mechanism. The
      recombinant form of this protein (rAdpC) was shown to bind fibrinogen. In
      addition, the heterologous host strain Escherichia coli BL21 expressing rAdpC
      (V2846) invaded fibroblast NIH 3T3 cells at a 40-fold-higher frequency than
      control E. coli BL21 cells expressing a sham P. intermedia 17 protein. Although
      similar results were obtained by using human umbilical vein endothelial cells
      (HUVECs), only a 3-fold-increased invasion of V2846 into oral epithelial HN4
      cells was observed. Thus, AdpC-mediated invasion is cell specific. This work
      demonstrated that AdpC is an important invasin protein of P. intermedia 17.

PMID- 20308300
TI  - Probiotic colonization of the adherent mucus layer of HT29MTXE12 cells attenuates
      Campylobacter jejuni virulence properties.
AB  - The HT29MTXE12 (E12) cell line harbors an adherent mucus layer, providing a novel
      technique to model mucosal infection in vitro. In this study, we have
      characterized the interaction of Campylobacter jejuni with the E12 cell line and
      exploited its unique mucus layer to examine the potential efficacy of probiotic
      treatment to attenuate C. jejuni virulence properties. C. jejuni 81-176 colonized
      and reproduced in E12 mucus. Adhesion to and internalization of C. jejuni were
      enhanced in E12 cells harboring mucus compared to parental cells without mucus.
      Translocation of C. jejuni occurred at early time points following infection. C.
      jejuni aligned with tight junctions and colocalized with the tight junction
      protein occludin, suggesting a paracellular route of translocation. Probiotic
      strains Lactobacillus rhamnosus R0011, Lactobacillus helveticus R0052,
      Lactobacillus salivarius AH102, Bifidobacterium longum AH1205, a commercial
      combination of L. rhamnosus R0011 and L. helveticus R0052 (Lacidofil), and a
      cocktail consisting of L. rhamnosus, L. helveticus, and L. salivarius (RhHeSa)
      colonized E12 mucus and bound to underlying cells. Probiotics attenuated C.
      jejuni association with and internalization into E12 cells and translocation to
      the basolateral medium of transwells. Live bacteria and prolonged precolonization
      of E12 cells with probiotics were necessary for probiotic action. These results
      demonstrate the potential for E12 cells as a model of mucosal pathogenesis and
      provide a rationale for the further investigation of probiotics as prophylaxis
      against human campylobacteriosis.

PMID- 20308301
TI  - Distinct physiologic and inflammatory responses elicited in baboons after
      challenge with Shiga toxin type 1 or 2 from enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli.
AB  - Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli is a principal source of regional
      outbreaks of bloody diarrhea and hemolytic-uremic syndrome in the United States
      and worldwide. Primary bacterial virulence factors are Shiga toxin types 1 and 2
      (Stx1 and Stx2), and we performed parallel analyses of the pathophysiologies
      elicited by the toxins in nonhuman primate models to identify shared and unique
      consequences of the toxemias. After a single intravenous challenge with purified
      Stx1 or Stx2, baboons (Papio) developed thrombocytopenia, anemia, and acute renal
      failure with loss of glomerular function, in a dose-dependent manner. Differences
      in the timing and magnitude of physiologic responses were observed between the
      toxins. The animals were more sensitive to Stx2, with mortality at lower doses,
      but Stx2-induced renal injury and mortality were delayed 2 to 3 days compared to
      those after Stx1 challenge. Multiplex analyses of plasma inflammatory cytokines
      revealed similarities (macrophage chemoattractant protein 1 [MCP-1] and tumor
      necrosis factor alpha [TNF-alpha]) and differences (interleukin-6 [IL-6] and
      granulocyte colony-stimulating factor [G-CSF]) elicited by the toxins with
      respect to the mediator induced and timing of the responses. Neither toxin
      induced detectable levels of plasma TNF-alpha. To our knowledge, this is the
      first time that the in vivo consequences of the toxins have been compared in a
      parallel and reproducible manner in nonhuman primates, and the data show
      similarities to patient observations. The availability of experimental nonhuman
      primate models for Stx toxemias provides a reproducible platform for testing
      antitoxin compounds and immunotherapeutics with outcome criteria that have
      clinical meaning.

PMID- 20308302
TI  - Role of excessive inflammatory response to Stenotrophomonas maltophilia lung
      infection in DBA/2 mice and implications for cystic fibrosis.
AB  - Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a pathogen that causes infections mainly in
      immunocompromised patients. Despite increased S. maltophilia isolation from
      respiratory specimens of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), the real
      contribution of the microorganism to CF pathogenesis still needs to be clarified.
      The aim of the present study was to evaluate the pathogenic role of S.
      maltophilia in CF patients by using a model of acute respiratory infection in
      DBA/2 mice following a single exposure to aerosolized bacteria. The pulmonary
      bacterial load was stable until day 3 and then decreased significantly from day 3
      through day 14, when the bacterial load became undetectable in all infected mice.
      Infection disseminated in most mice, although at a very low level. Severe effects
      (swollen lungs, large atelectasis, pleural adhesion, and hemorrhages) of lung
      pathology were observed on days 3, 7, and 14. The clearance of S. maltophilia
      observed in DBA/2 mouse lungs was clearly associated with an early and intense
      bronchial and alveolar inflammatory response, which is mediated primarily by
      neutrophils. Significantly higher levels of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), IL-6,
      IL-12, gamma interferon (IFN-gamma), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha),
      GROalpha/KC, MCP-1/JE, MCP-5, macrophage inflammatory protein 1alpha (MIP
      1alpha), MIP-2, and TARC were observed in infected mice on day 1 with respect to
      controls. Excessive pulmonary infection and inflammation caused systemic effects,
      manifested by weight loss, and finally caused a high mortality rate. Taken
      together, our results show that S. maltophilia is not just a bystander in CF
      patients but has the potential to contribute to the inflammatory process that
      compromises respiratory function.

PMID- 20308303
TI  - Association of pathogen strain-specific gene transcription and transmission
      efficiency phenotype of Anaplasma marginale.
AB  - Efficient transmission of pathogens by an arthropod vector is influenced by the
      ability of the pathogen to replicate and develop infectiousness within the
      arthropod host. While the basic life cycle of development within and transmission
      from the arthropod vector are known for many bacterial and protozoan pathogens,
      the determinants of transmission efficiency are largely unknown and represent a
      significant gap in our knowledge. The St. Maries strain of Anaplasma marginale is
      a high-transmission-efficiency strain that replicates to a high titer in the tick
      salivary gland and can be transmitted by <10 ticks. In contrast, A. marginale
      subsp. centrale (Israel vaccine strain) has an identical life cycle but
      replicates to a significantly lower level in the salivary gland, with
      transmission requiring >30-fold more ticks. We hypothesized that strain-specific
      genes expressed in the tick salivary gland at the time of transmission are linked
      to the differences in the transmission efficiency phenotype. Using both
      annotation-dependent and -independent analyses of the complete genome sequences,
      we identified 58 strain-specific genes. These genes most likely represent
      divergence from common ancestral genes in one or both strains based on analysis
      of synteny and lack of statistical support for acquisition as islands by lateral
      gene transfer. Twenty of the St. Maries strain-specific genes and 16 of the
      strain-specific genes in the Israel strain were transcribed in the tick salivary
      gland at the time of transmission. Although associated with the transmission
      phenotype, the expression levels of strain-specific genes were equal to or less
      than the expression levels in infected erythrocytes in the mammalian host,
      suggesting that function is not limited to salivary gland colonization.

PMID- 20308304
TI  - Potent neutralization of staphylococcal enterotoxin B by synergistic action of
      chimeric antibodies.
AB  - Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB), a shock-inducing exotoxin synthesized by
      Staphylococcus aureus, is an important cause of food poisoning and is a class B
      bioterrorism agent. SEB mediates antigen-independent activation of a major subset
      of the T-cell population by cross-linking T-cell receptors (TCRs) with class II
      major histocompatibility complex (MHC-II) molecules of antigen-presenting cells,
      resulting in the induction of antigen independent proliferation and cytokine
      secretion by a significant fraction of the T-cell population. Neutralizing
      antibodies inhibit SEB-mediated T-cell activation by blocking the toxin's
      interaction with the TCR or MHC-II and provide protection against the
      debilitating effects of this superantigen. We derived and searched a set of
      monoclonal mouse anti-SEB antibodies to identify neutralizing anti-SEB antibodies
      that bind to different sites on the toxin. A pair of non-cross-reactive,
      neutralizing anti-SEB monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) was found, and a combination
      of these antibodies inhibited SEB-induced T-cell proliferation in a synergistic
      rather than merely additive manner. In order to engineer antibodies more suitable
      than mouse MAbs for use in humans, the genes encoding the VL and VH gene segments
      of a synergistically acting pair of mouse MAbs were grafted, respectively, onto
      genes encoding the constant regions of human Igkappa and human IgG1, transfected
      into mammalian cells, and used to generate chimeric versions of these antibodies
      that had affinity and neutralization profiles essentially identical to their
      mouse counterparts. When tested in cultures of human peripheral blood mononuclear
      cells or splenocytes derived from HLA-DR3 transgenic mice, the chimeric human
      mouse antibodies synergistically neutralized SEB-induced T-cell activation and
      cytokine production.

PMID- 20308305
TI  - Inflammatory cytokine response to Bacillus anthracis peptidoglycan requires
      phagocytosis and lysosomal trafficking.
AB  - During advanced stages of inhalation anthrax, Bacillus anthracis accumulates at
      high levels in the bloodstream of the infected host. This bacteremia leads to
      sepsis during late-stage anthrax; however, the mechanisms through which B.
      anthracis-derived factors contribute to the pathology of infected hosts are
      poorly defined. Peptidoglycan, a major component of the cell wall of Gram
      positive bacteria, can provoke symptoms of sepsis in animal models. We have
      previously shown that peptidoglycan of B. anthracis can induce the production of
      proinflammatory cytokines by cells in human blood. Here, we show that
      biologically active peptidoglycan is shed from an active culture of encapsulated
      B. anthracis strain Ames in blood. Peptidoglycan is able to bind to surfaces of
      responding cells, and internalization of peptidoglycan is required for the
      production of inflammatory cytokines. We also show that the peptidoglycan
      traffics to lysosomes, and lysosomal function is required for cytokine
      production. We conclude that peptidoglycan of B. anthracis is initially bound by
      an unknown extracellular receptor, is phagocytosed, and traffics to lysosomes,
      where it is degraded to a product recognized by an intracellular receptor.
      Binding of the peptidoglycan product to the intracellular receptor causes a
      proinflammatory response. These findings provide new insight into the mechanism
      by which B. anthracis triggers sepsis during a critical stage of anthrax disease.

PMID- 20308306
TI  - Type IV secretion machinery promotes ton-independent intracellular survival of
      Neisseria gonorrhoeae within cervical epithelial cells.
AB  - Survival of Neisseria gonorrhoeae within host epithelial cells is expected to be
      important in the pathogenesis of gonococcal disease. We previously demonstrated
      that strain FA1090 derives iron from a host cell in a process that requires the
      Ton complex and a putative TonB-dependent transporter, TdfF. FA1090, however,
      lacks the gonococcal genetic island (GGI) that is present in the majority of
      strains. The GGI in strain MS11 has been partially characterized, and it encodes
      a type IV secretion system (T4SS) involved in DNA release. In this study we
      investigated the role of iron acquisition and GGI-encoded gene products in
      gonococcal survival within cervical epithelial cells. We demonstrated that
      intracellular survival of MS11 was dependent on acquisition of iron from the host
      cell, but unlike the findings for FA1090, expression of the Ton complex was not
      required. Survival was not dependent on a putative TonB-like protein encoded in
      the GGI but instead was directly linked to T4SS structural components in a manner
      independent of the ability to release or internalize DNA. These data suggest that
      expression of selected GGI-encoded open reading frames confers an advantage
      during cervical cell infection. This study provides the first link between
      expression of the T4SS apparatus and intracellular survival of gonococci.

PMID- 20308309
TI  - Immunotherapy for glioblastoma: a long and winding road.

PMID- 20308310
TI  - Allergy and inflammatory transcriptome is predominantly negatively correlated
      with CD133 expression in glioblastoma.
AB  - Allergies and the use of anti-inflammatory medication appear to be associated
      with reduced glioblastoma risk. However, these observations may merely reflect
      systemic immunosuppression induced by the tumor. To better understand the effect
      of this tumor on allergies and inflammation, we used CD133 mRNA expression as an
      indicator of tumor aggressiveness and systematically examined its relation to
      mRNA expression levels of 919 allergy- and inflammation-related genes in 142
      glioblastoma tissue samples. We found that 69% of these genes are negatively
      correlated with CD133 expression including allergy-related (eg, interleukin [IL]
      4R-alpha; Pearson correlation coefficient [r] = - 0.40; 95% confidence interval
      [CI] = - 0.53, -0.25) and immunoregulatory genes (eg, TGF-beta1; r = - 0.35; 95%
      CI = - 0.49, -0.20). Exceptions to this negative trend include the
      proinflammatory cytokine IL-17-beta (r = 0.22; 95% CI = 0.06, 0.37) and 2 IL-17
      receptors. Also positively related to CD133 expression are NCAM-1 (r = 0.45; 95%
      CI = 0.31, 0.57) and PDGFR-alpha (r = 0.45; 95% CI = 0.30, 0.57). Previous
      literature suggests that NCAM-1(+) T cells infiltrate glioblastoma and may cause
      suppression of antitumor immunity, whereas PDGFR-alpha is involved in
      neurogenesis and amplified in glioblastoma. Ours is the first study to document
      down-regulation of the majority of allergy- and inflammation-related genes with
      glioblastoma progression. However, IL-17 and NCAM-1 may play proinflammatory and
      immunosuppressive roles, respectively, during the late stage of glioblastoma
      progression. Our findings suggest that immune function continues to change as the
      tumor progresses.

PMID- 20308311
TI  - Autophagy induced by valproic acid is associated with oxidative stress in glioma
      cell lines.
AB  - Autophagy represents an alternative tumor-suppressing mechanism that overcomes
      the dramatic resistance of malignant gliomas to radiotherapy and proapoptotic
      related chemotherapy. This study reports that valproic acid (VPA), a widely used
      anti-epilepsy drug, induces autophagy in glioma cells. Autophagy, crucial for VPA
      induced cell death, is independent of apoptosis, even though apoptotic machinery
      is proficient. Oxidative stress induced by VPA occurs upstream of autophagy.
      Oxidative stress also activates the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2
      (ERK1/2) pathway, whereas blocking this pathway inhibits autophagy and induces
      apoptosis. VPA-induced autophagy cannot be alleviated by inositol, suggesting a
      mechanism different from that for lithium. Moreover, VPA potentiates autophagic
      cell death, but not apoptosis, when combined with other autophagy inducers such
      as rapamycin, Ly294002, and temozolomide in glioma cells both in vitro and in
      vivo, which may warrant further investigation toward possible clinical
      application in patients with malignant gliomas.

PMID- 20308312
TI  - In vivo validation of MRI vessel caliber index measurement methods with
      intravital optical microscopy in a U87 mouse brain tumor model.
AB  - The vessel caliber index (VCI), a magnetic resonance imaging biomarker of the
      average blood vessel diameter, is increasingly being used as a tool for assessing
      tumor angiogenesis and response to antiangiogenic therapy. However, although the
      VCI has been correlated with histological vessel diameters, good quantitative
      agreement with histology has been lacking. In addition, no VCI validation studies
      have been performed in vivo where the structural deformations frequently
      associated with histological tissue preparation are not present. This study
      employs intravital optical microscopy (IVM) measurements of cerebral blood vessel
      diameters in a mouse orthotopic glioma model to provide the first such in vivo
      validation. Two VCI correlation models, both a linear and a 3/2-power dependence
      on the DeltaR2*/DeltaR2 ratio, were compared with the IVM data. The linear VCI
      model, determined from steady-state susceptibility contrast (SSC) images, was
      found to be in excellent quantitative agreement with the intravitally determined
      VCI for separate tumor size matched groups of mice. In addition, preliminary data
      indicate that the VCI is independent of whether a dynamic susceptibility contrast
      or SSC measurement method is used.

PMID- 20308313
TI  - Normal human monocytes exposed to glioma cells acquire myeloid-derived suppressor
      cell-like properties.
AB  - Glioblastoma patients are immunosuppressed, yet glioblastomas are highly
      infiltrated by monocytes/macrophages. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC;
      immunosuppressive myeloid cells including monocytes) have been identified in
      other cancers and correlate with tumor burden. We hypothesized that glioblastoma
      exposure causes normal monocytes to assume an MDSC-like phenotype and that MDSC
      are increased in glioblastoma patients. Healthy donor human CD14(+) monocytes
      were cultured with human glioblastoma cell lines. Controls were cultured alone or
      with normal human astrocytes. After 48 hours, glioblastoma-conditioned monocytes
      (GCM) were purified using magnetic beads. GCM cytokine and costimulatory
      molecular expression, phagocytic ability, and ability to induce apoptosis in
      activated lymphocytes were assessed. The frequency of MDSC was assessed by flow
      cytometry in glioma patients' blood and in GCM in vitro. As predicted, GCM have
      immunosuppressive, MDSC-like features, including reduced CD14 (but not CD11b)
      expression, increased immunosuppressive interleukin-10, transforming growth
      factor-beta, and B7-H1 expression, decreased phagocytic ability, and increased
      ability to induce apoptosis in activated lymphocytes. Direct contact between
      monocytes and glioblastoma cells is necessary for complete induction of these
      effects. In keeping with our hypothesis, glioblastoma patients have increased
      circulating MDSC compared with normal donors and MDSC are increased in glioma
      conditioned monocytes in vitro. To our knowledge, this has not been reported
      previously. Although further study is needed to directly characterize their
      origin and function in glioblastoma patients, these results suggest that MDSC may
      be an important contributor to systemic immunosuppression and can be modeled in
      vitro by GCM.

PMID- 20308314
TI  - Morphologic and molecular characterization of ATRT xenografts adapted for
      orthotopic therapeutic testing.
AB  - Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (ATRT) is a malignant tumor of the central
      nervous system that most commonly arises in young children. The aggressive growth
      and propensity for early dissemination throughout the neuraxis confers a dismal
      prognosis. Large clinical trials that could test new therapeutic agents are
      difficult to conduct due to the low incidence of this cancer. For this reason,
      high throughput preclinical testing with suitable animal models for ATRT would
      serve a critical need for identifying the most efficacious treatments. In
      response to this need, we have adapted ATRT cell lines for bioluminescence
      imaging (BLI) of intracranial (orthotopic) xenografts established in athymic
      mice. Our results indicate that following supratentorial or infratentorial
      injection in athymic mice, ATRT cells produce rapidly growing tumors, often with
      intraventricular spread or neuraxis dissemination. When established as orthotopic
      xenografts, the tumors predominantly display cells with a rhabdoid-like cellular
      morphology that show a spectrum of immunophenotypes similar to primary ATRT
      tumors. To demonstrate the feasibility of this orthotopic ATRT xenograft model
      for therapeutic testing with correlation to biomarker analysis, we examined the
      responses of luciferase-modified ATRT cells to temozolomide (TMZ). These
      xenografts, which highly express MGMT, are resistant to TMZ treatment when
      compared with an orthotopic glioblastoma xenograft that is MGMT deficient and
      responsive to TMZ. These data suggest that an orthotopic ATRT xenograft model, in
      which BLI is used for monitoring tumor growth and response to therapy, should
      contribute to the identification of effective therapeutics and regimens for
      treating this highly aggressive pediatric brain tumor.

PMID- 20308315
TI  - Intra-tumoral dendritic cells increase efficacy of peripheral vaccination by
      modulation of glioma microenvironment.
AB  - Pilot data showed that adding intratumoral (IT) injection of dendritic cells
      (DCs) prolongs survival of patients affected by glioblastoma multiforme (GBM)
      treated by subcutaneous (SC) delivery of DCs. Using a murine model resembling
      GBM, we investigated the immunological mechanisms underlying this effect.
      C57BL6/N mice received brain injections of GL261 glioma cells. Seven days later,
      mice were treated by 3 SC injections of DCs with or without 1 IT injection of
      DCs. DC maturation, induced by pulsing with GL261 lysates, was necessary to
      develop effective immune responses. IT injection of pulsed (pDC), but not
      unpulsed DCs (uDC), increased significantly the survival, either per se or in
      combination with SC-pDC (P < .001 vs controls). Mice treated by IT-pDC plus SC
      pDC survived longer than mice treated by SC-pDC only (P = .03). Injected pDC were
      detectable in tumor parenchyma, but not in cervical lymph nodes. In gliomas
      injected with IT-pDC, CD8+ cells were significantly more abundant and Foxp3+
      cells were significantly less abundant than in other groups. Using real-time
      polymerase chain reaction, we also found enhanced expression of IFN-gamma and TNF
      alpha and decreased expression of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and
      Foxp3 in mice treated with SC-pDC and IT-pDC. In vitro, pDC produced more TNF
      alpha than uDC: addition of TNF-alpha to the medium decreased the proliferation
      of glioma cells. Overall, the results suggest that IT-pDC potentiates the anti
      tumor immune response elicited by SC-pDC by pro-immune modulation of cytokines in
      the tumor microenvironment, decrease of Treg cells, and direct inhibition of
      tumor proliferation by TNF-alpha.

PMID- 20308316
TI  - Chloroquine activates the p53 pathway and induces apoptosis in human glioma
      cells.
AB  - Glioblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in adults. The currently
      available treatments offer only a palliative survival advantage and the need for
      effective treatments remains an urgent priority. Activation of the p53 growth
      suppression/apoptotic pathway is one of the promising strategies in targeting
      glioma cells. We show that the quinoline derivative chloroquine activates the p53
      pathway and suppresses growth of glioma cells in vitro and in vivo in an
      orthotopic (U87MG) human glioblastoma mouse model. Induction of apoptosis is one
      of the mechanisms underlying the effects of chloroquine on suppressing glioma
      cell growth and viability. siRNA-mediated downregulation of p53 in wild-type but
      not mutant p53 glioblastoma cells substantially impaired chloroquine-induced
      apoptosis. In addition to its p53-activating effects, chloroquine may also
      inhibit glioma cell growth via p53-independent mechanisms. Our results clarify
      the mechanistic basis underlying the antineoplastic effect of chloroquine and
      reveal its therapeutic potential as an adjunct to glioma chemotherapy.

PMID- 20308317
TI  - Intracerebral administration of CpG oligonucleotide for patients with recurrent
      glioblastoma: a phase II study.
AB  - Immunostimulating oligodeoxynucleotides containing CpG motifs (CpG-ODN) have
      shown promising efficacy in cancer models when injected locally. In a phase I
      clinical trial, intratumoral infusions of CpG-ODN in glioblastoma (GBM) patients
      were well tolerated at doses up to 20 mg. This phase II trial was designed to
      study the efficacy of a local treatment by CpG-ODN in patients with recurrent
      GBMs. Patients with recurrent GBM occurring at least 3 months after radiotherapy,
      and previously treated with 1 or 2 regimens of chemotherapy received 20 mg of CpG
      ODN (CpG-28) by convection-enhanced delivery. The primary endpoint was the
      percentage of patients without tumor progression 6 months after inclusion.
      Secondary endpoints were tolerance, survival, and radiological response. Thirty
      four patients were enrolled in two centers between November 2004 and March 2006.
      Thirty-one patients received CpG-ODN treatment. The progression-free survival
      (PFS) at 6 months was 19%. One partial response and 3 minor responses were
      observed. The median overall survival was 28 weeks. Eight patients (24%) were
      alive 1 year after inclusion and 5 patients (15%) were alive after 2 years.
      Treatment was usually well tolerated. As reported previously, the most common
      toxicities were lymphopenia, mild fever, seizures, and transient neurological
      worsening. Despite a few cases showing a radiological response, CpG-28 showed
      modest activity on the 6-month PFS in this patient population. The molecular or
      clinical characteristics of a subgroup of patients that could potentially benefit
      from such an approach remain to be defined.

PMID- 20308318
TI  - Meningeal dissemination in primary CNS lymphoma: diagnosis, treatment, and
      survival in a large monocenter cohort.
AB  - The frequency of meningeal dissemination (MD) in primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL),
      its prognostic impact, and optimal management have not been defined thus far. In
      69 of 92 (75%) immunocompetent patients, primarily diagnosed with PCNSL at our
      institution between January 1994 and February 2007, cerebrospinal fluid was
      analyzed for MD. MD was found by cytomorphology in 7/63 (11%), by
      immunophenotyping in 1/32 (3%), and by PCR of the IgH CDR III region in 6/37
      (16%). Neuroradiologic examination revealed MD in 3 of 69 patients (4%). Median
      event-free survival (EFS) of patients with MD diagnosed by any of the methods was
      26 months, of those without MD 34.1 months (P = .24); median overall survival
      (OAS) of these two patients' groups was 45.5 and 42.5 months, respectively (P =
      .34). Patients with cytomorphologic proof of MD had a median EFS of 15.4 months
      and OAS of 18.5 months, those without MD 34.3 and 45 months (P = .018 and .017,
      respectively). We found a low frequency of MD despite the use of putatively
      sensitive diagnostic methods. No impact on outcome was seen for MD, diagnosed by
      any of the methods used; however, patients with cytomorphologic proof of MD had a
      significantly shorter median EFS and OAS.

PMID- 20308321
TI  - SWR1 complex poises heterochromatin boundaries for antisilencing activity
      propagation.
AB  - In eukaryotes, chromosomal processes are usually modulated through chromatin
      modifying complexes that are dynamically targeted to specific regions of
      chromatin. In this study, we show that the chromatin-remodeling complex SWR1
      (SWR1-C) uses a distinct strategy to regulate heterochromatin spreading. Swr1
      binds in a stable manner near heterochromatin to prepare specific chromosomal
      regions for H2A.Z deposition, which can be triggered by NuA4-mediated acetylation
      of histone H4. We also demonstrate through experiments with Swc4, a module shared
      by NuA4 and SWR1-C, that the coupled actions of NuA4 and SWR1-C lead to the
      efficient incorporation of H2A.Z into chromatin and thereby synergize
      heterochromatin boundary activity. Our results support a model where SWR1-C
      resides at the heterochromatin boundary to maintain and amplify antisilencing
      activity of histone H4 acetylation through incorporating H2A.Z into chromatin.

PMID- 20308320
TI  - Runx1 directly promotes proliferation of hair follicle stem cells and epithelial
      tumor formation in mouse skin.
AB  - Runx1/AML1 is a transcription factor implicated in tissue stem cell regulation
      and belongs to the small Runx family of cancer genes. In the hair follicle (HF),
      Runx1 epithelial deletion in morphogenesis impairs normal adult hair homeostasis
      (cycle) and blocks adult hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) in quiescence. Here, we
      show that these effects are overcome later in adulthood. By deleting Runx1 after
      the end of morphogenesis, we demonstrate its direct role in promoting anagen
      onset and HFSC proliferation. Runx1 deletion resulted in cyclin-dependent kinase
      inhibitor Cdkn1a (p21) upregulation. Interfering with Runx1 function in cultured
      HFSCs impaired their proliferation and normal G(0)/G1 and G(1)/S cell cycle
      progression. The proliferation defect could be rescued by Runx1 readdition or by
      p21 deletion. Chemically induced skin tumorigenesis in mice turned on broad Runx1
      expression in regions of the skin epithelium, papillomas, and squamous cell
      carcinomas. In addition, it revealed reduced rates of tumor formation in the
      absence of Runx1 that were accompanied by decreased epithelial levels of phospho
      Stat3. Runx1 protein expression was similar in normal human and mouse hair
      cycles. We propose that Runx1 may act as a skin oncogene by directly promoting
      proliferation of the epithelial cells.

PMID- 20308322
TI  - Arginine methylation controls the subcellular localization and functions of the
      oncoprotein splicing factor SF2/ASF.
AB  - Alternative splicing and posttranslational modifications (PTMs) are major sources
      of protein diversity in eukaryotic proteomes. The SR protein SF2/ASF is an
      oncoprotein that functions in pre-mRNA splicing, with additional roles in other
      posttranscriptional and translational events. Functional studies of SR protein
      PTMs have focused exclusively on the reversible phosphorylation of Ser residues
      in the C-terminal RS domain. We confirmed that human SF2/ASF is methylated at
      residues R93, R97, and R109, which were identified in a global proteomic analysis
      of Arg methylation, and further investigated whether these methylated residues
      regulate the properties of SF2/ASF. We show that the three arginines additively
      control the subcellular localization of SF2/ASF and that both the positive charge
      and the methylation state are important. Mutations that block methylation and
      remove the positive charge result in the cytoplasmic accumulation of SF2/ASF. The
      consequent decrease in nuclear SF2/ASF levels prevents it from modulating the
      alternative splicing of target genes, results in higher translation stimulation,
      and abrogates the enhancement of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. This study
      addresses the mechanisms by which Arg methylation and the associated positive
      charge regulate the activities of SF2/ASF and emphasizes the significance of
      localization control for an oncoprotein with multiple functions in different
      cellular compartments.

PMID- 20308323
TI  - Human AlkB homolog ABH8 Is a tRNA methyltransferase required for wobble uridine
      modification and DNA damage survival.
AB  - tRNA nucleosides are extensively modified to ensure their proper function in
      translation. However, many of the enzymes responsible for tRNA modifications in
      mammals await identification. Here, we show that human AlkB homolog 8 (ABH8)
      catalyzes tRNA methylation to generate 5-methylcarboxymethyl uridine (mcm(5)U) at
      the wobble position of certain tRNAs, a critical anticodon loop modification
      linked to DNA damage survival. We find that ABH8 interacts specifically with
      tRNAs containing mcm(5)U and that purified ABH8 complexes methylate RNA in vitro.
      Significantly, ABH8 depletion in human cells reduces endogenous levels of mcm(5)U
      in RNA and increases cellular sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents. Moreover, DNA
      damaging agents induce ABH8 expression in an ATM-dependent manner. These results
      expand the role of mammalian AlkB proteins beyond that of direct DNA repair and
      support a regulatory mechanism in the DNA damage response pathway involving
      modulation of tRNA modification.

PMID- 20308324
TI  - Positive regulation of interferon regulatory factor 3 activation by Herc5 via
      ISG15 modification.
AB  - Virus infection induces host antiviral responses, including induction of type I
      interferons. Transcription factor interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) plays a
      pivotal role and is tightly regulated in this process. Here, we identify HERC5
      (HECT domain and RLD 5) as a specific binding protein of IRF3 by
      immunoprecipitation. Ectopic expression or knockdown of HERC5 could,
      respectively, enhance or impair IRF3-mediated gene expression. Mechanistically,
      HERC5 catalyzes the conjugation of ubiquitin-like protein ISG15 onto IRF3
      (Lys193, -360, and -366), thus attenuating the interaction between Pin1 and IRF3,
      resulting in sustained IRF3 activation. In contrast to results for wild-type
      IRF3, the mutant IRF3(K193,360,366R) interacts tightly with Pin1, is highly
      polyubiquitinated, and becomes less stable upon Sendai virus (SeV) infection.
      Consistently, host antiviral responses are obviously boosted or crippled in the
      presence or absence of HERC5, respectively. Collectively, this study
      characterizes HERC5 as a positive regulator of innate antiviral responses. It
      sustains IRF3 activation via a novel posttranslational modification, ISGylation.

PMID- 20308325
TI  - Ephrin-B1 reverse signaling controls a posttranscriptional feedback mechanism via
      miR-124.
AB  - Eph receptors and ephrins exhibit complex and highly dynamic expression patterns
      during embryonic development. In addition, changes in their expression levels are
      often associated with pathological situations in adults. Yet, little is known
      about the mechanisms regulating their expression. Here we report that the
      expression of ephrin-B1 is controlled by a feedback loop involving
      posttranscriptional regulatory mechanisms. We observed that the EfnB1 3'
      untranslated region (3'-UTR) confers instability to mRNA transcripts, and we
      identified miR-124 as a posttranscriptional repressor of EfnB1 expression.
      Furthermore, we showed that miR-124 is itself regulated by ephrin-B1 reverse
      signaling, thus revealing the existence of a mutually repressive interaction
      between ephrin-B1 and this microRNA (miRNA). Lastly, we demonstrated the
      relevance of this mutual inhibition for neuronal differentiation. Our results
      suggest that miRNAs could be important effectors of Eph/ephrin signaling to
      refine domains of expression and to regulate function.

PMID- 20308326
TI  - Mechanism of Mediator recruitment by tandem Gcn4 activation domains and three
      Gal11 activator-binding domains.
AB  - Targets of the tandem Gcn4 acidic activation domains in transcription
      preinitiation complexes were identified by site-specific cross-linking. The
      individual Gcn4 activation domains cross-link to three common targets,
      Gal11/Med15, Taf12, and Tra1, which are subunits of four conserved coactivator
      complexes, Mediator, SAGA, TFIID, and NuA4. The Gcn4 N-terminal activation domain
      also cross-links to the Mediator subunit Sin4/Med16. The contribution of the two
      Gcn4 activation domains to transcription was gene specific and varied from
      synergistic to less than additive. Gcn4-dependent genes had a requirement for
      Gal11 ranging from 10-fold dependence to complete Gal11 independence, while the
      Gcn4-Taf12 interaction did not significantly contribute to the expression of any
      gene studied. Complementary methods identified three conserved Gal11 activator
      binding domains that bind each Gcn4 activation domain with micromolar affinity.
      These Gal11 activator-binding domains contribute additively to transcription
      activation and Mediator recruitment at Gcn4- and Gal11-dependent genes. Although
      we found that the conserved Gal11 KIX domain contributes to Gal11 function, we
      found no evidence of specific Gcn4-KIX interaction and conclude that the Gal11
      KIX domain does not function by specific interaction with Gcn4. Our combined
      results show gene-specific coactivator requirements, a surprising redundancy in
      activator-target interactions, and an activator-coactivator interaction mediated
      by multiple low-affinity protein-protein interactions.

PMID- 20308327
TI  - A glycine-rich domain of hnRNP H/F promotes nucleocytoplasmic shuttling and
      nuclear import through an interaction with transportin 1.
AB  - Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) H and F are members of a closely
      related subfamily of hnRNP proteins that are implicated in many aspects of RNA
      processing. hnRNP H and F are alternative splicing factors for numerous U2- and
      U12-dependent introns. The proteins have three RNA binding domains and two
      glycine-rich domains and localize to both the nucleus and cytoplasm, but little
      is known about which domains govern subcellular localization or splicing
      activity. We show here that the central glycine-tyrosine-arginine-rich (GYR)
      domain is responsible for nuclear localization, and a nonclassical nuclear
      localization signal (NLS) was mapped to a short, highly conserved sequence whose
      activity was compromised by point mutations. Glutathione S-transferase (GST)
      pulldown assays demonstrated that the hnRNP H NLS interacts with the import
      receptor transportin 1. Finally, we show that hnRNP H/F are transcription
      dependent shuttling proteins. Collectively, the results suggest that hnRNP H and
      F are GYR domain-dependent shuttling proteins whose posttranslational
      modifications may alter nuclear localization and hence function.

PMID- 20308328
TI  - Functional effects of PTPN11 (SHP2) mutations causing LEOPARD syndrome on
      epidermal growth factor-induced phosphoinositide 3-kinase/AKT/glycogen synthase
      kinase 3beta signaling.
AB  - LEOPARD syndrome (LS), a disorder with multiple developmental abnormalities, is
      mainly due to mutations that impair the activity of the tyrosine phosphatase SHP2
      (PTPN11). How these alterations cause the disease remains unknown. We report here
      that fibroblasts isolated from LS patients displayed stronger epidermal growth
      factor (EGF)-induced phosphorylation of both AKT and glycogen synthase kinase
      3beta (GSK-3beta) than fibroblasts from control patients. Similar results were
      obtained in HEK293 cells expressing LS mutants of SHP2. We found that the
      GAB1/phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) complex was more abundant in fibroblasts
      from LS than control subjects and that both AKT and GSK-3beta
      hyperphosphorylation were prevented by reducing GAB1 expression or by
      overexpressing a GAB1 mutant unable to bind to PI3K. Consistently, purified
      recombinant LS mutants failed to dephosphorylate GAB1 PI3K-binding sites. These
      mutants induced PI3K-dependent increase in cell size in a model of chicken embryo
      cardiac explants and in transcriptional activity of the atrial natriuretic factor
      (ANF) gene in neonate rat cardiomyocytes. In conclusion, SHP2 mutations causing
      LS facilitate EGF-induced PI3K/AKT/GSK-3beta stimulation through impaired GAB1
      dephosphorylation, resulting in deregulation of a novel signaling pathway that
      could be involved in LS pathology.

PMID- 20308329
TI  - Effects of the cognition-enhancing agent ABT-239 on fetal ethanol-induced
      deficits in dentate gyrus synaptic plasticity.
AB  - Prenatal ethanol exposure causes deficits in hippocampal synaptic plasticity and
      learning. At present, there are no clinically effective pharmacotherapeutic
      interventions for these deficits. In this study, we examined whether the
      cognition-enhancing agent 4-(2-{2-[(2R)-2-methylpyrrolidinyl]ethyl}-benzofuran-5
      yl) benzonitrile (ABT-239), a histamine H(3) receptor antagonist, could
      ameliorate fetal ethanol-induced long-term potentiation (LTP) deficits. Long
      Evans rat dams consumed a mean of 2.82 g/kg ethanol during a 4-h period each day.
      This voluntary drinking pattern produced a mean peak serum ethanol level of 84
      mg/dl. Maternal weight gain, offspring litter size, and birth weights were not
      different between ethanol-consuming and control groups. A stimulating electrode
      was implanted in the entorhinal cortical perforant path, and a recording
      electrode was implanted in the dorsal dentate gyrus of urethane-anesthetized
      adult male offspring. Baseline input/output responses were not affected either by
      prenatal ethanol exposure or by 1 mg/kg ABT-239 administered 2 h before data
      collection. No differences were observed between prenatal treatment groups when a
      10-tetanus train protocol was used to elicit LTP. However, LTP elicited by 3
      tetanizing trains was markedly impaired by prenatal ethanol exposure compared
      with control. This fetal ethanol-induced LTP deficit was reversed by ABT-239. In
      contrast, ABT-239 did not enhance LTP in control offspring using the 3-tetanus
      train protocol. These results suggest that histamine H(3) receptor antagonists
      may have utility for treating fetal ethanol-associated synaptic plasticity and
      learning deficits. Furthermore, the differential effect of ABT-239 in fetal
      alcohol offspring compared with controls raises questions about the impact of
      fetal ethanol exposure on histaminergic modulation of excitatory
      neurotransmission in affected offspring.

PMID- 20308330
TI  - Glucocorticoid-dependent expression of O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase
      gene modulates dacarbazine-induced hepatotoxicity in mice.
AB  - O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) plays a crucial role in the
      defense against the alkylating agent-induced cytotoxic lesion O(6)-alkylguanine
      in DNA. Although a significant circadian variation in MGMT activity has been
      found in the liver of mice, the exact mechanism of the variation remains poorly
      understood. In this study, we present evidence that glucocorticoids were required
      for the 24-h oscillation of MGMT expression in mouse liver. The exposure of mouse
      hepatic cells (Hepa1-6) to dexamethasone (DEX) significantly increased the mRNA
      levels of MGMT in a dose-dependent manner. The DEX-induced increase in MGMT
      expression was reversed by concomitant treatment with RU486 [11beta-[p
      (dimethylamino) phenyl]-17beta-hydroxy-17-(1-propynyl)estra-4,9-dien-3-one], a
      glucocorticoid receptor antagonist. The mRNA levels of MGMT and its enzymatic
      activity in the liver of mice showed significant 24-h oscillations, which were
      not observed in adrenalectomized mice. A single administration of DEX to
      adrenalectomized mice significantly increased the mRNA levels of MGMT in the
      liver. These findings suggest that the 24-h oscillation in the hepatic expression
      of MGMT is caused by the endogenous rhythm of glucocorticoid secretion.
      Dacarbazine (DTIC), a potent O(6)-guanine-alkylating agent, causes serious
      hepatotoxicity accompanied by hepatocellular necrosis and hepatic vein
      thrombosis. DTIC-induced hepatotoxicity in mice was attenuated by administering
      the drug at the time of day when MGMT expression was abundant. The present
      findings suggest that glucocorticoid-regulated oscillation in the hepatic MGMT
      expression is the underlying cause of dosing time-dependent changes in DTIC
      induced hepatotoxicity.

PMID- 20308331
TI  - Protection against acute kidney injury via A(1) adenosine receptor-mediated Akt
      activation reduces liver injury after liver ischemia and reperfusion in mice.
AB  - Hepatic ischemia reperfusion (IR) injury causes acute kidney injury (AKI).
      However, the contribution of AKI to the pathogenesis of liver IR injury is
      unclear. Furthermore, controversy still exists regarding the role of A(1)
      adenosine receptors (A(1)ARs) in AKI. In this study, we determined whether
      exogenous and endogenous A(1)AR activation protects against AKI with subsequent
      liver protection after hepatic IR in mice. We found that after hepatic IR A(1)
      knockout (KO) mice and A(1)AR antagonist-treated A(1) wild-type (WT) mice
      developed worse AKI and liver injury compared with vehicle-treated A(1)WT mice.
      Moreover, a selective A(1)AR agonist protected against hepatic IR-induced AKI and
      liver injury in A(1)WT mice. Renal A(1)AR-mediated kidney protection plays a
      crucial role in protecting the liver after IR because: 1) selective unilateral
      renal lentiviral overexpression of human A(1)ARs [enhanced green fluorescent
      protein (EGFP)-huA(1)AR] in A(1)KO mice protected against both kidney and liver
      injury sustained after liver IR, 2) removal of the EGFP-huA(1)AR lentivirus
      injected kidney from A(1)KO mice abolished both renal and hepatic protection
      after liver IR, and 3) bilateral nephrectomy before hepatic ischemia abolished
      the protective effects of A(1)AR activation in A(1)WT mice. Finally, inhibition
      of Akt, but not extracellular signal-regulated kinase mitogen-activated protein
      kinase, prevented the kidney and liver protection afforded by A(1)AR agonist
      treatment. Taken together, we show that endogenous and exogenous activation of
      renal A(1)ARs protect against liver and kidney injury after liver IR in vivo via
      pathways involving Akt activation.

PMID- 20308335
TI  - The impact of a short-term intervention using the WHO guidelines for the
      management of severe malnutrition at a rural facility in Angola.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To measure the impact of practice review and in-service supervision
      based on WHO guidelines on outcomes of severely malnourished children in a rural
      facility with minimal resources staffed only by nurses. DESIGN: Intervention
      (January to August 2006) with historical comparison of outcomes (January to
      August 2005). SETTING: Therapeutic feeding centre in rural Angola. PATIENTS: All
      children admitted to the feeding centre during the study period. INTERVENTION:
      Medecins Du Monde implemented an intervention that consisted of weekly physician
      supervision of staff activities and establishment of a study group composed of
      nurses in the centre. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Routine practices in the centre and
      measured indicators for outcomes of admitted children, which were compared to
      indicators before the intervention. RESULTS: During the intervention the authors
      observed improved delivery of important tasks such as frequent feeding and
      avoidance of intravenous rehydration. Among the 379 children admitted during the
      intervention, compared to the 358 children admitted previously, successful
      treatment increased from 73.2% to 82.6% (RR 1.13; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.22) and
      fatalities decreased from 15.6% to 8.7% (RR 0.56; 95% CI 0.37 to 0.83).
      CONCLUSION: This short-term intervention with in-service supervision based on the
      WHO guidelines in a setting of limited resources apparently contributed to a
      reduction in fatality rates. These findings support the view that such guidelines
      can be effectively implemented in under-resourced facilities in Angola and
      similar settings if they are introduced using an interactive approach and if in
      service supervision continues to be provided.

PMID- 20308337
TI  - Extreme leucocytosis and the risk of serious bacterial infections in febrile
      children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical significance of extreme leucocytosis (white
      blood cell (WBC) count >25,000/mm(3)) as a predictor of serious bacterial
      infection (SBI) in children. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective case-control
      study was conducted in a paediatric emergency department in Israel. The study
      evaluated children aged 3-36 months admitted to the emergency department with
      fever (>38 degrees C) who had a complete blood count (CBC). Children with extreme
      leucocytosis were identified through the laboratory database. Further, for each
      case patient two consecutive febrile patients with WBC counts of 15,000
      24,999/mm(3) (moderate leucocytosis) served as controls (a case-control ratio of
      1:2). RESULTS: During the study, 146 patients with extreme leucocytosis were
      identified and compared with 292 patients with moderate leucocytosis. SBI was
      found in 57 (39%) patients with extreme leucocytosis compared with 45 (15.4%)
      control patients (p<0.001). The most commonly found SBI was segmental or lobar
      pneumonia, which was diagnosed in 41 (28%) patients in the case group compared
      with 27 (9.2%) patients in the control group (p<0.001, OR 3.83, 95% CI 2.25 to
      6.52). Children with extreme leucocytosis were more often treated with
      antibiotics (52.7% vs 27.7%, p<0.001) and admitted to hospital (98.6% vs 50.68%,
      p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In febrile children aged 3-36 months, the presence of
      extreme leucocytosis is associated with a 39% risk of having SBIs. The increased
      risk for SBI is mainly due to a higher risk for pneumonia.

PMID- 20308338
TI  - Images in paediatrics: Multiple button battery ingestion.

PMID- 20308339
TI  - Breast feeding and drug therapy in neglected diseases.

PMID- 20308340
TI  - Question 1. Is delayed clamping of the umbilical cord in moderately preterm
      babies beneficial?

PMID- 20308341
TI  - Towards evidence based medicine for paediatricians.

PMID- 20308342
TI  - Question 2. Which medications effectively reduce pubertal gynaecomastia?

PMID- 20308343
TI  - Question 3. Do Portacaths or Hickman lines have a higher risk of catheter-related
      bloodstream infections in children with leukaemia?

PMID- 20308344
TI  - Emotional, self-conceptual, and relational characteristics of bullies and the
      bullied.
AB  - AIMS: To clarify distributions of emotional and somatic symptoms among different
      groups involved in bullying behaviour during early adolescence; to explore
      differences in social integration and self-perceptions; to explore how different
      cut-off limits for bullying behaviour may affect the impact of these measures;
      and to interpret our findings in the light of theories of identity that may
      suggest directions for interventions against bullying in schools. METHODS: A
      cross-sectional study, based on self-completion questionnaire, of 1237 pupils
      aged 11-15 years in autumn 2000 in Alesund, Norway. RESULTS: Bullies and their
      victims reported similar and greater emotional impairments and psychosomatic
      complaints, lack of self-confidence, and pessimism than students not involved in
      bullying. With increasing involvement, bullies differed from non-involved
      students only in regard to depressive complaints and pessimism. The bullied group
      reported more depressive, somatic and anxiety complaints, and self-reproach with
      increasing victimisation. Both bullies and the bullied reported problems relating
      to school, parents, and teachers. Bullies enjoyed friendships to the same degree
      or better than their peers not involved in bullying, whereas the bullied group
      reported impaired peer relations and increasing problems with more serious
      involvement. Bullies, the bullied, and bully-victims reported diminishing peer
      support in their class with increasing involvement. CONCLUSIONS: Both the bullied
      and bullies share relational, emotional, and self-conceptual problems, but they
      also differ in whether they succeed in social arenas and to what extent they are
      affected by different emotional and self-conceptual problems. They are, however,
      fellow sufferers in many aspects.

PMID- 20308345
TI  - Advancing towards a tissue-engineered tympanic membrane: silk fibroin as a
      substratum for growing human eardrum keratinocytes.
AB  - Human tympanic membrane cells (hTMCs), harvested from tympanic membrane (TM)
      explants, were grown in culture and then seeded on membranes prepared from
      silkworm (Bombyx mori) silk fibroin (BMSF) and on tissue-culture plastic
      membranes (PET). Fibroin was isolated from silk cast into membranes with a
      thickness of 10-15 microm. The hTMCs were cultured on both materials for 15 days
      in a serum-containing culture medium. The cells grown on both substrata were
      subjected to nuclear staining (DAPI) and counted. Further, the cultures were
      immunostained for a number of protein markers related to the
      epithelial/keratinocyte phenotype and cell adhesion complexes. The BMSF membranes
      supported levels of hTMC growth higher than that observed on the PET membranes.
      The immunofluorochemical analysis indicated unequivocally that BMSF is a more
      suitable substratum than PET with respect to the growth patterns, proliferation,
      and cell-cell contact and adhesion. BMSF appear as a promising substratum in the
      tissue-engineered constructs for the replacement of TM in case of nonhealing
      perforations.

PMID- 20308346
TI  - Moving beyond the notion of 'self' care.

PMID- 20308347
TI  - Emerging models for mobilizing family support for chronic disease management: a
      structured review.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We identify recent models for programmes aiming to increase effective
      family support for chronic illness management and self-care among adult patients
      without significant physical or cognitive disabilities. We then summarize
      evidence regarding the efficacy for each model identified. METHODS: Structured
      review of studies published in medical and psychology databases from 1990 to the
      present, reference review, general Web searches and conversations with family
      intervention experts. Review was limited to studies on conditions that require
      ongoing self-management, such as diabetes, chronic heart disease and
      rheumatologic disease. RESULTS: Programmes with three separate foci were
      identified: (1) Programmes that guide family members in setting goals for
      supporting patient self-care behaviours have led to improved implementation of
      family support roles, but have mixed success improving patient outcomes. (2)
      Programmes that train family in supportive communication techniques, such as
      prompting patient coping techniques or use of autonomy supportive statements,
      have successfully improved patient symptom management and health behaviours. (3)
      Programmes that give families tools and infrastructure to assist in monitoring
      clinical symptoms and medications are being conducted, with no evidence to date
      on their impact on patient outcomes. DISCUSSION: The next generation of
      programmes to improve family support for chronic disease management incorporate a
      variety of strategies. Future research can define optimal clinical situations for
      family support programmes, the most effective combinations of support strategies,
      and how best to integrate family support programmes into comprehensive models of
      chronic disease care.

PMID- 20308348
TI  - Family influences on self-management among functionally independent adults with
      diabetes or heart failure: do family members hinder as much as they help?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Among functionally independent patients with diabetes or heart
      failure, we examined family member support and family-related barriers to self
      care. We then identified patient characteristics associated with family support
      and family barriers and how each was associated with self-management adherence.
      METHODS: Cross-sectional survey of 439 patients with diabetes or heart failure
      (74% response rate). RESULTS: 75% of respondents reported supportive family
      involvement in self-care; however, 25% reported frequent family-related barriers
      to self-care. Women reported family support less often (64% v. 77%) and family
      barriers to self-care more often (30% v. 21%) than men. 78% of respondents
      reported involved family members nagged or criticized them about illness care. In
      multivariate models, low health literacy, partnered status and higher family
      function were associated with higher family support levels, while female gender,
      older age, higher education, and more depression symptoms were associated with
      family barriers to self-care. Family barriers were associated with lower disease
      care self-efficacy (p<0.01), and both barriers and family support were associated
      with patients' self-management adherence (both p<0.05). DISCUSSION: Family
      members are highly involved in the self-care of these higher functioning
      patients. Interventions should help patients with chronic illness overcome family
      barriers to self-care and help families use positive and effective support
      techniques.

PMID- 20308349
TI  - The case for involving adult children outside of the household in the self
      management support of older adults with chronic illnesses.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study sought to (1) identify barriers to spousal support for
      chronic illness self-care among community-dwelling older adults; and (2) describe
      the potential availability of self-care support from adult children living
      outside of the household. METHODS: Nationally representative US sample of
      chronically ill adults aged 51+ were interviewed as part of the Health and
      Retirement Study (N = 14,862). Both participants and their spouses (when
      available) reported information about their health and functioning. Participants
      also reported information about their contact with adult children and the quality
      of those relationships. RESULTS: More than one-third (38%) of chronically ill
      older adults in the US are unmarried; and when spouses are available, the
      majority of them have multiple chronic diseases and functional limitations.
      However, the vast majority of chronically ill older adults (93%, representing
      roughly 60 million Americans) have adult children, with half having children
      living over 10 miles away. Most respondents with children (78%) reported at least
      weekly telephone contact and that these relationships were positive. Roughly 19
      million older chronically ill Americans have adult children living at a distance
      but none nearby; these children are in frequent telephone contact and respondents
      (including those with multiple chronic diseases) report that the relationships
      are positive. DISCUSSION: As the gap between available health services for
      disease management and the need among community-dwelling patients continues to
      grow, adult children-including those living at a distance-represent an important
      resource for improving self-care support for people with chronic diseases.

PMID- 20308350
TI  - Patient-caregiver concordance in symptom assessment and improvement in outcomes
      for patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To measure the agreement between cancer patients' and family
      caregivers' perceptions of the patients' symptom severity, and the association
      between changes in caregiver accuracy and changes in outcomes. METHODS: Secondary
      analysis of baseline and 10-week follow-up data from 142 cancer patient/caregiver
      dyads. Patient/caregiver agreement about symptom burden was measured for the 8
      most prevalent symptoms and overall. Bivariate analyses examined the patient and
      caregiver characteristics associated with caregivers who were overestimators,
      underestimators or accurate at baseline. We tested the relationship between
      change in caregiver accuracy and both caregiver behaviour (e.g. use of
      information, hours spent caregiving) and patient outcomes (e.g. total symptom
      severity and frequency). RESULTS: At baseline, caregivers overestimated the
      severity of 17 out of 18 symptoms; 50% predicted mean symptom severity
      accurately. Accuracy worsened over time for 51%, stayed the same for 36%, and
      improved for 13%. While not statistically significant, caregivers whose accuracy
      improved over time had patients who reported greater declines in: symptom
      severity, number of symptoms, symptom interference, total symptom frequency and
      depression. In addition, these caregivers experienced greater reductions in their
      use of information and hours helping the patient. DISCUSSION: Caregivers
      typically over-estimate cancer patients' symptom burden and accuracy does not
      improve over time. Improving caregiver accuracy may boost the positive effects of
      cognitive behavioural interventions designed to improve cancer patients' quality
      of life.

PMID- 20308351
TI  - Informal and formal care infrastructure and perceived need for caregiver training
      for frail US veterans referred to home and community-based services.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe the informal care network of US veterans referred to home
      and community-based services (Homemaker Home Health services, H/HHA, or Home
      Based Primary Care, HBPC) at the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC),
      including: quantity and types of tasks provided and desired content for caregiver
      training programs. METHODS: All primary care patients referred to H/HHA or HBPC
      during the preceding 3 months were sent questionnaires in May 2007. Additionally,
      caregivers were sent questionnaires if a patient gave permission. Descriptive
      statistics and chi-squared tests were performed. RESULTS: On average, patients
      received 5.6 hours of VA care and 47 hours of informal care per week. 26% of
      patients (38% of patients with caregiver proxy respondents) and 59% of caregivers
      indicated the caregiver would be interested in participating in a training
      program by phone or on-site. Significant barriers to participation existed. The
      most common barriers were: transportation; no time due to caregiving or work
      demands; caregiver's own health limitations; and no need. CONCLUSIONS: Caregiver
      training needs to be tailored to overcome barriers to participate. Overcoming
      these barriers may be possible through in-home phone or internet training outside
      traditional business hours, and by tailoring training to accommodate limiting
      health problems among caregivers.

PMID- 20308352
TI  - Psychological health in older adult spousal caregivers of older adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The need for informal caregiving has been rapidly increasing across
      several countries. Spouses comprise a sizeable segment of informal caregivers and
      typically represent an older cohort with special health concerns. The objective
      of this review was to examine psychological health outcomes in older adult
      spouses caring for older adults. METHODS: Literature review/synthesis (1999
      2009). RESULTS: Compared to demographically matched married non-caregiving
      controls, older adult spousal caregivers experienced more cognitive functioning
      difficulties, strain, distress, stress, loneliness, depression, anxiety and
      poorer mental health. Caregivers of spouses with cognitive impairments, quite
      often wives, were especially affected by poor psychological health, as were
      caregivers who were new to the caregiving role and those who rated caregiving as
      stressful. Psychological health improved when the caregiving role ceased.
      DISCUSSION: Several poor psychological outcomes were found in older adults caring
      for their spouses; the magnitude of which varied and were more pronounced under
      certain circumstances. To preserve caregiver health, maintain recipient health
      and care quality and avoid exceeding system of care capacity, efforts are needed
      to provide support to older adult spousal caregivers and recipients. Couples may
      need to be assessed as a unit, taking gender and cultural considerations into
      account, and additional resources may be required.

PMID- 20308353
TI  - Endurance of multiplication fact fluency for students with attention deficit
      hyperactivity disorder.
AB  - This study examines the relationship between a critical learning outcome of
      behavioral fluency and endurance, by comparing the effects of two practice
      procedures on multiplication facts two through nine. The first procedure, called
      whole time practice trial, consisted of an uninterrupted 1 minute practice time.
      The second procedure, endurance building practice trials, had three 20 second
      practice trials. A total of 3 students with attention deficit hyperactivity
      disorder participated. Results indicated that multiplication facts with the
      endurance building practice trials produced more efficient learning when compared
      to the whole time practice trial procedure for all 3 participants. Additionally,
      results show that even with the amount of practice time being equal, 1 minute in
      both conditions, on average participants practiced 30% more problems with the
      endurance building practice trials procedure than they did with the whole time
      practice trial procedure.

PMID- 20308354
TI  - The impact of acceptance-based versus avoidance-based protocols on discomfort.
AB  - This study aimed to isolate the conditions under which aversive stimulation is
      experienced as more or less discomforting/unpleasant. Discomfort was induced by
      playing loud noises through headphones while participants performed computer
      tasks. We employed 4 main conditions. Condition 1: the acceptance-based protocol
      (ACT), intended to integrate discomfort in a valued direction, was implemented
      before the Inclusion Task (task performance could continue despite the presence
      of the noise). Subsequently, the experiential avoidance-based protocol (EA),
      intended to promote a relation of opposition between discomfort and valued
      actions, was implemented before the Opposition Task (task performance was
      suspended until the participants eliminated the sounds). Condition 2: this order
      was reversed. Conditions 3 and 4: the tasks were presented without any protocol.
      The ACT protocol produced the lowest level of discomfort, particularly when it
      was implemented before participants had experimental experience in trying to
      control discomfort. Two postcontrol conditions confirmed this result.
      Implications for prevention and treatment of psychological suffering are
      discussed.

PMID- 20308355
TI  - Experiential avoidance and problem behavior: a mediational analysis.
AB  - Despite their formal dissimilarity, problem behaviors (e.g., substance misuse,
      binge eating, self-harm) may share a common function. According to Acceptance and
      Commitment Therapy (ACT), this shared function is Experiential Avoidance, the
      process of avoiding, escaping or otherwise altering unwanted private events
      (e.g., thoughts, feelings, memories) and the contexts that elicit them.
      Structural Equation Modeling was used cross-sectionally with data from a clinical
      opportunity sample ( N = 290) to test (a) whether problem behavior covariance was
      associated with experiential avoidance, and (b) whether experiential avoidance
      mediated the relationships between historical and dispositional risk factors
      (childhood trauma and negative affect intensity, respectively) and the tendency
      to engage in problem behaviors. Analysis showed that experiential avoidance
      contributed to the covariation of problem behaviors, and that it fully mediated
      the relationships between both risk factors and problem behavior. Thus,
      experiential avoidance may be a key process to target in the management of
      individuals with behavior problems.

PMID- 20308356
TI  - Vasovagal syncope and blood donor return: examination of the role of experience
      and affective expectancies.
AB  - Vasovagal sensations (e.g., dizziness, nausea, and fainting) are one of the main
      reasons people find blood donation unpleasant. A better understanding of
      predictors of vasovagal sensations during blood donation could inform
      interventions designed to increase donor return rates. The present investigation
      examined the extent to which experience with blood donation and vasovagal
      sensations during blood donation uniquely predict the likelihood of donor return,
      even when controlling for affective expectancies. Participants presenting at
      community blood drives indicated how many times they have given blood and
      provided ratings of expected anxiety, pain, disgust, as well as fear of fainting
      before giving blood. After donating, participants completed a measure of
      vasovagal sensations experienced during blood donation. They also rated the
      pleasantness of the experience and willingness to donate blood in the future. The
      findings showed that experience with blood donation and vasovagal sensations
      during blood donation uniquely predicted willingness to donate blood in the
      future even when controlling for age and negative affective expectancies about
      giving blood. This finding suggests that vasovagal sensations and experience with
      blood donation have unique (and perhaps additive) effects on willingness to
      donate blood in the future, suggesting that behavior modification interventions
      that directly target these variables could potentially increase donor retention.

PMID- 20308357
TI  - Acceptance and commitment therapy versus cognitive therapy for the treatment of
      comorbid eating pathology.
AB  - Previous research has indicated that although eating pathology is prevalent in
      college populations, both CBT and non-CBT-based therapies achieve only limited
      effectiveness. The current study examined several questions related to the
      treatment of eating pathology within the context of a larger randomized
      controlled trial that compared standard CBT (i.e., Beck's cognitive therapy; CT)
      with acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT; Hayes, 2004).The results indicated
      that the two treatments were differentially effective at reducing eating
      pathology. Specifically, CT produced modest decreases in eating pathology whereas
      ACT produced large decreases. In addition, a weaker suggestion emerged that ACT
      was more effective than CT at increasing clinician-rated global functioning among
      those with eating pathology. These findings suggest that ACT is a useful
      treatment for disordered eating and potentially, for eating disorders per se.

PMID- 20308359
TI  - Increased serum level of early prostate cancer antigen is associated with
      subsequent cancer risk in men with high-grade prostatic intraepithelial
      neoplasia.
AB  - Early prostate cancer antigen (EPCA) has been recently suggested as a novel
      biomarker in malignant and premalignant lesions of the prostate. This study was
      to examine serum expression of EPCA and to further clarify the relationship
      between initial serum EPCA levels and the presence of subsequent cancer in the
      individuals with isolated high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN).
      An indirect ELISA was used for initial serum EPCA measurement in 112 men with
      isolated HGPIN, who were enrolled and completed a follow-up of >or=5 years. All
      patients had a detectable concentration of EPCA in the initial serum, with a mean
      of 0.64+/-0.13 absorbance at 450 nm. Thirty-three patients had an initial serum
      EPCA level of >or=1.10, in which 31 cases were subsequently identified as having
      prostate cancer on follow-up. However, in the remaining 79 cases, serum EPCA
      levels were all <1.10, and none was diagnosed with cancer later. Statistical
      analysis showed a significantly higher serum ECPA level in isolated HGPIN
      patients with subsequent cancer than those without cancer (P<0.001). The area
      under the receiver operating characteristic curves showed that serum EPCA level
      had better predictive accuracy of cancer onset on follow-up than prostate
      specific antigen velocity and abnormal digital rectal examination findings.
      Furthermore, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses demonstrated the
      predictive performance independently by initial serum EPCA>or=1.10 absorbance
      (relative risk, 3.32; 95% confidence intervals, 2.62-5.03, P<0.001). These
      preliminary findings first show the potential of serum EPCA to serve as a
      significant predictor for subsequent cancer in isolated HGPIN.

PMID- 20308360
TI  - Human heterochromatin protein 1 isoform HP1beta enhances androgen receptor
      activity and is implicated in prostate cancer growth.
AB  - There are currently few successful therapies for castration-resistant prostate
      cancer (CRPC). CRPC is thought to result from augmented activation of the
      androgen/androgen receptor (AR) signaling pathway, which could be enhanced by AR
      cofactors. In this study, heterochromatin protein 1beta (HP1beta), but not
      HP1alpha or HP1gamma was found to be an AR cofactor. HP1beta interacted with the
      AR, and enhanced the DNA-binding ability of AR to androgen-responsive element in
      the prostate-specific antigen enhancer and promoter regions, and to increase the
      transcription of AR target genes. In prostate cancer (PCa) tissues, HP1beta
      expressions correlated with Gleason score and tri-methylation levels of histone
      H3 lysine 9. Silencing of HP1beta suppressed the growth of AR-expressing PCa
      cells by inducing cell-cycle arrest at the G(1) phase, similar to inhibition of
      androgen/AR signaling. Furthermore, HP1beta was overexpressed in castration
      resistant LNCaP derivative CxR cells, and HP1beta knockdown also suppressed the
      cell growth in CxR cells. These findings indicate that HP1beta is involved in the
      proliferation of AR-expressing PCa cells and progression to CRPC as an AR
      coactivator. Modulation of HP1beta expression or function might be a useful
      strategy for developing novel therapeutics for PCa, even in CRPC.

PMID- 20308361
TI  - Antagonism of the complement component C4 by flavivirus nonstructural protein
      NS1.
AB  - The complement system plays an essential protective role in the initial defense
      against many microorganisms. Flavivirus NS1 is a secreted nonstructural
      glycoprotein that accumulates in blood, is displayed on the surface of infected
      cells, and has been hypothesized to have immune evasion functions. Herein, we
      demonstrate that dengue virus (DENV), West Nile virus (WNV), and yellow fever
      virus (YFV) NS1 attenuate classical and lectin pathway activation by directly
      interacting with C4. Binding of NS1 to C4 reduced C4b deposition and C3
      convertase (C4b2a) activity. Although NS1 bound C4b, it lacked intrinsic cofactor
      activity to degrade C4b, and did not block C3 convertase formation or accelerate
      decay of the C3 and C5 convertases. Instead, NS1 enhanced C4 cleavage by
      recruiting and activating the complement-specific protease C1s. By binding C1s
      and C4 in a complex, NS1 promotes efficient degradation of C4 to C4b. Through
      this mechanism, NS1 protects DENV from complement-dependent neutralization in
      solution. These studies define a novel immune evasion mechanism for restricting
      complement control of microbial infection.

PMID- 20308362
TI  - Lymph node fibroblastic reticular cells directly present peripheral tissue
      antigen under steady-state and inflammatory conditions.
AB  - Lymph node stromal cells (LNSCs) can induce potent, antigen-specific T cell
      tolerance under steady-state conditions. Although expression of various
      peripheral tissue-restricted antigens (PTAs) and presentation to naive CD8+ T
      cells has been demonstrated, the stromal subsets responsible have not been
      identified. We report that fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs), which reside in
      the T cell zone of the LN, ectopically express and directly present a model PTA
      to naive T cells, inducing their proliferation. However, we found that no single
      LNSC subset was responsible for PTA expression; rather, each subset had its own
      characteristic antigen display. Studies to date have concentrated on PTA
      presentation under steady-state conditions; however, because LNs are frequently
      inflammatory sites, we assessed whether inflammation altered stromal cell-T cell
      interactions. Strikingly, FRCs showed reduced stimulation of T cells after Toll
      like receptor 3 ligation. We also characterize an LNSC subset expressing the
      highest levels of autoimmune regulator, which responds potently to bystander
      inflammation by up-regulating PTA expression. Collectively, these data show that
      diverse stromal cell types have evolved to constitutively express PTAs, and that
      exposure to viral products alters the interaction between T cells and LNSCs.

PMID- 20308363
TI  - Cerebral cavernous malformations proteins inhibit Rho kinase to stabilize
      vascular integrity.
AB  - Endothelial cell-cell junctions regulate vascular permeability, vasculogenesis,
      and angiogenesis. Familial cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) in humans
      result from mutations of CCM2 (malcavernin, OSM, MGC4607), PDCD10 (CCM3), or
      KRIT1 (CCM1), a Rap1 effector which stabilizes endothelial cell-cell junctions.
      Homozygous loss of KRIT1 or CCM2 produces lethal vascular phenotypes in mice and
      zebrafish. We report that the physical interaction of KRIT1 and CCM2 proteins is
      required for endothelial cell-cell junctional localization, and lack of either
      protein destabilizes barrier function by sustaining activity of RhoA and its
      effector Rho kinase (ROCK). Protein haploinsufficient Krit1(+/-) or Ccm2(+/-)
      mouse endothelial cells manifested increased monolayer permeability in vitro, and
      both Krit1(+/-) and Ccm2(+/-) mice exhibited increased vascular leak in vivo,
      reversible by fasudil, a ROCK inhibitor. Furthermore, we show that ROCK
      hyperactivity occurs in sporadic and familial human CCM endothelium as judged by
      increased phosphorylation of myosin light chain. These data establish that KRIT1
      CCM2 interaction regulates vascular barrier function by suppressing Rho/ROCK
      signaling and that this pathway is dysregulated in human CCM endothelium, and
      they suggest that fasudil could ameliorate both CCM disease and vascular leak.

PMID- 20308364
TI  - A novel Rac-dependent checkpoint in B cell development controls entry into the
      splenic white pulp and cell survival.
AB  - Rac1 and Rac2 GTPases transduce signals from multiple receptors leading to cell
      migration, adhesion, proliferation, and survival. In the absence of Rac1 and
      Rac2, B cell development is arrested at an IgD- transitional B cell stage that we
      term transitional type 0 (T0). We show that T0 cells cannot enter the white pulp
      of the spleen until they mature into the T1 and T2 stages, and that this entry
      into the white pulp requires integrin and chemokine receptor signaling and is
      required for cell survival. In the absence of Rac1 and Rac2, transitional B cells
      are unable to migrate in response to chemokines and cannot enter the splenic
      white pulp. We propose that loss of Rac1 and Rac2 causes arrest at the T0 stage
      at least in part because transitional B cells need to migrate into the white pulp
      to receive survival signals. Finally, we show that in the absence of Syk, a
      kinase that transduces B cell antigen receptor signals required for positive
      selection, development is arrested at the same T0 stage, with transitional B
      cells excluded from the white pulp. Thus, these studies identify a novel
      developmental checkpoint that coincides with B cell positive selection.

PMID- 20308365
TI  - Lymph node-resident lymphatic endothelial cells mediate peripheral tolerance via
      Aire-independent direct antigen presentation.
AB  - Peripheral immune tolerance is generally thought to result from cross
      presentation of tissue-derived proteins by quiescent tissue-resident dendritic
      cells to self-reactive T cells that have escaped thymic negative selection,
      leading to anergy or deletion. Recently, we and others have implicated the lymph
      node (LN) stroma in mediating CD8 T cell peripheral tolerance. We demonstrate
      that LN-resident lymphatic endothelial cells express multiple peripheral tissue
      antigens (PTAs) independent of the autoimmune regulator (Aire). They directly
      present an epitope derived from one of these, the melanocyte-specific protein
      tyrosinase, to tyrosinase-specific CD8 T cells, leading to their deletion. We
      also show that other LN stromal subpopulations express distinct PTAs by
      mechanisms that vary in their Aire dependence. These results establish lymphatic
      endothelial cells, and potentially other LN-resident cells, as systemic mediators
      of peripheral immune tolerance.

PMID- 20308366
TI  - Effects of inoculum, pH, and cations on the in vitro activity of fidaxomicin (OPT
      80, PAR-101) against Clostridium difficile.
AB  - The effects of the inoculum, pH, cation concentrations, and different lots of
      commercial media on the in vitro susceptibility of Clostridium difficile to
      fidaxomicin were examined. Of the factors evaluated, only pH alterations
      influenced the activity of fidaxomicin against C. difficile, noticeably reducing
      its activity at higher pH (> or =7.9).

PMID- 20308367
TI  - Population pharmacokinetics of micafungin in neonates and young infants.
AB  - Micafungin is an echinocandin with potent activity against Candida spp.
      Hematogenous Candida meningoencephalitis (HCME) is a frequent complication of
      disseminated Candida infection in premature infants. A preclinical model of HCME
      suggests that micafungin may be an effective agent for this syndrome, but
      relatively high weight-based dosages are required. This prompted the further
      study of the safety and pharmacokinetics (PK) of micafungin in infants. Here, we
      describe the population pharmacokinetics of micafungin in 47 infants with a
      proven or presumptive diagnosis of disseminated candidiasis, who received 0.75,
      1.5, 3, 7, 10, and 15 mg/kg of micafungin. The drug was infused daily, and
      samples were taken in the first dosing interval and at steady state. Serum
      concentrations were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).
      Data were modeled using an allometric pharmacokinetic model using a three-fourths
      scaling exponent for clearance and parameters normalized to a 70-kg adult. Drug
      exposures were estimated using Monte Carlo simulation. Optimal sampling times
      were determined using D-optimal design theory. The fit of the allometric model to
      the data was highly acceptable. The pharmacokinetics of micafungin were linear.
      The weight-normalized estimates of clearance and volume of distribution
      approximated those previously described for adults. The original population
      parameter values could be recapitulated in the Monte Carlo simulations. A dosage
      of 10 mg/kg/day resulted in 82.6% of patients with areas under the concentration
      time curve (AUCs) that are associated with near-maximal decline in fungal burden
      within the central nervous system (CNS).

PMID- 20308368
TI  - Homozygous triplicate mutations in three 16S rRNA genes responsible for high
      level aminoglycoside resistance in Nocardia farcinica clinical isolates from a
      Canada-wide bovine mastitis epizootic.
AB  - Nocardia farcinica strains showing high-level resistance to amikacin were
      isolated from clinical cases in a Canada-wide bovine mastitis epizootic. Shotgun
      cloning of the resistance genes in the amikacin-resistant mastitis isolate N.
      farcinica IFM 10580 (W6220 [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]) using a
      multicopy vector system revealed that the 16S rRNA gene with an A-to-G single
      point mutation at position 1408 (in Escherichia coli numbering) conferred
      "moderate" cross-resistance to amikacin and other aminoglycosides to an
      originally susceptible N. farcinica strain IFM 10152. Subsequent DNA sequence
      analyses revealed that, in contrast to the susceptible strain, all three
      chromosomal 16S rRNA genes of IFM 10580, the epizootic clinical strain, contained
      the same A1408G point mutations. Mutant colonies showing high-level
      aminoglycoside resistance were obtained when the susceptible strain N. farcinica
      IFM 10152 was transformed with a multicopy plasmid carrying the A1408G mutant 16S
      rRNA gene and was cultured in the presence of aminoglycosides for 3 to 5 days. Of
      these transformants, at least two of the three chromosomal 16S rRNA genes
      contained A1408G mutations. A triple mutant was easily obtained from a strain
      carrying the two chromosomal A1408G mutant genes and one wild-type gene, even in
      the absence of the plasmid. The triple mutant showed the highest level of
      resistance to aminoglycosides, even in the absence of the plasmid carrying the
      mutant 16S rRNA gene. These results suggest that the homozygous mutations in the
      three 16S rRNA genes are responsible for the high-level aminoglycoside resistance
      found in N. farcinica isolates of the bovine mastitis epizootic.

PMID- 20308369
TI  - Raltegravir penetration in seminal plasma of healthy volunteers.

PMID- 20308370
TI  - Preclinical in vitro and in vivo characterization of the fully human monoclonal
      IgM antibody KBPA101 specific for Pseudomonas aeruginosa serotype IATS-O11.
AB  - Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in ventilator-associated pneumonia is a serious
      and often life-threatening complication in intensive care unit patients, and new
      treatment options are needed. We used B-cell-enriched peripheral blood
      lymphocytes from a volunteer immunized with a P. aeruginosa O-polysaccharide
      toxin A conjugate vaccine to generate human hybridoma cell lines producing
      monoclonal antibodies specific for individual P. aeruginosa lipopolysaccharide
      serotypes. The fully human monoclonal antibody secreted by one of these lines,
      KBPA101, is an IgM/kappa antibody that binds P. aeruginosa of International
      Antigenic Typing System (IATS) serotype O11 with high avidity (5.81 x 10(7) M(-1)
      +/- 2.8 x 10(7) M(-1)) without cross-reacting with other serotypes. KBPA101
      specifically opsonized the P. aeruginosa of IATS O11 serotype and mediated
      complement-dependent phagocytosis in vitro by the human monocyte-like cell line
      HL-60 at a very low concentration (half-maximal phagocytosis at 0.16 ng/ml). In
      vivo evaluation of KBPA101 demonstrated a dose-response relationship for
      protection against systemic infections in a murine burn wound sepsis model, where
      70 to 100% of animals were protected against lethal challenges with P. aeruginosa
      at doses as low as 5 microg/animal. Furthermore, a high efficacy of KBPA101 in
      protection from local respiratory infections in an acute lung infection model in
      mice was demonstrated. Preclinical toxicology evaluation on human tissue, in
      rabbits, and in mice did not indicate any toxicity of KBPA101. Based on these
      preclinical findings, the first human clinical trials have been initiated.

PMID- 20308371
TI  - Impact of different carbapenems and regimens of administration on resistance
      emergence for three isogenic Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains with differing
      mechanisms of resistance.
AB  - We compared drugs (imipenem and doripenem), doses (500 mg and 1 g), and infusion
      times (0.5 and 1.0 [imipenem], 1.0 and 4.0 h [doripenem]) in our hollow-fiber
      model, examining cell kill and resistance suppression for three isogenic strains
      of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1. The experiments ran for 10 days. Serial samples
      were taken for total organism and resistant subpopulation counts. Drug
      concentrations were determined by high-pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass
      spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Free time above the MIC (time > MIC) was calculated
      using ADAPT II. Time to resistance emergence was examined with Cox modeling. Cell
      kill and resistance emergence differences were explained, in the main, by
      differences in potency (MIC) between doripenem and imipenem. Prolonged infusion
      increased free drug time > MIC and improved cell kill. For resistance
      suppression, the 1-g, 4-h infusion was able to completely suppress resistance for
      the full period of observation for the wild-type isolate. For the mutants,
      control was ultimately lost, but in all cases, this was the best regimen.
      Doripenem gave longer free time > MIC than imipenem and, therefore, better cell
      kill and resistance suppression. For the wild-type organism, the 1-g, 4-h
      infusion regimen is preferred. For organisms with resistance mutations, larger
      doses or addition of a second drug should be studied.

PMID- 20308373
TI  - Susceptibility of recently collected Spanish pneumococci nonsusceptible to oral
      penicillin from serotypes not included in the 7-valent conjugate vaccine.
AB  - The susceptibilities of pneumococci recently collected (up to June 2009) in Spain
      (500 isolates nonsusceptible to oral penicillin and 150 susceptible isolates)
      from serotypes not included in the conjugate vaccine were determined. Most
      nonsusceptible isolates (53.6%) belonged to serotype 19A. Susceptibility rates in
      serotype 19A penicillin-intermediate (n = 201)/penicillin-resistant (n = 67)
      isolates were <33%/< or =6.0% (erythromycin and oral cephalosporins with defined
      breakpoints), 85.1%/11.9% (amoxicillin), and 96.0%/52.2% (cefotaxime),
      respectively. Low susceptibility to common oral beta-lactams was also found in
      serotypes 11A (95.5% susceptibility to cefotaxime and erythromycin) and 35B.

PMID- 20308372
TI  - Novel synthetic, salt-resistant analogs of human beta-defensins 1 and 3 endowed
      with enhanced antimicrobial activity.
AB  - Human beta-defensins (hBDs) are antimicrobial peptides of human innate immunity.
      The antibacterial activities of hBDs 1, 2, and 4 but not the activity of hBD3 are
      impaired by high salt levels. We have designed and synthesized seven novel hBD
      analogs, constituted by different domains of hBD1 (which is constitutively
      expressed in humans) and of hBD3 (which is induced by microorganisms and
      inflammatory factors in humans), that would maintain and potentially increase the
      wild-type antimicrobial activities and be salt resistant. We have compared the
      antibacterial, antiviral, and chemotactic activities of the analogs with those of
      hBD1 and hBD3. We show that the hBD1 internal region and the hBD3 C-terminal
      region are critical for antibacterial activity also at high salt concentrations,
      whereas deletion of the N-terminal region of hBD3 results in an increase in
      antibacterial activity. All analogs inhibited herpes simplex virus; antiviral
      activity was enhanced by the hBD1 internal region and the hBD3 C-terminal region.
      Wild-type and analog peptides were chemotactic for granulocytes and monocytes,
      irrespective of the salt concentrations. These new peptides may have therapeutic
      potential.

PMID- 20308374
TI  - Activity of ceftaroline against recent emerging serotypes of Streptococcus
      pneumoniae in the United States.
AB  - The in vitro activity of ceftaroline against 891 pneumococci collected in 2008
      from 22 centers in the United States was investigated. Ceftaroline was the most
      potent agent tested, with the MICs being <0.008 to 0.5 microg/ml and the MIC(90)s
      being <0.008 to 0.25 microg/ml against 11 prevailing serotypes. The overall rates
      of susceptibility were as follows: penicillin G, 86.2%; ceftriaxone, 90.7%;
      cefuroxime, 70.1%; erythromycin, 61.6%; clindamycin, 79.2%; levofloxacin, 99.4%;
      and vancomycin, 100%. Serotype 19A isolates were the least susceptible. These
      results support the use of ceftaroline for the treatment of pneumococcal
      infections, including those caused by pneumococci resistant to other agents.

PMID- 20308375
TI  - Combined antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activity of a cationic disubstituted
      dexamethasone-spermine conjugate.
AB  - The rising number of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains represents an
      emerging health problem that has motivated efforts to develop new antibacterial
      agents. Endogenous cationic antibacterial peptides (CAPs) that are produced in
      tissues exposed to the external environment are one model for the design of novel
      antibacterial compounds. Here, we report evidence that disubstituted
      dexamethasone-spermine (D2S), a cationic corticosteroid derivative initially
      identified as a by-product of synthesis of dexamethasone-spermine (DS) for the
      purpose of improving cellular gene delivery, functions as an antibacterial
      peptide-mimicking molecule. This moiety exhibits bacterial killing activity
      against clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa
      present in cystic fibrosis (CF) sputa, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm.
      Although compromised in the presence of plasma, D2S antibacterial activity
      resists the proteolytic activity of pepsin and is maintained in ascites,
      cerebrospinal fluid, saliva, and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. D2S also
      enhances S. aureus susceptibility to antibiotics, such as amoxicillin (AMC),
      tetracycline (T), and amikacin (AN). Inhibition of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-8
      release from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- or lipoteichoic acid (LTA)-treated
      neutrophils in the presence of D2S suggests that this molecule might also prevent
      systemic inflammation caused by bacterial wall products. D2S-mediated
      translocation of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labeled glucocorticoid receptor
      (GR) in bovine aorta endothelial cells (BAECs) suggests that some of its anti
      inflammatory activities involve engagement of glucocorticoid receptors. The
      combined antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities of D2S suggest its
      potential as an alternative to natural CAPs in the prevention and treatment of
      some bacterial infections.

PMID- 20308376
TI  - Mutant prevention concentrations of four carbapenems against gram-negative rods.
AB  - We tested the propensities of four carbapenems to select for resistant
      Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and
      Acinetobacter baumannii mutants by determining the mutant prevention
      concentrations (MPCs) for 100 clinical strains with various ss-lactam phenotypes.
      Among the members of the Enterobacteriaceae family and A. baumannii strains, the
      MPC/MIC ratios were mostly 2 to 4. In contrast, for P. aeruginosa the MPC/MIC
      ratios were 4 to > or =16. The MPC/MIC ratios for beta-lactamase-positive K.
      pneumoniae and E. coli isolates were much higher (range, 4 to >16 microg/ml) than
      those for ss-lactamase-negative strains.

PMID- 20308377
TI  - Telbivudine exhibits no inhibitory activity against HIV-1 clinical isolates in
      vitro.
AB  - Most approved drugs with activity against hepatitis B virus (HBV) have activity
      against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), which precludes their use in
      patients who are coinfected with HBV and HIV-1 and who are not receiving
      antiretroviral therapy due to the risk of inducing resistance. The activity of
      telbivudine, a highly selective HBV inhibitor, against temporally and
      geographically distinct wild-type and multidrug-resistant HIV-1 clinical isolates
      was evaluated in vitro. No inhibition was observed with up to 600 muM drug, which
      supports further exploration of telbivudine as a therapeutic option for the
      treatment of HBV infections in patients coinfected with HIV-1.

PMID- 20308378
TI  - Systematic review and meta-analysis of the tolerability and hepatotoxicity of
      antifungals in empirical and definitive therapy for invasive fungal infection.
AB  - To evaluate the tolerability and liver safety profiles of the systemic antifungal
      agents commonly used for the treatment of invasive fungal infection, we conducted
      a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials published
      before 31 August 2009. Two reviewers independently applied selection criteria,
      performed quality assessment, and extracted data. We used the beta-binomial model
      to account for variation across studies and the maximum likelihood method to
      estimate the pooled risks. We identified 39 studies with more than 8,000 enrolled
      patients for planned comparisons. The incidence rates of treatment
      discontinuation due to adverse reactions and liver injury associated with
      antifungal therapy ranged widely. The pooled risks of treatment discontinuation
      due to adverse reactions were above 10% for amphotericin B formulations and
      itraconazole, whereas they were 2.5% to 3.8% for fluconazole, caspofungin, and
      micafungin. We found that 1.5% of the patients stopped itraconazole treatment due
      to hepatotoxicity. Furthermore, 19.7% of voriconazole users and 17.4% of
      itraconazole users had elevated serum liver enzyme levels, although they did not
      require treatment discontinuation, whereas 2.0% or 9.3% of fluconazole and
      echinocandin users had elevated serum liver enzyme levels but did not require
      treatment discontinuation. The results were similar when we stratified the data
      by empirical or definitive antifungal therapy. Possible explanations for
      antifungal agent-related hepatotoxicity were confounded by antifungal
      prescription to patients with a high risk of liver injury, the increased chance
      of detection of hepatotoxicity due to prolonged treatment, or the pharmacological
      entity.

PMID- 20308379
TI  - In vitro properties of BAL30072, a novel siderophore sulfactam with activity
      against multiresistant gram-negative bacilli.
AB  - BAL30072 is a new monocyclic beta-lactam antibiotic belonging to the sulfactams.
      Its spectrum of activity against significant Gram-negative pathogens with beta
      lactam-resistant phenotypes was evaluated and was compared with the activities of
      reference drugs, including aztreonam, ceftazidime, cefepime, meropenem, imipenem,
      and piperacillin-tazobactam. BAL30072 showed potent activity against multidrug
      resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter sp. isolates, including
      many carbapenem-resistant strains. The MIC(90)s were 4 microg/ml for MDR
      Acinetobacter spp. and 8 microg/ml for MDR P. aeruginosa, whereas the MIC(90) of
      meropenem for the same sets of isolates was >32 microg/ml. BAL30072 was
      bactericidal against both Acinetobacter spp. and P. aeruginosa, even against
      strains that produced metallo-beta-lactamases that conferred resistance to all
      other beta-lactams tested, including aztreonam. It was also active against many
      species of MDR isolates of the Enterobacteriaceae family, including isolates that
      had a class A carbapenemase or a metallo-beta-lactamase. Unlike other monocyclic
      beta-lactams, BAL30072 was found to trigger the spheroplasting and lysis of
      Escherichia coli rather than the formation of extensive filaments. The basis for
      this unusual property is its inhibition of the bifunctional penicillin-binding
      proteins PBP 1a and PBP 1b, in addition to its high affinity for PBP 3, which is
      the target of monobactams, such as aztreonam.

PMID- 20308380
TI  - Characterization of CSP-1, a novel extended-spectrum beta-lactamase produced by a
      clinical isolate of Capnocytophaga sputigena.
AB  - The Capnocytophaga sputigena isolate NOR, responsible for septicemia, was
      resistant to amoxicillin and narrow-spectrum cephalosporins. In a cloning
      experiment, a new gene, bla(CSP-1), was identified; this gene encodes a novel
      extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) that shares only 52% and 49% identities
      with the CME-1 and VEB-1 beta-lactamases, respectively. The G+C content of this
      gene, its genetic environment, the absence of conjugation transfer, and its
      detection in two reference strains suggested that it was an intrinsic resistance
      gene located on the chromosome.

PMID- 20308381
TI  - Preclinical characterization of the antiviral activity of SCH 900518
      (narlaprevir), a novel mechanism-based inhibitor of hepatitis C virus NS3
      protease.
AB  - Small-molecule hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3 protease inhibitors such as boceprevir
      (SCH 503034) have been shown to have antiviral activity when they are used as
      monotherapy and in combination with pegylated alpha interferon and ribavirin in
      clinical trials. Improvements in inhibitor potency and pharmacokinetic properties
      offer opportunities to increase drug exposure and to further increase the
      sustained virological response. Exploration of the structure-activity
      relationships of ketoamide inhibitors related to boceprevir has led to the
      discovery of SCH 900518, a novel ketoamide protease inhibitor which forms a
      reversible covalent bond with the active-site serine. It has an overall
      inhibition constant (K*(i)) of 7 nM and a dissociation half-life of 1 to 2 h. SCH
      900518 inhibited replicon RNA at a 90% effective concentration (EC(90)) of 40 nM.
      In biochemical assays, SCH 900518 was active against proteases of genotypes 1 to
      3. A 2-week treatment with 5x EC(90) of the inhibitor reduced the replicon RNA
      level by 3 log units. Selection of replicon cells with SCH 900518 resulted in the
      outgrowth of several resistant mutants (with the T54A/S and A156S/T/V mutations).
      Cross-resistance studies demonstrated that the majority of mutations for
      resistance to boceprevir and telaprevir caused similar fold losses of activity
      against all three inhibitors; however, SCH 900518 retained more activity against
      these mutants due to its higher intrinsic potency. Combination treatment with
      alpha interferon enhanced the inhibition of replicon RNA and suppressed the
      emergence of resistant replicon colonies, supporting the use of SCH 900518
      pegylated alpha interferon combination therapy in the clinic. In summary, the
      results of the preclinical characterization of the antiviral activity of SCH
      900518 support its evaluation in clinical studies.

PMID- 20308382
TI  - Phenotypic susceptibility to bevirimat in isolates from HIV-1-infected patients
      without prior exposure to bevirimat.
AB  - Bevirimat (BVM) is the first of a new class of anti-HIV drugs with a novel mode
      of action known as maturation inhibitors. BVM inhibits the last cleavage of the
      Gag polyprotein by HIV-1 protease, leading to the accumulation of the p25 capsid
      small peptide 1 (SP1) intermediate and resulting in noninfectious HIV-1 virions.
      Early clinical studies of BVM showed that over 50% of the patients treated with
      BVM did not respond to treatment. We investigated the impact of prior
      antiretroviral (ARV) treatment and/or natural genetic diversity on BVM
      susceptibility by conducting in vitro phenotypic analyses of viruses made from
      patient samples. We generated 31 recombinant viruses containing the entire gag
      and protease genes from 31 plasma samples from HIV-1-infected patients with (n =
      21) or without (n = 10) prior ARV experience. We found that 58% of the patient
      isolates tested had a >10-fold reduced susceptibility to BVM, regardless of the
      patient's ARV experience or the level of isolate resistance to protease
      inhibitors. Analysis of mutants with site-directed mutations confirmed the role
      of the V370A SP1 polymorphism (SP1-V7A) in resistance to BVM. Furthermore, we
      demonstrated for the first time that a capsid polymorphism, V362I (CA protein
      V230I), is also a major mutation conferring resistance to BVM. In contrast, none
      of the previously defined resistance-conferring mutations in Gag selected in
      vitro (H358Y, L363M, L363F, A364V, A366V, or A366T) were found to occur among the
      viruses that we analyzed. Our results should be helpful in the design of
      diagnostics for prediction of the potential benefit of BVM treatment in HIV-1
      infected patients.

PMID- 20308383
TI  - Characterization of DIM-1, an integron-encoded metallo-beta-lactamase from a
      Pseudomonas stutzeri clinical isolate in the Netherlands.
AB  - A carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas stutzeri strain isolated from a Dutch patient
      was analyzed in detail. This isolate produced a metallo-beta-lactamase (MBL)
      whose gene, with 43.5% GC content, was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli.
      beta-Lactamase DIM-1 (for Dutch imipenemase) was weakly related to other Ambler
      class B beta-lactamases, sharing <52% amino acid identity with the most closely
      related MBL, GIM-1, and 45% identity with IMP-type MBLs. The beta-Lactamase DIM-1
      significantly hydrolyzed broad-spectrum cephalosporins and carbapenems and spared
      aztreonam. This MBL gene was embedded in a class 1 integron containing two other
      gene cassettes, encoding resistance to aminoglycosides and disinfectants, that
      was located on a 70-kb plasmid.

PMID- 20308384
TI  - The M230L nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor resistance mutation in
      HIV-1 reverse transcriptase impairs enzymatic function and viral replicative
      capacity.
AB  - The M230L mutation in HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) is associated with
      resistance to first-generation nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors
      (NNRTIs). The present study was designed to determine the effects of M230L on
      enzyme function, viral replication capacity (RC), and the extent to which M230L
      might confer resistance to the second-generation NNRTI etravirine (ETR) as well
      as to the first-generation NNRTIs efavirenz (EFV) and nevirapine (NVP).
      Phenotyping assays with TZM-bl cells confirmed that M230L conferred various
      degrees of resistance to each of the NNRTIs tested. Recombinant viruses
      containing M230L displayed an 8-fold decrease in RC compared to that of the
      parental wild-type (WT) virus. Recombinant HIV-1 WT and M230L mutant RT enzymes
      were purified; and both biochemical and cell-based phenotypic assays confirmed
      that M230L conferred resistance to each of EFV, NVP, and ETR. RT that contained
      M230L was also deficient in regard to each of minus-strand DNA synthesis, both
      DNA- and RNA-dependent polymerase activities, processivity, and RNase H activity,
      suggesting that this mutation contributes to diminished viral replication
      kinetics.

PMID- 20308385
TI  - Novel mechanism of glycopeptide resistance in the A40926 producer Nonomuraea sp.
      ATCC 39727.
AB  - In glycopeptide-resistant enterococci and staphylococci, high-level resistance is
      achieved by replacing the C-terminal d-alanyl-d-alanine of lipid II with d-alanyl
      d-lactate, thus reducing glycopeptide affinity for cell wall targets.
      Reorganization of the cell wall in these organisms is directed by the vanHAX gene
      cluster. Similar self-resistance mechanisms have been reported for glycopeptide
      producing actinomycetes. We investigated glycopeptide resistance in Nonomuraea
      sp. ATCC 39727, the producer of the glycopeptide A40926, which is the precursor
      of the semisynthetic antibiotic dalbavancin, which is currently in phase III
      clinical trials. The MIC of Nonomuraea sp. ATCC 39727 toward A40926 during
      vegetative growth was 4 microg/ml, but this increased to ca. 20 microg/ml during
      A40926 production. vanHAX gene clusters were not detected in Nonomuraea sp. ATCC
      39727 by Southern hybridization or by PCR with degenerate primers. However, the
      dbv gene cluster for A40926 production contains a gene, vanY (ORF7), potentially
      encoding an enzyme capable of removing the terminal d-Ala residue of pentapeptide
      peptidoglycan precursors. Analysis of UDP-linked peptidoglycan precursors in
      Nonomuraea sp. ATCC 39727 revealed the predominant presence of the tetrapeptide
      UDP-MurNAc-l-Ala-d-Glu-meso-Dap-d-Ala and only traces of the pentapeptide UDP
      MurNAc-l-Ala-d-Glu-meso-Dap-d-Ala-d-Ala. This suggested a novel mechanism of
      glycopeptide resistance in Nonomuraea sp. ATCC 39727 that was based on the d,d
      carboxypeptidase activity of vanY. Consistent with this, a vanY-null mutant of
      Nonomuraea sp. ATCC 39727 demonstrated a reduced level of glycopeptide
      resistance, without affecting A40926 productivity. Heterologous expression of
      vanY in a sensitive Streptomyces species, Streptomyces venezuelae, resulted in
      higher levels of glycopeptide resistance.

PMID- 20308386
TI  - Intra- and extracellular activities of dicloxacillin against Staphylococcus
      aureus in vivo and in vitro.
AB  - Antibiotic treatment of Staphylococcus aureus infections is often problematic due
      to the slow response and recurrences. The intracellular persistence of the
      staphylococci offers a plausible explanation for the treatment difficulties
      because of the impaired intracellular efficacies of the antibiotics. The intra-
      and extracellular time- and concentration-kill relationships were examined in
      vitro with THP-1 cells and in vivo by use of a mouse peritonitis model. The in
      vivo model was further used to estimate the most predictive
      pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) indices (the ratio of the maximum
      concentration of drug in plasma/MIC, the ratio of the area under the
      concentration-time curve/MIC, or the cumulative percentage of a 24-h period that
      the free [f] drug concentration exceeded the MIC under steady-state
      pharmacokinetic conditions [fT(MIC)]) for dicloxacillin (DCX) intra- and
      extracellularly. In general, DCX was found to have similar intracellular
      activities, regardless of the model used. Both models showed (i) the relative
      maximal efficacy (1-log-unit reduction in the numbers of CFU) of DCX
      intracellularly and (ii) the equal relative potency of DCX intra- and
      extracellularly, with the MIC being a good indicator of the overall response in
      both situations. Discordant results, based on data obtained different times after
      dosing, were obtained from the two models when the extracellular activity of DCX
      was measured, in which the in vitro model showed a considerable reduction in the
      number of CFU from that in the original inoculum (3-log-unit decrease in the
      number of CFU after 24 h), whereas the extracellular CFU reduction achieved in
      vivo after 4 h did not exceed 1 log unit. Multiple dosing of DCX in vivo revealed
      increased extra- and intracellular efficacies (2.5 log and 2 log units of
      reduction in the numbers of CFU after 24 h, respectively), confirming that DCX is
      a highly active antistaphylococcal antibiotic. PK/PD analysis revealed that
      fT(MIC) is the index that is the most predictive of the outcome of infection both
      intra- and extracellularly.

PMID- 20308387
TI  - Plasmodium vivax susceptibility to ferroquine.
AB  - The novel organometallic chloroquine analog ferroquine (SSR 97193) is effective
      against chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum. The ex vivo efficacy of
      ferroquine against Plasmodium vivax isolates was tested. Ferroquine has a potent
      ex vivo effect on P. vivax schizont maturation (median 50% inhibitory
      concentration, 15 nM; n = 42). No significant cross-sensitivity between
      ferroquine and other antimalarials was detected. This drug may be a suitable
      replacement for chloroquine in the treatment of drug-resistant P. vivax malaria.

PMID- 20308388
TI  - Origins of the recent emergence of Plasmodium falciparum pyrimethamine resistance
      alleles in Madagascar.
AB  - The combination of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine is recommended for use as
      intermittent preventive treatment of malaria during pregnancy and is deployed in
      Africa. The emergence and the spread of resistant parasites are major threats to
      such an intervention. We have characterized the Plasmodium falciparum dhfr
      (pfdhfr) haplotypes and flanking microsatellites in 322 P. falciparum isolates
      collected from the Comoros Islands and Madagascar. One hundred fifty-six (48.4%)
      carried the wild-type pfdhfr allele, 19 (5.9%) carried the S108N single-mutation
      allele, 30 (9.3%) carried the I164L single-mutation allele, 114 (35.4%) carried
      the N51I/C59R/S108N triple-mutation allele, and 3 (1.0%) carried the
      N51I/C59R/S108N/I164L quadruple-mutation allele. Microsatellite analysis showed
      the introduction from the Comoros Islands of the ancestral pfdhfr triple mutant
      allele of Asian origin and its spread in Madagascar. Evidence for the emergence
      on multiple occasions of the I164L single-mutation pfdhfr allele in Madagascar
      was also obtained. Thus, the conditions required to generate mutants with
      quadruple mutations are met in Madagascar, representing a serious threat to
      current drug policy.

PMID- 20308389
TI  - Cure of Listeria monocytogenes meningitis after early transition to oral therapy.

PMID- 20308391
TI  - In vitro activity of fidaxomicin (OPT-80) tested against contemporary clinical
      isolates of Staphylococcus spp. and Enterococcus spp.

PMID- 20308390
TI  - In vitro activity of ACH-702, a new isothiazoloquinolone, against Nocardia
      brasiliensis compared with econazole and the carbapenems imipenem and meropenem
      alone or in combination with clavulanic acid.
AB  - The in vitro activities of ACH-702 and other antimicrobials against 30 Nocardia
      brasiliensis isolates were tested. The MIC(50) (MIC for 50% of the strains
      tested) and MIC(90) values of ACH-702 were 0.125 and 0.5 microg/ml. The same
      values for econazole were 2 and 4 microg/ml. The MIC(50) and MIC(90) values of
      imipenem and meropenem were 64 and >64 microg/ml and 2 and 8 microg/ml,
      respectively; the addition of clavulanic acid to the carbapenems had no effect.

PMID- 20308393
TI  - Evidence that maternal conjugated linoleic acid negatively affects lipid uptake
      in late-stage chick embryos resulting in increased embryonic mortality.
AB  - An experiment was performed to determine the effect of maternal dietary
      conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on growth and composition of surviving chick
      embryos and residual yolk sacs during the last week of development when lipid
      utilization becomes prevalent. After 14 d on experimental diets, hatchability of
      non-cooled eggs obtained from CLA-fed hens (0.5% of the diet) was 10%, where 20%
      of surviving CLA embryos died after d 13 of incubation. Hatchability was 93% for
      controls and only 4.36% of mortality occurred after d 13 of incubation. Decline
      in yolk sac weight in control embryos (0.75 g/d) was significantly greater than
      that from viable CLA embryos (0.51 g/d). Growth rate (2.6 g/d) of surviving
      embryos from d 13 to 20 was reduced in CLA embryos in comparison to growth rate
      of controls (3.0 g/d). Relative proportion of lipid in residual yolk sacs in
      embryos from control-fed hens decreased from 26.72% (d 13) to 15.94% (d 19)
      during incubation, whereas little change was evident in residual yolk sac from
      CLA embryos on d 13 (21.52%) to d 19 (20.39%). Fatty acid analysis of residual
      yolk sac contents suggested that transport of fatty acids from the contents
      (liquid yolk) to the yolk sac membrane was not impaired in CLA embryos, as shown
      by a similar pattern in reduction of total fatty acids in residual yolk sac
      contents between treatment groups. Apart from 18:1n-9 (d 17), there were no
      consistent differences in the fatty acid content between embryos from hens fed
      the control diet or the CLA diet at any time point. Maternal CLA led to increased
      18:0 and decreased 18:1n-9 in yolk lipid and embryonic tissues compared with
      controls across time. These findings could possibly suggest that CLA embryos had
      less capacity to use yolk lipids from the residual yolk sac during the last week
      of incubation.

PMID- 20308394
TI  - Short-term spatial memory responses in aged Japanese quail selected for divergent
      adrenocortical stress responsiveness.
AB  - Stress-induced glucocorticoids can dampen learning and spatial memory via
      neuronal damage to the hippocampus. Cognition losses can be transient (associated
      with acute stress episodes) or permanent as in aged individuals who show chronic
      glucocorticoid-induced accelerated brain aging and neurodegeneration (dementia).
      Thus, chronic versus acute stress effects on spatial memory responses of quail
      selected for reduced (low stress, LS) or exaggerated (high stress, HS) plasma
      corticosterone (B) response to brief restraint were assessed. Aged food-motivated
      male LS and HS quail were tested for 10 min in a feed-baited 8-arm radial arm
      maze (RAM) 1) at 255 d of age (quail who had experienced lifelong management
      stressors but who were otherwise never intentionally stressed; that is,
      chronically stressed birds), 2) on the next day post-acute stressor treatment (5
      min of restraint), and 3) on the next day without treatment (acute stress
      recovery). The RAM tests used the win-shift procedure in which visited arms were
      not rebaited. Radial arm maze performance was measured by determination of the
      total number of arm choices made, the number of correct entries made into baited
      arms out of the first 8 choices, the time required to make a choice, and the
      number of pellets eaten. Line effects (P < 0.001 in all cases) were detected for
      total number of arm choices made (HS < LS), number of correct entries made into
      baited arms out of the first 8 choices (HS < LS), time required to make a choice
      (HS > LS), and number of pellets eaten (HS < LS). However, neither the effects of
      day of RAM testing nor its interaction with line further influenced these
      variables. Thus, although selection for divergent plasma B responsiveness to an
      acute stressor was found to be associated with severe impairment of spatial
      memory in aged male HS compared with LS quail, the observed spatial memory
      impairments (HS > LS) could not be further altered by acute stressor treatment.
      Line differences in cognition may reflect lifelong management-induced stress
      episodes that periodically produce higher plasma B responses in HS than LS quail,
      which underlie HS quail memory deficits, or other etiologies, or both.

PMID- 20308395
TI  - Short- and long-term movement patterns in complex confined environments in
      broiler chickens: the effects of distribution of cover panels and food resources.
AB  - In captivity, the positioning of structural enrichment and food resources
      influences behavior and space use. The aim of this experiment was to examine the
      influence of cover panels and the positioning of food resources on the movement
      and space use of domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domesticus). Eight groups of 45
      male chickens were used for this study. Each group was temporarily divided into 2
      groups of 20 birds; each group was used to investigate the influence of cover
      panels and the effects of food resources. In the cover panel treatments, 20 birds
      were placed in the 10-m(2) testing enclosures that contained one 2-m cover panel
      in the center, four 0.5-m panels in a zigzag fashion, or had no panels
      (controls). In the food resource treatments, the position of the feed trays
      varied, with 1 feed tray in the center; 2 feed trays, one at each edge; or 4 feed
      trays, one at each corner of the enclosure. Locations of focal birds were
      collected through instantaneous scan sampling that was recorded as X,Y
      coordinates. From these X,Y coordinates, we calculated net and total distance
      moved, mean and maximum step lengths, and angular dispersion of the path of
      movement. To calculate long-term space use, 3 replications for each of 3 cover
      panel and food resource treatments were placed in nine 10-m(2) enclosures for 1
      wk. Locations of focal birds in each group were collected by ad libitum scan
      sampling and data were used to calculate core areas by kernel estimates. Mixed
      model ANOVA was used to determine the effects of the distribution of cover panels
      and positioning of food resources on movement parameters during the study period,
      whereas 1-way ANOVA was used for core areas. Surprisingly, our analyses showed
      that long-term and short-term movement was not affected by changing the location
      of cover panels or food resources. Only net distance seemed to be affected to a
      certain degree by the presence of the cover and the distinctive availability of
      food resources.

PMID- 20308396
TI  - Genotypes of chicken major histocompatibility complex B locus associated with
      regression of Rous sarcoma virus J-strain tumors.
AB  - The chicken MHC-B locus affects the response to several strains of Rous sarcoma
      virus (RSV). We evaluated the association between haplotypes of the MHC-B locus
      and responses to the J strain of RSV by using an F(2) experimental resource
      family constructed with tumor-regressive (White Leghorn) and tumor-progressive
      (Rhode Island Red) chickens. The MHC-B haplotypes were determined by genotyping
      of the microsatellite marker LEI0258 and MHC-B locus class I alpha chain 2 (BF2).
      Two haplotypes in the resource family, one associated with tumor regression and
      one with progression, were defined by these 2 markers. To discriminate more
      precisely the regressive haplotype in this family, we further developed 35 SNP
      markers at the MHC-B locus. Information on the haplotypes revealed here should be
      useful for identifying chickens with regression and progression phenotypes of J
      strain RSV-induced tumors.

PMID- 20308397
TI  - Evaluation of inbreeding in laying hens by applying optimum genetic contribution
      and gene flow theory.
AB  - Due to consistent increases of inbreeding of on average 0.95% per generation in
      layer populations, selection tools should consider both genetic gain and genetic
      relationships in the long term. The optimum genetic contribution theory using
      official estimated breeding values for egg production was applied for 3 different
      lines of a layer breeding program to find the optimal allocations of hens and
      sires. Constraints in different scenarios encompassed restrictions related to
      additive genetic relationships, the increase of inbreeding, the number of
      selected sires and hens, and the number of selected offspring per mating. All
      these constraints enabled higher genetic gain up to 10.9% at the same level of
      additive genetic relationships or in lower relationships at the same gain when
      compared with conventional selection schemes ignoring relationships. Increases of
      inbreeding and genetic gain were associated with the number of selected sires.
      For the lowest level of the allowed average relationship at 10%, the optimal
      number of sires was 70 and the estimated breeding value for egg production of the
      selected group was 127.9. At the highest relationship constraint (16%), the
      optimal number of sires decreased to 15, and the average genetic value increased
      to 139.7. Contributions from selected sires and hens were used to develop
      specific mating plans to minimize inbreeding in the following generation by
      applying a simulated annealing algorithm. The additional reduction of average
      additive genetic relationships for matings was up to 44.9%. An innovative
      deterministic approach to estimate kinship coefficients between and within
      defined selection groups based on gene flow theory was applied to compare
      increases of inbreeding from random matings with layer populations undergoing
      selection. Large differences in rates of inbreeding were found, and they
      underline the necessity to establish selection tools controlling long-term
      relationships. Furthermore, it was suggested to use optimum genetic contribution
      theory for conservation schemes or, for example, the experimental line in our
      study.

PMID- 20308398
TI  - Histopathology, immunohistochemistry, in situ apoptosis, and ultrastructure
      characterization of the digestive and lymphoid organs of new type gosling viral
      enteritis virus experimentally infected gosling.
AB  - Here, for the first time, to colocalize new type gosling viral enteritis virus
      (NGVEV) with histological lesions and in situ apoptosis in the digestive organs
      (esophagus, proventriculus, gizzard, small intestine, cecum, rectum, liver, and
      pancreas) and the lymphoid organs (bursa of Fabricius, thymus, Harderian gland,
      and spleen) of experimentally infected goslings, portions of tissues were
      collected at sequential infection time points and examined by histopathology for
      histological lesions, immunohistochemical staining for viral antigens,
      ultrastructural observation by transmission electron microscope (TEM) for virus
      particles and apoptotic cells, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated
      deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end labeling assay for in situ apoptosis. The
      hyperemia, hemorrhage, infiltration of lymphocytes, progressive lymphoid
      depletion, apoptosis, and necrosis were readily observed in the lymphoid organs
      and intestine tract by histopathological examination. The NGVEV particles and
      viral antigens widely appeared in the small intestine and bursa of Fabricius as
      early as 2 d postinfection (PI) by TEM and immunohistochemical staining, and the
      presence and quantity of it reached a maximum during 6 to 12 d PI. The principal
      sites for NGVEV were endothelial cells, epithelia, mucosal cells, glandular
      cells, fibrocytes, macrophages, and lymphocytes. A series of apoptotic
      morphological changes including chromatin condensation and margination,
      cytoplasmic shrinkage, and formation of apoptotic body were observed by TEM, and
      the number of apoptotic cells was largely increased from 4 d PI and peaked at 9 d
      PI by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate
      nick end labeling analysis. The histological organ lesions and apoptosis in vivo
      were generally associated with sites of NGVEV localization, which can be regarded
      as the cause of death. This work may shed light on the pathogenesis of new type
      gosling viral enteritis and put new insight into the pathogenesis of goose
      adenovirus.

PMID- 20308399
TI  - Effect of the duration of prefeeding on amino acid digestibility of wheat
      distillers dried grains with solubles in broiler chicken.
AB  - The objective of this study was to determine the effect of the duration of
      prefeeding on prececal amino acid (AA) digestibility of wheat distillers dried
      grains with solubles (DDGS) in broilers. The experimental diets with DDGS at
      levels of 0, 10, and 20% were offered ad libitum for 7, 5, and 3 d, starting on
      14, 16, and 18 d of age. Titanium dioxide was used as an indigestible marker. Six
      pens of 10 birds were allocated to each treatment. Digesta was sampled on a pen
      basis from the distal two-thirds of the intestine section between Meckel's
      diverticulum and 2 cm anterior to the ileo-ceca-colonic junction. Ingested and
      digested amounts of AA were determined for each pen. Digestibility of AA in the
      diets was not significantly affected by the duration of prefeeding but was
      significantly reduced by inclusion of DDGS. Digestibility of AA in DDGS was
      determined by using a linear regression approach. The digestibility of AA in DDGS
      ranged from 76% (Arg, 5 d of feeding) to 33% (Asp, 3 d of feeding). There was no
      significant effect of prefeeding time on AA digestibility of DDGS. Lysine
      digestibility of DDGS was 72%. The mean digestibility of the AA Arg, Cys, Ile,
      Leu, Lys, Met, Phe, Thr, and Val of DDGS across the 3 prefeeding times was 66%.
      This study gave evidence that 3 d of prefeeding a diet is sufficient in studying
      prececal AA digestibility in broilers when low-digestible feeds are used.

PMID- 20308400
TI  - Characterization of folate-dependent enzymes and indices of folate status in
      laying hens supplemented with folic acid or 5-methyltetrahydrofolate.
AB  - The conversion of folic acid (FA) to the biologically active 5
      methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) is necessary for the deposition of folate in the
      egg. A study was conducted to compare egg folate concentrations, indices of
      folate status, and activities of folate-dependent enzymes in response to
      equimolar intake of either FA or 5-MTHF in laying hens. Forty-eight laying hens,
      24 wk of age, from 2 different strains (Shaver White and Shaver Brown) were
      randomly assigned to receive 1 of 3 (n = 8 per strain) dietary treatments: 1)
      basal diet with no supplemental folate, 2) basal diet + 10 mg/kg of FA, or 3)
      basal diet + 11.3 mg/kg of 5-MTHF for 3 wk. A completely randomized design with 3
      dietary treatments and 2 laying hen strains in a 3 x 2 factorial arrangement was
      used. Data were subjected to ANOVA, using the PROC GLM procedure of SAS. Plasma
      homocysteine, serum, and egg folate concentrations; hepatic serine
      hydroxymethyltransferase; and methionine synthase activity were affected by
      dietary folate supplementation but not by its form (FA and 5-MTHF). Relative to
      control hens, plasma homocysteine was decreased (P < 0.05) by 14.2%, whereas
      serum and egg folate were increased (P < 0.05) by 78.3 and 61.8%, respectively,
      in hens consuming either folate compound. Hepatic serine hydroxymethyltransferase
      and methionine synthase activity were increased and decreased (P < 0.05),
      respectively, in folate-fed birds compared with control-fed birds. Hepatic
      dihydrofolate reductase was influenced by both the addition and form of dietary
      folate, being higher (P < 0.05) in FA-fed birds than in 5-MTHF and control-fed
      birds. Feed efficiency was improved (P < 0.05) in 5-MTHF-fed birds relative to FA
      fed birds. Strain of hen influenced serum folate and plasma homocysteine
      concentrations but not other indices of folate metabolism. Overall, FA and 5-MTHF
      have equivalent effects in enhancing egg folate concentrations and improving
      folate status in laying hens. Also, supplementation and form of folate may
      modulate the activity of folate-dependent enzymes.

PMID- 20308401
TI  - Regulation of chick bone growth by leptin and catecholamines.
AB  - Leptin and the sympathetic nervous system have a unique role in linking
      nutritional status to skeletal metabolism in mammals. Such a regulatory mechanism
      has not been identified in birds but would be beneficial to signal information
      about energy reserves to an organ system essential for locomotion, reproduction,
      and survival. To explore this potential role of leptin and the sympathetic
      nervous system in birds, an ex vivo chick tibiotarsal model was used to test the
      effects of leptin and sympathetic activity on longitudinal bone growth and the
      expression of chondrocyte markers. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis revealed
      the expression of chicken leptin receptor mRNA as well as both alpha-adrenergic
      (alpha1A, alpha2A, alpha2B, alpha2C) and beta adrenergic (beta1, beta2) receptor
      subtype mRNA in the whole bone. Incubation with norepinephrine (NE; 0, 10, or 100
      microM for 4 d) caused a significant increase in distal condyle length as
      compared with vehicle-treated, contralateral tibiotarsi. In contrast, no change
      in condyle length was detected after leptin treatment (0 or 10 nM or 1 microM for
      4 d). Analysis of cell proliferation by bromodeoxyuridine incorporation revealed
      no increase in bromodeoxyuridine-positive cells in the condyles in response to
      leptin or NE treatments. Real-time PCR analysis showed that NE enhanced type X
      collagen mRNA expression, a marker of mature hypertrophic chondrocytes, with no
      effect on type II collagen mRNA, the matrix protein secreted by proliferating
      chondrocytes. Leptin treatment had no effect on the expression of either matrix
      protein. Treatment with agonists specific for alpha- or beta-adrenergic receptors
      indicates that the activation of alpha-adrenergic receptors is most likely
      responsible for the sympathetic effect on type X collagen gene expression. These
      results suggest that NE and other sympathetic agonists have positive effects on
      bone elongation and the changes in critical genes associated with this process.
      These neurotransmitters may facilitate this by promoting chondrocyte maturation.
      These studies represent novel evidence suggesting a role of sympathetic tone in
      the regulation of skeletal growth in avian species.

PMID- 20308402
TI  - Changes in satellite cell proliferation and differentiation during turkey muscle
      development.
AB  - Posthatch muscle growth is determined by the activation, differentiation, and
      fusion of satellite cells. Satellite cells composing an individual muscle are
      heterogeneous, which will differentially affect muscle growth. The proliferation
      and differentiation of turkey primary pectoralis major muscle cells were
      investigated in vitro at 1 d of age and at 4, 8, 16, 26, 35, 45, and 54 wk of
      age. The turkey was selected for these studies because turkey skeletal muscle
      fibroblasts do not grow in primary muscle cell cultures. Results from the
      proliferation analysis showed a decrease in proliferation by 8 wk of age.
      Differentiation into myotubes was significantly decreased by 4 wk of age and
      myotube diameter was decreased. The changes in muscle weight relative to total BW
      were measured for the anterior latissimus dorsi, biceps brachii, pectoralis
      major, sartorius, biceps femoris, and gastrocnemius muscles to compare the
      relative growth of different muscles. The age at which the muscles reached their
      maximum relative weight was muscle-dependent, with the biceps brachii plateauing
      the earliest at 4 wk and the sartorius the latest at 45 wk of age. These data
      suggested that changes in myogenic cells begin to occur early in muscle
      development and the activity of the satellite cells during these initial stages
      of posthatch growth is critical in overall muscle mass accumulation.

PMID- 20308403
TI  - Early feeding affects resistance against cold exposure in young broiler chickens.
AB  - In field conditions, a fasting period of 24 to 72 h after hatch is common, which
      is associated with delayed gastrointestinal development and yolk utilization and
      retarded subsequent performance. Hardly any information is available about the
      influence of diet composition in the first days on later life and additionally,
      effects of early feeding on thermoregulatory development are also not known. The
      aim of this study was to investigate effects of diet composition in early fed
      broiler chickens on their (thermoregulatory) development. Shortly after hatch,
      200 Hybro chickens (initial BW of 43.6 g) were assigned to 1 of 5 feed
      treatments: control, dextrose, albumen, prestarter, or prestarter plus fat. Water
      was available ad libitum. Measurements were done in 10 replicates of 4 chickens
      per treatment. At d 2 or 3, half of the chickens were exposed to 20 degrees C for
      30 min to determine resistance against cold exposure and rectal temperature was
      determined just before, immediately after, and 30 min after the end of this cold
      exposure. Thereafter, all chickens were killed to investigate body development.
      Chickens in both prestarter groups developed faster than in the other 3 groups,
      expressed by a higher BW, yolk-free body mass, heart and liver weight, and higher
      chick and intestine length. Between d 2 and 3, differences in these variables
      among chickens from both prestarter groups and other groups increased. Rectal
      temperature before cold exposure was higher in chickens from both prestarter
      groups (40.6 and 40.7 degrees C, respectively) and decreased less (0.6 and 0.7
      degrees C, respectively) during cold exposure than in chickens from the control
      (39.5 and 1.2 degrees C, respectively) and albumen group (39.8 and 2.1 degrees C,
      respectively), whereas chickens from the dextrose group were in between (40.4 and
      1.2 degrees C, respectively). We conclude that early fed diet composition in
      broiler chickens is (besides general development) important for development of
      both body temperature and resistance against cold exposure, probably as a
      reflection of a changed metabolic rate.

PMID- 20308405
TI  - Changes in physicochemical properties of egg white and yolk proteins from duck
      shell eggs due to hydrostatic pressure treatment.
AB  - The shell of the duck egg did not crack after pressure treatments (300 to 500
      MPa; 25 degrees C; 10 min) in this study; therefore, the changes of
      physicochemical properties of egg white and yolk proteins from the intact shell
      egg by pressure treatment were first investigated and compared with those of
      pressurized hen liquid eggs. Although the proximate compositions of duck eggs and
      hen eggs were similar, the moisture and protein contents of hen whole eggs were
      higher than those of duck whole eggs. The protein contents of duck egg white and
      yolk were slightly lower than those of hen eggs, and the moisture content of duck
      egg white was equal to that of hen egg white, whereas that of duck egg yolk was
      lower than that of hen egg yolk. After pressure treatment at 500 MPa, the results
      of solubility, sulfhydryl content, surface hydrophobicity, and residual
      denaturation enthalpy showed that egg white proteins underwent slight but
      significant unfolding and aggregation, whereas pressure treatments below 500 MPa
      induced insignificant changes in the physicochemical properties. On the other
      hand, pressure treatments at 400 and 500 MPa significantly reduced the solubility
      and residual denaturation enthalpy of egg yolk proteins. However, the native PAGE
      result showed that pressure treatment up to 500 MPa did not affect the protein
      components of egg white and yolk. The results showed that the application of
      pressure treatment on duck shell egg may induce reversible denaturation of both
      egg white and yolk proteins. The egg white and yolk proteins may be prevented
      from denaturation after pressure treatment in the presence of the eggshell
      compared with the absence of the eggshell. As reported in the literature,
      pressure treatments at 300 to 500 MPa and 25 degrees C would be efficient for
      decontamination of duck shell eggs. Therefore, based on the consideration for
      food safety and functional properties, pressure processing can be a good
      preservation technique for duck shell eggs.

PMID- 20308404
TI  - Soybean, palm kernel, and animal-vegetable oils and vitamin E supplementation
      effect on lipid oxidation stability of sous vide chicken meat.
AB  - There is an increasing demand in precooked chicken meat products for restaurants
      and catering services. Because cooked chicken meat develops lipid oxidation
      relatively fast, sous vide chicken meat was studied to assess its shelf-life. Six
      hundred Cobb x Ross broilers were fed for 6 wk with a basal corn-soybean meal
      diet including soybean, palm kernel, or animal-vegetable oil, each supplemented
      with 33 or 200 mg/kg of dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate. Broilers were randomly
      assigned into 6 treatments and 4 repetitions with 25 birds each. Boneless breast
      or thigh muscle pieces were dissected into 5 x 5 x 5 cm cubes, vacuum-packed,
      cooked in water bath (until 74 degrees C internal temperature), chilled, and
      stored at 4 degrees C for 1, 5, 10, 25, and 40 d. For each storage day, each
      pouch contained 3 pieces of meat, either breast or thigh. Thiobarbituric acid
      reactive substances analysis, to quantify malonaldehyde (MDA) values, was
      conducted to estimate the lipid oxidation development. Nonheme iron values of
      cooked meat were analyzed. Fatty acid methyl esters analysis was performed in
      chicken muscle to determine its fatty acid composition. There was no interaction
      between dietary fat and vitamin E level in all of the variables studied except in
      nonheme iron. Dietary fat significantly influenced the fatty acid composition of
      the muscle (P < 0.01), but it did not affect the MDA values, regardless of
      differences in the muscle fatty acid composition between treatments.
      Supplementation of the high level of vitamin E significantly reduced the MDA
      values in both breast and thigh meat (P < 0.01). The maximum MDA values were
      observed at d 40 of storage in thigh and breast meat in animal-vegetable and
      soybean oil treatments with the low levels of vitamin E, 0.91 and 0.70 mg/kg,
      respectively. Nonheme iron values in thigh meat differed between treatments at 1
      or 25 d of storage but not in breast meat. In conclusion, refrigerated sous vide
      chicken meat has a prolonged shelf-life, which is enhanced by dietary
      supranutritional supplementation of vitamin E.

PMID- 20308406
TI  - Oil exudation and histological structures of duck egg yolks during brining.
AB  - Changes in oil exudation and histological structures of salted duck egg yolks
      during brining up to 5 wk were investigated. During brining, the salt contents of
      albumen, exterior yolk (hardened portion), and interior yolk (soft or liquid
      portion) gradually increased accompanied by slight decreases in moisture content.
      The hardening ratio of salted egg yolks increased rapidly to about 60% during the
      first week of brining and then reached 100% at the end of brining. After brining,
      part of the lipids in salted egg yolk became free due to the structural changes
      of low-density lipoprotein induced by dehydration and increase of salt content,
      and more free lipids in salted egg yolk were released after the cooking process.
      With the brining time increased up to 5 wk, the outer region of the cooked salted
      yolk gradually changed into dark brown, brown, orange, and then dark brown,
      whereas the center region changed into light yellow, yellow, dark yellow, and
      then yellow again. The microstructures of cooked salted egg yolks showed that the
      yolk spheres in the outer and middle regions retained their original shape, with
      some shrinking and being packed more loosely when brining time increased, and the
      exuded oil filled the space between the spheres. Furthermore, the yolk spheres in
      the center region transformed to a round shape but still showed granulation after
      4 wk of brining, whereas they were mostly disrupted after 2 to 5 wk of brining.
      One of the most important characteristics of cooked salted egg yolks, gritty
      texture, contributed to oil exudation and granulated yolk spheres were observed
      at the brining time of 4 wk.

PMID- 20308407
TI  - Effects on egg quality traits of genotype and diets with mussel meal or wheat
      distillers dried grains with solubles.
AB  - The aim of the study was to evaluate effects on exterior and interior egg quality
      and sensory characteristics of eggs from hens fed diets with admixtures of 3.5 or
      7.0% of mussel meal or 20% wheat-distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS).
      The mussel meal diets followed organic standards, whereas the DDGS diet was
      formulated for hens in conventional production. Standard diets, one organic and
      one conventional from a Swedish feed manufacturer, were included for comparison.
      The study used 164 Hy-Line White W-98 and 164 Hy-Line Brown layers housed in
      small-group furnished cages. Egg flavor or odor was not affected by genotype. Egg
      flavor intensity was stronger in eggs from hens fed either of the mussel diets or
      the standard organic diet compared with the conventional diet. There were no
      differences between any of the diets in egg odor intensity, off-flavor, or off
      odor. The mussel diets and the standard organic diet gave stronger yolk
      pigmentation than the conventional and DDGS diet, respectively. Manure DM was
      lower with the admixture of 7.0% mussel meal than 3.5%. There was a tendency (P <
      0.10) toward a difference between diets in dirty eggs, and the percentage was
      highest with 7.0% mussel meal. Diet or genotype had no effect on egg weight,
      albumen height, shell deformation, shell breaking strength, or proportion of
      cracked eggs. Genotype differences were found in weight percentage of albumen,
      yolk, and shell and in the presence of blood and meat spots and in percentage of
      dirty eggs. In conclusion, the majority of egg quality traits were unaffected by
      the diets studied. With the admixture of DDGS used in the present study, the
      characteristics of eggs were similar to those of eggs produced on the
      conventional standard diet. There was no indication of impaired egg odor or
      flavor with the used fractions of DDGS or mussel meal.

PMID- 20308408
TI  - Dietary inclusion level effects of distillers dried grains with solubles on
      broiler meat quality.
AB  - A completely randomized design with 7 replications (n = 7, treatments = 5 with 8
      subsamples per treatment) was used to evaluate the effects of feeding various
      levels of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS; 0, 6, 12, 18, and 24%) on
      broiler breast and thigh meat quality. Broilers were harvested in a pilot scale
      processing plant with commercial prototype equipment at 42 d of age. The right
      half of each breast was evaluated for pH, instrumental color, cooking loss,
      proximate analysis, and tenderness. The left half of each breast was used for
      consumer acceptability testing. Thigh meat was evaluated for proximate
      composition, fatty acid composition, and TBA reactive substances. Breast meat
      from broilers that were fed DDGS had a higher (P < 0.05) pH than those from the
      control diet. In addition, the 18 and 24% DDGS treatments yielded breast meat
      with higher (P < 0.05) pH values than the 6% DDGS treatment. No differences
      existed (P > 0.05) among breast meat from the different treatments with respect
      to cooking loss, instrumental color, and consumer acceptability, but breast meat
      from the control (0% DDGS) treatment had slightly lower (P < 0.05) shear force
      than breast meat from the 18 and 24% DDGS treatments. In addition, no differences
      (P > 0.05) existed among proximate composition of breast and thigh meat from the
      control and DDGS treatments. As DDGS concentration increased, there was a linear
      increase (P < 0.05) in linoleic and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which indicates
      a greater potential for lipid oxidation. The TBA reactive substances values were
      greater (P < 0.05) for the 18 and 24% DDGS treatments at d 5 when compared with
      the control and 6% DDGS treatments, which indicates increased oxidation. Overall,
      data suggest that all treatments yielded high-quality breast meat and that thigh
      meat quality was similar among treatments containing 0 to 12% DDGS, but higher
      inclusion levels led to thigh meat that was more susceptible to oxidation.

PMID- 20308409
TI  - Modified pressure imaging for egg crack detection and resulting egg quality.
AB  - Cracks in the shell surface compromise the primary barrier for external microbial
      contamination of the egg. Microcracks are very small cracks in the shell surface
      that are difficult to detect by human graders. New technology has been developed
      that uses modified pressure and imaging to detect microcracks in eggs. Research
      has shown the system to have an accuracy of 99.6% in detecting both cracked and
      intact eggs. A study was undertaken to determine if quality differences existed
      between modified pressure imaged and control eggs during extended cold storage.
      Three replicates were conducted with eggs stored at 4 degrees C for 5 wk with
      weekly quality testing. The physical quality factors monitored were Haugh units,
      albumen height, egg weight, shell strength, vitelline membrane strength and
      elasticity, and whole egg total solids. All measurements were conducted on
      individual eggs (12/treatments per replicate) each week with the exception of
      whole egg solids, which were determined from 3 pools (4 eggs each)/treatment per
      replicate each week. Percentage of whole egg total solids was the only
      significant difference (P < 0.05) between treatments (23.65% modified pressure
      imaged and 23.47% control). There was a significant difference (P < 0.05) for egg
      weight between replicates (60.82, 58.02, and 60.58 g for replicates 1, 2, and 3,
      respectively). Therefore, imaging eggs in the modified pressure system for
      microcrack detection did not alter egg quality during extended cold storage.
      Utilizing the modified pressure crack detection technology would result in fewer
      cracked eggs reaching the consumer, consequently enhancing food safety without
      affecting product quality.

PMID- 20308410
TI  - Alkali-aided protein extraction of chicken dark meat: composition and stability
      to lipid oxidation of the recovered proteins.
AB  - Chicken dark meat has been considered as a major underused commodity due to the
      increasing demand for further-processed breast meat products. One option to
      increase the utilization of chicken dark meat is to extract myofibrillar proteins
      and separate them from fat and pigments to enhance their application for the
      preparation of further-processed meat products. The objective of the current
      study was to determine the effect of pH, in the range of 10.5 to 12.0, on the
      alkaline solubilization process of chicken dark meat. Aspects studied were the
      effect of the alkali-aided process on protein content, lipid composition, lipid
      oxidation, and color characteristics of the extracted meat. Each experiment and
      each assay were done at least in triplicate. Lipid content of the extracted meat
      showed a 50% reduction compared with the chicken dark meat. Neutral lipids were
      reduced by 61.51%, whereas polar lipids were not affected by the alkali
      treatments. There was a higher amount of TBA reactive substances observed in the
      extracted meat compared with chicken dark meat, indicating that extracted meat
      was more susceptible to oxidation. Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (22:4n
      6, 20:3n-3, 20:5n-3, 22:5n-3, and 22:6n-3), which were detected only in the polar
      lipids, were responsible for increasing lipid oxidation susceptibility of
      extracted meat compared with chicken dark meat. Alkali-aided extraction of
      chicken dark meat lightened the color of the meat. The redness, yellowness, and
      total heme pigments in extracted meat significantly decreased by 83, 11, and 53%,
      respectively, compared with chicken dark meat. Even though this process did not
      remove polar lipids, based on our early findings, the extracted meat had
      considerable physicochemical and textural properties for product preparation
      compared with those of raw dark meat. Hence, alkali recovery of protein can be
      considered a potentially useful method to increase the utilization of dark
      chicken meat.

PMID- 20308411
TI  - Computational study of the heat transfer of an avian egg in a tray.
AB  - The development of an embryo in an avian egg depends largely on its temperature.
      The embryo temperature is affected by its environment and the heat produced by
      the egg. In this paper, eggshell temperature and the heat transfer
      characteristics from one egg in a tray toward its environment are studied by
      means of computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Computational fluid dynamics
      simulations have the advantage of providing extensive 3-dimensional information
      on velocity and eggshell temperature distribution around an egg that otherwise is
      not possible to obtain by experiments. However, CFD results need to be validated
      against experimental data. The objectives were (1) to find out whether CFD can
      successfully simulate eggshell temperature from one egg in a tray by comparing to
      previously conducted experiments, (2) to visualize air flow and air temperature
      distribution around the egg in a detailed way, and (3) to perform sensitivity
      analysis on several variables affecting heat transfer. To this end, a CFD model
      was validated using 2 sets of temperature measurements yielding an effective
      model. From these simulations, it can be concluded that CFD can effectively be
      used to analyze heat transfer characteristics and eggshell temperature
      distribution around an egg. In addition, air flow and temperature distribution
      around the egg are visualized. It has been observed that temperature differences
      up to 2.6 degrees C are possible at high heat production (285 mW) and horizontal
      low flow rates (0.5 m/s). Sensitivity analysis indicates that average eggshell
      temperature is mainly affected by the inlet air velocity and temperature, flow
      direction, and the metabolic heat of the embryo and less by the thermal
      conductivity and emissivity of the egg and thermal emissivity of the tray.

PMID- 20308412
TI  - Sequential feeding using whole wheat and a separate protein-mineral concentrate
      improved feed efficiency in laying hens.
AB  - The effect of feeding nutritionally different diets in sequential or loose-mix
      systems on the performance of laying hen was investigated from 16 to 46 wk of
      age. Equal proportions of whole wheat grain and protein-mineral concentrate
      (balancer diet) were fed either alternatively (sequential) or together (loose
      mix) to ISA Brown hens. The control was fed a complete layer diet conventionally.
      Each treatment was allocated 16 cages and each cage contained 5 birds. Light was
      provided 16 h daily (0400 to 2000 h). Feed offered was controlled (121 g/bird per
      d) and distributed twice (4 and 11 h after lights-on). In the sequential
      treatment, only wheat was fed at first distribution, followed by balancer diet at
      the second distribution. In loose-mix, the 2 rations were mixed and fed together
      during the 2 distributions. Leftover feed was always removed before the next
      distribution. Sequential feeding reduced total feed intake when compared with
      loose-mix and control. It had lower wheat (-9 g/bird per d) but higher balancer
      (+1.7 g/bird per d) intakes than loose-mix. Egg production, egg mass, and egg
      weight were similar among treatments. This led to an improvement in efficiency of
      feed utilization in sequential compared with loose-mix and control (10 and 5%,
      respectively). Birds fed sequentially had lower calculated ME (kcal/bird per d)
      intake than those fed in loose-mix and control. Calculated CP (g/bird per d)
      intake was reduced in sequential compared with loose-mix and control.
      Sequentially fed hens were lighter in BW. However, they had heavier gizzard,
      pancreas, and liver. Similar liver lipid was observed among treatments. Liver
      glycogen was higher in loose-mix than the 2 other treatments. It was concluded
      that feeding whole wheat and balancer diet, sequentially or loosely mixed, had no
      negative effect on performance in laying hens. Thus, the 2 systems are
      alternative to conventional feeding. The increased efficiency of feed utilization
      in sequential feeding is an added advantage compared with loose-mix and thus
      could be employed in situations where it is practicable.

PMID- 20308413
TI  - Food, energy, and the environment.
AB  - During the 2009 annual meeting of the Poultry Science Association, a symposium
      entitled "Global Views of New Agriculture: Food, Energy, and the Environment" was
      held that focused on several major issues affecting agriculture. Issues included
      future funding for basic agricultural research, sustainability, bioenergy, and
      their effects on global food markets. In many ways, a subtitle for the symposium
      could have been "Agriculture-Why What We Do Matters." It matters because of the
      fiscal and physical realities the planet will face in the coming decades relative
      to human population growth and the increasing demands to feed a hungry world. The
      challenges are daunting and the technologies to address them will require us to
      reevaluate the structure and policies we have established relative to
      agricultural research. In this case, change is all the more difficult because the
      traditional model of agricultural research has been so successful. One only needs
      to note the remarkable increases in productivity of the past half century of
      commodities such as corn and soybeans or feed efficiencies among broilers, laying
      hens, and turkeys to recognize the significant advancements that have been
      achieved. However, these historic gains have frequently required increased
      inputs, most notably fossil fuels. Food production in the future will likely be
      confronted with concerns involving energy, water, climate change, and the threat
      of agroterrorism. For example, we will need to develop crops that are more
      drought-resistant and more tolerant to a wider range of salinities as access to
      fresh water becomes more problematic. Animal agriculture will also need to adapt
      to diets composed of atypical feedstuffs. Whether future generations will inherit
      a world described by Paul Roberts in his books The End of Oil and The End of Food
      will be in part determined by the research model we adopt in the near term.

PMID- 20308415
TI  - Breeding of tomorrow's chickens to improve well-being.
AB  - Chickens, as well as other animals, have the ability to change their behavior
      (behavioral plasticity) and physiology (physiological plasticity) based on the
      costs and benefits to fit their environment (adaptation). Through natural
      selection, the population preserves and accumulates traits that are beneficial
      and rejects those that are detrimental in their prevailing environments. The
      surviving populations are able to contribute more genes associated with
      beneficial traits for increased fitness to subsequent generations. Natural
      selection is slow but constant; working over multiple generations, the changes to
      the population often appear silent or undetectable at a given point in history.
      Chickens were domesticated from the wild red jungle fowl. The principle of
      domestication of chickens, as well as other farm animals, by humans is similar to
      that of natural selection: selecting the best animals with the highest
      survivability and reproducibility (artificial selection). Compared with natural
      selection, the process of artificial selection is motivated by human needs and
      acts more rapidly with more visible results over a short time period. This
      process has been further accelerated following the development of current
      breeding programs and the emergence of specialized breeding companies. A laying
      hen, for example, produces more than 300 hundred eggs a year, whereas a jungle
      fowl lays 4 to 6 eggs in a year. During the domestication process, chickens
      retained their capability to adapt to their housing environments, which is
      usually achieved by genetic changes occurring with each subsequent generation.
      Genes control the behavioral, physiological, immunological, and psychological
      responses of animals to stressors, including environmental stimulations. With
      advances in understanding of genetic mediation of animal physiology and behavior
      and the discovery of the genome sequences of many species, animal production
      breeding programs can be improved in both speed and efficiency. Modern chicken
      breeding programs have the potential to be operated successfully in the breeding
      of tomorrow's chickens with high production efficiency and optimal welfare,
      resulting from resistance to stress, disease, or both.

PMID- 20308416
TI  - Why using genetics to address welfare may not be a good idea.
AB  - Welfare of animals in livestock production systems is now widely defined in terms
      of 3 classes of measures: veterinary health, mental well-being (or feelings), and
      natural behaviors. Several well-documented points of tension exist among welfare
      indicators in these 3 classes. Strategies that aim to improve welfare using
      genetics can increase resistance to disease and may also be able to relieve
      stress or injury. One strategy is to reduce the genetic proclivity of the bird to
      engage in behaviors that are frustrated in modern production systems. Another is
      to develop strains less prone to behaviors hurtful to other hens. Yet another is
      to make overall temperament a goal for genetic adjustments. These genetic
      approaches may score well in terms of veterinary and psychological well-being.
      Yet they also involve changes in behavioral repertoire and tendencies of the
      resulting bird. Although it has seemed reasonable to argue that such animals are
      better off than frustrated or injured animals reflecting more species-typical
      behaviors, there is a point of view that holds that modification of a species
      typical trait is ipso facto a decline in the well-being of the animal.
      Additionally, a significant amount of anecdotal evidence has been accumulated
      that suggests that many animal advocates and members of the public find
      manipulation of genetics to be an ethically unacceptable approach to animal
      welfare, especially when modifications in the environment could also be a
      response to welfare problems. Hence, though promising from one perspective,
      genetic strategies to improve welfare may not be acceptable to the public.

PMID- 20308417
TI  - Primary broiler breeding--striking a balance between economic and well-being
      traits.
AB  - Primary breeders are well aware that selecting for better health and well-being
      along with economic traits such as faster growth rate, higher levels of meat
      yield, and improved efficiency of feed utilization are critical to balanced long
      term genetic progress of their pure lines as well as to increased production
      efficiency of broiler products for the broiler industry. Cobb collects and
      selects on over 50 phenotypic observations per pedigree candidate at various
      ages. Over 50% of these collections are involved with evaluation of each bird's
      health, welfare, and fitness. Some examples of these traits are various chick
      defects, various broiler age skeletal and leg abnormalities, feather cover,
      various physiological measures of heart and lung functions, and specific causes
      of mortality. Large pedigree populations, massive data collection infrastructure,
      integration of better technologies in evaluation of phenotypes, and sophisticated
      data analysis capability have allowed geneticists to perform selections that are
      balanced for both economic and welfare traits. Cobb's internal as well as
      worldwide sponsored research has facilitated geneticists to make science-based
      breeding decisions. Each pedigree line per product available to primary breeders
      exhibits their own unique characteristics that are enhanced by selective breeding
      and positioned in special mating schemes to produce the product and welfare
      performance that our customers demand. Additionally, most if not all primary
      breeding companies now offer different products for different markets that
      exhibit varying levels of performance and behavior to fit customer needs. Future
      expansion of these products and creation of new products by breeding companies
      will be in large dictated by both our customers and consumers.

PMID- 20308418
TI  - The European experience in poultry welfare--a decade ahead.
AB  - Farm animal welfare is a major issue in Europe, which resulted in regulations and
      development of research dedicated to animal welfare, especially on standard
      poultry production, which is often considered as resulting in very poor welfare.
      The effect of selection is also often questioned. Indeed, capacities of
      adaptation have been very little considered during the first years of commercial
      selection and thus have been reduced. Nowadays, a much greater importance is
      given to welfare-related traits and genomic selection should alleviate the need
      for their measurements in the short-term. However, the choice of the fittest
      selection criteria is still to be made. Because behavioral traits are highly
      dependent on environment, general reactivity may be more efficient. For example,
      selection against undesirable behavior such as feather pecking has been proven to
      be efficient, but selection for reduced mortality rates in collective cages
      proved to be preferable. Most often, selection should not exacerbate extreme
      values, which are most often detrimental, as in the case of social motivation,
      which, when increased to too large of an extent, results in increased
      aggressivity. Moreover, a general propensity will not result in overall
      improvement; for example, reducing fearfulness has positive effects but does not
      modify response to social stress. Detrimental effects on other traits may also be
      observed: although genetic resistance to diseases should increase animal welfare,
      it may also result in increased frequency of silent carriers and in turn to human
      transmission. Indeed, an optimum must be found. Studying lines selected for or
      against these traits will be of great help to choose the best strategy of
      selection. Another and longer term concern should be on links with other
      production traits but also on sustainability, which will probably be of greater
      importance in the coming years.

PMID- 20308419
TI  - Molecular neuroendocrine events during stress in poultry.
AB  - Magnocellular neurons in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus containing
      arginine vasotocin (AVT) project to the posterior pituitary and release the
      peptide peripherally to target tissues. Parvocellular neurons contain either
      corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), AVT, or both neuropeptides and project to
      the median eminence. Corticotropin-releasing hormone and AVT are then transported
      to the anterior pituitary where they bind to CRH1 or vasotocin VT2 receptors,
      many found co-localized on the same pituitary cell type, the corticotrope.
      Central administration of CRH compared with AVT is more effective in releasing
      the stress hormone corticosterone, whereas peripheral administration of AVT is
      more efficacious. Simultaneous, peripheral administration of CRH and AVT also
      resulted in a synergistic release of corticosterone. Cell culture studies
      demonstrated a synergistic release of the second messenger, cyclic adenosine
      monophosphate, when both CRH and AVT were added to cells transfected with CRH and
      VT2 receptors, providing a possible explanation for the enhanced release of
      corticosterone following combined peripheral administration of the 2 peptides. A
      social stress model, mature male-male interaction, demonstrated activation of
      neurons in the paraventricular nucleus and suggested that the posterior pituitary
      as well as the anterior pituitary are involved in a social stress response.

PMID- 20308420
TI  - Understanding stress-induced immunosuppression: exploration of cytokine and
      chemokine gene profiles in chicken peripheral leukocytes.
AB  - At present, the poultry meat and egg industry has gained a lot of ground, being
      viewed as a provider of a healthy alternative to red meat and other protein
      sources. If this trend is to be maintained, solutions must be found to improve
      resistance of chickens to disease, which often is weakened by stressful
      conditions. In poultry, stress-induced immunosuppression is manifested by
      failures in vaccination and increased morbidity and mortality of flocks.
      Currently, several modern cellular and molecular approaches are being used to
      explore the status of the immune system during stress and disease. It is likely
      that these new techniques will lead to the development of new strategies for
      preventing and controlling immunosuppression in poultry. Using quantitative
      reverse transcription-PCR assays, a broad spectrum of cytokine, chemokine, and
      their receptor genes can be quantified in birds and then be used as markers to
      assess the effects of stress on the immune system. Currently, we are
      investigating immune and endocrine interactions in the chicken, in particular the
      cells and molecules that are known to be involved in such interactions in
      mammals. We have evaluated the effects of corticosterone administration in
      drinking water on peripheral lymphocyte and heterophil cytokine and chemokine
      gene profiles. In particular, there seems to be effects on cytokine and chemokine
      mRNA expression levels in both lymphocytes and heterophils, especially expression
      of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6, and IL-18 and
      chemokines C-C motif, ligand 1 inflammatory (CCLi1); C-C motif, ligand 2
      inflammatory (CCLi2); C-C motif, ligand 5 (CCL5); C-C motif, ligand 16 (CCL16); C
      X-C motif ligand 1 inflammatory (CXCLi1); and C-X-C motif ligand 2 inflammatory
      (CXCLi2), which are initially upregulated and are potentially involved in
      modulating the adaptive immune response. A chronic treatment with corticosterone
      downregulates proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, suggesting that the
      delayed effects of chronic stress can suppress the immune response. Messenger RNA
      expression levels of transforming growth factor-beta4 (TGF-beta4) are also
      upregulated in cortisosterone-treated birds. It appears that the balance between
      T-helper (Th) 1 and Th2/T regulatory cytokine production is altered in conditions
      associated with significant changes in plasma corticosterone concentration.
      Experiments are underway to decipher the cytokine and chemokine responses to
      vaccination and bacterial challenge on the background of stress-induced
      immunosuppression.

PMID- 20308421
TI  - Modification of animals versus modification of the production environment to meet
      welfare needs.
AB  - The balance between genetic modification and welfare may be as old as the chicken
      and egg debate. Meeting welfare needs of farm animals has become an integral part
      of animal agriculture. Until recently, environmental and management modifications
      have been the methods of choice for meeting welfare needs of animals. Genetic
      selection has improved growth, livability, and general welfare, but some aspects
      of welfare like metabolic disorders, susceptibility to some diseases, and
      skeletal problems have increased. Genetic variability in behavioral and
      physiological traits relating to welfare exists thus raising the possibility of
      selecting for welfare-related traits. Advances in molecular biology have also
      made it possible for the identification of QTL for behavioral and welfare traits.
      Identification of causal or associative genes for welfare traits and improved
      biotechnology tools raises the possibility of either selecting for improved
      welfare or genetically modifying birds to suit the commercial production
      environment. An integration of management, genetics, and genomic tools should be
      employed to genetically improve production and welfare traits with concurrent
      welfare risk assessments to address public and consumer concerns.

PMID- 20308422
TI  - Doug Hilton: at home with blood cell biology. Interview by Caitlin Sedwick.

PMID- 20308423
TI  - New insights into oxidative folding.
AB  - The oxidoreductase ERO1 (endoplasmic reticulum [ER] oxidoreductin 1) is thought
      to be crucial for disulfide bond formation in the ER. In this issue, Zito et al.
      (2010. J. Cell Biol. doi:10.1083/jcb.200911086) examine the division of labor
      between the two mammalian isoforms of ERO1 (ERO1-alpha and -beta) in oxidative
      folding. Their analysis reveals a selective role for ERO1-beta in insulin
      production and a surprisingly minor contribution for either ERO1 isoform on
      immunoglobulin folding and secretion.

PMID- 20308424
TI  - Mammalian BLM helicase is critical for integrating multiple pathways of meiotic
      recombination.
AB  - Bloom's syndrome (BS) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by growth
      retardation, cancer predisposition, and sterility. BS mutated (Blm), the gene
      mutated in BS patients, is one of five mammalian RecQ helicases. Although BLM has
      been shown to promote genome stability by assisting in the repair of DNA
      structures that arise during homologous recombination in somatic cells, less is
      known about its role in meiotic recombination primarily because of the embryonic
      lethality associated with Blm deletion. However, the localization of BLM protein
      on meiotic chromosomes together with evidence from yeast and other organisms
      implicates a role for BLM helicase in meiotic recombination events, prompting us
      to explore the meiotic phenotype of mice bearing a conditional mutant allele of
      Blm. In this study, we show that BLM deficiency does not affect entry into
      prophase I but causes severe defects in meiotic progression. This is exemplified
      by improper pairing and synapsis of homologous chromosomes and altered processing
      of recombination intermediates, resulting in increased chiasmata. Our data
      provide the first analysis of BLM function in mammalian meiosis and strongly
      argue that BLM is involved in proper pairing, synapsis, and segregation of
      homologous chromosomes; however, it is dispensable for the accumulation of
      recombination intermediates.

PMID- 20308425
TI  - ERO1-beta, a pancreas-specific disulfide oxidase, promotes insulin biogenesis and
      glucose homeostasis.
AB  - Mammals have two genes encoding homologues of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)
      disulfide oxidase ERO1 (ER oxidoreductin 1). ERO1-beta is greatly enriched in the
      endocrine pancreas. We report in this study that homozygosity for a disrupting
      allele of Ero1lb selectively compromises oxidative folding of proinsulin and
      promotes glucose intolerance in mutant mice. Surprisingly, concomitant disruption
      of Ero1l, encoding the other ERO1 isoform, ERO1-alpha, does not exacerbate the
      ERO1-beta deficiency phenotype. Although immunoglobulin-producing cells normally
      express both isoforms of ERO1, disulfide bond formation and immunoglobulin
      secretion proceed at nearly normal pace in the double mutant. Moreover, although
      the more reducing environment of their ER protects cultured ERO1-beta knockdown
      Min6 cells from the toxicity of a misfolding-prone mutant Ins2(Akita), the
      diabetic phenotype and islet destruction promoted by Ins2(Akita) are enhanced in
      ERO1-beta compound mutant mice. These findings point to an unexpectedly selective
      function for ERO1-beta in oxidative protein folding in insulin-producing cells
      that is required for glucose homeostasis in vivo.

PMID- 20308426
TI  - The TWEAK-Fn14 system is a critical regulator of denervation-induced skeletal
      muscle atrophy in mice.
AB  - Skeletal muscle atrophy occurs in a variety of clinical settings, including
      cachexia, disuse, and denervation. Inflammatory cytokines have been shown to be
      mediators of cancer cachexia; however, the role of cytokines in denervation- and
      immobilization-induced skeletal muscle loss remains unknown. In this study, we
      demonstrate that a single cytokine, TNF-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK),
      mediates skeletal muscle atrophy that occurs under denervation conditions.
      Transgenic expression of TWEAK induces atrophy, fibrosis, fiber-type switching,
      and the degradation of muscle proteins. Importantly, genetic ablation of TWEAK
      decreases the loss of muscle proteins and spared fiber cross-sectional area,
      muscle mass, and strength after denervation. Expression of the TWEAK receptor
      Fn14 (fibroblast growth factor-inducible receptor 14) and not the cytokine is
      significantly increased in muscle upon denervation, demonstrating an unexpected
      inside-out signaling pathway; the receptor up-regulation allows for TWEAK
      activation of nuclear factor kappaB, causing an increase in the expression of the
      E3 ubiquitin ligase MuRF1. This study reveals a novel mediator of skeletal muscle
      atrophy and indicates that the TWEAK-Fn14 system is an important target for
      preventing skeletal muscle wasting.

PMID- 20308427
TI  - Endogenous Bak inhibitors Mcl-1 and Bcl-xL: differential impact on TRAIL
      resistance in Bax-deficient carcinoma.
AB  - Tumor necrosis factor (alpha)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a
      promising anticancer agent that preferentially kills tumor cells with limited
      cytotoxicity to nonmalignant cells. However, signaling from death receptors
      requires amplification via the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway (type II) in the
      majority of tumor cells. Thus, TRAIL-induced cell death entirely depends on the
      proapoptotic Bcl-2 family member Bax, which is often lost as a result of
      epigenetic inactivation or mutations. Consequently, Bax deficiency confers
      resistance against TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Despite expression of Bak, Bax
      deficient cells are resistant to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. In this study, we show
      that the Bax dependency of TRAIL-induced apoptosis is determined by Mcl-1 but not
      Bcl-xL. Both are antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins that keep Bak in check.
      Nevertheless, knockdown of Mcl-1 but not Bcl-xL overcame resistance to TRAIL,
      CD95/FasL and tumor necrosis factor (alpha) death receptor ligation in Bax
      deficient cells, and enabled TRAIL to activate Bak, indicating that Mcl-1 rather
      than Bcl-xL is a major target for sensitization of Bax-deficient tumors for death
      receptor-induced apoptosis via the Bak pathway.

PMID- 20308428
TI  - The PI3K p110alpha isoform regulates endothelial adherens junctions via Pyk2 and
      Rac1.
AB  - Endothelial cell-cell junctions control efflux of small molecules and leukocyte
      transendothelial migration (TEM) between blood and tissues. Inhibitors of
      phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) increase endothelial barrier function, but the
      roles of different PI3K isoforms have not been addressed. In this study, we
      determine the contribution of each of the four class I PI3K isoforms (p110alpha, 
      beta, -gamma, and -delta) to endothelial permeability and leukocyte TEM. We find
      that depletion of p110alpha but not other p110 isoforms decreases TNF-induced
      endothelial permeability, Tyr phosphorylation of the adherens junction protein
      vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin), and leukocyte TEM. p110alpha
      selectively mediates activation of the Tyr kinase Pyk2 and GTPase Rac1 to
      regulate barrier function. Additionally, p110alpha mediates the association of VE
      cadherin with Pyk2, the Rac guanine nucleotide exchange factor Tiam-1 and the p85
      regulatory subunit of PI3K. We propose that p110alpha regulates endothelial
      barrier function by inducing the formation of a VE-cadherin-associated protein
      complex that coordinates changes to adherens junctions with the actin
      cytoskeleton.

PMID- 20308429
TI  - Myosin II activity regulates vinculin recruitment to focal adhesions through FAK
      mediated paxillin phosphorylation.
AB  - Focal adhesions (FAs) are mechanosensitive adhesion and signaling complexes that
      grow and change composition in response to myosin II-mediated cytoskeletal
      tension in a process known as FA maturation. To understand tension-mediated FA
      maturation, we sought to identify proteins that are recruited to FAs in a myosin
      II-dependent manner and to examine the mechanism for their myosin II-sensitive FA
      association. We find that FA recruitment of both the cytoskeletal adapter protein
      vinculin and the tyrosine kinase FA kinase (FAK) are myosin II and extracellular
      matrix (ECM) stiffness dependent. Myosin II activity promotes FAK/Src-mediated
      phosphorylation of paxillin on tyrosines 31 and 118 and vinculin association with
      paxillin. We show that phosphomimic mutations of paxillin can specifically induce
      the recruitment of vinculin to adhesions independent of myosin II activity. These
      results reveal an important role for paxillin in adhesion mechanosensing via
      myosin II-mediated FAK phosphorylation of paxillin that promotes vinculin FA
      recruitment to reinforce the cytoskeletal ECM linkage and drive FA maturation.

PMID- 20308430
TI  - The Arf tumor suppressor protein inhibits Miz1 to suppress cell adhesion and
      induce apoptosis.
AB  - Oncogenic stress induces expression of the alternate reading frame (Arf) tumor
      suppressor protein. Arf then stabilizes p53, which leads to cell cycle arrest or
      apoptosis. The mechanisms that distinguish both outcomes are incompletely
      understood. In this study, we show that Arf interacts with the Myc-associated
      zinc finger protein Miz1. Binding of Arf disrupts the interaction of Miz1 with
      its coactivator, nucleophosmin, induces the sumoylation of Miz1, and facilitates
      the assembly of a heterochromatic complex that contains Myc and trimethylated
      H3K9 in addition to Miz1. Arf-dependent assembly of this complex leads to the
      repression of multiple genes involved in cell adhesion and signal transduction
      and induces apoptosis. Our data point to a tumor-suppressive pathway that weakens
      cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions in response to expression of Arf and that
      may thereby facilitate the elimination of cells harboring an oncogenic mutation.

PMID- 20308431
TI  - Fibroblast growth factor receptors 1 and 2 in keratinocytes control the epidermal
      barrier and cutaneous homeostasis.
AB  - Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are master regulators of organogenesis and
      tissue homeostasis. In this study, we used different combinations of FGF receptor
      (FGFR)-deficient mice to unravel their functions in the skin. Loss of the IIIb
      splice variants of FGFR1 and FGFR2 in keratinocytes caused progressive loss of
      skin appendages, cutaneous inflammation, keratinocyte hyperproliferation, and
      acanthosis. We identified loss of FGF-induced expression of tight junction
      components with subsequent deficits in epidermal barrier function as the
      mechanism underlying the progressive inflammatory skin disease. The defective
      barrier causes activation of keratinocytes and epidermal gammadelta T cells,
      which produce interleukin-1 family member 8 and S100A8/A9 proteins. These
      cytokines initiate an inflammatory response and induce a double paracrine loop
      through production of keratinocyte mitogens by dermal cells. Our results identify
      essential roles for FGFs in the regulation of the epidermal barrier and in the
      prevention of cutaneous inflammation, and highlight the importance of stromal
      epithelial interactions in skin homeostasis and disease.

PMID- 20308432
TI  - Association analysis of 33 lipoprotein candidate genes in multi-generational
      families of African ancestry.
AB  - African ancestry individuals have a more favorable lipoprotein profile than
      Caucasians, although the mechanisms for these differences remain unclear. We
      measured fasting serum lipoproteins and genotyped 768 tagging or potentially
      functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across 33 candidate gene
      regions in 401 Afro-Caribbeans older than 18 years belonging to 7 multi
      generational pedigrees (mean family size 51, range 21-113, 3,426 relative pairs).
      All lipoproteins were significantly heritable (P<0.05). Gender-specific analysis
      showed that heritability for triglycerides was much higher (P<0.01) in women than
      in men (women, 0.62+/-0.18, P<0.01; men, 0.13+/-0.17, P>0.10), but the
      heritability for LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) was higher (P<0.05) in men than in women
      (men, 0.79+/-0.21, P<0.01; women, 0.39+/-0.12, P<0.01). The top 14 SNPs that
      passed the false discovery rate threshold in the families were then tested for
      replication in an independent population-based sample of 1,750 Afro-Caribbean men
      aged 40+ years. Our results revealed significant associations for three SNPs in
      two genes (rs5929 and rs6511720 in LDLR and rs7517090 in PCSK9) and LDL-C in both
      the family study and in the replication study. Our findings suggest that LDLR and
      PCSK9 variants may contribute to a variation in LDL-C among African ancestry
      individuals. Future sequencing and functional studies of these loci may advance
      our understanding of genetic factors contributing to LDL-C in African ancestry
      populations.

PMID- 20308433
TI  - A comparison of 11 o'clock versus oblique femoral tunnels in the anterior
      cruciate ligament-reconstructed knee: knee kinematics during a simulated pivot
      test.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traditionally, a standard femoral tunnel for a single-bundle anterior
      cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is positioned 6 to 7 mm anterior to the
      posterior wall at an 11 o'clock orientation in the femoral notch (right knee).
      However, some surgeons have advocated placing the femoral tunnel at a more
      oblique orientation at or near the femoral footprint of the ACL's posterolateral
      bundle (at approximately 9:30 to 10 o'clock in the notch) to provide the graft
      with a better mechanical advantage for controlling tibial rotation and
      eliminating the pivot shift. HYPOTHESIS: Moving the femoral tunnel from the
      standard location to an oblique position in the femoral notch will significantly
      reduce the magnitude of a simulated pivot shift. STUDY DESIGN: Controlled
      laboratory study. METHODS: Internal-external tibial rotation and anteroposterior
      (AP) displacement of the lateral tibial plateau were measured in 17 fresh-frozen
      cadaveric knees during a simulated pivot-shift event with a single-bundle ACL
      reconstruction placed in standard and oblique femoral tunnels. Baseline kinematic
      measurements were taken with the graft tensioned to restore intact AP knee laxity
      at 30 degrees of flexion. The measurements were repeated as graft tension was
      decreased to produce approximately 2-mm incremental increases in laxity (up to
      +10 mm). Correlations between lateral tibial plateau displacement and tibial
      rotation during the pivot shift were determined for both tunnels. RESULTS: There
      were no significant differences in tibial rotations or tibial plateau
      displacements during the pivot shift between standard and oblique femoral tunnels
      when the graft was tensioned to restore intact knee laxity. The relationship
      between pivot-shift magnitude and AP laxity was highly linear for each knee
      specimen over the range of laxities tested; the mean slopes for anteromedial (AM)
      and posterolateral (PL) tunnels were not significantly different. There were near
      perfect linear correlations (mean r2 >.98) between lateral plateau displacement
      and tibial rotation for both femoral tunnel positions; the slope of the
      regression line was not significantly different between tunnels. CONCLUSION:
      Moving the femoral tunnel from the standard location to a more oblique position
      in the notch did not significantly alter pivot-shift kinematics. Lateral plateau
      displacement was strongly correlated with tibial rotation, and either can be used
      to quantify the pivot shift. Clinical Relevance The rationale for placing the
      femoral tunnel at an oblique position in the notch to reduce the pivot shift is
      questioned.

PMID- 20308434
TI  - Biomechanical evaluation of shear force vectors leading to injury of the biceps
      reflection pulley: a biplane fluoroscopy study on cadaveric shoulders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The clinical importance of the biceps reflection pulley (BRP), which
      stabilizes the long head of the biceps tendon (LHB) as it exits the joint, has
      been shown. However, there is controversy on the pathomechanism of injury to the
      BRP. The angular orientation of the LHB relative to its origin and distal course
      changes with joint positions and may place the BRP at risk for injury. PURPOSE:
      To measure the course of the LHB in common arm positions and to determine the
      shear and normal (stabilizing) force vectors as well as the excursion of the LHB.
      STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive laboratory study. METHODS: The LHBs of 8 fresh-frozen
      cadaveric shoulders were marked with arthroscopically injected microbeads and
      mounted in a custom-built shoulder rig. Data for neutral arm position, forward
      flexion, and abduction were collected in internal, neutral, and external rotation
      using biplane fluoroscopy. Bone and LHB position were reconstructed in 3
      dimensions. RESULTS: The shear component of the resulting vector was
      significantly higher during internal (28.4% +/- 18.1%) compared with external
      rotation (18.9% +/- 9.7%; P = .0157) and was highest in neutral arm position with
      internal rotation (39.2% +/- 12.7%) and forward flexion with neutral rotation
      (36.2% +/- 10.7%). The normal force vector, stabilizing the LHB, was
      significantly higher in abduction (55.2% +/- 9.6%) compared with forward flexion
      (39.1% +/- 12.4%; P <.0001) and neutral positions (39.1% +/- 11.4%; P <.0001).
      The LHB excursion was significantly lower for neutral arm positions (0.7 +/- 6.0
      mm) compared with forward flexion (12.6 +/- 8.3 mm; P <.0001) and abduction (12.0
      +/- 6.5 mm; P <.0001). CONCLUSION: Increased shear load at forward flexion with
      internal or neutral arm rotation and internal rotation at neutral arm position
      may cause injury to the BRP. Additionally, a sawing mechanism caused by the 12-mm
      linear excursion combined with a load of the LHB through the BRP during elevation
      may also lead to lesions. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Knowledge of the pathomechanisms of
      BRP injury may help in developing specific treatment and rehabilitation
      strategies as well as tests for physical examination.

PMID- 20308435
TI  - Science to practice: will randomized prospective clinical trials be necessary for
      RF ablation of large liver tumors with liposomal doxorubicin?

PMID- 20308436
TI  - CT and US in the diagnosis of appendicitis: an argument for CT.

PMID- 20308438
TI  - Pediatric appendicitis: an argument for US.

PMID- 20308439
TI  - Compliance with Fleischner Society guidelines for management of lung nodules:
      lessons and opportunities.

PMID- 20308440
TI  - Part-solid nodules: two steps forward....

PMID- 20308441
TI  - Net assets: PowerPoint pearls for radiology presentations. Part I.

PMID- 20308442
TI  - Update on the use of MR for assessment and diagnosis of psychiatric diseases.
AB  - The lack of quantitative objective measures of psychiatric diseases such as
      anxiety and depression is one reason that the causative factors of psychiatric
      diseases remain obscure. The fact that human behavior is complex and cannot be
      easily tested in laboratories or reproduced in animal models further complicates
      our understanding of psychiatric diseases. During the past 3 decades, several
      magnetic resonance (MR)-based tools such as MR morphometry, diffusion-tensor
      imaging, functional MR imaging, and MR spectroscopy have yielded findings that
      provide tangible evidence of the neurobiologic manifestations of psychiatric
      diseases. In this article, we summarize major MR findings of schizophrenia,
      bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder
      as examples to illustrate the promise that MR techniques hold for not only
      revealing the neurobiological underpinnings of psychiatric disorders but also
      enhancing our understanding of healthy human behavior. However, many radiologists
      remain skeptical about the diagnostic value of MR in psychiatric disease. Many
      inconsistent, noncomparable reports in the literature contribute to this
      skepticism. The aims of this article are to (a) illustrate the most reported MR
      findings of major psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, mood disorders,
      anxiety disorders, and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder; (b) inform
      radiologists of the potential roles of MR imaging in psychiatric imaging
      research; and (c) discuss several confounding factors in the design and
      interpretation of MR imaging findings in psychiatry.

PMID- 20308443
TI  - Decrease in breast density in the contralateral normal breast of patients
      receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy: MR imaging evaluation.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the change of breast density with quantitative magnetic
      resonance (MR) imaging in the contralateral normal breast of patients receiving
      neoadjuvant chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was approved by the
      institutional review board and was HIPAA compliant. Informed consent was
      obtained. Fifty-four patients with breast cancer (mean age, 47 years; age range,
      30-74 years) treated with NAC protocol and enrolled in a breast MR imaging
      research study were studied. The density in the contralateral normal breast was
      analyzed by using an MR imaging-based segmentation method. The effect of
      chemotherapy on the change of density following the doxorubicin and
      cyclophosphamide (AC) and the AC and taxane regimen was evaluated. The dependence
      on age was investigated by using a multivariate regression model. RESULTS: In
      patients who underwent both AC and taxane follow-up, the mean percentage of
      change from the individual's baseline density was -10% (95% confidence interval: 
      12.8%, -7.2%) after AC and -12.7% (95% confidence interval: -16%, -9.4%) after AC
      and taxane. In patients who underwent both follow-up studies after one to two and
      four cycles of AC, the mean percentage of change was -9.4% (95% confidence
      interval: -13.5%, -5.3%) after one to two cycles of AC and -14.7% (95% confidence
      interval: -20.6%, -8.7%) after four cycles of AC. The percentage reduction of
      density was significantly dependent on age. Patients younger than 40 years had a
      greater reduction after chemotherapy than patients older than 55 years (P = .01).
      CONCLUSION: By using three-dimensional MR imaging, patients receiving
      chemotherapy showed reduction of breast density, and the effects were significant
      after initial treatment with one to two cycles of the AC regimen.

PMID- 20308444
TI  - Bicuspid aortic valve: four-dimensional MR evaluation of ascending aortic
      systolic flow patterns.
AB  - PURPOSE: To use time-resolved three-dimensional phase-contrast magnetic resonance
      (MR) imaging, also called four-dimensional flow MR imaging, to evaluate systolic
      blood flow patterns in the ascending aorta that may predispose patients with a
      bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) to aneurysm. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The HIPAA
      compliant protocol received institutional review board approval, and informed
      consent was obtained. Four-dimensional flow MR imaging was used to assess blood
      flow in the thoracic aorta of 53 individuals: 20 patients with a BAV, 25 patients
      with a tricuspid aortic valve (TAV), and eight healthy volunteers. The Fisher
      exact test was used to evaluate the significance of flow pattern differences.
      RESULTS: Nested helical flow was seen at peak systole in the ascending aorta of
      15 of 20 patients with a BAV but in none of the healthy volunteers or patients
      with a TAV. This flow pattern was seen both in patients with a BAV with a dilated
      ascending aorta (n = 6) and in those with a normal ascending aorta (n = 9), was
      seen in the absence of aortic stenosis (n = 5), and was associated with eccentric
      systolic flow jets in all cases. Fusion of right and left leaflets gave rise to
      right-handed helical flow and right-anterior flow jets (n = 11), whereas right
      and noncoronary fusion gave rise to left-handed helical flow with left-posterior
      flow jets (n = 4). CONCLUSION: Four-dimensional flow MR imaging showed abnormal
      helical systolic flow in the ascending aorta of patients with a BAV, including
      those without aneurysm or aortic stenosis. Identification and characterization of
      eccentric flow jets in these patients may help identify those at risk for
      development of ascending aortic aneurysm.

PMID- 20308445
TI  - IN-1233, an ALK-5 inhibitor: prevention of granulation tissue formation after
      bare metallic stent placement in a rat urethral model.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of an activin receptor-like kinase-5 inhibitor,
      IN-1233, for the prevention of tissue hyperplasia after bare stent placement in a
      rat urethral model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Procedures were performed in
      accordance with the National Institutes of Health guidelines for humane handling
      of animals; approval of the committee of animal research was obtained. In 20
      Sprague-Dawley male rats (weight range, 300-350 g), a self-expanding metallic
      bare stent was inserted in the urethra by using fluoroscopic guidance. One group
      of 10 rats (group A) was treated with IN-1233, the other group of 10 rats (group
      B) received no treatment. Retrograde urethrography was performed 4 and 8 weeks
      after stent placement. All rats were sacrificed at 8 weeks for histologic
      analysis. RESULTS: Stent placement was technically successful in all rats. The
      average stent diameter was significantly larger in group A compared with group B
      at follow-up retrograde urethrography performed 4 (P = .006) and 8 (P < .001)
      weeks after stent placement. At histologic analysis, the percentage of
      granulation tissue area (P < .001), thickness of submucosal fibrosis (P < .001),
      and number of epithelial layers (P < .001) were significantly decreased in group
      A compared with group B. Inflammatory cell infiltration (P < .001) was
      significantly increased in group A compared with group B. CONCLUSION: IN-1233 is
      effective for the prevention of granulation tissue formation after bare metallic
      stent placement in a rat urethral model.

PMID- 20308446
TI  - Colorectal and extracolonic cancers detected at screening CT colonography in
      10,286 asymptomatic adults.
AB  - PURPOSE: To retrospectively determine the detection rates, clinical stages, and
      short-term patient survival for all unsuspected cancers identified at screening
      computed tomographic (CT) colonography, including both colorectal carcinoma (CRC)
      and extracolonic malignancies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From April 2004 through
      March 2008, prospective colorectal and extracolonic interpretation was performed
      in 10,286 outpatient adults (5388 men, 4898 women; mean age, 59.8 years)
      undergoing screening CT colonography at two centers in this institutional review
      board-approved, HIPAA-compliant study. For all histologically proved, clinically
      unsuspected cancers detected at CT colonography that were identified at
      retrospective review of the medical records, the stage of disease, treatment, and
      clinical outcome were analyzed. Benign neoplasms (including advanced colorectal
      adenomas), symptomatic lesions, and tumors without pathologic proof were
      excluded. Statistical analysis was performed with Fisher exact test and two
      sample z test. RESULTS: Unsuspected cancer was confirmed in 58 (0.56%) patients
      (33 women, 25 men; mean age, 60.8 years), which included invasive CRC in 22
      patients (0.21%) and extracolonic cancer in 36 patients (0.35%). Extracolonic
      malignancies included renal cell carcinoma (n = 11), lung cancer (n = 8), non
      Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 6), and a variety of other tumors (n = 11). Cancers in 31
      patients (53.4%) were stage I or localized. At the most recent clinical follow-up
      (mean, 30.0 months +/- 11.8 [standard deviation]; range, 12-56 months), three
      patients (5.2%) had died of their cancer. CONCLUSION: The overall detection rate
      of unsuspected cancer is approximately one per 200 asymptomatic adults undergoing
      routine screening CT colonography, including about one invasive CRC per 500 cases
      and one extracolonic cancer per 300 cases. Detection and treatment at an early
      presymptomatic stage may have contributed to the favorable outcome.

PMID- 20308447
TI  - Prostate cancer: value of multiparametric MR imaging at 3 T for detection-
      histopathologic correlation.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine utility of multiparametric imaging performed at 3 T for
      detection of prostate cancer by using T2-weighted magnetic resonance (MR)
      imaging, MR spectroscopy, and dynamic contrast material-enhanced MR imaging, with
      whole-mount pathologic findings as reference standard. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      This prospectively designed, HIPAA-compliant, single-institution study was
      approved by the local institutional review board. Seventy consecutive patients
      (mean age, 60.4 years; mean prostate-specific antigen level, 5.47 ng/mL [5.47
      microg/L]; range, 1-19.9 ng/mL [1-19.9 microg/L]) were included; informed consent
      was obtained from each patient. All patients had biopsy-proved prostate cancer,
      with a median Gleason score of 7 (range, 6-9). Images were obtained by using a
      combination of six-channel cardiac and endorectal coils. MR imaging and
      pathologic findings were evaluated independently and blinded and then correlated
      with histopathologic findings by using side-by-side comparison. Analyses were
      conducted with a raw stringent approach and an alternative neighboring method,
      which accounted for surgical deformation, shrinkage, and nonuniform slicing
      factors in pathologic specimens. Generalized estimating equations (GEEs) were
      used to estimate the predictive value of region-specific, pathologically
      determined cancer for all three modalities. This approach accounts for the
      correlation among multiple regions in the same individual. RESULTS: For T2
      weighted MR imaging, sensitivity and specificity values obtained with stringent
      approach were 0.42 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.36, 0.47) and 0.83 (95% CI:
      0.81, 0.86), and for the alternative neighboring approach, sensitivity and
      specificity values were 0.73 (95% CI: 0.67, 0.78) and 0.89 (95% CI: 0.85, 0.93),
      respectively. The combined diagnostic accuracy of T2-weighted MR imaging, dynamic
      contrast-enhanced MR imaging, and MR spectroscopy for peripheral zone tumors was
      examined by calculating their predictive value with different combinations of
      techniques; T2-weighted MR imaging, dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging, and MR
      spectroscopy provided significant independent and additive predictive value when
      GEEs were used (P < .001, P = .02, P = .002, respectively). CONCLUSION:
      Multiparametric MR imaging (T2-weighted MR imaging, MR spectroscopy, dynamic
      contrast-enhanced MR imaging) of the prostate at 3 T enables tumor detection,
      with reasonable sensitivity and specificity values.

PMID- 20308448
TI  - Effect of reduced radiation CT protocols on the detection of renal calculi.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the effect of reduced radiation (tube charge, measured as
      milliamperes per second) protocols on the sensitivity and specificity of
      multidetector computed tomography (CT) in the detection of renal calculi.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: This Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
      compliant human cadaveric study was approved by the Department of Anatomic
      Pathology with strict adherence to the university policy for handling donor
      specimens. Three to five renal stones (range, 2.0-4.0 mm) were randomly placed in
      14 human cadaveric kidneys and scanned with a 16-detector CT scanner at 100, 60,
      and 30 mAs while maintaining other imaging parameters as constant. Following
      acquisition, images were reviewed independently by two radiologists who were
      blinded to the location and presence of renal calculi. Interobserver agreement
      was measured with kappa statistics. The McNemar test was used to compare the
      sensitivity and specificity between different radiation settings for each reader.
      RESULTS: Specificity for both readers ranged from 105 (0.95; 95% confidence
      interval [CI]: 0.90, 0.99) to 109 (0.99; 95% CI: 0.95, 1.0) of 110 without
      significant differences between 30 and 60 mAs to the standard 100 mAs (P = .500
      to >.999). Sensitivity ranged from 42 (0.74; 95% CI: 0.60, 0.84) to 48 (0.84; 95%
      CI: 0.72, 0.93) of 57, also without significant differences (P = .070 to >.999).
      When renal calculi detection rates were analyzed by size, 3.0-4.0-mm stones were
      detected well at all tube charge settings, ranging from 86%-90% (n = 21 for 3.0
      mm stones) to 95%-100% (n = 19 for 4.0-mm stones). However, 2.0-mm stones were
      poorly detected at all tube charge settings (29%-59%; 5-10 of 17). Overall
      interobserver agreement for stone detection was excellent, with kappa = 0.862.
      CONCLUSION: Decreasing the tube charge from 100 to 30 mAs resulted in similar
      detection of renal stones while reducing patient radiation exposure by as much as
      70%. Multidetector CT scanning parameters should be tailored to minimize
      radiation exposure to the patients while helping detect clinically significant
      renal stones.

PMID- 20308449
TI  - Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction by using bioabsorbable femoral cross
      pins: MR imaging findings at follow-up and comparison with clinical findings.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the frequency of imaging findings and complications related
      to bioabsorbable femoral cross pins at follow-up magnetic resonance (MR) imaging
      studies after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and compare these
      MR imaging findings with clinical evaluation findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      institutional review board approved this retrospective study, and informed
      consent was waived. Follow-up MR imaging studies (average, 26 months after
      surgery) in 218 patients with prior ACL reconstruction were retrospectively
      reviewed. Cross-pin fracture, posterior transcortical breach, migration,
      resorption, and lateral prominence of cross pins, as well as the cross-pin angle
      relative to the transepicondylar line, were investigated on MR images. The
      clinical evaluation included Lachman, anterior drawer, and pivot shift tests, as
      well as assessment for joint tenderness. RESULTS: Fracture, posterior
      transcortical breach, migration, and lateral prominence of cross pins were
      excluded from analysis when at least one cross pin was completely resorbed (n =
      16 patients). Forty-five fractured cross pins were seen in 35 (17%) of 202
      patients. The posterior femoral cortex was breached in 57 (28%) of 202 patients.
      Migration of fractured pin fragments occurred in 12 (6%) of 202 patients. There
      was a significant relationship between fractures and posterior breach of cross
      pins (P = .001), as well as between cross-pin angles and fractures (P = .002).
      Both cross pins were completely resorbed in 12 (6%) of 218 patients (average time
      since surgery, 53 months; range, 8-92 months). No significant association was
      found between any MR imaging finding related to cross pins and clinical test
      findings. CONCLUSION: Fracture and posterior transcortical breach of
      bioabsorbable femoral cross pins, commonly seen at follow-up MR imaging studies,
      do not correlate with clinical findings of joint instability or pain. Posteriorly
      angulated cross pins and posterior transcortical breach are significantly
      associated with cross-pin fractures.

PMID- 20308450
TI  - Functional MR imaging or Wada test: which is the better predictor of individual
      postoperative memory outcome?
AB  - PURPOSE: To retrospectively determine whether blood oxygen level-dependent
      functional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging can aid prediction of postoperative
      memory changes in epileptic patients after temporal lobe surgery. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This study was approved by the local ethics committee, and informed
      consent was obtained from all patients. Data were analyzed from 25 patients (12
      women, 13 men; age range, 19-52 years) with refractory epilepsy in whom temporal
      lobe surgery was performed after they underwent preoperative functional MR
      imaging, the Wada test, and neuropsychological testing. The functional MR imaging
      protocol included three different memory tasks (24-hour delayed recognition,
      encoding, and immediate recognition). Individual activations were measured in
      medial temporal lobe (MTL) regions of both hemispheres. The prognostic accuracy
      of functional MR imaging for prediction of postoperative memory changes was
      compared with the accuracy of the Wada test and preoperative neuropsychological
      testing by using a backward multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: An equation
      that was based on left functional MR imaging MTL activation during delayed
      recognition, side of the epileptic focus, and preoperative global verbal memory
      score was used to correctly predict worsening of verbal memory in 90% of
      patients. The right functional MR imaging MTL activation did not substantially
      correlate with the nonverbal memory outcome, which was only predicted by using
      the preoperative nonverbal global score. Wada test data were not good predictors
      of changes in either verbal or nonverbal memory. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest
      that functional MR imaging activation during a delayed-recognition task is a
      better predictor of individual postoperative verbal memory outcome than is the
      Wada test.

PMID- 20308451
TI  - Second-opinion consultations in neuroradiology.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the patient care benefit of a recently implemented
      institutional policy requiring official second-opinion consultation for all
      studies performed outside the institution. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      institutional review board approved the retrospective review of patient data for
      this HIPAA-compliant study and waived the need for individual informed consent.
      The second-opinion consultation reports for outside neuroradiology studies
      finalized by subspecialty-trained neuroradiologists within calendar year 2008
      were compared with the outside reports provided with the images. The reports were
      categorized by using a five-point scale: 1 indicated no difference in
      interpretation; 2, clinically unimportant difference in detection; 3, clinically
      unimportant difference in interpretation; 4, clinically important difference in
      detection; and 5, clinically important difference in interpretation. Clinically
      important differences were defined as those likely to change patient care or
      diagnoses. Statistical comparisons were performed by using two-sample continuity
      corrected Z tests with two-sided alternatives. Bonferroni corrections were
      performed when more than two rates were compared. Confidence intervals for all
      rates were constructed by using the score interval along with the Yates
      continuity correction. RESULTS: Of 7465 studies, 4534 (60.7%) had an outside
      report for comparison. There were 347 (7.7%) instances with clinically important
      differences. Of these 347 discrepancies, 233 (67.1%) were category 4 and 114
      (32.9%) were category 5. When the final diagnosis was determined from pathology
      reports, clinical assessments, and/or imaging follow-up, the second-opinion
      consultation was noted to be correct in 163 (84.0%) of 194 studies with category
      4 or 5 discrepancies. CONCLUSION: A 7.7% rate of discrepant interpretations (347
      of 4534 studies) was noted for a service offering second-opinion consultations
      for outside examinations. Most were discrepancies in detecting abnormalities
      rather than in interpreting identified findings. When a definitive diagnosis was
      obtainable, the second-opinion consultation was more accurate in 84% of studies.
      Review of outside studies benefits patient care.

PMID- 20308452
TI  - Certainty of stroke diagnosis: incremental benefit with CT perfusion over
      noncontrast CT and CT angiography.
AB  - PURPOSE: To systematically evaluate the diagnostic benefits and inter- and
      intraobserver reliability of an incremental computed tomographic (CT) protocol in
      the confirmation of clinically suspected stroke, with combined imaging and
      clinical data as the reference standard. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Institutional
      review board approval was obtained, and participants gave informed consent. A
      total of 191 patients (mean age, 67 years +/- 16 [standard deviation]; 105 men)
      with strokelike symptoms of no more than 3 hours duration were recruited. Blinded
      review was performed by four readers with limited stroke imaging experience.
      Diagnostic confidence was recorded on a five-point scale. Logistic regression
      analysis was used to calculate the difference between the real and observed
      diagnoses, adjusting for confidence. Predictive effects of observed diagnostic
      performance and confidence score were quantified with the entropy r(2) value.
      Sensitivity, specificity, and confidence intervals were calculated while
      accounting for multiple reader assessments. Receiver operating characteristic
      (ROC) analyses, including area under the ROC curve, were conducted for three
      modalities in combination with confidence score. Inter- and intraobserver
      agreement was established with the Cohen kappa statistic. RESULTS: The final
      diagnosis was infarct in 64% of the patients, transient ischemic attack in 18%,
      and stroke mimic in 17%. Large-vessel occlusion occurred in 70% of the patients
      with an infarct. Sensitivity for stroke determination with noncontrast CT, CT
      angiography, and CT perfusion increased by 12.4% over that with noncontrast CT
      and CT angiography and by 18.2% over that with only noncontrast CT for a
      confidence level of 4 or higher. The incremental protocol was more likely to
      enable confirmation of clinical stroke diagnosis (odds ratio, 13.3) than was
      noncontrast CT and CT angiography (odds ratio, 6.4) or noncontrast CT alone (odds
      ratio, 3.3), The area under the ROC curve was 0.67 for the combination of
      noncontrast CT and confidence score, 0.72 for the combination of CT angiography
      and confidence score, and 0.81 for the combination of CT perfusion and confidence
      score. Inter- and intraobserver agreement increased with progressive sequence
      use. CONCLUSION: An incremental stroke protocol that includes CT perfusion
      increases diagnostic performance for stroke diagnosis and inter- and
      intraobserver agreement.

PMID- 20308453
TI  - Improved detection of active multiple sclerosis lesions: 3D subtraction imaging.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine the benefits of using near-isotropic single-slab three
      dimensional (3D) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for the creation of subtraction
      images and to evaluate their performance in the detection of active multiple
      sclerosis (MS) brain lesions in comparison with two-dimensional (2D) subtraction
      images. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study protocol was approved by the local
      ethics review board and all subjects gave written informed consent before
      investigation. Three-dimensional MR sequences, including double inversion
      recovery, fluid-attenuated inversion recovery, T2-weighted, and T1-weighted
      magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition gradient-echo (MP-RAGE), and
      corresponding 2D sequences were performed twice in 14 patients (eight women, six
      men; mean age, 37.6 years) with MS and nine age-matched healthy control subjects
      (three women, six men; mean age, 31.7 years). Active lesions were scored by two
      independent raters, followed by a consensus reading. Lesion counts were evaluated
      by using negative binomial regression; interrater agreement was evaluated by
      using intraclass correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Three-dimensional subtraction
      images had less residual misregistration and flow artifacts and depicted higher
      numbers of active lesions with greater interobserver agreement compared with 2D
      subtraction images. Among the 3D sequences, MP-RAGE subtraction imaging enabled
      detection of a significantly higher mean number of positive active MS lesions
      compared with 2D subtraction imaging (2.8 versus 1.7, P = .012), particularly
      infratentorial lesions (0.6 vs 0.1, P < .05), and a substantially higher
      (nonsignificant) mean number of small (<3 mm) lesions (0.6 vs 0.1, P > .05).
      CONCLUSION: Three-dimensional subtraction imaging, after image registration,
      produced better image quality, leading to increased detection of active MS
      lesions with greater interobserver agreement in comparison with 2D subtraction
      imaging; 3D MP-RAGE subtraction imaging represents a promising technique to
      increase sensitivity in ascertaining lesion dissemination in time and increase
      the power of MR imaging metrics for the evaluation of treatment effects in
      clinical trials.

PMID- 20308454
TI  - Does multidetector CT attenuation change in colon cancer liver metastases treated
      with 90Y help predict metabolic activity at FDG PET?
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the correlation between change in attenuation and tumor
      metabolic activity assessed by using fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission
      tomography (PET) in colon cancer liver metastases treated with yttrium 90 ((90)Y)
      radioembolization. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This Health Insurance Portability and
      Accountability Act-compliant retrospective study was approved by the
      institutional review board; patient informed consent was waived. Unresectable
      chemorefractory colon cancer liver metastases treated with (90)Y
      radioembolization in 28 patients were evaluated at pre- and posttreatment
      multidetector computed tomographic (CT) and FDG PET scans. Maximum cross
      sectional diameter, volume, and overall attenuation of target lesions were
      calculated. The percentage change (%Delta) in these parameters after treatment
      was calculated and correlated with the standardized uptake value (SUV) analysis
      at FDG PET. The accuracy of the radiologic parameters in helping predict response
      to treatment at FDG PET was assessed. Data were analyzed by using the Student t,
      Wilcoxon matched pair, Mann-Whitney, Spearman rank correlation, and chi(2) tests.
      The significance level was set at .05. RESULTS: Seventy-four metastatic lesions
      in 10 women and 18 men (mean age, 61.5 years +/- 14.3 [standard deviation]) were
      evaluated. Mean follow-up interval for multidetector CT after treatment was 30
      days. A significant reduction in maximum cross-sectional diameter, volume, and
      attenuation was observed from pre- to posttreatment multidetector CT (P < .05).
      The %Delta in attenuation had higher correlation with %Delta in SUV (r = 0.61)
      than diameter (r = 0.39) or volume (r = 0.49) and also predicted the metabolic
      activity at FDG PET with higher sensitivity (P < .001). By using a threshold
      level of a reduction in attenuation of 15% or greater, attenuation showed 84.2%
      sensitivity and 83.3% specificity in predicting response at FDG PET evaluation.
      CONCLUSION: Changes in attenuation of colon cancer liver metastases treated with
      (90)Y radioembolization correlate highly with metabolic activity at FDG PET and
      may be useful as an early surrogate marker for assessing treatment response.

PMID- 20308455
TI  - Skeletal trauma in child abuse: detection with 18F-NaF PET.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the sensitivity of fluorine 18-labeled sodium fluoride
      ((18)F-NaF) positron emission tomography (PET) for assessment of skeletal trauma
      in pediatric patients suspected of having been abused and to compare the
      diagnostic performance of this examination with that of high-detail skeletal
      survey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The institutional review board approved this
      retrospective study and determined that it was in accordance with regulations of
      HIPAA privacy rule 45, Code of Federal Regulations parts 160 and 164, and that
      the criteria for waived patient authorization were met. The baseline skeletal
      survey and PET images obtained in 22 patients younger than 2 years between
      September 2007 and January 2009 were reviewed. Fourteen patients also underwent
      follow-up skeletal survey. The PET images were interpreted by two pediatric
      nuclear medicine physicians. The initially obtained skeletal survey images were
      interpreted blindly by a pediatric radiologist. A second pediatric radiologist
      interpreted the follow-up skeletal survey images in conjunction with the baseline
      survey images and rendered a final interpretation for the 14 patients in whom
      both baseline and follow-up skeletal survey data were available, which served as
      the reference standard. RESULTS: A total of 156 fractures were detected at
      baseline skeletal survey, and 200 fractures were detected at PET. Compared with
      the reference standard (findings in the 14 patients who underwent baseline and
      follow-up skeletal survey), PET had sensitivities of 85% for the detection of all
      fractures, 92% for the detection of thoracic fractures (ribs, sternum, clavicle,
      and scapula), 93% for the detection of posterior rib fractures, and 67% for the
      detection of classic metaphyseal lesions (CMLs), defined as a series of
      microfractures across the metaphysis. Compared with the reference standard,
      baseline skeletal survey had sensitivities of 72% for the detection of all
      fractures, 68% for the detection of thoracic fractures, 73% for the detection of
      posterior rib fractures, and 80% for the detection of CMLs. CONCLUSION: (18)F-NaF
      PET had greater sensitivity in the overall detection of fractures related to
      child abuse than did baseline skeletal survey. (18)F-NaF PET was superior in the
      detection of rib fractures in particular. Thus, (18)F-NaF PET is an attractive
      choice for evaluation of suspected child abuse, an application in which high
      sensitivity is desirable. Because of the lower sensitivity of PET in the
      detection of CMLs, a characteristic fracture in child abuse, initial radiographic
      evaluation remains necessary.

PMID- 20308456
TI  - Pediatric and adolescent lymphoma: comparison of whole-body STIR half-Fourier
      RARE MR imaging with an enhanced PET/CT reference for initial staging.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the diagnostic performance of rapid whole-body anatomic
      magnetic resonance (MR) staging of pediatric and adolescent lymphoma to an
      enhanced positron emission tomographic (PET)/computed tomographic (CT) reference
      standard. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ethical permission was given by the University
      College London Hospital ethics committee, and informed written consent was
      obtained from all participants and/or parents or guardians. Thirty-one subjects
      (age range, 7.3-18.0 years; 18 male, 11 female) with histologically proved
      lymphoma were prospectively recruited. Pretreatment staging was performed with
      whole-body short inversion time inversion-recovery (STIR) half-Fourier rapid
      acquisition with relaxation enhancement (RARE) MR imaging, fluorine 18
      fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT, and contrast agent-enhanced chest CT. Twenty-six
      subjects had posttreatment PET/CT and compromised our final cohort. Eleven nodal
      and 11 extranodal sites per patient were assessed on MR imaging by two
      radiologists in consensus, with a nodal short-axis threshold of >1 cm and
      predefined extranodal positivity criteria. The same sites were independantly
      evaluated by two nuclear medicine physicians on PET/CT images. Disease positivity
      was defined as a maximum standardized uptake value >2.5 or nodal size >1 cm. An
      unblinded expert panel reevaluated the imaging findings, removing perceptual
      errors, and derived an enhanced PET/CT reference standard (taking into account
      chest CT and 3-month follow-up imaging) against which the reported and intrinsic
      performance of MR imaging was assessed by using the kappa statistic. RESULTS:
      There was very good agreement between MR imaging and the enhanced PET/CT
      reference standard for nodal and extranodal staging (kappa = 0.96 and 0.86,
      respectively) which improved following elimination of perceptual errors (kappa =
      0.97 and 0.91, respectively). The sensitivity and specificity of MR imaging
      (following removal of perceptual error) were 98% and 99%, respectively, for nodal
      disease and 91% and 99%, respectively, for extranodal disease. CONCLUSION: Whole
      body STIR half-Fourier RARE MR imaging of pediatric and adolescent lymphoma can
      accurately depict nodal and extranodal disease and may provide an alternative
      nonionizing imaging method for anatomic disease assessment at initial staging.

PMID- 20308457
TI  - Dual-modality breast tomosynthesis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical performance of a hybrid scanner that uses dual
      modality tomosynthesis (DMT) and technetium 99m sestamibi to provide coregistered
      anatomic and functional breast images in three dimensions. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      A prospective pilot evaluation of the scanner was performed in women scheduled to
      undergo breast biopsy after institutional review board approval and informed
      consent were obtained. All subject data were handled in compliance with the rules
      and regulations concerning the privacy and security of protected health
      information under HIPAA. The study included 17 women (mean age, 53 years; age
      range, 44-67 years) and 21 biopsy-sampled lesions. Results of DMT scanning were
      compared with histopathologic results for the 21 lesions. RESULTS: Of the 21
      lesions, seven were malignant, and 14 were benign. Among the 13 subjects with one
      lesion each, three had positive biopsy results, and 10 had negative biopsy
      results. Among the four subjects with two lesions, the biopsy results were as
      follows: bilateral in one, both negative; bilateral in one, both positive;
      unilateral in two, one positive and one negative. The sensitivity, specificity,
      positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of DMT
      scanning were 86%, 100%, 100%, 93%, and 95%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Pilot
      clinical evaluation of the DMT scanner suggests that it is a feasible and
      accurate method with which to detect and diagnose breast cancer. Systems such as
      the DMT scanner that are designed specifically for three-dimensional
      multimodality breast imaging could make possible some of the advances in tumor
      detection, localization, and characterization of breast cancer that are now being
      observed with whole-body three-dimensional hybrid systems, such as positron
      emission tomography/computed tomography (CT) or single photon emission computed
      tomography/CT.

PMID- 20308458
TI  - Compliance with Fleischner Society guidelines for management of small lung
      nodules: a survey of 834 radiologists.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the familiarity of radiologists with the Fleischner Society
      guidelines for management of small lung nodules and to assess whether their
      decisions for nodule management are consistent with these recommendations.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Institutional review board exemption was granted for this
      electronic survey, which was sent to a sample of 7000 radiologists randomly
      selected from the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) directory. Three
      clinical scenarios for nodule management were presented. Information about
      policies and guidelines for nodule management, awareness of published guidelines,
      and respondent demographics was obtained. Associations between these parameters
      and management recommendations were assessed by using a chi(2) test. Respondents
      were also asked about tube current settings for routine chest computed
      tomographic examinations and those performed solely for nodule follow-up.
      RESULTS: Of 834 respondents (response rate, 11.9%), 649 (77.8%) were aware of the
      Fleischner Society guidelines and 490 (58.8%) worked in practices that employed
      them or similar guidelines. Management selections were consistent with the
      Fleischner guidelines in 34.7%-60.8% of responses for the three scenarios. A
      significantly higher rate of concordance was associated with awareness of the
      Fleischner guidelines, presence of written policies based on them, a teaching
      practice setting, practice in a group with at least one member having chest
      radiology fellowship training, and fewer than 5 years of experience practicing
      radiology (P < .05 for all associations). The spectrum of tube current settings
      used was similar between the subgroups of respondents who were aware and those
      who were unaware of the Fleischner guidelines. CONCLUSION: Among survey
      respondents, there was high awareness and adoption of the Fleischner guidelines,
      but radiologists showed varying degrees of conformance with these
      recommendations. Future efforts are necessary to bridge the gap between awareness
      and implementation of these evidence-based guidelines.

PMID- 20308459
TI  - Hyperpolarized 3He MR for sensitive imaging of ventilation function and treatment
      efficiency in young cystic fibrosis patients with normal lung function.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the sensitivity of hyperpolarized helium 3 ((3)He) magnetic
      resonance (MR) imaging for the detection of peripheral airway obstruction in
      younger cystic fibrosis (CF) patients showing normal spirometric results (mean
      forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV(1)], 112% +/- 14.5 [standard
      deviation]) and to observe the immediate effects of a single chest physical
      therapy (CPT) session, thereby comparing two image quantification techniques.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten pediatric CF patients (age range, 8-16 years) with
      normal spirometric results were included in this study after approval from the
      local research ethics committee. Spirometry followed by proton and hyperpolarized
      (3)He three-dimensional lung imaging were performed with a 1.5-T MR unit before
      and after 20 minutes of CPT. The number of ventilation defects per image (VDI)
      and the ventilated lung fraction (VF), defined as the ratio of ventilated lung
      volume divided by total lung volume, were quantified. RESULTS: Ventilation
      defects were found in all patients (mean VDI, 5.1 +/- 1.9; mean global VF, 78.5%
      +/- 12.3; and mean peripheral VF, 75.5% +/- 17.1) despite normal spirometric
      results. After CPT, disparate changes in the distribution of ventilation defects
      were observed but the average VDI and VF did not change significantly (mean VDI,
      5.1 +/- 1.1; mean global VF, 83.5% +/- 12.2; and mean peripheral VF, 80.3% +/-
      12.2). There was no correlation between FEV(1) and VDI (rho = -0.041, P = .863)
      or global VF (rho = -0.196, P = .408) values but peripheral VF and VDI were
      correlated (rho = -0.563, P = .011). CONCLUSION: Although spirometric results
      indicate normal lung function, the mean VDI in patients (5.1) found in this study
      is well above the VDI in healthy subjects (1.6) reported in the literature. A
      single CPT session induces disparate changes in the distribution and extent of
      ventilation defects.

PMID- 20308460
TI  - Optimal scan parameters for CT fluoroscopy in lung interventional radiologic
      procedures: relationship between radiation dose and image quality.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the relationship between radiation doses and lung computed
      tomographic (CT) fluoroscopic scan parameters and to determine optimal scan
      parameters for performance of lung interventional radiologic (IR) procedures.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The institutional review board approved this prospective
      study, which included 32 patients with a single lung tumor; written informed
      consent was obtained. CT fluoroscopic images were obtained with three tube
      voltages (80,120,135 kV) and three tube currents (10, 20, 30 mA) in each patient.
      The signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) and the contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs) were
      measured quantitatively. To evaluate the feasibility of performing lung IR
      procedures, four readers visually scored the image quality. Acceptable CT
      fluoroscopic images were determined by using agreement of at least three of the
      four readers. The weighted CT dose index for each CT scan parameter was measured.
      A piecewise linear regression equation was obtained from the relationship between
      radiation doses and visual image scores. RESULTS: Both the SNR and the CNR
      improved as the radiation dose increased, leading to improvement in the image
      quality. Acceptable image quality was achieved in 94% (30 of 32) of patients when
      the radiation dose was 1.18 mGy/sec (120 kV, 10 mA) and in all patients when it
      was greater than 1.48 mGy/sec (135 kV, 10 mA). The piecewise linear curve showed
      rapid improvement in image quality until the radiation dose increased to 1.48
      mGy/sec (135 kV, 10 mA). When the radiation dose was increased greater than 1.48
      mGy/sec, improvement in the image quality became more gradual. CONCLUSION:
      Results of this study can be used to guide the determination of optimal scan
      parameters in lung CT fluoroscopy.

PMID- 20308461
TI  - H1N1 influenza: initial chest radiographic findings in helping predict patient
      outcome.
AB  - PURPOSE: To retrospectively evaluate whether findings on initial chest
      radiographs of influenza A (H1N1) patients can help predict clinical outcome.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Institutional review board approval was obtained; informed
      consent was waived. All adult patients admitted to the emergency department (May
      to September 2009) with a confirmed diagnosis of H1N1 influenza who underwent
      frontal chest radiography within 24 hours were included. Radiologic findings were
      characterized by type and pattern of opacities and zonal distribution. Major
      adverse outcome measures were mechanical ventilation and death. RESULTS: Of 179
      H1N1 influenza patients, 97 (54%) underwent chest radiography at admission; 39
      (40%) of these had abnormal radiologic findings likely related to influenza
      infection and five (13%) of these 39 had adverse outcomes. Fifty-eight (60%) of
      97 patients had normal radiographs; two (3%) of these had adverse outcomes (P =
      .113). Characteristic imaging findings included the following: ground-glass
      (69%), consolidation (59%), frequently patchy (41%), and nodular (28%) opacities.
      Bilateral opacities were common (62%), with involvement of multiple lung zones
      (72%). Findings in four or more zones and bilateral peripheral distribution
      occurred with significantly higher frequency in patients with adverse outcomes
      compared with patients with good outcomes (multizonal opacities: 60% vs 6%, P =
      .01; bilateral peripheral opacities: 60% vs 15%, P = .049). CONCLUSION: Extensive
      involvement of both lungs, evidenced by the presence of multizonal and bilateral
      peripheral opacities, is associated with adverse prognosis. Initial chest
      radiography may have significance in helping predict clinical outcome but normal
      initial radiographs cannot exclude adverse outcome.

PMID- 20308462
TI  - Can vascularity at power Doppler US help predict thyroid malignancy?
AB  - PURPOSE: To retrospectively evaluate the diagnostic performance of power Doppler
      ultrasonography (US) in depicting vascularity and to determine whether the
      combination of vascularity and suspicious gray-scale US features is more useful
      in predicting thyroid malignancy than are gray-scale features alone. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: This was an institutional review board-approved retrospective study,
      with waiver of informed consent. A total of 1083 thyroid nodules in 1024 patients
      (median age, 51 years; range, 16-83 years), consisting of 886 women (median age,
      50 years; range, 16-83 years) and 138 men (median age, 53 years; range, 19-74
      years), were included. Nodules with marked hypoechogenicity, noncircumscribed
      margins, microcalcifications, and taller-than-wide shape were classified as
      suspicious according to gray-scale US criteria. Vascularity was classified as
      none, peripheral, and intranodular. The diagnostic performance of gray-scale and
      power Doppler US features was compared and classified as follows: criterion 1,
      any single suspicious gray-scale US feature; criterion 2, addition of any
      vascularity as one of the suspicious features to criterion 1; criterion 3,
      addition of peripheral vascularity to criterion 1; criterion 4, addition of
      intranodular vascularity to criterion 1; criterion 5, addition of no vascularity
      to criterion 1; criterion 6, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists
      and Associazione Medici Endocrinology guidelines--all hypoechoic nodules with at
      least one of the following US features: irregular margins, intranodular vascular
      spots, taller-than-wide shape, or microcalcifications. RESULTS: Of 1083 nodules,
      814 were benign and 269 were malignant. Intranodular vascularity was frequently
      seen in benign nodules and no vascularity was more frequent in malignant nodules
      (P < .0001, respectively). The area under the receiver operating characteristic
      curve (A(z)) of criterion 1 was superior (A(z) = 0.851) to that of criteria 2
      (A(z) = 0.634), 3 (A(z) = 0.752), 4 (A(z) = 0.733), 5 (A(z) = 0.718), and 6 (A(z)
      = 0.806) (P < .0001). CONCLUSION: Vascularity itself or a combination of
      vascularity and gray-scale US features was not as useful as the use of suspicious
      gray-scale US features alone for predicting thyroid malignancy.

PMID- 20308463
TI  - Nonresectable combined hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma: analysis
      of the response and prognostic factors after transcatheter arterial
      chemoembolization.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of transcatheter arterial
      chemoembolization (TACE) performed in patients with nonresectable combined
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma and analyze the prognostic
      factors of patient survival after TACE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Each patient
      provided informed consent for TACE. The institutional review board approved the
      current study and waived the requirement for patient consent for this
      retrospective review. From 1997 to 2009, 50 patients underwent TACE for
      nonresectable combined HCC-cholangiocarcinoma. Tumor response was evaluated on
      the basis of findings on computed tomographic (CT) scans obtained a mean of 30.7
      days after TACE. The survival rate and the prognostic factors of patient survival
      were evaluated. RESULTS: After TACE, 35 (70%) of the 50 patients were classified
      as responders--having either a partial response or stable disease with successful
      (>50%) tumor necrosis--and 15 (30%) were classified as nonresponders. Tumor
      response was significantly related to tumor vascularity: One (10%) of the 10
      patients with hypovascular tumors and 34 (85%) of the 40 patients with
      hypervascular tumors were responders (P < .001). The median patient survival
      period was 12.3 months. Results of multivariable Cox regression analyses
      confirmed that tumor size (hazard ratio [HR], 2.49; P = .028), tumor vascularity
      (HR, 4.19; P = .001), Child-Pugh class (HR, 4.3; P = .001), and portal vein
      invasion (HR, 6.45; P < .001) were the independent factors associated with
      patient survival duration after TACE. CONCLUSION: TACE is safe and may be
      effective for prolonging the survival of patients with nonresectable combined HCC
      cholangiocarcinoma, as compared with the historically reported survivals of these
      patients. Tumor vascularity is highly associated with tumor response. The patient
      survival period after TACE for combined HCC-cholangiocarcinoma is significantly
      dependent on tumor size, tumor vascularity, Child-Pugh class, and presence or
      absence of portal vein invasion.

PMID- 20308464
TI  - Celiac axis and common hepatic artery variations in 5002 patients: systematic
      analysis with spiral CT and DSA.
AB  - PURPOSE: To identify and evaluate the spectrum and prevalence of celiac axis (CA)
      and common hepatic artery (CHA) variations by using spiral computed tomography
      (CT) and digital subtraction angiography (DSA). MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Institutional review board approval was obtained, and the requirement for
      informed patient consent was waived. The findings in 5002 patients who underwent
      spiral CT and DSA were retrospectively evaluated. CHA was defined as an arterial
      trunk containing at least one segmental hepatic artery and the gastroduodenal
      artery. The pattern of the aortic origin of the branches of the CA and superior
      mesenteric arteries was analyzed. The CHA anatomy was then investigated. RESULTS:
      Of 15 possible types of CA variation, 13 types were identified. A normal CA was
      noted in 4457 (89.1%) of the 5002 patients. Twelve types of CA variation were
      identified in 482 (9.64%) patients. In the remaining 63 (1.26%) patients, the CA
      anatomy was classified as ambiguous because the CHA was absent owing to separate
      origins of the hepatic arteries and the gastroduodenal artery (n = 55) or because
      the origin of the CHA could not be determined owing to persistent anastomotic
      channels (n = 8). Seven CHAs originating from the normal CA had a retroportal (n
      = 6) or transpancreatic (n = 1) course. All eight CHAs originating from the left
      gastric artery passed the fissure of the ligamentum venosum. The 148 CHAs
      originating from the superior mesenteric artery showed diverse relationships with
      the pancreas--being supra-, trans-, or infrapancreatic--and the superior
      mesenteric-portal venous axis--being pre- or retroportal. The 20 CHAs originating
      from the aorta had a normal suprapancreatic preportal course. CONCLUSION: Known
      or newly found CA and CHA variations could be systematically described in detail.
      The authors propose a hypothetical anatomic model for summarizing the observed
      CHA variations.

PMID- 20308465
TI  - Hepatocellular carcinoma: CT for tumor response after transarterial
      chemoembolization in patients exceeding Milan criteria--selection parameter for
      liver transplantation.
AB  - PURPOSE: To retrospectively evaluate the clinical outcome of patients with
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who exceeded the Milan criteria, who underwent
      transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) before orthotopic liver transplantation
      (OLT), to determine the value of computed tomography (CT)-based tumor response to
      TACE as a preoperative selection criterion for OLT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      study included 33 patients with HCC who exceeded the Milan criteria and underwent
      OLT after TACE. Informed written consent was obtained before TACE and OLT.
      Institutional review board approval was not required. Tumor response to TACE was
      evaluated at 1 month with CT according to amended Response Evaluation Criteria in
      Solid Tumours (RECIST) guidelines. In the explanted liver, degree of tumor
      necrosis (> or = 90%, 50%-89%, or < 50%), residual tumor stage and grade, and
      presence of microvascular invasion were assessed. Follow-up after OLT ranged from
      1 to 143 months. RESULTS: After TACE, CT showed complete tumor response (CR) in
      18 (55%) patients. On the explanted liver, tumor necrosis was rated 90% or
      greater in 20 (61%) patients, with a good correlation with CT. Microvascular
      invasion was observed in nine (27%) of 33 patients; none of them were reported to
      have a CR at CT. The 5-year cumulative survival rate after OLT was 72.5%; it was
      significantly (P = .003) higher in patients with a CR (94.4%) compared with
      patients with a partial response (PR) (45.4%) and stable disease (50%). The 5
      year cumulative recurrence-free rate after OLT was 74.4%; it was not affected by
      the tumor nodule size and number, whereas it was significantly (P = .008) higher
      in patients with a CR (94.4%) compared with patients with a PR (46.7%) and stable
      disease (50%). CONCLUSION: In patients with HCC who exceeded the Milan criteria,
      a CR after TACE, on the basis of amended RECIST guidelines, is associated with
      excellent posttransplantation outcomes. Therefore, 1-month response to TACE
      assessed at CT may represent a valid selection criterion for OLT.

PMID- 20308467
TI  - Case 156: Inverted Meckel diverticulum.

PMID- 20308468
TI  - Mammographic screening: a well-recognized medical advance.

PMID- 20308469
TI  - Correction to the relative risk calculation for gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging
      and nephrogenic systemic fibrosis.

PMID- 20308470
TI  - Molecular characterization of the cis-prenyltransferase of Giardia lamblia.
AB  - Giardia lamblia, the protist that causes diarrhea, makes an Asn-linked-glycan (N
      glycan) precursor that contains just two sugars (GlcNAc(2)) attached by a
      pyrophosphate linkage to a polyprenol lipid. Because the candidate cis
      prenyltransferase of Giardia appears to be more similar to bacterial enzymes than
      to those of most eukaryotes and because Giardia is missing a candidate dolichol
      kinase (ortholog to Saccharomyces cerevisiae SEC59 gene product), we wondered how
      Giardia synthesizes dolichol phosphate (Dol-P), which is used to make N-glycans
      and glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchors. Here we show that cultured
      Giardia makes an unsaturated polyprenyl pyrophosphate (dehydrodolichol), which
      contains 11 and 12 isoprene units and is reduced to dolichol. The Giardia cis
      prenyltransferase that we have named Gl-UPPS because the enzyme primarily
      synthesizes undecaprenol pyrophosphate is phylogenetically related to those of
      bacteria and Trypanosoma rather than to those of other protists, metazoans and
      fungi. In transformed Saccharomyces, the Giardia cis-prenyltransferase also makes
      a polyprenol containing 11 and 12 isoprene units and supports normal growth, N
      glycosylation and GPI anchor synthesis of a rer2Delta, srt1Delta double-deletion
      mutant. Finally, despite the absence of an ortholog to SEC59, Giardia has
      cytidine triphosphate-dependent dolichol kinase activity. These results suggest
      that the synthetic pathway for Dol-P is conserved in Giardia, even if some of the
      important enzymes are different from those of higher eukaryotes or remain
      unidentified.

PMID- 20308471
TI  - Role of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase isoforms in 13-cis retinoic acid metabolism
      in humans.
AB  - 13-cis Retinoic acid (13cisRA, isotretinoin) is an important drug in both
      dermatology, and the treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma. 13cisRA is known to
      undergo cytochrome P450-mediated oxidation, mainly by CYP2C8, but phase II
      metabolic pathways have not been characterized. In the present study, the
      glucuronidation activities of human liver (HLM) and intestinal microsomes (HIM),
      as well as a panel of human UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) toward both
      13cisRA and the 4-oxo metabolite, 4-oxo 13cisRA, were compared using high
      performance liquid chromatography. Both HLM and, to a greater extent, HIM
      catalyzed the glucuronidation of 13cisRA and 4-oxo 13cisRA. Based on the
      structures of 13cisRA and 4-oxo 13cisRA, the glucuronides formed are conjugated
      at the terminal carboxylic acid. Further analysis revealed that UGT1A1, UGT1A3,
      UGT1A7, UGT1A8, and UGT1A9 were the major isoforms responsible for the
      glucuronidation of both substrates. For 13cisRA, a pronounced substrate
      inhibition was observed with individual UGTs and with HIM. UGT1A3 exhibited the
      highest rate of activity toward both substrates, and a high rate of activity
      toward 13cisRA glucuronidation was also observed with UGT1A7. However, for both
      substrates, K(m) values were above concentrations reported in clinical studies.
      Therefore, UGT1A9 is likely to be the most important enzyme in the
      glucuronidation of both substrates as this enzyme had the lowest K(m) and is
      expressed in both the intestine and at high levels in the liver.

PMID- 20308472
TI  - Muscle edema.

PMID- 20308473
TI  - Contrast-enhanced myocardial inversion time at the null point for detection of
      left ventricular myocardial fibrosis in patients with dilated and hypertrophic
      cardiomyopathy: a pilot study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to investigate a noninvasive method for
      quantifying diffuse myocardial fibrosis with cardiac MRI in patients with dilated
      cardiomyopathy and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      performed cardiac MRI on 35 patients (24 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and
      11 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) and 10 control subjects, on a
      clinical 1.5-T cardiac MRI scanner. Delayed hyperenhancement images were obtained
      15 minutes after injection of a bolus of gadopentetate dimeglumine (0.2 mmol/kg),
      to identify fibrosis using an inversion recovery gradient-echo technique
      (inversion time scout sequence: TR, 20.8 milliseconds; TE, 1.3 milliseconds;
      inversion time, individually determined to null the myocardial signal [range, 85
      800 milliseconds]). An inversion time mapping sequence was used to calculate the
      contrast-enhanced myocardial inversion time at the null point of a single
      midventricular slice as an index of diffuse fibrosis. RESULTS: The mean contrast
      enhanced myocardial inversion time at the null point was significantly shorter in
      the patient group than the control group (343. 7 +/- 27.9 vs 390.4 +/- 19.3
      milliseconds; p < 0.0001). In the patient group, the mean contrast-enhanced
      myocardial inversion time at the null point was shorter in patients with dilated
      cardiomyopathy than in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (337.0 +/- 29.6
      vs 358.6 +/- 17.1 milliseconds, p = 0.02). In the dilated cardiomyopathy group,
      contrast-enhanced myocardial inversion time at the null point was significantly
      related to the left ventricular ejection fraction (r = 0.52; p = 0.01). However,
      in the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy group, contrast-enhanced myocardial inversion
      time at the null point had only a small positive correlation with the left
      ventricular ejection fraction (r = 0.27; p = 0.41). CONCLUSION: Contrast-enhanced
      myocardial inversion time at the null point is shorter with myocardial fibrosis
      in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In
      dilated cardiomyopathy, contrast-enhanced myocardial inversion time at the null
      point is inversely related to the severity of dilated cardiomyopathy.

PMID- 20308474
TI  - Cardiac MRI in arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a cause of
      sudden cardiac death in otherwise healthy young adults. This article outlines the
      spectrum of MRI findings in ARVC using a combination of static and cine images.
      CONCLUSION: The detection of right ventricular enlargement, fatty infiltration,
      fibrosis, and wall motion abnormalities at MRI is useful in the diagnosis of
      ARVC.

PMID- 20308475
TI  - How not to miss or mischaracterize a renal cell carcinoma: protocols, pearls, and
      pitfalls.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: MDCT protocol optimization for renal cell carcinoma requires attention
      to several data acquisition, reconstruction, and display parameters.
      Specifically, multiple acquisitions with varying coverage, careful timing of each
      contrast-enhanced phase, and use of 2D and 3D multiplanar displays are required.
      This article reviews these parameters, supplemented by experience-based pearls
      and pitfalls. CONCLUSION: Proper data acquisition and utilization of
      postprocessing tools are essential to avoid missed diagnoses or misinterpretation
      when imaging renal cell carcinoma.

PMID- 20308476
TI  - Diffusion-weighted MRI of peripheral zone prostate cancer: comparison of tumor
      apparent diffusion coefficient with Gleason score and percentage of tumor on core
      biopsy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to determine the relationship between
      the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value on diffusion-weighted imaging
      (DWI) and Gleason score of prostate cancer and percentage of tumor involvement on
      prostate core biopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective study
      of 57 patients with biopsy-proven prostate cancer who underwent endorectal MRI
      with DWI between July 2007 and March 2008. Regions of interest (ROIs) were drawn
      on ADC maps at sites of visible tumor on DW images and ADC maps. A hierarchic
      mixed linear model was used to compare the ADC value of prostate cancer with the
      Gleason score and the percentage of tumor on core biopsy. RESULTS: Eighty-one
      sites of biopsy-proven prostate cancer were visible on DW images and ADC maps.
      The least-squares mean ADC for disease with a Gleason score of 6 was 0.860 x 10(
      3) mm(2)/s (standard error of the mean [SEM], 0.036); Gleason score of 7, 0.702 x
      10(-3) mm(2)/s (SEM, 0.030); Gleason score of 8, 0.672 x 10(-3) mm(2)/s (SEM,
      0.057); and Gleason score of 9, 0.686 x 10(-3) mm(2)/s (SEM, 0.067). Differences
      between the mean ADC values for a prostate tumor with a Gleason score of 6 and
      one with a Gleason score of 7 (p = 0.0096) and for a prostate tumor with a
      Gleason score of 6 and one with a Gleason score of 8 (p = 0.0460) were
      significant. Comparison between the ADC and percentage of tumor on core biopsy
      showed a mean ADC decrease of 0.006 (range, 0.004-0.008 x 10(-3) mm(2)/s) for
      every 1% increase in tumor in the core biopsy specimen. CONCLUSION: DWI may help
      differentiate between low-risk (Gleason score, 6) and intermediate-risk (Gleason
      score, 7) prostate cancer and between low-risk (Gleason score, 6) and high-risk
      (Gleason score > 7) prostate cancer. There is an inverse relationship between the
      ADC and the percentage of tumor involvement on prostate core biopsies.

PMID- 20308477
TI  - MRI in lipid-lowering agent-associated myopathy: a retrospective review of 21
      cases.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to identify disease-specific patterns
      of myopathic changes in patients with lipid-lowering agent (LLA)-associated
      myopathy using a dedicated MRI protocol. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Axial T1- and T2
      weighted STIR images were obtained for the detection of lipomatosis and edema,
      respectively, of the thighs and legs. Information about patient age, sex,
      duration of dyslipidemia and of medication use, latency of symptom onset, maximum
      creatine kinase (CK) level, presence of myalgia and muscle weakness, and LLA or
      LLAs used was collected. RESULTS: Significant correlations resulted for the
      radiologic diagnosis of LLA-associated myopathy and maximum CK level; the
      presence of edema and maximum CK level; edema and weakness in the ventral thigh
      muscle group, thigh adductors, or deep dorsal muscle group of the legs; and
      lipomatosis and weakness of the deep dorsal muscle group of the legs and peroneal
      muscle group, respectively. CONCLUSION: MRI is a method that helps detect active
      pathologic processes in patients with suspected LLA-associated myopathy but does
      not reveal disease-specific patterns.

PMID- 20308478
TI  - Skeletal SPECT/CT of the peripheral extremities.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Hybrid cameras that combine SPECT and helical CT can be used to
      correlate scintigraphic information with morphologic information in one imaging
      session. The purpose of this study was to investigate, in comparison with the
      value of scintigraphy and SPECT alone, the incremental diagnostic value of
      skeletal SPECT/CT in the care of patients with pain of the extremities. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Seventy-one patients without cancer who had pain in the extremities
      underwent three-phase bone scintigraphy and SPECT/CT of either the upper (n = 20)
      or the lower (n = 51) extremities. Planar scintigraphic and SPECT images and
      planar scintigraphic and SPECT/CT images were interpreted independently from each
      other. The findings were classified into the following diagnostic categories:
      normal, trauma, tumor, osteomyelitis, and osteoarthritis. RESULTS: Four patients
      had no abnormal bone metabolism or CT abnormality in the extremities. Among 34
      lesions classified as osteoarthritis on planar and SPECT images, seven were
      reclassified as fracture and one as benign tumor at SPECT/CT. Of 15 lesions
      initially classified as osteomyelitis, four were diagnosed as osteoarthritis,
      four as fracture, and one as inflammation of the soft tissue only. Of eight
      diagnoses of fracture with the conventional approach, two were reclassified as
      osteomyelitis and two as osteoarthritis. In one of 10 patients with the initial
      diagnosis of a tumorlike lesion, the diagnosis was changed to trauma on the basis
      of SPECT/CT findings, and in another patient, the diagnosis was changed to
      osteoarthritis. Overall, SPECT/CT findings led to revision of the diagnostic
      category in the cases of 23 of 71 patients (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Compared with
      bone scintigraphy and SPECT, the use of SPECT/CT increases diagnostic accuracy in
      the evaluation of orthopedic disorders affecting the extremities.

PMID- 20308479
TI  - Superior vena cava obstruction evaluation with MDCT.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to review the CT findings associated
      with superior vena cava obstruction and to illustrate collateral venous pathways
      bypassing the obstruction as shown on MDCT. CONCLUSION: Multiple collateral
      venous pathways can form to bypass an obstruction of the superior vena cava. With
      its ability to acquire near isotropic data, MDCT allows high-quality reformations
      and thus exquisitely displays these venous collaterals and has the potential to
      aid in planning therapy to bypass the obstruction.

PMID- 20308480
TI  - Ultrasound guiding device: suggestions for further improvements.

PMID- 20308481
TI  - CT distinction of interarterial and intraseptal courses of anomalous left
      coronary artery arising from inappropriate aortic sinus.

PMID- 20308482
TI  - Recognition of specific morphologic patterns for identifying benign thyroid
      nodules.

PMID- 20308483
TI  - Control and management of the radiation environment.

PMID- 20308484
TI  - Image gently: Ten steps you can take to optimize image quality and lower CT dose
      for pediatric patients.

PMID- 20308485
TI  - Embryo dose estimates in body CT.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to develop a method for estimating
      embryo doses in CT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Absorbed doses to the uterus (embryo)
      of a 70-kg woman were estimated using the ImPACT CT Patient Dosimetry Calculator.
      For a particular CT scan length, relative uterus doses and normalized plateau
      uterus doses were determined for a range of commercial CT scanners. Patient size
      characteristics were obtained from cross-sectional axial images of 100
      consecutive patients (healthy women undergoing unenhanced pelvic CT
      examinations). For each patient, the diameter of a water cylinder with the same
      mass as the patient's pelvis was computed. Relative dose values were generated
      for cylinder diameters ranging from 16 to 36 cm at x-ray tube voltages between 80
      and 140 kV. RESULTS: Values of relative uterus dose increased monotonically with
      increasing scan length, independently of scanner model, and reached a plateau for
      scan lengths greater than approximately 50 cm. The average normalized plateau
      uterus dose for all scanners was approximately 1.4 and showed interscanner
      differences of less than 10% for modern scanners operated at 120 kV. Normalized
      plateau doses show little dependence on the x-ray tube voltage used to perform
      the CT examination. Our results show that the uterus dose estimate in an
      abdominal or pelvis CT examination performed on a 70-kg patient is about 40%
      higher than the reported value of the volume CT dose index (CTDI(vol)). The
      pelvis of a 70-kg patient may be modeled as a water cylinder with a diameter of
      28 cm and has an average anteroposterior dimension of 22 cm. For constant CT
      technique factors, embryo dose estimates for a 45-kg patient would be
      approximately 18% higher than those for a 70-kg patient, whereas the
      corresponding dose estimates in a 120-kg patient would be approximately 37%
      lower. CONCLUSION: Embryo doses can be estimated using relative uterus doses,
      normalized plateau uterus doses, and CTDI(vol) data with correction factors for
      patient size.

PMID- 20308486
TI  - Estimating effective dose for CT using dose-length product compared with using
      organ doses: consequences of adopting International Commission on Radiological
      Protection publication 103 or dual-energy scanning.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to compare dose-length product (DLP)
      based estimates of effective dose with organ dose-based calculations using tissue
      weighting factors from publication 103 of the International Commission on
      Radiological Protection (ICRP) or dual-energy CT protocols. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Using scanner- and energy-dependent organ dose coefficients, we
      calculated effective doses for CT examinations of the head, chest, coronary
      arteries, liver, and abdomen and pelvis using routine clinical single- or dual
      energy protocols and tissue-weighting factors published in 1991 in ICRP
      publication 60 and in 2007 in ICRP publication 103. Effective doses were also
      generated from the respective DLPs using published conversion coefficients that
      depend only on body region. For each examination type, the same volume CT dose
      index was used for single- and dual-energy scans. RESULTS: Effective doses
      calculated for CT examinations using organ dose estimates and ICRP 103 tissue
      weighting factors differed relative to ICRP 60 values by -39% (-0.5 mSv, head),
      14% (1 mSv, chest), 36% (4 mSv, coronary artery), 4% (0.6 mSv, liver), and -7% (
      1 mSv, abdomen and pelvis). DLP-based estimates of effective dose, which were
      derived using ICRP 60-based conversion coefficients, were less than organ dose
      based estimates for ICRP 60 by 4% (head), 23% (chest), 37% (coronary artery), 12%
      (liver), and 19% (abdomen and pelvis) and for ICRP 103 by -34% (head), 37%
      (chest), 74% (coronary artery), 16% (liver), and 12% (abdomen and pelvis). All
      results were energy independent. CONCLUSION: These differences in estimates of
      effective dose suggest the need to reassess DLP to E conversion coefficients when
      adopting ICRP 103, particularly for scans over the breast. For the evaluated
      scanner, DLP to E conversion coefficients were energy independent, but ICRP 60
      based conversion coefficients underestimated effective dose relative to organ
      dose-based calculations.

PMID- 20308487
TI  - How effective is effective dose as a predictor of radiation risk?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This article discusses the relatively recent adoption of effective
      dose in medicine that allows comparison between different imaging techniques, and
      describes the principles, pitfalls, and potential value of effective dose. The
      medical community must use this information wisely, realizing that effective dose
      represents a generic estimate of risk from a given procedure for a generic model
      of the human body. CONCLUSION: Effective dose is not the risk for any one
      individual. Due to the inherent uncertainties and oversimplifications involved,
      effective dose should not be used for epidemiologic studies or for estimating
      population risks.

PMID- 20308488
TI  - Pseudohelical scan for the dose profile measurements of 160-mm-wide cone-beam
      MDCT.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to determine what the reasonable total phantom
      length should be for the measurements and determination of length equilibrium,
      specifically for the Aquilion ONE cone-beam MDCT system. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Radiation dose measurements of a 160-mm-wide cone-beam-MDCT scanner and its
      radiation dose profile require a different approach than the traditional or
      conventional method using thermoluminescent dosimeters or small ionization
      chambers, which have been suggested by some investigators. In order to obtain the
      radiation dose profile of a cone-beam MDCT, two key elements must be addressed:
      proper instrumentation for the detection of radiation beam and inclusion of the
      tails of the radiation dose profile. In this study, a small (2 x 2 x 0.3 mm)
      solid-state detector was used to measure the dose profile, which required the
      introduction of a stepping motor to pull the detector through the phantom.
      Inclusion of the tails of the radiation dose profile meant more than one standard
      CT dose index phantom would be required to encompass the dose profile tails as
      much as practically possible. In fact, at minimum, a total of five standard CT
      dose index (CTDI) phantoms would be required to ensure the entire dose profile is
      included and detected. RESULTS: In the case of Toshiba Aquilion ONE MDCT with the
      maximum beam width of 160 mm, the phantom length that is required for the
      radiation dose profile measurement should be at least 750 mm, or 5 standard CTDI
      body phantoms. Current CTDI measurements utilizing 150 mm or 350 mm phantom
      lengths significantly underestimate the total dose of wide cone-beam MDCT.
      CONCLUSION: The measurement method outlined in this study amounts to an
      introduction of a new CT dose profile measurement using a pseudohelical scan.

PMID- 20308489
TI  - Contrast material injection protocol with the dose adjusted to the body surface
      area for MDCT aortography.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to investigate the effect on aortic
      enhancement of contrast material volumes adjusted for a patient's body surface
      area (BSA) at CT angiography (CTA). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A 64-MDCT scanner was
      used to perform CTA of the whole aorta in 89 patients (mean age, 68.7 years) with
      confirmed or suspected aortoiliac disease. The patients were divided into groups:
      a body weight (BW) group (n = 45) and a BSA (n = 44) group. The contrast dose was
      360 mg I/kg BW in the BW group and 12,753 mg I/m(2) BSA in the BSA group. Because
      the average BW of Japanese adults is approximately 60 kg, the contrast dose in
      the two protocols was identical in patients weighing 60 kg. We compared aortic
      enhancement achieved with the two protocols using the two-tailed Student's t
      test, and we used the generalized linear model to analyze the effect of patient
      age, sex, and BW on aortic enhancement in each protocol group. RESULTS: The mean
      aortic enhancement in the BW and BSA groups was 324.2 and 311.7 HU, respectively;
      the difference was not significant (p = 0.26). In the BW group, BW had a
      statistically significant effect on aortic enhancement (p < 0.01), whereas
      neither patient age nor sex did (p = 0.08 and 0.07, respectively). In the BSA
      group, the age, sex, BW, and BW by sex had no statistically significant effect on
      aortic enhancement (p = 0.33, 023, 0.10, and 0.16, respectively). CONCLUSION:
      Under the BSA protocol, aortic enhancement tended to be consistent and adequate
      regardless of patient BW.

PMID- 20308490
TI  - What radiologists want to see: stack mode display in PowerPoint.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to describe a stack mode viewer that is
      fully embeddable in PowerPoint and does not require external files. CONCLUSION:
      We developed a Web-based service named "RadViewer" that creates a Flash-based
      stack mode viewer and that is automatically embedded into PowerPoint. Features
      include mouse wheel and keyboard scrolling, zoom, cine loop, and brightness and
      contrast controls similar to those of a PACS workstation. Stack mode viewer
      created by RadViewer can be used in most radiology society meetings and
      conferences that use PowerPoint.

PMID- 20308491
TI  - Measurement of pulmonary circulation parameters using time-resolved MR
      angiography in patients after Ross procedure.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purposes of our study were to retrospectively evaluate the
      pulmonary circulation parameters of pulmonary transit time and pulmonary blood
      volume in patients after Ross procedures using time-resolved MR angiography and
      to investigate associations with right ventricular dysfunction in the same group
      of patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen patients who had undergone a Ross
      procedure (12 men, four women; mean age, 42.13 +/- 14.24 years; age range, 21-68
      years) and 16 age- and sex-matched control patients (12 men, 4 women; mean age,
      42.25 +/- 14.62 years; age range, 21-68 years) were evaluated using cardiac MRI
      and Argus postprocessing software. Right and left ventricular volumetric
      parameters, including ejection fraction, end-systolic volume, and end-diastolic
      volume, were measured from cine true fast imaging with steady-state precession
      images. Pulmonary circulation parameters, including pulmonary transit time, were
      measured using dynamic time-resolved MR angiography and pulmonary blood volume
      was calculated. Pulmonary circulation parameters were correlated with volumetric
      parameters. The results were statistically analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U
      test, paired-samples Student's t test, Pearson's correlation, and linear
      regression. RESULTS: Pulmonary circulation parameters were significantly
      prolonged in patients after the Ross procedure compared with control patients (p
      < 0.01). Strong correlations exist between pulmonary circulation parameters and
      right ventricular function, especially pulmonary transit time and right
      ventricular ejection fraction (R > 0.60, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Patients after
      undergoing the Ross procedure had prolonged pulmonary transit times compared with
      normal control patients; this and other pulmonary circulation parameters best
      correlate with worsened right ventricular ejection fraction and may be predictors
      of right ventricular dysfunction in this group of patients.

PMID- 20308492
TI  - Combined cardiac CT and MRI for the comprehensive workup of hemodynamically
      relevant coronary stenoses.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was to prospectively evaluate the accuracy of
      a comprehensive assessment of coronary artery disease (CAD) with prospectively
      ECG-gated coronary CT angiography (CTA) and perfusion-cardiac MRI for the
      detection of hemodynamically relevant coronary stenoses. SUBJECTS AND METHODS:
      Forty-seven consecutive patients underwent k-space and time broad-use linear
      acquisition speed-up technique accelerated perfusion-cardiac MRI at 1.5 T and
      dual-source coronary CTA. Catheter coronary angiography (CA), coronary CTA, and
      perfusion-cardiac MRI were all performed within a median time interval of 7.5
      days. Detection of hemodynamically relevant stenoses by the combination of
      coronary CTA plus perfusion-cardiac MRI was compared with the combination of CA
      plus perfusion-cardiac MRI, the latter serving as the standard of reference.
      RESULTS: CA identified stenoses in 75 of 141 coronary arteries (53.2%) in 33 of
      47 patients (70.2%). Cardiac MRI revealed perfusion defects in 30 of 47 patients
      (63.8%). Image quality of coronary CTA was diagnostic in 635 of 638 segments
      (99.5%). Coronary CTA revealed stenoses greater than 50% in 76 of 141 coronary
      arteries (53.9%) of 33 of 47 patients (70.2%). Sensitivity, specificity, negative
      and positive predictive value, and accuracy of coronary CTA and perfusion-cardiac
      MRI versus CA and perfusion-cardiac MRI for the detection of hemodynamically
      relevant stenoses were 96.7%, 100%, 94.4%, 100%, and 97.9%, respectively.
      CONCLUSION: The combination of coronary CTA and perfusion-cardiac MRI shows
      diagnostic performance comparable to that of CA and perfusion-cardiac MRI.
      Preliminary data suggest that coronary CTA may replace CA in the diagnosis of
      hemodynamically relevant CAD.

PMID- 20308493
TI  - Influence of applying nitroglycerin in whole-heart free-breathing 3D coronary MR
      angiography.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was to assess the impact of sublingual
      nitroglycerin (NTG) spray on free-breathing 3D whole-heart coronary MR
      angiography (MRA). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We compared the timing parameters;
      measured the lumen diameter of the major coronary arteries; calculated coronary
      vasodilation, apparent signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and apparent contrast-to
      noise ratio (CNR); and evaluated the image quality on pre- and post-NTG coronary
      MRA in 15 volunteers. Statistical analysis was performed with p value less than
      0.05 considered significant. RESULTS: The mean trigger delay and optimal
      acquisition window were shortened significantly and the mean scanning time was
      prolonged statistically after NTG administration. There was no significant
      alteration in terms of apparent SNR and apparent CNR. The lumen diameters were
      significantly larger in coronary MRA post-NTG than in that of pre-NTG, with an
      average 25.35% +/- 6.51% (SD) increase, and the left circumflex coronary artery
      (LCX) had slightly lower vasodilation in comparison with the right coronary
      artery. Image quality scores of 53 (39.3%, 53/135) segments were increased and 15
      segments (11.1%, 15/135) decreased after NTG administration, and the remaining 67
      segments (49.6%, 67/135) were unchanged. CONCLUSION: In general, sublingual NTG
      is useful for improving visualization of the coronary artery lumen and
      alleviating the impact of artifact. However, several alterations and
      disadvantages should be taken into consideration in view of the disturbed
      assessment of vasodilatory response in the LCX and the impaired quality in a
      minority of segments after NTG administration. Further studies are needed to
      evaluate the effect of beta-blockade on eliminating the disadvantages of
      sublingual NTG.

PMID- 20308494
TI  - Effect of padding duration on radiation dose and image interpretation in
      prospectively ECG-triggered coronary CT angiography.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Prospectively ECG-triggered coronary CT angiography images are
      acquired during a window in middiastole. Additional surrounding x-ray beam on
      time, or padding, can be variably set, and the increased padding results in
      additional available phases for analysis. The purpose of this study was to assess
      the effect of padding duration on image interpretability and its incident effect
      on radiation dose. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We prospectively evaluated imaging of
      886 patients undergoing consecutive prospectively ECG-triggered coronary CT
      angiographic examinations at three centers and compared the findings in patients
      stratified by padding duration. We assessed the effect of padding duration on
      image interpretability and radiation dose. RESULTS: The mean patient age was 56
      +/- 12 years, and 58% of the patients were men. The median heart rate was 55
      beats/min (interquartile range, 50-61 beats/min). Padding duration was 0, 1-99,
      and 100-150 milliseconds for 268, 482, and 136 patients, respectively, with no
      difference in image interpretability rate between groups (per patient, 98.8%,
      97.3%, and 97.1%; per artery, 99.2%, 99.2%, and 99.1%). The groups differed in
      median radiation dose (2.3 mSv [interquartile range, 1.5-3.2 mSv]; 3.8 mSv
      [interquartile range, 2.3-4.7 mSv]; 5.5 mSv [interquartile range, 3.8-6.1 mSv]; p
      < 0.001). Independent of patient and scan parameters, increased padding was
      associated with greater radiation dose (45% increase per 100-millisecond increase
      in padding, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In a large multicenter study of coronary CT
      angiography of patients with excellent heart rate control, the use of minimal
      padding was associated with a substantial reduction in radiation dose with
      preserved image interpretability. Use of no or reduced padding should be
      considered in dose-reduction strategies.

PMID- 20308495
TI  - High-pitch dual-source CT angiography of the thoracic and abdominal aorta: is
      simultaneous coronary artery assessment possible?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to prospectively evaluate the average
      heart rate and heart rate variability required for diagnostic imaging of the
      coronary arteries with high-pitch dual-source CT angiography of the thoracic and
      thoracoabdominal aorta. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: One hundred consecutively
      registered patients (82 men, 18 women; mean age, 68 +/- 13 years) underwent
      clinically indicated CT angiography of the thoracic (n = 33) and thoracoabdominal
      (n = 67) aorta with a dual-source 128-MDCT scanner in ECG-synchronized high-pitch
      (pitch, 3.2) data acquisition mode. No beta-blockers were administered. The image
      quality of the coronary arteries was graded on a 3-point scale by two independent
      blinded readers. The average heart rate and heart rate variability before data
      acquisition were noted. Effective radiation doses were calculated. RESULTS:
      Interobserver agreement on grade of image quality for the 1,414 coronary segments
      evaluated by both observers was good (kappa = 0.68). Diagnostic image quality was
      found for 1,375 of the 1,414 segments (97.2%) in 83 of 100 patients (83%). In 17%
      of the patients, image quality was nondiagnostic for at least one coronary artery
      segment. Average heart rate and heart rate variability (each p < 0.05) were
      significantly higher in patients with at least one nondiagnostic coronary segment
      compared with those without. All patients with an average heart rate less than 63
      beats/min and heart rate variability less than 1.2 beats/min had diagnostic image
      quality in all coronary segments. Effective radiation doses were 2.3 +/- 0.3 mSv
      for thoracic and 4.4 +/- 0.5 mSv for thoracoabdominal CT angiography. The average
      scan times were 0.88 +/- 0.06 second for thoracic and 1.67 +/- 0.15 seconds for
      thoracoabdominal CT angiography. CONCLUSION: For patients with an average heart
      rate less than 63 beats/min and heart rate variability less than 1.2 beats/min,
      dual-source CT angiography of the thoracoabdominal aorta at a high pitch of 3.2
      delivers diagnostic depiction of the coronary arteries at a low radiation dose.

PMID- 20308496
TI  - High-resolution double arterial phase hepatic MRI using adaptive 2D centric view
      ordering: initial clinical experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to evaluate a new 3D fast spoiled
      gradient-recalled echo (FSPGR) sequence referred to as modified liver
      acceleration volume acquisition (LAVA) for high-resolution gadolinium-enhanced
      dual arterial phase liver MRI and to determine the effect of this technique on
      the timing of the contrast bolus and lesion detection. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Gadolinium-enhanced dual arterial phase liver MRI was performed in 109 patients
      using a modified LAVA sequence that supports adaptive 2D centric view ordering,
      efficient 2D autocalibrated acceleration, and partial-Fourier to achieve faster
      scan times while maintaining the same slice thickness, resolution, and coverage
      as single-phase imaging. After a fixed 20-second scan delay, a modified LAVA
      acquisition required a single 24- to 26-second breath-hold for two arterial
      phases with 56-60 slices per pass. Images were reviewed for timing relative to
      liver enhancement, lesion conspicuity, and lesion detection. Liver lesion
      depiction was evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively. A control group of 109
      patients underwent imaging using a single arterial phase 3D FSPGR sequence, which
      was also performed with a fixed 20-second scan delay. RESULTS: The single
      arterial phase images produced optimal timing in the middle or late arterial
      phase in 79 (72%) of the 109 control group patients compared with 99 (91%) of the
      109 study group patients who underwent imaging using a dynamic modified LAVA dual
      arterial phase sequence. For the modified LAVA sequence, the first-pass images
      were obtained during the mid arterial phase in 34 patients (31%). The second-pass
      images were obtained during the mid arterial phase in 51 patients (47%) and late
      arterial phase in 26 patients (24%). Sixty-two patients had liver lesions showing
      greater conspicuity--on the first phase in 17 patients (27%) and second phase in
      45 patients (73%). Hypovascular lesions were more conspicuous on second-phase
      images in 24 (86%) of 28 patients. Hypervascular lesions were more conspicuous on
      first-phase images in 13 patients (38%) and on second-phase images in 21 (62%) of
      34 patients. The first-phase images detected 165 and 155 liver lesions,
      respectively, for two observers compared with 233 and 224 lesions on the second
      phase images, whereas the combined dual arterial phase images detected 256 and
      248 hepatic lesions. CONCLUSION: High-resolution dual arterial phase 3D FSPGR MRI
      improves the timing of the arterial phase of liver enhancement and provides
      additional information for liver lesion detection.

PMID- 20308497
TI  - Diagnostic performance of CT in the detection of intestinal ischemia associated
      with small-bowel obstruction using maximal attenuation of region of interest.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the diagnostic performance of
      CT in the detection of intestinal ischemia associated with small-bowel
      obstruction using the maximal attenuation of a region of interest (ROI).
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Abdominal CT scans of 60 patients with small-bowel
      obstruction were retrospectively reviewed. The reference standard of the
      clinicopathologic groups was classified into four categories: no bowel necrosis,
      mucosal-submucosal necrosis, superficial muscle necrosis, and transmural
      necrosis. The viability of the small bowel on CT was evaluated by visual
      assessment using five categories (i.e., definitely intestinal ischemia, probably
      intestinal ischemia, possibly intestinal ischemia, equivocal CT results, and no
      intestinal ischemia) and by measurement of the maximal attenuation of an ROI at
      selected obstructed small-bowel loops on contrast-enhanced and unenhanced CT
      scans. Diagnostic performances were evaluated by one-way analysis of variance and
      receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. RESULTS: The sensitivity,
      specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy of visual
      assessment for intestinal ischemia were 91.7% (33/36), 66.7% (16/24), 80.5%
      (33/41), 84.2% (16/19), and 81.7% (49/60), respectively. The maximal attenuation
      of the ROIs on contrast-enhanced CT and the subtraction value between the maximal
      attenuation on contrast-enhanced CT and that on unenhanced CT scans at selected
      bowel were significantly different according to clinicopathologic group (p <
      0.001). The area under the ROC curve of the maximal attenuation subtraction
      values between contrast-enhanced and unenhanced CT scans (0.995) was higher than
      that of visual assessment (0.908) for the detection of intestinal ischemia.
      CONCLUSION: The quantification of bowel wall enhancement using the maximal
      attenuation of an ROI was a reliable and useful method for the diagnosis of
      intestinal ischemia and showed good correlation with pathology results.

PMID- 20308498
TI  - Pilot study assessing differentiation of steatosis hepatis, hepatic iron
      overload, and combined disease using two-point dixon MRI at 3 T: in vitro and in
      vivo results of a 2D decomposition technique.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was to evaluate whether two-point Dixon MRI
      using a 2D decomposition technique facilitates metabolite differentiation between
      lipids and iron in standardized in vitro liver phantoms with in vivo patient
      validation and allows semiquantitative in vitro assessment of metabolites
      associated with steatosis, iron overload, and combined disease. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The acrylamide-based phantoms were made to reproduce the T1- and T2
      weighted MRI appearances of physiologic hepatic parenchyma and hepatic steatosis
      iron overload by the admixture of triglycerides and ferumoxides. Combined disease
      was simulated using joint admixtures of triglycerides and ferumoxides at various
      concentrations. For phantom validation, 30 patients were included, of whom 10 had
      steatosis, 10 had iron overload, and 10 had no liver disease. For MRI an in
      phase/opposed-phase T1-weighted sequence with TR/TE(opposed-phase)/TE(in-phase)
      of 4.19/1.25/2.46 was used. Fat/water series were obtained by Dixon-based
      algorithms. In-phase and opposed-phase and fat/water ratios were calculated.
      Statistical cluster analysis assessed ratio pairs of physiologic liver,
      steatosis, iron overload, and combined disease in 2D metabolite discrimination
      plots. RESULTS: Statistical assessment proved that metabolite decomposition in
      phantoms simulating steatosis (1.77|0.22; in-phase/opposed-phase|fat/water
      ratios), iron overload (0.75|0.21), and healthy control subjects (1.09|0.05)
      formed three clusters with distinct ratio pairs. Patient validation for hepatic
      steatosis (3.29|0.51), iron overload (0.56|0.41), and normal control subjects
      (0.99|0.05) confirmed this clustering (p < 0.001). One-dimensional analysis
      assessing in vitro combined disease only with in-phase/opposed-phase ratios would
      have failed to characterize metabolites. The 2D analysis plotting in
      phase/opposed-phase and fat/water ratios (2.16|0.59) provided accurate
      semiquantitative metabolite decomposition (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: MR Dixon
      imaging facilitates metabolite decomposition of intrahepatic lipids and iron
      using in vitro phantoms with in vivo patient validation. The proposed
      decomposition technique identified distinct in-phase/opposed-phase and fat/water
      ratios for in vitro steatosis, iron overload, and combined disease.

PMID- 20308499
TI  - Feline esophagus and gastroesophageal reflux.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this study were to reassess the relation between a
      feline esophagus (transient transverse esophageal folds) and gastroesophageal
      reflux (GER) and to determine whether a feline esophagus is observed more often
      during swallowing or during reflux of barium. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      computerized search of double-contrast esophagrams was performed to generate four
      equal groups of 56 patients with marked, moderate, mild, and no GER. The imaging
      findings were reviewed to determine the frequency of a feline esophagus in these
      groups and whether this sign was detected during swallowing or reflux of barium.
      The presence of a feline esophagus also was correlated with the presence of a
      hiatal hernia, reflux esophagitis, a peptic stricture, and esophageal
      dysmotility. RESULTS: A feline esophagus was detected in 20 of 224 patients (9%).
      It was detected during reflux of barium in 17 patients (85%), swallowing of
      barium in two patients (10%), and both in one patient (5%). GER was present in
      all 20 patients with a feline esophagus and in 148 of the 204 patients (73%)
      without a feline esophagus (p = 0.0068). A significant relation also was found
      between a feline esophagus and the presence of a hiatal hernia (p = 0.0116) but
      not between a feline esophagus and the presence of reflux esophagitis, a peptic
      stricture, or esophageal dysmotility. CONCLUSION: All patients with a feline
      esophagus at barium esophagography had associated GER. These transverse folds
      were observed mainly during reflux of barium from the stomach rather than during
      swallowing of barium. When a feline esophagus is detected during barium studies,
      the patient is extremely likely to have GER whether or not GER is seen at
      fluoroscopy.

PMID- 20308500
TI  - Hypervascular liver masses on contrast-enhanced ultrasound: the importance of
      washout.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to determine the role of negative
      enhancement (washout), its presence and timing, in the differential diagnosis of
      hypervascular liver masses on contrast-enhanced ultrasound. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: One-hundred forty-six hypervascular liver lesions (mean size, 3.9 cm;
      range, 1.0-17.0 cm) were evaluated with contrast-enhanced ultrasound over a 6
      month period. Seventy-four were benign (29 hemangiomas, 31 focal nodular
      hyperplasia [FNH] lesions, seven adenomas, five inflammatory lesions, two other)
      and 72, malignant (41 hepatocellular carcinomas [HCCs], 25 metastases, six
      other). Two independent reviewers retrospectively recorded the presence and
      timing of washout in the portal venous phase, observing until 4 minutes after
      injection, of a contrast agent (perflutren microspheres). Diagnoses were
      confirmed by histopathology (n = 68) or clinicoradiologic follow-up (n = 78).
      Timing of washout was compared between types of lesion using Fisher's exact test.
      RESULTS: Washout occurred in both benign (27/74, 36%) and malignant (70/72, 97%)
      lesions but was more frequently seen in malignancy (p < 0.001) (kappa = 0.91).
      Metastases showed more rapid washout than HCCs (p < 0.001): 20 of 25 metastases
      showed washout by 30 seconds after injection and 23 of 41 HCCs, later than 75
      seconds. All malignant lesions without washout were HCCs (2/41). Among the benign
      lesions, all five inflammatory lesions showed rapid washout before 75 seconds and
      six of seven adenomas showed washout, mostly later than 75 seconds (5/6). Washout
      also occurred in hemangiomas (6/29) and FNH lesions (9/31), mostly later than 75
      seconds after injection (12/15). CONCLUSION: Hypervascular malignant lesions show
      washout except infrequent cases of HCC. Rapid washout characterizes metastases,
      whereas HCCs show variable, often slow, washout. However, washout is not unique
      to malignancy and may be seen in benign lesions.

PMID- 20308501
TI  - Complementary roles of CT and endoscopic ultrasound in evaluating a pancreatic
      mass.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objectives of our study were to illustrate normal pancreatic
      anatomy using endoscopic ultrasound and to show the imaging findings of solid
      pancreatic masses on endoscopic ultrasound and CT. CONCLUSION: CT and endoscopic
      ultrasound have complementary roles in the diagnosis of solid pancreatic masses.

PMID- 20308502
TI  - Radiologic mimics of cirrhosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this article is to provide a practical review of the
      conditions other than cirrhosis that can result in diffuse surface nodularity of
      the liver or portal hypertension. CONCLUSION: Conditions that can mimic cirrhosis
      on imaging include pseudocirrhosis of treated breast cancer metastases to the
      liver, fulminant hepatic failure, miliary metastases, sarcoidosis,
      schistosomiasis, congenital hepatic fibrosis, idiopathic portal hypertension,
      early primary biliary cirrhosis, chronic Budd-Chiari syndrome, chronic portal
      vein thrombosis, and nodular regenerative hyperplasia.

PMID- 20308503
TI  - Optimizing detectability of renal pathology with MDCT: protocols, pearls, and
      pitfalls.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to review MDCT acquisition protocol
      parameters and interpretative practices for evaluating genitourinary lesions
      other than classic renal cell carcinoma, to optimize lesion detectability and
      accurately characterize pathologic abnormalities. CONCLUSION: With the goal of
      refining interpretative performance, this pictorial essay shows the patterns of
      conspicuity unique to each genitourinary pathologic abnormality, presents
      experience-based recommendations to improve detection and characterization using
      multiphasic MDCT, and describes pitfalls to be avoided.

PMID- 20308504
TI  - Masters of radiology panel discussion: role of communication in today's
      radiologic practices.

PMID- 20308505
TI  - Frequency of use of imaging tests in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism: effects
      of physician specialty, patient characteristics, and region.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether clinical practice
      in diagnosing pulmonary embolism is consistent with recommendations in the
      literature and to explore variations in practice across site of care (e.g.,
      emergency department), physician and patient characteristics, and geographic
      location. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medicare 5% research identifiable files were
      analyzed. The cases of patients with emergency department visits or inpatient
      stays for a diagnosis of pulmonary embolism or for symptoms related to pulmonary
      embolism (shortness of breath, chest pain, and syncope) were identified. We
      determined the number of patients who underwent each type of relevant imaging
      test and evaluated variations in the first non-chest-radiographic test by site of
      care and treating physician specialty. Using logistic regression, we studied
      variations in the use of common imaging tests, exploring variations associated
      with patient characteristics, physician specialty, site of care, and geographic
      location. RESULTS: For patients in whom pulmonary embolism might have been
      suspected, the most common tests were echocardiography (26% of the patients), CT
      or CT angiography of the chest (11%), cardiac perfusion study (6.9%), and duplex
      ultrasound (7.3%). For patients with an inpatient diagnosis of pulmonary
      embolism, the most common tests were chest CT or CT angiography (49%), duplex
      ultrasound (18%), echocardiography (10.9%), and ventilation-perfusion
      scintigraphy (10.9%). For patients for whom pulmonary embolism might have been
      suspected, many large variations were found in practice patterns among physician
      specialties and geographic locations. There were fewer variations among patients
      with the inpatient diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. CONCLUSION: Physician
      practice in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism is broadly consistent with
      recommendations. However, variations by physician specialty and geographic
      location may be evidence of inappropriate imaging.

PMID- 20308506
TI  - The educational and career impact of using medical students for triaging off-hour
      diagnostic imaging requests at a major academic medical center.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to evaluate the educational and career
      impact of using medical students for triaging off-hour diagnostic imaging
      requests at a major academic medical center. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A survey of
      former and current medical students who participated in the Emergency Department
      Radiology Triage Program at the Yale University School of Medicine was conducted
      via e-mail. Results were reported using averages or percentages or both. RESULTS:
      Twenty-six (61.9%) of the 42 participants responded. Seventeen (65.4%) of the 26
      respondents pursued an additional degree while in the program. The most important
      factor for joining was financial, with a mean importance of 4.0 on a scale of 1
      (no importance) to 5 (most important). Eleven (42.3%) of the 26 respondents
      stated that their participation encouraged them to pursue a career in diagnostic
      radiology. Nine (34.6%) of the 26 respondents stated that the program had major
      or moderate importance on their specialty choice, whereas 20 of the 26 (76.9%)
      described the program as being of at least moderate help to their medical career.
      The most satisfying aspect of the program, on a scale of 1 (extremely
      dissatisfying) to 5 (extremely satisfying), was interacting with the junior
      radiology resident (mean rating, 4.5), whereas the least satisfying aspect was
      the Veterans Affairs triage component (mean rating, 2.9). CONCLUSION: The use of
      medical students for triaging off-hour diagnostic imaging requests has proven
      successful from an operational standpoint; it also appears to be favorably viewed
      concurrently and retrospectively by the growing cohort of students who have
      participated.

PMID- 20308507
TI  - Geographic variation in the utilization of noninvasive diagnostic imaging:
      national medicare data, 1998-2007.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study provides an overview of geographic variation in noninvasive
      diagnostic imaging utilization in the Medicare population over the period 1998 to
      2007. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
      Physician Supplier Procedure Summary Master Files for 1998-2007 were the primary
      data source for the study. Physician Supplier Procedure Summary Master Files are
      an aggregation of the complete Part B Medicare billing records for all 32-37
      million fee-for-service beneficiaries and provide the total number of each type
      of procedure performed, categorized by geographic regions. For the 10 Centers for
      Medicare and Medicaid Services geographic regions, we calculated the overall
      noninvasive diagnostic imaging procedure utilization rate and the ratio of the
      highest to lowest region (a relative risk statistic) for each year of the study.
      For the first and last years of the study, we calculated these numbers for 28
      noninvasive diagnostic imaging categories. RESULTS: In 2007, the Atlanta region
      had the highest utilization rate, with 4.60 procedures per capita, and Seattle
      had the lowest rate, with 2.99 procedures per capita. The relative risk was 1.54.
      Over the 10 years of the study, there was little change in the relative
      utilization rates of regions, and the relative risk ranged between 1.47 and 1.56.
      In 2007, bone densitometry showed the lowest regional relative risk (1.29), and
      cardiovascular PET showed the highest regional relative risk (70.2).
      Cardiovascular noninvasive diagnostic imaging and high-technology, high-cost
      noninvasive diagnostic imaging (e.g., MRI, PET, and nuclear medicine) showed high
      regional relative risk. CONCLUSION: Regional variation is substantial--about 50%
      higher in the highest regions than in the lowest regions--but is not huge.
      Regional variation is increasing slightly. Cardiovascular and high-technology
      procedures show the greatest regional variation.

PMID- 20308508
TI  - Radiologic malpractice litigation risk in Italy: an observational study over a 14
      year period.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to assess the risk of medical malpractice
      litigation for Italian radiologists, compared with the corresponding data in the
      literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The insurance claims of Italian radiologists
      over the 1993-2006 period were anonymously assessed and classified according to
      the cause of the claim. RESULTS: A total of 1,424 claims were filed during the
      examined period, with most claims being filed at a considerable time interval
      after the event (up to 10 years). The resulting incidence may be estimated as
      44.2 cases per 1,000, meaning that 44% of Italian radiologists have received, or
      will receive, summons regarding their professional activity during the past 10
      years. CONCLUSION: The risk of medical malpractice litigation for Italian
      radiologists is by now comparable to that for American radiologists. Comparison
      with previous data concerning the same study population shows that the diagnostic
      errors category has surpassed all other error categories (nondiagnostic errors)
      and that, within the diagnostic errors category, claims for allegedly missed
      cancer have surpassed claims for allegedly missed bone abnormalities. Among
      missed diagnosis claims, the maximum increase concerned mammograms. Strict
      adherence to radiologic standards and radiotherapy protocols may be a means of
      reducing the risk of legal action and obviating litigation.

PMID- 20308509
TI  - Favorable outcomes after sonographically guided intratendinous injection of
      hyperosmolar dextrose for chronic insertional and midportion achilles tendinosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to report on changes in the short-term
      sonographic appearance and 2-year follow-up for pain outcomes in a large patient
      population with chronic Achilles tendinosis who underwent sonographically guided
      dextrose injections. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: One hundred eight tendons (86
      midportion and 22 insertional) from 99 patients experiencing pain for greater
      than 6 months at either the Achilles tendon insertion or midportion were included
      in the study. Gray-scale (5-12 and 7-15 MHz) and color Doppler sonography
      examinations preceded the injection procedure using a 27-gauge needle
      administering a net 25% dextrose-lidocaine solution intratendinously. Structural
      features of each tendon and presence of neovascularity were noted. Visual analog
      scale (VAS) items were recorded at baseline, posttest, and 28.6 months follow-up.
      RESULTS: A median of five (range, 1-13) injection consultations were needed for
      each patient, spaced 5.6 +/- 3.1 (SD) weeks apart. There was a significant
      improvement in pain scores for both midportion (rest: 34.1 +/- 27.7-3.3 +/- 7.4,
      activities of daily living (ADL): 50.2 +/- 25.6-9.5 +/- 16.2, and sport: 70.7 +/-
      23.3-16.7 +/- 22.0) and insertional (rest: 33.0 +/- 26.5-2.7 +/- 6.0, ADL: 51.3
      +/- 25.4-10.0 +/- 16.3, and sport: 69.6 +/- 24.5-17.7 +/- 29.1) patients from
      baseline to follow-up for all VAS items. There were reductions in the size and
      severity of hypoechoic regions and intratendinous tears and improvements in
      neovascularity. CONCLUSION: Dextrose injections appear to present a low-cost and
      safe treatment alternative with good long-term evidence for reducing pain from
      pathology at either the insertion or midportion of the Achilles tendon.

PMID- 20308510
TI  - Radiographic detection of hip and pelvic fractures in the emergency department.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to evaluate the detection of hip and pelvic fractures
      with radiography in the emergency department. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All MR
      images of the lower extremity or pelvis ordered from July 2005 through June 2008
      by the emergency department after the patient had undergone radiography were
      retrospectively reviewed in consensus by two musculoskeletal radiologists. All
      radiographs and MR images were reviewed in regard to patient age and sex, MRI
      protocol, site of fracture, fracture identification, other possible pain
      generators, and unexpected findings. Receiver operating characteristics analysis
      was performed on the findings. RESULTS: A total of 92 patients and 97
      examinations were included. Our patient sample (77 women, 15 men; average age,
      70.8 years; range, 19-94 years) had an elderly female bias. Sixty-five of the
      patients had a history of trauma. Thirteen patients (14%) with normal
      radiographic findings were found to have 23 fractures at MRI (six hip and 17
      pelvic fractures). In 11 patients (12%) MRI showed no fracture after radiographic
      findings had suggested the presence of a fracture. In another 15 patients who had
      abnormal findings on radiographs, MRI depicted 12 additional pelvic fractures not
      identified on radiographs. In 43 of the 59 patients (73%) without MRI evidence of
      a fracture, the MRI findings suggested the presence of a potential pain
      generator, including muscle edema and tears, trochanteric bursitis, and hamstring
      tendinopathy. Receiver operating characteristics analysis for the detection of
      hip fractures with radiography showed an area under the curve of 0.74.
      CONCLUSION: Our study showed poor sensitivity of radiography in the evaluation of
      hip and pelvic pain in the emergency department.

PMID- 20308511
TI  - Diagnosis of proximal femoral insufficiency fractures in patients receiving
      bisphosphonate therapy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to describe the imaging features of
      proximal femoral insufficiency fractures in patients on long-term bisphosphonate
      therapy. CONCLUSION: The imaging findings of bisphosphonate-related femoral
      insufficiency fractures, which include a typical proximal diaphyseal location and
      transverse liner radiolucency through localized thickening of the lateral cortex,
      allow a specific diagnosis.

PMID- 20308512
TI  - The importance of sagittal 2D reconstruction in pelvic and sacral trauma:
      avoiding oversight of U-shaped fractures of the sacrum.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The U-shaped sacral fracture can be overlooked without appropriate
      imaging. Radiographic and CT imaging of seven patients with U-shaped sacral
      fractures was reviewed. CONCLUSION: Although it is difficult to discern on
      anteroposterior radiographs and axial or coronal CT, the fracture is easily
      identifiable on CT images in the sagittal plane. We advocate reconstruction of CT
      images of the sacrum in the sagittal plane in trauma to prevent failure of
      identification.

PMID- 20308513
TI  - Dual-energy CT as a potential new diagnostic tool in the management of gout in
      the acute setting.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Gout is the most common crystal deposition arthropathy currently
      diagnosed clinically and with arthrocentesis. Dual-energy CT is a promising new
      imaging technique offering potential new applications in a number of clinical
      areas. CONCLUSION: The ability of dual-energy CT to diagnose early gout and its
      use as a problem-solving tool is shown here. Diagnosis of subclinical gout could
      avert associated long-term complications, thereby reducing disease burden and
      improving overall quality of life.

PMID- 20308514
TI  - MR arthrography of the second and third metatarsophalangeal joints for the
      detection of tears of the plantar plate and joint capsule.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Tears of the plantar plate and joint capsule of the
      metatarsophalangeal joint are underrecognized causes of lesser metatarsalgia.
      This study evaluated MR arthrography for evaluation of this condition in 45
      metatarsophalangeal joints in 41 patients. CONCLUSION: Most metatarsophalangeal
      joint capsular tears occur at the distal lateral border of the plantar plate,
      often with injury of the adjacent interosseous tendon. Plantar plate tears are
      less common. MR arthrography of the metatarsophalangeal joint delineates capsular
      tears and associated abnormalities.

PMID- 20308515
TI  - Head and neck cancers on CT: preliminary study of treatment response assessment
      based on computerized volume analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to investigate the feasibility of
      computerized segmentation of lesions on head and neck CT scans and evaluate its
      potential for estimating changes in tumor volume in response to treatment of head
      and neck cancers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-six CT scans were retrospectively
      collected from the files of 13 patients with 35 head and neck lesions. The CT
      scans were obtained from an examination performed before treatment (pretreatment
      scan) and an examination performed after one cycle of chemotherapy (posttreatment
      scan). Thirteen lesions were primary site cancers and 22 were metastatic lymph
      nodes. An experienced radiologist (radiologist 1) marked the 35 lesions and
      outlined each lesion's 2D contour on the best slice on both the pre- and
      posttreatment scans. Full 3D contours were also manually extracted for the 13
      primary tumors. Another experienced radiologist (radiologist 2) verified and
      modified, if necessary, all manually drawn 2D and 3D contours. An in-house
      developed computerized system performed 3D segmentation based on a level set
      model. RESULTS: The computer-estimated change in tumor volume and percentage
      change in tumor volume between the pre- and posttreatment scans achieved a high
      correlation (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.98 and 0.98,
      respectively) with the estimates from manual segmentation for the 13 primary
      tumors. The average error in estimating the percentage change in tumor volume by
      automatic segmentation relative to the radiologists' average error was -1.5% +/-
      5.4% (SD). For the 35 lesions, the ICC between the automatic and manual estimates
      of change in pre- to posttreatment tumor area was 0.93 and of percentage change
      in pre- to posttreatment tumor area was 0.85. The average error in estimating the
      percentage change in tumor area by automatic segmentation was -3.2% +/- 15.3%.
      CONCLUSION: Preliminary results indicate that this computerized segmentation
      system can reliably estimate changes in tumor size on CT scans relative to
      radiologists' manual segmentation. This information can be used to calculate
      changes in tumor size on pre- and posttreatment scans to assess response to
      treatment.

PMID- 20308516
TI  - Medullary thyroid carcinoma: comparison with papillary thyroid carcinoma and
      application of current sonographic criteria.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether sonography can diagnose
      medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) as a malignant lesion using widely accepted
      sonographic criteria and to compare which sonographic findings of MTC are
      different from findings for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The study included 42 patients (13 men and 29 women; mean age, 48 years)
      with 46 MTCs and 51 consecutive patients (10 men and 41 women; mean age, 48
      years) with 55 PTCs that were confirmed at surgery. Two radiologists
      retrospectively determined the sonographic diagnoses according to malignant
      criteria (a taller-than-wide shape, spiculated margin, marked hypoechogenicity,
      and microcalcifications or macrocalcifications) and compared the sonographic
      findings of MTCs and PTCs. RESULTS: MTCs were diagnosed as malignant for 72% of
      cases by sonography, whereas PTCs were 87% malignant (p = 0.0511). Compared with
      PTCs, MTCs were larger (mean size, 2.3 +/- 1.5 cm vs 1.1 +/- 1.1 cm) (p = 0.001;
      odds ratio [OR], 3.84; 95% CI, 1.719-8.565), more frequently showed the presence
      of a cystic change (33% vs 4%) (p = 0.0226; OR, 0.10; 95% CI, 0.014-0.725), and
      more commonly showed homogeneous echotexture of the solid portion (59% vs 31%) (p
      = 0.0004; OR, 0.08; 95% CI, 0.019-0.321). MTCs tended to show an oval shape and
      circumscribed margin, but there was no statistical significance in multivariate
      analysis. There were no significant differences in echogenicity, presence, and
      type of calcification for MTCs and PTCs. CONCLUSION: Currently accepted
      sonographic criteria can be applied for a diagnosis of MTCs. MTCs differ from
      PTCs in size, presence of a cystic change, and echotexture.

PMID- 20308517
TI  - A practical MRI grading system for lumbar foraminal stenosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the reproducibility of a new grading
      system for lumbar foraminal stenosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four grades were
      developed for lumbar foraminal stenosis on the basis of sagittal MRI. Grade 0
      refers to the absence of foraminal stenosis; grade 1 refers to mild foraminal
      stenosis showing perineural fat obliteration in the two opposing directions,
      vertical or transverse; grade 2 refers to moderate foraminal stenosis showing
      perineural fat obliteration in the four directions without morphologic change,
      both vertical and transverse directions; and grade 3 refers to severe foraminal
      stenosis showing nerve root collapse or morphologic change. A total of 576
      foramina in 96 patients were analyzed (from L3-L4 to L5-S1). Two experienced
      radiologists independently assessed the sagittal MR images. Interobserver
      agreement between the two radiologists and intraobserver agreement by one reader
      were analyzed using kappa statistics. RESULTS: According to reader 1, grade 1
      foraminal stenosis was found in 33 foramina, grade 2 in six, and grade 3 in
      seven. According to reader 2, grade 1 foraminal stenosis was found in 32
      foramina, grade 2 in six, and grade 3 in eight. Interobserver agreement in the
      grading of foraminal stenosis between the two readers was found to be nearly
      perfect (kappa value: right L3-L4, 1.0; left L3-L4, 0.905; right L4-L5, 0.929;
      left L4-L5, 0.942; right L5-S1, 0.919; and left L5-S1, 0.909). In intraobserver
      agreement by reader 1, grade 1 foraminal stenosis was found in 34 foramina, grade
      2 in eight, and grade 3 in seven. Intraobserver agreement in the grading of
      foraminal stenosis was also found to be nearly perfect (kappa value: right L3-L4,
      0.883; left L3-L4, 1.00; right L4-L5, 0.957; left L4-L5, 0.885; right L5-S1,
      0.800; and left L5-S1, 0.905). CONCLUSION: The new grading system for foraminal
      stenosis of the lumbar spine showed nearly perfect interobserver and
      intraobserver agreement and would be helpful for clinical study and routine
      practice.

PMID- 20308518
TI  - Imaging presentation of venous thrombosis in patients with cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to review the imaging of venous
      thrombosis in patients with cancer. CONCLUSION: Multiple imaging techniques have
      the capacity to display thrombosis accurately. The optimal choice is dictated by
      the location and duration of symptoms and by the availability of imaging
      techniques. Peripheral and superficial thrombi are best managed with ultrasound,
      whereas central thrombi require CT or MRI. If CT and MRI are contraindicated,
      flow studies are appropriate. FDG PET/CT appropriately shows venous thrombosis
      and might play a prominent role in the future.

PMID- 20308519
TI  - MR spectroscopic evaluation of psychomotor delay of unknown cause in children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to use MR spectroscopy to determine whether
      the brain metabolism of children with psychomotor delay of unknown cause differs
      from that of children without psychomotor delay. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Twenty
      children (10 girls, 10 boys; mean age, 8.65 years; range, 4-15 years) with
      psychomotor delay and 19 children without psychomotor delay who served as
      controls (nine girls, 10 boys; mean age, 8.79 years; range, 6-13 years) were
      evaluated with multivoxel MR spectroscopy of the brain. The Stanford-Binet test
      and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised were used to evaluate
      developmental quotient. Psychomotor delay was assessed as severe (developmental
      quotient, < 50), moderate (developmental quotient, 50-75) and mild (developmental
      quotient, > 75). The controls had a developmental quotient greater than 95.
      Spectra were acquired from eight specific voxels at the bilateral parasagittal
      frontal and parietal gray matter and the bilateral frontal and parietal white
      matter at the level of the centrum semiovale. The ratios of N-acetylaspartate
      (NAA) to choline (Cho), NAA to creatine (Cr), and choline to creatine were
      determined. RESULTS: Thirteen children had minor and seven children had moderate
      psychomotor delay. In the psychomotor delay group, the right frontal white matter
      NAA/Cho, NAA/Cr, and Cho/Cr ratios were 1.45 +/- 0.18, 1.95 +/- 0.33, and 1.36 +/
      0.27; in the control group the ratios were 1.46 +/- 0.23, 2.04 +/- 0.33, and
      1.41 +/- 0.19. The ratios for the left frontal lobe white matter were 1.34 +/-
      0.21, 2.01 +/- 0.33, and 1.55 +/- 0.26 in the psychomotor delay group and 1.42 +/
      0.15, 2.17 +/- 0.34, and 1.53 +/- 0.25 in the control group. The ratios for the
      right parietal lobe white matter were 1.80 +/- 0.38, 2.04 +/- 0.43, and 1.18 +/-
      0.35 in the psychomotor delay group and 1.89 +/- 0.31, 2.16 +/- 0.30, and 1.17 +/
      0.23 in the control group. The left parietal lobe white matter ratios were 1.66
      +/- 0.36, 2.08 +/- 0.35, and 1.35 +/- 0.29 in the psychomotor delay group and
      1.81 +/- 0.29, 2.17 +/- 0.35, and 1.22 +/- 0.26 in the control group. CONCLUSION:
      Metabolite distribution varied with brain region in children with and those
      without psychomotor delay. No significant difference was found between the brain
      metabolite ratios of children with psychomotor delay of unknown cause and those
      of age-matched children without psychomotor delay.

PMID- 20308520
TI  - Assessing early vascular changes and treatment response after laser-induced
      thermotherapy of pulmonary metastases with perfusion CT: initial experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to use perfusion CT to prospectively
      monitor early vascular changes in tumor perfusion of pulmonary metastases after
      laser-induced thermotherapy (LITT) and to determine whether any of the perfusion
      parameters would predict technical success after therapy. SUBJECTS AND METHODS:
      Twelve patients with histologically proven pulmonary metastases undergoing LITT
      were enrolled prospectively in this study. Perfusion CT was performed before
      treatment, 1 day after treatment, and 4-6 weeks after therapy, and tumor blood
      flow, tumor blood volume (TBV), mean transit time (MTT), and permeability of the
      capillary wall surface (capillary permeability-surface product) in 22 pulmonary
      metastases were calculated. Perfusion parameters at baseline and after LITT were
      compared. Measurement of tumor diameter on long-term follow-up CT was the gold
      standard with which perfusion CT results were compared for local control.
      RESULTS: Median tumor blood flow, TBV, and capillary permeability-surface product
      had decreased significantly from baseline by 43%, 61%, and 73%, respectively, 1
      day after LITT. Perfusion parameters obtained 4-6 weeks after treatment had not
      changed significantly compared with those obtained 1 day after therapy. There
      seems to be a good correlation between changes in perfusion CT parameters 1 day
      after therapy and local outcome, according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in
      Solid Tumors (RECIST), 1 year after therapy. CONCLUSION: Perfusion CT of
      pulmonary metastases has potential in the assessment of early vascular changes
      that result from LITT and predicting technical success immediately after
      treatment. Tumors with perfusion measurements that had not changed after therapy
      indicated progressive disease.

PMID- 20308521
TI  - Chemoembolization of the left inferior phrenic artery in patients with
      hepatocellular carcinoma: 9-year single-center experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate retrospectively the
      radiologic findings and imaging response of hepatocellular carcinoma supplied by
      the left inferior phrenic artery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2000
      through December 2008, chemoembolization of the left inferior phrenic artery was
      performed on 152 patients (123 men, 29 women; mean age, 55.8 years) with
      hepatocellular carcinoma. The CT scans and digital subtraction angiograms of
      these patients were retrospectively reviewed in consensus by two investigators,
      who evaluated tumor location, tumor-feeding vessels, origin of the left inferior
      phrenic artery, technical success of chemoembolization, complications, and tumor
      response. Tumor response was assessed on the basis of the criteria of the
      European Association for the Study of the Liver. RESULTS: Tumors supplied by the
      left inferior phrenic artery were located in Couinaud segment 2/3 (n = 100),
      segment 4 (n = 45), and other segments (n = 7). The most common tumor-feeding
      vessel was the anteromedial limb of the left inferior phrenic artery (n = 82)
      followed by the lateral limb (n = 40) and the anterior limb (n = 30). Selective
      chemoembolization via the left inferior phrenic artery was achieved in 58 of the
      patients (38%). Complete or partial response as detected on first follow-up CT
      images (mean follow-up time, 2.5 months) was achieved by 30 patients. In 33
      patients in whom the tumor was supplied exclusively by the left inferior phrenic
      artery, the tumor response was more favorable in patients who underwent selective
      than in those who underwent nonselective chemoembolization via the left inferior
      phrenic artery (p = 0.028). CONCLUSION: Selective chemoembolization via the left
      inferior phrenic artery is possible and results in good response of tumors
      supplied exclusively by the left inferior phrenic artery.

PMID- 20308522
TI  - Fluoroscopically guided balloon dilation for pharyngoesophageal stricture after
      radiation therapy in patients with head and neck cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to assess the safety and long-term
      efficacy of fluoroscopically guided balloon dilation for pharyngoesophageal
      strictures after radiation therapy in patients with head and neck cancers.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: From April 1997 to February 2009, fluoroscopically guided
      balloon dilation was performed in 17 patients with pharyngoesophageal strictures
      caused by radiation therapy. Technical success, clinical success (decrease of at
      least one grade in dysphagia score and good contrast passage on 1-month follow-up
      esophagogram), recurrence of dysphagia, and complications related to the
      procedure were retrospectively evaluated. RESULTS: All 17 patients underwent 41
      balloon dilation procedures, with each patient undergoing one to seven procedures
      (mean, 2.4 procedures). The technical success rate was 100%, and clinical success
      was achieved in 64.7% (11/17) of the patients. Five patients (29.4%) showed no
      recurrence of dysphagia after one session of balloon dilation. Of 12 patients
      (70.6%) with recurrence of dysphagia, 10 underwent repeat balloon dilation and
      two underwent gastrostomy after the first session of balloon dilation. The
      maximum balloon diameters were 15 mm (n = 22), 20 mm (n = 16), and 25 mm (n = 3).
      As minor complications, three cases of type 1 esophageal rupture occurred in two
      patients (11.8%). There were no major complications. CONCLUSION: Although the
      recurrence rate was high with repeat balloon dilation, fluoroscopically guided
      balloon dilation seems to be a simple and safe primary treatment technique for
      pharyngoesophageal stricture due to radiation therapy in patients with head and
      neck cancer.

PMID- 20308523
TI  - Benign predominantly solid thyroid nodules: prospective study of efficacy of
      sonographically guided radiofrequency ablation versus control condition.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of
      radiofrequency ablation of benign predominantly solid thyroid nodules by
      comparing the findings in treatment and control groups. SUBJECTS AND METHODS:
      Thirty patients with normal thyroid function, each with a benign predominantly (>
      50%) solid thyroid nodule causing pressure symptoms or cosmetic problems, were
      assigned to a control group (n = 15) or to a group undergoing a single session of
      radiofrequency ablation (n = 15). Thyroid nodule volume, thyroid function,
      pressure symptoms, and cosmetic concerns were evaluated before treatment and
      during follow-up. Sonographically guided radiofrequency ablation was performed
      with an internally cooled electrode (1-cm active tip) with an output power of 30
      80 W. RESULTS: The control group had no resolution of symptoms or cosmetic
      problems. The mean nodule volume increased slightly after 6 months but without
      statistical significance (p = 0.46). In the radiofrequency ablation group, the
      mean symptom score (p = 0.001) and cosmetic grade (p = 0.001) improved
      significantly. Mean nodule volume decreased significantly from 7.5 +/- 4.9 mL
      (range, 1.7-20.0 mL) to 1.3 +/- 0.8 mL (range, 0.2-2.6 mL) 6 months after
      radiofrequency ablation (p = 0.001). There were no major complications of
      ablation. CONCLUSION: This study confirmed that radiofrequency ablation is
      effective for reducing nodule volume and relieving nodule-related clinical
      problems and that an effect due to spontaneous nodule reduction can be excluded
      owing to the results of the comparison with a similar control group.

PMID- 20308524
TI  - Radial scars without atypia diagnosed at imaging-guided needle biopsy: how often
      is associated malignancy found at subsequent surgical excision, and do
      mammography and sonography predict which lesions are malignant?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purposes of our study were to evaluate the surgical outcome of
      cases of radial scar without atypia diagnosed at imaging-guided percutaneous
      needle biopsy and to determine whether the mammographic and sonographic features
      are able to predict which lesions will be upgraded to malignancy at surgical
      excision. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The records of 4,458 consecutive imaging-guided
      biopsies were retrospectively reviewed. Surgical excision results were available
      in 62 cases in which radial scar was the highest-risk lesion at stereotactically
      guided or sonographically guided biopsy. The mammographic and sonographic images
      and surgical findings were reviewed. The underestimation rate of malignancy of
      percutaneous biopsy was calculated. Differences in mammographic and sonographic
      appearances between radial scars with and without associated malignancy were
      evaluated using the Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: The percutaneous malignancy
      underestimation rate was 8% (5/62): 9% (4/43) for sonography guided 14-gauge
      biopsies and 5% (1/19) for stereotactically guided 11-gauge vacuum-assisted
      biopsies (p = 1.000). Mammographic and sonographic appearances were not
      significantly different between radial scars with and those without associated
      malignancy. CONCLUSION: A percutaneous diagnosis of a radial scar does not
      exclude associated malignancy at surgical excision. Mammographic and sonographic
      features of a lesion diagnosed as a radial scar at percutaneous imaging-guided
      biopsy do not predict which lesions will have associated malignancy at surgery.
      Therefore, all patients with percutaneous diagnosis of a radial scar should
      undergo surgical excision regardless of mammographic and sonographic appearances,
      until further criteria can be determined.

PMID- 20308526
TI  - Multimodality imaging of triple receptor-negative tumors with mammography,
      ultrasound, and MRI.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We retrospectively reviewed imaging findings for 44 patients with
      triple receptor-negative breast carcinomas on mammography, sonography, and MRI to
      determine the imaging characteristics of triple receptor-negative cancers that
      may improve diagnosis at the time of presentation. CONCLUSION: Despite their
      large size at presentation, triple receptor-negative cancers may be occult on
      mammography or sonography and frequently have benign or indeterminate features.
      MRI identified all triple receptor-negative cancers and showed features that had
      a high positive predictive value for malignancy.

PMID- 20308525
TI  - Recommendation for short-interval follow-up examinations after a probably benign
      assessment: is clinical practice consistent with BI-RADS guidance?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: American College of Radiology BI-RADS guidance suggests that women
      with a probably benign finding on mammography receive a management recommendation
      for short-interval follow-up; historically, radiologists in community practice
      have not consistently linked this assessment with short-interval follow-up. We
      evaluated predictors of discordance between probably benign assessments and short
      interval follow-up recommendations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We linked data on 196
      radiologists who completed a survey on demographic and practice patterns to
      15,515 diagnostic mammograms they interpreted with probably benign assessments
      between 2001 and 2006. Patient characteristics were collected at the time of the
      mammography. Using logistic regression, we examined whether patient and
      radiologist characteristics were associated with the odds of short-interval
      follow-up recommendations (relative to a recommendation for normal follow-up,
      additional imaging evaluation, or biopsy or surgical consultation). RESULTS:
      Overall, 90.9% of mammograms with probably benign findings were recommended for
      short-interval follow-up; 4.3% were recommended for normal follow-up, 3.0% for
      additional imaging, and 1.8% for biopsy or surgical consultation. Women with
      probably benign findings were less likely to receive a short-interval follow-up
      recommendation if they had extremely dense breasts versus almost entirely fatty
      breasts (odds ratio [OR], 0.61; 95% CI, 0.39-0.96) or had a breast lump versus no
      symptoms (OR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.38-78). Radiologists were less likely to recommend
      short-interval follow-up if they had >/= 20 years of experience versus < 10 years
      of experience (OR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.36-0.90) but more likely if they practiced
      primarily at an academic medical center versus other institutions (OR, 2.66; 95%
      CI, 1.14-6.21). CONCLUSION: In contrast to older studies, the majority of
      probably benign assessments are now recommended for short-interval follow-up, but
      the probability of short-interval follow-up recommendations varies by patient and
      radiologist characteristics.

PMID- 20308527
TI  - Regulation of androgen-responsive transcription by the chromatin remodeling
      factor CHD8.
AB  - The androgen receptor (AR) mediates the effect of androgens through its
      transcriptional function during both normal prostate development and in the
      emergence and progression of prostate cancer. AR is known to assemble coactivator
      complexes at target promoters to facilitate transcriptional activation in
      response to androgens. Here we identify the ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling
      factor chromodomain helicase DNA-binding protein 8 (CHD8) as a novel coregulator
      of androgen-responsive transcription. We demonstrate that CHD8 directly
      associates with AR and that CHD8 and AR simultaneously localize to the TMPRSS2
      enhancer after androgen treatment. In the LNCaP cell line, reduction of CHD8
      levels by small interfering RNA treatment severely diminishes androgen-dependent
      activation of the TMPRSS2 gene. We demonstrate that the recruitment of AR to the
      TMPRSS2 promoter in response to androgen treatment requires CHD8. Finally, CHD8
      facilitates androgen-stimulated proliferation of LNCaP cells, emphasizing the
      physiological importance of CHD8. Taken together, we present evidence of a
      functional role for CHD8 in AR-mediated transcriptional regulation of target
      genes.

PMID- 20308528
TI  - Aldose reductase regulates vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation by
      modulating G1/S phase transition of cell cycle.
AB  - Abnormal proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) is a key feature of
      development of cardiovascular complications, atherosclerosis, and restenosis.
      Patients with diabetes have higher risk for restenosis after coronary angioplasty
      than nondiabetic patients due to hyperglycemia-induced release of cytokines such
      as TNF-alpha. However, the molecular mechanisms regulating VSMC proliferation
      remain unclear. Herein, we report that inhibition of the polyol pathway enzyme
      aldose reductase (AR) prevents high glucose (HG)- and/or TNF-alpha-induced VSMC
      proliferation by accumulating cells at the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Treatment
      of VSMC with AR inhibitor sorbinil prevented HG- as well as TNF-alpha-induced
      phosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein and activation of E2F-1. Inhibition of
      AR also prevented HG- and TNF-alpha-induced phosphorylation of cyclin-dependent
      kinase (cdk)-2 and expression of G1/S transition regulatory proteins such as
      cyclin D1, cyclin E, cdk-4, c-myc, and proliferative cell nuclear antigen. More
      importantly, inhibition of AR prevented the increased expression of E2F-1 and
      proliferative cell nuclear antigen in diabetic rat aorta. Treatment of VSMC with
      the most abundant and toxic lipid aldehyde 4-hydroxy-trans-2-nonenal (HNE) or its
      glutathione conjugate [glutathionyl (GS)-HNE] or AR-catalyzed product of GS-HNE,
      GS-1,4-dihydroxynonane, resulted in increased E2F-1 expression. Inhibition of AR
      prevented HNE- or GS-HNE-induced but not GS-1,4-dihydroxynonane-induced up
      regulation of E2F-1. Collectively, these results show that AR could regulate HG-
      and TNF-alpha-induced VSMC proliferation by altering the activation of G1/S-phase
      proteins such as E2F-1, cdks, and cyclins. Thus, inhibition of AR may be a useful
      therapeutic approach in preventing vascular complications.

PMID- 20308529
TI  - The nuclear receptor cofactor receptor-interacting protein 140 is a positive
      regulator of amphiregulin expression and cumulus cell-oocyte complex expansion in
      the mouse ovary.
AB  - The nuclear receptor cofactor receptor-interacting protein 140 (RIP140) is
      essential for cumulus cell-oocyte complex (COC) expansion, follicular rupture,
      and oocyte release during ovulation. The expression of many genes necessary for
      COC expansion is impaired in the absence of RIP140, but the studies herein
      document that their expression can be restored and COC expansion rescued by
      treatment with the epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like factor amphiregulin (AREG)
      both in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrate by several approaches that RIP140 is
      required for the expression of the EGF-like factors in granulosa cells, but the
      dependence of genes involved in cumulus expansion, including Ptgs2 Has2, Tnfaip6,
      and Ptx3, is indirect because they are induced by AREG. Treatment of granulosa
      cells with forskolin to mimic the effects of LH increases AREG promoter activity
      in a RIP140-dependent manner that 1) requires an intact cAMP response element in
      the proximal promoter region of the Areg gene and 2) involves its actions as a
      coactivator for cAMP response element-binding protein/c-Jun transcription
      factors. Although human chorionic gonadotropin and AREG coadministration is
      sufficient to restore ovulation fully in RIP140 heterozygous mice in vivo, both
      follicular rupture and ovulation remain impaired in the RIP140 null mice. Thus,
      we conclude that although the level of RIP140 expression in the ovary is a
      crucial factor required for the transient expression of EGF-like factors
      necessary for cumulus expansion, it also plays a role in other signaling pathways
      that induce follicular rupture.

PMID- 20308530
TI  - Identification, localization, and function of a novel avian hypothalamic
      neuropeptide, 26RFa, and its cognate receptor, G protein-coupled receptor-103.
AB  - Several neuropeptides with the C-terminal RFamide sequence have been identified
      in the hypothalamus of a variety of vertebrates. Among the RFamide peptide
      groups, however, only LPXRFamide peptides, including gonadotropin-inhibitory
      hormone, have been characterized in the avian brain. In the present study, we
      sought for the presence of other RFamide peptides in the avian hypothalamus. We
      identified a cDNA encoding an RFamide peptide orthologous to 26RFa (also referred
      to as QRFP) in the hypothalamus of the Japanese quail. The deduced quail 26RFa
      precursor consisted of 120-amino-acid residues, encoding one RFamide peptide with
      27 amino acids. This RFamide peptide was flanked at the N terminus by a dibasic
      amino acid cleavage site and at the C terminus by a glycine amidation signal.
      Quantitative RT-PCR analysis demonstrated specific expression of quail 26RFa mRNA
      in the diencephalon including the hypothalamus. Furthermore, mass spectrometry
      analysis revealed the presence of a peptide exhibiting the mass of mature 26RFa,
      indicating that the peptide is actually produced from the precursor in the
      diencephalon. 26RFa-producing cell bodies were localized in the anterior
      hypothalamic nucleus in the brain. Synthetic 26RFa increased intracellular Ca(2+)
      concentration in HEK293T cells transfected with the chicken G protein-coupled
      receptor GPR103. Intracerebroventricular injection of 26RFa in broiler chicks
      stimulated feeding behavior. These data provide the first evidence for the
      occurrence of the peptide 26RFa in the avian hypothalamus and indicate that this
      peptide exerts orexigenic activity.

PMID- 20308531
TI  - The effect of relaxin on cell proliferation in mouse cervix requires estrogen
      receptor {alpha} binding to estrogen response elements in stromal cells.
AB  - The study objective was to determine whether stromal and/or epithelial estrogen
      receptor-alpha (ERalpha) is required for relaxin to promote proliferation of
      stromal and epithelial cells in the mouse cervix. Four types of tissue
      recombinants were prepared with cervical stroma (St) and epithelium (Ep) from
      wild-type (wt) and ERalpha knockout (ko) mice: wt-St+wt-Ep, wt-St+ko-Ep, ko-St+wt
      Ep and ko-St+ko-Ep. Tissue recombinants were grafted under the renal capsule of
      syngeneic female mice. After 3 wk of transplant growth, hosts were ovariectomized
      and fitted with silicon implants containing 17beta-estradiol (treatment d 1).
      Animals were injected sc with relaxin or vehicle PBS at 6-h intervals from 0600 h
      on d 8 through 0600 h on d 10. To evaluate cell proliferation, 5-bromo-2'
      deoxyuridine was injected sc 10 h before tissue recombinants were collected at
      1000 h on d 10. Relaxin promoted marked proliferation of both epithelial and
      stromal cells in tissue recombinants containing wt St (P < 0.001) but far lower
      proliferation in recombinants prepared with ko St, regardless of whether Ep was
      derived from wt or ko mice. An additional experiment using mice expressing wt
      ERalpha, a mutant of ERalpha that selectively lacks classical signaling through
      estrogen response element binding, or no ERalpha demonstrated that ERalpha must
      bind to an estrogen response element to enable relaxin's proliferative effects.
      In conclusion, this study shows that ERalpha-expressing cells in St, using a
      classical signaling pathway, are necessary for relaxin to promote marked
      proliferation in both stromal and epithelial cells of the mouse cervix.

PMID- 20308532
TI  - The action of leptin on appetite-regulating cells in the ovine hypothalamus:
      demonstration of direct action in the absence of the arcuate nucleus.
AB  - It is widely accepted that leptin acts on first-order neurons in the arcuate
      nucleus (ARC) with information then relayed to other hypothalamic centers.
      However, the extent to which leptin mediates its central actions solely, or even
      primarily, via this route is unclear. We used a model of hypothalamo-pituitary
      disconnection (HPD) to determine whether leptin action on appetite-regulating
      systems requires the ARC. This surgical preparation eliminates the ARC. We
      measured effects of iv leptin to activate hypothalamic neurons (Fos labeling). In
      ARC-intact animals, leptin increased the percentage of Fos-positive melanocortin
      neurons and reduced percentages of Fos-positive neuropeptide Y neurons compared
      with saline-treated animals. HPD itself increased Fos labeling in the lateral
      hypothalamic area (LHA). Leptin influenced Fos labeling in the dorsomedial
      nucleus (DMH), ventromedial nucleus, and paraventricular nucleus (PVN) in HPD and
      normal animals, with effects on particular cell types varying. In the LHA and
      DMH, leptin decreased orexin cell activation in HPD and ARC-intact sheep. HPD
      abolished leptin-induced expression of Fos in melanin-concentrating hormone cells
      in the LHA and in CRH cells in the PVN. In contrast, HPD accentuated activation
      in oxytocin neurons. Our data from sheep with lesions encompassing the ARC do not
      suggest a primacy of action of leptin in this nucleus. We demonstrate that first
      order to second order signaling may not represent the predominant means by which
      leptin acts in the brain to generate integrated responses. We provide evidence
      that leptin exerts direct action on cells of the DMH, ventromedial nucleus, and
      PVN.

PMID- 20308533
TI  - Studies in zebrafish reveal unusual cellular expression patterns of gonadotropin
      receptor messenger ribonucleic acids in the testis and unexpected functional
      differentiation of the gonadotropins.
AB  - This study aimed to improve, using the zebrafish model, our understanding of the
      distinct roles of pituitary gonadotropins FSH and LH in regulating testis
      functions in teleost fish. We report, for the first time in a vertebrate species,
      that zebrafish Leydig cells as well as Sertoli cells express the mRNAs for both
      gonadotropin receptors (fshr and lhcgr). Although Leydig cell fshr expression has
      been reported in other piscine species and may be a common feature of teleost
      fish, Sertoli cell lhcgr expression has not been reported previously and might be
      related to the undifferentiated gonochoristic mode of gonadal sex differentiation
      in zebrafish. Both recombinant zebrafish (rzf) gonadotropins (i.e. rzfLH and
      rzfFSH) stimulated androgen release in vitro and in vivo, with rzfFSH being
      significantly more potent than rzfLH. Forskolin-induced adenylate cyclase
      activation mimicked, whereas the protein kinase A inhibitor H-89 significantly
      reduced, the gonadotropin-stimulated androgen release. Therefore, we conclude
      that both FSH receptor and LH/choriogonadotropin receptor signaling are
      predominantly mediated through the cAMP/protein kinase A pathway to promote
      steroid production. Despite this similarity, other downstream mechanisms seem to
      differ. For example, rzfFSH up-regulated the testicular mRNA levels of a number
      of steroidogenesis-related genes both in vitro and in vivo, whereas rzfLH or
      human chorionic gonadotropin did not. Although not fully understood at present,
      these differences could explain the capacity of FSH to support both
      steroidogenesis and spermatogenesis on a long-term basis, whereas LH-stimulated
      steroidogenesis might be a more acute process, possibly restricted to periods
      during which peak steroid levels are required.

PMID- 20308534
TI  - Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and mitotic index in metastatic melanoma as
      predictors of patient survival.

PMID- 20308535
TI  - Steady-state cross-presentation of OVA is mannose receptor-dependent but
      inhibitable by collagen fragments.

PMID- 20308536
TI  - Short N-terminal sequences package proteins into bacterial microcompartments.
AB  - Hundreds of bacterial species produce proteinaceous microcompartments (MCPs) that
      act as simple organelles by confining the enzymes of metabolic pathways that have
      toxic or volatile intermediates. A fundamental unanswered question about
      bacterial MCPs is how enzymes are packaged within the protein shell that forms
      their outer surface. Here, we report that a short N-terminal peptide is necessary
      and sufficient for packaging enzymes into the lumen of an MCP involved in B(12)
      dependent 1,2-propanediol utilization (Pdu MCP). Deletion of 10 or 14 amino acids
      from the N terminus of the propionaldehyde dehydrogenase (PduP) enzyme, which is
      normally found within the Pdu MCP, substantially impaired packaging, with minimal
      effects on its enzymatic activity. Fusion of the 18 N-terminal amino acids from
      PduP to GFP, GST, or maltose-binding protein resulted in their encapsulation
      within MCPs. Bioinformatic analyses revealed N-terminal extensions in two
      additional Pdu proteins and three proteins from two unrelated MCPs, suggesting
      that N-terminal peptides may be used to package proteins into diverse MCPs. The
      potential uses of MCP assembly principles in nature and in biotechnology are
      discussed.

PMID- 20308537
TI  - MIPs are ancestral ligands for the sex peptide receptor.
AB  - Upon mating, females of many animal species undergo dramatic changes in their
      behavior. In Drosophila melanogaster, postmating behaviors are triggered by sex
      peptide (SP), which is produced in the male seminal fluid and transferred to
      female during copulation. SP modulates female behaviors via sex peptide receptor
      (SPR) located in a small subset of internal sensory neurons that innervate the
      female uterus and project to the CNS. Although required for postmating responses
      only in these female sensory neurons, SPR is expressed broadly in the CNS of both
      sexes. Moreover, SPR is also encoded in the genomes of insects that lack obvious
      SP orthologs. These observations suggest that SPR may have additional ligands and
      functions. Here, we identify myoinhibitory peptides (MIPs) as a second family of
      SPR ligands that is conserved across a wide range of invertebrate species. MIPs
      are potent agonists for Drosophila, Aedes, and Aplysia SPRs in vitro, yet are
      unable to trigger postmating responses in vivo. In contrast to SP, MIPs are not
      produced in male reproductive organs, and are not required for postmating
      behaviors in Drosophila females. We conclude that MIPs are evolutionarily
      conserved ligands for SPR, which are likely to mediate functions other than the
      regulation of female reproductive behaviors.

PMID- 20308538
TI  - Targeting a kinetochore-associated motor protein to kill cancer cells.

PMID- 20308539
TI  - A genome-scale protein interaction profile of Drosophila p53 uncovers additional
      nodes of the human p53 network.
AB  - The genome of the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster contains a single p53-like
      protein, phylogenetically related to the ancestor of the mammalian p53 family of
      tumor suppressors. We reasoned that a comprehensive map of the protein
      interaction profile of Drosophila p53 (Dmp53) might help identify conserved
      interactions of the entire p53 family in man. Using a genome-scale in vitro
      expression cloning approach, we identified 91 previously unreported Dmp53
      interactors, considerably expanding the current Drosophila p53 interactome.
      Looking for evolutionary conservation of these interactions, we tested 41
      mammalian orthologs and found that 37 bound to one or more p53-family members
      when overexpressed in human cells. An RNAi-based functional assay for modulation
      of the p53 pathway returned five positive hits, validating the biological
      relevance of these interactions. One p53 interactor is GTPBP4, a nucleolar
      protein involved in 60S ribosome biogenesis. We demonstrate that GTPBP4 knockdown
      induces p53 accumulation and activation in the absence of nucleolar disruption.
      In breast tumors with wild-type p53, increased expression of GTPBP4 correlates
      with reduced patient survival, emphasizing a potential relevance of this
      regulatory axis in cancer.

PMID- 20308540
TI  - Transcriptome and metabolome profiling of field-grown transgenic barley lack
      induced differences but show cultivar-specific variances.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to assess possible adverse effects of transgene
      expression in leaves of field-grown barley relative to the influence of genetic
      background and the effect of plant interaction with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.
      We conducted transcript profiling, metabolome profiling, and metabolic
      fingerprinting of wild-type accessions and barley transgenics with seed-specific
      expression of (1,3-1, 4)-beta-glucanase (GluB) in Baronesse (B) as well as of
      transgenics in Golden Promise (GP) background with ubiquitous expression of codon
      optimized Trichoderma harzianum endochitinase (ChGP). We found more than 1,600
      differential transcripts between varieties GP and B, with defense genes being
      strongly overrepresented in B, indicating a divergent response to subclinical
      pathogen challenge in the field. In contrast, no statistically significant
      differences between ChGP and GP could be detected based on transcriptome or
      metabolome analysis, although 22 genes and 4 metabolites were differentially
      abundant when comparing GluB and B, leading to the distinction of these two
      genotypes in principle component analysis. The coregulation of most of these
      genes in GluB and GP, as well as simple sequence repeat-marker analysis, suggests
      that the distinctive alleles in GluB are inherited from GP. Thus, the effect of
      the two investigated transgenes on the global transcript profile is substantially
      lower than the effect of a minor number of alleles that differ as a consequence
      of crop breeding. Exposing roots to the spores of the mycorrhizal Glomus sp. had
      little effect on the leaf transcriptome, but central leaf metabolism was
      consistently altered in all genotypes.

PMID- 20308541
TI  - Biosynthesis and functions of bacillithiol, a major low-molecular-weight thiol in
      Bacilli.
AB  - Bacillithiol (BSH), the alpha-anomeric glycoside of L-cysteinyl-D-glucosamine
      with L-malic acid, is a major low-molecular-weight thiol in Bacillus subtilis and
      related bacteria. Here, we identify genes required for BSH biosynthesis and
      provide evidence that the synthetic pathway has similarities to that established
      for the related thiol (mycothiol) in the Actinobacteria. Consistent with a key
      role for BSH in detoxification of electrophiles, the BshA glycosyltransferase and
      BshB1 deacetylase are encoded in an operon with methylglyoxal synthase. BshB1 is
      partially redundant in function with BshB2, a deacetylase of the LmbE family.
      Phylogenomic profiling identified a conserved unknown function protein (COG4365)
      as a candidate cysteine-adding enzyme (BshC) that co-occurs in genomes also
      encoding BshA, BshB1, and BshB2. Additional evolutionarily linked proteins
      include a thioredoxin reductase homolog and two thiol:disulfide oxidoreductases
      of the DUF1094 (CxC motif) family. Mutants lacking BshA, BshC, or both BshB1 and
      BshB2 are devoid of BSH. BSH is at least partially redundant in function with
      other low-molecular-weight thiols: redox proteomics indicates that protein thiols
      are largely reduced even in the absence of BSH. At the transcriptional level, the
      induction of genes controlled by two thiol-based regulators (OhrR, Spx) occurs
      normally. However, BSH null cells are significantly altered in acid and salt
      resistance, sporulation, and resistance to electrophiles and thiol reactive
      compounds. Moreover, cells lacking BSH are highly sensitive to fosfomycin, an
      epoxide-containing antibiotic detoxified by FosB, a prototype for bacillithiol-S
      transferase enzymes.

PMID- 20308542
TI  - Annexin A1 regulates TGF-beta signaling and promotes metastasis formation of
      basal-like breast cancer cells.
AB  - Annexin A1 (AnxA1) is a candidate regulator of the epithelial- to mesenchymal
      (EMT)-like phenotypic switch, a pivotal event in breast cancer progression. We
      show here that AnxA1 expression is associated with a highly invasive basal-like
      breast cancer subtype both in a panel of human breast cancer cell lines as in
      breast cancer patients and that AnxA1 is functionally related to breast cancer
      progression. AnxA1 knockdown in invasive basal-like breast cancer cells reduced
      the number of spontaneous lung metastasis, whereas additional expression of AnxA1
      enhanced metastatic spread. AnxA1 promotes metastasis formation by enhancing
      TGFbeta/Smad signaling and actin reorganization, which facilitates an EMT-like
      switch, thereby allowing efficient cell migration and invasion of metastatic
      breast cancer cells.

PMID- 20308543
TI  - xCT deficiency accelerates chemically induced tumorigenesis.
AB  - During the course of inflammation and its resolution, macrophages are exposed to
      various cytotoxic materials, including reactive oxygen species. Thus, macrophages
      require a protective machinery against oxidative stress to survive at the
      inflammatory site. Here, we showed that xCT, a component of transport system
      x(c)(-), was significantly up-regulated in activated infiltrating cells,
      including macrophages and neutrophils at the inflammatory site. System x(c)(-)
      mediates the uptake of extracellular L-cystine and is consequently responsible
      for maintenance of intracellular glutathione levels. We established a loss-of
      function mouse mutant line of xCT by N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea mutagenesis.
      Macrophages from xCT(mu/mu) mice showed cell death in association with the
      excessive release of high mobility group box chromosomal protein 1 upon
      stimulation with LPS, suggesting that xCT deficiency causes unremitting
      inflammation because of the impaired survival of activated macrophages at the
      inflammatory site. Subcutaneous injection of 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MCA) induced
      the generation of fibrosarcoma in association with inflammation. When 3-MCA was
      injected s.c. into mice, xCT mRNA was up-regulated in situ. In xCT(mu/mu) mice,
      inflammatory cytokines (such as IL-1beta and TNFalpha) were overexpressed, and
      the generation of 3-MCA-induced fibrosarcoma was accelerated. These results
      clearly indicate that the defect of the protective system against oxidative
      stress impaired survival of activated macrophages and subsequently enhanced
      tumorigenecity.

PMID- 20308544
TI  - Targeting the protein prenyltransferases efficiently reduces tumor development in
      mice with K-RAS-induced lung cancer.
AB  - RAS and RHO proteins, which contribute to tumorigenesis and metastasis, undergo
      posttranslational modification with an isoprenyl lipid by protein
      farnesyltransferase (FTase) or protein geranylgeranyltransferase-I (GGTase-I).
      Inhibitors of FTase and GGTase-I were developed to block RAS-induced
      malignancies, but their utility has been difficult to evaluate because of off
      target effects, drug resistance, and toxicity. Moreover, the impact of FTase
      deficiency and combined FTase/GGTase-I deficiency has not been evaluated with
      genetic approaches. We found that inactivation of FTase eliminated farnesylation
      of HDJ2 and H-RAS, prevented H-RAS targeting to the plasma membrane, and blocked
      proliferation of primary and K-RAS(G12D)-expressing fibroblasts. FTase
      inactivation in mice with K-RAS-induced lung cancer reduced tumor growth and
      improved survival, similar to results obtained previously with inactivation of
      GGTase-I. Simultaneous inactivation of FTase and GGTase-I markedly reduced lung
      tumors and improved survival without apparent pulmonary toxicity. These data shed
      light on the biochemical and therapeutic importance of FTase and suggest that
      simultaneous inhibition of FTase and GGTase-I could be useful in cancer
      therapeutics.

PMID- 20308545
TI  - Aberrant temporal and spatial brain activity during rest in patients with chronic
      pain.
AB  - In the absence of external stimuli, human hemodynamic brain activity displays
      slow intrinsic variations. To find out whether such fluctuations would be altered
      by persistent pain, we asked 10 patients with unrelenting chronic pain of
      different etiologies and 10 sex- and age-matched control subjects to rest with
      eyes open during 3-T functional MRI. Independent component analysis was used to
      identify functionally coupled brain networks. Time courses of an independent
      component comprising the insular cortices of both hemispheres showed stronger
      spectral power at 0.12 to 0.25 Hz in patients than in control subjects, with the
      largest difference at 0.16 Hz. A similar but weaker effect was seen in the
      anterior cingulate cortex, whereas activity of the precuneus and early visual
      cortex, used as a control site, did not differ between the groups. In the patient
      group, seed point-based correlation analysis revealed altered spatial
      connectivity between insulae and anterior cingulate cortex. The results imply
      both temporally and spatially aberrant activity of the affective pain-processing
      areas in patients suffering from chronic pain. The accentuated 0.12- to 0.25-Hz
      fluctuations in the patient group might be related to altered activity of the
      autonomic nervous system.

PMID- 20308546
TI  - Origin and formation of the first two distinct cell types of the inner cell mass
      in the mouse embryo.
AB  - A crucial question in mammalian development is how cells of the early embryo
      differentiate into distinct cell types. The first decision is taken when cells
      undertake waves of asymmetric division that generate one daughter on the inside
      and one on the outside of the embryo. After this division, some cells on the
      inside remain pluripotent and give rise to the epiblast, and hence the future
      body, whereas others develop into the primitive endoderm, an extraembryonic
      tissue. How the fate of these inside cells is decided is unknown: Is the process
      random, or is it related to their developmental origins? To address this
      question, we traced all cells by live-cell imaging in intact, unmanipulated
      embryos until the epiblast and primitive endoderm became distinct. This analysis
      revealed that inner cell mass (ICM) cells have unrestricted developmental
      potential. However, cells internalized by the first wave of asymmetric divisions
      are biased toward forming pluripotent epiblast, whereas cells internalized in the
      next two waves of divisions are strongly biased toward forming primitive
      endoderm. Moreover, we show that cells internalized by the second wave up
      regulate expression of Gata6 and Sox17, and changing the expression of these
      genes determines whether the cells become primitive endoderm. Finally, with our
      ability to determine the origin of cells, we find that inside cells that are
      mispositioned when they are born can sort into the correct layer. In conclusion,
      we propose a model in which the timing of cell internalization, cell position,
      and cell sorting combine to determine distinct lineages of the preimplantation
      mouse embryo.

PMID- 20308547
TI  - Patterns of aging in the long-lived wandering albatross.
AB  - How does an animal age in natural conditions? Given the multifaceted nature of
      senescence, identifying the effects of age on physiology and behavior remains
      challenging. We investigated the effects of age on a broad array of phenotypic
      traits in a wild, long-lived animal, the wandering albatross. We studied foraging
      behavior using satellite tracking and activity loggers in males and females (age
      6-48+ years), and monitored reproductive performance and nine markers of baseline
      physiology known to reflect senescence in vertebrates (humoral immunity,
      oxidative stress, antioxidant defenses, and hormone levels). Age strongly
      affected foraging behavior and reproductive performance, but not baseline
      physiology. Consistent with results of mammal and human studies, age affected
      males and females differently. Overall, our findings demonstrate that age, sex,
      and foraging ability interact in shaping aging patterns in natural conditions.
      Specifically, we found an unexpected pattern of spatial segregation by age; old
      males foraged in remote Antarctica waters, whereas young and middle-aged males
      never foraged south of the Polar Front. Old males traveled a greater distance but
      were less active at the sea surface, and returned from sea with elevated levels
      of stress hormone (corticosterone), mirroring a low foraging efficiency. In
      contrast to findings in captive animals and short-lived birds, and consistent
      with disposable soma theory, we found no detectable age-related deterioration of
      baseline physiology in albatrosses. We propose that foraging efficiency (i.e.,
      the ability of individuals to extract energy from their environment) might play a
      central role in shaping aging patterns in natural conditions.

PMID- 20308548
TI  - Xenopus Bsx links daily cell cycle rhythms and pineal photoreceptor fate.
AB  - In the developing central nervous system, the cell cycle clock plays a crucial
      role in determining cell fate specification. A second clock, the circadian
      oscillator, generates daily rhythms of cell cycle progression. Although these two
      clocks interact, the mechanisms linking circadian cell cycle progression and cell
      fate determination are still poorly understood. A convenient system to address
      this issue is the pineal organ of lower vertebrates, which contains only two
      neuronal types, photoreceptors and projection neurons. In particular,
      photoreceptors constitute the core of the pineal circadian system, being able to
      transduce daily light inputs into the rhythmical production of melatonin.
      However, the genetic program leading to photoreceptor fate largely remains to be
      deciphered. Here, we report a previously undescribed function for the homeobox
      gene Bsx in controlling pineal proliferation and photoreceptor fate in Xenopus.
      We show that Xenopus Bsx (Xbsx) is expressed rhythmically in postmitotic
      photoreceptor precursors, reaching a peak during the night, with a cycle that is
      complementary to the daily rhythms of S-phase entry displayed by pineal cells.
      Xbsx knockdown results in increased night levels of pineal proliferation, whereas
      activation of a GR-Xbsx protein flattens the daily rhythms of S-phase entry to
      the lowest level. Furthermore, evidence is presented that Xbsx is necessary and
      sufficient to promote a photoreceptor fate. Altogether, these data indicate that
      Xbsx plays a dual role in contributing to shape the profile of the circadian cell
      cycle progression and in the specification of pineal photoreceptors, thus acting
      as a unique link between these two events.

PMID- 20308550
TI  - The phosphatase and tensin homolog regulates epidermal growth factor receptor
      (EGFR) inhibitor response by targeting EGFR for degradation.
AB  - The phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is a tumor suppressor that is
      inactivated in many human cancers. PTEN loss has been associated with resistance
      to inhibitors of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), but the molecular
      basis of this resistance is unclear. It is believed that unopposed
      phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) activation through multiple receptor
      tyrosine kinases (RTKs) can relieve PTEN-deficient cancers from their
      "dependence" on EGFR or any other single RTK for survival. Here we report a
      distinct resistance mechanism whereby PTEN inactivation specifically raises EGFR
      activity by impairing the ligand-induced ubiquitylation and degradation of the
      activated receptor through destabilization of newly formed ubiquitin ligase Cbl
      complexes. PTEN-associated resistance to EGFR kinase inhibitors is phenocopied by
      expression of dominant negative Cbl and can be overcome by more complete EGFR
      kinase inhibition. PTEN inactivation does not confer resistance to inhibitors of
      the MET or PDGFRA kinase. Our study identifies a critical role for PTEN in EGFR
      signal termination and suggests that more potent EGFR inhibition should overcome
      resistance caused by PI3K pathway activation.

PMID- 20308549
TI  - Multiple aquatic invasions by an endemic, terrestrial Hawaiian moth radiation.
AB  - Insects are the most diverse form of life on the planet, dominating both
      terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, yet no species has a life stage able to
      breath, feed, and develop either continually submerged or without access to
      water. Such truly amphibious insects are unrecorded. In mountain streams across
      the Hawaiian Islands, some caterpillars in the endemic moth genus Hyposmocoma are
      truly amphibious. These larvae can breathe and feed indefinitely both above and
      below the water's surface and can mature completely submerged or dry. Remarkably,
      a molecular phylogeny based on 2,243 bp from both nuclear (elongation factor
      1alpha and carbomoylphosphate synthase) and mitochondrial (cytochrome oxidase I)
      genes representing 216 individuals and 89 species of Hyposmocoma reveals that
      this amphibious lifestyle is an example of parallel evolution and has arisen from
      strictly terrestrial clades at least three separate times in the genus starting
      more than 6 million years ago, before the current high islands existed. No other
      terrestrial genus of animals has sponsored so many independent aquatic invasions,
      and no other insects are able to remain active indefinitely above and below
      water. Why and how Hyposmocoma, an overwhelmingly terrestrial group, repeatedly
      evolved unprecedented aquatic species is unclear, although there are many other
      evolutionary anomalies across the Hawaiian archipelago. The uniqueness of the
      community assemblages of Hawaii's isolated biota is likely critical in generating
      such evolutionary novelty because this amphibious ecology is unknown anywhere
      else.

PMID- 20308551
TI  - Progressive renal injury from transgenic expression of human carbonic anhydrase
      IV folding mutants is enhanced by deficiency of p58IPK.
AB  - Mutations in the human carbonic anhydrase IV (hCAIV) have been associated with
      retinal degeneration in an autosomal-dominant form of retinitis pigmentosa
      (RP17). Prior in vitro cell culture studies confirmed that all of the RP17
      associated hCAIV mutations cause protein misfolding, leading to endoplasmic
      reticulum (ER) stress-induced apoptosis in cells expressing the mutant proteins.
      To evaluate the physiological impacts of these folding mutants in other carbonic
      anhydrase IV-producing tissues, we generated two transgenic mouse lines
      expressing R219S or R14W hCAIV under control of the endogenous hCAIV promoter.
      Expression of either of these mutant proteins in kidneys caused progressive renal
      injury in male transgenic mice as evidenced by an age-dependent increase in the
      tubule cell apoptosis starting at approximately 20 weeks of age and vacuolization
      throughout the renal cortex in older mice. Up-regulation of the ER chaperone,
      BiP, was observed in the cells of the renal cortex of the male transgenic mice,
      suggesting ER stress as a causal factor for the renal injury. The renal injury
      inflicted by expression of the folding mutants was markedly enhanced by
      haploinsufficiency of the ER cochaperone p58(IPK). The transgenic mice expressing
      the hCAIV folding mutants on a p58(IPK) heterozygous background showed extensive
      renal tubular apoptosis by approximately 10 weeks of age in both male and female
      mice. These data indicate that expression of the RP17-associated folding mutants
      of hCAIV can adversely affect tissues beyond the retina and their in vivo
      proteotoxicity is sensitive to modulation of the protein folding environment of
      the ER.

PMID- 20308552
TI  - Truncated beta-amyloid peptide channels provide an alternative mechanism for
      Alzheimer's Disease and Down syndrome.
AB  - Full-length amyloid beta peptides (Abeta(1-40/42)) form neuritic amyloid plaques
      in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and are implicated in AD pathology. However,
      recent transgenic animal models cast doubt on their direct role in AD pathology.
      Nonamyloidogenic truncated amyloid-beta fragments (Abeta(11-42) and Abeta(17-42))
      are also found in amyloid plaques of AD and in the preamyloid lesions of Down
      syndrome, a model system for early-onset AD study. Very little is known about the
      structure and activity of these smaller peptides, although they could be the
      primary AD and Down syndrome pathological agents. Using complementary techniques
      of molecular dynamics simulations, atomic force microscopy, channel conductance
      measurements, calcium imaging, neuritic degeneration, and cell death assays, we
      show that nonamyloidogenic Abeta(9-42) and Abeta(17-42) peptides form ion
      channels with loosely attached subunits and elicit single-channel conductances.
      The subunits appear mobile, suggesting insertion of small oligomers, followed by
      dynamic channel assembly and dissociation. These channels allow calcium uptake in
      amyloid precursor protein-deficient cells. The channel mediated calcium uptake
      induces neurite degeneration in human cortical neurons. Channel conductance,
      calcium uptake, and neurite degeneration are selectively inhibited by zinc, a
      blocker of amyloid ion channel activity. Thus, truncated Abeta fragments could
      account for undefined roles played by full length Abetas and provide a unique
      mechanism of AD and Down syndrome pathologies. The toxicity of nonamyloidogenic
      peptides via an ion channel mechanism necessitates a reevaluation of the current
      therapeutic approaches targeting the nonamyloidogenic pathway as avenue for AD
      treatment.

PMID- 20308553
TI  - Cultural differences are not always reducible to individual differences.
AB  - We show that differences in social orientation and in cognition that exist
      between cultures and social classes do not necessarily have counterparts in
      individual differences within those groups. Evidence comes from a large-scale
      study conducted with 10 measures of independent vs. interdependent social
      orientation and 10 measures of analytic vs. holistic cognitive style. The social
      measures successfully distinguish between interdependence (viewing oneself as
      embedded in relations with others) and independence (viewing oneself as
      disconnected from others) at the group level. However, the correlations among the
      measures were negligible. Similar results were obtained for the cognitive
      measures, for which there are no coherent individual differences despite the
      validity of the construct at the group level. We conclude that behavioral
      constructs that distinguish among groups need not be valid as measures of
      individual differences.

PMID- 20308554
TI  - A sense of direction in human entorhinal cortex.
AB  - Finding our way in spatial environments is an essential part of daily life. How
      do we come to possess this sense of direction? Extensive research points to the
      hippocampus and entorhinal cortex (EC) as key neural structures underlying
      spatial navigation. To better understand this system, we examined recordings of
      single-neuron activity from neurosurgical patients playing a virtual-navigation
      video game. In addition to place cells, which encode the current virtual
      location, we describe a unique cell type, EC path cells, the activity of which
      indicates whether the patient is taking a clockwise or counterclockwise path
      around the virtual square road. We find that many EC path cells exhibit this
      directional activity throughout the environment, in contrast to hippocampal
      neurons, which primarily encode information about specific locations. More
      broadly, these findings support the hypothesis that EC encodes general properties
      of the current context (e.g., location or direction) that are used by hippocampus
      to build unique representations reflecting combinations of these properties.

PMID- 20308555
TI  - Coherent and incoherent inference in phylogeography and human evolution.
AB  - A hypothesis is nested within a more general hypothesis when it is a special case
      of the more general hypothesis. Composite hypotheses consist of more than one
      component, and in many cases different composite hypotheses can share some but
      not all of these components and hence are overlapping. In statistics, coherent
      measures of fit of nested and overlapping composite hypotheses are technically
      those measures that are consistent with the constraints of formal logic. For
      example, the probability of the nested special case must be less than or equal to
      the probability of the general model within which the special case is nested. Any
      statistic that assigns greater probability to the special case is said to be
      incoherent. An example of incoherence is shown in human evolution, for which the
      approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) method assigned a probability to a model
      of human evolution that was a thousand-fold larger than a more general model
      within which the first model was fully nested. Possible causes of this
      incoherence are identified, and corrections and restrictions are suggested to
      make ABC and similar methods coherent. Another coalescent-based method, nested
      clade phylogeographic analysis, is coherent and also allows the testing of
      individual components of composite hypotheses, another attribute lacking in ABC
      and other coalescent-simulation approaches. Incoherence is a highly undesirable
      property because it means that the inference is mathematically incorrect and
      formally illogical, and the published incoherent inferences on human evolution
      that favor the out-of-Africa replacement hypothesis have no statistical or
      logical validity.

PMID- 20308556
TI  - Toll-like receptor 8-mediated activation of murine plasmacytoid dendritic cells
      by vaccinia viral DNA.
AB  - Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) play a critical role in antiviral immunity
      through their ability to produce large amounts of type I IFNs. Activation of pDCs
      upon viral infection has been shown to be dependent on MyD88 and mediated by Toll
      like receptors (TLR) 7 and 9, which sense viral ssRNA and CpG DNA, respectively.
      In this study, we showed that murine pDC recognition of vaccinia virus (VV), a
      dsDNA virus, was MyD88-dependent but TLR9-independent. Using HEK293 cells
      transfected with murine TLR7 or TLR8 and a NF-kappaB luciferase reporter, we
      demonstrated that stimulation of TLR8-, but not TLR7-, transfected cells with
      either VV or VV DNA resulted in substantial NF-kappaB activation, and that siRNA
      mediated knockdown of TLR8 expression in pDCs led to a complete ablation of VV
      induced type I IFN production. We further identified that the VV genome was rich
      in poly(A)/T sequences, and synthetic poly(A) and poly T oligodeoxynucleotides
      were capable of activating pDCs in a TLR8-dependent manner. In vivo, TLR8-MyD88
      dependent pDC activation played a critical role in innate immune control of VV
      infection. Collectively, our data are unique in demonstrating that TLR8 is
      required for sensing poly(A)/T-rich DNA in pDCs, and that murine TLR8 is
      functional in the context of a viral infection.

PMID- 20308557
TI  - UV radiation suppresses experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis independent of
      vitamin D production.
AB  - Although the exact cause of multiple sclerosis (MS) is unknown, a number of
      genetic and environmental factors are thought to influence MS susceptibility. One
      potential environmental factor is sunlight and the subsequent production of
      vitamin D. A number of studies have correlated decreased exposure to UV radiation
      (UVR) and low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D(3) [25(OH)D(3)] levels with an increased
      risk for developing MS. Furthermore, both UVR and the active form of vitamin D,
      1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3), suppress disease in the experimental autoimmune
      encephalomyelitis (EAE) animal model of MS. These observations led to the
      hypothesis that UVR likely suppresses disease through the increased production of
      vitamin D. However, UVR can suppress the immune system independent of vitamin D.
      Therefore, it is unclear whether UVR, vitamin D, or both are necessary for the
      putative decrease in MS susceptibility. We have probed the ability of UVR to
      suppress disease in the EAE model of MS and assessed the effect of UVR on serum
      25(OH)D(3) and calcium levels. Our results indicate that continuous treatment
      with UVR dramatically suppresses clinical signs of EAE. Interestingly, disease
      suppression occurs with only a modest, transient increase in serum 25(OH)D(3)
      levels. Further analysis demonstrated that the levels of 25(OH)D(3) obtained upon
      UVR treatment were insufficient to suppress EAE independent of UVR treatment.
      These results suggest that UVR is likely suppressing disease independent of
      vitamin D production, and that vitamin D supplementation alone may not replace
      the ability of sunlight to reduce MS susceptibility.

PMID- 20308558
TI  - Coordination of Rab8 and Rab11 in primary ciliogenesis.
AB  - Primary cilia are microtubule-based membrane projections located at the surface
      of many cells. Defects in primary cilia formation have been implicated in a
      number of genetic disorders, such as Bardet-Biedl Syndrome and Polycystic Kidney
      Disease. Recent studies have demonstrated that polarized vesicular transport
      involving Rab8 and its guanine nucleotide-exchange factor Rabin8 is essential for
      primary ciliogenesis. Here we report that Rabin8 is a direct downstream effector
      of Rab11, which functions in membrane trafficking from the trans-Golgi network
      and recycling endosomes. Rab11, in its GTP-bound form, interacts with Rabin8 and
      kinetically stimulates the guanine nucleotide-exchange activity of Rabin8 toward
      Rab8. Rab11 is enriched at the base of the primary cilia and inhibition of Rab11
      function by a dominant-negative mutant or RNA interference blocks primary
      ciliogenesis. Our results suggest that Rab GTPases coordinate with each other in
      the regulation of vesicular trafficking during primary ciliogenesis.

PMID- 20308559
TI  - P53-induced microRNA-107 inhibits HIF-1 and tumor angiogenesis.
AB  - The pathway involving the tumor suppressor gene TP53 can regulate tumor
      angiogenesis by unclear mechanisms. Here we show that p53 regulates hypoxic
      signaling through the transcriptional regulation of microRNA-107 (miR-107). We
      found that miR-107 is a microRNA expressed by human colon cancer specimens and
      regulated by p53. miR-107 decreases hypoxia signaling by suppressing expression
      of hypoxia inducible factor-1beta (HIF-1beta). Knockdown of endogenous miR-107
      enhances HIF-1beta expression and hypoxic signaling in human colon cancer cells.
      Conversely, overexpression of miR-107 inhibits HIF-1beta expression and hypoxic
      signaling. Furthermore, overexpression of miR-107 in tumor cells suppresses tumor
      angiogenesis, tumor growth, and tumor VEGF expression in mice. Finally, in human
      colon cancer specimens, expression of miR-107 is inversely associated with
      expression of HIF-1beta. Taken together these data suggest that miR-107 can
      mediate p53 regulation of hypoxic signaling and tumor angiogenesis.

PMID- 20308560
TI  - In colorectal cancer mast cells contribute to systemic regulatory T-cell
      dysfunction.
AB  - T-regulatory cells (Treg) and mast cells (MC) are abundant in colorectal cancer
      (CRC) tumors. Interaction between the two is known to promote immune suppression
      or loss of Treg functions and autoimmunity. Here, we demonstrate that in both
      human CRC and murine polyposis the outcome of this interaction is the generation
      of potently immune suppressive but proinflammatory Treg (DeltaTreg). These Treg
      shut down IL10, gain potential to express IL17, and switch from suppressing to
      promoting MC expansion and degranulation. This change is also brought about by
      direct coculture of MC and Treg, or culture of Treg in medium containing IL6 and
      IL2. IL6 deficiency in the bone marrow of mice susceptible to polyposis
      eliminated IL17 production by the polyp infiltrating Treg, but did not
      significantly affect the growth of polyps or the generation of proinflammatory
      Treg. IL6-deficient MC could generate proinflammatory Treg. Thus, MC induce Treg
      to switch function and escalate inflammation in CRC without losing T-cell
      suppressive properties. IL6 and IL17 are not needed in this process.

PMID- 20308561
TI  - Estrogen receptor ESR1 controls cell migration by repressing chemokine receptor
      CXCR4 in the zebrafish posterior lateral line system.
AB  - The primordium that generates the embryonic posterior lateral line of zebrafish
      migrates from the head to the tip of the tail along a trail of SDF1-producing
      cells. This migration critically depends on the presence of the SDF1 receptor
      CXCR4 in the leading region of the primordium and on the presence of a second
      SDF1 receptor, CXCR7, in the trailing region of the primordium. Here we show that
      inactivation of the estrogen receptor ESR1 results in ectopic expression of
      cxcr4b throughout the primordium, whereas ESR1 overexpression results in a
      reciprocal reduction in the domain of cxcr4b expression, suggesting that ESR1
      acts as a repressor of cxcr4b. This finding could explain why estrogens
      significantly decrease the metastatic ability of ESR-positive breast cancer
      cells. ESR1 inactivation also leads to extinction of cxcr7b expression in the
      trailing cells of the migrating primordium; this effect is indirect, however, and
      due to the down-regulation of cxcr7b by ectopic SDF1/CXCR4 signaling in the
      trailing region. Both ESR1 inactivation and overexpression result in aborted
      migration, confirming the importance of this receptor in the control of SDF1
      dependent migration.

PMID- 20308562
TI  - Hypoxia inducible microRNA 210 attenuates keratinocyte proliferation and impairs
      closure in a murine model of ischemic wounds.
AB  - Ischemia complicates wound closure. Here, we are unique in presenting a murine
      ischemic wound model that is based on bipedicle flap approach. Using this model
      of ischemic wounds we have sought to elucidate how microRNAs may be implicated in
      limiting wound re-epithelialization under hypoxia, a major component of ischemia.
      Ischemia, evaluated by laser Doppler as well as hyperspectral imaging, limited
      blood flow and lowered tissue oxygen saturation. EPR oximetry demonstrated that
      the ischemic wound tissue had pO(2) <10 mm Hg. Ischemic wounds suffered from
      compromised macrophage recruitment and delayed wound epithelialization.
      Specifically, epithelial proliferation, as determined by Ki67 staining, was
      compromised. In vivo imaging showed massive hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha (HIF
      1alpha) stabilization in ischemic wounds, where HIF-1alpha induced miR-210
      expression that, in turn, silenced its target E2F3, which was markedly down
      regulated in the wound-edge tissue of ischemic wounds. E2F3 was recognized as a
      key facilitator of cell proliferation. In keratinocytes, knock-down of E2F3
      limited cell proliferation. Forced stabilization of HIF-1alpha using Ad-VP16- HIF
      1alpha under normoxic conditions up-regulated miR-210 expression, down-regulated
      E2F3, and limited cell proliferation. Studies using cellular delivery of miR-210
      antagomir and mimic demonstrated a key role of miR-210 in limiting keratinocyte
      proliferation. In summary, these results are unique in presenting evidence
      demonstrating that the hypoxia component of ischemia may limit wound re
      epithelialization by stabilizing HIF-1alpha, which induces miR-210 expression,
      resulting in the down-regulation of the cell-cycle regulatory protein E2F3.

PMID- 20308563
TI  - Genetic variation of melatonin productivity in laboratory mice under
      domestication.
AB  - Melatonin is a pineal hormone produced at night; however, many strains of
      laboratory mice are deficient in melatonin. Strangely enough, the gene encoding
      HIOMT enzyme (also known as ASMT) that catalyzes the last step of melatonin
      synthesis is still unidentified in the house mouse (Mus musculus) despite the
      completion of the genome sequence. Here we report the identification of the mouse
      Hiomt gene, which was mapped to the pseudoautosomal region (PAR) of sex
      chromosomes. The gene was highly polymorphic, and nonsynonymous SNPs were found
      in melatonin-deficient strains. In C57BL/6 strain, there are two mutations, both
      of which markedly reduce protein expression. Mutability of the Hiomt likely due
      to a high recombination rate in the PAR could be the genomic basis for the high
      prevalence of melatonin deficiency. To understand the physiologic basis, we
      examined a wild-derived strain, MSM/Ms, which produced melatonin more under a
      short-day condition than a long-day condition, accompanied by increased Hiomt
      expression. We generated F2 intercrosses between MSM/Ms and C57BL/6 strains and
      N2 backcrosses to investigate the role of melatonin productivity on the
      physiology of mice. Although there was no apparent effect of melatonin
      productivity on the circadian behaviors, testis development was significantly
      promoted in melatonin-deficient mice. Exogenous melatonin also had the
      antigonadal action in mice of a melatonin-deficient strain. These findings
      suggest a favorable impact of melatonin deficiency due to Hiomt mutations on
      domestic mice in breeding colonies.

PMID- 20308564
TI  - HR23B is a biomarker for tumor sensitivity to HDAC inhibitor-based therapy.
AB  - Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are emergent cancer drugs. HR23B is a
      candidate cancer biomarker identified in a genome-wide loss-of-function screen
      which influences sensitivity to HDAC inhibitors. Because HDAC inhibitors have
      found clinical utility in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), we evaluated the role
      of HR23B in CTCL cells. Our results show that HR23B governs the sensitivity of
      CTCL cells to HDAC inhibitors. Furthermore, proteasome activity is deregulated in
      HDAC inhibitor-treated CTCL cells through a mechanism dependent upon HR23B, and
      HDAC inhibitors sensitize CTCL cells to the effects of proteasome inhibitors. The
      predictive power of HR23B for clinical response to HDAC inhibitors was
      investigated through an analysis of a unique collection of CTCL biopsies taken
      from a phase II clinical trial, where there was a frequent coincidence between
      HR23B expression and clinical response to HDAC inhibitor. Our study supports the
      personalized medicine approach for treating cancer and the increasing drive to
      translate laboratory-based findings into clinical utility.

PMID- 20308565
TI  - ATP-gated P2X3 receptors constitute a positive autocrine signal for insulin
      release in the human pancreatic beta cell.
AB  - Extracellular ATP has been proposed as a paracrine signal in rodent islets, but
      it is unclear what role ATP plays in human islets. We now show the presence of an
      ATP signaling pathway that enhances the human beta cell's sensitivity and
      responsiveness to glucose fluctuations. By using in situ hybridization, RT-PCR,
      immunohistochemistry, and Western blotting as well as recordings of cytoplasmic
      free Ca(2+) concentration, [Ca(2+)](i), and hormone release in vitro, we show
      that human beta cells express ionotropic ATP receptors of the P2X(3) type and
      that activation of these receptors by ATP coreleased with insulin amplifies
      glucose-induced insulin secretion. Released ATP activates P2X(3) receptors in the
      beta-cell plasma membrane, resulting in increased [Ca(2+)](i) and enhanced
      insulin secretion. Therefore, in human islets, released ATP forms a positive
      autocrine feedback loop that sensitizes the beta cell's secretory machinery. This
      may explain how the human pancreatic beta cell can respond so effectively to
      relatively modest changes in glucose concentration under physiological conditions
      in vivo.

PMID- 20308566
TI  - Imaging extrasynaptic glutamate dynamics in the brain.
AB  - Glutamate is the major neurotransmitter in the brain, mediating point-to-point
      transmission across the synaptic cleft in excitatory synapses. Using a glutamate
      imaging method with fluorescent indicators, we show that synaptic activity
      generates extrasynaptic glutamate dynamics in the vicinity of active synapses.
      These glutamate dynamics had magnitudes and durations sufficient to activate
      extrasynaptic glutamate receptors in brain slices. We also observed crosstalk
      between synapses--i.e., summation of glutamate released from neighboring
      synapses. Furthermore, we successfully observed that sensory input from the
      extremities induced extrasynaptic glutamate dynamics within the appropriate
      sensory area of the cerebral cortex in vivo. Thus, the present study clarifies
      the spatiotemporal features of extrasynaptic glutamate dynamics, and opens up an
      avenue to directly visualizing synaptic activity in live animals.

PMID- 20308567
TI  - Dynamic evolution of translation initiation mechanisms in prokaryotes.
AB  - It is generally believed that prokaryotic translation is initiated by the
      interaction between the Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequence in the 5' UTR of an mRNA and
      the anti-SD sequence in the 3' end of a 16S ribosomal RNA. However, there are two
      exceptional mechanisms, which do not require the SD sequence for translation
      initiation: one is mediated by a ribosomal protein S1 (RPS1) and the other used
      leaderless mRNA that lacks its 5' UTR. To understand the evolutionary changes of
      the mechanisms of translation initiation, we examined how universal the SD
      sequence is as an effective initiator for translation among prokaryotes. We
      identified the SD sequence from 277 species (249 eubacteria and 28
      archaebacteria). We also devised an SD index that is a proportion of SD
      containing genes in which the differences of GC contents are taken into account.
      We found that the SD indices varied among prokaryotic species, but were similar
      within each phylum. Although the anti-SD sequence is conserved among species,
      loss of the SD sequence seems to have occurred multiple times, independently, in
      different phyla. For those phyla, RPS1-mediated or leaderless mRNA-used
      mechanisms of translation initiation are considered to be working to a greater
      extent. Moreover, we also found that some species, such as Cyanobacteria, may
      acquire new mechanisms of translation initiation. Our findings indicate that,
      although translation initiation is indispensable for all protein-coding genes in
      the genome of every species, its mechanisms have dynamically changed during
      evolution.

PMID- 20308568
TI  - HLA-A alleles and infectious mononucleosis suggest a critical role for cytotoxic
      T-cell response in EBV-related Hodgkin lymphoma.
AB  - A proportion of classical Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is believed to be causally
      related to infection with the ubiquitous lymphotropic EBV. The determining
      factors for development of EBV-related HL remain poorly understood, but likely
      involve immunological control of the viral infection. Accordingly, markers of the
      HLA class I region have been associated with risk of EBV-related HL. To study the
      host genetic component of EBV-related HL further, we investigated the lymphoma's
      association with HLA-A*01 and HLA-A*02 simultaneously in the setting of
      infectious mononucleosis (IM), a risk factor for EBV-related HL, in a case-series
      analysis including 278 EBV-related and 656 EBV-unrelated cases of HL. By logistic
      regression, HLA-A*01 alleles [odds ratio (OR) per allele, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.60
      2.88] were associated with increased and HLA-A*02 alleles (OR per allele, 0.70;
      95% CI, 0.51-0.97) with decreased risk of EBV-related HL. These allele-specific
      associations corresponded to nearly 10-fold variation in risk of EBV-related HL
      between HLA-A*01 and HLA-A*02 homozygotes. History of IM was also associated with
      risk of EBV-related HL (OR, 3.40; 95% CI, 1.74-6.66). The association between
      history of IM and EBV-related HL was not seen in the presence of HLA-A*02 because
      this allele appeared to neutralize the effect of IM on EBV-related HL risk. Our
      findings suggest that HLA class I-restricted EBV-specific cytotoxic T-cell
      responses and events in the early immune response to EBV infection in IM play
      critical roles in the pathogenesis of EBV-related HL.

PMID- 20308569
TI  - Zbtb20 is essential for the specification of CA1 field identity in the developing
      hippocampus.
AB  - The development of hippocampal circuitry depends on the proper assembly of
      correctly specified and fully differentiated hippocampal neurons. Little is known
      about factors that control the hippocampal specification. Here, we show that zinc
      finger protein Zbtb20 is essential for the specification of hippocampal CA1 field
      identity. We found that Zbtb20 expression was initially activated in the
      hippocampal anlage at the onset of corticogenesis, and persisted in immature
      hippocampal neurons. Targeted deletion of Zbtb20 in mice did not compromise the
      progenitor proliferation in the hippocampal and adjacent transitional ventricular
      zone, but led to the transformation of the hippocampal CA1 field into a
      transitional neocortex-like structure, as evidenced by cytoarchitectural,
      neuronal migration, and gene expression phenotypes. Correspondingly, the
      subiculum was ectopically located adjacent to the CA3 in mutant. Although the
      field identities of the mutant CA3 and dentate gyrus (DG) were largely
      maintained, their projections were severely impaired. The hippocampus of Zbtb20
      null mice was reduced in size, and exhibited increased apoptotic cell death
      during postnatal development. Our data establish an essential role of Zbtb20 in
      the specification of CA1 field identity by repressing adjacent transitional
      neocortex-specific fate determination.

PMID- 20308570
TI  - Association of RIG-I with innate immunity of ducks to influenza.
AB  - Ducks and wild waterfowl perpetuate all strains of influenza viruses in nature.
      In their natural host, influenza viruses typically cause asymptomatic infection
      and little pathology. Ducks are often resistant to influenza viruses capable of
      killing chickens. Here, we show that the influenza virus sensor, RIG-I, is
      present in ducks and plays a role in clearing an influenza infection. We show
      evidence suggesting that RIG-I may be absent in chickens, providing a plausible
      explanation for their increased susceptibility to influenza viruses compared with
      ducks. RIG-I detects RNA ligands derived from uncapped viral transcripts and
      initiates the IFN response. In this study, we show that the chicken embryonic
      fibroblast cell line, DF-1, cannot respond to a RIG-I ligand. However,
      transfection of duck RIG-I into DF-1 cells rescues the detection of ligand and
      induces IFN-beta promoter activity. Additionally, DF-1 cells expressing duck RIG
      I have an augmented IFN response resulting in decreased influenza replication
      after challenge with either low or highly pathogenic avian influenza virus.
      Implicating RIG-I in the antiviral response to an infection in vivo, we found
      that RIG-I expression is induced 200 fold, early in an innate immune response in
      ducks challenged with the H5N1 virus A/Vietnam/1203/04. Finding this natural
      disease resistance gene in ducks opens the possibility of increasing influenza
      resistance through creation of a transgenic chicken.

PMID- 20308571
TI  - Gonadotropin-positive pituitary tumors accompanied by ovarian tumors in aging
      female ERbeta-/- mice.
AB  - At 2 years of age, 100% (23/23) of ERbeta(-/-) female mice have developed large
      pituitary and ovarian tumors. The pituitary tumors are gonadotropin-positive and
      the ovarian tumors are sex cord (less differentiated) and granulosa cell tumors
      (differentiated and estrogen secreting). No male mice had pituitary tumors and no
      pituitary or ovarian tumors developed in ERalpha(-/-) mice or in ERalphabeta(-/-)
      double knockout mice. The tumors have high proliferation indices, are ERalpha
      positive, ERbeta-negative, and express high levels of nuclear phospho-SMAD3. Mice
      with granulosa cell tumors also had hyperproliferative endometria. The cause of
      the pituitary tumors appeared to be excessive secretion of gonadotropin releasing
      hormone (GnRH) from the hypothalamus resulting from high expression of NPY. The
      ovarian phenotype is similar to that seen in mice where inhibin is ablated. The
      data indicate that ERbeta plays an important role in regulating GnRH secretion.
      We suggest that in the absence of ERbeta, the proliferative action of FSH/SMAD3
      is unopposed and the high proliferation leads to the development of ovarian
      tumors. The absence of tumors in the ERalphabeta(-/-) mice suggests that tumor
      development requires the presence of ERalpha.

PMID- 20308572
TI  - Systematic discovery of nonobvious human disease models through orthologous
      phenotypes.
AB  - Biologists have long used model organisms to study human diseases, particularly
      when the model bears a close resemblance to the disease. We present a method that
      quantitatively and systematically identifies nonobvious equivalences between
      mutant phenotypes in different species, based on overlapping sets of orthologous
      genes from human, mouse, yeast, worm, and plant (212,542 gene-phenotype
      associations). These orthologous phenotypes, or phenologs, predict unique genes
      associated with diseases. Our method suggests a yeast model for angiogenesis
      defects, a worm model for breast cancer, mouse models of autism, and a plant
      model for the neural crest defects associated with Waardenburg syndrome, among
      others. Using these models, we show that SOX13 regulates angiogenesis, and that
      SEC23IP is a likely Waardenburg gene. Phenologs reveal functionally coherent,
      evolutionarily conserved gene networks-many predating the plant-animal divergence
      capable of identifying candidate disease genes.

PMID- 20308573
TI  - Ribosome-associated peroxiredoxins suppress oxidative stress-induced de novo
      formation of the [PSI+] prion in yeast.
AB  - Peroxiredoxins (Prxs) are ubiquitous antioxidants that protect cells against
      oxidative stress. We show that the yeast Tsa1/Tsa2 Prxs colocalize to ribosomes
      and function to protect the Sup35 translation termination factor against
      oxidative stress-induced formation of its heritable [PSI(+)] prion conformation.
      In a tsa1 tsa2 [psi(-)] [PIN(+)] strain, the frequency of [PSI(+)] de novo
      formation is significantly elevated. The Tsa1/Tsa2 Prxs, like other 2-Cys Prxs,
      have dual activities as peroxidases and chaperones, and we show that the
      peroxidase activity is required to suppress spontaneous de novo [PSI(+)] prion
      formation. Molecular oxygen is required for [PSI(+)] prion formation as growth
      under anaerobic conditions prevents prion formation in the tsa1 tsa2 mutant.
      Conversely, oxidative stress conditions induced by exposure to hydrogen peroxide
      elevates the rate of de novo [PSI(+)] prion formation leading to increased
      suppression of all three termination codons in the tsa1 tsa2 mutant. Altered
      translational fidelity in [PSI(+)] strains may provide a mechanism that promotes
      genetic variation and phenotypic diversity (True HL, Lindquist SL (2000) Nature
      407:477-483). In agreement, we find that prion formation provides yeast cells
      with an adaptive advantage under oxidative stress conditions, as elimination of
      the [PSI(+)] prion from tsa1 tsa2 mutants renders the resulting [psi(-)] [pin(-)]
      cells hypersensitive to hydrogen peroxide. These data support a model in which
      Prxs function to protect the ribosomal machinery against oxidative damage, but
      when these systems become overwhelmed, [PSI(+)] prion formation provides a
      mechanism for uncovering genetic traits that aid survival during oxidative stress
      conditions.

PMID- 20308574
TI  - Primary state formation in the Viru Valley, north coast of Peru.
AB  - The origins of urban life and functioning states are two of the most fascinating
      research problems in anthropological archeology and a topic that has intrigued
      generations of scholars working on the Peruvian north coast. In this region,
      Andeanists have documented the rise of Moche as a dominant culture during the
      first millennium A.D., and the emergence of urban life and stately institutions
      at this society's principal center. Although there is a broad consensus that
      Moche represents an archaic state, it is still unclear whether it is an example
      of primary state formation or a case of a second-generation state. To document
      this question, archaeological excavations were recently carried out at the
      Gallinazo Group site in the Viru Valley. Results from a radiocarbon dating
      program indicate that a functioning state probably emerged in this valley during
      the second century B.C., possibly preceding Moche by a few centuries. These
      results necessarily raise question regarding the nature of state development on
      the north coast of Peru and, in particular, whether there was a single center of
      state development in this region or multiple sites where similar conditions and
      processes led to the parallel emergence of functioning states.

PMID- 20308575
TI  - Drosophila topo IIIalpha is required for the maintenance of mitochondrial genome
      and male germ-line stem cells.
AB  - Topoisomerase IIIalpha (topo IIIalpha), a member of the conserved Type IA
      subfamily of topoisomerases, is required for the cell proliferation in mitotic
      tissues, but has a lesser effect on DNA endoreplication. The top3alpha gene
      encodes two forms of protein by utilizing alternative translation initiation
      sites: one (short form) with the nuclear localization signal only, exclusively
      localized in the nuclei, and the other (long form), retaining a mitochondrial
      import sequence at the N-terminus and the nuclear localization sequence at the C
      terminus, localized primarily in the mitochondria, though with a small portion in
      the nuclei. Both forms of topo IIIalpha can rescue the viability of null mutants
      of top3alpha. No apparent defect is associated with the flies rescued by the long
      form; short-form-rescued flies (referred to as M1L), however, exhibit defects in
      fertilities. M1L females are sterile. They can lay eggs but with mitochondrial
      DNA (mtDNA) copy number and ATP content decreased by 20- and 2- to 3-fold,
      respectively, and they fail to hatch. Of the newly eclosed M1L males, 33% are
      completely sterile, whereas the rest have residual fertilities that are quickly
      lost in 6 days. The fertility loss of M1L males is caused by the disruption of
      the individualization complex and a progressive loss of germ-line stem cells.
      This study implicates topo IIIalpha in the maintenance of mtDNA and male germ
      line stem cells, and thus is a causative candidate for genetic disorders
      associated with mtDNA depletion.

PMID- 20308576
TI  - One-microsecond molecular dynamics simulation of channel gating in a nicotinic
      receptor homologue.
AB  - Recently discovered bacterial homologues of eukaryotic pentameric ligand-gated
      ion channels, such as the Gloeobacter violaceus receptor (GLIC), are increasingly
      used as structural and functional models of signal transduction in the nervous
      system. Here we present a one-microsecond-long molecular dynamics simulation of
      the GLIC channel pH stimulated gating mechanism. The crystal structure of GLIC
      obtained at acidic pH in an open-channel form is equilibrated in a membrane
      environment and then instantly set to neutral pH. The simulation shows a channel
      closure that rapidly takes place at the level of the hydrophobic furrow and a
      progressively increasing quaternary twist. Two major events are captured during
      the simulation. They are initiated by local but large fluctuations in the pore,
      taking place at the top of the M2 helix, followed by a global tertiary
      relaxation. The two-step transition of the first subunit starts within the first
      50 ns of the simulation and is followed at 450 ns by its immediate neighbor in
      the pentamer, which proceeds with a similar scenario. This observation suggests a
      possible two-step domino-like tertiary mechanism that takes place between
      adjacent subunits. In addition, the dynamical properties of GLIC described here
      offer an interpretation of the paradoxical properties of a permeable A13'F mutant
      whose crystal structure determined at 3.15 A shows a pore too narrow to conduct
      ions.

PMID- 20308577
TI  - Tin-containing zeolites are highly active catalysts for the isomerization of
      glucose in water.
AB  - The isomerization of glucose into fructose is a large-scale reaction for the
      production of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS; reaction performed by enzyme
      catalysts) and recently is being considered as an intermediate step in the
      possible route of biomass to fuels and chemicals. Here, it is shown that a large
      pore zeolite that contains tin (Sn-Beta) is able to isomerize glucose to fructose
      in aqueous media with high activity and selectivity. Specifically, a 10% (wt/wt)
      glucose solution containing a catalytic amount of Sn-Beta (150 Sn:glucose molar
      ratio) gives product yields of approximately 46% (wt/wt) glucose, 31% (wt/wt)
      fructose, and 9% (wt/wt) mannose after 30 min and 12 min of reaction at 383 K and
      413 K, respectively. This reactivity is achieved also when a 45 wt% glucose
      solution is used. The properties of the large-pore zeolite greatly influence the
      reaction behavior because the reaction does not proceed with a medium-pore
      zeolite, and the isomerization activity is considerably lower when the metal
      centers are incorporated in ordered mesoporous silica (MCM-41). The Sn-Beta
      catalyst can be used for multiple cycles, and the reaction stops when the solid
      is removed, clearly indicating that the catalysis is occurring heterogeneously.
      Most importantly, the Sn-Beta catalyst is able to perform the isomerization
      reaction in highly acidic, aqueous environments with equivalent activity and
      product distribution as in media without added acid. This enables Sn-Beta to
      couple isomerizations with other acid-catalyzed reactions, including
      hydrolysis/isomerization or isomerization/dehydration reaction sequences [starch
      to fructose and glucose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) demonstrated here].

PMID- 20308578
TI  - Transmission distortion by loss of p21 or p27 cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors
      following competitive spermatogonial transplantation.
AB  - Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) undergo self-renewal division to support
      spermatogenesis. Although several positive regulators of SSC self-renewal have
      been identified, little is known about the mechanisms that negatively regulate
      SSCs. Here we developed a novel transplantation assay for SSCs and demonstrate
      that p21 and p27 cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors play critical roles in SSC
      self-renewal and differentiation. Overexpression of p21 or p27 abrogated
      proliferation of cultured SSCs in vitro, and their expression levels were
      downregulated by exogenous self-renewal signals. In contrast, no apparent defects
      were found in p21 or p27-deficient SSCs by spermatogonial transplantation.
      However, competitive spermatogonial transplantation with WT SSCs revealed that
      the loss of either gene causes distortion of germline transmission: p21
      deficiency facilitated mutant offspring production, whereas germline transmission
      was limited by p27-deficiency. Serial transplantation also showed that the loss
      of p27, but not p21, decreases secondary colony formation, suggesting that
      appropriate amounts of p27 are necessary for sustaining SSC self-renewal. Thus,
      p21 and p27 cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors play critical roles in germline
      transmission by regulating the balance between SSC self-renewal and
      differentiation, and competitive spermatogonial transplantation technique will be
      useful for analyzing subtle defects in spermatogenesis that are not evident by
      traditional spermatogonial transplantation.

PMID- 20308579
TI  - Atomic-level imaging of Mo-V-O complex oxide phase intergrowth, grain boundaries,
      and defects using HAADF-STEM.
AB  - In this work, we structurally characterize defects, grain boundaries, and
      intergrowth phases observed in various Mo-V-O materials using aberration
      corrected high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) imaging within a scanning
      transmission electron microscope (STEM). Atomic-level imaging of these
      preparations clearly shows domains of the orthorhombic M1-type phase intergrown
      with the trigonal phase. Idealized models based on HAADF imaging indicate that
      atomic-scale registry at the domain boundaries can be seamless with several
      possible trigonal and M1-type unit cell orientation relationships. The alignment
      of two trigonal domains separated by an M1-type domain or vice versa can be
      predicted by identifying the number of rows/columns of parallel symmetry
      operators. Intergrowths of the M1 catalyst with the M2 phase or with the
      Mo(5)O(14)-type phase have not been observed. The resolution enhancements
      provided by aberration-correction have provided new insights to the understanding
      of phase equilibria of complex Mo-V-O materials. This study exemplifies the
      utility of STEM for the characterization of local structure at crystalline phase
      boundaries.

PMID- 20308580
TI  - Neurons sense nanoscale roughness with nanometer sensitivity.
AB  - The interaction between cells and nanostructured materials is attracting
      increasing interest, because of the possibility to open up novel concepts for the
      design of smart nanobiomaterials with active biological functionalities. In this
      frame we investigated the response of human neuroblastoma cell line (SH-SY5Y) to
      gold surfaces with different levels of nanoroughness. To achieve a precise
      control of the nanoroughness with nanometer resolution, we exploited a wet
      chemistry approach based on spontaneous galvanic displacement reaction. We
      demonstrated that neurons sense and actively respond to the surface
      nanotopography, with a surprising sensitivity to variations of few nanometers. We
      showed that focal adhesion complexes, which allow cellular sensing, are strongly
      affected by nanostructured surfaces, leading to a marked decrease in cell
      adhesion. Moreover, cells adherent on nanorough surfaces exhibit loss of neuron
      polarity, Golgi apparatus fragmentation, nuclear condensation, and actin
      cytoskeleton that is not functionally organized. Apoptosis/necrosis assays
      established that nanoscale features induce cell death by necrosis, with a trend
      directly related to roughness values. Finally, by seeding SH-SY5Y cells onto
      micropatterned flat and nanorough gold surfaces, we demonstrated the possibility
      to realize substrates with cytophilic or cytophobic behavior, simply by fine
      tuning their surface topography at nanometer scale. Specific and functional
      adhesion of cells occurred only onto flat gold stripes, with a clear self
      alignment of neurons, delivering a simple and elegant approach for the design and
      development of biomaterials with precise nanostructure-triggered biological
      responses.

PMID- 20308581
TI  - Two competing orientation patterns explain experimentally observed anomalies in
      growing actin networks.
AB  - The lamellipodium of migrating animal cells protrudes by directed polymerization
      of a branched actin network. The underlying mechanisms of filament growth,
      branching, and capping can be studied in in vitro assays. However, conflicting
      results have been reported for the force-velocity relation of such actin
      networks, namely both convex and concave shapes as well as history dependencies.
      Here we model branching as a reaction that is independent of the number of
      existing filaments, in contrast to capping, which is assumed to be proportional
      to the number of existing filaments. Using both stochastic network simulations
      and deterministic rate equations, we show that such a description naturally leads
      to the stability of two qualitatively different stationary states of the system,
      namely a +/- 35 degrees and a +70/0/-70 degrees orientation pattern. Changes in
      network growth velocity induce a transition between these two patterns. For
      sufficiently different protrusion efficiency of the two network architectures,
      this leads to hysteresis in the growth velocity of actin networks under force.
      Dependent on the history of the system, convex and concave regimes are obtained
      for the force-velocity relation. Thus a simple generic model can explain the
      experimentally observed anomalies, with far reaching consequences for cell
      migration.

PMID- 20308582
TI  - Subunit interactions in bovine papillomavirus.
AB  - Papillomaviruses, members of a group of dsDNA viruses associated with epithelial
      growths and tumors, have compact capsids assembled from 72 pentamers of the
      protein L1. We have determined the structure of bovine papillomavirus by electron
      cryomicrosopy (cryoEM), at approximately 3.6 A resolution. The density map,
      obtained from single-particle analysis of approximately 4,000 particle images,
      shows the trace of the L1 polypeptide chain and reveals how the N- and C-terminal
      "arms" of a subunit (extensions from its beta-jelly-roll core) associate with a
      neighboring pentamer. Critical contacts come from the C-terminal arm, which loops
      out from the core of the subunit, forms contacts (including a disulfide) with two
      subunits in a neighboring pentamer, and reinserts into the pentamer from which it
      emanates. This trace corrects one feature of an earlier model. We discuss
      implications of the structure for virion assembly and for pathways of infectious
      viral entry. We suggest that it should be possible to obtain image
      reconstructions of comparable resolution from cryoEM images of asymmetric
      particles. From the work on papillomavirus described here, we estimate that such
      a reconstruction will require about 1.5 million images to achieve the same number
      of averaged asymmetric units; structural variability will increase this number
      substantially.

PMID- 20308583
TI  - Out-of-equilibrium conformational cycling of GroEL under saturating ATP
      concentrations.
AB  - The molecular chaperone GroEL exists in at least two allosteric states, T and R,
      that interconvert in an ATP-controlled manner. Thermodynamic analysis suggests
      that the T-state population becomes negligible with increasing ATP
      concentrations, in conflict with the requirement for conformational cycling,
      which is essential for the operation of molecular machines. To solve this
      conundrum, we performed fluorescence correlation spectroscopy on the single-ring
      version of GroEL, using a fluorescent switch recently built into its structure,
      which turns "on," i.e., increases its fluorescence dramatically, when ATP is
      added. A series of correlation functions was measured as a function of ATP
      concentration and analyzed using singular-value decomposition. The analysis
      assigned the signal to two states whose dynamics clearly differ. Surprisingly,
      even at ATP saturation, approximately 50% of the molecules still populate the T
      state at any instance of time, indicating constant out-of-equilibrium cycling
      between T and R. Only upon addition of the cochaperonin GroES does the T-state
      population vanish. Our results suggest a model in which the T/R ratio is
      controlled by the rate of ADP release after hydrolysis, which can be determined
      accordingly.

PMID- 20308584
TI  - High-kappa oxide nanoribbons as gate dielectrics for high mobility top-gated
      graphene transistors.
AB  - Deposition of high-kappa dielectrics onto graphene is of significant challenge
      due to the difficulties of nucleating high quality oxide on pristine graphene
      without introducing defects into the monolayer of carbon lattice. Previous
      efforts to deposit high-kappa dielectrics on graphene often resulted in
      significant degradation in carrier mobility. Here we report an entirely new
      strategy to integrate high quality high-kappa dielectrics with graphene by first
      synthesizing freestanding high-kappa oxide nanoribbons at high temperature and
      then transferring them onto graphene at room temperature. We show that single
      crystalline Al(2)O(3) nanoribbons can be synthesized with excellent dielectric
      properties. Using such nanoribbons as the gate dielectrics, we have demonstrated
      top-gated graphene transistors with the highest carrier mobility (up to 23,600
      cm(2)/V x s) reported to date, and a more than 10-fold increase in
      transconductance compared to the back-gated devices. This method opens a new
      avenue to integrate high-kappa dielectrics on graphene with the preservation of
      the pristine nature of graphene and high carrier mobility, representing an
      important step forward to high-performance graphene electronics.

PMID- 20308585
TI  - Inducible gene expression from the plastid genome by a synthetic riboswitch.
AB  - Riboswitches are natural RNA sensors that regulate gene expression in response to
      ligand binding. Riboswitches have been identified in prokaryotes and eukaryotes
      but are unknown in organelles (mitochondria and plastids). Here we have tested
      the possibility to engineer riboswitches for plastids (chloroplasts), a genetic
      system that largely relies on translational control of gene expression. To this
      end, we have used bacterial riboswitches and modified them in silico to meet the
      requirements of translational regulation in plastids. These engineered switches
      were then tested for functionality in vivo by stable transformation of the
      tobacco chloroplast genome. We report the identification of a synthetic
      riboswitch that functions as an efficient translational regulator of gene
      expression in plastids in response to its exogenously applied ligand
      theophylline. This riboswitch provides a novel tool for plastid genome
      engineering that facilitates the tightly regulated inducible expression of
      chloroplast genes and transgenes and thus has wide applications in functional
      genomics and biotechnology.

PMID- 20308586
TI  - Combinatorial libraries against libraries for selecting neoepitope activation
      specific antibodies.
AB  - A systematic approach to the discovery of conformation-specific antibodies or
      those that recognize activation-induced neoepitopes in signaling molecules and
      enzymes will be a powerful tool in developing antibodies for basic science and
      therapy. Here, we report the isolation of antibody antagonists that
      preferentially bind activated integrin Mac-1 (alpha(M)beta(2)) and are potent in
      blocking neutrophil adhesion and migration. A novel strategy was developed for
      this task, consisting of yeast surface display of Mac-1 inserted (I) domain
      library, directed evolution to isolate active mutants of the I domain, and
      screening of phage display of human antibody library against the active I domain
      in yeast. Enriched antibody library was then introduced into yeast surface two
      hybrid system for final quantitative selection of antibodies from monomeric
      antigen-antibody interaction. This led to highly efficient isolation of
      intermediate to high affinity antibodies, which preferentially reacted with the
      active I domain, antagonized the I domain binding to intercellular adhesion
      molecule (ICAM)-1, complement C3 fragment iC3b, and fibronectin, and potently
      inhibited neutrophil migration on fibrinogen. The strategy demonstrated herein
      can be broadly applicable to developing antibodies against modular domains that
      switch between inactive and active conformations, particularly toward the
      discovery of antibody antagonists in therapeutic and diagnostic applications.

PMID- 20308587
TI  - p-Adic coupling of mock modular forms and shadows.
AB  - A "mock modular form" is the holomorphic part of a harmonic Maass form f. The
      nonholomorphic part of f is a period integral of its "shadow," a cusp form g. A
      direct method for relating the coefficients of shadows and mock modular forms is
      not known. We solve these problems when the shadow is an integer weight newform.
      Our solution is p-adic, and it relies on our definition of an algebraic
      "regularized mock modular form." As an application, we consider the modular
      solution to the cubic "arithmetic-geometric mean."

PMID- 20308588
TI  - Intra- and intercellular fluctuations in Min-protein dynamics decrease with cell
      length.
AB  - Self-organization of proteins in space and time is of crucial importance for the
      functioning of cellular processes. Often, this organization takes place in the
      presence of strong random fluctuations due to the small number of molecules
      involved. We report on stochastic switching of the Min-protein distributions
      between the two cell halves in short Escherichia coli cells. A computational
      model provides strong evidence that the macroscopic switching is rooted in
      microscopic noise on the molecular scale. In longer bacteria, the switching turns
      into regular oscillations that are required for positioning of the division
      plane. As the pattern becomes more regular, cell-to-cell variability also
      lessens, indicating cell length-dependent regulation of Min-protein activity.

PMID- 20308589
TI  - Mapping amorphous calcium phosphate transformation into crystalline mineral from
      the cell to the bone in zebrafish fin rays.
AB  - The continuously forming fin bony rays of zebrafish represent a simple bone model
      system in which mineralization is temporally and spatially resolved. The
      mineralized collagen fibrils of the fin bones are identical in structure to those
      found in all known bone materials. We study the continuous mineralization process
      within the tissue by using synchrotron microbeam x-ray diffraction and small
      angle scattering, combined with cryo-scanning electron microscopy. The former
      provides information on the mineral phase and the mineral particles size and
      shape, whereas the latter allows high-resolution imaging of native hydrated
      tissues. The integration of the two techniques demonstrates that new mineral is
      delivered and deposited as packages of amorphous calcium phosphate nanospheres,
      which transform into platelets of crystalline apatite within the collagen matrix.

PMID- 20308590
TI  - Compound-specific carbon isotopes from Earth's largest flood basalt eruptions
      directly linked to the end-Triassic mass extinction.
AB  - A leading hypothesis explaining Phanerozoic mass extinctions and associated
      carbon isotopic anomalies is the emission of greenhouse, other gases, and
      aerosols caused by eruptions of continental flood basalt provinces. However, the
      necessary serial relationship between these eruptions, isotopic excursions, and
      extinctions has never been tested in geological sections preserving all three
      records. The end-Triassic extinction (ETE) at 201.4 Ma is among the largest of
      these extinctions and is tied to a large negative carbon isotope excursion,
      reflecting perturbations of the carbon cycle including a transient increase in
      CO(2). The cause of the ETE has been inferred to be the eruption of the giant
      Central Atlantic magmatic province (CAMP). Here, we show that carbon isotopes of
      leaf wax derived lipids (n-alkanes), wood, and total organic carbon from two
      orbitally paced lacustrine sections interbedded with the CAMP in eastern North
      America show similar excursions to those seen in the mostly marine St. Audrie's
      Bay section in England. Based on these results, the ETE began synchronously in
      marine and terrestrial environments slightly before the oldest basalts in eastern
      North America but simultaneous with the eruption of the oldest flows in Morocco,
      a CO(2) super greenhouse, and marine biocalcification crisis. Because the
      temporal relationship between CAMP eruptions, mass extinction, and the carbon
      isotopic excursions are shown in the same place, this is the strongest case for a
      volcanic cause of a mass extinction to date.

PMID- 20308591
TI  - Lethal protein produced in response to competition between sibling bacterial
      colonies.
AB  - Sibling Paenibacillus dendritiformis bacterial colonies grown on low-nutrient
      agar medium mutually inhibit growth through secretion of a lethal factor.
      Analysis of secretions reveals the presence of subtilisin (a protease) and a 12
      kDa protein, termed sibling lethal factor (Slf). Purified subtilisin promotes the
      growth and expansion of P. dendritiformis colonies, whereas Slf is lethal and
      lyses P. dendritiformis cells in culture. Slf is encoded by a gene belonging to a
      large family of bacterial genes of unknown function, and the gene is predicted to
      encode a protein of approximately 20 kDa, termed dendritiformis sibling
      bacteriocin. The 20 kDa recombinant protein was produced and found to be
      inactive, but exposure to subtilisin resulted in cleavage to the active, 12 kDa
      form. The experimental results, combined with mathematical modeling, show that
      subtilisin serves to regulate growth of the colony. Below a threshold
      concentration, subtilisin promotes colony growth and expansion. However, once it
      exceeds a threshold, as occurs at the interface between competing colonies, Slf
      is then secreted into the medium to rapidly reduce cell density by lysis of the
      bacterial cells. The presence of genes encoding homologs of dendritiformis
      sibling bacteriocin in other bacterial species suggests that this mechanism for
      self-regulation of colony growth might not be limited to P. dendritiformis.

PMID- 20308592
TI  - Genomic arrangement of bacterial operons is constrained by biological pathways
      encoded in the genome.
AB  - It is generally known that bacterial genes working in the same biological
      pathways tend to group into operons, possibly to facilitate cotranscription and
      to provide stoichiometry. However, very little is understood about what may
      determine the global arrangement of bacterial genes in a genome beyond the operon
      level. Here we present evidence that the global arrangement of operons in a
      bacterial genome is largely influenced by the tendency that a bacterium keeps its
      operons encoding the same biological pathway in nearby genomic locations, and by
      the tendency to keep operons involved in multiple pathways in locations close to
      the other members of their participating pathways. We also observed that the
      activation frequencies of pathways also influence the genomic locations of their
      encoding operons, tending to have operons of the more frequently activated
      pathways more tightly clustered together. We have quantitatively assessed the
      influences on the global genomic arrangement of operons by different factors. We
      found that the current arrangements of operons in most of the bacterial genomes
      we studied tend to minimize the overall distance between consecutive operons of a
      same pathway across all pathways encoded in the genome.

PMID- 20308593
TI  - Revealing strengths and weaknesses of methods for gene network inference.
AB  - Numerous methods have been developed for inferring gene regulatory networks from
      expression data, however, both their absolute and comparative performance remain
      poorly understood. In this paper, we introduce a framework for critical
      performance assessment of methods for gene network inference. We present an in
      silico benchmark suite that we provided as a blinded, community-wide challenge
      within the context of the DREAM (Dialogue on Reverse Engineering Assessment and
      Methods) project. We assess the performance of 29 gene-network-inference methods,
      which have been applied independently by participating teams. Performance
      profiling reveals that current inference methods are affected, to various
      degrees, by different types of systematic prediction errors. In particular, all
      but the best-performing method failed to accurately infer multiple regulatory
      inputs (combinatorial regulation) of genes. The results of this community-wide
      experiment show that reliable network inference from gene expression data remains
      an unsolved problem, and they indicate potential ways of network reconstruction
      improvements.

PMID- 20308594
TI  - Increasing levels of free thyroxine as a risk factor for a first venous
      thrombosis: a case-control study.
AB  - A hypercoagulable state exists in hyperthyroidism, but the association with
      venous thrombosis (VT) is not fully explored. We aimed to investigate VT risk for
      different plasma levels of thyroid hormones and thyroid antibodies. We used a
      case-control study on leg vein thrombosis conducted between September 1999 and
      August 2006 at the Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
      Parameters of thyroid function were assessed in 190 cases (mean age, 57 years;
      range, 19-90 years) and 379 sex-matched controls (mean age, 56 years; range, 18
      93 years). Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for VT risk were
      estimated according to several cutoff levels derived from plasma levels observed
      in controls. We found the risk of VT to gradually rise with increasing levels of
      free thyroxine (FT(4)). In the absence of traditional acquired risk factors,
      FT(4) levels above 17 pmol/L yielded a sex- and age-adjusted OR of 2.2 (95% CI,
      1.2-4.2) for deep VT, which further increased up to an OR of 13.0 (95% CI, 1.1
      154.1) for FT(4) levels above reference range. Our data suggest increasing levels
      of FT(4) to be a risk factor for VT and may have implications for both the
      prevention and management of this disease.

PMID- 20308595
TI  - How I treat hemochromatosis.
AB  - Hemochromatosis is a common genetic disorder in which iron may progressively
      accumulate in the liver, heart, and other organs. The primary goal of therapy is
      iron depletion to normalize body iron stores and to prevent or decrease organ
      dysfunction. The primary therapy to normalize iron stores is phlebotomy. In this
      opinion article, we discuss the indications for and monitoring of phlebotomy
      therapy to achieve iron depletion, maintenance therapy, dietary and pharmacologic
      maneuvers that could reduce iron absorption, and the role of voluntary blood
      donation.

PMID- 20308596
TI  - Activated protein C cofactor function of protein S: a critical role for Asp95 in
      the EGF1-like domain.
AB  - Protein S has an established role in the protein C anticoagulant pathway, where
      it enhances the factor Va (FVa) and factor VIIIa (FVIIIa) inactivating property
      of activated protein C (APC). Despite its physiological role and clinical
      importance, the molecular basis of its action is not fully understood. To clarify
      the mechanism of the protein S interaction with APC, we have constructed and
      expressed a library of composite or point variants of human protein S, with
      residue substitutions introduced into the Gla, thrombin-sensitive region (TSR),
      epidermal growth factor 1 (EGF1), and EGF2 domains. Cofactor activity for APC was
      evaluated by calibrated automated thrombography (CAT) using protein S-deficient
      plasma. Of 27 variants tested initially, only one, protein S D95A (within the
      EGF1 domain), was largely devoid of functional APC cofactor activity. Protein S
      D95A was, however, gamma-carboxylated and bound phospholipids with an apparent
      dissociation constant (Kd(app)) similar to that of wild-type (WT) protein S. In a
      purified assay using FVa R506Q/R679Q, purified protein S D95A was shown to have
      greatly reduced ability to enhance APC-induced cleavage of FVa Arg306. It is
      concluded that residue Asp95 within EGF1 is critical for APC cofactor function of
      protein S and could define a principal functional interaction site for APC.

PMID- 20308597
TI  - Cross-presentation by dendritic cells from live cells induces protective immune
      responses in vivo.
AB  - Cross-presentation is an essential mechanism that allows dendritic cells (DCs) to
      efficiently present exogenous antigens to CD8(+) T cells. Among cellular antigen
      sources, apoptotic cells are commonly considered as the best for cross
      presentation by DCs. However, the potential of live cells as a source of antigen
      has been overlooked. Here we explored whether DCs were able to capture and cross
      present antigens from live cells. DCs internalized cytosolic and membrane
      material into vesicles from metabolically labeled live cells. Using time-lapse
      confocal microscopy in whole spleens, we showed that DCs internalized material
      from live cells in vivo. After ovalbumin uptake from live cells, DCs cross-primed
      ovalbumin-specific naive OT-I CD8(+) T cells in vitro. Injected into mice
      previously transferred with naive OT-I T cells, they also cross-primed in vivo,
      even in the absence of endogenous DCs able to present the epitope in the
      recipient mice. Interestingly, DCs induced stronger natural CD8(+) T-cell
      responses and protection against a lethal tumor challenge after capture of
      antigens from live melanoma cells than from apoptotic melanoma cells. The
      potential for cross-presentation from live cells uncovers a new type of cellular
      intercommunication and must be taken into account for induction of tolerance or
      immunity against self, tumors, grafts, or pathogens.

PMID- 20308598
TI  - The relationship between blood groups and disease.
AB  - The relative contribution of founder effects and natural selection to the
      observed distribution of human blood groups has been debated since blood group
      frequencies were shown to differ between populations almost a century ago.
      Advances in our understanding of the migration patterns of early humans from
      Africa to populate the rest of the world obtained through the use of Y chromosome
      and mtDNA markers do much to inform this debate. There are clear examples of
      protection against infectious diseases from inheritance of polymorphisms in genes
      encoding and regulating the expression of ABH and Lewis antigens in bodily
      secretions particularly in respect of Helicobacter pylori, norovirus, and cholera
      infections. However, available evidence suggests surviving malaria is the most
      significant selective force affecting the expression of blood groups. Red cells
      lacking or having altered forms of blood group-active molecules are commonly
      found in regions of the world in which malaria is endemic, notably the Fy(a-b-)
      phenotype and the S-s- phenotype in Africa and the Ge- and SAO phenotypes in
      South East Asia. Founder effects provide a more convincing explanation for the
      distribution of the D- phenotype and the occurrence of hemolytic disease of the
      fetus and newborn in Europe and Central Asia.

PMID- 20308599
TI  - c-Myc controls the development of CD8alphaalpha TCRalphabeta intestinal
      intraepithelial lymphocytes from thymic precursors by regulating IL-15-dependent
      survival.
AB  - The murine gut epithelium contains a large population of thymus-derived
      intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs), including both conventional CD4(+) and
      CD8alphabeta(+) T cells (expressing T-cell receptor alphabeta [TCRalphabeta]) and
      unconventional CD8alphaalpha(+) T cells (expressing either TCRalphabeta or
      TCRgammadelta). Whereas conventional IELs are widely accepted to arise from
      recirculation of activated CD4(+) and CD8alphabeta(+) T cells from the secondary
      lymphoid organs to the gut, the origin and developmental pathway of
      unconventional CD8alphaalpha IELs remain controversial. We show here that CD4-Cre
      mediated inactivation of c-Myc, a broadly expressed transcription factor with a
      wide range of biologic activities, selectively impairs the development of
      CD8alphaalpha TCRalphabeta IELs. In the absence of c-Myc, CD4(-) CD8(-)
      TCRalphabeta(+) thymic precursors of CD8alphaalpha TCRalphabeta IELs are present
      but fail to develop on adoptive transfer in immunoincompetent hosts. Residual c
      Myc-deficient CD8alphaalpha TCRalphabeta IEL display reduced proliferation and
      increased apoptosis, which correlate with significantly decreased expression of
      interleukin-15 receptor subunits and lower levels of the antiapoptotic protein
      Bcl-2. Transgenic overexpression of human BCL-2 resulted in a pronounced rescue
      of CD8alphaalpha TCRalphabeta IEL in c-Myc-deficient mice. Taken together, our
      data support a model in which c-Myc controls the development of CD8alphaalpha
      TCRalphabeta IELs from thymic precursors by regulating interleukin-15 receptor
      expression and consequently Bcl-2-dependent survival.

PMID- 20308600
TI  - A unique interaction between alphaIIb and beta3 in the head region is essential
      for outside-in signaling-related functions of alphaIIbbeta3 integrin.
AB  - The main interface of the 2 subunits of platelet integrin alphaIIbbeta3 comprises
      the beta-propeller domain of alphaIIb and the betaA domain of beta3. In the
      center of the beta-propeller, several aromatic residues interact by cation-pi and
      hydrophobic bonds with Arg261 of betaA. In this study, we substituted alphaIIb
      Trp110 or beta3-Arg261 by residues abundant in other alpha or beta subunits at
      corresponding locations and expressed them in baby hamster kidney cells along
      with normal beta3 or alphaIIb, respectively. These mutant cells displayed normal
      surface expression and fibrinogen binding but grossly impaired outside-in
      signaling-related functions: adhesion to immobilized fibrinogen, cell spreading,
      focal adhesion kinase phosphorylation, clot retraction, and reduced alphaIIbbeta3
      stability in EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid). Expression of mutants with
      substitutions of Arg261 in beta3 by alanine or lysine with normal alphav yielded
      normal surface expression of alphavbeta3 and soluble fibrinogen binding as well
      as normal outside-in signaling-related functions, contrasting findings for
      alphaIIbbeta3. Structural analysis of alphaIIbbeta3 and alphavbeta3 revealed that
      alphavbeta3 has several strong interactions between alphav and beta3 subunits
      that are missing in alphaIIbbeta3. Together, these findings indicate that the
      interaction between Trp110 of alphaIIb and Arg261 of beta3 is critical for
      alphaIIbbeta3 integrity and outside-in signaling-related functions.

PMID- 20308601
TI  - Identification during the follow-up of time-dependent prognostic factors for the
      competing risks of death and blast phase in primary myelofibrosis: a study of 172
      patients.
AB  - The median survival of patients with primary myelofibrosis ranges from 3.5 to 5.5
      years, and most patients die from cause related to the disease, including blast
      phase (BP, in 5%-30% of cases). Because identification of high-risk patients
      might use information collected during the clinical course, we assessed the
      prognostic value of time-dependent covariates for 2 competing risks (death and
      BP) in a series of 172 patients. Significant (P < .01) adverse time-dependent
      prognostic factors for the risk of death were the time to onset of anemia
      (hemoglobin < 100 g/L [10 g/dL]), leukocytosis (leukocyte count > 30 x 10(9)/L),
      thrombocytopenia (platelet count < 150 x 10(9)/L), presence of circulating
      blasts, intermediate-high or high International Working Group for Myelofibrosis
      Research and Treatment score, and time to splenectomy. The first 3 dependent
      covariates and the time to chemotherapy initiation (P = .05) were prognostic
      factors for the risk of BP. The prognostic effect of onset of leukocytosis was
      significantly more pronounced for BP than for death. Thus, occurrence during the
      follow-up of characteristics associated with an adverse prognostic value at
      diagnosis also influenced the risks of death and BP. Patients with leukocytosis
      should be closely monitored. These data might efficiently help to evaluate the
      severity of the disease before treatment decision during the clinical course.

PMID- 20308602
TI  - Pegylated interferon-alpha, ribavirin, and rituximab combined therapy of
      hepatitis C virus-related mixed cryoglobulinemia: a long-term study.
AB  - This study illustrates the use and efficacy of a combination of pegylated
      interferon-alpha (Peg-IFN-alpha) and ribavirin (RBV), with or without rituximab
      (RTX), in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC). Twenty-two
      patients with HCV-related MC received Peg-IFN-alpha (2a: 180 mug or 2b: 1.5
      mug/kg) weekly plus RBV (1000 or 1200 mg) daily for 48 weeks, and RTX (375
      mg/m(2)) once a week for 1 month followed by two 5-monthly infusions (termed
      PIRR). Fifteen additional patients received Peg-IFN-alpha/RBV with the same
      modalities as the PIRR schedule. Complete response was achieved in 54.5% (12/22)
      and in 33.3% (5/15) of patients who received PIRR and Peg-IFN-alpha/RBV,
      respectively (P < .05). Clearance of HCV RNA and conversion of B-cell populations
      from oligoclonal to polyclonal in liver, bone marrow, and peripheral blood was
      maintained for up to 3 years in 10 of 12 (83.3%) and in 2 of 5 (40%) patients
      receiving PIRR and Peg-IFN-alpha/RBV, respectively (P < .01). Cryoproteins in
      22.7% (5/22) of patients with PIRR and in 33.3% (5/15) with Peg-IFN-alpha/RBV
      persisted despite sustained HCV RNA clearance. No response occurred in remaining
      5 patients of both groups. PIRR therapy is well tolerated and more effective than
      Peg-IFN-alpha/RBV combination in HCV-related MC. Its effect may last for more
      than 3 years.

PMID- 20308603
TI  - Differential characteristics of Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia according to
      patterns of familial aggregation.
AB  - Familial aggregation of Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM) and related B-cell
      disorders (BCDs) suggests a role for genetic factors, but few data address
      environmental influences. We designed a questionnaire-based study to examine
      clinical and environmental factors in a cohort of WM families with various
      patterns of case aggregation. We analyzed data on 103 WM patients and 272
      unaffected relatives from 35 multiple-case WM and 46 mixed WM/BCD kindred and 28
      nonfamilial (sporadic) WM patients, using logistic regression models with
      generalized estimating equations to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence
      intervals (CIs) for association. In this study population, the WM disease process
      appeared similar among patients regardless of family history. Familial WM
      patients were more likely than unaffected relatives to report a history of
      autoimmune disease (OR, 2.27; 95% CI = 1.21-4.28) and infections (OR, 2.13; 95%
      CI = 1.25-3.64). Familial WM patients were also more likely to report exposure to
      farming (OR, 2.70; 95% CI = 1.34-5.42), pesticides (OR, 2.83; 95% CI = 1.56
      5.11), wood dust (OR, 2.86; 95% CI = 1.54-5.33), and organic solvents (multiple
      case WM OR, 4.21; 95% CI = 1.69-10.51) compared with unaffected family members.
      These data provide clues to both genetic and environmental factors that may
      influence development of WM. Well-designed case-control studies are needed to
      confirm these findings.

PMID- 20308604
TI  - Safety and efficacy of rituximab in patients with hepatitis C virus-related mixed
      cryoglobulinemia and severe liver disease.
AB  - The effectiveness of rituximab in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related mixed
      cryoglobulinemia (MC) has been shown. However, the risk of an increase in viral
      replication limits its use in cirrhosis, a condition frequently observed in
      patients with MC. In this prospective study, 19 HCV-positive patients with MC and
      advanced liver disease, who were excluded from antiviral therapy, were treated
      with rituximab and followed for 6 months. MC symptoms included purpura,
      arthralgias, weakness, sensory-motor polyneuropathy, nephropathy, and leg ulcers.
      Liver cirrhosis was observed in 15 of 19 patients, with ascitic decompensation in
      6 cases. A consistent improvement in MC syndrome was evident at the end-of
      treatment (EOT) and end-of-follow-up (EOF-U). Variable modifications in both mean
      viral titers and alanine aminotransferase values were observed at admission, EOT,
      third month of follow-up, and EOF-U (2.62 x 10(6), 4.28 x 10(6), 4.82 x 10(6),
      and 2.02 x 10(6) IU/mL and 63.6, 49.1, 56.6, and 51.4 IU/L, respectively).
      Improvement in liver protidosynthetic activity and ascites degree was observed at
      EOT and EOF-U, especially in more advanced cases. This study shows the
      effectiveness and safety of rituximab in MC syndrome with advanced liver disease.
      Moreover, the depletion of CD20(+) B cells was also followed by cirrhosis
      syndrome improvement despite the possibility of transient increases of viremia
      titers.

PMID- 20308605
TI  - Increased sensitivity to angiotensin II is present postpartum in women with a
      history of hypertensive pregnancy.
AB  - Pregnancies complicated by new-onset hypertension are associated with increased
      sensitivity to angiotensin II, but it is unclear whether this sensitivity
      persists postpartum. We studied pressor response to infused angiotensin II in 25
      normotensive postpartum women in both high- and low-sodium balance. Ten women had
      a history of hypertensive pregnancy (5 with preeclampsia; 5 with transient
      hypertension of pregnancy), and 15 women had a history of uncomplicated,
      normotensive pregnancy. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures, aldosterone, and
      soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 levels were measured before and after
      angiotensin II infusion in both dietary phases. In high sodium balance, women
      with a history of hypertensive pregnancy were normotensive but had significantly
      higher systolic and diastolic blood pressures than controls (115 versus 104 mm Hg
      and 73 versus 65 mm Hg, respectively; P<0.05). Women with a history of
      hypertensive pregnancy had a pressor response to salt loading, demonstrated by an
      increase in systolic blood pressure on a high-salt diet. They also had greater
      systolic pressor response (10 versus 2 mm Hg; P=0.03), greater increase in
      aldosterone (56.8 versus 30.8 ng/dL; P=0.03), and increase in soluble fms-like
      tyrosine kinase 1 levels (11.0 versus -18.9 pg/mL; P=0.02) after infusion of
      angiotensin II in low-sodium balance compared with controls. Thus, women with a
      history of hypertensive pregnancy demonstrated salt sensitivity of blood pressure
      and had increased pressor, adrenal, and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1
      responses to infused angiotensin II in low-sodium balance. Increased sensitivity
      to angiotensin II observed during pregnancy in women with hypertensive pregnancy
      is present postpartum; this feature may contribute to future cardiovascular risk
      in these women.

PMID- 20308606
TI  - Epidemiology of chronic kidney disease among normotensives: but what is chronic
      kidney disease?

PMID- 20308608
TI  - Effect of sodium loading/depletion on renal oxygenation in young normotensive and
      hypertensive men.
AB  - The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of sodium intake on renal
      tissue oxygenation in humans. To this purpose, we measured renal hemodynamics,
      renal sodium handling, and renal oxygenation in normotensive (NT) and
      hypertensive (HT) subjects after 1 week of a high-sodium and 1 week of a low
      sodium diet. Renal oxygenation was measured using blood oxygen level-dependent
      magnetic resonance. Tissue oxygenation was determined by the measurement of R2*
      maps on 4 coronal slices covering both kidneys. The mean R2* values in the
      medulla and cortex were calculated, with a low R2* indicating a high tissue
      oxygenation. Ten male NT (mean age: 26.5+/-7.4 years) and 8 matched HT subjects
      (mean age: 28.8+/-5.7 years) were studied. Cortical R2* was not different under
      the 2 conditions of salt intake. Medullary R2* was significantly lower under low
      sodium than high sodium in both NT and HT subjects (28.1+/-0.8 versus 31.3+/-0.6
      s(-1); P<0.05 in NT; and 27.9+/-1.5 versus 30.3+/-0.8 s(-1); P<0.05, in HT),
      indicating higher medullary oxygenation under low-sodium conditions. In NT
      subjects, medullary oxygenation was positively correlated with proximal
      reabsorption of sodium and negatively with absolute distal sodium reabsorption,
      but not with renal plasma flow. In HT subjects, medullary oxygenation correlated
      with the 24-hour sodium excretion but not with proximal or with the distal
      handling of sodium. These data demonstrate that dietary sodium intake influences
      renal tissue oxygenation, low sodium intake leading to an increased renal
      medullary oxygenation both in normotensive and young hypertensive subjects.

PMID- 20308607
TI  - Prevalence of chronic kidney disease in persons with undiagnosed or
      prehypertension in the United States.
AB  - Hypertension is both a cause and a consequence of chronic kidney disease, but the
      prevalence of chronic kidney disease throughout the diagnostic spectrum of blood
      pressure has not been established. We determined the prevalence of chronic kidney
      disease within blood pressure categories in 17 794 adults surveyed by the
      National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey during 1999-2006. Diagnosed
      hypertension was defined as self-reported provider diagnosis (n=5832);
      undiagnosed hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure > or = 140 mm Hg
      or diastolic blood pressure > or = 90 mm Hg, without report of provider diagnosis
      (n=3046); prehypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure > or = 120 and
      <140 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure > or = 80 and <90 mm Hg (n=3719); and
      normal was defined as systolic blood pressure <120 mm Hg and diastolic blood
      pressure <80 mm Hg (n=5197). Chronic kidney disease was defined as estimated
      glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min per 1.73 m(2) or urinary albumin:creatinine
      ratio >30 mg/g. Prevalences of chronic kidney disease among those with
      prehypertension and undiagnosed hypertension were 17.3% and 22.0%, respectively,
      compared with 27.5% with diagnosed hypertension and 13.4% with normal blood
      pressure, after adjustment for age, sex, and race in multivariable logistic
      regression. This pattern persisted with varying definitions of kidney disease;
      macroalbuminuria (urinary albumin:creatinine ratio >300 mg/g) had the strongest
      association with increasing blood pressure category (odds ratio: 2.37 [95% CI:
      2.00 to 2.81]). Chronic kidney disease is prevalent in undiagnosed and
      prehypertension. Earlier identification and treatment of both these conditions
      may prevent or delay morbidity and mortality from chronic kidney disease.

PMID- 20308609
TI  - Endothelial dysfunction and hypertension: cause or effect?

PMID- 20308610
TI  - Hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl-hydroxylase 2 senses high-salt intake to increase
      hypoxia inducible factor 1alpha levels in the renal medulla.
AB  - High salt induces the expression of transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor
      (HIF) 1alpha and its target genes in the renal medulla, which is an important
      renal adaptive mechanism to high-salt intake. HIF prolyl-hydroxylase domain
      containing proteins (PHDs) have been identified as major enzymes to promote the
      degradation of HIF-1alpha. PHD2 is the predominant isoform of PHDs in the kidney
      and is primarily expressed in the renal medulla. The present study tested the
      hypothesis that PHD2 responds to high salt and mediates high-salt-induced
      increase in HIF-1alpha levels in the renal medulla. In normotensive rats, high
      salt intake (4% NaCl, 10 days) significantly inhibited PHD2 expressions and
      enzyme activities in the renal medulla. Renal medullary overexpression of the
      PHD2 transgene significantly decreased HIF-1alpha levels. PHD2 transgene also
      blocked high-salt-induced activation of HIF-1alpha target genes heme oxygenase 1
      and NO synthase 2 in the renal medulla. In Dahl salt-sensitive hypertensive rats,
      however, high-salt intake did not inhibit the expression and activities of PHD2
      in the renal medulla. Correspondingly, renal medullary HIF-1alpha levels were not
      upregulated by high-salt intake in these rats. After transfection of PHD2 small
      hairpin RNA, HIF-1alpha and its target genes were significantly upregulated by
      high-salt intake in Dahl salt-sensitive rats. Overexpression of PHD2 transgene in
      the renal medulla impaired renal sodium excretion after salt loading. These data
      suggest that high-salt intake inhibits PHD2 in the renal medulla, thereby
      upregulating the HIF-1alpha expression. The lack of PHD-mediated response to high
      salt may represent a pathogenic mechanism producing salt-sensitive hypertension.

PMID- 20308611
TI  - Adenosine activates a2b receptors and enhances chloride secretion in kidney inner
      medullary collecting duct cells.
AB  - In the kidney, defects in the regulation of urine salt excretion can result in
      extracellular fluid volume expansion, leading to salt-sensitive hypertension.
      Previous studies have demonstrated that, when rats are maintained on a high
      sodium chloride (NaCl) diet, adenosine production increases in the renal medulla
      with parallel changes in adenosine receptor expression. These studies suggest
      that adenosine signaling in the kidney can respond to high NaCl loading; however,
      the functional consequences of these changes in adenosine signaling are not
      clear. We used the immortalized cell line mIMCD-K2, a murine model system for the
      renal inner medullary collecting duct, to study the direct effects of adenosine
      on NaCl transport across the inner medullary collecting duct epithelium with an
      Ussing chamber system. When epithelial Na(+) channels were inhibited, the
      addition of adenosine to the apical side of mIMCD-K2 cell sheets stimulated short
      circuit current in a dose-dependent manner. This increase in short-circuit
      current was inhibited by a cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator
      Cl(-) channel inhibitor. Pharmacological studies with a panel of adenosine
      receptor agonists and antagonists demonstrated that adenosine activates apical
      A2b adenosine receptors to enhance the short-circuit current. Furthermore,
      adenosine application to mIMCD-K2 cell sheets increased intracellular cAMP,
      whereas inhibition of protein kinase A completely blocked the adenosine response.
      Together, our findings indicate that adenosine stimulates Cl(-) secretion through
      the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator in mIMCD-K2 cells by
      activating apical A2b receptors and signaling through cAMP/protein kinase A. We
      propose that this adenosine receptor pathway may provide one mechanism for
      enhancing urine NaCl excretion in the setting of high dietary NaCl intake.

PMID- 20308612
TI  - Endothelial dysfunction and the risk of hypertension: the multi-ethnic study of
      atherosclerosis.
AB  - Hypertension is associated with impaired endothelial function in cross-sectional
      studies. However, few longitudinal data exist on whether endothelial dysfunction
      precedes the development of hypertension. We examined the cross-sectional and
      longitudinal relationships between endothelial-dependent brachial artery flow
      mediated dilation (FMD) and hypertension prevalence and incidence in 3500
      participants from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, an ethnically
      diverse, community-based cohort study. At baseline, the prevalence ratios (95%
      CI) of hypertension from the highest to the lowest quartile of FMD were 1.00
      (referent), 1.26 (1.12 to 1.40), 1.35 (1.21 to 1.52), and 1.68 (1.50 to 1.87;
      linear trend P<0.001). This association remained (P=0.017) after adjustment for
      demographics (age, sex, and ethnicity), Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
      site, and other risk factors. Of the 1869 participants without hypertension at
      baseline, 584 (31.3%) developed hypertension over a median follow-up of 4.8
      years. The unadjusted relative risks (95% CI) of incident hypertension from the
      highest to the lowest quartile of FMD were 1.00 (referent), 1.38 (1.14 to 1.67),
      1.44 (1.19 to 1.74), and 1.64 (1.36 to 1.97; linear trend P<0.001). However,
      after adjustment for demographics and Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis site,
      the relationship between FMD and incident hypertension was attenuated and not
      statistically significant: 1.00 (referent), 1.26 (1.04 to 1.52), 1.19 (0.98 to
      1.44), and 1.18 (0.97 to 1.44). The longitudinal results also did not appreciably
      change after adjustment for additional risk factors and baseline blood pressure
      levels. In this sample, reduced FMD was not an independent predictor of
      hypertension incidence, suggesting that impaired endothelial function does not
      play a major role in the development of hypertension.

PMID- 20308613
TI  - Factor XIIa inhibitor recombinant human albumin Infestin-4 abolishes occlusive
      arterial thrombus formation without affecting bleeding.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Blood coagulation is a tightly regulated process of sequentially
      activated serine proteases culminating in fibrin formation, which is critical for
      limiting posttraumatic blood loss but also may contribute to acute thrombotic
      diseases, most notably myocardial infarction and stroke. Recent studies with
      factor XII-deficient mice revealed that the factor XII-induced intrinsic
      coagulation pathway is essential for pathological thrombus formation but
      dispensable for hemostasis. Consequently, these findings led to the hypothesis
      that factor XII could be a promising pharmacological target for safe
      antithrombotic therapy. METHODS AND RESULTS: The complementary DNA of the
      previously described factor XIIa inhibitor Infestin-4, cloned from the midgut of
      Triatoma infestans, was fused to recombinant human albumin (rHA) and analyzed in
      vitro. The resulting protein rHA-Infestin-4 specifically inhibits factor XIIa and
      causes prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time in human, mouse, and rat
      plasma. To assess its inhibitory potency in vivo, mice and rats were injected
      with rHA-Infestin-4 and challenged in pathological thrombus formation models. In
      addition, bleeding assays were performed. rHA-Infestin-4 completely abolished
      occlusive arterial thrombus formation in mice and rats while leaving hemostasis
      fully intact. Furthermore, rHA-Infestin-4 was highly protective in a murine model
      of ischemic stroke. CONCLUSIONS: These results identify rHA-Infestin-4 as a
      promising agent to achieve powerful protection from ischemic cardiovascular and
      cerebrovascular events without affecting hemostasis.

PMID- 20308614
TI  - Early surgery versus conventional treatment in asymptomatic very severe aortic
      stenosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The optimal timing of surgical intervention remains controversial in
      asymptomatic patients with very severe aortic stenosis. We therefore compared the
      long-term results of early surgery and a conventional treatment strategy. METHODS
      AND RESULTS: From 1996 to 2006, we prospectively included a total of 197
      consecutive asymptomatic patients (99 men; age, 63+/-12 years) with very severe
      aortic stenosis. Patients were excluded if they had angina, syncope, exertional
      dyspnea, ejection fraction <0.50, significant mitral valve disease, or age >85
      years. Very severe aortic stenosis was defined as a critical stenosis in the
      aortic valve area < or =0.75 cm(2) accompanied by a peak aortic jet velocity > or
      =4.5 m/s or a mean transaortic pressure gradient > or =50 mm Hg on Doppler
      echocardiography. The primary end point was defined as the composite of operative
      mortality and cardiac death during follow-up. Early surgery was performed on 102
      patients, and a conventional treatment strategy was used for 95 patients. There
      were no significant differences between the 2 groups in terms of age, gender,
      European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation score, or ejection
      fraction. During a median follow-up of 1501 days, the operated group had no
      operative mortalities, no cardiac deaths, and 3 noncardiac deaths; the
      conventional treatment group had 18 cardiac and 10 noncardiac deaths. The
      estimated actuarial 6-year cardiac and all-cause mortality rates were 0% and 2+/
      1% in the operated group and 24+/-5% and 32+/-6% in the conventional treatment
      group, respectively (P<0.001), and for 57 propensity score-matched pairs, the
      risk of all-cause mortality was significantly lower in the operated group than in
      the conventional treatment group (hazard ratio, 0.135; 95% confidence interval,
      0.030 to 0.597; P=0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the conventional treatment
      strategy, early surgery in patients with very severe aortic stenosis is
      associated with an improved long-term survival by decreasing cardiac mortality.
      Early surgery is therefore a therapeutic option to further improve clinical
      outcomes in asymptomatic patients with very severe aortic stenosis and low
      operative risk.

PMID- 20308615
TI  - Oxidative stress regulates left ventricular PDE5 expression in the failing heart.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibition has been shown to exert
      profound beneficial effects in the failing heart, suggesting a significant role
      for PDE5 in the development of congestive heart failure (CHF). The purpose of
      this study is to test the hypothesis that oxidative stress causes increased PDE5
      expression in cardiac myocytes and that increased PDE5 contributes to the
      development of CHF. METHODS AND RESULTS: Myocardial PDE5 expression and cellular
      distribution were determined in left ventricular samples from patients with end
      stage CHF and normal donors and from mice after transverse aortic constriction
      (TAC)-induced CHF. Compared with donor human hearts, myocardial PDE5 protein was
      increased approximately equal 4.5-fold in CHF samples, and the increase of
      myocardial PDE5 expression was significantly correlated with myocardial oxidative
      stress markers 3'-nitrotyrosine or 4-hydroxynonenal expression (P<0.05).
      Histological examination demonstrated that PDE5 was mainly expressed in vascular
      smooth muscle in normal donor hearts, but its expression was increased in both
      cardiac myocytes and vascular smooth muscle of CHF hearts. Myocardial PDE5
      protein content and activity also increased in mice after TAC-induced CHF
      (P<0.05). When the superoxide dismutase (SOD) mimetic M40401 was administered to
      attenuate oxidative stress, the increased PDE5 protein and activity caused by TAC
      was blunted, and the hearts were protected against left ventricular hypertrophy
      and CHF. Conversely, increased myocardial oxidative stress in superoxide
      dismutase 3 knockout mice caused a greater increase of PDE5 expression and CHF
      after TAC. In addition, administration of sildenafil to inhibit PDE5 attenuated
      TAC-induced myocardial oxidative stress, PDE5 expression, and CHF. CONCLUSIONS:
      Myocardial oxidative stress increases PDE5 expression in the failing heart.
      Reducing oxidative stress by treatment with M40401 attenuated cardiomyocyte PDE5
      expression. This and selective inhibition of PDE5 protected the heart against
      pressure overload-induced left ventricular hypertrophy and CHF.

PMID- 20308616
TI  - Evaluation of bromocriptine in the treatment of acute severe peripartum
      cardiomyopathy: a proof-of-concept pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a potentially life-threatening
      heart disease that occurs in previously healthy women. We identified prolactin,
      mainly its 16-kDa angiostatic and proapoptotic form, as a key factor in PPCM
      pathophysiology. Previous reports suggest that bromocriptine may have beneficial
      effects in women with acute onset of PPCM. METHODS AND RESULTS: A prospective,
      single-center, randomized, open-label, proof-of-concept pilot study of women with
      newly diagnosed PPCM receiving standard care (PPCM-Std; n=10) versus standard
      care plus bromocriptine for 8 weeks (PPCM-Br, n=10) was conducted. Because
      mothers receiving bromocriptine could not breast-feed, the 6-month outcome of
      their children (n=21) was studied as a secondary end point. Blinded clinical,
      hemodynamic, and echocardiographic assessments were performed at baseline and 6
      months after diagnosis. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was performed 4 to 6
      weeks after diagnosis in PPCM-Br patients. There were no significant differences
      in baseline characteristics, including serum 16-kDa prolactin levels and
      cathepsin D activity, between the 2 study groups. PPCM-Br patients displayed
      greater recovery of left ventricular ejection fraction (27% to 58%; P=0.012)
      compared with PPCM-Std patients (27% to 36%) at 6 months. One patient in the PPCM
      Br group died compared with 4 patients in the PPCM-Std group. Significantly fewer
      PPCM-Br patients (n=1, 10%) experienced the composite end point of poor outcome
      defined as death, New York Heart Association functional class III/IV, or left
      ventricular ejection fraction <35% at 6 months compared with the PPCM-Std
      patients (n=8, 80%; P=0.006). Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging revealed no
      intracavitary thrombi. Infants of mothers in both groups showed normal growth and
      survival. CONCLUSIONS: In this trial, the addition of bromocriptine to standard
      heart failure therapy appeared to improve left ventricular ejection fraction and
      a composite clinical outcome in women with acute severe PPCM, although the number
      of patients studied was small and the results cannot be considered definitive.
      Larger-scale multicenter and blinded studies are in progress to test this
      strategy more robustly.

PMID- 20308617
TI  - Race/ethnicity, quality of care, and outcomes in ischemic stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prior studies suggest differences in stroke care associated with
      race/ethnicity. We sought to determine whether such differences existed in a
      population of black, Hispanic, and white patients hospitalized with stroke among
      hospitals participating in a quality-improvement program. METHODS AND RESULTS: We
      analyzed in-hospital mortality and 7 stroke performance measures among 397,257
      patients admitted with ischemic stroke to 1181 hospitals participating in the Get
      With The Guidelines-Stroke program 2003 through 2008. Relative to white patients,
      black and Hispanic patients were younger and more often had diabetes mellitus and
      hypertension. After adjustment for both patient- and hospital-level variables,
      black patients had lower odds relative to white patients of receiving intravenous
      thrombolysis (odds ratio [OR], 0.84; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.77 to 0.91),
      deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis (OR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.83 to 0.92), smoking
      cessation (OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.79 to 0.91), discharge antithrombotics (OR, 0.88;
      95% CI, 0.84 to 0.92), anticoagulants for atrial fibrillation (OR, 0.84; 95% CI,
      0.75 to 0.94), and lipid therapy (OR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.88 to 0.96), and of dying
      in-hospital (OR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.85 to 0.95). Hispanic patients received similar
      care as their white counterparts on all 7 measures and had similar in-hospital
      mortality. Black (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.28 to 1.35) and Hispanic (OR, 1.16; 95% CI,
      1.11 to 1.20) patients had higher odds of exceeding the median length of hospital
      stay relative to whites. During the study, quality of care improved in all 3
      race/ethnicity groups. CONCLUSIONS: Black patients with stroke received fewer
      evidence-based care processes than Hispanic or white patients. These differences
      could lead to increased risk of recurrent stroke. Quality of care improved
      substantially in the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Program over time for all 3
      racial/ethnic groups.

PMID- 20308618
TI  - Primary angioplasty versus fibrinolysis in acute myocardial infarction: long-term
      follow-up in the Danish acute myocardial infarction 2 trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Danish Acute Myocardial Infarction 2 (DANAMI-2) study found that
      primary angioplasty (primary percutaneous coronary intervention [pPCI]) compared
      with fibrinolysis reduced 30-day adverse events in patients with ST-segment
      elevation myocardial infarction. The present study investigated whether the
      benefit of pPCI was maintained at a long-term follow-up. METHODS AND RESULTS: We
      randomly assigned 1572 patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction
      1129 patients at referral hospitals and 443 patients at invasive hospitals-to
      pPCI or fibrinolysis. Median time from randomization to arrival in the
      catheterization laboratory for patients admitted to referral hospitals was 67
      minutes, with 96% of patients arriving in the catheterization laboratory within
      120 minutes. The primary study end point was a composite of death or
      reinfarction. Median follow-up time was 7.8 years. For the primary end point, 8
      year cumulative incidence (1-Kaplan-Meier) was 34.8% in the pPCI group and 41.3%
      in the fibrinolysis group (hazard ratio, 0.78; 95% confidence interval, 0.66 to
      0.92). Reinfarction rates were reduced in the pPCI group (11.7% versus 18.5%;
      hazard ratio, 0.60; 95% confidence interval, 0.46 to 0.77). Among patients
      randomized at referral hospitals, pPCI reduced reinfarction (13% versus 18.5%;
      hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% confidence interval, 0.49 to 0.89) and mortality (26.7%
      versus 33.3%; hazard ratio, 0.78; 95% confidence interval, 0.63 to 0.97).
      CONCLUSIONS: The benefit of pPCI over fibrinolysis was maintained at a long-term
      follow-up. pPCI reduced the risk of reinfarction in the overall cohort and
      reduced reinfarction and mortality among patients randomized at referral
      hospitals. This result reinforces that pPCI should be offered to ST-segment
      elevation myocardial infarction patients when interhospital transport to an
      invasive hospital can be completed within 120 minutes.

PMID- 20308619
TI  - Medication errors in acute cardiovascular and stroke patients: a scientific
      statement from the American Heart Association.

PMID- 20308620
TI  - Bromocriptine for the treatment of peripartum cardiomyopathy.

PMID- 20308621
TI  - The influence of the maxillary frenum on the development and pattern of dental
      caries on anterior teeth in breastfeeding infants: prevention, diagnosis, and
      treatment.
AB  - In breastfeeding infants, an abnormal attachment of maxillary frenum has the
      potential to become a significant factor in contributing to facial caries
      formation on the maxillary anterior teeth. This is in part due to the inability
      of infants to remove residual milk from the area between the lip and facial
      surfaces of the maxillary central and lateral incisors at the completion of
      nursing. Early diagnosis and treatment of an abnormal frenum attachment with the
      simple and quick revision technique using the Erbium: YAG or Diode laser can
      prevent these from occurring and does not present any significant risks to the
      infant.

PMID- 20308622
TI  - Images in cardiovascular medicine. Fibrinolytic therapy in mechanical valve
      thrombosis in a one-year-old girl.

PMID- 20308623
TI  - Letter by Virmani et al regarding article, "Drug-eluting stents in animals and
      patients: where do we stand today?".

PMID- 20308624
TI  - Letter by Santangeli et al regarding article, "High-density substrate mapping in
      Brugada syndrome: combined role of conduction and repolarization heterogeneities
      in arrhythmogenesis".

PMID- 20308627
TI  - Global chronic disease research training for fellows: perspectives, challenges,
      and opportunities.

PMID- 20308626
TI  - Sugar-sweetened beverages, obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular
      disease risk.

PMID- 20308628
TI  - Images in cardiovascular medicine. ST-elevation alternans and nonsustained
      polymorphic ventricular tachycardia in a patient with Prinzmetal (variant)
      angina.

PMID- 20308629
TI  - IFN regulatory factor-1 bypasses IFN-mediated antiviral effects through viperin
      gene induction.
AB  - Viperin is an antiviral protein whose expression is highly upregulated during
      viral infections via IFN-dependent and/or IFN-independent pathways. We examined
      the molecular alterations induced by the transcriptional activator IFN regulatory
      factor (IRF)-1 and found viperin to be among the group of IRF-1 regulated genes.
      From these data, it was not possible to distinguish genes that are primary
      targets of IRF-1 and those that are targets of IRF-1-induced proteins, like IFN
      beta. In this study, we show that IRF-1 directly binds to the murine viperin
      promoter to the two proximal IRF elements and thereby induces viperin expression.
      Infection studies with embryonal fibroblasts from different gene knock-out mice
      demonstrate that IRF-1 is essential, whereas the type I IFN system is dispensable
      for vesicular stomatitis virus induced viperin gene transcription. Further, IRF
      1, but not IFN type I, mediates the induction of viperin transcription after IFN
      gamma treatment. In contrast, IRF-1 is not required for IFN-independent viperin
      induction by Newcastle disease virus infection and by infection with a vesicular
      stomatitis virus mutant that is unable to block IFN expression and secretion. We
      conclude that the IRF-1 mediated type I IFN independent mechanism of enhanced
      viperin expression provides a redundant mechanism to protect cells from viral
      infections. This mechanism becomes important when viruses evade innate immunity
      by antagonizing the induction and function of the IFN system.

PMID- 20308630
TI  - Treatment failure of a TLR-7 agonist occurs due to self-regulation of acute
      inflammation and can be overcome by IL-10 blockade.
AB  - Multiple TLR agonists have been shown to have antitumor effects in animal models.
      However, the therapeutic efficacy of TLR agonist monotherapy in cancer treatment
      has been limited, and the mechanisms of failure remain unknown. We demonstrate
      that topical treatment with a TLR-7 agonist, imiquimod, can elicit significant
      regression of spontaneous breast cancers in neu transgenic mice, a model of human
      HER-2/neu(+) breast cancer. However, tumor growth progressed once imiquimod
      therapy was ended. Gene expression analysis using tumor-derived RNA demonstrated
      that imiquimod induced high levels of IL-10 in addition to TNF-alpha and IFN
      gamma. Elevated levels of circulating IL-10 were also detected in sera from
      imiquimod-treated mice. Elevated serum IL-10 appeared to be derived from IL-10
      and dual cytokine secreting (IFN-gamma(+) and IL-10(+)) CD4(+) T cells rather
      than CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) T regulatory cells, which were also induced by
      imiquimod treatment. Blockade of IL-10, but not TGF-beta, enhanced the antitumor
      effect of imiquimod by significantly prolonging survival in treated mice. These
      data suggest that the excessive inflammation induced by TLR agonists may result
      in a self-regulatory immunosuppression via IL-10 induction and that blocking IL
      10 could enhance the therapeutic efficacy of these agents.

PMID- 20308631
TI  - B cell-derived vascular endothelial growth factor A promotes lymphangiogenesis
      and high endothelial venule expansion in lymph nodes.
AB  - Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) is a prominent growth factor for
      both angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis. Recent studies have shown the importance
      of VEGF-A in enhancing the growth of lymphatic endothelial cells in lymph nodes
      (LNs) and the migration of dendritic cells into LNs. VEGF-A is produced in
      inflamed tissues and/or in draining LNs, where B cells are a possible source of
      this growth factor. To study the effect of B cell-derived VEGF-A, we created
      transgenic mice (CD19(Cre)/hVEGF-A(fl)) that express human VEGF-A specifically in
      B cells. We found that the human VEGF-A produced by B cells not only induced
      lymphangiogenesis in LNs, but also induced the expansion of LNs and the
      development of high endothelial venules. Contrary to our expectation, we observed
      a significant decrease in the Ag-specific Ab production postimmunization with OVA
      and in the proinflammatory cytokine production postinoculation with LPS in these
      mice. Our findings suggest immunomodulatory effects of VEGF-A: B cell-derived
      VEGF-A promotes both lymphangiogenesis and angiogenesis within LNs, but then
      suppresses certain aspects of the ensuing immune responses.

PMID- 20308632
TI  - The effector T cell response to ryegrass pollen is counterregulated by
      simultaneous induction of regulatory T cells.
AB  - Allergy is associated with pathological Th2 responses to otherwise harmless
      environmental Ags. In contrast, nonallergic individuals mount nonpathological
      immune responses to allergens, partly attributed to regulatory T cell (Treg)
      activity. Although thymus-derived natural Tregs have been shown to maintain
      tolerance to self-Ags and prevent autoimmunity, the generation of Tregs specific
      to non-self-Ags is less well understood. We investigated the potential for
      induction of Tregs from PBMCs of ryegrass pollen-allergic or healthy subjects by
      stimulation in vitro with ryegrass pollen extract in the absence of additional
      exogenous stimuli. We found that two subsets of proliferating CD4(+) T cells were
      induced, one expressing intermediate levels of Foxp3 (and IFN-gamma, IL-4, IL-17,
      or IL-2) and the other expressing high levels of Foxp3 (and no effector
      cytokines). After enrichment based on CD39 expression, the Foxp3(hi) subset
      suppressed CD4(+) T cell proliferation and IFN-gamma production. The Foxp3(hi)
      Treg originated from both conversion of dividing non-Tregs (CD4(+)CD25(
      )CD127(hi)) and expansion of natural Tregs (CD4(+)CD25(+)CD127(lo)). Stable
      functional Tregs expressing high levels of Foxp3 were induced simultaneously with
      effector T cells by allergen stimulation. Induction of Foxp3(hi) Tregs was
      reduced in allergic subjects. These results indicate that the cogeneration of
      Foxp3(hi) Tregs in response to allergen may be a mechanism for controlling
      allergic reactions in healthy individuals, which is impaired in those with
      allergies.

PMID- 20308633
TI  - Cutting edge: IL-23 receptor deficiency prevents the development of lupus
      nephritis in C57BL/6-lpr/lpr mice.
AB  - IL-17-producing T cells infiltrate kidneys of patients with lupus nephritis, and
      IL-23-treated lymph node cells from lupus-prone mice may transfer disease to Rag1
      deficient mice. In this study, we show that IL-23R-deficient lupus-prone C57BL/6
      lpr/lpr mice display decreased numbers of CD3(+)CD4(-)CD8(-) cells and IL-17A
      producing cells in the lymph nodes and produce less anti-DNA Abs. In addition,
      clinical and pathology measures of lupus nephritis are abrogated. The presented
      experiments document the importance of IL-23R-mediated signaling in the
      development of lupus nephritis and urge the consideration of proper biologics for
      the treatment of the disease.

PMID- 20308634
TI  - Histone acetylation at the single-cell level: a marker of memory CD8+ T cell
      differentiation and functionality.
AB  - Following stimulation, memory T (T(M)) cells rapidly express many effector
      functions, a hallmark feature that allows them to provide protective immunity.
      Recent studies suggest that genes involved in this rapid recall response may
      maintain an open chromatin structure in resting T(M) cells via epigenetic
      modifications. However, these studies have mostly focused on a few loci, and the
      techniques used required a large number of cells. We have developed a flow
      cytometric assay measuring histone modifications in individual murine T cells in
      combination with lineage-specific markers. In this study, we show that the per
      cell level of a marker of open chromatin, diacetylated histone H3 (diAcH3),
      increases as naive CD8(+) T cells develop into T(M) cells, demonstrating a novel
      correlation between the differentiation state of a CD8(+) T cell and its
      abundance of a specific histone modification. Furthermore, our results show that
      T(M) cells defective in rapid recall ability have less diAcH3 than their fully
      functional counterparts, indicating that the diAcH3 level of individual T(M)
      cells is a useful marker for assessing their functionality.

PMID- 20308635
TI  - Functional analysis of Lyn kinase A and B isoforms reveals redundant and distinct
      roles in Fc epsilon RI-dependent mast cell activation.
AB  - Engagement of FcepsilonRI causes its phosphorylation by Lyn kinase. Two
      alternatively spliced variants, Lyn A and B, are expressed in mast cells, and
      both isoforms interact with FcepsilonRI. Unlike Lyn A, Lyn B lacks a 21-aa region
      in the N-terminal unique domain. In this study, we investigated the role of Lyn A
      and B isoforms in mast cell signaling and responses. Lyn B was found to be a poor
      inducer of mast cell degranulation and was less potent in both inositol 1,4,5
      triphosphate production and calcium responses. Expression of Lyn B alone showed
      reduced phosphorylation of both phospholipase Cgamma-1 and -2 and decreased
      interaction of phospholipase Cgamma-1 with the phosphorylated linker for
      activation of T cells. Lyn B also showed increased binding of tyrosine
      phosphorylated proteins, which included the negative regulatory lipid phosphatase
      SHIP-1. In contrast, both Lyn A and B caused similar total cellular tyrosine
      phosphorylation and FcepsilonRI phosphorylation and neither Lyn A nor Lyn B alone
      could completely restore mast cell degranulation or dampen the excessive cytokine
      production seen in the absence of Lyn. However, expression of both isoforms
      showed complementation and normalized responses. These findings demonstrate that
      Lyn B differs from Lyn A in its association with SHIP-1 and in the regulation of
      calcium responses. However, complementation of both isoforms is required in mast
      cell activation.

PMID- 20308636
TI  - Genome-wide mapping and assembly of structural variant breakpoints in the mouse
      genome.
AB  - Structural variation (SV) is a rich source of genetic diversity in mammals, but
      due to the challenges associated with mapping SV in complex genomes, basic
      questions regarding their genomic distribution and mechanistic origins remain
      unanswered. We have developed an algorithm (HYDRA) to localize SV breakpoints by
      paired-end mapping, and a general approach for the genome-wide assembly and
      interpretation of breakpoint sequences. We applied these methods to two inbred
      mouse strains: C57BL/6J and DBA/2J. We demonstrate that HYDRA accurately maps
      diverse classes of SV, including those involving repetitive elements such as
      transposons and segmental duplications; however, our analysis of the C57BL/6J
      reference strain shows that incomplete reference genome assemblies are a major
      source of noise. We report 7196 SVs between the two strains, more than two-thirds
      of which are due to transposon insertions. Of the remainder, 59% are deletions
      (relative to the reference), 26% are insertions of unlinked DNA, 9% are tandem
      duplications, and 6% are inversions. To investigate the origins of SV, we
      characterized 3316 breakpoint sequences at single-nucleotide resolution. We find
      that approximately 16% of non-transposon SVs have complex breakpoint patterns
      consistent with template switching during DNA replication or repair, and that
      this process appears to preferentially generate certain classes of complex
      variants. Moreover, we find that SVs are significantly enriched in regions of
      segmental duplication, but that this effect is largely independent of DNA
      sequence homology and thus cannot be explained by non-allelic homologous
      recombination (NAHR) alone. This result suggests that the genetic instability of
      such regions is often the cause rather than the consequence of duplicated genomic
      architecture.

PMID- 20308637
TI  - B-type natriuretic peptide-guided heart failure therapy: A meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of plasma levels of B-type natriuretic peptides (BNPs) to
      guide treatment of patients with chronic heart failure (HF) has been investigated
      in a number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). However, the benefits of this
      treatment approach have been uncertain. We therefore performed a meta-analysis to
      examine the overall effect of BNP-guided drug therapy on cardiovascular outcomes
      in patients with chronic HF. METHODS: We identified RCTs by systematic search of
      manuscripts, abstracts, and databases. Eligible RCTs were those that enrolled
      more than 20 patients and involved comparison of BNP-guided drug therapy vs usual
      clinical care of the patient with chronic HF in an outpatient setting. RESULTS:
      Eight RCTs with a total of 1726 patients and with a mean duration of 16 months
      (range, 3-24 months) were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, there was a
      significantly lower risk of all-cause mortality (relative risk [RR], 0.76; 95%
      confidence interval [CI], 0.63-0.91; P = .003) in the BNP-guided therapy group
      compared with the control group. In the subgroup of patients younger than 75
      years, all-cause mortality was also significantly lower in the BNP-guided group
      (RR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.33-0.82; P = .005). However, there was no reduction in
      mortality with BNP-guided therapy in patients 75 years or older (RR, 0.94; 95%
      CI, 0.71-1.25; P = .70). The risk of all-cause hospitalization and survival free
      of any hospitalization was not significantly different between groups (RR, 0.82;
      95% CI, 0.64-1.05; P = .12 and RR, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.85-1.34; P = .58,
      respectively). The additional percentage of patients achieving target doses of
      angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and beta-blockers during the course of
      these trials averaged 21% and 22% in the BNP group and 11.7% and 12.5% in the
      control group, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: B-type natriuretic peptide-guided
      therapy reduces all-cause mortality in patients with chronic HF compared with
      usual clinical care, especially in patients younger than 75 years. A component of
      this survival benefit may be due to increased use of agents proven to decrease
      mortality in chronic HF. However, there does not seem to be a reduction in all
      cause hospitalization or an increase in survival free of hospitalization using
      this approach.

PMID- 20308638
TI  - Covering cancer: comment on "cancer and the media".

PMID- 20308640
TI  - Substitution of (R,S)-methadone by (R)-methadone: Impact on QTc interval.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Methadone is administered as a chiral mixture of (R,S)-methadone. The
      opioid effect is mainly mediated by (R)-methadone, whereas (S)-methadone blocks
      the human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) voltage-gated potassium channel more
      potently, which can cause drug-induced long QT syndrome, leading to potentially
      lethal ventricular tachyarrhythmias. METHODS: To investigate whether substitution
      of (R,S)-methadone by (R)-methadone could reduce the corrected QT (QTc) interval,
      (R,S)-methadone was replaced by (R)-methadone (half-dose) in 39 opioid-dependent
      patients receiving maintenance treatment for 14 days. (R)-methadone was then
      replaced by the initial dose of (R,S)-methadone for 14 days (n = 29). Trough (R)
      methadone and (S)-methadone plasma levels and electrocardiogram measurements were
      taken. RESULTS: The Fridericia-corrected QT (QTcF) interval decreased when (R,S)
      methadone was replaced by a half-dose of (R)-methadone; the median (interquartile
      range [IQR]) values were 423 (398-440) milliseconds (ms) and 412 (395-431) ms (P
      = .06) at days 0 and 14, respectively. Using a univariate mixed-effect linear
      model, the QTcF value decreased by a mean of -3.9 ms (95% confidence interval
      [CI], -7.7 to -0.2) per week (P = .04). The QTcF value increased when (R)
      methadone was replaced by the initial dose of (R,S)-methadone for 14 days; median
      (IQR) values were 424 (398-436) ms and 424 (412-443) ms (P = .01) at days 14 and
      28, respectively. The univariate model showed that the QTcF value increased by a
      mean of 4.7 ms (95% CI, 1.3-8.1) per week (P = .006). CONCLUSIONS: Substitution
      of (R,S)-methadone by (R)-methadone reduces the QTc interval value. A safer
      cardiac profile of (R)-methadone is in agreement with previous in vitro and
      pharmacogenetic studies. If the present results are confirmed by larger studies,
      (R)-methadone should be prescribed instead of (R,S)-methadone to reduce the risk
      of cardiac toxic effects and sudden death.

PMID- 20308641
TI  - Bupropion and cognitive behavioral therapy for weight-concerned women smokers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We previously documented that cognitive behavioral therapy for
      smoking-related weight concerns (CONCERNS) improves cessation rates. However, the
      efficacy of combining CONCERNS with cessation medication is unknown. We sought to
      determine if the combination of CONCERNS and bupropion therapy would enhance
      abstinence for weight-concerned women smokers. METHODS: In a randomized, double
      blind, placebo-controlled trial, weight-concerned women (n = 349; 86% white)
      received smoking cessation counseling and were randomized to 1 of 2 adjunctive
      counseling components: CONCERNS or STANDARD (standard cessation treatment with
      added discussion of smoking topics but no specific weight focus), and 1 of 2
      medication conditions: bupropion hydrochloride sustained release (B) or placebo
      (P) for 6 months. Rates and duration of biochemically verified prolonged
      abstinence were the primary outcomes. Point-prevalent abstinence, postcessation
      weight gain, and changes in nicotine withdrawal, depressive symptoms, and weight
      concerns were evaluated. RESULTS: Women in the CONCERNS + B group had higher
      rates of abstinence (34.0%) and longer time to relapse than did those in the
      STANDARD + B (21%; P = .05) or CONCERNS + P (11.5%; P = .005) groups at 6 months,
      although rates of prolonged abstinence in the CONCERNS + B and STANDARD + B
      groups did not differ significantly at 12 months. Abstinence rates and duration
      did not differ in the STANDARD + B group (21% and 19%) compared with the STANDARD
      + P group (10% and 7%) at 6 and 12 months, respectively. There were no
      differences among abstinent women in postcessation weight gain or weight
      concerns, although STANDARD + B produced greater decreases in nicotine withdrawal
      and depressive symptoms than did STANDARD + P. CONCLUSIONS: Weight-concerned
      women smokers receiving the combination of CONCERNS + B were most likely to
      sustain abstinence. This effect was not related to differences in postcessation
      weight gain or changes in weight concerns. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov
      Identifier: NCT00006170.

PMID- 20308643
TI  - Trends in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease prevalence, incidence, and
      mortality in ontario, Canada, 1996 to 2007: a population-based study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a preventable and
      treatable disease with a prevalence of more than 10% worldwide among adults 40
      years and older. Whether this amount has been increasing, decreasing, or stable
      over time remains unknown. METHODS: A longitudinal cohort study using population
      based, health administrative data from 1991 to 2007 was conducted in Ontario,
      Canada. Individuals with COPD were identified using a previously validated health
      administrative case definition of COPD. Annual COPD prevalence, incidence, and
      all-cause mortality rates were estimated from 1996 to 2007. RESULTS: The
      prevalence of COPD increased by 64.8% between 1996 and 2007. The age- and sex
      standardized COPD prevalence rate increased from 7.8% to 9.5%, representing a
      relative increase of 23.0% (P < .001). The age- and sex-standardized incidence
      decreased from 11.8 per 1000 adults to 8.5 per 1000 adults, representing a
      relative decrease of 28.3% (P < .001). Finally, the age- and sex-standardized all
      cause mortality rate decreased from 5.7% to 4.3%, representing a relative
      decrease of 24.0% (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate a substantial
      increase in COPD prevalence in the last decade, with more of the burden being
      shifted from men to women. Effective clinical and public health strategies are
      needed to prevent COPD and manage the increasing number of people living longer
      with this disease.

PMID- 20308642
TI  - Curbing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in 38 French hospitals
      through a 15-year institutional control program.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Assistance Publique-Hopitaux de Paris (AP-HP) institution
      administers 38 teaching hospitals (23 acute care and 15 rehabilitation and long
      term care hospitals; total, 23 000 beds) scattered across Paris and surrounding
      suburbs in France. In the late 1980s, the proportion of methicillin resistance
      among clinical strains of Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) reached approximately 40%
      at AP-HP. METHODS: A program aimed at curbing the MRSA burden was launched in
      1993, based on passive and active surveillance, barrier precautions, training,
      and feedback. This program, supported by the strong commitment of the
      institution, was reinforced in 2001 by a campaign promoting the use of alcohol
      based hand-rub solutions. An observational study on MRSA rate was prospectively
      carried out from 1993 onwards. RESULTS: There was a significant progressive
      decrease in MRSA burden (-35%) from 1993 to 2007, whether recorded as the
      proportion (expressed as percentage) of MRSA among S aureus strains (41.0% down
      to 26.6% overall; 45.3% to 24.2% in blood cultures) or incidence of MRSA cases
      (0.86 down to 0.56 per 1000 hospital days). The MRSA burden decreased more
      markedly in intensive care units (-59%) than in surgical (-44%) and medical (
      32%) wards. The use of ABHR solutions (in liters per 1000 hospital days)
      increased steadily from 2 L to 21 L (to 26 L in acute care hospitals and to 10 L
      in rehabilitation and long-term care hospitals) following the campaign.
      CONCLUSION: A sustained reduction of MRSA burden can be obtained at the scale of
      a large hospital institution with high endemic MRSA rates, providing that an
      intensive program is maintained for a long period.

PMID- 20308644
TI  - Individualized medical decision making: necessary, achievable, but not yet
      attainable.
AB  - The need is urgent to provide older persons with individualized information about
      the benefits and harms of different diagnostic and treatment strategies. This
      need results from the growing recognition of the heterogeneity in outcomes in
      older persons with differing comorbidity profiles. The heterogeneity of benefits
      and harms resulting from treatment is not yet as well appreciated. Warfarin vs
      aspirin therapy for the reduction of stroke risk in nonvalvular atrial
      fibrillation provides an example of a treatment for which the benefit-to-harm
      ratio may actually reverse according to an older person's comorbidities, thus
      highlighting the importance of basing this treatment decision on individualized
      outcome data. Despite the wealth of studies in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation,
      many assumptions are necessary to calculate patient-specific outcomes, and these
      assumptions may lead to substantial overestimation or underestimation of benefits
      and harms. Improving care for patients with comorbidities will require
      substantive increases in the efforts and resources allocated to the collection
      and dissemination of outcome data for patients with varying comorbidities.

PMID- 20308645
TI  - The socioeconomic gradient in daily colds and influenza, headaches, and pain.

PMID- 20308646
TI  - Vitamin D supplementation.

PMID- 20308647
TI  - Evaluating enzyme replacement therapy in fabry disease.

PMID- 20308649
TI  - Re: Late effects from radiation therapy: the hits just keep on coming.

PMID- 20308648
TI  - Association between a germline OCA2 polymorphism at chromosome 15q13.1 and
      estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer survival.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traditional prognostic factors for survival and treatment response of
      patients with breast cancer do not fully account for observed survival variation.
      We used available genotype data from a previously conducted two-stage, breast
      cancer susceptibility genome-wide association study (ie, Studies of Epidemiology
      and Risk factors in Cancer Heredity [SEARCH]) to investigate associations between
      variation in germline DNA and overall survival. METHODS: We evaluated possible
      associations between overall survival after a breast cancer diagnosis and 10 621
      germline single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from up to 3761 patients with
      invasive breast cancer (including 647 deaths and 26 978 person-years at risk)
      that were genotyped previously in the SEARCH study with high-density
      oligonucleotide microarrays (ie, hypothesis-generating set). Associations with
      all-cause mortality were assessed for each SNP by use of Cox regression analysis,
      generating a per rare allele hazard ratio (HR). To validate putative
      associations, we used patient genotype information that had been obtained with 5'
      nuclease assay or mass spectrometry and overall survival information for up to 14
      096 patients with invasive breast cancer (including 2303 deaths and 70 019 person
      years at risk) from 15 international case-control studies (ie, validation set).
      Fixed-effects meta-analysis was used to generate an overall effect estimate in
      the validation dataset and in combined SEARCH and validation datasets. All
      statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: In the hypothesis-generating dataset,
      SNP rs4778137 (C>G) of the OCA2 gene at 15q13.1 was statistically significantly
      associated with overall survival among patients with estrogen receptor-negative
      tumors, with the rare G allele being associated with increased overall survival
      (HR of death per rare allele carried = 0.56, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.41
      to 0.75, P = 9.2 x 10(-5)). This association was also observed in the validation
      dataset (HR of death per rare allele carried = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.78 to 0.99, P =
      .03) and in the combined dataset (HR of death per rare allele carried = 0.82, 95%
      CI = 0.73 to 0.92, P = 5 x 10(-4)). CONCLUSION: The rare G allele of the OCA2
      polymorphism, rs4778137, may be associated with improved overall survival among
      patients with estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer.

PMID- 20308650
TI  - Conventional and complementary therapies: a tale of two research standards?

PMID- 20308651
TI  - Cancer in the oldest old: making better treatment decisions.

PMID- 20308652
TI  - Therapy for recurrent high-grade gliomas: does continuous dose-intense
      temozolomide have a role?

PMID- 20308653
TI  - Role of fusion subtype in Ewing sarcoma.

PMID- 20308654
TI  - TP53 alterations determine clinical subgroups and survival of patients with
      choroid plexus tumors.
AB  - PURPOSE Choroid plexus carcinomas are pediatric tumors with poor survival rates
      and a strong, but poorly understood, association with Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS).
      Currently, with lack of biologic predictors, most children are treated with
      aggressive chemoradiation protocols. PATIENTS AND METHODS We established a multi
      institutional tissue and clinical database, which enabled the analysis of
      specific alterations of the TP53 tumor suppressor and its modifiers in choroid
      plexus tumors (CPTs). We conducted high-resolution copy-number analysis to
      correlate these genetic parameters with family history and outcome. Results We
      studied 64 patients with CPTs. All individuals with germline TP53 mutations
      fulfilled LFS criteria, whereas all patients not meeting these criteria harbored
      wild-type TP53 (P < .001). TP53 mutations were found in 50% of choroid plexus
      carcinomas (CPCs). Additionally, two sequence variants known to confer TP53
      dysfunction, TP53 codon72 and MDM2 SNP309, coexisted in the majority of TP53 wild
      type CPCs (92%) and not in TP53 mutated CPC (P = .04), which suggests a
      complementary mechanism of TP53 dysfunction in the absence of a TP53 mutation.
      High-resolution single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array analysis revealed
      extremely high total structural variation (TSV) in TP53-mutated CPC tumor genomes
      compared with TP53 wild-type tumors and choroid plexus papillomas (CPPs; P = .006
      and .004, respectively). Moreover, high TSV was associated with significant risk
      of progression (P < .001). Five-year survival rates for patients with TP53
      immunopositive and -immunonegative CPCs were 0% and 82 (+/- 9%), respectively (P
      < .001). Furthermore, 14 of 16 patients with TP53 wild-type CPCs are alive
      without having received radiation therapy. CONCLUSION Patients with CPC who have
      low tumor TSV and absence of TP53 dysfunction have a favorable prognosis and can
      be successfully treated without radiation therapy.

PMID- 20308655
TI  - Phase II trial of continuous dose-intense temozolomide in recurrent malignant
      glioma: RESCUE study.
AB  - PURPOSE Concomitant temozolomide (TMZ)/radiotherapy followed by adjuvant TMZ has
      increased survival in patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). However, few
      options are effective for patients who experience treatment failure. We conducted
      a multicenter, phase II study to assess the efficacy and safety of continuous
      dose-intense TMZ for recurrent GBM. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with malignant
      glioma at progression after standard TMZ 150 to 200 mg/m(2) x 5 days in a 28-day
      cycle for three or more cycles were stratified by tumor type (anaplastic glioma
      group A, GBM, group B). Ninety-one patients with GBM were prospectively divided
      into three groups (early [B1], extended [B2], and rechallenge [B3]) according to
      the timing of progression during adjuvant therapy. All patients received
      continuous dose-intense TMZ 50 mg/m(2)/d for up to 1 year or until progression
      occurred. Response was assessed by using RECIST (Response Evaluation Criteria in
      Solid Tumors). Results A total of 116 of 120 patients were evaluable for
      efficacy. For patients with GBM, 6-month progression-free survival (PFS) was
      23.9% (B1, 27.3%; B2, 7.4%; B3, 35.7%). One-year survival from time of study
      entry was 27.3%, 14.8%, and 28.6% for the B1, B2 and B3 groups, respectively. For
      patients with anaplastic glioma, 6-month PFS was 35.7%; 1-year survival was
      60.7%. The most common grades 3 and 4 nonhematologic toxicities were
      nausea/vomiting (6.7%) and fatigue (5.8%). Grades 3 and 4 hematologic toxicities
      were uncommon. CONCLUSION Rechallenge with continuous dose-intense TMZ 50
      mg/m(2)/d is a valuable therapeutic option for patients with recurrent GBM.
      Patients who experience progression during the first six cycles of conventional
      adjuvant TMZ therapy or after a treatment-free interval get the most benefit from
      therapy.

PMID- 20308656
TI  - High EVI1 expression predicts outcome in younger adult patients with acute
      myeloid leukemia and is associated with distinct cytogenetic abnormalities.
AB  - PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to investigate frequency and prognostic
      significance of high EVI1 expression in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). PATIENTS
      AND METHODS A diagnostic assay detecting multiple EVI1 splice variants was
      developed to determine the relative EVI1 expression by single real-time
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction in 1,382 newly diagnosed adult patients
      with AML younger than 60 years. Patients were treated on four Dutch-Belgian HOVON
      (n = 458) and two German-Austrian AML Study Group protocols (n = 924). Results
      The EVI1 assay was tested in the HOVON cohort and validated in the AMLSG cohort.
      High EVI1 levels (EVI1(+)) were found with similar frequencies in both cohorts
      combined, with a 10.7% incidence (148 of 1,382). EVI1(+) independently predicted
      low complete remission (CR) rate (odds ratio, 0.54; P = .002), adverse relapse
      free survival (RFS; hazard ratio [HR], 1.32; P = .05), and event-free survival
      (EFS; HR, 1.46; P < .001). This adverse prognostic impact was more pronounced in
      the intermediate cytogenetic risk group (EFS; HR, 1.64; P < .001; and RFS; HR,
      1.55; P = .02), and was also apparent in cytogenetically normal AML (EFS; HR,
      1.67; P = .008). Besides inv(3)/t(3;3), EVI1(+) was significantly associated with
      chromosome abnormalities monosomy 7 and t(11q23), conferring prognostic impact
      within these two cytogenetic subsets. EVI1(+) was virtually absent in favorable
      risk AML and AML with NPM1 mutations. Patients with EVI1(+) AML (n = 28) who
      received allogeneic stem cell transplantation in first CR had significantly
      better 5-year RFS (33% +/- 10% v 0%). CONCLUSION EVI1 expression in AML is
      unequally distributed in cytogenetic subtypes. It predicts poor outcome,
      particularly among intermediate cytogenetic risk AML. Patients with EVI1(+) AML
      may benefit from allogeneic transplantation in first CR. Pretreatment EVI1
      screening should be included in risk stratification.

PMID- 20308657
TI  - Detecting disabilities in older patients with cancer: comparison between
      comprehensive geriatric assessment and vulnerable elders survey-13.
AB  - PURPOSE Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is a multidimensional method
      used by geriatricians and oncologists to detect and evaluate multiple age-related
      problems and to plan and coordinate interventions. Because its main drawback is
      the time required, efforts have been made to evaluate screening instruments
      suitable for preliminarily assessing elderly patients. The main aim of this study
      was to establish the accuracy of the Vulnerable Elders Survey-13 (VES-13) in
      predicting the presence of abnormalities revealed by CGA. PATIENTS AND METHODS
      Patients age > or = 70 years with a histologically or cytologically confirmed
      diagnosis of a solid or hematologic tumor underwent both CGA and a VES-13
      assessment, and the reliability and validity of VES-13 were analyzed. Results
      Fifty-three percent of the 419 elderly patients with cancer (mean age, 76.8
      years) were vulnerable on VES-13; the rates of disabilities on CGA and activities
      of daily living (ADLs)/instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) scales
      were 30% and 25%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of VES-13 were
      87% and 62%, respectively, versus CGA and 90% and 70%, respectively, versus
      ADL/IADL scales. CONCLUSIONS On the basis of our data, VES-13 is highly
      predictive of impaired functional status and can thus be considered a useful
      preliminary means of assessing older patients with cancer before undertaking a
      full CGA.

PMID- 20308658
TI  - Breast cancer among the oldest old: tumor characteristics, treatment choices, and
      survival.
AB  - PURPOSE Few data are available on breast cancer characteristics, treatment, and
      survival for women age 80 years or older. PATIENTS AND METHODS We used the linked
      Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare data set from 1992 to 2003 to
      examine tumor characteristics, treatments (mastectomy, breast-conserving surgery
      [BCS] with radiation therapy or alone, or no surgery), and outcomes of women age
      80 years or older (80 to 84, 85 to 89, > or = 90 years) with stage I/II breast
      cancer compared with younger women (age 67 to 79 years). We used Cox proportional
      hazard models to examine the impact of age on breast cancer-related and other
      causes of death. Analyses were performed within stage, adjusted for tumor and
      sociodemographic characteristics, treatments received, and comorbidities. Results
      In total, 49,616 women age 67 years or older with stage I/II disease were
      included. Tumor characteristics (grade, hormone receptivity) were similar across
      age groups. Treatment with BCS alone increased with age, especially after age 80.
      The risk of dying from breast cancer increased with age, significantly after age
      80. For stage I disease, the adjusted hazard ratio of dying from breast cancer
      for women age > or = 90 years compared with women age 67 to 69 years was 2.6
      (range, 2.0 to 3.4). Types of treatments received were significantly associated
      with age and comorbidity, with age as the stronger predictor (26% of women age >
      or = 80 years without comorbidity received BCS alone or no surgery compared with
      6% of women age 67 to 79 years). CONCLUSION Women age > or = 80 years have breast
      cancer characteristics similar to those of younger women yet receive less
      aggressive treatment and experience higher mortality from early-stage breast
      cancer. Future studies should focus on identifying tumor and patient
      characteristics to help target treatments to the oldest women most likely to
      benefit.

PMID- 20308659
TI  - Irinotecan in the adjuvant treatment of colon cancer: is the story finished or
      does personalized therapy open new opportunities?

PMID- 20308660
TI  - Palliative chemoradiation in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

PMID- 20308662
TI  - Child with ataxia telangiectasia developing acute myeloid leukemia.

PMID- 20308661
TI  - Multidisciplinary meeting on male breast cancer: summary and research
      recommendations.
AB  - Male breast cancer is a rare disease, accounting for less than 1% of all breast
      cancer diagnoses worldwide. Most data on male breast cancer comes from small
      single-institution studies, and because of the paucity of data, the optimal
      treatment for male breast cancer is not known. This article summarizes a
      multidisciplinary international meeting on male breast cancer, sponsored by the
      National Institutes of Health Office of Rare Diseases and the National Cancer
      Institute Divisions of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics and Cancer Treatment and
      Diagnosis. The meeting included representatives from the fields of epidemiology,
      genetics, pathology and molecular biology, health services research, and clinical
      oncology and the advocacy community, with a comprehensive review of the data.
      Presentations focused on highlighting differences and similarities between breast
      cancer in males and females. To enhance our understanding of male breast cancer,
      international consortia are necessary. Therefore, the Breast International Group
      and North American Breast Cancer Group have joined efforts to develop an
      International Male Breast Cancer Program and to pool epidemiologic data, clinical
      information, and tumor specimens. This international collaboration will also
      facilitate the future planning of clinical trials that can address essential
      questions in the treatment of male breast cancer.

PMID- 20308663
TI  - Phase II trial of bevacizumab, thalidomide, docetaxel, and prednisone in patients
      with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE We previously demonstrated that thalidomide appears to add to the
      activity of docetaxel in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).
      Phase II studies combining docetaxel with bevacizumab have had substantial
      antitumor activity. We hypothesized that the combination of docetaxel plus these
      antiangiogenic drugs with different targets would have substantial clinical
      activity. To explore safety and efficacy, this was tested in mice and in human
      patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS Preclinical efficacy of the combination therapy
      was evaluated in PC3 xenograft mice. Sixty patients with progressive metastatic
      CRPC received intravenous docetaxel and bevacizumab plus oral thalidomide and
      prednisone. The primary end point was a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) decline
      of > or = 50%. Secondary end points included time to progression, overall
      survival, and safety. Results In the mouse model, combination therapy of
      docetaxel, bevacizumab, and thalidomide inhibited tumor growth most effectively.
      In the clinical trial, 90% of patients receiving the combination therapy had PSA
      declines of > or = 50%, and 88% achieved a PSA decline of > or = 30% within the
      first 3 months of treatment. The median time to progression was 18.3 months, and
      the median overall survival was 28.2 months in this group with a Halabi-predicted
      survival of 14 months. While toxicities were manageable, all patients developed
      grade 3/4 neutropenia. CONCLUSION The addition of bevacizumab and thalidomide to
      docetaxel is a highly active combination with manageable toxicities. The
      estimated median survival is encouraging, given the generally poor prognosis of
      this patient population. These results suggest that definitive clinical trials
      combining antiangiogenic agent combinations with docetaxel are warranted to
      improve treatment outcomes for patients with metastatic CRPC.

PMID- 20308664
TI  - Lymph node staging by positron emission tomography in cervical cancer:
      relationship to prognosis.
AB  - PURPOSE A previous retrospective study demonstrated that positron emission
      tomography with [(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET) was more sensitive than
      computed tomography for lymph node staging in patients with cervical cancer; the
      findings on FDG-PET were strongly associated with progression-free survival.
      Therefore, a prospective cohort study was initiated to evaluate FDG-PET lymph
      node staging in a larger patient population. PATIENTS AND METHODS The study was
      conducted between July 2000 and March 2009. All 560 patients with cervical cancer
      underwent pretreatment FDG-PET lymph node staging. Treatment included surgery
      alone, surgery and postoperative radiation therapy, and definitive radiation or
      combination radiation and chemotherapy. PET findings were correlated with the
      risk of disease progression and with survival. Results Overall, 47% of patients
      had lymph node involvement by FDG-PET at diagnosis. The frequency of lymph node
      metastasis increased with clinical stage and was similar to that in historical
      surgical series. Within a stage, patients with PET-positive lymph nodes had
      significantly worse disease-specific survival than those with PET-negative lymph
      nodes (P < .001). Disease-specific survival was stratified into distinct groups
      based on the most distant level of PET-detected nodal disease (none, pelvic, para
      aortic, or supraclavicular; P < .001). The hazard ratios for disease recurrence
      increased incrementally based on the most distant level of nodal disease: pelvic
      2.40 (95% CI, 1.63 to 3.52), para-aortic 5.88 (95% CI, 3.80 to 9.09), and
      supraclavicular 30.27 (95% CI 16.56 to 55.34). CONCLUSION Nodal involvement
      detected by FDG-PET in cervical cancer relates to clinical stage, is comparable
      to historical data, and stratifies patient recurrence and survival outcomes.

PMID- 20308665
TI  - Safety, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary clinical activity of inotuzumab
      ozogamicin, a novel immunoconjugate for the treatment of B-cell non-Hodgkin's
      lymphoma: results of a phase I study.
AB  - PURPOSE Inotuzumab ozogamicin (CMC-544) is an antibody-targeted chemotherapy
      agent composed of a humanized anti-CD22 antibody conjugated to calicheamicin, a
      potent cytotoxic agent. This was a phase I study to determine the maximum
      tolerated dose (MTD), safety, and preliminary efficacy of inotuzumab ozogamicin
      in an expanded MTD cohort of patients with relapsed or refractory CD22(+) B-cell
      non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). PATIENTS AND METHODS Inotuzumab ozogamicin was
      administered intravenously as a single agent once every 3 or 4 weeks at doses
      ranging from 0.4 to 2.4 mg/m(2). Outcomes included MTD, safety, pharmacokinetics,
      response, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival. Results Seventy
      nine patients were enrolled. The MTD was determined to be 1.8 mg/m(2). Common
      adverse events at the MTD were thrombocytopenia (90%), asthenia (67%), and nausea
      and neutropenia (51% each). The objective response rate at the end of treatment
      was 39% for the 79 enrolled patients, 68% for all patients with follicular NHL
      treated at the MTD, and 15% for all patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
      treated at the MTD. Median PFS was 317 days (approximately 10.4 months) and 49
      days for patients with follicular NHL and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma,
      respectively. CONCLUSION Inotuzumab ozogamicin has demonstrated efficacy against
      CD22(+) B-cell NHL, with reversible thrombocytopenia as the main toxicity.

PMID- 20308666
TI  - Do radiation-associated soft tissue sarcomas have the same prognosis as sporadic
      soft tissue sarcomas?
AB  - PURPOSE To determine the prognostic significance of histologic type in radiation
      associated soft tissue sarcomas (RASs) and determine whether RASs are associated
      with an inferior prognosis compared with sporadic soft tissue sarcomas (STSs).
      PATIENTS AND METHODS One hundred thirty primary RASs were identified from 7,649
      STS patients from 1982 to 2007. Multivariate analysis of clinicopathologic
      factors for disease-specific survival (DSS) was performed for RASs, and a
      multivariate analysis of radiation exposure was also performed for RASs and
      sporadic sarcomas. A matched-cohort analysis was performed for radiation
      associated and sporadic malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH). Results Most RASs
      were high grade (83%), deep (87%), and truncal (61.5%). The median interval
      between radiation therapy and RAS development was 10 years (range, 1.3 to 74
      years), which varied significantly by histologic type (P = .003). The 5-year DSS
      was 58%, and independent predictors were size > 5 cm, margin positivity, and
      histologic type. Multivariate analysis of histologic types of primary, high-grade
      radiation-associated and sporadic STSs showed that RAS was associated with a
      worse DSS (hazard ratio, 1.7; range, 1.1 to 2.4; P = .007). For pleomorphic MFH
      the most common RAS type-the 5-year DSS was 44% versus 66% in a matched cohort of
      sporadic MFH patients (P = .07). DSS was significantly worse in primary RAS
      malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) compared with unmatched
      sporadic MPNSTs (P = .001). CONCLUSION Histologic type, margin status, and tumor
      size are the most important independent predictors of DSS in patients with RASs.
      DSS in patients with primary RAS is significantly worse compared with sporadic
      STS independent of sarcoma histologic type.

PMID- 20308667
TI  - Nomogram to predict subsequent brain metastasis in patients with metastatic
      breast cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE Brain metastasis is usually a fatal event in patients with stage IV
      breast cancer. We hypothesized that its occurrence can be predicted if a clinical
      nomogram can be developed, thus allowing for selection of enriched patient
      populations for prevention trials. PATIENTS AND METHODS Electronic medical
      records of patients with metastatic breast cancer were retrospectively reviewed
      for the period between January 2000 and February 2007 under a study approved by
      the institutional review board. A multivariate logistic regression analysis of
      selected prognostic features was done. A nomogram to predict brain metastasis was
      constructed and validated in a cohort of 128 patients with brain metastasis
      treated at the Cross Cancer Institute (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada). Results Of
      2,136 patients with breast cancer, 362 developed subsequent brain metastasis.
      Age, grade, negative status of estrogen receptor and human epidermal growth
      factor receptor 2, number of metastatic sites (one v > one), and short disease
      free survival were significantly and independently associated with subsequent
      brain metastasis. The nomogram showed an area under the receiver operating
      characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.68 (95% CI, 0.66 to 0.69) in the training set.
      The validation set showed a good discrimination with an AUC of 0.74 (95% CI, 0.70
      to 0.79). The nomogram was well calibrated, with no significant difference
      between the predicted and the observed probabilities. CONCLUSION We have
      developed a robust tool that is able to predict subsequent brain metastasis in
      patients with breast cancer with nonbrain metastatic disease. Selection of an
      enriched patient population at high risk for brain metastasis will facilitate the
      design of trials aiming at its prevention.

PMID- 20308668
TI  - Lymphoma recurrence 5 years or later following diffuse large B-cell lymphoma:
      clinical characteristics and outcome.
AB  - PURPOSE Patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) usually relapse early
      following diagnosis but some relapses happen at 5 years or later. Few data exist
      regarding clinical characteristics and outcome of these patients. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS We performed a retrospective analysis of all patients from two centers in
      Lyon, France, between 1985 and 2003 who had a biopsy-proven relapse 5 years or
      later following diagnosis of DLBCL. All available biopsies were reviewed and
      immunohistochemistry was completed. Results Among 1,492 patients with DLBCL, 54
      were eligible. At diagnosis, 63% of patients had stage I-II, 82% had low/low
      intermediate International Prognostic Index (IPI) score, 65% had extranodal
      involvement, 24% had an indolent component associated with DLBCL, 57% had
      germinal center phenotype, and 43% had non-germinal center phenotype. Median time
      from diagnosis to relapse was 7.4 years (range, 5 to 20.5 years). At time of
      relapse, 83% had DLBCL histology, and 17% had indolent histology. Having an
      indolent component at diagnosis was associated with indolent histology at relapse
      (P = .028). Five-year event free-survival (EFS) was 17% for patients with DLBCL
      relapse and 61% for patients with indolent relapse (P = .027). Five-year overall
      survival was 27% for patients with DLBCL and 75% for patients with indolent
      relapse (P = .029). For DLBCL relapse, 3-year EFS was 56% versus 18% with
      autologous stem-cell transplantation or not, respectively (P = .0661). CONCLUSION
      Patients with DLBCL who had a late relapse usually had localized stage, favorable
      IPI score, and extranodal involvement at diagnosis. The outcome of patients with
      DLBCL at time of relapse remains poor, and aggressive treatment such as
      autologous stem-cell transplantation should be pursued whenever possible. Biopsy
      at relapse is essential because some patients relapse with indolent histology.

PMID- 20308669
TI  - Current treatment protocols have eliminated the prognostic advantage of type 1
      fusions in Ewing sarcoma: a report from the Children's Oncology Group.
AB  - PURPOSE Ewing sarcoma family tumors (ESFTs) exhibit chromosomal translocations
      that lead to the creation of chimeric fusion oncogenes. Combinatorial diversity
      among chromosomal breakpoints produces varying fusions. The type 1 EWS-FLI1
      transcript is created as a result of fusion between exons 7 of EWS and 6 of FLI1,
      and retrospective studies have reported that type 1 tumors are associated with an
      improved outcome. We have re-examined this association in a prospective cohort of
      patients with ESFT treated according to current Children's Oncology Group (COG)
      treatment protocols. METHODS Frozen tumor tissue was prospectively obtained from
      patients diagnosed with ESFT, and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction
      (RT-PCR) was used to determine translocation status. Analysis was confined to
      patients with localized tumors who were diagnosed after 1994 and treated
      according to COG protocols. Translocation status was correlated with disease
      characteristics, event-free survival (EFS), and overall survival (OS). Results RT
      PCR identified chimeric fusion oncogenes in 119 of 132 ESFTs. Eighty-nine percent
      of identified transcripts were EWS-FLI1, and of these, 58.8% were type 1. Five
      year EFS and OS rates for patients with type 1 and non-type 1 fusions diagnosed
      between 2001 and 2005 were equivalent (type 1: EFS, 63% +/- 7%; OS, 83% +/- 6%;
      non-type 1: EFS, 71% +/- 9%; OS, 79% +/- 8%). CONCLUSION Current intensive
      treatment protocols for localized ESFT have erased the clinical disadvantage that
      was formerly observed in patients with non-type 1 EWS-FLI1 fusions.

PMID- 20308670
TI  - Neoadjuvant treatment with trastuzumab in HER2-positive breast cancer: results
      from the GeparQuattro study.
AB  - PURPOSE Trastuzumab, a humanized antibody against the human epidermal growth
      factor receptor type 2 (HER2), has shown high efficacy in breast cancer. We
      prospectively investigated its efficacy given simultaneously with anthracycline
      taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with
      operable or locally advanced, HER2-positive tumors were treated preoperatively
      with four cycles of epirubicin/cyclophosphamide followed by four cycles of
      docetaxel with or without capecitabine (EC-T[X]) and trastuzumab 6 mg/kg (with a
      loading dose of 8 mg/kg) every 3 weeks during all chemotherapy cycles. Patients
      with HER2-negative tumors treated in the same study with the same chemotherapy
      but without trastuzumab were used as a reference group. Results Of 1,509
      participants, 445 had HER2-positive tumors treated with trastuzumab and
      chemotherapy. Pathologic complete response (pCR; defined as no invasive or in
      situ residual tumors in the breast) rate was 31.7%, which was 16% higher than
      that in the reference group (15.7%). HER2-positive patients without response to
      the first four cycles of EC showed an unexpectedly high pCR rate of 16.6% (3.3%
      in the reference group). Breast conservation rate was 63.1% and comparable to
      that of the reference group (64.7%). EC-T(X) plus trastuzumab was associated with
      more febrile neutropenia and conjunctivitis, but with a comparable short-term
      cardiac toxicity profile as the reference group. CONCLUSION This trial confirms
      that combining trastuzumab with anthracycline-taxane-based neoadjuvant
      chemotherapy results in a high pCR rate without clinically relevant early
      toxicity. Combination of chemotherapy with trastuzumab should be considered when
      neoadjuvant treatment is given to patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

PMID- 20308671
TI  - Capecitabine in addition to anthracycline- and taxane-based neoadjuvant treatment
      in patients with primary breast cancer: phase III GeparQuattro study.
AB  - PURPOSE Capecitabine can be integrated either concomitantly or sequentially to
      anthracycline-plus-taxane-based regimens. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with
      large operable or locally advanced tumors, with hormone receptor-negative tumors,
      or with receptor-positive tumors but also clinically node-positive disease were
      recruited to receive preoperatively four cycles of epirubicin plus
      cyclophosphamide (EC; epirubicin 90 mg/m(2) and cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m(2)).
      Patients were then randomly assigned to four cycles of docetaxel (100 mg/m(2)),
      four cycles of docetaxel + capecitabine (TX; docetaxel 75 mg/m(2) plus
      capecitabine 1,800 mg/m(2)), or four cycles of docetaxel (75 mg/m(2)) followed by
      four cycles of capecitabine (1,800 mg/m(2); T-X). Patients with human epidermal
      growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) -positive tumors received trastuzumab
      concomitantly with all cycles. Primary objectives were to assess the effect of
      docetaxel by comparing EC plus docetaxel versus EC plus TX and to assess the
      effect of duration by comparing EC plus TX versus EC plus T-X on pathologic
      complete response (pCR, without invasive/noninvasive breast tumor, regardless of
      nodal status) at surgery, irrespective of trastuzumab treatment. Results Of 1,509
      patients starting EC, 1,421 were randomly assigned to docetaxel (n = 471), TX (n
      = 471), or T-X (n = 479). At surgery, pCR rates were 22.3%, 19.5%, and 22.3%,
      respectively; the difference for docetaxel (EC plus docetaxel v EC plus TX) was
      2.8% (95% CI, -2.4% to 8.0%; P = .298).The difference for duration was -2.8% (95%
      CI, -8.0% to 2.4%; P = .298). Breast conservation rates were 70.1%, 68.4%, and
      65.3%, respectively (P = .781 for docetaxel; P = .270 for duration). Concomitant
      but not sequential treatment with docetaxel was associated with more diarrhea;
      nail changes, and hand-foot-syndrome, but it was associated with less edema.
      CONCLUSION Adding capecitabine to or prolonging duration of neoadjuvant EC plus
      docetaxel does not result in higher efficacy at surgery.

PMID- 20308672
TI  - Major tumor shrinking and persistent molecular remissions after consolidation
      with bortezomib, thalidomide, and dexamethasone in patients with autografted
      myeloma.
AB  - PURPOSE We investigated the effect on minimal residual disease, by qualitative
      and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR), of a consolidation
      regimen that included bortezomib, thalidomide, and dexamethasone (VTD) in
      patients with multiple myeloma (MM) responding to autologous stem-cell
      transplantation (auto-SCT). PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients achieving at least very
      good partial response who had an available molecular marker based on the
      immunoglobulin heavy-chain rearrangement received four courses of treatment every
      month: four infusions per month of bortezomib at 1.6 mg/m(2), thalidomide at 200
      mg/d, and dexamethasone at 20 mg/d on days 1 to 4, 8 to 11, and 15 to 18.
      Patients were studied with tumor-clone-specific primers by qualitative nested PCR
      and RQ-PCR. Results Of 39 patients enrolled, 31 received the four VTD courses.
      Immunofixation complete responses increased from 15% after auto-SCT to 49% after
      VTD. Molecular remissions (MRs) were 3% after auto-SCT and 18% after VTD. Median
      time to maximum response was 3.5 months. So far, no patient in MR has relapsed
      (median follow-up, 42 months). VTD consolidation induced an additional depletion
      of 4.14 natural logarithms of tumor burden by RQ-PCR. Patients with a tumor load
      less than the median value after VTD had outcomes better than those who had tumor
      loads above the median value after VTD (at median follow-up: progression-free
      survival, 100% v 57%; P < .001). CONCLUSION To the best of our knowledge, this
      study is the first to document the occurrence of persistent MRs in a proportion
      of MM patients treated without allogeneic transplantation. Moreover, the major
      reduction in tumor load recorded by RQ-PCR after VTD suggests that unprecedented
      levels of tumor cell reduction can be achieved in MM thanks to the new
      nonchemotherapeutic drugs.

PMID- 20308673
TI  - Impact of EWS-ETS fusion type on disease progression in Ewing's
      sarcoma/peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor: prospective results from the
      cooperative Euro-E.W.I.N.G. 99 trial.
AB  - PURPOSE EWS-ETS fusion genes are the driving force in Ewing's sarcoma
      pathogenesis. Because of the variable breakpoint locations in the involved genes,
      there is heterogeneity in fusion RNA and protein architecture. Since previous
      retrospective studies suggested prognostic differences among patients expressing
      different EWS-FLI1 fusion types, the impact of fusion RNA architecture on disease
      progression and relapse was studied prospectively within the Euro-E.W.I.N.G. 99
      clinical trial. PATIENTS AND METHODS Among 1,957 patients who registered before
      January 1, 2007, 703 primary tumors were accessible for the molecular biology
      study. Fusion type was assessed by polymerase chain reaction on frozen (n = 578)
      or paraffin-embedded materials (n = 125). The primary end point was the time to
      disease progression or relapse. Results After exclusion of noninformative
      patients, 565 patients were entered into the prognostic factor analysis comparing
      type 1 (n = 296), type 2 (n = 133), nontype 1/nontype 2 EWS-FLI1 (n = 91) and EWS
      ERG fusions (n = 45). Median follow-up time was 4.5 years. The distribution of
      sex, age, tumor volume, tumor site, disease extension, or histologic response did
      not differ between the four fusion type groups. We did not observe any
      significant prognostic value of the fusion type on the risk of progression or
      relapse. The only slight difference was that the risk of progression or relapse
      associated with nontype 1/nontype 2 EWS-FLI1 fusions was 1.38 (95% CI, 0.96 to
      2.0) times higher than risk associated with other fusion types, but it was not
      significant (P = .10). CONCLUSION In contrast to retrospective studies, the
      prospective evaluation did not confirm a prognostic benefit for type 1 EWS-FLI1
      fusions.

PMID- 20308674
TI  - Teaching neuroimages: T2 hypointense thalami in infantile GM1 gangliosidosis.

PMID- 20308675
TI  - Teaching neuroimages: confirmation of prenatal periventricular venous infarction
      with susceptibility-weighted MRI.

PMID- 20308677
TI  - Mild cognitive impairment and on to dementia: down the slippery slope but faster.

PMID- 20308678
TI  - CSF markers in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: has the time come?

PMID- 20308679
TI  - Cognitive decline in incident Alzheimer disease in a community population.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To measure the cognitive consequences of incident Alzheimer disease
      (AD) in older African American and white subjects. METHODS: Data are from the
      Chicago Health and Aging Project, a longitudinal cohort study of older white and
      black persons residing in a geographically defined community. At 3-year
      intervals, the entire study population completed 4 brief cognitive tests, from
      which a previously established composite measure of global cognition was derived,
      and a subset underwent detailed clinical evaluation that supported clinical
      classification of mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and AD. We used mixed
      effects models to examine change in cognitive function following the diagnostic
      evaluation. RESULTS: On clinical evaluation, 614 persons were found to have no
      cognitive impairment, 395 had mild cognitive impairment, and 149 had AD (88.5%
      mild); 10 persons with other dementias were excluded from analyses. During up to
      11 years of observation following the clinical evaluation (mean = 5.5, SD = 2.5),
      the composite measure of global cognition declined a mean of 0.042 unit per year
      (SE = 0.008, p < 0.001) in those with no cognitive impairment. In comparison to
      the no cognitive impairment group, the annual rate of decline was increased more
      than twofold in mild cognitive impairment (estimate = 0.086, SE = 0.011, p <
      0.001) and more than fourfold in AD (estimate = 0.173, SE = 0.020, p < 0.001).
      Results did not reliably vary by race, sex, or age. CONCLUSIONS: Alzheimer
      disease has a devastating impact on cognition, even in its prodromal stages, with
      comparable effects in African American and white persons.

PMID- 20308680
TI  - Does hypothermia influence the predictive value of bilateral absent N20 after
      cardiac arrest?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bilateral absent N20 responses of median nerve somatosensory evoked
      potentials (SEPs) reliably predict poor prognosis after cardiac arrest. However,
      the studies supporting this fact were carried out before hypothermia was
      established as standard treatment. Recent evidence suggests that hypothermia
      treatment affects the predictive value of clinical findings in cardiac arrest
      patients, raising the question whether the predictive value of N20 responses has
      changed as well. METHODS: We retrospectively studied 185 consecutive patients
      treated with hypothermia after cardiac arrest. SEP recordings were available for
      112 patients. SEPs were classified as bilateral absent N20, pathologic N20, or
      normal. Baseline and follow-up information were obtained from our database.
      RESULTS: We identified 36 patients with bilateral absent N20, 35 (97%) of whom
      had poor outcome. One patient had prolonged high amplitude peripheral SEP, but
      bilaterally absent N20 3 days after cardiac arrest and regained consciousness
      with normal cognitive functions and reproducible N20 responses. One further
      patient had minimally detectable N20 at day 3 and recovered consciousness and
      normal N20 responses on follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that recovery
      of consciousness and cognitive functions is possible in spite of absent or
      minimally present N20 responses more than 24 hours after cardiac arrest in a very
      small proportion of patients. N20 responses may recover beyond this time window.
      The predictive value of bilateral absent N20 responses needs to be reevaluated in
      larger prospective studies. Until these studies are available, decisions to stop
      therapy in cardiac arrest survivors should not be based on N20 responses alone.

PMID- 20308681
TI  - Hyperfamiliarity for faces.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To report 4 cases of hyperfamiliarity for faces (HFF) and review 5
      previously reported cases. METHODS: We identified cases of HFF from PubMed search
      and references in prior reports. RESULTS: Three of our 4 cases had pathologic
      findings that were most extensive in the left temporal lobe. HFF occurred after a
      tonic-clonic seizure (cases 1 and 3), during simple partial seizures (case 2),
      and in the setting of an increase in simple partial seizure frequency but not
      during seizures (case 4). All 9 cases were adults with 1 or more seizures;
      symptoms first occurred after seizures in 5 cases and during seizures in 1 case.
      Ictal symptoms lasted from seconds to minutes and from 2 days to more than 7
      years in the other 6 cases. The duration of HFF was not associated with the
      presence or extent of a structural lesion. While in several cases HFF appears to
      result from a postictal Todd paralysis, the mechanism underlying persistent cases
      is uncertain. CONCLUSIONS: This modality (visual)-specific and stimulus (face)
      specific syndrome is associated with diverse structural, functional imaging, and
      neurophysiologic findings. Lesions are more often left-sided and involve the
      temporal lobe. Epilepsy and seizures were present in all 9 cases, suggesting a
      pathophysiologic relationship, which likely varies among cases. Although only
      reported in 9 patients, HFF is probably much more common than it is diagnosed.

PMID- 20308682
TI  - CSF glial markers correlate with survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
      (ALS), CSF biomarkers are increasingly studied to evaluate their relevance for
      differential diagnosis, disease progression, and understanding of
      pathophysiologic processes. OBJECTIVE: To identify a biomarker profile of
      neuronal and glial CSF proteins to discriminate ALS from other motor neuron
      diseases (MND) and to assess whether baseline levels of CSF measures in ALS are
      associated with the course of the disease. METHODS: A total of 122 consecutive
      subjects with MND were included in this cross-sectional study (ALS, n = 75; lower
      motor neuron syndrome, n = 39; upper motor neuron diseases, n = 8). Clinical
      follow-up included 76 patients. We determined baseline levels of protein tau and
      astroglial S100beta in CSF and microglial sCD14 in CSF and serum in relation to
      diagnosis, duration of disease, and survival. RESULTS: CSF tau was significantly
      elevated in ALS and upper motor neuron diseases as compared to lower motor neuron
      diseases and controls. CSF S100beta levels were significantly lower in lower
      motor neuron diseases as compared to other MND. CSF concentrations of S100beta
      and sCD14 correlated with the survival time in patients with ALS. CONCLUSIONS: In
      motor neuron diseases, CSF tau elevation indicates the degeneration of upper
      motor neurons, while S100 beta and sCD14 may indicate the activation of CNS glial
      cells. Because S100beta and sCD14 concentrations correlate with survival in
      amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), we suppose that the combination of both
      markers may be useful to obtain prognostic information in patients with ALS.

PMID- 20308683
TI  - Diffusion tensor MRI changes in cerebellar structures of patients with familial
      essential tremor.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to investigate the microstructural integrity
      of brain regions functionally involved in the tremor loop in patients with
      familial essential tremor (FET), using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). METHODS:
      Twenty-five patients with FET, 15 patients with Parkinson disease (PD), and 15
      healthy subjects were studied. DTI was performed to measure fractional anisotropy
      (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) in various regions of interest: red nucleus,
      dentate nucleus (DN), cerebellar white matter, middle (MCP) and superior
      cerebellar peduncle (SCP), and ventrolateral thalamus. RESULTS: In patients with
      FET, FA values in the DN (median 0.19, range 0.13-0.23) were reduced (p < 0.001)
      compared with patients with PD (median 0.37, range 0.32-0.58) and healthy
      controls (median 0.36, range 0.33-0.40). In patients with FET, FA was also
      reduced (p = 0.003) and MD values increased (p < 0.001) in the SCP compared with
      patients with PD and healthy controls. Among patients with FET, those with longer
      disease duration showed FA values in the DN lower than those with shorter disease
      duration (p = 0.018). Patients with FET could be completely distinguished from
      both patient with PD and healthy controls using FA values of the DN alone.
      CONCLUSION: Neuroimaging evidence of microstructural changes consistent with
      neurodegeneration was found in the dentate nucleus (DN) and SCP of patients with
      familial essential tremor. This suggests that neurodegenerative pathology of
      cerebellar structures may play a role in essential tremor. Further studies are
      needed to assess the role of fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity changes
      in DN and SCP in the differential diagnosis of essential tremor and Parkinson
      disease, which may present similar clinical signs at the onset of disease.

PMID- 20308685
TI  - New-onset refractory status epilepticus with restricted DWI and neuronophagia in
      the pulvinar.

PMID- 20308684
TI  - Anti-inflammatory drugs and risk of Parkinson disease: a meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Anti-inflammatory drugs may prevent Parkinson disease (PD)
      by inhibiting a putative underlying neuroinflammatory process. We tested the
      hypothesis that anti-inflammatory drugs reduce PD incidence and that there are
      differential effects by type of anti-inflammatory, duration of use, or intensity
      of use. METHODS: MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched for studies that reported risk
      of PD associated with anti-inflammatory medications. Random-effects meta-analyses
      were used to pool results across studies for each type of anti-inflammatory drug.
      Stratified meta-analyses were used to assess duration- and intensity-response.
      RESULTS: Seven studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria, all of
      which reported associations between nonaspirin nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory
      drugs (NSAIDs) and PD, 6 of which reported on aspirin, and 2 of which reported on
      acetaminophen. Overall, a 15% reduction in PD incidence was observed among users
      of nonaspirin NSAIDS (relative risk [RR] 0.85, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.77
      0.94), with a similar effect observed for ibuprofen use. The protective effect of
      nonaspirin NSAIDs was more pronounced among regular users (RR 0.71, 95% CI 0.58
      0.89) and long-term users (RR 0.79, 95% CI 0.59-1.07). No protective effect was
      observed for aspirin (RR 1.08, 95% CI 0.92-1.27) or acetaminophen (RR 1.06, 95%
      CI 0.87-1.30). Sensitivity analyses found results to be robust. CONCLUSIONS:
      There may be a protective effect of nonaspirin nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory
      drug use on risk of Parkinson disease (PD) consistent with a possible
      neuroinflammatory pathway in PD pathogenesis.

PMID- 20308686
TI  - Microstructural white matter changes in metabolic syndrome: a diffusion tensor
      imaging study.

PMID- 20308687
TI  - How did stroke become of interest to neurologists? A slow 19th century saga.

PMID- 20308688
TI  - Randomized, controlled trial of telcagepant for the acute treatment of migraine.

PMID- 20308689
TI  - Pharmacokinetics and safety of a single intravenous dose of the antibiotic
      tigecycline in patients with cirrhosis.
AB  - Tigecycline belongs to a new class of tetracyclines, the glycylcyclines, less
      than 20% of which is metabolized in the liver. Twenty-five patients with
      cirrhosis with varying degrees of functional hepatic reserve (Child-Pugh A, n =
      10; B, n = 10; C, n = 5) and 23 healthy adults, matched by age, sex, weight, and
      smoking habits, received 100 mg of tigecycline infused intravenously over 60
      minutes. Serum and urine samples were collected up to 120 hours after dosing.
      Pharmacokinetic data were derived using noncompartmental methods. The most common
      treatment-emergent adverse events in healthy volunteers were nausea (56.5%),
      vomiting (21.7%), and headache (21.7%) and in the patients with cirrhosis,
      albuminuria (12%). Mean (+/- 1 SD) tigecycline clearance values were 29.8 +/-
      11.3 L/h in healthy subjects and 31.2 +/- 13.9 L/h (Child-Pugh A), 22.1 +/- 9.3
      L/h (Child-Pugh B), and 13.5 +/- 2.7 L/h (Child-Pugh C) in the patients. A single
      intravenous dose of tigecycline 100 mg was safe and well-tolerated in patients
      with cirrhosis with varying degrees of hepatic functional reserve. No adjustment
      of tigecycline maintenance dosage is warranted in patients with compensated or
      moderately decompensated cirrhosis; doses should be reduced by 50%, to 25 mg,
      every 12 hours in patients with severely decompensated disease.

PMID- 20308690
TI  - Capecitabine-induced, rapid decrease of renal function due to drug dispensing
      error in a hospital pharmacy.

PMID- 20308692
TI  - Reliability, usefulness, and validity of a repeated sprint and jump ability test.
AB  - PURPOSE: Two studies involving 122 handball players were conducted to assess the
      reliability, usefulness, and validity of a repeated shuttle-sprint and jump
      ability (RSSJA) test. The test consisted of 6x(2x12.5-m) sprints departing on 25
      s, with a countermovement jump performed during recovery between sprints.
      METHODS: For the reliability and usefulness study, 14 well-trained male handball
      players performed the RSSJA test 7 d apart. Reliability of the test variables was
      assessed by the typical error of measurement, expressed as a coefficient of
      variation (CV). The minimal changes likely to be "real" in sprint time and jump
      power were also calculated. For the validity study, players of seven teams
      (national to international levels, women and men) performed the RSSJA test.
      RESULTS: CV values for best and mean sprint time were 1.0% (90% CL, 0.7 to 1.6)
      and 1.0% (90% CL, 0.7 to 1.4). CV values for best and mean jump peak power were
      1.7% (90% CL, 1.2 to 2.7) and 1.5% (90% CL, 1.1 to 2.5). The percent sprint and
      jump decrements were less reliable, with CVs of 22.3% (90% CL, 15.7 to 38.3) and
      34.8% (90% CL, 24.2 to 61.8). Minimal changes likely to be "real" for mean sprint
      time and jumping peak power were -2.6% and 4.8%. Qualitative analysis revealed
      that the majority of between-team differences were rated as "almost certain" (ie,
      100% probability that the true differences were meaningful) for mean sprint and
      jump performances. CONCLUSION: The RSSJA test is reliable and valid to assess
      repeated explosive effort sequences in team sports such as handball. Test results
      are likely to be representative of gender and competition level; thus the test
      could be used to discriminate across playing standards and monitor fitness
      levels.

PMID- 20308691
TI  - Identification of a hormone-regulated dynamic nuclear actin network associated
      with estrogen receptor alpha in human breast cancer cell nuclei.
AB  - Estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) is a modular protein of the steroid/nuclear
      receptor family of transcriptional regulators that upon binding to the hormone
      undergoes structural changes, resulting in its nuclear translocation and docking
      to specific chromatin sites. In the nucleus, ERalpha assembles in multiprotein
      complexes that act as final effectors of estrogen signaling to the genome through
      chromatin remodeling and epigenetic modifications, leading to dynamic and
      coordinated regulation of hormone-responsive genes. Identification of the
      molecular partners of ERalpha and understanding their combinatory interactions
      within functional complexes is a prerequisite to define the molecular basis of
      estrogen control of cell functions. To this end, affinity purification was
      applied to map and characterize the ERalpha interactome in hormone-responsive
      human breast cancer cell nuclei. MCF-7 cell clones expressing human ERalpha fused
      to a tandem affinity purification tag were generated and used to purify native
      nuclear ER-containing complexes by IgG-Sepharose affinity chromatography and
      glycerol gradient centrifugation. Purified complexes were analyzed by two
      dimensional DIGE and mass spectrometry, leading to the identification of a ligand
      dependent multiprotein complex comprising beta-actin, myosins, and several
      proteins involved in actin filament organization and dynamics and/or known to
      participate in actin-mediated regulation of gene transcription, chromatin
      dynamics, and ribosome biogenesis. Time course analyses indicated that complexes
      containing ERalpha and actin are assembled in the nucleus early after receptor
      activation by ligands, and gene knockdown experiments showed that gelsolin and
      the nuclear isoform of myosin 1c are key determinants for assembly and/or
      stability of these complexes. Based on these results, we propose that the actin
      network plays a role in nuclear ERalpha actions in breast cancer cells, including
      coordinated regulation of target gene activity, spatial and functional
      reorganization of chromatin, and ribosome biogenesis.

PMID- 20308693
TI  - Caffeine does not augment markers of muscle damage or leukocytosis following
      resistance exercise.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of caffeine
      ingestion before a resistance exercise session on markers of muscle damage (CK,
      LDH, ALT, AST) and leukocyte levels. METHODS: Fifteen soccer athletes completed
      two resistance exercise sessions that differed only in the ingestion of caffeine
      or a placebo preworkout. RESULTS: CK concentration increased significantly
      following the caffeine session (415.8+/-62.8 to 542.0+/-73.5) and the placebo
      session (411.5+/-43.3 to 545.8+/-59.9), with no significant differences between
      sessions. Similarly, LDH concentration increased significantly following the
      caffeine session (377.5+/-18.0 to 580.5+/-36.1) and the placebo session (384.8+/
      13.9 to 570.4+/-36.1), with no significant differences between sessions. Both
      sessions resulted in significant increases in the total leukocyte count
      (caffeine=6.24+/-2.08 to 8.84+/-3.41; placebo=6.36+/-2.34 to 8.77+/-3.20),
      neutrophils (caffeine=3.37+/-0.13 to 5.15+/-0.28; placebo=3.46+/-0.17 to 5.12+/
      0.24), lymphocytes (caffeine=2.19+/-0.091 to 2.78+/-0.10; placebo=2.17+/-0.100 to
      2.75+/-0.11), and monocytes (caffeine=0.53+/-0.02 to 0.72+/-0.06; placebo=0.56+/
      0.03 to 0.69+/-0.04), with no significant differences between sessions.
      CONCLUSION: Ingestion of caffeine at 4.5 mg/kg(-1) did not augment markers of
      muscle damage or leukocyte levels above that which occurs through resistance
      exercise alone.

PMID- 20308694
TI  - Effects of acute multinutrient supplementation on rugby union game performance
      and recovery.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of an acute multinutrient supplement on game
      based running performance, peak power output, anaerobic by-products, hormonal
      profiles, markers of muscle damage, and perceived muscular soreness before,
      immediately after, and 24 h following competitive rugby union games. METHODS:
      Twelve male rugby union players ingested either a comprehensive multinutrient
      supplement (SUPP), [RE-ACTIVATE:01], or a placebo (PL) for 5 d. Participants then
      performed a competitive rugby union game (with global positioning system
      tracking), with associated blood draws and vertical jump assessments pre,
      immediately post and 24 h following competition. RESULTS: SUPP ingestion resulted
      in moderate to large effects for augmented 1st half very high intensity running
      (VHIR) mean speed (5.9+/-0.4 vs 4.8+/-2.3 mxmin(-1); d=0.93). Further, moderate
      increases in 2nd half VHIR distance (137+/-119 vs 83+/-89 m; d=0.73) and VHIR
      mean speed (5.9+/-0.6 vs 5.3+/-1.7 mxmin(-1); d=0.56) in SUPP condition were also
      apparent. Postgame aspartate aminotransferase (AST; 44.1+/-11.8 vs 37.0+/-3.2 UL;
      d=1.16) and creatine kinase (CK; 882+/-472 vs 645+/-123 UL; d=0.97) measures
      demonstrated increased values in the SUPP condition, while AST and CK values
      correlated with 2nd half VHIR distance (r=-0.71 and r=-0.76 respectively).
      Elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) was observed postgame in both conditions;
      however, it was significantly blunted with SUPP (P=.05). CONCLUSIONS: These
      findings suggest SUPP may assist in the maintenance of VHIR during rugby union
      games, possibly via the buffering qualities of SUPP ingredients. However,
      correlations between increased work completed at very high intensities and
      muscular degradation in SUPP conditions, may mask any anticatabolic properties of
      the supplement.

PMID- 20308695
TI  - Acute carbohydrate ingestion affects lactate response in highly trained swimmers.
AB  - PURPOSE: Effects of acute carbohydrate ingestion on blood lactate (BLa) response
      to graded exercise was examined in highly trained male and female swimmers.
      METHODS: Twenty-three swimmers performed the United States Swimming Lactate
      Protocol, a graded interval test (5x200 on 5 min), following ingestion of
      carbohydrate sports drink (CHO) and placebo (PLA). RESULTS: There was no
      difference in heart rate (P=.55), swim velocity (P=.95), or ratings of perceived
      exertion (P=.58) between beverages. There was a significant main effect for
      gender (P=.002) on BLa during all swim stages and recovery. In females, BLa was
      27% to 50% higher for CHO during the first (P=.009) and second (P=.04) swim
      stages. Predicted BLa at selected swim velocity was higher (P=.048) for CHO
      versus PLA in females at 1.27 mxs(-1) and higher (P<.02) for men at 1.4 mxs(-1).
      Mean (+/-SD) BLa was significantly (P=.004) greater for CHO (2.7+/-1.2) compared
      with PLA (2.0+/-1.1 mmolxL(-1)) during the second test stage and when normalized
      relative to velocity (P=.004). Peak BLa after the final swim (9.6+/-3.1 vs. 9.0+/
      3.2 mmolxL(-1), P=.36) was not different between CHO and PLA. CONCLUSIONS: Acute
      CHO ingestion alters the BLa: swim velocity relationship during moderate
      intensity swims of an incremental swim test, particularly for females. Therefore,
      pretest beverage ingestion should be standardized during the administration of
      BLa testing to prevent potential erroneous interpretations regarding athlete's
      training status.

PMID- 20308696
TI  - Heart rate responses and fluid balance of competitive cross-country hang gliding
      pilots.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the physiological challenges of competitive cross-country
      hang gliding. METHODS: Seventeen experienced male pilots (age=41+/-9 y; mean+/
      SD) were fitted with a monitor that recorded heart rate and altitude at 0.5 Hz
      throughout a competitive flight. Fluid losses were evaluated by comparing pilot
      pre- and postflight mass. RESULTS: The pilots' displacement was 88.4+/-43.7 km in
      145.5+/-49.4 min. Mean flight altitude was 1902+/-427 m (range=1363-2601 m) with
      a maximum altitude of 2925+/-682 m (1870-3831 m). The mean in-flight heart rate
      of the pilots was 112+/-11 bpm (64+/-6% predicted HRmax). For all except one
      subject, heart rate was highest while launching (165+/-12 bpm, 93+/-7% predicted
      HRmax), followed by landing (154+/-13 bpm, 87+/-7% predicted HRmax). No
      statistically significant relationship was observed between heart rate during the
      launch and reported measures of state anxiety. Heart rate was inversely related
      (P<.01) to altitude for all pilots except one. Fluid loss during the flight was
      1.32+/-0.70 L, which approximated 0.55 L/h, while mean in-flight fluid
      consumption was 0.39+/-0.44 L. Six pilots consumed no fluid during the flight.
      CONCLUSIONS: Even among experienced pilots, high heart rates are more a function
      of state anxiety than physical work demand. Fluid losses during flight are
      surprisingly moderate but pilots may still benefit from attending to fluid
      balance.

PMID- 20308697
TI  - The Bath University Rugby Shuttle Test (BURST): a pilot study.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study presents an exercise protocol utilizing movement patterns
      specific to rugby union forward and assesses the reproducibility of scores from
      this test. METHODS: After habituation, eight participants (mean+/-SD: age=21+/-3
      y, height=180+/-4 cm, body mass=83.9+/-3.9 kg) performed the Bath University
      Rugby Shuttle Test (BURST) on two occasions, 1 wk apart. The protocol comprised
      16x315-s cycles (4x21-min blocks) of 20-m shuttles of walking and cruising with
      10-m jogs, with simulated scrummaging, rucking, or mauling exercises and standing
      rests. In the last minute of every 315-s cycle, a timed Performance Test was
      carried out, involving carrying a tackle bag and an agility sprint with a ball,
      followed by a 25-s recovery and a 15-m sprint. RESULTS: Participants traveled
      7078 m, spending 79.8 and 20.2% of time in low- and high-intensity activity,
      respectively. The coefficients of variation (CV) between trials 1 and 2 for mean
      time on the Performance Test (17.78+/-0.71 vs 17.58+/-0.79 s) and 15-m sprint
      (2.69+/-0.15 vs 2.69+/-0.15 s) were 1.3 and 0.9%, respectively. There was a CV of
      2.2% between trials 1 and 2 for mean heart rate (160+/-5 vs 158+/-5 beats x min(
      1)) and 14.4% for blood lactate (4.41+/-1.22 vs 4.68+/-1.68 mmolxL(-1)).
      CONCLUSION: Results suggest that measures of rugby union-specific high-intensity
      exercise performed during the BURST were reproducible over two trials in
      habituated participants.

PMID- 20308698
TI  - The physical and physiological demands of basketball training and competition.
AB  - PURPOSE: To characterize the physical and physiological responses during
      different basketball practice drills and games. METHODS: Male basketball players
      (n=11; 19.1+/-2.1 y, 1.91+/-0.09 m, 87.9+/-15.1 kg; mean+/-SD) completed
      offensive and defensive practice drills, half court 5on5 scrimmage play, and
      competitive games. Heart rate, VO2, and triaxial accelerometer data (physical
      demand) were normalized for individual participation time. Data were log
      transformed and differences between drills and games standardized for
      interpretation of magnitudes and reported with the effect size (ES) statistic.
      RESULTS: There was no substantial difference in the physical or physiological
      variables between offensive and defensive drills; physical load (9.5%; 90%
      confidence limits+/-45); mean heart rate (-2.4%; +/-4.2); peak heart rate (-0.9%;
      +/-3.4); and VO2 (-5.7%; +/-9.1). Physical load was moderately greater in game
      play compared with a 5on5 scrimmage (85.2%; +/-40.5); with a higher mean heart
      rate (12.4%; +/-5.4). The oxygen demand for live play was substantially larger
      than 5on5 (30.6%; +/-15.6). CONCLUSIONS: Defensive and offensive drills during
      basketball practice have similar physiological responses and physical demand.
      Live play is substantially more demanding than a 5on5 scrimmage in both physical
      and physiological attributes. Accelerometers and predicted oxygen cost from heart
      rate monitoring systems are useful for differentiating the practice and
      competition demands of basketball.

PMID- 20308699
TI  - The effect of prior endurance training on nap sleep patterns.
AB  - PURPOSE: The use of daytime napping as a recovery tool following exercise is
      virtually unexplored. The objective of this study was to assess the quality of
      daytime nap sleep following endurance training in an athletic population, and to
      appraise the optimal circadian timing of the nap and the time interval between
      training and the nap. METHODS: Six physically trained male subjects (22.5+/-2.4
      y) performed four separate standardized 90-min endurance training sessions
      followed by a 90-min daytime nap either 1 or 2 h after training (time interval),
      commencing at either 10:30 or 11:30 (circadian timing). During the nap, sleep was
      monitored using polysomnography. Subjective measurements of sleep quality,
      alertness and preparedness to train following a nap were recorded using a visual
      analog scale. RESULTS: The duration of slow wave sleep (SWS) was significantly
      greater during the 11:30 naps (13.7+/-9.0 min) compared with the 10:30 naps
      (6.9+/-8.8 min) (P=.049). There was no significant difference in SWS duration
      between a 1-h (10.6+/-10.2 min) or 2-h (10.0+/-9.0 min) time interval between
      training and the nap (P=.82). No other sleep variables differed significantly
      according to circadian timing or time interval. CONCLUSION: Recovery naps
      commenced later in the morning contain more SWS than earlier naps. The data imply
      that daytime naps have a potential role as a valuable recovery tool following
      endurance exercise, given the suggested energy restorative functions of SWS.

PMID- 20308700
TI  - Elite athletes: are the genes the champions?
AB  - Recent research has analyzed the genetic factors that influence world-class
      athletic status. Much of what we know comes from association studies, with the
      ACE I/D and ACTN3 R577X polymorphisms having been extensively studied. The
      association between the ACTN3 R577X variation and elite athlete status in power
      sports is strongly documented, yet whether the current body of knowledge on other
      variants can be extrapolated to athletic champion status remains to be
      determined. Athletic champion status is a complex polygenic trait in which
      numerous candidate genes, complex gene-gene interactions, and environment-gene
      interactions are involved. Besides the need for more studies and new approaches
      taking into account the complexity of the problem, we believe that factors beyond
      genetic endowment are likely to have a stronger influence in the attainment of
      athletic champion status.

PMID- 20308701
TI  - Talent development in adolescent team sports: a review.
AB  - Traditional talent development pathways for adolescents in team sports follow
      talent identification procedures based on subjective games ratings and isolated
      athletic assessment. Most talent development models are exclusive rather than
      inclusive in nature. Subsequently, talent identification may result in
      discontentment, premature stratification, or dropout from team sports.
      Understanding the multidimensional differences among the requirements of
      adolescent and elite adult athletes could provide more realistic goals for
      potential talented players. Coach education should include adolescent
      development, and rewards for team success at the adolescent level should reflect
      the needs of long-term player development. Effective talent development needs to
      incorporate physical and psychological maturity, the relative age effect,
      objective measures of game sense, and athletic prowess. The influences of media
      and culture on the individual, and the competing time demands between various
      competitions for player training time should be monitored and mediated where
      appropriate. Despite the complexity, talent development is a worthy investment in
      professional team sport.

PMID- 20308702
TI  - Reliability of an in-water repeated-sprint test for water polo.
AB  - Time-motion studies indicate the importance of repeated high-intensity activities
      during water polo match play. The purpose of this study was to assess the
      reliability of an in-water repeated-sprint test, which comprised 6x10-m all-out
      sprints, departing every 17 s. This protocol was chosen to replicate the regular
      intense periods of match play.

PMID- 20308703
TI  - Quicker, faster, better?

PMID- 20308704
TI  - Update in prolactinomas.
AB  - Prolactinomas are a frequent cause of gonadal dysfunction and infertility,
      especially in women. Dopamine agonists are first-line therapy and their efficacy
      in the treatment of prolactinomas is well established. Current challenges related
      to the management of prolactinomas remain in the recurrence of the disease after
      withdrawal of dopamine agonists, the potential of increased risk of cardiac
      valvulopathy, which is observed in patients treated with high-dose cabergoline
      for Parkinson's disease, the effects of pregnancy, and impaired quality of life
      associated with pituitary adenomas in general, and prolactinomas in particular.
      Although most prolactinomas are biochemically well controlled by pharmaceutical
      treatment, long-term follow-up is required.

PMID- 20308705
TI  - Role of vitamin D in cardiovascular disease.
AB  - There is increasing evidence for health benefits accomplished by activated
      vitamin D through interaction with the vitamin D receptor (VDR) that go beyond
      calcium and bone homeostasis and regulation of parathyroid hormone (PTH)
      secretion. Treatment with vitamin D receptor agonists (VDRAs) is associated with
      reduced mortality in (pre)dialysis patients. Interestingly, these relations are
      independent of PTH levels and calcium x phosphorus product. This suggests the
      presence of biological functions of vitamin D that are independent of its
      interaction with the parathyroid glands. Because chronic kidney disease leads to
      increased cardiovascular mortality, mechanisms in which VDRAs can influence
      cardiovascular disease are discussed. These mechanisms comprise the potential
      ameliorating effects of VDRAs on atherosclerosis, arterial media calcification,
      cardiac hypertrophy, the renin-angiotensin system and thrombosis. Moreover,
      treatment strategies with VDRAs are discussed together with several recent
      observational studies. Treatment advice consists of correction of 25(OH) vitamin
      D deficiency, low-dose calcitriol in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism,
      and activated vitamin D analogues may be indicated when higher doses are needed
      to suppress PTH secretion. New insights into biological and clinical effects of
      VDRAs may broaden the patient group that may benefit from VDRA treatment to
      patients with creatinine clearances in the 30 to 60 ml/min range.

PMID- 20308706
TI  - Optimal nutrition and its potential effect on survival in critically ill
      patients.
AB  - Optimal nutrition serves to maintain normal organ function and to preserve body
      energy stores to guarantee survival during times of shortage of food. Especially
      total body protein content is an important determinant of survival. However,
      recommendations about nutrition refer mostly to total energy intake with either
      no emphasis on total protein content or protein intake only considered as a fixed
      percentage of caloric intake. This paper focuses on the role of total body
      protein mass or lean body mass (= mass of organs and muscle) (LBM) on survival of
      healthy humans and critically ill patients. Recommendations on the amount of
      protein per kg bodyweight are made based on the scarce evidence available in
      humans.

PMID- 20308707
TI  - Reduction of the door-to-needle time for administration of antibiotics in
      patients with a severe infection: a tailored intervention project.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Door-to-needle time (DNT), defined as the time between arrival at the
      emergency department (ED) and intravenous (iv) antibiotic administration is of
      crucial importance in the treatment of patients suffering from serious
      infections. The aim of this project was to reduce the DNT for patients with a
      serious infection as primary outcome parameter. METHODS: All adult patients
      arriving at the ED with a suspected infection for whom admission and iv
      antibiotics were indicated were included. RESULTS: Firstly, baseline DNT was
      measured and potential delaying factors were identified. Subsequently, five
      tailored interventions were implemented at regular intervals and their effects on
      the DNT were analysed. The interventions were: 1) additional resident attendance
      during peak hours, 2) immediate examination by residents prior to laboratory
      results, 3) chest X-ray at the ED instead of the external radiology department,
      4) iv antibiotic administration at the ED instead of the ward and finally, 5)
      primary dipstick urine analysis at the ED. A total of 295 patients were included
      (53.9% men), median age was 59 years (IQR 46 to 73). Median baseline DNT was 183
      min (IQR 122 to 296). Implementation of the first three interventions did not
      reduce the DNT ; however, after implementation of the fourth (administer all
      antibiotics at the ED) and finally all five interventions the DNT was reduced by
      15.3% (p=0.040) to a final median DNT of 155 min (IQR 95 to 221). CONCLUSION:
      Identification of delaying factors and implementation of tailored interventions
      reduces the DNT .

PMID- 20308708
TI  - Sore throat after dumbbell exercises.

PMID- 20308709
TI  - A dysfunctional central venous line.

PMID- 20308710
TI  - An X-ray that helps to solve the puzzle.

PMID- 20308711
TI  - Hyperthyroidism caused by excessive consumption of sausages.
AB  - Hyperthyroidism results from excessive production of thyroid hormones. This is
      usually caused by Graves disease, but exogenous thyroid hormones can lead to
      similar symptoms. Recognition of the latter is difficult as excessive intake of
      thyroid hormone is not usually admitted nor recognised. To our knowledge,
      exogenous hyperthyroidism caused by thyroid-contaminated food has been described
      twice, but not in the Netherlands. A 77-year-old man presented at the Outpatient
      Department of Internal Medicine with lab values revealing hyperthyroidism. There
      were no abnormal findings at the physical examination. Antibodies against the
      thyroidstimulating hormone (TSH) receptor were not detectable. Thyroid
      scintigraphy with 123I showed an uptake of less than 1%. Silent thyroiditis was
      diagnosed and the natural course was awaited, but with no improvement in the
      thyroid values. The thyroglobulin was very low. Further anamnesis revealed an
      excessive daily consumption of sausages. Thyroid hormones were detectable in
      these sausages. After the patient stopped eating them, he became and remained
      euthyroid. The case stipulates the importance of a thorough anamnesis.

PMID- 20308712
TI  - Human recombinant insulin and amyloidosis: an unexpected association.
AB  - A 48-year-old patient with diabetes mellitus was treated with human (recombinant)
      insulin. He developed cutaneous amyloidosis twice at different locations where
      subcutaneous insulin had been injected. There were no signs of systemic
      amyloidosis. Additional pathological-anatomical investigations demonstrated
      insulin in one (the most recent) amyloid tumour. A limited number of similar
      cases have been reported in the literature, although mostly associated with
      porcine insulin. Cutaneous amyloidosis may be associated with local injections of
      human (recombinant) insulin. One should therefore also consider this diagnosis
      when finding tumours at sites where insulin has been injected.

PMID- 20308713
TI  - Tamsulosin and hyperglycaemia in patients with diabetes.

PMID- 20308714
TI  - Tryps after adventurous trips.

PMID- 20308717
TI  - Acute liver failure.
AB  - Acute liver failure is a rare but often catastrophic illness affecting the liver
      and multiple organ systems. Patients with acute liver failure require a
      multidisciplinary approach for adequate management. With improved critical care
      and the availability of liver transplantation, survival has significantly
      improved. Hepatic encephalopathy, cerebral edema and infections are the most
      common complications of acute liver failure. The evaluation requires a diligent
      search for a specific etiology of the liver failure, since certain causes may
      respond well to specific pharmacological therapies. Acetaminophen and non
      acetaminophen drug-induced hepatotoxicity account for more than 50% of cases of
      acute liver failure. Assessment of prognosis frequently (at least on a daily
      basis) by using various prognostic tools, allows the treating team to decide
      whether or not to proceed with urgent liver transplantation. Artificial liver
      support devices are still in evaluation and not ready for use in clinical
      practice. While it is determined whether or not there is sufficient hepatic
      regeneration, the care of the patient with acute liver failure revolves around
      managing the dysfunction of multiple extra hepatic systems.

PMID- 20308718
TI  - Endoscopic band ligation versus propranolol for the primary prophylaxis of
      variceal bleeding in cirrhotic patients with high risk esophageal varices.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gastroesophageal variceal bleeding is a common complication of portal
      hypertension. Current guidelines recommend thorn-blockers for primary
      prophylaxis. However, evidence suggests that endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL)
      reduce bleeding episodes. AIMS: To compare endoscopic EVL with propranolol (PPL)
      for primary prophylaxis of variceal bleeding. METHODS: We conducted a randomized
      controlled trial. Over a 9-year period, 75 patients with cirrhosis and high-risk
      esophageal varices (HREV) were recruited and allocated to EVL (n=39) or PPL
      (n=36). Primary outcome was variceal bleeding. Secondary outcomes were survival,
      source of bleeding and serious adverse events. Analyses were made by intention-to
      treat. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were similar. Medium follow-up was
      1647+/-1096 days. complete follow-up was achieved in 85% of patients. Variceal
      bleeding occurred in 12% of EVL and in 25% of PPL group (p=0.17). The actuarial
      risks of bleeding after 2 years were similar in both groups. Overall mortality
      was 51% in EVL and 33% in PPL group (p=0.17). Patients in the EVL group showed a
      lower rate of esophageal variceal bleeding (5.1% v/s 25%, p=0.027) and a higher
      rate of subcardial variceal bleeding compared with PPL group (7.7% v/s 0%,
      p=0.027). Serious adverse events related to EVL occurred in 2 patients, including
      1 death. CONCLUSIONS: The present study supports that PPL should be considered
      the first choice in primary prophylaxis of variceal bleeding offering similar
      effects and lower severe adverse events compared with EVL.

PMID- 20308719
TI  - Multimodal therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma: a complementary approach to
      liver transplantation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the survival benefit of multimodal therapy for the
      treatment of HCC. BACKGROUND: Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is
      considered the treatment of choice for selected patients with hepatocellular
      carcinoma (HCC). However, donor organ shortages and patients whose HCCs exceed
      OLT criteria require consideration of alternate therapeutic options such as
      hepatic resection, radiofrequency ablation (RFA), ethanol injection (EI),
      transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), and chemotherapy (CTX). This study was
      performed to evaluate the survival benefit of multimodal therapy for treatment of
      HCC as complementary therapy to OLT. METHODS: A retrospective review was
      conducted of HCC patients undergoing therapy following multidisciplinary review
      at our institution from 1996 . 2006 with a minimum of a 2 year patient follow-up.
      Data were available on 247/252 patients evaluated. Relevant factors at time of
      diagnosis included symptoms, hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) status, antiviral
      therapy, Child-Pugh classification, portal vein patency, and TNM staging.
      Patients underwent primary treatment by hepatic resection, RFA, EI, TACE, CTX, or
      were observed (best medical management). Patients with persistent or recurrent
      disease following initial therapy were assessed for salvage therapy. Survival
      curves and pairwise multiple comparisons were calculated using standard
      statistical methods. RESULTS: Mean overall survival was 76.8 months. Pairwise
      comparisons revealed significant mean survival benefits with hepatic resection
      (93.2 months), RFA (66.2 months), and EI (81.1 months), compared with TACE (47.4
      months), CTX (24.9 months), or observation (31.4 months). Shorter survival was
      associated with symptoms, portal vein thrombus, or Child-Pugh class B or C. HCV
      infection was associated with significantly shorter survival compared with HBV
      infection. Antiviral therapy was associated with significantly improved survival
      in chronic HBV and HCV patients only with earlier stage disease. CONCLUSION:
      Multimodal therapy is effective therapy for HCC and may be used as complementary
      treatment to OLT.

PMID- 20308720
TI  - Distribution of HCV genotypes and HCV RNA viral load in different regions of
      Mexico.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: To identify the geographic distribution of hepatitis C virus
      (HCV) genotypes and HCV RNA viral load in a large number of HCV-infected carriers
      in Mexico. METHODS: Patients with chronic hepatitis C (n = 8,802) were studied to
      identify HCV genotype using an immune line probe assay in samples shown
      previously to be positive for viral RNA by an RT-PCR test. Baseline HCV RNA was
      also evaluated. RESULTS: Genotype 1 accounted for 70.3%, genotype 2 for 21.8%,
      genotype 3 for 7.2%, genotype 4 for 0.3%, and genotype 5 for 0.1% of all cases;
      coinfection was present in 0.3%. Overall, Genotype 1 was the most prevalent
      Genotype. Regionally, genotype 1 occurred more frequently in the North-East,
      North, and Center- East regions of Mexico; genotype 2 was more prevalent in the
      South, East, and Peninsula regions; and genotype 3 was more prevalent in the
      North and North-West regions. Only 22.4% of patients with genotype 1 were
      classified in the low HCV RNA viral load category, and the distribution of this
      genotype did not differ significantly between regions. CONCLUSION: The prevalence
      of HCV genotypes and viral load in Mexico was 70.3% for genotype 1, but only
      22.4% of these patients had a low HCV viral load. Distribution was not uniform in
      Mexico, with greater frequency of genotype 2 in South, East and Peninsula Regions
      and Genotype 3 in North and North-West Regions.

PMID- 20308721
TI  - Effects of TIPS on global end-diastolic volume and cardiac output and renal
      resistive index in ICU patients with advanced alcoholic cirrhosis.
AB  - The transjugular porto-systemic stent-shunt (TIPS) reduces portal pressure in
      cirrhotic patients and is used as a nonsurgical treatment for refractory ascites,
      recurrent variceal hemorrhage or hepatorenal syndrome. There are concerns
      regarding a negative impact on cirrhotic cardiomyopathy and deterioration of
      hyperkinetic circulatory dysfunction. We analyzed a prospectively maintained
      database containing hemodynamic data on cirrhotic ICU patients. Hemodynamic
      monitoring was performed using transpulmonary thermodilution (PiCCO, Pulsion
      Medical Systems, Munich, Germany). Renal perfusion was assessed by Doppler
      ultrasound during studies of portal and TIPS perfusion before and after the
      procedure. Complete data sets of 8 patients (4 male, 4 female, age 60 years (52
      67), Child-Pugh-Turcotte score 10 (8-12)) were available. After TIPS, there was a
      substantial increase of GEDVI (646 ml/m2 (580-737) to 663 mL/m2 (643-792);
      p=0.036) that was even more pronounced at 24 hours (716 mL/m2 (663-821);
      P=0.012). CI increased from 3.3 L/min/m2 (3.1-4.2) to 3.9 L/min/m2 (3.6-5.3)
      (p=0.012) and 3.9 L/min/m2 (3.7-5.2) (p=0.017), respectively. There was a
      significant decrease of renal RI from 0.810 (0.781-0.864) to 0.746 (0.710-0.798)
      (p=0.028) and a transient increase of fractional excretion of sodium. SVRI (1737
      dyn*s/cm5/m2 (1088 . 2115) vs. 1917 dyn*s/cm5/m2 (1368-2177) was not
      significantly altered immediately after TIPS but decreased to 1495 dyn*s/cm5/m2
      (833- 1765) at 24 hours (p=0.036). There were no significant changes of mean
      arterial pressure (MAP). In conclusion, TIPS resulted in a pronounced increase of
      central blood volume. The observed hemodynamic effects are compatible with a
      preload driven increase of cardiac output and secondary decreases in SVRI and RI.

PMID- 20308722
TI  - Efficacy, tolerability and safety in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C with
      combination of PEG-Interferon - Ribavirin in daily practice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Efficacy and safety of Pegylated Interferon alfa (PegIFN)-Ribavirin
      (RBV) for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in routine clinical practice
      seems to be comparable with results of randomized-controlled trials. AIMS: To
      evaluate the efficacy, tolerability and safety of CHC treatment with PegIFN + RBV
      in .real world. patients in Argentina and to analyze factors associated with SVR.
      METHODS: Medical records of patients treated according to current guidelines from
      2001 to 2008 were reviewed. RESULTS: 235 patients were included and 80.8%
      completed treatment. Discontinuation occurred in 7.6% due to adverse events (AE),
      and 1.2% dropped-out treatment. Overall SVR was 60.8%. Multivariate analysis
      demonstrated that being naive (p 0.031) and low basal viral load (p 0.006) were
      associated with SVR, whereas F3-F4 (p 0.001) and elevated ALT (p 0.023) were
      associated with non-response. 80% of planned doses completed was associated with
      74% SVR (p <0.001). At least one AE was reported in 93.6% of the patients:
      neutropenia in 27.6%, thrombocytopenia in 15.3%, anemia in 38.7%, psychiatric
      symptoms in 63.4%, thyroid dysfunction in 10.2%. CONCLUSION: Efficacy,
      tolerability and safety of treatment of CHC in daily practice in Argentina are
      similar to those reported in randomized controlled trials.

PMID- 20308723
TI  - High ghrelin and obestatin levels and low risk of developing fatty liver.
AB  - AIM: Obesity and insulin resistance are associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver
      disease (NAFLD). It was recently reported that the ratio between levels of
      ghrelin and obestatin is also associated with obesity and insulin resistance. We
      investigated the association between the ghrelin/obestatin ratio and NAFLD.
      METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 98 subjects (51 NAFLD patients and
      47 controls). Anthropometric, metabolic and biochemical variables were measured
      and serum concentrations of ghrelin and obestatin were determined. Logistic
      regression analyses (univariate and multivariate) were conducted to determine
      whether NAFLD was associated with ghrelin and obestatin levels and the
      ghrelin/obestatin ratio. RESULTS: We studied 51 NAFLD cases and 47 controls. Men
      comprised 82% of cases and 61% of controls. The mean ages of the groups differed
      significantly. Body mass index (P < 0.001), waist circumference (P < 0.001) and
      WHR (P < 0.001) were significantly greater in the NAFLD group than in the control
      group. The NAFLD group had higher mean fasting glucose level (P = 0.001), HOMA-IR
      index (P < 0.001) and triglyceride level (P < 0.001) than the controls. Ghrelin
      and obestatin concentrations were classed according to tertiles. Multivariate
      analysis revealed a negative correlation between ghrelin and obestatin levels and
      an overweight status, obesity and metabolic syndrome. Ghrelin and obestatin were
      evaluated in multivariate logistic regression analysis, they had a protective
      effect against hepatic steatosis after controlling for potential confounders.
      CONCLUSION: Serum ghrelin and obestatin concentrations are correlated with a low
      risk of developing NAFLD. However, ghrelin/obestatin ratio was not correlated
      with NAFLD.

PMID- 20308724
TI  - Hepatotoxicity due to rifampicin, isoniazid and pyrazinamide in patients with
      tuberculosis: is anti-HCV a risk factor?
AB  - BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE: Among the adverse events related to tuberculosis
      treatment, hepatotoxicity is the most serious, and recognition of risk factors
      for it is essential to achieve successful therapy. The aim of the study is to
      evaluate the role of anti-HCV as a risk factor for hepatotoxicity in hospitalized
      patients under tuberculosis treatment with rifampicin, isoniazid and pyrazinamide
      (RHZ). METHODS: Historical cohort study carried out at Hospital Sanatorio
      Partenon, from 1998 to 2006. Patients aged 18 years or older, tested for anti
      HCV, who presented normal pre-treatment aminotransferases (AST, ALT) and
      bilirrubin and who used RHZ during hospitalization were included in the study.
      Individuals who used anti-tuberculosis drugs six months prior to hospitalization,
      had clinical evidence of chronic liver disease or showed previous history of
      hepatotoxicity to RHZ were excluded. RESULTS: A sample of 534 patients was
      studied. The incidence of hepatotoxicity was 8.8% (n = 47). After univariate
      analysis, the following variables were associated to hepatotoxicity: anti-HIV
      positive, anti-HCV positive, use of antiretroviral therapy and high doses of
      rifampicin and isoniazid per kg of body weight (p < 0.05). When Cox regression
      was performed, anti-HIV positive [RR = 2.3 (IC(95% )1.2-4.1); p = 0.008] and high
      doses of isoniazid per kg of body weight [RR = 1.3 (IC(95%) 1.1-1.7); p = 0.016]
      remained independently associated to development of hepatotoxicity. CONCLUSIONS:
      In conclusion, the anti-HIV positive and high doses of isoniazid were considered
      independent risk factors for hepatotoxicity due to RHZ esqueme in the present
      study. Though univariate analysis showed that anti-HCV was associated to the
      outcome, it was not identified as an independent risk factor for hepatotoxicity
      related to the use of RHZ when the analysis was controlled to HIV.

PMID- 20308725
TI  - Hepatoblastoma. Clinical experience at a single institution using the Siopel
      staging system.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Staging in Hepatoblastoma has recently become controversial. In
      developing countries diagnosis occurs mostly in advanced stages under these
      circumstances, we propose another option that can be considered of prognostic
      value. METHOD: A retrospective analysis of cases diagnosed with Hepatoblastoma
      (HB), treated in a single Institution, in nine years was conducted.
      Chemotherapeutic regimens were analyzed, as well as the number of courses
      administered and response to treatment. RESULTS: Thirty-two patients were
      studied. Patients had symptoms from 1 to 25 weeks before diagnosis. SIOP
      stratification was used, finding 12 cases in PRETEXT II, 6 cases in PRETEXT III,
      and 14 cases in PRETEXT IV. No single case was identified in PRETEXT I.
      CONCLUSIONS: When comparing survival using the PRETEXT system, SIOP and our study
      showed marked differences. These results may not be comparable due to differences
      in tumor volume among the same PRETEXT stratification. We believe that tumor
      volume is related to prognosis.

PMID- 20308726
TI  - Methimazole-induced hypothyroidism causes alteration of the REDOX environment,
      oxidative stress, and hepatic damage; events not caused by hypothyroidism itself.
AB  - Our objective was to compare, over a time-course, markers of oxidative stress,
      the REDOX environment, and the antioxidant enzymatic system in the liver of rats
      with methimazole- or thyroidectomy-caused hypothyroidism. METHODS: We used 60
      male Wistar rats divided into four groups: 1) the euthyroid, which received only
      tap water, 2) false thyroidectomy, which received the surgery and postoperative
      treatment, 3) thyroidectomy-caused hypothyroidism, which had the thyroid gland
      removed and a parathyroid reimplant, and 4) methimazole-caused hypothyroidism in
      rats that received 60 mg/kg/d of the antithyroid drug in drinking water. Five
      rats of the euthyroid and methimazole-caused hypothyroidism groups were killed at
      the end of the first, second, third, and fourth week after treatment, and five
      rats of false thyroidectomy and thyroidectomy-caused hypothyroidism groups were
      killed at the end of the second and eighth week after the surgical procedure.
      Each liver was removed and stored at -70 degrees C until oxidative stress, REDOX
      environment, and antioxidant enzymatic system markers were tested. We also made a
      histological study at the end of the treatment. RESULTS: The histological study
      revealed that only the methimazole-caused hypothyroidism caused cell damage. This
      damage is associated with an increase of oxidative stress markers that were not
      compensated for by the antioxidant system. The catalase activity is reduced and
      this allows H2O2-caused damage. In conclusion methimazole causes cell damage in
      the liver, whereas hypothyroidism per se does not cause hepatic-cell damage.

PMID- 20308727
TI  - Adult live donor liver transplantation: routine, commonplace, standard care for
      end stage liver disease (we hope).

PMID- 20308728
TI  - Hepatic lymphoma in a post renal transplant patient with chronic hepatitis B.

PMID- 20308729
TI  - Macro-AST in an asymptomatic young patient.

PMID- 20308730
TI  - Actinomycotic liver abscess: a rare complication of colonic diverticular disease.
AB  - We present the first case of hepatic actinomycosis requiring both medical and
      surgical intervention due to liver dissemination from a primary colonic abscess.
      A 52-year-old white male had a computerised (CT) abdominal scan following an
      episode of collapse and was found to have peri-colonic and hepatic abscesses.
      Prior to this episode, he suffered with a two month history of fever, unexplained
      weight loss, and anaemia suggesting possible malignancy. He was treated with both
      radiological and surgical drainage of the abscesses, alongside the antibiotic
      cover and underwent an anterior colonic resection with primary anastomosis. There
      have been no previous reports of an actinomycotic liver abscess complicating
      colonic diverticular abscess. A multi- team approach is recommended when
      disseminated actinomycotic infection is encountered.

PMID- 20308731
TI  - Pitfall alveolar echinococcosis in non-endemic areas. Alveolar echinococcosis
      migrating northward.
AB  - Alveolar echinococcosis of the liver can be mistaken as a liver tumor. The
      occurrence of the fox tapeworm echinococcus multilocularis is increasing in
      formerly unaffected European regions. As a consequence, alveolar echinococcosis
      is becoming an important differential diagnosis in Eastern and Northern Europe.

PMID- 20308732
TI  - Endovascular treatment of a hepatic artery aneurysm causing chronic abdominal
      pain; a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aneurysms of the visceral arteries are rare but potentially lethal
      lesions. We describe a case of a successful endovascular exclusion of a hepatic
      artery aneurysm in a patient that suffered from chronic abdominal pain. CASE
      REPORT: A 68-year old man presented with chronic abdominal pain that had existed
      for 10 months. A diagnostic contrast-enhanced CT scan showed an 18 mm
      atherosclerotic aneurysm of the hepatic artery. When other pathology was excluded
      the aneurysm was excluded using an ePTFE-covered nitinol stentgraft. Post
      deployment angiograms showed a complete exclusion of the aneurysm. The abdominal
      complaints immediately resolved. After a follow-up period of 18 months patient
      had a patent endograft and remained free of symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Small hepatic
      artery aneurysms may cause chronic recurrent abdominal pain and can be safely
      excluded using a covered stentgraft.

PMID- 20308733
TI  - Liver involvement in severe human influenza a H1N1.
AB  - Influenza A is a disease caused by a RNA virus, member of the orthomyxoviridae
      family. The influenza infection is characterized primarily by pulmonary affection
      that may advance to an acute pulmonary respiratory failure course. Hepatic
      involvement is not frequent and accounts for < 3% of all cases. We describe two
      patients with acute Influenza A H1N1 infection who developed hepatic involvement.
      Needle core liver biopsy of one of the patient revealed only micro and
      macrovesicular steatosis.

PMID- 20308734
TI  - Shortened therapy for genotype 1 hepatitis C virus. The final answer?

PMID- 20308735
TI  - Wake-up call for sleep disorders in developing nations.

PMID- 20308736
TI  - Sleep apnoea's detriment: part of the proof is in the lipids.

PMID- 20308737
TI  - Hyperlipidaemia in patients with sleep-related breathing disorders: prevalence &
      risk factors.
AB  - BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: several studies have shown a close relationship between
      obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and dyslipidaemia. This study was designed to
      clarify the relationship of metabolic dysfunctions in sleep related-breathing
      disorders (SRBD), including OSA and simple snoring. The end point was to
      determine the prevalence of hyperlipidaemia and hyperuricaemia in SRBD. Factors
      contributing to hyperlipidaemia and hyperuricaemia in SRBD were also evaluated.
      METHODS: Outpatients >20 yr old with complaint of habitual snoring were
      prospectively enrolled. All patients underwent an overnight polysomnography (PSG)
      in a sleep laboratory and blood assay after overnight fasting. The factors of
      gender, age, body mass index (BMI), apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI), and
      desaturation index (DI) were recorded in the PsG report. A logistic regression
      analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between metabolic
      dysfunctions and these factors. RESULTS: Of the 275 patients (88.4% male), 236
      (85.8%) were diagnosed with OSA (AHI>5/h). The mean (+/- SD) of age, BMI, AHI,
      and DI were 44.2 +/- 11.4 yr, 27.4 +/- 4.0 kg/m(2), 37.9 +/- 30.6/h, and 21.2 +/-
      23.2/h, respectively. The overall prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia,
      hypertriglyceridaemia, and hyperuricaemia in this study was 61.1, 55.3, and 25.8
      per cent, respectively. Logistic regression analysis revealed that DI was a
      significant independent factors contributing to hypercholesterolaemia [odds ratio
      (OR)=1.016, P=0.010, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.004-1.028] and
      hypertriglyceridaemia (OR=1.021, P=0.002, 95% CI=1.008-1.034). INTERPRETATION &
      CONCLUSIONS: The data of the present study support a high prevalence of
      hyperlipidaemia in SRBD. DI may be a determining factor contributing to
      hyperlipidaemia in SRDB. Underdiagnosis of hyperlipidaemia in SRBD is a critical
      problem.

PMID- 20308738
TI  - Overview of sleep & sleep disorders.
AB  - Sleep is defined on the basis of behavioural and physiological criteria dividing
      it into two states: non rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep which is subdivided into
      three stages (N1, N2, N3); and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep characterized by
      rapid eye movements, muscle atonia and desynchronized EEG. Circadian rhythm of
      sleep-wakefulness is controlled by the master clock located in the
      suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus. The neuroanatomical substrates of the
      NREM sleep are located principally in the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus of the
      hypothalamus and those of REM sleep are located in pons. A variety of significant
      physiological changes occur in all body systems and organs during sleep as a
      result of functional alterations in the autonomic and somatic nervous systems.
      The international classification of sleep disorders (ICSD, ed 2) lists eight
      categories of sleep disorders along with appendix A and appendix B. The four
      major sleep complaints include excessive daytime sleepiness, insomnia, abnormal
      movements or behaviour during sleep and inability to sleep at the desired time.
      The most important step in assessing a patient with a sleep complaint is
      obtaining a detailed history including family and previous histories, medical,
      psychiatric, neurological, drug, alcohol and substance abuse disorders. Some
      important laboratory tests for investigating sleep disorders consist of an
      overnight polysomnography, multiple sleep latency and maintenance of wakefulness
      tests as well as actigraphy. General physicians should have a basic knowledge of
      the salient clinical features of common sleep disorders, such as insomnia,
      obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome, narcolepsy-cataplexy syndrome, circadian
      rhythm sleep disorders (e.g., jet leg, shift work disorder, etc.) and parasomnias
      (e.g., partial arousal disorders, REM behaviour disorder, etc.) and these are
      briefly described in this chapter. The principle of treatment of sleep disorders
      is first to find cause of the sleep disturbance and vigorously treat the co
      morbid conditions causing the sleep disturbance. If a satisfactory treatment is
      not available for the primary condition or does not resolve the problem, the
      treatment should be directed at the specific sleep disturbance. Most sleep
      disorders, once diagnosed, can be managed with limited consultations. The
      treatment of primary sleep disorders, however, is best handled by a sleep
      specialist. An overview of sleep and sleep disorders viz., Basic science;
      international classification and approach; and phenomenology of common sleep
      disorders are presented.

PMID- 20308739
TI  - Circadian rhythm sleep disorders.
AB  - Circadian rhythm sleep disorders are common conditions manifested as misalignment
      between the sleep period and the physical/social 24-h environmental cycle.
      Delayed sleep phase (typical in adolescents) and advanced sleep phase (frequent
      in the elderly), situations in which the sleep period is displaced to a later or
      earlier time, respectively, are the two most prevalent circadian rhythm sleep
      disorders. There are, however, nine possible diagnoses of clinical interest.
      Since light is the main cue used in synchronizing the biological clock, blind
      individuals and night-shift/rotating-shift workers are more prone to develop
      circadian rhythm sleep disorders. In this article, the circadian rhythm syndromes
      included in the new International Classification of Sleep Disorders are reviewed
      as well as the most recent guidelines for diagnosis and treatment.

PMID- 20308740
TI  - Central sleep apnoea.
AB  - Central sleep apnoea (CSA) is characterized by the cessation of breathing during
      sleep due to absent ventilatory drive and may be associated with symptoms of
      insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness or frequent arousals. Central apnoeas
      occur through two pathophysiologic patterns, either post- hyperventilation or
      post-hypoventilation. The prevalence of CSA is dependent on the population being
      studied, the predominant risk factors being elderly age group and co-morbid
      conditions.Data regarding the racial distribution of this disorder are very
      limited. CSA may be a clinical marker of underlying medical disorders, including
      cardiac or neurological disease, with resultant significant morbidity and
      mortality. Given that the underlying pathogenesis remains poorly understood,
      therapeutic options are currently limited to empiric treatment with PAP devices
      and rudimentary attempts at pharmacologic therapy with respiratory stimulant
      drugs and/or oxygen/carbon dioxide gas supplementation as well as treating the
      underlying cause. The long-term impact of CSA on health and mortality needs
      further clarification. Future research should be aimed at elucidating the
      physiologic determinants and consequences of central breathing instability in
      populations of different age groups, gender and racial descent, as a prerequisite
      to the development of novel therapeutic interventions in the different
      populations.

PMID- 20308741
TI  - Obstructive sleep apnoea: definitions, epidemiology & natural history.
AB  - Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is increasingly being recognized as an important
      health issue in the last two to three decades. It is characterized by frequent
      episodes of upper airway collapse during sleep, causing recurrent arousals,
      intermittent hypoxaemia, sleep fragmentation and poor sleep quality. There is
      accumulating evidence that OSA is being considered as an independent risk factor
      for hypertension, glucose intolerance / diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular
      diseases and stroke, leading to increased cardiometabolic morbidity and
      mortality. The prevalence rates of OSA have been estimated in the range of 2 to
      10 per cent worldwide, and the risk factors for obstructive sleep apnoea include
      advanced age, male sex, obesity, family history, craniofacial abnormalities,
      smoking and alcohol consumption. The common clinical presenting symptoms are
      heavy snoring, witnessed apnoeas and daytime hypersomnolence, which would help to
      identify the affected individuals. With increasing awareness of this disease
      entity and associated complications in our society, there have been increased
      referrals to sleep physicians or expertise for further investigations and
      diagnostic evaluation. Early recognition and treatment of obstructive sleep
      apnoea may prevent from adverse health consequences. Some of the epidemiological
      aspects of obstructive sleep apnoea in adults are reviewed.

PMID- 20308742
TI  - Epidemiology of adult obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome in India.
AB  - There is a paucity of published Indian studies on the prevalence and risk factors
      of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) in adults. The limited published literature,
      however, does not suggest significant differences in the prevalence and risk
      factors for OSA and obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) as compared to
      western studies. Well designed studies are required from all parts of India.
      Patients should be screened carefully before referring them to costly
      investigations such as overnight polysomnography. With the background of
      increasing urbanization, fast growing economy and changes in lifestyle, India
      will have an epidemic of obesity. Therefore, future studies on the association of
      OSA and metabolic syndrome should carefully evaluate confounding effect of
      obesity on metabolic abnormalities in patients with OSA.

PMID- 20308744
TI  - Consequences of obstructive sleep apnoea.
AB  - A plethora of medical consequences have been associated with the syndrome of
      obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). These are global, affecting nearly every body
      function, and have been related to two key pathophysiological findings in sleep
      apnoea: repetitive falls in oxyhaemoglobin saturation during sleep, and recurrent
      arousals from sleep which terminate apnoea episodes. Sufferers of OSA may
      experience daytime sleepiness, which has been measured both subjectively using
      the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and the Stanford Sleepiness Scale, but also
      objectively, using Multiple Sleep Latency Testing, Maintenance of Wakefulness
      testing, and the Oxford Sleep Resistance test. In addition to the loss of
      alertness, sleep apnoea contributes to memory deficits, reduced vigilance,
      impaired executive function, increased risk for automobile and occupational
      accidents, and decreased quality of life.Importantly, afflicted individuals
      experience improvements in these outcomes with treatment. Taken together, this
      evidence forms a compelling basis to identify and treat latent cases of sleep
      apnoea. Not only do patients have the opportunity to achieve improvements in
      these outcomes and health-related quality of life, but the enormous economic
      burden that untreated apnoea imposes on the health care system may be eased.

PMID- 20308745
TI  - Cardiovascular consequences of obstructive sleep apnoea.
AB  - Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a form of sleep disordered breathing with a
      high prevalence rate and is often underdiagnosed. OSA is associated with
      hypertension, coronary artery disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, heart
      failure, and arrhythmias. The presence of OSA may be a strong predictor of fatal
      cardiovascular events in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Increased
      sympathetic drive, activation of metabolic and inflammatory markers, and impaired
      vascular function are some of the proposed mechanisms that could explain the
      association between OSA and cardiovascular diseases. Understanding these
      mechanisms is important for identifying treatment strategies. The presence of OSA
      should be considered in clinical practice, especially in patients with CVD.
      Randomized intervention studies are needed to establish whether early
      identification and treatment of OSA patients reduces cardiovascular morbidity.

PMID- 20308746
TI  - Sleep & the metabolic syndrome.
AB  - Sleep is an essential part of our daily living, and sleep disturbances may
      intervene with the biological and physiological processes in human body leading
      to the development of metabolic dysfunction. Short sleep duration and poor sleep
      quality have adverse effects on metabolism and hormonal processes, contributing
      to increased cardiovascular risk. Obstructive sleep apnoea is a chronic condition
      characterized by repetitive upper airway collapse during sleep, causing
      intermittent hypoxaemia, recurrent arousals and sleep fragmentation. Sleep
      disturbances can increase sympathetic activity, provoke systemic inflammation and
      oxidative stress, and impair vascular endothelial function. Obstructive sleep
      apnoea is increasingly recognized to be an independent cardiovascular risk
      factor. There is intense research interest in the association between obstructive
      sleep apnoea and the metabolic syndrome - the constellation of inter-related
      metabolic derangements including central obesity, hypertension, insulin
      resistance and dyslipidaemia, which appears to directly promote the development
      of atherosclerosis. The underlying pathophysiologic pathways or mechanistic links
      between obstructive sleep apnoea and metabolic syndrome have not been well
      delineated. This article reviews the current knowledge of the relationship
      between sleep disturbances, sleep-disordered breathing and the metabolic syndrome
      in adults.

PMID- 20308743
TI  - Pathophysiology & genetics of obstructive sleep apnoea.
AB  - Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a highly prevalent condition with proven
      neurocognitive and cardiovascular consequences. OSA patients experience
      repetitive narrowing or collapse of the pharyngeal airway during sleep. Multiple
      factors likely underlie the pathophysiology of this condition with considerable
      inter-individual variation. Important risk factors for OSA include obesity, male
      gender, and ageing. However, the mechanisms underlying these major risk factors
      are not well understood. We briefly review the state-of-the-art knowledge
      regarding OSA pathogenesis in adults and highlight the potential role of genetics
      in influencing key OSA pathophysiological traits.

PMID- 20308747
TI  - Diagnosis of sleep apnoea: some critical issues.
AB  - Rather than describing a method for determining which patients should be labelled
      as having a disease, sleep apnoea, this review describes assessment as a process
      for deciding whom to investigate, what degree of sleep apnoea they have, how
      important their symptoms are, whether symptoms are likely attributable to sleep
      apnoea, and what sort of treatment to offer, if any. Beginning with identifying
      patients at risk and use of clinical prediction rules, the review covers (i)
      measurement and implications of the apnoeahypopnoea index; (ii) distinguishing
      central from obstructive apnoeas; (iii) significance of associated periodic limb
      movements; (iv) the controversy about the use of portable monitors instead of
      laboratory polysomnography; (v) evaluation of symptoms associated with sleep
      apnoea; and (vi) the important role of trials of treatment.

PMID- 20308748
TI  - Evaluation of the upper airway in obstructive sleep apnoea.
AB  - The evaluation of the upper airway (UA) includes the physical examination of
      pharyngeal structures and a number of imaging techniques that vary from the
      mostly used lateral cephalometry and computed tomography to more sophisticated
      methods such as tri-dimensional magnetic resonance image (MRI). Other complex
      techniques addressing UA collapsibility assessed by measurement of pharyngeal
      critical pressure and negative expiratory pressure however are not routinely
      performed. These methods provide information about anatomic abnormalities and the
      level of pharyngeal narrowing or collapse while the patient is awake or asleep.
      Data suggest that individual patients have different patterns of UA narrowing.
      So, the best method for evaluating obstruction during obstructive events remains
      controversial. In general, in clinical practice physical examination including a
      systematic evaluation of facial morphology, mouth, nasal cavity and the pharynx
      as well as simple imaging techniques such as nasopharyngoscopy and cephalometry
      have been more routinely utilized. Findings associated with obstructive sleep
      apnoea (OSA) are UA narrowing by the lateral pharyngeal walls and enlargements of
      tonsils, uvula and tongue. Additionally cephalometry identifies the most
      significant craniofacial characteristics associated with this disease. MRI
      studies demonstrated that lateral narrowing of UA in OSA is due to parapharyngeal
      muscle hypertrophy and/or enlargement of non adipose soft tissues. The upper
      airway evaluation has indubitably contributed to understand the pathophysiology
      and the diagnosis of OSA and snoring. Additionally, it also helps to identify the
      subjects with increased OSA risk as well as to select the more appropriate
      modality of treatment, especially for surgical procedures.

PMID- 20308749
TI  - Treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea.
AB  - Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a prevalent disorder with significant co
      morbidities. Presently only rarely, treatments for obstructive sleep apnoea are
      curative. More typically, this is a disease that requires lifelong intervention
      and commitment from both the patients and healthcare providers. In light of the
      commitments, there is no uniform approach to treating sleep apnoea. Rather,
      approach to treatment of OSA should be governed by disease severity, symptoms and
      health risk and by which approach will work best for in a specific patient. It is
      equally important to identify and treat contributors to obstructive sleep apnoea
      severity, including obesity and endocrine disorders. In this sense, treating the
      patient with obstructive sleep apnoea requires a long-term partnership between
      patient and sleep medicine healthcare providers. With a strong partnership,
      obstructive sleep apnoea may be effectively treated in growing numbers of
      patients.

PMID- 20308751
TI  - Continuous positive airway pressure therapy: new generations.
AB  - Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the treatment of choice for
      obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS). However, CPAP is not tolerated by all
      patients with OSAS and alternative modes of pressure delivery have been developed
      to overcome pressure intolerance, thereby improving patient comfort and
      adherence. Auto-adjustable positive airway pressure (APAP) devices may be
      utilised for the long-term management of OSAS and may also assist in the initial
      diagnosis of OSAS and titration of conventional CPAP therapy. Newer modalities
      such as C-Flex and A-Flex also show promise as treatment options in the future.
      However, the evidence supporting the use of these alternative modalities remains
      scant, in particular with regard to long-term cardiovascular outcomes. In
      addition, not all APAP devices use the same technological algorithms and data
      supporting individual APAP devices cannot be extrapolated to support all. Further
      studies are required to validate the roles of APAP, C-Flex and A-Flex. In the
      interim, standard CPAP therapy should continue as the mainstay of OSAS
      management.

PMID- 20308750
TI  - Adherence to continuous positive airway pressure treatment for obstructive sleep
      apnoea: implications for future interventions.
AB  - Adherence to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment for obstructive
      sleep apnoea (OSA) is a critical problem. Poor adherence (30-60%) to CPAP is
      widely recognized as a significant limiting factor in treating OSA, reducing the
      overall effectiveness of the treatment and leaving many OSA patients at
      heightened risk for co-morbid conditions, impaired function and quality of life.
      The extant literature examining adherence to CPAP provides critical insight to
      measuring adherence outcomes, defining optimal adherence levels, and predicting
      CPAP adherence. This research has revealed salient factors that are associated
      with or predict CPAP adherence and may guide the development of interventions to
      promote CPAP adherence. Over the past 10 years, intervention studies to promote
      CPAP adherence have incorporated a multitude of strategies including education,
      support, cognitive behavioural approaches, and mixed strategies. This review of
      the current status of research on CPAP adherence will (i) synthesize the extant
      literature with regard to measuring, defining, and predicting CPAP adherence;
      (ii) review published intervention studies aimed at promoting CPAP adherence; and
      (iii) suggest directions for future empiric study of adherence to CPAP that will
      have implications for translational science. Our current understanding of CPAP
      adherence suggests that adherence is a multi-factorial, complex clinical problem
      that requires similarly designed approaches to effectively address poor CPAP
      adherence in the OSA population.

PMID- 20308752
TI  - Surgical treatment of snoring & obstructive sleep apnoea.
AB  - Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) syndrome is a potentially serious disorder
      affecting millions of people around the world. Many of these individuals are
      undiagnosed while those who are diagnosed, often exhibit poor compliance with
      nightly use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), a very effective
      nonsurgical treatment. Various surgical procedures have been proposed to manage
      and, in some cases, treat OSA. In this article we review methods used to assess
      the sites of obstruction and a number of surgical procedures designed to address
      OSA. Effective surgical management of OSA depends upon developing a complete
      database and determining different levels of obstruction, which may include
      nasal, nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal, and hypopharyngeal/retrolingual, or a
      combination of these sites. A systematic approach to clinical evaluation,
      treatment planning and surgical management is recommended and is likely to result
      in more predictable outcomes. Surgical treatment may involve various procedures
      that are performed in different stages depending on the patient's sites of
      obstruction. The most commonly performed procedures include nasal reconstruction,
      uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP), advancement genioplasty, mandibular osteotomy
      with genioglossus advancement, and hyoid myotomy and suspension. In more severe
      cases, maxillomandibular advancement (MMA) with advancement genioplasty may be
      indicated. Even after appropriate surgical treatment, some patients may
      demonstrate continued obstruction with associated symptoms. Published indications
      for surgical treatment include an elevated respiratory disturbance index (RDI)
      with excessive daytime somnolence (EDS), oxygen desaturations below 90 per cent,
      medical co-morbidities including hypertension and arrhythmias, anatomic
      abnormalities of the upper airway and failure of medical treatment. The success
      of surgery in OSA is generally measured by achieving a (RDI) of less than 5,
      improvement of oxygen nadir to 90 per cent or more with no desaturations below 90
      per cent and quality of life improvements with elimination or significant
      reduction of OSA symptoms. From a practical point of view, achieving these goals
      may be extremely difficult without patients' cooperation, most notably in the
      realm of weight loss and maintenance of a healthy lifestyle.

PMID- 20308753
TI  - Sleep disordered breathing in patients with chronic kidney disease.
AB  - The prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in the advanced chronic kidney
      disease (CKD) patient population has been estimated to be more than 50 per cent.
      SDB is associated with episodic upper airway obstruction or cessation of
      breathing during sleep leading to repetitive episodes of hypoxaemia, hypercapnia,
      and sleep fragmentation, activation of the sympathetic nervous system,
      endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and inflammation. Clinical
      consequences of this disorder may include excessive daytime sleepiness, depressed
      mood, cognitive impairment, hypertension, as well as increased risk for
      cardiovascular disease and metabolic dysregulation. SDB may also contribute
      substantially to the daytime sleepiness, poor quality of life, and high rate of
      cardiovascular disease in CKD patients. Although the causal links between CKD and
      SDB remain speculative, there are multiple factors related to fluid overload and
      azotaemia that may contribute to the increased propensity to SDB. Renal
      transplantation, nocturnal automated peritoneal dialysis and nocturnal
      haemodialysis have been found to be associated with a reduction in the severity
      of SDB when compared to conventional forms of dialysis. Nocturnal dialysis
      modalities may facilitate further understanding of the pathophysiology of SDB as
      well as provide therapeutic alternatives for patients with both kidney failure
      and SDB. SDB is an important but often overlooked public health problem in the
      CKD patient population. Early diagnosis and treatment of SDB may provide better
      quality of life and attenuate the cardiovascular risk of morbidity and mortality
      in these patients.

PMID- 20308754
TI  - Sleep disordered breathing in women of childbearing age & during pregnancy.
AB  - Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) affects 11 per cent of pre-menopausal women though
      it often remains undetected. Women may present differently than men, and the
      classic findings of snoring, witnessed apnoeas and sleepiness may not be
      observed. Factors which predispose to OSA include polycystic ovarian syndrome,
      obesity, retromicrognathia, and hypothyroidism. OSA may contribute to
      neurocognitive dysfunction, depression, hypertension and metabolic syndrome.
      Emerging evidence indicates that snoring and OSA increase during pregnancy. For
      normal women with normotensive, low-risk pregnancies the prevalence of OSA is
      very low. Among normotensive pregnant women with high risk pregnancies, the
      prevalence of OSA is high and is even higher among those with gestational
      hypertension/preeclampsia during pregnancy. Incident snoring, which is a marker
      for OSA, is associated with an increased risk of developing gestational
      hypertension. Recent studies indicate that OSA per se is an independent risk
      factor for gestational hypertension/pre-eclampsia and may contribute to other
      poor obstetrical outcomes. The diagnostic test of choice for OSA is a
      polysomnography with electroencephalogram. Milder degree of disease than what is
      usually considered clinically significant among men or non-pregnant women appears
      to be relevant for foetomaternal outcomes. There seems to be benefit for blood
      pressure control to treating even milder degrees of OSA with CPAP, both acutely
      and over the 9 months of pregnancy. Chronic hypertensive women should be strongly
      considered for diagnosis and treatment of OSA prior to or beginning as early as
      possible in pregnancy to help maintain blood pressure control. Increasing
      awareness of OSA among maternal health care providers is important given the
      potential benefits for pregnancy and other health-related outcomes associated
      with identification and treatment of OSA.

PMID- 20308755
TI  - Sleep disorders in the elderly.
AB  - Nearly half of older adults report difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep.
      With age, several changes occur that can place one at risk for sleep disturbance
      including increased prevalence of medical conditions, increased medication use,
      age-related changes in various circadian rhythms, and environmental and lifestyle
      changes. Although sleep complaints are common among all age groups, older adults
      have increased prevalence of many primary sleep disorders including sleep
      disordered breathing, periodic limb movements in sleep, restless legs syndrome,
      rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder, insomnia, and circadian rhythm
      disturbances. The present review discusses age-related changes in sleep
      architecture, aetiology, presentation, and treatment of sleep disorders prevalent
      among the elderly and other factors relevant to ageing that are likely to affect
      sleep quality and quantity.

PMID- 20308756
TI  - Sleep disordered breathing in children.
AB  - Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is increasingly being recognised as a cause of
      morbidity even in young children. With an estimated prevalence of 1 to 4 per
      cent, SDB results from having a structurally narrow airway combined with reduced
      neuromuscular tone and increased airway collapsibility. SDB in children differs
      from adults in a number of ways, including presenting symptoms and treatment.
      Presentation may differ according to the age of the child. Children have a more
      varied presentation from snoring and frequent arousals to enuresis to
      hyperactivity. Those with Down syndrome, midface hypoplasia or neuromuscular
      disorders are at higher risk for developing SDB. First line definitive treatment
      in children involves tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. Rapid maxillary expansion,
      allergy treatment and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) are other
      options. As untreated SDB results in complications as learning difficulties,
      memory loss and a long term increase in risk of hypertension, depression and poor
      growth, it is important to diagnose SDB.

PMID- 20308758
TI  - Parasomnias: an overview.
AB  - Parasomnias are abnormal experiences or behaviours that occur during sleep and
      can be subdivided into disorders of arousal, disorders of rapid eye movement
      (REM) sleep or other parasomnias. Diagnosis rests on a thorough clinical
      evaluation with supporting data from a full polysomnography with time
      synchronized video. While the prognosis for arousal disorders is generally
      excellent, the diagnosis of REM behaviour disorder (RBD) is more ominous and
      associated with neurodegenerative disorders, and as such, requires routine
      neurological surveillance. The cornerstone of treatment for all parasomnias is
      adequate patient and bed partner education. Data supporting pharmacologic therapy
      are limited but clonazapam for RBD has been reported to be effective in up to 89
      per cent of patients.

PMID- 20308759
TI  - Narcolepsy: clinical features, co-morbidities & treatment.
AB  - Narcolepsy is a neurologic illness that typically begins in the second and third
      decades of life. It is chronic in nature and negatively impacts the quality of
      life of affected patients. The classic presentation is a tetrad of excessive
      daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, sleep paralysis, and hypnagogic hallucinations.
      The exact cause remains unknown, but there is significant evidence that
      hypocretin deficiency plays an integral role. Some primary conditions that result
      in secondary narcolepsy include traumatic brain injury, congenital disorders,
      tumours, and strokes. Some medical and psychiatric disorders share
      characteristics of narcolepsy, at times leading to diagnostic inaccuracy. Other
      sleep disorders are commonly co-morbid. Diagnosis relies on patient history and
      objective data gathered from polysomnography and multiple sleep latency testing.
      Treatment focuses on symptom relief through medication, education, and
      behavioural modification. Both classic pharmacological treatments as well as
      newer options have significant problems, especially because of side effects and
      abuse potential. Novel modalities are being examined to expand options for
      treatment.

PMID- 20308757
TI  - Diagnosis, prevalence, pathways, consequences & treatment of insomnia.
AB  - Insomnia is a highly prevalent sleep disorder that frequently occurs in its acute
      form and occurs at a rate of approximately 10 per cent in its chronic form in
      many countries. There is a high prevalence of insomnia in a variety of medical
      and psychiatric conditions for which insomnia often serves as a risk factor. The
      aetiology and pathophysiology of insomnia is such that several factors may
      predispose individuals for or precipitate and/or perpetuate the condition. Both
      sedative-hypnotic and cognitivebehavioural interventions exist for insomnia and
      each type of intervention have substantial levels of empirical support for their
      efficacy.

PMID- 20308760
TI  - Nocturnal hypoventilation - identifying & treating syndromes.
AB  - Nocturnal hypoventilation is a common feature of disorders affecting the function
      of the diaphragm or central respiratory drive mechanisms. The ensuing change in
      gas exchange is initially confined to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, but over
      time buffering of the raised carbon dioxide produces a secondary depression of
      respiratory drive that will further reduce ventilation not only during sleep but
      eventually during wakefulness as well. Failure to identify and treat nocturnal
      hypoventilation results in impairments in daytime function, quality of life and
      premature mortality. While some simple daytime tests of respiratory function can
      identify at risk individuals, these cannot predict the nature or severity of any
      sleep disordered breathing present. Nocturnal monitoring of gas exchange with or
      without full polysomnography is the only way to comprehensively assess this
      disorder, especially in the early stages of its evolution. Non invasive
      ventilation used during sleep is the most appropriate approach to reverse the
      consequences of nocturnal hypoventilation, although continuous positive airway
      pressure (CPAP) may be effective in those individuals where a significant degree
      of upper airway obstruction is present. When appropriately selected patients use
      therapy on a regular basis, significant improvements in quality of life, exercise
      capacity and survival can be achieved, irrespective of the underlying disease
      process.

PMID- 20308761
TI  - Growth performance of affluent Indian preschool children: a comparison with the
      new WHO growth standard.
AB  - This study was conducted to evaluate the nutritional status of 2-5 year old
      affluent, urban children using the new WHO 2006 standards. A cross-sectional,
      multicentric preschool-based study was conducted on 1493 children (727 boys).
      Mean Z scores for height, weight, body mass index and weight for height(
      0.75(1.1), -0.59(1.1), -0.19(1.22) and -0.26(1.18), respectively) were below the
      WHO standard median.

PMID- 20308762
TI  - Prevalence of hypertension among schoolchildren in Shimla.
AB  - This cross sectional study was done to find the prevalence of sustained
      hypertension and prehypertension among school children aged 11-17 years. A total
      of 1085 apparently healthy students from rural and urban schools in hills of
      northern India were examined using standard methods. Students with blood
      pressures above the 90th centile were reexamined after four weeks. The mean BMI
      of the students was 17.5 +/- 2.7 kg/m2, 5 (0.4%) were obese, and 39 (3.5%)
      overweight. After two evaluations, hypertension was identified in 62 (5.9%)
      children and prehypertension in 130 (12.3%). Urban and rural children had
      comparable rates of elevated BP (hypertension and prehypertension). Rates of
      elevated BP were significantly higher (46.5% vs 17%, P<0.001) among those with
      high BMI (overweight and obese) compared to those with normal BMI. In conclusion,
      nearly 20% of the school children had elevated blood pressures.

PMID- 20308763
TI  - Intravenous Adrenaline for Shock in Neonates.
AB  - Dopamine and dobutamine have been widely used to treat shock with variable
      success in newborns. In this retrospective data analysis, we report on the use of
      adrenaline in 20 neonates with birth asphyxia and shock that was refractory to
      dopamine and dobutamine. We concluded that adrenaline is a safe and effective
      drug that can be used as an add-on therapy to dopamine and/or dobutamine in
      newborns with shock secondary to birth asphyxia.

PMID- 20308765
TI  - Effect of oral zinc supplementation on the growth of preterm infants.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of oral zinc supplementation on growth of
      preterm infants. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Dhaka Shisu
      Hospital (Tertiary care hospital). SUBJECTS: 100 appropriate for date preterm
      infants weighing between 1000 to 2500 g were randomized to receive zinc and
      multivitamin supplement (Group I; n=50) or only multivitamin supplement (Group
      II). INTERVENTION: Zinc supplementation was given 2mg/kg/day for 6 weeks along
      with multivitamin in Group I and only multivitamin to Group II. PRIMARY OUTCOME
      VARIABLE: Increment of weight and length. RESULTS: At enrollment, serum zinc
      (62.1 +/- 12.4 ug/dL in Group I and 63.1 +/- 14.6 ug/dL in Group II) and
      hemoglobin levels (14.9 +/- 2.4 g/dL in Group I and 14.4 +/- 1.7 g/dL in Group
      II) were almost similar in both groups. Serum zinc levels were in lower limit of
      normal range. After supplementation, serum zinc and hemoglobin levels were
      significantly higher in Group I (105 +/- 16.5 ug/dL) than Group II (82.2 +/- 17.4
      ug/dL) (P<0.05). Weight, length and head circumference were comparable in both
      groups at enrollment. Significant differences in weight gain and increment in
      length were found in first and second follow up between two groups but OFC
      increments were not significant (P>0.05). Reduction of morbidity was apparent in
      zinc supplemented group. No serious adverse effect was noted related to
      supplementation therapy. CONCLUSION: Zinc supplementation for preterm low birth
      weight babies is found effective to enhance the growth in early months of life.

PMID- 20308766
TI  - Transient tone abnormalities in high risk infants and cognitive outcome at five
      years.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to identify transient tone abnormalities and determine its prevalence
      in high risk infants and their cognitive outcome at 5 years. DESIGN: prospective
      cohort observational study. SETTING: high risk infants discharged from a level II
      neonatal unit in a 12 month period, and followed upto 5 years. METHODS: High risk
      infants and normal controls were assessed for abnormalities of tone using the
      method described by Amiel Tison at 3, 6, 9, 12 months. An IQ by Stanford Binet
      method and a preschool inventory by Ayres, Bobath was done at 5 years. Those
      infants who had normal tone at 6 and 12 months were called normal high risk (HR)
      group and those who had abnormalities at 6 months, which disappeared at 12
      months, were called the transient tone abnormalities (TTA) group. RESULTS: out of
      190 high risk infants, 113 were normal HR and 67 (35.2%) were labeled as TTA. Ten
      infants with cerebral palsy had abnormal tone throughout the first year. Controls
      had normal tone throughout the follow-up period. Although there was no difference
      in the IQ of the TTA group (98.5 +/- 12.4) and the normal HR (99.1 +/- 13.1)
      group, it was significantly less (P=0.04) than that of controls (106.1 +/- 9.1).
      Preschool inventory in TTA children showed poor language development (P=0.014).
      CONCLUSION: many of the tone abnormalities detected at 6 months resolve by 12
      months, hence a hasty diagnosis of cerebral palsy should not be made. High risk
      infants with transient tone abnormalities have a normal cognitive outcome at 5
      years, except for poor language skills.

PMID- 20308767
TI  - Diagnostic re-evaluation of children with congenital hypothyroidism.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the causes of congenital hypothyroidism in children
      more than 3 years of age and to document the frequency of transient vs permanent
      hypothyroidism. DESIGN: Hospital based observational study. SETTING: Pediatric
      endocrine clinic of a medical college. PATIENTS: Children over 3 years of age, on
      treatment for congenital hypothyroidism. INTERVENTION: Thyroid function test
      (TFT) and thyroid ultrasound was done. Children with agenesis or hemiagenesis in
      thyroid ultrasound were identified. In children with normal or equivocal thyroid
      ultrasound, thyroxine was stopped and followed. Children with abnormal TFT on
      follow up had thyroid scintigraphy with or without potassium perchlorate
      discharge, after which, thyroid hormone supplement was restarted. Children who
      remained euthyroid on follow up were labeled as having transient hypothyroidism.
      MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Proportion of children with transient hypothyroidism.
      RESULTS: Among 36 children studied (20 boys and 16 girls), eighteen (50%) had
      transient hypothyroidism and fifteen (41.7%) had thyroid agenesis. There was one
      with hemiagenesis, one with ectopic thyroid and another with dyshormonogenesis
      (2.8% each). Initial TSH level at the time of diagnosis was higher in permanent
      hypothyroidism as compared with transient group (83.0 +/- 31.6 vs 47.0 +/- 33.1
      mIU/mL; P= 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Thyroid hormone supplementation could be
      discontinued in 50% of children diagnosed with congenital hypothyroidism.

PMID- 20308768
TI  - School absenteeism among children and its correlates: a predictive model for
      identifying absentees.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the magnitude of absenteeism and its correlates and to
      develop a model to predict absenteeism in school children. DESIGNS: A cross
      sectional study. SETTING: three government schools in Delhi. PARTICIPANTS: 704
      students, aged 10 to15 years. METHODS: students were registered and interviewed
      using a pre designed questionnaire. The frequency and causes of school
      absenteeism were ascertained by school records, leave applications and one months
      recall. The factors were subjected to univariate analysis and a stepwise multiple
      logistic regression analysis and a predictive model was developed. RESULTS: The
      average absenteeism of a student over 6 months was 14.3+/-10.2 days (95% CI 13.5 
      15.0). 48% children absented themselves for more than two days per month on an
      average. The main factors associated with school absenteeism were younger age,
      male sex, increasing birth order, lower levels of parental education and income,
      school truancy, school phobia and family reasons. The discriminating ability of
      the predictive model developed was 92.4% CONCLUSIONS: it is possible to identify
      potential absentees in school children.

PMID- 20308769
TI  - Impact of two regimens of vitamin D supplementation on calcium - vitamin D - PTH
      axis of schoolgirls of Delhi.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of supplementation with oral vitamin D3
      (cholecalciferol) on bone mineral biochemical parameters of school-going girls.
      SETTING: Government school (government-aided) and Private school (fee paying) in
      Delhi. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. INTERVENTION: Cholecalciferol
      granules (60,000 IU) orally with water, either once in two months (two-monthly D3
      group) or once a month (one-monthly D3 group) for one year. PARTICIPANTS: 290
      healthy schoolgirls (6-17 y), 124 from lower socioeconomic strata (LSES)
      (attending government schools) and 166 from upper socioeconomic strata (USES)
      (attending private schools). OUTCOME MEASURES: Serum 25(OH)D, calcium,
      phosphorus, parathyroid hormone, and alkaline phosphatase levels at 6 and 12
      months after start of supplementation. RESULTS: At baseline, 93.7% schoolgirls
      were vitamin D deficient [25(OH)D<50 nmol/L]. While significant increase in serum
      calcium and decrease in alkaline phosphatase levels was noted in both groups with
      both interventions, PTH response was inconsistent. In LSES subjects, two-monthly
      D3 and one-monthly D3 supplementation resulted in a significant increase in serum
      25(OH)D levels by 8.3 nmol/L and 11.0 nmol/L, respectively at 6 months (P<0.05).
      Similarly, the increase in the two intervention arms in USES subjects was 10.5
      nmol/L and 16.0 nmol/L, respectively (P<0.05). In both groups, this increase in
      serum 25(OH)D levels persisted at 12 months (P<0.05). Despite supplementation
      with 60,000 IU of Vitamin D3 (monthly or two-monthly), only 47% were vitamin D
      sufficient at the end of one year. CONCLUSIONS: 60,000 IU of cholecalciferol,
      monthly or two-monthly, resulted in a significant increase in serum 25(OH)D
      levels in vitamin D deficient schoolgirls.

PMID- 20308770
TI  - Potential neuroprotective effects of acupuncture stimulation on diabetes mellitus
      in a global ischemic rat model.
AB  - Acupuncture (ACU) is known to be effective in ischemia treatment, and glutamate
      (GLU) excitotoxicity is an important factor in neuronal cell death. We observed
      the effect of ACU on cerebral blood flow (%CBF) and DeltaGLU (the changes in GLU
      release) in the ischemic stroke rat model of diabetic mellitus (DM). A global
      ischemia was induced using the eleven-vessel occlusion (11-VO) method in 14
      Sprague-Dawley rats (DM), which were randomly divided into two groups: the
      control group and the ACU-treatment group. Extracellular DeltaGLU was assessed
      using an intra-cerebral biosensor system measuring 256 samples per second,
      simultaneously with %CBF and electroencephalogram. ACU stimulation was applied to
      ACU points GB34 and GB39 during the ischemic period. Twenty-three diagnostic
      parameters were proposed first for a detailed analysis of changes in %CBF and GLU
      release during ischemia/reperfusion. ACU rats showed a significant decrease in
      ischemic (p < 0.05) and reperfusion %CBF (p < 0.0001) than control rats, and a
      significantly larger decrease in ischemic DeltaGLU (p < 0.05) and peak level of
      reperfusion DeltaGLU (p < 0.005) than control rats. From these results, we
      suggest that ACU stimulation is responsible for the potential protection of
      neurons through suppression of %CBF response in the increased plasma osmolality
      and extracellular DeltaGLU in diabetic rats under ischemic conditions.

PMID- 20308771
TI  - The morphological classification of heartbeats as dominant and non-dominant in
      ECG signals.
AB  - Surface electrocardiography (ECG) is the art of analyzing the heart's electrical
      activity by applying electrodes to certain positions on the body and measuring
      potentials at the body surface resulting from this electrical activity. Usually,
      significant clinical information can be obtained from analysis of the dominant
      beat morphology. In this respect, identification of the dominant beats and their
      averaging can be very helpful, allowing clinicians to carry out the measurement
      of amplitudes and intervals on a beat much cleaner from noise than a generic beat
      selected from the entire ECG recording. In this paper a standard clustering
      algorithm for the morphological grouping of heartbeats has been analyzed based on
      K-means, different signal representations, distance metrics and validity indices.
      The algorithm has been tested on all the records of the MIT-BIH Arrhythmia
      Database (MIT-BIH AD) obtaining satisfying performances in terms of averaged
      dominant beat estimation, but the results have not been fully satisfactory in
      terms of sensitivity and specificity. In order to improve the clustering
      accuracy, an ad hoc algorithm based on a two-phase decision tree, which
      integrates additional specific knowledge related to the ECG domain, has been
      implemented. Similarity features extracted from every beat have been used in the
      decision trees for the identification of different morphological classes of ECG
      beats. The results, in terms of dominant beat discrimination, have been evaluated
      on all annotated beats of the MIT-BIH AD with sensitivity = 99.05%, specificity =
      93.94%, positive predictive value = 99.32% and negative predictive value =
      91.69%. Further tests have shown a very slight decrement of the performances on
      all detected beats of the same database using an already published QRS detector,
      demonstrating the validity of the algorithm in real unsupervised clustering
      situations where annotated beat positions are not available but beats are
      detected with a high-performance beat detector.

PMID- 20308772
TI  - How to detect and reduce movement artifacts in near-infrared imaging using moving
      standard deviation and spline interpolation.
AB  - Near-infrared imaging (NIRI) is a neuroimaging technique which enables us to non
      invasively measure hemodynamic changes in the human brain. Since the technique is
      very sensitive, the movement of a subject can cause movement artifacts (MAs),
      which affect the signal quality and results to a high degree. No general method
      is yet available to reduce these MAs effectively. The aim was to develop a new MA
      reduction method. A method based on moving standard deviation and spline
      interpolation was developed. It enables the semi-automatic detection and
      reduction of MAs in the data. It was validated using simulated and real NIRI
      signals. The results show that a significant reduction of MAs and an increase in
      signal quality are achieved. The effectiveness and usability of the method is
      demonstrated by the improved detection of evoked hemodynamic responses. The
      present method can not only be used in the postprocessing of NIRI signals but
      also for other kinds of data containing artifacts, for example ECG or EEG
      signals.

PMID- 20308773
TI  - ECG-based prediction of atrial fibrillation development following coronary artery
      bypass grafting.
AB  - In patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery, post
      operative atrial fibrillation (AF) occurs with a prevalence of up to 40%. The
      highest incidence is seen between the second and third day after the operation.
      Following cardiac surgery AF may cause various complications such as hemodynamic
      instability, heart attack and cerebral or other thromboembolisms. AF increases
      morbidity, duration and expense of medical treatments. This study aims at
      identifying patients at high risk of post-operative AF. Early prediction of AF
      would provide timely prophylactic treatment and would reduce the incidence of
      arrhythmia. Patients at low risk of post-operative AF could be excluded on the
      basis of the contraindications of anti-arrhythmic drugs. The study included 50
      patients in whom lead II electrocardiograms were continuously recorded for 48 h
      following CABG. Univariate statistical analysis was used in the search for signal
      features that could predict AF. The most promising ones identified were P wave
      duration, RR interval duration and PQ segment level. On the basis of these, a
      nonlinear multivariate prediction model was made by deploying a classification
      tree. The prediction accuracy was found to increase over time. At 48 h following
      CABG, the measured best smoothed sensitivity was 84.8% and the specificity 85.4%.
      The positive and negative predictive values were 72.7% and 92.8%, respectively,
      and the overall accuracy was 85.3%. With regard to the prediction accuracy, the
      risk assessment and prediction of post-operative AF is optimal in the period
      between 24 and 48 h following CABG.

PMID- 20308774
TI  - An artificial vector model for generating abnormal electrocardiographic rhythms.
AB  - We present generalizations of our previously published artificial models for
      generating multi-channel ECG to provide simulations of abnormal cardiac rhythms.
      Using a three-dimensional vectorcardiogram (VCG) formulation, we generate the
      normal cardiac dipole for a patient using a sum of Gaussian kernels, fitted to
      real VCG recordings. Abnormal beats are specified either as perturbations to the
      normal dipole or as new dipole trajectories. Switching between normal and
      abnormal beat types is achieved using a first-order Markov chain. Probability
      transitions can be learned from real data or modeled by coupling to heart rate
      and sympathovagal balance. Natural morphology changes from beat-to-beat are
      incorporated by varying the angular frequency of the dipole as a function of the
      inter-beat (RR) interval. The RR interval time series is generated using our
      previously described model whereby time- and frequency-domain heart rate (HR) and
      heart rate variability characteristics can be specified. QT-HR hysteresis is
      simulated by coupling the Gaussian kernels associated with the T-wave in the
      model with a nonlinear factor related to the local HR (determined from the last n
      RR intervals). Morphology changes due to respiration are simulated by introducing
      a rotation matrix couple to the respiratory frequency. We demonstrate an example
      of the use of this model by simulating HR-dependent T-wave alternans (TWA) with
      and without phase-switching due to ectopy. Application of our model also reveals
      previously unreported effects of common TWA estimation methods.

PMID- 20308775
TI  - A comparison of the effects of fibre alignment of smooth and textured fibres in
      electrospun membranes on fibroblast cell adhesion.
AB  - A polyester polycaprolactone-based polyurethane elastomer (PU) and poly-(l
      lactide) (PLLA), two common biomaterials, were electrospun to produce membranes
      with fibres either randomly orientated or aligned. PU was used to produce
      membranes consisting of smooth fibres. PLLA was used to prepare fibres with a
      textured surface. Contact angle measurements of the PU and PLLA cast films reveal
      that they were both below 90 degrees and fully wetted in less than 60 s. These
      membranes were investigated for the effect of fibre topography and fibre
      alignment on cell adhesion, using mouse L929 fibroblasts. It was found that the
      alignment of electrospun fibres controls the directional spreading of fibroblast
      independent of fibre being smooth or textured.

PMID- 20308776
TI  - Biphasic calcium sulfate dihydrate/iron-modified alpha-tricalcium phosphate bone
      cement for spinal applications: in vitro study.
AB  - In this study, the cytocompatibility of new 'iron-modified/alpha-tricalcium
      phosphate (IM/alpha-TCP) and calcium sulfate dihydrate (CSD)' bone cement
      (IM/alpha-TCP/CSD-BC) intended for spinal applications has been approached. The
      objective was to investigate by direct-contact osteoblast-like cell cultures
      (from 1 to 14 days) the in vitro cell adhesion, proliferation, morphology and
      cytoskeleton organization of MG-63 cells seeded onto the new cements. The results
      were as follows: (a) quantitative MTT-assay and scanning electron microscopy
      (SEM) showed that cell adhesion, proliferation and viability were not affected
      with time by the presence of iron in the cements; (b) double immunofluorescent
      labeling of F-actin and alpha-tubulin showed a dynamic interaction between the
      cell and its porous substrates sustaining the locomotion phenomenon on the
      cements' surface, which favored the colonization, and confirming the
      biocompatibility of the experimental cements; (c) SEM-cell morphology and
      cytoskeleton observations also evidenced that MG-63 cells were able to adhere, to
      spread and to attain normal morphology on the new IM/alpha-TCP/CSD-BC which
      offered favorable substratum properties for osteoblast-like cells proliferation
      and differentiation in vitro. The results showed that these new iron-modified
      cement-like biomaterials have cytocompatible features of interest not only as
      possible spinal cancellous bone replacement biomaterial but also as bone tissue
      engineering scaffolds.

PMID- 20308779
TI  - Insights into the disappointing clinical trials of antioxidants in
      neurodegenerative diseases.

PMID- 20308777
TI  - Promoting successful cognitive aging: a comprehensive review.
AB  - Promoting successful cognitive aging is a topic of major importance to
      individuals and the field of public health. This review presents a coherent
      framework not only for evaluating factors, protective activities, and enhancing
      agents that have already been proposed, but also ones that will be put forward in
      the future. The promotion of successful cognitive aging involves the dual goals
      of preventing loss of information processing capacity and cognitive reserve, and
      enhancing brain capacity and cognitive reserve. Four major lines of evidence are
      available for evaluating whether a proposed factor promotes successful cognitive
      aging: 1) epidemiologic/cohort studies; 2) animal/basic science studies; 3) human
      "proof-of-concept" studies; and 4) human intervention studies. Each line of
      evidence has advantages and limitations that will be discussed. Through
      illustrative examples, we trace the ways in which each method informs us about
      the potential value of several proposed factors. Currently, lines of converging
      evidence allow the strongest case to be made for physical and cognitively
      stimulating activities. Although epidemiological data seem to favor the use of
      statins to lower the risk of dementia, more definitive recommendations await
      further randomized controlled studies. There is presently no clear evidence that
      antioxidants or Ginkgo biloba promote successful cognitive aging. The impact of
      resveratrol, fish oil, and a long list of other proposed agents needs to be
      determined. Clinicians remain well-positioned to identify and aggressively treat
      vascular risk factors, diabetes, sleep disorders, and other conditions that may
      reduce brain capacity, and to encourage activities that can build cognitive
      reserve.

PMID- 20308780
TI  - Osteopontin is increased in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with Alzheimer's
      disease and its levels correlate with cognitive decline.
AB  - Inflammation is believed to play a role in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Osteopontin
      (OPN) is a molecule involved in macrophage recruitment and activation and
      implicated in neurodegeneration. In order to elucidate the role of OPN in AD, we
      evaluated its levels in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 67 AD patients, 46
      frontotemporal dementia (FTD) patients, and 69 controls. We found that OPN
      levels: i) are significantly increased in the CSF of AD patients; ii) correlate
      with MMSE score; and iii) are higher in the early disease phases ( 2 years).
      These findings support a role of OPN in AD pathogenesis.

PMID- 20308778
TI  - Neuronutrition and Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex neurological disorder resulting from both
      genetic and environmental factors with the latter being particularly important
      for the sporadic form of the disease. As such, diets rich in saturated fatty
      acids and alcohol, and deficient in antioxidants and vitamins appear to promote
      the onset of the disease, while diets rich in unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins,
      antioxidants, and wine likely suppress its onset. In addition, evidence suggests
      that diets rich in polyphenols and some spices suppress the onset of AD by
      scavenging free radicals and preventing oxidative damage. Metal ions are known to
      catalyze the production of free radicals and induce mental retardation or
      dementia, and several studies have also identified metals such as Pb, Fe, Al, Cu,
      and Zn in AD pathogenesis. While specific metal chelators have been tested for
      therapy, they have not been very successful, probably due to their late
      administration, i.e., after brain damage has been triggered. Since several
      dietary polyphenols are known to chelate metals, their routine use may also be
      protective against the onset of AD. In this review, we summarize beneficial
      dietary techniques in the fight against AD.

PMID- 20308781
TI  - Statin users without an APOE-epsilon4 allele have increased insulin resistance.
AB  - The present study examined the relationships among statin use, APOE genotype, and
      insulin resistance as measured by the homeostasis model assessment of insulin
      resistance (HOMA-IR) in healthy older adults. APOE epsilon4- (i.e., not having an
      epsilon4 allele) statin users had higher HOMA-IR values compared with
      epsilon4+/statin users (p=0.0169), and with non-users who were epsilon4-
      (p=0.0003) or epsilon4+ (p=0.0006). These results suggest that statin use may
      modulate insulin levels for individuals without an APOE epsilon4 allele.

PMID- 20308783
TI  - Follow-up study of susceptibility loci for Alzheimer's disease and onset age
      identified by genome-wide association.
AB  - Replication of genetic association findings in independent studies represents an
      important validation tool in the search for susceptibility genes for complex
      diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). In a well-characterized memory-clinic
      based study comprising 1078 unrelated AD patients and 652 control individuals, we
      set out to replicate previously reported genome-wide association of four novel
      risk SNPs with AD and onset age, with first stage p-values ranging from 0.001 to
      0.000004. We obtained evidence for association between rs179943, an intronic SNP
      in ATXN1 at 6p22.3, and affection status (OR = 0.63 (95% CI = 0.44-0.90; nominal
      p = 0.01)). Overall, our data provided independent support for association of at
      least one chromosomal locus with AD and warranted a more in-depth investigation
      of these regions for possible underlying functional variants.

PMID- 20308782
TI  - Leptin reduces pathology and improves memory in a transgenic mouse model of
      Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - We have previously reported anti-amyloidogenic effects of leptin using in vitro
      and in vivo models and, more recently, demonstrated the ability of leptin to
      reduce tau phosphorylation in neuronal cells. The present study examined the
      efficacy of leptin in ameliorating the Alzheimer's disease (AD)-like pathology in
      6-month old CRND8 transgenic mice (TgCRND8) following 8 weeks of treatment.
      Leptin-treated transgenic mice showed significantly reduced levels of amyloid
      beta (Abeta){1-40} in both brain extracts (52% reduction, p= 0.047) and serum
      (55% reduction, p= 0.049), as detected by ELISA, and significant reduction in
      amyloid burden (47% reduction, p=0.041) in the hippocampus, as detected by
      immunocytochemistry. The decrease in the levels of Abeta in the brain correlated
      with a decrease in the levels of C99 C-terminal fragments of the amyloid-beta
      protein precursor, consistent with a role for beta -secretase in mediating the
      effect of leptin. In addition, leptin-treated TgCRND8 mice had significantly
      lower levels of phosphorylated tau, as detected by AT8 and anti-tau-Ser{396}
      antibodies. Importantly, after 4 or 8 weeks of treatment, there was no
      significant increase in the levels of C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor
      alpha, and cortisol in the plasma of leptin-treated TgCRND8 animals compared to
      saline-treated controls, indicating no inflammatory reaction. These biochemical
      and pathological changes were correlated with behavioral improvements, as early
      as after 4 weeks of treatment, as recorded by a novel object recognition test and
      particularly the contextual and cued fear conditioning test after 8 weeks of
      treatment. Leptin-treated TgCRND8 animals significantly outperformed saline
      treated littermates in these behavioral tests. These findings solidly demonstrate
      the potential for leptin as a disease modifying therapeutic in transgenic animals
      of AD, driving optimism for its safety and efficacy in humans.

PMID- 20308784
TI  - Reduced homocysteine-thiolactonase activity in Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - Elevated plasma homocysteine (Hcy) is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD).
      Bleomycin hydrolase (BLH), a thiol-dependent enzyme that has Hcy-thiolactonase
      (HTase) and aminopeptidease (APase) activities, has also been implicated in
      Alzheimer's disease (AD). In order to examine its role in AD, BLH activities were
      measured in postmortem brain tissue from twelve AD patients and twelve control
      patients who died from non-neurological causes. We found that HTase and APase
      activities in human brain extracts were strongly correlated and sensitive to the
      thiol reagent iodoacetamide, indicating that they are associated with BLH. Both
      activities were significantly decreased in brain tissue extracts from AD patients
      relative to controls (7.6 +/- 4.2 vs. 13.5 +/- 5.5 units, p= 0.003 for HTase, and
      3.82 +/- 1.27 vs. 5.33 +/- 1.68 units, p=0.010 for APase). HTase and APase
      activities were positively correlated with N-linked protein Hcy, but not with
      tHcy, in AD and control brains. Levels of brain total Hcy and N-linked protein
      Hcy did not differ between AD cases and controls. These results suggest that
      diminished functional BLH activity could contribute to the pathology of AD.

PMID- 20308785
TI  - Early deficits in cortical control of swallowing in Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - The goal of this study was to determine whether functional changes in cortical
      control of swallowing are evident in early Alzheimer's disease (AD), before
      dysphagia (swallowing impairment) is evident. Cortical function was compared
      between an early AD group and a group of age-matched controls during swallowing.
      Swallowing oropharyngeal biomechanics examined from videofluoroscopic recordings
      were also obtained to more comprehensively characterize changes in swallowing
      associated with early AD. Our neuroimaging results show that the AD group had
      significantly lower Blood-Oxygen-Level-Dependent (BOLD) response in many cortical
      areas that are traditionally involved in normal swallowing (i.e., pre and
      postcentral gyri, Rolandic and frontal opercula). There were no regions where the
      AD group showed more brain activity than the healthy controls during swallowing,
      and only 13% of all active voxels were unique to the AD group, even at this early
      stage. This suggests that the AD group is not recruiting new regions, nor are
      they compensating within regions that are active during swallowing. In
      videofluoroscopic measures, the AD group had significantly reduced hyo-laryngeal
      elevation than the controls. Although, swallowing impairment is usually noted in
      the late stages of AD, changes in cortical control of swallowing may begin long
      before dysphagia becomes apparent.

PMID- 20308786
TI  - Intrathecal IgG synthesis in patients with alterations in the neurochemical
      dementia diagnostics.
AB  - Neurochemical Dementia Diagnostics (NDD), i.e., analysis of the cerebrospinal
      fluid (CSF) concentrations of amyloid-beta peptides and tau/phospho-tau proteins
      plays important role in the diagnosis of neurodegeneration and dementias. Several
      studies show alterations of these biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease (AD),
      however, only a few reports address alterations of other CSF biomarkers (albumin
      and immunoglobulins' quotients, cell count, lactate concentration, etc.) in the
      pathophysiology and diagnostic procedures of dementias. Therefore, we analyzed
      these biomarkers in patients diagnosed for dementia syndromes and carefully
      characterized with the state-of-the-art NDD analysis: Abeta1-42, Abetax-42,
      Abetax-42/x-40 ratio, tau, and ptau181. We found intrathecal IgG synthesis in 5
      out of 112 patients showing alterations of the NDD biomarkers, and in four out of
      these five subjects, we could not find any satisfying reason for the intrathecal
      humoral response. In 25.9% of the patients with altered NDD biomarkers, we found
      an increased albumin quotient indicating a dysfunction of the blood-CSF barrier;
      however a similar figure of 25.2% was found in the group of patients without
      alterations in the NDD. Our findings suggest that at least some patients with
      increased CSF concentrations of tau/ptau proteins and decreased concentrations of
      Abeta{42} peptides show simultaneously CSF alterations found otherwise in
      neuroinflammatory processes. This, in turn, suggests that extended diagnosis
      should be performed in patients with "isolated" alterations of NDD biomarkers or
      intrathecal immunoglobulin synthesis.

PMID- 20308788
TI  - PP2A regulates tau phosphorylation directly and also indirectly via activating
      GSK-3beta.
AB  - Abnormal hyperphosphorylation of tau appears to be crucial in neurofibrillary
      degeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Previous studies suggest that a down
      regulation of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), the major tau phosphatase in human
      brain, contributes to tau hyperphosphorylation in AD. However, the effects of
      PP2A down-regulation on site-specific tau hyperphosphorylation is not well
      understood. In the present study, we showed that PP2A dephosphorylated tau at
      several phosphorylation sites with different efficiencies. Among the sites
      studied, Thr205, Thr212, Ser214, and Ser262 were the most favorable sites, and
      Ser199 and Ser404 were the least favorable sites for PP2A in vitro. Inhibition of
      PP2A with okadaic acid in metabolically active rat brain slices caused inhibition
      of glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta) via an increase in its
      phosphorylation at Ser9. GSK-3beta phosphorylated tau at many sites, with Ser199,
      Thr205, and Ser396 being the most favorable sites in cells. The overall
      alterations in tau phosphorylation induced by PP2A inhibition were the result of
      the combined effects of both reduced tau dephosphorylation due to PP2A inhibition
      directly and reduced phosphorylation by GSK-3beta due to its inhibition. Because
      the impacts of tau phosphorylation on its biological activity and on
      neurofibrillary degeneration are site-specific, this study provides a new insight
      into the role of PP2A down-regulation in neurofibrillary degeneration in AD.

PMID- 20308787
TI  - GLP-1 receptor stimulation reduces amyloid-beta peptide accumulation and
      cytotoxicity in cellular and animal models of Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - Type 2 (T2) diabetes mellitus (DM) has been associated with an increased
      incidence of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD).
      Several pathological features are shared between diabetes and AD, including
      dysfunctional insulin signaling and a dysregulation of glucose metabolism. It has
      therefore been suggested that not only may the two conditions share specific
      molecular mechanisms but also that agents with proven efficacy in one may be
      useful against the other. Hence, the present study characterized the effects of a
      clinically approved long-acting analogue, exendin-4 (Ex-4), of the endogenous
      insulin releasing incretin, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), on stress-induced
      toxicity in neuronal cultures and on amyloid-beta protein (Abeta) and tau levels
      in triple transgenic AD (3xTg-AD) mice with and without streptozocin (STZ)
      induced diabetes. Ex-4 ameliorated the toxicity of Abeta and oxidative challenge
      in primary neuronal cultures and human SH-SY5Y cells in a concentration-dependent
      manner. When 11 to 12.5 month old female 3xTg AD mice were challenged with STZ or
      saline, and thereafter treated with a continuous subcutaneous infusion of Ex-4 or
      vehicle, Ex-4 ameliorated the diabetic effects of STZ in 3xTg-AD mice, elevating
      plasma insulin and lowering both plasma glucose and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)
      levels. Furthermore, brain levels of Abeta protein precursor and Abeta, which
      were elevated in STZ 3xTg-AD mice, were significantly reduced in Ex-4 treated
      mice. Brain tau levels were unaffected following STZ challenge, but showed a
      trend toward elevation that was absent following Ex-4 treatment. Together, these
      results suggest a potential value of Ex-4 in AD, particularly when associated
      with T2DM or glucose intolerance.

PMID- 20308789
TI  - Dysfunctional characteristics of circulating angiogenic cells in Alzheimer's
      disease.
AB  - Vascular senescence contributes to the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD)
      and circulating angiogenic cells (CACs) participate in the maintenance of the
      endothelium. As a step toward the development endothelial regeneration therapies
      for AD, we investigated the functional characteristics of CACs in AD patients. We
      enrolled AD patients and non-demented risk factor control subjects after matching
      for age, sex, and Framingham risk score. CACs were cultured from peripheral blood
      samples taken from subjects and used for various ex vivo assays. CACs from AD
      patients showed reduced chemotaxis, increased senescence, reduced paracrine
      angiogenic activity, and altered gene expression patterns compared to CACs from
      risk factor (RF) controls. Addition of high concentration Abeta{1-42} (200, 2000
      ng/mL) to the CAC culture reduced CAC counts and endothelial nitric oxide
      synthase/Akt phosphorylation and induced apoptosis. However, lower concentration
      of Abeta{1-42} (2, 20 ng/mL) failed to reduce the CAC counts. CACs from AD
      patients were more susceptible to the cytotoxic effect of Abeta{1-42} than CACs
      from RF controls. In summary, AD patients have intrinsic dysfunctions of CACs
      which provides an extended understanding of vascular endothelial pathogenesis in
      AD.

PMID- 20308790
TI  - Circulating angiogenic cells and Alzheimer's disease: contribution of the bone
      marrow to the pathogenesis of the disease.

PMID- 20308791
TI  - Anesthesia with isoflurane increases amyloid pathology in mice models of
      Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - There is a great interest in the environmental and genetic factors which modify
      the risk of Alzheimer's disease since the manipulation of these factors could
      help to change the prevalence and natural course of this disease. Among the first
      group, anesthesia and surgery have been considered as risk enhancers, based
      mostly on "in vitro" experiments and epidemiological studies. We have
      investigated the effects of repetitive anesthesia, twice a week, for 3 months,
      from 7 to 10 months of age, with isoflurane on survival, behavior, apoptosis in
      hippocampal cells, amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptide and tau patterns, chaperones and
      autophagy in WT and AbetaPP{swe} mice. We have found that AbetaPP{swe} mice
      treated with isoflurane have increased mortality, less responsiveness after
      anesthesia, long lasting reduced exploratory behavior, increased number of
      TUNEL{+} apoptotic cells, and increased ratio of pro-apoptotic proteins in
      hippocampus, reduced astroglial and increased microglial responses, increased
      Abeta aggregates and high molecular weight peptides, abnormal chaperone responses
      and reduced autophagy. These effects were not present in WT mice, suggesting that
      the deleterious impact of isoflurane on behavior, survival, neuronal cell death,
      and processing of proteins involved in neurodegeneration is restricted to
      subjects with increased susceptibility but does not affect normal subjects.

PMID- 20308792
TI  - Combined volumetry and DTI in subcortical structures of mild cognitive impairment
      and Alzheimer's disease patients.
AB  - The aim of this work was to investigate the hypothesis that multimodal MRI is
      able to detect the progressive disruption of volume and microstructure of
      subcortical structures in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (a
      MCI) and mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) in comparison with healthy controls
      (CTRL). We combined volumetric and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) techniques in a
      cross-sectional study including 30 a-MCI, 30 AD patients, and 30 age-matched
      CTRL. We employed a fully automated model-based segmentation algorithm on 3 Tesla
      MRI anatomical images and accurate coregistration of DTI to anatomical images to
      extract regional values of DTI parameters. Both the hippocampi significantly and
      progressively decreased in volume from CTRL through MCI to AD. Both the thalami
      showed a progressive and significant decrease in volume from CTRL to AD. Mean
      diffusivity (MD) values increased progressively across the three groups in the
      bilateral hippocampus, amygdala, and in the right caudate. No differences in
      fractional anisotropy (FA) values were found. Two distinct but overlapping
      patterns of progression of structural (i.e., atrophy) and microstructural (i.e.,
      MD increase) damage were observed. Particularly, the pattern of atrophy was
      mirrored by the increasing value of the averaged MD, which provided a further
      indicator of subtle tissue disruption in the hippocampal structure in mild AD
      patients. Combining different MRI modalities can allow identifying sensitive
      indicators of the subtle pathogenic mechanisms that occur in subcortical areas of
      AD patients.

PMID- 20308793
TI  - The Society for Neuroscience 2009 meeting report, part 2.

PMID- 20308795
TI  - The relationship between serum uric acid level and metabolic syndrome:
      differences by sex and age in Taiwanese.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and hyperuricemia are important risk
      factors for cardiovascular disease. However, findings regarding the relationship
      between serum uric acid (UA) level and components of MetS have been inconsistent.
      This study was performed to explore the potential value of UA level as a marker
      of MetS among male and female Chinese of different ages. METHODS: A total of 5896
      subjects (2960 females and 2936 males) were recruited from the Department of
      Health Management at the Chang Gung Medical Center. Hyperuricemia was defined as
      a serum UA value >7.0 mg/dL for males or >6.0 mg/dL for females. MetS was defined
      according to the criteria of the Adult Treatment Panel III, as modified for
      Chinese subjects. Serum UA was used to differentiate MetS and to calculate
      epidemiological indices by means of discriminate analysis and logistic
      regression. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of serum UA concentration as
      a marker of MetS ranged from 55.2% to 61.4% and 61.9% to 68.4%, respectively.
      Subjects with high UA had a higher risk of MetS, with odds ratios ranging from
      1.23 to 1.82 (P < 0.01). A positive correlation between serum UA and MetS was
      observed in both sexes. Serum UA and the occurrence of MetS rose with increasing
      age in females; in males, however, UA values did not vary with age. CONCLUSIONS:
      Serum UA is more closely associated with MetS in females than in males. High UA
      among middle-aged women may predict the development of MetS.

PMID- 20308796
TI  - Angiostatin inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor-stimulated nitric
      oxide production in endothelial cells.
AB  - Angiostatin (AS), a proteolytic fragment of plasminogen, is a potent
      antiangiogenic factor. It was reported that AS attenuates the vasodilatory
      response to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in isolated
      interventricular arterioles. Here, we investigated the effect of AS on nitric
      oxide (NO) production in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). AS
      inhibited VEGF-stimulated NO production in a dose-dependent manner, whereas AS
      alone did not affect basal NO production. Disruption of kringle structures by
      reduction of disulfide bonds resulted in the loss of the inhibitory effect of AS
      on VEGF-stimulated NO production. To elucidate how AS might impair VEGF
      activation of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS), we further examined whether AS
      would affect Ca(2+)-dependent and -independent pathways of eNOS activation. AS
      had no effect on the transient increase in cytosolic Ca(2+) levels elicited by
      VEGF. In contrast, AS prevented VEGF-potentiated eNOS phosphorylation at Ser1177.
      These results clearly indicate that AS inhibits VEGF-stimulated NO production in
      HUVECs without affecting basal NO production. The kringle structures of AS are
      required for this effect, and impairment of Ser1177 phosphorylation of eNOS might
      be involved in the inhibition of VEGF-stimulated NO production by AS.

PMID- 20308797
TI  - Mexiletine reverses oxaliplatin-induced neuropathic pain in rats.
AB  - Oxaliplatin is a platinum-based chemotherapy drug characterized by the
      development of acute and chronic peripheral neuropathies. Mexiletine, an orally
      available Na(+)-channel blocker, has widely been used in patients with chronic
      painful diabetic neuropathy. In the present study, we examined the effect of
      mexiletine on oxaliplatin-induced neuropathic pain in rats. Mexiletine (100, but
      not 10 and 30, mg/kg, p.o.) completely reversed both mechanical allodynia and
      cold hyperalgesia induced by oxaliplatin (4 mg/kg, i.p., twice a week). Lidocaine
      (30, but not 3 and 10, mg/kg, i.p.) also significantly relieved both pain
      behaviors. These results suggest that mexiletine may be effective in relieving
      the oxaliplatin-induced neuropathic pain clinically.

PMID- 20308798
TI  - Aldosterone-sensitive nucleus tractus solitarius neurons regulate sensitivity of
      the baroreceptor reflex in high sodium-loaded rats.
AB  - We examined the role of aldosterone-sensitive neurons in the nucleus tractus
      solitarius (NTS) in the arterial baroreceptor reflex (baroreflex) function.
      Baroreflex sensitivity was induced by phenylephrine in high sodium-loaded rats
      and was significantly reduced. This baroreflex sensitivity was reversed by
      microinjection of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonist eplerenone into
      the NTS. 11beta-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 neurons and MR were also
      identified in the NTS. These data suggest that the aldosterone-sensitive neurons
      in the NTS may have an important role in baroreflex function.

PMID- 20308799
TI  - Nerve growth factor suppresses prostate tumor growth.
AB  - Nerve growth factor (NGF) facilitates reinnervation of perivascular nerves that
      regulate vascular tone and blood flow. This study investigated whether NGF
      prevents tumor growth by promoting neuronal regulation of tumor blood flow. The
      growth rate of DU145 prostate carcinoma cells subcutaneously implanted into nude
      mice was significantly inhibited by subcutaneous NGF administration. Significant
      suppression of tumor growth continued after withdrawing NGF. NGF increased
      vascular smooth muscle cells in tumor tissues, but had no cytotoxic action on
      tumor cells in vitro. These results suggest that NGF prevents tumor growth via an
      indirect effect, probably innervation or maturation of the tumor neovasculature.

PMID- 20308800
TI  - Identification and characterization of rat RhoA gene promoter.
AB  - RhoA upregulation has been suggested in bronchial smooth muscles (BSMs) of
      asthmatic rats. Here, we cloned/characterized the 5'-promoter region of the rat
      rhoA. A transcription-initiation site was identified at 66-bp upstream of the
      reference sequence, GenBank-BC061732. Luciferase assay using interleukin-13 (IL
      13)-stimulated cells revealed a significant promoter activity at 238- to 166-bp
      upstream of the transcription-initiation site, which contains a signal transducer
      and activation of transcription (STAT) 6-binding region. The IL-13-induced
      increase in luciferase activity was inhibited by a STAT6 inhibitor, AS1517499, or
      a Janus kinases (JAKs) inhibitor, JAK Inhibitor-I, but not by tyrphostin-AG490,
      WHI-P131, or tyrphostin-AG9 (selective JAK2, JAK3, and Tyk2 inhibitors,
      respectively). Thus, rat BSM rhoA expression may have causal relation to the IL
      13-JAK1-STAT6 signaling.

PMID- 20308801
TI  - Involvement of platelet-derived growth factor-BB and its receptor-beta in hypoxia
      induced depression of excitatory synaptic transmission in the nucleus tractus
      solitarius of mice.
AB  - The role of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB / PDGF receptor (PDGFR)-beta
      signal in inhibition of synaptic transmission by hypoxia is unclear. In the
      nucleus tractus solitarius neurons, hypoxia with N(2) or NaCN decreased the
      amplitude of excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) similarly in wild type (WT)
      and PDGFR-beta gene-knockout (KO) mice. Recovery of EP SCs after a high
      concentration of NaCN in KO mice was significantly faster than that in WT mice,
      while recovery after a low concentration of NaCN or N(2) was not different
      between both mice. These results suggest that the PDGF-BB / PDGFR-beta signal
      modulates the excitatory synaptic transmission during hypoxia.

PMID- 20308802
TI  - Internalization of constitutively active N111G MUTANT of AT1 receptor induced by
      angiotensin II-receptor antagonists candesartan, losartan, and telmisartan:
      comparison with valsartan.
AB  - Based on radioligand binding and signal transduction assays in our previous
      study, we have determined the binding pattern and functional efficacy of the
      constitutively active mutant N111G of angiotensin II type 1 (AT(1)) receptor. We
      have also shown that the N111G mutant induces homologous internalization through
      mediation of the AT(1)-receptor antagonist valsartan. In this study we
      demonstrated that other AT(1)-receptor antagonists, candesartan, losartan, and
      telmi-sartan, also stimulate internalization of N111G mutant receptor to the same
      extent. We further showed that the internalization pattern is also similar for
      all the AT(1)-receptor antagonists.

PMID- 20308803
TI  - Interactions of calmodulin with the multiple binding sites of Cav1.2 Ca2+
      channels.
AB  - Although calmodulin binding to various sites of the Cav1.2 Ca(2+) channel has
      been reported, the mechanism of the interaction is not fully understood. In this
      study we examined calmodulin binding to fragment channel peptides using a semi
      quantitative pull-down assay. Calmodulin bound to the peptides with decreasing
      affinity order: IQ > preIQ > I-II loop > N-terminal peptide. A peptide containing
      both preIQ and IQ regions (Leu(1599) - Leu(1668)) bound with approximately 2 mol
      of calmodulin per peptide. These results support the hypothesis that two
      molecules of calmodulin can simultaneously bind to the C-terminus of the Cav1.2
      channel and modulate its facilitatory and inhibitory activities.

PMID- 20308804
TI  - Effects of nicorandil on the cAMP-dependent Cl- current in guinea-pig ventricular
      cells.
AB  - In guinea-pig cardiomyocytes, a cAMP-dependent Cl(-) current (I(Cl,cAMP)) flows
      through a cardiac isoform of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance
      regulator (CFTR), which belongs to a family of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC)
      proteins. Although several K(+)-channel openers and sulfonylurea ATP-sensitive
      K(+) (K(ATP))-channel blockers reportedly inhibit I(Cl,cAMP), effects of
      nicorandil on the Cl(-) current have not been evaluated. This study was conducted
      to examine the effects of nicorandil on I(Cl,cAMP) in isolated guinea-pig
      ventricular cells using patch clamp techniques. Nicorandil in concentrations
      higher than 300 microM enhanced the I(Cl,cAMP) preactivated by 0.1 microM
      isoproterenol. The isoproterenol-induced I(Cl,cAMP) was inhibited by 100 microM
      glibenclamide, but not by 100 microM pinacidil. SNAP (S-nitroso-N-acetyl-D,L
      penicillamine, 10 microM), a nitric oxide (NO) donor, similarly enhanced the
      isoproterenol-induced I(Cl,cAMP). However, SG-86, a denitrated metabolite
      possessing K(+ )channel-opening action, failed to enhance the Cl(-) current. When
      the I(Cl,cAMP) was activated by 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX, 30 microM),
      either nicorandil or SNAP failed to enhance the isoproterenol-induced I(Cl,cAMP).
      Thus, nicorandil enhances I(Cl,cAMP) in guinea-pig cardiomyocytes through an
      increase in intracellular cGMP, although direct modulation of I(Cl,cAMP) by NO
      cannot be completely excluded.

PMID- 20308805
TI  - Cohort differences in health, functioning and physical activity in the young-old
      Finnish population.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: A mixed picture emerges from the international literature
      about secular and cohort changes in the health and functioning of older adults.
      We conducted a repeated population based cross-sectional study to determine
      trends in health, functioning and physical activity in the young old Finnish
      population. METHODS: Representative samples of community-dwelling people aged 65
      69 years in 1988 (n=362), 1996 (n=320) and 2004 (n=292) were compared in socio
      economic status, self-rated health, chronic diseases, memory problems, ability to
      carry out instrumental activities of daily living, physical activity, and five
      year mortality. RESULTS: Significant improvement in all the investigated
      modalities, except that of chronic diseases, was observed in the newer cohorts.
      In logistic regression analysis, after controlling for socioeconomic status and
      gender, cohort effects remained significant for memory problems, IADL
      difficulties and physical activity. Cox regression analyses showed significant
      improvement in survival when later cohorts were compared with the earlier ones.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence of improving levels of socio-economic
      status, self-rated health, functioning, physical activity, and lower risk of
      mortality in the newer cohorts of the Finnish young-old, but this was not
      accompanied by a parallel diminution in chronic diseases.

PMID- 20308806
TI  - Someone asked for a "how-to" write editorial.

PMID- 20308807
TI  - Gaining the most from an older adult research interview.
AB  - The relationship between research and practice is increasingly important. The
      research interview is part of the foundation of quality research and evidence
      based practice decisions. Thorough preparation and planning is required for a
      successful research interview with an older adult.

PMID- 20308808
TI  - A "waiver" program that keeps Ohio elders at home: PASSPORT in home health care.

PMID- 20308809
TI  - When a for-profit acquires a nonprofit organization: lessons learned from one
      home health/hospice's experience.

PMID- 20308810
TI  - Development and implementation of an advanced wound management class: preparing
      for OASIS-C.
AB  - This article explains the process of developing a 10-week course entitled
      Advanced Wound Management, in preparation for the implementation of Outcome and
      Assessment Information Set-C (OASIS-C). The impetus for choosing wound management
      was the result of a Needs Assessment completed by the nursing staff. The wound
      management learning needs identified by the clinicians in the Needs Assessment
      were aligned with the organization's goal to prepare for OASIS-C.

PMID- 20308811
TI  - The use of electronic health information systems in home care: facilitators and
      barriers.
AB  - Electronic health information systems (EHIS) containing standardized assessment
      data (e.g., RAI-Home Care, Outcome and Assessment Information Set [OASIS]) hold
      considerable promise, but their potential has yet to be fully realized.
      Literature was searched for strategies on implementing and using EHIS, including
      barriers and facilitators of their use in home care. Results of this review will
      be discussed in terms of their implications for the future development and use of
      EHIS in home care, and for future research.

PMID- 20308812
TI  - OASIS-C, depression screening, and M1730: additional screening is necessary: the
      value of using standardized assessments.

PMID- 20308813
TI  - The Gatekeeper Program: proactive identification and case management of at-risk
      older adults prevents nursing home placement, saving healthcare dollars program
      evaluation.
AB  - The Gatekeeper Program is an innovative community and hospital partnership
      focused on prevention of premature nursing home placement. Utilizing trained
      volunteers, who come into contact with older adults through their everyday jobs,
      the program provides assistance to over 1600 older adults. Positive program
      outcomes include reducing emergency department (ED) and hospital admissions and a
      14 million dollar savings in healthcare costs related to nursing home placement.

PMID- 20308814
TI  - Patient safety and medications in the home.

PMID- 20308816
TI  - Neuroanesthesiology update.
AB  - Recent literature contains many reports of value to clinicians providing
      anesthetic or intensive care for neurosurgical patients or patients experiencing,
      or at risk for, neurological impairment. We will review many of these articles,
      focusing on those that address intracranial hemorrhage, intracranial procedures,
      carotid endarterectomy, spine surgery, and the determinants of outcome in
      patients with evolving or new-onset neurologic disease. Additionally, we will
      review articles addressing neurotoxicity, neuroprotection, and nervous system
      monitoring.

PMID- 20308817
TI  - Emergence times are similar with sevoflurane and total intravenous anesthesia:
      results of a multicenter RCT of patients scheduled for elective supratentorial
      craniotomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nearly every anesthetic agent has been used for craniotomy, yet the
      choice between intravenous or volatile agents has been considered an area of
      significant debate in neuroanesthesia. We designed a Randomized Clinical Trial to
      test the hypothesis that inhalation anesthesia (sevoflurane/remifentanil--group
      S) reduces emergence time by 5 minutes compared with intravenous anesthesia
      (propofol/remifentanil--group P) in patients undergoing neurosurgery for
      supratentorial neoplasms. METHODS: Adult ASA I-III elective patients were
      randomly assigned to group S or P. The primary outcome was time to reach an
      Aldrete test score (AS) of more than equal to 9; secondary outcomes were times to
      eyes opening (TEO) and extubation (ET), adverse events, intraoperative
      hemodynamics, brain relaxation score (BRS), opioid consumption, and diuresis.
      RESULTS: No significant differences were found between S (n=149) and P (n=153)
      treatments in primary outcomes: median time to reach AS=9 was 5 minutes (25th to
      75th percentile 5 to 10 minutes in both groups, P > or = 0.05); and 15 minutes to
      reach AS=10 (P group 95% CI=10.3-19.7 min; S group 95% CI=11.4-18.5 min, P > or =
      0.05) in both groups. TEO and ET expressed as median values (95% CI) were,
      respectively: 8 (6.8 to 9.2) minutes in group P versus 6 (4.6 to 7.4) in group S,
      P < 0.05; 10 (9.6 to 10.4) minutes in group P versus 8 (7 to 9) in group S, P <
      0.05. Shivering, postoperative nausea and vomiting, pain, and seizure during the
      first 3 postoperative hours were not significantly different between the 2
      groups, nor was BRS. Hypotension was more frequent in group S. Intraoperative
      diuresis and opioid consumption were greater in group P. CONCLUSIONS:
      Sevoflurane/remifentanil neuroanesthesia is not superior to propofol/remifentanil
      in time to reach an AS > or = 9.

PMID- 20308818
TI  - Electroacupoint stimulation for postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients
      undergoing supratentorial craniotomy.
AB  - OBJECTS: We evaluated the effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical acupoint
      stimulation (TEAS) at the P6 acupoint for prevention of postoperative nausea and
      vomiting in patients undergoing supratentorial craniotomy. METHODS: The study
      population was patients aged 20 to 60 years who underwent supratentorial
      craniotomy under general anesthesia. Exclusion criteria were obesity, diabetes
      mellitus, and a history of motion sickness, postoperative nausea and vomiting, or
      smoking. Patients were randomized into 2 groups: stimulation and control. In the
      former, transcutaneous stimulation electrodes were placed at the right P6
      acupoint. In controls, electrodes were positioned at a nonacupoint site. Patients
      received a standard general anesthesia. Ondansetron was given as a routine
      antiemetic treatment for each patient before skin closure. Postoperatively,
      metoclopramide (10 mg, i.v.) was administered as a rescue antiemetic. RESULT:
      Forty patients received TEAS and 40 were controls. In the TEAS group, 18% of
      patients had nausea compared with 37% of the controls. The cumulative prevalence
      of vomiting was 12.5% with acustimulation and 32.5% in controls (P<0.05). The
      prevalence of nausea, vomiting was significantly lower with TEAS at the P6
      acupoint. CONCLUSIONS: TEAS at the P6 meridian points is an effective adjunct to
      standard antiemetic drug therapy for prevention of nausea and vomiting in
      patients undergoing supratentorial craniotomy.

PMID- 20308819
TI  - Cerebral autoregulation and CO2 reactivity before and after elective
      supratentorial tumor resection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The effect of surgical decompression of tumor on autoregulation and
      CO2 reactivity is not known. We examined the effect of elective tumor resection
      on cerebral autoregulation and CO2 reactivity. METHODS: Patients with
      supratentorial tumors undergoing elective craniotomy for tumor resection under
      standard anesthesia underwent cerebral autoregulation and CO2 reactivity testing
      immediately before and between 6 and 24 hours after surgery. Transient hyperemic
      response of the middle cerebral artery after the release of 10 second compression
      of the ipsilateral common carotid artery was used to calculate the transient
      hyperemic response ratio (THRR). THRR>1.1 defined the normal autoregulation.
      Voluntary hyperventilation was titrated to reduce the ETCO2 by 10 mm Hg below
      baseline and CO2 reactivity was calculated. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients (26
      male and 9 female) were studied. Overall, cerebral autoregulation was intact
      before and after tumor resection for the cohort (THRR 1.27+/-0.10 and 1.30+/
      0.12, P=0.11). However, cerebral autoregulation was impaired preoperatively in 7
      (20%) patients and remained impaired in all 7 patients after tumor resection.
      Larger tumor size (P=0.002), and midline shift more than 5 mm (P<0.001) were
      associated with impaired cerebral autoregulation. Twenty-eight (80%) patients who
      had intact preoperative cerebral autoregulation maintained autoregulation
      postoperatively. CO2 reactivity was within normal limits before and after surgery
      in all patients and did not change between the 2 periods (3.41+/-0.46/mm Hg and
      3.60+/-0.63%/mm Hg, P=0.07). CONCLUSION: Preoperative cerebral autoregulation was
      impaired in a significant number of patients with large supratentorial tumor size
      and midline shift more than 5 mm and was associated with postoperative impaired
      cerebral autoregulation during the first 24 hours after the surgery.

PMID- 20308820
TI  - Feasibility of microdialysis to determine interstitial rocuronium concentration
      in the muscle tissue of anesthetized neurosurgical patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Microdialysis is used to determine the concentrations of substances
      in the extracellular fluid of tissues. To date, it has not been used to measure
      rocuronium concentrations in human muscle. We determined the ability of
      microdialysis to recover rocuronium from muscle interstitial tissue for the
      purpose of assessing the effect of chronic phenytoin therapy on muscle
      concentrations of rocuronium. METHODS: In a first phase, an in vitro study was
      performed to establish the ability of the assay to recover rocuronium. In a
      second phase, 17 patients undergoing brain surgery were enrolled. Eight patients
      were on chronic phenytoin therapy and the remaining 9 patients were not taking
      any antiepileptic agent (controls). Rocuronium was administered intravenously and
      muscle tissue samples for microdialysis were collected. RESULTS: The recovery
      rate of the in vitro assay was 36% at a pump rate of 1 microL/min. Rocuronium
      muscle tissue concentrations could be measured in 25 microdialysate samples.
      Rocuronium concentrations were similar in patients treated with phenytoin and in
      controls, although the doses required to obtain a similar effect were
      significantly higher in patients on chronic phenytoin treatment. CONCLUSIONS:
      Quantification of drug concentrations in muscle by means of microdialysis is
      technically feasible in the clinical setting and it might help in studying
      pharmacologic mechanisms of drug action. Based on our results the decrease in the
      degree of effect of rocuronium in the presence of chronic phenytoin therapy might
      seem to be due mainly to a pharmacokinetic mechanism.

PMID- 20308824
TI  - Adnexal masses: when to observe, when to intervene, and when to refer.

PMID- 20308825
TI  - Physicians influence and the malpractice problem.

PMID- 20308826
TI  - Predicting risk of malignancy in adnexal masses.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate the accuracy of preoperative ultrasonography, serum CA
      125, and patient demographics as a means of predicting risk of malignancy in
      women with a ultrasonographically confirmed adnexal mass. METHODS: Tumor
      morphology derived from ultrasonographic images, tumor size, tumor bilaterality,
      serum CA 125, and patient demographics were evaluated preoperatively in 395
      patients undergoing surgery from 2001 to 2008. Tumor morphology was classified as
      complex, solid, or cystic. Preoperative findings were compared with tumor
      histologic findings at the time of surgery. Multivariable classification and
      regression tree analysis were used to identify a group of patients at high risk
      of ovarian malignancy. RESULTS: One hundred eighteen patients had ovarian cancer,
      13 patients had ovarian tumors of borderline malignancy, and 264 had benign
      ovarian tumors. Multivariable classification and regression tree analysis defined
      women at high risk of ovarian malignancy as those with an adnexal mass having
      complex or solid morphology and a serum CA 125 value greater than 35 units/mL.
      This definition had a positive predictive value of 84.7% and a negative
      predictive value of 92.4% and correctly identified 77.3% of patients with stage I
      and stage II ovarian cancer and 98.6% of patients with stage III and stage IV
      ovarian cancer. CONCLUSION: Patients with solid or complex ovarian tumors and an
      elevated serum CA 125 level (greater than 35 units/mL) are at high risk of
      ovarian malignancy. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.

PMID- 20308827
TI  - Neutrophil count for the identification of postmenopausal hypertensive women at
      increased cardiovascular risk.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: High white blood cell and neutrophil counts identify patients at
      increased cardiovascular risk in various clinical settings. However, the
      prognostic value of white blood cell and neutrophil counts in hypertensive
      postmenopausal women is unknown. We tested the independent prognostic value of
      total white blood cell and neutrophil counts for cardiovascular events in
      hypertensive postmenopausal women. METHODS: We examined 298 initially untreated
      postmenopausal women with essential hypertension who were part of Progetto
      Ipertensione Umbria Monitoraggio Ambulatoriale (PIUMA). Mean duration of follow
      up was 8 years (range 1-20 years). Treatment was tailored to each individual.
      RESULTS: Mean age at entry was 59 years. Diabetic women comprised 9.1% of the
      group, and current smokers comprised 17.5% of the group. During follow-up, 31 new
      major cardiovascular events occurred. In univariable analyses, age, diabetes,
      serum creatinine, blood pressure, left ventricular hypertrophy, and neutrophil
      count showed an association with the risk of events (all P<.05). In a
      multivariable Cox analysis, after adjustment for traditional cardiovascular risk
      factors, for each 1.25x10 (1 standard deviation) increase in neutrophil count
      there was a 67% higher risk of cardiovascular events (hazard ratio 1.67, 95%
      confidence interval 1.32-2.07; P<.001). Furthermore, neutrophil count showed
      robust incremental predictive value for cardiovascular events, in addition to
      traditional risk factors. Total white blood cell count did not show any
      association with cardiovascular events. CONCLUSION: A high peripheral neutrophil
      count identifies postmenopausal hypertensive women at increased risk of
      cardiovascular disease. Such relation appears to be independent of traditional
      risk factors. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

PMID- 20308828
TI  - The natural history of the normal first stage of labor.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine labor patterns in a large population and to explore an
      alternative approach for diagnosing abnormal labor progression. METHODS: Data
      from the National Collaborative Perinatal Project were used. A total of 26,838
      parturients were selected who had a singleton term gestation, spontaneous onset
      of labor, vertex presentation, and a normal perinatal outcome. A repeated
      measures analysis was used to construct average labor curves by parity. An
      interval-censored regression was used to estimate duration of labor stratified by
      cervical dilation at admission and centimeter by centimeter. RESULTS: The median
      time needed to progress from one centimeter to the next became shorter as labor
      advanced (eg, from 1.2 hours at 3-4 cm to 0.4 hours at 7-8 cm in nulliparas).
      Nulliparous women had the longest and most gradual labor curve; multiparous women
      of different parities had very similar curves. Nulliparas may start the active
      phase after 5 cm of cervical dilation and may not necessarily have a clear active
      phase characterized by precipitous dilation. The deceleration phase in the late
      active phase of labor may be an artifact in many cases. CONCLUSION: The active
      phase of labor may not start until 5 cm of cervical dilation in multiparas and
      even later in nulliparas. A 2-hour threshold for diagnosing labor arrest may be
      too short before 6 cm of dilation, whereas a 4-hour limit may be too long after 6
      cm. Given that cervical dilation accelerates as labor advances, a graduated
      approach based on levels of cervical dilation to diagnose labor protraction and
      arrest is proposed. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

PMID- 20308829
TI  - Maternal and neonatal outcomes after antepartum treatment of influenza with
      antiviral medications.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To review the maternal and neonatal outcomes after antepartum exposure
      to M2 ion channel inhibitors or oseltamivir to provide some guidance on the risk,
      if any, of antiviral medication during pregnancy. METHODS: This was a
      retrospective cohort study examining maternal and neonatal outcomes after
      antepartum exposure to antiviral therapy for influenza. We evaluated maternal
      characteristics, pregnancy outcomes, and fetal outcomes and compared them with
      our overall obstetric population. RESULTS: Exposure to antiviral therapies (M2
      ion channel inhibitors [n=104] compared with oseltamivir [n=135] compared with
      the control group [n=82,097]) during pregnancy was not associated with increased
      rates of preterm birth (7% compared with 10% compared with 6%, P=.190), premature
      rupture of membranes (23% compared with 16% compared with 22%, P=.154),
      gestational diabetes (4% compared with 8% compared with 6%, P=.388), or
      preeclampsia (6% compared with 1% compared with 4%, P=.209). Exposure was not
      associated with increased duration of hospital stay for mother or neonate. There
      were no differences in the incidence of minor malformations (19% compared with
      15% compared with 22%, P=.101). Liveborn singletons without major malformations
      did not have differences in fetal weight (3,238+/-586 g compared with 3,281+/-642
      g compared with 3,336+/-571 g, P=.186), need for intubation (2% compared with
      0.8% compared with 1%, P=.552), intensive care nursery admission (3% compared
      with 3% compared with 2%, P=.418), or hyperbilirubinemia (12% compared with 9%
      compared with 8%, P=.282). Liveborn singletons had no grade 3 or 4
      intraventricular hemorrhages, seizures, or neonatal deaths. Two preterm neonates
      exposed to different classes of medications had necrotizing enterocolitis (1.0%
      compared with 0.8% compared with 0.02%, P<.001). CONCLUSION: We found no evidence
      of an association between antepartum antiviral exposure and adverse outcomes.
      LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.

PMID- 20308830
TI  - Severity of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus infection in pregnant women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine 2009 H1N1 influenza illness severity and the effect of
      antiviral treatment on the severity of illness among pregnant women. METHODS: We
      abstracted medical records from hospitalized pregnant (n=62) and nonpregnant
      (n=74) women with laboratory-confirmed 2009 H1N1 influenza in New York City, May
      through June 2009. We compared characteristics of pregnant and nonpregnant women
      and of severe and moderate influenza illness among pregnant women, with severe
      defined as illness resulting in intensive care admission or death. RESULTS: The
      2009 H1N1 hospitalization rate was significantly higher among pregnant than
      nonpregnant women (55.3 compared with 7.7 per 100,000 population). Eight pregnant
      (including two deaths) and 16 nonpregnant (including four deaths) cases were
      severe. Pregnant women represented 6.4% of hospitalized cases and 4.3% of deaths
      caused by 2009 H1N1 influenza. Only 1 in 30 (3.3%) pregnant women who received
      oseltamivir treatment within 2 days of symptom onset had severe illness compared
      with 3 of 14 (21.4%) and four of nine (44.4%) pregnant women who started
      treatment 3-4 days and 5 days or more after symptom onset, respectively (P=.002
      for trend). Severe and moderate 2009 H1N1 influenza illness occurred in all
      pregnancy trimesters, but most women (54.8%) were in the third trimester. Twenty
      two women delivered during their influenza hospitalization, and severe neonatal
      outcomes (neonatal intensive care unit admission or death) occurred among five of
      six (83.3%) women with severe illness compared with 2 of 16 (12.5%) women with
      moderate illness (P=.004). CONCLUSION: Our findings highlight the potential for
      severe illness and adverse neonatal outcomes among pregnant 2009 H1N1 influenza
      infected women and suggest the benefit of early oseltamivir treatment. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: II.

PMID- 20308831
TI  - Accuracy of real-time polymerase chain reaction for Toxoplasma gondii in amniotic
      fluid.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To provide clinicians with information about the accuracy of real-time
      polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of amniotic fluid for the prenatal
      diagnosis of congenital Toxoplasma infection. METHODS: This was a prospective
      cohort study of women with Toxoplasma infection identified by prenatal screening
      in three centers routinely carrying out real-time PCR for the detection of
      Toxoplasma gondii in amniotic fluid. The data available were gestational age at
      maternal infection, types and dates of maternal treatment, results of
      amniocentesis and neonatal work-up and definitive infectious status of the child.
      We estimated sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values
      both overall and per trimester of pregnancy at the time of maternal infection.
      RESULTS: Polymerase chain reaction analysis was carried out on amniotic fluid for
      261 of the 377 patients included (69%). It was accurate with the exception of
      four negative results in children who were infected. Overall sensitivity and
      negative predictive value were 92.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 81-98%) and
      98.1% (95% CI 95-99.5%), respectively. There was no significant association with
      the trimester of pregnancy during which maternal infection occurred. Specificity
      and positive predictive values of 100% were obtained for all trimesters.
      CONCLUSION: Real-time PCR analysis significantly improves the detection of T.
      gondii on amniotic fluid. It provides an accurate tool to predict fetal infection
      and to decide on appropriate treatment and surveillance. However, postnatal
      follow-up remains necessary in the first year of life to fully exclude infection
      in children for whom PCR results were negative. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

PMID- 20308832
TI  - Association between tampon use and choosing the contraceptive vaginal ring.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate whether tampon users are more likely to select the
      contraceptive vaginal ring than combined oral contraceptive pills (OCPs).
      METHODS: The Contraceptive Choice Project is a longitudinal study of 10,000 St.
      Louis area women promoting the use of long-acting, reversible methods of
      contraception and evaluating user continuation and satisfaction for all
      reversible methods. We performed univariable and multivariable analyses of the
      311 women who were asked about tampon use at the time of enrollment and who chose
      the contraceptive vaginal ring or OCPs to assess the association of tampon use
      and choice of combined hormonal method. RESULTS: Among contraceptive vaginal ring
      and OCP users, 247 (79%) reported using tampons. Contraceptive vaginal ring users
      were not significantly different from OCP users in terms of age, race or
      ethnicity, marital status, insurance, body mass index, or parity. Adjusted
      analysis indicated that tampon users were more likely to choose the contraceptive
      vaginal ring instead of OCPs (adjusted relative risk 1.34, 95% confidence
      interval 1.01-1.78). Women with previous contraceptive vaginal ring experience
      were also more likely to choose the contraceptive vaginal ring (adjusted relative
      risk 1.96, 95% confidence interval 1.6-2.4). Recent OCP use did not influence
      method choice. CONCLUSION: In our baseline analysis of the Contraceptive Choice
      Project, tampon users were more likely to choose the contraceptive vaginal ring
      than OCPs. Use of tampons could be considered an indicator for the initial
      acceptability of the contraceptive vaginal ring, but all women should be offered
      the contraceptive vaginal ring regardless of experience with tampon use. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: II.

PMID- 20308833
TI  - Gestrinone compared with mifepristone for emergency contraception: a randomized
      controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of gestrinone with that of mifepristone for
      emergency contraception. METHODS: A randomized double-blind trial was conducted
      in five family-planning clinics in China. We randomly assigned 998 healthy women
      with regular menstrual cycles and negative urine pregnancy tests who were
      requesting emergency contraception up to 72 hours after unprotected coitus to
      receive single-dose 10 mg gestrinone (n=499) or 10 mg mifepristone (n=499). We
      monitored them to 7 days after the expected first day of their next menstrual
      period. The study was powered to detect a 5% failure rate between the two
      regimens. RESULTS: The treatment groups did not differ significantly;
      posttreatment pregnancy rates were 2.4% in the gestrinone group compared with
      1.8% in the mifepristone group (P=.51). The majority of women menstruated the
      first day of expected menses, and groups did not differ regarding side effects.
      CONCLUSION: The effectiveness of 10 mg gestrinone is not significantly different
      from 10 mg mifepristone as an emergency contraceptive method. CLINICAL TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: ISRCTN Register, isrctn.org, ISRCTN87842530. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: I.

PMID- 20308834
TI  - Home screening compared with clinic-based screening for sexually transmitted
      infections.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate completion rate and acceptability of home screening for
      sexually transmitted infections (STIs) compared with clinic-based screening in a
      prospective cohort study. METHODS: The first 462 women enrolled in the
      Contraceptive Choice Project were screened at the 12-month follow-up for
      Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae using strand displacement
      analysis of self-collected vaginal swabs. In a telephone interview, participants
      were given a choice of no-cost screening with swabs mailed to the participant's
      home (home-based) or screening that was available at area family planning clinics
      without an appointment (clinic-based). The clinic-based group also included women
      who elected to screen with their regular provider according to the clinician's
      normal practice. We analyzed the rates of screening, including patient preference
      and the proportion of completed tests by testing method. RESULTS: Women were more
      likely to choose to screen for STIs at home than at a clinic or with their own
      medical provider (75.7% compared with 16.1% compared with 8.2%, P<.001). Women
      choosing clinic testing were more likely to be African American than those
      choosing home testing. African-American women constituted 42% of the clinic group
      compared with 28% of the home group (relative risk [RR] 1.63, 95% confidence
      interval [CI] 1.14-2.31). The groups did not differ in other demographic
      characteristics, STI risk factors, or access to health care. Overall, 228 women
      (56.6%) completed screening. Women who chose home-based testing were more likely
      to complete a test compared with all clinic-based testers (64.6% compared with
      31.6%, RR 2.04, 95% CI 1.51-2.76). CONCLUSION: Women overwhelmingly preferred to
      screen for STIs at home. Future interventions to increase screening rates in
      young women should consider alternative screening strategies such as home-based
      or patient-controlled testing. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.

PMID- 20308835
TI  - Results of a program to test women for rectal chlamydia and gonorrhea.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze whether rectal testing among women increased chlamydia and
      gonorrhea case-finding and whether reported receptive anal intercourse was a risk
      factor for rectal infection. METHODS: From March 2007 to August 2008, women
      receiving pelvic examinations at the San Francisco sexually transmitted disease
      clinic were tested for rectal gonorrhea and chlamydia by using a transcription
      mediated amplification assay. Results of testing and clinical and demographic
      data were analyzed using a cross-sectional study design. RESULTS: Of 1,308 women
      with both rectal and vaginal tests, test results were positive for 79 patients
      (6.0%) for rectal chlamydia or gonorrhea and 88 patients (6.7%) for genital
      chlamydia or gonorrhea. Test results were positive for 13 patients (1.0%) at the
      rectum only, increasing detection from 88 to 101 patients (14.8%; 95% confidence
      interval 8.1-23.9). No correlation existed between reported anal sex and rectal
      chlamydia (P=.74); however, 50% of women with rectal gonorrhea reported anal sex
      compared with 21% of women without rectal gonorrhea (P=.002). CONCLUSION:
      Sexually transmitted disease clinics might improve chlamydia and gonorrhea case
      finding through rectal testing of women, but more study is needed to determine
      the effects of finding and treating such infections. Reporting anal intercourse
      did not predict rectal chlamydial infection among women tested at both the rectum
      and the vagina. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.

PMID- 20308836
TI  - Effect of prior cesarean delivery on risk of second-trimester surgical abortion
      complications.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate second-trimester surgical abortion complication rates and
      to estimate the effect of past cesarean delivery on the risk of complications.
      METHODS: Demographic, medical, and operative data were collected prospectively
      between October 2004 and March 2007 in an academic, urban, U.S. abortion clinic.
      Complication and intervention rates were calculated. Multivariable logistic
      regression models were used to evaluate risk factors for a major complication,
      hemorrhage, cervical laceration, and atony. RESULTS: We included 2,973 second
      trimester surgical abortions. Cervical laceration (3.3%), atony (2.6%), and
      hemorrhage (1.0%) were the most common complications. The rate of major
      complications (eg, transfusion, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and
      reoperation) was 1.3%. In multivariable logistic regression modeling, a history
      of two or more cesarean deliveries was the strongest predictor for having a major
      complication (odds ratio [OR] 7.4, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.4-15.8), while
      additional predictors included gestational age of 20 weeks or more (OR 4.4, 95%
      CI 2.0-11.4) and insufficient initial cervical preparation requiring further
      dilation (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.2-5.4). CONCLUSION: Second-trimester surgical
      abortions were associated with a major complication rate of approximately 1%. A
      history of two or more cesarean deliveries was associated with a sevenfold
      increase in odds of major complication and was the strongest independent risk
      factor for a major complication. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

PMID- 20308837
TI  - Progesterone receptor genotype, family history, and spontaneous preterm birth.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine whether women with a personal or family history of preterm
      birth are more likely to have genetic variation in the human progesterone
      receptor (hPR). METHODS: Women with a singleton preterm birth at less than 37
      weeks of gestation between 2002 and 2006 were identified from a prospectively
      collected clinical and biologic obstetric database (cases). Women in the control
      group were those with only term deliveries at or above 38 weeks of gestation. The
      Utah Population Database was queried for family history (first- or second-degree
      relative) of preterm birth. DNA was extracted from stored buffy coats and
      genotyped for six single nucleotide polymorphisms in the hPR. RESULTS: One
      hundred fifty-four patients (92 women in the preterm case group, 62 women in the
      term control group) were included. All were white or Hispanic. There were no
      statistical differences between white and Hispanic allele frequencies. Women in
      the preterm case group were more likely to carry the minor allele, G (minor
      allele frequency 0.29 compared with 0.18, P=.035) for rs471767, and were more
      likely to carry the GT haplotype across rs471767 and rs578029 compared with women
      in the term control group. Similar haplotype block variation was seen among women
      with preterm birth plus a family history of preterm birth. CONCLUSION: Allele and
      haplotype frequencies in the hPR are significantly different among women with
      preterm birth and women with preterm birth plus a family history of preterm
      birth. This suggests the hPR gene may be a candidate for association with preterm
      birth or familial preterm birth. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

PMID- 20308838
TI  - Chorioamnion separation as a risk for preterm premature rupture of membranes
      after laser therapy for twin-twin transfusion syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the outcomes in chorioamnion membrane separation with
      nonchorioamnion membrane separation cases after fetoscopic laser photocoagulation
      of placental anastomoses for the treatment of twin to twin transfusion syndrome.
      METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of twin to twin transfusion
      syndrome cases that underwent laser ablation at the Texas Children's Fetal Center
      from October 2007 to March 2009. The cases were identified from our database. We
      excluded triplet pregnancies. Chorioamnion membrane separation was identified by
      ultrasound examination performed within 24 hours of intervention. Preterm
      premature rupture of membranes (PROM) was defined as rupture of the membranes
      before 34 weeks of gestation. RESULTS: Ninety-seven cases were included in the
      analysis; 19 (19.6%) had chorioamnion membrane separation. There were no
      significant differences in preoperative and intraoperative variables, except for
      a lower recipient maximum vertical pocket (10.3+/-2.1 compared with 12.6+/-3.4;
      P<.01), and higher rate of iatrogenic septostomy (21% compared with 2.5%; P=.01)
      in the chorioamnion membrane separation group. Postoperatively, the incidence of
      preterm PROM was 74% in chorioamnion membrane separation group compared with 23%
      in the nonchorioamnion membrane separation group (relative risk 3.2, 95%
      confidence interval 1.9-4.4). The procedure-to-delivery interval was reduced by
      20 days in the chorioamnion membrane separation group (P<.01). The neonatal
      survival rate was 63.2% in the chorioamnion membrane separation group compared
      with 84% in the nonchorioamnion membrane separation group (P=.016). CONCLUSION: A
      low preoperative recipient maximum vertical pocket is associated with increased
      risk of chorioamnion membrane separation. Postoperative chorioamnion membrane
      separation after laser surgery for twin to twin transfusion syndrome is a major
      risk factor for preterm PROM, early delivery, and an increase in perinatal
      mortality. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.

PMID- 20308839
TI  - Efforts needed to provide Institute of Medicine-recommended guidelines for
      gestational weight gain.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate body mass index (BMI)-specific gestational weight gain
      recommendations and frequency of weight and gestational weight gain discussions
      and documentation. METHODS: Medical record review of 477 randomly selected
      patients who met inclusion criteria and who received care in faculty and resident
      clinics at a central Massachusetts tertiary care center. Patients started
      prenatal care at or before 14 weeks of gestation and delivered between April 2007
      and March 2008. RESULTS: Our patients were mean (+/-standard deviation) 27.8 (+/
      6.3) years, 69.8% multiparous, 45.3% white, 10.5% black, and 15.9% Hispanic. Mean
      gestational age at initial visit was 9.6 (+/-2.1) weeks and mean prenatal visits
      attended were 12.6 (+/-2.7). Using prenatal chart data alone, BMI was not
      calculable for 41.2% of patients due to missing height (27.7%), prepregnancy
      weight (27.9%), or both (14.5%). In the total sample, documentation was missing
      with regard to BMI (95.4%), gestational weight gain (85.3%), gestational weight
      gain goals (90.1%), and discussion of weight (88.9%). Supplemental data were
      obtained to calculate prepregnancy BMI for 469 patients. Per 1990 (BMI at least
      26.1) and 2009 (BMI at least 25.0) guidelines, 42% and 49% of patients were
      overweight or obese, respectively, before pregnancy. Analysis of actual
      gestational weight gain by BMI revealed that 76% of overweight and 65% of obese
      patients gained excessively. CONCLUSION: Prenatal care providers should include
      recording height and weight to calculate BMI and to provide BMI-specific
      gestational weight gain guidelines. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

PMID- 20308840
TI  - Precise DNA genotyping diagnosis of hydatidiform mole.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate whether tissue DNA genotyping is effective for the
      confirmation and subclassification of hydatidiform moles. METHODS: Consecutive
      cases of products of conception were selected based on histologic alterations
      that are suspicious for molar pregnancy. DNA genotyping was performed by a
      multiplex polymerase chain reaction targeting 15 tetrameric polymorphic loci of
      the human genome. RESULTS: A total of 205 products of conception were included.
      DNA genotyping was informative in all, leading to the final identification of 60
      cases of hydatidiform moles, including 17 complete and 43 partial moles. Among 17
      cases of complete moles, 14 cases were monospermic and three were dispermic.
      Forty-three cases were confirmed as triploid partial moles, 42 of which were
      dispermic and one was monospermic. Among nonmolar cases, 32 gestations showed
      allelic changes indicating chromosomal alterations, including 28 cases of trisomy
      syndrome: trisomy 16 (eight cases), trisomy 21 (six cases), trisomy 7 (three
      cases), trisomy 13 (three cases), trisomy 4 (one case), trisomy 8 (one case),
      trisomy 18 (one case), XXY/Klinefelter syndrome (one case), and multiple
      trisomies (four cases). Monosomy 22 was seen in one case. Two nonmolar cases were
      triploid digynic-monoandric gestations. More complex chromosomal abnormalities
      were seen in one case. The remaining 113 cases were balanced biallelic
      gestations. CONCLUSION: Tissue DNA genotyping is a practical and highly accurate
      method for the confirmation and subclassification of hydatidiform moles. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: III.

PMID- 20308841
TI  - Vitamin D and pelvic floor disorders in women: results from the National Health
      and Nutrition Examination Survey.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in women with
      pelvic floor disorders and to evaluate possible associations between vitamin D
      levels and pelvic floor disorders. METHODS: Using 2005-2006 National Health and
      Nutrition Examination Survey data, we performed a cross-sectional analysis of
      nonpregnant women older than 20 years of age with data on both pelvic floor
      disorders and vitamin D measurements (n=1,881). Vitamin D levels lower than 30
      ng/mL were considered insufficient. The prevalence of demographic factors, pelvic
      floor disorders, and vitamin D levels were determined, accounting for the multi
      stage sampling design; odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were
      calculated to evaluate associations between vitamin D levels and pelvic floor
      disorders with control for known risk factors. RESULTS: One or more pelvic floor
      disorders were reported by 23% of women. Mean vitamin D levels were significantly
      lower for women reporting at least one pelvic floor disorder and for those with
      urinary incontinence, irrespective of age. In adjusted logistic regression
      models, we observed significantly decreased risks of one or more pelvic floor
      disorders with increasing vitamin D levels in all women aged 20 or older (OR,
      0.94; 95% CI, 0.88-0.99) and in the subset of women 50 years and older (OR, 0.92;
      95% CI, 0.85-0.99). Additionally, the likelihood of urinary incontinence was
      significantly reduced in women 50 and older with vitamin D levels 30 ng/mL or
      higher (OR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.34-0.91). CONCLUSION: Higher vitamin D levels are
      associated with a decreased risk of pelvic floor disorders in women. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: III.

PMID- 20308842
TI  - The influence of pelvic muscle activation during vaginal delivery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate the influence of pelvic floor muscle activation during
      vaginal delivery using a three-dimensional computational finite element model.
      METHODS: A computational finite element model of the pelvic skeletal structure,
      pelvic floor, and fetus was developed. The movements of the fetus during birth,
      in vertex position, were simulated; namely, the engagement, descent, flexion,
      internal rotation, and extension of the fetal head. The opposite forces against
      the fetal descent and the stress on the pelvic floor muscles were obtained in
      passive, 5%, 10%, and 15% pelvic floor muscle simulated activations. RESULTS: The
      increase in pelvic floor muscle activation was associated with higher values of
      forces against the fetal descent. The descending fetus encountered increasing
      resistance in higher stations with the increase in pelvic floor muscle
      activation. The maximum values of stress of the pelvic floor muscles were
      obtained in +4 station. The increase in pelvic floor muscle activation was also
      followed by higher values of pelvic floor stress. CONCLUSION: This study
      demonstrates the feasibility of using a computational modeling approach to study
      parturition. This experimental evidence suggests that the pelvic floor muscle
      activation during vaginal delivery may represent an obstacle to fetal descent and
      increase the risk for pelvic floor injuries. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

PMID- 20308843
TI  - Quality of life in women with postpartum anal incontinence.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate the effect of anal incontinence on postpartum quality of
      life (QOL). METHODS: We conducted a longitudinal follow-up study of women
      reporting anal incontinence on a statewide postpartum survey to estimate the
      effect of anal incontinence on QOL up to 2 years postpartum. Quality of life was
      assessed every 6 months for 2 years based on the Uebersax incontinence impact
      questionnaire. The effect of severe anal incontinence on QOL was determined by
      multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 1,050 women reported
      persistent anal incontinence and returned at least two completed QOL surveys
      during the 2-year study period. Among women with anal incontinence, 51% reported
      frustration caused by anal incontinence, 26% reported that anal incontinence
      affected their emotional health, 18.5% reported anal incontinence affected their
      child-caring abilities, and 16.2% reported a negative effect on social
      activities. One in three women with anal incontinence reported severe symptoms.
      Compared with women with mild anal incontinence, women with severe anal
      incontinence were four to seven times as likely to report that anal incontinence
      affected emotional health and the ability to perform daily activities. However,
      only 10% of women sought medical help for anal incontinence at 6 months, 13.5% at
      1 year, and 16.7% at 2 years. CONCLUSION: Even 2 years after delivery, more than
      a quarter of women who experience a new onset of anal incontinence after
      childbirth report persistently negative QOL. Despite this, few women discuss anal
      incontinence with their medical providers. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

PMID- 20308844
TI  - Effect of myogenic stem cells on contractile properties of the repaired and
      unrepaired transected external anal sphincter in an animal model.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate the effect of myogenic stem cells on contractile function
      of the external anal sphincter after transection with or without repair in an
      animal model. METHODS: One hundred twenty virginal female rats were randomly
      assigned to repair (n=60) or no repair (n=60) after anal sphincter transection.
      Animals were further divided into two groups: 40-microliter injection at the
      transection site with either phosphate-buffered solution (control) or myogenic
      stem cells (3.2x10 cells). Animals were killed at 7, 21, or 90 days, and the anal
      sphincter complex dissected and analyzed for contractile function. RESULTS:
      Contractile function of the external anal sphincter was severely impaired 7 days
      after sphincter transection with or without repair. Twitch tension, maximal
      tetanic contraction, and maximal contractile force in response to electrical
      field stimulation improved significantly with time after sphincter repair.
      Injection of myogenic stem cells in the anal sphincter at the time of repair
      resulted in superior contractile function at both 7 days and 90 days compared
      with controls. Interestingly, contractile function of the nonrepaired external
      anal sphincter did not improve with time with or without myogenic stem cells.
      Indicators of denervation (fatigue and twitch or tetany ratios) did not change
      among groups. CONCLUSION: In this animal model, injection of myogenic stem cells
      at the time of external anal sphincter repair resulted in enhanced contractile
      function at 90 days compared with repair alone. Without repair, function of the
      external anal sphincter was not improved by stem cell therapy at any time point.
      These results suggest that addition of myogenic stem cells improves both acute
      and long-term function of the external anal sphincter after mechanical injury.

PMID- 20308845
TI  - U.S. Food and Drug Administration drug approval: slow advances in obstetric care
      in the United States.
AB  - The process for drug approval in the United States is complex and time-consuming.
      There are comparatively few drugs with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
      approved indications for obstetric use in this country at this time; however,
      several are under development. We review the process for drug approval and
      recount the approval histories of obstetric drugs reviewed in the recent past. We
      also outline the current status of two progestational agents that are under
      development. For a variety of reasons, including a small market compared with
      others such as cardiology or oncology, and the potential of being drawn into
      medical-legal litigation, sponsors are disinclined to pursue drug development for
      obstetric purposes in this country. We compare the procedures for review and
      approval of drugs in the United States with those in Europe, and note that recent
      changes within the FDA may result in not only more drugs being approved but also
      changes in labeling of already approved drugs. Special programs to facilitate
      drug development and reforms to modernize the process and improve safety are
      discussed. These may result in changes in labeling of already approved drugs.
      Obstacles such as funding and liability are also discussed.

PMID- 20308846
TI  - Cervical cancer prevention through human papillomavirus vaccination: using the
      "teachable moment" for educational interventions.
AB  - Cervical cancer represents a global women's health issue. The emergence of
      vaccines against the most common types of human papillomaviruses causing cervical
      cancer represents a significant advance in cervical cancer prevention. Adolescent
      girls are the primary target population for vaccination-a population that
      traditionally has been difficult to reach. Obstetricians and gynecologists may
      hold the key to improving adolescent human papillomavirus vaccinations through
      the novel use of their existing relationships with adolescents' mothers during
      the routine cervical cancer screening visit. We propose using maternal cancer
      screenings, specifically breast and cervical cancer screening episodes, as
      "teachable moments," naturally occurring life or health events thought to
      motivate a person to adopt risk-reducing health behaviors spontaneously, to
      improve human papillomavirus vaccination rates among adolescents.

PMID- 20308847
TI  - Role of hormone therapy in the management of menopause.
AB  - There are many options available to address the quality of life and health
      concerns of menopausal women. The principal indication for hormone therapy (HT)
      is the treatment of vasomotor symptoms, and benefits generally outweigh risks for
      healthy women with bothersome symptoms who elect HT at the time of menopause.
      Although HT increases the risk of coronary heart disease, recent analyses confirm
      that this increased risk occurs principally in older women and those a number of
      years beyond menopause. These findings do not support a role for HT in the
      prevention of heart disease but provide reassurance regarding the safety of use
      for hot flushes and night sweats in otherwise healthy women at the menopausal
      transition. An increased risk of breast cancer with extended use is another
      reason short-term treatment is advised. Hormone therapy prevents and treats
      osteoporosis but is rarely used solely for this indication. If only vaginal
      symptoms are present, low-dose local estrogen therapy is preferred.
      Contraindications to HT use include breast or endometrial cancer, cardiovascular
      disease, thromboembolic disorders, and active liver disease. Alternatives to HT
      should be advised for women with or at increased risk for these disorders. The
      lowest effective estrogen dose should be provided for the shortest duration
      necessary because risks increase with increasing age, time since menopause, and
      duration of use. Women must be informed of the potential benefits and risks of
      all therapeutic options, and care should be individualized, based on a woman's
      medical history, needs, and preferences.

PMID- 20308848
TI  - Fertility and uterine artery embolization.

PMID- 20308849
TI  - Urgent cesarean delivery for fetal bradycardia.

PMID- 20308851
TI  - Cycle control with a 21-day compared with a 24-day oral contraceptive pill: a
      randomized controlled trial.

PMID- 20308853
TI  - Fetal monitoring bundle.

PMID- 20308855
TI  - Cycle control with a 21-day compared with a 24-day oral contraceptive pill: a
      randomized controlled trial.

PMID- 20308857
TI  - Pregnancy and laboratory studies: a reference table for clinicians.

PMID- 20308858
TI  - Vesico-uterine fistula after endometrial ablation in a woman with prior cesarean
      deliveries.

PMID- 20308860
TI  - ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 111: Inherited thrombophilias in pregnancy.
AB  - Inherited thrombophilias are associated with an increased risk of venous
      thromboembolism and also have been linked to adverse outcomes in pregnancy.
      However, there is limited evidence to guide screening for and management of these
      conditions in pregnancy. The purpose of this document is to review common
      thrombophilias and their association with maternal venous thromboembolism risk
      and adverse pregnancy outcomes, indications for screening to detect these
      conditions, and management options in pregnancy.

PMID- 20308863
TI  - Factors affecting graft and patient survival after live donor kidney
      transplantation in the UK.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The outcome after living donor renal transplantation is superior to
      that for deceased donor transplantation, but the results are not uniformly
      successful. The factors responsible for the variable outcome after living donor
      transplantation have not been well defined. METHODS: UK Transplant Registry data
      were analyzed to determine the outcomes of 3142 first adult kidney transplants
      from living donors (71% genetically related and 29% unrelated) performed between
      2000 and 2007 inclusive. Kaplan-Meier survival estimates were determined, and
      factors that might be associated with graft and patient survival were analyzed
      using Cox proportional hazards regression modeling. RESULTS: Patient survival at
      5 years was better for recipients of grafts from related than unrelated donors
      (97% vs. 93%, P=0.0002), but conversely graft survival was better in recipients
      of genetically unrelated grafts (93% vs. 89%, P=0.06). After adjustment for the
      factors found to influence graft and patient survival, these differences were no
      longer apparent. In contrast to the expectations, the degree of human leukocyte
      antigen-A, -B, and -DR mismatch did not influence graft survival. Increasing
      donor age (but not recipient age), recipient diabetes, and grafts from adult
      offspring were independently associated with poorer patient survival in the first
      3 years after transplantation. Poorer graft survival was independently associated
      with donor age older than 59 years, and female recipients. CONCLUSIONS: Advanced
      donor age, but not human leukocyte antigen mismatch, is associated with poorer
      outcome after live donor kidney transplantation. However, the results of live
      donor transplantation remain superior to deceased donor kidney transplantation.

PMID- 20308864
TI  - A new role for the virtual crossmatch in kidney allograft reuse.

PMID- 20308865
TI  - Back-table thrombolysis in live donor kidney transplantation.

PMID- 20308866
TI  - The use of explanted internal iliac artery grafts in renal transplants with
      multiple arteries.

PMID- 20308867
TI  - Early relapse of autoimmune glomerulonephritis after kidney transplantation
      despite antibody induction and triple-drug-based immunosuppression.

PMID- 20308868
TI  - Experiences in uterine transplantation.

PMID- 20308869
TI  - Clinical outcomes of sorafenib treatment in patients with metastatic
      hepatocellular carcinoma who had been previously treated with fluoropyrimidine
      plus platinum-based chemotherapy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: There has been no report on sorafenib therapy in patients with
      metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who had been treated with systemic
      chemotherapy. The objectives of this analysis were to investigate efficacy and
      safety of sorafenib in these patients and to elucidate risk factors associated
      with clinical outcomes. METHODS: We analyzed patients with metastatic HCC who
      were treated with sorafenib after failure of fluoropyrimidine plus platinum-based
      chemotherapy between April 2007 and December 2008. RESULTS: Twenty-four patients
      (male, 79.2%) were included. Median age was 53 years. Chronic hepatitis B was the
      predominant cause of HCC (79.2%), followed by chronic hepatitis C (4.2%) and
      alcohol (4.2%). Twenty patients (83.3%) were Child-Pugh A and 4 patients (16.7%)
      were Child-Pugh B. Median follow-up duration was 11.1 months. No objective
      response was observed. Fourteen patients (58.3%) had stable disease. The disease
      control rate was 58.3%. Median progression-free survival was 2.3 months (95%
      confidence interval, 0.5-4.1) and overall survival was 7.1 months (95% confidence
      interval, 3.5-10.7). Grade 3 neutropenia was observed in 1.4% and grade 3 anemia
      in 1.4%. Grade 3 or 4 nonhematologic toxicities were hand-foot syndrome (16.7%),
      skin rash (8.3%), diarrhea (4.2%), headache (4.2%), and fatigue (4.2%). Four
      patients (16.7%) discontinued the therapy because of toxicities. CONCLUSIONS:
      Sorafenib had modest efficacy and tolerable toxicity in patients with metastatic
      HCC who had received fluoropyrimidine plus platinum-based chemotherapy.

PMID- 20308870
TI  - Stereotactic body radiotherapy in the treatment of advanced adenocarcinoma of the
      pancreas.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to assess the feasibility and safety of
      stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in patients with advanced pancreatic
      adenocarcinoma. METHODS: We reviewed outcomes of 71 patients treated with SBRT
      for pancreatic cancer between July 2004 and January 2009. Forty patients (56%)
      had locally unresectable disease, 11 patients (16%) had local recurrence
      following surgical resection, 8 patients (11%) had metastatic disease, and 12
      patients (17%) received adjuvant SBRT for positive margins. The median dose was
      24 Gy (18-25 Gy), given in a single-fraction SBRT (n = 67) or fractionated SBRT
      (n = 4). Kaplan-Meyer survival analyses were used to estimate freedom from local
      progression (FFLP) and overall survival (OS) rates. RESULTS: The median follow-up
      among surviving patients was 12.7 months (4-26 months). The median tumor volume
      was 17 mL (5.1-249 mL). The overall FFLP rates at 6 months/1 year were
      71.7%/48.5%, respectively. Among those with macroscopic disease, FFLP was
      achieved in 77.3% of patients with tumor size <15 mL (n = 22), and 59.5% for >=15
      mL (n = 37) (P = 0.02). FFLP was achieved in 73% following 24 to 25 Gy, and 45%
      with 18 to 22 Gy (P = 0.004). The median OS was 10.3 months, with 6 month/1 year
      OS rates of 65.3%/41%, respectively. Grade 1-2 acute and late GI toxicity were
      seen in 39.5% of patients. Three patients experienced acute grade 3 toxicities.
      CONCLUSIONS: SBRT is feasible, with minimal grade >=3 toxicity. The overall FFLP
      rate for all patients was 64.8%, comparable to rates with external beam
      radiotherapy. This shorter treatment course can be delivered without delay in
      adjuvant systemic therapy.

PMID- 20308871
TI  - Overrepresentation of males in traumatic brain injury of infancy and in infants
      with macrocephaly: further evidence that questions the existence of shaken baby
      syndrome.
AB  - Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) has been thought to be caused by violent shaking of an
      infant and is characterized by the triad of findings: subdural hematoma (SDH),
      retinal hemorrhages, and neurologic abnormalities. The triad is not specific for
      SBS and can be seen in accidental trauma and in certain medical conditions.
      Recent observations, however, question whether SBS exists. Herein, we review the
      gender differences in 3 groups of infants with traumatic brain injury: (1)
      neonates with SDH from birth trauma, (2) infants with SDH from accidental trauma,
      and (3) infants with SDH from SBS. Gender differences are also presented in a
      fourth group of infants with macrocephaly related to increased extra-axial fluid
      spaces (IEAFS). Compared with the expected male frequency of 51.4% in newborns,
      there was a statistically significant overrepresentation of males in each of the
      4 groups-65.3%, 62.2%, 62.6%, and 68.8%, respectively. We believe that the most
      likely explanation for these findings relates to the larger head size of the male
      compared with the female which has several relevant consequences. First, the
      larger head circumference of a male newborn compared with a female newborn may
      increase the likelihood that a male newborn will incur a small SDH from the minor
      trauma of the birthing process that can later rebleed and present with a
      symptomatic SDH that could be misdiagnosed as SBS and child abuse. Second, a
      short fall would have a greater likelihood of causing a SDH in a male infant than
      a female infant who could subsequently become symptomatic from hours to weeks
      later and could thus present as an unexplained SDH. Third, infants with
      macrocephaly related to IEAFS may be at increased risk for developing a SDH from
      the larger head size and greater tautness of the bridging vessels in the extra
      axial fluid spaces. We believe that many infants who have been diagnosed with SBS
      have been given incorrect diagnoses of child abuse. Rather, their SDH may occur
      as a result of a small SDH from the birthing process that enlarges during early
      infancy, a short fall, or from macrocephaly with IEAFS.

PMID- 20308872
TI  - The potential use of the eye temperature decrease in determining the time of
      death in the early postmortem period: studies in pigs.
AB  - The experiment was performed in pigs during which the postmortem body temperature
      was continuously measured. The study was focused on a period of time starting 0.5
      hours after the animals' termination and consisted in computer recording of the
      cooling process of the eyeball (vitreous humor), orbit soft tissues, muscles, and
      the rectum. The experiment revealed the absence of a plateau phase of temperature
      decrease in eyeball and orbit soft tissues contrary to muscles and rectum, what
      demonstrates that temperature measurements in the eye could become an alternative
      method of determining the time of death during the initial phase of postmortem
      cooling. During this early postmortem period determination of the time of death
      based on measurements of the rectum or muscles temperatures due to existing
      plateau is not possible.

PMID- 20308873
TI  - "Authors" of dismemberment.

PMID- 20308874
TI  - Liposomal pegylated doxorubicin and oxaliplatin as salvage chemotherapy in
      patients with metastatic gastric cancer treated earlier.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the activity and safety of pegylated
      liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) and oxaliplatin (LOHP) as salvage chemotherapy in
      patients with metastatic gastric cancer (MGC) who had earlier been treated with
      docetaxel, capecitabine, 5-fluorouracil, and leucovorin. Treatment consisted of
      PLD (40 mg/m(2)) and LOHP (120 mg/m(2)) administered over 2 days, every 3 weeks.
      Response to therapy was assessed using the Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid
      Tumors; toxicity was evaluated by the National Cancer Institute common toxicity
      criteria (version 2.0). Thirty-six patients with pretreated MGC and a mean age of
      66 years were recruited for the study. After a median follow-up of 11 months and
      202 courses of chemotherapy administered (median, five courses per patient), the
      overall response rate in the 36 evaluable patients was estimated to be 28%.
      Grades 3 and 4 hematological toxicities were neutropenia in 44% of patients,
      grade 2-3 diarrhea in 14% of patients, and grade 2 neuropathy in 12 patients.
      Median progression-free survival and overall survival were 5.8 and 9.2 months,
      respectively, with 1-year survival rate of 36%, [95% confidence interval (CI): 21
      54%]. Median survival time from the diagnosis of metastatic disease was 31.5
      months. Seventy-two percent of patients (n=26) (95% CI: 58-88%) obtained a
      clinical benefit from this chemotherapy regimen. PLD and LOHP is an active
      regimen, able to give palliation in a substantial percentage of MCG patients who
      have been pretreated with taxanes.

PMID- 20308875
TI  - Short stature, severe aortic root dilation, skin hyperextensibility, extreme
      joint laxity and craniofacial dysmorphic features: a probable new syndrome.
AB  - We report a 10-year-old male proband, born from consanguineous marriage,
      presenting with short stature, severe aortic root dilation, skin
      hyperextensibility, extreme joint laxity and craniofacial dysmorphism. Clinical,
      biochemical and molecular findings did not match any of the well-described
      connective tissue syndromes in the differential diagnosis for this specific
      combination of features. We presume that the phenotype presented in this patient
      may constitute a newly recognized syndrome of likely autosomal recessive
      inheritance.

PMID- 20308876
TI  - Fibrin adhesive is better than sutures in pterygium surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the recurrence rate, surgical time, and postoperative pain
      between conjunctival autografting with sutures and with fibrin adhesive in
      pterygium surgery. METHODS: A prospective, randomized, double-blind, clinical
      trial on the benefits of using fibrin adhesive in place of sutures in pterygium
      surgery. One hundred seventy-five eyes with primary pterygium were randomized to
      undergo pterygium surgery with conjunctival autograft transplantation using
      either fibrin adhesive or sutures. One hundred thirty-seven eyes of 113 patients
      that were operated on by a single surgeon (V.R.) completed the 1-year follow-up.
      Sixty-eight eyes were operated with fibrin adhesive and 69 eyes with sutures.
      Patients were followed up at 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 6 months, and 1 year after
      surgery. Pterygium recurrence and postoperative pain was graded by an independent
      observer (A.L.) masked to the method of treatment. Surgical time was measured
      with a stopwatch. RESULTS: All patients were followed up for 1 year. There were 3
      recurrences (4.41%) in the fibrin adhesive group and 11 recurrences (15.9%) in
      the suture group. The mean duration required to complete surgery in the fibrin
      adhesive group was 16.93 +/- 2.85 minutes, whereas that of the suture group was
      29.84 +/- 5.65 minutes, which was statistically significant (P < 0.001). The
      immediate postoperative pain score and week 1 postoperative pain score were
      significantly lower in the fibrin adhesive group (P < 0.05). No major
      complications were observed in either group. CONCLUSION: The use of fibrin
      adhesive in primary pterygium surgery with conjunctival autografts reduces the
      recurrence rate, surgical time, and postoperative pain when compared with
      sutures.

PMID- 20308877
TI  - A comparison of endothelial cell loss after phacoemulsification in penetrating
      keratoplasty patients and normal patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare phacoemulsification-related endothelial cell loss in
      transplanted corneas and normal corneas. METHODS: Forty-nine patients who
      underwent phacoemulsification/intraocular lens insertion after penetrating
      keratoplasty (PK-CAT group) (50 eyes) were compared with 65 patients who
      underwent phacoemulsification/intraocular lens insertion only (CAT group) (100
      eyes). The PK-CAT group was divided into corneal endothelial dysfunction (CED)
      and opacity subgroups according to recipient endothelial function. Effective
      phacoemulsification time and endothelial density were analyzed. RESULTS: The
      endothelial cell density after cataract surgery from 1 month (1772.72 +/- 315.89)
      to 24 months (917.25 +/- 372.75) in the PK-CAT group was significantly lower than
      that before cataract surgery (2189.36 +/- 358.68) (P < 0.05) but that in CAT
      group was not significantly different from baseline during follow-up time (P <
      0.05). The rate of graft survival in the opacity subgroup (82.0%) of the PK-CAT
      group was higher than that in the CED subgroup (54.5%) after 2 years (P < 0.05).
      The mean endothelial density in the opacity subgroup (1216.73 +/- 271.63
      cells/mm2) of the PK-CAT group was significantly higher than that in the CED
      subgroup (632.50 +/- 238.29 cells/mm2) at 2 years after cataract surgery (P <
      0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The phacoemulsification-related endothelial cell loss in
      transplanted corneas was higher than that in normal corneas. A possible factor
      contributing to higher endothelial cell loss in transplanted corneas is recipient
      endothelial dysfunction.

PMID- 20308878
TI  - Time-kill assay results for a linalool-hinokitiol-based eyelid cleanser for lid
      hygiene.
AB  - PURPOSE: Time-kill testing was performed for a linalool-hinokitiol-based eyelid
      cleanser against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Moraxella catarrhalis, Escherichia coli,
      Serratia marcescens, Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus
      (MRSA), Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Pityrosporum ovale to evaluate its
      efficacy. METHODS: An inoculum of 1 mL of each test organism culture was added to
      49 mL of test cleanser. At 30 seconds and 1 minute, 1 mL of sample was removed
      from each test mixture and added to 9 mL of neutralizer. Five milliliters of
      aliquots were incubated for 48 hours and counted for colony-forming units. Ten
      percent povidone-iodine was used as a control. RESULTS: At 30 seconds, the
      linalool-hinokitiol-based eyelid cleanser produced a 99.9999% reduction in P.
      aeruginosa, a 99.999% reduction in E. coli, a 99.99% reduction in M. catarrhalis
      and S. marcescens, a 99.9% reduction in MRSA, a 99.2% reduction in S.
      epidermidis, and a 97.5% reduction in S. aureus. At 1 minute, this cleanser
      achieved a 95.8% reduction in P. ovale. At 30 seconds, povidone-iodine produced a
      99.9999% reduction in P. aeruginosa and M. catarrhalis, a 99.999% reduction in S.
      marcescens and a 94.9% reduction in S. epidermidis. At 1 minute, 10% povidone
      iodine produced a 93.8% reduction in E coli but failed to produce a 1-log
      reduction in S. aureus or MRSA. CONCLUSIONS: This linalool-hinokitiol-based
      eyelid cleanser may be helpful in the outpatient setting for patients with
      presurgical, blepharitis, punctal plug and dry eye, and in the inpatient setting
      for patients who are allergic to iodine, or as an adjunct to povidone-iodine.

PMID- 20308879
TI  - Characteristics and outcome of patients with acute coronary syndrome and normal
      or near-normal coronary angiography.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The incidence of normal or near-normal coronary angiography (NONCA)
      in patients undergoing coronary angiography, who have in patients with acute
      coronary syndrome (ACS) is reported between 1 and 12%. Earlier studies reported
      conflicting results regarding the nature and outcome of these patients. We used
      Acute Coronary Syndrome Israeli Survey (ACSIS), a biannually, nationwide ACS
      survey, as a source of unselected population representative of general clinical
      practice for the analysis and characterization of this group along the full
      spectrum of ACS. METHODS: This study uses patient data collected from ACSISs
      conducted in 2004, 2006, and 2008 in all the cardiology departments and coronary
      care units in Israel. Of the 5937 patients included in these surveys, 4060
      (68.5%) had no earlier coronary interventions. Of these, complete angiographic
      data were available for 2903 patients who defines the study group. The rest of
      the patients were managed conservatively during the index hospitalization. On the
      basis of coronary angiography, 142 (4.9%) of the 2903 patients had no obstructive
      coronary artery disease (OCAD), 1895 (65.3%) had 1-2-vessel OCAD, 752 (25.9%) had
      3-vessel OCAD, and 114 (3.9%) had left main disease. A comparison was made
      between the NONCA group and the OCAD group. RESULTS: When compared with the
      patients with OCAD, the NONCA patients were younger, more likely to be females,
      and had similar risk factors for OCAD. On admission, a higher incidence of
      chronic anticoagulants usage was noted in the NONCA group (5.6 vs. 2.0% in OCAD,
      P=0.04). One-quarter of the NONCA patients presented with ST-elevation on ECG as
      opposed to nearly half in the OCAD group (27.5 vs. 52.3% P<0.001). Most of the
      NONCA patients presented with normal or preserved left ventricular function on
      echocardiography, as compared with the significantly lower incidence of normal
      function in OCAD patients (77 vs. 45.5%, P<0.001). The NONCA patients were less
      likely to be treated with the recommended therapy for ACS, and this trend
      continued upon discharge. By stratifying the OCAD patients according to the
      number of diseased vessels, the NONCA patients had a similar mortality rate after
      1 year, as the patients with 1-2-vessel OCAD (3.0 vs. 3.8, P=0.920). CONCLUSION:
      To our knowledge, this is the first study that explores the NONCA entity and its
      outcome along the full spectrum of ACS by using three nationwide, unbiased ACS
      surveys. These data indicate that, in discordance with common belief, NONCA
      patients share similar risk factors and outcome with the 1-2-vessels OCAD
      patients, but tend to be undertreated compared with the relevant ACS guidelines
      during, and more importantly, after the acute episode. Further follow-up is
      needed to establish their true long-term outcome.

PMID- 20308880
TI  - Coronary revascularization in patients with type 2 diabetes and results of the
      BARI 2D trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This Perspective reviews the results of early and contemporary
      studies evaluating the safety and efficacy of coronary revascularization in
      patients with diabetes. It also addresses the implications of some of the data in
      the Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation in type 2 diabetes (BARI
      2D) trial. METHODS: Review of the literature and discussion of the implications
      of results in the BARI 2D trial. RESULTS: Patients with diabetes benefit from
      revascularization by coronary thrombolysis, percutaneous transluminal coronary
      angioplasty, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), or coronary artery bypass
      grafting (CABG). However, with each intervention the benefit is less and the
      risks and complications are greater than in patients without diabetes.
      Revascularization for treatment of ST elevation myocardial infarction increases
      survival. When used for treatment of non-ST elevation myocardial infarction or
      unstable angina, it does not except in those at very high risk. In patients with
      chronic, symptomatic coronary artery disease, long-term mortality is comparable
      after CABG or PCI. However, the incidence of major adverse cardiac events is
      greater after PCI primarily because of the need for more subsequent
      revascularization procedures. Both interventions relieve symptoms, but neither
      improves survival except in patients at high risk. In patients with clinically
      stable chronic coronary disease, survival after CABG or PCI is comparable with
      that in patients treated with optimal medical therapy alone. Accordingly,
      evaluation for revascularization can be deferred until signs and symptoms worsen
      except in patients at high risk. In patients at high risk survival after promptly
      implemented CABG is greater than that with optimal medical therapy, especially
      when the diabetes is being treated with insulin sensitizing agents.

PMID- 20308881
TI  - Association between increasing levels of hemoglobin A1c and coronary
      atherosclerosis in asymptomatic individuals without diabetes mellitus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Earlier studies have shown an association between high-normal glucose
      and increasing glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels and cardiovascular events.
      The objective of this investigation was to study the association between
      increasing levels of HbA1c in asymptomatic individuals without diabetes mellitus
      (DM) and coronary plaque characteristics. METHODS: The study population consisted
      of 1043 asymptomatic Korean individuals without DM who underwent 64-slice cardiac
      computed tomography angiography as part of a health screening evaluation. We
      excluded 147 individuals with known history of DM and/or fasting glucose of at
      least 126 mg/dl, no HbA1c data, or missing risk factor information. The
      associations between coronary atherosclerosis and plaque subtype burden with
      increasing HbA1c levels were assessed using multivariable regression analyses.
      RESULTS: The final study population consisted of 906 individuals without DM (mean
      age: 49+/-9 years, 62% males); 19 and 9% of the population had any and two or
      more segments with coronary plaque, respectively. Unadjusted analysis showed a
      positive association between increasing levels of HbA1c and the number of
      coronary segments with any (P<0.001) and with mixed coronary plaques (P<0.0001).
      The association persisted even when traditional risk factors were taken into
      account. No significant relationship was found between increasing HbA1c levels
      and the burden of noncalcified or calcified plaque. CONCLUSION: Increasing levels
      of HbA1c in asymptomatic individuals without DM are associated with the presence
      of coronary atherosclerosis, but more specifically with the presence and burden
      of mixed coronary plaques. Elements of plaque instability have been associated
      with mixed coronary plaques.

PMID- 20308882
TI  - Impact of selective decontamination of the digestive tract on multiple organ
      dysfunction syndrome: systematic review of randomized controlled trials.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We examined the impact of selective decontamination of the digestive
      tract on multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. DATA SOURCES: We searched MEDLINE,
      EMBASE, the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials, previous meta-analyses, and
      meetings proceedings. STUDY SELECTION: We included all randomized trials
      comparing both oropharyngeal and intestinal administration of antibiotics in
      selective decontamination of the digestive tract with or without a parenteral
      component, with placebo or standard therapy used in the controls. DATA
      EXTRACTION: Two reviewers independently applied selection criteria, performed
      quality assessment, and extracted the data. The primary end point was the number
      of patients with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome developing during intensive
      care unit stay. Secondary end points were overall mortality and multiple organ
      dysfunction syndrome-related mortality. Odds ratios were pooled with the random
      effect model. DATA SYNTHESIS: We identified seven randomized trials including
      1270 patients. Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome was found in 132 of 637
      patients (20.7%) in the selective decontamination of the digestive tract group
      and in 219 of 633 patients (34.6%) in the control group (odds ratio, 0.50; 95%
      confidence interval, 0.34-0.74; p < .001). Overall mortality for selective
      decontamination of the digestive tract vs. control patients was 119 of 637
      (18.7%) and 145 of 633 (22.9%), respectively, demonstrating a nonsignificant
      reduction in the odds of death (odds ratio, 0.82; 95% confidence interval, 0.51
      1.32; p = .41). In five studies including 472 patients, multiple organ
      dysfunction syndrome-related mortality was demonstrated in 31 of 239 (13%)
      patients in selective decontamination of the digestive tract group and 37 of 233
      (15.9%) in the controls (odds ratio, 0.84; 95% confidence interval, 0.48-1.41; p
      = .54). CONCLUSIONS: Selective decontamination of the digestive tract reduces the
      number of patients with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. Mortality was not
      significantly reduced, probably because of the small sample size.

PMID- 20308883
TI  - Pretreatment with atorvastatin attenuates lung injury caused by high-stretch
      mechanical ventilation in an isolated rabbit lung model.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that pretreatment with atorvastatin improves alveolar
      capillary permeability and hemodynamics and, thus, confers protection against
      lung injury caused by high-stretch mechanical ventilation. METHODS: Twenty-four
      isolated sets of normal rabbit lungs were utilized. Treated animals received
      atorvastatin (20 mg/kg body weight/day by mouth) for 3 days before surgery. Lungs
      were perfused constantly (300 mL/min) and ventilated for 1 hr with pressure
      control ventilation at either 23 (high pressure; resulting in tidal volume
      approximately 22 mL/kg) or 11 (low pressure; tidal volume approximately 10 mL/kg)
      cm H2O peak inspiratory pressure and positive end-expiratory pressure of 3 cm
      H2O. Four groups were examined: high pressure-no statin, high pressure-statin
      pretreatment, low pressure-no statin, and low pressure-statin pretreatment.
      RESULTS: The high-pressure-no statin group sustained more damage than the low
      pressure groups. In high-pressure groups, lungs of statin-pretreated vs. no
      statin-pretreated animals sustained a significantly lower increase in
      ultrafiltration coefficient (an accurate marker of alveolar capillary
      permeability; high-pressure-statin pretreatment vs. high-pressure-no statin, 
      0.013 +/- 0.017 g/min/mm Hg/100g vs. 1.723 +/- 0.495 g/min/mm Hg/100g; p < .001),
      lower weight gain (i.e., less edema formation; 4.62 +/- 1.50 grams vs. 17.75 +/-
      4.71 grams; p = .005), improved hemodynamics (i.e., lower increase in mean
      pulmonary artery pressure; 0.56 +/- 0.51 mm Hg vs. 5.62 +/- 1.52 mm Hg; p = .04),
      lower protein concentration in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (p < .001), and fewer
      histologic lesions (p = .013). Apoptosis of lung parenchyma cells was not
      different (p = .97). There was no difference between low-pressure-statin
      pretreatment and low-pressure-no statin groups regarding these outcomes.
      CONCLUSION: In this model, atorvastatin improves alveolar capillary permeability
      and hemodynamics and, thus, attenuates lung injury caused by high-stretch
      mechanical ventilation.

PMID- 20308884
TI  - High-dose renal replacement therapy for acute kidney injury:   Systematic review
      and meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of renal replacement therapy dose on mortality
      and dialysis dependence in patients with acute kidney injury. DATA SOURCES:
      MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials to
      October 2009; PubMed "Related Articles;" bibliographies of included trials; and
      additional information from trial authors. STUDY SELECTION: Randomized and quasi
      randomized, controlled trials in adults with acute kidney injury prescribed
      highvs. standard-dose continuous renal replacement therapy (> or =30 mL/kg/hr vs.
      <30 mL/kg/hr), intermittent hemodialysis, or sustained low-efficiency dialysis
      (daily vs. alternate day, or by target biochemistry). DATA EXTRACTION: Three
      authors independently selected studies and extracted data on outcomes and study
      quality. Meta-analyses used random-effects models. DATA SYNTHESIS: Of 5416
      citations, 12 trials (n = 3999) met inclusion criteria. Modalities included
      continuous renal replacement therapy (7 trials), intermittent hemodialysis (3
      trials), sustained low-efficiency dialysis (1 trial), and all three (1 trial).
      Study quality was moderate-high. Meta-analyses found no effect of high-dose renal
      replacement therapy on mortality (risk ratio, 0.89; 95% confidence interval, 0.77
      1.03; 12 trials; n = 3954) or dialysis dependence among survivors (risk ratio,
      1.15; 95% confidence interval, 0.92-1.44; 8 trials with events; n = 1743). The
      effect on mortality was similar (all interaction p values were nonsignificant) in
      patients with sepsis (risk ratio, 1.02; 95% confidence interval, 0.85-1.23; 9
      trials; n = 1786) vs. without sepsis (risk ratio, 0.89; 95% confidence interval,
      0.75-1.05; 8 trials; n = 1955), treated exclusively with continuous renal
      replacement therapy (risk ratio, 0.87; 95% confidence interval, 0.71-1.06; 7
      trials; n = 2462) vs. other modalities alone or in combination (risk ratio, 0.92;
      95% confidence interval, 0.70 -1.21; 5 trials; n = 1492), and in trials with low
      (risk ratio, 0.96; 95% confidence interval, 0.85-1.09; 6 trials; n = 3475) vs.
      higher (risk ratio, 0.76; 95% confidence interval, 0.53-1.09; 6 trials; n = 479)
      risk of bias. CONCLUSIONS: High-dose renal replacement therapy in acute kidney
      injury does not improve patient survival or recovery of renal function overall or
      in important patient subgroups, including those with sepsis.

PMID- 20308885
TI  - Long-term mortality and quality of life in sepsis: a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Long-term outcomes from sepsis are poorly understood, and sepsis in
      patients may have different long-term effects on mortality and quality of life.
      Long-term outcome studies of other critical illnesses such as acute lung injury
      have demonstrated incremental health effects that persist after hospital
      discharge. Whether patients with sepsis have similar long-term mortality and
      quality-of-life effects is unclear. OBJECTIVE: We performed a systematic review
      of studies reporting long-term mortality and quality-of-life data (>3 months) in
      patients with sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock using defined search
      criteria. DESIGN: Systematic review of the literature. INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN
      RESULTS: Patients with sepsis showed ongoing mortality up to 2 yrs and beyond
      after the standard 28-day inhospital mortality end point. Patients with sepsis
      also had decrements in quality-of-life measures after hospital discharge. Results
      were consistent across varying severity of illness and different patient
      populations in different countries, including large and small studies. In
      addition, these results were consistent within observational and randomized,
      controlled trials. Study quality was limited by inadequate control groups and
      poor adjustment for confounding variables. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with sepsis have
      ongoing mortality beyond short-term end points, and survivors consistently
      demonstrate impaired quality of life. The use of 28-day mortality as an end point
      for clinical studies may lead to inaccurate inferences. Both observational and
      interventional future studies should include longer-term end points to better
      understand the natural history of sepsis and the effect of interventions on
      patient morbidities.

PMID- 20308887
TI  - Timing of angiography after fibrinolysis for ST-elevation acute myocardial
      infarction.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Despite its limited efficacy in opening occluded coronary
      arteries in ST-elevation myocardial infarction, fibrinolysis remains the major
      reperfusion strategy used worldwide. Apart from bleeding, early reocclusion of
      the culprit artery is a common complication of the therapy and usually leads to a
      worse prognosis. RECENT FINDINGS: During the last 7 years routine percutaneous
      coronary intervention after fibrinolysis has been shown to improve early and long
      term outcome in six large randomized trials. SUMMARY: The optimal time window to
      perform percutaneous coronary intervention is between 3 and 24 h after
      fibrinolysis.

PMID- 20308886
TI  - Role of absolute lung volume to assess alveolar recruitment in acute respiratory
      distress syndrome patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: It is commonly assumed that lung volume at zero end-expiratory
      pressure (functional residual capacity) is not affected by positive end
      expiratory pressure (PEEP) even in presence of alveolar recruitment, and it is
      often ignored when measuring lung recruitment by pressure-volume curves. Aim of
      the study was to investigate the effect of PEEP on functional residual capacity,
      and quantify the error of considering equal functional residual capacity in
      measuring alveolar recruitment. DESIGN: Interventional human study. SETTING: A 10
      bed general intensive care unit in a university hospital. PATIENTS: Ten sedated,
      curarized, mechanically ventilated acute respiratory distress syndrome patients.
      INTERVENTIONS: Three levels of PEEP (5, 10, and 15 cm H2O), were randomly
      applied, for 1 hr each. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: At each PEEP we obtained a
      pressure-volume curve, the volume expired from PEEP to zero pressure (PEEP
      related lung volume) and functional residual capacity by helium dilution method.
      Functional residual capacity increased at increasing PEEP levels. Functional
      residual capacity was 507 +/- 292, 607 +/- 311, and 681 +/- 312 ml (p < .05),
      respectively, at PEEP 5, 10, and 15 cm H2O. Pressure-volume curves were aligned
      starting from PEEP related lung volume (relative volume method) or from end
      expiratory lung volume at PEEP (absolute volume method). Recruitment was measured
      as vertical distance of pressure-volume curves at 20 cm H2O airway pressure. The
      relative volume method led to underestimation of recruitment (43 +/- 28% and 35
      +/- 18 %, respectively, at PEEP 10 and 15). CONCLUSIONS: Functional residual
      capacity is affected by PEEP. Ignoring this effect leads to relevant
      underestimation of alveolar recruitment as measure by pressure-volume curve
      displacement.

PMID- 20308888
TI  - The genetic landscape from single gene to polygenic disorders.

PMID- 20308889
TI  - New diagnostic devices in heart failure.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Heart failure is among the leading causes of morbidity and
      mortality in the United States. In recent years, implantable devices have been
      developed that aim to predict impending heart failure events in time to prevent
      clinical decompensation. This review focuses on these emerging technologies and
      the implications they hold for the future of heart failure management. RECENT
      FINDINGS: Many devices have recently been studied in patients with heart failure.
      These devices either evaluate hemodynamic values, including pulmonary and left
      atrial pressures, or intrathoracic impedance, which is related to pulmonary
      congestion. In small trials, device-acquired parameters like these have
      correlated well with data obtained during pulmonary artery catheterization. At
      least one trial has suggested a possible reduction in clinical heart failure
      events in patients with a device measuring pulmonary pressures. Other trials,
      recently completed or ongoing, are expected to shed more light on the role of
      diagnostic devices in improving heart failure outcomes. SUMMARY: Incorporation of
      diagnostic devices into the management of heart failure patients may prove
      instrumental in reducing the burden of this disease on patients and healthcare
      systems.

PMID- 20308890
TI  - Role of the polycomb group gene BMI1 in normal and leukemic hematopoietic stem
      and progenitor cells.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The polycomb group gene BMI1 fulfills essential roles in both
      normal and leukemic stem cells. The underlying molecular mechanisms are beginning
      to become unraveled and an overview of the current knowledge on BMI1 signaling in
      normal and leukemic stem cells will be presented here. RECENT FINDINGS: In
      addition to a role in bypassing senescence and the orchestration of the symmetry
      of hematopoietic stem cell divisions, it has recently become clear that BMI1 also
      functions in the protection against oxidative stress. In the absence of BMI1,
      reactive oxygen species accumulate, associating with activation of DNA damage
      response pathways and increased apoptosis. BMI1-mediated control over reactive
      oxygen species levels might occur independently of the INK4a/ARF pathway, but
      rather involves impaired mitochondrial functions. In human hematopoietic
      malignancies, BMI1 is frequently overexpressed, which associates with poor
      prognosis. Down modulation of BMI1 impairs self-renewal and long-term expansion
      of leukemic stem cells. SUMMARY: Understanding molecular mechanisms by which BMI1
      affects stem cell fate will increase our insights into the biology of
      hematopoietic stem cells and will also aid in understanding the process of
      leukemic transformation and ultimately in the identification of drugable targets
      that might facilitate the eradication of leukemic stem cells.

PMID- 20308892
TI  - Role of myeloid cells in vascular endothelial growth factor-independent tumor
      angiogenesis.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)
      pathway has had a significant impact in the therapy of cancer and intraocular
      neovascular disorders. Similar to other therapies, inherent/acquired resistance
      to anti-VEGF drugs may occur in cancer patients, leading to disease recurrence.
      This review describes recent findings on the role of myeloid cells in
      refractoriness or/and acquired resistance to such therapies. RECENT FINDINGS:
      Various myeloid cell types, including tumor-associated macrophages, Tie2
      expressing monocytes and neutrophils, have been implicated in tumor angiogenesis.
      Several cytokines involved in the mobilization and/or proangiogenic effects of
      these cells represent therapeutic targets. CD11b+Gr1+ myeloid cells have been
      shown to render tumors refractory to angiogenic blockade by VEGF antibodies. This
      effect was mediated by the secreted protein Bv8, which is upregulated by
      granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. SUMMARY: Progress in unraveling
      proangiogenic mechanisms dependent on various myeloid cell types has expanded our
      understanding of tumor angiogenesis and has generated a number of potential
      therapeutic targets.

PMID- 20308891
TI  - Mechanisms of vascular stability and the relationship to human disease.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The genetic basis for a variety of vascular malformation
      syndromes have been described, with an increasing functional understanding of the
      associated genes. RECENT FINDINGS: Genes responsible for familial vascular
      malformation syndromes have increasingly been shown to be involved in the control
      of vascular stability. SUMMARY: Genes involved in vascular stability pathways are
      good candidates for causing vascular malformation syndromes. Although these
      findings confirm the biologic importance of the involved pathways, further
      explanations are required to describe the focal nature of disease.

PMID- 20308893
TI  - Hypoxia-driven angiogenesis: role of tip cells and extracellular matrix
      scaffolding.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Angiogenesis is a highly coordinated tissue remodeling process
      leading to blood vessel formation. Hypoxia triggers angiogenesis via induction of
      expression of growth factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).
      VEGF instructs endothelial cells to form tip cells, which lead outgrowing
      capillary sprouts, whereas Notch signaling inhibits sprout formation. Basement
      membrane deposition and mechanical cues from the extracellular matrix (ECM)
      induced by hypoxia may participate to coordinated vessel sprouting in conjunction
      with the VEGF and Notch signaling pathways. RECENT FINDINGS: Hypoxia regulates
      ECM composition, deposition, posttranslational modifications and rearrangement.
      In particular, hypoxia-driven vascular remodeling is dynamically regulated
      through modulation of ECM-modifying enzyme activities that eventually affect both
      matricellular proteins and growth factor availability. SUMMARY: Better
      understanding of the complex interplay between endothelial cells and soluble
      growth factors and mechanical factors from the ECM will certainly have
      significant implications for understanding the regulation of developmental and
      pathological angiogenesis driven by hypoxia.

PMID- 20308894
TI  - Cardiac risk evaluation for abdominal transplantation.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Cardiovascular disease has emerged as a leading cause of
      perioperative morbidity and mortality in renal and liver transplant patients.
      There is no consensus on how to diagnose cardiac disease in transplant patients.
      Further, there is significant disagreement in the literature regarding the use of
      routine screening methods to detect disease. This review will explore published
      observations on cardiac complications in renal and liver transplant patients to
      try and determine why investigators hold such divergent opinions. RECENT
      FINDINGS: The prevalence of cardiac disease is greater in renal and liver
      transplant patients than in the general public. Complications of cardiac disease
      play a large role in early mortality and graft loss in the postoperative period.
      While the presence of risk factors seems to predict coronary disease in renal
      disease, these factors do not perform as well in liver disease. Noninvasive
      stress testing for coronary artery disease seems to have low sensitivity in both
      transplant populations. However, the measurement of cardiac troponin seems to be
      of some value in predicting early mortality. SUMMARY: Physicians have not
      identified an effective yet cost-effective way to screen transplant patients for
      cardiac disease. Therefore, the first step in creating widely accepted protocols
      demand that physicians decide what predictive power that screening tests should
      have in this unique population.

PMID- 20308895
TI  - Anesthesia and outcome after partial hepatectomy for adult-to-adult donor
      transplantation.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The worldwide adoption of live liver donors as a source of
      donor organs for transplantation has been curtailed by the very real risk of
      complications in otherwise healthy people. Our objective in this review is to
      outline the perioperative management of the live liver donor for adult-to-adult
      transplantation. RECENT FINDINGS: The incidence and severity of complications
      following live liver donation is extremely variable, and reporting needs to be
      standardized if we are to improve the perioperative management and outcomes.
      Agreed definitions would clarify the incidence and severity of postoperative
      complications, allow identification of areas in which management can be improved
      and suggest areas for future investigation. Such an effort will require the
      cooperation of centers around the world. SUMMARY: Live liver donation is a
      valuable option for organ donation that can be conducted safely with a
      multidisciplinary perioperative approach. Future considerations should focus on
      the recovery period and how the intraoperative management can be optimized to
      minimize the impact of surgery on donors' quality of life.

PMID- 20308896
TI  - Sodium, potassium and glucose management in organ transplantation.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To present current knowledge about the metabolic management of
      patients undergoing solid organ transplantation, and potential organ donors.
      RECENT FINDINGS: Appropriate management of electrolytes and glucose improves
      outcome after transplantation, although conflicting evidence exists. Patients
      with cirrhosis-induced hyponatremia can be successfully transplanted but are at
      increased risk of postoperative complications. A new class of drugs, the vaptans,
      that antagonizes arginine vasopressin may be an effective treatment for
      hyponatremia in transplant candidates. Recent literature has documented the
      implications, predictors and potential therapies for perioperative hyperkalemia
      in the transplant population. The debate over appropriate targets for serum
      glucose in perioperative and critically ill patients has been lively. The
      documented risk of hypoglycemia associated with 'intensive insulin therapy' has
      led to the adoption of more conservative glycemic targets. Studies of glycemic
      control in transplant recipients are limited. SUMMARY: In patients undergoing
      solid organ transplants, sodium management should aim to minimize an acute change
      in sodium concentration. Vaptans may be of future use in optimizing patients with
      cirrhosis prior to transplantation. Pending further studies, a perioperative
      'middle ground' target glucose of between 140 and 180 mg/dl seems reasonable at
      this time.

PMID- 20308897
TI  - Psychological outcomes with face transplantation: overview and case report.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review is to provide guidance in a
      burgeoning new field of facial composite tissue transplantation. This review will
      contrast face transplant with solid organ transplantation, provide information to
      guide selection of face transplant candidates, and share information on
      psychological outcomes. RECENT FINDINGS: Previously published face transplant
      reports have not investigated body image, mood changes, perception of teasing,
      quality of life, self-esteem, or social reintegration quantitatively. Face
      transplantation appears to decrease depression and verbal abuse, and improve
      quality of life and social reintegration, though may not alter anxiety or self
      esteem. The Psychosocial Adjustment for Illness Scale-Self-Report scale may have
      advantages over the SF-36 and World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL)
      BREF rating scales for measuring psychological distress and social reintegration.
      SUMMARY: Face transplantation is currently a technique of last resort after
      traditional reconstructive techniques have failed, not for cosmesis alone.
      Mortality among eight existing face transplant patients is 25%, two of eight.
      Some consider blindness as an absolute contraindication; however, those who are
      legally blind but retain some vision may be appropriate candidates. Physical
      goals of transplantation include regaining movement of underlying structures and
      restoring the appearance of a normal face. However, psychological outcomes and
      quality of life are also important to the success of face transplantation and
      ultimately will determine the value of the procedure.

PMID- 20308898
TI  - Depersonalization disorder.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: There is increasing interest in depersonalization disorder, in
      part because of the increased community awareness of the condition via the
      Internet. The disorder may be more prevalent than schizophrenia but is often
      misdiagnosed; hence, an update is timely. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent research has
      included characterization of the nosology and phenomenology of the disorder,
      whereas emerging evidence demonstrates a neurophysiological dampening down in
      addition to psychological dampening in the face of emotional stimulation.
      SUMMARY: Greater understanding of the clinical characteristics of this disorder
      will improve the reliability of diagnosis and aid the development of
      neurobiological and psychological models for empirical testing. Although response
      to current treatments has been disappointing, recent research has identified the
      basis for the development of new pharmacological and psychological treatments.

PMID- 20308899
TI  - Localizing performance of go/no-go tasks to prefrontal cortical subregions.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Response inhibition is an essential executive function
      implemented by the prefrontal cortex. Performance of go/no-go tasks, which are
      frequently used to investigate response inhibition, recruits a variety of
      cognitive components besides response inhibition. This article reviews recent
      findings on the functional localization associated with go/no-go tasks. RECENT
      FINDINGS: Recent neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies have shown that the
      presupplementary motor area and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex are crucial for
      response inhibition and that various subregions of the prefrontal cortex make
      different contributions leading to successful response inhibition. In particular,
      functional dissociation has been identified in the right ventrolateral prefrontal
      cortex, which consists of at least three subregions: the posterior part of the
      inferior frontal gyrus, inferior frontal junction and inferior frontal
      gyrus/insula. SUMMARY: Neuropsychological studies provide strong evidence that
      separate subregions of the prefrontal cortex make critical contributions to
      specific cognitive components involved in response inhibition, whereas
      neuroimaging studies cannot provide direct evidence regarding the causality, but
      provide insights into functional localization with high spatial resolution. These
      methods contribute significantly to our understanding of how executive functions
      are implemented and should continue to do so into the future.

PMID- 20308900
TI  - The effects of early adversity on the adult and developing brain.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Recent advances in neuroimaging methods have provided new ways
      of unravelling the complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors
      that influence functional brain development in the critical first years of life.
      This has allowed new insights into the effects that early adverse experience can
      exert on the brain later in life. We review recent progress in the
      characterization of those effects and underlying mechanisms through which adverse
      environment influences the neurocognitive development. RECENT FINDINGS:
      Socioeconomic background may have a profound effect on structural and functional
      brain development, especially in the domains of language and prefrontal executive
      control. These effects are mediated by several factors: diet, quality of parental
      care, impoverished environment, prenatal exposure to toxic substances and so on.
      Other circumstances such as perinatal brain injury, early sensory deprivation or
      limb malformation may result in atypical functional organization of the brain and
      lasting cognitive impairment of certain functions. Early experience of
      maltreatment or institutionalized care may alter the development of the social
      brain, contributing to negative mental health outcomes, which may be partially
      reversed through early intervention programmes. SUMMARY: Subsequent models of
      psychiatric disorder should take into account early risk factors and embrace
      developmental models at multiple levels of biological organization. There is a
      continuing need for the study of optimal environmental input during sensitive
      periods in brain development.

PMID- 20308901
TI  - Review of HIV and HCV infection among drug users in China.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Drug abuse has resulted in a huge public health and economic
      burden in China, especially the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C virus
      (HCV) infection. Multiple HIV and HCV subtypes were detected among drug users in
      China, this study reviews the molecular distribution of HIV and HCV among
      injection drug users (IDUs) and explores new epidemiologic trends of HIV and HCV
      among drug users in China. RECENT FINDINGS: The 2009 National Narcotic Control
      Commission report showed that the percentage of users of 'new-type drugs',
      including amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS: methamphetamine and MDMA/ecstasy) and
      ketamine, was about 27% of total drug users. The pooled data from published
      papers showed that CRF07BC was the predominant HIV-1 subtype, which accounted for
      38.8%, and it was followed by AE, which accounted for 22.7% among HIV-positive
      IDUs. Following these, the CRF08BC, B' and C subtypes accounted for about 10.8%,
      9.9% and 9.2%, respectively. Subtype 6a was the predominant HCV subtype,
      accounting for 36.7%, and subtypes 3b, 1a, 3a and 1b were the next most
      predominant subtypes. SUMMARY: With the increase of 'new-type drugs' use and AE
      HIV-1 subtype infection among IDUs, the situation regarding HIV/AIDS and HCV
      infection has become complicated. More comprehensive prevention and intervention
      strategies should be instigated for the extensive high-risk populations in China.

PMID- 20308902
TI  - The intersecting risks of substance use and HIV risk among substance-using South
      African men and women.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The aim of this article is to review the recent literature
      examining the intersection between alcohol and other drug use and HIV risk
      behaviors for South African men and women, and the implications for the
      development of interventions and future research. RECENT FINDINGS: The current
      literature indicates that substance use in sexual contexts (i.e. before or during
      sex) as well as outside of the sexual context is associated with HIV risk
      behaviors, such as having unprotected sex and multiple sex partners.
      Additionally, environments where substances are used, such as drinking
      establishments, may be associated with HIV risk behaviors. Moreover, sexual
      violence is also associated with substance use. Brief HIV prevention
      interventions to address substance use have demonstrated promising findings -
      such as consistent condom use, less impaired sex, and less unprotected vaginal
      and anal intercourse - when compared with other interventions. SUMMARY: Recent
      research findings support the previous literature concerning the link between
      substance use and HIV risk behaviors in South Africa and suggest the need for
      interventions focused on sexual risk behaviors in the context of substance use
      and the environments in which they are used.

PMID- 20308903
TI  - Sexual and drug use behaviors associated with HIV and other sexually transmitted
      infections among female sex workers in the Mexico-US border region.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review is to summarize the latest research
      regarding HIV/sexually transmitted infection (STI) risk among female sex workers
      (FSWs) along the Mexico-US border. Although Mexico has a low prevalence of HIV
      overall, HIV prevalence among FSWs in Tijuana is quite high, and even higher
      among FSWs who inject drugs (FSW-IDUs). Efforts to better understand and curtail
      the HIV epidemic among FSWs in this region are greatly needed. RECENT FINDINGS: A
      brief HIV/STI risk reduction intervention for FSWs was successful in decreasing
      HIV/STI sexual risk behavior with clients among FSWs in Tijuana and Ciudad
      Juarez, Mexico. However, the intervention was less effective among FSW-IDUs, and
      had no effect on FSWs' condom use with their noncommercial partners. Whereas the
      majority of research thus far has focused on FSWs' individual-level risk factors,
      comparatively less is known about their clients and noncommercial sexual partners
      who may heavily influence their behavior, and engage in high-risk behaviors
      themselves. SUMMARY: Further studies including FSWs' intimate partners and
      clients are needed as well as interventions specific to FSW-IDUs. Targeting the
      most at-risk populations and reducing both sexual and injection-risk behaviors
      simultaneously may curb the growing HIV epidemic in the Mexico-US border region.

PMID- 20308904
TI  - Alcohol and drug use in suicidal behaviour.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To present a summary of estimates of the risk of suicidal
      behaviour (ideation, plan and attempt) among those with substance use disorders
      in the general population and risk estimates for those with acute alcohol and
      drug consumption (intoxication) immediately prior to a suicide attempt. RECENT
      FINDINGS: In Mexico and elsewhere studies have emerged on the risk of suicidal
      behaviour among those with substance use disorders that are not affected by
      treatment selection bias or by psychiatric comorbidity. In developed and
      developing groups of nations, alcohol use disorders were associated with
      increased odds ratio (OR) of ideation (range 2.0-2.5) and attempt (2.6-3.7),
      whereas drug use disorders were associated with increased risk of ideation (2.3
      3.0) and attempt (2.0-4.0). Follow-up studies of general population samples
      reported an OR for drug use disorders from 1.9 to 3.7 for ideation, and an OR of
      3.0 for attempt. Alcohol dependence increased suicide ideation with an OR of 1.5.
      Those drinking alcohol prior to the suicide attempt had ORs in the range of 6.2
      9.6. This increase may have a dose-response relationship. We found no studies
      providing risk estimates for drug use prior to a suicide attempt. SUMMARY:
      Current evidence points to a causal role of alcohol and drug use disorders
      exerting a distal effect on suicidal behaviour. Evidence for the proximal role of
      alcohol and drug use, as triggers of suicidal behaviour, are still very limited
      in number, analytical techniques and scope of substances other than alcohol.

PMID- 20308905
TI  - Substance abuse among Iranian high school students.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: In this study, we reviewed data on drug use among high school
      students in Iran. RECENT FINDINGS: Published epidemiological studies in
      international and domestic journals show that drug use/abuse is a serious mental
      health problem in Iran. There is cultural support for opium in Iran and also
      there is cultural tolerance for tobacco smoking, especially as water pipe smoking
      in Iranian families. Alcohol, opium and cannabis are the most frequently used
      illicit drugs, but there are new emerging problems with anabolic steroids,
      ecstasy and stimulant substances, such as crystal methamphetamine. SUMMARY: There
      is a serious drug abuse problem among Iranian high school students. It could be
      due to role modeling by parents - mainly fathers - and also cultural tolerance of
      some substances. Early onset of tobacco smoking, with a daily use rate between
      4.4 and 12.8% in high school students, is an important risk factor for other drug
      abuse problems. Use of all types of drugs, except prescription drugs, is more
      prevalent among boys. Alcohol is the most frequently abused substance, with a
      lifetime rate of at least 9.9%. Lifetime rates of opiate use - mostly opium - was
      between 1.2 and 8.6% in different parts of the country. As drug abuse is a
      frequent problem among Iranian high school students, it is necessary to design
      and implement drug prevention programs to protect them. Such programs, including
      life skills training and drug education, have been operating in recent years for
      Iranian students from kindergarten to the university level.

PMID- 20308906
TI  - Comparison of central and mixed venous saturation during liver transplantation in
      cirrhotic patients: a pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Liver transplantation is associated with important
      haemodynamic variations requiring cardiac output and oximetric data monitoring.
      The mixed venous saturation (SvO2) integrates parameters combining information
      about oxygen consumption, cardiac output and haemoglobin concentration. Central
      venous saturation (ScvO2) can be directly measured from blood drawn in the
      superior venous system via a central venous catheter. ScvO2 has been proposed as
      an alternative to SvO2 for intraoperative haemodynamic monitoring. The aim of the
      present study was to examine the level of agreement between SvO2 and ScvO2 during
      the preanhepatic and the neohepatic stage of liver transplantation in cirrhotic
      patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After agreement from the regulatory authorities
      for medical research and having obtained informed consent, 30 patients with
      cirrhosis undergoing liver transplantation were prospectively included. Blood gas
      samples were simultaneously drawn from the arterial line, the right atrium port
      and the pulmonary artery port of the catheter: during the preanhepatic stage (two
      times) and two times 30-40 min after graft revascularization. Arterial saturation
      (SaO2), haemoglobin concentration, cardiac index, SvO2, ScvO2 and oxygen
      consumption, delivery and extraction (VO2, DO2 and EO2, respectively) were
      measured. A Bland-Altman test was used to determine bias and limits of agreement
      between SvO2 and ScvO2. Both parameters were considered to be equivalent if
      limits of agreement were within +/-5%. RESULTS: Bland-Altman analysis revealed a
      bias (limit of agreement) of -1.2% (-9.1 to 6.6%), -0.3% (-4.8 to 4%) and -2.1% (
      12 to 7.8%) for the overall measurements and preanhepatic and postgraft
      reperfusion measurements, respectively. SvO2 decreased significantly between
      hepatectomy and reperfusion, whereas cardiac index, VO2, DO2 and EO2 showed
      significantly higher values after reperfusion. ScvO2 and SaO2 levels did not
      display different values between the two periods. DISCUSSION: Measurements of
      SvO2 and ScvO2 showed a good level of agreement during the preanhepatic stage,
      whereas the level of agreement was low after liver graft reperfusion. The
      increase of VO2 associated with the decrease of SvO2 and the stability of ScvO2
      between the two periods suggest an incomplete mixing of splanchnic venous blood
      into the right atrium. In addition, our samples were taken from the right atrium,
      which is not possible using a conventional central venous catheter, as the tip
      must lie in the superior vena cava and not in the right atrium. ScvO2 cannot be
      considered equivalent to SvO2 for the haemodynamic monitoring of patients with
      cirrhosis undergoing liver transplantation.

PMID- 20308907
TI  - Comparative evaluation of propofol 350 and 200 mg for induction of anaesthesia in
      morbidly obese patients: a randomized double-blind pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate efficacy
      and safety of propofol 350 versus 200 mg for induction of anaesthesia in morbidly
      obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty
      morbidly obese patients (BMI range 38-60 kg m) were randomized to receive
      propofol 350 or 200 mg over 60 s for induction of anaesthesia. Bispectral index
      (BIS) values, induction characteristics and haemodynamic parameters were
      compared. RESULTS: At the time of intubation, in the 200 mg group, mean BIS
      values were more variable and significantly higher [53 (range 27-86) versus 31
      (range 18-52), 200 versus 350 mg group (P = 0.01)]. In 20% of the 200 mg group,
      an additional propofol dose was needed, whereas no additional doses were judged
      necessary in the 350 mg group. At the time of intubation, six patients in the 200
      mg group had systolic arterial pressures above 160 mmHg [mean 162 (range 100
      210)], whereas mean pressures in the first 10 min were more in the target range
      in the 350 mg group [mean 122 (range 90-170)] (P = 0.01). One patient in the 350
      mg group experienced a serious decrease in systolic arterial pressure (below 60
      mmHg), immediately upon starting the maintenance dose. There were no significant
      differences in heart rate. CONCLUSION: Although propofol 200 mg proved to be an
      inadequate induction dose for morbidly obese patients, the 350 mg induction dose
      deserves further study, provided the maintenance dose is not started within 5
      min, thereby preventing temporary cardiovascular instability.

PMID- 20308909
TI  - The lexicon of 'Cardiac Rehabilitation': is it time for an evolutionary new term?

PMID- 20308908
TI  - Blood pressure and antihypertensive therapy according to the global
      cardiovascular risk level in Italy: the CHECK Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Elevated blood pressure (BP) is one of the most important modifiable
      risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. In this study we assessed the excess of
      cardiovascular risk attributable to high BP and antihypertensive treatment in a
      sample of Italian patients enrolled by the 'Cholesterol and Health: Education,
      Control and Knowledge' (CHECK) study. METHODS: CHECK is a large, cross-sectional
      epidemiological study, which randomly enrolled patients aged 40-79 years from 425
      Italian General Practices from March 2002 to April 2004. Among 5731 patients
      enrolled in the study [49.6% men, mean age (standard deviation) 57.7 (10.3)
      years], 723 (12.6%) had 'optimal' BP, 1496 (26.1%) had 'high normal' BP, and 1942
      (33.9%) were hypertensive. RESULTS: According to the European Guidelines
      stratification of the cardiovascular risk-excess attributable to high BP, 34.7%
      of the sample had a low added risk and 53.2% had a moderate-to-very high added
      risk. The pharmacological therapy was prescribed in 22.3, 43.9, 61.4, and 76.9%
      of the patients with low, moderate, high, and very high added risk, respectively.
      CONCLUSION: Overall dietary and drug therapies are under prescribed, as most of
      the treated patients would require two additional antihypertensive drugs to meet
      the recommended BP target. This effort could provide significant individual
      benefit to moderate/high-risk patients.

PMID- 20308910
TI  - Feasibility and long-term evolution of TIPS in cirrhotic patients with portal
      thrombosis.
AB  - AIM: Many researchers consider portal thrombosis (PT) as a contraindication to
      transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS). The aim of this
      retrospective study was to compare the feasibility and long-term prognosis of
      TIPS in cirrhotic patients, with and without, complete PT. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      Four hundred and thirty-six consecutive cirrhotic patients with portal
      hypertension were referred for TIPS, between 1990 and 2004. These patients were
      divided into two groups according to their portal patency. PT+: 34 patients with
      complete PT with cavernoma (19) or without (15) cavernoma versus PT-: 402
      patients with normal portal patency (308) and partial PT (94). Epidemiological
      data were compared using the chi and Student's t-tests, and comparative evolution
      was made from actuarial data using the log-rank test. RESULTS: PT+ patients were
      more frequently women with viral hepatitis, and TIPS was performed more often for
      bleeding indications. The TIPS success rate was significantly lower in the PT+
      group (79%) than in the PT- group (99.5%) (P<10). Presence of a cavernoma
      decreased the success rate to 63%. TIPS was always feasible in cases of recent PT
      and portal cavernoma with an accessible intrahepatic patent portal branch. Early
      and late outcome and complications were not significantly different between the
      two groups. CONCLUSION: Complete PT does not modify TIPS' long-term outcome.
      Rather than a contraindication, PT should be considered as an indication for TIPS
      in cirrhotic patients with accessible intrahepatic portal vein. Further
      randomized studies should be planned in cirrhotic patients with recent PT to
      better qualify TIPS and anticoagulation indications, respectively.

PMID- 20308911
TI  - The angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion/deletion polymorphism modifies the
      clinical outcome in patients with Pompe disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: The insertion/deletion polymorphism of angiotensin-converting enzyme may
      influence muscle properties. We examined whether Pompe disease clinical
      manifestations, which are known to be highly variable among late-onset patients,
      may be modulated by angiotensin-converting enzyme polymorphism. METHODS: We
      included 38 patients with late-onset Pompe disease, aged 44.6 +/- 19.8 years. We
      compared the distribution of angiotensin-converting enzyme polymorphism according
      to demographic and disease parameters. RESULTS: The distribution of angiotensin
      converting enzyme polymorphism was in line with the general population, with 16%
      of patients carrying the II genotype, 37% carrying the DD genotype, and the
      remaining patients with the ID genotype. The three groups did not differ in mean
      age, disease duration, Walton score, and other scores used to measure disease
      severity. The DD polymorphism was associated with earlier onset of disease (P =
      0.041), higher creatine kinase levels at diagnosis (P = 0.024), presence of
      muscle pain (P = 0.014), and more severe rate of disease progression (P = 0.037,
      analysis of variance test for interaction). DISCUSSION: These findings suggest a
      potential role of angiotensin-converting enzyme polymorphism in modulating Pompe
      disease phenotype and prognosis.

PMID- 20308912
TI  - Health-related quality of life in the family caregivers of stroke survivors.
AB  - The objective of this cross-sectional study was to identify the factors
      associated with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of family caregivers of
      Chinese stroke patients. One hundred and twenty-three stroke patients
      consecutively admitted to a stroke clinic and their 123 family caregivers were
      recruited. The caregivers' HRQOLs were assessed with the Short Form 36 (SF-36).
      Two subscores of the SF-36, the Physical Component Summary and the Mental
      Component Summary Scores served as the dependent variables. Independent variables
      comprised patients and caregivers' demographic data and physical and
      psychological conditions in relation to caregivers' HRQOL. The severity of
      coexisting illnesses of both the patients and their caregivers was assessed using
      the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale. The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) was
      administered to rate both the patients and their caregivers' depressive symptoms.
      The extent of the patients' functional disability was assessed using the Barthel
      Index and the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living. Global cognition of the
      patients was measured using the Mini Mental State Examination. The level of
      social support and recent life events of the caregivers were rated using Lubben
      Social Network Scale and the Modified Life Event Scale, respectively. The
      multiple linear regression revealed caregivers' Cumulative Illness Rating Scale
      and GDS score were associated with Physical Component Summary Score of SF-36. The
      patients and caregivers' GDS score were associated with Mental Component Summary
      Score of SF-36. Severity of depressive symptoms in Chinese stroke patients and
      their caregivers is an important factor associated with the caregivers' HRQOL.
      Further studies evaluating interventions on caregivers' HRQOL should include the
      assessment and management of mood disorders.

PMID- 20308913
TI  - Pacemaker implantation in a patient with persistent left superior vena cava using
      a steerable catheter-delivered lead.

PMID- 20308914
TI  - Alcoholic cardiomyopathy.
AB  - The myocardial depressant effects of excessive ethanol consumption have long been
      known. Excessive alcohol intake is reported in a wide range (3-40%) of patients
      with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy; furthermore, chronic excessive alcohol
      consumption may lead to progressive and chronic cardiac dysfunction and can be a
      possible cause of dilated cardiomyopathy, referred to as alcoholic cardiomyopathy
      (ACM). The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying ACM are poorly understood.
      Excessive alcohol consumption has been associated with left-ventricular myocyte
      loss in some animal models but not in all studies. In addition, heavy drinking
      may cause myocyte dysfunction, due to abnormalities in calcium homeostasis, and
      cause elevated levels of norepinephrine. Increasing doses of ethanol have been
      associated with a negative inotropic effect on myocytes in animal experiments. In
      this review, we evaluate the epidemiology, current pathophysiological mechanisms
      and possible role of factors that influence ACM and discuss its clinical
      presentation, prognosis and treatment.

PMID- 20308915
TI  - Refractory acute decompensated heart failure: an observational study on a
      noninvasive hemodynamic monitoring system aimed at improving the therapeutic
      approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inotropic agents should only be administered in acute decompensated
      heart failure (ADHF) refractory to vasodilators at optimal doses because they are
      associated with adverse outcome. In this setting a noninvasive hemodynamic
      monitoring system (NHMS) could be useful for optimizing treatment. METHODS: 
      INCLUSION CRITERIA: advanced chronic heart failure, ejection fraction 30% or
      less, admission for ADHF with systolic blood pressure 115 mmHg or less and
      inadequate response at 48 h of therapy. Patients were evaluated with a NHMS: with
      vascular systemic resistance (VSR) greater than 1500 dyne x s/cm we used
      vasodilators at increasing doses, with VSR less than 1500 and cardiac index (CI)
      less than 2.4 l/min per m inotropic agents were used. RESULTS: The study
      population consisted of 20 patients (mean age 67 + or - 12 years) with ejection
      fraction 20 + or - 7%. After 48 h of clinical-guided therapy, none of the
      patients achieved VSR 1500 or less, and 12 patients had a CI less than 2.4 l/min
      per m. After hemodynamic-guided therapeutic optimization there was a significant
      reduction of dyspnea at rest (7.7 + or - 1.25 versus 2.44 + or - 1.33 on the 10
      point Likert scale, P < 0.001) and 'cold' presentation (12 patients before and 1
      patient after, P = 0.0004). Daily urinary volume was higher (1217 + or - 369
      versus 2260 + or - 797 ml, P = 0.001) without renal function deterioration
      (creatinine 1.56 + or - 0.52 versus 1.34 + or - 0.61 mg/dl, P = 0.012).The
      nitroprusside dosing was increased after NHMS (0.13 + or - 0.19 versus 0.4 + or -
      0.310 microg/kg per min, P = 0.044), whereas doses of inotropic agents, diuretics
      and beta-blockers did not change significantly. CONCLUSIONS: In refractory ADHF a
      NHMS improves significantly symptoms and renal function, with a better use of
      vasodilators.

PMID- 20308916
TI  - Sodium nitroprusside infusion prevents hypothyroidism in patients undergoing
      coronary artery bypass grafting: a prospective randomized clinical trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The level of thyroid hormones is an important factor in determining
      the outcome of coronary artery bypass patients. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP) is a
      natural donor of nitric oxide which has been shown to interfere with thyroid
      hormone synthesis. Whether clinical use of sodium nitroprusside has any effect on
      thyroid function has not yet been investigated. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the effects of SNP administration on circulating levels of thyroid
      hormones. METHODS: One hundred and six consecutive patients who underwent
      coronary artery bypass grafting operation were prospectively randomized to
      receive continuous infusions of either SNP or saline limited to the rewarming
      time of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Free triiodothyronine (T3), total T3, free
      thyroxine (T4), total T4 and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels were
      analyzed. RESULTS: Free T3, TSH and albumin changes of SNP and control groups
      were statistically different from each other. In the SNP group, free T3 values
      stayed in the euthyroid range between CPB and post-CPB periods, the period when
      SNP was infused, whereas it continued to decline to hypothyroidic levels in the
      control group. In addition, in the SNP group, an elevation in TSH levels was
      observed during the CPB period. Postoperatively, an earlier restoration of free
      T3 and TSH levels was observed in the SNP group when compared to the control
      group. CONCLUSION: In this study, administration of SNP during cardiopulmonary
      bypass is shown to regulate free T3 and TSH levels positively.

PMID- 20308917
TI  - Influences of thiopurine methyltransferase genotype and activity on thiopurine
      induced leukopenia in Korean patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a
      retrospective cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Myelotoxicity has been shown to be very common in Korean
      patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) during azathioprine (AZA) or 6
      mercaptopurine (6-MP) treatment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the
      relative risk of the thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) and inosine triphosphate
      pyrophosphatase (ITPA) genotypes and TPMT activity for the development of
      leukopenia in Korean IBD patients during AZA/6-MP treatment. METHODS: We
      retrospectively analyzed 286 Korean patients with IBD who had been treated with
      AZA/6-MP for at least 6 months between June 1996 and September 2006. Common TPMT
      mutations, including TPMT*1, *2, *3A, *3B, and *3C, and ITPA mutations, including
      94C>A and IVS2+21A>C, were determined using a high-performance liquid
      chromatography method. TPMT activity was measured using liquid chromatography
      with coupled mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Leukopenia occurred in
      118 cases (41.3%). TPMT *1/*3C was detected in 7 cases (2.4%), and ITPA 94 C>A
      was detected in 66 cases (23.1%), including 63 heterozygotes (22.1%) and 3
      homozygotes (1.0%). The median TPMT activity was 9.3 U/mL (interquartile range
      10.4, range 2.1 to 76.2). Cox regression analysis revealed that patients with
      heterozygous *3C type TPMT had a higher probability of leukopenia than those with
      wild type TPMT (P=0.02). Patients with intermediate TPMT activity had a lower
      probability of leukopenia than those with low activity (P=0.01). However, the
      ITPA genotype did not affect the risk of leukopenia. CONCLUSIONS: Our data showed
      that it could be helpful to examine TPMT genotypes and to measure TPMT activity
      in Korean patients taking AZA/6-MP to predict the development of leukopenia.

PMID- 20308918
TI  - Sclerotherapy in a child using the transnasal route.

PMID- 20308919
TI  - Sequential or concomitant therapy for Helicobacter pylori eradication?

PMID- 20308920
TI  - Deleterious combined effects of salt-loading and endothelial cell restricted
      endothelin-1 overexpression on blood pressure and vascular function in mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We previously showed that young transgenic mice overexpressing
      preproendothelin-1 specifically in endothelial cells had hypertrophic remodeling,
      endothelial dysfunction, increased vascular NADPH oxidase activity, and
      inflammation in mesenteric small arteries without blood pressure (BP) elevation
      compared to nontransgenic wild-type littermates. To assess the consequences of
      salt-loading and the role of endothelin receptors, we investigated the effects of
      these on vascular structure, function, and oxidative stress in mesenteric
      arteries in salt-loaded transgenic mice treated with endothelin receptor
      antagonists. METHODS: Ten-month-old male transgenic and wild-type littermates
      were salt-loaded (4% NaCl) and treated with endothelin subtype A receptor
      antagonist (ET(A)RA, ABT-627, 5 mg/kg per day), endothelin subtype B receptor
      antagonist (ET(B)RA; A-192621, 30 mg/kg per day), or ET(A)/BRA (bosentan, 100
      mg/kg per day) for 4 weeks. BP was measured by radiotelemetry, vascular
      reactivity of mesenteric small arteries was studied on a pressurized myograph,
      and vascular NADPH oxidase activity was studied by lucigenin chemiluminescence.
      RESULTS: Transgenic+salt mice had significantly increased BP compared with wild
      type+salt mice, which was prevented by ET(A)RA and dual ET(A/B)RA but further
      increased by ETB antagonism. Increased small artery media/lumen ratio of
      transgenic+salt mice was significantly decreased only by dual ET(A/B)RA (P <
      0.01), whereas no differences were found in media cross-sectional area. Impaired
      maximal relaxation of small arteries to acetylcholine was significantly prevented
      with ET(A)RA and ET(A/B)RA (P < 0.05). N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester
      induced reduction of acetylcholine maximal relaxation was partially prevented by
      ET(A)RA, completely prevented by dual, and partially restored by vitamin C
      preincubation following dual ET(A/B)RA. The blunted endothelin-1 contractile
      response of small arteries found in transgenic+salt mice was partially restored
      by ET(A)RA and completely prevented by dual ET(A/B)R antagonism. The
      vasoconstrictor response to endothelin-1 was not altered in the presence or
      absence of ET(B)RA. Increased vascular NADPH oxidase activity of transgenic+salt
      mice was further increased by ET(B)RA but returned to levels seen in wild
      type+salt mice under either ET(A)RA and ET(A/B)RA. CONCLUSION: Transgenic+salt
      mice with endothelin-1 overexpression have structural alterations of mesenteric
      resistance vessels, endothelial dysfunction due to reduced nitric oxide
      bioavailability, a reduced responsiveness to endothelin-1, and enhanced vascular
      NADPH oxidase activity. ET(B)RA further exacerbated these effects, whereas
      ET(A)RA significantly improved but did not normalize them in chronically salt
      loaded transgenic mice with endothelial cell human endothelin-1 overexpression.
      Salt and endothelin-1 overexpression have deleterious additive effects on
      vascular remodeling mediated by ET(A)R and ET(B)R. ET(B)R probably located in the
      endothelium, however, also exerts beneficial effects on endothelial function in
      this experimental paradigm. The present study provides the first in-vivo
      demonstration that endothelin-1 overexpression when associated with high-salt
      intake results in enhanced endothelial dysfunction and vascular remodeling of
      resistance vessels, and contributes to elevated BP, via ET(A)R and ET(B)R.

PMID- 20308921
TI  - Hypertensive effects of central angiotensin II infusion and restraint stress are
      reduced with age.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effect of age on cardiovascular responses mediated
      by central angiotensin II (AngII) after intracerebroventricular infusion of
      AngII, and during restraint stress. METHODS: Blood pressure (BP) and heart rate
      (HR) of young (5-month-old) and old (27-month-old) male Fischer-344 x Brown
      Norway rats were measured using radiotelemetry. AngII was infused
      intracerebroventricularly using osmotic minipumps (10 ng/0.5 microl/h for 11
      days). BP and HR responses to stress were evaluated by placing animals in
      restrainers for 20 min before and after intracerebroventricular infusion of the
      AngII-type-1 receptor inhibitor losartan (15 microg/microl per h for 3 days).
      RESULTS: Resting BP was significantly elevated and HR was significantly lower in
      old rats compared with young. AngII-induced BP increase was markedly reduced in
      old rats, but HR responses were similar. Diurnal variation of both BP and HR was
      lower in old animals, and AngII reduced the amplitude of BP variation in young
      rats, but not in old. Restraint stress-induced BP and HR elevations were reduced
      with age. BP responses were diminished by central losartan infusion in both young
      and old, but this effect was more significant in young rats. In addition,
      expression of CuZn-superoxide dismutase and catalase declined significantly with
      age in the hypothalamus, whereas baseline oxidative stress increased. In
      contrast, AngII-induced increase in hypothalamic oxidative stress decreased with
      age. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that the role of central AngII
      diminishes with age in the regulation of BP both during baseline conditions and
      during stress, whereas the involvement of AngII in the regulation of HR remains
      unaffected.

PMID- 20308922
TI  - Impact of different definitions of the metabolic syndrome on the prevalence of
      organ damage, cardiometabolic risk and cardiovascular events.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We compared definitions of metabolic syndrome performed by ATPIII
      [the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III; three
      criteria of the following: systolic blood pressure >or=130 mmHg and/or diastolic
      blood pressure >or=85 mmHg, fasting serum glucose >or=110 mg/dl, high-density
      lipoprotein plasma cholesterol <or=40 mg/dl (men) or <or=50 mg/dl (women), plasma
      triglycerides >or=150 mg/dl, waist circumference >or=102 cm (men) or 88 cm
      (women)], AHA (the American Heart Association; same cut-off of ATPIII except
      serum glucose >or= 100 mg/dl) and IDF [the International Diabetes Federation;
      mandatory criteria of visceral obesity with reduced cut-off of 94 cm (men) or 80
      cm (women), and at least two criteria with the same cut-off as in AHA] for their
      impact on metabolic syndrome prevalence, cardiac organ damage, long-term risk of
      cardiovascular events and death for any cause and risk of developing diabetes
      mellitus, in-office and out-of-office hypertension and left ventricular
      hypertrophy (LVH). METHODS: In 2051 participants, we measured office, home and
      ambulatory blood pressure as well as metabolic, anthropometric and
      echocardiographic variables. Measurements were performed between 1990 and 1992
      and repeated 10 years later. Information on long-term incidence of cardiovascular
      events and all-cause deaths was also collected. RESULTS: Prevalence of metabolic
      syndrome was significantly greater when using the AHA and IDF as compared to the
      ATPIII definition. Prevalence of LVH was higher in participants with than without
      metabolic syndrome and similar for the three definitions. Over 12-year follow-up,
      there were 179 cardiovascular events and 233 deaths for any cause. The risk of
      cardiovascular events and death was markedly greater for participants with as
      compared with those without metabolic syndrome, regardless of the definition of
      metabolic syndrome. This was the case also for the risk of new-onset diabetes
      mellitus, office, home and ambulatory hypertension and new-onset LVH. CONCLUSION:
      Risks of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events, diabetes mellitus,
      hypertension and LVH were similar for the three definitions of metabolic
      syndrome. However, the AHA and IDF definitions are more sensitive than that of
      ATPIII in identifying metabolic syndrome condition.

PMID- 20308923
TI  - Genu recurvatum in cerebral palsy--part B: hamstrings are abnormally long in
      children with cerebral palsy showing knee recurvatum.
AB  - Hyperextension of the knee in stance (knee recurvatum) is a common disorder in
      patients with spastic cerebral palsy (CP). A group 35 children with CP (47 lower
      limbs) was divided into two subgroups according to the timing of maximum knee
      extension during the stance phase of gait. Gait analysis and musculoskeletal
      modelling data were compared with a control group of 12 normally developing
      children. We observed no difference in kinematics between the CP groups who
      showed an equinus position of the foot at initial contact. Both groups showed
      increased external extensor moments across the knee. The muscle-tendon lengths of
      the hamstrings were abnormally long at initial contact, and in both recurvatum
      groups, contracted faster compared with the control group. Surface
      electromyography revealed prolonged activity of the hamstrings in stance and
      early activation in swing. Abnormally long hamstrings at initial contact together
      with equinus position of the foot are the main causes of genu recurvatum in
      children with CP.

PMID- 20308924
TI  - Reduced bone mass accrual in swim-trained prepubertal mice.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Clinical studies have found that nonimpact non-weight-bearing
      sports are associated with normal to low bone mineral densities. The objective of
      this study was to quantify structural bone adaptations of the mouse to swimming
      using in vivo micro-computed tomography. METHODS: Prepubertal female mice
      underwent a 16-wk training program, in which they swam for progressively
      increasing durations up to 55 min for 5 d.wk(-1). A sham group was subjected to
      the water, but they did not perform the swimming exercise. Skeletal sites that
      were assessed included the proximal humerus, lumbar spine, midshaft and distal
      femur, proximal tibia, and the skull. RESULTS: Normal bone mass accrual was
      suppressed in the swim group during the initial 4 wk of training, during rapid
      growth. Swim mice gained 31.8% less (P = 0.001) and 16.7% less (P = 0.003)
      trabecular bone volume at the proximal tibial and humeral metaphyses,
      respectively. In the 12 wk that followed, low trabecular bone volume persisted in
      the swimmers (P < 0.001). Trabecular properties were reduced primarily at the
      metaphysis but not the epiphysis, and cortical bone was reduced at both
      compartments. At the femoral midshaft, swim mice had less cortical porosity (SHAM
      = 32% +/- 3% vs SWIM = 22% +/- 3%, P = 0.043). Despite the bone
      microarchitectural adaptations, swimming did not induce detectable changes to
      macroarchitecture, including bone length and total volume. Tissue mineral density
      was unaffected by swimming, suggesting that material changes did not occur.
      CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the response of prepubertal mice to swimming was
      adaptation at the bone microarchitectural level and resulted in an altered
      topology that was sustained until the end of the training program. Low bone mass
      was systemic throughout the mouse, with the largest depressions in the hindlimbs
      and spine.

PMID- 20308925
TI  - Relation of femoral diameter, shear rate, and dilatory response to knee extensor
      exercise.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Younger women typically exhibit marked dilation of the common
      femoral artery (CFA) during knee extensor exercise; this is in apparent contrast
      to subject groups with larger (men) and/or older (older women) vessels, which on
      average display much smaller exercise-induced increases in CFA diameter. To gain
      additional insight into this variation, the present study closely examined within
      and between-group relationships among CFA diameter, shear rate, and the
      magnitude of exercise-induced CFA dilation. METHODS: Healthy women (15 younger
      and 18 older) and men (15 younger and 13 older) performed graded single-leg knee
      extensor exercise while CFA diameter and blood velocity were measured using
      Doppler ultrasound. RESULTS: Resting CFA diameter was smaller (P < 0.05) in women
      (younger: 0.71 +/- 0.02 cm; older: 0.72 +/- 0.02 cm) compared with men (younger:
      0.84 +/- 0.01 cm; older: 0.97 +/- 0.03 cm). Resting CFA diameter was inversely
      associated with peak shear rate (combined groups: r = -0.83, P < 0.001) and the
      magnitude of dilation in women (younger: r = -0.82; older: r = -0.73, P < 0.001)
      and younger men (r = -0.66, P < 0.01) but not in older men (r = -0.17, P = 0.56).
      The dilatory response of the CFA to graded increases in shear rate showed a
      continuum across groups best described by a quadratic function (r2 = 0.89). Using
      piecewise regression modeling, a threshold diameter of 0.79 cm was identified
      below which diameter is inversely related to the magnitude of CFA dilation but
      above which little to no dilation was present. CONCLUSIONS: The CFA dilates to
      knee extensor exercise in women and men, the magnitude of which varies because of
      differences in shear rate across CFA diameters.

PMID- 20308926
TI  - Mechanisms for increases in VO2max with endurance training in older and young
      women.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine the time course and mechanisms of cardiorespiratory fitness
      adaptation to training in older (O) and young (Y) women. METHODS: A total of six
      O (69 +/- 7 yr) and eight Y (25 +/- 5 yr) women were examined before training and
      after 3, 6, 9, and 12 wk of training. Training was performed on a cycle ergometer
      three times per week for 45 min at ~70% of VO2max. RESULTS: VO2max (mL.kg(
      1).min(-1)) increased within 3 wk, with further changes observed at weeks 6 and 9
      in both O (17% +/- 14%) and Y and also posttraining (12 wk) in Y (22% +/- 6%, P <
      0.05). Maximal cardiac output (Qmax, open-circuit acetylene) and stroke volume
      increased only in Y after 9 wk of training (P < 0.05). Age * testing time
      interactions in maximal arterial-venous O2 difference (a-vO2diff) after 6 wk of
      training revealed a greater dependence on a-vO2diff in O compared with Y (P <
      0.05); ~65% of the change in VO2max from pretraining to posttraining was
      explained by a widened maximal a-vO2diff in O compared with almost equal
      increases in Qmax and maximal a-vO2diff in Y. The early adaptations (first 3 wk)
      in O relied exclusively on a nonsignificant increase in Qmax, whereas Y depended
      on a widened maximal a-vO2diff. Later changes in VO2max were explained
      exclusively by an improved maximal a-vO2diff in O and a larger Qmax in Y.
      CONCLUSIONS: O and Y women displayed a different time course of training
      adaptation in VO2max, with Y (after an initial improvement in maximal a-vO2diff)
      depending more on changes in Qmax and O mostly relying on a widened maximal a
      vO2diff.

PMID- 20308927
TI  - Inhaled fluticasone and the hormonal and inflammatory response to brief exercise.
AB  - PURPOSE: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) improve symptoms in lung diseases, such as
      asthma. Initial data suggest that the effects of ICS remain localized in the
      lung; however, recent studies demonstrate alteration to the peripheral immune
      system in patients with asthma. We sought to evaluate the effect of ICS on
      peripheral immune mediators and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and their
      response to exercise in healthy men. METHODS: Eleven healthy males (18-30 yr old)
      were placed on 2 wk of fluticasone proprionate (440 MUg) twice daily. A 30-min
      bout of exercise was performed on a cycle ergometer at approximately 70% of peak
      work rate before and after the start of ICS. Blood was sampled before and after
      exercise. Cytokines and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis mediators were
      measured by ELISA, and fluticasone was measured by liquid chromatography/tandem
      mass spectrometry. RESULTS: After ICS treatment, cortisol and adrenocorticotropin
      were decreased, and a blunted exercise response was observed for cortisol,
      adrenocorticotropin, and growth hormone. Peripheral leukocytes and neutrophils
      were significantly increased in response to exercise in both the untreated and
      the ICS-treated conditions and at baseline after ICS treatment. Interleukin-6 was
      elevated with ICS treatment, but the exercise response was blunted. Circulating
      median fluticasone levels were 0.15 ng.mL(-1) and were increased to 0.20 ng.mL(
      1) in response to exercise. CONCLUSIONS: Exercise revealed deficits in growth
      hormone production after ICS treatment not identified by static markers.
      Neutrophils were shown to be surrogate markers of the systemic effect of ICS.
      Exercise significantly increased circulating levels of fluticasone. Exercise
      challenge tests can be used to assess the physiological effect of exogenous
      corticosteroids.

PMID- 20308928
TI  - External and internal biphasic direct current shock doses for pediatric
      ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine energy dose and number of biphasic direct current shocks
      for pediatric ventricular fibrillation (VF) and pulseless ventricular tachycardia
      (VT). DESIGN: Observation of preshock and postshock rhythms, energy doses, and
      number of shocks. SETTING: Pediatric hospital. PATIENTS: Shockable ventricular
      dysrhythmias. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Forty-eight
      patients with VF or pulseless VT received external shock at 1.7 +/- 0.8 (mean +/-
      SD) J/kg. Return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) occurred in 23 (48%) patients
      with 2.0 +/- 1.0 J/kg, but 25 (52%) patients remained in VF after 1.5 +/- 0.7
      J/kg (p = .05). In 24 non-responding patients, additional 1-8 shocks (final dose,
      2.8 +/- 1.2 J/kg) achieved ROSC in 14 (58%) with 2.6 +/- 1.1 J/kg but not in 10
      (42%) with 3.2 +/- 1.2 J/kg (not significant). Overall, 37 (77%) patients
      achieved ROSC with 2.2 +/- 1.1 J/kg (range, 0.5-5.0 J/kg). Eight patients without
      ROSC recovered with cardiopulmonary bypass and internal direct current shock. At
      13 subsequent episodes of VF or VT among eight patients, five achieved ROSC and
      survived. In combined first and subsequent resuscitative episodes, doses in the
      range of 2.5 to < 3 J/kg achieved most cases of ROSC. Survival for > 1 yr was
      seen in 28 (78%) of 36 patients with VF and seven (58%) of 11 patients with VT,
      with 35 (73%) overall. Lack of ROSC was associated with multiple shocks (p =
      .003). Repeated shocks with adhesive pads had significantly less impedance (p <
      .001). Pads in an anteroposterior position achieved highest ROSC rate. Internal
      shock for another 48 patients with VF or VT achieved ROSC in 28 (58%) patients
      with 0.7 +/- 0.4 J/kg but not in 20 patients with 0.4 +/- 0.3 J/kg (p = .01).
      Nineteen of the nonresponders who received additional internal 1-9 shocks at 0.6
      +/- 0.5 J/kg and one patient given extracorporeal membrane oxygenation all
      recovered, yielding 100% ROSC, but 1-yr survival tallied 43 (90%) patients.
      CONCLUSIONS: The initial biphasic direct current external shock dose of 2 J/kg
      for VF or pulseless VT is inadequate. Appropriate doses for initial and
      subsequent shocks seem to be in the range of 3-5 J/kg. Multiple shocks do not
      favor ROSC. The dose for internal shock is 0.6-0.7 J/kg.

PMID- 20308930
TI  - Brain tumor resection in children: neurointensive care unit course and resource
      utilization.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) course and
      resource utilization for children with brain tumor resection and to identify
      factors predicting prolonged (>1 day) PICU length of stay. After craniotomy for
      brain tumor resection, children recover in the PICU. A few require critical care
      interventions and a >24-hr length of stay. DESIGN: We reviewed all brain tumor
      resection patients admitted to the PICU over 2 yrs. Preoperative, intraoperative,
      and postoperative variables and tumor characteristics were examined. The
      extracted variables were compared between two groups with a length of stay in the
      PICU of >1 or <1 day. SETTING: Pediatric intensive care unit in a tertiary
      academic children's medical center. PATIENTS: A total of 105 patients post brain
      tumor resection were admitted to the PICU over the study period and analyzed.
      INTERVENTIONS: Record review. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Thirty-two (31%) of
      105 patients remained in the PICU for >1 day. The mean age of patients in the >1
      day group was 5.0 +/- 0.81 yrs and 8.78 +/- 0.65 yrs in the <1 day group (p <
      .05). The estimated blood loss was 20 +/- 2.37 mL/kg in the >1 day and 9 +/- 0.92
      mL/kg in the <1 day group (p < .05). Fifteen (14.3%) patients were mechanically
      ventilated on arrival in the PICU; these patients more often had a length of stay
      of >1 day (p < .05). The number of unexpected intensive care unit interventions
      were 0.7 per patient, were more common in the >1 day group, and included
      treatment of sodium abnormalities, new neurologic deficits, paresis, or seizures
      (p < .05). In a logistic regression model, estimated blood loss and intubation on
      arrival predicted longer lengths of stay in the PICU (odds ratio, 1.1; 95%
      confidence interval, 1.05-1.18; and odds ratio, 33; 95% confidence interval, 2.57
      333, respectively), with a receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.86 and
      95% confidence interval, 0.78-0.94. CONCLUSIONS: Large intraoperative estimated
      blood loss and intubation on arrival may be predictive of PICU lengths of stay of
      >1 day for children who have had a craniotomy for brain tumor resection.
      Intensive care unit interventions are more common in these children.

PMID- 20308929
TI  - Critical illness in children with influenza A/pH1N1 2009 infection in Canada.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of critically ill
      children with influenza A/pandemic influenza A virus (pH1N1) infection in Canada.
      DESIGN: An observational study of critically ill children with influenza A/pH1N1
      infection in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs). SETTING: Nine Canadian
      PICUs. PATIENTS: A total of 57 patients admitted to PICUs between April 16, 2009
      and August 15, 2009. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:
      Characteristics of critically ill children with influenza A/pH1N1 infection were
      recorded. Confirmed intensive care unit cases were compared with a national
      surveillance database containing all hospitalized pediatric patients with
      influenza A/pH1N1 infection. Risk factors were assessed with a Cox proportional
      hazard model. The PICU cohort and national surveillance data were compared, using
      chi-square tests. Fifty-seven children were admitted to the PICU for community
      acquired influenza A/pH1N1 infection. One or more chronic comorbid illnesses were
      observed in 70.2% of patients, and 24.6% of patients were aboriginal. Mechanical
      ventilation was used in 68% of children, 20 children (35.1%) had acute lung
      injury on the first day of admission, and the median duration of ventilation was
      6 days (range, 0-67 days). The PICU mortality rate was 7% (4 of 57 patients).
      When compared with nonintensive care unit hospitalized children, PICU children
      were more likely to have a chronic medical condition (relative risk, 1.73);
      aboriginal ethnicity was not a risk factor of intensive care unit admission.
      CONCLUSIONS: During the first outbreak of influenza A/pH1N1 infection, when the
      population was naive to this novel virus, severe illness was common among
      children with underlying chronic conditions and aboriginal children. Influenza
      A/pH1N1-related critical illness in children was associated with severe hypoxemic
      respiratory failure and prolonged mechanical ventilation. However, this higher
      rate and severity of respiratory illness did not result in an increased mortality
      when compared with seasonal influenza.

PMID- 20308931
TI  - Reducing catheter-associated bloodstream infections in the pediatric intensive
      care unit: Business case for quality improvement.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether catheter-associated bloodstream infections were
      associated with increased lengths of stay in pediatric intensive care units and
      hospitals and increased healthcare costs in critically ill children. Previous
      studies have shown that hospital-acquired bloodstream infections are associated
      with longer stays in pediatric intensive care units, increased hospital costs,
      and increased hospital mortality. Catheter-associated bloodstream infections
      comprise the vast majority of hospital-acquired bloodstream infections. DESIGN:
      Retrospective, case-matched, cohort study and financial analysis. SETTING:
      University-affiliated children's medical center. PATIENTS: Twenty-two critically
      ill children with catheter-associated bloodstream infections and their matched
      controls. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We compared the
      length of stay, mortality, and hospital costs in critically ill children with
      catheter-associated bloodstream infections and matched controls. The presence of
      catheter-associated bloodstream infections extended the entire hospital length of
      stay by 9 days (6.5 days while in the pediatric intensive care unit) and
      increased hospital costs by $33,039, primarily driven by the increase in length
      of stay days. Quality improvement efforts directed at reducing the prevalence of
      catheter-associated bloodstream infections during the period of study decreased
      total hospital days by 354, reduced total hospital costs by $1,298,271, and
      reduced total costs to payers by $1,415,676. CONCLUSION: The potential cost
      savings from reducing or eliminating catheter-associated bloodstream infections
      in the pediatric intensive care unit are significant. Elimination of catheter
      associated bloodstream infections will directly reduce hospital costs, improve
      asset utilization, and most importantly, improve clinical care.

PMID- 20308932
TI  - Prevalence of adverse events in pediatric intensive care units in the United
      States.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Selection of relevant patient safety interventions for the pediatric
      intensive care (PICU) requires identification of the types and severity of
      adverse events (AEs) and adverse drug events (ADEs) that occur in this setting.
      The study's objectives were to: 1) determine the rates of AEs/ADEs, including
      types, severity, and preventability, in PICU patients; 2) identify population
      characteristics associated with increased risk of AEs/ADEs; 3) develop and test a
      PICU specific trigger tool to facilitate identification of AEs/ADEs. DESIGN,
      SETTING, PATIENTS: Retrospective, cross-sectional, randomized review of 734
      patient records who were discharged from 15 U.S. PICUs between September and
      December 2005. INTERVENTION: A novel PICU-focused trigger tool for AE/ADE
      detection. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Sixty-two percent of PICU patients had at
      least one AE. A total of 1488 AEs, including 256 ADEs, were identified. This
      translates to a rate of 28.6 AEs and 4.9 ADEs per 100 patient-days. The most
      common types of AEs were catheter complications, uncontrolled pain, and
      endotracheal tube malposition. Ten percent of AEs were classified as life
      threatening or permanent; 45% were deemed preventable. Higher adjusted rates of
      AEs were found in surgical patients (p = .02), patients intubated at some point
      during their PICU stay (p = .002), and patients who died (p < .001). Surgical
      patients had higher preventable adjusted AE (p = .01) and ADE rates (p = .02).
      The adjusted cumulative risk of an AE per PICU day was 5.3% and 1.6% for an ADE
      alone. There was a 4% increase in adjusted ADEs rates for every year increase in
      age. CONCLUSIONS: AEs and ADEs occur frequently in the PICU setting. These data
      provide areas of focus for evidence-based prevention strategies to decrease the
      substantial risk to this vulnerable pediatric population.

PMID- 20308933
TI  - Predictive factors for the outcome of noninvasive ventilation in pediatric acute
      respiratory failure.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To identify success and failure prognostic signs of noninvasive
      ventilation in pediatric acute respiratory failure. Noninvasive ventilation
      constitutes an alternative treatment for pediatric acute respiratory failure.
      However, tracheal intubation should not be delayed when considered necessary.
      DESIGN: Prospective, noncontrolled, clinical study. SETTING: Pediatric intensive
      care unit in a university hospital. PATIENTS: Children (age range, 1 month-16
      yrs) with moderate-to-severe acute respiratory failure who received noninvasive
      ventilation during a 4-year period. Failure was defined as the need for tracheal
      intubation. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Nine (19.1%) of
      47 patients needed tracheal intubation between the third and 87th hour after the
      start of treatment (33.6 +/- 29.6 hrs). Failure was associated with the younger
      age group (4 +/- 3.3 yrs vs. 7.7 +/- 5 yrs, p < .04), acute respiratory distress
      syndrome (failure/acute respiratory distress syndrome: 5 of 10 vs. failure/non
      acute respiratory distress syndrome: 4 of 37, p = .013), and worsening
      radiographic images taken at 24 hrs and/or 48-72 hrs (p = .001 and p < .001,
      respectively). A significant reduction in heart rate was observed between the
      second and fourth hour after starting noninvasive ventilation (130 +/- 25.8 bpm
      vs. 116 +/- 27.7 bpm, p < .001) and Pco2 (54.1 +/- 19.5 torr vs. 48.6 +/- 14.3
      torr; 7.21 +/- 2.6 vs. 6.48 +/- 1.91 kPa, p < .007) in the success group. The
      failure group had a higher rate of breathing assistance, both initial and
      maximal. In the multivariant analysis, only maximum mean airway pressure and Fio2
      formed part of the success/failure discriminant function with a cutoff point of
      11.5 and 0.57, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Modifications in a patient's
      respiratory assistance were made depending on the clinical, blood gas, and
      radiologic evolution of the patient. Mean airway pressure and Fio2 values of
      >11.5 and 0.6, respectively, predict failure and possibly set the limit above the
      patient's risk of delayed intubation increases.

PMID- 20308934
TI  - Mumps outbreak in the Republic of Moldova, 2007-2008.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Moldova experienced a nationwide mumps outbreak between 2007 and
      2008. Single-dose monovalent mumps vaccination at 15 to 18 months was introduced
      in 1983, replaced by a 2-dose MMR schedule at age 1 and 6 to 7 years in 2002. We
      investigated the outbreak to quantify its extent, explore the role of primary and
      secondary vaccine failure, and provide control recommendations. METHODS: We
      analyzed national mumps surveillance and vaccination coverage data to estimate
      vaccine effectiveness (VE) using the screening method. A retrospective cohort
      study in 5 educational institutions was conducted to determine age-specific
      attack rates (ARs) and VE. We compared vaccine strain-specific ARs. Isolation and
      genotyping of mumps virus strains were performed. RESULTS: Of 31,142 cases
      reported during October 2007 and July 2008, 80% were in 15- to 24-year-olds. Of
      cases with information (66%), 92% were vaccinated once, 4% twice. One-dose mumps
      VE estimates based on surveillance data over 1997-2001 declined from 91% (95% CI:
      88%-92%) in 2-year-olds to 72% (70%-74%) in 15- to 19-year-olds. In the cohort
      study (n = 1589), VE was -40% (-120% to 20%) for 1 dose. For 2 doses it was 62% (
      43% to 90%) in 13- to 15-year-olds. ARs were higher in individuals vaccinated
      with Urabe strains (43%) than with Leningrad-Zagreb strains (14%, P < 0.001).
      Mumps virus genotype G5 was identified. CONCLUSIONS: Low effectiveness of single
      dose mumps vaccination was the main cause of the outbreak. Waning immunity may
      have contributed to this. The risk of mumps in 2-dose vaccinees was low. Other
      countries in which large population groups have received <2 doses of mumps
      vaccine may face similar outbreaks.

PMID- 20308935
TI  - Parental attitudes about influenza immunization and school-based immunization for
      school-aged children.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Identify parental beliefs and barriers related to influenza
      immunization of school-aged children and acceptance of school-based influenza
      immunization. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of parents of
      elementary school-aged children in November 2008. Outcomes were receipt of
      influenza vaccine, acceptance of school-based immunization, and barriers to
      immunization. RESULTS: Response rate was 65% (259/397). Parents reported that 26%
      of children had received the vaccine and 24% intended receipt. A total of 50% did
      not plan to immunize. Factors associated with receipt were belief that
      immunization is a social norm (adjusted odds ratios [AOR], 10.8; 95% CI, 2.8
      41.8), belief in benefit (AOR, 7.8; CI, 1.8-33.8), discussion with a doctor (AOR,
      7.0; CI, 2.9-16.8), and belief that vaccine is safe (AOR, 4.0; CI, 1.0-15.8). A
      total of 75% of parents would immunize their children at school if the vaccine
      were free, including 59% (76/129) who did not plan to immunize. Factors
      associated with acceptance of school-based immunization were belief in benefit
      (AOR, 6.1; 95% CI, 2.7-14.0), endorsement of medical setting barriers (AOR, 3.7;
      95% CI, 1.3-10.3), and beliefs that immunization is a social norm (AOR, 3.3; 95%
      CI, 1.4-7.6) and that the child is susceptible to influenza (AOR, 2.6; 95% CI,
      1.2-5.7). Medical setting barriers were competing time demands, inconvenience,
      and cost; school barriers were parents' desire to be with children and competence
      of person delivering the vaccine. CONCLUSIONS: School-based immunization programs
      can increase immunization coverage by targeting parents for whom time demands and
      inconvenience are barriers, demonstrating that immunization is a social norm, and
      addressing concerns about influenza vaccine benefit and safety.

PMID- 20308937
TI  - Newborn serum retinoic acid level is associated with variants of genes in the
      retinol metabolism pathway.
AB  - Retinoic acid (RA) is a critical regulator of gene expression during embryonic
      development. In rodents, moderate maternal vitamin A deficiency leads to subtle
      morphogenetic defects and inactivation of RA pathway genes causes major
      disturbances of embryogenesis. In this study, we quantified RA in umbilical cord
      blood of 145 healthy full-term Caucasian infants from Montreal. Sixty seven
      percent of values were <10 nmol/L (84 were <0.07 nmol/L) and 33% had moderate or
      high levels. Variation in RA could not be explained by parallel variation in its
      precursor, retinol (ROL). However, we found that the (A) allele of the rs12591551
      single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the ALDH1A2 gene (ALDH1A2rs12591551(A)),
      occurring in 19% of newborns, was associated with 2.5-fold higher serum RA
      levels. ALDH1A2 encodes retinaldehyde dehydrogenase (RALDH) 2, which synthesizes
      RA in fetal tissues. We also found that homozygosity for the (A) allele of the
      rs12724719 SNP in the CRABP2 gene (CRABP2rs12724719(A/A)) was associated with 4.4
      fold increase in umbilical cord serum RA. CRABP2 facilitates RA binding to its
      cognate receptor complex and transfer to the nucleus. We hypothesize that
      individual variation in RA pathway genes may account for subtle variations in RA
      dependent human embryogenesis.

PMID- 20308936
TI  - Persistence of adenovirus nucleic acids in nasopharyngeal secretions: a
      diagnostic conundrum.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays increase the rate of viral
      detection in clinical specimens, compared with conventional virologic methods.
      Studies suggest that PCR may detect virus nucleic acid (NA) that persists in the
      respiratory tract. METHODS: We analyzed virologic data from children having
      frequent upper respiratory infections (URI), who were followed up in a
      longitudinal study. Nasopharyngeal secretions were collected at URI onset and
      when acute otitis media was diagnosed; virus studies were performed using
      conventional diagnostics and PCR. Repeated presence of adenovirus by PCR was
      further studied by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. RESULTS: Of 581 URI
      episodes in 76 children, 510 viruses were detected. Of the viruses detected by
      PCR, 15% were those detected previously; repeated positives occurred most
      frequently with adenovirus. Sequencing results were available in 13 children with
      repeated adenovirus detection; the following 4 patterns of infection were
      identified (16 instances): (1) adenovirus of the same serotype and strain
      detected continuously (n = 8 instances), (2) adenovirus of different serotypes
      detected during sequential URI episodes (n = 3), (3) adenovirus of the same
      serotype but different strains detected during sequential URI episodes (n = 3),
      and (4) adenovirus of the same serotype and strain detected intermittently (n =
      2). CONCLUSIONS: Among children with frequent URIs, repeated positive PCR results
      for adenovirus NA may represent a new serotype/strain, or persistence of viral
      NA. Results must be interpreted with caution; clinical correlation and presence
      of other viruses are important. Further longitudinal studies of children during
      and after infection are required for better understanding of the clinical
      significance of positive PCR tests for adenovirus NA in the respiratory tract.

PMID- 20308938
TI  - Dual-platform proteomics study of plasma biomarkers in pediatric patients
      undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass.
AB  - Plasma samples from pediatric cardiac patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass
      (CPB) procedures were used to identify and characterize patterns of changes in
      potential biomarkers related to tissue damage and inflammation. These included
      proteins associated with systemic inflammatory response syndrome. Potential
      biomarkers were identified using a dual-platform proteomics approach requiring
      approximately 150 microL of plasma, which included two-dimensional difference gel
      electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) and a multiplexed immunoassay. Methods used in the dual
      approach measured levels of 129 proteins in plasma from pediatric CPB patients.
      Of these, 70 proteins changed significantly (p<0.05) between time points, and 36
      of these retained significance after the highly stringent Bonferroni correction
      [p<0.001 for 2D-DIGE and p<0.00056 for multianalyte profile (MAP) assays]. Many
      of the changing proteins were associated with tissue damage, inflammation, and
      oxidative stress. This study uses a novel approach that combines two discovery
      proteomics techniques to identify a pattern of potential biomarkers changing
      after CPB. This approach required only 150 microL of plasma per time point and
      provided quantitative information on 129 proteins. The changes in levels of
      expression of these proteins may provide insight into the understanding,
      treatment, and prevention of systemic inflammation, thereby helping to improve
      the outcomes of pediatric CPB patients.

PMID- 20308939
TI  - Early isomerization of bilirubin in phototherapy of neonatal jaundice.
AB  - Neonatal jaundice is usually treated with phototherapy that converts bilirubin to
      more polar stereoisomers. These should theoretically be less able to cross the
      blood-brain barrier. The rates of photoisomer formation and concentrations
      accumulating in the circulation may have a bearing on the risk of kernicterus.
      The purpose of this study was to determine the rate of appearance of the major
      4Z, 15E photoisomer of bilirubin during the early stages of phototherapy. Twenty
      jaundiced neonates were treated with phototherapy, and blood samples were drawn
      before and at approximately 15, 30, 60, and 120 min (10 infants) or at
      approximately 15, 60, 120, and 240 min (10 infants) after beginning phototherapy.
      Blood samples were analyzed for total serum bilirubin (TSB) and the 4Z, 15E
      photoisomer of bilirubin. Significant (p<0.0001) formation of the 4Z, 15E
      photoisomer was detectable within 15 min. The change in TSB from time 0 was
      insignificant at 120 min but reached significance at 240 min (p<0.001). The 4Z,
      15E bilirubin constituted up to 20-25% of TSB at 2 h and may not have peaked by 4
      h. Further studies are needed to determine whether this early shift in balance
      between bilirubin isomers with different polarities may impact the risk of
      bilirubin encephalopathy even before TSB starts to fall.

PMID- 20308940
TI  - Noninvasive respiratory support of juvenile rabbits by high-amplitude bubble
      continuous positive airway pressure.
AB  - Bubble continuous positive airway pressure (B-CPAP) applies small-amplitude, high
      frequency oscillations in airway pressure (DeltaPaw) that may improve gas
      exchange in infants with respiratory disease. We developed a device, high
      amplitude B-CPAP (HAB-CPAP), which provides greater DeltaPaw than B-CPAP
      provides. We studied the effects of different operational parameters on DeltaPaw
      and volumes of gas delivered to a mechanical infant lung model. In vivo studies
      tested the hypothesis that HAB-CPAP provides noninvasive respiratory support
      greater than that provided by B-CPAP. Lavaged juvenile rabbits were stabilized on
      ventilator nasal CPAP. The animals were then supported at the same mean airway
      pressure, bias flow, and fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) required for
      stabilization, whereas the bubbler angle was varied in a randomized crossover
      design at exit angles, relative to vertical, of 0 (HAB-CPAP0; equivalent to
      conventional B-CPAP), 90 (HAB-CPAP90), and 135 degrees (HAB-CPAP135). Arterial
      blood gases and pressure-rate product (PRP) were measured after 15 min at each
      bubbler angle. Pao2 levels were higher (p<0.007) with HAB-CPAP135 than with
      conventional B-CPAP. PaCO2 levels did not differ (p=0.073) among the three
      bubbler configurations. PRP with HAB-CPAP135 were half of the PRP with HAB-CPAP0
      or HAB-CPAP90 (p=0.001). These results indicate that HAB-CPAP135 provides greater
      respiratory support than conventional B-CPAP does.

PMID- 20308941
TI  - The effectiveness of a posted information package on the beliefs and behavior of
      musculoskeletal practitioners: the UK Chiropractors, Osteopaths, and
      Musculoskeletal Physiotherapists Low Back Pain ManagemENT (COMPLeMENT) randomized
      trial.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect
      of a printed information package on the low back pain (LBP)-related beliefs and
      reported behavior of musculoskeletal practitioners (chiropractors, osteopaths,
      and musculoskeletal physiotherapists) across the United Kingdom. SUMMARY OF
      BACKGROUND DATA: A substantial proportion of musculoskeletal practitioners in
      United Kingdom does not follow current LBP guideline recommendations. METHODS: In
      total, 1758 practitioners were randomly allocated to either of the 2 study arms.
      One arm was posted a printed information package containing guideline
      recommendations for the management of LBP (n = 876) and the other received no
      intervention (n = 882). The primary outcome measure consisted of 3 "quality
      indicators" (activity, work, and bed-rest) relating to a vignette of a patient
      with LBP, in which responses were dichotomized into either "guideline
      inconsistent" or "guideline-consistent." The secondary outcome was the
      practitioners' LBP-related beliefs, measured using the Health Care Providers Pain
      and Impairment Relationship Scale. Outcomes were measured at baseline and at 6
      months. RESULTS: Follow-up at 6 months was 89%. The changes in reported behavior
      on the quality indicators were as follows: activity, odds ratio (OR) 1.29 (95%
      confidence interval, 1.03-1.61) and number needed to be treated (NNT), 19 (15
      28); work, OR 1.35 (1.07-1.70) and NNT 19 (14-29); and bed-rest, OR 1.31 (0.97
      1.76) and NNT 47 (33-103). The composite NNT for a change from guideline
      inconsistent to guideline-consistent behavior on at least 1 of the 3 quality
      indicators was 10 (9-14). LBP-related beliefs were significantly improved in
      those who were sent the information package (P = 0.002), but only to a small
      degree (mean difference, 0.884 scale points; 95% confidence interval, 0.319
      1.448). CONCLUSION: Printed educational material can shift LBP-related beliefs
      and reported behaviors of musculoskeletal practitioners, toward practice that is
      more in line with guideline recommendations.

PMID- 20308942
TI  - Primary intradural extramedullary melanoma of the cervical spinal cord: case
      report.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Case report. OBJECTIVE: We report a case of primary intradural
      extramedullary melanoma of the cervical spinal cord in a nonwhite patient.
      SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Melanoma occurs most commonly in white populations
      and is rare in Asian populations. Primary malignant melanoma of the spinal cord
      is a rare disease entity that predominately affects the middle or lower thoracic
      spine. METHODS: A 39-year-old man presented with a tingling sensation in the
      upper extremities accompanied by motor weakness of the lower extremities.
      Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the cervical spine suggested a
      multiloculated subdural hematoma in the subacute stage that spread from the level
      of C1 to the level of C6. RESULTS: A standard posterior midline approach was used
      under the impression that the subacute subdural hematoma was caused by a hidden
      vascular anomaly or a rare, intradural, pigmented tumor. A dark black-colored,
      hard, intradural mass was found, and gross total removal was performed.
      Histopathological investigation confirmed malignant melanoma. No hypermetabolic
      lesions were noted on whole-body FDG-PET. Additional dermatologic and
      ophthalmologic examinations did not reveal any other foci of primary melanoma.
      The patient was discharged with improvement of motor weakness. Subsequent
      radiotherapy and chemotherapy were administered. CONCLUSION: Unlike most cases of
      primary intradural melanoma, this patient presented with unusual radiologic
      findings in the cervical spinal cord. The case described in the present study
      illustrates that primary spinal cord melanoma is rare and must be diagnosed with
      caution due to its variable clinical and radiologic presentation.

PMID- 20308943
TI  - Evaluation of a Canadian back pain mass media campaign.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Quasi-experimental before-and-after design with control group.
      OBJECTIVE: We evaluated a back pain mass media campaign's impact on population
      back pain beliefs, work disability, and health utilization outcomes. SUMMARY OF
      BACKGROUND DATA: Building on previous campaigns in Australia and Scotland, a back
      pain mass media campaign (Don't Take it Lying Down) was implemented in Alberta,
      Canada. A variety of media formats were used with radio ads predominating because
      of budget constraints. METHODS: Changes in back pain beliefs were studied using
      telephone surveys of random samples from intervention and control provinces
      before campaign onset and afterward. The Back Beliefs Questionnaire (BBQ) was
      used along with specific questions about the importance of staying active. For
      evaluating behaviors, we extracted data from governmental and workers'
      compensation databases between January 1999 and July 2008. Outcomes included
      indicators of number of visits to health care providers, use of diagnostic
      imaging, and compensation claim incidence and duration. Analysis included time
      series analysis and ANOVA testing of the interaction between province and time.
      RESULTS: Belief surveys were conducted with a total of 8566 subjects over the 4
      year period. Changes on BBQ scores were not statistically significant, however,
      the proportion of subjects agreeing with the statement, "If you have back pain
      you should try to stay active" increased in Alberta from 56% to 63% (P = 0.008)
      with no change in the control group (consistently approximately 60%). No
      meaningful or statistically significant effects were seen on the behavioral
      outcomes. CONCLUSION: A Canadian media campaign appears to have had a small
      impact on public beliefs specifically related to campaign messaging to stay
      active, but no impact was observed on health utilization or work disability
      outcomes. Results are likely because of the modest level of awareness achieved by
      the campaign and future campaigns will likely require more extensive media
      coverage.

PMID- 20308944
TI  - Giant anterior arachnoid cyst associated with syringomyelia: implications for
      treatment and follow-up.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: A case report of a unique anterior intradural spinal arachnoid cyst
      (ISAC) associated with syringomyelia. OBJECTIVE: To discuss the surgical
      treatment and follow-up of anterior ISACs associated with syringomyelia. SUMMARY
      OF BACKGROUND DATA: Fenestration is commonly performed in arachnoid cysts with a
      large craniocaudal extension and in arachnoid cysts associated with
      syringomyelia. Particularly, excision of dorsal arachnoid cysts, without a
      shunting operation for the syrinx, achieves excellent results. However, anterior
      arachnoid cysts are different from dorsal cysts in having a greater craniocaudal
      extension and showing intracystic fibrous septae. METHODS: A 55-year-old man
      presented a small syringomyelic cavity at C1/C2 level and a giant anterior
      extramedullary intradural cystic cavity spreading from C1 to T11. A posterior
      laminectomy at C3 level was performed, and generous fenestration of the cyst was
      followed by the positioning of a cyst-subarachnoid shunt. RESULTS: After surgery,
      transitory relief was soon followed by a progressive worsening of symptoms. A
      specific kinematic-magnetic resonance imaging (K-MRI) was then carried out,
      showing a regular sisto-diastolic modulation of flow and normal shunt function.
      To define the real fluid dynamics within the cyst, the patient underwent a
      computed tomography-myelography (CT-M). Only a small quantity of contrast was
      found inside the pouch, confirming the clinical diagnosis of a poor communication
      within the shunt and the failure of previous surgery. CONCLUSION: This is the
      most extensive anterior ISAC associated with syringomyelia reported in literature
      until now. The treatment of extensive intradural extramedullary arachnoid cysts,
      especially for those located ventral to the spine and associated with
      syringomyelia, is still a matter of debate. In our case, fenestration and
      insertion of a cyst-subarachnoid shunt alone were not sufficient to restore
      normal CSF dynamics. In addition, we show that K-MRI may not be a proper method
      for postoperative follow-up of these lesions.

PMID- 20308945
TI  - Nerve root sedimentation sign: evaluation of a new radiological sign in lumbar
      spinal stenosis.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case-referent study. OBJECTIVE: To assess whether the
      new sedimentation sign discriminates between nonspecific low back pain (LBP) and
      symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: In the
      diagnosis of LSS, radiologic findings do not always correlate with clinical
      symptoms, and additional diagnostic signs are needed. In patients without LSS, we
      observe the sedimentation of lumbar nerve roots to the dorsal part of the dural
      sac on supine magnetic resonance image scans. In patients with symptomatic and
      morphologic central LSS, this sedimentation is rarely seen. We named this
      phenomenon "sedimentation sign" and defined the absence of sedimenting nerve
      roots as positive sedimentation sign for the diagnosis of LSS. METHODS: This
      study included 200 patients. Patients in the LSS group (n = 100) showed
      claudication with or without LBP and leg pain, a cross-sectional area <80 mm, and
      a walking distance <200 m; patients in the LBP group (n = 100) had LBP, no leg
      pain, no claudication, a cross-sectional area of the dural sac >120 mm, and a
      walking distance >1000 m. The frequency of a positive sedimentation sign was
      compared between the 2 groups, and intraobserver and interobserver reliability
      were assessed in a random subsample (n = 20). RESULTS: A positive sedimentation
      sign was identified in 94 patients in the LSS group (94%; 95% confidence
      interval, 90%-99%) but none in the LBP group (0%; 95% confidence interval, 0%
      4%). Reliability was kappa = 1.0 (intraobserver) and kappa = 0.93
      (interobserver), respectively. There was no difference in the detection of the
      sign between segmental levels L1-L5 in the LSS group. CONCLUSION: A positive
      sedimentation sign exclusively and reliably occurs in patients with LSS,
      suggesting its usefulness in clinical practice. Future accuracy studies will
      address its sensitivity and specificity. If they confirm the sign's high
      specificity, a positive sedimentation sign can rule in LSS, and, with a high
      sensitivity, a negative sedimentation sign can rule out LSS.

PMID- 20308946
TI  - Combined occipital-cervical and atlantoaxial disassociation without neurologic
      injury: case report and review of the literature.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Case report and literature review. OBJECTIVE: To discuss the
      diagnosis, limitations, and treatment of combined occipital-cervical and
      atlantoaxial disassociation with normal neurologic function. SUMMARY OF
      BACKGROUND DATA: Injuries to the craniocervical junction can lead to devastating
      neurologic deficits. Occipital-cervical disassociation is a well-documented
      injury pattern that can lead to pain, spinal cord injury, and death. Early
      diagnosis and treatment can preserve neurologic function. Combined injuries to
      both the occipital-cervical and atlantoaxial segments are less common and, to
      date, have only been described with severe neurologic injury. METHODS:
      Retrospective review of a case. Literature review was performed through Medline
      and Pubmed searches. RESULTS: This is the first case to present a combined
      occipital-cervical and atlantoaxial disassociation with a neurologically intact
      patient. Initial physical examination was limited, but early imaging revealed
      evidence of instability. Early diagnosis and early (< 24) surgical stabilization
      was performed with no complications and neurologic preservation. One-year follow
      up visit revealed normal neurologic examination with neck pain VAS = 2/10 and
      neck disability index = 6. CONCLUSION: Combined injuries to the occipital
      cervical and atlantoaxial can result in upper cervical instability. Despite
      previous reports, neurologic preservation remains a possibility in this injury
      pattern. Limitations in physical examination and radiographic imaging persist,
      but early diagnosis and surgical stabilization may improve neurologic outcomes.

PMID- 20308947
TI  - Multiple lumbar pedicle fractures in osteopetrosis: a case report.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Single case report. OBJECTIVE: To report the observation of
      multiple lumbar pedicle fractures in a patient with osteopetrosis. SUMMARY OF
      BACKGROUND DATA: Osteopetrosis is characterized by osteoclast dysfunction,
      impaired bone resorption, and poor bone remodeling. As a result, the bone is
      brittle but hard and is referred to as "marble bone disease." Although long bone
      fractures are relatively common, fractures of the spine are rare. Spondylolysis
      has been reported in the cervical and lumbar spine, and pedicle fractures have
      been reported in the cervical spine. We report the case of a patient with
      autosomal dominant osteopetrosis with multiple lumbar pedicle fractures. To the
      best of our knowledge, there have been no previous reports of multiple lumbar
      pedicle fractures in osteopetrosis. METHODS: A 73-year-old woman, with a known
      history of osteopetrosis, presented with acute nonradiating low back pain
      following a bout of coughing. The lower limb neurology and bladder and bowel
      function were normal. The imaging findings, clinical course, and treatment are
      discussed. RESULTS: Initial computed tomography scans of the patient revealed the
      presence of multiple pedicle fractures with spondylolysis. The patient was
      advised bed rest for the first 3 days, and when the acute pain subsided, she was
      permitted to ambulate with a lumbosacral corset. The patient was asymptomatic for
      8 months, when she was readmitted with another episode of acute low back pain.
      The CT scan revealed fresh fracture of the L4 pedicle, which was not seen on the
      previous scan. The pain settled down again with conservative measures.
      CONCLUSION: This case report discusses the rare occurrence of multiple lumbar
      pedicle fractures and pars interarticularis (spondylolysis) fractures in a
      patient with osteopetrosis.

PMID- 20308956
TI  - Heart failure in search of a cure.

PMID- 20308957
TI  - Abnormal mitochondrial function during ischemia reperfusion provides targets for
      pharmacological therapy.
AB  - The concept of reperfusion injury has been a subject of intense debate. Some
      researchers believe that the entire injury develops during the ischemic period,
      whereas others argue that blood reflow extends tissue injury due to the release
      of oxygen-derived free radicals, an inflammatory reaction involving influx of
      various populations of immune cell, and dysregulation of intracellular and
      particularly mitochondrial calcium concentration. Mitochondrial calcium overload
      in the presence of oxygen-derived free radicals can result in the opening of the
      mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP), which further compromises
      cellular energetics. The resultant low ATP and altered ion homeostasis lead to a
      rupture of the plasma membrane and cell death. Mitochondria have long been
      proposed as one of the main players in cell death, since the mitochondria are
      central to synthesis of both ATP and the formation of oxygen-derived free
      radicals. These mechanisms are centered on mitochondrial calcium overload as a
      key component of cell death. Pharmacological strategies that are cardioprotective
      attempt to reduce mitochondrial calcium overload to decrease the likelihood of
      arrhythmias and cardiac dysfunction elicited by reperfusion.

PMID- 20308958
TI  - Inflammation a potential target for therapeutic intervention in heart failure.

PMID- 20308959
TI  - Glucose management, heart failure and transplantation.

PMID- 20308960
TI  - Percutaneous device therapy to prevent and treat acute decompensated heart
      failure.

PMID- 20308961
TI  - Computational fluid dynamics as a tool for visualizing hemodynamic flow patterns.
AB  - Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques have progressed to a point where
      they can be routinely applied towards the simulation of blood flow dynamics in
      the human vasculature. Patient-specific geometries and physiologically accurate
      flow rates can be obtained from clinical images to provide accurate boundary
      conditions for these simulations. Advances in computer hardware and CFD software
      in recent years have reduced the simulation computing time from days to hours.
      Such a time frame permits incorporation of the information obtained with CFD into
      the clinical workflow for the surgical repair vascular pathologies. In this
      article, the concepts of CFD are introduced via a patient-specific simulation of
      the hemodynamics in a type III B aortic dissection. Emphasis is placed on the
      practical aspects of how to optimize CFD simulations so that their results may be
      of clinical value to the treating surgeon. Limitations as they exist today are
      discussed.

PMID- 20308962
TI  - Heart failure research: translating basic science into therapies.
AB  - Congestive heart failure is a syndrome characterized by decreased cardiac output
      with consequent neurohormonal activation leading to water and salt retention.
      This ultimately results in pulmonary and vascular congestion with eventual organ
      hypoperfusion and death. Often described as a "vicious cycle", congestive heart
      failure is responsible for more than 40,000 deaths per year in the United States
      and plays a substantial role in another 250,000 deaths; it takes a financial toll
      as well, with approximately $34 billion spent each year on the medical care of
      patients. The key to ending this vicious cycle is applied research. The
      Department of Cardiology within The Methodist Hospital is conducting research
      aimed at understanding heart failure and working towards therapies to improve
      patient care.

PMID- 20308963
TI  - The evolution of nuclear cardiology takes us back to the beginning to develop
      today's "new standard of care" for cardiac imaging: how quantifying regional
      radioactive counts at five and 60 minutes post-stress unmasks hidden ischemia.

PMID- 20308964
TI  - Michael E. DeBakey, M.D.: beloved brother, master mentor, compatible colleague,
      professional paragon.

PMID- 20308966
TI  - Does physical activity affect quality of life, disease symptoms and immune
      measures in patients with inflammatory bowel disease? A systematic review.
AB  - Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are a group of chronic, episodic inflammatory
      conditions of the large and small intestines. Individuals with IBD have been
      reported to use physical activity (PA) as a complementary therapy although the
      effectiveness of PA for reducing disease burden in patients with IBD is not
      known. The review objective is to evaluate published studies on physical activity
      and IBD focusing on quality of life, disease burden markers and immunological
      outcomes. A literature search was carried out using MEDLINE, WEB OF SCIENCE,
      CINHAL, and SCOPUS (to December 2008). Studies were included if they 1) were
      provided in English; 2) dealt with IBD in humans; 3) focused on the outcome
      measures of health related quality of life, clinical disease indicators or immune
      function; and 4) included PA as a primary intervention for IBD cases. In total, 7
      studies were included in this systematic review: 5 were on PA and quality of life
      measures and inflammatory disease markers, and 2 on PA and immune measures. Four
      studies showed that PA significantly increased quality of life for IBD patients
      as assessed by various questionnaires. PA was also associated with decreased
      disease activity. There was no evidence that PA affected immune outcomes in
      patients with IBD. The role of PA as an adjunctive therapy for patients with IBD
      has not been well characterized in the literature. However, there is some
      evidence that PA may improve quality of life and reduce disease activity in
      patients with IBD.

PMID- 20308967
TI  - Physiological profile of water polo players in different competitive levels.
AB  - AIM: The purpose of this study was to determine if there are different
      physiological characteristics in water polo players of three different
      competitive levels (national team, NT, junior national team, NJ, and amateur
      club, AC). METHODS: To better define the training levels of water polo players
      competing at different levels, we administered a shuttle swim test (SST, a
      specific test used by Italian coaches) and a classic speed-lactate test. The
      shuttle swim test is based on actions at maximum intensity followed by incomplete
      recoveries. To compare the athletes, we used their morphological characteristics,
      the speed during an incremental test associated with fixed blood lactate
      concentrations of 2 mmol*1-1 (Aerobic Threshold, AT) and 4 mmol*1-1 (Anaerobic
      Threshold, AnT), and the SST data (speed, heart rate and lactate concentration).
      RESULTS: The heart rate at the end of the SST was 164+/-12 beats*min-1 for NT,
      166+/-10 beats*min-1 for NJ (no significant difference, P>0.05) and 179+/-9
      beats*min-1 for AC (significantly different from NT and NJ, P<0.05). The AT and
      AnT speeds were significantly higher in NT than in AC and NJ (P<0.05). No
      significant differences were found in AT and AnT speeds between AC and NJ
      (P>0.05). The mean speed during the shuttle swim test was significantly higher in
      NT and NJ than in AC (P<0.05). Lactate values were similar in the NT, AC and NJ
      groups (P>0.05). The SST mean speed was significantly correlated with the AT
      (P<0.01) and AnT speeds (P<0.05) in three groups . In all groups no significant
      correlation was found between SST blood lactate and AT or AnT speeds (P>0.05).
      CONCLUSION: Some differences were found among the senior and junior professional
      and amateur water polo players in both SST performance and Aerobic and Anaerobic
      Thre-shold speeds. The shuttle swim test for water polo provides conditioning
      coaches and sport scientists with data on the sport-specific movement speed and
      the competition-specific fatigue resistance in each athlete.

PMID- 20308968
TI  - Oxygen cost of sprint training.
AB  - AIM: The purpose of the study was to profile the oxygen uptake of sprinters
      during various portions of a typical sprint training workout. METHODS: This was a
      descriptive study of 11 female sprinters and jumpers on an NCAA Division II
      university track team. Subjects were assessed for VO(2max), and VO(2) and HR
      kinetics during a 65 min typical sprint training session on a treadmill. The
      sprint session included a warm-up, static stretching, acceleration runs, 8x20 s
      sprints at 150% of velocity VO(2max) (vVO(2max)) with a 3-min walk recovery, and
      a cool-down. RESULTS: Mean VO(2) and HR (M+/-SD) for the entire 65 min sprint
      training session were 19.1+/-7.6 mL/kg/min and 138.7+/-24.0 b/min, respectively.
      VO(2) rose to 33 mL/kg/min during and immediately following each 20 s sprint
      which represented 73% of VO(2max). VO(2) during and after each sprint remained
      nearly constant (P>0.05) rather than rising as hypothesized. CONCLUSION: VO(2)
      during a 65 min sprint training workout in female college athletes varies greatly
      but was elevated to 33 mL/kg/min following each 20 s sprint. VO(2) did not rise
      across the series of eight sprints. These results suggest that chronic sprint
      training may elicit a moderate aerobic training effect. Implications for training
      are discussed.

PMID- 20308969
TI  - Aerobic power assessment by using a 10 min heart rate control running on
      treadmill.
AB  - AIM: This study evaluated the reliability and validity of a proposed 10 min
      running speed variance test (RSVHRC) in assessing aerobic power at which the
      intensity was controlled at 80% of age-predicted maximal heart rate (HR).
      METHODS: Forty-four college students (21 men and 23 women, age: 21+/-3 years,
      height: 166.6+/-7.9 cm, weight: 61.7+/-9.3 kg) were recruited to undergo 2 RSVHRC
      test trials, and a maximal exercise test at least 24 hours apart. The test
      consisted of a 3-min warm-up at 1.67 km/h, followed by adjusting speed up to
      either at 2.5 m/s or 2.78 m/s immediately depending upon onset HR after the warm
      up. HR was monitored every 30 seconds and running speed was adjusted accordingly
      to maintain HR (+/-5bpm) for 10 minutes. RSVHRC was determined by the slope of
      distance/time relationship from 3rd to 10th min. RESULTS: Pair t-test showed that
      there was no significant difference between 1st (2.38+/-0.58 m/s) and 2nd trial
      (2.40+/-0.63 m/s). Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) score showed that
      RSVHRC was highly reliable (ICC=0.98, 95% CI=0.97-0.99). Coefficient of
      variation, standard error of measurement (SEM), and %SEM were 4.8%, 0.12 m/s,
      5.02% respectively. Additionally, a Pearson product-moment correlation
      coefficient demonstrated 2 trials were correlated with maximal oxygen uptake
      (46.6+/-8.1 mL/kg/min) at r=0.74, 0.71 (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: In conclusion,
      80%HRmax RSVHRC is an easy and highly reliable submaximal exercise test that
      provides good validity to assess aerobic power in young and healthy population,
      which can be applied on treadmill setting.

PMID- 20308970
TI  - Inter-relationships between machine squat-jump strength, force, power and 10 m
      sprint times in trained sportsmen.
AB  - AIM: Strength and conditioning practitioners appear focussed on developing
      maximal strength based on the premise that it underpins explosive muscular
      performance. Investigation into the relationship between strength and a multitude
      of explosive power measures is limited though. Furthermore, the relationship of
      explosive force and power with functional performance is unclear. METHODS: We
      examined the inter-relationships between maximal strength and explosive measures
      of force and power at different loads. Also investigated were the relationships
      between explosive measures and 10-m sprinting ability. Forty elite-level well
      trained rugby union and league athletes performed 10-m sprints followed by
      bilateral concentric-only machine squat-jumps at 20 and 80%1RM. The magnitudes of
      the inter-relationships between groups of force measures, power measures and
      sprint times were interpreted using Pearson correlation coefficients, which had
      uncertainty (90% confidence limits) of approximately +/-0.25. Measures
      investigated included peak force, peak power, rate of force development, and some
      of Zatsiorsky's explosive measures, all expressed relative to body mass. RESULTS:
      The relationship between maximal strength and peak power was moderate at 20 %1RM
      (r=0.32) but trivial at 80 %1RM (r=-0.03). Practically no relationship between
      any of the explosive measures and 10-m sprint ability was observed (r=-0.01 to
      0.06). CONCLUSION: Although correlations do not imply cause and effect, we
      speculate that the common practice of focussing on high levels of maximal
      strength in a machine squat to improve power output may be misguided. Our results
      also cast doubt on the efficacy of increasing explosive force and power in a
      machine squat-jump with the intention of improving sprint ability in well-trained
      athletes.

PMID- 20308971
TI  - Effects of three distinct protocols of fitness training on body composition,
      strength and blood lactate.
AB  - AIM: Circuit training is a very popular methodology in fitness program because it
      allows to join together cardiovascular and strength training. The purpose of this
      study was to determine the physiological effects of circuit training performed at
      different intensities on body composition, strength and blood lactate in middle
      aged subjects who had recently undergone only minimum physical training. METHODS:
      Forty participants (aged 50-65) were assigned to a control group (CG) or to one
      of the three exercise treatment groups: Endurance Group (EG), Circuit-Low
      Intensity Group (CLG), Circuit-High Intensity Group (CHG). The three groups
      exercised three times per week, 50 min per session for 12 wk using EG (N.=10),
      CLG (N.=10) or CHG (N.=10). Pre- and post-training, participants RESULTS: Among
      the three groups, CHG showed the greatest reductions in body weight (BW),
      percentage of fat mass (FM), waistline, blood lactate (produced at 100 Watt
      during submaximal test) and greater improvement in 6RM in horizontal leg press
      and underhand cable pulldowns. CONCLUSION: The results obtained favored the
      conclusion that high-intensity exercise combined with endurance training in the
      circuit training technique is more effective than endurance training alone or low
      intensity circuit training in improving body composition, blood lactate, moreover
      CHG results in significantly greater strength increase compared to traditional
      circuit training.

PMID- 20308972
TI  - A single oral intake of arginine does not affect performance during repeated
      Wingate anaerobic test.
AB  - AIM: The ergogenic effect of arginine has been demonstrated in research focusing
      on its intake before exercise. However, in these studies, the effect of arginine
      in combination with other various metabolites were assessed. The aim of this
      study was to determine whether a single oral intake of arginine, without any
      other compounds, 60 minutes prior to exercise, modifies performance and exercise
      metabolism during a repeated Wingate anaerobic test. METHODS: Six healthy,
      active, but not highly trained volunteers participated in the study. Subjects
      performed three 30s all-out supramaximal Wingate Anaerobic Tests (WAnTs) with 4
      minute-interval rest periods between WAnTs. RESULTS: Arginine ingestion before
      exercise did not influence physical performance. Triple WAnTs resulted in a
      marked increase in white blood cell (WBC) count, lactate and ammonia
      concentrations, however there were no differences between arginine and the
      placebo trials. CONCLUSION: Our data indicated that 2 g of arginine ingested in a
      single dose, neither induced nitrite/nitrate (NOx) concentrations changes, nor
      improved physical performance.

PMID- 20308973
TI  - Effects of chronic Rhodiola Rosea supplementation on sport performance and
      antioxidant capacity in trained male: preliminary results.
AB  - AIM: Rhodiola Rosea, is an adaptogen plant which has been reported to promote
      fatty acids utilisation, to ameliorate antioxidant function, and to improve body
      resistance to physical strenuous efforts. The purpose of the present study was to
      investigate the effects on physical performance as well as on the redox status of
      a chronic Rhodiola Rosea supplementation in a group of competitive athletes
      during endurance exercise. METHODS: Following a chronic supplementation with
      Rhodiola Rosea for 4 weeks, 14 trained male athletes underwent a cardio-pulmonary
      exhaustion test and blood samples to evaluate their antioxidant status and other
      biochemical parameters. These data were compared with those coming from the same
      athletes after an intake of placebo. RESULTS: The evaluation of physical
      performance parameters showed that HR Max, Borg Scale level, VO(2) max and
      duration of the test were essentially unaffected by Rhodiola Rosea assumption. On
      the contrary, Rhodiola Rosea intake reduced, in a statistically significative
      manner, plasma free fatty acids levels. No effect on blood glucose was found.
      Blood antioxidant status and inflammatory parameters resulted unaffected by
      Rhodiola Rosea supplementation. Blood lactate and plasma creatine kinase levels
      were found significantly lower (P<0.05) in Rhodiola Rosea treated subjects when
      compared to the placebo treated group. CONCLUSION: Chronic Rhodiola Rosea
      supplementation is able to reduce both lactate levels and parameters of skeletal
      muscle damage after an exhaustive exercise session. Moreover this supplementation
      seems to ameliorate fatty acid consumption. Taken together those observation
      confirm that Rhodiola Rosea may increase the adaptogen ability to physical
      exercise.

PMID- 20308974
TI  - Bilateral suprascapular nerve entrapment by glenoid labral cysts associated with
      rotator cuff damage and posterior instability in an amateur weightlifter.
AB  - Suprascapular nerve entrapment is a common condition in athletes. The entrapment
      is most frequently due to a "glenoid labral cyst" produced by joint fluid
      extrusion in consequence of labral degenerative changes. The bilaterality of the
      entrapment and the association with rotator cuff pathology are a rare evidence.
      We present the case of a 38-year-old amateur weightlifter with an history of left
      shoulder chronic posterior pain and progressive external rotation weakness, and
      with an acute right shoulder pain and weakness. Magnetic resonance imaging showed
      a bilateral glenoid labral cyst in association with partial tear of the
      supraspinatus tendon, atrophy of the infraspinatus muscle and type 2 SLAP lesion
      at the left shoulder and subacromial impingement syndrome (due to acromio
      clavicular osteophyte), mild atrophy of the infraspinatus muscle and type 1-2
      SLAP lesion at the right side.

PMID- 20308975
TI  - High grade splenic rupture in an elite Rugby Union player.
AB  - The authors present the case of an amateur under-18 international squad Rugby
      Union player who sustained a Grade III splenic rupture while scoring a try. He
      was admitted to hospital and treated with strict bedrest following initial
      computed tomography (CT) evaluation. He maintained hemodynamic stability
      throughout and registered no drop in hemoglobin. A repeat CT scan five days later
      showed no radiological progression and he was discharged with instructions to
      avoid exercise for three months. A follow-up CT scan performed at 10 weeks after
      the injury showed radiological resolution but the decision was made to avoid
      physical contact for a further three months. The player made a full recovery and
      is now back playing representative rugby. This report reviews the management and
      raises the question as to when players should be allowed back to play contact
      sports following a splenic rupture.

PMID- 20308976
TI  - Gender comparison of C-reactive protein and cardiovascular disease risk in
      college students and intercollegiate athletes.
AB  - AIM: Research involving coronary artery disease (CAD) risk in young adults is
      limited; therefore we compared cardiovascular risk between college-aged men and
      women. METHODS: Thirty college men and women volunteered as study subjects. CAD
      risk assessment included systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure
      (DBP), waist circumference, percent body fat (%BF), maximum oxygen consumption,
      fasting plasma C-reactive protein (CRP), total cholesterol (TC), high-density
      lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), Body Mass Index (BMI) and fasting glucose. Risk
      factors were compared between groups using a t-test and Pearson product moment
      correlations were used to determine the relationships between CRP and CAD risk
      factors. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were observed for HDL,
      TC/HDL ratio, SBP, and %BF, between men and women. Total cholesterol and CRP
      concentration were not different between men and women. Log CRP was positively
      correlated with %BF and BMI. Further, 47% of the subjects met the criteria for
      one or more risk factors for CAD, as specified by the American College of Sports
      Medicine. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate a gender difference in CAD risk in
      college students with similar reported activity. Waist circumference, fasting
      glucose, % body fat, and BMI are associated with CRP in college age men and
      women.

PMID- 20308977
TI  - Eating attitudes, self-esteem and social physique anxiety among Iranian females
      who participate in fitness programs.
AB  - AIM: Today, women's participation in sports has substantially increased. This
      growth has been accompanied by concerns about health risks, as eating disorders,
      and psychological features, as self-esteem (SE) and social physique anxiety
      (SPA). The purpose of this study was to determine disordered eating attitudes and
      their relation to SE, SPA, as well as body weight, and body mass index (BMI), in
      Iranian females who participate in fitness programs. METHODS: Subjects were 250
      females, aged 14-51 years, who participated in fitness programs. Eating attitude
      test-26 (EAT-26), Rosenberg's self esteem scale (RSES), and social physique
      anxiety scale (SPAS), were used. Body weight and height were measured, and then
      Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated. RESULTS: According to BMI cut-offs, 36% of
      subjects were overweight or obese. 28.4% and 19.6% of subjects were disordered
      eating attitudes (EAT-26>or=20) and low self-esteem (RSES<15), respectively.
      Disordered eating attitude subjects had lower SE and higher SPA, body weight and
      BMI than normal subjects (P<0.05). The low SE group had higher SPAS than normal
      one (P<0.02). In bivariate analysis, EAT-26 score was correlated negatively with
      RSES (r=-0.13, P<0.04) and positively with body weight, BMI, and SPAS (r=0.40,
      0.42, and 0.47, respectively, P<0.001). SPAS had positive correlation with body
      weight and BMI (r=0.22, 0.19, CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that disordered
      eating attitudes are prevalent among Iranian females who participate in fitness
      programs. In this group, high SPA, body weight and BMI, and low SE accompany
      disordered eating attitudes.

PMID- 20308978
TI  - Validating the salivary testosterone and cortisol concentration measures in
      response to short high-intensity exercise.
AB  - AIM: To validate the testosterone (T) and cortisol (C) concentration measures in
      saliva in response to short high-intensity exercise. METHODS: Nine healthy males
      provided matching saliva and plasma samples before and after a 30-second Wingate
      cycle test. Saliva was assayed for T (Sal-T) and C (Sal-C) concentrations, and
      plasma for total T and total C, sex hormone-binding globulin, corticosteroid
      binding globulin (CBG) and albumin concentrations. The plasma free and
      bioavailable hormones were calculated. RESULTS: The Sal-T and plasma T
      correlations were weak to moderate (r=0.57-0.61) when examined between
      individuals (pooled data for all participants), but these relationships improved
      (r = 0.71-0.73) within individuals (data for each participant on average). The
      Sal-C and plasma C correlations were strong both between individuals (r=0.81
      0.84) and within individuals (r=0.83-0.84). The peak relative increases in Sal-T
      (35+/-9%) and Sal-C (63+/-29%) concentrations exceeded the plasma total and/or
      free hormones, but not the bioavailable hormones. Albumin (10+/-3%) and CBG (16+/
      4%) also increased with exercise, along with blood lactate (943+/-119%).
      CONCLUSION: The Sal-T and Sal-C concentration measures were validated in response
      to short high-intensity exercise, especially for individuals. The hormonal
      changes in saliva were also more sensitive to exercise (i.e. greater relative
      responses) than the plasma total and/or free hormones, potentially arising from
      changes in the binding proteins and blood lactate. These findings support the use
      of saliva as a medium for steroid determination in sport.

PMID- 20308979
TI  - Effect of different exercise intensities on oxidative stress markers and
      antioxidant response in trained cyclists.
AB  - Traditionally, physical activity has been associated with beneficial effects on
      the organism. However, exercise has been shown to increase the production of
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) to a point that can exceed antioxidant defences,
      causing oxidative stress. Characteristics of exercise such as the intensity or
      duration seem to be associated with oxidative damage. The aim of this study was
      to evaluate the effect of exercise of two different cycling intensities on
      oxidative stress and antioxidant response in trained males. Twenty male trained
      cyclists participated in this study. The maximal exercise test consisted of an
      incremental cycling test until voluntary exhaustion, and the submaximal test was
      a steady state at 75% VO(2max) for 30 min on a cycloergometer. In maximal
      exercise test (16+/-4 min of cycling), the results showed an increase in
      malondialdehyde (MDA) from 40.6+/-2.0 to 45.4+/- 18.4 microM (p<0.05) in plasma
      and from 0.21+/-0.10 to 0.23+/-0.12 micromol/g Hb (P<0.05) in erythrocytes, also
      vitamin C increased in plasma from 3.80+/-1.60 to 5.20+/-2.16 mg/mL (P<0.05) and
      it decreased from 130.5+/-34.7 to 83.4+/-30.0 mg/g hemoglobin (P<0.05) in
      erythrocytes, whereas there were no changes in vitamin E concentrations. In
      submaximal exercise, no significant differences were obtained in MDA, vitamin C
      or vitamin E. In conclusion, short time of high intensity cycling leads to
      oxidative stress increasing plasma and decreasing erythrocyte vitamin C levels.

PMID- 20308980
TI  - A study of saccadic eye movement dynamics in volleyball: comparison between
      athletes and non-athletes.
AB  - AIM: Visual search strategy in sports may influence performance. Thus it is
      interesting to investigate oculo-motor behavior of athletes and its possible
      impingement upon sport training and coaching. The differences in fixations and
      saccadic eye movements between expert volleyball players and novice subjects was
      studied, by carrying out a precise analysis of gaze shifts during the observation
      of a standard game situation. METHODS: Fifteen professional athletes and fifteen
      non athletes watched at a volleyball filmed sequence in which a setter receives a
      pass tossed from the coach and sets it forward or backward. Then, the number and
      duration of fixations to specific interest areas (IAs) were counted. In addition,
      the sequences of saccades from each IA to the others were analyzed. RESULTS: The
      results showed that expert players performed fewer fixations of longer duration
      and spent more time looking first at the initial pass trajectory and then at the
      setter's hands, disregarding the ball trajectory. The non athletes, instead,
      followed the whole course of the ball, before and after the hands touch.
      CONCLUSION: These findings support the interpretation that experts volleyball
      players extract more task-relevant information from each fixation than do less
      skilled athletes, and that player's proficiency influences the strategy used in
      the treatment of visual information.

PMID- 20308981
TI  - Real time VO2 measurements during soccer match-play.

PMID- 20308982
TI  - Isolation and enrichment of rat mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and separation of
      single-colony derived MSCs.
AB  - MSCs are a population of adult stem cells that is a promising source for
      therapeutic applications. These cells can be isolated from the bone marrow and
      can be easily separated from the hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) due to their
      plastic adherence. This protocol describes how to isolate MSCs from rat femurs
      and tibias. The isolated cells were further enriched against two MSCs surface
      markers CD54 and CD90 by magnetic cell sorting. Expression of surface markers
      CD54 and CD90 were then confirmed by flow cytometry analysis. HSC marker CD45 was
      also included to check if the sorted MSCs were depleted of HSCs. MSCs are
      naturally quite heterogeneous. There are subpopulations of cells that have
      different shapes, proliferation and differentiation abilities. These
      subpopulations all express the known MSCs markers and no unique marker has yet
      been identified for the different subpopulations. Therefore, an alternative
      approach to separate out the different subpopulations is using cloning cylinders
      to separate out single-colony derived cells. The cells derived from the single
      colonies can then be cultured and evaluated separately.

PMID- 20308983
TI  - Blockade of interaction of alpha9 integrin with its ligands hinders the formation
      of granulation in cutaneous wound healing.
AB  - The wound healing is a complex process consisting of inflammatory reaction,
      proliferation of mesenchymal cells, and formation and contraction of granulation
      tissue. The integrin receptors have crucial roles in this process. Recently,
      alpha9 integrin has also been detected on keratinocytes within wound sites.
      However, its functional significance at various wound healing processes was not
      fully elucidated. To address the role of alpha9 integrin in wound healing
      process, we made a full-thickness skin excisional wound and treated mice with
      anti-alpha9 integrin antibody. It has been shown that wound healing process was
      divided into three distinct phases: first, the re-epithelialization phase,
      second, the phase of granulation tissue formation, and finally the phase of
      contraction of granulation tissue. We found that contraction of granulation
      tissue was not impaired by blocking the interaction of alpha9 integrin with its
      ligands, indicating that alpha9 integrin is not involved in myofibroblast
      differentiation. It is noteworthy that the formation of granulation tissue, as
      characterized by dense vimentin and CD31-positive area, was impaired. The
      hindrance of granulation tissue formation is because of the inhibition of
      adhesion and migration of alpha9 integrin-positive dermal fibroblasts. In
      conclusion, alpha9 integrin is involved in the formation of granulation tissue
      through regulating migration and adhesion of dermal fibroblasts in the full
      thickness skin excisional wound model.

PMID- 20308984
TI  - Bone marrow mononuclear cells attenuate fibrosis development after severe acute
      kidney injury.
AB  - One of the early phases that lead to fibrosis progression is inflammation. Once
      this stage is resolved, fibrosis might be prevented. Bone marrow mononuclear
      cells (BMMCs) are emerging as a new therapy for several pathologies, including
      autoimmune diseases, because they enact immunosuppression. In this study we aimed
      to evaluate the role of BMMC administration in a model of kidney fibrosis induced
      by an acute injury. C57Bl6 mice were subjected to unilateral severe ischemia by
      clamping the left renal pedicle for 1h. BMMCs were isolated from femurs and
      tibia, and after 6h of reperfusion, 1 x 10(6) cells were administrated
      intraperitoneally. At 24h after surgery, treated animals showed a significant
      decrease in creatinine and urea levels when compared with untreated animals.
      Different administration routes were tested. Moreover, interferon (IFN) receptor
      knockout BMMCs were used, as this receptor is necessary for BMMC activation.
      Labeled BMMCs were found in ischemic kidney on FACS analysis. This improved
      outcome was associated with modulation of inflammation in the kidney and systemic
      modulation, as determined by cytokine expression profiling. Despite non
      amelioration of functional parameters, kidney mRNA expression of interleukin (IL)
      6 at 6 weeks was lower in BMMC-treated animals, as were levels of collagen 1,
      connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), transforming growth factor-beta (TGF
      beta) and vimentin. Protective molecules, such as IL-10, heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1)
      and bone morphogenetic 7 (BMP-7), were increased in treated animals after 6
      weeks. Moreover, Masson and Picrosirius red staining analyses showed less
      fibrotic areas in the kidneys of treated animals. Thus, early modulation of
      inflammation by BMMCs after an ischemic injury leads to reduced fibrosis through
      modulation of early inflammation.

PMID- 20308985
TI  - Organizing the cell cortex: the role of ERM proteins.
AB  - Specialized membrane domains are an important feature of almost all cells. In
      particular, they are essential to tissues that have a highly organized cell
      cortex, such as the intestinal brush border epithelium. The ERM proteins (ezrin,
      radixin and moesin) have a crucial role in organizing membrane domains through
      their ability to interact with transmembrane proteins and the cytoskeleton. In
      doing so, they can provide structural links to strengthen the cell cortex and
      regulate the activities of signal transduction pathways. Recent studies examining
      the structure and in vivo functions of ERMs have greatly advanced our
      understanding of the importance of membrane-cytoskeleton interactions.

PMID- 20308987
TI  - Prion-like transmission of protein aggregates in neurodegenerative diseases.
AB  - Neurodegenerative diseases are commonly associated with the accumulation of
      intracellular or extracellular protein aggregates. Recent studies suggest that
      these aggregates are capable of crossing cellular membranes and can directly
      contribute to the propagation of neurodegenerative disease pathogenesis. We
      propose that, once initiated, neuropathological changes might spread in a 'prion
      like' manner and that disease progression is associated with the intercellular
      transfer of pathogenic proteins. The transfer of naked infectious particles
      between cells could therefore be a target for new disease-modifying therapies.

PMID- 20308986
TI  - The final steps of integrin activation: the end game.
AB  - Cell-directed changes in the ligand-binding affinity ('activation') of integrins
      regulate cell adhesion and migration, extracellular matrix assembly and
      mechanotransduction, thereby contributing to embryonic development and diseases
      such as atherothrombosis and cancer. Integrin activation comprises triggering
      events, intermediate signalling events and, finally, the interaction of integrins
      with cytoplasmic regulators, which changes an integrin's affinity for its
      ligands. The first two events involve diverse interacting signalling pathways,
      whereas the final steps are immediately proximal to integrins, thus enabling
      integrin-focused therapeutic strategies. Recent progress provides insight into
      the structure of integrin transmembrane domains, and reveals how the final steps
      of integrin activation are mediated by integrin-binding proteins such as talins
      and kindlins.

PMID- 20308988
TI  - Environmental enrichment requires adult neurogenesis to facilitate the recovery
      from psychosocial stress.
AB  - The subgranular zone of the adult hippocampal dentate gyrus contains a pool of
      neural stem cells that continuously divide and differentiate into functional
      granule cells. It has been shown that production of new hippocampal neurons is
      necessary for amelioration of stress-induced behavioral changes by
      antidepressants in animal models of depression. The survival of newly born
      hippocampal neurons is decreased by chronic psychosocial stress and increased by
      exposure to enriched environments. These observations suggest the existence of a
      link between hippocampal neurogenesis, stress-induced behavioral changes, and the
      beneficial effects of enriched environment. To show causality, we subjected
      transgenic mice with conditionally suppressed neurogenesis to psychosocial stress
      followed by environmental enrichment. First, we showed that repeated social
      defeat coupled with chronic exposure to an aggressor produces robust and
      quantifiable indices of submissive and depressive-like behaviors; second,
      subsequent exposure to an enriched environment led to extinction of the
      submissive phenotype, while animals exposed to an impoverished environment
      retained the submissive phenotype; and third, enrichment was not effective in
      reversing the submissive and depressive-like behaviors in transgenic mice lacking
      neurogenesis. Our data show two main findings. First, living in an enriched
      environment is highly effective in extinguishing submissive behavioral traits
      developed during chronic social stress, and second, these effects are critically
      dependent on adult neurogenesis, indicating that beneficial behavioral
      adaptations are dependent on intact adult neurogenesis.

PMID- 20308989
TI  - Dynamic molecular and anatomical changes in the glucocorticoid receptor in human
      cortical development.
AB  - The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) has a critical role in determining the brain's
      capacity to respond to stress, and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of
      psychiatric illness. We hypothesized that key changes in cortical GR occur during
      adolescence and young adulthood, at a time when individuals are at increased risk
      of developing schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression. We
      investigated the mRNA and protein expression of GR in the dorsolateral prefrontal
      cortex across seven developmental time points from infancy to adulthood. GR mRNA
      expression, determined by microarray and quantitative real-time PCR, was lowest
      in neonates and peaked around young adulthood. Western blotting revealed two
      dynamic patterns of GRalpha protein expression across the lifespan, with N
      terminal variants displaying differing unique patterns of abundance. GRalpha-A
      and a 67-kDa GRalpha isoform mirrored mRNA trends and peaked in toddlers and late
      in adolescence, whereas a 40-kDa isoform, very likely a GRalpha-D variant, peaked
      in neonates and decreased across the lifespan. GRalpha protein was localized to
      pyramidal neurons throughout life and most strikingly in young adulthood, but to
      white matter astrocytes only in neonates and infants (<130 days). These results
      suggest that the neonatal and late adolescent periods represent critical windows
      of stress pathway development, and highlight the importance of white matter
      astrocytes and pyramidal neurons, respectively, at these stages of cortical
      development. Evidence of dynamic patterns of GR isoform expression and cellular
      localization across development strengthens the hypothesis that windows of
      vulnerability to stress exist across human cortical development.

PMID- 20308990
TI  - Genome-wide copy number variation analysis in attention-deficit/hyperactivity
      disorder: association with neuropeptide Y gene dosage in an extended pedigree.
AB  - Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common, highly heritable
      neurodevelopmental syndrome characterized by hyperactivity, inattention and
      increased impulsivity. To detect micro-deletions and micro-duplications that may
      have a role in the pathogenesis of ADHD, we carried out a genome-wide screen for
      copy number variations (CNVs) in a cohort of 99 children and adolescents with
      severe ADHD. Using high-resolution array comparative genomic hybridization
      (aCGH), a total of 17 potentially syndrome-associated CNVs were identified. The
      aberrations comprise 4 deletions and 13 duplications with approximate sizes
      ranging from 110 kb to 3 Mb. Two CNVs occurred de novo and nine were inherited
      from a parent with ADHD, whereas five are transmitted by an unaffected parent.
      Candidates include genes expressing acetylcholine-metabolizing
      butyrylcholinesterase (BCHE), contained in a de novo chromosome 3q26.1 deletion,
      and a brain-specific pleckstrin homology domain-containing protein (PLEKHB1),
      with an established function in primary sensory neurons, in two siblings carrying
      a 11q13.4 duplication inherited from their affected mother. Other genes
      potentially influencing ADHD-related psychopathology and involved in aberrations
      inherited from affected parents are the genes for the mitochondrial NADH
      dehydrogenase 1 alpha subcomplex assembly factor 2 (NDUFAF2), the brain-specific
      phosphodiesterase 4D isoform 6 (PDE4D6) and the neuronal glucose transporter 3
      (SLC2A3). The gene encoding neuropeptide Y (NPY) was included in a ~3 Mb
      duplication on chromosome 7p15.2-15.3, and investigation of additional family
      members showed a nominally significant association of this 7p15 duplication with
      increased NPY plasma concentrations (empirical family-based association test,
      P=0.023). Lower activation of the left ventral striatum and left posterior insula
      during anticipation of large rewards or losses elicited by functional magnetic
      resonance imaging links gene dose-dependent increases in NPY to reward and
      emotion processing in duplication carriers. These findings implicate CNVs of
      behaviour-related genes in the pathogenesis of ADHD and are consistent with the
      notion that both frequent and rare variants influence the development of this
      common multifactorial syndrome.

PMID- 20308991
TI  - Integrative genome-wide association analysis of cytoarchitectural abnormalities
      in the prefrontal cortex of psychiatric disorders.
AB  - Cytoarchitectural abnormalities have been described in the prefrontal cortex
      (PFC) of subjects with psychiatric disorders. We explored the possible genetic
      causalities that may underlie the cytoarchitectural abnormalities of calbindin
      containing gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic neurons and perineuronal
      oligodendrocytes in the PFC of subjects with psychiatric disorders by converging
      results from genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) scans for the
      traits and expression SNP (eSNP) associations. In the initial genome-wide scans,
      we identified several development- and apoptosis-related genes associated with
      the cytoarchitectural traits. Moreover, the susceptibility gene for bipolar
      disorder, PPP2R2C, was found to be associated with the number of perineuronal
      oligodendrocytes. Further eSNP analyses indicated that two novel candidate genes,
      RAB2A and SLC38A1, were associated with the density of calbindin-positive neurons
      and the number of perineuronal oligodendrocytes, respectively. Our findings may
      provide novel insights into the genetic causalities associated with
      cytoarchitectural abnormalities in the PFC of subjects with major psychiatric
      disorders as well as into the etiology of such disorders.

PMID- 20308992
TI  - Olanzapine promotes fat accumulation in male rats by decreasing physical
      activity, repartitioning energy and increasing adipose tissue lipogenesis while
      impairing lipolysis.
AB  - Olanzapine and other atypical antipsychotics cause metabolic side effects leading
      to obesity and diabetes; although these continue to be an important public health
      concern, their underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Therefore, an animal model
      of these side effects was developed in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Chronic
      administration of olanzapine elevated fasting glucose, impaired glucose and
      insulin tolerance, increased fat mass but, in contrast to female rats, did not
      increase body weight or food intake. Acute studies were conducted to delineate
      the mechanisms responsible for these effects. Olanzapine markedly decreased
      physical activity without a compensatory decline in food intake. It also acutely
      elevated fasting glucose and worsened oral glucose and insulin tolerance,
      suggesting that these effects are adiposity independent. Hyperinsulinemic
      euglycemic clamp studies measuring (14)C-2-deoxyglucose uptake revealed tissue
      specific insulin resistance. Insulin sensitivity was impaired in skeletal muscle,
      but either unchanged or increased in adipose tissue depots. Consistent with the
      olanzapine-induced hyperglycemia, there was a tendency for increased (14)C-2
      deoxyglucose uptake into fat depots of fed rats and, surprisingly, free fatty
      acid (FFA) uptake into fat depots was elevated approximately twofold. The
      increased glucose and FFA uptake into adipose tissue was coupled with increased
      adipose tissue lipogenesis. Finally, olanzapine lowered fasting plasma FFA, and
      as it had no effect on isoproterenol-stimulated rises in plasma glucose, it
      blunted isoproterenol-stimulated in vivo lipolysis in fed rats. Collectively,
      these results suggest that olanzapine exerts several metabolic effects that
      together favor increased accumulation of fuel into adipose tissue, thereby
      increasing adiposity.

PMID- 20308993
TI  - A double hit implicates DIAPH3 as an autism risk gene.
AB  - Recent studies have shown that more than 10% of autism cases are caused by de
      novo structural genomic rearrangements. Given that some heritable copy number
      variants (CNVs) have been observed in patients as well as in healthy controls, to
      date little attention has been paid to the potential function of these non-de
      novo CNVs in causing autism. A normally intelligent patient with autism, with non
      affected parents, was identified with a maternally inherited 10 Mb deletion at
      13q21.2. Sequencing of the genes within the deletion identified a paternally
      inherited nonsynonymous amino-acid substitution at position 614 of diaphanous
      homolog 3 (DIAPH3) (proline to threonine; Pro614Thr). This variant, present in a
      highly conserved domain, was not found in 328 healthy subjects. Experiments
      showed a transient expression of Diaph3 in the developing murine cerebral cortex,
      indicating it has a function in brain development. Transfection of Pro614Thr in
      murine fibroblasts showed a significant reduction in the number of induced
      filopodia in comparison to the wild-type gene. DIAPH3 is involved in cell
      migration, axon guidance and neuritogenesis, and is suggested to function
      downstream of SHANK3. Our findings strongly suggest DIAPH3 as a novel autism
      susceptibility gene. Moreover, this report of a 'double-hit' compound
      heterozygote for a large, maternally inherited, genomic deletion and a paternally
      inherited rare missense mutation shows that not only de novo genomic variants in
      patients should be taken seriously in further study but that inherited CNVs may
      also provide valuable information.

PMID- 20308994
TI  - Exploring functional polymorphisms in the dopamine receptor D2 gene using
      prolactin concentration in healthy subjects.

PMID- 20308996
TI  - The largest Last Supper: depictions of food portions and plate size increased
      over the millennium.
AB  - Portion sizes of foods have been noticably increasing in recent years, but when
      did this trend begin? If art imitates life and if food portions have been
      generally increasing with time, we might expect this trend to be reflected in
      paintings that depict food. Perhaps the most commonly painted meal has been that
      of Jesus Christ's Last Supper, chronicled in the New Testament of the Bible. A
      CAD-CAM analysis of the relative food-to-head ratio in 52 representative
      paintings of the Last Supper showed that the relative sizes of the main dish
      (entree) (r=0.52, P=0.002), bread (r=0.30, P=0.04), and plates (r=0.46, P=0.02)
      have linearly increased over the past millennium.

PMID- 20308995
TI  - The pathogenesis of tendinopathy: balancing the response to loading.
AB  - Tendons are designed to withstand considerable loads. Mechanical loading of
      tendon tissue results in upregulation of collagen expression and increased
      synthesis of collagen protein, the extent of which is probably regulated by the
      strain experienced by the resident fibroblasts (tenocytes). This increase in
      collagen formation peaks around 24 h after exercise and remains elevated for
      about 3 days. The degradation of collagen proteins also rises after exercise, but
      seems to peak earlier than the synthesis. Despite the ability of tendons to adapt
      to loading, repetitive use often results in injuries, such as tendinopathy, which
      is characterized by pain during activity, localized tenderness upon palpation,
      swelling and impaired performance. Tendon histological changes include reduced
      numbers and rounding of fibroblasts, increased content of proteoglycans,
      glycosaminoglycans and water, hypervascularization and disorganized collagen
      fibrils. At the molecular level, the levels of messenger RNA for type I and III
      collagens, proteoglycans, angiogenic factors, stress and regenerative proteins
      and proteolytic enzymes are increased. Tendon microrupture and material fatigue
      have been suggested as possible injury mechanisms, thus implying that one or more
      'weak links' are present in the structure. Understanding how tendon tissue adapts
      to mechanical loading will help to unravel the pathogenesis of tendinopathy.

PMID- 20308997
TI  - Subacute sensory ataxia and optic neuropathy with thiamine deficiency.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A 71 year-old man with a history of partial gastrectomy presented to
      the emergency department with subacute gait instability associated with painful
      dysesthesias and clumsiness in both hands. 10 years before presentation he had
      received a diagnosis of megaloblastic anemia, with no neurological involvement,
      as a result of vitamin B(12) and folate deficiency, for which he was receiving
      regular supplements. INVESTIGATIONS: Neurological examination; routine laboratory
      testing; MRI of the spine and brain; lumbar puncture; electromyography; sensory,
      motor and visual evoked potentials, optic nerve optical coherence tomography;
      immunoelectrophoresis; cryoglobulins; immunological and infection tests;
      screening for onconeural antibodies; measurement of serum metabolic values,
      including vitamins B(12) and E, folates, homocysteine, copper, zinc and pyruvic
      acid; transketolase activity; gastrointestinal endoscopies; and the glucose
      breath test. DIAGNOSIS: Subacute sensory ataxia with bilateral optic neuropathy
      related to thiamine deficiency resulting from remote partial gastrectomy.
      MANAGEMENT: Parenteral thiamine supplementation followed by chronic oral thiamine
      and short-term, low-dose multivitamins.

PMID- 20308998
TI  - HDL metabolism and activity in chronic kidney disease.
AB  - Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with development of atherosclerosis
      and premature death from cardiovascular disease. The predisposition of patients
      with CKD to atherosclerosis is driven by inflammation, oxidative stress and
      dyslipidemia, all of which are common features of this condition. Markers of
      dyslipidemia in patients with advanced CKD are impaired clearance and heightened
      oxidation of apolipoprotein-B-containing lipoproteins and their atherogenic
      remnants, and a reduction of the plasma concentration, antioxidant, and anti
      inflammatory properties of high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Studies in animal
      models of CKD indicate that the disease promotes lipid accumulation in the artery
      wall and kidney, leading to atherosclerosis, glomerulosclerosis and
      tubulointerstitial injury. These effects seem to be mediated by an increased
      cellular influx of lipids, elevated cellular production and reduced cellular
      catabolism of fatty acids, and impaired antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and
      reverse lipid transport properties of HDL. Available pharmacological therapies
      have been largely ineffective in ameliorating oxidative stress, inflammation, HDL
      deficiency and/or dysfunction, and the associated atherosclerosis and
      cardiovascular disease in patients with end-stage renal disease. This Review aims
      to provide an overview of the mechanisms and consequences of CKD-induced HDL
      deficiency and dysfunction.

PMID- 20308999
TI  - Metabolic acidosis: pathophysiology, diagnosis and management.
AB  - Metabolic acidosis is characterized by a primary reduction in serum bicarbonate
      (HCO(3)(-)) concentration, a secondary decrease in the arterial partial pressure
      of carbon dioxide (PaCO(2)) of approximately 1 mmHg for every 1 mmol/l fall in
      serum HCO(3)(-) concentration, and a reduction in blood pH. Acute forms (lasting
      minutes to several days) and chronic forms (lasting weeks to years) of the
      disorder can occur, for which the underlying cause/s and resulting adverse
      effects may differ. Acute forms of metabolic acidosis most frequently result from
      the overproduction of organic acids such as ketoacids or lactic acid; by
      contrast, chronic metabolic acidosis often reflects bicarbonate wasting and/or
      impaired renal acidification. The calculation of the serum anion gap, calculated
      as [Na(+)] - ([HCO(3)(-)] + [Cl(-)]), aids diagnosis by classifying the disorders
      into categories of normal (hyperchloremic) anion gap or elevated anion gap. These
      categories can overlap, however. Adverse effects of acute metabolic acidosis
      primarily include decreased cardiac output, arterial dilatation with hypotension,
      altered oxygen delivery, decreased ATP production, predisposition to arrhythmias,
      and impairment of the immune response. The main adverse effects of chronic
      metabolic acidosis are increased muscle degradation and abnormal bone metabolism.
      Using base to treat acute metabolic acidosis is controversial because of a lack
      of definitive benefit and because of potential complications. By contrast, the
      administration of base for the treatment of chronic metabolic acidosis is
      associated with improved cellular function and few complications.

PMID- 20309000
TI  - Autoimmune polyglandular syndromes.
AB  - The autoimmune polyglandular syndromes-a group of syndromes comprising a
      combination of endocrine and nonendocrine autoimmune diseases-differ in their
      component diseases and in the immunologic features of their pathogenesis. One of
      the three main syndromes, type 1 autoimmune polyglandular syndrome (APS-1), has a
      unique pathogenic mechanism owing to mutations in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE)
      gene, which results in the loss of central tolerance-a process by which
      developing T cells with potential reactivity for self-antigens are eliminated
      during early differentiation in the thymus. Patients with IPEX (immune
      dysfunction, polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy, X-linked) syndrome harbor mutations
      in the forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) gene in regulatory T cells, which leads to severe
      autoimmunity and immune deficiency. Although both of these disorders are rare,
      their well-defined mechanisms of disease provide a basis for the understanding of
      the more common condition, APS-2. In this syndrome, alleles of human leukocyte
      antigens (HLAs) determine the targeting of specific tissues by autoreactive T
      cells, which leads to organ-specific autoimmunity as a result of this loss of
      tolerance. Non-HLA genes also contribute to autoimmunity in APS-2 and, depending
      on the polymorphism, potentially predispose to a loss of tolerance or influence
      which organ is specifically targeted. This Review discusses the genetic basis of
      APS-1, APS-2 and IPEX syndrome, with an emphasis on the mechanisms of
      autoimmunity and presents currently available therapies to treat their underlying
      autoimmune disorders.

PMID- 20309001
TI  - Ischiatic pressure sores: our experience in coupling a split-muscle flap and a
      fasciocutaneous flap in a 'criss-cross' way.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Description of a technique and prospective follow-up study.
      OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to present our experience in the surgical
      treatment of ischial pressure sores, especially recurrence. SETTING: The
      Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Spinal Injuries Unit, CTO
      Hospital, Rome, Italy. METHODS: From 1995 to 1997, the authors used in 12
      consecutive paraplegic patients, who had a grade III or IV decubitus ulcer in the
      ischial area only, two different and independent flaps coupled together in a
      'criss-cross' musculocutaneous flap: a split-muscle gluteus maximus flap and a
      rhomboid fasciocutaneous local flap. The average follow-up period was 3 years and
      9 months. Details of the operative procedure are presented to prove that this
      criss-cross closure of the ischial pressure sore beneficial for patients with
      spinal cord injury. RESULTS: All flaps survived; recurrence of the decubitus
      ulcer occurred in one patient (8%). Pressure-sore-free survival after surgery was
      20 months in the patient with recurrence and an average of 26 months in patients
      without recurrence. CONCLUSION: The results obtained confirm this procedure to be
      safe and useful. We believe this technique to be a valuable alternative for the
      reconstruction of primary or recurrent ischial pressure ulcers.

PMID- 20309002
TI  - Editorial note on: glucose tolerance and physical activity level in people with
      spinal cord injury.

PMID- 20309003
TI  - Civilian spinal cord injuries due to terror explosions.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of civilians with spinal cord injuries
      (SCIs) due to terror explosions. OBJECTIVES: To analyze and describe the clinical
      characteristics and rehabilitation outcomes of civilians with SCI due to
      explosions admitted for in-patient rehabilitation from 2000-2004. SETTING: SCI
      rehabilitation service, Tel Hashomer, Israel. METHODS: Retrospective chart
      review. Civilians with SCI due to terror-related gunshot wounds (GSWs) served as
      a control group. RESULTS: Eleven civilians with SCI caused by penetrating
      atypical foreign objects (PAFOs) and eight with GSWs were identified. The male-to
      female ratio was approximately 2:1. Foreign objects were present within the
      spinal canal in seven patients, causing bone injury without canal penetration in
      three, and one patient had both bone injury and canal penetration. The most
      common level of injury was thoracic. Seven had complete motor SCI. Three
      individuals improved in American Spinal Injury Association status: one individual
      improved from B to C (cervical); one from C to D (thoracic); and the third from D
      to E (lumbar). Despite the similar acute hospital length of stay and functional
      independence measure (FIM) scores on admission, the PAFO group had a shorter
      rehabilitation length of stay with higher FIM scores and higher FIM efficiency at
      discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Although the pathophysiology of PAFO blast injuries is
      similar to the high-velocity GSWs or the high-energy military munition injuries,
      better rehabilitation outcomes were seen, with slightly higher FIM efficiency and
      efficacy at discharge. This result is likely to be caused by less neurological
      tissue damage at impact.

PMID- 20309004
TI  - Impaired immune response to voluntary arm-crank ergometer exercise in patients
      with cervical spinal cord injury.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Non-randomized study. OBJECTIVE: The mechanism underlying exercise
      induced argumentation of natural killer cell cytotoxic activity (NKCA) in humans
      remains unclear. To address this, NKCA responses were studied during and after
      exercise in persons with cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI) and dysfunctional
      sympathetic nervous system. SETTING: Kibikogen Rehabilitation Center for
      Employment Injuries. METHODS: We examined the NKCA responses to 20-min arm-crank
      ergometer exercise at 60% of maximum oxygen consumption in eight persons with
      CSCI (between C6 and C7) and six able-bodied subjects. NKCA, adrenaline, and
      cortisol were measured before, immediately after exercise, 1 h after exercise,
      and 2 h after exercise. RESULTS: In able-bodied subjects, NKCA increased
      immediately after exercise (P<0.01) and then decreased to below the pre-exercise
      level 1 h after exercise, before recovering to the baseline level at 2 h after
      exercise. Plasma adrenaline concentrations increased significantly immediately
      after exercise (P<0.01) and returned to the baseline level 1 h after exercise.
      The plasma cortisol level did not change throughout the study. In contrast, NKCA,
      plasma concentrations of adrenaline, and cortisol did not change throughout the
      study in subjects with CSCI. CONCLUSION: In subjects with CSCI, the lack of
      response in NKCA throughout the experiment is probably mainly due to a
      dysfunctional sympathetic nervous system.

PMID- 20309005
TI  - Surgical treatment of post-traumatic syringomyelia.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study. OBJECTIVES: To review the outcome of 40
      patients with post-traumatic syringomyelia treated with laminectomy and
      reconstitution of the spinal subarachnoid channels. SETTING: Birmingham, United
      Kingdom. METHOD: A retrospective study of patients undergoing surgery between
      1996 and 2007 was carried out. All 40 patients underwent a laminectomy with the
      creation of a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) conduit. RESULTS: A total of 18 (1 in 2)
      patients had long-term stabilization of symptoms after laminectomy and creation
      of a CSF conduit alone. Later, 17 patients underwent supplementary procedures.
      Overall, surgical treatment resulted in 27(2 in 3) patients with continued
      stabilization of symptoms and 13 (1 in 3) experiencing worsening of symptoms in
      the long term (mean follow-up was 64 months). Radiological review at 6 months
      revealed a reduction in the size of the syrinx in 21 out of 33 (2 in 3) patients.
      CONCLUSIONS: Laminectomy for syringomyelia, with reconstruction of the spinal CSF
      channels alone, resulted in a reduction of syrinx size by 6 months, with half of
      all patients experiencing stabilization of symptoms in the long term. When
      additional techniques are taken into account, two in three of patients achieved
      long-term stabilization of symptoms.

PMID- 20309006
TI  - Tumor size and survival in breast cancer--a reappraisal.
AB  - The size of a breast cancer at diagnosis has conventionally been thought of as a
      fundamental and critical determinant of clinical outcome. However, the tendency
      of some subtypes of breast cancer to behave aggressively, despite being small
      (</=1 cm in diameter), questions the premise that cancer size should always be
      considered in treatment decisions. Although there is an association between tumor
      size and lymph-node involvement for most tumor types, this pattern is not
      invariable. We speculate that the uncoupling of tumor size, lymph-node status and
      prognosis in some subtypes of breast cancers might reflect an underlying
      disproportionate relationship between the number of cancer cells with metastatic
      potential and the size of the cancer. Alternatively, some small cancers might
      harbor cells that are inherently aggressive and are likely to metastasize. These
      observations have implications for the screening and treatment of breast cancers,
      particularly for women with basal-like and BRCA1-related breast cancers.

PMID- 20309007
TI  - Myocardial edema--a new clinical entity?
AB  - Edema is a generic component of the tissue response to acute injury and,
      therefore, an important diagnostic target for assessing the acuity of tissue
      damage in vivo. In the past, edema could not be used as a diagnostic target,
      because even histological techniques failed to provide reliable qualitative or
      even quantitative data on its presence, extent, and regional distribution.
      Cardiac MRI is about to change that. Using water-sensitive MRI, visualization of
      myocardial edema in vivo is possible within a few breath holds, without using
      radiation or contrast agents. Edema imaging provides useful incremental
      diagnostic and prognostic information in a variety of clinical settings
      associated with suspected acute myocardial injury. In combination with scar
      imaging, MRI differentiates reversible from irreversible injury and can quantify
      myocardial salvage after coronary revascularization. With this unique
      contribution, MRI of edema should be considered an essential diagnostic tool and,
      as part of a multitarget MRI scan, illustrates the exceptional role of
      comprehensive cardiac MRI in diagnosing and staging myocardial diseases safely
      and efficiently.

PMID- 20309008
TI  - The role of G protein-coupled receptors in mast cell activation by antimicrobial
      peptides: is there a connection?
AB  - Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are ancient and essential elements of the host
      defense system, which are found in a wide variety of species. They show
      antimicrobial activity against a wide range of pathogenic microorganisms. In
      addition, AMPs are expressed by different immune cells and have a important
      function in host innate immune response against pathogens by mechanisms that are
      different from those involved in direct microbial cytolysis. One host innate
      immune response that is directly activated by AMPs involves induction of
      localized inflammation through interaction with mast cells. Activation of mast
      cells releases pre-formed mediators, cytokines, chemokines and eicosaniods, which
      influence recruitment, survival, phenotype and functions of many immune cells.
      Mast cells can respond to AMPs independent of antigen and Fc epsilon receptor 1
      stimulation. One of these pathways involves G protein-coupled receptor signaling,
      which can lead to mast cell degranulation. Whether AMPs activate G proteins in
      mast cells through a receptor-dependent or a receptor-independent mechanism
      remains poorly understood and there are a great many questions that have yet to
      be answered. In this review, we will discuss the possible involvement and role of
      GPCRs in mast cells activation by AMPs and the gaps in our current understanding
      of this important interaction.

PMID- 20309009
TI  - Distinct roles of cytolytic effector molecules for antigen-restricted killing by
      CTL in vivo.
AB  - Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) represent one of the front lines of defense for
      the immune system, killing virus-infected and tumor-transformed cells. CTL use at
      least two mechanisms to induce apoptosis in their targets, one mediated by
      perforin and granzymes, and the other triggered by the death ligand, CD95 ligand
      (CD95L). Here, we used an in vivo cytotoxicity assay to measure specific
      clearance of antigen-bearing target cells in mice that had previously been
      immunized with noninfectious cell-associated antigens. We found that perforin was
      dispensable for efficient clearance of antigen-bearing cells from immunized mice,
      but only if CD95/CD95L was functional; however, there was a delay in target cell
      clearance in the absence of perforin. In addition, we observed ~35% target cell
      clearance in the absence of both perforin and CD95L, which was only slightly
      abrogated in the presence of a neutralizing anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)
      antibody. The presence of a dominant negative Fas-associated death domain (FADD)
      did not block target cell clearance and therefore cannot be attributed to known
      death receptors. Taken together, these data suggest that perforin- and CD95L
      dependent killing are complementary at early time points, each can compensate for
      the absence of the other at later time points, and that there is an additional
      component of antigen-restricted CTL killing independent of perforin, CD95L, and
      TNFalpha.

PMID- 20309011
TI  - TH9 cell generation. TH9: the latest addition to the expanding repertoire of IL
      25 targets.

PMID- 20309012
TI  - New insights into the role of VIP on the ratio of T-cell subsets during the
      development of autoimmune diabetes.
AB  - Type I diabetes is an autoimmune T-cell-mediated disease associated with
      overexpression of inflammatory mediators and the disturbance of different T-cell
      subsets. Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is a potent anti-inflammatory agent
      with regulatory effects on activated T cells. As the equilibrium between
      different T-cell subsets is involved in the final outcome, leading to tolerance
      or autoimmunity, we studied the evolution of markers for T cells in nonobese
      diabetic (NOD) mice. The study of different transcription factors, cytokines or
      cytokine receptors, shows that VIP interferes with functional phase of T helper
      17 (Th17) cells and prevents the increase in the proportion of Th1 to Th17 cells.
      On the other hand, VIP-treated NOD mice show an increase in the proportion of
      CD4(+)CD25(+) cells in the spleen. Thus, VIP switches the Tregs/Th17 ratio
      leading to tolerance in NOD mice. Similarly, VIP reverses the ratio of Th1-/Th2
      cell subsets associated with autoimmune pathology. All these effects on the ratio
      of T-cell subsets and the anti-inflammatory effect of VIP in decreasing
      proinflammatory mediators result in a reduction of beta-cell destruction in
      pancreas. Taken together, these results show that VIP provides significant
      protection against spontaneous diabetes by modulating T-cell subsets and
      counterbalancing tolerance and immunity.

PMID- 20309010
TI  - Dendritic cells and humoral immunity in humans.
AB  - Dendritic cells (DCs) orchestrate the innate and adaptive immune systems to
      induce tolerance and immunity. DC plasticity and subsets are prominent
      determinants in the regulation of immune responses. Our recent studies suggest
      that humoral and cellular immunity is regulated by different myeloid DC subsets
      with distinct intrinsic properties in humans. Although antibody response is
      preferentially mediated by CD14(+) dermal DCs, cytotoxic T-cell response is
      preferentially mediated by Langerhans cells (LCs). Thus, mechanisms whereby DCs
      induce humoral and cellular immunity seem to be fundamentally distinct. In this
      review, we will focus on the role of DCs in the development of humoral immunity.
      We will also discuss the mechanisms whereby DCs induce CD4(+) T cells associated
      with aiding B-cell response, including T follicular helper (Tfh) cells, and why
      human LCs lack this ability.

PMID- 20309013
TI  - Langerin functions as an antiviral receptor on Langerhans cells.
AB  - Langerhans cells (LC) are the first dendritic cells (DC) to encounter pathogens
      entering the body via mucosa or skin. Equipped with pattern recognition receptors
      (PRR), LC are able to detect and respond to these pathogens. An important PRR, in
      human exclusively expressed by LC, is the C-type lectin Langerin. Langerin forms
      a protective barrier against HIV-1 infection by binding and degradation of this
      virus. In addition, antigens targeted to Langerin are presented to T cells to
      induce an adaptive immune response. Therefore Langerin functions as an innate
      anti-viral defense mechanism and an antigen receptor involved in adaptive immune
      responses. Here, we review the role of Langerin in antiviral protection, its
      structural similarity to other C-type lectins, and how its function and
      polymorphisms influence the function of Langerhans cells.

PMID- 20309014
TI  - Ontogeny and homeostasis of Langerhans cells.
AB  - Langerhans cells (LCs) refer to the dendritic cells (DCs) that populate the
      epidermis. Strategically located at one of the body's largest interfaces with the
      external environment, they form the first line of defense against pathogens that
      breach the skin. Although LCs share several phenotypical and functional features
      with lymphoid and non-lymphoid organ DCs, they also have unique properties that
      distinguish them from most DC populations. In this review, we will discuss the
      key mechanisms that regulate LC homeostasis in quiescent and inflamed skin. We
      will also discuss recent evidence that suggests that LCs arise from dedicated
      precursors during early embryonic development.

PMID- 20309015
TI  - Efficacy of tamoxifen based on cytochrome P450 2D6, CYP2C19 and SULT1A1 genotype
      in the Italian Tamoxifen Prevention Trial.
AB  - The role of pharmacogenomics and tamoxifen was investigated by analyzing several
      polymorphisms of cytochrome P450 and SULT1A1 gene in a nested case control study
      from the Italian Tamoxifen Prevention Trial. This study included 182 Caucasian
      subjects, 47 breast cancer (BC) cases and 135 matched controls. We used the
      AmpliChip CYP450 Test to screen 33 alleles of CYP2D6 and 3 of CYP2C19. One more
      variant for CYP2C19*17 and two single-nucleotide polymorphisms for the gene
      SULT1A1 were also performed. By using the AmpliChip CYP450 Test, out of 182
      subjects, we identified 8 poor metabolizer (PM), 17 intermediate metabolizer
      (IM), 151 extensive metabolizer (EM) and 3 ultrarapid metabolizer (UM). PM women
      allocated to the tamoxifen arm showed a higher risk of developing BC compared to
      the remaining phenotypes (P=0.035). In an exploratory analysis, among 58 women
      with a CYP2D6*2A allele, 9 BCs were diagnosed in the placebo arm and only 1 in
      the tamoxifen arm (P=0.0001). CYP2C19 and SULT1A1 polymorphisms did not show any
      correlation with tamoxifen efficacy. Tamoxifen showed reduced efficacy in CYP2D6
      PMs in the chemoprevention setting. Conversely, the CYP2D6*2A allele may be
      associated with increased efficacy of tamoxifen. These findings support the
      relevance of pharmaco-genomics in tailoring tamoxifen treatment.

PMID- 20309016
TI  - Sua5p is required for telomere recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

PMID- 20309018
TI  - Polarization anisotropy in lidar multiple scattering from clouds.

PMID- 20309019
TI  - Holographic spatial filters: a modification to minimize beam obstruction.

PMID- 20309017
TI  - Multifunctionality of the linker histones: an emerging role for protein-protein
      interactions.
AB  - Linker histones, e.g., H1, are best known for their ability to bind to
      nucleosomes and stabilize both nucleosome structure and condensed higher-order
      chromatin structures. However, over the years many investigators have reported
      specific interactions between linker histones and proteins involved in important
      cellular processes. The purpose of this review is to highlight evidence
      indicating an important alternative mode of action for H1, namely protein-protein
      interactions. We first review key aspects of the traditional view of linker
      histone action, including the importance of the H1 C-terminal domain. We then
      discuss the current state of knowledge of linker histone interactions with other
      proteins, and, where possible, highlight the mechanism of linker histone-mediated
      protein-protein interactions. Taken together, the data suggest a combinatorial
      role for the linker histones, functioning both as primary chromatin architectural
      proteins and simultaneously as recruitment hubs for proteins involved in
      accessing and modifying the chromatin fiber.

PMID- 20309020
TI  - Effective optical constants of anisotropic materials.

PMID- 20309021
TI  - Simplified equation for calculating the refractivity of air.

PMID- 20309022
TI  - Infrared refractive index of silicon.

PMID- 20309023
TI  - Temperature dependence of the peak power of a Hansch-type dye laser.

PMID- 20309024
TI  - Real-time laser damage monitoring with photoacoustics.

PMID- 20309025
TI  - Photographic dynamic range compression.

PMID- 20309026
TI  - Contrast effect on imagery power spectra: errata.

PMID- 20309027
TI  - Raman and electrooptic properties of potassium titanate phosphate.

PMID- 20309028
TI  - Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of citrate ion adsorbed on colloidal
      silver: erratum.

PMID- 20309029
TI  - Infrared Fourier spectrometer for airborne and ground-based astronomy.
AB  - A unique high resolving power near-infrared, astronomical Fourier spectrometer
      has been constructed foruse at both ground-based and airborne telescopes. Its
      capabilities include a limiting resolution of 0.01 cm(-1) and spectral coverage
      over the InSb detector sensitivity region (0.8-5.6 microm). The instrument is
      optimized for operation in environments inaccessible to other high-resolution
      Fourier spectrometers, namely, the Cassegrain focuses of conventional telescopes
      and the NASA Kuiper Airborne Observatory's 91-cm telescope. Details of the
      spectrometer are discussed, and various astronomical and laboratory spectra are
      presented.

PMID- 20309030
TI  - Proton-induced degradation of VUV transmission of LiF and MgF(2).
AB  - Proton-induced degradation of vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) transmittance of LiF and
      MgF(2) was measured for 85- and 600-MeV protons for a fluence up to 2.8 x
      10(13)p/cm(2). Transmittances were measured from 105 to 210 nm. When the
      irradiation level for a given material is expressed in terms of absorbed energy
      per unit of volume of crystal, 85- and 600-MeV protons produce the same
      degradation. MgF(2) is substantially more radiation resistant than LiF in the
      VUV. Irradiation of LiF with 1.8 x 10(13)p/cm(2) at 85 MeV changed the
      transmittance of the hydrogen Lyman-alpha line at 121.6 nm from 55 to 23%. The
      corresponding change for MgF(2) was from 52 to 42% for 2.8 x 10(13)p/cm(2).

PMID- 20309031
TI  - Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) by molecules adsorbed at spherical
      particles: errata.
AB  - A model for Raman scattering by a molecule adsorbed at the surface of a spherical
      particle is articulated by treating the molecule as a classical electric dipole.
      This follows Moskovits's suggestion [J. Chem. Phys. 69, 4159 (1978)] and the
      experiments by Creighton et al. [J. Chem. Soc. Faraday Trans. II, 75, 790 (1979)]
      that such a system may exhibit SERS similar to that at roughened electrode
      surfaces. The molecule is stimulated by a primary field comprised of the incident
      and near-scattered fields. Emission consists of the dipole field plus a scattered
      field, each at the shifted frequency. Addition of feedback terms between the
      dipole and the particle makes only a negligible contribution to the fields. For
      pyridine adsorbed at the surface of a silver sphere, the 1010-cm(-1) band is
      enhanced by ~10(6) if the radius is much less than the wavelengths and the
      excitation wavelength is ~382 nm, a wavelength for which the relative refractive
      index of silver is close to m = radical2i. Detailed results are given for the
      effect upon the angular distribution and the polarization of the Raman emission
      of particle size, distance from the surface, excitation wavelength, and location
      of the molecule upon the surface. These results simulate those observed at
      roughened silver electrodes and suggest that the mechanism of SERS at those
      electrodes may resemble the electromagnetic mechanism elucidated here. We predict
      that comparable effects should be observed for fluorescent scattering.

PMID- 20309032
TI  - Measurement of stratospheric vertical ozone distribution with a Xe-Cl lidar;
      estimated influence of aerosols.
AB  - Measurements of stratospheric vertical ozone distribution have been made with a
      Xe-Cl laser based on the differential absorption lidar technique. The effect of
      stratospheric aerosols observed by a frequency-doubled Nd:YAG lidar on the
      measured ozone density is corrected. Fourteen data sets were obtained at Fukuoka
      (33 degrees N) from September to December 1979. The ozone profiles obtained in an
      altitude range of 15-25 km are in good agreement with those measured by
      ozonesondes. The Xe-Cl lidar is promising for the continuous monitoring of
      stratospheric ozone concentration.

PMID- 20309033
TI  - On-line motion analysis using a TV system.
AB  - An electronic method, using a TV system, which analyzes on-line the motion of
      various things, is described. The single sampled images may be digitized and
      stored in a minicomputer memory at TV rates, but this limited sampling frequency
      may be increased with the aid of a triggered stroboflash. The analysis of the
      acquired data may be made after the acquisition of either an image sequence or a
      single frame, according to program time and frame sampling frequency.

PMID- 20309034
TI  - Coded aperture imaging of gamma-ray sources with an off-axis rotating slit.
AB  - The rotating slit is a time-varying coded aperture that can be used
      advantageously with a scintillation camera in imaging of static radioactive
      objects. The coded image obtained from an on-axis slit conveys no tomographic
      information, but when the slit is displaced away from the axis of rotation,
      tomographic information can be obtained. From one set of coded images, each plane
      of a 3-D object can be brought in focus by shift operations and a computed
      tomography algorithm. Inverse filtering is necessary to remove the side lobes of
      the point spread function. The intrinsic resolution of the camera, the slit
      width, the filter function, and the display all affect the lateral resolution,
      while the object distance, the off-axis distance of the slit, and the lateral
      resolution determine the longitudinal resolution of the system.

PMID- 20309035
TI  - Imaging and Fourier transform properties of an all-spherical-mirror system.
AB  - An all-spherical-mirror system for applications in coherent image processing is
      described and analyzed. This one-to-one system is panchromatic and can be made to
      have minimal cosmetic defects. Such a system offers advantages such as multiple
      wavelength operations and the introduction of minimal scattering noise into the
      final image. A sample design that is diffraction-limited (for f/8) over the
      entire area of a standard 35-mm slide is given. The Fourier transform properties
      of this system are acceptable for many applications.

PMID- 20309036
TI  - Transmission loss of coated single-mode fiber at low temperatures.
AB  - Coated single-mode fibers with various coating thicknesses were manufactured, and
      loss increases due to cooling were measured. It was found that the excess loss
      increases steeply in the small V-value region at low temperatures. A simple model
      for fiber bends in the coating was introduced, and the increases in loss were
      related to the strain resulting from use of the model. It would appear that the
      axial compressive strain has a serious influence on the loss increases. A
      suitable silicone buffer layer for preventing loss increases has been determined.
      The selected silicone layer diameter is 0.45 mm for a 0.9-mm nylon outer layer
      diam.

PMID- 20309037
TI  - Color shift induced by background color in a nematic liquid crystal display.
AB  - Color shift induced by background color in a nematic liquid crystal display is
      investigated experimentally. A liquid crystal cell shows a positive dielectric
      anisotropy and is operated in a tunable birefringence mode. Munsell color chips
      5R-, 5G-, 5B-5/6, and N-5 are used as background color. Colorimetric data are
      shown in the 1976 CIE (L*, a*, b*) color scale. A predict equation based on
      induction theory is found to apply with fair success to the observations of each
      of the five observers.

PMID- 20309038
TI  - Imaging a conserved scalar in gas mixing by means of a linear spark.
AB  - A straight filamentary spark produced by a laser has been used to image the
      spatial distribution of gases in a jet of methane in air. The technique provides
      a direct map of a conserved scalar quantity useful in modeling turbulent reacting
      flows and may have other experimental advantages.

PMID- 20309039
TI  - Off-resonance dispersion profile effect in gas laser resonators.
AB  - Diffraction losses and resonant frequencies of a gas laser resonator perturbed by
      an off-resonance dispersion profile, due to nonuniform radial distribution of
      excited atoms, are predicted by extending the ray transfer matrix formalism.
      These predictions are tested experimentally by using the laser beam as a probe.
      Experiments are done with a 6401-A He-Ne laser. In this case perturbations are
      induced by the strong neon absorption line at 6402 A. The two studied properties
      lead to determinations of the population of neon 1S5 metastable level which are
      both in good agreement, so the validity of the theoretical analysis presented is
      confirmed. It is also shown that off-resonance dispersion profile effects occur
      in the 6328-A He-Ne laser.

PMID- 20309040
TI  - Signal-to-noise improvement in laser Doppler velocimetry.
AB  - Simple optical methods are described that, working in conjunction with an
      electronic synchronous detector, can substantially increase signal detectability
      in laser Doppler velocimetry. These methods involve rotating the laser
      polarization to amplitude-modulate exclusively the Doppler signal.

PMID- 20309041
TI  - Automatic lens design with pseudo-second-derivative matrix: a contribution.
AB  - An optical design computer program has been developed. Principally it makes the
      use of the method defined by D. C. Dilworth as "pseudo-second-derivative," which
      is an extension of the well-known damped least squares method. In the following
      exposition of the program a special procedure for the selection of the damping
      factor, which significantly improves the convergence of the method, is
      emphasized. In addition some sample problems are illustrated.

PMID- 20309042
TI  - Folded-wave interferometer for laser-matter interaction studies.
AB  - A folded-wave interferometer that allows for independent adjustment of the
      background fringe separation of two output interferograms is described. This
      white-light wide-angle instrument, based on the Michelson interferometer, has a
      large field of view limited only by the imaging optics.

PMID- 20309043
TI  - Superposition fringe shear interferometer.
AB  - A new white light shear interferometer based on the use of superposition fringes
      is described (superposition fringe shear interferometer, SFSI). The SFSI enables
      one to test for plane waves; chromatic as well as all other aberrations can be
      measured. Test examples and the secondary spectrum of a microscope objective are
      given. By spectroscopically dispersing a slit section of the shear interferogram
      the chromatic aberrations can be displayed. The mean phase difference between the
      two interfering waves can be adjusted by tilting one of the two interferometer
      etalons. The whole setup is mechanically stable. Shear interferograms can be
      obtained by inserting an interference filter in the ray path.

PMID- 20309044
TI  - Digital speckle-pattern shearing interferometry.
AB  - An application of digital image processing techniques to speckle-shearing
      interferometry is described. A present system consists of an image-shearing
      camera using a Fresnel biprism of small angles and a digital TV-image processing
      facility. This interferometer makes it easy to measure in quasi-real-time spatial
      derivatives of surface displacement and modal vibration amplitude of objects. A
      statistical theory is applied to analyze the formations of these fringes due to 3
      D displacement. Interpretation of the result leads to conditions of maximum
      fringe contrast and the limitation of this technique. Experimental results in the
      three cases of slope of normal displacement, surface strain, and slope of
      vibration amplitude measurements are presented.

PMID- 20309045
TI  - Restoration of the complex amplitude of a phase object in microscopy by phase
      modulation interferometry.
AB  - Observations of phase objects with a microscope generally involve interferometric
      methods. However, visual or photometric analysis of the interferogram interprets
      in the same way the information corresponding to the advance and retardation of
      the wave front transmitted or reflected by an object. Hence, no information about
      the direction of relief of the object is obtained. An experimental process is
      described here that is capable of restoring both sign and magnitude of the phase
      throughout the field. This method, based on modulation interferometry using a
      microscope and a scanning device, provides the user with different information
      about the object, such as a display of an intensity image of the interference
      pattern and its photometric analysis as well as the equal phase contours inside
      the scanned area, a display of the complex amplitude components and-extending the
      use of the instrument to the phase measurement technique to complete the data
      measurement of the phase for an array of points in the object area.

PMID- 20309046
TI  - Scanning technique for coherent processors.
AB  - In certain linear coherent processing techniques a temporal signal is spatially
      encoded on an amplitude transmittance that serves as the processor input. In this
      paper a technique is presented whereby the temporal signal is alternately used to
      amplitude- and/or phase-modulate a raster scan of the processor's input plane.
      Using the temporal integrating and summing properties of a hologram placed in the
      processor's output plane, one can then regain the identical processor output that
      would have arisen from the spatial encoding technique. Preliminary experimental
      results are presented along with the theory of the input scanning technique.

PMID- 20309047
TI  - High speed measurement of the core diameter of a step-index optical fiber:
      errata.
AB  - The forward scattering light pattern from a clad optical fiber illuminated
      perpendicular to its axis is characteristic of the outer diameter, the core
      diameter, and their respective refractive indices. This pattern is detected by a
      diode array detector to produce a video signal representation of the scattering
      pattern. Electronic circuits have been developed to analyze the scattering
      pattern and detect the angular position of the modulation characteristics of the
      pattern. This provides a determination of the core to outer diameter ratio of the
      fiber. Using linearization circuits and the outer diameter measurement signal,
      linear measurement signal voltages of both core ratio and core diameter are
      derived. The measurement of core ratio refers to a particular radius vector and
      means that determinations of circularity and concentricity can also be made.

PMID- 20309048
TI  - Nondetour phase digital holograms: an analysis: errata.
AB  - An expression for the required special bandwidth of a computer generated hologram
      is desired using result from the theory of frequency modulation. The expression
      is the same as a rule of thumb first presented by Lee. A simple quantization
      error model is presented for one type of nondetour phase class. It is shown that
      this hologram may be used to achieve a near optimum simulation of the
      quantization problem for random phase images.

PMID- 20309049
TI  - Rejuvenating He-Ne lasers.

PMID- 20309050
TI  - Monoacetin and triacetin as a parting agent and aid in pressing out pitch laps.

PMID- 20309051
TI  - Recursive formulas for the reflectance, transmittance, and absorptance of a stack
      of parallel media.

PMID- 20309052
TI  - Increasing the sensitivity of time-domain techniques for measuring optical fiber
      transfer functions.

PMID- 20309054
TI  - Waveguiding surface damage layer in LiTaO(3).

PMID- 20309053
TI  - Definitions of centers and deformation ratios for a noncircular optical fiber
      cross section.

PMID- 20309055
TI  - Multivariant technique for multiclass pattern recognition: comment.

PMID- 20309056
TI  - High resolution diagnostics of early luminous breakdown phenomena.

PMID- 20309057
TI  - Calibration of the METEOSAT-VIS-channel by airborne measurements.

PMID- 20309058
TI  - Chopper technique for measuring a delayed fluorescence spectrum superimposed on a
      excitation spectrum.

PMID- 20309059
TI  - Three-dimensional TV system.

PMID- 20309060
TI  - Optical interference coatings: second topical meeting.
AB  - Some organizational aspects of the Second OSA Topical Meeting on Optical
      Interference Coatings held in June 1980 at Oakland, Calif., are briefly
      described.

PMID- 20309061
TI  - Properties of optical film materials.
AB  - In the first part of the paper some basic considerations in the choice of optical
      film materials are discussed, in particular, the chemical stability of the
      material in the evaporation or sputtering process and the desired optical and
      physical properties. In the second part the dependence of some important film
      properties on deposition conditions is reviewed, and the state of the art is
      demonstrated for a number of examples. The paper concludes with a few remarks on
      the problems in research and development in this field.

PMID- 20309062
TI  - Effective medium models for the optical properties of inhomogeneous materials.
AB  - The Maxwell Garnett and Bruggeman effective medium theories are derived for the
      average dielectric permeability of heterogeneous materials from a unified
      theoretical approach. It starts by specifying two random unit cells which
      represent different microstructures. Requiring that these cells should not be
      detectable by electromagnetic radiation when embedded in an effective medium, we
      show from an extended optical theorem that the forward scattering amplitude must
      vanish. Setting the leading term in the expansion series of this quantity equal
      to zero yields the effective medium theories pertaining to the two
      microstructures. The remaining terms provide estimates of the accuracy of the
      approximations. This approach is then used in numerical computations for Co
      AI(2)O(3) cermets.

PMID- 20309063
TI  - Far infrared filters for the Galileo-Jupiter and other missions.
AB  - Extrapolation of PbTe/II-VI multilayer interference-filter technique from 20 to
      beyond 40 microm is described and PbTe transparency reviewed; improvements below
      20 microm are reported. A composite filter cutting on steeply at 40 microm is
      described that uses absorptive films of ZnS and As(2)S(3), thin quartz, and
      supplementary multilayer interference. Absorptive filters are described
      containing the II-VI compounds since these are found transparent at wavelengths
      shorter and longer than their reststrahl.

PMID- 20309064
TI  - Optical interference coatings prepared from solution.
AB  - Recently E. M. Laboratories introduced colloidal silica and titania solutions
      from which one can produce optical thin films. Single quarterwave V-coats and
      three-layer AR coatings for the visible as well as four-and five-layer AR
      coatings at 1.06 microm were prepared using these solutions. Reflection spectra
      and ellipso-metric measurements showed that these films are essentially optically
      equivalent to those prepared by e-beam evaporation. However, the former films
      lacked the rub durability of the latter films. This deficiency was traced by
      frustrated multiple internal reflectance (FMIR) spectroscopy and by Auger
      electron spectroscopy (AES) to organic solvents trapped within the titania
      matrix. X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed the silica films to be amorphous whereas
      the titania films were slightly crystalline with the anatase structure.

PMID- 20309065
TI  - Color variations of AR coatings caused by a leached layer on the substrate.
AB  - Color differences of AR-coated prisms were found to be due to a surface layer
      with a refractive index of n = 1.46 and a geometrical thickness of ~41 nra on the
      glass substrate (BaK4, n = 1.5688). The existence of this layer is demonstrated
      by reflection spectroscopy measurements together with numerical calculations of
      the spectral reflectance of both the uncoated and coated substrates. Auger
      electron spectroscopy depth profiling analyses reveal that the Ba content of the
      glass had been leached out completely in the layer. The leaching process was
      caused by an improper cleaning agent used with the uncoated prisms in the optical
      shop. In addition to its inherent optical interference effect, the leached
      substrate surface seems to influence the condensation and growth of the first
      layer of AR coatings deposited onto it thus causing additional changes of the
      spectral characteristics of the coating.

PMID- 20309066
TI  - Mathematical methods in the synthesis and identification of thin film systems.
AB  - The synthesis and identification of layered media is represented as an inverse
      problem for the wave equation or a related Schroedinger equation. Analytically it
      can be solved by using a relation between the reflection coefficient and the
      refractive-index profile, resulting from a Bremmer series solution of the wave
      equation. With a view to practical synthesis within a given system family three
      approaches are discussed: complete scanning by means of pattern recognition;
      investigation of a related Tschebyschev approximation problem; and application of
      quasi-linearization.

PMID- 20309067
TI  - Broadband semitransparent dielectric reflectors with dispersion and absorption:
      design.
AB  - The paper deals with the synthesis of dielectric multilayer systems that consist
      of materials with dispersion and absorption. Experience shows that for very good
      results, the dispersion of the refractive index and of the extinction coefficient
      should be introduced at the very beginning rather than in the final stages of the
      design. The numerical results quoted in this paper have been obtained with a
      previously developed method for the synthesis of broadband semitransparent
      reflectors that is based on the use of double layers. A new method for the
      synthesis of such systems, called the transient assemblies method, is also
      mentioned.

PMID- 20309068
TI  - Refining and optimization in multilayers.
AB  - An important aspect of modern thin film design work is the use of computers to
      match the multilayer parameters to a set of optical specifications such as a
      desired reflectance curve. Following a brief historical survey we discuss modern
      optimization algorithms as they apply to thin film design. Optimization is an
      active research field in present-day applied mathematics, and it is important to
      use recently developed techniques. Without going into mathematical detail we
      compare the operation of two algorithms that have proven successful-a
      modification of the damped least squares method common in lens design, and a
      gradient (steepest descent) method using several different merit functions.
      Examples of designs obtained by optimization techniques are given, including some
      in which the process achieved the known theoretically optimum design starting
      from arbitrary or simple quarterwave initial designs. Optimization techniques
      have other applications in thin films and we mention briefly two of these:
      determination of dispersion characteristics of single layers and design of masks
      for coating tanks.

PMID- 20309069
TI  - Versatile computer program for absorbing optical thin film systems.
AB  - The program for the synthesis of nonabsorbing thin film systems by the method of
      gradual evolution [J. A. Dobrowolski, Appl. Opt. 4, 937 (1965)] has been extended
      to include new features and to handle absorbing materials. In the analysis mode
      the new program calculates the spectral transmittance, reflectance, and
      absorptance of any absorbing multilayer system for any angle of incidence or
      plane of polarization. The CIE chromaticity coordinates of the coating can also
      be calculated. Information on the stability of the system is obtained from an
      automatically repeated analysis with randomly perturbed values of the
      construction parameters. As in the original program the synthesis mode does not
      presuppose a starting design; a layer system consisting of real absorbing or
      nonabsorbing coating materials may be gradually evolved. The evolution and
      refinement are governed by the value of a merit function defined specially for
      each problem. In the new program it is possible to control the sensitivity of the
      system performance to changes in the construction parameters. The monitoring
      information mode yields data useful for the construction of a multilayer. The
      construction parameter determination mode deduces the actual parameters from the
      measured performance of the system. The operation of the program is illustrated
      by examples.

PMID- 20309070
TI  - Monitoring of optical coatings.
AB  - Monitoring implies the measurement and control of the parameters of optical thin
      films during deposition with the object of ensuring the production of an
      acceptable coating. Monitoring techniques usually concentrate on film thickness
      as the most important parameter. The principal monitoring arrangements in current
      use are surveyed with a brief account of their relative merits. It is shown that
      they are less able to cope with refractive-index errors than with simple
      thickness errors and that tight control of material parameters is required to
      take advantage of recent advances in monitoring techniques.

PMID- 20309071
TI  - Inhomogeneity in films: limitation of the accuracy of optical monitoring of thin
      films.
AB  - With present-day refinements, thin film multilayers can be designed theoretically
      to meet virtually any reasonable filtering requirements. Often, when the optical
      properties are specified over very wide spectral regions the thicknesses of the
      various layers are not related in any simple way. The manufacture of such
      multilayers presents many difficulties. The tolerances on layer thickness and
      refractive indices in some designs are often very narrow. We have developed an
      optical method for the accurate control of layer thickness that involves the
      measurement of transmittance over a wide spectral region (400-1000 mm). This
      measurement is performed continuously during deposition by a rapid scanning
      monochromator. The accuracy of such a system depends on a precise knowledge of
      the indices of refraction that are produced during the multilayer deposition. In
      addition the structure of many optical thin films used for hard coatings departs
      considerably from the simple method that is traditionally used in optical coating
      designs. In the method we have developed to compensate for such discrepancies,
      optical inhomogeneity is included by assuming a linear refractive-index profile,
      determined by analyzing experimental results. These results are in agreement with
      other studies of structure.

PMID- 20309072
TI  - Coatings with induced transmission.
AB  - A brief review is given of how fundamental concepts of thin film optics
      (potential transmittance, the two-effective-interfaces theorem, the principle of
      equivalent layers, matching conditions and absentee layers) are used to design
      optical coatings with controlled absorptance. The general principles are
      illustrated by a discussion of interference filters containing both dielectric
      and metallic layers, including the design and preparation of induced transmission
      filters. Reference is also made to coatings for optimizing the photon
      efficiencies of photodetectors. Further insight into how coatings with absorbing
      layers function is provided by consideration of the electric field distribution
      of radiation within the coatings.

PMID- 20309073
TI  - Control of polarization effects by internal antireflection.
AB  - Mouchart's theory of the buffer layer is reformulated in terms of internal
      antireflection and extended to general dielectric/metallic media. The all
      dielectric case is then studied in oblique incidence as a means of depolarizing
      partial reflectors. Several procedures are indicated for the construction of
      buffering stacks which, when coupled with germinal stacks, balance out their p
      and s reflections at the given level. Examples of depolarized half-mirrors are
      presented. A novel version of the Argand diagram for thin films in oblique
      incidence is introduced during the analysis.

PMID- 20309074
TI  - High-performance thin film polarizer for the UV and visible spectral regions.
AB  - The practical limitations on the performance of a conventional MacNeille prism
      polarizer can be overcome if a liquid is used as the prism material. In
      particular it is possible to construct large aperture polarizers suitable for use
      with high power lasers in the UV, visible and near IR spectral regions. The width
      of the effective spectral region and the polarizing efficiency of the polarizer
      can be controlled almost at will. The losses in the transmitted beam can be low.
      The values of the optical thicknesses of the layers are not very critical and the
      cost of the device is low compared to that of any other polarizer having the same
      aperture and performance. Results will be given of numerical calculations and of
      experimental measurements.

PMID- 20309075
TI  - Fundus camera based retinal LDV.
AB  - A new bidirectional laser Doppler velocimeter (LDV) is described for absolute
      measurement of the speed of red blood cells flowing in individual retinal
      vessels. The basic component of the instrument is a standard retinal camera that
      eliminates the need for a contact lens. The laser beam is delivered to the eye
      through the fundus illumination optical system of the camera. Target fixation is
      done with the eye under examination. The measurements are independent from the
      ocular refraction; only the axial length of the eye need be determined. The
      instrument markedly simplifies the technique of retinal blood flow measurement.

PMID- 20309076
TI  - Optical wave phase fluctuations.
AB  - This paper presents a series of studies on the effect of low-frequency
      fluctuations of the atmospheric refractive index on phase fluctuations of space
      limited optical beams. Theoretical calculations have been made in the
      approximation of a smooth perturbation method. Numerous experimental data on
      statistical characteristics of optical wave phase fluctuations are given. These
      are used to verify the theoretical conclusions and to solve an inverse problem on
      the determination of the atmospheric turbulence characteristics.

PMID- 20309077
TI  - Processing measurements of the directional content of Fourier spectra.
AB  - Directional analysis and filtering make use of the most straightforward
      properties of optical Fourier transforms. A quantitative study of the
      detectability of angular maximums in Fourier spectra and its relationships with
      the shape and distribution of elements in the object is proposed. The problem is
      modeled by using a simple object which consists of the superimposition of two
      random distributions of rectangular grains, one being rotated with respect to the
      other. Computing the Fourier spectrum of this object allows the expression of the
      amount of light integrated through a wedge which scans the spectrum. An index of
      angular separability of the two distributions is made up from such measurements.
      It is shown to depend on the rotation angle as well as the grain shape. Using an
      additional spatial filter can improve this index. The influence of its radius is
      studied. Experimental results obtained either in real time with optical fibers or
      on photographic records with a microdensitometer are compared with the
      theoretical ones. They show the necessity of the implementation of optimal
      estimation schemes to reduce the influence of the noise. Two linear least squares
      filters are used: an angular Wiener filter and an autoregressive one. In the case
      of a high signal-to-noise ratio, the Wiener filter reduces to a Laplacian filter
      which does not depend on the shape of the grains.

PMID- 20309078
TI  - Spectral analysis of a temporal signal with incoherent optics.
AB  - A fast parallel approach to the spectral analysis of a time-varying signal is
      presented. The technique, which uses a light emitting diode array and an
      integrating photodiode array, can offer the potential of a thousand or more
      spectral points and data rates beyond 10 MHz.

PMID- 20309079
TI  - Trace detection of N(2) by KrF-laser-excited spontaneous Raman spectroscopy.
AB  - A 100-mJ/pulse 10-Hz KrF laser has been used for pulsed-UV-excited vibrational
      Raman spectroscopy. Gated photon counting techniques were used to detect Raman
      signals that were linear for N(2) partial pressures between 10(-4) and 2 x 10(-3)
      Torr. Single-shot Raman signals were linear for N(2) partial pressures between
      0.5 and 600 Torr. No interferences from laser-induced nonlinear effects were
      observed.

PMID- 20309080
TI  - Holographic cylindrical grating for EUV spectroscopy in near normal incidence.
AB  - The theory of a holographically prepared grating on a cylindrical surface has
      been developed, applicable in near normal incidence, in a convergent beam of
      light, and in transmission in the objective mode, for the design of EUV
      spectroscopic systems. The design parameters have been calculated for a grating
      with minimum astigmatism for the entire wavelength range up to 50 nm and zero
      astigmatism at one wavelength in this region. Coma-type aberration and resolution
      at various wavelengths have also been estimated with these design parameters.

PMID- 20309082
TI  - Patents.
AB  - 4,181,899; 4,168,475; 4,171,912; 4,181,898; 4,208,128; 4,210,876; 4,214,216;
      4,215,576; 4,218,628; 4,219,254; 4,219,275; 4,221,328; 4,221,464; 4,221,467;
      4,223,316; 4,223,975; 4,223,981; 4,223,982; 4,224,509.

PMID- 20309081
TI  - Contouring by phase conjugation.
AB  - High sensitivity height and phase contouring is achieved by the superposition of
      a wave front with its complex conjugate. Phase conjugation is obtained by
      reconstruction of Fourier transform holograms with the help of various optical
      systems. The mathematical procedure uses a novel operator algebra that simplifies
      calculations.

PMID- 20309083
TI  - Multimode optical fiber displacement sensor.

PMID- 20309085
TI  - Fluence in 1064-nm laser beams: its determination by photography with Polaroid
      film.

PMID- 20309084
TI  - Annular apertures with low and high obstruction.

PMID- 20309086
TI  - Long-path high-resolution atmospheric transmission measurements: comparison with
      LOWTRAN 3B predictions: comments.

PMID- 20309087
TI  - Temperature dependence of HNO(3) absorption in the 11.3-microm region.

PMID- 20309089
TI  - Infrared (10.6-mum) scattering and extinction in laboratory water and ice clouds.
AB  - Measurements of the angular scattering and extinction of IR (10.6-mum) laser
      radiation in laboratory water and ice clouds are reported and compared to
      theoretical predictions for spheres and visible (0.633-mum) light scattering
      data. Randomly oriented cloud particles with dimensions ranging from several
      times smaller to larger than the incident wavelength generated phase functions
      span the Rayleigh and Mie scattering domains and illustrate the effects caused by
      strong internal energy absorption. Dual-wavelength extinction measurements reveal
      information on the growth and dissipation of laboratory water clouds and the
      effects of cloud seeding. The remote sensing significance of the findings is
      discussed.

PMID- 20309088
TI  - Optical properties of the clearest natural waters (200-800 nm).
AB  - A new UV submersible spectroradiometer has been employed to determine the diffuse
      attenuation coefficient for irradiance in the clearest natural waters
      [K(w)(lambda)] with emphasis on the spectral region from 300 to 400 nm.
      K(w)(lambda) can be related to the inherent optical properties of pure water, in
      particular the total absorption coefficient a(w)(lambda) and the molecular
      scattering coefficient b(m)(lambda), by means of equations derived from radiative
      transfer theory. We present an analysis showing that limiting values of
      K(w)(lambda) can be estimated from a(w)(lambda) and vice versa. Published
      a(w)(lambda) data, which show discrepancies much larger than their estimated
      accuracies, are briefly reviewed and then compared, via our analysis, with
      K(w)(lambda) data (our own new and previously published data as well as relevant
      data of others). This comparative analysis and new data allow a consistent and
      accurate set of optical properties for the clearest natural waters and for pure
      fresh water and saltwater to be estimated from 300 to 800 nm.

PMID- 20309090
TI  - Mie forward scattering: improved semiempirical approximation with application to
      particle size distribution inversion.
AB  - The approximations of Penndorf and Shifrin-Punina to the Mie solution at forward
      scattering angles are extended to smaller size parameter values. The present
      approximation, Eq. (7), is found to represent accurately the Mie result down to x
      ~ 0.5-1.0 for refractive index m = 1.33, and to x ~ 2.0 for much larger index
      values. The implications of this result are discussed relative to the
      reconstruction of particle size distributions utilizing the Shifrin-Fymat
      analytical inversion formula of forward scattered intensities.

PMID- 20309091
TI  - Infrared radiation emerging from smoke produced by brush fires.
AB  - This study presents the IR radiative transport properties of brush fire smoke
      clouds computed for a model with finite horizontal dimensions as well as the more
      common plane-parallel model. The finite model is a 3-D version of the two-stream
      approximation applied to cubic clouds of steam, carbon, and silicates.
      Assumptions are made with regard to the shape and size distributions of the smoke
      particles. It is shown that 11.5-microm radiometry can detect fires beneath smoke
      clouds if the path integrated mass density of the smoke is less, similar3 g/m(2).

PMID- 20309092
TI  - Reduction of error introduced in the processing of coastal zone color scanner
      type imagery resulting from sensor calibration and solar irradiance uncertainty.
AB  - A combination of sensor calibration error and uncertainty in the solar irradiance
      can cause very large errors in the computations of the water radiance
      contribution to the Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) -measured radiances. This
      is especially true when the atmospheric correction algorithm is applied in a
      horizontally inhomogeneous atmosphere. These possible errors can be considerably
      reduced through spectral measurements of the aerosol optical thickness and
      upwelled subsurface radiances coincident with a CZCS overpass on a very clear
      day. For future instruments it is suggested that provision be made for the sensor
      to view solar irradiance in diffuse reflection. The analysis presented shows that
      with such a system the error is reduced to a level even below that which would be
      applicable if the solar irradiance were known precisely.

PMID- 20309093
TI  - Stable analytical inversion solution for processing lidar returns.
AB  - A simple analytical method is presented that shows some potential for application
      to the problem of extracting attenuation and backscatter coefficients in an
      inhomogeneous atmosphere from the return signal of a monostatic single-wavelength
      lidar system. The method assumes the validity of the single-scattering lidar
      equation and a power law relationship between backscatter and attenuation. For
      optical depths greater than unity the inversion method can be applied in
      principle using only information contained in the signal itself. In contrast to a
      well-known related analytical inversion solution, the new solution form is shown
      to be stable with respect to perturbations in the signal, the postulated
      relationship between backscatter and attenuation, and the assumed or estimated
      boundary value of attenuation.

PMID- 20309094
TI  - Physical optics of the laser-schlieren shock tube technique.
AB  - The physical optics of the laser-schlieren technique for the measurement of rate
      processes in shock waves is examined in detail. The method utilizes the Kirchhoff
      Huygens integral with the usual thin lens, paraxial, and Fresnel approximations,
      all of which are appropriate for the typical laser schlieren experiment. The
      resolution and sensitivity of the technique are defined for all detector
      separations, and a reliable method for locating the time origin in the schlieren
      signal is provided. Diffraction is found to have a significant effect on the
      shock front generated signal, and geometrical optics treatments of this signal
      are shown to be inadequate.

PMID- 20309095
TI  - Infrared He-Xe laser interferometry for measuring length.
AB  - A technique is described for determining absolute lengths up to 3 m from
      measurement of the interference fringe fractions for multiple wavelengths. The
      required accuracies of the wavelength ratio and fringe fraction reading are
      analyzed. To satisfy the accuracies, a low-cost simply stabilized He-Xe laser,
      operating simultaneously at two wavelengths, 3.51 and 3.37 microm, was developed.
      Using this laser the preliminary measurement of the wavelength ratio was made
      interferometrically with the length standard of a gauge block.

PMID- 20309096
TI  - Testing of nonlinear diamond-turned reflaxicons.
AB  - The extreme alignment sensitivity of nonlinear diamond-turned reflaxicons makes
      them difficult to test and analyze. To evaluate the wave front it is necessary to
      know what portion results from alignment errors. This paper describes the setup,
      alignment, and testing of a nonlinear diamond-turned independent-element
      reflaxicon manufactured at the Union Carbide, Oak Ridge Y-12 plant.
      Interferograms taken with the center cone misaligned a known amount are analyzed
      using the axicon preprocessing option in FRINGE [J. S. Loomis (ASTM Report STP
      666 and Proc. Soc. Photo-Opt. Instrum. Eng. 171, 64 (1979)]. The results show
      that FRINGE correctly removes the cone and decenter errors introduced by the
      misalignments. It is also shown how the resulting interferograms are unfolded to
      give the OPD errors as seen on the outer cone.

PMID- 20309097
TI  - Coupled-wave analysis of reflection gratings.
AB  - Diffraction of electromagnetic waves by longitudinally periodic media (reflection
      gratings) is rigorously analyzed using an exact coupled-wave approach. The
      analysis is formulated in a simple matrix form easily implemented on a digital
      computer. The intensities of the two waves, the diffracted (reflected) and
      transmitted waves, are calculated for a wide range of parameters. These exact
      results are then compared to results obtained with approximate two-wave modal,
      and with multiwave and two-wave coupled-wave analyses. The applicability of these
      approximate theories is discussed. The case of other than first-order Bragg
      incidence is also included.

PMID- 20309098
TI  - Variation of blaze of concave diffraction gratings.
AB  - The change in blaze wavelength as a function of position on a blazed concave
      diffraction grating surface is discussed. An experimental study of ruled and
      interferometric blazed concave gratings showed that the change in blaze across
      the grating surface is much less for an interferometric grating than for a ruled
      grating. Thus interferometric gratings can be expected to have a more uniform
      distribution of efficiency across their surfaces.

PMID- 20309099
TI  - Transparent heat mirrors: influence of the materials on the optical
      characteristics.
AB  - Transparent heat mirrors of the antireflecting metal type with a
      dielectric/metal/dielectric structure are studied. It is found that dielectrics
      of lower refractive index give a higher cutoff wavelength, but the transition
      becomes more gradual. The angular behavior of these mirrors is also analyzed. The
      optimum mechanical efficiency obtainable with a plain collector and a carnot
      engine is given for different concentrations and refractive indices. Moreover it
      appears that using Al instead of Ag introduces appreciable absorption losses (~25
      35%).

PMID- 20309100
TI  - Generalized Lorentzian approximations for the Voigt line shape.
AB  - The object of the work reported in this paper was to find a simple and easy to
      calculate approximation to the Voigt function using the Pade method. To do this
      we calculated the multipole approximation to the complex function as the error
      function or as the plasma dispersion function. This generalized Lorentzian
      approximation can be used instead of the exact function in experiments that do
      not require great accuracy.

PMID- 20309101
TI  - Incoherent optical processor for x-ray transaxial tomography.
AB  - A single-channel incoherent optical processor that reconstructs an object from
      its 1-D x-ray projections has been developed. The projection data are recorded
      directly on x-ray film, which, after development, is used as the input
      transparency for the processor. The same computing algorithms used by commercial
      computed tomography units are optically implemented to reconstruct the object
      from these projections. The totally analog processor employs time-modulated OTF
      synthesis to achieve the necessary bipolar filtering operations. This technique
      involves a time-varying pupil plane mask in conjunction with synchronous
      demodulation of the detector output to obtain the desired response. Results are
      presented that are similar in quality to reconstructions produced by commercial
      scanners. The advantage of this system is that it should offer equivalent
      performance at a reduced cost.

PMID- 20309102
TI  - Retrieval of wave aberration from point spread function or optical transfer
      function data.
AB  - This paper describes the digital retrieval method of the wave aberration of an
      optical system from the point spread function or the optical transfer function
      data of the system. The Gerchberg-Saxton algorithm is used as the iterative
      retrieval technique of the wave aberration with additional information about the
      type of aberration. The usefulness of the proposed method is confirmed by
      computer simulations. Several problems associated with the retrieval procedure
      are indicated by elementary experiments with a computer generated hologram as
      well as by computer simulations.

PMID- 20309103
TI  - Studies on the light-focusing plastic rod. 6: The photocopolymer rod of methyl
      methacrylate with vinyl benzoate.
AB  - The photocopolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) with vinyl benzoate (VB)
      containing benzoyl peroxide (BPO) was carried out in a glass tube to fabricate a
      light-focusing plastic rod (LFR, radius R(p)) with a parabolic refractive-index
      distribution (distribution constant A) in the region near the center axis (radius
      R(c)). The dependence of A and R(c)/R(p) on MMA/VB, BPO concentration and the
      velocity of the UV lamp was clarified. These relations could be explained using a
      computer simulation based on the polymerization mechanism.

PMID- 20309104
TI  - Fiber resonator gyroscope: sensitivity and thermal nonreciprocity.
AB  - The rotational sensitivity of the fiber resonator gyro is derived and shown to be
      approximately equal to that of the fiber interferometer gyro for typical fiber
      and source parameters. The fiber resonator, like the fiber interferometer, is
      susceptible to errors due to thermally induced nonreciprocity; however, by
      reducing splice and coupler losses, it should be possible to reduce these errors
      well below those in the fiber interferometer.

PMID- 20309105
TI  - Representation-related errors in binary digital holograms: a unified analysis.
AB  - Images reconstructed from binary digital holograms are degraded by errors due to
      the binary representation of the complex-valued object spectrum and by errors due
      to computational and plotter limitations. In this paper, representation-related
      errors are analyzed in terms of false images that appear in the desired
      reconstruction order and in adjacent diffraction orders. It is shown that the
      false images are strongly dependent on the manner in which the object spectrum is
      sampled and on the mapping from spectral sample to binary transmittance. Three
      categories of digital holograms are distinguished: those that sample the object
      spectrum at the center of each hologram cell; those that sample at the center of
      each aperture; and those that sample at each resolvable spot. In going from the
      first to the third category, the reconstruction is successively less degraded by
      false images. For the third category, there are no false images in the desired
      reconstruction order and only one false image in each adjacent order. The two
      methods in this category differ only in the suppression of these false images.

PMID- 20309106
TI  - Reconstruction of binary-data-page thick holograms for an arbitrarily oriented
      reference beam.
AB  - The readout of a page of binary data from a holographic memory utilizing a thick
      recording material is treated for arbitrary angular positioning of the reference
      beam. The diffraction efficiency associated with each bit in the data page is
      calculated. Histograms showing the distribution of the diffracted powers and thus
      the fidelity of reconstruction for example cases are presented.

PMID- 20309107
TI  - Precision of ellipsometer nulling.
AB  - A least squares method for the precise nulling of an arbitrary ellipsometer
      arrangement is presented, and the standard errors of the null settings are
      calculated. The general expressions obtained are applied to the most common null
      ellipsometers, i.e., the PCSA and PSCA arrangements. For these ellipsometers we
      arrive at simple closed formulas that show the influence of the noise of the
      detected light, the extinction ratio of the ellipsometer, and the reflectivity
      and ellipsometric angles of the sample. In addition, coupling is discussed. It is
      shown, especially for the PSCA ellipsometer,that coupling has little effect on
      precision if the least squares method is used.

PMID- 20309108
TI  - Detection of gratings and small features in speckle imagery.
AB  - The extent of picture degradation of speckle, in particular in synthetic aperture
      radar pictures, has been investigated in the cases where an observer has to
      detect (a) a small feature immersed in a darker background, and (b) a square wave
      grating. In each case, a theoretical model is developed for the observer's
      detection mechanism, and the probability of correct decision is related to
      relevant picture parameters such as contrast, looks per pixel, and size. These
      calculations are verified by psychophysical experiments using computer-simulated
      pictures. Detectability of gratings as a criterion for characterizing picture
      quality is shown to be far inferior to feature detectability.

PMID- 20309109
TI  - Discrimination of form in images corrupted by speckle.
AB  - The problem investigated is that of a human observer having to distinguish
      between certain specified geometrical forms corrupted by speckle-an idealization
      of the problem of a scientist studying a synthetic aperture radar map.
      Specifically, the cases of two simple alternative forms and of two and four
      orientations of a simple form have been considered. A theoretical model is
      developed for the observer's decision process by analogy with optimal receiver
      theory, and the probability of a correct decision is related to form parameters
      like size, contrast, and looks. These calculations are verified by psychophysical
      experiments using computer-simulated pictures.

PMID- 20309110
TI  - Image transfer through a Fabry-Perot interferometer.
AB  - An experimental method for determining the transfer function and accompanying
      cutoff frequency of a Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) is described and a set of
      experimental results is presented. It is shown that upon passage through the FPI,
      the level of image distortion decreases with a decrease in cavity length
      (resulting in an increase in Fresnel number) when the FPI finesse is held
      constant. This phenomenon is in agreement with the theoretical prediction.

PMID- 20309111
TI  - Synchronous detection of randomly phase-modulated interferograms.
AB  - Synchronous detection of randomly phase-modulated interferograms is examined for
      the cases of low and high SNR. Long-average phase estimates exhibit (time x
      bandwidth)(-1) dependence and give useful results with low SNR and sigma(phi) <
      pi. Optimum averaging times are determined for phase tracking in the case of
      relatively high SNR.

PMID- 20309112
TI  - Rapid scan phase modulator for interferometric applications.
AB  - A new rapid scan phase modulator has been studied in a range of interferometric
      applications from the visible to the millimeter wave region. The modulator
      consists of two parallel mirrors mounted on a rotating platform. It causes little
      attenuation and is capable of large changes in optical path length at high
      speeds. The system is relatively insensitive to vibration and can yield a nearly
      flat transmission envelope.

PMID- 20309113
TI  - Transmission-type PVDF 2-D optical phase modulator.
AB  - First a transmission-type optical element, which modulates the phase of the
      incident wave field in a 1-D manner, is proposed, then several such elements are
      combined in a cascade to construct an adaptive transmission-type 2-D phase
      modulator. The element consists of a deformable glass plate made by bonding an
      appropriately shaped PVDF piezoelectric film with transparent electrodes to a
      laminar glass plate, a plane glass plate, and a medium immersed between the two
      plates. The construction of the modulator, complementary methods to improve the
      characteristics, several basic experimental results, and its use to compensate
      for aberrations in an imaging system are given. The modulator constructed can
      generate wave fronts whose phase profile is expressed by the functional form
      ax(2) + by(2) + cxy.

PMID- 20309114
TI  - Active mirror: a large-aperture medium-repetition rate Nd:glass amplifier.
AB  - Progress in the development of Nd:glass active mirror laser amplifiers is
      presented. Included is a detailed discussion of hardware design as well as gain
      and repetition rate performance. Finally, multiunit test results, in a higher
      power and high energy beam, are presented.

PMID- 20309115
TI  - Inhomogeneous broadening effects in multimode cw chemical lasers.
AB  - Analytic solutions are presented for inhomogeneous broadening effects in
      multimode cw chemical lasers. A Fabry-Perot (F.P.) resonator and a saturated
      amplifier are considered in the limits Deltanu(h) << Deltanu(d) and Deltanu(c) <<
      Deltanu(h), where Deltanu(h), Deltanu(d), and Deltanu(c) are homogeneous,
      Doppler, and longitudinal mode separation widths, respectively. The former
      inequality requires p(Torr) </= 0(10). The results are believed valid for
      Deltanu(c)/Deltanu(h) </= 0(1) and apply for resonator mirror separation lengths
      and amplifier lengths of the order of 10 m or more. The normalized frequency
      difference from line center is denoted X, and the value of X corresponding to the
      largest longitudinal mode frequency is denoted X(f). The quantity X(f) is a
      measure of laser frequency band-width and the number of active longitudinal
      modes. For the case of an F.P. resonator, X(f) varies with streamwise distance.
      The local value of X(f) is independent of upstream conditions for the case of a
      saturated F.P. resonator. The variation of lasing intensity with X at each
      streamwise station is found to be a truncated Gaussian. The slope of the curve of
      eta - 1 (anomalous index of refraction) vs X is positive in the lasing region |X|
      < X(f). The magnitude of eta - 1 is proportional to the threshold gain. For a
      typical saturated cw chemical laser oscillator, the anomalous index of refraction
      is shown to be small, compared with the regular index, for medium pressures in
      the range p(Torr) >/= 0(1). The present analytic results are in good agreement
      with the numerical results of Bullock and Lipkis.

PMID- 20309116
TI  - Prism coupling selectivity in anisotropic uniaxial waveguide.
AB  - General coupling equations are derived describing field amplitude transfer from a
      prism to an anisotropic, uniaxial waveguide, having its optical axis in the plane
      of incidence. The influence of optical axis orientation on coupling efficiency
      and selectivity is discussed for a Gaussian incident beam.

PMID- 20309117
TI  - Gasdynamic light guide: high power density transmission measurements; errata.

PMID- 20309118
TI  - Patents.
AB  - 4,212,540; 4,218,138; 4,218,615; 4,221,459: 4,221,460: 4,221,463; 4,221,472;
      4,221,483; 4,221,486; 4,222,630; 4,222,633; 4,222,634; 4,225,216; 4,225,786;
      4,226,501.

PMID- 20309119
TI  - Selective excitation of parabolic-index optical fibers by Gaussian beams:
      comment.

PMID- 20309120
TI  - Lens design and local minima.
AB  - The widespread belief that local minima exist in the least squares lens-design
      error function is not confirmed by the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL)
      optimization program. LASL finds the optimum-minimum region, which is
      characterized by small parameter gradients of similar size, small performance
      improvement per iteration, and many designs that give similar performance. Local
      minima and unique prescriptions have not been found in many-parameter problems.
      The reason for these absences is that image errors caused by a change in one
      parameter can be compensated by changes in the remaining parameters. False local
      minima have been found, and four cases are discussed.

PMID- 20309121
TI  - Cladded radially inhomogeneous sphere lenses.
AB  - When a radially inhomogeneous sphere is cladded with an additional refractive
      index medium, the spherical transverse aberration of a resultant lens is
      minimized in order to image a point light source in the diffraction-limited spot
      size for a lens a few millimeters in diameter with ~0.4 N.A. Examples of
      numerical data used in designing such sphere lenses are given for three different
      cases: imaging, Fourier transform, and optical disk reading. Various uses of
      these lenses are also envisioned for demonstrating their potential usefulness.

PMID- 20309122
TI  - Tomographic image reconstruction from limited projections using iterative
      revisions in image and transform spaces.
AB  - An iterative technique is proposed for improving the quality of reconstructions
      from projections when the number of projections is small or the angular range of
      projections is limited. The technique consists of transforming repeatedly between
      image and transform spaces and applying a priori object information at each
      iteration. The approach is a generalization of the Gerchberg-Papoulis algorithm,
      a technique for extrapolating in the Fourier domain by imposing a space-limiting
      constraint on the object in the spatial domain. A priori object data that may be
      applied, in addition to truncating the image beyond the known boundaries of the
      object, include limiting the maximum range of variation of the physical parameter
      being imaged. The results of computer simulations show clearly how the process of
      forcing the image to conform to a priori object data reduces artifacts arising
      from limited data available in the Fourier domain.

PMID- 20309123
TI  - Absolute distance measurements by variable wavelength interferometry.
AB  - This paper describes a laser interferometer which provides absolute distance
      measurements using tunable lasers. An active feedback loop system, in which the
      laser frequency is locked to the optical path length difference of the
      interferometer, is used to tune the laser wavelengths. If the two wavelengths are
      very close, electronic frequency counters can be used to measure the beat
      frequency between the two laser frequencies and thus to determine the optical
      path difference between the two legs of the interferometer.

PMID- 20309124
TI  - Interband transitions in aggregated copper films.
AB  - The optical properties of aggregated copper films have been studied in the
      spectral range from 200 to 1000 nm. Although it is well known that these films
      exhibit an anomalous absorption in the visible region attributed by many authors
      to collective oscillations of electrons in the particles forming the films, not
      much interest has been shown in the study of interband transitions occurring in
      these aggregated films. The results of the present work indicate that interband
      transitions are also found in copper in aggregated form, and that their effects
      cannot be ignored in the analysis of the optical properties of island films.

PMID- 20309125
TI  - Stability and astigmatic compensation analysis of five-mirror cavity for mode
      locked dye lasers.
AB  - A five-mirror cavity suitable for passively mode-locked dye lasers is analyzed
      and also modeled on the computer. Simple approaches for constructing a
      compensated cavity are shown. Experiments are performed confirming the
      theoretical results.

PMID- 20309126
TI  - Diffraction-limited geodesic lens: a search for substitute contours.
AB  - Diffraction-limited geodesic lens contours are compared with algebraic and
      transcendental contours. Curvature errors are analyzed for lenses between f/0.68
      and f/10. It is shown that certain oblate ellipsoids of revolution closely
      approximate the diffraction-limited contour above f/3.0. Aberrations are
      analyzed, and a simple formula with tabulated constants provides a method for
      finding the closest approximation contour ellipse for a desired f/No.

PMID- 20309127
TI  - Coupling characteristics measurements between curved waveguides using a two-core
      fiber coupler.
AB  - Coupling characteristics between two curved waveguides are studied using a two
      core fiber. A tunable monochromatic light source is used to measure the
      wavelength dependence of the coupling efficiency. Measured values of the coupling
      efficiency agree well with theory. It is found that (1) the coupling efficiency
      can be changed from 0 to 1 by changing the radius of curvature, for example, from
      100 mm to infinity in the measured coupler; and (2) when phase shift due to
      curvature sbeta/2R exceeds the coupling coefficient K, where s is the center-to
      center core separation, beta the propagation constant, and R the radius of
      curvature, coupling between the curved cores does not occur, and there is only
      the phase shift between the cores.

PMID- 20309128
TI  - Coupled wave analysis of obliquely incident waves in thin film gratings.
AB  - The problem of a guided wave obliquely incident on a grating etched in a thin
      film guide is considered. Two-dimensional coupled wave equations for the incident
      and reflected beams are derived for the cases of TE-TE, TE-TM, and TM-TM
      coupling. Two methods, a ray optic approximation and a coupled beam method, are
      proposed for the numerical solution of the coupled wave equations. Both methods
      are illustrated by a number of calculated examples.

PMID- 20309129
TI  - Calculations of stress-induced changes in the transverse refractive-index profile
      of optical fibers.
AB  - Changes in transverse refractive index induced by the photoelastic effect are
      calculated when an optical fiber is subjected to a uniformly applied diametral
      stress. For moderate values of the force per unit length applied to the fiber, we
      find that regions of comparable or higher refractive index than the core may be
      induced in the outer region of the fiber. Thus the stressed region is capable of
      acting as a mode converter that affects the transmission characteristics of the
      fiber and may enable coupling of energy in or out of the fiber.

PMID- 20309130
TI  - Pulse distortion in optical fibers with transverse offset splices.
AB  - A method for calculating the pulse distortion in a spliced multimode optical
      fiber vs transverse misalignment is presented. Measurements on two graded-index
      and one step-index fibers are shown. In graded-index fibers both theory and
      experiment show a rapid decrease of the rms pulse width for large offsets. For
      smaller offsets some discrepancies are observed. These are remedied to some
      extent by considering unequal mode excitation conditions. Different lengths of
      the two spliced sections are investigated as well. In the step-index case the
      experiments show no variation in the rms pulse width as predicted by the theory.

PMID- 20309131
TI  - Characterization of single-mode optical fiber filters.
AB  - The fabrication of narrowband highly reflecting filters in single-mode step-index
      fibers was reported recently by Hill et al. [Appl. Phys. Lett. 32, 647 (1978)].
      The underlying effect on which these filters are based is a photoinduced
      refractive-index change in the GeO(2) used as a core dopant in SiO(2) fibers. A
      study is reported aimed at the characterization of such optical fiber filters. A
      theoretical model is developed, and relevant fiber parameters are determined
      through intercomparison with experiment. In this way, both the magnitude of the
      photoinduced index change and its dependence on the writing power coupled into
      the fiber are determined.

PMID- 20309132
TI  - Fluorescence profiling of single-mode optical fiber preforms.
AB  - A new nondestructive and noncontacting method to measure accurately the
      refractive-index profile of single-mode optical fiber preforms is presented. The
      method is based on the fact that a Ge-doped preform core fluoresces strongly when
      excited by UV radiation. The preform, which need not be index matched, is excited
      transversely to its axis by a He-Cd laser emitting at a wavelength of 325 nm. The
      intensity of the resulting fluorescence radiation is detected by a video camera
      and plotted giving the index distribution directly. The profiles so obtained in
      <1 min are in excellent agreement with those measured by interferometry and by
      the focusing method, thus providing a simple yet powerful alternative to those
      techniques.

PMID- 20309133
TI  - Measuring fiber connection loss using steady-state power distribution: a method.
AB  - This paper describes conditions for the reproducible measurement of optical fiber
      connection losses. The steady-state power distribution is characterized by the
      width of the far-field pattern (FFP). A method is proposed to determine the power
      distribution in the fiber from the measured FFP. Using this method, connection
      losses of graded-index fibers are calculated for various widths of the FFP.
      Calculated results are verified experimentally. The width of the FFP must be
      controlled to within an accuracy of 3% for a 0.05-dB reproducibility of the
      connection loss. Connection loss dependence on mismatch of fiber parameters is
      also calculated. Calculation shows that variations in core radius, numerical
      aperture, and index gradient have to be controlled to within 3%, 6%, and 0.3,
      respectively, for the same reproducibility.

PMID- 20309134
TI  - Relations between near-field and far-field intensities, radiance, and modal power
      distribution of multimode graded-index fibers.
AB  - A relation between the modal power distribution and the radiance at the fiber end
      face is derived. From this relation near-field and far-field intensities are
      expressed in terms of the modal power distribution. The relation for the far
      field intensity is discussed in detail for some special cases.

PMID- 20309135
TI  - Ultraviolet analysis of graded-index lightguide preforms.
AB  - The UV spectra of graded-index fiber-optic preforms have been studied using a
      technique in which annular masks of varying diameters are placed over the
      preforms. The collimated UV beam from a conventional absorption-spectrophotometer
      excites selected regions in the preform core, and the absorption spectra for the
      varying mask diameters are measured. With this technique and germania
      borosilicate and phosphosilicate (GeBSi and GePSi) preforms, a previously
      unresolved absorption band peaking at 330 nm was found and assigned to amorphous
      GeO(2). Measurements of the peak absorption coefficient were correlated with x
      ray fluorescence measurements of GeO(2) concentrations. Absorption associated
      with P(2)O(5) overlaps the GeO(2) absorption below ~320 nm. That is, between 305
      and 320 nm, GePSi preforms absorb strongly while GeBSi preforms absorb weakly.
      This difference in absorption behavior combined with weak filtering properties of
      the UV-cured coating at lambda > 305 nm explains why coated GePSi fibers are more
      sensitive to UV damage than coated GeBSi fibers.

PMID- 20309136
TI  - Multimode fiber-optic hydrophone based on a schlieren technique.
AB  - A multimode fiber-optic hydrophone is described which is based upon a schlieren
      acoustooptic intensity modulation mechanism. Computer modeling of critical device
      parameters was experimentally verified and used to indicate ultimate attainable
      device performance. The device was shown to be able to detect the Knudsen noise
      level for frequencies up to 1 kHz, to have a dynamic range of 125 dB, to have an
      omnidirectional receiving response, and to be able to detect displacements as
      small as 3.4 x 10(-3) A. The device is not susceptible to phase noise, is
      relatively insensitive to static pressure head variations and is electrically
      passive.

PMID- 20309137
TI  - Performance of SIT vidicons when exposed to transient light signals.
AB  - A central phenomenon regarding the actual behavior of SIT vidicons under pulsed
      light operation is the capacitive lag. Although this physical effect has been
      known for years, many users are unaware of its consequences in photometric
      measurements of transient phenomena. This work describes different aspects of SIT
      tube behavior studied in conditions designed to simulate their operation when
      viewing a streak camera or channel plate intensifier phosphor screen.

PMID- 20309138
TI  - Continuous-readout extreme-ultraviolet airglow spectrometer.
AB  - A satellite-borne extreme-ultraviolet airglow spectrometer is described covering
      the 275-1420-A range with 8-A resolution. The spectrometer is of near normal
      incidence Rowland circle design and employs a holographically ruled concave
      grating. The detector is a microchannel plate with resistive anode providing a
      continuous readout of any 650-A ground-commandable subset of the total bandpass.
      This simultaneous wide spectral coverage results in a factor of 80 increase in
      sensitivity over a fixed exit slit design of equivalent resolution.

PMID- 20309139
TI  - X-ray monochromator designs based on extreme off-plane grating mountings.
AB  - Several monochromator designs are presented in which the beam is incident on the
      grating nearly parallel to the grooves. The efficiency of such mountings, when
      obeying the blaze condition, is much higher than that of classical arrangements.
      Because only the Snell's components of the angular coordinates are varied, this
      high efficiency is found over the complete wavelength range. With the designs
      described the wavelength region from 0.6 to 100 nm can be covered without
      interchanging gratings. For each wavelength the spectral resolution can be
      increased to ~10(4). Entrance and exit slit positions and the corresponding beam
      orientations are fixed.

PMID- 20309140
TI  - Deconvolution technique for line-of-sight optical scattering measurements in
      axisymmetric sprays.
AB  - A procedure has been developed for deconvoluting line-of-sight average
      measurements of droplet-size distribution and optical extinction into the actual
      radial variations of droplet-size distribution and droplet number density in
      axisymmetric sprays. Preconditioning the line-of-sight average data via spline
      smoothing was shown to be necessary to prevent a complete loss of accuracy in the
      central region of the spray. After preconditioning, uncertainties in the average
      data propagated about 1:1 into the deconvoluted results. Cumulative truncation
      errors for a worst-case analysis approached 15% in the central region of the
      spray. A sample analysis for a typical hollow-cone spray is presented.

PMID- 20309141
TI  - Radiative scattering cross sections: comparison of experiment and theory.
AB  - By comparing experimental and theoretical values of the radiative scattering
      cross sections of spherical particles over a wavelength range of 0.40-0.70
      microm, both the scattering particle distribution function and concentration as
      well as the scattering coefficient are obtained. The experimental cross sections
      are derived from transmission data by using monodispersed polystyrene latex
      particles immersed in distilled water and a standard spectrophotometer. A
      discrete bimodal particle size distribution is used to account for coagulation.
      It is adjusted to yield the correct distribution function by making the
      difference between the experimental and theoretical cross section essentially
      constant with wavelength. The constant difference is proportional to the
      measurement error in the particle volume concentration and is easily eliminated
      by correcting the concentration. In addition, the scattering coefficient for the
      medium is obtained as a function of wavelength.

PMID- 20309142
TI  - Stratospheric trace constituent profile retrievals using laser heterodyne
      radiometer IR limb sensing spectra.
AB  - A retrieval technique for use with high resolution IR solar occultation limb
      sensing data is described for profiling stratospheric trace constituents. Remote
      measurement of CIO during sunset in the 24-45-km region with a 2-km height
      resolution is chosen as an example. Two types of instruments are considered: a
      laser heterodyne radiometer with line resolving spectral resolution and an
      interferometer spectrometer with a fixed slit width of 0.02 cm(-1). It is pointed
      out that a multichannel approach is necessary with the heterodyne instrument for
      improved retrieval accuracy. The error analysis indicates the relative sizes of
      instrument noise and other sources of error in the retrieval of altitude profiles
      with high (2-km) vertical resolution.

PMID- 20309143
TI  - Monostatic heterodyne lidar performance: the effect of the turbulent atmosphere.
AB  - The reduction in the SNR of a monostatic heterodyne lidar because of the presence
      of atmospheric refractive turbulence in the medium intervening between the lidar
      and the target was calculated. We find previous approximations made to perform
      the calculation, namely, independent refractive turbulence on outward bound and
      return paths and a quadratic form for the wave structure function, to be
      erroneous. An exact calculation shows that previous results overestimated signal
      degradation.

PMID- 20309145
TI  - Patterns of correlation of interferograms and Ronchigrams.

PMID- 20309146
TI  - Pulse compression by intracavity degenerate four-wave mixing.

PMID- 20309144
TI  - Comparison of reflectance with backscatter and absorption parameters for turbid
      waters.
AB  - The relation of reflectance to backscatter and absorption parameters is
      investigated for waters more turbid than those of previous investigations.
      Experimental data are examined for river waters in which beam attenuation values
      range from 8.9 to 18.9 m(_1) at 550 nm. Attenuation, absorption, backscatter, and
      irradiance reflectance spectral properties are presented for wavelengths between
      450 and 800 nm. Comparisons of reflectance with backscatter to absorption ratio
      and backscatter with absorption plus backscatter ratio indicate that data for
      turbid waters do not fit linear or polynomial models which are presently
      available in the literature.

PMID- 20309147
TI  - Radio ffrequency-IR double resonance spectroscopy using a color center laser.

PMID- 20309148
TI  - Dichroic filters: a simple design.

PMID- 20309149
TI  - Echelle efficiencies: theory and experiment; comment.

PMID- 20309150
TI  - Echelle efficiencies: theory and experiment; author's reply to comment.

PMID- 20309151
TI  - Emissivity spectra of composite microscopic particles.

PMID- 20309152
TI  - Rayleigh scattering.

PMID- 20309153
TI  - Balloon-borne laser heterodyne radiometer for measurements of stratospheric trace
      species.
AB  - Remote measurements of a key stratospheric radical species, chlorine monoxide,
      have been made with a recently developed balloon-borne instrument: a laser
      heterodyne radiometer. The characteristics of this instrument, which facilitate
      its use for measurement of selected trace species in the stratosphere, are
      described here. The technique of solar occultation in the IR is used to provide
      the measurement data. This technique is briefly described to point out the high
      sensitivity and specificity which can be achieved when using a high spectral
      resolution instrument such as an IR heterodyne radiometer in this manner.

PMID- 20309154
TI  - Laser absorption spectrometer: remote measurement of tropospheric ozone.
AB  - The laser absorption spectrometer (LAS) is an airborne instrument able to perform
      remote measurement of trace atmospheric gases. The instrument uses a pair of
      carbon dioxide laser-heterodyne receiver systems that are directed downward from
      an airplane and determines gas concentration by the differential absorption
      method. Configured to measure tropospheric ozone, the LAS has been used in
      conjunction with another instrumented aircraft to test the accuracy of this
      method of measurement. A complete description of the instrument is presented, and
      the results of extensive flight testing are summarized.

PMID- 20309155
TI  - Optical pulse propagation through clouds.
AB  - The cloud impulse response (spatial and temporal) to optical pulse propagation
      has been measured. Experimental data are reported for the radiance function,
      pulse stretching, and (the first published) delay time. The results have been
      confirmed by Monte Carlo modeling. A geometric scattering model is presented
      explaining the temporal results for the test conditions.

PMID- 20309156
TI  - Target loop adaptive optics: thermal blooming correction.
AB  - To evaluate adaptive optics (AO) concepts for the correction of nonlinear
      atmospheric phenomena occurring in high energy laser beam propagation and to
      perform AO system trade offs, a simple, but reasonably accurate, model of the
      entire AO loop is required. Heretofore, no such model existed which takes into
      account the temporal response of the atmosphere and yet is simple enough to
      permit extensive system tradeoffs. We have developed such a model. Optimum
      thermal blooming correction dictates that the atmospheric response time must be
      accounted for properly, especially for strong blooming strength. Experimental
      verification of the above model was carried out using an argon-ion laser with an
      iodine blooming cell and a closed AO loop to provide corrections for tilt, focus,
      and astigmatism. Reasonable agreement between theory and experimental data was
      achieved.

PMID- 20309157
TI  - Optical communications through a dispersive medium: a performance bound for
      photocounting.
AB  - This paper considers the effects of pulse stretching and background radiation on
      a binary optical communication system with a photon counting detector. An
      idealized receiver processor is developed which provides a lower bound on the
      error probability that can be achieved by any realizable processor. A very simple
      approximation to the error probability is shown to be valid for intersymbol
      interference over more than about five-bit intervals.

PMID- 20309158
TI  - Offset local oscillator for cw laser Doppler anemometry.
AB  - Using two CO(2) lasers with one frequency-locked to the other, we have developed
      a simple heterodyne cw Doppler backscatter anemometer for remote sensing. The
      configuration as tested in a lidar application requires no additional optics or
      detector over a homodyne setup. Spectra of the vertical wind show an example of
      the results available from a simple heterodyne Doppler lidar with a threshold of
      0.25 m sec(-1) and an uncertainty of +/-10% in the velocity estimate.

PMID- 20309159
TI  - Selection of fluorescence lidar operating parameters for SNR maximization.
AB  - Fluorescence lidar when applicable offers one of the most sensitive methods for
      measuring the concentration of trace constituents of the atmosphere. In the
      conduct of a fluorescence lidar experiment, one can control a number of
      parameters which can be used to optimize the SNR. In this paper the optimum
      division of laser pulses centered on and off the fluorescence excitation
      wavelength is calculated as a function of the ratio of the fluorescence signal
      strength to the strength of fluorescence from interfering species. For strong
      interference signals the time should be divided equally on and off the line. For
      strong fluorescence signals the time on line is proportional to the square root
      of the on-line off-line signal ratio. The optimization of the integration time
      for varying values of signal-to-background and signal-to-interference ratios,
      atmospheric attenuation, laser energy variations, background measurement time,
      and on-line off-line time division is also considered.

PMID- 20309160
TI  - Deviation-free Bragg cell frequency-shifting.
AB  - A method is described of applying a variable frequency-shift to a laser beam, by
      means of Bragg cells, in which the direction of the output diffracted beam is
      unaffected by the magnitude of the applied shift. Applications of the technique
      to reference-beam and Doppler-difference forms of laser anemometry are discussed
      together with methods of obtaining increased dynamic range.

PMID- 20309161
TI  - High gain optical detection with GaAs field effect transistors.
AB  - The photoresponse of GaAs field effect transistor (FET) optical detectors to
      optical intensity modulation signals of moderate frequency is investigated. High
      ac responsivity is available at frequencies of interest in optical
      communications: more than 6 A/W can be obtained up to 100 MHz, with a noise
      equivalent power of <10(-12) W/ radicalHz. The slope of the frequency response is
      dependent on the otpical bias power, an effect that can be attributed to traps.
      The GaAs FET optical detector complements the performance of available P-I-N and
      avalanche photodiode photodetectors for communications by providing high
      photoresponse at low bias voltages.

PMID- 20309162
TI  - Acoustooptic spectrum analysis of radar signals using an integrating
      photodetector array.
AB  - This paper examines the instantaneous Fourier power spectrum for different types
      of radar signals such as cw, pulse-modulated cw, and linear FM signals using an
      acoustooptic spectrum analyzer. The effects on the time-integrated output
      intensity distribution, due to the truncation of the propagating acoustic signal
      by the finite aperture width of the Bragg cell and the amplitude weighting on the
      signal, are also analyzed. Some experimental results on pulse-modulated cw and
      linear FM signals are presented and then compared to theory.

PMID- 20309163
TI  - Acoustooptic spectral estimation: a statistical analysis.
AB  - The power spectral density estimate obtained by an acoustooptic (AO) system is
      analyzed. We find that the variance of the estimate depends on the ratio
      T(2)/T(1), where T(1) is the aperture of the AO cell and T(2) is the integration
      time of the detector.

PMID- 20309164
TI  - Photoacoustic measurement of low-level absorptions in solids.
AB  - Small repetitively pulsed lasers can be used with a photoacoustic detection
      method to obtain linear absorption measurements on optical thin films with a 5 x
      10(-5) sensitivity using an acoustic-coupling procedure and with a 1 x 10(-5)
      sensitivity using a liquid-transducer procedure.

PMID- 20309166
TI  - Two-dimensional modulation transfer functions of image scanning systems.
AB  - Image data processing based on optical scanning and digital reconstruction
      frequently ignores artifacts produced by the scanning process itself.
      Characterization of these artifacts by measurement of system modulation transfer
      function (MTF) using the traditional knife-edge scan technique produces only one
      section of the 2-D MTF, and interpretation of this as representative of the
      complete MTF may yield misleading re A theoretical analysis is presented which
      allows reconstruction of the complete 2-D MTF from a sequence of knife-edge
      measurements, and an experimental example is shown for the case of a vidicon
      camera based scanning system.

PMID- 20309165
TI  - Optical heterodyne profilometry.
AB  - A noncontact optical technique for the measurement of surface profile is
      described, which has a height sensitivity of the order of 1 A. It is based on a
      common path heterodyne interferometer in which two orthogonally polarized beams
      of slightly different frequency are focused on the surface to be measured. One
      focal point acts as a reference as the other point circularly scans the surface.
      The phase of the beat frequency of the interfering return beams is directly
      proportional to the surface height. The results of a surface measurement include
      graphical displays of the surface profile, autocovariance function, spectral
      density function, stability, and repeatability. Comparison with other instruments
      is also discussed.

PMID- 20309167
TI  - Thermal IR exitance model of a plant canopy.
AB  - A thermal IR exitance model of a plant canopy based on a mathematical abstraction
      of three horizontal layers of vegetation was developed. Canopy geometry within
      each layer is quantitatively described by the foliage and branch orientation
      distributions and number density. Given this geometric information for each layer
      and the driving meteorological variables, a system of energy budget equations was
      determined and solved for average layer temperatures. These estimated layer
      temperatures, together with the angular distributions of radiating elements, were
      used to calculate the emitted thermal IR radiation as a function of view angle
      above the canopy. The model was applied to a lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta)
      canopy over a diurnal cycle. Simulated vs measured radiometric average
      temperatures of the midcanopy layer corresponded within 2 degrees C. Simulation
      results suggested that canopy geometry can significantly influence the effective
      radiant temperature recorded at varying sensor view angles.

PMID- 20309168
TI  - Liquid crystal display device for total reflection switching with fluorescent dye
      addition.
AB  - Bias dependences for reflectivity curves were measured in the total reflection
      range for several liquid crystals, and orientation near the boundary was
      investigated. Incident angle dependences of the transient response for total
      reflection ON and OFF switching were measured. Fluorescent dye addition effects
      for total reflection switching were investigated. Using a mixture of the
      fluorescent dye (coumarin 6) and MBBA + BBCA, a novel display device for a wide
      viewing angle has been successfully demonstrated.

PMID- 20309169
TI  - Surface reflectance measurements in the ultraviolet from an airborne platform.
      Part 2.
AB  - The spectral and broadband reflectance of naturally occurring desert sand, black
      lava, White Sands, New Mexico gypsum sand, and snow cover is measured from a twin
      engine Cessna 402-series aircraft. The measurement system, fully described in
      Part 1 [D. D. Doda and A. E. S. Green, Appl. Opt. 19, 2140 (1980)], is computer
      controlled and electrically isolated from the aircraft. It consists of upward and
      downward looking hemispheric diffusers, filters, a rotating 90 degrees mirror, a
      focusing lens, and a double monochromator/PMT or a UV enhanced photodiode.
      Measurements are made at several altitudes enabling the empirical determination
      of the backscatter and attenuation effects on the reflectance. In addition these
      reflectance results along with those reported earlier for a pine forest, green
      farmland, the open ocean, and brown farmland are represented analytically.

PMID- 20309170
TI  - Optical reflectance: a sensitive nondestructive method for detecting surface
      damage in crystalline GaAs and other semiconductors.
AB  - Optical reflectance has been demonstrated to be a very sensitive nondestructive
      method to determine the degree of surface damage for crystalline germanium and
      silicon semiconductors. Application of this method to measure the surface quality
      of gallium arsenide (GaAs) is reported here. For GaAs, the optical reflectance at
      5.1 eV can be used to determine the degree of surface damage, i.e., the surface
      quality. For a series of GaAs substrates polished with selected abrasives, the
      reflectance is shown to decrease with increasing size of the abrasive. As an
      independent method of determining the degree of surface damage, the
      photoluminescence spectrum of GaAs has been measured and correlated with the
      optical reflectance. Overall, the optical reflectance is shown to be a
      nondestructive, simple, fast, and sensitive measurement, which is readily
      adaptable to quality control inspection of GaAs and other III-V semiconductor
      surfaces.

PMID- 20309171
TI  - Vacuum ultraviolet Mach-Zehnder interferometer with CaF(2) optics.
AB  - A VUV Mach-Zehnder interferometer has been equipped with CaF(2) optics. To test
      these, the hook method was used to measure the oscillator strength of the
      146.9610-nm (1)S(0)-(3)P(0)(1) line of atomic xenon. The result, f = 0.244 +/-
      0.015, is in agreement with data obtained by other techniques. We conclude, as a
      result of this work, that application of our Mach-Zehnder interferometer to hook
      method measurements of oscillator strengths of lines with wavelengths longer than
      ~150 nm will be routine, but that such measurements below that wavelength limit
      must await development of more intense VUV continuum sources.

PMID- 20309172
TI  - Helmholtz resonator enhancement of photoacoustic signals.
AB  - A Helmholtz resonator attached to a nonresonant photoacoustic cell enhances the
      responsivity to trace gas absorption by as much as a factor of 15.3. A simple
      system model based on a lumped parameter approach predicts the experimentally
      determined resonance frequency f(0) within 6% for all five resonator volumes
      tried and gives a pressure amplitude response at resonance proportional to f(0)(
      5/2), which is the approximate experimental dependence. Optimization of response
      based on the model shows a pressure amplitude dependence on a(1/2), the square
      root of the radius of the cylindrical tube connecting the cell and the resonator.

PMID- 20309173
TI  - Optics of flow cells for liquid chromatography.
AB  - The design and performance of flow cells and flow cell optics are discussed, with
      special consideration of the requirements of absorption measuring instruments
      used as detectors in liquid chromatography. The origins of refractive-index
      sensitivity and other flow-dependent disturbances and the role of the field and
      aperture stops in minimizing these effects are described. Equations are derived
      to show the interaction of optical parameters and flow cell dimensions, and
      conditions for optimum cell designs are presented. It is shown that under certain
      conditions, the acceptance of a flow cell varies directly with the square of the
      volume and inversely with the fourth power of the optical path length. The
      results of some experimental measurements are presented for various flow cell
      optical systems, and it is shown that sensitivity to changing refractive index of
      the solvent can be reduced to a small residual associated with reflection at
      solvent-window interfaces.

PMID- 20309174
TI  - Distortion of grating prisms, and their use in radial velocity determinations of
      astronomical objects with slitless field spectrographs.
AB  - The basic theory of off-axis distortion and dispersion errors of grating-prisms
      is given. it is used to determine steller radial velocities according to the
      reversion method with slitless grating-prism field spectrographs.

PMID- 20309175
TI  - Intensifier silicon vidicon spectrophotometer for line profile studies in
      astronomy.
AB  - The design and performance characteristics of a moderate dispersion
      spectrophotometer (Deltalambda ~ 0.1 nm) for astronomical observations are
      described. The spectrophotometer employs an intensifier silicon vidicon as
      detector. The operating characteristics of the detector have been evaluated and
      optimized. In astronomical use, the spectrupsilonophotometer is capable of
      recording line profiles of stars of m(upsilon) = 3.74 with a spectral resolution
      of 0.15 nm and SNR = 50 in an integration time of 10 sec when used with a 60-cm
      telescope.

PMID- 20309176
TI  - Photometric monitoring of hysteresis in solid-solid phase transformations.
AB  - The addition of a simple solid-state photometer to a standard polarizing
      microscope permits continuous monitoring of the optical path difference of
      birefringent crystals undergoing solid-solid phase transformations. This approach
      permits direct recording of phase transformation hysteresis loops for microscopic
      crystals. Such data offer advantages over conventional birefringence measurements
      for studies involving phase transformation dynamics.

PMID- 20309177
TI  - Optical analysis of point focus parabolic radiation concentrators.
AB  - A simple formalism is developed for analyzing the optical performance of point
      focus parabolic radiation concentrators. To account for off-axis aberrations of
      the parabola, an angular acceptance function is defined as that fraction of a
      beam of parallel radiation incident on the aperture that would reach the receiver
      if the optics were perfect. The radiation intercepted by the receiver of a real
      concentrator is obtained as a convolution of angular acceptance function, of
      optical error distribution, and of angular brightness distribution of the
      radiation source. For numerical calculations this method is more accurate and
      less time-consuming than the ray-tracing method.

PMID- 20309178
TI  - Chromatic aberration matching of the polychromatic optical transfer function.
AB  - To point out the danger of evaluating lenses on the basis of color-blind
      polychromatic OTFs, it has been shown that lenses with completely different
      chromatic aberrations can have the same polychromatic OTF. An analytical
      technique-chromatic aberration matching-is proposed that will ascertain the
      chromatic aberrations that are different and yet give the same polychromatic OTF
      for a specified spectral combination of the light source and the detector. A
      typical numerical example is given which supports the theory and the discussion.

PMID- 20309179
TI  - Intensity profile of outgoing beams from uniform and linearly tapered grating
      couplers.
AB  - Intensity distribution of outgoing beams from a uniform sinusoidal grating is
      investigated on the basis of first-order perturbation theory by dividing the
      grating region into short subsections. Intensity distribution of outgoing beams
      from a linearly tapered sinusoidal grating is also studied by considering it as a
      chain of uniform gratings with steplike amplitudes and using the results obtained
      for the uniform grating. The intensity profile of outgoing beams from a uniform
      grating coupler is theoretically verified to exhibit an extremely asymmetric
      shape and to differ considerably from the Gaussian shape laser beam usually
      employed as an incident beam in an input coupler, although this fact has been
      well recognized by people who have studied gratings. However, the output
      intensity beam profiles from the linearly tapered grating are found to approach a
      Gaussian shape similar to the profile of the incident beam.

PMID- 20309180
TI  - Equalization of dispersion in single-mode fibers.
AB  - Optical pulse equalization in single-mode fibers using positive and negative
      chromatic dispersion has been demonstrated by Lin et al. [Opt. Lett. 5, 476
      (1980)]. In this paper, an earlier theory of pulse propagation in single-mode
      fibers is extended to the case of a tandem arrangement of N fibers with different
      dispersive properties. The theory includes first- and second-order dispersion. It
      is shown that, by using fibers with positive and negative chromatic dispersion,
      the first-order dispersion term cancels out on average.

PMID- 20309181
TI  - Ultraviolet-excited fluorescence in optical fibers and preforms.
AB  - Germanium-doped optical fibers and preforms are found to fluoresce at a
      wavelength near 420 nm when excited by UV radiation at a wavelength below 350 nm.
      The UV absorption spectrum of a preform sample was measured and found to exhibit
      a strong and relatively broad peak in the vicinity of 240 nm. Experimental
      results of the application of this effect to the refractive-index profiling of
      multimode optical fiber preforms is presented. In this application the preform is
      excited transversely to its axis by a He-Cd laser emitting at a wavelength of 325
      nm. The resulting fluorescent radiation is detected by a video camera to give the
      concentration profile directly. The effects of boron and phosphorous dopants on
      the profile are also shown.

PMID- 20309182
TI  - Optical fiber end preparation: a new method for producing perpendicular fractures
      in glass fibers, coated-glass fibers, and plastic-clad fibers.
AB  - A new method for cutting optical fibers is presented. A smooth scratch, without
      any visible cracks and chipping, is circumferentially made around the complete
      periphery before the fiber is fractured by simple axial tension. Break angles of
      0.5 degrees are easily obtained. Coated-glass fibers and plastic-clad fibers are
      cut properly for the first time owing to the novel scratching procedure. A
      compact tool is used to perform the required sequence of operations
      automatically.

PMID- 20309183
TI  - Branching elements for optical data buses.
AB  - Asymmetric 4-port couplers and star couplers with 60 ports for multimode fibers
      are described. The power variations in the output fibers over a -40-+120 degrees
      C temperature range are reported as is the insertion loss. The optimum output
      coupling required for minimum path attenuation is computed for a T-bus with
      symmetric and asymmetric couplers.

PMID- 20309184
TI  - Four definitions for the term emittance: errata.

PMID- 20309185
TI  - Fringe contrast in electronic speckle pattern interferometry.

PMID- 20309186
TI  - Distance measurement from a moving object based on speckle velocity detection.

PMID- 20309187
TI  - Optical alignment of a far-infrared Michelson interferometer.

PMID- 20309188
TI  - Polar display of a fractional order of optical interference.

PMID- 20309189
TI  - Testing concave aspheric surfaces: use of two crossed Babinet compensators.

PMID- 20309190
TI  - Easy way to find the sagitta depth.

PMID- 20309191
TI  - Mass spectrometry of ion-induced water clusters: an explanation of the IR
      continuum absorption; addenda.

PMID- 20309192
TI  - In situ separation of scattering and absorption in fluids.

PMID- 20309193
TI  - Optical absorption in thin slabs and spherical particles.

PMID- 20309194
TI  - Limits on the propagation constants of planar optical waveguide modes.

PMID- 20309195
TI  - Circular diffraction patterns from total internal reflection Raman-Nath
      modulators.

PMID- 20309196
TI  - Power fluctuations caused by laser beam wandering and shift.

PMID- 20309197
TI  - Splice loss and mode conversion in a multimode fiber: erratum.

PMID- 20309198
TI  - Accurate laser wavelength measurement with a precision two-beam scanning
      Michelson interferometer.
AB  - This paper gives the details of a precision two-beam scanning Michelson
      interferometer, designed and perfected for accurate comparison of an unknown
      laser wavelength and the precisely calibrated wavelength of a reference laser. An
      iodine Lamb-dip stabilized He-Ne 633-nm laser (calibrated with respect to a Kr
      standard) is used as the reference. The design incorporates features to minimize
      instrumental errors and the effect of fringe shifts caused by diffraction (in the
      IR). It is applied to accurate measurements of a stable CO(2) laser wavelength
      tuned to the centers of its various transitions. Measurements are done by
      simultaneous fringe counting and relative fringe-phase comparison at the two
      wavelengths using on-line data storage and processing with an electronic digital
      computer. The accuracy in the 10-microm region is several parts in 10(9) and is
      limited by correction for diffraction fringe shifts. Because of its low-Q and
      broadband operating characteristics, it can be applied to rapid accurate laser
      wavelength measurements over the entire wavelength range permitted by its
      transmitting optics. In the visible range where the diffraction correction is
      small, the interferometer can be used to perform measurements to within several
      parts in 10(11). The paper gives theoretical derivation of various diffraction
      corrections, the design and construction of the interferometer, the alignment
      procedures, detailed analysis of various error sources, and data processing. It
      also gives the details of a previously reported accurate measurement of the speed
      of light using the measured wavelength of the CO(2) R(14) line and its known
      frequency.

PMID- 20309199
TI  - Optical characterization of powders: the use of Mie theory and composite media
      models.
AB  - The measurement of the optical response of materials occurring as finely divided
      powders is difficult due to the complex interaction of the optical wave with the
      material. Guided by methods used to study the optical properties of composite
      media, we have developed experimental and theoretical techniques for
      characterizing the optical properties of powders. We have applied these
      techniques to two supported catalysts and have observed several optical effects
      arising from the very small particle size of these materials.

PMID- 20309200
TI  - Arc-acoustic interaction in rare gas flashlamps.
AB  - High frequency oscillations have been observed in rare gas flashlamp voltage and
      light output pulses. Experiments have shown that the frequency of the
      oscillations increases with the square root of the input electrical energy
      density. At fixed energy density input, the period of the oscillations increases
      linearly with the cylindrical lamp radius and with the square root of the atomic
      mass of the rare gas. These measured dependences suggest an acoustic generation
      mechanism with the gas temperature proportional to the input energy density. This
      interpretation allows a determination of the instantaneous gas temperature from
      the measured oscillation frequency.

PMID- 20309201
TI  - Multiplate resonant reflectors for the vacuum ultraviolet.
AB  - A multiplate resonant reflector has been designed, constructed, and used in the
      VUV as an output mirror for an Ar excimer laser. Details of the design
      calculations etc. are given.

PMID- 20309202
TI  - Efficiency and concentration ratio measurements of fluorescent solar
      concentrators using a xenon measurement system.
AB  - An indoor test stand for fluorescent planar concentrator-collectors (FPC) with a
      1.6-kW xenon light source, irradiating a rectangular triangle (active area 400
      cm(2)) with 82 mW cm(-2), and a typical homogeneity of +/-10% is described in
      detail. Conditions and definitions for the efficiency measurements are discussed,
      taking intensity and reflection effects into account. As an illustration FPC
      efficiency and concentration ratios are reported (best optical efficiency was
      7.5% for a single-plate one-dye FPC), the influence of thickness variation is
      discussed, and an enhancement in solar cell efficiency is demonstrated.

PMID- 20309203
TI  - Zenith sky brightness and airglow emissions during the equatorial solar eclipse
      of 30 June 1973.
AB  - Experimental and calibration procedures used for photometric zenith measurements
      at Loiyengalani (2.75 degrees N, 36.6 degrees E) during the total solar eclipse
      of 30 June 1973 are described briefly. Comparison was made between sky brightness
      at wavelengths in the 3914-6300-A range during totality and morning twilight at
      Dar es Salaam. The twilight 3914- and 6300-A sky background ratio is sometimes
      close to the expected value for a pure Rayleigh molecular scattering process, but
      the corresponding ratio at eclipse mid-totality is about one-third this,
      indicating a shift toward the red consistent with an atmosphere containing
      aerosols. The zenith sky brightness at 5600 A was <1 kR/A, somewhat lower than
      has been observed at low latitudes during the past 50 years. Comparison of the
      6300-A line emission rate of 1.4 +/- 0.6 kR with the Jan. 1974 Atmosphere
      Explorer satellite dayglow analysis suggests the main source of O((1)D) atoms
      during totality is by excitation of O((3)P) atoms in the lower thermosphere.
      About 1 kR of 5577 A was also observed, but the 5200-A emission was too low for
      reliable detection. An unexpectedly high 3914-A emission rate of at least 1 kR
      was apparent, the high rate being supported by observation at 4278 A.

PMID- 20309204
TI  - Atmospheric transmittance: improvement of LOWTRAN prediction by incorporating
      turbulence effects.
AB  - Using the mutual intensity function, we calculate the turbulence loss-effect and
      add such effects into LOWTRAN predictions and the experimental data. The
      turbulence corrections bring the Lowtran-calculated transmittance and the
      experimentally obtained transmittance into closer agreement with each other.

PMID- 20309205
TI  - AFGL atmospheric absorption line parameters compilation: 1980 version.
AB  - A new version of the AFGL atmospheric absorption line parameters compilation is
      now available. Major modifications since the last edition of 1978 include the
      updating of the strongest bands of water vapor, updated line positions for carbon
      dioxide, improved ozone parameters in the 5- and 10-microm regions, and updated
      and additional data for methane in the 3.5- and 7.7-microm regions. The atlas now
      contains over 159,000 rotational and vibration-rotation transitions from 0.3 to
      17,880 cm(-1).

PMID- 20309206
TI  - Monotonic relationships between scattered powers and diameters in Lorenz-Mie
      theory for simultaneous velocimetry and sizing of single particles.
AB  - Monotonic relationships between scattered intensities and diameters in Lorenz-Mie
      theory are obtained with the aid of the SUPERMIDI computer program. The influence
      of the solid collection angle, scattered light, and of the real and imaginary
      parts of the complex refractive index on these relations is discussed. Results
      are given for typical opaque particles (aluminum) and transparent particles
      (glass). Emphasis is on the application of such relationships to simultaneous
      measurements of the velocity and the size of single particles embedded in flows.

PMID- 20309207
TI  - Passive remote smoke plume opacity sensing: a technique.
AB  - A new passive technique for the remote measurement of the visual opacity of
      plumes emerging from smokestacks is presented. It is based on the detection of
      the attenuation of the polarized component of Rayleigh-scattered background
      skylight as it traverses a smoke plume. A two-color difference measurement of the
      polarization of skylight through the plume is compared with a similar measurement
      of the unattenuated skylight adjacent to the plume. This method is independent of
      the intrinsic brightness of the plume resulting from the scattering of sunlight
      and cancels white-light polarization effects of plume-scattered radiation. A
      prototype instrument incorporating this method has been successfully field tested
      on an EPA smoke school generator and a power plant stack plume.

PMID- 20309208
TI  - Rapid inversion of limb radiance data using an emissivity growth approximation.
AB  - The time-consuming nature of limb relaxation-type inversion algorithms is due
      primarily to the numerous integrations over an absorption band to obtain forward
      radiance values with which to compare measured values. A new method has been
      devised for the quick and accurate (0.5% error) calculation of single gas
      broadband (~100-cm(-1)) limb radiance. The method uses a precalculated data base
      consisting of homogeneous path emissivity vs mass path data for a wide range of
      temperature and pressure. A 50-km altitude range, 1-km resolution, constituent
      inversion employing this method requires under 1 sec of computational time when
      run on modern computer hardware. The method does not rely upon a priori
      statistical knowledge.

PMID- 20309209
TI  - High sensitivity operation of discrete solid state detectors at 4 K.
AB  - Techniques are described to allow operation of discrete solid state detectors at
      4 K with optimized junction field effect transistor (JFET) amplifiers. Three
      detector types cover the 0.6-4-mum spectral range with a noise equivalent power
      (NEP) of ~10(-16) Hz(-1/2) for two of the types and potential improvement to this
      performance for the third. Lower NEPs can be anticipated at longer IR
      wavelengths.

PMID- 20309210
TI  - Color contrast criteria in a guest-host mode liquid crystal display.
AB  - Color contrast in a liquid crystal display using dye dichroism is investigated
      experimentally. Nematic liquid crystal with a positive dielectric anisotropy is
      used as the host. Three kinds of merocyanine dye are used as the guest. Optimum
      solubility of the dye is decided, and its criteria, taking account of the color
      difference, is established. The color difference is given in the 1976 CIE (L*,
      a*, b*) color scale. The contrast ratio values show good correlation with
      observed estimated values, and the validity of the criteria is confirmed.

PMID- 20309211
TI  - Thermal action of laser irradiation in biological material monitored by egg-white
      coagulation.
AB  - Coagulation of egg white of Nd:YAG and CO(2) laser beams was filmed to illustrate
      the thermal effect of their radiation and the role of internal scattering caused
      by the increased structurization of the medium in its non-transparent phase,
      typical of practically all biological tissue. The purpose was a vivid
      demonstration of the range of necrosis attainable with these two lasers in
      surgical and endoscopic applications.

PMID- 20309212
TI  - Off-axis multipass amplifier as a large aperture driver stage for fusion lasers.
AB  - A multipass amplifier configuration is described which has potential as a large
      aperture, high gain driver stage for fusion laser systems. We avoid the present
      limitations of large aperture switches by using an off-angle geometry that does
      not require an optical switch. The saturated gain characteristics of this
      multipass amplifier are optimized numerically. Three potential problems are
      investigated experimentally, self-lasing, output beam quality, and amplified
      spontaneous emission output. The results indicate comparable cost for comparable
      performance to a linear chain, with some operational advantage for the multipass
      driver stage.

PMID- 20309213
TI  - Source flow effect on line shape.
AB  - The combined effect of mean and thermal particle motion on Doppler line shape is
      evaluated. Optical radiation transverse to the axis of a source flow with semi
      angle theta(e) is considered in the limit theta(2)(e) <<1. Expressions for gain
      and anomalous index of refraction are deduced in terms of radiation frequency and
      a parameter X(e) which characterizes the ratio of mean to thermal motion in the
      optical path direction. The decrement in cw chemical laser output power, due to
      transverse flow expansion, is briefly noted.

PMID- 20309214
TI  - Plasma-breakdown retropulse isolators for the infrared.
AB  - The design and performance of a passive plasma isolator for suppressing
      retropulses in high-power CO(2) laser-fusion systems are described. The device
      uses a gas-filled spatial filter designed to produce a plasma at the focal plane
      iris. General design criteria for these isolators are discussed, and the
      performance of a specific isolator is evaluated. For the unit tested, retropulse
      attenuations of 33 dB for focal plane intensities of 1.5 TW/cm(2) have been
      demonstrated.

PMID- 20309215
TI  - Effet de phase dans la dispersion de la puissance lumineuse des fibres optiques
      unimodales.
AB  - Pulse broadening calculations in monomode fibers do not include till now the
      phase variation of the coherent input field. Although it is correct to ignore
      this variation at wavelengths different from the zero material dispersion
      wavelength lambda(o), this effect must be taken into account for wavelengths
      nearly equal to lambda(o). We have found for silica-type fibers that if the
      relative source linewidth (Deltalambda(o))/lambdao is less than 10(-3), the phase
      effect largely dominates over important distances in the evaluation of the pulse
      broadening giving rise to a decrease of the r.m.s. output pulse width. Therefore,
      this effect must be relevant for the estimation of the maximum information
      capacity on monomode fibers.

PMID- 20309216
TI  - Mode properties of optical fibers with lossy components by the propagating beam
      method.
AB  - The theory of optical fibers has been concerned mainly with propagation in
      lossless waveguides. Although real fibers are composed of core materials with
      extremely small absorption coefficients, they may have claddings and jackets with
      substantially higher losses. These components can in turn selectively attenuate
      certain higher-order guided modes. The propagating beam method utilizes
      configuration space solutions to a scalar wave equation to generate the mode
      propagation constants and eigenfunctions for a general class of weakly guiding
      fibers. This method has now been generalized to treat fibers with absorbing
      components such as claddings and jackets. It is now possible to compute with this
      generalized method both the mode attenuation coefficients and mode eigenfunctions
      for such fibers. Results are given for planar and circularly symmetric waveguides
      with lossy claddings and jackets.

PMID- 20309217
TI  - Resonance of a dielectric cavity inside a fiber.
AB  - Resonance phenomena for a dielectric spherical cavity embedded inside a fiber
      waveguide are treated analytically. The interaction of fiber and scatterer fields
      is described in terms of an internal equation which is reduced into an infinite
      system of equations. The case of optically small but dense spheres is considered
      in detail. The resonance phenomena occurring for this case permit a decoupling
      procedure to be developed for the infinite system of equations. Analytic
      expressions are derived for the low-order mode central frequencies and quality
      factors. Numerical results are presented.

PMID- 20309218
TI  - Maser clocks.

PMID- 20309219
TI  - Computer simulation of the velocity matched gate.
AB  - Numerical calculations based on the coupled-wave equations have been carried out
      with various conditions for the operation of a velocity matched gate. The
      influences of velocity mismatch, impedance mismatch, and the attenuation of the
      modulation signal are studied. Our results show that velocity match is critical
      for very narrow gate. However, impedance mismatch is unimportant for the
      operation of such a gate. In fact, a standing wave gate can also generate short
      pulses provided the length of the device is much greater than the wavelength of
      the modulation signal. It is also shown that the side lobes of the pulses can be
      suppressed by tapering the coupling.

PMID- 20309220
TI  - Traveling wave amplitude modulator with 1-GHz bandwidth for coherent light
      optical communication.
AB  - Two electrooptic materials, deuterated cesium dihydrogen arsenate (D-CDA,
      CsD(2)AsO(4)) and lithium tanta-late (LiTaO(3)), are examined for the application
      of a traveling wave-type coherent light modulator. The main design goals are (a)
      low drive power of 4 W for 10% linear amplitude modulation; (b) +/-3-dB bandwidth
      of 1 GHz; and (c) 50-Omega impedance. Experimental performance based on
      theoretical expectations are presented for both materials. Using a microwave
      network analyzer, the results indicate that the D-CDA modulator gives better
      performance with a VSWR of 1.06 as compared with the LiTaO(3) modulator figure of
      1.23. Direct Current contrast ratio measurements for D-CDA and LiTaO(3) were 50:1
      and 20:1, respectively.

PMID- 20309221
TI  - Resolution and color blur of the one-step rainbow hologram.
AB  - From the point spread function and wavelength spread, the hologram image
      resolution and color blur for a one-step rainbow holographic process are
      analyzed. To achieve a higher image resolution and smaller degree of color blur,
      we proposed the insertion of a cylindrical lens in a one-step rainbow holographic
      process. We have shown that higher image resolution and a smaller degree of color
      blur can be obtained by the cylindrical lens technique. Experimental
      confirmations of the calculated results are also demonstrated. There is another
      advantage of the cylindrical lens technique, that is, a higher object beam
      irradiance, for which it relaxes the power requirement of the coherent source.

PMID- 20309222
TI  - Holographic filter that transforms a Gaussian into a uniform beam.
AB  - A simple method of constructing a holographic filter is described which
      transforms a Gaussian into a uniform beam and conserves 30% of the beam power.

PMID- 20309223
TI  - Multiplex holography for space-variant processing: a transfer function sampling
      approach.
AB  - Several techniques for the holographic representation of any bandlimited space
      variant system by spatially sampling the input plane and multiplexing the
      respective system transfer functions have been previously described. This paper
      describes an alternative multiplexing technique in which the transfer functions
      are sampled in the Fourier plane to produce the multiplexed holograms. Various
      techniques for generating multiple copies of the input function that are required
      during playback are considered. Experimental results using computer-multiplexed
      holograms are also presented.

PMID- 20309224
TI  - Defect measurements in digital optical disks.
AB  - A method of characterizing defects on an unrecorded optical disk is described.
      Information on the density of defects is obtained by analyzing the statistical
      distribution of the widths of the pulses obtained when playing back an unrecorded
      disk. It was shown that disk quality, as measured by bit error rates on actual
      recording, can be correlated with defect densities measured in this manner. The
      same method can also be used to characterize defects on uncoated substrates. It
      was demonstrated that defects on tellurium coated disks are largely the result of
      defects on the uncoated substrates.

PMID- 20309225
TI  - Linearity of image photon counting systems.
AB  - Image photon counting systems are limited in dynamic range by clumping of photon
      events which cannot be disentangled by the reduction processing. The loss of
      linearity is studied for overlapping of photon events of the same diameter. More
      realistic situations taking into account the pulse width distribution of the
      events and the limitations of the processing systems are also examined. In all
      cases, the dynamic range of image counting systems is limited to low counting
      rates. These systems require high resolution intensifiers and fast readouts of
      the target of the pickup tube.

PMID- 20309227
TI  - Patents patter.

PMID- 20309226
TI  - Simplified formula for the illuminance in an optical system.
AB  - A formula is derived for the illuminance at any surface in an optical system. By
      tracing a single ray one can compute the flux density at the image plane or any
      other position along the ray. The formula involves the ratio of the products of
      the principal curvatures of the wave front as it approaches each surface to
      products of the same quantities after the wave front is refracted at each
      surface. A procedure is presented for determining the required principal
      curvatures by generalizing the Coddington equations to multiple surfaces for both
      meridional and skew rays. Results are applicable to both spherical and aspherical
      surfaces. Since principal radii of curvature specify points on the caustic
      surfaces, the formula and computation procedure automatically yields the
      equations for caustic surfaces as a by-product. To illustrate the computation
      procedure the illuminance and caustic surfaces are derived for an aspherical
      singlet.

PMID- 20309228
TI  - Photoacoustic observation of thermal wave interference effects in thin samples.

PMID- 20309229
TI  - Dye lasers: triaxial and quadraxial flashlamp-pumped types compared.

PMID- 20309231
TI  - Passive multiplexing of digital fiber-optic sensors.

PMID- 20309230
TI  - Effect of laser diode spontaneous emission on IOSA operation.

PMID- 20309233
TI  - From the editor.

PMID- 20309232
TI  - Ocean-atmosphere interface: its influence on radiation.
AB  - The influence of the ocean-atmosphere interface on the radiance distribution in
      both the ocean and atmosphere is investigated. At visible wavelengths in the real
      ocean just below the surface, the downwelling radiance is a maximum within the
      critical angle and drops off by 1 or 2 orders of magnitude toward the horizon.
      The usual explanation that this is due to the sky radiation concentrated within
      the critical angle and the total internal reflection of the weak upward radiance
      at the ocean surface at angles outside the critical angle is too simplistic.
      There are two other important factors: (1) the atmosphere must have sufficient
      optical thickness so that appreciable sky (multiple scattered) radiation develops
      at all angles in the downward direction; (2) the water must have appreciable
      absorption so that the upwelling radiance just below the ocean surface is only a
      small fraction of the downwelling radiance entering the ocean. Examples show
      that, if either one of these conditions is not satisfied, an entirely different
      radiance distribution develops. The variation of the following quantities with
      depth is studied: radiance; vector and scalar irradiance; distribution function;
      reflectance; and heating rate. The radiance distribution in a homogeneous medium
      is compared with that in the same medium with an atmosphere-ocean interface at
      various depths within the medium. Most of the calculations are done for Rayleigh
      scattering centers, but some results are given for Mie-type scattering.

PMID- 20309234
TI  - Line parameters of methane from 2385 to 3200 cm(-1).
AB  - New line parameters of the methane spectrum have been incorporated in the AFGL
      compilation for the 2385-3200-cm(-1) region and were determined from data
      recorded at 0.01- and 0.02-cm(-1) resolution. Observed line positions and
      strengths are given for approximately 8076 absorptions with strengths >3.3 x 10(
      24) cm/molecule (8.2 x 10(-5) cm(-2) atm(-1)). Lower state energies are given for
      97% of the absorptions listed. Most of the lower states are determined through
      assignment of seven bands of (12)CH(4) (nu(1), nu(3), 2nu(2), nu(2) + nu(4),
      2nu(4), nu(3) + nu(4) - nu(4) and nu(2) + nu(3) - nu(2)), four bands of (13)CH(4)
      (nu(3), 2nu(4), nu(2) + nu(4) and nu(3) + nu(4) - nu(4)), and three bands of
      CH(3)D (nu(1), nu(4), and 2nu(5)). A few of the lower state energies are
      determined experimentally from the data taken at cold sample temperatures.

PMID- 20309235
TI  - Ozone profiling from backscattered UV radiance measurements: a new procedure.
AB  - This paper presents a data analysis technique that has been developed to support
      a stratospheric ozone measurement and profiling program. The data consist of
      solar backscattered UV radiation monitored by a spacecraft. The output consists
      of ozone mixing ratio profiles complete with error bars throughout the
      atmosphere. The technique is based upon principles of nonlinear optimal
      estimation. It provides a number of desirable features that have not been
      available together in any previously constructed technique for the problem.
      Iteration on both radiation measurements and total ozone measurements is among
      these features.

PMID- 20309236
TI  - Statistical properties of He-Ne laser radiation reflected through a turbulent
      atmosphere.
AB  - Statistical properties of a He-Ne laser beam (0.63 microm) propagating through
      atmospheric folded paths of 1 and 12 km were investigated experimentally using
      direct and heterodyne detection. Measured scintillation histograms, power
      spectra, time autocorrelations, and phase fluctuations are reported. The
      turbulence parameters derived from the optical measurements were found to be in
      good agreement with those obtained from measurements of in situ temperature
      fluctuations.

PMID- 20309237
TI  - Telecentric optical system for observing daytime chemical releases at high
      altitudes.
AB  - A system to be used for the tracking of high altitude chemical releases in the
      presence of a bright daytime sky is described. The system uses telecentric
      optics, a tilting filter, a solid state image sensor, and a real time digital
      processor to produce the release image. Field test data are presented.

PMID- 20309238
TI  - Sparkle phenomenon.
AB  - Propagation of a laser beam of sufficiently high power density along a path
      contaminated by suspended particulate matter creates an impressive visible effect
      due to the burning of the particles. This effect, appropriately named sparkle,
      may seriously hamper attempts to utilize the beam path for receiving the low
      level object return signal required in the operation of certain closed loop
      control systems. This paper analyzes the sparkle phenomenon by examining the
      particle energy capture and loss mechanism and developing an event temperature
      history. Specifically, the observed event duration is explained in terms of the
      boiling point front velocity through the particle, and expressions for the
      particle motion in the beam are developed.

PMID- 20309240
TI  - Absorption cross-section maxima and minima in IR absorption bands of small ionic
      ellipsoidal particles.
AB  - Optical absorption cross section extrema can be investigated thoroughly for very
      small particles within the framework of the Rayleigh ellipsoid approximation. For
      an oriented ellipsoid with optical constants described by a one-oscillator
      Lorentz model, the frequency of maximum absorption lies between the transverse
      and longitudinal optical mode frequencies and depends on the particle shape and
      the surrounding medium; in general, the low frequency peaks are higher than the
      high frequency peaks. Absorption integrated over frequency for a single ellipsoid
      is independent of the damping constant. For randomly oriented ellipsoids, the
      integrated absolute maximum absorption is obtained for disks and the absolute
      minimum absorption for spheres. However, a sphere or any other ellipsoidal shape
      can be the greatest absorber at frequencies where surface modes are excited. Such
      surface modes are possible in the IR for particles of many common insulators:
      various alkali halides; oxides; carbonates; and silicates.

PMID- 20309241
TI  - Statistical properties of light reflected from a moderately rough surface scanned
      through a finite size aperture.
AB  - The probability density function P(I) of the integrated intensity I, reflected
      from a moderately rough surface, is computed correct to order
      (2pisigma/lambda)(2), where sigma is the rms of the surface roughness z(x), and
      lambda is the incident wavelength. By using the assumption that z(x) is a
      Gaussian random variable, we obtain P(I) as a function of the size of the
      detector aperture and the correlation length of the surface roughness. Numerical
      results and a comparison with previous works are given.

PMID- 20309242
TI  - High repetition rate frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser for airborne bathymetry.
AB  - A flashlamp pumped frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser producing 7-nsec 2.8-mJ pulses
      at 530 nm and 400 pps has been developed for use in airborne bathymetry. A
      flashlamp gas mixture of krypton and xenon provides efficient laser operation and
      rapid lamp recovery. Pulse transmission mode operation is used to achieve a
      narrow pulse width. Thermally induced lensing and birefringence in the rod are
      compensated for in the optical resonator. Rapid, high repetition rate Pockels
      cell switching is accomplished with a thyratron driver. A CD*A crystal cut for 85
      degrees phase matching at 55 degrees C is used to provide high conversion
      efficiency second harmonic generation.

PMID- 20309243
TI  - Experimental determination of the incremental gain for a transit in a neodymium
      laser.
AB  - A method is described by which the power gain and axis intensity for a direct
      transit can be calculated on the basis of parameter measurements from the laser
      beam. The results obtained are used in the case of a neodymium laser. The
      measurements show that the power gain for a transit depends both on the diameter
      of the mode selector and the cavity length whereas the intensity gain depends
      only on the latter. The measured gains are smaller than the calculated ones on
      the basis of the plane wave approximation.

PMID- 20309244
TI  - Intracavity adaptive optics. 1: Astigmatism correction performance.
AB  - A detailed experimental study has been conducted on adaptive optical control
      methodologies inside a laser resonator. A comparison is presented of several
      optimization techniques using a multidither zonal coherent optical adaptive
      technique system within a laser resonator for the correction of astigmatism. A
      dramatic performance difference is observed when optimizing on beam quality
      compared with optimizing on power-in-the-bucket. Experimental data are also
      presented on proper selection criteria for dither frequencies when controlling
      phase front errors. The effects of hardware limitations and design considerations
      on the performance of the system are presented, and general conclusions and
      physical interpretations on the results are made when possible.

PMID- 20309245
TI  - Unified single-pass model of linewidths in the Hansch, single- and double-grating
      grazing-incidence dye lasers.
AB  - A N(2)-pumped dye laser is modeled as a spectrometer. An equivalent entrance/exit
      slit function is developed and used to calculate the single-pass linewidths for
      the Hansch, single- and double-grating grazing-incidence dye laser cavities. The
      results of these detailed calculations are expressed in grating-dependent terms
      to show the unity of the three solutions and to illustrate performance
      differences of the three cavities for any particular grating size, groove
      spacing, and order.

PMID- 20309246
TI  - Irradiation of biological specimens by a cw Ar(+) laser and temperature
      distributions.
AB  - Temperature measurements related to the interaction of the 5145-A line of a cw
      argon laser with in vivo whole biological specimens are presented, both in
      TEM(00), single frequency, and multimode, multifrequency operating conditions. A
      simple mathematical model for the evaluation of the temperature trends in a
      region outside the direct impact of the laser beam is also proposed.

PMID- 20309247
TI  - Two-mirror multipass absorption cell.
AB  - A multipass cell for absorption measurements with laser light is described. The
      number of passes is adjusted by variation of the distance of two parallel concave
      mirrors. The position and direction of the exit beam do not change when the path
      length is varied. A cell of 1-m length was used for infrared absorption
      measurements with an effective path length between 3 and 150 m.

PMID- 20309248
TI  - Nonlinear response of low-background extrinsic silicon detectors. 1: A
      phenomenological model.
AB  - Extrinsic photoconductive silicon detectors operated in the infrared at low
      background flux and high bias voltage respond nonlinearly to strongly modulated
      illumination. They can exhibit a dc nonlinear response even at low bias. We
      present a simple mathematical prescription for computing the output corresponding
      to a given input signal. This phenomenological model predicts results in
      reasonable agreement with measured response data for square wave input
      modulation.

PMID- 20309249
TI  - Optimum conditions in the attenuated total reflection technique.
AB  - In this paper the optimum condition for using the attenuated total reflection
      (ATR) technique is studied. In optimum conditions, the energy of an incident
      plane wave can be totally absorbed. The optimum condition can be realized by
      fabricating a localized thickness variation in the gap between a prism and a
      sample substrate with a point contact pressure. In the ATR technique, for
      example, the complex refractive index and the foil thickness of a thin metal
      foil, and the gap thickness are unknown parameters. To determine these unknown
      parameters, we prepared three prism coupling systems with different refractive
      indices. By this technique, we measured the complex refractive indices and the
      foil thicknesses of thin gold foils sputtered onto glass substrates, and the
      refractive index and the film thickness of a silica film sputtered onto a metal
      substrate.

PMID- 20309250
TI  - Variable birefringent beam splitter.
AB  - A sapphire disk is used as a variable birefringent beam splitter for the linearly
      polarized pump beam in an oscillator-amplifier dye laser system. Rotation of the
      disk varies the extent of retardation. The induced elliptical polarization
      results in a variable back surface reflectance between approximately 0.02-0.15
      for the green spectral region. Reflectances are measured on two disks with
      different thicknesses and compared with an approximate model describing the
      reflectance as a function of angle of rotation of the disk.

PMID- 20309251
TI  - Dynamic optical tests of a high-speed polygon.
AB  - A dynamic optical deformation test for a high-speed polygon is described in which
      a laser beam is reflected off a rotating polygon and is focused on a pair of
      Ronchi rulings at 45 degrees to each other. The astigmatism and defocus terms of
      the deformation are measured and mapped over any one of the polygon facets. The
      relatively simple and sensitive setup is also used for testing pyramidal error,
      facet-to-facet angle error, and axis-to-facet interval deviations.

PMID- 20309252
TI  - Compact recording of the appearance of surfaces and thin films.
AB  - For improvement of optical surfaces and reflectivity enhancing films and for
      comparison with their appearance after use or testing, it is necessary to observe
      and record the nature of a surface or film with high resolution. Modifications of
      standard Twyman-Green and knife-edge testing methods are presented which meet
      this need. The appearance of flat surfaces of 40-mm diam can be preserved on a
      single photographic emulsion. Examples showing film defects due to reflectivity
      or phase changes with resolution of a few microns are presented.

PMID- 20309253
TI  - Graphical method to design multilayer phase retarders.
AB  - When multilayer reflectors are used at nonnormal incidence, the two planes of
      polarization generally have different phase shifts. This difference, known as
      phase retardance, depends on the multilayer design, the incidence angle, and the
      wavelength. Heretofore, the design of reflectors with specific phase retardance
      has been carried out by computer optimization except for the case of a single
      layer on a metal substrate. A graph of phase retardance D vs the average phase
      shift A as a function of layer thickness provides a means for visualization that
      is useful in reflector designs. A D-A graph predicts the phase properties of a
      reflector as a function of the index and thickness of an added layer. Graphs of
      phase retardance vs average phase for two different materials can be superposed
      to predict the composite performance of a multilayer reflector. This graphical
      technique is employed to design and analyze reflectors with specified phase
      retardance.

PMID- 20309254
TI  - Mechanisms of laser-induced failure in antireflection-coated LiNbO(3) crystals.
AB  - Substrate preparation before coating and coating cleanliness are the dominant
      factors affecting laser-induced damage to antireflection-coated LiNbO(3). Careful
      control of these factors resulted in an order of magnitude improvement in the
      damage threshold to 15-20 GW/cm(2) at 30 nsec across the entire surface.

PMID- 20309255
TI  - Nodular defects in dielectric multilayers and thick single layers.
AB  - The investigation of nodular defects in both thick dielectric single layers and
      multilayer systems by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals the nodules to
      be of essentially the same shape no matter how many layers were deposited and
      what materials were used. The SEM micrographs of a thick LaF(3) layer used in IR
      coatings and of TiO(2)/SiO(2) multilayer systems are presented. Whereas the
      nodules in the thick fluoride layer are clearly caused by small spherical
      particles in an underlying layer of Ge, the cause is less obvious with the
      multilayer nodules. However, micrographs of uncoated glass substrate surfaces
      obtained by replicating films used for transmission electron microscopy as well
      as investigations by SEM and electron micro-probe techniques indicated that
      particular surface defects or contaminations of submicroscopic size act as the
      nuclei necessary for the formation of nodules. A growth model and possible
      measures to prevent nodular defects are discussed from a general point of view.

PMID- 20309256
TI  - Dielectric square bandpass design.
AB  - Two concepts new in square bandpass design make the design process easier and
      more systematic. One is the use of adjacent high-order rejection bands. The
      second is the use of effective index ratio. This paper extends the work of L. I.
      Epstein [J. Opt. Soc. Am. 42 806 (1952): "The Design of Optical Filters"] and A.
      Thelen [J. Opt. Soc. Am. 50 1533 (1966): "Equivalent Layers in Multilayer
      Filters"].

PMID- 20309257
TI  - Mathematical methods in the synthesis and identification of thin film systems:
      errata.
AB  - The synthesis and identification of layered media is represented as an inverse
      problem for the wave equation or a related Schroedinger equation. Analytically it
      can be solved by using a relation between the reflection coefficient and the
      refractive-index profile, resulting from a Bremmer series solution of the wave
      equation. With a view to practical synthesis within a given system family three
      approaches are discussed: complete scanning by means of pattern recognition;
      investigation of a related Tschebyschev approximation problem; and application of
      quasi-linearization.

PMID- 20309258
TI  - Two-stage spatial filtering for diffraction pattern analysis.
AB  - The use of optical power spectrum analysis for feature detection and
      classification is often restricted by the superposition of the aperture spectrum.
      A spatial frequency filtering technique using a circular aperture and filters has
      been previously proposed to separate the object and aperture spectra. An
      adaptation of this technique using square apertures and an opaque cross spatial
      filter offers improved performance for some applications. Numerical calculations
      and experimental results are given comparing the two techniques.

PMID- 20309259
TI  - Propagation characteristics of single-mode evanescent field couplers.
AB  - The propagation of polarized light through a BOTTLE coupler has been investigated
      experimentally. Relative phase shifts for orthogonally polarized modes and the
      strength of coupling between these modes have been determined. These results have
      been related to elements in the transfer matrix for the coupler. The effect of
      polarization on the sensitivity of an interferometric sensor with a fiber coupler
      as the output beam splitter has also been investigated.

PMID- 20309260
TI  - Polarization-optical time domain reflectometry: a technique for the measurement
      of field distributions.
AB  - Consideration is given to a new optical fiber technique for the measurement of
      the spatial distribution of physical fields (e.g., magnetic field, electric
      field, temperature, mechanical stress): polarization-optical time domain
      reflectometry (POTDR). The technique relies upon the time resolution of light
      backscattered from a pulse propagating in a monomode optical fiber to measure the
      spatial distribution of the fiber's polarization properties. These properties are
      modified by the field under investigation. The technique appears feasible and
      could form the basis for a new measurement technology.

PMID- 20309261
TI  - Efficient conversion of light over a wide spectral range by four-photon mixing in
      a multimode graded-index fiber.
AB  - The efficient conversion of 1.06-mum radiation in a graded-index multimode
      optical fiber oscillator into a small number of spectral components propagating
      in specific modes of the fiber and falling in the spectral range spanning from
      the blue to 1.53 mum is reported. The effect is shown to result primarily from
      phase-matched four-photon mixing. The converted light is found to propagate as
      individual fiber modes which are identified. The wavelengths of the spectral
      components of the output of the oscillator are governed primarily by fiber
      geometry. Analysis of the results also indicates the presence and gives a measure
      of the fiber-core birefringence sensed by low-order modes of propagation of the
      graded-index multimode fibers we have studied. The efficiency of the oscillator
      source and the specific characteristic wavelengths available with common graded
      index fibers suggest several possible applications, which are discussed.

PMID- 20309262
TI  - EXOSAT x-ray imaging optics.
AB  - The European X-ray Observatory, EXOSAT, to be launched in 1981 will carry two
      Wolter I x-ray telescopes, each having a geometric area of ~100 cm(2). A
      qualification model of the Wolter I optics has been manufactured and extensively
      tested in optical and x-ray beams. The influence of manufacturing tolerances on
      the resolution of the optics is discussed, and mechanical and optical
      measurements of those deviations are presented. Finally, the x-ray imaging
      quality of the optics is presented, and the correlation with the achieved
      tolerances is shown.

PMID- 20309263
TI  - Bragg reflection concentrators for hard x-ray astronomy.
AB  - The use of parabolic concentrators with mosaic Bragg crystals as reflectors to
      the problems of hard x-ray source and cyclotron line detection is discussed. The
      primary application of the instrument is to detect the broad continuum of hard x
      ray sources at energies above ~5 keV where normal grazing incidence concentrators
      become inefficient. The sensitivity of the instrument is calculated for pyrolytic
      graphite and lithium fluoride reflectors. Sensitivity for sources with continuum
      fluxes 10(-3) Crab in the >20-keV energy range is possible for observing times of
      10(4) to 10(5) sec.

PMID- 20309264
TI  - New Mauna Loa coronagraph systems.
AB  - A new set of instruments, consisting of two coronagraph systems, has been
      installed and is operating at the Mauna Loa Observing Station, Hawaii, operated
      by the High Altitude Observatory of Boulder, Colorado. The instruments are the 23
      cm objective Mark III K-coronameter (K-III) system, a photoelectric instrument
      used to observe the inner solar corona from 1.2 R(0) to 2.2 R(0) and the 12.5-cm
      objective Prominence Monitor system used for the detection of H(alpha) limb
      activity. New features of the K-coronameter system include the use of achromatic
      wave plates for wide bandpass operation and linear diode array detectors. Raster
      scans of the coronal image are obtained in 1.5 min for a critical sampling scheme
      of 20-sec of arc resolution (10 x 10-sec of arc pixels) in the coronal p(B)
      image. This represents a 350 information gain factor for each detection channel
      when compared with the previous Mauna Loa K-coronameters.

PMID- 20309265
TI  - Complex spatial coherence function: its measurement by means of a phase-modulated
      shearing interferometer.
AB  - A stellar interferometer is proposed that has the following characteristics:
      parallel shear, phase modulation and detection, white light fringes, simplicity,
      and high mechanical stability. The interferometer developed is able to measure
      the complex coherence function of a star and distinguish it from most telescopic
      and atmospheric aberrations. This is achieved by detection of the fringes in the
      exit pupil, which is divided into small areas each less than a projected
      atmospheric isoplanatic patch. Then the phase-modulated fringes are detected
      independently in each area and summed incoherently. A description of a laboratory
      simulation is given.

PMID- 20309266
TI  - Lau effect: theory and experiment.
AB  - It was recently shown that coherence theory provides a simple and elegant means
      of interpreting and extending the Lau effect. The details of this analysis are
      presented along with experimental results which show good qualitative agreement
      with the predicted intensity distributions. In addition an unexpected intensity
      modulation is observed which is readily explained in terms of the present
      analysis.

PMID- 20309267
TI  - Optical properties of metals.

PMID- 20309269
TI  - Light trap of high performance and simple construction.

PMID- 20309268
TI  - Lidar survey of the post Mt. St. Helens stratospheric aerosol at Haute Provence
      Observatory.

PMID- 20309270
TI  - Azimuthal radiometric temperature measurements of wheat canopies.

PMID- 20309271
TI  - Scattering calculations using a microcomputer.

PMID- 20309272
TI  - Time-average laser specklegram of plate vibration using multiaperture recording.

PMID- 20309273
TI  - Effective optical constants of anisotropic materials: erratum.

PMID- 20309274
TI  - Patents.
AB  - 4,004,093; 4,064,535; 4,160,162; 4,206,969; 4,209,224; 4,210,400; 4,230,397;
      4,230,398; 4,230,941; 4,230,942; 4,231,636; 4,231,637; 4,232,941; 4,232,942;
      4,232,943; 4,232,944; 4,232,945; 4,233,107; 4,233,501; 4,235,518; 4,235,519;
      4,235,520; 4,235,521; 4,236,789; 4,237,550.

PMID- 20309275
TI  - Aspheric potpourri.
AB  - This paper pursues further applications of the geometric design procedures
      described previously [L. Mertz, Appl. Opt. 18, 4182 (1979)]. One novel system
      with a large spherical main mirror provides an almost ideal searchlight solution
      with numerous potential applications. In addition, several new forms of coma
      correctors are developed for application with the Arecibo-style telescope
      configuration.

PMID- 20309276
TI  - Balloon-borne stratospheric far-IR spectral absorption measurements: the design
      of a solar telescope and high-resolution Michelson interferometer combination.
AB  - The design, construction, and performance of a combined solar telescope and
      Michelson interferometer for balloon-borne stratospheric far-IR absorption
      studies is discussed in terms of the relevant parameters and precautions
      necessary to obtain high resolution radiometrically calibrated spectra of the
      stratosphere between 20 and 100 cm(-1). Preliminary data are presented to
      indicate that the system performed as designed and provided constituent
      concentration values for H(2)O and O(3) from measurements of strong absorption
      lines in this spectrum.

PMID- 20309277
TI  - Self-calibrating technique for beam divergence measurements of cw and pulsed
      lasers.
AB  - A convenient method to measure beam divergence of laser beams is described. The
      apparatus is compact and accurate due to the use of a telescope to focus the
      beam. Incorporation of a Fabry-Perot etalon permits focusing and in situ
      calibration. Measurement of single-pulse beam divergence is performed with a CCTV
      system which includes a video tape recorder.

PMID- 20309278
TI  - Light absorption by airborne aerosols: comparison of integrating plate and
      spectrophone techniques.
AB  - An excellent correlation between the integrating plate (IP) and the photoacoustic
      methods for measuring aerosol light absorption has been found for airborne
      graphitic carbon in diesel vehicle exhaust. However, the regression coefficient
      depends on the orientation of the Teflon membrane filter during the IP analysis.
      With the collected particulates between the filter and the integrating plate, the
      IP response is 1.85 times that for the filter reversed. In either case the
      response ratio of the IP method to the photoacoustic method is >1.0, i.e., 2.43
      vs 1.30. The IP calibration is also probably dependent on the nature of the
      filter medium.

PMID- 20309279
TI  - OH rotational temperature from two-line laser-excited fluorescence.
AB  - A two-line laser-excited fluorescence technique has been developed to measure the
      rotational temperature of the OH molecule. This technique eliminates problems
      encountered in the application of other laser fluorescence methods for measuring
      the OH temperature in combustion environments, such as fluorescence trapping,
      nonequilibrium excited state population, spectral bandwidth sensitivity, and
      quenching. The technique consists of exciting a specific rotational level of the
      OH molecule in the A(2)Sigma (upsilon' = 0) excited state from two different
      rotational levels in the X(2)Pi(upsilon'' = 0) ground state using a tunable dye
      laser and monitoring the broadband fluorescence. An example of the implementation
      of this technique in an atmospheric pressure methane-air flat flame is included.
      The possible application of this technique in turbulent combustion is also
      evaluated.

PMID- 20309280
TI  - Fluorescence of mixed powder samples: a six-flux theory.
AB  - A six-flux theory is derived for the diffuse reflectance and fluorescence of
      mixed powder samples of various shades of gray. One component of the powder is
      assumed to be fluorescent, with nonoverlapping excitation and emission bands. For
      symmetrical normal illumination and isotropic scattering, the six-flux
      reflectance reduces exactly to the Kubelka-Munk (two-flux) expression.
      Measurements of the fluorescence of a series of silica-silicon carbide-calcium
      tungstate mixed powder samples, which were found to vary over a range of 60:1,
      correlate well with the six-flux theory over the full range, whereas a two-flux
      theory is satisfactory only at high sample reflectances.

PMID- 20309281
TI  - Absolute spectroradiometric and photometric scales based on an electrically
      calibrated pyroelectric radiometer.
AB  - An absolute spectroradiometric scale has been developed based on an electrically
      calibrated absolute detector and silicon detector-interference filter
      combination. Using the recently adopted definition of the photometric base unit,
      the candela, the absolute spectroradiometric scale was used to realize a
      photometric scale, i.e., to calibrate incandescent lamps as luminous intensity
      standards. These new scales were compared with existing standards and were found
      to agree to better than 1%.

PMID- 20309282
TI  - Broadband single-pulse CARS spectra in a fired internal combustion engine.
AB  - The first known broadband single-pulse coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering
      (CARS) measurements within the cylinder of a firing internal combustion engine
      are reported. Postcombustion temperature and carbon monoxide concentration are
      probed with 1-mm(3) spatial resolution and 10-nsec temporal resolution. Space-
      and time-resolved measurements, as presented here, are shown to be necessary for
      the study of fluctuating systems such as engines.

PMID- 20309283
TI  - Quantitative ATR spectroscopy: some basic considerations.
AB  - A comprehensive treatment of ATR spectra on the basis of the Lorentz-Lorenz law
      and Fresnel equations is given. The standard equation for the effective thickness
      is redefined showing how the lossy case deviates from the lossless case. A matrix
      effect due to the influence of the real part of the refractive index within an
      absorption band is demonstrated theoretically as well as experimentally. The
      concentration of a nonab-sorbing solute sample, i.e., glucose, is determined by
      ATR spectroscopy near the critical angle.

PMID- 20309284
TI  - Absolute tracer dye concentration using airborne laser-induced water Raman
      backscatter.
AB  - Reported here for the first time is the use of simultaneous airborne laser
      induced dye fluorescence and the 3400-cm(-1) OH-stretch water Raman backscatter
      spectra to yield the absolute concentration of an ocean-dispersed tracer dye.
      Using a straightforward theoretical model, the concentration is calculated by
      numerically comparing the airborne laser-induced fluorescence and Raman
      backscatter spectra to similar laboratory data for a known dye concentration
      measured under comparable environmental and instrumental conditions. The dye is
      assumed to be uniformly mixed throughout the water column together with other
      interfering, fluorescent, organic matter. A minimum detectable integrated water
      column dye concentration of approximately 2 ppb by weight as limited by
      background and instrument noise is obtained. A dye concentration contour map
      produced from the conical scan lidar data is given.

PMID- 20309285
TI  - Decay kinetics of (4)F(3/2) fluorescence of Nd(+3) in YAG at room temperature.
AB  - By means of localized time constant measurements, the fluorescent behavior for
      the principal transition of YAG:Nd emanating from the (4)F(3/2) state has been
      analyzed at room temperature as a function of concentration. It is found that the
      overall decay process is the superposition of multiexponential components over
      the concentration range of 0.9-1.6 at. % of Nd. The dependence of decay rate on
      excitation intensity was examined to register monomolecular kinetics for the case
      associated with each exponential decay process. From these results it is
      predicted that the YAG:Nd crystals are inhomogeneously broadened in nature
      similar to glass.

PMID- 20309286
TI  - Thermal distortion modeling of mirrors based on experimental data.
AB  - Mirrors are modeled to match test results from the Thermal Distortion Test
      Facility (TDTF) at Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque, N.M. The model allows distortions
      resulting from realistic beam profiles to be accurately calculated from a closed
      form five-parameter equation. The basic modeling concepts as well as the model's
      capabilities are discussed. A comparison of model distortion predictions with
      observed distortions resulting from a high-energy laser beam is made.

PMID- 20309287
TI  - Coupled optical resonators for the enhancement of laser intracavity power.
AB  - A double-cavity optical configuration designed to maximize the power available
      from cw lasers is reported. A passive supplementary cavity is strongly coupled to
      the main active laser cavity. It is shown theoretically that higher powers are
      available inside the passive cavity than those achievable by operating the same
      laser in a two-mirror configuration designed for optimum coupling. Furthermore,
      the power inside the passive cavity is equal to or greater than the useful
      circulating power in the two-mirror configuration. Key aspects of the theory are
      verified with a high power cw argon laser.

PMID- 20309288
TI  - Interlaboratory measurement comparison to determine the radiation angle (N.A.) of
      graded-index optical fibers.
AB  - A procedure for determining the radiation angle (N.A.) of graded-index optical
      fibers was tested by an inter-laboratory measurement comparison among six fiber
      manufacturers and the National Bureau of Standards (NBS). Radiation angle was
      determined using the 5% intensity points on an exit far-field radiation pattern.
      Measurements on five fibers representing low-to-high N.A. values show standard
      deviations of 2.9, 2.4, 2.0, 1.5, and 0.9%. The overall average, 2.0%, is close
      to the one standard deviation measurement precision reported by most
      participants.

PMID- 20309289
TI  - Bending losses in hollow and dielectric tube leaky waveguides.
AB  - A general method is presented of evaluating bending losses in hollow-core
      waveguides; analytic expressions are obtained for metallic hollow, dielectric
      hollow, and tube leaky waveguides on the basis of the 2-D slab waveguide model.
      Numerical examples are given for waveguides made of different kinds of metals,
      oxide, and dielectric materials at 10.6 microm. It is shown that the dielectric
      tube leaky waveguide can be bent with a small bending radius compared with a
      metallic hollow waveguide when the guide material is appropriately selected.

PMID- 20309290
TI  - Calculation of photopolymerization energy required for optical fiber coating.
AB  - The UV flux density required for photopolymerization is calculated, primarily
      based on an estimation of the overall system efficiency and the activation energy
      of the photoinitiator added to the prepolymer solution. We found that there is a
      linear relationship between the flux density and coating speed. The experimental
      results support the relation. Furthermore, it is noted that full curing has been
      achieved at speeds >5 m/sec with the 10-kW output power. The 10-kW system
      delivers 1.5 kW of UV power in the 300-400-nm spectral range.

PMID- 20309291
TI  - Linear Fresnel lens with polar tracking.
AB  - The performance of coma and color corrected linear Fresnel lenses for solar
      concentration is evaluated for use in polar tracking systems. Effective
      concentrations of up to 90 at 75% efficiency were obtained.

PMID- 20309292
TI  - Digital holographic interferometry of convective heat transport.
AB  - Real-time holographic interferometry has been used to study the convective heat
      transport in a flat plate solar collector. The analysis and interpretation of the
      interferograms using digital techniques are discussed. This study aims to develop
      an automated digital process for interference pattern analysis, and thus special
      attention is given to those optical and physical aspects that are relevant to
      this goal. This includes the structural systematics of the fringes, noise due to
      spurious optical effects, and the accuracy of digitized optical signals. Some
      experimental results on automated analysis of interferograms will be discussed.

PMID- 20309293
TI  - Far-IR optical properties of freestanding and dielectrically backed metal meshes.
AB  - The optical properties of freestanding and dielectrically backed inductive metal
      meshes are investigated in the far IR spectral regime. The most pronounced effect
      of the substrate is to cause a shift in the diffraction edge to longer
      wavelengths by a factor equal to the substrate index of refraction. Various
      theoretical models are reviewed and tested with the main result being that only
      the microwave based waveguide-array model successfully predicts the freestanding
      and dielectrically back optical features in and around the diffraction edge. A
      simplified version of this model is presented and shown to be adequate for
      describing the majority of the spectral features. The backed meshes are then
      characterized in terms of mirror quality for use in optically pumped far IR
      lasers.

PMID- 20309294
TI  - Determination of optical constants of absorbing materials using transmission and
      reflection of thin films on partially metallized substrates: analysis of the new
      (T,R(m)) technique.
AB  - A new accurate technique for determining the optical constants of thin absorbing
      films is presented. The configuration used includes a conventional
      spectrophotometer and a transparent substrate, half of which is covered with an
      opaque highly reflecting metal layer prior to the deposition of the film to be
      studied. The normal incidence transmission T of the thin film on the transparent
      substrate is then combined with a measurement of the near normal reflection R(m)
      of the same film on the metal covered part of the substrate. The combination
      (T,R(m)) yields an accurate and experimentally simple technique for determining
      the optical constants of thin films. A detailed evaluation of the accuracy of the
      extracted optical constants n and k of the thin film is obtained from numerical
      computations using realistic assumptions of various experimental uncertainties.
      Comparison with conventional techniques shows a greatly improved accuracy of the
      new technique.

PMID- 20309295
TI  - Optical activities in industry.

PMID- 20309296
TI  - Soft x-ray propagation on cylindrical polystyrene surface by successive grazing
      reflections.

PMID- 20309298
TI  - Space-bandwidth product for the Mellin transform.

PMID- 20309297
TI  - Precise periodicity control in the fabrication of holographic gratings.

PMID- 20309299
TI  - Deuterium lamp based monochromator calibration extended down to 115 nm.

PMID- 20309300
TI  - Extinction coefficients calculated from aerosol spectra measured in a convective
      marine layer with stratus.

PMID- 20309301
TI  - Deviation-free Bragg cell frequency-shifting: erratum.

PMID- 20309302
TI  - Laser absorption spectrometer: remote measurement of tropospheric ozone; erratum.

PMID- 20309303
TI  - Selective detection of uranium by laser-induced fluorescence: a potential remote
      sensing technique. 1: Optical characteristics of uranyl geologic targets.
AB  - The remote sensing of laser-induced uranyl ion fluorescence is examined as a
      potential indicator of uranium occurring in geologic materials at the earth's
      surface. The lifetime and brightness of the fluorescence from a wide variety of
      rocks, minerals, and soils are reported. The distinctive characteristics of
      uranyl ion absorption and fluorescence were observed in diverse geologic
      materials such as chalcedonies and opals containing 15-3000 ppm of uranium and in
      surface coatings of uranyl minerals such as metaautunite, liebigite, and an
      dersonite. The conditions which permit the excitation and selective detection of
      uranyl ion fluorescence from such targets are described.

PMID- 20309304
TI  - Selective detection of uranium by laser-induced fluorescence: a potential remote
      sensing technique. 2: Experimental assessment of the remote sensing of uranyl
      geologic targets.
AB  - An analysis is presented of a method to detect selectively uranyl ion
      fluorescence from geologic targets. Limitations to the sensitivity which are
      imposed by system parameters and noise sources are discussed. A ground-based
      laser system designed and constructed as part of this study is described, and
      data obtained with this system are presented. Finally the operating criteria of a
      conceptual airborne system for regional mapping of uranyl fluorescence anomalies
      are considered.

PMID- 20309305
TI  - Information content of optical data with respect to aerosol properties: numerical
      studies with a randomized minimization-search-technique inversion algorithm.
AB  - The information content of a set of optical data with respect to the particle
      size distribution is discussed in a numerical study. We show how the kernels of
      the integral equation relating size distribution and optical properties can be
      used to determine the particle size range in which an inversion of the size
      distribution is possible. We present an iterative least squares fit algorithm
      allowing the inversion of optical data to yield a histogram distribution for the
      particle size distribution. We discuss the uniqueness and stability of the
      solutions in relation to the range of radii and in relation to the number of
      histogram columns by means of synthetic data calculated via Mie theory.

PMID- 20309306
TI  - Infrared water vapor continuum absorption: equilibria of ions and neutral water
      clusters.
AB  - The temperature dependence of (C(o)(s))lambda, the self-broadening coefficient
      for the water vapor continuum absorption at wavelength lambda, can be modeled by
      the equilibrium ion product of water which is tabulated widely in physics texts
      and handbooks. A theoretical basis for this modeling is developed from water
      cluster theory, and it is shown that experimental values of (C(o)(s))lambda.
      could be seriously in error, especially at high temperatures, if the saturation
      ratio (fractional RH) of water vapor is not taken into account by the
      experimenter for reasons other than normalization of the coefficient for partial
      pressure of the sample. An explanation is suggested for the departure of
      (C(o)(s))lambda from the usual negative dependence on increasing water vapor
      temperature in some experiments. Figures are given showing equilibrium sizes and
      populations of neutral water clusters and ions in water vapor as functions of
      humidity and temperature, based in part on data of Bignell and other workers.

PMID- 20309307
TI  - AFGL trace gas compilation: 1980 version.
AB  - A new edition of the AFGL trace gas compilation is now available. Absorption line
      parameters of positions, intensities, and halfwidths are given for the major
      bands of thirteen gases covering the spectral region from 0 to 10,000 cm(-1). In
      addition to updating the original gases (NO, SO(2), NO(2), and NH(3)), the
      molecules HNO(3), OH, HF, HC1, HBr, HI, CIO, OCS, and H(2)CO have been added to
      the compilation. The sources for the additions and modifications are described.

PMID- 20309308
TI  - Vacuum-pipeless laser earth strainmeter.
AB  - A vacuum-pipeless laser strainmeter has been designed, tested, and is described.
      The strainmeter has a compensator for the change of the refractive index of air
      which is determined by Edlen's formula using measured values of atmospheric
      pressure and temperature. The effect of air-condition change was compensated by
      the compensator, and residual of the effect was less than +/-5 x 10(-9) for 75 h.
      The strainmeter has successfully recorded solid tidal strains.

PMID- 20309309
TI  - Photothermal deflection spectroscopy and detection.
AB  - The theory for a sensitive spectroscopy based on the photothermal deflection of a
      laser beam is developed. We consider cw and pulsed cases of both transverse and
      collinear photothermal deflection spectroscopy for solids, liquids, gases, and
      thin films. The predictions of the theory are experimentally verified, its
      implications for imaging and microscopy are given, and the sources of noise are
      analyzed. The sensitivity and versatility of photothermal deflection spectroscopy
      are compared with thermal lensing and photoacoustic spectroscopy.

PMID- 20309310
TI  - Light-beat measurements of second-order space-time correlation in the
      transmittance of a fluctuating medium.
AB  - A method is proposed for measurements of the second-order space-time correlation
      in the transmittance of a given fluctuating medium. Three kinds of light-beat
      photocurrent are produced by the use of some optical polarization components and
      two photodetectors. Correlational processing of these currents by an electronic
      correlator offers two correlation outputs in phase quadrature from which the
      correlation of concern can be constructed. The measurements of its modulus and
      phase are assured by simulation experiments using a thermally turbulent
      atmosphere in an optical heterodyne interferometer.

PMID- 20309311
TI  - Vacuum UV and soft x-ray optical emissions from electron impact on metals.
AB  - Spectrograms from 2200 to 20 A of optical emissions produced by a simple lamp
      using fast (3-10-keV) electron impact on tungsten and tantalum targets are
      presented. The lamp dissipated up to 5 kW/cm(2) on the target surface,
      simultaneously cleaning the surface and generating bremsstrahlung in the soft x
      ray region with 3-keV electron impact and longer wavelength transition radiation
      at the higher energy. In both the bremsstrahlung and transition radiation modes,
      the lamp emissions were of sufficient strength and reproducibility to qualify the
      two mechanisms as potential processes for use in a secondary standard light
      source. Calculated spectral distributions of transition radiation for normally
      incident electrons on tungsten, tantalum, and aluminum targets, with a viewing
      direction 45 degrees from the normal, are also shown.

PMID- 20309312
TI  - Near millimeter wave bandpass filters.
AB  - The properties of bandpass filters for broadband photometry are reported in the 3
      12-cm(-1) frequency range. The filters are based on a combination of capacitive
      grids deposited on thick Mylar substrates and are designed to have very high out
      of-band rejection. Low frequencies are blocked by a thick grill that consists of
      a hexagonal grid of circular holes in a thick metal plate.

PMID- 20309313
TI  - Fundamentals of plasma physics. By v. E. Golant, a. P. Zhilinsky, and I. E.
      Sakharov.

PMID- 20309314
TI  - Far-infrared bandpass filters from cross-shaped grids.
AB  - The optical transmission characteristics of electroformed metal grids with
      inductive and capacitive cross patterns have been investigated in the far
      infrared spectral region. The transmission characteristics of one-and two-grid
      devices are represented by transmission line theory parameters. Results are used
      to suggest construction guidelines for two-grid bandpass filters.

PMID- 20309315
TI  - Particle size measurements using an optical variable-frequency-grid technique.
AB  - A fringe visibility method for sizing particles 10 microm and larger has been
      developed. As the image of a particle scans across a variable frequency grid, the
      transmitted light signal oscillates with varying visibility. The visibility goes
      through a null at a well-defined point where the particle diameter approximates
      the local grid spacing. Several optical arrangements implementing the variable
      frequency grid technique have been tested. Using classified alumina and
      pulverized coal particles we obtained good agreement between size distributions
      measured by this technique and those from a commercial off-line analyzer.
      However, our optical arrangement and signal processing techniques require further
      development to reduce them to practice.

PMID- 20309316
TI  - Tandem multipass Fabry-Perot interferometer for Brillouin scattering.
AB  - A new design of a plane mirror Fabry-Perot interferometer with the mirror blanks
      freely supported by horizontal rings is described. Special attention is paid to
      the surface flatness and dielectric coatings of the mirrors. It is shown that any
      two piezoelectrically scanned Fabry-Perot interferometers can be synchronized in
      tandem operation using simple optics and standard electronic driving and
      stabilization equipment. Applications of the tandem system to Brillouin
      scattering are given. The observation of Brillouin spectra of supported thin
      plastic films and of a clamped metal surface is reported.

PMID- 20309317
TI  - Measurement of submicron laser beam radii.
AB  - Three methods for direct measurement of the intensity distribution in laser beams
      focused by microscope optics to waists of submicron width are described and
      compared. They use scans of the beam waist with (1) a knife-edge, (2) a
      submicroscopic point fluorescent source, and (3) convolution scans generated by
      the photobleached pattern of the focused beam. An indirect photographic technique
      is also evaluated. The laser beam is found to propagate ideally down to a minimum
      size usually limited by the aberrations of the optics.

PMID- 20309318
TI  - Curved tube correction factors for indirect measurements with a radiation
      thermometer.
AB  - To measure surface temperature, a radiation guide in the form of a curved tube
      with a specular wall is used to couple thermal energy between a target surface
      and a radiometer. The relationship between the radiometer output and the target
      temperature depends on a correction factor, CF, which is a function of the tube
      temperature and another factor CFS. The term CFS, determined by the shape and
      reflectivity of the tube, is computed by a ray-trace technique. Calculations show
      how the factor CFS depends both on the ratio of tube length-to-diameter and
      length-to-bend radius. A particular gold-plated tube in conjunction with a
      radiometer having a narrowband filter at 7.9 microm is used to verify the
      relationship between surface temperature and radiometer output. Surface
      temperatures in the 0-100 degrees C range are measured for various fixed wall
      temperatures. There is good agreement between the measured and the calculated
      values.

PMID- 20309319
TI  - Whiteness: assessment of tint.
AB  - The tint of 431 white textile samples is visually assessed by 6 colorists.
      Tristimulus values based on measured spectral radiance factors of the samples are
      calculated for the CIE 1931 standard colorimetric observer and the CIE 1964
      supplementary standard colorimetric observer. The parameters of colorimetric tint
      formulas are evaluated for both standard observers.

PMID- 20309320
TI  - Tapered fiber-optic sheet formation and its image-guiding properties.
AB  - Polymer fiber-optic sheets with tapered guides have been made by selective
      photopolymerization for use as image transformers. A new fabrication technique
      has been proposed, and good image-guiding properties have been achieved. It has
      been confirmed theoretically and experimentally that scatterers in cladding
      layers permit high resolution and surface cladding layers with large refractive
      index differences by polymer coating give high lighting efficiency. These tapered
      fiber-optic sheets used as an image reducer have resolutions of up to 6 lines/mm
      and lighting efficiency of ~4%.

PMID- 20309321
TI  - Optical Kerr effect in long fibers.
AB  - Optical Kerr modulation of >100% is demonstrated in long birefringent optical
      fibers using low laser powers of ~1 W. We have experimentally investigated the
      effects of group-velocity dispersion, thermal stability of polarization, and
      fiber birefringence. Use of fiber Kerr modulation as a fast optical shutter is
      studied, and it is concluded that resolution times shorter than 1 psec are
      possible in principle.

PMID- 20309322
TI  - Annual review of physical chemistry, vol. 31. Edited by B. S. Rabinovitch, j. M.
      Schurr, and h. L. Strauss.

PMID- 20309323
TI  - Energy transmission capacity of optical fibers determined by a temperature rise.
AB  - The temperature distribution in a step-index multimode optical fiber is
      calculated when light is launched into the core either as a cw or as a pulse
      train. It is shown that, after constant energy begins to flow in the core by a
      cw, the steady-state temperature depends strongly on the environment in which the
      fiber is placed. The energy transmission capacity of an optical fiber is defined
      as the input power which raises the temperature of the fiber to an acceptable
      level. When a plastic-coated fiber of 1-mm diam is placed in the air with free
      convection, the calculated capacity for a continuous input wave is ~820 W if the
      loss of the fiber is 10 dB/km.

PMID- 20309324
TI  - Patents patter.

PMID- 20309325
TI  - Measuring the complex frequency response of multimode optical fibers.
AB  - An improved frequency-sweeping method for measuring the complex frequency
      response (transfer function) H(omega) of multimode optical fibers is proposed.
      Measurement of the phase angle of H(omega) is difficult and has been performed
      infrequently and with poor accuracy. In the method proposed, this difficulty is
      overcome using a single-mode fiber as a reference for the phase angle of
      H(omega). The complex frequency responses of two multimode fibers measured with
      this new technique are shown and compared with pulse method results.

PMID- 20309326
TI  - Holographic measurement of refractive-index profile in the transition region of
      an optical fiber preform.
AB  - The refractive-index profile at the preform-fiber transition region was measured
      using holographic shearing interferometry. It involved the measurements of both
      the horizontal and vertical deflection functions. Analysis is also given on the
      ray trajectories in the transition region. It is shown that the vertical
      deflection of the rays has a significant influence on the measurement of the
      horizontal deflection function which is needed for reconstruction of the index
      profile. It is found from measurement results that there is a variation of the
      index profile as the preform is transformed into fiber. This is especially
      pronounced at the cladding region where boron is doped.

PMID- 20309327
TI  - Bistability and thresholding by a new photoconductor-twisted nematic liquid
      crystal device with optical feedback.
AB  - A new design for obtaining optical bistability in two dimensions is reported in
      this paper. This design uses optical feedback on a photoconductor-twisted nematic
      liquid crystal (PC-TNLC) device with a new structure. The PC-TNLC device is
      essentially a 2-D array of optically controlled light values. The device
      structure with a new arrangement of the photoconductor, the liquid crystal film,
      and a patterned transparent electrode gives better control over its input-output
      (I-O) response, which is important in obtaining bistable operation. A theoretical
      analysis is carried out to determine the conditions under which bistability
      occurs. A sharp transition from the OFF to ON state in the I-O response suggests
      that the thresholding operation on gray scale input images can be performed.
      Experimentally, an 8 x 8 PC-TNLC device with optical feedback was demonstrated to
      have bistable behavior. The ON:OFF ratio of 50:1 was obtained in the output. This
      device was also used to perform thresholding operation on a gray scale image with
      eight levels. The observed value of gamma for the thresholding operation was 8.
      Such a bistable device was shown to have potential applications in digital
      optical processing.

PMID- 20309328
TI  - Binarization effects in a correlator with noisy input data.
AB  - Correlations of binarized data and gray-scale data in the presence of additive
      noise are compared using two performance criteria (mean ratio and peak-to
      sidelobe ratio). General expressions are provided to evaluate these performance
      measures as a function of input data length, bandwidth, and signal-to-noise
      ratio. We find that binarized correlators outperform gray-scale correlators when
      the input SNR(i) exceeds a threshold level that depends on input bandwidth and
      sequence length.

PMID- 20309329
TI  - Implementation of an incoherent optical image restoration method: limitations
      related to optical subtraction.
AB  - Incoherent optical information processing is known to be far less sensitive to
      noise than coherent processing. However, it is restricted to real non-negative
      quantities. In cases like approximate deconvolution for image restoration, where
      positive and negative quantities are involved, the use of incoherent illumination
      is possible only at the expense of some additional sophistication needed to
      incorporate the negative parts; in particular, the restoration can be achieved by
      combining two incoherent convolutions and one subtraction. This paper describes
      an experiment of this type, with special emphasis on the practical implementation
      and on the difficulties related to the subtraction. Alignment and normalization
      of the two images to be subtracted are critical issues. If the subtraction is
      performed optically, the dynamic range of this operation is an additional
      problem.

PMID- 20309330
TI  - Optical information parallel processing: a technique.
AB  - A coherent optical information parallel processing technique using a
      multidiffraction grating is presented. We have shown that this parallel
      processing technique is capable of performing multichannel spatial filtering in
      the spatial frequency plane. The number of parallel processing channels is about
      2N times the number of processing channels of the conventional coherent optical
      processor. However, in practice, the number of processing channels is limited by
      the number of multiplex gratings that can be synthesized and the available power
      of the light source. Extension of the monochromatic parallel processing system to
      polychromatic parallel processing is also presented. It can be shown that the
      number of processing channels of the polychromatic parallel processor is higher
      than the monochromatic parallel processor. Extension of this parallel processing
      concept to multisignal parallel processing is also discussed. However, the
      multisignal processing technique is not a real-time method because it requires an
      initial encoding step. Nevertheless, this disadvantage may be alleviated with
      ingenious design of the encoding system. We also assert that this parallel
      processing technique may be applied to white light parallel processing.

PMID- 20309331
TI  - First-order intensity and phase statistics of Gaussian speckle produced in the
      diffraction region.
AB  - General expressions for first-order statistics of Gaussian speckle produced in
      the diffraction region are derived for an arbitrary profile of the illuminating
      beam with a plane wave front. The statistical properties of the complex
      amplitude, the intensity, and the phase of speckles are studied under
      illumination of a Gaussian beam. The joint probability density function of the
      speckle field characterized by an equiprobability density ellipse is investigated
      in some detail with an intimate relation to the correlation coefficient between
      the real and imaginary parts of the complex speckle amplitude. This correlation
      coefficient is found to affect appreciably the statistics of speckles produced
      especially in the near-field diffraction region when a standard deviation of the
      random phase variation produced by a diffuse object under illumination is
      relatively small and the number of independent scatterers contributing to the
      formation of speckles is small.

PMID- 20309332
TI  - Vibration analysis by speckle techniques in real time.
AB  - Vibration analysis in quasi-real time is studied by recording the time-averaged
      speckle pattern in a bismuth silicon oxide crystal (Bi(12)SiO(20)). When the
      crystal is illuminated with a spherical wave, the spatially structured
      information from the time-averaged speckle pattern leads to fringes in the
      Fraunhofer plane. No storage device is required when the appropriate wavelength
      is chosen for writing and reading out the information. Experimental results will
      be presented together with a comparison of measurements obtained with a Doppler
      shift vibrometer.

PMID- 20309333
TI  - Reconstruction of a Fraunhofer hologram recorded near the focal plane of a
      transforming lens: experiment and results.
AB  - The holographic system for an optical memory is examined. A Fraunhofer hologram
      of an array object is recorded near the focal plane of a thick transforming lens.
      This hologram is read out with a spherical wave, and the intensity distribution
      in an image plane is theoretically calculated and experimentally measured. The
      concept of a traveling subaperture connected to a local recording of information
      in the hologram is verified.

PMID- 20309334
TI  - Measurement of nonlinear frequency chirp of Q-switched ruby laser.
AB  - The frequency chirp of a Q-switched ruby laser is investigated with two
      interference experiments: holography of a rotating object and measurement of time
      coherence. Nonlinearity of the frequency chirp markedly affects both interference
      experiments for large time differences between the two beams, which enable us to
      determine the nonlinear frequency chirp, that is, chirp rate and time. A
      hyperbolic tangent function provides a better approximation of the frequency
      chirp than the linear function generally used. In this experiment the chirp time
      was 1.0-1.5 times as long as the half-intensity width of the pulse.

PMID- 20309335
TI  - Calculation of the effective refractive-index step for the metal-cladded-ridge
      waveguide laser.
AB  - A newly developed stripe-geometry injection laser is presented with built-in
      passive waveguiding produced by an effective refractive-index step between active
      stripe and adjoining regions. In contrast with the similar CSP laser, however,
      confinement of the lasing mode is achieved by metal reflection instead of excess
      absorption loss outside the active stripe. A model for this type of injection
      laser is established, and a numerical analysis of the waveguiding mechanism is
      performed. As a result, design curves are obtained that directly determine the
      technological parameters required for diode preparation.

PMID- 20309336
TI  - Passive pulse shaping by spectral narrowing of picosecond pulses.
AB  - Synchronizing a picosecond laser pulse with a nanosecond one would be useful in
      laser fusion research. Amplitude modulation of a picosecond spectrum makes this
      possible; this passive technique has already been studied by C. Froehly and
      demonstrated by B. Colombeau. It is shown here that this kind of pulse shaper is
      usable on a power laser chain. Starting from a 40-psec pulse, several pulse
      shapes with durations up to 640- and 40-psec rise time have been obtained at
      different power levels. Efficiency and signal to noise ratio of the system have
      been studied. The diffraction-limited beam has been amplified in a power laser
      chain.

PMID- 20309337
TI  - Small fast large-aperture light modulator using attenuated total reflection.
AB  - An optical modulator is described which offers several advantages in terms of
      speed, aperture size, and ease of operation over other techniques for amplitude
      modulation of a collimated light beam. This simple device consists of a prism
      separated from a metallically reflecting surface by a small micron-size gap.
      Varying the gap thickness changes the intensity of the light reflected off the
      base of the prism. The prism acts as a coupler for the excitation of surface
      plasmons on the metallic surface. This paper explains the principle of operation
      and presents experimental results obtained on a simple realization of the device.

PMID- 20309338
TI  - Patents.
AB  - 3,989,890; 3,989,947; 3,994,435; 4,073,574; 4,150,320; 4,164,432; 4,165,913;
      4,171,003; 4,165,917; 4,168,882; 4,175,391; 4,222,370; 4,206,494; 4,222,667;
      4,225,240; 4,227,076; 4,225,236; 4,226,502; 4,227,769; 4,227,773; 4,228,437.

PMID- 20309339
TI  - General analysis of the projection speckle method.

PMID- 20309340
TI  - Bibliography on optical testing.

PMID- 20309341
TI  - Lidar evaluation of smoke and dust clouds.
AB  - Lidar provides the means to evaluate quantitatively the spatial and temporal
      variability of smoke and dust clouds as they are transported downwind from
      particulate sources. Quantitative evaluation of cloud optical and physical
      densities from cloud backscatter is complicated by effects from particle size,
      shape, and composition and by attenuation and multiple scattering for dense
      clouds. Examples are presented that review use of the lidar technique to provide
      useful evaluations of smoke and dust clouds.

PMID- 20309342
TI  - Simple inversion technique to obtain cloud droplet size parameters using solar
      aureole data.
AB  - A simple inversion technique in the single scattering regime has been developed
      to deduce cloud droplet size parameters by using the measurement of the radiance
      of near-forward scattered solar radiation as a function of angle. Compared with
      the numerical inversion technique that uses exact Mie scattering calculations,
      the new technique is much less time-consuming and hence should be usable in an on
      line real time analysis. To test the effectiveness of the new technique, we use
      the results of polydispersed cloud size distribution calculated by Deirmendjian
      to retrieve the model size parameters. The agreement is excellent. We also
      generalize the theory to include the broadband source. A typical experimental
      example is given. Its comparison with time-consuming Mie scattering inversion
      technique again shows excellent agreement.

PMID- 20309343
TI  - Characteristics of skylight at the zenith during twilight as indicators of
      atmospheric turbidity. 2: Intensity and color ratio.
AB  - This is the second of two papers based on an extensive series of measurements of
      the intensity and polarization of light from the zenith sky during periods of
      twilight made at an altitude of 3400 m on the island of Hawaii. Part 1 dealt with
      the skylight polarization; part 2 is on the measured intensity and quantities
      derived from the intensity. The principal results are that (1) the polarization
      and intensity of light from the zenith during twilight are sensitive indicators
      of the existence of turbid layers in the stratosphere and upper troposphere, and
      (2) at least at Mauna Loa primary scattering of the sunlight incident on the
      upper atmosphere during twilight is strongly dominant over secondary or multiple
      scattering at wavelengths beyond ~0.60microm, whereas this is much less true at
      shorter wavelengths. It is suggested that the development and general use of a
      simple twilight polarimeter would greatly facilitate determinations of turbidity
      in the upper layers of the atmosphere.

PMID- 20309344
TI  - Combined eye-atmosphere visibility model.
AB  - The effect of the earth's atmosphere on the visibility in the nadir direction, as
      determined by the human eye, is presented. The visibility characteristics can be
      obtained from the combined eye-atmosphere modulation transfer function. This
      function is applied to the calculation of visibility thresholds of an area of an
      albedo different from its surroundings. It is shown that the atmospheric effect
      of diffusing sharp boundaries between adjacent areas has a significant influence
      on the visibility threshold. A sensitivity study is carried out to investigate
      the effects of different atmospheric optical conditions on the visibility
      thresholds. This model emphasizes the use of a combined eye-atmosphere theory to
      predict visibility conditions from airplanes.

PMID- 20309345
TI  - General wavelength dependence of imaging through the atmosphere.
AB  - Atmospheric MTF formulations are restated to include contrast reduction by
      thermal backgrounds received by the imaging system. These backgrounds should be
      of significance for infrared imaging through the atmosphere. Absorption windows
      such as 2.0-2.4 and 3.1-4.1-microm wavelengths, which contain minimum atmospheric
      background, are suggested as usually permitting the best resolution for long
      range atmospheric imaging of apparently bright objects despite the fact that
      received object beam radiation may even peak in the 8-13-microm window. The 8-13
      microm window is generally better for thermal imaging of objects whose
      temperatures are close to those of the atmosphere.

PMID- 20309346
TI  - Polarization imaging.
AB  - Although several attempts have been made in the past to use the partially
      polarized nature of optical fields in constructing images, the technique is not
      widely known or used. This paper reviews the principles of single-parameter
      polarization imaging and introduces the concept of multiparameter Stokes vector
      imaging. The Stokes vector image construction is discussed in the context of a
      recently introduced model of the human visual system perception space. It is
      shown that this perception space model allows one to take advantage of more of
      the information contained in the optical field to create an intelligible color
      display. The perception space model is also used to define a quantitative visual
      discrimination threshold applicable to multiparameter image construction and
      display.

PMID- 20309347
TI  - Optimum shape of a Kirkpatrick-Baez x-ray reflector supported at discrete points
      for on-axis performance.
AB  - Nested flat plates bent into the Kirkpatrick-Baez parabolic geometry and
      supported at discrete points are one means of obtaining large area grazing
      incidence x-ray optics with good angular resolution. A method for optimizing the
      on-axis resolution combining finite element and ray trace techniques with
      selective masking is presented. The optimally determined supported point location
      technique can lead to greatly reduced in situ labor costs.

PMID- 20309348
TI  - Fast camera for x rays: a novel concept.
AB  - In laser fusion and related fields the interaction between the laser and the
      target material is followed by the emission of x rays. The time history of these
      x rays is experimentally recorded by streak cameras. The currently used streak
      cameras have physical limitations for the temporal and spatial resolution limit.
      This paper presents a novel concept for a streak camera where these limitations
      are relaxed. In the camera described the photoelectron is moving in parallel
      electric and magnetic fields. The proposed design parameters use moderate fields
      and give time resolution limits of a few picoseconds and no spatial dispersion in
      one dimension.

PMID- 20309349
TI  - Directional pedestal-free laser Doppler velocimetry without frequency biasing.
      Part 1.
AB  - The spatial structure of the optical field on the detector of a laser Doppler
      velocimeter is examined. It is shown that for sufficiently small scatterers, the
      optical field is a traveling wave of shape determined by the detector optics
      alone. The direction of travel of the optical field reflects that of the
      scattering particle. Thus, the direction of motion of the particle is determined
      by temporal correlation of photocurrents from two spatially offset detector
      arrays. The arrays also eliminate the Doppler pedestal as shown by Ogiwara
      (1979). In this paper, the theory of the new method is described; experimental
      implementation will be described in a complementary paper.

PMID- 20309350
TI  - High frequency laser Doppler measurements using multiaxial-mode lasers.
AB  - Generally applicable laser Doppler anemometers have become commercially available
      and are now widely used for fluid flow studies. When used for high velocity
      measurements, e.g., in excess of 100 m/sec, laser Doppler anemometers usually
      comprise a high power argon-ion laser and a counter signal processor. A
      literature survey showed that most high speed LDA measurements have been carried
      out at Doppler frequencies much below the frequency capabilities of modern LDA
      frequency counters. This paper suggests that this might be due to the multiaxial
      mode output of cw lasers employed for high speed velocity measurements. The
      theory is discussed and experimental investigations are described that verify the
      theoretical results. These results suggest the use of single-mode lasers for high
      speed velocity measurements. The multiaxial-mode output of cw lasers is also
      claimed to be responsible for signal-to-noise ratio differences between LDA
      signals obtained with the blue and green lines of argon-ion lasers. The
      differences are only observed, however, when broadband detection systems are
      employed. Consideration is also given to the use of photodetectors for high
      frequency LDA systems. It is shown that photomultipliers that permit high anode
      currents are advantageous in laser Doppler anemometry; they are essential when
      measurements are made at high Doppler frequencies. Their use permits available
      high power lasers to be employed for LDA measurements and the high and basically
      noise-free gain of photomultipliers still to be used.

PMID- 20309351
TI  - Saturation of anomalous dispersion in cw HF lasers.
AB  - The high gain and narrow linewidth of HF chemical lasers lead to a large resonant
      component of the refractive index. Calculations indicate that this (unsaturated)
      anomalous dispersion is at least as large as the non-resonant Gladstone-Dale
      dispersion. Possible deleterious effects of anomalous dispersion are briefly
      reviewed. These effects in a high-power device are mitigated by multimode
      operation, which acts to saturate homogeneously the anomalous dispersion at
      intensities considerably lower than those required for power broadening of the
      inhomogeneous Doppler line shape over to a homogeneous line.

PMID- 20309352
TI  - Optimum mode size criterion for low-gain lasers.
AB  - The influence of the geometric relationship between laser pump and mode
      distributions on the performance of low-gain lasers has been analyzed. By
      considering cases in which the pump size is varied for a constant mode size and
      the mode size is varied for a constant pump size, a figure of merit has been
      defined through which laser performance can be optimized. The analysis shows that
      for any value of the pump radius R(o), the figure of merit is a maximum when
      omega, the 1/e radius of the Gaussian resonator mode, is approximately equal to
      R(o).

PMID- 20309353
TI  - Optogalvanic effect as a detector for intracavity atomic absorption in a cw dye
      laser.
AB  - It is demonstrated that the optogalvanic effect in a sodium hollow cathode
      discharge is a sensitive detector specific to the intracavity absorption of
      sodium atoms in a flame. In this feasibility study the variation of the
      optogalvanic signal vs the sodium concentration in the flame indicated a
      detection limit below 1 ng/ml. The sensitivity can be easily improved, and this
      technique is applicable to other atoms and Doppler-free intermodulation
      spectroscopic detection methods.

PMID- 20309354
TI  - Passively switched double-pass active mirror system.
AB  - Active mirror amplifiers have been demonstrated to be viable large aperture
      amplifiers for use in laser fusion systems. In addition to having a large storage
      efficiency (1.2-1.5%) at the highest pumping level and a thermal recovery time in
      the 15-30-min range, they are also scalable to large apertures and allow the
      propagation of circular polarization. An important additional property is that
      regardless of the angle of incidence, no birefringence occurs in active mirror
      amplifiers. Based upon a circular polarization scheme that allows passive
      switching, we have constructed and operated a double-passed active mirror system.
      For a 50-J input energy and a pulse width of 700 psec (Gaussian FWHM), we have
      measured a focusable output energy of approximately 230 J. Complementary single
      pass experiments resulted in an output energy of approximately 140 J, therefore,
      using the double-passed arrangement, we have increased the focusable output
      energy by ~64%. In this paper we describe the short-pulse (B-limited) and long
      pulse (damage-limited) staging of double-passed active mirror systems, discuss in
      detail the passive double-pass system, and describe its experimental
      verification.

PMID- 20309355
TI  - Dynamic pumping model for amplifier performance predictions.
AB  - Based upon time resolved spectroscopy of 13-mm xenon filled flashlamps, we have
      constructed a unique dynamic pumping model to predict the gain performance of
      active mirror amplifiers. The model, which includes the effects of spontaneous
      emission, concentration quenching, water quenching, and amplified spontaneous
      emission, uses only spectroscopy data from small glass samples as input. The use
      of the model in amplifier/system optimizations will be described.

PMID- 20309356
TI  - Reflective optics for irradiance redistribution of laser beams: design.
AB  - The output irradiance of a typical unstable resonator with circular symmetry has
      a central obscuration and is peaked near the obscuration. A method is presented
      for designing two-mirror optical systems to convert this beam into a beam of
      arbitrary obscuration ratio and more uniform irradiance. A method is also given
      for analyzing the alignment sensitivity of such a system. An example shows that
      useful irradiance redistributions can be achieved with alignment sensitivities
      comparable to ordinary Cassegrain systems.

PMID- 20309357
TI  - Mode properties of a strip confocal unstable resonator with saturable gain.
AB  - The asymptotic analysis technique for calculating the modes of unstable strip
      resonators is extended to include the effects of a saturable but otherwise
      uniform gain. Utilizing simultaneous forward and backward (in time) propagation
      and the Rigrod gain formula, an iterative algorithm is employed to find the
      intensities inside a resonator. In contrast with Fox-Li type iterations, this
      scheme converges rapidly and gives all the higher modes. Mode properties at
      critical Fresnel numbers are examined as a function of gain saturation, which is
      seen to reduce mode degeneracy.

PMID- 20309358
TI  - Modes of a laser resonator with a retroreflective mirror.
AB  - The self-consistent integral equation for the field distribution of the resonant
      modes in an inclined retroreflective grating resonator is solved in the limit of
      large Fresnel numbers. The transverse field distribution in the direction
      perpendicular to the grating grooves can be described in terms of Hermite
      Gaussian functions provided that lambda << d << w, where lambda is the
      wavelength, d is the grating spacing, and w is the beam spot size.

PMID- 20309359
TI  - Correlator based on an integrated optical spatial light modulator.
AB  - The fabrication and characterization of a 17.5-M bit/sec integrated optical
      correlator are described. The correlator makes use of a novel programmable
      electrooptic spatial light modulator in conjunction with a digitally modulated
      surface acoustic wave.

PMID- 20309360
TI  - Integrated Fresnel lens on thermally oxidized silicon substrate.
AB  - Thin film Fresnel lenses have been achieved on SiO(2)/Si substrates covered with
      a waveguide layer of Si(3)N(4) grown by low pressure chemical vapor deposition
      (LPCVD). The phase shift between the different zones is induced by a SiO(2) top
      layer chemically etched. The use of this additional layer having a smaller
      refractive index than the waveguide results in a saturation of the lens
      characteristics vs the thickness of the SiO(2) layer; this feature associated
      with the good reproducibility of the LPCVD technology allows good control of the
      lens characteristics.

PMID- 20309361
TI  - Interrelationship between water absorption loss and dispersion in multimode
      fiber.
AB  - Similarities between fiber bandwidth spectra and loss spectra are found to occur.
      Wavelength-dependent far-field radiation patterns were used to deduce that high
      OH ion concentrations, near the center of the core, caused differential
      attenuation of low-order modes. This resulted in bandwidth peaks at the same
      wavelengths where water absorption loss peaked.

PMID- 20309362
TI  - Low reflectance terminations and connections for duplex fiber-optic
      telecommunication links.
AB  - The signal-to-noise ratio of full duplex fiber-optic telecommunication links
      using a single fiber with directional couplers is shown to be extremely sensitive
      to reflections from fiber end terminations and fiber-to-fiber connections. This
      paper will examine a series of experimental measurements made to determine the
      reflectance coefficients of several different end terminations and types of
      connection.

PMID- 20309363
TI  - Optical fiber profiles using the refracted near-field technique: a comparison
      with other methods.
AB  - Multimode fiber profiles by the refracted near-field method (RNF) agree to within
      +/-0.5% with profiles obtained by the highly accurate interferometric slab
      technique in regions of adequate resolution of the latter. Nineteen multimode
      fiber profiles by the RNF and transverse interferometric methods differ in Delta
      and alpha on the average by 4% and 3%, respectively. The precision of a
      refractive-index determination by the RNF technique is 4 x 10(-5). A rapid method
      of calibrating the profiles by measuring the liquid temperature is presented, and
      the effect of foreign matter on the fiber face is discussed.

PMID- 20309364
TI  - Modal noise in optical fibers: open and closed speckle pattern regimes.
AB  - Modal noise generation in multimode optical fiber is identified as occurring in
      two statistically differing regimes, that in which there is independence of the
      speckles (open regime) and that in which the speckles have an interdependency
      related to the constancy of the total light power in the core modes (closed
      regime). We derive statistical expressions for modal noise generation in the
      closed regime and verify them with experiment.

PMID- 20309365
TI  - Characteristics of holographic scanners utilizing a concave auxiliary reflector.
AB  - The characteristics of 2-D holographic scanners utilizing a concave auxiliary
      reflector are analyzed. The total resolution capability of the scanner is
      discussed in detail for the scanner operated at both finite and infinite
      conjugations, and the factors limiting resolution are indicated. The resolution
      considerations lead to a near-optimal design procedure which is used in design
      examples for typical applications in the visible, millimeter, and ultrasonic
      wavelength regions.

PMID- 20309366
TI  - Endoscopic hologram interferometry using fiber optics.
AB  - Basic and practical problems on the formation of fringes in endoscopic hologram
      interferometry using fiber optics have been studied in connection with medical
      diagnosis of living body cavities, nondestructive testing of inner parts of
      machines, etc. It is pointed out that fiber bundles instead of single fibers can
      be used to transmit high power laser light for object illumination to prevent the
      light path break induced by the high power density of concentrated laser light.
      The effects of extended source illumination by the fiber bundle, image
      transmission through the ordered fiber bundle, and fiber bundle movement on the
      fringe visibility were investigated.

PMID- 20309367
TI  - Spatial resolution for two-beam spectroscopy: a new mechanism.
AB  - With the help of interference effects, two-beam and multiple-beam spectroscopy
      detect in the pairs of beams (bundles of rays selected by the optical system)
      phase correlations due to certain fluctuations in optically thin distributions of
      incoherent light sources. Originally spatial resolution along the line of sight
      was expected for multiple-beam spectroscopy because of the limited region of
      intersection for pairs of beams. Here more general analysis shows another
      mechanism of spatial resolution allowing use of broader overlapping beams. Thus a
      simpler two-beam spectroscopy configuration (to be discussed in more detail
      elsewhere) capable of making more efficient use of emitted light proves to offer
      the same localized measurement of spatially harmonic fluctuations in the
      appropriate light source distributions.

PMID- 20309368
TI  - Heterodyne frequency measurements on the 11.6-microm band of OCS: new
      frequency/wavelength calibration tables for 11.6- and 5.8-microm OCS bands.
AB  - Heterodyne difference frequency measurements between a (13)CO(2) laser and a
      diode laser tuned (and in most cases locked) to the peaks of OCS absorption lines
      have been used to improve frequency calibration tables in the 860-cm(-1) region
      by factors of 20-50. Measurements have been made on the vibrational transitions
      10(0)0-00(0)0, 11(1)0-01(1)0, and 20(0)0-10(0)0 for OCS. The measurements on the
      10(0)0-00(0)0 and 20(0)0-10(0)0 transitions are also used to provide frequency
      calibration tables for the 20(0)0-00(0)0 band of OCS near 1700 cm(-1).

PMID- 20309369
TI  - Angular distribution of coherent Raman emission in degenerate four-wave mixing
      with pumping by a single diffraction coupled laser beam: configurations for high
      spatial resolution.
AB  - This paper contains a discussion of the relation between the angular
      distributions of the coherently emitted radiation and the angular distribution of
      the incident beams in a degenerate four-wave mixing experiment, when two of the
      input beams are derived from the same laser source. The objective of the
      discussion is to obtain beam configurations that permit the use of such
      spectroscopic techniques when good spatial resolution is required so that the
      conventional collinear phase matching geometry is inappropriate. Two different
      configurations are indeed obtained and experimentally demonstrated that have, in
      the worst direction (longitudinal), spatial resolution of the order of 1 mm, with
      beam apertures comparable with those used in the standard collinear experiments
      and without the complicating requirement of two distinct pump beams.

PMID- 20309370
TI  - Temperature dependence of the self-broadening coefficients for the fundamental
      band of carbon monoxide.
AB  - The exponent eta for the temperature dependence of the self-broadening
      coefficient of carbon monoxide has been measured directly using a tunable diode
      laser spectrometer. For lines of (12)C(16)O between P(25) and P(31), the exponent
      has a value of 0.66 +/- 0.05. For the P(13) and P(16) lines of (13)C(16)O, the
      exponent appears to be the same. These results show that the value of eta is less
      than the generally accepted value of 0.75 for temperatures between ambient and
      180 degrees C.

PMID- 20309371
TI  - Optical water quality model of Lake Ontario. 1: Determination of the optical
      cross sections of organic and inorganic particulates in Lake Ontario.
AB  - A five-component optical model of Lake Ontario is discussed in terms of unique
      organics (as represented by chlorophyll a), unique inorganics (as represented by
      total suspended minerals), unique nonliving organics, and unique dissolved
      organics. Direct measurements of the irradiance attenuation coefficient K(0), the
      diffuse reflectance R(0), and the total atttenuation coefficient c are used in
      conjunction with simulated solutions of the radiative transfer equations to
      determine the inherent optical properties of the water masses. Multiple
      regressions between these inherent optical properties and directly measured water
      quality data are then performed to determine the absorption, scattering, and
      backscattering cross sections of the organic and inorganic components.

PMID- 20309373
TI  - Fabry-Perot filters used for optical preprocessing.
AB  - A Fabry-Perot etalon placed in the object plane of a coherent optical processing
      system can be used as a variable bandpass preprocessing filter. Use of this
      filter leads to improved correlation signals in a matched spatial filter system.
      Experimental results are shown and compared with results obtained by two other
      preprocessing methods.

PMID- 20309372
TI  - Optical water quality model of Lake Ontario. 2: Determination of chlorophyll a
      and suspended mineral concentrations of natural waters from submersible and low
      altitude optical sensors.
AB  - Spectrooptical and water quality data collected from a 1979 coordinated in situ
      and airborne study of western Lake Ontario are used to devise a five-component
      model from which subsurface chlorophyll a and suspended solids concentrations may
      be determined from submersible optical sensors capable of measuring spectral
      irradiance reflectance just beneath the free-surface layer. A water-air interface
      model, which incorporates the effects of surface reflection, is also presented in
      an attempt to extend such water quality estimations to low altitude remote
      sensors. Special emphasis is given to the spectral wavelength bands of the
      Coastal Zone Color Scanner aboard Nimbus-7.

PMID- 20309374
TI  - Fluorescence standard reference material: quinine sulfate dihydrate.

PMID- 20309375
TI  - Image contrast reversal with a photorefractive recording medium.
AB  - Images with partial and complete contrast reversal have been retrieved from a
      single image recorded in a lithium niobate crystal. The input image, a grey tone
      transparency, is modulated with the help of two diffracted orders of a Ronchi
      ruling. The same two orders are used to read the crystal. The relative amplitude
      of these orders is altered with the help of a linear polarizer, and this produces
      variable tones in the output image. Partially coherent light can be used at both
      the writing and the reading stages.

PMID- 20309376
TI  - Defect-type discriminating optical system.
AB  - Novel coherent optical defect detecting methods, which can distinguish between
      opaque defects and transparent defects, are proposed. One of these novel methods
      makes use of a holographylike polarity reference signal and is suited to
      automatic detection systems. The other employs two independent light sources, and
      suitable for visual detection systems. Realizing these novel methods using
      omnidirectional spatial filters, simple but effective periodic pattern defect
      detecting systems are formed, which can be easily accommodated with defect
      touching-up stages.

PMID- 20309377
TI  - A perfect storm in interventional pain management: regulated, but unbalanced.
AB  - Interventional pain management now stands at the crossroads at what is described
      as "the perfect storm." The confluence of several factors has led to devastating
      results for interventional pain management. This article seeks to provide a
      perspective to various issues producing conditions conducive to creating a
      "perfect storm" such as use and abuse of interventional pain management
      techniques, and in the same context, use and abuse of various non-interventional
      techniques. The rapid increase in opioid drug prescribing, costs to health care,
      large increases in death rates, and random and rampant drug testing, can also
      lead to increases in health care utilization. Other important aspects that are
      seldom discussed include medico-legal and ethical perspectives of individual and
      professional societal opinions and the interpretation of diagnostic accuracy of
      controlled diagnostic blocks. The aim of this article is to discuss the impact of
      several factors on interventional pain management and overuse, abuse, waste, and
      fraud; inappropriate application without evidence-based literature support
      (sometimes leading to selective use or non-use of randomized or observational
      studies for proving biased viewpoints - post priori rather than a priori), and
      issues related to multiple professional societies having their own agendas to
      push rather than promulgating the science of interventional pain management. This
      perspective is based on a review of articles published in this issue of Pain
      Physician, information in the public domain, and other relevant articles. Based
      on the results of this review, various issues of relevance to modern
      interventional pain management are discussed and the viewpoints of several
      experts debated. In conclusion, supporters of interventional pain management
      disagree on multiple aspects for various reasons while detractors claim that
      interventional pain management should not exist as a speciality. Issues to be
      addressed include appropriate use of evidence-based medicine (EBM), overuse,
      overutilization, and abuse.

PMID- 20309378
TI  - A systematic review on the effectiveness of the Nucleoplasty procedure for
      discogenic pain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nucleoplasty is a minimally invasive procedure for treating pain
      caused by symptomatic disc herniation that is refractory to conservative therapy.
      Observational studies have reported differing outcomes for this procedure and
      thus its effectiveness is yet to be determined. STUDY DESIGN: A systematic review
      of the efficacy of the nucleoplasty procedure. OBJECTIVES: To assess the clinical
      efficacy of the nucleoplasty procedure for treating back pain from symptomatic,
      contained disc herniation and to evaluate the methodological quality of the
      included studies. METHODS: The relevant literature for nucleoplasty was
      identified through a search of the following databases: Pubmed, Ovid Medline, and
      the Cochrane library, and by a review of the bibliographies of the included
      studies. A review of the literature of the effectiveness of the nucleoplasty
      procedure for managing discogenic pain was performed according to the criteria
      for observational studies using a "Quality Index" scale to determine the
      methodological quality of the literature. The level of evidence was classified as
      Level I, II, or III based on the quality of evidence developed by the United
      States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) for therapeutic interventions.
      Recommendations were based on the criteria developed by Guyatt et al. OUTCOME
      MEASURES: The main outcome measures evaluated were the percentage of pain relief
      based on visual analogue scale (VAS) or numeric rating scale (NRS), percentage of
      patients with more than 50% reduction in pain, percentage of patients meeting one
      or more success criteria after nucleoplasty, and improvement in patient function.
      Secondary measures noted were reports of complications and the Quality Index
      scores of each study that was evaluated. RESULTS: The quality of evidence for
      improvement in pain or function after a nucleoplasty procedure is Level II-3. The
      recommendation is 1C/strong for the nucleoplasty procedure based on the quality
      of evidence available. The median Quality Index score was 16 (range 12 - 19),
      indicating adequate methodological quality of the available literature. None of
      the studies reported major complications related to nucleoplasty. CONCLUSIONS:
      Observational studies suggest that nucleoplasty is a potentially effective
      minimally invasive treatment for patients with symptomatic disc herniations who
      are refractory to conservative therapy. The recommendation is a level 1C,
      strongly supporting the therapeutic efficacy of this procedure. However,
      prospective randomized controlled trials with higher quality of evidence are
      necessary to confirm efficacy and risks, and to determine ideal patient selection
      for this procedure.

PMID- 20309379
TI  - Making sense of the accuracy of diagnostic lumbar facet joint nerve blocks: an
      assessment of the implications of 50% relief, 80% relief, single block, or
      controlled diagnostic blocks.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The presence of lumbar facet joint pain has been overwhelmingly
      supported and the accuracy of controlled diagnostic blocks has been demonstrated
      in multiple studies and confirmed in systematic reviews. However, controversy
      surrounds the following related issues: placebo control, the amount of relief
      (50% versus 80%), single block versus double block, and placebo or comparative
      control. STUDY DESIGN: An observational report of an outcome study to establish
      the diagnostic accuracy of controlled lumbar facet joint nerve blocks. SETTING:
      An interventional pain management practice setting in the United States.
      OBJECTIVE: To determine the accuracy of controlled diagnostic blocks in managing
      lumbar facet joint pain at the end of 2 years, with 2 different criteria (50% or
      80% relief) and single block versus double block. METHODS: A previous study of
      152 patients showed an 89.5% of sustained diagnosis of lumbar facet joint pain at
      the end of a 2-year follow-up period when the diagnosis was made with double
      blocks and at least 80% relief. The present evaluation includes comparison of the
      above results with a study of 110 patients undergoing lumbar facet joint nerve
      blocks with positive criteria of at least 50% relief and follow-up of 2 years.
      The inclusion criteria in both studies was based on a positive response to
      diagnostic controlled comparative local anesthetic lumbar facet joint blocks,
      with either 50% or 80% relief and the ability to perform previously painful
      movements. The treatment in both groups included therapeutic lumbar facet joint
      interventions either with facet joint nerve blocks or radiofrequency neurotomy.
      OUTCOME MEASURES: The sustained diagnosis of lumbar facet joint pain at the end
      of one year and 2 years based on pain relief and functional status improvement.
      RESULTS: At the end of one year, the diagnosis was confirmed in 75% of the group
      with 50% relief, whereas it was 93% in the group with 80% relief. At the end of
      the 2-year follow-up, the diagnosis of lumbar facet joint pain was sustained in
      51% of the patients in the group with 50% relief, whereas it was sustained in
      89.5% of the patients with 80% relief. The results differed between 50% relief
      and 80% relief with prevalence of 61% facet joint pain with dual blocks with 50%
      relief, and 31% with dual blocks with 80% relief; whereas with only a single
      block, the prevalence was 73% with 50% relief and 53% in the 80% relief group.
      LIMITATIONS: The study is limited by its observational nature. CONCLUSION:
      Controlled diagnostic lumbar facet joint nerve blocks are valid utilizing the
      criteria of 80% pain relief and the ability to perform previously painful
      movements, with a sustained diagnosis of lumbar facet joint pain in at least
      89.5% of the patients at the end of a 2-year follow-up. In contrast, the
      diagnosis was sustained in 51% of the patients with 50% relief at the end of 2
      years. Thus, inappropriate diagnostic criteria will increase the prevalence of
      facet joint pain substantially, leading to inappropriate and unnecessary
      treatment.

PMID- 20309380
TI  - A medical-legal review regarding the standard of care for epidural injections,
      with particular reference to a closed case.
AB  - Interventional pain management is an evolving field, with a primary focus on the
      safety of the patient. One major source of risk to patients is intraarterial or
      intraneural injections. Interventional pain physicians have considerable interest
      in identifying techniques which avoid these complications. A recent article has
      reviewed complications associated with interventional procedures and concluded
      that the complications were due to deviation from a specific prescribed protocol.
      One of the cases reviewed went to jury trial and the record of that case is in
      the public domain. Two of the authors of the recent review were expert witnesses
      in the trial. They provided conflicting testimony as to alleged violations of the
      standard of care. Their criticisms also differed from a third criticism contained
      in the article as well as the protocol being advocated in the article, thus
      contravening the claim that there is one prescribed protocol which must be
      followed. The definition of standard of care varies amongst jurisdictions, but is
      generally defined as either that care which a reasonably well-trained physician
      in that specialty would provide under similar circumstances or as what would
      constitute reasonable medical care under the circumstances presented. Analysis of
      the case which went to trial indicates that there is not one prescribed protocol
      which must be followed; the definition of standard of care is broader than that.
      Interventional pain management is an evolving field and the standard of care is
      broadly defined.

PMID- 20309381
TI  - Intrathecal catheter-syringe adaptor for short-term intrathecal analgesia with an
      externalized pump: a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In most patients, cancer pain is effectively treated with
      conservative medical management consisting of oral and/or transdermal analgesics.
      Cancer patients tend to fail conservative medical management near the end of
      their life expectancy, thus requiring alternative routes of analgesia such as
      intravenous, epidural, or intrathecal. The intrathecal route provides the most
      effective analgesia due to the close proximity of the opioid receptors in the
      spinal cord. Though there are many techniques that exist for intrathecal drug
      delivery, complications can limit effectiveness such as infection, bleeding,
      cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks, post-dural puncture headaches (PDPH), pump
      and/or catheter malfunctions, or limitations of technical expertise. Therefore,
      an important goal in palliative cancer pain therapy is to use equipment that is
      going to have the fewest number of complications and will be the most familiar to
      the health care providers. We describe the combination of the Medtronic Indura 1P
      catheter, which has the least catheter-related complications and can be used with
      any external drug infusion pump. These are regular infusion pumps that the health
      care workers are familiar with so they can provide excellent and efficient
      service to the patient. METHODS: In an operating room, the intrathecal catheter
      was placed using sterile technique under fluoroscopic guidance. The epidural
      space was identified with loss of resistance technique. Then the introducer
      needle (supplied in the Indura 1P catheter kit) was advanced until free-flowing
      CSF was obtained. The spinal catheter was advanced into the intrathecal space
      through the introducer needle to lumbar 2-3 level. The catheter was tunneled
      subcutaneously 10 cm lateral to the catheter exit site. A syringe filling device
      was inserted into the catheter opening and was secured with silk suture. A luer
      lock syringe was attached to the syringe filling device and CSF was aspirated.
      The syringe filling device was capped and later attached to an external drug
      infusion pump. RESULTS: We report the successful use of the Medtronic Indura 1P,
      one piece intrathecal catheter, connected to the external drug pump for a 3 week
      period in a patient with metastatic cervical cancer for palliative pain control.
      LIMITATIONS: Case report only. CONCLUSION: This technique is simple to perform by
      pain specialists. The catheter modification allows the use of the Medtronic
      intrathecal catheter with standard external drug infusion pumps. This facilitates
      the patient's care in the hospice setting.

PMID- 20309382
TI  - Intracranial neurostimulation for pain control: a review.
AB  - Intracranial neurostimulation for pain relief is most frequently delivered by
      stimulating the motor cortex, the sensory thalamus, or the periaqueductal and
      periventricular gray matter. The stimulation of these sites through MCS (motor
      cortex stimulation) and DBS (deep brain stimulation) has proven effective for
      treating a number of neuropathic and nociceptive pain states that are not
      responsive or amenable to other therapies or types of neurostimulation.
      Prospective randomized clinical trials to confirm the efficacy of these
      intracranial therapies have not been published. Intracranial neurostimulation is
      somewhat different than other forms of neurostimulation in that its current
      primary application is for the treatment of medically intractable movement
      disorders. However, the increasing use of intracranial neurostimulation for the
      treatment of chronic pain, especially for pain not responsive to other
      neuromodulation techniques, reflects the efficacy and relative safety of these
      intracranial procedures. First employed in 1954, intracranial neurostimulation
      represents one of the earliest uses of neurostimulation to treat chronic pain
      that is refractory to medical therapy. Currently, 2 kinds of intracranial
      neurostimulation are commonly used to control pain: motor cortex stimulation and
      deep brain stimulation. MCS has shown particular promise in the treatment of
      trigeminal neuropathic pain and central pain syndromes such as thalamic pain
      syndrome. DBS may be employed for a number of nociceptive and neuropathic pain
      states, including cluster headaches, chronic low back pain, failed back surgery
      syndrome, peripheral neuropathic pain, facial deafferentation pain, and pain that
      is secondary to brachial plexus avulsion. The unique lack of stimulation-induced
      perceptual experience with MCS makes MCS uniquely suited for blinded studies of
      its effectiveness. This article will review the scientific rationale,
      indications, surgical techniques, and outcomes of intracranial neuromodulation
      procedures for the treatment of chronic pain.

PMID- 20309383
TI  - Importance of urine drug testing in the treatment of chronic noncancer pain:
      implications of recent medicare policy changes in kentucky.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Urine drug testing has become a widely used tool in American society
      for deterring illicit drug use. In the practice of medicine, urine drug testing
      is commonly used to help diagnose substance misuse, abuse, or addiction.
      OBJECTIVE: This narrative review provides an informed perspective on the
      importance of urine drug testing in the medical treatment of chronic noncancer
      pain. The history and current uses of urine drug tests in the United States are
      reviewed, the prevalence and nature of prescription drug misuse is described as
      is related to chronic noncancer pain, and implications and considerations for
      practitioners are presented related to the noncancer pain diagnosis and
      treatment. DISCUSSION: Practitioners are confronted with the ethical and legal
      dilemma of being called to adequately treat chronic pain in a culture with a high
      prevalence of prescription drug abuse. Yet the symptoms of drug abuse are
      nonspecific and therefore of limited value to the practitioner in determining
      patient compliance to drug treatment regimens. In contrast, urine drug testing
      has a reliable history, both in and out of medicine, as an independent sign of
      drug misuse. This sign can be used to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of drug
      misuse and underlying addictions to improve patient outcomes. CONCLUSION: Regular
      urine drug testing should be a part of acute and chronic pain management whether
      or not the patient has any signs or symptoms of drug misuse.

PMID- 20309384
TI  - Urine drug testing in the treatment of chronic noncancer pain in a Kentucky
      private neuroscience practice: the potential effect of Medicare benefit changes
      in Kentucky.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Because the symptoms of drug misuse are nonspecific and difficult to
      detect, pain physicians have relied heavily on the results of urine drug tests to
      diagnose and treat chronic noncancer pain in patients who are prescribed
      controlled substances. However, changes in Medicare local carrier determinations
      for Medicare Part B providers in Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, and New York
      went into effect on July 1, 2009, whereby qualitative drug screening was no
      longer recognized as medically reasonable and necessary in the treatment of
      patients with chronic noncancer pain unless the patient presents with suspected
      drug overdose. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective review of urine drug testing
      services. OBJECTIVE: To determine the extent of urine drug testing in patients
      with chronic noncancer pain in a large, Kentucky neuroscience practice offering
      pain management services combined with neurologic and neurosurgical services to
      better understand the potential effects of recent changes to Medicare benefits.
      METHODS: An audit of services provided during 2007 was conducted using computer
      software. OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcome measures included the number of practice
      services, number of urine drug tests by payor, and the number of noncompliant
      patients by payor who self-released from care. RESULTS: Urine drug tests
      represented approximately 18.2% of professional medical services rendered in 2007
      to patients with a diagnosis of chronic noncancer pain. Of these, UDTs
      represented approximately 22.2% of services provided to Medicare patients and
      24.6% of services provided to Medicaid patients. In 2007, 2,081 patients with
      noncompliant UDTs self released from the practice against medical advice. Of
      these, 23.1% were enrolled in Medicare and 47.5% were enrolled in Medicaid.
      Approximately 40% of patients were referred to the CARE Clinic on the basis of
      noncompliance as indicated by UDT and/or behavioral health issues. Of these,
      approximately 50% remained in treatment. Urine drug tests were also instrumental
      in revealing that 19.6% of patients showed signs of drug abuse or addiction. Of
      these patients, approximately 60% were government insured. LIMITATIONS: Not a
      prospective, double-blinded study. We approximated the proportion of patients
      potentially affected by drug abuse or addiction as the percentage of patients
      self releasing from medical care. CONCLUSION: In 2007, UDTs were used as an
      effective tool in adherence monitoring in a private neuroscience practice in
      Kentucky that offers pain management services combined with neurologic and
      neurosurgical services. UDTs were instrumental in referring 40% of patients for
      evaluation and treatment by behavioral health and addiction medicine specialists.
      UDTs were also instrumental in discovering signs of drug abuse or addiction in
      19.6% of patients. Of these patients, approximately 60% were government insured.
      Should the objective and reliable sign offered by UDTs be eliminated from the
      physician's toolbox, the physician's ability to accurately diagnose and treat
      these patients could be impaired.

PMID- 20309385
TI  - Neurostimulation article clarification.

PMID- 20309386
TI  - Herpes zoster: are selective nerve root injections the treatment or the cause?

PMID- 20309387
TI  - In response to Herpes zoster: are selective nerve root injections the treatment
      or the cause?

PMID- 20309388
TI  - Interventional pain management at crossroads: the perfect storm brewing for a new
      decade of challenges.
AB  - The health care industry in general and care of chronic pain in particular are
      described as recession-proof. However, a perfect storm with a confluence of many
      factors and events -none of which alone is particularly devastating - is brewing
      and may create a catastrophic force, even in a small specialty such as
      interventional pain management. Multiple challenges related to interventional
      pain management in the current decade will include individual and group
      physicians, office practices, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), and hospital
      outpatient departments (HOPD). Rising health care costs are discussed on a daily
      basis in the United States. The critics have claimed that health outcomes are the
      same as or worse than those in other countries, but others have presented the
      evidence that the United States has the best health care system. All agree it is
      essential to reduce costs. Numerous factors contribute to increasing health care
      costs. They include administrative costs, waste, abuse, and fraud. It has been
      claimed the U.S. health care system wastes up to $800 billion a year. Of this,
      fraud accounts for approximately $200 billion a year, involving fraudulent
      Medicare claims, kickbacks for referrals for unnecessary services, and other
      scams. Administrative inefficiency and redundant paperwork accounts for 18% of
      health care waste, whereas medical mistakes account for $50 billion to $100
      billion in unnecessary spending each year, or 11% of the total. Further, American
      physicians spend nearly 8 hours per week on paperwork and employ 1.66 clerical
      workers per doctor, more than any other country. It has been illustrated that it
      takes $60,000 to $88,000 per physician per year, equal to one-third of a family
      practitioner's gross income, and $23 to $31 billion each year in total to
      interact with health insurance plans. The studies have illustrated that an
      average physician spends $68,274 per year communicating with insurance companies
      and performing other non-medical functions. For an office-based practice, the
      overall total in the United States is $38.7 billion, or $85,276 per physician. In
      the United States there are 2 types of physician payment systems: private health
      care and Medicare. Medicare has moved away from the Medicare Economic Index (MEI)
      and introduced the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula which has led to cuts in
      physician payments on a yearly basis. In 2010 and beyond into the new decade,
      interventional pain management will see significant changes in how we practice
      medicine. There is focus on avoiding waste, abuse, fraud, and also cutting costs.
      Evidence-based medicine (EBM) and comparative effectiveness research (CER) have
      been introduced as cost-cutting and rationing measures, however, with biased
      approaches. This manuscript will analyze various issues related to interventional
      pain management with a critical analysis of physician payments, office facility
      payments, and ASC payments by various payor groups.

PMID- 20309389
TI  - Protocol for evaluation of the comparative effectiveness of percutaneous
      adhesiolysis and caudal epidural steroid injections in low back and/or lower
      extremity pain without post surgery syndrome or spinal stenosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Treatment of chronic low back pain with or without lower extremity
      pain continues to be a challenge. Epidural steroids are commonly utilized in
      patients after the failure of conservative treatment. The results of epidural
      steroid injections have been variable based on the pathophysiology, the route of
      administration, injected drugs, and utilization of fluoroscopy. In patients
      resistant to fluoroscopically directed epidural injections, percutaneous epidural
      adhesiolysis and percutaneous targeted delivery of injections with or without
      adhesiolysis has been recommended. Percutaneous adhesiolysis has been studied in
      chronic pain syndromes related to post laminectomy syndrome and spinal stenosis
      with encouraging results. There is a paucity of literature regarding the
      effectiveness of the targeted delivery of medications with or without epidural
      adhesiolysis in patients recalcitrant to epidural steroid injections without a
      history of surgery and spinal stenosis. STUDY DESIGN: A randomized, equivalence
      trial of percutaneous lumbar adhesiolysis and caudal epidural steroid injections
      in patients with low back and/or lower extremity pain without post surgery
      syndrome or spinal stenosis. SETTING: An interventional pain management practice
      setting in the United States. OBJECTIVE: The study is designed to evaluate the
      effectiveness of percutaneous epidural adhesiolysis in managing chronic low back
      and/or lower extremity pain in patients without post lumbar surgery syndrome or
      spinal stenosis and compare it with fluoroscopically directed caudal epidural
      steroid injections METHODS: The study design includes 120 patients randomly
      assigned into 2 groups. Group I (60 patients), the control group, will receive
      caudal epidural injections with catheterization up to S3 with local anesthetic,
      steroids, and 0.9% sodium chloride solution; Group II (60 patients), the
      intervention group, will receive percutaneous adhesiolysis with target delivery
      of lidocaine, 10% hypertonic sodium chloride solution, and non-participate
      betamethasone. Randomization will be performed by computer-generated random
      allocation sequence by simple randomization. OUTCOME MEASURES: Multiple outcome
      measures will be utilized including numeric rating scale (NRS), the Oswestry
      Disability Index 2.0 (ODI), employment status, and opioid intake with assessment
      at 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months post treatment. Significant pain relief is
      considered as 50% or more, whereas significant improvement in the disability
      score is defined as a reduction of 40% or more. RESULTS: The results will be
      analyzed to show significant relief as well as improvement in functional status.
      LIMITATIONS: This study is limited by potentially inadequate double blinding and
      the lack of a placebo group.

PMID- 20309390
TI  - Olfactory discrimination training up-regulates and reorganizes expression of
      microRNAs in adult mouse hippocampus.
AB  - Adult male mice (strain C57Bl/6J) were trained to execute nose-poke responses for
      water reinforcement; then they were randomly assigned to either of two groups:
      olfactory discrimination training (exposed to two odours with reward contingent
      upon correctly responding to one odour) or pseudo-training (exposed to two odours
      with reward not contingent upon response). These were run in yoked fashion and
      killed when the discrimination-trained mouse reached a learning criterion of 70%
      correct responses in 20 trials, occurring after three sessions (a total of
      approximately 40 min of training). The hippocampus was dissected bilaterally from
      each mouse (N = 7 in each group) and profiling of 585 miRNAs (microRNAs) was
      carried out using multiplex RT-PCR (reverse transcription-PCR) plates. A
      significant global up-regulation of miRNA expression was observed in the
      discrimination training versus pseudo-training comparison; when tested
      individually, 29 miRNAs achieved significance at P = 0.05. miR-10a showed a 2.7
      fold increase with training, and is predicted to target several learning-related
      mRNAs including BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), CAMK2b
      (calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IIbeta), CREB1 (cAMP-response
      element-binding protein 1) and ELAVL2 [ELAV (embryonic lethal, abnormal vision,
      Drosophila)-like; Hu B]. Analysis of miRNA pairwise correlations revealed the
      existence of several miRNA co-expression modules that were specific to the
      training group. These in vivo results indicate that significant, dynamic and co
      ordinated changes in miRNA expression accompany early stages of learning.

PMID- 20309391
TI  - Serial observations and mutational analysis of an adoptee with family history of
      hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
AB  - Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is an inherited cardiac disease with an
      autosomal dominant mode of transmission. Comprehensive genetic screening of
      several genes frequently found mutated in HCM is recommended for first-degree
      relatives of HCM patients. Genetic testing provides the means to identify those
      at risk of developing HCM and to institute measures to prevent sudden cardiac
      death (SCD). Here, we present an adoptee whose natural mother and maternal
      relatives were known be afflicted with HCM and SCD. The proband was followed
      closely from age 6 to 17 years, revealing a natural history of the progression of
      clinical findings associated with HCM. Genetic testing of the proband and her
      natural mother, who is affected by HCM, revealed that they were heterozygous for
      both the R719Q and T1513S variants in the cardiac beta-myosin heavy chain (MYH7)
      gene. The proband's ominous family history indicates that the combination of the
      R719Q and T1513S variants in cis may be a "malignant" variant that imparts a poor
      prognosis in terms of the disease progression and SCD risk.

PMID- 20309392
TI  - Severe outcome of pharyngeal-cervical-brachial pure motor axonal neuropathy.
AB  - We present two further cases of the pharyngeal-cervical-brachial (PCB) form of
      GBS, with unfavourable outcome, showing dramatic dissociation between upper and
      lower body Symptoms. Both patients showed rapidly progressive motor denervation
      with disappearance of Compound Muscle Action Potentials (CMAPs) in upper limbs
      muscles. Sensory Nerve Action Potentials (SNAPs) were instead normal. Normal
      reflexes, F waves and action potentials were elicited in lower limbs. Despite
      i.v. Immunoglobulin treatment no recovery was observed and both patients died
      within a year from onset of symptoms.

PMID- 20309393
TI  - Theoretical modeling for hepatic microwave ablation.
AB  - Thermal tissue ablation is an interventional procedure increasingly being used
      for treatment of diverse medical conditions. Microwave ablation is emerging as an
      attractive modality for thermal therapy of large soft tissue targets in short
      periods of time, making it particularly suitable for ablation of hepatic and
      other tumors. Theoretical models of the ablation process are a powerful tool for
      predicting the temperature profile in tissue and resultant tissue damage created
      by ablation devices. These models play an important role in the design and
      optimization of devices for microwave tissue ablation. Furthermore, they are a
      useful tool for exploring and planning treatment delivery strategies. This review
      describes the status of theoretical models developed for microwave tissue
      ablation. It also reviews current challenges, research trends and progress
      towards development of accurate models for high temperature microwave tissue
      ablation.

PMID- 20309394
TI  - Autonomic dysfunction presenting as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome in
      patients with multiple sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Autonomic dysfunction is common in patients suffering from multiple
      sclerosis (MS) and orthostatic dizziness occurs in almost 50% of these patients.
      However, there have been no reports on postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome
      (POTS) in patients suffering from MS. METHODS: The patients were included for
      analysis in this study if they had POTS with either a prior history of MS or
      having developed MS while being followed for POTS. Postural orthostatic
      tachycardia (POTS) is defined as symptoms of orthostatic intolerance(>6 months)
      accompanied by a heart rate increase of at least 30 beats/min (or a rate that
      exceeds 120 beats/min) that occurs in the first 10 minutes of upright posture or
      head up tilt test (HUTT) occurring in the absence of other chronic debilitating
      disorders. We identified nine patients with POTS who were suffering from MS as
      well. Each of these patients had been referred from various other centers for
      second opinions. RESULTS: The mean age at the time of diagnosis of POTS was 49+/
      9 years and eight of the 9 patients were women. Five patients (55%) had
      hyperlipidemia, 3 (33%) migraine and 2 (22%) patients had coronary artery disease
      and diabetes each. Fatigue and palpitations (on assuming upright posture) were
      the most common finding in our patients (9/9). All patients also had orthostatic
      dizziness. Syncope was seen in 5/9(55%) of patients. Four patients (44%), who did
      not have clear syncope, were having episodes of near syncope. The presence of
      POTS in our study population resulted in substantial limitation of daily
      activities. Following recognition and treatment of POTS, 6/9(66%), patients were
      able to resume daily activities of living. Their symptoms (especially fatigue and
      orthostatic intolerance) improved. The frequency and severity of syncope also
      improved. Three (33%) patients failed to show a good response to treatment.
      CONCLUSION: Patients suffering from MS may manifest autonomic dysfunction by
      developing POTS. Early recognition and proper management may help improve the
      symptoms of POTS.

PMID- 20309395
TI  - An Electrode Array for Limiting Blood Loss During Liver Resection: Optimization
      via Mathematical Modeling.
AB  - Liver resection is the current standard treatment for patients with both primary
      and metastatic liver cancer. The principal causes of morbidity and mortality
      after liver resection are related to blood loss (typically between 0.5 and 1 L),
      especially in cases where transfusion is required. Blood transfusions have been
      correlated with decreased long-term survival, increased risk of perioperative
      mortality and complications. The goal of this study was to evaluate different
      designs of a radiofrequency (RF) electrode array for use during liver resection.
      The purpose of this electrode array is to coagulate a slice of tissue including
      large vessels before resecting along that plane, thereby significantly reducing
      blood loss. Finite Element Method models were created to evaluate monopolar and
      bipolar power application, needle and blade shaped electrodes, as well as
      different electrode distances. Electric current density, temperature
      distribution, and coagulation zone sizes were measured. The best performance was
      achieved with a design of blade shaped electrodes (5 x 0.1 mm cross section)
      spaced 1.5 cm apart. The electrodes have power applied in bipolar mode to two
      adjacent electrodes, then switched sequentially in short intervals between
      electrode pairs to rapidly heat the tissue slice. This device produces a ~1.5 cm
      wide coagulation zone, with temperatures over 97 masculineC throughout the tissue
      slice within 3 min, and may facilitate coagulation of large vessels.

PMID- 20309396
TI  - Preparation, characterization, and in vitro release study of albendazole
      encapsulated nanosize liposomes.
AB  - The purpose of the present study was to formulate effective and controlled
      release albendazole liposomal formulations. Albendazole, a hydrophobic drug used
      for the treatment of hydatid cysts, was encapsulated in nanosize liposomes. Rapid
      evaporation method was used for the preparation of albendazole-encapsulated
      conventional and PEGylated liposomes consisting of egg phosphatidylcholine (PC)
      and cholesterol (CH) in the molar ratios of (6:4) and PC:CH: polyethylene glycol
      (PEG) (5:4:1), respectively. In this study, PEGylated and conventional liposomes
      containing albendazole were prepared and their characteristics, such as particle
      size, encapsulation efficiency, and in vitro drug release were investigated. The
      drug encapsulation efficiency of PEGylated and conventional liposomes was 81% and
      72%, respectively. The biophysical characterization of both conventional and PEG
      coated liposomes were done by transmission electron microscopy and UV-vis
      spectrophotometry. Efforts were made to study in vitro release of albendazole.
      The drug release rate showed decrease in albendazole release in descending order:
      free albendazole, albendazole-loaded conventional liposomes, and least with
      albendazole-loaded PEG-liposomes. Biologically relevant vesicles were prepared
      and in vitro release of liposome-entrapped albendazole was determined.

PMID- 20309397
TI  - Effect of Fe(3)O(4)-magnetic nanoparticles on acute exercise enhanced KCNQ(1)
      expression in mouse cardiac muscle.
AB  - While the potential impact of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) has been widely
      explored in almost all medical fields, including cardiology, one question
      remains; that is whether MNPs interfere with cardiac physiological processes such
      as the expression and function of ion channels, especially in vivo. KCNQ(1)
      channels are richly expressed in cardiac myocytes and are critical to the
      repolarization of cardiac myocytes. In this study, we evaluated the effects of
      Fe(3)O(4)-magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs-Fe(3)O(4)) on the expression of KCNQ(1) in
      cardiac muscle of mice at rest and at different times following a single bout of
      swimming (SBS). Firstly, we demonstrated that the expression levels of KCNQ(1)
      channels are significantly up-regulated in mice following a SBS by means of
      reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western-blot. After
      treating mice with normal saline or pure MNPs-Fe(3)O(4) separately, we studied
      the potential effect of MNPs-Fe(3)O(4) on the expression profile of KCNQ(1) in
      mouse cardiac muscle following a SBS. A SBS increased the transcription of
      KCNQ(1) at 3 hours post exercise (3PE) 164% +/- 24% and at 12 hours post exercise
      (12PE) by 159% +/- 23% (P < 0.05), and up-regulated KCNQ(1) protein 161% +/- 27%
      at 12PE (P < 0.05) in saline mice. In MNPs-Fe(3)O(4) mice, KCNQ(1) mRNA increased
      by 151% +/- 14% and 147% +/- 12% at 3 and 12 PE, respectively (P <0.05).
      Meanwhile, an increase of 152% +/- 14% in KCNQ(1) protein was also detected at by
      12PE. These results indicated that the administration of MNPs-Fe(3)O(4) did not
      cause any apparent effects on the expression profile of KCNQ(1) in rested or
      exercised mice cardiac muscle. Our studies suggest a novel path of KCNQ(1)
      current adaptations in the heart during physical exercise and in addition provide
      some useful information for the biomedical application of MNPs which are
      imperative to advance nanomedicine.

PMID- 20309399
TI  - The investigation of polymer-siRNA nanoparticle for gene therapy of gastric
      cancer in vitro.
AB  - Small interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules have significant therapeutic promise for
      the genetic treatment of cancer. To overcome instability and low transfection
      efficiency, polyethylene glycol-polyethyleneimine (PEG-PEI) was synthesized and
      investigated as a non-viral carrier of siRNA targeting CD44v6 in gastric
      carcinoma cells. The size, surface charge using zeta potential, and morphology
      via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of PEG-PEI/siRNA nanoparticles was
      characterized, and their cytotoxicity, transfection efficiency, and interaction
      with SGC7901 human gastric carcinoma cells was evaluated. The transfection
      efficiency of PEG-PEI/siRNA nanocomplexes was dependant on the charge ratio
      between amino groups of PEG-PEI and phosphate groups of siRNA (N/P) values, which
      reflected the molar ratio of PEG-PEI to siRNA during complex formation. The
      transfection efficiency of PEG-PEI/siRNA at N/P 15 was 72.53% +/- 2.38%, which
      was higher than that observed using Lipofectamine 2000 and PEI as delivery
      carriers. Cytotoxicity of PEG-PEI was determined by MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2
      yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay and was obviously lower than that of
      PEI. Moreover, when N/P was below 15, PEG-PEI/siRNA was less toxic than
      Lipofectamine 2000/siRNA. RT-PCR (real time polymerase chain reaction) and
      Western blot analyses of CD44v6 expression demonstrated the gene silencing effect
      of PEG-PEI/siRNA at N/P 15. These data indicate that PEG-PEI may be a promising
      non-viral carrier for altering gene expression in the treatment of gastric cancer
      with many advantages, such as relatively high gene transfection efficiency and
      low cytotoxicity.

PMID- 20309398
TI  - Combination of calcipotriol and methotrexate in nanostructured lipid carriers for
      topical delivery.
AB  - The combination of calcipotriol with methotrexate can strengthen the topical
      therapy for psoriasis. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the potential
      of nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) loaded with lipophilic calcipotriol and
      hydrophilic methotrexate as topical therapy. NLCs composed of Precirol ATO 5 with
      various amounts of squalene as the liquid lipid were prepared. The particle size,
      surface charge, molecular environment, drug permeation, and skin irritation of
      the carriers were assessed. Hyperproliferative skin was also used as a permeation
      barrier in this study. It was found that variations in the Precirol/squalene
      ratio had profound effects on the physicochemical characteristics of the NLCs.
      The range of particle size of the NLC preparations was 270 to 320 nm, with
      vehicles containing a higher Precirol amount exhibiting a larger diameter. NLCs
      with a higher Precirol/squalene ratio also showed greater polarity in their
      molecular environment. Calcipotriol-loaded NLC systems provided drug fluxes of
      0.62 to 1.08 microg/cm(2)/h, which were slightly higher or comparable to the 30%
      ethanol vehicle (control, 0.72 microg/cm(2)/h). The methotrexate amount
      permeating the skin was 2.4 to 4.4-times greater using NLCs compared to that with
      the control. Dual drug-loaded NLCs exhibited reduced skin permeation of
      calcipotriol but not methotrexate. The in vivo topical delivery examined by
      confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) showed a good correlation with the in
      vitro results. These two drugs with extremely different polarities can
      successfully be combined in NLCs. Results suggest that NLCs may have the
      potential to serve as delivery carriers for antipsoriatic drugs because of
      enhanced drug permeation and limited skin irritation.

PMID- 20309401
TI  - Novel USH2A compound heterozygous mutations cause RP/USH2 in a Chinese family.
AB  - PURPOSE: To identify the disease-causing gene in a four-generation Chinese family
      affected with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). METHODS: Linkage analysis was performed
      with a panel of microsatellite markers flanking the candidate genetic loci of RP.
      These loci included 38 known RP genes. The complete coding region and exon-intron
      boundaries of Usher syndrome 2A (USH2A) were sequenced with the proband DNA to
      screen the disease-causing gene mutation. Restriction fragment length
      polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and direct DNA sequence analysis were done to
      demonstrate co-segregation of the USH2A mutations with the family disease. One
      hundred normal controls were used without the mutations. RESULTS: The disease
      causing gene in this Chinese family was linked to the USH2A locus on chromosome
      1q41. Direct DNA sequence analysis of USH2A identified two novel mutations in the
      patients: one missense mutation p.G1734R in exon 26 and a splice site mutation,
      IVS32+1G>A, which was found in the donor site of intron 32 of USH2A. Neither the
      p.G1734R nor the IVS32+1G>A mutation was found in the unaffected family members
      or the 100 normal controls. One patient with a homozygous mutation displayed only
      RP symptoms until now, while three patients with compound heterozygous mutations
      in the family of study showed both RP and hearing impairment. CONCLUSIONS: This
      study identified two novel mutations: p.G1734R and IVS32+1G>A of USH2A in a four
      generation Chinese RP family. In this study, the heterozygous mutation and the
      homozygous mutation in USH2A may cause Usher syndrome Type II or RP,
      respectively. These two mutations expand the mutant spectrum of USH2A.

PMID- 20309402
TI  - Analysis of microsatellite polymorphisms within the GLC1F locus in Japanese
      patients with normal tension glaucoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate whether the GLC1F locus is associated with normal tension
      glaucoma (NTG) in Japanese patients. METHODS: We recruited 242 unrelated Japanese
      subjects, including, 141 NTG patients and 101 healthy controls. The patients
      exhibiting a comparatively early onset were selected as they suggest that genetic
      factors may show stronger involvement. Genotyping and assessment of allelic
      diversity was performed on 11 highly polymorphic microsatellite markers in and
      around the GLC1F locus. RESULTS: Individuals carrying the 163 allele of D7S1277i
      had a statistically significant increased risk of NTG (p=0.0013, pc=0.016,
      OR=2.47, 95%CI=1.42-4.30). None of the other markers identified significant loci
      (pc>0.05) after Bonferroni's correction. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggested
      that the genes in the GLC1F locus may be associated with the pathogenesis of NTG.

PMID- 20309404
TI  - The UNITAID Patent Pool Initiative: Bringing Patents Together for the Common
      Good.
AB  - Developing and delivering appropriate, affordable, well-adapted medicines for
      HIV/AIDS remains an urgent challenge: as first-line therapies fail, increasing
      numbers of people require costly second-line therapy; one-third of ARVs are not
      available in pediatric formulations; and certain key first- and second-line
      triple fixed-dose combinations do not exist or sufficient suppliers are lacking.
      UNITAID aims to help solve these problems through an innovative initiative for
      the collective management of intellectual property (IP) rights - a patent pool
      for HIV medicines. The idea behind a patent pool is that patent holders -
      companies, governments, researchers or universities - voluntarily offer, under
      certain conditions, the IP related to their inventions to the patent pool. Any
      company that wants to use the IP to produce or develop medicines can seek a
      license from the pool against the payment of royalties, and may then produce the
      medicines for use in developing countries (conditional upon meeting agreed
      quality standards). The patent pool will be a voluntary mechanism, meaning its
      success will largely depend on the willingness of pharmaceutical companies to
      participate and commit their IP to the pool. Generic producers must also be
      willing to cooperate. The pool has the potential to provide benefits to all.

PMID- 20309403
TI  - Variable phenotypic expressivity in a Swiss family with autosomal dominant
      retinitis pigmentosa due to a T494M mutation in the PRPF3 gene.
AB  - PURPOSE: To characterize the clinical, psychophysical, and electrophysiological
      phenotypes in a five-generation Swiss family with dominantly inherited retinitis
      pigmentosa caused by a T494M mutation in the Precursor mRNA-Processing factor 3
      (PRPF3) gene, and to relate the phenotype to the underlying genetic mutation.
      METHODS: Eleven affected patients were ascertained for phenotypic and genotypic
      characterization. Ophthalmologic evaluations included color vision testing,
      Goldmann perimetry, and digital fundus photography. Some patients had
      autofluorescence imaging, Optical Coherence Tomography, and ISCEV-standard full
      field electroretinography. All affected patients had genetic testing. RESULTS:
      The age of onset of night blindness and the severity of the progression of the
      disease varied between members of the family. Some patients reported early onset
      of night blindness at age three, with subsequent severe deterioration of visual
      acuity, which was 0.4 in the best eye after their fifties. The second group of
      patients had a later onset of night blindness, in the mid-twenties, with a milder
      disease progression and a visual acuity of 0.8 at age 70. Fundus autofluorescence
      imaging and electrophysiological and visual field abnormalities also showed some
      degree of varying phenotypes. The autofluorescence imaging showed a large high
      density ring bilaterally. Myopia (range: -0.75 to -8) was found in 10/11 affected
      subjects. Fundus findings showed areas of atrophy along the arcades. A T494M
      change was found in exon 11 of the PRPF3 gene. The change segregates with the
      disease in the family. CONCLUSIONS: A mutation in the PRPF3 gene is rare compared
      to other genes causing autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (ADRP). Although a
      T494M change has been reported, the family in our study is the first with
      variable expressivity. Mutations in the PRPF3 gene can cause a variable ADRP
      phenotype, unlike in the previously described Danish, English, and Japanese
      families. Our report, based on one of the largest affected pedigree, provides a
      better understanding as to the phenotype/genotype description of ADRP caused by a
      PRPF3 mutation.

PMID- 20309405
TI  - No Higher Risk of CRPS After External Fixation of Distal Radial Fractures -
      Subgroup Analysis Under Randomised Vitamin C Prophylaxis.
AB  - Operative and conservative treatment of wrist fractures might lead to complex
      regional pain syndrome (CRPS) type I.In our multicenter dose response study in
      which patients with distal radial fractures were randomly allocated to placebo or
      vitamin C in a daily dose of 200mg, 500mg or 1500mg during 50 days, an operated
      subgroup was analyzed.48 (of 427) fractures) were operated (11.2%). Twenty-nine
      patients (60%) were treated with external fixation, 14 patients (29%) with K
      wiring according to Kapandji and five patients (10%) with internal plate
      fixation. The 379 remaining patients were treated with a plaster.In the operated
      group of patients who received vitamin C no CRPS (0/37) was seen in comparison
      with one case of CRPS (Kapandji technique) in the operated group who received
      placebo (1/11 = 9%, p=.23). There was no CRPS after external fixation.In the
      conservatively treated group 17 cases of CRPS (17/379 = 4.5%) occurred in
      comparison with one in case of CRPS in the operated group (1/48 = 2.1%,
      p=.71).External fixation doesn't necessarily lead to a higher incidence of CRPS
      in distal radial fractures. Vitamin C may also play a role in this. This subgroup
      analysis in operated distal radial fractures showed no CRPS occurrence with
      vitamin C prophylaxis.

PMID- 20309406
TI  - Primary shoulder arthroplasty versus conservative treatment for comminuted
      proximal humeral fractures: a systematic literature review.
AB  - The objective was to identify whether arthroplasty or conservative treatment is
      the best available treatment for three- and four-part proximal humeral fractures
      by analyzing the outcome measure of the Constant score. We conducted an
      electronic search. The systematic review included 33 studies encompassing 1096
      patients with three- or four-part proximal humeral fractures that used the
      Constant score as outcome measure. The mean Constant score in the conservative
      group was 66.5 and in the arthroplasty group was 55.5. The difference could be
      attributed to selection bias, unreliable classification of the fractures and
      inter-observer differences in the assessment of the Constant score.

PMID- 20309407
TI  - Rare Lipomatous Tumors with Osseous and/or Chondroid Differentiation in the Oral
      Cavity Report of Two Cases and Review of the Literature.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to determine the clinicopathological and
      immunohistochemical features of lipoma/fibrolipoma with rare occasions as osseous
      and/or chondroid differentiation in the oral cavity. Two cases of the tumors, who
      presented with a painless, relatively hard mass on the oral mucosa, were studied.
      These were consisted of a well-circumscribed mass of fatty tissue with chondroid
      and significant fibrous component intermixed with the lobules of fat cells with
      chondroid and woven bone component, respectively. Immunohistochemical study
      revealed that peripheral spindle cells around chondroid tissue stained diffusely
      for S-100 alpha & beta and Sox-9, though peripheral spindle cells around osteoid
      tissue only stained for RUNX-2. According to review of the literature,
      lipoma/fibrolipoma with osseous and/or chondroid differentiation was 18 cases.
      Also fibrolipoma with osseous and chondroid differentiation is the first to be
      reported here. These results indicated that the cartilage/bone is produced by
      differentiation of undifferentiated mesenchymal cells of stroma.

PMID- 20309409
TI  - Effect of educational level on oral health in peritoneal and hemodialysis
      patients.
AB  - Background. In previous studies, the oral and dental health statuses were
      compared in hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients without
      taking into account the effect of educational levels on oral health. Hence we
      aimed to make a comparison of these parameters based upon the subjects
      educational levels. Patients and Methods. 76 PD (33 males, 43 females-mean age:
      44 +/- 12 years) and 100 HD (56 males, 44 females-mean age: 46 +/- 14 years)
      patients were included. The number of decayed, missing and filled teeth were
      detected, DMFT index was calculated and plaque index (PI) values were assessed.
      Results. Significantly higher numbers of filled teeth (P < .001) and lower PI
      values (P < .01) in the PD group were detected with higher educational levels,
      whereas no significance was detected in the HD group. Higher DMFT index values
      were assessed in the lower educated and high school levels in PD than HD patients
      (P < .05). Higher numbers of filled teeth (P < .05) were detected in the
      secondary school level in PD patients. This difference was even more significant
      in the high school level (P < .001). Conclusion. We assume that PD patients, who
      were found to be in a higher educational level, are more caring for their oral
      health as compared to HD patients.

PMID- 20309408
TI  - Restoration of endodontically treated teeth review and treatment recommendations.
AB  - Coronal restorations and posts can positively influence the long-term prognosis
      of teeth following root canal therapy. Final sealing the canal by placing an
      appropriate post and core will minimize leakage of oral fluids and bacteria into
      the periradicular area and is recommended as soon as possible after completion of
      root canal filling. Glass ionomer or MTA placed over the residual root canal
      filling after post space preparation may be effective to prevent bacterial
      leakage. A ferrule of 1-2 mm of tooth tissue coronal to the finish line of the
      crown significantly improves the fracture resistance of the tooth and is more
      important than the type of the material the core and post are made of.

PMID- 20309410
TI  - Correlation of hepatitis C antibody levels in gingival crevicular fluid and
      saliva of hepatitis C seropositive hemodialysis patients.
AB  - Search for hepatitis C virus (HCV) in body fluids other than blood is important
      when assessing possible nonparenteral routes of viral transmission. However, the
      role of oral fluids in HCV transmission remains controversial. Our aim was to
      compare the prevalence of HCV antibody (HCV Ab) levels in saliva, and gingival
      crevicular fluid (GCF) of HCV seropositive hemodialysis patients. Serum, saliva
      and GCF samples were collected from thirty-nine patients. Samples were analyzed
      for HCV Ab using the Ortho HCV 3.0 SAVe enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
      (ELISA). HCH Ab levels in saliva and GCF of all HCV-seropositive patients were
      statistically compared. Reported here are the results of the study designed to
      determine the correlation between HCV-RNA positivity in serum and the detection
      of antibodies in GCF and saliva. One hundred percent (100%) of the 39 patients
      have antibodies to HCV in their serum, 15.4% have antibodies to HCV in GCF, and
      saliva found out. HCV Ab seropositivity in GCF and saliva was significantly
      correlated (kappa = 0.462; P < .001). This study supports the concept that GCF
      may be a significant source of HCV in saliva.

PMID- 20309411
TI  - Determination of cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone levels in saliva for
      screening of periodontitis in older Japanese adults.
AB  - Background. Recent reports have found a positive relationship between
      periodontitis and the hormones cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). We
      investigated the associations between those levels and periodontitis in never
      smokers and smokers of elderly subjects. Subjects and Methods. Cortisol and DHEA
      levels in saliva were determined in 171 subjects (85 males, 86 females), with
      clinical examinations including probing depth (PD) and clinical attachment loss
      (CAL) also performed. Results. Smoking had effects on cortisol and DHEA levels,
      and those were significantly associated with severe PD and CAL in never-smokers.
      According to ROC analysis, the cutoff values of cortisol and DHEA to obtain the
      optimal sensitivity and specificity for detecting severe periodontitis were 2.06
      ng/mL and 60.24 pg/mL, respectively, for PD, and 2.12 ng/mL and 61.78 pg/mL,
      respectively, for CAL. Conclusions. Assessment of hormone levels may be a useful
      screening method for periodontitis, though limited to never-smokers.

PMID- 20309412
TI  - Comparison of the Keratometric Corneal Astigmatic Power after
      Phacoemulsification: Clear Temporal Corneal Incision versus Superior Scleral
      Tunnel Incision.
AB  - Objective. This is prospective randomized control trial to compare the mean
      keratometric corneal astigmatism diopter power (not surgical induced astigmatism)
      among preop and one-month and three-month postop phacoemulcification of either a
      clear temporal corneal incision or a superior scleral tunnel Incision, using only
      keratometric astigmatic power reading to evaluate the difference between the two
      cataract surgery incisions. Methods. 120 patients (134 eyes) underwent
      phacoemulcification were randomly assigned to two groups: Group A, the clear
      temporal corneal incision group, and Group B, the superior scleral tunnel
      incision group. SPSS11.5 Software was used for statistical analysis to compare
      the postsurgical changes of cornea astigmatism on keratometry. Results. The
      changes of corneal astigmatic diopter in Groups A and B after 3 month postop from
      keratometric reading were 1.04 + 0.76 and 0.94 + 0.27, respectively (P = .84
      >.05), which showed no statistic significance difference. Conclusion. The
      incision through either temporal clear cornea or superior scleral tunnel in
      phacoemulcification shows no statistic difference in astigmatism change on
      keratometry 3-month postop.

PMID- 20309413
TI  - Undiagnosed patent foramen ovale presenting as retinal artery occlusion-an
      emerging association.
AB  - Purpose. To report patent foramen ovale (PFO) as the cause of retinal artery
      occlusion in a young and previously fit male and discuss the appropriate medical
      and surgical management options. Methods. Interventional case report with serial
      fundus photographs of an 18-year-old male presenting to the eye casualty with
      sudden onset left visual loss. Results. Visual acuities were 6/24 left and 6/4
      right with a left afferent pupillary defect. Slitlamp examination confirmed a
      left hemiretinal artery occlusion and subsequent cardiology review with
      transoesophageal echocardiography revealed patent foramen ovale which was closed
      surgically. Conclusions. PFO is not uncommon and is often covert but predisposes
      individuals to embolic events. These events may be ophthalmic with visual
      sequelae and so ophthalmologists, physicians, and other healthcare personnel
      should be aware of this important and emerging association.

PMID- 20309414
TI  - Secretory Leukoprotease Inhibitor: A Native Antimicrobial Protein in the Innate
      Immune Response in a Rat Model of S. aureus Keratitis.
AB  - Purpose. To describe the presence of secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor
      (SLPI), a cationic peptide with antimicrobial and antiprotease activity in the
      innate immune reaction in a rat model of Staphylococcus aureus keratitis.
      Methods. Forty female Lewis rats were divided into 2 groups: the infectious
      keratitis and the epithelial defect groups. Eyes were processed for
      immunohistochemical studies for SLPI, interleukin-1, interleukin-6, tumor
      necrosis factor-alpha, and matrix metalloproteinase-8. Results.
      Immunohistochemical studies confirmed high levels of SLPI, IL-1, IL-6, TNF-alpha,
      and MMP-8 expression in eyes with S. aureus keratitis and with epithelial
      defects, in contrast to undetectable SLPI expression in the normal control
      corneas. Conclusions. To our knowledge, this paper is the first to demonstrate
      the presence of SLPI with increased amounts of proinflammatory cytokines in
      inflamed and infected corneas.

PMID- 20309415
TI  - Normal speed and accuracy of saccade and vergence eye movements in dyslexic
      reader children.
AB  - Objective. Latency of eye movements depends on cortical structures while speed of
      execution and accuracy depends mostly on subcortical brainstem structures. Prior
      studies reported in dyslexic reader children abnormalities of latencies of
      saccades (isolated and combined with vergence); such abnormalities were
      attributed to deficits of fixation control and of visual attention. In this study
      we examine speed and accuracy characteristics of horizontal eye movements in
      natural space (saccades, vergence and combined movements) in dyslexic reader
      children. Methods. Two paradigms are tested: gap paradigm (fixation offset 200 ms
      prior to target onset), producing shorter latencies, in both non-dyslexic reader
      and dyslexic reader children and simultaneous paradigm. Seventeen dyslexic reader
      children (mean age: 12 +/- 0.08 years) and thirteen non-dyslexic reader children
      (mean age: 12 +/- 1 years) were tested. Horizontal eye movements from both eyes
      were recorded simultaneously by a photoelectric device (Oculometer, Dr. Bouis).
      Results. For all movements tested (saccades, vergence, isolated or combined) and
      for both paradigms, the mean velocity and accuracy were similar in dyslexic
      readers and non-dyslexic readers; no significant difference was found.
      Conclusion. This negative but important result, suggests no dysfunction of
      brainstem ocular motor circuits in dyslexic readers. It contrasts results on
      latencies related to visual attention dysfunction at cortical level.

PMID- 20309416
TI  - Contribution of a real depth distance stereoacuity test to clinical management.
AB  - Measurement of Stereopsis forms an important part of the clinical assessment of
      patients with disorders of ocular motility. The introduction of a real depth
      distance stereoacuity test (FD2) was evaluated in clinical practice and to what
      extent the introduction affected clinical management. Seventy-three patients
      under evaluation before and following the introduction of the test were included.
      Combined thresholds were measured at near using the Frisby and TNO test and at
      distance using the FD2. Fifty healthy controls were included. Forty-five patients
      demonstrated Stereopsis using the FD2 and 23 of these had a change in their
      management based in part on their responses using the FD2. Patients with evidence
      of Stereopsis using the FD2 were significantly more likely to have change in
      their management than expected from the whole sample (P = .02). The introduction
      of a real depth distance stereoacuity test into clinical practice contributed to
      a change in management when used in conjunction with other tests. The usefulness
      of the FD2 is limited by its range at 6 m. Use at closer distances necessitates
      the calculation of binocular threshold from the combined and monocular threshold.

PMID- 20309417
TI  - Stigma of People with HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Literature Review.
AB  - The aim of this literature review is to elucidate what is known about HIV/AIDS
      and stigma in Sub-Saharan Africa. Literature about HIV/AIDS and stigma in Sub
      Saharan Africa was systematically searched in Pubmed, Medscape, and Psycinfo up
      to March 31, 2009. No starting date limit was specified. The material was
      analyzed using Gilmore and Somerville's (1994) four processes of stigmatizing
      responses: the definition of the problem HIV/AIDS, identification of people
      living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), linking HIV/AIDS to immorality and other negative
      characteristics, and finally behavioural consequences of stigma (distancing,
      isolation, discrimination in care). It was found that the cultural construction
      of HIV/AIDS, based on beliefs about contamination, sexuality, and religion, plays
      a crucial role and contributes to the strength of distancing reactions and
      discrimination in society. Stigma prevents the delivery of effective social and
      medical care (including taking antiretroviral therapy) and also enhances the
      number of HIV infections. More qualitative studies on HIV/AIDS stigma including
      stigma in health care institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa are recommended.

PMID- 20309418
TI  - Infant sleeping environment in South-eastern Nigeria (sleeping place and sleeping
      position): a preliminary survey.
AB  - Objective. To determine infant sleeping position/place and the factors associated
      with them in South-eastern Nigeria. Methods. this is a cross-sectional study on
      infant sleeping environment. Subjects were the mother/ infant pairs that attended
      the well baby clinics at the Institute of Child Health of the University of
      Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu (ICH-UNTH), Mother of Christ Specialist Hospital
      (MCSH), Enugu and the Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital (EBSUTH),
      Abakaliki. Results. Lying on the side was the most common (51.1%) and the least
      stable sleeping position. Only 36.6% of infants who slept in that position were
      likely to be found in the same position the following morning; lying supine was
      the most stable (74.1%). The difference in stability of sleeping positions was
      statistically significant (P < .01). Twenty six point seven percent of the
      mothers routinely lay their infants in prone position. On logistic regression,
      maternal parity was the only factor that was predictive of nonprone sleeping
      position (P = .01). Bed sharing, though common (66.9%), was more among the
      experienced (P = .03) and less educated mothers (P < .01). Conclusion. There is a
      high level of prone sleeping position and bed sharing among infants in this study
      site. The potential consequences of these are unclear. There is therefore a need
      to conduct local studies to clarify its implication.

PMID- 20309419
TI  - Front-loading sputum microscopy services: an opportunity to optimise smear-based
      case detection of tuberculosis in high prevalence countries.
AB  - Setting. Ethiopia, Nepal, Nigeria, and Yemen. Objective. To reduce the time to
      complete sputum microscopy. Design. Cross-sectional surveys enrolling 923
      patients with chronic cough in the 4 countries and using similar protocols. Spot
      morning-spot sputum specimens were collected. An additional sputum specimen
      (Xspot) was collected one hour after the first, and the yields of the first two
      or the three specimens collected as spot-morning-spot or spot-Xspot-morning were
      compared. Results. 216 patients had >/= one positive smear. 210 (97%) were
      identified by the spot-morning-spot, and 210 (97%) were identified by the spot
      Xspot-morning specimens, with 203 and 200 identified by the first 2 specimens of
      each approach, respectively. Neither difference was significant. Conclusions. The
      time to complete smear microscopy could be reduced.

PMID- 20309420
TI  - Factors associated with coverage and usage of long-lasting insecticidal nets in
      madagascar.
AB  - In October 2007, long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) were distributed in 59 of
      the 111 districts in Madagascar as part of a nationwide child survival campaign.
      A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted six months post-campaign
      to evaluate net ownership, use and equity. Here, we examined the effects of
      socioeconomic factors on LLIN ownership and usage in districts with and without
      net distribution during the campaign. Our data demonstrated that in districts
      with LLIN distribution, LLIN ownership was similar across all wealth groups in
      households with at least one child under the age of five years (90.5% versus
      88.6%); in districts without net distribution, 57.8% of households in the poorest
      tertile compared to 90.1% of households in the least poor tertile owned at least
      one LLIN. In contrast, in LLIN-owning households, both in districts with and
      without net distribution, higher socio-economic status was not associated with
      use among children under five years. These findings suggest that socio-economic
      status contributes to the household net ownership but once a household owns a
      net, socio-economic status is not associated with net use.

PMID- 20309421
TI  - Simple Liver Cyst as a Focus of Salmonella paratyphi Abscess: A Case Report.
AB  - Salmonellosis, endemic in various part of the world, is considered a differential
      diagnosis in a tropical traveller. Although it usually presents as
      gastroenteritis, its various clinical syndromes may vary from mild
      gastroenteritis to severe septicaemia including abscess formation, the later two
      being the most common cause of morbidity and mortality. Here we present a patient
      who returned to the UK after an overseas trip and was diagnosed with a pyogenic
      liver abscess with Salmonella paratyphi at a site of a pre-existing simple liver
      cyst.

PMID- 20309422
TI  - Journal of Hematopathology listed in PubMed!

PMID- 20309423
TI  - Recent advances in bone marrow biopsy pathology.
AB  - The second quarter of 2009 saw steady advances in bone marrow biopsy (BMB)
      pathology. The following publications are a personal selection of the highlights.
      Quality issues in diagnostic immunohistochemistry for BMB have largely been
      ignored in external quality assurance programmes, and this issue is highlighted.
      In other areas, publications reflecting advances in flow cytometry and aspirate
      morphology are discussed where translation to the BMB is possible.
      Classifications undergo constant change, and several publications address the
      redefinition of the cut off points between malignancy, benign, and normal.
      Lastly, current scientific research is presented where it is relevant to the
      understanding of BMB pathobiology.

PMID- 20309424
TI  - Carcinoma and multiple lymphomas in one patient: establishing the diagnoses and
      analyzing risk factors.
AB  - Multiple malignancies may occur in the same patient, and a few reports describe
      cases with multiple hematologic and non-hematologic neoplasms. We report the case
      of a patient who showed the sequential occurrence of four different lymphoid
      neoplasms together with a squamous cell carcinoma of the lung. A 62-year-old man
      with adenopathy was admitted to the hospital, and lymph node biopsy was positive
      for low-grade follicular lymphoma. He achieved a partial remission with
      chemotherapy. Two years later, a PET-CT scan showed a left hilar mass in the
      lung; biopsy showed a squamous cell carcinoma. Simultaneously, he was diagnosed
      with diffuse large B cell lymphoma in a neck lymph node; after chemo- and
      radiotherapy, he achieved a complete response. A restaging PET-CT scan 2 years
      later revealed a retroperitoneal nodule, and biopsy again showed a low-grade
      follicular lymphoma, while a biopsy of a cutaneous scalp lesion showed a CD30
      positive peripheral T cell lymphoma. After some months, a liver biopsy and a
      right cervical lymph node biopsy showed a CD30-positive peripheral T cell
      lymphoma consistent with anaplastic lymphoma kinase-negative anaplastic large
      cell lymphoma. Flow cytometry and cytogenetic and molecular genetic analysis
      performed at diagnosis and during the patient's follow-up confirmed the presence
      of two clonally distinct B cell lymphomas, while the two T cell neoplasms were
      confirmed to be clonally related. We discuss the relationship between multiple
      neoplasms occurring in the same patient and the various possible risk factors
      involved in their development.

PMID- 20309426
TI  - Hematopathology: a decade into the new millennium.

PMID- 20309425
TI  - New developments in the pathology of malignant lymphoma: a review of the
      literature published from January to August 2009.

PMID- 20309427
TI  - A cytomorphological and immunohistochemical profile of aggressive B-cell
      lymphoma: high clinical impact of a cumulative immunohistochemical outcome
      predictor score.
AB  - We analyzed morphological and immunohistochemical features in 174 aggressive B
      cell lymphomas of nodal and extranodal origin. Morphological features included
      presence or absence of a follicular component and cytologic criteria according to
      the Kiel classification, whereas immunohistochemical studies included expression
      of CD10, BCL-2, BCL-6, IRF4/MUM1, HLA-DR, p53, Ki-67 and the assessment of
      plasmacytoid differentiation. Patients were treated with a CHOP-like regimen.
      While the presence or absence of either CD10, BCL-6 and IRF4/MUM1 reactivity or
      plasmacytoid differentiation did not identify particular cytomorphologic or site
      specific subtypes, we found that expression of CD10 and BCL-6, and a low
      reactivity for IRF4/MUM1 were favourable prognostic indicators. In contrast, BCL
      2 expression and presence of a monotypic cytoplasmic immunoglobulin expression
      was associated with an unfavourable prognosis in univariate analyses. Meta
      analysis of these data resulted in the development of a cumulative
      immunohistochemical outcome predictor score (CIOPS) enabling the recognition of
      four distinct prognostic groups. Multivariate analysis proved this score to be
      independent of the international prognostic index. Such a cumulative
      immunohistochemical scoring approach might provide a valuable alternative in the
      recognition of defined risk types of aggressive B-cell lymphomas.

PMID- 20309428
TI  - P38 mitogen activated protein kinase expression and regulation by interleukin-4
      in human B cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas.
AB  - The prevalence and regulation of p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK)
      expression in human lymphomas have not been extensively studied. In order to
      elucidate the role of p38 MAPK in lymphomagenesis, we examined the expression of
      native and phosphorylated p38 (p-p38) MAPK in cell lines derived from human
      hematopoietic neoplasms including B cell lymphoma-derived cell lines using
      Western blot analysis. The p-p38 MAPK protein was also analyzed in 30 B cell non
      Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) tissue biopsies by immunohistochemistry. Our results show
      that the expression of p38 MAPK was up-regulated in most of the cell lines as
      compared with peripheral blood lymphocytes, while the expression of p-p38 MAPK
      was more variable. A subset of B cell NHL biopsies showed increased expression of
      p-p38 MAPK relative to reactive germinal center cells. Interleukin-4 (IL-4)
      induced a dose-dependent increase in the expression of p-p38 MAPK (1.6- to 2.8
      fold) in cell lines derived from activated B cell-like diffuse large B cell
      lymphoma (DLBCL) but not those from germinal center-like DLBCL. No change was
      seen in native p38 MAPK. The in vitro kinase activity of p38 MAPK, however, was
      induced (1.6- to 3.2-fold) in all five cell lines by IL-4. Quantitative
      fluorescent RT-PCR demonstrated that all four isoforms of p38 MAPK gene were
      expressed in the lymphoma cell lines, with p38gamma and p38beta isoforms being
      predominant. IL-4 stimulation increased the expression of beta, gamma, and delta
      isoforms but not alpha isoform in two cell lines. In conclusion, there is
      constitutive expression and activation of p38 MAPK in a large number of B
      lymphoma-derived cell lines and primary lymphoma tissues, supportive of its role
      in lymphomagenesis. The differential IL-4 regulation of p38 MAPK expression in
      cell lines derived from DLBCL may relate to the cellular origin of these
      neoplasms. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article
      (doi:10.1007/s12308-009-0049-5) contains supplementary material, which is
      available to authorized users.

PMID- 20309429
TI  - Changed concepts and definitions of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN),
      myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms
      (MDS/MPN) in the updated 2008 WHO classification.
AB  - The purpose of this overview is to discuss the changes in the 2008 WHO
      classification of myeloid neoplasms, with exclusion of acute myeloid leukaemia.
      Specific mutations or rearrangements leading to constitutive activation of growth
      factor receptors or cytoplasmic tyrosine kinases are now recognised as recurrent
      genetic events characterising the group of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). A
      newly introduced subgroup consists of patients with persistent eosinophilia and
      myeloid or lymphoid proliferations harbouring specific genetic changes involving
      platelet-derived growth factor receptors alpha and beta (PDGFRA and PDGFRB) or
      fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1). The clinical relevance of
      recognising myeloid neoplasms with aberrant tyrosine kinase activity is based in
      novel treatment options with tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The myelodysplastic
      syndromes (MDS) without increased blasts are further divided into subtypes of
      refractory cytopaenias with unilineage dysplasia. A new provisional entity is
      refractory cytopaenia of childhood. Down syndrome- and therapy-related myeloid
      neoplasms, including MDS, were moved to the section of acute myeloid leukaemia
      and related precursor neoplasms.

PMID- 20309431
TI  - Rare lymphoid malignancies of the breast: a report of two cases illustrating
      potential diagnostic pitfalls.
AB  - Breast involvement by lymphoma is uncommon and poses challenges in diagnosis.
      Lymphomas may clinically, radiologically, and morphologically mimic both benign
      and neoplastic conditions. We describe two cases of lymphoid malignancies
      predominantly involving the breast, both presenting diagnostic dilemmas. The
      first case, ALK-negative anaplastic large-cell lymphoma involving a seroma
      associated with a breast implant, is an emerging clinicopathologic entity.
      Anaplastic large-cell lymphoma has been identified in association with breast
      implants and seroma formation relatively recently. The second case, hairy cell
      leukemia involving the breast and ipsilateral axillary sentinel lymph node, is,
      to our knowledge, the first reported case of hairy cell leukemia involving the
      breast at the time of diagnosis. While a localized bone lesion was present at
      time of diagnosis, bone marrow involvement was relatively mild in comparison to
      that seen in the breast and lymph node. In the first case, lymphoma occurred in a
      clinical setting where malignancy was unsuspected, highlighting the importance of
      careful morphologic evaluation of paucicellular samples, as well as awareness of
      rare clinicopathologic entities, in avoiding a misdiagnosis of a benign
      inflammatory infiltrate. In the second case, the lymphoid neoplasm exhibited
      classic morphologic and immunophenotypic features, but presented at an unusual
      site of involvement. Knowledge of the patient's concurrent diagnosis of hairy
      cell leukemia involving the bone marrow and bone helped avoid a misdiagnosis of
      carcinoma rather than lymphoma.

PMID- 20309430
TI  - Gray zones around diffuse large B cell lymphoma. Conclusions based on the
      workshop of the XIV meeting of the European Association for Hematopathology and
      the Society of Hematopathology in Bordeaux, France.
AB  - The term "gray-zone" lymphoma has been used to denote a group of lymphomas with
      overlapping histological, biological, and clinical features between various types
      of lymphomas. It has been used in the context of Hodgkin lymphomas (HL) and non
      Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL), including classical HL (CHL), and primary mediastinal
      large B cell lymphoma, cases with overlapping features between nodular lymphocyte
      predominant Hodgkin lymphoma and T-cell/histiocyte-rich large B cell lymphoma,
      CHL, and Epstein-Barr-virus-positive lymphoproliferative disorders, and
      peripheral T cell lymphomas simulating CHL. A second group of gray-zone lymphomas
      includes B cell NHL with intermediate features between diffuse large B cell
      lymphoma and classical Burkitt lymphoma. In order to review controversial issues
      in gray-zone lymphomas, a joint Workshop of the European Association for
      Hematopathology and the Society for Hematopathology was held in Bordeaux, France,
      in September 2008. The panel members reviewed and discussed 145 submitted cases
      and reached consensus diagnoses. This Workshop summary is focused on the most
      controversial aspects of gray-zone lymphomas and describes the panel's proposals
      regarding diagnostic criteria, terminology, and new prognostic and diagnostic
      parameters.

PMID- 20309432
TI  - New developments in the pathology of malignant lymphoma: a review of the
      literature published from August to November 2009.

PMID- 20309433
TI  - TRACER. A new approach to comparative modeling that combines threading with free
      space conformational sampling.
AB  - A new approach to comparative modeling of proteins, TRACER, is described and
      benchmarked against classical modeling procedures. The new method unifies true
      three-dimensional threading with coarse-grained sampling of query protein
      conformational space. The initial sequence alignment of a query protein with a
      template is not required, although a template needs to be somehow identified. The
      template is used as a multi-featured fuzzy three-dimensional scaffold. The
      conformational search for the query protein is guided by intrinsic force field of
      the coarse-grained modeling engine CABS and by compatibility with the template
      scaffold. During Replica Exchange Monte Carlo simulations the model chain
      representing the query protein finds the best possible structural alignment with
      the template chain, that also optimizes the intra-protein interactions as
      approximated by the knowledge based force field of CABS. The benchmark done for a
      representative set of query/template pairs of various degrees of sequence
      similarity showed that the new method allows meaningful comparative modeling also
      for the region of marginal, or non-existing, sequence similarity. Thus, the new
      approach significantly extends the applicability of comparative modeling.

PMID- 20309434
TI  - Effect of pentoxifylline on proteinuria, markers of tubular injury and oxidative
      stress in non-diabetic patients with chronic kidney disease - placebo controlled,
      randomized, cross-over study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inhibition of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) with
      angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) and/or angiotensin II subtype 1
      receptor antagonists (ARB) is a common strategy used in the management of
      patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, there is no universal
      therapy that can stop progression of CKD. Pentoxifylline (PTE) is a non-specific
      phosphodiesterase inhibitor with anti-inflammatory properties. It has been
      reported to have promising effects in CKD treatment. METHODS: In a placebo
      controlled, randomized, cross-over study we evaluated the influence of PTE (1200
      mg/day) added to RAAS blockade on proteinuria, surrogate markers of tubular
      injury and oxidative stress-dependent products in 22 non-diabetic patients with
      proteinuria (0.4-4.3 g per 24 h) with normal or declined kidney function [eGFR 37
      178 mL/min]. In an eight-week run-in period, therapy using ACEI and/or ARB was
      adjusted to achieve a blood pressure below 130/80 mm Hg. Next, patients were
      randomly assigned to one of two treatment sequences: PTE/washout/placebo or
      placebo/washout/PTE. Clinical evaluation and laboratory tests were performed at
      the randomization point and after each period of the study. RESULTS: The PTE
      therapy reduced proteinuria (by 26%) as compared to placebo. There were no
      differences in alpha(1)-microglobulin, urine excretion of N-acetyl-beta-d
      glucosaminidase (NAG), hsCRP, the urinary excretion of 15-F(2)t-isoprostane,
      blood pressure (BP), eGFR and serum creatinine between the PTE and placebo
      groups. CONCLUSION: Pentoxifylline may decrease proteinuria in non-diabetic
      patients with CKD.

PMID- 20309435
TI  - Lack of correlation between X region spa polymorphism and virulence of
      methicillin resistant and methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus strains.
AB  - Staphylococcus aureus is an etiological factor of severe infections in both
      hospital and ambulatory environments. As methicillin resistant Staphylococcus
      aureus strains spread quickly across healthcare centers resulting in life
      threatening infections with increased mortality, they are considered more
      virulent than MSSA strains. Protein A, encoded by the spa gene, is one of the
      virulence factors involved in the staphylococcal pathogenesis. It has been
      suggested that the number of 24-bp tandem repeat units along the X region of the
      spa gene correlates with the virulence level of the strains. The current work
      analyzed the relationships between the virulence of MRSA and MSSA strains with
      region X polymorphism. No obvious correlation was observed.

PMID- 20309439
TI  - Ambient mass spectrometry.

PMID- 20309440
TI  - Ambient ionization mass spectrometry: current understanding of mechanistic
      theory; analytical performance and application areas.
AB  - Ambient ionization mass spectrometry allows the rapid analysis of samples or
      objects in their native state in the open environment with no prior preparation.
      Over the past six years, the ability of these techniques to provide selective
      analyte desorption and ionization, in combination with mass spectrometry (MS),
      has provided a growing number of powerful analytical alternatives across broad
      application areas, both quantitative and qualitative in nature, including
      pharmaceutical analysis, process chemistry, biological imaging, in vivo analysis,
      proteomics, metabolomics, forensics, and explosives detection. With the emergence
      of new ambient ionization methods, and the complementary nature of existing
      desorption and/or ionization techniques, additional hyphenated methods have been
      devised, which pushes the total number of documented methods to almost thirty. To
      cover all current ambient ionization techniques in detail would be too complex
      and detract from the main objective of this review. Rather, an overview of the
      field of ambient ionization MS will be given, followed by broad classification to
      allow detailed discussion of theory and common mechanistic factors underpinning a
      number of key techniques. Consideration will be given to experimental design,
      ease of implementation and analytical performance, detailing subsequent impact on
      a number of application areas, both established and emerging.

PMID- 20309442
TI  - Selective ionization of melamine in powdered milk by using argon direct analysis
      in real time (DART) mass spectrometry.
AB  - 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) is a compound with the elemental composition
      C(6)H(6)O(3) that is present in powdered milk. Protonated 5-HMF (calculated m/z
      127.0395) has the same nominal m/z as protonated melamine (calculated m/z
      127.0732) and can interfere with direct analysis of melamine in powdered milk.
      Tandem mass spectrometry and high-resolution mass spectrometry have been
      previously used to distinguish melamine from 5-HMF. An alternative approach is
      presented here that uses the direct analysis in real time (DART) ion source
      operated with argon gas in combination with acetylacetone and pyridine reagent
      gases to selectively ionize melamine and eliminate the interference from 5-HMF.
      High-resolution/accurate mass data were used to verify the elimination of the 5
      HMF interference and confirm the melamine elemental composition. With further
      refinement, this technique could lead to a rapid analysis method for screening
      large numbers of samples.

PMID- 20309441
TI  - Desorption electrospray ionization and other ambient ionization methods: current
      progress and preview.
AB  - Mass spectrometry allows rapid chemical analysis of untreated samples in the
      ambient environment. This is a result of recent rapid progress in ambient
      ionization techniques. The most widely studied of these new methods, desorption
      electrospray ionization (DESI), uses fast-moving solvent droplets to extract
      analytes from surfaces and propel the resulting secondary microdroplets towards
      the mass analyzer. This review of DESI and other ambient methods centers on the
      accompanying chemical processes. Manipulation of the chemistry accompanying
      ambient ionization can be used to optimize chemical analysis, including molecular
      imaging. Solvent effects, geometry effects, electrochemical processes and
      mechanisms are covered. Extensions of the methodology to solution-phase analysis,
      to stand-off detection and to therapeutic drug analysis using miniature mass
      spectrometers are also treated.

PMID- 20309443
TI  - Routine analysis and characterization of highly insoluble polycyclic aromatic
      compounds by direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry (DART).
AB  - Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART), is used for the first time for the routine
      rapid analysis of highly insoluble polycyclic aromatic compounds. Direct analysis
      of such compounds as solid samples under solvent-free conditions shows that DART
      is a powerful analytical platform capable of providing high-throughput analysis
      for these complex samples, requiring no special sample pre-treatment or
      instrument setup.

PMID- 20309444
TI  - Direct analysis of melamine in complex matrices using a handheld mass
      spectrometer.
AB  - A low temperature plasma ambient ionization source, coupled to a portable mass
      spectrometer (Mini 10.5), is used for the determination of melamine contamination
      in whole milk and related materials. Thermally assisted desorption and ionization
      of the analyte was achieved with the plasma probe. The small size, low power
      consumption and capability for direct sampling without pretreatment makes plasma
      ionization an appropriate ionization method for use with a handheld mass
      spectrometer. The standard discontinuous atmospheric pressure interface used to
      connect atmospheric pressure ion sources to mass spectrometers (Gao et al., Anal.
      Chem., 2008, 80, 4026-4032) was modified by using supplementary pumping to
      increase the ion transfer efficiency. Whole milk, fish, milk powder and other
      complex matrices spiked with melamine were placed on glass slides close to the
      vacuum inlet and analyzed without sample pretreatment. Quantitation in complex
      matrices was achieved using MS/MS of protonated melamine m/z 127 to yield the
      characteristic fragment ion of m/z 85. Analysis rates of two samples per minute,
      levels of melamine as low as 250 ng/mL in whole milk (below the regulatory level
      in the US of 1 ppm (1 microg/mL) or the European level of 2.5 ppm (microg/mL)), a
      linear dynamic range of 0.5-50 microg/mL and a relative standard deviation of ca.
      7.6-16.2% were achieved. The importance of melamine to public health and the
      prior lack of a rapid, sensitive and yet highly specific field analysis method
      add to the relevance of this study.

PMID- 20309445
TI  - Transmission-mode direct analysis in real time and desorption electrospray
      ionization mass spectrometry of insecticide-treated bednets for malaria control.
AB  - Transmission-mode direct analysis in real time (TM-DART) is presented as an
      alternative sampling strategy to traditional methods of sample introduction for
      DART MS analysis. A custom-designed sample holder was fabricated to rapidly and
      reproducibly position insecticide-treated nets normal to the ionizing metastable
      gas stream, enabling transmission of desorbed analyte ions through the holder
      cavity and into the MS. Introduction of the sample at this fixed geometry
      eliminates the need for optimizing sample position and allows spectra based on
      factors such as metastable gas temperature and flow to be systematically
      evaluated. The results presented here, supported by computational fluid dynamic
      simulations, demonstrate the effects of these factors on the resulting mass
      spectra and the potential of this sampling strategy to be used for qualitative
      and quantitative analyses. Transmission-mode desorption electrospray ionization
      (TM-DESI) experiments on similar insecticide-treated nets were performed for
      comparison purposes.

PMID- 20309446
TI  - Molecularly imprinted polymers as analyte sequesters and selective surfaces for
      easy ambient sonic-spray ionization.
AB  - The use of a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) as a selective surface for
      ambient mass spectrometry is demonstrated. The MIP is used to sequester target
      analytes from urine and easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry
      (EASI-MS) is shown to be able to efficiently desorb the analytes from the MIP
      surface and then transfer them in protonated forms to the gas phase for MS
      analysis. A set of five phenothiazines (chlorpromazine, perphenazine,
      triflupromazine, thioridazine and prochlorperazine) were chosen from a proof-of
      principle class of drug samples. A chlorpromazine-imprinted methacrylic polymer
      was synthesized and used to prepare a MIP probe. The MIP-EASI-MS technique using
      acidified methanol as solvent has been shown to allow quantification of all five
      drugs in urine with LOQ of ca. 1 micromol L(-1).

PMID- 20309447
TI  - Fingerprinting and aging of ink by easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass
      spectrometry.
AB  - Using easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry (EASI-MS), fast and
      non-destructive fingerprinting identification and aging of ballpoint pen ink
      writings have been performed directly from paper surfaces under ordinary ambient
      conditions. EASI-MS data obtained directly from the ink lines showed that pens
      from different brands provide typical ink chemical profiles. Accelerated ink
      aging has also been monitored by EASI-MS revealing contrasting degradation
      behaviors for six different common ink dyes. As demonstrated for Basic Violet 3,
      some dyes display a cascade of degradation products whose abundances increase
      linearly with time thus functioning as 'chemical clocks' for ink aging. Analysis
      of questionable documents has confirmed the ink aging capabilities of EASI-MS.
      The order of superimposition at a crossing point has also been determined by EASI
      MS. For two superimposed ink lines, continuous EASI-MS analysis has also shown
      that the EASI spray is able to penetrate through the layers and therefore both
      ink layers could be characterized.

PMID- 20309448
TI  - Effects of matrix, electrospray solution, and laser light on the desorption and
      ionization mechanisms in electrospray-assisted laser desorption ionization mass
      spectrometry.
AB  - Electrospray-assisted laser desorption ionization (ELDI) is a technique which
      combines laser desorption with subsequent electrospray ionization. It is useful
      for directly detecting small and large molecules in solid or liquid samples under
      ambient conditions. In this paper, the detection of the protein molecules
      desorbed on a dry protein spot by using pulse laser energies of up to 300 microJ
      was demonstrated. The influences of organic and inorganic matrices, the laser
      energy, the laser wavelength, and the sample plate material on desorption of
      protein molecules from sample plates were discussed. In addition, the effects of
      the composition of the electrospray solution on the ionization of the desorbed
      protein molecules were studied.

PMID- 20309449
TI  - Rapid fingerprinting and classification of extra virgin olive oil by microjet
      sampling and extractive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.
AB  - Microjet sampling in combination with extractive electrospray ionization (EESI)
      mass spectrometry (MS) was applied to the rapid characterization and
      classification of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) without any sample pretreatment.
      When modifying the composition of the primary ESI spray solvent, mass spectra of
      an identical EVOO sample showed differences. This demonstrates the capability of
      this technique to extract molecules with varying polarities, hence generating
      rich molecular information of the EVOO. Moreover, with the aid of microjet
      sampling, compounds of different volatilities (e.g.E-2-hexenal, trans-trans-2,4
      heptadienal, tyrosol and caffeic acid) could be sampled simultaneously. EVOO data
      was also compared with that of other edible oils. Principal Component Analysis
      (PCA) was performed to discriminate EVOO and EVOO adulterated with edible oils.
      Microjet sampling EESI-MS was found to be a simple, rapid (less than 2 min
      analysis time per sample) and powerful method to obtain MS fingerprints of EVOO
      without requiring any complicated sample pretreatment steps.

PMID- 20309450
TI  - Atmospheric pressure-thermal desorption (AP-TD)/electrospray ionization-mass
      spectrometry for the rapid analysis of Bacillus spores.
AB  - A technique is described where an atmospheric pressure-thermal desorption (AP-TD)
      device and electrospray ionization (ESI)-mass spectrometry (MS) are coupled and
      used for the rapid analysis of Bacillus subtilis spores in complex matrices. The
      resulting AP-TD/ESI-MS technique combines the generation of volatile compounds
      and/or pyrolysis products with soft-ionization MS detection. In the AP-TD/ESI-MS
      approach, an electrospray solvent plume was used as the ionization vehicle of
      thermally desorbed neutrals at atmospheric pressure prior to mass spectrometric
      analysis using a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer. The approach is
      quantitative with the volatile standard dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) and
      with the use of an internal standard (diethyl methylphosphonate, DEMP). A linear
      response was obtained as tested in the 1-50 ppm range (R(2) = 0.991) with a
      standard error of the estimate of 0.193 (0.9% RSD, n = 5). Bacterial spores were
      detected by performing pyrolysis in situ methylation with the reagent
      tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) for the detection of the bacterial spore
      biomarker dipicolinic acid (DPA) as the dimethylated derivative (2Me-DPA). This
      approach allowed spore detection even in the presence of growth media in crude
      lyophilized samples. Repetitive analyses could be performed with a duty cycle of
      less than 5 min total analysis time (including sample loading, heating and data
      acquisition). This strategy proved successful over other direct ambient MS
      approaches like DESI-MS and AP-TD/ESI-MS without the in situ derivatization step
      to detect the dipicolinic acid biomarker from spores. A detection limit for the
      dimethylated DPA biomarker was estimated at 1 ppm (equivalent to 0.01 mug of DPA
      deposited in the thermal desorption tube), which corresponded to a calculated
      detection limit of 10(5) spores deposited or 0.1% by weight spore composition in
      solid samples (assuming a 1 mg sample size). The AP-TD/ESI source used in
      conjunction with the in situ methylation step allowed the differentiation of
      bacterial spores from other 'suspicious white powders' using a single stage for
      mass analysis and with minimum sample preparation, making this approach suitable
      for simple field-portable MS instrumentation and pattern recognition data
      analysis.

PMID- 20309456
TI  - Computational enzymology.
AB  - Molecular simulations and modelling are changing the science of enzymology.
      Calculations can provide detailed, atomic-level insight into the fundamental
      mechanisms of biological catalysts. Computational enzymology is a rapidly
      developing area, and is testing theories of catalysis, challenging 'textbook'
      mechanisms, and identifying novel catalytic mechanisms. Increasingly, modelling
      is contributing directly to experimental studies of enzyme-catalysed reactions.
      Potential practical applications include interpretation of experimental data,
      catalyst design and drug development.

PMID- 20309457
TI  - A pH-sensitive graphene oxide composite hydrogel.
AB  - Graphene oxide/poly(vinyl alcohol) (GO/PVA) composite hydrogel was prepared and
      utilized for selective drug release at physiological pH.

PMID- 20309458
TI  - Experimental visualization of covalent bonds and structural disorder in a gallium
      zinc oxynitride photocatalyst (Ga(1-x)Znx)(N(1-x)Ox): origin of visible light
      absorption.
AB  - We present the experimental visualization of covalent bonding, positional
      disorders and split anion sites in visible-light responsive photocatalyst
      (Ga(0.885)Zn(0.115))(N(0.885)O(0.115)). ZnO alloying into GaN reduces the band
      gap, leading to the visible-light response. DFT calculations indicated no
      significant difference in band gap between structural models with and without
      split sites.

PMID- 20309459
TI  - Improved dynamics and positional bias with a second generation palladium(II)
      complexed molecular shuttle.
AB  - A second generation palladium(II)-complexed molecular shuttle, featuring
      structural changes to the size and shape of the macrocycle, shows significantly
      increased rates of shuttling and improved co-conformational bias compared to the
      original system.

PMID- 20309460
TI  - Detection of mercury in fish organs with a two-photon fluorescent probe.
AB  - We report a two-photon fluorescent probe (AHg1) that can be excited by 780 nm
      femto-second pulses, shows high photostability and negligible toxicity, and can
      visualize the site of Hg(2+) accumulation, but can also estimate trace amounts of
      mercury ions in fresh fish organs by two-photon microscopy.

PMID- 20309461
TI  - Observation of the selective staining of chromosomal DNA in dividing cells using
      a luminescent terbium(III) complex.
AB  - The emission intensity of a monocationic Tb or Eu(III) complex of a bis(1
      azaxanthone) ligand is enhanced in the presence of serum albumin; the lanthanide
      complex stains dividing cells, allowing visualisation of mitotic chromosomes.

PMID- 20309462
TI  - Water reduction by photoexcited silica and alumina.
AB  - Excess electrons in solvent are amongst the most fascinating chemical species, at
      the very edge between physics and chemistry. In this contribution, we report the
      use of silica and alumina photochemistry to create and stabilize aqueous
      solutions of electron.

PMID- 20309463
TI  - A simple, novel method for preparing an effective water oxidation catalyst.
AB  - A novel oxygen catalyst is prepared via the photodeposition of ruthenium(IV)
      oxide on a titania photocatalyst derived from a perruthenate precursor.

PMID- 20309464
TI  - A quantum dot-based ratiometric pH sensor.
AB  - A quantum dot-based ratiometric pH sensor that responds to the pH range 6-8 was
      developed using FITC (fluorescein isothiocyanate) conjugated CdSe/CdZnS
      nanocrystals.

PMID- 20309465
TI  - Iron/iron oxide nanoparticles: a versatile support for catalytic metals and their
      application in Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions.
AB  - Iron/iron oxide core-shell nanoparticles (Fe@Fe(x)O(y)) are a versatile support
      for immobilizing catalytic metals. Fe@Fe(x)O(y) decorated with Pd
      (Fe@Fe(x)O(y)/Pd) exhibits high catalytic activity toward Suzuki-Miyaura cross
      coupling reactions in aqueous solution at room temperature in air.

PMID- 20309466
TI  - Organocatalytic asymmetric synthesis of polyfunctionalized 3-(cyclohexenylmethyl)
      indoles via a quadruple domino Friedel-Crafts-type/Michael/Michael/aldol
      condensation reaction.
AB  - A new organocatalytic quadruple domino Friedel-Crafts-type/Michael/Michael/aldol
      condensation reaction has been developed. In this one-pot multi-component process
      acrolein, various indoles and nitroalkenes are used as starting materials. The
      diphenylprolinol TMS-ether catalysis provides a straightforward and efficient
      entry to 3-(cyclohexenylmethyl)-indoles bearing three stereogenic centers in
      moderate to excellent yields (23-82%) and excellent stereoselectivities (dr = 91
      : 9 to >95 : 5, ee = 94 to >99%).

PMID- 20309467
TI  - A flow-based synthesis of imatinib: the API of Gleevec.
AB  - A concise, flow-based synthesis of Imatinib, a compound used for the treatment of
      chronic myeloid leukaemia, is described whereby all steps are conducted in
      tubular flow coils or cartridges packed with reagents or scavengers to effect
      clean product formation. An in-line solvent switching procedure was developed
      enabling the procedure to be performed with limited manual handling of
      intermediates.

PMID- 20309468
TI  - Organometallic control at the nanoscale: a new, one-pot method to decorate a
      magnetic nanoparticle surface with noble metal atoms.
AB  - A novel cascade of reactions is designed to control in situ the deposition of
      noble metal islands (e.g. Rh) on top of nanoparticles of a 3d metal (e.g. Fe,
      Co).

PMID- 20309469
TI  - Phosphinopnictinophosphonium frameworks.
AB  - Reactions of the cyclic tetraphosphine (CyP)(4) with arsenium or stibenium
      cations (R(2)Pn(+), Pn = As, Sb and R = Cl, Ph) give salts of the new cationic
      frameworks [(CyP)(4)(AN)](+), [(CyP)(4)(SbCl(2))](+) and
      [{(CyP)(4)}(2)(Sb(2)Cl(2))](2+). The cations can be viewed as coordination
      complexes of a cyclophosphine ligand on a pnictenium cation, or a cyclo-2,3,4
      triphosphino-1-pnictino-1-phosphonium cation, representing the first branched
      cyclic pnictogen framework, and examples of tertiary phosphonium centers with As
      P or Sb-P bonds.

PMID- 20309470
TI  - Room-temperature synthesis of MnO2.3H2O ultrathin nanostructures and their
      morphological transformation to well-dispersed nanorods.
AB  - MnO(2).3H(2)O ultrathin nanostructures with sizes of approximately 2-3 nm were
      synthesized at room temperature and transformation to well-dispersed nanorods was
      achieved after hydrothermal treatments.

PMID- 20309471
TI  - Direct multiple C-H bond arylation reaction of heteroarenes catalyzed by cationic
      palladium complex bearing 1,10-phenanthroline.
AB  - A cationic palladium complex bearing 1,10-phenanthroline ligand is found to
      catalyze direct C-H arylation reactions of heteroarenes with aryl iodides to give
      mono-, di-, or tri-arylated products selectively.

PMID- 20309472
TI  - The synthesis of chiral N-heterocyclic carbene-borane and -diorganoborane
      complexes and their use in the asymmetric reduction of ketones.
AB  - Chiral N-heterocyclic carbene-borane complexes have been synthesised, and have
      been shown to reduce ketones with Lewis acid promotion. Chiral N-heterocyclic
      carbene-borane and -diorganoborane complexes can reduce ketones with
      enantioselectivities up to 75% and 85% ee, respectively.

PMID- 20309473
TI  - Organic dye-sensitized TiO2 for the redox conversion of water pollutants under
      visible light.
AB  - Titania nanoparticles sensitized with metal-free organic dye exhibit high visible
      light activities for the redox conversion of water pollutants in a wider pH range
      in comparison with TiO(2) sensitized with ruthenium bipyridyl complexes.

PMID- 20309474
TI  - Unusual reactivity in organoaluminium and NHC chemistry: deprotonation of AlMe3
      by an NHC moiety involving the formation of a sterically bulky NHC-AlMe3 Lewis
      adduct.
AB  - A sterically congested NHC-AlMe(3) Lewis adduct (NHC = 1,3-di-tert-butylimidazol
      2-ylidene) was found to either isomerize to an "abnormal" NHC-AlMe(3) species or
      to be involved in the deprotonation of AlMe(3) to form the corresponding
      imidazolium species along with an AlMe(3)-stabilized methylene aluminium anion.

PMID- 20309475
TI  - Determination of absolute configuration of trimeric indole alkaloid,
      psychotrimine, by first asymmetric total synthesis.
AB  - The first asymmetric total synthesis of psychotrimine, a trimeric indole
      alkaloid, was accomplished via an asymmetric Ireland-Claisen rearrangement to
      construct a chiral quaternary carbon center, thereby establishing the absolute
      configuration of psychotrimine.

PMID- 20309476
TI  - Diastereoselective HOTf-catalyzed three-component one-pot 1,3-dipolar
      cycloaddition of alpha-diazo ester, nitrosobenzene and electron-deficient alkene.
AB  - A novel HOTf-catalyzed three-component one-pot cycloaddition of alpha-diazo
      ester, nitrosobenzene and electron deficient alkene has been developed. This
      catalysis is very simple to operate and tolerant to moisture/oxygen to afford the
      product with high to excellent diastereoselectivity in good to excellent yield,
      thus providing a useful and convenient method for the preparation of diverse
      functionalized isoxazolidines under very mild conditions.

PMID- 20309477
TI  - Reversible, solid state capture of carbon dioxide by hydroxylated amidines.
AB  - Hydroxylated amidine derivatives can capture, store, and release CO(2) reversibly
      in the solid state in a quantitative manner under clean and dry conditions at
      ambient temperature.

PMID- 20309482
TI  - Click chemistry: function follows form.

PMID- 20309483
TI  - Fluorogenic click reaction.
AB  - Fluorogenic Cu(I)-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition (CuAAC) reactions have
      emerged as a powerful tool for bioconjugation, materials science, organic
      synthesis and drug discovery. This review highlights the design of the recent
      development of fluorogenic CuAAC reactions as well as their applications.

PMID- 20309484
TI  - The application of CuAAC 'click' chemistry to catenane and rotaxane synthesis.
AB  - The copper(I)-catalysed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (the CuAAC 'click' reaction)
      is proving to be a powerful new tool for the construction of mechanically
      interlocked molecular-level architectures. The reaction is highly selective for
      the functional groups involved (terminal alkynes and azides) and the experimental
      conditions are mild and compatible with the weak and reversible intermolecular
      interactions generally used to template the assembly of interlocked structures.
      Since the CuAAC reaction was introduced as a means of making rotaxanes by an
      'active template' mechanism in 2006, it has proven effective for the synthesis of
      numerous different types of rotaxanes, catenanes and molecular shuttles by
      passive as well as active template strategies. Mechanistic insights into the
      CuAAC reaction itself have been provided by unexpected results encountered during
      the preparation of rotaxanes. In this tutorial review we highlight the rapidly
      increasing utility and future potential of the CuAAC reaction in mechanically
      interlocked molecule synthesis.

PMID- 20309485
TI  - In situ click chemistry: probing the binding landscapes of biological molecules.
AB  - Combinatorial approaches to the discovery of new functional molecules are well
      established among chemists and biologists, inspired in large measure by the
      modular composition of many systems and molecules in Nature. Many approaches rely
      on the synthesis and testing of individual members of a candidate combinatorial
      library, but attention has also been paid to techniques that allow the target to
      self-assemble its own binding agents. These fragment-based methods, grouped under
      the general heading of target-guided synthesis (TGS), show great promise in lead
      discovery applications. In this tutorial review, we review the use of the 1,3
      dipolar cycloaddition reaction of organic azides and alkynes in a kinetically
      controlled TGS approach, termed in situ click chemistry. The azide-alkyne
      reaction has several distinct advantages, most notably high chemoselectivity,
      very low background ligation rates, facile synthetic accessibility, and the
      stability and properties of the 1,2,3-triazole products. Examples of the
      discovery of potent inhibitors of acetylcholinesterases, carbonic anhydrase, HIV
      protease, and chitinase are described, as are methods for the templated assembly
      of agents that bind DNA and proteins.

PMID- 20309486
TI  - Click chemistry under non-classical reaction conditions.
AB  - First described almost a decade ago, "click" reactions such as the Cu(I)
      catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) are widely used today in organic and
      medicinal chemistry, in the polymer and material science field, and in chemical
      biology. While most click reactions can be performed at room temperature there
      are instances where some form of process intensification is required. In this
      tutorial review, aimed at the synthetic chemistry community, examples of click
      chemistry carried out under non-classical reaction conditions, such as for
      example applying microwave heating or continuous flow processing will be
      highlighted.

PMID- 20309487
TI  - Copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) and beyond: new reactivity of
      copper(I) acetylides.
AB  - Copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) is a widely utilized,
      reliable, and straightforward way for making covalent connections between
      building blocks containing various functional groups. It has been used in organic
      synthesis, medicinal chemistry, surface and polymer chemistry, and bioconjugation
      applications. Despite the apparent simplicity of the reaction, its mechanism
      involves multiple reversible steps involving coordination complexes of copper(I)
      acetylides of varying nuclearity. Understanding and controlling these equilibria
      is of paramount importance for channeling the reaction into the productive
      catalytic cycle. This tutorial review examines the history of the development of
      the CuAAC reaction, its key mechanistic aspects, and highlights the features that
      make it useful to practitioners in different fields of chemical science.

PMID- 20309488
TI  - Kinetic target-guided synthesis.
AB  - In the last decade, various target-guided synthesis (TGS) approaches have been
      developed in which a target protein is actively engaged in the assembly of its
      own bidentate ligand from a pool of smaller reactive fragments. Although TGS is
      relatively less explored, it demonstrates great promise to streamline drug
      discovery by combining screening and synthesis into a single step. Herein, we
      focus on the class of kinetic TGS approaches which utilize irreversible reactions
      to combine two reactive fragments into the inhibitory compound. These kinetic TGS
      applications have been successful due to the unique combination of the slow
      nature of the chemical reaction combining the two fragments into a single
      molecule and the use of reactive fragments displaying good affinities toward one
      of the binding sites. So far, kinetic TGS and especially in situ click chemistry,
      a kinetic TGS variant using the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azides and alkynes,
      have led to the identification of highly potent inhibitors. This tutorial review
      focuses on kinetic TGS approaches aside from those employing the 1,3-dipolar
      cycloaddition of azides and alkynes, and discusses the features and advantages of
      these TGS approaches in detail.

PMID- 20309489
TI  - Tricks with clicks: modification of peptidomimetic oligomers via copper-catalyzed
      azide-alkyne [3 + 2] cycloaddition.
AB  - This tutorial review examines recent developments involving use of Copper
      catalyzed Azide-Alkyne [3 + 2] Cycloaddition (CuAAC) reactions in the synthesis,
      modification, and conformational control of peptidomimetic oligomers. CuAAC
      reactions have been used to address a variety of objectives including: (i)
      ligation of peptidomimetic oligomers; (ii) synthesis of ordered "foldamer"
      architectures; (iii) conjugation of ligands to peptidomimetic scaffolds; and (iv)
      macrocyclization of peptidomimetics using triazole linkages as conformational
      constraints. Variations in synthesis protocols, such as the use of different
      solvent systems, temperatures and copper species are evaluated herein to present
      a range of variables for the optimization of CuAAC reactions. The overall
      objectives of these studies are assessed to highlight the widespread applications
      of the products, which range from bioactive ligands to new materials.

PMID- 20309490
TI  - Marrying click chemistry with polymerization: expanding the scope of polymeric
      materials.
AB  - Click chemistry constitutes a class of reactions broadly characterized by
      efficiency, selectivity, and tolerance to a variety of solvents and functional
      groups. By far the most widely utilized of these efficient transformation
      reactions is the Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition. This reaction has
      been creatively employed to facilitate the preparation of complex macromolecules,
      such as multiblock copolymers, shell or core cross-linked micelles, and
      dendrimers. This critical review highlights the application of click chemistry,
      in particular the Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition, to the synthesis of
      a wide variety of new materials with possible uses as drug delivery agents,
      tissue engineering scaffolds, and dispersible nanomaterials (83 references).

PMID- 20309491
TI  - Thiol-click chemistry: a multifaceted toolbox for small molecule and polymer
      synthesis.
AB  - The merits of thiol-click chemistry and its potential for making new forays into
      chemical synthesis and materials applications are described. Since thiols react
      to high yields under benign conditions with a vast range of chemical species,
      their utility extends to a large number of applications in the chemical,
      biological, physical, materials and engineering fields. This critical review
      provides insight into emerging venues for application as well as new mechanistic
      understanding of this exceptional chemistry in its many forms (81 references).

PMID- 20309492
TI  - Click chemistry with DNA.
AB  - The advent of click chemistry has led to an influx of new ideas in the nucleic
      acids field. The copper catalysed alkyne-azide cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction is
      the method of choice for DNA click chemistry due to its remarkable efficiency. It
      has been used to label oligonucleotides with fluorescent dyes, sugars, peptides
      and other reporter groups, to cyclise DNA, to synthesise DNA catenanes, to join
      oligonucleotides to PNA, and to produce analogues of DNA with modified
      nucleobases and backbones. In this critical review we describe some of the
      pioneering work that has been carried out in this area (78 references).

PMID- 20309495
TI  - Morpho-histological study of banana (Musa spp. cv. Grande Naine [AAA]) cell
      suspensions during cryopreservation and regeneration.
AB  - In this work, a morpho-histological study of banana (Musa spp. cv. Grande Naine
      [AAA]) embryogenic cell suspensions during cryopreservation and regeneration was
      performed. It was demonstrated that the regeneration process of somatic embryos
      originating from cryopreserved cell suspensions was different from that of
      control cell suspensions. Somatic embryos originating from cryopreserved cell
      suspensions had a unicellular origin. The regeneration process was modified not
      only by freezing in liquid nitrogen but also by the plasmolyzing effect of the
      0.5 M sucrose solution employed during pretreatment. This result explained the
      high number of embryonic structures formed on M3 medium, compared with the
      control. Proembryos blocked at the globular stage could pursue their development
      when they were plated on new culture medium at a lower density after 30 days of
      culture on M3 medium. The unicellular origin of somatic embryos produced from
      cryopreserved cell suspensions offers the prospect of using cryopreservation to
      select non-chimeral transformed plants.

PMID- 20309496
TI  - Addition of ficoll and disaccharides to vitrification solutions improve in vitro
      viability of vitrified equine embryo.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to evaluate the in vitro viability of equine
      embryos vitrified in three different solutions. Day 6 and 6.5 embryos were
      measured and morphologically evaluated. Only grade 1 or 2 morulae and early
      blastocysts were vitrified. Eighteen embryos were distributed in Group 1: 40
      percent ethylene glycol in PBS, Group: 2 and 3: 40 percent ethylene glycol, 18
      percent Ficoll, 0.3M sucrose or 0.3M trehalose in PBS, respectively. The
      vitrified embryos were loaded individually into 0.25 ml straws, which were cooled
      and immersed in liquid nitrogen. After warming at 20 degree C for 20s, the
      embryos were expelled out into 0.5M sucrose in PBS and transferred to PBS
      solution. The embryonic diameter was measured again and morphology and viability
      were evaluated with Propidium iodide and Hoechst 33258 dyes. Embryos vitrified
      with sucrose (19.2 percent) and trehalose (26.7 percent ) showed the highest
      percentage of viable cells and morphological quality.

PMID- 20309497
TI  - Can thermal expansion differences between cryopreserved tissue and cryoprotective
      agents alone cause cracking?
AB  - One of the limiting factors in large-scale cryopreservation is the formation of
      fractures. The prevalence of cracking in cryopreserved bulky tissues is
      frequently associated with temperature gradients, which lead to non-uniform
      thermal contraction of the tissue. With new cryoprotectants available, it may be
      possible to reduce temperature gradients to much lower levels, in which case
      other contributions to mechanical stress development and cracking will become
      more significant. One potential contributor to such stress is the difference in
      thermal expansion between tissue and the cryoprotectant. The current study
      addresses the role of thermal expansion mismatch by drawing upon recently
      obtained experimental data and engineering models for the development of thermal
      stresses. This question is addressed for the case of cryopreservation via
      vitrification (glass formation), for which crystal formation is avoided, and
      tissues and solutions gradually transition from fluid-like to solid-like
      response, as the viscosity increases with decreasing temperature.

PMID- 20309498
TI  - Can vitrified zebrafish blastomeres be used to obtain germ-line chimaeras?
AB  - Blastomere cryopreservation plays an important role in maintaining the genetic
      diversity for valuable fish species. Recently, an original procedure for
      blastomere vitrification in zebrafish (Danio rerio) was developed in our lab. In
      the present work, blastomeres from the wild strain embryos, previously vitrified
      thawed by this procedure, were injected into embryos from the gold strain in
      order to assess their ability to colonise the germ-line of recipient embryos. The
      blastomere survival rate at thawing (higher than 90 percent) as well as the whole
      number of recovered blastomeres per donor embryo (around 20 percent), were in the
      ranges previously reported for this vitrification technique. Despite this, only 2
      adult chimaeric specimens were finally obtained from a total of 47 injected
      embryos. Signals of chimaerism were not detected at any stage of development of
      the chimaeric embryos (somatic chimaerism) or in adulthood (somatic and germ-line
      chimaerism). In relation to this, difficulties during blastomere insertion are
      thought to be responsible for the poor results obtained, their aspects being
      discussed in detail in this work. More improvements to overcome such technical
      difficulties are needed and, until then, blastomere vitrification may only be of
      interest for germplasm cryobanking.

PMID- 20309499
TI  - Cryopreservation strategies for Cyathea australis (R. BR.) domin.
AB  - The influence of liquid nitrogen (LN) on the germination of C. australis spores
      and survival of gametophytes at various stages of development was investigated.
      Exposure to LN did not change the viability of mature spores (80 percent) but
      stimulated the germination of immature spores from 1.9 percent to 41 percent.
      Disinfection before cryopreservation contributed to loss of spore survival.
      However, some germination capacity was regained (48 percent) if the sterilized
      spores were enclosed in alginate capsules and subsequently exposed to osmotic
      desiccation and 5-hour air drying. Development of gametophytes derived from
      frozen and non-frozen spores was similar. Preculture factors (the period, type
      and abscisic acid treatment) affected gametophyte viability and growth. A two
      week preculture on agar significantly increased survival compared to preculture
      in a liquid medium. Addition of abscisic acid (ABA) to solid or liquid media
      stimulated explant survival. Highest viability (85 percent) of frozen-thawed
      gametophytes was achieved by a 2-week preculture in agar with 0.25 M sucrose and
      10 muM ABA. Gametophytes developed directly from spores grew and multiplied in
      vitro at a uniform rate. Young, intensively growing gametophytes and large,
      proliferating ones survived better (73-80 percent) following cryoexposure than
      mature, non proliferating gametophytes (50 percent). Less than one quarter of the
      explant surface was alive in 60-80 percent of the gametophytes that survived
      cryoexposure.

PMID- 20309500
TI  - Cryopreservation of embryogenic cultures of Dioscorea bulbifera l. by
      encapsulation- dehydration.
AB  - Embryogenic cultures of Dioscorea bulbifera were cryopreserved using an
      encapsulation- dehydration procedure with subsequent plant regeneration.
      Embryogenesis was induced by culturing in vitro grown axillary bud meristems on
      MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mg per liter 2,4-D. After cryopreservation,
      recovery growth of embryogenic culture up to 53.3 percent was recorded when
      excised proliferating embryogenic cultures of 1.5-2.0 mm in diameter were:
      encapsulated in 3 percent calcium alginate containing 0.15 M sucrose followed by
      preculturing with 0.5 M sucrose for 3 d; dehydrated in the laminar air flow for 4
      h, thereby reducing the bead moisture content to 19.4 percent ( fresh weight
      basis); plunged into liquid nitrogen; thawed at 40 degree C; and cultured on
      recovery growth medium, i.e. MS supplemented with 2.0 mg per liter 2,4-D and 0.3
      mg per liter BAP. However, preculturing for an extended period of 7 d increased
      the recovery growth further to 67.8 percent. During recovery growth the
      embryogenic tissue protruded out of the beads without loss of structural
      integrity of the cryopreserved embryos. Subculturing of these cultures on to
      embryo conversion medium, i.e. MS medium with 0.5 mg per liter zeatin and 400 mg
      per liter glutamine, resulted in production of plantlets through embryo
      conversion. The regenerated plantlets exhibited the same morphology as that of
      originally maintained in vitro plantlets and were established in vivo, in a net
      house with 80 percent success.

PMID- 20309501
TI  - Cryobanking of human ovarian tissue for anti-cancer treatment: comparison of
      vitrification and conventional freezing.
AB  - The first case of cryopreservation of human ovarian tissue with good survival of
      follicles after warming was described in 1996. Childbirth after cryopreservation
      of ovarian tissue is now a reality. Cryopreservation of ovarian tissue can be
      performed using one of two methods: conventional ("slow") freezing and
      cryopreservation by direct plunging into liquid nitrogen (so called vitrification
      or "rapid" freezing). Comparative investigations of vitrification and
      conventional freezing performed on mammalian ovarian tissue are limited, and
      authors present different conclusions. The higher effectiveness of vitrification
      in comparison with conventional freezing for human oocytes and embryos was shown,
      whereas data on human ovarian tissue are limited. The aim of different studies
      was to compare the safety and effectiveness of conventional freezing and
      vitrification of human ovarian tissue. Below we shortly summarize the results of
      some investigations with different conclusions. The discussion on the post
      warming quality of follicles as well as on the problems of microbial
      contamination of cells in liquid nitrogen at vitrification is presented. In our
      opinion, for cryopreservation of human ovarian tissue, conventional freezing is
      more promising than vitrification.

PMID- 20309502
TI  - Effect of the size of zona pellucida thinning by laser assisted hatching on
      clinical outcome of human frozen-thawed embryo transfers.
AB  - Of 122 consecutive procedures, 31 were not assisted hatching (AH), which served
      as the control group, 34 were AH with 40 microm thinning of the zona, and 57 were
      AH with 80 microns of the zona thinning. The pregnancy and implantation rates
      were significantly higher in 80 microns thinning group compared to control group
      (40.3 vs. 16.1 percent, P=0.03; 21.5 vs. 7.5 percent, P=0.007, respectively). In
      addition, the implantation rate was signigicantly higher in 80 microns group than
      in 40 microns group (21.5 percent vs.9.4 percent, P=0.024). The results indicated
      that the size of the zona pellucida thinning by laser may influence the pregnancy
      and implantation rates following frozen-thawed cleaved embryo transfer.

PMID- 20309503
TI  - Overcoming recalcitrance in Porphyridium aerugineum Geitler employing
      encapsulation-dehydration cryopreservation methods.
AB  - Cultures of the recalcitrant microalga Porphyridium aerugineum were
      cryopreserved. A two-step, uncontrolled rapid freezing protocol, using methanol
      as cryoprotectant resulted in 23.8 percent viable cells. Cultures in the
      exponential growth phase, grown under low light intensity to prevent vacuole
      formation in cells, cryopreserved using a passive freezer, showed 22.4 percent
      viability. This value was enhanced to 31.5 percent when a controlled-rate freezer
      was employed. Optimized cultures in the exponential growth phase, cultivated in
      medium supplemented or not with vitamin B12, were then tested for freezing using
      the encapsulation-dehydration protocol. High cell loss was observed early during
      the sorbitol dehydration steps, but 63.6 percent of the remaining encapsulated
      cells were viable after thawing. This study confirmed the potential of
      encapsulation-dehydration as a method allowing to improve the low viability
      obtained with two-step freezing protocols. It also showed the importance of
      monitoring the response of algal cells to bead osmotic and evaporative
      dehydration pretreatments before freezing.

PMID- 20309504
TI  - Detection of 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine as a marker of oxidative damage in DNA
      and germplasm exposed to cryogenic treatments.
AB  - An HPLC method has been optimised to measure 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8OHdG)
      in DNA and germplasm with the objective of using the adduct as a marker of
      cryostorage stability. The encapsulation-dehydration cryopreservation protocol
      was adapted as a model system for assessing the formation of 8OHdG from alginate
      encapsulated DNA of calf thymus (CT) and currant species (Ribes) exposed to
      temperatures of -20 and -196 degree C. The presence of H2O2 exacerbated the
      formation of 8OHdG in encapsulated CT and Ribes DNA. Production of the oxidized
      adduct was lower in the plant system. A reduction in residual water following
      osmotic dehydration and evaporative desiccation was associated with reduced
      adduct formation in encapsulated DNA. No significant differences in 8OHdG adduct
      formation were observed in plants regenerated from cryopreserved Ribes meristems
      derived from genotypes known to have differential tolerance to cryopreservation.

PMID- 20309505
TI  - Cryopreservation of Thymus moroderi by droplet vitrification.
AB  - Thymus moroderi Pau ex Martinez (Labiatae) was successfully cryopreserved using
      the droplet vitrification method. After 20 min in loading solution at room
      temperature, shoot tips were dehydrated with PVS2 at 0 degree C for 30 min and
      immersed into LN. For thawing, shoot-tips were transferred into recovery solution
      for 15 min. A test of different recovery media revealed that the best results
      were obtained when the medium was supplement with 0.275 micromolar BA.

PMID- 20309506
TI  - Vitrification of mosses: a useful method for the cryopreservation of Splachnum
      ampullaceum Hedw.
AB  - The source of germplasm as well as the technique used for storage of mosses can
      enhance survival after cryopreservation. Samples of gametophores, protonemata and
      protonemal brood cells from in vitro cultures of Splachnum ampullaceum were
      cryopreserved following exposure to a plant vitrification solution (PVS2) for two
      different times (5 and 10 min) at 0 degree C. Half of the samples were pretreated
      with a loading solution containing 2 M glycerol and 0.4 M sucrose before exposure
      to PVS2. After one week storage in liquid nitrogen, S. ampullaceum samples were
      regenerated on Gamborg's B5 mineral medium with B5 vitamins. Exposure to a
      loading solution was a prerequisite for high survival in all samples. Four weeks
      after cryopreservation, 92.3 percent brood cells, 60.0 percent gametophores and
      46.0 percent protonemata pretreated with a loading solution had regenerated,
      displaying normal growth and development, thus demonstrating that vitrification
      is a useful method for moss cryopreservation.

PMID- 20309507
TI  - Critical moisture content windows differ for the cryopreservation of pomelo
      (Citrus grandis) seeds and embryonic axes.
AB  - Cryopreservation was attempted using a partial dehydration and freezing protocol
      on pomelo (Citrus grandis) seeds of ten cultivars and embryonic axes of one
      cultivar collected from Xishuangbanna. Although seeds of all ten cultivars could
      be dehydrated safely to 10 percent moisture content, further dehydration impaired
      seed viability with critical moisture contents ranging from 9 percent to 7
      percent. Complete seedling regenerated from seeds frozen in a moisture window
      between 5-9 percent, and maximum seedling recovery varied between 22-86 percent.
      Cryopreservation of Jiajieyou cv. embryonic axes had a moisture window between 3
      20 percent , much wider compared to whole seed cryopreservation, and maximum post
      thaw emergence of 93 percent was achieved at 13 percent moisture content.
      Emergence differed only slightly from survival when whole seeds were
      cryopreserved, but for the embryonic axis cryopreservation at low moisture
      contents resulted in much lower emergence than survival. Possible causes of
      intraspecific variation in cryotolerance in pomelo seeds is discussed.

PMID- 20309508
TI  - Cryopreservation of Fraser photinia (Photinia x fraseri Dress.) via vitrification
      based one-step freezing techniques.
AB  - An efficient vitrification-based cryopreservation procedure was developed for
      Fraser photinia shoot apices by assessing the influences of various vitrification
      solutions (PVS1, PVS2, PVS3 and VSL) and different vitrification methods
      (cryovial vitrification, droplet vitrification and droplet freezing) on shoot
      regrowth. Moreover, influences of cold-hardening period (0 to 8 weeks),
      preculture medium (with sucrose and proline) and regrowth medium (QL plus 4.4,
      8.8 and 17.6 micromolar BA) were also evaluated. Among the different procedures
      tested, best shoot regrowth (40.3 percent) was achieved by using a droplet
      vitrification technique in which cold-hardened and precultured shoot apices were
      vitrified for 120 min at 0 degree C in droplets, rapidly cooled, thawed and then
      cultured on 17.6 micromolar BA-containing QL medium. Overall results indicated
      the importance of not only the composition of vitrification solution, and
      preculture and regrowth media, but also the application of an appropriate
      vitrification technique to achieve optimum recovery post-cryopreservation.

PMID- 20309509
TI  - Effect of timing, dose and interstitial versus nanoparticle delivery of tumor
      necrosis factor alpha in combinatorial adjuvant cryosurgery treatment of ELT-3
      uterine fibroid tumor.
AB  - Cryosurgery has shown potential as a minimally invasive technology for tumor
      treatment. However, incomplete destruction followed by tumor recurrence after
      cryosurgery is a common drawback. This study characterizes several variables in
      the cryoadjuvant TNF-alpha enhancement of conservative cryosurgery (i.e. freezing
      to the visible edge) of ELT-3 (uterine leiomyoma) tumor in a female nude mouse
      model. The variables include pretreatment time, mode of TNF-alpha delivery
      (native vs. CYT-6091, a PEGylated 33 nm colloidal gold core nanoparticle) and
      dose of TNF-alpha. Survival and tumor growth delay were measured up to 30 days
      and showed: 1) pretreatment with TNF-alpha required 4 hours incubation prior to
      cryosurgery to produce a tumor growth delay over cryosurgery alone, and 2) CYT
      6091 reduced the toxicity of TNF-alpha administration over intratumoral or
      peritumoral injection of native TNF-alpha. Taken together, 5 microgram TNF-alpha
      delivered by the nanodrug CYT-6091 4 hours prior to cryosurgery yielded a
      dramatic reduction in tumor growth over cryosurgery alone and in some cases even
      total remission of the tumor. However, some toxicity at higher doses (i.e. 5
      micrograms) with CYT-6091 was noted compared to previous work in prostate (LNCaP)
      cancer grown in a male nude mouse. Potential reasons for this, including sex and
      weight of the animals are discussed. Further opportunities to optimize the TNF
      alpha enhanced cryosurgical response of this tumor include dosing between 2 - 5
      microgram at 4 hours prior to cryosurgery, and freezing beyond the visible edge
      of the tumor.

PMID- 20309510
TI  - Cryopreservation of Fraxinus excelsior L. embryogenic callus by one-step freezing
      and slow cooling techniques.
AB  - An efficient cryopreservation protocol for the safe storage of Fraxinus excelsior
      L. embryogenic callus cultures is reported. The cryopreservation methods tested
      included one-step freezing by means of (i) encapsulation-vitrification; or (ii)
      encapsulation-dehydration; and (iii) slow cooling using the Nalgene Freezing
      container, Mr Frosty, which produces a temperature decrease of about 1 masculineC
      min-1 when placed in a -70 degree C freezer. None of the one-step freezing
      techniques was effective for cryopreservation of encapsulated callus masses,
      irrespective of the cryoprotective treatment applied, i.e., treatment with the
      PVS2 vitrification solution or physical dehydration with silica gel before direct
      immersion in liquid nitrogen. On the contrary, when a slow cooling protocol was
      applied to embryogenic callus which had been pretreated for 60 min with a 210 g
      per liter (0.61 M) sucrose-7.5 percent DMSO cryoprotective solution, up to about
      1.3 g per Petri dish of proliferating callus was observed 42 days after recovery
      from liquid nitrogen, and cultures were able to produce somatic embryos 8 weeks
      after transfer to semi-solid medium. TTC staining of callus cultures provided a
      fast evaluation of culture viability.

PMID- 20309511
TI  - [Targeted therapy of basal cell carcinoma through inhibition of the hedgehog
      signaling pathway].

PMID- 20309512
TI  - [A rare case of a sclerodermoid chronic graft versus host disease. Successful
      treatment with extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP)].
AB  - A 31-year-old woman presented with progressive deep linear induration on her
      lower abdomen, forearms and thighs. These symptoms developed three years after
      allogenic stem cell transplantation. Furthermore, the patient showed multiple
      hypopigmented lichenoid papules on the extensor surfaces of the forearms
      consistent with lichen sclerosus. Histological analysis of a biopsy specimen from
      her left thigh showed dermal sclerosis extending into the fascia, thus
      establishing the diagnosis of a rare combination of superficial and deep
      sclerodermoid chronic graft-versus-host disease. After 7 cycles of extracorporeal
      photopheresis, a marked resolution of the indurations and a reduction of the
      modified Rodnan skin score from 12 to 7 were noted.

PMID- 20309513
TI  - [Rehabilitation for occupational dermatoses. Outpatient and inpatient measures].
AB  - In recent years, the number of reports of suspicions of occupational diseases,
      received by the public statutory employer's liability insurance bodies, has
      remained constant. The recognition of occupational diseases under number 5101
      BKV, however, has decreased considerably. This is more than likely due to
      improved prevention management concepts by the public statutory employer's
      liability insurance bodies. Nevertheless there are still severe occupational skin
      diseases that are resistant to or relapse under therapy, thus threatening
      discontinuation of the occupation. For these cases, an interdisciplinary
      inpatient treatment as a tertiary individual prevention measure was introduced.
      This consists of a three-week inpatient period followed by a three-week
      outpatient sick leave for further stabilization of the skin condition. During the
      inpatient stay intensive dermatological diagnosis and treatment are accompanied
      by in-depth health education seminars and psychological interventions. The
      selection of individually suitable skin protection measures and their practical
      trial in a workplace simulation model with an ergotherapist are of particular
      importance. Evaluations of this program showed that two-thirds of the
      participants with the defined risk of having to give up their occupation were
      able to continue with their occupation on a long-term basis.

PMID- 20309514
TI  - [Dermatologic-psychosomatic rehabilitation].
AB  - Dermatologic-psychosomatic rehabilitation is indicated when a patient has both
      cutaneous and psychological disease, as well as when psychosocial factors have a
      negative influence on the course of disease or coping mechanisms. The goals of
      multimodal dermatologic and psychotherapeutic treatment are increased empowerment
      and self-action, as well as acceptance of disability. Requirements for admission
      are given with regard to ICF. The course of rehabilitation is explained and the
      most important therapeutic tools are presented.

PMID- 20309515
TI  - [Holistic approach to in-patient dermatological rehabilitation].
AB  - Chronic diseases usually limit patients severely in their working, social and
      family life. With many chronic or chronically recurring skin diseases,
      particularly atopic disorders, it is often impossible to define specific causes
      that will respond to treatment. Since a full cure cannot be achieved in
      constitutional dermatoses, a holistic therapeutic approach is required. This must
      go beyond the identification, treatment and cure of the disease, and take into
      account the reciprocal interactions between the patient's organic, emotional and
      social symptoms. Based on the bio-psycho-social model of disease and health,
      modern dermatological rehabilitation therefore applies a holistic concept which
      goes well beyond dermatological treatment, also including the dimensions of
      function, activity, participation and context. The holistic approach is based on
      findings in rehabilitation science and takes into account the principles of
      complexity, interdisciplinary care and individuality.

PMID- 20309516
TI  - [Biomechanical principles for treatment of osteoporotic fractures of the pelvis].
AB  - Fractures of the pelvis are of increasing interest, especially in older patients
      due to the often concomitant osteoporosis. The low bone quality can be a problem
      in several fixation situations. In this review the present and relevant
      literature on biomechanical data of unstable pelvic ring injuries and all
      biomechanical data dealing with osteosynthesis for acetabular fractures are
      discussed.

PMID- 20309517
TI  - Does egg colouration reflect male condition in birds?
AB  - How colouration provides information about individuals in birds has been a
      central issue in recent decades. Although much information has been derived,
      little is known about the adaptive significance of egg colouration in birds. A
      recent idea suggests that biliverdin- and porphyrin-pigmented eggs may act as a
      post-mating sexual signal for males to assess female quality. In birds, it is
      common for males to influence prelaying female condition by courtship feeding.
      Using Eurasian kestrels, a species that lays protoporphyrin-pigmented eggs, we
      descriptively assessed the influence of male feeding on egg pigmentation by
      considering female phenotype, condition, breeding parameters and male body
      condition. We found that older females and females with greyer tails (an index of
      individual quality) produce highly pigmented eggs. However, male body condition
      was the only variable that explained egg colouration when considered together
      with the female-related variables. Therefore, females that mated with males in
      better condition laid highly pigmented eggs. With the same species, we also
      explored the cost of producing protoporphyrin-pigmented eggs using a food-supply
      experiment before the laying period. Food supplementation did not increase egg
      pigmentation, but hatching success and egg mass were positively related to egg
      colouration only in food supplied pairs. We suggest that egg colouration might be
      costly to produce and probably suggests egg quality. However, this cost cannot be
      explained by female quality, but by male condition instead. In general, our
      results do not support the theory that egg colouration is a post-mating sexual
      signal in species where males determine female condition at the time of laying.

PMID- 20309518
TI  - [Pitfalls and difficulties in interpretation of bone densitometry].
AB  - The clinical relevance of osteoporosis as a frequent systemic skeletal disease is
      to be found in fractures and their consequences. For prevention of these disease
      manifestations great importance must be attached to a safest possible diagnosis
      even before the occurrence of the first fracture and osteodensitometry is a well
      established technique for this purpose. Among the different measurement
      procedures DXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) has become the gold standard
      worldwide. This method is seen as very reliable and adequately precise.
      Prerequisites for these characteristics are the correct interpretation of the
      measurement data obtained by taking into consideration all potential influencing
      factors which can either false positively or false negatively influence a single
      value as well as the calculated mean value and the T and Z scores. Thus, exact
      knowledge of potential sources of error is of crucial importance. The present
      study shows important sources of error and difficulties in interpretation as well
      as a discussion of the options for their prevention. For the clinical practice
      osteodensitometry is to be seen as an important diagnostic component, which can
      only been interpreted meaningfully with respect to the clinical data.

PMID- 20309519
TI  - [Medical training therapy with special consideration to osteoporosis of the
      spinal column].
AB  - Medical training therapy (MTT) plays a decisive role in maintenance and
      development of musculoskeletal health of humans in all phases of life. In
      childhood and adolescence it can contribute to the highest possible so-called
      peak bone mass and thus avoid or delay the appearance of osteoporosis for as long
      as possible, in view of increased life expectations. In young adults targeted MTT
      is well suited to improve performance and to maintain the maximum developed bone
      mass. The latter is also true for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women in whom
      MTT can compensate for the loss of bone mass due to hormone deficiency in
      comparison to those not in training. Elderly people who have possibly already
      suffered several fractures and who are in danger of becoming permanently
      dependent on external help due to increasing fragility can still improve muscle
      strength and mass by regular MTT even in advanced age. This will reduce or avoid
      the risk of falling and maintain the ability to be self-sufficient for as long as
      possible. In order to support this, rehabilitation measures even in-hospital,
      could be useful and should be especially promoted in line with the amendments to
      the social legislation effective from 1st April 2007 ("Rehabilitation before
      nursing").

PMID- 20309520
TI  - Pneumonia associated with invasive and noninvasive ventilation: an analysis of
      the German nosocomial infection surveillance system database.
AB  - PURPOSE: Pneumonia associated with invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) is one
      of the indicator infections of the German Nosocomial Infection Surveillance
      System. In 2005 surveillance was extended to include pneumonia associated with
      noninvasive ventilation (NIV). The aim of this study was to determine the
      utilization of IMV and NIV and the associated incidence densities (IDs) of
      pneumonia and to compare the characteristics of pneumonia cases and the spectrum
      of associated pathogens. METHODS: We analyzed the pooled data of 400 intensive
      care units (ICUs) with respect to three categories of pneumonia: pneumonia
      associated with IMV and NIV and pneumonia not associated with ventilation. Pooled
      ventilation utilization rates and pneumonia IDs were calculated in total and
      stratified by hospital size, hospital type and ICU type. RESULTS: Four hundred
      ICUs with 779,500 admitted patients, 1,068,472 IMV days and 101,569 NIV days
      reported 6,869 cases of pneumonia between 2005 and 2007. Of these, 5,811 cases
      were associated with IMV, 160 with NIV and 898 were not associated with
      ventilation. The mean pneumonia IDs were 1.58 and 5.44 cases per 1,000 ventilator
      days for NIV and IMV, respectively. Pneumonia cases associated with IMV were
      younger, had a longer ICU stay before onset of pneumonia and were more often
      associated with gram-negative bacteria than cases associated with NIV; however,
      there were no differences in the proportion of secondary sepsis and death.
      CONCLUSIONS: This surveillance study including pneumonia associated with IMV and
      NIV and pneumonia not associated with ventilation shows significant differences
      of pneumonia IDs, patient characteristics and the spectrum of associated
      pathogens.

PMID- 20309521
TI  - Septic shock due to Legionella pneumophila serogroup 2: usefulness of molecular
      biology for diagnosis, treatment and epidemiological investigation.

PMID- 20309522
TI  - Anatomy of the ankle ligaments: a pictorial essay.
AB  - Understanding the anatomy of the ankle ligaments is important for correct
      diagnosis and treatment. Ankle ligament injury is the most frequent cause of
      acute ankle pain. Chronic ankle pain often finds its cause in laxity of one of
      the ankle ligaments. In this pictorial essay, the ligaments around the ankle are
      grouped, depending on their anatomic orientation, and each of the ankle ligaments
      is discussed in detail.

PMID- 20309523
TI  - Adrenal effects of teriparatide in the treatment of severe postmenopausal
      osteoporosis.
AB  - The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of teriparatide on the
      hypophysis-adrenal axis in postmenopausal women. Treatment with teriparatide
      increased plasmatic and urinary levels of cortisol after 6 and 12 months. Our
      paper demonstrates a possible direct secretagogue effect of teriparatide on
      adrenals in osteoporotic postmenopausal women. INTRODUCTION: Teriparatide,
      recombinant human parathyroid hormone (1-34) (rhPTH [1-34]), is approved for the
      treatment of osteoporosis in men and postmenopausal women at high risk for
      fracture. In literature, data regarding the secretagogue effect of PTH on
      adrenocortical cells are present on in vitro, but not on in vivo, studies. The
      aim of our study was to investigate the effects of teriparatide on the hypophysis
      adrenal axis in postmenopausal women. METHODS: Twenty postmenopausal women with
      severe osteoporosis were treated with teriparatide in a regimen of 20 MUg daily,
      self-administered injections at bedtime for 12 months and a calcium and vitamin D
      supplementation. At the same time, 20 osteopenic women matched for age and body
      mass index with the patients were enrolled and treated only with calcium and
      vitamin D. In all subjects, calcium, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and
      plasmatic and urinary cortisol were evaluated at baseline and after 6 and 12
      months. RESULTS: Treatment with teriparatide increased plasmatic and urinary
      levels of cortisol after 6 and 12 months, reaching statistical significance only
      after 1 year. Plasmatic levels of ACTH did not change significantly. CONCLUSIONS:
      Our paper, for the first time, demonstrates a possible direct secretagogue effect
      of teriparatide on adrenals in osteoporotic postmenopausal women.

PMID- 20309524
TI  - What is the best balance of benefits and risks among anti-resorptive therapies
      for postmenopausal osteoporosis?
AB  - Pharmacologic osteoporosis therapy, particularly anti-resorptives, is recommended
      in postmenopausal women with clinical risk factors for fracture. Treatment
      decisions should be made based on the relative benefit-risk profile in different
      patient populations. Emerging options [e.g., selective estrogen receptor
      modulators (SERMs) and denosumab] may hold promise for providing protection from
      bone loss and for fracture risk reduction.Osteoporosis, the most common clinical
      disorder of bone metabolism, is characterized by low bone mineral density,
      deterioration of microarchitecture, and a consequent increase in bone fragility
      and risk of fracture. Pharmacologic therapy is recommended in postmenopausal
      women with clinical risk factors for fracture and includes anti-resorptive agents
      such as bisphosphonates, hormone therapy, SERMs, and calcitonin. The anabolic
      agent teriparatide (parathyroid hormone) is usually reserved for high-risk
      patients or those with glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. Strontium ranelate,
      available outside the USA, has both anti-resorptive and anabolic properties.
      Supplementation with calcium and vitamin D is recommended for all women aged 50
      years and older. Bisphosphonates are often considered first-line therapy for
      osteoporosis and have the largest base of clinical trial data showing efficacy
      for global fracture risk reduction. Low-dose hormone therapy is appropriate for
      younger women who are experiencing other menopausal symptoms. In women for whom
      bisphosphonates are not appropriate or not tolerated or in younger postmenopausal
      women who have a low risk for hip fracture, SERMs are a suitable treatment
      option. Calcitonin is designated for patients who are unable or unwilling to
      tolerate other osteoporosis agents. Emerging options, including newer SERMs
      (e.g., bazedoxifene and lasofoxifene) and the monoclonal antibody denosumab, may
      hold promise for providing protection from bone loss and for fracture risk
      reduction. Because no single agent is appropriate for all patients, treatment
      decisions should be made on an individual basis, taking into account the relative
      benefits and risks in different patient populations.

PMID- 20309525
TI  - The Ontario Osteoporosis Strategy: implementation of a population-based
      osteoporosis action plan in Canada.
AB  - In the last decade, there have been a number of action plans published to
      highlight the importance of preventing osteoporosis and related fractures. In the
      province of Ontario Canada, the Ministry of Health provided funding for the
      Ontario Osteoporosis Strategy. The goal is to reduce morbidity, mortality, and
      costs from osteoporosis and related fractures through an integrated and
      comprehensive approach aimed at health promotion and disease management. This
      paper describes the components of the Ontario Osteoporosis Strategy and progress
      on implementation efforts as of March 2009. There are five main components:
      health promotion; bone mineral density testing, access, and quality; postfracture
      care; professional education; and research and evaluation. Responsibility for
      implementation of the initiatives within the components is shared across a number
      of professional and patient organizations and academic teaching hospitals with
      osteoporosis researchers. The lessons learned from each phase of the development,
      implementation, and evaluation of the Ontario Osteoporosis Strategy provides a
      tremendous opportunity to inform other jurisdictions embarking on implementing
      similar large-scale bone health initiatives.

PMID- 20309526
TI  - Age, cohort and period effects on hip fracture incidence: analysis and
      predictions from New Zealand data 1974-2007.
AB  - Hip fractures are substantial problem worldwide. The increase in rate with age
      does not continue into very old age. Rates decline in successive birth cohorts.
      If the increasing trend in period effect continues, there will be a substantial
      increase in hip fracture incidence. INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study is to
      (1) determine incidence rates for fracture neck of femur (FNF) for the period
      1974-2007, (2) estimate age, cohort, and period effects, and (3) predict the
      burden of FNF in 2025. METHODS: Age adjusted incidence rates were estimated using
      New Zealand hospital discharge data for 1974-2007. Age-period-cohort modeling was
      used to estimate individual effects of these factors after adjusting for the
      other two factors. Future fracture burden was estimated under two scenarios.
      RESULTS: Age-adjusted rates for women increased from 1974 to 1987 whereas rates
      for men have increased from 1974 until 2007. Risk increased from 70 years of age
      but dropped among the very elderly. Period effects showed a steady increase in
      risk throughout 1974-2007. In contrast, the risk was lower in later cohorts. If
      there is no change in the period effect from 2007 we estimate a reduction in the
      burden of illness from FNF, especially for women. However if the period effect
      continues to increase, there will be substantial increases in FNF incidence,
      especially for men. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of population aging on FNF incidence
      is predictable because projections are based on an existing population. The
      increasing health and improvement in measures of physical status of older people
      through the last century, explain the decline in FNF incidence in later cohorts.
      The steady increase in period effect may be due to increased survival of the very
      frail. This burden of illness resulting from FNFs must be addressed by population
      based, research proven approaches to fall and fracture prevention.

PMID- 20309527
TI  - Femoral neck bone mineral density in ambulatory men with poliomyelitis.
AB  - We evaluated bilateral femoral neck bone mineral densities (FNBMDs) in 32 men
      with poliomyelitis and their matched controls. Men with poliomyelitis had
      significantly lower FNBMD in both legs, and FNBMD was lowest in their shorter
      legs. Knee extensor strength and regular exercise were important predictive
      factors associated with decreased FNBMD. INTRODUCTION: People with poliomyelitis
      (polio) are prone to leg fractures after mild trauma. The flaccid paralysis,
      asymmetric involvement, and underdeveloped growth of afflicted legs may lead to
      osteoporosis of either leg, characterized by different patterns. This study aimed
      to measure their femoral FNBMD and to explore the factors associated with changes
      in FNBMD in either leg. METHODS: We did a prospective study to evaluate bilateral
      FNBMD with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in 32 men with polio (age range, 41
      57 years; mean, 47 years) and 32 age- and body mass index-matched controls.
      Measuring the difference in leg length, we classified the legs of each polio
      subject as "longer" or "shorter." In addition, we chose the right leg of each
      control as a reference leg. We then used the Mann-Whitney U test to compare FNBMD
      of these three groups of legs and searched for the factors associated with FNBMD
      using stepwise multiple regression analyses. RESULTS: Compared to the reference
      leg, men with polio had significantly lower FNBMD in both their longer and
      shorter legs, by 13% and 23%, respectively. The difference in FNBMD between the
      two legs of polio subjects was significant. Knee extensor strength and regular
      exercise were two important factors associated with bilateral FNBMD in men with
      polio. CONCLUSIONS: Men with polio had lower bilateral FNBMD. FNBMD of the
      shorter leg should be the choice for predicting the risk of hip fracture in men
      with polio because on average, the shorter leg has lower BMD.

PMID- 20309528
TI  - Norepinephrine transporter occupancy by antidepressant in human brain using
      positron emission tomography with (S,S)-[18F]FMeNER-D2.
AB  - RATIONALE: Central norepinephrine transporter (NET) is one of the main targets of
      antidepressants. Although the measurement of NET occupancy has been attempted in
      humans, the outcomes have been inconclusive. OBJECTIVE: In this study, the
      occupancy of NET by different doses of an antidepressant, nortriptyline, was
      measured using positron emission tomography (PET) with (S,S)-[(18)F]FMeNER-D(2).
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: PET scans using (S,S)-[(18)F]FMeNER-D(2) were performed on
      six healthy men before and after oral administration of a single oral dose of
      nortriptyline (10-75 mg). After a bolus i.v. injection of (S,S)-[(18)F]FMeNER
      D(2), dynamic scanning was performed for 0-90 min, followed by scanning for 120
      180 min. The ratio of the thalamus-to-caudate areas under the curve (120-180 min)
      minus 1 was used as the binding potential (BP(ND)) for NET. NET occupancy was
      calculated as the percentage reduction of BP(ND). Venous blood samples were taken
      to measure the concentrations of nortriptyline just before injection of the
      tracer and at 180 min after the injection. RESULTS: Mean NET occupancies by
      nortriptyline were 16.4% at 10 mg, 33.2% at 25 mg, and 41.1% at 75 mg. The mean
      plasma concentration of nortriptyline was less than the lower limit of detection
      at 10 mg, 23.7 ng/mL at 25 mg, and 50.5 ng/mL at 75 mg. Estimated ED(50) was 76.8
      mg of administration dose and 59.8 ng/mL of plasma concentration. CONCLUSIONS:
      NET occupancy by nortriptyline corresponding to the administration dose of 10-75
      mg or plasma concentration was observed from 16% to 41%.

PMID- 20309529
TI  - Reinstatement of extinguished amphetamine self-administration by 3,4
      methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and its enantiomers in rhesus monkeys.
AB  - RATIONALE: The effectiveness of MDMA and its enantiomers to reinstate responding
      previously maintained by drug self-administration has not been thoroughly
      investigated. OBJECTIVES: The present study was designed to compare the
      reinstatement effects of amphetamine, the piperazine-analog BZP, SR(+/-)-MDMA,
      S(+)-MDMA, R(-)-MDMA, and fenfluramine on behavior maintained under a second
      order schedule of intravenous amphetamine self-administration in rhesus monkeys
      (n=4). METHODS: Following saline substitution and extinction, a range of doses of
      amphetamine, BZP, SR(+/-)-MDMA, S(+)-MDMA, R(-)-MDMA, and fenfluramine were
      administered i.v. as non-contingent priming injections in order to characterize
      their effectiveness to reinstate responding previously maintained by amphetamine
      self-administration. RESULTS: Priming injections of amphetamine, BZP, SR(+/-)
      MDMA, and S(+)-MDMA induced significant reinstatement effects. In contrast,
      neither R(-)-MDMA nor fenfluramine effectively reinstated behavior. Pretreatment
      with the selective serotonin transporter inhibitor, fluoxetine, attenuated the
      reinstatement effects of SR(+/-)-MDMA, S(+)-MDMA, and BZP but had no significant
      effect on amphetamine-primed reinstatement. CONCLUSIONS: Given the profile of
      neurochemical effects published previously, these findings suggest that the
      reinstatement effects of MDMA are mediated primarily by dopamine release;
      however, the attenuation of MDMA-induced reinstatement by fluoxetine supports
      previous research demonstrating the complex behavioral pharmacology of MDMA-like
      drugs and that the reinstatement effects of MDMA are at least partially mediated
      by serotonergic mechanisms.

PMID- 20309530
TI  - Rapid development of tolerance to sub-anaesthetic dose of ketamine: an oculomotor
      study in macaque monkeys.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ketamine, a non-competitive N-methyl-D: -aspartic acid antagonist,
      has been widely used for anaesthetic purposes. At sub-anaesthetic dosage, it
      induces a dissociative state similar to schizophrenia. The discovery of this
      effect on dissociative state has led to its use as a pharmacological model of
      schizophrenia and has also been responsible for its illegal use as a recreational
      drug. Whereas the former has provided invaluable information, the latter has
      demonstrated that repeated administration of ketamine induces tolerance.
      Surprisingly, a review of the relevant literature shows that tolerance to sub
      anaesthetic doses of ketamine is largely unreported in neuropharmacological
      studies. METHODS: In order to investigate this caveat, we have performed a post
      hoc analysis of the behavioural effects induced by repeated injections of sub
      anaesthetic doses of ketamine observed in five consecutive monkeys performing two
      oculomotor tasks. Ketamine effects were quantified by the animals' performances
      and latencies in a prosaccade and an antisaccade task, two oculomotor paradigms
      that are impaired after ketamine administration. RESULTS: Although the result of
      the initial injections confirmed a clear behavioural effect of ketamine
      injections in all monkeys, subsequent administrations showed that a tolerance
      eventually appeared in all monkeys. The profile of this tolerance exhibited
      however a large inter-subject variability. CONCLUSIONS: Psychopharmacological
      experiments using ketamine as a pharmacological model of psychosis should
      therefore consider the kinetic and time course of these effects in each
      individuals and take them into account in the design of experimental protocols.

PMID- 20309531
TI  - Nicotine modulation of information processing is not limited to input (attention)
      but extends to output (intention).
AB  - RATIONALE: Nicotine influences many cognitive processes, especially those
      requiring high attentional loads, yet the impact of nicotine on all aspects of
      information processing has not been well delineated. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the
      study was to determine the relative behavioral and functional effects of nicotine
      on dissociable aspects of information processing (i.e., selective attention and
      motor intention). METHODS: Adult smokers (N = 25) and healthy controls (N = 23)
      performed the intention/attention task (IAT) twice, during functional magnetic
      resonance imaging. The IAT assesses the relative differences in performance
      evoked by prime stimuli that provide information regarding either the correct
      hand with which to respond (i.e., intentional primes) or the likely location of a
      target stimulus (i.e., attentional primes). Smokers were scanned 2 h after
      nicotine (21 mg) or placebo patch placement. The order of nicotine and placebo
      sessions was randomized and counter-balanced. Controls were also scanned twice,
      with no patch placement in either session. RESULTS: While drug condition had no
      significant effect on reaction time, smokers were overall more accurate than
      controls. Moreover, nicotine significantly increased the response to intentional
      primes in brain regions known to mediate response readiness, e.g., inferior
      parietal lobe, supramarginal gyrus, and striatum. CONCLUSIONS: While limited to
      participant accuracy, these data suggest that the behavioral effects of nicotine
      in smokers are not only limited to information processing input (i.e., selective
      attention) but are also generalizable to output functions (i.e., motor
      intention). Moreover, nicotine's effects on intention appear to be mediated by a
      facilitation of function in brain regions associated with information processing
      output.

PMID- 20309532
TI  - Complication rate in unprotected carotid artery stenting with closed-cell stents.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The discussion on the use of protection devices (PDs) in carotid
      artery stenting (CAS) is gaining an increasing role in lowering the
      periprocedural complication rates. While many reviews and reports with
      retrospective data analysis do promote the use of PDs the most recent multi
      centre trials are showing advantages for unprotected CAS combined with closed
      cell stent designs. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed 358 unprotected CAS
      procedures performed from January 2003 to June 2009 in our clinic. Male/female
      ratio was 2.68/1. The average age was 69.3 years. Seventy-three percent (261/358)
      showed initial neurological symptoms. All patients were treated on a standardised
      interventional protocol. A closed and small-sized cell designed stent was
      implanted in most cases (85.2%). One hundred seventy-one (47.8%) were controlled
      by Doppler ultrasonography usually at first in a 3-month and later in 6-month
      intervals. RESULTS: The peri-interventional and 30-day mortality/stroke rate was
      4.19% (15/358). These events included three deaths, five hyperperfusion syndromes
      (comprising one death by a secondary fatal intracranial haemorrhage), one
      subarachnoid haemorrhage and seven ischaemic strokes. Only 20% (3/15) of all
      complications occurred directly peri-interventional. The overall peri
      interventional complication rate was 0.8% (3/358). Most complications occurred in
      initial symptomatic patients (5.36%). The in-stent restenosis rate for more than
      70% was 7% (12/171) detected at an average of 9.8 month. CONCLUSION: Our clinical
      outcome demonstrates that unprotected CAS with small cell designed stents results
      in a very low procedural complication rate, which makes the use of a protection
      device dispensable.

PMID- 20309533
TI  - Optimum b value for resolving crossing fibers: a study with standard clinical b
      value using 1.5-T MR.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We sought to investigate the optimum b value for resolving crossing
      fiber using high-angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI)-based multi-tensor
      tractography. The study tested the standard b values that are commonly used in
      the routine clinical setting. METHODS: Ten normal volunteers (five men and five
      women) with a mean age of 26.3 years (range, 22-32 years) were scanned using a
      1.5-T clinical magnetic resonance unit. Single-shot echo-planar imaging was used
      for diffusion-weighted imaging with a diffusion-sensitizing gradient in 32
      orientations. The b values of 700, 1,400, 2,100, and 2,800 s/m(2) were used. Data
      postprocessing was performed using multi-tensor methods. The depiction of the
      optic nerves, optic tracts, and decussation of superior cerebellar peduncles were
      assessed. RESULTS: The depictions of the nerve fibers were independent of the b
      values tested. CONCLUSION: The depiction of crossing fibers by HARDI-based multi
      tensor tractography is not substantially influenced by b values ranging from 700
      to 2,800 s/m(2). Thus, the optimum b value within this range may be the lowest
      one considering the higher signal to noise ratio.

PMID- 20309534
TI  - Persistent primitive trigeminal arteries (PTA) and its variant (PTAV): analysis
      of 103 cases detected in 16,415 cases of MRA over 3 years.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The primitive persistent trigeminal artery (PTA) is the most common
      carotid-basilar anastomosis, but because of its extremely low incidence, it is
      poorly understood. The purpose of this study is to clarify the features of PTA
      and its variants (PTAV) based on a large magnetic resonance angiography (MRA)
      series. METHODS: MRA was performed on continuous 16,415 patients (8,610 males and
      7,805 females) between October 2005 and September 2008 using two 1.5-T systems
      and one 1.0-T system. These all MRAs were evaluated by neuroradiologists.
      RESULTS: The incidence of both PTA and PTAV was 0.68% (48 cases of PTA, 50 cases
      of PTAV, and five unclassified). Among them, 65 cases originated from the left
      internal carotid artery and 38 from the right. There were 44 cases of lateral
      type PTA and four cases of medial type. Hypoplasia of the basilar artery proximal
      to the union of PTA was recognized as follows: no hypoplasia in 12 cases,
      moderate hypoplasia in 22 cases, and severe hypoplasia in 13 cases. Distance from
      SCA and the union was an average of 6.7 mm. Four cases of pre- and postoperative
      cerebral aneurysms were recognized in 103 cases (3.9%). CONCLUSION: We have
      identified details of both PTA/PTAV. The incidence of PTA was similar to previous
      studies, and the co-existence of cerebral aneurysm was also similar when compared
      to patients in the general population without PTA or PTAV.

PMID- 20309535
TI  - Large endolymphatic sac anomaly.

PMID- 20309536
TI  - CT and MR imaging for pediatric cochlear implantation: emphasis on the
      relationship between the cochlear nerve canal and the cochlear nerve.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cochlear implantation has become an accepted treatment for deafness.
      As the frequency of cochlear implantation has increased, requests for images have
      also increased in the work-up for candidates. An absent cochlear nerve (CN) is a
      contraindication to cochlear implantation. Therefore, MRI is performed to
      evaluate the CN in patients with sensorineural hearing loss. Recently, some
      authors have reported the relationship between cochlear nerve canal (CNC)
      stenosis and CN hypoplasia. OBJECTIVE: To review the relationship between CNC and
      CN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: During a period of 78 months, 21 children (42 ears)
      with unilateral or bilateral sensorineural hearing loss underwent both HRCT and
      MRI of the cochlear nerve. We retrospectively reviewed two factors: the
      evaluation of inner ear malformations and the relationship between CNC stenosis
      and CN hypoplasia. RESULTS: Inner ear malformations were recognized in ten ears.
      The mean CNC diameter was approximately 2 mm (ranging from 0.6 to 2.7 mm). CN
      hypoplasia was seen in eight of the 42 ears; all eight were associated with CNC
      stenosis (<or=1.5 mm). Of the 34 ears with normal CN, 32 had CNC >1.5 mm in
      diameter and the remaining two ears, with incomplete partition type I, had CNC
      stenosis. CONCLUSION: Children with CNC stenosis had a high incidence of CN
      hypoplasia. CNC stenosis (<or=1.5 mm) suggests CN hypoplasia. On the other hand,
      CN hypoplasia was not seen in children with CNC diameter >1.5 mm. Therefore, we
      conclude that children with CNC stenosis or malformations on HRCT should receive
      MR imaging of the CN.

PMID- 20309537
TI  - Fetal tumors: imaging features.
AB  - Although fetal tumors are rare, the prognostic and decision-making implications
      are substantial. The purpose of this pictorial essay is to highlight the most
      common tumors encountered during fetal imaging and to discuss the respective
      typical imaging findings. When appropriate, limited additional information
      regarding further considerations for patient care will be included.

PMID- 20309538
TI  - Antimicrobial resistance of the coral pathogen Vibrio coralliilyticus and
      Caribbean sister phylotypes isolated from a diseased octocoral.
AB  - Vibrio coralliilyticus is a global marine pathogen that has been found to cause
      disease in several marine organisms, including corals. This study is the first
      report of the isolation of V. coralliilyticus from a diseased Caribbean
      octocoral, Pseudopterogorgia americana. Five sister phylotypes were positively
      identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, recA probes specific for V.
      coralliilyticus, and rep-PCR fingerprinting. The antimicrobial resistance was
      compared between pathogenic strains of V. coralliilyticus and the Caribbean
      strains. First, the antimicrobial resistance of V. coralliilyticus-type strain
      ATCC BAA-450 was determined using an agar-overlay antimicrobial bioassay at 24
      degrees C and 27 degrees C, temperatures which are relevant to its known
      temperature-dependent virulence. From 108 distinct bacteria isolated from P.
      americana, 12 inhibited the V. coralliilyticus-type strain at 24 degrees C and
      five at 27 degrees C. Next, the phenotypic comparison of two Caribbean phylotypes
      and three V. coralliilyticus reference strains against a subset of 30 bacteria
      demonstrated a similar resistance trend. At both temperatures, the reference
      strains were inhibited by three bacteria isolates, while the Caribbean strains
      were inhibited by four to nine bacteria. Additionally, V. coralliilyticus-type
      strain ATCC BAA-450 and one of the Caribbean strains were inhibited by a higher
      number of bacteria at 24 degrees C compared with 27 degrees C. Together, these
      results highlight that V. coralliilyticus strains have antimicrobial resistance
      to the majority of coral-associated bacteria tested, which may be temperature
      dependent in some strains. Furthermore, all V. coralliilyticus strains tested
      showed multi-drug resistance to a range of 11-16 (out of 26) commercial
      antibiotics. This study establishes V. coralliilyticus in association with a
      Caribbean octocoral and demonstrates its resistance to the antimicrobial activity
      of coral-associated bacteria and to commercial antibiotics.

PMID- 20309539
TI  - High-level production of heterologous proteins using untreated cane molasses and
      corn steep liquor in Escherichia coli medium.
AB  - To develop an economical industrial medium, untreated cane molasses (UCM) was
      tested as a carbon source for fermentation culturing of Escherichia coli. To test
      the industrial application of this medium, we chose a strain co-expressing a
      carbonyl reductase (PsCR) and a glucose dehydrogenase (BmGDH). Although corn
      steep liquor (CSL) could be used as an inexpensive nitrogen source to replace
      peptone, yeast extract could not be replaced in E. coli media. In a volume of 40
      ml per 1-l flask, a cell concentration of optical density (OD(600)) 15.1 and
      enzyme activities of 6.51 U/ml PsCR and 3.32 U/ml BmGDH were obtained in an
      optimized medium containing 25.66 g/l yeast extract, 3.88 g/l UCM, and 7.1% (v/v)
      CSL. When 3.88 g/l UCM was added to the medium at 6 h in a fed-batch process, the
      E. coli concentration increased to OD(600) of 24, and expression of both PsCR and
      BmGDH were twofold higher than that of a batch process. Recombinant cells from
      batch or fed-batch cultures were assayed for recombinant enzyme activity by
      testing the reduction of ethyl 4-chloro-3-oxobutanoate to ethyl (S)-4-chloro-3
      hydroxybutanoate (CHBE). Compared to cells from batch cultures, fed-batch
      cultured cells showed higher recombinant enzyme expression, producing 560 mM CHBE
      in the organic phase with a molar yield of 92% and an optical purity of the (S)
      isomer of >99% enantiomeric excess.

PMID- 20309540
TI  - Single-cell analysis and isolation for microbiology and biotechnology: methods
      and applications.
AB  - Various single-cell isolation techniques, including dilution, micromanipulation,
      flow cytometry, microfluidics, and compartmentalization, have been developed.
      These techniques can be used to cultivate previously uncultured microbes, to
      assess and monitor cell physiology and function, and to screen for novel
      microbiological products. Various other techniques, such as viable staining, in
      situ hybridization, and those using autofluorescence proteins, are frequently
      combined with these single-cell isolation techniques depending on the purpose of
      the study. In this review article, we summarize currently available single-cell
      isolation techniques and their applications, when used in combination with other
      techniques, in microbiological and biotechnological studies.

PMID- 20309541
TI  - Investigation of factors influencing spore germination of Paenibacillus polymyxa
      ACCC10252 and SQR-21.
AB  - Bioorganic fertilizer containing Paenibacillus polymyxa SQR-21 showed very good
      antagonistic activity against Fusarium oxysporum. To optimize the role of P.
      polymyxa SQR-21 in bioorganic fertilizer, we conducted a study of spore
      germination under various conditions. In this study, L-asparagine, glucose,
      fructose and K(+) (AGFK), and sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose, and lactose)
      plus L-alanine were evaluated to determine their ability to induce spore
      germination of two strains; P. polymyxa ACCC10252 and SQR-21. Spore germination
      was measured as a decrease in optical density at 600 nm. The effect of heat
      activation and germination temperature were important for germination of spores
      of both strains on AGFK in Tris-HCl. L-Alanine alone showed a slight increase in
      spore germination; however, fructose plus L-alanine significantly induced spore
      germination, and the maximum spore germination rate was observed with 10 mmol l(
      1) L-alanine in the presence of 1 mmol l(-1) fructose in phosphate-buffered
      saline (PBS). In contrast, fructose plus L-alanine hardly induced spore
      germination in Tris-HCl; however, in addition of 10 mmol l(-1) NaCl into Tris
      HCl, the percentages of OD(600) fall were increased by 19.6% and 24.3% for
      ACCC10252 and SQR-21, respectively. AGFK-induced spore germination was much more
      strict to germination temperature than that induced by fructose plus L-alanine.
      For both strains, fructose plus L-alanine-induced spore germination was not
      sensitive to pH. The results in this study can help to predict the effect of
      environmental factors and nutrients on spore germination diversity, which will be
      beneficial for bioorganic fertilizer storage and transportation to improve the P.
      polymyxa efficacy as biological control agent.

PMID- 20309542
TI  - Transcriptome shifts in response to furfural and acetic acid in Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae.
AB  - Furfural and acetic acid are two prevalent inhibitors to microorganisms during
      cellulosic ethanol production, but molecular mechanisms of tolerance to these
      inhibitors are still unclear. In this study, genome-wide transcriptional
      responses to furfural and acetic acid were investigated in Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae using microarray analysis. We found that 103 and 227 genes were
      differentially expressed in the response to furfural and acetic acid,
      respectively. Furfural downregulated genes related to transcriptional control and
      translational control, while it upregulated stress-responsive genes. Furthermore,
      furfural also interrupted the transcription of genes involved in metabolism of
      essential chemicals, such as etrahydrofolate, spermidine, spermine, and
      riboflavin monophosphate. Acetic acid downregulated genes encoding mitochondrial
      ribosomal proteins and genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism and regulation
      and upregulated genes related to amino acid metabolism. The results revealed that
      furfural and acetic acid had effects on multiple aspects of cellular metabolism
      on the transcriptional level and that mitochondria might play important roles in
      response to both furfural and acetic acid. This research has provided insights
      into molecular response to furfural and acetic acid in S. cerevisiae, and it will
      be helpful to construct more resistant strains for cellulosic ethanol production.

PMID- 20309543
TI  - Genetic and metabolic engineering of isoflavonoid biosynthesis.
AB  - Isoflavonoids are a diverse group of secondary metabolites derived from the
      phenylpropanoid pathway. These compounds are distributed predominantly in
      leguminous plants and play important roles in plant-environment interactions and
      human health. Consequently, the biosynthetic pathway of isoflavonoid compounds
      has been widely elucidated in the past decades. Up to now, most of the structural
      genes and some of the regulatory genes involved in this pathway have been
      isolated and well characterized. Nowadays, the protective effects of the legume
      isoflavonoids against hormone dependent cancers, cardiovascular disease,
      osteoporosis, and menopausal symptoms have generated considerable interest within
      the genetic and metabolic engineering fields to enhance the dietary intake of
      these compounds for disease prevention. Subsequently, there are some great
      progresses in genetic and metabolic engineering to improve their yields in
      leguminous and non-leguminous plants and/or microorganisms. Because of the field
      of flavonoid biosynthesis has been reviewed fairly extensively in the past, this
      review concentrates on the more recent development in the isoflavonoid branch of
      phenylpropanoid pathway, including gene isolation and characterization. In
      addition, we describe the state-of-the-art research with respect to genetic and
      metabolic engineering of isoflavonoid biosynthesis.

PMID- 20309544
TI  - Comparative analysis of membranous proteomics of Shewanella decolorationis S12
      grown with azo compound or Fe (III) citrate as sole terminal electron acceptor.
AB  - Shewanella decolorationis S12 is capable of carrying out anaerobic respiration
      using azo dyes and Fe (III) citrate as electron acceptors. In the present study,
      proteomic techniques including two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and
      matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight/time-of-flight mass
      spectrometry were used to analyze the similarity and the dissimilarity of the
      membrane proteins isolated from strain S12 cells grown in amaranth or Fe (III)
      citrate with defined inorganic salt medium. The cells of strain S12 grown under a
      saturated dissolved oxygen condition served as controls. This is the first work
      that made the comparative analysis of cell membranous proteomics of strain S12
      grown with azo compound or Fe (III) citrate as a sole terminal electron acceptor.
      The results showed that most of the membrane proteins of strain S12 under azo
      respiration are similar to those under Fe (III) respiration, but dissimilar from
      those of oxygen-grown cells. FdnH and FrdB were expressed specifically in azo
      respiration. NqrA-2, DctP, and hypothetical protein SO_4719 showed relative
      overexpression in azo respiration compared with Fe (III) respiration. OmpA family
      protein SO_3545 was detected to be specific to Fe (III) respiration. Furthermore,
      ArgF, SdhA, and HoxK were expressed markedly in both amaranth- and Fe (III)
      citrate-grown cultures compared with oxygen-grown cultures.

PMID- 20309545
TI  - Kaposiform hemangioendothelioma arising in the deltoid muscle without the
      Kasabach-Merritt phenomenon.
AB  - Kaposiform hemangioendothelioma (KHE) is a rare tumor that occurs nearly
      exclusively during infancy and childhood. It has features common to both
      capillary hemangioma and Kaposi sarcoma and for that reason many terms have been
      used for these tumors including "Kaposi-like infantile hemangioendothelioma" and
      "hemangioma with Kaposi sarcoma-like features." KHE typically presents as an ill
      defined, red to purple, indurated plaque and is often complicated by the Kasabach
      Merritt phenomenon (KMP), a condition of severe thrombocytopenia and consumptive
      coagulopathy. Knowledge of the radiological findings of this uncommon tumor might
      be helpful for diagnosis. We present the MRI features of a case of KHE with
      neither typical skin lesions nor the Kasabach-Merritt phenomenon.

PMID- 20309546
TI  - Epitope distance to the target cell membrane and antigen size determine the
      potency of T cell-mediated lysis by BiTE antibodies specific for a large melanoma
      surface antigen.
AB  - Melanoma chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (MCSP; also called CSPG4, NG2, HMW-MAA,
      MSK16, MCSPG, MEL-CSPG, or gp240) is a surface antigen frequently expressed on
      human melanoma cells, which is involved in cell adhesion, invasion and spreading,
      angiogenesis, complement inhibition, and signaling. MCSP has therefore been
      frequently selected as target antigen for development of antibody- and vaccine
      based therapeutic approaches. We have here used a large panel of monoclonal
      antibodies against human MCSP for generation of single-chain MCSP/CD3-bispecific
      antibodies of the BiTE (for bispecific T cell engager) class. Despite similar
      binding affinity to MCSP, respective BiTE antibodies greatly differed in their
      potency of redirected lysis of CHO cells stably transfected with full-length
      human MCSP, or with various MCSP deletion mutants and fusion proteins. BiTE
      antibodies binding to the membrane proximal domain D3 of MCSP were more potent
      than those binding to more distal domains. This epitope distance effect was
      corroborated with EpCAM/CD3-bispecific BiTE antibody MT110 by testing various
      fusion proteins between MCSP and EpCAM as surface antigens. CHO cells expressing
      small surface target antigens were generally better lysed than those expressing
      larger target antigens, indicating that antigen size was also an important
      determinant for the potency of BiTE antibody. The present study for the first
      time relates the positioning of binding domains and size of surface antigens to
      the potency of target cell lysis by BiTE-redirected cytotoxic T cells. In case of
      the MCSP antigen, this provides the basis for selection of a maximally potent
      BiTE antibody candidate for development of a novel melanoma therapy.

PMID- 20309547
TI  - Upscaling of environmental information: support of land-use management decisions
      by spatio-temporal regionalization approaches.
AB  - This article presents several case studies in southwest Germany, which aimed to
      support land use management decisions by a process-oriented statistical upscaling
      of point-related environmental monitoring data to the landscape scale. When
      techniques of data subsetting were used in a sensible way and corresponding to
      the appropriate scale for the evaluation envisaged, multiple linear regression
      offered a data mining technique which was able to spatially predict relatively
      complex environmental patterns with parsimonious, interpretable and accurate
      models, whereby different evaluation scales were best represented by different
      DTM resolutions. Scenario models based upon the regression formulas were a
      valuable tool for visualizing management options and evaluating management
      impacts (tree species selection) on soil functions (carbon storage), which
      qualifies the presented methodology as a useful aid in decision making. Such
      upscaling techniques may be used for forecasting long-term effects of ecosystem
      management, but they provided no information on temporal dynamics. Therefore,
      time trends of point information on soil solution data were scaled by linking
      them to soil chemical data which was available in higher spatial resolution,
      using both statistical and process-oriented methods.

PMID- 20309548
TI  - New strategy of endothelial protection in cardiac surgery: use of enhancer of
      endothelial nitric oxide synthase.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endothelial dysfunction related to the loss of nitric oxide (NO)
      production remains an important issue in cardiac surgery. We examined the
      hypothesis that AVE3085, a novel compound that enhances eNOS transcription, may
      protect coronary endothelium against hypoxia-reoxygenation (H-R) injury during
      cardioplegic arrest and the possible mechanism by which this occurs. METHODS:
      Porcine coronary small arteries (600-800-microm diameter) were subjected to
      hypoxia (PO(2) <5 mmHg) in St. Thomas cardioplegic (ST) solution with or without
      AVE3085 (10 microM) or L-arginine (10 mM) at either 37 or 4 degrees C for 60 min,
      followed by 30-min reoxygenation. Bradykinin (-10 to -6.5 LogM)-induced,
      endothelium-dependent relaxation was studied in a myograph in U(46619)
      precontraction before and after H-R. Protein expressions of eNOS and
      phosphorylated eNOS at Ser-1177 (p-eNOS(Ser1177)) were also determined. RESULTS:
      Exposure to ST solution with H-R at both 37 and 4 degrees C markedly reduced
      bradykinin-induced relaxation in coronary small arteries. Addition of AVE3085 in
      ST solution at 37 degrees C preserved the vasorelaxant response to bradykinin
      (95.7 +/- 2.1% vs. 69.2 +/- 6.6%, p < 0.01), with the protective effect
      comparable to that of L-arginine (96.1 +/- 3.3% vs. 70.6 +/- 8.7%, p < 0.05).
      eNOS and p-eNOS(Ser1177) expressions in coronary endothelial cells were
      significantly increased by the addition of AVE3085 in ST solution during hypoxia
      (p < 0.05). Protection of endothelium-dependent relaxation from H-R by AVE3085
      (70.3 +/- 7.2% vs. 90.5 +/- 2.4%, p < 0.05) also reached a level similar to that
      by L-arginine (69.9 +/- 9.0% vs. 94.7 +/- 3.9%, p < 0.05) at 4 degrees C.
      CONCLUSIONS: We have demonstrated a new mechanism to protect coronary endothelium
      from H-R injury by using eNOS enhancers. This may form a new strategy in the
      future development of cardioplegic/preservation solutions with direct targeting
      of eNOS expression in coronary vasculature.

PMID- 20309549
TI  - A note on a paper by Erik Volz: SIR dynamics in random networks.
AB  - Recent work by Volz (J Math Biol 56:293-310, 2008) has shown how to calculate the
      growth and eventual decay of an SIR epidemic on a static random network, assuming
      infection and recovery each happen at constant rates. This calculation allows us
      to account for effects due to heterogeneity and finiteness of degree that are
      neglected in the standard mass-action SIR equations. In this note we offer an
      alternate derivation which arrives at a simpler-though equivalent-system of
      governing equations to that of Volz. This new derivation is more closely
      connected to the underlying physical processes, and the resulting equations are
      of comparable complexity to the mass-action SIR equations. We further show that
      earlier derivations of the final size of epidemics on networks can be reproduced
      using the same approach, thereby providing a common framework for calculating
      both the dynamics and the final size of an epidemic spreading on a random
      network. Under appropriate assumptions these equations reduce to the standard SIR
      equations, and we are able to estimate the magnitude of the error introduced by
      assuming the SIR equations.

PMID- 20309550
TI  - A stochastic SIS epidemic with demography: initial stages and time to extinction.
AB  - We study an open population stochastic epidemic model from the time of
      introduction of the disease, through a possible outbreak and to extinction. The
      model describes an SIS (susceptible-infective-susceptible) epidemic where all
      individuals, including infectious ones, reproduce at a given rate. An approximate
      expression for the outbreak probability is derived using a coupling argument.
      Further, we analyse the behaviour of the model close to quasi-stationarity, and
      the time to disease extinction, with the aid of a diffusion approximation. In
      this situation the number of susceptibles and infectives behaves as an Ornstein
      Uhlenbeck process, centred around the stationary point, for an exponentially
      distributed time before going extinct.

PMID- 20309551
TI  - Complete sequence of the mitochondrial genome of a diatom alga Synedra acus and
      comparative analysis of diatom mitochondrial genomes.
AB  - The first two mitochondrial genomes of marine diatoms were previously reported
      for the centric Thalassiosira pseudonana and the raphid pennate Phaeodactylum
      tricornutum. As part of a genomic project, we sequenced the complete
      mitochondrial genome of the freshwater araphid pennate diatom Synedra acus. This
      46,657 bp mtDNA encodes 2 rRNAs, 24 tRNAs, and 33 proteins. The mtDNA of S. acus
      contains three group II introns, two inserted into the cox1 gene and containing
      ORFs, and one inserted into the rnl gene and lacking an ORF. The compact gene
      organization contrasts with the presence of a 4.9-kb-long intergenic region,
      which contains repeat sequences. Comparison of the three sequenced mtDNAs showed
      that these three genomes carry similar gene pools, but the positions of some
      genes are rearranged. Phylogenetic analysis performed with a fragment of the cox1
      gene of diatoms and other heterokonts produced a tree that is similar to that
      derived from 18S RNA genes. The introns of mtDNA in the diatoms seem to be
      polyphyletic. This study demonstrates that pyrosequencing is an efficient method
      for complete sequencing of mitochondrial genomes from diatoms, and may soon give
      valuable information about the molecular phylogeny of this outstanding group of
      unicellular organisms.

PMID- 20309552
TI  - Differentiation between hepatic haemangiomas and cysts with an inversion recovery
      single-shot turbo spin-echo (SSTSE) sequence using the TI nulling value of
      hepatic haemangioma with sensitivity encoding.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the additional value of inversion recovery (IR) single
      shot turbo spin-echo (SSTSE) imaging with sensitivity encoding (SENSE) using the
      inversion time (TI) value of hepatic haemangioma as a supplement to conventional
      T2-weighted turbo spin-echo (TSE) imaging for the discrimination of hepatic
      haemangiomas and cysts. METHODS: A total of 134 lesions (77 hepatic haemangiomas,
      57 hepatic cysts) in 59 patients were evaluated. Three readers evaluated these
      images and used a five-point scale to evaluate the lesion status. A receiver
      operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and 2 x 2 table analysis were used.
      RESULTS: The ROC analysis for all the readers and all the cases revealed a
      significantly higher area under the curve (AUC) for the combination of moderately
      and heavily T2-weighted TSE with IR-SSTSE images (0.945) than for moderately and
      heavily T2-weighted TSE images alone (0.894) (P < 0.001). For the combination of
      T2-weighted TSE with IR-SSTSE versus T2-weighted TSE alone, the 2 x 2 table
      analysis revealed a higher true-positive rate; this difference was statistically
      significant (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The introduction of IR-SSTSE with SENSE
      sequences significantly improves the diagnostic accuracy of the differentiation
      of hepatic haemangioma and cysts while increasing the time required for routine
      abdominal imaging by only 20 s.

PMID- 20309553
TI  - Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: diffusion-weighted MR imaging for
      prediction and monitoring of treatment response.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in
      predicting and monitoring chemoradiotherapy response in head and neck squamous
      cell carcinoma (HNSCC). METHODS: Diffusion-weighted imaging was performed pre
      treatment (n = 50), intra-treatment (n = 41) and post-treatment (n = 20).
      Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were correlated with locoregional
      failure (LF). RESULTS: Locoregional failure occurred in 20/50 (40%) patients. A
      significant correlation was found between LF and post-treatment ADC (p = 0.02)
      but not pre- or intra-treatment ADC. Serial change in ADC was even more
      significant (p = 0.00001), using a fall in ADC early (pre- to intra-treatment) or
      late (intra- to post-treatment) to indicate LF, achieved 100% specificity, 80%
      sensitivity and 90% accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: Single ADC measurements pre- or intra
      treatment did not predict response, but ADC post-treatment was a marker for LF.
      Serial change in ADC was an even stronger marker, when using an early or late
      treatment fall in ADC to identify LF.

PMID- 20309554
TI  - Spectroscopic (multi-energy) CT distinguishes iodine and barium contrast material
      in MICE.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Spectral CT differs from dual-energy CT by using a conventional X-ray
      tube and a photon-counting detector. We wished to produce 3D spectroscopic images
      of mice that distinguished calcium, iodine and barium. METHODS: We developed a
      desktop spectral CT, dubbed MARS, based around the Medipix2 photon-counting
      energy-discriminating detector. The single conventional X-ray tube operated at
      constant voltage (75 kVp) and constant current (150 microA). We anaesthetised
      with ketamine six black mice (C57BL/6). We introduced iodinated contrast material
      and barium sulphate into the vascular system, alimentary tract and respiratory
      tract as we euthanised them. The mice were preserved in resin and imaged at four
      detector energy levels from 12 keV to 42 keV to include the K-edges of iodine
      (33.0 keV) and barium (37.4 keV). Principal component analysis was applied to
      reconstructed images to identify components with independent energy response,
      then displayed in 2D and 3D. RESULTS: Iodinated and barium contrast material was
      spectrally distinct from soft tissue and bone in all six mice. Calcium, iodine
      and barium were displayed as separate channels on 3D colour images at <55 microm
      isotropic voxels. CONCLUSION: Spectral CT distinguishes contrast agents with K
      edges only 4 keV apart. Multi-contrast imaging and molecular CT are potential
      future applications.

PMID- 20309555
TI  - Electronic cleansing for CT colonography: does it help CAD software performance
      in a high-risk population for colorectal cancer?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the performance of computer-aided detection (CAD) for CT
      colonography (CTC) with and without electronic cleansing (EC) in a high-risk
      population tagged with a faecal tagging (FT) protocol. METHODS: Thirty-two
      patients underwent CTC followed by same-day colonoscopy. All patients underwent
      bowel preparation and FT with barium and gastrografin. Each CTC dataset was
      processed with colon CAD with and without EC. Per-polyp sensitivity was
      calculated. The average number of false-positive (FP) results and their causes
      were also analysed and compared. RESULTS: Eighty-six polyps were detected in 29
      patients. Per-polyp sensitivities of CAD with EC (93.8% and 100%) were higher
      than those without EC (84.4% and 87.5%) for polyps >or=6 mm and >or=10 mm,
      respectively. However, the differences were not significant. The average number
      (6.3) of FPs of CAD with EC was significantly larger than that (3.1) without EC.
      The distribution of FPs in both CAD settings was also significantly different.
      The most common cause of FPs was the ileocaecal valve in both datasets. However,
      untagged faeces was a significantly less common cause of FPs with EC, EC-related
      artefacts being more common. CONCLUSION: Electronic cleansing has the potential
      to improve per-polyp sensitivity of CTC CAD, although the significantly larger
      number of FPs with EC remains to be improved.

PMID- 20309556
TI  - 3D 23Na MRI of human skeletal muscle at 7 Tesla: initial experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate healthy skeletal muscle pre- and post-exercise via 7 T
      (23)Na MRI and muscle proton T(2) mapping, and to evaluate diabetic muscle pre-
      and post-exercise via 7 T (23)Na MRI. METHODS: The calves of seven healthy
      subjects underwent imaging pre- and post-exercise via 7 T (23)Na MRI (3D fast low
      angle shot, TR/TE = 80 ms/0.160 ms, 4 mm x 4 mm x 4 mm) and 1 week later by (1)H
      MRI (multiple spin-echo sequence, TR/TE = 3,000 ms/15-90 ms). Four type 2
      diabetics also participated in the (23)Na MRI protocol. Pre- and post-exercise
      sodium signal intensity (SI) and proton T(2) relaxation values were
      measured/calculated for soleus (S), gastrocnemius (G), and a control, tibialis
      anterior (TA). Two-tailed t tests were performed. RESULTS: In S/G in healthy
      subjects post-exercise, sodium SI increased 8-13% (p < 0.03), then decreased
      (t(1/2) = 22 min), and (1)H T(2) values increased 12-17% (p < 0.03), then
      decreased (t(1/2 )= 12-15 min). In TA, no significant changes in sodium SI or
      (1)H T(2) values were seen (-2.4 to 1%, p > 0.17). In S/G in diabetics, sodium SI
      increased 10-11% (p < 0.04), then decreased (t(1/2) = 27-37 min) without
      significant change in the TA SI (-3.6%, p = 0.066). CONCLUSION: It is feasible to
      evaluate skeletal muscle via 3D (23)Na MRI at 7 T. Post-exercise muscle (1)H T(2)
      values return to baseline more rapidly than sodium SI. Diabetics may demonstrate
      delayed muscle sodium SI recovery compared with healthy subjects.

PMID- 20309557
TI  - Chronic mitral regurgitation detected on cardiac MDCT: differentiation between
      functional and valvular aetiologies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether cardiac computed tomography (MDCT) can
      differentiate between functional and valvular aetiologies of chronic mitral
      regurgitation (MR) compared with echocardiography (TTE). METHODS: Twenty-seven
      patients with functional or valvular MR diagnosed by TTE and 19 controls
      prospectively underwent cardiac MDCT. The morphological appearance of the mitral
      valve (MV) leaflets, MV geometry, MV leaflet angle, left ventricular (LV)
      sphericity and global/regional wall motion were analysed. The coronary arteries
      were evaluated for obstructive atherosclerosis. RESULTS: All control and MR cases
      were correctly identified by MDCT. Significant differences were detected between
      valvular and control groups for anterior leaflet length (30 +/- 7 mm vs. 22 +/- 4
      mm, P < 0.02) and thickness (3.0 +/- 1 mm vs. 2.2 +/- 1 mm, P < 0.01). High-grade
      coronary stenosis was detected in all patients with functional MR compared with
      no controls (P < 0.001). Significant differences in those with/without MV
      prolapse were detected in MV tent area (-1.0 +/- 0.6 mm vs. 1.3 +/- 0.9 mm, P <
      0.0001) and MV tent height (-0.7 +/- 0.3 mm vs. 0.8 +/- 0.8 mm, P < 0.0001).
      Posterior leaflet angle was significantly greater for functional MR (37.9 +/-
      19.1 degrees vs. 22.9 +/- 14 degrees , P < 0.018) and less for valvular MR (0.6
      +/- 35.5 degrees vs. 22.9 +/- 14 degrees, P < 0.017). Sensitivity, specificity,
      and positive and negative predictive values of MDCT were 100%, 95%, 96% and 100%.
      CONCLUSION: Cardiac MDCT allows the differentiation between functional and
      valvular causes of MR.

PMID- 20309558
TI  - Whole-body diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging with apparent diffusion
      coefficient mapping for staging patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To design a whole-body MR protocol using exclusively diffusion
      weighted imaging (DWI) with respiratory gating and to assess its value for lesion
      detection and staging in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL),
      with integrated FDG PET/CT as the reference standard. METHODS: Fifteen patients
      underwent both whole-body DWI (b = 50, 400, 800 s/mm(2)) and PET/CT for
      pretreatment staging. Lymph node and organ involvement were evaluated by
      qualitative and quantitative image analysis, including measurement of the mean
      apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). RESULTS: A total of 296 lymph node regions
      in the 15 patients were analysed. Based on International Working Group size
      criteria alone, DWI findings matched PET/CT findings in 277 regions (94%) (kappa
      score = 0.85, P < 0.0001), yielding sensitivity and specificity for DWI lymph
      node involvement detection of 90% and 94%. Combining visual ADC analysis with
      size measurement increased DWI specificity to 100% with 81% sensitivity. For
      organ involvement, the two techniques agreed in all 20 recorded organs (100%).
      All involved organ lesions showed restricted diffusion. Ann Arbor stages agreed
      in 14 (93%) of the 15 patients. CONCLUSION: Whole-body DWI with ADC analysis can
      potentially be used for lesion detection and staging in patients with DLBCL.

PMID- 20309559
TI  - Real-time contrast-enhanced ultrasound-guided biopsy of focal hepatic lesions not
      localised on B-mode ultrasound.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To prospectively evaluate the technical feasibility of percutaneous
      real-time contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) guided biopsy of focal hepatic
      lesions that are not confidently localised on B-mode US. METHODS: The study
      included 44 patients (mean age, 61.3 years) whose biopsy target could not be
      confidently localised on B-mode US performed by two independent radiologists.
      Biopsy was attempted under the guidance of both CEUS and B-mode US simultaneously
      displayed on a single monitor. Final diagnosis was established based on the
      pathological examination of the biopsy specimen as well as on clinical and
      radiological follow-up. RESULTS: The size and depth of the target lesions were
      18.0 +/- 9.0 mm (mean +/- SD) and 41.8 +/- 17.2 mm respectively. Five patients
      with negative or indistinct CEUS findings did not undergo biopsy, while 39
      patients completed the biopsy. In 38 of the 39 patients, the biopsy result was
      concordant with the final diagnosis. In the remaining one patient, the biopsy
      failed to prove metastasis. As there were six cases of technical failure, the
      technical success rate was 86% (38/44). The sensitivity in diagnosing malignancy
      was 88% (30/34). CONCLUSION: Real-time CEUS-guided biopsy is technically feasible
      for hepatic focal lesions that are not confidently localised on B-mode US.

PMID- 20309560
TI  - Screening for renal insufficiency following ESUR (European Society of Urogenital
      Radiology) guidelines with on-site creatinine measurements in an outpatient
      setting.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To report the results and implications for workflow following
      introduction of ESUR guidelines to screen for potential renal insufficiency (RI)
      in private practice with on-site creatinine measurements. METHODS: A total of
      1,766 consecutive outpatients scheduled for contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) completed
      the ESUR questionnaire enquiring about kidney disease, renal surgery,
      proteinuria, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, gout or use of nephrotoxic drugs.
      Patients with positive risk factors underwent on-site creatinine measurement and
      calculation of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Attending
      radiologists adapted subsequent imaging depending on renal function and presence
      of risk factors. RESULTS: One or more ESUR risk factors were present in 796
      (45.1%) patients, including hypertension (37.7%), nephrotoxic medication (21.3%),
      diabetes mellitus (8.0%), proteinuria (3.9%), renal disease (4.1%), gout (3.1%)
      and renal surgery (2.6%). Pre-procedural creatinine measurements revealed severe
      RI (eGFR < 30 ml min(-1) 1.73 m(-2)) in 10 (1.3%) and moderate RI (eGFR 30-59 ml
      min(-1) 1.73 m(-2)) in 106 (13.8%). Imaging work-up was adapted in 132 (16.6%) as
      follows: reduction of contrast material dose (n = 85), CT without contrast (n =
      40), changeover to MRI (n = 3) or scintigraphy (n = 4). CONCLUSION: Screening for
      RI following ESUR guidelines requires creatinine measurements in nearly half of
      outpatients scheduled for CECT and reveals moderate to severe renal impairment in
      6.6%.

PMID- 20309561
TI  - Persistent postpartum haemorrhage after failed arterial ligation: value of pelvic
      embolisation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the role and efficacy of pelvic embolisation in the
      treatment of persistent postpartum haemorrhage after failed arterial ligation and
      to identify the complications of this procedure in this specific population.
      METHODS: The clinical files and angiographic examinations of 12 consecutive women
      (mean age 32 years) who were treated with pelvic embolisation because of
      persistent, severe postpartum haemorrhage after failed arterial ligation were
      reviewed. RESULTS: Angiography revealed that persistent bleeding was due to
      incomplete arterial ligation (n = 4) or the presence of newly developed
      anastomotic routes (n = 8). In 11 women, pelvic embolisation stopped the
      bleeding. Hysterectomy was needed in one woman with retained placenta. Two
      complications due to pelvic embolisation, including leg ischaemia and transient
      sciatic nerve ischaemia, were identified, both after internal iliac artery
      ligation. CONCLUSIONS: In women with persistent postpartum haemorrhage after
      failed arterial ligation, pelvic embolisation is an effective treatment in most
      cases. However, embolisation of the anastomotic routes that contribute to
      persistent bleeding may result in ischaemic complications. These potential
      complications reaffirm that arterial ligation should not be the favoured option
      for postpartum haemorrhage and that special care must be given during pelvic
      embolisation after failed arterial ligation.

PMID- 20309562
TI  - Clinical experience with survivin as a biomarker for urothelial bladder cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study was carried out as a prospective pilot study to evaluate
      the potential of survivin mRNA measurement in patients suspicious for urothelial
      bladder cancer (BC). Data were also analyzed for possible influences of secondary
      urological findings on survivin measurements. METHODS: Survivin was measured by
      an mRNA assay in voided urine samples of 50 patients with suspicion of new or
      recurrent BC prior to transurethral resection. Sample evaluation was possible in
      49 cases. Histopathology revealed no malignancy in 17 (35%) and BC in 32 (65%)
      patients. Survivin mRNA was quantitated by real-time PCR from frozen cell pellets
      of centrifuged urine samples. A ROC analysis of the survivin data was performed.
      RESULTS: ROC analysis identified the best cut-off level at 10,000 mRNA copies,
      resulting in a sensitivity of 53% and a specificity of 88%. Seven of the 20 pTa
      tumors (35%), all four pT1 (100%) and all four muscle-invasive tumors (100%) were
      detected. Of four patients with carcinoma in situ (Cis), 50% could be identified.
      Only two patients (4%) were assessed as false positive. Histologically confirmed
      cystitis and concomitant urological findings (inflammatory cells in urine,
      microhematuria and others) had no detectable influence on survivin measurements.
      CONCLUSION: In present group of patients, survivin was a reliable biomarker for
      high-grade urothelial BC (sensitivity 83%), but not for low grade (sensitivity
      35%) urothelial BC with a high specificity (88%). No confounders influencing the
      results of survivin measurements could be identified.

PMID- 20309563
TI  - Clinical efficacy of a loading dose of naftopidil for patients with benign
      prostate hyperplasia.
AB  - PURPOSE: The efficacy of a loading dose of alpha(1)-adrenoreceptor antagonist for
      patients with benign prostate hyperplasia who did not improve at a low dose has
      not been determined. We performed a prospective study to estimate the efficacy of
      incremental naftopidil administration. METHODS: The efficacy of naftopidil was
      examined based on changes in the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS). We
      defined a "responder" as a patient who improved by >=5 points in IPSS total
      score. All patients were administered naftopidil at 50 mg/day for 12 weeks, and
      nonresponders at 50 mg/day were increased to 75 mg/day. Efficacy was finally
      evaluated after an additional 12 weeks of administration at 75 mg/day. RESULTS:
      Among 122 patients whose data could be analyzed, the efficacy rate after
      administration at 50 mg/day was 52.5%. In all IPSS items except urgency score,
      the responders had significantly higher (poorer) values than nonresponders before
      the start of treatment. Of 40 patients whose dose was increased to 75 mg/day and
      whose data could be analyzed, prostate volume in the responder group (9 patients)
      was significantly smaller than that in the nonresponder group (31 patients).
      Multivariate analysis showed that patients with improved IPSS total score,
      voiding symptoms, urgency, and weak stream after administration of 50 mg/day
      naftopidil were more likely to improve after a dose increase. CONCLUSIONS: A dose
      increment of naftopidil to 75 mg/day may be useful in patients with BPH who did
      not improve at 50 mg/day.

PMID- 20309564
TI  - Congenital pouch colon: antenatal diagnosis and video-assisted management.
AB  - Congenital pouch colon (CPC) is an unusual abnormality associating a pouch-like
      dilatation of a shortened colon with an anorectal malformation (ARM). There are
      few reports of CPC in Europe, a contrario it represents up to 15% of ARM in
      India. Coloplasty and excision are described in the surgical management. This
      report describes a new case of CPC. This is the first reported case with a
      prenatal clinical presentation as an hypoechogenic abdominal image at ultrasound
      and a video-assisted management.

PMID- 20309565
TI  - Clinical events after surgical splenectomy in children with sickle cell anemia.
AB  - PURPOSE: Despite advances in immune prophylaxis, sepsis remains the most feared
      complication following splenectomy for acute splenic sequestration crisis (ASSC)
      in children with sickle cell anemia (SCA). We seek to investigate the true
      prevalence of sepsis and other complications of splenectomy in this patient
      population. METHODS: We reviewed the records of children with SCA (HbSS) who
      underwent splenectomy for ASSC between 1993 and 2008 at a single institution.
      RESULTS: Fifty-eight patients (33 males) at a median age of 2 years at
      splenectomy were included with an average post-splenectomy follow-up of 6.4 years
      (range 6 months-14 years). Thirty-seven patients (64%) underwent laparoscopic
      splenectomy, and acute chest syndrome (ACS) was the most common post-operative
      complication (6.9%). There was no difference in the incidence of sepsis pre- and
      post-splenectomy. The occurrence of vaso-occlusive pain crises (VOC) and ACS was
      significantly higher after splenectomy. In addition, 14 patients (24%) developed
      stroke (n = 5) or an abnormal transcranial Doppler (TCD) (n = 9) after
      splenectomy. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that splenectomy can be safely
      performed in children with SCA given a low risk of sepsis. However, the increased
      incidence of VOC, ACS, and stroke or abnormal TCDs after splenectomy remains a
      concern.

PMID- 20309566
TI  - The neuroinflammatory hypothesis of delirium.
AB  - Delirium is a neuropsychiatric syndrome characterized by a sudden and global
      impairment in consciousness, attention and cognition. It is particularly frequent
      in elderly subjects with medical or surgical conditions and is associated with
      short- and long-term adverse outcomes. The pathophysiology of delirium remains
      poorly understood as it involves complex multi-factorial dynamic interactions
      between a diversity of risk factors. Several conditions associated with delirium
      are characterized by activation of the inflammatory cascade with acute release of
      inflammatory mediators into the bloodstream. There is compelling evidence that
      acute peripheral inflammatory stimulation induces activation of brain parenchymal
      cells, expression of proinflammatory cytokines and inflammatory mediators in the
      central nervous system. These neuroinflammatory changes induce neuronal and
      synaptic dysfunction and subsequent neurobehavioural and cognitive symptoms.
      Furthermore, ageing and neurodegenerative disorders exaggerate microglial
      responses following stimulation by systemic immune stimuli such as peripheral
      inflammation and/or infection. In this review we explore the neuroinflammatory
      hypothesis of delirium based on recent evidence derived from animal and human
      studies.

PMID- 20309567
TI  - Von Economo neuron density in the anterior cingulate cortex is reduced in early
      onset schizophrenia.
AB  - The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) represents a phylogenetically ancient region
      of the mammalian brain that has undergone recent adaptive changes in humans. It
      contains a large spindle-shaped cell type, referred to as von Economo neuron
      (VEN) that has been shown to be involved in the pathophysiology of various
      neuropsychiatric disorders. Schizophrenia is a group of disorders that is, in
      part, characterised by a disruption of neuronal migration in early ontogeny and
      presumably secondary degeneration after the first psychotic episode in some
      patients. Accordingly, we tested the hypothesis that the density of VENs is
      reduced in a neurodevelopmental subtype of schizophrenia, which we defined by an
      early onset of the disorder. The density of VENs was estimated in layer Vb of
      Brodmann's area 24 in 20 subjects diagnosed with schizophrenia. The results were
      compared with 19 specimens from patients with bipolar disorder as a clinical
      control and 22 non-psychiatric samples. The density of VENs did not differ
      between the three groups. However, the VEN density in the right ACC correlated
      with the age at onset, and inversely with the duration of the illness in
      schizophrenia, but not in bipolar disorder. Thus, patients with early onset
      schizophrenia (and longer duration of illness) had a reduced VEN density. Age,
      sex, postmortem interval, brain weight, and cortical thickness had no significant
      impact on the results. These findings suggest that VENs in the ACC are involved
      in neurodevelopmental and perhaps neurodegenerative processes specific to
      schizophrenia.

PMID- 20309568
TI  - Papp-Lantos inclusions and the pathogenesis of multiple system atrophy: an
      update.
AB  - Multiple systemic atrophy (MSA) is a progressive, adult-onset neurodegenerative
      disorder of undetermined aetiology characterized by a distinctive
      oligodendrogliopathy with argyrophilic glial cytoplasmic inclusions (GCIs) and
      selective neurodegeneration. GCIs or Papp-Lantos inclusions, described more than
      20 years ago, are now accepted as the hallmarks for the definite
      neuropathological diagnosis of MSA and suggested to play a central role in the
      pathogenesis of this disorder. GCIs are composed of hyperphosphorylated alpha
      synuclein (alphaSyn), ubiquitin, LRRK2 (leucin-rich repeat serine/threonine
      protein) and many other proteins, suggesting that MSA represents an invariable
      synucleinopathy of non-neuronal type, a specific form of proteinopathies. The
      origin of alphaSyn deposition in GCIs is not yet fully understood, but recent
      findings of dysregulation in the metabolism of myelin basic protein (MBP) and
      p25alpha, a central nervous system-specific protein, also called TPPP (tubulin
      polymerization promoting protein), strengthened the working model of MSA as a
      primary glial disorder and may explain frequent alterations of myelin in MSA.
      However, it is unknown whether these changes represent an early event or myelin
      dysregulation occurs further downstream in MSA pathogenesis. The association
      between polymorphisms at the SNCA gene locus and the risk for developing MSA also
      points to a primary role of alphaSyn in its pathogenesis, while in a MBP promoter
      driven alphaSyn transgenic mouse model gliosis accompanied the neurodegenerative
      process originating in oligodendrocytes. Because alphaSyn represents a major
      component in both oligodendroglial and neuronal inclusions in MSA, some authors
      suggested both a primary oligodendrogliopathy and a neuronal synucleinopathy, but
      current biomolecular data and animal models support a crucial role of the Papp
      Lantos inclusions and of aberrant alphaSyn accumulation as their main
      constituent, causing oligodendroglial pathology, myelin disruption and, finally,
      neuronal degeneration in MSA. The relationship between oligodendrocytes involved
      by Papp-Lantos inclusions and those in degenerating neurons in the course of MSA
      needs further elucidation.

PMID- 20309569
TI  - Smoking and AMH levels in women with normal reproductive history.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of age and smoking on the AMH levels in normal
      cycling healthy women with normal reproductive history. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In
      137 women, blood samples were taken on day 3 of a spontaneous cycle. Serum FSH,
      LH, E2, progesterone and AMH were measured in all blood samples. For the
      statistical analysis of the data, t test, Pearson's correlation and linear
      regression analysis were performed. RESULTS: Of 137 women (43%), 59 were smokers.
      Age was positively correlated with serum FSH and LH levels (r = 0.584, P < 0.001
      and r = 0.330, P < 0.001, respectively) and negatively correlated with serum AMH
      levels (r = -0.882, P < 0.001). There were no significant differences in FSH, LH,
      E2, progesterone and AMH levels between smokers and non-smokers. Multiple
      stepwise linear regression analysis showed that in both smokers and non-smokers,
      age was the most significant determinant of AMH levels (r = -0.889, P < 0.001 and
      r = -0.944, P < 0.001, respectively), while smoking was not related to AMH
      levels. CONCLUSIONS: Aging significantly decreases AMH levels in women with
      normal cycles and normal reproductive history, while smoking does not seem to
      have significant effects on AMH levels.

PMID- 20309570
TI  - The laparoscopic-assisted vaginal approach to early endometrial cancer.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: For the surgical treatment of endometrial cancer laparotomy still
      is regarded as the gold standard. Over the past decade, the laparoscopic approach
      has gained equivalence in FIGO stage I carcinomas. RESULTS: Laparoscopic-assisted
      vaginal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingooophorectomy plus pelvic/paraaortic
      lymphadenectomy have shown short-term advantages such as reduced blood loss and
      shorter hospitalization without reducing oncological safety or outcome. This has
      already been confirmed by numerous smaller studies and recent randomized
      controlled trials with sufficient numbers of patients are being published.
      CONCLUSION: Further acceptance of the technique is necessary to enable every
      gynecological oncologist to individualize treatment by offering minimal access
      options.

PMID- 20309571
TI  - Prospective evaluation of a post-stroke epilepsy risk scale.
AB  - Ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes are established etiological factors for
      recurrent seizures. Still, only few prospective data are available to predict
      post-stroke epilepsy and to choose the best point in time and anticonvulsive
      agent for treatment. In a prospective study we evaluated 264 consecutive stroke
      patients and assessed their post-stroke epilepsy risk within a follow-up of 1
      year. Data on ten risk items concerning the stroke localisation, persisting
      neurological deficit, stroke subtype, established diagnosis of vascular
      encephalopathy, early- and late-onset seizures were collected using a post-stroke
      epilepsy risk scale (PoSERS). All patients underwent brain imaging with either
      CT, MRI or both and 148 patients underwent electroencephalography. The overall
      frequency of early-onset seizures within 14 days was 4.5%, of at least one late
      seizure 6.4% and of epilepsy 3.8%. Chi-Square tests showed significantly higher
      relative frequencies of seven of the ten clinical characteristics in post-stroke
      epilepsy patients. The total scale showed moderate sensitivity (70%) and positive
      predictive value (87.5%) while specificity (99.6%) and negative predictive value
      (98.8%) were relatively high. The EEG showed little value in predicting post
      stroke epilepsy. The PoSERS appears to be a valuable tool to predict the risk for
      post-stroke epilepsy within the first few days after a stroke.

PMID- 20309572
TI  - The epidemiology of CuZn-SOD mutations in Germany: a study of 217 families.
AB  - We screened 217 patients from Germany (n = 213), Austria (n = 2) and Switzerland
      (n = 2) with a positive family history for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
      for mutations in the copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1) gene. We found that
      13% of the families tested carried mutations. By analyzing inheritance, we
      detected a clear-cut co-segregation in 5 of the 28 families; however, in two
      families with an established mutation, co-segregation was absent. In Germany, the
      R115G mutation is comparatively frequent and exhibits a specific aggressive
      phenotype. The L144F mutation, which is the most prevalent mutation in the Balkan
      countries, and the D90A mutation which is the most frequent SOD1 mutation
      globally, seem to be the second most common disease-causing mutations in Germany.

PMID- 20309573
TI  - Idiopathic maculopathy in eyes with regressed retinopathy of prematurity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To describe idiopathic maculopathy in eyes with regressed retinopathy
      of prematurity, which differs from cicatricial changes in retinopathy of
      prematurity. METHODS:  SETTING: institutional. PATIENTS: patients were former
      preterm infants who had undergone fundus examinations for retinopathy of
      prematurity between December 1993 and May 2002. Posterior polar cicatricial
      change was excluded. The medical records of eight eyes (four patients) with photo
      documented idiopathic maculopathy were reviewed retrospectively. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: complete ophthalmologic examinations including best corrected visual
      acuity (BCVA), refractive error, funduscopic examination, fluorescein angiography
      (FAG), and optical coherence tomography (OCT). RESULTS: Maculopathy was
      characterized by depigmented geographic atrophy. FAG showed window defects due to
      atrophy of retinal pigment epithelium. OCT showed depression in the fovea with
      retained internal architecture. In all cases patients had retinopathy of
      prematurity, and all except one had been treated with laser photocoagulation. In
      the case without laser photocoagulation, maculopathy was observed on the first
      exam. In the other cases, no maculopathy was observed on the first exam, but was
      detected after laser photocoagulation. No patient had a family history of
      hereditary retinal dystrophy. In all cases, maculopathy was noted in both eyes
      with myopia. BCVA was variable (0.0 approximately 0.82, 0.32 +/- 0.32 logMAR). No
      progression was observed over the course of 8 years. CONCLUSION: Idiopathic
      maculopathy is a rare posterior polar change that differs from the cicatricial
      changes seen in retinopathy of prematurity, and is independent of prior laser
      photocoagulation. No progression was observed, and visual prognosis was fair.

PMID- 20309574
TI  - Association between macular microcirculation and soluble intercellular adhesion
      molecule-1 in patients with macular edema and retinal vein occlusion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In patients who have macular edema secondary to retinal vein
      occlusion, the role of vasoactive molecules such as growth factors and the
      influence of molecules related to leukocyte adhesion need to be investigated
      further. METHODS: A prospective study was performed to investigate the relations
      between perifoveal capillary blood flow velocity and the vitreous levels of
      vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and soluble intercellular adhesion
      molecule-1 (sICAM-1) in patients with macular edema and retinal vein occlusion.
      Undiluted vitreous specimens were obtained from 11 eyes of 11 patients with
      macular edema (nine had branch retinal vein occlusion and two had central retinal
      vein occlusion). VEGF and sICAM-1 levels were measured by enzyme-linked
      immunoabsorbent assay. Before vitreous sampling, perifoveal capillary blood flow
      velocity was measured by fluorescein angiography with a scanning laser
      ophthalmoscope and the tracing method. The relations between perifoveal capillary
      blood flow velocity and the vitreous levels of VEGF and sICAM-1 were
      investigated. RESULTS: There was a significant correlation between perifoveal
      capillary blood flow velocity and the vitreous level of sICAM-1 (rho = -0.7303, p
      = 0.03). In contrast, there was no significant association between blood flow
      velocity and the vitreous level of VEGF (rho = -0.1458, p = 0.67). CONCLUSIONS:
      The vitreous level of sICAM-1 is associated with perifoveal capillary blood flow
      velocity in patients who have retinal vein occlusion and macular edema.

PMID- 20309575
TI  - The characterization of the first anti-mouse Muc6 antibody shows an increased
      expression of the mucin in pancreatic tissue of Cftr-knockout mice.
AB  - Gel-forming mucins are large high-molecular weight secreted O-glycoproteins
      responsible for the gel-properties of the mucus blanket. Five orthologous gel
      forming mucins have been cloned in human and mouse. Among them, the mucin MUC6
      has been less studied, particularly in rodents and no anti rodent-Muc6 antibody
      has been reported yet. In order to further study Muc6 in mice, our aims were to
      obtain a specific Muc6 antibody, to validate it and to test it in Cftr deficient
      mice. A polyclonal serum named CP4 was isolated from a rabbit immunized by a
      mouse Muc6 peptide. In Western blot experiments, the antibody detected a high
      molecular weight molecule secreted by the gastric tissue. Using
      immunohistochemistry, we showed that the antibody reacted strongly with deep
      glands of duodenum and ileum and mucous neck cells of gastric body. CP4 also
      recognized Muc6 protein secreted at the surface of the stomach and renal
      collecting tubules. The centroacinar cells of pancreatic tissue also reacted with
      the antibody. Cftr-/- mice showed a higher expression of Muc6 at both protein and
      RNA levels compared with their control Cftr+/+ littermates suggesting that as in
      the human disease, Muc6 may contribute to the formation of materials that block
      pancreatic acini and ducts in mouse models of cystic fibrosis. The rabbit anti
      mouse Muc6 polyclonal antibody seems highly specific to the mouse mucin and will
      be useful to study pancreatic pathology in cystic fibrosis.

PMID- 20309576
TI  - Evidence-based use of enteral nutrition in acute pancreatitis.
AB  - PURPOSE: A systematic review was carried out to analyze current evidence-based
      data on the use of enteral nutrition in the management of acute pancreatitis.
      METHODS: Literature search was performed on "Pubmed" and "Medline" databases to
      identify articles investigating the role and potential effect of enteral
      nutrition on the outcome of patients with acute pancreatitis. Relevant data were
      analyzed from the viewpoints of possible benefits and complications, route and
      timing of administration, and composition of nutrients. RESULTS: Thirty-two
      prospective randomized controlled trials and 15 meta-analyses of those were
      identified and included in this overview. Strong evidence suggests that enteral
      nutrition significantly reduces mortality rate of severe acute pancreatitis.
      While both nasogastric and nasojejunal feeding appear to be safe in severe
      pancreatitis, early low-fat oral diet is possibly beneficial in patients with
      mild pancreatitis. Since maintenance of the gut barrier function is one of the
      crucial effects of enteral nutrition, enteral feeding should be commenced within
      the first 24 h after hospital admission, in order to prevent early bacterial
      translocation. However, it seems that neither immunonoenhanced nutrients nor
      probiotic supplementation are able to reduce mortality further, and--therefore-
      cannot be recommended for patients with acute pancreatitis. CONCLUSION: Although
      enteral nutrition is undoubtedly a key component of the management of acute
      pancreatitis, the exact role of that is needed to be defined yet. In particular,
      conflicting data from studies on nutrient compositions will require further
      clarification in the future.

PMID- 20309577
TI  - Generation of highly pure fusions of colorectal carcinoma and antigen-presenting
      cells.
AB  - PURPOSE: The induction of potent T cell responses against tumors is the goal of
      tumor immunotherapy. One approach is the fusion of antigen-presenting cells
      (APCs) with tumor cells. Hybrid cells combine the antigenicity of tumors with the
      immunostimulatory capacity of APCs. However, contaminating unfused cells present
      in the fusion reaction may prevent the induction of antitumoral immune responses.
      Here, we present a simple and effective protocol to substantially elevate the
      purity of hybrid cells. METHODS: Colorectal tumor cell lines and CD40-activated B
      cells as APCs were fused using polyethylene glycol. Important parameters
      including cell numbers, concentrations, and handling and detection procedures
      were optimized. Combination of these optimized fusion conditions with both
      magnetic cell sorting and selective adherence delivered very pure preparations of
      APC/tumor cell hybrids. The T cell stimulatory capacity of these hybrids was
      tested using ELISpot. RESULTS: The optimization of the fusion resulted in maximal
      fusion efficiencies of 31.6% (n = 10, range 13.5-46.6%). Prelabeling of APCs with
      magnetic beads allowed for easy elimination of up to 94.3% of unfused tumor cells
      from the cell mixture by magnetic separation. Hybrid cell capacity to firmly
      adhere to plastic was then used to remove unfused B cells from the remaining cell
      mixture by simple washing. The obtained 85.0% pure hybrids cells readily induced
      antitumoral T cell responses. CONCLUSIONS: Our protocol delivers pure hybrid cell
      preparations with strong immunostimulatory potential. In subsequent experiments,
      the ability of hybrid cells to stimulate specific antitumoral T cell responses
      must be tested in vivo.

PMID- 20309578
TI  - Features of anthocyanin biosynthesis in pap1-D and wild-type Arabidopsis thaliana
      plants grown in different light intensity and culture media conditions.
AB  - The number of different anthocyanin molecules potentially produced by Arabidopsis
      thaliana and which anthocyanin molecule is the first product of anthocyanidin
      modification remain unknown. To accelerate the understanding of these questions,
      we investigated anthocyanin biosynthesis in rosette leaves of both pap1-D and
      wild-type (WT) A. thaliana plants grown in nine growth conditions, which were
      composed of three light intensities (low light, middle light, and high light) and
      three media derived from MS medium (medium-1, 2, and 3). These nine growth
      conditions differentially affected the levels of anthocyanins and pigmentation
      patterns of rosette leaves, which were closely related to the diversification
      levels of cyanin structures. The combined growth conditions of high light and
      either medium-2 or medium-1 induced the most molecular diversity of anthocyanin
      structures in rosette leaves of pap1-D plants. Twenty cyanin molecules, including
      five that were previously unknown, were characterized by HPLC-ESI-MS and HPLC-TOF
      MS analyses. We detected that the A. thaliana anthocyanin molecule A11 was most
      likely the first cyanin derived from the multiple modification steps of cyanidin.
      In addition, in the same growth condition, rosette leaves of pap1-D plants
      produced much higher levels and more diverse molecular profiling of cyanins than
      those of WT plants. The transcript levels of PAP1, PAL1, CHS, DFR, and ANS cDNAs
      were much higher in pap1-D rosette leaves than in WT ones. Furthermore, on the
      same agar-solidified medium, an enhancement of light intensity increased levels
      and molecular diversity of cyanins in both pap1-D and WT rosette leaves. In the
      same light intensity condition, the responses of anthocyanin levels and profiling
      to medium alternation were different between pap1-D and WT plants.

PMID- 20309580
TI  - Clinico-pathological features of breast myxoma: report of a case with
      histogenetic considerations.
AB  - We herein report the clinical, radiological, and pathological findings of a rare
      case of myxoma occurring in the breast parenchyma of a 75-year-old female. The
      tumor was incidentally detected at a mammographic screening and,
      ultrasonographically, presented as an ovoid mass. Histologically, an encapsulated
      hypocellular, myxoid tumor with low vascularization was evident. Neoplastic cells
      were round- to spindle/stellate-shaped and stained with vimentin and focally with
      calponin. We emphasize that morphology remains preeminent in the diagnosis of a
      breast myxoma, while immunohistochemistry may assist in ruling out other tumor
      entities. Differential diagnosis with all benign and malignant myxoid lesions,
      primarily occurring in the breast, is provided. The histogenesis of breast myxoma
      is unknown. The lack of expression of desmin, alpha-smooth muscle actin, CD34,
      CD99, CD10, bcl-2 protein, and estrogen/progesterone/androgen receptors, all
      markers characteristically expressed by "the benign spindle cell tumors of the
      mammary stroma," would suggest that breast myxoma does not fall into this tumor
      category and that its putative precursor mesenchymal cell resides in the
      interlobular stroma.

PMID- 20309579
TI  - Monoclonal antibodies to rhamnogalacturonan I backbone.
AB  - Monoclonal antibodies were raised against rhamnogalacturonan I backbone, a pectin
      domain, using Arabidopsis thaliana seed mucilage-derived rhamnogalacturonan I
      oligosaccharides--BSA conjugates. Two monoclonal antibodies, designated INRA-RU1
      and INRA-RU2, selected for further characterization, were specific for the
      backbone of rhamnogalacturonan I, displaying no binding activity against the
      other pectin domains i.e. homogalacturonans, galactans or arabinans. A range of
      oligosaccharides was prepared by enzymatic digestion of rhamnogalacturonan I
      isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana seed mucilage and from sugar beet pectin,
      purified by low-pressure chromatography and characterized by high-performance
      anion-exchange chromatography and mass spectrometry. These rhamnogalacturonan I
      oligomers were used to characterize the binding site of the two monoclonal
      antibodies by competitive inhibition. Both INRA-RU1 and INRA-RU2 showed maximal
      binding to the [-->2)-alpha-L-rhamnosep-(1-->4)-alpha-D-galacturonic acid p-(1-
      >](7) structural motif but differed in their minimum binding requirement. INRA
      RU2 required at least two disaccharide (rhamnose-galacturonic acid) repeats for
      the antibody to bind, while INRA-RU1 required a minimum of six disaccharide
      repeats. Furthermore, the binding capacity of INRA-RU1 decreased steeply as the
      number of disaccharide repeats go beyond seven. Each of these antibodies reacted
      with hairy regions isolated from sugar beet pectin. Immunofluorescence microscopy
      indicated that both antibodies can be readily used to detect rhamnogalacturonan I
      epitopes in various cell wall samples.

PMID- 20309581
TI  - Anthelmintic activity of KSI-4088 against Caenorhabditis elegans.
AB  - Anthelmintic resistance is a serious global problem because of the worldwide
      spread of resistant nematodes in animals and humans. This has triggered
      increasing investment in research for new anthelmintics. Over the past decade,
      Caenorhabditis elegans has become a popular model organism for parasitic nematode
      research, and many examples have been published to illustrate its use. In this
      study, we investigated the effect of KSI-4088 on the egg hatching, larval
      development, and migration of the nematode worm C. elegans compared with
      ivermectin and levamisole (well-known anthelmintic drugs). KSI-4088 demonstrated
      anthelmintic activity on all assays of C. elegans. The anthelmintic activity of
      KSI-4088 on egg hatching and larval development showed especially strong
      activity, but assays showed that ivermectin and levamisole had no effects on C.
      elegans. In addition, KSI-4088 was capable of producing a change in the timing of
      the development of the worms at the L1-L3 and L4 stage. Also, we demonstrate that
      C. elegans L3-4 are more sensitive than adults to KSI-4088 in assay of migration.
      Our results indicate that KSI-4088 is an active anthelmintic compound that should
      be further investigated with the aim of developing a potent drug against
      nematodes.

PMID- 20309582
TI  - Osteogenic differentiation of stem cells derived from human periodontal ligaments
      and pulp of human exfoliated deciduous teeth.
AB  - Multipotent stem cells derived from periodontal ligaments (PDLSC) and pulp of
      human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) represent promising cell sources for bone
      regeneration. Recent studies have demonstrated that retinoic acid (RA) and
      dexamethasone (Dex) induce osteogenesis of postnatal stem cells. The objective of
      this study was to examine the effects of RA and Dex on the proliferation and
      osteogenic differentiation of SHED and PDLSC and to compare the osteogenic
      characteristics of SHED and PDLSC under RA treatment. SHED and PDLSC were treated
      with serum-free medium either alone or supplemented with RA or Dex for 21 days.
      The proliferation of SHED and PDLSC was significantly inhibited by both RA and
      Dex. RA significantly upregulated gene expression and the activity of alkaline
      phosphatase in SHED and PDLSC. Positive Alizarin red and von Kossa staining of
      calcium deposition was seen on the RA-treated SHED and PDLSC after 21 days of
      culture. The influences of RA on the osteogenic differentiation of SHED and PDLSC
      were significantly stronger than with Dex. Supplementation with insulin enhanced
      RA-induced osteogenic differentiation of SHED. Thus, RA is an effective inducer
      of osteogenic differentiation of SHED and PDLSC, whereas RA treatment in
      combination with insulin supplementation might be a better option for inducing
      osteogenic differentiation. Significantly higher cell proliferation of PDLSC
      results in greater calcium deposition after 3-week culture, suggesting that PDLSC
      is a better osteogenic stem cell source. This study provides valuable information
      for efficiently producing osteogenically differentiated SHED or PDLSC for in vivo
      bone regeneration.

PMID- 20309583
TI  - Functional expression of alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in human
      periodontal ligament fibroblasts and rat periodontal tissues.
AB  - Tobacco smoking is the main risk factor associated with chronic periodontitis,
      but the mechanisms that underlie this relationship are largely unknown. Recent
      reports proposed that nicotine plays an important role in tobacco-related
      morbidity by acting through the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs)
      expressed by non-neuronal cells. The aim of this study was to investigate whether
      alpha 7 nAChR was expressed in periodontal tissues and whether it functions by
      regulating IL-1 beta in the process of periodontitis. In vitro, human periodontal
      ligament (PDL) cells were cultured with 10(-12) M of nicotine and/or 10(-9) M of
      alpha-bungarotoxin (alpha-Btx), a alpha 7 nAChR antagonist. The expression of
      alpha 7 nAChR and IL-1 beta in PDL cells and the effects of nicotine/alpha-Btx
      administration on their expression were explored. In vivo, an experimental
      periodontitis rat model was established, and the effects of nicotine/alpha-Btx
      administration on expression of alpha 7 nAChR and development of periodontitis
      were evaluated. We found that alpha 7 nAChR was present in human PDL cells and
      rat periodontal tissues. The expressions of alpha 7 nAChR and IL-1 beta were
      significantly increased by nicotine administration, whereas alpha-Btx treatment
      partially suppressed these effects. This study was the first to demonstrate the
      functional expression of alpha 7 nAChR in human PDL cells and rat periodontal
      tissues. Our results may be pertinent to a better understanding of the
      relationships among smoking, nicotine, and periodontitis.

PMID- 20309584
TI  - Improving intravenous fluid therapy in children with gastroenteritis.
AB  - Gastroenteritis is one of the most common medical conditions seen by
      pediatricians. The standard approach to intravenous fluid therapy for these
      children has been to administer a 0.9% sodium chloride (NaCl) bolus followed by a
      hypotonic solution ranging from 0.2-0.45% NaCl to replace the remaining deficit
      plus maintenance. We have questioned the safety of this approach as there have
      been reports of death or permanent neurologic impairment from hyponatremic
      encephalopathy. Hanna and Saberi (Pediatr Nephrol. doi: 10.1007/s00467-009-1428-y
      ) found the incidence of hospital-acquired hyponatremia (sodium < 135 mEq/L) to
      be 18.5% for patients presenting with isonatremic dehydration from
      gastroenteritis. This confirms that the current approach of using hypotonic
      fluids results in a high incidence of hyponatremia. Hypotonic fluids are not
      appropriate for rehydration in patients with gastroenteritis as it is a state of
      arginine vasopressin (AVP) excess due to both hemodynamic stimuli from volume
      depletion and non-hemodynamic stimuli such as nausea and vomiting. Free water
      will be retained until the volume deficit is corrected and the hemodynamic
      stimulus for AVP production abates. A safer and more effective approach is the
      administration of 0.9% NaCl in a continuous infusion following bolus therapy.
      0.9% NaCl not only serves as prophylaxis against hyponatremia, but it is superior
      to hypotonic fluids as an extracellular volume expander and corrects the volume
      deficit more rapidly.

PMID- 20309585
TI  - Primary Sjogren syndrome that developed after IgA nephropathy.

PMID- 20309586
TI  - Reduction in the critical dark length for flower induction during aging in the
      short-day plant Pharbitis nil var. Kidachi.
AB  - The stress-sensitive short-day plant Pharbitis nil var. Kidachi flowers under a
      16-h light and 8-h dark regime and non-stress conditions when grown for long
      periods of time. Such flowering was found to occur from the third week, and the
      floral buds were formed from the eighth node of the main stem. When young plants
      were grafted onto aged plants, the scions were induced to flower early. This
      flower induction by grafting was more effective when older plants were used as
      rootstocks. Grafting experiments using a single leaf as a donor revealed that
      younger leaves are more responsive to flower induction, suggesting that this age
      mediated flowering response is not induced by aging or senescence of individual
      leaves. Rather, the plant may obtain the ability to flower as the whole plant
      ages. Flowering does not occur under continuous light conditions. A night break
      given in the 8-h dark period inhibits flowering. These results suggest that 8-h
      dark conditions, which are normally considered to be long-day conditions,
      actually correspond to short-day conditions for this plant. The 8-h dark
      conditions caused early flowering more efficiently in older plants. The critical
      dark length determined by a single treatment was 12 h in 0-week-old plants and
      was reduced to 6 h in 2- and 4-week-old plants. These results suggest that the
      critical dark length becomes shorter when plants get older. The expression of
      PnFT1 and PnFT2, orthologs of the flowering gene flowering locus T, was analyzed
      by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction revealing that the expression
      of PnFT at the end of dark period is correlated with flowering.

PMID- 20309587
TI  - Strong post-pollination pre-zygotic isolation between sympatric, food-deceptive
      Mediterranean orchids.
AB  - Mediterranean orchids that grow in admixed, co-flowering populations, and
      frequently show hybrid progenies are interesting to use to study the nature and
      the strength of post-zygotic barriers. However, examination of pre- and post
      pollination pre-zygotic isolating mechanisms requires sympatric, co-flowering
      species pairs that do not produce hybrid swarms. In this study, we analyzed a
      contact zone between Orchis italica and O. papilionacea, in which hybrid forms
      have never been reported, although hybridization between members of their groups
      of appurtenance has been signaled. We investigated pre-pollination barriers
      observing the floral phenology of both species and identified pollinators by
      means of molecular analysis of pollinaria collected on the insects captured in
      the study site. Post-pollination barriers were tested performing manual crosses
      in order to evaluate pollen germination/pollen tube growth in vivo and fruit and
      seed formation. Floral phenologies of O. italica and O. papilionacea display
      nearly overlapping trends, and two common pollinators have been identified by
      molecular analysis of pollinaria. Thus, pre-pollination barriers are very weak or
      nonexistent. Bidirectional crosses have shown that the growth of heterospecific
      pollen tubes is fully blocked in stigmatic cell layers. Since no fruit formation
      was detected in bidirectional interspecific crosses, we assume that reproductive
      isolation between the examined species is fully guaranteed by post-pollination
      pre-zygotic mechanisms acting at stigmatic level. Such condition has been rarely
      described and may mask the potential action of post-zygotic mechanisms.

PMID- 20309588
TI  - Cetuximab-based therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis of the
      effect of K-ras mutations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cetuximab has a favorable effect on patients with metastatic
      colorectal cancer harboring wild K-ras gene. This meta-analysis was planned to
      quantify the benefit. METHODS: A meta-analysis of clinical studies that have used
      cetuximab-based therapy (CBT) for patients with known K-ras status. RESULTS:
      There were four randomized studies (RS) that compared CBT versus non-cetuximab
      control (NCC) in 2,292 patients, and six non-randomized studies (NRS) included
      patients received cetuximab after failure of prior chemotherapy (411 patients).
      Patients in RS with wild K-ras tumor gained more benefit from CBT vs. NCC. For
      response rate (RR), the odds ratio was 2.10 (p = 0.0002), while the hazard ratio
      (HR) for progression-free survival (PFS) was 0.64 (p = 0.04). On the other hand,
      CBT was associated with an adverse effect on RR and no effect on PFS in mutated K
      ras. In all patients who received CBT in RS and NRS, those with wild vs. mutated
      K-ras demonstrated higher RR (odds ratio 3.72; p < 0.0001). Compared with NCC in
      three RS, CBT showed significant overall survival (OS) advantage in patients with
      wild K-ras (HR = 0.68; p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The significant clinical benefit
      of CBT concerning RR, PFS, and OS was restricted to patients with wild-type K
      ras. There is a need to better define potential responders to CBT.

PMID- 20309589
TI  - Modulation of tissue factor and thrombomodulin expression in human aortic
      endothelial cells incubated with high glucose.
AB  - Diabetes is often associated with atherothrombosis. It is unknown whether high
      glucose can modulate the expression of tissue factor (TF) and thrombomodulin (TM)
      in human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs). HAECs were treated with a lower-degree
      high glucose condition (LG, 11.2 mM) for 8 days and a higher-degree high glucose
      condition (HG, 30 mM) for 4-6 h. Methoxyphenyl tetrazolium inner salt assay, real
      time polymerase chain reaction, western blot, and TF activity assay were
      performed. In HAECs, both LG and HG conditions were nontoxic. LG caused a 74 +/-
      20% decrease (P = 0.273) and HG caused a 57 +/- 5% decrease in TF mRNA expression
      (P = 0.001). LG caused a 53 +/- 13% decrease (P = 0.036) and HG caused a 75 +/-
      10% decrease in TF protein expression (P = 0.096). TF activity was not
      significantly changed by LG (127 +/- 13%, P = 0.40) or HG treatments (120 +/-
      42%, P = 0.70). In contrast, LG caused a 153 +/- 16% increase (P = 0.03) and HG
      caused a 211 +/- 20% increase in TM mRNA expression (P = 0.005). LG caused a 131
      +/- 31% increase (P = 0.35) and HG caused a 140 +/- 9% increase in TM protein
      expression (P = 0.006). Different high glucose conditions do not provide the
      sufficient stress required to induce TF expression in HAECs. In contrast, high
      glucose conditions can induce TM expression in HAECs.

PMID- 20309590
TI  - Changes induced by formalin pain in central alpha1-adrenoceptor density are
      modulated by adenosine receptor agonists.
AB  - We aimed to elucidate the role of alpha(1)-adrenoceptors in adenosine analgesia
      in the formalin test. Formalin was injected into the hind paw of male CD-1 mice
      after injection of adenosine A(1) or A(2a) receptor agonists, CPA, [N(6)
      cyclopentyladenosine], and CGS21680 [2-p-(2-carboxyethyl)-phenylethylamino-5'-N
      ethylcarboxamidoadenosine hydrochloride]. In the behavioral experiment, alpha(1)
      adrenoceptors were blocked by an alpha(1)-adrenoceptor antagonist prazosin, 0.01
      mg/kg i.p., and the time mice spent paw licking was recorded for the early (0-15
      min) and late (15-60 min) phase of formalin pain. In the neurochemical
      experiments, mice were killed 15 or 45 min after formalin injection. The density
      of alpha(1)-adrenoceptors was assessed in various brain areas and in the lumbar
      spinal cord by [(3)H]prazosin autoradiography. Adenosine agonists produced
      analgesia in both phases of formalin pain, while prazosin showed a tendency to
      pronociceptive action in the late phase, and antagonized the effect of CGS21680.
      After formalin injection, alpha(1)-adrenoceptor density was elevated in some
      brain areas, mainly in the late phase (some contralateral amygdaloid and
      ipsilateral thalamic nuclei) and depressed in others (early phase in the
      ipsilateral spinal cord and late phase in both ipsi- and contralateral
      sensorimotor cortex). Elevation of alpha(1)-adrenoceptor density, which may be
      interpreted as a defensive response, did not develop in several cases of CPA
      pretreated mice. This suggests that the analgesic effect of adenosine A(1)
      receptor activation renders the defensive response unnecessary. The depression of
      alpha(1)-adrenoceptors may suggest development of hypersensitivity in a given
      structure, and this was antagonized by CGS21680, suggesting the role of A(2a)
      receptors in control of inflammatory formalin pain.

PMID- 20309591
TI  - Unusual electron-dense dome associates with compound plasmodesmata in the embryo
      suspensor of genus Sedum (Crassulaceae).
AB  - Plasmodesmata ensure the continuity of cytoplasm between plant cells and play an
      important part in the intercellular communication and signal transduction. During
      the development of the suspensor of both Sedum acre L. and Sedum hispanicum L.,
      changes in the ultrastructure of plasmodesmata and adjoining cytoplasm are
      observed. Numerous simple plasmodesmata are present in the inner wall of the two
      celled embryo separating the basal cell from the apical cell. From the early
      globular to the torpedo stage of embryo development, the part of the wall
      separating the basal cell from the first layer of the chalazal suspensor cells is
      perforated by unusual, compound plasmodesmata. The role and the sort of transport
      through these plasmodesmata are discussed.

PMID- 20309592
TI  - Transmembrane potential measurements on plant cells using the voltage-sensitive
      dye ANNINE-6.
AB  - The charging of the plasma membrane is a necessary condition for the generation
      of an electric-field-induced permeability increase of the plasmalemma, which is
      usually explained by the creation and the growth of aqueous pores. For cells
      suspended in physiological buffers, the time domain of membrane charging is in
      the submicrosecond range. Systematic measurements using Nicotiana tabacum L. cv.
      Bright Yellow 2 (BY-2) protoplasts stained with the fast voltage-sensitive
      fluorescence dye ANNINE-6 have been performed using a pulsed laser fluorescence
      microscopy setup with a time resolution of 5 ns. A clear saturation of the
      membrane voltage could be measured, caused by a strong membrane permeability
      increase, commonly explained by enhanced pore formation, which prevents further
      membrane charging by external electric field exposure. The field strength
      dependence of the protoplast's transmembrane potential V (M) shows strong
      asymmetric saturation characteristics due to the high resting potential of the
      plants plasmalemma. At the pole of the hyperpolarized hemisphere of the cell,
      saturation starts at an external field strength of 0.3 kV/cm, resulting in a
      measured transmembrane voltage shift of ?V(M) = -150 mV, while on the cathodic
      (depolarized) cell pole, the threshold for enhanced pore formation is reached at
      a field strength of approximately 1.0 kV/cm and ?V(M) = 450 mV, respectively.
      From this asymmetry of the measured maximum membrane voltage shifts, the resting
      potential of BY-2 protoplasts at the given experimental conditions can be
      determined to V(R) = -150 mV. Consequently, a strong membrane permeability
      increase occurs when the membrane voltage diverges |V(M)| = 300 mV from the
      resting potential of the protoplast. The largest membrane voltage change at a
      given external electric field occurs at the cell poles. The azimuthal dependence
      of the transmembrane potential, measured in angular intervals of 10 degrees 
      along the circumference of the cell, shows a flattening and a slight decrease at
      higher fields at the pole region due to enhanced pore formation. Additionally, at
      the hyperpolarized cell pole, a polarization reversal could be observed at an
      external field range around 1.0 kV/cm. This behavior might be attributed to a
      fast charge transfer through the membrane at the hyperpolarized pole, e.g., by
      voltage-gated channels.

PMID- 20309593
TI  - Distribution of methionine between cells and incubation medium in suspension of
      rat hepatocytes.
AB  - Methionine is an essential amino acid involved in many significant intracellular
      processes. Aberrations in methionine metabolism are associated with a number of
      complex pathologies. Liver plays a key role in regulation of blood methionine
      level. Investigation of methionine distribution between hepatocytes and medium is
      crucial for understanding the mechanisms of this regulation. For the first time,
      we analyzed the distribution of methionine between hepatocytes and incubation
      medium using direct measurements of methionine concentrations. Our results
      revealed a fast and reversible transport of methionine through the cell membrane
      that provides almost uniform distribution of methionine between hepatocytes and
      incubation medium. The steady-state ratio between intracellular and extracellular
      methionine concentrations was established within a few minutes. This ratio was
      found to be 1.06+/-0.38, 0.89+/-0.26, 0.67+/-0.16 and 0.82+/-0.06 at methionine
      concentrations in the medium of 64+/-19, 152+/-39, 413+/-55, and 1,204+/-104
      MUmol/L, respectively. The fast and uniform distribution of methionine between
      hepatocytes and extracellular compartments provides a possibility for effective
      regulation of blood methionine levels due to methionine metabolism in
      hepatocytes.

PMID- 20309594
TI  - Development and behaviour of 5-year-old very low birthweight infants.
AB  - The place and time of birth influence the mortality of premature infants. We
      studied the effect of prematurity, time of birth, birth hospital level and
      district on the development and behaviour in a national cohort of 5-year-old
      Finnish very low birthweight infants (VLBWI). All surviving VLBWI (gestational
      age <32 weeks or birthweight <or=1,500 g) born in 2001-2002 in level II or III
      hospitals in Finland and full-term controls were included. The parents of 588
      (64%) VLBWI and 176 (46%) controls returned the Five to Fifteen questionnaire
      (FTF) on the development and behaviour of their 5-year-old children. The
      questionnaire scores were linked to data from the National Medical Birth
      Register, the Hospital Discharge Register, the Register of Congenital
      Malformations and the Cause of Death Register. VLBWI had lower developmental and
      behavioural scores compared to the controls in all FTF domains. In VLBWI, the
      scores were less optimal, the lower the gestational age was. The time of birth,
      birth hospital level and district were not associated with the developmental and
      behavioural scores in VLBWI. In conclusion, short duration of pregnancy adversely
      influences development and behaviour in VLBWI. Despite differences previously
      demonstrated in mortality related to time and place of birth, there were no
      differences in developmental and behavioural scores in VLBWI according to the
      time of birth, birth hospital level or district. Thus, the survival advantage in
      level III hospitals seems not to be gained at the expense of behavioural or
      developmental problems.

PMID- 20309595
TI  - Modulated photoactivation of composite restoration: measurement of cuspal
      movement using holographic interferometry.
AB  - The purpose of this research was to investigate the influence of modulated
      photoactivation on cuspal movement. Eight class II MOD composite restorations
      were analyzed under various photoactivation protocols in a real-time manner using
      holographic interferometry. During the first photoactivation protocol, the
      composite restoration was illuminated for 200 s continuously. In the second
      protocol, the polymerization lamp was first turned on for 5 s, then turned off
      for 120 s, and again turned on for a final 195 s. In both protocols, radiant
      exposure was the same. A significant decrease (p < 0.05) in cuspal deflection was
      found for two-step irradiation (average value of total cuspal deflection was 5.03
      +/- 0.62 um) compared to continuous irradiation (average value of total cuspal
      deflection was 5.95 +/- 0.65 um). The two-step photoactivation protocol was found
      preferable, since it resulted in a significantly lower cuspal deflection (11%
      lower, compared to the continuous illumination).

PMID- 20309596
TI  - Effect of low fluency dentin conditioning on tensile bond strength of composite
      bonded to Er:YAG laser-prepared dentin: a preliminary study.
AB  - Several studies in the literature have previously shown that the bond strength of
      a composite bonded to dentin is almost equivalent as when dentin is prepared by
      either bur or Er:YAG laser. The aim of this preliminary study is to assess the
      hypothesis that dentin conditioning at low fluency by means of Er:YAG laser can
      improve the value of adhesion of composites resin to dentin. Sixty surfaces of
      caries-free human third molars extracted for orthodontic purposes were randomly
      divided into five groups of 12 teeth. The bur group was the control, prepared
      using bur, group L was prepared using Er:YAG 200 mJ, SSP (50 us), 20 Hz, 15
      seconds of sweeping, for groups L80, L100, L120, they were prepared first, with
      the same parameters of the group L 200, and then they received a conditioning,
      which is, respectively, 15 s of irradiations at: 80 mJ (SSP, 10 Hz), 100 mJ (SSP,
      10 Hz), and 120 mJ (SSP, 10 Hz). All samples were restored in a single-component
      adhesive system: Xenon (DENTSPLY), and ceramX (DENTSPLY) as the resin composite.
      The specimens were submitted to tensile bond strength test using a universal
      testing machine. Data were submitted to statistical analysis using ANOVA coupled
      to a Tukey-Kramer test at the 95% level. The mean values in MPa were 33.3 for
      group B, 36.73 for group L 200, 41.7 for group L80, 37.9 for group L100, and 39.1
      for group L120. Our results showed that dentin conditioning at a low fluency of
      12.58 J/cm(2) per pulse, with 80 mJ output energy and 50-us pulse duration can
      significantly improve tensile bond strength of a composite bonded to Er:YAG laser
      prepared dentine.

PMID- 20309597
TI  - In vitro studies of the ablation mechanism of periodontopathic bacteria and
      decontamination effect on periodontally diseased root surfaces by erbium:yttrium
      aluminum-garnet laser.
AB  - The erbium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Er:YAG) laser is now increasingly used in
      periodontal therapy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of
      Er:YAG laser irradiation on the morphology of periodontopathic bacteria and to
      compare the bacterial elimination effect of the laser and the ultrasonic scaler
      on diseased root surfaces in vitro. Colonies of Porphyromonas gingivalis were
      exposed to a single-pulse Er:YAG laser at 40 mJ and were examined by scanning
      electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Also, 20
      pairs of periodontally diseased root surfaces with subgingival calculi of freshly
      extracted teeth were treated by Er:YAG laser scaling at 40 mJ/pulse (14.2 J/cm(2)
      per pulse) and 10 Hz with water spray or ultrasonic scaling, or were not treated.
      The efficiency of each treatment was determined as the area treated per second,
      and the treated surfaces were examined by SEM. The material scraped from the
      treated root surfaces was cultured in aerobic and anaerobic conditions, and the
      numbers of colony forming units (CFUs) were compared. SEM and TEM showed that the
      Er:YAG laser had easily ablated the bacterial colony, leaving an ablation spot
      with a crater and the surrounding affected area showing melted branch-like
      structures. The laser irradiation was as equally effective and efficient as the
      ultrasonic scaler in performing root surface debridement. The CFUs after laser
      treatment were significantly fewer than those after ultrasonic scaling in aerobic
      and anaerobic culture conditions. Er:YAG laser ablates periodontopathic bacteria
      with thermal vaporization, and its bacterial elimination effect on the diseased
      root surfaces appears to be superior to that of the ultrasonic scaler.

PMID- 20309598
TI  - Primary tracheoesophageal puncture using carbon dioxide laser.
AB  - Primary tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP) is now considered to be the preferred
      method for voice rehabilitation after laryngectomy . The traditional method of
      creating a puncture with a no. 11 stab knife often leads to an eccentric puncture
      with irregular ragged margin, leading to scarring in the future. In this report
      we describe the innovative way of creating a TEP using a carbon dioxide (CO(2))
      laser. This novel method of using a laser for the creation of a precise TEP
      could, perhaps, influence peri-prosthetic leakage and lead to better voice
      rehabilitation for patients that have undergone laryngectomy.

PMID- 20309599
TI  - Development of type I genetic markers from expressed sequence tags in highly
      polymorphic species.
AB  - Expressed sequence tag (EST) databases provide a primary source of nuclear DNA
      sequences for genetic marker development in non-model organisms. To date, the
      process has been relatively inefficient for several reasons: 1) priming site
      polymorphism in the template leads to inferior or erratic amplification; 2)
      introns in the target amplicon are too large and/or numerous to allow effective
      amplification under standard screening conditions; and 3) at least occasionally,
      a PCR primer straddles an exon-intron junction and is unable to bind to genomic
      DNA template. The first is only a minor issue for species or strains with low
      heterozygosity but becomes a significant problem for species with high genomic
      variation, such as marine organisms with extremely large effective population
      sizes. Problems arising from unanticipated introns are unavoidable but are most
      pronounced in intron-rich species, such as vertebrates and lophotrochozoans. We
      present an approach to marker development in the Pacific oyster Crassostrea
      gigas, a highly polymorphic and intron-rich species, which minimizes these
      problems, and should be applicable to other non-model species for which EST
      databases are available. Placement of PCR primers in the 3' end of coding
      sequence and 3' UTR improved PCR success rate from 51% to 97%. Almost all (37 of
      39) markers developed for the Pacific oyster were polymorphic in a small test
      panel of wild and domesticated oysters.

PMID- 20309600
TI  - Normalizing RT-qPCR data: are we getting the right answers? An appraisal of
      normalization approaches and internal reference genes from a case study in the
      finfish Lates calcarifer.
AB  - Commonly used normalization approaches for quantitative reverse transcription
      polymerase chain reaction analyses include (a) input nucleic acids
      standardization (DeltaC (q) method), (b) normalizing target gene transcript
      abundance against a single internal reference gene (DeltaDeltaC (q) method), and
      (c) geometric averaging of multiple reference gene abundance using the geNorm
      software. We compared these three approaches to examine expression of a negative
      muscle growth regulator gene, myostatin-I (mstn-I), in the finfish Lates
      calcarifer, following 4 weeks of nutritional fasting. Interestingly, these three
      different approaches led to widely divergent data interpretations. When DeltaC
      (q) and subsequently DeltaDeltaC (q) with alpha-tub as the reference gene were
      applied to mstn-I expression data, an ~threefold upregulation of this gene was
      observed in fasted compared to fed fish. In contrast, mstn-I appeared unchanged
      when data was normalized against the geometric average of the two apparently most
      "stable" reference genes (elongation factor-1 alpha (ef1-alpha) and rpl8)
      selected from a panel comprising seven commonly utilized candidate reference
      genes (18S, cat-D, ef1-alpha, rpl8, gapdh, ubq, and alpha-tub). The geNorm
      software erroneously suggested that ef1-alpha, rpl8, and ubq were the most
      "stable" reference genes, whereas DeltaC (q) analysis revealed these genes simply
      to exhibit similar patterns of regulation in response to fasting. The DeltaC (q)
      approach showed that alpha-tub was the least variable in its expression level
      between fasted and fed fish after 4 weeks. The present study also highlights the
      importance of validating internal references for each time point under
      investigation when applying DeltaDeltaC (q) and suggests that the more cost
      effective DeltaC (q) normalization approach, if carefully applied, may in fact
      produce the most biologically valid results.

PMID- 20309601
TI  - Effect of the ratios of diameter of silo to bead on the pressure screening in
      granular columns.
AB  - We present the apparent mass measurements at the bottom of granular packings for
      different bead and silo sizes. The redirection parameter K in Janssen theory is
      found to increase with the ratios of the diameter of the silo to the bead. We
      attribute this feature to the friction between the beads and the confining wall
      of silo; it is the role of friction that leads to variations in the shielding of
      vertical stresses as well as pressure screening.

PMID- 20309602
TI  - Elastic and viscoelastic properties of porcine subdermal fat using MRI and
      inverse FEA.
AB  - There is a scarcity of investigation into the mechanical properties of subdermal
      fat. Recently, progress has been made in the determination of subdermal stress
      and strain distributions. This requires accurate constitutive modelling and
      consideration of the subdermal tissues. This paper reports the results of a study
      to estimate non-linear elastic and viscoelastic properties of porcine subdermal
      fat using a simple constitutive model. High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI) was used to acquire a time series of coincident images during a confined
      indentation experiment. Inverse finite element analysis was used to estimate the
      material parameters. The Neo Hookean model was used to represent the elastic
      behaviour (MU = 0.53 +/- 0.31 kPa), while a single-element Prony series was used
      to model the viscoelastic response (alpha = 0.39 +/- 0.03, tau = 700 +/- 255 s).

PMID- 20309603
TI  - Mechanisms for osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells induced
      by fluid shear stress.
AB  - Mechanical stimuli can improve bone function by promoting the proliferation and
      differentiation of bone cells and osteoblasts. As precursors of osteoblasts,
      human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are sensitive to mechanical stimuli. In
      recent years, fluid shear stress (FSS) has been widely used as a method of
      mechanical stimulation in bone tissue engineering to induce the osteogenic
      differentiation of hMSCs. However, the mechanism of this differentiation is not
      completely clear. Several signaling pathways are involved in the
      mechanotransduction of hMSCs responding to FSS, such as MAPK, NO/cGMP/PKG and
      Ca(2+) signaling pathway. Here, we briefly review how hMSCs respond to fluid flow
      stimuli and focus on the signal molecules involved in this mechanotransduction.

PMID- 20309604
TI  - NF-E2-related factor 2, a key inducer of antioxidant defenses, negatively
      regulates the CFTR transcription.
AB  - A few studies have clearly indicated that oxidative stress suppresses the cystic
      fibrosis transmembrane conductance receptor (CFTR) function and expression.
      However, the mechanisms by which this occurs are still poorly understood. To
      clarify this effect, we investigated the role of NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)
      transcription factor, a key cellular sensor of oxidative stress. A conserved
      antioxidant response element (ARE) in the CFTR minimal promoter, which binds
      Nrf2, has been identified. Surprisingly, Nrf2 exerts an unexpected repressive
      role on the CFTR gene promoter activity. To decipher the molecular mechanisms
      involved, we evaluated the role of YY1 in the Nrf2-mediated transcriptional
      activity and showed cooperation between these two factors. We demonstrated that
      Nrf2 promotes YY1 nuclear localization and increases its binding to the CFTR
      promoter. To our knowledge, this study is the first to report a repressor role of
      Nrf2 through the cooperation with YY1 and contributes to clarify the cascade
      events leading to the oxidative stress-suppressed CFTR expression.

PMID- 20309605
TI  - Complex cognition: the science of human reasoning, problem-solving, and decision
      making.

PMID- 20309606
TI  - May Rapoport's rule apply to human associated pathogens?
AB  - Many debates surround the generalization of Rapoport's rule (i.e., the presence
      of a positive correlation between range size and latitude); however, little
      attention has been devoted to this spatial pattern (1) worldwide and (2) for
      pathogenic microorganisms. In this study, we analyzed this relationship for 290
      human pathogenic species dispersed throughout the world to test whether
      pathogenic organisms with different ecological niches and strategies will show
      this trend. The midpoint method was used to calculate the correlation between the
      geographical range size and the latitude applied to different subsets of
      pathogens, including taxonomic subdivisions (bacteria, viruses, helminths,
      protozoans, and fungi) and categories based on transmission mode and host
      specificity. It is assumed that Rapoport's spatial pattern may exist for human
      infectious diseases, whatever hemisphere is considered, for 5 to 7 of 8 of the
      selected groups, depending on the pathogen species included. This is the first
      study performed to investigate Rapoport's pattern at a global scale for various
      pathogenic organisms. We also discuss how three well-known spatial patterns of
      diversity, i.e., latitudinal gradient, nested species pattern, and Rapoport's
      rule, may vary together to produce the actual large-scale geographical
      distribution of human pathogenic species observed on Earth. These findings have
      important messages for understanding the distribution and the diffusion of human
      pathogenic species; however, further studies are needed to investigate the exact
      underlying mechanisms responsible for those patterns.

PMID- 20309607
TI  - So you think you understand tautomerism?
AB  - It appears so simple at first glance, "tautomers are isomers of organic compounds
      that readily interconvert, usually by the migration of hydrogen from one atom to
      another". If a chemist can describe the problem so succinctly, one might question
      why the complication of tautomerism remains a considerable challenge to
      cheminformatics and computer-assisted drug design. With a half-century of
      experience with representing molecules in computers, and almost limitless modern
      computational power, the problem should have been solved by now. The unfortunate
      answer is that the frustration and inconvenience of a database search failing to
      find matches due to differences in the tautomeric forms of the query and
      registered compounds is but the tip of an iceberg. Prototropic tautomerism, the
      movement of hydrogens around a molecule, is but just one aspect of an
      interconnected web of complications. These include mesomerism, aromaticity,
      protonation state, stereochemistry, conformation, polymerization, photostability,
      hydrolysis, metabolism and EOCWR (explodes on contact with reality). The common
      theme is that valence theory, which underlies all modern chemical informatics
      systems, is an approximate theoretical model for representing molecules
      mathematically, and, as with all models, it has limitations and domains of
      applicability. In the physical environments that chemists care about, small
      organic molecules are often dynamic, existing in multiple equivalent or
      interconvertible forms. A single connection table can at best represent a
      snapshot or sample from these populations. Although partial algorithmic solutions
      exist for handling the most common cases of tautomerism, this perspective hopes
      to argue that the underlying problems perhaps make tautomerism more complex than
      it might first appear.

PMID- 20309608
TI  - Site-specific labeling of nucleotides for making RNA for high resolution NMR
      studies using an E. coli strain disabled in the oxidative pentose phosphate
      pathway.
AB  - Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a versatile organism for making nucleotides labeled
      with stable isotopes ((13)C, (15)N, and/or (2)H) for structural and molecular
      dynamics characterizations. Growth of a mutant E. coli strain deficient in the
      pentose phosphate pathway enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (K10-1516) on
      2-(13)C-glycerol and (15)N-ammonium sulfate in Studier minimal medium enables
      labeling at sites useful for NMR spectroscopy. However, (13)C-sodium formate
      combined with (13)C-2-glycerol in the growth media adds labels to new positions.
      In the absence of labeled formate, both C5 and C6 positions of the pyrimidine
      rings are labeled with minimal multiplet splitting due to (1)J(C5C6) scalar
      coupling. However, the C2/C8 sites within purine rings and the C1'/C3'/C5'
      positions within the ribose rings have reduced labeling. Addition of (13)C
      labeled formate leads to increased labeling at the base C2/C8 and the ribose
      C1'/C3'/C5' positions; these new specific labels result in two- to three-fold
      increase in the number of resolved resonances. This use of formate and (15)N
      ammonium sulfate promises to extend further the utility of these alternate site
      specific labels to make labeled RNA for downstream biophysical applications such
      as structural, dynamics and functional studies of interesting biologically
      relevant RNAs.

PMID- 20309609
TI  - Functional analyses of differentially expressed isoforms of the Arabidopsis
      inositol phosphorylceramide synthase.
AB  - Sphingolipids are key components of eukaryotic plasma membranes that are involved
      in many functions, including the formation signal transduction complexes. In
      addition, these lipid species and their catabolites function as secondary
      signalling molecules in, amongst other processes, apoptosis. The biosynthetic
      pathway for the formation of sphingolipid is largely conserved. However, unlike
      mammalian cells, fungi, protozoa and plants synthesize inositol
      phosphorylceramide (IPC) as their primary phosphosphingolipid. This key step
      involves the transfer of the phosphorylinositol group from phosphatidylinositol
      (PI) to phytoceramide, a process catalysed by IPC synthase in plants and fungi.
      This enzyme activity is at least partly encoded by the AUR1 gene in the fungi,
      and recently the distantly related functional orthologue of this gene has been
      identified in the model plant Arabidopsis. Here we functionally analysed all
      three predicted Arabidopsis IPC synthases, confirming them as aureobasidin A
      resistant AUR1p orthologues. Expression profiling revealed that the genes
      encoding these orthologues are differentially expressed in various tissue types
      isolated from Arabidopsis.

PMID- 20309610
TI  - On the biosorption, by brown seaweed, Lobophora variegata, of Ni(II) from aqueous
      solutions: equilibrium and thermodynamic studies.
AB  - The biosorption equilibrium isotherms of Ni(II) onto marine brown algae Lobophora
      variegata, which was chemically-modified by CaCl(2) were studied and modeled. To
      predict the biosorption isotherms and to determine the characteristic parameters
      for process design, twenty-three one-, two-, three-, four- and five-parameter
      isotherm models were applied to experimental data. The interaction among
      biosorbed molecules is attractive and biosorption is carried out on energetically
      different sites and is an endothermic process. The five-parameter Fritz
      Schluender model gives the most accurate fit with high regression coefficient, R
      (2) (0.9911-0.9975) and F-ratio (118.03-179.96), and low standard error, SE
      (0.0902-0.0.1556) and the residual or sum of square error, SSE (0.0012-0.1789)
      values to all experimental data in comparison to other models. The biosorption
      isotherm models fitted the experimental data in the order: Fritz-Schluender (five
      parameter) > Freundlich (two-parameter) > Langmuir (two-parameter) > Khan (three
      parameter) > Fritz-Schluender (four-parameter). The thermodynamic parameters such
      as DeltaG (0), DeltaH (0) and DeltaS (0) have been determined, which indicates
      the sorption of Ni(II) onto L. variegata was spontaneous and endothermic in
      nature.

PMID- 20309611
TI  - The reliability of cause-of-death coding in The Netherlands.
AB  - Cause-of-death statistics are a major source of information for epidemiological
      research or policy decisions. Information on the reliability of these statistics
      is important for interpreting trends in time or differences between populations.
      Variations in coding the underlying cause of death could hinder the attribution
      of observed differences to determinants of health. Therefore we studied the
      reliability of cause-of-death statistics in The Netherlands. We performed a
      double coding study. Death certificates from the month of May 2005 were coded
      again in 2007. Each death certificate was coded manually by four coders.
      Reliability was measured by calculating agreement between coders (intercoder
      agreement) and by calculating the consistency of each individual coder in time
      (intracoder agreement). Our analysis covered an amount of 10,833 death
      certificates. The intercoder agreement of four coders on the underlying cause of
      death was 78%. In 2.2% of the cases coders agreed on a change of the code
      assigned in 2005. The (mean) intracoder agreement of four coders was 89%.
      Agreement was associated with the specificity of the ICD-10 code (chapter, three
      digits, four digits), the age of the deceased, the number of coders and the
      number of diseases reported on the death certificate. The reliability of cause-of
      death statistics turned out to be high (>90%) for major causes of death such as
      cancers and acute myocardial infarction. For chronic diseases, such as diabetes
      and renal insufficiency, reliability was low (<70%). The reliability of cause-of
      death statistics varies by ICD-10 code/chapter. A statistical office should
      provide coders with (additional) rules for coding diseases with a low reliability
      and evaluate these rules regularly. Users of cause-of-death statistics should
      exercise caution when interpreting causes of death with a low reliability.
      Studies of reliability should take into account the number of coders involved and
      the number of codes on a death certificate.

PMID- 20309612
TI  - Effect of inter-reader variability on outcomes in studies using carotid intima
      media thickness quantified by carotid ultrasonography.
AB  - Systematic differences between readers or equipment in imaging studies are not
      uncommon; failure to account for such differences when using Carotid
      Ultrasonography may introduce bias into associations between carotid intima media
      thickness (cIMT) and outcomes. We demonstrate the impact of this source of
      systematic measurement error (SME) using data on 5,521 participants from the
      Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) and 661 participants from the Study
      of Fat Redistribution and Metabolic Change in HIV Infection (FRAM). Participants
      were between 37 and 78 years old. Two outcomes were considered: (1) the effect of
      HIV infection on cIMT (between study) and (2) the association of cIMT with
      cardiovascular events (within study). All estimates were adjusted for
      demographics (age, gender, and ethnicity) and for traditional cardiovascular
      disease risk factors (smoking, blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol). When
      comparing the FRAM and MESA cohorts to estimate the association of HIV infection
      on common cIMT, accounting for machine and reader variability (between study
      variability) reduced the difference associated with HIV infection from +0.080 mm
      (95% Confidence Interval (CI):0.065-0.095) to +0.037 mm (95% CI:0.003 to 0.072)
      while internal cIMT declined from +0.254 mm (95% CI:0.205-0.303) to +0.192 mm
      (95% CI:0.076-0.308). Attenuation of the association between cIMT and
      cardiovascular endpoints occurred when within study reader variability was not
      accounted for. The effect of SME due to use of multiple readers or machines is
      most important when comparisons are made between two different study populations.
      Within-cohort measurement error dilutes the association with events.

PMID- 20309613
TI  - Trends in advanced glycation end products research in diabetes mellitus and its
      complications.
AB  - Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) are heterogeneous groups of compounds that
      result from the non-enzymatic reaction of reducing sugars with free amino groups
      of biological molecules such as proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. A large
      number of studies have been focused on AGEs metabolism, analysis, treatments, and
      their implications in the pathogenesis of diseases, especially in diabetes
      mellitus. Here, we review recent advances in the understanding of pathological
      complications caused by the production of AGEs. We provide an overview of the
      most important issues published within this area in last years; we also present
      the number of scientific papers related to AGEs available since 1950 until 2008
      in the most important fields including metabolism, physiology, and pharmacology,
      thus as analytical methods for AGE detection and quantification and studies
      carried out in human body fluids. Data were collected from ovidSP.

PMID- 20309614
TI  - Daidzein effect on hormone refractory prostate cancer in vitro and in vivo
      compared to genistein and soy extract: potentiation of radiotherapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Genistein, the major bioactive isoflavone of soybeans, acts as a
      radiosensitizer for prostate cancer (PCa) both in vitro and in vivo. However,
      pure genistein promoted increased metastasis to lymph nodes. A mixture of soy
      isoflavones (genistein, daidzein, glycitein) did not cause increased metastasis,
      but potentiated radiotherapy. We tested whether daidzein could negate genistein
      induced metastasis. METHODS: Mice bearing PC-3 prostate tumors were treated with
      daidzein, genistein or both, and with tumor irradiation. Primary tumors and
      metastases were evaluated. The effects of each isoflavone and soy were compared
      in vitro using PC-3 (AR-) and C4-2B (AR+) androgen-independent PCa cell lines.
      RESULTS: Daidzein did not increase metastasis to lymph nodes and acted as a
      radiosensitizer for prostate tumors. Daidzein inhibited cell growth and enhanced
      radiation in vitro but at doses higher than genistein or soy. Daidzein caused
      milder effects on inhibition of expression and/or activities of APE1/Ref-1, HIF
      1alpha and NF-kappaB in PC-3 and C4-2B cells. CONCLUSIONS: Daidzein could be the
      component of soy that protects against genistein-induced metastasis. Daidzein
      inhibited cell growth and synergized with radiation, affecting APE1/Ref-1, NF
      kappaB and HIF-1alpha, but at lower levels than genistein and soy, in AR+ and AR-
      PCa cells, suggesting it is an AR-independent mechanism.

PMID- 20309616
TI  - The development and mechanism studies of cationic chitosan-modified biodegradable
      PLGA nanoparticles for efficient siRNA drug delivery.
AB  - PURPOSE: In order to improve siRNA delivery for possible clinical applications,
      we developed biodegradable chitosan-modified poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (CHT
      PLGA) nanoparticles with positive surface charge, high siRNA loading, high
      transfection efficiency and low toxicity. METHODS: CHT-PLGA nanoparticles were
      prepared, and siRNA was loaded by emulsion evaporation method with poly(vinyl
      alcohol) (PVA) as emulsifier. siRNA loading efficiency, particle size, and Zeta
      potential of nanoparticles were measured. Gel retardation and protection assays
      were conducted to determine the loading and binding of siRNA in the formulation.
      Cell transfection was performed to study in vitro siRNA silencing efficiency. XTT
      assay was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity. RESULTS: It was found that the
      nanoparticle diameter and positive Zeta potential increase as the chitosan
      coating concentration increases. CHT-PLGA nanoparticles showed excellent siRNA
      binding ability and effective protection of oligos from RNase degradation. siRNA
      loaded nanoparticles were successfully delivered into the HEK 293 T cell line,
      and the silencing of green fluorescence protein (GFP) expression was observed
      using fluorescent microscopy and flow cytometry. In addition, the cytotoxicity
      assay revealed that CHT-PLGA nanoparticles had relatively low cytotoxicity.
      CONCLUSION: This study suggests that biodegradable cationic CHT-PLGA
      nanoparticles possess great potential for efficient and safer siRNA delivery in
      future clinical applications.

PMID- 20309617
TI  - Subterranean herbivore-induced volatiles released by citrus roots upon feeding by
      Diaprepes abbreviatus recruit entomopathogenic nematodes.
AB  - Herbivore-induced volatile emissions benefit plant hosts by recruiting natural
      enemies of herbivorous insects. Such tritrophic interactions have been examined
      thoroughly in the above-ground terrestrial environment. Recently, similar signals
      have also been described in the subterranean environment, which may be of equal
      importance for indirect plant defense. The larvae of the root weevil, Diaprepes
      abbreviates, are a serious pest of citrus. Infestations can be controlled by the
      use of entomopathogenic nematodes, yet the interactions between the plant, insect
      and nematode are poorly understood and remain unpredictable. In bioassays that
      used a root zone six-arm olfactometer, citrus roots ('Swingle citrumelo'
      rootstock) recruited significantly more entomopathogenic nematodes (Steinernema
      diaprepesi) when infested with root weevil larvae than non-infested roots.
      Infested plants were more attractive to nematodes than larvae alone. Roots
      damaged by weevil larvae attracted more nematodes than mechanically damaged roots
      and sand controls. By dynamic in situ collection and GC-MS analysis of volatiles
      from soil, we determined that four major terpene compounds were produced by
      infested plant roots that were not found in samples from non-infested roots or
      soil that contained only larvae. Solvent extracts of weevil-infested roots
      attracted more nematodes than extracts of non-infested roots in a two choice sand
      column bioassay. These findings suggest that Swingle citrus roots release induced
      volatiles as an indirect defense in response to herbivore feeding, and that some
      of these induced volatiles function as attractants for entomopathogenic
      nematodes.

PMID- 20309618
TI  - Species by environment interactions affect pyrrolizidine alkaloid expression in
      Senecio jacobaea, Senecio aquaticus, and their hybrids.
AB  - We examined the effects of water and nutrient availability on the expression of
      the defense pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) in Senecio jacobaea and S. aquaticus.
      Senecio jacobaea, and S. aquaticus are adapted to different natural habitats,
      characterized by differing abiotic conditions and different selection pressures
      from natural enemies. We tested if PA concentration and diversity are plastic
      over a range of water and nutrient treatments, and also whether such plasticity
      is dependent on plant species. We also tested the hypothesis that hybridization
      may contribute to PA diversity within plants, by comparing PA expression in
      parental species to that in artificially generated F(1) hybrids, and also in
      later generation natural hybrids between S. jacobaea and S. aquaticus. We showed
      that total PA concentration in roots and shoots is not dependent on species, but
      that species determines the pattern of PA diversification. Pyrrolizidine alkaloid
      diversity and concentration are both dependent on environmental factors. Hybrids
      produce a putatively novel PA, and this PA is conserved in natural hybrids, that
      are backcrossed to S. jacobaea. Natural hybrids that are backcrossed several
      times to S. jacobaea are with regard to PA diversity significantly different from
      S. jacobaea but not from S. aquaticus, while F(1) hybrids are in all cases more
      similar to S. jacobaea. These results collectively suggest that PA diversity is
      under the influence of natural selection.

PMID- 20309619
TI  - Couples' attributions for work function changes in prodromal Huntington disease.
AB  - People who have tested positive for the expanded Huntington disease (HD) gene who
      are not yet diagnosed (pre-HD) and their companions report subtle changes in
      ability of people with pre-HD to do their jobs. However, it is not known whether
      they attribute these changes to HD. Semi-structured telephone interviews were
      analyzed from seven persons with pre-HD at different estimated points from
      diagnosis and six companions. Data were analyzed using qualitative analysis
      methods. Participants made attributions related to health, work, and temperament.
      Only one participant attributed a change to HD. The process of forming
      attributions was demonstrated through symptom monitoring and comparison of
      participants with pre-HD to others with and without HD. Participants also
      expressed uncertainty regarding how to make attributions. Attributions influence
      coping procedures, including whether to seek and accept medical treatment. In
      persons with prodromal HD the relationship between attributions and use of coping
      strategies for symptoms that interfere with job functioning is unknown.

PMID- 20309620
TI  - Modeling shifts in the rate and pattern of subthalamopallidal network activity
      during deep brain stimulation.
AB  - Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthlamic nucleus (STN) represents an
      effective treatment for medically refractory Parkinson's disease; however,
      understanding of its effects on basal ganglia network activity remains limited.
      We constructed a computational model of the subthalamopallidal network, trained
      it to fit in vivo recordings from parkinsonian monkeys, and evaluated its
      response to STN DBS. The network model was created with synaptically connected
      single compartment biophysical models of STN and pallidal neurons, and
      stochastically defined inputs driven by cortical beta rhythms. A least mean
      square error training algorithm was developed to parameterize network connections
      and minimize error when compared to experimental spike and burst rates in the
      parkinsonian condition. The output of the trained network was then compared to
      experimental data not used in the training process. We found that reducing the
      influence of the cortical beta input on the model generated activity that agreed
      well with recordings from normal monkeys. Further, during STN DBS in the
      parkinsonian condition the simulations reproduced the reduction in GPi bursting
      found in existing experimental data. The model also provided the opportunity to
      greatly expand analysis of GPi bursting activity, generating three major
      predictions. First, its reduction was proportional to the volume of STN activated
      by DBS. Second, GPi bursting decreased in a stimulation frequency dependent
      manner, saturating at values consistent with clinically therapeutic DBS. And
      third, ablating STN neurons, reported to generate similar therapeutic outcomes as
      STN DBS, also reduced GPi bursting. Our theoretical analysis of stimulation
      induced network activity suggests that regularization of GPi firing is dependent
      on the volume of STN tissue activated and a threshold level of burst reduction
      may be necessary for therapeutic effect.

PMID- 20309621
TI  - The heavy burden of psychiatric comorbidity in youth with autism spectrum
      disorders: a large comparative study of a psychiatrically referred population.
AB  - The objective of the study was to systematically examine patterns of psychiatric
      comorbidity in referred youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) including
      autistic disorder and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified.
      Consecutively referred children and adolescents to a pediatric psychopharmacology
      program were assessed with structured diagnostic interview and measures of
      psychosocial functioning. Comparisons were made between those youth satisfying
      diagnostic criteria for ASD and age and sex matched youth without ASD referred to
      the same clinical program. 9.3% (217/2323) of the referred youth (age range: 3-17
      years) met DSM-III-R criteria for ASD. ASD youth suffered from significantly
      higher number of comorbid disorders than comparisons (6.4 +/- 2.7 vs. 5.2 +/-
      2.9; p < 0.001). Ninety-five percent of the youth with ASD had three or more
      comorbid psychiatric disorders and 74% had five or more comorbid disorders. ASD
      youth were also more functionally impaired and required extra-assistance in
      school and therapeutic interventions at higher rates than age and sex matched non
      ASD referred youth. Youth with ASD have high levels of psychiatric comorbidity
      and dysfunction comparable to the referred population of youth without ASD. These
      findings emphasize the heavy burden of psychiatric comorbidity afflicting youth
      with ASD and may be important targets for intervention.

PMID- 20309622
TI  - A preliminary study: the anti-proliferation effect of salidroside on different
      human cancer cell lines.
AB  - Salidroside (p-hydroxyphenethyl-beta-d-glucoside), which is present in all
      species of the genus Rhodiola, has been reported to have a broad spectrum of
      pharmacological properties. The present study, for the first time, focused on
      evaluating the effects of the purified salidroside on the proliferation of
      various human cancer cell lines derived from different tissues, and further
      investigating its possible molecular mechanisms. Cell viability assay and [(3)H]
      thymidine incorporation were used to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of
      salidroside on cancer cell lines, and flow cytometry analyzed the change of cell
      cycle distribution induced by salidroside. Western immunoblotting further studied
      the expression changes of cyclins (cyclin D1 and cyclin B1), cyclin-dependent
      kinases (CDK4 and Cdc2), and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (p21(Cip1) and
      p27(Kip1)). The results showed that salidroside inhibited the growth of various
      human cancer cell lines in concentration- and time-dependent manners, and the
      sensitivity to salidroside was different in those cancer cell lines. Salidroside
      could cause G1-phase or G2-phase arrest in different cancer cell lines,
      meanwhile, salidroside resulted in a decrease of CDK4, cyclin D1, cyclin B1 and
      Cdc2, and upregulated the levels of p27(Kip1) and p21(Cip1). Taken together,
      salidroside could inhibit the growth of cancer cells by modulating CDK4-cyclin D1
      pathway for G1-phase arrest and/or modulating the Cdc2-cyclin B1 pathway for G2
      phase arrest.

PMID- 20309623
TI  - Toward the integration of education and mental health in schools.
AB  - Education and mental health integration will be advanced when the goal of mental
      health includes effective schooling and the goal of effective schools includes
      the healthy functioning of students. To build a solid foundation for this
      reciprocal agenda, especially within the zeitgeist of recent educational reforms,
      a change in the fundamental framework within which school mental health is
      conceptualized is needed. This change involves acknowledging a new set of
      priorities, which include: the use of naturalistic resources within schools to
      implement and sustain effective supports for students' learning and
      emotional/behavioral health; inclusion of integrated models to enhance learning
      and promote health; attention to improving outcomes for all students, including
      those with serious emotional/behavioral needs; and strengthening the active
      involvement of parents. A strong research agenda to support these new priorities
      is essential.

PMID- 20309624
TI  - Inconsistent self-report of delinquency by adolescents and young adults with
      ADHD.
AB  - The purpose of the current study was to test the ability of adolescents and young
      adults with childhood ADHD to reliably self-report delinquency history. Data were
      examined from the Pittsburgh ADHD Longitudinal Study (PALS), a follow-up study of
      children diagnosed with ADHD between 1987 and 1996. Self-report of lifetime
      delinquency history was compared to concurrent parent-report and to self-report 1
      year later. Participants included 313 male probands and 209 demographically
      similar comparison individuals without ADHD. Results indicated that adolescents
      and young adults with childhood ADHD were more likely than comparison
      participants to fail to report delinquent acts reported by a parent and to recant
      acts they endorsed 1 year earlier. This trend was most apparent for acts of mild
      to moderate severity. After controlling for several covariates, current ADHD
      symptom severity and parent-report of the participant's tendency to lie predicted
      reporting fewer delinquent acts than one's parent. Current ADHD symptom severity
      also predicted more recanting of previously endorsed acts. Based on these
      findings, several recommendations are made for the assessment of delinquency
      history in adolescents and young adults with childhood ADHD.

PMID- 20309625
TI  - Familism, parent-adolescent conflict, self-esteem, internalizing behaviors and
      suicide attempts among adolescent Latinas.
AB  - Adolescent Latinas continue to report higher levels of suicide attempts than
      their African-American and White peers. The phenomenon is still not understood
      and is theorized to be the result of the confluence of many cultural, familial,
      and individual level factors. In Latino cultures, belief in the importance of the
      family, the value known as familism, appears to protect youth's emotional and
      behavioral health, but parent-adolescent conflict has been found to be a risk
      factor for suicide attempts. The role of familism in relation to parent
      adolescent conflict, self-esteem, internalizing behaviors, and suicide attempts
      has not been studied extensively. To address this question, we interviewed 226
      adolescent Latinas, 50% of whom had histories of suicide attempts. Using path
      analysis, familism as a cultural asset was associated with lower levels of parent
      adolescent conflict, but higher levels of internalizing behaviors, while self
      esteem and internalizing behaviors mediated the relationship between parent
      adolescent conflict and suicide attempts. Our findings point to the importance of
      family involvement in culturally competent suicide prevention and intervention
      programs. Reducing parent-daughter conflict and fostering closer family ties has
      the added effect of improving self-esteem and shrinking the likelihood of suicide
      attempts.

PMID- 20309626
TI  - Transforming growth factor-beta1 polymorphisms and breast cancer risk: a meta
      analysis based on 27 case-control studies.
AB  - The association between transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) gene
      polymorphisms and breast cancer risk has been widely reported, but results were
      somewhat controversial and underpowered. To derive a more precise estimation of
      the relationship between TGF-beta1 polymorphisms and breast cancer risk, we
      conducted a meta-analysis of all available case-control studies relating the
      T869C and/or C-509T polymorphisms of the TGF-beta1 gene to the risk of developing
      breast cancer. Eligible articles were identified by search of databases including
      MEDLINE, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Chinese Biomedical Literature
      database (CBM) for the period up to March 2010. Finally, a total of 17 articles
      involving 27 case-control studies were identified, 25 with 20,022 cases and
      24,423 controls for T869C polymorphism and eight with 10,633 cases and 13,648
      controls for C-509T polymorphism. The pooled ORs were performed for the allele
      contrasts, additive genetic model, dominant genetic model and recessive genetic
      model, respectively. Subgroup analysis was also performed by ethnicity for T869C
      polymorphism. With respect to T869C polymorphism, no association was found in
      overall analysis (C vs. T: OR = 1.033, 95% CI = 0.996-1.072). In the subgroup
      analysis by ethnicity, significantly increased risk was found in Caucasian
      population (C vs. T: OR = 1.051, 95% CI = 1.018-1.085; CC vs. TT + TC: OR =
      1.083, 95% CI = 1.019-1.151), but not in Asian population (C vs. T: OR = 1.054,
      95% CI = 0.983-1.130). With respect to C-509T polymorphism, no significant
      association with breast cancer risk was demonstrated in overall analysis (T vs.
      C: OR = 0.986, 95% CI = 0.936-1.039). It can be concluded that potentially
      functional TGF-Beta1 T869C polymorphism may play a low penetrance role in breast
      cancer susceptibility in an ethnicity-specific manner.

PMID- 20309627
TI  - Evaluation of established breast cancer risk factors as modifiers of BRCA1 or
      BRCA2: a multi-center case-only analysis.
AB  - The incomplete penetrance of mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 suggests that some
      combination of environmental and genetic factors modifies the risk of breast
      cancer in mutation carriers. This study sought to identify possible interactions
      between established breast cancer risk factors and BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations using
      a case-only study design. Breast cancer cases that had been tested for BRCA1 and
      BRCA2 mutations were identified from 11 collaborating centers. Comparisons of
      reproductive and lifestyle risk factors were made between women with breast
      cancer who were positive for BRCA1 mutations (n = 283), BRCA2 mutations (n =
      204), or negative for both BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations (n = 894). Interaction risk
      ratios (IRRs) were calculated using multinominal logistic regression models.
      Compared with non-carriers, statistically significant IRRs were observed for
      later age at menarche among BRCA2 mutation carriers, for a greater number of
      pregnancies among both BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers, and for alcohol use
      among BRCA1 mutation carriers. Our data suggest that the risk for breast cancer
      among BRCA1 or BRCA2 carriers may be modified by reproductive characteristics and
      alcohol use. However, our results should be interpreted cautiously given the
      overall inconsistency in the epidemiologic literature on modifiers of BRCA1 and
      BRCA2.

PMID- 20309629
TI  - Biochemical composition of juvenile cultured vs. wild silver pomfret, Pampus
      argenteus: determining the diet for cultured fish.
AB  - We evaluated the biochemical composition of juvenile cultured and wild silver
      pomfret Pampus argenteus. Cultured silver pomfret (SF) had significantly (P<0.05)
      lower crude protein content and higher crude lipid content than wild SF.
      Concentrations of almost all amino acids, except glycine and arginine, were
      significantly higher (P<0.05) in wild SF compared to cultured SF. Further, wild
      SF had a significantly (P<0.05) higher concentration of total amino acids (TAA),
      essential amino acids (EAA), and a higher essential amino acid index (EAAI) than
      cultured SF. Saturated fatty acids (SFA) in cultured SF were significantly higher
      than in wild SF. However, the content of poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and
      n-3 fatty acids in wild SF was significantly higher than in cultured SF. Mono
      unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) in cultured and wild SF were not significantly
      different. Fatty acids C16:0 and C18:1 were the principal fatty acids of the SFAs
      and MUFAs, respectively, in both cultured and wild SF. The results will be useful
      for determining the dietary requirements for culture of SF.

PMID- 20309628
TI  - Manganese superoxide dismutase polymorphism, treatment-related toxicity and
      disease-free survival in SWOG 8897 clinical trial for breast cancer.
AB  - To date, the few studies of associations between a functional polymorphism in the
      oxidative stress-related gene manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD2) and breast
      cancer survival have been inconsistent. In a homogeneous patient population from
      a large cooperative group trial Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) 8897, we
      evaluated this polymorphism in relation to both treatment-related toxicity and
      disease-free survival (DFS). Among 458 women who received cyclophosphamide
      containing adjuvant chemotherapy, those with variant C alleles, related to higher
      antioxidant activity, experienced less grade 3-4 neutropenia (OR = 0.52, 95% CI =
      0.29-0.92) but had worse DFS (HR = 1.59, 95% CI = 0.99-2.55) than women with TT
      genotypes. No associations were observed among 874 women who were followed
      without adjuvant therapy. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that
      women with higher SOD2 antioxidant activity may experience less treatment-related
      toxicity but shorter time to disease recurrence or death after breast cancer
      adjuvant chemotherapy, supporting the modifying effects of oxidative stress
      related enzymes on cancer treatment toxicity and efficacy.

PMID- 20309630
TI  - Antioxidant system breakdown in brain of feral golden grey mullet (Liza aurata)
      as an effect of mercury exposure.
AB  - Although brain has been recognized as a primary target for mercury toxicity in
      mammals, the effects of this metal in fish brain are scarcely described. Thus,
      the main objective of this study was to assess the mercury threat to feral fish
      (Liza aurata) by estimating the antioxidant defenses and peroxidative damage in
      brain, keeping in mind the association with mercury accumulation. Sampling was
      carried out in an estuarine area historically affected by discharges from a chlor
      alkali industry-Laranjo Basin (Ria de Aveiro, Portugal). Total mercury (T-Hg) in
      brain increased towards the contamination source, clearly indicating mercury
      exposure. An overall antioxidant depletion was verified in brain of fish
      collected at the mercury-contaminated stations, since total glutathione content
      and the studied antioxidant enzymes (catalase-CAT, glutathione peroxidase-GPx,
      glutathione-S-transferase-GST and glutathione reductase-GR) significantly
      decreased. In addition, this breakdown of the redox-defense system was
      significantly correlated with the accumulated T-Hg levels. Unexpectedly, fish
      exhibited unaltered lipid peroxidation levels, pointing out a higher propensity
      of mercury to inhibit enzymes than to oxidatively damage lipids in the brain.
      Nevertheless, an increased susceptibility of the fish's brain was identified,
      leaving the organ more vulnerable to oxidative stress-related challenges.
      Overall, the current findings provide information to better understand mechanisms
      of mercury neurotoxicity in fish.

PMID- 20309631
TI  - Product-limit estimators of the gap time distribution of a renewal process under
      different sampling patterns.
AB  - Nonparametric estimation of the gap time distribution in a simple renewal process
      may be considered a problem in survival analysis under particular sampling frames
      corresponding to how the renewal process is observed. This note describes several
      such situations where simple product limit estimators, though inefficient, may
      still be useful.

PMID- 20309632
TI  - Cost-effective gene transfection by DNA compaction at pH 4.0 using acidified,
      long shelf-life polyethylenimine.
AB  - Introduction of genetic material into cells is an essential prerequisite for
      current research in molecular cell biology. Although transfection with
      commercially available reagents results in excellent gene expression, their high
      costs are obstacles to experimentation with a large number or large scales of
      transfection. The cationic polymer linear-polyethylenimine (MW 25,000) (PEI), one
      of the most cost-effective vehicles, facilitates DNA compaction by polyplex
      formation, which leads to efficient delivery of DNA into cells by endocytosis.
      However, the use of PEI is still limited because of substantial cytotoxicity and
      intolerable deterioration in transfection efficiency by its low stability. Here,
      we show that acidification of PEI is important for its transfection activity.
      Dissolving PEI powder in 0.2N HCl confers a long shelf-life for PEI storage at 4
      and -80 degrees C, and the polyplex formation of plasmid DNA with PEI is
      optimized in lactate-buffered saline at pH 4.0. Furthermore, changing the culture
      medium at 8-12 h posttransfection can minimize the cytotoxicity of PEI without
      sacrificing the high transfection efficiency comparable to that of commercial
      reagents. The cost per test using acidified PEI is drastically reduced to
      approximately 1:10,000, compared with commercial reagents. Thus, we conclude that
      acidification of PEI satisfactorily accomplishes cost-effective, high-efficiency
      transfection.

PMID- 20309633
TI  - Positive and negative reinforcement underlying risk behavior in early
      adolescents.
AB  - The goal of the current study was to examine the combined influence of positive
      reinforcement processes using a behavioral task measuring risk taking propensity
      (RTP) and negative reinforcement processes using a behavioral task measuring
      deficits in distress tolerance (DT) on a range of risk taking behaviors among
      early adolescents. Participants included a community sample of 230 early
      adolescents (aged 9-13) who completed two behavioral tasks assessing
      reinforcement processes as well as reported on past year risk behavior
      involvement as assessed by items from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System
      at a baseline and a 1-year follow-up assessment. Data indicated that at the Wave
      2 assessment, RTP was positively related to number of risk-taking behaviors in
      the past year but only for those with low DT, with this finding persisting after
      controlling for the significant influence of male gender and higher sensation
      seeking. Results of the present study highlight the importance of considering
      both positive and negative reinforcement processes in combination when
      investigating vulnerability factors for early risk behavior engagement in youth.

PMID- 20309635
TI  - Heart involvement in systemic sclerosis: present but not evident.

PMID- 20309636
TI  - Strategic costs and preferences revelation in the allocation of resources for
      health care.
AB  - This article examines the resources allocation process in the internal market for
      health care in an environment characterised by asymmetry of information. We
      analyse the strategic behaviour of the provider and show how, by misreporting its
      cost function and reservation utility, it might shift the allocation of resources
      away from the purchaser's objectives. Although the fundamental importance of
      equity, efficiency and risk aversion considerations which have been the
      traditional focus of the literature on allocation of resources should not be
      denied, this paper shows that contracts and internal markets are not neutral
      instruments and more research should be devoted to studying their effects.

PMID- 20309637
TI  - IL-29 and IFN-alpha regulate the expression of MxA, 2',5'-OAS and PKR genes in
      association with the activation of Raf-MEK-ERK and PI3K-AKT signal pathways in
      HepG2.2.15 cells.
AB  - Interferons (IFNs) can activate the PI3K-AKT and Raf-MEK-ERK signal pathways and
      induce antiviral proteins (MxA, 2',5'-OAS and PKR) expression in specific cell
      lines. However, the relationship between those antiviral proteins expression and
      signal pathways remains unknown at present. Thus our experiments were designed to
      determine the exact relationship in HepG2.2.15 cell line. The results
      demonstrated that IFN-alpha and IL-29 were both able to activate PI3K-AKT and Raf
      MEK-ERK signal pathways, and IFN-alpha up-regulated the expression of MxA, 2',5'
      OAS and PKR whereas IL-29 increased mRNA expression of MxA and 2',5'-OAS and had
      no influence on PKR. Furthermore, MxA, 2',5'-OAS and PKR expression were down
      regulated while PI3K-AKT signal pathway was blocked by LY294002. And MxA was up
      regulated after Raf-MEK-ERK signal pathway being blocked by PD98059. These
      findings indicate that the expression of MxA, 2',5'-OAS and PKR are up-regulate
      by PI3K-AKT signal pathway, and Raf-MEK-ERK signal pathway has a negative
      regulatory effect on the expression of MxA and no significant effect on 2',5'-OAS
      and PKR.

PMID- 20309638
TI  - The SF-36 component summary scales and the daytime diurnal cortisol profile.
AB  - PURPOSE: Higher daytime cortisol output has been associated with higher levels of
      perceived stress and worse mental and physical health outcomes. Hypothalamic
      pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation, such as elevated secretion of daytime
      cortisol, occurs in many mental and physical illnesses. However, the nature of
      the association between functional health status and daytime cortisol production
      has not been established. METHODS: Healthy adult volunteers (n=68, 45 females)
      provided saliva samples 3, 6, 9 and 12 h after waking, for two consecutive days,
      in everyday settings. Bivariate correlations between log salivary cortisol
      concentrations were calculated, and the SF-36 component summary scores were
      calculated. Latent growth curve modeling was used to model the daytime profile
      and adjust for covariates (age, sex and waking time). RESULTS: Higher PCS scores
      were not associated with cortisol three hours after waking (cortisol intercept),
      or the diurnal decline (cortisol slope). Higher MCS scores were correlated with
      faster cortisol decline across the day (r=-.31, P<.01) but not with cortisol
      intercepts. In a latent growth curve model adjusting for age, sex and waking
      time, the association was no longer statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Large
      scale epidemiological studies involving salivary cortisol would benefit from
      measuring SF-36 component summary scores. Cortisol intercepts and slopes may be
      differentially related to the PCS and MCS, although greater statistical power is
      needed to test this hypothesis more fully. Associations between daytime cortisol
      and the PCS or MCS could reflect the regulatory competence of bodily systems,
      common causes or unmeasured confounding factors.

PMID- 20309639
TI  - Risk of varices bleeding after spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy with
      excision of splenic artery and vein.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy with excision of splenic
      vessels (SPDP-ESV) has been widely adopted because of its simplicity. However,
      this simplified technique may lead to gastric varices and bleeding. METHODS: For
      better understanding of the hemodynamic changes and risk of gastric variceal
      bleeding, we instituted a prospective study to perform serial follow-up contrast
      abdominal computed tomography (CT) and endoscopy for patients after SPDP-ESV.
      RESULTS: There were 37 patients, with a mean follow-up period of 45.3 months
      (range 23-59 months), included in the analysis. Of the 37 patients studied, 11
      (29.7%) had perigastric varices, 12 (32.4%) had splenomegaly, and 3 (8.1%) had
      gastric submucosal varices on follow-up CT performed 6 months after surgery.
      Endoscopy also showed gastric varices in three patients with gastric submucosal
      varices on CT scan. CT performed 18 months after surgery showed no progression of
      splenomegaly or gastric submucosal varices. Follow-up endoscopies also showed
      three gastric varices detected on endoscopy at 6 months to be stationary.
      CONCLUSIONS: Based on serial CT and endoscopic examinations, the first
      postoperative months will show who is at risk of gastric variceal bleeding.

PMID- 20309640
TI  - Adherence to the National Quality Forum (NQF) breast cancer measures within
      cancer clinical trials: a review from ACOSOG Z0010.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 2007, the National Quality Forum (NQF) released four performance
      measures for the treatment of breast cancer. We proposed to study the degree of
      adherence with these measures among participating institutions in a multi
      institutional trial. METHODS: American College of Surgeons Oncology Group
      (ACOSOG) Z0010 enrolled breast cancer patients onto a phase II trial studying the
      prognostic significance of bone marrow and sentinel node micrometastases. The
      current study used chi(2) analyses to determine the degree of adherence with four
      NQF measures among three institution types: academic, community, and teaching
      affiliate. RESULTS: The study revealed small but important differences in two
      measures. Ninety-five percent of patients from teaching affiliated institutions
      received whole-breast radiation compared to 92% at academic and 91% at community
      hospitals. Among patients who were underinsured or uninsured, a marked decrease
      in radiation use was noted in comparison to patients with insurance-85 versus
      93%, respectively. The study also revealed a difference among institutional types
      in patients undergoing excisional biopsy for diagnosis. In teaching-affiliated
      hospitals, 28.6% underwent excisional biopsy as compared to 36.8 and 37.4% in
      academic and community hospitals, respectively. There was no statistically
      significant difference between adherence rates with the remaining two measures.
      Adjuvant chemotherapy was administered to patients with hormone receptor negative
      tumors > or =1 cm in size in 79-85% of institutions. Tamoxifen was administered
      to 79-82% of those patients with hormone receptor-positive cancers. CONCLUSIONS:
      Among breast cancer patients enrolled onto a multi-institutional clinical trial,
      we found a high degree of adherence with current consensus standards for adjuvant
      treatment, despite varied practice environments.

PMID- 20309641
TI  - Overexpression of activin A in oral squamous cell carcinoma: association with
      poor prognosis and tumor progression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Both activin A, a member of transforming growth factor beta
      superfamily, and its inhibitor follistatin have been shown to be overexpressed in
      various cancers. We examined the potential role of activin A and follistatin in
      tissue and blood samples from patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.
      METHODS: For activin A and follistatin, the expression of tissue samples from 92
      patients was examined by immunohistochemical study, and the serum levels of blood
      samples from 111 patients and 91 healthy controls were measured by enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: We found that overexpression of
      immunohistochemically detected activin A was correlated with positive N stage,
      poor histological differentiation, and perineural invasion (P = 0.029, 0.002, and
      0.014, respectively). In survival analyses, patients with oral squamous cell
      carcinoma, whose tumors overexpressed activin A, had a worse prognosis for
      overall survival and disease-free survival (P = 0.009 and 0.007). However,
      expression of follistatin in tumor was not correlated with overall survival or
      disease-free survival. Serum activin A and follistatin levels in 111 untreated
      patients were neither significantly different from those of 91 control samples
      nor associated with any clinicopathological manifestations. In vitro suppression
      of activin A expression in OC3 cells using specific interfering RNA-attenuated
      cell proliferation, migration, and invasiveness. CONCLUSIONS: These findings
      suggest that activin A overexpression in oral squamous cell carcinomas is
      associated with patients' survival and may contribute to tumor progression and
      metastasis.

PMID- 20309642
TI  - Body mass index and major cancer surgery outcomes: lack of association or need
      for alternative measurements of obesity?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although surgical studies have reported inconsistent associations
      between increased body mass index (BMI) and operative outcomes, the accuracy of
      BMI for measuring obesity has been questioned in previous epidemiologic studies.
      Simultaneously, BMI has known comorbidities, which may mediate the effect of BMI
      if included in multivariable models. We sought to examine the effect of BMI on
      operative outcomes after adjusting for preoperative factors. METHODS: We
      identified 8858 patients who underwent major thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic
      surgery for solid organ tumors in American College of Surgeons National Surgical
      Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) centers from 2005 to 2007. We used
      multivariable analyses to assess the effect of BMI on short-term operative
      outcomes after controlling for covariates. RESULTS: Increased BMI was not
      associated with worse short-term operative outcomes in our bivariable analyses.
      However, patients with BMI > or = 35 had higher American Society of
      Anesthesiologists scores, longer operative times, and an increased number of
      postoperative complications (P < 0.0001). After adjusting for pre- and
      intraoperative factors, BMI did not predict any short-term operative outcome
      except for an increased total number of complications in BMI > or = 35. These
      results persisted after removing potential mediators from the multivariable
      analysis. CONCLUSIONS: In ACS NSQIP, BMI has minimal association with short-term
      operative outcomes after major cancer surgery. Although these findings may
      suggest a lack of association between obesity and cancer surgery outcomes, it
      confirms the previously examined limitations of BMI. Because of the rising
      incidence of obesity in the United States and its challenging effect on surgeon's
      practice, ACS NSQIP should consider exploring alternative measures of general and
      abdominal obesity.

PMID- 20309643
TI  - Complete remission of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma treated with reduced
      dose of sorafenib: a case report.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly aggressive cancer. For patients who
      are diagnosed with advanced stage disease that are not surgical candidates, the
      disease is universally lethal. Advance has been made to extend survival with
      molecular target therapy, but durable complete responses are extremely rare. We
      report an unusual case where a 74-year-old patient with unresectable HCC received
      eight months of reduced-dose of sorafenib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, and
      achieved a durable complete remission. At the most recent follow up, he remains
      in remission 16 months after cessation of treatment, without clinical or imaging
      evidence of disease recurrence.

PMID- 20309644
TI  - Aberrant behaviours of reaction diffusion self-organisation models on growing
      domains in the presence of gene expression time delays.
AB  - Turing's pattern formation mechanism exhibits sensitivity to the details of the
      initial conditions suggesting that, in isolation, it cannot robustly generate
      pattern within noisy biological environments. Nonetheless, secondary aspects of
      developmental self-organisation, such as a growing domain, have been shown to
      ameliorate this aberrant model behaviour. Furthermore, while in-situ
      hybridisation reveals the presence of gene expression in developmental processes,
      the influence of such dynamics on Turing's model has received limited attention.
      Here, we novelly focus on the Gierer-Meinhardt reaction diffusion system
      considering delays due the time taken for gene expression, while incorporating a
      number of different domain growth profiles to further explore the influence and
      interplay of domain growth and gene expression on Turing's mechanism. We find
      extensive pathological model behaviour, exhibiting one or more of the following:
      temporal oscillations with no spatial structure, a failure of the Turing
      instability and an extreme sensitivity to the initial conditions, the growth
      profile and the duration of gene expression. This deviant behaviour is even more
      severe than observed in previous studies of Schnakenberg kinetics on
      exponentially growing domains in the presence of gene expression (Gaffney and
      Monk in Bull. Math. Biol. 68:99-130, 2006). Our results emphasise that gene
      expression dynamics induce unrealistic behaviour in Turing's model for multiple
      choices of kinetics and thus such aberrant modelling predictions are likely to be
      generic. They also highlight that domain growth can no longer ameliorate the
      excessive sensitivity of Turing's mechanism in the presence of gene expression
      time delays. The above, extensive, pathologies suggest that, in the presence of
      gene expression, Turing's mechanism would generally require a novel and extensive
      secondary mechanism to control reaction diffusion patterning.

PMID- 20309645
TI  - The influence of gene expression time delays on Gierer-Meinhardt pattern
      formation systems.
AB  - There are numerous examples of morphogen gradients controlling long range
      signalling in developmental and cellular systems. The prospect of two such
      interacting morphogens instigating long range self-organisation in biological
      systems via a Turing bifurcation has been explored, postulated, or implicated in
      the context of numerous developmental processes. However, modelling
      investigations of cellular systems typically neglect the influence of gene
      expression on such dynamics, even though transcription and translation are
      observed to be important in morphogenetic systems. In particular, the influence
      of gene expression on a large class of Turing bifurcation models, namely those
      with pure kinetics such as the Gierer-Meinhardt system, is unexplored. Our
      investigations demonstrate that the behaviour of the Gierer-Meinhardt model
      profoundly changes on the inclusion of gene expression dynamics and is sensitive
      to the sub-cellular details of gene expression. Features such as concentration
      blow up, morphogen oscillations and radical sensitivities to the duration of gene
      expression are observed and, at best, severely restrict the possible parameter
      spaces for feasible biological behaviour. These results also indicate that the
      behaviour of Turing pattern formation systems on the inclusion of gene expression
      time delays may provide a means of distinguishing between possible forms of
      interaction kinetics. Finally, this study also emphasises that sub-cellular and
      gene expression dynamics should not be simply neglected in models of long range
      biological pattern formation via morphogens.

PMID- 20309646
TI  - Impact of splenectomy on thrombocytopenia, chemotherapy, and survival in patients
      with unresectable pancreatic cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer (PDAC) or endocrine
      tumors (PET) often develop splenic vein thrombosis, hypersplenism, and
      thrombocytopenia which limits the administration of chemotherapy. METHODS: From
      2001 to 2009, 15 patients with recurrent or unresectable PDAC or PET underwent
      splenectomy for hypersplenism and thrombocytopenia. The clinical variables of
      this group of patients were analyzed. The overall survival of patients with PDAC
      was compared to historical controls. RESULTS: Of the 15 total patients, 13 (87%)
      had PDAC and 2 (13%) had PET. All tumors were either locally advanced (n = 6,
      40%) or metastatic (n = 9, 60%). The platelet counts significantly increased
      after splenectomy (p < 0.01). All patients were able to resume chemotherapy
      within a median of 11.5 days (range 6-27). The patients with PDAC had a median
      survival of 20 months (range 4-67) from the time of diagnosis and 10.6 months
      (range 0.6-39.8) from the time of splenectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Splenectomy for
      patients with unresectable PDAC or PET who developed hypersplenism and
      thrombocytopenia that limited the administration of chemotherapy, significantly
      increased platelet counts, and led to resumption of treatment in all patients.
      Patients with PDAC had better disease-specific survival as compared to historical
      controls.

PMID- 20309647
TI  - 'Slowing down when you should': initiators and influences of the transition from
      the routine to the effortful.
AB  - BACKGROUND: 'Slowing down when you should' has been described as marking the
      transition from 'automatic' to 'effortful' functioning in professional practice.
      The ability to 'slow down' is hypothesized as an important factor in expert
      judgment. This study explored the nature of the 'slowing down' phenomenon
      intraoperatively and its link to surgical judgment. METHODS: Twenty-eight
      surgeons across different surgical specialties were interviewed from four
      hospitals affiliated with a large urban university. In grounded theory tradition,
      data were collected and analyzed in an iterative design, using a constant
      comparative approach. Emergent themes were identified and a conceptual framework
      was developed. RESULTS: Surgeons recognized the 'slowing down' phenomenon
      acknowledging its link to judgment and described two main initiators. Proactively
      planned 'slowing down' moments were anticipated preoperatively from operation
      specific (tying superior thyroid vessels) or patient-specific (imaging
      abnormality) factors. Surgeons also described situationally responsive 'slowing
      down' moments to unexpected events (encountering an adherent tumor). Surgeons
      described several influencing factors on the slowing down phenomenon (fatigue,
      confidence). CONCLUSIONS: This framework for 'slowing down' assists in making
      tangible the previously elusive construct of surgical judgment, providing a
      vocabulary for considering the events surrounding these critical moments in
      surgery, essential for teaching, self-reflection, and patient safety.

PMID- 20309648
TI  - Release of metal ions from orthodontic appliances by in vitro studies: a
      systematic literature review.
AB  - In the present work, a systematic literature review on release of metal ions from
      orthodontic appliances under in vitro conditions is described. Detailed and
      schematic analysis of used materials and applied methods (immersion media,
      incubation time, temperature, and analytical techniques) is provided. The PubMed
      search identified 40 studies, among which eight met the selection criteria. One
      additional study was included in the review. All the authors agreed that the
      doses of released metal ions were far below the toxic level and the dietary
      intake. Although the concentrations of metal ions in immersion media greatly
      differed, the general conclusions were coherent. It must be underlined that the
      main disadvantage of in vitro tests was that the experimental setup did not
      reflect in vivo conditions, e.g., the presence of biofilm, which grows on the
      surface of the materials in oral cavity. The presence and activity of microflora
      to a large extent is responsible for the process of corrosion, in particular,
      biodeterioration. The further scheme of in vitro research should incorporate
      changeable conditions of oral cavity environment (pH, dynamic conditions-saliva
      flow) and the presence of microbiological flora (microbiological attack) in the
      experimental design and, first of all, the real proportions of appliance
      elements.

PMID- 20309649
TI  - Transient receptor potential melastatin 2 expression is increased following
      experimental traumatic brain injury in rats.
AB  - Traumatic brain injury (TBI) elicits a sequence of complex biochemical changes
      including oxidative stress, oedema, inflammation and excitotoxicity. These
      factors contribute to the high morbidity and mortality following TBI, although
      their underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Transient
      receptor potential melastatin 2 (TRPM2) is a non-selective cation channel, highly
      expressed in the brain and immune cells. Recent studies have implicated TRPM2
      channels in processes involving oxidative stress, inflammation and cell death.
      However, no studies have investigated the role of TRPM2 in TBI pathophysiology.
      In the present study, we have characterised TRPM2 mRNA and protein expression
      following experimental TBI. Adult male Sprague Dawley rats were injured using the
      impact-acceleration model of diffuse TBI with survival times between 5 and 5
      days. Real-time RT-PCR (including reference gene validation studies) and semi
      quantitative immunohistochemistry were used to quantify TRPM2 mRNA and protein
      levels, respectively, following TBI. Significant increases in TRPM2 mRNA and
      protein expression were observed in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of
      injured animals, suggesting that TRPM2 may contribute to TBI injury processes
      such as oxidative stress, inflammation and neuronal death. Further
      characterisation of how TRPM2 may contribute to TBI pathophysiology is warranted.

PMID- 20309651
TI  - 1H, 13C, and 15N chemical shift assignments for the RNA recognition motif of
      Nab3.
AB  - Nuclear polyadenylated RNA-binding (Nab)3 protein is an RNA-binding protein that
      is involved in the poly(A) independent termination pathway. Here, we report the
      NMR spectral assignments of RNA-recognition motif (RRM) of Nab3. The assignment
      will allow performing NMR structural and RNA-binding studies of Nab3 with the aim
      to investigate its role in the poly(A) independent termination pathway.

PMID- 20309650
TI  - Epiblast/germ line hypothesis of cancer development revisited: lesson from the
      presence of Oct-4+ cells in adult tissues.
AB  - The morphology of several tumors mimics developmentally early tissues; tumors
      often express early developmental markers characteristic for the germ line
      lineage. Recently, our group identified a population of very small stem cells
      (SCs) in murine bone marrow (BM) and other adult organs that express several
      markers characteristic for epiblast/germ line-derived SCs. We named these rare
      cells "Very Small Embryonic/Epiblast-like Stem Cells (VSELs)." We hypothesized
      that these cells that express both epiblast and germ line markers are deposited
      during early gastrulation in developing tissues and organs and play an important
      role in the turnover of tissue-committed (TC) SCs. To support this, we envision
      that the germ line is not only the origin of SCs, but also remains as a scaffold
      or back-up for the SC compartment in adult life. Furthermore, we noticed that
      VSELs are protected from uncontrolled proliferation and teratoma formation by a
      unique DNA methylation pattern in some developmentally crucial imprinted genes,
      which show hypomethylation or erasure of imprints in paternally methylated genes
      and hypermethylation of imprints in the maternally methylated. In pathological
      situations, however, we hypothesize that VSELs could be involved in the
      development of several malignancies. Therefore, potential involvement of VSELs in
      cancerogenesis could support century-old concepts of embryonic rest- or germ line
      origin hypotheses of cancer development. However, we are aware that this working
      hypothesis requires further direct experimental confirmation.

PMID- 20309652
TI  - Development and statistical optimization of solid lipid nanoparticles of
      simvastatin by using 2(3) full-factorial design.
AB  - The objective of this study was to develop solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) of
      simvastatin and to optimize it for independent variables (amount of glycerol
      monostearate, concentration of poloxamer, and volume of isopropyl alcohol) in
      order to achieve desired particle size with maximum percent entrapment efficiency
      (% EE) and percent cumulative drug release (% CDR). To achieve our goal, eight
      formulations (F(1)-F(8)) of SLNs were prepared by solvent injection technique and
      optimized by 2(3) full-factorial design. The design was validated by extra design
      checkpoint formulation (F(9)), and the possible interactions between independent
      variables were studied. The responses of the design were analyzed using Design
      Expert 7.1.6. (Stat-Ease, Inc, USA), and the analytical tools of software were
      used to draw Pareto charts and response surface plots. On the basis of software
      analysis, formulation F(10) with a desirability factor of 0.611 was selected as
      optimized formulation and was evaluated for the independent parameters. Optimized
      formulation showed particle size of 258.5 nm, % EE of 75.81%, with of 82.67% CDR
      after 55 h. The release kinetics of the optimized formulation best fitted the
      Higuchi model, and the recrystallization index of optimized formulation was found
      to be 65.51%.

PMID- 20309653
TI  - Cascade impactor (CI) mensuration--an assessment of the accuracy and precision of
      commercially available optical measurement systems.
AB  - Multi-stage cascade impactors (CIs) are the preferred measurement technique for
      characterizing the aerodynamic particle size distribution of an inhalable
      aerosol. Stage mensuration is the recommended pharmacopeial method for monitoring
      CI "fitness for purpose" within a GxP environment. The Impactor Sub-Team of the
      European Pharmaceutical Aerosol Group has undertaken an inter-laboratory study to
      assess both the precision and accuracy of a range of makes and models of
      instruments currently used for optical inspection of impactor stages. Measurement
      of two Andersen 8-stage 'non-viable' cascade impactor "reference" stages that
      were representative of jet sizes for this instrument type (stages 2 and 7)
      confirmed that all instruments evaluated were capable of reproducible jet
      measurement, with the overall capability being within the current pharmacopeial
      stage specifications for both stages. In the assessment of absolute accuracy,
      small, but consistent differences (ca. 0.6% of the certified value) observed
      between 'dots' and 'spots' of a calibrated chromium-plated reticule were
      observed, most likely the result of treatment of partially lit pixels along the
      circumference of this calibration standard. Measurements of three certified ring
      gauges, the smallest having a nominal diameter of 1.0 mm, were consistent with
      the observation where treatment of partially illuminated pixels at the periphery
      of the projected image can result in undersizing. However, the bias was less than
      1% of the certified diameter. The optical inspection instruments evaluated are
      fully capable of confirming cascade impactor suitability in accordance with
      pharmacopeial practice.

PMID- 20309654
TI  - Two-step solid lipid extrusion as a process to modify dissolution behavior.
AB  - Extrudates based on varying ratios of the triglyceride tripalmitin and the
      hydrophilic polymer polyethylene glycol as matrix formers were produced as oral
      dosage forms with controlled release characteristics. The extrudates were
      processed below the melting points of the excipients and contained the
      hydrophobic model drug chloramphenicol. The influence of the ratio of the matrix
      formers on drug dissolution was investigated, with an increase in the water
      soluble polymer content increasing the drug release rate. In addition, the effect
      of varying the extrusion process on the extrudate structure and drug dissolution
      was investigated. Two-step extrusion was performed, which comprised an initial
      extrusion step of drug and one matrix component followed by milling these
      extrudates and a second extrusion step for the milled extrudates mixed with the
      second matrix component. Initial extrusion with polyethylene glycol led to
      increased dissolution rates, while initial extrusion with tripalmitin led to
      decreased dissolution rates compared to the dissolution characteristics of
      extrudates containing the same composition produced by one-step extrusion. Thus,
      two-step solid lipid extrusion can successfully be used as a process to modify
      the dissolution behavior of extrudates.

PMID- 20309655
TI  - In brief: Crowe's classification: arthroplasty in developmental dysplasia of the
      hip.

PMID- 20309656
TI  - Maggot excretions inhibit biofilm formation on biomaterials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Biofilm-associated infections in trauma surgery are difficult to
      treat with conventional therapies. Therefore, it is important to develop new
      treatment modalities. Maggots in captured bags, which are permeable for larval
      excretions/secretions, aid in healing severe, infected wounds, suspect for
      biofilm formation. Therefore we presumed maggot excretions/secretions would
      reduce biofilm formation. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: We studied biofilm formation of
      Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Klebsiella oxytoca,
      Enterococcus faecalis, and Enterobacter cloacae on polyethylene, titanium, and
      stainless steel. We compared the quantities of biofilm formation between the
      bacterial species on the various biomaterials and the quantity of biofilm
      formation after various incubation times. Maggot excretions/secretions were added
      to existing biofilms to examine their effect. METHODS: Comb-like models of the
      biomaterials, made to fit in a 96-well microtiter plate, were incubated with
      bacterial suspension. The formed biofilms were stained in crystal violet, which
      was eluted in ethanol. The optical density (at 595 nm) of the eluate was
      determined to quantify biofilm formation. Maggot excretions/secretions were
      pipetted in different concentrations to (nonstained) 7-day-old biofilms,
      incubated 24 hours, and finally measured. RESULTS: The strongest biofilms were
      formed by S. aureus and S. epidermidis on polyethylene and the weakest on
      titanium. The highest quantity of biofilm formation was reached within 7 days for
      both bacteria. The presence of excretions/secretions reduced biofilm formation on
      all biomaterials. A maximum of 92% of biofilm reduction was measured.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our observations suggest maggot excretions/secretions decrease
      biofilm formation and could provide a new treatment for biofilm formation on
      infected biomaterials.

PMID- 20309657
TI  - Revision total knee arthroplasty infection: incidence and predictors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Deep infection remains one of the most devastating and costly
      complications after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The risk of deep infection
      after revision TKA is reportedly greater than that for primary TKA; however, we
      do not know the exact incidence of infection after revision TKA.
      QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: We determined the incidence of infection after revision, the
      type of microorganisms involved and TKA, and the potential risk factors for this
      infection. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 475 patients (476 knees) with 499
      TKA revisions performed between March 1998 and December 2005. Of the 476 knees,
      91 (19%) were revised for infection and 385 (81%) were revised for aseptic
      failure. Preoperative history, results of physical examinations, laboratory and
      radiographic results, joint fluid aspiration results along with analysis of
      intraoperative findings were all considered to make an assessment of septic
      versus aseptic failure modes. Patients were followed for a minimum of 25 months
      (mean, 65 months; range, 25-159 months). RESULTS: Deep infection developed in 44
      of the 476 knees (9%). The infection rate was higher in patients undergoing
      revision for infection than in patients with aseptic revisions: 21% (23 of 91)
      and 5% (21 of 385), respectively. Revision for infection, higher Charlson index,
      and diagnosis other than osteoarthritis at the time of primary TKA predicted
      infection of the revision. The risk of infection for patients undergoing TKA
      revisions was 10-fold higher than for patients undergoing primary TKA at our
      institution. CONCLUSIONS: Infection of primary TKA is the most important risk
      factor for subsequent infection of TKA revisions. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III,
      prognostic study. See Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels
      of evidence.

PMID- 20309658
TI  - Outcomes of revision total knee arthroplasty after methicillin-resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The incidence of infection by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
      aureus (MRSA) in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is becoming a more frequent
      concern, as increased morbidity following TKA has been reported for infections by
      resistant organisms. This study investigates whether MRSA infections are
      associated with decreased functional scores. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: We therefore
      compared the functional scores, operative times, and rates of reinfection of
      revision TKA following MRSA infection versus other indications for revision.
      METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed charts of 101 patients (103 knees) who
      underwent mobile bearing TKA revision from January 2003 to September 2006, with a
      minimum clinical followup of 2 years in 45 knees (44%). We obtained the following
      indices: WOMAC, Activities of Daily Living Score (ADLS), SF-36, and Knee Society
      scores (KSS). Three groups of revisions were compared: MRSA infection (n = 6),
      non-MRSA infection (n = 9), and aseptic failure (n = 30). The three groups were
      similar in demographics and comorbidities. RESULTS: The MRSA (166 minutes) and
      non-MRSA groups (149 minutes) had longer operative times than the aseptic group
      (121 minutes). With numbers available, there were no differences in ROM, WOMAC,
      ADLS, KSS, and SF-36, with MRSA separate or combined with all infections.
      Infection recurrence between MRSA-infected knees and non-MRSA-infected knees was
      similar. CONCLUSIONS: While our study was underpowered to detect functional
      differences between MRSA-infected knees and non-MRSA-infected knees it does add
      data to the literature. Knees revised for infection have longer operative times
      and more frequent infection after revision. The reason for increased operative
      times is unclear. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, therapeutic study. See the
      Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

PMID- 20309659
TI  - High long-term survival of bulk femoral head autograft for acetabular
      reconstruction in cementless THA for developmental hip dysplasia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Deficient acetabula associated with acetabular dysplasia cause
      difficulty achieving adequate coverage of the acetabular component during THA.
      Autografting with the removed femoral head has been used for several decades to
      achieve better coverage, but the long-term benefits of this technique remain
      controversial, with some series reporting high rates of graft resorption and
      collapse. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: We evaluated the fate of bulk femoral head
      autograft for acetabular reconstruction in cementless THA for developmental hip
      dysplasia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 70 patients (83
      hips) (68 women, two men) with a mean age of 57 years at index surgery. According
      to the classification of Crowe et al. for hip dysplasia, 10 hips were classified
      as Type I, 45 as Type II, 19 as Type III, and nine as Type IV. Minimum followup
      was 9 years (mean, 11 years; range, 9-14 years). RESULTS: We observed no
      collapsed grafts. In all patients we observed disappearance of the host-graft
      interface and appearance of radiodense bands in the grafts bridging host iliac
      bone and at the lateral edges of the acetabular sockets; remodeling with definite
      trabecular reorientation was seen in 90%. The 10-year survival rate without
      acetabular revision for any reason was 94%. The mean Merle d'Aubigne and Postel
      hip score improved from a mean of 9.1 preoperatively to 17.2 at last followup.
      CONCLUSIONS: Cementless THA combined with autologous femoral bone graft in
      patients with developmental dysplasia resulted in a high rate of survival.
      Structural bone grafting achieved a stable construct until osseointegration
      occurred. We believe the radiodense bands represent a radiographic sign of
      successful completion of repair of the deficient acetabulum. Congruous and stable
      contact of the cancellous portion of the graft to the host bed by impaction and
      use of improved porous cementless sockets may be associated with successful
      socket survival. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, therapeutic study. See Guidelines
      for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

PMID- 20309660
TI  - N-acetylcysteine protects striated muscle in a model of compartment syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To avoid ischemic necrosis, compartment syndrome is a surgical
      emergency treated with decompression once identified. A potentially lethal,
      oxidant-driven reperfusion injury occurs after decompression. N-acetylcysteine is
      an antioxidant with the potential to attenuate the reperfusion injury.
      QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: We asked whether N-acetylcysteine could preserve striated
      muscle contractility and modify neutrophil infiltration and activation after
      simulated compartment syndrome release. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-seven rats
      were randomized to control, simulated compartment syndrome, and simulated
      compartment syndrome plus N-acetylcysteine groups. We isolated the rodent
      cremaster muscle on its neurovascular pedicle and placed it in a pressure
      chamber. Chamber pressure was elevated above critical closing pressure for 3
      hours to simulate compartment syndrome. Experiments were concluded at three
      times: 1 hour, 24 hours, and 7 days after decompression of compartment syndrome.
      We assessed twitch and tetanic contractile function and tissue myeloperoxidase
      activity. Ten additional rats were randomized to control and N-acetylcysteine
      administration after which neutrophil respiratory burst activity was assessed.
      RESULTS: The simulated compartment syndrome decreased muscle contractility and
      increased muscle tissue myeloperoxidase activity compared with controls.
      Treatment with N-acetylcysteine preserved twitch and tetanic contractility. N
      acetylcysteine did not alter neutrophil infiltration (myeloperoxidase activity)
      acutely but did reduce infiltration at 24 hours, even when given after
      decompression. N-acetylcysteine reduced neutrophil respiratory burst activity.
      CONCLUSION: N-acetylcysteine administration before or after simulated compartment
      syndrome preserved striated muscle contractility, apparently by attenuating
      neutrophil activation and the resultant oxidant injury. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Our
      data suggest a potential role for N-acetylcysteine in the attenuation of muscle
      injury after release of compartment syndrome and possibly in the prophylaxis of
      compartment syndrome.

PMID- 20309661
TI  - Seroprevalence of human herpes simplex, hepatitis B and epstein-barr viruses in
      children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in southern iran.
AB  - To investigate the seroprevalence of Herpes Simplex Viruses (HSV1 and HSV2),
      Ebstein-Barr Virus (EBV) and Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) in children with acute
      lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in southern Iran. 90 patients with ALL and 90 age
      sex matched healthy participants were enrolled in this study. Antibodies (IgG)
      against HBsAg, HSV1, HSV2, EBV different antigens including Epstein-Barr nuclear
      antigen-1 (EBNA-1), viral capsid antigen (VCA) and early antigen (EA) were
      measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). There were 54 (60%) male
      and 36 (40%) female in both study groups with mean age of 8.47 +/- 3.61 and 8.61
      +/- 2.84 years in case and control group respectively (P = 0.812). The prevalence
      of antibodies against HBsAg (P = 0.002), HSV1 (P < 0.0001), VCA (P = 0.021) and
      EA (P < 0.0001) antigens of EBV were significantly higher in ALL patients. With
      the results of this study, we could not exclude a connection between these viral
      infections and later leukemogenesis in childhood ALL, although nor latent
      infection nor congenital infection cannot be excluded by this method.

PMID- 20309662
TI  - R72P polymorphism of TP53 in ulcerative colitis patients is associated with the
      incidence of colectomy, use of steroids and the presence of a positive family
      history.
AB  - P53 tumor suppressor protein is one of the pivotal regulators for genome
      integrity, cell cycle and apoptosis. The most commonly and extensively studied
      single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of p53 is Arg>Pro substitution on codon 72
      (R72P). Although we know that the SNP has unique functional effects on the
      protein, its clinical significance is not clearly identified yet. Aim of the
      study was to access the relationship between R72P genotype distribution and
      clinical variables in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and colorectal cancer
      (CRC). Genomic DNA samples were extracted from 95 UC, 50 CRC, and 219 healthy
      controls. R72P genotype analysis was carried out with polymerase chain reaction
      following by restriction enzyme digestion. We observed that Pro allele carriage
      is a strong risk factor for CRC (OR = 3.03; 95%CI = 1.91-2.40; p = 0.003), but
      only modest association with UC (OR = 1.61; 95%CI = 0.98-2.65; p = 0.059)
      (Pro/Pro and Pro/Arg genotypes vs. Arg/Arg genotype). We did not find any
      correlation between genotype distribution of the polymorphism and clinical
      parameters of CRC, but in UC, Pro/Pro genotype was significantly related to an
      inflammatory bowel disease family history (OR = 8.0; 95%CI = 1.68-38.08, p =
      0.015), and Arg/Pro genotype was significantly associated with the history of
      disease-related colectomy (OR = 17.77; 95%CI = 0.98-323.34, p = 0.012) and
      steroid use (OR = 10.14; 95%CI = 2.63-39.12, p = 0.0002). Our data suggest that
      R72P variant seems to be associated with high risk for development of CRC but
      carries low risk for development of UC. R72P genotypes might be a useful
      predictive marker for surgical and medical treatment of UC.

PMID- 20309663
TI  - Redox mechanism of neurotoxicity by a serotonin-acrolein polymeric melanoid.
AB  - Postoperative cognitive dysfunction may be associated with the toxic products of
      lipid peroxidation, such as the alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehyde acrolein, which
      accumulates in aging. We previously identified an acrolein-mediated, serotonin
      derived melanoid product, or SDM. This study further characterizes this putative
      novel neuromelanin, which is not made from catecholamines. In addition to its
      strong protein-binding properties, we observed that SDM binds Fe(2+) readily and
      exhibits complex redox characteristics. SDM may exist as a two-dimensional
      network of polymers that coalesce into larger entities exhibiting electroactive
      properties. These observations suggest that SDM may contribute to the decline in
      cognition due to focal degeneration from SDM-mediated free-radical production. We
      know that inhalational anesthetics sequester acrolein, which is toxic to neurons,
      and we propose that the local increase in acrolein depletes serotonin levels and
      enhances neuronal vulnerability through the production of neuromelanin-like
      structures, such as SDM.

PMID- 20309664
TI  - Amyloid-beta precursor protein induces glial differentiation of neural progenitor
      cells by activation of the IL-6/gp130 signaling pathway.
AB  - Although amyloid precursor protein (APP) due to the cytotoxicity of Abeta
      peptides, has been intensively studied, the physiological role of APP still
      remains wrapped up in veil. In this article, we propose that alpha-cleaved
      ectodomain of APP (sAPPalpha) stimulates the IL-6/gp130 signaling pathway for
      induction of gliogenesis within neural progenitor cells (NPCs). In our previous
      study, a high dose of APP differentiated NPCs into glial fibrillary acidic
      protein (GFAP) positive cells. In order to elucidate the mechanism of APP-induced
      glial differentiation, we examined the effects of sAPPalpha on the IL-6/gp130
      signaling pathway. Application of sAPPalpha promoted mRNA expression of gp130,
      ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), and Janus kinase 1 (JAK1). sAPPalpha
      stimulated the glial differentiation by upregulating the expression and
      phosphorylation of gp130. While mRNA expression of STAT3 was unchanged,
      phosphorylation of STAT3-Tyr705 gradually increased. Application of small
      interference RNA (siRNA) for STAT3 suppressed GFAP expression even in the
      presence of APP. Treatment with siRNA or inhibitor, AG490, of JAK1 efficiently
      suppressed STAT3 phosphorylation and GFAP expression. Upregulation of CNTF was
      observed in either short- or long-term treatment with sAPPalpha. RNA's
      interference of CNTF dose-dependently inhibited GFAP expression upregulated by
      treatment with sAPPalpha. This study suggests that the IL-6/gp130 signaling
      pathway is involved in sAPPalpha-induced glial differentiation of NPCs. Although
      further investigation is needed, this study may provide insight into the
      mechanism of glial differentiation of NPCs under pathological conditions in
      Alzheimer's disease or Down syndrome.

PMID- 20309665
TI  - Epigenetically regulated imprinted genes and foetal programming.
AB  - Genomic imprinting is a widespread epigenetic phenomenon in mammals and many
      imprinted genes are expressed in the developing hypothalamus and placenta. The
      placenta and brain are very different structures with very different roles, but
      in the pregnant mother they functionally interact coordinating and ensuring the
      provision of nutrients, timing of parturition and priming of hypothalamus for
      maternal care and nurturing. This interaction has been evolutionarily fine-tuned
      to optimise infant survival such that when resources are poor, the mother
      'informs' this condition to the foetus producing a thrifty phenotype that is
      adapted to survive scarce resources after birth.

PMID- 20309667
TI  - Contralateral breast dose from chest wall and breast irradiation: local
      experience.
AB  - Second cancer induction in the contralateral breast (CB) is an issue of some
      concern in breast radiotherapy especially for women under the age of 45 years at
      the time of treatment. The CB dose from 2-field and 3-field techniques in post
      mastectomy chest wall irradiations in an anthropomorphic phantom as well as in
      patients were measured using thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) at the local
      radiotherapy center. Breast and chest wall radiotherapy treatments were planned
      conformally (3D-CRT) and delivered using 6-MV photons. The measured CB dose at
      the surface fell sharply with distance from the field edge. However, the average
      ratio of the measured to the calculated CB dose using the pencil beam algorithm
      at the surface was approximately 53%. The mean and median measured internal dose
      at the posterior border of CB in a phantom was 5.47+/-0.22 cGy and 5.44 cGy,
      respectively. The internal CB dose was relatively independent of depth. In the
      present study the internal CB dose is 2.1-4.1% of the prescribed dose which is
      comparable to the values reported by other authors.

PMID- 20309668
TI  - Anatomical basis of the suprascapular nerve entrapment, and clinical relevance of
      the supraspinatus fascia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The entrapment of the suprascapular nerve (SSN) is commonly
      considered at the level of the suprascapular notch and more rarely in the
      spinoglenoid notch. Recent per-operative findings showed a compression of the SSN
      along its course in the supraspinatus fossa. The removal of a fascia for
      releasing the nerve between the suprascapular notch and spinoglenoid notch led us
      to purchase an anatomical study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 30 cadaver shoulders have
      been dissected. The morphological features about the suprascapular notch, the
      supraspinatus fascia, and the spinoglenoid notch have been observed. Histological
      studies of the fascia and the spinoglenoid ligament have been performed.
      Morphometric parameters such as shape of the suprascapular notch, diameters of
      the SSN before and after the suprascapular notch, distance between the two
      notches, length of the course of the SSN into the supraspinatus fossa, diameters
      of the spinoglenoid notch have been measured. RESULTS: The shape of the
      suprascapular notch could be seen as "U"- or "V" as previously reported. The
      fascia was quite constant (completely identified in 29 shoulders) and was the
      lateral extension of the supraspinatus fascia. The SSN coursed between the bone
      and the fascia and was surrounded by fat tissue. This fascia was thickened at the
      level of the spinoglenoid notch and joined the infraspinatus fascia. The
      spinoglenoid ligament was seen in 28 shoulders. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: In
      pathologic and post-trauma conditions, the fascia can be retracted or thickened
      and the SSN may be entrapped along its course in the supraspinatus fossa, between
      the suprascapular notch and the spinoglenoid notch and without any compression in
      any notch. These anatomical data lead us to consider that a tunnel syndrome may
      concern the SSN.

PMID- 20309669
TI  - [Skin and eyes].
AB  - Numerous diseases affect both skin and eyes due to similar ontogenetic origin.
      The eye is the second most common site of melanoma after the skin. The eyelids
      are predisposed for development of toxic and allergic dermatitis as the skin in
      this region is four times thinner than the other facial skin. The differential
      diagnosis must include atopic and seborrhoeic eyelid dermatitis. Atopic and
      vernal keratoconjunctivitis are associated with atopic eczema. Various
      immunobullous disorders involve the conjunctiva with varying severity. Side
      effects of dermatologic treatments with glucocorticoids, antimalarials,
      psoralens, retinoids, or tetracyclines may involve the eye.

PMID- 20309671
TI  - [Analysis of intracardial electrograms in pacemakers and ICD systems by
      Biotronik].
AB  - Detailed analysis of stored electrograms is essential for the interpretation of
      arrhythmias, programming changes, and optimization of the medical therapy in
      patients with implanted pacemakers and defibrillators. The physician who cares
      for patients with implantable electrical devices has to be able to understand the
      detection and treatment algorithms of those devices. Biotronik pacemakers of
      newer generations are capable of storing intracardiac electrograms. Earlier
      devices store up to 12 electrograms of 10 s duration after certain trigger
      events, like atrial tachycardia or high ventricular rates. Cardiac
      resynchronization systems can store electrograms after patient activation with
      magnets in addition to the above mentioned trigger-activated electrograms.
      Defibrillators store intracardiac electrograms during tachycardia episodes with
      near-field and far-field electrograms of the right ventricular lead in addition
      to the markers in single and dual chamber defibrillators (in addition to an
      atrial electrogram) and near field electrograms of the atrial, the right, and the
      left ventricular electrode in addition to the markers in resynchronization
      systems. Each channel has a maximum storing capacity of 32 min. If there are more
      episodes than storing capacity, electrograms of older episodes will be
      overwritten, but if the newer episodes are all classified as supraventricular,
      the last two ventricular episodes (VT or VF) will remain in the episode memory.
      This article describes stored electrograms, detection, and treatment algorithms
      of implantable cardiac devices manufactured by Biotronik.

PMID- 20309672
TI  - [Stored electrograms in pacemakers and ICDs from St. Jude Medical].
AB  - Stored electrograms (EGMs) significantly improve pacemaker and ICD therapy. In
      pacemaker systems, the main focus of stored EGMs concerns the manual control of
      device detection of atrial tachyarrhythmias, especially atrial fibrillation. In
      ICD therapy, stored EGMs allow the discrimination of adequate and inadequate
      detection of ventricular tachycardia. This review presents the implementation of
      stored EGMs in systems from St. Jude Medical and explains the mode of EGM storage
      and marker annotations, which are useful for interpretation of stored EGMs and to
      understand the way the device interprets the EGM. Clinical examples illustrate
      appropriate and inappropriate device classifications.

PMID- 20309673
TI  - [Pacemaker ECG quiz no. 21: Strange ECG after DDDR pacemaker implantation].
AB  - In a patient with sinus node disease (intermittent sinus arrest with symptomatic
      pauses >4 s), a DDDR pacemaker with a dedicated algorithm to avoid unnecessary
      ventricular pacing (mode switch between AAIR and DDDR) was implanted. The
      pacemaker ECG after implantation shows an unexpected tachycardia.

PMID- 20309674
TI  - Basic science and clinical application of stem cells in veterinary medicine.
AB  - Stem cells play an important role in veterinary medicine in different ways.
      Currently several stem cell therapies for animal patients are being developed and
      some, like the treatment of equine tendinopathies with mesenchymal stem cells
      (MSCs), have already successfully entered the market. Moreover, animal models are
      widely used to study the properties and potential of stem cells for possible
      future applications in human medicine. Therefore, in the young and emerging field
      of stem cell research, human and veterinary medicine are intrinsically tied to
      one another. Many of the pioneering innovations in the field of stem cell
      research are achieved by cooperating teams of human and veterinary medical
      scientists.Embryonic stem (ES) cell research, for instance, is mainly performed
      in animals. Key feature of ES cells is their potential to contribute to any
      tissue type of the body (Reed and Johnson, J Cell Physiol 215:329-336, 2008). ES
      cells are capable of self-renewal and thus have the inherent potential for
      exceptionally prolonged culture (up to 1-2 years). So far, ES cells have been
      recovered and maintained from non-human primate, mouse (Fortier, Vet Surg 34:415
      423, 2005) and horse blastocysts (Guest and Allen, Stem Cells Dev 16:789-796,
      2007). In addition, bovine ES cells have been grown in primary culture and there
      are several reports of ES cells derived from mink, rat, rabbit, chicken and pigs
      (Fortier, Vet Surg 34:415-423, 2005). However, clinical applications of ES cells
      are not possible yet, due to their in vivo teratogenic degeneration. The
      potential to form a teratoma consisting of tissues from all three germ lines even
      serves as a definitive in vivo test for ES cells.Stem cells obtained from any
      postnatal organism are defined as adult stem cells. Adult haematopoietic and
      MSCs, which can easily be recovered from extra embryonic or adult tissues,
      possess a more limited plasticity than their embryonic counterparts (Reed and
      Johnson, J Cell Physiol 215:329-336, 2008). It is believed that these stem cells
      serve as cell source to maintain tissue and organ mass during normal cell
      turnover in adult individuals. Therefore, the focus of attention in veterinary
      science is currently drawn to adult stem cells and their potential in
      regenerative medicine. Also experience gained from the treatment of animal
      patients provides valuable information for human medicine and serves as precursor
      to future stem cell use in human medicine.Compared to human medicine,
      haematopoietic stem cells only play a minor role in veterinary medicine because
      medical conditions requiring myeloablative chemotherapy followed by
      haematopoietic stem cell induced recovery of the immune system are relatively
      rare and usually not being treated for monetary as well as animal welfare
      reasons.In contrast, regenerative medicine utilising MSCs for the treatment of
      acute injuries as well as chronic disorders is gradually turning into clinical
      routine. Therefore, MSCs from either extra embryonic or adult tissues are in the
      focus of attention in veterinary medicine and research. Hence the purpose of this
      chapter is to offer an overview on basic science and clinical application of MSCs
      in veterinary medicine.

PMID- 20309675
TI  - Modeling languages for biochemical network simulation: reaction vs equation based
      approaches.
AB  - Biochemical network modeling and simulation is an essential task in any systems
      biology project. The systems biology markup language (SBML) was established as a
      standardized model exchange language for mechanistic models. A specific strength
      of SBML is that numerous tools for formulating, processing, simulation and
      analysis of models are freely available. Interestingly, in the field of
      multidisciplinary simulation, the problem of model exchange between different
      simulation tools occurred much earlier. Several general modeling languages like
      Modelica have been developed in the 1990s. Modelica enables an equation based
      modular specification of arbitrary hierarchical differential algebraic equation
      models. Moreover, libraries for special application domains can be rapidly
      developed. This contribution compares the reaction based approach of SBML with
      the equation based approach of Modelica and explains the specific strengths of
      both tools. Several biological examples illustrating essential SBML and Modelica
      concepts are given. The chosen criteria for tool comparison are flexibility for
      constraint specification, different modeling flavors, hierarchical, modular and
      multidisciplinary modeling. Additionally, support for spatially distributed
      systems, event handling and network analysis features is discussed. As a major
      result it is shown that the choice of the modeling tool has a strong impact on
      the expressivity of the specified models but also strongly depends on the
      requirements of the application context.

PMID- 20309676
TI  - Mental disorder in Polish families: is diagnosis a predictor of caregiver's
      burden?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To test whether a caregiver's burden is associated with the patient's
      psychiatric diagnosis and to find other predictors of family burden; to provide
      Polish data on the issue to international literature. METHOD: Of 377 eligible
      subjects, 141 were interviewed on admission to the mental hospital using Brief
      Psychiatric Rating Scale, Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life,
      Groningen Social Disability Schedule and Client's Sociodemographic and Clinical
      History Inventory. Their caregivers completed the Involvement Evaluation
      Questionnaire (IEQ). Subjects were grouped according to ICD-10 diagnoses:
      schizophrenia (n = 55), depression (n = 61), and anxiety and personality
      disorders (n = 25). Highly aggressive, suicidal and somatically unstable patients
      were excluded along with patients below 18 and over 65 years. Statistics included
      multiple regression analysis, ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis and chi-square tests.
      RESULTS: Diagnostic groups differed with respect to sociodemographics,
      psychopathology and quality of life, but not with respect to mean level of social
      functioning. Despite between-group differences, the caregiver's burden did not
      differ according to the diagnostic group. Of the four dimensions of burden,
      "worrying" and "urging" scored the highest. Majority of caregivers worried about
      their relative's general health (82%), future (74%) and financial status (66%).
      Caregivers' characteristics and not patients' explained the largest proportion of
      the family burden variance (almost 23% for IEQ Tension). Higher burden seemed to
      be associated with the carer's age, being a parent and number of hours spent
      weekly on caring for the ill relative. Lower burden was associated with the
      carers' subjective feelings of being able to cope with problems and to pursue
      their own activities. Longer history of patient's illness led to higher IEQ
      Tension. Polish caregivers were affected by their role in the same way as their
      counterparts abroad, but more of them were worried. CONCLUSIONS: The caregiver's
      burden seems to be independent of the patient's diagnosis, but other factors
      contribute to the perceived burden, many of which are on the caregiver's part. In
      Poland, the overall family burden may be attributed mostly to worrying about a
      mentally ill relative and his future. All caregivers may benefit from
      psychoeducation and family interventions usually planned for those caring for
      relatives with schizophrenia.

PMID- 20309677
TI  - Years from menopause-to-surgery is a major factor in the post-operative
      subjective outcome for pelvic organ prolapse.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: The purpose of the current study was to determine
      the main factors associated with post-operative subjective outcome in post
      menopausal patients with pelvic organ prolapse. METHODS: Ninety-four women were
      selected among patients who underwent surgery for grade 3 or 4 prolapse. The
      outcome was evaluated by the Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I)
      scale. Multivariate ordinal regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: The
      number of patients with improvement (1 or 2 on the PGI-I scale) was 88 (93.7%).
      Age and years from menopause-to-surgery were negatively (beta = -0.16, P = 0.01)
      and positively (beta = 0.14, P = 0.01) associated with the PGI-I scale. The aging
      effect was lost after adjusting for prolapse grade. CONCLUSION: The greater the
      number of years from menopause-to-pelvic organ prolapse surgery, the less
      satisfied were the patients. The association between older patients and greater
      satisfaction appears to be a confounding effect of prolapse grade.

PMID- 20309678
TI  - Risk of atrial fibrillation associated with use of bisphosphonates and other
      drugs against osteoporosis: a cohort study.
AB  - We studied the association between bisphosphonate use and risk of atrial
      fibrillation or flutter and the effect of confounders such as heart and lung
      disease in a nationwide retrospective cohort from Denmark. All users of
      bisphosphonates and other drugs against osteoporosis between 1996 and 2006 (n =
      103,562) were the exposed group and three age- and gender-matched controls from
      the general population (n = 310,683) were the nonexposed group. The main outcome
      measure was atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter. Before initiation of treatment
      against osteoporosis, no excess of atrial fibrillation or flutter was present for
      any drug except for etidronate (OR = 1.22, 95% CI 1.15-1.29). After initiation of
      treatment, raloxifene was not associated with any excess risk of atrial
      fibrillation (OR = 0.98, 95% CI 0.72-1.33). Etidronate (HR = 1.08, 95% CI 1.02
      1.14) and alendronate (HR = 1.09, 95% CI 1.00-1.20) were associated with an
      excess risk of atrial fibrillation after treatment start if statistical
      adjustments were made for cardiovascular disease. However, this association
      disappeared upon statistical adjustment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
      (COPD) (etidronate HR = 1.04, 95% CI 0.98-1.10; alendronate HR = 1.05, 95% CI
      0.96-1.15). In patients using etidronate (12.5% vs. 3.8%) and alendronate (11.4%
      vs. 4.6%) major differences were present in prevalence of COPD at start of
      treatment compared to matched controls. In conclusion, oral bisphosphonates do
      not seem to be associated with an excess risk of atrial fibrillation. Any excess
      risk seen in prior studies may be due to confounding from COPD.

PMID- 20309679
TI  - The structure of dopamine induced alpha-synuclein oligomers.
AB  - Inclusions of aggregated alpha-synuclein (alpha-syn) in dopaminergic neurons are
      a characteristic histological marker of Parkinson's disease (PD). In vitro, alpha
      syn in the presence of dopamine (DA) at physiological pH forms SDS-resistant non
      amyloidogenic oligomers. We used a combination of biophysical techniques,
      including sedimentation velocity analysis, small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS)
      and circular dichroism spectroscopy to study the characteristics of alpha-syn
      oligomers formed in the presence of DA. Our SAXS data show that the trimers
      formed by the action of DA on alpha-syn consist of overlapping worm-like
      monomers, with no end-to-end associations. This lack of structure contrasts with
      the well-established, extensive beta-sheet structure of the amyloid fibril form
      of the protein and its pre-fibrillar oligomers. We propose on the basis of these
      and earlier data that oxidation of the four methionine residues at the C- and N
      terminal ends of alpha-syn molecules prevents their end-to-end association and
      stabilises oligomers formed by cross linking with DA-quinone/DA-melanin, which
      are formed as a result of the redox process, thus inhibiting formation of the
      beta-sheet structure found in other pre-fibrillar forms of alpha-syn.

PMID- 20309680
TI  - Detection of low-grade prosthetic joint infections using 99mTc-antigranulocyte
      SPECT/CT: initial clinical results.
AB  - PURPOSE: Low-grade joint infections are characterized by infiltration of
      granulocytes, which mediate aspects of inflammatory changes. We evaluated
      retrospectively the contribution of SPECT/CT as an addition to planar
      scintigraphy with (99m)Tc-labelled antigranulocyte antibodies for diagnosing and
      localizing low-grade joint infections. METHODS: Planar scintigraphy using (99m)Tc
      labelled antigranulocyte BW 250/183 antibodies was performed in 31 patients with
      suspected joint infections at 5 min, 5 h and 24 h after injection, with
      additional SPECT/CT performed 6 h after injection. With reference to gold
      standard clinical data, we assessed the diagnostic sensitivity of scintigraphy
      alone and in conjunction with SPECT/CT. RESULTS: Joint infections were diagnosed
      clinically in 9 of the 31 patients (1 hip and 8 knee prostheses). Planar
      scintigraphy revealed 6 true-positives, 13 true-negatives, 9 false-positives and
      3 false-negative results, indicating sensitivity, specificity, positive and
      negative predictive values of, respectively, 0.66, 0.60, 0.4 and 0.81. With the
      addition of SPECT images, corresponding sensitivity, specificity, positive and
      negative predictive values increased to 0.89, 0.45, 0.40 and 0.91. Implementation
      of fused SPECT/CT led to a further increase to 0.89, 0.73, 0.57 and 0.94.
      CONCLUSION: Relative to planar scintigraphy, SPECT with and without CT
      substantially improved the utility of imaging with (99m)Tc-labelled
      antigranulocyte antibodies for diagnosis and localization of suspected joint
      infections. Optimal accuracy was obtained through image fusion, which permitted
      anatomical allocation of foci of pathological tracer accumulation as well as
      providing information on the extent of the infection. This imaging method seems
      suited for selection of patients requiring surgical therapy.

PMID- 20309681
TI  - Skin metastasis of follicular thyroid carcinoma.

PMID- 20309682
TI  - The SPECT tracer [123I]ADAM binds selectively to serotonin transporters: a double
      blind, placebo-controlled study in healthy young men.
AB  - PURPOSE: The tracer (123)I-2-([2-({dimethylamino}methyl)phenyl]thio)-5
      iodophenylamine ([(123)I]ADAM) has been developed to image serotonin transporters
      (SERTs) with SPECT. Preclinical studies have shown that [(123)I]ADAM binds
      selectively to SERTs. Moreover, initial human studies have shown that
      [(123)I]ADAM binding could be blocked by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
      (SSRIs). However, in humans it has not been proven that [(123)I]ADAM binds
      selectively to SERTs. METHODS: We examined the in vivo availability of SERTs in
      12 healthy young volunteers 5 h after bolus injection of [(123)I]ADAM. To
      evaluate the selectivity of binding, four participants were pretreated (double
      blinded design) with placebo, four with paroxetine (20 mg) and four with the
      dopamine/norepinephrine blocker methylphenidate (20 mg). SPECT studies were
      performed on a brain-dedicated system (Neurofocus), and the SPECT images were
      coregistered with individual MR scans of the brain. ADAM binding in SERT-rich
      brain areas and cerebellar cortex (representing non-specific binding) was
      assessed by drawing regions of interest (ROIs) on the individual MR images.
      Specific to non-specific ratios were used as the outcome measure. RESULTS: We
      found that specific to non-specific ratios were statistically significantly lower
      in paroxetine-pretreated participants than in placebo- or methylphenidate
      pretreated participants. No such difference was found between groups pretreated
      with placebo or methylphenidate. CONCLUSION: Our preliminary findings suggest
      that [(123)I]ADAM binds selectively to SERTs in human brain.

PMID- 20309683
TI  - Clinical value of FDG PET/CT in the diagnosis of suspected recurrent ovarian
      cancer: is there an impact of FDG PET/CT on patient management?
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical value of FDG PET/CT
      in patients with suspected ovarian cancer recurrence as compared with diagnostic
      CT, and to assess the impact of the results of FDG PET/CT on treatment planning.
      METHODS: Included in this retrospective study were 60 patients with suspected
      recurrent ovarian cancer who had previously undergone primary debulking surgery
      and had been treated with adjuvant chemotherapy. Diagnostic CT and FDG PET/CT
      imaging were performed for all patients as clinically indicated. The changes in
      the clinical management of patients according to the results of FDG PET/CT were
      also analysed. RESULTS: FDG PET/CT was performed in 21 patients with a previously
      negative or indeterminate diagnostic CT scan, but an elevated CA-125 level, and
      provided a sensitivity of 95% in the detection of recurrent disease. FDG PET/CT
      revealed recurrent disease in 19 patients. In 17 of 60 patients, the indication
      for FDG PET/CT was an elevated CA-125 level and an abnormal diagnostic CT scan to
      localize accurately the extent of disease. FDG PET/CT scans correctly identified
      recurrent disease in 16 of the 17 patients, a sensitivity of 94.1%. Moreover, FDG
      PET/CT was performed in 18 patients with clinical symptoms of ovarian cancer
      recurrence, an abnormal diagnostic CT scan, but a normal CA-125 level. In this
      setting, FDG PET/CT correctly confirmed recurrent disease in seven patients
      providing a sensitivity of 100% in determining recurrence. In four patients, FDG
      PET/CT was carried out for the assessment of treatment response. Three of four
      scans were classified as true-negative indicating a complete response. In the
      other patient, FDG PET/CT identified progression of disease. In total, 45 (75%)
      of the 60 patients had recurrent disease, in 14 (31.1%) documented by
      histopathology and in 31 (68.9%) on clinical follow-up, while 15 (25%) had no
      evidence of recurrent disease. The overall sensitivity, specificity, accuracy,
      and positive and negative predictive value of FDG PET/CT were significantly
      superior to those of diagnostic CT (95.5% vs. 55.5%, 93.3% vs. 66.6%, 95% vs.
      58.3%, 97.7% vs. 83.3%, 87.7% vs. 33.3%, respectively; p = 0.02) in the detection
      of recurrent ovarian cancer. FDG PET/CT changed the management in 31 patients
      (51.6%). It led to the use of previously unplanned treatment procedures in 19
      patients (61.2%) and the avoidance of previously planned therapeutic procedures
      in 12 patients (38.8%). CONCLUSION: Our results confirm that FDG PET/CT is a
      superior posttherapy surveillance modality for the detection of recurrent ovarian
      cancer than diagnostic CT imaging. Furthermore, integrated FDG PET/CT was useful
      specifically in optimizing the treatment plan and it might play an important role
      in treatment stratification in the future.

PMID- 20309685
TI  - Can an undetectable value of TG and a negative neck ultrasound study be
      considered reliable methods to assess the completeness of thyroid ablation?

PMID- 20309686
TI  - Imaging of proliferation with 18F-FLT PET/CT versus 18F-FDG PET/CT in non-small
      cell lung cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the diagnostic efficacies of (18)F-FLT and (18)F-FDG PET/CT
      in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), focusing on the correlation between FLT
      and FDG tumour uptake and tumour cell proliferation as indicated by the cyclin D1
      labelling index. METHODS: A total of 31 patients with NSCLC underwent FLT and FDG
      PET/CT scanning followed by surgery. PET/CT images were compared with the
      pathology. Tumour cell proliferation was assessed by cyclin D1
      immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The sensitivities of FLT and FDG PET/CT for the
      primary lesion were 74% and 94%, respectively (p=0.031). For N staging, 77%
      patients were correctly staged, 6% overstaged, 16% understaged by FLT, while the
      values for FDG were 77%, 16% and 6%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity,
      accuracy, and positive predictive value with FLT for lymph nodes were 65%, 98%,
      93% and 89%, respectively, and 85%, 84%, 84% and 52% with FDG (p<0.01).Tumour SUV
      of FLT was significantly correlated with the cyclin D1 labelling index (r=0.644;
      p<0.01), but the SUV of FDG was not significantly correlated (r=0.293; p>0.05).
      CONCLUSION: In terms of N staging, FLT PET/CT resulted in understaging of more
      patients but overstaging of fewer patients, and for regional lymph nodes showed
      better specificity, accuracy and positive predictive value than FDG PET/CT in
      NSCLC. Tumour FLT uptake was correlated with tumour cell proliferation as
      indicated by the cyclin D1 labelling index, suggesting that further studies are
      needed to evaluate the use of FLT PET/CT for the assessment of therapy response
      to anticancer drugs.

PMID- 20309687
TI  - Pancytopenia secondary to hypopituitarism may just be due to hypothyroidism
      alone.

PMID- 20309688
TI  - Evaluating bleeding severity in immune thrombocytopenia (ITP).
AB  - Despite immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) being one of the most common conditions
      encountered by the pediatric hematologist, relatively few prospective
      investigations of ITP exist, and treatment approaches remain highly variable. The
      ideal prospective clinical trial would use a reduction in severe bleeding as an
      outcome; however, recent data shows that due to the rarity of severe bleeding
      events such a trial is not feasible due to the large number of children needed to
      be enrolled on such studies. Therefore, platelet count is often used a surrogate
      risk for bleeding severity and an increase in platelet count as the primary
      outcome in clinical trials. Reliance solely on the platelet count fails to
      account for relevant patient-related outcomes, among them bleeding severity.
      Bleeding assessment instruments published to date lack validity and reliability.
      Therefore, rigorous methods to design and analysis of patient-related outcome
      measurement tools need to be applied. Once designed appropriately, these measures
      can be applied to enhance research and help to guide treatment for those patients
      who truly need it.

PMID- 20309689
TI  - Chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura-who needs medication?
AB  - Chronic ITP (immune thrombocytopenic purpura; now defined as duration of more
      than 12 months) is not always associated with significant bleeding problems so
      that most children and adults can be managed expectantly with no medication
      unless surgery, accidents or other pathology mandate it. A cut-off platelet count
      of 30 x 10(9)/l divides a group with no increased mortality from those whose risk
      is greater and in whom medication is usually appropriate. There is increasing
      recognition of long-term morbidity and mortality associated with immune
      suppression induced by medication and more recently new concerns have arisen
      about the long-term vascular complications of splenectomy. A more conservative
      approach to medication is warranted in many patients with chronic ITP.

PMID- 20309690
TI  - Future research in ITP: an ICIS consensus.
AB  - While much has been learned about the basic immunology and clinical
      characteristics of immune thrombocytopenia, many important questions remain with
      regard to pathogenesis, disease progression, identification of novel therapeutic
      targets and approaches, and clinical trials that rationalize and optimize use of
      existing therapies. The answers to these questions are likely to impact our
      understanding of the pathogenesis and therapeutic targets of autoimmune disease
      in general.

PMID- 20309691
TI  - Genetic studies in pediatric ITP: outlook, feasibility, and requirements.
AB  - The genomic revolution in medicine has not escaped attention of clinicians and
      scientists involved in medical management and research studies of immune
      thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). In principle, ITP biology and care will benefit
      greatly from modern methods to understand the patterns of gene expression and
      genetic markers associated with fundamental parameters of the disease including
      predictors of remission, risk factors for severity, determinants of response to
      various therapies, and possibly biological sub-types. However, applying modern
      genetics to ITP carries severe challenges: (a) Achieving adequate sample sizes is
      a fundamental problem because ITP is rare (and in pediatric ITP, chronic cases
      constitute only about one fourth of the total); (b) familial transmission of
      childhood ITP is so rare that a convincing pedigree requires consideration of
      other immunologic or hematologic disorders; (iii) ITP is probably biologically
      heterogeneous, based on clinical observations, immunological studies, and animal
      models. Here we review the advantages and disadvantages of potential genetic
      approaches. Sufficient information is available to set reasonable bounds on which
      genetic analyses of ITP are feasible and how they are most likely to be
      accomplished. The highest priority is for accurate phenotypes to compare to
      genetic analyses. Several registries worldwide hold promise for accomplishing
      this goal.

PMID- 20309692
TI  - MDR1 C2005T polymorphism changes substrate specificity.
AB  - PURPOSE: The current study is to determine the alterations of efflux transport
      activity to Rh123 and sensitivity to anticancer agents mediated by a MDR1 C2005T
      polymorphism. METHODS: Expressions of mRNA and protein of MDR1 were measured by
      real-time PCR and immunoblotting, respectively, and localization of P
      glycoprotein (P-gp) by confocal microscopy. Cell cytotoxicity and efflux
      transport activity were determined by MTT and Rh123 transepithelial permeability
      assay, respectively. RESULTS: MDR1 C2005T polymorphism did not affect the
      expression level of the MDR1 mRNA and protein and had no effect on the
      trafficking of P-gp to plasma membrane. A cytotoxicity study showed that MDR1wt
      and MDR1 (2005T) cells exhibited similar resistance, as measured by IC(50)
      values, to vinblastine (30.3 +/- 2.5 vs. 32.5 +/- 1.7 nM) and vincristine (104.1
      +/- 1.9 vs. 110.3 +/- 3.5 nM). However, MDR1 (2005T) cells were less resistant to
      paclitaxel (28.2 +/- 2.1 vs. 91.8 +/- 3.5 nM; P < 0.05) and etoposide (119.7 +/-
      6.5 vs. 546.8 +/- 9.5 nM; P < 0.05). The apparent transepithelial permeability
      ratios of Rh123 in MDR1 (wt) and MDR1 (2005T) cells were 2.12 +/- 0.46 and 3.64
      +/- 0.78 (P < 0.05), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The MDR1 C2005T polymorphism
      alters the transepithelial permeability of a fluorescent substrate and
      sensitivity to select cytotoxic agents, which may influence drug disposition and
      the therapeutic efficacy of some P-gp substrates.

PMID- 20309693
TI  - Hydroxychloroquine improves dry eye symptoms of patients with primary Sjogren's
      syndrome.
AB  - The objective of the study is to investigate the effect of hydroxychloroquine
      (HCQ) on subjective and objective parameters of dry eye in patients with primary
      Sjogren's disease and to evaluate the association of tear fluid B-cell activating
      factor (BAFF) level with the response. Thirty-two patients with primary Sjogren's
      disease were enrolled in this prospective study. All patients included in the
      study completed at least a 48-month run-in period of using hydroxychloroquine.
      Patients were then instructed to drop the treatment for 3 months. Baseline and
      post cessation of treatment (baseline and 3 months) evaluations included,
      subjective symptom scoring, fluorescein and lissamine green staining, Schirmer's
      test, tear break-up time (BUT) and tear fluid BAFF assessments. Significant
      worsening was observed in, tear break up-time (TBUT) (7.9 +/- 3.4 vs. 5.9 +/-
      2.9, P < 0.001) lissamine green of staining of the ocular surface (1.3 +/- 0.9
      vs. 1.8 +/- 0.8, P < 0.01) and corneal fluorescein staining scores (2.2 +/- 2.1
      vs. 4.6 +/- 3.3, P < 0.003) between on and off HCQ treatment, respectively.
      Similarly, gritty sensation and burning sensation were significantly changed at
      week 12 compared to baseline evaluation (1.18 +/- 1.02 vs. 1.7 +/- 1.05, P <
      0.007 and 1.1 +/- 1.0 vs. 1.6 +/- 1.2, P < 0.0, respectively). Disease duration
      significantly correlated with baseline OSDI (r = 0.38, P < 0.04) and the average
      daily use of artificial tears (r = 0.36, P < 0.04). The mean BAFF levels were 0.8
      +/- 0.5 and 4.0 +/- 0.7 ng/ml for baseline and week 12 evaluation, respectively
      (P < 0.0001). The results of this study suggest that HCQ may alleviate symptoms
      and signs of dry eye in pSS and decreases tear fluid BAFF levels.

PMID- 20309694
TI  - Effects of micronutrient antioxidants (alpha-tocopherol and ascorbic acid) on
      skin thickening and lung function in patients with early diffuse systemic
      sclerosis.
AB  - To assess the effects of alpha-tocopherol and ascorbic acid on skin thickening
      and lung function in patients with early diffuse systemic sclerosis (SSc),
      thirteen patients with early diffuse SSc, with positive anti-topoisomerase-I
      antibody, high skin thickening progression rate (STPR >= 12/year) and decreased
      lung diffusing capacity (DLCO <= 75%) were included in this study. Patients were
      randomized into two subgroups: Subgroup A-six patients, treated with intravenous
      cyclophosphamide (CyP) (500 mg/m(2) of body surface monthly) and antioxidants
      (alpha-tocopherol 400 IU/day and ascorbic acid 1,000 mg/day), and Subgroup B
      seven patients, who received CyP without antioxidants. In both subgroups, effects
      of treatment on skin thickening and lung function were evaluated by comparison of
      the modified Rodnan skin score (MRSS), STPR, forced vital capacity (FVC),
      transfer-factor (DLCO) and diffusing coefficient for carbon monoxide (DLCO/VA) at
      baseline and 1 month after the sixth pulse of CyP. The mean MRSS did not change
      from baseline to the end of the follow-up in subgroup A (15.7 vs. 16.4, P =
      0.50), but it increased significantly in subgroup B (17.9 vs. 23.6, P = 0.03).
      Although the mean STPR decreased notably in both subgroups of patients (in
      subgroup A-from 18.9/year to 2.2/year, P = 0.03, and in subgroup B-from 17.5/year
      to 8.6/year, P = 0.03), the mean STPR at the end of the treatment period was
      significantly lower in subgroup A (2.2/year vs. 8.6/year, P = 0.04). The mean
      value of FVC did not change either in subgroup A (91.0-87%, P = 0.2) or in
      subgroup B (from 101.2 to 99.7%, P = 0.7). Parameters of lung diffusing capacity
      improved somewhat in subgroup A (DLCO from 55.7 to 62.0% and DLCO/VA from 68.7 to
      74.2%) and decreased in subgroup B (DLCO from 66.2 to 60.6% and DLCO/VA from 76.9
      to 71.6%), but differences were not statistically significant. After 6 months of
      therapy, patients treated with CyP and antioxidants had a significantly lower
      STPR, compared to patients treated with CyP only. Lung function parameters
      remained stable in both subgroups. However, lung diffusing capacity improved
      slightly, without statistical significance, in patients treated with CyP and
      antioxidants, and it deteriorated in patients without antioxidants.

PMID- 20309695
TI  - [Acute bilateral shoulder pain as initial presentation of ochronosis: a case
      report and literature review].
AB  - Ochronosis is a rare genetic metabolic disorder resulting from a constitutional
      lack of homogentisic acid oxidase and subsequent accumulation of its substrate
      causing destruction of connective tissues with various systemic abnormalities.
      Typical musculoskeletal symptoms are arthropathy and low back pain and stiffness.
      Arthropathy primarily affects knee and hip joints, but shoulders are less
      frequently involved. We describe a case of ochronosis initially presented as
      acute bilateral shoulder pain. Review of literature with respect to the etiology,
      natural course of the disease, differential diagnosis and management was made.

PMID- 20309696
TI  - [The role of TNF-alpha as pain mediator].
AB  - Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha is not only a proinflammatory mediator but also
      a pain mediator. Numerous nociceptors express the TNF receptors 1 and 2. By a
      direct action at the nociceptor TNF-alpha is involved in the generation and
      maintenance of inflammation-related pain.

PMID- 20309698
TI  - [The G-DRG System 2009--relevant changes for rheumatology].
AB  - The following article presents the major general and specific changes in the G
      DRG system, in the classification systems for diagnoses and procedures as well as
      for the billing process for 2010. Since the G-DRG system is primarily a tool for
      the redistribution of resources, every hospital needs to analyze the economic
      effects of the changes by applying the G-DRG transition-grouper to its own cases.
      Depending on their clinical focus, rheumatological departments may experience
      positive or negative consequences from the adjustments. In addition, relevant
      current case law is considered.

PMID- 20309697
TI  - [Capillaroscopy. Procedure and nomenclature].
AB  - Capillaroscopy has high diagnostic and prognostic value in autoimmune connective
      tissue diseases, in particular systemic sclerosis (SSc). Our working group has
      developed a consensus on nomenclature, technical equipment, procedure, and
      diagnostic interpretation of results. The following are required: binocular
      microscopes with at least 20-/50- and 160-/200-fold magnification and digital
      archiving. Documentation of defined findings is mandatory. The simultaneous
      occurrence of, e.g. caliber variations, ectasia, ramifications, elongation
      (length > 350 microm), torsion (at least two crossing segments per capillary
      loop), sludge, hemorrhage, and edema is of pathological significance. The
      isolated occurrence of bushy capillaries (multiple ramifications), thrombosis,
      giant capillary (capillary lumen > 50 microm), and avascular areas also indicates
      disease. The latter two findings are highly specific for SSc. Other findings are
      consistent with connective tissue diseases. These standardized definitions
      increase quality and comparability of nailfold capillaroscopy in Germany.

PMID- 20309699
TI  - [Immunomodulatory therapy improves quality of life with rheumatoid arthritis].
AB  - Pain, fatigue as well as functional and social impairments reduce the health
      related quality of life in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Using numeric
      evaluations and qualitative questionnaires, it could be shown in both controlled
      drugs trials and in practice registries that modern drug therapy achieves an
      improvement in terms of quality of life (as well as in other patient-related
      treatment results). However, the improvements often do not achieve even the
      average quality-of-life levels seen in healthy people.

PMID- 20309700
TI  - [Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in rheumatoid arthritis].
AB  - In order to measure therapeutic effects or assess disease course, outcomes
      measurement parameters are commonly used in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
      From the patient's perspective, possibly the most important outcome measurement
      parameter is quality of life (QoL). QoL may be defined in terms of "health
      status" and "functioning in daily life". According to the WHO, quality of life is
      defined as the satisfaction of a patient/person with their situation in terms of
      health status and their ability to function in daily life. Since assessing QoL
      makes sense only from the patient's perspective, generic or disease-specific
      questionnaires are usually used. For rheumatoid arthritis, multiple
      questionnaires which can be used in a routine clinical setting are available. In
      addition, QoL is a highly subjective concept and can depend on a variety of
      individual factors. Thus, measurement of QoL using the profiles and indices of
      common instruments cannot fully account for an individual's perspective.

PMID- 20309701
TI  - [Spondyloarthritis and quality of life].
AB  - To measure the disease activity of spondyloarthritides (SpA), quality of life is
      assessed in addition to inflammation and functional impairment. To measure
      quality of life in ankylosing spondylitis (AS), the generic measurement
      instruments SF-36, SF-12 and EQ-5D are available in German, whereby the SF-36 is
      the instrument primarily used in clinical investigations. Compared to the normal
      population, AS patients experience a reduced quality of life. In woman and
      patients with a poor educational background, quality of life was particularly
      reduced.Measuring quality of life is also a generally recognised part of
      evaluating psoriasis arthritis (PsA), for which only SF-36 and EQ-5D are
      available in German-speaking countries. The instrument most frequently used in
      clinical studies is SF-36. The quality of life in PsA patients, in terms of both
      physical and mental components, was found to be significantly lower than in the
      normal population. Although PsA patients shared a similar reduction in quality of
      life to AS patients, they nevertheless enjoyed a better quality of life than
      rheumatoid arthritis patients.

PMID- 20309702
TI  - [The significance of health-related quality of life in systemic vasculitides].
AB  - Systemic vasculitides are a heterogenous group of chronic relapsing diseases.
      Initial data show that health-related quality of life (HRQoL) from the patient's
      perspective is reduced on all levels (physical, social and emotional). These
      studies suggest that generic questionnaires do not encompass all relevant and
      important levels of HRQoL in vasculitis. Moreover, data indicate that tiredness
      (fatigue) and reduced energy levels play a significant role. This article
      presents an overview of the existing literature.

PMID- 20309703
TI  - [Measuring quality of life in rheumatic disease. A critical appraisal].
AB  - The term quality of life (QoL) has been introduced to account for relevant non
      clinical endpoints and the integration of patients' perspectives into treatment
      evaluation, amongst others. However, QoL is not a uniform, consistent scientific
      concept but an equivocal generic term for a field of interest. It can relate to
      such diverse aspects as living conditions, functioning, perception or appraisal
      of health-related states or general aspects of life. Any assessment of QoL must
      necessarily exclude relevant facets and assume comparability of basic important
      life themes in specific groups of people. Widespread instruments for QoL
      assessment in rheumatology, e.g. SF-36, EQ-5D or the Nottingham Health Profile,
      represent different QoL concepts (profiles vs. indices). However, they have in
      common a societal ideal of a physically capable, mentally healthy, socially
      integrated and functionally competent person. Before an assessment of QoL the
      aims of an assessment and the concepts of interest should be specified.

PMID- 20309704
TI  - [Quality of life in rheumatic diseases].

PMID- 20309705
TI  - Comment on "Hybrid computational phantoms for medical dose reconstruction" by
      Bolch et al.

PMID- 20309706
TI  - Tissue and data archives from irradiation experiments conducted at Argonne
      National Laboratory over a period of four decades.
AB  - Irradiation experiments conducted on dogs and mice at Argonne National
      Laboratory, IL between 1952 and 1992 led to creation of archives of paraffin
      embedded tissues accompanied by extensive datasets with gross pathology and
      histopathology information. Over the past 40 years, these data were investigated
      computationally, using different statistical approaches. Embedded tissues are
      used to this day as a source of genomic and mitochondrial DNA for quantitative
      PCR amplification. Data and paraffin block sections are available upon request
      interested researchers should visit the Websites
      http://janus.northwestern.edu/dog_tissues/introduction.php for dog and
      http://janus.northwestern.edu/janus2/index.php for mouse archive.

PMID- 20309707
TI  - Temporal trends in childhood leukaemia incidence following exposure to
      radioactive fallout from atmospheric nuclear weapons testing.
AB  - Notably raised rates of childhood leukaemia incidence have been found near some
      nuclear installations, in particular Sellafield and Dounreay in the United
      Kingdom, but risk assessments have concluded that the radiation doses estimated
      to have been received by children or in utero as a result of operations at these
      installations are much too small to account for the reported increases in
      incidence. This has led to speculation that the risk of childhood leukaemia
      arising from internal exposure to radiation following the intake of radioactive
      material released from nuclear facilities has been substantially underestimated.
      The radionuclides discharged from many nuclear installations are similar to those
      released into the global environment by atmospheric nuclear weapons testing,
      which was at its height in the late-1950s and early-1960s. Measurements of
      anthropogenic radionuclides in members of the general public resident in the
      vicinity of Sellafield and Dounreay have found levels that do not differ greatly
      from those in persons living remote from nuclear installations that are due to
      ubiquitous exposure to the radioactive debris of nuclear weapons testing.
      Therefore, if the leukaemia risk to children resulting from deposition within the
      body of radioactive material discharged from nuclear facilities has been grossly
      underestimated, then a pronounced excess of childhood leukaemia would have been
      expected as a consequence of the short period of intense atmospheric weapons
      testing. We have examined childhood leukaemia incidence in 11 large-scale cancer
      registries in three continents for which data were available at least as early as
      1962. We found no evidence of a wave of excess cases corresponding to the peak of
      radioactive fallout from atmospheric weapons testing. The absence of a
      discernible increase in the incidence of childhood leukaemia following the period
      of maximum exposure to the radioactive debris of this testing weighs heavily
      against the suggestion that conventional methods are seriously in error when
      assessing the risk of childhood leukaemia from exposure to man-made radionuclides
      released from nuclear installations.

PMID- 20309708
TI  - Muscle ceramide content in man is higher in type I than type II fibers and not
      influenced by glycogen content.
AB  - Human muscle is studied during glycogen depletion and repletion to understand the
      influence of exercise and muscle glycogen on total ceramide content. In addition,
      fiber-type-specific ceramide storage is investigated. Ten healthy males (26.4 +/-
      0.9 years, BMI 24.4 +/- 0.7 kg m(-2) and VO2max 57 +/- 2 mL O2 min(-1) kg(-1))
      participated in the study. On the first day, one leg was glycogen-depleted (DL)
      by exhaustive intermittent exercise followed by low carbohydrate diet. Next day,
      in the overnight fasted condition, muscle biopsies were excised from vastus
      lateralis before and after exhaustive exercise from both DL and control leg (CL).
      Muscle glycogen was analyzed biochemically and total muscle ceramide content by
      2D quantitative lipidomic approach. Furthermore, fiber-type ceramide content was
      determined by fluorescence immunohistochemistry. Basal muscle glycogen was
      decreased (P < 0.05) with 50 +/- 6% in DL versus CL. After exhaustive exercise,
      muscle glycogen was similar in CL and DL 139 +/- 38 and 110 +/- 31 mmol kg(-1),
      respectively. Total muscle ceramide 58 +/- 1 pmol mg(-1) was not influenced by
      glycogen or exercise. Ceramide content was consistently higher (P < 0.001) in
      type I than in type II muscle fibers. In conclusion, human skeletal muscle,
      ceramide content is higher in type I than in type II. Despite rather large
      changes in muscle glycogen induced by prior depletion, exercise to exhaustion and
      repletion, total muscle ceramide concentration remained unchanged.

PMID- 20309709
TI  - Task conflict effect in task switching.
AB  - A part of action preparation is deciding what the relevant task is. This task
      decision process is conceptually separate from response selection. To show this,
      the authors manipulated task conflict in a spatial task-switching paradigm, using
      conflict stimuli that appeared during trials with univalent targets (affording 1
      task). The conflict stimuli afforded task identity because they were used as task
      cues with bivalent targets (affording 2 tasks) that were intermixed with the
      univalent targets. Thus, for univalent targets, irrelevant stimuli either caused
      low task conflict or high task conflict. In three experiments, the authors found
      poorer performance in high task conflict trials than in low task conflict trials.
      Task conflict was introduced during target appearance (Experiment 1) or task
      preparation (Experiments 2 and 3). In the latter case, the task conflict effect
      decreased with increasing task preparation time showing that task preparation
      involves task decision.

PMID- 20309711
TI  - Predictors of residual symptoms in lower extremities after decompression surgery
      on lumbar spinal stenosis.
AB  - Leg pain/numbness and gait disturbance, two major symptoms in the lower
      extremities of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), are generally expected to be
      alleviated by decompression surgery. However, the paucity of information
      available to patients before surgery about specific predictors has resulted in
      some of them being dissatisfied with the surgical outcome when the major symptoms
      remain after the procedure. This prospective, observational study sought to
      identify the predictors of the outcome of a decompression surgery: modified
      fenestration with restorative spinoplasty. Of 109 consecutive LSS patients who
      underwent the decompression surgery, 89 (56 males and 33 females) completed the 2
      year follow-up. Both leg pain/numbness and gait disturbance determined by the
      Japanese Orthopedic Association scoring system were significantly improved at 2
      years after surgery compared to those preoperative, regardless of potential
      predictors including gender, preoperative presence of resting numbness in the
      leg, drop foot, cauda equina syndrome, degenerative spinal deformity or
      myelographic filling defect, or the number of decompressed levels. However, 27
      (30.3%) and 13 (14.6%) patients showed residual leg pain/numbness and gait
      disturbance, respectively. Among the variables examined, the preoperative resting
      numbness was associated with residual leg pain/numbness and gait disturbance, and
      the preoperative drop foot was associated with residual gait disturbance, which
      was confirmed by logistic regression analysis after adjustment for age and
      gender. This is the first study to identify specific predictors for these two
      remaining major symptoms of LSS after decompression surgery, and consideration
      could be given to including this in the informed consent.

PMID- 20309712
TI  - Comparison of enlargement of the spinal canal after cervical laminoplasty: open
      door type and double-door type.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to compare the degree of enlargement of the spinal
      canal between two methods of cervical laminoplasty (open-door laminoplasty and
      double-door laminoplasty) and to determine their appropriate surgical indications
      based on the results. Tension-band laminoplasty (TBL, one method of open-door
      type) was performed in 33 patients and double-door laminoplasty (DDL) in 20
      patients. The operation level ranged from C2 to C7 in all patients. The width of
      the spinal canal and the inclination angle of the lamina at the C5 and C6 levels
      were measured using a computer software program (Image J) and pre- and
      postoperative CT films. Concerning the degree of enlargement of the spinal canal,
      the mean expansion ratio at the C5 level was 148.9% in TBL and 148.2% in DDL, and
      there was no significant difference between them. However, at the C6 level, it
      was 159.0% in TBL and 140.3% in DDL, which was significantly larger in TBL than
      DDL (p < 0.05). The increase of inclination angle of the lamina was 11.0 degrees 
      in TBL and 19.0 degrees  in DDL at the C5 level, and 9.2 degrees  in TBL and 19.3
      degrees  in DDL at the C6 level. At both the C5 and C6 levels, it was
      significantly larger in DDL than TBL (p < 0.0001). In conclusion, the appropriate
      surgical indications of TBL were considered to be (1) cervical spondylotic
      myelopathy (CSM) combined with hemilateral radiculopathy, (2) severe prominence
      of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL), and (3) patients
      with tiny spinous processes who cannot undergo DDL. Those of DDL were considered
      to be (1) usual CSM, (2) small and slight prominence of OPLL, (3) CSM combined
      with bilateral radiculopathy, and (4) cervical canal stenosis combined with
      instability necessitating posterior spinal instrumentation surgery.

PMID- 20309713
TI  - Larval stage Lymantria dispar microRNAs differentially expressed in response to
      parasitization by Glyptapanteles flavicoxis parasitoid.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small RNA molecules that regulate gene expression by
      targeting messenger RNAs and causing cleavage or translation blockage. miRNAs
      induced after parasitization of the lepidopteran host Lymantria dispar by the
      parasitoid wasp Glyptapanteles flavicoxis, which introduces a polydnavirus and
      other parasitoid factors, were examined to identify induced miRNAs that might
      regulate host genes and contribute to host immunosuppression and other effects.
      miRNA profiling of parasitized larval hemocytes versus non-parasitized ones by
      microarray hybridization to mature insect and virus miRNAs identified 27
      differentially expressed miRNAs after parasitization. This was confirmed by real
      time relative qPCR for insect miRNAs (dme-mir-1, -8, -14, -184, -276, -277, -279,
      -289, -let-7) using miRNA-specific TaqMan assays. Certain cellular miRNAs were
      differentially expressed in larval tissues, such as the potentially
      developmentally linked mir-277, signifying a need for functional studies.

PMID- 20309714
TI  - Journal of Artificial Organs 2009: the year in review.

PMID- 20309715
TI  - Synchronous collision malignant melanoma and adenocarcinoma of the rectum.
AB  - "Collision tumors" consist of two independent but coexisting tumors. This
      uncommon situation might be easily mistaken for a composite tumor where one
      histogenetic event originates from two apparently distinct neoplasms. Colorectal
      collisions are particularly unusual; here, we report the exceedingly rare case of
      a 61-year-old man with malignant melanoma and adenocarcinoma colliding in the
      rectum. Collision tumors have an idiopathic pathophysiology and in fact
      "accidental meeting" is accepted by many authors. This article discusses the
      concepts about cancer development, which are overlooked by this hypothesis,
      another theory to explain that this rare occurrence involves microenvironment
      changes.

PMID- 20309716
TI  - Correction of end colostomy prolapse using a curved surgical stapler, performed
      under sedation.
AB  - Acute stoma prolapse most commonly occurs following emergency surgery, frequently
      in patients with significant medical co-morbidities. Correction often requires re
      laparotomy and resiting of the stoma, placing an already frail patient at risk of
      further morbidity. An elderly patient experienced an end colostomy prolapse 14
      days following emergency laparotomy. A novel technique was employed using the
      CONTOUR curved stapling device to excise the prolapsed segment, under a brief
      period of intravenous sedation, thereby avoiding the sequelae of general
      anaesthetic. No complications were experienced, and the patient was deemed fit
      for discharge 5-days post re-intervention.

PMID- 20309717
TI  - Transvaginal sacrospinous rectopexy: initial clinical experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a wide range of surgical procedures available to treat
      rectal prolapse that differ in approach as well as in principle. The current
      perineal approaches available involve mucosal or full thickness resection. There
      are currently no accepted procedures combining rectal fixation without resection
      using the perineal approach. We present our initial report of transvaginal
      sacrospinous rectopexy for the treatment of rectal prolapse. METHODS: A
      longitudinal incision was made in the posterior wall of the vagina. The rectum
      and sacrospinous ligament were identified. Two sutures were placed in the
      sacrospinous ligament and brought through a piece of Surgisis mesh previously
      anchored to the anterior surface of the rectum. This was performed bilaterally.
      These sutures were tied to complete the rectal suspension, and the posterior wall
      of the vagina was closed. RESULTS: Transvaginal sacrospinous rectopexy was
      performed in all seven cases. In the first two cases, a Delorme procedure was
      performed concurrently. Two patients had rubber band ligation for symptomatic
      internal hemorrhoids, one patient had a sphincter plication, and one patient had
      an anal encirclement procedure with Surgisis. Six of the seven patients had
      concomitant urologic procedures. The average operative time was 163 min, and the
      average blood loss was 107 mL. None of the cases required conversion to an open
      procedure. There was one full thickness recurrence at 18 weeks. CONCLUSION:
      Transvaginal sacrospinous rectopexy is a safe, minimally invasive, technically
      feasible technique for the treatment of rectal prolapse.

PMID- 20309718
TI  - Cyanidin-3-O-beta-glucoside inhibits LPS-induced expression of inflammatory
      mediators through decreasing IkappaBalpha phosphorylation in THP-1 cells.
AB  - OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN: As a common phytochemical, cyanidin 3-O-beta-glucoside
      (C3G) has a role in inhibiting inflammatory mediators; however, its mechanism of
      action remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of
      C3G on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated TNFalpha and IL-6 expression in the
      human monocyte/macrophage cell line THP-1, and to explore the mechanisms
      involved. METHODS: Differentiated THP-1 cells were treated with different
      concentrations of C3G (0.005, 0.05, 0.5,10 microM) in the absence or presence of
      1 ng/mL LPS. mRNA expression levels were detected by real time PCR, and secretion
      of TNFalpha and IL-6, phosphorylated IkappaBalpha, and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF
      kappaB) P65 were monitored by ELISA or Western blotting analysis. The role of an
      inhibitor of IkappaBalpha phosphorylation, BAY 11-7082, in C3G inhibition of LPS
      induced cytokines expression was investigated. RESULTS: C3G (0.05-0.5 microM)
      treatment significantly inhibited LPS-stimulated TNFalpha and IL-6 mRNA
      expression and secretion of these proteins by THP-1 cells. Phosphorylation of
      IkappaBalpha and NF-kappaB nuclear translocation could be blocked by 0.5 microM
      C3G. BAY 11-7082 treatment abolished C3G-induced reduction of TNFalpha and IL-6.
      CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that C3G exerts its anti-inflammatory effect
      through inhibiting IkappaBalpha phosphorylation, thereby suppressing NF-kappaB
      activity in THP-1 cells.

PMID- 20309719
TI  - A prospective study of temozolomide plus thalidomide during and after radiation
      therapy for pediatric diffuse pontine gliomas: preliminary results of the Korean
      Society for Pediatric Neuro-Oncology study.
AB  - This prospective study was performed to determine the efficacy and safety of
      temozolomide (TMZ) plus thalidomide during and after radiation therapy (RT) in
      pediatric patients with newly diagnosed diffuse pontine glioma (DPG). Seventeen
      patients with pediatric DPG were enrolled between November 2004 and March 2008.
      The median age was eight years (range, 3-16 years); seven patients were male and
      ten were female. With the exception of one glioblastoma case, which was diagnosed
      via open biopsy, all diagnoses were established using neuroradiological studies.
      The authors used the Korean Society for Pediatric Neuro-Oncology (KSPNO)-A053
      protocol. The mean follow-up period was 12 months (range, 8.5-25 months). Five
      patients were withdrawn from the study. The rates of response to treatment and
      survival were analyzed in 12 patients. Ten out of the 12 patients showed a
      partial response (PR), whereas one patient exhibited stable disease (SD) and
      another patient had progressive disease (PD). The tumor control rate was 92%
      (11/12) and the response rate was 83% (10/12). The median progression-free
      survival (PFS) of the 12 patients was 7.2 months (95% confidence interval (CI),
      3.6-10.7). Six-month and twelve-month PFS were 58.3 and 16.7%, respectively.
      Overall survival (OS) was 12.7 months (95% CI, 10.4-15.1). One and two-year
      survival were 58.3 and 25%, respectively. The main adverse effect was
      hematological toxicity, with four patients exhibiting grade 3 or 4 toxicity. All
      patients tolerated the regimen well enough to continue the adjuvant chemotherapy.
      No Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia was noted. The TMZ plus thalidomide regimen
      was safe and tolerated well enough to be administered on an outpatient basis.
      Larger studies are required to demonstrate the efficacy of this regimen.

PMID- 20309720
TI  - The CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100 suppresses hypoxia-mediated growth hormone
      production in GH3 rat pituitary adenoma cells.
AB  - Pituitary adenomas produce the chemokine stromal cell-derived factor (SDF
      1alpha/CXCL12) and its receptor, CXCR4. A recent study indicated that CXCL12 and
      CXCR4 are concomitantly up-regulated in hypoxia. The objective of this study was
      to analyze the molecular mechanism of hypoxia-mediated CXCR4 up-regulation and
      assess the effect of pharmacological inhibition of CXCR4 by the receptor blocker,
      AMD3100, on pituitary function. CXCR4 expression in pituitary adenoma tissues was
      determined by a tissue microarray analysis of 62 pituitary adenoma samples. CXCR4
      expression was significantly elevated and positively correlated with Knosp grade
      in pituitary adenomas (P < 0.005), and was higher in macroadenoma and growth
      hormone (GH)-producing adenomas. Pre-operative serum GH levels were significantly
      correlated with CXCR4 levels in the microarray (P < 0.0001). The relative
      expression of genes/gene categories that were modulated by up-regulated
      CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling was determined by a comparative transcriptome analysis of
      wild-type and CXCR4-knockdown cells in normoxia and hypoxia using the rat GH
      producing and prolactin-producing pituitary adenoma cell line, GH3. Real-time
      reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis (RT-PCR) showed that
      CXCR4 mRNA expression in GH3 cells was increased by hypoxia (1% oxygen), and a
      cDNA microarray analysis revealed that inhibin beta-C expression was diminished.
      siRNA-mediated CXCR4 knockdown blocked the hypoxia-induced decrease in inhibin
      beta-C mRNA expression, as did inhibition of CXCR4 activity with AMD3100. An
      ELISA study demonstrated that GH secretion by wild-type GH3 cells was moderately
      enhanced by hypoxia and further potentiated by exposure to recombinant SDF
      1alpha/CXCL12 protein. Conversely, hypoxia-induced GH secretion was reduced in
      CXCR4-silenced cells and in cells treated with the CXCR4 antagonist, AMD3100,
      notwithstanding the presence of SDF-1alpha/CXCL12 protein. These latter
      observations reflect the failure of hypoxia to suppress expression of inhibin
      beta-C in cells deficient in CXCR4 or in which CXCR4 signaling was blocked.
      Together, these results indicate that the SDF-1alpha/CXCL12-CXCR4 signaling
      pathway interfaces with the classical endocrine pathway to up-regulate GH
      production via suppression of inhibin beta-C. Because it blocks CXCR4 and
      prevents hypoxia-induced down-regulation of inhibin beta-C expression, AMD3100
      has promise as a molecular-targeting agent in the treatment of GH-producing
      adenomas.

PMID- 20309721
TI  - Metnase/SETMAR: a domesticated primate transposase that enhances DNA repair,
      replication, and decatenation.
AB  - Metnase is a fusion gene comprising a SET histone methyl transferase domain and a
      transposase domain derived from the Mariner transposase. This fusion gene
      appeared first in anthropoid primates. Because of its biochemical activities,
      both histone (protein) methylase and endonuclease, we termed the protein Metnase
      (also called SETMAR). Metnase methylates histone H3 lysine 36 (H3K36), improves
      the integration of foreign DNA, and enhances DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair
      by the non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) pathway, potentially dependent on its
      interaction with DNA Ligase IV. Metnase interacts with PCNA and enhances
      replication fork restart after stalling. Metnase also interacts with and
      stimulates TopoIIalpha-dependent chromosome decatenation and regulates cellular
      sensitivity to topoisomerase inhibitors used as cancer chemotherapeutics. Metnase
      has DNA nicking and endonuclease activity that linearizes but does not degrade
      supercoiled plasmids. Metnase has many but not all of the properties of a
      transposase, including Terminal Inverted Repeat (TIR) sequence-specific DNA
      binding, DNA looping, paired end complex formation, and cleavage of the 5' end of
      a TIR, but it cannot efficiently complete transposition reactions. Interestingly,
      Metnase suppresses chromosomal translocations. It has been hypothesized that
      transposase activity would be deleterious in primates because unregulated DNA
      movement would predispose to malignancy. Metnase may have been selected for in
      primates because of its DNA repair and translocation suppression activities.
      Thus, its transposase activities may have been subverted to prevent deleterious
      DNA movement.

PMID- 20309722
TI  - Phenotypic variability in five Aceria spp. (Acari: Prostigmata: Eriophyoidea)
      inhabiting Cirsium species (Asteraceae) in Serbia.
AB  - From about 250 Cirsium spp., only two Aceria spp. (Acari: Eriophyoidea) have been
      described, Aceria anthocoptes (Nal.) and Aceria cirsii Pet. B. & Shi. Host
      specificity, which generally characterizes eriophyoid mites, potentially leads to
      speciation, so we may expect more than two Aceria spp. and/or other infraspecific
      taxa. Furthermore, studies on host-related variability in the morphology of
      Aceria mites are generally lacking. The purpose of this study was to investigate
      quantitative morphological traits of five Aceria populations inhabiting five
      Cirsium spp. in Serbia. MANOVA analysis revealed significant differences in 23
      commonly used morphological traits as well as four additional traits related to
      the prodorsal shield design. In addition, the most important qualitative traits
      using scanning electron microphotographs were studied in order to clarify
      phenotypic differences among five Aceria spp. Discriminant analysis identified
      eight traits that significantly differentiate five populations. UPGMA cluster
      analysis of the squared Mahalanobis distances indicates that A. cirsii was
      morphologically the most divergent, while A. anthocoptes populations from Cirsium
      arvense and Aceria sp. from Cirsium heterophyllum were isolated from the branch
      clustering Aceria spp. populations from Cirsium eriophorum and Cirsium creticum.
      Analysis of qualitative traits using SEM confirmed results obtained from the
      analysis of morphometric features.

PMID- 20309723
TI  - The application of lambda-cyhalothrin in tick control.
AB  - In recent years, in urban areas of Novi Sad, unique ecological conditions,
      specific floristic and faunistic composition and poor habits of citizens in sense
      of public health, facilitate the development and maintenance of ticks. Regarding
      the importance of ticks as vectors of severe human and animal diseases, complex
      and detailed studies are conducted with an aim to find the most efficient methods
      for tick control. Two tick species, Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor marginatus,
      were identified during a 3-year period on the territory of Municipality of Novi
      Sad. During 2006, the efficacy of the pyrethroid lambda-cyhalothrin in tick
      control varied from 60.7 to 100%. The highest efficacy recorded in 2007 was
      92.3%. The efficacy of lambda-cyhalothrin in 2008 varied from 39.1 to 100%.
      Lambda-cyhalothrin showed high efficacy in tick control at localities which were
      improved before the application (mowed, litter removed, abundance control and
      euthanasia of abandoned cats and dogs). The results of this research indicate
      that lambda-cyhalothrin has a toxic effect on ticks and could be used as
      efficient acaricide for tick control, although its efficacy depends on
      formulation, terrain features and methods of application.

PMID- 20309724
TI  - Nepali concepts of psychological trauma: the role of idioms of distress,
      ethnopsychology and ethnophysiology in alleviating suffering and preventing
      stigma.
AB  - In the aftermath of a decade-long Maoist civil war in Nepal and the recent
      relocation of thousands of Bhutanese refugees from Nepal to Western countries,
      there has been rapid growth of mental health and psychosocial support programs,
      including posttraumatic stress disorder treatment, for Nepalis and ethnic Nepali
      Bhutanese. This medical anthropology study describes the process of identifying
      Nepali idioms of distress and local ethnopsychology and ethnophysiology models
      that promote effective communication about psychological trauma in a manner that
      minimizes stigma for service users. Psychological trauma is shown to be a
      multifaceted concept that has no single linguistic corollary in the Nepali study
      population. Respondents articulated different categories of psychological trauma
      idioms in relation to impact on the heart-mind, brain-mind, body, spirit, and
      social status, with differences in perceived types of traumatic events, symptom
      sets, emotion clusters and vulnerability. Trauma survivors felt blamed for
      experiencing negative events, which were seen as karma transmitting past life
      sins or family member sins into personal loss. Some families were reluctant to
      seek care for psychological trauma because of the stigma of revealing this bad
      karma. In addition, idioms related to brain-mind dysfunction contributed to
      stigma, while heart-mind distress was a socially acceptable reason for seeking
      treatment. Different categories of trauma idioms support the need for
      multidisciplinary treatment with multiple points of service entry.

PMID- 20309725
TI  - Primary peritoneal and ovarian cancers: an epidemiological comparative analysis.
AB  - We performed case-control analyses using data from the North Carolina Ovarian
      Cancer Study to determine risk factors that distinguish primary peritoneal cancer
      (PPC) from epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Our risk factor analyses were
      restricted to invasive serous cancers including 495 EOC cases, 62 PPC cases and
      1,086 control women. Logistic regression analyses were used to calculate adjusted
      odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for risk factor associations. Although
      many case-control associations for the invasive serous PPC cases were similar to
      those of the invasive serous EOC cases, some differences were observed including
      a twofold increase in risk of invasive serous PPC in women who were >or=35 years
      at last pregnancy, whereas a decreased risk was observed for invasive serous EOC
      risk. We could not confirm a previous report of an association between tubal
      ligation and PPC, a factor consistently associated with a decreased risk of EOC.
      The difference in the risk factor associations between invasive serous PPC and
      EOC cancers suggests divergent molecular development of peritoneal and ovarian
      cancers. A larger study to determine risk factors for invasive serous PPC is
      warranted.

PMID- 20309726
TI  - Anatomical mysteries.

PMID- 20309727
TI  - Effects of systemic nicotine, alcohol or their combination on cholinergic markers
      in the frontal cortex and hippocampus of rat.
AB  - Acute alcohol (Alc) intoxication has been shown to decrease choline
      acetyltransferase (ChAT) in the rat brain. The present study extends that finding
      by examining the effects of nicotine (Nic), Alc, and their combination on ChAT
      and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the frontal cortex and hippocampus of rat. The
      samples were collected at 30 and 120 min after intraperitoneal administration of
      saline (0.9%, control), Nic (1 mg/kg), Alc (1 g/kg), and Nic + Alc and analyzed
      by RT-PCR, Western blot and colorimetry. Alc alone considerably reduced ChAT mRNA
      expression, whereas Nic alone decreased AChE mRNA expression. In contrast, Nic +
      Alc exposure had resulted in no significant change in the parameters. These
      findings are consistent with the results of the Western blot and AChE activity
      analysis. The results, therefore, indicate that Nic and Alc alone may interact
      with the central cholinergic system. This interactive effect may contribute to a
      frequent association of tobacco and Alc consumption.

PMID- 20309728
TI  - Glutamate differently modulates metabotropic glutamate receptors in neuronal and
      glial cells.
AB  - Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter implicated in learning and memory
      processes, but at high concentrations it acts as an excitotoxin causing
      degeneration and neuronal death. The aim of this work was to determine the
      excitotoxic effect of glutamate and the regulation of metabotropic glutamate
      receptors (mGluR) during excitotoxicity in neurons and C6 glioma cells. Results
      show that glutamate causes excitotoxic damage only in cortical neurons. Loss of
      cell viability in neurons was glutamate concentration- and time-dependent. Total
      mGluR levels were significantly reduced in these cells when exposed to glutamate.
      However, in C6 cells, which have been used as a model of glial cells, these
      receptors were regulated in a biphasic manner, decreased after 6 h, and increased
      after 24/48 h of treatment. Results show a cell dependent mGluR regulation by
      glutamate exposure which could mediate the vulnerability or not to glutamate
      mediated excitotoxicity.

PMID- 20309730
TI  - Computational investigation of the delamination of polymer coatings during stent
      deployment.
AB  - Recent advances in angioplasty have involved the application of polymer coatings
      to stent surfaces for purposes of drug delivery. Given the high levels of
      deformation developed in the plastic hinge of a stent during deployment, the
      achievement of an intact bond between the coating and the stent presents a
      significant mechanical challenge. Problems with coating delamination have been
      reported in recent experimental studies. In this paper, a cohesive zone model of
      the stent-coating interface is implemented in order to investigate coating
      debonding during stent deployment. Simulations reveal that coatings debond from
      the stent surface in tensile regions of the plastic hinge during deployment. The
      critical parameters governing the initiation of delamination include the coating
      thickness and stiffness, the interface strength between the coating and stent
      surface, and the curvature of the plastic hinge. The coating is also computed to
      debond from the stent surface in compressive regions of the plastic hinge by a
      buckling mechanism. Computed patterns of coating delamination correlate very
      closely with experimental images. This study provides insight into the critical
      factors governing coating delamination during stent deployment and offers a
      predictive framework that can be used to improve the design of coated stents.

PMID- 20309729
TI  - Chronic unpredictable stress before pregnancy reduce the expression of brain
      derived neurotrophic factor and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor in hippocampus of
      offspring rats associated with impairment of memory.
AB  - To investigate the effect of stress before pregnancy on memory function and serum
      corticosterone (COR) levels, as well as the expression of brain-derived
      neurotrophic factor (BDNF), N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) 2A (NR2A) and 2B (NR2B)
      receptors in the hippocampus of the offspring rats when they were 2 months
      postnatally. Adult female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided randomly into two
      groups: control group (n = 8) and chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) group (n =
      12). All rats were tested in the open field test and sucrose intake test before
      and after CUS. The memory function of their offspring were tested in the Morris
      water maze. Serum COR levels were determined by using a standard radioimmunoassay
      kit. The expression of BDNF, NR2A and NR2B in the hippocampus of the offspring
      rats were studied by immunoreactivity quantitative analysis and real-time RT-PCR.
      (1) Following CUS, reduced open field test activity and decreased sucrose
      consumption were observed relative to controls. (2) The Morris water maze task
      demonstrated increased escape latency in the offspring rats of CUS group relative
      to controls (P < 0.01). No-platform probe testing showed reduced crossings for
      offspring of CUS relative to controls (P < 0.05). (3) CUS induced a significant
      increase in serum COR levels of the offspring rats (P < 0.01), but no difference
      was observed in the body or brain weight between the offspring of the two groups.
      (4) Immunoreactivity quantitative analysis shows that BDNF and NR2B in the
      offspring of CUS group was decreased in the CA3 and DG regions of the hippocampus
      compared to the control group offspring, but NR2A levels were not altered between
      the offspring of the two groups. (5) Real-time RT-PCR demonstrated that BDNF and
      NR2B mRNAs were significantly decreased in the offspring of the CUS group
      compared with the control group (P < 0.01). No significant difference in the
      levels of NR2A mRNA was detected between offspring of CUS and offspring of
      control groups. In our study, pregestational stress can increase serum
      corticosterone levels and reduce the expression of BDNF and NR2B in the
      hippocampus of offspring. These alterations are associated with impairment of
      memory in the adult offspring. These data suggest that, stress before pregnancy
      might have a profound influence on brain development of offspring, that may
      persist into and be manifested in adulthood.

PMID- 20309731
TI  - A comparative finite-element analysis of bone failure and load transfer of
      osseointegrated prostheses fixations.
AB  - An alternative solution to conventional stump-socket prosthetic limb attachment
      is offered by direct skeletal fixation. This study aimed to assess two
      percutaneous trans-femoral implants, the OPRA system (Integrum AB, Goteborg,
      Sweden), and the ISP Endo/Exo prosthesis (ESKA Implants AG, Lubeck, Germany) on
      bone failure and stem-bone interface mechanics both early post-operative (before
      bony ingrowth) and after full bone ingrowth. Moreover, mechanical consequences of
      implantation of those implants in terms of changed loading pattern within the
      bone and potential consequences on long-term bone remodeling were studied using
      finite-element models that represent the intact femur and implants fitted in
      amputated femora. Two experimentally measured loads from the normal walking cycle
      were applied. The analyses revealed that implantation of percutaneous prostheses
      had considerable effects on stress and strain energy density levels in bone. This
      was not only caused by the implant itself, but also by changed loading conditions
      in the amputated leg. The ISP design promoted slightly more physiological strain
      energy distribution (favoring long-term bone maintenance), but the OPRA design
      generated lower bone stresses (reducing bone fracture risk). The safety factor
      against mechanical failure of the two percutaneous designs was relatively low,
      which could be improved by design optimization of the implants.

PMID- 20309732
TI  - The effects of interfacial conditions and stem length on potential failure
      mechanisms in the uncemented resurfaced femur.
AB  - It is hypothesized that changes in stem length and implant-bone interfacial
      conditions would affect the mechanical environment within the uncemented
      resurfaced femur, thereby influencing potential short- and long-term failure
      mechanisms. This study is aimed at investigating the influence of changes in
      implant-bone interfacial conditions and stem length on eventual failure, using 3D
      FE models integrated with bone remodeling simulations. Musculoskeletal forces
      corresponding to normal walking and stair climbing were used as applied loading
      conditions. Sliding micromotions of 26-72 microm at the implant-bone interfaces
      for both the stem designs suggest bone ingrowth on the coated surface of the
      implant was likely. The initial risk of femoral neck fracture was less for the
      uncemented designs as compared to the cemented designs, irrespective of
      interfacial conditions and variation in stem length. For the uncemented variety,
      shortening the stem length provided only slight advantages (5%) with regard to
      strain shielding and bone remodeling. However, bone resorption was considerably
      higher when fully bonded interfaces were simulated. It may, therefore, be
      concluded that cementless fixation seems to be a viable alternative to cemented
      fixation, provided sufficient initial fixation and secondary stability through
      bone ingrowth into the coated surface of the implant can be achieved.

PMID- 20309733
TI  - The interface between generating renal tubules and a polyester fleece in
      comparison to the interstitium of the developing kidney.
AB  - An increasing number of investigations is dealing with the repair of acute and
      chronic renal failure by the application of stem/progenitor cells. However,
      accurate data concerning the cell biological mechanisms controlling the process
      of regeneration are scarce. For that reason new implantation techniques, advanced
      biomaterials and morphogens supporting regeneration of renal parenchyma are under
      research. Special focus is directed to structural and functional features of the
      interface between generating tubules and the surrounding interstitial space. The
      aim of the present experiments was to investigate structural features of the
      interstitium during generation of tubules. Stem/progenitor cells were isolated
      from neonatal rabbit kidney and mounted between layers of a polyester fleece to
      create an artificial interstitium. Perfusion culture was performed for 13 days in
      chemically defined Iscove's Modified Dulbecco's Medium containing aldosterone (1
      x 10(-7) M) as tubulogenic factor. Recordings of the artificial interstitium in
      comparison to the developing kidney were performed by morphometric analysis,
      scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The degree of differentiation was
      registered by immunohistochemistry. The data reveal that generated tubules are
      embedded in a complex network of fibers consisting of newly synthesized
      extracellular matrix proteins. Morphometric analysis further shows that the
      majority of tubules within the artificial interstitium develops in a surprisingly
      close distance between 5 and 25 mum to each other. The abundance of synthesized
      extracellular matrix acts obviously as a spacer keeping generated tubules in
      distance. For comparison, the same principle of construction is found in the
      developing parenchyma of the neonatal kidney. Most astonishingly, scanning
      electron microscopy reveals that the composition of interstitial matrix is not
      homogeneous but differs along a cortico-medullary axis of proceeding tubule
      development.

PMID- 20309734
TI  - Cytokine antagonism reduces pain and modulates spinal astrocytic reactivity after
      cervical nerve root compression.
AB  - Relationships between nerve root compression, behavioral sensitivity, spinal
      cytokines, and glial reactivity are not fully defined for painful cervical nerve
      root compression. Spinal cytokines were quantified after mechanical root
      compression (10gf), root exposure to inflammatory chromic gut material (chr), the
      combination of both insults together (10gf + chr) or sham. TNFalpha and IL-1beta
      significantly increased at 1 h (p < 0.029). IL-1alpha was significantly increased
      over normal, sham and chr at 1 h following 10gf and over normal and sham after
      10gf + chr (p < 0.048). By day 1, only IL-1beta after 10gf remained elevated over
      normal (p = 0.038). Accordingly, the soluble TNF receptor-1 (sTNFR1) and the IL-1
      receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) were separately administered at early time points
      after each injury. With sTNFR1, behavioral sensitivity was significantly
      decreased for 7 days after both 10gf and 10gf + chr (p < 0.005). Treatment with
      IL-1ra significantly reduced sensitivity for 10gf + chr (p < 0.034) but not for
      10gf. Sensitivity remained significantly elevated over sham at all time points (p
      < 0.044). Spinal astrocytic reactivity significantly decreased for both
      treatments after 10gf (p < 0.002); but, only IL-1ra following 10gf + chr
      significantly reduced astrocytic reactivity (p < 0.001). Early increases in
      spinal TNFalpha, IL-1beta, and IL-1alpha may induce pain, affect spinal
      astrocytic responses, and appear to have differential effects in mediating the
      behavioral hypersensitivity produced by different types of painful cervical
      radicular injuries.

PMID- 20309735
TI  - Unraveling changes in myocardial contractility during human fetal growth: a
      finite element analysis based on in vivo ultrasound measurements.
AB  - Knowledge of normal fetal heart (FH) performance and development is crucial for
      evaluating and understanding how various congenital heart lesions may modify
      heart contractility during the gestational period. However, since biomechanical
      models of FH are still lacking, structural approaches proposed to describe the
      mechanical behavior of the adult human heart cannot be used to model the
      evolution of the FH. In this paper, a finite element model of the healthy FH wall
      is developed to quantify its mechanical properties during the gestational period.
      An idealized thick-walled ellipsoidal shape was used to model the left ventricle
      (LV). The diastolic LV geometry was reconstructed from in vivo ultrasound
      measurements performed on 24 normal FHs between 20 and 37 weeks of gestation. An
      anisotropic hyperelastic constitutive law describing the mechanical properties of
      the passive and active myocardium was used. The evolution of the mechanical
      properties of the normal LV myocardium during fetal growth was obtained by
      successfully fitting the ejection fraction predicted by the model to in vivo
      measurements. We found that only the active tension varies significantly during
      the gestational period, increasing linearly from 20 kPa (at 20 weeks) to 40 kPa
      (at 37 weeks of gestation). We propose a possible explanation of the increasing
      force-generating ability of the myocardial tissue during fetal heart development
      based on a combination of myocyte enlargement, differentiation, and proliferation
      kinetics.

PMID- 20309736
TI  - A microfluidic imaging chamber for the direct observation of chemotactic
      transmigration.
AB  - To study the roles of nonmuscle myosin II (NM-II) during invasive cell migration,
      microfluidic migration chambers have been designed and fabricated using photo-
      and soft-lithography microfabrication techniques. The chamber consists of two
      channels separated by a vertical barrier with multiple bays of pores with widths
      varying from 6 microm to 16 microm, and lengths varying from 25 microm to 50
      microm. The cells are plated in the channel on one side of the barrier while a
      chemoattractant is flowed through the channel on the other side of the barrier.
      In these chambers, cells can be observed with transmitted light or fluorescence
      optics while they chemotax through various sized pores that impose differential
      mechanical resistance to transmigration. As an initial test of this device, we
      compared breast-cancer cell chemotactic transmigration through different pore
      sizes with and without inhibition of NM-II. Two distinct rates were observed as
      cells attempted to pull their nucleus through the smaller pores, and the faster
      nuclear transit mode was critically dependent on NM-II motor activity. The
      ability to monitor cells as they chemotax through pores of different dimensions
      within a single experimental system provides novel information on how pore size
      affects cell morphology and migration rate, providing a dramatic improvement of
      imaging potential relative to other in vitro transmigration systems such as
      Boyden chambers.

PMID- 20309737
TI  - Assessment of metal contaminations leaching out from recycling plastic bottles
      upon treatments.
AB  - BACKGROUND, AIMS, AND SCOPE: Heavy metal contaminants in environment, especially
      in drinking water, are always of great concern due to their health impact. Due to
      the use of heavy metals as catalysts during plastic syntheses, particularly
      antimony, human exposure to metal release from plastic bottles has been a serious
      concern in recent years. The aim and scope of this study were to assess metal
      contaminations leaching out from a series of recycling plastic bottles upon
      treatments. METHODOLOGY: In this study, leaching concentrations of 16 metal
      elements were determined in 21 different types of plastic bottles from five
      commercial brands, which were made of recycling materials ranging from no. 1 to
      no. 7. Several sets of experiments were conducted to study the factors that could
      potentially affect the metal elements leaching from plastic bottles, which
      include cooling with frozen water, heating with boiling water, microwave,
      incubating with low-pH water, outdoor sunlight irradiation, and in-car storage.
      RESULTS: Heating and microwave can lead to a noticeable increase of antimony
      leaching relative to the controls in bottle samples A to G, and some even reached
      to a higher level than the maximum contamination level (MCL) of the US
      Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) regulations. Incubation with low-pH
      water, outdoor sunlight irradiation, and in-car storage had no significant effect
      on antimony leaching relative to controls in bottle samples A to G, and the
      levels of antimony leaching detected were below 6 ppb which is the MCL of USEPA
      regulations. Cooling had almost no effect on antimony leaching based on our
      results. For the other interested 15 metal elements (Al, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu,
      As, Se, Mo, Ag, Cd, Ba, Tl, Pb), no significant leaching was detected or the
      level was far below the MCL of USEPA regulations in all bottle samples in this
      study. In addition, washing procedure did contribute to the antimony leaching
      concentration for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. The difference of
      antimony leaching concentration between washing procedure involved and no washing
      procedure involved (AC) was larger than zero for samples A to G. This interesting
      result showed that higher antimony concentration was detected in experiments with
      no washing procedures compared with those experiments with washing procedures.
      Our study results indicate that partial antimony leaching from PET bottles comes
      from contaminations on the surface of plastic during manufacturing process, while
      major antimony leaching comes from conditional changes. CONCLUSION: The results
      revealed that heating and microwaving enhance antimony leaching significantly in
      PET plastic bottles. Plastic bottle manufacturers should consider the
      contaminations during manufacturing process and washing bottles before first use
      was strongly recommended to remove those contaminants.

PMID- 20309739
TI  - Exploring the potential causes of the emergence of hospitalists: chicken vs. egg.

PMID- 20309741
TI  - Searching for pale, getting rickets.

PMID- 20309740
TI  - What is most important to patients when deciding about colorectal screening?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening can be administered through tests
      with varied characteristics and is a preference-sensitive decision. OBJECTIVE: To
      assess patient experiences with a Maximum Differences Scaling (MDS) tool for
      eliciting values about CRC screening test characteristics and determine whether
      patients vary in how they prioritize test characteristics and whether this
      variation relates to test preferences. DESIGN: MDS survey to elicit patients'
      values for characteristics related to fecal occult blood testing, sigmoidoscopy,
      colonoscopy, CT colonography and colon capsule endoscopy. PARTICIPANTS: 92
      patients enrolled in primary care clinics at a VA hospital and associated
      university. RESULTS: Patients reported that the tool was easy to use (95%). On
      completion 62% would choose colonoscopy, 23% colon capsule endoscopy and 10% CT
      colonography. Of the attributes evaluated, patients valued sensitivity, risk of
      tear and need for a second test most. Sensitivity was more important to those
      choosing colonoscopy than those choosing other tests (median importance = 21.5
      versus 19.6, p < 0.01). Concern with complications and sedation was positively
      associated with age (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001), whereas concern with colon
      preparation and missing work was negatively associated with age (p < 0.009 and p
      < 0.03). Patients with fair or poor health status were less concerned with
      sensitivity than patients in good to excellent health (median importance = 19.3
      versus 21.4, p < 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study suggests that patients
      vary in how they prioritize colorectal cancer screening test attributes; this
      variation is associated with test preferences, and this MDS tool is feasible to
      use and may help patients construct their preferences.

PMID- 20309742
TI  - A model of head movement contribution for gaze transitions.
AB  - Head posture has been associated with work-related neck symptoms and discomfort,
      but its relationship with visual tasks has received much less attention. Head
      movement amplitude is normally a fraction of the angular distance to a visual
      target, as gaze transition is usually achieved through the combination of both
      head and eye movement. In this study, the proportion of head orientation vs.
      target orientation, named head movement contribution ratio (HMCR), was quantified
      and modelled as a function of target location. Head movements were measured on
      subjects orienting and maintaining gaze for 2 s at randomly presented visual
      targets distributed along an arc placed horizontally or vertically. Bootstrap
      regression models showed that the horizontal HMCR was approximately 69% of target
      azimuth. The vertical HMCR was bilinear and corresponded to 52% and 8% and of
      target elevation for targets above and below the horizontal plane, respectively.
      The data also demonstrated that head orientation is affected by the kinematic
      coupling between horizontal and vertical components of head movement. STATEMENT
      OF RELEVANCE: Awkward head and neck posture is a risk factor for work-related
      musculoskeletal disorders. This study investigated the influence of visual target
      location on head orientation over a large range of target eccentricity, as an
      attempt to predict the head and neck posture required for visual target detection
      and identification.

PMID- 20309743
TI  - Evidence-based guidelines for the wise use of computers by children: physical
      development guidelines.
AB  - Computer use by children is common and there is concern over the potential impact
      of this exposure on child physical development. Recently principles for child
      specific evidence-based guidelines for wise use of computers have been published
      and these included one concerning the facilitation of appropriate physical
      development. This paper reviews the evidence and presents detailed guidelines for
      this principle. The guidelines include encouraging a mix of sedentary and whole
      body movement tasks, encouraging reasonable postures during computing tasks
      through workstation, chair, desk, display and input device selection and
      adjustment and special issues regarding notebook computer use and carriage,
      computing skills and responding to discomfort. The evidence limitations highlight
      opportunities for future research. The guidelines themselves can inform parents
      and teachers, equipment designers and suppliers and form the basis of content for
      teaching children the wise use of computers. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: Many
      children use computers and computer-use habits formed in childhood may track into
      adulthood. Therefore child-computer interaction needs to be carefully managed.
      These guidelines inform those responsible for children to assist in the wise use
      of computers.

PMID- 20309744
TI  - The performance of computer input devices in a vibration environment.
AB  - This study investigates the performance of a touch screen, mouse and trackball in
      a motion environment. A Stewart motion platform was used to generate a six-degree
      of-freedom motion environment. Participants were placed in an environment where
      vehicle vibration was simulated. Tasks were used according to Fitts' Law to
      obtain the movement time, error rate, index of performance and throughput of each
      input device. The results showed that during static conditions, the touch screen
      gave the best results. However, in the vibration environment, the mouse gave the
      best results. The trackball is the worst of the three. The error rate and end
      point variation tends to increase for the touch screen in the vibration
      environment. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: This study investigates the performance of a
      pointing device in a vibration environment. The results showed that during static
      conditions, the touch screen gave the best results. However, in the vibration
      environment, the mouse gave the best results. The track ball is the worst of the
      three. This research achievement can help human-computer interaction design in
      various dynamic environments such as in sea and land vehicles.

PMID- 20309745
TI  - Relationship between hand stability and the 10-Hz physiological tremor during
      various manual tasks.
AB  - To quantify an individual's ability to perform manual operations stably, the
      relationship between hand stability and the 10-Hz physiological tremor was
      investigated. A total of 35 subjects were assessed when performing force and
      position control tasks, which were representative of ordinary hand movements.
      Hand stability was analysed as two components: the fluctuation caused by
      voluntary control (the control error or inaccuracy when voluntarily maintaining a
      position or force) and the involuntary oscillatory fluctuation (physiological
      tremor). The control error was defined by the standard deviation of the low
      frequency component. The tremor was evaluated based on the power spectrum around
      10 Hz. A positive correlation between the control error and the 10-Hz tremor was
      observed in the finger force control tasks. A correlation between finger tremor
      and arm tremor also was observed; subjects showing small tremors in the finger
      tasks also exhibited small tremors when performing the arm tasks. Taken together,
      the results suggested that the 10-Hz tremor can be used as a benchmark to
      evaluate an individual's ability to use their hands precisely. STATEMENT OF
      RELEVANCE: It is important to be able to quantify an individual's ability to
      perform precise manual operations, such as those required for microsurgery. One
      important aspect is instability when applying force with a finger. The
      relationship between hand stability and the 10-Hz physiological tremor was
      investigated in this study. A correlation was found between control error (or
      inaccuracy when voluntarily maintaining a position or force) and the 10-Hz tremor
      in the finger force control tasks and the results suggest that the 10-Hz tremor
      can be used as a measure to evaluate an individual's ability to use their hands
      precisely.

PMID- 20309746
TI  - Interactive effects from self-reported physical and psychosocial factors in the
      workplace on neck pain and disability in female office workers.
AB  - This study explored the interaction between physical and psychosocial factors in
      the workplace on neck pain and disability in female computer users. A self-report
      survey was used to collect data on physical risk factors (monitor location,
      duration of time spent using the keyboard and mouse) and psychosocial domains (as
      assessed by the Job Content Questionnaire). The neck disability index was the
      outcome measure. Interactions among the physical and psychosocial factors were
      examined in analysis of covariance. High supervisor support, decision authority
      and skill discretion protect against the negative impact of (1) time spent on
      computer-based tasks, (2) non-optimal placement of the computer monitor and (3)
      long duration of mouse use. Office workers with greater neck pain experience a
      combination of high physical and low psychosocial stressors at work. Prevention
      and intervention strategies that target both sets of risk factors are likely to
      be more successful than single intervention programmes. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE:
      The results of this study demonstrate that the interaction of physical and
      psychosocial factors in the workplace has a stronger association with neck pain
      and disability than the presence of either factor alone. This finding has
      important implications for strategies aimed at the prevention of musculoskeletal
      problems in office workers.

PMID- 20309747
TI  - Physical characteristics related to bra fit.
AB  - Producing well-fitting garments has been a challenge for retailers and
      manufacturers since mass production began. Poorly fitted bras can cause
      discomfort or pain and result in lost sales for retailers. Because body contours
      are important factors affecting bra fit, this study analyses the relationship of
      physical characteristics to bra-fit problems. This study has used 3-D body
      scanning technology to extract upper body angles from a sample of 103 college
      women; these data were used to categorise physical characteristics into shoulder
      slope, bust prominence, back curvature and acromion placement. Relationships
      between these physical categories and bra-fit problems were then analysed.
      Results show that significant main effects and two-way interactions of the
      physical categories exist in the fit problems of poor bra support and bra-motion
      restriction. The findings are valuable in helping the apparel industry create
      better-fitting bras. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: Poorly fitted bras can cause
      discomfort or pain and result in lost sales for retailers. The findings regarding
      body-shape classification provide researchers with a statistics method to
      quantify physical characteristics and the findings regarding the relationship
      analysis between physical characteristics and bra fit offer bra companies
      valuable information about bra-fit perceptions attributable to women with figure
      variations.

PMID- 20309748
TI  - Occupational and environmental risk factors for falls among workers in the
      healthcare sector.
AB  - Falls are a leading cause of occupational injury for workers in healthcare, yet
      the risk factors of falls in this sector are understudied. Falls resulting in
      workers' compensation for time-loss from work from 2004-2007 for healthcare
      workers in British Columbia (BC) were extracted from a standardised incident
      reporting database. Productive hours were derived from payroll data for the
      denominator to produce injury rates; relative risks were derived through Poisson
      regression modelling. A total of 411 falls were accepted for time-loss
      compensation. Compared to registered nurses, facility support workers (risk ratio
      (95% CI) = 6.29 (4.56-8.69)) and community health workers (6.58 (3.76-11.50))
      were at high risk for falls. Falls predominantly occurred outdoors, in patients'
      rooms and kitchens depending on occupation and sub-sector. Slippery surfaces due
      to icy conditions or liquid contaminants were a leading contributing factor.
      Falls were more frequent in the colder months (January-March). The risk of falls
      varies by nature of work, location and worker demographics. The findings of this
      research will be useful for developing evidence-based interventions. STATEMENT OF
      RELEVANCE: Falls are a major cause of occupational injury for healthcare workers.
      This study examined risk factors including occupation type, workplace design,
      work setting, work organisation and environmental conditions in a large
      healthcare worker population in BC, Canada. The findings of this research should
      contribute towards developing evidence-based interventions.

PMID- 20309749
TI  - DEXA-assessed regional body composition changes in young female military soldiers
      following 12-weeks of periodised training.
AB  - Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) was used to assess whole body and
      regional soft tissue mass, fat mass and lean body mass compositional changes in
      68 female recruits (age 20.8 +/- 1.14 years; body mass 59.5 +/- 8.79 kg; stature
      159.57 +/- 5.53 cm) pre- and post 12-weeks of military basic training. A decrease
      in total body fat tissue mass (10.2%) and regional percent fat (10.9%) was
      measured with an increase in total lean body mass (8.7%). Of interest were the
      differences in the responses in the tissue composition of the arms (16.2% loss in
      fat mass with an 11.6% gain in lean mass), trunk (17.0% decrease in fat mass with
      a 10.4% increase in lean mass) and the legs (10.5% increase in lean mass but no
      change in fat mass). These findings show the importance of considering regional
      rather than whole body composition changes when assessing the effects of a
      training programme. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: Female soldiers experienced a change
      in total body fat tissue (-10.2%) and lean body mass (+8.7%) after basic
      training; however, no significant fat mass decrease was evident in the leg
      region. Regional rather than whole body composition changes need to be considered
      when assessing the effects of a training programme.

PMID- 20309750
TI  - Comparison of two tracer gas dilution methods for the determination of clothing
      ventilation and of vapour resistance.
AB  - Clothing microclimate ventilation is an important parameter in climatic stress
      and in contaminated environments. The two main methods for its determination
      (Crockford et al. (CR) 1972 and Lotens and Havenith (LH) 1988) were, after
      further development, compared in terms of reproducibility, validity and
      usability. Both methods were shown to have a good sensitivity and reproducibility
      (with average coefficients of variation 1.5-2.3% for the method alone and up to
      7% for method and clothing/movement effects combined). They produced values very
      close to calibration values in forced ventilation tests (r = 0.988). Weak points
      for the CR method were the limits in the time constant of the measurement
      apparatus, causing an upper limit to the ventilation that can be reliably
      measured (around 800 l/min) and the method of measuring clothing microclimate
      volume. The original 'vacuum oversuit' (CR) method was cumbersome and prone to
      large errors. Alternative methods of measuring clothing microclimate volume
      (whole body scanner or manual circumference measurements) were shown to produce
      good results. For the LH method, the distribution of the tracer gas over the
      whole skin surface became a problem factor at very high ventilations (above 1000
      l/min). As all methods use tracer gases (O(2), Ar, CO(2), SF(6)) with
      diffusivities smaller than that of water vapour, this potentially creates a
      problem in the calculation of vapour resistance from the ventilation values in
      the region where the emphasis of vapour transfer moves from diffusion to
      convection. In most real-life situations, where body and air movement are
      present, a correction is not however required because the error remains below
      10%. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: Clothing ventilation indicates heat loss potential
      as well as risk of pollutants entering the clothing. Two main methods for its
      determination are compared and validated, identifying a number of issues. An in
      depth analysis is given of the advantages and disadvantages of the available
      methodologies.

PMID- 20309751
TI  - The role of human-at-work systems in business sustainability: perspectives based
      on expert and qualified production workers in a manufacturing enterprise.
AB  - A community of highly qualified employees is desirable for the workforce to
      become a competitive business advantage, improving and sustaining corporate
      health. Currently, the scientific literature is limited on information comparing
      the assessment of expert and qualified workers for the employee-work environment
      interface. Such information would be valuable for industrial managers to obtain
      and act on the different perspectives of its workers for business improvement and
      survivability. A primary objective of this study is to explore the perspectives
      of expert and qualified workers on the quality of the employee-work environment
      interface in a manufacturing enterprise. This investigation was performed in a
      production department in a small manufacturing enterprise. Two expert workers
      participated in the study, with each being in the company for 30 years and having
      performed all jobs in the production department as well as supervisory and line
      management responsibilities. A total of 13 qualified workers from day and night
      shifts were used in the study, with the great majority of workers possessing 10
      or more years of on-the-job experience but not acquiring the same specialised
      knowledge required for operating the technological resources in the department.
      The work compatibility methodology was used to assess the quality of employee
      work environment interface for both expert and qualified workers. Both expert and
      qualified workers provided similar trends in terms of their compatibility
      assessment of experienced and acting work domains. In general, the compatibility
      levels for the day shift were poorer than those obtained for the night shift for
      acting work domains. The similarities in assessment between the expert and
      qualified workers were much closer for factors impacting job performance at the
      task and immediate surrounding levels (i.e. physical and mental task content,
      physical environment). There were greater differences at the macro level, that
      is, at the process and enterprise levels, in terms of
      organisational/social/technological environment. This is particularly noted for
      the organisational environment. The compatibility values obtained for the
      experienced domains mirror those obtained for acting domains. The overall
      workload was assessed as requiring major redesign during the day shift and
      needing added responsibilities for the night shift according to both expert and
      qualified workers. The assessment of qualified workers is comparable with that of
      expert workers for the job content and immediate surroundings. Differences are
      more observed for process- and enterprise-based factors; thereby, providing
      company management different perspectives in order to devise organisational
      strategies conducive for optimum human and corporate health and pointing to the
      probable interactions of the different systems impacting individual and
      enterprise performance. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: This research examines
      similarities and differences between qualified and expert workers in their
      assessment of the worker-work environment interface. The contribution to improved
      understanding of the complex interactions of human-at-work and enterprise systems
      should be beneficial to organisations in their quest to remain competitive in a
      global economy.

PMID- 20309753
TI  - Special issue of statistical genetics and genomics in clinical trials: guest
      editor's note.

PMID- 20309754
TI  - Discrete nonparametric algorithms for outlier detection with genomic data.
AB  - In high-throughput studies involving genetic data such as from gene expression
      microarrays, differential expression analysis between two or more experimental
      conditions has been a very common analytical task. Much of the resulting
      literature on multiple comparisons has paid relatively little attention to the
      choice of test statistic. In this article, we focus on the issue of choice of
      test statistic based on a special pattern of differential expression. The
      approach here is based on recasting multiple-comparison procedures for assessing
      outlying expression values. A major complication is that the resulting p values
      are discrete; some theoretical properties of sequential testing procedures in
      this context are explored. We propose the use of q value estimation procedures in
      this setting. Data from a gene expression profiling experiment in prostate cancer
      are used to illustrate the methodology.

PMID- 20309755
TI  - Network-based empirical Bayes methods for linear models with applications to
      genomic data.
AB  - Empirical Bayes methods are widely used in the analysis of microarray gene
      expression data in order to identify the differentially expressed genes or genes
      that are associated with other general phenotypes. Available methods often assume
      that genes are independent. However, genes are expected to function interactively
      and to form molecular modules to affect the phenotypes. In order to account for
      regulatory dependency among genes, we propose in this paper a network-based
      empirical Bayes method for analyzing genomic data in the framework of linear
      models, where the dependency of genes is modeled by a discrete Markov random
      field defined on a predefined biological network. This method provides a
      statistical framework for integrating the known biological network information
      into the analysis of genomic data. We present an iterated conditional mode
      algorithm for parameter estimation and for estimating the posterior probabilities
      using Gibbs sampling. We demonstrate the application of the proposed methods
      using simulations and analysis of a human brain aging microarray gene expression
      data set.

PMID- 20309756
TI  - Optimized ranking and selection methods for feature selection with application in
      microarray experiments.
AB  - In microarray experiments, the goal is often to examine many genes, and select
      some of them for additional investigation. Traditionally, such a selection
      problem has been formulated as a multiple testing problem. When the genes of
      interest are genes with unequal distribution of gene expression under different
      conditions, multiple testing methods provide an appropriate framework for
      addressing the selection problems. However, when the genes of interest are a set
      of genes with the largest difference in gene expression under different
      conditions, multiple testing methods do not directly address the selection goal
      and sometimes lead to biased conclusions. For such cases, we propose two methods
      based on the statistical ranking and selection framework to directly address the
      selection goal. The proposed methods have an inherent optimization nature in that
      the selection is optimized according to either a prespecified minimum correct
      selection ratio (r* selection) or probability of making a correct selection (P*
      selection). These methods are compared with the multiple testing method that
      controls the tail probability of the proportion of false positives. Both
      simulation studies and real data applications provide insight into the
      fundamental difference between the multiple testing methods and the proposed
      methods in the way of addressing different selection goals. It has been shown
      that the proposed methods provide a clear advantage over the multiple testing
      methods when the goal is to select the most significant genes (not all the
      significant genes). When the goal is to select all the significant genes, the
      proposed methods perform equally well as the current multiple testing methods.
      Another advantage provided by the proposed methods is their ability to detect
      noisy data and therefore suggest no sensible selection can be made.

PMID- 20309757
TI  - Evaluation of a statistical equivalence test applied to microarray data.
AB  - Microarray technology is commonly used to identify differentially expressed (DE)
      genes across conditions. A related issue that has rarely been discussed but is
      equally important is to identify commonly expressed genes or constantly expressed
      genes across different organs, tissues, or species. A common practice in the
      literature for such studies is to apply the differential expression analysis and
      conclude that a gene is unchanged if there is no statistical evidence to conclude
      for differential expression. However, genes that are not statistically
      significantly DE could be (1) truly non-DE genes or (2) truly DE genes not
      detected by the statistical test of differential expression due to lack of power
      resulted from high noise level or lack of replication. Therefore, the practice of
      treating non-statistically significantly DE genes as non-DE genes has the risk of
      including genes that are truly DE without controlling such errors. We argue that
      if one wants to identify genes that are truly non-DE, one needs to show
      statistical evidence through valid statistical tests with the appropriate type I
      error rate control. In this paper, we consider the identification of non-DE genes
      through statistical equivalence tests under the framework of multiple testing. In
      particular, we consider the average equivalence criterion and study the power and
      false discovery rate (FDR) of the standard average equivalence test, the "two one
      sided tests" (TOST), through extensive simulation studies based on real
      microarray data sets. We study the effects of various factors that can affect the
      power and FDR of the equivalence test including the proportion of non-DE genes.
      We also compare the ROC curves of the equivalence test with those of the naive
      method of selecting genes that are not statistically significant DE.

PMID- 20309758
TI  - A semiparametric Bayesian approach for estimating the gene expression
      distribution.
AB  - Gene expression microarrays are powerful tools for global comparison and
      estimation of gene expression. Many microarray studies have demonstrated
      biologically plausible results with only a few arrays, leading to a misperception
      that a handful of hybridized arrays can always find something meaningful. From a
      statistical point of view, it is important to prospectively estimate required
      sample sizes prior to undertaking a microarray experiment. However, all sample
      size calculations need to directly or indirectly estimate the unknown
      distribution of the effect sizes of gene expression intensities. A parametric
      mixture model has been developed for relating the sample size directly to the
      false discovery rate (FDR), the most popular multiple-comparison control
      criteria. In this paper, we extend the parametric mixture model and propose a
      robust semiparametric Dirichlet process mixture model, where the parametric
      distribution of gene expressions is no longer specified. This analysis is
      performed in a Bayesian inference framework using Markov-chain Monte Carlo steps.
      The usefulness of the method is illustrated by simulations and a real murine lung
      study.

PMID- 20309759
TI  - Weighted gene coexpression network analysis: state of the art.
AB  - Weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) has been applied to many
      important studies since its introduction in 2005. WGCNA can be used as a data
      exploratory tool or as a gene screening method; WGCNA can also be used as a tool
      to generate testable hypothesis for validation in independent data sets. In this
      article, we review key concepts of WGCNA and some of its applications in gene
      expression analysis of oncology, brain function, and protein interaction data.

PMID- 20309760
TI  - Testing gene-treatment interactions in pharmacogenetic studies.
AB  - Drug-related side effects are one of the leading causes of death and illness in
      the developed world. Finding genes that modify drug response has the potential to
      significantly improve drug delivery, by identifying both individuals that can
      benefit from therapy and those at increased risk of harm. We present a simple
      approach to testing gene-by-treatment interactions in case-control
      pharmacogenetic studies. The approach utilizes a retrospective model that seeks
      to increase power through a Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium assumption among the
      controls, but does not assume that the event of interest is rare in the target
      population. We conduct extensive simulations and find that the approach shows
      similar or improved power, compared to standard methods, in all cases considered.
      We present methods for both autosomal and X-linked markers and show how the
      methods can be easily implemented using standard statistical software.

PMID- 20309761
TI  - Genotype-based risk and pharmacogenetic sampling in clinical trials.
AB  - A number of recent genome-wide association (GWA) studies have identified
      unequivocal statistical associations between inherited genetic variations, mostly
      single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and common complex diseases such as
      diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. Genotyping individuals for these
      variations has the potential to help redefine how pharmacologic agents undergo
      clinical development. By identifying carriers of known genomic variants that
      contribute to susceptibility, a high-risk population can be defined, as well as
      individuals with potential for a better response to a drug. We evaluated the
      potential utility that selecting individuals for a trial on the basis of
      genotypes identified in contemporary GWA studies would have had on recently
      described clinical trials. We pursued this by constraining both the risks of a
      disease outcome associated with particular genotypes and overall drug responses
      to those actually observed in genetic association and clinical trial studies,
      respectively. We pursued these evaluations in the context of clinical trials
      investigating drugs for macular degeneration, obesity, heart disease, type II
      diabetes, prostate cancer, and Alzheimer's disease. We show that the increase in
      incidence of outcomes in trials restricted to individuals with specific genotypic
      profiles can result in substantial reductions in requisite sample sizes for such
      trials. In addition, we also derive realistic bounds for samples sizes for
      clinical trials investigating pharmacogenetic effects that leverage genetic
      variations identified in recent association studies.

PMID- 20309762
TI  - Haplotype-based pharmacogenetic analysis for longitudinal quantitative traits in
      the presence of dropout.
AB  - We propose a variety of methods based on the generalized estimation equations to
      address the issues encountered in haplotype-based pharmacogenetic analysis,
      including analysis of longitudinal data with outcome-dependent dropouts, and
      evaluation of the high-dimensional haplotype and haplotype-drug interaction
      effects in an overall manner. We use the inverse probability weights to handle
      the outcome-dependent dropouts under the missing-at-random assumption, and
      incorporate the weighted L(1) penalty to select important main and interaction
      effects with high dimensionality. The proposed methods are easy to implement,
      computationally efficient, and provide an optimal balance between false positives
      and false negatives in detecting genetic effects.

PMID- 20309763
TI  - Modeling the genetic etiology of pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic links with the
      ARMA process.
AB  - Substantial variability exists among different patients in response to drugs. The
      identification of genetic factors that contribute to the interpersonal
      differentiation has been an important task for pharmacogenetic research and drug
      discovery. In this article, we have derived a high-dimensional statistical model
      for unveiling the genetic machinery for drug response by integrating two
      different but biologically related processes--pharmacokinetics (PK) and
      pharmacodynamics (PD)--into a genetic mapping framework. Using an integrated
      model of PK and PD, we can identify specific DNA sequence variants and test how
      they relate to the differential effect of the body to the drug (PK) and the
      effect of the drug on the body (PD). To effectively model a two-stage hierarchic
      structure of the covariance matrix at the PD and PK level, we have for the first
      time introduced an autoregressive moving-average (ARMA) process to the mixture
      based likelihood function for sequence mapping. Closed-form estimates of the
      determinant and inverse of the ARMA-based covariance matrix are incorporated into
      the estimation step, which significantly increases the computational efficiency.
      Simulation studies have been performed to test the statistical behavior of our
      model. Potential applications of this model to pharmacogenetic research are
      discussed.

PMID- 20309764
TI  - A systems biology approach for identifying novel pathway regulators in eQTL
      mapping.
AB  - Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) mapping holds great promise in
      elucidating gene regulations and predicting gene networks associated with complex
      phenotypes. We propose a systems biology approach by incorporating prior pathway
      information into an eQTL mapping framework, to identify novel pathway regulators
      that mediate pathway expression changes. We model gene expressions in a
      predefined biological pathway as a multivariate response to test the joint
      variation changes among different genotype categories at a locus. The method is
      motivated and applied to a yeast data set. Significant pathway regulators and
      regulation hotspots are detected. The proposed method provides a powerful tool
      for understanding gene regulation at a pathway level.

PMID- 20309765
TI  - Bagging optimal ROC curve method for predictive genetic tests, with an
      application for rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - Translation studies have been initiated to assess the combined effect of genetic
      loci from recently accomplished genome-wide association studies and the existing
      risk factors for early disease prediction. We propose a bagging optimal receiver
      operating characteristic (ROC) curve method to facilitate this research. Through
      simulation and real data application, we compared the new method with the
      commonly used allele counting method and logistic regression, and found that the
      new method yields a better performance. The new method was applied on the
      Wellcome Trust data set to form a predictive genetic test for rheumatoid
      arthritis. The formed test reached an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.7.

PMID- 20309767
TI  - Summarizing and quantifying multilocus linkage disequilibrium patterns with multi
      order Markov chain models.
AB  - Studies on linkage disequilibrium (LD) are important in mapping disease genes. A
      novel statistical method, the multi-order Markov chain model has been recently
      developed to quantify the complexity level of multilocus LD patterns among single
      nucleotide polymorphism markers (Kim et al., 2008). In this study, mathematical
      relationships between two types of LD measures are derived to understand the
      Markov chain model parameters in terms of conventional LD measures. Statistical
      sample properties of the Markov chain order estimates are investigated by
      simulations. Two published data sets are reanalyzed to illustrate the proposed
      approach.

PMID- 20309766
TI  - Practical issues in building risk-predicting models for complex diseases.
AB  - Recent genome-wide association studies have identified many genetic variants
      affecting complex human diseases. It is of great interest to build disease risk
      prediction models based on these data. In this article, we first discuss
      statistical challenges in using genome-wide association data for risk
      predictions, and then review the findings from the literature on this topic. We
      also demonstrate the performance of different methods through both simulation
      studies and application to real-world data.

PMID- 20309768
TI  - Current progress on statistical methods for mapping quantitative trait loci from
      inbred line crosses.
AB  - Tremendous progress has been made in recent years on developing statistical
      methods for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) from crosses of inbred lines.
      Most of the recent research is focused on strategies for mapping multiple-QTL and
      associated model selection procedures and criterion. We review the progress of
      research in this area on one trait and multiple traits by maximum likelihood and
      Bayesian methods.

PMID- 20309773
TI  - Accuracy of the Borg CR10 scale for estimating grip forces associated with hand
      tool tasks.
AB  - The gripping of tools is required by many industrial operations, and an important
      aspect of exposure assessment is determining the grip force output of operators.
      Ratings of perceived exertion can provide an indirect measure of grip force;
      however, reports in the literature of the use of Borg CR10 scale ratings as a
      surrogate measure of grip force have been mixed. During a laboratory study with
      16 participants, power grip forces were measured directly during three hand tool
      task simulations: (1) a screwdriver task, (2) a ratchet task, and (3) a lift and
      carry task, each performed at four force/load levels. Borg scale ratings reported
      following each trial were compared with mean, peak, and integrated grip forces
      for the respective trials. Pearson correlations conducted on an individual basis
      were greatest for the screwdriver task, r approximately 0.9. Correlations for
      integrated grip force were generally better than for mean or peak force.
      Correlations were also performed on data pooled for all participants, simulating
      a cross-sectional sampling approach. Correlations made with pooled data were
      weaker than when conducted on an individual basis, ranging from r = 0.26 for peak
      grip force for the lift and carry task, to r = 0.79 for the screwdriver task.
      When the pooled data were normalized to individual maximum voluntary grip
      exertions, correlation generally improved but not to the level of the
      "individually scaled" data. Based on these findings, a protocol is proposed that
      could improve the strength of correlations between direct measures of grip force
      and ratings of perceived exertion. Differences in strength of correlation between
      task simulations are discussed with respect to differences observed in force
      distributions about the handle for the three tasks.

PMID- 20309774
TI  - Further characterisation of self-defining memories in young adults: a study of a
      Swiss sample.
AB  - Several individual differences affecting four dimensions of self-defining
      memories (SDMs)--structure, content, affect, and autobiographical reasoning
      (Blagov & Singer, 2004; McLean & Fournier, 2008; Singer & Salovey, 1993)--have
      been observed in young adults (principally in North America). In this study we
      aimed to investigate the relationships between the different dimensions of SDMs,
      providing further evidence of the content validity of the Self-Defining Memory
      task. It was possible to discern two specific profiles from the three SDMs
      collected from each participant. Almost half the participants retrieved specific
      SDMs with little autobiographical reasoning and tension; the other participants
      retrieved an opposite profile, suggesting that there are individual differences
      in the cognitive and affective processes related to the construction of SDMs. The
      second aim of the study was to conduct across-cultural extension of research on
      SDMs, using a sample of Swiss young adults. The results were similar to those
      obtained by previous studies, suggesting a certain cultural invariability. The
      only difference observed concerned the number of SDMs containing meaning making.
      Swiss young adults attribute more explicit meanings to their memories than North
      American young adults, suggesting that they are more engaged in autobiographical
      reasoning.

PMID- 20309775
TI  - Comparison of illness representations dimensions and illness representation
      clusters in predicting outcomes in the first year following diagnosis of type 2
      diabetes: results from the DESMOND trial.
AB  - This article explores the utility of cluster analysis of illness representations,
      in comparison to analysing each dimension of the individual's illness
      representation, to predict an individual's response to diagnosis of type 2
      diabetes. Participants in a large multi-centre randomised controlled trial of a
      self-management education intervention for people with type 2 diabetes, completed
      measures of illness beliefs (coherence, timeline, impact, seriousness, personal
      responsibility) and depression along with HbA1c and body mass index (BMI), at
      baseline 4, 8 and 12 months. The results of the cluster analysis were compared
      with an independent qualitative study of participants' responses to diagnosis and
      participation in the study. The quantitative analysis of 564 participants for
      whom complete data were available, identified four clusters of illness
      representations as the most parsimonious description of the data. The mean
      profiles of these clusters were comparable with groups identified by the
      independent qualitative analysis, and predicted the trajectory of illness
      outcomes over the 1-year follow-up. Combining illness beliefs into discrete
      clusters may be more useful in understanding patterns of responding to illness
      than using analysis of illness beliefs dimensions independently.

PMID- 20309776
TI  - Lay views about medicines: the influence of the illness label for the use of
      generic versus brand.
AB  - The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate how different types of
      prescriptions using different illness labels may influence lay views about the
      use of generic or brand medicines. The participants were 882 Portuguese (both
      sexes) recruited from the general population, who completed a self-administered
      questionnaire. A vignette methodology was used in which different prescriptions
      (generic versus brand) were given for the same label (flu, hypertension, asthma
      and angina pectoris). The dependent variables were for each illness label: (a)
      the level of agreement with the prescription, (b) beliefs about the efficacy of a
      medicine and (c) beliefs about the relief of symptoms. There were main effects of
      the label and the type of prescription upon beliefs about the use of medicines.
      There were interactions between illness label and type of medicines. Labels which
      were perceived as more serious were associated with a lower belief in generic
      medicines. These results raise important questions concerning the need to
      consider illness perceptions of lay people (including perceived severity) and its
      relationship with perceptions of treatment for different conditions. Furthermore,
      these results may have implications for health-related behaviour in general, and
      in particular for communication between lay people and health professionals,
      prescribing behaviour, health costs and adherence to treatment.

PMID- 20309777
TI  - A volitional help sheet to increase physical activity in people with low
      socioeconomic status: A randomised exploratory trial.
AB  - Volitional help sheets use Gollwitzer's (1993) concept of implementation
      intentions as a vehicle to change behaviour using Prochaska and DiClemente's
      (1983) processes of change. The present study designed and tested a volitional
      help sheet to increase physical activity in a group with low socioeconomic status
      (low-SES). Sixty-eight people (33 women, 35 men; mean age 27) with low-SES were
      randomly allocated to either an experimental group or a control group. Both
      groups received a questionnaire and a volitional help sheet; the only difference
      between the experimental and control groups was that the former were given
      explicit instructions to link occasions on which they were tempted not to be
      physically active with appropriate behavioural responses (processes of change).
      Physical activity (Metabolic Equivalent minutes per week) was the main outcome
      measure; behavioural intention and self-efficacy were the secondary outcome
      measures. The findings revealed significant increase in physical activity in the
      experimental condition, relative to the control condition, F (1, 66) = 7.28, p <
      0.01, eta2(10) = 0.10, but no differences for social cognitive variables.
      Furthermore, the participants who were most responsive to the intervention
      engaged in more than three times the physical activity at baseline than those who
      received the intervention but did not subsequently change. The findings provide
      further support for volitional help sheets to change health behaviour and extend
      them to a group with low-SES. Further work is required to refine this
      intervention tool.

PMID- 20309778
TI  - A Q-methodological study of smoking identities.
AB  - In contrast to the psychological literature on adolescent smoking, little
      research has investigated the social identities of adult smokers. This study
      aimed to identify shared 'smoking identities' amongst a sample of 64 British
      smokers from different socio-economic groups using Q-methodology. Participants
      were asked to sort 70 items concerning smoking and smokers according to their
      agreement/disagreement with them. The 64 Q-sorts were then subjected to a by
      person factor analysis yielding six factors, with the first four interpretable
      factors being presented here. Each factor is understood to represent a distinct
      'identity position'. The first two, the 'addicted' smoker, and the 'in control'
      smoker, oriented around a biomedical model of smoking as an addictive health
      risk. The final two, the 'no big deal' smoker and the 'proud' smoker reflected
      alternative understandings and values. The identity positions also differed in
      the extent to which smoking was considered a core part of self-identity.
      Unpacking the 'smoking identities' of current smokers offers the opportunity to
      devise targeted health promotion.

PMID- 20309779
TI  - The relationship between religious/spiritual factors and perceived growth
      following a diagnosis of breast cancer.
AB  - This study investigates the role of religious salience, God image and religious
      coping in relation to perceived growth following a diagnosis of breast cancer.
      Eighty-seven breast cancer patients were followed from pre-diagnosis up to 24
      months post-surgery. The findings of this study provided limited support for the
      role of positive aspects of spirituality in relation to perceived growth.
      Religious involvement at pre-diagnosis was predictive of less growth at 24 months
      post-surgery while a positive image of God had no association with growth. While
      some forms of positive religious coping demonstrated positive associations,
      others evidenced no relationship or negative relationships with growth. Negative
      aspects of spirituality were more consistently related to growth with the nature
      of the association again depending on the type of negative spirituality being
      assessed. For example, passive deferral coping was related to less growth while
      spiritual discontent coping was related to greater growth across time. Such
      findings underscore the need to attend to negative aspects of spirituality from
      early on in the process of cancer adjustment as such expressions may have
      implications for women's ability to develop and maintain a positive perspective
      in their coping over the long-term.

PMID- 20309780
TI  - Who cares, who bears, who benefits? Female spouses vicariously carry the burden
      after cancer diagnosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Among couples coping with cancer diagnosis, the effects of
      gender, role (patient vs. spouse) and patient relationship status (single vs.
      partnered) on quality of life (QoL) have been investigated with inconsistent
      results. The present study examined the impact of gender, role and relationship
      status on male and female patients, their spouses and non-partnered patients.
      METHOD: A representative sample of 218 patients with a new primary cancer
      diagnosis (any type and stage) and their spouses (n = 137), were assessed within
      8 weeks of diagnosis. Measures assessed multiple QoL dimensions including health
      related and dyadic QoL as well as symptoms of distress: (anxiety, depression,
      intrusion, avoidance and hyperarousal). RESULTS: Multivariate analyses of
      covariance revealed lower QoL for women versus men, and for spouses versus
      patients on a number of measures (health-related QoL, satisfaction with dyadic
      coping, anxiety and intrusions). CONCLUSIONS: Female spouses of cancer patients
      are at high risk of deteriorated QoL immediately after diagnosis, and require
      special attention to their psychosocial care needs.

PMID- 20309781
TI  - Children's sense of coherence and trait emotional intelligence: a longitudinal
      study exploring the development of somatic complaints.
AB  - The objective of this study was to investigate the prospective relationships
      between sense of coherence, trait emotional intelligence and children's somatic
      complaints. The study included four waves of data collection with six months in
      between each wave. Participants were 324 girls and 393 boys (mean age = 10 years
      and 3 months, SD = 8.5 months) at the first time of data collection. The children
      filled out self-report questionnaires concerning their somatic complaints, sense
      of coherence and trait emotional intelligence. Multilevel model analyses were
      carried out that included cross-sectional and longitudinal effects of sense of
      coherence and trait emotional intelligence on children's somatic complaints. The
      results showed that higher levels of trait emotional intelligence and a stronger
      sense of coherence were associated with fewer somatic complaints in children.
      These relationships seemed to be bidirectional.

PMID- 20309782
TI  - Predictors of perceived social support in long-term survivors of cardiac
      transplant: the role of psychological distress, quality of life, demographic
      characteristics and clinical course.
AB  - AIM: To examine associations between perceived social support, quality of life,
      psychopathological, demographic and clinical variables in long-term heart
      transplant survivors. METHODS: Sixty six patients transplanted from 10.2 +/- 3.3
      years completed the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List, Symptom Questionnaire
      and World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF. Parameters of post-transplant
      medical course were retrieved. Spearman rank order correlation, Mann-Whitney U
      test, Kruskal-Wallis test and multiple regression analyses were performed.
      RESULTS: At multiple regression analyses SQ depression significantly predicted
      Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) total and appraisal scores (p =
      0.005 and p = 0.047), indicating better satisfaction for support in patients with
      less depressive symptoms. Low levels of depression and being married or living as
      married were significantly associated with better ISEL belonging (p = 0.03 and p
      = 0.008) and self-esteem (p < 0.001 and p = 0.038). Skin cancer significantly
      correlated with better tangible (p = 0.02) and total (p = 0.05) support. Social
      quality of life was positively associated with ISEL total (p < 0.01), appraisal
      (p < 0.05), belonging (p < 0.01) and tangible (p < 0.05) scores; yet, it
      significantly predicted none of the them. CONCLUSIONS: Depressive symptoms may
      worsen patients' satisfaction for their interpersonal support. Marital status
      seems to foster sense of belonging and self-esteem. The paucity of significant
      associations between ISEL and clinical parameters may reflect the caregivers'
      continuous provision of support regardless of clinical status.

PMID- 20309783
TI  - [New insights in the differential diagnosis of bladder pain syndrome].
AB  - The diagnosis of bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis (BPS/IC) is
      challenging, since pathogenetic mechanisms and the definition of clinical
      relevant parameters are still under lively discussion. The criteria recently
      proposed by the European Society for the Study of Interstitial Cystitis (ESSIC)
      define a collective of patients based on the cardinal symptom of bladder pain
      which is heterogeneous, and therefore cannot receive standardised consistent
      therapy. Thus an extended diagnosis based on molecular markers seems to be
      indicated to render individual pharmacotherapy possible, and to contribute to
      elucidation of BPS/IC pathogenesis. For this purpose we feel the vital need for
      taking a bladder biopsy. The diagnosis of BPS/IC should rely on 3 "columns": (1)
      clinical diagnostics; (2) histopathology; (3) molecular diagnostics/protein
      expression. Since a significant contribution of the 3 functional units of the
      bladder to the pathophysiology is most evident, the examinations should ideally
      include urothelium, lamina propria, and detrusor musculature. Generation of
      receptor profiles of the detrusor muscle represents a first attempt to define a
      diagnostic tool for the individualisation of BPS/IC pharmacotherapy. Other
      factors, e.g., beta-hCG expression in the urothelium, need further evaluation.
      Extended BPS/IC diagnostics could be realistically integrated into routine
      patient care within a clinic/laboratory network.

PMID- 20309784
TI  - [Preventive prepubic urethrectomy].

PMID- 20309785
TI  - Chronic flexibility improvement after 12 week of stretching program utilizing the
      ACSM recommendations: hamstring flexibility.
AB  - The ACSM flexibility training recommendations emphasize proper stretching of
      muscles supporting the major joints, but there is a little evidence to support
      this recommendation in terms of effectiveness, and which stretching parameters
      (technique and single stretch duration) are more adequate. A randomized
      controlled clinical trial design was use to investigate whether the ACSM
      flexibility training recommendation parameters improve hip flexion range of
      motion. A total of 173 subjects, 122 men (21.3+/-2.5 years; 176.33+/-8.35 cm;
      74.42+/-10.80 kg) and 51 women (20.7+/-1.6 years; 163.43+/-6.57 cm; 60.12+/-7.88
      kg), classified as recreationally active young adult university students were
      randomly assigned to 1 of 7 groups: 1 control group (no stretching) or 1 of 6
      stretching groups. All stretching groups performed 12 weeks of flexibility
      training with a consistent stretch daily dose (180 s) and frequency (3 days per
      week) parameters and different stretch technique (passive or active) and single
      stretch duration (15, 30, or 45 s). Hip flexion passive range of motion (PROM)
      was determined through the bilateral straight-leg raise test before, during (at 4
      and 8 weeks), and after the program (12 weeks). All stretching groups performed
      hip flexion PROM after flexibility training. A significant improvement was
      identified in mean PROM for each stretching group, but no significant differences
      were found between stretch technique and single stretch duration (p>0.05). The
      control group's mean PROM decreased (Delta PROM: -0.08 degrees, 95% confidence
      interval [CI]=-2.3 to 5.3), whereas all stretching groups increased PROM (Delta
      PROM: 15.14 degrees, 95% CI=10.19 to 23.56) in hip flexion after 12 weeks of
      stretching (p<0.05). The present study suggests that the current ACSM flexibility
      training recommendations are effective for improving hip flexion ROM in
      recreationally active young adults.

PMID- 20309786
TI  - Asymmetry of force fluctuation in knee extension.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate the asymmetry of force fluctuation
      and mechanomyogram (MMG) signal during low intensity isometric knee extension.
      Twelve healthy males (21+/-1 years) performed unilateral force matching tasks;
      sustained isometric knee extension for 15 s at levels corresponding to 10% and
      20% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) with the visual feedback of force. During
      the force matching tasks, MMG was detected by an accelerometer arrangement placed
      on the vastus lateralis. Power spectrum density of the MMG was obtained by the
      fast Fourier transformation method, and mean power frequency (MPF) was
      calculated. Force fluctuation, amplitude of MMG and MPF of MMG were significantly
      increased in 20% MVC task compared to the 10% MVC task in both limbs. Significant
      differences between stronger MVC limb and weaker MVC limb were not observed in
      force fluctuation, amplitude of MMG and MPF of MMG during 10% and 20% MVC tasks.
      These results suggest that the asymmetry of force steadiness during low intensity
      isometric knee extension was not observed because there was no difference
      regarding mechanical characteristics in active muscle between stronger and weaker
      limbs.

PMID- 20309787
TI  - [Cannabis use disorders].

PMID- 20309788
TI  - Central hypothyroidism due to malnutrition in a 6-year old girl.

PMID- 20309789
TI  - Continuous venovenous hemofiltration rapidly lowers toxic metabolites in a
      patient with MSUD and imminent cerebral herniation.
AB  - Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is an inborn error of amino acid metabolism.
      During catabolic stress encephalopathy and brain swelling that can culminate in
      brain herniation may occur. Beyond the neonatal period, these metabolic
      decompensations normally can be treated with a conservative dietary emergency
      regimen. Nevertheless in exceptionally severe cases also older patients may
      require extracorporeal interventions. We present the case of a 12-year-old
      patient with cerebral edema and imminent cerebral herniation. Continuous
      venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH) caused a prompt decrease of the toxic metabolite
      levels as well as an improvement of the patient's condition.

PMID- 20309790
TI  - [Lysosomal storage diseases - update and new therapeutic options].
AB  - Lysosomal storage diseases represent a group of about 50 genetic disorders. The
      deficiencies of lysosomal and non-lysosomal proteins cause an accumulation of
      compounds which are normally degraded within the lysosome. There are currently no
      therapeutic options to cure patients suffering from a lysosomal storage disease.
      Due to their progressive nature there is considerable morbidity and mortality.
      Thus, an early treatment to maintain major systemic functions is of utmost
      importance. While so far only symptomatic therapies are in use, the newly
      available enzyme replacement therapies offer a real causal approach for selected
      storage diseases. Many of these disorders are characterised by pathognomonic eye
      findings. Therefore, the ophthalmological examination provides the opportunity
      for an early and non-invasive diagnosis and a chance to initiate early treatment.
      This review is intended to give a survey of the most common lysosomal storage
      diseases, particularly with regard to ophthalmological changes as well as
      illustrate new therapeutic options.

PMID- 20309791
TI  - [Idiopathic non-specific orbital inflammation: anatomic classification and
      treatment options].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to identify the clinical presentation of
      idiopathic non-specific orbital inflammations (NSI) in relation to the anatomic
      pattern of involvement in the orbit and to evaluate the treatment options.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: 35 cases of patients with NSI were retrospectively
      reviewed. In all cases the diagnosis was confirmed by biopsy of the lesion. 10
      patients exhibited a severe amount of fibrosis in biopsy specimens in terms of an
      idiopathic sclerosing non-specific orbital inflammation (SNSI). The patients were
      treated with corticosteroids, radiotherapy or surgery (en-block excision or
      orbital decompression/debulking). Follow-up data were available for 27 / 35
      patients for a period of 2 to 24 months after initial diagnosis. RESULTS: The
      anatomic pattern of involvement was anterior in 7 / 35, intraconal in 5 / 35,
      diffuse in 1 / 35, apical in 2 / 35, and lacrimal in 20 / 35 patients. 16
      patients with NSI were initially treated with systemic corticosteroids. 12 / 16
      patients had a complete regression of symptoms, 1 / 16 patients had partial
      regression and 3 / 16 patients had no improvement. 4 patients with SNSI were
      initially treated with systemic corticosteroids. 3 / 4 patients with SNSI had no
      improvement under steroid therapy. 1 patient with SNSI received no treatment and
      no progression was observed on follow-up. 7 patients (3 with NSI and 4 with SNSI)
      were treated surgically. In 5 / 7 (2 with NSI and 3 with SNSI) surgical therapy
      was the initial treatment due to well-circumscribed lesions in orbital imaging,
      whereas in 2 / 7 orbital decompression with debulking was performed after failure
      of systemic corticosteroids. 5 / 7 patients had a complete resolution of
      symptoms, whereas 2 / 7 had a partial resolution with persistent postoperative
      diplopia. 3 patients were treated with radiotherapy. In 2 / 3 previous steroid
      therapy was unsuccessful in controlling the disease. 2 / 3 of these patients had
      complete regression and 1 / 3 partial regression of symptoms. CONCLUSIONS:
      Classification of NSI according to their anatomic pattern of involvement provides
      a useful framework for the clinical evaluation of these patients. Systemic
      steroids should be the first-line therapy in cases with NSI. However, if severe
      fibrosis in terms of SNSI is present, corticosteroid therapy is very likely to
      fail, so that surgical therapy should be considered early, especially in cases of
      relatively well-circumscribed lesions.

PMID- 20309792
TI  - Xanthohumol and related prenylated flavonoids inhibit inflammatory cytokine
      production in LPS-activated THP-1 monocytes: structure-activity relationships and
      in silico binding to myeloid differentiation protein-2 (MD-2).
AB  - Xanthohumol (XN) is a prenylated chalcone-type flavonoid found in hops and beer.
      Our objective of this study was to determine the anti-inflammatory activities of
      XN, isoxanthohumol (IX), and 15 related prenylated chalcones and flavanones, as
      well as their structure-activity relationships. The anti-inflammatory activities
      of the flavonoids were measured by their ability to inhibit lipopolysaccharide
      (LPS)-induced cytokine production in human monocytic THP-1 cells. The position,
      number, and length of the prenyl groups had a marked influence on the inhibitory
      activity of the prenylfavonoids towards MCP-1 and IL-6 production. The alpha,beta
      unsaturated carbonyl moiety present in chalcones such as XN was not an absolute
      requirement for inhibitory activity, as the saturated XN derivative,
      tetrahydroxanthohumol (TX), showed inhibitory activity comparable to XN. With the
      aim to determine the mechanism of the observed anti-inflammatory effects,
      cellular protein levels of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) were measured by Western
      blot 24 h following coexposure of THP-1 cells to LPS and either XN, TX, or IX.
      Only XN reduced the cellular TLR4 protein content. Therefore, an additional
      hypothesis was developed for an anti-inflammatory mechanism that involves the
      TLR4 coreceptor myeloid differentiation protein-2 (MD-2), which provides the
      actual binding site for LPS. Molecular docking studies showed that the
      complementarity of prenylated flavonoids with the hydrophobic MD-2 pocket
      (indicating goodness of fit) directly predicted their relative ability to inhibit
      MCP-1 and IL-6 production. In conclusion, prenylated flavonoids may suppress LPS
      induced TLR4 activation at least partly by interfering with LPS binding to the
      TLR4 coreceptor MD-2, and XN (but not other prenylflavonoids) exerts an
      additional anti-inflammatory effect by downregulating the cellular TLR4 protein
      content.

PMID- 20309793
TI  - Phytochemical characterization of Rhododendron ferrugineum and in vitro
      assessment of an aqueous extract on cell toxicity.
AB  - Within a systematic phytochemical investigation of the leaves of RHODODENDRON
      FERRUGINEUM L. (Ericaceae), the volatile oil was isolated (0.7 %) and its
      constituents were characterized. Eleven flavonoids were isolated and
      characterized, with quercetin 3- O-[6''- O-(2-methyl-1-oxobutyl)]-beta- D
      glucopyranoside and 2 R,3 R-dihydromyricetin 3- O- beta- L-arabinopyranoside as
      new natural products. Beside monomeric flavan-3-ols (catechin, epicatechin,
      gallocatechin, epigallocatechin) from the tannin fraction (about 3.5 % calculated
      as pyrogallol), the dimeric procyanidins B1 to B7 were identified, as well as the
      trimeric compounds procyanidin C1, epicatechin-(4 beta -> 8)-epicatechin-(4 beta 
      > 8)-catechin and the trimeric A type-linked cinnamtannin B1. Additionally,
      phloroacetophenon 4- O- beta- D-glucopyranoside and chlorogenic acid were
      isolated. Water-soluble carbohydrates comprised about 13.5 % of the dried leaves,
      including fructans (3 %), polysaccharides (1 %) (mainly type II
      arabinogalactans), glucose, fructose, sucrose, stachyose and raffinose. The IN
      VITRO effects on cellular vitality (MTT test), proliferation (BrdU incorporation)
      and necrosis (LDH release) of an aqueous extract were investigated. The extract
      did not exert any toxic effects, while the vitality and the proliferation rates
      of epithelial HaCaT keratinocytes were significantly increased at 100 ug/mL,
      indicating that the aqueous extract does not have negative effects against
      cellular activity.

PMID- 20309794
TI  - Arisanschinins A-E, lignans from Schisandra arisanensis hay.
AB  - Four new oxygenated dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans, arisanschinins A-D ( 1- 4),
      and a new 1,4-bis(phenyl)-2,3-dimethylbutane lignan, arisanschinin E ( 5),
      together with 15 known compounds, were isolated from the EtOAc-soluble fraction
      of the aerial parts of SCHISANDRA ARISANENSIS Hay. The structures of 1- 5 were
      elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses, including 2D NMR
      (HMQC, HMBC, and NOESY) experiments. The configurations of the biphenyl and
      octadiene moieties were deduced from circular dichroism (CD) and NOESY spectra,
      respectively. Compound 1 showed significant inhibition of alpha-glucosidase IN
      VITRO. The radical-scavenging activities of these compounds were evaluated using
      DPPH.

PMID- 20309795
TI  - Bisnortriterpenoids possessing an 18-Nor-schiartane skeleton from Schisandra
      propinqua var. propinqua.
AB  - Six C (28) triterpenoids with an 18-nor-schiartane framework were isolated from
      the aerial parts of SCHISANDRA PROPINQUA var. PROPINQUA. The new compounds,
      propindilactones P-S ( 1- 4), were structurally characterized by extensive
      spectroscopic methods. New compounds 2 and 3, together with known
      wuweizidilactones B and H ( 5- 6), were evaluated for their anti-HBV activity.

PMID- 20309796
TI  - The antinociceptive effect of a benzopyran (HP1) isolated from Hypericum
      polyanthemum in mice hot-plate test is blocked by naloxone.
AB  - Several species of the genus Hypericum (Guttiferae) have been used for analgesic
      purposes all over the world and some of them have demonstrated to possess this
      effect in rodents. This study describes the antinociceptive effect of the
      cyclohexane extract from aerial parts of H. polyanthemum (POL) as well as of
      benzopyrans, 6-isobutyryl-5,7-dimethoxy-2,2-dimethyl-benzopyran (HP1), 7-hydroxy
      6-isobutyryl-5-methoxy-2,2-dimethyl-benzopyran (HP2), and 5-hydroxy-6-isobutyryl
      7-methoxy-2,2-dimethyl-benzopyran (HP3), which are the main components of POL.
      The antinociceptive effect was evaluated through hot-plate and writhing tests in
      mice, and the opioid system involvement was assessed by using naloxone (2.5
      mg/kg, s.c.) antagonism. In the hot-plate test, POL (45, 90, 180 mg/kg, p.o)
      showed a dose-dependent effect, and out of the benzopyrans only HP1 (30, 60, 90
      mg/kg, i.p.) was active. Its effect was also dose-dependent, with the maximum
      reached at 60 mg/kg. HP1 60 mg/kg (p.o.) also inhibited acetic acid-induced
      writhing in 58%. The pretreatment with naloxone abolished the antinociceptive
      effect of HP1 60 mg/kg (i.p) in the hot plate. Furthermore, the H. polyanthemum
      cyclohexane extract and HP1 did not affect the mice performance in the rota-rod
      apparatus suggesting that at antinociceptive doses they do not present gross
      neurotoxicity nor induce motor impairment. From these data it is reasonable to
      assume that the benzopyran HP1 accounts for the H. polyanthemum cyclohexane
      extract antinociceptive effect, and this effect is, at least in part, mediated by
      an opioid-like mechanism.

PMID- 20309797
TI  - Development of a coculture system to evaluate the bioactivity of plant extracts
      on pancreatic beta-cells.
AB  - Natural plant extracts are candidates for the development of new functional
      foods. Most of them are usually complex mixtures of molecules of uncertain
      bioavailability that are often partially metabolized before they finally reach
      the target cells IN VIVO. IN VITRO studies of the bioactivity of these extracts
      suggest that their direct application to some cell cultures might be a long way
      from becoming a reality. To overcome this limitation, we seeded Caco-2 cells onto
      culture inserts and after 21 days, cocultured these with INS-1E on the base of
      the well. After 24 hours of coculture, TEER (transepithelium electrical
      resistance) measurements indicated no changes in the permeability of the Caco-2
      barrier. We also found no changes in either the ability of Caco-2 cells to
      metabolize the flavan-3-ol component of a grape-seed procyanidin-rich extract, or
      in the flavanols' ability to pass through the barrier. However, the expression of
      the Caco-2 SGLT-1 gene increased due to the coculture. GSIS (glucose stimulated
      insulin secretion) was maintained in the INS-1E cells with higher levels of
      insulin secretion despite the fact that the insulin gene expression was
      unmodified by the cocultivation. Furthermore, we found that in some of the assays
      requiring several medium changes there was a tendency to lose beta-cells. Neutral
      red assay showed that seeded cells should only be cocultured for a short time to
      obtain a higher consistency. In conclusion, four hours coculture with Caco-2
      cells and INS-1E is a suitable method for checking the bioactivity of natural
      plant extracts of unknown bioavailability on beta-cells.

PMID- 20309798
TI  - Fo shou san, an ancient herbal decoction prepared from rhizoma chuanxiong and
      radix angelicae sinensis, stimulates the production of hemoglobin and
      erythropoietin in cultured cells.
AB  - Fo Shou San (FSS) is an ancient herbal decoction comprised of Rhizoma Chuanxiong
      (RC; Chuanxiong) and Radix Angelicae Sinensis (RAS; Danggui) in a ratio of 2 : 3.
      It is mainly prescribed for patients having a blood deficiency. This combination
      is considered the most popular herb pair among Chinese medicines; however, the
      rationale of having these two chemically similar herbs within the decoction has
      historically not been made clear. Here, we attempted to reveal the chemical and
      biological properties of this decoction as a means to deduce its mechanism of
      action. The effects of FSS were determined in different cell culture models. With
      respect to stimulation of blood circulation, FSS inhibited ADP-mediated platelet
      aggregation in a dose-dependent manner. In order to reveal the hematopoietic
      effect of this decoction, FSS was applied onto cultured K562 human leukemia cells
      and Hep3B human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Application of FSS in cultured
      K562 cells inhibited cell proliferation and subsequently induced the production
      of hemoglobin. Additionally, the mRNA expression of erythropoietin (EPO) was
      induced in a dose-dependent manner when FSS was applied to Hep3B cells. The
      current results reveal the effects of FSS in different cell models, paving a
      direction for mechanistic studies.

PMID- 20309799
TI  - Two prenylated and C-methylated flavonoids from Tripterygium wilfordii.
AB  - Two unusual prenylated and C-methylated flavanones, (+/-)-5,4'-dihydroxy-2'
      methoxy-6',6''- dimethypyrano-(2'',3'':7,8)-6-methyflavanone ( 1) and (2 S)
      5,7,4'-trihydroxy-2'-methoxy-8,5'- di(3-methyl-2-butenyl)-6-methyflavanone ( 2),
      and 10 known compounds were isolated from the stems and roots of TRIPTERYGIUM
      WILFORDII. Their structures were elucidated based on spectroscopic analyses
      including 1- and 2-D NMR, HR-ESI-MS, CD, and x-ray crystallography. The anti
      inflammatory, antiproliferative, and antibacterial activities of compounds 1 and
      2 were investigated. Compound 2 had an inhibitory effect on lipopolysaccharides
      (LPS)-triggered RAW cell nitric oxide (NO) production, with an IC (50) value of
      15.0 +/- 0.7  uM. Both compounds showed moderate antiproliferative activity
      against the tumor cell lines HT-29 and ZR-75-1.

PMID- 20309800
TI  - [Compulsive hoarding - a literature review].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of empirical findings with regard to compulsive
      hoarding. METHODS: A systematic literature search of medical and psychological
      journals was conducted using PubMed. Relevant publications from the reference
      lists and recent books were also identified and included. RESULTS: The article
      reviews the phenomenology, diagnosis, etiology, neurobiology, prevalence,
      conceptualization, and treatment of compulsive hoarding. Compulsive hoarding is
      characterized by excessive acquisition, difficulty discarding possessions,
      clutter that precludes activities for which living spaces where designed and it
      causes significant distress, family and socioeconomic burden. Neuropsychological
      studies and neuroimaging indicate dysfunction of the anterior cingulated cortex
      and other ventral and medial prefrontal cortical areas. CONCLUSIONS: Further
      research is required to resolve the controversy as to whether compulsive hoarding
      is characteristic of a subtype of OCD or an unique syndrome and to develop
      disorder specific treatments.

PMID- 20309801
TI  - Outcome of craniocerebral gunshot injuries in the civilian population. Prognostic
      factors and treatment options.
AB  - AIM: Gunshot wounds to the head are rare in Europe. They may be inflicted by low
      velocity handguns, captive bolt guns and tear gas cartridges and mostly result
      from suicide attempts. The experience of neurosurgeons with this kind of
      traumatic injury is decreasing; the aim of this study was therefore to analyse
      prognostic factors which help to decide whether or not to operate and to discuss
      treatment options. METHODS: Thirty patients with gunshot head injuries treated in
      our hospital from 1993 to 2008 were retrospectively evaluated. Glasgow Coma Scale
      (GCS) score, pupil reactivity, lesion localisation, number of bone fragments,
      intracranial pressure (ICP), midline shift, hypotension, and dural penetration
      were analysed for their prognostic value. Surgically and non-surgically treated
      patients were evaluated separately. Complications were registered. RESULTS: A low
      GCS of 3-8, fixed pupils, >2 bone fragments, bilobar or posterior fossa/brainstem
      lesions and ICP >45 mmHg were indicators of a poor prognosis. CONCLUSION:
      Patients with a GCS of 3-8 and two non-reactive pupils should not be operated. If
      one or both of the pupils are reactive, surgery should be performed irrespective
      of the GCS score, except in patients with translobar/transventricular wounds.
      Even if there are no clear contraindications to surgery, the outcome is expected
      to be poor in patients with a low GCS score, midline shift >10 mm, >2 bone
      fragments in the brain, and a bilobar, posterior fossa/brainstem or ventricular
      lesion and ICP >45 mmHg. When surgery is performed the wound and the missile or
      bone track should be debrided meticulously, the wound and dura should be closed
      in a watertight fashion and antibiotic prophylaxis as well as tetanus serum
      should be given.

PMID- 20309802
TI  - Versatility of chimeric flap based on thoracodorsal vessels incorporating
      vascularized scapular bone and latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap in
      reconstructing lower-extremity bone defects due to osteomyelitis.
AB  - To treat lower-extremity osteomyelitis secondary to trauma, bone and soft tissue
      can be grafted at the same time using microsurgical techniques. We investigate
      the use of chimeric flaps based on thoracodorsal vessels incorporating
      vascularized scapular bone and latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap to reconstruct
      bone and soft-tissue defects of the lower leg due to osteomyelitis. Ten patients
      with lower-extremity bone and soft-tissue defects due to osteomyelitis were
      treated. Vascularized scapular bones were raised on the angular branch of the
      thoracodorsal artery. Latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flaps were elevated
      simultaneously to reconstruct the soft tissue defects. All patients tolerated the
      procedure well. One patient developed an early venous thrombosis, which was
      successfully treated by thrombectomy. Mean follow-up time was 7 years and 8
      months. Bone union without refracture was observed in all patients. The mean time
      required for bone union after surgery was 13.5 weeks. Donor-site morbidity was
      minimal. Chimeric flaps based on thoracodorsal vessels incorporating vascularized
      scapular bone and latissimus dorsi myocutaneous are safe and effective in the
      repair of lower-extremity bone and soft-tissue defects caused by osteomyelitis.

PMID- 20309803
TI  - A novel technique for lower extremity limb salvage: the vastus lateralis muscle
      flap with concurrent use of the vacuum-assisted closure device.
AB  - Free tissue transfer is an essential component of lower extremity limb
      reconstruction and has dramatically improved salvage attempts. In this report, we
      examine the use of the underutilized free vastus lateralis muscle flap and
      describe our treatment protocol that involves a novel application for the vacuum
      assisted closure device in an effort to reduce edema and congestion in lower
      extremity limb salvage. Thirteen patients underwent reconstruction with 14 vastus
      lateralis flaps with closure occurring on average 35.2 days after injury and an
      average case duration of 4:34 days. We report one flap failure, one superficial
      abscess, and one donor site hematoma. All patients were ambulatory at 6 months.
      Our early experience using this underutilized flap and novel protocol demonstrate
      successful lower extremity reconstruction with few complications, and good
      function and contour. Given its advantages, this versatile flap should be
      included as an option in lower extremity limb salvage operations.

PMID- 20309804
TI  - [Concordance of the Gleason score in prostate multibiopsy and definitive
      histology].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Due to an insufficient mean agreement between the Gleason score (GS)
      revealed from multibiopsy and definitive histology after radical prostatectomy
      (RP) of merely about 45 %, a modification of the GS including an elimination of
      GS 2-4 was -accomplished in 2005. The aim of the present study was to evaluate
      the concordance of GS and WHO grading in biopsy and definitive histology and to 
      determine parameters influencing the diagnostic accuracy of the biopsy and the
      prognosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Within a 10-year-period before modification of
      the GS, radical prostatectomy was performed in 856 patients (study group, SG;
      mean age 64.2 years). The grade of agreement between GS and WHO grading in biopsy
      and definitive histology was calculated by kappa statistics (kappa) (for the
      complete and single time -periods). Furthermore, we assessed the univariable and
      multivariable influence of different preoperatively available parameters on
      disease-free survival (DFS). The mean follow-up period was 39 months (range: 10
      139 months). RESULTS: Undergrading of GS and WHO grading decreased continuously
      within the three time -periods in favour of a higher agreement regarding the
      histological results revealed from biopsy and definitive histology. However, we
      found only a poor to moderate agreement in the complete time period (kappa values
      of 0.354 for GS and 0.404 for WHO grading) that - with regard to both parameters 
      was improved by an increased number of biopsy cores taken. PSA value, clinical 
      tumour stage, number of positive cores (dichotomised at 34 %), annual RP case
      load (dichotomised at 75), and GS revealed an independent significant influence
      on DFS. Patients with GS 2-4 in the biopsy exhibited an upgrade to GS > or = 7 in
      only 5.7 %, and -showed, -independent of the definitive histology, a
      significantly better prognosis in comparison with patients presenting with a
      higher GS. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study again suggest the
      independent prognostic impact of the GS revealed from biopsy. However, the
      concordance with the GS in the definitive histology remains deficient and is
      improvable by taking a higher number of biopsy cores. Although the elimination of
      GS 2-4 might be comprehensible for the pathologist's purpose, it results in a
      considerable loss of pretherapeutic prognostic information.

PMID- 20309805
TI  - [Solitary fibrous tumor of the seminal vesicle].
AB  - A 56-year-old man presented to our hospital with a pelvic mass. The tumor was
      diagnosed to occur from right seminal vesicle and to be a benign solitary fibrous
      tumor by transrectal tumor biopsy. The tumor enlarged during follow up, and he
      under-went resection of the tumor.

PMID- 20309806
TI  - [Hiatoplasty reinforcement by means of a lightweight titanized polypropylene mesh
      fixed with fibrin glue].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Suture-based hiatoplasty is associated with a high recurrence rate.
      Using meshes of different shapes and materials to reinforce these sutures reduces
      the risk of recurrences. On the other hand morbidity attributable to the suture
      and tack fixation of these meshes has been observed during the development phase
      of these techniques. Moreover, there are some experimental and clinical data
      about mesh migration into the oesophageus. For this reason we analysed the
      outcome of our patients who underwent a mesh-reinforced hiatoplasty with a
      lightweight titanised polypropylene mesh fixed by fibrin glue. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: All the patients who under-went a mesh-reinforcement between 3 / 2006
      and 12 / 2007 were collected retrospectively. The hiatoplasty was reinforced by
      means of a lightweight titanised polypropylene mesh that had been designed
      especially for that purpose (TiSure(r), GfE). Mesh fixation was performed with 2 
      mL of fibrin glue (Tissucol(r), Baxter). Postoperative data were elucidated for
      all patients via their general practitioner or by interviewing the patients by
      telephone using a dedicated questionnaire. RESULTS: 26  patients with a median
      age of 58  years and a median BMI of 27.5 kg / m2 underwent laparoscopic mesh
      reinforced hiatoplasty. There were 15  axial and 11  paraoesophageal hernias, in
      5  cases with upside-down stomach and in 4  cases recurrent hernias. 15  patients
      underwent an additional dorsal 270 degrees -fundoplication, the remaining 11
      patients had a fundophrenicopexy, with conversion taking place in 2  cases. The
      median follow-up was 34.3  months. 3  patients suffered from dysphagia, 1  of
      them had to be re-operated and has been free of symptoms since then. 2  patients
      suffered from mild gastrooesophageal reflux which was treated conservatively. So
      far no mesh migration and no recurrences have been seen. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the
      short observation time, this study indicates the patients are not exposed to any
      danger by the lightweight titanised polypropylene mesh. Moreover, the mesh
      appears to enhance hiatorrhaphy safety even in the presence of extensive hiatal
      hernias as well as in the case of an upside-down stomach.

PMID- 20309807
TI  - [Erosive bleeding of the cystic artery into a cholecysto-colic fistula as a rare
      cause of acute gastrointestinal bleeding].
AB  - Acute gastrointestinal bleeding is one of the most frequent medical emergencies.
      The most common causes are inflammations, ulcers, neoplasms and angiodysplasias.
      They can usually be diagnosed and treated via endoscopy, but less frequent
      causes, which require increased diagnostic and therapeutic efforts, must also be
      considered. We present the case of a 53-year-old patient with gastrointestinal
      bleeding. He was diagnosed with transverse colon bleeding in another hospital. A
      bleeding diverticulum was assumed. Following admission to our hospital, a
      bleeding through the ampulla of Vater was discovered via gastroscopy. The CT scan
      showed arterial bleeding into the gallbladder. We immediately performed a
      laparotomy and found a cholecysto-colic fistula as the cause of the bleeding into
      the transverse colon.

PMID- 20309808
TI  - [Mesh-wrapping of a traumatised liver with active bleeding: a subsequent
      complication--obstruction of the inferior vena cava].
AB  - In multiply traumatised patients injuries of the -liver are frequently seen.
      Depending on location and extent of the trauma, different techniques can be
      applied. In the presented case of a central liver trauma in a 21-year-old man
      with active bleeding, mesh-wrapping of both liver lobes was applied to achieve
      control of the bleeding. Postoperatively the patient developed constant
      hypertension, oliguria and severe anasarka of the lower half of the body caused
      by a near total obstruction of the inferior vena cava. After removal of the
      wrappings, all symptoms slowly disappeared. This case and the findings in similar
      cases in the literature suggest that there is an indication for wrapping a
      traumatised liver rather with diffuse and peripheral bleeding than with a central
      liver trauma.

PMID- 20309809
TI  - Combination therapy in the treatment of schizophrenia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the international guidelines for the treatment of
      schizophrenia recommend antipsychotic monotherapy as the treatment of choice,
      many schizophrenia patients receive two or more antipsychotics in clinical
      practice, while co-treatment with antidepressants, mood stabilizers and
      benzodiazepines is also common. AIM: The aim of the present review is to
      summarize the results of the randomized controlled trials of combination therapy
      versus monotherapy in schizophrenia and to discuss possible implications of these
      results. DISCUSSION: Altogether, recommendations are based upon theoretical
      assumptions rather than upon evidence-based knowledge regarding the combination
      of different antipsychotics or antipsychotics with other psychotropic agents in
      schizophrenia treatment, since the available studies reveal conflicting results.
      The augmentation with antidepressants for the treatment of persisting negative
      symptoms and with mood stabilizers in patients with additional affective symptoms
      seems to be a successful strategy. CONCLUSIONS: Further randomized controlled
      trials are warranted to provide substantial evidence and to suggest combination
      strategies for treatment-resistant schizophrenia.

PMID- 20309810
TI  - Bupropion-associated premature ejaculation.

PMID- 20309817
TI  - [Editorial address at the beginning of the new decade].

PMID- 20309819
TI  - Imaging of active multiple sclerosis plaques: efficiency of contrast-enhanced
      magnetization transfer subtraction technique.
AB  - PURPOSE: T1-weighted (T1W) magnetic resonance images with magnetization transfer
      (MT) are widely used in the evaluation of multiple sclerosis (MS) plaques. We
      aimed to evaluate the contribution of the subtraction technique with MT in the
      detection of acute MS plaques. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-four patients during
      an MS attack were enrolled in the study. Axial T1W spin echo (SE) with MT, axial
      sagittal T2W fast SE, axial FLAIR and postcontrast axial T1W SE magnetic
      resonance imaging sequence with MT were acquired from all patients. The
      subtraction (postcontrast-precontrast) images were obtained on the workstation.
      FLAIR and T2W images were used as reference for plaque imaging. Contrast material
      enhanced plaques were considered as acute plaques. Qualitatively, both subtracted
      and contrast-enhanced with MT images were evaluated visually. Quantitatively,
      signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were calculated.
      RESULTS: A total of 464 plaques were detected on T2W and FLAIR images. Thirty
      five acute plaques were detected on both postcontrast MT and subtracted images.
      Additionally, 66 acute plaques were only detected on subtracted images visually.
      CNR and SNR values of acute MS plaques were significantly higher on subtracted MT
      images than on postcontrast MT images (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The subtraction
      technique seems to facilitate the detection of acute MS plaques by intensifying
      the visibility of poorly enhanced plaques without use of high dose contrast
      medium. We suggest the use of subtraction technique in routine imaging work-up of
      MS patients with acute attacks.

PMID- 20309820
TI  - Improvement of a popcorn population using selection indexes from a fourth cycle
      of recurrent selection program carried out in two different environments.
AB  - We estimated genetic gains for popcorn varieties using selection indexes in a
      fourth cycle of intrapopulation recurrent selection developed in the campus of
      the Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense. Two hundred full-sib families were
      obtained from the popcorn population UNB-2U of the third recurrent selection
      cycle. The progenies were evaluated in a randomized block design with two
      replications at sites in two different environments: the Colegio Estadual
      Agricola Antonio Sarlo, in Campos dos Goytacazes, and the Empresa de Pesquisa
      Agropecuaria do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (PESAGRO-RIO), in Itaocara, both in the
      State of Rio de Janeiro. There were significant differences between families
      within sets in all traits, indicating genetic variability that could be exploited
      in future cycles. Thirty full-sib families were selected to continue the program.
      The selection indexes used to predict the gains were those of Mulamba and Mock,
      Smith and Hazel. The best results were obtained with the Mulamba and Mock index,
      which allowed the prediction of negative gains for the traits number of diseased
      ears and ears attacked by pests, number of broken plants and lodging, as well as
      ears with poor husk cover. It also provided higher gains for popping expansion
      and grain yield than with the other indexes, giving values of 10.55 and 8.50%,
      respectively, based on tentatively assigned random weights.

PMID- 20309821
TI  - Overexpression of type-A rice response regulators, OsRR3 and OsRR5, results in
      lower sensitivity to cytokinins.
AB  - Response regulators are part of a two-component regulatory system. The type-A
      Arabidopsis response regulators act as negative regulators. To understand the
      function of type-A response regulators in the model monocot plant, rice (Japonica
      cultivar-group: Zhonghua11), we overexpressed two type-A OsRR genes, OsRR3 and
      OsRR5 (pACT1:OsRR3 and pACT1:OsRR5). We hoped to gain insight into their
      molecular function in cytokinin-signaling pathways. Both OsRR3 and OsRR5
      overexpressors had longer roots and more lateral roots compared with Zhonghua11,
      when treated with exogenous cytokinin. Using callus formation and chlorophyll
      content assays, we found that Zhonghua11 was more sensitive to cytokinin compared
      with other cultivars of rice, expressing high transcript levels of OsRR3 and
      OsRR5. The expression of most type-A OsRR genes was repressed by OsRR3 and OsRR5
      overexpression. However, semi-quantitative RT-PCR showed that three type-A OsRR
      genes showed increased expression. Our results suggest that both OsRR3 and OsRR5
      mainly act as negative regulators of cytokinin signaling, as indicated by the
      reduced sensitivity of OsRR3 and OsRR5 overexpressors to exogenous cytokinins.

PMID- 20309822
TI  - Benefits of kinesiotherapy and aquatic rehabilitation on sickle cell anemia. A
      case report.
AB  - The process of hemoglobin polymerization and the consequent sickling of red blood
      cells that occurs in patients with sickle cell disease shortens the half-life of
      red blood cells. It causes vaso-occlusive complications, as well as pain and
      pulmonary and cardiovascular dysfunction. We evaluated an aquatic rehabilitation
      program used for patients with sickle cell anemia and examined the possible
      benefits that exercise in warm water has for the circulatory system, for
      relieving pain, and for increasing lung capacity. The patient was a 32-year-old
      female. The parameters that we used in this study include respiratory muscle
      strength (which was calculated by measuring maximum inspiratory pressures and
      maximum expiratory pressures), the McGill and Wisconsin pain questionnaires (in
      order to evaluate the patients' characterizations and descriptions of their
      pain), and the SF-36 Health Survey. The treatment included warm water exercises,
      stretching, aerobic exercise, and relaxation, during two sessions of 45 min per
      week for 5 weeks. The patient experienced a significant decrease in pain, a
      significant increase in the strength of respiratory muscles, and improved quality
      of life. We conclude that aquatic rehabilitation can be used to improve the
      clinical condition of sickle cell anemia patients, and we encourage more research
      on this new treatment regime, in comparison with other types of therapies.

PMID- 20309823
TI  - Karyotypic evolution trends in Rhamdia quelen (Siluriformes, Heptapteridae) with
      considerations about the origin and differentiation of its supernumerary
      chromosomes.
AB  - Among catfish species of the genus Rhamdia reported for the Brazilian territory,
      R. quelen is the most widespread, being found in nearly all hydrographic basins
      of Brazil. Nowadays, R. quelen is a synonym for at least 47 other species in this
      genus, its taxonomic status still being controversial. The available cytogenetic
      reports show a wide variation in the karyotypic macrostructure, with the frequent
      presence of supernumerary chromosomes. The remarkable cytogenetic variability
      associated with taxonomic issues in this species indicates that R. quelen is
      actually a species complex. In order to carry out a wide comparative cytogenetic
      study in R. quelen from southern and southeastern Brazil and examine a species
      complex, we analyzed the chromosomes of 14 populations from the main hydrographic
      basins of these two regions. Using classic and molecular cytogenetic techniques,
      we found seven distinct karyotypic formulae, all bearing 2n = 58 chromosomes.
      Supernumerary chromosomes were present in most of the populations; their number,
      size and C-banding pattern allowed us to differentiate populations with similar
      karyotypic compositions. We examined patterns of chromosomal evolution as well as
      the probable mechanisms involved in the origin and morphological differentiation
      of their supernumerary chromosomes.

PMID- 20309824
TI  - Optimization of DNA extraction from seeds and fresh leaf tissues of wild marigold
      (Tagetes minuta) for polymerase chain reaction analysis.
AB  - Tagetes, a genus of flowering marigolds in the family Asteraceae (Compositeae),
      is reported to be a medicinal plant with hypotensive, spasmolytic, anti
      inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antifungal properties. Tagetes minuta
      characteristically contains high concentrations of essential oils, flavonoids,
      polyphenols, and polysaccharides that interfere with DNA, causing erroneous or no
      PCR products. We tested and modified various standard protocols in an effort to
      isolate high-quality DNA from different plant tissues of T. minuta. We used sun
      dried, shade-dried and fresh-leaf tissues, as well as seeds for DNA analysis. The
      DNA obtained from seeds and fresh-leaf tissues with a modified
      cetyltrimethylammonium bromide buffer protocol was of good quality, with no
      colored pigments and contaminants. We were able to obtain good quality DNA from
      fresh leaf tissues without using liquid nitrogen. A relatively large amount of
      DNA was also extracted from the sun- and shade-dried tissues, but its quality was
      not as good as that from seeds. The DNA extracted from seeds and fresh leaves was
      successfully amplified by PCR using arbitrary RAPD primers. The same protocol
      will probably be useful for extracting high-molecular weight DNA from other plant
      materials containing large amounts of secondary metabolites and essential oils.

PMID- 20309825
TI  - Identifying the molecular basis of functions in the transcriptome of the social
      amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum.
AB  - The unusual life cycle of Dictyostelium discoideum, in which an extra-cellular
      stressor such as starvation induces the development of a multicellular fruiting
      body consisting of stalk cells and spores from a culture of identical amoebae,
      provides an excellent model for investigating the molecular control of
      differentiation and the transition from single- to multi-cellular life, a key
      transition in development. We utilized serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE),
      a molecular method that is unbiased by dependence on previously identified genes,
      to obtain a transcriptome from a high-density culture of amoebae, in order to
      examine the transition to multi-cellular development. The SAGE method provides
      relative expression levels, which allows us to rank order the expressed genes. We
      found that a large number of ribosomal proteins were expressed at high levels,
      while various components of the proteosome were expressed at low levels. The only
      identifiable transmembrane signaling system components expressed in amoebae are
      related to quorum sensing, and their expression levels were relatively low. The
      most highly expressed gene in the amoeba transcriptome, dutA untranslated RNA, is
      a molecule with unknown function that may serve as an inhibitor of translation.
      These results suggest that high-density amoebae have not initiated development,
      and they also suggest a mechanism by which the transition into the development
      program is controlled.

PMID- 20309826
TI  - Gelling agents and culture vessels affect in vitro multiplication of banana
      plantlets.
AB  - Agar is the most commonly used gelling agent in media for plant tissue culture.
      Because of the high price of tissue-culture-grade agar, attempts have been made
      to identify suitable alternatives. The type of culture vessel and lid also
      affects the gaseous composition inside the vessel as well as light penetration.
      In turn, the vessel affects growth parameters, such as shoot elongation,
      proliferation and fresh weight, as well as hyperhydric degradation processes. We
      examined the effects of different culture vessels, including commercial glass
      jars, magenta boxes, and disposable containers, as well as different gelling
      agents (agar-agar, Agargel, Phytagel, and plant agar) on the micropropagation of
      Dwarf Cavendish bananas in an effort to find a combination that yields large
      numbers of high-quality seedlings. The different culture vessels did not
      significantly affect seedling culture success. The medium significantly affected
      shoot weight. Phytagel resulted in the highest shoot weight (overall mean = 2.4
      g), while agar, Agargel and plant agar resulted in 1.7, 2.2 and 2.2 g,
      respectively. Disposable container/Phytagel and Magenta/Agargel combinations
      yielded the highest shoot weights (2.9 and 3.0 g, respectively). Mean shoot
      length increased progressively with subculture (four subcultures were made). The
      highest mean shoot length was obtained with Phytagel and Agargel media (6.4 and
      6.3 cm, respectively). Shoot number was significantly affected by medium only at
      subculture 4. Overall, the highest mean shoot length was obtained with the
      Magenta/Agargel combination (8.5 cm). Phytagel and plant agar gave higher mean
      shoot number than agar and Agargel (2.1, 2.1 and 1.7 and 1.9, respectively). The
      costs of the media and of the culture vessels need to be taken into account for
      final choice of the banana shoot culture system.

PMID- 20309827
TI  - Abnormal hemoglobin phenotypes in carriers of mild anemia in Latin America.
AB  - We looked for abnormal hemoglobins in blood samples sent for diagnosis of anemia.
      Identification of the hemoglobins was made using electrophoretic, chromatographic
      and molecular procedures. The 2020 blood samples were of patients from various
      regions of Brazil and from some other Latin American countries. Among the
      abnormal hemoglobins that we found, 3.5% are known to be rare, while 51% had an
      electrophoretic profile similar to that of Hb S at alkaline pH. Differentiation
      was possible only by combining electrophoretic and chromatographic methods. Hb
      Hasharon, an alpha globin chain mutant, was the most frequently found variant
      hemoglobin; it accounted for 14.3% of the abnormal DNA samples. The other
      abnormal hemoglobin phenotypes displayed distinct electrophoretic profiles; most
      of them migrated faster than Hb A. The frequencies of the different abnormal
      hemoglobin profiles that we found reflect the miscegenation of the Latin American
      population and indicate the importance of hemoglobin studies using various
      methods in combination for accurate diagnosis and appropriate counseling of
      carriers and their families.

PMID- 20309828
TI  - Karyological features of wild and cultivated forms of myrtle (Myrtus communis,
      Myrtaceae).
AB  - Myrtle is an evergreen shrub or small tree widespread throughout the
      Mediterranean region. In Turkey, both cultivated and wild forms, differing in
      plant and fruit size and fruit composition, can be found. These differences may
      have resulted from the domestication of the cultivated form over a long period of
      time. We investigated whether wild and cultivated forms of myrtle differ in
      karyological features (i.e., number of somatic chromosomes and relative genome
      size). We sampled two wild forms and six cultivated types of myrtle. All the
      samples had the same chromosome number (2n = 2x = 22). The results were confirmed
      by 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) flow cytometry. Only negligible variation
      (approximately 3%) in relative fluorescence intensity was observed among the
      different myrtle accessions, with wild genotypes having the smallest values. We
      concluded that despite considerable morphological differentiation, cultivated and
      wild myrtle genotypes in Turkey have similar karyological features.

PMID- 20309829
TI  - [Migraine and gestation: a complex relationship].

PMID- 20309830
TI  - Serotonin transporter gene polymorphisms and auditory hallucinations in
      psychosis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: To study the role of the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) in the
      emotional processing of auditory hallucinations can be particularly important to
      better understand the pathophysiology of auditory hallucinations. Moreover, a
      poly-morphism located in this gene (5-HTTLPR) has been previously associated with
      different disorders related to altered emotional responses. The aim of this study
      was to evaluate the relationship between different polymorphisms of the SLC6A4
      gene and different aspects of auditory hallucinations in schizophrenic patients,
      with a special consideration toward the emotional response to auditory
      hallucinations. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Two samples of 224 patients with auditory
      hallucinations and 346 healthy subjects were studied. AH were assessed in
      patients through the PSYRATS scale for auditory hallucinations. Several
      polymorphisms located within the SLC6A4 gene were analysed through case-control
      comparisons as well as association analyses with different parameters of auditory
      hallucinations. RESULTS: No differences were found between patients and controls
      for any of the analysed polymorphisms (p > 0.05). However, the evaluation of
      auditory hallucinations parameters showed that the low expressing alleles of the
      5-HTTLPR polymorphism were associated with higher levels of intensity of the
      distress caused by auditory hallucinations (p = 0.049 corrected for the item
      'intensity of distress'). There was also a trend with the parameter disruption (p
      = 0.06 corrected). These two items of the PSYRATS scale are directly related to
      the emotional dimension of auditory hallucinations. In contrast, we did not
      observe any association with items related to other dimensions of auditory
      hallucinations. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support a possible role of the serotonin
      transporter in the emotional response to auditory hallucinations.

PMID- 20309831
TI  - [Usefulness of the Stroop test in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder].
AB  - AIMS: The aim of this study is to analyse the differences in the Stroop effect
      between cases with attention deficit hyper-activity disorder (ADHD) and controls.
      It also seeks to find the best model based on the third task of the colours and
      words test (Stroop-CW) for predicting ADHD and to analyse the validity of the
      Stroop-CW test for diagnosing the disorder. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The sample
      studied consisted of 100 cases of ADHD -according to Diagnostic and statistical
      manual of mental disorders (DSM-IV) criteria- and 100 controls, between 7 and 11
      years of age, who were evaluated using the Stroop test. The controls were
      recruited at random and paired by age, sex and sociodemographic area with the
      cases. RESULTS: The cases present a mean cognitive style that is significantly
      less flexible (d = -1.06) and they also display a lower capacity to inhibit or
      control automatic responses than the controls at all ages (7 years: d = 1.67; 8
      years: d = 1.02; 9 years: d = 1.32; 10 years: d = 2.04; 11 years: d = 0.89). The
      model of logistic regression analysis that best predicts ADHD is made up of age
      and Stroop-CW. The formulation derived from the model offers a sensitivity of 81%
      and a specificity of 72%, taking the criteria of the DSM-IV for ADHD as the
      reference test. CONCLUSIONS: The Stroop-CW test presents usefulness and
      complementary criteria validity for the diagnosis of ADHD.

PMID- 20309832
TI  - [Mesial temporal sclerosis in paediatrics: its clinical spectrum. Our experience
      gained over a 19-year period].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) is defined as neuron loss and
      gliosis in the hippocampus and adjacent structures. Here we report on our 19
      years' experience in dealing with this condition. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A
      retrospective, descriptive study was conducted of patients diagnosed with MTS
      between May 1990 and January 2009. RESULTS: A diagnosis of MTS was established in
      16 cases (62.5% males). By location these cases were distributed as follows: 12
      were unilateral (seven left temporal and five right) and four were bilateral. It
      was associated to cortical dysplasia in six patients (37.5%) and to hippocampal
      arachnoid cysts in two other cases. As regards possible causations, in one case
      herpes simplex encephalitis was suspected; in three cases, a prenatal cerebral
      vascular pathology; and in three others, prenatal infection by cytomegalovirus.
      The distribution of the clinical spectrum was as follows: five patients with
      isolated clinical epilepsy; one with isolated psychomotor retardation or mental
      retardation (PMR-MR); one with isolated autism spectrum disorder (ASD); three
      with epilepsy associated to PMR-MR; one with epilepsy associated to ASD; two with
      PMR-MR and ASD; and two with the triad consisting of epilepsy together with PMR
      MR and ASD. In one case, MTS was discovered in migraine studies, without any
      other symptoms. Crises were controlled with monotherapy in all the patients who
      received antiepileptic treatment except in three, one of whom required surgery.
      CONCLUSIONS: The definitive diagnosis of MTS is pathologic, but the latest
      neuroimaging techniques have allowed a very reliable approximate diagnosis to be
      reached. It may be associated to other malformative disorders, such as focal
      cortical dysplasia or cysts. MTS can be observed in epilepsy (whether refractory
      or not), but also in ASD, PMR-MR or asymptomatic patients.

PMID- 20309833
TI  - [Inflammation as a therapeutic agent in cerebral infarction: cellular
      inflammatory response and inflammatory mediators].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The immune central nervous system (CNS) innate immune cells
      including microglia and macrophages play integral roles in receiving and
      propagating inflammatory signals. Inflammation is generally a beneficial response
      of an organism to infection but, when prolonged or inappropriate, it can be
      detrimental. Neuronal loss in acute (e.g. stroke and head injury) and chronic
      (e.g. multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease) CNS diseases has been
      associated with inflammatory processes systemically and in the brain.
      DEVELOPMENT: Herein we review the processes that participate in the activation of
      the immune system and the starting of inflammatory response after stroke, where
      neuronal necrotic cell death has been described. We addressed the relevance of
      the innate inflammatory cells that are on the CNS, as microglia and macrophages,
      which have an important role in receiving and spreading inflammatory signals. In
      addition, the inflammatory response is characterized by an increase in the levels
      of expression of inflammatory mediators, which regulate adhesion molecules, and
      increase the permeability of the blood-brain barrier. It has also been described
      that inflammation promotes the rapid over-expression and activation of a variety
      of genes, and it has been postulated that transcription factors should be studied
      for their potential use in therapeutics and repair. Transcriptional activation
      can be a double-edged sword since depending on the individual transcription
      factor it can induce the expression of either neuroprotective or neurotoxic
      genes. CONCLUSION: In summary, a better understanding of the different molecules
      mediating the immune response will allow the design of new pharmacological tools
      that could improve stroke treatment.

PMID- 20309834
TI  - [Genetics of Alzheimer's disease].
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT. Alzheimer's disease (AD), the leading cause of
      dementia, is a complex disorder in which genetic and environmental factors
      interact. Three genes -the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and the presenilin 1
      and 2 (PSEN1 and PSEN2)- have been linked to autosomal dominant forms of AD.
      Besides, a fourth gene -the apolipoprotein E gene (APOE)- seems to be the only
      major genetic factor related to late-onset sporadic and familial AD cases.
      Although more than a thousand studies have been performed to date, little is
      known about other genetic factors leading to this devastating dementia.
      Nevertheless, the last three years have witnessed a surge in genetic research of
      AD due to the implementation of novel technologies enabling large-scale genetic
      analyses. CONCLUSION. This review provides a summary of current knowledge about
      AD in the genetic field.

PMID- 20309835
TI  - [De secretis mulierum, de chirurgia et de modo medendi libri septem. Neurology
      and women in mediaeval medical literature].
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: The School of Salerno stood as a landmark in the teaching
      and practice of medicine in the Western mediaeval world. Women could be both
      teachers and students and made significant contributions to its abundant
      scientific production. One of the most important of such women was Trotula of
      Salerno, the 12th century author of the Passionibus mulierum curandorum. De
      secretis mulierum, de chirurgia et de modo medendi libri septem is an anonymous
      medical poem from the School of Salerno, which was discovered in a manuscript
      from the 13th century. It consists of seven books and 7280 dactylic hexameters.
      The first book is specifically devoted to women's diseases and the second is a
      treaty on cosmetics. Books III and IV deal with surgery and follow the classical
      a capite ad calcem formula. The seventh book, De modo medendi, deals with
      therapeutics. We review the references to neurological diseases, using a critical
      translation of this text to carry out our study. DEVELOPMENT: The poem proposes
      therapies to treat epilepsy, headache or tinnitus. The treatment to be prescribed
      for headache differs depending on its origin. It puts forward pathophysiological
      explanations for the different types of headache, it relates engorged blood
      vessels with hemicranial headache, and suggests an excess of phlegm as the origin
      of mild occipital headache. CONCLUSIONS: Neurological pathology is well
      represented in this mediaeval monograph on women's diseases. Furthermore, it also
      shows us the vision that the Salerno physician has of these conditions and the
      therapeutic arsenal (based mainly on medicinal plants) that was available for
      use.

PMID- 20309837
TI  - [Germinoma with tetraventricular extension: the importance of biopsy studies in
      germinal tumours in the nervous system].

PMID- 20309838
TI  - [Infarction from air embolism secondary to intestinal ischaemia].

PMID- 20309839
TI  - [Nutrition and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder].

PMID- 20309840
TI  - Orthogonal predictions: follow-up questions for suggestive data.
AB  - When a biological hypothesis of causal effect can be inferred, the hypothesis can
      sometimes be tested in the selfsame database that gave rise to the study data
      from which the hypothesis grew. Valid testing happens when the inferred
      biological hypothesis has scientific implications that predict new relations
      between observations already recorded. Testing for the existence of the new
      relations is a valid assessment of the biological hypothesis, so long as the
      newly predicted relations are not a logical correlate of the observations that
      stimulated the hypothesis in the first place. These predictions that lead to
      valid tests might be called 'orthogonal' predictions in the data, and stand in
      marked contrast to 'scrawny' hypotheses with no biological content, which predict
      simply that the same data relations will be seen in a new database. The Universal
      Data Warehouse will shortly render moot searches for new databases in which to
      test.

PMID- 20309841
TI  - Lipid peroxidation in the kidney of rats treated with V and/or Mg in drinking
      water.
AB  - Spontaneous and stimulated lipid peroxidation (LPO) after vanadate and magnesium
      treatment was studied in kidney supernatants obtained from outbred 5-month-old,
      albino male Wistar rats. The 2-month-old animals daily received: group I
      (control), deionized water to drink; group II, water solution of sodium
      metavanadate, NaVO(3) (SMV, 0.125 mg V ml(-1)); group III, water solution of
      magnesium sulfate, MgSO(4) (MS, 0.06 mg Mg ml(-1)); and group IV, water solution
      of SMV-MS at the same concentrations as in groups II and III for V and Mg,
      respectively, over a 12-week period. FeSO(4), NaVO(3) and MgSO(4) were selected
      as agents that may modify LPO process in in vitro conditions. Spontaneous
      malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in kidney supernatants increased significantly in
      the rats in groups II and IV, compared with groups I and III; and they were also
      significantly higher in all the groups of rats compared with the liver
      supernatants. The total antioxidant status (TAS) in groups II and IV tended to be
      higher too. Vanadium concentration in the kidney of the rats in groups II and IV
      increased, whereas the kidney Mg content in groups II, III and IV decreased,
      compared with levels in the liver. As the two-way ANOVA indicated, the changes in
      the basal MDA level, TAS and Mg concentration in the liver of rats at combined V
      and Mg application only resulted from independent action of V. As far as the in
      vitro results are concerned, in the supernatants obtained from the rats in groups
      II and IV, a significant increase in MDA level was demonstrated in the presence
      of 30 microm of exogenous FeSO(4) as well as 30, 100, 200 and 400 microm NaVO(3)
      and 100, 200, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 microm MgSO(4), compared with groups I and
      III. The 600, 800 and 1000 microm of exogenous MgSO(4) also significantly
      elevated MDA production in the supernatants obtained from the rats in group III,
      compared with spontaneously formed MDA in the same supernatants. The three-way
      ANOVA showed that the changes in LPO induced by in vitro treatment of kidney
      supernatants with exogenous Fe or V or Mg (600, 800 and 1000 microm) were a
      consequence of independent action of those metals and they also resulted from the
      interactions between exogenous Fe (Fe(exog)) and endogenous V (V(end)) and
      between V(end) and exogenous V (V(exog)). In conclusion, V (as NaVO(3)) consumed
      by the rats with drinking water at a dose of 12.9 mg V kg(-1) b.w. per 24 h for
      12 weeks increased the basal LPO and markedly enhanced TAS in the renal tissue.
      Its pro-oxidant potential was also found in in vitro conditions. The Mg dose (6
      mg Mg kg(-1) b.w. per 24 h) ingested by the rats together with V (12.7 mg V kg(
      1) b.w. per 24 h) neither reduced nor intensified the spontaneous LPO, compared
      with V-only intoxicated animals; however, the stimulating effect of Mg on LPO was
      revealed in in vitro conditions.

PMID- 20309842
TI  - Inter-rater reliability of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I
      Disorders (SCID I) and Axis II Disorders (SCID II).
AB  - This study simultaneously assessed the inter-rater reliability of the Structured
      Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
      Axis I (SCID I) and Axis II disorders (SCID II) in a mixed sample of n = 151
      inpatients and outpatients, and non-patient controls. Audiotaped interviews were
      assessed by independent second raters blind for the first raters' scores and
      diagnoses. Categorical inter-rater reliability was assessed for 12 Axis I
      disorders of SCID I, while both categorical and dimensional inter-rater
      reliability was tested for all Axis II disorders. Results revealed moderate to
      excellent inter-rater agreement of the Axis I disorders, while most categorically
      and dimensionally measured personality disorders showed excellent inter-rater
      agreement.

PMID- 20309843
TI  - Bacopa monniera (L.) wettst inhibits type II collagen-induced arthritis in rats.
AB  - Bacopa monniera (L.) Wettst is an Ayurvedic herb with antirheumatic potential.
      This study investigated the therapeutic efficacy of Bacopa monniera in treating
      rheumatoid arthritis using a type II collagen-induced arthritis rat model.
      Arthritis was induced in male Wistar rats by immunization with bovine type II
      collagen in complete Freund's adjuvant. Bacopa monniera extract (BME) was
      administered after the development of arthritis from day 14 onwards. The total
      duration of experiment was 60 days. Paw swelling, arthritic index, inflammatory
      mediators such as cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenase, myeloperoxidase and serum anti
      collagen IgG and IgM levels were analysed in control and experimental rats.
      Arthritic induction significantly increased paw edema and other classical signs
      of arthritis coupled to upregulation of inflammatory mediators such as
      cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenase, neutrophil infiltration and increased anti-collagen
      IgM and IgG levels in serum. BME significantly inhibited the footpad swelling and
      arthritic symptoms. BME was effective in inhibiting cyclooxygenase and
      lipoxygenase activities in arthritic rats. Decreased neutrophil infiltration was
      evident from decreased myeloperoxidase activity and histopathological data where
      an improvement in joint architecture was also observed. Serum anti-collagen IgM
      and IgG levels were consistently decreased. Thus the study demonstrates the
      potential antiarthritic effect of Bacopa monniera for treating arthritis which
      might confer its antirheumatic activity.

PMID- 20309844
TI  - Corrective osteotomy using customized hydroxyapatite implants prepared by
      preoperative computer simulation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Opening wedge corrective osteotomy usually requires a bone graft.
      However, it is difficult to shape the graft into an appropriate configuration. To
      resolve this problem, we developed an original computer program system that
      calculates the size and shape of a bone graft and cuts a hydroxyapatite block
      into the desired shape. METHODS: Five patients with forearm deformity were
      included in this study. The amount of deformity and the three-dimensional (3D)
      shape of the bone graft to be inserted into the osteotomy site were calculated
      and designed by comparing bilateral 3D bone models. For the bone graft, a block
      of hydroxyapatite was cut based on the preoperative simulation. In addition, a
      customized osteotomy template was designed and manufactured before surgery, based
      on preoperative simulations and used during the actual operation. RESULTS:
      Corrective osteotomy based on simulations was achieved in all cases. The average
      angular deformities on anteroposterior and lateral radiographs were decreased
      from 16.8 degrees to 1.2 degrees and from 16.6 degrees to 0.6 degrees,
      respectively, after surgery. All patients had bone fusion within 5 months.
      CONCLUSIONS: Customized hydroxyapatite implants are helpful for accurate
      correction and good functional results.

PMID- 20309845
TI  - New tactile sensing system for minimally invasive surgical tumour localization.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) suffers from the inability to
      directly palpate organs for tumour localization. A tactile sensing system (TSS),
      consisting of a probe and a visualization interface, was developed to present an
      active pressure map of the contact surface to locate tumours during MIS. METHODS:
      The TSS performance was compared to MIS graspers to locate occult 10 mm phantom
      tumours in ex vivo bovine liver and ex vivo porcine lung. Performance assessment
      included applied pressure, localization distance and accuracy. RESULTS: The TSS
      realized a relative 71% reduction in maximum applied pressure and a 31% increase
      in detection accuracy in liver tissue (when compared to MIS graspers) and
      demonstrated no significant differences in performance when palpating lung
      tissue. CONCLUSIONS: The TSS may help surgeons to identify occult tumours during
      surgery by restoring some of the haptic information lost during MIS.

PMID- 20309846
TI  - Increased risk of high-grade prostate cancer among infertile men.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has been reported that fatherhood status may be a risk factor for
      prostate cancer. In the current study, the authors examined the subsequent
      occurrence of prostate cancer in a cohort of men evaluated for infertility to
      determine whether male infertility is a risk factor for prostate cancer. METHODS:
      A total of 22,562 men who were evaluated for infertility from 1967 to 1998 were
      identified from 15 California infertility centers and linked to the California
      Cancer Registry. The incidence of prostate cancer was compared with the incidence
      in an age-matched and geography-matched sample of men from the general
      population. The risk of prostate cancer in men with and those without male factor
      infertility was modeled using a Cox proportional hazards regression model.
      RESULTS: A total of 168 cases of prostate cancer that developed after infertility
      were identified. Men evaluated for infertility but not necessarily with male
      factors were not found to have an increased risk of cancer compared with the
      general population (standardized incidence ratio [SIR], 0.9; 95% confidence
      interval [95% CI], 0.8-1.1). This risk was found to be highest for men with male
      factor infertility who developed high-grade prostate cancer (SIR, 2.0; 95% CI,
      1.2-3.0). On multivariate analyses, men with male factor infertility were found
      to be 2.6 times more likely to be diagnosed with high-grade prostate cancer
      (hazard ratio, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.4-4.8). CONCLUSIONS: Men with male factor
      infertility were found to have an increased risk of subsequently developing high
      grade prostate cancer. Male infertility may be an early and identifiable risk
      factor for the development of clinically significant prostate cancer.

PMID- 20309847
TI  - Race versus place of service in mortality among medicare beneficiaries with
      cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that excess mortality among African-American cancer
      patients is explained in part by the healthcare setting. The objective of this
      study was to compare mortality among African-American and Caucasian cancer
      patients and to evaluate the influence of attendance at a National Cancer
      Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive or clinical cancer center. METHODS: The
      authors conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of Medicare beneficiaries with
      an incident diagnosis of lung, breast, colorectal, or prostate cancer between
      1998 and 2002 who were identified from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End
      Results data. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess the
      impact of NCI cancer center attendance and race on all-cause and cancer-specific
      mortality at 1 year and 3 years after diagnosis. RESULTS: The likelihood of 1
      year and 3-year all-cause and cancer-specific mortality was higher for African
      Americans than for Caucasians in crude and adjusted models (cancer-specific
      adjusted: Caucasian referent, 1-year odds ratio [OR], 1.13; 95% confidence
      interval [CI], 1.07-1.19; 3-year OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.17-1.30). By cancer site,
      cancer-specific mortality was higher among African Americans at 1 year for breast
      and colorectal cancers and for all cancers at 3 years. NCI cancer center
      attendance was associated with significantly lower odds of mortality for African
      Americans (1-year OR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.56-0.76; 3-year OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.62
      0.81). With Caucasians as the referent group, the excess mortality risk among
      African Americans no longer was observed for all-cause or cancer-specific
      mortality risk among patients who attended NCI cancer centers (cancer-specific
      mortality:1-year OR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.76-1.19; 3-year OR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.82
      1.21). CONCLUSIONS: African-American Medicare beneficiaries with lung, breast,
      colorectal, and prostate cancers had higher mortality compared with their
      Caucasian counterparts; however, there were no significant differences in
      mortality by race among those who attended NCI cancer centers. The results of
      this study suggested that place of service may explain some of the cancer
      mortality excess observed in African Americans.

PMID- 20309848
TI  - Covariation of self- and other-directed aggression among inpatient youth:
      continuity in the transition to treatment and shared risk factors.
AB  - Although other- and self-directed aggression covary in very high-risk youth,
      these forms of aggression infrequently are studied simultaneously. Understanding
      better their covariation is an important task for improving services to high-risk
      youth. In this study, data from the clinical records of 476 youth admitted to
      secure inpatient treatment were analyzed to examine relations among self- and
      other-directed aggression exhibit before and during inpatient treatment. Analyses
      tested the hypotheses that self- and other-directed aggression would tend to
      covary and display continuity from pre-treatment to in-treatment. Also tested
      were the hypotheses that youth with histories of co-occurring self- and other
      directed aggression would show the highest levels of aggression during treatment
      and the greatest degree of personal and contextual risk on entering treatment.
      These hypotheses were largely supported. Exploratory analyses revealed
      interesting discontinuities in aggression (aggression emitted only before or
      during treatment) with critical implications for research and practice with youth
      receiving clinical care, especially those in institutional placements.

PMID- 20309849
TI  - Prey capture in frogs: alternative strategies, biomechanical trade-offs, and
      hierarchical decision making.
AB  - Frogs exhibit flexible repertoires of prey-capture behavior, which depend
      primarily on visual analysis of prey attributes. We review three examples of how
      visual cues are used to modulate prey-capture strategies. (1) Dyscophus guineti
      modulates tongue aiming in response to prey location. These frogs turn only their
      heads to apprehend prey located at azimuths <40 degrees . At azimuths >40 degrees
      , the frogs switch from this strategy to one in which both head and tongue are
      aimed toward prey. (2) Rana pipiens modulates its feeding behavior in response to
      prey size, using tongue prehension for capturing small prey but switching to jaw
      prehension to capture large prey. (3) In Cyclorana novaehollandiae, visual
      processing of prey attributes involves hierarchical decision making. These frogs
      first assess prey size. For large prey, they ignore velocity but not shape. For
      small prey, they ignore shape but not velocity. Alternative prey-capture
      strategies are associated with biomechanical trade-offs that result from the
      interaction between the feeding apparatus and varying attributes of prey.
      Alternative strategies likely exist because biomechanical constraints prevent any
      one strategy from being effective over a range of prey attributes. Taken
      together, these studies emphasize the requirement that predators must somehow
      tune prey-capture kinematics simultaneously to multiple attributes of prey. In
      frogs, the choice among alternative prey-capture strategies involves a
      hierarchical decision-making process. Hierarchical decision making is expected to
      be widespread among animals. However, no previous studies were found except for
      humans, who frequently use this type of approach to make complex decisions.

PMID- 20309850
TI  - Compatibility of traditional and novel acaricides with bumblebees (Bombus
      terrestris): a first laboratory assessment of toxicity and sublethal effects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This project assessed the potential hazards of different classical
      and novel acaricides against an important non-target and beneficial insect for
      the pollination of wild flowers and cultivated crops, the bumblebee Bombus
      terrestris (L). Twenty-three acaricides used commercially in the control of
      phytophagous mites (Acari) were tested in greenhouses and/or the open field. Side
      effects included acute mortality and also sublethal effects on nest reproduction.
      The different compounds were administered in the laboratory via three different
      worst-case field scenario routes of exposure: dermal contact and orally via the
      drinking of treated sugar water and via treated pollen. The compounds were tested
      at their respective maximum field recommended concentration (MFRC), and, when
      strong lethal effects were observed, a dose-response assay with a dilution series
      of the MFRC was undertaken to calculate LC(50) values. RESULTS: From the
      different acaricide classes, several chemistries caused high levels of acute
      toxicity in bumblebee workers, especially bifenthrin and abamectin which resulted
      in 100% mortality by contact. In addition, several acaricides tested were found
      to have a detrimental effect on drone production. For oral exposures via treated
      sugar water, the dose-response assay showed the LC(50) values for abamectin,
      bifenazate, bifenthrin and etoxazole to be 1/15 MFRC (1.17 mg AI L(-1)), 1/10
      MFRC (9.6 mg AI L(-1)), 1/83 MFRC (0.36 mg AI L(-1)) and 1/13 MFRC (4.4 mg AI L(
      1)) respectively, indicating that their use should be carefully evaluated.
      CONCLUSION: Overall, the results suggest that most of the acaricides tested are
      compatible with bumblebees, with the exceptions of abamectin, bifenazate,
      bifenthrin and etoxazole. However, the risks also depended on the type of
      treatment. As a result, the sugar water treatment seems to present the worst-case
      situation of exposure, indicating that this approach is suitable for determining
      the hazards of pesticides against bumblebees. Finally, it is suggested that
      future tier testing under more field-related conditions is required for a final
      decision of their risks.

PMID- 20309851
TI  - Use of rat segmental intestine for fetal pancreatic transplantation.
AB  - It is thought that the small intestine may provide a scaffold for pancreas
      regeneration. Herein, we investigated whether fetal pancreatic tissue could be
      transplanted into the segmental intestine in rats. Fetal pancreases from firefly
      luciferase transgenic Lewis rat embryos (embryonic day 14.5 and 15.5) were
      transplanted into streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic wild-type Lewis rats. As
      a scaffold for pancreatic development, rat small intestinal segments were
      utilized after the removal of mucosa, and fetal pancreases were grafted into the
      luminal surface through the stoma. We also transplanted fetal pancreases into the
      omentum. The survival of transplanted fetal pancreases was monitored by
      luciferase-derived photons and blood glucose levels. Transplanted fetal pancreas
      derived photons were stable for 28 days, suggesting that transplanted fetal
      pancreatic tissues survived and that their intestinal blood supply was
      maintained.

PMID- 20309852
TI  - Improvement of the skin flap survival with the bone marrow-derived mononuclear
      cells transplantation in a rat model.
AB  - Partial necrosis of skin flaps remains a significant problem in plastic and
      reconstructive surgery. In this study we attempted to evaluate the effect of bone
      marrow-derived mononuclear cells (BM-MNCs) transplantation on improvement of skin
      flap survival in a rat random pattern skin flap model. Thirty Wistar rats were
      divided into three groups with each consisting of 10 rats. BM-MNCs and the
      adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) were transplanted into the subcutaneous tissue
      in the area where the flap would be dissected. The flaps were then raised two
      days after cells transplantation. The animals receiving the preoperative
      Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) treatment were used as the controls. On
      the 7th postoperative day, the survival areas of flaps were measured and tissues
      were collected for examinations. The results showed that the mean survival areas
      were 46.33 +/- 13.46% in the ADSCs group and 50.06 +/- 13.82% in the BM-MNCs
      group as the percentages of the total skin flaps, which were significantly higher
      than that in the control group (26.33 +/- 7.14%) (P < 0.05). Histological
      analysis showed increased neovascularization in the flap treated with BM-MNCs
      when compared with ADSCs transplantation. Survival BM-MNCs and ADSCs were
      detected in the flap tissues. Higher levels of the basic fibroblast growth factor
      (bFGF) and vascular endothelium growth factor (VEGF) were found in the BM-MNCs
      transplantation group (P < 0.05). The findings from this study demonstrated that
      preoperative treatment with BM-MNCs transplantation could promote
      neovascularization and improve flap survival. These effects of BM-MNCs on flap
      survival were comparable with ADSCs transplantation, but without necessity of in
      vitro cells expansion.

PMID- 20309853
TI  - Development of a portocaval shunt using a small intestinal segment in rats.
AB  - The transjugular portosystemic shunt, widely used to treat portal hypertension
      today, may increase the risk of encephalopathy and reduce effective hepatic flow.
      To address these issues, a strategy to produce a portocaval shunt (PCS) with
      hepatic function using intestinal grafts was conceived, and rat models were
      developed. We transplanted ileal grafts from wild-type and luciferase transgenic
      Lewis rats to wild-type Lewis rats, anastomosing the graft mesenteric artery
      (SMA) and portal vein (PV) to the recipient PV trunk and inferior vena cava,
      respectively. Recipient survival was significantly longer in the partial PCS
      model, in which the graft SMA was anastomosed to the recipient PV trunk in an end
      to-side fashion, than in the total PCS model, with the end-to-end anastomosis. In
      the partial PCS model, histological and luminescence analyses showed graft
      survival for 1 month. These results suggest that intestinal grafts can be
      maintained in the particular conditions required for our strategy.

PMID- 20309854
TI  - Primary high-grade ocular adnexal lymphoma: clinicopathological characteristics
      and prognostic factors of a single-centre series.

PMID- 20309855
TI  - Low cobalamin levels associated with sickle cell disease: Contrasting origins and
      clinical meanings in two instructive patients.

PMID- 20309857
TI  - Semi-micro flow injection analysis method for evaluation of quenching effect of
      health foods or food additive antioxidants on peroxynitrite.
AB  - A semi-micro flow injection analysis (SMFIA) method for evaluation of quenching
      effect of food additive antioxidants or health foods on peroxynitrite (ONOO(-))
      is described. The injected sample was carried with phosphate buffer containing
      NaNO(2), mixed with a trigger solution to generate ONOO(-) and then detected CL
      generated after mixing with luminol solution. Selective chemiluminescence caused
      by ONOO(-) in this generation system was confirmed by catalase treatment.
      Ascorbic acid (ASA), Trolox and ascorbyl palmitate (ASP) were used as food
      additive antioxidants. EC(50) values of ASA, Trolox and ASP were 2.6, 6.4 and 43
      ug/mL, respectively. The amount of reagents required for an assay by this SMFIA
      system could reduce the time by a third compared with the conventional method
      previously reported. Furthermore, as an application of the proposed method, the
      quenching effect of commercially available Noni (Morinda citrifolia) juices was
      evaluated.

PMID- 20309856
TI  - Laboratory tests for protein C deficiency.
AB  - Hereditary protein C deficiency is a hypercoagulable state associated with an
      increased risk for venous thrombosis. The recommended initial test for protein C
      is an activity (functional) assay, which may be clotting time based or
      chromogenic. The advantages and disadvantages of the various testing options are
      presented. The causes of acquired protein C deficiency are much more common than
      hereditary deficiency. Therefore, this article describes the appropriate steps to
      take when protein C activity is low, to confirm or exclude a hereditary
      deficiency. The causes of falsely normal results are also described, including
      lupus anticoagulants and direct thrombin inhibitors.

PMID- 20309858
TI  - Electrochemiluminescence of palmatine being oxidized by electrogenerated hydroxyl
      radical and its analytical application.
AB  - A strong electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of palmatine in NaOH medium was observed
      at a vaseline-impregnated graphite anode. The ECL production could be described
      as follows: hydroxyl radical (OH(*)) was generated via the oxidation of hydroxyl
      group (OH(-)) in NaOH medium, and the formed OH(*) subsequently oxidized
      palmatine base converted from palmatine in NaOH medium to the excited state
      oxypalmatine (oxypalmatine*). As the oxypalmatine* went back to its ground state,
      a stronger chemiluminescence was produced. Based on the ECL of palmatine, an ECL
      method for the determination of palmatine was proposed. An ECL signal of
      palmatine in NaOH solution was obtained by applying direct current of 15 mA to
      the vaseline-impregnated graphite anode. The ECL intensity was rectilinear with
      palmatine concentration in the range of 8.0 * 10(-7) to 2.0 * 10(-5) mol l(-1)
      and the limit of detection (signal-to-noise = 3) was 3 * 10(-7) mol l(-1) . The
      proposed method was applied to the determination of palmatine in pharmaceutical
      preparations.

PMID- 20309859
TI  - Study on the interaction between human serum albumin and a novel bioactive
      acridine derivative using optical spectroscopy.
AB  - The interaction of a novel bioactive agent N-{[N-(2-dimethylamino) ethyl]
      acridine-4-carboxamide}-alpha-alanine [N-(ACR-4-CA)-alpha-ALA] with human serum
      albumin (HSA) was investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy, UV-vis absorption
      and circular dichroism spectrophotometric techniques under simulative
      physiological conditions. The fluorescence quenching of HSA by addition of N-(ACR
      4-CA)-alpha-ALA is due to static quenching and hydrogen bonding. Moreover,
      hydrophobic interactions play a role in the binding of N-(ACR-4-CA)-alpha-ALA to
      HSA as well. The number of binding sites, n, and the binding constant values,
      K(A), were noted to be 0.88 and 3.4 * 10(4) L mol(-1) for N-(ACR-4-CA)-alpha-ALA
      at 293 K. The binding distances and the energy transfer efficiency between N-(ACR
      4-CA)-alpha-ALA and protein were determined. The negative value of enthalpy
      change and positive value of entropy change in the present study indicated that
      both hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic forces played a major role in the binding
      of N-(ACR-4-CA)-alpha-ALA to HSA.

PMID- 20309860
TI  - Precise landmarking in computer assisted total knee arthroplasty is critical to
      final alignment.
AB  - Image-free computer navigation systems build a frame of reference of a patient's
      knee from anatomical landmarks entered by the surgeon during the initial stage of
      total knee arthroplasty. We performed tibial cuts on 70 sawbones using computer
      navigation. All landmarks were marked identically except for the tibial
      mechanical entry point, which was marked correctly in 10 bones and with offsets
      of 5, 10, and 15 mm medially and laterally in the others. The actual coronal
      angle of the tibial cuts was measured directly and compared to the final angle
      given by the navigation system. Significant deviations of the coronal angle were
      observed in the trial groups. Landmarking errors during navigated TKA can lead to
      inaccurate tibial bone cuts. This navigation system did not have an iterative
      software method to verify landmarking errors that can lead to inaccurate tibia
      bone cuts.

PMID- 20309861
TI  - Analysis of frictional behavior and changes in morphology resulting from
      cartilage articulation with porous polyurethane foams.
AB  - Porous polyurethane foams (PUR) have been extensively evaluated as meniscal
      replacement materials and show great promise enabling infiltration of cells and
      fibrocartilage formation in vivo. Similar to most materials, PUR demonstrates
      progressive degeneration of opposing cartilage; however, the damage mechanism is
      impossible to determine because no information exists on the frictional
      properties of PUR-cartilage interfaces. The goals of this study were to
      characterize the frictional behavior of a cartilage-PUR interface across a range
      of articulating conditions and assess the resulting morphological changes to the
      cartilage surface following articulation. Articular cartilage was oscillated
      against PUR or stainless steel using phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and synovial
      fluid as lubricants. Following friction testing, cartilage and PUR samples were
      analyzed with environmental scanning electron microscopy and histological
      staining to determine changes in tissue morphology. Stribeck-surface analysis
      demonstrated distinct lubrication modes; however, boundary mode lubrication was
      dominant in cartilage-PUR interfaces and the low-friction pressure-borne
      lubrication mechanism present in native joints was absent. Microscopy noted
      obvious wear, with disruption of the collagen architecture and concomitant
      proteoglycan loss in cartilage articulated against PUR. These data collectively
      point to the importance of frictional properties as design parameters for
      implants and materials for soft tissue replacement.

PMID- 20309862
TI  - Breaking T cell tolerance against self type II collagen in HLA-DR4-transgenic
      mice and development of autoimmune arthritis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To establish a new animal model in DRB1*0401 (DR4)-transgenic mice in
      which T cell tolerance to self type II collagen (CII) can be broken and allow for
      the development of autoimmune arthritis, to investigate the role of
      posttranslational modifications of the CII(259-273) epitope in the induction and
      breaking of tolerance of DR4-restricted T cells, and to characterize DR4
      restricted T cell recognition of the immunodominant CII(259-273) epitope.
      METHODS: DR4-transgenic mice expressing either the entire human CII protein
      (HuCII) or only the immunodominant T cell epitope of heterologous CII (MMC) in
      joint cartilage were established on different genetic backgrounds, and
      susceptibility to collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) was tested. RESULTS: HuCII
      mice displayed stronger T cell tolerance to heterologous CII than did MMC mice.
      On the B10 background, arthritis developed only in MMC mice with a defective
      oxidative burst. However, MMC mice on the C3H background were susceptible to
      arthritis also with a functional oxidative burst. Significant recall responses in
      tolerized mice were detected only against the nonglycosylated CII(259-273)
      epitope. Recognition of the CII(259-273) epitope was heterogeneous, but the
      majority of T cells in DR4 mice specifically recognized the nonglycosylated side
      chain of lysine at position 264. CONCLUSION: It is possible to break tolerance to
      self CII and induce arthritis in DR4 mice. However, arthritis susceptibility is
      tightly controlled by the genetic background and by the source of the transgenic
      element for expressing the heterologous CII peptide as a self CII protein in the
      joint. In contrast to CIA in A(q)-expressing mice, the nonglycosylated CII(259
      273) epitope is clearly immunodominant in both tolerized and nontolerized DR4
      mice.

PMID- 20309863
TI  - Does pregnancy provide vaccine-like protection against rheumatoid arthritis?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have evaluated the correlation between rheumatoid
      arthritis (RA) risk and pregnancy history, with conflicting results. Fetal cells
      acquired during pregnancy provide a potential explanation for modulation of RA
      risk by pregnancy. The present study was undertaken to examine the effect of
      parity on RA risk. METHODS: We examined parity and RA risk using results from a
      population-based prospective study in Seattle, Washington and the surrounding
      area and compared women who were recently diagnosed as having RA (n = 310) with
      controls (n = 1,418). We also evaluated the distribution of parity in cases
      according to HLA genotype. RESULTS: We found a significant reduction of RA risk
      associated with parity (relative risk [RR] 0.61 [95% confidence interval 0.43
      0.86], P = 0.005). RA risk reduction in parous women was strongest among those
      who were younger. Most striking was that RA risk reduction correlated with the
      time that had elapsed since the last time a woman had given birth. RA risk was
      lowest among women whose last birth occurred 1-5 years previously (RR 0.29), with
      risk reduction lessening progressively as the time since the last birth increased
      (for those 5-15 years since last birth, RR 0.51; for those >15 years, RR 0.76),
      compared with nulliparous women (P for trend = 0.007). No correlation was
      observed between RA risk and either age at the time a woman first gave birth or a
      woman's total number of births. Among cases with the highest genetic risk of RA
      (i.e., those with 2 copies of RA-associated HLA alleles), a significant
      underrepresentation of parous women versus nulliparous women was observed (P =
      0.02). CONCLUSION: In the present study, there was a significantly lower risk of
      RA in parous women that was strongly correlated with the time elapsed since a
      woman had last given birth. While the explanation for our findings is not known,
      HLA-disparate fetal microchimerism can persist many years after a birth and could
      confer temporary protection against RA.

PMID- 20309865
TI  - Expression of Toll-like receptor 3 and Toll-like receptor 7 in muscle is
      characteristic of inflammatory myopathy and is differentially regulated by Th1
      and Th17 cytokines.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the expression of Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR-3) and TLR-7 in
      muscle tissue from patients with polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM) and
      to investigate the function and regulation of TLR-3 in cultured muscle cells.
      METHODS: The expression of TLR-3, TLR-7, HLA class I, and CD56, a marker of
      immature myoblast precursors, was analyzed using immunohistochemistry. TLR-3
      regulation and signaling were assessed in myoblasts and in differentiated
      myotubes with the TLR-3 agonist poly(I-C), necrotic myoblasts, and Th1 and Th17
      cytokines, in the presence or absence of neutralizing anti-TLR-3 antibody. Levels
      of TLR-3 messenger RNA (mRNA) were quantified by reverse transcription-polymerase
      chain reaction. Levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), CCL20, and IL-8 were determined
      by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: TLR-3 and TLR-7 were expressed in
      PM/DM tissues, but not in noninflammatory muscle tissues, and were primarily
      detected in inflammatory infiltrates, although a few muscle cells were also
      positive. These TLR-3- and TLR-7-positive fibers expressed high levels of CD56
      and HLA class I antigens. A synergy between poly(I-C) and IL-17 was observed for
      the production of IL-6 and CCL20. Similarly, stimulation with necrotic myoblasts
      increased IL-6 production, and stimulation with necrotic myoblasts in combination
      with IL-17 further increased the induction of IL-6. TLR-3 blockade decreased the
      inducing effect of necrotic myoblasts and IL-17 on IL-6 production. Stimulation
      with interferon-gamma (IFNgamma) increased TLR-3 mRNA levels, but IL-17 down
      regulated the inducing effect of IFNgamma. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that
      TLR-3 and TLR-7 are expressed in inflammatory myopathic tissues, particularly in
      immature myoblast precursors. Necrotic muscle cells activate cytokine production,
      in part, through the TLR-3 pathway, with a differential regulatory effect of Th1
      and Th17 cytokines.

PMID- 20309864
TI  - The histopathologic associates of neurometabolite abnormalities in fatal
      neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the histopathologic basis of altered brain
      neurometabolites in neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE).
      METHODS: Brain neurometabolite concentrations in a 20-voxel area of the brain
      were determined premortem by magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in 7
      individuals with NPSLE. Absolute concentrations of neurometabolite for N
      acetylaspartate (NAA), choline, creatine, and lactate were measured. After the
      death of the patients, histopathologic changes were determined at autopsy of the
      brain and were matched voxel-by-voxel with the neurometabolites. RESULTS: The
      mean +/- SD absolute concentrations of NAA (9.15 +/- 1.78 mM in patients versus
      12.2 +/- 0.8 mM in controls; P < 0.01) and creatine (6.43 +/- 0.16 mM in patients
      versus 6.90 +/- 0.60 mM in controls; P < 0.003) were significantly reduced and
      the concentration of choline (2.51 +/- 0.42 mM in patients versus 1.92 +/- 0.32
      mM in controls; P < 0.04) was significantly elevated in NPSLE patients as
      compared with controls. Widespread heterogeneous changes in the histologic
      features of the brain were present, including microinfarcts, microhemorrhages,
      bland angiopathy, thrombotic angiopathy with platelet and fibrin thrombi,
      neuronal necrosis in various states of resolution, reduced numbers of axons and
      neurons, vacuole and space formation among the fibers, reduced numbers of
      oligodendrocytes, reactive microglia and astrocytes, lipid-laden macrophages, and
      cyst formation. Neurometabolite abnormalities were closely associated with
      underlying histopathologic changes in the brain: 1) elevated choline levels were
      independently associated with gliosis, vasculopathy, and edema (r = 0.75, P <
      0.004 in the multivariate model); 2) reduced creatine levels with reduced
      neuronal-axonal density and gliosis (r = 0.72, P < 0.002 in the multivariate
      model); 3) reduced NAA levels with reduced neuronal-axonal density (r = 0.66, P <
      0.001 in the multivariate model); and 4) the presence of lactate with necrosis,
      microhemorrhages, and edema (r = 0.996, P < 0.0001 in the multivariate model).
      CONCLUSION: Altered neurometabolites in NPSLE patients, as determined by MRS, are
      a grave prognostic sign, indicating serious underlying histologic brain injury.

PMID- 20309866
TI  - Near-infrared lymphatic imaging demonstrates the dynamics of lymph flow and
      lymphangiogenesis during the acute versus chronic phases of arthritis in mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To develop an in vivo imaging method to assess lymphatic draining
      function in the K/BxN mouse model of inflammatory arthritis. METHODS: Indocyanine
      green, a near-infrared fluorescent dye, was injected intradermally into the
      footpads of wild-type mice, mouse limbs were illuminated with an 806-nm near
      infrared laser, and the movement of indocyanine green from the injection site to
      the draining popliteal lymph node (LN) was recorded with a CCD camera.
      Indocyanine green near-infrared images were analyzed to obtain 5 measures of
      lymphatic function across time. Images of K/BxN arthritic mice and control
      nonarthritic littermates were obtained at 1 month of age, when acute joint
      inflammation commenced, and again at 3 months of age, when joint inflammation
      became chronic. Lymphangiogenesis in popliteal LNs was assessed by
      immunochemistry. RESULTS: Indocyanine green and its transport within lymphatic
      vessels were readily visualized, and quantitative measures were derived. During
      the acute phase of arthritis, the lymphatic vessels were dilated, with increased
      indocyanine green signal intensity and lymphatic pulses, and popliteal LNs became
      fluorescent quickly. During the chronic phase, new lymphatic vessels were present
      near the foot. However, the appearance of indocyanine green in lymphatic vessels
      was delayed. The size and area of popliteal LN lymphatic sinuses progressively
      increased in the K/BxN mice. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that indocyanine
      green near-infrared lymphatic imaging is a valuable method for assessing the
      lymphatic draining function in mice with inflammatory arthritis. Indocyanine
      green-near-infrared imaging of K/BxN mice identified 2 distinct lymphatic
      phenotypes during the acute and chronic phase of inflammation. This technique can
      be used to assess new therapies for lymphatic disorders.

PMID- 20309867
TI  - Dihydrosphingosine 1-phosphate has a potent antifibrotic effect in scleroderma
      fibroblasts via normalization of phosphatase and tensin homolog levels.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have revealed a phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN)
      dependent interaction between the sphingolipid agonist dihydrosphingosine 1
      phosphate (dhS1P) and the transforming growth factor beta/Smad3 signaling
      pathway. This study was undertaken to examine responses of systemic sclerosis
      (SSc) fibroblasts to sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) and dhS1P and to gain further
      insight into the regulation of the S1P/dhS1P/PTEN pathway in SSc fibrosis.
      METHODS: Fibroblast cultures were established from skin biopsy samples obtained
      from patients with SSc and matched healthy controls. Western blotting and
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction were used to measure protein and messenger
      RNA levels, respectively. PTEN protein was examined in skin biopsy samples by
      immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: PTEN protein levels were low in SSc fibroblasts
      and correlated with elevated levels of collagen and phospho-Smad3 and reduced
      levels of matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP-1). Treatment with dhS1P restored PTEN
      levels and normalized collagen and MMP-1 expression, as well as Smad3
      phosphorylation status in SSc fibroblasts. S1P was strongly profibrotic in SSc
      and control fibroblasts. Distribution of S1P receptor isoforms was altered in SSc
      fibroblasts, which had reduced levels of S1P receptor 1 and S1P receptor 2 and
      elevated levels of S1P receptor 3. Only depletion of S1P receptor 1 abrogated the
      effects of dhS1P and S1P in control dermal fibroblasts. In contrast, depletion of
      either S1P receptor 1 or S1P receptor 2 prevented the effects of S1P and dhS1P in
      SSc fibroblasts. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that PTEN deficiency is a
      critical determinant of the profibrotic phenotype of SSc fibroblasts. The
      antifibrotic effect of dhS1P is mediated through normalization of PTEN
      expression, suggesting that dhS1P or its derivatives may be effective as
      therapeutic antifibrotic agents. The distribution and function of S1P receptors
      differ in SSc and healthy fibroblasts, suggesting that alteration in the
      sphingolipid signaling pathway may contribute to SSc fibrosis.

PMID- 20309868
TI  - Angiogenesis and the persistence of inflammation in a rat model of proliferative
      synovitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether blood vessel growth at the onset of resolving
      synovitis leads to its subsequent persistence and whether inhibiting this
      angiogenesis at the onset of persistent inflammation leads to its subsequent
      resolution. METHODS: Inflammation and angiogenesis were induced by injection of
      0.03% carrageenan and/or 6 pmoles of fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) into rat
      knees. A brief treatment with the angiogenesis inhibitor PPI-2458 (5 mg/kg orally
      on alternate days) was administered 1 day before and up to 3 days after synovitis
      induction. Controls comprised naive and vehicle-treated rats. Synovial
      angiogenesis was measured using the endothelial cell proliferation index, and
      inflammation was determined by measuring joint swelling and macrophage percentage
      area. Data are presented as the geometric mean (95% confidence interval).
      RESULTS: Intraarticular injection of 0.03% carrageenan into rat knees produced
      acute synovitis, which was not associated with synovial angiogenesis and which
      resolved within 29 days. Injection of FGF-2 (6 pmoles) induced synovial
      angiogenesis without significant synovitis. Stimulation of angiogenesis with FGF
      2 at the time of carrageenan injection was followed by synovitis that persisted
      for 29 days. Persistence of carrageenan/FGF-2-induced synovitis was prevented by
      systemic administration of 3 doses of the angiogenesis inhibitor PPI-2458 during
      the acute phase. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that conversion of acute
      inflammation to chronic inflammation may be due to the stimulation of
      angiogenesis, and brief antiangiogenic treatment during the acute phase of
      synovitis may prevent its subsequent progression. Clinical studies will be needed
      to determine whether brief antiangiogenic treatment may reduce the burden of
      inflammatory joint diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis by facilitating the
      resolution of early synovitis.

PMID- 20309869
TI  - Tetracycline-regulated bone morphogenetic protein 2 gene expression in
      lentivirally transduced primary rabbit chondrocytes for treatment of cartilage
      defects.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Treatment of cartilage defects is still challenging, primarily because
      of the poor self-healing capacity of articular cartilage. Gene therapy approaches
      have gained considerable attention, but, depending on the vector system used,
      they can lead to either limited or unrestrained gene expression, and therefore
      regulation of gene expression is necessary. This study was undertaken to
      construct an efficient tetracycline (Tet)-regulated, lentivirally mediated system
      for the expression of growth factor bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) in
      primary rabbit chondrocytes that will allow for the induction and termination of
      growth factor gene expression once cartilage regeneration is complete. METHODS:
      Chondrogenic ATDC5 cells and primary rabbit chondrocytes were lentivirally
      transduced with different tetracycline-on (Tet-On)-regulated, self-inactivating
      vectors for the induction of expression of enhanced green fluorescent protein
      (eGFP) or BMP-2, using either a 1-vector system or a 2-vector system. RESULTS:
      Expression of eGFP was induced on ATDC5 cells and chondrocytes. The highest
      induction rate and highest level of gene expression were reached when the spleen
      focus-forming virus long terminal repeat promoter was used to drive the reverse
      transactivator expression, after the addition of doxycycline, in chondrocytes. An
      up to 20-fold induction of Tet-mediated BMP-2 expression was observed on ATDC5
      cells. The extent of induction and expression level of BMP-2 in chondrocytes were
      similar between the 1-vector system- and 2-vector system-infected cells (mean +/-
      SD 15.5 +/- 1.1 ng/ml and 14.6 +/- 0.4 ng/ml, respectively). In addition,
      prolonged induction and switching-off of BMP-2 expression, as well as repeated
      induction, were demonstrated. Production of proteoglycans, as shown by Alcian
      blue staining, demonstrated the functionality of the lentivirally expressed BMP-2
      under induced conditions. CONCLUSION: The lentivirally mediated Tet-On system is
      an effective strategy for efficient, repeatedly inducible expression of BMP-2 in
      primary rabbit chondrocytes. Therefore, use of this system in in vivo experiments
      may be a promising approach as a treatment strategy for cartilage defects.

PMID- 20309870
TI  - Heparanase in primary human osteoblasts.
AB  - Heparanase (HPSE) is known to be involved in fracture repair in mice, but its
      presence and function in human bone formation remains unclear. Our aim was to
      determine the expression of HPSE in human bone forming osteoblasts and to better
      understand its role in osteogenesis. HPSE protein expression and enzymatic
      activity were demonstrated in osteoblasts isolated from trabecular bone specimens
      of patients with osteoporosis (OP) and from healthy subjects, although the levels
      differed markedly. Thus, low levels of HPSE expression were observed in
      osteoporotic osteoblasts, including in the nucleus compared to those from healthy
      subjects. Notably, HPSE gene expression was associated with alkaline phosphatase
      (ALP) activity, the bone turnover marker. Gene profile studies demonstrated that
      osteogenic genes were downregulated in osteoporotic osteoblasts. We further
      exposed osteoblasts to exogenous HPSE and found that the level of histone H3
      phosphorylation was increased. We provide evidence, for the first time,
      demonstrating that HPSE expresses and functions in human osteoblasts. Our data
      suggest that previously undescribed function of HPSE-mediated osteoblastogenesis
      through regulation of osteogenic gene expression and histone H3 modification.
      HPSE upregulation may be a novel therapeutic approach in the prevention and
      treatment of OP.

PMID- 20309871
TI  - High-resolution NMR correlation experiments in a single measurement (HR-PANACEA).
AB  - Three important NMR pulse sequences, INADEQUATE, HSQC and three-dimensional HMBC
      have been combined into a single entity called high-resolution Parallel
      Acquisition NMR: an All-in-one Combination of Experimental Applications (HR
      PANACEA) to provide reliable structural information about a small molecule in a
      single measurement. This exploits a recent instrumental development that permits
      simultaneous acquisition of signals from several nuclear species, using multiple
      receivers. Where high-precision values of the long-range heteronuclear splittings
      are important, selected regions of a large experimental data matrix are extracted
      and examined with the highest possible resolution. The J-doubling technique is
      then applied to derive precise values for these couplings. As proof of principle,
      the method is applied to the molecule of methyl salicylate, confirming the
      expected conformation of the C-O-H moiety.

PMID- 20309872
TI  - Synthesis and in-vitro cytotoxicity of poly-functionalized 4-(2-arylthiazol-4-yl)
      4H-chromenes.
AB  - A new series of 4-aryl-4H-chromenes bearing a 2-arylthiazol-4-yl moiety at the 4
      position were prepared as potential cytotoxic agents. The in-vitro cytotoxic
      activity of the synthesized 4-aryl-4H-chromenes was investigated in comparison
      with etoposide, a well-known anticancer drug, using MTT colorimetric assay. Among
      them, the 2-(2-chlorophenyl)thiazol-4-yl analog 4b showed the most potent
      activity against nasopharyngeal epidermoid carcinoma KB, medulloblastoma DAOY,
      and astrocytoma 1321N1, and compound 4d bearing a 2-(4-chlorophenyl)thiazol-4-yl
      moiety at the 4-position of the chromene ring exhibited the best inhibitory
      activity against breast cancer cells MCF-7, lung cancer cells A549, and colon
      adenocarcinoma cells SW480 with IC(50 )values less than 5 microM. The ability of
      compound 4b to induce apoptosis was confirmed in a nuclear morphological assay by
      DAPI staining in the KB and MCF-7 cells.

PMID- 20309873
TI  - Synthesis and antineoplastic activity of O-alkylated derivatives of 7
      hydroximinoandrost-5-ene steroids.
AB  - Varied positioning of the hydroximino group on the parental steroid skeleton
      results in remarkable changes in the antineoplastic activity profile of the
      compounds. Here, the compound 7-oximino-5-androstene and its O-alkylated
      derivatives have been prepared and screened for cytotoxic and aromatase
      inhibitory activity. The steroidal 7-oximino ether derivatives exhibited
      insignificant cytotoxic effects when screened against three cancer cell lines,
      MCF-7 (breast), NCl-H460 (lung), and SF-268 (CNS) at 100 microM. However, the
      imidazolyl-substituted steroidal oxime ethers displayed moderate inhibition of
      cytochrome P450 aromatase.

PMID- 20309875
TI  - GABA and glutamate immunoreactivity in tentacles of the sea anemone Phymactis
      papillosa (LESSON 1830).
AB  - Sea anemones have a structurally simple nervous system that controls behaviors
      like feeding, locomotion, aggression, and defense. Specific chemical and tactile
      stimuli are transduced by ectodermal sensory cells and transmitted via a neural
      network to cnidocytes and epithelio-muscular cells, but the nature of the
      neurotransmitters operating in these processes is still under discussion.
      Previous studies demonstrated an important role of peptidergic transmission in
      cnidarians, but during the last decade the contribution of conventional
      neurotransmitters became increasingly evident. Here, we used immunohistochemistry
      on light and electron microscopical preparations to investigate the localization
      of glutamate and GABA in tentacle cross-sections of the sea anemone Phymactis
      papillosa. Our results demonstrate strong glutamate immunoreactivity in the nerve
      plexus, while GABA labeling was most prominent in the underlying epithelio
      muscular layer. Immunoreactivity for both molecules was also found in glandular
      epithelial cells, and putative sensory cells were GABA positive. Under electron
      microscopy, both glutamate and GABA immunogold labeling was found in putative
      neural processes within the neural plexus. These data support a function of
      glutamate and GABA as signaling molecules in the nervous system of sea anemones.

PMID- 20309876
TI  - Stratification and synaptogenesis in the mushroom body of the honeybee, Apis
      mellifera.
AB  - Stratification is a basic anatomical feature of central brain in both vertebrates
      and many invertebrates. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship
      between stratification and synaptogenesis in the developing mushroom bodies of
      the honeybee. During metamorphosis, the vertical lobe of mushroom body shows
      progressive stratification with three thick primary strata and more secondary
      strata and laminae. Three primary strata are formed at the metamorphic stage P1,
      before the youngest generation of the mushroom body intrinsic neurons, Kenyon
      cells, is produced. Thus, the primary strata within the lobe are unlikely to
      represent three major subpopulations of the Kenyon cells sequentially produced in
      the mushroom bodies. Formation of laminae starts at the stage P2 and culminates
      at the end of metamorphosis. The laminae appear within the lobe rather than being
      added sequentially from the ingrowth stratum. Alternating dark and light lamina
      (lamina doublets) are formed in the vertical lobe in late metamorphosis (stages
      P6-P9), but they are not visible in adults. The pattern of stratification is not
      continuous along the vertical lobe at the same developmental stage, and resorting
      of axons of the Kenyon cells is likely to occur within dark laminae. In the
      developing vertical lobe, dark laminae show lower synaptic density and exhibit an
      ultra structure that is indicative for a delay in synaptogenesis relative to the
      primary strata. A local transient block of synaptogenesis within the dark laminae
      may provide correct targeting of Kenyon cells by extrinsic mushroom body neurons.

PMID- 20309874
TI  - Rheumatoid arthritis risk allele PTPRC is also associated with response to anti
      tumor necrosis factor alpha therapy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNF) therapy is a mainstay of
      treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of the present study was to test
      established RA genetic risk factors to determine whether the same alleles also
      influence the response to anti-TNF therapy. METHODS: A total of 1,283 RA patients
      receiving etanercept, infliximab, or adalimumab therapy were studied from among
      an international collaborative consortium of 9 different RA cohorts. The primary
      end point compared RA patients with a good treatment response according to the
      European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) response criteria (n = 505) with RA
      patients considered to be nonresponders (n = 316). The secondary end point was
      the change from baseline in the level of disease activity according to the
      Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (triangle upDAS28). Clinical factors such as
      age, sex, and concomitant medications were tested as possible correlates of
      treatment response. Thirty-one single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated
      with the risk of RA were genotyped and tested for any association with treatment
      response, using univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. RESULTS:
      Of the 31 RA-associated risk alleles, a SNP at the PTPRC (also known as CD45)
      gene locus (rs10919563) was associated with the primary end point, a EULAR good
      response versus no response (odds ratio [OR] 0.55, P = 0.0001 in the multivariate
      model). Similar results were obtained using the secondary end point, the triangle
      upDAS28 (P = 0.0002). There was suggestive evidence of a stronger association in
      autoantibody-positive patients with RA (OR 0.55, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]
      0.39-0.76) as compared with autoantibody-negative patients (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.41
      1.99). CONCLUSION: Statistically significant associations were observed between
      the response to anti-TNF therapy and an RA risk allele at the PTPRC gene locus.
      Additional studies will be required to replicate this finding in additional
      patient collections.

PMID- 20309879
TI  - Prospective identification of tumorigenic osteosarcoma cancer stem cells in OS99
      1 cells based on high aldehyde dehydrogenase activity.
AB  - High aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity has recently been used to identify
      tumorigenic cell fractions in many cancer types. Herein we hypothesized that a
      subpopulation of cells with cancer stem cells (CSCs) properties could be
      identified in established human osteosarcoma cell lines based on high ALDH
      activity. We previously showed that a subpopulation of cells with high ALDH
      activity were present in 4 selected human osteosarcoma cell lines, of which a
      significantly higher ALDH activity was present in the OS99-1 cell line that was
      originally derived from a highly aggressive primary human osteosarcoma. Using a
      xenograft model in which OS99-1 cells were grown in NOD/SCID mice, we identified
      a highly tumorigenic subpopulation of osteosarcoma cells based on their high ALDH
      activity. Cells with high ALDH activity (ALDH(br) cells) from the OS99-1
      xenografts were much less frequent, averaging 3% of the entire tumor population,
      compared to those isolated directly from the OS99-1 cell line. ALDH(br) cells
      from the xenograft were enriched with greater tumorigenicity compared to their
      counterparts with low ALDH activity (ALDH(lo) cells), generating new tumors with
      as few as 100 cells in vivo. The highly tumorigenic ALDH(br) cells illustrated
      the stem cell characteristics of self-renewal, the ability to produce
      differentiated progeny and increased expression of stem cell marker genes
      OCT3/4A, Nanog and Sox-2. The isolation of osteosarcoma CSCs by their high ALDH
      activity may provide new insight into the study of osteosarcoma-initiating cells
      and may potentially have therapeutic implications for human osteosarcoma.

PMID- 20309880
TI  - Prognostic significance of differentially expressed miRNAs in esophageal cancer.
AB  - Altered microRNA (miRNA) expression has been found to promote carcinogenesis, but
      little is known about the role of miRNAs in esophageal cancer. In this study, we
      selected 10 miRNAs and analyzed their expression in 10 esophageal cancer cell
      lines and 158 tissue specimens using Northern blotting and in situ hybridization,
      respectively. We found that Let-7g, miR-21 and miR-195p were expressed in all 10
      cell lines, miR-9 and miR-20a were not expressed in any of the cell lines, and
      miR-16-2, miR-30e, miR-34a, miR-126 and miR-200a were expressed in some of the
      cell lines but not others. In addition, transient transfection of miR-34a
      inhibited c-Met and cyclin D1 expression and esophageal cancer cell
      proliferation, whereas miR-16-2 suppressed RAR-beta(2) expression and increased
      tumor cell proliferation. Furthermore, we found that miR-126 expression was
      associated with tumor cell dedifferentiation and lymph node metastasis, miR-16-2
      was associated with lymph node metastasis, and miR-195p was associated with
      higher pathologic disease stages in patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma.
      Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that miR-16-2 expression and miR-30e expression were
      associated with shorter overall and disease-free survival in all esophageal
      cancer patients. In addition, miR-16-2, miR-30e and miR-200a expression were
      associated with shorter overall and disease-free survival in patients with
      esophageal adenocarcinoma; however, miR-16-2, miR-30e and miR-200a expression
      were not associated with overall or disease-free survival in squamous cell
      carcinoma patients. Our data indicate that further evaluation of miR-30e and miR
      16-2 as prognostic biomarkers is warranted in patients with esophageal
      adenocarcinoma. In addition, the role of miR-34a in esophageal cancer also
      warrants further study.

PMID- 20309881
TI  - Loss of MKK4 expression in ovarian cancer: a potential role for the epithelial to
      mesenchymal transition.
AB  - In the current study, we investigated the mechanism relating downregulation of
      mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4 (MKK4) expression to development of
      ovarian cancer. Over-expression of the MKK4 gene in TOV-21 G cells, a line with
      homozygous deletion of MKK4, resulted in morphologic changes in which cells
      growing in a scattered, fibroblast-like pattern formed tightly packed colonies.
      Based on a wound healing assay and a Matrigel invasion assay, we determined that
      both motility and invasiveness of MKK4-transfected TOV-21G cells were
      significantly reduced compared to control vector-transfected cells. To confirm
      that MKK4 expression related to tumor invasion resulted from an epithelial to
      mesenchymal transition (EMT)-like morphological change, we used 2 independent but
      complementary approaches. MKK4 gene knockdown in MDAH 2774 cells over-expressing
      MKK4 increased invasion activity. Additionally, engineered expression of MKK4 in
      SKOV3 cells, a line with low endogenous MKK4 expression, produced a phenotype
      similar to that of TOVG-21G. Interestingly, we found that MKK4 upregulation
      caused downregulation of phosphorylated NF-kappaB and Twist, as well as
      upregulation of E-cadherin, in TOVG-21G and SKOV3 cells. Reciprocal results were
      obtained in MDAH 2774 cells with MKK4 knockdown. Our results suggest that MKK4
      downregulation causes increased phosphorylation NF-kappaB. This promotes Twist
      over-expression, resulting in E-cadherin downregulation that induces EMT in
      ovarian cancer.

PMID- 20309882
TI  - Effect of inbreeding depression on growth and fluctuating asymmetry in Turkish
      young males.
AB  - This study sought to examine the effects of inbreeding on physical development
      and fluctuating asymmetry (FA). A total 144 male high-school students (mean age =
      18.11 +/- 0.52) whose parents are first cousins (F = 0.125) of low-socioeconomic
      status and 146 male students (mean age = 18.08 +/- 0.54) from the same school who
      do not have any consanguineous parents (F = 0) were observed in Ankara. In
      addition to the weight and height measurements of the individuals, eight
      bilateral traits (hand width, elbow width, wrist width, knee width, ankle width,
      foot width, ear length, and ear width) were measured. Whereas the inbred group
      has lower values in terms of weight and height, the difference in body mass index
      between the groups is not significant. Although the inbred group is more
      asymmetric in terms of the observed bilateral traits, the differences are below
      the significance level. However, the composite FA index shows that the inbred
      group is more asymmetric and the difference is significant (P < 0.05). Inbreeding
      depression has a negative effect on weight and height development, and a negative
      effect on developmental stability.

PMID- 20309883
TI  - Toward quantifying the usage costs of human immunity: Altered metabolic rates and
      hormone levels during acute immune activation in men.
AB  - There is a paucity of data on the energetic demands of human immune functions,
      despite the fact that both clinical medicine and evolutionary biology would
      benefit from further clarification of these costs. To better understand the
      energetic requirements of mounting a mild immune response, as well as some of the
      major hormonal changes underlying these metabolic changes, we examined changes in
      resting metabolic rate (RMR) and hormones during and after respiratory tract
      infection in young adult men. An epidemiologic passive detection design was used
      to recruit 25 nonfebrile subjects naturally infected with respiratory tract
      pathogens. Symptomology, percent body fat, RMR, salivary testosterone and
      cortisol, and other information were collected at a minimum of three time points
      during and after convalescence. Comparisons of the differences in RMR,
      testosterone, and cortisol between sampling days within individual cases were
      made using paired t-tests. Participants experienced 8% higher RMR during illness,
      and a subset of these men experienced a mean increase greater than 14%. The
      participants also experienced 10% lower testosterone levels during illness, and a
      subset of these participants experienced a mean decrease of 30%, although
      cortisol levels did not change significantly. These results document elevated RMR
      following natural pathogen exposure in adult humans, demonstrating that even mild
      immune reactions can elicit significant increases in energy expenditure.
      Understanding the costs of immunity and the immunomodulatory actions of hormones
      are central to understanding the role of immunity in human life history
      evolution.

PMID- 20309888
TI  - Technology of creation of an expert system for diagnosing thyroid pathology based
      on a set of qualitative signs of cell atypia.
AB  - An expert system for differential diagnosis of thyroid pathology has been
      developed, in which the function of transforming qualitative signs of cell atypia
      into the quantitative form is realized. It based on the set of qualitative signs
      of cell atypia and works in the mode by the question-answer principle. An expert
      system (software) contained the X-matrix and six standard S-matrices. The X
      matrix was designed for filling with the alternative answers yes/no regarding the
      presence of cells with characteristic signs of atypia in the visual fields of a
      preparation. S-matrices characterized the main forms of thyroid diseases, such as
      papillary and follicular cancer, follicular adenoma, autoimmune thyroiditis,
      nodular colloid and diffuse toxic goiter, by their set of yes/no answers. The
      answers entered to the X-matrix were compared with answers of the S-matrix. Each
      element of each S-matrix, besides the answers yes/no, contained its weighting
      coefficient corresponding to a qualitative feature of a certain nosologic form.
      Weighting coefficient of each feature for every nosologic form was calculated by
      their frequency of occurrence in 30 visual fields. Comparison of X-matrices with
      S-matrices and verification of diagnosis according to the value of a diagnostic
      index with a percentage probability was performed in the automatic mode.
      Diagnostic index was determined by the sum of weighting coefficients of features
      with the coincident yes/no answers, while comparing X-matrix elements with the
      corresponding S-matrix elements. The software displayed on the monitor is the
      list of nosologic forms in the order of decreasing the diagnostic index values.

PMID- 20309889
TI  - Profiling of mouse synaptosome proteome and phosphoproteome by IEF.
AB  - Synapses play important roles in neurotransmission and neuroplasticity. For an in
      depth analysis of the synaptic proteome and phosphoproteome, synaptosomal
      proteins from whole mouse brain were analyzed by IEF and MS resulting in the
      largest synaptosome proteome described to date, with 2980 unique proteins
      identified with two or more peptides. At the same time, 118 synaptosomal
      phosphoproteins were identified, eight of which are reported for the first time
      as phosphorylated. Expression of selected proteins in synaptosomes was
      investigated by Western blot. We demonstrate that IEF is a powerful method to
      interrogate complex samples such as brain tissue both at the proteome and the
      phosphoproteome level without the need of additional enrichment for
      phosphoproteins. The detailed synaptoproteome data set reported here will help to
      elucidate the molecular complexity of the synapse and contribute to our
      understanding of synaptic systems biology in health and disease.

PMID- 20309890
TI  - Simultaneous electrophoretic analysis of proteins of very high and low molecular
      mass using Tris-acetate polyacrylamide gels.
AB  - To separate and analyze giant and small proteins in the same electrophoresis gel,
      we have used a 3-15% polyacrylamide gradient gel containing 2.6% of the
      crosslinker bisacrylamide and 0.2 M of Tris-acetate buffer (pH 7.0). Samples were
      prepared in a sample buffer containing lithium dodecyl sulphate and were run in
      the gel described above using Tris-Tricine-SDS-sodium bisulfite buffer, pH 8.2,
      as electrophoresis buffer. Here, we show that this system can be successfully
      used for general applications of SDS-PAGE such as CBB staining and immunoblot.
      Thus, by using Tris-acetate 3-15% polyacrylamide gels, it is possible to
      simultaneously analyze proteins, in the mass range of 10-500 kDa, such as HERC1
      (532 kDa), HERC2 (528 kDa), mTOR (289 kDa), Clathrin heavy chain (192 kDa), RSK
      (90 kDa), S6K (70 kDa), beta-actin (42 kDa), Ran (24 kDa) and LC3 (18 kDa). This
      system is highly sensitive since it allows detection from as low as 10 microg of
      total protein per lane. Moreover, it has a good resolution, low cost, high
      reproducibility and allows for analysis of proteins in a wide range of weights
      within a short period of time. All these features together with the use of a
      standard electrophoresis apparatus make the Tris-acetate-PAGE system a very
      helpful tool for protein analysis.

PMID- 20309891
TI  - Proteomic analysis reveals changes in the hippocampus protein pattern of rats
      exposed to dietary zinc deficiency.
AB  - An experiment was performed to observe protein changes in the hippocampus of zinc
      deficient (ZD) rats. Twenty-four male weanling Wistar rats were randomly assigned
      to ZD (n=12) and control groups (n=12). After 4-wk treatment, we used 2-DE and
      MALDI-TOF-MS to analyze the proteomes of hippocampus in the two groups. One of
      the important differential proteins, ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (Uch-L1),
      was confirmed by Western blot assays. The results demonstrated that compared with
      the controls, ZD rats had significantly reduced plasma zinc concentration and
      alkaline phosphatase activity. The latency period in passive avoidance
      performance was also significantly shorter for the ZD rats. Nine proteins were
      differentially expressed between the two groups. Eight of them were identified.
      Tubulin beta chain and voltage-dependent anion channel 1 were upregulated, while
      mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase, alpha-enolase, dimethylarginine
      dimethylaminohydrolase 1, F-actin capping protein alpha-2 subunit, pyruvate
      dehydrogenase beta and Uch-L1 were downregulated, respectively. Importantly, some
      of the identified proteins (e.g. Uch-L1) are known to be involved in cognitive
      impairment. Western blot analysis of hippocampus Uch-L1 expression confirmed the
      proteomic findings. The data indicated that there may be common mechanisms or
      pathways in cognitive dysfunction between neurodegenerative diseases and zinc
      deficiency.

PMID- 20309892
TI  - Improved sample preparation method for glycan analysis of glycoproteins by CE-LIF
      and CE-MS.
AB  - CE is a high-resolution separation technique broadly used in the biotechnology
      industry for carbohydrate analysis. The standard sample preparation protocol for
      CE analysis of glycans released from glycoproteins generally requires
      derivatization times of overnight at 37 degrees C, using > or =100 fold excess of
      fluorophore reagent, 8-aminopyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic-acid, if the sample is
      unknown, or it is a regulated biotherapeutic product, possibly containing
      terminal sialic acid(s). In this paper, we report on significant improvements for
      the standard CE sample preparation method of glycan analysis. By replacing the
      conventionally used acetic acid catalyst with citric acid, as low as 1:10 glycan
      to fluorophore molar ratio (versus the typical 1:> or =100 ratio) maintained the
      >95% derivatization yield at 55 degrees C with only 50 min reaction time.
      Terminal sialic acid loss was negligible at 55 degrees C during the
      derivatization process, and indicating that the kinetics of labeling at 55
      degrees C was faster than the loss of sialic acid from the glycan. The reduced
      relative level of 8-aminopyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic-acid simplified the removal of
      excess reagent, important in both CE-LIF (electrokinetic injection bias) and CE
      MS (ion suppression). Coupling CE- ESI-MS confirmed that the individual peaks
      separated by CE corresponded to single glycans and increased the confidence of
      structural assignment based on glucose unit values.

PMID- 20309893
TI  - Endogenous morphine levels after laparoscopic versus open colectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endogenous morphine may be a component of the acute-phase response to
      surgical trauma that affects both hospital stay and gastrointestinal motility.
      The purpose of this study was to assess the responses of endogenous morphine,
      stress hormones and cytokines following laparoscopic and open colectomy. METHODS:
      Twenty patients who underwent a laparoscopic colectomy were compared with ten who
      had an open procedure. Data collected included operative blood loss, operating
      time and time to pass flatus. Plasma endogenous morphine was measured before and
      immediately after operation, and 3, 24 and 48 h later. RESULTS: Age was
      comparable in the two groups. Operating time (mean 92.2 versus 61.3 min), time to
      tolerance of solid food (56.8 versus 103.6 h) and hospital stay (median 4 versus
      6 days) were all significantly longer in the open group. Endogenous morphine
      levels rose immediately after open colectomy only and were higher than those
      after laparoscopic colectomy (8.69 versus 1.97 ng/ml; P < 0.001). Levels remained
      significantly higher than [corrected] in the laparoscopic group at 3 h (10.36
      versus 0.52 ng/ml; P < 0.001) and 24 h, but were similar in both groups after 48
      h. CONCLUSION: There is a greater degree of morphine synthesis after open than
      laparoscopic colectomy.

PMID- 20309894
TI  - Bariatric surgery reduces mortality in Swedish men.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mortality is lower in obese patients who have undergone surgery for
      obesity than in those who have not. The majority of patients in these studies
      have been women. Perioperative mortality is known to be higher among men, and
      this may counterbalance the survival advantage seen after surgery. This cohort
      study compared mortality among operated obese patients, non-operated obese
      patients and a general control cohort of men. METHODS: The study was based on
      record linkage between Swedish registries. An operated obese, a non-operated
      obese and a general control cohort were created. The two non-operated cohorts
      were assigned pseudosurgery dates. Data regarding preoperative and postoperative
      morbidity were collected, as well as mortality data. RESULTS: Hazard ratios were
      calculated for mortality between the cohorts adjusting for preoperative morbidity
      and age. Comparison of all-cause mortality for the obese surgical and non
      surgical cohorts gave an adjusted mortality risk of 0.7 (95 per cent confidence
      interval (c.i.) 0.5 to 1.0) (P = 0.039); the adjusted mortality risk was 1.5 (95
      per cent c.i. 1.1 to 2.0) (P = 0.011) when the obese surgical cohort was compared
      with the general control cohort. CONCLUSION: Bariatric surgery reduces overall
      mortality in obese men.

PMID- 20309895
TI  - Self-expanding metal stents as an alternative to surgical bypass for malignant
      gastric outlet obstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gastroduodenal obstruction due to malignancy can be difficult to
      palliate. Self-expanding metal stents (SEMS) are gaining acceptance as an
      effective alternative to surgical bypass. METHODS: Patients not suitable for
      surgical bypass, with complete gastric outlet obstruction as a result of
      malignancy, were offered palliation with SEMS from November 2004 to December
      2008. The procedure was performed under fluoroscopic guidance and conscious
      sedation. Data were collected prospectively. RESULTS: Seventy patients underwent
      SEMS placement (hepatobiliary and pancreatic malignancy, 44; antral gastric
      carcinoma, 19; other, seven). Follow-up was complete in 69 patients (99 per
      cent). Technical and clinical success rates were 93 and 95 per cent respectively.
      Median hospital stay was 2 (range 1-18) days, median survival was 1.8 (0.1-19.0)
      months, and 87 per cent had improved intake after SEMS placement, as determined
      by Gastric Outlet Obstruction Severity Score before and after stenting (P <
      0.001). Complications included two episodes of minor bleeding. CONCLUSION: The
      use of SEMS to alleviate complete malignant gastric outlet obstruction in
      patients with limited life expectancy is successful in re-establishing enteral
      intake in most patients, with minimal morbidity, no mortality and a short
      hospital stay.

PMID- 20309896
TI  - Use of different buffers for detection and separation in determination of physio
      active components in oolong tea infusion by CZE with amperometric detection.
AB  - With a view of simultaneous determination of physio-active ingredients in oolong
      tea infusion: sugars, amino acids, epigallocatechin gallate and ascorbic acid, a
      novel CZE with amperometric detection method was studied. Operated in a wall-jet
      configuration, 100 mmol/L NaOH was used in detecting cell to lead the
      electrocatalysis oxidation behaviors of the analytes on a 300 mum diameter copper
      disc electrode (working electrode), while in separating capillary, a mild
      alkaline running buffer consisting in a mixture of 30 mmol/L borate and 40 mmol/L
      phosphates charged and carried analytes to detecting end. The methodology
      research was performed for system stability and suitability. Under the optimal CE
      conditions, analytes could be separated within moderate time period. Good
      linearity between peak area and concentration existed over three orders of
      magnitude; lower RSD and LOD were achieved. The oolong tea infusion was assayed
      and result was satisfactory.

PMID- 20309897
TI  - Optimum extraction process of polyphenols from Bridelia grandis stem bark using
      experimental design.
AB  - Euphorbiaceae barks are known to contain an appreciable amount of polyphenolic
      compounds responsible for several biological activities. Preliminary extraction
      from Bridelia grandis stem bark afforded high content of polyphenols, determined
      by spectrophotometric methods such as Folin-Ciocalteu (for total phenols, TP) and
      n-butanol-HCl (for condensed tannins, CT). A preliminary Plackett-Burman
      screening design was used to identify the key factors that influence the TP and
      CT extraction. Between all the variables known to influence the extraction from
      vegetable matrixes, six were selected; maceration was chosen as traditional
      extraction methodology. To investigate the effect of solvents and extraction
      method, methanol, acetone 70% (v/v in water), centrifugation and ultrasound were
      chosen. A full factorial design 2(3) was applied to optimize the extraction
      procedure. The responses were obtained analyzing the extracts for their TP and CT
      contents determined by the above-mentioned spectrophotometric methods. The
      results confirm that, within the explored domain, the optimum solvent is methanol
      and the optimum method is one-cycle centrifugation. Finally, it was also compared
      with the effect of maceration on the considered responses. It has never given
      results better than centrifugation, whereas in the case of CT it represents an
      advantage to employ a three-cycle centrifugation instead of one.

PMID- 20309898
TI  - Ionic liquid as extraction agent for detection of volatile phenols in wastewater
      and its regeneration.
AB  - Volatile phenols in the wastewater provide a basic parameter of the pollution.
      Spectrophotometric method based on the reactions of the individual phenols with 4
      aminoantipyrine in the presence of an oxidizing agent is the current official
      analytical method in many countries. In this paper, we propose a method for
      extracting the resultant colored dye with ionic liquid 1-butyl-3
      methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate instead of chloroform. The results revealed
      excellent extraction efficiency, and the used ionic liquid could be regenerated
      easily. The method with small volume green reagent could be potentially applied
      in portable devices for in situ environmental analysis.

PMID- 20309899
TI  - A discussion on the process of defining 2-D separation selectivity.
AB  - In this manuscript, we investigate the importance that must be placed on the
      selection of standard compounds when undertaking studies to optimize the
      performance of 2-D-HPLC separations. A geometric approach to factor analysis and
      a measure of peak density across the separation space were applied to assess
      localized measures of component distributions within the 2-D separation plane.
      The results of this analysis of data showed that the measure of separation
      quality varied markedly, depending on the elution zone for which the test was
      undertaken. The study concluded that if standards cannot be obtained that
      adequately describe the entire sample matrix, the sample itself should be used,
      and also, the separation should be optimized for regions of interest, not
      necessarily the separation as a whole.

PMID- 20309900
TI  - Application of turbulent flow chromatography to the metabonomic analysis of human
      plasma: comparison with protein precipitation.
AB  - The use of turbulent flow chromatography (TFC) as a method for the rapid
      metabonomic LC-MS analysis of plasma as an alternative to solvent-based protein
      precipitation has been investigated. This comparison has shown that TFC can be
      effectively used in this application with the benefit that off-line sample
      handling is significantly reduced. However, analysis of the data obtained via TFC
      for human plasma reveals substantial differences in the overall metabolite
      profiles compared with methanol-precipitated HPLC-MS. This seems in part at least
      to be related to greatly reduced amounts of phospholipids (ca. 10 fold reduction)
      for the turbulent flow methodology compared with protein-precipitated samples.
      The significance of these differences with respect to metabolite profiles as a
      result of the sample preparation method used are discussed.

PMID- 20309901
TI  - Comprehensive 2-D chromatography of random and block methacrylate copolymers.
AB  - A comprehensive 2-D separation method was developed for the characterization of
      methacrylate copolymers. In both dimensions conditions were employed that give a
      critical separation for the homopolymer of one of the monomers in the copolymer,
      and exclusion behaviour for the other. The 2-D separation was realized by using a
      normal-phase column in one dimension and a reversed phase column in the other,
      and by precisely tuning the compositions of the two mobile phases employed. In
      the normal-phase dimension mixtures of THF and n-hexane or n-heptane were used as
      mobile phase, and in the reversed-phase dimension mixtures of ACN and THF.
      Moreover, stationary phase particles had to be selected for both columns that
      gave an exclusion window appropriate for the molecular size of the sample
      polymers to be characterized. The 2-D critical chromatography principle was
      tested with a polystyrene (PS)-polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) block copolymer and
      with block and random polybutylmethacrylate (PBMA)-PMMA copolymers. Ideally, the
      retention time for a copolymer in both dimensions of this system would depend on
      the size of only one of the blocks, or on the contribution of only one of the
      monomers to the size of a random copolymer. However, it was found that the
      elution of the PS-PMMA block copolymer depended on the size of both blocks, even
      when the corresponding homopolymer of one of the monomers showed critical elution
      behaviour. Therefore, the method could not be calibrated for block sizes by using
      homopolymer standards alone. Still, it was shown that the method can be used to
      determine differences between samples (PS-PMMA and PBMA-PMMA) with respect to
      total molecular size or block sizes separately, or to average size and chemical
      composition for random copolymers. Block and random PBMA-PMMA copolymers showed a
      distinctly different pattern in the 2-D plots obtained with 2-D critical
      chromatography. This difference was shown to be related to the different
      procedures followed in the polymerization process, and the different molecular
      distributions resulting from these.

PMID- 20309902
TI  - Response surface optimization of ultrasound-assisted flavonoids extraction from
      the flower of Citrus aurantium L. var. amara Engl.
AB  - Citrus aurantium L. var. amara Engl is a member of genus Citrus (Rutaceae) and
      has been used in Chinese medicine with the effectiveness of digestant and
      expectorant. Ultrasonic-assisted extraction process for maximum flavonoids from
      the flower of Citrus aurantium L. var. amara Engl was investigated by response
      surface methodology. Through single factor experiment, ranges of the main
      variables (including ethanol concentration, solid/liquid ratio, extraction time
      and temperature) affecting the extraction yield of flavonoids were confirmed. Box
      Behnken central composite design consisting of 24 experimental runs and 5
      replicates at zero point was then applied and a regress model was obtained to
      predict the optimal extraction yield. The ANOVA indicated that the regression
      equation fits very well with the actual situation, reflecting the relationship
      between the extraction yield of flavonoids and extraction conditions. The optimal
      conditions were as follows: extraction temperature 72.11 degrees C, time 51.89
      min, ethanol concentration 51.19% and liquid/solid ratio of 40:10. Under the
      optimal conditions, the maximum response value of yield (1.88%) was consistent
      with the experimental value (1.87%), indicating the feasibility and validation of
      response surface methodology in optimizing the extraction of flavonoids from the
      flower of Citrus aurantium L. var. amara Engl.

PMID- 20309903
TI  - Urinary metabonomic study of lung cancer by a fully automatic hyphenated
      hydrophilic interaction/RPLC-MS system.
AB  - Lung cancer is one of the most common and lethal cancers in the world. In this
      study, a home-devised hydrophilic interaction chromatography/RPLC-MS (HILIC/RPLC
      MS) system was developed to study the urinary metabonomics of lung cancer
      patients. This system combined the orthogonal selectivity of HILIC and RPLC and
      could chromatographically reveal more comprehensive information of the urinary
      metabolites. Within a total analysis time of 50 min, we detected 577 polar
      metabolite ions on the first HILIC column and 261 apolar ones on the second RPLC
      column. In addition, an orthogonal signal correction partial least-squares
      discriminant analysis model was constructed to characterize differences between
      health and lung cancer cases. Eleven potential biomarkers, ten from HILIC column
      and one from the second RP column, were identified and all of these biomarkers
      were found upregulated in lung cancer patients. Overall, the results indicated
      that the developed HILIC/RPLC-MS system is a promising tool for metabonomic
      studies in revealing more information of highly complex samples.

PMID- 20309904
TI  - Comparison of various second-dimension gradient types in comprehensive two
      dimensional liquid chromatography.
AB  - Gradient elution provides significant improvement in peak capacity with respect
      to isocratic conditions. In the second dimension, gradients are limited to a
      short-time period available for separation. Various types of second-dimension
      gradients in comprehensive LC x LC are compared: (i) "full in fraction", (ii)
      "segment in fraction" and (iii) "continuously shifting" gradients, applied in
      orthogonal LC x LC separations of phenolic acids and flavones on a polyethylene
      glycol column in the first dimension and two types of porous shell fused-core C18
      columns in the second dimension (Ascentis Express and Kinetex). The porous shell
      columns provide narrow bandwidths and fast second-dimension separations at
      moderate operating pressure that allows important savings of the overall
      separation time in comprehensive LC x LC separations. The effects of the gradient
      type on the bandwidths, theoretical peak capacity, separation time and column
      pressure in the second dimension were investigated. The type of gradient program
      controls the range of lipophilicity of sample compounds that can be separated in
      the second-dimension reversed-phase time period. This range can be calibrated
      using alkylbenzene standards, to design the separation conditions for complete
      sample separation, avoiding harmful wrap around of non-eluted compounds to the
      subsequent second-dimension fractions.

PMID- 20309905
TI  - Hydrophobic interaction membrane chromatography for plasmid DNA purification:
      Design and optimization.
AB  - Chromatography is one of the key operations in the downstream processing of
      plasmid DNA (pDNA). However, the increased demand for highly purified pDNA
      experienced in recent years has made clear the need for alternative processes
      capable of retaining the advantages of conventional chromatography, such as
      selectivity, while providing increased throughput at a lower cost. The work
      presented in this article outlines the development and optimization of an
      alternative hydrophobic interaction membrane chromatography process for the
      purification of pDNA. The studies included the modification of functionalized
      membrane supports with a linear alkyl chain ligand and the testing of
      chromatographic performance of these membranes. Three modification procedures
      were tested and the membranes were screened for their capacity and selectivity.
      The modified membranes could separate the model plasmid pVAX1-LacZ (6050 bp) from
      impurities in clarified Escherichia coli cell lysates (specifically RNA), with
      good resolution. Subsequent optimization of elution profiles with the best
      performing modified membrane, resulted in a high purification factor of 4.7,
      competitive with its bead process counterpart, and a plasmid yield of 73%.

PMID- 20309906
TI  - Unexpected roles for DEAD-box protein 3 in viral RNA sensing pathways.
AB  - Detection of viral nucleic acid within infected cells is essential to an
      effective anti-viral response. The retinoic acid-inducible gene-I-like receptors
      (RLR) form part of the virus detection repertoire and are critically important in
      sensing viral RNA in the cytoplasm. Efforts continue to define the signalling
      components downstream of RLR that are required to induce type I IFN (IFN-alpha
      and promoter stimulator-1) after viral infection. One surprising finding was that
      the Asp-Glu-Ala-Asp box helicase DEAD/H Box 3 (DDX3), known for some time to have
      a number of roles in cellular RNA regulation in the nucleus, has a role in the
      RLR cytoplasmic signalling pathway involved in promoter stimulator-1 induction.
      In this issue of the European Journal of Immunology, an article reports an
      additional distinct positive role for DDX3 in the RLR RNA sensing pathway. This
      further emphasises the importance of DDX3 in anti-viral immunity, and is
      consistent with the idea that viruses target DDX3 for immune evasion.

PMID- 20309907
TI  - Bystander activation of CD4+ T cells.
AB  - Bystander activation of T cells, i.e. the stimulation of unrelated (heterologous)
      T cells by cytokines during an Ag-specific T-cell response, has been best
      described for CD8(+) T cells. In the CD8(+) compartment, the release of IFN and
      IFN-inducers leads to the production of IL-15, which mediates the proliferation
      of CD8(+) T cells, notably memory-phenotype CD8(+) T cells. CD4(+) T cells also
      undergo bystander activation, however, the signals inducing this Ag-nonspecific
      stimulation of CD4(+) T cells are less well known. A study in this issue of the
      European Journal of Immunology sheds light on this aspect, suggesting that common
      gamma-chain cytokines including IL-2 might be involved in bystander activation of
      CD4(+) T cells.

PMID- 20309908
TI  - The configuration, solvatochromism and metallo-responses of two novel cyano
      containing oligo(phenylene-vinylene) derivatives.
AB  - Two novel cyano-containing oligo(phenylenevinylene) (OPV) derivatives have been
      designed and synthesized. Photophysical and sensing properties of the two
      compounds were studied. Such studies reveal the intramolecular charge transfer
      process between cyano groups and OPV core. The results showed that the alkyl
      difference of substituted OPV leads to the changes of molecular configuration and
      metallo-response of two compounds.

PMID- 20309909
TI  - A novel method for sensing of methimazole using gold nanoparticle-catalyzed
      chemiluminescent reaction.
AB  - Based on the inhibition effect of methimazole (MMI) on the reaction of luminol
      H(2)O(2) catalyzed by gold nanoparticles, a novel chemiluminescence (CL) method
      was developed for the determination of MMI. Under the optimum conditions, the
      relative CL intensity was linearly related to MMI concentration in the range from
      5.0 * 10(-8) to 5.0 * 10(-5) mol L(-1). The detection limit was 1.6 * 10(-8) mol
      L(-1) (S/N=3), and the RSD for 6.0 * 10(-6) mol L(-1) MMI was 4.83 (n=11). This
      method has high sensitivity, wide linear range, inexpensive instrumentation and
      has been applied to detect MMI in pharmaceutical tablets and pig serum samples.
      Furthermore, a possible reaction mechanism is discussed.

PMID- 20309913
TI  - Heart-cutting 2D-CE with on-line preconcentration for the chiral analysis of
      native amino acids.
AB  - The use of transient moving chemical reaction boundary (tMCRB) was investigated
      for the on-line preconcentration of native amino acids in heart-cutting 2D-CE
      with multiple detection points using contactless conductivity detection. The
      tMCRB focusing was obtained by using ammonium formate (pH 8.56) as sample matrix
      and acetic acid (pH 2.3) as a BGE in the first dimension of the heart-cutting 2D
      CE. Different experimental parameters such as the injected volume and the
      concentration in ammonium formate were optimized for improving the sensitivity of
      detection. A stacked fraction from the first dimension was selected, isolated in
      the capillary, and then separated in the second dimension in the presence of a
      chiral selector ((+)-(18-crown-6)-2,3,11,12-tetracarboxylic acid). This on-line
      tMCRB preconcentration coupled with heart-cutting 2D-CE was applied with success
      to the chiral separation of D,L-phenylalanine, and D,L-threonine in a mixture of
      22 native amino acids. The sample mixture was diluted in 0.8 M of ammonium
      formate, and injected at a concentration of 2.5 muM for each enantiomer with a
      volume corresponding to 10% of the total capillary volume. An LOD (S/N=3) of 2
      muM was determined for L-threonine.

PMID- 20309914
TI  - Study of elution behaviour with gradient voltage in CEC using methacrylate
      monolithic columns.
AB  - A theoretical study on the retention behaviour and chromatographic performance of
      neutral solutes using a lauryl methacrylate-based monolithic column under voltage
      gradient mode in CEC was carried out. Through a flexible mathematical function
      based on a modified Gaussian model, the peak shape of compounds was firstly
      fitted under constant and gradient voltage. Using the peak shape parameters and
      retention time, the estimation of global chromatographic performance, efficiency
      and peak capacity under several voltage conditions was performed. The influence
      of voltage gradient on the separation efficiency is discussed and simple
      equations are presented to calculate retention and peak widths under voltage
      gradient conditions. A comparison in terms of chromatographic performance of a
      test mixture of neutral solutes under constant and gradient voltage modes was
      also carried out. The experiments carried out under gradient voltage showed
      better efficiencies (172,000 plates/m) and lower peak widths than those obtained
      under constant voltage (52,000 plates/m).

PMID- 20309915
TI  - Glycogen: a novel branched polysaccharide chiral selector in CE.
AB  - Various chiral selectors have been employed in CE and among them linear
      polysaccharides exhibited powerful enantioselective properties. Different from
      linear polysaccharides, the use of branched polysaccharides as chiral selectors
      in CE has not been reported previously. In this study glycogen belonging to the
      class of branched polysaccharides was used as a novel chiral selector for the
      enantiomeric separations for the first time. Since glycogen is electrically
      neutral, the method is applicable to ionic compounds. Eighteen chiral compounds
      including 12 basic drugs and six acidic drugs have been tested to demonstrate the
      potential of this chiral selector. BGE and selector concentrations and buffer pH
      were systematically optimized in order to obtain successful chiral separations.
      Among the tested compounds, the enantiomers of ibuprofen, which is an acidic
      drug, were successfully recognized by 3.0% w/v glycogen with 90 mM Tris-H(3)PO(4)
      buffer (pH 7.0). The enantiomers of basic drugs such as citalopram, cetirizine
      and nefopam were also baseline-resolved with 50 mM Tris-H(3)PO(4) buffer (pH 3.0)
      containing 3.0% glycogen. Amlodipine belonging to basic compound only gave
      partial enantioseparation under the above-mentioned condition.

PMID- 20309916
TI  - Generation of gold nanostructures at the surface of platinum electrode by
      electrodeposition for ECL detection for CE.
AB  - In this paper, we report a sensitive method for ECL detection for CE based on
      generation of gold nanostructures at the surface of Pt electrode by
      electrodeposition. Difenidol hydrochloride was used as a model analyte. With the
      increase of electrodeposition amount, the morphology of gold nanostructures
      changed from discrete nanoflowers to dense nanoparticle array. Interestingly, the
      variation of deposition amount also greatly affected the ECL intensity of
      difenidol. The ECL intensity increased remarkably with deposition amount and
      reached the maximum value at the deposition amount of 7.0 x 10(-8)C; further
      increasing the deposition amount, however, caused the ECL intensity to decrease.
      Other conditions, including applied potential, injection time and voltage, buffer
      pH, were also optimized in detail. Under the optimized conditions, the linear
      response range of difenidol is from 1.0 x 10(-8) to 5.0 x 10(-5) M, and the
      detection limit was 4.0 x 10(-9) M (S/N=3). The RSDs of ECL intensity and
      migration time were 2.0 and 1.6%, respectively (n=5, at 7.5 microM difenidol).
      Compared with using bare electrode, the detection sensitivity was significantly
      improved by ca. two orders of magnitude. Notably, the nanogold was prepared at
      the surface of electrode and no nanogold was added to the electrophoretic buffer
      or detection cell, thus causing no interference to the separation. Finally, the
      proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of difenidol in tablets
      and urine samples. With high sensitivity and good reproducibility, this method
      provides a promising platform for the determination of pharmaceuticals that have
      a tertiary amine group such as difenidol.

PMID- 20309917
TI  - Novel tuneable optical elements based on nanoparticle suspensions in
      microfluidics.
AB  - This work demonstrates the application of dielectrophoretic (DEP) control of
      silica nanoparticles to form tuneable optical elements within a microfluidic
      system. The implementation consisted of a microfluidic channel with an array of
      curved microelectrodes along its base. Various DEP conditions were investigated
      at alternating current voltage amplitudes, flow rates and frequencies from 5 to
      15 V, 2 to 10 microL/min and 0 to 20 MHz, respectively. The fluid channel was
      filled with deionized water suspending silica particles with diameters of 230 and
      450 nm. Experiments were conducted to demonstrate DEP concentration and
      deflection of the particles and the impact of these particles distributions on
      the optical transmission through the fluid channel. Both confinement and
      scattering of the light were observed depending on the particle dimensions and
      the parameters of the DEP excitation. The results of this investigation
      illustrate the feasibility of DEP control in an optofluidic system and represent
      a significant step toward the dynamic formation of electrically controlled liquid
      optical waveguides.

PMID- 20309918
TI  - Type 2 diabetes and cancer: what is the connection?
AB  - Epidemiological studies have demonstrated an association between type 2 diabetes
      and cancer. Type 2 diabetes is characterized by insulin resistance and
      hyperinsulinemia. Hyperinsulinemia may lead to cancer through insulin's effect on
      its cognate receptor and the insulin-like growth factor system. The effects of
      insulin and insulin-like growth factor I on cancer development and progression
      have been demonstrated in animal and human studies. Type 2 diabetes has been
      positively associated with cancers of the breast, colon, and pancreas. An inverse
      relationship has been observed between type 2 diabetes and prostate cancer, and
      this may be due to lower testosterone levels in men with type 2 diabetes.
      Medications used to treat type 2 diabetes may affect cancer cells directly or
      indirectly by affecting serum insulin levels. Hyperinsulinemia may be an
      important risk factor for cancer as well as a target for cancer therapy.

PMID- 20309919
TI  - Colonoscopy versus computed tomography colonography for colorectal cancer
      screening.
AB  - Colorectal cancer is second only to lung cancer as the leading cause of death
      among North Americans of both sexes. Although screening rates for colorectal
      cancer in the United States have increased over the past decade, these rates (in
      the range of 45%-60%) are still lower than the screening rates for breast cancer
      (approximately 80%). Optical colonoscopy has been recognized as the preferred
      method for colorectal cancer screening in the United States, but computed
      tomography colonography has recently been gaining favor. This article compares
      the 2 methods with respect to both advantages and disadvantages.

PMID- 20309920
TI  - Epigenetics in women's health care.
AB  - Epigenetics refers to structural modifications to genes that do not change the
      nucleotide sequence itself but instead control and regulate gene expression. DNA
      methylation, histone modification, and RNA regulation are some of the mechanisms
      involved in epigenetic modification. Epigenetic changes are believed to be a
      result of changes in an organism's environment that result in fixed and permanent
      changes in most differentiated cells. Some environmental changes that have been
      linked to epigenetic changes include starvation, folic acid, and various chemical
      exposures. There are periods in an organism's life cycle in which the organism is
      particularly susceptible to epigenetic influences; these include fertilization,
      gametogenesis, and early embryo development. These are also windows of
      opportunity for interventions during the reproductive life cycle of women to
      improve maternal-child health. New data suggest that epigenetic influences might
      be involved in the regulation of fetal development and the pathophysiology of
      adult diseases such as cancer, diabetes, obesity, and neurodevelopmental
      disorders. Various epigenetic mechanisms may also be involved in the pathogenesis
      of preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction. Additionally, environmental
      exposures are being held responsible for causing epigenetic changes that lead to
      a disease process. Exposure to heavy metals, bioflavonoids, and endocrine
      disruptors, such as bisphenol A and phthalates, has been shown to affect the
      epigenetic memory of an organism. Their long-term effects are unclear at this
      point, but many ongoing studies are attempting to elucidate the
      pathophysiological effects of such gene-environment interactions.

PMID- 20309921
TI  - Genes, race, ethnicity, and environment.

PMID- 20309922
TI  - Race, ethnicity, ancestry, and pharmacogenetics.
AB  - Pharmacogenetics is the study of how genetic variation influences the response to
      drugs. The concepts of race, ethnicity, and ancestry have long had a strong
      influence on pharmacogenetic discovery and on our understanding of population
      level differences in drug response. The primary goal of pharmacogenetics,
      however, is to identify the individual genetic determinants of drug activity so
      that therapy can be tailored to the individual patient. This article describes
      the relationship between the concepts of race, ethnicity, and ancestry and how
      these concepts have been applied to pharmacogenetics, and it provides examples of
      the benefits and pitfalls associated with the use of racial or ethnic labels in
      genetic studies. The future of pharmacogenetics, including the study of rare
      genetic variation and what this means for racial or ethnic disparities in
      pharmacogenetic discovery, is also discussed.

PMID- 20309923
TI  - You are born with your genes: justice and protection against discrimination in
      the use of genetic information.
AB  - Genetic information poses an apparent paradox for justice in health care. On the
      one hand, genetic information seems to be exactly the kind of information that it
      is unjust to take into account in the distribution of important goods. On the
      other hand, genetic information may increasingly become useful in individual
      patient care as evidence for personalized medicine increases. Although it is
      important to emphasize the difference between genetic information and the social
      construct of race, nonetheless, the historical interplay between discrimination
      based on assumptions about heritability and discrimination based on race are
      significant. Thus, this article defends the importance of paying very close
      attention to protections in the use of genetic information. Three current
      examples of inadequate protection are cited. First, informed consent to genetic
      testing should incorporate potential confidentiality risks raised by this
      information. Second, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act is too porous
      to protect employees from their employers' possession of genetic information; if
      such information is used in discriminatory ways, burdens of seeking protection
      then fall on the employees. More stringent strategies for protecting information
      are thus desirable. Finally, current designs of interoperable health records fail
      to allow for the sequestration of genetic information. Efforts to develop such
      sequestration techniques should be encouraged; among other benefits, they would
      be helpful in shielding genetic information from employers.

PMID- 20309924
TI  - Genetics and asthma disease susceptibility in the US Latino population.
AB  - The US Latino population is heterogeneous with diversity in environmental
      exposures and socioeconomic status. Moreover, the US Hispanic population derives
      from numerous countries previously under Spanish rule, and many Hispanics have
      complex proportions of European, Native American, and African ancestry.
      Disparities in asthma severity and control are due to complex interactions
      between environmental exposures, socioeconomic factors, and genetic variations.
      In addition, diseases within the Latino community may also differ by country of
      origin. Although US Census data show low asthma rates in the Hispanic population
      as a whole, there is a lot of variability in the prevalence and morbidity of
      asthma, with a prevalence of 5.0% in Mexican Americans versus 17.0% in Puerto
      Ricans. The diversity and population admixture make the study of the genetics of
      asthma complex in Latino populations. However, an understanding of the genetics
      of asthma in all populations, including the Latino population, can enhance risk
      identification, help us to target pharmacological therapy, and guide
      environmental regulations, all of which can promote a reduction in health
      disparities. The inclusion of markers of ancestral diversity and the
      incorporation of techniques to adjust for stratification now make these studies
      feasible in complex populations, including the Latino population. To date,
      studies using linkage analyses, genome-wide associations, or candidate gene
      analyses have identified an association of asthma or asthma-related phenotypes
      with candidate genes, including interleukin 13, beta-2 adrenergic receptor, a
      disintegrin and metalloproteinase 33, orosomucoid 1-like 3, and thymic stromal
      lymphopoietin. As reviewed here, although these genes have been identified in
      diverse populations, limited studies have been performed in Latino populations,
      and they have had variable replication. There is a need for the development of
      registries with well-phenotyped pediatric and adult Latino populations and
      subgroups for inclusion in the rapidly expanding field of genetic studies, and
      these studies need to be used to reduce health disparities.

PMID- 20309925
TI  - Is there a genetic basis for health disparities in human immunodeficiency virus
      disease?
AB  - The highest global prevalence rates for human immunodeficiency virus and acquired
      immune deficiency syndrome have been recorded in southern Africa; in the United
      States, individuals of African descent are disproportionately affected by human
      immunodeficiency virus infection. Human immunodeficiency virus-infected
      individuals with African ancestry are also estimated to have a 17-fold or greater
      risk for developing human immunodeficiency virus-associated nephropathy in
      comparison with their counterparts of non-African descent. Several recent studies
      have implicated genetic alleles that are more frequent in populations of African
      descent and increase the risk of human immunodeficiency virus infection and the
      risk of human immunodeficiency virus-associated neuropathy (HIVAN). The
      supposition that persons of African descent are more susceptible to human
      immunodeficiency virus infection because of an underlying genetic predisposition
      is not supported by available evidence. However, strong, replicated data show
      that the increased risk for human immunodeficiency virus-associated nephropathy,
      as well as other major forms of kidney disease in individuals of African descent,
      is due in part to MYH9 (myosin, heavy chain 9, non-muscle) renal disease
      susceptibility alleles that are very frequent throughout sub-Saharan Africa but
      are infrequent or absent in non-Africans. Selection, drift, and demographic
      events shape the allelic architecture of the human genome: it is expected that
      these events will be reflected in geographic-specific differentiation in allele
      frequencies for a small subset of alleles that may be associated with either
      increased or reduced risk for complex and infectious diseases.

PMID- 20309926
TI  - Genetic and environmental contributions to racial disparities in preterm birth.
AB  - The preterm birth rate exceeds 12% in the United States, and preterm birth
      continues to be a clinical and public health challenge globally. Even though
      preterm birth is a major contributor to infant mortality and lifelong morbidity,
      there are few effective strategies to predict preterm birth and few clinical
      interventions to prevent it. Genomic research approaches that identify risk
      factors at the intersection of genetics and the environment will likely provide
      insights. Both genetic and environmental factors are known to contribute to the
      racial disparity seen in preterm birth. Through the identification of relevant
      gene-environment interactions that contribute to preterm birth and may underlie
      the racial disparity in preterm birth, research that will translate to clinical
      practice and ultimately prevent a number of preterm births is possible.

PMID- 20309927
TI  - Access to health and health care: how race and ethnicity matter.
AB  - Racial and ethnic disparities in health are multifactorial; they reflect
      differences in biological vulnerability to disease as well as differences in
      social resources, environmental factors, and health care interventions.
      Understanding and intervening in health inequity require an understanding of the
      disparate access to all of the personal resources and environmental conditions
      that are needed to generate and sustain health, a set of circumstances that
      constitute access to health. These include access to health information,
      participation in health promotion and disease prevention activities, safe
      housing, nutritious foods, convenient exercise spaces, freedom from ambient
      violence, adequate social support, communities with social capital, and access to
      quality health care. Access to health care is facilitated by health insurance, a
      regular source of care, and a usual primary care provider. Various mechanisms
      through which access to health and access to health care are mediated by race and
      ethnicity are discussed; these include the built environment, social environment,
      residential segregation, stress, racism, and discrimination. Empirical evidence
      supporting the association between these factors and health inequities is also
      reviewed.

PMID- 20309929
TI  - Triblock copolymer matrix-based capillary electrophoretic microdevice for high
      resolution multiplex pathogen detection.
AB  - Rapid and simple analysis for the multiple target pathogens is critical for
      patient management. CE-SSCP analysis on a microchip provides high speed, high
      sensitivity, and a portable genetic analysis platform in molecular diagnostic
      fields. The capability of separating ssDNA molecules in a capillary
      electrophoretic microchannel with high resolution is a critical issue to perform
      the precise interpretation in the electropherogram. In this study, we explored
      the potential of poly(ethyleneoxide)-poly(propyleneoxide)-poly(ethyleneoxide)
      (PEO-PPO-PEO) triblock copolymer as a sieving matrix for CE-SSCP analysis on a
      microdevice. To demonstrate the superior resolving power of PEO-PPO-PEO
      copolymers, 255-bp PCR amplicons obtained from 16S ribosomal RNA genes of four
      bacterial species, namely Proteus mirabilis, Haemophilus ducreyi, Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa, and Neisseria meningitidis, were analyzed in the PEO-PPO-PEO matrix
      in comparison with 5% linear polyacrylamide and commercial GeneScan gel. Due to
      enhanced dynamic coating and sieving ability, PEO-PPO-PEO copolymer displayed
      fourfold enhancement of resolving power in the CE-SSCP to separate same-sized DNA
      molecules. Fivefold input of genomic DNA of P. aeruginosa and/or N. meningitidis
      produced proportionally increased corresponding amplicon peaks, enabling correct
      quantitative analysis in the pathogen detection. Besides the high-resolution
      sieving capability, a facile loading and replenishment of gel in the microchannel
      due to thermally reversible gelation property makes PEO-PPO-PEO triblock
      copolymer an excellent matrix in the CE-SSCP analysis on the microdevice.

PMID- 20309928
TI  - Environmental justice and the health of children.
AB  - Environmental injustice is the inequitable and disproportionately heavy exposure
      of poor, minority, and disenfranchised populations to toxic chemicals and other
      environmental hazards. Environmental injustice contributes to disparities in
      health status across populations of differing ethnicity, race, and socioeconomic
      status. Infants and children, because of their unique biological vulnerabilities
      and age-related patterns of exposure, are especially vulnerable to the health
      impacts of environmental injustice. These impacts are illustrated by sharp
      disparities across children of different racial and ethnic backgrounds in the
      prevalence of 3 common diseases caused in part by environmental factors: asthma,
      lead poisoning, and obesity. Documentation of linkages between health disparities
      and environmental injustice is an important step toward achieving environmental
      justice.

PMID- 20309932
TI  - Microchip electrophoresis of Alu elements for gender determination and inference
      of human ethnic origin.
AB  - We performed a series of multi-locus PCRs followed by the rapid and efficient
      microchip electrophoretic sorting of Alu products with LIF detection. Five
      polymorphic human-specific Alu insertions (RC5, A1, PV92, TPA and ACE) were used
      for inference of human ethnicity and two monomorphic Alu insertions for sex
      typing, one fixed on the X chromosome (AluSTXa) and the other on the Y chromosome
      (AluSTYa). These markers were used to generate unique DNA profiles for five
      different DNA samples. The PCR-based assays used primers that flank the insertion
      point to determine genotypes based on the presence or absence of the Alu element.
      A1, RC5, PV92, TPA and ACE were used for ethnicity determinations and have two
      alleles, each indicating the presence (+) or absence (-) of the Alu element on
      the paired chromosomes, which results in three genotypes (+/+, +/- or -/-). RC5
      and A1 did not show ethnic heterogeneity resulting in a homozygous (-/-)
      genotype, which correctly inferred that DNA samples originating from a Caucasian
      male and an Asian male were not of African ancestry. The results from the five
      Alu markers indicated that these Alu loci could assist in identifying the
      individual's ethnicity using microchip electrophoresis in under 15 min of
      separation time. Using microchip electrophoresis and mixed genotype ratios, male
      DNA-to-female DNA of 1:9, corresponding to a ratio of Y-to-X chromosomes of 1:19,
      was also detected for both AluSTXa and AluSTYa to provide gender identification
      without requiring separation of female from male cells prior to the assay.

PMID- 20309933
TI  - p53 transactivation is involved in the antiproliferative activity of the putative
      tumor suppressor RBM5.
AB  - RBM5 (RNA-binding motif protein 5) is a nuclear RNA binding protein containing 2
      RNA recognition motifs. The RBM5 gene is located at the tumor suppressor locus
      3p21.3. Deletion of this locus is the most frequent genetic alteration in lung
      cancer, but is also found in other human cancers. RBM5 is known to induce
      apoptosis and cell cycle arrest but the molecular mechanisms of RBM5 function are
      poorly understood. Here, we show that RBM5 is important for the activity of the
      tumor suppressor protein p53. Overexpression of RBM5 enhanced p53-mediated
      inhibition of cell growth and colony formation. Expression of RBM5 augmented p53
      transcriptional activity in reporter gene assays and resulted in increased mRNA
      and protein levels for endogenous p53 target genes. In contrast, shRNA-mediated
      knockdown of endogenous RBM5 led to decreased p53 transcriptional activity and
      reduced levels of mRNA and protein for endogenous p53 target genes. RBM5 affected
      protein, but not mRNA, levels of endogenous p53 after DNA damage suggest that
      RBM5 contributes to p53 activity through post-transcriptional mechanisms. Our
      results show that RBM5 contributes to p53 transcriptional activity after DNA
      damage and that growth suppression and apoptosis mediated by RBM5 are linked to
      activity of the tumor suppressor protein p53.

PMID- 20309934
TI  - Transformation of benign Barrett's epithelium by repeated acid and bile exposure
      over 65 weeks: a novel in vitro model.
AB  - The mechanism by which gastroesophageal reflux promotes metaplasia->dysplasia
      >carcinoma is unknown. The aim of the study is to determine if repeated exposure
      to acid and bile confers a tumorigenic phenotype in a telomerase (hTERT)
      immortalized benign Barrett's cell line (BAR-T). BAR-T cells were exposed to acid
      (pH 4) (A) and bile salt (200 MUM glycochenodeoxycholic acid) (B) daily for 5 min
      up to 65+ weeks. The control cells were grown in parallel without any A or B
      treatment. Cell morphology, proliferation, transformation, and molecular changes
      in the gene expression for COX-2, TC22, p53 and p53 target genes were analyzed at
      8-12 weeks intervals. At 46 weeks BAR-T cells exposed to (A+B) showed distinct
      phenotypic changes: forming clusters and acini, and at 65 weeks displayed foci in
      monolayer, and formed distinct colonies in soft agar. Untreated cells did not
      show any such changes. In A+B-treated BAR-T cells, COX-2 mRNA increased 10- to 20
      fold, TC22 mRNA increased by 2- to 3-fold at 22-65 weeks, p53, MDM2, PERP, and
      p21mRNA increased 2.5-, 6.4-, 4-, and 2.6-fold respectively when compared to
      untreated cells at 34 weeks. However, at 58 weeks onward, there was a sharp
      decline of p53 and its target genes to the baseline level. At 65 weeks A+B
      treated BAR-T cells formed tumor in nude mice whereas untreated cells did not. We
      demonstrate a novel in vitro model of transformation of a benign Barrett's cell
      line following repeated exposure to A+B over the course of 65 weeks.

PMID- 20309936
TI  - ABO blood group and incidence of epithelial ovarian cancer.
AB  - Previous studies have observed an association between ABO blood group and risk of
      certain malignancies, including ovarian cancer; however, no prospective studies
      of the association with ovarian cancer risk are available. Using data from 49,153
      women in the Nurses' Health Study, we examined the association between ABO blood
      group and incidence of epithelial ovarian cancer. Study participants reported
      their blood type and Rh factor in 1996, and 234 women were diagnosed with
      incident ovarian cancer during 10 years of follow-up. We used Cox proportional
      hazards regression to model the incidence rate ratios (RR) and 95% confidence
      intervals (CI) of ovarian cancer for each blood group category. Compared to women
      with blood group O, women with blood group AB or B had a nonsignificant 38%
      increase in ovarian cancer incidence (95% CI = 0.88-2.16 for blood group AB and
      0.96-1.99 for blood group B), whereas blood group A was not associated with risk
      (RR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.70-1.30). Combining blood groups AB and B, we observed a
      statistically significant positive association with presence versus absence of
      the B antigen overall (RR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.06-1.88) and for the serous invasive
      subtype (RR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.08-2.17). In this large, prospective cohort of
      women, presence of the B antigen was positively associated with ovarian cancer
      incidence, whereas blood group A was not associated with risk. Additional studies
      are needed to confirm this association and to explore the mechanisms through
      which blood group may influence ovarian cancer risk.

PMID- 20309937
TI  - The leader peptide of a human rec. MnSOD as molecular carrier which delivers high
      amounts of Cisplatin into tumor cells inducing a fast apoptosis in vitro.
AB  - The leader peptide of a recombinant MnSOD (rMnSOD-Lp) constitutes the carrier
      that allows rMnSOD to penetrate tumor cells. A synthetic preparation of rMnSOD-Lp
      was 68Ga labeled (rMnSOD-Lp- 68Ga) and injected into animals bearing spontaneous
      mammary cancers, followed by PET examinations, which demonstrated unambiguously
      the tumor sites in all the animals, suggesting that if rMnSOD-Lp was able to
      transport the radioisotope into tumor cells, it would also be able to deliver
      cytotoxic molecules. The rMnSOD-Lp was, therefore, conjugated to cisplatin
      (rMnSOD-Lp-CC) and added to cultured tumor cells. Equal concentrations of
      cisplatin were used for the tests. After treating the ovarian cancer cells with
      11.1 MUg of cisplatin alone, analysis by atomic absorbance spectrophotometry was
      able to detect only 6 ng of platinum, whereas when the same cells were treated
      with the same amount of cisplatin conjugated to leader peptide rMnSOD, 387 ng of
      platinum were detected, i.e., an amount 80 times greater. Only the tumor cells
      died following treatment with rMnSOD-Lp-CC; molecular analysis revealed that its
      addition generated an increasing expression of Erk-2 and Bax products, which
      could be inhibited only by a selective MAP/ERK kinase inhibitor (PD98059),
      revealing that rMnSOD-Lp-CC has an apoptotic function, exactly as occurs when
      using the cisplatin alone. Data are statistically significant and indicate that
      by using rMnSOD-Lp-CC, the cisplatin can be transformed from an agent with
      antireplicative activity into a specific and selective antitumor molecule,
      increasing its therapeutic index. We think that rMnSOD-Lp-CC deserves to be
      considered as a new antitumor agent.

PMID- 20309938
TI  - Intratumoral injection of interferon-alpha and systemic delivery of agonist anti
      CD137 monoclonal antibodies synergize for immunotherapy.
AB  - CD137 artificial costimulation results in complete tumor rejection in several
      mouse models. Type I interferons (IFN) exert antitumor effects through an array
      of molecular functions on malignant cells, tumor stroma and immune system cells.
      The fact that agonist anti-CD137 mAb induce tumor regressions in mice deficient
      in the unique receptor for Type I IFNs (IFNAR(-/-) ) indicated potential for
      treatment combinations. Indeed, combination of intratumor injections of mouse IFN
      alpha and intraperitoneal injections of anti-CD137 mAb synergized as seen on
      subcutaneous lesions derived from the MC38 colon carcinoma, which is resistant to
      each treatment if given separately. Therapeutic activity was achieved both
      against lesions directly injected with IFN-alpha and against distant concomitant
      tumors. Experiments in bone marrow chimeras prepared with IFNAR(-/-) and WT mice
      concluded that expression of the receptor for Type I interferons is mainly
      required on cells of the hematopoietic compartment. Synergistic effects
      correlated with a remarkable cellular hyperplasia of the tumor draining lymph
      nodes (TDLNs). Enlarged TDLNs contained more plasmacytoid and conventional
      dendritic cells (DC) that more readily cross-presented. Importantly, numbers of
      both DC subtypes inversely correlated with the tumor size. Numbers of CD8 T cells
      specific for a dominant tumor antigen were increased at TDLNs by each separate
      treatment but only with slight augments due to the combination. Combined
      antitumor effects of the therapeutic strategy were also seen on subcutaneous TC-1
      tumors established for 24 days before treatment onset. The described strategy is
      realistic because (i) agents of each kind are clinically available and (ii)
      equivalent procedures in humans are feasible.

PMID- 20309939
TI  - The combination of TLR-9 adjuvantation and electroporation-mediated delivery
      enhances in vivo antitumor responses after vaccination with HPV-16 E7 encoding
      DNA.
AB  - Therapeutic DNA vaccination is an attractive adjuvant option to conventional
      methods in the fight against cancer, like surgery radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
      Despite strong antitumor effects that were observed in small animals with
      different antigens, DNA-based vaccines remain weakly immunogenic in large animals
      and primates compared to protein-based vaccines. Here, we sought to enhance the
      immunogenicity of a therapeutic nontransforming cervical cancer DNA vaccine (HPV
      16 E7SH) by introduction of a highly optimized CpG cassette into the plasmid
      backbone as well as by an optimized DNA delivery using an advanced
      electroporation (EP) technology. By integrating the means for agent
      administration and EP into a single device, this technology enables a simple, one
      step procedure that facilitates reproducibility. We found that highly optimized
      CpG motifs alone triggers an enhanced IFN-gamma and granzyme B response in
      Elispot assays as well as stronger tumor regression. Furthermore, these effects
      could be dramatically enhanced when the CpG cassette containing plasmid was
      administered via the newly developed EP technology. These data suggest that an
      optimized application of CpG-enriched DNA vaccines may be an attractive strategy
      for the treatment of cancer. Collectively, these results provide a basis for the
      transfer of preclinical therapeutic DNA-based immunization studies into
      successful clinical cancer trials.

PMID- 20309940
TI  - A potentially functional polymorphism in the promoter region of miR-34b/c is
      associated with an increased risk for primary hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - The miR-34 family members are direct transcriptional targets of tumor suppressor
      p53, and loss of miR-34 function can impair p53-mediated cell cycle arrest and
      apoptosis. A potentially functional SNP rs4938723 (T > C) was found in the
      promoter region of pri-miR-34b/c (423 bp from the transcription start site),
      located in the CpG island and might affect transcription factor GATA binding and
      therefore pri-miR-34b/c expression. In our study, we hypothesized that SNPs miR
      34b/c rs4938723 and TP53 Arg72Pro may independently or jointly contribute to
      primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) susceptibility. We then genotyped the 2
      SNPs in a case-control study of 501 patients with primary HCC and 548 cancer-free
      controls in a Chinese population. We observed that the variant genotypes of miR
      34b/c rs4938723 were associated with significantly increased HCC risks compared
      with the wild-type TT genotype (adjusted OR = 1.37, 95% CI =1.06-1.78 for TC; OR
      = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.02-2.31 for CC and OR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.10-1.80 for TC/CC).
      Furthermore, we found a significant interaction between alcohol drinking and SNP
      rs4938723 on HCC risk (p = 0.05 for multiplicative and p = 0.01 for additive
      interaction). However, we did not find any main effect of TP53 Arg72Pro on HCC
      risk in this population. These findings indicate that the potentially functional
      SNP rs4938723 in the promoter region of pri-miR-34b/c may contribute to the
      susceptibility of HCC in this Chinese population.

PMID- 20309941
TI  - Effects of tyroservatide on histone acetylation in lung carcinoma cells.
AB  - Tyroservatide (YSV) is an active, low-molecular weight polypeptide shown to have
      antitumor effects on experimental hepatocarcinoma and lung carcinoma. The focus
      of our study was to observe the effects of YSV on several human lung carcinoma
      cell lines and explore its antitumor mechanism via its effect on histone
      acetylation. Our results showed that YSV significantly inhibited the
      proliferation of human lung carcinoma A549, NCIH460, NCIH292 and NCIH1299 cells,
      induced G(0) /G(1) cell cycle arrest and increased protein and mRNA levels of p21
      and p27. Moreover, YSV treatment significantly inhibited histone deacetylase
      (HDAC) activity and resulted in the accumulation of acetylated histones H3 and H4
      in total cellular chromatin and p21 gene-associated chromatin regions. Together
      these data suggest that the antitumor effects of YSV might be mediated by its
      inhibition of HDAC activity, selectively upregulating the expression of p21 by
      increasing the acetylation of histones associated with p21 gene regions,
      resulting in an induction of G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and inhibition of the
      proliferation of tumor cells. Our findings demonstrate that YSV may exhibit
      potent therapeutical effects on lung carcinoma.

PMID- 20309942
TI  - Lysophosphatidic acid-induced expression of periostin in stromal cells:
      Prognoistic relevance of periostin expression in epithelial ovarian cancer.
AB  - Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a bioactive lipid crucial for the initiation and
      progression of ovarian cancer. Identification of LPA-induced biomarkers is
      necessary for predicting prognosis of ovarian cancer patients. Here we report
      periostin, an extracellular matrix protein, as an LPA-induced protein in stromal
      cells and as a prognostic marker in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer
      (EOC). In human EOC tissues, periostin was mainly expressed in cancer-associated
      stromal fibroblasts, but not in cancer cells. The expression levels of periostin
      highly correlated with poor survival and tumor recurrence of ovarian cancer
      patients. Treatment of human adipose tissue-derived stromal cells with LPA or
      conditioned media from human ovarian adenocarcinoma cell lines, such as SK-OV-3
      and OVCAR-3, induced expression of periostin. The periostin expression induced by
      cancer-conditioned media was abrogated by silencing of the LPA receptor 1
      expression using small hairpin RNA lentivirus. Recombinant periostin stimulated
      adhesion and invasion of SK-OV-3 human ovarian adenocarcinoma cells and induced
      expression of matrix metalloprotease-2 in the cancer cells. These results suggest
      that LPA is associated with the expression of periostin in cancer-associated
      fibroblasts of EOC.

PMID- 20309943
TI  - Adiposity, adult weight gain and mammographic breast density in US Chinese women.
AB  - The association of adiposity with dense tissue area in the breast is unclear, but
      suggests a mechanism by which adiposity might increase breast cancer risk. We
      examined associations of body mass index (BMI), usual BMI from age 20 to 29,
      waist circumference and adult weight gain with breast density in a sample of
      premenopausal United States Chinese immigrant women. Analyses included 415
      participants in a longitudinal breast density study in Philadelphia. In addition
      to detailed questionnaire information, data collection included measures of
      anthropometry, and assessment of mammographic breast density using a computer
      assisted method. We used multivariate linear regression to quantify cross
      sectional associations with dense and nondense tissue area and percent breast
      density assessed at baseline. In adjusted models, BMI and waist circumference
      were significantly positively associated with nondense tissue area and inversely
      associated with percent density. BMI was also significantly positively associated
      with dense tissue area. Adult weight gain was associated with dense tissue area
      after adjusting for weight from age 20 to 29. In stratified analyses, BMI and
      adult weight gain were significantly associated with dense tissue area among
      women with BMI < 23 kg/m2, and BMI was associated with nondense tissue area among
      women with BMI >= 23 kg/m2. In this sample, adiposity and weight gain were
      associated with dense breast tissue area, although associations differed by level
      of adiposity. Given the potential implications of these findings for breast
      cancer prevention in premenopausal women, comparable studies in other population
      groups and with longitudinal data are needed. Reasons for the noted differences
      in associations by level of adiposity also warrant further investigation.

PMID- 20309944
TI  - Gastric cancers in Finnish patients after cure of Helicobacter pylori infection:
      A cohort study.
AB  - Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with gastric cancer. A total of 97%
      of the infected subjects have elevated levels of H. pylori antibodies. The
      antibody titers have been shown to decline rapidly (40-60% within 4-12 months)
      only after successful eradication therapy. We allocated 26,700 consecutive
      patients tested during 1986-1998 for H. pylori antibodies to 3 subcohorts:
      seropositive patients with rapidly falling antibody titers (Hp+CURED, n = 3,650),
      seropositive patients where no serological information indicating cure was
      obtained (Hp+NoInfo, n = 11,638) and seronegative patients (Hp-, n = 11,422). In
      the subcohorts, the standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) with 95% confidence
      intervals (CI) were defined for subsequent cancers of stomach, pancreas, colon,
      rectum, breast and prostate separately and for all cancers except stomach
      combined. The mean follow-up time was 10.1 years and the number of gastric
      cancers was 72. For the Hp+CURED, the SIR for gastric cancers for the first 5
      follow-up years was 1.62 but decreased from the sixth follow-up year thereon to
      0.14 (CI: 0.00-0.75). Likewise, the risk ratio, defined in a Poisson regression
      analysis using the Hp+NoInfo group as the reference, decreased from 1.60 to 0.13
      (CI: 0.02-1.00, p = 0.049). The SIR for Hp- was not significantly higher than
      that for Hp+NoInfo for any of the cancers analysed. To conclude, cured H. pylori
      infection led to a significantly decreased incidence of gastric cancers from the
      sixth follow-up year. Advanced atrophic gastritis would be a plausible
      contributor to the elevated SIR in elderly Hp- patients.

PMID- 20309945
TI  - Hsa-let-7g inhibits proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by
      downregulation of c-Myc and upregulation of p16(INK4A).
AB  - zMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenously expressed small noncoding RNAs that regulate
      approximately one-third of human genes at post-transcription level. Previous
      studies have shown that miRNAs were implicated in many cellular processes and
      participated in the progress of various tumors including hepatocellular carcinoma
      (HCC). Among all miRNAs, the let-7 family is well recognized to play pivotal
      roles in tumorigenesis by functioning as potential growth suppressor. In the
      present study, we aimed to investigate the role of let-7 family, particularly the
      hsa-let-7g, in the molecular pathogenesis of HCC. By use of MTT, qPCR, Western
      blotting and 2-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE), over-expression of hsa-let-7g
      was found to inhibit the proliferation of HCC cell line via negative and positive
      regulations of c-Myc and p16(INK4A) , respectively. The expression of hsa-let-7g
      was noted to be markedly lowered in the HepG2, Hep3B and Huh7 cells, yet higher
      in the Bel-7404 HCC cell line. Proliferation of HCC cell line was significantly
      inhibited after the transfection of hsa-let-7g mimics, while hsa-let-7g inhibitor
      transfection exerted an opposite effect. Concurrently, the mRNA and protein
      levels of c-Myc were found significantly decreased in HepG2 cells after
      transfection of hsa-let-7g mimics, but obviously increased in Bel-7404 cells
      after transfection of hsa-let-7g inhibitor. As revealed by 2-DE, a significant
      upregulation of p16(INK4A) was revealed after the gain-of-function study using
      hsa-let-7g. Therefore, we suggest that hsa-let-7g may act as a tumor suppressor
      gene that inhibits HCC cell proliferation by downregulating the oncogene, c-Myc,
      and upregulating the tumor suppressor gene, p16(INK4A) .

PMID- 20309946
TI  - Identification of EGFR mutations in lung sarcomatoid carcinoma.

PMID- 20309947
TI  - Value of a modified clinical signs and symptoms of infection checklist for leg
      ulcer management.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyse the validity of a modified
      Clinical Signs and Symptoms Checklist used to measure infection in a sample of
      patients with a leg ulcer. METHODS: Data from patients recruited to a randomized
      controlled trial evaluating larval therapy (VenUS II) were analysed using factor
      analysis to identify the underlying checklist structure. Linear regression
      analysis identified whether checklist items, patient characteristics and
      subjective judgement of infection could predict bacterial load. RESULTS: There
      were several redundant checklist items when implemented in this sample and items
      forming the scale had low internal consistency (alpha = 0.27). No clear structure
      to the checklist was detected, with only one underlying theme revealed which had
      low internal consistency (alpha = 0.45). Predictions of bacterial count were
      possible using the emerged theme, some checklist items and ankle circumference,
      but not using clinicians' subjective judgement alone (P = 0.315). CONCLUSION: The
      modified Clinical Signs and Symptoms Checklist does not currently represent a
      valid tool to measure infection in leg ulcers. Some checklist items may predict
      bacterial load and may be better than subjective judgement alone.

PMID- 20309948
TI  - Intraoperative near-infrared image-guided surgery for peritoneal carcinomatosis
      in a preclinical experimental model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study compared the quality of surgery performed under
      conventional light with near-infrared (NIR) image-guided surgery using a tumour
      targeting probe and a portable clinical grade imaging device in a mouse model of
      peritoneal carcinomatosis. METHODS: Peritoneal carcinomatosis was induced by
      injection of luciferase-positive tumour cells, leading to the formation of small
      nodules in the peritoneal cavity. One day after intravenous injection of RAFT
      c(RGDfK)4-Alexa Fluor 700, a fluorescent tumour-targeting probe, the surgeon
      operated using the Fluobeam, a portable device that illuminated the mouse with
      NIR light and allowed NIR vision. The quality of the surgery was evaluated using
      bioluminescence, a highly sensitive method that detected the remaining tumour
      cells, and operating time was measured. RESULTS: Under normal light, the surgeon
      detected and removed a mean(s.d.) of only 50.6(2.3) per cent of the nodules that
      were visible under NIR light. The duration of surgery was reduced from 19.5(3.3)
      min under normal light to 14.0(2.6) min when NIR light was used (P = 0.025). The
      sensitivity of the NIR system allowed the detection of nodules containing as few
      as 227 tumour cells. CONCLUSION: NIR image-guided surgery improved the quality of
      surgery for peritoneal carcinomatosis by doubling the number of nodules detected
      and significantly reducing the duration of surgery.

PMID- 20309949
TI  - Antihyperglycaemic and protective effects of flavonoids on streptozotocin-induced
      diabetic rats.
AB  - The antihyperglycaemic effect of eight standard flavonoids, previously identified
      in the ethanol extract of the claimed antidiabetic plant Genista tenera, was
      evaluated on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic Wistar rats. The aglycones
      apigenin, chrysoeriol and genistein, the monoglucosides apigenin 7-O-glucoside,
      luteolin 7-O-glucoside and genistein 7-O-glucoside and the diglycosides rutin and
      luteolin 7,3'-di-O-glucoside were administered i.p. for 7 days (4 mg/kg
      b.w./day). The protective effect of these compounds over liver and kidneys of STZ
      diabetic models was also evaluated by the determination of seric AST, ALT and
      urea levels. After 7 days of treatment, apigenin, chrysoeriol and genistein
      significantly lowered the blood glucose levels of diabetic animals; this effect
      was more pronounced (P < 0.01) in the oral glucose tolerance test. Glucose
      tolerance was also significantly improved in the rutin (P < 0.01) and in the
      genistein 7-O-glucoside (P < 0.05) treated groups. In addition, almost all the
      tested compounds effectively protected the liver and kidneys against STZ-induced
      damage in rats.

PMID- 20309950
TI  - Bioactivity of a flavanol-rich lychee fruit extract in adipocytes and its effects
      on oxidant defense and indices of metabolic syndrome in animal models.
AB  - Many polyphenolic compounds are poorly digested, and have low bioavailability due
      to their long chain lengths and chemical composition. A processed, flavanol-rich
      lychee fruit extract (FRLFE) that is higher in flavanol monomers, dimer and
      trimers than its unprocessed counterpart, was tested in a variety of models.
      First, mature visceral adipocytes were treated with 0, 3, 10 or 30 microg/mL
      FRLFE (day 6-8). Compared with the controls, the treated cells had lower
      triglyceride concentrations, less lipid accumulation and a smaller lipid droplet
      size. Adiponectin release was significantly greater in cells receiving 3 or 10
      microg/mL FRLFE than in the controls. Second, rats given a single dose of 50 or
      100 mg/kg FRLFE had significant increases in plasma (-)-epicatechin, 3'-O-methyl
      (-)-epicatechin, and (+)-catechin levels, peak values were at approximately 2 h
      and appreciable concentrations were still detected at 6 h. Rats supplemented
      daily for 1 week with 50 or 100 mg/kg FRLFE had significantly elevated metabolite
      concentrations. In response to an oxidative stress, erythrocyte membrane
      integrity was significantly improved in the 100 mg/kg FRLFE group. Third, 7-month
      old mice fed a 200 mg/kg FRLFE diet for 10 months showed a significant decrease
      in glucose, triglyceride and lipid peroxide levels compared with mice fed a
      control diet. Collectively, these results support the concept that the flavanols
      present in FRLFE are well absorbed and bioactive.

PMID- 20309951
TI  - Influence of muscle training on resting blood flow and forearm vessel diameter in
      patients with chronic renal failure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Blood flow and vessel diameter are predictors of the success of
      vascular access procedures. This study investigated whether a simple exercise
      programme could influence these variables. METHODS: Twenty-three patients with
      chronic kidney disease were prescribed a simple exercise programme for one arm
      only; the investigators were blinded to the patients' choice. All underwent
      arterial and venous duplex imaging, handgrip strength and blood pressure
      measurements before and 1 month after the exercise programme. RESULTS: Twelve
      patients exercised their dominant and 11 their non-dominant arm. In the trained
      arm, the exercise programme resulted in a significant increase in handgrip
      strength, by a median (interquartile range) of 4 (0-8) kg (P < 0.001), and in the
      diameter of the brachial artery (0.2 (0.1-0.3) mm; P < 0.001), radial artery (0.3
      (0.2-0.4) mm; P < 0.001), and cephalic vein (0.6 (0.4-1.2) mm in the forearm and
      1.1 (0.4-1.2) mm above the elbow; P < 0.001). There was an increase in brachial
      artery mean velocity (3 (1-7) cm/s; P = 0.009) and peak systolic velocity (8 (1
      15) cm/s; P = 0.020), despite a marginally lower systolic blood pressure (-8 (-16
      to 0) mmHg; P = 0.007). There was no change in any of these parameters in the non
      exercised arm. CONCLUSION: In patients with chronic kidney disease, forearm
      exercise increased blood flow and vessel diameters. This may be beneficial before
      vascular access formation.

PMID- 20309953
TI  - Two different pathways for suprascapular intraneural ganglion cysts along two
      distinct articular branches from the glenohumeral joint.

PMID- 20309952
TI  - Osteoblastic differentiation of human and equine adult bone marrow-derived
      mesenchymal stem cells when BMP-2 or BMP-7 homodimer genetic modification is
      compared to BMP-2/7 heterodimer genetic modification in the presence and absence
      of dexamethasone.
AB  - Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMDMSCs) have been targeted for use
      in enhancement of bone healing; and their osteogenic potential may be further
      augmented by genes encoding bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP's). The purpose of
      this study was to compare the effect of genetic modification of human and equine
      BMDMSCs with BMP-2 or -7 or BMP-2 and -7 on their osteoblastogenic
      differentiation in the presence or absence of dexamethasone. The BMDMSCs were
      harvested from the iliac crest of three human donors and tuber coxae of three
      equine donors. Monolayer cells were genetically modified using adenovirus vectors
      encoding BMP-2, -7 or both and cultured in the presence or absence of
      dexamethasone. Expression of BMPs was confirmed by enzyme linked immunosorbent
      assay (ELISA). To evaluate osteoblastic differentiation, cellular morphology was
      assessed every other day and expression and secretion of alkaline phosphatase
      (ALP), as well as expression levels of osteonectin (OSTN), osteocalcin (OCN), and
      runt-related transcription factor-2 (Runx2) were measured for up to 14 days.
      Human and equine BMDMSCs showed a capacity for osteogenic differentiation
      regardless of genetic modification or dexamethasone supplementation.
      Dexamethasone supplementation was more important for osteoblastogenic
      differentiation of equine BMDMSCs than human BMDMSCs. Genetic modification of
      BMDMSCs increased ALP secretion with AdBMP-2 homodimer having the greatest effect
      in both human and equine cells compared to AdBMP 7 or AdBMP 2/7. BMP protein
      elution rates reached their maximal concentration between day 4 and 8 and
      remained relatively stable thereafter, suggesting that genetically modified
      BMDMSCs could be useful for cell-based delivery of BMPs to a site of bone
      formation.

PMID- 20309954
TI  - The vastus lateralis muscle: an anatomical investigation.
AB  - Anterior knee pain or patellofemoral pain syndrome is commonly encountered by
      clinicians, but the pathogenesis of this condition is not well understood. While
      much research has centred around the relationship between vastus medialis and
      anterior knee pain, little is known about the most lateral of the quadriceps
      muscle group, vastus lateralis (VL). Knowledge of the anatomical organization of
      VL is not only necessary to understand its precise function, but to also assist
      in the development of clinical and biomechanical models of knee dysfunction. The
      purpose of this study was to investigate the detailed morphology of VL,
      specifically to provide data relating to architecture, attachment sites,
      innervation, and the presence of anatomical partitioning within the muscle. The
      VL muscle was examined in 10 cadaveric lower limbs using macrodissection
      techniques. On the basis of architecture and innervation, this muscle comprised
      four partitions with each receiving its own unique nerve branch. The mean
      fascicular length of VL was 7 cm and the mean fascicular and muscle physiological
      cross-sectional areas were 1.2 cm(2) and 21.6 cm(2), respectively. In addition to
      inserting proximally at the base of the greater trochanter and distally into the
      superolateral border and base of the patella, three additional attachment sites
      were identified: the lateral intermuscular septum, iliotibial band, and the
      rectus tendon. The results of this study suggest that the gross morphology of VL
      is more complex than previously described, and the information provided regarding
      architecture will contribute to knowledge regarding the function of VL as well as
      its role in knee joint dysfunction.

PMID- 20309955
TI  - Intraarticular gene transfer of thrombospondin-1 suppresses the disease
      progression of experimental osteoarthritis.
AB  - In osteoarthritis, angiogenesis, which occurs in the osteochondral junction and
      synovium, may accelerate inflammation and contribute to the severity of the
      disease. We used anterior cruciate ligament-transection (ACLT) to investigate the
      therapeutic effect of an angiogenesis inhibitor, thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), in a
      rat model of osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis was induced in Wistar rats in the
      knee of one hind leg. After ACLT, AdTSP-1 (adenoviral vector encoding mouse TSP
      1) was intraarticularly injected into the knee joints. Transgene expression,
      angiogenesis, and inflammatory responses in the knee joints were examined. They
      were also assessed morphologically, radiographically, and histologically for
      manifestations of disease. The levels of TSP-1 peaked on day 3 and were
      substantially maintained for at least 9 days after AdTSP-1 infection. Adenovirus
      mediated gene expression was detected in the synovial membrane and chondrocytes.
      TSP-1 gene transfer induced transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta)
      production, but it reduced microvessel density, macrophage infiltration, and
      interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) levels. Gross morphological and histopathological
      examinations revealed that rats treated with AdTSP-1 had less severe
      osteoarthritis than controls. In vivo adenovirus-mediated TSP-1 gene transfer
      significantly reduced microvessel density, inflammation, and suppressed the
      progression of osteoarthritis. This study provides potential applications of TSP
      1 gene delivery for treating osteoarthritis.

PMID- 20309956
TI  - A functional model of the digital extensor mechanism: demonstrating biomechanics
      with hair bands.
AB  - The action of muscles about joints can be explained through analysis of their
      spatial relationship. A functional model of these relationships can be valuable
      in learning and understanding the muscular action about a joint. A model can be
      particularly helpful when examining complex actions across multiple joints such
      as in the digital extensor mechanism of the hand. A functional model using two
      hair bands representing the components of the digital extensor mechanism is
      described. Through superimposition of the model over one's digit, the combined
      actions of metacarpophalangeal joint flexion and interphalangeal joint extension
      are clearly demonstrated. The model provides a conceptual demonstration to
      enhance understanding of this unique combination of muscle actions about multiple
      joints.

PMID- 20309957
TI  - Effect of varying osmotic conditions on the response of bovine nucleus pulposus
      cells to growth factors and the activation of the ERK and Akt pathways.
AB  - Intervertebral disc and especially nucleus pulposus is characterized by low
      cellularity. Additionally, extreme variations in osmolality are observed in this
      tissue, as a result of its specific physicochemical environment, daily
      activities, or degeneration. In this study, we investigated the role of osmotic
      fluctuations in the proliferative response of nucleus pulposus cells to exogenous
      growth factors. In particular, we examined the effect of platelet-derived growth
      factor (PDGF) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) on the proliferation of
      bovine nucleus pulposus cells and on the activation of the MEK/ERK and PI-3-K/Akt
      pathways under varying osmotic conditions, in an effort to understand the
      mechanisms regulating cell proliferation in the intact and the degenerated
      intervertebral disc. Exposure of cells to high osmolality restrained novel DNA
      synthesis induced by PDGF or IGF-I in a dose-dependent manner and reduced ERK and
      Akt activation stimulated by serum or isolated growth factors. Our findings
      indicate that hyperosmolality imposes a strict control in intervertebral disc
      cells' proliferation, while hypo-osmotic conditions prevailing in degenerated
      discs may offer a more permissive environment for cellular proliferation.

PMID- 20309958
TI  - Evaluation of bone tunnel placement for suture augmentation of an injured
      anterior cruciate ligament: effects on joint stability in a goat model.
AB  - Use of novel tissue engineering approaches to heal an injured anterior cruciate
      ligament (ACL) requires suture repair and/or augmentation to provide joint
      stability. We evaluated the effects of the location of suture augmentation at the
      femur and tibia in terms of joint stability using a goat model. Eight goat stifle
      joints were tested with augmentation sutures placed in two femoral tunnel
      locations: (1) anterior to, or (2) through the ACL footprint, and two tibial
      tunnel locations: (1) medial to, or (2) medial and lateral to the footprint.
      Using a robotic/universal force-moment sensor testing system, the anterior tibial
      translation (ATT) and the corresponding in situ force carried by the sutures were
      obtained at 30 degrees , 60 degrees , and 90 degrees  of flexion in response to
      external loads. No significant differences were found between augmentation groups
      due to tunnel location in terms of ATT or the in situ forces carried by the
      sutures at all flexion angles tested. Similar results were found under 5 N m of
      varus-valgus torque. Under a 67 N anterior tibial load, the ATT was restored to
      within 3 mm of the intact joint following suture augmentation (p > 0.05). Suture
      augmentation, when placed close to the ACL insertion, could be helpful in
      providing initial joint stability to aid ACL healing in the goat model.

PMID- 20309960
TI  - Human cardiospheres are a source of stem cells with cardiomyogenic potential.

PMID- 20309961
TI  - Law, ethics, religion, and clinical translation in the 21st century--A discussion
      with Pete Coffey.

PMID- 20309962
TI  - Intratumoral hypoxic gradient drives stem cells distribution and MGMT expression
      in glioblastoma.
AB  - Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) are highly proliferative tumors currently treated
      by surgical removal, followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which are
      counteracted by intratumoral hypoxia. Here we exploited image guided surgery to
      sample multiple intratumoral areas to define potential cellular heterogeneity in
      correlation to the oxygen tension gradient within the GBM mass. Our results
      indicate that more immature cells are localized in the inner core and in the
      intermediate layer of the tumor mass, whereas more committed cells, expressing
      glial fibrillary acidic protein and beta-III-tubulin, are distributed along the
      peripheral and neo-vascularized area, where Smad1/5/8 and Stat3 result to be
      activated. Moreover, GBM stem cells, identified with the stem cell marker CD133,
      express high level of DNA repair protein O6-methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase
      (MGMT) known to be involved in chemotherapy resistance and highly expressed in
      the inner core of the tumor mass. Importantly, these cells and, particularly,
      CD133(+) cells result to be resistant to temozolomide (TMZ), the most used oral
      alkylating agent for the treatment of GBM, which specifically causes apoptosis
      only in GBM cells derived from the peripheral layer of the tumor mass. These
      results indicate a correlation between the intratumoral hypoxic gradient, the
      tumor cell phenotype, and the tumor resistance to chemotherapy leading to a novel
      concentric model of tumor stem cell niche, which may be useful to define the real
      localization of the chemoresistant GBM tumor cells in order to design more
      effective treatment strategies.

PMID- 20309964
TI  - Molecular template assisted growth of ultrathin silicon carbide nanowires with
      strong green light emission and excellent field-emission properties.
AB  - A novel molecule template assisted chemical co-reduction method has been
      successfully developed for the controlled synthesis of ultrathin beta-SiC single
      crystalline nanowires on a large scale. The ultrathin beta-SiC single-crystalline
      nanowires are about 8 nm in diameter and 200-800 nm in length. The resulting thin
      beta-SiC single-crystalline nanowire is new in the family of beta-SiC one
      dimensional (1D) nanostructures. A synergistic action of pi-stacking and steric
      hindrance result from the 1,10-phenanthroline molecule template are proposed to
      explain the growth mechanism of the ultrathin beta-SiC single-crystalline
      nanowires based on the experimental observation. Importantly, such ultrathin beta
      SiC nanowire has shown a strong structure-induced enhancement of
      photoluminescence properties and has exhibited a very strong green light
      emission, which can be seen by naked eye. Furthermore, the unique beta-SiC
      ultrathin nanowire structure exhibits a low turn-on field (3.57 V microm(-1)) and
      a large field-emission current density (20 mA cm(-2)). These results suggest that
      the ultrathin beta-SiC nanowires can be expected to find promising applications
      as field emitters and photoelectronic devices.

PMID- 20309963
TI  - Novel interactors and a role for supervillin in early cytokinesis.
AB  - Supervillin, the largest member of the villin/gelsolin/flightless family, is a
      peripheral membrane protein that regulates each step of cell motility, including
      cell spreading. Most known interactors bind within its amino (N)-terminus. We
      show here that the supervillin carboxy (C)-terminus can be modeled as supervillin
      specific loops extending from gelsolin-like repeats plus a villin-like headpiece.
      We have identified 27 new candidate interactors from yeast two-hybrid screens.
      The interacting sequences from 12 of these proteins (BUB1, EPLIN/LIMA1, FLNA,
      HAX1, KIF14, KIFC3, MIF4GD/SLIP1, ODF2/Cenexin, RHAMM, STARD9/KIF16A,
      Tks5/SH3PXD2A, TNFAIP1) co-localize with and mis-localize EGFP-supervillin in
      mammalian cells, suggesting associations in vivo. Supervillin-interacting
      sequences within BUB1, FLNA, HAX1, and MIF4GD also mimic supervillin over
      expression by inhibiting cell spreading. Most new interactors have known roles in
      supervillin-associated processes, e.g. cell motility, membrane trafficking, ERK
      signaling, and matrix invasion; three (KIF14, KIFC3, STARD9/KIF16A) have kinesin
      motor domains; and five (EPLIN, KIF14, BUB1, ODF2/cenexin, RHAMM) are important
      for cell division. GST fusions of the supervillin G2-G3 or G4-G6 repeats co
      sediment KIF14 and EPLIN, respectively, consistent with a direct association.
      Supervillin depletion leads to increased numbers of bi- and multi-nucleated
      cells. Cytokinesis failure occurs predominately during early cytokinesis.
      Supervillin localizes with endogenous myosin II and EPLIN in the cleavage furrow,
      and overlaps with the oncogenic kinesin, KIF14, at the midbody. We conclude that
      supervillin, like its interactors, is important for efficient cytokinesis. Our
      results also suggest that supervillin and its interaction partners coordinate
      actin and microtubule motor functions throughout the cell cycle.

PMID- 20309965
TI  - A series of open-framework aluminoborates templated by transition-metal
      complexes.
AB  - A series of open-framework aluminoborates (ABOs) [M(dien)(2)][AlB(6)O(11)(OH)]
      (M=Co (I a), Ni (I b), Cd (I c), Zn (I d); dien=diethylenetriamine) and
      [M(en)(3)][AlB(7)O(12)(OH)(2)] (H(2)O)(0.25) (M=Co (II a), Ni (II b);
      en=ethylenediamine) have been made under hydrothermal conditions and
      characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis,
      UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, single-crystal X
      ray diffraction, and nonlinear optical determination. These compounds were
      classified as two structural types: Type I (I a-d) contains AlO(4) tetrahedra and
      B(6)O(11)(OH) clusters, which link to form a new 3D framework with 7-/9-ring
      helical channels and large 13-ring channels; whereas type II (II a,b) is composed
      of AlO(4) tetrahedra, chainlike B(4)O(6)(OH)(2) tetramer, and crablike B(6)O(12)
      clusters, which interconnect to form other new 3D frameworks with 8-ring helical
      channels, rare 16-ring double-helical channels, and larger odd 15-ring channels.
      These compounds represent the first examples of 3D ABOs templated by transition
      metal complexes (TMCs). I c,d present good second harmonic generation (SHG)
      properties. UV/Vis spectral investigation indicates that I a-d and II a,b are
      wide-band-gap semiconductors.

PMID- 20309967
TI  - Borohydrides from organic hydrides: reactions of Hantzsch's esters with
      B(C(6)F(5))(3).
AB  - We report herein that the reaction between a series of Hantzsch's ester analogues
      1 a-d with the Lewis acidic species B(C(6)F(5))(3) results in facile transfer of
      hydride to boron. The main products of this reaction are pyridinium borohydride
      salts 2 a-d, which are obtained in high to moderate yields. The N-substituted
      substrates (N-Me, N-Ph) reacted in high yield 90-98 % and the connectivity of the
      products were confirmed by an X-ray crystallographic analysis of the N-Me
      borohydride salt 2 a. Unsubstituted Hanztsch's ester 1 a reacted less effectively
      generating only 60 % of the corresponding borohydride salt, with the balance of
      the material sequestered as the ester-bound Lewis acid-base adduct 3 a. Formation
      of the Lewis acid-base adduct could be minimized by increasing the steric bulk
      about the ester groups as in 1 d. The connectivity of the carbonyl-bound adduct
      was confirmed by an X-ray crystallographic analysis of 3 e the product of the
      reaction of methyl ketone 1 e with B(C(6)F(5))(3). We also explored the
      generation of these pyridinium salts by employing frustrated Lewis pair
      methodology. However, the reaction of mixtures of the corresponding pyridine and
      B(C(6)F(5))(3) with hydrogen gas only resulted in formation of trace amounts of
      the pyridinium borohydride, along with the Lewis acid-base adduct of the starting
      material and B(C(6)F(5))(3). The 1,2-dihydropyridine adduct was the final product
      of this reaction. This was ascribed to the low basicity of the pyridine nitrogen
      and the complicating formation of an ester bound Lewis acid-base adduct.

PMID- 20309966
TI  - A triphenylphosphonium-functionalised cyclometalated platinum(II) complex as a
      nucleolus-specific two-photon molecular dye.
AB  - An organometallic cyclometalated platinum(II) complex, [Pt(L(3))Cl][PF(6)], has
      been synthesised from a specially designed cyclometalating ligand, HL(3)
      (triphenyl{5-[3-(6-phenylpyridin-2-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]pentyl}phosphonium
      chloride), that contains a pendant carbon chain carrying a terminal cationic
      triphenylphosphonium moiety. Aside from its room temperature single-photon
      luminescent properties in solution, [Pt(L(3))Cl](+) can also produce two-photon
      induced luminescence at room temperature upon excitation at 700 nm from a mode
      locked Ti:sapphire laser. Its two-photon absorption cross-section in DMF at room
      temperature was measured to be 28.0x10(-50) cm(4) s photon(-1). [Pt(L(3))Cl](+)
      is able to selectively stain the cell nucleolus. This has been demonstrated by
      two-photon confocal imaging of live and methanol-fixed HeLa (human cervical
      carcinoma) and 3T3 (mouse skin fibroblasts) cells. This organelle specificity is
      likely to be related to its special affinity for proteins within cell nucleoli.
      As a result of such protein affinity, [Pt(L(3))Cl](+) is an efficient RNA
      transcription inhibitor and shows rather profound cytotoxicity. On the other
      hand, the organelle-specific labelling and two-photon-induced luminescent
      properties of [Pt(L(3))Cl](+) renders it a useful nuclear dye for the 3
      dimensional reconstruction of optical sections of thick tissues, for example,
      mouse ileum tissues, by multiphoton confocal microscopy.

PMID- 20309969
TI  - Effect of bulkiness on reversible substitution reaction at Mn(II) center with
      concomitant movement of the lattice DMF: observation through single-crystal to
      single-crystal fashion.
AB  - The porous coordination polymer ({[Mn(L)H(2)O](H(2)O)(1.5)(dmf)}(n), 1) (DMF=N,N
      dimethylformamide) exhibits variety of substitution reactions along with movement
      of lattice DMF molecule depending upon bulkiness of the external guest molecules.
      If pyridine or 4-picoline is used as a guest, both lattice and coordinated
      solvent molecules are simultaneously substituted (complexes 6 and 7,
      respectively). If a bulky guest like aniline is used, a partial substitution at
      the metal centers and full substitution at the channels takes place (complex 8).
      If the guest is 2-picoline (by varying the position of bulky methyl group with
      respect to donor N atom), one Mn(II) center is substituted by 2-picoline, whereas
      the remaining center is substituted by a DMF molecule that migrates from the
      channel to the metal center (complex 9). Here, the lattice solvent molecules are
      substituted by 2-picoline molecules. For the case of other bulky guests like
      benzonitrile or 2,6-lutidine, both the metal centers are substituted by two DMF
      molecules, again migrating from the channel, and the lattice solvent molecules
      are substituted by these guest molecules (complex 10 and 11, respectively). A
      preferential substitution of pyridine over benzonitrile (complex 12) at the metal
      centers is observed only when the molar ratio of PhCN:Py is 95:5 or less. For the
      case of an aliphatic dimethylaminoacetonitrile guest, the metal centers remain
      unsubstituted (complex 13); rather substitutions of the lattice solvents by the
      guest molecules take place. All these phenomena are observed through single
      crystal to single crystal (SC-SC) phenomena.

PMID- 20309968
TI  - A colorimetric sensor array for the detection of the date-rape drug gamma
      hydroxybutyric acid (GHB): a supramolecular approach.
AB  - gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), a colourless, odourless and tasteless chemical,
      has become one of the most dangerous illicit drugs of abuse today. At low doses,
      this drug is a central nervous system depressant that reduces anxiety and
      produces euphoria and relaxation, sedating the recipient. There is an urgent need
      for simple, easy-to-use sensors for GHB in solution. Here, we present a
      colorimetric sensor array based on supramolecular host-guest complexes of
      fluorescent dyes with organic capsules (cucurbiturils) for the detection of GHB. 

PMID- 20309970
TI  - Luminescence tuning of upconversion nanocrystals.
AB  - Upconversion luminescence tuning of beta-NaYF(4) nanorods under 980 nm excitation
      has successfully been achieved by tridoping with Ln(3+) ions with different
      electronic structures. The effects of Ce(3+) ions on NaYF(4):Yb(3+)/Ho(3+) as
      well as Gd(3+) ions on NaYF(4):Yb(3+)/Tm(3+)(Er(3+)) have been studied in detail.
      By tridoping with Ce(3+) ions, not only were unusual (5)G(5)-->(5)I(7) and
      (5)F(2)/(3)K(8)-->(5)I(8) transitions from Ho(3+) ions and 5d-->4f transitions
      from Ce(3+) ions observed in NaYF(4):Yb(3+)/Ho(3+) nanorods, but also an increase
      in the intensity of (5)F(5)-->(5)I(8) relative to (5)S(2)/(5)F(4)-->(5)I(8) with
      increasing Ce(3+) concentration, which can be attributed to efficient energy
      transfers of (5)I(6) (Ho)+(2)F(5/2) (Ce)-->(5)I(7) (Ho)+(2)F(7/2) (Ce) and
      (5)S(2)/(5)F(4) (Ho)+(2)F(5/2) (Ce)-->(5)F(5) (Ho)+(2)F(7/2) (Ce). Interestingly,
      with increasing pump power density, the luminescence of NaYF(4):Yb(3+)/Ho(3+)
      nanorods is always dominated by the (5)S(2)/(5)F(4)-->(5)I(8) transition, whereas
      the luminescence of Ce(3+)-tridoped NaYF(4):Yb(3+)/Ho(3+) nanorods is dominated
      by the (5)S(2)/(5)F(4)-->(5)I(8) and (5)G(5)-->(5)I(7) transitions in turn. These
      observations are discussed on the basis of a rate equation model. Furthermore,
      Gd(3+)-tridoped NaYF(4):Yb(3+)/Tm(3+)(Er(3+)) nanorods can emit multicolor
      upconversion emissions spanning from the UV to the near-infrared under 980 nm
      excitation. (6)P(5/2)-->(8)S(7/2) ( approximately 306 nm) and (6)P(7/2)-
      >(8)S(7/2) ( approximately 311 nm) transitions from Gd(3+) ions were observed. In
      addition to the aforementioned luminescence properties, these Gd(3+)-tridoped
      nanorods also exhibit paramagnetic behavior at room temperature and
      superparamagnetic behavior at 2 or 5 K.

PMID- 20309971
TI  - BF3.OEt2-catalyzed intermolecular reactions of vinylidenecyclopropanes with bis(p
      alkoxyphenyl)methanols: a novel cationic 1,4-aryl-migration process.
AB  - BF(3)OEt(2)-catalyzed reactions of vinylidenecyclopropanes (VDCPs) 1 with
      bis(aryl)methanols 2 were thoroughly investigated. When VDCPs 1 reacted with
      electron-rich bis(aryl)methanols 2, diastereomeric rotamers of indene derivatives
      formed in excellent yields by a novel cationic 1,4-aryl migration between two
      carbon atoms and the subsequent intramolecular Friedel-Crafts reaction pathways
      in the presence of BF(3).OEt(2) under mild conditions. As for electron-deficient
      or less-electron-rich bis(aryl)methanols 2, either trialkene products formed in
      good yields by direct deprotonation, or another type of indene derivative was
      produced by direct intramolecular Friedel-Crafts reaction, depending on the
      substituents on the cyclopropane of VDCPs. In addition, DFT calculations were
      carried out to explain the experimental results. Plausible mechanisms for all
      these transformations are proposed on the basis of the experimental and
      computational results.

PMID- 20309972
TI  - Nano- and microstructure fabrication by using a three-component system.
AB  - Two-component amphiphiles based on hydrogen-bonded complexes between
      terephthaloylbisalanine (H(2)TBA) and dodecylamine (DA) are able to self-assemble
      into nano- and microsized superstructures in an aqueous solvent. It is possible
      to modulate the morphology of these self-assembled superstructures by modifying
      the composition of the complexes, which can be achieved by changing the molar
      ratio of the two components or by changing the chirality of H(2)TBA. For example,
      right-handed microhelical ribbon structures were formed with L-TBA(1.0)DA(2.0),
      whereas in the case of rac-TBA(1.0)DA(2.0), flat ribbonlike structures were
      observed. Although L-TBA(1.0)DA(1.0) exhibited entangled fibrous structures, rac
      TBA(1.0)DA(1.0) exhibited wire structures. Different ratios of H(2)TBA and DA
      were self-assembled into fiber-, wire-, and tubulelike superstructures, as well
      as monoclinic, columnar, and lamellar aggregation patterns. The self-assembled
      superstructures of TBA(x)DA(y) were significantly changed by adding metal ions.
      Transition metal (Cd(II), Co(II), and Zn(II)) complexes with L-TBA(x)DA(y) self
      assembled into rod-, tubule-, wire-, and platelike superstructures. Metal-ion
      complexes with rac-TBA(x)DA(y) exhibited different superstructures. Our work
      suggests that it is possible to fabricate a wide variety of nano- and microsized
      superstructures by using two- and three-component amphiphiles.

PMID- 20309973
TI  - New fluorinated rhodamines for optical microscopy and nanoscopy.
AB  - New photostable rhodamine dyes represented by the compounds 1 a-r and 3-5 are
      proposed as efficient fluorescent markers with unique combination of structural
      features. Unlike rhodamines with monoalkylated nitrogen atoms, N',N-bis(2,2,2
      trifluoroethyl) derivatives 1 e, 1 i, 1 j, 3-H and 5 were found to undergo
      sulfonation of the xanthene fragment at the positions 4' and 5'. Two fluorine
      atoms were introduced into the positions 2' and 7' of the 3',6'-diaminoxanthene
      fragment in compounds 1 a-d, 1 i-l and 1 m-r. The new rhodamine dyes may be
      excited with lambda=488 or 514 nm light; most of them emit light at lambda=512
      554 nm (compounds 1 q and 1r at lambda=576 and 589 nm in methanol, respectively)
      and have high fluorescence quantum yields in solution (up to 98 %), relatively
      long excited-state lifetimes (>3 ns) and are resistant against photobleaching,
      especially at high laser intensities, as is usually applied in confocal
      microscopy. Sulfonation of the xanthene fragment with 30 % SO3 in H2SO4 is
      compatible with the secondary amide bond (rhodamine-CON(Me)CH2CH2COOH) formed
      with MeNHCH2CH2COOCH3 to providing the sterically unhindered carboxylic group
      required for further (bio)conjugation reactions. After creating the amino
      reactive sites, the modified derivatives may be used as fluorescent markers and
      labels for (bio)molecules in optical microscopy and nanoscopy with very-high
      light intensities. Further, the new rhodamine dyes are able to pass the plasma
      membrane of living cells, introducing them as potential labels for recent live
      cell-tag approaches. We exemplify the excellent performance of the fluorinated
      rhodamines in optical microscopy by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS)
      and stimulated emission depletion (STED) nanoscopy experiments.

PMID- 20309974
TI  - Evolution of a constitutional dynamic library driven by self-organisation of a
      helically folded molecular strand.
AB  - Conversion of macrocyclic imine entities into helical strands was achieved
      through three- and four-component exchange reactions within constitutionally
      dynamic libraries. The generation of sequences of the intrinsic helicity codon,
      based on the hydrazone-pyrimidine fragment obtained by condensation of pyrimidine
      dialdehyde A with pyrimidine bis-hydrazine B, shifted the equilibrium between all
      the possible macrocycles and strands towards the full expression (>98%) of
      helical product [A/B]. Furthermore, it was shown that chain folding accelerated
      the dynamic exchange reactions among the library members. Lastly, in four
      component experiments (involving A, B, E and either C or D), even though the
      macrocyclic entities ([A/C], [B/E]; [A/D], [B/E]) were the kinetically preferred
      products, over time dialdehyde A relinquished its initial diamine partners C or D
      to opt for bis-hydrazine B, which allowed the preferential formation of the
      helically folded strand. The present results indicate that self-organisation
      pressure was able to drive the dynamic system towards the selective generation of
      the strand undergoing helical folding.

PMID- 20309975
TI  - A 4-hydroxypyrrolidine-catalyzed mannich reaction of aldehydes: control of anti
      selectivity by hydrogen bonding assisted by Bronsted acids.
AB  - An anti-selective Mannich reaction of aldehydes with N-sulfonyl imines has been
      developed by using a 4-hydroxypyrrolidine in combination with an external
      Bronsted acid. The catalyst design is based on three elements: the alpha
      substituent of the pyrrolidine, the 4-hydroxy group, and the Bronsted acid, the
      combination of which is essential for high chemical and stereochemical
      efficiency. The reaction works with aromatic aldehyde-derived imines, which have
      rarely been employed in previously reported enamine-based anti-Mannich reactions.
      Additionally, both N-tosyl and N-nosyl imines can be successfully used and the
      Mannich adducts can be easily reduced or oxidized, and after N-deprotection the
      corresponding beta-amino acids and beta-amino alcohols can be obtained with good
      yields. The results also show that this ternary catalytic system may be practical
      in other enamine-based reactions.

PMID- 20309976
TI  - Phthalocyanine-polyamine conjugates as pH-controlled photosensitizers for
      photodynamic therapy.
AB  - A series of aryl hydroxyamines prepared by reductive amination were treated with
      silicon(IV) phthalocyanine dichloride in the presence of pyridine to give the
      diaxially substituted phthalocyanine-polyamine conjugates 1-5. The electronic
      absorption, fluorescence emission, and efficiency at generating reactive oxygen
      species of these compounds were all sensitive to the pH environment. Under acidic
      conditions, the fluorescence quantum yields and the singlet oxygen quantum yields
      of these compounds were greatly enhanced in DMF as a result of protonation of the
      amino moieties, which inhibited the photoinduced electron-transfer deactivation
      pathway. The Q band was diminished and broadened, and the fluorescence intensity
      decreased as the pH increased in citrate buffer solutions. The rate of superoxide
      radical formation was also reduced in a higher pH environment. Compound 3,
      containing a terminal 4-chlorophenyl group at the axial substituent, showed the
      most desirable pH-responsive properties, which makes it a promising tumor
      selective fluorescence probe and photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy. All of
      the phthalocyanines 1-5 were highly photocytotoxic against HT29 and HepG2 cells
      with IC(50) values as low as 0.03 microM. Compound 3 was highly selective toward
      lysosomes, but not mitochondria of HT29 cells.

PMID- 20309977
TI  - Gold-catalyzed dealkoxylative carbocyclization/[3+3] annulation cascade of acetal
      allene or ketal-allene substrates.

PMID- 20309978
TI  - A convenient synthesis of benzonitriles via electrophilic cyanation with N
      cyanobenzimidazole.

PMID- 20309979
TI  - Catalytic asymmetric mannich-ketalization reaction: highly enantioselective
      synthesis of aminobenzopyrans.

PMID- 20309980
TI  - Catalytic asymmetric domino Michael-Henry reaction: enantioselective access to
      bicycles with consecutive quaternary centers by using bifunctional catalysts.

PMID- 20309981
TI  - Chemoenzymatic dynamic kinetic resolution of axially chiral allenes.
AB  - At the palladium: Dimeric palladium bromide complexes bearing monodentate N
      heterocyclic carbene ligands have been identified as efficient catalysts for the
      chemoselective racemization of axially chiral allenyl alcohols. In combination
      with porcine pancreatic lipase as biocatalyst, a dynamic kinetic resolution has
      been developed, giving access to optically active allenes in good yield and high
      enantiomeric purity (see scheme).

PMID- 20309982
TI  - Synthetic design of heterometallic cluster compounds with site-selective and
      stepwise substitution of bridging carboxylates.
AB  - At the right places: Owing to substitution-lability difference in disparate metal
      centers, an oxo-centered heterometallic trinuclear acetato complex
      [Ru2MgO(CH3COO)6(py)3] (py = pyridine; see picture) undergoes site-selective
      substitution of propionates and ferrocenycarboxylates in a stepwise manner. The
      new substituted families have been successfully separated by chromatography and
      fully characterized.

PMID- 20309983
TI  - Identification of hot regions of the Abeta-IAPP interaction interface as high
      affinity binding sites in both cross- and self-association.

PMID- 20309984
TI  - A facile method to encapsulate proteins in silica nanoparticles: encapsulated
      green fluorescent protein as a robust fluorescence probe.

PMID- 20309985
TI  - Poly(vinyl ketone)s by controlled boron group transfer polymerization (BGTP).

PMID- 20309986
TI  - Dipeptide crystals as excellent permselective materials: sequential exclusion of
      argon, nitrogen, and oxygen.

PMID- 20309987
TI  - Structurally and stereochemically diverse tetrahydropyran synthesis through
      oxidative C-H bond activation.

PMID- 20309988
TI  - A concise total synthesis of (+)-neopeltolide.

PMID- 20309989
TI  - Photochemical control of reversible encapsulation.

PMID- 20309990
TI  - The prenatal origins of lung cancer. I. The fetus.
AB  - People differ in their susceptibility to developing cancer on exposure to
      carcinogens such as tobacco. What causes this is largely unknown. One possibility
      is that it is determined by nutritional influences during development that
      permanently change the structure and function of the baby's body. We studied an
      older and a younger cohort, totaling 20,431 men and women, born in Helsinki
      during 1924-1933 and 1934-1944. Their body size at birth had been recorded. Of
      them, 385 had developed lung cancer. Smoking history was known for 6,822 people.
      At birth, babies who later developed lung cancer had a high ponderal index
      (birthweight/length(3)). This association was confined to people whose mother's
      height was below the median. Among these people in the older cohort, the hazard
      ratio associated with a ponderal index >30 kg/m(3) was 3.1 (95% CI 1.6-5.9), in
      comparison to those with a ponderal index of 26 kg/m(3) or less (P for trend <
      0.001). The equivalent figures for the younger cohort were 2.9 (1.2-7.0, P for
      trend = 0.001) and this association was independent of smoking. We suggest that a
      high ponderal index in babies born to short mothers is the result of low amino
      acid delivery to the fetus in relation to glucose delivery. We hypothesize that
      this impairs the development of the babies' antioxidant systems and makes them
      vulnerable to oxidative stress in later life. This is the first evidence that
      fetal programming may determine vulnerability to carcinogens in humans.

PMID- 20309991
TI  - Physical and psychological health of first and second generation Turkish
      immigrants in Germany.
AB  - Recent studies in Germany suggest that first generation Turkish immigrants have
      lower mortality rates compared to native Germans. Conversely, studies examining
      morbidity, though not national in scope, have demonstrated that first generation
      Turks may have poorer health than native Germans. Additionally, little is known
      about the health of the emerging second generation Turkish population in Germany.
      To evaluate the discrepancy between mortality and morbidity trends and contribute
      to a better understanding of second generation Turkish immigrant health, this
      paper uses a nationally-representative dataset, including the 2005 German Gender
      and Generations Study (GGS) (n = 10,017) and the 2006 GGS Turkish supplement (n =
      4,045), to assess three health outcomes: chronic illness, self-assessed health,
      and feelings of emptiness. The paper investigates whether sex, age, socioeconomic
      status, emotional support, or duration of residence in Germany predict these
      dimensions of health. Results establish clear health status differences between
      Turks and native Germans. Surprisingly, both first and second generation Turks
      tend to have lower chronic illness rates and rate their health as better than
      Germans at younger ages, but the advantage diminishes among higher age strata for
      the first generation. Feelings of emptiness results generally indicate an
      increased susceptibility to psychological problems for both generations of Turks.
      Controlling for socioeconomic status and age reduces these health differences
      modestly, pointing to their likely role as mediators. The relatively higher risks
      for all three health outcomes among Turkish females of both generations compared
      to their German counterparts suggest that female Turkish immigrants and their
      female offspring may be particularly vulnerable.

PMID- 20309992
TI  - The prenatal origins of lung cancer. II. The placenta.
AB  - We have shown that people who were short at birth in relation to their weight are
      at increased risk of lung cancer. We suggested that this reflected low amino acid
      high glucose delivery to the fetus and that this impaired the development of its
      antioxidant systems and made it vulnerable to tobacco smoke and other carcinogens
      in later life. Transfer of amino acids and glucose from mother to fetus depends
      on the placenta. We here examine how maternal and placental size are related to
      lung cancer. We studied two cohorts, totaling 20,431 people, born in Helsinki
      during 1924-1944. Their body size at birth and maternal body size had been
      recorded together with the weight of the placenta and two diameters of its
      surface. Of them, 385 had developed lung cancer. Three different maternal
      placental-fetal phenotypes were associated with lung cancer. Common to each was a
      short mother and a newborn baby that was short in relation to its weight. Lung
      cancer was associated with either a small or a large placental surface area. In
      the three phenotypes, the hazard ratios associated with a 100 cm(2) increase in
      placental surface were 0.36 (95% CI 0.14 to 0.87, P = 0.02), 2.31 (1.45 to 3.69,
      P < 0.001) and 2.04 (1.08 to 3.86, P = 0.03). We conclude that three different
      maternal-placental phenotypes were associated with later lung cancer. We suggest
      that each led to low amino acid-normal glucose transfer to the fetus, reflected
      in a newborn baby that was short in relation to its weight.

PMID- 20309993
TI  - Enumeration of the absolute CD4 T-lymphocyte count by cell-bead assay.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We have previously developed an alternative approach for undertaking
      absolute cell counting based upon flow-rate calibration using cell bead (FCB), in
      which cell bead (CB) can be used as a flow-rate calibration material for
      generating the absolute microparticle counts. Here, we extended our work of
      counting CD4+ T-lymphocytes in HIV-infected blood samples with the FCB method.
      METHODS: CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts in EDTA blood samples from 30 healthy subjects
      and 80 HIV-1-infected patients were determined using TriTEST reagent. The
      absolute CD4+ T-lymphocytes were measured by FCB, and the results were compared
      with the absolute counting by commercial latex bead (CLB) or with flow rate-based
      calibration method (FR). Statistical correlation and agreement were analyzed
      using linear regression and Bland-Altman analysis. RESULTS: There was no
      significant difference in the absolute number of CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts
      enumerated by FCB when compared with those two reference methods (CLB and FR).
      The absolute CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts obtained from FCB method was highly
      correlated with those obtained from CLB [r(2)= 0.99, y = 1.04x - 12.37, P <
      0.001, and mean bias 11.96 cell/microl, limit of agreement (LOA) -57.82 - 81.74
      cell/microl], FR method (r(2) = 0.98; y = 0.97x - 3.13, P < 0.001, and mean bias 
      24.15 cell/microl, LOA -114.44 - 66.13 cell/microl). CONCLUSIONS: The use of FCB
      is comparable with the use of CLB and FR. This approach showed the effective in
      reducing cost for generating the absolute CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts. Such an
      approach should facilitate and ensure the success of the ongoing antiretroviral
      therapy program in resource-limited countries.

PMID- 20309994
TI  - Field performance of Lynfield and McPhail traps for monitoring male and female
      sterile Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) and wild Dacus newmani (Perkins).
AB  - BACKGROUND: McPhail traps, baited with protein food lure, are used worldwide for
      surveillance of many species of fruit flies. Queensland fruit fly (Qfly)
      Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a native Australian fruit
      fly and normally monitored using Lynfield traps baited with cuelure. On some
      occasions, McPhail traps with wet food lures are deployed to detect female flies
      or to find the incursion epicentre. This paper reviews field results on the
      merits of Lynfield and McPhail traps for detection of male and female Qfly.
      RESULTS: Following release of equal numbers of sterile males and females,
      Lynfield traps baited with cuelure captured more Qfly males than protein
      autolysate or orange concentrate in McPhail traps. Significantly more male than
      female Qfly were captured in McPhail traps baited with protein autolysate or
      orange. There was no significant difference between orange concentrate lure and
      protein autolysate lure in attracting either males or females. Another Australian
      native fruit fly, Dacus newmani (Perkins), was attracted to cuelure in Lynfield
      traps but not to either lure in McPhail traps. CONCLUSIONS: The data obtained run
      counter to the reputation of McPhail traps baited with protein autolysate or
      orange concentrate as a specialist lure/trap combination for female Qfly.

PMID- 20309995
TI  - Monitoring for imidacloprid resistance in the tobacco-adapted form of the green
      peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), in the eastern
      United States.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Imidacloprid is the primary insecticide for controlling the tobacco
      adapted form of the green peach aphid (TGPA), Myzus persicae (Sulzer), a major
      pest of tobacco worldwide. This study used leaf-dip bioassays to assess TGPA
      resistance to imidacloprid in the eastern United States from 2004 through 2007.
      RESULTS: When combined over the 4 year study, 18, 14 and 3% of the TGPA had
      imidacloprid resistance ratios (RRs) of 10-20-fold, 20-30-fold and 30-90-fold,
      respectively, compared with the most susceptible colony tested. This indicates
      that some colonies have developed moderate levels of resistance to imidacloprid.
      A colony collected near Clayton, North Carolina, had the highest RR of 91 (LC(50)
      value = 31 mg L(-1)). This resistance declined for six tests over a 3 year period
      in the laboratory culture from >130-fold RR (LC(50) = 48 mg L(-1)) to 40-fold RR
      (LC(50) = 15 mg L(-1)). Over the same period, the most susceptible colony and a
      standard colony not exposed to imidacloprid for over 7 years had consistently low
      LC(50) values. CONCLUSION: Moderate levels of resistance to imidacloprid are
      noticed among TGPA colonies from the eastern United States. The variation in
      resistance indicates that the factors responsible are present in the populations
      at low frequencies and are just not enough to cause field failures yet.

PMID- 20309996
TI  - Near future ocean acidification increases growth rate of the lecithotrophic
      larvae and juveniles of the sea star Crossaster papposus.
AB  - Ocean acidification (OA) is believed to be a major threat for near-future marine
      ecosystems, and that the most sensitive organisms will be calcifying organisms
      and the free-living larval stages produced by most benthic marine species. In
      this respect, echinoderms are one of the taxa most at risk. Earlier research on
      the impact of near-future OA on echinoderm larval stages showed negative effects,
      such as a decreased growth rate, increased mortality, and developmental
      abnormalities. However, all the long-term studies were performed on
      planktotrophic larvae while alternative life-history strategies, such as
      nonfeeding lecithotrophy, were largely ignored. Here, we show that lecithotrophic
      echinoderm larvae and juveniles are positively impacted by ocean acidification.
      When cultured at low pH, larvae and juveniles of the sea star Crossaster papposus
      grow faster with no visible affects on survival or skeletogenesis. This suggests
      that in future oceans, lecithotrophic species may be better adapted to deal with
      the threat of OA compared with planktotrophic ones with potentially important
      consequences at the ecosystem level. For example, an increase in populations of
      the top predator C. papposus will likely have huge consequences for community
      structure. Our results also highlight the importance of taking varying life
      history strategies into account when assessing the impacts of climate change, an
      approach that also provides insight into understanding the evolution of life
      history strategies.

PMID- 20309997
TI  - In reference to An easy technique to prevent post-tympanoplasty ventilation tube
      blockage.

PMID- 20309998
TI  - Opportunities and challenges of rural practice: managing self amid ambiguity.
AB  - Living and practicing psychology in a small, rural community has opportunities
      and challenges. We describe the context of rural communities and identify several
      of those challenges and opportunities. A case study demonstrates the influence of
      multigenerational involvement, complex professional and social situations, and
      the potential difficulties facing the responsible clinician. We suggest both a
      theoretical perspective and specific procedures for treating prototypical cases
      in a rural practice.

PMID- 20310000
TI  - Upfront use of gemtuzumab ozogamicin in young children with CD33-positive AML.
AB  - Gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO) is a humanized anti-CD33 antibody used for treating
      patients with CD33+ acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We report three young children
      (two infants and one toddler) with AML treated with GO 9 mg/m(2). Two received
      two doses at diagnosis alone with conventional chemotherapy and one received one
      dose after relapse. GO was well tolerated and all three achieved remission. All
      were transplanted: one relapsed after 5 months and died of disease, one died a
      toxic death in remission due to pulmonary fibrosis, and one survived (41 months
      from diagnosis). In conclusion, GO was well tolerated in these young patients
      with evidence for efficacy.

PMID- 20309999
TI  - Restoration of motor inhibition through an abnormal premotor-motor connection in
      dystonia.
AB  - To clarify the rationale for using rTMS of dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) to treat
      dystonia, we examined how the motor system reacts to an inhibitory form of rTMS
      applied to the PMd in healthy subjects and in a group of patients with focal hand
      dystonia and DYT1 gene carriers. Continuous theta burst transcranial magnetic
      stimulation (cTBS) with 300 and 600 pulses (cTBS300 and cTBS600) was applied to
      PMd, and its after-effects were quantified by measuring the amplitude of MEPs
      evoked by single pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the primary
      motor cortex (M1), short interval intracortical inhibition/facilitation
      (SICI/ICF) within M1, the third phase of spinal reciprocal inhibition (RI), and
      writing tests. In addition, in DYT1 gene carriers, the effects of cTBS300 over M1
      and PMd on MEPs were studied in separate experiments. In healthy subjects,
      cTBS300 and cTBS600 over PMd suppressed MEPs for 30 min or more and cTBS600
      decreased SICI and RI. In contrast, neither form of cTBS over PMd had any
      significant effect on MEPs, while cTBS600 increased effectiveness of SICI and RI
      and improved writing in patients with writer's cramp. NMDYT1 had a normal
      response to cTBS300 over left PMd. We suggest that the reduced PMd to M1
      interaction in dystonic patients is likely to be due to reduced excitability of
      PMd-M1 connections. The possible therapeutic effects of premotor rTMS may
      therefore involve indirect effects of PMd on SICI and RI, which this study has
      shown can be normalised by cTBS.

PMID- 20310001
TI  - VCR/AraC chemotherapy and ND-CNS-LCH.

PMID- 20310002
TI  - LINGO1 polymorphisms are associated with essential tremor in Europeans.
AB  - Essential tremor (ET) is one of the most common movement disorders. Former
      association studies focussing on candidate genes in ET found a number of risk
      variants but most of them were not replicated. Recently, a genome-wide
      association study revealed two intronic sequence variants in the LINGO1 gene
      associated with ET. Here, we have confirmed association between sequence variants
      in the LINGO1 gene and the ET phenotype in independent German and French ET
      samples. The odds ratios for the identified intronic markers rs8030859 (P =
      1.0x10(-4)), rs9652490 (P = 9.1x10(-4)), and rs11856808 (P = 3.6x10(-2)) were
      1.72 (CI 1.31-2.26), 1.61 (CI 1.21-2.14), and 1.30 (CI 1.02-1.66), respectively,
      in our German sample. LINGO1 is an interesting candidate gene because it plays a
      key role in central nervous system biology, is selectively expressed in the
      nervous system, and is an inhibitor of oligodendrocyte differentiation and
      neuronal myelination. Our study gives further evidence that LINGO1 acts as a
      susceptibility gene for ET.

PMID- 20310003
TI  - Sperm analysis of patients after successful treatment of childhood acute
      lymphoblastic leukemia with chemotherapy.
AB  - Survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treated with
      radiotherapy are at risk for impaired fertility. Whether chemotherapy alone is
      also long-term gonadotoxic is unclear. We assessed gonadal function in 11 male
      ALL-survivors treated with the same chemotherapy regimen and compared sperm
      analysis to healthy men. While sex hormone levels were normal in all subjects,
      5/11 survivors showed pathological sperm concentration and 4/11 a decreased total
      sperm count compared to WHO criteria. Compared to healthy controls, all
      quantitative parameters in semen analysis of survivors were decreased. This
      suggests that treatment with chemotherapeutic agents alone, even in moderate
      doses, might have a gonadotoxic effect.

PMID- 20310004
TI  - Sertoli Leydig cell ovarian tumour and gastric polyps as presenting features of
      Peutz-Jeghers syndrome.
AB  - We report a case of Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) in a 2-year old with precocious
      puberty secondary to a Sertoli-Leydig cell tumour. Family history of PJS and
      other neoplasms were discovered. The tumour was excised and the STK11 gene
      deletion identified in both patient and father. Screening revealed hamartomatous
      gastric polyps, which were removed. Current recommendations for screening of
      children with PJS begin at age 8 years, based on reported occurrence of
      complications 1. This report illustrates the importance of considering early
      screening, along with close clinical review and patient/parent education, for
      detection of life threatening neoplasms and complications.

PMID- 20310005
TI  - Clinicopathologic study of glioblastoma in children with neurofibromatosis type
      1.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is characterized by low-grade tumors
      of the central and peripheral nervous system. There is also an increased risk of
      developing malignant tumors. Glioblastoma is an uncommon, malignant tumor of
      children that is even less frequently observed in children with NF1. PROCEDURE:
      We performed a retrospective review of patients with NF1 and glioblastoma to
      determine specific clinical and pathologic indicators of overall prognosis.
      RESULTS: Five patients were identified from the CHB/DFCI database for whom
      pathologic and imaging studies were available. All pathologic specimens
      demonstrated vascular proliferation and necrosis. All samples stained positively
      for p53. Chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) for epidermal growth factor
      receptor (EGFR) copy numbers was increased, PTEN copy numbers were normal and the
      promoter of the O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) gene was
      unmethylated in the one patient evaluated. In the same time period, there were 56
      patients without NF1 diagnosed with glioblastoma who were treated at our
      institution. Although the small sample size precludes formal statistical
      analysis, the 2-year survival of patients with NF1 is 60% with median overall
      survival of 9.25 years compared to non-NF1 patients with a 2-year survival of 25%
      and median overall survival 1.08 years. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides
      preliminary evidence that children with NF1 may be at risk for glioblastoma, but
      that these patients have an increased survival compared to children without NF1.
      Additional molecular studies will be required to determine if the pathogenesis of
      these tumors differs from glioblastoma in children without NF1.

PMID- 20310006
TI  - MTR polymorphic variant A2756G and retinoblastoma risk in Brazilian children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Polymorphisms in the genes of folate and methionine metabolism
      enzymes have been associated with some forms of cancer by affecting DNA
      synthesis, repair, and methylation. PROCEDURE: A case-control study of 72
      retinoblastoma cases and 98 cancer-free children controls was performed to
      investigate whether the polymorphisms of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase
      (MTHFR C677T and A1298C), methionine synthase (MTR A2756G), carrier of reduced
      folate 1 (RFC-1 A80G) and thymidylate synthase (TYMS 2R > 3R) altered the risk
      for retinoblastoma. RESULTS: MTR A2756G AG plus GG genotype frequencies were
      higher in patients than in controls (45% vs. 26%, P = 0.03). Individual carriers
      of the variant allele G had a 2.02 (95% CI: 1.05-3.92)-fold increased risk for
      retinoblastoma. In contrast, no association was observed with respect to MTHFR
      C677T and A1298C, RFC A80G, and TYMS polymorphisms. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      presents evidence for an association between the MTR A2756G polymorphism and
      retinoblastoma susceptibility in a Northeast population from Brazil.

PMID- 20310007
TI  - ATP13A2 mutations (PARK9) cause neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation.
AB  - Kufor Rakeb disease (KRD, PARK9) is an autosomal recessive extrapyramidal
      pyramidal syndrome with generalized brain atrophy due to ATP13A2 gene mutations.
      We report clinical details and investigational results focusing on radiological
      findings of a genetically-proven KRD case. Clinically, there was early onset
      levodopa-responsive dystonia-parkinsonism with pyramidal signs and eye movement
      abnormalities. Brain MRI revealed generalized atrophy and putaminal and caudate
      iron accumulation bilaterally. Our findings add KRD to the group of syndromes of
      neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA). KRD should be considered
      in patients with dystonia-parkinsonism with iron on brain imaging and we suggest
      classifying as NBIA type 3.

PMID- 20310008
TI  - Propriospinal myoclonus due to cord compression in the absence of myelopathy.

PMID- 20310009
TI  - A new rating instrument to assess festination and freezing gait in Parkinsonian
      patients.
AB  - Festination and freezing of gait (FOG) are sudden episodic inabilities to
      initiate or sustain locomotion mostly experienced during the later stages of
      Parkinson's disease (PD) or other higher-level gait disorders. The aim of this
      study was to develop a clinical rating instrument for short-interval rating of
      festination and FOG. Foot movements of 33 patients were video taped and rated
      during 12 episodes in a standardized course on a four-level interval scale
      according to severity. Motor blocks were provoked in four situations and by three
      levels of dual-tasking (tasks). Addition of the item scores produced a FOG score.
      The assessment requires less than 15 min. The inter-rater and re-test reliability
      of the FOG score is high (Kendall kappa = 0.85-0.92, P < 0.0001). Variability of
      the item scale due to situations and tasks can be attributed to unidimensional
      group factors (Cronbach's alpha 0.84 and 0.94). Group comparisons and a logistic
      regression model show significant effects for both situations and tasks on the
      item scale (Friedman test: "situation": P < 0.0001, "task": P < 0.0001). Six
      patients with PD have significantly different scores during mobile (practical ON;
      6.2 +/- 3.9) and immobile (practical OFF; 15.8 +/- 4.6) medication states (P <
      0.05). The FOG score correlates with the 10 m number of steps (rho = 0.58; P =
      0.001) and with the self-evaluation of FOG (rho = 0.51; P < 0.01). Our results
      encourage the further use of the FOG score to evaluate festination and FOG.

PMID- 20310010
TI  - Baclofen-induced chorea in complex regional pain syndrome-related dystonia.

PMID- 20310011
TI  - 4SC-101, a novel immunosuppressive drug, inhibits IL-17 and attenuates colitis in
      two murine models of inflammatory bowel disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) is a key enzyme involved in
      pyrimidine biosynthesis. DHODH is a known target for the treatment of autoimmune
      diseases. 4SC-101 is a novel immunosuppressive drug that inhibits DHODH. A goal
      of our study was to examine the in vitro effects of 4SC-101 on IL-17 production
      by mononuclear cells. In addition, we evaluated the efficacy of 4SC-101 against
      acute TNBS (2,4,6-tritrobenzene sulfonic acid) and chronic dextran sodium sulfate
      (DSS)-induced colitis in mice. METHODS: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells
      (PBMCs) from healthy human donors were used to evaluate cellular proliferation
      and cytokine (IL-17, TNF-alpha) production. The oral effects of 4SC-101 (100 or
      200 mg/kg) were examined following induction of chronic colitis by the
      administration of 3% DSS (4 cycles) to Balb/c mice. Morphometric and histological
      indices of colitis were evaluated as indicators of drug efficacy. 4SC-101 was
      also administered for 6 days after the intracolonic administration of TNBS (20 mg
      in 50% ethanol) to female Balb/c mice. The colons were analyzed for overall
      macroscopic damage, ulceration, total length, distal segment weight, MPO
      activity, and histological pathology as indicators for the effectiveness of 4SC
      101. RESULTS: In vitro, 4SC-101 is a potent inhibitor of human DHODH, inhibits
      lymphocyte proliferation, and uniquely blocks phytohemagglutinin-stimulated IL-17
      production by lymphocytes. In vivo, oral administration of 4SC-101 effectively
      improved both chronic DSS and acute TNBS colitis in mice. In these colitis models
      the overall efficacy profile of 4SC-101 was similar to that of dexamethasone.
      CONCLUSIONS: 4SC-101 is a novel immunosuppressive drug with excellent potential
      for the treatment of intestinal inflammation.

PMID- 20310012
TI  - Bifidobacterium lactis inhibits NF-kappaB in intestinal epithelial cells and
      prevents acute colitis and colitis-associated colon cancer in mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the antiinflammatory effects
      of Bifidobacterium lactis on intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) and on
      experimental acute murine colitis and its tumor prevention effects on colitis
      associated cancer (CAC) in mice. METHODS: Human HT-29 cells were stimulated with
      IL-1beta, lipopolysaccharides, or tumor necrosis factor-alpha with and without B.
      lactis, and the effects of B. lactis on nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB)
      signaling in IEC were examined. For in vivo study, dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)
      treated mice were fed with and without B. lactis. Finally, we induced colonic
      tumors in mice by azoxymethane (AOM) and DSS and evaluated the effects of B.
      lactis on tumor growth. RESULTS: B. lactis significantly suppressed NF-kappaB
      activation, including NF-kappaB-binding activity and NF-kappaB-dependent reporter
      gene expression in a dose-dependent manner, and suppressed IkappaB-alpha
      degradation, which correlated with the downregulation of NF-kappaB-dependent gene
      products. Moreover, B. lactis suppressed the development of acute colitis in
      mice. Compared with the DSS group, the severity of DSS-induced colitis as
      assessed by disease activity index, colon length, and histological score was
      reduced in the B. lactis-treated group. In the CAC model, the mean number and
      size of tumors in the B. lactis-treated group were significantly lower than those
      in the AOM group. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate that B. lactis inhibits NF
      kappaB and NF-kappaB-regulated genes in IEC and prevents acute colitis and CAC in
      mice. These results suggest that B. lactis could be a potential preventive agent
      for CAC as well as a therapeutic agent for inflammatory bowel disease.

PMID- 20310013
TI  - Nonfistulizing perianal Crohn's disease: clinical features, epidemiology, and
      treatment.
AB  - Nonfistulizing perianal lesions, including ulcerations, strictures, and anal
      carcinoma, are frequently observed in Crohn's disease. Their clinical course
      remains poorly known. The management of these lesions is difficult because none
      of the treatments used is evidence-based. Ulcerations may be symptomatic in up to
      85% of patients. Most ulcerations heal spontaneously but may also progress to
      anal stenosis or fistula/abscess. Topical treatments only improve symptoms, while
      complete healing can occur in patients with perianal ulcerations receiving
      infliximab therapy. Half of all patients with anal strictures will require
      permanent fecal diversion. Dilatation for symptomatic strictures should be
      performed on a highly selective basis in the absence of active rectal disease in
      order to avoid infectious complications. Anorectal strictures associated with
      rectal lesions should first be managed with medical therapy. Skin tags are
      usually painless and may hide other perianal lesions. Anal cancer is uncommon.
      Its treatment is similar to that recommended for anal cancer occurring in non
      Crohn's disease patients. After reviewing the classification, clinical features,
      and epidemiology of each type of nonfistulizing perianal lesion (ulceration,
      stricture, skin tags, and anal cancer), we discuss the efficacy of medical
      treatment and surgery. This review article may help physicians in decision-making
      when managing potentially disabling lesions.

PMID- 20310014
TI  - Hiccups associated with non-ergoline dopamine agonists in Parkinson's disease.

PMID- 20310015
TI  - Mucosal healing in patients with ulcerative colitis during a course of selective
      leukocytapheresis therapy: a prospective cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: During active ulcerative colitis (UC), vast numbers of granulocytes,
      monocytes/macrophages (GM) infiltrate the mucosal tissue and can potentially
      exacerbate inflammation and injury. Accordingly, we were interested to see if
      selective depletion of GM by adsorption (GMA) impacts mucosal healing (MH) in UC
      patients. METHODS: In all, 124 patients with clinically and endoscopically active
      UC received 5 or 10 GMA sessions at one or two sessions/week. The endoscopic
      severity of mucosal inflammation at entry and 1 week after the last GMA session
      were scored as follows: 0 = normal mucosa and inactive disease; 1 = mild
      inflammation; 2 = moderate inflammation; 3 = severe inflammation. Likewise, a
      score 0 or 1 at post-GMA course was defined as MH. RESULTS: At entry the
      endoscopic severity of the mucosal inflammation was 2 in 100 patients (81%) and 3
      in 24 patients (19%). Following the course of GMA, 56 patients (45%) achieved
      clinical remission (normal stool frequency and no rectal bleeding). Thirty-four
      of these 56 responders achieved MH; 32 (94%) of the 34 patients with MH had an
      endoscopic score of 2 (moderate inflammation) at entry. The maintained clinical
      remission rate was significantly higher in the 34 patients who achieved MH as
      compared with 22 patients who achieved clinical remission without MH (P =
      0.0005). CONCLUSIONS: MH is achieved more frequently in patients with moderate
      than with severe endoscopic severity at entry. Further, patients with MH have a
      reduced risk of future clinical relapse as compared with patients who achieve
      remission without MH.

PMID- 20310016
TI  - Monitoring functional serum antitumor necrosis factor antibody level in Crohn's
      disease patients who maintained and those who lost response to anti-TNF.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Infliximab (IFX) is an antitumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha antibody
      used to treat Crohn's disease (CD). However, antibodies to IFX (ATI) emerge,
      which can impair its efficacy. A fluid-phase enzyme immunoassay (FP-EIA) was
      established for measuring serum functional IFX (f-IFX) in CD patients receiving
      maintenance IFX. METHODS: In 31 patients, 16 had maintained response (GI) and 15
      had lost response to IFX despite good initial response (GII) were selected. Serum
      f-IFX was measured just before and immediately after IFX infusion and the values
      together with CD activity index (CDAI) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were
      compared. RESULTS: IFX therapy in GI and GII were 1.8 +/- 1.2 years and 2.7 +/-
      1.5 years, respectively, while the median dose frequency was 56 days in GI and 29
      days in GII. Our FP-EIA for f-IFX showed TNF-alpha binding increasing with the
      IFX dose, which was suppressed by antibodies to IFX. On the infusion day, CRP and
      CDAI in GII were significantly higher than in GI, while median trough f-IFX for
      GI and GII were 4.7 MUg/mL and 6.3 MUg/mL, respectively. The median f-IFX
      immediately after IFX infusion for GI and GII were 149.5 MUg/mL and 126.3 MUg/mL,
      respectively (P = 0.0488), and binary logistic regression showed conditional
      maximum likelihood estimate to be -0.0258 (P = 0.0395), supporting association of
      low postinfusion f-IFX to the loss of response. CONCLUSIONS: FP-EIA could
      accurately measure f-IFX. High serum ATI strongly impacted f-IFX levels
      immediately after an infusion. The postinfusion f-IFX level was associated with
      clinical response. f-IFX level should be valuable in decision-making to optimize
      treatment efficacy.

PMID- 20310017
TI  - Diagnostic work-up of inflammatory bowel disease in children: the role of
      calprotectin assay.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Some reports highlight the potential application of fecal
      calprotectin as a direct biomarker of intestinal inflammation and, therefore, as
      support in choosing candidates for endoscopy. The value of 100 MUg/g was recently
      assumed as the best cutoff for this assay. The purpose of this study was to
      assess the diagnostic precision of the fecal calprotectin assay, compared to
      histology, as a stool-screening biomarker for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
      among a group of prospectively identified patients referred for recurrent
      abdominal pain and altered bowel habits. METHODS: Between 1999 and 2007 we
      prospectively evaluated the calprotectin assay in a cohort of patients with
      recurrent abdominal pain and altered bowel habits associated or not with other
      symptoms suggestive of IBD. All patients suspected of IBD, according to Rome and
      Porto criteria, provided stool specimens for the calprotectin assay and
      subsequently underwent endoscopic procedures. RESULTS: Compared to histology, the
      cutoff of 100 MUg/g reached a sensitivity and specificity of 100% and 68%,
      respectively, and a likelihood ratio (LR) of 3.1. The cutoff value of 160 MUg/g,
      however, in our series produced the best joint estimate of sensitivity and
      specificity: 100% and 80%, respectively, with an LR of 5. CONCLUSIONS: In
      pediatric patients with recurrent abdominal pain and changes in stool habits, a
      positive calprotectin assay is closely associated with IBD; its systematic
      employment, therefore, seems to improve the process of endoscopy referral. This
      test, simple and inexpensive, could be included in the first noninvasive phase of
      an IBD diagnostic work-up.

PMID- 20310018
TI  - Extrapolating in vitro metabolic interactions to isolated perfused liver:
      predictions of metabolic interactions between R-bufuralol, bunitrolol, and
      debrisoquine.
AB  - Drug-drug interactions (DDIs) are a great concern to the selection of new drug
      candidates. While in vitro screening assays for DDI are a routine procedure in
      preclinical research, their interpretation and relevance for the in vivo
      situation still represent a major challenge. The objective of the present study
      was to develop a novel mechanistic modeling approach to quantitatively predict
      DDI solely based upon in vitro data. The overall strategy consisted of developing
      a model of the liver with physiological details on three subcompartments: the
      sinusoidal space, the space of Disse, and the cellular matrix. The substrate and
      inhibitor concentrations available to the metabolizing enzyme were modeled with
      respect to time and were used to relate the in vitro inhibition constant (K(i))
      to the in vivo situation. The development of the liver model was supported by
      experimental studies in a stepwise fashion: (i) characterizing the interactions
      between the three selected drugs (R-bufuralol (BUF), bunitrolol (BUN), and
      debrisoquine (DBQ)) in microsomal incubations, (ii) modeling DDI based on binary
      mixtures model for all the possible pairs of interactions (BUF-BUN, BUF-DBQ, BUN
      DBQ) describing a mutual competitive inhibition between the compounds, (iii)
      incorporating in the binary mixtures model the related constants determined in
      vitro for the inhibition, metabolism, transport, and partition coefficients of
      each compound, and (iv) validating the overall liver model for the prediction of
      the perfusate kinetics of each drug determined in isolated perfused rat liver
      (IPRL) for the single and paired compounds. Results from microsomal coincubations
      showed that competitive inhibition was the mechanism of interactions between all
      three compounds, as expected since those compounds are all substrates of rat
      CYP2D2. For each drug, the K(i) values estimated were similar to their K(m)
      values for CYP2D2 indicative of a competition for the same substrate-binding
      site. Comparison of the performance between the novel liver physiologically based
      pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model and published empirical models in simulating the
      perfusate concentration-time profile was based on the area under the curve (AUC)
      and the shape of the curve of the perfusate time course. The present liver PBPK
      model was able to quantitatively predict the metabolic interactions determined
      during the perfusions of mixtures of BUF-DBQ and BUN-DBQ. However, a lower degree
      of accuracy was obtained for the mixtures of BUF-BUN, potentially due to some
      interindividual variability in the relative proportion of CYP2D1 and CYP2D2
      isoenzymes, both involved in BUF metabolism. Overall, in this metabolic
      interaction prediction exercise, the PBPK model clearly showed to be the best
      predictor of perfusate kinetics compared to more empirical models. The present
      study demonstrated the potential of the mechanistic liver model to enable
      predictions of metabolic DDI under in vivo condition solely from in vitro
      information.

PMID- 20310019
TI  - Four-year clinical outcome of sirolimus- and paclitaxel-eluting stents compared
      to bare-metal stents for the percutaneous treatment of stable coronary artery
      disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are limited data on the long-term safety and efficacy profile
      of coronary stent implantation in patients with stable coronary artery disease
      (CAD) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). OBJECTIVE: We aimed to
      assess the 4-year clinical outcome in patients who received a bare-metal stent
      (BMS), sirolimus-eluting stent (SES), or a paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES) for the
      percutaneous treatment of stable angina in our center during 2000-2005. METHODS:
      In the study period, a total of 2,449 consecutive patients (BMS = 1,005; SES =
      373; and PES = 1071) underwent a PCI as part of three historical PCI-cohorts for
      stable angina and were routinely followed for the occurrence of major adverse
      cardiac events (MACE). RESULTS: At 4 years follow-up, 264 BMS patients (26.8%)
      had a MACE, compared to 75 SES patients (20.9%) and 199 PES patients (23.9%).
      Multivariate analysis showed that SES and PES were superior to BMS with respect
      to MACE [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.62, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.47-0.81; HR =
      0.67, 95% CI: 0.55-0.82, respectively]. The occurrence of MACE was significantly
      lower in the SES and PES population, primarily due to less target-vessel
      revascularization (TVR) procedures (HR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.37-0.75; HR = 0.71, 95%
      CI: 0.62-0.81, respectively). The occurrence of early, late, and very late stent
      thrombosis was equally rare with each stent type. There were no significant
      differences between SES and PES on death, myocardial infarction, TVR, and MACE.
      CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that SES and PES result in decreased TVR
      procedures and MACE compared to BMS at 4 years follow-up. SES or PES implantation
      should be the preferred choice over BMS for patients with stable CAD undergoing
      PCI.

PMID- 20310021
TI  - Failure of the Amplatzer ductal occluder II: kinking of the aortic retention disk
      at 24 hours.
AB  - Since March 2008, the new Amplatzer duct occluder II (ADO II) has been used
      clinically for PDA closure in Europe. We report an interesting case of a 2(1/2)
      year-old girl with a 3-mm conical shape PDA (type A PDA) who underwent uneventful
      implantation of 3/4 ADO II with complete closure by angiography and
      echocardiographic control at the end of the procedure. To our surprise,
      echocardiography 24 hr later revealed a moderate secondary shunt due to kinking
      of the aortic retention disk of the device with the central waist and the
      pulmonary retention disk still in correct position. The persistent shunt was
      closed 1 year later in the cath lab with a 9/6 Nit-Occlud device. To our
      knowledge, this is the first reported late complication directly related to the
      device.

PMID- 20310020
TI  - Clinical trial: a novel high-dose 1 g mesalamine suppository (Salofalk) once
      daily is as efficacious as a 500-mg suppository thrice daily in active ulcerative
      proctitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mesalamine suppositories are first-line therapy in active ulcerative
      proctitis; the standard regime still recommends multiple doses per day. The
      primary objective of this study was to show the noninferiority of once-daily
      administration of a novel 1 g mesalamine suppository versus thrice-daily
      administration of the 0.5 g mesalamine suppository. METHODS: This was a single
      blind (investigator-blinded), randomized, multicenter, comparative, Phase III
      clinical trial. Patients with mild to moderately active ulcerative proctitis
      inserted either one mesalamine 1 g suppository at bedtime or one mesalamine 0.5 g
      suppository thrice daily over a 6-week period. The primary endpoint was rate of
      remission (Disease Activity Index below 4). RESULTS: In all, 354 patients were
      evaluable for safety and per-protocol analysis. The new regimen demonstrated
      noninferiority: The percentage of patients with remission was 87.9% for the once
      daily 1 g mesalamine suppository and 90.7% for the thrice-daily 0.5 g mesalamine
      suppository. Each regimen resulted in prompt cessation of clinical symptoms
      (e.g., median time to <=3 stools per day (all without blood): 5 days in the 1 g
      mesalamine once-daily and 7 days in the 0.5 g mesalamine thrice-daily group).
      Patients preferred applying suppositories once a day. CONCLUSIONS: In active
      ulcerative proctitis the once-daily administration of a 1 g mesalamine
      suppository is as effective and safe, yet considerably more convenient, than the
      standard thrice-daily administration of a 0.5 g mesalamine suppository.

PMID- 20310022
TI  - Stabilization of lysozyme by benzyl alcohol: surface tension and thermodynamic
      parameters.
AB  - The aim of the study was to understand the effect of benzyl alcohol on biological
      activity, aggregation behavior, denaturant and heat-induced unfolding of
      lysozyme. Compatibility studies of lysozyme carried out with a number of anti
      microbial preservatives, indicated benzyl alcohol to be the best suppressor of
      protein aggregation against heat stress. The effect of this preservative was
      checked at various pH values ranging from 4.0 to 9.0. In spite of reducing the
      thermal denaturation temperature (T(m)) at all pH values, benzyl alcohol had a
      stabilizing effect on lysozyme in terms of retaining the biological activity when
      the enzyme was incubated at 75 degrees C. The reduction in T(m) with increasing
      benzyl alcohol concentration was correlated with decreasing surface tension of
      surrounding medium. A detailed thermodynamic study of lysozyme in the presence of
      benzyl alcohol was carried out at pH 6.2. Change in Gibb's free energy of thermal
      unfolding at 25 degrees C was found to remain constant in the presence of benzyl
      alcohol, indicating no interaction of benzyl alcohol with the native protein at
      room temperature. Both the enthalpy and entropy change at mid point of thermal
      unfolding were found to increase in the presence of benzyl alcohol indicating the
      stabilization of partially unfolded state.

PMID- 20310023
TI  - Correlating particle hardness with powder compaction performance.
AB  - Assessing particle mechanical properties of pharmaceutical materials quickly and
      with little material can be very important to early stages of pharmaceutical
      research. In this study, a wide range of pharmaceutical materials were studied
      using atomic force microscopy (AFM) nanoindentation. A significant amount of
      particle hardness and elastic modulus data were provided. Moreover, powder
      compact mechanical properties of these materials were investigated in order to
      build correlation between the particle hardness and powder compaction
      performance. It was found that the materials with very low or high particle
      hardness most likely exhibit poor compaction performance while the materials with
      medium particle hardness usually have good compaction behavior. Additionally, the
      results from this study enriched Hiestand's special case concept on particle
      hardness and powder compaction performance. This study suggests that the use of
      AFM nanoindentation can help to screen mechanical properties of pharmaceutical
      materials at early development stages of pharmaceutical research.

PMID- 20310024
TI  - Creation of a tablet database containing several active ingredients and
      prediction of their pharmaceutical characteristics based on ensemble artificial
      neural networks.
AB  - A tablet database containing several active ingredients for a standard tablet
      formulation was created. Tablet tensile strength (TS) and disintegration time
      (DT) were measured before and after storage for 30 days at 40 degrees C and 75%
      relative humidity. An ensemble artificial neural network (EANN) was used to
      predict responses to differences in quantities of excipients and physical
      chemical properties of active ingredients in tablets. Most classical neural
      networks involve a tedious trial and error approach, but EANNs automatically
      determine basal key parameters, which ensure that an optimal structure is rapidly
      obtained. We compared the predictive abilities of EANNs in which the following
      kinds of training algorithms were used: linear, radial basis function, general
      regression (GR), and multilayer perceptron. The GR EANN predicted pharmaceutical
      responses such as TS and DT most accurately, as evidenced by high correlation
      coefficients in a leave-some-out cross-validation procedure. When used in
      conjunction with a tablet database, the GR EANN is capable of identifying
      acceptable candidate tablet formulations.

PMID- 20310025
TI  - An industry perspective on the monitoring of subvisible particles as a quality
      attribute for protein therapeutics.
AB  - Concern around the lack of monitoring of proteinaceous subvisible particulates in
      the 0.1-10 microm range has been heightened (Carpenter et al., 2009, J Pharm Sci
      98: 1202-1205), primarily due to uncertainty around the potential immunogenicity
      risk from these particles. This article, representing the opinions of a number of
      industry scientists, aims to further the discussion by developing a common
      understanding around the technical capabilities, limitations, as well as utility
      of monitoring this size range; reiterating that the link between aggregation and
      clinical immunogenicity has not been unequivocally established; and emphasizing
      that such particles are present in marketed products which remain safe and
      efficacious despite the lack of monitoring. Measurement of subvisible
      particulates in the <10 microm size range has value as an aid in product
      development and characterization. Limitations in measurement technologies,
      variability from container/closure, concentration, viscosity, history, and
      inherent batch heterogeneity, make these measurements unsuitable as specification
      for release and stability or for comparability, at the present time. Such
      particles constitute microgram levels of protein with currently monitored sizes
      >or=10 microm representing the largest fraction. These levels are well below what
      is detected or reported for other product quality attributes. Subvisible
      particles remain a product quality attribute that is also qualified in clinical
      trials.

PMID- 20310026
TI  - A nonionic surfactant/chitosan micelle system in an innovative eye drop
      formulation.
AB  - Micelle systems composed of the polyoxyethylated nonionic surfactant Pluronic
      F127 (F127) and cationic polyelectrolyte chitosan (CH) were prepared with
      dexamethasone (DEX) as a hydrophobic model drug. The F127/CH micelles were
      characterised by their hydrodynamic diameter and a zeta-potential ranging between
      25.4 and 28.9 nm and +9.3 and +17.6 mV, respectively. The DEX loading was between
      0.48% and 0.56%, and no significant influence of CH on DEX loading was observed.
      All micelle systems were characterised by prolonged release profiles. The
      addition of CH significantly enhanced the in vitro DEX release rate and transport
      across Caco-2 cell monolayers, as compared to the CH-free F127 micelle system.
      This colloidal carrier was well tolerated in rabbit eyes, and no clinically
      abnormal signs in various ocular structures were observed. The increase in
      intraocular pressure (IOP) in rabbits was used to evaluate DEX ocular
      bioavailability. The AUC values showed a 1.7- and 2.4-fold increase in
      bioavailability with F127 and F127/0.015 (w/v) % CH micelle systems,
      respectively, as compared to a standard DEX suspension. These data indicate
      improved intraocular DEX absorption from the micelle systems, which can be
      ascribed to both F127 and CH corneal permeability enhancement.

PMID- 20310027
TI  - Camptocormia associated with an expanded allele in the TATA box-binding protein
      gene.

PMID- 20310028
TI  - Age of Parkinson's disease onset as a predictor for the development of
      dyskinesia.
AB  - The risk of developing levodopa-associated dyskinesia is known to vary inversely
      with the age of Parkinson's disease onset. This study quantifies dyskinesia risks
      for different Parkinson's onset ages in a patient population treated at the
      Parkinson's Disease Research, Education, and Clinical Center at the San Francisco
      Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Medical records were reviewed to determine age
      of Parkinson's onset, medication history, and dyskinesia onset. Dyskinesia risks
      were determined by using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Cox proportional hazard models
      were used to compare age groups and to perform multivariate modeling. This study
      included 109 patients with Parkinson's, 105 of whom had onset of symptoms after
      1989. At 5 years of levodopa treatment, the dyskinesia risk for patients with
      onset age 40-49 was 70%, decreasing to 42% for onset ages 50-59, 33% for onset
      ages 60-69, and 24% for onset ages 70-79. Pairwise comparisons between the 40-49
      age group and the other age groups were statistically significant in time-to
      event models. After 5 years of levodopa treatment, dyskinesia risks became
      uniformly high regardless of age of onset. These results suggest it is
      appropriate to use different baseline dyskinesia risks in clinical decision
      making for patients on the basis of their ages of onset. However, the most
      significant difference occurs between ages 40-49 and ages 50-79, and if more than
      5 years of levodopa therapy are anticipated, dyskinesia risk may have less
      utility when deciding upon Parkinson's therapy. Drug studies for Parkinson's
      disease should also take age of Parkinson's onset into account when analyzing
      dyskinesia outcomes.

PMID- 20310030
TI  - Effect of histamine H2 receptor antagonism on levodopa-induced dyskinesia in the
      MPTP-macaque model of Parkinson's disease.
AB  - Levodopa-induced motor complications, including dyskinesia and wearing off, are
      troublesome side effects of treatment and impair quality of life in Parkinson's
      disease (PD) patients. The use of nondopaminergic agents as adjuncts to levodopa
      are potential options for managing these problems. Here, we asses the ability of
      the clinically available, selective histamine H(2) antagonist, famotidine (1, 3,
      and 30 mg/kg) to treat levodopa-induced dyskinesia and wearing off in the 1
      methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-macaque model of PD. Famotidine
      (3 mg/kg) increased peak activity, enhanced peak anti-parkinsonian action (1 and
      3 mg/kg), and extended duration of action (3 mg/kg, by 38%) of a low dose of
      levodopa (compared to low dose levodopa alone). Enhancement of anti-parkinsonian
      actions of low dose levodopa by famotidine (3 mg/kg) was associated with only
      mild, nondisabling dystonia. Famotidine had no effect on the anti-parkinsonian
      actions of high dose levodopa (compared to high dose levodopa alone). However,
      famotidine (1, 3, and 30 mg/kg) had a significant effect on chorea, but not
      dystonia, induced by high dose levodopa (compared to high dose levodopa alone).
      Famotidine increased high dose levodopa-induced "good quality" on time, i.e., on
      time not associated with disabling dyskinesia, by up to 28% (compared to high
      dose levodopa alone). In conclusion, famotidine, a drug currently available for
      use in the clinic, can enhance the peak-dose anti-parkinsonian actions and extend
      total duration of action of a low dose of levodopa, without producing disabling
      dyskinesia. Furthermore, in combination with a higher dose of levodopa,
      famotidine can reduce peak-dose levodopa-induced chorea and improve the quality
      of on-time.

PMID- 20310029
TI  - Neurochemical alterations in spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 and their correlations
      with clinical status.
AB  - Robust biomarkers of neurodegeneration are critical for testing of
      neuroprotective therapies. The clinical applicability of such biomarkers requires
      sufficient sensitivity to detect disease in individuals. Here we tested the
      sensitivity of high field (4 tesla) proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H
      MRS) to neurochemical alterations in the cerebellum and brainstem in
      spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1). We measured neurochemical profiles that
      consisted of 10 to 15 metabolite concentrations in the vermis, cerebellar
      hemispheres and pons of patients with SCA1 (N = 9) and healthy controls (N = 15).
      Total NAA (N-acetylaspartate + N-acetylaspartylglutamate, tNAA) and glutamate
      were lower and glutamine, myo-inositol and total creatine (creatine +
      phosphocreatine, tCr) were higher in patients relative to controls, consistent
      with neuronal dysfunction/loss, gliotic activity, and alterations in glutamate
      glutamine cycling and energy metabolism. Changes in tNAA, tCr, myo-inositol, and
      glutamate levels were discernible in individual spectra and the tNAA/myo-inositol
      ratio in the cerebellar hemispheres and pons differentiated the patients from
      controls with 100% specificity and sensitivity. In addition, tNAA, myo-inositol,
      and glutamate levels in the cerebellar hemispheres and the tNAA and myo-inositol
      levels in the pons correlated with ataxia scores (Scale for the Assessment and
      Rating of Ataxia, SARA). Two other biomarkers measured in the cerebrospinal fluid
      (CSF) of a subset of the volunteers (F(2)-isoprostanes asa marker of oxidative
      stress and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) as a marker of gliosis) were
      not different between patients and controls. These data demonstrate that (1)H MRS
      biomarkers can be utilized to noninvasively assess neuronal and glial status in
      individual ataxia patients.

PMID- 20310031
TI  - Higher serum uric acid associated with decreased Parkinson's disease prevalence
      in a large community-based survey.
AB  - A large community-based cross-sectional survey provided an opportunity to
      evaluate a previously reported association between Parkinson's disease (PD) and
      low serum uric acid (UA) levels in this population. The association between a
      self-reported PD diagnosis with treatment (n = 59) and serum UA level was
      examined using logistic and linear regression models, controlling for key
      covariates. In adjusted models, participants with UA levels at or above the
      median had a significantly lower odds of reporting PD with treatment compared
      with those with lower UA levels (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.19-0.60, P = 0.0002). This
      association was observed for both men and women. The mean UA level among
      participants reporting PD with treatment was 0.78 mg/dl lower than the mean UA
      level among those not reporting PD (P <or= 0.0001). These findings concur with
      several previous longitudinal studies that found an association between higher UA
      levels and decreased PD risk.

PMID- 20310032
TI  - Dysphagia in symptomatic palatal tremor.

PMID- 20310033
TI  - Task force report on scales to assess dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease: critique
      and recommendations.
AB  - Drug-induced dyskinesia is a common phenomenon in Parkinson's disease (PD) and is
      often socially as well as physically disabling for patients. The Movement
      Disorders Society commissioned a task force to assess available clinical rating
      scales, critique their clinimetric properties, and make recommendations regarding
      their clinical utility. A task force composed six clinical researchers who
      systematically searched the literature for scales measuring dyskinesia in PD,
      evaluated the scales' previous use, performance parameters, and quality of
      validation data (if available). A scale was designated "Recommended" if the scale
      has been used in clinical studies beyond the group that developed it, has been
      specifically used in PD reports, and if clinimetric studies have established that
      it is a valid, reliable, and sensitive. "Suggested" scales met two of the above
      criteria and those meeting one were "Listed." Based on the systematic review,
      eight rating scales for dyskinesia that have either been validated or used in PD
      were identified. These were the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS), The
      Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) part IV, the Obeso Dyskinesia
      Rating Scale, the Rush Dyskinesia Rating Scale, the Clinical Dyskinesia Rating
      Scale (CDRS), the Lang-Fahn Activities of Daily Living Dyskinesia Scale, the
      Parkinson Disease Dyskinesia Scale (PDYS-26), and the Unified Dyskinesia Rating
      Scale (UDysRS). Based on this review, at present two of the reviewed dyskinesia
      scales (AIMS and the Rush Dyskinesia Rating Scale) fulfill criteria for
      Recommended for use in PD populations, albeit weakly so; all of the remaining met
      criteria to be Suggested. However, the two most recent scales (PDYS-26 and
      UDysRS) have excellent clinimetric properties and appear to provide a reliable
      and valid assessment tool of dyskinesia in PD. If they are used successfully
      beyond the groups that developed them, both have the potential to be re-ranked as
      Recommended. As further testing of these scales in PD is warranted, no new scales
      are needed until the available scales are fully tested clinimetrically.

PMID- 20310034
TI  - Paradoxical kinesia in parkinsonian patients surviving earthquake.

PMID- 20310035
TI  - Paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia sans dyskinesia or paroxysmal kinesigenic
      dysesthesia?

PMID- 20310036
TI  - Cross-cultural evaluation of the modified Parkinson Psychosis Rating Scale across
      disease stages.
AB  - This study assessed the psychometric attributes of the modified Parkinson
      Psychosis Rating Scale (mPPRS). In an attempt to improve scale's scaling
      assumptions and content validity, all types of hallucinations were rated and all
      items were scored based on intensity. The scale was cross-culturally adapted to
      four Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, and Paraguay).
      Acceptability, internal consistency, factor structure, convergent and known
      groups validity, and precision (standard error of measurement, SEM) were
      explored. A total of 388 patients with PD were included in the study (age, 64.5
      +/- 10.7 years; 59.8% males; PD duration, 8.2 +/- 4.9 years). The mPPRS was
      highly usable in terms of missing values generated and scores distribution (total
      computable scores, 99.7%, ceiling effect, <15%). Scaling assumptions were
      acceptable as noted by the range of item-total correlations (0.14-0.55, only one
      coefficient below 0.2). Internal consistency was adequate for research use
      (Cronbach alpha, 0.7). Factor analysis identified two factors that accounted for
      58.5% of the variance. Low correlation coefficients were found with cognitive
      function (SCOPA-Cog) and disease severity (CISI-PD) (r(S) <or= 0.30), whereas
      correlation with psychosis were high (r(S) = 0.56). Known-groups validity
      analyses indicated a significant increase in mPPRS scores by Hoehn and Yahr stage
      (P < 0.001). The SEM value was 1.06. Overall, the results suggest that the mPPRS
      is a useful tool for evaluation of psychosis in PD. The results show that some
      psychometric properties of the mPPRS are satisfactory albeit there is room for
      the improvement of scale's content validity and internal consistency. (c) 2010
      Movement Disorder Society.

PMID- 20310037
TI  - Reversible hyperkinetic movement disorder associated with quetiapine withdrawal.

PMID- 20310038
TI  - The Montreal Cognitive Assessment: a screening tool for mild cognitive impairment
      in REM sleep behavior disorder.
AB  - Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a frequent feature in idiopathic REM sleep
      behavior disorder (RBD), a sleep disturbance that can be a preclinical stage of
      Parkinson's disease or Lewy body dementia. We evaluated the sensitivity and
      specificity of two brief screening tools, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment
      (MoCA) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), in detecting MCI in
      idiopathic RBD. Thirty-eight idiopathic RBD patients underwent a comprehensive
      neuropsychological assessment, including the MoCA and the MMSE. Receiver
      operating characteristic curves were created for the MoCA and the MMSE to assess
      their ability to identify MCI in idiopathic RBD patients, with neuropsychological
      assessment as the gold standard. For the MoCA, a normality cutoff of 26 yielded
      the best balance between sensitivity (76%) and specificity (85%) with a correct
      classification of 79%. For the MMSE, the optimal normality cutoff was 30, with a
      sensitivity of 84% and a specificity of 54% and a correct classification of 74%.
      The MoCA is superior to the MMSE in detecting MCI in idiopathic RBD patients,
      showing good sensitivity and very good specificity.

PMID- 20310039
TI  - Hydroxyapatite versus titanium implant: Comparison of the functional outcome
      after vocal fold medialization in unilateral recurrent nerve paralysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Results of medialization thyroplasty for treatment of unilateral
      vocal fold paralysis are often unsatisfactory. This study compares glottal
      closure and voice quality after use of 2 different medialization implant types:
      VoCoM and TVFMI. METHODS: In all, 26 patients with unilateral vocal fold
      paralysis following thoracic surgery underwent medialization thyroplasty. In 11
      patients (group I), a hydroxyapatite implant (VoCoM) was used. In 15 patients
      (group II), a titanium implant (TVFMI) was used. Preoperative and postoperative
      glottal closure and voice function were assessed with videostroboscopy,
      perceptual and objective voice measures, and the Voice Dysfunction Index (VDI).
      RESULTS: Group II showed a higher rate of complete glottal closure and greater
      improvement in perceived hoarseness, maximal phonation time, and maximal voice
      intensity than those in group I. CONCLUSIONS: With the individually adjustable
      titanium implant, better glottal closure and better functional outcome (phonation
      time and voice quality) were achieved.

PMID- 20310040
TI  - Pseudoaneurysm of the lingual artery after concurrent intra-arterial chemotherapy
      with radiotherapy for advanced tongue cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aneurysms of the external carotid artery and its branches are rare.
      METHODS: We present an extremely rare case of pseudoaneurysm of the lingual
      artery secondary to concurrent intra-arterial chemotherapy via the superficial
      temporal artery for advanced tongue cancer. RESULTS: The patient developed sudden
      and significant oral bleeding from the left tongue base 10 weeks after the
      completion of treatment. Angiography provided a diagnosis of pseudoaneurysm of
      the lingual artery, and subsequent endovascular intervention was an effective
      means of controlling bleeding. CONCLUSION: Rupture of a pseudoaneurysm causes
      massive, life-threatening bleeding, which requires adequate diagnosis and
      treatment. Pseudoaneurysm should be considered in cases showing sudden oral
      bleeding after intra-arterial chemotherapy for advanced head and neck cancer.

PMID- 20310041
TI  - Parathyroid carcinoma: a review.

PMID- 20310042
TI  - Successful treatment of advanced bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the
      mandible with adjunctive teriparatide therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The management of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws
      (BRONJ) is challenging and controversial. At present, there is no established
      medication treatment for the disease. METHODS: A 78-year-old osteoporotic woman
      with osteonecrosis of the mandible related to alendronate therapy was referred
      for treatment. The disease was unresponsive to conservative therapy, including
      antibacterial mouth rinse, antibiotics, and minor surgical debridement.
      Teriparatide, a human recombinant pararthyroid hormone peptide 1-34, was then
      used for treatment. RESULTS: The oral mucosa completely regrew, and pain subsided
      4 weeks after the initiation of teriparatide administration. Progressive bone
      regeneration was found during and after the 6-month period of teriparatide
      therapy. CONCLUSION: Our case demonstrated that teriparatide can be an important
      adjuvant in the management of advanced BRONJ and should be considered prior to
      major resection with reconstruction. Its true value in the treatment of BRONJ for
      noncancer patients with osteoporosis warrants future studies.

PMID- 20310043
TI  - Conditional relative survival in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: Permanent
      excess mortality risk for long-term survivors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dynamic predictions on head and neck cancer survival could offer,
      besides improved patient counseling, insight into long-term effects of tumor- and
      patient-based characteristics on survival. Theoretically, there could be a
      certain time period after diagnosis after which the patient returns to a
      population risk on survival. METHODS: In all, 7255 patients with a primary head
      and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) aged 25 to 90 years, diagnosed between
      January 1980 and January 2004 in The Netherlands, were included. Conditional 5
      year relative survival for every additional year survived was computed. RESULTS:
      The overall conditional relative prognosis reached a plateau after approximately
      4 years; a permanent 20% to 25% excess mortality for long-term HNSCC survivors
      remained. CONCLUSIONS: Conditional 5-year relative survival for patients with
      HNSCC remains poorer compared to age- and sex-matched counterparts in the general
      population, even when alive at 15 years after diagnosis. We assume that this is
      caused by an excess comorbidity in these patients, mainly due to smoking and
      alcohol abuse.

PMID- 20310044
TI  - Novel germline SDHD deletion associated with an unusual sympathetic head and neck
      paraganglioma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Paragangliomas (PGLs) are rare tumors arising either from sympathetic
      or parasympathetic-associated chromaffin tissue. PGLs can occur either
      sporadically or as part of a hereditary syndrome. Sympathetic head and neck PGLs
      are extremely rare tumors and only a few cases have been reported to date.
      METHODS: We report the pedigree of a patient with a head and neck PGL arising
      from the right sympathetic trunk. SDHD mutation analysis was performed using
      standard sequencing, multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification, chromosome
      11-specific comparative genome hybridization, and long-range/short-range
      polymerase chain reaction (PCR) approaches. RESULTS: A previously unreported
      chromosome 11q deletion encompassing 5 annotated genes (SDHD, DLAT, PIH1D2,
      C11Orf57, and TIMM8B) was detected in the proband. CONCLUSION: PGL families
      considered "mutation-negative" may be attributable to large gene deletions not
      detectable by standard sequencing methods. Therefore, deletion analysis should be
      offered to families or individuals at risk for hereditary PGLs.

PMID- 20310045
TI  - Tremulous arytenoid movements predict severity of glottic stenosis in multiple
      system atrophy.
AB  - To determine whether tremulous arytenoid movements predict the severity of
      glottic stenosis in patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA), 28 MSA patients
      and 14 age-matched controls underwent fiberoptic laryngoscopy with video
      monitoring during wakefulness and under anesthesia induced by intravenous
      injection of propofol. Presence or absence of tremulous arytenoid movements was
      recorded during wakefulness. The ratio of glottic stenosis (%), which represents
      the extent of airway narrowing under anesthesia, was obtained by measuring the
      inspiratory glottic angle during wakefulness and under anesthesia. The median
      ratio of glottic stenosis was significantly higher in patients with MSA (57.5%)
      than in control subjects (0.5%). Tremulous arytenoid movements were characterized
      by shaking movements of the arytenoid region including the vocal folds, which are
      most apparent in the arytenoid cartilage. In this study, tremulous arytenoid
      movements were observed in 18 (64.2%) of 28 patients with MSA, who displayed a
      significantly higher median ratio of glottic stenosis (71.2%) than other patients
      (34.9%). None of the control subjects exhibited tremulous arytenoid movements. A
      clear correlation existed between the ratio of glottic stenosis and disease
      duration. Our observations indicate that tremulous arytenoid movements are a
      marker of the severity of glottic stenosis, which confers an increased risk of
      upper airway obstruction in patients with MSA.

PMID- 20310046
TI  - Bladder symptoms assessed with overactive bladder questionnaire in Parkinson's
      disease.
AB  - In Parkinson's disease (PD) the urinary dysfunction manifests primarily with
      symptoms of overactive bladder (OAB). The OAB questionnaire (OAB-q) is a measure
      designed to assess the impact of OAB symptoms on health-related quality of life.
      In this study, we quantified the urinary symptoms in a large cohort of PD
      patients by using the OAB-q short form. Possible correlations between the OAB-q
      and clinical features were tested. Three hundred and two PD patients were
      enrolled in the study. Correlations between the OAB-q and sex, age, Unified
      Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale part III (UPDRS-III), Hoehn-Yahr (H-Y) staging,
      disease duration, and treatment were analyzed. Data were compared with a large
      cohort of 303 age-matched healthy subjects. The OAB-q yielded significantly
      higher scores in PD patients than in healthy subjects. In the group of PD
      patients, all the variables tested were similar between men and women. Pearson's
      coefficient showed a significant correlation between mean age, disease duration,
      mean OAB-q scores, UPDRS-III scores, and H-Y staging. A multiple linear
      regression analysis showed that OAB-q values were significantly influenced by age
      and UPDRS-III. No statistical correlations were found between OAB-q scores and
      drug therapy or the equivalent levodopa dose, whilst the items relating to the
      nocturia symptoms were significantly associated with the equivalent levodopa
      dose. Our findings suggest that bladder dysfunction assessed by OAB-q mainly
      correlates with UPDRS-III scores for severity of motor impairment, possibly
      reflecting the known role of the decline in nigrostriatal dopaminergic function
      in bladder dysfunction associated with PD and patients' age. Our study also
      suggests that the OAB-q is a simple, easily administered test that can
      objectively evaluate bladder function in patients with PD.

PMID- 20310047
TI  - Reduced facial nerve hyperexcitability from contralateral cerebral stroke in
      hemifacial spasm.

PMID- 20310048
TI  - Painful leg moving toes treated with botulinum toxin type A: a video report.

PMID- 20310049
TI  - Phase 1 study of INNO-406, a dual Abl/Lyn kinase inhibitor, in Philadelphia
      chromosome-positive leukemias after imatinib resistance or intolerance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: : INNO-406, a dual v-abl Abelson murine leukemia viral oncogene
      homolog (Abl)/v-yes-1 Yamaguchi sarcoma viral-related oncogene homolog (Lyn)
      tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), has demonstrated specific Lyn kinase inhibitory
      activity with no or limited activity against other sarcoma (Src) family member
      kinases. Several breakpoint cluster region (Bcr)-Abl kinase domain mutations are
      sensitive to INNO-406 in vitro, including mutations that involve a phenylalanine
      to-leucine or phenylalanine-to-valine substitution at codon 317 (F317L and F317V,
      respectively). In the current study, the authors evaluated the use of INNO-406 in
      patients with Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia
      (CML) or acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) after imatinib resistance or
      intolerance. METHODS: : A dose-escalation study was conducted at a starting dose
      of oral INNO-406 30 mg once daily. Cohorts of at least 3 patients were treated at
      each dose level until the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) was reached. Twice-daily
      dosing also was evaluated. Therapy was allowed to continue for a maximum of 24
      months. RESULTS: : INNO-406 was administered to 56 patients with imatinib
      resistance (n = 40) or intolerance (n = 16). Other previous treatments included
      nilotinib (n = 20 patients), dasatinib (n = 26 patients), and dasatinib/nilotinib
      (n = 9 patients). Common mutations at the time of study entry included a tyrosine
      to-histidine substitution at codon 253 (Y253H) (n = 6 patients), a glycine-to
      glutamic acid substitution at codon 250 (G250E) (n = 4 patients), a threonine-to
      isoleucine substitution at codon 315 (T315I) (n = 4 patients), and F317L (n = 3
      patients). Of 31 patients with CML in chronic phase who received INNO-406, the
      major cytogenetic response rate was 19%. No responses were observed in patients
      who had CML in accelerated phase, CML in blastic phase, or Ph-positive ALL. The
      dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) at an INNO-406 dose of 480 mg twice daily were
      liver function abnormalities and thrombocytopenia. CONCLUSIONS: : INNO-406 had
      anti-CML efficacy in a heavily pretreated study population. On the basis of the
      classic determinations of both DLT and MTD, the recommended phase 2 dose of oral
      INNO-406 was 240 mg twice daily. Lower doses of INNO-406 may be equally effective
      and should be explored.

PMID- 20310050
TI  - Depression and the subsequent risk of Parkinson's disease in the NIH-AARP Diet
      and Health Study.
AB  - We conducted a case-control study to examine the association between depression
      and Parkinson's disease (PD). Participants included 992 PD cases diagnosed after
      2,000 and 279,958 individuals without PD from the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study
      follow-up survey. Physician-diagnosed depression and PD were self-reported with
      information on the year of diagnosis in the following categories: before 1985,
      1985-1994, 1995-1999, and 2000-present. Only PD cases diagnosed after 2000 were
      included in the analysis. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs)
      were derived from logistic regression models, adjusted for age, gender,
      educational level, marital status, smoking, and coffee drinking. Individuals with
      depression diagnosed after 2000 were more likely to report a concurrent diagnosis
      of PD than those without depression (OR = 4.7, 95% CI = 3.9, 5.7). Depression
      diagnosed before 2000 was also associated with higher odds of PD diagnosed after
      2000 (OR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.6, 2.4). This association was stronger for depression
      diagnosed in 1995-1999 (OR = 2.7, 95% CI = 2.0, 3.6), but was also noted for
      depression diagnosed in 1985-1994 (OR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.1, 2.3) or even before
      1985 (OR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.3, 2.3). This association was not modified by other
      factors and persisted in an analysis excluding participants who reported poor
      health status. The results suggest that depression may either be a very early
      symptom of PD or share common etiological factors with PD.

PMID- 20310051
TI  - Patterns of care for early stage bladder cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Early stage bladder cancer is a heterogeneous disease with a variable
      risk of progression and mortality. Uncertainty surrounding the optimal care for
      these patients may result in a mismatch between disease risk and treatment
      intensity. METHODS: Using Surveillance, Epidemiology, End Results-Medicare data,
      we identified patients diagnosed with early stage bladder cancer (n = 24,980)
      between 1993 and 2002. We measured patients' treatment intensity by totaling all
      Medicare payments made for bladder cancer in the 2 years after diagnosis. Using
      multiple logistic regression, we assessed relationships between clinical
      characteristics and treatment intensity. Finally, we determined the extent to
      which a patient's disease risk matched with their treatment intensity. RESULTS:
      The average per capita expenditures increased from $6,936 to $7,642 over the
      study period (10.2% increase; P < .01). This increase was driven by greater use
      of intravesical therapy (2.6 vs 3.7 instillations per capita, P < .01) and
      physician office visits (3.0 vs 4.8 visits per capita, P < .01). Generally,
      treatment intensity was appropriately aligned with many clinical characteristics,
      including age, comorbidity, tumor stage, and grade. However, treatment intensity
      matched disease risk for only 55% and 49% of the lowest and highest risk
      patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The initial treatment intensity of early
      stage bladder cancer is increasing, primarily through greater use of intravesical
      therapy and office visits. Treatment intensity matches disease risk for many, but
      up to 1 in 5 patients may receive too much or too little care, suggesting
      opportunities for improvement.

PMID- 20310052
TI  - Mental rotation of body parts and sensory temporal discrimination in fixed
      dystonia.
AB  - Fixed dystonia is an uncommon but severely disabling condition typically
      affecting young women following a minor peripheral injury. There is no evidence
      of any structural lesions of the central nervous system nor any clear peripheral
      nerve or root damage. Electrophysiological techniques such as short intracortical
      inhibition, cortical silent period and a plasticity inducing protocol have
      revealed similarities but also differences compared to classical mobile dystonia.
      To further explore the pathophysiology of fixed dystonia we compared mental
      rotation of body parts and sensory temporal discrimination in 11 patients with
      fixed dystonia, 11 patients with classical mobile dystonia and 10 healthy
      controls. In the mental rotation task subjects were presented with realistic
      photos of left or right hands, feet and the head of a young women with a black
      patch covering the left or the right eye in six different orientations. Subjects
      had to verbally report the laterality of the presented stimuli. To assess sensory
      temporal discrimination subjects were asked to discriminate whether pairs of
      visual, tactile (electrical), or visuo-tactile stimuli were simultaneous or
      sequential (temporal discrimination threshold) and in the latter case which
      stimulus preceded the other (temporal order judgement). In accordance with
      previous studies patients with mobile dystonia were abnormal in mental rotation
      and temporal discrimination, whereas patients with fixed dystonia were only
      impaired in mental rotation. Possible explanations for this deficit may include
      the influence of the abnormal body posture itself, a shared predisposing
      pathophysiology for mobile and fixed dystonia, or a body image disturbance. These
      findings add information to the developing pathophysiological picture of fixed
      dystonia.

PMID- 20310053
TI  - Association between cognition and function in patients with Parkinson disease
      with and without dementia.
AB  - Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) often have cognitive deficits from the
      time of diagnosis. Except in patients with dementia, the impact of cognitive
      symptoms on daily function is not well documented. This study had two objectives:
      (1) to determine the functional significance of cognitive deficits in nondemented
      patients with PD and (2) to assess the sensitivity of two measures of global
      cognitive abilities to identify individuals with impaired ADL function. One
      hundred eleven subjects with PD and a range of cognitive abilities were included.
      Of these, 20 were diagnosed with PDD. All subjects were assessed with the Mattis
      Dementia Rating Scale to two (DRS-2) and the Mini-Mental State Examination
      (MMSE). ADL function was reported by an informant using the Alzheimer's Disease
      Cooperative Study Activities of Daily Living Inventory (ADCS-ADL). The ability of
      the DRS-2 and MMSE to capture the impact of cognitive impairment on ADL function
      was assessed in the entire cohort and in subsets of nondemented individuals.
      After adjustment for covariates, cognition as measured by the DRS-2 was strongly
      related to ADL function in the entire cohort (partial correlation coefficient =
      0.55, P < 0.001). The association remained strong when only nondemented subjects
      were included (r = 0.42, P < 0.001). The DRS-2 was significantly more accurate
      than the MMSE, particularly for detecting milder degrees of ADL impairment (ROC
      area = 0.87 vs. 0.75, P = 0.0008). Cognition is associated with impairment in ADL
      function, even in nondemented patients with PD. However, sensitive cognitive
      assessment measures may be needed to identify these functionally relevant
      impairments.

PMID- 20310054
TI  - Dementia with Lewy bodies associated with ataxia, myoclonus, and cortical
      blindness.

PMID- 20310055
TI  - Prostate cancer-specific mortality and the extent of therapy in healthy elderly
      men with high-risk prostate cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The risk of prostate cancer-specific mortality (PCSM) in healthy
      elderly men may depend on extent of treatment. The authors of this report
      compared the use of brachytherapy alone with combined brachytherapy, external
      beam radiation to the prostate and seminal vesicles, and androgen-suppression
      therapy (CMT) in this population. METHODS: The study cohort comprised 764 men
      aged > or = 65 years with high-risk prostate cancer (T3 or T4N0M0, prostate
      specific antigen >20 ng/mL, and/or Gleason score 8-10) who received either
      brachytherapy alone (n = 206) or CMT (n = 558) at the Chicago Prostate Cancer
      Center or at a 21st Century Oncology facility. Men either had no history of
      myocardial infarction (MI) or had a history of MI treated with a stent or
      surgical intervention. Fine and Gray regression analysis was used to identify the
      factors associated with PCSM. RESULTS: The median patient age was 73 years
      (interquartile range, 70-77 years). After a median follow-up of 4.9 years, 25 men
      died of prostate cancer. After adjusting for age and prostate cancer prognostic
      factors, the risk of PCSM was significantly less (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.29;
      95% confidence interval, 0.12-0.68; P = .004) for men who received CMT than for
      men who received brachytherapy alone. Other factors that were associated
      significantly with an increased risk of PCSM included a Gleason score of 8 to 10
      (P = .017). CONCLUSIONS: Elderly men who had high-risk prostate cancer without
      cardiovascular disease or with surgically corrected cardiovascular disease had a
      lower risk of PCSM when they received CMT than when they received brachytherapy
      alone. These results support aggressive locoregional treatment in healthy elderly
      men with high-risk prostate cancer.

PMID- 20310057
TI  - Analysis of sesterterpenoids from Aspergillus terreus using ESI-QTOF and ESI-IT.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Biosynthesis of terretonin was studied due to the interesting
      skeleton of this series of sesterterpenoids. Very recently, Lopez-Gresa reported
      two new sesterterpenoids (terretonins E and F) which are inhibitors of the
      mammalian mitochondrial respiratory chain. Mass spectrometry (MS), especially
      tandem mass spectrometry, has been one of the most important physicochemical
      methods for the identification of trace natural products due to it rapidity,
      sensitivity and low levels of sample consumption. The potential application
      prospect and unique skeleton prompted us to study structural characterisation
      using MS. OBJECTIVE: To obtain sufficient information for rapid structural
      elucidation of this class of compounds using MS. METHODOLOGY: The elemental
      composition of the product ions was confirmed by low-energy ESI-CID-QTOF-MS/MS
      analyses. The fragmentation pathways were postulated on the basis of ESI-QTOF
      MS/MS/MS and ESI-IT-MS(n) spectra. Common features and major differences between
      ESI-QTOF-MS/MS and IT-MS(n) spectra were compared. For ESI-QTOF-MS/MS/MS
      experiments, capillary exit voltage was raised to induce in-source dissociation.
      Ammonium acetate or acetic acid were added into solutions to improve the
      intensity of [M + H]+. The collision energy was optimised to achieve sufficient
      fragmentation. Some fragmentation pathways were unambiguously proposed by the
      variety of abundance of fragment ions at different collision energies even
      without MS(n) spectra. RESULTS: Fragmentation pathways of five representative
      sesterterpenoids were elucidated using ESI-QTOF-MS/MS/MS and ESI-IT-MS(n) in both
      positive- and negative-ion mode. The key group of characterising fragmentation
      profiles was ring B, and these fragmentation patterns are helpful to identify
      different types of sestertepenoids. CONCLUSION: Complementary information
      obtained from fragmentation experiments of [M + H]+ (or [M + NH4]+ and [M-H](-)
      precursor ions is especially valuable for rapid identification of this kind of
      sesterterpenoid.

PMID- 20310056
TI  - Cervical cancer prevention: new tools and old barriers.
AB  - Cervical cancer is the second most common female tumor worldwide, and its
      incidence is disproportionately high (>80%) in the developing world. In the
      United States, in which Papanicolaou (Pap) tests have reduced the annual
      incidence to approximately 11,000 cervical cancers, >60% of cases are reported to
      occur in medically underserved populations as part of a complex of diseases
      linked to poverty, race/ethnicity, and/or health disparities. Because
      carcinogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) infections cause virtually all cervical
      cancer, 2 new approaches for cervical cancer prevention have emerged: 1) HPV
      vaccination to prevent infections in younger women (aged < or =18 years) and 2)
      carcinogenic HPV detection in older women (aged > or =30 years). Together, HPV
      vaccination and testing, if used in an age-appropriate manner, have the potential
      to transform cervical cancer prevention, particularly among underserved
      populations. Nevertheless, significant barriers of access, acceptability, and
      adoption to any cervical cancer prevention strategy remain. Without understanding
      and addressing these obstacles, these promising new tools for cervical cancer
      prevention may be futile. In the current study, the delivery of cervical cancer
      prevention strategies to these US populations that experience a high cervical
      cancer burden (African-American women in South Carolina, Alabama, and
      Mississippi; Haitian immigrant women in Miami; Hispanic women in the US-Mexico
      Border; Sioux/Native American women in the Northern Plains; white women in the
      Appalachia; and Vietnamese-American women in Pennsylvania and New Jersey) is
      reviewed. The goal was to inform future research and outreach efforts to reduce
      the burden of cervical cancer in underserved populations.

PMID- 20310058
TI  - A new species of Pseudoloris (Omomyidae, Primates) from the middle Eocene of Sant
      Jaume de Frontanya (Eastern Pyrenees, Spain).
AB  - In this article we describe a new species of Pseudoloris (Omomyidae, Primates)
      from the Robiacian (middle Eocene) locality of Sant Jaume de Frontanya (Eastern
      Pyrenees, Spain). Pseudoloris pyrenaicus is characterized by its medium size,
      thickened paracristid, absence of a distinct paraconid, and well-developed buccal
      cingulid in the lower molars, large hypoconulid in the M(3), paraconule and
      hypocone reduced in the M(1) and M(2) and absent in the M(3). The material from
      Sant Jaume de Frontanya constitutes the most abundant sample of the genus
      Pseudoloris found until now in the Iberian Peninsula. Almost all the dental
      elements have been recovered, including those teeth hardly known for other
      species of the genus, such as lower and upper incisors. The new species shows
      intermediate features between Pseudoloris isabenae from Capella and Pseudoloris
      parvulus, present in different Spanish and French sites. Therefore, we consider
      that Pseudoloris pyrenaicus is an intermediate form between these two species.

PMID- 20310059
TI  - Waddling and toddling: the biomechanical effects of an immature gait.
AB  - Femoral shape changes during the course of human growth, transitioning from a
      subcircular tube to a teardrop-shaped diaphysis with a posterior pilaster.
      Differences between immature and mature bipedalism and body shape may generate
      different loads, which, in turn, may influence femoral modeling and remodeling
      during the course of the human lifespan. This study uses two different approaches
      to evaluate the hypotheses that differences in gait between young and mature
      walkers result in differences in ground reaction forces (GRFs) and that the
      differences in loading regimes between young children and adults will be
      reflected in the geometric structure of the midshaft femur. The results of this
      analysis indicate that GRFs differ between young walkers and adults in that
      normalized mediolateral (ML) forces are significantly higher in younger age
      groups. In addition, these differences between children and adults in the
      relative level of ML bending force are reflected in changes in femoral geometry
      during growth. During the earlier stages of human development, immature femoral
      diaphyses are heavily reinforced in approximately ML plane. The differences in
      gait between mature and immature walkers, and hence the differences in femoral
      shape, are likely partially a product of a minimal bicondylar angle and
      relatively broad body in young children.

PMID- 20310060
TI  - Tolerant food sharing and reciprocity is precluded by despotism among bonobos but
      not chimpanzees.
AB  - Tolerant food sharing among human foragers can largely be explained by
      reciprocity. In contrast, food sharing among chimpanzees and bonobos may not
      always reflect reciprocity, which could be explained by different dominance
      styles: in egalitarian societies reciprocity is expressed freely, while in more
      despotic groups dominants may hinder reciprocity. We tested the degree of
      reciprocity and the influence of dominance on food sharing among chimpanzees and
      bonobos in two captive groups. First, we found that chimpanzees shared more
      frequently, more tolerantly, and more actively than bonobos. Second, among
      chimpanzees, food received was the best predictor of food shared, indicating
      reciprocal exchange, whereas among bonobos transfers were mostly unidirectional.
      Third, chimpanzees had a shallower and less linear dominance hierarchy,
      indicating that they were less despotic than bonobos. This suggests that the
      tolerant and reciprocal sharing found in chimpanzees, but not bonobos, was made
      possible by the absence of despotism. To investigate this further, we tested the
      relationship between despotism and reciprocity in grooming using data from an
      additional five groups and five different study periods on the main groups. The
      results showed that i) all chimpanzee groups were less despotic and groomed more
      reciprocally than bonobo groups, and ii) there was a general negative correlation
      between despotism and grooming reciprocity across species. This indicates that an
      egalitarian hierarchy may be more common in chimpanzees, at least in captivity,
      thus fostering reciprocal exchange. We conclude that a shallow dominance
      hierarchy was a necessary precondition for the evolution of human-like reciprocal
      food sharing.

PMID- 20310062
TI  - Prezygapophyseal articular facet shape in the catarrhine thoracolumbar vertebral
      column.
AB  - Two contrasting patterns of lumbar vertebral morphology generally characterize
      anthropoids. "Long-backed" monkeys are distinguished from "short-backed" apes
      [Benton: The baboon in medical research, Vol. 2 (1967:201)] with respect to
      several vertebral features thought to afford greater spinal flexibility in the
      former and spinal rigidity in the latter. Yet, discussions of spinal mobility are
      lacking important functional insight that can be gained by analysis of the
      zygapophyses, the spine's synovial joints responsible for allowing and resisting
      intervertebral movements. Here, prezygapophyseal articular facet (PAF) shape in
      the thoracolumbar spine of Papio, Hylobates, Pongo, Gorilla, and Pan is evaluated
      in the context of the "long-backed" versus "short-backed" model. A three
      dimensional geometric morphometric approach is used to examine how PAF shape
      changes along the thoracolumbar vertebral column of each taxon and how PAF shape
      varies across taxa at corresponding vertebral levels. The thoracolumbar
      transition in PAF shape differs between Papio and the hominoids, between
      Hylobates and the great apes, and to a lesser extent, among great apes. At the
      level of the first lumbar vertebra, the PAF shape of Papio is distinguished from
      that of hominoids. At the level of the second lumbar vertebra, there is variation
      to some extent among all taxa. These findings suggest that morphological and
      functional distinctions in primate vertebral anatomy may be more complex than
      suggested by a "long-backed" versus "short-backed" dichotomy.

PMID- 20310061
TI  - Functional significance of genetic variation underlying limb bone diaphyseal
      structure.
AB  - Limb bone diaphyseal structure is frequently used to infer hominin activity
      levels from skeletal remains, an approach based on the well-documented ability of
      bone to adjust to its loading environment during life. However, diaphyseal
      structure is also determined in part by genetic factors. This study investigates
      the possibility that genetic variation underlying diaphyseal structure is
      influenced by the activity levels of ancestral populations and might also have
      functional significance in an evolutionary context. We adopted an experimental
      evolution approach and tested for differences in femoral diaphyseal structure in
      1-week-old mice from a line that had been artificially selected (45 generations)
      for high voluntary wheel running and non-selected controls. As adults, selected
      mice are significantly more active on wheels and in home cages, and have thicker
      diaphyses. Structural differences at 1 week can be assumed to primarily reflect
      the effects of selective breeding rather than direct mechanical stimuli, given
      that the onset of locomotion in mice is shortly after Day 7. We hypothesized that
      if genetically determined diaphyseal structure reflects the activity patterns of
      members of a lineage, then selected animals will have relatively larger
      diaphyseal dimensions at 1 week compared to controls. The results provide strong
      support for this hypothesis and suggest that limb bone cross sections may not
      always only reflect the activity levels of particular fossil individuals, but
      also convey an evolutionary signal providing information about hominin activity
      in the past.

PMID- 20310063
TI  - Testosterone, physical activity, and somatic outcomes among Filipino males.
AB  - Testosterone (T) facilitates male investment in reproduction in part through its
      anabolic effects on skeletal muscle. Traits like muscle and strength are
      energetically costly but are believed to enhance competitive ability in humans
      and other mammals. However, there are limited data on relationships between T and
      somatic outcomes in lean, non-western populations. We evaluate relationships
      between waking and pre-bed salivary T and adiposity, fat-free mass (FFM), arm
      muscle area (AMA), and grip strength (GS) in a large, population-based birth
      cohort of young adult Filipino males (20.8-22.6 years, n = 872). Data were
      collected as part of the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey. Neither
      waking nor evening T predicted FFM, AMA, or GS. However, there were borderline or
      significant interactions between T and basketball playing (the most common team
      sport) and weight lifting as predictors of outcomes: higher waking T predicted
      higher FFM (activity x T interaction P < 0.01), AMA (interaction P < 0.1), and GS
      (interaction P < 0.02) among frequent basketball players, and GS (interaction P <
      0.09) among the smaller sample of weight lifters. In contrast to clinical
      studies, but consistent with findings in several subsistence-level populations, T
      was positively related to adiposity in these lean young males, suggesting that
      energy status might regulate circulating T. Our findings support a role of the
      prewaking rise in T as a determinant of energetic allocation to lean mass and
      strength in the context of repeated muscular use and support the hypothesized
      role of T as a mediator of investment in costly somatic traits in human males.

PMID- 20310064
TI  - Brief communication: The London atlas of human tooth development and eruption.
AB  - The aim of this study was to develop a comprehensive evidence-based atlas to
      estimate age using both tooth development and alveolar eruption for human
      individuals between 28 weeks in utero and 23 years. This was a cross-sectional,
      retrospective study of archived material with the sample aged 2 years and older
      having a uniform age and sex distribution. Developing teeth from 72 prenatal and
      104 postnatal skeletal remains of known age-at-death were examined from
      collections held at the Royal College of Surgeons of England and the Natural
      History Museum, London, UK (M 91, F 72, unknown sex 13). Data were also collected
      from dental radiographs of living individuals (M 264, F 264). Median stage for
      tooth development and eruption for all age categories was used to construct the
      atlas. Tooth development was determined according to Moorrees et al. (J Dent Res
      42 (1963a) 490-502; Am J Phys Anthropol 21 (1963b) 205-213) and eruption was
      assessed relative to the alveolar bone level. Intraexaminer reproducibility
      calculated using Kappa on 150 teeth was 0.90 for 15 skeletal remains of age <2
      years, and 0.81 from 605 teeth (50 radiographs). Age categories were monthly in
      the last trimester, 2 weeks perinatally, 3-month intervals during the first year,
      and at every year thereafter. Results show that tooth formation is least variable
      in infancy and most variable after the age of 16 years for the development of the
      third molar.

PMID- 20310065
TI  - Steric and thermodynamic limits of design for the incorporation of large
      unnatural amino acids in aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase enzymes.
AB  - Orthogonal aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase/tRNA pairs from archaea have been evolved to
      facilitate site specific in vivo incorporation of unnatural amino acids into
      proteins in Escherichia coli. Using this approach, unnatural amino acids have
      been successfully incorporated with high translational efficiency and fidelity.
      In this study, CHARMM-based molecular docking and free energy calculations were
      used to evaluate rational design of specific protein-ligand interactions for
      aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. A series of novel unnatural amino acid ligands were
      docked into the p-benzoyl-L-phenylalanine tRNA synthetase, which revealed that
      the binding pocket of the enzyme does not provide sufficient space for
      significantly larger ligands. Specific binding site residues were mutated to
      alanine to create additional space to accommodate larger target ligands, and then
      mutations were introduced to improve binding free energy. This approach was used
      to redesign binding sites for several different target ligands, which were then
      tested against the standard 20 amino acids to verify target specificity. Only the
      synthetase designed to bind Man-alpha-O-Tyr was predicted to be sufficiently
      selective for the target ligand and also thermodynamically stable. Our study
      suggests that extensive redesign of the tRNA synthatase binding pocket for large
      bulky ligands may be quite thermodynamically unfavorable.

PMID- 20310067
TI  - Solution structure of the N-terminal domain of Bacillus subtilis delta subunit of
      RNA polymerase and its classification based on structural homologs.

PMID- 20310066
TI  - Structures of the autoproteolytic domain from the Saccharomyces cerevisiae
      nuclear pore complex component, Nup145.

PMID- 20310068
TI  - Crystal structures of holo and Cu-deficient Cu/Zn-SOD from the silkworm Bombyx
      mori and the implications in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

PMID- 20310069
TI  - An ancient anion-binding structural module in RNA and DNA helicases.
AB  - RNA and DNA helicases manipulate or translocate along single strands of nucleic
      acids by grasping them using a conserved structural motif. We have examined the
      available crystal structures of helicases of the two principal superfamilies, SF1
      and SF2, and observed that the most conserved interactions with the nucleic acid
      occur between the phosphosugar backbone of a trinucleotide and the three strand
      helix loops within a (beta-strand/alpha-helix)(3) structural module. At the first
      and third loops is a conserved hydrogen-bonded feature called a thr-motif, often
      seen at alpha-helical N-termini, with the threonine as the N-cap residue. These
      loops can be aligned with few insertions or deletions, and their main chain atoms
      are structurally congruent amongst the family members and between the two modules
      found as tandem pairs in all SF1 and SF2 proteins. The other highly conserved
      interactions with nucleic acid involve main chain NH groups, often at the helical
      N-termini, interacting with phosphate groups. We comment on how the sequence
      motifs that are commonly used to identify helicases map to locations on the
      module and discuss the implications of the conserved orientation of nucleic acid
      on the surface of the module for directional stepping along DNA or RNA.

PMID- 20310070
TI  - Physiotherapists' participation in peer review in New Zealand: implications for
      the profession.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Peer review is increasingly used for professional
      development and to monitor physiotherapists' competence to practice. This study
      set out to describe the experience of participating in peer review. METHOD:
      Qualitative descriptive methods were employed to elicit and analyze interview
      data from physiotherapists with experience as reviewers and having their practice
      reviewed. RESULTS: Reviewers managed the process to provide an appropriate level
      of challenge to junior and senior therapists, and to avoid disrupting
      professional relationships. Those being reviewed reduced anxiety about the
      process and risk of negative feedback by putting their best practice on show, and
      where they could, by carefully choosing the reviewer and patient interaction to
      be reviewed. CONCLUSION: When peer review has competing purposes it is neither an
      effective professional development tool nor an accurate measure of competence.
      Power and interpersonal relationships need to be acknowledged if peer review is
      used to assess practitioner competence.

PMID- 20310071
TI  - Physiotherapy-provided operant conditioning in the management of low back pain
      disability: A systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:  Non-specific low back pain (LBP) is a leading cause of
      disability in developed countries. Behavioural interventions have been found
      efficacious in reducing disability in LBP. Operant conditioning is one type of
      behavioural intervention being employed by physiotherapists; however, the
      effectiveness of physiotherapist-provided operant conditioning (POC) in the
      management of LBP disability is unknown. This review aims to answer the question:
      is POC more effective than comparison interventions in reducing LBP disability? 
      METHOD:  A systematic review of randomized controlled trials was conducted using
      a qualitative analysis of effect. Participants were adults >=18 years with non
      specific LBP. The intervention was defined as a time contingent, graduated
      increase in activity including goal setting and the education and reinforcement
      of positive pain behaviours with the aim of decreasing disability. The primary
      outcome measure was back pain specific disability. Secondary outcomes included
      generic functional status, pain intensity, sick leave, fear avoidance beliefs or
      behaviour and adverse effects.  RESULTS:  Fifteen trials involving 3737 people
      were included. Eight studies reported a clinically significant difference. The
      POC intervention was not found to be inferior to any of the comparison
      interventions in reducing disability. Moderate evidence was found that POC is
      more effective than other behavioural interventions in reducing long term
      disability in chronic LBP. Moderate evidence showed POC may be more effective
      than other treatments in reducing post-treatment fear avoidance beliefs in a sub
      acute population but less effective in reducing short term fear avoidance beliefs
      in a population with mixed LBP. Moderate evidence showed POC is more effective
      than a placebo intervention in reducing short term pain in sub-acute LBP. 
      CONCLUSION:  POC may be considered efficacious in the treatment of LBP.
      Physiotherapists may also consider POC for its additional effect of reducing long
      term disability in chronic LBP.

PMID- 20310072
TI  - A validated liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry
      method for quantification of spilanthol in Spilanthes acmella (L.) Murr.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The medicinal plant Spilanthes acmella (L.) Murr. has demonstrated
      an array of biological activities that are generally attributed to the presence
      of spilanthol and other alkylamides. Recently this plant has been of interest due
      to its potential for the treatment and prevention of malaria. OBJECTIVE: The aim
      of this study was to develop a liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation-mass
      spectrometry (HPLC-esiMS) method for rapid identification and quantification of
      the alkylamide spilanthol from S. acmella. METHODOLOGY: Hydroethanolic extracts
      were prepared from fresh S. acmella using different percentages of ethanol and
      were stored at -80, -20 and 25 degrees C. Spilanthol was isolated and used as a
      standard for quantitative analysis. RESULTS: Validation parameters for the HPLC
      esiMS analysis of spilanthol were as follows: repeatability, <= 6%; intermediate
      precision, <= 2%; range, 0.45-450 um; limit of detection, 0.27 um; and limit of
      quantification, 0.45 um. Eight alkylamides in the S. acmella extract were
      identified based on MS-MS fragmentation patterns, and NMR analysis confirmed the
      identity of the most abundant of these as spilanthol. Spilanthol was extracted
      most efficiently in solvents containing >75% ethanol, and was stable in ethanolic
      extracts stored at all three temperatures. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate
      the effectiveness of HPLC-esiMS for quantitative and qualitative analysis of
      spilanthol. We show that spilanthol is effectively extracted in ethanol, and is
      stable in ethanol extracts for over 6 months, even at room temperature.

PMID- 20310073
TI  - Comparative quantitative analysis of artemisinin by chromatography and qNMR.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Since the discovery of artemisinin in the 1970s, many techniques
      based on diverse chromatography techniques have been developed to detect and
      quantify this important antiplasmodial compound. The accurate quantification of
      this compound in the Artemisia annua plant material is mainly needed for breeding
      purposes in order to cultivate higher yielding varieties. It is also important
      for the quality control of herbal preparations containing A. annua plant
      material. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the most common validated quantification
      techniques (LC-MS, HPLC-ELSD and TLC) and compare the results to quantitative
      nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (qNMR) in eight different A. annua
      samples collected from around the world. METHODOLOGY: The leaf material were
      extracted according to standard procedures and analysed with the validated
      quantification techniques. For the qNMR analysis we did not employ a standard
      curve but instead used an internal standard (maleid acid) which is not chemically
      related to artemisinin. RESULTS: We found a significant difference between the
      results in this study. Compared with the qNMR results the HPLC-ELSD corresponded
      closely, followed by LC-MS. Quantitation with TLC led to an estimation range of 
      0.5 to +3.2 mg artemisinin/g of A. annua. CONCLUSION: These results imply that
      qNMR, with the addition of an internal standard, can be used to quantify
      artemisinin in A. annua samples in a rapid and reproducible manner.

PMID- 20310074
TI  - Rapid method for simultaneous determination of 20 components in Isodon nervosa by
      high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation tandem mass
      spectrometry.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Isodon nervosa is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine
      including diterpenoids, phenolic acids, triterpenoids and volatile oil.
      Qualitative and quantitative analysis of multi-components is important for its
      quality control. OBJECTIVE: To establish a liquid chromatography-electrospray
      ionisation-mass spectrometry method for simultaneous analysis of 20 bioactive
      constituents of Isodon nervosa in different places of China and different parts
      of this herb. METHODOLOGY: The optimal chromatographic conditions were achieved
      on a C(18) column (250 * 4.6 mm, 5 um) with with linear gradient elution with
      0.1% aqueous formic acid : methanol containing 0.1% formic acid at a flow-rate of
      0.7 mL/min in 15 min. The identification and quantification of those analytes
      were achieved on a hybrid quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometer. Multiple
      reaction monitoring scanning was employed for quantification with switching
      electrospray ion source polarity between positive and negative modes in a single
      run. Full validation of the method was carried out (linearity, precision,
      accuracy, limit of detection and limit of quantification). RESULTS: The results
      indicated that the method was simple, rapid, specific and reliable. The proposed
      method was successfully applied for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of
      20 chemical compositions in Isodon nervosa samples. CONCLUSION: Twenty chemical
      compositions in 21 batches of wild and cultivated Isodon nervosa samples from
      different sources had great variation in the contents.

PMID- 20310075
TI  - Development and validation of a micellar electrokinetic chromatography method for
      quantitative determination of butenolides in Piper malacophyllum (C. Presl) C.
      DC.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A large number of natural and synthetic compounds having
      butenolides as a core unit have been described and many of them display a wide
      range of biological activities. Butenolides from P. malacophyllum have presented
      potential antifungal activities but no specific, fast, and precise method has
      been developed for their determination. OBJECTIVE: To develop a methodology based
      on micellar electrokinetic chromatography to determine butenolides in Piper
      species. METHODOLOGY: The extracts were analysed in an uncoated fused-silica
      capillaries and for the micellar system 20 mmol/L SDS, 20% (v/v) acetonitrile
      (ACN) and 10 mmol/L STB aqueous buffer at pH 9.2 were used. The method was
      validated for precision, linearity, limit of detection (LOD) and limit of
      quantitation (LOQ) and the standard deviations were determined from the standard
      errors estimated by the regression line. RESULTS: A micellar electrokinetic
      chromatography (MEKC) method for determination of butenolides in extracts gave
      full resolution for 1 and 2. The analytical curve in the range 10.0-50.0 ug/mL
      (r(2) = 0.999) provided LOD and LOQ for 1 and 2 of 2.1/6.3 and 1.1/3.5 ug/mL,
      respectively. The RSD for migration times were 0.12 and 1.0% for peak area ratios
      with 100.0 +/- 1.4% of recovery. CONCLUSIONS: A novel high-performance MEKC
      method developed for the analysis of butenolides 1 and 2 in leaf extracts of P.
      malacophyllum allowed their quantitative determined within an analysis time
      shorter than 5 min and the results indicated CE to be a feasible analytical
      technique for the quantitative determination of butenolides in Piper extracts.

PMID- 20310076
TI  - Preparative separation of chlorogenic acid by centrifugal partition
      chromatography from highbush blueberry leaves (Vaccinium corymbosum L.).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Blueberries (genus Vaccinium) have gained worldwide focus because
      of the high anthocyanin content of their fruits. In contrast, the leaves of
      blueberry have not attracted any attention, even though they contain large
      quantities of chlorogenic acid, a strong antioxidant compound. OBJECTIVE: The aim
      of this investigation was the quantification and preparative isolation of
      chlorogenic acid (5-caffeoylquinic acid, 5-CQA) from blueberry leaves using a new
      separation scheme, centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC). METHODOLOGY: A
      water fraction containing a high concentration of 5-CQA (14.5% of dry weight
      extract) was obtained by defatting a crude methanol extract from blueberry
      leaves. CPC was applied to isolate 5-CQA from this water fraction using a two
      phase solvent system of ethyl acetate-ethanol-water at a volume ratio 4:1:5
      (v/v/v). The flow-rate of mobile phase was 2 mL/min with the ascending mode while
      rotating at 1200 rpm. The eluate was monitored at 330 nm. The structure of
      chlorogenic acid in the CPC fraction was confirmed with HPLC, UV, ESI/MS and NMR
      spectra. RESULTS: The HPLC chromatogram showed that the fractions collected by
      CPC contained chlorogenic acid with 96% purity based on peak area percentage. The
      total amount of chlorogenic acid isolated from 0.5 g of a water fraction was 52.9
      mg, corresponding to 10.6% of the water fraction. The isolated compound was
      identified successively as 5-CQA with MS (parent ion at m/z 355.1 [M + H](+)) and
      (1)H NMR spectra [caffeoyl moiety in the down field (delta 6.0-8.0 ppm) and
      quinic acid moiety in the up field (delta 2.0-5.5 ppm)]. CONCLUSION: 5-CQA was
      successfully isolated from blueberry leaves by the CPC method in a one-step
      procedure, indicating a further potential use for blueberry leaves.

PMID- 20310077
TI  - A nitromethane-based HPLC system alternative to acetonitrile for carotenoid
      analysis of fruit and vegetables.
AB  - Acetonitrile-based HPLC systems are the most commonly used for carotenoid
      analysis from different plant tissues. Because of the acetonitrile shortage, an
      HPLC system for the separation of carotenoids on C(18) reversed-phase columns was
      developed in which an acetonitrile-alcohol-based mobile phase was replaced by
      nitromethane. This solvent comes closest to acetonitrile with respect to its
      elutrophic property. Our criterion was to obtain similar separation and retention
      times for a range of differently structured carotenoids. This was achieved by
      further increase in the lipophilicity with ethylacetate. For all the carotenoids
      which we tested, we found co-elution only of beta-cryptoxanthin and lycopene. By
      addition of 1% of water, separation of this pair of carotenoids was also
      achieved. The final recommended mobile phase consisted of nitromethane : 2
      propanol : ethyl acetate : water (79 : 10 : 10 : 1, by volume). On Nucleosil
      C(18) columns and related ones like Hypersil C(18), we obtained separation of
      carotenes, hydroxyl, epoxy and keto derivatives, which resembles the excellent
      separation properties of acetonitrile-based mobile phases on C(18) reversed phase
      columns. We successfully applied the newly developed HPLC system to the
      separation of carotenoids from different vegetables and fruit.

PMID- 20310078
TI  - Sex dimorphism in gray/white matter volume and diffusion tensor during normal
      aging.
AB  - The purpose of this study is to elucidate sex differences in global and regional
      gray/white matter volume, mean diffusivity (MD), and fractional anisotropy (FA)
      during normal aging using voxel-based analysis. We studied 245 healthy right
      handed subjects with a wide range of ages (115 women, 22-70 years; 130 men, 21-71
      years). Regarding global effects, inclusion of a quadratic age term improved the
      fit to data for white matter fraction and MD, but not for global gray matter
      volume/fraction or FA. Regarding regional effects, we found anterior-dominant
      volume loss, FA decrease predominantly in the anterior white matter, and MD
      increase predominantly in perisylvian regions and periventricular white matter
      against age for both sexes. Compared with women, we found a steeper FA decline
      for men in the right inferior fronto-temporal areas, extending to the anterior
      cingulate cortex, and an accelerated MD increase for men in the bilateral
      frontal, temporal, and parietal areas. There was no area in which interaction of
      sex with age was significant for regional volume, or in which a steeper FA
      decline or accelerated MD increase for women was significant. Our results provide
      strong evidence of sex dimorphism in global and focal diffusion characteristics
      during normal aging.

PMID- 20310079
TI  - Proceedings from the XIth International Symposium on Advances in Targeted
      Therapies, 22 to 26 April 2009.

PMID- 20310080
TI  - Proceedings from the symposium Cell Therapy, Bioengineering and Regenerative
      Medicine, September 2008, Nancy, France.

PMID- 20310081
TI  - CQ sources/bibliography.

PMID- 20310082
TI  - Reliability of heart rate variability  measurements in patients with a history 
      of myocardial infarction.
AB  - Despite a well-established prognostic value in cardiac patients, HRV (heart rate
      variability) indexes have been used little in the clinical setting. Poor
      reliability of the measurements might be a possible explanation for this. In the
      present study, we assessed the reliability of short-term HRV indexes in post-MI
      (myocardial infarction) patients. We studied 61 MI patients [50 males; age, 59+/
      8 years; and LVEF (left ventricular ejection fraction), 46+/-6%; values are means
      +/-S.D.],who underwent a 5+5 min ECG recording during spontaneous and paced
      breathing on two consecutive days. Standard time-domain [SDNN (S.D. of RR
      interval values) and RMSSD (root- mean-square of successive RR interval
      differences)] and frequency-domain [LF (low-frequency) and HF (high-frequency)
      power, and LF/HF] indexes of HRV were computed. Absolute and relative reliability
      were assessed by the 95% limits of random variation and by the ICC (intra-class
      correlation coefficient). The agreement between the two measurements in
      classifying patients at low or high risk, according to different cut-points, and
      the sample size needed to detect a clinically relevant change, were also
      assessed. During spontaneous breathing, individual changes in test-retest
      measurements ranged from -41 to + 61% (SDNN; best case) and from -76 to + 316%
      (LF/HF; worst case). The ICC ranged from 0.72 to 0.81. Most patients (79-90 %)
      were assigned to the same class by the two measurements. Paced breathing did not
      improve reliability. In conclusion, short-term HRV parameters in MI patients may
      have large day-to-day variations, making the detection of treatment effects in
      individual patients difficult; however, the ICC values and the analysis of the
      consistency of classification between repeated tests indicate that HRV
      measurements fulfill the criteria required to be used for diagnostic or
      classification purposes.

PMID- 20310083
TI  - Prevention of myocardial fibrosis by  N-acetyl-seryl-aspartyl-lysyl-proline  in
      diabetic rats.
AB  - Ac-SDKP (N-acetyl-seryl-aspartyl-lysyl-proline) is a physiological tetrapeptide
      hydrolysed by ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme). In experimental models of
      hypertension, Ac-SDKP has antifibrotic effects in the heart; however, the role of
      Ac-SDKP in diabetic cardiomyopathy is currently unknown. The aim of the present
      study was to evaluate the effect of Ac-SDKP on cardiac systolic and diastolic
      function, and interstitial and perivascular fibrosis in the heart of diabetic
      rats.Diabetes was induced in 55 Sprague-Dawley rats by streptozotocin injection.
      Control rats (n=18)underwent only buffer injection.Out of the 55 diabetic rats,
      19 were chronically treated with insulin and 13 with the ACEI (ACE inhibitor)
      ramipril (3 mg x kg(-1 )of body weight x day(-1)). At 2 months after the onset of
      diabetes, Ac-SDKP (1 mg x kg(-1) of body weight x day(-1)) was administered by
      osmotic minipumps for 8 weeks to eight control rats, 13 diabetic rats, seven
      diabetic rats treated with ramipril and nine insulin-treated diabetic rats.
      Diabetic rats had a significant increase in blood glucose levels. Left
      ventricular interstitial and perivascular fibrosis, and TGF-beta1 (transforming
      growth factor-beta1) protein levels were increased in diabetic rats, but not in
      insulin-treated diabetic rats and ramipril-treated diabetic rats, compared with
      control rats. Ac-SDKP administration significantly reduced left ventricular
      interstitial and perivascular fibrosis in diabetic rats and in diabetic rats
      treated with ramipril. This was accompanied by a significant reduction in active
      TGF-beta1 and phospho-Smad2/3 protein levels in myocardial tissue of diabetic
      rats. Echocardiography showed that diabetes was associated with increased end
      systolic diameters, and depressed global systolic function and diastolic
      dysfunction, as assessed by transmitral Doppler velocity profile. These changes
      were completely reversed by insulin or ramipril treatment. Ac-SDKP treatment
      partially restored diastolic function in diabetic rats. In conclusion, Ac-SDKP
      administration in diabetic rats reduces left ventricular interstitial and
      perivascular fibrosis, active TGF-beta1 and phospho-Smad2/3levels, and improves
      diastolic function. Taken together, these findings suggest that, by inhibiting
      theTGF-beta/Smad pathway, Ac-SDKP protects against the development of diabetic
      cardiomyopathy

PMID- 20310084
TI  - Skeletal muscle metabolic recovery following  submaximal exercise in chronic
      heart failure is  limited more by O(2) delivery than O(2) utilization.
AB  - CHF (chronic heart failure) is associated with a prolonged recovery of skeletal
      muscle energy stores following submaximal exercise, limiting the ability to
      perform repetitive daily activities.However, the pathophysiological background of
      this impairment is not well established. The aim of the present study was to
      investigate whether muscle metabolic recovery following submaximal exercise in
      patients with CHF is limited by O2 delivery or O2 utilization. A total of 13
      stable CHF patients (New York Heart Association classes II-III) and eight healthy
      subjects, matched for age and BMI (body mass index), were included. All subjects
      performed repetitive submaximal dynamic single leg extensions in the supine
      position. Post-exercise PCr (phosphocreatine) resynthesis was assessed by 31P-MRS
      (magnetic resonance spectroscopy). NIRS (near-IR spectroscopy) was applied
      simultaneously, using the rate of decrease in HHb (deoxygenated haemoglobin) as
      an index of post-exercise muscle re-oxygenation. As expected, PCr recovery was
      slower in CHF patients than in control subjects (time constant, 47+/-10 compared
      with 35+/-12 s respectively; P=0.04). HHb recovery kinetics were also prolonged
      in CHF patients (mean response time, 74+/-41 compared with 44+/-17 s
      respectively; P=0.04). In the patient group, HHb recovery kinetics were slower
      than PCr recovery kinetics (P=0.02), whereas no difference existed in the control
      group(P=0.32). In conclusion, prolonged metabolic recovery in CHF patients is
      associated with an even slower muscle tissue re-oxygenation, indicating a lower
      O(2) delivery relative to metabolic demands. Therefore we postulate that the
      impaired ability to perform repetitive daily activities in these patients depends
      more on a reduced muscle blood flow than on limitations in O(2) utilization.

PMID- 20310085
TI  - Regulation of resistin by cyclic mechanical  stretch in cultured rat vascular
      smooth  muscle cells.
AB  - Resistin has a potential role in atherosclerosis; however, the molecular
      mechanism underlying the increase in resistin expression in atherosclerosis
      remains unclear. As mechanical stretch plays an important role in
      atherosclerosis, in the present study we sought to investigate the cellular and
      molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of resistin by cyclic mechanical
      stretch in VSMCs (vascular smooth muscle cells). VSMCs from thoracic aorta of
      adult Wistar rats were cultured and subjected to cyclic stretch. Cyclic
      mechanical stretch significantly increased resistin protein and mRNA expression
      as compared with control cells without stretch. The specific p38 MAPK (mitogen
      activated protein kinase) inhibitor SB203580, the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine
      and p38 MAPK siRNA (small interfering RNA) attenuated the induction of resistin
      protein by cyclic stretch. Cyclic stretch significantly increased the
      phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, whereas pre-treatment with SB203580 and N
      acetylcysteine significantly inhibited this effect. Cyclic stretch significantly
      increased ROS (reactive oxygen species) production, and pre-treatment with N
      acetylcysteine significantly inhibited stretch-induced ROS production. Cyclic
      stretch also increased STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3)
      binding activity and resistin promoter activity, and resistin promoter activity
      was abolished when STAT3 in the promoter area was mutated. Pre-treatment with
      SB203580 and N-acetylcysteine significantly attenuated resistin promoter activity
      induced by cyclic stretch. Cyclic stretch increased the secretion of AngII
      (angiotensin II) and resistin from cultured VSMCs. Exogenous AngII increased
      resistin expression, and AngII receptor inhibition attenuated this effect. In
      conclusion, cyclic mechanical stretch increases resistin expression in cultured
      rat VSMCs. Stretch-induced resistin expression is mediated through ROS, and the
      p38 MAPK and STAT3 pathways. Therefore resistin induced by cyclic stretch may
      contribute to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis under haemodynamic overload.Key

PMID- 20310086
TI  - [Deep brain stimulation in mood disorders: is it as easy as it seems?].

PMID- 20310088
TI  - On Renal Activity: A new View of the Function of the Glomerulus.

PMID- 20310087
TI  - [Infant and early childhood psychiatry].

PMID- 20310089
TI  - Rheumatism and So-Called Chronic Rheumatism.

PMID- 20310090
TI  - The Ancient Foundations of Heredity.

PMID- 20310091
TI  - The Association of Malignant Disease of the Thyroid and Multiple Lipomata.

PMID- 20310092
TI  - Ehrlich-Hata Remedy for Syphilis.

PMID- 20310093
TI  - Early Diagnosis of Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20310094
TI  - X-Rays With Bismuth Test Meal in Diagnosis of Gastric Conditions.

PMID- 20310095
TI  - Official Notice.

PMID- 20310096
TI  - Maritime Medical News.

PMID- 20310098
TI  - Queen's and the Carnegie Report.

PMID- 20310097
TI  - Reciprocity in Teaching.

PMID- 20310099
TI  - Halifax Medical College.

PMID- 20310100
TI  - Style in Medical Writing.

PMID- 20310101
TI  - Caisson-Disease in Canada.

PMID- 20310102
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20310104
TI  - Some recent papers on Cardio-Vascular Conditions.

PMID- 20310103
TI  - The New Treatment of Syphilis.

PMID- 20310105
TI  - Personal.

PMID- 20310106
TI  - Surgical Treatment of Gastric and Duodenal Haemorrhage.

PMID- 20310107
TI  - Exophthalmic Goitre.

PMID- 20310108
TI  - On Death and Disability Resulting from Childbirth.

PMID- 20310109
TI  - Two Cases of Typhoid Spine.

PMID- 20310110
TI  - Origin of Urinary Stone.

PMID- 20310112
TI  - Canadian Medicine.

PMID- 20310111
TI  - Sarcoma of the Lung.

PMID- 20310113
TI  - The Ontario Medical Council.

PMID- 20310114
TI  - Medical Education.

PMID- 20310115
TI  - Medical Inspection of Schools.

PMID- 20310116
TI  - Reporting Cases of Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20310117
TI  - Freedom in Practice.

PMID- 20310118
TI  - Postpartum Haemorrhage.

PMID- 20310119
TI  - Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

PMID- 20310120
TI  - Army Medical Service.

PMID- 20310121
TI  - Personal.

PMID- 20310122
TI  - Malignant Disease in the Neck.

PMID- 20310123
TI  - Experiences with "606": A Preliminary Report.

PMID- 20310124
TI  - Tuberculin in the Diagnosis of Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20310125
TI  - Food Standards.

PMID- 20310126
TI  - The Inflammatory "Pelvic Mass".

PMID- 20310127
TI  - Cerebral Meningocele.

PMID- 20310128
TI  - Operation for Pott's Disease of the Spine.

PMID- 20310129
TI  - A Vision Realized.

PMID- 20310130
TI  - Hospital Troubles in Halifax.

PMID- 20310131
TI  - Expert Evidence.

PMID- 20310132
TI  - Teaching by Pantomime.

PMID- 20310134
TI  - Government Laboratories.

PMID- 20310133
TI  - Railways and Typhoid.

PMID- 20310135
TI  - The Journal and the Profession.

PMID- 20310136
TI  - Physical Education.

PMID- 20310137
TI  - Human and Bovine Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20310138
TI  - RETROSPECT OF SURGERY.

PMID- 20310139
TI  - Personal.

PMID- 20310140
TI  - A STUDY OF EIGHT HUNDRED AND FIFTY CASES OF SCARLET FEVER WITH A MORE PARTICULAR
      CONSIDERATION OF SEVENTY-ONE FATAL CASES: Part I.

PMID- 20310141
TI  - SOME CONSIDERATIONS IN DUODENAL ULCER.

PMID- 20310142
TI  - HUMAN CARRIERS OF DISEASE.

PMID- 20310143
TI  - MOUNTING MOIST SPECIMENS.

PMID- 20310144
TI  - SOCIAL PROBLEMS IN RELATION TO MEDICINE.

PMID- 20310145
TI  - MISSED ABORTION.

PMID- 20310146
TI  - A RUPTURED ECTOPIC GESTATION, OCCURRING IN THE THIRD WEEK OF TYPHOID FEVER, AND
      COMPLICATED BY TYPHOID PERFORATION OF THE ILEUM; OPERATION AND RECOVERY.

PMID- 20310147
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310148
TI  - Res Judicatae.

PMID- 20310149
TI  - Retrospect of Surgery: L'anastomose Arterio-Veineuse.

PMID- 20310150
TI  - Army Medical Service: Canadian Army Medical Service.

PMID- 20310151
TI  - Personal.

PMID- 20310152
TI  - A STUDY OF EIGHT HUNDRED AND FIFTY CASES OF SCARLET FEVER WITH A MORE PARTICULAR
      CONSIDERATION OF SEVENTY-ONE FATAL CASES: Part II.

PMID- 20310153
TI  - THE RELATION OF THE THYROID GLAND TO THE FEMALE GENERATIVE ORGANS.

PMID- 20310154
TI  - MEDICAL INSPECTION OF SCHOOLS: REPORT TO THE CANADIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.

PMID- 20310155
TI  - ACUTE TOXAEMIA: WAS COCAINE OR ADRENALIN THE CAUSE?

PMID- 20310156
TI  - NOTIFICATION OF TUBERCULOSIS.

PMID- 20310158
TI  - Res Judicatae.

PMID- 20310157
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310159
TI  - Retrospect of Medicine.

PMID- 20310160
TI  - Personal.

PMID- 20310161
TI  - THE PRESENT STATUS OF CONSERVATIVE GYNAECOLOGY.

PMID- 20310162
TI  - TREATMENT OF TYPHOID FEVER BY VACCINES.

PMID- 20310163
TI  - TYPHOID IN THE WINNIPEG GENERAL HOSPITAL.

PMID- 20310164
TI  - AN UNCLASSIFIED TROPICAL FEVER.

PMID- 20310165
TI  - OBLITERATION OF THORACIC CAVITIES: (Experimental).

PMID- 20310166
TI  - A NEW ANTERIOR URETHROSCOPE.

PMID- 20310167
TI  - EXOPHTHALMIC GOITRE AND PREGNANCY.

PMID- 20310168
TI  - THE LATENT TETANY OF LACTATION.

PMID- 20310169
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310170
TI  - Res Judicatae: A New Theory of Shock.

PMID- 20310171
TI  - Retrospect of Surgery.

PMID- 20310172
TI  - CANADIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION: President's Address.

PMID- 20310173
TI  - ADDRESS IN SURGERY.

PMID- 20310174
TI  - SCARLET FEVER: Preliminary Note of its Specific Microorganism.

PMID- 20310175
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310176
TI  - Personal.

PMID- 20310178
TI  - TYPHOID BACILLUS CARRIERS.

PMID- 20310177
TI  - ON A CHRONIC CHOLERA CARRIER.

PMID- 20310179
TI  - INFANTILE MORTALITY IN CANADA.

PMID- 20310180
TI  - TYPHOID FEVER AT OTTAWA: January 1st-March 18th, 1911.

PMID- 20310181
TI  - THE FORT WILLIAM EPIDEMIC OF TYPHOID FEVER IN 1906.

PMID- 20310182
TI  - A LOCAL TYPHOID EPIDEMIC AT MURRAY BAY, P.Q.

PMID- 20310183
TI  - ACUTE VOLVULUS OF THE SMALL INTESTINE RESECTION: RECOVERY.

PMID- 20310184
TI  - INTESTINAL OBSTRUCTIONS DUE TO MECKEL'S DIVERTICULUM.

PMID- 20310185
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310186
TI  - Res Judicatae: Stammering.

PMID- 20310187
TI  - Retrospect of Surgery: A Generation of Surgery.

PMID- 20310188
TI  - Personal.

PMID- 20310189
TI  - CANCER OF THE STOMACH: WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ITS RELATIONSHIP TO GASTRIC
      ULCER AND THE ADVANTAGE OF A TWO-STAGE OPERATION.

PMID- 20310191
TI  - EXTIRPATION OF THE THYROID GLAND IN MONKEYS.

PMID- 20310190
TI  - THE AETIOLOGY OF CHOLELITHIASIS, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE AGE-INCIDENCE.

PMID- 20310192
TI  - GRADUATED DILATATION OF THE URETEROVESICAL ORIFICE AND THE URETER ABOVE IT.

PMID- 20310193
TI  - MODERN AIDS TO DIAGNOSIS IN OTOLOGY AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE.

PMID- 20310194
TI  - THE SURGICAL TREATMENT OF GALL-STONE DISEASE.

PMID- 20310195
TI  - PRIMARY TUMOURS OF THE BLADDER.

PMID- 20310196
TI  - TUBERCULOUS OSTEOMYELITIS OF THE SYMPHYSIS PUBIS.

PMID- 20310197
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310198
TI  - CANADIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.

PMID- 20310199
TI  - Retrospect of Medicine: The Fringes of the Cancer Problem.

PMID- 20310201
TI  - Personal.

PMID- 20310200
TI  - Retrospect of Surgery.

PMID- 20310202
TI  - Army Medical Service.

PMID- 20310203
TI  - Personal.

PMID- 20310204
TI  - TRANSIENT ATTACKS OF APHASIA AND PARALYSES IN STATES OF HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND
      ARTERIO-SCLEROSIS.

PMID- 20310205
TI  - THE NON-OPERATIVE TREATMENT OF APPENDICITIS.

PMID- 20310206
TI  - I.-PERITONEAL EFFUSION (ASCITES) IN TYPHOID FEVER II.-THE PHYSICAL SIGNS OF
      EXUDATE IN THE PERITONEAL CAVITY.

PMID- 20310207
TI  - PROLONGED PREGNANCY.

PMID- 20310208
TI  - THE DIAGNOSIS OF SYPHILIS BY THE BINDING OF COMPLEMENT METHOD: FURTHER EXPERIENCE
      IN THE USE OF THE AUTHOR'S MODIFICATION.

PMID- 20310209
TI  - HYDATID MOLE. ITS RELATION TO CHORIOEPITHELIOMA AND CYSTIC DEGENERATION OF THE
      OVARIES. WITH REPORT OF TWO CASES COMPLICATED WITH ECLAMPSIA.

PMID- 20310211
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310210
TI  - A RARE SARCOMA.

PMID- 20310212
TI  - Retrospect of Medicine.

PMID- 20310213
TI  - THE PREVENTION OF INSANITY.

PMID- 20310214
TI  - THE OPERATIVE TREATMENT OF GLAUCOMA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE LAGRANGE
      METHOD.

PMID- 20310215
TI  - THE STATISTICS OF INFANTILE PARALYSIS.

PMID- 20310216
TI  - THE SURGEON'S INTEREST IN HENOCH'S PURPURA.

PMID- 20310217
TI  - TREATMENT OF UTERINE DISPLACEMENTS.

PMID- 20310218
TI  - TRAUMATIC LESIONS OF THE CORD WITHOUT INJURY TO THE SPINAL COLUMN.

PMID- 20310219
TI  - ECLAMPSIA.

PMID- 20310220
TI  - THE SURGICAL TREATMENT OF ANTERIOR POLIOMYELITIS.

PMID- 20310221
TI  - PROSTATECTOMY: THE SUPRAPUBIC ROUTE.

PMID- 20310222
TI  - COMPLETE INVERSION OF THE UTERUS RELIEVED BY ABDOMINAL OPERATION.

PMID- 20310223
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310224
TI  - Retrospect of Surgery.

PMID- 20310226
TI  - Personal.

PMID- 20310225
TI  - Res Judicatae: Bronchial Asthma.

PMID- 20310228
TI  - ADDRESS IN GYNAECOLOGY: Mistakes in Diagnosis and Treatment.

PMID- 20310227
TI  - INAUGURAL ADDRESS: Delivered Before the Faculty of Medicine in the University of
      Toronto, October 3rd, 1911.

PMID- 20310229
TI  - SANITARY MILK.

PMID- 20310230
TI  - AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE PHAGOCYTIC IMMUNITY PRODUCED BY TUBERCULIN.

PMID- 20310231
TI  - PRIMARY PYELITIS IN INFANTS.

PMID- 20310232
TI  - MOULDS IN THE ALIMENTARY CANAL.

PMID- 20310233
TI  - LUNG ABSCESS.

PMID- 20310234
TI  - A NEW COMBINED EXAMINING AND OPERATING AIR DISTENTION ENDOSCOPE.

PMID- 20310235
TI  - ON THE USE OF RADIUM IN OPHTHALMOLOGY.

PMID- 20310236
TI  - A SIMPLE METHOD OF TREATING FRACTURED CLAVICLE.

PMID- 20310238
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310237
TI  - MALIGNANT OEDEMA.

PMID- 20310239
TI  - Retrospect of Medicine.

PMID- 20310240
TI  - UNDERGRADUATE TRAINING AND REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSE TO PRACTICE.

PMID- 20310241
TI  - PSEUDO-MUSCULAR HYPERTROPHY.

PMID- 20310242
TI  - OBSERVATIONS FROM BOER-LAND.

PMID- 20310243
TI  - SEMMELWEISS AND HOLMES.

PMID- 20310244
TI  - OMENTAL CYSTS.

PMID- 20310245
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310246
TI  - Res Judicatae: Conservation of the Ovary.

PMID- 20310247
TI  - Retrospect of Medicine.

PMID- 20310248
TI  - Retrospect of Surgery.

PMID- 20310249
TI  - BACILLUS LEPRAE IN THE NASAL MUCOUS MEMBRANE.

PMID- 20310250
TI  - ON THE AMMONIA COEFFICIENT IN A CASE OF SEVERE VOMITING IN PREGNANCY.

PMID- 20310251
TI  - ANGIOMA OF THE LARYNX.

PMID- 20310252
TI  - BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTS.

PMID- 20310253
TI  - SOME OBSERVATIONS ON CHRONIC MYOCARDITIS.

PMID- 20310254
TI  - MELAENA.

PMID- 20310255
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310256
TI  - Res Judicatae: Present Knowledge of Duodenal Ulcer.

PMID- 20310257
TI  - Retrospect of Medicine.

PMID- 20310258
TI  - Retrospect of Laryngology.

PMID- 20310259
TI  - THE CHEMICAL BASIS OF LIFE.

PMID- 20310260
TI  - LUETIC CIRRHOSIS OF THE LIVER.

PMID- 20310261
TI  - LOW PERCENTAGES IN INFANT FEEDING.

PMID- 20310262
TI  - PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS.

PMID- 20310263
TI  - THE DIFFICULTIES IN PROGNOSIS IN PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS.

PMID- 20310264
TI  - THE SURGICAL ASPECT OF DUODENAL ULCER.

PMID- 20310265
TI  - A CASE OF ACCIDENTAL EXTRA GENITAL SYPHILIS.

PMID- 20310266
TI  - CHRONIC COLITIS.

PMID- 20310267
TI  - CHONDRODYSTROPHY.

PMID- 20310268
TI  - EPITHELIOMA OF THE PHARYNX.

PMID- 20310269
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310270
TI  - Res Judicatae: Lord Lister.

PMID- 20310271
TI  - THE ESTABLISHMENT OF TREPONEMA PALLIDUM AS THE CAUSATIVE AGENT OF SYPHILIS, AND
      THE CULTURAL DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN THIS ORGANISM AND CERTAIN MORPHOLOGICALLY
      ALLIED SPIROCHAETAE.

PMID- 20310273
TI  - GASTRIC CARCINOMA.

PMID- 20310272
TI  - SALVARSAN: A YEAR'S EXPERIENCE: REPORT OF TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY CASES.

PMID- 20310274
TI  - CLINICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL NOTES UPON CERTAIN SUB-TROPICAL DISEASES.

PMID- 20310276
TI  - THE INTRAPERITONEAL ROUTE IN OPERATIONS ON THE URETERS.

PMID- 20310275
TI  - SOME PHYSIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF REFERRED PAIN.

PMID- 20310277
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310278
TI  - Retrospect of Surgery.

PMID- 20310279
TI  - INFLAMMATORY CYSTS AND CANCER OF THE BREAST.

PMID- 20310280
TI  - SOME ACUTE ABDOMINAL EMERGENCIES.

PMID- 20310281
TI  - DISINFECTION IN AND AFTER INFECTIOUS DISEASES.

PMID- 20310282
TI  - THE PRESENT STATUS OF THE WASSERMANN REACTION.

PMID- 20310283
TI  - TABES DORSALIS: THE EXHAUSTION THEORY WITH EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE.

PMID- 20310284
TI  - BRONCHOSCOPY.

PMID- 20310285
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310286
TI  - Res Judicatae: The Recognition of Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20310288
TI  - THE EFFECT OF ANATOMICAL AND IMMUNOLOGICAL DATA UPON OUR CONCEPTION OF THE
      TUBERCULOUS.

PMID- 20310287
TI  - Retrospect of Medicine: Human and Bovine Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20310289
TI  - OUR PRESENT ATTITUDE TOWARDS TUBERCULOSIS.

PMID- 20310290
TI  - HOUSING CONDITIONS IN CANADA.

PMID- 20310291
TI  - RHEUMATISM IN THE CHILDREN OF VANCOUVER AND DISTRICT.

PMID- 20310292
TI  - PERSONAL REMINISCENCES OF LISTER.

PMID- 20310293
TI  - INTERESTING CASE OF ATTEMPTED SUICIDE IN THE CANTON HOSPITAL.

PMID- 20310294
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310295
TI  - Res Judicatae.

PMID- 20310296
TI  - Retrospect of Surgery.

PMID- 20310297
TI  - DOES CHOLECYSTENTEROSTOMY DIVERT THE FLOW OF BILE FROM THE COMMON DUCT?

PMID- 20310298
TI  - LABORATORY TESTS IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF GENERAL PARESIS.

PMID- 20310299
TI  - THE BONE-MARROW, A STUDY FROM THE STANDPOINT OF THE CLINICAL PATHOLOGIST.

PMID- 20310300
TI  - PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS.

PMID- 20310301
TI  - ANOMALY OF THE VAGINA AND UTERUS.

PMID- 20310302
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310303
TI  - Res Judicatae: The Conservative Treatment of Suppurative Otitis Media.

PMID- 20310304
TI  - TREATMENT OF THE FRACTURES OF THE LONG BONES.

PMID- 20310305
TI  - LABYRINTH TESTS.

PMID- 20310306
TI  - PLEURISY IN CHILDREN.

PMID- 20310307
TI  - OBSERVATIONS RELATING TO DIET IN TUBERCULOSIS.

PMID- 20310308
TI  - REVOLVER BULLET IN THE CHIASMA: CONSECUTIVE BINOCULAR BLINDNESS.

PMID- 20310309
TI  - DOES A HUMAN TICK-BORNE DISEASE EXIST IN BRITISH COLUMBIA?

PMID- 20310310
TI  - SOME EXPERIENCES WITH RADIUM.

PMID- 20310311
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20310312
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310313
TI  - Res Judicatae: A Medical Missionary.

PMID- 20310314
TI  - Retrospect of Surgery.

PMID- 20310315
TI  - ADDRESS IN SURGERY.

PMID- 20310316
TI  - TYPHOID PLEURISY.

PMID- 20310317
TI  - DEEP INJECTIONS OF ALCOHOL FOR TRIFACIAL NEURALGIA-ONE HUNDRED AND TWO CASES.

PMID- 20310318
TI  - THE ACTION OF DRUGS ON THE UTERUS.

PMID- 20310319
TI  - A REPORT OF TWO CASES OF TYPHOID FEVER WHICH SHOW UNCOMMON LESIONS DUE TO THE
      BACILLUS TYPHOSUS: 1. ACUTE PURULENT PERICARDITIS 2. ACUTE HAEMORRHAGIC
      PLEURITIS.

PMID- 20310320
TI  - REPORT OF TWO CASES OF ABDOMINAL SURGERY.

PMID- 20310321
TI  - A CASE OF ACUTE FAT NECROSIS; OPERATION; RECOVERY.

PMID- 20310322
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310323
TI  - Res Judicatae: The Exploratory Puncture.

PMID- 20310324
TI  - Retrospect of Surgery.

PMID- 20310325
TI  - THE THERAPEUTICS OF TO-DAY.

PMID- 20310326
TI  - DIABETES MELLITUS.

PMID- 20310327
TI  - TRAUMATIC ARTHRITIS OF THE KNEE AND ITS EFFECTS.

PMID- 20310328
TI  - RADIUM AND AGE.

PMID- 20310330
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310329
TI  - SEROUS MENINGITIS, CHOKED DISC AND MULTIPLE POLYNEURITIS OF CRANIAL NERVES IN A
      CASE OF A YOUNG ALCOHOLIC SMOKER.

PMID- 20310331
TI  - Res Judicatae: On the Balance of the Bases, Sodium, Potassium and Calcium in the
      Body. A Review of some Recent Papers.

PMID- 20310332
TI  - Retrospect of Obstetrics.

PMID- 20310333
TI  - Retrospect of Surgery.

PMID- 20310335
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310334
TI  - A FURTHER CONTRIBUTION TO THE STUDY OF SCOLIOSIS.

PMID- 20310336
TI  - Res Judicatae: Medical Education in Europe.

PMID- 20310337
TI  - Retrospect of Medicine: Vaccination as a Preventive and Therapeutic Measure in
      Typhoid Fever.

PMID- 20310338
TI  - "UNTO THE THIRD AND FOURTH GENERATION:" A STUDY IN EUGENICS.

PMID- 20310339
TI  - DISPLACED AND MOVABLE KIDNEY IN WOMEN: ITS SYMPTOMATOLOGY, DIAGNOSIS, AND
      TREATMENT.

PMID- 20310340
TI  - A NEW REAGENT FOR DETECTING OCCULT BLOOD.

PMID- 20310341
TI  - FACTORS FREQUENTLY OVERLOOKED IN THE EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS.

PMID- 20310342
TI  - THE TREATMENT OF ROTO-LATERAL CURVATURE OF THE SPINE.

PMID- 20310343
TI  - INTERNAL HERNIA: WITH A REPORT OF A CASE OF MESOCOLIC HERNIA.

PMID- 20310344
TI  - THE HEART DURING SOME ACUTE INFECTIONS.

PMID- 20310346
TI  - THE TREATMENT OF NAEVUS WITH SOLID CARBON DIOXIDE.

PMID- 20310345
TI  - A SERIES OF CASES OF SMALL-POX, WITH SOME REMARKS ON DIAGNOSIS AND VACCINATION.

PMID- 20310347
TI  - TICK BITE IN BRITISH COLUMBIA.

PMID- 20310349
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310348
TI  - HEMIPLEGIA IN TYPHOID FEVER.

PMID- 20310350
TI  - Res Judicatae.

PMID- 20310351
TI  - Retrospect of Surgery.

PMID- 20310352
TI  - SURGICAL TREATMENT OF EXOPHTHALMIC GOITRE.

PMID- 20310353
TI  - A CASE OF HAEMOLYTIC JAUNDICE WITH SPLENOMEGALY.

PMID- 20310354
TI  - THE STANDARDIZATION OF DISINFECTANTS.

PMID- 20310355
TI  - THE OPERATIVE TREATMENT OF CLEFT PALATE.

PMID- 20310356
TI  - THE RESULTS OF TREATMENT OF SYPHILIS AS SHOWN BY THE WASSERMANN REACTION.

PMID- 20310357
TI  - AN APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUS ASPIRATION.

PMID- 20310359
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310358
TI  - SUCCESSFUL CATARACT OPERATION ON A PATIENT AGED NINETY-TWO YEARS.

PMID- 20310360
TI  - Res Judicatae: Sir William Gairdner.

PMID- 20310361
TI  - THE TOXIC EFFECTS OF GASOLINE FUMES.

PMID- 20310362
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310363
TI  - Retrospect of Medicine.

PMID- 20310364
TI  - SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF SUBACUTE AND CHRONIC
      PANCREATITIS.

PMID- 20310365
TI  - THE NATURE OF SURGICAL SHOCK WITH SOME REMARKS ON ITS TREATMENT.

PMID- 20310366
TI  - PROSTATECTOMY-SUSPENSION OF THE BLADDER.

PMID- 20310367
TI  - PENALTIES OF LATE DIAGNOSIS OF DISEASES OF THE URINARY TRACT.

PMID- 20310368
TI  - THE FALLACIES OF EXISTING FATALITY RATES.

PMID- 20310369
TI  - MUNICIPAL HEALTH WORK PERTAINING TO INFANT WELFARE.

PMID- 20310370
TI  - CEREBELLAR ABSCESS OF OTITIC ORIGIN, OPERATION -RECOVERY.

PMID- 20310371
TI  - SILVER STYLE IN THE NASAL DUCT-REMOVAL AFTER FORTY YEARS.

PMID- 20310372
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310374
TI  - Res Judicatae: Artificial Pneumothorax in the Treatment of Pulmonary
      Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20310373
TI  - THE DIAGNOSIS OF SMALLPOX.

PMID- 20310375
TI  - Retrospect of Surgery: Pyelonephritis and the Pyelitis of Pregnancy.

PMID- 20310376
TI  - SOME CLINICAL OBSERVATIONS ON ARTERIO-SCLEROSIS.

PMID- 20310377
TI  - THREE CASES OF ACROMEGALY WITH ONE AUTOPSY.

PMID- 20310378
TI  - ABDOMINAL INJURIES.

PMID- 20310379
TI  - MARCHING.

PMID- 20310380
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310381
TI  - Res Judicatae: Blood Pressure in Life Insurance.

PMID- 20310382
TI  - SEVENTEENTH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF MEDICINE.

PMID- 20310383
TI  - THE SURGICAL TREATMENT OF PENDULOUS ABDOMEN.

PMID- 20310384
TI  - SALVARSAN IN THE TREATMENT OF SYPHILITIC DISEASES OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM.

PMID- 20310385
TI  - MILK AND MEAT INSPECTION.

PMID- 20310386
TI  - LIPOSIS PANCREATICA.

PMID- 20310388
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310387
TI  - PRIMARY MALIGNANT NEOPLASM OF THE FALLOPIAN TUBE.

PMID- 20310389
TI  - THE DIAGNOSIS OF SMALLPOX.

PMID- 20310390
TI  - Retrospect of Surgery.

PMID- 20310391
TI  - Res Judicatae: The Earliest Recognition of Appendicitis.

PMID- 20310392
TI  - PUNCTURE OF THE CORPUS CALLOSUM.

PMID- 20310393
TI  - SOME RECENT WORK ON ACCESSORY FACTORS IN NUTRITION.

PMID- 20310394
TI  - TUBERCULOSIS OF THE GENITO-URINARY SYSTEM FROM THE GENERAL PRACTITIONER'S STAND
      POINT.

PMID- 20310396
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310395
TI  - TUBERCULOUS APPENDICITIS.

PMID- 20310397
TI  - Res Judicatae: On the Colon and Ileocolotomy.

PMID- 20310398
TI  - Retrospect of Pathology.

PMID- 20310399
TI  - ADDRESS IN SURGERY : FRACTURES AND THEIR TREATMENT.

PMID- 20310400
TI  - CONGENITAL HYPERTROPHIC PYLORIC STENOSIS.

PMID- 20310401
TI  - SOME REMARKS ON ENDOCARDITIS IN INFLUENZA: REPORT OF A CASE.

PMID- 20310402
TI  - THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADVANCED CASE OF TUBERCULOSIS.

PMID- 20310403
TI  - NOTES ON TWO CASES OF INTESTINAL OBSTRUCTION.

PMID- 20310404
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310405
TI  - Res Judicatae.

PMID- 20310406
TI  - THE CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE AUTONOMIC NERVES SUPPLYING THE VISCERA, AND
      THEIR RELATIONS TO THE GLANDS OF INTERNAL SECRETION.

PMID- 20310407
TI  - ADDRESS IN GYNAECOLOGY.

PMID- 20310409
TI  - THE DIAGNOSIS OF TUBERCULOUS BRONCHIAL AND MEDIASTINAL GLANDS.

PMID- 20310408
TI  - THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF ACUTE MASTOIDITIS.

PMID- 20310411
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310410
TI  - FREE, SUPPURATIVE PERITONITIS DUE TO PYOSALPINX.

PMID- 20310412
TI  - Retrospect of Gynaecology: Treatment of Uterine Fibroids by X-Rays.

PMID- 20310413
TI  - Res Judicatae: The Results of the Friedmann Treatment.

PMID- 20310414
TI  - PITUITARY EXTRACT IN OBSTETRICAL PRACTICE.

PMID- 20310415
TI  - INTUSSUSCEPTION, ITS DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT, WITH A REPORT OF SEVEN CASES.

PMID- 20310416
TI  - INSANITY AND ITS RELATION TO THE STATE.

PMID- 20310417
TI  - PAIN AS A SYMPTOM IN PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS.

PMID- 20310418
TI  - RETROPERITONEAL HAEMOTOMA AS A CAUSE OF INTESTINAL OBSTRUCTION.

PMID- 20310419
TI  - MEDIASTINAL ABSCESS.

PMID- 20310420
TI  - TORSION OF THE CAECUM, ASCENDING AND HALF OF THE TRANSVERSE COLON; WITH OPERATION
      AND RECOVERY.

PMID- 20310421
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310422
TI  - MEDICAL COUNCIL OF CANADA: First Announcement, July 1st, 1913.

PMID- 20310423
TI  - Res Judicatae: The Public Health Act of Ontario.

PMID- 20310424
TI  - REPORT OF A SERIES OF ABDOMINAL CAESAREAN SECTIONS.

PMID- 20310425
TI  - A NEW AND RATIONAL METHOD FOR THE STUDY OF THE FUNCTIONAL DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS
      SYSTEM.

PMID- 20310426
TI  - THE TREATMENT OF TUBERCULAR SPONDYLITIS OR POTT'S DISEASE.

PMID- 20310427
TI  - THE RUNNING SUTURE-AND THE BLOODLESS OPERATION.

PMID- 20310428
TI  - CLINICAL ASPECTS OF THE REGENERATION OF BONE, AS MANIFESTED BY A STUDY OF THE
      UNION OF FRACTURES.

PMID- 20310429
TI  - AN EPIDEMIC OF JAUNDICE.

PMID- 20310431
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310430
TI  - CONGENITAL CARDIAC DISEASE.

PMID- 20310432
TI  - Res Judicatae: Graves' Disease.

PMID- 20310433
TI  - Res Judicatae: Veterinary Education.

PMID- 20310434
TI  - THOMAS SYDENHAM, THE ENGLISH HIPPOCRATES: (1624-1689).

PMID- 20310435
TI  - SOME PSYCHIATRIC PROBLEMS FROM THE GENERAL PRACTITIONER'S STANDPOINT.

PMID- 20310436
TI  - ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TUMOURS PROPER (BLASTOMAS) AND HYPERBLASTOSIS.

PMID- 20310437
TI  - NOTES ON HUNTINGTON'S CHOREA.

PMID- 20310438
TI  - DISEASES OF THE THYROID GLAND VIEWED FROM THE STANDPOINT OF THE SURGEON.

PMID- 20310439
TI  - A CASE OF MASTOIDITIS WITH PERISINUS ABSCESS AND PARALYSIS OF ONE LEG.

PMID- 20310440
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310441
TI  - DISEASES OF THE STOMACH.

PMID- 20310443
TI  - PYLORIC SPASM.

PMID- 20310442
TI  - RETENTION OF THE GASTRIC CONTENTS.

PMID- 20310444
TI  - ON SOME CLINICAL ASPECTS OF GASTRIC DISEASE.

PMID- 20310445
TI  - FRONTAL TUMOURS.

PMID- 20310446
TI  - A BONE STAPLE-PLATE.

PMID- 20310448
TI  - Res Judicatae: The Present Status of Surgery in Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20310447
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 20310449
TI  - THE MEDICAL TREATMENT OF CHOLELITHIASIS.

PMID- 20310450
TI  - GASTRIC HYPERACIDITY.

PMID- 20310451
TI  - THE PERIOSTEUM.

PMID- 20310452
TI  - Case Reports: A CASE ILLUSTRATING DUCTLESS GLAND RELATIONSHIP.

PMID- 20310454
TI  - MEDICAL INSPECTION OF SCHOOLS.

PMID- 20310453
TI  - THE COLLEGE OF SURGEONS.

PMID- 20310455
TI  - INTESTINAL STASIS.

PMID- 20310456
TI  - OTTAWA AND TYPHOID.

PMID- 20310457
TI  - TYPHOID FEVER AT HALIFAX.

PMID- 20310458
TI  - MANITOBA MEDICAL COLLEGE.

PMID- 20310460
TI  - Retrospect of Surgery.

PMID- 20310459
TI  - Res Judicatae: ACIDOSIS.

PMID- 20310461
TI  - SYPHILITIC INFECTIONS OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM.

PMID- 20310462
TI  - CONCERNING THE IMMUNITIES OF TOLERANCE: A PRELIMINARY COMMUNICATION.

PMID- 20310463
TI  - SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT OF HYPERTHYROIDISM.

PMID- 20310464
TI  - SMALLPOX AND CHICKEN-POX.

PMID- 20310466
TI  - THE SOCIETY OF AMERICAN BACTERIOLOGISTS.

PMID- 20310465
TI  - THE NEW QUACKERY.

PMID- 20310467
TI  - RECIPROCITY.

PMID- 20310468
TI  - THE LARYNGOLOGISTS.

PMID- 20310469
TI  - Retrospect of Medicine: RECENT ADVANCES IN TROPICAL MEDICINE.

PMID- 20310470
TI  - THE TRIPLE ALLIANCE: HEART, KIDNEY, AND ARTERIAL DISEASE.

PMID- 20310471
TI  - HYPERTROPHY OF THE FAUCIAL TONSIL AND ITS TREATMENT.

PMID- 20310472
TI  - PRIMARY ENDOTHELIOMA OF THE PLEURA.

PMID- 20310474
TI  - SEPTIC PUERPERAL INFECTION, DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT.

PMID- 20310473
TI  - THE TREATMENT OF TABES DORSALIS AND GENERAL PARESIS WITH SALVARSAN.

PMID- 20310475
TI  - LOOSE BODIES IN THE KNEE-JOINT.

PMID- 20310476
TI  - A VICIOUS SYSTEM.

PMID- 20310477
TI  - DR. SHEPHERD'S RETIREMENT.

PMID- 20310478
TI  - MONTREAL'S PERIL.

PMID- 20310479
TI  - THE LAURENTIAN SOCIETY.

PMID- 20310480
TI  - SUPRAPUBIC PROSTATECTOMY.

PMID- 20310481
TI  - THE PRESENT POSITION OF VENESECTION.

PMID- 20310482
TI  - GASTRO-ENTEROSTOMY; EXPERIMENTAL AND CLINICAL.

PMID- 20310483
TI  - Case Reports: TRANSVERSE PRESENTATION WITH UNUSUAL SEQUELAE.

PMID- 20310484
TI  - PROVINCIAL ASSOCIATIONS.

PMID- 20310486
TI  - ANTITYPHOID VACCINATION.

PMID- 20310485
TI  - INTRAPROVINCIAL AFFILIATION.

PMID- 20310487
TI  - Res Judicatae: CHLORIDE AND UREA RETENTION IN NEPHRITIS.

PMID- 20310488
TI  - AUTO-INFECTION ASSOCIATED WITH THE INTESTINAL CANAL.

PMID- 20310489
TI  - ACIDOSIS.

PMID- 20310490
TI  - THE MENTALLY DEFECTIVE.

PMID- 20310491
TI  - ON THE DESTRUCTION OF SEBACEOUS GLANDS, SWEAT GLANDS, AND HAIR FOLLICLES, AND THE
      DISEASES THEREBY CURED.

PMID- 20310492
TI  - Case Reports: A CASE OF PERSISTENT ENURESIS.

PMID- 20310493
TI  - THE TRAGEDY OF OLD AGE.

PMID- 20310494
TI  - THE SURGEON-GENERAL'S LIBRARY.

PMID- 20310495
TI  - PUBLIC HEALTH IN MONTREAL.

PMID- 20310496
TI  - CANADIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.

PMID- 20310497
TI  - THE DEVELOPMENT OF OBSTETRICS.

PMID- 20310498
TI  - HAEMORRHAGIC DISEASES.

PMID- 20310499
TI  - THE PRESENT STATUS OF THE ROENTGEN EXAMINATION IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF GASTRIC ULCER.

PMID- 20310500
TI  - TRAUMATIC ASPHYXIA WITH A REPORT OF SIX CASES.

PMID- 20310502
TI  - AN ARMY SURGEON.

PMID- 20310501
TI  - Case Reports: FOUR CASES OF THROMBOSIS OF THE LATERAL SINUS WITH RECOVERY.

PMID- 20310503
TI  - WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION IN ONTARIO.

PMID- 20310504
TI  - ONTARIO AFFILIATION.

PMID- 20310505
TI  - THE METHOD OF ZADIG IN THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE.

PMID- 20310506
TI  - THE TREATMENT OF PUERPERAL INFECTIONS.

PMID- 20310507
TI  - THE DIAGNOSIS OF SUBTENTORIAL TUMOURS: WITH A REPORT OF FOUR CASES.

PMID- 20310508
TI  - NICKEL-CHROMIUM WIRE FOR THE BACTERIOLOGICAL LABORATORY.

PMID- 20310509
TI  - NERVE ANASTOMOSIS.

PMID- 20310511
TI  - THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS.

PMID- 20310510
TI  - CHLOROMA.

PMID- 20310512
TI  - THE ADDRESS IN MEDICINE.

PMID- 20310513
TI  - THE PENITENTIARY.

PMID- 20310515
TI  - SITTING UPON THE WALL.

PMID- 20310514
TI  - MAKING MONTREAL DRINK SEWAGE.

PMID- 20310516
TI  - Res Judicatae: EMERODS, MICE AND THE PLAGUE OF I SAMUEL VI.

PMID- 20310517
TI  - ONTARIO COUNTY MEDICAL HEALTH OFFICERS.

PMID- 20310518
TI  - WINNIPEG GENERAL HOSPITAL.

PMID- 20310519
TI  - SOCIETIES FOR MENTAL HYGIENE.

PMID- 20310520
TI  - MANITOBA MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.

PMID- 20310521
TI  - ONTARIO MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.

PMID- 20310522
TI  - THE RELATION OF THEORY AND PRACTICE IN THE OPERATIVE TREATMENT OF GENITAL
      PROLAPSE.

PMID- 20310523
TI  - SURGICAL TEACHING.

PMID- 20310525
TI  - CARDIAC HYPERTROPHY.

PMID- 20310524
TI  - INFANT MORTALITY.

PMID- 20310526
TI  - THE ST. JOHN MEETING.

PMID- 20310527
TI  - THE ADDRESS IN SURGERY.

PMID- 20310528
TI  - THE ADDRESS IN OBSTETRICS.

PMID- 20310529
TI  - SMALLPOX IN NEW SOUTH WALES.

PMID- 20310530
TI  - Res Judicatae: GIANTS AND DWARFS.

PMID- 20310531
TI  - THE MEDICAL PROFESSION AND THE MILITIA.

PMID- 20310532
TI  - THE TREATMENT OF EMPYEMA, SUBPHRENIC ABSCESS, ETC., BY ASPIRATION FOLLOWED BY
      INJECTION OF FORMALIN SOLUTION.

PMID- 20310533
TI  - LINITIS PLASTICA.

PMID- 20310535
TI  - INDUSTRIAL DISEASE AND INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE.

PMID- 20310534
TI  - HOUR-GLASS CONTRACTION OF THE STOMACH WITH REPORT OF THREE CASES.

PMID- 20310536
TI  - THE CANADIAN PRACTITIONER'S DIAGNOSIS OF PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS.

PMID- 20310538
TI  - THE WAR.

PMID- 20310537
TI  - THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BALKAN WARS TO THE MEDICAL PROFESSION OF CANADA.

PMID- 20310539
TI  - THE ASSOCIATION.

PMID- 20310540
TI  - THE MEDICAL JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIA.

PMID- 20310542
TI  - THE PHYLACOGEN TREATMENT OF HAY FEVER.

PMID- 20310541
TI  - Res Judicatae: PARALYSIS AND TICK-BITE.

PMID- 20310543
TI  - VASCULAR CRISES AND ANGIOSPASM.

PMID- 20310544
TI  - PAROXYSMAL TACHYCARDIA WITH A REVIEW OF FOUR CASES.

PMID- 20310545
TI  - RECENT INVESTIGATIONS ON THE SEMICIRCULAR CANALS AND THEIR CLINICAL APPLICATIONS.

PMID- 20310546
TI  - THE MEDICAL PROFESSION OF ALBERTA AND THE DEFENCE OF THE COUNTRY.

PMID- 20310547
TI  - NATIONAL DEFENCE AND THE MEDICAL PROFESSION.

PMID- 20310548
TI  - ANTITYPHOID INOCULATION AT THE WINNIPEG GENERAL HOSPITAL.

PMID- 20310549
TI  - SUBTROCHANTERIC FRACTURE OF THE FEMUR.

PMID- 20310550
TI  - Case Reports: A CASE OF TETANUS, WITH RECOVERY, TREATED BY CARBOLIC ACID
      INJECTIONS.

PMID- 20310551
TI  - THE CANADIAN MEDICAL SERVICE.

PMID- 20310552
TI  - THE HOSPITAL AND WAR.

PMID- 20310553
TI  - THE MOMENT AND THE TELEPHONE.

PMID- 20310554
TI  - AN EXPERIMENT IN TYPHOID.

PMID- 20310556
TI  - HEROES AND HEROINES OF SCIENCE.

PMID- 20310555
TI  - Res Judicatae: PUBLIC HEALTH IN ONTARIO.

PMID- 20310557
TI  - ESSEX COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY.

PMID- 20310558
TI  - MONTREAL MEDICO-CHIRURGICAL SOCIETY.

PMID- 20310559
TI  - I-INTESTINAL STASIS.

PMID- 20310560
TI  - II-INTESTINAL STASIS.

PMID- 20310561
TI  - III-INTESTINAL STASIS.

PMID- 20310562
TI  - IV-INTESTINAL STASIS.

PMID- 20310563
TI  - V-INTESTINAL STASIS.

PMID- 20310564
TI  - VI-ILEAL STASIS.

PMID- 20310565
TI  - MEDICAL COUNCIL EXAMINATIONS.

PMID- 20310566
TI  - THE EARLY DIAGNOSIS AND PROGNOSIS OF PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS BY ROENTGEN METHODS.

PMID- 20310567
TI  - THE SUBCUTANEOUS INJECTION OF OXYGEN.

PMID- 20310569
TI  - INTESTINAL STASIS.

PMID- 20310568
TI  - Case Reports: OBSTRUCTION OF THE JEJUNUM TWO FEET FROM ITS ORIGIN.

PMID- 20310570
TI  - IMPERIAL RECIPROCITY.

PMID- 20310571
TI  - THE WAR AND THE WOUNDED.

PMID- 20310572
TI  - THE VANCOUVER MEETING.

PMID- 20310573
TI  - THE SELECTION OF ANAESTHETICS, SEQUENCES AND METHODS.

PMID- 20310574
TI  - CHLOROFORM ANAESTHESIA.

PMID- 20310575
TI  - X-RAY EVIDENCES OF GASTRIC CARCINOMA.

PMID- 20310576
TI  - THE COMPLEMENT FIXATION TEST IN GONORRHOEA.

PMID- 20310577
TI  - INJURIES OF THE FOOT: WITH A NEW METHOD OF REDUCING DISLOCATION OF THE BIG TOE.

PMID- 20310578
TI  - THE PRENATAL CARE OF OBSTETRIC CASES.

PMID- 20310579
TI  - Case Reports: TUBERCULOSIS OF THE SPLEEN.

PMID- 20310580
TI  - THE LATE PROFESSOR MINES.

PMID- 20310581
TI  - THE WOUNDED.

PMID- 20310582
TI  - A LETTER FROM THE FRONT.

PMID- 20310583
TI  - MEDICAL ASSISTANCE IN OUTLYING DISTRICTS.

PMID- 20310584
TI  - Res Judicatae: HEALTH, INSURANCE AND THE MEDICAL PROFESSION.

PMID- 20310585
TI  - CANADIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION: PUBLIC HEALTH SECTION.

PMID- 20310586
TI  - The Liver in its Relation to Operations on the Biliary Tract and the Stomach.

PMID- 20310587
TI  - Some Elementary Features of the X-ray Diagnosis of Gastric Carcinoma, Gastric
      Ulcer and Duodenal Ulcer.

PMID- 20310588
TI  - Congenital Dislocation of the Hip.

PMID- 20310589
TI  - Observations on a Sporothrix Bearing some Resemblance to the Sporothrix
      Beurmanni.

PMID- 20310590
TI  - Notes on Glaucoma.

PMID- 20310591
TI  - Carcinoma of the Breast in a Man with Apparently Healed Miliary Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20310592
TI  - A Chiropractical Joke.

PMID- 20310593
TI  - Appendicular Obstruction.

PMID- 20310594
TI  - Imperial Reciprocity.

PMID- 20310595
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20310596
TI  - Saving the Teeth.

PMID- 20310598
TI  - The Use of the Bone Graft in Surgery.

PMID- 20310597
TI  - "Pelvic Inflammation".

PMID- 20310599
TI  - Bone Wedging-A Method of Eliminating the Introduction of Foreign Materials in
      Open Operations on Fractures.

PMID- 20310600
TI  - Early Diagnosis of Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20310601
TI  - Septic Thrombo-Phlebitis of the Portal Vein, complicating Gangrenous
      Appendicitis.

PMID- 20310602
TI  - An Ideal Military Hospital.

PMID- 20310603
TI  - The Manufacture of Salvarsan in Canada.

PMID- 20310604
TI  - The Canadian Red Cross.

PMID- 20310605
TI  - Our Belgian Confreres.

PMID- 20310606
TI  - The Quebec Medical Board.

PMID- 20310607
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20310608
TI  - NO. 1 GENERAL HOSPITAL.

PMID- 20310609
TI  - TO INCREASE BRITISH TRADE.

PMID- 20310610
TI  - The War: Hospital Experiences in France.

PMID- 20310611
TI  - The Acute Abdomen: A Clinical Study.

PMID- 20310612
TI  - The Diagnosis and Treatment of Gastric and Duodenal Ulcers.

PMID- 20310613
TI  - The Involvement of the Central Nervous System in Symphilis.

PMID- 20310614
TI  - Pyelitis as a Complication of Pregnancy and the Puerperium.

PMID- 20310615
TI  - The Early Diagnosis of Gastric Carcinoma: A Comparison of Clinical and Roentgen
      Methods.

PMID- 20310616
TI  - The Boas-Oppler Bacillus (lactic acid bacillus), and the Diagnostic Importance of
      its Presence in the Gastric Contents.

PMID- 20310617
TI  - Artificial Pneumothorax in the Treatment of Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20310618
TI  - A Case of Extramedullary Angioma of the Spinal Cord.

PMID- 20310619
TI  - Venereal Prophylaxis among the Troops.

PMID- 20310620
TI  - Compulsory Inoculation.

PMID- 20310621
TI  - The Ambulance Construction Commission.

PMID- 20310622
TI  - Meningitis in Camps.

PMID- 20310623
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20310624
TI  - The Biological and other Blood Tests in the Law Courts.

PMID- 20310625
TI  - Boulogne in War Time.

PMID- 20310626
TI  - Artificial Pneumothorax in the Treatment of Phthisis: Part I.

PMID- 20310627
TI  - Vaccines in the Treatment of Bacterial Diseases of the Lungs Complicating
      Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Their Preparation.

PMID- 20310628
TI  - Blood Transfusion in Infants and Young Children.

PMID- 20310629
TI  - Notes on Some Dislocations.

PMID- 20310631
TI  - Civil Practice and Military Needs.

PMID- 20310630
TI  - The Curative Value of Tetanus Antitoxin.

PMID- 20310632
TI  - Clean Milk.

PMID- 20310633
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20310634
TI  - Professor Wesley Mills: Born, February 22nd, 1847 Dead, February 13th, 1915.

PMID- 20310635
TI  - War Notes, II.

PMID- 20310636
TI  - Artificial Pneumothorax in the Treatment of Phthisis: Part II.

PMID- 20310637
TI  - Uterine Haemorrhage at and after the Menopause.

PMID- 20310638
TI  - Some Sequelae of Antityphoid Inoculation.

PMID- 20310639
TI  - Juvenile Delinquency.

PMID- 20310641
TI  - The Postponement of the Meeting.

PMID- 20310640
TI  - Foetus in Foetu.

PMID- 20310642
TI  - The Association's Affairs.

PMID- 20310643
TI  - The New British Pharmacopeia.

PMID- 20310644
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20310645
TI  - Feeble-Mindedness and the State.

PMID- 20310646
TI  - Presidential Address.

PMID- 20310647
TI  - Prophylactic Inoculation Against Typhoid Fever in the Fourth Militia Divisional
      Area of Canada.

PMID- 20310648
TI  - Artificial Pneumothorax in the Treatment of Phthisis.

PMID- 20310649
TI  - On the Occurrence of Fluid Exudate in Cases of Lobar Pneumonia.

PMID- 20310650
TI  - A Case of Multiple Facetted Calculi of the Penile Urethra.

PMID- 20310651
TI  - The Meeting of the Association of American Physicians.

PMID- 20310652
TI  - The Use of Asphyxiating Gases.

PMID- 20310653
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20310654
TI  - Tuberculosis in Minnesota.

PMID- 20310655
TI  - A Letter from No. 1 General Hospital, C.E.F.

PMID- 20310656
TI  - On the Relation of Anatomical Structure and of Antagonism between Organs to
      Disease.

PMID- 20310657
TI  - Parenteral Digestion and Immunity.

PMID- 20310658
TI  - The Phenomena of Anaphylaxis and Allergy and their Relationship to Immunity.

PMID- 20310659
TI  - Prophylactic Use of Bacterial Vaccines.

PMID- 20310660
TI  - The Therapeutic Employment of Vaccines.

PMID- 20310661
TI  - Fat Metabolism and its Relation to Acidosis.

PMID- 20310662
TI  - A CASE OF HAEMORRHAGIC CHICKEN-POX.

PMID- 20310663
TI  - Patent Medicines and Infectious Diseases.

PMID- 20310664
TI  - Tuberculosis in Children.

PMID- 20310665
TI  - Determination of Sex.

PMID- 20310666
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20310667
TI  - The Pharmacology of Animal Extracts.

PMID- 20310668
TI  - Organo-therapy in Obstetrical and Gynaecological Practice.

PMID- 20310669
TI  - Animal Extracts in Surgery.

PMID- 20310670
TI  - Animal Extracts in Rhinology and Laryngology.

PMID- 20310671
TI  - Animal Extracts in Ophthalmology.

PMID- 20310673
TI  - Experimental gastro-enterostomy.

PMID- 20310672
TI  - Syphilis of the Heart and Aorta.

PMID- 20310674
TI  - A resume of the Evening Clinic for Diagnosis of Diseases of the Chest at the
      Boston City Hospital.

PMID- 20310676
TI  - Gastric Ulcer and Gastric Cancer.

PMID- 20310675
TI  - Series of Unusual Surgical Conditions.

PMID- 20310678
TI  - Editorial notes.

PMID- 20310677
TI  - A Question of priority.

PMID- 20310679
TI  - Res Judicatae: War Wounds-the Prevalence of Infection-Treatment.

PMID- 20310680
TI  - Correspondence from the Seat of War.

PMID- 20310681
TI  - Address on Surgery.

PMID- 20310682
TI  - Appendicitis: An Appreciation of the Ochsner Method.

PMID- 20310683
TI  - Bacteriology of Hodgkin's Disease: A Review.

PMID- 20310684
TI  - The Practical Value of a Knowledge of the Sympathetic and Autonomic Nervous
      System.

PMID- 20310685
TI  - Tissue Respiration in the Light of Recent Research.

PMID- 20310686
TI  - Foreign Body in OEsophagus.

PMID- 20310688
TI  - Twilight Sleep: the Dammerschlaf of the Germans.

PMID- 20310687
TI  - An Unusual Case of a Needle Lodged in the Duodenum.

PMID- 20310689
TI  - The Descriptive Catalogue of the Medical Museum of McGill University.

PMID- 20310690
TI  - On the Amount of Butter Fat in Ice Cream.

PMID- 20310691
TI  - Editorial notes.

PMID- 20310692
TI  - Correspondence: Butter Fat in Ice Cream.

PMID- 20310693
TI  - Canadian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20310694
TI  - Disabilities, including Injuries, caused by Bullets, Shrapnel, High Explosives,
      etc., as illustrated by cases examined before a medical board at Canadian
      Headquarters, Shorncliffe, England.

PMID- 20310696
TI  - A case of Large Celled Splenomegaly : (Gaucher type).

PMID- 20310695
TI  - Non-materialism in Medicine.

PMID- 20310697
TI  - The Subcutaneous Administration of Fluid in Acute and Subacute Conditions in
      Infancy.

PMID- 20310698
TI  - The Methods of Dealing with Tuberculosis in the Public Schools of Toronto.

PMID- 20310699
TI  - Cholaemic Haemorrhage.

PMID- 20310700
TI  - Typhoid Cholelithiasis and Cholecystitis.

PMID- 20310702
TI  - Egyptian Ophthalmia.

PMID- 20310701
TI  - Paul Ehrlich.

PMID- 20310703
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20310704
TI  - Correspondence from the seat of war: No. 3 Canadian General Hospital, McGill.

PMID- 20310705
TI  - Correspondence: The late Professor A. W. H. Lindsay, of Halifax.

PMID- 20310706
TI  - Canadian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20310707
TI  - The Prevention and Control of Cancer.

PMID- 20310708
TI  - The Medical Schools.

PMID- 20310709
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20310710
TI  - Res Judicandae: Work for the Aged Physicians.

PMID- 20310711
TI  - Correspondence From the Seat of War.

PMID- 20310712
TI  - Canadian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20310713
TI  - Medical Ideals in the Ancient World: The Opening Lecture of the 84th Session of
      the Medical Faculty of McGill University.

PMID- 20310714
TI  - Remarks on the Character and Treatment of Wounds in War.

PMID- 20310715
TI  - Delivery by Hysterotomy-Five Instances.

PMID- 20310716
TI  - Dyspnoea in Cardio-renal Disease.

PMID- 20310717
TI  - Acute OEdema of the Lungs.

PMID- 20310719
TI  - The Medical Profession and the War-The Cancer Problem.

PMID- 20310718
TI  - A Case of Severe Pharyngitis in Association with Erysipelas.

PMID- 20310720
TI  - Aids in the Diagnosis of Surgical Conditions of the Stomach with Especial
      Reference to the Characteristic x-ray appearance of the Syphilitic Hour-Glass in
      Contrast to those of Simple Ulcer and Cancer.

PMID- 20310721
TI  - Anti-typhoid Inoculation.

PMID- 20310722
TI  - Influenza Meningitis with Report of Two Cases.

PMID- 20310723
TI  - Clolelithiasis and Chronic Valvular Disease.

PMID- 20310724
TI  - Transfusion.

PMID- 20310725
TI  - The Ontario Commission.

PMID- 20310726
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20310727
TI  - The Medical Profession of Ontario versus The Irregular Practitioner.

PMID- 20310729
TI  - Canadian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20310728
TI  - Memorandum to Regimental Medical Officers, issued by Lieutenant-Colonel J. T.
      Fotheringham, A.D.M.S., Second Canadian Division.

PMID- 20310730
TI  - Presidential Address.

PMID- 20310731
TI  - Dermatology and the General Practitioner.

PMID- 20310732
TI  - Treatment of Squint.

PMID- 20310733
TI  - Static Joint Disease.

PMID- 20310734
TI  - Notes on Cortical Localization.

PMID- 20310735
TI  - Stab Wound of Liver.

PMID- 20310736
TI  - The "Carrier" Problem.

PMID- 20310737
TI  - Dr. Edward Livingstone Trudeau: A Tribute.

PMID- 20310738
TI  - Soldiers' Wives and Free Medical Treatment.

PMID- 20310739
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20310741
TI  - The Origin of the Naso-antral Polyp.

PMID- 20310740
TI  - Correspondence.

PMID- 20310742
TI  - Correspondence From the Seat of War.

PMID- 20310743
TI  - Canadian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20310744
TI  - Eclampsia.

PMID- 20310745
TI  - The Psycho-Neuroses: Observations Based Upon One Hundred Strongly Marked Cases
      Seen in Orthopedic Practice.

PMID- 20310746
TI  - Cystic Hygroma in an Infant.

PMID- 20310748
TI  - Canadian Military Hospitals.

PMID- 20310747
TI  - A Well-Deserved Honour.

PMID- 20310749
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20310750
TI  - Correspondence from the Seat of War.

PMID- 20310751
TI  - Ontario Medical Commission: Statement by the Authorities of the University of
      Toronto.

PMID- 20310752
TI  - Canadian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20310753
TI  - Twilight Sleep.

PMID- 20310754
TI  - Acupuncture the best means of Vaccination against Smallpox.

PMID- 20310755
TI  - Eyestrain.

PMID- 20310756
TI  - Science and Medicine.

PMID- 20310758
TI  - Pellagra.

PMID- 20310757
TI  - The Method of Examination and Results in Sight, Hearing and Colour Vision for one
      year on the Grand Trunk Railway System.

PMID- 20310759
TI  - Ruptured Tubal Pregnancy.

PMID- 20310760
TI  - Unusual Case of Eclampsia.

PMID- 20310761
TI  - The Halifax Military Commission.

PMID- 20310762
TI  - The problem of the Mental Defectives.

PMID- 20310763
TI  - Department of Public Health.

PMID- 20310764
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20310765
TI  - Canadian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20310766
TI  - Ontario Medical Commission.

PMID- 20310767
TI  - Effects of Wet and Cold: Trench Feet.

PMID- 20310768
TI  - Number One Canadian General Hospital as a part of the Canadian Medical
      Organization in France.

PMID- 20310769
TI  - Incidents in the Life of a Physician.

PMID- 20310770
TI  - A Panoramic Sketch.

PMID- 20310771
TI  - The Provincial Health Act: Its Merits and Defects.

PMID- 20310772
TI  - Paralysis from Fright.

PMID- 20310773
TI  - Cancer of the Stomach and Pellagra in the same Patient.

PMID- 20310775
TI  - Orthopaedic After-treatment of Canadian Wounded.

PMID- 20310774
TI  - Sarcoma of the Intestines in a Child Seven Years of Age.

PMID- 20310776
TI  - Trench Feet.

PMID- 20310777
TI  - Captain F. A. C. Scrimger.

PMID- 20310778
TI  - The Military Hospitals Commission.

PMID- 20310779
TI  - Special Summer Courses to Provide Early Graduation for Medical Students.

PMID- 20310781
TI  - Ontario Medical Association Meeting.

PMID- 20310780
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20310783
TI  - Report of the Royal Commission on Venereal Disease.

PMID- 20310782
TI  - Trench Nephritis.

PMID- 20310784
TI  - The Factor of Poverty in Sanitation.

PMID- 20310785
TI  - Correspondence from the Seat of War.

PMID- 20310786
TI  - Hospital Diets and their Relation to the Treatment of Certain Diseases.

PMID- 20310787
TI  - The Medical Beliefs and Superstitions of the Keltic Race.

PMID- 20310788
TI  - Prostatic Hypertrophy and Treatment by Suprapubic Prostatectomy.

PMID- 20310789
TI  - The Results of a Year's Work in the Treatment of Acute Appendicitis.

PMID- 20310791
TI  - Double Facial Paralysis.

PMID- 20310790
TI  - Amoebic Dysentery. Amoebic Abscess of the Liver.

PMID- 20310792
TI  - Hospital Dietetics.

PMID- 20310793
TI  - Canadian Medical Association.

PMID- 20310794
TI  - Social Service and Hospitals.

PMID- 20310795
TI  - Canadian Red Cross Society.

PMID- 20310796
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20310798
TI  - Canadian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20310797
TI  - The Relation of "Sanitation" to Death and Disease.

PMID- 20310799
TI  - Ontario Medical Association: Presidential address.

PMID- 20310800
TI  - Notes from the McGill General Hospital in France.

PMID- 20310801
TI  - Acute Mammary Carcinoma: (Volkmann's Mastitis Carcinimatosa).

PMID- 20310802
TI  - Suppurative Otitis Media.

PMID- 20310803
TI  - Dr. Edsall on the Study of the Respiration.

PMID- 20310804
TI  - The Congress of American Physicians and Surgeons.

PMID- 20310805
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20310807
TI  - Correspondence from the seat of war.

PMID- 20310808
TI  - Canadian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20310806
TI  - Report from the Laboratory of No. 3 Canadian General Hospital-McGill.

PMID- 20310809
TI  - Drugs and Medicinal Agents Considered from the Professional, Economic and
      National Standpoints.

PMID- 20310810
TI  - The Surgical Treatment of Gastric and Duodenal Ulcer.

PMID- 20310811
TI  - The Operative Treatment of Simple Fractures.

PMID- 20310812
TI  - Penetrating Gastric Ulcer with Specimen.

PMID- 20310813
TI  - The Association.

PMID- 20310814
TI  - Report of the Special Advisory Committee on Cerebro-Spinal Fever.

PMID- 20310815
TI  - Soldier's Heart and the Hampstead Hospital.

PMID- 20310816
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20310817
TI  - Canadian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20310819
TI  - Radiology.

PMID- 20310818
TI  - The Operative Treatment of Pyloric Obstruction in Infants.

PMID- 20310820
TI  - The Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus.

PMID- 20310822
TI  - Medical Work at a Base Hospital in France.

PMID- 20310821
TI  - The Colloidal Gold Test in Cerebro-Spinal Fluids.

PMID- 20310823
TI  - Meningococcus Meningitis.

PMID- 20310824
TI  - The Definite Treatment of Pneumonia: With a Report of the Germicidal Power of
      Quinine and other Cinchona Derivatives upon Pneumococcus Cultures in vitro.

PMID- 20310825
TI  - The Transthoracic Operation for Chronic Empyema and for Bronchiectasis.

PMID- 20310826
TI  - Blood Transfusion in Haemorrhage of the Newborn.

PMID- 20310827
TI  - Pruritis in Oral Sepsis.

PMID- 20310828
TI  - The Surgical Aspects of the Congress of American Physicians and Surgeons.

PMID- 20310829
TI  - The Lange Colloidal Gold Test.

PMID- 20310830
TI  - The Canadian Red Cross Society.

PMID- 20310831
TI  - Editorial notes.

PMID- 20310832
TI  - Res Judicatae: Can we keep Tonsils and Adenoids from becoming diseased?

PMID- 20310834
TI  - An Epidemic of Pneumococcus Infection.

PMID- 20310833
TI  - Canadian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20310835
TI  - A Brief Survey of Some Experiences in the Surgery of the Present War.

PMID- 20310837
TI  - The Field Ambulance and Its Organization.

PMID- 20310836
TI  - The Irritable Heart of Soldiers (Soldier's Heart).

PMID- 20310839
TI  - Colds Explained.

PMID- 20310838
TI  - Treatment of Diphtheria at the Alexandra Hospital, Montreal.

PMID- 20310840
TI  - War Surgery.

PMID- 20310841
TI  - Editorial notes.

PMID- 20310842
TI  - Retrospect of Literature.

PMID- 20310843
TI  - Presidential Address delivered before the Canadian Association for the Prevention
      of Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20310844
TI  - Presidential Address delivered before the New Brunswick Medical Society.

PMID- 20310846
TI  - Malignant OEdema.

PMID- 20310845
TI  - Psychogenetic Conditions.

PMID- 20310847
TI  - Epidemic Meningitis.

PMID- 20310848
TI  - Posture as an Aid to Treatment.

PMID- 20310849
TI  - Syphilis: Its Cause and Treatment.

PMID- 20310850
TI  - Appendico-vesical Fistula.

PMID- 20310851
TI  - 1. Bilharzias.

PMID- 20310852
TI  - 2. Sacrolization of Lumbar Vertebra.

PMID- 20310853
TI  - 3. Case Presented by Captain Collins, C.A.M.C.

PMID- 20310854
TI  - 4. Pyloric Ulcer.

PMID- 20310855
TI  - The Recent Epidemic of Poliomyelitis.

PMID- 20310856
TI  - The Tuberculous Soldier.

PMID- 20310858
TI  - The Clayton Convalescent Home.

PMID- 20310857
TI  - A Permanent Pensions Board.

PMID- 20310859
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20310860
TI  - Retrospect of Literature: Ulceromembranous Stomatitis and Gingivitis among
      Troops; Its Cause and Treatment.

PMID- 20310861
TI  - Considerations in the Diagnosis and Surgical Treatment of Gastric and Duodenal
      Ulcer.

PMID- 20310862
TI  - Five Clinical Cases showing Clinical Aspects of Primary and Secondary Syphilis.

PMID- 20310863
TI  - The Treatment of Soldiers Suffering from Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20310864
TI  - An Undeserved Reproach.

PMID- 20310865
TI  - Dr. Cameron on Homologous Twins.

PMID- 20310866
TI  - Vocational Training.

PMID- 20310868
TI  - Canadian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20310867
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20310869
TI  - Presidential Address delivered before the Alberta Medical Association.

PMID- 20310870
TI  - Some Observations on Epidemic Cerebro-spinal Meningitis.

PMID- 20310871
TI  - The Clinical Pathology of the Cerebro-spinal Fluid.

PMID- 20310873
TI  - The Mode of Origin of Homologous Twin Pregnancy and its Bearing on the Cell
      Theory.

PMID- 20310872
TI  - Some Cases of Syphilis of the Eye following Treatment by Salvarsan.

PMID- 20310874
TI  - Gunshot wounds of the present war.

PMID- 20310875
TI  - Internal secretions.

PMID- 20310876
TI  - Appendicitis.

PMID- 20310877
TI  - Earlier diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis.

PMID- 20310878
TI  - Notes on special work in a field ambulance.

PMID- 20310879
TI  - A case of shell shock.

PMID- 20310880
TI  - A foreign body in a tumour of the anterior abdominal wall.

PMID- 20310881
TI  - Pyosalpinx complicating ectopic gestation.

PMID- 20310882
TI  - The Association.

PMID- 20310883
TI  - The Canadian Medical Services.

PMID- 20310884
TI  - Medical Research and the War.

PMID- 20310885
TI  - Infantile Paralysis.

PMID- 20310886
TI  - Editorial notes.

PMID- 20310887
TI  - Canadian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20310888
TI  - Pyloric Stenosis in Infants.

PMID- 20310889
TI  - Tuberculosis often of Secondary Importance to other Pathological Conditions.

PMID- 20310890
TI  - Blood Transfusion.

PMID- 20310891
TI  - The Treatment and Management of Congenital Syphilis.

PMID- 20310892
TI  - The Modern Treatment of Syphilis.

PMID- 20310893
TI  - Anti-tuberculosis Work in a small city: "The visiting nurse".

PMID- 20310894
TI  - Fallacies in the Localization of Foreign Bodies by the x-Ray.

PMID- 20310895
TI  - On the Segregation Policy.

PMID- 20310896
TI  - Medical Inspection of Schools.

PMID- 20310897
TI  - Meeting of the Ontario Medical Association.

PMID- 20310898
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20310899
TI  - The Montreal Meeting.

PMID- 20310900
TI  - Correspondence.

PMID- 20310901
TI  - Canadian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20310902
TI  - Some Clinical Aspects of Acute Anterior Poliomyelitis.

PMID- 20310903
TI  - Poliomyelitis as seen by the Surgeon.

PMID- 20310904
TI  - The Advantages of Early Sanatorium Treatment.

PMID- 20310905
TI  - Dislocations of the Spine.

PMID- 20310906
TI  - Hay Fever.

PMID- 20310907
TI  - Diabetes Mellitus in a Child of Three.

PMID- 20310909
TI  - The Special Board of Enquiry.

PMID- 20310908
TI  - Infantile Eczema and Status Lymphaticus.

PMID- 20310911
TI  - The Care of the Soldier's Teeth.

PMID- 20310910
TI  - An Appeal to the Profession.

PMID- 20310912
TI  - Paratyphoid.

PMID- 20310913
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20310914
TI  - Report of the Board of Enquiry.

PMID- 20310915
TI  - The Montreal Meeting.

PMID- 20310916
TI  - Paratyphoid in the Army at the Dardanelles.

PMID- 20310917
TI  - Functional Reeducation and Vocational Training of Soldiers disabled in War.

PMID- 20310918
TI  - Sphagnum Moss for Use as a Surgical Dressing; Its Collection, Preparation and
      other Details.

PMID- 20310919
TI  - End results of the various Disabilities of the Returned Soldier.

PMID- 20310920
TI  - The Treatment of Syphilis: Its effect upon the Wassermann Test using high
      Dilutions of Serum. A priliminary note.

PMID- 20310921
TI  - The Medical Treatment of Obstetric Cases.

PMID- 20310922
TI  - A Satisfactory Method of obtaining Blood for Diagnostic purposes in Infancy, with
      a Preliminary Report on Longitudinal Sinus Transfusion.

PMID- 20310923
TI  - Newer Views on Ventilation.

PMID- 20310924
TI  - The Ability of Mothers to Nurse their Infants.

PMID- 20310926
TI  - The Marlow Medical Report.

PMID- 20310925
TI  - Returned Invalid Soldiers.

PMID- 20310927
TI  - "The R. P. Campbell Memorial Fund".

PMID- 20310928
TI  - The Antitoxin Laboratory of the University of Toronto.

PMID- 20310929
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20310930
TI  - The Montreal Meeting.

PMID- 20310931
TI  - Canadian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20310932
TI  - War Nephritis.

PMID- 20310933
TI  - Abdominal Wounds as seen at a Casualty Clearing Station.

PMID- 20310934
TI  - Notes on War Surgery.

PMID- 20310935
TI  - Subacute Combined Sclerosis.

PMID- 20310936
TI  - Duodenal Ulcers in Infancy.

PMID- 20310937
TI  - On Oleomargarine.

PMID- 20310938
TI  - Flavine and Brilliant Green.

PMID- 20310939
TI  - The "American Review of Tuberculosis".

PMID- 20310940
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20310941
TI  - Returned Soldiers and the Medical Profession.

PMID- 20310942
TI  - Canadian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20310943
TI  - Remote Symptoms from Lesions of the Prostate and Deep Urethra.

PMID- 20310944
TI  - Diagnosis of Tumours in the Upper Zone of the Abdomen.

PMID- 20310945
TI  - The Acute Abdomen.

PMID- 20310946
TI  - Nitrous Oxide-Oxygen Analgesia and Anaesthesia in Obstetrics.

PMID- 20310947
TI  - An Analysis of Three Thousand Cases of Obstetrics.

PMID- 20310948
TI  - Heliotherapy in Abdominal Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20310950
TI  - Transfusion in Ruptured Ectopic Pregnancy.

PMID- 20310949
TI  - A Short Discussion of some Phases of Gastric and Duodenal Ulcers with report of
      cases.

PMID- 20310952
TI  - Nitrous Oxide-Oxygen Analgesia in Obstetrics.

PMID- 20310951
TI  - Heliotherapy.

PMID- 20310953
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20310954
TI  - Canadian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20310955
TI  - Diabetes Associated with Haemochromatosis.

PMID- 20310956
TI  - The Modern Laboratory Investigation of a Nephritic.

PMID- 20310957
TI  - Fractures of the Skull from a Neurological Standpoint.

PMID- 20310958
TI  - Finch and Baines-A Seventeenth Century Friendship.

PMID- 20310959
TI  - The Activities of a Provincial Association.

PMID- 20310961
TI  - Editorial notes.

PMID- 20310960
TI  - A Federal Department of Public Health.

PMID- 20310962
TI  - Canadian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20310963
TI  - Presidential Address delivered before the Canadian Medical Association.

PMID- 20310964
TI  - Address in Medicine. Slight variations from normal structure and function, and
      their clinical significance.

PMID- 20310966
TI  - Pyelitis.

PMID- 20310965
TI  - The Corpus Callosum-A morphological and clinical study.

PMID- 20310967
TI  - Suggestions for a further Classification of cases of so-called Shell Shock.

PMID- 20310968
TI  - Fragilitas Ossium, with report of a case.

PMID- 20310969
TI  - Traumatic extra-peritoneal Rupture of the Bladder with Fracture of the Pelvis.

PMID- 20310970
TI  - The President's Address.

PMID- 20310971
TI  - The Address in Medicine.

PMID- 20310972
TI  - A Canadian Cavendish Lecturer.

PMID- 20310973
TI  - Sir William C. Macdonald.

PMID- 20310974
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20310975
TI  - Canadian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20310976
TI  - Address in Surgery. Past and Present.

PMID- 20310977
TI  - Public Address in State Medicine. The modern conception of Public Health
      Administration and its National Importance.

PMID- 20310978
TI  - A Study of certain Psychogenetic conditions among Soldiers.

PMID- 20310979
TI  - Discussion of certain Borderline Problems.

PMID- 20310980
TI  - The Montreal Meeting.

PMID- 20310981
TI  - The Address in Surgery.

PMID- 20310982
TI  - Modern conception of Public Health Administration.

PMID- 20310983
TI  - University Hospital Units.

PMID- 20310984
TI  - The Venereal Disease Problem.

PMID- 20310985
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20310987
TI  - Canadian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20310986
TI  - Letter from Lieutenant-Colonel G. E. Armstrong, C.A.M.C.

PMID- 20310988
TI  - Anaesthesia from commercial ether-administration and what it is due to.

PMID- 20310989
TI  - Shrapnel Balls. Their x-ray characteristics, compared with bullets and other
      foreign bodies.

PMID- 20310990
TI  - The radical cure of inguinal hernia.

PMID- 20310991
TI  - An unusual form of subconjunctival cyst.

PMID- 20310992
TI  - Complications of mastoiditis.

PMID- 20310993
TI  - Medical education in Japan.

PMID- 20310995
TI  - Ozena among the various races of the earth.

PMID- 20310994
TI  - Helping to solve a prairie problem: How the People of the Western Provinces are
      endeavouring to Provide Hospital Accommodation for their Rural Sick.

PMID- 20310996
TI  - Bacteriuria in some chronic diseases with special reference to intestinal stasis.

PMID- 20310997
TI  - A report of the spring-balance muscle tests as devised by Lovett.

PMID- 20310998
TI  - Case of Vaquez's disease.

PMID- 20310999
TI  - Fracture in utero; pregnancy in bicornuate uterus; typhoid fever.

PMID- 20311000
TI  - The organization of provincial associations.

PMID- 20311001
TI  - Doctor Cotton's paper on the causation of ether anaeathesia.

PMID- 20311002
TI  - Editorial notes.

PMID- 20311003
TI  - Correspondence.

PMID- 20311004
TI  - Candian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20311005
TI  - From the Vague to the Concrete in Science and Medicine.

PMID- 20311006
TI  - Sanitary Records of Houses.

PMID- 20311008
TI  - Hysteria in the Male.

PMID- 20311007
TI  - The Care and Treatment of Mental Defectives.

PMID- 20311009
TI  - A Short Series of Cases of Carcinoma of the Cervix Uteri.

PMID- 20311010
TI  - The Deficiency Diseases of Infancy and Childhood.

PMID- 20311011
TI  - Case Reports of Kidney Specimens presented before the Montreal Medico-Chirurgical
      Society, March 30th, 1917.

PMID- 20311012
TI  - An Antitoxin for Gas Gangrene.

PMID- 20311013
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20311015
TI  - Symposium on Suppurative Conditions in the Lower Respiratory Tract: Surgical
      Aspects.

PMID- 20311014
TI  - Correspondence.

PMID- 20311016
TI  - Symposium on Suppurative Conditions in the Lower Respiratory Tract:
      Roentgenological Aspects.

PMID- 20311017
TI  - The Canadian Medical Profession and the War.

PMID- 20311018
TI  - Revere Osler.

PMID- 20311019
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20311020
TI  - Res Judicandae: Arthropod Parasites Suggested as a Factor in the AEtiology of
      Soldier's Heart and Allied War Diseases.

PMID- 20311021
TI  - Canadian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20311022
TI  - Presidential Address. Academy of Medicine, Toronto.

PMID- 20311023
TI  - The Technique of Nerve Suture.

PMID- 20311024
TI  - Symposium on Suppurative Conditions in the Lower Respiratory Tract: Medical
      Aspects.

PMID- 20311025
TI  - The treatment of nerve, muscle, and joint injuries in soldiers by physical means.

PMID- 20311026
TI  - The use of Epsom salts, historically considered.

PMID- 20311027
TI  - On the modern methods of the treatment of fractures.

PMID- 20311028
TI  - Some common foot conditions and their treatment.

PMID- 20311029
TI  - Cyclic vomiting in relation to acid intoxication.

PMID- 20311030
TI  - Foci of infection in the tonsils.

PMID- 20311031
TI  - Notes on the treatment of bacillary dysentery.

PMID- 20311033
TI  - The physical reeducation of disabled soldiers.

PMID- 20311032
TI  - Primary asthma in a pregnant multipara.

PMID- 20311034
TI  - Vocational reeducation of returned soldiers.

PMID- 20311035
TI  - German drugs and medicinal agents and the Canadian market.

PMID- 20311037
TI  - Editorial notes.

PMID- 20311036
TI  - The Connaught Laboratories.

PMID- 20311038
TI  - Correspondence. Letter from the Synthetic Drug Company, Toronto.

PMID- 20311039
TI  - Canadian Literature.

PMID- 20311040
TI  - Vocational training in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis.

PMID- 20311041
TI  - The effects of gassing as seen at a Casualty Clearing Station.

PMID- 20311042
TI  - On the modification in the strength of the Bordet-Wassermann test during the
      treatment of syphilis.

PMID- 20311043
TI  - Empyema cavities.

PMID- 20311044
TI  - Home treatment of tuberculosis.

PMID- 20311045
TI  - Purpuric Measles.

PMID- 20311046
TI  - The need of an army medical museum as part of the Army Medical Service.

PMID- 20311047
TI  - The great war exhibit at the Royal College of Surgeons.

PMID- 20311049
TI  - Editorial notes.

PMID- 20311048
TI  - Appointment of A.D.M.S. Invalids.

PMID- 20311050
TI  - The Halifar Disaster.

PMID- 20311051
TI  - The medical week in Hamilton.

PMID- 20311052
TI  - The War: Extracts from letter written by Captain G. Shanks, No. 1 British General
      Hospital in Mesopotamia.

PMID- 20311054
TI  - Canadian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20311053
TI  - Diagnosis of renal tuberculosis, from the Department of Urology, Royal Victoria
      Hospital, Montreal.

PMID- 20311055
TI  - Suprapubic prostatectomy.

PMID- 20311056
TI  - The surgical treatment of pernicious anaemia.

PMID- 20311057
TI  - Minor infections and quarantine: Presidential address was given by Dr. Lincoln in
      1917.

PMID- 20311058
TI  - How a medical health officer can become a cooperative social force in rural
      districts.

PMID- 20311059
TI  - Development of haemorrhagic disease following injury to the liver.

PMID- 20311060
TI  - Anthrax of face.

PMID- 20311061
TI  - Dr. Theodore C. Janeway.

PMID- 20311062
TI  - Reporting of accidents from local anaesthetics.

PMID- 20311063
TI  - War nephritis.

PMID- 20311064
TI  - New Year's Honours to Sir Andrew Macphail and other Canadians.

PMID- 20311065
TI  - Editorial notes.

PMID- 20311066
TI  - Medical week in Hamilton.

PMID- 20311068
TI  - Canadian literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20311067
TI  - Correspondence: Reporting accidents from local anaesthetics.

PMID- 20311069
TI  - Anthrax in man with a report of two cases.

PMID- 20311070
TI  - The danger of the external use of wood alcohol.

PMID- 20311071
TI  - A brief consideration of the static labyrinth and ear tests for aviators.

PMID- 20311072
TI  - A clinical report on one hundred and thirty-one cases treated by artificial
      pneumothorax.

PMID- 20311074
TI  - Duct papilloma and duct carcinoma of the breast.

PMID- 20311073
TI  - The after-history of war nephritis War nephritics invalided to England.

PMID- 20311075
TI  - Rupture of intestines by blows upon abdomen.

PMID- 20311076
TI  - Traumatic rupture of the jejunum: Operation-Recovery.

PMID- 20311077
TI  - Report of six cases of tonsillectomy in diphtheria carriers.

PMID- 20311078
TI  - Repair of nose by transferred flap operation with included bonegraft.

PMID- 20311079
TI  - Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, B.A., M.B., M.R.C.P.

PMID- 20311080
TI  - Editorial notes.

PMID- 20311082
TI  - Montreal Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 20311081
TI  - Canadian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20311084
TI  - Notes from a Canadian Hospital in the Near East.

PMID- 20311083
TI  - Modern conceptions of certain immunity reactions and their practical bearing.

PMID- 20311085
TI  - An experience through the Halifax disaster.

PMID- 20311086
TI  - Analysis of clinical types of puerperal fever with special reference to prognosis
      and treatment.

PMID- 20311087
TI  - The essentials of success in prostatic surgery.

PMID- 20311088
TI  - The establishment of a federal bureau of health.

PMID- 20311090
TI  - Mercury poisoning with anaphylactic phenomena and fatal issue fifty-two days
      later.

PMID- 20311091
TI  - A case of rheumatic fever with purpura, oedema of the glottis, etc.

PMID- 20311089
TI  - Two cases of sinus thrombosis and jugular resection.

PMID- 20311092
TI  - Legislation for protection against venereal disease.

PMID- 20311093
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20311094
TI  - Canadian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20311095
TI  - Pancreatic cysts.

PMID- 20311097
TI  - Note on the handling and after history of heart affections in soldiers.

PMID- 20311096
TI  - Cholecystectomy-a useful technique.

PMID- 20311098
TI  - The diagnosis of disseminated sclerosis.

PMID- 20311099
TI  - Tuberculin, its nature and action.

PMID- 20311100
TI  - The cutaneous manifestations of syphilis.

PMID- 20311101
TI  - The teaching of hygiene.

PMID- 20311103
TI  - The invalided soldiers' commission and the new department of soldiers
      reestablishment.

PMID- 20311102
TI  - Ruptured ectopic-blood transfusion and pulmonary embolism.

PMID- 20311104
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20311105
TI  - Canadian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20311106
TI  - Montreal Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 20311107
TI  - Presidential Address delivered before the Ontario Medical Association: Medicine
      and Democracy.

PMID- 20311108
TI  - The determination of basal metabolism by the "Respiratory-valve and spirometer
      method" of indirect calorimetry, with an observation on a case of polycythemia
      with splenomegaly.

PMID- 20311109
TI  - Protein milk-its composition, preparation and application in the treatment of
      digestive disturbances.

PMID- 20311110
TI  - Malaria in the army.

PMID- 20311111
TI  - Pulmonary Abscesses.

PMID- 20311112
TI  - Two cases of dermoid tumours complicating pregnancy, with operation.

PMID- 20311113
TI  - The origin, organization and scope of the Canadian National Committee for Mental
      Hygiene.

PMID- 20311115
TI  - Medicine and Democracy.

PMID- 20311114
TI  - Personnel of Committee.

PMID- 20311117
TI  - Canadian National Committee for Mental Hygiene.

PMID- 20311116
TI  - Association of American physicians.

PMID- 20311118
TI  - The admission of women to the study of medicine and allied subjects at McGill
      University.

PMID- 20311119
TI  - The report of the commission upon medical education in Ontario.

PMID- 20311120
TI  - Social service department at McGill.

PMID- 20311121
TI  - Editorial notes.

PMID- 20311122
TI  - Special announcement from McGill Graduates' Society re department of social
      service.

PMID- 20311123
TI  - Canadian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20311124
TI  - No. 1 Canadian General Hospital Clinical Society.

PMID- 20311125
TI  - Address in medicine. On the Significance of "Heart Murmurs" that may be found on
      Examination of Candidates for Military Service.

PMID- 20311126
TI  - Duodeno-jejunostomy, its Indications and Technique.

PMID- 20311127
TI  - The Diagnosis of Inflammations of the Uveal Tract of Systemic Origin.

PMID- 20311128
TI  - The Disease Ozaena.

PMID- 20311129
TI  - Vesical Symptoms in Renal Disease. A Preliminary Report from the Department of
      Urology Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal.

PMID- 20311130
TI  - Abdominal Surgery as a Factor in the Treatment of Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20311131
TI  - Report of the Special Clinic for the Treatment of Syphilis, Toronto General
      Hospital.

PMID- 20311132
TI  - Treatment of Syphilis. Report of Special Clinic for Syphilis, Toronto General
      Hospital.

PMID- 20311133
TI  - The Mental Hygiene Movement.

PMID- 20311134
TI  - Some Notes on the Formation of the Canadian National Committee for Mental
      Hygiene.

PMID- 20311135
TI  - The new Director-General of Medical Services to the British forces in France.

PMID- 20311137
TI  - Municipal Hospitals.

PMID- 20311136
TI  - The Re-education of the Returned Doctor.

PMID- 20311138
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20311139
TI  - Resolutions.

PMID- 20311140
TI  - Psychogenetic Conditions in Soldiers, their AEtiology, Treatment and final
      Disposal.

PMID- 20311141
TI  - Chirurgico - Orthopaedic Observations and the Moral Treatment of the Wounded Man.

PMID- 20311142
TI  - The Surgery of Nerve Injury.

PMID- 20311143
TI  - On the Role of Physiotherapy in the Treatment of the Returned Soldier.

PMID- 20311144
TI  - Industrial Rehabilitation.

PMID- 20311145
TI  - The present Position of Vaccine Therapy.

PMID- 20311146
TI  - Some Observations in Respect to Public Health.

PMID- 20311147
TI  - Blindness of the Newborn-A preventable Disease.

PMID- 20311148
TI  - A Question of Diagnosis.

PMID- 20311149
TI  - The Hospital Ship Llandovery Castle.

PMID- 20311150
TI  - The Air Force and the Medical Service.

PMID- 20311151
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20311152
TI  - THE ASSOCIATION.

PMID- 20311153
TI  - Report of the Ontario Medical Council in Relation to the Ontario Temperance Act.

PMID- 20311154
TI  - Appreciation of Sir John Rickman Godlee's Life of Lord Lister.

PMID- 20311156
TI  - Canadian Literature: Original Contributions.

PMID- 20311155
TI  - No. 1 Canadian General Hospital Clinical Society.

PMID- 20311157
TI  - Combined Inquiry into the Presence of Diphtheria and Diphtheroid Bacilli in Open
      Wounds.

PMID- 20311158
TI  - The Cancer Problem.

PMID- 20311159
TI  - The Sociologic and Economic Aspects of Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20311160
TI  - The Returned Soldier.

PMID- 20311162
TI  - Cerebro-Spinal Syphilis.

PMID- 20311161
TI  - The Treatment of Infected Wounds with Dichloramine-T with special Reference to
      its Advantages over the Carrol-Dakin Method.

PMID- 20311163
TI  - Synopsis of the Venereal Diseases Prevention Act.

PMID- 20311164
TI  - The Nursing Crisis.

PMID- 20311165
TI  - Dr. Emmanuel Persillier Lachapelle.

PMID- 20311166
TI  - MEDICAL ATTENDANCE ON DISCHARGED SOLDIERS.

PMID- 20311167
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20311168
TI  - No. 1 Canadian General Hospital Clinical Society.

PMID- 20311169
TI  - Physiology of the Intracranial Circulation.

PMID- 20311170
TI  - Intracranial Pressure.

PMID- 20311171
TI  - The Surgical Relief of Increased Intracranial Pressure.

PMID- 20311172
TI  - Acute Endo-Carditis in Pregnancy.

PMID- 20311173
TI  - The Training of the Surgeon.

PMID- 20311174
TI  - Botulism.

PMID- 20311175
TI  - The After-Effects of Wounds of the Chest and their Treatment.

PMID- 20311177
TI  - The Need for Conscription of Canadian Doctors.

PMID- 20311176
TI  - Medical Inspection of School Children.

PMID- 20311178
TI  - Terminal Disinfection.

PMID- 20311179
TI  - Why Federal Legislation is Necessary in order that Venereal Diseases may be
      effectively dealt with in Canada.

PMID- 20311180
TI  - Advantages of the Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Syphilis.

PMID- 20311182
TI  - The Present Epidemic.

PMID- 20311181
TI  - The Prevention of War Neuroses.

PMID- 20311183
TI  - The Treatment of Wounds.

PMID- 20311184
TI  - Letter from British Medical Association, E. Melbourne, Australia.

PMID- 20311185
TI  - Letter from Lieutenant-Colonel.

PMID- 20311186
TI  - The Alberta Medical Association.

PMID- 20311187
TI  - Treatment of Four Hundred and Twenty Infected Wounds under Battle Conditions
      arriving on the Average of Fifty-Eight and one-third Hours after Injury, without
      previous Surgical Treatment.

PMID- 20311188
TI  - Meckel's Diverticulum-Report of Cases causing Intestinal Obstruction.

PMID- 20311189
TI  - A Study of Four Hundred and Fifty Cases of Wounds of the Chest, with special
      Reference to a new Method of Treatment for Infected Haemothorax.

PMID- 20311190
TI  - Mouth Infection as a Source of Systemic Disease.

PMID- 20311191
TI  - Presidential Address on "Preventive Medicine".

PMID- 20311193
TI  - Diagrams for showing limitation of movements through joints, as used by the Board
      of Pensions Commissioners for Canada.

PMID- 20311192
TI  - A report on the effect of high carbohydrate feeding on the nausea and vomiting of
      pregnancy.

PMID- 20311194
TI  - How to provide effective health administration in small (rural) municipalities.

PMID- 20311195
TI  - Disinfection after communicable disease.

PMID- 20311196
TI  - The control of influenza in Ontario.

PMID- 20311197
TI  - The epidemic of influenza.

PMID- 20311198
TI  - Polya's method of anastomosing the proximal gastric stump with the jejunum.

PMID- 20311199
TI  - A short note on irregularities of the heart, in association with visceroptosis.

PMID- 20311200
TI  - Brief case reports from the ear, nose and throat clinics of the Western Hospital,
      Montreal.

PMID- 20311201
TI  - NOTES ON TWO CASES OF PECULIAR MEDICAL INTEREST: I. Syphilitic Aortic
      Insufficiency II. Cerebro-spinal Fever Supervening Upon (?) Erythema Nodosum.

PMID- 20311203
TI  - A federal department of health.

PMID- 20311202
TI  - AN UNUSUAL PSYCHONEUROSIS OF WAR: FUNCTIONAL LOSS OF THE SENSE OF SMELL.

PMID- 20311204
TI  - Montreal Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 20311205
TI  - War Activities in Medicine and Surgery: The Address of the President, Academy of
      Medicine, Toronto.

PMID- 20311206
TI  - Liquid-Tight Closure and the Treatment of Infected Wounds.

PMID- 20311207
TI  - The Pensionability of the Disabled Soldier.

PMID- 20311208
TI  - Medical Services of the Department of Soldiers' Civil Re-Establishment.

PMID- 20311209
TI  - Preliminary Report on Influenza Epidemic at Bramshott in September-October, 1918.

PMID- 20311210
TI  - The Work of a Stationery Hospital in the Field.

PMID- 20311211
TI  - Auto-Serum Treatment of Chorea.

PMID- 20311212
TI  - Trinitrotoluene Poisoning.

PMID- 20311213
TI  - Physiology at the Bedside.

PMID- 20311214
TI  - A National Reserve Organization for Civic Emergencies.

PMID- 20311215
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20311216
TI  - The Quebec Meeting.

PMID- 20311217
TI  - Letter from Lieutenant-Colonel W. T. Connell, A.M.C.

PMID- 20311218
TI  - Some aspects of military ophthalmology.

PMID- 20311219
TI  - Administration of arsenic in syphilis.

PMID- 20311220
TI  - Venereal Diseases; their treatment and cure.

PMID- 20311221
TI  - Artificial pneumothorax in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis.

PMID- 20311222
TI  - The eyesight of the negroes of Africa.

PMID- 20311223
TI  - Clinical notes on the influenza epidemic occurring in the Quebec garrison.

PMID- 20311224
TI  - Pleurisy: Experimental and Clinical.

PMID- 20311226
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20311225
TI  - War-trained specialists for the Board of Pensions.

PMID- 20311227
TI  - A clinical study of four hundred patients with bronchial asthma.

PMID- 20311228
TI  - Clinical Observations on the early stages of trench nephritis.

PMID- 20311229
TI  - The economic effects of disablements.

PMID- 20311230
TI  - The role of the thymus gland in exophthalmic goitre.

PMID- 20311231
TI  - Man's place in nature.

PMID- 20311232
TI  - The return of the army medical officer.

PMID- 20311234
TI  - Influenza and vaccination.

PMID- 20311233
TI  - Prostatic massage.

PMID- 20311235
TI  - Tuberculosis as a causative factor in disordered action of the heart: With
      Observation upon the Subcutaneous Tuberculin Reaction in Three Hundred Unselected
      Cases of Disordered Action of the Heart.

PMID- 20311236
TI  - The Use of x-rays in gastro-intestinal diagnosis.

PMID- 20311237
TI  - Hospital treatment of summer diarrhoea.

PMID- 20311238
TI  - Hypernephroma and renal cancers.

PMID- 20311239
TI  - Congenital bilateral anophthalmos.

PMID- 20311240
TI  - Pensions to be awarded by the districts.

PMID- 20311241
TI  - Demobilization of the medical officers.

PMID- 20311242
TI  - The fraternal societies and tuberculosis.

PMID- 20311243
TI  - Editorial notes.

PMID- 20311244
TI  - Letter from the president.

PMID- 20311245
TI  - The Policy of the Ostrich.

PMID- 20311246
TI  - Simple Goitre.

PMID- 20311247
TI  - Venereal Diseases from the Preventive Aspects.

PMID- 20311248
TI  - Causes and Consequences of Disturbances of Respiratory Rate and Rhythm.

PMID- 20311249
TI  - A Report of two Cases of Spina Bifida.

PMID- 20311250
TI  - The Diagnostic Value of the X-Ray Examination in Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20311251
TI  - Anatomical and Bacteriological Findings in the recent Epidemic Pneumonia.

PMID- 20311252
TI  - So-Called Trench Mouth and other Manifestations of Vincent's Disease as a
      spreading Infection in Canada.

PMID- 20311253
TI  - Official Report on Influenza Epidemic, 1918.

PMID- 20311254
TI  - Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons on Hospital Standardization. The
      Importance of Case Records.

PMID- 20311255
TI  - A Federal Department of Health.

PMID- 20311256
TI  - House of Commons Medical Committee.

PMID- 20311257
TI  - The Free Public Hospital Movement.

PMID- 20311258
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20311259
TI  - The Quebec Meeting.

PMID- 20311260
TI  - Recent Work on the Chemistry of the Blood and Urine.

PMID- 20311261
TI  - The Influence of the War on Surgery, Civil and Military.

PMID- 20311262
TI  - Exophthalmic Goitre.

PMID- 20311263
TI  - Actinomycotic Infection-with Case Reports.

PMID- 20311264
TI  - The Recent Epidemic of Pneumonia-Bedside Findings and some Inferences.

PMID- 20311265
TI  - Terminology of Military Reports.

PMID- 20311267
TI  - A Further Report upon Diphtheroid Infection of Wounds, with a Note upon the
      Frequency of Diphtheroid Bacilli in Cases of Urethritis and Prostatitis.

PMID- 20311266
TI  - Induction of Labour.

PMID- 20311269
TI  - Post-Graduate Courses for Medical Officers.

PMID- 20311268
TI  - Proposed Revision of the Constitution and By-Laws of the Association.

PMID- 20311270
TI  - The Differentiation of Early Tuberculosis and Hyperthyroidism by Means of the
      Adrenalin Test.

PMID- 20311271
TI  - Typhoid Spine.

PMID- 20311272
TI  - A Functional Conception of Pathology as a Basis for the Diagnosis and Treatment
      of Heart Disease.

PMID- 20311273
TI  - The Use of a Vaccine in the recent Epidemic of Influenza.

PMID- 20311274
TI  - Protein Milk Powder.

PMID- 20311275
TI  - Intestinal Obstruction and its Relation to the General Practitioner.

PMID- 20311277
TI  - The Report of the Manitoba Welfare Commission.

PMID- 20311276
TI  - Arthrodesis of the Hip Joint and its Indications.

PMID- 20311278
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20311279
TI  - Annual Address of the President of the Ontario Medical Association.

PMID- 20311280
TI  - The Albuminuria of Pregnancy.

PMID- 20311281
TI  - Focal Infection and Chronic Urticaria.

PMID- 20311282
TI  - Auricular Flutter and its Treatment.

PMID- 20311283
TI  - Notes on Diagnosis in Affections of the Urinary Tract.

PMID- 20311284
TI  - The Application of Rutherford Morison's Technique of Wound Treatment to Civil
      Surgery.

PMID- 20311285
TI  - Preliminary Report on the Reconstruction of the Circulation of the Liver,
      Placenta and Lung in Health and Disease.

PMID- 20311286
TI  - Radical Cure of Hernia.

PMID- 20311287
TI  - Living Case: Stricture of the OEsophagus in a Child.

PMID- 20311288
TI  - Congenital Malformation in Scrotum; Two Testes and Uterus in Right Portion of
      Scrotum.

PMID- 20311289
TI  - The Canadian Public Health Association.

PMID- 20311290
TI  - Post-Graduate Work in Great Britain.

PMID- 20311291
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20311292
TI  - Presidential Address.

PMID- 20311293
TI  - The Contribution of the Hospital to the Surgery of To-day: Address in Surgery.

PMID- 20311294
TI  - Report on Cinematic Amputations Based on a Visit to Putti's Military Clinic in
      Bologna, Italy.

PMID- 20311295
TI  - Notes from the Service for Wounds of the Chest.

PMID- 20311296
TI  - Canadian Doctors and Un-canadian Diseases.

PMID- 20311297
TI  - Glycosuria in Pregnancy.

PMID- 20311298
TI  - Vital Statistics-What They Teach.

PMID- 20311300
TI  - Death Rate Above Age of Forty.

PMID- 20311299
TI  - The Nervous Conditions Associated with Influenza.

PMID- 20311302
TI  - The Presidential Address.

PMID- 20311301
TI  - Congress of American Physicians and Surgeons.

PMID- 20311303
TI  - The Address in Surgery.

PMID- 20311304
TI  - Cinematic Amputations.

PMID- 20311305
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20311306
TI  - Laennec-One Hundred Years After. Address in Medicine.

PMID- 20311307
TI  - Sanitation in War: Address in Public Health.

PMID- 20311308
TI  - The Physical Census.

PMID- 20311309
TI  - A Provincial Ministry of Health.

PMID- 20311310
TI  - Anti-tuberculosis Leagues in the Districts of Sanitary Inspection.

PMID- 20311311
TI  - Tuberculosis Hospitals and Dispensaries.

PMID- 20311312
TI  - Some Danger Signals in Cardiovascular Disease.

PMID- 20311313
TI  - THE ADDRESS IN MEDICINE.

PMID- 20311314
TI  - The Address in Public Health.

PMID- 20311315
TI  - The Deputy Health Minister.

PMID- 20311316
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20311317
TI  - Letter from A. B. Macallum.

PMID- 20311318
TI  - The Medical Society of Nova Scotia.

PMID- 20311319
TI  - Presidential Address.

PMID- 20311320
TI  - Cardiac Disease with extensive Venous and Cardiac Thrombosis.

PMID- 20311321
TI  - Observations on Flying Sickness, with special Reference to its Diagnosis.

PMID- 20311322
TI  - The Care Of Military Mental Cases.

PMID- 20311323
TI  - Shakespeare as a guide in the Art and Practice of Medicine.

PMID- 20311324
TI  - Treatment Of Burns By Tincture Of Iodine.

PMID- 20311325
TI  - Cranioplasty.

PMID- 20311326
TI  - On Backward Displacements of the Uterus.

PMID- 20311327
TI  - A New Start.

PMID- 20311328
TI  - A Military Psychopathic Hospital.

PMID- 20311329
TI  - Wax Models for the National War Museum.

PMID- 20311330
TI  - The Resolutions Passed at the Quebec Meeting.

PMID- 20311331
TI  - Editorial notes.

PMID- 20311333
TI  - Description of a Series of Wax Models Made by Major Lessore for the Canadian
      Government at the Canadian Hospital at Orpington, Kent.

PMID- 20311332
TI  - Letter from J. C. Connell.

PMID- 20311334
TI  - Report on Material Received for the Canadian National War Museum from the Royal
      College of Surgeons, London.

PMID- 20311335
TI  - Notes on Housing and Town Planning.

PMID- 20311336
TI  - Internal Hydrocephalus and Xanthochromia of the Spinal Fluid.

PMID- 20311337
TI  - State Medicine and Rehabilitation.

PMID- 20311338
TI  - A Report on the Comparison of Kolmer's Modification of the Original Wassermann
      Test and No. 4 Method as Recommended by the Medical Research Committee.

PMID- 20311339
TI  - Rupture of Left Cardiac Ventricle.

PMID- 20311340
TI  - Epidemiology and Recent Epidemics.

PMID- 20311341
TI  - On Diet and Nutrition.

PMID- 20311342
TI  - Change in the Laws Regarding Patent Medicines.

PMID- 20311343
TI  - On Scientific Research.

PMID- 20311344
TI  - Letter from Alexander McPhedran.

PMID- 20311345
TI  - The Practical Significance of a Small Amount of Sugar in Urine.

PMID- 20311346
TI  - The After Effects of Chlorine Gas Poisoning.

PMID- 20311347
TI  - Postural Albuminuria.

PMID- 20311348
TI  - On Acidosis.

PMID- 20311349
TI  - Surgical Efficiency in an Army Medical Service.

PMID- 20311351
TI  - Town Planning and Civic Authorities.

PMID- 20311350
TI  - Tick Caused Paralysis.

PMID- 20311352
TI  - Mental Hygiene in Relation to Social Hygiene.

PMID- 20311353
TI  - Multiple Infarcts of the Spleen in Malignant Endocarditis, Rupture of the Spleen
      and Peritonitis.

PMID- 20311354
TI  - The Practical Aspects of Quarantine for Influenza.

PMID- 20311356
TI  - Mental Tests in Practice.

PMID- 20311355
TI  - Treatment of Influenza.

PMID- 20311357
TI  - War Surgery-Perforating Gunshot Wound of the Face with Extensive Destruction of
      the Superior Maxillae.

PMID- 20311358
TI  - Retiring President's Address.

PMID- 20311359
TI  - Mental Excitement in a Psychopathic Hospital-Its Prevention and Care.

PMID- 20311361
TI  - The Resignation of Sir Andrew Macphail.

PMID- 20311360
TI  - Bacillus Coli Infection of the Kidney.

PMID- 20311362
TI  - The Departure of Professor Adami.

PMID- 20311364
TI  - High Protein Diet as a Factor in the Production of Nephritis.

PMID- 20311363
TI  - The New Dentistry.

PMID- 20311366
TI  - Newer Methods in the Diagnosis of Thyroid Disorders.

PMID- 20311365
TI  - Editorial Note.

PMID- 20311367
TI  - Hypertrophic Pyloric Stenosis in Infants.

PMID- 20311368
TI  - Modern Views on Asthma in Children.

PMID- 20311369
TI  - Aequanimitas: in the bag.

PMID- 20311370
TI  - Myositis ossificans progressiva.

PMID- 20311371
TI  - Air-borne fungi and respiratory allergy.

PMID- 20311372
TI  - Fraud in science.

PMID- 20311373
TI  - The language of medicare.

PMID- 20311374
TI  - The canadian contribution to the world health organization.

PMID- 20311375
TI  - Remote control.

PMID- 20311376
TI  - The canadian contribution to the world health organization.

PMID- 20311377
TI  - Biological warfare.

PMID- 20311378
TI  - Current views on pesticides.

PMID- 20311379
TI  - Current standards in reported drug trials.

PMID- 20311380
TI  - Current standards in reported drug trials.

PMID- 20311381
TI  - Identification of unidentified tablets and capsules.

PMID- 20311383
TI  - Bleeders take heart.

PMID- 20311382
TI  - Original work by family physicians.

PMID- 20311384
TI  - Fair paradise.

PMID- 20311385
TI  - Chinese restaurant syndrome.

PMID- 20311387
TI  - The multidiscipline approach to treatment.

PMID- 20311386
TI  - Medical stenography.

PMID- 20311388
TI  - Adrenal steroid therapy in neurological disease.

PMID- 20311390
TI  - DOMINION INCOME TAX RETURNS by Members of the Medical Profession.

PMID- 20311389
TI  - Prisoners of war.

PMID- 20311391
TI  - Lexicon of libation.

PMID- 20311393
TI  - Cheap drugs.

PMID- 20311392
TI  - Drug costs.

PMID- 20311394
TI  - The neurosciences.

PMID- 20311395
TI  - Diet and heart disease.

PMID- 20311396
TI  - Clinical trial of a broad-spectrum antimicrobial preparation in vaginitis.

PMID- 20311397
TI  - Use of azostix for the determination of blood urea nitrogen.

PMID- 20311398
TI  - One Doctor's Taxes.

PMID- 20311399
TI  - New pharmaceuticals.

PMID- 20311400
TI  - Indian and eskimo health.

PMID- 20311401
TI  - "Money matters".

PMID- 20311402
TI  - Prisoners of war.

PMID- 20311403
TI  - The big leagues of medical journalism.

PMID- 20311404
TI  - The outlook for the economy and the stock market.

PMID- 20311405
TI  - Vaccinial therapy of verrucae.

PMID- 20311406
TI  - Subdural effusions in infants.

PMID- 20311407
TI  - Farmer's Lung.

PMID- 20311408
TI  - Classified advertisements.

PMID- 20311410
TI  - Random sampling.

PMID- 20311409
TI  - Reading disability.

PMID- 20311411
TI  - Current standards in reported drug trials.

PMID- 20311412
TI  - Atypical facial pain.

PMID- 20311413
TI  - Fringe benefits.

PMID- 20311414
TI  - C.m.a.R.s.p.-C.m.a.I.f. Quarterly financial report.

PMID- 20311415
TI  - Medical stenography.

PMID- 20311416
TI  - Hold the anglophone!

PMID- 20311417
TI  - Northealth.

PMID- 20311418
TI  - Old age security.

PMID- 20311419
TI  - Low interest loans to establish medical practice.

PMID- 20311420
TI  - The "saturday night syndrome".

PMID- 20311421
TI  - Barefoot doctors.

PMID- 20311422
TI  - Methods of delivery of medical care.

PMID- 20311423
TI  - Trauma rounds at the montreal general hospital.

PMID- 20311424
TI  - Hematology.

PMID- 20311425
TI  - Mutual improvement.

PMID- 20311426
TI  - A sea of baffle-gab.

PMID- 20311427
TI  - Report from Ottawa.

PMID- 20311429
TI  - Advancing senescence.

PMID- 20311428
TI  - The editor resigns.

PMID- 20311430
TI  - Weekly or fortnightly publication.

PMID- 20311431
TI  - Medical stenography: a stenographer replies.

PMID- 20311432
TI  - What the man said.

PMID- 20311434
TI  - The R.s.p. Common stock fund.

PMID- 20311433
TI  - Canadian paediatric society: use of anti-rh immune globulin.

PMID- 20311435
TI  - Drug costs.

PMID- 20311437
TI  - Manpower metamorphosis.

PMID- 20311436
TI  - The caldwell-o'sullivan duel: a prelude to the founding of the montreal general
      hospital.

PMID- 20311438
TI  - C.m.a.R.s.p.-C.m.a.I.f. Quarterly financial report.

PMID- 20311439
TI  - Supervoltage radiation treatment in advanced cancer of the uterine cervix.

PMID- 20311440
TI  - Request for hormone-producing tumour material.

PMID- 20311442
TI  - Misleading advertising.

PMID- 20311441
TI  - Drug costs.

PMID- 20311443
TI  - Occupational pulmonary mycoses and toxomycoses.

PMID- 20311445
TI  - A sea of baffle-gab.

PMID- 20311444
TI  - Distaff doings.

PMID- 20311446
TI  - Sudden death in infancy.

PMID- 20311447
TI  - Incidence of rh immunization.

PMID- 20311448
TI  - Hazards and dangers of exchange transfusion.

PMID- 20311449
TI  - Decisions, decisions.

PMID- 20311450
TI  - The Canadian Medical Association Retirement Savings Plan Fund Manager's Report
      for July 1969.

PMID- 20311451
TI  - Evolution of the treatment of shoulder dislocation.

PMID- 20311452
TI  - Medicine's Logo.

PMID- 20311453
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20311454
TI  - Laboratory AIDS for the study of hemostasis.

PMID- 20311455
TI  - Some additional thoughts on residency training.

PMID- 20311456
TI  - Preoperative bleeding and clotting time.

PMID- 20311457
TI  - Some additional thoughts on residency training.

PMID- 20311458
TI  - The first woman head of a department.

PMID- 20311460
TI  - Professional venery.

PMID- 20311459
TI  - Reading disability.

PMID- 20311461
TI  - Mediverse.

PMID- 20311462
TI  - The C.m.a.R.s.p. Common stock fund.

PMID- 20311463
TI  - Journal frequency.

PMID- 20311465
TI  - Family practice psychiatry.

PMID- 20311464
TI  - Canadian association of neurological and neurosurgical nurses.

PMID- 20311466
TI  - Heraldic hiatus.

PMID- 20311467
TI  - Trans-Canada medical plans.

PMID- 20311468
TI  - Ophthalmologist-anesthetist co-operation in intraocular surgery.

PMID- 20311469
TI  - New a.s.a. Regulations.

PMID- 20311471
TI  - Pieces of paper.

PMID- 20311470
TI  - Radiation treatment in cancer of cervix.

PMID- 20311472
TI  - C.m.a.R.s.p.-C.m.a.I.f. Quarterly report, june 1-august 31, 1969.

PMID- 20311473
TI  - The case for artificial sweeteners.

PMID- 20311474
TI  - About medicare-gerlad waring.

PMID- 20311475
TI  - Munchausen'S syndrome.

PMID- 20311476
TI  - First total pneumonectomy for cancer of bronchus.

PMID- 20311477
TI  - Smallpox vaccination.

PMID- 20311478
TI  - Ethos and techne.

PMID- 20311480
TI  - A new start.

PMID- 20311479
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311481
TI  - The journal.

PMID- 20311482
TI  - Shakespeare as a guide in the art of medicine.

PMID- 20311483
TI  - Comment: economic council of Canada interim report on competition policy.

PMID- 20311484
TI  - The caldwell-o'sullivan duel.

PMID- 20311485
TI  - Suspected adverse reaction to measles virus vaccine.

PMID- 20311486
TI  - Unsolicited drug samples.

PMID- 20311487
TI  - The credit side of the journal.

PMID- 20311488
TI  - Gallbladder disease in newfoundland.

PMID- 20311489
TI  - Multiphasic screening programs.

PMID- 20311490
TI  - Smallpox vaccination.

PMID- 20311491
TI  - Rheumatoid arthritis.

PMID- 20311492
TI  - Appeal for physicians.

PMID- 20311493
TI  - Treatment of burns.

PMID- 20311495
TI  - On priorities.

PMID- 20311494
TI  - Phenylketonuria screening program.

PMID- 20311496
TI  - Diagnosis by gastroscopy.

PMID- 20311497
TI  - Lancet performance fund limited.

PMID- 20311498
TI  - Canadian colloquy.

PMID- 20311499
TI  - Medicare; The DDT Controversy.

PMID- 20311500
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311502
TI  - Resolutions passed at the quebec meeting.

PMID- 20311501
TI  - Human heart transplantation: report of a case.

PMID- 20311503
TI  - Presidential address, 1919.

PMID- 20311504
TI  - Treatment of burns.

PMID- 20311505
TI  - Relative terms.

PMID- 20311506
TI  - Rheumatoid arthritis.

PMID- 20311507
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311508
TI  - Town planning and civic authorities.

PMID- 20311510
TI  - Of balloons and biological statistics.

PMID- 20311509
TI  - A plea for experimentation in medical education.

PMID- 20311511
TI  - Allergic reactions: following patent blue dye injection.

PMID- 20311513
TI  - Football hero.

PMID- 20311512
TI  - Lancet performance fund limited.

PMID- 20311514
TI  - Intimations of mortality.

PMID- 20311516
TI  - Role of viruses in neoplastic and degenerative disease.

PMID- 20311515
TI  - Incidental appendectomy.

PMID- 20311517
TI  - Information sought on dr. Wm. Barnhardt.

PMID- 20311518
TI  - Cyclamates: government reaction.

PMID- 20311519
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311520
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311521
TI  - Trauma rounds.

PMID- 20311522
TI  - Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita with Potter's Syndrome.

PMID- 20311523
TI  - Medical examination or fitness testing?

PMID- 20311524
TI  - A litter of letters.

PMID- 20311525
TI  - L.m.f.

PMID- 20311526
TI  - C.M.A.'s Income Tax Committee.

PMID- 20311527
TI  - Paradox within paradox.

PMID- 20311528
TI  - The costing out of doctors and hospitals.

PMID- 20311530
TI  - C.m.a. Preliminary statement on governmental study: some serious omissions in
      those task force reports on health service costs.

PMID- 20311529
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311531
TI  - Yesterday's Medicine: The Resignation of Sir Andrew Macphail.

PMID- 20311532
TI  - C.m.a.R.s.p. And C.m.a.I.f. Quarterly report, november 30, 1969.

PMID- 20311533
TI  - That tired feeling.

PMID- 20311534
TI  - Mortality Rate Shocks M.P.'s.

PMID- 20311535
TI  - Death from cold.

PMID- 20311536
TI  - Nocturnal enuresis.

PMID- 20311538
TI  - In defence of dogmatism.

PMID- 20311537
TI  - Leukemia in Saskatchewan.

PMID- 20311539
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311540
TI  - Yesterday's Medicine: The Ontario Temperance Act.

PMID- 20311541
TI  - Proper storage of insulin preparations.

PMID- 20311542
TI  - The seventies: medicine by parkinsonian precept.

PMID- 20311543
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311544
TI  - Timeo danaos.

PMID- 20311545
TI  - Infection associated with intravenous catheters.

PMID- 20311546
TI  - Nocturnal enuresis.

PMID- 20311547
TI  - Therapeutic abortion.

PMID- 20311548
TI  - Salivary gland reaction to phenylbutazone.

PMID- 20311549
TI  - Inflation: C.m.a. Urges members to practise voluntary restraint.

PMID- 20311550
TI  - Selective coronary angiography using a percutaneous femoral technique.
AB  - Successful use, in 650 patients over a period of two years, of a percutaneous
      femoral technique of selective coronary angiography is described. This technique
      is carried out with the use of mouldable, manually preshaped polyethylene
      catheters. Preparation of the material and the different steps of the technique
      are discussed. Excellent flexibility and plastic memory of this catheter material
      allow easy, rapid and consistent percutaneous insertion and removal of catheters
      and intubation of the coronary arteries.

PMID- 20311551
TI  - His honour.

PMID- 20311553
TI  - Journal article influences decision for massive nutritional survey.

PMID- 20311552
TI  - And then there were nine!

PMID- 20311554
TI  - Ottawa drug authorities look for better "pill".

PMID- 20311556
TI  - The Pill: Thousands of Canadian women have been needlessly upset.

PMID- 20311555
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311557
TI  - W.o., 1849-1919-.

PMID- 20311558
TI  - Diuretics in cardiac edema.

PMID- 20311559
TI  - The halothane controversy.

PMID- 20311560
TI  - Chemical treatment of xanthelasma.

PMID- 20311562
TI  - The politics of the pill.

PMID- 20311561
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311564
TI  - Who's Afraid?

PMID- 20311563
TI  - C.m.a. Asks for freeze at 1969 level of fees.

PMID- 20311565
TI  - Yesterday's Medicine: The Winnipeg Epidemic of Encephalitis Lethargica.

PMID- 20311566
TI  - I told you so.

PMID- 20311567
TI  - Food & drug suspicions force hard decisions.

PMID- 20311568
TI  - White paper proposals on tax reforms.

PMID- 20311569
TI  - Yesterday's Medicine: On the Therapeutic Value of Alcohol.

PMID- 20311570
TI  - Drugs and dreams.

PMID- 20311571
TI  - The halothane controversy.

PMID- 20311572
TI  - Late failure in cadaveric renal allografts.

PMID- 20311573
TI  - Amphetamine abuse.

PMID- 20311575
TI  - Carriage of oxygen equipment by physicians.

PMID- 20311574
TI  - In defence of dogmatism.

PMID- 20311576
TI  - The sparce index: medical excellence or drug dependence.

PMID- 20311578
TI  - Nocturnal enuresis.

PMID- 20311579
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311577
TI  - Payments for examinations for disability under the Canada pension plan.

PMID- 20311581
TI  - Minister pleads for restraint on fee schedule increases.

PMID- 20311580
TI  - L-dopa No Aphrodisiac.

PMID- 20311582
TI  - Medicare election issue.

PMID- 20311583
TI  - DOMINION INCOME TAX RETURNS by Members of the Medical Profession.

PMID- 20311585
TI  - Yesterday's Medicine: Influenza Again Epidemic.

PMID- 20311584
TI  - Anyone for caicos?

PMID- 20311586
TI  - Abortion.

PMID- 20311587
TI  - Therapeutic abortion.

PMID- 20311588
TI  - Observations on medical practice.

PMID- 20311589
TI  - The dream.

PMID- 20311590
TI  - The seventies: medicine by parkinsonian precept.

PMID- 20311591
TI  - The seventies: medicine by parkinsonian precept.

PMID- 20311592
TI  - Therapeutic effectiveness bugs drug officials.

PMID- 20311593
TI  - Fact finding force tackles pill problem.

PMID- 20311594
TI  - Canadian air cleanup still ;under consideration'.

PMID- 20311595
TI  - Carrier trouble.

PMID- 20311596
TI  - Apologia.

PMID- 20311598
TI  - Therapeutic breakthrough.

PMID- 20311597
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311599
TI  - Medical miscellany.

PMID- 20311600
TI  - Is there a computer in your future?

PMID- 20311601
TI  - Ottawa offers grants to aid computerization.

PMID- 20311603
TI  - C.m.a.R.s.p., C.m.a.I.f. And lancet performance fund quarterly report.

PMID- 20311602
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311604
TI  - Yesterday's Medicine.

PMID- 20311605
TI  - Fractures of the facial skeleton.

PMID- 20311606
TI  - Fractures of the facial skeleton.

PMID- 20311607
TI  - Yesterday'S medicine: the genesis, classification, interrelationships and
      clinical diagnosis of disease.

PMID- 20311608
TI  - Risk From Pill Less Than risk Without Pill.

PMID- 20311609
TI  - New research group tackles transplant problems.

PMID- 20311610
TI  - F.d.d. Scientists agree with u.k. ;Pill' findings.

PMID- 20311611
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311612
TI  - Yesterday'S medicine: salvarsan in syphilis.

PMID- 20311613
TI  - The general secretary retires.

PMID- 20311614
TI  - Physicians' incomes.

PMID- 20311615
TI  - Yesterday'S medicine: the ontario medical association reorganization.

PMID- 20311616
TI  - Them as can.

PMID- 20311618
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311617
TI  - Agreement with provinces easier than with red china.

PMID- 20311619
TI  - Yesterday'S medicine: chronic intestinal stasis.

PMID- 20311620
TI  - Medullary sponge kidney.

PMID- 20311622
TI  - Request for hormone-producing tumour material.

PMID- 20311621
TI  - "Au pair".

PMID- 20311624
TI  - Gregor Johann mendel.

PMID- 20311623
TI  - Endurance fitness.

PMID- 20311625
TI  - Yesterday'S medicine: phosphorus as a therapeutic agent.

PMID- 20311626
TI  - Generic equivalency.

PMID- 20311627
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311629
TI  - Ottawa tunes its ears to voluntary agencies.

PMID- 20311628
TI  - What you do about OCs is up to you as MDs.

PMID- 20311630
TI  - Yesterday'S medicine: the union of septic compound fractures.

PMID- 20311631
TI  - Yesterday'S medicine: biography of sir william osler.

PMID- 20311632
TI  - Alport's Syndrome.

PMID- 20311633
TI  - Fire watching.

PMID- 20311635
TI  - Yesterday'S medicine: the union of septic compound fractures.

PMID- 20311634
TI  - Yesterday'S medicine: the union of septic compound fractures.

PMID- 20311636
TI  - Therapeutic abortion.

PMID- 20311637
TI  - Let us Stay with the Patient!

PMID- 20311638
TI  - Oecumenical oecology.

PMID- 20311640
TI  - M.d.s, hospitals criticized for unrealized expectations.

PMID- 20311639
TI  - F.d.d., C.m.a. Play pill cool; both agree no emergency.

PMID- 20311641
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311643
TI  - Come out from under that bed.

PMID- 20311642
TI  - Yesterday'S medicine: prolongation of life.

PMID- 20311644
TI  - Yesterday'S medicine: a plea for the sphincter ani.

PMID- 20311645
TI  - C.M.A. Anti-abortion.

PMID- 20311646
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311647
TI  - First move to train doctor assistants.

PMID- 20311648
TI  - Social education in drugs new function for f.d.d.

PMID- 20311649
TI  - Politicians hostile to fee increases.

PMID- 20311651
TI  - Yesterday'S medicine: heat and infant mortality.

PMID- 20311650
TI  - Genetic aspects of mental retardation.

PMID- 20311652
TI  - Doctors asked to curb costs of hospital care and drugs.

PMID- 20311653
TI  - Ruling on phenacetin poses dilemma for f.d.d.

PMID- 20311654
TI  - Basford presses druggists with socialization hint.

PMID- 20311655
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311656
TI  - The Queen's Birthday.

PMID- 20311657
TI  - Electroencephalotherapy.

PMID- 20311659
TI  - Possible lethal reaction between nardil and dextromethorphan.

PMID- 20311658
TI  - The pioneer spirit.

PMID- 20311660
TI  - Yesterday'S medicine: medical education.

PMID- 20311661
TI  - Where're You From?

PMID- 20311662
TI  - Political Snafus Surround Release of LeDain Report.

PMID- 20311663
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311664
TI  - Yesterday'S medicine: pituitrin.

PMID- 20311665
TI  - Multiphasic screening.

PMID- 20311666
TI  - Abortion law reform.

PMID- 20311668
TI  - W.o. & f.B.B.

PMID- 20311667
TI  - Yesterday'S medicine: the anti-tuberculosis campaign-a social campaign-the role
      of the government-the role of private effort.

PMID- 20311669
TI  - Mercury, lead hazards from industrial growth.

PMID- 20311670
TI  - New f.d.d. Allergy tests have many advantages.

PMID- 20311671
TI  - Ottawa Will Monitor Nation's Food Supply.

PMID- 20311673
TI  - Abortion in Canada.

PMID- 20311672
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311675
TI  - I remember osler.

PMID- 20311674
TI  - Recent developments in cardiac surgery.

PMID- 20311676
TI  - Recollections of w.o.

PMID- 20311677
TI  - Oecumenical oecology.

PMID- 20311678
TI  - Oecumenical oecology.

PMID- 20311679
TI  - Oecumenical oecology.

PMID- 20311680
TI  - Crossmatching with rh immune globulin.

PMID- 20311681
TI  - Crossmatching with rh immune globulin.

PMID- 20311682
TI  - You and the ads.

PMID- 20311683
TI  - Yesterday'S medicine: presidential address.

PMID- 20311684
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311685
TI  - Congenital rubella syndrome.

PMID- 20311686
TI  - Congenital rubella syndrome.

PMID- 20311687
TI  - Medical services at pop festivals.

PMID- 20311688
TI  - Unnecessary laboratory tests.

PMID- 20311689
TI  - Payment for chiropractic services.

PMID- 20311690
TI  - Therapeutic abortion.

PMID- 20311691
TI  - Yesterday'S medicine: surgical gynecology.

PMID- 20311692
TI  - The bidet circuit.

PMID- 20311693
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311695
TI  - Neurosurgical manpower in Canada.

PMID- 20311694
TI  - The value of counting developmental anomalies.

PMID- 20311696
TI  - Peritoneal dialysis.

PMID- 20311697
TI  - Human rights and advertising.

PMID- 20311698
TI  - Rehabilitation in chronic hospitals.

PMID- 20311699
TI  - Case reports-a breach of confidence.

PMID- 20311700
TI  - Midsummer 1970.

PMID- 20311701
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311702
TI  - Abortion.

PMID- 20311703
TI  - Abortion.

PMID- 20311704
TI  - Abortion.

PMID- 20311705
TI  - Abortion.

PMID- 20311706
TI  - Abortion.

PMID- 20311708
TI  - On the death of a student.

PMID- 20311707
TI  - Payment for chiropractic services.

PMID- 20311709
TI  - Yesterday'S medicine: psychiatry and internal medicine.

PMID- 20311710
TI  - Seatmates.

PMID- 20311711
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311712
TI  - Closing remarks / conclusion.

PMID- 20311713
TI  - The room at the bottom of the stairs.

PMID- 20311714
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311715
TI  - Yesterday'S medicine: relationship between state and practitioner in England.

PMID- 20311716
TI  - Publish and perish?

PMID- 20311717
TI  - Immigrants and their children.

PMID- 20311718
TI  - Oxytocin-induced Water Intoxication.

PMID- 20311719
TI  - Neurofibromatosis and hyperparathyroidism.

PMID- 20311721
TI  - Base railings.

PMID- 20311720
TI  - Rehabilitation in chronic hospitals.

PMID- 20311722
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311723
TI  - Abortion.

PMID- 20311724
TI  - Abortion.

PMID- 20311725
TI  - Therapeutic abortion in a canadian city.

PMID- 20311726
TI  - Housewarmings.

PMID- 20311727
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311728
TI  - Training in community health.

PMID- 20311729
TI  - Addict alert.

PMID- 20311730
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311731
TI  - Yesterday'S medicine: the improved and larger journal.

PMID- 20311732
TI  - Too many children or too many pediatricians.

PMID- 20311733
TI  - Manifestations of pinworms.

PMID- 20311735
TI  - Environmental pollution.

PMID- 20311734
TI  - Abortion.

PMID- 20311736
TI  - Environmental pollution.

PMID- 20311737
TI  - Felicity.

PMID- 20311738
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311739
TI  - Voluntary sterilization.

PMID- 20311741
TI  - Picture from the past.

PMID- 20311740
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311742
TI  - The new C.m.a. Code of ethics.

PMID- 20311743
TI  - MEDLARS magic.

PMID- 20311744
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311746
TI  - Fitness to fly?

PMID- 20311745
TI  - Studies of survivors of myocardial infarction.

PMID- 20311747
TI  - Fitness to fly.

PMID- 20311748
TI  - Cps'71.

PMID- 20311749
TI  - An agent transmitting Crohn's disease.

PMID- 20311751
TI  - Conditional contrition.

PMID- 20311750
TI  - Physician's Assistant.

PMID- 20311752
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311754
TI  - My friend tony.

PMID- 20311753
TI  - Cluster migraine.

PMID- 20311755
TI  - Pictorial protest.

PMID- 20311756
TI  - Biography of Dr. Ray F. Farquharson planned.

PMID- 20311757
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311759
TI  - Federal income tax returns by members of the medical profession.

PMID- 20311758
TI  - The part-time prosector.

PMID- 20311760
TI  - Winter garden.

PMID- 20311761
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311762
TI  - A 93-year-old writes about abortion.

PMID- 20311763
TI  - Specialists Required by CARE/MEDICO.

PMID- 20311764
TI  - Brownian movement.

PMID- 20311765
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311766
TI  - Multiple rib fractures.

PMID- 20311767
TI  - Fee splitting and the Code of Ethics.

PMID- 20311768
TI  - "April is the Cruellest Month".

PMID- 20311769
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311771
TI  - Price of progress.

PMID- 20311772
TI  - C.m.a. Code of ethics.

PMID- 20311770
TI  - Vaccination certificates.

PMID- 20311773
TI  - Price of progress.

PMID- 20311774
TI  - Profit from losers.

PMID- 20311776
TI  - A miasma of ministers.

PMID- 20311775
TI  - U.w.I. Medical graduates.

PMID- 20311777
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311778
TI  - Specialist appointment in indonesia.

PMID- 20311779
TI  - Recruits sought for Vietnam medical program.

PMID- 20311780
TI  - Atraumatic endotracheal tube.

PMID- 20311781
TI  - Some thoughts on medical education.

PMID- 20311782
TI  - Abortion.

PMID- 20311783
TI  - The establishment.

PMID- 20311785
TI  - Need for accurate income data.

PMID- 20311784
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311787
TI  - Birds of a feather.

PMID- 20311786
TI  - Dietary sugar and myocardial infarction.

PMID- 20311788
TI  - On the move.

PMID- 20311790
TI  - Analysis of illicit drug samples.

PMID- 20311789
TI  - London letter.

PMID- 20311791
TI  - A key to scientific research literature.

PMID- 20311793
TI  - A view From the Office Window.

PMID- 20311792
TI  - Role of the inhalation therapist.

PMID- 20311794
TI  - Thinking back.

PMID- 20311795
TI  - Sudden death from ischemic heart disease in ontario.
AB  - It is possible that there is a systematic geographical variation in the
      proportion of deaths from ischemic heart disease that occur suddenly, and that
      this variation may be causally related to water hardness or some other
      environmental factor. Three indices of sudden death have been examined; each
      showed a correlation with water hardness that was of similar sign and magnitude.
      A detailed examination of 1686 deaths occurring in residents of two cities which
      differ widely in the hardness of their water supply confirmed that in deaths
      ascribed to heart disease the proportion of sudden deaths was higher (by 20-30%)
      in the northern (soft-water) city than in the southern (hard-water) city.

PMID- 20311796
TI  - Blood donations by young women.

PMID- 20311797
TI  - The abortion situation.

PMID- 20311799
TI  - Cardiac Arrest remembered.

PMID- 20311798
TI  - The abortion situation.

PMID- 20311800
TI  - Fearsome frailty.

PMID- 20311802
TI  - A pride of presidents.

PMID- 20311801
TI  - Criticism.

PMID- 20311803
TI  - The C.M.A. resolutions on abortion.

PMID- 20311804
TI  - Twenty-fifth world medical assembly.

PMID- 20311805
TI  - We need your help.

PMID- 20311806
TI  - Motor motif.

PMID- 20311808
TI  - How aspirin works.

PMID- 20311807
TI  - The long view.

PMID- 20311809
TI  - Throat infections in children.

PMID- 20311810
TI  - Columnar epithelium.

PMID- 20311811
TI  - Soul searching.

PMID- 20311812
TI  - The way I see it.

PMID- 20311813
TI  - Musings.

PMID- 20311814
TI  - Legal abortion.

PMID- 20311815
TI  - Disseminated intravascular coagulation.

PMID- 20311816
TI  - B.M.A. rate increases.

PMID- 20311817
TI  - Nurse, nurse!

PMID- 20311818
TI  - Fairy rings.

PMID- 20311820
TI  - Unnecessary x-rays.

PMID- 20311819
TI  - Antiviral vaccine programs.

PMID- 20311821
TI  - C.M.A. stand on abortion.

PMID- 20311822
TI  - Early repair of rectovaginal fistula.

PMID- 20311823
TI  - Canine quartet.

PMID- 20311825
TI  - Ketamine - a new anesthetic.

PMID- 20311824
TI  - Unnecessary x-rays.

PMID- 20311826
TI  - The long view.

PMID- 20311827
TI  - Ethanol metabolism in various racial groups.

PMID- 20311828
TI  - Unexpected infant death.

PMID- 20311829
TI  - Riot casualties in Belfast.

PMID- 20311830
TI  - Experiences with an artificial heart.

PMID- 20311831
TI  - The management of dementia rosae.

PMID- 20311832
TI  - The Gellman analysis.

PMID- 20311833
TI  - An Osler anecdote.

PMID- 20311834
TI  - Stargazing.

PMID- 20311835
TI  - Wahlverwandschaften.

PMID- 20311836
TI  - Who died between 1701 and 1740?

PMID- 20311837
TI  - Foreword.

PMID- 20311838
TI  - Introductory remarks.

PMID- 20311840
TI  - Now it can be told.

PMID- 20311839
TI  - Concluding remarks.

PMID- 20311841
TI  - The oldest profession?

PMID- 20311843
TI  - Hunt Commission report.

PMID- 20311842
TI  - Soul searching.

PMID- 20311844
TI  - Tout fini.

PMID- 20311845
TI  - The challenge of life.

PMID- 20311846
TI  - Acute myocardial infarction.

PMID- 20311847
TI  - In support of D.D.T.

PMID- 20311849
TI  - Steamboating.

PMID- 20311848
TI  - Changing perspectives on professionalism.

PMID- 20311850
TI  - Cracking the primary contact barrier.

PMID- 20311851
TI  - Medical student enrolment 1969-70.

PMID- 20311853
TI  - Lithium intoxication.

PMID- 20311852
TI  - Lithium intoxication.

PMID- 20311854
TI  - Community health centre project.

PMID- 20311855
TI  - To serve you better.

PMID- 20311856
TI  - Non-ketotic hyperosmolar coma.

PMID- 20311857
TI  - Non-ketotic hyperosmolar coma.

PMID- 20311858
TI  - Outpatient abortions.

PMID- 20311859
TI  - Neurotic excoriations.

PMID- 20311860
TI  - Neurotic excoriations.

PMID- 20311861
TI  - Mangled and missed messages.

PMID- 20311862
TI  - Dermatologists, too, get into trouble.

PMID- 20311863
TI  - Monoamine oxidase inhibitors.

PMID- 20311864
TI  - Ave, a.d.k.

PMID- 20311865
TI  - The oldest profession?

PMID- 20311866
TI  - Nevoid basal cell carcinoma.

PMID- 20311867
TI  - The Gellman analysis.

PMID- 20311868
TI  - The oldest profession?

PMID- 20311869
TI  - Nevoid basal cell carcinoma.

PMID- 20311870
TI  - Double-blind studies.

PMID- 20311871
TI  - The way Groucho Marx saw it.

PMID- 20311872
TI  - In support of family life education.

PMID- 20311874
TI  - Adverse reactions from beer.

PMID- 20311873
TI  - Korotkov.

PMID- 20311875
TI  - One-stage prothrombin time.

PMID- 20311876
TI  - "Before" and "after" photographs.

PMID- 20311877
TI  - Treatment of intervertebral disc protrusion.

PMID- 20311878
TI  - Producing more physicians.

PMID- 20311879
TI  - "She that with poetry is won".

PMID- 20311880
TI  - The enemy.

PMID- 20311881
TI  - The elusive master plan.

PMID- 20311882
TI  - Health services - $$$ - and the future.

PMID- 20311883
TI  - Earnings of Canadian physicians 1959-69.

PMID- 20311884
TI  - Enuresis.

PMID- 20311885
TI  - Enuresis.

PMID- 20311887
TI  - Enuresis.

PMID- 20311886
TI  - Enuresis.

PMID- 20311888
TI  - Unnecessary Morbidity from breast surgery.

PMID- 20311889
TI  - Ketamine.

PMID- 20311890
TI  - Glimpses of Chinese medicine.

PMID- 20311891
TI  - The mills of Cote grind slowly..

PMID- 20311892
TI  - When is carelessness blameworthy?

PMID- 20311894
TI  - Inconsistency or misunderstanding?

PMID- 20311893
TI  - "Fellowship for all".

PMID- 20311895
TI  - Recurrent urinary infections.

PMID- 20311896
TI  - The oldest profession?

PMID- 20311897
TI  - Another year of decision.

PMID- 20311898
TI  - Public interest cited as restrictive covenant fails court test in Ontario.

PMID- 20311900
TI  - A case of MUMPS at Ottawa University.

PMID- 20311899
TI  - Alberta writes new Act to cover sterilization of mentally deficient.

PMID- 20311901
TI  - Health care delivery in the "Switzerland of Africa".

PMID- 20311902
TI  - Quebec physicians draw on services of dietitians.

PMID- 20311903
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20311904
TI  - What is policy?

PMID- 20311905
TI  - ;Global' payment system for Saskatchewan community clinics.

PMID- 20311907
TI  - Alberta doctors average $57,728 from Medicare.

PMID- 20311906
TI  - Allergies, too, cause legal trouble.

PMID- 20311908
TI  - The ;Craig Case'-how an Edmonton GP became Alberta's cause celebre.

PMID- 20311910
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20311909
TI  - Methadone control guidelines established.

PMID- 20311911
TI  - Present and future shock.

PMID- 20311912
TI  - Physicians alone are not to blame.

PMID- 20311913
TI  - The Ulysses syndrome.

PMID- 20311914
TI  - Courses in medical English.

PMID- 20311915
TI  - The Ulysses syndrome.

PMID- 20311916
TI  - The Ulysses syndrome.

PMID- 20311918
TI  - DNHW gives go-ahead for national health accreditation commission.

PMID- 20311917
TI  - The market-place.

PMID- 20311919
TI  - Dr. Potter prunes student allowances in Ontario.

PMID- 20311920
TI  - How Saskatchewan's ;community clinic on wheels' helps mentally retarded.

PMID- 20311922
TI  - Dial-a-doc service aims at easing Montreal's office appointment load.

PMID- 20311921
TI  - CASS grows bigger-but it's all muscle, no flab.

PMID- 20311923
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20311924
TI  - Reflections on tomorrow's breakthrough.

PMID- 20311925
TI  - Simplified isoniazid acetylator phenotyping.

PMID- 20311926
TI  - Learning disability.

PMID- 20311927
TI  - Pill popping population.

PMID- 20311928
TI  - Consents-what every hospital and physician should know.

PMID- 20311929
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20311930
TI  - "Fellowship for all".

PMID- 20311931
TI  - Editorial anonymity.

PMID- 20311932
TI  - Rifampin.

PMID- 20311934
TI  - CNA's slashing attack on chiropractors.

PMID- 20311935
TI  - New Coroners Act gives protection to witnesses and jurors in inquests.

PMID- 20311936
TI  - Alberta mental health legislation receives mixed reception.

PMID- 20311937
TI  - Vaccination - a battleground where apathy is greater enemy than disease.

PMID- 20311939
TI  - A light in the forest for Vancouver neurotics.

PMID- 20311938
TI  - Calgary's mini-hospital is attracting nationwide attention.

PMID- 20311940
TI  - "Fellowship for all".

PMID- 20311942
TI  - Treatment with vitamin E.

PMID- 20311941
TI  - Tinea faciale.

PMID- 20311943
TI  - Mineral deficiency.

PMID- 20311944
TI  - The story of the birth of Canadian Medicare in Saskatchewan and its development
      during the following ten years (Part III).

PMID- 20311945
TI  - GPs to benefit most from increased Medicare payments in Saskatchewan.

PMID- 20311946
TI  - Dr. Craig cleared of charges - but controversy continues.

PMID- 20311947
TI  - Quebec Medicare shows $8.7 million surplus.

PMID- 20311948
TI  - Bill would increase medical review powers in Manitoba.

PMID- 20311949
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20311950
TI  - Koch and Fick and others.

PMID- 20311951
TI  - Hepatic hemorrhage due to eclampsia.

PMID- 20311952
TI  - Children with chronic asthma.

PMID- 20311953
TI  - Douchement.

PMID- 20311955
TI  - Antibody response to live rubella vaccine.

PMID- 20311954
TI  - Information sought.

PMID- 20311957
TI  - You don't have to be fat.

PMID- 20311956
TI  - Clarification of position.

PMID- 20311958
TI  - Lazy, hazy days.

PMID- 20311959
TI  - Surgery to recover bullet would violate human rights of bank robbery suspect,
      Judge rules.

PMID- 20311960
TI  - Much talk, but Medicare cost sharing agreement remains a very dark horse.

PMID- 20311962
TI  - Personal financial management (II) - planning your financial strategy.

PMID- 20311961
TI  - Payment methods at Saskatchewan clinics to be studied.

PMID- 20311963
TI  - Rh-D isoimmunization.

PMID- 20311964
TI  - Rh-D isoimmunization.

PMID- 20311965
TI  - Allergy injections.

PMID- 20311966
TI  - Amotivational syndrome.

PMID- 20311967
TI  - "Dirty Harry" syncope.

PMID- 20311968
TI  - Manners maketh man.

PMID- 20311969
TI  - In health and in sickness.

PMID- 20311970
TI  - Issues in abortion.

PMID- 20311971
TI  - Learning disability.

PMID- 20311972
TI  - Variations in pension benefits.

PMID- 20311973
TI  - Aphorisms.

PMID- 20311974
TI  - A meeting of the minds.

PMID- 20311975
TI  - Quebec's unfit driver legislation means doctors must report patients.

PMID- 20311976
TI  - Manitoba prescriptions to carry more details.

PMID- 20311977
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20311978
TI  - Blair clinic symposium.

PMID- 20311979
TI  - Myrna's four personalities are computerized patient management teaching aids.

PMID- 20311980
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20311981
TI  - Metacarpal cortical measurements.

PMID- 20311983
TI  - "Dirty Harry" syncope.

PMID- 20311982
TI  - Faith in healing.

PMID- 20311984
TI  - GP exchange with South Africa.

PMID- 20311986
TI  - What the life insurance industry has to offer the physician.

PMID- 20311985
TI  - The time for all good men..

PMID- 20311987
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20311988
TI  - Strangulation on the road.

PMID- 20311989
TI  - Can learning be transmitted?

PMID- 20311991
TI  - The Ruderman Report - appendix I to the CHC project committee's report.

PMID- 20311990
TI  - To leave or not to leave.

PMID- 20311993
TI  - Community health centres - more reaction from the profession to the Hastings
      Report.

PMID- 20311992
TI  - Hastings on Hastings: The CHC Project leader discusses his committee's report.

PMID- 20311995
TI  - Physician politicians stand up to be counted.

PMID- 20311994
TI  - Do yourself a favour..

PMID- 20311996
TI  - Yes, no and don't know.

PMID- 20311998
TI  - Comparative bioavailability.

PMID- 20311997
TI  - Comparative bioavailability.

PMID- 20311999
TI  - Comparative bioavailability.

PMID- 20312000
TI  - Illusive flattery.

PMID- 20312001
TI  - "The unholy alliance".

PMID- 20312002
TI  - Serum triglycerides and aorto-coronary vein grafts.

PMID- 20312003
TI  - Stimulation without acrimony.

PMID- 20312004
TI  - East meets West (II) - Chinese medical group tours Canada as guests of CMA.

PMID- 20312005
TI  - World Medical Association ;now more realistic' in dealing with problems.

PMID- 20312007
TI  - Saskatchewan announces plans for integrated health science facilities.

PMID- 20312006
TI  - Commonwealth Medical Association meets in Ghana.

PMID- 20312009
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20312008
TI  - Two projects that show promise of a better deal for Quebec's newborn.

PMID- 20312010
TI  - Multiple congenital anomalies.

PMID- 20312011
TI  - Dupuytren's disease.

PMID- 20312012
TI  - Multiple congenital anomalies.

PMID- 20312013
TI  - Methadone controls.

PMID- 20312014
TI  - Spending the tax dollar.

PMID- 20312015
TI  - Some astronautical questions.

PMID- 20312016
TI  - What is relative?

PMID- 20312017
TI  - Teaching hospital completes the picture at University of Western Ontario's health
      sciences complex.

PMID- 20312018
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20312019
TI  - Special Report-Ontario slashes hospital beds.

PMID- 20312020
TI  - Hastings on hastings.

PMID- 20312021
TI  - They come to talk.

PMID- 20312022
TI  - Regulating the needle..

PMID- 20312023
TI  - The stock market and the beginner (I) - first of three articles.

PMID- 20312025
TI  - Saskatchewan hospitals switch to global budget system.

PMID- 20312024
TI  - Hospital, medical care cost cutbacks ;a tiger by the tail' says OMA President.

PMID- 20312026
TI  - Professional associations united in opposition to Quebec's new Bill 30.

PMID- 20312027
TI  - G. P. Federation calls for full inquiry into Demers case.

PMID- 20312028
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20312029
TI  - Medical care costs related to physician manpower - a new economic theory.

PMID- 20312030
TI  - 1970 income figures show 11.3 percent increase in net earnings of physicians.

PMID- 20312031
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20312032
TI  - Thirty years onward.

PMID- 20312033
TI  - Milk and alcohol.

PMID- 20312034
TI  - Cerebral complications in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

PMID- 20312035
TI  - Management of low back pain.

PMID- 20312036
TI  - The Sault experience.

PMID- 20312037
TI  - On the nature and treatment of cancer.

PMID- 20312038
TI  - Skiing.

PMID- 20312039
TI  - The generation gap - McCrae and Bethune.

PMID- 20312040
TI  - The battering child.

PMID- 20312041
TI  - Irradiation of the hypophysis.

PMID- 20312042
TI  - American consultants.

PMID- 20312043
TI  - Bioavailability of digoxin.

PMID- 20312044
TI  - Professional assessment: A Wing and a prayer are not enough.

PMID- 20312045
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20312046
TI  - Income Tax-MD Style: A Check List to Help You File Your 1972 Tax Return.

PMID- 20312047
TI  - Learning disability.

PMID- 20312048
TI  - Dealing with incompetence.

PMID- 20312049
TI  - The team spirit.

PMID- 20312050
TI  - Even bureaucrats wonder "why don't We?".

PMID- 20312051
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20312052
TI  - Ontario says it doesn't want a competing hospital system. So where does that
      leave Medical Inn?

PMID- 20312053
TI  - Being a doctor - it really isn't easy!

PMID- 20312055
TI  - History of chiropractic demonstrates opposition to scientific medicine.

PMID- 20312054
TI  - Don't just hand that new tax form to your accountant - open it first.

PMID- 20312057
TI  - Freedom to publish in science.

PMID- 20312056
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20312059
TI  - Residency training in anesthesia.

PMID- 20312058
TI  - Levodopa in Forbes-Albright syndrome.

PMID- 20312060
TI  - An appeal for kidney donors.

PMID- 20312061
TI  - The Sault experience.

PMID- 20312062
TI  - Marijuana research.

PMID- 20312063
TI  - The Sault experience.

PMID- 20312065
TI  - The anxious relative syndrome.

PMID- 20312064
TI  - The royal college.

PMID- 20312067
TI  - Income reporting on accrual basis required. But you do get a break.

PMID- 20312066
TI  - The veteran stock market investor.

PMID- 20312068
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20312069
TI  - The way some others see it.

PMID- 20312070
TI  - The way some others see it.

PMID- 20312071
TI  - Fifty years of progress.

PMID- 20312072
TI  - Credibility - the name of the game.

PMID- 20312073
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312074
TI  - Quebec omnipratitioners launch educational radio and A-V programs.

PMID- 20312075
TI  - Canadian dentists plan to build new office next to CMA in Ottawa.

PMID- 20312076
TI  - Ontario Ministry of Health confused as reorganization plan stumbles along.

PMID- 20312077
TI  - Eight years ago Lester Pearson opened successful campaign for medicare.

PMID- 20312078
TI  - Seven MDs in Commons.

PMID- 20312079
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312080
TI  - Amphetamine controls.

PMID- 20312081
TI  - Marijuana research.

PMID- 20312082
TI  - Marijuana research.

PMID- 20312083
TI  - Neurological form of schizophrenia.

PMID- 20312084
TI  - Neurological form of schizophrenia.

PMID- 20312085
TI  - Art.

PMID- 20312087
TI  - Cottages and other second residences: how will your tax-collector view them?

PMID- 20312086
TI  - Quebec legislation should be amended for effective limits on chiropractic.

PMID- 20312088
TI  - A study on transfer of functions.

PMID- 20312090
TI  - Accidents kill 2000 children a year.

PMID- 20312089
TI  - Mass screening can decrease cancer mortality; logistics still uncertain.

PMID- 20312092
TI  - How the clinic affected the community.

PMID- 20312091
TI  - How two physician-operated clinics brought care to remote communities.

PMID- 20312093
TI  - Review system of physician competence in U.S. seems headed in new direction.

PMID- 20312094
TI  - Needed attention within medicare plan not possible, some Quebec doctors say.

PMID- 20312095
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20312097
TI  - Complete history and physical examination.

PMID- 20312096
TI  - Complete history and physical examination.

PMID- 20312098
TI  - Complete history and physical examination.

PMID- 20312100
TI  - American consultants.

PMID- 20312099
TI  - PKU screening.

PMID- 20312102
TI  - Tar, nicotine content of cigarettes reduced according to new survey.

PMID- 20312101
TI  - American consultants.

PMID- 20312103
TI  - British columbia medical association.

PMID- 20312104
TI  - British columbia medical association.

PMID- 20312105
TI  - Frequency of hepatitis B antigen.

PMID- 20312106
TI  - Early breast cancer.

PMID- 20312108
TI  - An APMR - now what would that be?

PMID- 20312107
TI  - Enrolment of out-of-province medical students.

PMID- 20312110
TI  - Real estate for everyone.

PMID- 20312109
TI  - Health care reorganization becomes vehicle for federal-provincial game.

PMID- 20312111
TI  - Uniform schedule of immunization recommended for cross-Canada use.

PMID- 20312113
TI  - One medical place.

PMID- 20312112
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20312115
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312114
TI  - Income properties provide yield, safety, while land investment is a speculation.

PMID- 20312116
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20312118
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20312117
TI  - Graduates of baroda medical college.

PMID- 20312119
TI  - Wherever the traveller goes, IAMAT aims to ensure quality medical aid.

PMID- 20312120
TI  - Immunization in tuberculosis.

PMID- 20312121
TI  - Chlorpromazine-induced SLE.

PMID- 20312123
TI  - It's the professionals who know the pitfalls of big-time real estate.

PMID- 20312122
TI  - Prepaid group practice combines personal health care services, good organization.

PMID- 20312124
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20312125
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312126
TI  - Blood pressure reduction in "borderline" hypertensives.

PMID- 20312127
TI  - British columbia medical association.

PMID- 20312128
TI  - Physician services in remote communities.

PMID- 20312129
TI  - Nonbacterial pneumonitis with antineoplastic therapy.

PMID- 20312130
TI  - "Clinical material".

PMID- 20312131
TI  - Of human life.

PMID- 20312132
TI  - Fee-for-service.

PMID- 20312133
TI  - "Write the vision, and make it plain...".

PMID- 20312135
TI  - AMA launches review of facts broadcast in NBC television documentary on medicine.

PMID- 20312134
TI  - Changes in adipose tissue and increased serum cholesterol of coronary patients
      following training.
AB  - A study was undertaken to investigate whether a physical training effect could be
      observed in the adipose tissue composition of coronary patients. The results
      indicated that there was an increase in the proportion of palmitic acid and a
      decrease in oleic acid. These changes were accompanied by an increase in blood
      cholesterol.

PMID- 20312137
TI  - Anti-androgens for sex offenders.

PMID- 20312136
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312138
TI  - A British report on AID.

PMID- 20312139
TI  - Nurse practitioners.

PMID- 20312141
TI  - Nurse practitioners.

PMID- 20312140
TI  - Behavioural modification in obesity.

PMID- 20312142
TI  - Nurse practitioners.

PMID- 20312143
TI  - Poliomyelitis immunization.

PMID- 20312144
TI  - Fee-for-service.

PMID- 20312145
TI  - True knot of the umbilical cord in two consecutive pregnancies.

PMID- 20312146
TI  - Decentralization-an obvious benefit.

PMID- 20312148
TI  - Real estate is a profitable investment but first spell out the questions.

PMID- 20312147
TI  - Health services in Ontario correctional system under new direction as urged in
      Botterrell report.

PMID- 20312150
TI  - Shorter chemotherapy of tuberculosis.

PMID- 20312149
TI  - Quebec federations battle to raise pay for physicians.

PMID- 20312151
TI  - Apmr.

PMID- 20312152
TI  - Medical findings from Skylab One suggest living in space no serious problem.

PMID- 20312153
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20312155
TI  - Global budget.

PMID- 20312154
TI  - Global budget.

PMID- 20312156
TI  - Smallpox vaccination.

PMID- 20312158
TI  - The Sault experience.

PMID- 20312157
TI  - Antecedents of myocardial infarction.

PMID- 20312159
TI  - Witwatersrand graduates.

PMID- 20312160
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312161
TI  - Unsolicited sampling of all drugs now to come under ban.

PMID- 20312162
TI  - Geology and disease in Newfoundland.

PMID- 20312163
TI  - Enuresis.

PMID- 20312164
TI  - Excessive busyness affects doctors; carelessness results.

PMID- 20312165
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312166
TI  - Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

PMID- 20312168
TI  - Demonstrations of continued competence would involve much administrative detail.

PMID- 20312167
TI  - Relationship of age-specific incidence rates to immunological aspects of
      Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
AB  - Studies of the age-specific incidence rates of the appearance of Hashimoto's
      thyroiditis indicate that this disorder appears at random in a genetically
      preselected population. Following an initial lag in the first few years of life,
      the disease appears at a constant rate thereafter in this population.The age
      specific incidence rates were similar to those previously reported for Graves'
      disease. Moreover, there is considerable evidence implicating cell-mediated
      immunity in both diseases, with the likelihood of cooperating humoral antibodies
      as well. It may be hypothesized that the two diseases are primarily due to
      genetic defects in immunological surveillance, which result in an inability to
      destroy or control a specific forbidden clone of thymicderived lymphocytes which
      may arise by normal random mutation. The T-lymphocyte interacts with its
      complementary antigen (on a hitherto normal thyroid cell), setting up a cell
      mediated immune response; in addition it may cooperate with bursa-equivalent
      lymphocytes, which then produce humoral antibodies. It is possible that both cell
      mediated immunity and humoral antibodies are necessary for the full expression of
      the disease.

PMID- 20312169
TI  - Bioavailability: report of the special advisory committee to the health
      protection branch, DNH&W.

PMID- 20312170
TI  - Canada's Medical Schools: Western Ontario and Saskatchewan.

PMID- 20312171
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20312172
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312173
TI  - Canada's medical schools: University of Manitoba and McMaster University.

PMID- 20312174
TI  - China report.

PMID- 20312175
TI  - Varicose veins and "Trauma Canada".

PMID- 20312176
TI  - Transmitting a cold.

PMID- 20312178
TI  - "Cold" white kidney.

PMID- 20312177
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312179
TI  - "Cold" white kidney.

PMID- 20312181
TI  - Epilepsy and driving licences.

PMID- 20312180
TI  - Learning disability.

PMID- 20312182
TI  - Respiratory disease in young adults.

PMID- 20312183
TI  - Gas gangrene in civilian practice.

PMID- 20312184
TI  - Parents of children with cystic fibrosis.

PMID- 20312185
TI  - The essence of the town-gown gap.

PMID- 20312186
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20312187
TI  - Canada's medical schools: drawings of Queen's and McGill.

PMID- 20312188
TI  - The Pickering Report; CMAJ begins publication in full - Part I, why and how the
      study was established.

PMID- 20312190
TI  - Aphorisms.

PMID- 20312189
TI  - Psychiatric practice in Canada.

PMID- 20312191
TI  - Confrontation in manitoba.

PMID- 20312192
TI  - The Pickering Report, Part II: what the doctors think.

PMID- 20312193
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20312194
TI  - The Scope of a Federal Department of Health.

PMID- 20312195
TI  - Constitutional Symptoms and Focal Infections of the Genito-Urinary Tract.

PMID- 20312196
TI  - Tuberculosis of the Kidney and ureter.

PMID- 20312197
TI  - Indications for and Results of Transfusion.

PMID- 20312198
TI  - Spasmophilia (Infantile Tetany).

PMID- 20312199
TI  - Wounds of the Chest.

PMID- 20312201
TI  - The Public and Malignant Disease.

PMID- 20312200
TI  - The Problem of the Mentally Defective In the Province of Quebec.

PMID- 20312203
TI  - The Value of Psychopathic Hospitals.

PMID- 20312202
TI  - The Medical and Allied Professions as a State Service.

PMID- 20312205
TI  - Diseases of the Gastro-Intestinal Tract.

PMID- 20312204
TI  - NEW FACTS, NEW SUGGESTIONS.

PMID- 20312206
TI  - The Influence of Sir William Osler on Medicine in America.

PMID- 20312208
TI  - Focal Infections: Ileal and Colonic Stasis.

PMID- 20312207
TI  - The Pathological Collections of the late Sir William Osler.

PMID- 20312209
TI  - Chronic Intestinal Stasis.

PMID- 20312210
TI  - The Winnipeg Epidemic of Encephalitis Lethargica.

PMID- 20312211
TI  - Obstetric Paralysis-Its Cause and Treatment.

PMID- 20312213
TI  - Blood Transfusion.

PMID- 20312212
TI  - The Treatment of Empyema in Lobar Pneumonia by Early Aspiration.

PMID- 20312214
TI  - Notes on Two Cases of Peculiar Medical Interest: 1. Syphilitic Aortic
      Insufficiency. 2. Cerebro-spinal Fever supervening upon Erythema Nodosum.

PMID- 20312215
TI  - Encephalitis Lethargica.

PMID- 20312216
TI  - The Death of Sir William Osler.

PMID- 20312217
TI  - System in the Care of the Sick.

PMID- 20312218
TI  - Letter from Gordon Bates.

PMID- 20312220
TI  - Letter from Murray MacLaren.

PMID- 20312219
TI  - Letter from A. B. Macallum.

PMID- 20312221
TI  - OEdemas, not of Nephritic Origin, in Infancy and Childhood.

PMID- 20312222
TI  - Recent Additions to our Knowledge of Infantine Scurvy.

PMID- 20312223
TI  - Sir William Osler, Bart., M.D., F.R.S., etc.

PMID- 20312224
TI  - Abstract of Presidential Address, Manitoba Medical Association.

PMID- 20312225
TI  - Presidential Address, Alberta Medical Association.

PMID- 20312226
TI  - Plasmoma of the Naso-Pharynx.

PMID- 20312228
TI  - Pyloric Stenosis of Infancy.

PMID- 20312227
TI  - Tuberculosis of the Urinary System.

PMID- 20312229
TI  - A Case of Chronic Middle Ear Suppurations, Cholesteatoma, and Mastoiditis,
      complicated by Labyrinthitis, Sinus, Thrombosis and Meningitis.

PMID- 20312230
TI  - Treatment of Obstructive DysmenorrhOEA.

PMID- 20312231
TI  - Demonstration: Preparations Illustrating the Causes of the Tick Paralysis of
      British Columbia, Rocky Mountain Fever, Infective Jaundice and Yellow Fever.

PMID- 20312232
TI  - Renal Calculus.

PMID- 20312233
TI  - Some of the Severer Forms of Chronic Headaches.

PMID- 20312234
TI  - Cases of Ectopic Pregnancy.

PMID- 20312235
TI  - Chronic Intussusception with Polypus.

PMID- 20312236
TI  - A Case of Endothelioma of the Pleura with Multiple Metastasis.

PMID- 20312237
TI  - Aphasia in a left-handed Individual consequent upon a right Cerebral Lesion.

PMID- 20312238
TI  - An Unusual Case of Retro-Peritoneal Congenital Cyst probably arising from the
      Wolffian Body.

PMID- 20312239
TI  - Buried Chromic Catgut Sutures acting as Recurrent Abscesses Thirty Years after
      their Insertion.

PMID- 20312240
TI  - Scurvy.

PMID- 20312242
TI  - Influenza again Epidemic.

PMID- 20312241
TI  - Tabes Dorsalis with Gastric Manifestations.

PMID- 20312243
TI  - Surgery and "The Unknown Quantity".

PMID- 20312244
TI  - The Vancouver Meeting.

PMID- 20312245
TI  - History of the Events which led to the Passing of the British Anatomy Act, A.D.
      1832.

PMID- 20312246
TI  - Progress Report upon Preparation of Material for Army Medical Department of
      Canadian War Museum.

PMID- 20312247
TI  - NEW FACTS, NEW SUGGESTIONS.

PMID- 20312248
TI  - Thoracoplasty for Chronic Chest Cavities.

PMID- 20312249
TI  - Peripheral Nerve Injuries.

PMID- 20312251
TI  - The Genesis, Classification, Interrelationships and Clinical Diagnosis of
      Disease.

PMID- 20312250
TI  - Obstetrics and the State.

PMID- 20312252
TI  - Headache of Nasal Pharyngeal and Aural Origin.

PMID- 20312254
TI  - Lessons from War Surgery.

PMID- 20312253
TI  - Report of Fifty-Eight Cases of delayed Arsenical Poisoning, following the
      Administration of "606" Preparations.

PMID- 20312255
TI  - Primary Sarcoma of the Mediastinum with Post Mortem.

PMID- 20312257
TI  - Submaxillary Salivary Calculus.

PMID- 20312256
TI  - Chronic Diarrhoea associated with an Adenoma of the Thyroid Gland.

PMID- 20312258
TI  - Erythema Multiforme mistaken for Lesions due to Chemical Poisoning.

PMID- 20312260
TI  - Prophylaxis of Influenza.

PMID- 20312259
TI  - Veil-pin in a Bronchus Removed through Bronchoscope.

PMID- 20312261
TI  - Salvarsan in Syphilis.

PMID- 20312262
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20312264
TI  - Internal Hydrocephalus.

PMID- 20312263
TI  - Digitalis.

PMID- 20312265
TI  - The Ontario Medical Association Reorganization.

PMID- 20312268
TI  - Cancer of the Uterus with Special Reference to Diagnosis.

PMID- 20312267
TI  - Wounds and Infections of the Knee Joint.

PMID- 20312266
TI  - The Union of Septic Compound Fractures.

PMID- 20312270
TI  - Certain Bacteriological and Serological Aspects of Epidemic Influenza.

PMID- 20312269
TI  - The Causes of Death in Men who died from Gunshot Wounds of the Abdomen.

PMID- 20312271
TI  - On the early Diagnosis of Variola: A Note on the Conditions of the Blood and
      Spleen.

PMID- 20312272
TI  - Pulmonary Abscess following Extraction of the Teeth. Cure by Artificial
      Pneumothorax.

PMID- 20312273
TI  - Severe Purpura Haemorrhagica (Morbus Maculosus Werlhofii). Cured by Direct
      Transfusion.

PMID- 20312275
TI  - Notes from Radiographic Department. A New Method of confirming the Diagnosis of
      Cirrhosis of the Liver by Radiography.

PMID- 20312274
TI  - Chronic Parenchymatous Nephritis (Nephrosis) Illustraing the Results Obtained by
      Dietetic Treatment.

PMID- 20312276
TI  - Myocarditis with Sudden Death Illustrating the Significance of the Inverted T in
      the Electrocardiogram as a Grave Prognostic Sign.

PMID- 20312277
TI  - Late Results in a Case of Resection of Small Intestine for a Fibro-Sarcoma
      Associated with a Recurrent Melaena.

PMID- 20312278
TI  - Torsion of an Ovarian Cyst Complicating Pregnancy.

PMID- 20312279
TI  - Case of Spontaneous Haemorrhage from the Great Omentum.

PMID- 20312281
TI  - On the AEtiology of Chronic Arthritis.

PMID- 20312280
TI  - Cerebral Haemorrhage simulating Uraemia.

PMID- 20312283
TI  - Biography of Sir William Osler.

PMID- 20312282
TI  - Canadian Research into Industrial Hygiene.

PMID- 20312284
TI  - Obstructive Dysmenorrhoea.

PMID- 20312286
TI  - Phosphorus as a Therapeutic Agent.

PMID- 20312285
TI  - Medical Education in China.

PMID- 20312287
TI  - Sciatica from an Orthopaedic Standpoint.

PMID- 20312288
TI  - Traumatism of the Spleen.

PMID- 20312289
TI  - Syphilis and Gonorrhoea from the Public Health Point of View.

PMID- 20312291
TI  - Some X-ray Plates and their Significance.

PMID- 20312290
TI  - A Plea for the Sphincter Ani.

PMID- 20312292
TI  - The Summer's Experience with Infectious Diarrhoea.

PMID- 20312294
TI  - Medical Board Work on Psychiatric Cases.

PMID- 20312293
TI  - The need of Psychopathic Hospitals in Canada.

PMID- 20312295
TI  - Some Observations on the Occurrence of Acidosis after Anaesthesia.

PMID- 20312296
TI  - Prolongation of Life.

PMID- 20312297
TI  - Is there a Place for Spinal Analgesia.

PMID- 20312298
TI  - Torsion of the Left Testicle followed by Gangrene of the Testicle and Epididymis.

PMID- 20312299
TI  - Gangrene of the Caecum and Colon in a Case of Acute Dysentery.

PMID- 20312300
TI  - Influenza complicated by Incarcerated Fibroid Uterus and Missed Cervical
      Abortion.

PMID- 20312301
TI  - Advanced Training for Nurses.

PMID- 20312302
TI  - Surgery of the Peripheral Nerves.

PMID- 20312304
TI  - Resolution on the Death of Sir James Grant.

PMID- 20312303
TI  - Diuresis and the Caffein Group of Diuretics.

PMID- 20312306
TI  - Focal Infection.

PMID- 20312305
TI  - University of Toronto Extension Course in Paediatrics.

PMID- 20312307
TI  - The Present Day Treatment of Club Foot.

PMID- 20312308
TI  - Recent Studies of Scoliosis.

PMID- 20312309
TI  - The Work of a Psychopathic Hospital.

PMID- 20312310
TI  - Advances in Knowledge about the Blood-Cells during the past Six Years.

PMID- 20312312
TI  - Fibromyomata-Especial Reference to Radium Treatment.

PMID- 20312311
TI  - Medical Education.

PMID- 20312314
TI  - Heat and Infant Mortality.

PMID- 20312313
TI  - Incipient Diabetes Mellitus.

PMID- 20312315
TI  - Case 1. Fatal Haemorrhage from Duodenal Ulcer.

PMID- 20312316
TI  - Case 2. Fatal Haemorrhage from an Indolent Gastric Ulcer.

PMID- 20312317
TI  - Case 3. Intestinal Anastomosis for Chronic Toxaemia.

PMID- 20312319
TI  - Foreign Boby (Tartar) in the Right Lung, with Abscess of the Lung and
      Pyopneumothorax.

PMID- 20312318
TI  - Case 4. Carcinoma of the OEesophagus and Raynaud's Disease.

PMID- 20312320
TI  - Acute Phlegmonous Laryngitis, Streptococcus Septic Pneumonia.

PMID- 20312321
TI  - Abscess in a Patent Urachus in a Child Nine Months old.

PMID- 20312322
TI  - Pancreatitis, Experimental and Clinical.

PMID- 20312323
TI  - Pituitrin.

PMID- 20312324
TI  - Presidential Address.

PMID- 20312325
TI  - A Study of Epidemic Encephalitis based on the Study of Seventeen Cases with Two
      Autopsies.

PMID- 20312326
TI  - Recent Advances in Tendon Transplantation and Bone Grafting.

PMID- 20312327
TI  - Colostomy-a simple and inexpensive Contrivance to maintain perfect Cleanliness.

PMID- 20312329
TI  - Kala Azar.

PMID- 20312328
TI  - Functioning of the Heart in Cardiac Disease.

PMID- 20312330
TI  - The Anti-Tuberculosis Campaign A Social Campaign-the Role of the Government-the
      Role of Private Effort.

PMID- 20312332
TI  - Physical Examination of the Chest.

PMID- 20312331
TI  - A Paper on Shock.

PMID- 20312333
TI  - Water Supplies in Quebec.

PMID- 20312334
TI  - On the Taking and Examination of Throat Cultures.

PMID- 20312335
TI  - Bichloride of Mercury Poisoning by Vaginal Application.

PMID- 20312336
TI  - On the Causes and Definition of Cancer.

PMID- 20312337
TI  - Farewell Message from Major-General Fotheringham, C.M.G.

PMID- 20312339
TI  - The Nature and Treatment of Wound Shock and Allied Conditions.

PMID- 20312338
TI  - Arterial Hypertension.

PMID- 20312340
TI  - Certain Fundamental Errors in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Myocardial
      Insufficiency.

PMID- 20312342
TI  - Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons.

PMID- 20312341
TI  - The Surgical Treatment of Ulcerative Intestinal Tuberculosis as occurring chiefly
      in the course of Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20312343
TI  - Psychiatry and Internal Medicine.

PMID- 20312344
TI  - Acute Intestinal Obstruction with special reference to Diagnosis.

PMID- 20312345
TI  - The Importance of Biochemical Tests in Patients suffering from Prostatic
      Enlargement.

PMID- 20312346
TI  - Surgical Gynaecology.

PMID- 20312347
TI  - A Case of MyxOEdema.

PMID- 20312348
TI  - On the Changes in the Clinical Types of Infectious Disease.

PMID- 20312349
TI  - The Address in Surgery.

PMID- 20312351
TI  - The Alkaloidal Principles in Plants.

PMID- 20312350
TI  - The Address in Medicine.

PMID- 20312352
TI  - Subacute Infective Endocarditis.

PMID- 20312353
TI  - London as a Medical Centre: The British Fellowship of Medicine.

PMID- 20312354
TI  - Medicine and the War.

PMID- 20312355
TI  - A Plea for better Obstetrics.

PMID- 20312356
TI  - The Treatment of Haemorrhage in Medical Diseases.

PMID- 20312357
TI  - A Course of Treatment for Early Syphilis.

PMID- 20312359
TI  - The more Recent Developments in the Use of X-Rays in Commerce.

PMID- 20312358
TI  - Syphilis of the Central Nervous System; its early Recognition and Treatment.

PMID- 20312360
TI  - The Significance of the Calcium-Ion in the Cell-Experimental Tetany.

PMID- 20312362
TI  - The new Relationship between the State and the Practitioner in England.

PMID- 20312361
TI  - Report of the Treatment of a Case of Leukosarcoma with Mediastinal Involvement.

PMID- 20312363
TI  - Recent Advances in Pharmacology.

PMID- 20312364
TI  - Medical Education.

PMID- 20312365
TI  - The International Congress of Physiologists held at Paris, July, 1920.

PMID- 20312367
TI  - The Laboratory Diagnosis of Syphilis.

PMID- 20312366
TI  - A Consideration of the Thomson-Curtin Operation for Detached Retina with Report
      of Two Cases.

PMID- 20312368
TI  - Carcinoma of the Colon.

PMID- 20312370
TI  - A New View of the Induction of Immunity in the Enteric Diseases.

PMID- 20312369
TI  - Botulism-A Clinical Study of an Outbreak in the Yukon.

PMID- 20312371
TI  - Modern Views on the Care of Infectious Diseases.

PMID- 20312372
TI  - Radium for the State of New York.

PMID- 20312373
TI  - Goitre.

PMID- 20312374
TI  - Goitre and its Medical Treatment.

PMID- 20312375
TI  - Co-Relation of Results of Treatment by Surgical and X-Ray Methods.

PMID- 20312376
TI  - Myelogenous Leukaemia-Treatment by Benzol and X-Ray.

PMID- 20312377
TI  - The Diagnostic Value of the X-Ray Examination in Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20312378
TI  - A Further Study of Liver Atrophy by X-Ray Examination.

PMID- 20312379
TI  - Abscess of the Lung.

PMID- 20312380
TI  - Pulmonary Abscess.

PMID- 20312381
TI  - Surgical Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20312382
TI  - Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus.

PMID- 20312383
TI  - Further Report on the study of the Colon by the Opaque Enema-Summary of One
      Thousand Examinations.

PMID- 20312384
TI  - The Bleeding Uterus-Its Pathology, Diagnosis, and Treatment.

PMID- 20312385
TI  - A case of Secondary Keratitis.

PMID- 20312386
TI  - An Unusual Case of Epidemic Spinal Meningitis Complicated by an Intercurrent
      Attack of Measles.

PMID- 20312387
TI  - The Improved and Larger Journal.

PMID- 20312388
TI  - The Surgical Congress in Montreal.

PMID- 20312389
TI  - The Mace.

PMID- 20312390
TI  - Modern Views on Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20312392
TI  - Classified Bibliography of Sir William Osler's Canadian Period.

PMID- 20312391
TI  - Hudson's Bay Company Research Fellowship.

PMID- 20312393
TI  - BIOGRAPHY OF SIR WILLIAM OSLER.

PMID- 20312394
TI  - Biographical Sketch.

PMID- 20312395
TI  - Osler's Boyhood.

PMID- 20312397
TI  - Osler and the Montreal Veterinary College.

PMID- 20312396
TI  - Montreal Days.

PMID- 20312398
TI  - A Tribute to Sir William Osler.

PMID- 20312400
TI  - A Student's Impression of Osler.

PMID- 20312399
TI  - Early Days at the Johns Hopkins Hospital with Dr. Osler.

PMID- 20312401
TI  - Sir William Osler at Oxford.

PMID- 20312402
TI  - Sir William Osler and Oxford.

PMID- 20312403
TI  - Last Days of Sir William Osler.

PMID- 20312404
TI  - The Influence of William Osler on Medicine in America.

PMID- 20312405
TI  - Osler as Clinician and Teacher.

PMID- 20312406
TI  - Sir William Osler and the McGill Medical Library.

PMID- 20312407
TI  - Osler's Influence on the Research Student.

PMID- 20312409
TI  - FOREWORD.

PMID- 20312408
TI  - Memorial Sermon at Christ Church Cathedral.

PMID- 20312410
TI  - The Pathological Collections of the Late Sir William Osler and His Relations with
      the Medical Museum of McGill University.

PMID- 20312411
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20312412
TI  - Canada's medical schools: Alberta and Laval.

PMID- 20312413
TI  - Renin in hypertension.

PMID- 20312414
TI  - Parasitic diseases.

PMID- 20312415
TI  - Minor opthalmology II.

PMID- 20312417
TI  - Respiratory tract infections in children.

PMID- 20312416
TI  - The Pickering Report, Part III: what the public thinks.

PMID- 20312418
TI  - Smallpox eradication.

PMID- 20312419
TI  - Limited licensure.

PMID- 20312420
TI  - The Pickering Report, Part IV: the social changes that confront today's
      physician.

PMID- 20312421
TI  - Canada's Medical Schools: UBC and Toronto.

PMID- 20312422
TI  - Canadian Labour Congress reaffirms position - "prepaying doctors' bills is not
      enough".

PMID- 20312423
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312424
TI  - Abortion.

PMID- 20312425
TI  - Abortion.

PMID- 20312426
TI  - Abortion.

PMID- 20312427
TI  - Bilateral traumatic renal artery thrombosis.

PMID- 20312428
TI  - Nuchal infiltrations.

PMID- 20312429
TI  - Travel.

PMID- 20312431
TI  - Chinese medical journals resume publication.

PMID- 20312430
TI  - Basic research in acupuncture analgesia.

PMID- 20312432
TI  - Limb reimplantation complications and their management.

PMID- 20312433
TI  - A registered retirement savings plan such as CMARSP is best investment most
      doctors can make.

PMID- 20312434
TI  - Canada's medical schools: University of Ottawa and University of Calgary.

PMID- 20312436
TI  - Doctors on salary.

PMID- 20312435
TI  - Immunological aspects of autoimmune thyroiditis.

PMID- 20312437
TI  - Serum uric acid and coronary artery disease.

PMID- 20312439
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312438
TI  - What does my association do for me?

PMID- 20312440
TI  - Government study names high tar, nicotine cigarettes.

PMID- 20312441
TI  - The Pickering Report, Part VI: earnings of doctors and review of fees.

PMID- 20312442
TI  - Suicide: public health and the silence of the heart.

PMID- 20312443
TI  - Limited licensure.

PMID- 20312444
TI  - Abortion and the pregnant teenager.

PMID- 20312445
TI  - The way I see it.

PMID- 20312446
TI  - The way I see it.

PMID- 20312447
TI  - "To see oursels as others see us!".

PMID- 20312448
TI  - Yersinia enterocolitica septicemia.

PMID- 20312449
TI  - Acute epiglottitis in adults.

PMID- 20312450
TI  - MD incomes 1961-71.

PMID- 20312451
TI  - Hypnosis and transplants.

PMID- 20312453
TI  - Hypnosis.

PMID- 20312452
TI  - Adjunctive management of a grossly unstable diabetic by hypnosis.

PMID- 20312454
TI  - The value of the mean corpuscular volume (MCV) as a screening test.

PMID- 20312455
TI  - Neurology review.

PMID- 20312456
TI  - The rare and the plentiful - a dilemma in pediatric manpower.

PMID- 20312457
TI  - Familial hypothalamic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.
AB  - Clinical findings and endocrine studies are reported concerning six subjects
      (from two pedigrees) suffering from isolated hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Their
      complete lack of any gonadotropin response to clomiphene stimulation, together
      with positive responses of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing
      hormone (LH) to LH-releasing-hormone stimulation (LH-RH) provide evidence for a
      hypothalamic basis for this disorder. Additional data are presented indicating
      that variables such as circulating estrogen levels may influence the gonadotropin
      response to LH-RH.

PMID- 20312458
TI  - Psychomotor performance during insulin-induced hypoglycemia.
AB  - Subjects were given intravenous injections of insulin and/or saline on separate
      occasions and then tested on a pursuit-tracking task. Seven subjects showed clear
      clinical signs of hypoglycemia which were accompanied by a plasma glucose
      concentration of 32 mg/dl or less and by impaired tracking performance. Seven
      subjects showing no hypoglycemic signs despite insulin, and seven subjects
      receiving saline injections, showed no impairment in tracking. Impairment lasted
      from about the 15th to the 60th minute following injection, and was more readily
      apparent in response execution than response selection. There were no changes in
      accuracy of performance. Possible explanatory mechanisms, including
      neuroglycopenia, are discussed, and some implications for driving performance are
      noted.

PMID- 20312459
TI  - The evaluation of chronic psychiatric care.
AB  - During the past two decades the reduction in the size of the mental hospital
      population in this country has closely followed statistical predictions for bed
      requirements both in Canada and in the province of Ontario. The decrease has been
      most pronounced among chronic non-retarded patients. While these patients are now
      less evident in hospital statistics, it is suggested that improvements in their
      state may be more apparent than real, owing to differences in the terminology and
      numerators employed in presenting mental health statistics. Further, concern has
      been expressed about the quality of care received by former chronic patients now
      scattered through the community in a variety of after-care programs. Readmission
      rates have greatly increased in absolute terms and as a proportion of total
      admissions. The evaluation of the management of chronic psychiatric patients is
      discussed.

PMID- 20312460
TI  - Acute upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding and recent alcohol ingestion.
AB  - Alcohol ingestion is a reason for hospital admission for what may be termed
      trivial or even spurious gastrointestinal bleeding. This clinical entity can be
      recognized and hospital admission avoided. It is suggested that in the case of
      men under the age of 40 who present with a history of hematemesis and who are
      intoxicated to a variable degree but without a history of recent salicylate
      ingestion or previous dyspepsia, and in whom the hemoglobin level is above 13.0
      g/dl it is acceptable management to send them home with instructions to seek help
      only if there is fresh, authenticated bleeding. This attitude is further
      supported by a normal blood volume measurement and the absence of blood from a
      gastric aspirate.

PMID- 20312461
TI  - Time and money in pediatric practice.
AB  - The types of services provided by pediatricians in Ontario and the payment they
      received from OHIP for a three-month period in 1972 are examined. Pediatricians
      provided 4.8% of the total of 16.3 million services and received 3.3% of the
      total $117.7 million payment. Most of the services were provided in ambulatory
      settings. Skin testing for allergy and hyposensitization accounted for 42% of the
      total of pediatric services. More than two thirds of pediatricians were engaged
      in provision of services which could be classified as primary care. Indeed, most
      of the services provided were of a primary care nature.There is a pressing need
      for redifining the pediatrician's role in our health-care delivery system and for
      a new look at his education.

PMID- 20312462
TI  - Constriction ring dystocia.
AB  - A case of constriction ring dystocia in a 40-year-old multiparous white woman is
      described. She was postmature; the fetus occupied an unstable lie for which no
      cause could be demonstrated clinically or radiologically; during the course of an
      inert labour every third fetal heart sound was abnormal. At cesarean section it
      appeared that no lower uterine segment had formed and extreme thickness of the
      myometrium was encountered.

PMID- 20312463
TI  - Pathophysiology of obesity.

PMID- 20312464
TI  - Anxiety states-experience with an automated group treatment.
AB  - Fifty patients drawn from a general practice were treated for manifest anxiety
      using relaxation techniques related to induction of hypnosis. The patients were
      instructed in groups of four to six with pretaped recordings.Forty-one patients
      completed the program which consisted of six one-hour recordings. Results
      indicated that 81% of those patients who subjectively evaluated their responses
      believed that they had been helped considerably. The impression gained from the
      study was that this method of treatment has useful application and that further
      study is warranted to assess more accurately the benefits of this approach to the
      psychotherapy of anxiety states.

PMID- 20312465
TI  - Health care insurance-U.S. style.

PMID- 20312466
TI  - MD Incomes 1961-71, Part II.

PMID- 20312467
TI  - Canada's Medical Schools: Dalhousie.

PMID- 20312469
TI  - Family problems in medical practice.

PMID- 20312468
TI  - Here's a last minute check for your income tax return that might save a few
      headaches.

PMID- 20312470
TI  - Health ministers reach agreement on broad variety of new measures.

PMID- 20312471
TI  - Comprehensive health insurance in U.S. - an idea whose time has come.

PMID- 20312472
TI  - An important recent decision: who's responsible for sponges used during an
      operation?

PMID- 20312474
TI  - China report.

PMID- 20312473
TI  - China report.

PMID- 20312476
TI  - Trendiness in the biomedical computer biz.

PMID- 20312475
TI  - Trendiness in the biomedical computer biz.

PMID- 20312477
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20312478
TI  - Informedia will instruct and entertain waiting patients; could prove profitable
      investment for you.

PMID- 20312479
TI  - Disease costing claimed to be a tool to trim budgets but maintain quality.

PMID- 20312480
TI  - Dr. John stewart Henry.

PMID- 20312481
TI  - Perinatal intensive care.

PMID- 20312482
TI  - MD incomes 1961-71.

PMID- 20312483
TI  - Narcolepsy.

PMID- 20312484
TI  - Nonspecific humoral response associated with secondary syphilis.

PMID- 20312485
TI  - Drifting meridians.

PMID- 20312486
TI  - Drifting meridians.

PMID- 20312487
TI  - Winterwood.

PMID- 20312489
TI  - Saskatchewan adventure: a personal record. Part II, making contact.

PMID- 20312488
TI  - Life is real, life is earnest, next week and every week.

PMID- 20312490
TI  - They were first: six women medical pioneers.

PMID- 20312491
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312492
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312493
TI  - Age of consent: a warning for Ontario doctors.

PMID- 20312494
TI  - Nonprescription drugs to come under Food and Drugs Act.

PMID- 20312495
TI  - CMA position on nonprescription drugs.

PMID- 20312496
TI  - Fate of the chronic bronchitic.

PMID- 20312497
TI  - Reye's syndrome in a newborn.

PMID- 20312498
TI  - Hospital admission chest X-rays.

PMID- 20312500
TI  - Cervical cytology screening.

PMID- 20312499
TI  - Cervical cytology screening.

PMID- 20312501
TI  - Nocturnal enuresis.

PMID- 20312502
TI  - Birth control and abortion.

PMID- 20312503
TI  - The pickering report.

PMID- 20312504
TI  - Doctors on salary.

PMID- 20312506
TI  - Let practice experience provide input into research on health care system.

PMID- 20312505
TI  - Birth control and abortion.

PMID- 20312507
TI  - Hepatitis B antigen in screened blood units.

PMID- 20312509
TI  - Foulkes report in B.C.

PMID- 20312508
TI  - Hepatitis B antigen in screened blood units.

PMID- 20312510
TI  - Appreciation from an affiliate.

PMID- 20312511
TI  - A view from the hospital window.

PMID- 20312512
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312514
TI  - WHO 1975 travel fellowships announced.

PMID- 20312513
TI  - American Lung Association residency fellowships available to Canadians.

PMID- 20312516
TI  - VD notifications continue to rise.

PMID- 20312515
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312517
TI  - Canadian Mental Health Association seeks more protection for patients.

PMID- 20312518
TI  - McGill dean tells Montreal group to look for constructive ideas.

PMID- 20312519
TI  - Ontario's new Health Disciplines Act will put laymen on professional governing
      bodies.

PMID- 20312521
TI  - Old fluoroscopy machines.

PMID- 20312520
TI  - Funds available for research in birth defects.

PMID- 20312522
TI  - Witwatersrand graduates.

PMID- 20312523
TI  - Culture shock and the metric system: 28.5 ml of prevention may be worth 450 g of
      cure.

PMID- 20312524
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312525
TI  - Canadian Medical Bonspiel has grandstand finish.

PMID- 20312526
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312527
TI  - Transportation of sick neonates.

PMID- 20312528
TI  - Familial vitamin B(12) malabsorption.

PMID- 20312529
TI  - Survey of women physicians.

PMID- 20312530
TI  - Montreal GP appealing criminal negligence conviction in emergency patient death
      case.

PMID- 20312531
TI  - Acquired aphasia.

PMID- 20312532
TI  - Perinatal intensive care.

PMID- 20312534
TI  - Committees form base for health system: don't send a boy on a man's errand.

PMID- 20312533
TI  - Soviet-Canadian vignettes.

PMID- 20312536
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312535
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312537
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312538
TI  - Nova Scotia's Tel-A-Pede provides advisory service in pediatrics for MDs.

PMID- 20312539
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312541
TI  - Separation of health and welfare Canada.

PMID- 20312540
TI  - Onchocerciasis in Canada.

PMID- 20312542
TI  - Rigors following methicillin adminstration.

PMID- 20312543
TI  - Background papers for the Hastings Report.

PMID- 20312544
TI  - Background papers for the Hastings Report.

PMID- 20312545
TI  - Acute renal failure.

PMID- 20312547
TI  - Modern concepts about drowning.

PMID- 20312546
TI  - Metric misdemeanours.

PMID- 20312548
TI  - Metric conversion.

PMID- 20312549
TI  - Canadian council on hospital accreditation.

PMID- 20312550
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312551
TI  - 'Stunted children not malnourished' - nutrition authority.

PMID- 20312552
TI  - Election puts two more doctors in the House.

PMID- 20312553
TI  - Dimensions of sports medicine.

PMID- 20312555
TI  - British medical profession takes stand against government rundown of health
      service.

PMID- 20312554
TI  - A study of a polemic.

PMID- 20312557
TI  - Suicide and depression in childhood and adolescence.

PMID- 20312556
TI  - Not every doctor is aloof and unavailable in a bureaucracy of waiting rooms.

PMID- 20312558
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312559
TI  - Genetic research dangers worrying U.S. and Britain.

PMID- 20312560
TI  - McGill study to show if drivers with health problems more accident prone.

PMID- 20312561
TI  - Painful shoulder syndrome.

PMID- 20312562
TI  - Osler Medal essay contest 1975.

PMID- 20312563
TI  - Keeping pace - but out of step?

PMID- 20312565
TI  - Surgical privileges for retirement-age surgeons in a community hospital.

PMID- 20312564
TI  - Group practice: the way of the future?

PMID- 20312566
TI  - Doctors of music don't know the score.

PMID- 20312568
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20312567
TI  - Salary versus fee-for-service: was Dr. Baltzan correct?

PMID- 20312569
TI  - Air pollution: disturbing new knowledge calls for major efforts in study and
      control.

PMID- 20312570
TI  - Of meetings.

PMID- 20312571
TI  - Drugs and faith healing.

PMID- 20312572
TI  - Quebec's Professional Code requires radical restructure of professional
      organization.

PMID- 20312573
TI  - The cure of folly.

PMID- 20312574
TI  - The non-system deserves a hand.

PMID- 20312575
TI  - Quebec government plans to do own hospital accreditation surveys.

PMID- 20312576
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312577
TI  - Marijuana equals alcohol as road hazard, study shows.

PMID- 20312578
TI  - CMA policy on abortion.

PMID- 20312579
TI  - Screening for Tay-Sachs disease.

PMID- 20312580
TI  - CMA policy on abortion.

PMID- 20312581
TI  - CMA policy on abortion.

PMID- 20312582
TI  - Medical school enrolment.

PMID- 20312583
TI  - Asphyxiation due to choking.

PMID- 20312584
TI  - Verbum sapientibus.

PMID- 20312585
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20312586
TI  - Rh sensitization following abortion.

PMID- 20312587
TI  - Doctors.

PMID- 20312588
TI  - Doctors.

PMID- 20312589
TI  - One small step for mankind.

PMID- 20312590
TI  - This book is worth study but it's annoying to read.

PMID- 20312592
TI  - The Cunnings report: two commentaries: ;Public has every right to details'.

PMID- 20312591
TI  - The Cunnings report: two commentaries: ;Report fails to address crucial issues'.

PMID- 20312593
TI  - A retirement of note.

PMID- 20312594
TI  - Painful shoulder syndrome.

PMID- 20312595
TI  - Hospital accreditation.

PMID- 20312596
TI  - Therapeutic abortion.

PMID- 20312598
TI  - Informing physicians about prescription drugs.

PMID- 20312597
TI  - The science of humane relations is one of the arts of the humanities.

PMID- 20312599
TI  - British medical deans and presidents issue unprecedented warning.

PMID- 20312600
TI  - Egalitarianism shaping doctors' lives.

PMID- 20312601
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312602
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312603
TI  - Economic council committee shifts emphasis to preventive health measures.

PMID- 20312605
TI  - Control of acupuncture seen as urgent by deputy ministers.

PMID- 20312604
TI  - Government finds $2.5 million extra medical research funds.

PMID- 20312607
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312606
TI  - The budget means tax savings for you.

PMID- 20312608
TI  - ;Perspective' - proposal for potential policies not a prospect for pragmatists.

PMID- 20312609
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312610
TI  - Cardiorespiratory fitness.

PMID- 20312611
TI  - Screening for hypertension.

PMID- 20312613
TI  - Composition of general council.

PMID- 20312612
TI  - Screening for hypertension.

PMID- 20312615
TI  - Acute rheumatic fever.

PMID- 20312614
TI  - Of meetings.

PMID- 20312616
TI  - Verbum sapientibus.

PMID- 20312617
TI  - Alternative to abortion.

PMID- 20312618
TI  - Unwanted pregnancies.

PMID- 20312619
TI  - The physician and Canadian law.

PMID- 20312620
TI  - Graduates of B.j. Medical college.

PMID- 20312621
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312622
TI  - You don't have to go to Europe to find great skiing.

PMID- 20312623
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20312624
TI  - To err is human,..

PMID- 20312625
TI  - Wilful exposure to unwanted pregnancy.

PMID- 20312626
TI  - Medical school enrolment.

PMID- 20312627
TI  - Allergy and psychosis.

PMID- 20312628
TI  - The unwanted pregnancy.

PMID- 20312629
TI  - Medic-Alert bracelets.

PMID- 20312630
TI  - Some aspects of medical management of gastrointestinal disease. Part II.
AB  - Antacids are among the most frequently used drugs, yet common prescribing habits
      suggest that there is little familiarity with effective dosage schedules, side
      effects, or the differences between various antacid preparations. These factors,
      which are important in the choice of a specific antacid preparation, are
      discussed in an attempt to provide a rational basis for therapy.Corticosteroids,
      salicylazosulfapyridine (Salazopyrin) and diphenoxylate hydrochloride-atropine
      (Lomotil) are often used in treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. Recently
      described regimens for treating acute exacerbations and maintaining remission in
      patients with ulcerative colitis are reviewed, and attention is drawn to possible
      adverse effects of Lomotil in the treatment of colonic disease.

PMID- 20312631
TI  - What's New.

PMID- 20312632
TI  - Acute rheumatic fever.

PMID- 20312634
TI  - "We want to plug hop-skip-jump routine".

PMID- 20312633
TI  - Age of consent.

PMID- 20312635
TI  - ITC's ticket to paradise.

PMID- 20312637
TI  - Research by practising physicians.

PMID- 20312636
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312638
TI  - This 'practical guide' is excellent; its study is urged.

PMID- 20312639
TI  - The irritable colon.

PMID- 20312640
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312641
TI  - Infants and institutions.

PMID- 20312642
TI  - Wordsworth country: vales and hills and daffodils.

PMID- 20312643
TI  - The hyperactive child.

PMID- 20312644
TI  - Research in birth defects.

PMID- 20312645
TI  - Search for Bethune instruments.

PMID- 20312646
TI  - Clindamycin in human breast milk.

PMID- 20312648
TI  - BC interns and residents, salaried physicians in disputes.

PMID- 20312647
TI  - Northeast Canadian-American Health Seminar views problems of health care
      delivery.

PMID- 20312649
TI  - Flying some place? Sixty days forethought can save a pile of money.

PMID- 20312650
TI  - Treatment of hypothermia.

PMID- 20312651
TI  - Painful shoulder syndrome.

PMID- 20312652
TI  - The hyperactive child.

PMID- 20312653
TI  - The medical record.

PMID- 20312654
TI  - British doctors granted 30% pay hike in new NHS contract.

PMID- 20312655
TI  - The great trains of Europe an attractive proposition.

PMID- 20312657
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312656
TI  - Self-inoculation with milk.

PMID- 20312658
TI  - Serum lipids in Canadian physicians.

PMID- 20312659
TI  - Food asphyxiation.

PMID- 20312660
TI  - Food asphyxiation.

PMID- 20312661
TI  - ECG changes during exercise.

PMID- 20312662
TI  - The new Cuba brings back the old Caribbean.

PMID- 20312664
TI  - Secondary osteomyelitis.

PMID- 20312663
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312665
TI  - Solitary thyroid metastasis.

PMID- 20312667
TI  - Occupational medicine.

PMID- 20312666
TI  - Occupational medicine.

PMID- 20312668
TI  - Cost of primary care.

PMID- 20312669
TI  - Cost of primary care.

PMID- 20312670
TI  - Carbohydrates and brain metabolism.

PMID- 20312671
TI  - Health guide for travellers.

PMID- 20312672
TI  - How to save money on renting a car in Europe.

PMID- 20312674
TI  - A primary physician and his mentors.

PMID- 20312673
TI  - Error in drug dosage.

PMID- 20312675
TI  - Dogs and intestinal parasites.

PMID- 20312676
TI  - Stamps of Canadian medical interest.

PMID- 20312677
TI  - Agathanasia.

PMID- 20312678
TI  - The old home town's suffered progress but the squirrels are just the same.

PMID- 20312680
TI  - Independent consumer report says NHS hasn't standardized health care in Britain.

PMID- 20312679
TI  - First exam in UK for graduates of foreign medical schools fails 60%.

PMID- 20312681
TI  - Ontario government seeks physician support in seat belt campaign.

PMID- 20312682
TI  - Neoplastic disease in Eskimos.

PMID- 20312683
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312684
TI  - Depression after myocardial infarction.

PMID- 20312686
TI  - SMA acts to preserve public confidence in anesthesia and medicine generally.

PMID- 20312685
TI  - The retrospective study: a Point of View.

PMID- 20312687
TI  - Good medical papers: whose responsibility?

PMID- 20312688
TI  - As others see us.

PMID- 20312689
TI  - Measure of a family doctor's work.

PMID- 20312690
TI  - Selection of medical students.

PMID- 20312691
TI  - US Congressmen learn of strengths, weaknesses of Canadian health care system.

PMID- 20312692
TI  - Slips that pass in the type.

PMID- 20312693
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312694
TI  - Therapeutic abortion.

PMID- 20312695
TI  - Special report: CMA delegation at Parliamentary hearing offers view on income
      restraint.

PMID- 20312696
TI  - Computer tomography and diagnosis of CNS lesions.

PMID- 20312697
TI  - Ischemic heart disease and elements in water.

PMID- 20312698
TI  - Antibiotics in children.

PMID- 20312699
TI  - The Ulysses syndrome.

PMID- 20312701
TI  - Peace and medicine: is Christmas out of print?

PMID- 20312700
TI  - Chiropractic.

PMID- 20312702
TI  - Congenital absence of vas deferens.

PMID- 20312704
TI  - Snowstorm.

PMID- 20312703
TI  - International fellowship for advanced biomedical studies.

PMID- 20312705
TI  - Depression after myocardial infarction.

PMID- 20312706
TI  - Fomites in vaginitis.

PMID- 20312707
TI  - Fomites in vaginitis.

PMID- 20312708
TI  - Former tuberculosis patients and blood donors.

PMID- 20312709
TI  - Income tax deduction for severe respiratory disability.

PMID- 20312711
TI  - Cephradine in pediatric practice.

PMID- 20312710
TI  - Gonococcal vulvitis and vaginitis in children.

PMID- 20312712
TI  - Marriage, a slow death?

PMID- 20312713
TI  - Continuity of medical care.

PMID- 20312714
TI  - Victoria High School centennial celebrations.

PMID- 20312715
TI  - Report on prisoners of conscience.

PMID- 20312716
TI  - Canada's national sport.

PMID- 20312718
TI  - Drug abuse double-think.

PMID- 20312717
TI  - Insect-sting kits.

PMID- 20312719
TI  - Retinoic acid in acne therapy.

PMID- 20312720
TI  - Chiropractor in medical school.

PMID- 20312722
TI  - Vitamin D supplements.

PMID- 20312721
TI  - Particle size of radioisotope colloids.

PMID- 20312723
TI  - Recent library acquisitions.

PMID- 20312724
TI  - The hyperkinetic child.

PMID- 20312725
TI  - Reactions to insect bites.

PMID- 20312726
TI  - Mercenary physicians.

PMID- 20312727
TI  - Listing of investigational and emergency drugs.

PMID- 20312728
TI  - Addiction to research: a personal 25-year recollection.

PMID- 20312729
TI  - Outlawing the snowmobile.

PMID- 20312730
TI  - Interval between food and anesthesia - 5-hour rule.

PMID- 20312731
TI  - The causes and treatment of non-disease.

PMID- 20312732
TI  - Splashback and vaginitis.

PMID- 20312733
TI  - Seat belt legislation.

PMID- 20312734
TI  - CMARSP withdrawals.

PMID- 20312735
TI  - Australian medical benefit schedule 10 years ahead.

PMID- 20312736
TI  - Chiropractic: semantic problems.

PMID- 20312738
TI  - Estrogen and impotence.

PMID- 20312737
TI  - Investigation and treatment of allergic asthma.

PMID- 20312739
TI  - Estrogen and impotence.

PMID- 20312740
TI  - Anticipating the great changes to come in the era of SI.

PMID- 20312741
TI  - Self-induced water intoxication.

PMID- 20312742
TI  - Requests for medical records.

PMID- 20312743
TI  - Journal perspectives.

PMID- 20312744
TI  - Septic superficial thrombophlebitis: a major threat from a minor lesion.
AB  - Sites of insertion of peripheral intravenous catheters remain an important but
      often overlooked source of hospital-acquired septicemia and the most important
      source of staphylococcal septicemia. Septic superficial thrombophlebitis is
      characterized by severe local pain and is readily evident clinically. Care of the
      intravenous line can prevent this complication. To be diagnosed, it must be
      suspected. Treatment consists of removal of the intravenous line and
      administration of heparin and antibiotics effective against penicillinase
      producing organisms. Occasionally the vein must be ligated or, preferably,
      removed.

PMID- 20312745
TI  - Shrink.

PMID- 20312746
TI  - Dysponesis within the body politic.

PMID- 20312747
TI  - Treatment of acute leukemia in children.

PMID- 20312748
TI  - Pediatric emergency services of the future.

PMID- 20312749
TI  - Physician referral patterns: study needed.

PMID- 20312750
TI  - The great imitator.

PMID- 20312751
TI  - "Rendering account".

PMID- 20312752
TI  - Wasted research.

PMID- 20312753
TI  - Shady practice.

PMID- 20312755
TI  - Bromide intoxication.

PMID- 20312754
TI  - OCATH removal of intern and resident authority.

PMID- 20312756
TI  - The Dublin meeting.

PMID- 20312757
TI  - The Irish experience.

PMID- 20312758
TI  - A classification for family medicine.

PMID- 20312759
TI  - Long-term psychiatric care.

PMID- 20312760
TI  - Long-term psychiatric care.

PMID- 20312761
TI  - Long-term psychiatric care.

PMID- 20312762
TI  - Anatomical musings.

PMID- 20312764
TI  - Student selection and internship: fear oft accompanies shaking of traditional
      beliefs.

PMID- 20312763
TI  - OHIP mystery.

PMID- 20312765
TI  - Northern health care.

PMID- 20312767
TI  - Pride or prejudice?

PMID- 20312766
TI  - The Canadian abortion law.

PMID- 20312768
TI  - Care of the mentally ill.

PMID- 20312769
TI  - Care of the mentally ill.

PMID- 20312770
TI  - Cholera in Canada.

PMID- 20312772
TI  - The canadian home fitness test.

PMID- 20312771
TI  - The canadian home fitness test.

PMID- 20312773
TI  - Locked wards in Canadian mental hospitals.

PMID- 20312774
TI  - The 5-hour rule.

PMID- 20312775
TI  - Medical education: edifice or edification.

PMID- 20312776
TI  - Inequity in current library regulations.

PMID- 20312778
TI  - Severe variable decelerations in fetal heart rate.

PMID- 20312777
TI  - Medical education: edifice or edification.

PMID- 20312779
TI  - Diabetic day-care unit.

PMID- 20312781
TI  - Allergy to chocolate.

PMID- 20312780
TI  - Investigation and treatment of allergic asthma.

PMID- 20312782
TI  - Transcendental meditation.

PMID- 20312783
TI  - Transcendental meditation.

PMID- 20312784
TI  - Measurement of blood pressure.

PMID- 20312785
TI  - Saskatchewan's time limit on medicare claims.

PMID- 20312787
TI  - The stress concept.

PMID- 20312786
TI  - The journal.

PMID- 20312788
TI  - Premature labour.

PMID- 20312789
TI  - Premature labour.

PMID- 20312790
TI  - Anencephaly associated with megavitamin therapy.

PMID- 20312791
TI  - Anencephaly associated with megavitamin therapy.

PMID- 20312793
TI  - Carcinoma cocktail.

PMID- 20312792
TI  - Cervical cancer screening programs.

PMID- 20312794
TI  - Textbook of orthopaedic medicine.

PMID- 20312795
TI  - Textbook of orthopaedic medicine.

PMID- 20312796
TI  - Herpes vulvitis.

PMID- 20312797
TI  - Bromide intoxication.

PMID- 20312799
TI  - Nontartrazine-containing drugs.

PMID- 20312798
TI  - Bromide intoxication.

PMID- 20312800
TI  - An apology.

PMID- 20312801
TI  - Inequity in current library regulations.

PMID- 20312802
TI  - Gentamicin in ventilation apparatus.

PMID- 20312803
TI  - Health manpower statistics.

PMID- 20312804
TI  - Physician manpower requirements.

PMID- 20312805
TI  - Emotional "unhealth".

PMID- 20312806
TI  - Cervical cancer screening program.

PMID- 20312807
TI  - Laboratory investigation of cholera.

PMID- 20312808
TI  - Incorrect figure cited.

PMID- 20312809
TI  - An alert to genital actinomycosis.

PMID- 20312811
TI  - Medical roles.

PMID- 20312810
TI  - Cholera in Canada.

PMID- 20312812
TI  - Clinical application of triiodothyronine measurement.

PMID- 20312813
TI  - Clinical application of triiodothyronine measurement.

PMID- 20312814
TI  - Colic and urinary tract infection.

PMID- 20312815
TI  - Injury from ingested glass particles.

PMID- 20312816
TI  - CMA committee report on Connaught Laboratories Ltd.
AB  - Highlights of a report made by the Canadian Medical Association appointed
      committee on Connaught Laboratories Ltd. include a historical perspective and a
      description of the institution's present corporate setting.A sample of criticisms
      of interest to practising physicians is presented. The committee concludes that
      it is essential for Canada to be self-sufficient in the manufacture of necessary
      biologicals and that Connaught Laboratories Ltd. could serve such a function
      provided there is, inter alia:* A clear commitment by the Canada Development
      Corporation and the federal government to provide necessary support;A new
      president quickly appointed, capable of understanding the nature of the
      industry;* Adequate support for research;* Recruitment of new staff;* Renewal and
      renovation of facilities where necessary; and* Improved internal organization and
      communication.

PMID- 20312817
TI  - Corticosteroids prescribed in Mexicali.

PMID- 20312818
TI  - Molluscum contagiosum.

PMID- 20312820
TI  - Close loopholes, not doors.

PMID- 20312819
TI  - Scientific and medical journals.

PMID- 20312822
TI  - Prenatal diagnosis of genetic disease.

PMID- 20312821
TI  - Prenatal diagnosis of genetic disease.

PMID- 20312823
TI  - Tartrazine-containing drugs.

PMID- 20312824
TI  - The Canadian abortion law.

PMID- 20312826
TI  - The Canadian abortion law.

PMID- 20312825
TI  - The Canadian abortion law.

PMID- 20312828
TI  - The Canadian abortion law.

PMID- 20312827
TI  - The Canadian abortion law.

PMID- 20312829
TI  - The Canadian abortion law.

PMID- 20312830
TI  - Transcendental meditation.

PMID- 20312831
TI  - Pleomorphic carcinoma of the thyroid.

PMID- 20312832
TI  - Needed: alternative to the Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties.

PMID- 20312833
TI  - Waiting years.

PMID- 20312834
TI  - Canadian home fitness test.

PMID- 20312835
TI  - Metabolism of ethanol in different racial groups.

PMID- 20312836
TI  - Pellagra.

PMID- 20312837
TI  - Life devoid of value?

PMID- 20312839
TI  - British legislation affecting returning physicians.

PMID- 20312838
TI  - Treatment for travelling athletes.

PMID- 20312840
TI  - Warfare denied.

PMID- 20312841
TI  - Multiple myeloma and low back pain.

PMID- 20312842
TI  - Delay in delivery of the Journal.

PMID- 20312843
TI  - Tribute to a.d. Kelly.

PMID- 20312844
TI  - Bill C-37: a commentary.

PMID- 20312845
TI  - Poliomyelitis resurfaced: another view.

PMID- 20312846
TI  - Abortion-a positive experience?

PMID- 20312847
TI  - Percutaneous radiofrequency lumbar rhizolysis.

PMID- 20312848
TI  - Several possible approaches to audit.

PMID- 20312849
TI  - Antimicrobial drug use in hospitals.

PMID- 20312850
TI  - Antimicrobial drug use in hospitals.

PMID- 20312851
TI  - Grand multiparity - a continuing threat: a 6-year review.
AB  - Review of pregnancy and labour in 1005 grand multiparas who delivered during the
      6-year period 1968 to 1973 disclosed an increase in frequency of many of the
      complications of pregnancy, particularly antepartum hemorrhage, hypertensive
      disorders and malpresentations. Almost one quarter of the patients received
      little or no antenatal care. The incidence of low birth-weight and stillbirth was
      significantly higher in the infants of the patients who had received no antenatal
      care. Comparison with the total hospital population showed that the perinatal
      mortality was almost doubled and the maternal mortality was increased 10-fold.
      The findings suggest that in modern obstetric practice the grand multipara
      continues to be a high-risk patient from both a maternal and fetal standpoint and
      that this has important clinical implications.

PMID- 20312853
TI  - Hazards of blood collection.

PMID- 20312852
TI  - Pharmaceutical Advertising Advisory Board and advertising in the Journal.

PMID- 20312854
TI  - The compendium of pharmaceuticals and specialties.

PMID- 20312856
TI  - The compendium of pharmaceuticals and specialties.

PMID- 20312855
TI  - Continuing medical education.

PMID- 20312857
TI  - Health care evaluation seminar.

PMID- 20312858
TI  - Traumatic vasospastic disease in chain-saw operators.

PMID- 20312859
TI  - Follow-up after treatment of gonococcal urethritis.

PMID- 20312860
TI  - Follow-up after treatment of gonococcal urethritis.

PMID- 20312861
TI  - Chemical detection of pheochromocytoma.

PMID- 20312862
TI  - Technetium pyrophosphate scanning in acute myocardial infarction.

PMID- 20312863
TI  - Tribute to a.d. Kelly.

PMID- 20312864
TI  - Things might not work out in the end.

PMID- 20312865
TI  - More vignettes of war.

PMID- 20312866
TI  - Low back pain in workmen.

PMID- 20312868
TI  - Living with the dying.

PMID- 20312867
TI  - Rational and irrational use of antibiotics.

PMID- 20312869
TI  - Hemophilia registration.

PMID- 20312871
TI  - Leaders haven't learned lessons of history.

PMID- 20312870
TI  - Correct use of aerosol inhalers.

PMID- 20312872
TI  - Learning to write well.

PMID- 20312873
TI  - Mammography and xerography.

PMID- 20312875
TI  - The Family practice nurse.

PMID- 20312874
TI  - Complication of jejunoileal shunt.

PMID- 20312876
TI  - The Family practice nurse.

PMID- 20312878
TI  - Inconsistencies in therapeutic abortion report.

PMID- 20312877
TI  - The Family practice nurse.

PMID- 20312879
TI  - Canadian critical care society.

PMID- 20312880
TI  - Intestinal infarction in women taking oral contraceptives.

PMID- 20312881
TI  - Adverse reactions to 1975 bivalent influenza vaccine in children.

PMID- 20312882
TI  - Intestinal infarction in women taking oral contraceptives.

PMID- 20312883
TI  - Dosage, compliance and bioavailability in perspective.

PMID- 20312884
TI  - Intestinal infarction in women taking oral contraceptives.

PMID- 20312885
TI  - Intestinal infarction in women taking oral contraceptives.

PMID- 20312886
TI  - Office diagnosis of breast cancer.

PMID- 20312887
TI  - Office diagnosis of breast cancer.

PMID- 20312888
TI  - Measurement of nitrous oxide concentrations in operating-room air.

PMID- 20312889
TI  - Measurement of nitrous oxide concentrations in operating-room air.

PMID- 20312890
TI  - Medicolegal role in tests.

PMID- 20312891
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312892
TI  - Poisoning by drug overdose.

PMID- 20312893
TI  - Student selection for medical school.

PMID- 20312894
TI  - Symposium on diarrhea.

PMID- 20312895
TI  - Symposium on diarrhea.

PMID- 20312896
TI  - Allergy testing.

PMID- 20312897
TI  - Police and the law.

PMID- 20312898
TI  - Police and the law.

PMID- 20312899
TI  - Biting insect summary.

PMID- 20312900
TI  - Dr. D.a.e. Shephard.

PMID- 20312901
TI  - The saccharin ban.

PMID- 20312902
TI  - The saccharin ban.

PMID- 20312903
TI  - What can YOU do about health care costs?

PMID- 20312904
TI  - The cost of cigarettes as compared with physicians' services.

PMID- 20312905
TI  - Contraception counselling and therapeutic abortion.

PMID- 20312906
TI  - Physicians' help requested.

PMID- 20312907
TI  - Screening for urinary tract infection.

PMID- 20312908
TI  - Diphtheria in quebec.

PMID- 20312909
TI  - Communicating with patients.

PMID- 20312911
TI  - Screening for urinary tract infection.

PMID- 20312912
TI  - Routine immunization schedules, Health and Welfare Canada advisory committee on
      immunizing agents.

PMID- 20312910
TI  - Derivatives of 8-hydroxyquinoline and neurologic damage.

PMID- 20312913
TI  - Congenital deformities associated with Bendectin.

PMID- 20312914
TI  - Inflation and the medical profession.

PMID- 20312915
TI  - Evaluating disulfiram implantation.

PMID- 20312917
TI  - Evidence and belief.

PMID- 20312916
TI  - Prostaglandins and the ductus arteriosus.

PMID- 20312918
TI  - History, science and the community.

PMID- 20312919
TI  - Student selection for medical school.

PMID- 20312920
TI  - Student selection for medical school.

PMID- 20312921
TI  - Musings on personal life.

PMID- 20312922
TI  - Prophylaxis for exposure to rabies in humans.

PMID- 20312923
TI  - Musings on personal life.

PMID- 20312924
TI  - Resuscitation from cardiac arrest during accidental hypothermia.

PMID- 20312925
TI  - The Trojan computer.

PMID- 20312926
TI  - What do family physicians see in practice?

PMID- 20312927
TI  - Is gynecology good for obstetrics?

PMID- 20312928
TI  - What do family physicians see in practice?

PMID- 20312929
TI  - Communicating with patients.

PMID- 20312930
TI  - Anderson report on anesthesia.

PMID- 20312931
TI  - Suicide and attempted suicide among the aged.

PMID- 20312932
TI  - What do family physicians see in practice?

PMID- 20312933
TI  - Evaluation of the Canadian Home Fitness Test in middle-aged men.

PMID- 20312934
TI  - University of Ottawa graduates.

PMID- 20312935
TI  - Stocking stuffers.

PMID- 20312936
TI  - Suicide and attempted suicide among the aged.

PMID- 20312937
TI  - What do family physicians see in practice?

PMID- 20312938
TI  - Research or marketing survey?

PMID- 20312939
TI  - Consent to medical treatment.

PMID- 20312940
TI  - Pilot study of high-protein, high-vitamin, low-carbohydrate, sugar-free diet in
      learning-disabled children.

PMID- 20312941
TI  - Treatment of obesity by exercise in the cold.

PMID- 20312942
TI  - Unsolicited advertising.

PMID- 20312943
TI  - Diphtheria in quebec.

PMID- 20312944
TI  - Acute lindane poisoning.

PMID- 20312945
TI  - Urinary homovanillic acid, dopamine and norepinephrine excretion in patients with
      essential hypertension.

PMID- 20312946
TI  - The Trojan computer.

PMID- 20312947
TI  - Prognosis in anorexia nervosa.

PMID- 20312948
TI  - Living with the dying.

PMID- 20312950
TI  - Aneroid sphygmomanometers.

PMID- 20312949
TI  - Blood group B and Neisseria gonorrhoeae antigens.

PMID- 20312951
TI  - Life is a mutual affair.

PMID- 20312952
TI  - Code of marketing practice.

PMID- 20312953
TI  - Radical radiotherapy versus abdominoperineal resection.

PMID- 20312954
TI  - Optometrists.

PMID- 20312955
TI  - Present status of breast cancer screening.

PMID- 20312956
TI  - Radical radiotherapy for rectal cancer.

PMID- 20312957
TI  - Physicians on the move.

PMID- 20312958
TI  - Treatment of accidental hypothermia with peritoneal dialysis.

PMID- 20312959
TI  - The canadian home fitness test.

PMID- 20312960
TI  - Protein-energy malnutrition.

PMID- 20312961
TI  - Hydrogen sulfide poisoning.

PMID- 20312962
TI  - Hydrogen sulfide poisoning.

PMID- 20312963
TI  - Low hemoglobin values in athletes.

PMID- 20312964
TI  - Code of Ethics: abortion referral.

PMID- 20312965
TI  - Code of Ethics: abortion referral.

PMID- 20312966
TI  - Code of Ethics: abortion referral.

PMID- 20312968
TI  - Code of Ethics: abortion referral.

PMID- 20312967
TI  - Code of Ethics: abortion referral.

PMID- 20312969
TI  - Code of Ethics: abortion referral.

PMID- 20312970
TI  - Fetal mortality 100%.

PMID- 20312971
TI  - Severe vaccine reaction.

PMID- 20312972
TI  - Normal-pressure hydrocephalus.

PMID- 20312973
TI  - Sir andrew macphail.

PMID- 20312974
TI  - Rebuttal by brantford clinic.

PMID- 20312975
TI  - Canadians for Health Research conference.

PMID- 20312976
TI  - Eye injuries in squash.

PMID- 20312977
TI  - Eye injuries in squash.

PMID- 20312978
TI  - Festive dachshunds.

PMID- 20312979
TI  - Molecular manipulation.

PMID- 20312980
TI  - Industrial hygiene programs.

PMID- 20312981
TI  - Lassa Fever.

PMID- 20312982
TI  - Child custody cases: the role of the psychiatrist.

PMID- 20312983
TI  - Influence of aortocoronary bypass surgery on employment.

PMID- 20312984
TI  - Misuse of statistical terminology.

PMID- 20312985
TI  - Electroconvulsive therapy today.

PMID- 20312986
TI  - Electroconvulsive therapy today.

PMID- 20312987
TI  - Square pegs in round holes.

PMID- 20312988
TI  - Square pegs in round holes.

PMID- 20312989
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20312990
TI  - Prognosis for survival in neonatal meningitis.

PMID- 20312991
TI  - Prognosis for survival in neonatal meningitis.

PMID- 20312992
TI  - Views on ageing.

PMID- 20312993
TI  - Prevention or cure?

PMID- 20312994
TI  - Coroner's office unaware of questionable deaths.

PMID- 20312995
TI  - Convoluted english.

PMID- 20312996
TI  - Accidents in endotracheal intubation.

PMID- 20312997
TI  - The controversial internship.

PMID- 20312998
TI  - The interview.

PMID- 20312999
TI  - The controversial internship.

PMID- 20313000
TI  - Gonococcal arthritis in pregnancy.

PMID- 20313001
TI  - Signing of absentee medical certificates by physicians.

PMID- 20313002
TI  - Relief of pain by infiltration of autonomic ganglia with steroids.

PMID- 20313003
TI  - Physician-chiropractors.

PMID- 20313004
TI  - Treatment of obesity by cold exposure.

PMID- 20313005
TI  - Treatment of urinary tract infection with a single dose of trimethoprim
      sulfamethoxazole.

PMID- 20313006
TI  - The controversial internship.

PMID- 20313007
TI  - The sauna.

PMID- 20313008
TI  - Ethics and abortion referral.

PMID- 20313009
TI  - Zeroid: alternative treatment of hemorrhoids.

PMID- 20313010
TI  - Treatment by manipulation.

PMID- 20313011
TI  - The need for Campylobacter subspecies identification.

PMID- 20313012
TI  - Viral pandemics originating from outer space?

PMID- 20313013
TI  - Amnesty International medical group.

PMID- 20313014
TI  - Ophthalmologists need support.

PMID- 20313015
TI  - The danger in food safety policies.

PMID- 20313016
TI  - Informed consent.

PMID- 20313017
TI  - Combination antibiotic therapy in prosthetic endocarditis due to Staphylococcus
      epidermidis.

PMID- 20313018
TI  - The controversial internship.

PMID- 20313019
TI  - The Heimlich maneuver.

PMID- 20313020
TI  - Cervicofacial emphysema.

PMID- 20313021
TI  - Code of ethics.

PMID- 20313022
TI  - The Controversial internship.

PMID- 20313023
TI  - The cult member as a patient.

PMID- 20313024
TI  - Retinoic acid in acne therapy.

PMID- 20313025
TI  - Directing the medical dollar.

PMID- 20313026
TI  - Medicine and contemporary cultism.

PMID- 20313027
TI  - Code of ethics.

PMID- 20313028
TI  - The wondering, wandering patient.

PMID- 20313030
TI  - Advertising breast feeding.

PMID- 20313029
TI  - Return to the art of medicine.

PMID- 20313031
TI  - Inappropriate placing of advertisement in Journal.

PMID- 20313032
TI  - Industrial health hazards.

PMID- 20313033
TI  - Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy in the presence of an abdominal aortic prosthesis.

PMID- 20313034
TI  - Safety of topical chloramphenicol in the treatment of acne vulgaris.

PMID- 20313035
TI  - Kit for "crossroaders".

PMID- 20313036
TI  - Views on ageing.

PMID- 20313037
TI  - "Dear health care provider...".

PMID- 20313039
TI  - Erroneous orthography.

PMID- 20313038
TI  - "Dear health care provider...".

PMID- 20313040
TI  - Infectious disbelief.

PMID- 20313042
TI  - Rediscovery of breast feeding.

PMID- 20313041
TI  - Adverse biochemical and clinical consequences of furosemide administration.

PMID- 20313043
TI  - Best wishes to ENT.

PMID- 20313044
TI  - Let's keep Christmas.

PMID- 20313046
TI  - Journal's style of capitalization.

PMID- 20313045
TI  - Mortality for cancer of the corpus uteri.

PMID- 20313047
TI  - Compliment to the journal.

PMID- 20313049
TI  - Foreword.

PMID- 20313048
TI  - Mistaken impression corrected.

PMID- 20313050
TI  - The Diagnosis of Gastric Ulcer.

PMID- 20313051
TI  - Duodenal Ulcer.

PMID- 20313053
TI  - Interim Report of Reorganization Committee.

PMID- 20313052
TI  - The Diagnosis of Gastric Ulcer.

PMID- 20313054
TI  - The Differential Diagnosis of Appendicitis.

PMID- 20313056
TI  - The Ontario Medical Association Enters into Active Participation in the Journal
      of the Canadian Medical Association.

PMID- 20313055
TI  - Some Unusual Abdominal Emergencies.

PMID- 20313057
TI  - Notes on Drainage in Surgery.

PMID- 20313058
TI  - The Practical Value of a Metabolism Clinic.

PMID- 20313059
TI  - The Present Day Conception of Hay Fever.

PMID- 20313060
TI  - The Reorganization of the Journal of the Canadian Medical Association.

PMID- 20313061
TI  - Two Cases of Pellagra in Canada.

PMID- 20313062
TI  - Focal Infection with Special Reference to Medical Inspection of Schools.

PMID- 20313063
TI  - Suture of Circumflex Nerve.

PMID- 20313064
TI  - The Relation of Physical Exhaustion to Chronic Ill-Health.

PMID- 20313065
TI  - An Interpretation of some Gastro-Intestinal Symptoms.

PMID- 20313066
TI  - Two Fatal Cases of Chronic Nephritis.

PMID- 20313067
TI  - Hospital Clinic on Syphilis of the Nervous System with a Case of Tabes Dorsalis.

PMID- 20313068
TI  - The Liability of the Medical Profession in the Commitment of the Supposedly
      Insane.

PMID- 20313069
TI  - Remarks on Some Gastro-Intestinal Problems.

PMID- 20313070
TI  - On the Use of Local Anaesthesia in Operations on the Upper Air Passages.

PMID- 20313071
TI  - Rehabilitative Work Carried on by the Rockefeller Foundation in Connection with
      the Medical Schools in Central Europe.

PMID- 20313072
TI  - Recent Studies in Problems Connected with Lactation and Infant Feeding.

PMID- 20313073
TI  - The Treatment of Diffuse Suppurative Peritonitis.

PMID- 20313074
TI  - Diverticulitis of the Large Bowel.

PMID- 20313075
TI  - The Treacherous Symptoms Caused by an Appendix in the Pelvis.

PMID- 20313076
TI  - Bright's Disease in Practice.

PMID- 20313077
TI  - OEsophageal Strictures.

PMID- 20313078
TI  - The Prevalence of Malnutrition in the Public School Children of Toronto.

PMID- 20313080
TI  - Observations from the Dermatological Clinic of the Department of Soldiers' Civil
      Re-Establishment of Canada, Toronto Branch.

PMID- 20313079
TI  - Diphtheritic Ulceration of the Skin.

PMID- 20313081
TI  - Primary and Secondary Nitrous Oxide Saturation for Relaxation and as a Test of
      the Patient's Capacity for Operation.

PMID- 20313083
TI  - The Development of Neurological Surgery.

PMID- 20313082
TI  - An Unusual Abdominal Condition Complicating Hour-Glass Stomach.

PMID- 20313084
TI  - The Acute Abdomen.

PMID- 20313085
TI  - Newer Ideas in the Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus.

PMID- 20313086
TI  - Dictionary of Altitudes in Canada.

PMID- 20313087
TI  - The AEtiology and Prophylaxis of Simple Goitre.

PMID- 20313088
TI  - On the Treatment of Acute Empyema.

PMID- 20313089
TI  - The Traumatic Abdomen.

PMID- 20313090
TI  - The Acute Abdomen Following Abdominal Operation.

PMID- 20313091
TI  - The Prognostic Value of the Study of the Blood Chemistry in the Acute Abdomen:
      Preliminary Report.

PMID- 20313092
TI  - Toxaemias of Pregnancy-Early Recognition and Treatment.

PMID- 20313093
TI  - The Epidemiology and Diagnosis of Encephalitis Lethargica.

PMID- 20313095
TI  - Notes on Footwear.

PMID- 20313094
TI  - Blood Transfusion.

PMID- 20313096
TI  - Surgical Clinic of Dr. F. N. G. Starr, Toronto General Hospital-Report of Two
      Cases of Pancreatitis.

PMID- 20313097
TI  - Continuous Fever in Children with Streptococcic Infection in the Blood Stream,
      with Recovery: Case Reports.

PMID- 20313098
TI  - Some Aspects of Fibro-Plastic Tuberculosis in the Eye.

PMID- 20313100
TI  - Notes on Epilepsy.

PMID- 20313099
TI  - Recurrent Dislocation of the Shoulder Joint.

PMID- 20313101
TI  - A Plea for the More General Use of Local Anaesthesia.

PMID- 20313102
TI  - Note on Seasonal Hay Fever.

PMID- 20313103
TI  - Hyperthyroidism-Present Status of Diagnosis and Treatment.

PMID- 20313104
TI  - Vitamines or Accessory Food Factors.

PMID- 20313105
TI  - The Value of an Estimation of the Urea Content of the Blood.

PMID- 20313106
TI  - The Association.

PMID- 20313107
TI  - INCOME TAX RETURNS.

PMID- 20313108
TI  - THE ADMINISTRATION OF ARSENICAL PREPARATIONS FOR THE TREATMENT OF SYPHILIS.

PMID- 20313110
TI  - The Art of Medicine.

PMID- 20313109
TI  - The Determination of Basal Metabolism by Estimation of the Respiratory Exchange
      (Indirect Calorimetry) as a Clinical Method in the Diagnosis and Treatment of
      Hyperthyroid and Hypothyroid States.

PMID- 20313111
TI  - A Resume of Diabetes Mellitus.

PMID- 20313113
TI  - Value of Fluroscopy in the Diagnosis of Abdominal Conditions.

PMID- 20313112
TI  - Diverticula of the Urinary Bladder.

PMID- 20313114
TI  - Intestinal Obstruction from Gall Stones.

PMID- 20313116
TI  - A Discussion of Case Reports Illustrating Some Anomalies in the Treatment of
      Gastric and Duodenal Ulcer.

PMID- 20313115
TI  - Surgical Clinic of Dr. F. N. G. Starr, Toronto General Hospital: Two Cases of
      Carcinoma of the Stomach.

PMID- 20313117
TI  - Case of Luetic Cirrhosis of the Liver, Successfully Treated by Anti-Syphilitic
      Measures and Repeated Tappings.

PMID- 20313118
TI  - Malignant Disease of the Lungs, Secondary to Carcinoma of the Prostate. Patient
      in Fair Health for Months.

PMID- 20313119
TI  - Advances in the Treatment of Hyperthyroidism.

PMID- 20313120
TI  - Thoughts on Problems Arising in Connection with the Treatment of the Insane.

PMID- 20313121
TI  - Hydrocephalus.

PMID- 20313122
TI  - Peccavimus.

PMID- 20313123
TI  - The Acute Abdomen.

PMID- 20313124
TI  - The Financing of Public Hospitals.

PMID- 20313126
TI  - Report on the Schick Test and Toxin-Antitoxin Immunization at the Children's
      Home, Winnipeg.

PMID- 20313125
TI  - Prognosis of Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20313127
TI  - The Prognostic Value of the Study of the Blood Creatinine in Nephritis: Based
      upon the Study of Fourteen Cases with Complete Post-mortem Examination.

PMID- 20313128
TI  - Some Unfortunate Sequelae of Suprapubic Prostatectomy.

PMID- 20313129
TI  - Notes on Night Blindness at the Front.

PMID- 20313130
TI  - The Physiology and Pharmacology of the Mammary Glands.

PMID- 20313131
TI  - A Review of Thirty-Three Cases of Foreign Bodies in the OEsophagus, Bronchi and
      Larynx.

PMID- 20313132
TI  - Diseases of Ethmoidal and Sphenoidal Sinuses.

PMID- 20313133
TI  - Non-Union Following Fracture.

PMID- 20313134
TI  - An Analysis of Some Cases of Perforation of the Stomach and Duodenum.

PMID- 20313135
TI  - The Use of Pituitary Extract and Scopolamine-Morphine in Obstetrics.

PMID- 20313136
TI  - Benign Neoplasms of the Female Pelvis.

PMID- 20313137
TI  - A National Hospital Day.

PMID- 20313139
TI  - Early Diagnosis of Diphtheria.

PMID- 20313138
TI  - Group Diagnosis and Group Therapy.

PMID- 20313141
TI  - On Digitalis Therapy.

PMID- 20313140
TI  - Pituitary Extract and Scopolamine-Morphine in Obstetrics.

PMID- 20313142
TI  - The Association.

PMID- 20313143
TI  - Criticism of the Expression "Acute Abdomen".

PMID- 20313144
TI  - The Importance of Precise Anatomical Knowledge in the Surgery of the Peripheral
      Nerves.

PMID- 20313145
TI  - The Surgical Treatment of Chronic Infected Open Pneumothorax.

PMID- 20313146
TI  - Injuries of the Spine.

PMID- 20313147
TI  - Dental Infection and Internal Medicine.

PMID- 20313148
TI  - The Nature of Acidosis in Nephritis.

PMID- 20313150
TI  - Novocaine in Surgical Operations: A Clinical Report of 459 Operative Cases in
      which Novocaine was used as a Local Anaesthetic.

PMID- 20313149
TI  - Fragilitas Ossium.

PMID- 20313152
TI  - The Causation of the Psychoneuroses.

PMID- 20313151
TI  - Chronic Infections of the Nasal Accessory Sinuses with Toxic Absorption.

PMID- 20313153
TI  - Appendicitis-High Mortality in Perforated Cases.

PMID- 20313154
TI  - The Future Function of Modern Medicine.

PMID- 20313156
TI  - Some Results of Protective Inoculation against Epidemic Influenza.

PMID- 20313155
TI  - Two Rare Abnormalities Occurring in the Same Subject-Partial Absence of the
      Corpus Callosum-the Stomach situated entirely within the Thorax.

PMID- 20313158
TI  - Spontaneous Rupture of the Bladder in Parturition.

PMID- 20313157
TI  - The Treatment of Anaemia by Drugs.

PMID- 20313159
TI  - Post-Mortem Delivery.

PMID- 20313161
TI  - A Chance for Mentally Defective Children.

PMID- 20313160
TI  - The Administration of Arsphenamine.

PMID- 20313162
TI  - Num Peccavimus? "Acute Abdomen".

PMID- 20313163
TI  - A New Method of Applying Drugs to the Posterior Urethra.

PMID- 20313164
TI  - The AEtiology of Epidemic Influenza-A Critical Review.

PMID- 20313165
TI  - Medical Organizations in Ontario and the Present Necessity: Annual Address of the
      President of the Ontario Medical Association.

PMID- 20313166
TI  - Cardiac Irregularities.

PMID- 20313167
TI  - Epidermophyton Infection.

PMID- 20313169
TI  - Apologia.

PMID- 20313168
TI  - The Use of Living Sutures in Operative Surgery.

PMID- 20313170
TI  - The Diagnosis of Chronic Cholecystitis.

PMID- 20313171
TI  - Generalized Neurofibromatosis.

PMID- 20313172
TI  - Fragilitas Ossium.

PMID- 20313173
TI  - Multiple Polypi in the Stomach (Gastric Polypsis).

PMID- 20313174
TI  - A Simple Method for Determining the Approximate Degree of Acidosis in Diabetes
      Mellitus : The Titration of Organic Acids in Urine, Van Slyke & Palmer.

PMID- 20313175
TI  - The Bacteriology of Infectious Diarrhoea.

PMID- 20313176
TI  - Report of a Case of Thrombosis of the Aorta and Iliac Arteries following
      Pneumococcal Infection of the Umbilicus.

PMID- 20313177
TI  - Asthma- Its Relation to Focal Infections.

PMID- 20313178
TI  - Tumours of the Urinary Bladder, Diagnosis and Treatment.

PMID- 20313179
TI  - Prevention of Mental Breakdown.

PMID- 20313180
TI  - Latency in Syphilis.

PMID- 20313182
TI  - Acidosis.

PMID- 20313181
TI  - Cod-Liver Oil Without Phosphorus as Effective as Cod-Liver Oil with Phosphorus in
      Rickets and Tetany.

PMID- 20313183
TI  - The Repair of Bony Defects of the Cranium.

PMID- 20313185
TI  - Case No. 1. Cholelithiasis-Acute haemorrhagic pancreatitis-Volvulus of the small
      intestine.

PMID- 20313184
TI  - The Toxic Action of Arsphenamine and Neoarsphenamine.

PMID- 20313186
TI  - Case No. 2. Perforated gastric ulcer-closure and posterior gastro-enterostomy.

PMID- 20313187
TI  - The Reoganization of the Canadian Medical Association.

PMID- 20313188
TI  - Suggested Reforms in the Canadian Medical Association.

PMID- 20313189
TI  - The Value of Rural Medical Centres.

PMID- 20313190
TI  - Presidential Address.

PMID- 20313191
TI  - The Doctrine of the Prepared Soil: A Neglected Factor in Surgical Infections.

PMID- 20313192
TI  - Prenatal Negligence and Loss of Population.

PMID- 20313193
TI  - Danger Signs in Diseases of the Gastro-Intestinal Tract and Differential Tests.

PMID- 20313194
TI  - Rational Empiricism.

PMID- 20313195
TI  - Notes on Lobar Pneumonia in France.

PMID- 20313196
TI  - Sarcomatous Abdominal Testicle in a Hermaphrodite.

PMID- 20313197
TI  - Modern Medicine and the General Practitioner.

PMID- 20313198
TI  - Basal Metabolism as a Guide in the Surgical Treatment of Goitre with
      Hyperthyroidism.

PMID- 20313199
TI  - Function of an Infectious Disease Hospital.

PMID- 20313200
TI  - The Detection of Lamblia [Giardia] Intestinalis by Means of the Duodenal Tube.

PMID- 20313201
TI  - The Nature of X-Rays and Some of Their Applications.

PMID- 20313202
TI  - Unsuspected Syphilis of the Nervous System: Its Laboratory Diagnosis : In Three
      Parts: Part One.

PMID- 20313203
TI  - The Clinical Aspect of Sub-Acute Bacterial Endocarditis.

PMID- 20313204
TI  - Treatment of Carcinoma of the Anus and Rectum.

PMID- 20313205
TI  - Chronic Pain in the Right Iliac Fossa.

PMID- 20313206
TI  - The Treatment of the Psychoneuroses.

PMID- 20313207
TI  - On the Influence of a Diet with High Protein Content on the Kidney.

PMID- 20313208
TI  - The Effect of Massive Doses of Diuretin.

PMID- 20313209
TI  - The Address in Surgery.

PMID- 20313210
TI  - The Presidential Address.

PMID- 20313211
TI  - A New Outlook for Hospitals for the Treatment of Infectious Disease.

PMID- 20313212
TI  - Caution Regarding Pluri Glandular Therapeutics.

PMID- 20313213
TI  - The Employment of the Roentgen Ray for Destruction of Hypertrophied Tonsillar
      Tissue.

PMID- 20313214
TI  - Treatment of Pneumonia with Special Reference to the Use of Serum.

PMID- 20313215
TI  - Etiology of Renal Infections, with Special Reference to Urinary Stasis in
      Infections of the Renal Pelvis.

PMID- 20313216
TI  - Spinal Deformity as a Cause of Cardiac Hypertrophy and Dilatation.

PMID- 20313217
TI  - Ganglion of the Wrist Region with Report of Two Cases Showing Destructive Tendon
      Involvement.

PMID- 20313218
TI  - The Cause of the "Ammoniacal Diaper".

PMID- 20313219
TI  - Tuberculous Peritonitis.

PMID- 20313220
TI  - Intestinal Tuberculous Infection in Children.

PMID- 20313221
TI  - A Case of Woody Thyroiditis.

PMID- 20313222
TI  - Blood Transfusion in Severe Burns in Infants and Young Children: A Preliminary
      Report of the Treatment of the Toxic Shock by Blood Transfusion-with or without
      preceding exsanguination.

PMID- 20313223
TI  - Tables Relative to the Transfusion of Blood.

PMID- 20313224
TI  - Unsuspected Syphilis of the Nervous System: Its Laboratory Diagnosis: In Three
      Parts: Part II.

PMID- 20313225
TI  - Standardization of Certain Preparations of Digitalis.

PMID- 20313226
TI  - Research in Medicine.

PMID- 20313227
TI  - Encephalitis Lethargica.

PMID- 20313228
TI  - On the Cause and Treatment of Rickets.

PMID- 20313230
TI  - Basal Metabolism and Goitre.

PMID- 20313229
TI  - Three Unusual Abdominal Tumours.

PMID- 20313231
TI  - On the Diagnosis of Tuberculosis in Infancy.

PMID- 20313232
TI  - On the Value of Cinchophen and Neo-cinchophen and Novaspirin in Rheumatic Fever.

PMID- 20313233
TI  - Effect of Tobacco Smoking on the Nervous System.

PMID- 20313234
TI  - On the Value of Iron in Anaemias.

PMID- 20313235
TI  - Difference Between Rectal and Colon Injections.

PMID- 20313236
TI  - Recent Smallpox in Edmonton and Deductions Therefrom.

PMID- 20313237
TI  - The Abatement of Venereal Disease.

PMID- 20313238
TI  - The Eye as a Signal of Disease.

PMID- 20313239
TI  - The Value of Expert Anaesthesia to All Concerned.

PMID- 20313240
TI  - An Ambulatory Treatment for Chronic Ulcers of the Leg.

PMID- 20313241
TI  - Nitrous Oxide-Oxygen Analgesia and Anaesthesia in Obstetrics.

PMID- 20313242
TI  - Recent Progress of the Mental Hygiene Movement in Canada.

PMID- 20313243
TI  - Unsuspected Syphilis of the Nervous System: Its Laboratory Diagnosis: In Three
      Parts: Part III.

PMID- 20313244
TI  - A Case of Giardiasis (Lambliasis) Intestinalis.

PMID- 20313246
TI  - The Treatment of Irreparable Nerve Injuries.

PMID- 20313245
TI  - Considerations Regarding the Surgical Treatment of Malpositions of the Uterus.

PMID- 20313247
TI  - The Surgical Treatment of Gastric and Duodenal Ulcer.

PMID- 20313248
TI  - A Clinical Study of the Pathology of Osteomyelitis.

PMID- 20313249
TI  - Syphilis, Its Relation to Infant Mortality and Child Welfare, with a Discussion
      of present Day Methods for Its Control.

PMID- 20313251
TI  - The Prevention of Small-Pox.

PMID- 20313250
TI  - Review of a Season's Quarantine Station work.

PMID- 20313252
TI  - Deaths from Cancer.

PMID- 20313253
TI  - The Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus.

PMID- 20313254
TI  - The Financing of Hospitals.

PMID- 20313255
TI  - The Caseins of Cows' Milk in Their Relations to Infant Feeding.

PMID- 20313256
TI  - Advances in Psychology.

PMID- 20313257
TI  - Foreword.

PMID- 20313258
TI  - Malignant Disease of the Throat.

PMID- 20313259
TI  - Experiences of an Otologist in France, 1915-1919.

PMID- 20313260
TI  - What Does Public Health Administration Embrace?

PMID- 20313261
TI  - The Relation of General Medicine to Mental Medicine.

PMID- 20313262
TI  - The Chlorination of Small Water Supplies.

PMID- 20313263
TI  - The Treatment of Acute Pelvic Inflammation in the Female.

PMID- 20313264
TI  - The X-ray Diagnosis of Gastric and Duodenal Ulcer.

PMID- 20313265
TI  - Prognosis and Diagnosis in Tuberculosis as Aided by Serology.

PMID- 20313266
TI  - Cancer of the Stomach.

PMID- 20313268
TI  - The Etiology of Rickets.

PMID- 20313267
TI  - Surgery of the Gallbladder and Biliary Ducts.

PMID- 20313269
TI  - Recent Advances in Our Knowledge of the Alkaloids of Opium.

PMID- 20313270
TI  - Surgery in the Treatment of Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20313271
TI  - Bronchial Asthma.

PMID- 20313272
TI  - Traumatic Aneurysm.

PMID- 20313274
TI  - Our Journal.

PMID- 20313273
TI  - A Surgical Curiosity.

PMID- 20313275
TI  - Oxygen Therapy.

PMID- 20313276
TI  - Anaesthesia in Nose and Throat Work.

PMID- 20313277
TI  - On the Lowering of Body Resistance Following Exposure to Cold.

PMID- 20313278
TI  - National Board of Medical Examiners in United States.

PMID- 20313279
TI  - Regarding Therapeutic Advertisements.

PMID- 20313280
TI  - Dr. Murdoch Chisholm.

PMID- 20313281
TI  - Re-Organization.

PMID- 20313282
TI  - Resolution Passed at Recent Dominion Convention of Amputations.

PMID- 20313283
TI  - Dialysis and transplatation.

PMID- 20313284
TI  - Precautionary labelling on preparations of retinoic acid.

PMID- 20313285
TI  - Role and training of paramedical groups.

PMID- 20313286
TI  - Behaviour modification.

PMID- 20313287
TI  - Invitation to contribute to aspects of national immunization policy.

PMID- 20313288
TI  - Health care and research in Canada.

PMID- 20313289
TI  - Openings for physicians in North Battleford, Sask.

PMID- 20313290
TI  - Medical applications of heroin.

PMID- 20313291
TI  - How social health insurance should be financed.

PMID- 20313292
TI  - Encouraging breast-feeding.

PMID- 20313293
TI  - "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing".

PMID- 20313294
TI  - How social health insurance should be financed.

PMID- 20313295
TI  - Terminologic barbarianisms.

PMID- 20313296
TI  - "Sick slip" policy.

PMID- 20313297
TI  - Prevention of catheter emboliusm.

PMID- 20313299
TI  - Rebuttal from the post office.

PMID- 20313298
TI  - Rebuttal from the post office.

PMID- 20313300
TI  - MEBWITS syndrome.

PMID- 20313301
TI  - Family and child services act.

PMID- 20313302
TI  - Distribution of "Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties" to physicians.

PMID- 20313303
TI  - Distribution of "Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties" to physicians.

PMID- 20313304
TI  - Hazards of prenatal detection of neural tube defects.

PMID- 20313305
TI  - "The harvard guide to modern psychiatry".

PMID- 20313307
TI  - Salaried medical services.

PMID- 20313306
TI  - Scientific meeting epidemic.

PMID- 20313309
TI  - Henrietta banting memorial fund.

PMID- 20313308
TI  - Death attributed to ventricular arrhythmia.

PMID- 20313311
TI  - Primum non nocere.

PMID- 20313310
TI  - Dr. Christiaan barnard.

PMID- 20313312
TI  - Music therapy in palliative care.

PMID- 20313313
TI  - Dubiously helpful hints.

PMID- 20313314
TI  - Medical complications of obesity.

PMID- 20313315
TI  - The inconstant constant.

PMID- 20313317
TI  - Personal file.

PMID- 20313316
TI  - Who invented the decimal system?

PMID- 20313318
TI  - "The harvard guide to modern psychiatry".

PMID- 20313319
TI  - Clinical approach to the diagnosis of acid-base disorders.

PMID- 20313321
TI  - Personal file.

PMID- 20313320
TI  - The caduceus v. the staff of Aesculapius.

PMID- 20313323
TI  - Outflow of Canadian physicians.

PMID- 20313322
TI  - Advances in antibiotic prophylaxis in gastrointestinal surgery.

PMID- 20313324
TI  - Advertisements for tranquillizers.

PMID- 20313325
TI  - Ciguatera poisoning.

PMID- 20313326
TI  - Advertisements for tranquillizers.

PMID- 20313327
TI  - Position of Ontario podiatrists.

PMID- 20313329
TI  - Allied health professions.

PMID- 20313328
TI  - Allied health professions.

PMID- 20313330
TI  - Allied health professions.

PMID- 20313331
TI  - Letter from Scandinavia: a Swedish sabbatical.

PMID- 20313332
TI  - Personal file.

PMID- 20313333
TI  - CMA presidential election.

PMID- 20313334
TI  - CMA presidential election.

PMID- 20313335
TI  - CMA presidential election.

PMID- 20313337
TI  - Physicians opting out of medicare.

PMID- 20313336
TI  - "Medical hubris".

PMID- 20313338
TI  - Colour-blind drivers of motor vehicles.

PMID- 20313340
TI  - Personal file.

PMID- 20313339
TI  - Management of obstetric complications at a small rural hospital.

PMID- 20313341
TI  - Allied health professions.

PMID- 20313342
TI  - Personal file.

PMID- 20313343
TI  - Who was the first full-blooded North American Indian to receive an MD?

PMID- 20313344
TI  - Who was the first full-blooded North American Indian to receive an MD?

PMID- 20313345
TI  - Who was the first full-blooded North American Indian to receive an MD?

PMID- 20313346
TI  - Health care services in Canada.

PMID- 20313348
TI  - Personal file.

PMID- 20313347
TI  - Correct use of pressurized aerosol inhalers.

PMID- 20313349
TI  - Personal file.

PMID- 20313351
TI  - Are the goals of the Charter of Health for Canadians being achieved? Crombie
      appoints Emmett Hall to find out.

PMID- 20313350
TI  - What the community physician can do for Indochinese refugees.

PMID- 20313352
TI  - Modern medical education superior?

PMID- 20313353
TI  - Group B streptococcal infection in the newborn.

PMID- 20313354
TI  - Treatment of chemically dependent physicians.

PMID- 20313355
TI  - Quota of refugees from Vietnam.

PMID- 20313356
TI  - Violation of responsible publishing.

PMID- 20313357
TI  - Personal file.

PMID- 20313358
TI  - Breast-feeding: an aid to refraction.

PMID- 20313359
TI  - Aerosol bronchodilators.

PMID- 20313360
TI  - Personal file.

PMID- 20313361
TI  - Position papers passed by Canadian Psychiatric Association.

PMID- 20313362
TI  - Health problems of developing nations.

PMID- 20313364
TI  - Universal accessibility of medicare.

PMID- 20313363
TI  - Universal accessibility of medicare.

PMID- 20313365
TI  - Comforts of home in maternity wards.

PMID- 20313366
TI  - Starvation budget.

PMID- 20313367
TI  - Who is best qualified to care for the terminally ill?

PMID- 20313368
TI  - Metatarsophalangeal fusion for hallux valgus.

PMID- 20313369
TI  - Personal file.

PMID- 20313370
TI  - Are Christmas editorials appropriate for the Journal?

PMID- 20313371
TI  - Accreditation of Canadian medical schools.

PMID- 20313372
TI  - Harold benge atlee.

PMID- 20313373
TI  - Bilingualism in the journal.

PMID- 20313374
TI  - Colour-blind drivers of motor vehicles.

PMID- 20313375
TI  - Computed tomography and the early diagnostic lumbar puncture.

PMID- 20313376
TI  - Personal file.

PMID- 20313377
TI  - Colour-blind drivers of motor vehicles.

PMID- 20313378
TI  - Screening for overian cancer.

PMID- 20313379
TI  - Planning for psychiatric emergencies.

PMID- 20313380
TI  - The Canada Health Survey - who will pay for it?

PMID- 20313381
TI  - Vietnamese refugees.

PMID- 20313382
TI  - Psychiatric illness in physicians.

PMID- 20313384
TI  - Personal file.

PMID- 20313383
TI  - Vietnamese refugees.

PMID- 20313385
TI  - Personal file.

PMID- 20313386
TI  - Chiropractors.

PMID- 20313387
TI  - Chiropractors.

PMID- 20313388
TI  - Use of benzodiazepines.

PMID- 20313389
TI  - Health care services in Britain.

PMID- 20313390
TI  - How to be a successful investor.

PMID- 20313391
TI  - An opportunity to serve the community.

PMID- 20313392
TI  - Personal file.

PMID- 20313393
TI  - The hypertensive patient.

PMID- 20313394
TI  - Health care services in Britain.

PMID- 20313395
TI  - The Canada health survey.

PMID- 20313396
TI  - Piracy on the prairies.

PMID- 20313397
TI  - Left atrial myxoma mimicking vasculitis.

PMID- 20313399
TI  - Use of headphones in continuing medical education.

PMID- 20313398
TI  - Piracy on the prairies.

PMID- 20313400
TI  - 1. Design and main results of the trial.

PMID- 20313401
TI  - Personal file.

PMID- 20313402
TI  - Are flow charts obsolete?

PMID- 20313403
TI  - Drug information for patients.

PMID- 20313405
TI  - Personal file.

PMID- 20313404
TI  - Identification of impaired hearing in early childhood.

PMID- 20313406
TI  - Summary of the task force report on occupational respiratory disease.

PMID- 20313408
TI  - Malaria accompanied by unusual symptoms.

PMID- 20313407
TI  - Summary of the task force report on occupational respiratory disease.

PMID- 20313409
TI  - The periodic health examination.

PMID- 20313411
TI  - Are Christmas editorials appropriate for the Journal?

PMID- 20313410
TI  - Bilingualism in the journal.

PMID- 20313412
TI  - Doctors - free citizens?

PMID- 20313413
TI  - The periodic health examination.

PMID- 20313414
TI  - Classification of psychiatric disorders.

PMID- 20313415
TI  - Restrictions imposed by Federal Trade Commission.

PMID- 20313417
TI  - Speak softly and carry a big nightstick.

PMID- 20313416
TI  - A "physiologic" penicillin preparation.

PMID- 20313418
TI  - Detecting and preventing glaucoma.

PMID- 20313419
TI  - Dietary fluids and diarrhea in babies.

PMID- 20313420
TI  - Music therapy in palliative care.

PMID- 20313421
TI  - Bilingualism in the journal.

PMID- 20313422
TI  - Making a good journal better.

PMID- 20313423
TI  - Extra or balanced billing.

PMID- 20313424
TI  - A rational approach to dementia.

PMID- 20313425
TI  - Politics in the journal?

PMID- 20313426
TI  - The CMA: strong membership, realistic goals.

PMID- 20313427
TI  - Running into danger: heat stroke in competing runners.

PMID- 20313428
TI  - Primary prevention of heat stroke in Canadian long-distance runs.

PMID- 20313429
TI  - Asymptomatic acute rejection crisis after renal cadaveric transplantation.

PMID- 20313430
TI  - Are funerals worth the money?

PMID- 20313431
TI  - Are funerals worth the money?

PMID- 20313432
TI  - Are funerals worth the money?

PMID- 20313433
TI  - Artois-baillet latour health prize.

PMID- 20313434
TI  - Are funerals worth the money?

PMID- 20313435
TI  - The annual psychological.

PMID- 20313436
TI  - Sodium restriction for treatment of hypertension.

PMID- 20313438
TI  - Physician manpower: lies, damn lies and statistics?

PMID- 20313437
TI  - Sodium restriction for treatment of hypertension.

PMID- 20313439
TI  - The periodic health examination.

PMID- 20313441
TI  - Mammography.

PMID- 20313440
TI  - The periodic health examination.

PMID- 20313442
TI  - Cardiac defibrillation dosage: controversy resolving.

PMID- 20313443
TI  - Hall review could gather dust.

PMID- 20313444
TI  - And now, a word for our sponsor.

PMID- 20313445
TI  - The fine print of CMARSP.

PMID- 20313446
TI  - The fine print of CMARSP.

PMID- 20313447
TI  - Serum ferritin concentration and bone marrow iron stores.

PMID- 20313448
TI  - Chlorine: effect on thiamin concentration.

PMID- 20313449
TI  - Canadian national breast cancer screening study.

PMID- 20313450
TI  - Medical education in the 21st century.

PMID- 20313451
TI  - "Handbook of nonprescription drugs".

PMID- 20313452
TI  - Commercial interruptions.

PMID- 20313453
TI  - The periodic health examination.

PMID- 20313454
TI  - The use of diathermy in the presence of metal implants and cardiac pacemakers.

PMID- 20313455
TI  - Comments on Canada's older population.

PMID- 20313456
TI  - Environmental health: new role for MDs.

PMID- 20313457
TI  - Adapting the Journal's Scientific Section to the 1980s.

PMID- 20313458
TI  - Consent and the transfer of medical information.

PMID- 20313459
TI  - Mammography.

PMID- 20313461
TI  - Circumcision.

PMID- 20313460
TI  - Mammography.

PMID- 20313462
TI  - Lovable still the word for physicians but not for Journalists.

PMID- 20313464
TI  - "Is there a doctor on this flight?".

PMID- 20313463
TI  - "Is there a doctor on this flight?".

PMID- 20313465
TI  - Prohibition of ethical ban on advertising.

PMID- 20313466
TI  - Out-of-hospital resuscitation from cardiac arrest.

PMID- 20313467
TI  - Dr. Harold Benge Atlee: request for information.

PMID- 20313468
TI  - Chronic granulomatous otitis media.

PMID- 20313469
TI  - Alberta: medical brain centre of Canada?

PMID- 20313470
TI  - Emergency department staffing.

PMID- 20313471
TI  - Canadian Plasma Exchange Study Group needs input from physicians.

PMID- 20313472
TI  - A taxing problem solved.

PMID- 20313474
TI  - Hans selye.

PMID- 20313473
TI  - Treatment of chronic pulmonary disease.

PMID- 20313475
TI  - Take an Australian to lunch.

PMID- 20313477
TI  - Rynacrom nasal spray - correction.

PMID- 20313476
TI  - The periodic health examination.

PMID- 20313478
TI  - Back-to-the-landers: physicians try the rustic life.

PMID- 20313479
TI  - Patients' health and welfare to remain CMA's primary concern in the year ahead.

PMID- 20313480
TI  - Making clinical decisions.

PMID- 20313481
TI  - Specificity of antinuclear factor testing: what does specific mean?

PMID- 20313482
TI  - The periodic health examination.

PMID- 20313483
TI  - Casting light on Darwin's Ape.

PMID- 20313484
TI  - Psychiatry, humility and medicine.

PMID- 20313485
TI  - Correction in CPS.

PMID- 20313486
TI  - Hall is not lost.

PMID- 20313487
TI  - The periodic health examination.

PMID- 20313489
TI  - Mandatory continuing medical education.

PMID- 20313488
TI  - The periodic health examination.

PMID- 20313490
TI  - Mandatory continuing medical education.

PMID- 20313491
TI  - Some odd patterns of psychotropic self-medication.

PMID- 20313492
TI  - Long-distance running in the heat.

PMID- 20313493
TI  - Primary prevention of asthma in children.

PMID- 20313495
TI  - Can a 5000-year-old habit be all that bad?

PMID- 20313494
TI  - Suggested approach to cancer therapy.

PMID- 20313496
TI  - Bilingualism in the journal.

PMID- 20313497
TI  - Suggested approach to cancer therapy.

PMID- 20313498
TI  - Atlantoaxial dislocation and Down's syndrome.

PMID- 20313499
TI  - Bone marrow transplantation.

PMID- 20313500
TI  - Progressive rheumatoid arthritis.

PMID- 20313501
TI  - Physicians and the law.

PMID- 20313502
TI  - The Cairbed v. British airbed.

PMID- 20313503
TI  - Appeal from national association of part-time teachers.

PMID- 20313504
TI  - Physicians an endangered species?

PMID- 20313505
TI  - "Is there a doctor on this flight?".

PMID- 20313506
TI  - "Anatomy of an illness as perceived by the patient".

PMID- 20313508
TI  - Physicians as civil servants.

PMID- 20313507
TI  - Use of carcinoembryonic antigen in follow-up of patients with ovarian cancer.

PMID- 20313509
TI  - Improving emergency cardiac care.

PMID- 20313510
TI  - Chronic granulomatous otitis media.

PMID- 20313511
TI  - In-flight medical care.

PMID- 20313512
TI  - View from the top.

PMID- 20313513
TI  - Eradication of Rh hemolytic disease of the newborn.

PMID- 20313515
TI  - New public health movement?

PMID- 20313514
TI  - The fine print of CMARSP.

PMID- 20313516
TI  - Legal abortions among teenagers, 1974-78.

PMID- 20313518
TI  - Canada's medical reporters - keeping the public informed.

PMID- 20313517
TI  - Legal abortions among teenagers, 1974-78.

PMID- 20313520
TI  - Governments, chiropractors and MDs.

PMID- 20313519
TI  - Mail chauvinism.

PMID- 20313521
TI  - Physicians rally against threat of a nuclear epidemic.

PMID- 20313522
TI  - Physicians rally against threat of a nuclear epidemic.

PMID- 20313523
TI  - Physicians rally against threat of a nuclear epidemic.

PMID- 20313524
TI  - Clonidine for menopausal flushing.

PMID- 20313525
TI  - More pediatricians needed in neonatal intensive care services.

PMID- 20313526
TI  - The need for extended treatment of anaphylaxis.

PMID- 20313527
TI  - Elective delivery and the neonatal respiratory distress syndrome.

PMID- 20313528
TI  - Stand up and be counted.

PMID- 20313529
TI  - Medical manpower data: total cooperation vital and urgent.

PMID- 20313530
TI  - Canada's underfuelled health care system.

PMID- 20313531
TI  - Influenza vaccination: physician compliance with recommendations.

PMID- 20313532
TI  - The abortion issue.

PMID- 20313534
TI  - More anesthetists needed.

PMID- 20313533
TI  - Fluphenazine, trifluoperazine and perphenazine in Vacutainers.

PMID- 20313535
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20313536
TI  - Government without frills: we're still free to choose.

PMID- 20313537
TI  - Who can best judge quality of life?

PMID- 20313538
TI  - The periodic health examination.

PMID- 20313539
TI  - Detecting and preventing glaucoma.

PMID- 20313540
TI  - Atlantoaxial dislocation and Down's syndrome.

PMID- 20313541
TI  - How will the new wave of women graduates change the medical profession?

PMID- 20313542
TI  - The investigation of transport accidents.

PMID- 20313543
TI  - How an underwriter calculates a policyholder's risk.

PMID- 20313544
TI  - CMAJ and the family physician.

PMID- 20313545
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20313546
TI  - Unionization of doctors.

PMID- 20313547
TI  - "Doctor, my feet hurt".

PMID- 20313548
TI  - "Doctor, my feet hurt".

PMID- 20313549
TI  - Informed consent: still a doctor's dilemma.

PMID- 20313550
TI  - Metric won't decimate the medical profession.

PMID- 20313551
TI  - The periodic health examination.

PMID- 20313553
TI  - Is cervical cancer hereditary?

PMID- 20313552
TI  - Sexual inequity in medical care.

PMID- 20313554
TI  - Connaught labs to expand research, production and sales.

PMID- 20313555
TI  - Medical manpower: a view from the community hospital.

PMID- 20313557
TI  - A national association for suicide prevention.

PMID- 20313556
TI  - Congenital rubella in an Indochinese refugee in Manitoba.

PMID- 20313558
TI  - Malabsorption of medications after bypass surgery.

PMID- 20313560
TI  - Year of the disabled: real progress or academic exercise?

PMID- 20313559
TI  - Inadequecy of current requirements of licensure in family medicine.

PMID- 20313561
TI  - Mail chauvinism.

PMID- 20313563
TI  - Abortion: 1. Definitions and implications [correction].

PMID- 20313562
TI  - "Clinical guide to transfusion - products and practices".

PMID- 20313564
TI  - An anniversary dedication: editorial excellence on your behalf.

PMID- 20313565
TI  - Influenza vaccination in Alberta, 1978: physician compliance with
      recommendations.

PMID- 20313566
TI  - Canadian interns and residents - the struggle for political maturity.

PMID- 20313567
TI  - Physicians rally against the threat of a nuclear epidemic.

PMID- 20313569
TI  - Is alcoholism a primary disease?

PMID- 20313568
TI  - Emergency drugs.

PMID- 20313570
TI  - The CMA, the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the medical students.

PMID- 20313571
TI  - Confusion between warfarin and propranolol.

PMID- 20313572
TI  - Fiscal arrangements task force: the CMA's chance to be heard.

PMID- 20313573
TI  - Osler oration.

PMID- 20313574
TI  - Osler oration.

PMID- 20313575
TI  - Inadequacy of current requirements for licensure in family medicine.

PMID- 20313576
TI  - Inadequacy of current requirements for licensure in family medicine.

PMID- 20313577
TI  - Inadequacy of current requirements for licensure in family medicine.

PMID- 20313578
TI  - Salaried medicine: salt mine or salvation?

PMID- 20313580
TI  - Recent donations to University of Manitoba libraries.

PMID- 20313579
TI  - Dissension in the ranks.

PMID- 20313582
TI  - My daughter the doctor.

PMID- 20313581
TI  - Reye's syndrome.

PMID- 20313583
TI  - Changes in regulations for registration of Canadian physicians in the United
      Kingdom.

PMID- 20313584
TI  - Proposed solution for lack of registered nurses.

PMID- 20313585
TI  - The changing role of the Canadian physician in the Third World.

PMID- 20313586
TI  - 1981: international year of disabled persons.

PMID- 20313588
TI  - The changing role of the Canadian physician in the Third World.

PMID- 20313587
TI  - The ontario mental health act.

PMID- 20313589
TI  - Informed consent.

PMID- 20313591
TI  - A convention of physicians; an incision of surgeons.

PMID- 20313590
TI  - Learning to cut health care costs.

PMID- 20313592
TI  - Medical macroeconomic myths.

PMID- 20313593
TI  - Politics and preventive medicine.

PMID- 20313594
TI  - Where have all the editorialists gone?

PMID- 20313595
TI  - "Doctor, my feet hurt".

PMID- 20313597
TI  - Tom Garry (1884-1963): a search for information.

PMID- 20313596
TI  - "Doctor, my feet hurt".

PMID- 20313598
TI  - Metric won't decimate the medical profession.

PMID- 20313599
TI  - Emergency medicine: two types of practice, three types of recognition?

PMID- 20313600
TI  - Vitamin A Acid: change in prescribing information.

PMID- 20313602
TI  - Peer review.

PMID- 20313601
TI  - This year in Halifax.

PMID- 20313603
TI  - Peer review.

PMID- 20313604
TI  - Inadequacy of current requirements for licensure in family medicine.

PMID- 20313605
TI  - Abortion.

PMID- 20313606
TI  - Chemonucleolysis.

PMID- 20313607
TI  - The Women's Clinic - at the frontiers of psychiatry.

PMID- 20313608
TI  - The Women's Clinic - at the frontiers of psychiatry.

PMID- 20313609
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20313610
TI  - Mail chauvinism revisited.

PMID- 20313611
TI  - Will offshore medical schools graduate quality physicians?

PMID- 20313612
TI  - The periodic health examination.

PMID- 20313613
TI  - Birthweight and handicaps.

PMID- 20313614
TI  - Antitumour activity of spleen extract.

PMID- 20313615
TI  - Theophylline and dyphylline.

PMID- 20313616
TI  - MD-MP contact: foundation of a successful lobby.

PMID- 20313618
TI  - "Unionized" medicine.

PMID- 20313617
TI  - High-Yield criteria for skull roentgenography.

PMID- 20313619
TI  - Physicians rally against the threat of a nuclear epidemic.

PMID- 20313621
TI  - The EPF task force report: malice in Wonderland.

PMID- 20313620
TI  - Compliance by physicians with the 1978 Ontario Mental Health Act.

PMID- 20313622
TI  - How to read clinical journals.

PMID- 20313623
TI  - Emergency medicine.

PMID- 20313624
TI  - New ways to learn?

PMID- 20313625
TI  - Family medicine certification.

PMID- 20313626
TI  - A flash in the pan.

PMID- 20313627
TI  - Harold rocke robertson.

PMID- 20313628
TI  - A sign of the times.

PMID- 20313629
TI  - My daughter the doctor.

PMID- 20313630
TI  - Family medicine certification.

PMID- 20313631
TI  - Sex education: the physician's role.

PMID- 20313633
TI  - The real Dr. Richard Goldbloom.

PMID- 20313632
TI  - Clocking out?

PMID- 20313634
TI  - Influenza virus vaccine for 1981-82.

PMID- 20313635
TI  - BC fee negotiations - an expensive victory?

PMID- 20313636
TI  - The doctor's dilemma: defining worth.

PMID- 20313637
TI  - Family medicine certification.

PMID- 20313638
TI  - Arthur vineberg.

PMID- 20313639
TI  - Stepping down: the end of an era of gentlemanly persuasion.

PMID- 20313640
TI  - Christmas 1981.

PMID- 20313641
TI  - Do physicians overprescribe for women with emotional problems?

PMID- 20313643
TI  - Family medicine certification.

PMID- 20313642
TI  - Potentially lethal interaction of cimetidine and morphine.

PMID- 20313644
TI  - Present views on the Canadian Home Fitness Test.

PMID- 20313645
TI  - Traffic injury research foundation of Canada.

PMID- 20313646
TI  - Swan-Ganz catheter.

PMID- 20313647
TI  - BC fee negotiations-an expensive victory?

PMID- 20313648
TI  - The question we have to decide.

PMID- 20313649
TI  - Access to medical literature.

PMID- 20313650
TI  - Access to medical literature.

PMID- 20313651
TI  - New Year resolutions: 10 words to give up in 1982.

PMID- 20313652
TI  - Letters to the editor.

PMID- 20313653
TI  - Family medicine certification.

PMID- 20313654
TI  - How to apply for a medical position in the Third World.

PMID- 20313655
TI  - The canadian medical directory.

PMID- 20313656
TI  - Trauma research.

PMID- 20313657
TI  - Good Samaritan laws: questioning the need.

PMID- 20313658
TI  - Training for family practice.

PMID- 20313659
TI  - Abortion.

PMID- 20313661
TI  - Mail chauvinism reversed.

PMID- 20313660
TI  - Anesthesiology.

PMID- 20313663
TI  - Good English is good medicine.

PMID- 20313662
TI  - Canadian trauma foundation.

PMID- 20313664
TI  - Access to the medical literature.

PMID- 20313666
TI  - Health for all by the year 2000.

PMID- 20313665
TI  - Placement incentives.

PMID- 20313667
TI  - Theodore brown rasmussen.

PMID- 20313668
TI  - The international year of the overtaxed.

PMID- 20313669
TI  - Ophthalmologists and optometrists.

PMID- 20313670
TI  - Continuing medical education in Maritime Canada.

PMID- 20313671
TI  - Good English is good medicine.

PMID- 20313672
TI  - Accuracy of clinical diagnosis.

PMID- 20313673
TI  - Good English is good medicine.

PMID- 20313674
TI  - Abortion before "individuation".

PMID- 20313675
TI  - Reducing government spending.

PMID- 20313677
TI  - Circumcision: the unkindest cut of all?

PMID- 20313676
TI  - Osteopathy.

PMID- 20313678
TI  - Chemonucleolysis.

PMID- 20313679
TI  - Treatment of acetaminophen poisoning.

PMID- 20313680
TI  - Benign breast disease.

PMID- 20313681
TI  - The pharmaceutical industry needs remedy for MacEachenism.

PMID- 20313682
TI  - Circumpolar health.

PMID- 20313683
TI  - Labour is still painful.

PMID- 20313684
TI  - Chalk river nuclear laboratories.

PMID- 20313685
TI  - Labour is still painful.

PMID- 20313686
TI  - Chalk river nuclear laboratories.

PMID- 20313687
TI  - Retrograde cholangiography.

PMID- 20313688
TI  - Circumcision.

PMID- 20313689
TI  - Friends and families of the handicapped.

PMID- 20313690
TI  - Hospitals and private money.

PMID- 20313691
TI  - Circumcision.

PMID- 20313692
TI  - Circumcision.

PMID- 20313693
TI  - Circumcision.

PMID- 20313694
TI  - Circumcision.

PMID- 20313695
TI  - Circumcision.

PMID- 20313696
TI  - Labour is still painful.

PMID- 20313697
TI  - The hospital: a place of comfort or a place of work?

PMID- 20313698
TI  - The medical profession and the press: prime targets for commissions, task forces.

PMID- 20313699
TI  - Abortion.

PMID- 20313700
TI  - Circumcision.

PMID- 20313701
TI  - The psychiatrist's role in the care of the elderly.

PMID- 20313702
TI  - Family medicine certification.

PMID- 20313703
TI  - The iatrectomists.

PMID- 20313704
TI  - Physicians and the bomb.

PMID- 20313705
TI  - Physicians and the bomb.

PMID- 20313706
TI  - Physicians and the bomb.

PMID- 20313707
TI  - Mr. Woods replies.

PMID- 20313708
TI  - Geriatric medicine.

PMID- 20313709
TI  - Geriatric medicine.

PMID- 20313710
TI  - Declining rates of death due to heart disease.

PMID- 20313711
TI  - Cuber's thumb.

PMID- 20313712
TI  - Is Ottawa a capital punishment?

PMID- 20313713
TI  - Declaration of Vancouver updated.

PMID- 20313714
TI  - Mortality and medicine.

PMID- 20313715
TI  - Prescribing of tranquillizers.

PMID- 20313716
TI  - Prescribing of tranquillizers.

PMID- 20313717
TI  - Ten words to give up in 1982.

PMID- 20313718
TI  - Circumcision.

PMID- 20313719
TI  - Are routine measurements of serum chloride and total carbon dioxide levels worth
      doing?

PMID- 20313720
TI  - Canada's first medical graduate.

PMID- 20313721
TI  - How to apply for a medical position in the Third World.

PMID- 20313722
TI  - Guide on infant feeding.

PMID- 20313723
TI  - Diagnosis and treatment of low blood pressure in a Canadian community.
AB  - When some participants in a hypertension screening program reported a previous
      diagnosis or treatment of low blood pressure a similar program was established at
      two shopping centres in Montreal to identify and characterize subjects labelled
      as having low blood pressure. Of the 1019 subjects screened (434 men and 585
      women) 275 (27.0%) reported a previous diagnosis of low blood pressure and 278
      (27.3%) a previous diagnosis of hypertension. Low blood pressure was
      significantly more likely to be diagnosed in women than in men. Of the 181
      subjects reporting a diagnosis of low blood pressure in the absence of other
      diagnoses, 69 had received treatment for this condition; fewer than 10 years of
      education had been completed by 46.4% of the treated subjects and 34.8% of those
      not treated, compared with 20.0% of the subjects in whom no diagnosis had been
      made. Assuming that these findings do not reflect an idiosyncrasy of the
      community or of the population studied, the public and personal health
      implications of the erroneous diagnosis and treatment of this nondisease need to
      be assessed.

PMID- 20313724
TI  - The economy: an anthropologic view.

PMID- 20313725
TI  - Oral history.

PMID- 20313726
TI  - Occupational cancer: experience in Ontario.

PMID- 20313727
TI  - Sex education: the physician's role.

PMID- 20313728
TI  - Abortion.

PMID- 20313729
TI  - Abortion.

PMID- 20313730
TI  - Tribulations of a clinical trial.

PMID- 20313731
TI  - Prescribing tranquillizers.

PMID- 20313732
TI  - Determining the site of urinary tract infections in children.

PMID- 20313734
TI  - The ethics of biomedicine.

PMID- 20313733
TI  - An appeal to CMA members.

PMID- 20313735
TI  - Task force on provision of primary care services.

PMID- 20313736
TI  - The international year of the overtaxed.

PMID- 20313737
TI  - The age of consent.

PMID- 20313738
TI  - Generic names.

PMID- 20313739
TI  - Scientifically trained allergists.

PMID- 20313740
TI  - Scientifically trained allergists.

PMID- 20313741
TI  - The international year of the overtaxed.

PMID- 20313742
TI  - The international year of the overtaxed.

PMID- 20313743
TI  - The international year of the overtaxed.

PMID- 20313744
TI  - Smoking habits in hospital.

PMID- 20313746
TI  - Abortion.

PMID- 20313745
TI  - Abortion.

PMID- 20313747
TI  - Ten words to give up in 1982.

PMID- 20313749
TI  - Ottawa's Blue Book: the true story on Medicare funding.

PMID- 20313748
TI  - Jacques genest.

PMID- 20313750
TI  - Microcomputers in medicine.

PMID- 20313751
TI  - Computers in medicine: a publishing dilemma.

PMID- 20313752
TI  - Directory of cancer support services in Ontario.

PMID- 20313753
TI  - Index Medicus jeopardized.

PMID- 20313754
TI  - How to write a certificate.

PMID- 20313755
TI  - Treatment of acetaminophen poisoning.

PMID- 20313756
TI  - Circumcision.

PMID- 20313757
TI  - Circumcision.

PMID- 20313758
TI  - Letters to the editor: variety and brevity.

PMID- 20313759
TI  - Bronchoalveolar lavage.

PMID- 20313760
TI  - Ear-crease sign and coronary artery disease.

PMID- 20313761
TI  - How to read clinical journals.

PMID- 20313762
TI  - Labour pain.

PMID- 20313763
TI  - Everett chalmers.

PMID- 20313765
TI  - Mononucleosis.

PMID- 20313764
TI  - Rationalizing medicare.

PMID- 20313767
TI  - Fight "long hours", "normal", "convince" and the split infinitive.

PMID- 20313766
TI  - Declaration of vancouver.

PMID- 20313768
TI  - Technocrats in Quebec health care: time to say "Stop!".

PMID- 20313770
TI  - The general medical licence.

PMID- 20313769
TI  - Bone marrow transplantation in Canada.

PMID- 20313771
TI  - Ottawa: a capital punishment?

PMID- 20313772
TI  - Volvolon.

PMID- 20313773
TI  - Communities and Indian health.

PMID- 20313774
TI  - Gerald halpenny.

PMID- 20313775
TI  - Saskatoon has POW.

PMID- 20313776
TI  - Winning friends in, and influencing, government.

PMID- 20313777
TI  - Sex education.

PMID- 20313778
TI  - Sex education.

PMID- 20313780
TI  - Preparing fo family medicine.

PMID- 20313779
TI  - Preparing for family medicine.

PMID- 20313781
TI  - Preparing for family medicine.

PMID- 20313782
TI  - A case of familial lingua bifida?

PMID- 20313783
TI  - Low blood pressure.

PMID- 20313784
TI  - The pharmaceutical industry.

PMID- 20313785
TI  - Medical services for outdoor rock music festivals.

PMID- 20313786
TI  - Controlling the medical information balloon.

PMID- 20313787
TI  - The "limitations" of medicine.

PMID- 20313788
TI  - Nothing to fear but FIRA itself.

PMID- 20313789
TI  - Circumcision.

PMID- 20313790
TI  - Why I won't practise in the United States.

PMID- 20313792
TI  - Update on products containing tartrazine.

PMID- 20313791
TI  - Opting out: what's the real issue?

PMID- 20313793
TI  - Update on products containing tartrazine.

PMID- 20313794
TI  - Robert orville jones.

PMID- 20313795
TI  - Antibusiness attitudes strangling drug research.

PMID- 20313796
TI  - Reactions to acetylsalicylic acid.

PMID- 20313797
TI  - Reactions to acetylsalicylic acid.

PMID- 20313799
TI  - Omission from 1982 "Compendium of-Pharmaceuticals and Specialties".

PMID- 20313798
TI  - Interaction between immunologic and chemotherapeutic treatments.

PMID- 20313800
TI  - Ampyutashuns of terminashuns.

PMID- 20313801
TI  - Volvolon.

PMID- 20313802
TI  - Placement or disposal?

PMID- 20313803
TI  - Apparent differences in longevity.

PMID- 20313805
TI  - Health economists: our growing need for innovators.

PMID- 20313804
TI  - Involuntary admission in Ontario.

PMID- 20313806
TI  - Ethical issues in sponsorship of CME.

PMID- 20313807
TI  - "Radiation & human health".

PMID- 20313808
TI  - Should psychiatrists perform physical examinations?

PMID- 20313809
TI  - Interferon: no verdict yet.

PMID- 20313811
TI  - The future of Canadian hospitals.

PMID- 20313810
TI  - George william manning.

PMID- 20313812
TI  - Dr. Ernest j. Clifford.

PMID- 20313813
TI  - Ontario Medical Association: a view from abroad.

PMID- 20313814
TI  - Lack of interest in nutrition?

PMID- 20313815
TI  - Peter banks.

PMID- 20313816
TI  - Getting drug information to the practising physician.

PMID- 20313817
TI  - Drug prescription labels.

PMID- 20313818
TI  - Information sought on 1918 influenza epidemic.

PMID- 20313819
TI  - Benefits of CMA membership.

PMID- 20313820
TI  - Underfunding's effect on Canadian hospitals.

PMID- 20313821
TI  - Spinal injuries due to hockey.

PMID- 20313822
TI  - New Year resolutions: 10 words to give up in 1983.

PMID- 20313823
TI  - Medical manpower planning: mission impossible?

PMID- 20313824
TI  - Abortion.

PMID- 20313825
TI  - Underfunding's effect on Canadian hospitals.

PMID- 20313826
TI  - Sex role ideology.

PMID- 20313827
TI  - Professional responsibilities.

PMID- 20313828
TI  - Robert alexander mustard.

PMID- 20313829
TI  - 2nd world congress on prison health care.

PMID- 20313830
TI  - Lawren harris.

PMID- 20313831
TI  - Dr. F.N.g. Starr.

PMID- 20313832
TI  - Appraisal of pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

PMID- 20313833
TI  - US hospitals turn to private funds.

PMID- 20313835
TI  - Letter from the editor.

PMID- 20313834
TI  - Can physicians cope with recession medicine?

PMID- 20313836
TI  - Should psychiatrists perform physical examinations?

PMID- 20313837
TI  - Administration and physicians.

PMID- 20313838
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20313839
TI  - Norman charles delarue.

PMID- 20313840
TI  - Cruising the Greek islands.

PMID- 20313841
TI  - International committee of medical journal editors.

PMID- 20313842
TI  - Rheumatoid arthritis.

PMID- 20313843
TI  - In praise of eloquence.

PMID- 20313844
TI  - The vanishing clinician-scientist.

PMID- 20313846
TI  - Convention cities: Monte Carlo.

PMID- 20313845
TI  - The vanishing clinician-scientist.

PMID- 20313847
TI  - We're all government workers nowadays.

PMID- 20313848
TI  - The beautiful manuscript.

PMID- 20313849
TI  - Detecting breast cancer.

PMID- 20313850
TI  - Smoking in Canada.

PMID- 20313851
TI  - Idiotic and inhuman architecture.

PMID- 20313852
TI  - Coronary ostial stenosis.

PMID- 20313853
TI  - Numbering fingers.

PMID- 20313855
TI  - Douglas george cameron.

PMID- 20313854
TI  - Why nicotinic acid lowers lipid levels.

PMID- 20313856
TI  - Medical technology: opportunities, responsibilities.

PMID- 20313857
TI  - Medical Science News: recent, relevant and refined.

PMID- 20313858
TI  - Violence against self and others.

PMID- 20313859
TI  - CMA statement on radiation protection.

PMID- 20313860
TI  - Is professional courtesy dying?

PMID- 20313861
TI  - Canadian physicians in the United States.

PMID- 20313862
TI  - Writing psychiatric reports.

PMID- 20313863
TI  - Writing psychiatric reports.

PMID- 20313864
TI  - Additional uses for depot medroxyprogesterone acetate?

PMID- 20313866
TI  - Psychiatric symptoms following attempted natural childbirth.

PMID- 20313865
TI  - Research in family medicine.

PMID- 20313867
TI  - Cancer in a Montreal suburb.

PMID- 20313868
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20313869
TI  - Medicine in the 21st century: 1. The coming of the corporations.

PMID- 20313870
TI  - Bringing out the best in a manuscript.

PMID- 20313871
TI  - Words to give up in 1983.

PMID- 20313872
TI  - CMAJ covers.

PMID- 20313873
TI  - Religion, science and faith.

PMID- 20313874
TI  - Words to give up in 1983.

PMID- 20313875
TI  - Increasing compliance with prescribed medication by elderly patients.

PMID- 20313876
TI  - Nuclear disarmament.

PMID- 20313877
TI  - Nuclear disarmament.

PMID- 20313878
TI  - Lack of interest in nutrition?

PMID- 20313879
TI  - Boxing.

PMID- 20313880
TI  - Charles Darwin's illness.

PMID- 20313881
TI  - Convention cities: San Francisco.

PMID- 20313882
TI  - Jonathan fayette meakins.

PMID- 20313883
TI  - The CMA president responds to Monique Begin's letter.

PMID- 20313884
TI  - Bilirubin levels in breast-fed infants.

PMID- 20313886
TI  - Answers to money and practice management questions.

PMID- 20313885
TI  - Bilirubin levels in breast-fed infants.

PMID- 20313887
TI  - What do the nurses want?

PMID- 20313888
TI  - Religion, science and faith.

PMID- 20313889
TI  - Religion, science and faith.

PMID- 20313890
TI  - The cover: something for the right hemisphere.

PMID- 20313891
TI  - CMAJ covers.

PMID- 20313892
TI  - Eye drops and apnea.

PMID- 20313893
TI  - Lightning injury.

PMID- 20313894
TI  - Pharmaceutical firms and Canadian regulations.

PMID- 20313895
TI  - Dr. Mercer Rang and teaching with humour.

PMID- 20313896
TI  - "I don't want an x-ray, Doctor".

PMID- 20313898
TI  - The Josephinum: a glimpse into Austria's distinguished past.

PMID- 20313897
TI  - Open letter on family practice training.

PMID- 20313899
TI  - Gordon bethune.

PMID- 20313900
TI  - Accrediting Canadian medical schools.

PMID- 20313901
TI  - The doctors who treat performing artists.

PMID- 20313902
TI  - Will Britain's National Health Service survive?

PMID- 20313903
TI  - Avoiding the bedint.

PMID- 20313904
TI  - This is not the place to blow your top or vent your spleen.

PMID- 20313905
TI  - Dr. Earle scarlett.

PMID- 20313906
TI  - Numbering fingers.

PMID- 20313907
TI  - Canadian public trusts the CMA.

PMID- 20313908
TI  - Delayed elimination of theophylline in pregnancy.

PMID- 20313910
TI  - CARE/Medico in Afghanistan.

PMID- 20313909
TI  - Overdoses of entrophen.

PMID- 20313911
TI  - Physiotherapists.

PMID- 20313912
TI  - Paul h.T. Thorlakson.

PMID- 20313913
TI  - Patients' rights: the one that really counts.

PMID- 20313914
TI  - Quebec physicians and the government yoke: the Social Affairs minister responds.

PMID- 20313915
TI  - Dr. Mercer Rang responds.

PMID- 20313916
TI  - What does Monique Begin mean by "administrative costs"?

PMID- 20313917
TI  - How does the Lalonde budget affect you?

PMID- 20313918
TI  - Is CMAJ "right wing"?

PMID- 20313919
TI  - Medical manpower planning.

PMID- 20313920
TI  - Medical manpower planning.

PMID- 20313921
TI  - Pedaller's penis: a 100-year-old delayed reaction.

PMID- 20313922
TI  - Is professional courtesy dying?

PMID- 20313923
TI  - Is professional courtesy dying?

PMID- 20313924
TI  - "Handbook of clinical drug data".

PMID- 20313925
TI  - John burnett neilson.

PMID- 20313926
TI  - Pants, trousers and community medicine.

PMID- 20313927
TI  - User fees and fiscal sense.

PMID- 20313928
TI  - The importance of being cited.

PMID- 20313929
TI  - Ageing, fitness and morbidity.

PMID- 20313930
TI  - What do the nurses want?

PMID- 20313931
TI  - Getting the right words in the right place.

PMID- 20313932
TI  - What do the nurses want?

PMID- 20313933
TI  - Correction to the "compendium of pharmaceuticals and specialties".

PMID- 20313935
TI  - Canada Fitness Survey finds fitness means health.

PMID- 20313934
TI  - A. Ross tilley.

PMID- 20313936
TI  - Convention cities: Lisbon.

PMID- 20313937
TI  - The emperor's new clothes.

PMID- 20313938
TI  - Pictures, symbols, charts and graphs.

PMID- 20313939
TI  - Government money: where did it go?

PMID- 20313940
TI  - Should we stamp out or give a hand to new journals?

PMID- 20313941
TI  - Hypertension.

PMID- 20313942
TI  - Do we need doctors in the health care system?

PMID- 20313943
TI  - Nurd knuckles.

PMID- 20313944
TI  - Health economics: Are Australians ahead of Canadians?

PMID- 20313945
TI  - Medicine in the 21st century: 2. The geriatric imperative.

PMID- 20313946
TI  - Can a speech make a good journal article?

PMID- 20313947
TI  - Abortion.

PMID- 20313948
TI  - Neonatal circumcision.

PMID- 20313949
TI  - Harry medovy.

PMID- 20313950
TI  - CMA's meeting in Monte Carlo: rien ne va plus?

PMID- 20313951
TI  - First write it down, then write it up.

PMID- 20313952
TI  - The beautiful editorial response.

PMID- 20313953
TI  - Adolescent nutrition, 2. Normal nutritional requirements.

PMID- 20313955
TI  - General Council: the CMA's parliament.

PMID- 20313954
TI  - Convention cities: Helsinki.

PMID- 20313956
TI  - "Alice in numberland"?

PMID- 20313957
TI  - "Alice in numberland"?

PMID- 20313958
TI  - Humane medicine.

PMID- 20313959
TI  - The josephinum.

PMID- 20313960
TI  - Recognizing organic mental disorders.

PMID- 20313961
TI  - Incentive pay with the Veterans Administration.

PMID- 20313962
TI  - Covering the literature.

PMID- 20313964
TI  - Pitseolak ashoona.

PMID- 20313963
TI  - High index of suspicion.

PMID- 20313965
TI  - Health care costs.

PMID- 20313966
TI  - Hominem, feminam or personam?

PMID- 20313967
TI  - CMAJ covers.

PMID- 20313968
TI  - Directory of cancer support services in Ontario.

PMID- 20313970
TI  - Gallup on hospital user fees.

PMID- 20313969
TI  - Sodium intoxication causded by use of baking soda as a home remedy.

PMID- 20313972
TI  - Helping the impaired physician.

PMID- 20313971
TI  - French articles in CMAJ.

PMID- 20313973
TI  - Helping the impaired physician.

PMID- 20313974
TI  - Cochlear implants.

PMID- 20313975
TI  - Alcoholism in medical school curricula.

PMID- 20313976
TI  - Role of prostitution in sexually transmitted diseases.

PMID- 20313977
TI  - Radiography for acute ankle injuries.

PMID- 20313978
TI  - Medical magazines: another view.

PMID- 20313979
TI  - Canada Health Act: a plan of attack.

PMID- 20313980
TI  - Theft of prescription pads.

PMID- 20313981
TI  - Breast self-examination.

PMID- 20313982
TI  - Update on products containing tartrazine.

PMID- 20313983
TI  - Abortion and the demographic argument.

PMID- 20313984
TI  - Amebic colitis.

PMID- 20313986
TI  - An appeal for books.

PMID- 20313985
TI  - Neonatal lupus erythematosus.

PMID- 20313987
TI  - Phil gold.

PMID- 20313988
TI  - Managing Canada's health care system.

PMID- 20313989
TI  - Convention cities: Honolulu.

PMID- 20313990
TI  - The chimera of preventive medicine in reducing health care costs.

PMID- 20313991
TI  - Breast cancer.

PMID- 20313992
TI  - Reiter's syndrome?

PMID- 20313993
TI  - "Compendium of pharmaceuticals and specialties".

PMID- 20313994
TI  - Quebec: towards a new national awareness.

PMID- 20313995
TI  - Ethics of informed consent.

PMID- 20313996
TI  - Erectile impotence.

PMID- 20313997
TI  - Edwin Clarence McCoy.

PMID- 20313998
TI  - When reviewers disagree.

PMID- 20313999
TI  - BCG in the treatment of cancer.

PMID- 20314001
TI  - Are you sure that device is working?

PMID- 20314000
TI  - "Junk mail".

PMID- 20314002
TI  - New Year resolutions: 10 words to give up in 1984.

PMID- 20314003
TI  - Writing-and recognizing-the final draft of a manuscript.

PMID- 20314004
TI  - Bureaucratic meddling in medicine.

PMID- 20314005
TI  - The CMA abortion survey.

PMID- 20314006
TI  - The CMA abortion survey.

PMID- 20314007
TI  - The CMA abortion survey.

PMID- 20314008
TI  - Dr. T. Clarence routley.

PMID- 20314010
TI  - CMAJ covers.

PMID- 20314009
TI  - CMAJ covers.

PMID- 20314011
TI  - Arthur birt.

PMID- 20314013
TI  - Doctors on the slopes.

PMID- 20314012
TI  - How to hire your office staff.

PMID- 20314014
TI  - Pregnancy and Tuberculosis : Part I-The Effects of Pregnancy on Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20314015
TI  - Technique of Cataract Operations.

PMID- 20314016
TI  - Observations on the Aetiology of Infantile Eczema.

PMID- 20314017
TI  - Some New Anaesthetic Ethers.

PMID- 20314018
TI  - The Sodium Citrate Technique for Blood Transfusion.

PMID- 20314019
TI  - Hour Glass Stomach.

PMID- 20314020
TI  - Two Cases of Supernumerary Ureters Opening Intravesically.

PMID- 20314021
TI  - A Psychosis of Hysterical Type.

PMID- 20314022
TI  - The Treatment of Chronic Nephritis.

PMID- 20314023
TI  - Acute Poliomyelitis.

PMID- 20314024
TI  - Medical Studies at Paris.

PMID- 20314025
TI  - A Sketch of Renal Diagnostic Methods.

PMID- 20314026
TI  - Methods of Study of Early Diabetes.

PMID- 20314027
TI  - On the Value of Drugs in Affections of the Urinary Tract.

PMID- 20314028
TI  - Canadian Medico-legal Jurisprudence.

PMID- 20314029
TI  - On Therapeutical and Pharmaceutical Problems.

PMID- 20314030
TI  - Elixir Lactopeptine.

PMID- 20314031
TI  - On Globeol.

PMID- 20314033
TI  - A Comparative Study of Measles and German Measles.

PMID- 20314032
TI  - Iodides and Bromides in Mixtures.

PMID- 20314034
TI  - Pregnancy and Tuberculosis : Part 2.-The Treatment of Tuberculosis Complicated by
      Pregnancy.

PMID- 20314035
TI  - Arteriosclerosis and Angina Pectoris with Temporary Muscular Paralysis.

PMID- 20314036
TI  - A Case of Acute Obstruction Due to Cystic Dilatation of the Appendix (Hydrops of
      Appendix).

PMID- 20314038
TI  - The Quinidin Treatment of Auricular Fibrillation.

PMID- 20314037
TI  - Raynaud's Disease of Four Years' Duration, Acute Fatal Termination with Signs of
      Involvement of Arteries of Central Nervous System.

PMID- 20314039
TI  - On the Nature and Origin of the Anginal Syndrome.

PMID- 20314040
TI  - Simple Goitre in Man.-Its Prevention and Treatment.

PMID- 20314041
TI  - Bodily Temperature and Hibernation.

PMID- 20314042
TI  - Asaya-Neural.

PMID- 20314043
TI  - Flavouring.

PMID- 20314044
TI  - Tincture of Digitalis.

PMID- 20314045
TI  - THE ASSOCIATION.

PMID- 20314046
TI  - Dr. Thos. Wickett.

PMID- 20314047
TI  - CORRESPONDENCE.

PMID- 20314048
TI  - The Outlook in Surgery.

PMID- 20314049
TI  - Some Problems in Intracranial Diagnosis.

PMID- 20314050
TI  - Financial Considerations of the Average Doctor.

PMID- 20314051
TI  - A Call-in Report on the Late Results of Surgical Treatment of Constricting Bands
      of the Large Intestine Terminal Ileum.

PMID- 20314052
TI  - Lessons Learned from a Study of the Gall Bladder.

PMID- 20314053
TI  - The Operative Treatment of Vesico-Vaginal FistulAE.

PMID- 20314054
TI  - Circumscribed Syphilitic Ulcer of the Stomach: Report of a Case.

PMID- 20314055
TI  - Vagino-Vesical and Utero-Vesical Fistulae.-Operative Treatment.

PMID- 20314056
TI  - Some Tendencies in Modern Clinical Medicine.

PMID- 20314058
TI  - A Rational Treatment of Surgical Shock Based on Proven Physiological Data.

PMID- 20314057
TI  - "Marrow Pains" in Malaria and in Certain Other Acute Fevers.

PMID- 20314059
TI  - Anterior Poliomyelitis.

PMID- 20314060
TI  - Pancreatic Extracts in the Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus.

PMID- 20314061
TI  - The Blood Cholesterol-Its Importance, and the Value of its Determination in
      Cancer Research.

PMID- 20314062
TI  - Problems of Clinical Interest to the Surgeon and Radium Therapist Relating to
      Cancer.

PMID- 20314063
TI  - A Statistical Study of Seventy-seven Cases of Tuberculous Meningitis.

PMID- 20314064
TI  - Heart Block and Auricular Fibrillation.

PMID- 20314065
TI  - Septic Abortion.

PMID- 20314066
TI  - Observations on the Value of Lumbar Puncture.

PMID- 20314067
TI  - Anaesthesia for Nose, Throat and Abdominal Surgery by Nitrous Oxide-Oxygen C. E.
      Combinations.

PMID- 20314068
TI  - Case Reports from Montreal General Hospital.

PMID- 20314069
TI  - Tuberculous Meningitis Simulating Encephalitis Lethargica Haemorrhagica.

PMID- 20314070
TI  - On the Parkinsonian Syndrome.

PMID- 20314071
TI  - The Laboratory Worker and the Practitioner.

PMID- 20314072
TI  - On the Relation between Mental and Physical Efficiency.

PMID- 20314073
TI  - On the Value of Various Kinds of Soaps as Antiseptics in Hand Washing.

PMID- 20314074
TI  - Smaller Hospitals and their Clinical Possibilities.

PMID- 20314075
TI  - Embryology and Physiology of Colonic Stasis.

PMID- 20314076
TI  - The Next Great Advance in Medicine.

PMID- 20314077
TI  - Glimpses into Endocrinology.

PMID- 20314078
TI  - Introductory Remarks.

PMID- 20314079
TI  - History in Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20314080
TI  - Toxic Goitre: The Effect of Thyroidectomy on the Basal Rate, the Pulse Rate, and
      the General Nutrition.

PMID- 20314081
TI  - The Cancer Problem.

PMID- 20314082
TI  - Thyroid Function from a Chemical View-Point.

PMID- 20314083
TI  - The Acute Appendix.

PMID- 20314084
TI  - Favus: A Report of Seventeen Cases.

PMID- 20314085
TI  - Intubation vs. Tracheotomy.

PMID- 20314086
TI  - Uterine Haemorrhage from the Viewpoint of the General Practitioner.

PMID- 20314087
TI  - Nephrolithiasis, Pyonephrosis and Impacted Urethral Calculus in a Boy Four Years
      of Age.

PMID- 20314088
TI  - A Case of Anus Vestibularis; Reconstruction with Successful Result.

PMID- 20314090
TI  - The Parkinsonian Syndrome: (Part Two).

PMID- 20314089
TI  - The Problem of the Control of Diphtheria.

PMID- 20314092
TI  - On the Treatment of the Tuberculous Ex-Service Man.

PMID- 20314091
TI  - On the Danger of Ex-Service Men with no Medical Knowledge attempting Osteopathy
      or so-called Chiropraxis.

PMID- 20314093
TI  - The Octo Centenary of St. Bartholomew's School.

PMID- 20314094
TI  - On Standardization.

PMID- 20314095
TI  - Robert C. Paterson Memorial Fund.

PMID- 20314096
TI  - Coagulants and Haemorrhage.

PMID- 20314097
TI  - Tuberculosis Congress in Brussels.

PMID- 20314098
TI  - On the Claims of Chiropractics.

PMID- 20314099
TI  - Clinical Lecture. Carcinoma of Rectum.

PMID- 20314100
TI  - Aortic Dilatation and Aneurism.

PMID- 20314101
TI  - The Pathology and Treatment of Chronic Catarrhal Deafness.

PMID- 20314102
TI  - Notes on the Newer Pathology of Syphilis.

PMID- 20314103
TI  - "Symptoms of Recovery".

PMID- 20314104
TI  - The Treatment of So-called Sciatica.

PMID- 20314105
TI  - Notes on Tetanus.

PMID- 20314106
TI  - On the Relationship between the Adrenal Gland and the Thyroid.

PMID- 20314107
TI  - Differential Diagnosis of Diseases of the Thyroid Gland.

PMID- 20314108
TI  - Symposium on Tuberculosis Physical Signs.

PMID- 20314109
TI  - Notes on Two Cases of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

PMID- 20314110
TI  - Ulcerative Colitis due to Bacillus Dysenteriae, Simulating Pernicious Anaemia.

PMID- 20314111
TI  - Intermittent Hydronephrosis due to Kinking of the Right Ureter by an Accessory
      Renal Artery.

PMID- 20314113
TI  - Suppurative Parotitis.

PMID- 20314112
TI  - Purpura Haemorrhagica Complicated by Gangrene of the Glans Penis and Lung
      Abscess.

PMID- 20314114
TI  - Syphilitic Aortitis and Endocarditis.

PMID- 20314115
TI  - Diagnosis Uncertain, Help Wanted.

PMID- 20314116
TI  - Orthopaedics.

PMID- 20314117
TI  - Group Medicine.

PMID- 20314118
TI  - Diet and Hyperthyroidism.

PMID- 20314119
TI  - On the Causes which tend to Lower the Standard of Health in a Country.

PMID- 20314120
TI  - On the Etiology of Rickets.

PMID- 20314121
TI  - The Surgeon's Soliloquy on the Gall-Bladder.

PMID- 20314122
TI  - THE ASSOCIATION.

PMID- 20314123
TI  - Spinal Pressure.

PMID- 20314124
TI  - The Broadening Scope of Mental Medicine.

PMID- 20314125
TI  - Symptoms in Diagnosis of Pulmonary Tuberculosis, (Symposium on Tuberculosis).

PMID- 20314126
TI  - Differential Diagnosis, (Symposium on Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20314127
TI  - A Tuberculosis Survey of 1346 School Children in Saskatchewan.

PMID- 20314128
TI  - Ergot, Quinine and Pituitrin.

PMID- 20314129
TI  - A Report on Recent Metabolic findings in the diagnosis and Treatment of Diseases
      of the Thyroid Gland.

PMID- 20314130
TI  - Intestinal Obstruction.

PMID- 20314131
TI  - Creatinuria in Certain Diseased Conditions.

PMID- 20314133
TI  - The Place of Drugs in Medical Treatment.

PMID- 20314132
TI  - Intravenous Injection of a New Mercurial in Treatment of Syphilis.

PMID- 20314134
TI  - Caesarian Section.

PMID- 20314135
TI  - The X-Ray Examination, (Symposium on Tuberculosis).

PMID- 20314136
TI  - The New Order.

PMID- 20314137
TI  - Carcinoma of the Prostate.

PMID- 20314138
TI  - Obiter Scripta.

PMID- 20314139
TI  - A Note on the Incubation Period of Encephalitis Lethargica. Report of a Case
      Developing within Five Days of Exposure.

PMID- 20314140
TI  - The Etiology of Cancer.

PMID- 20314141
TI  - Pancreatic Extract and Diabetes.

PMID- 20314142
TI  - Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus by Pancreatic Extracts.

PMID- 20314143
TI  - The Aftermath of Encephalitis Lethargica.

PMID- 20314144
TI  - On the Necessity for the Careful Medical Oversight of Children of the School And
      Pre-School Age.

PMID- 20314145
TI  - The Action of High Altitudes on the Blood.

PMID- 20314146
TI  - The Address of the President of the Ontario Medical Association.

PMID- 20314147
TI  - Syphilis-Three Years' Observation.

PMID- 20314148
TI  - The Medical Care of Post-Operative Abdominal Cases.

PMID- 20314149
TI  - Infantile Eczema.

PMID- 20314150
TI  - Exanthem Subitum-Report of Five Cases.

PMID- 20314151
TI  - Formol-gel Reaction in the Blood Serum of Syphilitics.

PMID- 20314152
TI  - The Clinical Diagnosis of Syphilis.

PMID- 20314153
TI  - Pyelitis During Pregnancy and the Puerperium.

PMID- 20314154
TI  - The Use of X-Rays in Diseases of the Skin.

PMID- 20314155
TI  - Eye Conditions in Pregnancy.

PMID- 20314156
TI  - A Simple Cross Agglutination Test for Blood Donors, Using Hemolysed Blood.

PMID- 20314157
TI  - Broncho-Pneumonia following Aspiration of Zinc Stearate Powder.

PMID- 20314159
TI  - Bulletin of Harvey Club, London.

PMID- 20314158
TI  - Phlegmonous Gastritis with Cirrhosis of Liver.

PMID- 20314160
TI  - Is the Gall Bladder a Useless Organ.

PMID- 20314161
TI  - On the Diagnosis of Tuberculosis in Childhood.

PMID- 20314162
TI  - Pasteur Centenary Celebration.

PMID- 20314163
TI  - Standardization of Drugs.

PMID- 20314164
TI  - Purifico.

PMID- 20314165
TI  - X-Ray and Clinical Findings in Normal Chest of Children-6 to 10 years.-National
      Tuberculosis Association Medical Research.

PMID- 20314166
TI  - Some Hospitalization Problems-Hospital Standardization.

PMID- 20314167
TI  - The Evolution of Surgery as I have seen it in my own Practice.

PMID- 20314168
TI  - Typhoid Fever in Infancy and Childhood.

PMID- 20314169
TI  - The Effects of Ultra Violet Rays on the Calcium and Inorganic Phosphate Content
      of the Blood Serum of Rachitic Infants.

PMID- 20314170
TI  - Some Observations on the Starvation Treatment of Epilepsy.

PMID- 20314171
TI  - Post Operative Complications of the Respiratory Tract.

PMID- 20314172
TI  - Some Work with Block and Local Anaesthesia.

PMID- 20314173
TI  - A Statistical Study of Fermentative Diarrhoea, Infectious Diarrhoea, Acute
      Intestinal Intoxication and Decomposition Occurring in the Hospital for Sick
      Children, from October 1st, 1919, to October 1st, 1920, considering especially
      the relation of age, weight and parenteral infections to mortality.

PMID- 20314174
TI  - Fear-A Harmful Emotion, how may we eliminate it from the Surgical Patient's Mind?

PMID- 20314175
TI  - The Value of the Wassermann.

PMID- 20314176
TI  - The Effects of General Anaesthetics on the Liver.

PMID- 20314177
TI  - Report of a Case of Bromide Eruption in a Nursing Infant.

PMID- 20314178
TI  - The Paris Medical School.

PMID- 20314180
TI  - A New Salicylate.

PMID- 20314179
TI  - The De Quervain Clinic at Berne, Switzerland.

PMID- 20314181
TI  - The Habit of Sleep.

PMID- 20314182
TI  - Is a Coordinated Medical Course Feasible? A Suggestion.

PMID- 20314183
TI  - The Winnipeg Meeting.

PMID- 20314184
TI  - Ultra Violet Radiation in Rickets.

PMID- 20314185
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 20314187
TI  - Some Phases of Dysthyroidism.

PMID- 20314186
TI  - On the Relations of Heredity and Environment, of "Constitution" and "Condition",
      to predisposition to disease.

PMID- 20314188
TI  - The Study of Symptoms.

PMID- 20314189
TI  - The Regulatory Function of the Kidney in Nephritis.

PMID- 20314190
TI  - Two Cases of A Polyneuritic Affection Resembling Acrodynia met with in Young
      Children.

PMID- 20314191
TI  - Renal Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20314192
TI  - The Reaction of the Blood in Reference to the Regulation of Respiration and the
      Influence of Anaesthesia Thereon.

PMID- 20314193
TI  - End Results of Surgical Treatment of Diseases of the Stomach and Duodenum.

PMID- 20314194
TI  - Chronic Arthritis-Some Phases in its Etiology and Treatment.

PMID- 20314196
TI  - Studies in Radium.

PMID- 20314195
TI  - Bone Suppuration the Basic Cause of Renal Calculus in Twenty Cases following War
      Wounds.

PMID- 20314198
TI  - Should the Sanatorium Laboratory do Complement Fixation and Other Serum Tests as
      Routine Measures.

PMID- 20314197
TI  - Embolism of the Abdominal Aorta.

PMID- 20314199
TI  - Mesenteric Thrombosis-With Report of Two Cases.

PMID- 20314200
TI  - Bilateral Carcinoma of Breast.

PMID- 20314201
TI  - On Tonsillectomy; and its after Effects.

PMID- 20314202
TI  - The Metabolic Rate and Thyroid Disease.

PMID- 20314203
TI  - The Address in Medicine.

PMID- 20314204
TI  - Cancer of the Breast.

PMID- 20314205
TI  - Papers and Programmes.

PMID- 20314206
TI  - Iron and Ammonium Citrate.

PMID- 20314208
TI  - Pleurisy and Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20314207
TI  - Gall Bladder Problems.

PMID- 20314209
TI  - The Use of Circulatory Stimulants in the Care of the Sick.

PMID- 20314210
TI  - Functional Paraplegia (with case report).

PMID- 20314211
TI  - Epidemic Encephalitis-The Influence of Horse Serum in Treatment-A Preliminary
      Note.

PMID- 20314212
TI  - Medical Organization.

PMID- 20314213
TI  - The Relation between Physician and Druggist and Physician and Patient from the
      Viewpoint of Medication.

PMID- 20314214
TI  - The Application of the New Psychology by the Internist and General Practitioner.

PMID- 20314215
TI  - Pathology and Bacteriology of Empyema and Abscess of the Lung.

PMID- 20314216
TI  - The Value of Colostrum to the Newborn.

PMID- 20314217
TI  - A Report of a Medical Survey in the Wabaska District.

PMID- 20314218
TI  - Roentgen Ray Diagnosis of Tuberculosis of the Bones and Joints.

PMID- 20314219
TI  - Poisoning from the External Use of Resorcin.

PMID- 20314220
TI  - When to Operate on Renal Calculus.

PMID- 20314221
TI  - Radium Therapy (Lantern Demonstration).

PMID- 20314222
TI  - Retro-Caecal Abscess Rupturing into Bladder following course of Right Ureter.

PMID- 20314223
TI  - Abstract of Clinical Lecture on Two Cases of Tuberculosis of The Spine.

PMID- 20314224
TI  - An Infectious Type of Erythema Nodosum.

PMID- 20314225
TI  - Haemorrhagic Disease of the Newborn.

PMID- 20314226
TI  - Auricular Fibrillation and Quinidin.

PMID- 20314227
TI  - Industrial Medicine.

PMID- 20314228
TI  - Canadian Oto-Laryngology.

PMID- 20314230
TI  - Organization.

PMID- 20314229
TI  - A New Medical Quarterly.

PMID- 20314231
TI  - On the Development of Professional Initiative and Criticism-A Note from the West.

PMID- 20314232
TI  - Chronic Brain Injuries with Remarks Concerning the Pathology and Treatment.

PMID- 20314233
TI  - Surgical Therapy and Net Results in Gall Bladder Disease.

PMID- 20314234
TI  - A Clinical Study of Cancer of the Uterine Cervix;Summary of the Results obtained
      by Various Methods of Treatment.

PMID- 20314235
TI  - Asthma in Children.

PMID- 20314236
TI  - Merits of Intraperitoneal Injections in Infants.

PMID- 20314237
TI  - Septic Absorption in Diffuse Septic Peritonitis.

PMID- 20314238
TI  - Post-Operative Management.

PMID- 20314239
TI  - Local Anaesthesia as Applied to Operations on the Rectum and Anus.

PMID- 20314240
TI  - Plastic Surgery of the Head and Neck.

PMID- 20314241
TI  - Heliotherapy in Surgical Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20314242
TI  - Public Health Organization.

PMID- 20314243
TI  - Osteo-Arthritis.

PMID- 20314244
TI  - The Etiology of some Forms of Marasmus in Infancy, its Treatment by Lactic Acid
      Whole Milk.

PMID- 20314245
TI  - Lactic Acid Milk Feeding in Marasmus.

PMID- 20314246
TI  - The Modern Conception of Mental Disease.

PMID- 20314247
TI  - The Physical Education of Girls.

PMID- 20314248
TI  - The Influence of the Various Colours on the Mind and Emotions.

PMID- 20314249
TI  - The Semon Lecture at the University of London.

PMID- 20314250
TI  - On the Trans-Atlantic Development of Rhinolaryngology, the Semon Lecture.

PMID- 20314251
TI  - Non-Specific Protein Therapy.

PMID- 20314252
TI  - Specific Protein Therapy.

PMID- 20314253
TI  - The Quebec Workmen's Compensation Act-The Unoiled Cog.

PMID- 20314254
TI  - Mechanical Conditions favouring Infection.

PMID- 20314255
TI  - New Attempts to Procure Immunity to Malignant Disease in Man.

PMID- 20314256
TI  - Recent advances in X-Ray Treatment.

PMID- 20314257
TI  - Some Phases of Thyroid Disease.

PMID- 20314258
TI  - Some thoughts on Goitre.

PMID- 20314260
TI  - Exophthalmic Goitre.

PMID- 20314259
TI  - The Goitre Problem-From the Patient's Standpoint.

PMID- 20314261
TI  - Comparisons of Clinical and Radiological Findings in Lung Diagnosis.

PMID- 20314263
TI  - The X-Ray Findings in Empyema and Abscess of the Lung.

PMID- 20314262
TI  - Diagnosis of Empyema.

PMID- 20314264
TI  - Remarks on Deficiency Diseases.

PMID- 20314265
TI  - Some Observations on the Surgery of Duodenal Membrances, with a call-in-report of
      results of treatment.

PMID- 20314266
TI  - Treatment of Prostatism : The Department of Urology, Royal Victoria Hospital.

PMID- 20314267
TI  - Respiratory Complications after 7,000 Administrations General Anaesthetics.

PMID- 20314268
TI  - Focal Infection in the tonsils of adults suffering from sub-acute and chronic
      systemic disease : Analysis of Results of Removal in a Series of 800 Cases.

PMID- 20314269
TI  - Observations on some throat conditions in children.

PMID- 20314270
TI  - The advantages of gas inflation in obstetric and gynaecologic diagnosis with
      especial reference to its importance in the study of the causes of sterility.

PMID- 20314271
TI  - A case of chronic rhinitis, treated by Radium.

PMID- 20314272
TI  - A case of primary sarcoma of the Mediastinum with haemoptysis and metastases
      extending into the left lung and with involvement of right supraclavicular
      glands.

PMID- 20314273
TI  - Insulin and the steps taken to secure an effective preparation.

PMID- 20314274
TI  - The Physician in Industry.

PMID- 20314276
TI  - Treatment and prevention of diphtheria.

PMID- 20314275
TI  - The early diagnosis of pertussis.

PMID- 20314277
TI  - Alcohol and Industrial Efficiency.

PMID- 20314278
TI  - Reflex Cough in Bronchoscopic Work.

PMID- 20314279
TI  - EDITORIAL COMMENT.

PMID- 20314280
TI  - The Medical History of the War.

PMID- 20314281
TI  - Roman Surgery in the time of Celsus.

PMID- 20314282
TI  - Does the Victorian Order of Nurses have a future?

PMID- 20314283
TI  - When is a patient's use of primary care services unwarranted?

PMID- 20314284
TI  - Health economics.

PMID- 20314285
TI  - Canada Health Act: a plan of attack.

PMID- 20314286
TI  - Compulsory seat belt legislation.

PMID- 20314288
TI  - CMA president responds to the Act.

PMID- 20314287
TI  - Federal health minister tables Canada Health Act.

PMID- 20314289
TI  - The Provinces: Governments attacked fee increases and physicians' freedoms.

PMID- 20314290
TI  - The World: Cost consciousness and free enterprise were common themes.

PMID- 20314291
TI  - The Pharmaceutical industry: New competition and fundamental market shifts.

PMID- 20314292
TI  - Research: AIDS and oncogenes were two of the hot subjects.

PMID- 20314293
TI  - People: Dr. Phil Gold was prominent among doctors who made the news.

PMID- 20314294
TI  - Why scientific communications are improving.

PMID- 20314295
TI  - China's deterrent fee.

PMID- 20314296
TI  - Can academic background be detected during internship?

PMID- 20314297
TI  - CMAJ covers.

PMID- 20314298
TI  - Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals.

PMID- 20314299
TI  - Doctors as radio and television hosts: a new genre of health practitioner?

PMID- 20314301
TI  - Some reminders about RRSPs.

PMID- 20314300
TI  - Robert bews kerr.

PMID- 20314302
TI  - The vacation forecast for 1984.

PMID- 20314303
TI  - Specialty scientific meetings: time for critical review.

PMID- 20314304
TI  - Reconsidering abortion.

PMID- 20314305
TI  - Misleading caption.

PMID- 20314306
TI  - Editing the editor.

PMID- 20314307
TI  - CMAJ cover: showcase for physicians' talent?

PMID- 20314308
TI  - The auditor general and Edgar Allan Poe: two masters of horror literature.

PMID- 20314309
TI  - Mixing politics and science in CMAJ.

PMID- 20314310
TI  - Smoking for nicotine, dying from tar.

PMID- 20314311
TI  - Words to give up.

PMID- 20314312
TI  - Words to give up.

PMID- 20314313
TI  - Integrity of pharmacists.

PMID- 20314315
TI  - Scotland: sailing the Western Isles.

PMID- 20314314
TI  - Dr. Hugh Arnold.

PMID- 20314316
TI  - Medicine in the 21st century: 3. Big Sibling is watching you.

PMID- 20314317
TI  - Statistics in a nutshell? Never!

PMID- 20314318
TI  - Infant MDs?

PMID- 20314319
TI  - 1. Introduction.

PMID- 20314320
TI  - How to plan for a sabbatical.

PMID- 20314321
TI  - Convention cities: San Diego.

PMID- 20314322
TI  - Canada's rating with The Economist: overgoverned, overtaxed and underheated.

PMID- 20314323
TI  - Commercial malpractice insurance.

PMID- 20314324
TI  - Carotid Doppler evaluation in cerebrovascular disease.

PMID- 20314326
TI  - Ottawa using the health stick to tame its foes.

PMID- 20314325
TI  - Robert dickson.

PMID- 20314327
TI  - Pornography and violent entertainment: exposing the symptoms.

PMID- 20314329
TI  - The disease of not listening.

PMID- 20314328
TI  - So you want to practise in British Columbia?

PMID- 20314330
TI  - How many authors can dance on the head of an article?

PMID- 20314332
TI  - What the latest Liberal budget may mean to you.

PMID- 20314331
TI  - Certification of specialists.

PMID- 20314333
TI  - How much are you worth?

PMID- 20314334
TI  - Convention cities: Edmonton.

PMID- 20314335
TI  - Getting down to brass tax - and brash tactics.

PMID- 20314336
TI  - How to reject a manuscript.

PMID- 20314337
TI  - Journal publication and academic careers.

PMID- 20314338
TI  - Some capital "alternatives and choices".

PMID- 20314339
TI  - Funding of family medicine training program.

PMID- 20314341
TI  - Information wanted about Dr. Edward Archibald (1872-1945).

PMID- 20314340
TI  - Treating alcoholism can Canadian centres cope?

PMID- 20314342
TI  - Convention cities: Rio de Janeiro.

PMID- 20314343
TI  - The hazy future of interferon.

PMID- 20314344
TI  - Family medicine in the future organization of the health care system.

PMID- 20314345
TI  - To write better, write better paragraphs.

PMID- 20314346
TI  - Management of flail chest.

PMID- 20314347
TI  - Prenatal care for women planning home birth.

PMID- 20314348
TI  - Treatment of Jehovah's Witnesses.

PMID- 20314349
TI  - Home care: is it cost-effective?

PMID- 20314350
TI  - Costs and "benefits" of cigarette smoking.

PMID- 20314351
TI  - Homosexuality: an addiction?

PMID- 20314352
TI  - Homosexuality: an addiction?

PMID- 20314353
TI  - Therapeutic window for amitriptyline analgesia.

PMID- 20314354
TI  - Abortion denied-outcome of mothers and babies.

PMID- 20314355
TI  - Resuscitation: the physician-nurse relationship.

PMID- 20314356
TI  - Science with a smile.

PMID- 20314357
TI  - Staff negligence: You're legally responsible.

PMID- 20314358
TI  - Charles w. Fullerton.

PMID- 20314359
TI  - Answers to some common money and practice management questions.

PMID- 20314360
TI  - A national reporting program for faulty medical devices?

PMID- 20314361
TI  - Pap test frequency: still controversial.

PMID- 20314362
TI  - Task force calls for uniform prenatal records.

PMID- 20314363
TI  - How can family practitioners treat patients' emotions?

PMID- 20314364
TI  - Canadian political reporting could use more Will power.

PMID- 20314365
TI  - Pharmaceutical advertising in medical journals.

PMID- 20314366
TI  - Can treatment be compulsory?

PMID- 20314368
TI  - The chimera of preventive medicine.

PMID- 20314367
TI  - Soviet physicians against nuclear war?

PMID- 20314369
TI  - Diagnostic role of ultrasonography and direct cholangiography.

PMID- 20314370
TI  - Measles or rubella, but not rubeola.

PMID- 20314371
TI  - Abortion denied.

PMID- 20314372
TI  - Why rule out unlikely diagnoses?

PMID- 20314373
TI  - Australia averts national physicians' strike.

PMID- 20314374
TI  - Dr. Lucid's word rounds: opening a case of epilepsy.

PMID- 20314375
TI  - Transfer of medical records.

PMID- 20314376
TI  - Transfer of medical records.

PMID- 20314377
TI  - Health care in northern Canada.

PMID- 20314378
TI  - Thomas pashby.

PMID- 20314379
TI  - The Quebec Medical Association calls for regroupement.

PMID- 20314380
TI  - Convention cities: Acapulco.

PMID- 20314381
TI  - Commercial malpractice insurance.

PMID- 20314382
TI  - Teaching medical students about alcoholism.

PMID- 20314383
TI  - Getting down to business basics in Canadian hospitals.

PMID- 20314384
TI  - Jamaica's medical school: high quality on a low budget.

PMID- 20314385
TI  - Fixing car bodies more lucrative than mending human ones.

PMID- 20314386
TI  - How humour can help heal patients.

PMID- 20314387
TI  - What does an author's editor do?

PMID- 20314388
TI  - Thomas a. Watson.

PMID- 20314389
TI  - Manpower problems continue to plague Newfoundland.

PMID- 20314390
TI  - How do you measure empathy?

PMID- 20314391
TI  - What and how should students learn?

PMID- 20314392
TI  - How much does it cost to educate a physician?

PMID- 20314393
TI  - How does a physician choose postgraduate training?

PMID- 20314394
TI  - Medical education: challenges of the future.

PMID- 20314395
TI  - Who's who in medical education.

PMID- 20314396
TI  - Canada's medical schools.

PMID- 20314397
TI  - Reading to keep up to date.

PMID- 20314398
TI  - Why not write the paper on a word processor?

PMID- 20314399
TI  - Alcoholism: education and treatment.

PMID- 20314400
TI  - Air Canada's "honorary flight surgeon".

PMID- 20314401
TI  - Heal thyselves.

PMID- 20314402
TI  - How much editing does a manuscript need?

PMID- 20314403
TI  - Multitransplant centres.

PMID- 20314404
TI  - Liability insurance and locum tenens.

PMID- 20314405
TI  - Doctors as party politicians.

PMID- 20314407
TI  - "House of God" author optimistic about future.

PMID- 20314406
TI  - Incoming CMA president will emphasize quality of professional life.

PMID- 20314408
TI  - Convention cities: Paris.

PMID- 20314409
TI  - Is there life after the Canada Health Act?

PMID- 20314410
TI  - Why it's difficult to decide which new medical books to review.

PMID- 20314411
TI  - Torture and human rights in Chile.

PMID- 20314412
TI  - Torture and human rights in Chile.

PMID- 20314414
TI  - Dr. Joseph moriarty.

PMID- 20314413
TI  - Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals.

PMID- 20314415
TI  - India: host to World Congress of Law and Medicine in 1985.

PMID- 20314417
TI  - Medicine in the 21st century: 4. The hospital.

PMID- 20314416
TI  - Convention cities: Seattle.

PMID- 20314418
TI  - Internship matching.

PMID- 20314420
TI  - Videotapes on AIDS available.

PMID- 20314419
TI  - Should journals decide who gets grants?

PMID- 20314421
TI  - Lease inducements: the perfect deal?

PMID- 20314422
TI  - Compensate department heads and chiefs of staff with hard cash for administrative
      headaches.

PMID- 20314423
TI  - Proscribing habits.

PMID- 20314424
TI  - Dr. Lucid's word rounds: fighting germs with words.

PMID- 20314425
TI  - Bouquets.

PMID- 20314426
TI  - Word rounds: the emergency department.

PMID- 20314427
TI  - Birth control v. abortion.

PMID- 20314428
TI  - It's Greek to me.

PMID- 20314429
TI  - The ageing crisis is now, says CMA's task force.

PMID- 20314430
TI  - Convention cities: Las Vegas.

PMID- 20314431
TI  - UK doctors say Canadian family medicine meetings need more candour and less
      grandeur.

PMID- 20314432
TI  - The OMA and the Canada Health Act.

PMID- 20314434
TI  - Dr. Everett Coffin reflects on his presidency.

PMID- 20314433
TI  - South African doctors protest decision in Steve Biko case.

PMID- 20314435
TI  - Nineteen eighty-four revisited: Whatever happened to Big Brother?

PMID- 20314436
TI  - Scientific editing in a nutshell? At last.

PMID- 20314437
TI  - Closure of chest clinics in Ontario.

PMID- 20314438
TI  - Management of financial incompetence.

PMID- 20314439
TI  - Why rule out unlikely diagnoses?

PMID- 20314440
TI  - Homosexuality: an addiction?

PMID- 20314441
TI  - Air Canada's "honorary flight surgeon".

PMID- 20314443
TI  - Family practice training: the task force report.

PMID- 20314442
TI  - Marital therapy for the elderly.

PMID- 20314444
TI  - The pacemaker story: A cold heart spin-off.

PMID- 20314445
TI  - Donald I. Rice.

PMID- 20314446
TI  - Some thoughts on reader response.

PMID- 20314447
TI  - Special report on medical education.

PMID- 20314448
TI  - Special report on medical education.

PMID- 20314449
TI  - Special report on medical education.

PMID- 20314450
TI  - Dr. T. Alexander McPherson, president of the Canadian Medical Association,
      replies.

PMID- 20314451
TI  - Manitoba Medical Association's stand on binding arbitration.

PMID- 20314452
TI  - Repairing bodies: a total miscalculation.

PMID- 20314453
TI  - Repairing bodies: a total miscalculation.

PMID- 20314454
TI  - Repairing bodies: a total miscalculation.

PMID- 20314455
TI  - Gastric bypass surgery and nutrient deficiency.

PMID- 20314456
TI  - Specialists in short supply: no improvement in sight.

PMID- 20314457
TI  - Specialists in short supply: no improvement in sight.

PMID- 20314458
TI  - Task force report gets good reviews.

PMID- 20314459
TI  - US medical education: it's time for a change.

PMID- 20314460
TI  - Coping with casualties at a Papal mass.

PMID- 20314461
TI  - One journalist's view of Canadian doctors.

PMID- 20314462
TI  - Convention cities: Sydney.

PMID- 20314463
TI  - Oleg Livshitz: profile of an immigrant physician.

PMID- 20314464
TI  - Some blueprints for the Tories.

PMID- 20314465
TI  - Writing the right title.

PMID- 20314466
TI  - Heroin and pain.

PMID- 20314467
TI  - Malpractice suits.

PMID- 20314468
TI  - Medicine: a closed profession?

PMID- 20314469
TI  - The platform of my choice.

PMID- 20314471
TI  - Swimmer's lung.

PMID- 20314470
TI  - Doctors insist: the twain can meet.

PMID- 20314472
TI  - Association for handicapped physicians.

PMID- 20314473
TI  - Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals.

PMID- 20314474
TI  - Maureen roberts.

PMID- 20314475
TI  - Tahiti: land of Gauguin.

PMID- 20314476
TI  - Mr. Reagan and the new geriatric imperative.

PMID- 20314477
TI  - Official Soviet thinking?

PMID- 20314478
TI  - Head injuries and baby walkers.

PMID- 20314479
TI  - Head injuries and baby walkers.

PMID- 20314480
TI  - Unusual use of ultrasound in a paranoid patient.

PMID- 20314481
TI  - Unusual use of ultrasound in a paranoid patient.

PMID- 20314482
TI  - Halifax's Grace Maternity Hospital: a servant of the people.

PMID- 20314483
TI  - Convention cities: Buenos Aires.

PMID- 20314484
TI  - New Year resolutions: 10 words to give up in 1985.

PMID- 20314485
TI  - CMAJ covers tasteless and ugly?

PMID- 20314486
TI  - Air Canada's "honorary flight surgeon".

PMID- 20314487
TI  - Task force on the allocation of health care resources.

PMID- 20314488
TI  - Delfi symposium of psychoanalysts.

PMID- 20314489
TI  - "Epidemiologic report".

PMID- 20314490
TI  - The provinces and the profession: assessing the impact of the Canada Health Act.

PMID- 20314491
TI  - The provinces: fee increases decrease and extra billing is in trouble.

PMID- 20314492
TI  - Ethics: reproductive technology poses perplexing new problems.

PMID- 20314493
TI  - Research: new methods, new hearts and new findings about cholesterol.

PMID- 20314494
TI  - People: newsmakers of the year.

PMID- 20314495
TI  - Is there an ethicist in the house?

PMID- 20314497
TI  - Fractional doses of DPT vaccine.

PMID- 20314498
TI  - Cefuroxime in pediatric practice.

PMID- 20314499
TI  - Failure to thrive in the contented breast-fed baby.

PMID- 20314500
TI  - Graduates of foreign medical schools: false hope.

PMID- 20314502
TI  - Anonymity in medical journals.

PMID- 20314501
TI  - Moderate drinking: alternative treatment goal.

PMID- 20314503
TI  - The balance between research and medical education.

PMID- 20314504
TI  - Impoverished areas seeking surplus medical supplies.

PMID- 20314505
TI  - Marital disharmony and retirement.

PMID- 20314506
TI  - The continuing South African controversy.

PMID- 20314507
TI  - Plight of Soviet refusenik scientists.

PMID- 20314508
TI  - Professional misconduct.

PMID- 20314510
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 20314509
TI  - Alexis carrel.

PMID- 20314511
TI  - Manners and medicine.

PMID- 20314512
TI  - The new Vienna General Hospital.

PMID- 20314513
TI  - Minidiplomas and special clinics.

PMID- 20314514
TI  - The new Vienna General Hospital.

PMID- 20314515
TI  - First-name basis.

PMID- 20314516
TI  - Private medicine in Britain.

PMID- 20314517
TI  - Convention cities: Heidelberg.

PMID- 20314518
TI  - Getting blood out of the stoned.

PMID- 20314519
TI  - Complication of intravenous alimentation.

PMID- 20314520
TI  - Cruise ship doctor Rob Thompson.

PMID- 20314521
TI  - Convention cities in Scotland.

PMID- 20314522
TI  - To cure sometimes, to relieve often, to comfort always.

PMID- 20314523
TI  - Is chronic pain a real condition?

PMID- 20314524
TI  - CMAJ covers.

PMID- 20314526
TI  - Question and answer: genital herpes.

PMID- 20314525
TI  - Question and answer: genital herpes.

PMID- 20314527
TI  - Training specialists in geriatrics.

PMID- 20314529
TI  - Information science and the general professional education of the physician.

PMID- 20314528
TI  - Poor need rights, not righteousness.

PMID- 20314530
TI  - Medicine in the 21st century: 5. Will computers replace physicians?

PMID- 20314531
TI  - Improving the quality of research published in CMAJ.

PMID- 20314532
TI  - Newborn circumcision: an economic perspective.

PMID- 20314533
TI  - Statistically significant or significant?

PMID- 20314534
TI  - Not just another government town!

PMID- 20314535
TI  - Air Canada's "honorary flight surgeon".

PMID- 20314536
TI  - Professional courtesy; first-name basis.

PMID- 20314537
TI  - Alzheimer's conference provokes guarded optimism.

PMID- 20314538
TI  - Is there room for faith in healing?

PMID- 20314539
TI  - Putting the art back in medicine.

PMID- 20314540
TI  - Apartheid: a black-and-white issue.

PMID- 20314541
TI  - Canadian physicians in World War II.

PMID- 20314542
TI  - Professional courtesy.

PMID- 20314543
TI  - Safety of diagnostic ultrasonography.

PMID- 20314544
TI  - Graduates of foreign medical schools: false hope.

PMID- 20314545
TI  - Death of a profession.

PMID- 20314546
TI  - The balance between research and medical education.

PMID- 20314547
TI  - First-name basis.

PMID- 20314548
TI  - First-name basis.

PMID- 20314549
TI  - First-name basis.

PMID- 20314550
TI  - Convention cities: San Juan.

PMID- 20314551
TI  - Weighing risks against benefits.

PMID- 20314552
TI  - Sponsorship by tobacco companies: CMA's stand.

PMID- 20314553
TI  - Approach to management problems.

PMID- 20314554
TI  - Failed midterm report: grading clinical research.

PMID- 20314555
TI  - Multilingual information gathering system.

PMID- 20314556
TI  - Dr. Lucid's word rounds.

PMID- 20314557
TI  - Dr. Lucid's word rounds.

PMID- 20314559
TI  - Legionella pneumophila serogroup 8: first isolate from a human reported in
      Canada.

PMID- 20314558
TI  - Minidiplomas and special clinics.

PMID- 20314560
TI  - Smallpox: posteradication surveillance.

PMID- 20314562
TI  - Evaluation of sponging to reduce body temperature.

PMID- 20314561
TI  - CMA policy positions: a message from the president.

PMID- 20314563
TI  - Evaluation of sponging to reduce body temperature.

PMID- 20314564
TI  - "Guy's Directory (Medical)".

PMID- 20314565
TI  - World congress on law and medicine.

PMID- 20314566
TI  - CAMMD: merging regulatory controls and space-age technology.

PMID- 20314567
TI  - Smoking and health.
AB  - Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in
      Canada, accounting for some 30 000 deaths annually. This enormous health cost to
      Canadians has led the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) to promote initiatives
      regarding smoking prevention programs in schools, legislation to prevent smoking
      in government buildings and controls on smoking in private buildings,
      particularly places of work. The CMA recommends the prohibition of all forms of
      tobacco advertising/promotion in Canada, including advertising in conjunction
      with athletic events. The CMA also supports the taxation of tobacco products at a
      level to discourage their purchase, with revenue earmarked for health budgets,
      and the association is encouraging the federal government to develop alternative
      crop incentives for tobacco farmers. The norm of nonsmoking is a social attitude
      the CMA is working toward developing in all Canadians.

PMID- 20314568
TI  - Poor need rights, not righteousness.

PMID- 20314569
TI  - Family history of allergy and skin test reactivity.

PMID- 20314570
TI  - The Eastman prescription: a dispensable package.

PMID- 20314571
TI  - The Canada Health Act "illegal"?

PMID- 20314572
TI  - The pastures of Health and Welfare.

PMID- 20314573
TI  - Who should promote health and provide preventive care?

PMID- 20314574
TI  - Patient dumping: the ignoble face of American medicine.

PMID- 20314575
TI  - The balance between research and medical education.

PMID- 20314576
TI  - Apartheid: a black-and-white issue.

PMID- 20314577
TI  - Excipients and additives.

PMID- 20314578
TI  - Apartheid: a black-and-white issue.

PMID- 20314579
TI  - Apartheid: a black-and-white issue.

PMID- 20314580
TI  - Strong medicine makes weak literature.

PMID- 20314581
TI  - Who should promote health and provide preventive care?

PMID- 20314582
TI  - Statistically significant or significant?

PMID- 20314583
TI  - Statistically significant or significant?

PMID- 20314584
TI  - Is there a future for homeopathy?

PMID- 20314585
TI  - Is there a future for homeopathy?

PMID- 20314587
TI  - The influence of medical journals.

PMID- 20314586
TI  - Diuretic-induced hypokalemia in hypertension.

PMID- 20314588
TI  - More on the grooves of academe.

PMID- 20314589
TI  - CHA delegates urged to debate fundamental health care issues.

PMID- 20314590
TI  - Abortion.
AB  - The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) recognizes that there is justification for
      abortion on medical and nonmedical socioeconomic grounds and that such an
      elective surgical procedure should be decided upon by the patient and the
      physician(s) concerned. Ideally, the service should be available to all women on
      an equitable basis across Canada. CMA has recommended the removal of all
      references to hospital therapeutic abortion committees as outlined in the
      Criminal Code of Canada. The Criminal Code would then apply only to the
      performance of abortion by persons other than qualified physicians or in
      facilities other than approved or accredited hospitals. The Canadian Medical
      Association is opposed to abortion on demand or its use as a birth control
      method, emphasizing the importance of counselling services, family planning
      facilities and services, and access to contraceptive information.

PMID- 20314591
TI  - Tumours of the Kidney.

PMID- 20314593
TI  - Tuberculosis of the Intestine-The Ulcerative Form, as a Phase of Pulmonary
      Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20314592
TI  - Medical Education and the Ontario Medical Association.

PMID- 20314594
TI  - Cancer of the Stomach.

PMID- 20314595
TI  - Cranial and Intracranial Injuries.

PMID- 20314596
TI  - Pneumonia.

PMID- 20314597
TI  - Hemolytic Streptococcic Infections in Children.

PMID- 20314598
TI  - That Baneful Cathartic after Abdominal Operations.

PMID- 20314599
TI  - Analysis of Sixty Cases of Gastric Anacidity Associated Mainly with Chronic
      Diarrhoea and Pernicious Anaemia.

PMID- 20314600
TI  - Acrodynia (?) A Report of Three Cases in Rural Practice.

PMID- 20314601
TI  - Echinococcus Cysts of the Liver in a Girl ten years old.

PMID- 20314602
TI  - Nitrous Oxide.

PMID- 20314603
TI  - Louis Pasteur.

PMID- 20314604
TI  - A New Factor in Bacteriolysis-The Bacteriophage.

PMID- 20314605
TI  - Dangerous Drugs.

PMID- 20314606
TI  - Goitre.

PMID- 20314607
TI  - On Gas Inflation in X-Ray Diagnosis.

PMID- 20314608
TI  - Laboratories; then and now.

PMID- 20314609
TI  - The Treatment of Nephritis.

PMID- 20314610
TI  - The Late Professor John Joseph MacKenzie, B.A., M.B.

PMID- 20314611
TI  - Acute Leukaemia in a Child.

PMID- 20314612
TI  - Some Points in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Hyperthyroidism.

PMID- 20314613
TI  - A Case of Primary Sarcoma of the Heart.

PMID- 20314614
TI  - A New Cysto-Urethroscope for Examining and Operating on any Part of the Urinary
      Tract by Direct-Telescope or Indirect-Periscope Methods.

PMID- 20314616
TI  - Industrial Medicine.

PMID- 20314615
TI  - Tetanus.

PMID- 20314617
TI  - A Case of Septic Arthritis in an Infant.

PMID- 20314618
TI  - Congenital Haemolytic Jaundice.

PMID- 20314619
TI  - Return Cases of Scarlet Fever.

PMID- 20314621
TI  - Ability in Children.

PMID- 20314620
TI  - Social Insurance.

PMID- 20314622
TI  - Tetany.

PMID- 20314623
TI  - Lead Poisoning.

PMID- 20314624
TI  - Septic Thrombosis; its Diagnosis and Treatment.

PMID- 20314626
TI  - Handbook of Child Welfare in Canada.

PMID- 20314625
TI  - Letchworth Village, a Model Institution for the Care of Defectives.

PMID- 20314627
TI  - Medicine in the Century before Harvey.

PMID- 20314628
TI  - The Treatment of Goitre.

PMID- 20314629
TI  - Cure for Sea-Sickness.

PMID- 20314630
TI  - The importance of the emotional or psychical nature of people in general in the
      practice of medicine in its widest sense.

PMID- 20314631
TI  - Aches and Pains of Renal Origin.

PMID- 20314632
TI  - A Study of One Hundred Cases of Chorea with Particular References to the Cardiac
      Complications.

PMID- 20314633
TI  - Observations on Tetany.

PMID- 20314634
TI  - Recent Cancer Therapy.

PMID- 20314635
TI  - The Control of Cancer.

PMID- 20314636
TI  - The Clinical Diagnosis of Smallpox and Chickenpox.

PMID- 20314637
TI  - Scoliosis or Lateral Curvature of the Spine.

PMID- 20314638
TI  - Congenital Syphilis.

PMID- 20314639
TI  - The Management of Discharging Ears in Children.

PMID- 20314640
TI  - A Note on the Phosphate Content of the Serum of Cases of Bone Tuberculosis
      Treated by Heliotherapy.

PMID- 20314641
TI  - Supplemental Feeding in Gastro-Intestinal Disturbances of the Breast Fed Infant.

PMID- 20314642
TI  - The Testing of Clinical Thermometers.

PMID- 20314643
TI  - The Limp of Childhood.

PMID- 20314644
TI  - Four Cases of Bronchoscopy (including two of lung abscess).

PMID- 20314645
TI  - Bichloride Poisoning.

PMID- 20314646
TI  - A Case of Diabetes Mellitus Complicating Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20314647
TI  - Hypertonic Solutions.

PMID- 20314649
TI  - Industrial Health Work.

PMID- 20314650
TI  - Recent Investigations on the Clinical Use of Arsenic.

PMID- 20314648
TI  - Epilepsy.

PMID- 20314651
TI  - The Diagnosis of Small Indefinite Masses in the Breast.

PMID- 20314652
TI  - On Hiccup.

PMID- 20314653
TI  - Rubbing Alcohol.

PMID- 20314654
TI  - Medical History.

PMID- 20314655
TI  - Mr. E. Z. Massicotte on the Physicians and Surgeons of the XVIIth and XVIIIth
      Centuries in the District of Montreal.

PMID- 20314656
TI  - Dilute Iodine Lotion in Acne.

PMID- 20314657
TI  - Serum Treatment of Glanders.

PMID- 20314658
TI  - Re Duty on Reprints.

PMID- 20314659
TI  - The Aims, Ambitions and Activities of the Ontario Medical Association.

PMID- 20314660
TI  - Problems of country Practice in New Brunswick.

PMID- 20314661
TI  - The Diagnosis and Treatment of Duodenal and Gastric Ulcer.

PMID- 20314662
TI  - The Influence of Chronic Disease of the Gall-Bladder in Producing Stomach
      Symptoms.

PMID- 20314663
TI  - Chronic Appendicits: Its Differential Diagnosis and Treatment.

PMID- 20314664
TI  - Visceroptosis.

PMID- 20314665
TI  - Pregnancy and Heart Disease.

PMID- 20314666
TI  - Unusual Contents of Ovarian Cysts-Report of Two Cases.

PMID- 20314667
TI  - Maternal Mortality.

PMID- 20314668
TI  - Pyelitis.

PMID- 20314669
TI  - The Symptoms of Acute Osteomyelitis.

PMID- 20314670
TI  - The New Bismuth Therapy of Syphilis.

PMID- 20314672
TI  - What the Profession Owes the Rural Practitioner.

PMID- 20314671
TI  - Epilepsy.

PMID- 20314673
TI  - Symptoms and Treatment of Disorders of the Digestive Tract.

PMID- 20314674
TI  - Tobacco Smoke.

PMID- 20314675
TI  - National Hospital Day.

PMID- 20314676
TI  - A Modern Scholar-Physician.

PMID- 20314677
TI  - Rudyard Kipling at the Royal College of Surgeons.

PMID- 20314678
TI  - Butyn.

PMID- 20314679
TI  - Our Immigration Policy-A Visit to Ellis Island.

PMID- 20314680
TI  - Motor Power in Nose and Throat Operations.

PMID- 20314681
TI  - Sir Thomas George Roddick.

PMID- 20314682
TI  - Surgical Possibilities in Traumatic Rupture of the Intestine.

PMID- 20314683
TI  - Rupture of the Bladder.

PMID- 20314684
TI  - Empyema and Abscess of the Lung.

PMID- 20314685
TI  - The Surgical Treatment of Cerebral Conditions Causing Intra-Cranial Pressure.

PMID- 20314686
TI  - Some Cerebral Manifestations of General Infection.

PMID- 20314687
TI  - Anaesthesia and Anaesthetics.

PMID- 20314688
TI  - Post-operative Tetanus.

PMID- 20314689
TI  - Quinidine Sulphate in Auricular Fibrillation.

PMID- 20314690
TI  - The Diagnostic Value of the Age Incidence of Certain Diseases in Children.

PMID- 20314691
TI  - Post-war Health Programme, Halifax, Nova Scotia: International Amity Exemplified.

PMID- 20314692
TI  - Primary Carcinoma of the Prostate, with extensive Glandular Enlargement, and Pain
      along course of Sciatic Nerve.

PMID- 20314693
TI  - The Menace of Typhoid.

PMID- 20314695
TI  - An Empire-wide Medical Society.

PMID- 20314694
TI  - On Rupture of Intestine.

PMID- 20314696
TI  - Industrial Medicine in Relation to Public Health.

PMID- 20314697
TI  - The Improvement of Provincial Relations in the Profession.

PMID- 20314698
TI  - Methanol, the new name for Wood Alcohol.

PMID- 20314699
TI  - St. Michael's Hospital Medical Bulletin.

PMID- 20314700
TI  - A communication from the British Medica Association.

PMID- 20314701
TI  - THE THERAPEUTIC ACTION OF BISMUTH IN SYPHILIS.

PMID- 20314702
TI  - Problems of Obstetrical Practice.

PMID- 20314703
TI  - The Foot-A Clinical Lecture.

PMID- 20314704
TI  - Dermato-Myositis.

PMID- 20314705
TI  - A Series of Cases of Purpura Haemorrhagica and Aplastic Anaemia due to Chronic
      Benzol Poisoning in a Canning Plant.

PMID- 20314706
TI  - Four Cases of Volvulus of the Small Intestine with Observations on the Etiology.

PMID- 20314707
TI  - The Evidence of Organic Heart Disease.

PMID- 20314708
TI  - Immunity in Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20314709
TI  - The Psychology of Neuroses.

PMID- 20314710
TI  - Antipyretic Measures.

PMID- 20314712
TI  - Malnutrition.

PMID- 20314711
TI  - Direct Measurement of Venous Pressure in Man.

PMID- 20314713
TI  - Modern Epidemiology.

PMID- 20314715
TI  - Post Operative Recurrent Appendicitis.

PMID- 20314714
TI  - Methylene Chloride in Anaesthesia.

PMID- 20314716
TI  - Aneurism of the Arch of the Aorta associated with Aneurism of the Common Carotid
      Artery.

PMID- 20314717
TI  - Gonococcal Arthritis in a New born Male Infant.

PMID- 20314718
TI  - Otitis Media simulating Tuberculous Meningitis.

PMID- 20314719
TI  - Ballantyne and the New Midwifery.

PMID- 20314720
TI  - Meningeal Haemorrhage of the Newly Born.

PMID- 20314721
TI  - The Problem of the Feebleminded.

PMID- 20314722
TI  - New Services in Preventive Medicine that may be Rendered by Life Insurance
      Companies.

PMID- 20314723
TI  - Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723).

PMID- 20314724
TI  - The Importance of Posture in the Prevention and Treatment of Constipation.

PMID- 20314725
TI  - Living Sutures in the Treatment of Hernia.

PMID- 20314726
TI  - Insulin; Its action, its therapeutic value in diabetes, and its manufacture.

PMID- 20314727
TI  - Dietetic Treatment in Diabetes Mellitus.

PMID- 20314728
TI  - Diagnostic Notes in Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

PMID- 20314729
TI  - Some Aspects of the Psychoneuroses.

PMID- 20314731
TI  - Pellagra in Ontario with Report of Two Cases.

PMID- 20314730
TI  - The Use of the Wassermann Reaction in the Diagnosis of Syphilis.

PMID- 20314733
TI  - Diverticula of the Alimentary Canal as Demonstrated by X-Ray Examination.

PMID- 20314732
TI  - Some of the Factors upon which the Successful Use of Local Anaesthesia Depends.

PMID- 20314734
TI  - Synchronous Rupture of Bilateral Ectopics.

PMID- 20314736
TI  - Goitre with Hyperthyroidism.

PMID- 20314735
TI  - An Unusual Arrangement of the External Genitalia.

PMID- 20314737
TI  - The Rockefeller Foundation-Its Activities and Achievements.

PMID- 20314738
TI  - Our Inter-Provincial Relations.

PMID- 20314739
TI  - Canadian Society for the Study of the Diseases of Children.

PMID- 20314740
TI  - Industrial Colonies for Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20314741
TI  - The Septic Factor in the Three Great Plagues.

PMID- 20314742
TI  - President's Address.

PMID- 20314743
TI  - Recent Pharmacological Studies in Intestinal Peristalsis.

PMID- 20314744
TI  - Observations with Insulin on Department of Soldiers' Civil Re-Establishment
      Diabetics.

PMID- 20314745
TI  - Recent Advances in the Treatment of Myocarditis and Nephritis.

PMID- 20314746
TI  - Some Eye Symptoms in Encephalitis Lethargica.

PMID- 20314747
TI  - Acute Osteo-Myelitis.

PMID- 20314748
TI  - The Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Neurosyphilis.

PMID- 20314749
TI  - A Citrate Method of Blood Transfusion Devised to Minimize Post-Transfusion
      Reactions.

PMID- 20314750
TI  - Protein Hypersensitiveness and its Relation to Disease.

PMID- 20314751
TI  - Cyanosis.

PMID- 20314752
TI  - The Blood Sedimentation Test; Its History, Technique, Nature and Clinical
      Application.

PMID- 20314754
TI  - New Principles in Bacterila Immunity.

PMID- 20314753
TI  - The Prevention of Heart Disease.

PMID- 20314755
TI  - Fatigue in Industries.

PMID- 20314756
TI  - Animal Pathology at Cambridge.

PMID- 20314757
TI  - Injuries to the Forearm and Hand.

PMID- 20314758
TI  - Severe Industrial Injuries to the Fingers and their Treatment.

PMID- 20314759
TI  - Retro-pharyngeal Abscess; and Erosion of Internal Carotid Artery; with
      Pathological Specimen.

PMID- 20314760
TI  - The Pathology of Endemic Goitre.

PMID- 20314761
TI  - Some Unusual Feeding Cases.

PMID- 20314762
TI  - Address in Surgery.

PMID- 20314763
TI  - Some Results of Radium Treatment in Sarcoma.

PMID- 20314764
TI  - Medical Experiences among the Kwquithlih Indians along Discovery Passage.

PMID- 20314765
TI  - Industrial Medicine; its Motives and Merits.

PMID- 20314766
TI  - The Treatment of Bladder Tumours.

PMID- 20314767
TI  - Report of the Epidemic of Typhoid Fever at Mansonville, Que.

PMID- 20314768
TI  - Case of Streptococcus Viridans Bacteriaemia with Endocarditis and Apparent
      Recovery.

PMID- 20314770
TI  - Recent Research in the Etiology and Prevention of Rickets.

PMID- 20314769
TI  - Some Aspects of Experimental Pneumonia.

PMID- 20314771
TI  - Infantile Mortality and Sterility.

PMID- 20314772
TI  - Pituitrin.

PMID- 20314773
TI  - Venereal Disease.

PMID- 20314774
TI  - Help for Medical Men in Russia.

PMID- 20314775
TI  - Erysipelas vs. Cancer.

PMID- 20314776
TI  - What of the Future of Surgery.

PMID- 20314777
TI  - Vertigo and its Significance in General Medicine.

PMID- 20314778
TI  - The Effects of Ether Anaesthesia on Afferent Paths in Decerebrate Animals.

PMID- 20314779
TI  - Anaesthesia and Analgesia in Labour.

PMID- 20314780
TI  - Diagnosis of Diseases of the Stomach and Duodenum.

PMID- 20314781
TI  - Serous Meningitis of Otitic Origin.

PMID- 20314782
TI  - Some Observations on School Health Supervision in Rural and Urban Centres.

PMID- 20314783
TI  - Chronic Myocardial Disease.

PMID- 20314784
TI  - The Origin of Ammonia in the Urine.

PMID- 20314785
TI  - Idiopathic Menorrhagia and X-Ray Therapy.

PMID- 20314786
TI  - The Diagnosis of Pulmonary Tuberculosis; The Application and Interpretation of
      Different Tests.

PMID- 20314788
TI  - Canadian Physiologists at British Conventions.

PMID- 20314787
TI  - Quartan Malaria.

PMID- 20314789
TI  - The Effects of Light on the Body.

PMID- 20314790
TI  - Lactic Acid producing Organisms.

PMID- 20314791
TI  - Laboratory and Hospital.

PMID- 20314792
TI  - Abraham Gesner.

PMID- 20314793
TI  - Finances of the Association.

PMID- 20314794
TI  - Meeting of Ontario and Quebec Section of American College of Surgeons.

PMID- 20314795
TI  - Uterine Bleeding and Causes of Uterine Haemorrhage.

PMID- 20314796
TI  - Uterine Haemorrhage.

PMID- 20314797
TI  - Uterine Curettage:its Multiple Contraindications and Limited Indications.

PMID- 20314798
TI  - Transperitoneal Cervical Caesarian Section.

PMID- 20314800
TI  - Acute Intestinal Intoxication.

PMID- 20314799
TI  - Acute Intestinal Intoxication in Infants : An Analysis of Seventy-five Cases
      Treated in the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, During the Summer of 1922.

PMID- 20314801
TI  - Chronic Sinusitis in Children.

PMID- 20314802
TI  - Heart Disease in Children.

PMID- 20314803
TI  - Clinical and Bio-Chemical study of a case of muscular Weakness in an Infant.

PMID- 20314804
TI  - Biopsies and the Completion of certain Surgical Procedures.

PMID- 20314805
TI  - The Present State of our Knowledge Regarding Rejuvenation.

PMID- 20314806
TI  - Comparison of Quantitative Tests for Sugar in Urine.

PMID- 20314807
TI  - Reports of Two Unusual Cases in Surgical Practice.

PMID- 20314808
TI  - Proposed Banting Medical Research Foundation.

PMID- 20314809
TI  - The Etiology and Treatment of Shock.

PMID- 20314810
TI  - On Excessive Magnification of Sport in a University.

PMID- 20314812
TI  - The Frequency of Chlorosis.

PMID- 20314811
TI  - Abram's Theory.

PMID- 20314813
TI  - Water Intoxication.

PMID- 20314814
TI  - British Journal of Anaesthesia.

PMID- 20314815
TI  - Charles Gabriel Pravaz.

PMID- 20314816
TI  - Sir Charles Bell.

PMID- 20314817
TI  - Pleural Infections.

PMID- 20314818
TI  - Tuberculous Cervical Adenitis in Children.

PMID- 20314819
TI  - Some Uses of Radium in Diseases of Women.

PMID- 20314820
TI  - The Obstetrical Causes and Prevention of Stillbirth and Early Infant Mortality.

PMID- 20314822
TI  - Treatment and General Management of Eczema in Infants in Private Practice.

PMID- 20314821
TI  - A Case of Severe Delayed Anaphylaxis.

PMID- 20314823
TI  - Hereditary Syphilis.

PMID- 20314824
TI  - The Clinical View of D'Espine's Sign.

PMID- 20314825
TI  - FEEDING PROBLEMS OF OLDER CHILDREN.

PMID- 20314826
TI  - Suggestion, Ancient and Modern.

PMID- 20314827
TI  - Conditions in Canada in the Combat against Tuberculosis: An address delivered
      before the Mississippi Valley League of Anti-Tuberculosis Societies at their
      annual banquet, Evansville, Ind., Oct. 9th, 1923.

PMID- 20314828
TI  - The Ocular Malingerer.

PMID- 20314829
TI  - Injuries to the Eyes from Broken Glasses.

PMID- 20314830
TI  - Multiple Myeloma.

PMID- 20314831
TI  - Hypernephroma of the Kidney, associated with repeated attacks of Haematuria and
      Metastases in the Bones.

PMID- 20314833
TI  - Forecast for the Coming Year.

PMID- 20314832
TI  - Perirenal Insufflation.

PMID- 20314834
TI  - The Tuberculous Man at Home.

PMID- 20314835
TI  - The Influence of the Weather on Influenza.

PMID- 20314836
TI  - On Dreams.

PMID- 20314837
TI  - A Useful Diet Table.

PMID- 20314839
TI  - Magic and medicine.

PMID- 20314838
TI  - Abraham Gesner.

PMID- 20314841
TI  - Civil Service Commission Salaries.

PMID- 20314840
TI  - The International Congress of Surgeons-Discussion on the Surgery of the Endocrine
      Glands.

PMID- 20314842
TI  - The Treatment of Intestinal Obstruction.

PMID- 20314843
TI  - Symposium on Differential Diagnosis of Abdominal Lesions.

PMID- 20314844
TI  - Physiology and Clinical Medicine.

PMID- 20314845
TI  - Renal and splenic Lesions as Factors in Upper Abdominal Disease.

PMID- 20314846
TI  - Discussion on Renal and Splenic Lesions.

PMID- 20314847
TI  - The Acute Abdomen : Symptomatology and Pathology.

PMID- 20314849
TI  - Insulin Treatment in Diabetes in Children.

PMID- 20314848
TI  - A Formula for Expressing Balance in the Diabetic Organism: A Preliminary
      Communication.

PMID- 20314850
TI  - Haematuria-Its Significance.

PMID- 20314851
TI  - Two Cases of Infestation of the Intestine with Larvae of Species of Fannia.

PMID- 20314852
TI  - Report on an Outbreak of Alastrim in Antigua, B.W.I.

PMID- 20314853
TI  - Suction Apparatus for Removing Mucus from the New-Born.

PMID- 20314854
TI  - The Operation of Cartilage-Cranioplasty.

PMID- 20314855
TI  - Tuberculous Ulceration of the Intestines.

PMID- 20314857
TI  - Our Canadian Medical Association and a National Spirit.

PMID- 20314856
TI  - Direct Transfusion for Acute Phthisis Following the Puerperium.

PMID- 20314858
TI  - Tonsillar Innfection and Systemic Disease.

PMID- 20314859
TI  - The X-Ray Treatment of Diseased Tonsils.

PMID- 20314860
TI  - The Social Aspects of Mental Defect.

PMID- 20314862
TI  - The Centenary of the Lancet.

PMID- 20314861
TI  - Report of the Committee on Inter-Provincial Relations for the Year 1922-1923.

PMID- 20314863
TI  - Industrial Intoxication.

PMID- 20314864
TI  - Notes of a Visit to Some of the Anatomical Schools and Surgical Clinics of Europe
      in 1887.

PMID- 20314865
TI  - Retained Placenta; Expectant Treatment Successful.

PMID- 20314866
TI  - Referred Pain in Aneurism.

PMID- 20314867
TI  - The Use and Abuse of Endocrinology.

PMID- 20314868
TI  - Suction Drainage in Acute Empyaema.

PMID- 20314869
TI  - Concerning the Definition and Classification of Anaemias.

PMID- 20314870
TI  - Pyelitis in Children.

PMID- 20314872
TI  - Practical Application of Insulin in Diabetes.

PMID- 20314871
TI  - My Experience with the Caesarian Operation.

PMID- 20314874
TI  - Thrombosis and Embolism.

PMID- 20314873
TI  - The Association of Pulmonary and Bone and Joint Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20314875
TI  - The Treatment of Exophthalmic Goitre with Report on a Series of Cases Treated.

PMID- 20314877
TI  - X-Ray Treatment of Pertussis.

PMID- 20314876
TI  - Sterility in the Male.

PMID- 20314878
TI  - Toxaemia of Pregnancy (Hepatic Type).

PMID- 20314879
TI  - A Case of the Adult Type of Tuberculosis in Childhood, Complicated by Tuberculous
      Bronchopneumonia.

PMID- 20314880
TI  - Cysticercus of Taenia Solium in Human Brain.

PMID- 20314882
TI  - The Society of Friends of Medical Progress.

PMID- 20314881
TI  - A Case of Erythro-Melalgia.

PMID- 20314883
TI  - Recent Researches on Cancer.

PMID- 20314884
TI  - The Problem of Cardiac Disease.

PMID- 20314886
TI  - The Lady Byng of Vimy Fund for Mental Hygiene.

PMID- 20314885
TI  - The Causes of a Declining Tuberculosis Death Rate.

PMID- 20314887
TI  - Physiological Standardization and its Limitations.

PMID- 20314888
TI  - Editorial Comments.

PMID- 20314889
TI  - Notes of a Visit to some of the Anatomical Schools and Surgical Clinics of Europe
      in 1887, (Part II).

PMID- 20314890
TI  - A Clinical Lecture on Chronic Arthritis.

PMID- 20314891
TI  - The Effects of Stagnation in the Ascending Colon.

PMID- 20314892
TI  - An Address at the Opening of the Woman's Clinic, Johns Hopkins Hospital,
      Baltimore.

PMID- 20314893
TI  - An Address, in abstract, on the Psychoneuroses.

PMID- 20314894
TI  - The Surgical Treatment of Bronchiectasis.

PMID- 20314895
TI  - Combined Use of Quinidine and Digitalis in Chronic Auricular Fibrillation and
      Flutter.

PMID- 20314896
TI  - The Portals of Entry of Chronic Metastatic Infections.

PMID- 20314897
TI  - Intestinal Bands and Intestinal Adhesions-Differential Diagnosis and Treatment-A
      Plea for More Accurate Nomenclature.

PMID- 20314898
TI  - A Study of the Bacteriology of the Norma and Inflamed Conjunctiva with Special
      Reference to the Presence of the Streptococcus and Pneumococcus.

PMID- 20314899
TI  - The Use of Lugol's Solution in the Treatment of Exophthalmic Goitre.

PMID- 20314900
TI  - A Comparison of the Kahn Test with the Wassermann Test.

PMID- 20314901
TI  - The Internist's Responsibility: Certain Factors Involved in the Selection and
      Classification of Surgical Risks.

PMID- 20314902
TI  - Accessory Nasal Sinus Infection.

PMID- 20314903
TI  - Uncinate Fits.

PMID- 20314904
TI  - Reduction En Masse of a Strangulated Inguinal Hernia.

PMID- 20314905
TI  - Thoracic Surgery.

PMID- 20314907
TI  - Bronchoscopy.

PMID- 20314906
TI  - Recent Advances in Thoracic Surgery.

PMID- 20314908
TI  - The Mental Hospital and Its Service.

PMID- 20314910
TI  - Prognosis in Angina Pectoris.

PMID- 20314909
TI  - The Value of Psychology.

PMID- 20314911
TI  - The Therapeutic Use of Oxygen.

PMID- 20314912
TI  - Post-Holiday Lassitude.

PMID- 20314913
TI  - The Lay Conference of the Ontario Medical Association.

PMID- 20314914
TI  - A New Remedy, Bayer 205.

PMID- 20314915
TI  - Prevention of Heart Disease.

PMID- 20314916
TI  - Cardiac Pain.

PMID- 20314917
TI  - The Toxaemia of Severe Superficial Burns.

PMID- 20314918
TI  - Carbon Monoxide Asphyxiation from Motor Exhaust.

PMID- 20314920
TI  - Enlarged Tonsils and Adenoids.

PMID- 20314919
TI  - Fixation of Radium Emanations.

PMID- 20314921
TI  - Early Adventures with Chloroform in Nova Scotia.

PMID- 20314923
TI  - The Lay Conference with Representatives of the Ontario Medical Association.

PMID- 20314922
TI  - The Early Story of Vaccination on this Continent.

PMID- 20314924
TI  - An Address on Surgeon and Student.

PMID- 20314925
TI  - Endemic Goitre.

PMID- 20314926
TI  - The Operation of Caeco-Colo-Plico-Pexy.

PMID- 20314927
TI  - A Preliminary Report on the Bacteriology of Ureteral Cultures.

PMID- 20314928
TI  - The Incidence of Diabetes Mellitus in Diseases of the Gall Bladder and its
      Passages (Biometrical Study).

PMID- 20314929
TI  - Pre and Post-Operative Purgation.

PMID- 20314930
TI  - On Hyperthyroidism.

PMID- 20314931
TI  - A Case of Henoch's Purpura.

PMID- 20314932
TI  - Dysmenorrhoea as a Result of Disturbance of Function of the Endocrine Glands.

PMID- 20314933
TI  - Kidney Disease from the View Point of the Biochemist.

PMID- 20314934
TI  - A Case of Persistent Aciduric Intestinal Flora in Man.

PMID- 20314935
TI  - Lessons from the Windsor Outbreak of Smallpox: From the Provincial Board of
      Health, Ontario.

PMID- 20314936
TI  - Two Cases of Arthritis Simulating Acute Rheumatic Fever Complicating Pneumonia.

PMID- 20314937
TI  - Fracture of the Clavicle, Acromion Process and Surgical Neck of the Scapula.

PMID- 20314938
TI  - Notes on the Clinical Signs of Infantile Rickets as Observed in Vienna.

PMID- 20314939
TI  - The Treatment of General Paralysis by Malaria.

PMID- 20314941
TI  - Alcoholic Intoxication in Automobile Drivers.

PMID- 20314940
TI  - The Results Obtained from Testicular Grafts.

PMID- 20314943
TI  - On the Value of Massage and Remedial Gymnastics.

PMID- 20314942
TI  - Bulletin of National Committee for Mental Hygiene.

PMID- 20314945
TI  - The British Empire Cancer Campaign.

PMID- 20314944
TI  - Medical Insurance Examination Fees.

PMID- 20314947
TI  - The Effect of Opium in Cardiac Dyspnoea.

PMID- 20314946
TI  - Dangerous Drugs.

PMID- 20314948
TI  - Treatment of Dysmenorrhoea.

PMID- 20314949
TI  - Dirty Paper Money.

PMID- 20314950
TI  - The Danger of Frozen Toxin-Antitoxin.

PMID- 20314951
TI  - Infection by Public Telephones.

PMID- 20314952
TI  - Cancer Number of the Canadian Practitioner.

PMID- 20314953
TI  - Georges Linossier.

PMID- 20314954
TI  - Charles White (1728-1813).

PMID- 20314955
TI  - The Surgical Treatment of Bronchiectasis.

PMID- 20314956
TI  - Banting Research Foundation.

PMID- 20314957
TI  - Surgery and Surgeons.

PMID- 20314958
TI  - Official Delegates from the British Medical Association.

PMID- 20314959
TI  - The Quebec Section of the American College of Surgeons.

PMID- 20314960
TI  - Problems in the Metabolism of Diabetes.

PMID- 20314962
TI  - Management of Toxaemia in the Later Months of Pregnancy.

PMID- 20314961
TI  - Some Indications for the Radical Mastoid Operation in Otitis Media Purulenta
      Chronica.

PMID- 20314963
TI  - Glycosuria in Pregnancy.

PMID- 20314964
TI  - The Progress in Mental Hygiene in Manitoba.

PMID- 20314965
TI  - Indications for Tonsillectomy with a Criticism of the Operation.

PMID- 20314967
TI  - Blood Transfusion-Factors Frequently Overlooked.

PMID- 20314966
TI  - Remarks on the Treatment of Fractures of the Leg.

PMID- 20314968
TI  - Parotid Calculi.

PMID- 20314969
TI  - Naevi and their Treatment by Radium.

PMID- 20314970
TI  - Recent Advances in the Control of Diphtheria.

PMID- 20314971
TI  - The Standardization and Value of Thyroid Preparations.

PMID- 20314973
TI  - Enuresis.

PMID- 20314972
TI  - The Relation Between the Width of the Pupil and the Carbon Dioxide Content of the
      Blood.

PMID- 20314974
TI  - Dehydration Anaemia.

PMID- 20314975
TI  - Amplified Heart Sounds for Auditorium Demonstration.

PMID- 20314976
TI  - Acute Boracic Acid Poisoning (Fatal).

PMID- 20314978
TI  - Metabolism in Diabetes.

PMID- 20314977
TI  - The Etiology of Scarlet Fever.

PMID- 20314980
TI  - Malignant Disease in Egypt.

PMID- 20314979
TI  - Leukocytic Trephones.

PMID- 20314981
TI  - The Acid Base Balance of the Blood.

PMID- 20314982
TI  - Mental Defect in Early Childhood.

PMID- 20314983
TI  - Chlorine Therapeusis.

PMID- 20314985
TI  - Death Rate from Diabetes.

PMID- 20314984
TI  - The Financial Page.

PMID- 20314986
TI  - Penal Institutions in Nova Scotia.

PMID- 20314987
TI  - Co-operation between Alberta Medical Association and College of Physicians and
      Surgeons.

PMID- 20314988
TI  - The Conquest of Pellagra.

PMID- 20314989
TI  - Diabetes a Century Ago.

PMID- 20314990
TI  - Intra-Bronchial Pressure.

PMID- 20314991
TI  - Prevention of Goitre.

PMID- 20314992
TI  - The Manual Reduction of Strangulated Hernia (Taxis).

PMID- 20314993
TI  - An Address on Some Effects of Temperature on the Blood and Circulation.

PMID- 20314994
TI  - An Address on the Use of Immune Sera.

PMID- 20314995
TI  - Clinical Lecture on Lead Neuropathy.

PMID- 20314996
TI  - The Influence of Infection upon the Reaction of the Diabetic to Insulin
      Treatment.

PMID- 20314997
TI  - The Problem of the Right Iliac Fossa.

PMID- 20314998
TI  - Some Notes on the Operation for Appendicitis.

PMID- 20314999
TI  - The Modern Therapy of Syphilis.

PMID- 20315000
TI  - Prophylaxis in Obstetrics, with Special Reference to the Value and Importance of
      Pre-Natal Care.

PMID- 20315001
TI  - A Case of Galactorrhoea.

PMID- 20315002
TI  - Conservatism in the Treatment of Chronic Accessory Nasal Sinus Disease with a
      Report of an Illustrative Case.

PMID- 20315003
TI  - Fixed Principles in the Feeding of Infants.

PMID- 20315004
TI  - Community Psychosis.

PMID- 20315005
TI  - Child Guidance Clinics.

PMID- 20315006
TI  - The Use of Phenoltetrachlorphthalein as a Test of Liver Function.

PMID- 20315007
TI  - A Case of Thrombo-Angeitis Obliterans.

PMID- 20315008
TI  - A Mixed Cell Sarcoma of the Kidney in a Child Eleven Months Old.

PMID- 20315009
TI  - Hydrocephalus Complicating Intracranial Haemorrhage in a New-Born Infant.

PMID- 20315011
TI  - Capillary Pulsation.

PMID- 20315010
TI  - Vitamins.

PMID- 20315012
TI  - On the Action of Radium and X-Rays.

PMID- 20315013
TI  - The Effect on the Kidney of the Modern Treatment for Syphilis.

PMID- 20315014
TI  - Influence of Alcohol on the Vitality of the Race.

PMID- 20315015
TI  - Rest Pauses in Industry.

PMID- 20315016
TI  - Should We have Faculties of Public Health.

PMID- 20315017
TI  - Standards of Nutrition.

PMID- 20315018
TI  - An International Health Organization and the League of Nations.

PMID- 20315019
TI  - Psychic Flurries.

PMID- 20315020
TI  - A Lister Memorial.

PMID- 20315021
TI  - Discussion on Vertigo.

PMID- 20315022
TI  - Sound Teeth.

PMID- 20315023
TI  - The Venereal Diseases Grant.

PMID- 20315024
TI  - Canadian Medical Association.

PMID- 20315025
TI  - An Address before the Canadian Tuberculosis Association.

PMID- 20315027
TI  - Technique and Results of a Concentration Method of Sputum Examination.

PMID- 20315026
TI  - An Improved Method of Lung Percussion.

PMID- 20315028
TI  - Radiographic Findings Diagnostic of Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20315029
TI  - Conclusions from Repeated Physical and X-Ray Examination of Ex-Service Men.

PMID- 20315030
TI  - Symptoms of Upper Respiratory Tract Disease Simulating Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20315031
TI  - Observations on Some of the Commoner Septic Conditions of the Chest: Their
      Diagnosis and Treatment.

PMID- 20315032
TI  - The Differentiation and Treatment of Lung Abscess by Exploratory Pulmonary
      Puncture and Bismuth Injection.

PMID- 20315033
TI  - Non-Tuberculous Pulmonary Diseases.

PMID- 20315034
TI  - Syphilis of the Lung.

PMID- 20315035
TI  - Over-Diagnosis of Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20315036
TI  - The Relation of Disordered Heart Action to the Development of Tuberculosis-A
      Review of the History of a Series of five hundred Cases.

PMID- 20315037
TI  - A Preliminary Report upon the Clinical and Experimental Use of Dreyer's Tuberculo
      Antigen.

PMID- 20315038
TI  - Complications Met in Sanatorium Practice.

PMID- 20315039
TI  - The Neurasthenic Reaction.

PMID- 20315040
TI  - Report of a Case of Addison's Disease Treated with Benefit by a Suprarenal
      Transplant.

PMID- 20315041
TI  - Bullet Wound of Abdomen, Liver and Lung; Recovery.

PMID- 20315042
TI  - A Smallpox Epidemic.

PMID- 20315043
TI  - A Review of the Recent Literature on Subacute Bacterial Endocarditis.

PMID- 20315045
TI  - The Recent Conference on Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20315044
TI  - The Canadian Tuberculosis Association.

PMID- 20315047
TI  - "What of Rest in Tuberculosis?".

PMID- 20315046
TI  - Results Obtained.

PMID- 20315048
TI  - Efforts to Control the Spread of Tuberculosis in Great Britain.

PMID- 20315049
TI  - Mental Hygiene Research Fund.

PMID- 20315050
TI  - University Clinics and the Rockefeller Gift.

PMID- 20315051
TI  - The Lister Memorial Fund.

PMID- 20315052
TI  - Investments.

PMID- 20315053
TI  - An Address on Clinical and Laboratory Methods of Diagnosis.

PMID- 20315054
TI  - Tuberculosis of the Larynx-Its Diagnosis and Treatment: A Plea for Closer Co
      operation Between the Physician and Laryngologist.

PMID- 20315055
TI  - Roentgen-Ray Sickness and Chloride Retention.

PMID- 20315056
TI  - Some Anatomical Points Relative to Infections of the Hand.

PMID- 20315057
TI  - Conservation in Treatment of Hand Injuries.

PMID- 20315058
TI  - The Epidemic of Virulent Smallpox in Windsor and the Vicinity.

PMID- 20315060
TI  - Treatment of Abortion.

PMID- 20315059
TI  - A Few Remarks on Prophylaxis in Obstetrics.

PMID- 20315061
TI  - Anaesthesia in Obstetrics.

PMID- 20315062
TI  - Some Conclusions after a Symposium in Obstetrics.

PMID- 20315063
TI  - Intracardiac Adrenalin in Asphyxia Neonatorum.

PMID- 20315064
TI  - Modern Tendencies in Infant Feeding.

PMID- 20315065
TI  - The Use of Acid Milk Mixtures in Infant Feeding.

PMID- 20315066
TI  - Certain Factors in the Diagnosis of Syphilis Unrecognized in the Earlier Years of
      the Infection.

PMID- 20315067
TI  - Tryparsamide in General Paresis and Other Forms of Neurosyphilis.

PMID- 20315068
TI  - The Management of the Neurosyphilitic.

PMID- 20315069
TI  - The Silhouette Radiograph as an Aid to Clinical Diagnosis.

PMID- 20315070
TI  - A Fatal Case of Diabetes Mellitus Complicated by Infection.

PMID- 20315071
TI  - A Case of Cerebral Tumour.

PMID- 20315072
TI  - Rupture of the Right Rectus Simulating Appendicitis.

PMID- 20315073
TI  - Rat Bite Fever.

PMID- 20315074
TI  - Rheumatic Fever and Endocarditis.

PMID- 20315076
TI  - The Result of Tonsillectomy on the Health of Children.

PMID- 20315075
TI  - The Causation and Significance of Fever.

PMID- 20315077
TI  - Regeneration of Cells of Pancreas under Use of Insulin.

PMID- 20315078
TI  - The Discovery of the Origin of Foot and Mouth Disease.

PMID- 20315080
TI  - Contagious Diseases of Childhood.

PMID- 20315079
TI  - The Ammonia of the Urine.

PMID- 20315081
TI  - Are Bacteria Animals or Plants?

PMID- 20315082
TI  - The Work of the Rockefeller Foundation for 1923.

PMID- 20315083
TI  - The Use of Sodium Chloride in the Treatment of Intestinal Obstruction.

PMID- 20315084
TI  - The Value of Condensed Cows' Milk in the Tropics.

PMID- 20315085
TI  - Comparative Pathology.

PMID- 20315086
TI  - Method of Transmission of the Plague Bacillus to Man.

PMID- 20315087
TI  - Farewell Letter from English Delegates.

PMID- 20315088
TI  - An Address on the Diagnosis of a Healthy Heart.

PMID- 20315089
TI  - Views on Prostatectomy.

PMID- 20315090
TI  - Effect of Popular Gynaecological Procedures on the Future Child-Bearing of Women.

PMID- 20315091
TI  - Some Aspects of Post-Operative Treatment in Gynaecologic and Abdominal Surgery.

PMID- 20315092
TI  - The Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus.

PMID- 20315093
TI  - Some Recent Advances in Endocrinology.

PMID- 20315094
TI  - The Use and Abuse of Iodine in the Treatment of Goitre.

PMID- 20315095
TI  - Leprosy in Canada.

PMID- 20315096
TI  - The Interpretation of Symptoms in Acute Abdominal Disease.

PMID- 20315097
TI  - Some Clinical Aspects of Unsuspected Hypertoxic Appendicitis.

PMID- 20315098
TI  - Acute Perforation of the Stomach or Duodenum.

PMID- 20315100
TI  - Hypertension and Its Relationship to the Functional Activities of the Vessels.

PMID- 20315099
TI  - Anaesthesia in Acute Abdominal Operations.

PMID- 20315101
TI  - The Role of the Bone Marrow in Primary Blood Diseases.

PMID- 20315102
TI  - Some Types of Non-Tuberculous Pulmonary Infection.

PMID- 20315103
TI  - Bacteriology of Pulmonary Infections.

PMID- 20315104
TI  - Remarks on Dr. Gordon's Paper.

PMID- 20315105
TI  - Aneurism of the Arch of the Aorta.

PMID- 20315106
TI  - Chronic Suppurative Otitis-Media with a Fistula of the External Semi-Circular
      Canal.

PMID- 20315107
TI  - A Horn on the Scalp.

PMID- 20315108
TI  - Intravenous Use of Mercurochrome in an Infant aged Three Weeks.

PMID- 20315109
TI  - Idiopathic Aplastic Anaemia in a Child.

PMID- 20315110
TI  - Tetanus.

PMID- 20315111
TI  - Epidemic Encephalitis (Encephalitis Lethargica).

PMID- 20315113
TI  - Crime and Its Punishment.

PMID- 20315112
TI  - Vitamines, Endocrines and Cancer.

PMID- 20315114
TI  - Voluntary Hospitals.

PMID- 20315115
TI  - Alcohol and the Duration of Life.

PMID- 20315116
TI  - On the Diagnosis of Cancer of the Stomach.

PMID- 20315117
TI  - Tularaemia.

PMID- 20315118
TI  - Commercialism in the Profession.

PMID- 20315119
TI  - An Efficient Vaccine for Rabies.

PMID- 20315120
TI  - The Effects on Public Health of the Pollution of Coast, Lake and River Waters by
      Oil-Burning Steamers.

PMID- 20315121
TI  - On the Intermarriage of Cousins.

PMID- 20315122
TI  - Congress Interferes with Physicians' Prescriptions.

PMID- 20315123
TI  - School of Hygiene in the University of Toronto.

PMID- 20315124
TI  - Motor Emblems.

PMID- 20315125
TI  - Leprosy in Canada.

PMID- 20315126
TI  - A New Departure for the London Lancet.

PMID- 20315127
TI  - The History of Plague.

PMID- 20315129
TI  - A Reserve Fund.

PMID- 20315128
TI  - American Medical Association.

PMID- 20315130
TI  - Investments.

PMID- 20315131
TI  - Investments.

PMID- 20315133
TI  - Haematuria.

PMID- 20315134
TI  - Tuberculosis and Calcification of Prostate: Report of a Case.

PMID- 20315132
TI  - An Address on Obstetrics During the Past Twenty-five Years.

PMID- 20315136
TI  - Some Points in Treatment of Breast Cancer.

PMID- 20315135
TI  - Observations on the Urea Concentration Factor in the Estimation of Renal
      Efficiency.

PMID- 20315137
TI  - Surgical Treatment of Chronic Lesions of the Breast.

PMID- 20315138
TI  - Some Aspects of the Pathology of Chronic Breast Lesions.

PMID- 20315139
TI  - Anaesthesia in Breast Operations.

PMID- 20315140
TI  - Silicosis in Ontario Gold Miners.

PMID- 20315141
TI  - Empyema.

PMID- 20315142
TI  - Empyema-Acute and Chronic.

PMID- 20315143
TI  - Dietetics in the Treatment of the Diabetic Patient.

PMID- 20315144
TI  - Renal Glycosuria in an Infant Twenty Months of Age.

PMID- 20315145
TI  - Some Points in the Value of X-Rays for Prognosis in Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20315146
TI  - Pneumococcal Peritonitis.

PMID- 20315147
TI  - Vitamin A and Its Variations in Cod Liver Oil.

PMID- 20315148
TI  - Medullary Hypernephroma with Cranial Metastases.

PMID- 20315149
TI  - Varicose Aneurysm-Right Axillary Vessels.

PMID- 20315150
TI  - Report of a Case of Cutaneous Myiasis in an Infant. Wohlfahrtia Vigil (Walker)
      Infection.

PMID- 20315151
TI  - Foreign Bodies in the Bronchi: A Report of Two Cases.

PMID- 20315152
TI  - A Case of Early Dementia Praecox.

PMID- 20315153
TI  - Congenital Deficiency of Small Intestine.

PMID- 20315154
TI  - Some Recent Advances in the Diagnosis of Compression of the Cord.

PMID- 20315155
TI  - On Chemotherapy.

PMID- 20315157
TI  - On Crime and Punishment.

PMID- 20315156
TI  - The Parathyroids, Guanidines and Tetany.

PMID- 20315158
TI  - Tryparsamide in Late Neurosyphilis.

PMID- 20315159
TI  - The Influence of Diet on the Development of the Dental Structures.

PMID- 20315160
TI  - Some Dangers of Theory in Medicine.

PMID- 20315162
TI  - The Journal to Canadian Medical Missionaries.

PMID- 20315161
TI  - About Telling the Truth.

PMID- 20315163
TI  - Sir William Osler Memorial Volume.

PMID- 20315164
TI  - Thomas Sydenham (1624-1689).

PMID- 20315165
TI  - SUPPLEMENT.

PMID- 20315167
TI  - An Address on the Prompt Diagnosis of Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20315166
TI  - An Address Some Thoughts-New and Old-on Arteriosclerosis.

PMID- 20315169
TI  - A Statistical Report Concerning the Value of the Study of the Blood Chemistry in
      the Acute Abdomen.

PMID- 20315168
TI  - The Treatment of Obesity.

PMID- 20315170
TI  - The Use of Calcium Chloride in Arterial Hypertension.

PMID- 20315171
TI  - The Clinical Significance of Vertigo.

PMID- 20315172
TI  - Some Aspects of Nasal Accessory Sinus Disease.

PMID- 20315173
TI  - Thyroid Preparations in the Treatment of the Stokes-Adams' Syndrome.

PMID- 20315174
TI  - X-Ray Technique in Examination of the Chest.

PMID- 20315175
TI  - Bacteriology of Scarlet Fever.

PMID- 20315176
TI  - The Clinical Aspect of Scarlet Fever.

PMID- 20315177
TI  - Heart Complications in Scarlet Fever.

PMID- 20315178
TI  - Ear, Nose and Throat Complications of Scarlet Fever.

PMID- 20315179
TI  - Secondary Pneumonia; Some Therapeutic Considerations.

PMID- 20315180
TI  - The Parturient Perineum-Its Management.

PMID- 20315181
TI  - The Study of Fungi in Diseases of the Skin.

PMID- 20315182
TI  - The Treatment of Chronic Ulcers of the Leg.

PMID- 20315183
TI  - Small Ulcers of the Tongue.

PMID- 20315184
TI  - A Case for Diagnosis.

PMID- 20315185
TI  - Foreign Bodies in the Stomach.

PMID- 20315186
TI  - Severe Toxaemia Following Bee Stings.

PMID- 20315187
TI  - Vagitus Uterinus.

PMID- 20315188
TI  - Recent Work on Scarlet Fever.

PMID- 20315189
TI  - The Medical Treatment of Hydrocephalus.

PMID- 20315190
TI  - On Resuscitation after Failure of Respiration.

PMID- 20315191
TI  - The Prone Pressure (Schafer) Method of Resuscitation.

PMID- 20315192
TI  - On the Prevention of Respiratory Failure.

PMID- 20315193
TI  - Epidemic Diaphragmatic Pleurodynia "Devil's Grip".

PMID- 20315194
TI  - The Etiology of Rickets.

PMID- 20315195
TI  - Anhydraemia in Young Infants.

PMID- 20315197
TI  - Studies of Anaemia in Infancy and Childhood.

PMID- 20315196
TI  - A New Revision of the United States Pharmacopoeia.

PMID- 20315198
TI  - Rapid Reproduction of Rats.

PMID- 20315199
TI  - Periodical Medical Examinations.

PMID- 20315200
TI  - On the Origin of Bilirubin.

PMID- 20315201
TI  - Investments.

PMID- 20315202
TI  - Presidential Address on the Neglected Side of Medicine.

PMID- 20315204
TI  - Compound Fractures.

PMID- 20315203
TI  - Anatomical Types and their Relationship to Disease.

PMID- 20315205
TI  - Primary Ulcerative Colitis.

PMID- 20315206
TI  - Cerebral Haemorrhage in the Newborn.

PMID- 20315207
TI  - Erysipelas Successfully cured by Subcutaneous Injection of Cows' Milk.

PMID- 20315208
TI  - Destruction and Removal of Accessible Neoplastic Diseases by Endothermy.

PMID- 20315209
TI  - Remarks on the Treatment of Chronic Peptic Ulcer with a Report of Three
      Illustrative Cases.

PMID- 20315210
TI  - Chronic Myocarditis: A Clinical Review.

PMID- 20315211
TI  - Chronic Infective Arthritis.

PMID- 20315212
TI  - Industrial Ocular Injuries.

PMID- 20315213
TI  - How to Prepare and to Deliver a Paper to a Medical society.

PMID- 20315215
TI  - A Case of Papilloma of the Sigmoid.

PMID- 20315214
TI  - A Case of Tertian Malarial Fever Following an Operation for Appendicitis.

PMID- 20315216
TI  - Picric Acid Poisoning.

PMID- 20315217
TI  - An Unusual Case of Ringworm in an Adult (Due to Trichophyton Gypseum).

PMID- 20315218
TI  - Tuberculosis of the Peritoneal and Pleural Sacs Treated by Alpine Lamp.

PMID- 20315219
TI  - A NEW JOURNAL.

PMID- 20315220
TI  - Recent Work on the Capillaries.

PMID- 20315221
TI  - Success in Medicine.

PMID- 20315222
TI  - Dysmenorrhoea.

PMID- 20315223
TI  - Pneumonic Plague.

PMID- 20315224
TI  - The Importance of the Mineral Elements in the Diet.

PMID- 20315225
TI  - The Physician's Education.

PMID- 20315227
TI  - Myelinogeny as Applied to the Study of Behaviour.

PMID- 20315226
TI  - The Swing of the Pendulum.

PMID- 20315228
TI  - The Doctrine of Malthus.

PMID- 20315229
TI  - Necessity for Education of the Public in the Details of Personal Hygiene.

PMID- 20315230
TI  - The Success of Academic Institutions.

PMID- 20315232
TI  - Professor Pavlov.

PMID- 20315231
TI  - The Etiology of Fatigue.

PMID- 20315233
TI  - The Surgical Treatment of Angina Pectoris.

PMID- 20315234
TI  - The Value of Hexamine as an Antiseptic in Systemic Infections.

PMID- 20315235
TI  - The Treatment of Scurvy.

PMID- 20315236
TI  - OBITURAY.

PMID- 20315237
TI  - Investments.

PMID- 20315238
TI  - Foreword.

PMID- 20315239
TI  - Annual Fee.

PMID- 20315240
TI  - Lupus Erythematosus and Its Treatment by Radium.

PMID- 20315241
TI  - An Address on the Treatment of Chronic Heart Failure.

PMID- 20315242
TI  - An Address on the Cause of Dyspnoea.

PMID- 20315243
TI  - Recent Advances in our Knowledge of Scarlet Fever.

PMID- 20315244
TI  - Pernicious Anaemia: Etiological Considerations, with Report of a Series of
      Experiments.

PMID- 20315245
TI  - The Cause of the Matutinal Alkaline Tide of the Urine.

PMID- 20315246
TI  - Autotransfusion.

PMID- 20315247
TI  - A Case of Hypernephroma Associated with Thyroid Hyperactivity.

PMID- 20315248
TI  - Pyelitis in Infancy and Childhood.

PMID- 20315249
TI  - A Few Comments on Gastro-Intestinal X-ray Reports.

PMID- 20315250
TI  - Tryparsamide Therapy in Neurosyphilis.

PMID- 20315251
TI  - Prevention and After Care of Acquired Heart Disease in Children.

PMID- 20315252
TI  - A Case of Tetany treated with Parathyrin.

PMID- 20315253
TI  - A Case of Diabetes with Tuberculosis x.

PMID- 20315254
TI  - Multiple Fibromata; A Case with one Fibromata Enlarging into the Stomach.

PMID- 20315255
TI  - Gangrene of the Lower Extremities Complicating Scarlet Fever.

PMID- 20315256
TI  - Muscular Dystrophy.

PMID- 20315257
TI  - Unusual Case of Intestinal Obstruction due to Meckel's Diverticulum and
      Accompanied by Diffuse Peritonitis.

PMID- 20315258
TI  - Resume of British Opinion on the Action of Alcohol in Medicine and Its Use as a
      Beverage.

PMID- 20315260
TI  - Researches in Scarlet Fever.

PMID- 20315259
TI  - The Applicability of Urological Methods of Diagnosis to Infants and Children.

PMID- 20315262
TI  - The Value of Industrial Health Service.

PMID- 20315261
TI  - Hypertelorism with Remarks upon Anomalies in General.

PMID- 20315263
TI  - Industrial Medicine.

PMID- 20315264
TI  - On the Disposition of Ether in the Body.

PMID- 20315265
TI  - The Immediate Cause of the Acidosis of Anaesthesia.

PMID- 20315266
TI  - Heart Disease and its Prevention.

PMID- 20315267
TI  - Inter-State Post-Graduate Assembly.

PMID- 20315268
TI  - The Use of Opium in India.

PMID- 20315269
TI  - Relations Between British Medical Association and Canadian Medical Association.

PMID- 20315270
TI  - Free Clinics.

PMID- 20315272
TI  - CORRESPONDENCE.

PMID- 20315271
TI  - Inter-State Post-Graduate Assembly.

PMID- 20315273
TI  - An Address on the Importance of Second Thoughts in the Management of Some Common
      Maladies.

PMID- 20315274
TI  - Mucous Cyst of Caecum (Congenital); Primary Intussusception; General
      Considerations.

PMID- 20315275
TI  - A Case of Pigmented Hairy Naevus of the Nose, with Pigmented Hairy and Warty
      Naevus of the Cheek and Lip; Multiple Autoplasty; Cure.

PMID- 20315277
TI  - The Newer Methods of Treating Skin Diseases.

PMID- 20315276
TI  - Surgical Headache.

PMID- 20315278
TI  - The Nature and Classification of the Leukaemias.

PMID- 20315280
TI  - Bismuth in Syphilis.

PMID- 20315279
TI  - The Management of Visceroptosis.

PMID- 20315281
TI  - The Hormone of Oestrus.

PMID- 20315282
TI  - Low Systolic Blood Pressure.

PMID- 20315283
TI  - Some Recent Researches On Iodide and Bromide Eruptions.

PMID- 20315284
TI  - A Case of Dermatitis Factitia.

PMID- 20315285
TI  - Carcinoma Caecum.

PMID- 20315286
TI  - Carcinoma of the Transverse Colon with Partial Destruction of the Bowel Wall and
      Perforation of a Branch of the Midcolic Artery.

PMID- 20315287
TI  - An Unusual Uterine Polyp.

PMID- 20315288
TI  - A Case of Purpura Haemorrhagica; Death due to Cerebral Haemorrhage.

PMID- 20315289
TI  - Hyperplasia of the Thyroid in an Infant.

PMID- 20315290
TI  - General Oedema of Foetus.

PMID- 20315291
TI  - Recent Thoughts on Epilepsy.

PMID- 20315292
TI  - The Story of Medical Education in London Schools.

PMID- 20315293
TI  - John Irvine Hunter.

PMID- 20315294
TI  - First Conference at Ottawa on the Medical Services in Canada.

PMID- 20315295
TI  - Encephalitis Lethargica.

PMID- 20315296
TI  - Jaundice.

PMID- 20315298
TI  - Colloidal Copper Injections in Malignant Disease.

PMID- 20315297
TI  - On Radium Therapy.

PMID- 20315299
TI  - On the Biochemistry of Honey.

PMID- 20315300
TI  - Results Obtained in Baby Welfare Work Among the Poor.

PMID- 20315301
TI  - Harmonizing Workmen's Compensation Laws.

PMID- 20315302
TI  - The New Canada Lancet and Practitioner.

PMID- 20315303
TI  - The Passing of the Anatomy Act.

PMID- 20315304
TI  - Treatment for Pneumonia.

PMID- 20315305
TI  - Letters from Medical Missionaries.

PMID- 20315307
TI  - Letters from Medical Missionaries.

PMID- 20315306
TI  - Letters from Medical Missionaries.

PMID- 20315308
TI  - The Duty of the Public to the Profession.

PMID- 20315309
TI  - Health Surveys, Health Nurses, and the Relation of the Medical Profession
      Thereto.

PMID- 20315310
TI  - Medical Licensure.

PMID- 20315311
TI  - License Inspectors.

PMID- 20315312
TI  - Public Health Work in Saskatchewan.

PMID- 20315313
TI  - The Notification of Communicable Disease.

PMID- 20315314
TI  - The Greatest Public Health Need of Canada.

PMID- 20315315
TI  - Health Insurance.

PMID- 20315316
TI  - On Maternal Mortality in Canada.

PMID- 20315318
TI  - The Purity and Potency of Drugs.

PMID- 20315317
TI  - Classification of Medical Schools.

PMID- 20315319
TI  - Medical Education.

PMID- 20315320
TI  - Medical Education.

PMID- 20315321
TI  - Post-Graduate Medical Education in Canada.

PMID- 20315322
TI  - A Western Impression of the Conference.

PMID- 20315323
TI  - The First National Conference of the Medical Services in Canada.

PMID- 20315324
TI  - Pioneers of Medicine in Canada.

PMID- 20315325
TI  - An Address on Arterial Disease and Renal Incompetence.

PMID- 20315326
TI  - Anatomical Changes in Relation to the Functional Disturbances in "Chronic
      Nephritis" more Especially in the contracted Kidney Types.

PMID- 20315327
TI  - Congenital Dilatation of the Ureters.

PMID- 20315328
TI  - A Case of Amaurotic Family Idiocy in an Infant of Non-Semitic Parentage.

PMID- 20315329
TI  - A Case of Cirrhosis of the Liver in a Child Fourteen Months of Age.

PMID- 20315331
TI  - Radiation in the Treatment of Benign Diseases of the Female Pelvis.

PMID- 20315330
TI  - Observations on the Use of Dihydroxyacetone in the Treatment of Diabetes
      Mellitus: (Preliminary Report).

PMID- 20315332
TI  - The Treatment of the Pernicious Vomiting of Pregnancy.

PMID- 20315333
TI  - The Physician in His Relationship to Industrial Toxication.

PMID- 20315334
TI  - The Preservation of Blood Samples for Chemical Analysis.

PMID- 20315335
TI  - Diabetes Insipidus.

PMID- 20315336
TI  - Medical Examination of School Children.

PMID- 20315337
TI  - Results of Operations on the Thyroglossal Tract and a Note on Thyroid Secretions.

PMID- 20315338
TI  - A Case Showing Unusual Distribution of Icteroid Pigmentation.

PMID- 20315339
TI  - Three Cases of Creeping Myiasis in Saskatchewan.

PMID- 20315340
TI  - A Case of Epidermolysis Bullosa.

PMID- 20315341
TI  - Case of Streptococcus Septicaemia Cured by Mercurochrome.

PMID- 20315342
TI  - Multiple Ulcers of the Duodenum and Stomach, with Diverticulum of the Duodenum,
      Perforation of the Duodenum and Pulmonary Infarct.

PMID- 20315344
TI  - Studies in Addison's Disease: The Muirhead Treatment.

PMID- 20315343
TI  - A New Treatment for Tuberculosis Under Trial.

PMID- 20315345
TI  - Dioxyacetone.

PMID- 20315347
TI  - A Recent Epidemic of Typhoid Fever and Its Cause.

PMID- 20315346
TI  - Mathematics and the Physician.

PMID- 20315348
TI  - A Memorial to Sir James Mackenzie.

PMID- 20315349
TI  - Guy's Hospital Gazette Bicentenary Number.

PMID- 20315350
TI  - The Trudeau Sanatorium, 1885-1925.

PMID- 20315351
TI  - Importance of Rest and Posture in Fatigue.

PMID- 20315352
TI  - EDITORIAL COMMENT.

PMID- 20315353
TI  - Physiological Abstracts.

PMID- 20315354
TI  - The First Medical School in Canada : Its History and Founders, with Some Personal
      Reminiscences.

PMID- 20315355
TI  - On the Release of Codein and Dionin from the List of Scheduled Narcotics.

PMID- 20315356
TI  - The Medical Witness : Historical Sketch of the Medical Witness.

PMID- 20315357
TI  - An Address on Cancer Prophylaxis.

PMID- 20315358
TI  - Periarteritis Nodosa: A Review of our Knowledge.

PMID- 20315359
TI  - The Problem of the Fundamental Action of Insulin.

PMID- 20315361
TI  - A Brief Review of Forty-five Cases of Anterior Poliomyelitis.

PMID- 20315360
TI  - Colles' Fracture.

PMID- 20315362
TI  - X-ray Findings in Primary Carcinoma of the Lung.

PMID- 20315363
TI  - Newer Methods for the Determination of Pregnancy.

PMID- 20315364
TI  - Pyelitis of Pregnancy.

PMID- 20315365
TI  - Extreme Sensitization in Infants to Cows' Milk Protein : Diagnosis and Treatment.

PMID- 20315366
TI  - Multiple Myelomata with Report of a Case.

PMID- 20315367
TI  - Some Remarks on Industrial Diseases in Ontario.

PMID- 20315368
TI  - Industrial Toxications under the Workmen's Compensation Act.

PMID- 20315369
TI  - Report of the Use of Lipiodol in the Diagnosis of Cord Tumour.

PMID- 20315370
TI  - Fatal Haemorrhage from a Duodenal Ulcer, associated with a Toxic Adenoma of the
      Thyroid Gland.

PMID- 20315371
TI  - A Case of Internal Hernia of Purely Pathological Origin.

PMID- 20315372
TI  - A Case of Diabetic Coma Treated with Dioxyacetone, with Recovery.

PMID- 20315373
TI  - A Case of Sprue.

PMID- 20315374
TI  - Hospital Notes.

PMID- 20315375
TI  - Tuberculosis in Children.

PMID- 20315377
TI  - Infantile Paralysis and Cerebro-spinal Infections.

PMID- 20315376
TI  - The Artificial Feeding of Normal Infants with Sweet Cows' Milk.

PMID- 20315378
TI  - The Function of the Scrotum.

PMID- 20315380
TI  - Ultra Violet Rays.

PMID- 20315379
TI  - Parathyroid Extract in the Treatment of Sprue.

PMID- 20315382
TI  - Nineteen Twenty-four Our Best Health Year.

PMID- 20315381
TI  - Lime Dermatitis.

PMID- 20315383
TI  - On Oxaluria.

PMID- 20315384
TI  - The James Mackenzie Institute for Clinical Research, St. Andrew's.

PMID- 20315385
TI  - The Saskatchewan Epidemic of Poliomyeloencephalitis.

PMID- 20315387
TI  - On the Passing of the Anatomy Act: I.

PMID- 20315386
TI  - Historical Sketch of the Dalhousie Medical School.

PMID- 20315389
TI  - On the Passing of the Anatomy Act: IV.

PMID- 20315388
TI  - On the Passing of the Anatomy Act: II.

PMID- 20315390
TI  - On the Passing of the Anatomy Act: III.

PMID- 20315391
TI  - The Farris Libel Suit.

PMID- 20315392
TI  - CORRESPONDENCE.

PMID- 20315393
TI  - Letter from China.

PMID- 20315394
TI  - Medico-Legal.

PMID- 20315396
TI  - An Address on the Scientific Method in Medicine.

PMID- 20315395
TI  - ASSOCIATION NOTES.

PMID- 20315397
TI  - The Management of Gastric and Duodenal Ulcers.

PMID- 20315398
TI  - The Present Status of Hepatic Efficiency Tests.

PMID- 20315399
TI  - Two Cases of Adolescent Myxoedema Accompanied by Nephrosis, and in one Case,
      Tetany.

PMID- 20315400
TI  - The Diabetic as a Surgical Risk.

PMID- 20315401
TI  - Goitre from the Medical Standpoint.

PMID- 20315402
TI  - The Surgical Management of Goitre.

PMID- 20315403
TI  - A Consideration of the Aetiology of Rheumatic Endocarditis.

PMID- 20315404
TI  - The Physician and the Benefit Association in Industry.

PMID- 20315405
TI  - A Health Week in Lambton County by the Department of Public Health, Ontario.

PMID- 20315406
TI  - A Plea for the use of the "Combined Treatment" in Affections Other than those of
      the Eye.

PMID- 20315407
TI  - The X-ray Treatment of Tonsils and Adenoids.

PMID- 20315408
TI  - Primary Sarcoma of Bladder.

PMID- 20315409
TI  - Intractable Sciatica. The Sacral Epidural Injection; An Effective Method of
      Giving Relief.

PMID- 20315410
TI  - An Unusual Case of Anthrax in Man.

PMID- 20315411
TI  - Case of Recent and Old Haemorrhages of the Brain.

PMID- 20315412
TI  - Twilight Sleep in Obstetrical Practice with Reports of Cases.

PMID- 20315413
TI  - An Unusual Case of Acute Lead Pcisoning.

PMID- 20315414
TI  - A Case of Duodenal Ulcer.

PMID- 20315415
TI  - ASSOCIATION NOTES.

PMID- 20315416
TI  - The Life Cycle of Peptic Ulcers.

PMID- 20315417
TI  - On the industrial Worker.

PMID- 20315418
TI  - The Psychology of the Miner.

PMID- 20315419
TI  - The Influence of Cereal Foods as a Factor in Rickets.

PMID- 20315420
TI  - Influences Affecting Lactation.

PMID- 20315421
TI  - Increase of the Anti-Rachitic Power by Irradiation of Milk and Other Foods.

PMID- 20315422
TI  - Locke on the Upbringing of Children.

PMID- 20315423
TI  - Iconography of Andreas Vesalius.

PMID- 20315424
TI  - Smallpox and Vaccination.

PMID- 20315425
TI  - Cocaine Addiction.

PMID- 20315426
TI  - Jewish University on Mount Scopus.

PMID- 20315427
TI  - On Drug Addiction in the States.

PMID- 20315428
TI  - Contributions to the Lister Memorial Club of the Canadian Medical Association to
      May 1st, 1925.

PMID- 20315429
TI  - The Prevention and Treatment of Post-operative Pulmonary Affections.

PMID- 20315430
TI  - HOW TO DRY AND CLEAN HYPODERMIC NEEDLES.

PMID- 20315431
TI  - An Address on the Trend of Medical Education and Medical Service.

PMID- 20315432
TI  - An Address on the Present Standing of Therapeutics.

PMID- 20315433
TI  - An Address on the Successive Stages in the Control of Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20315434
TI  - Extractives of Liver Possessing Blood Pressure Reducing Properties.

PMID- 20315435
TI  - The Control of Blood Pressure with Liver Extracts.

PMID- 20315436
TI  - Bacterial Phagocytosis by the Epitherial Cells of the Conjunctiva.

PMID- 20315437
TI  - The Morbid Anatomy of Rheumatic Fever.

PMID- 20315438
TI  - Acute Septic Tracheitis.

PMID- 20315439
TI  - Rheumatic Fever in Childhood.

PMID- 20315440
TI  - Failing Vision after Middle Life Without Associated Pain.

PMID- 20315441
TI  - Infections of the Hand.

PMID- 20315442
TI  - The Influence of Natural Chemical Stimuli on the Movements of the Alimentary
      Canal.

PMID- 20315443
TI  - Observations on the Value of the Diazo-Colour-Reaction in the Differential
      Diagnosis of Uraemia.

PMID- 20315444
TI  - Some Disadvantages of the Workmen's Compensation Act which Lead the Employer to
      be less interested in the Health of the Employee.

PMID- 20315445
TI  - The Post-Operative Treatment of Flexion at the Hip.

PMID- 20315446
TI  - Lobar Pneumonia Complicated by Diphtheria and Parotitis in a Child of Four Years.

PMID- 20315448
TI  - On the Influence of the Liver on Arterial Hypertension.

PMID- 20315447
TI  - Retro-Pharyngeal Abscess.

PMID- 20315450
TI  - Ansaethesia and the Newer Anaesthetics.

PMID- 20315449
TI  - Theories and Hypotheses in Immunology.

PMID- 20315451
TI  - Industrial Fatigue.

PMID- 20315452
TI  - Thermogenesis as the Fundamental Function of the Adrenal Medulla and Cortex.

PMID- 20315453
TI  - The Gold Treatment of Tuberculosis Again.

PMID- 20315454
TI  - Strychnine Poisoning Met with in Children.

PMID- 20315455
TI  - On the Value of Holidays.

PMID- 20315456
TI  - Generous donation by The Sun Life Assurance Company for Post-Graduate work in
      Canada.

PMID- 20315457
TI  - Huxley's Centenary.

PMID- 20315459
TI  - Gordon Bell Memorial Lecture.

PMID- 20315458
TI  - Race Control.

PMID- 20315461
TI  - Industrial Hygiene in Moscow.

PMID- 20315460
TI  - World Prevalence of Human Plague during 1923.

PMID- 20315462
TI  - Malaria Control in Palestine.

PMID- 20315463
TI  - An Aspirator.

PMID- 20315464
TI  - Infraction of the Liquor Law in Alberta.

PMID- 20315465
TI  - Fourth International Medical Congress of Industrial Accidents and Diseases,
      Amsterdam, September, 1925.

PMID- 20315466
TI  - An Address on Uraemia and Nephritis.

PMID- 20315467
TI  - The Determination of Kidney Function in Private Practice.

PMID- 20315468
TI  - Quinidine Sulphate in Cardiac Irregularities.

PMID- 20315469
TI  - Erythema Nodosum.

PMID- 20315470
TI  - A Sensitive Test for Hexyl-resorcinol in Body Fluids and Notes on Its
      Application.

PMID- 20315471
TI  - Abortions and Their Treatment.

PMID- 20315472
TI  - Mordern Advances in Diagnosis (of Tuberculosis).

PMID- 20315473
TI  - Tuberculosis in the Child; Preventive Role of the Open Air School; The Summer
      Camp; The Preventorium.

PMID- 20315474
TI  - The Most Important Agencies in a Provincial Campaign Against Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20315475
TI  - A Case of Adolescent Myxoedema, accompanied by Nephrosis and by Tetany of
      Parathyroid Origin, treated with Thyroid and Collip's Parathyroid Extract.

PMID- 20315476
TI  - Atelectasis of the Lung.

PMID- 20315477
TI  - The Tuberculosis Survey of School Children in Alberta, 1924.

PMID- 20315478
TI  - The Travelling Diagnostic Clinic for Diseases of the Lungs.

PMID- 20315479
TI  - Treating Tuberculosis in the Dry Climate Belt.

PMID- 20315480
TI  - The Evaluation of Tuberculosis Losses.

PMID- 20315481
TI  - The Role of the Ultra-violet Ray in the Treatment of Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20315482
TI  - Results of Artificial Pneumothorax Treatment of the Muskoka Institutions of the
      National Sanitarium Association.

PMID- 20315483
TI  - Standards in Chest Radiography.

PMID- 20315484
TI  - A Case of Silicosis with Autopsy.

PMID- 20315485
TI  - Thymic Death in Child with Glandular Family History.

PMID- 20315486
TI  - Tuberculosis of Inguinal Glands.

PMID- 20315487
TI  - Anti-Tuberculosis Work in Canada.

PMID- 20315488
TI  - Sleep and Sleeplessness.

PMID- 20315489
TI  - Hypodermic Vaccination.

PMID- 20315490
TI  - The Use of Physostigmin in Abdominal Distension.

PMID- 20315491
TI  - Nephrosis.

PMID- 20315492
TI  - Dangers from Undue Exposure to Ultra-violet Rays.

PMID- 20315494
TI  - Blood Volume and Composition in Oedema.

PMID- 20315493
TI  - "Itis".

PMID- 20315495
TI  - Other Things-and Pomander Sticks.

PMID- 20315496
TI  - The Life of Sir William Osler.

PMID- 20315497
TI  - Ontario Medical Association Meeting.

PMID- 20315499
TI  - A Medical Report.

PMID- 20315498
TI  - A New Blood Transfusion Apparatus.

PMID- 20315500
TI  - An Address on Surgical Treatment of Gastric and Duodenal Ulcer.

PMID- 20315501
TI  - Rheumatoid Arthritis; Its Causation and Treatment.

PMID- 20315502
TI  - Tumours of the Large Bowel.

PMID- 20315503
TI  - Primary Papillary Epithelioma of the Ureter : Report of a Case.

PMID- 20315504
TI  - Deficiency Diseases of Children.

PMID- 20315505
TI  - A New Technique in the Application of Thiersch Skin Grafts.

PMID- 20315506
TI  - The Arrest of Leutic Optic Atrophy by Cisternal Injection of Mercury.

PMID- 20315507
TI  - Calcium and Potassium Chlorides in the Treatment of Arterial Hypertension.

PMID- 20315508
TI  - Peripheral Nerve Injuries.

PMID- 20315510
TI  - The Infectious Arthritides.

PMID- 20315509
TI  - Bladder Neoplasms with a Brief Series.

PMID- 20315511
TI  - Rectal Anaesthesia in Obstetrics.

PMID- 20315512
TI  - Cancer of the Larynx.

PMID- 20315513
TI  - Maternal Mortality.

PMID- 20315514
TI  - Intracranial Dermoid Cyst.

PMID- 20315515
TI  - Spontaneous Pneumoperitoneum.

PMID- 20315516
TI  - Case of Infected Thrombus.

PMID- 20315517
TI  - A Canadian's Impression of the Recent Meeting of the British Medical Association
      in the City of Bath.

PMID- 20315518
TI  - Puerperal Sepsis.

PMID- 20315519
TI  - Some Problems of Thyroid Disease.

PMID- 20315520
TI  - Viability of the Bacillus Typhus in Oysters.

PMID- 20315521
TI  - On Glacier Lassitude.

PMID- 20315522
TI  - The "Cause" of Cancer.

PMID- 20315523
TI  - Cancer in Canada.

PMID- 20315525
TI  - Notes on Organization of Banting Research Foundation.

PMID- 20315524
TI  - The Last Hundred Days of the Great War.

PMID- 20315527
TI  - Inter-State Post-Graduate Assembly of America.

PMID- 20315526
TI  - Analysis of a Patent Medicine.

PMID- 20315528
TI  - X-ray Demonstration of Pulmonary Changes in Tuberculosis by Lipiodol Injection.

PMID- 20315530
TI  - Familial Icterus Gravis of the New-Born and its Treatment.

PMID- 20315529
TI  - On Some Aspects of the Cultural Study of the Ringworm Fungi.

PMID- 20315531
TI  - Amoebic Dysentery in Canada.

PMID- 20315533
TI  - Basal Metabolic Determinations in 250 Winnipeg School Children.

PMID- 20315532
TI  - Some Studies on the Incidence of Goitre Among School Children in Manitoba.

PMID- 20315534
TI  - The Goitre Problem.

PMID- 20315535
TI  - The Use and Abuse of the Obstetrical Forceps.

PMID- 20315536
TI  - Urinary Retention.

PMID- 20315537
TI  - Bladder Neck Obstructions. How Can the Operative Mortality be Lowered and the End
      Results Improved.

PMID- 20315538
TI  - Gastric and Duodenal Ulcer; Diagnosis, Treatment, and Indications for Surgery.

PMID- 20315539
TI  - Cancer of the Lower Lip.

PMID- 20315540
TI  - Necessity of Effective Organization in Public Health Departments.

PMID- 20315541
TI  - Familial Tendency in Angina Pectoris.

PMID- 20315542
TI  - Case of Larvae of Fly in Tympanum.

PMID- 20315544
TI  - Health Units in Outlying Districts.

PMID- 20315543
TI  - Backache and Sciatica of Bone and Joint Origin.

PMID- 20315545
TI  - The Writing of Medical Histories.

PMID- 20315546
TI  - The Progress of Radiology.

PMID- 20315547
TI  - Alcohol in Therapeutics.

PMID- 20315548
TI  - On Birth Control.

PMID- 20315549
TI  - The Influence of Prolonged Swimming in Favouring Infections of The Upper
      Respiratory Passages.

PMID- 20315550
TI  - Canadian Medical Protective Association.

PMID- 20315551
TI  - The Post-Graduate Courses of the Fellowship of Medicine.

PMID- 20315553
TI  - Criticism on Gye and Barnard's Cancer Findings.

PMID- 20315552
TI  - A "Canadian Number" from Australia.

PMID- 20315555
TI  - Cancer of the Colon : Its Diagnosis and Treatment.

PMID- 20315554
TI  - Presidential Address in Section of Medicine.

PMID- 20315556
TI  - The Injection of Lipiodol as an Aid in the X-ray Diagnosis of Broncho-pulmonary
      Lesions including Tuberculosis: Preliminary Report.

PMID- 20315557
TI  - High Blood Pressure.

PMID- 20315558
TI  - The Relation Between Gastric Acidity and the Hydrogen Concentration of the Urine
      with a Study of the Effect of Histamine.

PMID- 20315559
TI  - Simplicity in the Management of the Diabetic.

PMID- 20315560
TI  - Basal Blood Pressure.

PMID- 20315561
TI  - Pyelitis Manifesting Acute Abdominal Symptoms.

PMID- 20315562
TI  - The Surgical Treatment of Trigeminal Neuralgia.

PMID- 20315564
TI  - Backache.

PMID- 20315563
TI  - Ulcerative Colitis: Report of a Case Requiring a Permanent Colostomy.

PMID- 20315565
TI  - The Relief of Chronic Pain in the Lower Segments of the Body by the Sacral
      Epidural Injection.

PMID- 20315567
TI  - Epiphora and Catarrhal Affections of the Nose, with Their Treatment.

PMID- 20315566
TI  - The Colloidal Gold Reaction of the Cerebrospinal Fluid.

PMID- 20315568
TI  - Etiology of Cough.

PMID- 20315569
TI  - Foreign Object in Bronchus Simulating Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20315570
TI  - Multiple Laryngeal Papillomata (Sub-Glottic) in a Child.

PMID- 20315571
TI  - Rupture of the Bladder.

PMID- 20315572
TI  - Foreign Body in Bronchus.

PMID- 20315573
TI  - Prostatic Hypertrophy.

PMID- 20315574
TI  - The Work of the Health Organization of the League of Nations.

PMID- 20315575
TI  - The Problem of the Possible Induction of Immunity in Cancer.

PMID- 20315576
TI  - The Value of Iron in Anaemia.

PMID- 20315577
TI  - The Necessity of Standardization in Commercial Thyroid Preparations.

PMID- 20315578
TI  - Desirability of an Early Diagnosis in the Treatment of Cretinism.

PMID- 20315579
TI  - Ephedrine-A New (?) Sympathomimetic Drug.

PMID- 20315580
TI  - Clinical Use of the Parathyroid Hormone.

PMID- 20315581
TI  - The Control of Rickets.

PMID- 20315582
TI  - Dihydroxyacetone.

PMID- 20315583
TI  - On Cascara.

PMID- 20315584
TI  - ERRATA.

PMID- 20315585
TI  - Resignation of Sir Henry Gray.

PMID- 20315587
TI  - "Fashions and Fads in Medicine".

PMID- 20315586
TI  - CORRESPONDENCE.

PMID- 20315588
TI  - Military Hospitals, D.S.C.R.

PMID- 20315589
TI  - Contacts with Nature in Medical Practice.

PMID- 20315590
TI  - On the Appreciation of Anatomical Relationships.

PMID- 20315591
TI  - The Value of X-rays in Obstetrics.

PMID- 20315592
TI  - The Classification of Post-Operative Pulmonary Lesions.

PMID- 20315593
TI  - The Evaluation of Surgical Risks from the Standpoint of the General Practitioner.

PMID- 20315594
TI  - Physiotherapy.

PMID- 20315595
TI  - Osteomyelitis: Its Treatment with Special Reference to the Use of Bipp.

PMID- 20315596
TI  - Fractures.

PMID- 20315597
TI  - Acute Suppurative Appendicitis.

PMID- 20315598
TI  - Recent Advances in Surgery.

PMID- 20315599
TI  - An Obstetrical Retrospect.

PMID- 20315600
TI  - Bronchial Asthma: An Investigation of Twenty-Eight Cases.

PMID- 20315601
TI  - Mal de Siam.

PMID- 20315602
TI  - The Importance of the Dental Surgeon in Medicine and the Value of Radiography in
      Dental Practice.

PMID- 20315603
TI  - Fracture of the Skull in a Child, Treated by Repeated Puncture of the Cisterna
      Magna.

PMID- 20315604
TI  - Case of Larva Migrans.

PMID- 20315605
TI  - Carcinoma of the Thyroid with Metastases.

PMID- 20315606
TI  - Experiments with a New Vaccine Against Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20315607
TI  - The New United States Pharmacopoeia.

PMID- 20315608
TI  - Local Anaesthetics-A Step Forward.

PMID- 20315609
TI  - The Importance of Ventilation in Factories.

PMID- 20315610
TI  - Importance of Sufficient Relative Humidity in Air of Dwellings.

PMID- 20315611
TI  - The Unexpected in Disease.

PMID- 20315612
TI  - Smallpox.

PMID- 20315613
TI  - On the Prevalence of Typhoid Carriers.

PMID- 20315614
TI  - Value of the Digestive Enzymes in Therapeutics.

PMID- 20315615
TI  - Visual Disturbances Induced by Digitalis.

PMID- 20315616
TI  - When the Reed Breaks.

PMID- 20315617
TI  - Recreation for the Physician-Professor R. Tait Mackenzie.

PMID- 20315618
TI  - Small Perforations of the Nasal Septum and My Method of Treatment.

PMID- 20315619
TI  - To the Members of the British Medical Association in Canada.

PMID- 20315620
TI  - The Human Touch in Professional Life.

PMID- 20315621
TI  - Lister Memorial Fund. Supplementary List of Contributions from May 1 to October
      1, 1925.

PMID- 20315622
TI  - FOREWORD 1926.

PMID- 20315623
TI  - An Address on Arteriosclerosis.

PMID- 20315624
TI  - An Address on Man's Structural Imperfections: Abstract of the Lloyd Roberts
      Lecture to the Royal Society of Medicine.

PMID- 20315625
TI  - An Address on Preventive Medicine.

PMID- 20315626
TI  - Osteopathy and Chiropractic.

PMID- 20315627
TI  - Some Effects of Anoxaemia on the Circulation.

PMID- 20315628
TI  - Cancer and Race.

PMID- 20315629
TI  - On the Use of the Low Cervical Operations for Caesarean Section.

PMID- 20315630
TI  - Acute Rheumatic Fever and Chorea in Children: An Analysis of 100 Cases Treated in
      the Wards of the Children's Memorial Hospital, Montreal.

PMID- 20315631
TI  - Caecal Stasis.

PMID- 20315632
TI  - Anatomical Note on a Possible Source of Error in X-ray findings of the Normal
      Vertebral Column.

PMID- 20315633
TI  - Spinal Metastasis from Breast Carcinoma.

PMID- 20315635
TI  - Trench Mouth.

PMID- 20315634
TI  - Photography as applied to Dermatology.

PMID- 20315636
TI  - A Resume of the Therapeutic Value of X-rays.

PMID- 20315637
TI  - Case of Pseudo-Bulbar Paralysis.

PMID- 20315638
TI  - Lung Abscess following the Removal of Teeth under General Anaesthetic.

PMID- 20315639
TI  - Food Anaphylaxis.

PMID- 20315640
TI  - Centenary of First Canadian Medical Journal.

PMID- 20315642
TI  - Colloidal Lead and the Control of Cancer.

PMID- 20315641
TI  - Weighing Versus Counting.

PMID- 20315643
TI  - The Functions of the Liver and the Tests for Their Activity.

PMID- 20315644
TI  - On the Importance of Body Weight.

PMID- 20315645
TI  - Defective Vision in School Children.

PMID- 20315646
TI  - On Physical Education.

PMID- 20315647
TI  - The Preliminary Education of the Medical Student.

PMID- 20315648
TI  - An Address on the Treatment of Pneumonia.

PMID- 20315650
TI  - Direct Smear in the Diagnosis of Acute Throat Infections.

PMID- 20315649
TI  - Treatment of Pertussis.

PMID- 20315651
TI  - On the Prevention of Carious Teeth in Children.

PMID- 20315652
TI  - Serum in the Treatment of Acute Poliomyelitis.

PMID- 20315653
TI  - Mortality Records for 1925.

PMID- 20315654
TI  - An Osler Memorial Volume.

PMID- 20315655
TI  - Annual Report of the Canadian Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20315656
TI  - Seven Years Afterwards.

PMID- 20315657
TI  - Obscure Pyrexia in Childhood.

PMID- 20315658
TI  - Judgment rendered in the Case of Dr. C. W. Hunt: Appealing Against the Judgment
      of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the Province of Saskatchewan by His
      Honour Judge Mackenzie in the King's Bench Court.

PMID- 20315659
TI  - An Address on Epigastric Distress: Functional Causes and Treatment.

PMID- 20315660
TI  - An Address on Carcinoma of the Large Bowel.

PMID- 20315661
TI  - An Address on Some Cases of Pyrexia without Physical Signs.

PMID- 20315662
TI  - The Atomic Processes of Disease.

PMID- 20315663
TI  - Scleroderma and Its Treatment by Radium: A Preliminary Report.

PMID- 20315664
TI  - Primary Repair of Injuries to the Parotid Duct.

PMID- 20315665
TI  - The Significance of Haematuria.

PMID- 20315666
TI  - Gassy Indigestion: Its Significance as a Symptom of Gall Bladder Disease, With a
      Review of Sixty Cases of Cholecystectomy.

PMID- 20315667
TI  - Essential Thrombocytopenic Purpura Haemorrhagica.

PMID- 20315668
TI  - Pyaemia After Scarlet Fever.

PMID- 20315669
TI  - A Comparative Study of the Effect of Two Different Preparations of Iodine upon
      the Preoperative Basal Metabolic Rate in Exophthalmic Goitre.

PMID- 20315670
TI  - A Clinical Study of the Colloidal Benzoin Reaction.

PMID- 20315671
TI  - Profuse Haemoptysis Arising from A Small Area of Bronchiectasis Followed by Brain
      Abscess.

PMID- 20315672
TI  - Case of Acute Lymphatic Leukaemia: Death in Five Weeks.

PMID- 20315673
TI  - Abscess of the Lung: Report of a Case in an Infant Twenty-four Days of Age.

PMID- 20315674
TI  - Fracture of Semilunar Bone Due to Indirect Violence.

PMID- 20315675
TI  - Abortion of One Twin: Delivery of Second at Term.

PMID- 20315676
TI  - The Mechanism of Pigment Formation in the Skin : A Review.

PMID- 20315678
TI  - A Discussion on Hyperpiesis.

PMID- 20315677
TI  - Recent Advances in Haematology: 1. The Origin of the Red Blood Cell in Adult
      Marrow.

PMID- 20315679
TI  - Intracardiac Surgery.

PMID- 20315681
TI  - Novasurol.

PMID- 20315680
TI  - On Right and Left Handedness in Modern and in Primitive Man.

PMID- 20315683
TI  - Haemorrhage in Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20315682
TI  - Rehabilitation of the Tuberculous.

PMID- 20315684
TI  - Comparison of the Two Hyoscines.

PMID- 20315685
TI  - Evil of Smoke Pollution in Large Cities.

PMID- 20315686
TI  - Hospital Dietaries.

PMID- 20315687
TI  - The William Gibson Research Scholarship for Medical Women.

PMID- 20315688
TI  - ASSOCIATION NOTES.

PMID- 20315689
TI  - Jacques Bourgeois. Chirurgien 1621-1701.

PMID- 20315690
TI  - The Centenary of Charcot.

PMID- 20315692
TI  - Vienna as a Post-Graduate Centre.

PMID- 20315691
TI  - Puerperal Sepsis.

PMID- 20315693
TI  - Medicine as a Career for Women.

PMID- 20315695
TI  - An Address on Diabetes and Insulin: Being The Nobel Lecture Delivered at
      Stockholm on September 15th, 1925.

PMID- 20315694
TI  - A Survey of Post-Graduate Teaching in Oto-Laryngology in Certain European
      Centres.

PMID- 20315696
TI  - An Address on the Hospital: Its Long Crusade.

PMID- 20315697
TI  - An Address on Involutionary Changes in Prostate and Female Breast in Relation to
      Cancer Development.

PMID- 20315698
TI  - Hypertonic Saline in Adynamic Ileus.

PMID- 20315699
TI  - Studies in Pernicious Anaemia. I. The Outstanding Clinical Problem and the
      Geographical Distribution in Western Canada.

PMID- 20315701
TI  - The Diagnosis and Treatment of Obstruction of the Small Intestine in Adults.

PMID- 20315700
TI  - Studies in Pernicious Anaemia. II. Chloride Metabolism in the Anaemias,
      Especially Pernicious Anaemia.

PMID- 20315702
TI  - Arteriotomy for Embolus Obstructing the Circulation in an Extremity, Illustrated
      by Successful Case.

PMID- 20315703
TI  - The Industrial Physician.

PMID- 20315704
TI  - The Physician in Industry: Report of a Sub-Committee of the Committee on
      industrial Medicine, Ontario Medical Association.

PMID- 20315705
TI  - Briefly Drawn Diagnostic Pictures of Industrial Intoxication by Lead, Benzol and
      Nickel.

PMID- 20315706
TI  - Notification of Occupational Diseases.

PMID- 20315707
TI  - The Handicapped Surgical Patient. I. The Diabetic Patient.

PMID- 20315708
TI  - The Handicapped Surgical Patient. II. Due to Cardiovascular Disease.

PMID- 20315709
TI  - The Handicapped Surgical Patient. III. Due to Benign Hypertrophy of the Prostate.

PMID- 20315710
TI  - Rabies.

PMID- 20315711
TI  - The Toxaemias of Pregnancy from the View-point of Etiology.

PMID- 20315712
TI  - Oedema of both Optic Discs; Tumour in the Substance of the Cerebellum.

PMID- 20315713
TI  - An Obscure Case of Acute Intestinal Obstruction due to presence in Mesentery of
      Small Intestine of a Fibrous Polyp undergoing Calcarious Degeneration.

PMID- 20315714
TI  - A Case of Apparent Homolateral Hemiplegia.

PMID- 20315715
TI  - Spontaneous Rupture of Eyeball.

PMID- 20315716
TI  - The Nobel Lecture on Diabetes and Insulin.

PMID- 20315717
TI  - Periodic Health Examinations.

PMID- 20315718
TI  - Industrial Disease and the Profession.

PMID- 20315719
TI  - Light, Photosynthesia and Vitamines.

PMID- 20315720
TI  - Carbon Dioxide and Respiration.

PMID- 20315721
TI  - The Action of Insulin on Carbohydrate Metabolism.

PMID- 20315722
TI  - An Osler Memorial.

PMID- 20315723
TI  - Cancer.

PMID- 20315724
TI  - A Plea for the Use of "The Combined Treatment" in Affections other than those of
      the Eye.

PMID- 20315725
TI  - The Story of Fifty-Four Years' Quarantine Service from 1866 to 1920.

PMID- 20315726
TI  - The Death of the Duke of Richmond from Hydrophobia in 1820.

PMID- 20315727
TI  - An Address on Nephrosis.

PMID- 20315729
TI  - X-rays and Radium in the Management of Breast Carcinoma.

PMID- 20315728
TI  - Complement in Health and in Disease.

PMID- 20315730
TI  - The Influence of Dihydroxyacetone upon the Blood Sugar and Glycosuria.

PMID- 20315731
TI  - The Definition and Classification of the Pseudo-Leukaemias.

PMID- 20315732
TI  - Haemolytic Jaundice Associated with Splenomegaly.

PMID- 20315733
TI  - Splenectomy for Purpura Haemorrhagica.

PMID- 20315734
TI  - Blood Regeneration.

PMID- 20315735
TI  - Leprosy in Canada: Report of a Case.

PMID- 20315736
TI  - Plaster Shells in the Treatment of Tuberculosis and Fracture of the Spine.

PMID- 20315737
TI  - A Case of Corrosive Sublimate Poisoning by the Genital Tract.

PMID- 20315738
TI  - A Case of Endothelioma with Xanthochromia.

PMID- 20315739
TI  - The Potency of Tinctures of Digitalis and Strophanthus Purchased at Various
      Points on the Canadian Market.

PMID- 20315740
TI  - The Use of Non-Specific Foreign Protein in the Treatment of Inflammatory Lesions
      in the Female Pelvic Organs.

PMID- 20315741
TI  - Tuberculous Complications in the Digestive Tract Met with in the Course of
      Pulmonary Disease.

PMID- 20315742
TI  - The Use of Ephedrin in Bronchial Asthma.

PMID- 20315743
TI  - Tracheal Collapse During Thyroidectomy.

PMID- 20315744
TI  - A Case of Obstinate Urethral and Rectal Retention Cured by Psycho-Analytic
      Methods.

PMID- 20315745
TI  - Phrenicotomy in Traumatic Injury to the Chest.

PMID- 20315746
TI  - Non-Toxic Goitre with Nervous Symptoms.

PMID- 20315747
TI  - Pituitary Extract in Asphyxia Pallida.

PMID- 20315748
TI  - Recent Advances in Haematology: II. Laboratory Aids in the Diagnosis of Anaemia.

PMID- 20315750
TI  - Complement in Health and Disease.

PMID- 20315749
TI  - On Extra-Pleural Thoracoplasty.

PMID- 20315752
TI  - Vitamines.

PMID- 20315751
TI  - On The Standardization of Important Drugs.

PMID- 20315753
TI  - Focal Sepsis.

PMID- 20315754
TI  - Human and Bovine Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20315755
TI  - The Seasonal Occurrence of Infectious Nervous Diseases.

PMID- 20315756
TI  - Nature of Tumour Formation.

PMID- 20315757
TI  - Cancer Inquiry of the League of Nations: Incidence of Cancer in Different
      Countries.

PMID- 20315758
TI  - Medical Reciprocity with Italy.

PMID- 20315759
TI  - Valuable Cinchona Alkaloids.

PMID- 20315760
TI  - Shantung University.

PMID- 20315761
TI  - A Cheap Sterilizable Dialyzing Medium.

PMID- 20315762
TI  - Colloids in the Treatment of Cancer.

PMID- 20315763
TI  - The Use of Chloroform.

PMID- 20315764
TI  - The Royal Society of Medicine.

PMID- 20315766
TI  - Plague in Canada.

PMID- 20315765
TI  - An Historical Sketch of the Medical Profession of Toronto.

PMID- 20315767
TI  - Practising Under Difficulties.

PMID- 20315768
TI  - Sunlight Treatment: Artificial and Natural.

PMID- 20315769
TI  - An Address on Modern Methods in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Heart Disease.

PMID- 20315770
TI  - An Address on Cardiac and Renal Disease.

PMID- 20315771
TI  - An Address on Classfication of the Diarrhoeas, with an outline of Treatment.

PMID- 20315772
TI  - An Address on the Medical Aspects of Diseases of the Large Bowel.

PMID- 20315773
TI  - Differential Diagnosis of Upper Gastro-Intestinal Lesions.

PMID- 20315774
TI  - The Management of Gastric and Duodenal Ulcer.

PMID- 20315775
TI  - The Etiology of Malignant Neoplasms.

PMID- 20315776
TI  - Pernicious Anaemia-like Blood Changes in Rabbits accompanying B. Welchii
      Infections.

PMID- 20315777
TI  - Tuberculosis of the Tongue.

PMID- 20315778
TI  - Lung Expansion after Acute Empyema.

PMID- 20315779
TI  - A Case of Chronic Nephritis Treated with Collip's Parathyroid Extract.

PMID- 20315780
TI  - A Case of Status Epilepticus (Traumatica) Operation; Recovery.

PMID- 20315781
TI  - The Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus, with and without Insulin.

PMID- 20315782
TI  - Pyelitis in Infancy a Pathological Study.

PMID- 20315783
TI  - The Control of Arsphenamine Treatment by Liver Function Tests.

PMID- 20315785
TI  - The Treatment of Incomplete Abortion.

PMID- 20315784
TI  - Purpura with Intense Abdominal Pain as a Late Complication of Scarlet Fever.

PMID- 20315786
TI  - Sudden Death in Case of Status Lymphaticus: History with Pathological Report.

PMID- 20315787
TI  - Rhino-Plasty with Ivory Transplant.

PMID- 20315788
TI  - Late Decompression of Lumbar Cord Following Injury.

PMID- 20315789
TI  - Syphilitic Periostitis of the Cervical Vertebrae and Right Clavicle.

PMID- 20315790
TI  - On Splenectomy.

PMID- 20315791
TI  - Immunization Against Tuberculous Infection.

PMID- 20315793
TI  - Myopia and its Treatment.

PMID- 20315792
TI  - On Ventilation.

PMID- 20315795
TI  - Report of the Coal Commission in England.

PMID- 20315794
TI  - The Investigation of the Structure of the Eye and of Pathological Change in it by
      Means of Various Light Rays.

PMID- 20315796
TI  - The Opium Evil in India.

PMID- 20315797
TI  - Treatment with Artificial Light in Glasgow Clinics.

PMID- 20315798
TI  - On Morphine and Heroin Addiction.

PMID- 20315799
TI  - Experiences in Deep Diving.

PMID- 20315800
TI  - Osler Memorial Volume.

PMID- 20315801
TI  - Accident Prevention Among School Children.

PMID- 20315802
TI  - American Health Congress.

PMID- 20315803
TI  - The Banting Research Fund.

PMID- 20315804
TI  - The Archives of Disease in Childhood.

PMID- 20315805
TI  - Advertisement of Cod Liver Oil.

PMID- 20315806
TI  - Standardization of Digitalis.

PMID- 20315807
TI  - The King's Evil and the Royal Touch.

PMID- 20315808
TI  - Doctors and the Public.

PMID- 20315809
TI  - Stillbirth Investigation in London, Canada, for the Year 1924: Authorized by the
      Child Welfare Board of the Western Ontario Academy of Medicine.

PMID- 20315810
TI  - An Address on Cardiac Disease.

PMID- 20315811
TI  - An Address on the Functions and Limits of Sport in Education.

PMID- 20315812
TI  - An Address on Infections of the Biliary Tract : A Stock-taking of Diagnosis and
      Treatment.

PMID- 20315813
TI  - A Simple and Accurate Method of Determining Basal Metabolic Rates : An
      Electrometric (Katharometer) Procedure.

PMID- 20315814
TI  - Neuroblastoma Occurring in Adults.

PMID- 20315815
TI  - The Etiology of Embryonic Deformities.

PMID- 20315816
TI  - A Critique of Benard's So-called Laws of the First-Born and of Alternation.

PMID- 20315817
TI  - Sterility Among Hybrids.

PMID- 20315818
TI  - Abruptio Placentae.

PMID- 20315819
TI  - Posterior Presentations and their Treatment.

PMID- 20315820
TI  - Review of Blood-Matching in Toxaemia of Pregnancy.

PMID- 20315821
TI  - Induction of Labour.

PMID- 20315822
TI  - Rectal Anaesthesia in Obstetrics.

PMID- 20315823
TI  - The Importance of Specific Pollens and Their Optimum Dosage for Desensitization
      in Hay-Fever: From an Experience of Five Years.

PMID- 20315824
TI  - High Blood Pressure and its Treatment by the High Frequency Current.

PMID- 20315825
TI  - Compound Dislocation of the Lower End of the Ulna.

PMID- 20315826
TI  - An Experience with Novasural.

PMID- 20315827
TI  - Case of Hypernephroma with Bone Metastases: History and Pathological Report.

PMID- 20315829
TI  - The Therapeutic Use of Oxygen.

PMID- 20315828
TI  - Hepatic Cirrhosis in Children with Special Reference to the Biliary Forms.

PMID- 20315830
TI  - Importance of Sunshine and Skyshine.

PMID- 20315831
TI  - The Problem of Measles.

PMID- 20315833
TI  - The Optical Convention at South Kensington.

PMID- 20315832
TI  - Investigations into the Etiology of Accidental Haemorrhage.

PMID- 20315834
TI  - Precautions in Tonsillectomy.

PMID- 20315836
TI  - The Employment of Kaolin in Intestinal Infections.

PMID- 20315835
TI  - Tuberculosis in North American Indians.

PMID- 20315837
TI  - On a Study in Vocational Guidance.

PMID- 20315838
TI  - The Value of Oranges in the Diet.

PMID- 20315839
TI  - On Birth Control.

PMID- 20315840
TI  - Letter from Dr. McKibben and Prof. Bruce Macallum.

PMID- 20315841
TI  - Letter from Dr. W. J. Macdonald.

PMID- 20315842
TI  - Early Acadian Hospitals.

PMID- 20315843
TI  - A Letter from Italy.

PMID- 20315844
TI  - Cheselden, Anatomist and Surgeon.

PMID- 20315846
TI  - An Address on the Biochemistry of Calcium.

PMID- 20315845
TI  - An Address on the Mental Factor in Disease and its Treatment by the General
      Practitioner.

PMID- 20315847
TI  - The Practical Application of our Present Knowledge of Calcium Metabolism.

PMID- 20315848
TI  - An Address on Some Forms of Anaemia.

PMID- 20315849
TI  - Post-Operative Pulmonary Complications: A Study from the Surgical and
      Gynaecological Records of the Toronto General Hospital and from the Data and
      Collection of the Department of Pathology of the University of Toronto. Part I.

PMID- 20315850
TI  - The Oral Administration of Glucose.

PMID- 20315851
TI  - The Relation of the Laboratory to the Practice of Medicine.

PMID- 20315852
TI  - Upper Respiratory Infection in its Relation to Pulmonary Disease.

PMID- 20315853
TI  - A Discussion of Neisser Infection in the Male.

PMID- 20315854
TI  - What Anaesthesia Records Show.

PMID- 20315856
TI  - A Survey of the Results of Routine and Other Wassermann Tests in the Toronto
      General Hospital for the Past Ten Years.

PMID- 20315855
TI  - Pyelitis in Infancy.

PMID- 20315857
TI  - Synergistic Analgesia in Labour.

PMID- 20315859
TI  - Saphenous Varix Simulating a Femoral Hernia.

PMID- 20315858
TI  - Bifurcate Ribs-An Unusual Cause of Deformity of the Chest.

PMID- 20315860
TI  - A Case of Thymoma.

PMID- 20315862
TI  - Recent Advances in Haematology: 3. The Blood Platelets.

PMID- 20315861
TI  - What is the Significance of the Spleen?: An Anatomical and Physiological Review.

PMID- 20315864
TI  - The Pathological Conference and the Case Method of Teaching Pathology.

PMID- 20315863
TI  - The Control of Diphtheria: A Review.

PMID- 20315865
TI  - Tobacco from a Medical Point of View.

PMID- 20315866
TI  - New Facts Concerning Digitalis.

PMID- 20315867
TI  - The Emetic Action of the Digitalis Group.

PMID- 20315868
TI  - Thyroxine.

PMID- 20315869
TI  - Sunlight.

PMID- 20315870
TI  - The Surgery of the Spleen.

PMID- 20315871
TI  - Increased Control over the Sale of Dangerous Drugs in Great Britain.

PMID- 20315872
TI  - The Increasing Prevalence of Encephalitis Lethargica.

PMID- 20315874
TI  - Raymond Pearl on Growth of Population.

PMID- 20315873
TI  - Prevention in Occupational Cancer.

PMID- 20315875
TI  - The New Foreign Members of the Royal Society.

PMID- 20315876
TI  - Hereditary Peroneal Atrophy.

PMID- 20315877
TI  - Our Edinburgh Letter.

PMID- 20315879
TI  - Abstracts from the Early Records of the Montreal Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 20315878
TI  - Our London Letter: Impulses in Sensory Nerves Produced by Normal Stimulation of
      Their End-Organs.

PMID- 20315880
TI  - The Acceleration of Growth.

PMID- 20315881
TI  - Auto-Experiments.

PMID- 20315883
TI  - Prehistoric Footprints from the Grand Canyon.

PMID- 20315882
TI  - American Medical Libraries.

PMID- 20315884
TI  - Medical Research.

PMID- 20315885
TI  - An Address on Addison's (Pernicious) Anaemia.

PMID- 20315886
TI  - Encephalitis Lethargica.

PMID- 20315887
TI  - Post-Operative Pulmonary Complications: A Study from the Surgical and
      Gynaecological Records of the Toronto General Hospital and from those of the
      Department of Pathology in the University of Toronto. Part II.

PMID- 20315888
TI  - The Problem of the Acute Ear.

PMID- 20315889
TI  - Malignant Growths of the Lower Urinary Tract.

PMID- 20315890
TI  - Cranial and Intracranial Injuries.

PMID- 20315891
TI  - Goitre in Children-A Study of Treatment.

PMID- 20315892
TI  - Thoughts on Rheumatism.

PMID- 20315893
TI  - Results of the Use of Scarlet Fever Antitoxin.

PMID- 20315894
TI  - The Relative Value of Different Tuberculin Skin Tests.

PMID- 20315895
TI  - Ureteral Stricture : A Cause of Obscure Abdominal and Pelvic Pain.

PMID- 20315896
TI  - Choice of the Anaesthetic.

PMID- 20315897
TI  - A Case of Hydrocephalus Simulating Brain Tumour.

PMID- 20315898
TI  - Banti's Disease in a Child.

PMID- 20315899
TI  - Recent Advances in Haematology: 4.-The Value of Splenectomy in Purpura
      Haemorrhagica.

PMID- 20315900
TI  - A Case of Symptomless Middle Meningeal Haemorrhage.

PMID- 20315902
TI  - The British Pharmacopoeia.

PMID- 20315901
TI  - The London Meeting of the Ontario Medical Association-The Swing of the Pendulum.

PMID- 20315903
TI  - New Knowledge of Malaria from its Use in General Paresis.

PMID- 20315905
TI  - The Origin of Acrodynia.

PMID- 20315904
TI  - Juvenile Courts.

PMID- 20315907
TI  - The Limitations of Cod Liver Oil in Rickets.

PMID- 20315906
TI  - The Eye and its Influence upon Evolution.

PMID- 20315908
TI  - Tuberculosis in Infancy.

PMID- 20315909
TI  - The Spleen in Measles.

PMID- 20315910
TI  - Crystalline Insulin.

PMID- 20315911
TI  - On Robert Burns.

PMID- 20315912
TI  - Verdict in Polluted Water Case.

PMID- 20315913
TI  - Osler Bronze Medal at University of Oxford.

PMID- 20315914
TI  - Fluorine Poisoning.

PMID- 20315916
TI  - Bird Droppings as an Infective Agent.

PMID- 20315915
TI  - Certificates of Health Before Marriage.

PMID- 20315917
TI  - Oil of Wintergreen.

PMID- 20315918
TI  - Juveniles and Young Persons in Penitentiaries.

PMID- 20315920
TI  - Research on Sleep.

PMID- 20315919
TI  - Maternal Mortality.

PMID- 20315921
TI  - Toxaemia of Burns.

PMID- 20315922
TI  - Activities of Rockefeller Foundation in 1925.

PMID- 20315923
TI  - An Historic Celebration.

PMID- 20315924
TI  - The Residual Effects of War Gases.

PMID- 20315925
TI  - Extract from Letter to Dr. M. T. Macklin.

PMID- 20315926
TI  - Asserted Stability of the Vitamines.

PMID- 20315927
TI  - Lumbar Puncture in Cases of Poisoning.

PMID- 20315928
TI  - A New Element.

PMID- 20315929
TI  - The Influence of Adrenalin on the Luminescence of Fireflies.

PMID- 20315930
TI  - A Hymn for Canada.

PMID- 20315931
TI  - An Address on Diabetes.

PMID- 20315932
TI  - Modern Evolution of Gynaecology.

PMID- 20315933
TI  - Acute Arthritis.

PMID- 20315934
TI  - The Low Function Kidney.

PMID- 20315935
TI  - Symposium on Duodenal Ulcer: 1. Medical Aspects.

PMID- 20315936
TI  - Symposium on Duodenal Ulcer: 2. Surgical Treatment.

PMID- 20315937
TI  - Symposium on Duodenal Ulcer: 3. Radiological Aspect.

PMID- 20315938
TI  - Nephrosis of Thyroid Origin.

PMID- 20315940
TI  - Allergic Diseases of Childhood.

PMID- 20315939
TI  - Chronic Mastitis.

PMID- 20315941
TI  - Newer Drugs, Their Use and Abuse.

PMID- 20315942
TI  - Resume on the Treatment of Fractures: Presenting the Views of the Academy of
      Medicine of Western Ontario.

PMID- 20315943
TI  - Non-Relation of Malnutrition in School Children to Infection.

PMID- 20315944
TI  - Expectations and Realizations from Routine Roentgenological Gastro-Intestinal
      Examination.

PMID- 20315946
TI  - Psychotherapy with Special Reference to Psychoanalysis.

PMID- 20315945
TI  - Carcinoma of the Prostate.

PMID- 20315947
TI  - A Case of Sub-Parathyroid Tetany with Collip's Extract of Parathyroid.

PMID- 20315949
TI  - A Case of Haemothorax in a New-Born Infant.

PMID- 20315948
TI  - A Case of Acute Yellow Atrophy of the Liver.

PMID- 20315950
TI  - Complete Heart Block: Report of a Case.

PMID- 20315951
TI  - A Case of Tubal Pregnancy.

PMID- 20315952
TI  - Impacted Tooth with Infection.

PMID- 20315953
TI  - The Prince of Wales and the Value of Science.

PMID- 20315954
TI  - Impressions of a Free Lance at the Nottingham Meeting.

PMID- 20315955
TI  - The Centenary of Lister.

PMID- 20315956
TI  - What's What?

PMID- 20315957
TI  - On the Track of a Fallacy. The Guanidine Theory.

PMID- 20315958
TI  - Inheritance in Cancer: A Note on the Work of Maud Slye.

PMID- 20315959
TI  - The Psychogenetic Element in Epilepsy.

PMID- 20315960
TI  - On Menstruation and Pain.

PMID- 20315961
TI  - A Definition of Blindness.

PMID- 20315962
TI  - On the Relation of Dose and Effect in Therapeutics.

PMID- 20315963
TI  - Meeting of the Interstate Post-Graduate Assembly of North America, Cleveland.

PMID- 20315964
TI  - Tuberculin in Crystalline Form.

PMID- 20315965
TI  - Care of the Feeble Minded in England.

PMID- 20315966
TI  - New Views on Plant Life.

PMID- 20315967
TI  - The Nova Scotia Temperance Act and the Profession.

PMID- 20315968
TI  - Vegetable as Opposed to Animal Fats.

PMID- 20315969
TI  - Congress of Physicians Speaking the French Language in North America.

PMID- 20315970
TI  - On the Opening of a Post-Graduate Hostel in London.

PMID- 20315971
TI  - Our London Letter.

PMID- 20315973
TI  - The Training of Nurses.

PMID- 20315972
TI  - Our Edinburgh Letter.

PMID- 20315974
TI  - Is Discussion of Paper read at a Meeting Desirable?

PMID- 20315975
TI  - The Art of Writing Medical Papers.

PMID- 20315976
TI  - Cambridge Medical Worthies.

PMID- 20315977
TI  - The Character of Claudius.

PMID- 20315978
TI  - Cretins-An Etymological Note.

PMID- 20315979
TI  - Cremation.

PMID- 20315980
TI  - An Address on the Abdominal Emergency.

PMID- 20315981
TI  - On Certain Grooves upon the Deep Aspect of the Cranial Vault.

PMID- 20315982
TI  - Physical Examination and Determination of Basal Metabolic Rates of a Group of
      Young Adults.

PMID- 20315983
TI  - The Treatment of Laryngeal Tuberculosis in Sanatoria.

PMID- 20315984
TI  - The Value of Parallel Kolmer and Kahn Tests as a Standardized laboratory
      Procedure in the Serum Diagnosis of Syphilis.

PMID- 20315985
TI  - The Importance of Tubercle Bacillus in the Etiology of Ischio-Rectal Abscess and
      Fistula in Ano.

PMID- 20315986
TI  - A Case Of Haemolytic Jaundice in the Newborn.

PMID- 20315987
TI  - Abdominal Pain in Children in Extra-Abdominal Conditions.

PMID- 20315988
TI  - Breech Extraction as a Cause of Cord Laceration and Paraplegia.

PMID- 20315989
TI  - Diagnosis of Common Skin Conditions.

PMID- 20315990
TI  - The Infective Arthritides: On a Possible Relationship Between Hypoparathyroidism
      and the Chronic Arthritides.

PMID- 20315991
TI  - Social Aspects of Mental Deficiency.

PMID- 20315992
TI  - An Effective Medical Treatment for the Cure of Chronic Gastric and Duodenal
      Ulcers.

PMID- 20315993
TI  - Evolution of Man's Diet.

PMID- 20315994
TI  - A Case of a Needle in the Cervical Region Tolerated for Five Months.

PMID- 20315995
TI  - A Late Report on a Case of Functional Albuminuria.

PMID- 20315996
TI  - Lymphoblastoma.

PMID- 20315997
TI  - Rheumatic Infection in Children.

PMID- 20315998
TI  - On Wealth, Philanthropy, and Mental Hygiene.

PMID- 20315999
TI  - The Sanatorium and the Student.

PMID- 20316000
TI  - The Epilepsies.

PMID- 20316001
TI  - Crime and Its Abatement.

PMID- 20316002
TI  - Mechanism of Pancreatic Secretion.

PMID- 20316003
TI  - On The Value of the Sanatorium Treatment in Tuberculosis.

PMID- 20316004
TI  - Encephalo-Myelitis Following Vaccination.

PMID- 20316006
TI  - Liver Extract in the Treatment of Malignant Disease.

PMID- 20316005
TI  - On Diet and Nutrition.

PMID- 20316007
TI  - Public Education in Health.

PMID- 20316008
TI  - Our London Letter.

PMID- 20316009
TI  - The Twelfth International Congress of Physiologists.

PMID- 20316010
TI  - The Story of Diphtheria.

PMID- 20316011
TI  - The Madness of Ajax Clinically Considered.

PMID- 20316012
TI  - Mediaeval Medicine.

PMID- 20316013
TI  - The Induction of Aborption its Indications.

PMID- 20316014
TI  - Extramural Post-Graduate Course.

PMID- 20316015
TI  - Structure of Neurone Junctions.

PMID- 20316016
TI  - A Doctor's Signboard.

PMID- 20316017
TI  - ERRATA.

PMID- 20316018
TI  - An Address on the University's function in Medicine.

PMID- 20316019
TI  - An Address on Some Contributions to our Knowledge of Diseases of the Kidney and
      Liver : Part I.

PMID- 20316021
TI  - An Address on Fibrositis (Myalgia, Chronic Muscular Rheumatism).

PMID- 20316020
TI  - An Address on Headaches, with Especial Reference to Those of Ocular Origin.

PMID- 20316022
TI  - An Address on Occupational Therapy.

PMID- 20316023
TI  - The Practice of Medicine : Abstract of Inaugural Address of the President of the
      Academy of Medicine.

PMID- 20316024
TI  - Pre-Operative and Post-Operative Principles.

PMID- 20316025
TI  - Indications for Use of Extra-Pleural Thoracoplasty.

PMID- 20316026
TI  - An Improved Mode of Expression of Haemoglobin Values.

PMID- 20316027
TI  - Hereditary Abnormalities of the Eye: I. Introduction: The Laws of Heredity and
      Their Exemplification in the Inheritance of Eye Colour.

PMID- 20316028
TI  - Diuresis and the Newer Diuretics-Ammonium Chloride and Novasurol.

PMID- 20316029
TI  - The Diuretic action of Ammonium Chloride and Novasurol.

PMID- 20316030
TI  - Types of Thrombopenic purpura Haemorrhagica.

PMID- 20316031
TI  - Radium in Dermatology.

PMID- 20316032
TI  - Prostatism: A Brief Survey of One Hundred Cases.

PMID- 20316033
TI  - The Treatment of Haemorrhoids.

PMID- 20316034
TI  - Meningo-Encephalitis; Operation; Recovery.

PMID- 20316035
TI  - A Case of Amaurotic Family Idiocy.

PMID- 20316037
TI  - The Care of the Sick and the Prevention of Disease.

PMID- 20316036
TI  - On Spastic Paralysis and Its Treatment.

PMID- 20316038
TI  - Inherited Blindness.

PMID- 20316040
TI  - The War on Disease: Sir George Newman's Report for 1925.

PMID- 20316039
TI  - Professor Finsterer and Anaesthesia in Abdominal Surgery.

PMID- 20316041
TI  - Some Aspects of Pain.

PMID- 20316042
TI  - The Menace of Obesity.

PMID- 20316044
TI  - On the Value of Tryparsamide, in the Treatment of the Later Symptoms of Syphilis.

PMID- 20316043
TI  - The Treatment of Psoriasis.

PMID- 20316046
TI  - The Seymour Plan for Elimination of Diphtheria, Smallpox and Typhoid.

PMID- 20316045
TI  - The Present Position of Sanocrysin.

PMID- 20316047
TI  - Publicity in Medicine.

PMID- 20316048
TI  - On Rheumatic Disease in Children.

PMID- 20316049
TI  - The Gye-Barnard Organism of Cancer.

PMID- 20316050
TI  - The influence of Climate in the production of Catarrhal Colds.

PMID- 20316051
TI  - Our Edinburgh Letter.

PMID- 20316053
TI  - When Not to Operate for Hernia.

PMID- 20316052
TI  - Our London Letter.

PMID- 20316054
TI  - Common Sense in Medicine.

PMID- 20316055
TI  - Diet for School-boys.

PMID- 20316056
TI  - The Nervous System of Plants.

PMID- 20316058
TI  - Goggles for Ultra-Violet Therapy.

PMID- 20316057
TI  - On Benzol Poisoning as an Industrial Hazard.

PMID- 20316059
TI  - A New Drug for Treatment of Malaria.

PMID- 20316060
TI  - Ability of Different Racial Types.

PMID- 20316061
TI  - A New Ultra-Violet Transmitting Glass.

PMID- 20316062
TI  - The French Guinea Station of the Pasteur Institute.

PMID- 20316063
TI  - The Alcohol Content of Bread.

PMID- 20316064
TI  - An Address on the Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Post-operative
      Peritonitis.

PMID- 20316065
TI  - An Address on the Present Status of Serum Therapy in the Treatment of the
      Exanthemata.

PMID- 20316066
TI  - An Address on the Psychogenic Psychoses: Their Causes and Symptoms.

PMID- 20316067
TI  - Some Contributions to our Knowledge of Diseases of the Kidney and Liver : Part
      II.

PMID- 20316068
TI  - Iodized Oil with Reference to Bronchiectasis.

PMID- 20316069
TI  - Haemolytic Influenza Bacilli in Acute Respiratory Infection.

PMID- 20316070
TI  - Paroxysmal Tachycardia.

PMID- 20316071
TI  - The Present Status of Cholecystography.

PMID- 20316073
TI  - Acute Cranial-Cerebral Injuries.

PMID- 20316072
TI  - Leptospirosis Icterohaemorrhagica (Weil's Disease) with Report of a Fatal Case.

PMID- 20316074
TI  - On Pathological Conditions in the Upper Respiratory Tract, and the Importance of
      their Recognition and Correction in Chest Disabilities.

PMID- 20316075
TI  - On Some of the Less Common Early Signs of Disseminated Sclerosis with the Report
      of Some Cases.

PMID- 20316076
TI  - Bladder Dysfunction Secondary to Nerve Lesions.

PMID- 20316077
TI  - The Mortality in Appendicitis.

PMID- 20316078
TI  - The Potency of Tinctures of Digitalis and Strophanthus: A Discussion.

PMID- 20316079
TI  - The Value of Organized Supervision in the Care of Children as Exemplified by
      Results at the Infants' Home, Toronto.

PMID- 20316080
TI  - Acute Lymphatic Leukaemia.

PMID- 20316081
TI  - Severe Renal Trauma with Rupture of Renal Artery; Absence of Haematuria.

PMID- 20316082
TI  - Infected Hand Followed by Loss of Power in the Extensors of Fingers and Thumbs.

PMID- 20316084
TI  - The Modern Surgeon.

PMID- 20316083
TI  - Myocardial Insufficiency, Its Prevention and Treatment.

PMID- 20316085
TI  - The Prognosis of Angina Pectoris.

PMID- 20316086
TI  - Posture.

PMID- 20316087
TI  - The Care of the Sick : Means of diagnosis: How can they be made more generally
      available?

PMID- 20316089
TI  - On the Hospitals of Canada.

PMID- 20316088
TI  - International Sanitary Interests.

PMID- 20316091
TI  - Emotional Reactions in Disseminated Sclerosis.

PMID- 20316090
TI  - Colour-Blindness.

PMID- 20316092
TI  - Sir James Mackenzie.

PMID- 20316094
TI  - The Value of Malarial Therapy in Dementia Paralytica.

PMID- 20316093
TI  - A Crystalline Ferment.

PMID- 20316095
TI  - Poliomyelitis and Polio-Encephalitis.

PMID- 20316096
TI  - Anti-Malarial Measures.

PMID- 20316097
TI  - Prohibition's Failure in Norway.

PMID- 20316098
TI  - Vaccination Before Jenner.

PMID- 20316099
TI  - On Symposia.

PMID- 20316100
TI  - Alcoholism in America.

PMID- 20316101
TI  - On The Debt of Medicine to the Experimental Methods of Harvey.

PMID- 20316102
TI  - London Letter.

PMID- 20316103
TI  - Edinburgh Letter.

PMID- 20316104
TI  - The Re-Opening of the Wellcome Museum of Medical History.

PMID- 20316105
TI  - Electrotherapy in Surgery.

PMID- 20316106
TI  - Caleb Hillier Parry and Something of His Contemporaries.

PMID- 20316107
TI  - Be on Your Guard.

PMID- 20316108
TI  - Foreword 1927.

PMID- 20316109
TI  - Hyperglycaemia in Paralysis Agitans.

PMID- 20316110
TI  - A DISSERTATION ON DISCONTENT.

PMID- 20316111
TI  - THE DIFFICULTIES OF RESEARCH.

PMID- 20316112
TI  - THE BASAL METABOLISM AFTER THE ARTIFICIAL MENOPAUSE.

PMID- 20316113
TI  - SPERMINE.

PMID- 20316114
TI  - EPIDEMIC POLIOMYELITIS IN ENGLAND.

PMID- 20316115
TI  - ON AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS.

PMID- 20316116
TI  - ON MEDICAL WRITING.

PMID- 20316117
TI  - SEQUELAE OF ENCEPHALITIS LETH-ARGICA IN CHILDREN.

PMID- 20316118
TI  - An Address ON THE IMMEDIATE AND ULTIMATE PROGNOSIS IN CARDIAC DISEASE.

PMID- 20316120
TI  - SOME FACTS ABOUT THE CANADIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.

PMID- 20316119
TI  - Our London Letter.

PMID- 20316122
TI  - Two Factors in Catarrhal Deafness.

PMID- 20316121
TI  - THE LISTER MEMORIAL COMMITTEE HAS APPROVED THE FOLLOWING LETTER TO MEDICAL
      SCHOOLS AND HOSPITALS.

PMID- 20316123
TI  - REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON PERSONAL ARCHIVES.

PMID- 20316125
TI  - Silent Pulmonary Cavities.

PMID- 20316124
TI  - An Address ON THE PRESENT POSITION OF THE CANCER PROBLEM.

PMID- 20316126
TI  - An Address ON THE PRE-OPERATIVE PREPARATION OF THE DIABETIC PATIENT WITH
      DISCUSSION OF THE "SO-CALLED" DIABETIC GANGRENE.

PMID- 20316127
TI  - Tailed Children.

PMID- 20316128
TI  - An Address ON DIABETIC GANGRENE.

PMID- 20316129
TI  - An Address ON PUERPERAL INFECTION.

PMID- 20316130
TI  - Importation of Useful Parasites.

PMID- 20316131
TI  - THE PHYSIOLOGICAL FACTORS DETERMINING THE ACIDITY OF THE GASTRIC JUICE AND OF THE
      GASTRIC CONTENTS.

PMID- 20316132
TI  - Bacterium Pneumosintes and Influenza.

PMID- 20316133
TI  - THE CARBON MONOXIDE MENACE AND THE CANCER PROBLEM.

PMID- 20316134
TI  - ACUTE GANGRENOUS CHOLECYSTITIS.

PMID- 20316136
TI  - The Rheumatic Child.

PMID- 20316135
TI  - ON TERMINAL DISINFECTION.

PMID- 20316137
TI  - HEREDITARY ABNORMALITIES OF THE EYE: II. INHERITABLE DEFECTS INVOLVING THE
      EYELIDS AND THEIR MODE OF TRANSMISSION.

PMID- 20316139
TI  - OSTEITIS DEFORMANS (PAGET'S DISEASE).

PMID- 20316138
TI  - Epidemic Meningitis.

PMID- 20316140
TI  - A NOTE CONCERNING THE RADIOGRAPHIC DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN DIPLOIC AND MENINGEAL
      VASCULAR CHANNELS.

PMID- 20316142
TI  - Exhibition at the Science Museum at South Kensington.

PMID- 20316141
TI  - HEREDITARY HAEMORRHAGIC TELANGIECTASIA.

PMID- 20316143
TI  - RINGWORM OF THE HANDS AND FEET.

PMID- 20316144
TI  - An Address ON THE TOXAEMIAS OF PREGNANCY.

PMID- 20316145
TI  - SOME PITFALLS IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF INTUSSUSCEPTION.

PMID- 20316146
TI  - ON THE USE OF IRON IN ANAEMIA.

PMID- 20316148
TI  - Preliminary Report of Committee on Education Approved by Council on Physical
      Therapy of American Medical Association.

PMID- 20316147
TI  - CLEFT PALATE: A CLINICAL STUDY OF A METHOD FOR ITS TREATMENT.

PMID- 20316149
TI  - A CASE OF PERFORATED PEPTIC ULCER OF MECKEL'S DIVERTICULUM.

PMID- 20316151
TI  - DERMATITIS VEGETANS (REPORT OF A CASE).

PMID- 20316150
TI  - SPINDLE CELL SARCOMA OF THE PROSTATE.

PMID- 20316152
TI  - FRACTURE OF THE SKULL IN A CHILD SIX MONTHS OF AGE.

PMID- 20316153
TI  - TANNIC ACID TREATMENT OF BURNS.

PMID- 20316154
TI  - DIABETES MELLITUS AND MYXOEDEMA.

PMID- 20316156
TI  - A CASE OF ENCYSTED SHRAPNEL.

PMID- 20316155
TI  - PERSISTENT THYMUS.

PMID- 20316157
TI  - THE RELATIVE VALUE OF THE ROENTGEN RAY AND OF PHYSICAL FINDINGS IN THE DIAGNOSIS
      OF PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS.

PMID- 20316159
TI  - Influence of Insulin on Mortality from Diabetes.

PMID- 20316158
TI  - NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE GALL BLADDER.

PMID- 20316160
TI  - THE CARE OF THE SICK: TREATMENT, AND HOSPITALIZATION, AND PAYMENT THEREFOR.

PMID- 20316161
TI  - THE CANADIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR MENTAL HYGIENE.

PMID- 20316162
TI  - THE CANADIAN COUNCIL ON CHILD WELFARE.

PMID- 20316163
TI  - An Address ON EMPYEMA.

PMID- 20316164
TI  - An Address ON THE RELATIONS OF THE MEDICAL PROFESSION TO HOSPITALS.

PMID- 20316165
TI  - Merbaphen (Novasurol) as Diuretic in Congestive Heart Failure.

PMID- 20316166
TI  - An Address ON THE PRESENT POSITION OF THE CANCER PROBLEM.

PMID- 20316167
TI  - An Address ON THE GROWTH OF THE SPECIALTY OF ANAESTHESIA IN CANADA.

PMID- 20316168
TI  - An Address ON PROGNOSIS.

PMID- 20316169
TI  - THE CHOLESTEROL CONTENT OF THE BLOOD PLASMA AS AN INDEX OF PROGRESS IN INSULIN
      TREATED DIABETICS.

PMID- 20316170
TI  - THE TREATMENT OF DIABETES MELLITUS THROUGH OFFICE PRACTICE.

PMID- 20316172
TI  - THE SIGNIFICANCE OF GENITO-URINARY PAIN.

PMID- 20316171
TI  - THE RELATION OF KIDNEY ACTIVITY IN DIABETES INSIPIDUS TO THE THEORIES OF URINE
      EXCRETION.

PMID- 20316173
TI  - AN ANALYSIS OF 150 DEATHS FROM DIPHTHERIA.

PMID- 20316174
TI  - THE TREATMENT AND CAUSES OF CONVULSIONS IN INFANTS AND CHILDREN.

PMID- 20316175
TI  - DIABETIC LIPAEMIA RETINALIS: WITH REPORT OF A CASE.

PMID- 20316177
TI  - SEX FACTORS IN THE VERY YOUNG CHILD.

PMID- 20316176
TI  - A CASE OF PLACENTA ACCRETA.

PMID- 20316178
TI  - Effects of Diet During Pregnancy on Development of Rickets in Offspring.

PMID- 20316179
TI  - New Instruments and Technique: ELECTRO-COAGULATION AS AN ADJUNCT IN TONSIL
      DISSECTIONS.

PMID- 20316180
TI  - HEREDITARY DIABETES INSIPIDUS.

PMID- 20316181
TI  - DIABETES IN A CHILD THREE YEARS OF AGE.

PMID- 20316182
TI  - LUNG STONES (PNEUMOLITHS) POSSIBLY ASSOCIATED WITH TUBERCULOSIS.

PMID- 20316183
TI  - CASE OF HYPSILOID (DICEPHALUS MONOSOMUS).

PMID- 20316184
TI  - A DICEPHALOUS FOETUS.

PMID- 20316185
TI  - DELIVERY OF SYNCEPHALUS THORACOPAGUS.

PMID- 20316186
TI  - ECHINOCOCCUS CYST OF THE OMENTUM.

PMID- 20316187
TI  - Experimental Investigations on Convulsions.

PMID- 20316188
TI  - SOME FUNCTIONS OF THE SPLEEN.

PMID- 20316189
TI  - ON HEADACHES.

PMID- 20316190
TI  - THE MAZE OF MEDICINE.

PMID- 20316191
TI  - THE MANAGEMENT OF HOSPITALS.

PMID- 20316192
TI  - CONCERNING ANATOMY.

PMID- 20316193
TI  - THE HISTORY OF CANADIAN MEDICINE.

PMID- 20316195
TI  - RACIAL CHARACTERS OF THE SKIN IN RELATION TO HEALTH.

PMID- 20316194
TI  - ON THE CONSERVATION OF HEARING IN SCHOOL CHILDREN.

PMID- 20316196
TI  - THE DEVELOPMENT OF OBSTETRICS.

PMID- 20316197
TI  - THE EARLY RECOGNITION OF COMMENCING MYOCARDIAL WEAKNESS.

PMID- 20316198
TI  - VALUE OF IRON AS A THERAPEUTIC AGENT.

PMID- 20316199
TI  - ON THE AFTER EFFECTS OF POISON GAS.

PMID- 20316200
TI  - A VACCINATION ENQUIRY.

PMID- 20316202
TI  - THE SECOND IMPRESSION OF THE SIR WILLIAM OSLER MEMORIAL VOLUME.

PMID- 20316201
TI  - PELLAGRA.

PMID- 20316203
TI  - Our London Letter.

PMID- 20316204
TI  - A CANADIAN DR. MACLURE.

PMID- 20316205
TI  - REGARDING TRANSFUSION AND INTRAVENOUS INJECTIONS.

PMID- 20316206
TI  - MERCUROCHROME.

PMID- 20316207
TI  - HYDRATED MORPHINE DERIVATIVES.

PMID- 20316208
TI  - THE ORIGIN OF SYPHILIS.

PMID- 20316209
TI  - Thyroid Hypertrophy and Pregnancy.

PMID- 20316210
TI  - THE REBUILDING OF "BARTS" IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.

PMID- 20316211
TI  - An Address ON METABOLIC FACTORS IN THE TREATMENT OF TUBERCULOSIS.

PMID- 20316212
TI  - An Address ON THE FUNCTIONS OF A WOMAN'S CLINIC.

PMID- 20316213
TI  - An Address ON PAIN IN THE LOWER ABDOMEN.

PMID- 20316214
TI  - An Address ON THE APPENDIX PROBLEM TO-DAY.

PMID- 20316215
TI  - An Address ON FOCAL INFECTION IN RELATION TO SYSTEMIC DISEASE.

PMID- 20316216
TI  - EXTRA-UTERINE PREGNANCY.

PMID- 20316217
TI  - MULTIPLE MYELOMA OF UNUSUAL TYPE WITH WIDELY DISSEMINATED METASTASES OF SMALL
      SIZE.

PMID- 20316218
TI  - Pollen Toxaemia in Children.

PMID- 20316219
TI  - THE ANAEMIA OF CANCER OF THE GASTRO-INTESTINAL TRACT: BASED ON A STUDY OF 187
      CASES.

PMID- 20316220
TI  - THE MEIOSTAGMIN REACTION IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF CARCINOMA.

PMID- 20316221
TI  - REMARKS ON THE DEEP MUSCLES OF THE BACK, WITH REFERENCE TO INFANTILE PARALYSIS.

PMID- 20316223
TI  - Investigation of Injuries from Hair Dyes, Dyed Furs and Cosmetics.

PMID- 20316222
TI  - NOVA SCOTIA'S CHANGING STATISTICS.

PMID- 20316224
TI  - A CASE OF MALIGNANCY IN A DERMOID CYST OF THE OVARY.

PMID- 20316225
TI  - SOME OBSERVATIONS ON "SADDLE-NOSE" DEFORMITY IN CHILDREN.

PMID- 20316226
TI  - HEREDITARY ABNORMALITIES OF THE EYE III. (SECTION 1) ANOMALIES OF THE ENTIRE
      EYEBALL.

PMID- 20316227
TI  - THE TREATMENT OF EARLY MALIGNANCY OF THE LARYNX BY ELECTRO-DESICCATION AND
      RADIUM.

PMID- 20316228
TI  - REPORT OF A CASE OF HYDROPS NEONATORUM.

PMID- 20316229
TI  - REPORTS OF THREE CASES OF INJURY TO THE RIGHT KNEE.

PMID- 20316230
TI  - GENERALIZED NON-TRAUMATIC SUBCUTANEOUS EMPHYSEMA: WITH REPORT OF A CASE IN A
      YOUNG CHILD.

PMID- 20316231
TI  - Toxaemias of Pregnancy and Treatment of Eclampsia.

PMID- 20316232
TI  - Use of Radium in Internal Medicine.

PMID- 20316234
TI  - ON RACIAL DECADENCE.

PMID- 20316233
TI  - THE CLINICAL STUDY OF MENTAL DISORDERS.

PMID- 20316235
TI  - ON RESUSCITATION AFTER SYSTEMIC DEATH.

PMID- 20316236
TI  - ON GOITRE.

PMID- 20316237
TI  - THE MEDICAL PROFESSION FROM AN INTERNATIONAL VIEWPOINT.

PMID- 20316238
TI  - PARA-THOR-MONE.

PMID- 20316239
TI  - INFANT MORTALITY.

PMID- 20316240
TI  - CYCLIC VOMITING AND MIGRAINE.

PMID- 20316241
TI  - HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE.

PMID- 20316242
TI  - OUR IMMIGRATION LAWS.

PMID- 20316243
TI  - A SURVEY OF TUBERCULOSIS AMONG INDIANS IN THE QU'APPELLE VALLEY.

PMID- 20316244
TI  - MALARIAL TREATMENT OF GENERAL PARALYSIS.